DEE 
Angular charadter and learning, as is evident by his va¬ 
rious writings, both printed and manufcript, in almoft 
\ every fcience. He wrote upon the reformation of the 
Gregorian calendar ; on the mode of propagating the 
gofpel on the other fide of the Atlantic ; on geography ; 
natural philofophy, particularly optics ; mathematics; 
metaphyfics; aitronomy ; aftrology ; and the occult Sci¬ 
ences. He wrote an account alfo of his voyage to St. 
Helena, and a treatife on the queen’s right to certain 
foreign countries; and projected a fcheme for the pre- 
fervation of ancient manuferipts, by eftablilhing a gene¬ 
ral repofitory, a plan which is in a great meafure realifed 
by that noble national collection at the Britifh mufeum. 
Whether with all his learning he was himfelf the dupe 
of an enthuftaftic imagination, or whether he availed 
himfelf of his knowledge to dupe others in an age when 
all ranks were given to credulity, may perhaps admit of 
a queftion. As a proof of the fuperftition and credulity 
of the age, it will not be amifs to mention that Dee was 
employed to determine, according to the opinion of the 
ancient aftrologers, what day would be mod: fortunate for 
queen Elizabeth’s coronation. Some time afterwards he 
was lent for by the lords of the council to counteract the 
ill efteCts which it was apprehended would befal the 
queen from a waxen image of her majefty (tuck full of 
pins, which was picked up in Lincoln’s-inn-fields. This 
we are told he performed “ in a godly and artificial man¬ 
ner,” in the prefence of the earl of Leicefter and Mr. 
Secretary Wilfon. Dr. Dee was much connected with 
the earl, and has been accufed of being an inftrument in 
his nefarious defigns. He was much patronized and en¬ 
couraged by Henry earl of Northumberland, the earl of 
Oxford, fir Chriftopher Hatton, fir Henry Sidney, and 
other great men belonging to the court. So high was 
his reputation abroad, that he was offered great l'alaries 
by various foreign princes if he would fettle in their 
courts. The emperor of Ruflia in particular fent him a 
rich prefent, with an offer of conveying him and all his 
family to Peterfburgh, and promifing to fettle an annuity 
of 2000I. per annum upon him, and to grant him the 
rank of a privy-counfellor. Thefe offers, it muff be ob- 
ferved, were made before hislaft unfuccefsful journey to 
the continent. 
Notwithftanding the queen’s patronage, and the various 
and rich prefents he was conflantly in the habit of receiv¬ 
ing, his unbounded extravagance kept him always poor. 
His journey from Bohemia in 15S9, which coft him near 
Sool. will afford fome idea of his oftentation. He was 
attended by a guard of horfe, and travelled with three 
coaches, befides baggage-waggons. The coaches, with 
harnefs for twelve horfes, he bought new upon the occa- 
fion. When he arrived in England, he appears not to 
have been worth a penny, and to have fubfifted for the 
next three years upon the precarious bounty of his friends. 
During this period he received 500I. in money, befides 
veffels of wine, whole fheep, pigs, wheat, fugar, and 
other commodities; he fold his wife’s jewels, his own 
rarities, and whatever could be fpared out of his houfe ; 
at the end of the three years he was 333I. in debt. With 
thefe expenditures, which according to the prefent value 
of money we mult eflimate at more than ioool. per an¬ 
num, he tells us, that, “ with great parfimony ufed, he 
preferved his family from hunger, ftarving, and naked- 
nefs.” Dr. Dee carried on his converfation with fpirits 
till the year before his death, at which time he feems to 
have applied his pretended art to the difeovery of hid¬ 
den treafure and ffolen goods, probably with the view of 
procuring fome prefent fubfitfence from thofe who were 
filly enough to employ him. 
Dr. Dee died at Mortlake in the year 1608, having 
been fo poor in the latter part of his life as to be obliged 
to fell his library piece-meal for fubliftence. He was 
buried in the chancel of Mortlake-church, where Aubrey 
fays, an old marble-flone was (hewn as belonging to his 
tomb. Befides the articles already mentioned, Dr. Dee 
Vol. V. No. 363. 
