D I L 
826 
root fibrous; root-leaves like thofe of cyperus, even, 
ereft, drift ; one or two only on the item, lanceolate, 
fliort. Umbel (or corymb) regular; universal involucre 
fix-leaved, lanceolate, fhort; peduncular rays about fix, 
two-parted, with a racemed arm on each fide; flowers 
alternate, afcending, pedicelled: corolla fmoothifh with¬ 
in, dark purple; ftamens the length of the petals; an¬ 
ther® equal; ftigma three-cornered. 
2. Dilatris vifcofa, or vifcous dilatris : petals linear ; 
corymb faftigiate, villofe, vifcid. Of this fpecies we 
have no defcription, 
3. Dilatris paniculata, or parceled dilatris : petals lan¬ 
ceolate ; panicle oblong, villofe, vifcid. Flowers yel- 
loW'ifh-purple. All thefe are natives of the Cape of 
Good Hope, and were detefted there by the chevalier 
Tlutnberg. For the Propagation and Culture , fee Wa- 
CHENDOR.FI A. 
DILE'AN, (Jofii. xv. 38.) a city of Paleftine, of the 
tribe of Judah, fituated in the lower parts of that pro¬ 
vince. 
DILE'CTION, f. ]_dileEUo, Lat.] The aft of loving; 
kindnefs.—So free is Chrift’s diletlion , that the grand 
condition of our felicity is our belief. Boyle. 
DILEM'MA,/. [Gr.] An argument in logic, equally 
conclufive by contrary fuppofitions. See Logic. 
Hope, whofe weak being ruin’d is 
Alike if it fucceed, and if it mifs ; 
Whom good or ill does equally confound, 
And both the horns of fate’s dilemma wound. Cowley . 
A difficult or doubtful choice ; a vexatious alternative : 
A ftrong dilemma in a defp’rate cafe : 
To aft with infamy, or quit the place. Swift. 
A dire dilemma ; either way I’m fped ; 
If foes they write, if friends they read, me dead. Pope. 
DILETTA'NTE,/ [Ital.] A promoter of fcience. 
Under this name a refpeftable fet of noblemen and gen¬ 
tlemen formed themfelves into afociety (ftill flourifliing) 
about the year 1760. 
DI'LIGENCE,/ \_diligentia, Lat. ] Induftry ; affidui- 
ty; conftancy in bufinefs; continuance of endeavour; 
unintermitted application ; the contrary to idlenefs.— 
Brethren, give diligence to make your calling and eleftion 
fure. 2 Pet. i. 10.—One of the names of a ftage-coach.—■ 
I {hall make my lord very merry with our adventures in 
the diligence. Smollet. 
DI'LIGENT, adj. [diligens, Lat.] Conftant in appli¬ 
cation ; perfevering in endeavour ; affiduous ; not idle ; 
not negligent ; not lazy.—Seed thou a man diligent in his 
bufinefs, he (hall (land before kings. Prov. xxii. 29.— 
Conftantly applied ; profecuted with aftivity and perfe- 
verance ; affiduous.—And the judges fiiall make diligent 
inquifition. Dcut. xix. 
DI'LIGENTLY, adv. With afiiduity ; with heed and 
perfeverance ; not carelefsly ; not idly ; not negligently. 
—If you enquire not attentively and diligently, you fiiall 
never be able to difcern a number of mechanical mo¬ 
tions. Bacon. 
DI'LIN, a town of Hungary : two miles north of 
Schemnitz. 
DILL, a town of Germany, in the circle of the Upper 
Rhine, and feat of a jurifdiftion, in the county of Spon- 
heim : twenty-fix miles weft-north-weft'of Creutznach. 
DILL,/, in botany.. See Anethum. 
DIL'LA, a high mountain of India, on the coaft of 
Malabar: twenty-four miles north-north-weft; of Tclli- 
chery. 
DIL'LENBURG, a town of Germany, in the circle 
of Weftphalia, and capital of Naflau Dillenburg, fitu¬ 
ated on the river Dille ; near it is a furnace for the 
fmelting of copper : fourteen miles north-weft of Wetz- 
lar. Lat. 50. 36. N. Ion. 25. 59. E. Ferro. 
