D I S 
where they are impowered to levy penalties by any aft 
of parliament, are, in their warrants of diftrefs, to limit 
a time for the fale of the goods ; the conftable making 
fuch diftrefs may deduft the reafonable charges of detain¬ 
ing, keeping, and felling, fuch diftrefs, out of the money 
arifing by the fale ; and the overplus, if any, after fuch 
charges, and alfo the penalty, or fum of money, (ball be 
fully paid, (hall be returned to the owner of the goods 
diftrained ; and the conftable, if required, (hall (hew the 
warrant to the party whofe goods are diftrained, and Suf¬ 
fer a copy thereof to be taken. This aft not to alter or 
repeal the ftatutes 7 & 8 Will. III. c. 34. and 1 Geo. I. 
c. 6. relating to diftreffes on quakers for tithes and church 
rates. 
Distress of the King .—By the common law no fub- 
jeft can diftrain out of his fee or feigniory, unlefs cattle 
are driven to a place out of the fee to hinder the lord’s 
diftrefs, &c. But the king may diftrain for rent-fervice, 
or fee-farm, in all the lands of the tenant wherefoever 
they be ; not only on lands held of himfelf, but of others ; 
where his tenant is in aftital poffeflion, and the land ma¬ 
nured with his-own beads, &c. 2 Inf. 132. If a town 
be a defied to a certain fum, a diftrefs may be taken in any 
part, fubjeft to the whole duty. 2 Danv. 643. 
To DISTRE'SS, v. a. To profecute by law to a Seizure. 
To harafs; to make miferable ; to crufh with calamity. 
— Diflrefs not the Moabites, neither contend with them 
in battle. Dcut. ii. 9.—I am difrejfed for thee, my brother 
Jonathan. 2 Sam. i. 26. 
DISTRESSFUL, adj. Miferable ; full of trouble ; 
full of mifery.— Dijlrefsful and defolating events, which 
have attended the miftakes of politicians, (liould be ever 
prefent in their minds. Watts. —Attended with poverty: 
He, with a body fill’d, and vacant mind, 
Gets him to reft, cramm’d with dijlrefsful bread. Shakefp. 
To DISTRIBUTE, v. a. [difribuo, Lat.] To divide 
amongft more than two; to deal out; to difpenfate.— 
She did difribute her goods to all them that were neareft 
of kindred. Judith, xvi. 24. 
DISTRIBUTER, f. One who deals out anything; 
a dilpenfer.—Of that peculiar matter out of v Inch the 
bodies of vegetables and of animals are formed, water is 
the common vehicle and difributer to the parts of thofe 
bodies. Woodward. 
DISTRIBUTION, f. [_dfributio, Lat.] The aft of 
diftributing or dealing out to others; difpenfation.—Of 
great riches there is no real life, except it be in the djf 
tribution. Bacon. —Providence has made an equal difribu- 
tion of natural gifts, whereof each creature feverally has 
a (hare. D If Tange .—Aft of giving in charity.—Let 11s 
govern our charitable difributions by this pattern of na¬ 
ture, and maintain a mutual circulation of benefits and 
returns. Atterbury. —[In logic.] As an integral whole is 
diftinguiftied into its feveral parts of divifion ; fo the 
word a'fribution is mod properly ufed, when we diftin- 
guifh a univerfal whole into its feveral kinds or fpecies. 
Watts. 
DISTRIBUTIVE, adj. That which is employed in 
aligning to others their portions; as, dfributive juftice, 
that which allots to each his fentence or claim : 
If juftice will take all, and nothing give, 
Juftice methinks is not dijlributive , Dryden. 
That which aftigns the various fpecies of a general term. 
DISTRI'BUTIVELY, adv. By diftributlon. Singly; 
particularly.—Although we cannot be free from all (in 
colleftively, in fuch fort that no part thereof (hall be 
found inherent in 11s ; yet, difnbutively at the lead, all 
great and grievous aftual offences, as they offer them- 
felves one by one, both may and ought to be by all 
means avoided. Hooker .—In a manner that expreffes fingly 
all the particulars included in a general term ; not col¬ 
leftively.—An univerfal term is fometimes taken collec¬ 
tively for all its particular ideas united together 5 and 
Von. V. No. 334, 
D I S .00.5 
fometimes difnbutively, meaning each of them (ingle and 
alone. Watts. 
