Encyclopaedia Britannica, or, a Dictionary of arts, sciences, and miscellaneous literature : enlarged and improved. Illustrated with nearly six hundred engravings > Volume 6, CHI-Crystallization

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to the line with a fmooth polifhed face. Againlt this
face the plants are fet up, leaning tow-ards the line,
about three inches afunder, leaving their heads about
an inch above the mould, and placing their roots at
fuch a depth as to bury their ilems from two to three
inches deeper than they itood in the feed-bed. The
loofe mould being returned and prefled gently to the
roots with the foot, the line is removed, and another
row planted in the fame manner about a foot from
the firlt.
CRATCHES, in the manege, a fwelling on the
pattern, under the fetlock, and fometimes under the
hoofj for which reafon it is diftinguilhed into the
finew cratches, which affedt the finew, and thofe upon
the coronet, called qmttor-boncs.
CRATER, Cup, in AJlronomy, a conilellation of
the fouthern hemifphere j whofe liars, in Ptolemy’s
catalogue, are feven ; in Tycho’s, eight; in Hevelius’s,
ten ; in the Britannic catalogue, thirty-one.
Crater is alfo ufed to lignify the mouth or opening
of a volcano or burning mountain, from whence the fire
is difcharged. See Volcano.
CRATES, of Thebes, a famous philofopher, w'as
the difciple of Diogenes the Cynic. It is faid that he
threw all his money into the fea, that he might the
more freely apply himfelf to the Rudy of philolophy.
Others afl'ert that he placed it into another perfon’s
hands, with orders to give it to his children if they
fliould happen to be fools: For {faid Crates), if they
ifhould be philofophers, they will have no need of it :
in which cafe it was to be given to the people. He
flourillied about 328 years before Chrifl.
He ought not be confounded with Crates, a famous
Academic philofopher, the difciple and friend of Poie-
mon. This laft Crates had Arcelilaus and other cele¬
brated philofophers for his difciples 5 and flounihed about
300 years betore Chrilt.
CRATEVA, the Garlic Pear; a genus of plants
belonging to the dodecandria clais; and in the natural
method ranking under the 25th order, Putamine#.
See Botany Index.
CRATINUS, an ancient comic poet, of whom we
fhould fcarcely have known any thing, had not Qum-
tilian, Horace, and Peifius, mentioned him, Eupolis,
and Arillophanes, as the great mailers of what we
call the ancient comedy. It is gathered that he died
in the 87th Olympiad. Suidas tells us that he wrote
21 plays, and that he was fplendid and bright in his
characters.
CRAT1PPUS, a celebrated Peripatetic philofopher,
was a native of Mitylene, where he taught pbilofophy :.
but at length went to Athens where Brutus and the fon
of Cicero were his difciples. Pompey went to iee him
after the battle of Pharfalia, and propofed to him his
difficulties in relation to the beliet of a Providence :
when Cratippus comforted him, and by forcible argu¬
ments anfwered his obje61ions. He wrote iome pieces
about divination : and is fuppofed to be the fame with
him whom Tertullian, in his book De Anima, has rank¬
ed among the writers upon dreams.
CRATO, a {mall town of Portugal, in the province
of Alentejo, with a rich priory. It is the chief com-
mandery which the knights of Malta have in Portugal.
W. Long. 8. 12. N. Lat. 38. 50.
Vol. VI. Part II.
i j C R. A
CRAVEN, a town of France, in Burgundy, re¬
markable for its good wine, and lor a battle lought
there between the Englilh and French. It is ieated ^<>i
near the confluence of the rivers Cure and V onne.
E. Long. 3. 30. N. Lat. 47. 42.
Craven, or Cravent, a word of reproach, ufed in
trials by battel. See Battel.
CRAX, the Curassou, a genus of birds belonging to
the order of gallinse. See Ornithology Index.
CRAY fish, or CRArr-FiJh. See Cancer, Ento¬
mology Index.
GRAYER, Caspar DE, a celebrated painter, was
horn at Antwerp in 1585, and was a difciple of Ra-
phael Coxis, the fon of that Coxis who had ftudied
under Raphael; but he loon Ihowed fuch proof of
genius, and of an elevated capacity, that he far fur-
paffed his mailer. Afterwards he made judicious ob-
fervations on the particular excellencies of the moll re¬
nowned mailers to which he had any accefs; and taking
nature for his conllant diredlor and guide, he formed
for himfelf a manner that was exceedingly pleaiing.
The firit work which eftablilhed him in the favour or
the court at Brufiels, was a portrait of Cardinal Fer¬
dinand, brother to the king of Spain, which he painted
at full length, and as large as life. In that piflure
he fucceeded fo happily, that it was fent to Madrid,
and received there with fuch concurrent approbation
of the king and the whole court, that it laid the foun¬
dation of the fame and fortune of Grayer. For the
king, as an acknowledgment of the painter’s merit,
lent him a gold chain with a medal; and added, as a
farther inllance of his favour, an appointment for a
conliderable penfion. But nothing places the talents
of Grayer in a flronger light, than the tellimony of fo
excellent an artift as Rubens. That great man went
to Antwerp particularly to vifit Grayer, and to fee
his works; and after examining attentively a pi&ure of
his painting, in the refectory of the abbey of Affl*g-
hem, he publicly declared that no painter could fur-
pafs Grayer. Nor was this mailer lefs diftinguilhed by
Vandyck, who always expreffed a real eileem and
friendfhip for him, and painted his portrait. He had
fomewhat iefs fire in his compofition than Rubens,
but his defign is frequently more correft. His com-
politions generally confilled oi a fmall number of fi¬
gures; and with difereet j udgment, he avoided the en¬
cumbering his defign with fuperfluous particulars, or
loading his fubjedt with any thing that feemed not to
contribute to its elegance or probability. He grouped
his figures with lingular fldll, and his exprelfions have
all the truth of nature. There is a remarkable variety
in his draperies, and an equal degree of fimplicity in
their folds; and as to his colouring, it is admirable.
Of all his contemporary painters, he was accounted to
approach nearell to Vandyck, not only in hilfory but
in portrait. He principally painted religious fubjefts,
and was continually at work ; and although he lived to
a great age, yet his temperance and conftant regularity
preferved to him the full ufe of all his faculties ; and
to the laft month of his life his pencil retained the fame
force and freedom which it pofteffed in his moft vigo¬
rous time. The fubjecl of that picture which was lb
honoured by the approbation of Rubens is th« Centurion
alighting from his horfe to nroftrate himfelf at the feet
4 Y of