Chapter D (1)

=Daæ=, =Dahæ=, or =Dai=, now the _Dahistan_, a people of Scythia, who
dwelt on the borders of the Caspian sea. _Silius Italicus_, bk. 13,
li. 764.――_Lucan_, bk. 7, li. 420.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 728.

=Daci= and =Dacæ=, a warlike nation of Germany, beyond the Danube,
whose country, called _Dacia_, was conquered by the Romans under
Trajan, after a war of 15 years, A.D. 103. The emperor joined the
country to Mœsia, by erecting a magnificent bridge across the Danube,
considered as the best of his works, which, however, the envy of his
successor Adrian demolished. Dacia now forms the modern countries of
_Walachia_, _Transylvania_, and _Moldavia_. _Lucan_, bk. 2, li. 53.

=Dacĭcus=, a surname assumed by Domitian on his pretended victory over
the Dacians. _Juvenal_, satire 6, li. 204.

=Dacty̆li=, a name given to the priests of Cybele, which some derive
from δακτυλος, _finger_, because they were 10, the same number as
the fingers of the hands. _Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 8.

=Dadicæ=, a people of Asiatic Scythia. _Herodotus_, bk. 3, ch. 91.

=Dædăla=, a mountain and city of Lycia, where Dædalus was buried
according to _Pliny_, bk. 5, ch. 27.――――A name given to Circe, from
her being _cunning_ (δαιδαλος), and like Dædalus, addicted to deceit
and artifice. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 282.――――Two festivals
in Bœotia. One of these was observed at Alalcomenos by the Platæans,
in a large grove, where they exposed in the open air pieces of
boiled flesh, and carefully observed whither the crows that came
to prey upon them directed their flight. All the trees upon which
any of these birds alighted were immediately cut down, and with
them statues were made called _Dædala_, in honour of Dædalus.――――The
other festival was of a more solemn kind. It was celebrated every
60 years by all the cities of Bœotia, as a compensation for the
intermission of the smaller festivals, for that number of years,
during the exile of the Platæans. Fourteen of the statues, called
Dædala, were distributed by lot among the Platæans, Lebadæans,
Coroneans, Orchomenians, Thespians, Thebans, Tanagræans, and
Chæroneans, because they had effected a reconciliation among the
Platæans and had caused them to be recalled from exile, about the
time that Thebes was restored by Cassander the son of Antipater.
During this festival, a woman in the habit of a bride-maid
accompanied a statue, which was dressed in female garments, on
the banks of the Eurotas. This procession was attended to the
top of mount Cithæron, by many of the Bœotians, who had places
assigned them by lot. Here an altar of square pieces of wood
cemented together like stones, was erected, and upon it were thrown
large quantities of combustible materials. Afterwards a bull was
sacrificed to Jupiter, and an ox or heifer to Juno, by every one
of the cities of Bœotia, and by the most opulent that attended.
The poorest citizens offered small cattle; and all these oblations,
together with the Dædala, were thrown in the common heap and set
on fire, and totally reduced to ashes. They originated in this:
When Juno, after a quarrel with Jupiter, had retired to Eubœa, and
refused to return to his bed, the god, anxious for her return, went
to consult Cithæron king of Platæa, to find some effectual measure
to break her obstinacy. Cithæron advised him to dress a statue in
woman’s apparel, and carry it in a chariot, and publicly to report
that it was Platæa the daughter of Asopus, whom he was going to
marry. The advice was followed, and Juno, informed of her husband’s
future marriage, repaired in haste to meet the chariot, and was
easily united to him, when she discovered the artful measures he
made use of to effect a reconciliation. _Pausanias_ & _Plutarch_.

=Dædălion=, a son of Lucifer, brother to Ceyx and father of Philonis.
He was so afflicted at the death of Philonis, whom Diana had put to
death, that he threw himself down from the top of mount Parnassus,
and was changed into a falcon by Apollo. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 11, li. 295.

=Dædălus=, an Athenian, son of Eupalamus, descended from Erechtheus
king of Athens. He was the most ingenious artist of his age, and
to him we are indebted for the invention of the wedge, the axe,
the wimble, the level, and many other mechanical instruments, and
the sails of ships. He made statues, which moved of themselves, and
seemed to be endowed with life. Talus, his sister’s son, promised
to be as great as himself, by the ingenuity of his inventions; and
therefore, from envy, he threw him down from a window and killed
him. After the murder of this youth, Dædalus, with his son Icarus,
fled from Athens to Crete, where Minos king of the country gave him
a cordial reception. Dædalus made a famous labyrinth for Minos, and
assisted Pasiphae the queen to gratify her unnatural passion for a
bull. For this action, Dædalus incurred the displeasure of Minos,
who ordered him to be confined in the labyrinth which he had
constructed. Here he made himself wings with feathers and wax, and
carefully fitted them to his body, and to that of his son, who was
the companion of his confinement. They took their flight in the air
from Crete; but the heat of the sun melted the wax on the wings of
Icarus, whose flight was too high, and he fell into that part of the
ocean, which from him has been called the Icarian sea. The father,
by a proper management of his wings, alighted at Cumæ, where he
built a temple to Apollo, and thence directed his course to Sicily,
where he was kindly received by Cocalus, who reigned over part of
the country. He left many monuments of his ingenuity in Sicily,
which still existed in the age of Diodorus Siculus. He was despatched
by Cocalus, who was afraid of the power of Minos, who had declared
war against him, because he had given an asylum to Dædalus. The
flight of Dædalus from Crete, with wings, is explained, by observing
that he was the inventor of sails, which in his age might pass
at a distance for wings. _Pausanias_, bks. 1, 7 & 9.――_Diodorus_,
bk. 4.――_Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 8, fable 3; _Heroides_, poem 4;
_De Ars Amatoria_, bk. 2; _Tristia_, bk. 3, poem 4.――_Hyginus_,
fable 40.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 14.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3,
ch. 1, &c.――_Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 170.――――There were two statuaries
of the same name, one of Sicyon son of Patroclus, the other a native
of Bithynia. _Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 14.――_Arrian._

=Dæmon=, a kind of spirit which, as the ancients supposed, presided
over the actions of mankind, gave them their private counsels, and
carefully watched over their most secret intentions. Some of the
ancient philosophers maintained that every man had two of these
Dæmons; the one bad and the other good. These Dæmons had the power
of changing themselves into whatever they pleased, and of assuming
whatever shapes were most subservient to their intentions. At the
moment of death, the Dæmon delivered up to judgment the person with
whose care he had been entrusted; and according to the evidence he
delivered, sentence was passed over the body. The Dæmon of Socrates
is famous in history. That great philosopher asserted that the
genius informed him when any of his friends was going to engage in
some unfortunate enterprise, and stopped him from the commission
of all crimes and impiety. These Genii or Dæmons, though at first
reckoned only as the subordinate ministers of the superior deities,
received divine honour in length of time, and we find altars and
statues erected to a _Genio loci_, _Genio Augusti_, _Junonibus_, &c.
_Cicero_, _Tusculanæ Disputationes_, bk. 1.――_Plutarch_, _de Genio
Socratis_.

