D A L 
againlt him in 1598. We meet with no farther particu¬ 
lars concerning him, except that Iris patron did what lay 
in his power to mitigate the feverity of his fate, by pri¬ 
vately maintaining him in a vault adjoining to his caftle, 
which is to this day called the preacher’s hole. 
DAL'RYMPLE (fir David), a Scottifh lawyer and 
hiftorian, born at Edinburgh, in 1726. His father was 
fir James Dalrymple of Hailes; his mother, a daughter 
of the earl of Hadington. He received his clalfical edu¬ 
cation at Eton fchool, where he acquired an accurate 
knowledge of the learned languages, and a predilection 
for Englifh manners and cultoms. He ftudied the civil 
law at tire univerfity of Utrecht; and, on his return to 
his native country, finding it necelfary to augment his 
paternal fortune by fome profeflional emolument, he en¬ 
tered at the Scotch bar, in 1748. That drynefs of man¬ 
ner which, notwithftanding his acquaintance with clafli- 
cal literature, always attended him, together with a very 
ungraceful elocution, prevented him from fhining as an 
advocate, though he polfefted a fund of legal knowledge, 
and was capable of arguing forcibly. In 1766 he was 
removed from the bar to the bench, as one of the judges 
of the court of fefiion ; on which occafion, according to 
the cuftom of that court, he afiTumed the title of lord 
Hailes. He diftinguifired himfelf in this fituation by ftrift 
integrity, patient attention, and uniform decorum of be¬ 
haviour ; but his minute obfervance of forms expofed 
him to fome ridicule. He was of a fober and fedate cha¬ 
racter, pious, domeftic, and addicted to literary retire¬ 
ment. His private ftudies were chiefly directed to the 
hiftory and antiquities of his own country and of the 
Chriftian church. The long lift of his publications prin¬ 
cipally confifts of re-editions and tranflations of old works, 
and editions of manufeript papers. Thofe of his own 
compofition, which chiefly deferve notice are : Annals of 
Scotland, from the AcceiTion of Malcolm Canmore to 
the Acceflion of the Houfe of Stuart, two vols. 4to. 1776, 
1779; in this work none of the graces or amenities of 
writing are aimed at, but there is much accuracy and 
acutenefs of inveftigation, with great impartiality, and 
fcrupulous attachment to truth. Difquifitions concern¬ 
ing the Antiquity of the Chriftian Church, 1783: this 
learned and valuable piece treats on feveral points touch¬ 
ed upon by Gibbon in his hiftory. The author more 
particularly aimed at the refutation of that writer in an 
Enquiry into the Secondary Caufes which Mr. Gibbon 
has alligned for the rapid Growth of Chriftianity, 4to. 
1786. This work is acute and folid in argument, and 
free from the ufual rancour of controverfy. Lord Hailes 
likewife publithed fome pieces in his own profeflion, and 
fome biographical fketches of natives of Scotland. 
DAL'RYMPl.E POINT, a cape of the illand of Do¬ 
minica : two miles fouth of Charlotte’s Town. 
DAL'TON (John), doftor of divinity, an eminent di¬ 
vine, fon of the Rev. John Dalton, reftor of Dean, near 
Whitehaven, in Cumberland, where he was born in 1709. 
He was educated at Queen’s-college, Oxford; and became 
tutor to lord Beauchamp, only Ion of the earl of Hert¬ 
ford, duke of Somerfet; during which time he adapted 
Milton’s admirable Mafk of Conius to the ftage. During 
the run of this piece, he fought out a grand-daughter of 
Milton’s, oppreffed both by age and poverty ; and pro¬ 
cured her a benefit from it, the profits of which amounted 
to a conliderable fum. He was promoted by the king to 
a prebend of Wcrcefter ; where he died on the 22d of 
July, 1763. Befides the above, he wrote a deferiptive 
poem on the coal-mines near Whitehaven ; and Remarks 
on twelve Hiftorical Defigns of Raphael; and the Mitfeum 
Grczcum C 3 Egyptiacum. 
