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 continu- 

 ally varying with the day and night, the 

 hours of the day were longer than that of 

 the night for one half year, and the con- 

 trary 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 pla- 

 netary, 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, according to 

 the following order: Saturn first, then 

 Jupiter, Mars, the Sun, Venus, Mercury, 

 and last of all the Moon; hence they 

 denominated each day of the week from 

 that planet, whose turn it was to preside 

 the first hour. Thus assigning the first 

 hour of Saturday to Saturn, the second 

 will fall to Jupiter, the third to Mars, and 

 so the twenty-second will fall to Saturn 

 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 man- 

 nsr 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 distinguiseed by the 

 Latin names of Dies Salumi, SoKs, Luna, 

 Jlfartis, Jlfercurii, 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 continu- 

 ance of suits, where a day is given, &c. 

 See Essoiif. 



In real actions there are common days 

 and 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, 

 he 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'sworfc, 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. Sea DEAD RECKONING. 



DEACON, one of the three sacred or- 

 ders of the Christian church. The word 

 is sometimes used in 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 con- 

 current 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 laniards are pass- 

 ed several times. 



DEAD nettle.' See LAMIUM. 



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, 

 making proper allowances for the varia- 

 tion 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 



