DEC 
DE'CIO (Philip), one of the mod eminent jurifts of 
his age, fon of Triftan Decio, from at Milan in 1453. 
While engaged in the ftudy of polite literature at home, 
the plague in Milan forced him at the age of feventeen 
to retire to Pavia, where his elder brother, Lancelot, 
was a profeffor of the law. At his brother’s infligation 
lie commenced the fame ftudy, and foon made fuch a 
progrefs in it, that he excited his jealoufy. Lancelot 
being invited to Pifa, Philip followed him, and at that 
univerfity foon excited the attention of all the celebrated 
profeifors by his great acutenefs in deputation. He ob¬ 
tained a doctor's degree in 1476, and was made lecturer- 
extraordinary in the civil law, in which capacity he ac¬ 
companied the univerfity on its removal to Piftoia in 
1479. There are few examples in literary hiftory of 
more pertinacious deputations than were carried on be¬ 
tween Decio and his rival Soccini and his fcholars. Decio 
at length became fo formidable, that none of the pro- 
fefiors chofe to be his opponents ; and Sandeo, profelfor 
of canon law, left the univerfity abruptly, rather than 
anfwer a challenge which he had accepted from him. 
Thefe fquabbles were at length the caufe of his removal 
to Sienna; from whence he was invited to Rome, where 
Innocent VIII. nominated him auditor of the rota. This 
pod, however, he could not accept without taking holy 
orders, which he did not ehoofe to do, and he therefore 
refumed his chair at Pifa. In 1501, when the war had 
reduced the univerfity of Pila to a low condition, Decio 
accepted an invitation to take the chair of canon law at 
Padua; and fuch was the public eagernefs to hear him, 
that the other fchools were in a manner deferted, and 
many perfons of the fir lb confequence became his audi¬ 
tors. In the mean time Milan having fallen under the 
power of Louis XII. of France, that prince recalled him 
thither as his fubjcdt, on the promife of the fame ftipend 
which he enjoyed at Padua. The republic refilled to 
part with him ; and Rucellai, who was then at Venice, 
obferved that he might tell at Florence, that he had feen 
the king of France and the Hate of Venice in warm con¬ 
tention for Philippo Decio alone. Such was then the 
confequence of a man of letters ! This at length termi¬ 
nated in his removal to Pavia in 1505, where, for feven 
years, he explained the canon law to a numerous au¬ 
dience. Louis having at this time affembled a fynod at 
Pifa, in oppofition to pope Julius II. Decio was con- 
firained to attend upon it; for which the fiery Julius 
excommunicated him. Soon after, the French being 
driven from Italy, he was obliged to retire to Alii, and 
thence to Alba, whence he in vain applied to the pope 
for pardon. He had the further mortification of hearing 
that the Swifs troops had pillaged his houfe at Pavia of 
his books and furniture. Decio had no other refuge 
than France, where his reception compenfated his Ioffes. 
The king created him a member of the parliament of 
Grenoble. While he wtrsTn that city he received a let¬ 
ter from the pope, offering him pardon upon condition of 
his coming to Rome, but this he thought fit to decline. 
On the death of Julius, his fuccelfor, Leo X. who had 
been a difciple of Decio at Pifa, fent him a releafe from 
ecclefiallical cenfures, and invited him to Rome; but 
he did not then ehoofe to leave France. On the accefiion 
of Francis I. however, he agreed to refume his profeffor- 
fhip at Pifa. He recommenced his lectures with vaft ap- 
plaufe ; and, notwithftanding the attempts which were 
made to draw him to Milan, Avignon, and Padua, he 
finilhed his days at Pifa. He died in 1535, at the age of 
eighty-two. He wrote a number of profellional works, 
the lift of which is now of no confequence. The per- 
fonal hiftory of the man is a curious record of the fitua- 
tion of an eminent profeffor at that period. 
