DENINA, CARLO GIOVANNI MARIA. 



DENNIS, JOHN. 



a fair point of view, and to assign him his due portion of merit, it will 

 be necessary to consider him as one of the reformers of English verse. 

 At the beginning of the 17th century the art of versification wai in a 

 very imperfect state, as may be seen from reading the prologues to our 

 early dramas ; and henoe a poem of the length of ' Cooper's Hill,' 

 written with tolerable smoothness, was something remarkable. 



DENI'NA, CARLO GIOVANNI MARIA, born in 1731, at Revello 

 in Piedmont, studied at Saluzzo and Turin, took priest's orders, and 

 was made professor at Pinerolo. Having discussed rather freely, in a 

 play which he composed, the various systems of education, he incurred 

 the dislike of the Jesuits, who had at that time the monopoly of 

 education, and he was dismissed from his chair. Repairing to Milan, 

 he wrote a work, ' De Studio Theologian, et Norms Fidei,' 175S, which 

 was much approved of, and the author was soon after recalled to 

 Piedmont, and appointed professor of humanities and rhetoric in the 

 High College of Turin. He then began his work on the revolutions 

 of Italy, which is a general history of Italy from the Etruscan times 

 to the beginning of the 17th century : ' Istoria dello Kivoluzioui 

 d'ltalia,' in 24 books, to which he added afterwards a 25th hook, which 

 brings the narrative down to 1792. This was the first general history 

 of Italy, with the exception of the 'Annals' of Muratori, and although 

 it is at times deficient in sound criticism, it is not destitute of merit. 

 The work has been tr.ui! ' 1 into almost all the European languages. 

 In 1777 Denina went to Florence,- where he published anonymously 

 his ' Discorso sull* Impiego delle Persone,' which was intend 

 reply to certain charges brought against his historical work by eccle- 

 siastical critics, because Denina ha I censured the abuses of monastic 

 institutions, and had questioned the propriety of binding a vast 

 number of persona to celibacy. There was a law in Piedmont by 

 which any native of that country was forbidden to publish a book, 

 even in a foreign country, without the previous sanction of the Turin 

 censorship. Denina was in consequence deprived of his chair, aud 

 banished to his native town. The Archbishop of Turin however took 

 up his defence, aud he was allowed to return to the capital, where 

 some time after ho received, through the Prussian envoy, an invitation 

 from Frederic II. to repair to Berlin, for the purpose of writing a work 

 on the revolutions of Germanv. Deuiua accepted the offer, aud 

 repaired, in 1782, to Berlin, where he remained many years, and whore 

 he composed his ' Rivoluzioni delta Germania,' and also 'La Ilussiade,' 

 being a panegyrical history, in poetical prose, of Peter the Great. He 

 aim wrote a work in r reach on Prussian literature, ' La Prusse 

 Litte'raire sous Frederic II., ou histoire abrlgce de la plupart des 

 auteura, des acade'miciens, et des artistes qui sont DOS ou qtti out vocu 

 dans les Eutx Prussians depuis 1740 jusqu'en 1786, par ordre alpha- 

 IxHique,' 4 vols. 8vo, Berlin, 1790-91. He also wrote an ' Essai sur la 

 Vie et le Ilrguo de Frederic II.' In 1792 Denina revisited Italy, and 

 after hit return to Berlin he wrote ' Considerations d'un Italien sur 

 !' Italic,' in which he gave an account of the contemporary literature 

 of his native country, for the information of the philologists of 

 Germany. Another and a more important work is his ' Vincende della 

 Ltttteratura,' 4 vols. 8vo, in which he sketches with concise but clever 

 touches the progress and vicissitudes of the literature of the various 

 nations of Europe. The book displays n vast extent of bibliographical 

 erudition. 



