Chapter D (5)

=Hellebore.= A famous purgative medicine among the ancient Greeks and Romans. Philosophers prepared for work by drinking an infusion of the black hellebore, like tea. The best grew in the island of Anticyra in the Ægean Sea, and the gathering of it was accompanied by superstitious rites.

=Helm=, =Helmet=, Her. Now placed as an accessory above a shield of arms. Modern usage distinguishes helms according to the rank of the wearer. The term _helm_ was applied by both Saxons and Normans, in the 11th century, to the conical steel cap with a nose-guard, which was the common head-piece of the day, and is depicted in contemporary illuminations, sculptures, and tapestries. Afterwards it was restricted to the _casque_, which covered the whole head, and had an aventaile or vizor for the face. The use of the _helm_ finally ceased in the reign of Henry VIII.

=Helmet.= The diminutive of HELM, first applied to the smaller head-piece which superseded it in the 15th century. (See GALEA, ARMET, BASCINET, BURGONET, CASQUE, CHAPELLE LE FER, &c.)

=Hemi-= (Gr. ἡμι-). Half; used in composition of words like the Latin _semi_ or _demi_.

=Hemichorion= (ἡμιχόριον). (See DICHOREA.)

=Hemicyclium=, Gr. and R. (ἡμι-κύκλιον). A semicircular alcove, to which persons resorted for mutual conversation. The term was also used to denote a sun-dial.

=Hemina=, Gr. and R. (ἡμίνα, i. e. half). A measure of capacity containing half a sextarius (equal to the Greek _cotyle_ = half a pint English).

=Hemiolia=, Gr. and R. (ἡμι-ολία, i. e. one and a half). A vessel of peculiar construction employed especially by Greek pirates.

=Hemisphærium=, R. A sun-dial in the form of a hemisphere; whence its name. (Fig. 385.)

=Hemlock=, the _Conium maculatum_ of botanists, was the poison used by the ancient Greeks for the despatch of state prisoners. Its effects are accurately described in Plato’s description of the death of Socrates.

=Heptagon= (Gr. ἑπτὰ, seven, and γώνη, an angle). A seven-sided figure.

=Hepteris=, Gr. and R. (ἑπτ-ήρης). A ship of war with seven ranks of oars.

=Heræa.= Important Greek festivals, celebrated in honour of Hera in all the towns of Greece. At Argos, every fifth year, an immense body of young men in armour formed a procession, preceded by a HECATOMB of oxen, to the great temple of Hera, between Argos and Mycenæ, where the oxen were slaughtered, and their flesh distributed to the citizens.

=Herald= (Germ. _Herold_). An officer of arms. The heralds of England were incorporated by Richard III. The college now consists of three kings of arms, six heralds, and four pursuivants. The office of Earl Marshal, the supreme head of the English heralds, is hereditary in the family of the Duke of Norfolk. There is another herald king styled “Bath,” who is specially attached to that order; he is not a member of the college. The chief herald of Scotland is styled Lord Lyon King of Arms; that of Ireland, Ulster King of Arms. _Chester herald_ is mentioned in the reign of Richard II., _Lancaster king of arms_ under Henry IV. (See MARSHAL, KINGS OF ARMS, &c.)

=Heralds’ College.= A college of heralds was instituted in Rome by Numa Pompilius, and the office was held sacred among the most ancient Oriental nations. The institution was imported into England in the Middle Ages from Germany, a corporation of heralds, similar to the _collegium fetialium_ of Rome, having been established in England in 1483 by Richard III. (See _Pitiscus_, tom. i., and _Hofmann_, tom. ii.)

