);
_Legends of St Patrick_ (1872); and _Legends of the Saxon Saints_
(1879); and in prose, _Essays chiefly on Poetry_ (1887); and _Essays
chiefly Literary and Ethical_ (1889). He also wrote a picturesque volume
of travel-sketches, and two dramas in verse, _Alexander the Great_
(1874); and _St Thomas of Canterbury_ (1876); both of which, though they
contain fine passages, suffer from diffuseness and a lack of dramatic
spirit. The characteristics of Aubrey de Vere's poetry are "high
seriousness" and a fine religious enthusiasm. His research in questions
of faith led him to the Roman Church; and in many of his poems, notably
in the volume of sonnets called _St Peter's Chains_ (1888), he made rich
additions to devotional verse. He was a disciple of Wordsworth, whose
calm meditative serenity he often echoed with great felicity; and his
affection for Greek poetry, truly felt and understood, gave dignity and
weight to his own versions of mythological idylls. But perhaps he will
be chiefly remembered for the impulse which he gave to the study of
Celtic legend and literature. In this direction he has had many
followers, who have sometimes assumed the appearance of pioneers; but
after Matthew Arnold's fine lecture on "Celtic Literature," nothing
perhaps did more to help the Celtic revival than Aubrey de Vere's tender
insight into the Irish character, and his stirring reproductions of the
early Irish epic poetry.

A volume of _Selections_ from his poems was edited in 1894 (New York
and London) by G. E. Woodberry.

DEVICE, a scheme, plan, simple mechanical contrivance; also a pattern or
design, particularly an heraldic design or emblem, often combined with a
motto or legend. "Device" and its doublet "devise" come from the two Old
French forms _devis_ and _devise_ of the Latin _divisa_, things divided,
from _dividere_, to separate, used in the sense of to arrange, set out,
apportion. "Devise," as a substantive, is now only used as a legal term
for a disposition of property by will, by a modern convention restricted
to a disposition of real property, the term "bequest" being used of
personalty (see WILL). This use is directly due to the Medieval Latin
meaning of _dividere_ = _testamento disponere_. In its verbal form,
"devise" is used not only in the legal sense, but also in the sense of
to plan, arrange, scheme.

DEVIL (Gr. [Greek: diabolos], "slanderer," from [Greek: diaballein], to
slander), the generic name for a spiri