In 1804 Denina was introduced to Napoleon at Mainz, to whom he 

 dedicated his ' La Clef de Langues, ou observations sur 1'origiue et la 

 formation des principles ln^n de 1'Kuropo.' Soon afterwards he 

 was appointed imperial librarian. Ho then removed to Paris, where 

 he wrote his ' Istoria dell' Italia Occidental-,' being a sort of supple- 

 ment or continuation of his ' Kivoluxioni d'ltalia.' It is a history of 

 Piedmont and Liguria, and contains much information derived from 

 the local chronicles and documents, which Deuina had consulted 

 while he lived in his native country. He also wrote ' Tableau liisto- 

 rique, statistiqne, et moral de la Haute Italie,' which was afterwards 

 translated into Italian. Denina died at Paris, at an advanced age, in 

 December 1813. Besides the works above mentioned, he wrote many 

 minor ones, among which the following arc deserving of notice: 

 1. ' Guide LitUiriire,' being a sketch of the Prussian monarchy, and 

 of its civil and literary institutions. 2. 'Delia Lodi di Carlo 

 Emmanuele 111 . K>- <li Sardegna.' 3. 'Elogio storioo di Mercurino 

 di Gattinara, Gran Canoelliere dell' Imperatore Carlo V., e Cardiuale,' 

 It contains a sketch of the condition of Spain under Charles V. 

 4. ' Klogio del Card male Guala Bicohieri,' wlio was a papal legato in 

 England about 1222. 6. 'Reponae h la question: quo doit on h 

 j'Kspsgne f ' Berlin, 1786, and afterwards translated into Spanish. It 

 is a reply to some harsh judgments upon Spain in the article ' Uspagno' 

 in the ' Encyolope.lie Moibodique.' Denina shows that Spain has 

 contributed more than is generally supposed to the European stores 

 of sciences, letters, and fine arts. 6. ' Etsais sur les traces aucienne 

 du Canotere dec Italiens modernea, des Sardea, et des Cones.' Denina 

 was a gnat supporter of the theory of the influence of climato ou the 

 character of nations. 7. ' Biblio|>ea, ossia 1'Arte di compor l.iln i.' 

 8. ' Istoria politic* c litteraria della Grecia libera,' which suds at the 

 death of Philip, father of Alexander. 



(Ueoni, UtUa Letteratvra Italiana nelht ttconda, met& da Steoh 

 AT///.; Barbier, A'vtice iur la Vie tt la principcauc owraget de 

 Denina, in the Magaiui Bncyclopidiyut for January 1814.) 



DENMAN, LOUD. Thomas Denmau, first Lord Denmao, was the 



only son of a London physician, who held a post in the household of 

 George III., and represented a family settled for several generations 

 near Bakewell in Derbyshire. He was born in 1779, and received his 

 early education at Palgrave School in Suffolk, near Diss, under the 

 celebrated Mr. and Mrs. Barbauld, of whom he always spoke with 

 affectionate respect At the usual ago he entered at St. John's College, 

 Cambridge, where he graduated HA. in 1800, and M.A. in 1803. He 

 was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1808. Having distinguished 

 himself by his successful advocacy in several causes and trials con- 

 nected with the liberty of the press, he entered parliament iu 1 SI 8 as 

 member for Wareham, Dorset In 1820 he was chosen fur Notting- 

 ham, which he represented till the dissolution iu li'26, and again 

 in the parliaments of 1830 and 1831. In the House of Commons he 

 connected his name with those of Brougham and Burdett iu the advo- 

 cacy of popular freedom, electoral reform, and education. He was 

 particularly active in opposing all the measures of coercion introduced 

 by the existing government for the purpose' of suppressing popular 

 meetings. 



In 1820 he was appointed solicitor-general to Queen Caroline, and 

 took an active part in conducting her cause before the House of Peers, 

 to the great disadvantage of his own chance of professional advance- 

 ment In this position, he so far won the esteem of the citizens of 

 London that they presented him with the freedom of the city, and 

 appointed him their common serjeaut It was not until the year 

 1828, when the queen's trial was well nigh forgotten, that he obtained 

 his patent of precedence. In 1830 he was appointed attorney-general 

 under the ministry of Earl Grey, and was promoted from that post to 

 the chief-justiceship of the King's Bench on the death of Lord 

 Teuterden in November 1832 ; he was at the same time sworn a 

 privy councillor. In March 1834 he was advanced to the peerage. 

