devoted himself entirely to the service of the church. He obtained the dignity of presbyter, and entered the monastery of St. Saba at Jerusalem, where he spent the remainder of his life in ascetic practices, and in composing learned works on theology and science. His treatises, which are very numerous, are chiefly polemic. A few, however, are devotional and narrative. He was a strenuous defender of the use of images in the christian churches, and by his efforts in this direction incurred the displeasure of Leo the Isaurian. This subject, about which a fierce controversy raged at the time in the eastern church, frequently engaged the pen of Damascenus. He wrote also against heretics and on the peripatetic philosophy, but his great work is "Ἐκδοςις ἀκριβὴς τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως". It is a complete system of theology derived chiefly from the fathers. Dorner calls Damascenus the last of the theologians of the oriental church, and considers his writings as the starting-point of scholasticism in the east. He is regarded as a saint both by the Greek and Latin churches. The best edition of his works was edited by Michel le Quien, Paris, 1712.—R. M., A.
DAMASCENUS, Nicolaus, was, as his name imports, a native of Damascus, and the son of a man of some distinction who filled several high offices in that city. He was carefully educated, and was accomplished in every species of learning, and formed a friendship with Herod the Great and Augustus. At the request of the former he wrote a universal history in a hundred and fourteen books, of which only a small portion is now extant. His influence with the Roman emperor was successfully exerted in restoring Herod to his favour. He composed a considerable number of works on various subjects, including lives of Augustus, Herod, and himself. He is described as a just and amiable man; but it is to be regretted that his partiality for Herod induced him to defend that king's murder of his sons. The best edition of his works is that of Orelli, Leipzig, 1804; with a supplement, 1811. The Abbe Sevin wrote a dissertation on his life and writings.—J. F. W.
DAMASCIUS, an Alexandrian philosopher of the sixth century. He succeeded Isidore in the school of Athens, just before that seminary was closed by decree of Justinian. He was thus the last of the line of great thinkers, which had marked on its roll a Plutarch and a Proclus. The speculations of Damascius were not largely tinged with mysticism. He held by the absolute unity of God; he declared that the nature of the Infinite Being must be incomprehensible and ineffable, but that through the ongoings of Providence and of the world, we can learn much concerning his government and attributes. He wrote commentaries on the Dialogues of Plato, and a Biography of Philosophers.—J. P. N.
DAMASUS I. was born in the year 306 b.c., probably at Rome. In 366 he was elected bishop of that city. A considerable party favoured the claims of the deacon Ursicinus or Ursinus to the bishopric, so that a violent dispute took place between the adherents of the two candidates, which led to bloodshed. It is stated that on one day the dead bodies of one hundred and thirty-seven men were found in a church, which had been occupied by the party of Ursinus, and stormed by Damasus' followers. Nor was the strife confined to Rome; it extended to the provinces. The claims of Damasus were favoured by Gratian, who, in 378 or 381, considerably increased his power by passing a law conveying to the Roman bishop the right of deciding, in the last instance, upon the affairs of the bishops who had been implicated in the quarrel. Damasus was active against Arianism, holding, as is said, a synod at Rome in 368, which condemned the two Illyrian bishops, Arsacius and Valens; and another about 370 against Auxentius, bishop of Milan. Both these Roman synods are of questionable credit. He also took part against the heresy of Apollinaris, and was present at the general council of Constantinople in 381. With Jerome he maintained a steady friendship; and it was by his advice and encouragement that the monk undertook to improve the Latin translation of the bible. After death he was adopted into the number of the saints. His extant works consist of seven epistles and about forty short poems.—S. D.
DAMASUS II., Bishop Poppo of Brescia, was chosen pope in 1048 under the influence of Henry III. He only lived twenty-two days after his elevation. It has been said, though without foundation, that he died of poison.—S. D.
