Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/559

 DEV

DEU

the Rocket rifes a great Pitchj tho' it only endures a little while ■ f° ir ^ oes not concern me to live long, provided T attain to Glory, and Eminence : which is a juft Compa- rifon. See Comparison.

On this footing, a Devife, to define it rightly, is a painted Metaphor; or rather, an Enigma inverted : For, whereas Enigma's reprefent Nature, or Art, by the Events of Hiftory, -u'.cTthe Adventures of Fables, a Devife is a Reprcfentation of human Qualities by natural, or artificial Bodies. Thus, to exprefs the Character of Louis XIV. a Sun was painted, which yef> luminous as it is, has more Virtue than Luftre. J\nd the better to determine the Senfe of the Painting to this Signification, the C aft it Han Motto is added, Masvirmd ^Lfjj&k The perfonal Merit of Mary, Queen of Scots, was reprefented by a Pomegranate, with thefe Words, Mon tprix n eft pas de ma Couronne. And the Talent of an Apo- ilolicalPer.'bn, who became all Things to all Men, by a Look- inp-GIafs, with thofe Words of St. Waul, Omnibus Omnia.

3)evifes are ufed on Coins, Counters, Seals, Shields, Tri- umphal Arches, Artificial Fire-Worts, and other Solemni- ties. They are a Sort of Images, very pertinently, and art- fully reprefenting the Enterprizes, and Intrigues of War, Love, Piety, Study, Fortune, &c.

The French have diftinguifti'd themfelves in this Way, especially fince the Time of Cardinal Maz-arm, who had a wonderful Fancy for them.

The Italians have reduced the Making of Devife s into an Art, and laid down the Laws, and Rules thereof. Some bf the principal are, i. That there be nothing monftrous, or extravagant in the Figures; nothing contrary to the Na- ture of Things, or to the common Opinion of Mankind. 2, That Figures be not joyn'd which have no Affinity, or Relation to each other; the Metaphor being to be founded en fomething real, and not on Hazard, or Imagination; ex-

cepting

fome whimfical Unions eitablifti'd in Fables, which

Cuftom, and the Authority of the Poets have made pafs for Natural. 3. That the humanBody be never taken into De- I'ifes; as this would be to compare a Man with himfelf. 4. That there be a Sort of Unity in the Figures that make the Body : We don't mean, that there muft only be a fim- plc Figure; but that, if there be feveral, they have a Relation, and Subordination to each other : So that there be one principal Figure, whereon all the reft depend. Tho' ft ill the fewer Figures there are in the Body of the Devife, and the lefs they are confufed, the more perfect and elegant is the 'Devife. 5. The Motto, which is to animate the Fi- gure, mult agree fo accurately thereto, as that it could not Jerve for any other. 6. Nothing to be named that appears to the Eye, and which the bare Infpecfion may make known. 7. The Motto not to have a compleat Senfe ofitfelf; for being to make a Compound with the Figure, it muft only be a Part, and consequently muft not fignify the whole. If the Words alone have a compleat Signification, you have a foil, and diftinft Notion independently of the Figure; whereas the Signification mould refult from both. 8. The Shorter the Motto, the more beautiful : and a Sufpenfion of the Senfe, which leaves fomewhat toguefs, is one of the prin- cipal Graces of the Devife. Laftly, it is accounted aHap- pinefs, where the Words of a Poet are applied in a Senfe which he never drcam'd of, and yet fo pertinently, that it fhould feem they had been intended for the fame.

DEVISE, or DEVISE, incommonLaw, the Aft where- by a Tcftator gives, or bequeaths his Lands, or Goods, by his laft Will in Writing : He who makes the 'Devife being calFd the Devifor, ancUie, to whom it is made, the D&vifee. The Words of a Will, the kaw interprets in a larger, and more favourable Senfe, than thofc of a Deed : For if Land be devifed to a Man to have to him for ever, or to have to him, and his Affigns; In thofe Cafes theDevifee ihall have a Fee fimple.Yet if given in the fame Manner by Feoffment, he has but an Eftate for Life. So, if one devijel-.&na\ to an Infant in his Mother's Belly; it is a good and valid De- vife; tho' 'tis otherwife by Feoffment, Grant, or Gift : for in thofe Cafes there ought to be one of Ability, to receive prefently, otherwife it is void. See Will, and Deed.

DEUNX, a Divifion of the Roman Libra, or Pound; containing 1 1 Ounces; or eleven 'twelfths of any Thing. See As, and Libra.

DEVOLVED, fomething acquired by Right of Devo- lution. See Devolution.

Such a Right is devolved to the Crown. Such a Succef-

fion devolved to N by the Death ofN....

The Word isalfo ufed for a Right acquired by a Superior of conferring a Benefice, when the Inferior, and Ordinary Col- lator, has neglecfed to confer, or has conferr'd it on an un- qualified Perfon. If a Patron neglects to prefent to a Bene- fice j n £ x Months, the Presentation devolves upon the ■Bifliop, and from thence to the Primate.

