mia; ranking according to the natural method in the 40th order, Personata.

VOLKERODE, a town of Saxony, in Gotha. VOLKMARSEN, a town of Germany, 28 miles SE. of Paderborn; now annexed to Pruffia.

VOLKOF, Theodore, a Ruffian actor, born at Jaroflaf, in 1729. By frequenting the German theatre, he became foud of the ftage. He fet up a private one, wherein he performed with his brothers; which coming to the ears of the emprefs, Elizabeth, the invited him to Petersburgh, and took him and his company into her fervice, whereby he foon made a fortune, and left a large eftate He died in 1763, aged only 34.

VOLL, a town of Norway, in Aggerhuys; 50 miles NE. of Chriftiania.

VOLLENAY, a town of France, in the dep. of Cote d'Or; 3 miles SW. of Beaume.

VOLLENHOVEN, a town of Holland, in the dep. of the Yffel, and ci-devant prov. of Overyffel: 23 miles N. of Deventer, and 31 W. of Covorden. It has a good trade. Lon. 23. 19. E. Ferro. Lat, 52. 42. N.

* VOLLEY. n. s. volie, Fr.] r. A flight of hot.-A volley of shot. Ral.-A fatal volley. Wall. 2. A burst; an emiffion of many at once. A fine volley of words, gentlemen, and quickly fhot off Shak.—But rattling nonsense in full vollies breaks. Pope.

*To VOLLEY. v. n. To throw out.

The holding every man shall beat as loud As his ftrong fides can volley. Shak. VOLLIED. adj. [from volley.] Difploded; difcharged with a volley.-The blafting volley'd thunder. Milt.-His volley'd thunder. Philips. VOLLORE, a town of France, in the dep. of Puy de Dome: 5 miles SSE. of Thiers.

-VOLO, a town of European Turkey, in Janna, with a fort. It was taken by the Venetians in 1655. It is 10 miles SSE. of Lariffa. Lon. 22. 55. E. Lat. 39. 21. N.

VOLODIMIR. See VLADIMIRSKOE.

(1.) VOLOGDA, a ci-devant large province of Ruffia, containing those of Vologda, Archangel and Veliki Ustiug. It now contains only thofe of VOLOGDA and Veliki Uftiug.

4

(2, 3) VOLOGDA, a prov. of Ruffia, in the above government, with its capital, a fort, and several fine churches.

(4.) VOLOGDA, a river of Ruffia, in the above prov. running into the Sukhona, 57 m. N. by E. of Moscow.

VOLOGESES, a name of feveral kings of PAR

THIA.

VOLOGINA, a town of Ruffia, in Irkutskoi: 40 miles SW. of Kirensk.

VOLOGODSKOI, a government of Ruffia, which includes the province of Uftiug; bounded on the N. by Archangel, E. by Tobolfkoe, S. by Permoskoe, Viatkafkoe, Koftromfkoe, JaroslavAkoe; and W. by Olonetzskoe, and Novogorod koe: 600 miles long, and 240 broad. VOLOGZA NOVA, a town of Ruffia, in Irkutfkoe; 18 miles N. of Irkutsk.

VOLONE, a town of France, in the dep. of the Lower Alps: 6 miles SSE. of Sifteron.

VOLONES, in Roman antiquity, flaves who, a the Punic war soluntarily offered their fervice

to the ftate, when they were admitted to citizenfhip, as none but freemen could be foldiers. VOLPIANO, a town of the French empire, în the dep. of the Po, and late Piedmontese, 8 miles NNE. of Turin.

VOLSCI, a people of Italy. See ROME, 17, 19. VOLSK, a town of Ruffia, in Saratovfkqe. * VOLT. n. s. [volte, French.] Volt fignifies a round or a circular tread; a gate of two treads made by a horfe going fideways round a centre; fo that these two treads make parallel tracts, the one which is made by the fore feet larger, and the other by the hinder feet smaller; the fhoulders bearing outwards, and the croupe approaching towards the centre. Farrier's Di&.

