Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 06.djvu/243

* DIAMOND NECKLACE. 203 DIANA, Countess was found guilty of the theft of the neck- luce, and was bOiileuced to be scourged, branded, iuid imprisoned for life. Her husband, who luid succeeded in avoiding arrest, was condemned to the galleys as her accomplice. Rohan and C'agli- ostro were found guilty of criminal intent, and tlie Cardinal was declared an innocent dupe. The Countess succeeded in escajjing from prison, and took up her residence in London, where she died miserably in 1791. From the evidence adduced during the trial, from the conduct of tlie principal characters after the revelation, and from a comparison of the Memoirs subsequently published by the Coun- tess Laniotte, and by tleorgel, the private secre- tary of Rohan, Michelet was led to believe that the Countess's account of the disappearance of the necklace is, on the whole, the most reasonable. Against Rohan, who declared that the jewels had been stolen by the Countess and disposed of in London by her husband, she maintained that only the smaller stones had been removed and sold in London, and that the proceeds of the sale had been spent by Rohan and his suite. The larger stones, she insisted, had been de- livered in good faith to the Queen's messenger, and if they were intercepted, it must have been done by Rohan himself. In so far as regards the Queen, ilichelet believes that she was a party to the intrigue with Rohan, into which she entered, probably, out of a well-known predilec- tion for risque escapades. He hints, also, that the Queen in fact did receive the jewels, but that the Countess was condemned and Rohan excul- pated to save !Marie Antoinette's good name. The Affair of the Diamond Xeeklace played no small part in hastening the approach of the French Revolution by bringing the monarchy and the Court into greater disrepute than ever. The populace of Paris seized upon the occasion to vent their hatred against the Austrian woman. The Parlement itself was by no means unwilling to condemn the Countess Lamotte, since, in doing so, it was virtually striking at the Queen, whose agent, according to popular opinion, she was. Consult : Jlichelet, Ilistoire dc France, vol. svi. (Paris. ISfi") : Carlyle, The Diamond Xeeklace: Campardon. Marie Antoinette et le procis du collier (Paris, 1862) ; Combes, Marie Antoinette et I'intrigue du collier (Paris, 1770). The so- called Memoirs of the Countess Laniotte. pub- lished in London in 1791. are valuable, though requiring to be used with the utmost caution. The Memoirs of Georgel. Campan. and Beugnot are also important sources of information. The best account of the whole affair is to be found in Funck-Brentano. Thr Diamond yceklace (Enii. trnns., Xow Yr.rk. 1901). DIAMOND RATTLESNAKE. See Rattle- snake. DIAMOND-SNAKE (so called from the dia- mondshajied marks on its skin). (1) An Aus- tralian python, or rock-snake (Python si>ilotis), which was long regarded as one of the two spe- cies of the genus ilorelia. the other being the so-called carpet-snake ( Morclia variegata) . The two are now considered varieties of a single hiihly variable species of true python, the richly colored variety called diamond-snake being espe- cially abundant in Victoria, while the so-called oarpet-snake is v idelv scattered throighout .us. tralia. It is about six feet long, of rather heavy Vol,. VI.— H. form, and inhabits nearly every region that offers shelter, though stony ridges supplied with trees and well watered seem to be its favorite haunt. Us food consists of small mam- mals, birds, and birds' eggs and young, and ii frequently raids the poultry yards" of the fann- ers. Though able to bite severely when irritated, it is not poisonous. It makes a sort of nest of dry grass or other soft materials within a hollow log, or similar place, and lays its eggs in a pile, which it guards. The colors varj- from glo.ssy black, with bright yellow spots, one on eacli scale, and forming an arrangement of lozengc- sliapcd markings, with the abdomen yellow and black, as in the true diamond-snake, to the green- ish, irregularly marked coloration of the 'carpet' variety. (2) In Tasmania, a local venomous serpent [Holocephalus superbiis) . See De.th-.ddeb. DIAMOND STATE, The. Delaware. See States, Popilar Xaiies of. DIAMONIJ WEDDING. See Wedding A.- X1VEI;SARIES. DIA'NA (Lat.. OLat. Jana, fem. of Janus, probably connected with Lat. Jupiter, Gk. A)6r, Dios, of Zeus, Skt. die, sky). A Roman goddess, corresponding in most of" her attributes to the Greek Artemis. According to the common myths, she was the daughter of Zeus and Leto. the "twin sister of Apollo, and therefore worshiped witii him at Delos, Jlilctus, and many other places. There seems good reason for believing that this connection with Apollo is one of the later develop- ments of the worshij) of Artemis. It exercised, in time, a powerful influence on literature, art, and religion. To this aspect of Artemis belongs the conception of her virgin purity, a quality which she was supposed to require strictly from others, especially from her priests and priestesses. From the fifth centurj- B.C., Artemis is frequently identified by the poets with Selene, the moon- goddess, and Hecate, while still later she was connected with numerous foreign deities, in whose worship the Greeks thought they found kindred rites. Such were the Persian' Anaitis from the Oxus, the Thracian Bendis, the Cretan Britomartis or Dictynna. the goddess of the Taurie Chersonese (the Crimea), who was wor- shiped with human sacrifices, and, above all, the great nature-goddess who was the chief deity of Ephesus, where her temple was the wonder of the world. In archaic art, Artemis often appears as winged and grasping two lions or other wild animals, the so-called 'Persian Artemis': but later the prevailing type is that of the huntress, with high-girded tunic, armed with bow and quiver, and sometimes grasping a deer. She also appears in long, flowing robes, and. as Selene, wears the crescent moon on her forehead. The Romans identified with the Greek Artemis their Italian goddess Diana, who was also a nature-goddess. Her worship was rapidly Helle- nizcd. but the cult in the grove at Xemi (q.v.) was long preserved. The distinguishing feature of this sanctuary was that the priest must win his position by killing his predecessor; a require- ment which in historic times led to this place being filled with runaway slaves. Consult. Frazer. Golden Itourjh (3 vols.. London. 1900). The conception of this goddess is singularly devoid of unity, and there is much in the legends and cults which suggests the union under a com-