DEVOLUTION^ a Right acquired by Succcfllon, from one Degree to another.

Devolution in general, is an Impediment provided by theCuftoms of feveral Nations, whereby the Husband who

furvives his Wife, or the Wife Surviving her Husband, is pro- hibited to alienate the real, and immoveable Effects of the deceafed, and obliged to preferve them for the Children iffued from that Marriage. So that they fucceed thereto in Exclufion of thofe born of a fecond Marriage. DEVOTION, afincerc, ardent Wor/hip of God, Monfr. jfurieu defines Devotion a Softening, and Yield- ing of Heart, with an inward Confolation, which the Soul of the Faithful feels in the Exercifes of Piety.

Under the Name of Devotions, are ufually underftood cer- tain Religious Practices, which a Perfon makes it a Law with him to difcharge regularly; and with Reafon; this Exacti- tude be founded on folid Piety; otherwife 'tis Vanity, or Superftition.

Among the Romans, Devotion was a Sort of Sacrifice, or Ceremony, whereby they confecrated themfelves to the Service of fome Perfon. The Ancients had a Notion, that the Life of one might be redeem'd by the Death of another; And hence were thofe Devotions fo frequent for the Lives of the Emperors. See Vota.

_ The Devotion of Decius, who, after devoting himfelf to his Country, threw himfelf into the Hands of his Enemies, and was kill'd, is faid to have gain'd the Romans the Vic- tory.

But Devotion to any particular Perfon was not known till Auguftus. The Day after the Title Atigvftus had been given OBavius; Tacuvius, aTribune of the People, began to fay, he would devote, and confecrate himfelf to him, as was pra&ifed among the barbarous Nations, to obey him, even at the Expcnce of Life, if he were commanded. His Example was immediately followed by all the reft 5 and it came at length to be eftablifh'd into a Cuftom, never to go to falute the Emperor, without declaring they were devoted to him. Auguftus, tho 1 feeming to oppofe this vile and infamous Flattery, yet rewarded the Author.

DEVOURING, inHeraldry. When Fifties are born in an Efcutcheon in a feeding Pofture, the Heralds denominate it by devouring; by reafon Fifties {wallow all their Food whole. See Fishes.

DEUTERONONTCAL, in the School -Theology, a Term applied to certain Books of Holy Scripture, which were added to the Canon after the reft; either by reafon they were not wrote till after the Compilation of the Canon, or by reafon of fome Difpute as to their Canonicity. See Canon.

The Jews, 'tis certain, acknowledge feveral Books in their Canon, which were put there later than the reft. They fay, that under Efdras, a great Aflembly of their Doctors, which they call by Way of Eminence, the Great Synagogue, made the Collection of the Sacred Books, which we now have in the Old Hebrew Teftament. And they agree, that they put Books therein which had not been fo before the Sa- bylonifj Captivity; fuch are thofe of Daniel, Ezekiel, Haggai, ckc. and thofe of Efdras, and Nehemia.

And the Church has fince added others to the Canon, that were not, nor could not be in the Canon of the Jews; by reafon fome of them, were not compofed till after. Such is the Book of Ecclefafticm; with feveral of the Apocry- phal Hooks, admitted by the Romanics, as the Macchabees, Wifdom, ckc. Others were added ft ill later, by reafon their Canonicity had not been yet examin'd : And till fuch Exa- men, and Judgment they might befet a-fide at Pieafure.

But fince Jhe has pronounced as to the Canonicity of thefe Books, there is no more room now to doubt of them, than there was for the Jews to doubt of thofe of the Canon of Ef- dras. And the Deuterononical Books arc as Canonical, as the Proto-canonical. The only Difference between them confifting in this, that the Canonicity of the one was not ge- nerally known, examin'd, and fettled fo foon as that of the others.

The Deuterononical Books in our Canon, are the Book of Eft her, either the whole, or at leaft the feven laft Chap- ters thereof. The Epiftle to the Hebrews; that of 7amest and that of Jude-j the fecond of St. iPe^r 3 the fecond, and third of St. John; and the Revelation. The Dsute-- rononical Parts of 'Books, a.ve, in Daniel, the Hymn of the three Children; the Prayer of dzariah $ theHiftories of Sufannah, offfel, and the Dragon; the laft Chapter of St. Mark; the bloody Sweat, and the Appearance of the Angel, related in St. Luke Chapter XXII; and the Hiftory of the adulterous Woman in St. John, Chapter Vlll.

The Word is Greek, being compounded of sTsu'rspofj Se* cond, and KavoviKte, Canonical.

DEUTERONOMY, one of the Sacred Books of the Old Teftament; being the laft of thofe wrote by Mofes. See Pentateuch.

It does not appear, that Mofes made any Divifion of what he wrote into Books; or that he gave different Names and Titles to the different Parts of his Work; nor do the Jews, even at this Day, diftinguifh them in the Co- pies they ufe in the Synagogues; but write them all run- nine as one finde Work, without any other Diftin£tion be- b fa fid*