The ordinary age of mankind has been occasionally varied, in such manner as to afford a fine instance of the wisdom of Providence. See the article LONGEVITY.Age is also used in Chronology, for a Century; or a system or period of a hundred years; called also Seculum.See SECULUM, and CENTURY.An age differs from a generation. See GENERATION.Age is also understood of a certain state or portion of the ordinary life of man; which is divided into four different ages, viz. Infancy, Youth, Manhood, and Old Age.Infancy, or childhood, Pueritia, extends as far as the fourteenth year. See INFANCY, and CHILDHOOD.Youth, Adolescence, or the age of puberty, commences at 14, and ends at about 25. See YOUTH, ADOLESCENCE, PUBERTY, etc.Manhood, or the virile age, terminates at 50. See VIRILE.Old Age, Senectus, succeeds, which is the last; though some divide this into two; reckoning it decrepit age after 75. See OLD AGE. Age, in horsemanship, makes a considerable point of knowledge; the horse being an animal that remarkably shows the progress of his years, by correspondent alterations in his body. See HORSE. We have characteristics from his teeth, hoofs, coat, tail and eyes. See TEETH, HOOF, etc.The first year he has his foal's teeth, which are only grinders and gatherers: The second, the four foremost change, and appear browner and bigger than the rest: The third, he changes the teeth next to these; leaving no apparent foal's teeth, but two on each side above, and two below: The fourth year, the teeth next to these are changed, and no foal's teeth are left, but one on each side above and below. At five years, his foremost teeth are all changed; and the tusks on each side are complete:those which come in the places of the last foal's teeth, being hollow, and having a little black speck in the midst;which is called the mark in a horse's mouth, and continues till eight years of age. See MARK. At six years, he puts up new tusks; near which appears a little circle of young flesh, at the bottom of the tusk: the tusks withal, being white, small, short, and sharp. At seven years, the teeth are all at their growth, and the mark in the mouth appears very plain. At eight, all his teeth are full, smooth, and plain, and the mark scarce discernible;the tusks looking yellowish. At nine, the foremost teeth show longer, yellower, and fouler than before; and the tusks become bluntish. At ten, no holes are seen on the inside of the upper tusks; which till then are very sensible: Add, that the temples begin to be crooked, and hollow. At eleven years, his teeth are very long, yellow, black, and foul; but he will cut even, and his teeth stand directly opposite to one another. At twelve, the upper teeth hang over the lower. At thirteen, the tusks are worn close to his chaps, if he have been much ridden; otherwise they will be black, foul, and long.2°, As to the hoof. If it be smooth, moist, hollow, and well-sounding, it's a sign of youth: On the contrary, if rugged, and as it were seamed, one seam over another, and withal dry, foul, and rusty, it's a mark of old age. 3°, For the tail. Taking him by the stern thereof, close at the setting on to the buttock, and gripping it between the finger and thumb; if a joint be felt to stick out more than the rest, the size of a nut, the horse is under ten: but if the joints be all plain, he may be fifteen. 4°, The eyes being round, full, and staring; the pits that are over them filled, smooth, and even with his temples; and no wrinkles to be seen, either under or above: is a mark of youth. 5°, The skin being plucked up in any part between the finger and thumb, and let go again; if it returns suddenly to its place, and remain without wrinkles, he may be argued to be young.6°, A dark-colored horse, growing grizzled above the eyebrows, or under the mane; or a whitish horse growing speckled, either white or black, all over; may be infallibly concluded extremely aged. Lastly, a horse being young, the bars of his mouth are soft and shallow; otherwise they are deep, and feel hard and rough. Age, in hunting—Deer, and other beasts of game, have different denominations, according to their age; which see under the article Hunting: The first head, called in fallow deer, broches, and in red deer, pricks, does not come until the second year of their age: The next year, they bear four or six small branches:the fourth year, eight or ten; the fifth, ten or twelve; the sixth, fourteen or sixteen; the seventh year, they bear their heads beamed, branched, and antlered, as much as ever they will be.
