DRACO, a famous Athenian legislator, who succeeded Triptolemus about the thirty-ninth Olympiad, 621 b.c. Though his name occurs frequently in the writings of the ancients, yet we nowhere find so much as ten lines together concerning him and his institutions. We are informed by Suidas that he was an old man when he brought forward his celebrated code of laws. Draco may be considered as the first legislator of the Athenians, the laws of Triptolemus having been little more than precepts—"Honour your parents—worship the gods—hurt not animals." The extreme rigour of the written laws which he introduced, has been proverbial in all ages. Death is said to have been the penalty of every kind of offence; in vindication of which severity he alleged that small faults seemed to him deserving of capital punishment, and that he could find no greater for the worst crimes. Hence Demades remarked that he wrote his laws, not with ink, but with blood. It appears, however, that there were some offences which he did not punish with death; for we learn from a passage in Demosthenes that the loss of civil rights was the punishment of an attempt to alter one of his laws. The story of his having ordered prosecutions to be instituted against inanimate objects which had been instrumental in taking away life, is an absurdity which was probably invented in accordance with his well-known abhorrence of the crime of murder. The laws were for some time enforced; but the severity of their penalties gradually placed them in abeyance, and they were abolished in toto by Solon. (See Plutarch, under Solon.) The legislator was at length obliged to retire to the island of Ægina, where he died, having been suffocated, it is said, at the public theatre amidst the applauses of the people. Aristotle says (Polit. ii.) that Draco adapted his laws to the condition of the existing constitution, and that there was nothing peculiar in them beyond the severity of their penalties.—R. M., A.
* DRAEXLER-MANFRED, Karl Ferdinand, a German poet and novelist, was born at Lemberg, 17th June, 1806, and completed his education at Prague and Vienna. He began early to write for the press, and led an unsettled life at Frankfort-on-the-Maine, Meiningen, Cologne, and Darmstadt, at which latter place he was appointed editor of the Official Gazette, and dramaturg of the grand-ducal theatre. He has written some volumes of poetry, and a number of novels, tales, and sketches.—K. E.
DRAGHI, Giovanni Battista, was an Italian by birth, and is supposed to have been one of those musicians who came into England with Mary d'Este, the princess of Modena, and consort of King James II. He was a fine performer on the harpsichord, and composed and published in England many lessons for that instrument. He joined with Matthew Locke in composing the music to Shadwell's English opera of Psyche, performed in 1674; and on the decease of Locke in 1677, succeeded him in the place of organist to the queen. Although Draghi was an Italian, and many of his compositions are entirely in the Italian style, yet, during his long residence in England, he seems in a remarkable degree to have assimilated his music to that of the old English masters. This is particularly apparent in his anthem, "This is the day that the Lord hath made," and in many of the ballad airs and dance tunes composed by him. The melodies of some of the latter are singularly elegant. During the reigns of Charles II. and James, Draghi was the favourite court musician, and is supposed to have been the musical preceptor to Queen Anne. Towards the latter end of his life, he composed the music to a whimsical opera, written by Tom D'Urfey, entitled the Wonders in the Sun, or the kingdom of Birds, performed in 1706. Some of the music of this opera is deserving of the highest credit, but the piece proved unsuccessful. Pepys, in his Diary, under date of February 12, 1667, mentions having heard Draghi (at Lord Brouncker's house) sing through an act of an Italian opera, which he had written and composed at the instance of Thomas Killegrew, who had an intention of occasionally introducing such entertainments at the theatres. "I confess," says Pepys, "I was mightily pleased with the musique." It is not known whether this opera was ever produced. He also composed the original music to Dryden's celebrated Ode to St. Cecilia—from Harmony, which was performed in 1687. In the printed collections of songs published towards the latter end of the seventeenth century, we meet with many that have the name of Signor Baptist to them. This uniformly means Baptist Draghi, and not Baptist Lully, as some writers have supposed. The dates of Draghi's birth and decease are unknown.—E. F. R.
