DOW 
Iktrli, &c. and runs into the fea, about feven miles nortli 
of Abtriftwich. 
D-OUZK, a river of France, which runs into the Adour, 
near Tartas. 
DOUZE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Dordogne : feven miles fouth-eaft of Perigueux. 
DOU'ZEPERE,/ [old Fr..] One of the twelve peers 
of France.—Big looking like aabyghty douzepere. Spenfer. 
DOU'ZY, a town of. France, in the department of the 
Ardennes, and chief place of a cantpn, in the diftrict of 
Sedan: four miles eaft of Sedan. V 
DOW'ABLE, adj. Entitled to dower.—A feifin in 
law of the hufband will be as effectual as a feifin in deed, 
in order to render tire wife dowable. Blackjlone. 
DOW'AGER, f. [douairiere , Fr. ] A widow with a 
jointure.—Widow's have a greater intereft in property 
than either maids or wives ; lo that it is as unnatural tor 
z-dowager as a freeholder to be an enemy to our conrtitu- 
tion. Add if on. 
She lingers my defires, 
Like to a ftepdame or a dowager, 
Long wintering on a young man’s revenue. Shakcfpeare. 
The title given to princelfes or ladies who furvive their 
luilbands : 
Catharine no more 
Shall be call’d queen ; but princefs dowager, 
And widow' to prince Arthur. Shakefpeare. 
DOW'AGER (queen), the widow of a king, and as 
fuch enjoys in England mad of the privileges belonging 
to her as queen contort. But it is not high treafon to 
conipire her death, or violate her chaflity ; becaufe the 
fuccellion to the,crown is not thereby endangered. But 
no man can marry her, without fpecial licence from the 
king, on pain of forfeiting his lands and goods. 2 Lift. 18. 
1 Comm. 223. 
DOW'CETSjy. pi. The tcjles of deer.—I gave them 
all the lweet moriels, call’d tongue, ears, and dowcets. 
Ben Jon Jon. 
DOW'DY , f. An awkward, ill-dreffed, inelegant, wo¬ 
man.—Laura, to his lady, was but a kitchen wench ; Di¬ 
do, a dowdy ; Cleopatra, a gipfy ; Helen and Hero, Hid¬ 
ings and harlots. Shakejpeare. 
The bedlam train of lovers ufe 
T’ inhance the value, and the faults excufe; 
And therefore ’ tis no wonder if we fee 
They doat on dowdies and deformity. Dryden. 
DOW'DY, adj. Awkward : 
No houfewifery the dowdy creature knew ; 
To fum up all, her tongue confefs’d the threw. Gay. 
DOW'ER, or Dowery,/. [ douaire , Fr.] That which 
the wife bringeth to her hutband in marriage : 
His wife brought in dozu'r Cilicia’s crown, 
And in herlelf a greater dow’r alone. Dryden. 
Rich, though depriv’d of :.ll her little ftore, 
For who can feize fair virtue’s better dozu'r? Melmotk. 
That which the widow polfeffes.—His patrimonial terri¬ 
tories of Flanders were in dower to his mother-in-law. Ba¬ 
con. —The gifts of a hufband for a wife.—Aik me never 
fo much dowery and gift, and 1 will give according as you 
fhall fay unto me ; but give me the damfel to wife. Gen. 
xxxiv. 12.—Endowment; gift: 
What fpreading virtue, what a fparkling fire. 
How great, how plentiful, how rich a dozu'r, 
Dolt thou within this dying fielh inlpire ! Davies. 
DOV/'ER, J. [dotarium, Lat.] In law, the portion 
which a widow hath of the lands of her hufband after 
his deceaie, for the fuftenance of herlelf,. and education 
of her children. 1 Injl. 30. There were formerly five 
kinds of dower in this kingdom. 1. Dower by the com¬ 
mon law; which is a third part of fuch lands or tene¬ 
ments whereof the hufband was foie feifed in fee-fimple, 
or fee-tail, during the coverture; and this the widow is 
DOW 39 
to enjoy during her life. 2. Dower by cuftom ; which is 
that part of the eftate to which the widow is entitled af¬ 
ter the death of her hufband, by the cuftom of any manor 
or place, lo long as (he lives foie and chafte ; and this is 
more titan one-third part, for in fome places (lie fnall 
have half the land, as by the cuftom of gavelkind ; and 
in divers manors the widow fhall have the whole during 
Iter life, which is.called her free-bench : but as cuftom 
may enlarge, fo it may abridge, dower to a fourth part. 
