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time had much intercourfe with the learned Jews in that 

 city. Upon his return into Germany he embraced the Lu- 

 th ran religion, and went to Kbnigfberg, where the elector 

 of Brandenburg appointed him profeflor extraordinary of 

 theliebrew tongue. He devoted himfelf now to the illuf- 

 r ration of the antiquities of the Jews, and the production 

 ■ I evidence from their writings in fupport of the truth of 

 Chriilianity, or of doctrines commonly reputed orthodox. 

 I ii writings contain fevere criticifms on the productions ot 

 Kjrcher, Scaliger, Voritius, the Buxtorfs, and other learned 

 . whofe proficiency in the Hebrew tongue he affected to 

 hold in low eft imation. The time of his death is uncertain, 

 but by a dedication to one of his pieces, it is known that he 

 was living in the year 1652. He was author of the following 

 works : " Liber Jezira, qui Abrahamo Patriarchae adlcribi- 

 tur, una cum Comment. ;" " Liber Veritatis, &c." intended 

 to prove that the ancient Jcwifh church believed the myltery 

 of the Trinity, and the eternal divinity of the Mefliah ; and 

 feveral others. 



RITTEBURG, in Geography, a town of the county 

 of Mansfeld ; 2 miles S.S.E. of Artern. 



RITTENHOUSE, David, in Biography, a diftin- 

 gnifhed American philofopher and mathematician in the 

 1 8th century, was a native of Pennfylvania, and born in 

 the year 1732. By the dint of genius and application, he 

 was enabled to mingle the purfuits of fcience with the active 

 employments of a farmer and watch-maker. The latter of 

 thefe occupations he filled with unrivalled eminence among 

 his countrymen. Some of its nicer operations continued to 

 be his favourite mode of relaxation during all the fubfequent 

 periods of his life. In the year 1769, he was invited by 

 the American Philofophical Society to join a number of 

 gentlemen who undertook to obferve the tranfit of Venus ; 

 when he particularly dittinguilhed himfelf by his obferva- 

 tions and calculations. He afterwards conftructsd an ob- 

 ' yatory, where he made fuch valuable obfervations and 

 vines, as tended to the general diftufion of fcience in 

 the wcllcrn world. During the American war, the philolo- 

 pher did not claim an exemption from the duties of pa- 

 triotifm ; he thought, fpoke, and acted like a free man. Af- 

 ter the concluiion ot it, he fucceflively filled the offices of 

 treafurer of the (late of Pennfylvania, and director of the 

 national mint : in the firft of which lie manifelted incor- 

 ruptible integrity, and in the la.it, the rare talent of com- 

 bining thrones in fuch a way a6 to produce correct practical 

 effect .. Me fucceeded the illutlrious Franklin in the office 

 of prefident of the American Philofophical Society ; but 

 towards tiie dole of his days he withdrew from public life, 

 and fpent his time in retirement. " There," fays one of his 

 eulogilts, " we behold him the object of love, admiration, 

 and reverence. In his mtercourfes of friendthip, (incerity 

 and fimplicity went Kami in hand. A tfranger to the too 

 common arrogance ot high pretentions, he met every man 

 on the ground ot friendly reciprocity. Feeling a fuperior 

 attachment to thofe who propagated lek nee, he did not con- 

 ceal the estimation in which he lield them. He was among 



1 • 1 welcome to America the perfecuted philofopher of 



E land (Prieftley), and formed with him an intimacy 

 which only required time to be cemented into a tailing triend- 

 flup." Aitcj: a vety fevere illnefa of a tew days' continuance, 

 he died on the iothot July 1796, about the age ot 64. He 

 had I he degree of L.L.D. conferred upon him. To the 

 " Traul.tCtions" of the American Philofophical Society In- 

 contributed feveral excellent papers, chiefly on aflronoinical 

 fubje&s. Gentleman's Mag. Sept. 1796. Monthly Mag. 

 Oct. 1796 — M. 



