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PLUVIUS

Volume 18 · 115 words · 1842 Edition

a surname of Jupiter. He was invoked by that name amongst the Romans whenever the earth was parched by continual heat, and in want of refreshing rains. He had an altar in the temple on the Capitol.

PLAYERS, in fortification, denotes a kind of balance used in raising or letting down a drawbridge. They consist of two timber levers, twice as long as the bridge they lift, joined together by other timbers, framed in the form of a St Andrew's cross, to counterpoise them. They are supported by two upright jambs, on which they swing; and the bridge is raised or let down by means of chains joining the ends of the players and bridge.