DAN 
the tragic nor the elegiac ftyle, but in that middle ftyle 
which was anciently judged to belong to comedy. In 
fubjedt it has certainly no relation to comedy, ufually lo 
called, being the description of a vifion, in which the 
author is led througli hell, purgatory, and paradife. 
From fucii a defign, and at 1 'uch a period, it is not won- 
derful that a mod extraordinary compofition-has pro¬ 
ceeded, unlike any thing elfe in poetry ; full of extra¬ 
vagances, but affording paffages of fingular ftrength and 
Sublimity. It is allowed that its images are frequently 
ffrange and unnatural; that in many parts it is languid 
and tedious ; that the verfification is often extremely 
hard, and the rhymes forced and ludicrous ; and that it 
abounds in grofs faults which no man of fenfe can par¬ 
don : yet its admirers affirm, that no work of Italian 
poetry bears filch a damp of original and fublime genius, 
and that in grandeur of conception, warmth of feeling, 
and energy of expreffion, in that vivid force which car¬ 
ries the reader out of himfelf, no compofition of modern 
times can compare with it. This great poem of Dante 
had fcarcely appeared, before it became the objeft of 
univerfal admiration throughout all Italy. Copies of it 
were multiplied, and commentaries written for its illuf- 
tration. Thefe, indeed, it required ; for it abounded 
dill more in lofty and myderious notions, appertaining 
to the philofophy and theology of the age, than in poeti¬ 
cal fancies. Conformably to the tade of the times, thefe 
fpeculations appear to have intereded the public much 
more than thofe parts of the poem which would engage 
a modern reader ; but it is an extraordinary proof of the 
power of Dante’s genius, that he could obtain an autho¬ 
rity in thefe points which rendered a difcuffion of his 
opinions fo ferious and important a bufinefs. Two fons 
of the poet were among his fird commentators; and with¬ 
in the fame century, in 1373, a chair was edablifhed at 
Florence for the exprefs purpofe of explaining Dante to 
the public, which was fird occupied by Boccacio. The 
editions of Dante’s Commedia have been innumerable ; 
the bed is accounted that of Venice, in three vols. 4to. 
1757 - 
DAN'TI (Ignatius), an eminent Italian mathemati¬ 
cian of the fixteenth century, native of Perugia, and de¬ 
fended from a family of which feveral members were 
eminent in the arts and fciences. His father, Guilio, was 
a mathematician and architect. Plis own fecular name 
was Pellegrino, which he. exchanged for Ignazio on en¬ 
tering into the order of Dominicans. Applying aflidu- 
oully to the dudy of mathematics, he made fo great a 
progrefs, that he was invited to Florence by the grand 
duke Cofmo, who treated him with much regard, and 
gave him ample encouragement'. Deleft there, as mo¬ 
numents of his fcientific knowledge, a marble quadrant, 
and equinoctial and meridian line, on the front of the 
church of St. Maria Novella. He alfo made for the 
grand duke feveral fine geographic charts and maps of 
the world. After the death of Cofmo, he removed to 
Bologna, in the univerfity of which city he occupied the 
mathematical chair ; and he perpetuated his fame as an 
aitronomer by tracing, in 1576, the grand meridian in the 
church of St. Petronius, which was afterwards perfected 
by Caffini. In 1577 he went to Perugia, where he drew 
many geographical charts. Pope Gregory XIII. invited 
him to Rome, and employed him in the reformation of 
the calendar, and the conftruCtion of the maps of Italy 
in the Vatican gallery. He rewarded him with the bi- 
ihopric of Alatri, which he did not long enjoy. He died 
in 1586, at theage^of forty-nine. Of the works which 
he compofed the principal are: 1. The Mathematical 
Sciences reduced to a tabular Form. 2. A treatife on 
the Ufe and ConftruCtion of the Aftrolabe. And, 3. A 
Commentary on the two Rules of the practical Perfpec- 
tive of Barozzi. He had a brother named Vincent, firlt 
a goldfmith, then an eminent fculptor, who was em¬ 
ployed in the Efcurial. 
DAN'TIA, f. in botany. See Isnardia. 
Vol, V. No’, 298. 
