Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume V.djvu/670

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666 DANE DANIEL doors, and blinds, 2 of woollen goods, 6 brew- eries, and 1 bookbindery. Capital, Madison, which is also the capital of the state. 1) AK, Nathan, an American jurist, born in Ipswich, Mass., Dec. 27, 1752, died in Beverly, Feb. 15, 1835. He graduated at Harvard col- lege in 1778, studied law in Salem, and com- menced its practice in Beverly in 1782, where he resided until his death. From 1782 to 1785 he was a member of the house of repre- sentatives of Massachusetts ; in 1785, '86, and '87, a delegate to the continental congress ; in 1790, '94, '96, '97, and '98, a member of the senate of Massachusetts; in 1795, a commis- sioner to revise the laws of that state ; in 1811, to revise and publish the charters which had been granted therein; and again in 1812, to make a new publication of the statutes. In 1794 he was appointed a judge of the court of common pleas for Essex county, and took the oaths of office, but almost immediately resigned. In 1812 he was chosen a presidential elector ; in 1814 he was a member of the Hartford conven- tion, and in 1820 of the convention for revising the constitution of Massachusetts ; but a deaf- ness which had been growing upon him for some years had at this time so much increased that he declined to take his seat in the conven- tion. As a lawyer, he was among the most learned in the state, and his large and diversi- fied experience gave him great ability and suc- cess. While a delegate from Massachusetts to the continental congress in 1786, he drafted the ordinance providing for the government of the vast territory north and west of the Ohio river, which was adopted by congress without a single alteration, July 13, 1787. The clause in it which has been the subject of most fre- quent and emphatic remark is that which pro- vides "that there shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory." He also incorporated in this ordinance a prohi- bition against all laws impairing the obligation of contracts, which the convention that formed the constitution of the United States a few months afterward extended to all the states of the Union, by making it a part of that constitu- tion. In 1829 he gave $10,000 (adding $5,000 more in 1831) for the foundation of the Dane professorship of law in the law school of Har- vard university, with the request that his friend Judge Story should occupy the chair, which he did until his death. During 50 years he devoted his Sundays (the hours of public wor- ship alone excepted) to theological studies, generally reading the Scriptures in their ori- ginal languages. He published an "Abridg- ment and Digest of American Law (9 vols. large 8vo, 1823-' 9). DANEGELT (Sax. gelt, money), an ancient tax paid by the Saxons in England, either for buy- ing peace with the Danes, or for making prep- arations against the inroads of that nation. It was first paid in 991, when a band of North- men attacked Ipswich, and advanced through an unguarded country as far as Maldon. In- stead of meeting the enemy in the field, King Ethelred accepted the counsel of his nobles, and purchased the retreat of the invaders by a bribe of 10,000 in silver. This soon became a permanent tax under the name of Danegelt, assessed upon landed property. The last in- stance of its payment was in 1173. DANICAN, Francois Andre (better known as PHILIDOK), a French composer and chess play- er, born at Dreux about 1727, died in Lon- don, Aug. 30, 1795. His father and grandfa- ther were musicians, and the latter, who was flutist to Louis XIII., received from that mon- arch the surname of Philidor, which had been borne by a celebrated hautboyist of the time, and this name was retained by his descendants. Andre was admitted at an early age as choris- ter in the chapel of Louis XV., studied compo- sition under Campra, and at 15 produced a motet for a full choir, which was performed before the court at Versailles. After leaving the chapel he supported himself by teaching and copying music, and in 1745 commenced a tour through Germany, Holland, and England, in the course of which he exhibited his skill in the game of chess, which he had begun to cul- tivate a short time before. He returned to Paris in 1754, and devoted himself chiefly to his profession. Failing to receive the appoint- ment of maitre de la chapelle, he wrote for the opera comique with considerable success. In 1777 he revisited London, where he published his treatise on chess. He continued to com- pose for the comic stage, and produced airs and choruses for the Carmen Seculare of Hor- ace, performed in London in 1779; but the last ten years of his life were almost entirely devoted to chess, which had become a passion with him. In Paris he played at the cafe de la regence, where the greatest players in France assembled, and in London at Parsloe's club in St. James's street. At both places he main- tained a supremacy which reached its highest point when he performed what was then con- sidered the marvellous feat of playing three simultaneous games blindfolded, against skilful antagonists, each of whom he defeated. A month before his death he played two games in the same manner, and was again successful. His death was hastened by grief at the refusal of the French government to allow him to return to his native country. His treatise on chess has been frequently republished in foreign lan- guages. See "Life of Philidor," by G. Allen (Philadelphia, 1863). DANIEL (i. e., according to some interpreters, " God is my judge ;" according to others, "judge of God "), a Hebrew prophet, by whom a book of the Old Testament which bears his name claims to have been written. Nearly all we know of the prophet is to be found in the book of Daniel. Ezekiel mentions Daniel as a pattern of righteousness and wisdom, but ac- cording to some interpreters his words refer t<3 a prophet of that name who lived at some ear- lier time. According to the book of Daniel,