has frequently been mentioned as a scat-tern; but whether justly or not, we shall not presume to determine. It is known in common discourse to imply at adistance; and the resemblance of the phrases keep a loof, and keep a loof, or keep the loof, in all probability gave rise to this conjecture. If it was really a sea-phrase originally, it seems to have referred to the dangers of a lee-shore, in which situation the pilot might naturally apply it in the sense commonly understood, viz. keep all off, or quite off: it is, however, never expressed in