Part 383

Entrétenir des PRATIQUES avec le commandant d’une place. To hold communication, or keep up a secret correspondence with the commandant of a fortified place.

PRATIQUER des intelligences, Fr. To collect, to gather useful information.

Il avoit PRATIQUE dans cette place des intelligences qui lui ont donné le moyen de la surprendre, Fr. He had gathered such information, by holding secret intelligence with the inhabitants, as to be able to surprise the place.

PRATIQUER, Fr. In architecture, to contrive, to make, to render convenient.

Donner PRATIQUE à un vaisseau, Fr. To allow a vessel to enter into port and unload. This expression is used in the Mediterranean under circumstances of quarantine, and comes from Pratica.

PRATIQUER, Fr. To practice. Pratiquer une homme; to try a man; to put his abilities to the test. It likewise signifies to gain over, to suborn.

PRECEDENCE. Priority. Priority in rank or precedence in military life, arises from rank, or the date of an officer’s commission.

PRECEDENT. Any act which can be interpreted into an example for future times, is called a precedent. Persons in high official situations are extremely scrupulous with respect to precedence, especially in military matters.

PRECIPITER, Fr. To precipitate; to urge or hasten on; to do every thing prematurely. This word appears to be used by the French in almost all the senses to which we attach it, especially in military matters.

PRECIPITER sa retraite, Fr. Literally signifies, to precipitate one’s retreat. It may be taken in a good or bad sense, to signify the act of flying away blindly or rashly, without judgment or discretion; or of urging your retreat under circumstances of imperious necessity, yet with proper caution and foresight. So that to precipitate, both in French and English, signifies, Faire trés promptement ou trop promptement; to do any thing very promptly, or too promptly.

PRECISION, exact limitation, scrupulous observance of certain given rules.

PRECISION of march. On the leading platoon officer of the column, much of the precision of march depends; he must lead at an equal, steady pace; he must lead on two objects either given to him, or which he himself takes up on every alteration of position; this demands his utmost attention; nor must he allow it to be diverted by looking at his platoon, the care of whose regularity depends on the other officers and non-commissioned officers, belonging to it. The second platoon officer must also be shewn, and be made acquainted with the points on which the first leads; he is always to keep the first officer and those points in a line, and those two officers, together with the guide mounted officers, thus become a direction for the other pivot officers to cover. In marching in open column, the covering serjeants or guides are placed behind the second file from the pivot officers, that the officers may the more correctly see and cover each other in column.

PREDAL, or, PREDATORY, War, a war carried on by plunder and rapine; such as the British navy and the Algerines; the Buccaneers, also carried on a predal war, against all persons on the high seas.

PREDESTINARIAN. A person who believes in predestination. Every Turk, may be considered as a predestinarian. A Turkish soldier is taught to believe that it he falls in battle he will instantly go to heaven. This is a comfortable idea even for christian soldiers. How far it ought to be encouraged, doctors and able casuists must agree.

PREFECT, (Préfet, Fr.) a governor or commander of any place or body of men. Among the Romans this was a title of great importance, both in civil and military situations. During the existence of the republic the Præfectus Legio has had a considerable command. The two Alæ, wings, or great divisions of the allies, had each a præfect appointed them by the Roman consul, who governed in the same manner as the legionary tribunes. For a specific account see pages 193, 194, 195, of Kennett’s Roman Antiquities. There was likewise, during the time of the Roman emperors, an officer called the præfect of the pretorian band, or body guards. The French have adopted the word in their government. The functions of a modern French prefect correspond almost wholly with those of a governor of a province under the old regime or system.

PREFERMENT, the state of being advanced to a higher post.

PREJUDICE, PREJUGE, Fr. Prepossession, judgment formed beforehand, without examination. A celebrated French writer calls it an opinion taken up without judgment, Le préjuge est une opinion sans jugement. Voltaire. It is used in two instances, viz. for and against a person.

PRELIMINARY, (Préliminaire, Fr.) Previous, introductory, &c. Preliminary, as a substantive, signifies an introductory measure, a previous arrangement. Hence the “preliminaries of peace.”

PRENDRE, Fr. A French military term. It is variously used, and accords generally with our word to take, viz.

PRENDRE une ville d’assaut; par famine, &c. To take a town by assault; by famine, &c.

PRENDRE à droite, ou à gauche, Fr. To go to the right or left.

PRENDRE à travers, Fr. To run across.

PRENDRE les devants, Fr. To anticipate, to get the start of any body.

PRENDRE le pas, Fr. To take precedence.

PRENDRE la droite, Fr. To take the right.

PRENDRE terre, Fr. To land.

PRENDRE le large, Fr. A term used figuratively to signify the act of running away.

PRENDRE la clef des champs, Fr. Literally, to take the key of the country, or to run over it.