=Hermæ=, Gr. and R. (Ἑρμαῖ). Hermæ, a kind of pedestals surmounted only by the head, or, in some cases, the bust of Hermes. Great reverence was felt for these statues. Houses at Athens had one before the doors; they were also placed in front of temples, near tombs, at street corners, or as mile-stones on the high roads. _Hermuli_, or small _Hermæ_, were a common ornament of furniture, as pilasters and supports. The same name is applied to similar statues having a man’s head. This statue was probably one of the first attempts of art at plastic representation. The _phallus_ and a pointed beard originally were essential parts of the symbol. In place of arms there were projections to hang garlands on. Then a mantle was introduced from the shoulders. Afterwards the whole torso was placed above the pillar; and finally the pillar itself was shaped into a perfect statue. All these gradations of the sculptor’s art are traceable in existing monuments.

=Hermæa.= Festivals of Hermes, celebrated by the boys in the gymnasia, of which Hermes was the tutelary deity.

=Hermeneutæ=, Chr. (ἑρμηνευταί). Literally, interpreters. In the earliest ages of the Church, these were officials whose duty it was to translate sacred discourses or portions of Holy Scripture.

=Herne-pan=, O. E. (for _iron-pan_). Skull-cap worn under the helmet.

=Heroum=, Gr. (ἡρῷον, i. e. place of a hero). A kind of ÆDICULA (q.v.), or small temple, which served as a funeral monument. Several representations of Roman HEROA may be seen in the British Museum, representing funeral feasts in a temple, carved on the face of a sarcophagus (in the Towneley collection).

=Herring-bone Masonry.= Common in late Roman or early Saxon walls, where the ornamental lines take a sloping, parallel, zigzag direction.

=Herygoud=, O. E. A cloak with hanging sleeves.

=Heuk= or =Huque=, O. E. (1) Originally a cloak or mantle worn in the Middle Ages; then (2) a tight-fitting dress worn by both sexes. (_Fairholt_; see also _Planché_, _Encyclopædia_.) There appears to be great uncertainty as to the character of this garment.

=Hexaclinon=, Gr. and R. (ἑξά-κλινος). A dining or banqueting couch capable of holding six persons.

=Hexaphoron=, Gr. and R. (ἑξά-φορον). A litter carried by six porters.

=Hexapterygon=, Chr. (ἑξα-πτέρυγον). A fan used by Greek Catholics, and so named because it has on it figures of seraphim with six wings. (See FAN and FLABELLUM.)

=Hexastyle=, Arch. (ἑξά-στυλος). A façade of which the roof is supported by six columns.

=Hexeris=, Gr. (ἑξ-ήρης). A vessel with six ranks of oars.

=Hiberna= or =Hyberna=, R. A winter apartment. The halls in a Roman country house were built to face different ways according to the seasons; _verna_ and _autumnalis_ looked to the east; _hyberna_, to the west; _æstiva_, to the north.

=Hidage=, =Hidegild=, A.S. A tax payable to the Saxon kings of England for every _hide_ of land. The word is indifferently used to signify exemption from such a tax.

=Hidalgo= (Span. _hijo d’algo_, son of somebody). An obsolete title of nobility in Spain.

=Hieroglyphics=, Egyp. (ἱερὸς, sacred, and γλύφω, to carve). Characters of Egyptian writing, the letters of which are figurative or symbolic. There are three kinds of Egyptian writing, the _hieroglyphic_, the _hieratic_, and the _demotic_. Clement of Alexandria says that in the education of the Egyptians three styles of writing are taught: the first is called the epistolary (_enchorial_ or _demotic_); the second the _sacerdotal_ (_hieratic_), which the sacred Scribes employ; and the third the _hieroglyphic_. Other nations, as for instance the ancient Mexicans, have likewise employed hieroglyphics.

=Hieromancy=, Gr. and R. Divination from sacrifices.

=Hieron=, Gr. (ἱερὸν, i. e. holy place). The whole of the sacred enclosure of a temple, which enclosed the woods, the building, and the priests’ dwelling-place.

=High-warp Tapestry.= Made on a loom, in which the warp is arranged on a vertical plane,, as the Gobelins. _Low-warp tapestry_ is made on a flat loom, as at Aubusson, Beauvais, and other places. It is made more rapidly, and is inferior in beauty to the former.

