Vaudoncourt,
François
Guillaume de,
Baron (vo-dôn-kör').
Baron (vo-dôn-kör').
Warner - World's Best Literature - v29 - BIographical Dictionary
A Roman anecdotist
and rhetorician of the first century A. D. He
wrote nine books of Memorable Doings and
Sayings) of historical characters, Roman, Gre-
cian, and barbarian, all still extant.
Valla, Lorenzo or Laurentius (vällä). An
Italian classical scholar and critic; born about
1407; died Aug. 1, 1457. Among his writings
are: Elegancies of the Latin Language)
(1471); “Of Pleasure); a tractate (Against the
Donation of Constantine,' alluding to the fabled
concession of the district of Rome to the popes.
Valle y Caviedes, Juan del (väl'yā ē kä-ve-
ā'THās). A Peruvian satirical poet; born at
Lima, 1652; died there, 1692. He wrote Par-
nassus's Tooth,' a model of biting satire.
Vallentine, Benjamin Bennaton. A New
York journalist, dramatist, and critic; born in
England in 1828. He has written the play (A
Southern Romance, and published: (The Fitz-
noodle Papers); “ Fitznoodle in America'; 'The
Lost Train.
Valmiki (väl-mē'ke). Believed to be the
author of the Râmâyana' (Fortunes of Râma),
a celebrated Indian epic.
Valvasoni, Erasmo di (väl-vä-so'ne). An Ital.
ian poet; born in Friuli, 15-; died in 1593.
He wrote (Angeleida, a poem on the war
among the angels (1590); and (The Chase,
an admired didactic poem on hunting (1591).
Vambéry, Arminius or Armin or Hermann
(väm-bā're). A noted Hungarian traveler, Ori.
entalist, and historian, now professor at Buda.
Pesth; born at Szerdahely, March 19, 1832. He
lived many years in Constantinople, and trav-
eled largely in Asia. Among his works are:
(Travels in Central Asia' (1865); “Wanderings
and Adventures in Persia) (1867); (Sketches
of Central Asia) (1868); History of Bokhara)
(1873); (Central Asia and the Russian Boundary
Question); (Islam in the Nineteenth Century)
(1875); (Manners in Oriental Countries) (1876);
(Primitive Civilization of the Turko-Tartar
People) (1879); (Origin of the Magyars) (1882);
(The Future Contest for India! (1886); and
various linguistic works, including a (German.
Turkish Dictionary,' and Etymological Dic.
tionary of the Turko-Tartar Languages) (1878).
## p. 542 (#558) ############################################
542
VAN ANDERSON - VARIN
Van Anderson, Mrs. Helen. (“Van Metre. ”]
An American lecturer, and minister of Boston;
born in Iowa, 1859. She has written : (The
Right Knock'; ' It Is Possible); (The Story
of Teddy); Journal of a Live Woman.
Vanbrugh, Sir John (van-brö'). An English
dramatist; born about 1666; died at London,
March 26, 1726. Among his dramatic compo.
sitions are: “The Relapse (1697); Æsop)
(1697); (The Provoked Wife) (1697); “The False
Friend) (1702); “The Confederacy) (1705); (A
Journey to London, left unfinished at his death,
but completed by Colley Cibber (1728).
Van Buren, Martin. An American states-
man; eighth President of the United States;
born at Kinderhook, N. Y. , Dec. 5, 1782; died
there, July 24, 1862. He wrote (An Inquiry
into the Origin and Course of Political Parties
in the United States) (1867), and many State
papers.
Vancouver, George. A British navigator;
born about 1758; died at London, May 10, 1798.
He wrote : (A Voyage of Discovery to the North
Pacific Ocean and Round the World(1798).
Vandegrit, Margaret. See Janvier.
Vandenhoff, George. An actor, elocutionist,
and writer; born in England, Feb. 18, 1820. He
came to America in 1842; and after success on
the stage became famous as a teacher of elo.
cution. He was the author of : (The Art of
Elocution (1846); “Dramatic Reminiscences)
(1859); "Leaves from an Actor's Note-Book)
(1862); (Clerical Assistant) (1862); (Rules for
Reading Aloud' (1862).
Van Deusen, Mrs. Mary (Westbrook). An
American novelist and verse-writer, living at
Rondout, N. Y. ; born in New York, 1829. She
has published : Rachel Dumont); (Gertrude
Willoughby); (Colonial Dames of America);
and
volume of verse, "Voices of my Heart. )
Van Dyke, Henry. An American Presby-
terian clergyman, pastor of Brick Church, New
York city; born in Pennsylvania, 1852. Among
his numerous works are: (The Story of the
Psalms); (The Poetry of Tennyson'; (The
Christ Child in Art); "Little Rivers ); (The
Builders, and Other Poems. *
Van Dyke, John Charles. An American
art critic, scholar, and author; born in New
Brunswick, N. J. , April 21, 1856. He studied
art abroad (1883-88), and has written : Books,
and How to Use Them (1883); Principles of
Art) (1887); "How to Judge a Picture) (1888);
"Art for Art's Sake); (History of Painting);
(Old Dutch and Flemish Masters); etc.
Van Dyke, Theodore Strong. An American
lawyer and writer on out-door sports; born in
New Jersey, 1842. He resides in Southern Cali-
fornia, and has written : (Rifle, Rod, and Gun,
in California) (1881);( The Still Hunter) (1883);
(Game Birds at Home); (Southern California,
the Italy of America) (1887).
Van Lennep, Henry John. An American
missionary in Asia Minor; born in Smyrna,
March 8, 1815; died in Great Barrington, Mass. ,
Jan. II, 1889. He traveled extensively through
the East, was familiar with many Oriental dia.
lects, and published: (Ten Days among Greek
Brigands); (Travels in Asia Minor) (1870);
(Bible Lands) (1879); (The Oriental Album.
Van Loon, Gerard (van lön). A Dutch his.
torian and antiquary; born in Leyden in 1683.
He published among other works a History of
the Netherlands from 1555 to 1716) (4 vols. ,
1723), which is considered an authoritative work.
Van Ness, Thomas. An American Unitarian
clergyman and author; born in Maryland, 1859.
He has published: (The Coming Religion);
(The Ideal Commonwealth); My Visit to
Count Tolstoy.
Van Ness, William Peter. An American
jurist and author; born in Ghent, N. Y. , in 1778;
died in New York City, Sept. 6, 1826. He
was the friend of Burr, took his challenge to
Hamilton, and was one of Burr's seconds. Un.
der the pen-name of "Aristides ” he published:
(Examination of Charges against Aaron Burt)
(1803); with John Woodworth edited (Laws of
New York' (2 vols. , 1813); also wrote Concise
Narrative of Gen. Jackson's First Invasion of
Florida (1826).
Van Rensselaer, Mrs. Mariana (Griswold).
An American author and art critic; born in New
York city, Feb. 23, 1851. She has contributed
largely to current periodicals on art and archi-
tecture, and published the valuable books : (Art
Out of Doors); (English Cathedrals); (Ameri.
can Etchers) (1886); (Henry Hobson Richard-
son and his Works) (1888); and (One Man
who was Content, and Other Stories. )
Van Zlle, Edward Sims. An American
journalist and novelist; born in New York,
1863. He has written: 'Wanted – A Sensation';
(The Last of the Van Slacks); (A Magnetic
Man'; 'Don Miguel, and Other Stories) ;
(The Manhattaners'; and (A Crown Prince. )
Vapereau, Louis Gustave (väp-rõ'). A noted
French scholar and compiler; born at Orleans,
April 4, 1819. He was professor of philosophy
at the College of Tours for ten years; ad-
mitted to the bar in 1854, and about the same
time made editor of the famous Universal
Dictionary of Contemporaries' (1858; 6th ed.
1891-93). Among his other important works
are : Literary and Dramatic Year) (II vols. ,
1859–69); “Universal Dictionary of Literatures)
>
ture) (2 vols. , 1883-85). He was Inspector-
General of Public Instruction in 1877, and re-
ceived the Cross of the Legion of Honor in
1878.
Varin, Charles (vär-ar'). A French vaude.
ville writer; born at Nancy, 1793; died at Paris,
1869. Among his productions are: (Borrowed
Wives) (1832); A Ball in High Life) (1836);
My Sister Mirette ) (1861); (The Ill-Guarded
Girls) (1865); (Madame Ajax) (1866); etc.
