Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 1.djvu/586

 Dtk

t 220 ]

DIS

are feverally heard ; Or of three Vowels in the fame Syllable, which only afford two Sounds in the Pronunciation

On this laft Occafion, Dipthongs with regard to the Ear, are Tripthonss with regard to the Eye.

Englifh Oiifithongs, with regard both to the Eye and Ear, call'd "Proper Dif thongs, area/, as in fair ; Ml, in Zand; ee, in bleed ; »i, in void; 00, in Food ; and on,

m Englifh jmfrofer Difthongs, or Difthongs with re- gard \o the Eye, are m, pronounced only like a ; as in Aaron; ea, like a, as in Smear, Heart 5 or like e, as al- ready ■ or like ee, as Veal : eo, like e, in ftofee 5 or ike c in George ■ en, or ew, like «, as "Deuteronomy : le, like «' as Cielvig, Field : ei, like a, in /«/£», or like e, in Z)e- c «j • oa, as in CAm*, Doat : oe, as in Soe, Oeconomy : i,e as in «w/} : And Bfc as guile, recruit.

The Word is form'd from the Latin Diphthongus, and that from the Greek t,$'*tytf, which fignifies the fame Thing.

D1PTOTES, in Grammar, a Kind of irregular Nouns, having no more but two Cafes : As, Stiffen*, Stiff etias, &c. Sec Case.

DIRECT in Opticks. DireB Vifion is that perform d by iheS Rays • in Contra-diftinffion to Vifion by refracted, or reflected Rays. See Vision.

DireB Vifion, is the Subjeft of Opticks, which pre- fcr-ibes the Laws, and Rules thereof. S:e Opticks.

Direct Rays are thofe which pafs in right Lines from the Luminary to the Eye, without being turn'd out of their Rectilinear Direction by any intermediate Body, either opake, or pellucid. Sec Ray.

Direct, in Arithmetic. The Rule of three DireB is that oppofite to the Inverfi. In the DireB, the 4th Num- ber required increafes the Proportion ; and in the Inverfe diminifl-.es it. See Rule of 'Proportion.

Direct, in Aflronomy. We conlider the Planets in three Stares, viz. direB, ftationary, and retrograde. See PLA- NET. ,- r

They are faid to be direB, when they appear to move tor- ward, according to the Succeflion of the Signs ; and retro- grade, when they go the contrary Way. See Retrogra- dation, and Station.

Direct, in Matters of Genealogy, is underftood of the principal Line, or the Line of Afcendants, and Defendants; in Contra-diHinction to the Collateral-Line. See Line.

Thus the Houfe of Bourbon is faid to defcend in a direB Line from St. Louis. ,

The Heirs in a diretl Line always precede thole in the Collateral Lines. See Collateral.

A very good Hittorian ufes the Phrafe Direct Speech, or Hftraneae, when he introduces any one freaking, or haran- guing of Eimfelf j And he calls it Indirect, when the Hifto- rianlpeafe' and only rehearfes the chief Points ot the Per- fon mentioned.

cErefi-)

DIRECT A Baft > "Dials are thofe whofe Planes lye (.Weil 3 directly open to the Eaft, or Weft-Points of the Heavens, or parallel to the Meridian of the Place. See Dial.

Direct^/,, otNorth^lf; tilng} 23 ^- &e DliL '

Direct Sphere. See Right Sphere.

DIRECTION, in Aflronomy, the Motion, and other Phe- nomena of a Planer, when diretl. See Station, and Re- trooradation. •

Direction, in Aflrology, is a Kind of Calculus, whereby they pretend to find the 'lime wherein any notable Acci- dent fhall befal the Pcrfon whofe Horolcope is drawn. See Horoscope.

For Inftancc, having cflablifh'd the Sun, Moon, or Aicen- danr, as Mailers, or Significators of Life; and Mars, or Sa- turn, asPromifers, or Portcnders of Death ; Direction is a Calculation of the Time whetein the Significator mall meer the Portender.

The Significator rhey likewife call Aphetes, or Giver of Life ; and the Promifer, Aneretes, "Promijfor, or Giver of

They work the DireBions of all the principal Points of the Heavens, and Stars, as the Afc ndant, Mid-heaven, Sun, Moon and Part of Fortune. The like is done for the Pla- nets and fix'd Stars, but all differently, according ro the dif- ferent Authors.

Direction, or Line of Direction, in Mechanicks, is par- ticularly ufed for a Line palling from the Centre of the Earth thro' the Centre of Gravity of a Body, and the Support or Fulcrum rhat bears it. A Man mutt neceffary fall down as foon as the Centre of his Gravity is out of the Line of DireBion. See Centre, &c.

Direction of the Load-fione, that Property whereby the Magnet always prefents one of its Sides towards one of

the Poles of the World, and the oppofite Side to the other Pole. See Magnet, and Pole.

