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officers to allow them only pulse. The wisdom and conduct ofDaniel pleasing Nebuchadnezzar , that monarch gave him severalposts of honour. lie explained Nebuchadnezzar ’s dream of themysterious statue, which foretold the four great monarchies; onwhich account lie was made prefect of the province of Babylon.He afterwards explained that monarch’s other dream, which fore-told his lunacy. In the reign of Darius the Mede, he refused toobey the wicked decree of me king, and was cast into the lion’sden, when those beasts, though pinched with hunger, did himno hurt. And he explained the characters written on the wall ofthe room where. Belshazzar was feasting. It is believed that Daniel died in Chaldea, and that lie did not take advantage of the per-mission granted by Cyrus to the Jews of returning to their owncountry. St. Epiplianius says lie died at Babylon ; and herein heis followed by the generality of historians. The prophecies ofDaniel concerning the coming of the Messiah , and the othergreat events of after-limes, are so clear and explicit, that, as St.Jerom tells us, Porphyry objected to them, that those which re-lated to the kings of Syria and Egypt , chap. xi. must have beenwritten after the times of Antiochus Epiphanes ; whereas this pro-phecy was translated into Greek ICO years before his time, andthe translation was in the hands of tlie Egyptians, who had nogreat kindness for the Jews and their religion. Josephus says,tiie prophecies foretelling the successes of Alexander, chaps, viii. 5.xi. 3. were shewn to him by the Jews , in consequence of whichthey obtained several privileges from him ; (Antiq. lib. xi. c. S.)The style of Daniel is not so lofty and figurative'as that of theother prophets ; but it is more dear and concise, and his narrationsand descriptions are simple and natural: in short, he writes morelike a historian than a prophet. The first six chapters of the bookof Daniel are a history of the kings of Babylon, and what befel theJews under their government. In the last six lie is altogetherprophetical, foretelling not only what should happen to his ownchurch and nation, hut events in which foreign princes and king-doms were concerned; some of which now'are evidently ful-filling; See Dan. vii. 11 ; 26.

Daniel, G’auriel, a celebrated Jesuit , and one of the heistFrench historians, was born at Itouen.in 1(149. He taught politeliterature, philosophy, ami divinity, among the Jesuits ; and wassuperior of their house at Paris , where lie died in 1728. Thereare a great number of his works published in French , of which theprincipal are, 1. An History of France, of which he also wrote anabridgment, in 9 vols. 12mo. 2.'An History of the French Militia,

•n 2 vols. 4to. 3. An Answer to the Provincial Letters. 4. AVoyage to the World of Descartes. 5. Letters on (he Doctrinesof the Theorists, and on Probability. 0. New Difficulties relatingto the Knowledge of Brutes; And, 7. A theological Treatise ondie Efficacy of Grace.

DANKALI, or DANCALI, a kingdom of Abyssinia, lyingalong the coast of the Red Sea .

DANMON1I, an ancient British nation, supposed to have in-hibited the tract of country, now called Cornwall and Devonshire,hounded on the S. by the British Ocean , on the \V. by St. George’sChannel, on the N. by the Severn Sea , and on the E. by the coun-Lv of tiie Durotriges.

DANNF.NBERG, DANNEBERG, or DANEBLRG, afounts-of Germany, in tiie late circle of Lower Saxony , andLunenburg. '

Danneneerg, a town in tiie above county, seated on the Jetze,n - , ar the Elbe .

DANTE, John Baxtist, a native of Perugia , ami an excci-‘•’nt mathematician, called the new Da'dv.lus, for the wings lie madehunself, and with which he liew several times over the lake Thra-'v-inenns. He f. 11 in one of his enterprises; the iron work withy , ’h'ch he managed one of his wings having failed; by which acci-dent he broke his thigh: but it was set by (lie surgeons, and be wasafterwards called to \ enice to profess mathematics.

. DANTPliCK, orDANTZIGjtliecapila) of the late Polish Prus-S: a, is seated on a branch of the Vistula , about four miles above where■■ falls into the Baltic. It is 68 miles NY.S.\V. of Konigslierg. Lon.*8. 40. E. Lat. 54. 22. N.

. DANUBE, the largest and most considerable river in Europe ,Tisnig in tiie Black Forest, near Zuuberg; and running N.E.Grougli Swabia by Him, the capital of that country ; then run-,1IM S L. through Bassaria and Austria , passes by Ratbbpn, Passim,

VOL. I!.—xo. 62.