Co. Litt. 33. 3. Dower ad ojlium ecclejix ; made by the lull- 
band himfelf immediately after the marriage, who named 
fuch particular lands of which his wife fhould be en¬ 
dowed. Co. Litt. $ 4. 4. Dower ex ajftnj'u paths, a fpecies 
of the dower ad ojlium ecclfia ; which was hkewife of cer¬ 
tain lands named by a foil who was the hufband, with the 
confent of his father then living, and put in writing as 
loon as the fon was married. Litt. 40. 5. Dower de la 
pluis belle-, which was where the wife was endowed witii 
the faireft part of her hulband’s eftate. But of all kinds 
of dower, the two firft are now only in ufe. 
A woman to be endowed mull be the aflual wife of the 
party at the time of his deceafe. If (he be divorced a vin¬ 
culo matrimonii, Ihe (hall not be endowed; for ubi nullum 
matrimoniiun, ibi nulla dos. BraEl. lib. ii. c. 39. But a di¬ 
vorce a menfa et thoro only, doth not deftroy the dower, 
Co. Litt. 32. no, not even for adultery itfelf by the com¬ 
mon law. Yet now, by ftat. Weftm. 2. 13 Edvv. I. c. 34. 
if a woman voluntarily leaves (which the law calls elop¬ 
ing from) her hufband, and lives with an adulterer, (lie 
lhall lofe her dower, unlefs iter lutlband be voluntarily 
reconciled to her. And, in a cafe where John de Ca- 
ntoys had alligned his wife by deed, it was decided in 
parliament, that, notwithftanding the pretended purga¬ 
tion of the adultery in the fpiritual court, the wife was 
not entitled to dower. 2 Injl. 435. If, however, after the 
elopement of a wife, her hulband and (lie demean them- 
felve as hulband and wife, it is evidence of reconciliation. 
Dyer 106. Lady Powys’s cafe, where the reconciliation was 
fpecially pleaded and allowed. It was formerly held, that 
the wife of an ideot might be endowed, though the huf¬ 
band of an ideot could not be tenant by the curtefy. Co. 
Litt. 31. But, as it feems to be at prefent agreed, upon 
principles of found fenfe and reafon, that an ideot cannot 
marry, being incapable of confenting to any contract, this 
dodtrine cannot now take place. By the ancient law the 
wife of a perfon attainted of treafon or felony could not 
be endowed ; to the intent, fays Staundlorde, b. 3. c. 3. 
that if the love of a man’s own life cannot reftrain him 
from fuch. atrocious aids, the love of his wife and chil¬ 
dren may : though Britton, c. 110. gives it another turn ; 
viz. that it is prelumed the wife was privy to her huf- 
band’s crime. However, the ftat. 1 Edw. VI. c. 12. abated 
the rigour of the common law in this particular, and al¬ 
lowed tire wife her dower. But a fubfequent ftat. 5 & 6 
Edvv. VI. c. 11. revived the feverity againft the widows 
of traitors, who are now barred of their dower ; (except 
in the cafe of certain treafons relating merely to the coin ; 
5 Eliz. c. 11. 18 Eliz. c. 1. 8 Sc 9 Will. III. c. 26. 15 & 
id Geo. II. c. 28.) ; but the widows of felons are not 
barred. An alien alfo cannot be endowed unlefs (he be 
queen confort; for no alien is capable of holding lands. 
Co. Litt. 31. 
The wife of a man who is banifhed fhall have dower in 
his life-time ; it is held otherwife, if he is profefled in re¬ 
ligion : and a jointrefs of a banilhed hulband lhall enjoy 
her jointure, in his life. Co. Litt. 133. If a woman be of 
the age of nine years at the death of her hulband, (he 
lhall be endowed of whatfoever age lie is; becaufe, after 
the death of the hulband, the marriage is adjudged law¬ 
ful. Co. Litt. 33. The wife of dfelo deJe lhall have dower. 
So if the hulband be outlawed in trefpafs, or any civil 
adtion, for this works no corruption of blood or forfeiture 
of lands. Perk. 388. If a woman being a lunatic kill her 
hufband, yet ihe lhall be endowed, becaufe this cannot 
b.e felony in her who, was deprived of her underftanding 
by the act of God; fo, though Ihe be of found mind, and 
refuf« 
