DAY 



DEA 



the day, from whence the hours reckoned 

 in this way are called the Babylonic. In 

 several parts of Germany they begin their 

 day at sun-setting, and reckon on till it 

 sets next day, calling that the 24th hour : 

 these are generally termed Italian hours. 

 The Jews also began their day at sun- 

 setting; but then they divided it into 

 twice 12 hours, as we do, reckoning 12 for 

 the day, be it long or short, and 12 for the 

 night ; so that their hours continually va- 

 rying with the day and night, the hours 

 of the day were longer than that of the 

 night for one half year, and the contrary 

 the other : from whence their hours are 

 called temporary; those at the time of 

 the equinoxes became equal, because 

 then those of the day and night are so. 

 The Romans also reckoned their hours 

 after this manner ; as do the Turks at 

 this day. This kind of hours are called 

 planetary, because the seven planets 

 were anciently looked upon as presiding 

 over the affairs of the world, and to take 

 it by turns each of these hours, accord- 

 ing to the following order ; Saturn first, 

 then Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mer- 

 cury, and last of all the Moon : hence 

 they denominated each day of the week 

 from that planet, whose turn it was to pre- 

 side the first hour. Thus assigning the 

 first hour of Saturday to Saturn, the se- 

 cond will fall to Jupiter, the third to Mars, 

 and so the tv. enty-second will fall to Sa- 

 turn again ; and therefore the twenty-third 

 to Jupiter, and the last to Mars ; so that 

 on the first hour of the next day it will 

 fall to the Sun to preside ; and by the like 

 manner of reckoning, the first hour of 

 the next will fall to the Moon ; of the 

 next, to Mars ; of the next, to. Mercury ; 

 of the next, to Venus .- hence the days of 

 the week came to be distinguished by 

 the Latin names of Dies Saturni, Solis, 

 Lun&, Martis, Mercurii, Jovis, and Veneris; 

 and among us, by the names of Saturday, 

 Sunday, Monday, &c. 



DAT, in a legal sense, relates to the 

 day of appearance of parties, or the con- 

 tinuance of suits, where a day is given, 

 &c. See ESSOIN. 



In real actions there are common days 

 ami special days given by the judges in 

 an assize, &c. 



DATS in bank, are days set down by 

 statute or order of the court, when writs 

 shall be returned, or when the party shall 

 appear on the writ served. They say, 

 also, if a person be dismissed without day, 

 * e is finally discharged. 



DATS of grace, are those granted by 



the court at the prayer of the defendant, 

 or plaintiff, in whose delay it is. 



DATS of grace, in commerce, are a cus- 

 tomary number of days allowed for the 

 payment of a bill of exchange, &c. after 

 the same becomes due. 



Three days of grace are allowed in 

 England ; ten in France and Dantzic ; 

 eight at Naples ; six at Venice, Amster- 

 dam, Rotterdam, and Antwerp ; four at 

 Frankfort ; five at Leipsic ; twelve at 

 Hamburg ; six in Portugal ; fourteen in 

 Spain ; thirty in Genoa, &c. 



DAT light, in our law ; some time after 

 sun-setting, and before sun-rising, being 

 accounted part of the day, when the hun- 

 dred is liable for any robberies committed 

 within that time. 



DAT'S -work, in naval affairs, the reckon- 

 ing or account of a ship's course and dis- 

 tance, run during 24 hours, or from noon 

 to noon, according to the rules of trigo- 

 nometry. See DKAD RECKONING. 



DEACON, one of the three sacred or- 

 ders of the Christian church. The word 

 is sometimes used jn the New Testament 

 for any one that ministers in the service 

 of God, in which sense bishops and pres- 

 byters are styled deacons ; but in its re- 

 strained sense it is taken for the third or- 

 der of the clergy, as appears from the 

 concurrent testimony of ancient writers, 

 who constantly style them ministers of the 

 mysteries of Christ, ministers of episco- 

 pacy and the church, and the like. 



DEAD men's eyes, in the sea language, 

 a kind of blocks with many holes in them, 

 but no sheevers, whereby the shrouds are 

 fastened to the chains : the crow-feet 

 reeve also through these holes ; and in 

 some ships the main stays are set taught 

 in them ; but then they have only one 

 hole, through .which the lanyards are 

 passed several times. 



DEAD nettle. See LAMICM. 



DEAD reckoning, in navigation, the cal- 

 culation made of a ship's place by means 

 of the compass and log ; the first serving 

 to point out the course she sails on, and 

 the other the distance run. From these 

 two things given, the skilful mariner, mak- 

 ing proper allowances for the variation of 

 the compass, lee way, currents, &c.. is 

 enabled, without any observations of the 

 sun or stars, to ascertain the ship's place 

 tolerably well. 



DEAFNESS, the state of a person who 

 wants the sense of hearing ; or the dis- 

 ease of the ear, which prevents its due 

 reception of sounds. Deafness generally 

 arises either from an obstruction or a 