To DECI'PHER, v. a. \jdcchijfrer, Fr.] To explain 
that which is written in ciphers : this is the common 
ufe.—Affurance is writ in a private character, not to be 
read, nor underftood, but by the confcience, to which 
the fpirit of God has vouchfafed to decipher it. South,—> 
DEC 
643 
To unfold ; to unravel; to explain: as, to decipher an 
ambiguous fpeech. To write out; to mark down in cha- 
cadters.—Could I give you a lively reprefentation of 
guilt and horror on this hand, and paint out eternal 
wrath and decipher eternal vengeance on the other, then 
might I fhew you the condition of a finner hearing him- 
felf denied by Chrift. South ,—To ftamp ; to charadle- 
rife; to mark: 
You are both decipher'd 
For villains mark’d with rape. Shakefpeare . 
_ DECIPHERER, f One who explains writings in 
cipher. 
To DECIR'CINATE, v. n. [decircinare, ,Lat.] Tobring 
into a compafs or roundnefs; to dr.w a circle with a pair 
of compaffes. 
DECI'SION,yi Determination of a difference, or of a 
doubt.—War is a direct appeal to God for the decifion of 
fome difpute, which can by no other means be determin¬ 
ed. Atterbury. 
Pleafure and revenge 
Have ears more deaf than adders to the voice 
Of any true decifion. Shakefpeare . 
Determination of an event: 
Their arms are to the laft decifion bent, 
And fortune labours with the vaft event. Dryden. 
It is ufed in Scotland for a narrative, or reports of the 
proceedings of the court of feflion there. 
DECl'SIVE, adj. Having the power of determining 
any difference ; conclufive.—This they are ready to look 
upon as a determination on their fide, and decifive of the 
controverfy between vice and virtue. Rogers ,—Having 
the power of fettling any event: 
For on th’ event, 
Decifive of this bloody day, depends 
The fate of kingdoms. Philips . 
DECI'SIVELY, adv. In a conclufive manner. 
DECI'SIVENESS,_/'. The power of argument or evi¬ 
dence to terminate any difference, or fettle an event. 
DECI'SORY, adj. Able to determine or decide. 
DE'CIUS (Muf.) a celebrated Roman conful, who, 
after many glorious exploits, devoted himfelf to the gods’ 
manes for the fafety of his country in a battle againft the 
Latins, about 340 years before the Auguftan age. His 
fon Decius imitated his example, and devoted himfelf 
in like manner in his fourth confulfhip, when fighting 
againft the Gauls and Samnites. His grandfon alfo dfd 
the fame in the war againft Pyrrhus and the Tarentines. 
This adlion of devoting themfelves was of infinite fervice 
to the ftate. The foldiers were animated by the exam¬ 
ple, and induced to follow with intrepidity a commander 
who, arrayed in an unufual drefs, and addrefling himfelf 
to the gods with folemn invocation, rallied into the 
thickeft part of the enemy to meet his fate. Livy. 
DE'CIUS (Cn. Metius, Q^Trajanus), a native of 
Pannonia, fent by the emperor Philip to appeafe a fiedi- 
tion in Moefia. Inftead of obeying his mailer’s command, 
he affumed the imperial purple, and foon after marched 
againft him, and at his death became the only emperor. 
He fignalized himfe-lf againft the Perfians ; and, when lie 
marched againft the Goths, he pullied his horfe into a 
deep marfli, from which lie could not extricate himfelf, 
and he periflied with all his army by the darts of the bar¬ 
barians, A. D. 251, after a reign of two years. This mo¬ 
narch enjoyed the charadler of a brave man, and of a great 
difeiplinarian ; and, by his juftice and exemplary life, 
merited the title of Optimus, which a fervile fenate la- 
vilhed upon him. 
DECI'ZE, a town of France, and principal place of a 
diftr-ift, in the department of Nievre, fitpated at the con¬ 
flux of the Airon and the Loire, on an illand : near it are 
coal mines; and antimony is found contained in a ful- 
phureus 
