Domesday BookDomesday BookFrom the original in the Public Record Office, London.
From the original in the Public Record Office, London.
Domesday(orDoomsday)Book, a book containing a survey of all the lands in England, compiled in the reign and by the order of William the Conqueror. The survey was made by commissioners, who collected the information in each district from a sworn jury consisting of sheriffs, lords of manors, presbyters, bailiffs, villeins—all the classes, in short, interested in the matter. The extent, tenure, value, and proprietorship of the land in each district, the state of culture, and in some cases the number of tenants, villeins, serfs, &c., were the matters chiefly recorded. The survey was completed within a year. Northumberland, Durham, Cumberland, and Westmoreland were not included in the survey, probably for the reason that William's authority was not then (1086) settled in those parts. TheDomesday Bookfirst appeared in print in 1783 in two folios. In 1816 two supplementary volumes were published. These contained four other records of the same nature. It has beentwice republished, the last time (1861-5) in perfect facsimiles of the original.—Bibliography:The Victoria County History; F. W. Maitland,Domesday Book and Beyond; H. Ellis,General Introduction to Domesday Book; Birch,Domesday: a Popular Account.
Dom´icile, in law, the place where a person has a home or established residence. Domicile is often an important question in determining the efficacy of legal citations, the validity of marriage, the right of succession to property, &c. For some purposes what is called a temporary domicile is sufficient, but in questions of marriage and succession it is the permanent domicile that determines the decision. A permanent domicile may be constituted by birth, by choice, or by operation of the law. To constitute a domicile by choice both actual residence and the intention to make it the permanent home are required. It is a legal principle that the wife takes the domicile of her husband. As a general rule the old domicile, and especially the domicile of origin, continues till a new one has been acquired.
Dom´inant, in music, the fifth tone of the diatonic scale. This tone assumes the character of a key-note itself when there is a modulation into the first sharp remove. Thus G is the dominant of the scale of C, and D the dominant of the scale of G.—Dominant chord, in music, that which is formed by grouping three tones, rising gradually by intervals of a third from the dominant or fifth tone of the scale. It occurs almost invariably immediately before the tonic chord which closes the perfect cadence.
Dom´inic, Saint, the founder of the order of the Dominicans, was born in 1170 at Calahorra, in Old Castile. He early distinguished himself by his zeal for the reform of canonical life and by his success as a missionary amongst the Mohammedans. His attention having been directed to the Albigenses in the south of France, he organized a mission of preachers against heresy in Languedoc. In 1215 he went to Rome to obtain the sanction of Pope Innocent III to erect the mission into a new order of preaching friars. His request was only partially granted, and it was the succeeding Pope, Honorius III, who first recognized the importance of a preaching order, and conferred full privileges on the Dominicans. He also appointed Dominic Master of the Sacred Palace or court preacher to the Vatican, an office which is still held by one of the order. Dominic died at Bologna in 1221, and was canonized in 1234 by Pope Gregory IX. St. Dominic is usually considered the founder of the Inquisition, which is supposed to have originated with his mission to the Albigenses; but his claim is denied, on the ground that two Cistercian monks were appointed inquisitors in 1198.—Cf. A. T. Drane,The Life of St. Dominic.
Dominica(dom-i-nē´ka˙), a British West India island, so named because discovered by Columbus on a Sunday (Sp.dominica), constituting a presidency of the united colony of the Leeward Islands between Martinique on the south, and Guadeloupe on the north. It is about 29 miles in length, north to south, and 12 miles in breadth, east to west; area, 186,436 acres, about 65,000 being under cultivation. It is rugged and mountainous, but it contains many fertile valleys and is well watered. The shores are but little indented, and are entirely without harbours; but on the west side there are several good anchorages and bays. The principal exports consist of sugar, molasses, cocoa, and lime-juice. The imports and exports amount to about £160,000 and £120,000 annually. Dominica was ceded by France to Great Britain in 1763. Roseau is the capital. Pop. 33,863 (including about 420 aboriginal Caribs).
Domin´ical Letter, in chronology, properly called Sunday letter, one of the seven letters of the alphabet, A B C D E F G, used in almanacs, ephemerides, &c., to mark the first seven days of the year and all consecutive sets of seven days to the end of the year, so that the letter for Sunday will always be the same. If the number of days in the year were divisible by seven without remainder, then the year would constantly begin with the same day of the week; but as it is the year begins and ends on the same day, and therefore the next year will begin on the day following, and on leap years two days following, so that the same series is not repeated till after four times seven or twenty-eight years.
Dominican Republic, orSan Domingo. SeeSanto Domingo.