=Hilaria.= A great Roman festival in honour of Cybele, celebrated at the vernal equinox. It consisted chiefly of extravagant merry-making to celebrate the advent of spring.

=Hippocampus=, Gr. and R. A fabulous animal, which had the fore-quarters of a horse ending in the tail of a dolphin. [It is imitated from the little “sea-horse” of the Mediterranean, now common in aquariums; and in mural paintings of Pompeii is represented attached to the chariot of Neptune.]

=Hippocentaur.= A fabulous animal, composed of a human body and head attached to the shoulders of a horse. (See also CENTAUR.)

=Hippocervus=, Chr. A fantastic animal, half horse and half stag; it personifies the pusillanimous man who throws himself without reflection into uncertain paths, and soon falls into despair at having lost himself in them.

=Hippocratia=, Gr. Festivals held in Arcadia in honour of Neptune, who, by striking the earth with his trident, had given birth to the horse.

=Hippodromus=, Gr. and R. The Greek name for an arena for horse and chariot races, in contradistinction to the stadium, which served for foot-racing. Fig. 386 represents the hippodrome at Olympia, taken from Gell’s _Itinerary of the Morea_. The following is the key to the plan:—1, 2, and 3 are _carceres_; A, the space included between the stalls or _carceres_; B, starting-place for the chariots; C, the colonnade; D, the arena; E, the barrier; F, the goal; G, the space occupied by the spectators. [The word was also applied to the races themselves.] (See also CIRCUS.)

=Hippogryph.= A mythical animal represented as a winged horse with the head of a _gryphon_.

=Hippopera=, Gr. and R. (ἱππο-πήρα). A saddle-bag for travellers on horseback. (See ASCOPERA.)

=Hippotoxotes= (ἱππο-τοξότης). A mounted archer. The Syrians, Persians, Medes, Greeks, and Romans had mounted archers among their light cavalry.

=Histrio.= An actor. The GREEK dramas were originally represented on the stage by one performer, who represented in succession the different characters. Æschylus introduced a second and a third actor. The actors were all amateurs, and it was not until a later period that the histrionic profession became a speciality. Sophocles and Æschylus both probably acted their own plays. The ROMAN name for an actor, _histrio_, was formed from the Etruscan _hister_, a dancer. The earliest _histriones_ were dancers, and performed to the music of a flute; then Roman youths imitating them introduced jocular dialogue, and this was the origin of the drama. After the organization of the theatres, the _histriones_ were subjected to certain disabilities; they were a despised class, and excluded from the rights of citizenship. The greatest of _histriones_ in Rome were Roscius and Æsopus, who realized great fortunes by their acting.

=Hobelarii=, Med. Lat. (See HOBLERS.)

=Hoblers=, A.S. Feudal tenants bound to serve as light horsemen in times of invasion.

=Hob-nob=, O. E. (Saxon _habban_, to have; _næbban_, not to have). “Hit or miss;” hence a common invitation to reciprocal drinking.

=Hock-day=, =Hoke-day=, or =Hock Tuesday.= A holiday kept to commemorate the expulsion of the Danes. It was held on the second Tuesday after Easter. _Hocking_ consisted in stopping the highway with ropes, and taking toll of passers-by.

=Hocus-pocus.= Probably a profane corruption of the words _hoc est corpus_ used in the Latin mass.

=Holocaust.= A sacrifice entirely consumed by fire.

=Holosericum= (Gr. ὅλον, all; σηρικόν, silk). A textile _all silk_.

=Holy Bread=, =Holy Loaf=, or =Eulogia= (Lat. _panis benedictus_). This was not the eucharistic bread (which was used in the wafer form for the Communion), but ordinary leavened bread, blessed by the priest after mass, cut up into small pieces and given to the people.

=Holy-bread-skep=, O. E. A vessel for containing the holy bread.

=Holy Water Pot=, Chr. A metal vessel frequently found at the doors of Roman Catholic churches, to contain the consecrated water, which was dispensed with the _aspergillum_.

