101 



DIQGES, LEONARD. 



perinisMon to equip, at Yog own expense, a squadron, with which lie 

 ailed first against the Algerineg, and afterwards against the Venetians, 

 who had some dispute with the English. His conduct as a com- 

 mander was creditable to him. Upon the death of Dr. Allen of 

 Gloucester Hall in 1632, Sir Kenelme Digby became possessed of a 

 valuable collection of books and manuscripts, which were bequeathed 

 to him by his former tutor. The religious principles that he had 

 imbibed under this learned man could not have been deeply rooted ; 

 for wh-n Digby returned to France he was converted (1636) to the 

 religion of his parents. His conversion was the subject of a long 

 correspondence with Archbishop Laud, who had always taken an 

 interest in Digby on account of his unusual ability and learning. 



He returned to Kngland in 1638. On tho breaking out of the civil 

 war be was imprisoned as a Royalist in Winchester House : during 

 his confinement he wrote a refutation of Brown's ' Religio Medici,' 

 which occupied him until the petitions made by the queen of France 

 for his relief were granted, and he was allowed to retire to that 

 country. At Paris he was kindly treated by the court; and he 

 became familiar with the celebrated Descartes, and associated with 

 the principal men of learning. When the KoyalUt party had broken 

 down, and ceased to be formidable, Digby went home to England, 

 with the intention of residing upon hit estate, but the parliament 

 hearing of his return, forbade him the kingdom under penalty of 

 death. The cause of this severity was the zeal which his el.iest son 

 bad shown in the king's service, when, in 1648, with the Duke of 

 Buckingham and others, he made a stand near Kingston in Surrey. 

 Young Digby was aftewards killed by Colonel Scroop in Huntingdon- 

 shire. Sir Kenelme now again travelled in France and Italy, and 

 was everywhere received as a man of extraordinary merit. In 1655 

 bis personal affairs required bis presence in England ; and during hU 

 stay, his frequent attendance at the Protector's court was in no small 

 degree inconsistent with his prior conduct. The feelincs which had 

 led him to fight the duel in which he killed Lord Mount le ROB, 

 because he had drank Charles's health as the " arrantest coward upon 

 earth," were now pretty nearly obliterated. During a subsequent 

 residence iu the south of France he read many papers on different 

 philosophical questions before literary societies, of which ho was a 

 member. This course he afterwards followed in England, whither he 

 returned in 1661, and passed the remainder of hU life. He died of 

 the stone in 1665. Sir Kenelme Digby married Yenetia Annstasia 

 Stanley, daughter of Sir Edward Stanley of Tongue Castle iu Shrop- 

 shire, a lady more celebrated for her beauty than her virtue. Sir 

 Kenelme showed great anxiety to preserve her beauty : he invented 

 cosmelios for that purpose, and made her the subject of several 

 strange experiments. There are pictures of her by Vandyke, one of 

 which is now in Windsor Castle. She died suddenly, leaving one son 

 by her husband. 



Sir Kenelme Digby, though he fell into the errors of philosophy 

 and many of the wild dreams which were common in his day, was 

 certainly possessed of no ordinary talents : for his character we must 

 refer our readers to Lord Clarendon (' Life,' voL i. p. 34), who ha% 

 ably dcscrib.-d it The following is a list of hii writings : 'A Con- 

 ference with a Lady about the choice of a Religion,' Paris, 163S; 

 ' Letters between Lord George Digby and Sir Kenelme Digby con- 

 cerning Religion,' Lond. 1651; 'Observations on Religio Modici,' 

 Lond. 1643; 'Observations on part of Spenser's Fairy Queen,' Lond. 

 144; 'Treatise on the Nature of Bodies,' Paris, 1644 ; 'A Treatise 

 on the Soul, proving its immortality,' Paris, 1644; 'Five Books of 

 Peri put* tick Institutions,' Paris, 1661; 'A Treatise of adhering to 

 God,' Lond. 1654 ; ' Of the cure of wounds by the Powder of 

 Sympathy,' Lond. 1658; 'Discourse on Vegetation,' Lond. 1661; 

 and what is now the most valuable as well as interesting of his 

 writing*, ' Private Memoirs of Sir Kenelm Digby, to. Written by 

 Himself. Now first published from the original MS., with an Intro- 

 ductory Memoir. By Sir N. Harris Nicolas,' 8vo, Lond. 1827. Sir 

 Kcn-lrae Digby's valuable library, which had been removed to Franca 

 at the out-breaking of the civil wars, became, on his death, by Droit 

 D'Aubaine, the property of the French king. 



DIGOES, I.KONAIIH, a distinguished mathematician of the 16th 

 century, was descended from an ancient family in the county of Kent 

 He was born at Diggei-court, in the parish of Barbara, in the same 

 county. He was educated at Oxford; but having an ample property, 

 he retired to his own seat, devoting his life to the study of geometry 

 and its practical applications, which he cultivated with great success. 

 He divd in 1574. His writings abound with invention, and his views 

 an developed with great perspicuity and clearness; but the subjects 

 on which he wrote, and the improvements which ho made, being now 

 familiar to all practical mathematicians, any account of them beyond 

 the titles of the works which he wrote would be superfluous here. 



