Dr Thomas, a learned English divine, was born at Alvington, near Oundle, in Northamptonshire, about the year 1608, and studied at Cambridge. He was chosen minister of St Bennet's there; and at about 23 years of age, his merit procured him a fellowship in Sidney-college, and a prebend in Salisbury cathedral. He was soon after presented to the rectory of Broad Windsor in Dorsetshire; and afterwards was made lecturer of the Savoy in London: but upon the pressing of the covenant, he retired to Oxford; and soon after accompanied Sir Ralph Hopton as his chaplain in the army, which he attended in their marches from place to place. After the death of King Charles I, he obtained the living of Waltham-abbey, and was appointed lecturer of St Clement's; and shortly after removed to the lecture of St Bridge's, Fleet-street. Upon the restoration, he recovered his prebend in the cathedral of Salisbury, was appointed chaplain extraordinary to his majesty, and created doctor of divinity. It is said, his memory was so tenacious and comprehensive, that he could make use of a sermon verbatim if he once heard it. He once undertook, in passing to and from Temple-bar to the Poultry, to tell at his return every sign as it stood in order on both sides of the way, repeating them either backwards or forwards; and this talk he actually performed. He wrote, 1. A History of the Holy War. 2. The Church-History of Britain, in folio. 3. Anthonicus, or the Unfortunate Politician, in 8vo. 4. A Pisgah-fight of Palestine. 5. A History of English Worthies; and other works. He died in August 1661; and was interred in the chancel of Cranford church, in Middlesex, whither his body was attended by at least 200 of his brethren of the ministry.

a workman employed in the woollen factories to mill or scour cloths, ferges, and other stuffs, in order to render them more thick, compact, and durable. See Fulling.

Fuller's Earth, in Natural History, a species of clay, of a greyish ash-coloured brown, in all degrees from very pale to almost black, and it has generally something of a greenish cast. It is very hard and firm, of a compact texture, of a tough and somewhat dusty surface that adheres slightly to the tongue. It is very soft to the touch, not staining the hands, nor breaking easily between the fingers. It has a little harshness between the teeth, and melts freely in the mouth. Thrown into water, it makes no ebullition or hissing; but swells gradually in bulk, and falls into a fine soft powder. It makes no effervescence with aquafortis.

The greatest quantity and the finest earth of this kind in the world, is dug in the pits at Wavendon, near Woburn in Bedfordshire. The strata in these pits lie thus: From the surface to the depth of six feet, there are several layers or beds of sand, all reddish, but some lighter coloured than others. Under these there is a thin stratum of a faulds-stone, which they break through, and then there is the fuller's earth. The upper stratum of this is about a foot thick: the workmen call it cledge, and throw it aside as useless; being commonly fouled with the sand which originally covered it, and which infuses itself a good way into it. After this, they come to the fine fuller's earth for sale, which lies to the depth of eight feet more. The matter of this is divided into several layers, there being commonly about a foot and an half between one horizontal fissure and another. Of these several layers, the upper half, where the earth breaks itself, is tinged red; which seems to be owing to the running of the water upon it from among the lands above; some of which are probably of a ferruginous nature, or have ferruginous matter among them. This reddish fuller's earth the workmen call crop; and between the cledge and this there is a thin stratum of matter, of less than an inch, which in taste, colour, and external appearance, resembles the terra Japonica of the flops. The lower half of the strata of fuller's earth they call wall-earth. This is tinged with the red colour of the other, and seems the most proper for fulling. Under the fuller's earth there is a stratum of white and coarse stone about two feet thick. They seldom dig through this; but if they do, they find more strata of sand.

This earth is of great use in scouring cloths, stuffs, &c., imbibing all the grease and oil used in preparing, dressing, The fulling of cloths and other stuffs is performed by a kind of water-mill, thence called a *fulling* or *scouring mill*.

These mills, excepting in what relates to the millstones and hopper, are much the same with corn-mills; and there are even some which serve indifferently for either use: corn being ground, and cloths fulled, by the motion of the same wheel. Whence, in some places, particularly in France, the fullers are called *millers*; as grinding corn and milling stuffs at the same time.

The principal parts of the fulling-mill are, The wheel, with its trundle; which gives motion to the tree or spindle, whose teeth communicate it to the peffles or stampers, which are hereby raised and made to fall alternately according as its teeth catch on or quit a kind of latch in the middle of each pebble. The peffles and troughs are of wood; each trough having at least two, sometimes three peffles, at the discretion of the master, or according to the force of the stream of water. In these troughs are laid the cloths, stuffs, &c., intended to be fulled: then, letting the current of water fall on the wheel, the peffles are successively let fall thereon, and by their weight and velocity stamp and press the stuffs very strongly, which by this means become thickened and condensed. In the course of the operation, they sometimes make use of urine sometimes of fuller's earth, and sometimes of soap. To prepare the stuffs to receive the first impressions of the pebble, they are usually laid in urine; then in fuller's earth and water; and, lastly, in soap dissolved in hot water. Soap alone would do very well; but this is expensive; though fuller's earth, in the way of our dressing, is scarce inferior thereto; but then it must be well cleared of all stones and grittinesses, which are apt to make holes in the stuff. As to urine, it is certainly prejudicial, and ought to be entirely discarded; not so much on account of its ill smell, as of its sharpness and saltiness, which qualities are apt to render the stuffs dry and harsh.