## p. 543 (#559) ############################################
VARNHAGEN - VATTEL
543
Varnhagen, Francisco Adolpho de, Viscount
of Porto Seguro (värn-ä'gen). A celebrated
Brazilian diplomatist and historian; born at São
João de Ypanema (São Paulo), Feb. 17, 1816;
died at Vienna, Austria, June 29, 1878. His
youth was passed in Portugal; on his return
to Brazil in 1841, he was appointed to diplo-
matic positions in Lisbon, Paraguay, Peru,
Vienna, and other places. He is indisputably
the first of Brazilian historians, his works being
distinguished by profound research and lucid
style. Chief among them are: (General His-
tory of Brazil' (2 vols. , 1854-57); History of the
Struggles with the Dutch in Brazil' (2d ed. 1874);
(Anthology of Brazilian Poetry) (1850-53);
biographical studies; monographs on Amerigo
Vespucci; etc.
Varnhagen von Ense, Karl A. (värn-ä'gen
fon en'sė). A distinguished Prussian diplo-
matist and author, regarded as one of the best
of German prose-writers; born in Düsseldorf,
Feb. 21, 1785; died in Berlin, Oct. 10, 1858. In
1814 he married Rahel Levin, an accomplished
Jewess, and became conspicuous in Berlin so-
ciety. His numerous works consist mainly of
biographical studies,- including two memorials
of his wife, who died in 1833), — tales, criticisms,
and poems. Of his Diaries, several volumes
have appeared.
Varro, Marcus Terentius (var'ro). The most
universally learned of ancient Roman scholars;
born about 116 B. C. at Reate in the Sabine
Territory, and hence surnamed Reatinus; died
about 27 B. C. His special object of research
was Roman antiquity,– language, usages, laws,
public institutions, etc. Among his poetical
writings were 150 books of joco-serious Menip-
pean Satires,' in prose and verse, after the style
of Menippus the Cynic. He wrote among
others, 76 books of Logistorics,' or notes on
the education of children; 41 books on (Roman
Antiquities); 15 books of Portraits) of 700
notabilities, with a prose biography and a met.
rical eulogium of each; 9 books of (Sciences,
an encyclopædic work; treatises (On the Latin
Language, and (On Farming. Of all his writ-
ings there now remain only the treatise "On
Farming'; six books of the Latin Language,
in an imperfect state ; and numerous other frag-
ments.
Varro, Publius Terentius, surnamed Ata-
cinus from Atax in Narbonese Gaul, his birth-
place. A Roman poet; born about 82 B. C. ;
died about 37 B. C. His works, of which but
small fragments remain, are : (The Sequanian
War,' an epic celebrating the exploits of Cæsar
in Gaul; some (Satires, of which Horace
speaks slightingly ; ( The Argonauts,' an epic in
imitation of Apollonius Rhodius, highly praised
by Ovid; a number of other imitations of Greek
poets, among them Chorography,' a didactic
poem on geography, and (Ephemeris,' a poem
on weather prognostics.
Vasari, Giorgio Cavaliere (vä-sä'rē). An
Italian painter and writer; born in Arezzo,
1512; died in 1574. He studied under Michael
Angelo and other masters; he was then patron.
ized by the Medici family at Florence, where
Cardinal Farnese employed him to write the
lives of artists. He published these in 1550 with
the title of Lives of the most Eminent Painters,
Sculptors, and Architects) in two volumes, fre-
quently reprinted. An English translation by
Mrs. Jonathan Foster was published in London,
1850-53. *
Vasconcellos, Carolina Wilhelmina Mich.
aelis de. A German-Portuguese littérateur,
wife of J. A. ; born at Berlin, March 15, 1851.
She is a contributor to the leading literary
magazines and reviews of Germany and Portu-
gal, and has written : (Studies on the Meanings
of Spanish Words) (1886); “Romance Studies)
(1891); (History of Portuguese Literature)
(1893); (Etymological Fragments) (1894).
Vasconcellos, Fonseca e, Joaquim Antonio
da (väs''kon-sel'los). A Portuguese biographer
and historian; born at Oporto, Feb. 10, 1849;
professor of German language and literature
in the Lyceum there. His principal works are :
(The Musicians of Portugal (1870); (Reform
in the Teaching of the Fine Arts) (3 vols. ,
1877-79); Albert Dürer and his Influence in
the Peninsula) (1877); (Francis the Hollander)
(1879).
Vasey, George. An English botanist and
physician; born near Scarborough, Feb. 28, 1822.
He is now connected with the Department of
Agriculture at Washington. His published
works include: (The Philosophy of Laughing
and Smiling); Descriptive Catalogue of the
Native Forest Trees of the United States)
(1876); (The Grasses of the United States)
(1883); “Descriptive Catalogue of the Grasses
of the United States) (1885); and (Grasses
of the South) (1887).
Vasfi, Kéfévi, Sheik (väs'fē). A contempo-
rary Turkish poet, critic, and littérateur of con-
siderable repute in his own country. Besides
numerous translations of philosophical maxims,
moral anecdotes, etc. , from the Arabic and Per-
sian, he has written two volumes of original
poems, 'Djézébaad' and (Feïzabad, which are
imbued with the Oriental mysticism.
Vasili, Compte Paul. A pseudonym of Ma-
dame Edmond Adam. See Lamber.
Vassar, John Guy. An American philan-
thropist, nephew of Matthew Vassar the founder
of Vassar College ; born in Poughkeepsie,
N. Y. , June 15, 1811; died there, Oct. 27, 1888.
He was one of the trustees of Vassar College ;
traveled extensively, and wrote: (Twenty Years
around the World) (1861).
Vattel, Emerich (vä-tel'). A celebrated
Swiss publicist and jurist; born at Couvet,
Neuchâtel, April 25, 1714; died Dec. 28, 1767.
His great work is (The Law of Nations; or,
Principles of the Law of Nature applied to the
Affairs of Nations and Sovereigns) (2 vols. ,
1758). He wrote also : Philosophical Leisure
## p. 544 (#560) ############################################
VALBAN - VEITCH
544
(
Hours) (1747); Literary, Moral, and Political
Miscellanies) (1757); Questions of Natural
Right; or, Observations on Wolf's Treatise on
the Law of Nature (1762).
Vauban, Sébastien Le Prestre de (võ-bon').
A great French military engineer; born at St.
Leger de Foucher, Burgundy, May 15, 1633;
died at Paris, March 30, 1707. He published
nothing during his life, but since his death
some of his MSS. have been printed at various
times ; among them : Notes for Instruction in
the Conduct of Sieges and the Defense of
Places) (1740); (Marshal de Vauban's Hours of
Idleness) (3 vols. , 1842); (Military Works) (3
vols. , 1793); (Attack and Siege of Strong Places.
Vaudoncourt, François Guillaume de,
Baron (vo-dôn-kör'). A French general and
military writer; born at Vienna, Sept. 24, 1772;
died at Passy near Paris, May 2, 1845. His
works comprise : History of the Campaigns
of Hannibal in Italy) (1812); histories of Na-
poleon's campaigns in Russia, Germany, and
Italy; and (Fifteen Years of Exile (4 vols. ,
1835).
Vaughan, Charles John. An English
Broad Church clergyman, religious writer, and
commentator; born at Leicester in 1816. He
was head-master of Harrow, 1844-59; Master
of the Temple, 1869-94 ; is chaplain in ordi-
nary to the Queen. Among his many works
are : (Memorials of Harrow Sundays) (1859);
(Sundays in the Temple) (1871); (Heroes of
Faith) (1876), lectures; (Temple Sermons)
(1881); (University Sermons) (1888); single
sermons, addresses, pamphlets, etc.
Vaughan, Henry. A British poet, known as
« The Silurist,” from the ancient Silures of his
birthplace; born in Newton, Brecknockshire,
Wales, in 1621 ; died in April, 1695. His works
are: Olor Iscanus: Select Poems'; (The
Bleeding Heart,' sacred poems; ' Ejaculations);
(The Mount of Olives; or, Solitary Devotions);
and (Thalia Rediviva. *
Vaughan, Robert. An English clergyman,
editor, and historian ; born in 1795 ; died at Tor-
quay, June, 1868. He was a professor of his-
tory in London University; president of the Lan-
cashire Independent College, Manchester, 1842–
57; and originator and for twenty years editor
of the British Quarterly Review. He published
several important historical works, among which
are : "Life of John de Wycliffe) (2 vols. , 1828);
(The Protectorate of Cromwell (1838); (His-
tory of England under the House of Stuart)
(2 vols. , 1840); ( The Age of Great Cities) (1842);
Revolutions in English History) (1859-60).