VOLTA, a river of Africa, in Guinea, which croffes the country from N. to S. and falls into the Atlantic E. of Acra.

VOLTAGGIO, a town of Genoa, 15 m. N. of Genoa. In 1625, it was taken by the Savoyards. VOLTAIRE, Francis Arouet de, a celebrated French author, born at Paris, Feb. 20. 1694. His father, Francis Arouct, was ancien notaire au Chatelet, and treafurer of the chamber of accounts. He was an exceeding weakly child. In his earli eft years he displayed a ready wit and a fprightly imagination; and, as he faid of himself, made verfes before he was out of his cradle. The fa mous Ninon De L'ENCLOS, to whom this ingenious boy was introduced, left him a legacy of 2000 livres to buy him a library. Having been fent to the equity fchools on his quitting college, he was fo difgnfted wirh the drynefs of the law, that he devoted himself entirely to the mufes. He had early imbibed a turn for fatire; and, for fome philippics against the government, was imprifon. ed almost a year in the Baftile. He had before this period produced the tragedy of Oedipus, which was reprefented in 1718 with great fuccefs; and the duke of Orleans happening to fee it performed, was fo delighted, that he obtained his release from prison. He began his Henriade before he was 18. Several copies of this poem having got abroad, while it was only a sketch, an edition of it was published, with many chafms, under the title of The League. Inftead of fame and friends, the author gained only enemies and mortification, by this first edition. The bigots took fire at it, and the poet was confidered as highly criminal for pra:fing admiral Coligny and queen Elizabeth. Endeavours were even made to get the piece fuppreffed; but this defign proved abortive. His chagrin, on this occafion, firft infpired him with the thought of vifiting England, to finish the work, and republish it in a land of liberty. He was right; for king George I. and more particularly the prin cefs of Wales, afterwards queen of England, rai. fed an immenfe fubfcription for him. Their liberality laid the foundation of his fortune; for on his return to France in 1728, he put his money into a lottery and was fortunate. His Lettres Philosophiques, abounding in bold expreffions and indecent witticifms against religion, having been burnt by a decree of the parliament of Paris, and a warrant being iffued for apprehending the author, in 1733, Voltaire withdrew; and was fheltered by the marchionefs du Chatelet, in her caftle of Cirey, on the borders of Champagne and Lor.

raine, who entered with him on the study of the fyftem of Leibnitz, and the principia of Newton. Á gallery was built, in which Voltaire formed a good collection of natural history, and made an infinite number of experiments on light and elec. tricity. He laboured in the mean time on his Elements of the Newtonian Philofophy, then totally unknown in France, and which the numerous admirers of Des Cartes were very little defirous fhould be known. In the midst of these philofophic parfuits he produced the tragedy of Alzira. He was now in the meridian of his age and genius, as was evident from the tragedy of Mahomet, first acted in 1741; but it was reprefented to the procureur-general as a performance offenfive to religion, and the author, by order of Cardinal Fleury, withdrew it from the stage. Merope, played two years after, 1743, gave an idea of a fpecies of tragedy of which few models had exifted. He now became a favourite at court, through the intereft of Madam d'Etoile, afterwards marchioness of Pompadour. He was appointed a gentleman of the bed-chamber in ordinary, and hiftoriogra pher of France. He had frequently attempted to gain admittance into the Academy of Sciences, but could not obtain his with till 1746, when he was the firft who broke through the abfurd cuftom of filling an inaugural fpeech with the fulfome adulation of Richelieu; an example foon followed by other academicians. From the fatires occa fioned by this innovation he felt fo much unéafinefs, that he was glad to retire with the mar. chionefs du Chatelet to Luneville, in the neighbourhood of king Stanislaus. The marchionefs dying in 1749, Voltaire returned to Paris, where his ftay was but fhort. The king of Pruffia now gave Voltaire an invitation to live with him, which he accepted towards the end of Auguft 1750. (See FREDERICK, No ii.) On his arrival at Berlin, he was immediately prefented with the Order of Merit, the key of chamberlain, and a penfion of 20,000 livres. Thefe, however, he did not long enjoy. He did not take fufficient pains to live well with Maupertuis, whose intrigues effected his difgrace. He now fettled near Geneva; but afterwards being obliged to quit that republic, he purchased the caftle of Ferney in France, about a league from the lake of Geneva. It was here that he under took the defence of the celebrated family of Calas, (fee CALAS); and it was not long before he had à fecond opportunity of vindicating the innocence of another condemned family of the name of Sirven. In 1774, he had the third time an opportunity of employing that zeal which he had difplayed in the fatal catastrophe of the families of Calas and Sirven. In this retreat M. Voltaire continued long to enjoy the pleasures of rural life. Wearied at length, however, with his fituation, or yielding to the importunities of friends, he came to Paris about the beginning of 1778, where he wrote a new tragedy called Irene. By this time his understanding feems to have been impaired, and he ridiculoufly faffered himself to be crowned in public with laurel, in teftimony of his great poetical merit. He did not long furvive this farce: for having over-heated himself with receiving vifits, and exhaufted his fpirits by fupplying a perpetual fund of conversation, he was firit feized with a