R1TTERA, in Botany, named by Schreber in honour 



of Dr. John James Ritter, a native of Berne in Switr.er- 

 land, who pracfifed as a phyfician, in Silefia, during the 

 middle of the 1 8th century, and who was the author of va- 

 rious tracts upon Natural Hiftory. Schreb. 364. — It is 

 now referred to Swartzia ; fee that article. 



RITTERSHUYS, Conrad, in Biography, a learned 

 juritt and philologitt, was born at Brunfwick in 1560. 

 After having made a great progrefs in the learned lan- 

 guages, he went to Helmfladt for the ftudy of theology, 

 hut his inclination led him to prefer jurifprudence. He re- 

 moved to Altdorff for the further purfuit of this ttudy, and 

 thence to Ingolftadt. He took the degree of doctor of law 

 at Balil in 1591, and was nominated profeflor in that fcience 

 at Altdorff, where he died in 1613. He was the author of 

 " Jus Juftinianeum, five Novellarum Methodica explicatio," 

 1615, 4to. His philological labours were notes on " Petro- 

 nius" and " Phxdrus ;" commentaries on " Salvianus ;" on 

 " Oppian de Venatione et Pifcatione," with a Latin ver- 

 fion ; " Guntheri Ligurinus ;" " Sacrarum Lectionum, 

 Lib. viii." 



Rittershuys, Nicholas, fon of Conrad, born at Alt- 

 dorff in 1597, was alfo a man of learning and a juritt, and 

 particularly applied to hittorical and genealogical enquiries. 

 He ftudied at Helmiladt, and afterwards travelled into 

 various countries of Europe. On his return he took a doc- 

 tor's degree in 1634, and was appointed profeffor of feudal 

 law at Altdorff. He died in 1 670. Nicholas edited feveral 

 of his father's works, and in 1638 publitlied an oration on 

 " Hanno's Periplus." He was the author of a large folio, 

 entitled " Genealogist Imperatorum, Regum, Ducum, Co- 

 mitum, &c. ab Anno 1400 ad Annum 1664." Several of 

 his letters are printed in the " Epiitolx celebrium Virorum," 



RITUAL, RlTUALE, a churcli-book, directing the 

 order and manner of the ceremonies to be obierved in cele- 

 brating divine fervice in a particular church, diocefe, reli- 

 gious order, or the like. 



The ancient heathens had, likewife, their rituals, or ri- 

 tuales libri ; thofe of the Etrurians were much famed. 

 See Aruspici Libri. 



Thefe books contained the rites and ceremonies to be 

 obierved in the building of a city, in the confecrating of a 

 temple or an altar, in tacrificing and deifying, in dividing 

 the curiae, tribes, centuries, snd, in general, in all their re- 

 ligious ceremonies. 



There arc feveral paffages in Cato's books, De Re Ruf- 

 tica, which may give us fome idea of the rituals of the 

 ancients. 



" The principal difference (fays bifhop StillipgBeet, 

 Orig. Brit. p. 287.) between the Roman and Gallic ritual 

 of St. Germanus, which the Britons had adopted before 

 the arrival of St. Auilin, was in the church miiji:, in which 

 the Romans were thought to excel other weftcrn chui 

 fo far, that the goodnefs of their mufic wa 

 incitement to the introduction of their offices." 



R1TZF.BUTTEL, in Geography, a tow duchy 



of Bremen, on a fmall river, which runs into th G rman 

 ocean, In tween the mouths of the Elbe and the Wi (ei ; 38 

 mile, N. ot Bremen. N. lat. 53 52'. E. Ion; 



RITZENBUTTEL, a town of thi duchy oi Bi 



RlTZENBUTTEL, or Ritzbutt/t, is a fnttll 

 iug about 200 houfes, half a mile from (.';: V ith ;. 



cattle garrifoned by Hanoverians. The road foi I 



I11, , , from Rjtzbuttle to Cuxhavrn, is on 



railed about eight t'->t from thi carriage-road ; but I 



mad'- of clay, It is, iuv.ct weather, extremely dirt] 

 Dippery. The road for carriages is very bad. Tl I 