Vauvenargues, Luc de Clapier, Marquis de
(võv-närg'). A French moralist ; born at Aix,
Aug. 6, 1715; died March 9, 1747. He wrote a
valuable (Introduction to a Knowledge of the
Human Mind' (1746), to which are appended
(Reflections and Maxims. His moral philos-
ophy inclines toward the Stoic school.
Vazoff, Ivan (vä'zof). A notable Bulgarian
author; born in Sopot, 1850. Besides numerous
poems, he has written Under the Yoke) and
other widely read novels. *
Veeder, Mrs. Emily Elizabeth (Ferris). A
novelist and verse-writer of St. Louis, Mo. ;
born in New York, 1841. She has written:
(Her Brother Donnard); (Entranced); (The
Unexpected'; 'In the Garden, and Other
Poems.
Vega, Lope de (Lope Felix de Vega Carpio).
A celebrated Spanish dramatist; born in Mad-
rid, Nov. 25, 1562; died Aug. 21, 1635. He is
credited with 1,500 comedies, of which over
500 are extant and 340 well known; King
and Peasant) is most frequently acted. He
also wrote two narrative poems, Angelica
and 'Jerusalem Conquered); five mythological
poems, Circe, Andromeda, Philomela,
(Orpheus, and Proserpine); three historical
poems, “San Isidro, (The Dragon,' and (The
Maid of Almudena'; and a comic-heroic poem,
"Gatomachy) (War of Cats); besides sonnets,
and several novels, including Journey through
my Country *
Vega de la Ventura (vā'gä dā lä vān-to'rä).
An Argentine poet; born in Buenos Ayres,
July 14, 1807; died in Madrid, Spain, in 1865.
After political imprisonment he held places
in the Spanish government; was secretary to
Queen Maria Christina, and in 1856 was ap-
pointed director of the Royal Conservatory.
He wrote: The Song of Songs, Madrid,
1826); An Epithalamic Cantata) (1827); (Agi-
tation,' an ode (1834); (The 18th of June
(1837); (The Defense of Seville,' an ode (1838);
(The Man of the World,' a comedy (1840);
and the tragedies (The Death of Cæsar)
(1842); «Don Fernando de Antequera' (1845).
He is considered one of the best modern
Spanish poets.
Vegetius Renatus, Flavius (ve-je'tē-us re-
nā'tus). A Latin writer on the art of war,
fourth and fifth centuries. He compiled in
four books an “Epitome of the Military Art. '
There is an ancient treatise, "On the Veteri-
nary Art,' credited to him.
Vehse, Karl Eduard (vā'zė). A German
historian; born at Freiburg, Saxony, Dec. 18,
1802; died at Striesen near Dresden, June 18,
1870. He was archivist in Dresden, 1825;
later settled in Berlin; but was imprisoned
and banished for his "History of the German
Courts since the Reformation) (48 vols. , 1851-
58). Besides this monumental work, he wrote:
History of the Emperor Otho the Great!
(1828); “Tables of Universal History) (1834);
Course of Universal History) (1842); and
(Shakespeare as Protestant, Politician, Psy-
chologist, and Poet) (2 vols. , 1851).
Veitch, John. A Scottish poet, littérateur,
and philosophical writer ; born in Peebles, 1829;
died there, Sept. 3, 1894. A memoir of his
friend Sir William Hamilton first brought him
into notice; but he will be best remembered
for his poetical and literary works: (Hillside
Rhymes) (1872);( The Tweed and Other Poems)
(
:
## p. 545 (#561) ############################################
VELEZ-HERRERA-- VERNE
545
(
(1875); (The History and Poetry of the Scottish
Border) (1878; new ed. 1893), a monumental
work ; ( Merlin, and Other Poems) ; (The The-
ism of Wordsworth); (The Feeling for Nature
in Scottish Poetry, a delightful book.
Velez-Herrera, Ramon (vāʼleth-ā-rā'rä). A
Cuban author; born in Havana in 1808; died
there in 1887. He abandoned law for literature.
The first collection of his poems was published
at Havana in 1833, a second in 1837, and a
third in 1838. He also published: (Elvira de
Oquendo); (The Two Bridegrooms, a comedy
(1848); Autumn Flowers,' a collection of poems
(1849); "Cuban Romances) (1856); Napoleon
in Berlin, a tragedy (1860); and Flowers of
Winter,' poems (1882).
Velleius Paterculus (vel-ē'yus pā-ter'kū-
lus). A Latin historian of the first century.
He wrote a (History of Rome,' a synopsis of
Roman history from the fabled migration of
Æneas to 30 A. D. The latter half of the
work is not without value for the early empire.
Venable, William Henry. An American
author; born in Warren County, Ohio, April 29,
1836. He began to teach at 17, and taught
until 1886, afterward devoting himself to liter-
ature and lecturing. He has published : June
on the Miami, and Other Poems) (1871); (A
History of the United States) (1872); (The
School Stage, a collection of juvenile acting
plays (1873); Melodies of the Heart, and Other
Poems) (1884); (Footprints of the Pioneers in
the Ohio Valley) (1888); Biography of William
D. Gallagher) (1888); several pamphlets, ad-
dresses, etc. He edited (The Dramatic Actor,
a collection of plays (1874); and Dramatic
Scenes from the Best Authors) (1874).
Venables. Edmund. An English clergyman
and archæologist; born in London, 1819; died
there, March 5, 1895. He was canon of Lincoln
Cathedral from 1867, and wrote much on archi-
tecture and archæology, among his works be-
ing: (Walks through the Streets of Lincoln,'
widely popular; “History of the Isle of Wight)
(1860); (The Church of England : Its Plant-
ing, Settlement, Reformation, Renewed Life)
(1886); “Bunyan (1888).
Venedey, Jakob (ven'e-di). A German mis-
cellaneous writer; born at Cologne, May 24,
1805; died at Badenweiler, Feb. 8, 1871. He
wrote: Days of Travel and Rest in Normandy)
(1838); (France, Germany, and the Holy Al-
liance) (1842); (Germans and Frenchmen ac-
cording to their Languages and their Proverbs)
(1842); John Hampden) (1843); (Ireland)
(1844); History of the German People) (4
vols. , 1854-62); Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and
Rousseau) (2 vols. , 1850); (Frederick the Great
and Voltaire ) (1859); (Biographies) of Wash-
ington (1862), Franklin (1863), Stein (1868);
(The German Republicans under the French
Republic) (1870).
Vennor, Henry George. A Canadian mete-
orologist and writer; born in Montreal, Dec.
30, 1840; died there, July 8, 1884. He was
attached to the Geological Survey office till
1881. He published `Vennor's Almanac) from
1876, which attained a large circulation; and
wrote (Our Birds of Prey) (1875) and many
reports for the Geological Survey and the Ca.
nadian Naturalist.
Ventignano, Cesare Della Valle, Duke of
(ven-tēn-yä' nõ). An Italian poet and miscel.
laneous writer; born in Naples, 1777; died
about 1860. Among his works are the trage-
dies (The Siege of Corinth) and (Medea); an
(Essay on the Education of the Aristocracy
and the Laboring Classes); and a Philo.
sophic View of the History of the Human
Race) (1853).
Verdy du Vernois, Julius von (vār-de'dü
văr-nwä'). A Prussian soldier; born at Frei-
stadt in Silesia, July 19, 1832. He was made
general of infantry in 1888, and in 1889 Prus-
sian minister of war. He wrote: (The Second
Army in the Campaign of 1866); (Studies in
the History of War) (1876); Contribution to
the Game of War) (1876); (Studies on War)
(1891-92); Personal Reminiscences of the War
of 1870-71) (1895). His tragedy (Alaric) was
played at Strasburg in 1894.
Vere, Aubrey Thomas de. See De Vere. .