DominicanDominican
Domin´icans, called alsopredicants, orpreaching friars (prædicatores), derived their name from their founder, St. Dominic. At their origin (1215, at Toulouse) they were governed by the rule of St. Augustine, perpetual silence, poverty, and fasting being enjoined upon them; and the principal object of their institution was to preach against heretics. Their distinctive dress consists of a white habit and scapular with a large black mantle, and hence they have been commonly known asBlack Friars. They were almost from the first a mendicant order. They spread rapidly not only in Europe, but in Asia, Africa, and America. In England, where they founded their first house at Oxford, there were fifty-eight Dominican houses at the dissolution of the monasteries, and the Blackfriars locality in London took its name from one of their establishments. Four Popes, Innocent V, Benedict XI, Pius V, and Benedict XIII, were Dominicans, and the order produced some famous scholars, such as Albertus Magnus and Thomas Aquinas. As fierce opponents and strenuous combatants against any departure from the teaching of the Catholic Church, the Dominicans were entrusted with the conduct of the Inquisition, and became formidable as managers of this ecclesiastical institution, which was committed exclusively to them in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. In 1425 they obtained permission to receive donations, and ceased to belong to the mendicant orders, paying more attention to politics and theological science. With the Franciscans, their great rivals, they divided the honour of ruling in Church and State till the sixteenth century, when the Jesuits gradually superseded them in the schools and courts. They obtained new importance in 1620 by being appointed to the censorship of books for the Church. Amongst notable Dominicans we may mention Savonarola, Las Casas, and Lacordaire, through whose efforts the order was revived in France in the nineteenth century. There are still establishments of the Dominicans both in England and Ireland, twenty-one houses for men and thirteen for women.—Bibliography: Caro,Saint Dominique et les Dominicains; A. T. Drane,The Life of St. Dominic, with a Sketch of the Dominican Order.
DominoesDominoes.Left, Priest wearing domino over surplice, from brass plate at Bury St. Edmunds, 1514. Right, Lady wearing domino.
Left, Priest wearing domino over surplice, from brass plate at Bury St. Edmunds, 1514. Right, Lady wearing domino.
Dom´ino, formerly a dress worn by priests in the winter, which, reaching no lower than the shoulders, served to protect the face and head from the weather. At present it is a masquerade dress worn by gentlemen and ladies, consisting of a long silk mantle with wide sleeves and a masquing hood. The name is also given to a half-mask formerly worn on the face by ladies when travelling or at masquerades.
Dom´inoes, a game played with small flat rectangular pieces of ivory, about twice as long as they are broad. They are marked with spots varying in number. When one player leads by laying down a domino, the next must follow by placing alongside of it another which has the same number of spots on one of its sides. Thus if the first player lays down 6-4, the second may reply with 4-8, or 6-7, &c.; in the former casehe must turn in the 4, placing it beside the 4 of the first domino, so that the numbers remaining out will be 6-8; in the latter case he must turn in the 6 to the 6 in like manner, leaving 4-7, to which his opponent must now respond. The player who cannot follow suit loses his turn, and the object of the game is to get rid of all the dominoes in hand, or to hold fewer spots than your opponent when the game is exhausted by neither being able to play. The game was introduced into Europe about the middle of the eighteenth century.
DomitianDomitian
Domitian, or in full Titus Flavius Domitianus Augustus, Roman emperor, son of Vespasian, and younger brother of Titus, was bornA.D.51, and in 81 succeeded to the throne. At first he ruled with a show of moderation and justice, but soon returned to the cruelty and excesses for which his youth had been notorious. He was as vain as he was cruel, and after an ineffective expedition against the Catti, carried a multitude of his slaves, dressed like Germans, in triumph to the city. He executed great numbers of the chief citizens, and assumed the titles of Lord and God. He established the most stringent laws against high treason, which enabled almost anything to be construed into this crime. At length a conspiracy, in which his wife Domitia took part, was formed against him, and he was assassinated in his bedroomA.D.96.
Domrémy la Pucelle(don˙-rė-mi la˙pu˙-sāl), the birth-place of Joan of Arc, a small French village, department of the Vosges, 7 milesN.of Neufchâteau. The house is still shown here in which the heroine was born, and in the neighbourhood is the monument erected to her memory.
Don(ancientTanaïs), a river of Russia, which issues from Lake Ivan-Ozero, in the government of Tula; and flowsS.E.through the governments of Riazan, Tambov, Voronej, and the Don Republic, to within 37 miles of the Volga, where a railway connects the rivers. It now turns abruptlyS.W.for 236 miles, and falls into the Sea of Azov; whole course nearly 900 miles. The chief tributaries are: right bank, the Donetz and Voronej; left, the Khoper and Manych. Although not admitting vessels of much draught, the Don carries a large traffic, especially during the spring-floods, and a canal connects it with the Volga system of navigation. It has productive fisheries. The principal port is Rostov.