1. 'Tectonicum; briefly showing the exact Measuring and speedy 

 Reckoning of all manner of Lands, Squares, Timber, Stones, Steeples, 

 Ac.' 4to, 1556. This was enlarged and improved iu a second edition 

 by his son Thomas Digges, in 1582; and this again was reprints! in 

 2. A geometrical and practical treatise, under the title of 

 'Pantomet.ia;' in three books; which he left in manuscript, and 

 which was printed with improvement by hi son; fol., 15SM. To 

 thiiwai added by the editor, 'ADisooure Geometrical of the Five 

 ll'gular and Platonic Bodies, containing sundry Theoretical and 



Practical Propositions arising from tho mutual Conference of these 

 Solids, Inscription, Circumscription, and Transformation.' Before 

 this time geometers had but little extended the investigations con- 

 tained iu the 15th book of Euclid; nud this curious treatise contained 

 the most ample collection of properties that appeared in any book 

 before the time of the publication of Abraham Sbarpe's ' Geometry 

 Improved.' 3. ' Prognostication Everlasting of Right Good Effect ; 

 or Choice Rules to judge of the Weather by the Sun, Moon, Stars, 

 &c.,' 4to, 1655, 1556, and 1564. Also with corrections and additions 

 by his son ; 4to, 1592. 



DIGGES, THOMAS, the only con of Leonard Digges. He was 

 educated by his father with great care, and afterwards at Oxford, 

 where he much distinguished himself; and ultimately became one of 

 the first mathematicians of his age. 



He chose the military profession, and was appointed muster-master- 

 general to the forces sent out by Queen Elizabeth to succour til- 

 oppressed inhabitants of the Netherlands. Of his military career 

 however no other evidence is known to exist except his writings on 

 the subject These prove that he must have given considerable 

 attention to the details of his profession, and therefore have 1 

 considerable period in active service. He died in 1595. The following 

 is a list of his published writings, independently of editing his father's 

 works: 1. 'Alts sive Scalso Mathematics,' 4 to, 1573 : a curious work. 

 2. 'A Letter on Parallax,' printed in Dee's ' Parallacticse Com menta- 

 tionis praxeosque nucleus quidam,' 4to, 1573. 3. ' An Arithmetical 

 Military Treatise, containing so much of arithmetic as is necessary 

 towards military discipline,' 4 to, 1579. 4. 'An Arithmetical Warlike 

 Treatise, named Stratioticos, compendiously teaching the science of 

 numbers as well in fractions as integers, and so much of the nil 

 equations algebraical, and art of numbers cossical, as are requisite for 

 the profession of a souldier ; together with the modcrue militaire 

 discipline, offices, laws, and orders in every well-governed campc and 

 armie, inviolably to be observed,' 4 to, 1590. 5. 'A brief and true 

 Report of the proceedings of the Earl of Leycester, for the Relief of 

 the town of Sluice, from his arrival at Vlishing, about the end of 

 June 1587, untill the surrender thereof, 26 Julii ensuing, whereby it 

 shall plaiulio appear his cxcellencie was not in anie fault for the 

 surrender of that towne :' published with the lost, 1590. ti. ' A brief 

 Discourse what orders were best for repulsing any forrniue forces, if 

 at anie time they should invade us by sea in Kent or elsewhere :' 

 published with the two last, 1590. 7. ' A perfect Description of the 

 Celestial Orbs according to the most ancient doctrine of the Pythago- 

 reans.' This was published as a supplement to his edition of his 

 father's 'Prognostication Everlasting,' 4 to, 1592. 8. 'A humble 

 Motive for Association to maintain the Religion Established,' 8vo, 

 1601. To this is added a letter to the archbishops and bishops to 

 enforce the same object 9. ' England's Defence ; or a treatise con- 

 cerning invasion:' written in 1599, but not published. It is essen- 

 tially a second edition of the tract already spoken of j 

 Stratioticos. 



Digges wrote many other works, which he left in manuscript, and 

 which were never published, on account, it is stated, of the perplexity 

 created by lawsuits in which he was engaged. The accompli-hed 

 politician and elegant writer, SIR DUDLEY DIOQES (born 1583, died 

 1639), was the oldest son of Thomas Digges. The work by which ho 

 is chiefly remembered is the collection of letters which passed between 

 the ministers of Elizabeth respecting her projected marriage with 

 the Due d'Anjou, and which was published after his death (1655), 

 under the title of the ' Compleat Ambassador.' 



DILKE, CHARLES \VK.NT\\ (IK I'll, who has been intimately 

 associated with the literature of his time, was born on the 8th of 

 Drcember 1789. In early life he entered the Navy Pay Office as a 

 clerk ; and while there became a contributor to several of the reviews 

 and magazines. A valuable collection of 'Old English Plays,' in 

 6 vols., was edited by Mr. Dilke in 1814. After a long service in the 

 Navy Pay Office, when some alterations wero effected by consolidating 

 several divisions, he retired on a pension. He then became proprietor, 

 by purchase, of the ' Athenaeum/ a literary journal, which had been 

 for some time struggling to preserve its existence. His first step wa . 

 to reduce the price from one shilling to fourpence, and by hi.i 

 judicious management he gradually succeeded in rendering it n 

 popular and influential journal, and ultimately a valuable property. 

 Much of the reputation of this literary paper has been derived from 

 Mr. I Mike's constant and judicious superintendence, although tho 

 laborious duties of editor have been recently discharged by others, 

 among whom has been Mr. T. 1C. Ilervey, who held the office from 

 1840 to about tho end of 1853. Mr. Dilke's researches in curious 

 points of literary history, such as the authorship of 'Juuius,' occa- 

 sionally appear in papers of the ' Athcmcum.' 



* CIIAIIMSI WuNrwoBTll DILKK (Mr. Dilke' son), was one of the 

 earliest and most active among the originators of the Great Industrial 

 Exhibition of 1851, and he was appointed one of the executive com- 

 mittee. His knowledge, taste, and unwearied industry contributed 

 largely to the success of this undertaking. For his services he declined 

 any pecuniary reward, and also preferred to remain without the honour 

 of knighthood. 



D1NAUCHUS (AfiVof>x), one of the Greek orators, for the 

 explanation of whose orations Harpocration compiled his lexicon. 



