Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/538

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DECUPLE, in Arithmetic, a Term of Relation, or Proportion, implying a Thing to be ten times as much as another. See Ratio.

DECURIO, the Chief, or Commander of a De- cury, both in the Roman Army, and in the College, or Affembly of the People. See Dicrav.

Decurio Municipalis, was a Name given to the Senators of the Roman Colonies. See Municipal.

They were call'd DecW'Ories, by Reafon their Court, or Company, confided of ten Peribns. By means here- of the Cities of Italy, at leaft fuch as had Colonies, had a Share, under Augustus, in the Election of the Ro- man- Magistrates ; The Decuriones, or Senators of thofe Cities, iwving Suffrages therein, which they fent, feal'd up to Rome, a little before the Election.

Decurio was alfo a Name given to certain Priefts Intended, as it mould feem, for fome particular Sacri- fices, cr other religious Ceremonies ; or for the Sacri- fices of private Pamilics and Houfes, as Struvius conjectures, who thence derives their Name. But be the Origin of the Name what it will, we have an In- fcription in Gruter, which confirms what we have faid of their Funaion. ANCHIALVS. CVB. AED. Q. TER. IN. AEDE. DECVRIO. ADLECTVS. EX. CONSENSV. DECVRIONVM. FAMILIAE. VOLVNTATE. Where we have a Decurio in the Houfe of a private Perfon, g>. Terentius.

DECURY, ten Perfons rang'd under one Chief, or Commander, call'd Decurio. See Decurio.

The Roman Cavalry was divided into Declines.

Romulus divided the whole Roman People into three 'Tribes ; over each of which he appointee! a Tribune : Each Tribe he fubdivided into ten Centuries, with Cen- turions at their Heads : And eaeh Century he fubdi- vided further into ten Decuries, over each of which a Decurio commanded.

DECUSSATION, in Geometry, Opticks, Anato- my, £5V. The Point wherein two Lines, Rays, or Nerves, $$c. crofs, or interfect each other : Or the Action it felf, ofCroffing.

The Optic Nerves of both Eyes are commonly fup- pofed to declljfate e'ro they reach the Brain 5 to which Decujfation, many Authors attribute it, that we fee fingle with two Eyes : Others deny any De- cujfation. See Optic Nerve, Vision, C?c.

The Rays of Light decuffate in the Cryftalline, e're they reach the Retina. See Crystalline.

There arc divers Mufcles, Membranes, &c. that decuf- fate ; their Fibres running over each other under greater or lefs Angles ; and by that means giving both Strength and Conveniency of Motion different Ways.

DECUSSORIUM, is a Surgeon's Inftrument, where- with the dura Mater is preffed down in the Ope- ration of Trepanning, to fave it from Damage.

DECIPHERING, the Art, or Act of finding the Alphabet of a Cypher, or of Explaining a Letter wrote in Cypher. See Cypher.

Every Language has peculiar Rules of Decypher- itig. Jaques Gefvry has published the Principles ofZte- cyphering the French ; wherein the Rules proper to that Language are laid down. The principal, we /hall here add as a Specimen in this Kind. As, firft, that when a Character is found alone, it mufl either be an A, T, or an O, thefe being the only Letters in the Al- phabet that make Words fingly. Secondly, the Cha- racter that occurs the ofteneft in a Writing to be de- cypher' d is ordinarily an E ; this being the mofi com- mon Letter in that Language. Thirdly, To know the V, you muft take the Character that is always pre- ceeded by one certain other, which will be the <%. Fourthly, The I is alfo known by means of the ^, for fince §>UE, and S>UI, are the only Syllables in the French Tongue that begin with £>j whenever you find a Word of three Characters, whereof the firft is a <$, and the laft is not an E, it muft be an /. Fifthly, In all Words of two Letters, one of them is a Vowel. Sixthly, Of the three firft Characters of a Word, one of rhem is a Vowel. Seventhly, The Vowels being once decy- fher'd ; the Confonants are readily found by the Conne- xion certain Confonants ufually have with certain Vowels.

DEDI, in Law, a Warranty given to the Feoffee and his Heirs. See Warranty.

DEDICATION, the Act of Confccrating a Temple, Altar, Statue, Place, i£c. to the Honour of fome Deity. See Temple, Altar, Church, &c.