DAMBOURNEY, Louis Auguste, a French chemist and botanist, was born at Rouen on 10th May, 1722 and died there on the 2nd June, 1795. He devoted his attention at first to commercial matters, and while doing so did not neglect science and the fine arts. In 1761 he was elected secretary of the Rouen Academy, and afterwards was made director of the botanic garden there. The economical department of botany and its relation to chemistry occupied much of his attention. He cultivated the Rubia tinctorum, or madder plant, for the sake of its red dye; the Rhamnus frangula for its green colouring matter; and the Isatis tinctoria, or woad, for its blue dye, which, when indigo was scarce in France, he turned to good account. He endeavoured to substitute the seeds of Ruscus aculeatus for coffee beans. He published experiments on the solid colouring matters of the indigenous plants of France; and a history of plants used in dyeing.—J. H. B.
DAMBRAY, Charles Henri, chancellor of France, was descended from an ancient family which had given many members to the bar and the bench. He was born at Rouen in 1760, entered upon his career as an advocate in 1779, and soon gave promise of his future eminence. In 1788 he was admitted as an advocate-general in the parliament of Paris. In 1795 he was chosen a member of the council of Five Hundred by the electors of the Seine, but declined the honour, on the ground that he could not take the oath. Under the consulate, however, he consented to become a member of the council-general of the Lower Seine. On the abdication of Napoleon, Dambray was at once promoted to the office of chancellor of France, with which was associated the superintendence of books and journals. He succeeded Henrion de Pansey as minister of justice, and was created a peer, and president of the chamber of peers. He died at Montigny, October 13, 1829.—J. T.
DAMER, Ann Seymour, the Honourable, a distinguished amateur sculptress, was born in 1748. She was the daughter of Horace Walpole's Marshal Conway, and the celebrated letter-writer continued to her the friendship which he had for her father, watching over her education, and leaving her at his death the life-occupancy of Strawberry Hill. It was not to the art-loving Walpole, however, but to the philosophical Hume, another of her early friends, that she owed the accidental development of her genius for sculpture. David had spoken with admiration of some casts, and on her expressing astonishment at his enthusiasm, he challenged her to execute anything as good. Piqued by the philosopher's tone, she set to work, and soon surprised herself and him by her excellent modelling. Careful study at home and abroad developed the talent thus fortunately called into play. It would have been well for the young sculptress if she had wedded her art, instead of the Honourable John Damer, brother of the earl of Dorchester, whom she married in 1767. He was heir to £10,000 a year, but dissipated and eccentric, and shot himself at a London tavern nine years after their marriage. It may be added as a curious trait of the times, that his wardrobe sold for £15,000. Mrs. Damer was the personal friend, as well as the amateur sculptress, of many of the eminent personages who flourished during her long life. She was, with the duchess of Devonshire, one of the three fair canvassers at the celebrated Westminster election for Charles James Fox, whose bust she sculptured. Another of her friends was Lord Nelson, her bust of whom she presented to the city of London, and it still stands in the court of common council. She repeated it in bronze for an Indian prince, and executed a similar repetition of it at the particular request of the duke of Clarence, afterwards William IV., cheerfully commencing the task in her seventy-ninth year, and completing it a few days before her death, which took place in Grosvenor Square on the 28th of May, 1828. Another of her best-known works is the marble statue of George IV. in the register office, Edinburgh.—F. E.
DAMIANI, Felice, called also Felice da Gubbio, an Italian painter of the sixteenth century, whose works exhibit a combination of the characteristics of the Venetian and Roman schools. His picture at Castelnuovo of Recanati is justly considered his masterpiece. It is remarkable for finish of touch, correctness of design, and depth of expression. Another work of great merit is the christening of St. Augustin, for the cathedral church of his native town, for which he was paid two hundred crowns, an enormous sum for that epoch. Damiani was still working about 1606.—R. M.
DAMIANI, Pietro, a celebrated cardinal, was born at Ravenna about the year 988. He came of a poor family, and endured much hardship in his younger years. He studied at
