Chapter Distrait to Do of D by Brewer's Phrase & Fable

(1516-1595).
   Raphael, the painter, il Divino (1483-1520).
   Luis Morales, Spanish painter, el Divino (1509- 1586).

Divine Doctor Jean de Ruysbroek, the mystic (1294-1381).

Divine Pagan (The). Hypatia, who presided over the Neoplatonic School at Alexandria. She was infamously torn to pieces (A.D. 415) by a Christian mob, not without the concurrence of the Archbishop Cyril.

Divine Plant (The). Vervain, called by the Romans Herba Sacra (q.v.).

Divine Speaker (The). So Aristotle called Tyrtamos, who therefore adopted the name of Theophrastos (B.C. 370-287).

Divining Rod A forked branch of hazel, suspended by the two prongs between the balls of the thumbs. The inclination of the rod indicates the presence of water-springs, precious metal, and anything else that simpletons will pay for. (See Dousterswivel.)

Divinity in Odd Numbers Falstaff tells us (in the Merry Wives of Windsor, v. 1) that this divinity affects "nativity, chance, and death." A Trinity is by no means confined to the Christian creed. The Brahmins represent their god with three heads; the Greeks and Romans had three Graces, three Fates, three Furies, and a three-fold Hecate. Jupiter had his three thunderbolts, Neptune his trident, and Pluto his three- headed dog. The Muses were three times three. Pythagoras says God is threefold - "the beginning, middle, and end of all things." Then, again, there are five features, five parts to the body, five vowels, five lines in music, five acts to a play, etc.; seven strings to a harp, seven planets (anciently, at any rate), seven musical notes, etc.
   Chance. There's luck in odd numbers "Numero Deus impre gaudet" (Virgil: `Eclogue viii. 75). The seventh son of a seventh son was always held notable. Baalam would have seven altars, and sacrificed on them seven bullocks and seven rams. Naaman was commanded to dip seven times in Jordan, and Elijah sent his servant seven times to look out for rain. Climacteric years are seven and nine with their multiples by odd numbers.
   Death. The great climacteric year of life is 63 (i.e. 7 × 9), and Saturn presides over all climacteric years.

Divino Lodovico Ariosto, author of Orlando Furioso, an epic poem in twenty-four books. (1474-1533.)

Division The sign ÷ for division was invented by John Pell of Cambridge in 1668.

Divorcement A writing, or bill of divorcement. "Whosoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorcement" (Matt. v. 31). Adalet tells in the Nineteenth Century (July, 1892, p. 137):

"A woman [in Turkey] divorced from her husband is not treated with contumely ... and often marries again ... A man simply states to his wife that he has divorced her, on which she will go away; and the man, having repeated the same to the cadi, will receive an act of divorce written, which he will send to her. If it is the first or second time that this has occurred, he may take her back again without any formality ensuing, but, after a third divorce, she will be lost to him for ever. Seeing the ease with which this may be done, it is not surprising if men abuse the licence, and sometimes divorce their wives for [a very small] fault ... as a badly-cooked dinner, or a button unsewed, knowing very well that if he repents of it he can have her back before evening. I know a lady who has been divorced from five husbands, and is now living with a sixth."

Divus in Latin, attached to a proper name, does not mean divine, but simply deceased or canonised; excellently translated in Notes and Queries (May 21st, 1892, p. 421), "of blessed memory." Thus, Divus Augustus means Augustus of blessed memory, not divine Augustus. Of course, the noun "divus" opposite to a proper noun = a god, as in Horace, 3 Odes v. 2, "Praesens divus habebitur Augustus. " While living, Augustus will be accounted a god. Virgil (Ecl. i. 6) says, "Deus nobis hæc otia fecit; " the "deus" was Augustus.

Dixie Land Nigger land. Mason and Dixon drew a line which was to be the northern limit of slavery. In the third quarter of the 19th century the southern part of this line was called Dixie or nigger land.