Don, a river, Scotland, Aberdeenshire, rising near the Banffshire border. It flows tortuously east through the whole breadth of Aberdeenshire, and falls into the North Sea a little to the north of Aberdeen, after a total course of 82 miles. Its salmon fisheries are of considerable value.—Also, a river of Yorkshire, England, which rises near Cheshire, and joins the Ouse after a course of about 70 miles. It is navigable for small craft as far as Sheffield.
Don(Lat.dominus, a lord or master), a Spanish title of honour, originally given only to the highest nobility, afterwards to all the nobles, and finally used indiscriminately as a title of courtesy. It corresponds with the Portuguese Dom. During the Spanish occupation it was introduced and became naturalized in some parts of Italy, and was particularly applied to the priests.
Donaghadee(don-ah-a-dē´), a seaport and market town, Ireland, County Down, on the Irish Channel, 16 miles east by north of Belfast. Pop. 4878.
Don´aldson, Sir James, Scottish scholar, born in 1831 at Aberdeen, died in 1915. He was educated at Aberdeen University, and also at Manchester New College, London, and Berlin University. After being rector of Stirling High School, a classical master and rector of Edinburgh High School, he was appointed in 1881 to the Chair of Humanity (Latin) in Aberdeen University. In 1886 he became principal of the United College of St. Salvator and St. Leonard in St. Andrews University, and in 1890 principal of the university. He published aModern Greek Grammar for the use of Classical Students(1853);Lyra Græca: Specimens of Greek Lyric Poets, with Introduction and Notes(1854);History of Christian Literature and Doctrine from the Death of the Apostles to the Nicene Council(1864-6);The Ante-Nicene Christian Library(24 vols., 1867-72, edited jointly with Professor A. Roberts);The Apostolical Fathers(1874);Lectures on the History of Education in Prussia and England(1874);The Westminster Confession of Faith(1905);Woman: her Position and Influence in Ancient Greece and Rome, and among the Early Christians(1907);Addresses Delivered in the University of St. Andrews from 1886 to 1910(1911). He was knighted in 1907.
Donaldson, John William, a distinguished English philologist, was born in London in 1811, died in 1861. He studied at London University, and at Trinity College, Cambridge, wherehe was elected a fellow in 1835. His first work wasThe Theatre of the Greeks, a work showing much erudition. In 1839 he publishedThe New Cratylus, which was amongst the earliest attempts to bring the philological literature of the Continent within the reach of the English student. In 1844 appeared the first edition ofVarronianus, a work on Latin similar in scope to theCratylus. Amongst his other writings are:Christian Orthodoxy(1855),History of the Literature of Ancient Greece, and grammars of the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages.
Donatello(properly,Donato di Betto Bardi), one of the revivers of the art of sculpture in Italy, was born at Florence between 1382 and 1387, died at Florence in 1466. His first great works in marble were statues of St. Peter and St. Mark, in the church of St. Michael in his native town, in an outside niche of which is also his famous statue of St. George. Along with his friend Brunelleschi he made a journey to Rome to study its art treasures. On his return he executed for his patrons, Cosmo and Lorenzo de' Medici, a marble monument to their father and mother, which is of high merit. Statues of St. John, St. George, Judith, David, John the Evangelist, and St. Cecilia are amongst his leading works.
Dona´ti's Comet, so called from the Italian astronomer Donati, who first observed it on 2nd June, 1858. Next to the comet of 1811 it was the most brilliant that appeared last century. It was nearest the earth on the 10th Oct., 1858, and was seen until March, 1859. SeeComets.
Don´atists, one of a body of African schismatics of the fourth century, so named from their founder Donatus, Bishop of Casæ Nigræ, in Numidia, who taught that though Christ was of the same substance with the Father yet that he was less than the Father, that the Catholic Church was not infallible, but had erred in his time and become practically extinct, and that he was to be the restorer of it. All joining the sect required to be rebaptized, baptism by the impure Church being invalid.
Dona´tus, Ælius, a Roman grammarian and commentator, bornA.D.333. He was the preceptor of St. Jerome, wrote notes on Virgil and Terence, and a grammar of the Latin language so universally used in the Middle Ages that 'Donat' became a common term for grammar or primer of instruction.
Donauwörth(don´ou-veurt), a town, Bavaria, at the confluence of the Wörnitz and Danube. It was formerly a free Imperial town, and was stormed by the Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty Years' War, 1632. Pop. 5500.
Don Beni´to, a town, Spain, province of Badajoz. It has manufactures of woollens, and a trade in cattle, grain, and melons. Pop. 19,212.
Don´caster(Danumof the Romans, andDona Ceasterof the Saxons), a municipal borough and market town, England, West Riding of Yorkshire, on the River Don, well built, with straight, broad streets. The parish church with its tower 170 feet high, Christ Church, the town hall, the theatre, are amongst the chief public buildings. It has railway workshops, manufactures of ropes, canvas, and machinery. It has been long celebrated for its annual races, begun in 1615, and held in September. Doncaster was originally a Roman station on the line of Watling Street. Pop. 30,520. It gives its name to a parliamentary division.
