DEC 
hear and determine caufes; and as to his general power 
in the court of chancery ; to quiet which, it was declared 
by 3 Geo. II. c. 30, that all orders and decrees by him 
made, except fuch as by the courfe of the court were 
appropriated to the great feal alone, (hould be deemed to 
be valid, fubjedt neverthelefs to be difeharged or allowed 
by the lord chancellor ; and fo as they (hall not be in- 
rolled till the fame are figned by his lordfhip. If either 
party to the fuit thinks himfelf aggrieved by a decree, 
he may petition the chancellor for a re-hearing, whether 
it was heard before the chancellor himfelf or any of the 
judges fitting for him, or before the mailer of the rolls. 
For in all cafes it is the chancellor’s decree, and mud be 
figned by him before it is enrolled ; which is done of 
courfe, unlefs- a re-hearing be defired. Every petition 
for a re-hearing mull: be figned by two cohnfel, ufually 
fuch as have been concerned in the caufe ; certifying that 
they apprehend the caufe is proper to be re-heard. And 
upon the re-hearing, all the evidence taken in the caufe, 
whether read before or not, is then admitted to be read ; 
becatife it is the decree of the chancellor himfelf, who 
only fits to hear reafons why it (hould not be enrolled 
and perfected, at which time all omifiions of either evi¬ 
dence or argument may be fupplied. Glib. Rep. 151-2. 
But after the decree is once figned and enrolled, it can¬ 
not be re-heard or rectified but by bill of review, or by 
appeal to the houfe of lords. 
'A Bill of Review, may be had upon apparent er¬ 
ror in judgment, appearing upon the face of the decree ; 
or by fpecial leave of the court, upon oath made, of the 
difeovery of new matter or evidence, which could not 
poffibly be had of ufed at the time when the decree 
patfed. But no new evidence or matter then in the 
knowledge of the parties, and which might have been 
ufed before, (ball be a fufficient ground for a' bill of re¬ 
view. 3 Comm. 454. On a new bill to carry a decree into 
execution, the court may vary and alter what is thought 
proper; but on a re-hearing, no farther than the petition 
extends; but if the petition be againft the decree in ge¬ 
neral, though particular reafons are given, the whole is 
open ; but otherwife it is, if the petition be only againft 
one or two particulars. Sel. Cafes in Chan. 13. The rule 
of court is, that on appeal the whole caufe is open ; but 
on a re-hearing, only fo much as is petitioned againft; if 
all do not petition, it is open only to the petitioners. S. 
C. C. 24. 
Decree may be altered upon proper application, the 
fame term it is pronounced, without a re-hearing. No 
original bill can be'to vacate a decree figned and enrolled. 
Matters, proper to be excepted to upon the matter's re¬ 
port, fl 1 all never be objected to a decree after the report 
confirmed. 7 Vin. Abr. 400. A decree gained by fraud, 
may be fet afide by petition, as well as a judgment at 
law by motion : ci fortiori may fuch decree be fet afide by 
bill. 3 P. Wins. 111. If a decree be obtained and enroll¬ 
ed, fo that the caufe cannot be re-heard, then there is no 
remedy but by bill of review, which mutt be on error 
appearing on the face of the decree, or on matters fubfe- 
qaent thereto, as a releafe, or a receipt difeovered (ince, 
3 P. Wms. 371. 
DE'CREMENT,yi [' decrement um , Lat.] Decreafe; the 
date of growing lefs ; the quantity loft by decreafing..— 
Rocks, mountains, and the other elevations of the earth, 
fuffer a continual decrement, and grow lower and lower. 
Woodward. —In heraldry, the wane of the moon depicted 
with the face turned towards the left fide of the efeut- 
cheon. The fee paid by the fcholars at univerfiities for 
the damage done to any thing ufed by them. 
DECRE'PIT, adj. £ decrepitus , Lat.] Watted and worn 
out with age ; in the laft ftage of decay.— Decrepit mifer! 
bafe, ignoble wretch! Shakefpeare.—Decrepit fuperftitions, 
and fuch as had their nativity in times beyond all hiftory, 
are frelh in the obfervation of many heads. Brown. 