Verena, Sophie (ve-rā'nä). Pseudonym of
Sophie Alberti, a German miscellaneous writer;
born in Potsdam, Aug. 5, 1826; died there,
Aug. 15, 1892. She wrote the popular novel
(A Son of the South) (1859), and a collection
of tales entitled “Old and New) (1879).
Verga, Giovanni (vår'gä). A celebrated
Italian poet and novelist; born in Sicily, 1840.
His works include: "Story of a Cricket)
(1872); (Eva) (1873); (Stories) (1874); (Nedda)
(1874); Eros) (1875); "Royal Tiger' (1876);
(Helen's Husband (1877); Life in the Fields)
(1880); (I Malavoglia' (1881), translated as
(The House under the Medlar Tree); (Rustic
Tales) (1883); Rustic Chivalry) (1884), from
which the libretto of Mascagni's famous opera
(Cavalleria Rusticana) was derived; (The
How, the When, and the Wherefore); etc. *
Verlaine, Paul (văr-lān'). A French poet
and story-writer ; born at Metz, March 30,
1844; died at Paris, Jan. 8, 1896. He led a
life of vagabondage, vibrating between prison
and hospital. He wrote: (Saturnine Poems)
(1866); "Gay Festivals) (1869);(Accursed Poets)
(1884); (Of Old and of Late) (1885). Among
his stories are: Louise Leclercq? (1886);
(Memoirs of a Widower) (1887); “Stories With-
out Words) (1887); (Love) (1888); Dedica-
tions) (1890); (Good Luck) (1891); (My Hos-
pitals) (1891). *
Verne, Jules (vārn). A French writer; born
in Nantes, Feb. 8, 1828. He has written a
comedy in verse entitled (The Falling-Out)
followed by (Eleven Days at Liège, and (The
Uncle from America, and several comic operas;
but his fame rests chiefly on his more than
sixty romances of science and adventure, many of
:
35
## p. 546 (#562) ############################################
546
VERPLANCK- VICTOR
them translated into many other languages, even
Japanese and Arabic. The first was 'Five Weeks
in a Balloon (1863). Among the others are:
(A Journey to the Centre of the Earth' (1872);
(Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea)
(1873); Meridiana); Around the World in
Eighty Days) (1874); (The Mysterious Island)
(1875); (Michael Strogoff (1876); “The Pur-
chase of the North Pole) (1890).
Verplanck, Gulian C. An American scholar
and writer; born in New York in 1786; died
March 1870. He published anonymously in
1819 a brilliant satirical work, entitled (The
State Triumvirate. In 1825 he was elected to
Congress, and published, 1827-30, conjointly
with William Cullen Bryant and Robert C.
Sands, a miscellany entitled The Talisman.
Among his other works are his address before
the New York Historical Society entitled (The
Early European Friends of America) (1818);
(Essays on the Nature and Uses of the Evi-
dences of Revealed Religion (1824); and (Dis-
courses and Addresses on Subjects of American
History, Art, and Literature) (1833). In 1846
he brought out his edition of Shakespeare,
with notes, esteemed one of the best that had
ever appeared.
Vertot d'Aubeuf, René Aubert de (vår-to'
do-bėf'). A French priest and historian; born
at Château Benetot (Eure), Nov. 25, 1655; died
in Paris, June 15, 1735. He was historiographer
of the Order of Malta. He published a (His-
tory of the Revolutions of Portugal) (1689);
(History of the Revolutions of Sweden) (1696);
(History of the Revolutions of the Roman Re-
public) (1719); History of the Order of Malta)
(1726); all more dramatic and fuent than re-
liable.
Very, Jones. An American poet; born in
Salem, Mass. , in 1813; died May 8, 1880. He
published some essays and poems in 1839, and
was a contributor to the Christian Register, a
monthly religious magazine, and other jour-
nals. A complete edition of his essays and
poems, with a biographical note of the author,
was published by James Freeman Clarke, Bos-
ton, 1886. *
Very, Lydia Louisa Anna. An American
poet, sister of Jones Very; born in Massachu-
setts, and residing in Salem, Mass. She is the
author of many poems, and her writings have
appeared in book form under the title (Prose
and Verse. )
Vesalius, Andreas (ve-sā'lē-us). A cele-
brated physician, founder of the modern sci-
ence of anatomy; born at Brussels, Dec. 31,
1514; lost at sea in shipwreck off the isle of
Zante, on the return from a pilgrimage im-
posed by the Inquisition in lieu of death, Oct.
15, 1564. His great work (Of the Structure of
the Human Body,' in seven books, illustrated
with magnificent plates by Calcar, a pupil of
Titian, was published at Basle (3d ed. 1568).
(Complete works, edited by Boerhaave and
Albinus, 2 vols. , 1727. )
Vespucci, Amerigo, Latinized Americus
Vespucius (ves-pö'che). The celebrated Ital-
ian navigator, eponymus of the New World;
born at Florence, March 9, 1451; died at Se-
ville, Feb. 22, 1512. His Letters' (1502), giving
an account of his voyages, especially of the voy-
age of 1501, were translated into Latin, Italian,
French, and German, and were widely circu-
lated. He wrote a diary called (The Four
Journals, after his fourth voyage. The sugges-
tion to name the newly discovered continent
“Americawas first offered by Martin Wald-
seemüller of St. Dié in Lorraine, in his work
(Introduction to Cosmography) (1507).
Veuillot, Louis (vė-yo'). An eminent
French journalist; born in Boynes (Loiret),
1813; died in Paris, April 7, 1883. His works
include: (Pilgrimages in Switzerland) (1839);
(Rome and Loretto) (1841); (The Virtuous
Woman) (1844); "The French in Algeria
(1845); Free-Thinkers) (1848); "Vindex the
Slave) (1849); (The Day after the Victory)
(1850); (The Droit du Seigneur in the Middle
Ages (1854); “The Perfume of Rome) (1861);
(The Odors of Paris) (1866); Paris during the
Two Sieges) (1871); Molière and Bourdaloue)
(1877); (Poetic Works) (1878); etc. *
Viardot, Louis (vyär-do'). A French his-
torian and art critic; born at Dijon, July 31,
1800; died at Paris, May 5, 1883. He wrote:
(History of the Arabs and Moors of Spain
(2 vols. , 1851); “The Traditional Rise of Mod-
ern Painting in Italy) (1840); (The Museums
of France) (1855); “Spain and the Fine Arts)
(1866); “Wonders of Painting' (2 vols. , 1868–
69).
Viaud, Louis Marie Julien. See Loti.
Viaud, Théophile de (vē-7'). A French sa-
tirical poet; born in 1590; died in 1626. He
wrote elegies, tragedies, etc. In 1623 he was
accused of atheism and condemned to death,
but escaped, and the sentence was afterward
annulled.
Vicente, Gil. See Gil Vicente.
Victor, Mrs. Frances Auretta (Fuller)
(Barrett). An American poet and author,
sister of Metta V. , with whom she published
an early volume of poems. She wrote (The
River of the West) (1865); Life and Ad-
ventures in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon
(1870); “The New Penelope and Other Stories. )
She has also contributed chapters on the his-
tory of Oregon for H. H. Bancroft's (Pacific
Coast Histories.
Victor, Mrs. Metta Victoria (Fuller). An
American poet, novelist, and sketch-writer, wife
of 0. J. ; born near Erie, Pa. , March 2, 1831;
died in Hoboken, N. J. , June 26, 1886. She
published a story, 'The Silver Lute, at 13; with
her sister Frances, (Poems of Sentiment and
Imagination) (1851); alone but anonymously,
(Fresh Leaves from Western Woods) (1853);
(The Senator's Son: A Plea for the Maine Law)
(1853), which had a great circulation in England
)
:
## p. 547 (#563) ############################################
VICTOR -- VILLAVERDE
547
and America ; and (Two Mormon Wives : A Life
Story) (1856). She edited the Home Monthly
Magazine in 1856. She wrote many dime novels.
The comic sketches (Miss Slimmens's Window)
and Miss Slimmens's Boarding House) (1859),
and the story (Too True,' were reprinted from
periodicals. She wrote also the novels (Figure
Eight) and (The Dead Letter); Passing the
Portal (1877); (The Bad Boy's Diary) (1880);
(The Rasher Family) (1884); (The Naughty
Girl's Diary) (1884); (Blunders of a Bashful
Man) (1885).