Dondrah Head, the southern extremity of the Island of Ceylon. It was the site of the Singhalese capital during part of the seventh century, numerous remains of which are still to be found.
Don´egal(Dun-na-n Gal, Fort of the Stranger), a maritime county, Ireland, province of Ulster, bounded north and west by the Atlantic Ocean; area, 1,197,154 acres, of which about a fifth is under crops. The coast is indented with numerous bays; the most remarkable being Lough Swilly. It is the most mountainous county in Ireland, but has some fine fertile valleys. Mount Errigal, the loftiest summit, is about 2460 feet high. The streams and lakes are small, but numerous and abounding in fish. The climate is moist, the subsoil chiefly granite, mica-slate, and limestone, and the principal crops oats, potatoes, and flax. Agriculture generally is in a very backward state. The manufactures are limited, and consist chiefly of linen cloth, woollen stockings, and worked muslin. The fisheries are extensive and valuable, and form the chief employment of the inhabitants of the coast and islands. Grain, butter, and eggs are exported. The minerals include marble, lead, and copper, but are not wrought to advantage. Donegal returns four members to Parliament. Pop. 168,530.
Donetz´, a Russian river which rises in the government of Kursk, flows south and east, forming the boundary of several governments, and joins the Don; length, 400 miles. Its basin is rich in coal.
Don´gola, a province of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan extending on both sides of the Nile from about lat. 18° to lat. 20° N. After having belonged to Egypt, the rebellion under the Mahdi caused its evacuation by the Egyptian Government, leaving it in the hands of the dervishes, but the Anglo-Egyptian forces under Lord Kitchener again occupied it in 1896. Its chief products are dates, cotton, indigo, and maize. The population is a mixture of Arabs and indigenous Nubians. Its chief town is New Dongola, or El-Ordi, on the Nile. Pop. 20,000.
Doni, a clumsy kind of boat used on the coastof Coromandel and Ceylon; sometimes decked, and occasionally furnished with an outrigger. The donis are about 70 feet long, 20 feet broad, and 12 feet deep, have one mast and a lug-sail, and are navigated in fine weather only.
Donizet´ti, Gaetano, Italian composer, born in 1797 at Bergamo, died 8th April, 1848. He studied music at Bologna under the distinguished Abbé Mattei. His first opera,Enrico di Borgogna, was represented at Venice in 1818. In 1822 hisZoraïde di Granatagained him the honour of being crowned on the Capitol. In 1830 appeared hisAnna Bolena, which first, along withLucrezia BorgiaandLucia di Lammermoor—the latter his masterpiece—acquired for him a European fame. In 1835 Donizetti was appointed professor of counterpoint at the Royal College of Naples, but removed in 1840 to Paris, bringing with him three new operas,Les Martyrs,La Favorita, andLa Fille du Régiment, of which the last two are amongst his most popular productions. Of his other operas none exceptLinda di Chamounix(1842) andDon Pasquale(1843) achieved any special triumph. He wrote in all as many as seventy operas.
Donjon, the principal tower of a castle, situated in the innermost court or bailey, which the garrison could make the last line of defence. Its lower part was commonly used as a prison.
Don Juan(Sp. pron.hu¨-a˙n´), the hero of a Spanish legend which seems to have had some historical basis in the history of a member of the noble family of Tenorio at Seville. According to the legend, Don Juan was a libertine of the most reckless character. An attempt to seduce the daughter of the Governor of Seville brought the indignant father and the profligate don into deadly conflict, in which the former was slain. Don Juan afterwards, in a spirit of wild mockery, goes to the grave of the murdered man and invites the statue of him erected there to a revel. To the terror of Don Juan the 'stony guest' actually appears at the table to bear him away to the infernal world. The legend has furnished the subject for many dramas and operas. The most famous of the latter is Mozart'sDon Giovanni, which has made the story familiar to everybody. Amongst the former areBurlador de Sevillaby Tellez,Don Juan, ou Le Festin de Pierreby Molière (1665), andThe Libertineby Shadwell. TheDon Juanof Byron bears no relation to the old story but in name and in the libertine character of the hero. Among the modern authors who have made use of the theme are: Prosper Mérimée, inLes âmes du purgatoire; A. Dumas, inDon Juan de Marana; Bernard Shaw, inMan and Superman; and José Zorilla, inDon Juan Tenorio.—Cf. Gendarme de Bévotte,La Légende de Don Juan.
Donkey-engine, a small engine used in various operations where no great power is required. Thus a donkey-engine is often stationed on the deck of a ship to work a crane for loading and unloading.
