D I S 
DISSEN'SIOUS, adj. Difpofed to difcord; quarrel, 
fome ; factious; contentions'.—Eitlier in religion they 
have a di/finjious head, or in the commonwealth a factious 
heart. Afcham. 
You dijjinjiaiis rogues, 
That rubbing the poor itch of your opinion. 
Make yourfelves fcabs. Shakefpeare. 
To DISSE'NT, v.n. \_diJfentio, Lat.] To difagree in 
opinion ; to think in a contrary manner.—Let me not be 
any occafion to defraud the public of what is belt, by 
any morofe or perverfe dijfentings. King Charles .—What 
cruelty of heathens has not been matched by the inhu¬ 
manity of dijfenting Chriftians ? Decay of Piety .—To differ; 
to be of a contrary nature—We fee a general agreement 
in the-fecret opinion of men, that every man ought to 
embrace the religion which is true, and to Hum, as hurt¬ 
ful, whatever dijfcnteth from it, but that mod which doth 
fartheft dijfent. Hooker .—To differ from the eftablifhed 
church : 
How will dijfenting brethren relifli ? 
What will malignant fay? Hudihras. 
DISSE'NT,/. Difagreement ; difference of opinion ; 
declaration of difference of opinion.'—In propofitions, 
where though the proofs in view are of mod: moment, 
yet there are grounds to fufpedt that there is proof as 
confiderable to be produced on the contrary fide ; there 
fufpenfe or dijfent are voluntary actions. Locke .—Contra¬ 
riety of nature ; oppofite quality. Noth ufe .—The dijfents 
of the menfirual or ftrong waters may hinder the incor¬ 
poration, as well as the dijfent of the metals. Therefore 
where the menfirual are the fame, and yet the incorpo¬ 
ration followeth not, the dijfent is in the metals. Bacon. 
DISSENTA'NEOUS, adj. Difagreeable ; inconfiftent; 
contrary. 
DISSENTA'NEOUSNESS,/'. Difagreeablenefs; con¬ 
trariety. Scott. 
DISSEN'TE.MENT,/. Diffenfion. Not ufed. 
DISSEN'TER, f. One that difagrees, or declares his 
difagreement, from an opinion.—They will admit of mat¬ 
ter of fa£t, and agree with dijfenters in that; but differ only 
in afiigning of reafons. Locke. —One who, for whatever 
reafons, refufes the communion of the Englilh church. 
This term therefore includes perfons of every defcription 
or perfuafion, who are feparatifts from the eftablifhed 
church, and the fervice and worfhip thereof. And tho’ 
the experience of the turbulent difpofition of thefe fec- 
tarifts occafioned in former times feveral difabilities and 
reftrietions, perhaps not entirely confident with the fpi- 
rit of true toleration, to be laid upon them by different 
ftatutes ; (fee 23 Eliz. c. i. 29 Eliz. c. 6. 35 Eliz. c. 1. 
22 Car. II. c. 1.) yet at length the legiflature, with a 
fpirit of true magnanimity, extended that indulgence to 
them which they themfelves, when in power, had held 
to be countenancing fchifm, and had denied to the church 
of England. The penalties are conditionally fufpended 
by 1 Will, and Mary, ft. 1. c. 18. “ for exempting their 
majefties’ proteftant fubjefts, diftenting from the church 
of England, from the penalties of certain laws,” com¬ 
monly called the toleration-aH ; which is confirmed by 
10 Anne, c. 2 ; and declares, that neither the laws above- 
mentioned, nor the ftatutes 1 Eliz. c. 2. 3 Jac. I. c. 4, 5, 
nor any other penal laws made againft popifh recufants, 
(except the teft afts,) fhall extend to any dilfenters, 
other than papifts, and f'uch as deny the trinity. Pro¬ 
vided, 1. That they take the oaths of allegiance and fu- 
premacy ; (or make a fimilar affirmation, being quakers, 
flat. 8 Geo. I. c. 6;) and fubfcribe the declaration againft 
popery. 2. That they repair to fome congregation certi¬ 
fied to, and regiftered in, the court of the bifhop or arch¬ 
deacon, or at the county feflions. 3. That the doors of 
fuch meeting-houfe fhall be unlocked, unbarred, and un¬ 
bolted ; in default of which the perfons meeting there 
are ftill liable to all the penalties of the former adts, 
Vcl. V. No. 323. 
