to be rolled up closely

* * *

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

brĕvis, e, adj. (abl. breve, Varr. R. R. 2, 3, 2; comp. abl. breviore, Ov. Am. 2, 17, 22) [cf. brachus, Fest. p. 26], short, little, of small extent, in space and time (opp. longus; in space, in good class. prose, diff. from parvus, which designates that which fills a small space in length, breadth, and thickness; while brevis is used only of length in its different directions of breadth, height, or depth; and even of a circle, as merely a line, and without reference to the space enclosed, v. infra. In poets and postAug. prose brevis sometimes = parvus).

Lit., in space.

In distance, extent, short, little, small, narrow (opp. latus), Cic. Ac. 2, 29, 92:

brevior via,

Nep. Eum. 8, 5; Tib. 1, 10, 4:

via brevis,

Verg. E. 9, 23; Ov. M. 5, 253; Juv. 14, 223:

cursus brevissimus,

Verg. A. 3, 507:

brevius iter,

Ov. P. 1, 4, 32:

cursu brevissimus Almo,

id. M. 14, 329:

quid mihi, quod lato non separor aequore, prodest? Num minus haec nobis tam brevis obstat aqua?

so narrow a stream, id. H. 18, 174; cf.

also brevis unda, opp. latum mare,

id. ib. 19, 141 and 142:

non Asiam brevioris aquae disterminat usquam fluctus ab Europā,

Luc. 9, 957 (strictioris, Schol.); cf. id. 9, 317:

brevissima terra,

Plin. Ep. 10, 69, 2:

in Euboico scopulus brevis emicat altō Gurgite,

a small, narrow rock, Ov. M. 9, 226:

brevibus Gyaris,

Juv. 1, 73:

scis In breve te cogi (sc. libellum),

that you are closely rolled together, Hor. Ep. 1, 20, 8:

quo brevius valent,

the nearer, the more powerful are they in conflict, Tac. A. 6, 35.—

Trop. of the journey of life:

quid est, quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?

Cic. Arch. 11, 28; cf.:

vitae brevis cursus, gloriae sempiternus,

id. Sest. 21, 47:

tum brevior dirae mortis aperta via est,

Tib. 1, 10, 4.—And poet. of the thread of life:

fila vitae breviora,

Ov. Tr. 5, 10, 46. —

In height, short, small, low (opp. altus and sometimes longus);

of the human figure: sed sedebat judex L. Aurifex, brevior ipse quam testis,

Cic. de Or. 2, 60, 245:

ut statura breves in digitos eriguntur,

Quint. 2, 3, 8:

forma,

Ov. M. 5, 457:

(puella) longa brevisque,

id. Am. 2, 4, 36:

brevis corpore,

Suet. Galb. 3;

id. Vit. Hor.—Of a maiden changed to a boy: et incomptis brevior mensura capillis,

Ov. M. 9, 789.—

Of other things: ut pleraque Alpium ab Italiā sicut breviora, ita arrectiora sunt,

lower, Liv. 21, 35, 11:

brevior ilex,

Sen. Herc. Oet. 1641:

mus,

little, Ov. F. 2, 574. —

In depth, small, little, shallow (opp. profundus):

puteus,

Juv. 3, 226:

vada,

Verg. A. 5, 221; Sen. Agam. 570.—Hence, subst.: brĕvia, ium, n., as in Gr. ta brachea, shallow places, shallows, shoals:

tris Eurus ab alto In brevia et syrtis urget,

Verg. A. 1, 111 (brevia vadosa dicit, per quae vadi pedibus potest, Serv.); Luc. 9, 338: neque discerni poterant incerta ab solidis, brevia a profundis, Tac. A. 1, 70:

brevia litorum,

id. ib. 6, 33 fin. —Perh. also in sing.:

breve,

Tac. A. 14, 29 Draeg. ad loc. (Ritter, brevia; al. breve litus).—

Trop.:

brevia, in quibus volutatur, incerta, ancipitia,

difficulties, Sen. Ep. 22, 7.—

Of the line of a circle:

ubi circulus (i.e. arcticus) axem Ultimus extremum spatioque brevissimus ambit,

makes the shortest path, Ov. M. 2, 517; cf.

of similar orbits, of stars: absides breviores,

Plin. 2. 15, 13, §

63.—Of the circular course of a horse on the track: discit gyro breviore flecti,

Sen. Hippol. 314. —

Transf., of time.

