clegance of fkating as fudden jerks and exertions, which are too frequently used by the generality of skaters. The management of the arms like. wife defervés attention. There is no mode of difpofing of them more gracefully in fkating outfide, than folding the hands into each other, or ufing a muff. There are various feats of activity fo various that we cannot detail them. Moving and manœuvres ufed upon fkates: but they are on the outfide is the primary object for a skater to attain; and when he becomes an adept in that, he will eafily acquire a facility in executing other branches of the art. There are few exercises but will afford him hints of elegant and graceful attitudes. For example, nothing can be more beautiful than the attitude of drawing the bow and arrow whilft the skater is making a large circle on the outfide: the manual exercife and military falutes have likewise a pretty effect when used by an expert skater.

A fhort fword; a knife.-Any difpofed to do mif
* SKEAN. n. /. [Irish and Erfe; fagene, Saxon.]
chief may under his mantle privily carry his head-
piece, fkean, or piftol. Spenfer.-The Irif did not
fail in courage or fierceness; but being only armed
with darts and keines, it was rather an execution
than a fight upon them. Bacon.

SKEDE, a town of Sweden, in Smaland.
SKEEDS. See SKIDS.

(1.) SKEEN, a town of Norway, in Aggerhuys, famous for its copper and iron mines; feated near the Cattegate, 10 miles W. of Tonfberg, and 40 W. of Frederick ftadt.

practice. The English, though often remarkable for feats of agility upon fkates, are very deficient in gracefulness; which is partly owing to the conftruction of the fkates. They are too much curved in the farface which embraces the ice, confequently they involuntarily bring the ufers of them round on the outfide upon a quick and fmall circle; whereas the fkater, by ufing fkates of a different conftruction, lefs curved, has the command of his ftroke, and can enlarge or diminish the circle according to his own with. Edinburgh has produced more inftances of elegant fkaters than perhaps any other city or country whatever; and the inftitution of a Skating Club, about 50 years ago, has contributed much to the improvement of this elegant amufement. A gentleman of that club, who has made the practice and improvement of fkating his particular study, gives the following inftructions to beginners. Thofe who wish to be proficients should begin at an early period of life, and endeavour to throw off the fear which always attends the commencement of an apparently ha. zardous amufement. They will foon acquire a facility of moving on the infide: when they have done this, they muft endeavour to acquire the movement on the outfide of the fkates; which is nothing more than throwing themselves upon the outer edge of the skate, and making the balance of their body tend towards that fide, which will neceffarily enable them to form a femicircle. In this, much aflifiance may be derived from placing a bag of lead-thot in the pocket next to the foot employed in making the outside stroke, which will produce an artificial poife of the body, which afterwards will become natural by practice. At The commencement of the outside stroke, the knee of the employed limb fhould be a little bended, and gradually brought to a rectilinear pofition when the ftroke is completed. When the practitioner becomes expert in forming the femicircle with both feet, he is then to join them together, and proceed progreflively and alternately with both feet, which will carry him forward with a graceful movement. Care fhould be taken to use very little mufcular exertion, for the impelling motion should proceed from the mechanical impulfe of the body thrown into fuch a position as to regulate the stroke. At taking the outfide ftroke, the body ought to be thrown forward eafily, the unemployed limb kept in a direct line with the body, and the face and the eyes directly looking forward: the unemployed foot ought to be ftretched towards the ice, with the toes in a direct line with the leg. In the time of making the curve, the body must be gradually and almoft imperceptibly raised, and the unemployed limb brought in the fame manner forward; fo that, at finishing the curve, the body will bend a fmall degree backward, and the unemployed foot will be about two inches before the other, ready to embrace the ice and form a correspondent curve. The muscular movement of the whole body muft correfpond with the movement of the fkate, and fhould be regulated so as to be almoft imperceptible to the spectators. Particular attention should be paid in carrying round the head and eyes with a regular and imperceptible motion; for nothing fo much diminishes the grace and

(2.) SKEEN, a town of Norway, in the province of Chriftiania; 38 miles SSW. of Chriftiania. (3.) SKEEN, a parish. See SKENE.

(4.) SKEEN LOCH, a lake of Scotland, in Dum. fries-thire, 1100 yards long and 400 broad, with an ifland in it, much frequented by eagles. Its waters afterwards fall over a precipice, and form a beautiful cafcade near Moffat, called the Grey Mare's Tail.

*SKEG. n. f. A wild plum.

*SKEGGER n. f. Little falmons called Skeggers are bred of fuch fick falmon that might not go to the fea. Walton's Angler.

