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R I C 



Chriftian doftrine, and became a diftinguilhed protcflor in 

 it. He quitted the fociety after fome years, and took up 

 his refidence at Paris, where he employed himfelf in in- 

 llnnSting youth, and in literary purfuits. He was cele- 

 brated for his deep knowledge in the Greek language, and 

 engaged in the great tafk of tranflating the whole works ot 

 Plutarch. Between the years 1783 and 1795 he published 

 his verfion of that philofopher's moral works, in 1 7 vols. 

 !2mo. : of the Lives he only publilhed 4 vols. 1 2mo. He 

 publifhed likewife a poem, entitled " La Sphere," in eight 

 cantos, 8vo. 1796, which contains a fyftem of allronomy 

 and geography, enriched with notes, and notices of Greek, 

 .Latin, and French poems, treating on altronomical fub- 

 jedts. Ricard died in 1803. He wi, diftinguifhed by 

 modeft merit, and the practice of all the focial virtues. 



RICAUT, Sir Paul, was the youngelt Ion of fir Peter 

 Ricaut, knight, fuppofed to be a merchant in London. 

 The time and place of the birth and education of the fubjeft 

 of this article are not known, but he appears to have tra- 

 velled during feveral years in Europe, Aha, aud Africa. 

 In the year 1661 he went out as fecretary to the earl of 

 Wmchelfea, the ambaffador extraordinary to the Ottoman 

 Porte. Here he remained eight years in that polt. In 

 1663 he publifhed the treaty or capitulation concluded be- 

 tween Charles II. and the Turkilh fultan, in which was the 

 favourable article, that Englifh (hips fhould be exempted 

 from (earch for foreign goods. When his connection with 

 the Porte was expired, he was appointed Englifh conful at 

 Smyrna, an office which he held about eleven years, to the 

 entire fatisfa&ion of the Turkey company, and with the 

 refpe£t and attachment of all the Europeans in that city. 

 Upon his return, he employed himfelf in literary occupa- 

 tions till the year 1685, when he accompanied the earl of 

 Clarendon, lord-lieutenant of Ireland, as his fecretary for 

 Leinfler and Connaught. He was nominated by James II. 

 one of his privy-council for Ireland, and judge of the ad- 

 miralty court, asd received the honour of knighthood. 

 After the revolution, he was fent by king William as his 

 refident to the Hanfe towns, in which poll he continued ten 

 years. He died in England, in the year 1700, literally 

 worn out with age and long fervices. Independently ot his 

 high character as a diplomatic, he was celebrated for his 

 knowledge of the learned languages, and alio of the modern 

 Greek, the Turkilh, the Italian, Spanifli, and French. 

 As an author, he is known by " The prefent State of the 

 Ottoman Empire;" "The prefent State of the Greek and 

 Armenian Churches ;" « A Continuation of Knollrs' Hif- 

 tory of the Turks." He continued " Platina's Lives of 

 the Popes" to his own time. He tranflatod from the 

 Spanifli, "The Royal Commentaries of Peru, h\ Garcilaflb 

 de la Vega." A paper of this author is inferted in the 

 Tranfa&ions of the Royal Society, of which fociety he was 

 a member. Biog. Brit. 



RICCATI, vihcent, a learned Italian Jefuit, was born 

 at Caltel-Franco, in the territory of Trevifo, about the year 

 1707. His genius inclining him chiefly 10 the Itudy of the 

 mathematical fciences, he cultivated them with fo much 



fuccefs, that his fuperiors fele&ed 1 1 proper pcrfon 



to teach them to others. He accordingly was chofen pro- 

 feflbr in the college at Bologna, which he filled with reputa- 

 tion till the fuppreffion of the order in 1773. He died 111 

 1775, leaving behind him feveral works th.it teftify his high 

 merit as a fcholar, among which is "A Treatlfi on the 

 Integral Calculus," in 3 vols. ^to. He did not confine 

 himfelf to the abllraft mathematics, but paid much attention 

 to the ftudy of hydraulics ; a branch "1 fcience "t the ut- 

 moft importance in all the northern Italian (late . where the 

 Vol. XXX. 



many and rapid rivers expofe the country to continual in- 

 undations. In this line he appears to have rendered con- 

 fiderable fervice to the Venetian territories ; fo much fo, 

 that in 1 774 a gold medal was (truck in his honour. 