Lit. (the usu. signif. of the word), short, brief, small, little.

In gen.:

quanto, nox, fuisti longior hac proxumā, Tanto brevior dies ut fiat faciam,

Plaut. Am. 1, 3, 51:

breve spatium'st perferundi quae minitas mihi,

id. Capt. 3, 5, 85:

brevis hora,

Lucr. 4, 179; so Ov. M. 4, 696: Pa. Brevin' an longinquo sermone? Mi. Tribus verbis, Plaut. Mil. 4, 2, 30:

occasio,

Ter. Eun. 3, 5, 57; Phaedr. 5, 8, 5:

brevis hic est fructus homulleis,

short is this enjoyment for little men, Lucr. 3, 927; cf.:

MORS. PERFECIT. TVA. VT. TIBE. ESSENT. OMNIA. BREVIA. HONOS. FAMA. VIRTVSQVE. GLORIA. ATQVE. INGENIVM.,

Inscr. Orell. 558:

omnia brevia tolerabilia esse debent,

Cic. Lael. 27, 104; id. Fin. 1, 12, 40; 2, 29, 94; id. Tusc. 1, 39, 94; Sen. Ira, 3, 43, 5:

quoniam vita brevis est, memoriam nostri quam maxime longam efficere,

Sall. C. 1, 3; so,

vitae summa brevis spem nos vetat incohare longam,

Hor. C. 1, 4, 15; cf. id. ib. 1, 11, 6:

aut omnia breviora aliquanto fuere, aut Saguntum principio anni captum,

occupied a shorter time, Liv. 21, 15, 5:

brevissimum tempus,

id. 5, 6, 7:

detrimentum,

Quint. 11, 1, 10:

arbitrium mortis,

Tac. A. 15, 60:

breves populi Romani amores,

id. ib. 2, 41:

tempus,

Suet. Ner. 20 al.:

nobis quom semel occidit brevis lux, nox est perpetua una dormienda,

Cat. 5, 5:

fructus,

Lucr. 3, 914:

aevum,

Hor. C. 2, 16, 17; id. S. 2, 6, 97; id. Ep. 2, 1, 144; Plin. Pan. 78, 2:

anni,

Hor. C. 4, 13, 22:

ver,

Ov. M. 1, 118; 10, 85:

flores rosae,

quickly withering, short-lived, Hor. C. 2, 3, 13:

lilium,

id. ib. 1, 36, 16:

cena,

frugal, id. Ep. 1, 14, 35:

mensa,

id. A. P. 198:

dominus,

living but a short time, id. C. 2, 14, 24:

stultitia,

id. ib. 4, 12, 27:

ira furor brevis est,

id. Ep. 1, 2, 62:

actio brevis atque concisa,

Quint. 6, 4, 2:

somnus,

Sen. Troad. 441:

nec gratius quicquam decore nec brevius,

nothing is more acceptable, but nothing more perishable, fading, than beauty, Suet. Dom. 18:

domus,

Sen. Hippol. 762:

fortuna,

Sil. 4, 734.—

Esp.

