he ape those fools
Who, lost to reason, laugh or cry by rules."

PLAYTE. An old term for a river-boat.

PLEDGET. The string of oakum used in caulking. Also, in surgery, a small
plug of lint.

PLEIADES. The celebrated cluster of stars in Taurus, of which seven or
eight are visible to the naked eye; the assisted vision numbers over
200.

PLENY TIDES. Full tides.

PLICATILES. Ancient vessels built of wood and leather, which could be
taken to pieces and carried by land.

PLONKETS. Coarse woollen cloths of former commerce. (_See_ statute 1 R.
III. c. 8.)

PLOT, OR PLOTT. A plan or chart. (_See_ ICHNOGRAPHY.)

PLOTTING. The making of the plan after an actual survey of the place has
been obtained.

PLOUGH. An instrument formerly used for taking the sun's altitude, and
possessed of large graduations. When a ship cuts briskly through the sea
she is said to plough it.

PLUCKER. The fishing frog, _Lophius piscatorius_.

PLUG. A conical piece of wood to let in or keep out water, when fitted
to a hole in the bottom of a boat.--_Hawse-plugs._ To stop the
hawse-holes when the cables are unbent, and the ship plunges in a
head-sea.--_Shot-plugs._ Covered with oakum and tallow, to stop
shot-holes in the sides of a ship near the water-line; being conical,
they adapt themselves to any sized shot-holes.

PLUMB. Right up and down, opposed to parallel.--_To plumb._ To form the
vertical line. Also, to sound the depth of water.

PLUMBER-BLOCKS. These, in a marine steam-engine, are Y's, wherein are
fixed the bushes, in which the shafts or pinions revolve.

PLUMMET. A name sometimes given to the hand-lead, or any lead or iron
weight suspended by a string, as used by carpenters, &c.

PLUNDER. A name given to the effects of the officers and crew of a
prize, when pillaged by the captors, though the act directs that
"nothing shall be taken out of a prize-ship till condemned." (_See_
PILLAGE.)

PLUNGING FIRE. A pitching discharge of shot from a higher level, at such
an angle that the shot do not ricochet.

PLUNGING SPLASH. The descent of the anchor into the water when let go.

PLUSH [evidently from _plus_]. The overplus of the grog, arising from
being distributed in a smaller measure than the true one, and assigned
to the cook of each mess, becomes a cause of irregularity. (_See_ TOT.)

PLUVIOMETER, OR RAIN-GAUGE. A measurer of the quantity of rain which
falls on a square foot. There are various kinds.

PLY, TO. To carr