13 E V 
(urns to the north-weft. Several final 1 harbours and 
creeks fill up the fpace from this point to Plymouth 
found. Some miles at fea, oft' Plymouth found, is Ed. 
dyftone lighthoufe, a celebrated ftrudture, eredted upon 
a rock, which is covered at high water. 
The Dcvonfhire coaft lying on the Briftol channel, is 
next to be conlidered. The firft objedt in a line from 
■ Somerfetfhire, is Comb Martin, once famous for a lead 
mine, abounding in fiver, but now no longer wrought. 
Ilfracombe follows next, with a fpacious bafon, formed 
by a good pier running out into the Briftol channel. The 
high tides allow large veflels to enter the harbour. Far¬ 
ther weftward is Barnftaple bay, the entrance to the rivers 
Taw and Towridge, which unite juft before they reach 
the fea. The town of Barnftaple is (ituated about twelve 
miles up the former river, and that of Biddeford about 
fix miles up the latter. A number of boats employed 
in the pilchard and herring filhery lie at Clovely, a finall 
harbour, with a pier in the bay. The promontory of 
Hartland point, frequented by the herring-filhers, termi¬ 
nates the Devonfliire coaft on this fide, and opens into 
Cornwall. 
The Rev. R. Polwhele, in his hiftory of Devonfliire, 
publiflied in 1797, obferves, “that the encroachments of 
the fea on the (bores of the-weft of England, are very 
confiderable. Devonfliire lofes great quantities of ground 
continually, both on the north and the fouth coafts. In 
the time of Edward I. Cornwall was much larger than 
at this day. In ftiort, all the fliores of Great Britain and 
Ireland which are expofed to the Atlantic Ocean, are in 
a conftant ftate of diminution. Thefe are facts : to build 
an hypothefis upon them, I would not prefume.” The 
fame author, in defcribing the local lituation of this 
county, concludes in the following words: “On the 
whole, I think Devonfliire may felicitate herfelf on an 
atmofphere fddom agitated by ftorms, or charged with 
noxious vapours. The falubrity of her air, and the 
mildnefs of her feafons, have been readily acknowledged 
by the neighbouring provinces ; and though flie hath 
fome unwholefome fituations, fuch as Dartmoor, whole 
genius wears an eternal frown ; and may be at times ex¬ 
pofed to the violence of tempeft ; yet fhe has great reafc-n 
to be thankful to Providence, that file experiences fo 
little evil mixed with fo much good.” 
DE'VONSHIRING, f. See Densheering. 
DEVORA'TION, f. [from devoro, Lat.J The adt of 
devouring. 
To DEVO'TE, v. a. [dcvovco, devctus, Lat.] To dedi¬ 
cate ; to confecrate ; to appropriate by vow.—No devoted 
thing that a man fhall devote unto the Lord, of all that 
he hath, both of man and bead, and of the field of his 
poireflion, fhall be fold or redeemed. Lev. xxvii. 21. 
What black magician conjures up this fiend, 
To ftop devoted charitable deeds ? Shakefpeare. 
To addidt; as to a fedt, 01* ftudy.—If perfons of this 
make fliould ever devote themfelves to fcier.ce, they fliould 
be well allured of a folid and ftrong conftitution of body. 
Watts. —To condemn ; to refign to ill: 
Ah why, Penelope, this caufelefs fear, 
To render fieep’s foft bleflings infincere ? 
Alike devote to furrow’s dire extreme 
The day reflection and the midnight dream. Pope. 
To addidt; to give up to ill.—The Romans having once 
debauched' their fenfes with the pleafures of other na¬ 
tions, they devoted themfelves unto all wickednefs. Grew. 
To curfe; to execrate ; to doom to deftrudtion : 
To deftrudtion facred, and devote , 
He with his whole pofterity mult die. Milton. 
DEVO'TE, adj. For devoted : 
How on a fudden loft, 
Defac’d, deflower’d, and to death devote! Milton. 
