Lucius Decidius Saxa, a Celtiberian in Cæsar’s camp. Cæsar, Civil War, bk. 1.
Decineus, a celebrated soothsayer. Strabo, bk. 16.
Decius Mus, a celebrated Roman consul, who, after many glorious exploits, devoted himself to the gods’ manes for the safety of his country, in a battle against the Latins, 338 years B.C. His son Decius imitated his example, and devoted himself in like manner in his fourth consulship, when fighting against the Gauls and Samnites, B.C. 296. His grandson also did the same in the wars against Pyrrhus and the Tarentines, B.C. 280. This action of devoting oneself was of infinite service to the state. The soldiers were animated by the example, and induced to follow with intrepidity a commander who, arrayed in an unusual dress, and addressing himself to the gods with solemn invocation, rushed into the thickest part of the enemy to meet his fate. Livy, bks. 8, 9, &c.—Valerius Maximus, bk. 5, ch. 6.—Polybius, bk. 2.—Virgil, Æneid, bk. 6, li. 824.——Brutus, conducted Cæsar to the senate-house the day that he was murdered.—Cnæus Metius Q. Trajanus, a native of Pannonia, sent by the emperor Philip to appease a sedition in Mœsia. Instead of obeying his master’s command, he assumed the imperial purple, and soon after marched against him, and at his death became the only emperor. He signalized himself against the Persians; and when he marched against the Goths, he pushed his horse in a deep marsh, from which he could not extricate himself, and he perished with all his army by the darts of the barbarians, A.D. 251, after a reign of two years. This monarch enjoyed the character of a brave man and of a great disciplinarian; and by his justice and exemplary life merited the title of Optimus, which a servile senate had lavished upon him.
Decurio, a subaltern officer in the Roman armies. He commanded a decuria, which consisted of 10 men, and was the third part of a turma, or the thirtieth part of a legio of horse, which was composed of 300 men. The badge of the centurions was a vine rod or sapling, and each had a deputy called optio. There were certain magistrates in the provinces called decuriones municipales, who formed a body to represent the Roman senate in free and corporate towns. They consisted of 10, whence the name; and their duty extended to watch over the interest of their fellow-citizens, and to increase the revenues of the commonwealth. Their court was called curia decurionum, and minor senatus; and their decrees, called decreta decurionum, were marked with two D. D. at the top. They generally styled themselves civitatum patres curiales, and honorati municipiorum senatores. They were elected with the same ceremonies as the Roman senators; they were to be at least 25 years of age, and to be possessed of a certain sum of money. The election happened on the calends of March.
Decumates agri, lands in Germany which paid the tenth part of their value to the Romans. Tacitus, Germania, ch. 29.
Deditamĕnes, a friend of Alexander, made governor of Babylonia. Curtius, bk. 8, ch. 3.
Degis, a brother of Decebalus king of the Daci. He came as ambassador to the court of Domitian. Martial, bk. 5, ltr. 3.
Dējănīra, a daughter of Œneus king of Ætolia. Her beauty procured her many admirers, and her father promised to give her in marriage to him only who proved to be the strongest of all his competitors. Hercules obtained the prize, and married Dejanira, by whom he had three children, the most known of whom is Hyllus. As Dejanira was once travelling with her husband, they were stopped by the swollen streams of the Evenus, and the centaur Nessus offered Hercules to convey her safe to the opposite shore. The hero consented; but no sooner had Nessus gained the bank, than he attempted to offer violence to Dejanira, and to carry her away in the sight of her husband. Hercules, upon this, aimed from the other shore a poisoned arrow at the seducer, and mortally wounded him. Nessus, as he expired, wished to avenge his death upon his murderer; and he gave Dejanira his tunic, which was covered with blood, poisoned and infected by the arrow, observing that it had the power of reclaiming a husband from unlawful loves. Dejanira accepted the present; and when Hercules proved faithless to her bed, she sent him the centaur’s tunic, which instantly caused his death. See: [Hercules]. Dejanira was so disconsolate at the death of her husband, which she had ignorantly occasioned, that she destroyed herself. Ovid, Metamorphoses, bks. 8 & 9.—Diodorus, bk. 4.—Seneca, Hercules.—Hyginus, fable 34.
Deicoon, a Trojan prince, son of Pergasus, intimate with Æneas. He was killed by Agamemnon. Homer, Iliad, bk. 4, li. 534.——A son of Hercules and Megara. Apollodorus, bk. 2, ch. 7.
Dēĭdămīa, a daughter of Lycomedes king of Scyros. She bore a son called Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, to Achilles, who was disguised at her father’s court in woman’s clothes, under the name of Pyrrha. Propertius, bk. 2, poem 9.—Apollodorus, bk. 3, ch. 13.——A daughter of Pyrrhus, killed by the Epirots. Polyænus.——A daughter of Adrastus king of Argos, called also Hippodamia.