VIRGINS VISCONTI. 



831 



tell : a Dutch vessel entered James river, and sold 

 to the colonists twenty African slaves, thereby giv- 

 ing rise to that peculiar condition of society which 

 distinguishes the Southern States. As the colony 

 continued to grow in extent and population, inferior 

 courts were established for the cheap and conveni- 

 ent administration of justice. Hence sprung the 

 ancient county court system which now exists. 

 The colony did not long enjoy unmixed prosperity. 

 Various causes had conspired to lull all suspicion 

 of Indian treachery and vengeance ; but, in 1622, 

 the savages made a sudden and secret irruption, in 

 which 347 whites, including women and children, 

 were horribly massacred. The gratitude of a do- 

 mesticated Indian alone saved the whole from ex- 

 termination. A vindictive war followed this act 

 of aggression : public improvements were abandon- 

 ed ; the settlements were reduced in number, and 

 scarcity once more prevailed to an alarming degree. 

 Relief was generously despatched from England ; 

 but, the king's jealousy being about that time awak- 

 ened by the freedom of discussion which prevailed 

 in corporate bodies, and availing himself further of 

 the frequent reverses of the colony, he dissolved 

 the Virginia company, and revested its privileges in 

 the crown. The entire direction of the colony was 

 confided to a governor and twelve counsellors, ap- 

 pointed by special commission. Charles I. adopted 

 his father's policy, with such hateful additions, that, 

 in a fit of popular rage, the colonists seized their 

 governor, Sir John Harvey, and sent him a prisoner 

 to England, attended by deputies to represent their 

 wrongs. The critical condition of the monarch, 

 rather than his sense of justice, procured a redress 

 of grievances. Harvey was displaced, and Sir Wil- 

 liam Berkeley sent as his successor. This act of 

 the crown, together with the call of an assembly, 

 converted the Virginians into loyal subjects. Force 

 only compelled them to yield to Cromwell's go- 

 vernment ; and, after the death of Matthews, the 

 usurper's vicegerent, they proclaimed Charles II. 

 as king, before intelligence of his restoration had 

 been received from England. Sir William Berke- 

 ley was reinstated as governor ; but, during the 

 despotic reign of Charles, so many causes of dis- 

 content accumulated, that they finally ripened into 

 an actual rebellion, headed by Nathaniel Bacon, a 

 member of the governor's council, and a young 

 gentleman of fine education and talents. After 

 various outrages and calamities incident to civil 

 war, including the destruction of Jamestown by the 

 insurgents, the death of Bacon delivered the colony 

 from the evils which threatened its existence. 

 Berkeley resumed the government, but shortly after- 

 wards returned to England, leaving Herbert Jef- 

 fries his successor. A long period of prosperous 

 tranquillity succeeded. The settlement of the 

 country extended beyond the mountains, and it was 

 not until 1753, that the hostile encroachments of 

 the French kindled a war, and involved the colony 

 again in its calamities. The events of that period, 

 during which the courage and conduct of the youth- 

 ful Washington afforded a presage of his future 

 renown, as well as the causes which led to the 

 overthrow of the British power, belong rather to 

 the general department of American history. Vir- 

 ginia gave birth to several illustrious men, (Wash- 

 ington, Jefferson, Maddison, &c.,) who took a de- 

 cided part against the mother country, and shared 

 in the common sacrifices, toils and triumphs of the 

 revolutionary struggle. 



VIRGINS, ELEVEN THOUSAND. See Ursula, St. 



VIRIATHUS, OR VIRIATHES; a brave Lu- 

 sitanian, who maintained a long struggle against the 

 Romans in defence of his country. The Roman 

 praetor, Servius Galba, had driven the Lusitanians, 

 by his cruelties, to a revolt, when Viriathus, who 

 had originally been a huntsman, and afterwards a 

 robber, placed himself at the head of his country- 

 men, and defeated the Romans with such decisive 

 success, that but few of those who were engaged iu 

 the battle escaped. New forces were repeatedly 

 sent against him ; but the Romans experienced 

 several additional defeats, and Metellus alone was 

 more fortunate. It was finally thought expedient, 

 therefore, to acknowledge Virathus as the inde- 

 pendent sovereign of Lusitania (Portugal), and to 

 conclude an alliance with him. But the Romans 

 soon perfidiously broke the treaty, and Servilius 

 Caepio, the Roman commander, had this formidable 

 enemy put out of his way by an act of treachery. 

 Thus fell Viriathus, by the hands of assassins, after 

 a fourteen years' victorious contest, in the year of 

 Rome 612. 



VISCONTI; an old Milanese family, celebrated, 

 during the middle ages and in modern times, by 

 its political consequence and by its patronage of 

 science. Of the origin of the family and the name, 

 we have no certain accounts ; but some derive the 

 former from the old Lombard kings, and the latter 

 from the pretended right of its members to put the 

 crown upon the head of the kings of Italy. History 

 makes mention of the Visconti in the eleventh cen- 

 tury ; but they disappear from the time of the de- 

 struction of Milan by Frederic Barbarossa, when, 

 with some other noble families, they were obliged 

 to yield to the superior power of the opposite party, 

 the Torriani, or family Delia Torre. The first of 

 the Visconti, who laid the foundation of their 

 greatness, was Otho, archbishop of Milan (died 

 1258), who gained the ascendency over his enemies, 

 and bequeathed his power to his nephew, Matteo 

 (died 1322). The latter was, however, driven 

 into banishment by the Torriani, but, after living 

 in exile seven years, had the address to obtain the 

 title of imperial governor, which he soon exchanged 

 for that of prince of Milan. Matteo transmitted 

 the supreme power to his eldest son, Galeazzo, who 

 was overpowered by his enemies, among whom 

 were his own brothers, and thrown into prison by 

 Louis of Bavaria, in 1327. He died, soon after his 

 release from confinement, at Brescia. His son 

 Azzo, who succeeded him, and increased the extent 

 of his dominions, was not less distinguished for his 

 pacific virtues than for bis military talents, and died 

 in 1329, in the thirty-seventh year of his age, re- 

 gretted by his subjects. As he left no son, his 

 uncle Lucchino succeeded him. The latter ex- 

 tended still farther the dominions of the family, 

 and was the first of the name who was distinguished 

 as a patron of science and art. He maintained a 

 correspondence with Petrarch, whom he knew how 

 to appreciate, and was not ashamed to sacrifice to 

 the muses himself, as is proved by a sonnet of his 

 composition, which has been preserved by Crescim- 

 beni. After his death, in 1349, his brother Gio- 

 vanni (died 1354), archbishop of Milan, assumed 

 the reins of government. He reduced Genoa, and 

 was a zealous patron of letters. He appointed a 

 commission of six learned men to compose a com- 

 mentary on Dante, fostered the university of Bo- 

 logna, and received Petrarch, on his arrival at 

 Milan, with the highest marks of distinction. Gio- 

 vanni was succeeded by his nephews Matleo //., 