RICCI, BARTHOLOMEW, a learned Italian, was born at 

 Lugo, in Romagna, in the year 1490. He ftudied under 

 Amaleo in Bologna, and for further improvement vifited 

 Padua and Venice. He palled fome years in the houfe of 

 Giovanni Cornaro, as preceptor to his fon, who was after- 

 wards a cardinal ; and for fame time kept a fchool at Ra- 

 venna. Through the recommendation of Calcaquini, he 

 iv invited, in 1539, to the court of duke Hercules II. ot 

 Ferrara, to undertake the education of the princes Alfonfo 

 and Luigi, He there acquired the affection of his pupils, 

 and the efleem of the learned. He died at the age of 79, in 

 the year 1569. The principal works of Ricci are " Ora- 

 tions," and « Epiltles," the Latin ltyle of which has been 

 much applauded, as a happy imitation of that of Cicero. 

 The molt laborious of his works is entitled " Apparatus 

 Latins Locutionis," being a Latin lexicon, in two parts; 

 the firft containing the verbs, and the fecond the nouns with 

 which they are joined. It was printed at Venice in 1 J35. 

 Ricci alio wrote a comedy in Italian profe, entitled " Le 

 Balie," which is well fpoken of; and fome Italian poems, 

 which have appeared iu collections. 



Ricci, Matthew, an eminent miffionary, was born ot 

 a good family at Macerata, in 1552. He was fent to ftudy 

 the law at Rome, where, at the age of 19, he entered into 

 the fociety of Jefuits. He had not completed his theo- 

 logical lludies, when he followed to the Ealt Indies his pre- 

 ceptor, father Valignan. During his abode at Goa, he 

 applied afliduoully to the language of China, to which 

 country he was deftined. In 1583 he arrived at Caoquin, 

 in the province of Canton, where he fettled with fome 

 brethren. To ingratiate himfelf with the Chinefe, he made 

 a map of the world, in which, whillt he corrected their pre- 

 judices with refpect to the relative dimenfions of their 

 country, he complied with them by altering the meridian, 

 fo as to place it in the centre. It was not till 1600 that 

 he was able to gain accefs to the emperor at Peking, em- 

 ploying the pretext of bringing him a prefent of curiofities 

 from Europe. He was well received, and permitted to 

 fettle in that capital, where his mathematical (kill rendered 

 him acceptable to the court and men of letters. He pur- 

 chafed a houfe there, and built a church ; and the progrefs, 

 fuch as it was, which Chrillianity made in the metropolis of 

 China, was greatly owing to his exertions. He died there 

 in 1610, leaving curious memoirs on China, of which father 

 Trigault made ufe in his work " De Chriiliana Expedi- 

 tione apud Sinas." 



Ricci, Michael-Angelo, an Italian cardinal, and able 

 mathematician, in the 17th century, was defcended from a 

 noble family originally from Bergamo, and horn at Ro 

 in the year 1619. [n the courfe of his ftudies, he conceived 

 a powerful inclination for the mi tics, which was cou» 

 firmed by Torricelli, during ttye temporary red I iiat 

 philofopher a< Rome. Under his directions, Ricd's genius, 

 arefully cultivated, and his . 1 real 

 honour both on the tutor and pupil. At*' , Torricdu left 

 Rome, he maintained 1 correfpondence with Ricci, 

 who proved and illuftrated in B happy manner teveral of his 

 new theorems, In the year 1 1666 R i< publifli d a little 

 work, entitled " Exercitatio Geometrica," See. in which 

 he determined, in a purely geometrical manner, the tan- 

 gents, ami the .. i minima ol ■ urve . chiefly com- 

 pared with conn 1 f the firft order. This piece was 



reprinted by the Royal S01 i 1 1 1 1 London, as a treatifi ■> 

 1 ■ t!i. 



