82 
D R O 
To DROIL, v. n. To work (luggiflily and (lowly; to 
plod.—The droiling peafant fcarcely thinks there is any 
world beyond the neighbouring markets. Government of 
the Tongue. ' 
DROIT, f. [Fr.] Right, judice, equity. 
DROIT'WICH, an ancient borough-town in Worceder- 
(liire, fituate on the river Salwarp ; it has four churches, 
though only three are made ufe of. It is didantfrom Lon¬ 
don ninety-five miles, from Worceder feven, Bromfgrove 
fix, Kidderminder twelve, and Alceder twelve. It fends 
two members to parliament. This borough is governed 
by a recorder, town-clerk, two ferjeants at mace, two 
third-boroughs, and a crier. The right of election is in 
two bailiffs, the recorder, and eleven burgeffes, who are 
(tiled The Corporation of the Salt-fprings oi Droitwich. 
It was originally incorporated by king John, and after¬ 
wards by charter of infpeximus of James the Firft. The 
number of voters is fourteen. The town confifts of about 
400 houfes, chiefly inhabited by poor people. The prin¬ 
cipal manufacture carried on here is making fine white 
fait, which is by far the fined and whited in all Europe. 
In Domefday-book it is faid, that every week, in the 
feafon of wealing, they paid off a tax of fixteen bullions; 
which is fufficient to prove, that fait was made here long 
before the Conqueror’s furvey was compiled. Mention 
is alfo made, in the reign of king Atheldan, of the fait 
produced in this town. The brine-pits at Droitwich are 
immenfe, and continually running over, owing to the 
greatnefs of the fprings. The brine is fuppofed to be 
the dronged ever known, containing about one-fourth 
fait, whild thofe of Nantwich in Cheihire yield only one- 
fixth ; and thofe of Wedon in Staffordfliire only one-ninth 
part. The annual amount of the duty on fait made here 
is from 150,0001. to 200,000!. which is paid regularly 
every Wednefday into the collector’s hands, by the dide¬ 
rent proprietors of the works. See the article Salt. This 
town was known to the Romans, and under the Saxons 
gave name to the whole country. It was populous in the 
time of the Conqueror. In 1290, St. Andrew’s church, 
and the greated part of the town, was burnt. It had great 
privileges from king John, fome of which it dill retains, 
and was much favoured by Henry III. and other princes. 
The exchequer-houfe was built in 1580, whofe windows 
have fome curious painted glafs. Hereisannofpital, found¬ 
ed in 1688. A canal, about feven miles long, goes from 
this town into the river Severn, at a place called Hawford, 
within three miles of the city of Worceder; it was begun 
in 1756 ; and is navigable for veffels carrying from fixty 
to fixty-three tons burthen. By this canal the greated 
part of the fait manufactured in this town is conveyed 
into the Severn,' and from thence to different parts of the 
kingdom. By this alfo the town is fupplied with coal; 
great quantities of which are confumed in the falt-works. 
The coal, which chiefly comes from Dudley, is about 
twelve (hillings or twelve (hillings and fixpence per ton. 
The market is on Friday f fairs, April 13, June 18, Sep¬ 
tember 22 and 24, and December 21. The market-houfe 
was built in 1628. 
DROLL, f. [droler , Fr.] One whofe bufinefs is to 
raife mirth by petty tricks; ajeder; a buffoon; a jack¬ 
pudding : 
Democritus, dear droll! revifit earth, 
And with our follies glut thy heighten’d mirth. Prior. 
A farce ; fomething exhibited to raife mirth : 
Some as judly fame extols. 
For lofty lines in Smithfield drolls. Swift. 
7 b DROLL, v.n. \_drole , Fr.] Tojed; to play the buf¬ 
foon.—Men that will not be reafoned into their fenfes, 
may yet be laughed or drolled into them. LiEf range. 
