DIG
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DID
Proportion of 9 to 8, as being the unalterable Difference oiDiapente and Diateffaron.
DICHOTOMY, Biffe&hot a Term ufed by Aftrono- mers for thatThafis, or Appearance of the Moon, where- in fhe is biitected, or ihews juft half her Diflc, or Circle. See Phasis.
The Time of the Moon's "Dichotomy, is of considerable Ufe in fixing the Sun's Diftance from the Earth. But 'tis very difficult to fix the precife Moment when the Moon is bifTected, or in her true Dichotomy. Obfervation informs us, that when flic is 30 Minutes diftant from the Quadra- tures, fhe appears bifTected ; but fhe appears fo too in the Quadratures themfclves, and fome time afterwards, as Ric- ci'oius acknowledges in his Almageft. So that fhe appears 'Dichotomized at leafl: for the Space of a whole Hour : In which Time, any Moment may be taken for the true Point of 'the Dichotomy, as well as any other. But the infinite Number of Moments of Time give an infinite Di- versity ofDiffances. The Moment in which the true Di- chotomy happens, being thus uncertain ; but it being grant- ed withal that it happens before the Quadrature, Ricciolus takes the middle Point between the Quadrature, and the Time when it is firit dubious, whether the Moon bsDicho- tomized, or not, for the true Dichotomy, Keill.
The Word is Greek, form'd of a/^oto//s&>, I biffeB, or cut in two, of//^ twice ; and ?■*/#»», tirofict, J cut.
DICTAMNUM, Dittany, a Medicinal Plant, much va- lued among the Ancients, and particularly applauded by their Poets.
It was efteemed a Specific for Wounds of Arrows, which it drew out with wonderful Eafe, and according to them, only grew in the Ifland of Crete, and even only in a little obfeure Corner thereof $ whence its Appellation DiBamnus Creticiis. At/prefent we fcarce know whether there be any Remains thereof in that Ifland.
The modern DiBa?nnus, call'd alfo White Dittany, or Fraxinella, from its Leaves, which referable thofe of the Afh, call'd by the Latins Fraxinus^ is fcarce in lefsEfteem than that of the Ancients. Its Root, wherein all its Virtue is lodged, is about the Thicknefs of a Finger, and is fre- quently divided into a Number of little Branches 5 its Co- lour is white, its Tafle bitter, its Smell flrong, fomewhat like that of a He-goat, its Stem is about two Foot high, reddi/h, and full of Leaves • at the Top of the Stem is a Flower not unlike a Spies, or Ear j in the Middle of the Flower is a Pifi.il with five little Pieces wherein the Seed is contain'd, which is black, fhining, and oval. The Root is excellent againlt the Bite of venomous Beafts, as alfo againfl Worms, the Colick, £?c. It muff; be chofen white, bothlnfide andOutfide, not fibrous, and well cleaned.
There are feveral other Kinds of Dittany, but all of left Value ; As the Saftard Dittany, whofe Leaves are much lefs 5 the Wild Dittany, which neither bears Flowers, nor Fruit.
The Ancients have a Tradition, that the wounded Deer firfr. difcover'd the Virtue of the DiBamnus Creti- cus, which being eaten, prefently drew out the Arrows flicking in 'era. Thus Pliny Lib. VIII. C.27. And the like Account we have from Cicero de ~Na.tur.Deor. Lib. II. Virgil. JEneid. Lib. XII. v. 412. Tertull. de P<emt. CXI. Tho' Cicero, more prudent and referved than Pliny, is con- tented to fpeak of it as by hear-fay. Arijlotle Lib. de Mi~ rabilib.Aufcult. relates it of the Roe-buck. "Pliny fays exprefsly, that the Juice of this Plant N taken inwardly, ex- pels Arrows, and cures Wounds made with other Arms: He adds, that it flops Suppurations, provokes the Menfes, and Delivery, and is good in Frictions and Fumiga- tions.
DICTATE, DiBamen, in the Schools, a SuggefKon, Motion, or Sentiment of a Man's Confcience.
A good Action becomes evil if done contrary to the Dictates of one's own Confcience.
Dictate, DiBata, is likewife ufed in the Schools for a LefTon, or Exercife, wherein the Mafler reading, or fpcak- ing fomething, the Scholars take it down in Writing after him. Here the Act of the Matter is likewife call'd Dictating.
DICTATOR, a Roman Magifirate, created by the Se- nate, or People, on fome extraordinary, and eminent Occa- fion, to command, with foveraign Authority, for a certain Time never exceeding fix Months.
Recourfe was never had to fuch an Officer, but in dan- gerous, and difficult Times 5 as in fudden Wars, Popular Factions, &c.
He had abfolute, and Monarchic Power while hhDiBa- turefafted.: And fome will even have it, his Power went beyond that of the Kings. He was Arbiter of Peace and War, and had Command of Life and Death, without any Appeals lying to the People. 2,4 Axes were bore before him, whereas only 12 before the Conful. See Fasces.