=Dahæ.= _See:_ Daæ.

=Dai=, a nation of Persia, all shepherds. _Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 125.

=Daicles=, a victor at Olympia, B.C. 753.

=Daĭdis=, a solemnity observed by the Greeks. It lasted three days.
The first was in commemoration of Latona’s labour; the second in
memory of Apollo’s birth; and the third in honour of the marriage of
Podalirius, and the mother of Alexander. Torches were always carried
at the celebration; whence the name.

=Daimăchus=, a master of horse at Syracuse, &c. _Polyænus_, bk. 1.

=Daimĕnes=, a general of the Achæans. _Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 6.――――An
officer exposed on a cross, by Dionysius of Syracuse. _Diodorus_,
bk. 14.

=Daĭphron=, a son of Ægyptus, killed by his wife, &c. _Apollodorus_,
bk. 2, ch. 1.

=Daīra=, one of the Oceanides, mother of Eleusis by Mercury.
_Pausanias_, bk. 1, ch. 38.

=Daldia=, a town of Lydia.

=Dalmatius=, one of the Cæsars in the age of Constantine, who died
A.D. 337.

=Dalmătia=, a part of Illyricum, at the east of the Adriatic, near
Liburnia on the west, whose inhabitants, called _Dalmatæ_, were
conquered by Metellus, B.C. 118. They chiefly lived upon plunder,
and from their rebellious spirit were troublesome to the Roman
empire. They wore a peculiar garment called _Dalmatica_, afterwards
introduced at Rome. _Horace_, bk. 2, ode 1, li. 16.――_Lampridus_,
_Commodus_, ch. 8.――_Strabo_, bk. 7.――_Ptolemy_, bk. 2.

=Dalmium=, the chief town of Dalmatia. _Strabo_, bk. 7.

=Damagetus=, a man of Rhodes, who inquired of the oracle what wife he
ought to marry? and received for answer the daughter of the bravest
of the Greeks. He applied to Aristomenes, and obtained his daughter
in marriage, B.C. 670. _Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 24.

=Damălis=, a courtesan at Rome in the age of Horace, bk. 1, ode 36,
li. 13.

=Damas=, a Syracusan in the interest of Agathocles. _Diodorus_, bk. 19.

=Damascēna=, a part of Syria near mount Libanus.

=Damascius=, a stoic of Damascus, who wrote a philosophical history,
the life of Isidorus, and four books on extraordinary events, in
the age of Justinian. His works, which are now lost, were greatly
esteemed according to Photius.

=Damascus=, a rich and ancient city of _Damascene_ in Syria, where
Demetrius Nicanor was defeated by Alexander Zebina. It is the modern
_Damas_, or _Sham_, inhabited by about 80,000 souls. _Lucan_, bk. 3,
li. 215.――_Justin_, bk. 36, ch. 2.――_Mela_, bk. 1, ch. 11.

=Damasia=, a town called also _Augusta_, now ♦_Augsburg_, in Swabia,
on the Leck.

♦ ‘Ausburg’ replaced with ‘Augsburg’

=Damasichthon=, a king of Thebes. _Pausanias_, bk. 9, ch. 5.

=Damasippus=, a captain in Philip’s army.――――A senator who accompanied
Juba when he entered Utica in triumph. _Cæsar_, _Civil War_, bk. 2.
――――A great enemy of Sylla. _Paterculus_, bk. 2, ch. 22.――――An
orator. _Juvenal_, satire 3, li. 185.――――A merchant of old seals and
vessels, who, after losing his all in unfortunate schemes in commerce,
assumed the name and habit of a stoic philosopher. _Horace_, bk. 2,
satire 3.――――One of Niobe’s sons.

=Damasistrătus=, a king of Platæa, who buried Laius. _Apollodorus_,
bk. 3, ch. 5.

=Damasithynus=, a son of Candaules general in the army of Xerxes.
_Herodotus_, bk. 7, ch. 98.――――A king of Calyndæ, sunk in his ship
by Artemisia. _Herodotus_, bk. 8, ch. 87.

=Damastes=, a man of Sigæum, disciple of Hellanicus about the age of
Herodotus, &c. _Dionysius of Halicarnassus._――――A famous robber.
_See:_ Procrustes.

=Damastor=, a Trojan chief, killed by Patroclus at the siege of Troy.
_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 16, li. 416.

=Damia=, a surname of Cybele.――――A woman to whom the Epidaurians raised
a statue. _Herodotus_, bk. 5, ch. 82.

=Damias=, a statuary of Clitor, in Arcadia, in the age of Lysander.
_Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 9.

=Damippus=, a Spartan taken by Marcellus as he sailed out of the port
of Syracuse. He discovered to the enemy that a certain part of the
city was negligently guarded, and in consequence of this discovery
Syracuse was taken. _Polyænus._

=Damis=, a man who disputed with Aristodemus the right of reigning
over the Messenians. _Pausanias_, bk. 4, ch. 10.

=Damnii=, a people at the north of Britain.

=Damnonii=, a people of Britain, now supposed Devonshire.

=Damnōrix=, a celebrated Gaul in the interest of Julius Cæsar, &c.

=Damo=, a daughter of Pythagoras, who, by order of her father,
devoted her life to perpetual celibacy, and induced others to follow
her example. Pythagoras at his death entrusted her with all the
secrets of his philosophy, and gave her the unlimited care of his
compositions, under the promise that she never would part with them.
She faithfully obeyed his injunctions; and though in the extremest
poverty, she refused to obtain money by the violation of her father’s
commands. _Diogenes Laërtius_, _Pythagoras_.

=Damŏcles=, one of the flatterers of Dionysius the elder, of Sicily.
He admired the tyrant’s wealth, and pronounced him the happiest
man on earth. Dionysius prevailed upon him to undertake for a while
the charge of royalty, and be convinced of the happiness which a
sovereign enjoyed. Damocles ascended the throne, and while he gazed
upon the wealth and splendour that surrounded him, he perceived a
sword hanging over his head by a horse hair. This so terrified him
that all his imaginary felicity vanished at once, and he begged
Dionysius to remove him from a situation which exposed his life to
such fears and dangers. _Cicero_, _Tusculanæ Disputationes_, bk. 5,
ch. 21.

=Damocrătes=, a hero, &c. _Plutarch_, _Aristotle_.

=Damocrĭta=, a Spartan matron, wife of Alcippus, who severely punished
her enemies who had banished her husband, &c. _Plutarch_, _Parallela
minora_.

=Damocrĭtus=, a timid general of the Achæans, &c. _Pausanias_, bk. 7,
ch. 13.――――A Greek writer, who composed two treatises, one upon the
art of drawing an army in battle array, and the other concerning the
Jews.――――A man who wrote a poetical treatise upon medicine.

