Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 8, ELE-FOR

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employed, yet do nothing j fome feem to cut the ore,
or fling what is cut into veflels, or turn the windlafs :
but never do any harm to the miners, unlefs provoked j
as the fenfible Agricola, in this point credulous, relates
in his book de Aniinantibus Subterraneis.
FAlRT Circle or Ring, a phenomenon pretty fre¬
quent in the fields, &c. fuppofed by the vulgar to be
traced by the fairies in their dances. There are two
kinds of it j one of about feven yards in diameter, con¬
taining a round bare path, a foot broad, with green
grafs in the middle of it. The other is of different
bignefs, encompaffed with a circumference of grafs.
Meff. Jeffop and Walker, in the Philofophical Tranfac-
tions, afcribe them to lightning ; which is thought to
be confirmed by their being moft frequently produced
after ftorms of that kind, as well as by the colour and
brittlenefs of the grafs roots when firft obferved. Light-
ning, like all other fires, moves round, and burns more
in the extremity than in the middle : the fecond circle
arifes from the firft, the grafs burnt up growing very
plentifully afterwards. Others maintain that thefe
circles are made by ants, which are frequently found
in great numbers therein.—Mr Cavallo, in his treatife
on elefhicity, does not think that lightning is at all
Concerned in the formation of them : “ They are not
(fays he) always of a circular figure ; and, as I am in¬
formed, they feem to be rather beds of muftirooms than
the effects of lightning.
We have frequently obferved beds of mufhrooms ar¬
ranged in a circular form like what are called fairy
rings j but it will be difficult to account for the mufti-
room feed being difpofed in this manner. It is pro¬
bable that the feed is difperfed over the whole field, and
remains dormant till it is afted on by fome ftimulus to
excite its vegetating powers. Perhaps this ftimulus is
atmofpheric eledlricity, which adfing on particular fpots
only, produces on them an abundant crop of muftirooms,
while none appear in other places.
FAITH, in Phi/ofopky and Theology, that affent
which we give to a propofition advanced by another,
the truth of which we do not immediately perceive from
our own reafon or experience $ or it is a judgment or
affent of the mind, the motive whereof is not any in-
trinfic evidence, but the authority or teftimony of fome
other who reveals or relates it. Hence, as there are
two kinds of authorities and teftimonies, the one of
God, and the other of man, faith becomes diftinguiftied
into divine and human.
Divine FAITH, is that founded on the authority of
God j or it is that affent we give to what is revealed by
God.
The objefts of this faith, therefore, are matters of re¬
velation. See Revelation and Religion.
Human FAITH, is that whereby we believe what is
told us by men. The object hereof is matter of human
teftimony and evidence. See Metaphysics.
Faith, in practical theology, makes the firfl of the
theological virtues or graces.
Faith in God, in this fenfe, denotes fuch a convic¬
tion of his being, perfeftions, chara&er, and govern¬
ment, as produces love, truft, worftiip, obedience, and
refignation.
Faith in Chrift, as it has been defined by fome, is a
mere affent to the gofpel as true j according to others,
it fignifies fuch a perfuafion that he is the Mefliah, and
fuch a defire and expeftation of the bleffings which he
has promifed in his gofpel to his fincere difciples, as
engage the mind to fix its dependence upon him, and
fubjed itfelf to him in all the ways of holy obedience
See Theology.
_ Faith, likewife, in refpeft to futurity, is a moral prin¬
ciple, implying fuch a conviaion of the reality and im¬
portance of a future ftate, as is fufficient to regulate the
temper and condua.
. Faith, or Fidelity (Fides), was deified by the an¬
cient Romans, and had a temple in the Capitol confe-
crated to her by Attilius Catalinus. Her priefts wore
white veils : unbloody facrifices were offered to her
and the greateft oaths were taken in her name. Ho¬
race clothes her in white, places her in the retinue of
Fortune, and makes her the filter of Juftice, Od. 24,
35. 1. i. Public Faith is reprefented in a great number
of medals ; fometimes with a balket of fruit in one
hand, and fome ears of corn in the other ; and fome¬
times holding a turtle-dove. But the moft dual fym-
bol is two hands joined together. The infcriptions are
generally, Tides Augufti, Fides Exercitus, or Tides Mi.
litum, &c.
FAITHFUL, an appellation affumed by the Ma¬
hometans. See Mahometans.
FAI1HORN, William, an ingenious Englilh ar-
tift, a native of London, was the difciple of Peak the
painter, and worked with him three or four years.
At the breaking out of the civil war, Peak efpoufed
the caufe of his fovereign : and Faithorn, who ac¬
companied his mafter, was taken prifoner by the re¬
bels at Baringhoufe, from whence he was fent to Lon¬
don, and confined in Alderfgate. In this uncomfort¬
able fituation he exercifed his graver ; and a fmall
head of the firft Villars duke of Buckingham, in the
ftyle of Melan, is reckoned among his performances at
that time. The felicitations of his friends in his fa¬
vour at laft prevailed j and he was releafed from pri-
fon, with permiffion to retire to the continent. In
France he found encouragement and protedlion from
the Abbe de Marolles ; and it was at this time that
he formed an acquaintance with Nanteuil, from whofe
inftrudftions he derived very confiderable advantages.
About the year 1650 he returned to England, and
foon after married the filler of a Captain Ground.
By her he had too fons ; Henry, who was a bookfel-
ler, and William an engraver in mezzotinto. Fai¬
thorn opened a Ihop near Temple-Bar, where he fold
not only his own engravings, but thofe of other Eng¬
lilh artifts, and imported a confiderable number of
prints from Holland, France, and Italy. About tho
year 1680, he retired from his Ihop, and refided in
Printing-Houfe Yard j but he ftill continued to work
for the bookfellers, efpecially Royfton, Martin, and
Peak the younger, his former mailer’s brother. He
painted portraits from the life in crayons; which art
he learned of Nanteuil during his abode in France.
He alfo painted in miniature ; and his performances
in both thefe ftyles were much efteemed. His fpirits
were broken by the indiferetion and diffipation of his
fon William ; and a lingering confumption put an end
to his life in 1691. He wrote a book Upon Drawing,
Graving, and Etching, for which he was celebrated by
his friend Thomas Flatman the poet.
FAKIRS, Indian monks or friars. They outdo
the