DIS'TRICT, f. [ dfiriclus , Lat.] The circuit or terri¬ 
tory within which a man may be compelled to appear¬ 
ance. Cowell .—Circuit of authority ; province.—His go¬ 
vernors, w’ho formed themfelves upon the example ot 
their grand monarque, praftifed all the arts of defpotic 
government in their rcfpeftive difriEls. Addifon. — Re¬ 
gion ; country ; territory : 
Thofe d'JlriEls which between the tropics lie 
The fcorching beams, direftly darted, fry. Blackmore. 
DISTRIC'TION,yi [djlriclus, I,at.] Sudden difplay. 
A word little ufed .—A fmile plays with a furprifing agree- 
ablenefs in the eye, breaks out with the brighteft dif fic¬ 
tion, and fits like a glory upon the countenance. Collier .—■ 
In old records, a diftraint, a diftrefs. 
DISTRIN'GAS,yi in law, a writ direfted to the (lie- 
riff or other officer commanding him to diftrain a man for 
a debt to the king, See. or for his appearance at a day af¬ 
fixed. There is a great diverfity of this writ, which was 
fometimes of old called corjlringas. There is alfo a difi. 
tringas againft peers and perfons entitled to privilege of 
parliament, under 10 Geo. III. c. 50. by which the ef- 
fefts (in law called the iffues) levied may be fold to pay 
the plaintiff’s cofts. And it has been held that this fta- 
tute extends to all writs of diftringas. 5 Burr. i-jzG. In 
detinue after judgment, the plaintiff may have a diftrin¬ 
gas to compel the defendant to deliver the goods by re¬ 
peated diftreffes of his chattels. 1 Ro. Ab. 737. 
DISTRIN'G AS JURATORES,/. in law, a writ di¬ 
refted to the fheriff to diftrain upon a jury to appear, 
and return iffues on their lands, &c. for non-appearance. 
Where an ifi’ue in faft is joined to be tried by a jury, 
which is returned by the (lieriff in a panel upon a venire 
facias for that purpofe ; thereupon there goes forth a 
writ of diftringas jurator’ to the (lieriff, commanding him 
to have their bodies in court, See. at the return of the 
writ. 1 Lil. Abr. 483. The writ of difringas jur’ ought 
to be delivered to the fheriff fo timely, that he may warn 
the jury to appear four days before the writ is returnable, 
if the jurors live within forty miles of the place of trial; 
and eight days if they live farther off. Ibid. There may 
be an alias, or plurics difringas jur ', where the jury doth 
not appear. 
DIS'TRIX, /. [from double, and f, Gr. the 
hair.] A difeafe of the hair when it fplits and divides at 
the end. 
To DISTRU'ST, v. a. To regard with diffidence ; to 
diffide in ; not to truft.—He (lieweth himfelf unto fuch 
as do not difruf him. Wifdom. 
DISTRU'ST, f. Difcredit; lofs of credit; lofs of con¬ 
fidence. Sufpicion ; want of faith ; want of confidence 
in another : 
You doubt not me ; nor have I fpent my blood. 
To have my faith no better underftood : 
Your foul’s above the bafenefs of difruf ; 
Nothing but love could make you fo unjuft. Dryden. 
DISTRUST'FUL, adj. Apt todiftruft; fufpicious.—» 
Generals often harbour difrufful thoughts in their breads. 
Boyle .—Not confident; diffident.—The great corrupters 
of difeourfe have not been fo difrufful of themfelves. 
Government of the Tongue .—Diffident of himfelf; modeftg 
timorous : 
Difrufful fenfe with modeft caution fpeaks ; 
But rattling nonfenfe in full vollies breaks. Pope. 
DISTRUSTFULLY, adv. In a diftruftful manner. 
DISTRUSTFULNESS,y. The date of being diftruft- 
ful ; want of confidence. 
DISTRUST'LESS, adj. Void of diftruft : 
Poets ever kind, 
Guilelefs, difruflefs, fcorn the treafur’d gold. Shcnfone . 
To DISTU'RB, v. a. [difurbo , low Lat.] To perple.x j 
jo X "Kt 