The Attractive Property of rhe Magnet was (hewn long before its DireBive ; and the DireBive long before the Inclinatory. See Needle, Compass, SSc.

Direction Magnetical, is alfo ufed in the general for the Tendency, or Turning of the Earth, and all Magnetical Bo- dies to certain Points. See Magnet, and Magnetism.

The Situation of our Earth, we know, is fuch, that its Axis is in the Axis of the Univerfe ; and therefore its Poles, and Cardinal Poinrs, exactly correspond to thofe thereof. This Situation fome account for hence, that it is the moft commodious with regard to the Afpects, and Influences of the heavenly Bodies, and renders it the fitted Habitation for Man. Others hold this Pofition of the Earrh an Effect of a Magnetic Virtue ; and fuppofc a Celeftial Pole, endued with a like Magnetic Virtue ; which exrending as far as our Earth, draws the correfpondent Part thereof, the Pole, to- wards ir felf. See Earth, and Pole.

_£/*e a/Direction, in Mechanicks, that wherein a Body moves, or endeavours to proceed. See Line.

An<e,le of Dieection, in Mechanicks, is rhat compre- hended between the Lines of DireBion of two confpiring Powers. Sec Angle.

DIRECTLY. In Geometry, we fay, two Lines lie di- retlly againft each other, when they are Parts of the fame right Line.

In Mechanicks, a Body is faid ro ftrike, or impinge direB- ly againft anorher, if ir ftrike in a right Line perpendicu- lar to the Point of Contact.

A Sphere, particularly, flrikes direBly againft another, when the Line of DireBion paffes through both their Cen- tres. See Percussion.

DIRECTOR 'Penis, in Anatomy, a Mufcle of the Penis, call'd more u r ually EreBor. See Erector.

DIRIGENT, a Term in Geometry, exprefling the Line of Motion, along which the defcribent Line, or Surface is carried in the Genefis of any Plane, or folid Figure. See Ge- nesis.

Thus, if the Line AB (Tab. Geometry Fig-r,-} move pa- rallel ro it felf, and along the Line AC, fo that the Point A always keeps in the Line AC, a 'Parallelogram, as ABCD, will be form'd, of which the Side AB is the Defcri- bent, and the Line AC the Dirigent : So alfo, if the Sur- face ABCD be fuppofed to be carried along the Line CE, in a Pofition always parallel to it felf in its firft Situation, the Solid ADFH will be form'd, where the Surface AD is the Defcribenr, and the Line CE is the Dirigent.

DIS, a Particle infeparable from divers Words; the Ef- fect whereof is, either ro give them a Significarion con- rrary to what the fimple Words had ; As in Dijgrace, Dijparity, Difprofortion, &c. Or to intimate a Separa- tion, Detachment, Diftribution, tSc. as in iifceming, dif- courfing, diflraBinz, diffofing, &c.

DISABILITY, in Law, is when a Man is difalled, i. e. made incapable ro inherit, or take the Benefit, which other- wife he might do ; which may happen four Ways, viz. by the AS of the Ancettor ; by the AS of the Party ; by the Act of Law; and by the Act of God.

Disability by the A3 of the Ancejlor is, if a Man be attainted of Treafon, or Felony ; by this Attainder his Blood is corrupted, and thereby himfelf and his Children are difabled to inherit.

Disability by the A3 of the Tarty himfelf, as if one Man make a Feoffment to another, who then is fole, up- on Condition, that he fhall enfeoff a Third before N, and when fuch Feoffment is made, the Feoffee takes a Wife; he has by that difabled himfelf to perform rhe Condition, according to the Truft in him repofed, and therefore the Feoffer may enter, and out him. Alfo, if a Man be excom- municated, he cannot, during that Time, fue any Action, but fhall be thereby difabled, and fo in other Cafes.

Disability in A3 of Lain, is properly, when a Man by rhe fole Act of Law is difabled ; Thus is an Alien born ; and therefore, if a Man born out of the King's Li- geancc, will fue an Action, the Tenant, or Defendant, may fay, he was born in fuch a Country out of the King's Li- geance, and demand Judgment, if he be anfwered ; for the Law is our Birth-Right, to which an Alien is a Stran- ger, and therefore difabled from taking any Benefit thereby.

Disability by the A3 of God, as when rhe Party is jtfon Compos Mentis, or, Noufaine Memorise, which fo dif- ables him, that in all Cafes, where he gives, or paffes any Thing, or Eftare out of him, after his Death it may be difannull'd, and voided.

DISC, DISK, or Difcus, in Antiquity, a Kind of round Quoit, or Paler of Stone, or Metal, about a Foot over, ufed by the Ancients in their Exercifes. See Exercise.

The Difcus of the Ancients was flat and round, re- fembling the apparent Figure of the Sun.

The