Comp. brevius, with subj. clause, shorter, i.e. easier, more convenient:

brevius visum urbana crimina incipi, quorum obvii testes erant,

Tac. A. 13, 43: modo ne existimes brevius esse ab urbe mitti, Trag. ap. Plin. Ep. 10, 40 (49), 3.—

In brevi spatio, brevi spatio, in brevi tempore, brevi tempore, and absol. brevi or in brevi, in a short time, shortly (before or after) (brevi tempore and brevi are class.; the latter, as in Gr. en brachei, to be considered as neuter, without supplying tempore):

inque brevi spatio mutantur saecla animantum,

Lucr. 2, 77; so Ter. Heaut. 5, 2, 2; Suet. Claud. 12; id. Ner. 30; cf.:

in multo breviore temporis spatio,

id. Aug. 22:

multa brevi spatio simulacra geruntur,

Lucr. 4, 160; Sall. J. 87, 3:

spatio brevi,

Hor. C. 1, 11, 6:

res publica per vos brevi tempore jus suum recuperabit,

Cic. Fam. 12, 2, 3; 5, 21, 2; id. Tusc. 2, 2, 5; Caes. B. G. 1, 40, 11; Nep. Milt. 2, 1; id. Them. 1, 4; Suet. Caes. 3:

sic ille affectus, brevi postea est mortuus,

soon after, Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 54, § 142 (Zumpt;

acc. to MSS. perbrevi).—So brevi post = paulo post: brevi post Marcellus Romam venit,

Liv. 33, 37, 9; 24, 3, 14:

brevi deinde,

id. 24, 4, 9: (Britanni) tantum usu cotidiano et exercitatione efficiunt, uti in declivi ac praecipiti loco incitatos equos sustinere et brevi ( in a short time, i.e. with great rapidity) moderari ac flectere consuerint, Caes. B. G. 4, 33 fin. Herz. and Held.:

fama tanti facinoris per omnem Africam brevi divolgatur,

Sall. J. 13, 1; Nep. Them. 4, 4:

mirantur tam brevi rem Romanam crevisse,

Liv. 1, 9, 9:

brevi omnia subegit,

Suet. Caes. 34; so id. Aug. 17; 65; id. Vesp. 5; id. Gram. 3; Gell. 1, 15, 18: scire in brevi, Afran. ap. Charis. p. 186 P.; Flor. 1, 1, 15.—

Brevi, a short time, a little while: [p. 251] cunctatusque brevi, contortam viribus hastam in Persea misit, Ov. M. 5, 32; cf.:

illa brevi spatio silet,

id. ib. 7, 307; so,

* breve,

Cat. 61, 187.—

Ad breve, for a short time, Suet. Tib. 68; cf.:

ad breve quoddam tempus,

Cic. Cat. 1, 13, 31.—

Transf. to things done or taking place in a short time; so most freq.

Of discourse, short, brief, concise (most freq. in Cic. and Quint.):

narratio,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 28; id. de Or. 3, 50, 196: laudatio;

comprehensio et ambitus ille verborum erat apud illum contractus et brevis,

id. Brut. 44, 162; cf. id. de Or. 2, 80, 326:

nunc venio ad illa tua brevia: et primum illud, quo nihil potest esse brevius: bonum omne laudabile, etc.,

id. Fin. 4, 18, 48:

quam falsa re! quam brevia responsu!

id. Clu. 59, 164: urbanitas est virtus quaedam in breve dictum coacta, Dom. Mars. ap. Quint. 6, 3, 104:

Homerus brevem eloquentiam Menelao dedit,

Quint. 12, 10, 64 (brevis = ou polumuthos, Hom. Il. 3, 214):

breviores commentarii,

Quint. 3, 8, 58:

annotatio,

id. 10, 7, 31:

brevia illa atque concisa,

id. 10, 7, 10; so,

sententiae,

id. 10, 1, 60:

causae,

id. 6, 1, 8:

docendi compendia,

id. 1, 1, 24:

comprehensiones,

id. 12, 2, 19:

quod ut brevissimo pateat exemplo,

id. 3, 6, 10: commendatio, requiring few words, i.e. moderate, Plin. 11, 42, 97, § 240.— Meton. of a speaker or orator, brief:

multos imitatio brevitatis decipit, ut cum se breves putent esse, longissimi sint,

