D I S 
902 
To make mad: properly, by an unfettled and vagrant 
fancy ; but, popularly, to make mad in whatever mode. 
—You (hall find a dijlraEled man fancy himfelf a king, 
and with a right inference require fuituble attendance, 
refpecl, and obedience. Locke. 
Better I were diflraCl , 
So fhould my thoughts be fever’d from my griefs, 
And woes, by wrong imagination, lofe 
The knowledge of themfelves. Skakefpeare. 
DISTRACT'EDLY, adv. Madly; franticly : 
Methought her eyes had crofs’d her tongue; 
For (he did fpeak in Harts dijlrattcdly. Skakefpeare. 
DISTR ACT'EDNESS,/ The ftate of being diftraft- 
ed; madnefs. 
DISTRAC'TION, f. \_diJlraclio, Lat.] Tendency to 
different parts ; feparation : 
While he was yet in Rome, 
His power went out in fuch diJlraElims , as 
Beguil’d all fpies. Shakefpeare. 
Confufion ; ftate in which the attention is called diffe¬ 
rent ways : 
Never was known a night of fuch diJlraClion , 
Noife fo confus’d and dreadful ; jollling crowds, 
That run and knew not whither. Drydcn. 
Perturbation of mind ; violence of fome painful paffion. 
•—The diflraHion of the children, who faw botli their pa¬ 
rents expiring together, would have melted the hardeft 
heart. Tatter. —Madnefs; franticnefs ; lofs of the wits ; 
vagrancy of the mind.—Commiferate all thofe who la¬ 
bour under a fettled diJlraClion, and who are (hut out 
from all the pleafures and advantages of human com¬ 
merce. Atterbur'y. 
So to mad Pentheus double Thebes appears, 
And furies howl in his diliemper’d ears; 
Ore ties fo, with like dijiraclion tofs’d, 
Is made to fly his mother’s angry ghoft. Waller. 
D.ifturbance ; difcord ; difference of fentitnents.—The 
two armies lay quiet near each other, without improving 
the confufion and difraHion which the king’s forces were 
too much inclined to. Clarendon. 
DISTR AC'TIVE, adj. Caufing perplexity : 
Oft grown unmindful through dJlraClive cares, 
I’ve ftretch’d my arms, and touch’d him unawares. Dryd. 
To DISTRA'IN, v. a. [from dijlringo, Lat.] Tofeize; 
to lay hold on as an indemnification for a debt: 
Here’s Beauford, that regards not God nor king, 
Hath here dijlrain'd the Tower to his ufe. Shakefpeare. 
To rend ; to tear : not in ufe : 
For that fame net fo cunningly was wound, 
That neither guile nor force might it dijlraine. Spcnfcr . 
To embrace ; a corrupt ufe : 
Thus fpake the prince, and gently ’gan dijlrain 
Now him, now her, between his friendly arms. Fairfax. 
To DISTRA'IN, v. n. To make feizure.—The earl 
anfwered, I will not lend money to my fuperior, upon 
whom I cannot dijlrain for the debt. Camden. 
Blood, his rent to have regain’d, 
Upon the Britifh diadem dijlrain’d. Marvel. 
DISTRAIN'ER,/ He that feizes. 
DISTRAINT,/. Seizure. 
DISTR ATT, adj. [Fr.] Abfent in thought.—He told 
me then, that in company you were frequently molt pro- 
vokingly inattentive, abfent, and dijlrait. Chejlerfield. 
DISTRA'UGHT, part adj. Diftrafted.— He had been 
a good military man in his days, but was then djlraught 
of his wits. Camden. 
DISTRAUGH'TED, part. adj. Diftrafted_Which 
in my weak dijlraugkted mind I fee. Spenfer. 
D I S 
DIS'TRE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Mayne and Loire, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 
trift of Saumur: three leagues fouth-weft of Saumur. 
To DISTREA'M, v. n. (a poetical word.) To make 
a fpreacling dream.—Yet o’er that virtuous blulh dif 
treams a tear. Sheujlone. 