DILLE'NI A, f. [fo named by Linnreus, in honour of 
John James Lillemus, pfofeffor of botany at Oxford.] In 
2 
D I L 
botany, a genus of the clafs polyandria, order polygini’a, 
natural order coadunatae, (magnolias, jujfeu.) The ge¬ 
neric charafters are—Calyx : perianthium five-lc-aved ; 
leaflets obovate, obtufe, concave, leathery, fmooth with¬ 
in, villofe without, permanent. Corolla: petals five, 
obovate, narrowed at bottom, very blunt, very finely 
fuberenate, fomewhat concave, longer than the calyx, 
deciduous. Stamina: filaments fcarcely any; anther® 
very numerous, inferted into the bafe of the germ, linear, 
orange with a black line, ffiorter than the calyx. PiftiL 
lum : germ fuperior, ovate ; ftyles feveral, ereft, fimple, 
longer than the anthers ; ftigmas fimple. Pericarpium : 
roundiffi, outwardly coated withasmany oblong capfules, 
which are longitudinal, and divided by a furrow ; inward¬ 
ly by a columnar, very large, pulpy, receptacle. Seed: 
numerous, very fmall, neftling under the capfules .—Ef 
fential CharaElcr. Calyx, five-leaved ; petals, five; cap¬ 
fules, many-feeded, connate, filled with pulp. 
Species. 1. Dillenia integra, or entire dillenia : leaves 
obovate, obtufe, almoft entire ; peduncles one-flowered. 
Thefe are beautiful trees, natives of the Eaft Indies : the 
leaves are large and of a leathery fubftance ; the flowers 
are axillary or terminating, fometimes very large ; the 
fruit approaches to that of clufia. Juffieu doubts whe¬ 
ther this genus may not be allied more nearly to the na¬ 
tural order of guttiferae than of magnoliae, in which he 
has placed it, although the leaves be alternate. This 
fpecies is a native of the ifland of Ceylon, named there 
gudapara and runumidale. A decoftion of the leaves is 
ufed by the inhabitants for cleanfing foul ulcers. 
2. Dillenia fpeciofa, or handfome dillenia : leaves ob¬ 
long, rounded-acute, toothletted; peduncles one-flower¬ 
ed. This is a lofty tree, with thick, wrinkled, affi-co- 
loured, fmooth, branches; leaves a foot in length, and a 
hand in breadth. Found, according to Rheede, in Ma¬ 
labar, by Thunberg in Java. 
3. Dillenia elliptica, or elliptic-leaved dillenia : leaves 
elliptic-ovate, acute, ferrate; peduncles one-flowered. 
Native of Amboyna, Celebes, and Macafiar, according to 
Rumphius. 
4. Dillenia retufa, or blunt-leaved dillenia: leaves 
obovate, truncate, ferrate ; peduncles one-flowered. Na¬ 
tive of Ceylon, in woods. 
5. Dillenia lerrata, or ferrate-leaved dillenia : leaves 
elliptic-ovate, acute, ferrate ; peduncles three-flowered. 
Native of Celebes, Macafiar, and Java, according to 
Rumphius. 
6. Dillenia dentata, or tooth-leaved dillenia : leaves 
ovate, retufe, toothed ; peduncles three-flowered. Na¬ 
tive of Ceylon, where it is known by the name of diapara. 
7. Dillenia pentagyna, or pentagynous dillenia : leaves 
ovate-lanceolate, ferrate, (harp, flowers pentagynous. 
This is a large tree, with numerous afcending branches ; 
leaves from twelve to twenty inches long, and from four 
to fix broad; flowers middle-fized, yellow. It is a native 
of the mountainous parts of Coromandel, where it flowers 
in March and April. 
DILLE'NIUS (John James), an eminent botanift, born 
at Darmftadt in Germany, in 1687. He was deftined to 
the medical profeffion, and had his principal education at 
the univerfity of Giefien in Upper Hefle. He early dif- 
tinguiflied himfelf as a naturalift; and being made a 
member of the Academia naturae curioforum, he commu¬ 
nicated feveral papers which were printed in their MifceU 
lanea Guriofa. In 1719 heeftablifhed his charafter as one 
of the moft accurate botanifts of the age, by his Cata¬ 
logue of the Plants growing in the Vicinity of Giefien, 
8vo. It is written in Latin, and illuftrated by plates. He 
acquired a celebrity by this work, which attrafted the 
notice of all the friends of botanical fcience, among 
whom was Dr. William Sherrard, who entered into a cor- 
refpondence with Dillenius, which ended in the invitation 
of him to England, where he arrived in 1721. A new' 
and much improved edition of Ray’s Synopjis Stirpium 
Britannicarum , was the firft fruit of his rcfidence here. It 
appeared 