Who this obferves, may in his body find 
Decrepit age, but never in his mind. Denham, 
Vol. V. No. 303, 
DEC 64 e, 
To DE'GRE'PITATE, v.a. {^crepojl at.] To calcine 
(alt till it has ceafed to crackle in the fire.—So will it 
come to pafs in a pot of fait, although decrepitated Brown. 
DECREPITA'TION, f. The crackling noife which 
fait makes, when put over the fire in a crucible. Ouincy. 
DECRE'PITNESS, or Decrepitude, J'. The Lift 
ftage of decay ; the laft effects of old age.—Mother earth, 
in this her barrennefs and dec'repitncfs of age, can procreate 
fuch (warms of curious engines. Bentley. 
DECRES'CENT, adj. [from decrefcens, Lat.] Grow¬ 
ing lefs ; being in a (late of decreafe. 
DE'CRETAL, adj. \_decrctum , I.at.] Appertaining to 
a decree ; containing a decree.—A decretal epiftle is that 
which the pope decrees either by himfelf, or clfe by the 
advice of his cardinals ; and this mutt be on his being 
confulted by fome particular perfon or perfons thereon. 
Ay life. 
DE'CRETAL, f. A book of decrees or edicts; a 
body of laws : 
The fecond room, whofe walls 
Were painted fair with memorable gefts 
Of magiftrates, of courts, of tribunals, 
Of laws, of judgments, and of decretals. Spenfcr . 
The collection of the pope’s decrees.—Traditions and 
decretals were made of equal force,, and as authentical as 
the facred charter itfelf. Howel. 
DE'CRETALS, f. [ decreia/es , Lat.] A volume of 
the Canon-Law, fo called, containing the decrees of fur.- 
dry popes ; or a digeft of the"canons of all the councils 
that pertained to one matter under one head. See the ar¬ 
ticle Canon-Law. 
DE'CRETIST, f One that (Indies or profdles the 
knowledge of the decretal.—The decretijls had their rife 
and beginning under the reign of the emperor Frederic 
Barbaroffa. Aylijfe. 
DE'CRETORY, adj. Judicial; definitive.—There 
are lenitives that friendfhip will apply, before it will be 
brought to the decretory rigours of a condemning fen- 
tence. South .—Critical; in which there is fome definitive 
event.—The motions of the moon, fuppofed to be mea- 
fured by (evens, and the critical or decretory days, depend 
on that number. Brown. 
To DECREW', v. n. \_decrefco, Lat. ] To decreafe : 
Sir Arthegal renew’d 
His (Length dill more, but (be ftiil more decrew'd. Spenfer. 
DECRI'AL, f. Clamorous cenfure; hafty or noify 
condemnation ; concurrence in cenfurirg any thing. 
DECROWN'lNG.yi [from de, Lat. and crown, j The 
aft of depriving of a crown.—He holds it no more fin the 
decrowning of kings, than our puritans do the fupprefiion 
of bittiops. Overbury. 
DECRUSTA'TION,yi An uncrufting, or taking away 
the uppermoft cruft or rind of any thing. Bailey. 
To DECRY', v.a. [ decrier, Fr.] To cenfure; to blame 
clamoroufly ; to clamour againft.—Thofe meaiures, 
which are extolled by one half of the kingdom, are na¬ 
turally decried by the other. Addifon. 
Malice in critics reigns fo high, 
That for fmall errors they whole plays decry. Drydcn. 
DECTURAPOU'R, one of the Laccadive illands, in 
the Indian Sea. Lat.12. 8. N. Ion. 72. o. E. Greenwich. 
DECUM A'RIA,yi In botany, a genus of the clafs 
dodecandria or polyandria, order monogynia, natural or¬ 
der myrti. The generic characters are—Calyx: perian- 
thium fupericr, with about ten leaves,'very (mall; leaf¬ 
lets ovate, coloured, acute, reflex, eight to twelve. Corolla: 
petals ten, lanceolate, obtufe, equal, difpofed in a fimple 
circle, expanding, eight to twelve. Stamina : filaments 
from (ixteen to twenty-five, filiform, length of the co¬ 
rolla; antheroe twin, deprelfed. Piftillum : germ top- 
fhaped, inferior ; (tyle cylindric, fliorter than the corol¬ 
la ; ftigma gibbofe, lobed, with about ten little fwel- 
lings. Pericarpium : capfule.eight-celled, many-fe'eded. 
8 C Seedst 
