D I T 
a Latin chronicle, in feven books, containing the hiftory 
of the emperors Henry I. Othol. II. III. and Henry II. 
It is accounted a very faithful narrative, and has been feve- 
ral times printed. The beft edition is that of Godefroy. 
Dithmar died, in great reputation for fanitity, in 1028. 
DITH'MAR (Juftus Chriftopher), an eminent German 
jurift and antiquary, born in 1677 at Rottenburg in Helfe, 
of which place his father was minifter. After ftudying 
under liis father, he went to the univerfity of Marpurg, 
where he applied to theology and the oriental languages; 
and thence to Leyden. From that place he became pre¬ 
ceptor to one of the fons of the prefident Van Danckel- 
mann, with whom he travelled in Germany and Holland. 
Through the intereft of that family he was fettled at 
Frankfort-on-the-Oder, firft as profetfor of hiftory, then 
of the law of nature, and finally was appointed to give 
Undents the leffons proper to fit them for the management 
of the domains and public finances. He was made a 
member of the royal fociety of Berlin, and a counfellor 
of the order of St. John. He refuted two invitations to 
fettle at Leyden, and conftantly remained at Frankfort, 
where he died in 1737. He was the author of a number 
of learned works, of which fome of the molt important 
are: 1. Gregorii VII. Pontif. Vita, 8vo. 2. Hijloria Belli 
inter Imperium (3 Sacerdotium, Svo. 3. Delineatio Hijloria 
Brandtnburgenfis, 4to. 4. Chytrai Marchia Brandenb. ad 
noflraTemporacontinuata , Svo. 5. C. Corn. Taciti Germania, 
cum perpetuo (3 pragmatico Commentario. 6. Dijfert. de Abdi¬ 
cation Regnorum, aliorumque Dignitatum illujlrium, 4to. 7. 
A Collection of Diflertations on various Subjects of 
public and natural Law and Hiftory, 8vo. 8. An Intro¬ 
duction to Political Economy, with a Catalogue of the 
beft Books on the fubjeCt, 8vo. This work, the firft of 
its kind, has gone through many editions, and been ufed 
in feveral of the German univerfities. 
DITHYRAM'BIC, f. \_ditkyrambus, Lat.] A fong in 
honour of Bacchus ; in which anciently, and now among 
the Italians, the diltraCtion of ebriety is imitated. Any 
poem written with wildnefs and enthufiafm. 
DITHYRAM'BIC, adj. Wild; enthufiafiic : 
Pindar does new words and figures roll 
Down his impetuous dithyrambic tide. Cowley. 
DI'TION, /. {from the Lat. do, to give.] Dominion, 
.government. Scott. 
DIT'KIRCHEN, a town of Germany, in the circle of 
the Lower Rhine, in the electorate of Treves, on the 
Lahnr feventeen miles weft of Wetzlar. 
DIT'MANSDORF, a town of Germany, in the arch¬ 
duchy of Auftria : two miles fouth of Schrattentaal. 
DITMAR'SEN, a country fituated near the Baltic, 
between the Elbe and the Eyder ; the chief towns are 
Meldorp and Lunden. 
DITOM'BIO, a river of Piedmont, which rifes two 
miles north-ealt from Orta, paifes through the Novarefe, 
and divides into two rivers, the Albona and the Gogna. 
DI'TONE,/! in mufic, an interval comprehending two 
tones, a greater and a lefs. The ratio of the founds that 
form the ditone, is of four to five; and that of the femi- 
ditone, of five to fix. 
DIT'TERBACH, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 
Chrudim : feven miles fouth.eaft of Palitzka. 
DIT'TIED, adj. Sung; adapted to mufic. 
He, with his foft pipe, and fmooth dittied fong, 
'Well knows to Hill the wild winds when they roar. Milton. 
DITT-LAKEN, a town of Pruffia: three miles fouth 
©f Inlterburg. 
DITTO, f. [dettoV Ital.] The aforefaid, or the fame. 
DITTO'LOGY,/. [SVrWioyiasGr.J A double reading, 
as in feveral fcriptural texts. 
