DIO 
if a fly fettles on the leaf, the lobes immediately clofe, 
and never open again while it continues there; whence 
its trivial name of Venus's fly-trap. If the intruder can be 
extracted fa as not to ft rain the lobes, they expand 
again ; but, if force be ufed to open them, fo ftrong has 
nature formed the fpring of their fibres, that one of the 
lobes generally fnaps oft' rather than yield. Hence the 
fly tifually perifhes, particularly if caught in the heat of 
tire day ; for then the plant is moft irritable, fince the 
leaves are obferved to exert their greateft ftrength while 
expofed to the meridian fun. What Ellis calls the lower 
joint of the leaf, Linnaeus looks upon as the petiole 
winged in the fame manner as in the orange. The Item 
is a fcape ; the flowers grow' in a corymb refembling an 
umbel ; the petals are marked with feven ftreaks, and 
bend in at the end. Linnaeus affirms, that when the en¬ 
trapped infect ceafes to ftruggle, and is quiet, the leaf 
opens and permits it to efcape. This does not agree with 
Ellis’s account : for he afferts that the lobes never open 
again, fo long as the animal continues there. He thinks 
it probable that a fweet liquor, difcharged by the red 
glands, tempts the infedt to its deftruftion. He adds, that 
if a ftraw or a pin be introduced between the lobes, they 
•will grafp it as fall: as if it w'ere an infe£t. 
A fpecimen of this fingtilar plant was firft fent to Mr. 
Ellis in 1765, by Collinfon ; who received it from John 
Bartram of Philadelphia, botanift to the king. But we 
are indebted to Mr. William Young, a native of Phila¬ 
delphia, for the introduction of it alive, and in confide- 
rable quantities, in 1768. It is a native of the fwarnps 
of Carolina, in North America, about the latitude of 
thirty-five degrees north, where the winters are fliort, and 
the fummers very hot ; it flowers there in July and Au- 
guft. The plants introduced by Mr. Young were all 
loft : and this Angular plant was again brought into our 
gardens in 17S9 ; but it will be difficult long to preferve 
a fwamp plant from Carolina. 
Propagation and Culture. Being a fwamp plant, a north- 
eaft afpeft will be the propereft to place it in ; and in 
winter it will be neceflary to fhelter it with a bell-glafs, 
which fhouid be covered with ftraw or a mat in hard 
frofts. Its fenfitive quality will be exerted in proportion 
to the heat of the weather, and vigour of the plant. It 
may alfo be planted in pots of light moorilh earth, for 
in fuch the plants come over mixed with white fand, and 
placed in pans of water, in an airy ftove ; where the heat 
ot fuch a fituation, being like that of its native country, 
will make it furprizingly aCtive. Our fummers are not 
warm enough to ripen the feed. 
DIO'NE, a nymph, daughter of Nereus and Doris. 
She was mother of Venus, by Jupiter, according to Ho¬ 
mer and others. Heliod, however, gives Venus a differ- 
entorigin. Venus isherfelf fometimesealled Dione. Virg. 
DIO'NIS (Peter), an eminent furgeon, native of Paris. 
He was furgeon in ordinary to Maria-Therefa of Auftria, 
queen of France, and to two dauphinefles, and the royal 
children. He was alfo the firft anatomical and chirurgi- 
cal demonftrator at the royal garden, appointed by Louis 
XIV. He wrote works both in anatomy and furgery. 
Of the firft, his Anatomie de l'Homme, fuivdnt la Circulation 
du Sang, appeared in 1690, 8vo. and was feveral times re¬ 
printed, and tranfiated into various languages. A jefuit 
even tranfiated it into the Tartarian dialeCt, for the ufe 
of the emperor of China. His Difertalion hijlorique & ply. 
ftque fur la Generation de l’Homme, 1698, fupports the ova¬ 
rian hypothefis. In furgery he publifhed Coiirs d'Opera- 
tions de Chirurgie, 1707, 8vo. feveral times reprinted, and 
latterly with the notes of La Faye, in two volumes. It 
was long a ftandard book, and contains much ufeful ob- 
fervation, related with plainnefs and fincerity. His other 
works are ; Sur la Mart fubite, & fur la Catalepfe, 1709; 
and Traite generale des Accouchements, 1718. Dionis died at 
Paris in 1718. 
DION'YMAL, adj. Having two names. 