The Ufe of Dedications is very ancient both among the Worlhippers of the true God, and among the Heathens. The Hebrews call it ro:n hhamtcha, Ini- tiation, which the Greek Tranflators render 'EJusinc, and 'EJwwf*, Renewing. In the Scripture we meet

with Dedications of the Tabernacle, of Altars of the firl» and fecond Temple, and even of the Houfes of orivJf Perfons. Numb. VIII. 10, n, 84, 88. De-t y7 9 88. id of Kings V. 63. 2d Chronic. VII \ ', a IrV' VI.1M7. 2dJpr.XII.27. Tfalm.XXlX.i £ IX. 18. There are alfo Dedications of Veil'els and Gar- ments of the Priefts, and Levites, and even of the Mrii themfelves.

Under the Chriftian Difpenfation, we call thofe Ce- remonies Confecrations, SenediSions, Ordinations &c and not Dedications, which is only applied to Places" See therefore, Consecration, Benediction, and Ordination.

The Feafcofthe Dedication, or rather the Feaft- Day of the Saint, and Patron of a Church, call'd in our Law-Books, ike. Dedicare, was celebrated not only by the Inhabitants of the Place, but by thofe of all the neighbouring Villages, who ufually reforted thither. And fuch Aflemblies were authorized by the King. Ad De- dications, ad Synodos, £J?c. venientes fit fumma 'Pax. The Cuftom is ftill retain'd in divers Places, under the Name of Wakes, ot Vigils. See Wake.

The Fleathens had alfo Dedications of Temples, Al- tars, and Statues of their Gods, iSc. Nebucho'dono- far had a Dedication of his Statue, Daniel 111 2. 'Pilate dedicated gilt Bucklers at Jerusalem to Tibe- rius, Philo de Legat. 'Petronius would have dedi- cated a Statue to the Emperor in rhe fame City. ibid. p. 791. Lycophron fpeaks of the Dedication of the Temple of Parthenope. Tacitus Hift. Lib. IV. C. 53. mentions the Dedication of the Capitol, upon Rebuild- ing it by Vefpafian, Sic. Thefe Dedications were per- formed with Sacrifices proper to the Deity they were offer'd to ; but were never practifed without Permif- fion. Among the Greeks, it does not appear who gave the Permituon : But among the Romans, it was the Ma- gistrate.

The Jews celebrated the Dedication of their Tem- ple every Year for eight Days. This was firft enjoyn'd by Judas Maccabeus, and the whole Synagogue, in the Year of the Syromacedonian Air a 14.8. i.e. 16 a. Years before Chrift.

The Heathens had the like Anniverfaries, as that of the Dedication of the Temple of parthenope, mention'd by Lycophron.

Under Chriftianity, Dedication is only applied to a Church; and is properly the Confecration thereof, per- formed by a Bifhop, with a Number of Ceremonies pre- fcrib'd by the Church. The Christians finding them- felves at Liberty under Conflantine, in lieu of their ruin- ous Churches, built new Ones in every Place - and de- dicated them with a deal of Solemnity. The Dedi- cation was ufually performed in a Synod ; at leaft they affembled a Number ofBifhops, to affift at the Ser- vice. We have the Defection of thofe of the Churches at Jerufalem, and Tyre, in Eufebius, and many others in later Writers. In the Sacramentany of Geiafus the Dedication of the Baptistery, is deliver'd Separately from that of the Church, which was perform^ with lefs Ceremony than at prefect.

DEDIMUS cpoteftatem, in Law, a Writ whereby CommiSTlon is given to one, or more private Perfons for the Expedition of fome Act belonging to a Jud^e. The Civilians call it Delegatio. It is granted moft commonly uponSuggeftion, that the Party, who is to do Something before a Judge, or m a Court, is fo weak he cannot travel ItsUle is various ; as, to take a perianal Anfwcr to a Bill in Chancery ; to examine Witneffes, levy a-fine t$c

DEDUCTION, in Commerce, a fubflracling or re- trenching a little Sum payd from a greater regaining to pay. See Substraction.

When you have made a Deduftion of 300 1. which I fent you, from rhe 500, which you lent me, there will only remain 2C0 due.

DEED, Faclum, in Law, an Instrument written on Paper, or Parchment, confifting of three Things: to. Writing, Sealing, and Delivery ; and comprehending a Contract, or Bargain between Party and Party

Of thefe there are two Sorts : Deeds indented, and Deeds foil -, which Denominations arife from the Form arid Fafhion thereof ; the one being cut in, and oat in the T°P. » r SlAe, call'd Indented; and the other f lain. A Deed Indented, or Indenture, confifts of two Parts, or more, (for there are tripartite, quadripartite, fep- tempartite, &c. Deeds) wherein it is exprefs'd, rhat the Parties thereto have to ctery Part thereof interchangeably fet their feveral Seals. The Caufe of their Indenting is, that, whereas the feveral Parties have each of them one, the Indenture may make it appear, that they be- long to one and the fame Contract, by their tallying. See Indentvre,