Cic. Inv. 1, 20, 38:

brevior in scribendo,

id. Att. 5, 6, 2:

brevis esse laboro, Obscurus fio,

Hor. A. P. 25:

in eloquendo brevis,

Quint. 10, 1, 63:

densus et brevis et semper instans sibi Thucydides,

id. 10, 1, 73.—Hence, brĕvī, adv., briefly, in few words (freq. and class.):

brevi pro breviter M. Tullius de Orat. ad Quintum fratrem (1, 8, 34): ac ne plura quidem quae sunt innumerabilia consecter, comprehendam brevi,

Charis. p. 176 P.:

id percurram brevi,

Cic. Caecin. 32, 94:

aliquid explicare,

id. Planc. 40, 95 Wund.:

circumscribere et definire,

id. Sest. 45, 97; so id. ib. 5, 12 Orell. N. cr.; id. Fin. 1, 17, 55:

complecti,

id. de Or. 1, 42, 190:

exponere,

id. ib. 1, 46, 203:

reprehendere,

id. Inv. 1, 9, 12:

reddere,

id. Leg. 2, 14, 34:

respondere,

id. Fam. 3, 8, 1:

perscribere,

id. ib. 4, 5, 1; so Auct. Her. 4, 26, 35; 35, 47 al.; cf.:

in brevi,

Quint. 9, 4, 32.—So once in epistolary style: breve facere, to be short or brief:

quid scribam? breve faciam,

Cic. Att. 11, 7, 6; cf.:

longum est ea dicere, sed hoc breve dicam,

id. Sest. 5, 12.—Once, in breve cogere (diff. from I. A.), to comprise in few words, bring into a small compass:

in breve coactae causae,

Liv. 39, 47, 5; cf.:

in breve coactio causae,

Gai. Inst. 4, 15.— In late Lat. subst.: brĕvis, is, m. (sc. liber—acc. to another reading, brĕve, is, n.), a short catalogue, summary, = breviarium:

brevis nominum,

Vop. Aur. 36; so id. Bonos. 15; Lampr. Alex. Sev. 21; Hier. Ep. 5, n. 2 al.—

Of a short syllable;

rarely as adj.: Syllaba longa brevi subjecta vocatur iambus,

Hor. A. P. 251:

a brevis, gre brevis, faciet tamen longam priorem,

Quint. 9, 4, 86 et saep.—More freq. subst.: brĕvis, is, f. (sc. syllaba):

dactylus, qui est e longā et duabus brevibus,

Cic. Or. 64, 217 sq.:

in fine pro longā accipi brevem,

Quint. 9, 4, 93; 9, 4, 86:

plurimum habent celeritatis breves,

id. 9, 4, 91.—

Hence also once of a syllable long by position, but pronounced short: indoctus dicimus brevi primā litterā, insanus productā: inhumanus brevi, infelix longā,

Cic. Or. 48, 159 Meyer N. cr.; cf. Gell. 2, 17 sqq., and Schütz Lex. Cic. s. v. brevis.—

For parvus, exiguus, little, small:

exigua pars brevisque,

Lucr. 5, 591:

Canidia brevibus implicata viperis,

Hor. Epod. 5, 15:

Alecto brevibus torquata colubris,

Ov. H. 2, 119:

brevi latere ac pede longo est,

Hor. S. 1, 2, 93; cf.