Victor, Orville James.
and rhetorician of the first century A. D. He
wrote nine books of Memorable Doings and
Sayings) of historical characters, Roman, Gre-
cian, and barbarian, all still extant.
Valla, Lorenzo or Laurentius (vällä). An
Italian classical scholar and critic; born about
1407; died Aug. 1, 1457. Among his writings
are: Elegancies of the Latin Language)
(1471); “Of Pleasure); a tractate (Against the
Donation of Constantine,' alluding to the fabled
concession of the district of Rome to the popes.
Valle y Caviedes, Juan del (väl'yā ē kä-ve-
ā'THās). A Peruvian satirical poet; born at
Lima, 1652; died there, 1692. He wrote Par-
nassus's Tooth,' a model of biting satire.
Vallentine, Benjamin Bennaton. A New
York journalist, dramatist, and critic; born in
England in 1828. He has written the play (A
Southern Romance, and published: (The Fitz-
noodle Papers); “ Fitznoodle in America'; 'The
Lost Train.
Valmiki (väl-mē'ke). Believed to be the
author of the Râmâyana' (Fortunes of Râma),
a celebrated Indian epic.
Valvasoni, Erasmo di (väl-vä-so'ne). An Ital.
ian poet; born in Friuli, 15-; died in 1593.
He wrote (Angeleida, a poem on the war
among the angels (1590); and (The Chase,
an admired didactic poem on hunting (1591).
Vambéry, Arminius or Armin or Hermann
(väm-bā're). A noted Hungarian traveler, Ori.
entalist, and historian, now professor at Buda.
Pesth; born at Szerdahely, March 19, 1832. He
lived many years in Constantinople, and trav-
eled largely in Asia. Among his works are:
(Travels in Central Asia' (1865); “Wanderings
and Adventures in Persia) (1867); (Sketches
of Central Asia) (1868); History of Bokhara)
(1873); (Central Asia and the Russian Boundary
Question); (Islam in the Nineteenth Century)
(1875); (Manners in Oriental Countries) (1876);
(Primitive Civilization of the Turko-Tartar
People) (1879); (Origin of the Magyars) (1882);
(The Future Contest for India! (1886); and
various linguistic works, including a (German.
Turkish Dictionary,' and Etymological Dic.
tionary of the Turko-Tartar Languages) (1878).
## p. 542 (#558) ############################################
542
VAN ANDERSON - VARIN
Van Anderson, Mrs. Helen. (“Van Metre. ”]
An American lecturer, and minister of Boston;
born in Iowa, 1859. She has written : (The
Right Knock'; ' It Is Possible); (The Story
of Teddy); Journal of a Live Woman.
Vanbrugh, Sir John (van-brö'). An English
dramatist; born about 1666; died at London,
March 26, 1726. Among his dramatic compo.
sitions are: “The Relapse (1697); Æsop)
(1697); (The Provoked Wife) (1697); “The False
Friend) (1702); “The Confederacy) (1705); (A
Journey to London, left unfinished at his death,
but completed by Colley Cibber (1728).
Van Buren, Martin. An American states-
man; eighth President of the United States;
born at Kinderhook, N. Y. , Dec. 5, 1782; died
there, July 24, 1862. He wrote (An Inquiry
into the Origin and Course of Political Parties
in the United States) (1867), and many State
papers.
Vancouver, George. A British navigator;
born about 1758; died at London, May 10, 1798.
He wrote : (A Voyage of Discovery to the North
Pacific Ocean and Round the World(1798).
Vandegrit, Margaret. See Janvier.
Vandenhoff, George. An actor, elocutionist,
and writer; born in England, Feb. 18, 1820. He
came to America in 1842; and after success on
the stage became famous as a teacher of elo.
cution. He was the author of : (The Art of
Elocution (1846); “Dramatic Reminiscences)
(1859); "Leaves from an Actor's Note-Book)
(1862); (Clerical Assistant) (1862); (Rules for
Reading Aloud' (1862).
Van Deusen, Mrs. Mary (Westbrook). An
American novelist and verse-writer, living at
Rondout, N. Y. ; born in New York, 1829. She
has published : Rachel Dumont); (Gertrude
Willoughby); (Colonial Dames of America);
and
volume of verse, "Voices of my Heart. )
Van Dyke, Henry. An American Presby-
terian clergyman, pastor of Brick Church, New
York city; born in Pennsylvania, 1852. Among
his numerous works are: (The Story of the
Psalms); (The Poetry of Tennyson'; (The
Christ Child in Art); "Little Rivers ); (The
Builders, and Other Poems. *
Van Dyke, John Charles. An American
art critic, scholar, and author; born in New
Brunswick, N. J. , April 21, 1856. He studied
art abroad (1883-88), and has written : Books,
and How to Use Them (1883); Principles of
Art) (1887); "How to Judge a Picture) (1888);
"Art for Art's Sake); (History of Painting);
(Old Dutch and Flemish Masters); etc.
Van Dyke, Theodore Strong. An American
lawyer and writer on out-door sports; born in
New Jersey, 1842. He resides in Southern Cali-
fornia, and has written : (Rifle, Rod, and Gun,
in California) (1881);( The Still Hunter) (1883);
(Game Birds at Home); (Southern California,
the Italy of America) (1887).
Van Lennep, Henry John. An American
missionary in Asia Minor; born in Smyrna,
March 8, 1815; died in Great Barrington, Mass. ,
Jan. II, 1889. He traveled extensively through
the East, was familiar with many Oriental dia.
lects, and published: (Ten Days among Greek
Brigands); (Travels in Asia Minor) (1870);
(Bible Lands) (1879); (The Oriental Album.
Van Loon, Gerard (van lön). A Dutch his.
torian and antiquary; born in Leyden in 1683.
He published among other works a History of
the Netherlands from 1555 to 1716) (4 vols. ,
1723), which is considered an authoritative work.
Van Ness, Thomas. An American Unitarian
clergyman and author; born in Maryland, 1859.
He has published: (The Coming Religion);
(The Ideal Commonwealth); My Visit to
Count Tolstoy.
Van Ness, William Peter. An American
jurist and author; born in Ghent, N. Y. , in 1778;
died in New York City, Sept. 6, 1826. He
was the friend of Burr, took his challenge to
Hamilton, and was one of Burr's seconds. Un.
der the pen-name of "Aristides ” he published:
(Examination of Charges against Aaron Burt)
(1803); with John Woodworth edited (Laws of
New York' (2 vols. , 1813); also wrote Concise
Narrative of Gen. Jackson's First Invasion of
Florida (1826).
Van Rensselaer, Mrs. Mariana (Griswold).
An American author and art critic; born in New
York city, Feb. 23, 1851. She has contributed
largely to current periodicals on art and archi-
tecture, and published the valuable books : (Art
Out of Doors); (English Cathedrals); (Ameri.
can Etchers) (1886); (Henry Hobson Richard-
son and his Works) (1888); and (One Man
who was Content, and Other Stories. )
Van Zlle, Edward Sims. An American
journalist and novelist; born in New York,
1863. He has written: 'Wanted – A Sensation';
(The Last of the Van Slacks); (A Magnetic
Man'; 'Don Miguel, and Other Stories) ;
(The Manhattaners'; and (A Crown Prince. )
Vapereau, Louis Gustave (väp-rõ'). A noted
French scholar and compiler; born at Orleans,
April 4, 1819. He was professor of philosophy
at the College of Tours for ten years; ad-
mitted to the bar in 1854, and about the same
time made editor of the famous Universal
Dictionary of Contemporaries' (1858; 6th ed.
1891-93). Among his other important works
are : Literary and Dramatic Year) (II vols. ,
1859–69); “Universal Dictionary of Literatures)
>
ture) (2 vols. , 1883-85). He was Inspector-
General of Public Instruction in 1877, and re-
ceived the Cross of the Legion of Honor in
1878.
Varin, Charles (vär-ar'). A French vaude.
ville writer; born at Nancy, 1793; died at Paris,
1869. Among his productions are: (Borrowed
Wives) (1832); A Ball in High Life) (1836);
My Sister Mirette ) (1861); (The Ill-Guarded
Girls) (1865); (Madame Ajax) (1866); etc.