spitting of blood; and at laft becoming rest'ess in the night-time, he was obliged to ufe a foporific medicine. Of this he unluckily one night took fo large a dofe, that he slept 36 hours, and expired a very fhort time after awakening from it. VOLTANA, a town of Spain, in Arragon, 5 miles NW. of Ainsa.

VOLTERRA, an ancient city of Italy, in Pifa, with a bishop's fee; on a mountain, 12 miles SE. of Pifa. Lon. 10. 42. E. Lat. 43. 26. N. VOLTOEGO, a town of Spain, in Catalonia; 5 miles W. of Vique.

VOLTRI, a town of Genoa, where the French republicans defeated the Auftrians on the 4th April 1796; 6 miles W. of Genoa.

VOLTURARA, a town of Naples, with a bishop's fee, at the foot of the Apennines; 52 m. NE. of Naples. Lon. 15. 14. E. Lat. 41. 26. N. VOLTURENO, a town of Italy, in the dep. of the Lario, on lake Como.

VOLTURNO, a river of Naples, which rises in the Apennines, paffes Ifernia and Capua, and falls into the Gulf of Cajeta.

VOLTZHEIM, a town of Upper Saxony, in Reufs, near Gera; where Henry IV. defeated Rodolphus duke of Suabia, in 1080.

VOLUBILIS, an ancient city of Morocco; now called FEZ.

* VOLUBILITY. n. s. Įvolubilité, Fr. volubilitas, from volubilis, Latin.] 1. The act or power of rolling.-Volubility, or aptnefs to roll. Watts.The celeftial spheres, by irregular volubility, would turn themselves any way, as it might happen. 2. Activity of tongue; fluency of fpeech. Then I'll commend her volubility. Shak.-He exprefs'd himfelf with great volubility of words. Clarendon-He had all the French volubility of tongue. Addison. -Such a volubility of tongue. Fem. Quix. 3. Mutability; liableness to revolution.-This volubility of human affairs. L'Etrange.

* VOLUBLE. adj. [volubilis, Latin.] 1. Formed fo as to roll eafily; formed fo as to be easily put in motion. The round voluble form of a cylinder. Hammond.-Voluble particles. Boyle 2. Rolling; having quick motion. This voluble earth. Milton.

Then voluble and bold. Milton. 3. Nimble; active. Applied to the tongue.-Voluble and flippant. Addison.-A voluble and flippant tongue. Watts. 4. Fluent of words. It is applied to the fpeech, or speaker.-Caffio, a knave very voluble. Shak-Voluble and sharp discourse. Shak.