just before: breve quod caput, ardua cervix, v. 89, and brevis alvus,

Verg. G. 3, 80 (on the other hand, Nemes. 244:

parvae alvi): mus,

Ov. F. 2, 574:

forma (sc. pueri in stellionem mutati),

id. M. 5, 457.—

So, lapathi herba,

Hor. S. 2, 4, 29 (brevis = parva, non excrescens in altum, Schol. Cruqu.):

folia breviora,

id. Ep. 1, 19, 26 (minor corona, Schol. Cruqu.):

census,

id. C. 2, 15, 13:

pondus,

id. S. 2, 2, 37:

impensa,

Ov. H. 7, 188 Ruhnk.:

sigillum,

id. M. 6, 86:

insulae,

Pall. 1, 28, 1; cf. Juv. 1, 73: vasculum, Pall. Apr. 8, 4:

offulae,

id. 1, 29, 4:

pantheris in candido breves macularum oculi,

Plin. 8, 17, 23, § 62.—With nom. abstr.:

breve in exiguo marmore nomen ero,

Prop. 2, 1, 72; Sen. Oedip. 935.—So, pondus, Hor. S. 2, 2, 37 al.—Hence, brĕ-vĭter, adv., shortly, briefly, etc.

Of space (acc. to I.) (rare): seu libeat, curvo brevius convertere gyro, shorter, i. e. in a smaller circle, Tib. 4, 1, 94:

parvo brevius quam totus,

a little less than the whole, Plin. 2, 67, 67, § 168:

Sarmatae, omisso arcu, quo brevius valent, contis gladiisque ruerent,

Tac. A. 6, 35.—Far more freq. in prose and poetry,

(Acc. to II. A. b. and c.) Of time, in a short time.

In gen.:

iratum breviter vites, inimicum diu, Publ. Syr. v. 249 Rib.: sapiens, cum breviter et strictim colore atque vultu motus est,

Gell. 19, 1, 20.—

Esp.

In expression, briefly, in brief, in few words, concisely, summarily:

sed breviter paucis praestat comprendere multa,

Lucr. 6, 1082: multa breviter et commode dicta (sc. apophthegmata; cf. Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104) memoriae mandabam, Cic. Lael. 1, 1:

rem totam breviter cognoscite,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 69, § 169; 2, 3, 27, § 67; so id. de Or. 2, 83, 340:

summatim breviterque describere,

id. Or. 15, 50:

breviter tangere,

id. Off. 3, 2, 8 Beier N. cr.:

breviter et modice disserere,

Sall. J. 111, 1:

adicere aliquid,

Quint. 9, 3, 100; cf. also Verg. A. 2, 11; 4, 632; 6, 321; Ov. M. 2, 783:

omnia soli Forsan Pacuvio breviter dabit (i.e. paucis testamenti verbis, quibus heres ex asse scribetur),

Juv. 12, 125 Web. (cf. id. 1, 68: beatum exiguis tabulis).— Comp., Cic. Fin. 4, 10, 26; Quint. 8, prooem. § 1; 8, 6, 61; 9, 2, 16; 10, 1, 49; 11, 1, 5 al.— Sup., Cic. N. D. 2, 1, 3; id. Div. 1, 32, 70; Quint. 1, 10, 1; 4, 2, 113 al.—

Of syllables:

quibus in verbis eae primae litterae sunt quae in sapiente atque felice, producte dicitur, in ceteris omnibus breviter,

Cic. Or. 48, 159.

ἐκκῠλ-ιστὸς στέφανος

A a garland closely wreathed or rolled together, Archipp.40,etc.

SUBJECT AREA: Metallurgy

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He acquired a considerable knowledge of wire-making in his father's works before he took a position in 1839 at the works of James Edleston at Warrington. From there, in 1851, he went to Manchester as Manager of Richard Johnson \& Sons' wire mill, where he remained for the rest of his life. It was there that he initiated several important improvements in the manufacture of wire. These included a system of circulating puddling furnace water bottoms and sides, and a galvanizing process. His most important innovation, however, was the continuous mill for producing iron rod for wiredrawing. Previously the red-hot iron billets had to be handled repeatedly through a stand or set of rolls to reduce the billet to the required shape, with time and heat being lost at each handling. In Bedson's continuous mill, the billet entered the first of a succession of stands placed as closely to each other as possible and emerged from the final one as rod suitable for wiredrawing, without any intermediate handling. A second novel feature was that alternate rolls were arranged vertically to save turning the piece manually through a right angle. That improved the quality as well as the speed of production. Bedson's first continuous mill was erected in Manchester in 1862 and had sixteen stands in tandem. A mill on this principle had been patented the previous year by Charles While of Pontypridd, South Wales, but it was Bedson who made it work and brought it into use commercially. A difficult problem to overcome was that as the piece being rolled lengthened, its speed increased, so that each pair of rolls had to increase correspondingly. The only source of power was a steam engine working a single drive shaft, but Bedson achieved the greater speeds by using successively larger gear-wheels at each stand.