## p. 543 (#559) ############################################
VARNHAGEN - VATTEL
543
Varnhagen, Francisco Adolpho de, Viscount
of Porto Seguro (värn-ä'gen). A celebrated
Brazilian diplomatist and historian; born at São
João de Ypanema (São Paulo), Feb. 17, 1816;
died at Vienna, Austria, June 29, 1878. His
youth was passed in Portugal; on his return
to Brazil in 1841, he was appointed to diplo-
matic positions in Lisbon, Paraguay, Peru,
Vienna, and other places. He is indisputably
the first of Brazilian historians, his works being
distinguished by profound research and lucid
style. Chief among them are: (General His-
tory of Brazil' (2 vols. , 1854-57); History of the
Struggles with the Dutch in Brazil' (2d ed. 1874);
(Anthology of Brazilian Poetry) (1850-53);
biographical studies; monographs on Amerigo
Vespucci; etc.
Varnhagen von Ense, Karl A. (värn-ä'gen
fon en'sė). A distinguished Prussian diplo-
matist and author, regarded as one of the best
of German prose-writers; born in Düsseldorf,
Feb. 21, 1785; died in Berlin, Oct. 10, 1858. In
1814 he married Rahel Levin, an accomplished
Jewess, and became conspicuous in Berlin so-
ciety. His numerous works consist mainly of
biographical studies,- including two memorials
of his wife, who died in 1833), — tales, criticisms,
and poems. Of his Diaries, several volumes
have appeared.
Varro, Marcus Terentius (var'ro). The most
universally learned of ancient Roman scholars;
born about 116 B. C. at Reate in the Sabine
Territory, and hence surnamed Reatinus; died
about 27 B. C. His special object of research
was Roman antiquity,– language, usages, laws,
public institutions, etc. Among his poetical
writings were 150 books of joco-serious Menip-
pean Satires,' in prose and verse, after the style
of Menippus the Cynic. He wrote among
others, 76 books of Logistorics,' or notes on
the education of children; 41 books on (Roman
Antiquities); 15 books of Portraits) of 700
notabilities, with a prose biography and a met.
rical eulogium of each; 9 books of (Sciences,
an encyclopædic work; treatises (On the Latin
Language, and (On Farming. Of all his writ-
ings there now remain only the treatise "On
Farming'; six books of the Latin Language,
in an imperfect state ; and numerous other frag-
ments.
Varro, Publius Terentius, surnamed Ata-
cinus from Atax in Narbonese Gaul, his birth-
place. A Roman poet; born about 82 B. C. ;
died about 37 B. C. His works, of which but
small fragments remain, are : (The Sequanian
War,' an epic celebrating the exploits of Cæsar
in Gaul; some (Satires, of which Horace
speaks slightingly ; ( The Argonauts,' an epic in
imitation of Apollonius Rhodius, highly praised
by Ovid; a number of other imitations of Greek
poets, among them Chorography,' a didactic
poem on geography, and (Ephemeris,' a poem
on weather prognostics.
Vasari, Giorgio Cavaliere (vä-sä'rē). An
Italian painter and writer; born in Arezzo,
1512; died in 1574. He studied under Michael
Angelo and other masters; he was then patron.
ized by the Medici family at Florence, where
Cardinal Farnese employed him to write the
lives of artists. He published these in 1550 with
the title of Lives of the most Eminent Painters,
Sculptors, and Architects) in two volumes, fre-
quently reprinted. An English translation by
Mrs. Jonathan Foster was published in London,
1850-53. *
Vasconcellos, Carolina Wilhelmina Mich.
aelis de. A German-Portuguese littérateur,
wife of J. A. ; born at Berlin, March 15, 1851.
She is a contributor to the leading literary
magazines and reviews of Germany and Portu-
gal, and has written : (Studies on the Meanings
of Spanish Words) (1886); “Romance Studies)
(1891); (History of Portuguese Literature)
(1893); (Etymological Fragments) (1894).
Vasconcellos, Fonseca e, Joaquim Antonio
da (väs''kon-sel'los). A Portuguese biographer
and historian; born at Oporto, Feb. 10, 1849;
professor of German language and literature
in the Lyceum there. His principal works are :
(The Musicians of Portugal (1870); (Reform
in the Teaching of the Fine Arts) (3 vols. ,
1877-79); Albert Dürer and his Influence in
the Peninsula) (1877); (Francis the Hollander)
(1879).
Vasey, George. An English botanist and
physician; born near Scarborough, Feb. 28, 1822.
He is now connected with the Department of
Agriculture at Washington. His published
works include: (The Philosophy of Laughing
and Smiling); Descriptive Catalogue of the
Native Forest Trees of the United States)
(1876); (The Grasses of the United States)
(1883); “Descriptive Catalogue of the Grasses
of the United States) (1885); and (Grasses
of the South) (1887).
Vasfi, Kéfévi, Sheik (väs'fē). A contempo-
rary Turkish poet, critic, and littérateur of con-
siderable repute in his own country. Besides
numerous translations of philosophical maxims,
moral anecdotes, etc. , from the Arabic and Per-
sian, he has written two volumes of original
poems, 'Djézébaad' and (Feïzabad, which are
imbued with the Oriental mysticism.
Vasili, Compte Paul. A pseudonym of Ma-
dame Edmond Adam. See Lamber.
Vassar, John Guy. An American philan-
thropist, nephew of Matthew Vassar the founder
of Vassar College ; born in Poughkeepsie,
N. Y. , June 15, 1811; died there, Oct. 27, 1888.
He was one of the trustees of Vassar College ;
traveled extensively, and wrote: (Twenty Years
around the World) (1861).
Vattel, Emerich (vä-tel'). A celebrated
Swiss publicist and jurist; born at Couvet,
Neuchâtel, April 25, 1714; died Dec. 28, 1767.
His great work is (The Law of Nations; or,
Principles of the Law of Nature applied to the
Affairs of Nations and Sovereigns) (2 vols. ,
1758). He wrote also : Philosophical Leisure
## p. 544 (#560) ############################################
VALBAN - VEITCH
544
(
Hours) (1747); Literary, Moral, and Political
Miscellanies) (1757); Questions of Natural
Right; or, Observations on Wolf's Treatise on
the Law of Nature (1762).
Vauban, Sébastien Le Prestre de (võ-bon').
A great French military engineer; born at St.
Leger de Foucher, Burgundy, May 15, 1633;
died at Paris, March 30, 1707. He published
nothing during his life, but since his death
some of his MSS. have been printed at various
times ; among them : Notes for Instruction in
the Conduct of Sieges and the Defense of
Places) (1740); (Marshal de Vauban's Hours of
Idleness) (3 vols. , 1842); (Military Works) (3
vols. , 1793); (Attack and Siege of Strong Places.
Vaudoncourt, François Guillaume de,
Baron (vo-dôn-kör'). A French general and
military writer; born at Vienna, Sept. 24, 1772;
died at Passy near Paris, May 2, 1845. His
works comprise : History of the Campaigns
of Hannibal in Italy) (1812); histories of Na-
poleon's campaigns in Russia, Germany, and
Italy; and (Fifteen Years of Exile (4 vols. ,
1835).
Vaughan, Charles John. An English
Broad Church clergyman, religious writer, and
commentator; born at Leicester in 1816. He
was head-master of Harrow, 1844-59; Master
of the Temple, 1869-94 ; is chaplain in ordi-
nary to the Queen. Among his many works
are : (Memorials of Harrow Sundays) (1859);
(Sundays in the Temple) (1871); (Heroes of
Faith) (1876), lectures; (Temple Sermons)
(1881); (University Sermons) (1888); single
sermons, addresses, pamphlets, etc.
Vaughan, Henry. A British poet, known as
« The Silurist,” from the ancient Silures of his
birthplace; born in Newton, Brecknockshire,
Wales, in 1621 ; died in April, 1695. His works
are: Olor Iscanus: Select Poems'; (The
Bleeding Heart,' sacred poems; ' Ejaculations);
(The Mount of Olives; or, Solitary Devotions);
and (Thalia Rediviva. *
Vaughan, Robert. An English clergyman,
editor, and historian ; born in 1795 ; died at Tor-
quay, June, 1868. He was a professor of his-
tory in London University; president of the Lan-
cashire Independent College, Manchester, 1842–
57; and originator and for twenty years editor
of the British Quarterly Review. He published
several important historical works, among which
are : "Life of John de Wycliffe) (2 vols. , 1828);
(The Protectorate of Cromwell (1838); (His-
tory of England under the House of Stuart)
(2 vols. , 1840); ( The Age of Great Cities) (1842);
Revolutions in English History) (1859-60).