VOLVIC, a town of France, in the dep. of Puy de Dome, and ci-devant prov. of Auvergne ; 3 miles SW. of Riom. It has immense quarries of black lava.

VOLVICARA, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra, 9 miles ESE. of Scalea.

(1.) VOLUME. n. s. [volumen, Latin.] 1. Something rolled or convolved. 2. As much as seems convolved at once; as a fold of a serpent, a wave of water.-Within the volume of which time. Shak.-Or wind in volumes to their former course. Dryden.

So glides fome trodd en ferpent on the grafs, And long behind his wounded volume trails.Dry. Slow through the vale in filver volumes play. Fenton.-Volumes of air. Cheyne. 3. [Volume, Fr.] A book; fo called, because books were anciently

rolled

rolled upon a staff.-And ample volume. Spenfer. -This great volume of the world. Wilkins. This would make a volume. Locke.-One short volume. Swift.

(2.) VOLUME, in literature, is derived from volvere, Latin, to roll up; the ancient manner of making up books being in rolls of bark or parchment. See Book, § 4.

* VOLUMINOUS. adj. [from volume.] 1. Confifting of many complications.-The ferpent roll'd voluminous and vaft. Milton. 2. Confisting of many volumes or books.

If heav'n write aught of fate, by what the ftars Voluminous, or fingle characters

In their conjunction met, give me to fpell. Milt. -Voluminous transcriptions. Graunt.-A voluminous writer. Spec. 3. Copious; diffufive.-He was too voluminous in discourse. Clarendon.

* VOLUMINOUSLY. adv. [from voluminous.] In many volumes or books.-The controverfies are voluminously everywhere handled. Granville. VOLUMNA, and VOLUMNUS, in the mythology, two deities of the ancient Etrurians and Romans, who prefided over the will and complaifance. They were invoked at marriages to preferve con cord between the parties.

VOLUMNE FANUM, a temple of Etruria, facred to the above deities; where the Roman States affembled to make treaties. VITERBO now stands on the spot.

VOLUMNIA, the wife of Coriolanus.

(1.) VOLUMNIUS, an Etrurian, who wrote tragedies.

(2.) VOLUMNIUS, a friend of M. Brutus, who was with him when he killed himself, and wrote the particulars: quoted by Plutarch.

VOLUMNUS. See VOLUMNA.

* VOLUNTARILY. adv. [volontiers, Fr. from voluntary.] Spontaneously; of one's own accord; without compulfion.-There is no likelihood that ever voluntarily they will feek inftruction at our hands. Hooker-Agents voluntarily in our own deftruction. Hooker.-Self-prefervation will oblige a man voluntarily to undergo any lefs evil, to fecure himself but from the probability of an evil incomparably greater. South.

(1.) VOLUNTARÝ. adj. [volontaire, Fr. voluntarius, Latin.] 1. Acting without compulsion; acting by choice.-A voluntary agent. Hooker.Voluntary choofing. Shak. 2. Willing; acting with willingness. She fell to luft a voluntary prey. Pope. 3. Done by defign; purposed.-Here is indeed manslaughter, but no voluntary murther. Perkins. 4. Done without compulfion.-Voluntary forbearance. Locke-Voluntary exile. Shak.-Abftinence is but voluntary fafting. Seed. 5. Acting of its own accord; fpontaneous.-The publick prayers did never ufe to be voluntary dictates. Hooker. Thoughts which voluntary move. Milton.

(2.)* VOLUNTARY. . s. [from the adjective.] 1. A volunteer; one who engages in any affair of his own accord.-Rash, inconfiderate, fiery voluntaries. Shak.-Ajax was here the voluntary. Shak. -The bordering wars were made altogether by voluntaries. Davies.-Voluntaries from all parts. Bacon. 2. A piece of mufick played at will, without any fettled rule.-Until their voluntaries made. Cleavel.-A voluntary before the first lesson. Spect,

(3.) VOLUNTARY, in mufic, a piece played by a musician extempore, according to his fancy. This is often used before he begins to set himself to play any particular compofition, to try the inftrument, and to lead him into the key of the piece he intends to perform.