D I S 88 {) 
DifTenting teachers, in order to be exempted from the 
penalties of the ftatutes 13 & iqCar. II. c. 4. 15 Car. II. 
c.6. 17 Car. II. c. 2. 22 Car. II. c. 1. are alfo to fub¬ 
fcribe the articles of religion mentioned in 13 Eliz. c. 12. 
(which only concern the confeftion of the true Chriftian 
faith, and the doctrine of the facraments;) with an ex- 
prefs exception of thofe relating to the government and 
powers of the church, and to infant baptifm; or if they 
fcruple fubfcribing the fame, fhall make and fubfcribe 
the declaration prefcribed by igGeo. III. c.44. protefling 
themfelves to be Chriftians and proteftants, and that they 
believe the fcripture to contain the revealed will ot God, 
and to be the rule of dodtrine and practice. 
Thus, though the crime of non-conformity is by no 
means tiniverlally abrogated, it is fufpended and ceales 
to exift with regard to proteftant dilfenters, during their 
compliance with the conditions impofed by the above- 
mentioned ftatutes : and under thefe conditions, all per¬ 
fons who will approve themfelves no papifts, or oppugners 
of the trinity, are left at full liberty to adt as their con- 
fcience fhall diredt them, in matters of religious worfhip. 
And if any perfon fhall wilfully, malicioully, or con- 
temptuoufly, di'fturb any congregation, affembled in any 
church, or permitted meeting-houfe, or lhall mifufe any 
preacher, or teacher there, he fhall (by virtue of the fame 
ftatute 1 Will, and Mary) be bound over to the feftions 
of the peace, and forfeit twenty pounds. But by 5 Geo. I. 
c. 4. no mayor, or principal magiftrate, muff appear at 
any diftenting meeting with the enfigns of his office, on 
pain of difability to hold that or any other office ; the 
legiflature judging it a matter of propriety, that a mode 
of worlhi'p, fet up in oppofition to the national, when al¬ 
lowed to be exercifed in peace, fhould be exercifed alfo 
with decency, gratitude, and humility. Dilfenters alfo 
who fubfcribe to the declaration in the ftatute 19Geo.Hr. 
are exempted (unlefs in the cafe of endowed fchools 
and colleges) front the penalties of the ftatutes 13 and 14 
Car. II. c. 4. and 17 Car. II. c. 2. which prohibit (upon 
pain of fine and imprifonment) all perfons from teaching 
fchool, unlefs they be licenfed by the ordinary, and fub¬ 
fcribe a declaration of conformity to the liturgy of the 
church, and reverently frequent the divine fervice efta- 
bliflted by the laws of this kingdom. 
Dilfenters chofen to any parochial or ward offices, and 
fcrupling to take the oaths, may execute the office by 
deputy, who (hall comply with the law in this behalf. 
1 Will. & Mary, ft. 1. c. 18. But it appears that'they are 
not iubjeft to fine on refilling to ferve corporation of¬ 
fices. For where a freeman of London was. elected one 
of the fheriffs, but refufed to take the office on account 
of his being a dilfenter, and as fuch not having received 
the facrament according to the rights of the church of 
England, within a year before his election, an action was 
brought againft him in the IherifF’s court, for the penalty 
incurred by fuch refufal, and a judgment recovered ; 
which judgment was affirmed, in a writ of error brought 
in the court of huftings. But the defendant having ob¬ 
tained a fpecial commiftion of errors, the judges dele¬ 
gates reverfed both judgments ; and on a writ of error in 
parliament, this judgment of reverfal was affirmed ; the 
judges being (except one) of opinion, that the defendant 
was at liberty to objedt to the validity of his election on 
the ground of his own non-conformity. 3 Bro. P. C. 465. 
Harrifon v. Evans. 
By 31 Geo. III. c. 32, Roman catholics are afforded a 
very extenlive toleration, and put nearly upon the foot¬ 
ing of the other dilfenters from the church of England ; 
and are alfo relieved in the payment of land-tax: which 
fee under the article Papist. 
DISSE'PIMENT, f. [from dis and fepio , Lat. to in- 
clofe round.] The thin feptum which divides.the cells 
in the fruit of plants : the capfule. 
DISSEP'TUM,/. [from dijjcpio, Lat. to jnclofe round.] 
The diaphragm, or membrane which divides the cavity 
of the thorax from the abdomen. 
10 R DISSER- 
