al  weigii'd in their proper DoeS, or OQuantities;
to be employ'd in the making a Compofition.
DISPERSION, in Dioptricks. jPoint of !  ifpee
Point from which r~fra ld Rays begin to diverge,  w
Refraffion renders them  divergent. See DIVERGEt
It is call'd Pohit of fD~fperionj in Oppofition to t
6f Concourfe, whicA is  the Point wherein converg
concur after Refraffion. See CoNCOURSE.
But the latter is more ufually call'd Focus, and ti
Yirtual Focus.  See VIRTUAL, and Focus     . -


DISPLAYEDi in Heraldry, is underflood of the Pofition
of an Eagle, or other Bird, when it is erea, with its Wings
expanded, or fpread forth. See EAGLE.
DISPONDEE, in the Greek, and Latin Poetry, a double
Spondee; or a Foot confifling of four long Syllables; as 7v-
rarventunm, Maecenates. See SPoNDEz.
DISPOSITION, in Rhetoric, is defined by Cicero, the
Difiribution of the Things, or Arguments invented, or found
out, into a proper Order; Or a due placing, or ranging the
feveral Parts of a Speech, or Difcourfe. See DISTRIIBUTION.
The Zk~pofition is one of the grand Parts, or Divifions of
Rhetoric. See RHETORIC,
The Diftofition is of the fame Neceffity in Oratory, as
the marihalling an Army, in order to a Batrel; or a beauti-
ful Compofition in Architedure, Painting, E7c. Horace en-
joyns it exprefsly in Poetry. Singula queque Locum tenant
fortita decenter.
The fDifpofltion, then, is the Order, or Arrangement of
the Parts of an Oration: which Parts are ufually reckon'd
four, viz. the Exordium, or Beginning; the Narration; the
Confirmation; and the Peroration, or Conclufion.
Tho' fomenmake 'em fix: viz. the Exordium, Div/ion,
Narration, Conffirmation, Confutation, and Peroration i as
indicated in that Popular Verfe,
Enxorfus, narro, feco, firmo, refuto, peroro.
But the Divifion is more naturally referr'd to the Exor-
dium; and the Confutation to the Confirmation.
The Diftofition is either Natural, or Artirficial. Natu-
ral, is the Order the Parts are above reheared in.  Artoft-
cial, is, when for fome particular reafon we recede from the
Order of Nature. See each Part under its proper Article,
EXORDIUM, SC.
DISPOSITION, in Architedure, is the juft placing of all the
feveral Parts of an Edifice, according to their proper Order.
DISPROPORTION, a Term of Relation, implying a
Want of Proportion, or Suitablenefs.  See PROPORTION,
DEFORMITY, t5c.
DISPUTE, or DISPUTATION, in the Schools, Wc. a
Contefi, or Combat, either by Word or Writing, on fome
Point of Learning, or Religion, for a Degree, Prize, Exer-
cife, or even for the mere fake of Truth, or Advantage of a
Party, or the Honour of a Triumph.
The Port Royalifts take Occafion to obferve, that nothing
gives fo many different Lights, and Openings for difcovering
the Truth, as Difpting. The Movements of a Mind em-
ploy'd tingly in the Examination of any Subjedt, are ufually
too cool, and languid: It needs a certain Degree of Heat,
to wake its Idea's. Now, by the Oppofitions in a Difpute,
we come to find wherein the Difficulty lies, and the Impe-
tus the Mind has acquired, enables it to furmount it.
DISQUISITION, an Enquiry into the Nature, Kinds,
and Circumflances of any Problem, Queflion, or Topick; in
order to gain a right Notion of it, and to difcourfe clearly
about it.
DISSECTION, in Anatomy, the Operation of cutting,
and dividing the Parts of an Animal Body, with a Knife,
Sciffers, &c. in order to fee, and confider each of them a-part.
See ANATOMY.
The Ancients made Difffelions of living Men; as we read
of JIeroihilus, and Erijzftratus, and in our own Times,
of Carpus, and Vefalius.
Yet, le Gendre obferves, that the Oijetiion of a human
Body, even dead, was held a Sacrilege till the Time of Fran-
Cis I; And the fame Author affures us, he has feen a Conful.
tation held by the Divines of Salamanca, at the Requefit ol
Charles V. to fettle, whetheri or no it were lawful, in Poini
of Confcience, to di0Sh a human Body, in order to learn the
Strudure thereof.
DISSEISIN, in Law, an unlawful Difpoffeffing a Man ol
his Land, Tenement, or other immoveable, and incorporeal
Right.
Hence, the Affires are call'd Writs of DZijeifin, which lie
againfl DijJeifors in any Cafe: Whereof fome are term'd
little lWrits of !D~Jge'l, as being Vicontial, that is, fuable
before the Sheriff in the County Court, becaufe determinable
by him without Aflife. See AssISE.
Dijfei/in is of three Sorts ; viz. Simple YDijeifln, com-
mitted by Day, without Force, and Arms: and     iffeifi
Iby Force  for which fee DEFORCEOR; and FRESH   Z)q/eifin
See alfo RE-DIss1ISIN, and POST-DISSEISIN.    Wrougfui
Dife{hifn is no Defeent in Law.


