salt, and wine, which were in a manner the seasoning of it. The priest in waiting received the offerings from the hand of him that offered them; laid a part of them upon the altar, and referred the rest for his own subsistence: that was his right as a minister of the Lord. Nothing was burnt quite up but the incense, of which the priest kept back nothing for his own share.

When an Israelite offered a loaf to the priest, or a whole cake, the priest broke the loaf or the cake into two parts, setting that part aside that he referred to himself, and broke the other into crumbs; poured oil upon it, salt, wine, and incense; and spread the whole upon the fire of the altar. If these offerings were accompanied by an animal for a sacrifice, it was all thrown upon the victim, to be consumed along with it.

If these offerings were the ears of new corn, either of wheat or barley, these ears were parched at the fire or in the flame, and rubbed in the hand, and then offered to the priest in a vessel; over which he put oil, incense, wine, and salt, and then burnt it upon the altar, first having taken as much of it as of right belonged to himself.

The greatest part of these offerings were voluntary, and of pure devotion. But when an animal was offered in sacrifice, they were not at liberty to omit these offerings. Every thing was to be supplied that was to accompany the sacrifice, and which served as a seasoning to the victim. There are some cases in which the law requires only offerings of corn, or bread: for example, when they offered the first-fruits of their harvest, whether they were offered solemnly by the whole nation, or by the devotion of private persons.

As to the quantity of meal, oil, wine, or salt, which was to go along with the sacrifices, we cannot easily see that the law had determined it. Generally the priest threw an handful of meal or crumbs upon the fire of the altar, with wine, oil, and salt in proportion, and all the incense. All the rest belonged to him, the quantity depended upon the liberality of the offerer. We observe in more places than one, that Moses appoints an offering, or the tenth part of an ephah of meal, for those that had not wherewithal to offer the appointed sin-offerings (Lev. vi. 11, xiv. 21.) In the solemn offerings of the first fruits for the whole nation, they offered an entire sheaf of corn, a lamb of a year old, two tenths or two assarons of fine meal mixed with oil, and a quarter of an hin of wine for the libation (Lev. xxiii. 10, 11, 12, &c.)

In the sacrifice of jealousy (Numb. v. 15.), when a jealous husband accused his wife of infidelity, the husband offered the tenth part of a satum of barley-meal, without oil or incense, because it was a sacrifice of jealousy, to discover whether his wife was guilty or not.

The offerings of the fruits of the earth, of bread, of wine, oil, and salt, are the most ancient of any that have come to our knowledge. Cain offered to the Lord of the fruits of the earth, the first-fruits of his labour (Gen. iv. 3, 4.) Abel offered the firstlings of his flocks, and of their fat. The heathen have nothing more ancient in their religion, than these sorts of offerings made to their gods. They offered clean wheat, flour, and bread.

a particular charge or trust, or a dignity attended with a public function. See Honour.—The word is primarily used in speaking of the offices of judicature and policy; as the office of secretary of state, the office of a sheriff, of a justice of peace, &c.

Office also signifies a place or apartment appointed for officers to attend in, in order to discharge their respective duties and employments; as the secretary's office, ordnance office, excise-office, signet-office, paper-office, pipe-office, six clerks-office, &c.

architecture, denotes all the apartments appointed for the necessary occasions of a palace or great house; as kitchen, pantries, confectionaries, &c.

the canon-law, is used for a benchee that has no jurisdiction annexed to it.

Duty upon Offices and Pensions, a branch of the king's extraordinary perpetual revenue, consisting in a payment of 1s. in the pound (over and above all other duties) out of all salaries, fees, and perquisites, of offices and pensions, payable by the crown. This highly popular taxation was imposed by stat. 3 Geo. II. c. 22. and is under the direction of the commissioners of the land-tax.