=Damon=, a victor at Olympia, Olympiad 102. _Pausanias_, bk. 4,
ch. 27.――――A poet and musician of Athens, intimate with Pericles,
and distinguished for his knowledge of government and fondness of
discipline. He was banished for his intrigues about 430 years before
Christ. _Cornelius Nepos_, bk. 15, ch. 2.――_Plutarch_, _Pericles_.
――――A Pythagorean philosopher, very intimate with Pythias. When
he had been condemned to death by Dionysius, he obtained from the
tyrant leave to go and settle his domestic affairs, on promise
of returning at a stated hour to the place of execution. Pythias
pledged himself to undergo the punishment which was to be inflicted
on Damon, should he not return in time, and he consequently
delivered himself into the hands of the tyrant. Damon returned at
the appointed moment, and Dionysius was so struck with the fidelity
of those two friends, that he remitted the punishment, and entreated
them to permit him to share their friendship, and enjoy their
confidence. _Valerius Maximus_, bk. 4, ch. 7.――――A man of Cheronæa,
who killed a Roman officer, and was murdered by his fellow-citizens.
_Plutarch_, _Cimon_.――――A Cyrenean, who wrote a history of philosophy.
_Diogenes Laërtius._

=Damophantus=, a general of Elis in the age of Philopœmen. _Plutarch_,
_Philopœmen_.

=Damophĭla=, a poetess of Lesbos, wife of Pamphilus. She was intimate
with Sappho, and not only wrote hymns in honour of Diana and of the
gods, but opened a school where the younger persons of her sex were
taught the various powers of music and poetry. _Philostratus._

=Damophĭlus=, an historian. _Diodorus._――――A Rhodian general against
the fleet of Demetrius. _Diodorus_, bk. 20.

=Damŏphon=, a sculptor of Messenia. _Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 23.

=Damostrătus=, a philosopher who wrote a treatise concerning fishes.
_Ælian_, _Varia Historia_, bk. 13, ch. 21.

=Damoxĕnus=, a comic writer of Athens. _Athenæus_, bk. 3.――――A boxer
of Syracuse, banished for killing his adversary. _Pausanias_, bk. 8,
ch. 40.

=Damyrias=, a river of Sicily. _Plutarch_, _Timoleon_.

=Dana=, a large town of Cappadocia.

=Danăce=, the name of the piece of money which Charon required to
convey the dead over the Styx. _Suidas._

=Dănae=, the daughter of Acrisius king of Argos by Eurydice. She was
confined in a brazen tower by her father, who had been told by an
oracle that his daughter’s son would put him to death. His endeavours
to prevent Danae from becoming a mother proved fruitless; and Jupiter,
who was enamoured of her, introduced himself to her bed, by changing
himself into a golden shower. From his embraces Danae had a son,
with whom she was exposed on the sea by her father. The wind drove
the bark which carried her to the coasts of the island of Seriphus,
where she was saved by some fishermen, and carried to Polydectes
king of the place, whose brother called Dictys educated the child
called Perseus, and tenderly treated the mother. Polydectes fell
in love with her; but as he was afraid of her son, he sent him to
conquer the Gorgons, pretending that he wished Medusa’s head to
adorn the nuptials which he was going to celebrate with Hippodamia
the daughter of Œnomaus. When Perseus had victoriously finished his
expedition, he retired to Argos with Danae, to the house of Acrisius,
whom he inadvertently killed. Some suppose that it was Prœtus the
brother of Acrisius who introduced himself to Danae in the brazen
tower; and instead of a golden shower, it was maintained that the
keepers of Danae were bribed by the gold of her seducer. Virgil
mentions that Danae came to Italy with some fugitives of Argos, and
that she founded a city called Ardea. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4,
li. 611; _Ars Amatoria_, bk. 3, li. 415; _Amores_, bk. 2, poem 19,
li. 27.――_Horace_, bk. 3, ode 16.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 14, li. 319.
――_Apollodorus_, bk. 2, chs. 2 & 4.――_Statius_, _Thebiad_, bk. 1, li.
255.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 7, li. 410.――――A daughter of Leontium,
mistress to Sophron governor of Ephesus.――――A daughter of Danaus, to
whom Neptune offered violence.

=Dănai=, a name given to the people of Argos, and promiscuously to all
the Greeks, from Danaus their king. _Virgil_, & _Ovid_, _passim_.

=Dănaĭdes=, the 50 daughters of Danaus king of Argos. When their
uncle Ægyptus came from Egypt with his 50 sons, they were promised
in marriage to their cousins; but before the celebration of their
nuptials, Danaus, who had been informed by an oracle that he was to
be killed by the hands of one of his sons-in-law, made his daughters
solemnly promise that they would destroy their husbands. They were
provided with daggers by their father, and all, except Hypermnestra,
stained their hands with the blood of their cousins, the first
night of their nuptials; and as a pledge of their obedience to their
father’s injunctions, they presented him each with the head of the
murdered sons of Ægyptus. Hypermnestra was summoned to appear before
her father, and answer for her disobedience in suffering her husband
Lynceus to escape, but the unanimous voice of the people declared
her innocent, and in consequence of her honourable acquittal, she
dedicated a temple to the goddess of Persuasion. The sisters were
purified of this murder by Mercury and Minerva, by order of Jupiter;
but according to the more received opinion, they were condemned
to severe punishment in hell, and were compelled to fill with
water a vessel full of holes, so that the water ran out as soon as
poured into it, and therefore their labour was infinite, and their
punishment eternal. The names of the Danaides and their husbands
were as follows, according to Apollodorus: Amymone married Enceladus;
Automate, Busiris; Agave, Lycus; Scea, Dayphron; Hippodamia, Ister;
Rhodia, Chalcedon; Calyce, another Lynceus; Gorgophone, Proteus;
Cleopatra, Agenor; Asteria, Chætus; Glauce, Aleis; Hippodamia,
Diacorytes; Hippomedusa, Alcmenon; Gorge, Hippothous; Iphimedusa,
Euchenor; Rhode, Hippolytus; Pirene, Agaptolemus; Cercestis, Dorion;
Pharte, Eurydamas; Mnestra, Ægius; Evippe, Arigius; Anaxibia,
Archelaus; Nelo, Melachus; Clite, Clitus; Stenele, Stenelus;
Chrysippe, Chrysippus; Autonoe, Eurylochus; Theano, Phantes; Electra,
Peristhenes; Eurydice, Dryas; Glaucippe, Potamon; Autholea, Cisseus;
Cleodora, Lixus; Evippe, Imbrus; Erata, Bromius; Stygne, Polyctor;
Bryce, Chthonius; Actea, Periphas; Podarce, Œneus; Dioxippe, Ægyptus;
Adyte, Menalces; Ocypete, Lampus; Pilarge, Idmon; Hippodice, Idas;
Adiante, Diaphron; Callidia, Pandion; Œme, Arbelus; Celena, Hixbius;
Hyperia, Hippocoristes. The heads of the sons of Ægyptus were buried
at Argos; but their bodies were left at Lerna, where the murder
had been committed. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 1.――_Horace_, bk. 3,
ode 11.――_Strabo_, bk. 8.――_Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 16.――_Hyginus_,
fable 168, &c.