(1.)* VOLUNTEER. n. s. [voluntaire, Fr.] A foldier who enters into the fervice of his own accord.-Volunteers in the difpute. Collier.-The gods beat up for volunteers. Prior.

(2.) VOLUNTEERS, perfons who, either for the service of their prince, or out of the efteem they have for their general, ferve in the army without being inlifted, to gain honour and preferment, by expofing themselves in the service. Such are the volunteers who have been long known in the army: but the present age has witnessed whole regiments of volunteers arming themselves for a ftill more laudable purpose. In 1794 large bodies of citizens in the different cities and towns of Great Britain formed themselves into regiments for the prefervation of internal peace, and the defence of their country from foreign attack. At the peace, in 18or, they moftly laid down their military habits; but when war was again declared in 1803, and the determination of Bonaparte to invade this island was announced, the inhabitants rofe as one man; and minifters spoke of nearly 500,000 volunteers being in arms.

*To VOLUNTEER. v. n. To go for a foldier. A cant word.-You'll want an equipage for vo lunteering. Dryden.

VOLVOX, in zoology, a genus of animals belonging to the order of vermes infuforia. The body is round, simple, and pellucid." There are ten fpecies, all of which live in water.

* VOLUPTUARY. n. s. [voluptuaire, Fr. volup tuarius, Lat.] A man given up to pleasure and luxury. The voluptuary, in a lewd converfation, runs the risk of body and foul, L'Eftr.-The parable was intended against the voluptuaries. Atter. * VOLUPTUOUS. adj. [voluptuofus, Latin; voluptueux, Fr.] Given to excels of pleasure; luxurious.-Made drunk with drugs of dear volup tuous receipt. Spenser.—A voluptuous life. Bacon.I fhall reign at thy right hand voluptuous. Milt.— Soften'd with pleasure and voluptuous life. Milt. -Sensual and voluptuous perfons. Bentley.

* VOLUPTUOUSLY. adv. [from voluptuous.] Luxuriously; with indulgence of exceffive pleafure.-Had I a dozen fons, I had rather eleven died nobly for their country, than one voluptuously furfeit out of action. Shak.-This cannot be done, if my will be fo worldly or voluptuously disposed, as never to fuffer me to think of them. South.

* VOLUPTUOUSNESS. n. s. [from volup tuous.] Luxuriousness; addictedness to excess of pleasure. There's no bottom in my voluptuousness. Shak.-If he fill'd his vacancy with his voluptuousnefs. Shak.-Where no voluptuousness, yet all delight. Donne.—Voluptuousness and irreligion. South. You may be free, unless

Your other lord forbids, voluptuousness. Dryden. VOLURA, a town of the French empire, in the dep. of the Po, and ci-devant Piedmontefe; 7 miles W. of Turin.

VOLUSENUS. See WILSON, No 1.

VOLUSIANUS, a Roman emperor, afsociated

by

(2.) VORONETZ, a river of Ruffia, in Voronetzfkoe, which runs into the Don, at the above city. VORONETSKOE, a government of Ruffia, bounded NE. by Tambovskoe; S. and SE. by the Coffacks country; NW. by Orlovfkoe; and W. by Kurfkoe and Charkovskoe; 260 miles long, and 104 broad.

VORONEZ. See VORONETZ.

VORSE, a river of France, which runs into the Oife, near Noyon.

VORSKLA, a river of Ruffia, which runs into the Dnieper, 20 miles E. of Kreumengog.