=Holy Water Sprinkler= or =Morning Star=, O. E. A military club or flail set with spikes, which _sprinkled_ the blood about as the _aspergillum_ sprinkles the holy water.

=Holy Water Stone= or =Stoup=, Chr. A stone receptacle placed at the entrance of a church for holding the holy water.

=Honeysuckle Pattern.= A common Greek ornament, fully described by its name. (See FLEURON.)

=Honiton Guipure.= Lace was made in Devonshire, as well as in other parts of England, of silk and coarse thread until 1567, when the fine thread now used was introduced, it is said, by Flemings, who had escaped from the persecutions of the Duke of Alva. (See OLD DEVONSHIRE.) Honiton lace owes its great reputation to the sprigs made separately on a pillow, and afterwards either worked in with the beautiful pillow net or sewn on it. This net was made of the finest thread from Antwerp, the price of which in 1790 was 70_l._ per pound. (See MECHLIN LACE, 18th century.) Heathcoat’s invention, however, dealt a fatal blow to the trade of the net-makers, and since then Honiton lace is usually made by uniting the sprigs on a pillow, or joining them with a needle by various stitches, as shown in the engraving.

=Honour=, Legion of. Instituted 3rd June, 1802, by Napoleon I. as first consul.

=Hoodman-blind.= Old English for BLINDMAN’S BUFF (q.v.).

=Hoods= (A.S. _Hod_) were probably introduced by the Normans. They are constantly represented, with great variation of fashion, in illustrations of the 11th to 18th century, as a part of the costume of both sexes. They were finally displaced by caps and bonnets in the reign of George II. (See CHAPERON, COWL.)

=Hoops=, in ladies’ dress, were introduced in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, displacing the FARTHINGALE; and were finally abandoned in that of George III.

=Hop-harlot=, O. E. A very coarse coverlet for beds.

=Horatia Pila=, R. A pillar erected at the west extremity of the Roman forum to receive the trophy of the spoils of the three Curiatii brought back by Horatius.

=Horns.= A portion of a lady’s head-dress, mentioned in the 13th century. They appear to have been formed by the foldings of the _gorget_ or _wimple_, and a disposition of the hair on each side of the head into the form of rams’ horns. For the horned head-dress of the 15th century, see the illustration to CORONET.

=Horologium.= (1) _Sundials_ preceded all other instruments for the measurement of time. The _gnomon_ or _stocheion_ of the GREEKS was a perpendicular staff or pillar, the shadow of which fell upon a properly marked ground; the _polos_ or _heliotropion_ consisted of a perpendicular staff, in a basin in which the twelve parts of the day were marked by lines. (2) The _clepsydra_ was a hollow globe, with a short neck, and holes in the bottom; it measured time by the escape of water, and was at first used like an hour-glass to regulate the length of speeches in the Athenian courts. The escape of water was stopped by inserting a stopper in the mouth, when the speaker was interrupted. Smaller _clepsydrata_ made of glass and marked with the hours were used in families. A precisely similar history applies to the _horologia_ of ROME.

=Horreum= (dimin. _horreolum_), R. (1) Literally, a place in which ripe fruits were kept; a granary, or storehouse for grain; _horreum publicum_ was the public granary. (2) Any storehouse or depôt; _horrea subterranea_, cellars. (3) It was applied to places in which _works of art_ were kept, and Seneca calls his library a _horreum_.

=Horse.= In Christian art, the emblem of courage and generosity; attribute of St. Martin, St. Maurice, St. George, and others. The Chinese have a _sacred horse_, which is affirmed to have appeared from a river to the philosopher Fou-hi, bearing instruction in eight diagrams of the characters proper to express certain abstract ideas.

=Horse-shoe=, Arch. A form of the stilted arch elevated beyond half the diameter of the curve on which it is described. (See ARCH.)