Vauvenargues, Luc de Clapier, Marquis de
(võv-närg'). A French moralist ; born at Aix,
Aug. 6, 1715; died March 9, 1747. He wrote a
valuable (Introduction to a Knowledge of the
Human Mind' (1746), to which are appended
(Reflections and Maxims. His moral philos-
ophy inclines toward the Stoic school.
Vazoff, Ivan (vä'zof). A notable Bulgarian
author; born in Sopot, 1850. Besides numerous
poems, he has written Under the Yoke) and
other widely read novels. *
Veeder, Mrs. Emily Elizabeth (Ferris). A
novelist and verse-writer of St. Louis, Mo. ;
born in New York, 1841. She has written:
(Her Brother Donnard); (Entranced); (The
Unexpected'; 'In the Garden, and Other
Poems.
Vega, Lope de (Lope Felix de Vega Carpio).
A celebrated Spanish dramatist; born in Mad-
rid, Nov. 25, 1562; died Aug. 21, 1635. He is
credited with 1,500 comedies, of which over
500 are extant and 340 well known; King
and Peasant) is most frequently acted. He
also wrote two narrative poems, Angelica
and 'Jerusalem Conquered); five mythological
poems, Circe, Andromeda, Philomela,
(Orpheus, and Proserpine); three historical
poems, “San Isidro, (The Dragon,' and (The
Maid of Almudena'; and a comic-heroic poem,
"Gatomachy) (War of Cats); besides sonnets,
and several novels, including Journey through
my Country *
Vega de la Ventura (vā'gä dā lä vān-to'rä).
An Argentine poet; born in Buenos Ayres,
July 14, 1807; died in Madrid, Spain, in 1865.
After political imprisonment he held places
in the Spanish government; was secretary to
Queen Maria Christina, and in 1856 was ap-
pointed director of the Royal Conservatory.
He wrote: The Song of Songs, Madrid,
1826); An Epithalamic Cantata) (1827); (Agi-
tation,' an ode (1834); (The 18th of June
(1837); (The Defense of Seville,' an ode (1838);
(The Man of the World,' a comedy (1840);
and the tragedies (The Death of Cæsar)
(1842); «Don Fernando de Antequera' (1845).
He is considered one of the best modern
Spanish poets.
Vegetius Renatus, Flavius (ve-je'tē-us re-
nā'tus). A Latin writer on the art of war,
fourth and fifth centuries. He compiled in
four books an “Epitome of the Military Art. '
There is an ancient treatise, "On the Veteri-
nary Art,' credited to him.
Vehse, Karl Eduard (vā'zė). A German
historian; born at Freiburg, Saxony, Dec. 18,
1802; died at Striesen near Dresden, June 18,
1870. He was archivist in Dresden, 1825;
later settled in Berlin; but was imprisoned
and banished for his "History of the German
Courts since the Reformation) (48 vols. , 1851-
58). Besides this monumental work, he wrote:
History of the Emperor Otho the Great!
(1828); “Tables of Universal History) (1834);
Course of Universal History) (1842); and
(Shakespeare as Protestant, Politician, Psy-
chologist, and Poet) (2 vols. , 1851).
Veitch, John. A Scottish poet, littérateur,
and philosophical writer ; born in Peebles, 1829;
died there, Sept. 3, 1894. A memoir of his
friend Sir William Hamilton first brought him
into notice; but he will be best remembered
for his poetical and literary works: (Hillside
Rhymes) (1872);( The Tweed and Other Poems)
(
:
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VELEZ-HERRERA-- VERNE
545
(
(1875); (The History and Poetry of the Scottish
Border) (1878; new ed. 1893), a monumental
work ; ( Merlin, and Other Poems) ; (The The-
ism of Wordsworth); (The Feeling for Nature
in Scottish Poetry, a delightful book.
Velez-Herrera, Ramon (vāʼleth-ā-rā'rä). A
Cuban author; born in Havana in 1808; died
there in 1887. He abandoned law for literature.
The first collection of his poems was published
at Havana in 1833, a second in 1837, and a
third in 1838. He also published: (Elvira de
Oquendo); (The Two Bridegrooms, a comedy
(1848); Autumn Flowers,' a collection of poems
(1849); "Cuban Romances) (1856); Napoleon
in Berlin, a tragedy (1860); and Flowers of
Winter,' poems (1882).
Velleius Paterculus (vel-ē'yus pā-ter'kū-
lus). A Latin historian of the first century.
He wrote a (History of Rome,' a synopsis of
Roman history from the fabled migration of
Æneas to 30 A. D. The latter half of the
work is not without value for the early empire.
Venable, William Henry. An American
author; born in Warren County, Ohio, April 29,
1836. He began to teach at 17, and taught
until 1886, afterward devoting himself to liter-
ature and lecturing. He has published : June
on the Miami, and Other Poems) (1871); (A
History of the United States) (1872); (The
School Stage, a collection of juvenile acting
plays (1873); Melodies of the Heart, and Other
Poems) (1884); (Footprints of the Pioneers in
the Ohio Valley) (1888); Biography of William
D. Gallagher) (1888); several pamphlets, ad-
dresses, etc. He edited (The Dramatic Actor,
a collection of plays (1874); and Dramatic
Scenes from the Best Authors) (1874).
Venables. Edmund. An English clergyman
and archæologist; born in London, 1819; died
there, March 5, 1895. He was canon of Lincoln
Cathedral from 1867, and wrote much on archi-
tecture and archæology, among his works be-
ing: (Walks through the Streets of Lincoln,'
widely popular; “History of the Isle of Wight)
(1860); (The Church of England : Its Plant-
ing, Settlement, Reformation, Renewed Life)
(1886); “Bunyan (1888).
Venedey, Jakob (ven'e-di). A German mis-
cellaneous writer; born at Cologne, May 24,
1805; died at Badenweiler, Feb. 8, 1871. He
wrote: Days of Travel and Rest in Normandy)
(1838); (France, Germany, and the Holy Al-
liance) (1842); (Germans and Frenchmen ac-
cording to their Languages and their Proverbs)
(1842); John Hampden) (1843); (Ireland)
(1844); History of the German People) (4
vols. , 1854-62); Machiavelli, Montesquieu, and
Rousseau) (2 vols. , 1850); (Frederick the Great
and Voltaire ) (1859); (Biographies) of Wash-
ington (1862), Franklin (1863), Stein (1868);
(The German Republicans under the French
Republic) (1870).
Vennor, Henry George. A Canadian mete-
orologist and writer; born in Montreal, Dec.
30, 1840; died there, July 8, 1884. He was
attached to the Geological Survey office till
1881. He published `Vennor's Almanac) from
1876, which attained a large circulation; and
wrote (Our Birds of Prey) (1875) and many
reports for the Geological Survey and the Ca.
nadian Naturalist.
Ventignano, Cesare Della Valle, Duke of
(ven-tēn-yä' nõ). An Italian poet and miscel.
laneous writer; born in Naples, 1777; died
about 1860. Among his works are the trage-
dies (The Siege of Corinth) and (Medea); an
(Essay on the Education of the Aristocracy
and the Laboring Classes); and a Philo.
sophic View of the History of the Human
Race) (1853).
Verdy du Vernois, Julius von (vār-de'dü
văr-nwä'). A Prussian soldier; born at Frei-
stadt in Silesia, July 19, 1832. He was made
general of infantry in 1888, and in 1889 Prus-
sian minister of war. He wrote: (The Second
Army in the Campaign of 1866); (Studies in
the History of War) (1876); Contribution to
the Game of War) (1876); (Studies on War)
(1891-92); Personal Reminiscences of the War
of 1870-71) (1895). His tragedy (Alaric) was
played at Strasburg in 1894.
Vere, Aubrey Thomas de. See De Vere. .