 He presided over the Court of Queen's Bench till March 1850, when 

 he retired on account of ill health. During that period he had made 

 his name more especially known by his memorable decision in the 

 case of ' Stockdale t>. Hansard,' in which ho ruled, that though 

 parliament is supreme, yet no single branch of parliament is supreme 

 when acting by itself; and that, consequently, the House of Commons 

 could not screen its servants from the legal consequences of their 

 official acts. As a member of the upper house he took a great interest 

 iu the abolition of slavery, aud in the encouragement of literary and 

 scientific institutions. He was the author of a few small publication*, 

 the lust of which was a reprint of ' Six Articles from the " Standard," 

 on the Slave Trade, and other subjects.' 



As a barrister, he was less distinguished for deep legal knowledge 

 than for tact and address. In him the man triumphed over the 

 advocate, and ho won many a doubtful cause by his apparent sin- 

 cerity and the fervour of his appeal to the sympathies of those whom 

 he addressed. As a judge, he was dignified and impartial ; and bin 

 judgments were regarded with respect By his marriage with Theo- 

 dosia Anne, daughter of the Hev. H. Vevers, rector of Ketteriug, North- 

 amptonshire, he left a large family. His second son, a captain iu the 

 Royal Navy, and captain of the queen's yacht, particularly distin- 

 guished himself in the suppression of the slave trade upon the coast 

 of Africa. 



DENNER, BALTHASAR, a celebrated German portrait paiutcr, 

 was born in Altoua iu 1685. Of Dennur's early life littl.- is known ; 

 he lived some time with a painter at Danzig, aud after having dis- 

 tinguished himself at the courts of several German princes, came by 

 the invitation of George I. to London. Here ho spent a few years ; 

 but he excited more surprise than admiration, and his success not 

 equalling his anticipations he Uft this country iu 1728. After par- 

 forming various journeys iu the north of Europe, and amassing 

 considerable wealth, he died at lloatock, in Mecklenburg, in 1749, or, 

 according to Van Gool, at Hamburg in 1747. Though Denner 

 bestowed more labour upon his pictures than any painter probably 

 ever did, he still contrived to paint a considerable number ; some are 

 however more finished than others, but some are finished with a 

 degree of attention to the minutio) incredible to those who have not 

 examined them. In some cases recourse to the inagnifying-glass is 

 said to be necessary, to do justice to bin laborious execution. Th.-ir 

 extraordinary finish is however slmost their only, certainly their chief 

 merit Yet they were in considerable request in their day, and 

 Denner received sums for them at least proportionate to the labour 

 ho bestowed upon them. There is thu bond of iui old woman in the 

 gallery of Vienna, for which the Emperor Charles VI. gave him 4700 

 imperial florins; Denner' s own portrait in bis forty-second year, in a 

 similar style, is placed near it There are also two old heads of extra- 

 ordinarily high finish in the gallery of Munich, said to bo the portraits 

 of the artist' father and mother. Denner painted many of the ( ; 

 prinoes of his day, aud three kings, one of whom, 1'Yederic I V. of 

 Denmark, he painted, according to Van Gool, about twenty times; 

 the other two were Peter III. of Russia, and Augustus II. of Poland. 

 (Van Gool, Niemoe Sckmburg der .Vederlanttcht Jfamiickilderi, Ac.) 



DENNIS, JOHN, was the son of a saddler of London, where he 

 was born in 1657. Having been put to school at Harrow, he was 

 sent thence in 1675 to Caius College, Cambridge. In 1C79 be 

 removed to Trinity Hall, in the same university, and in 1683 took 

 his degree of A.M. There appears to be no foundation for the story 

 told ill Baker's ' Biographia Dramatica,' that he was expelled frum 



