A bastard is a child begotten and born out of wedlock; an illegitimate child. By the former civil and canon laws, and by the law of Scotland (as well as of some of the United States), a bastard became legitimate by the intermarriage of the parents at any future time. But by the former laws of England a child, to be legitimate, must at least be born after the lawful marriage; it did not require that the child should be begotten in wedlock, but it was indispensable that it should be born after marriage, no matter how short the time, the law presuming it to be the child of the husband. The only incapacity of a bastard in former law was that he cannot be heir or next of kin to any one save his own issue. In England the maintenance of a bastard in the first instance formerly devolved on the mother, while in Scotland it was a joint burden upon both parents. The mother was entitled to the custody of the child in preference to the father. By the 1980's the law had evolved and illegitimacy was irrelevant. Research Bastard
Datiscin is a substance yielded by the bastardhemp, Datisca cannabina, a herbaceousdioeciousperennial, a native of the south of Europe, where it is used as a substitute for Peruvian bark, and for making cordage. Datiscin is extracted from the leaves, and is used as a yellow dye. Research Datiscin
Fallow is land left unsown for a period of time, usually a year in order that it may recover itself from an exhausted state. Strictly spealdng, fallow ground is left altogether without crops; but in agricultural usage strict fallow is not always adopted, and the term fallow is applied to various modes of treatment, of which at least three distinct varieties are recognized: baref allow, bastard fallow, and green-crop fallow. Bare fallow is that in which the land remains completely bare for a whole year; in bastard fallow it is ploughed up and worked after the removal of a spring or summer crop, preparatory to the sowing of a root or forage crop, to occupy the ground during autumn or winter; in green-crop fallow the land is sown with a root-crop, such as turnips or potatoes, placed in rows far enough apart to admit of the intermediate spaces being stirred, pulverized, and cleaned, during its growth, by machine or hand implements.
Fallowing is an ancient process, it has been known for centuries that the same crop frown on the same land deteriorates after a few years, partly because the soil is exhausted and partly because of disease. By leaving the land for a year, it can recover and subsequent crops improve. Research Fallow
Cedar is a tree which forms fine woods on the mountains of Syria and Asia Minor, the Pinus Cedrus of Linnaeus, the Cedrus Libdni of some other botanists, while by others it is referred to the genus Larix, and by others again, along with the larch, to the genus Abies. It is an evergreen, grows to a great size, and is remarkable for its durability. Of the famous cedars of Lebanon comparatively few now remain, and the tree does not grow in any other part of Palestine. Cedar timber was formerly much prized, but in modern times is not regarded as of much value, perhaps from the trees not being of sufficient age.
Some fine cedars are met with in England. The name is given also to the deodar (Cedar Deoddra), which is indeed regarded by many botanists as a mere variety of the cedar of Lebanon, and which produces excellent timber. It is a native of India, and is a large and handsome tree, growing in the Himalayas to the height of 45 meters, with a circumference of nine metres. It has wide-spreading branches, which droop a little at the extremities. The leaves are tufted or solitary, larger than those of the cedar of Lebanon and very numerous, of a dark-bluish green, and covered with a glaucous bloom. The cones are rather larger than those of the Lebanon cedar, and very resinous. The wood is well adapted for building purposes, being compact and very enduring.
The cedar was introduced into Great Britain in 1822, and is now common in lawns and parks. The MountAtlas cedar (Cedar Atlantica}, as its name implies, is a native of the mountains of North Africa. This cedar, though differing in habit and minor features, is regarded by some botanists as specifically identical with the other two. The name is also applied to many trees which have no relation to the true cedar, as the Bermuda cedar (Juniperus bermudiana), used for making pencils, the red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), the Honduras, or bastard Barbadoes cedar (Cedrela odordta) and the red cedar of Australia (Cedrela australis). Research Cedar
Cedrela is a genus of large timber trees, natives of the tropics of both hemispheres, order Cedrelacese. Cedrela odorata of Honduras and the West Indies yields bastardcedar; (Cedrela. Australis) is a valuable Australian timber tree; one or two East Indian species have febrifugal properties. Research Cedrela
Dittany is the popular name of the plants of the genus Dictamnus, a herb of the rue family (Rutaceae), found in the Mediterranean region. The leaves are pinnate, the large white or rose-coloured flowers are in terminal racemes. The whole plant is covered with oily glands, and the secreted oil is so volatile that in hot weather the air round the plant becomes inflammable. Dictamnus Fraxinella and Dictamnus albus are found in gardens. The dittany of the United States is Cunila Mariana, a labiate plant. The dittany of Crete is Origanum Dictamnus, and the bastard dittany is a species of Marrubium (horehound), both labiates. Research Dittany
Darius II (Darius Nothos, Darius the Bastard) was king of Persia., An illegitimate son of Artaxerxes I, he ascended the throne in 423 BC, and died in 404 BC. Research Darius II
Jean Dunois, Count of Orleans and of Longueville, was a French hero. He was born in 1402 and died in 1468. The natural son of Louis, duke of Orleans, Jean Dunois made the name 'Bastard of Orleans' illustrious by his military exploits. He began bis career with the defeat of Warwick and Suffolk, whom he pursued to Paris. Being besieged by the English he defended Orleans until relieved by Joan of Arc (the Maid of Orleans). In 1450 he had completely freed France from the English, and was rewarded by the title of ' deliverer of his country,' the county of Longueville, and the dignity of high chamberlain of France. Research Jean Dunois
The Siege of Orleans occurred during the Hundred Years' War. The town of Orleans, held by a French garrison under Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, was laid siege by the Earl of Salisbury on October 12th 1428. The siege dragged on until April 1429. On April 29th 1429 Joan of Arc entered the town and on May the 3rd the French assumed the offensive and on May the 7th the siege was lifted. Research Siege of Orleans
A file is a bar of cast-steel with small sharp-edged elevations on its surface called teeth, the use of which is to cut into or abrade metals, wood, ivory, horn, plastic etc.
Files are of various shapes, as flat, half-round, three-sided, square, or round, and are generally thickest in the middle, while their teeth are of various degrees of fineness and of different forms. A file whose teeth are in parallel ridges only is called single-cut or float-cut. Such are mostly used for brass and copper.
When there are two series of ridges crossing each other the file is double-cut, which is the file best suited for iron and steel.
Rasps are files which have isolated sharp teeth separated by comparatively wide spaces, and are used chiefly for soft materials such as wood, plastic and horn.
Each of these three classes of files is traditionally made in six different degrees of fineness, the coarsest being called rough, the next middle, followed by bastard, second-cut, smooth, and superfine or deadsmooth, each a degree finer than that which precedes it. Files were formerly made by the hand, The bionics, as the steel before it has teeth is called, were laid on the anvil and struck with the chisel, which rested obliquely on the blank, each blow raising a ridge or tooth. The strength of the blow depended on the hardness of the metal, and when one part is harder than another the workman altered his blows accordingly. When one side is covered with single cuts, if the file was to be double cut he added in the same manner a second series, crossing the others at a certain angle. In making fine files a good file-cutter would cut upwards of two hundred teeth within the space of an inch. The files, except those that are used for soft substances, were then hardened by heating them to a cherry-red colour and then dipping them in water. They were then finished by scouring and rubbing over with olive-oil and turpentine.
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bastard
