The Nuttall Encyclopaedia Part 155

DASH, COUNTESS, the _nom de plume_ of the Viscountess de Saint-Mars, a French novelist, born at Poitiers; in straits for a living, took desperately to writing; treated of aristocratic life and its hollow artificialities and immoralities (1804-1872).

DASHKOFF, a Russian princess of note; played a part in the conspiracy which ended in the elevation of Catharine II. to the throne; was a woman of culture; founded the Russian Academy; projected and a.s.sisted in the compilation of a Russian dictionary; died at Moscow (1744-1810).

DATES OF EPOCH-MAKING EVENTS, the Ascendency in Athens of Pericles (445 B.C.); the Fall of the Persian Empire (330 B.C.); the Death of Alexander the Great (323 B.C.); the Reduction of Greece to a Roman province, and the Ruin of Carthage (146 B.C.); the Battle of Actium (31 B.C.); Birth of Christ, 14th year of Augustus; Commencement of the Middle Ages (395); Ruin of the Roman Empire by the Barbarians (476); Clovis, ruler of Gaul (509); the Flight of Mahomet (622); Charlemagne, Emperor of the West (800); Treaty of Verdun (843); the Crusades (1096-1291); Employment of Cannon at Crecy (1346); Invention of Printing (1436); Taking of Constantinople by Mahomet II. (1453); Discovery of America by Columbus (1492); Copernican System published (1500); Accession of Leo X. as Pope (1513); the Reformation of Luther (1517); Publication of Bacon's "Novum Organon" (1620); Publication of Descartes's "Discourse on Method" (1637); the Peace of Westphalia (1648); Reign of Louis XIV. at its Height, and Peace of Nimeguen (1678); Publication of Newton's Theory of Gravitation (1682); Watt's Invention of the Steam-Engine (1769); Independence of the United States (1776); _Coup d'etat_ of 10th Brumaire (1799); Waterloo, and Congress of Vienna (1815); Introduction of Railroads into England (1830); First Attempt at Electric Telegraphy in France (1837); Africa traversed by Livingstone (1852-1854); Publication of Darwin's "Origin of Species" (1859); Opening of the Suez Ca.n.a.l (1869); Proclamation of the German Empire (1871); Congress of Berlin (1878).

DAUBENTON, LOUIS JEAN MARIE, a French naturalist, born at Montbard; a.s.sociated with Buffon in the preparation of the first 15 vols. of his "Histoire Naturelle," and helped him materially by the accuracy of his knowledge, as well as his literary qualifications; contributed largely to the "Encyclopedie," and was 50 years curator of the Cabinet of Natural History at Paris (1716-1799).

DAUBENY, CHARLES, English chemist and botanist, author of "A Description of Active and Extinct Volcanoes," an "Introduction to the Atomic Theory," and other works, all like the latter more or less related to chemistry (1795-1867).

D'AUBIGNe, MERLE, a popular Church historian, born near Geneva; studied under Neander at Berlin; became pastor at Hamburg, court-preacher at Brussels, and professor of Church History at Geneva; his reputation rests chiefly on his "History of the Reformation in the Sixteenth Century" (1794-1872).

D'AUBIGNe, THEODORE AGRIPPA, a historian, bred to the military profession; held appointments under Henry IV., on whose a.s.sa.s.sination he returned to Geneva, where he wrote his "Histoire Universelle," which had the honour to be burned by the common hangman in Paris; was a satirical writer; grandfather to Mme. de Maintenon (1550-1630).

DAUBIGNY, CHARLES FRANcOIS, a French landscape painter and skilful etcher, born in Paris, attained distinction as an artist late in life (1817-1878).

D'AUBUSSON, PIERRE, grand-master of the order of St. John of Jerusalem, of French origin; served under the Emperor Sigismund against the Turks; went to Rhodes; became a knight of St. John, and was chosen grand-master; defended Rhodes against 100,000 Turks, and thus stayed the career of Mahomet II., who, after establis.h.i.+ng himself in Constantinople, was threatening to overrun Europe (1423-1503).

DAUDET, ALPHONSE, a noted French novelist of great versatility, born at Nimes, of poor parents; early selected literature as his career in life; wrote poems and plays, and contributed to the _Figaro_ and other journals; worked up into his novels characters and situations that had come under his own observation, often in too satirical a vein to become universally popular; has been likened to d.i.c.kens in his choice of subjects and style of treatment; died suddenly (1840-1897).

D'AULNOY, THE COUNTESS, auth.o.r.ess of charmingly-written "Contes des Fees" (Fairy Tales), and on which her reputation rests (1650-1705).

DAUMIER, HENRI, a French caricaturist of great fertility and playfulness of genius, born at Ma.r.s.eilles; became blind in his old age (1808-1879).

DAUN, KARL, German theologian, born at Ca.s.sel, professor at Heidelberg, sought to ground theology on a philosophic basis, and found what he sought in the philosophy of Hegel (1765-1836).

DAUN, LEOPOLD, GRAF VON, an able Austrian general, born at Vienna; distinguished himself by his prudence and valour in the Seven Years' War, gained a victory over Frederick the Great at Kolin in 1757, and another at Hochkirch in 1758; could prevail little or not at all against Frederick afterwards as soon as Frederick saw through his tactics, which he was not long in doing (1705-1766).