=Hortus= (dimin. _hortulus_), R. A pleasure-garden, park, and thence a kitchen garden; _horti pensiles_ were hanging gardens. The most striking features of a Roman garden were lines of large trees planted in regular order; alleys or walks (_ambulationes_) formed by closely clipped hedges of box, yew, cypress, and other ever greens; beds of acanthus, rows of fruit-trees especially of vines, with statues, pyramids, fountains, and summer-houses (_diætæ_). The Romans were fond of the art of cutting and twisting trees, especially box, into figures of animals, ships, &c. (_ars topiaria_). The principal garden-flowers seem to have been violets and roses, and they had also the crocus, narcissus, lily, gladiolus, iris, poppy, amaranth, and others. Conservatories and hot-houses are frequently mentioned by Martial. An ornamental garden was also called _viridarium_, and the gardener _topiarius_ or _viridarius_. The common name for a gardener is _villicus_ or _cultor hortorum_. (Consult _Smith’s Dict. of Ant._)

=Hospitium=, R. (_hospes_, a guest). A general term to denote any place in which a traveller finds shelter, board, and lodging. [The word had a very wide meaning of _hospitality_, regulated in all its details by the religious and social and politic sentiments of the nations.]

=Hostia=, R. (_hostio_, to strike). A victim offered in sacrifice.

=Hot Cockles=, O. E. A game common in the Middle Ages.

=Hot-houses=, O. E. The name for Turkish baths; 16th century.

=Houppeland=, O. E. A very full loose upper garment with large hanging sleeves; 14th century. It was probably introduced from Spain, and was something like a cassock.

=House.= (See DOMUS.)

=Houseling Bread=, O. E., Chr. (See SINGING-BREAD, HOWSLING BELL.)

=Housia= or =Housse=, O. E. An outer garment, combining cloak and tunic; a tabard.

=Howsling Bell=, O. E. The bell which was rung before the Holy Eucharist, when taken to the sick.

=Howve= (Saxon, from the old German _hoojd_). A hood. A common phrase quoted by Chaucer, “to set a man’s _howve_,” is the same as to “set his cap,” _cap_ him or cheat him.

=Huacos.= (See GUACAS.)

=Huircas= or =Pinchas=, Peruv. Subterranean aqueducts of the ancient Peruvians, distinct from the _barecac_ or open conduits.

=Hullings= or =Hullyng=. Old English name for hangings for a hall, &c.

=Humatio=, R. (_humo_, to bury). The act of burying, and thence any mode of interment whatever.

=Hume’s Permanent White.= SULPHATE OF BARYTES (q.v.).

=Humerale.= (See ANABOLOGIUM, AMICE.)

=Humettée=, Her. Cut short at the extremities.

=Hunting Flask.= M. Jacquemart thinks that that represented in Fig. 389 may be reasonably attributed to Palissy. It is glazed in green, and diapered with little flames of a deeper shade. Upon the body, in relief, is the escutcheon of the celebrated Anne de Montmorency, round it the collar of St. Michael, and on each side the Constable’s sword supported by a mailed arm and the motto of his house, “A Planos” (unwavering). A mask of Italian style and rayonnated suns complete the decoration of this curious sealed earthenware.

=Hurst=, Her. A clump of trees.

=Hurte=, Her. A blue roundle.

=Hutch=, O. E. (Fr. _huche_). A locker, which generally stood at the foot of the bed, to contain clothes and objects of value. It was commonly used for a seat.

=Huvette=, Fr. A close steel skull-cap.

=Hyacinth.= (1) A precious stone of a violet colour. (2) The colour formed of red with blue, blue predominating. (3) The flower hyacinth among the ancient Greeks was the emblem of death.

=Hyacinthia=, Gr. A national festival, celebrated annually at Amyclæ by the Amyclæans and Spartans, in honour of the hero Hyacinthus, who was accidentally killed by Apollo with a quoit.

=Hyalotype= (ὕαλος, glass, and τυπεῖν, to print). An invention for printing photographs from the negative on to glass, instead of paper.