DEVO'TEDNESS, f. The ftate of being devoted or 
dedicated} confecration; addidtednefs,—The owning of 
DEV 779 
our obligation unto virtue, may be ftyled natural reli¬ 
gion ; that is to fay, a devotednfs unto God, fo as to act 
according to his will. Grew. 
DEVOTEE', f. \jdcvot , Fr.] One erroneoufly or fu- 
perftitioufly religious; a bigot. 
DE'VOTEMENT, f Vowed dedication : 
Thou doft too haftily 
Make this devotement of tiny foul to heaven. Mafon. 
DEVO'TION, f. [from the Latin devotio, which itfelf 
is derived from devoveo, “to.give one’s felf up entirely 
to fome caufe, purpofe, or perfon,” generally in a folemn 
and religious manner : 
-Vobis animam, hanc foceroque Latino 
Turnus ego, hand ulli veterum virtute fecundus, 
Devovi .— Virg. fEn. xi. 440. 
“ For you, O king, for you my friends, for all, 
“ Behold your felf-devoted Turnus fall!” Pitt.~\ 
The ftate of being confecrated or dedicated. Piety; adls- 
of religion ; devoutnefs : 
Mean time her warlike brother on the feas 
His waving dreamers to the winds difplays, 
And vows for his return with vain devotion pays. Drydcn „ 
An adt of external worfhip.—Religious minds are in¬ 
flamed with the love of public devotion. Hooker. 
In vain doth man the name of juft expedt, 
If his devotions he to God negledt. Denham. 
Prayer; expreffion of devotion. — Your devotion has its 
opportunity: vve muft pray always, but chiefly at certaia 
times. Spratt. —The ftate of the mind under a ftrong fenfe~ 
of dependance upon God; devoutnefs; piety: 
From the full choir when loud hofannas rife, 
And fwell the pomp of dreadful facrifice ; 
Amid that feene, if fome relenting eye 
Glance on the ftone where our cold reliques lie, 
Devotion's felf fiiall fteal a thought from heav’n, 
One human tear fhall drop, and be forgiv’n. Pope,. 
An adl of reverence, refpedt, or ceremony : 
Whither away fo fall ? 
—Upon the like devotion as yourfelves, , 
To gratulate the gentle princes there. Shakefpeare. 
Strong affedbion ; ardent love ; fuch as makes the lover 
the foie property of the perfon loved : 
Be oppofite all planets of good luck 
To my proceeding, if, with pure heart’s love, 
Immaculate devotion, holy thoughts, 
I tender not thy beauteous princely daughter. Shakefpeare . 
Earneftnefs; ardour; eagernefs.—He feeks their hate with 
greater devotion than they can render it him ; and leaves 
nothing undone that may fully difeover him their oppolite. 
Shakefpeare.' —Difpofal; power; ftate of dependance on 
any one.—Arundel caftle would keep that rich corner of 
the country at hismajefty’s devotion. Clarendon, 
Ot Devotion, ufed in the fenfe of facrificing one’s 
felf to the good of our country, there are many examples 
in Roman Hiftory. Thus, in Livy, vii. 6, Curtins is faid 
to have devoted himfelf fe devovife , and with his horle to 
have leaped into a gulf, which could thus only be clofed. 
In the fame author, viii. 9.-X. 28. two. Decii feverally 
devoted themfelves. Frenshemius,- in his Supplement, 
xiii. 43. obferves, many think a third of the Decian fa¬ 
mily did the fame in the war with Pyrrhus. To this 
Devotion of themfelves made by the firft Decius, by 
his fon, and by his grandfon, Juvenal alludes, when he 
fays in their commendation : 
-Pro totis Legionibus hi tamen, et pro 
Omnibus auxiliis, atque omni plebe Latina 
Sufficiunt Diis infernis.—Sat. viii. 235. 
“ Yet for whole Legions, thefe, 
“ And all allies, and Roman Commonalty, 
“ Make fatisfadfion to the infernal Gods.” 
Ill 