T. Larg'ws Flavius was the Br&DiBator, appointed mJ the Year oiRome 255. Sylla was the firtt perpetual 2)iBa- tor, and Ceefar the next. After Cdfar there were no more DiBators. The firfl DiBator chofe from among the People, was Marcus Rutilius, created in 399.
Dionyftus Halicamajpeus derives the Word ab Edi- cendo, becaufe they ordained^ and appointed what they pleaftd. But Varro will have the Word taken hence, that the Conful named him, which the Latins call dicer e, L.IV. de Lingua Latina. Dictator quod a Confule dicebatur % cujus diBo audientes omnes ejfent.
DICTION, thePhrafe, Elocution, or Style of a Writer, or Speaker. See Style.
The DiBion of a Tragedy, £?c. is that which expreflcs the Sentiments. See Sentiment.
The 'DiBion of an Orator fhould be pure, proper to the Subject, rich without Affectation, flrong and clofe without Drynefs, and fuitablc to the Perfon, Time, Place, and Audience. The DiBion, or Language of 'Tragedy is accounted the fourth of the Effential Parts thereof. It is of the leaf* Importance of any ; yet mull peculiar Care be taken herein to make every Paflion fpeak. its proper Language. Sec Tragedy, &c.
DICTIONARY, a Collection, or Catalogue of all the Words of a Language, or an Art, with their Significa- tions ; rang'd in Order of Alphabet. See Alphabet.
What the Latins, and we after them, call DiBionary, the Greeks call Lexicon. See Lexicon.
For the proper Character, Nature, Office, cSV. of a DiBionary, fee the Preface to this Work. See alfo the Article Vocabulary.
The moft ancientDiBionaries for theLatin Tongue, are, that call'd Papias, compiled by Solomon, Abbor of St. Gall, Bifhop oiConftance, who liv'd about the Year 1409: Another was made in 1469, call'd Gemma Vocabitlarum : And a third in 1502, call'd Gemma Gemimrum : An- other by Dionyfius Neftor, a Cordelier.
But the moft celebrated one was that of Ambrofe Cale- pine, a Hermit of St. Augujtin at 'Bergamo, and Son of the Count of Calepin. Conrad Gefsner is faid to have aug- mented it with four thoufand Words. Paulus Manutius increafed it if ill more 7 and Pajferat after him 5 and yet Matthias Martmus made two Volumes of their Omif- fions.
There is another noted Latin DiBionary of Crifpi- mts ; To fay nothing of Cowper, Holyoke, Goldman, Littleton, and numerous others of lefs Confi deration.
For the Greek, we have thofe of Henry Stephens, and Scapula: For the Spanifi. '7, th&tofCovarruvias: For the Italian, that of the Academy dslla Crufca : For the French, thofe of Nicod. Fa. Monet; Fa. Gaudin, "Tre- vozix, and that of the French Academy : For the Englifj, we have fcarce any worth the Mentioning, unlefs perhaps that of Philipps : Tho' we are in Expectation of one from a good Hand, on the Model of that of the French Academy.
Junius has a DiBionary, or Alphabet of the Gothic, Runic, and Anglo-Saxon. There is another in the Ma- laya Language, which is a dead Language, famous through- out the Faft Indies, where it flands the flead of the Latin among us.
There are alfo Hijlorical, and Geographical DiBio- naries, as that of 'Charles Stephens, which is tranflated in- to French, and augmented by Morery : Another of Hoff- mann, printed at 'Bafil, in 1^77. in two Volumes Folio ; which were followed by a Continuation of as many Volumes in 1683. Another of Mr. Bayle, under the Title of Hijlo- rical, and Critical DiBionary, printed at Rotterdam, in KJ97. in two large Volumes. A Thilofophical DiBio- nary of Mr. Chauvin, of Berlin 5 La-zv DiBionaries ; c Phyfical DiBionaries, Family DiBionaries, DiBionaries of Arts, of Commerce, &c.
DIDACTIC, in the Shools, iignifles the manner of fpeak- ing, oc. adapted to teach, or explain the Nature of Things.
There are many Words that are only ufed in theDidaBjc, and Dogmatick Way. The Word is form'd from the Greek fWctpa,^ difco, I learn.
DIDYMI, the fame mthGemelli, or ?Wff& See Ge- mini.
DIEM claujit Extremitm, a Writ iffued out of Chan- cery to the Efcheator of the County, upon the Death of any of the King's Tenants in Capite, to enquire by a Jury of what Lands he died feiz'd, and of what Value, and' who was the next Heir to him.
DIAERESIS, SeBion, DiffeBion, in Chirurgery, an Ope- ration ferving to divide, and feparate the Parts whofe Union and Continuity were an Obftacle to the Cure ; or which were joyn'd, and conglutinated contrary to the Or- der of Nature. See Section,
There
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