DISTRE'SS,/ [dejlreffe, Fr.] The aft of making a 
legal feizure: 
Quoth die, fome fay the foul’s fecure 
Again!! dijlr.ejs and forfeiture. lludibras. 
A compulfion in real aftions, by which a man is allured 
to appear in court, or to pay a debt or duty which he 
refilled. Cowell. —The thing feized bylaw. Calamity; 
mifery ; misfortune.—There (hall be figns in the fun, 
and in the moon, and in the liars; and upon earth dif. 
trefs of nations, with perplexity, the fea and the waves 
roaring. Luke, xxi. 25. 
There can I fit alone, unfeen of any, 
And to the nightingale’s complaining notes 
Tune my dijlrejfes, and record my w'oes. Shakefpeare. 
DISTRE'SS,/ in law, the taking of a perfonal chat¬ 
tel out of the pofleflion of the w r rong-doer, into the cuf- 
tody of the party injured, to procure a fatisfaftion for 
the wrong committed. 3 Comm. 6. The term dijlrefs is 
alfo applied to the thing taken or diftrained. A man 
may take a diltrefs for homage, fealty, or any fervices ; 
for fines and amercements ; and for damage-feafant, See. 
And the effeft of it is to compel the party either to re¬ 
plevy the dilirefs, and conteft the taking in an aftion 
again!! the diftrainer; or, which is more ufual, to com¬ 
pound or pay the debt or duty, for which he wms dil- 
trained. There are likewife diftrefles in aftions compul- 
fory to caufe a man to appear in court : and of thefe 
there is a dilirefs perfonal, of a man’s moveable goods, 
and profits of lands, Sec. for contempt in not appearing 
after fummoned; and diftrefles real, upon immoveable 
goods. But none (hall be diftrained to anfwer for any 
thing touching their freeholds, but by the king’s writ. 
3 2 Hen. III. c. 1. 
The moft ufual injury for which a diftrefs may be 
taken, is that of non-payment of rent; and it may be 
laid down as an ttniverfal principle, that a diftrefs may 
be taken for any kind of rent in arrear. For neglefting 
to do fuit to the lord’s court, or other certain perfonal 
fervice, the lord may diftrain of common right. 1 Injl. 
46. For amercements in a court leet, a diftrefs may be 
had of common right; but not for amercements in. a 
court baron, without a fpecial prefeription to warrant it. 
Brozonl. 36. Another injury, for which diftrefles may be 
taken, is, where a man finds beads of a ftranger wander¬ 
ing in his grounds damage feafant; doing him hurt or da¬ 
mage by treading down his grafts, Sec. in which cafe the 
occupier of the foil may diftrain them, till fatisfaftion 
made to him for the injury he has fuftained. 
Of common right a perfon may diftrain for rents, and 
all manner of fervices ; and for rent referved upon a gift 
in tail, leafe for life, years, Sec. though there be no claule 
of diftrefs in the deed, fo as the reverfion be in himfelf; 
but, on a feoffment in fee, a diftrefs may not be taken 
unlefs exprefsly referved in the deed. Co. Lit. 57, 205. 
A man grants a rent out of the manor of D. and further, 
that if the rent be behind, the grantee (hall diftrain for 
it in the manor of S. This is a rent in the manor of D. 
and only a penalty on the other manor. 1 S/iep. Abr. 367. 
If a perfon feifed of land in fee, demife it to one upon 
condition to pay his wife five pounds a year rent, and if 
it be behind and in arrear, that (he (hall diftrain for it; 
the wife may take a diftrefs for the rent. Dyer 3, 48. 
There is a lord and tenant by three pounds rent and feal¬ 
ty, the lord dies, and his wife is endowed of the thirds 
of the feigniory ; here (lie may diftrain for one pound, 
and the heir for two pounds; fo if a rent be divided 
among!! parceners, each of them may have a diftrefs for 