DAL'TON, an ancient market-town in Laiicafhire, 
fituate about 257 miles north-north-weft of London, twen¬ 
ty-five from Lancafter, and five from Ulverfton, at the 
fide of a rich vale, upon a fine lime-ftone rock. On the 
weft fide of the market-place is an old tower or caftle, 
Vol. V. No. 296. 
DAM 509 
built by the abbots of Furnefs, for the imprifonment of 
debtors within the liberty. The land round Dalton 
being for the moft part cultivated by the proprietors, 
makes provisions of all kinds extremely cheap. On ac¬ 
count of the ancient incurfions of the Scots, the remains 
of beacons are very common, for the purpofe of alarm¬ 
ing the country on the approach of an enemy. The church 
is an ancient building, but very neat; and has lately been 
embelliflied by voluntary fubferiptions among the inha¬ 
bitants. As a blefling to poor children, this town has 
the advantage of four free grammar-fchools. The market- 
day is Saturday, and there are two large fairs annually 
for horfes and horned cattle, viz. the 6th of June and the. 
23d of Odtober. Dalton is fituate in that part of Lanca- 
fhire called Weft Darby. 
DAL'TON, a townftiip of the American States, in 
Berkfttire county, Maffachufett’s, having Pittsfield on 
the weft, and the ftage road from Bofton to Albany runs 
through it. Dalton was incorporated in 1784, and lies 
135 miles weft-by-north of Bofton, and about thirty-five 
in the fame courfe, from Northampton. 
DAL'TON, a townfhip of the American States, in 
Grafton county, New Hampfltire, firft called Apthorpe, 
incorporated in 1784. It lies on the eaft bank of Connec¬ 
ticut river, at the Fifteen-mile-falls, oppofite Concord, 
in Eflex county, Vermont. 
DA'LUS, or Dailus, f An ancient meafure of land. 
In fome places it is taken for a ditch or vale, whence 
comes dale. The dali prati have been efteemed fuch nar¬ 
row flips of pafture, as are left between the ploughed 
furrows in arable land ; which in fome parts of England 
are called doles: the prefent Welch ufe this word for low 
meadow by the river fide. And this feems to be the ori¬ 
ginal name and nature of Deal in Kent, where Casfar 
landed, and fought the Britons : Caefar ad Dole helium 
pugnavit. Cornel. 
DAM,/, [from dame, which formerly fignified mother. 
Had Nero never been an emperour, Jliulde never his dame have 
been Jlaine. Chaucer.] The mother: ufed of be.:fts or 
other animals not human.—Birds bring but one morfel 
of meat at a time, and have not fewer, it may be, than 
feven or eight young in the neft together, which, at the 
return of their dams , do all at once, with equal greedi- 
nefs, hold up their heads and gape. Ray. 
The dam runs lowing up and down, 
Looking the way her harmlefs young one went, 
And can do nought but wail her darling lofs. Shakefpeare. 
A human mother, in contempt or deteftation : 
This brat is none of mine ; 
It is the iftue of Polixena : 
Hence with it, and, together with the dam, 
Commit them to the fire. Shakefpeare. 
DAM , f. [dam, Dut.] A mole or bank to confine 
water.—The inlide of the dam niuft be very fmooth and 
ftreight; and if it is made very hoping on each tide, it 
is the better. Mortimer. 
Not with fo fierce a rage the foaming flood 
Roars, when he finds his rapid courfe withltood ; 
Bears down the dams with unrefi.fted fway. 
And fweeps the cattle and the cots away. Dryden. 
To DAM, v. a. [bemman, pojtebemman, Sax, dam- 
men, Dut.] To confine, or flint Up, water by moles or 
dams.—.Boggy lands are fed by fprings, pent by a weight 
of earth, that dams in the water, and caufes it to fpread« 
Mortimer. 
Home I would go, 
But that my doors are hateful to my eyes. 
Fill’d and darnin'd up with gaping creditors, 
Watchful as fowlers when their game will fpring. Otway. 
It is ufed by Shakefpeare of fire, and by Milton of light. 
—The more thou damm’ft it up, the more it burns. Shake/. 
7 F Moon! 