DIONY'SIA,/; feftivals in honour of Bacchus among 
DXO 839 
the Greeks, Their form and folenmity was firft intro¬ 
duced into Greece from Egypt by a certain Melampus; 
and if we admit that Bacchus is the fame as Ifis, the 
dionyfia of the Greeks are the fame as the feftivals cele 
brated by the Egyptians in honour of Ifis. They were 
obferved at Athens with more fplendour and ceremo¬ 
nious fuperftition than in any other part of Greece. The 
years were numbered by their celebration, the Archon 
affifted at the folenmity, and the priefts that officiated 
were honoured with the moft dignified feats at the public 
games. At firft they were celebrated with great fintpli- 
city, and the time was confecrated to mirth. It was 
then ufual to bring a veflel of wine adorned with a vine- 
branch, after which followed a goat, a bafket of figs, and 
the (pah Acr. The worfliippers imitated in their drefs and 
aCtions the poetical fictions concerning Bacchus. They 
clothed themfelves in fawns’ fkins, fine linen, and mi¬ 
tres ; they carried thyrfi, drums, pipes, and flutes, and 
crowned themfelves with garlands of ivy, vine, fir, See. 
Some imitated Silenus, Pan, and the Satyrs, by the un¬ 
couth manner of their drefs and their fantaftical motions. 
Some rode upon afles, and others drove the goats to 
flaughter for the facrifice. In this manner both fexes 
joined in the folemnity, and ran about the hills and coun¬ 
try, nodding their heads, dancing in ridiculous poftures, 
and filling the air with hideous fltrieks and fhouts, and 
crying aloud, Evoe Bacche ! Io ! I-o ! Evoe ! lacche ! 
Iobacche ! Evohe ! With fuch folemnities were the fef¬ 
tivals of Bacchus celebrated by the Greeks, particularly 
the Athenians. In one of thefe there followed a number 
of perlons carrying facred veflels, one of which contained 
water. After thefe came a feleCt number of noble vir¬ 
gins carrying little bafkets of gold filled with all forts of 
fruits. . This was the moft myfterLous part of the fo¬ 
lemnity. Serpents were fometimes put in the bafkets, 
and by their wreathing and crawling out they amufed 
and aftonifhed the beholders. After the virgins, followed 
a company of men carrying poles, at the end of which 
were faftened (pahhoi. The heads of thefe men, who 
were called (pahhotpo^oi, were crowned with ivy and vio¬ 
lets, and their faces covered with other herbs. They 
marched, (inging fongs upon theoccalion of the feftivals, 
called (pa.hXiy.ee acry.ara. Next to the (pahhotpogoi followed 
the i§v(pxhhoi in womens’ apparel, with white ftriped 
garments reaching to the ground ; thejr heads were deck¬ 
ed with garlands, and on their hands they wore gloves 
compofed of flowers. Their geftures and actions were 
like thofe of a drunken man. Befides thefe, there were 
a number of perfons called hixvoQo^oi, who carried the 
hiy.rov, or mufical van, 'of Bacchus; without their at¬ 
tendance none of the feftivals of Bacchus were celebrated 
with due folemnity, and on that account the god is often 
called hty.’jiToq, The feftivals of Bacchus were alrnoft in¬ 
numerable. The name of the moft celebrated were the 
dionyfia at Lirnnae in Attica. The chief per¬ 
fons that officiated were fourteen women called yecaiqai y 
venerable. They were appointed by one of the archons, 
and before their appointment they folemnly took an oath 
before the archon or his wife, that their body was free 
from all pollution. The greater dionyfia, fometimes 
called acfliy.a, or ra y.ap ao r lv, as being celebrated within 
the city, were the moft famous. They were fuppofed to 
be the fame as the preceding. The lefs dionyfia, fome- 
tirnes calledra y.aP aygow;, becaufe celebrated in the coun¬ 
try, or hEvaia, from hevoc, a wine prefs, were to all ap¬ 
pearance a preparation for the greater feftivals. They 
were celebrated in autumn. The dionyfia [S^av^iovia, ob¬ 
ferved at Brauron in Attica, were a feene of levvdnefs, 
extravagance, and debauchery. The dionyfia rvkryhtce, 
were obferved by the Athenians in honour of Bacchus 
NyClelius. It was unlawful to reveal whatever was feeri 
or done during the celebration. The dionyfia, called 
a/j.opayia, becaufe human victims were offered to the 
god, or becaufe the priefts Imitated the eating of raw 
flefli, were celebrated with much folemnity. .The priefts 
put 
