794 



VEGETIUS RENATUS VELDE. 



phanerogamous plants are thus distributed: In Eu- 

 rope, 7000; temperate regions of Asia, 1500; 

 tropical and insular regions of Asia, 4500 ; Africa, 

 3000; temperate regions of America, 4000; tropi- 

 cal regions of America, 13,000; Pacific islands, 

 5000. A remarkable circumstance in tlie dis- 

 tribution of plants is the extreme rarity of the 

 social plants (that is, those which, like the heath, 

 live together, and cover large tracts of land) be- 

 tween the tropics, where they are found only on 

 the sea shore and upon elevated plains. Among 

 the vegetable forms, there are some which become 

 more common from the equator towards the poles, 

 as the ferns, the heaths, and the rhododendrons ; 

 others, on the contrary, increase from the poles 

 towards the equator, as the rubiacea, ihejeuphorbia, 

 and the leguminous plants ; while others, such as 

 the crucifera, the umbellifera, &c., are most abund- 

 ant in the temperate zone, and diminish in number 

 towards the poles and the equator. Such constant 

 relations prevail in respect of vegetable forms, that 

 when, upon any point of the globe, we know the 

 number of species belonging to one of the great 

 families, both the whole number of phanerogamous 

 plants, and the number of species composing the 

 other vegetable families, may be estimated with 

 considerable accuracy. It has been a question 

 much discussed among philosophers, in what way 

 the various vegetable tribes were originally diffused 

 over the surface of the earth ; and three different 

 hypotheses have been proposed. Linnaeus supposed 

 a single primitive centre of vegetation, whence all 

 species of plants have been gradually dispersed over 

 the globe by winds, rivers, currents, animals, &c. 

 A second hypothesis is, that each species of plants 

 originated in a primitive centre, of which there 

 were several in different parts of the globe, each 

 being the seat of a particular number of species. 

 The third hypothesis is, that, wherever a suitable 

 climate existed, there the vegetable tribes sprang 

 up, and that plants of the same species were, from 

 the first, spread over different regions. 



VEGETIUS RENATUS, FLAVIUS, the most 

 celebrated of the Roman writers on the military 

 art, flourished towards the end of the fourth cen- 

 tury, in the reign of the emperor Valentinian II. 

 He is supposed to have been an inhabitant of Con- 

 stantinople, but nothing certain is known of his 

 history. The work of Vegetius De fie Militari is 

 to be found in various editions of the Veteres de Re 

 Militari Scriptores; and it has been often printed 

 separately. Among the best editions are those of 

 Schwebel (Nuremberg, 1767, 4to. ; and Strasburg, 

 1806, 8vo.). 



Publius Vegetius, who, notwithstanding the 

 difference of praenomen, has been confounded with 

 the military tactician, was a writer on farriery. 

 His work, entitled Artis Veterinarii sive Mnlo- 

 medicince, lib. iv., was first printed at Basle in 1528; 

 but the best edition is that of J. M. Gesner (Man- 

 heim, 1781, 8vo.) This treatise is likewise in- 

 cluded in the Scriptores Rei Rustics. 



VEHME. See Fern. 



VEII, on the river Cremera, one of the twelve 

 Etrurian cities, which were under the government 

 of their own lucumones, early became involved in 

 hostilities with the inhabitants of the neighbouring 

 Rome, which was of a more recent origin. A post 

 near Cremera, which the Fabii were employed to 

 defend, was intended to check the attacks of the 

 inhabitants of Veil. A war was the consequence, 

 in which the Fabii were defeated ; but the Romans 



were afterwards victorious, at the moment wlien 

 they intended to retreat. The siege of Veii en- 

 sued (349358 A. U. C., or 396 B. C.),and lasted 

 ten years, until Camillus, who had been appointed 

 dictator, penetrated through a mine into the city ; 

 and slaughter and outrage were the punishment of 

 the long resistance of the people. (Livy v. 19 

 23.) Camillus carried even the statue of Juno, the 

 protectress of Veii, to Rome, where a temple was 

 erected to her on the Aventine hill. Veii was M, 

 completely laid waste, that, 400 years later, herds 

 grazed on its ruins (Propcrtius, iv. 10, vv. 29, 30); 

 and in modern times, the very site of the ancient 

 city has been a subject of much dispute. Livy's 

 account of the distance of Veii from Rome (v. 4,) 

 seems to agree best with the situation of Monte 

 Lupoli, along theCassian road, in the wood of Bac- 

 cano, the charming situation of which reminds the 

 spectator of Athens. Caesar established a Roman 

 colony at Veii; but the Goths and Lombards de- 

 stroyed it. 



VEIN. See Blood-Vessel and Heart. 



VELASQUEZ, ORDON DIEGO VELASQUEZ 

 DE SILVA, an eminent Spanish historical and 

 portrait painter, was born at Seville in 1599. He 

 studied under Horrent and Pacheco, and his first 

 efforts were employed on familiar and domestic 

 subjects, until the sight of some of the pictures of 

 the Italian masters inspired him with loftier ideas. 

 He was in particular charmed with the colouring 

 of Caravaggio, whom lie began to make his model ; 

 and his success in that style equalled his most san- 

 guine expectation. Having spent five years with 

 Pacheco, he repaired to Madrid, and obtained the 

 patronage of the duke d'Olivarez, who introduced 

 him to Philip IV., by whom he was appointed his 

 principal painter (1623). While in that situation, 

 Rubens arrived at Madrid, and recommended him 

 to spend some time in Italy ^ which advice he foU 

 lowed, and acquired such an improvement in taste, 

 correctness, composition and colouring, as placed 

 him at the head of hia profession. On his return 

 to Spain (1631), he was received with the most 

 flattering distinction ; and he was, some time after 

 (1648), employed by the king to make the tour of 

 Italy, and procure a collection of pictures and 

 statues. After his return to Spain (1651), Velas- 

 quez painted the royal family in a picture, called, 

 by way of distinction, The Family, with which 

 the king was so much pleased, that he raised him 

 to the dignity of a noble (1658). His compositions 

 are remarkable for their strong expression, freedom 

 of pencil, and admirable tone of colouring. Among 

 his best works are the Aguador, or Water-carrier, 

 now in the palace of Madrid ; the Brothers of 

 Joseph ; Job ; Moses taken from the Nile ; Lot and 

 his Daughters; the Expulsion of the Moors by Philip 

 III. ; with many portraits and pictures from com- 

 mon life. He died in 1660. 



VELASQUEZ DE VELASCO, Louis JOSEPH, 

 marquis of Valdeflores, a Spanish historical writer, 

 was bom at Malaga in 1722, and, after completing 

 his studies, was employed by Ferdinand VI. to col- 

 lect materials in Spain illustrative of the ancient 

 history of the country. He left many materials in 

 manuscript, and published Origines de la Poesia 

 Espanola (Malaga, 1754), with some other works, 

 of value. He died in 1772. 



VELD ; a Dutch word, signifying the same as 

 the German Feld (English field), and appearing in a 

 number of geographical names. 



VELDE, WILLIAM VAN DEK, called the Old, ene 