Donnay, Maurice Charles, French dramatist, born in Paris in 1859. His first work,Phryné, was produced in 1891, and was followed by an adaptation of Aristophanes'Lysistrata. His later works include:Douloureuse(1897),Le Torrent(1898),L'Affranchie(1898),L'Autre Danger(1901),Le Retour de Jérusalem(1903),Le Ménage de Molière(1912). He was elected to the Académie Française in 1907.
Donne, John, a celebrated poet and dean of St. Paul's, was the son of a merchant of London, in which city he was born in 1573. He studied both at Oxford and Cambridge. In his nineteenth year he abjured the Catholic religion, and became secretary to the Lord Chancellor Ellesmere, but finally lost his office by a clandestine marriage with his patron's niece, a daughter of Sir George More. The young couple were in consequence reduced to great distress, till his father-in-law relented so far as to give his daughter a moderate portion. In 1610 he wrote for the king thePseudo-Martyr, and in 1612 he published a philosophical poem,The Progress of the Soul. By the desire of King James, Donne took orders, and, settling in London, was made preacher of Lincoln's Inn. In 1621 he was appointed Dean of St. Paul's. He was chosen prolocutor to the Convocation from 1623-4. He died in March, 1631, and was interred in St. Paul's. As a poet, Donne stands extremely high, and may be deemed the founder of what Dr. Johnson calls themetaphysicalclass of poets. Abounding in thought, this school generally neglected versification, and that of Dr. Donne was peculiarly harsh and unmusical. His style is quaint and pedantic; but he displays sound learning, deep thinking, and originality of manner. A collection of his poems appeared in 1633, and they include:The Storm,The Calm,The Blossom, andUpon Parting with his Mistress. He also wroteLetters, Sermons, Essays on Divinity, and other pieces.—Cf. E. Gosse,Life and Letters of John Donne.
Donnybrook, formerly a village, Ireland, now a suburb of Dublin. Its famous fair, instituted under King John in 1204, and which seldom passed off without riot and bloodshed, was abolished in 1855.
Don Republic, a republic in south-eastern Russia, formerly a government of imperial Russia, and known as the Don Cossacks' Territory. The republic was proclaimed in Jan., 1918; its capital is Novo-Tscherkask.
Doombook, a code of laws compiled by King Alfred from the West-Saxon collection of his ancestor Ina, and comprising small portions ofthe Mercian laws of Offa, and of the Kentish collection of Ethelbert. The code begins with the words: "The Lord spake these words to Moses, and thus said: I am the Lord thy God".—Cf. B. Thorpe,Ancient Laws and Institutes of England.
Doon, a river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which issues from the long, narrow Loch Doon, and falls into the Firth of Clyde; length, 27 miles.
Doppler's Principle, the principle by which the motions of heavenly bodies in the line of sight can be determined spectroscopically. When the distance between a body and the observer is being diminished, the number of waves of light of any definite colour received from it per second is increased, just as a swimmer meets more waves in the same time if he swims to meet them. Each colour of light is, therefore, slightly shifted towards the violet end of the spectrum. Thus any radiation or absorption lines seen are shifted towards the violet. If the body's distance is increasing, they are shifted towards the red. By investigation of such displacements, the motions of stars, nebulæ, &c., in the line of sight can be measured, the dimensions of the orbits of double-stars gauged, the motions of gases in the solar atmosphere determined, and the rotational velocity of the sun's surface found for latitudes where sun-spots are rarely or never visible. The speed and direction of the sun's motion through space, viz. 12 miles per second towards a point in the constellation Hercules, has also been determined by this means.
Dor, orDorr, the black-beetle,Geotrūpes stercorarius, one of the most common British beetles, of a stout form, less than 1 inch long, black with metallic reflections, not to be confounded with the cockroach, commonly but erroneously called black-beetle. It may often be heard droning through the air towards the close of the summer twilight.
Dora, the name of two rivers in Northern Italy, both tributaries of the Po. The Dora Baltea rises on the southern slopes of the Mont Blanc group, and falls, after a course of about 100 miles, into the Po below Chivasso; the Dora Riparia, about 75 miles long, rises in the Cottian Alps, and joins the Po below Turin.
Do´ran, John, English writer, born 1807, died 1878. He began writing when a mere youth, and produced a great number of books, among them beingLives of the Queens of England of the House of Hanover,Monarchs retired from Business,History of Court Fools,The Book of the Princes of Wales,Their Majesties' Servants(a history of the English stage from Betterton to Kean),Saints and Sinners,A Lady of the Last Century(Mrs. Montague),London in Jacobite Times, andMemories of Our Great Towns.In and about Drury Lanewas published after his death. He was editor ofNotes and Queriesat the time of his death.
