Encyclopaedia Britannica; or, A dictionary of arts and sciences, compiled upon a new plan … > Volume 2, C-L

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fere he is raifed to that fovereign dignity. The prin¬
cipal points which the emperor undertakes to obferve,
are, i. To defend the church and the empire. 2. To
obferve the fundamental laws of the empire. And,' 3.
To maintain and preferve the rights, privileges, and
immunities of the elediors, princes, and other dates
of the' empire, fpecified in the capitulation. Thcfe .
articles and capitulations are prefented to the emperor ,
by the electors only, without the concurrence of the
other dates, who have complained from time to time
of fuch proceedings -; and in the time of the Wedpha-
lian treaty, in 1648, it was propofed to deliberate in
the following diet, upon a way of making a perpetual
capitulation ; but the electors have always found means
of eluding the execution of this article. In order how¬
ever to give fome fatisfa&ion to their adverfaries, they
have inferred fn the capitulations of the emperors, and
in that of Francis I. in particular, a promife to ufe all
their influence to bring the affair of d perpetual capitu¬
lation to a conclufion. Some German authors own,
that this capitulation limits the emperor’s power ; but
maintain that it does not weaken his fovereignty :
_ Though the mod part maintain, that he is not abfo-
lu;e, beyaufe he receives the empire under conditions
which fet bounds to an abfolute authority.
GAPNOIDES, in botany, the trivial name of a fpecies
of fumaria. See Fumaria.
CAPON, a cock-chicken, gelded as foon as left by the
dam, or as foon as he begins to crow. They are, of
ufe either to lead chickens, ducklings, pheafants, be.
and defend them from the kites and buzzards ; or to
feed for the table, they being reckoned more delicate
than either a cock or a hen.
GAPPACIA, a town of the hither principate,, in the
kingdom of Naples. It is a bifliop’s fee, and fituated
about fifty-five miles fouth-ead of the city of Naples :
E. long. 1 j° 20', and N. lat. 40° 40'.
GAP PARIS, in botany, a genus of the polyandria mo-
nogynia clafs. The calix confids of four cortaceous.
-leaves; the corolla has four petals; the damina are
long ; and the capfule is flefhy within, unilocular, and
fupported by a pedunculus. ''There are ten fpecies,
none of which are natives of Britain
CAPRA, or Goat, a genus of quadrupeds belonging
to the'order .of pecora. The horns are hollow, turn¬
ed upwards, ereft, and fcabrous. There are eight
fore teeth in the 1 under jaw, and none in the upper ;
and they have no dog-teeth. This genus confids of
twelve fpecies, viz.
1. The hircusj or common-goat, with arched cari-
nated horns, and a long beard. The goat of Angora
is only a variety of this fpecies ; its hair is white, and
hangs down to the feet; ^nd the ears are plain and
pendent. The common goat is a native of theeadern
mountairs. See Plate LXIII.
The goat is an animal of more fagacity than the
Iheep. indead of having an antipathy at mankind,
they voluntarily mingle with them,' and are eafily
tamed. Even in uninhabited countries, they betray
.jao favage d fpofitions. In the year 1698, an Englilh
vdTel having put in . to the illand of Eonovida, two
) CAP
negroes came aboard, and offered gratis to the captain
as many goats as he pleafed. The captain expreffed
his adoniihment at this offer, But the negroes replied,
that there were only twelve perfons in the ifl.md ; that
the goats had multiplied to-fuch a degree, that they
were become extremely troublefome; and that, in dead
of having, any difficulty in catching them, they followed
the men where-ever they went, and were fo obdinately
officious, that they could not get quit of them upon
any account whatever.
Goats are fenlible of careffes, and capable of a con-
fiderable degree of friendffiip. They are dronger,
more agile, and Jefs timid than ffieep. They have a
lively, capricious, and wandering difpofition; are fond
of high and folitary'places;, and frequently fleep upon
the very points of rocks. They are more eafily lup-
ported than any other animal of the fame lize; for
there is hardly an herb or the bark of a tree, which
they will not eat with pleafure. Neither are they
liable to fo many difeafes as ffieep: They can bear
heat and cold with Ids inconvenience. The adtions,
and movements of animals depend more upon the
force and variety of their fenfations, than the drudture
of their bodies : The natural incondancy or fanciful-
nefs of goats is accordingly expreffed by the irregula¬
rity of their adtions : They walk, dop ffiort, °run-,
jump, ffiew, and hide themfelves, as it were by mere
caprice, and without any other caufe than what a-
rifes from the natural vivacity of their temper.
The buck will copulate when he is a year old, and
the female when die is feven months. But as this is ra¬
ther premature, they are generally redrained till they
be eighteen months'or two years. The buck is bald,
beautiful, and vigorous; one is fufficient toferve 150
females. A buck for propagation ffiould be large, .
handfome, and about two years of age ; his neck
ffiould be ffiort, and fleffiy; his head flender ; his ears
pendent; his thighs thick; his limbs firm ; his hair
black, thick^ and foft; and his beard fhoukl be Jong,
and bulhy. The females are generally in feafon from
September to the end of November. The time^ of
going with young is five months. They generally pro¬
duce one kid, fometimes two, feldom three, and never
more than four; and continue fruitful till they be feven .
years of age : But a buck is feldom kept after he is five.
Goat’s flefh is not fo good as mutton : The rank
fmell of the buck does not proceed from the fleffi, but
from the fkin.
The food of this animal cods next to nothing, as it
lives modly upon fuch plants as are rejefted by other
cattle, and can fupport itfelf even upon the mod bar-.
ren mountains. But their produce is valuable. Cheefe
is made of their milk, whi '*i befides is reckoned good
in confumptions,. and other difeafes. Their fleffi, tab-
low, hair, and hides, are all ufeful and faleable com¬
modities.
2. The ibex, has large knotty horns reclined upon
its back, js of a yellowilh colour, and its beard is .
black. This fpecies is a native of Crete ; and is like-
wife to be met with in the mountains of fome of the
northern parts of. Europe.
3. The,