DiT'TON {Humphrey), an eminent Englilh mathema¬ 
tician, born at Salifoury, in 1675. He devoted almoit his 
whole life to the ftudy of the mathematics, with luccefs, 
and obtained applaufe frosn the molt diftinguilhed fcien- 
D I V 007 
tific men of his time. Among others, fir Ifaac Newton 
exprdfed his approbation of his labours, and entertained 
for him a high efteem. By the intereft and recommen¬ 
dation of that great man, Mr. Ditton was eleCted mailer 
of the mathematical fchool in Chrift’s-hofpital, London, 
in which office he continued until his death, which took 
place in 1715, when he was only in the fortieth year of 
his age. Mr. Ditton was the author of the following 
mathematical and other treatifes : 1. On the Tangents of 
Curves, deduced immediately from the Theory of Maxi¬ 
ma and Minima. 2. On Spherical Catoptrics, written 
in the Latin language, 1705. It met with fuch general 
approbation, that it was republiflied abroad in the Alta 
Eruditorum for the year 1707, and in the Memoirs of the 
Academy of Sciences at Paris. 3. An Inftitution of 
Fluxions, containing the firft Principles, Operations, and 
Applications, of that admirable Method, as invented by 
Sir Ifaac Newton, 8vo. 1706. 4. General Laws of Na¬ 
ture and Motion, Svo. 1706. 5. The Synop/is Algebraica 
of John Alexander Bernatus Helvetius, with additions 
and corrections, 1-709. 6. A Treatife on Perfpective, 
1712. In 1714, Mr. Ditton publifhed, 7. A Difcourfe 
on the RefurreCtion of Jefus Chrift. Another treatife 
of the fame date, is, 8. The New Law of Fluids ; or, a 
Difcourfe concerning the Afcent of Liquids, in exaCt 
geometrical Figures, between two nearly contiguous Sub- 
ftances. To this piece was annexed an advertilement 
from the author and Mr. Whifton, concerning a method 
for the difcovery of the longitude, which it appears they 
had publiffied a little time before. The circumftances 
attending this attempt mod probably coft Mr. Ditton his 
life : for although it was approved and countenanced by 
fir Ifaac Newton before it was prefented to the board of 
longitude, yet it was rejected by the commiffioners. The 
difappointment had fuch an effect upon his health, that 
he died in the following year. 
DIT'TY, f.-.\_dickt, Dut.] A poem tobe fung; afong„ 
■—-They will be fighing and finging under thy inexorable 
windows lamentable ditties, and call thee cruel. Dryden , 
Strike the melodious harp, ffirill timbrels ring, 
And to the warbling lute foft ditties fing. Sandys . 
DIT'ZEN, fee Djssen. 
DI'U, an ifland in the Indian Sea, near the fouth coaft 
of the country of Guzerat, about three miles long, and 
one broad, with a town of the fame name, that has a 
good port, fubjeCt to the Portugtiefe. It is fituated weft 
of the gulf of Cambaya. Lat. 20. 45. N. Ion. 70. 5. E. 
Greenwich. The town of Diu was formerly a place of 
great importance to the Portuguefe; and was made in 
1546 the chief mart of their commerce in the eaft. Its 
fortifications were then efteemed the lined: in India, to 
which it was deemed the key ; they were founded on a 
rock, and had a prodigious fofs cut through the live ftone. 
It became a place of immenfe trade, and was the harbour 
in which the Portuguefe fleets were laid up during win¬ 
ter. Surat was deftroyed to favour its commerce ; but 
when that city was reftored, Diu gradually declined, and 
is now of little confequence. 
DI'U POJNT, a cape of Hindooftan, .on the coaft of 
Guzerat. Lat. 30. 46. N. Ion. 69. 53. E. Greenwich. 
DI'VA , f. in Roman antiquity, a deified woman, a 
goddefs ; a faint. 
DIVA'LIA,y. in antiquity, a feaft held among the 
ancient Romans, on the 21ft of December, in honour of 
the goddefs Angerona ; whence it is alio called Angcrona- 
lia. On the day of this dealt, the pontifices performed 
facrifice in the temple of Voluptia, or the goddefsof joy 
and pleaftire; who, fome fay, was the fame with Angea 
rona, and luppofed to drive away all the forrows of hu¬ 
man life. 
DIVAN', f. [an Arabic or Turkilh word.] A coun¬ 
cil-room.—Six other vifiers, grave men, that have per. 
haps had charges and offices, and are knowing in the 
laws, fit together with the firft vizier in the divan , or court 
where 