Dorcas Society(fromDorcasmentioned inActs, ix, 36-42), an association generally composed of ladies for supplying clothes to the poor. Frequently the members of the society meet at stated times and work in common. Partial payment is generally required from all recipients except the very poor. Most of these societies are connected with churches of one denomination or another.
Dor´chester, a municipal borough of England, chief town of Dorsetshire, 118 milesS.W.of London. There are large cavalry and infantry barracks a little to the west of the town. The trade consists chiefly in agricultural produce. Dorchester was an important Roman station (Durnovaria), and many interesting Roman remains, such as the 'Maumbury Rings' (a Roman amphitheatre), are still to be found in the vicinity. It was a parliamentary borough till 1885, when it was merged in the county. Pop. 9842.
Dordogne(dor-dony), a department of France, which includes the greater part of the ancient province of Périgord, and small portions of Limousin, Angoumois, and Saintonge. Area, 3544 sq. miles, of which about a third is fit for the plough. The chief minerals are iron, which is abundant, slate, limestone, marble, and other stone. Mining, iron manufacture, &c., are carried on to a considerable extent, and there are a number of vineyards. The climate is mild but somewhat changeable. Pop. 396,702.—The riverDordogne, principal river of the department, rises on the flanks of the Puy-de-Sancy, flowsW.S.W., and, after a course of 290 miles, unites with the Garonne in forming the Gironde.
Dordrecht.SeeDort.
Doré(dō-rā), Gustave Paul, a prolific French draughtsman and painter, born at Strasbourg, 6th Jan., 1833, died 23rd June, 1883. He studied at Paris, contributing, when only sixteen years of age, comic sketches to theJournal pour Rire. He distinguished himself greatly as an illustrator of books. His illustrations of Rabelais (Rabelais Illustré), of Perrault'sTales, Sue'sWandering Jew, Dante'sDivina Commedia, and Cervantes'Don Quixotedisplayed great fertility of invention, and the fine fantasy of his landscapes and the dramatic effectiveness of his groups acquired for him a European reputation. His illustrations of the Bible, of Ariosto'sOrlando Furioso, and Milton'sParadise Lostare also of high excellence. As a painter he has grandeur of conception and a bold expressive style. Amongst his chief works are:Christ leaving the Prætorium,Paolo and Francesca di Rimini,The Flight into Egypt, andMont Blanc. In later years Doré also won fame as a sculptor.
Dore´ma, a genus of plants, nat. ord. Umbelliferæ.D. ammoniăcum, a Persian species, yields the ammoniacum of commerce, a milky juice that exudes from punctures on the stem and dries in little 'tears'.
Doria, one of the most powerful families of Genoa, became distinguished about the beginning of the twelfth century, and shared with three other leading families, the Fieschi, Grimaldi, and Spinola, the early government of the Republic. Amongst the older heroes of this family are Oberto Doria, who in 1284 commanded the Genoese fleet which at Meloria annihilated the power of Pisa; Lamba Doria, who in 1298 defeated the Venetian Dandolo at the naval battle of Curzola; Paganino Doria, who in the middle of the fourteenth century distinguished himself by great victories over the Venetians. But the greatest name of the Dorias is that of Andrea, born at Oneglia in 1466, of a younger branch of the family. After serving some time as a condottiere with the princes of Southern Italy, he was entrusted by the Genoese with the reconstruction of their fleet. Disagreement with the Genoese factions drove him to take service with Francis I of France, in which he highly distinguished himself, and in 1527 he took Genoa in the name of the French king. But being displeased with the projects of Francis for reducing Genoa to a place of secondary importance, he went over to the service of Charles V, carrying with him the whole influence and resources of Genoa, and hastened the deliverance of Italy from French domination. He entered Genoa in 1528, re-established order, reorganized the Government, and, although refusing the title of doge, practically controlled its affairs to the end of his life. The country bestowed on him the title ofFather of Peace. As Imperial Admiral he performed many services for Charles, clearing the seas of Moorish pirates and assisting the emperor in his expeditions to Tunis and Algiers. In 1547 his authority was threatened by the conspiracy of Fieschi, and he narrowly escaped assassination in the tumult. He died in 1560.
Dorians, one of the three great branches of the Greek nation who migrated from Thessaly southwards, settling for a time in the mountainous district of Doris in Northern Greece and finally in Peloponnesus. Their migration to the latter was said to have taken place in 1104B.C.; and as among their leaders were certain men reputed to be descendants of Hercules (or Herakles), it was known as the return of the Heraclidæ. The Dorians ruled in Sparta with great renown as a strong and warlike people, though less cultivated than the other Greeks in arts and letters. Their laws were severe and rigid, as typified in the codes of the great Doric legislators Minos and Lycurgus.—TheDoric dialectwas characterized by its broadness and hardness, yet on account of its venerable and antique style was often used in solemn odes and choruses.
