876 



RICIKUS COMMUNIS R1EGO Y NUNEZ. 



ration, full of intelligent views. \V'e must men- 

 lion, also, his Fihtl (^Spelling-book); Peace Sermon 

 (1809) ; Change of Throne between Mars anil 

 Plurlms in 1814; Political Sermons in Lent (1817); 

 several essays, for instance, in his Museum (1814), 

 and Hrrbstblumine* (18101820). In 1820 ap- 

 peared his Comet, or Nic. Markgraf. a comic work. 

 Shortly before his death, he began a new edition of 

 his complete works. After his death, appeared 

 hU unlinished work Selina, or on Immortality. 

 lYom memorandums left by him, a work was pre- 

 pared, after his death, called Truths from Jean 

 Paul't Life (3 vols., Breslau, 1826 28.) 



KICINI'S COMMUNIS. The palma ckrhti, 

 nr cantor oil plant, in Barbary, its native climate, 

 often becomes a pretty stout tree, twenty or twenty- 

 five feet in height ; but, as cultivated with us, is 

 an annual, herbaceous plant, not rising above six 

 or eight ; if, however, it be sheltered in a green- 

 house, the stem persists, and becomes woody. The 

 leaves are large, alternate, divided into six lobes, 

 and peltate, or having the stalk inserted into the 

 litre of the leaf. The flowers are disposed in 

 long, branching spikes, the male occupying the in- 

 ferior portion, which is contrary to the usual ar- 

 rangement in monoecious plants. The fruit con- 

 si-us of three united, prickly capsules, each con- 

 taining a large, smooth, shining, oblong, variegated 

 seed. These seeds contain a virulent acrid and 

 nauseous principle, which seems to reside exclu- 

 sively in the germ. Hence it happens that, when 

 eaten entire, two or three seeds will produce dan- 

 gerous and even fatal effects, while the oil that is 

 obtained from them in lartre quantities is mild, in- 

 sipid, emollient, and gently purgative. This oil is 

 procured by a moderate pressure, for the germ for- 

 tunately retains its oil with more pertinacity than 

 the remainder of the seed ; or by plunging the 

 seeds in warm water, when the mild oil rises to the 

 surface. The use of castor oil as a purgative is 

 familiar to every one, and has been known from re- 

 mote antiquity In some countries, it is burnt in 

 lamps, or is even employed with lime to make a 

 cement, which with age becomes as hard as stone. 



RICKETS (rhachitis),oR ENGLISH DISEASE; 

 a modification of the scrofula, which commonly ap- 

 pears after the age of nine months and before that 

 of two years, attacking principally the bones. The 

 disease is known by a large head, prominent fore- 

 head, projecting breast bone, flattened ribs, big 

 belly, and emaciated limbs, with great debility. 

 The bones and spine of the back are variously dis- 

 torted. Nature frequently restores the general 

 health, and leaves the limbs distorted. In the 

 treatment of rickets, besides attention to the regi- 

 men, those means are employed by which the sys- 

 tt in is invigorated. Tonic medicines, the cold 

 Ixith, &c., are beneficial. The child should be 

 kept clean and dry, regularly exercised, and al- 

 lowed to enjoy pure air. The food should be 

 nutritious, and easy of digestion. The rickets 

 sometimes manifests itself in adults, and often 

 proves fatal in a short time. 



RICOCHET. See Range. 



HIDING. See Horsemanship, and Manege. 

 I DING AT ANCHOR. See Anchor. 



HIDINGS (corrupted from trithing); the three 

 jurisdictions into which the county of Yorkshire is 

 divided, nn account of its extent. They are called 

 the North, East, and /1/est Ridings. 



RIDLEY, NICHOLAS, bishop of London in the 

 reigns of Edward VI. and his successor Mary, was 

 born about the commencement of the sixteenth 

 century, and educated at Cambridge. He travel- 

 led on the continent, and, during a three years' ab 



| sence from his native, country, became acquainted 

 with several of the early reformers, whose doctrines 

 he afterwards warmly espoused. Returning to 

 Cambridge he filled the office of proctor to the uni- 

 versity, and as such protested against the claims of 

 the papal see to the supreme ecclesiastical jurisdic- 

 tion in the realm. He was also chosen public ora- 

 tor, and, through the patronage of archbishop Cran- 

 mer (q. v.), became one of the king's chaplains ; 

 and, in the second year of Edward VI., he was ele- 

 vated to the see of Rochester. Three years after, 

 on the deprivation of Bonner, Ridley was made 

 bishop of London, and distinguished himself by his 

 tempered zeal in favour of the Protestant church, 

 and especially by his liberality and kindness to- 

 wards the family of his predecessor. On the 

 death of Edward, a dread of the succession of a 

 Roman Catholic sovereign induced him to listen to 

 those who made, an attempt to secure the Protes- 

 tant ascendency, by placing the lady Jane Grey 

 upon the throne. The defeat of this scheme, the 

 active part he had taken in the establishment of 

 the new discipline, and the construction of the 

 liturgy, together with his connexion with Cranmer, 

 marked Ridley out as one of the most prominent 

 victims of papal authority. The form of a trial 

 was, indeed, granted him : a deputation of popish 

 bishops was appointed to hold a formal disputation 

 on the controverted points with him at Oxford, and 

 he was condemned, as a recusant and obstinate 

 heretic, to the stake. This sentence he underwent 

 \vith the greatest fortitude, in company with his 

 friend and fellow-sufferer Latimer, Oct. 15, 1555, 

 in Oxford. His life has been written by the rever- 

 end doctor Ridley, prebendary of Salisbury. 



R1DOTTO; a masquerade, attended with music 

 and dancing, and other amusements. A ridotto com- 

 monly takes place on fast-eve, in those places where 

 the carnival is celebrated. 



Ridotto, in Venice, is also the name of a public 

 place, where, during the carnival, games of hazard, 

 particularly taro, are played. Formerly, none but 

 a Venetian noble could have a bank in the ridotto; 

 and particular privileges were granted to him as 

 banker. On each side stood a lady in s mask, to 

 give him warning of any thing to his disadvantage. 

 No persons but nobles were permitted to play un- 

 less in a mask. 



R1ED, TREATY AT, Oct. 8, 1813. See 

 Bavaria. 



RIEDESEL, FREDEBICA CHARLOTTE LOUISA, 

 baroness, the daughter of the Prussian minister of 

 state Massow, was born at Brandenburg in 1746. 

 At the age of sixteen, she was married to lieuten- 

 ant-colonel Riedesel, who commanded the Bruns- 

 wick troops employed in the British service in 

 America in 1777. Madam Riedesel, who accom- 

 panied her husband, wrote an interesting account 

 of her adventures, published by her son-in-law, the 

 count de Ruess, under the title of Voyage to 

 America, or Letters of Madame von Riedesel 

 (translated into English, New York, 1827). She 

 returned to Europe in 1783 ; and having lost her 

 husband (who had been made a general) in 1800, 

 she fixed her residence at Berlin, where she died 

 in 1808. 



RIEGO Y NUNEZ, RAFAEL DEL, a Spanish 

 patriot, was born of a noble family, in the province 

 of Asturias, in 1785. After having been liberally 

 educated, he entered the army, and served during 

 the invasion of Spain by Bonaparte. He was taken 

 prisoner ; and, on his liberation, the constitutional 

 general Abisbal gave him a staff appointment ; and 

 when that chief betrayed the cause of independence, 

 Riego retired from the service in disgust, and for 