Age, in Chronology: The Age of the World is the time passed since the Creation. See CREATION. The several Ages of the World may be reduced to these three grand Epochs, viz, the Age of the Law of Nature, from Adam to Moses — The Age of the Jewish Law, from Moses to Christ — And the Age of Grace, from Christ to the present year. The first Age, according to the Jews, consisted of 2447 years; according to Scaliger, of 2452; and according to Usher, of 2513. The second Age, according to the Jews, consisted of 1312 years; according to Scaliger, of 1508; and according to Usher, of 1491. Of the third Age, there have elapsed 1726 years; though this, too, is controverted by Chronologers.
Peravius asserts our Saviour to have been born four years before the vulgar Epoch; on which footing, the current year should be 1730; according to Capella, 1731; according to Baronius and Scaliger, 1728. See NATIVITY. The Romans distinguished the time that preceded them into three Ages: The obscure or uncertain Age, which reached down as low as Ogyges, King of Attica, in whose reign the Deluge happened in Greece — The fabulous, or heroic Age, which ended at the first Olympiad: And the historical Age, which commenced at the Building of Rome. See FABULOUS, HEROIC, HISTORICAL, etc.
Among the Poets, the four Ages of the World are the Golden, the Silver, the Brazen, and the Iron Age. See the Metamorphosis of Ovid, Lib. 1, or rather, Hesiod in his poem "Erga kai Hemerai" (Works and Days), ver. 108, etc. He is the first that has described the four Ages, and the best.
The East Indians also reckon four Ages since the beginning. The first, which they represent as a sort of Golden Age, lasted, according to them, 1,728,000 years. In this, the God Brahma was born; and the men were all giants. Their manners were innocent. They were exempt from diseases and lived 400 years. In the second Age, which lasted 1,296,000 years, their Rajas were born: Vice now crept into the World; men's lives were shortened to 300 years, and their size reduced proportionally. Under the third Age, which lasted 806,400 years, vice increased, and men only lived up to 200 years. The last Age is the one we currently live in, of which 4,027,195 years have already passed, and the lifespan of man has sunk to one-fourth of its original duration.
Age, in Law, is often understood as a certain state or time of life, wherein a person is qualified to do something, which before, due to lack of years, and consequently discretion, they could not. See MAJOR, MINOR, etc. There are two principal ages in a man: At fourteen, he is at the age of discretion; at twenty-one years, at full age.
In a Woman, there were anciently six Ages observed:At seven Years, her Father might distrain the Tenants of his Manor for aid to marry her; for at those Years she may consent to Matrimony. Bracton. At nine Years old she is dowable; for then, or within half a Year after, she is said to be able promereri dotem & virum sustinere. Fleta. At twelve Years, she is able finally to ratify and confirm her former Consent to Matrimony. At fourteen, she may take her Lands into her own Hands; and should be out of Ward, if she were at this Age at her Ancestor’s Death. At sixteen, she should be out of Ward; though at the Death of her Ancestor she was under fourteen: The Reason is, that then she might take a Husband able to perform Knight’s-Service. At twenty-one Years, she may alienate Lands and Tenements.
For a Man: at the Age of fourteen he may choose his own Guardian, and claim his Lands held in Socage. Dyer, fol. 162. though Bracton, Lib. II. limits this to fifteen Years; with whom Glanville agrees. At fourteen, a Man may consent to Marriage, as a Woman at twelve. At fifteen he ought to be sworn to the Peace, Az. 24 Edw. I. Stat. 3. At the Age of twenty-one, a Man was obliged to be a Knight, if he had twenty Pounds Land per Annum in Fee, or for Term of Life, Anno 1 Edw. II. Stat. 1. But this Statute is repealed, 17 Car. I. cap. 10. The same Age also enables him to make Contracts, and manage his own Estate; which, till that time, he cannot do with Security of those that deal with him.
The Age of twelve Years binds to Appearance before the Sheriff and Coroner, for Inquiry after Robberies, Anno 52 Hen. III. cap. 14. The Age of twenty-four Years enabled a Man to enter an Order of Religion, without Consent of Parents, Anno 4 Hen. IV. cap. 17.
Age Prier, a Petition, or Motion made in Court, by one in his Minority; having an Action brought against him for Lands coming to him by Descent; requesting, that the Action may rest till he comes to full age. This, the Court in most Cases, ought to grant.
It is otherwise in the Civil Law; which obliges Children in their Minority to answer by their Tutors, or Curators. See TUTOR, CURATOR, MINORITY, PUPIL, etc.