or Mode.** See Mode.

**Moods of Syllagin.** See Logic, no 85.

**Mood, or Mode,** in grammar, the different manner of conjugating verbs. See Grammar.

**MOON,** in astronomy. See Astronomy, passim.

**Moon-Wort** in botany. See Lunaria.

**MOOR,** in country affairs, denotes an unlimited tract of land, usually over-run with heath.

**Moor-Cock,** or Gor-cock. See Tetrao.

**Moor-Stone,** a valuable stone, much used in the coarser works of the present builders; being truly a white granite, of a marbled texture.

**MOORE,** or **More,** (Edward), a late ingenious writer, was bred a linen-draper, but quitted business to join the retinue of the muses; and he certainly had a very happy and pleasing talent for poetry. In his *Trial of Selina the Persian,* he complimented lord Lyttelton in an elegant kind of panegyric, couched under the appearance of accusation: and his *Fables for the female sex,* for easy versification, poignant satire, and striking morals, approach nearer to the manner of Gay, than any other of the numerous imitations of that author. He wrote also three dramatic pieces; The Gamester, a tragedy; The Foundling, and Gil Blas, comedies. The success of these was not such as they merited; the first of them having met with a cold reception, for no other apparent reason but because it too nearly touched a favourite and fashionable vice; and the second having been condemned for its supposed resemblance to Sir Richard Steele's *Confessors Lovers,* but to which good judges have been inclined to give it greatly the preference. Mr Moore married a lady of the name of Hamilton, daughter to Mr Hamilton table-decker to the princesses; who had herself a very poetical turn, and has been said to have assisted him in the writing of his tragedy. One specimen of her poetry, however, was handed about before their marriage, and has since appeared in print in different collections of songs, particularly in one called the *Goldfinch.* It was addressed to a daughter of the famous Stephen Duck; and begins with the following stanza:

Would you think it, my Duck, for the fault I must own, Your Jenny, at last, is quite covetous grown: Tho' millions if Fortune should lavishly pour, I still shou'd be wretched, if I had not More.

And after half a dozen stanzas more, in which, with great ingenuity and delicacy, and yet in a manner that expresses a sincere affection, she has quibbled on our author's name, she concludes with the following lines:

You will wonder, my girl, who this dear one can be, Whose merit can boast such a conquest as me: But you shan't know his name, tho' I told you before, It begins with an M, but I dare not say More.

In the year 1753, Mr Moore commenced a weekly miscellaneous paper, intitled *The World,* by Adam Fitz-Adam; in which undertaking he was assisted by lord Chesterfield with some essays. This paper was collected into volumes, and Mr Moore died soon after.

**MOORING,** the act of confining and securing a ship in a particular station, by chains or cables, which are either fastened to the adjacent shore, or to anchors in the bottom.

A ship may be either moored by the head, or by the head and stern: that is to say, she may be secured by anchors before her, without any behind; or she may have anchors out, both before and behind her; or her cables may be attached to posts, rings, or moorings, which answer the same purpose.

When a ship is moored by the head with her own anchors, they are disposed according to the circumstances of the place where she lies, and the time she is to continue therein. Thus wherever a tide ebbs and flows, it is usual to carry one anchor out towards the flood, and another towards the ebb, particularly where there is little room to range about; and the anchors are laid in the same manner, if the vessel is moored head and stern in the same place. The situation of the anchors, in a road or bay, is usually opposed to the reigning winds, or those which are most dangerous; so that the ship rides therein with the effort of both her cables. Thus if she rides in a bay, or road, which is exposed to a northerly wind and heavy sea from the same quarter, the anchors passing from the opposite bows ought to lie east and west from each other; hence both the cables will retain the ship in her station with equal effort against the action of the wind and sea.

**MOOSE,** or **Elk.** See Cervus.

**MOOT,** a difficult case argued by the young barristers and students at the inns of court, by way of exercise, the better to qualify them for practice, and to defend the causes of their clients. This, which is called *mooting,* is the chief exercise of the inns of court. Particular times are appointed for the arguing moot-cases: the place where this exercise is performed was anciently called *moot-ball,* and there is a bailiff, or surveyor of the moots, annually chosen by the bench, to appoint the moot-men for the inns of chancery, and to keep an account of the performance of exercises.—The word is formed either from the Saxon *metan,* *gemetan,* "meeting;" or from the French *mot,* "word."

**MORAL**