Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 7, ETM-GOA

GAB [ 5,
Gabale which found it retains before a, o, a, /, r; as gate, go, gull.
II At the end of a word it is always hard, as riug,Jing, &c.
Gabel, ^he other found, called that of the fuft G, referable*
1l“‘" tjlat 0f j . and is commonly, though not always, found
before e and it as in ge/iure, giant, Sic. To this rule,
however, there are many exceptions ; G is often hard
before as give, &c. and fometimes before e, as get.
Sic. It is alio hard in derivatives from words ending
in g, as Ji/iging, ftnnger, &c. and generally before er, at
the end of words,-as finger. G is mr' before «, as
gnajh, fign. Gk has the found of the hard G in the
beginning of a word, as gh<fit!y ; in the middle, and
fometimes at the end, it is quite lilent, as right, though.
At the end of a word Gh has often the found of f, as
laugh, rough, tough*
As a numeral, G was anciently ufed to denote 400 j
and with a dafh over it thus G> 40,00a.
As an abbreviature, G. itands for Gains, Gellius,
gens, genius, &e. G. G. for gemina, gejjit, gefiferunt,
&c. G. C. for genio civitatis or Gcefaris. G. JL. for
Gains lihertus, or genio loci. G. V. S. for genh urbis
Jacrum. G. B. for genio bono. And G. T. for genio
tutelari.
In mufic, G is the chara&er or mark of the treble
cleff; and from its being placed at the head, or mark¬
ing the fxrll found in Guido’s fcale, the whole fcale
took the name gamut.
GABALE, in mythology, a deity worlhipped at
Heliopolis under the figure of a lion, with a radiant
bead ; and it is thus reprefented on many medals of
Caracaila.
GABA RDINE, from the Italian gavardina, has
been fometimes ufed to denote a coarfe frock, or mean
drefs. In this fenfe it is ufed by Shakefpeare in his
Tempefl: and Merchant of Venice, and by Butler in his
Hudibras, book i.
GABARA, or Gabbara, in antiquity, the dead
bodies which the Egyptians embalmed, and kept in
their houfes, efpecially thofe of fuch of their friends as
died with the reputation of great piety and holinefs, or
as martyrs. See Embalming, and Mummy.
GABEL (Gabella', Gabluin, Gablagium), in French
Gabelle, i. e. VeBigal, hath the fame fignification a-
nvong the ancient Englifh writers that gabelle hath in
France. It is a tax ; but hath been varioufly ufed, as
for a rent, cuftom, fervice, &c. And where it was
a payment of rent, thofe who paid it were termed ga-
llatores. When the word gabel was formerly men¬
tioned without any addition to it, it lignified the tax
on fait, the’ afterwards it was applied to all other taxes.
In the French cuftoms, the gabel, or tax on fait,
computed to make one-fourth of the whole revenue of
the kingdom, is faid to have had its rift in France in
1286, under Philip the Fair. Philip the Long took
a double per livre on fait, by an edidt in 1318, which
he promiftd to remit when he was delivered from his
enemies; which was renewed by Philip de Valois in
1345 ; and the duty was raiftd to four deniers per
livre ; king John refumed it in 1355, and it was grant¬
ed to the dauphin in '-358, to ranfom king John. It
was continued by Cliarles V. in 1366; after his de-
ceaft it was fupprefftd, but revived again by Cha. VI.
in 1381. Louis XI. raiftd it to 12 deniers per livre ;
and Francis I. in 1542 to 24 livres per mukl: and it
has been confiderably augmented fince that time ; £a
5
6 ] GAB
that a minot of fait latterly paid a duty of 5^2 livres, Gabu
8 fols, and 6 deniers. Philip de Valois hrit eitablifhed If
granaries and officers of the gabelles, and prohibited Gal)rc** '
any other perfons from felling fait: from w'hich time 'v " -
the whole commerce of fait for the inland corrfump-
tion continued wholly in the king’s hands, every grain
thereof being' fold and diftributed by Jatis farmers and
officers created for the purpoft.—This very odious and
oppreffive tax has lately been abolifhed by the National
Afftmbly.
GABII, (anc. geog. ), a town of Latium, midway
aim oft between Rome and Prenefte to the eaft, often
mentioned in the hiftory of Tarquin the Proud. Cine-
tus Gabinus denoted a particular way of tucking the
gown, by drawing it forwards on the breaft, ami tying
it into a knot; as the people of Gabix did at a folemn
facrifice, on the fudden attack of an enemy, in order
to be fitter for aftion. In this manner the oonful ufed
to declare war, to facrifice, and burn the fpoils of the
enemy; and then he was faid to be pracinclus. The
place now extinft.
GABINIAN laws, in Roman antiquities; laws
in diluted upon ftvtral occafions by perfons of the name
of Gabinius. The firft was the Gabinia lex de ComitTis, by
A. Gabinius the tribune, in the year of Rome 614. It
required that in the public affemblies for ele&ing ma-
giftrates, the votes fhould be given by tablets, and not
'viva voce.—Another de Comitiis, which made it a ca¬
pital punifhment to convene any clandeftine affembly,
agreeable to the old law of the 12 tables.—Another de
Militia, by A. Gabinius the tribune, year of Rome
685. It granted Pompey the power of carrying on
tilt war againil the pirates during three years, and of
obliging all kings, governors, and ftates, to fupply
him with all the neceffaries he wanted, over all the Me¬
diterranean fta,and in the maritime provinces as far as
400 fiadia from the fta.—Another de Ufurd by Aul.
Gabinius the tribune, year of Rome 6.85. It ordain-
ed that no a'ftion fhould be granted for the recovery of
any money borrowed upon fmall intereft to be lent upon
larger. This was an ufual practice at Rome, which
obtained the name of verfuram fiacere.—Another againfl
fornication.
GABIONS, in fortification, bafkets made of ozier-
twigs, of a cylindrical form, fix feet high and four
wide ; which, being filled with earth, ftrve as a (bel¬
ter from the enemy’s fire.
GABLE, or GABLF.~End, of a houfe (from gaval,
Welffi), is the upright triangular end from the cornice
or eaves to the top of the houfe.
GABRES, or Gavres, a religious ftft in Perfia
and India ; called alfo Gebres, Guebres, Gevres, Gaurs,
&c. See Magi.
The Turks call the Chriftians Gabres, q. d. infidels,
or people of a falfe religion ; or rather, as Leunclavius-
abferves, heathens or gentiles: the word Gabre, among
the Turks, having the fame figoification zb pagan, or
infidel among the Chriftians, and denoting any thing
not Mahometan.
In Perfia the word has a more peculiar fignification;
wherein it is applied to a fe£l difperftd through the
country, and faid to be the remains of the ancient Per-
fians or followers of Zoroafter, being worfnippers of
fire. They have a fubuib at Ifpahan, which is called
G aural ad, or “ the town of the Gaursfi where they
are