=Danăla=, a castle of Galatia.

=Danapris=, now the _Nieper_, a name given in the middle ages to the
Borysthenes, as _Danaster_ the _Neister_, was applied to the Tyras.

=Dănaus=, a son of Belus and Anchinoe, who, after his father’s death,
reigned conjointly with his brother Ægyptus on the throne of Egypt.
Some time after, a difference arose between the brothers, and Danaus
set sail with his 50 daughters in quest of a settlement. He visited
Rhodes, where he consecrated a statue to Minerva, and arrived safe
on the coast of Peloponnesus, where he was hospitably received
by Gelanor king of Argos. Gelanor had lately ascended the throne,
and the first years of his reign were marked with dissensions with
his subjects. Danaus took advantage of Gelanor’s unpopularity,
and obliged him to abdicate the crown. In Gelanor, the race of the
_Inaehidæ_ was extinguished, and the _Belides_ began to reign at
Argos in Danaus. Some authors say that Gelanor voluntarily resigned
the crown to Danaus, on account of the wrath of Neptune, who had
dried up all the waters of Argolis, to punish the impiety of Inachus.
The success of Danaus invited the 50 sons of Ægyptus to embark
for Greece. They were kindly received by their uncle, who, either
apprehensive of their number, or terrified by an oracle which
threatened his ruin by one of his sons-in-law, caused his daughters,
to whom they were promised in marriage, to murder them the first
night of their nuptials. His fatal orders were executed, but
Hypermnestra alone spared the life of Lynceus. _See:_ Danaides.
Danaus at first persecuted Lynceus with unremitted fury, but he
was afterwards reconciled to him, and he acknowledged him for his
son-in-law and successor, after a reign of 50 years. He died about
1425 years before the christian era, and after death he was honoured
with a splendid monument in the town of Argos, which still existed
in the age of Pausanias. According to Æschylus, Danaus left Egypt,
not to be present at the marriage of his daughters with the sons of
his brother, a connection which he deemed unlawful and impious. The
ship in which Danaus came to Greece was called _Armais_, and was
the first that had ever appeared there. It is said that the use of
pumps was first introduced into Greece by Danaus. _Apollodorus_,
bk. 2, ch. 1.――_Pausanias_, bk. 2, ch. 19.――_Hyginus_, fable 168,
&c.――_Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 91, &c.; bk. 7, ch. 94.

=Dandări= and =Dandarĭdæ=, certain inhabitants near mount Caucasus.
_Tacitus_, _Annals_, bk. 12, ch. 18.

=Dandon=, a man of Illyricum, who, as _Pliny_, bk. 7, ch. 48, reports,
lived 500 years.

=Dānŭbius=, a celebrated river, the greatest in Europe, which rises,
according to Herodotus, near the town of Pyrene, in the country of
the Celtæ, and after flowing through the greatest part of Europe,
falls into the Euxine sea. The Greeks called it _Ister_; but the
Romans distinguished it by the appellation of the _Danube_, from its
source till the middle of its course; and from thence to its mouths
they called it _Ister_, like the Greeks. It falls into the Euxine
through seven mouths, or six according to others. Herodotus mentions
five, and modern travellers discover only two. The Danube was
generally supposed to be the northern boundary of the Roman empire
in Europe; and therefore, several castles were erected on its banks,
to check the incursions of the barbarians. It was worshipped as a
deity by the Scythians. According to modern geography, the Danube
rises in Suabia, and after receiving about 40 navigable rivers,
finishes a course of 1600 miles, by emptying itself into the Black
sea. _Dionysius Periegetes._――_Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 33; bk. 4,
ch. 48, &c.――_Strabo_, bk. 4.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 12.――_Ammianus_,
bk. 23.

=Daŏchus=, an officer of Philip, &c. _Plutarch_, _Demosthenes_.

=Daphnæ=, a town in Egypt on one of the mouths of the Nile, 16 miles
from Pelusium. _Herodotus_, bk. 2, ch. 30.

=Daphnæus=, a general of Syracuse, against Carthage. _Polyænus_, bk. 5.

=Daphne=, a daughter of the river Peneus or of the Ladon by the goddess
Terra, of whom Apollo became enamoured. This passion had been raised
by Cupid, with whom Apollo, proud of his late conquest over the
serpent Python, had disputed the power of his darts. Daphne heard
with horror the addresses of the god, and endeavoured to remove
herself from his importunities by flight. Apollo pursued her; and
Daphne, fearful of being caught, intreated the assistance of the
gods, who changed her into a laurel. Apollo crowned his head with
the leaves of the laurel, and for ever ordered that that tree should
be sacred to his divinity. Some say that Daphne was admired by
Leucippus, son of Œnomaus king of Pisa, who, to be in her company,
disguised his sex, and attended her in the woods, in the habit of a
huntress. Leucippus gained Daphne’s esteem and love; but Apollo, who
was his powerful rival, discovered his sex, and Leucippus was killed
by the companions of Diana. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 1, li. 452,
&c.――_Parthenius_, _Narrationes Amatoriæ_, ch. 15.――_Pausanias_,
bk. 8, ch. 20.――――A daughter of Tiresias priestess in the temple of
Delphi, supposed by some to be the same as Manto. She was consecrated
to the service of Apollo by the Epigoni, or, according to others, by
the goddess Tellus. She was called Sibyl, on account of the wildness
of her looks and expressions when she delivered oracles. Her oracles
were generally in verse, and Homer, according to some accounts,
has introduced much of her poetry in his compositions. _Diodorus_,
bk. 4.――_Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 5.――――A famous grove near Antioch,
consecrated to voluptuousness and luxury.