DAUPHIN, a name originally given to the _Seigneurs_ of the province of Dauphine, in allusion to the dolphin which several members of the family wore as a badge, but in 1349 given to the heir-presumptive to the crown of France, when Humbert II., dauphin of Vienne, ceded Dauphine to Philippe of Valois, on condition that the eldest son of the king of France should a.s.sume the t.i.tle, a t.i.tle which was abolished after the Revolution of 1830. The word signifies dolphin in French.

DAUPHINe, a SW. province of France, of which the capital was Gren.o.ble; annexed to the French crown under Philippe II. in 1349.

DAURAT, JEAN, French scholar, a member of the Pleiade (q. v.), and who figures as one of the leading spirits in the fraternity (1507-1588).

DAVENANT, SIR WILLIAM, an English playwright, born at Oxford, who succeeded Ben Jonson as poet-laureate, and was for a time manager of Drury Lane; was knighted by Charles I. for his zeal in the Royalist cause; his theatrical enterprise had small success during the Commonwealth, but interest in it revived with the Restoration, at which time "the drama broke loose from the prison of Puritanism to indulge in a shameless license" (1606-1668).

DAVID, FeLICIEN, a French composer, born at Vaucluse; author, among other compositions, of the "Desert," a production which achieved an instant and complete triumph; was in his youth an ardent disciple of St.

Simon (1810-1876).

DAVID, GERHARD, a Flemish painter; painted religious subjects, several from the life of Christ (1450-1525).

DAVID, KING OF ISRAEL, 11th century B.C., born in Bethlehem; tended the flocks of his father; slew Goliath with a stone and a sling; was anointed by Samuel, succeeded Saul as king; conquered the Philistines; set up his throne in Jerusalem, and reigned thirty-three years; suffered much from his sons, and was succeeded by Solomon; the book of Psalms was till recently accepted as wholly his by the Church, but that hypothesis no longer stands the test of criticism.

DAVID, LOUIS, a French historical painter, born in Paris; studied in Rome and settled in Paris; was carried away with the Revolution; joined the Jacobin Club, swore eternal friends.h.i.+p with Robespierre; designed "a statue of Nature with two _mammelles_ spouting out water" for the deputes to drink to, and another of the sovereign people, "high as Salisbury steeple"; was sentenced to the guillotine, but escaped out of regard for his merit as an artist; appointed first painter by Napoleon, but on the Restoration was banished and went to Brussels, where he died; among his paintings are "The Oath of the Horatii," "The Rape of the Sabines," "The Death of Socrates," and "The Coronation of Napoleon" (1748-1825).

DAVID D'ANGERS, a French sculptor, born at Angers; came to Paris and became a pupil of the preceding, afterwards proceeded to Rome and a.s.sociated with Canova; executed in Paris a statue of the Great Conde, and thereafter the pediment of the Pantheon, his greatest work, as well as numerous medallions of great men; on a visit to Weimar he modelled a bust of Goethe (1788-1856).

DAVID I., king of Scotland, youngest son of Malcolm Canmore and Queen Margaret; was brought up at the English court; was prince of c.u.mbria under the reign of his brother Alexander, on whose decease he succeeded to the throne in 1124; on making a raid in England to avenge an insult offered to his son Henry, was defeated at Northallerton in the Battle of the Standard; addressed himself after this to the unification of the country and civilisation of his subjects; founded and endowed bishoprics and abbeys at the expense of the crown, on account of which he was called St. David, and characterised by James VI., a successor of his, as a "sair saunt to the croon"; the death of his son Henry was a great grief to him, and shortened his days (1084-1153).

DAVID II., king of Scotland, son of King Robert the Bruce, born at Dunfermline; succeeded his father when a boy of four; spent from 1334 to 1341 in France; was taken prisoner by the English at the battle of Neville's Cross, and was afterwards, till his death, dependent on England (1326-1371).

DAVID, ST., or DEWI, the patron saint of Wales, lived about the 5th century; archbishop of Caerleon; transferred his see to St. David's; founded churches, opposed Pelagianism, and influenced many by the odour of his good name.

DAVIDS, RHYS, professor of Pali and Buddhist literature, born in Colchester; author of "Buddhism: a Sketch of the Life and Teachings of Gautama, the Buddha," and of other works in that department of literature; _b_. 1843.

DAVIDSON, ANDREW BRUCE, Hebrew scholar and professor, born in Aberdeens.h.i.+re; a most faithful, clear, and effective interpreter of the spirit of Hebrew literature, and influential for good as few men of the time have been in matters of biblical criticism; _b_. 1831.

DAVIDSON, JOHN, poet and journalist, born at Barrhead, Renfrews.h.i.+re; has written novels and plays as well as poems; _b_. 1859.

DAVIDSON, SAMUEL, biblical scholar and exegete, born near Ballymena; wrote Introductions to the Old and the New Testaments; was pioneer in the higher criticism (1807-1898).

DAVIES, BEN, a popular tenor vocalist, born near Swansea in 1858.

DAVIES, SIR JOHN, poet and statesman, born in Wilts.h.i.+re; wrote two philosophic poems, "The Orchestra," a poem in which the world is exhibited as a dance, and "Nosce Teipsum" (Know Thyself), a poem on human learning and the immortality of the soul; became a favourite with James I., and was sent Attorney-General to Ireland (1569-1626).

DAVILA, a celebrated historian, born near Padua, brought up in France; served in the French army under Henry IV.; did military and other service in Venice; was a.s.sa.s.sinated; his great work "The History of the Civil War in France" (1576-1631).