(1.) * VORTEX. n.f. In the plural vortices. [Latin.] Any thing whirled round.-If many contiguous vortices of molten pitch were each of them as large as thofe which fome suppose to revolve about the fun and fix'd stars; yet thefe, and all their parts would, by their tenacity and ftiffnefs, communicate their motion to one another. Newt.-Like a vortex, or whirlpool. Bentl.-Roll in her vortex, and her power confefs. Pope.

(2.) VORTEX, in meteorology, a whirlwind, or fudden, rapid, and violent motion of the air in gyres, or circles. Vortex is alfo uíed for an eddy or whirlpool; or a body of water in certain feas or rivers, which run rapidly around, forming a fort of cavity in the middle.

(3.) VORTEX, in the Cartefian philofophy, is a fyftem, or collection of particles of matter mov. ing the fame way, and round the fame axis.

VORTICAL. adj. [from vortex.] Having a whirling motion.-Give them a vortical motion. Newt.-A vortical motion. Bentley.

VORTICELLA. See ANIMALCULE, § 16; and POLYPUs, N° 6.

VORTICES of Des Cartes are now juftly exploded; but being the fiction of a very fuperior mind, they are still an abject of curiofity, as being the foundation of a great philofophical romance. According to him, the whole of infinite space was full of matter; for he faid matter and extenfion were the fame, and confequently there could be no void. This immenfity of matter he fuppofed to be divided into an infinite number of very small cubes; all of which being whirled about upon their own centres, neceffarily gave occafion to the production of two different elements. The first confifted of thofe angular parts which, having been neceffarily rubbed off, and grinded yet fmaller by their mutual friction, constituted the most fubtle and moveable part of matter. The fecond confifted of those little globules that were formed by the rubbing off of the firft. The interftices betwixt these globules of the fecond element were filled up by the particles of the first. But in the infinite collifions, which must occur in an infinite fpace filled with matter, and all in motion, it must neceffarily happen, that many of the globules of

VORTIGERN; Two kings of S. Britain. See
VORTIMER; ENGLAND, § 13.

VOS, Martin DE, a painter, born at Antwerp, in 1601. He painted hiftory, portraits, and landfcapes, in a fine style.

(1.) VOSGES, a department of France, bound. ed N. by the departments of the Meufe, and Lower Rhine; E. by thofe of the Upper and Lower Rhine; S. by that of the Upper Saone, and W. by that of Upper Marne. It is 65 miles long, and 28 broad.

(2.) VOSGES, a range of mountains in France, which formerly conftituted the SW. part of Lorrain, and now give name to the department. k abounds with mines of filver, copper, and lead, and formerly abounded with wood and wild beafs. (1.) VOSKRESENSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in Pikovskoe, on the Lovat; 20 miles N. of Cholm. (2.) VOSKRESENSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in U ftiug, on the Vitchegda: 28 mm. SW. of Yarensk. VOSPOR, a town of Ruffia, in Tauris: 112 miles ESE. of Perekop.

VOSPRESENSKOI, a town of Ruffia, in Vologda: 44 miles E. of Totma.

(1.) VOSSIUS, John Gerard, one of the most learned and laborious writers of the 17th century, was of a confiderable family in the Netherlands: and was born in 1577, in the Palatinate, near Heidelberg, at a place where his father, John Veffius, was minifter. He became well skilled in politic literature, hiftory, and facred and profane antiquities, and was made director of the college of Dort. He was at length made profeffor of elo quence and chronology at Leyden, whence he was called in 1633 to Amfterdam, to fill the chair of a profeffor of hiftory. He died in 1649. He wrote many learned works, of which a complete edition has been printed at Amfterdam, in 9 vols, folio.

(2.) Vossius, Dionyfius, a fon of the above, born at Dort in 1612. He was very learned in the oriental hiftory, and published a Latin tranflation of Maimonides on İdolatry, with notes: and other tracts. He died at Amfterdam, in 1633.

(3.) Vossius, Ifaac, a man of great parts and

learning