=Daphnēphŏria=, a festival in honour of Apollo, celebrated every ninth
year by the Bœotians. It was then usual to adorn an olive bough with
garlands of laurel and other flowers, and place on the top a brazen
globe, on which were suspended smaller ones. In the middle were
placed a number of crowns, and a globe of inferior size, and the
bottom was adorned with a saffron-coloured garment. The globe on the
top represented the sun, or Apollo; that in the middle was an emblem
of the moon, and the others of the stars. The crowns, which were 65
in number, represented the sun’s annual revolutions. This bough was
carried in solemn procession by a beautiful youth of an illustrious
family, and whose parents were both living. The youth was dressed in
rich garments which reached to the ground, his hair hung loose and
dishevelled, his head was covered with a golden crown, and he wore
on his feet shoes called _Iphicratidæ_, from Iphicrates, an Athenian
who first invented them. He was called δαφνηφορος, _laurel-bearer_,
and at that time he executed the office of priest of Apollo. He was
preceded by one of his nearest relations, bearing a rod adorned with
garlands, and behind him followed a train of virgins, with branches
in their hands. In this order the procession advanced as far as
the temple of Apollo, surnamed Ismenius, where supplicatory hymns
were sung to the god. This festival owed its origin to the following
circumstance: When an oracle advised the Ætolians, who inhabited
Arne and the adjacent country, to abandon their ancient possessions,
and go in quest of a settlement, they invaded the Theban territories,
which at that time were pillaged by an army of Pelasgians. As
the celebration of Apollo’s festivals was near, both nations, who
religiously observed it, laid aside all hostilities, and according
to custom, cut down laurel boughs from mount Helicon and in the
neighbourhood of the river Melas, and walked in procession in honour
of the divinity. The day that this solemnity was observed, Polemates
the general of the ♦Bœotian army saw a youth in a dream that
presented him with a complete suit of armour, and commanded the
Bœotians to offer solemn prayers to Apollo, and walk in procession
with laurel boughs in their hands every ninth year. Three days
after this dream, the Bœotian general made a sally, and cut off
the greatest part of the besiegers, who were compelled by this blow
to relinquish their enterprise. Polemates immediately instituted
a novennial festival to the god who seemed to be the patron of the
Bœotians. _Pausanias_, _Bœotia_, &c.

♦ ‘Bœtian’ replaced with ‘Bœotian’

=Daphnis=, a shepherd of Sicily, son of Mercury by a Sicilian nymph.
He was educated by the nymphs, Pan taught him to sing and play upon
the pipe, and the muses inspired him with the love of poetry. It was
supposed that he was the first who wrote pastoral poetry, in which
his successor Theocritus so happily excelled. He was extremely fond
of hunting; and at his death five of his dogs, from their attachment
to him, refused all aliments, and pined away. From the celebrity
of this shepherd, the name of _Daphnis_ has been appropriated by
the poets, ancient and modern, to express a person fond of rural
employments, and the peaceful innocence which accompanies the tending
of flocks. _Ælian_, _Varia Historia_, bk. 10, ch. 18.――_Diodorus_,
bk. 4.――――There was another shepherd on mount Ida of the same name
changed into a rock, according to _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_, bk. 4,
li. 275.――――A servant of Nicocrates tyrant of Cyrene, &c. _Polyænus_,
bk. 8.――――A grammarian. _Suetonius_, _Lives of the Grammarians_.
――――A son of Paris and Œnone.

=Daphnus=, a river of Locris, into which the body of Hesiod was thrown
after his murder. _Plutarch_, _de Convivium Septem Sapientium_.――――A
physician who preferred a supper to a dinner, because he supposed
that the moon assisted digestion. _Athenæus_, bk. 7.

=Darăba=, a town of Arabia.

=Darantasia=, a town of Belgic Gaul, called also _Forum Claudii_, and
now _Motier_.

=Daraps=, a king of the Gangaridæ, &c. _Flaccus_, bk. 6, li. 67.

=Dardăni=, the inhabitants of Dardania.――――Also a people of Mœsia,
very inimical to the neighbouring power of Macedonia. _Livy_, bk. 26,
ch. 25; bk. 27, ch. 33; bk. 31, ch. 28; bk. 40, ch. 57.――_Pliny_,
bk. 4, ch. 1.

=Dardănia=, a town or country of Troas, from which the Trojans were
called _Dardani_ and _Dardanidæ_. There is also a country of the
same name near Illyricum. This appellation is also applied to
Samothrace. _Virgil_ & _Ovid_, _passim_.――_Strabo_, bk. 7.

=Dardănĭdes=, a name given to Æneas, as descended from Dardanus. The
word, in the plural number, is applied to the Trojan women. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_.

=Dardanium=, a promontory of Troas, called from the small town of
_Dardanus_, about seven miles from Abydos. The two castles built on
each side of the strait by the emperor Mahomet IV., A.D. 1659, gave
the name of _Dardanelles_ to the place. _Strabo_, bk. 13.

=Dardănus=, a son of Jupiter and Electra, who killed his brother
Jasius to obtain the kingdom of Etruria after the death of his
reputed father Corytus, and fled to Samothrace, and thence to
Asia Minor, where he married Batia the daughter of Teucer, king
of Teucria. After the death of his father-in-law he ascended the
throne, and reigned 62 years. He built the city of Dardania, and
was reckoned the founder of the kingdom of Troy. He was succeeded
by Erichthonius. According to some, Corybas his nephew accompanied
him to Teucria, where he introduced the worship of Cybele. Dardanus
taught his subjects to worship Minerva; and he gave them two statues
of the goddess, one of which is well known by the name of Palladium.
_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 5, li. 167.――_Pausanias_, bk. 7, ch. 4.
――_Hyginus_, fables 155 & 275.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3.――_Homer_,
_Iliad_, bk. 20.――――A Trojan killed by Achilles. _Homer_, _Iliad_,
bk. 20, li. 460.

=Dardării=, a nation near the Palus Mæotis. _Plutarch_, _Lucullus_.

=Dares=, a Phrygian who lived during the Trojan war, in which he was
engaged, and of which he wrote the history in Greek. This history
was extant in the age of Ælian; the Latin translation, now extant,
is universally believed to be spurious, though it is attributed by
some to Cornelius Nepos. The best edition is that of Smids cum not.
var. 4to & 8vo, Amsterdam, 1702.――_Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 5, lis. 10
& 27.――――One of the companions of Æneas, descended from Amycus, and
celebrated as a pugilist at the funeral games in honour of Hector,
where he killed Butes. He was killed by Turnus in Italy. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 5, li. 369; bk. 12, li. 363.

=Darētis=, a country of Macedonia.

=Darīa=, a town of Mesopotamia.

=Dariaves=, the name of Darius in Persian. _Strabo_, bk. 16.

=Dariobrigum=, a town of Gaul, now _Vennes_ in Britany.

=Darītæ=, a people of Persia. _Herodotus_, bk. 3, ch. 92.

