DEV 
DEV 
774 
trial. Their guilt was eafily proved, fentenee was pro¬ 
nounced, and Effex received it like a man prepared for 
his fate : “ If (faid lie) her majefty had pleafed, this bo¬ 
dy of mine might have done h.er better fervice ; how¬ 
ever, I fhall be glad if it may prove ferviceable to her 
any way.” As he had always a ftrong fenfe of religion, 
which was now enforced by the profpect of another 
world, his chaplains were employed to draw from him a 
full confeflion of all his praftices, and a difclofure of his 
accomplices ; and fo confcientious was he in this point, 
that he involved a great number of perfons in fufpicion 
and danger, who were but (lightly or diftantly affociated 
in his projects. The queen was long irrefolute on fign- 
ing the warrant for his execution, and feemed to wait for 
his-application for mercy ; but his enemies informed her 
that it was his wifh to die, and the was led to confider 
his (ilence as a mark of obftinacy. Yet a (lory has ob¬ 
tained credit concerning his fending to her a ring, which (he 
had given him during the height of affeftion, as a pledge, 
on the return of which, (lie would pardon any offence he 
might commit. This ring, it is faid, the unhappy man 
entrufted to the countefs of Nottingham, his relation, but 
the wife of his enemy, the admiral, who would not buf¬ 
fer her to deliver it; and thereby the proffered clemency 
was fruftrated. It is added, that the countefs having 
upon her death-bed confeffed the fecret to the queen, (lie 
was violently difturbed, and told her., “ That God might 
forgive her, but flic never could and that Elizabeth 
thenceforth gave herfelfup to that fixed melancholy which 
preyed upon her till her death. The earl of Effex was 
executed within the Tower, on February 25, 1601. He 
met his fate, not with terror, but with all the contrition 
and humiliation of fpirit which his religious fentiments 
infpired ; and the divines, by whom he was furrounded, di- 
redted him in every part of the laft ceremonial. He buf¬ 
fered in the thirty-fourth year of his age. His charadter 
was adorned with many fplendid virtues. He was brave, 
generous, open, and affedtionate ; but, at the fame time, 
rafli, violent, and prefumptuous. His talents were con- 
liderable ; buthe difplayed more vigour in adtion than 
judgment in counfel, and he too readily gave way to the 
diredtion of thofe who had obtained an afcendancy over 
him. He was.a friend and patron of literature. He 
eredted a monument to Spenfer, gave an eftate to Bacon 
(for which lie was bafely requited), and took into his fer¬ 
vice Wotton, and other men of learning. He himfelf 
wrote well in profe, and attempted verfe, though with in¬ 
different fuccefs. His memory has always been popular, 
and his unfortunate end has been the fubjedt of four dif¬ 
ferent tragedies. 
DEVER'GENCE,_/1 [ dcvcrgentia , Lat.] Declivity; 
declination. 
DE'VERON, a river of Scotland, which runs into the 
■Frith of Murray, at Banff. 
To DEVE'ST, v. a. \_dcvcjler, Fr. de and veftis, Lat.] 
To drip; to deprive of clothes : 
Then of his arms Androgens he dcvejls, 
His (word, his fliield, he takes, and plumed crefts. 
Denham. 
To annul ; to take away any tiling good.—What are 
thofe breaches of the law of nature and nations, which 
do forfeit and dcvejl all right and title in a nation to go¬ 
vernment ? Bacon. —To free from any thing bad : 
Come on, thou little inmate of this bread, 
Which for thy fake from paflions I dcvejl. Prior. 
DEVE'X, adj. Jdevexus , Lat.] Bending down ; decli¬ 
vous ; incurvated downwards. 
DEVEX'ITY,/i Incurvation downwards ; declivity. 
DEVIAC', a town of France, in the department of 
the Charente, and chief place of a canton, in the diftrict 
of Barbezieux : fifteen miles fouth of Angoulefme. 