DROL'LERY,/! Idle jokes; buffoonery.—They hang 
between heaven and hell, borrow the Chridians faith, and 
the atheids drollery upon it. Government of the Tongue. —A 
puppet-fltow. To which alludes the following expredion 
in Suakejpeare. —A living drollery, Tempejl, 
D R O 
DROLS'HAGEN, a town of Germany, in the circle 
of the Lower Rhine, and the duchy.of Wedphalia: thir¬ 
ty-four miles ead of Cologn, and forty-eight ead-fouth- 
ead of Duffeldorp. 
DRO'MA, a town of Africa, on the Grain Coad, noted 
for its market for pepper. 
DROME, a department of France, fituated on the ead 
fide of the Rhone, which takes its appellation from the 
river Drome, which erodes it. Valence is the capital. 
DROME, a river of France, which rifes near Val- 
drome, paffes by Die, Pontaix, Saillans, Cred, Livron, 
&c. and falls into the Rhone, about eleven miles fouth 
of Valence. 
DROM'EDARY. See the article Camelus, vol. iii. 
p.649. 
DROM'EUS,/ in ancient authors, the dromedary, 
the (tag, fo called on account of their fwiftnefs. 
DRO'MO, f. [from fyopav, Gr.] A caraval, a fwift 
bark ; a very fwift fi(h. Scott. 
DRO'MO, a frnall ifland in the Grecian Archipelago. 
Lat.39.28-N. lon.41.46. E. Ferro. 
DROMO'RE, a town of Ireland, in the county of 
Down, the fee of a bifltop, faid to have been ereCted in 
the fixth century. The cathedral is fmall, but the epif- 
copal palace, ereCted fome years fince, is handfome and 
convenient: feventeen miles ead of Armagh, and fifteen 
fouth-wed of Belfad. 
DROMO'RE, a towmlhip of the American States, in 
Lancader county, Pennfylvania. 
DROM'WA PE'TRI, a towm of Africa, on the Ivory 
Coad. 
DRONE, f. [bjioen, Sax.] The bee which makes no 
honey, and is therefore driven out by the red. See Apis, 
vol. i. p. 792, &. 
All, with united force, combine to drive 
The lazy drones from the laborious hive. Dryden. 
A fluggard ; an idler.—It is my misfortune to be married 
to a drone , who lives upon what I get, without bringing 
any thing into the common dock. Addifon .—The hum, 
or indrument of humming : 
Here while his canting drone-pipe fcann’d 
The mydic figures of her hand. 
He tipples paimeftry, and dines 
On all her fortune-telling lines. Cleavcland . 
To DRONE, v. n. To live in idlenefs ; to dream : 
What have I lod by my forefathers fault! 
Why was not I the twentieth by defeent 
From a long redive race of droning kings ? Dryden. 
To give a heavy dull tone : 
Melfoil and honeyfuckles pound. 
With thefe alluring favours drew the ground, 
And mix with tinkling brafs the fymbal’s droning found. 
Dryden. 
DRONE-BEE, f. The male bee. 
DRONE-FLY,/. A two-winged infeCt refembling the 
drone-bee. 
DRONE'RO, a town of Piedmont, in the marquifate of 
Saluzzo, on the Maira : fourteen miles fouth-fouth-wed 
of Saluzzo. 
DRON'FIELD, a neat and pleafant town in Derby- 
fhire, four miles wmd of Bolfover, and 153 north-wed of 
London, fituated among the mountains at the edge of the 
peak. It is furrounded, except on the wedern fide, with 
verdant eminences crowned with trees of various hues, 
and beautifully interfperfed with luxuriant corn-fields. 
The fined fprings iffue abundantly from the rocks, and 
wind in ferpentine directions, almod through every part. 
Here too is plenty of coal at a very reafonable rate, ana 
every neceffary of life on moderate terms. The church, 
dedicated to St. John the Baptid, is a handfome edifice, 
about 132 feet in length, exactly correfponding with the 
height of the fpire ; and the chancel is faid far to exceed 
any other in the county. Henry Fanlhawe, efquire, re¬ 
membrancer 
