DIV 



2S-, 



DOC 



two kinds, natural and artificial. The 

 first was supposed to be effected by a 

 kind of inspiration, the second by cer- 

 tain rites and observations, as sacrifices, 

 flight of birds, lots, position of stars, &c. 



DIVINE RIGHT op KINGS, the absolute 

 and unqualified claim of sovereigns on the 

 obedience of the people. 



DIV'IMG-BELL, a mechanical contriv- 

 ance by which persons may descend be- 

 neath the surface of the water, and 

 remain for some time with little incon- 

 venience. It somewhat resembles a bar- 

 rel without a bottom, or a bell, as the 

 name implies, and is usually about 5 feel 

 In height and the same in width, in the 

 clear. It is commonly formed of very 

 thick cast iron, and in one piece, whereby 

 it is perfectly air and water-tight. The 

 weight of the metal causes the bell to 

 sink readily, and its substance is in some 

 measure proof against accidents. In the 

 top an opening is disposed for the recep- 

 tion of a supply of air, and thick lenses 

 are also fixed in the upper part to admit 

 light. The divers in the bell are supplied 

 with fresh air through an eduction tube, 

 Dy means of a force-pump worked above. 

 There are many forms of this apparatus, 

 and some diving-bells are made to cover 

 the head only. The general use of div- 

 ing-bells is the recovery of property that 

 has been sunk in wrecks, clearing ob- 

 structions from the bottoms of harbours, 

 rivers, &c., and laying the foundations 

 of piers and other water- works. 



DIV'ING-BLAD'DEB,, a term used by Bo- 

 relli for a machine which he contrived to 

 answer the purposes of the diving-bell in 

 great depths of water. It is nothing more 

 than a diving-bell for the head only of 

 the diver. The bladder, as it is called, is 

 made of brass or copper , and about two feet 

 in diameter. "Within are pipes, by means 

 of which a circulation of air is kept up. 



DIVISIBII/ITY, that property of bodies 

 by which they are separable into parts, 

 and those parts into others. No limit is 

 assigned to this subdivision, though it 

 seems probable that at some term, how- 

 ever distant, the particles may lapse into 

 single atoms incapable of further reso- 

 lution. 



DIVISION, from divide, to divide: the 

 act of separating any entire bodies into 

 parts. In arithmetic, one of the four fun- 

 damental rules by which we find how 

 often one quantity is contained in another : 

 it is called simple division when the divi- 

 dend and divisor are abstract numbers, 

 and compound division, when the dividend 

 is concrete. The terms of a division are 

 the divisor, the dividend, and the quotient. 

 In music, the distinguishing of the octave 

 into a number of less intervals, as qua- 

 Tors. The fourth and fifth divide the oc- 

 tave perfectly though differently ; when* 



the fifth is below, and serves as a bass to 

 the fourth, the division is harmoiiical ; 

 but when the fourth is below it is arith- 

 metical. In logic, the explication of a 

 complex idea by enumeration of simple 

 ideas whereof it is composed, is called 

 division ; and the same name is given by 

 rhetoricians to the arrangement of a dis- 

 course into heads. In the navy, a select 

 number of ships in a fleet or squadron of 

 men-of-war, is called a division, and is 

 distinguished by a particular flag, pen- 

 dant, or vane. A part of an army, usu- 

 ally two brigades, commanded by a 

 major-general, is also termed a division ; 

 but the term is not definite. 



DIVI'SOR. In arithmetic, the number or 

 quantity by which a dividend is divided. 

 When the same number divides two or 

 more numbers, without leaving any re- 

 mainder, it is called a common divisor, 

 and if it is the greatest of all such divi- 

 sors it is called the greatest common di- 

 visor, or, more commonly, the greatest 

 common measure. 



DIVOR'CE, Lat. divortitim, a legal sepa- 

 ration of husband and wife either a vi- 

 culo matrimonii, which is a complete 

 dissolution of the marriage bonds, or a 

 mensa et thoro (from bed and board), 

 whereby the parties are legally sepa- 

 rated, but are not unmarried. 



D.M., an abbreviation of Doctor Hedt- 

 cinte, i. e. Doctor of Medicine. 



Do. In music, a syllable used by the 

 Italians instead of vt. 



DOAB, a Persian word meaning two 

 waters, and applied in geography (In- 

 dian} to any tract of country included 

 between two rivers. 



DOB'HASH. the name given in India to 

 a bilinguist, or one who speaks two lan- 

 guages, now synonymous with interpreter. 



DOCE'T-S:, from *bnvMv, to seem, an an- 

 cient heretical sect who considered that 

 Christ only acted and suffered in appear- 

 ance. 



DOCIM'ACT, "ooxifMt,intx,. Trial by expe- 

 riment. The art of assaying metals. The 

 art by which the nature and proportion* 

 of an ore are determined. It is called 

 sometimes the docimastic art. 



DOCIMA'SIA, Gr. $o%i{A<x,<riot, from "ooxi- 

 (Mt^ta, to prove. A probation of the 

 ancient Grecian magistrates and persons 

 employed in public business at Athens, by 

 which they were obliged to give an ac- 

 count of themselves and their past life 

 before certain judges. 



POCK. Said to be from ZizofMU, to re- 

 ceive, but obviously Teutonic dock, per- 

 haps originally from dekhen, to cover or 

 protect. In navigation, an artificial basin 

 for the reception of ships. Docks are of 

 two sorts, wet and dry. The first are for 

 the reception of ships at all states of the 