The true method of fulling with soap is delivered by Monf. Colinet, in an authentic memoir on that subject, supported by experiments made by order of the marquis de Louvois, then superintendant of the arts and manufactories of France; the substance of which we shall here subjoin.

**Method of Fulling Cloths and Woollen Stuff with Soap.**—A coloured cloth, of about 45 ells, is to be laid in the usual manner in the trough of a fulling-mill; without first soaking it in water, as is commonly practised in many places. To full this trough of cloth, 15 pounds of soap are required; one-half of which is to be melted in two pails of river or spring water, made as hot as the hand can well bear it. This solution is to be poured by little and little upon the cloth, in proportion as it is laid in the trough; and thus it is to be fulled for at least two hours; after which it is to be taken out and stretched. This done, the cloth is immediately returned into the same trough, without any new soap, and there fulled two hours more. Then taking it out, they wring it well, to express all the grease and filth. After the second fulling, the remainder of the soap is dissolved as in the former, and cast four different times on the cloth; remembering to take out the cloth every two hours, to stretch it, and undo the plaits and wrinkles it has acquired in the trough. When they perceive it sufficiently fulled, and brought to the quality and thickness required, they scour it for good in hot weather, keeping it in the trough till it be quite clean. As to white cloths; in regard these full more easy and in less time than coloured ones, a third part of the soap may be spared.

**Fulling of Stockings, Caps, &c.** should be performed somewhat differently; viz. either with the feet or the hands; or a kind of rack, or wooden machine, either armed with teeth of the same matter, or else horses or bullocks' teeth. The ingredients made use of herein are, urine, green soap, white soap, and fuller's earth. But the urine also is reckoned prejudicial here. Woven stockings, &c. should be fulled with soap alone: for those that are knit, earth may be used with the soap. Indeed it is frequent to full these kinds of works with the mill, after the usual manner of cloth, &c. But that is too coarse and violent a manner, and apt to damage the work unless it be very strong.

**FULMAR,** in Ornithology. See PROCCELLARIA, ORNITHOLOGY Index.

**FULMAR,** or Foumart. See MUSTELA, MAMMALIA Index.

**FULMINATING,** something that thunders or resembles thunder.

**FULMINATING Gold, Silver, Copper, Quicksilver, &c.** See CHEMISTRY Index.

**FULMINATION,** in Chemistry, the same with detonation.

**FULMINATION,** in the Roman canon law, a sentence of a bishop, official, or other ecclesiastic appointed by the pope, by which it is decreed that some bull sent from the pope shall be executed.

**FUMARIA,** fumitory, a genus of plants belonging to the diadelphia clas, and in the natural method ranking under the 24th order, Corydales. See BOTANY Index.

**FUMIGATION,** in Chemistry, a kind of calcination, when metals or other hard bodies are corroded or softened by receiving certain fumes for that purpose.

**FUMIGATION,** in Medicine. By the subtle fumes that are inspired as well as inhaled into our bodies, much benefit or prejudice is produced, according to the nature of the matter, and the constitution into which it is received; as is evident from the palls produced among workers in lead-mines, &c. and the benefits received in many cases when the air is impregnated with salutary materials. Catarrhs and catarrhous coughs are relieved by fumes received with the breath; and, by the same method, expectoration is assisted in humoral affections; and even ulcers in the lungs are said to have been healed by this method. The advantage of mercurial fumigations in the cure of venereal ulcers is known to every practitioner.

**FUMITORY.** See FUMARIA, BOTANY Index.

**FUNAMBULUS,** among the Romans, was what we call a rope-dancer, and the Greeks *σκανδαλετός.* See ROPE-DANCER.

There was a funambulus, it seems, who performed at the time when the Hecyra of Terence was acted; and the poet complains, that the spectacle prevented the people from attending to his comedy. *Ita populus studio flupidus in funambulo, animum occupat.*

At Rome, the funambuli first appeared under the consulate of Sulpicius Peticus and Licinius Stolo, who were the first introducers of the scenic representations. It is added, that they were first exhibited in the island of the Tyber, and that the censors Messala and Caius afterwards promoted them to the theatre.

In the Floralia, or *ludi Florales,* held under Galba, there were funambulatory elephants, as we are informed by Suetonius. Nero also showed the like, in honour of his mother Agrippina. Vopiscus relates the fame of the time of Carinus and Numerianus.

**FUNCHAL,** the capital of Madeira, situated round a bay, on a gentle acsent, and containing about 15,000 inhabitants. It is watered by several streams from the mountains; and is defended by a castle on a steep rock, which is surrounded by the sea at high water. The houses are built of brick or free-stone; but the streets are narrow, dark and dirty. W. Long. 17. 6. N. Lat. 32. 38.

**FUNCTION,** the act of fulfilling the duties of any employment.