(Catena), a series of several rings, or links, fitted into one another.

There are chains of divers matters, sizes, forms, and for divers uses.—Ports, rivers, streets, &c. are closed with iron chains: rebellious cities are punished by taking away their chains and barriers.

The arms of the kingdom of Navarre are, Chains Or, in a field Gules. The occasion hereof is referred to the kings of Spain leagued against the Moors; who having gained a celebrated victory against them in 1212, in the distribution of the spoils the magnificent tent of Miraimunin fell to the king of Navarre, as being the first that broke and forced the chains thereof.

A gold Chain, is one of the ornaments or badges of the dignity of the chief magistrates of a city, as the mayor of London, the provost and bailies of Edinburgh, &c.—Something like this obtained among the ancient Gauls: the principal ornament of their persons in power and authority was a gold chain, which they wore on all occasions; and even in battle, to distinguish them from the common soldiers.

Chain also denotes a kind of string, of twisted wire; serving to hang watches, tweezer-cases, and other valuable toys upon. The invention of this piece of curious work is owing to the English; whence, in foreign countries, it is denominated the English chain. These chains are usually either of silver or gold, some of gilt copper; the thread, or wire of each kind to be very fine.—For the fabric, or making of these chains: a part of the wire is folded into little links of an oval form; the longest diameter about three lines; the shortest, one. These, after they have been exactly folder, are again folded into two; and then bound together, or interwoven, by means of several other little threads of the same thickness; some whereof, which pass from one end to the other, imitate the warp of a flax; and the others, which pass transverse, the woof. There are at least four thousand little links in a chain of four pendants; which are by this means bound so equally, and withal so firmly together, that the eye is deceived, and takes the whole to consist of one entire piece.

Chain is also a kind of measure in France, in the trade of wood for fuel. There are chains for wood by tale, for wood by the rope, for faggots, for cleft wood, and for round sticks. There are also chains for measuring the sheaves of all sorts of corn, particularly with regard to the payment of tithes; for measuring pots of hay, and for measuring horses. All these are divided into feet, inches, hands, &c. according to the use they are designed for.

surveying, a measure of length, made of a certain number of links of iron-wire, serving to take the distance between two or more places.

Gunter's chain consists of 100 such links, each measuring 7\(\frac{1}{2}\) inches, and consequently equal to 66 feet, or four poles. See Surveying.

Chain-Pump. See Pump.

Chain-Shot, two bullets with a chain between them. them. They are used at sea to shoot down yards or masts, and to cut the throats or rigging of a ship.

Top-Chains, on board a ship, a chain to fling the fall-yards in time of battle, in order to prevent them from falling down when the ropes by which they are hung happen to be shot away or rendered incapable of service.

Chain-Wales, or Channels, of a ship, portebouffoirs, are broad and thick planks projecting horizontally from the ship's outside, abreast of and somewhat behind the masts. They are formed to extend the throats from each other, and from the axis or middle line of the ship, so as to give a greater security and support to the masts, as well as to prevent the throats from damaging the gunwale, or being hurt by rubbing against it. Every mast has its chain-wales, which are either built above or below the second deck-ports in a ship of the line; they are strongly connected to the side by knees, bolts, and standards, besides being confined thereto by the chains whose upper ends pass through notches on the outer edge of the chain-wales, so as to unite with the throats above.