=Darīus=, a noble satrap of Persia, son of Hystaspes, who conspired
with six other noblemen to destroy Smerdis, who usurped the crown
of Persia after the death of Cambyses. On the murder of the usurper,
the seven conspirators universally agreed, that he whose horse
neighed first should be appointed king. In consequence of this
resolution the groom of Darius previously led his master’s horse
to a mare at a place near which the seven noblemen were to pass.
On the morrow before sunrise, when they proceeded all together,
the horse, recollecting the mare, suddenly neighed; and at the same
time a clap of thunder was heard, as if in approbation of the choice.
The noblemen dismounted from their horses, and saluted Darius king;
and a resolution was made among them, that the king’s wives and
concubines should be taken from no other family but that of the
conspirators, and that they should for ever enjoy the unlimited
privilege of being admitted into the king’s presence without
previous introduction. Darius was 29 years old when he ascended
the throne, and he soon distinguished himself by his activity and
military accomplishments. He besieged Babylon, which he took after
a siege of 20 months, by the artifices of Zopyrus. From thence he
marched against the Scythians, and in his way conquered Thrace. This
expedition was unsuccessful; and, after several losses and disasters
in the wilds of Scythia, the king retired with shame, and soon after
turned his arms against the Indians, whom he subdued. The burning
of Sardis, which was a Grecian colony, incensed the Athenians, and a
war was kindled between Greece and Persia. Darius was so exasperated
against the Greeks, that a servant every evening, by his order,
repeated these words: “Remember, O king, to punish the Athenians.”
Mardonius, the king’s son-in-law, was entrusted with the care of
the war, but his army was destroyed by the Thracians; and Darius,
more animated by his loss, sent a more considerable force, under
the command of Datis and Artaphernes. They were conquered at the
celebrated battle of Marathon, by 10,000 Athenians; and the Persians
lost in that expedition no less than 206,000 men. Darius was not
disheartened by this severe blow, but he resolved to carry on the
war in person, and immediately ordered a still larger army to be
levied. He died in the midst of his preparations, B.C. 485, after
a reign of 36 years, in the 65th year of his age. _Herodotus_, bks.
1, 2, &c.――_Diodorus_, bk. 1.――_Justin_, bk. 1, ch. 9.――_Plutarch_,
_Aristotle_.――_Cornelius Nepos_, _Miltiades_.――――The second king of
Persia, of that name, was also called _Ochus_ or _Nothus_, because
he was the illegitimate son of Artaxerxes by a concubine. Soon after
the murder of Xerxes he ascended the throne of Persia, and married
Parysatis his sister, a cruel and ambitious woman, by whom he had
Artaxerxes Memnon, Amestris, and Cyrus the younger. He carried on
many wars with success, under the conduct of his generals and of
his son Cyrus. He died B.C. 404, after a reign of 19 years, and was
succeeded by his son Artaxerxes, who asked him on his death-bed, what
had been the guide of his conduct in the management of the empire,
that he might imitate him? “The dictates of justice and of religion,”
replied the expiring monarch. _Justin_, bk. 5, ch. 11.――_Diodorus_,
bk. 12.――――The third of that name was the last king of Persia,
surnamed _Codomanus_. He was son of Arsanes and Sysigambis, and
descended from Darius Nothus. The eunuch Bagoas raised him to the
throne, though not nearly allied to the royal family, in hopes that
he would be subservient to his will; but he prepared to poison him,
when he saw him despise his advice, and aim at independence. Darius
discovered his perfidy, and made him drink the poison which he had
prepared against his life. The peace of Darius was early disturbed,
and Alexander invaded Persia to avenge the injuries which the Greeks
had suffered from the predecessors of Darius. The king of Persia met
his adversary in person, at the head of 600,000 men. This army was
remarkable more for its opulence and luxury than for the military
courage of its soldiers; and Athenæus mentions that the camp of
Darius was crowded with 277 cooks, 29 waiters, 87 cup-bearers, 40
servants to perfume the king, and 66 to prepare garlands and flowers
to deck the dishes and meat which appeared on the royal table. With
these forces Darius met Alexander. A battle was fought near the
Granicus, in which the Persians were easily defeated. Another was
soon after fought near Issus; and Alexander left 110,000 of the
enemy dead on the field of battle, and took among the prisoners of
war, the mother, wife, and children of Darius. The darkness of the
night favoured the retreat of Darius, and he saved himself by flying
in disguise, on the horse of his armour-bearer. These losses weakened,
but discouraged not Darius. He assembled another more powerful army,
and the last decisive battle was fought at Arbela. The victory was
long doubtful; but the intrepidity of Alexander, and the superior
valour of the Macedonians, prevailed over the effeminate Persians;
and Darius, sensible of his disgrace and ruin, fled towards Media.
His misfortunes were now completed. Bessus the governor of Bactriana
took away his life, in hopes of succeeding him on the throne; and
Darius was found by the Macedonians in his chariot, covered with
wounds, and almost expiring, B.C. 331. He asked for water, and
exclaimed, when he received it from the hand of a Macedonian, “It
is the greatest of my misfortunes that I cannot reward thy humanity.
Beg Alexander to accept my warmest thanks for the tenderness with
which he has treated my wretched family, whilst I am doomed to
perish by the hand of a man whom I have loaded with kindness.” These
words of the dying monarch were reported to Alexander, who covered
the dead body with his own mantle, and honoured it with a most
magnificent funeral. The traitor Bessus met with a due punishment
from the conquerer, who continued his kindness to the unfortunate
family of Darius. Darius has been accused of imprudence, for the
imperious and arrogant manner in which he wrote his letters to
Alexander, in the midst of his misfortunes. In him the empire of
Persia was extinguished 228 years after it had been first founded
by Cyrus the Great. _Diodorus_, bk. 17.――_Plutarch_, _Alexander_.
――_Justin_, bks. 10, 11, &c.――_Curtius._――――A son of Xerxes, who
married Artaynta, and was killed by Artabanus. _Herodotus_, bk. 9,
ch. 108.――_Diodorus_, bk. 11.――――A son of Artaxerxes, declared
successor to the throne, as being the eldest prince. He conspired
against his father’s life, and was capitally punished. _Plutarch_,
_Artaxerxes_.

=Dascon=, a man who founded Camarina. _Thucydides_, bk. 6, ch. 5.

=Dascylitis=, a province of Persia. _Thucydides_, bk. 1, ch. 129.

=Dascy̆lus=, the father of Gyges. _Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 8.

=Dasea=, a town of Arcadia. _Pausanias_, bk. 8, ch. 27.

=Dasius=, a chief of Salapia, who favoured Annibal. _Livy_, bk. 26,
ch. 38.

=Dassarĕtæ=, =Dassarītæ=, =Dassarēni=, or =Dassariti=, a people of
Illyricum, or Macedonia. _Plutarch_, _Titus Flamininus_.

=Datămes=, son of Camissares, governor of Caria and general of the
armies of Artaxerxes. The influence of his enemies at court obliged
him to fly for safety, after he had greatly signalized himself by
his military exploits. He took up arms in his own defence, and
the king made war against him. He was treacherously killed by
Mithridates, who had invited him under pretence of entering into the
most inviolable connection and friendship, 362 B.C. _Cornelius Nepos_,
_Datames_.

=Dataphernes=, one of the friends of Bessus. After the murder of Darius,
he betrayed Bessus into Alexander’s hands. He also revolted from the
conqueror, and was delivered up by the Dahæ. _Curtius_, bk. 7, chs.
5 & 8.

