FALIERI, Marino, doge of Venice, in the fourteenth century. To revenge some trifling affront offered to him in a satirical poem of one of the aristocracy, he conspired with some, to put all the senators to death; upon a day agreed on, and annihilate the power of that order. He was discovered in time, sufficient to frustrate all his diabolical plans, and, together with his associates, punished with death. Lord Byron and Delavigne have made his story the subject of a dramatic poem. FALDİNG, n. s. Sax. Feald, Fald; Goth. FALDSTOOL, falder. A kind of coarse FALDUSTOR. Scloth; fold or wrapper; faldstool is a folding stool or chair; a kind of stool placed at the south side of the altar, at which the kings of England kneel at their coronation. FALERII, in ancient geography, a town and territory of Etruria, on the west or right side of the Tiber. The territory was famous for its rich pastures; hence the gramen Faliscum in authors. Eutropius and Frontinus call the town Falisci; which, according to the last, was surnamed Colonia Junonia.

FALISCI, the people of Falerii, called Æqui by Virgil, because they afforded supplemental laws to the twelve tables. When the Falisci were besieged by Camillus, a schoolmaster went out of the gates of the city with his pupils, and proposed to betray them into the hands of the Roman enemy, that by such a possession he might easily oblige the place to surrender. Camillus heard the proposal with indignation, and ordered the man to be stripped naked, and whipped back to the town by the boys whom he wished to betray. This instance of generosity operated upon the people so powerfully, that they surrendered to the Romans.

FALK or FALCK (John Peter), a disciple of Linné, studied at Upsal, and was appointed director of the cabinet of natural history, at St. Petersburgh; and also professor of botany in the garden of the apothecaries in that metropolis. In 1768 the Imperial Academy of Sciences engaged Falk to assist in exploring the Russian dominions; and he travelled for that object as far as Kasan, when he was recalled. Being afflicted with hypochondria he went to use the baths of Kisliar, and returned to Kasan much relieved: but his complaint recurring with violence, he put an end to his life by shooting himself through the head with a pistol, March 31st, 1774. The Travels of Falk were published from his papers, by professor Laxman, in 3 vols. 4to. Petersburgh, 1785.

FALKENSTEIN (John Henry), a voluminous writer of Franconia, was born in 1682. He was appointed director of the nobles' academy at Erlangen; but afterwards, having embraced the Roman catholic faith, he entered into the service of the bishop of Eichstadt, on whose death the margrave of Anspach became his patron. He wrote the Antiquities of Nordgan, in the bishopric of Eichstadt, 3 vols. folio, and several other works of a similar nature. He died in 1760.

FALKIA, in botany, a genus of the trigynia order, and hexandria class of plants: CAL. monophyllous: coR. monopetalous: SEEDS four. Species one only, a Cape creeper.

FALKIRK, a considerable town of Stirlingshire, situated near the river Carron, on the high road from Edinburgh to Glasgow. The road to Stirling and the North Islands also passes through it: and in the neighbourhood are the celebrated Carron iron works. The town stands upon an eminence, commanding an extensive and delightful prospect of the surrounding country. Falkirk was formerly a borough of barony, under the baronial jurisdiction of the earls of Linlithgow and Callander; but no records are extant of any magistrates having been invested with the power of the borough, except the bailiff of the earl; who, before the abolition of hereditary jurisdictions, had an extensive authority, both in civil and criminal mattters. It is now governed by a baron bailie, appointed by the lord of the manor; an officer, who, within the bounds of his jurisdiction, can enforce the payment of rents to any amount, and decide all money matters under £2 stering: he can also punish petty offenders by fine and imprisonment. The chief support of this town is its great fairs and trysts for black cattle from the Highlands, at which, on an average, there are sold 60,000 head annually. Falkirk is memorable in history for a battle fought in its neighbourhood between Edward I. of England, and the Scots commanded by the Grand Steward of Scotland, Cumin of Badenoch, and Sir William Wallace. The latter had been invested with the supreme command; but, perceiving that this gave umbrage to the nobility, he resigned his power into the hands of the noblemen above mentioned, reserving to himself only the command of a small body who refused to follow another leader. The Scots generals placed their pikemen along the front, and lined the intervals, between the three bodies of which their army was composed, with archers; and, dreading the great superiority of the English cavalry, endeavoured to secure their front by palisadoes tied together with ropes. The battle was fought on the 22d of July 1298. Edward divided his army also into three bodies; and by the superiority of his archers, defeated the Scots with great slaughWallace alone preserved entire the troops he commanded; and, retiring behind the Carron, marched leisurely along the banks of that river, which protected him from the enemy. In this battle fell John de Graham, a hero much celebrated for his valor, and styled the right hand of Wallace. His epitaph is still to be seen on a plain stone in the church-yard of Falkirk. On the 18th of January, 1746, a battle was fought here between the king's forces commanded by general Hawley, and the Highlanders headed by prince Charles Stuart. The former were seized with a panic and fled; but colonel Husk with two regiments, who kept their ground, prevented the Highlanders from pursuing their victory. Extensive ruins are to be seen in the neighbourhood of this town, supposed by some antiquarians to have been the capital of the Pictish government; but others believe them to be the remains of some Roman stations. On taking down the wall of the church, a few years ago, twe inscriptions were found, which have excited considerable controversy. The one referred to events supposed to have occurred not many centuries

ter.

subsequent to the Christian era; the other alluded to the foundation of a church or monastery here in the eleventh century. Both, however, appeared in a character and under peculiarities fatal to their supposed antiquity: therefore, if not entirely spurious, they can only be considered an attempt at renewing inscriptions of more ancient date. The annual competition of bagpipers was formerly held at Falkirk, but of late years it has been transferred to Edinburgh. It is twelve miles south-east of Sterling, and twenty-four west of Edinburgh.

