y* 
ms' DU N 
To DUN, v. a. [bunan, Sax. to clamour.] To claim 
a debt with vehemence and importunity.—Borrow of thy 
back, and borrow of thy belly ; they’ll never atk thee 
again. I (hall be dunning thee everyday. Bacon. 
When thou dunn'Jl their parents, feldom they, 
Without a fuit before the tribune, pay. Dryden. 
DUN, f. A clamorous, importunate, troublefome, 
creditor: 
Thus, while my joylefs minutes tedious flow, 
With looks demure, and filent pace, a dun , 
Horrible monfter! hated by gods and men, 
To my aerial citadel afcends. Philips. 
DUN, or Burgh, f The name of an ancient tower of 
a circular form, common in the Orkney and Shetland 
itles, the Hebrides, and northern parts of Scotland. The 
latter term points out the founders, who at the fame 
time bellowed on them their name of borg , a defence or 
caflle; and the Highlanders univerfally apply to thefe 
places the Celtic name dun, fignifying a hill defended by 
a tower. They are confined to the countries once fub- 
je£l to the crown of Norway. With few exceptions, they 
are built within fight of the fea, and one or more within 
fight of the other; fo that, on a fignal by fire, by flag, 
or by trumpet, they could give notice of approaching 
danger, and yield a mutual fuccour. Along the Orkney 
and Shetland (hores, they almofi form a chain ; and by 
that means not only kept the natives in fubjedlion, but 
were fituated commodioully for covering the landing of 
their countrymen, who were perpetually roving on pira¬ 
tical expeditions. No buildings fimilar to thefe are to be 
found, except in Scandinavia. On the mountain Swal- 
Berg, in Norway, is one; the Stir-bilkop, at Upfal in 
Sweden, is another; and Umfeborg, in the fame kingdom, 
is a third. 
DUN, a town of France, in the department of the 
Meufe, and chief place of a canton, in the diftridl of Ste- 
nay, on the Meufe : five leagues north-north-weft of Ver¬ 
dun, and two fouth of Stenay. 
DUN PALLETEAU', a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Creuze, and chief place of a canton, in 
the diftridt of La Souterraine : four leagues north-weft of 
Gueret. 
DUN LE ROY, a town of France, and feat of a tribu¬ 
nal, in the department of the Cher, on the Auron. It 
contains about 1500 inhabitants: fourteen miles fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Bourges, and fifteen weft of Sancois. 
DU'N A, f. in old records, a bank of earth thrown out 
of a ditch. 
DU'NAMOND, a town of Ruflia, in the government 
of Riga, fituated at the mouth of the Duina : it formerly 
belonged to the duchy of Courland, and was taken by 
the Swedes, commanded by count Mansfield, during their 
war with the Poles. It was again taken by the Swedes, 
in 1618, while Sigifmond, king of Poland, and by birth¬ 
right kim T of Sweden, was contending with Guftavus 
Adolphus” who had been called to the throne by the 
voice of the fenate. In 1700 it was taken by the Poles, 
commanded by general Flemming; but the next year 
the Swedes, commanded by their king, Charles XII. 
took it after a long fiege. The czar, Peter the Great, 
after taking Riga, in 1710, made himlelf mafter of this 
place : fifteen miles north-weft of Riga, and twenty north 
of Mittau. Lat. 57.5. N. Ion. 41.27. E. Ferro. 
DU'NAN POINT, a cape on the fouth-weft coaft of 
the id and of Skye. Lat. 57.9. N. Ion. 3.5. W. Edin¬ 
burgh. 
DUNBAR', a fea-port town of Scotland, on the north- 
eaft coaft of the county of Haddington, on the German 
fea, with a good harbour: the chief trade of the place is 
the’ Greenland and herring fifhery ; formerly defended 
by a caftle, fituated on a cliff above the fea, but now in 
mins, to which Edward II. fled after his defeat at Ban¬ 
nockburn ; but, being purfued, he was compelled to pro- 
D U N 
ceed to Berwick in an open boat. In 1297, the Scots 
were defeated near Dunbar by the Englifh, under the 
command of earl Warenne, with great (laughter. In 
1650, the troops of Charles II. were defeated near this 
town by Oliver Cromwell: twenty miles weft of Edin¬ 
burgh. Lat. 56. N. 
