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Mr. Groddeck Coming from the Historical to the Moral Consideration, maintains that the Profeffion of a Rope- dancer is not allowable ; that the Profeilbrs are infamous, and their Art of no Ufe to Society ; that they expofe their Bodies to very great Dangers; and that they ought not to be tolerated in a well regulated State. But coming after- wards to temper the Severity of his Morals, he allowsthat there are fometimes Reafons for admitting them. That the People muSt have Shews ; that one of the Secrets of Government is to furnifh tbem therewith, &c.
The ancient Rofe-dancers had four feveral Ways of Ex- ercising their Art ; The firft. vaulted or turn'd round the Rope, like a Wheel round its Axis, and there hung by the Heels, or the Neck. The fecond flew or Aid from above, downwards, refting on their Stomachs with the Arms and Legs extended. The third run along a Rope ftretch'd in a right Line, or up and down. Laftly, the fourth not only walk'd on a Rope, but made furprizing Leaps and Turns thereon. See SchoenobAtes.
DANEGELT, or DANEGELD (Gelt infDutcb fig- nifying Money) was an ancient Tribute or Contribution, ■which theDanes impofed on the Englifo, as the Arbitrary Terms of Peace and Departure. It was firft impofed as a Handing yearly Tax on the whole Nation under King E.tbelred,A. D.991. ThatPrince, fays Cambden, Sfitttni 142. much diftrefs'd by the continual Invalion of the SDanes ; to procure his Peace, was compell'd to charge his People with heavy Payments, call'd Da7iegelt. At firft he pay'd iogoo lib. then 16000 /. then 14000 /. after that 3<Soco lib. and laftly 48000 lib. St. Eduard the Confeffor releafed the Nation from the Da7iegelt. William the I. and II. reaffirmed it. Henry the I. and after him King Stephen, releafed them finally.
Danegei-t was alfo an annual Tax laid on our An- ceftors, firft of 1 Sh. afterwards 2 Sh. for every Hide of Land through the Realm, for clearing the Seas of Da7iip Pyrates, which heretofore greatly annoy'd our Coafts. Ednard the Confeflbr remitted this Tax. William I. and 21. reafTum'd it occasionally. In the Reign of Henry I. it was accounted among the King's ftanding Revenues ; But King Stephen, on his Coronation Day, abrogated it for ever.
DANTELLE' in Heraldry, the fame with 1)anchi, or rather with Dancette, viz. a large, open Indenture. See Dancette.
DAPIFER, the Dignity, or Office of the Grand Mafter of the Emperor's and other Prince's Houfhold. The Word is pure Latin, compounded of daps, dapis, a Difh of Meat ferv'd en the Table, and Fero, I bear : So that Dapifer literally Signifies a Difh-carrier, or an Officer who Serves the Meats upon the Table. The Title of Dapifer was given by the Emperor of Co77JlantJ7l0ple to the Czar of Rujjia, as a Testimony of Favour. In France, the like Office was instituted by Charlemain, under the Title of Dapifer at, ztA Se7iechauffei 5 to which was affix'd the Su- perintendance over all the Officers of the Houftiold. In England, the Office of 'Dapifer, was le£s Eminenr ; be- ing found in feveral of our ancient Charters named one of the Laft of the Officers of the HouShold. The Dignity of Dapifer, is ftill fubfifting in Germany. Till the Year KJ25. the Elector Palatin was Dapifer of the Empire : Since that Time the Elector of Bavaria has affirmed the Title of Arch-Dapifer of the Empire. His Office is, at the Coronation of an Emperor, to carry the firft DiSh of Meat to Table on Horfe-back. The feveral Functions of a Dapifer occafion'd the Ancients to give him divers Names. 'E/AeWjsf, and Eleator, Dipnocletor, Convo- cator, 'frapezopteus, Architritinus, 'Progeujlla, 'Prte- g7iftator,Do7nefticus, Megado?nefticus, Oec07wmus, Major- domus, Semfchallfis, Schalcus, Gaftaldus, Ajfeffor, c Pr£- feSus, or Trcepofitus Mez/fe, Vrimeps Coquorum iS Ma- gyrus.
DARAPTI, in Logic, one of the Modes of Syllogifms. See Mode and Syllogism.
DARDANARIUS, Ufurer, Monopolift, a Name an- ciently attributed to fuch as caus'd a Scarcity and Dear- nefs of Provisions, particularly Corns, by buying and hoarding them up, to raife their Value, and fell them again at an extravagant Rate. The Name Dardtmarim -was given them from one Dardamus, who made a Practice of fpoiling and destroying the Fruits of the Earth by a Sort of Sorcery. The fame People are alfo call'd Mruf- catores, Dircilarii, Sitocapeli, Ammie Flagellatores, and Seplefiarii.
DARII, in Logic, one of the Modes of Syllogifms. See Mode and Syllocism. DARK.-Cbamber, See Camera Obscura. DARK-7e«f, a portable Caz-aera obfeura, made not unlike a Desk, and fitted with Optic GlafTes ; to take Profpects of Landfhips, Buildings, Fortifications, &c. See Camera Qescura.