DEE 05J? 
publifhed, 1. Epiffola ad eximium Ducis Urbini Matkemati- 
cum', Frrden'cum Commandinum, prajixa Libcllo Mackomcti Bag-, 
dcdii/i di: Superffcierum Diyifionibus, 13 c. 1570. 2. Epiflola 
prafixa Ephemeridibus Joannis Feldi, An. 1557, cui Rationcm 
dcclaraverat Ephancrides confcribendi. 3. Parallatica Commcn- 
tationis PraxeoJ'que Nucleus quidam, 1573. 4. The Britilh, 
Monarchy, otherwife called the Petty Navy Royal, 1576. 
5. Divers and many Annotations and Inventions difperfed 
and added to the Tenth Book of the Englilh Euclid, 
1570. He alfo left behind him a number of unpublifhed 
works, feveral of which are preferved in the Afhmolean 
and Cotton collections, and exhibit abundant proof of 
the author’s erudition, indefatigable diligence, vanity, 
and fanaticifm. 
DEE, [called in Welfli Differ Divy, i. e. the water 
divy, becaufe it rifeth out of two heads, for divy figni- 
fieth two. Some call it the Black Water, others the Sacred 
Water , becaufe the ancient Britons worfhipped rivers. J A 
river of Wales, which rifes in the county of Merioneth, 
in two fprings which unite near Pintble Meer into one 
ltrcam : it paffes through that lake, erodes the county of 
Denbigh, and feparates that county from Chefhire, and 
runs into the Irifli Sea, about fifteen miles north-wed: 
from C heifer. 
DEE, a river of Ireland, which croffes the country of 
Louth, and runs into the fea, four miles north-eaft of 
Dunleer. 
DEE, a river of Scotland, which rifes in the north-weft 
part of Kircudbrightlhire, from Loch Dee, and runs into 
Solway Frith, about five miles below Kircudbright. 
DEE, a river of Scotland, which rifes'in the borders 
of the county of Invernefs, and runs into the German 
Ocean at Aberdeen. v 
DEED, /! [bneb, Sax. daed, Dut.] ACtion, whether 
good or bad ; thing done.—We are not fecluded from the 
expectation of reward for our charitable deeds. Smalridge. 
—Exploit; performance : 
I, on the other fide, 
Us’d no ambition to commend my deeds ; 
The deeds themfelves, though mute, fpoke loud the doer. 
Milton. 
Pow r er of adtion ; agency : 
Nor knew I not, 
To be with will and deed created free. Milton. 
Aft declaratory of an opinion.—They defire, with ftrange 
abfurdity, that to the fame fenatc it (hould belong to give 
full judgment in matter of excommunication, and to ab- 
folve whom it pleafed them, clean contrary to their own 
former deeds and oaths. Hooker. —Fadt; reality ; ‘the con¬ 
trary to fiction ; whence the word indeed: 
O that, as oft I have at Athens feen 
The Page arife, and the big clouds defeend ; 
So now in very deed I might behold 
The pond’rous earth, and all yon marble roof 
Meet like the hands of Jove. Lee. 
“ To take the will for the Deed.” The Germans 
fay, Den willtn fur die that annehmen. To accept of a 
man’s wilh.es or will to do w hat is not in his power; 
which, if it be fincere, every one ought to do ; as well 
becaufe it is all the Supreme Being requires of us, as in 
conlideration of the unreafonablenefs of requiring impof- 
fibilities. 
DEED,/! in law, an inftrument in parchment, or pa¬ 
per, but chiefly in parchment, comprehending a contradl 
or bargain between party and party ; or an agreement of 
the parties thereto, for the matters therein contained: 
and it confifts of three principal points, writing, fealing, 
and delivery; writing, to exprefs the contents; fealing, 
to teftify the confent of the parties; and delivery, to 
make it binding and perfeft. 
A deed is fome times called a charter, carta, from its 
materials; but molt ufually, when applied to the tranf- 
attion of private fubjedts, it is called a deed, in Latin 
8 D fa£ium y 
