an ornament worn on the head by kings, sovereign princes, and noblemen, as a mark of their dignity.

In scripture there is frequent mention of crowns, and the use of them seems to have been very common among the Hebrews. The high priest wore a crown, which was a fillet of gold placed upon the forehead, and tied with a ribbon of hyacinth colour, or azure blue. It seems also as if private priests, and even common Israelites, wore also a sort of crown, since God commands Ezekiel not to take off his crown, nor assume the marks of one in mourning. This crown was no more than a ribbon or fillet, with which the Jews and several people in the east girt their heads. And indeed the first crowns were no more than a bandlet drawn round the head, and tied behind, as we still see it represented on medals round the heads of Jupiter, the Ptolemies, and kings of Syria. Afterwards they consisted of two bandlets; by degrees they took branches of trees of divers kinds; at length they added flowers, infomuch that Claudius Saturninus says, there was not any plant whereof crowns had not been made. The woods and groves were searched to find different crowns for the several deities; and they were used not only on the statues and images of the gods, by the priests in sacrificing, and by kings and emperors, but also on altars, temples, doors of houses, sacred victims, ships, &c.

The Roman emperors had four kinds of crowns, all seen on medals, viz. a crown of laurels, a radial or radiating crown, a crown adorned with pearls and precious Crown, in Commerce, is a general name for coins, both foreign and domestic, of or near the value of five shillings sterling. In its limited sense, crown is only applicable to that popular English coin which bears the name, and which is equivalent to sixty English pence or five shillings, or to six livres French money. But, in its extensive sense, it takes in several others; as the French écu, which we call the French crown, struck in 1641 for sixty sols, or three livres; also the pata- gon, dollar, ducatoon, rixdollar, and piastre or piece of eight.

an ecclesiastical sense, is used for the clerical tonsure; which is the mark or character of the Romish ecclesiastics. This is a little circle of hair shaved off from the crown of the head; more or less broad, according to the quality of the orders received: That of a mere clerk is the smallest; that of priests and monks the largest. The clerical crown was anciently a round lift of hair, shaved off around the head, representing a real crown: this is easily observable in several ancient statues, &c. The religious of St Dominic and St Francis still retain it.

Crown, among jewellers, the upper work of the rose diamond, which all centres in the point at the top, and is bounded by the horizontal ribs.

Crown-Office, an office belonging to the king's bench court, of which the king's coroner or attorney is commonly matter. In this office, the attorney general and clerk of the crown severally exhibit informations for crimes and misdemeanours at common law, as in the case of batteries, conspiracies, libelling, &c. on which the offender is liable to pay a fine to the king.

Crown-Glass, denotes the finest sort of window-glass. See Glass.

Crown-Seals. See Farriery Index.

Crown-Wheel of a Watch, the upper wheel next the balance, which by its motion drives the balance, and in royal pendulums is called the fixing wheel.

Crown-Imperial. See Fritillaria, Botany Index.

Crown-Work, in Fortification, is an out-work running into the field; designed to keep off the enemy, gain some hill or advantageous post, and cover the other works of the place. The crown-work consists of two demi-bastions at the extremes, and an entire bastion in the middle, with curtains.

Astronomy, a name given to two constellations, the southern and the northern.

Geometry, a plane ring included between two parallel or concentric peripheries of unequal circles.

Crown-Poat, is a post in some building standing upright in the middle between two principal rafters; and from which proceed struts or braces to the middle of each rafter. It is otherwise called a king post, or king's piece, or joggle-piece.

Crowne, John, a celebrated dramatic writer, born in Nova Scotia, where his father was a minister. Being impatient of the gloomy restraint of that country, he came to England, where he was reduced to enter into the service of an old lady; of which he was soon as weary as he had been of America. He then had recourse to his pen, which quickly procured him favour at court: but this kind of subsistence proving precarious, he ventured to solicit Charles II. for some establishment. Charles promised to provide for him, but insisted first on having another comedy; and suggested to him the plan of a Spanish play, from which Crowne produced the comedy of Sir Courty Nice: but the sudden death of the king on the last day of the rehearsal, plunged him at once from his pleasing expectations into disappointment and distress, and left him no resource but his wits. He died some time about the year 1703; and left behind him 17 tragedies and comedies, some of which are acted with great success. His chief excellence lay in comedy; yet his tragedies are far from being contemptible. His plots are for the most part his own invention; his characters are in general strongly coloured and highly finished; and his dialogue lively and spirited, attentively diversified, and well adapted to the several speakers. So that on the whole he may assuredly be allowed to stand at least in the third rank of our dramatic writers.