DUNBAR' (William), an early Scottifh poet of con- 
fiderable merit, born, probably, about 1465, at Salton in 
Eaft Lothian. He feems to have travelled in his youth 
in the quality of a preaching friar of the Francifcan order. 
He returned to Scotland about 1490, and diftir.gniflied 
himfelf as a poet; and died about 1330. He wrote a 
number of pieces, ferious and comic, in which he dif. 
played facility of invention, and great force and richnefs 
of defcription. One of his principal poems is the Thiftle 
and Rofe, a kind of vifion, the fubjedt of which is the 
marriage of James IV. of Scotland with Margaret daugh¬ 
ter of Henry VII. of England. The Golden Terge, a 
moral allegory, in which the (hieldof reafon is employed 
to refill the attacks of the amorous pallion. Another of 
his longer pieces is the Daunce, which is a vifion of 
heaven and hell in a comic (lile of painting. There are 
many more, printed in the colletlion of ancient Scottilh 
poems by fir David Dalrymple, 1770. 
DUNBAR'TON, a townfliip of the American States* 
in HilKborough county, New Hampfhire, incorporated in 
1765, and containing 917 inhabitants: nine miles fouth 
of Concord, and fifty-three weft of Portfmouth. 
DUNBE'ATH, a river of Scotland, in the county of 
Caithnefs, which runs into the German ocean, eight 
miles north-eaft from the Ord of Caithnefs. 
DUN'CAN (William), a learned Scotch profeffor of 
philofophy, born at Aberdeen in 1717. His grammatical 
education he received in his native town; and, in 1733, 
he entered a pupil at the marifchal college of Aberdeen. 
He left the univerfity in 1739, and removed to London, 
where for feveral years he was chiefly employed in dif¬ 
ferent literary undertakings. The firft is a well-executed 
tranllation of thofe feledl orations of Cicero which occur 
in the common Dauphin edition, accompanied with fliort 
but judicious explanatory notes. Another work, which 
has defervedly met with a favourable reception, is, The 
Elements of Logic, originally written to form a part of 
Dodlley’s Preceptor, publifhed in 1748. Thefe elements 
are drawn up with that judgment, perfpicuity, and con- 
cifenefs, that juftly entitle them to be recommended as 
one of the belt introductions to the ftudy of philofophy 
and the mathematics in the Englifh, or perhaps any 
other, language. The laft production of Mr. Duncan is 
a tranllation of Caefar’s Commentaries, which was firft. 
publilhed in 1752, in one volume, folio, adorned with a 
variety of beautiful illuftrative engravings; and has fince 
appeared in oCtavo. In the fame year Mr. Duncan was- 
appointed by the king profeffor of philofophy in the ma¬ 
rifchal college of Aberdeen. Owing to increafing infir¬ 
mities, and the duties of his profefforfhin, he was pre¬ 
vented from completing Come works which he had un¬ 
dertaken ; among which was a new tranllation of Plu¬ 
tarch’s Lives, and the continuation of Dr. Blackwell’s 
Court of Auguftus. He died in 1760, in the forty-third 
year of his age. 
DUN'CAN BAY, a bay on the north coaft of the ifland 
of Jamaica. Lat. 18. 31. N. Ion. 77. 23. W. Greenwich. 
DUNCAN'NON, a fort and village of Ireland, in the 
county of Wexford, on the eaft coaft of Waterford har¬ 
bour : feven miles ealt fouth-eall of Waterford. 
DUN'CANSBOROUGH, a townfliip of the American 
States, in Vermont, on the w ell lide of lake Memphre- 
magog. 
DUN'CANSBY HEAD, a cape of Scotland, at the 
north-eaft extremity of Great Britain, in the county of 
Caithnefs. Lat. 58. 33. N. Ion. o. 19. E. Greenwich. 
DUNCE, J'. [A word of uncertain etymology; per¬ 
haps from dum, Dutch, ftupid.] A dullard; a dolt; a 
thickfcull; a (lupid, indocile, animal.—I never knew 
this- 