z61I


D   kt$soaj he who oif, puts anobheX iit a
Lad:As. YZ)ifee, isle who is fo put out.
For the Diffnce between fD&fe~or, and Inirude  an
Deforceor, fee INTILUDER1 and D EFORCEOR.
DISSEMINATE VAccum.        See VAtUUM Vz0


jent from, or (iagree with the UAhutcrs otrng ana, and have
a Toleration by Law for the fame.  gee TOLERATION.
Such, particularly, are the Presbyterians, Independentsi
abaptiis, and Beakers.  See PRESBYTEXIANS, INDE-
PENDENTS, GC.
DISSIMILAR Leaves, are the two firfi Leaves of any
Plant at its firft Shooting out of the Ground. See LEAVES.
They are thus call'd, becaufe they ufually are of die-
rent Form from the common Leaves of the grown Plant.
Thefe Dr. Grew obferves to be nothing but the very Lobes
of the Seed expanded, and thus advanced. See GERMINA-
TION.
Their Ufe is for Prote&ion of the Plume; which, being
young, and tender, is thus guarded on each Side, and has
alfo C-ome Rain, and Dew gradually convey'd down to it by
this means. See PLUMULA.
DISSIMILAR, in Anatomy. Authors divide the Parts of
the Body into Similar, and fDifimilar.
Diffimilar Parts, by fome call'd Compound, and Orga-
nical, are fuch as may be divided into various Parts of dile-
rent Strudure, Eic. Thus the Hand is divifible into Veins,
Mufcles, Bones, EYc. whofe Divifions are neither of the fame
Nature, nor Denomination. See SIMILAR.
DISSIMILITUDE, in Geometry, Wc. See SIMILI-
TUDE.
DissiMIr.ITVDE, or, a fDiffimili, in Rhetoric, E!Tc. an Ar-
gument, wherein, from diffimilar, or unlike Things, other
diffimilars are deduced.
Thus Cicero, Si barbarorum eji in diem vivere ; Nofira
Concilia fempiternum temptus fipeare debent.  Catulius
furnishes a very beautiful Argument from Diffimilitude
Soles occidere E redire poffint,
Nobis cum fermel occidit brevis Luex,
Nox eft perpetua fena dormienda.
DISSIPATION, in Phyficks, an infenfible Lofs, or Con-
fumption of the minute Parts of a Body; or, properly, the
Flux whereby they fly off, and are loft. See EFFLUVIA.
Thus, we don't fay l)sfpation, but Loft of Blood, in
fpeaking of the Blood loal at a Wound, or in any other
*enfible Manner: On the contrary, we fay with Mr. Le-
mery, the !Diffipation of the Spirits is in greater Abundance
than that of the folid Parts, consequently the Reparation
thereof mull be more frequent and copious.
DISSOLVENT, fomething that difolves, i. e. divides,
and reduces a Body into its' fmalleft Parts.  See Disso-
LUTION.
Thus, Aqua Regia is the fDifolvent of Gold; Aqua
fortis of Silver, and other Metals; Water, of Salts and
-Gums, 'Spirit of Wine, of Refins; Spirit of Vinegar, of
Pearls, Corals, W c.
Sea-Salt is found the proper DiJolvent ofGold: This, in
almoft any Form, whether as a Fluid, or a Solid, or a Spilir,
does the Bufinefs: Accordingly, this is the Bafis, or fun-
damental Ingredient of Aqua Regia. See GOLD, and Aqua
REG IA.
So Nitre is the proper Diff/olvent of Silver; and has
. that Effe&, in whatever Form applied: and accordingly
is the Eafis of Aqua fortis.  See SILVER, and Aqua FOR-
*TIS.
Spirit of Nitre added to that of Sea-Salt, makes it dif
folve Gold the better: But Spirit of Sea-Salt added to
Spirit of Nitre, difables it from having any Effet on Sil-
ver.
-   Mr. Ilomberg, however, in the Memoirs of the French
F Academy, furnifles an Inliance of a Di~folution of Silver,
* made by the Diffolvent of Gold.  An Aqua Regia may
b be compofed of Spirit of Salt, and Spirit of Nitre, only
in fuch fniall Quantity each, that they may float Separately
* in a third Liquor, and not meet often enough to unite, at leafk
I not in any Quantity.  This Water may be made fo weak,
as not to diJolve Gold, but only extrad a flight yellow
Tindure from it, that fcarce takes off any thing of the
1 Weight cf the Metal: Nor will it diffolve Silver; as be-
e ing too weak: So that both Metals are fafe from it.' But
this Aquas Regia, after it has dilfolved Gold as far as it can
do, that is, after it has extra&eZ[ a yellowish Tinature from
- it, is in a Condition to difIIolve Silver. This Phenomenon
XMr. Homberg accounts tpr hence: That Spirit of Salt
* whether alone, or joyn'd with Spirit of N itre, being em-
W ploy'd in keeping thofe few Particles of Gold diflolved'i
will not meddle with the Silver: Which, by this means,
receiving


pi


lb 119