DRAGONETTI, Dominico, the doublebass player, was born in Venice in 1771, and died in London in 1846. His father Pietro lived by playing the doublebass at dances, and by giving lessons on the guitar; he had no technical knowledge of music, and played both these instruments by ear. At nine years old Dominico, whose love for music was ardent, was allowed to practise on his father's guitar; but, discontented with the limited capacity of this instrument, he persuaded a shoemaker to teach him the rudiments of music, and then began, without a master, to study the doublebass. He was afterwards placed under the instruction of Berini, who, when he had given young Dragonetti eleven lessons, dismissed him, saying he had learnt all he could teach him; and this was the only tuition on his instrument that the world-renowned artist ever received. Dragonetti made the friendship of Mestrino (a violinist who afterwards obtained some celebrity), and the two aspirants studied much together—each profiting by the other's counsel. When but thirteen years old this remarkable boy filled the responsible office of principal doublebass at the opera Buffa in his native city; and but one year later he was appointed to the same post at the opera Seria. In 1789 he was offered an engagement as principal doublebass at the chapel of S. Marco, which he declined in consideration of Berini, who held the appointment; but his old master went to him, acknowledged his superior merit, and persuaded him to accept the post which he resigned in his favour; and the veteran receiving a pecuniary indemnification, the stripling virtuoso took his place. He was no less noted for his sole performances than for his orchestra playing; and finding no music for the doublebass of sufficient difficulty to exhibit his powers, he frequently executed concertos written for other instruments, and he wrote pieces to display his own peculiarities. While fulfilling a temporary engagement at Vicenza, he obtained a doublebass which had belonged to the convent of S. Pietro, the manufacture of Gasparo di Salo, master of Andrea Amati. This singularly fine instrument was always after his favourite for performance, and it became widely famous while in his hands. In 1795 he obtained leave of absence from the chapel of S. Marco to visit London; but his success here was such as to induce him to resign his appointment in Venice, and remain in England for the rest of his long life. His solo playing was here admired by all who heard him, and was wondered at by those who understood the difficulties of his unwieldy instrument; but, for many years before his death, he discontinued the performance of those feats of agility in which, as a young man, he defied all emulation. On his arrival in London he was engaged as chief doublebass at the King's theatre, where he played out of the book with Linley, the violoncellist; and these two remained at the same post, and appeared also together at the Philharmonic concerts, and at every other musical performance of highest pretensions throughout the country, until a very short time before Dragonetti's death, when the infirmities of age compelled him to rest from his labours. Dragonetti bequeathed a valuable collection of classical Italian music to the British museum. It is generally understood that we owe to the example of Dragonetti, which, on account of his transcendent merit, is followed by all doublebass players in England—the restriction of the doublebass in this country to the Italian compass of three strings, omitting the fourth string used in Germany, and thus we lose an effect of depth and sonority in the orchestra which nothing can replace. It is said also that the common practice with indifferent players of jerking the prominent notes of passages, is an exaggerated imitation of the mannerism of this master. If these two current creeds be correct, the present generation pays a costly price for our fathers' enjoyment of the talent of a great artist.—G. A. M.
DRAGUT, a famous Turkish corsair, born, it is said, of christian parents in Natolia, but the date of his birth is uncertain. At an early age he was distinguished for his courage and skill in the use of arms; and having entered the service of the sultan, he was speedily promoted to the rank of captain, and obtained the command of a squadron of twelve ships. He rendered himself so formidable by ravaging the coasts of Italy and the islands that the Genoese sent a fleet against him in 1548, and he was captured along with all his vessels on the coast of Corsica by the celebrated Andrea Doria. Dragut was conveyed to Genoa and cast into prison, where he was kept for four years until ransomed by the famous Barbarossa his rival. On regaining his liberty Dragut was reinstated in his command. Dragut performed several brilliant exploits on the coasts of Italy