SKEHEEWRINKY, a town of Ireland, in Cork, Munter. It has a large cavern, which, when properly illuminated, exhibits a most brilliant appear ance from the ftalactites, crystals, and spars around it, and looks like a cathedral supported by massy pillars.

or filk wound and doubled.-Why art thou then *SKEIN. n. f. [efcaigne, Fr.] A knot of thread exafperate, thou idle immaterial kein of fley'd filk, thou tafel of a prodigal's purfe? ShakOur ftyle fhould be like a fhein of filk, to be found by the right thread, not ravell'd. Ben Jonfon.-So lazy a brain as mine is grows foon weary, when Digby. it has fo entangled a sein as this to unwind.

coaft of Shetland. Lon. 1. 24. E. of Edinburgh. SKELDNESS, a cape of Scotland, on the SW. Lat. 60. 12. N.

[In anatomy.] The bones of the body preferved (1.) * SKELETON. n . [xx, Greek.] 1. together as much as can be in their natural fituation. Quincy-

When

When finews o'er the skeletons are spread, "Thole cloth'd with flesh. Dryden. -The patient inay from other caufes be exceed. ingly emaciated, and appear as a ghaftly Skeleton. Blackmore.

Harte.

A feleton, ferocious, tall, and gaunt. 2. The compages of the principal parts.-The great feleton of the world. Hale.-The schemes of any of the arts or fciences may be analyfed in a fort of skeleton. Watts.

2. In Scotland, the repofitories where the bees lay their honey is still called skep.

* SKEPTICAL. adj. [from keptic.] Doubtful; pretending to univerfal doubt.-May the father of mercies confirm the feptical and wavering minds. Bentley.

(1.) SKEPTICISM. n. s. [scepticisme, Fr. from sceptic.] Univerfal doubt: pretence or profession of univerfal doubt.-I laid by my natural diffi dence and skepticism for a while. Dryden.

(2.) SKEPTICISM. See SCEPTICISM,

(1.)* SKEPTICK. n. s. {oxilios, Gr. sceptique] Fr.] One who doubts, or pretends to doubt every thing.-Bring the caufe into the bar; whole authority none mult difclaim, and leaft of all thofe skepticks in religion. Decay of PietySkeptics fay,

(2.) SKELETON, in anatomy, the dried bones of any animal joined together by wires, or by the natural ligament dried, so as to how their pofition when the creature was alive. See ANATO MY, Index. There is in the Philos. Trans. an account of a human skeleton, all the bones of which were fo united as to make but one articulation from the back to the os facrum and downwards a little way. On fawing fome of them, where. they were unnaturally joined, they were'found not ́ to cohere throughout their whole fubftance, but only about a fixth of an inch deep all round. The figure of the trunk was crooked, the fpinæ making the convex, and the infide of the vertebræ be concave part of the fegment. The whole had been found in a charnel-house, and was of the fize of a full grown person.

SKELL, a river of England, in Yorkshire, which runs into the Ure, near Rippon.

SKELLFLETÉ, a river of Yorkshire, which runs into the Humber, 12 miles W. of Hull. SKELLIGS, islands of Ireland, on the SW. coaft, 7 miles SW. of Bobus Head.

* SKELLUM. n. s. [ skelm, Gernuan.] A villain; a fcoundrel. Skinner.

SKELTON, John, an English poet of the 15th century, ufually filed Poet Laureat, having been laureatus, or invefted with the laurel, at Oxford, a poetical degree then conferred. He entered in to orders, and was made rector of Difs, in Norfolk; but, as Wood fays, he was fitter for the flage than the pulpit; for he was suspended by his bishop for fome loofe compofitions. After this he fatirized Card. Wolfey, who perfecuted him with fuch violence, that he took refuge in Weftminster abbey. He died in 1529. He left many works. The chief are his Poemata et Satire. SKENA. Sec SCHENING.

(1.) SKENE, a parish of Scotland, in Aberdeenfhire, of an oval form, 6 miles long and 3 broad, comprehending above 8oco fquare acres; of which 356 are arable, 534 mofs, 1640 pafture, and the reft moorifh. The furface is hilly and rocky, the foil various, but chiefly gravelish. The population, in 1792, was 1233; the decreafe 18, tace 1755. There is a confiderable plantation around the houfe of Skene, the elegant feat of George Skene, Efq. of that ilk, M. P. About a mile from the church are relics of a rectangular camp, and near these a very large cairn.

(2) SKENE, LOCH, a lake in the above parish, a mile long and nearly as broad.

SKENECTADAY. See SCHENECTADY.
SKENING. See SCHENING.

' SKEP. n. s. [ scepthen lower Saxon, to draw.] 1. Skep is a fort of basket, narrow at the bottom and wide at the top. to fe.ch corn in.-A pitch forke, a dungforke, seeve, Shep, and a bin. Tuffer.

In this wide field of wonders can you find
No art.
Blackmore
With too much weakness for the skeptick's
fide,

With too much knowledge for the ftoick's,
pride,

Man hangs between.

Pope

-The dogmatift is fure of every thing, and the skeptick believes nothing. Watts.

(2.) SKEPTICKS. See SCEPTICS.