Doric OrderGrecian Doric Order
Doric Order, in architecture, is the oldest, strongest, and simplest of the three Grecian orders, and the one that is best represented among the remains of ancient Greek architecture. The Doric column is distinguished by its want of a base (in the more ancient examples, at least), by the small number of its flutings, and by its massive proportions, the true Grecian Doric having the height of its pillars six times that of the diameter. The capital was small and simple, and the architrave, frieze, and cornice were rather plain and massive.
Dorigny(do-rē-nyē), the name of several French painters and engravers. Michael, born in 1617, became professor in the Academy at Paris, and died in 1665. Louis, son of the preceding, was born in 1654, settled in Italy, and died in 1742. Sir Nicholas, brother of Louis, born in 1658 at Paris, was the most celebrated of the three. He spent eight years in engraving the famous cartoons of Raphael at Hampton Court, and was knighted by George I. He died in 1746.
Doris, anciently a small and mountainous region of Northern Greece, at one time the abode of the Dorians. It now forms an eparchy in the nomarchy of Phocis.
Dorking, a town of England, county of Surrey, 22 milesS.S.W.of London, largely consisting of villa residences. Large numbers of fowls, known asDorkings, of an excellent breed, having five claws on the foot, are reared here, and sent to the London markets. The breed was introduced both into Gaul and Britain when those countries were subject to the Roman power. Pop. (urban district), 7850.
Dormant State, a state of torpidity in which certain animals pass a portion of the year. In cold and temperate climates this period of long sleep takes place during the winter months, and is properly calledhibernation. It commences when the food of the animal begins to get scarce, continues for a longer or shorter period, and is deeper or lighter according to the habits and constitution of the animal. Bats, bears, someanimals of the rodent order, such as the porcupine, the dormouse, and the squirrel, all the animals belonging to the classes of Amphibia and Reptilia, such as tortoises, lizards, and snakes (frogs, &c.), also many species of molluscs and insects, hibernate more or less completely, retiring to suitable places of concealment—the bat to dark caves, the hedgehog to fern-brakes, and snakes to holes in trees. During hibernation there is a great decrease of heat in the bodies of the animals, the temperature sometimes sinking to 40° or even 20°F., or in general to a point a little above that of the surrounding atmosphere. The respiration as well as the pulsation of the heart is exceedingly slow, and the irritability of the animal often so low that in some cases it can be awakened only by strong electric shocks. With frogs and other amphibia the dormant state is very common, and if the temperature is kept low by artificial means, they may remain dormant for years. The termæstivationhas been used to describe a similar condition into which certain animals, such as serpents and crocodiles, in tropical countries pass during the hottest months of the year. Plants also present many interesting examples of the dormant state, by which unfavourable periods or conditions are tided over. A seed, for instance, contains a dormant embryo or plantlet, which resumes growth (i.e. germinates) when the temperature rises above a certain level, provided sufficient moisture and air are present. Many lower forms, notably bacteria, are able to form thick-walled cells (spores) that can retain their vitality for a considerable time.
Dormer WindowDormer Window. Abbeville, Fifteenth Century
Dormer Windows(Fr.dormir, to sleep), are windows inserted in the inclined plane of a sloping roof, on a frame rising vertically above the rafters. They are named dormer windows because they are found chiefly in attic bedrooms.
DormouseDormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius)
Dormouse, the popular name of small rodent mammals constituting a special family (Gliridæ or Myoxidæ) allied to rats and mice. They inhabit temperate and warm countries, and subsist entirely on vegetable food. Their pace is a kind of leap, but they have not the activity of squirrels. Whilst feeding they sit upright and carry the food to their mouths with their paws. Dormice pass the winter in a lethargic or torpid state, reviving only for a short time on a warm sunny day, when they take a little of their hoarded stores and then relapse into the dormant state. The squirrel-tailed or 'fat' dormouse (Myoxus glis) of the continent was esteemed as an article of diet by the ancient Romans. The common British dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius) is a graceful little creature about 3 inches in length, with a tail 2½ inches long. It feeds on hazel-nuts, eggs, and insects, and constructs a spherical nest. It is not known to occur in Scotland or Ireland.
Dorn´birn, a manufacturing town in Tyrol, about 6 miles from the Lake of Constance. Pop. 28,550.
Dornick, a kind of stout figured linen fabric used for table-cloths, and generally chequered. It derives its name from Doornik, or Tournai, in the Netherlands. The manufacture was brought into Norfolk by the Dutch.
Dornoch(-noh), a seaport and royal burgh of Scotland, county of Sutherland, at the entrance of the Dornoch Firth, the seat of the extinct bishopric of Caithness. It is one of the Wick district of parliamentary burghs. Pop. 740.—TheFirthruns inland for about 16 miles between Ross-shire and Sutherlandshire.