DEVIATA'IA, a river of Siberia, which runs into 
the Ofenoka. Lat. 62. .23. N. Ion. 167. 20. E. Ferro, 
To DE'VIATE, v.n. [de via decedere , Lat.] To wan, 
der from the right or common way : 
Thus Pegafus, a nearer way to take, 
May boldly deviate from the common track. Pope. 
To go affray; to err ; to fin ; to offend. 
DEVIA'TION, /. The add of quitting the right way; 
error ; wandering.—Thefe bodies conftantly move round 
in the,fame tracks; without making the lea ft. deviation. 
Ch'eyne.- —Variation from effablifhed rule.—Having once 
furveyed the true and proper natural alphabet, we may 
eafily discover the deviations from it, in all the alphabets 
in ufe, either by defect of fingle characters, of letters, or 
by confufion of them. Holder. —Offence ; obliquity of 
condudt.—Worthy perfons, if inadvertently drawn into 
a deviation , will endeavour inffantly to recover their loft 
ground, that they may not bring error into habit. Clariffiz. 
DEVI'CE,/. Idevifc, Fr. dexnfa, Ital.j A contrivance; 
a ftratagem: 
This is our device, 
That Falftaff at that oak fhall meet with 11s. Shakefp. 
A defign ; a fcheme formed ; project ; fpeculation.—. 
His device is againft Babylon, to deftroy it. jer. li. 11.— 
There are many devices in a man’s heart ; neverthelefs 
the counfel of the Lord fhall ftand. Prov. xix. 21.-—The 
emblem on a fliield ; the enfign armorial of a nation or 
family. See Heraldry. 
Hibernia’s harp, device of her command, 
And parent of her mirth, fliall there be fecn. Prior. 
Invention; genius.—He’s gentle; never fchooled, and 
yet learned ; full of noble device , of all forts enchantingly 
beloved. Shakefpcare. 
DEVI'CEFUL, adj. Full of contrivance : 
To tell the glorie of the feaft that day, 
The goodly fervice, the devicefull fights, 
The bridegroom’s ftate, the bride’s 1110ft rich array. Spenf. 
DEVICOT'TA, a town of Hindooftan, in the Carna¬ 
tic, fituated at the mouth of the Coleroon, or north 
branch of the Cauvery, in the Bay of Bengal, in the coun¬ 
ty of Tanjore : twenty miles north of Tranquebar. It 
has a ftrong fort on the banks of the Coleroon; and 
within the bar is depth of water fufficient for ftiips of 
the largeft burden. In 1749, it was in poffeffion of its 
lawful mafter, the rajah of Tanjore. The Englifli, un¬ 
der major Laurence, determined to make themfelves maf- 
ters of it: the troops were paffed over the rapid" ftream, 
by means of rafts, in the face of the enemy. Clive, then 
a lieutenant, at his own requeft, led on the attack. The 
fort was foon forced, and the garrifon faved themfelves 
by flight. It was intended to form the valuable acquifi- 
tion we had gained by this port into afafe and capacious 
harbour ; but the project has been (ince abandoned. 
DEVIC'ZA, a town of Poland, in the palatinate of 
Sandomirz : forty-eight miles fouth-fouth-weft of San-' 
domirz. 
DE'VIL,/. [ diaful, C. Brit, beopl, Sax. duyvel, Dut. 
dueval, L. Ger. teijfel, H. Ger. diejvel, Dan. dicfwul , Su. 
diabolus, Lat. Gr. a falfe accufer or calumnia¬ 
tor ; diable, Fr. diablo, Sp. diabo, Port, diavolo, Ital.] A 
fallen angel; a fiend ; a fpiritual enemy of mankind : 
Are you a man > 
-Ay, and a bold one, that dare look on that 
Which might appal the devil. Shahefpcarc . 
A wicked man or woman : • 
See thyfelf, devil: 
Proper deformity feems not in the fiend 
So horrid as in woman. Shakefpeare. 
A ludicrous term for mifehief: 
A war of profit mitigates' the evil ; 
But to be tax’d, and beaten, is the devil. Granville. 
A kind 