SKER, or POINT SKER, a cape of S. Wales on the Bristol Channel, and SW. coaft of Glamorganthire. Lon. 3. 42. W. Lat. 50. 27. N.

SKERN, a river of England, in Durham, which runs into the Tees, at Crofsbridge.

SKERRIE, one one of the SHETLAND ISLANDS Lon. s. 4. E. of Edinburgh. Lat. 60. 41. N.

SKERRIES. n. s. a name applied to certain low rocky iflands, among the Northern and Wef tern Ifles of Scotland and Ireland: as,

1. SKERRIES, 3 ímall islands of Ireland, on the coaft of the county, of Dublin, Leinster; remark. able for producing great quantities of fea-ware, from which kelp is manufactured. On one of thefe islands, there is a light house, which is feen at 24 miles distance. Large flocks of puffins vifit it. They arrive in one night and depart all together in another.

2. SKERRIES, a village of Ireland, on the coaft of Dublin, fo named from the above islands, 17 miles from Dublin.

3. SKERRIES, inlands of Scotland, among the SHETLAND ISLANDS, 25 miles NE. of Whalfay, and 29 from Mainland. In 1792, they contained 11 families, confifting of 70 inhabitants.

4. SKERRIES, HELL'S. SE HELL'S SKERRIES. 5. SKERRIES, PENTLAND. See PENTLAND. (1.) SKERRY, an inland on the NW. coaft of Anglefea, in the Irith Sea, with a light-houfe. Lon. 4. 40. W. Lat. 53. 30. N.

(2.) SKERRY. See SKERRIE.

* SKETCH. n. s. [ schedula, Lat.] An outline; a rough draught; a first plan.-I fhall not attempt a character of his prefent majefty, having already given an imperfect sketch of it. Addison ·

The lighteft sketch, if july trac'd, Is by ill colouring but the more difgrac'd. Pope. To SKETCH. v. n. [from the noun.] 1. To draw, by tracing the outline. He judges very contemptuoufly of fome admirable defigns fetched out only with a black pencil, though by the

hand

Of that skill the more thou know'ft, The more the will acknowledge thee. Milton. I will from wondrous principles ordain A race unlike the firft, and try my skill. Dryd. king--Phocion the Athenian general, by his great wif dom and skill at negociations, diverted Alexander from the conqueft of Athens. Swift. 2. Any particular art.-Learned in one skill. Hooker. knowing in; to be dexterous at: with of*To SKILL. v. n. [skilla, Islandick.] 1. To be

SKILLINGE, a town of Sweden, in Belkingen;
4 miles W. of Carlscrona.
SKILLINGS, a river of the United States, in
Maine, which runs into the fea, 4 miles W. of
New Bristol.

SKILSKIOER, a fea port of Denmark, in Zealand, on a bay which joins the Great Belt, 28 miles SW. of Copenhagen. Lon. 11. 27. E. Lat. 55. 16. N.

*SKILT. n.. [A word used by Cleaveland, of which I know not either the etymology or meaning.

Smeitymnus! ha! what art?

Syriack? Or Arabick? Or Welsh? What skilt? Cleaveland, (1.) * To SKIM. v. a. [properly to scum, from feum; ejcume, Fr.] 1. To clear off from the upper part, by paffing a veffel a little below the

furface.

My coz Tom, or his coz Mary,

Who hold the plough or kim the dairy. Prior. 2. To take by skimming.—

She boils in kettles muft of wine, and, skims With leaves the dregs that overflow the brims. Dryden. -His principal studies were after the works of Titian, whofe cream he had skimm’d. Dryden, The furface of the fea is covered with its bubbles, while it rifes, which they skim off into their boats. Addifon.

gynia order, belonging to the tetrandria clafs of plants; and in the natural method ranking under the 40th order, Perfonata. The calyx is quadripartite; the corolla confifts of four concave petals; and the berry contains four feeds. There is only one fpecies, viz.

SKIMMIA JAPONICA, a native of Japan. (1.) * SKIMMILK. a. f. [fkim and milk.] Milk from which the cream has been taken.~

This is skimmilk, and therefore it shall go. King(2.) SKIMMILK OF SKIMM'D MILK CHEESE, See CHEESE, 3. ·

(1.) SKIN. . f. [skind, Danish.] 1. The natural covering of the flesh. It confifts of the cuticle, outward fkin, or scarf skin, which is thin and infenfible, and the cutis, or inner fkin, extremely fenfible. The body is confumed to nothing, the Skin feeling rough and dry like leather. Harvey.

The prieft on Skins of offerings takes his ease.

Dryden. 2. Hide; pelt; that which is taken from animals to make parchment or leather,On whofe top he ftrow'd A wild goat's fhaggy skin. Chapman. The body; the perfon: in ludicrous fpeech. "Tis hard for a man to fave both his fkis and his credit. L'Efrange. 4. A husk.

3.