=Datis=, a general of Darius I., sent with an army of 200,000 foot and
10,000 horse, against the Greeks, in conjunction with Artaphernes.
He was defeated at the celebrated battle of Marathon by Miltiades,
and some time after put to death by the Spartans. _Cornelius Nepos_,
_Miltiades_.

=Datos=, or =Daton=, a town of Thrace, on a small eminence, near the
Strymon. There is in the neighbourhood a fruitful plain, from which
Proserpine, according to some, was carried away by Pluto. That city
was so rich, that the ancients generally made use of the word _Datos_
to express abundance. When the king of Macedonia conquered it he
called it _Philippi_, after his own name. _Appian_, _Civil Wars_.

=Davara=, a hill near mount Taurus, in Asia Minor.

=Daulis=, a nymph, from whom the city of Daulis in Phocis, anciently
called _Anacris_, received its name. It was there that Philomela
and Procne made Tereus eat the flesh of his son, and hence the
nightingale, into which Philomela was changed, is often called
_Daulias avis_. _Ovid_, ltr. 15, li. 154.――_Strabo_, bk. 9.
――_Pausanias_, bk. 10, ch. 4.――_Ptolemy_, bk. 3, ch. 15.――_Livy_,
bk. 32, ch. 18.――_Pliny_, bk. 4, ch. 3.

=Dauni=, a people on the eastern part of Italy, conquered by Daunus,
from whom they received their name.

=Daunia=, a name given to the northern parts of Apulia, on the coast
of the Adriatic. It receives its name from Daunus, who settled there,
and is now called _Capitanata_. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 8, li. 146.
――_Silius Italicus_, bk. 9, li. 500; bk. 12, li. 429.――_Horace_,
bk. 4, ode 6, li. 27.――――Juturna, the sister of Turnus, was called
_Daunia_, after she had been made a goddess by Jupiter. _Virgil_,
_Æneid_, bk. 12, lis. 139 & 785.

=Daunus=, a son of Pilumnus and Danae. He came from Illyricum into
Apulia, where he reigned over part of the country, which from him
was called Daunia, and he was still on the throne when Diomedes came
to Italy. _Ptolemy_, bk. 3, ch. 1.――_Mela_, bk. 2, ch. 4.――_Strabo_,
bk. 5.――――A river of Apulia, now _Carapelle_. _Horace_, bk. 3, ode 30.

=Daurĭfer= and =Daurises=, a brave general of Darius, treacherously
killed by the Carians. _Herodotus_, bk. 5, ch. 116, &c.

=Davus=, a comic character in the Andria of Terence. _Horace_, bk. 1,
satire 10, li. 40.

=Debæ=, a nation of Arabia. _Diodorus_, bk. 3.

=Decapŏlis=, a district of Judæa, from its 10 cities. _Pliny_, bk. 5,
ch. 18.

=Decebălus=, a warlike king of the Daci, who made a successful war
against Domitian. He was conquered by Trajan, Domitian’s successor,
and he obtained peace. His active spirit again kindled rebellion,
and the Roman emperor marched against him, and defeated him. He
destroyed himself, and his head was brought to Rome, and Dacia became
a Roman province, A.D. 103. _Dio Cassius_, bk. 68.

=Deceleum= (or ea), now _Biala Castro_, a small village of Attica,
north of Athens; which, when in the hands of the Spartans, proved
a very galling garrison to the Athenians. The Peloponnesian war
has occasionally been called _Decelean_, because for some time
hostilities were carried on in its neighbourhood. _Cornelius Nepos_,
bk. 7, ch. 4.

=Decĕlus=, a man who informed Castor and Pollux that their sister,
whom Theseus had carried away, was concealed at Aphidnæ. _Herodotus_,
bk. 9, ch. 73.

=Decemvĭri=, 10 magistrates of absolute authority among the Romans.
The privileges of the patricians raised dissatisfaction among the
plebeians; who, though freed from the power of the Tarquins, still
saw that the administration of justice depended upon the will and
caprice of their superiors, without any written statute to direct
them, and convince them that they were governed with equity and
impartiality. The tribunes complained to the senate, and demanded
that a code of laws might be framed for the use and benefit of the
Roman people. This petition was complied with, and three ambassadors
were sent to Athens, and to all the other Grecian states, to collect
the laws of Solon, and of the other celebrated legislators of Greece.
Upon the return of the commissioners, it was universally agreed that
10 new magistrates, called _decemviri_, should be elected from the
senate, to put the project into execution. Their power was absolute;
all other offices ceased after their election, and they presided
over the city with regal authority. They were invested with the
badges of the consul, in the enjoyment of which they succeeded by
turns, and only one was preceded by the fasces, and had the power
of assembling the senate and confirming decrees. The first decemvirs
were Appius Claudius, Titus Genutius, Publius Sextus, Spurius
Veturius, Caius Julius, Aulus Manlius, Servius Sulpitius Pluriatius,
Titus Romulus, Spurius Posthumius, A.U.C. 303. Under them, the laws
which had been exposed to public view, that every citizen might speak
his sentiments, were publicly approved of as constitutional, and
ratified by the priests and augurs in the most solemn and religious
manner. These laws were 10 in number, and were engraved on tables of
brass; two were afterwards added, and they were called the laws of
the 12 tables, _leges duodecim tabularum_, and _leges decemvirales_.
The decemviral power, which was beheld by all ranks of people with
the greatest satisfaction, was continued; but in the third year
after their creation, the decemvirs became odious, on account of
their tyranny; and the attempt of Appius Claudius to ravish Virginia,
was followed by the total abolition of the office. The people were
so exasperated against them, that they demanded them from the senate,
to burn them alive. Consuls were again appointed, and tranquillity
re-established in the state.――――There were other officers in Rome,
called _decemvirs_, who were originally appointed, in the absence
of the pretor, to administer justice. Their appointment became
afterwards necessary, and they generally assisted at sales called
_subhastationes_, because a spear, _hasta_, was fixed at the door
of the place where the goods were exposed to sale. They were called
_decemviri litibus judicandis_. The officers whom Tarquin appointed
to guard the Sibylline books, were also called decemviri. They were
originally two in number, called _duumviri_, till the year of Rome
388, when their number was increased to 10, five of which were chosen
from the plebeians, and five from the patricians. Sylla increased
their number to 15, called _quindecemvirs_.

=Decetia=, a town of Gaul. _Cæsar._

=Decia lex=, was enacted by Marcus Decius the tribune, A.U.C. 442, to
empower the people to appoint two proper persons to fit and repair
the fleets.

=Lucius Decidius Saxa=, a Celtiberian in Cæsar’s camp. _Cæsar_, _Civil
War_, bk. 1.

=Decineus=, a celebrated soothsayer. _Strabo_, bk. 16.

