Carpet

[It. carpetta. Etymol. uncertain.) A kind of stuff embroidered with figures of various fruits, flowers, .; an ornamental covering for floors, stairs, .; a wrought cover for tables. -Level ground covered as with gra . "The carpet ground shall be with leaves o'erspread." - Dryden. Carpet knight . A knight who has not seen service in the field: hence, a soldier accustomed to a home life of ease and luxury. "Some of our city captains and carpet knights will make this good, and prove it." - Burton . -One who is created a knight for other than military capacity and service. "He is knight , dubbed with unhack'd rapier, and on carpet consideration." - Shaka . To be on the Carpet . To be mooted; to be under debate or consideration; to be the subject of deliberation; as, that matter is next to be brought on the carpet. ( Manf . ) C. were first brought into use by the inhabitants of Eastern countries. In Egypt, Syria, Turkey, and Persia, the C. is the chief article of furniture to be found in ordinary houses, the peculiar habits of the people requiring but little more in addition. For many years Europe received all her supplies from the East. The manufacture is said to have been introduced into Europe by the French, in the reign of Henri IV. The manufactories of Beauvais and of the Gobelins , established by Colbert in 1662-1664, are still existing, the latter producing unrivalled fabrics. In England the manufacture of C. was not carried to any great extent until the middle of the 18th century. The Turkey C. are made in one piece, and generally consist of a dark central ground, figured with a small irregular angular pattern in various rich colors, surrounded by a border. A genuine Turkey C. should be free from any admixture of The American Dictionary and Cyclopedia IMG:content-0069.png:[blocks in formation] cart.] Act of carrying, bearing, transporting, or con veying; as, the carriage of goods. -That which carries; that conveyance which runs on wheels; a coach; any vehicular conveyance; as, a pony. carriage , a railway - carriage , a gun-carriage. of dignified carriage. 7,148. Carpingly, adv . In a carping or censorious manner. Carpi'ni, JOHANNES DE PLANO, a celebrated Francis can monk, B. in S. Italy about 1210. He was one of the six friars selected by Pope Innocent IV. to proceed to the court of the Emperor of the Mongols, whose warlike ad- vances in 1246 threw Christen dom into con- stern at i on, in order to pacify the terrible no- madic warriors, and if po ible, convert them Christianity. to He wrote an account of his journey in Latin, an abstract of which was published in the Voyages and Discoveries of Hakluyt. Carpi'ne, a town of S. Italy, prov. Capitan at a, 22 m. N.E. of San Severo; pop. 6,830. Fig. 522.- HORN-BEAM. ( Carp in us American a.)