a celebrated lawgiver of Athens. When he exercised the office of archon, he made a code of laws for the use of his citizens, which, on account of their severity, were said to be written in letters of blood. By them idleness was punished with as much severity as murder, and death was denounced against the one as well as the other. Such a code of rigorous laws gave occasion to a certain Athenian to ask of the legislator, why he was so severe in his punishments? and Draco gave for answer, that as the smallest transgression had appeared to him deserving death, he could not find any punishment more rigorous for more atrocious crimes. These laws were at first enforced, but they were often neglected on account of their extreme severity; and Solon totally abolished them, except that one which punished a murderer with death. The popularity of Draco was uncommon, but the gratitude of his admirers proved fatal to him. When once he appeared on the theatre, he was received with repeated applause; and the people, according to the custom of the Athenians, showed their respect to their lawgiver by throwing garments upon him. This was done in such profusion, that Draco was soon hid under them, and smothered by the too great veneration of his citizens. He lived about 624 years before the Christian era.
the Dragon, in zoology, a genus belonging ing to the order of amphibia reptilia; the characters of which are these: it has four legs, a cylindrical tail, and two membranaceous wings, radiated like the fins of a fish, by which he is enabled to fly, but not to any great distance at a time. There are two species. 1. The volans, or flying dragon, with the wings entirely distinct from the fore-legs. It is found in Africa and the East Indies. 2. The prepos, with the wings fixed to the fore-legs. It is a native of America. They are both harmless creatures; and feed upon flies, ants, and small insects.
Draco Volans, in meteorology, a fiery exhalation, frequent in marshy and cold countries.
It is most common in summer; and though principally seen playing near the banks of rivers, or in boggy places, yet sometimes mounts up to a considerable height in the air, to the no small terror of the amazed beholders; its appearance being that of an oblong, sometimes roundish, fiery body, with a long tail. It is entirely harmless, frequently sticking to the hands and cloaths of people without injuring them in the least.
astronomy, a constellation of the northern hemisphere; whose stars, according to Ptolemy, are 81; according to Tycho, 32; according to Hevelius, 45; according to Bayer, 33; and according to Mr Flamsteed, 80. See Astronomy, p. 466.
Dracocephalum, dragon's head; a genus of the gynoecophyllum order, belonging to the didynamia class of plants. The throat of the corolla is inflated, the upper lip concave. There are 13 species, most of them herbaceous, annual, or perennial plants, from 18 inches to three feet high, garnished mostly with entire leaves, and whorled spikes of small monopetalous and ringlet flowers of a blue, white, or purple colour. They are all easily propagated by seeds, which may be sown either in the spring or autumn; and after the plants are come up they will require no other culture but to be kept clear from weeds.
Dracanarius, in antiquity, dragon-bearer. Several nations, as the Persians, Parthians, Scythians, &c. bore dragons on their standards; whence the standards themselves were called dracores, "dragons." The Romans borrowed the same custom from the Parthians; or, as Cæsarion has it, from the Daces; or, as Codinus, from the Assyrians.
The Roman dracores were figures of dragons painted in red on their flags, as appears from Ammianus Marcellinus; but among the Persians and Parthians they were like the Roman eagles, figures in full relief; so that the Romans were frequently deceived, and took them for real dragons.
The soldier who bore the dragon or standard was called by the Romans dracanarius; and by the Greeks δράκωνος and ἀποδράκωνος; for the emperors carried the custom with them to Constantinople.