Ens, and Vienna. It then enters Hungary , and runs S.F.. fromPres burg to Buda, and so on to Belgrade; after which it dividesBulgaria from Morlschia and Moldavia , discharging itself byseveral channels into the Black .Sea , in the province of Bcs-arabia.Towards the mouth, it was called the Ister by the ancients; andit is now said, that four of the mouths are cho'aked up with sand,and that there are only two remaining. It begins to be navigablefor boats at Elm, and receives several large rivers a j it passesalong. It is so deep between Buda and Belgrade, that the Turksand Christians have bad men of war upon it; and yet it is notnavigable to the Black Sea , on account of the cataracts. TheDanube was generally supposed to be the northern boundary ofthe Roman empire in Europe . It was worshipped as a deity" bythe Scythians .

DANVILLE, a town of Kentucky , in Mercer countv, plea-santly situated in a large, fertile plain", on the S\V. side of Dick’sriver, 35 miles S.SAY. of Lexington.

DAPHNE, in ancient geography, a small district on the lakeSamachonitis, in tiie Higher Galilee, very pleasant and plenti-fully watered with springs, which fet'd the Lesser Jordan.

Daphne, Spurge Laurel ; a genus of the monogvnia order,and octandria class of plants; natural order, Vepreculx. Nocalyx; corolla cpiadrihd, marcescent, inclosing the stamina ; berryone-seeded. There are 28 species, shrubs about five feet high."

D. Mf.zf.revm, tiie Mezerf.on, or Spurge Olive, is a lewdeciduous shrub. It is a native of Germany , and lias also beendiscovered in some woods near Andover in'Hampshire. Of tinselegant plant there are four varieties: J. The white: 2. The palered: 3. The crimson : and 4.'i’lie purple flowering.—Hanburesays, “ these shrubs have every perlcction to recommend themas fiowering shrubs. l.They are of low growth, seldom arisingto more than three or four feet in height, and therefore are proper-even for the smallest gardens.., 2. They will be in bloom whenfew trees, especially of tiie shrubby tribe, present their honours,ft will be in February, nay, sometimes in Januarv; then will thetwig; lie garnished with flowers all around from one end to theother. Each twig bus tiie appearance of a spike of flowers of themost consummate lustre ; ami whether beheld near or at a distance,it has a most enchanting appearance. '1 he sense of smelling ispeculiarly regaled by the flowers; their spicy sweetness is diffusedaround, and the air is perfumed with their odours to a considerabledistance. Besides the beauty of the leaves, which come out afterthe (lowers are fallen, and which are of a pleasant green colour andan oblong figure, it will be full of red berries in June, which willcontinue growing till the autumn. Of these berries tiie birJs arevery fond ; so that whoever is delighted with those songsters,should have a quantity of them planted all over the outsides’of ins.wilderness quarters.” The root of the mezereon was long used in(he Lisbon diet-drink, a remedy said to be good for several com-plaints, particularly nodes and other symptoms resisting the use ofmercury. Tiie composition of this diet drink is described in (IulE dinburgh Physical Essays, by Dr. Dopald Monro of London .

On chewing the root it proves very pungent, and its acrimony isaccumulated about the fauces, and is very durable. It is employedchiefly under the form of decoction ; and it enters the decoctumsarsaparilla- composition of the London college ; Hut it has alsobeen u;ed in powder combined with some inactive one, as that ofliquorice root, it is apt to occasion vomiting and purging- somust be begun in grain doses, and gradually increased. It isoften usefully combined with mercury. r lhe bail; of tiie root,which is the mo-t acrimonious par!, is recommended in tbs plur-nv.icopa-ia chirurgica, to be steeped in vinegar, and applied topromote the discharge of issues. Mezereon has also bevn of usein tumours and cutaneous eruptions not venereal. The wholeplant- is very corrosive; and six of the berries, it is said, will kill awolf. A woman gave 12 grains of the berries to her davghterwho had a quartan ague; she vomited blood, and died Imme-diately.

Daphne, in the Pagan mythology, a daughter of the riv< rPencils by the goddess Terra, of whom Apollo became enamoured.This passion had been raised by Cupid; with whom Apollo,proud of his lale conquest of the serpent Pj then, had disputed,the power of liis darts. Daphne heard with hotror his addr; <>■«-,and endeavoured to avoid his importunities by flight. Apollo pur-sued her, and Daphne iutreated tbs assistance'of the uods, who,

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