DAN . jQ3 
DAN'TON (George-Jacques), born at Arcis-fur- 
Aube, was confidered as the Ajax of the French revo¬ 
lution. His extraordinary vigour of mind and perfonal 
courage left him no equal in his political career. The 
frame of his body was athletic, and his conceptions gi¬ 
gantic ; he was that kind of pilot which in a dreadful 
ftorm keeps the frightened feaman to his poll and duty, 
and prevents the bark from being abandoned to its fate.. 
In all new dangers, and great or unexpected fliocks, his 
colleagues were eager to learn his opinion of the meafures- 
to be purfued. Robefpierre confidered Danton as a lu¬ 
minary of greater magnitude capable of eclipfing his own 
brightnefs; and the difcerning among the partizans of 
both thefe men regarded them as two funs which could 
not fiiine together in one hemifphere. Neverthelefs it 
required all the art and all the hypocrify Robefpierre 
was mafter of to pull down fo mighty a Coloftus : he 
therefore managed his hatred and concealed his deadly 
defign till a proper moment fliould offer when its accom- 
plifhment c.ould fcarcely be doubted. In the mean while,, 
though Danton refufed to aEl, he never fhewed himfelf 
backward to advife upon what ought to be done in occa- 
fions of exigency. Thus, when it was apprehended that 
the armies could no longer maintain their ground, or 
continue under arms for want of neceifaries, he recom¬ 
mended the meafure of putting every article required for 
the fervice under requifition. “ The country has need 
(faid he) of all its refources, to fave itfelf from the ra¬ 
vages of external enemies ; why do we helitate therefore 
a moment about the propriety of impreiling thofe re¬ 
fources ? Every bufiiel of corn, every grain of gold to 
purchafe it, if needful, may lawfully be forced into the 
fervice to free us as a people from complete fubjliga¬ 
tion and then, with the voice of a Stentor, he added, 
“ The revolutionary wheel appears to move with lan¬ 
guor, apply a new rounce to it, and it will go I’ll war¬ 
rant you ; (AppLiquez-y tine nouvclle manivelle, & fa ira j’en 
reponds.") Thefe words, refembling thunder in found 
and lightning in effeCt, electrified the whole affembly, 
and efpecially the energetic part of it which was deno¬ 
minated the mountain. Danton, beyond all contradic¬ 
tion, did more for tire revolution than any one of the 
adtors in it. He was a commiffioner with Lacroix to the 
Low Countries, when the army of Dumourier had over¬ 
run it; and, about the end of the year 1792, rumours 
were circulated that he had enriched himfelf in that ex¬ 
pedition to the difhonour of his country. But where are 
thofe riches which thefe accufed men have been fuf- 
pedted of amaffing? Every thing he had was confifcated 
to the nation, but no wealth was found. Yet Danton, 
after all, was an ambitious man. Fie was at the head of 
a faction, and had almoft a whole fociety under his dic¬ 
tation. The Cordeliers ranged under his banner, as the 
Jacobins did under that of Robefpierre. Thefe clubs 
had both been purified again and again ; which means no¬ 
thing more nor lefs than that they were faffiioned to the 
defigns of their leaders, whom they were implicitly to 
obey and follow. The jealoufy or rivalry of thefe two 
clubs furnifhed their champions with fufficient weapons 
of deftruftion. The fineffe of Robefpierre prevailed over 
the franknefs of his adverfary, and through the trick of 
an Orleans faction, Danton, Herault, Fabre, and five 
others of that clafs, were configned to the deadly tribu¬ 
nal. Through their demurring to the legality of the pro¬ 
ceedings, they were all put out of the law, (hors la loi,J 
and executed the very day their trial was expected only 
to commence. By this co.ntrived precipitancy, the Cor¬ 
deliers were anticipated in their refolve to refcue Danton, 
the favourite of the populace, at the place of execution. 
His laft words accorded with the laft adtions of his life : 
indeed he never fpoke, but his language gave his hearers 
an idea of fornething more than common. When Fouquier 
Tinvelle, the public accufer, interrogated him accord, 
ing to the cuftom of the court, as to his name, occupa¬ 
tion, and refidence, “ I am Danton, (anfwered lie,) well 
7 M known 
