1000000030

D E

4'3

D E

DEFORCEMENT, in Seots la\\', the orpofing or re·

fill ing the olfi errs of the l•., in the exeetltiún of their

olfiee. See Seo Ts LAW , titles 2S and 33.

D EfOR~IITY,

the want of that uniCurmity neceff. ry

toeonllitute the heautyof an objeél. Sec IhAUTV.

DEGENERATI ON, or DF. GESHAT ISr. , in general,

,Ienotes the growing ,,"orfe, or lofing fi,me v.!luable

qualitics whereof a thing was form erly poffcffcd.

DEGLUTITION, in medicine, the aél

Cwalluwing

the Cood, performed bymeans of the tongue driving the

alimcnt into the a:Cophagus, whieh, by theeontraélion

of the fphinéler, protrtldes the contents downwards.

DEGRADATION, the aél of depriving a perCon for

ever of adignityor degree of honour, and t. kingaway

thetitle, badge, and privi legesof it.

DF.G RADATION, in painting, expre{[es the le¡reoiog the

appearance of dillant objeéls in alanclflú p, in the Came

manner as they would appear to an eye plaeed at that

diOaoce from them.

DEGRADED CROSS, in hm ldry, a

eroCs

divided

ioto Oeps at eaeh cnd, dil11ínilhing as they aCcend to–

wards thecentre, called by the French

pu ,,"né<.

S~e

Plate LXVIlI. lig.

DEGREE, in geometry, adivifionof a eirele, ineluding

a three hundred ao<l fixtieth pan of its circumfercnce.

Sec AS TR ON OMY, aod GEOGRAPHY.

DEGR EE

of latitud,.

See GEOGR AP HV.

DEGR EE

o/ longitud, .

See GEOGR ArH ".

DECR EES, io mufic, are the litlle inte" als whereof the

coneords or harmonieal intervals are eompored.

DECRE E, in univerr,ties, denOtes.l quality conferred on

the tludents or members thereof as a teOil11ony of Iheir

profieieney in the am or fciences, and intiding them

to eonain privilegcs,

DEJECTION, in medicine, the

a'~

of ejeéling or eva·

euating Ihe cxcrcments.

is airo applied

the ex·

erementl themCdves thus evaeuated, in which CenCe it

is of Ihe fame impon with flool.

DEIFICATION. in anliquity. See APOTHEOSIS.

DEISM, lhe fyllen¡ of religion aeknowledged by the

deins.

DEISTS, in Ihe modern fenCe of lhe word, are thoCe

perfons inChrillian countries, who, aekoowledging all

the obligations and duties of nalural

rdi~ion,

di(be·

lieve the Chrillian Ccheme, or rCI'ealcd rehglon. They

are

fo eallcd from their belief in God alooe, in oppor,.

tion to Chrillians. The learned Dr Clarke takingthe

denomination inthe

0100

extenfivc fignification, dillin·

guilhu deiOs into four fom.

l .

Su.ch

a.s prm nd la

believe the exinenec of ao cternal, tnfinue, Indepen·

dcnt, intelligent Ileing ; anel who tcach, that this fu·

rre~,e

Heing made the ",orld, Ihollgh they f:lI1cy he

does nnl at all eoneern himfclf in the managcII1em of

it.

ThoCe who belicI'c nOI only Ihe being, but al·

fa Ihe providence (lf Gnd

\~ilh

rcfpeél. la Ihe natural

\Vorl" ; bUI who, nnt allowlOg .llll' dtllerencc betwcen

monl good and el'il. dcny tlw God tahs .ny IIouce

\lf lhe mor.llly gnod or cI·il a.'lions of OIen: .theCc

thinR! Iltpen.Jing, as they

imagill~.

on tI,c Mb\tl¡II Y

e!1OlInutlons of hunliln 1. lI's. " rhuf,' "I"J

hal lo~

nght Jrrrdl<lIht'r,S

~on(el

oioS

ti"

natural . tttibutc! of

God, and his all governing provideoee, and fome no.

tio~

of his

mo~al

perfe'éli?ns alfo; yet, being prejudieeJ

ng.tnll thenOllOnof the lmmortality of Ihe humanCoul,

believe that meo perilh entirely al dcath, and thal one

generation n,all perpetllally Cueceed another,

~vithout

anyfU,ture

renora~ioo

or renovation of thio,gs.

Such

behev~

the eXIOenee of a fupreme BelOg, together

with his providenee in the government of the world,

as alCo the obligations of natural religion; but fa far

only as theCe things are dtfeoverablc by the light of

nature alone, without believing any divine revelation .

TheCc latl are the onlyIrue deiOs ; but as the prinei·

pies of Ihere men would oaturally lead them tO em–

brace the ehrillian revelation, Ihe Icarned author can.

eludes there is nolV

eonfillent fchemeof dcifm io the

IVorld.

DEITY, a term frequently uCed in a fyoonyrnous fenCe.

wilh God.

DELEGATES, commiffioners appointed by the king'

under the grcat feal to hear

a.ld

determine appealsfrom

the eceleGaflieal court.

DELEGATlON, a commiffion extraordioary given by

ajudge to take eognizance of and determine fome caufe

which ordinarily does not come befare him.

DELEGATION. in Seots law, a method of mino

guiflling obligations hy Ihe ereditor:s difeharging hit

former debitar upon another beeomlOg bound io his

place.

DELETERIOUS. an appellation given to things of

ddlruélive or poiConoos naturL See POISON.

DELF, in heraldry, is by fome fuppofed to reprerent a

fquare rod or lurf. aocl to be fa ealled fromdelving,

diC!lio~.

A dclf tenoe is due to him that rCI'ok"

his own eha!lenSe, Or any way goes froll1 his \Vord·

and tOfoch Ihis is givenas an abatemenl tothe honou;

of lhdr arrns, and is always placed in the middle of

the efclllcheon. However, if (lOOor more delf, are

found in an eCeutcheon, theyare not then lObe looked

upon as r,gns of an abatemcnt, bUl of honour. AICo,

if il be of metal, or eharged upon, it then beeomes

eharge of perfeét bming,

DELFT, a (ilyof the Uniled etherl, nds, in the pro·

vinee of Holland, eight miles north·ean of Rotterelam,

and Ibirty fomh·wen of

Amll~rdam:

E. loog.

4° S',

and . lat.

52° 6'.

DELIA, in antiquity, feaOs ecl.bratcd by the Athenians

in honourof Apollo, furnamed Deliu!.

DrLIA IVas alfo a qoinquennial fenil'al io the iOand of

Delos, inllitoled by TheCeus at his muro from Crete,

in honour of Venus, whoCe lIatue, given hbl by Ari·

adoe, he ereéledon thal place, having by her anillance

met wilh fi,eeers in his expedition.

DELlfl.\ lE

TA, in antiquilY,

libatioo to the in–

fern.1 gods, always ofl'ered by pouring downward!.

Sce

t i

DATIO'.

JUI

DELIBERA. DI, in Seots I"y. an apparent hdr

is allowed arcar ,fter his prcdeeclfúr's death.

e~lkd

all'llIl

tI,Iif"·,,,,.tfi.

d""berate whether he will enter

allO r<'prcf"nt hiln Or Mt,

durin~

",hieh time he can.

"ut be purCued fur the dcbts of hls prcJ.eeffor. Sec

Seon LAW, tul. '7.

VI LI BER.\TI\'E,