=Hycsos=, Egyp. (lit. impure). A people of unknown origin, nomad tribes, but not savages, as has hitherto been believed, who came from Sinai, Arabia, and Syria. They are known as _Poimenes_ (the Shepherds), _Mentiou Sati_, _Asian Shepherds_, and even _Scourges_, from their invasion of some part of Eastern Egypt.

=Hydra=, Gr. (a water-serpent). A hundred-headed monster of Greek mythology, sprung, like the Chimæra, from Typhon and Echidna; he was killed by Hercules. In Heraldry the hydra is represented with only nine heads. The illustration (Fig. 390) is of the device adopted by Curtio Gonzaga, an Italian poet, to symbolize the constancy of his love, with the motto, “If I kill it, more strong it revives.”

=Hydraletês=, Gr. (1) A mill for grinding corn, driven by water. (2) A waterfall or current of water.

=Hydraulis=, Gr. (ὕδρ-αυλις). A water-organ. The hydraulic organ, invented about B.C. 200, was really a pneumatic organ; the water was only used to force the air through the pipes. It is represented on a coin of Nero in the British Museum. Only ten pipes are given to it, and there is no indication of any key-board. It had eight stops, and consequently eight rows of pipes; these were partly of bronze, and partly of reed. It continued in use so late as the 9th century of our era.

=Hydria=, Gr. A large, heavy vessel, used principally for holding a store of water. It is represented urn-shaped, with a broad base and a narrow mouth, sometimes with one and sometimes with two handles at the top, and smaller ones on the belly. The name is applied to other pails of bronze or silver, &c. (Fig. 391.)

=Hydriaphoria=, Gr. (water-bearing). (1) Funereal ceremonies performed at Athens in memory of those who had perished in the deluges of Ogyges, Deucalion, &c. (2) A service exacted from married alien women in Athens by the female citizens, when they walked in the great procession at the Panathenaic feasts, and the former carried vessels of water for them.

=Hydroceramic= (vessels), Gr. Vessels made of a porous clay, in which liquids were put for the purpose of cooling them; they were a kind of _alcarazas_.

=Hydroscope.= Another name for the clepsydra. (See HOROLOGIUM.)

=Hypæthral=, Gr. and R. (lit. under the sky, or in the open air). The term was applied to any building, especially a temple, the _cella_ of which had no roof. On the roofs of Egyptian temples, hypæthral temples are arranged with regard to astronomical observations, by which the calendar was regulated.

=Hypæthrum=, Gr. and R. A grating or _claustra_ placed over the principal door of a temple for the purpose of admitting light into a part of the _cella_. Fig. 392 shows one of the bronze doors of the Pantheon at Rome, with its _hypæthrum_.

=Hyperthyrum=, Gr. and R. (over the door). A frieze and cornice arranged and decorated in various ways for the decoration of the lintel of a door.

=Hypocastanum.= Greek for CHESNUT BROWN (q.v.).

=Hypocaust=, Gr. and R. (ὑπό-καυσις and ὑπό-καυστον). A furnace with flues running underneath the floor of an apartment or bath, for heating the air. Fig. 393 represents the sectional elevation of a bath-room discovered in a Roman villa at Tusculum. Fig. 394 represents a _hypocausis_ discovered at Paris in the old Rue de Constantine, near Notre Dame.

=Hypogeum=, Arch. A building underground; a sepulchral vault. They form a principal part of Egyptian architecture of every period. The Greek term is a synonym of the Latin CONDITORIUM (q.v.)

=Hyporchema=, Gr. A lively dance, accompanied by a mimic performance, at the festivals of Apollo among the Dorians. A chorus of singers danced round the altars, and others acted comic or playful scenes.

=Hypotrachelium= or =Cincture=, Arch. The part of the Doric capital included between the astragal and the lower annulets or fillets.

=Hysteria=, Gr. (from ὗς, a pig). Greek festivals, in which swine were sacrificed in honour of Venus.