Verena, Sophie (ve-rā'nä). Pseudonym of
Sophie Alberti, a German miscellaneous writer;
born in Potsdam, Aug. 5, 1826; died there,
Aug. 15, 1892. She wrote the popular novel
(A Son of the South) (1859), and a collection
of tales entitled “Old and New) (1879).
Verga, Giovanni (vår'gä). A celebrated
Italian poet and novelist; born in Sicily, 1840.
His works include: "Story of a Cricket)
(1872); (Eva) (1873); (Stories) (1874); (Nedda)
(1874); Eros) (1875); "Royal Tiger' (1876);
(Helen's Husband (1877); Life in the Fields)
(1880); (I Malavoglia' (1881), translated as
(The House under the Medlar Tree); (Rustic
Tales) (1883); Rustic Chivalry) (1884), from
which the libretto of Mascagni's famous opera
(Cavalleria Rusticana) was derived; (The
How, the When, and the Wherefore); etc. *
Verlaine, Paul (văr-lān'). A French poet
and story-writer ; born at Metz, March 30,
1844; died at Paris, Jan. 8, 1896. He led a
life of vagabondage, vibrating between prison
and hospital. He wrote: (Saturnine Poems)
(1866); "Gay Festivals) (1869);(Accursed Poets)
(1884); (Of Old and of Late) (1885). Among
his stories are: Louise Leclercq? (1886);
(Memoirs of a Widower) (1887); “Stories With-
out Words) (1887); (Love) (1888); Dedica-
tions) (1890); (Good Luck) (1891); (My Hos-
pitals) (1891). *
Verne, Jules (vārn). A French writer; born
in Nantes, Feb. 8, 1828. He has written a
comedy in verse entitled (The Falling-Out)
followed by (Eleven Days at Liège, and (The
Uncle from America, and several comic operas;
but his fame rests chiefly on his more than
sixty romances of science and adventure, many of
:
35
## p. 546 (#562) ############################################
546
VERPLANCK- VICTOR
them translated into many other languages, even
Japanese and Arabic. The first was 'Five Weeks
in a Balloon (1863). Among the others are:
(A Journey to the Centre of the Earth' (1872);
(Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea)
(1873); Meridiana); Around the World in
Eighty Days) (1874); (The Mysterious Island)
(1875); (Michael Strogoff (1876); “The Pur-
chase of the North Pole) (1890).
Verplanck, Gulian C. An American scholar
and writer; born in New York in 1786; died
March 1870. He published anonymously in
1819 a brilliant satirical work, entitled (The
State Triumvirate. In 1825 he was elected to
Congress, and published, 1827-30, conjointly
with William Cullen Bryant and Robert C.
Sands, a miscellany entitled The Talisman.
Among his other works are his address before
the New York Historical Society entitled (The
Early European Friends of America) (1818);
(Essays on the Nature and Uses of the Evi-
dences of Revealed Religion (1824); and (Dis-
courses and Addresses on Subjects of American
History, Art, and Literature) (1833). In 1846
he brought out his edition of Shakespeare,
with notes, esteemed one of the best that had
ever appeared.
Vertot d'Aubeuf, René Aubert de (vår-to'
do-bėf'). A French priest and historian; born
at Château Benetot (Eure), Nov. 25, 1655; died
in Paris, June 15, 1735. He was historiographer
of the Order of Malta. He published a (His-
tory of the Revolutions of Portugal) (1689);
(History of the Revolutions of Sweden) (1696);
(History of the Revolutions of the Roman Re-
public) (1719); History of the Order of Malta)
(1726); all more dramatic and fuent than re-
liable.
Very, Jones. An American poet; born in
Salem, Mass. , in 1813; died May 8, 1880. He
published some essays and poems in 1839, and
was a contributor to the Christian Register, a
monthly religious magazine, and other jour-
nals. A complete edition of his essays and
poems, with a biographical note of the author,
was published by James Freeman Clarke, Bos-
ton, 1886. *
Very, Lydia Louisa Anna. An American
poet, sister of Jones Very; born in Massachu-
setts, and residing in Salem, Mass. She is the
author of many poems, and her writings have
appeared in book form under the title (Prose
and Verse. )
Vesalius, Andreas (ve-sā'lē-us). A cele-
brated physician, founder of the modern sci-
ence of anatomy; born at Brussels, Dec. 31,
1514; lost at sea in shipwreck off the isle of
Zante, on the return from a pilgrimage im-
posed by the Inquisition in lieu of death, Oct.
15, 1564. His great work (Of the Structure of
the Human Body,' in seven books, illustrated
with magnificent plates by Calcar, a pupil of
Titian, was published at Basle (3d ed. 1568).
(Complete works, edited by Boerhaave and
Albinus, 2 vols. , 1727. )
Vespucci, Amerigo, Latinized Americus
Vespucius (ves-pö'che). The celebrated Ital-
ian navigator, eponymus of the New World;
born at Florence, March 9, 1451; died at Se-
ville, Feb. 22, 1512. His Letters' (1502), giving
an account of his voyages, especially of the voy-
age of 1501, were translated into Latin, Italian,
French, and German, and were widely circu-
lated. He wrote a diary called (The Four
Journals, after his fourth voyage. The sugges-
tion to name the newly discovered continent
“Americawas first offered by Martin Wald-
seemüller of St. Dié in Lorraine, in his work
(Introduction to Cosmography) (1507).
Veuillot, Louis (vė-yo'). An eminent
French journalist; born in Boynes (Loiret),
1813; died in Paris, April 7, 1883. His works
include: (Pilgrimages in Switzerland) (1839);
(Rome and Loretto) (1841); (The Virtuous
Woman) (1844); "The French in Algeria
(1845); Free-Thinkers) (1848); "Vindex the
Slave) (1849); (The Day after the Victory)
(1850); (The Droit du Seigneur in the Middle
Ages (1854); “The Perfume of Rome) (1861);
(The Odors of Paris) (1866); Paris during the
Two Sieges) (1871); Molière and Bourdaloue)
(1877); (Poetic Works) (1878); etc. *
Viardot, Louis (vyär-do'). A French his-
torian and art critic; born at Dijon, July 31,
1800; died at Paris, May 5, 1883. He wrote:
(History of the Arabs and Moors of Spain
(2 vols. , 1851); “The Traditional Rise of Mod-
ern Painting in Italy) (1840); (The Museums
of France) (1855); “Spain and the Fine Arts)
(1866); “Wonders of Painting' (2 vols. , 1868–
69).
Viaud, Louis Marie Julien. See Loti.
Viaud, Théophile de (vē-7'). A French sa-
tirical poet; born in 1590; died in 1626. He
wrote elegies, tragedies, etc. In 1623 he was
accused of atheism and condemned to death,
but escaped, and the sentence was afterward
annulled.
Vicente, Gil. See Gil Vicente.
Victor, Mrs. Frances Auretta (Fuller)
(Barrett). An American poet and author,
sister of Metta V. , with whom she published
an early volume of poems. She wrote (The
River of the West) (1865); Life and Ad-
ventures in the Rocky Mountains and Oregon
(1870); “The New Penelope and Other Stories. )
She has also contributed chapters on the his-
tory of Oregon for H. H. Bancroft's (Pacific
Coast Histories.
Victor, Mrs. Metta Victoria (Fuller). An
American poet, novelist, and sketch-writer, wife
of 0. J. ; born near Erie, Pa. , March 2, 1831;
died in Hoboken, N. J. , June 26, 1886. She
published a story, 'The Silver Lute, at 13; with
her sister Frances, (Poems of Sentiment and
Imagination) (1851); alone but anonymously,
(Fresh Leaves from Western Woods) (1853);
(The Senator's Son: A Plea for the Maine Law)
(1853), which had a great circulation in England
)
:
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VICTOR -- VILLAVERDE
547
and America ; and (Two Mormon Wives : A Life
Story) (1856). She edited the Home Monthly
Magazine in 1856. She wrote many dime novels.
The comic sketches (Miss Slimmens's Window)
and Miss Slimmens's Boarding House) (1859),
and the story (Too True,' were reprinted from
periodicals. She wrote also the novels (Figure
Eight) and (The Dead Letter); Passing the
Portal (1877); (The Bad Boy's Diary) (1880);
(The Rasher Family) (1884); (The Naughty
Girl's Diary) (1884); (Blunders of a Bashful
Man) (1885).
Victor, Orville James.