FALKLAND, a town of Fifeshire, anciently one of the seats of the Macduffs, earls of Fife, which, on the attainder of Munro Stewart, the seventeenth earl, in 1424, became forfeited to the crown, and afterwards was a residence of the Scottish kings. It was erected into a royal Durgh by James II. in 1458 enlarged and improved by James V. who died here in 1542; and received a renewal of its charter from James VI. in 1595, to obviate (as the preamble states), the damage and inconvenience sustained for want of innkeepers and victuallers, by the many prelates, peers, barons, nobles, and others of their subjects, who came to their country seats.' By this charter Falkland has a right to hold a weekly market and four annual fairs. The town is neatly built, and plentifully supplied with excellent water. It carries on a manufacture of coarse linens and osnaburghs, and is governed by three Dailies, fourteen counsellors, a treasurer, and town clerk. The annual revenue of the borough is about £100. The remains of the palace evince its former magnificence and elegance, and the noble taste of the architect. The gateway is placed between two fine round towers; and on the right hand joins the chapel, roofed with wood, handsomely gilt and painted, but in a most ruinous condition. Beneath are several apartments. The front next to the court was beautifully adorned with statues, heads in bas-relief, and elegant columns not reducible to any order, but of fine proportion, with capitals approaching the Ionic scroll. Beneath some of these pillars was inscribed I. R. M. G. 1537: Jacobus Rex, Maria de Guise. This place was also a favorite residence of James VI. on account of the fine park and deer. The east side was accidently burnt in the time of Charles II., and the park ruined during Cromwell's usurpation; when the fine oaks were cut down to build the fort at Perth. Falkland is fifteen miles north of Edinburgh, and fifteen south-east of Perth.

FALKLAND ISLANDS, a cluster of Islands at the extremity of South America, not far from the Straits of Magellan. They were discovered by Sir Richard Hawkins in 1594. The soil is bad, and the shores are beaten by perpetual storms. A British settlement was formed in 1764, but the settlers were dispossessed by the Spaniards in 1770; which occasioned an armament on the part of Britain; but, the dispute being settled by a convention, the British regained possession of them. In 1774, however, they were voluntarily abandoned to the Spaniards. The soil is represented as a mere bog, and the mountains to be barren. They have been called, by different navigators, South Belgia Islands, New Islands

of St. Lewis, and the Mallouines: but they are now generally known by the name of Falkland Islands. Long. between 50° and 56° W., lat. from 51° to 53° S.

FALKLAND SOUND, a strait or bay separatin the two largest of the foregoing islands.

FALL, v. n. & v.a. Sax. Feallen; Germ. fallen Belg. vallen; Goth. and Swed. falla; ab Heb 5, says Minsheu. To drop; tumble down move down; sink; descend in any way: hence to decrease; lessen; ebb; grow shallow; decline, become dejected; sink below something else in comparison; sink into weakness and apparent torpor (hence the phrase 'to fall asleep'); come to an end (as that which falls to the ground does with regard to its motion); die. To fall also frequently includes the idea of casualty, accident, or chance, perhaps from the ancient modes of decision by lot, or from the accidental manner in which fruit and other things drop around us: it is also applied to wrath and punishment, as being supposed to fall with weight; to the birth of animals who are dropped from the mother, &c. As an active verb, to fall signifies to let fall; sink; depress; diminish; yean; bring forth. Dr. Johnson having arranged the prepositions with which fall is used in composition alphabetically, we retain that order, and his definitions of the modification of meaning the verb thus undergoes. Fall, as a substantive, signifies the act of dropping cline; degradation; declension or diminution or tumbling from a height, or erect posture; deof any kind; declivity: it is used particularly for the rushing of water down a precipice or declivity, or into a larger body of water; for autumn, the season of the fall of the leaf; and of falling, as a fall of rain;' 'the fall of timber;' for any conspicuous or remarkable act or habit 'fall of prices,' &c. Fall, says Dr. Johnson, is difficult to ascertain or detail the full signification. one of those general words of which it is very It retains in most of its senses some part of its primitive meaning, and implies, either literally or figuratively, descent, violence, or suddenness; in others has no counterpart or correlative. In many of its senses it is opposed to rise; but

Not newe conuertid to the feith; lest he be borun up into pride and falle into doom of the deuel. Wiclif. 1 Tymo. iii

And the next multitude fell a lusting.

Numb. ii. 4.
Ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall
before you by the sword.
Lev. xxvi. 7.

Thou shalt make a battlement for thy roof, that
thou bring not blood upon thine house, if any man
fall from thence.
Deut.
2 Chron.
Acts xix. 17.

There fell wrath for it against Israel.
Fear fell on them all.

after the same example of unbelief.
Labour to enter into that rest, lest

any man fall Heb. iv. 11.

A whistling wind, or a melodious noise of birds, water running violently, these things made them to among the spreading branches, or a pleasing fall o'

swoon for fear.

Wisdom.

Our fathers were given to the sword, and for a spoil, and had a great fall before our enemies.

Judith, viii. 9. Wickedness may well be compared to a bottomless pit, into which it is easier to keep one's self from full