DARREIN, in Law, a Corruption of the French &.-, - nier laft, and ufed in the like Senfe, as — Darrei/i C071- tinuame. See Continuance. — Btfjro'a preferment. See Assize of tDwrrem {refinement.
DART, in Geometry, Aftronomy, &c. See Sagitta
DARTOS, orDARTUS, in Anatomy, the inner Coat of the Scrotum, compofed of a great Number of Mufcu- lar, or Flelliy Fibres ; whence fome call it a Cutaneous Mufclc. 'Tis by means hereof chat the Scrotum is con- tracted; which is efteem'd a Sign of Health. TheZW- tos was anciently taken to be a Continuation of the l?a7i- niculus Car7iofus ; but miftakenly. It has feveral Veins and Arteries. It invefts theTefticles, and Shooting it ftif between them, feparates them from each other. The Word is pure Greek, fa^U, Excoriatus pelle, Nudatus, of <res», excorio, probably by Reafon this Mufcle is clofe under the Skin. Sec Scrotum.
DATA, Tbi77gs given, a Term ufed in Mathematicks, Philofophy,&c. implying certainThings, or Quantities fup- pofed to be given, or known, in Order, from them, to find out other Things or Quantities, which are unknown, or fought for. A Problem or Queftion generally confifts of two Parts ; Data and gttjfita. See Problem, &c.
Euclid has an exprefs Treatife of Data ; Wherein he ufes the Word for fuch Spaces, Lines and Angles as are given in Magnitude ; or to which we can aifign others equal. See Given.
From the primary Ufe of the Word Data in Ma- thematicks, it has been tranfplanted into other Arts ; as Philofophy, Medicine, &c. where it expreffes any Quantity, which, for the Sake of 4 prefent Calculation, is taken for granted to be fuch, without requiring an imme- diate Proof for its Certainty ; called alfo the given Quan- tity, Number, or Power: and fuch Things as are known j from whence either in Natural Philofophy, the animal Mechanifm, or the Operation of Medicines, we come to the Knowledge of Things before unknown, are now fre- quently in Physical Writers call'd Data.
DATE, an Addition, or Appendage in Writings, Acts, Inftruments, Letters, &c. exprcSfing the Day and Month, of the Tear when the Act, or Letter, was pafs'd or Sign'd ; together with the Place where the fame was done. In Writings of Importance theDate Should be wrote in Wotds at length, Dated or given at London this twenty Sixth Day of March in the Year of our Lord one thoufand feven hundred twenty and five. In Letters, the Date is ufually
in Figures. Lo7ido7i, March the 25th 1725 The Word
is form'd from the Latin Datitm, given, the Participle of do, I give. The Latins ufually Say dabam, I gave.
An Antidate is a falfe Date, prior to the real Time when the Instrument was pafs'd or fign'd : A Toft-date is the pofterior to the real Time, &c.
Our ancient Deeds had no Dates, but only the Month and Year ; to fignify that they were not made in Haft, or in the Space of a Day, but upon longer and more mature Deliberation. The Kings Grants began with the Words, Trtefe7ttibus £? fumris, &c. but the Grants of private Perfons with, Oimiibus frafentes Literas 'mfpetluris.—
Date, DaByl, the Fruit of the Palm-Tree. This Fruit is gather'd in Autumn, ere ripe ; and beats a near refemblance to our Bullace ; being of a green Colour, very Sharp and aftringent. When ripe, it becomes ruddy.having a hard, longiSh Stone, cloven at Bottom,encompaS's'd with a thin white Pellicle or Skin. The Bark or Covering of the Date, call'd by the Ancients Elate or Spata, when the Fruit is in its Flower, is various; having as many Changes ofColour as the Fig has: Some black, Some white, fome brown, fome again are round liko Apples, and very big. Ordinarily they arc oblong, flefhy, yellow, fome- what bigger than the Thumbs End, and very agreeable to the Tafte. Some are no bigger than a Chicli-Pea, and others as big as a Pomegranate. The beft are thofe, call'd Royal-Dates. There is alfo another Sort, call'd Carjotes, which are very good. Some of them have Stones,' and others none. Dates are principally uS'ed in Medicine : Their Qualities are, to foften the Afperities of the Gullet, to ftrengtlien the Child in the Womb, to affuage all im- moderate Fluxes of the Belly, and to eafe Difor'ders of the Reins and Bladder. Their bad Property is, that they di- gest difficultly, caufe Pains in the Head, and produce a thick melancholic Blood.— Thefe Effefts arife from the Principles they contain, which are a moderate Share of Oil, and a deal of Phlegm, and EfTential Salt. The Oil and Phlegm render them moiilening and nutritious, good againft Acrimonies of the Breaft, to affuage Coughs, &c. And the Phlegm and Salt render them detersive and aftringent, and good againft Difeafes of the Throat. For the reft ; they are an heavy Food, full of an Earthy Juice, and occasion Obftructions in the fifcera ; for which Rea- fon, People who live of Dates become Scorbutic, and lofe •V;.. T.U u«-
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