Dor´ohoi, a town of Roumania in N.W.Moldavia, near the Austrian frontier. Pop. 11,140.—The department ofDorohoihas an area of 1090 sq. miles, and a pop. of 189,789.
Dor´pat(Tartu), a town, formerly in the Russian province of Livonia, now belonging to the Republic of Esthonia. It is situated on the Embach, about 135 milesN.E.of Riga. Dorpat is chiefly remarkable for its university and other educational establishments. It is an ancient town, and was once a member of the Hanseatic Union. Captured by the Russians in 1559, it was ceded to Poland in 1582, was subsequently taken by the Swedes, and in 1704 passed to the Russians, who called itYuryev. The town was occupied by the Germans on 18th Feb., 1918. The vernacular language is Esthonian, but the upper classes speak German. Pop. 44,140.
D'Orsay, Alfred, Count, a dilettante artist and man of fashion, born at Paris 1801, died 1852. When a young man he visited England, and became acquainted with Byron and other literary and fashionable celebrities. He married a daughter of the Earl of Blessington, but after the earl's death a separation took place, and D'Orsay became an inmate of Gore House, which the Countess of Blessington had made the centre of a famous literary coterie. A zealous Bonapartist, he followed Prince Louis Napoleon to Paris in 1849, and enjoyed his favour till his death. Disraeli has described him in his novelHenrietta Temple, under the name of 'Count Mirabel'.—Cf. Richard Madden,Life of Lady Blessington.
Dorset, Earls of.SeeSackville.
Dorset, orDorsetshire, a maritime county in the south of England, having on the south the English Channel; area, 627,265 acres, over 490,000 being under crop. The general surface of the county is undulating; its principal elevations being chalk hills known as the North and South Downs, upon which immense flocks of sheep are pastured. On the south, on the borders of Hampshire and along part of the sea-coast, is a heathy common. A great part of the county is in grass, and dairy husbandry is extensively carried on. Neither coal nor ores of any kind are found, but the quarries yield the well-known Portland stone. Pipe-clay, plastic clay, and potter's clay also abound. The principal manufactures are those of flax, canvas, duck, &c., also silk and woollens. The fish frequenting the coast are of various kinds, but mackerel is the most abundant. Near the mouth of Poole harbour is a prolific oyster bank. The principal rivers are the Stour, the Frome, and the Piddle. The county has four parliamentary divisions, with a member for each. Dorchester is the county town. Other towns are Bridport, Poole, and Weymouth. Pop. 223,274.
Dorsetshire Regiment, The, once known as the East Middlesex, dates from 1702, and is intimately associated with Gibraltar, which it twice defended during siege (1727 and 1779-82). For its services in India under Clive it bears the mottoPrimus in Indis. It later took part in the relief of Ladysmith, and during the European War suffered heavily on the Western front, being also represented at Kut and Ramadie.
Dorste´nia, a genus of plants, nat. ord. Moraceæ, found in tropical America. They have their naked flowers buried in a flat, fleshy, somewhat concave receptacle.D. Contrayervaand other species have a stimulant and tonic rhizome, which is used medicinally under the name ofcontrayerva.
Dort, orDordrecht, a town, Holland, province of South Holland, 14 milesS.E.of Rotterdam, on the Merwede, an arm or part of the Maas, and on an island separated from the mainland by an inundation in 1421. It is an old town, founded in 1018 by Count Dietrich III of Holland, with a fine Gothic Church (Groote Kerk, 'Great Church'), a good town-house and museum. It was formerly of more importance than now, but it still carries on an extensive trade, being not only near the sea, but by the Rhine, the Maas, and other water communications, connected with an immense extent of inland territory. Pop. 47,300.
Dort, Synod of, an assembly of Protestant divines convoked at Dort on 13th Nov., 1618, dissolved on 9th May, 1619. Besides the Dutch and Walloon divines, it included representatives from England, Scotland, Switzerland, and part of Germany, in all about sixty-two native and twenty-four foreign deputies. The Synod was convoked principally for the sake of crushing the Arminian party, and extreme measures were taken to prevent that party being represented in the assembly or having a free voice there. The result was the condemnation of the Arminians and the dogmatic establishment of Calvinism in the Reformed Church. The Synod also set on foot the Dutch translation of the Bible known as the Dort Bible.
Dort´mund, a city of Prussia, province of Westphalia, on the Emscher, 47 milesN.N.E.of Cologne, starting-point of an important canal to the lower Ems. It has rapidly increased in recent years, being the centre of important railway systems, having extensive coal-mines in the vicinity, and active manufactures of iron, steel, machinery, and railway plant. There are also a number of breweries, potteries, tobacco factories, and chemical works. It was once a free Imperial Hanseatic town, and the seat of the chief tribunal of the Vehme. Pop. 214,226.