Bedson's first mill was highly successful, and a second one was erected at the Manchester works; however, its application was limited to the production of small bars, rods and sections. Nevertheless, Bedson's mill established an important principle of rolling-mill design that was to have wider applications in later years.

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SUBJECT AREA: Metallurgy

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After working as a millwright in Halifax, Riley found employment at the Ormesby Ironworks in Middlesbrough until, in 1869, he became manager of the Askam Ironworks in Cumberland. Three years later, in 1872, he was appointed Blast-furnace Manager at the pioneering Siemens Steel Company's works at Landore, near Swansea in South Wales. Using Spanish ore, he produced the manganese-rich iron (spiegeleisen) required as an additive to make satisfactory steel. Riley was promoted in 1874 to be General Manager at Landore, and he worked with William Siemens to develop the use of the latter's regenerative furnace for the production of open-hearth steel. He persuaded Welsh makers of tin plate to use sheets rolled from lowcarbon (mild) steel instead of from charcoal iron and, partly by publishing some test results, he was instrumental in influencing the Admiralty to build two naval vessels of mild steel, the Mercury and the Iris.

In 1878 Riley moved north on his appointment as General Manager of the Steel Company of Scotland, a firm closely associated with Charles Tennant that was formed in 1872 to make steel by the Siemens process. Already by 1878, fourteen Siemens melting furnaces had been erected, and in that year 42,000 long tons of ingots were produced at the company's Hallside (Newton) Works, situated 8 km (5 miles) south-east of Glasgow. Under Riley's leadership, steelmaking in open-hearth furnaces was initiated at a second plant situated at Blochairn. Plates and sections for all aspects of shipbuilding, including boilers, formed the main products; the company also supplied the greater part of the steel for the Forth (Railway) Bridge. Riley was associated with technical modifications which improved the performance of steelmaking furnaces using Siemens's principles. He built a gasfired cupola for melting pig-iron, and constructed the first British "universal" plate mill using three-high rolls (Lauth mill).

At the request of French interests, Riley investigated the properties of steels containing various proportions of nickel; the report that he read before the Iron and Steel Institute in 1889 successfully brought to the notice of potential users the greatly enhanced strength that nickel could impart and its ability to yield alloys possessing substantially lower corrodibility.

The Steel Company of Scotland paid dividends in the years to 1890, but then came a lean period. In 1895, at the age of 54, Riley moved once more to another employer, becoming General Manager of the Glasgow Iron and Steel Company, which had just laid out a new steelmaking plant at Wishaw, 25 km (15 miles) south-east of Glasgow, where it already had blast furnaces. Still the technical innovator, in 1900 Riley presented an account of his experiences in introducing molten blast-furnace metal as feed for the open-hearth steel furnaces. In the early 1890s it was largely through Riley's efforts that a West of Scotland Board of Conciliation and Arbitration for the Manufactured Steel Trade came into being; he was its first Chairman and then its President.

In 1899 James Riley resigned from his Scottish employment to move back to his native Yorkshire, where he became his own master by acquiring the small Richmond Ironworks situated at Stockton-on-Tees. Although Riley's 1900 account to the Iron and Steel Institute was the last of the many of which he was author, he continued to contribute to the discussion of papers written by others.

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