=Decius Mus=, a celebrated Roman consul, who, after many glorious
exploits, devoted himself to the gods’ manes for the safety of his
country, in a battle against the Latins, 338 years B.C. His son
Decius imitated his example, and devoted himself in like manner in
his fourth consulship, when fighting against the Gauls and Samnites,
B.C. 296. His grandson also did the same in the wars against Pyrrhus
and the Tarentines, B.C. 280. This action of devoting oneself was
of infinite service to the state. The soldiers were animated by the
example, and induced to follow with intrepidity a commander who,
arrayed in an unusual dress, and addressing himself to the gods with
solemn invocation, rushed into the thickest part of the enemy to
meet his fate. _Livy_, bks. 8, 9, &c.――_Valerius Maximus_, bk. 5, ch.
6.――_Polybius_, bk. 2.――_Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 6, li. 824.――――Brutus,
conducted Cæsar to the senate-house the day that he was murdered.
――Cnæus Metius Q. Trajanus, a native of Pannonia, sent by the
emperor Philip to appease a sedition in Mœsia. Instead of obeying
his master’s command, he assumed the imperial purple, and soon after
marched against him, and at his death became the only emperor. He
signalized himself against the Persians; and when he marched against
the Goths, he pushed his horse in a deep marsh, from which he could
not extricate himself, and he perished with all his army by the
darts of the barbarians, A.D. 251, after a reign of two years.
This monarch enjoyed the character of a brave man and of a great
disciplinarian; and by his justice and exemplary life merited the
title of _Optimus_, which a servile senate had lavished upon him.

=Decurio=, a subaltern officer in the Roman armies. He commanded a
_decuria_, which consisted of 10 men, and was the third part of
a _turma_, or the thirtieth part of a _legio_ of horse, which was
composed of 300 men. The badge of the centurions was a vine rod or
sapling, and each had a deputy called _optio_. There were certain
magistrates in the provinces called _decuriones municipales_, who
formed a body to represent the Roman senate in free and corporate
towns. They consisted of 10, whence the name; and their duty
extended to watch over the interest of their fellow-citizens,
and to increase the revenues of the commonwealth. Their court was
called _curia decurionum_, and _minor senatus_; and their decrees,
called _decreta decurionum_, were marked with two D. D. at the top.
They generally styled themselves _civitatum patres curiales_, and
_honorati municipiorum senatores_. They were elected with the same
ceremonies as the Roman senators; they were to be at least 25 years
of age, and to be possessed of a certain sum of money. The election
happened on the calends of March.

=Decumates agri=, lands in Germany which paid the tenth part of their
value to the Romans. _Tacitus_, _Germania_, ch. 29.

=Deditamĕnes=, a friend of Alexander, made governor of Babylonia.
_Curtius_, bk. 8, ch. 3.

=Degis=, a brother of Decebalus king of the Daci. He came as ambassador
to the court of Domitian. _Martial_, bk. 5, ltr. 3.

=Dējănīra=, a daughter of Œneus king of Ætolia. Her beauty procured
her many admirers, and her father promised to give her in marriage
to him only who proved to be the strongest of all his competitors.
Hercules obtained the prize, and married Dejanira, by whom he had
three children, the most known of whom is Hyllus. As Dejanira was
once travelling with her husband, they were stopped by the swollen
streams of the Evenus, and the centaur Nessus offered Hercules
to convey her safe to the opposite shore. The hero consented; but
no sooner had Nessus gained the bank, than he attempted to offer
violence to Dejanira, and to carry her away in the sight of her
husband. Hercules, upon this, aimed from the other shore a poisoned
arrow at the seducer, and mortally wounded him. Nessus, as he
expired, wished to avenge his death upon his murderer; and he gave
Dejanira his tunic, which was covered with blood, poisoned and
infected by the arrow, observing that it had the power of reclaiming
a husband from unlawful loves. Dejanira accepted the present;
and when Hercules proved faithless to her bed, she sent him the
centaur’s tunic, which instantly caused his death. _See:_ Hercules.
Dejanira was so disconsolate at the death of her husband, which
she had ignorantly occasioned, that she destroyed herself. _Ovid_,
_Metamorphoses_, bks. 8 & 9.――_Diodorus_, bk. 4.――_Seneca_,
_Hercules_.――_Hyginus_, fable 34.

=Deicoon=, a Trojan prince, son of Pergasus, intimate with Æneas. He
was killed by Agamemnon. _Homer_, _Iliad_, bk. 4, li. 534.――――A son
of Hercules and Megara. _Apollodorus_, bk. 2, ch. 7.

=Dēĭdămīa=, a daughter of Lycomedes king of Scyros. She bore a son
called Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, to Achilles, who was disguised at
her father’s court in woman’s clothes, under the name of Pyrrha.
_Propertius_, bk. 2, poem 9.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 3, ch. 13.――――A
daughter of Pyrrhus, killed by the Epirots. _Polyænus._――――A
daughter of Adrastus king of Argos, called also Hippodamia.

=Deilēon=, a companion of Hercules in his expedition against the
Amazons. _Flaccus_, bk. 5, li. 115.

=Deilŏchus=, a son of Hercules.

=Deimăchus=, a son of Neleus and Chloris, was killed, with all his
brothers, except Nestor, by Hercules. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 9.
――――The father of Enarette. _Apollodorus_, bk. 1, ch. 7.

=Deiŏces=, a son of Phraortes, by whose means the Medes delivered
themselves from the yoke of the Assyrians. He presided as judge
among his countrymen, and his great popularity and love of equity
raised him to the throne, and he made himself absolute, B.C. 700.
He was succeeded by his son Phraortes, after a reign of 53 years.
He built Ecbatana according to Herodotus, and surrounded it with
seven different walls, in the middle of which was the royal palace.
_Herodotus_, bk. 1, ch. 96, &c.――_Polyænus._

=Deiŏchus=, a Greek captain killed by Paris in the Trojan war. _Homer_,
_Iliad_, bk. 15, li. 341.

=Dēīŏne=, the mother of Miletus by Apollo. Miletus is often called
_Deionides_, on account of his mother. _Ovid_, _Metamorphoses_,
bk. 9, li. 442.

=Dēīŏneus=, a king of Phocis, who married Diomede daughter of Xuthus,
by whom he had Dia. He gave his daughter Dia in marriage to Ixion,
who promised to make a present to his father-in-law. Deioneus
accordingly visited the house of Ixion, and was thrown into a large
hole filled with burning coal, by his son-in-law. _Hyginus_, fables
48 & 241.――_Apollodorus_, bk. 1, chs. 7 & 9; bk. 2, ch. 4.

=Dēĭŏpēia=, a nymph, the fairest of all the 14 nymphs that attended
upon Juno. The goddess promised her in marriage to Æolus the god of
the winds, if he would destroy the fleet of Æneas, which was sailing
for Italy. _Virgil_, _Æneid_, bk. 1, li. 76.――――One of the attendant
nymphs of Cyrene. _Virgil_, _Georgics_, bk. 4, li. 343.