K1V 



The botanical fyftem of Rivinus is founded on the moll 

 elegant and attractive, if not the moll folid and important, 

 parts of plants. His clafles are marked by the number, the 

 regularity, or irregularity, of the petals. He could not 

 proceed far in this path without perceiving that he made moil 

 unnatural, and, as Haller juflly terms them, paradoxical, 

 combinations. He therefore aflerted, and doubtleis be- 

 lieved, the inutility and impracticability of a really natural 

 claflilication. This principle brought him to one right con- 

 clufion, which even the philofophical Ray did not attain, or 

 was afraid to admit, that the old primary diftribution of 

 vegetables into trees, fhrubs, and herbs, is unfcientific and 

 erroneous. 



Rivinus publifhed, at his own expence, in 1690, his 

 fplendid illullration of the firfl clafs of his fyilem, com- 

 priiing fuch plants as have a monopetalous irregular flower. 

 Thefe are the ringent flowers of Linnaeus, accompanied by 

 the Saturnine*, and even by Arum. This part confills of 

 one hundred and twenty-five plates ; but though each plate 

 often contains more than one plant, the intelligent reader 

 will perceive how imperfect the catalogue of fpecies mull 

 be. A learned Introdutlio genera/is in rem herbariam is pre- 

 fixed ; and this introductory part was, at different times, 

 republiflied in a fmaller form. The fecond part of the 

 fumptuous work of which we are fpeaking, came forth in 

 1 69 1. This confiits of one hundred and twenty-one plates, 

 of plants with four irregular petals ; into which clafs, by- 

 means of fome contrivance, and many grains of allowance, 

 are admitted all the papilionaceous tribe, the cruciform 

 genus Herts, the Euphorbia, and a few things befides. 

 The genus laft named is referred rather arbitrarily to this 

 clafs, merely becaufe its (talked pendulous germen muit be 

 turned to one fide, and therefore, in the author's opinion, 

 the flower is rendered irregular. In 1699 the third part, 

 containing flowers with five irregular petals, was given to the 

 world. Even more liberty is taken in the affemblage of ge- 

 nera here than in the former clafs. The natural order of 

 umbellifem is admitted entire ; very juflly indeed as to prac- 

 tical or philofophical propriety ; but with great laxity of 

 artificial principle, many of the plants having regular or 

 equal petals. Next to thefe follow Troptolum ; the irregu- 

 lar Gerania (which now conilitute the genera of Pelargo- 

 nium and Erodium) ; fome leguminous plants not papiliona- 

 ceous ; Viola ; Aefculus ; Delphinium ; Aconitum ; DiBam- 

 nus ; and the whole concludes with Pyrola, whofe flight and 

 partial irregularity of flower has gained it admittance here. 

 This third part of the work of Rivinus confiits of one 

 hundred and thirty-nine plates. A fourth part, the hexa- 

 petalx irregulares, confiding of the Orchidete, was finiflied, 

 but not publifhed, before the author's death ; nor indeed 

 have any more than a very few copies of this ever got abroad 

 into the world, fo that it conflitutes one of the greatelt 

 bibliothecal rarities. With refpeft to utility or beauty, 

 thofe who are pofleffed of the tranfcendent engravings of 

 this favourite tribe in Haller's Hiftory of Swifs Plants, 

 may difpenfe with the figures of Rivinus. The author had 

 prepared feveral fupplementary plates to his work, which 

 sever came forth, and of which perhaps the only lpecimens 

 are to be ften in fir Jofeph Banks's fine copy of the whole 

 work, except two duplicate plates beflowed by his bounty on 

 the writer of this article. There is every reafon to believe 

 that the copy in queflion belonged to the author himfelf, or 

 to his fon, as may be gathered from its manufcript additions 

 and corrections. A complete copy, of even the three firfl 

 parts of Rivinus's book is, indeed, difficult to be met with ; 

 for feveral of the plates having from time to time received 

 additions of feed-veffels, or of entire plants ; the earlier im- 



R I V 



prefiions of fuch plates are confequently imperfect. The 

 bed copies are required, by fallidious collectors, to have 

 every plate with and without the additions. Haller truly 

 remarks, that the author evidently derived his materials 

 chiefly from garden plants, and having fyilem in view, was 

 more folicitous to exhibit flowers than roots, or the lower 

 part of the herbage ; a great defect as to the Orchidea and 

 Umbellate. We ought, at the fame time, to recollect, 

 that the tribes he has felected are among the mod intereding, 

 attractive, or difficult, that could have been wiflied. His 

 fcheme of nomenclature deferves high commendation as 

 fuch, though it proves totally inadequate to the author's 

 purpofe, which was to comprehend, in a fingle word accom- 

 panying the generic name, the eflential character or idea of 

 each particular fpecies. 



As a medical writer, Rivinus has the merit of faithful 

 obfervation and defcription, in his treatife de-Pefte Lipfienfi, 

 publifhed in 1680. He wrote alfo on Dyfpeplia, on Inter- 

 mittent Fevers, and various other fubjects. He did not 

 fcruple to attack whatever practice or opinion he found ever 

 fo flrongly edablilhed on the bafis of prejudice and ig- 

 norance. In this refpect his Cenfura Medicamentorunt offi- 

 cinalium ranks very high. His commendable aim, in this 

 work, was to clear the Materia Medica of its various dif- 

 graceful incumbrances ; fo many of which originated in 

 error, impofition, or fuperllition. His attempts have been 

 followed up by various men of ability and authority ; and 

 it is to the united labour and good fenfe of fuch, that the 

 world is indebted for the purified and improved date of our 

 modern Pharmacopeias. 



Though not a great practical anatomill, or diflector, Ri- 

 vinus is faid to have difcovered a new falivary duct. He left 

 a fon, John Augudus Rivinus, who fucceeded him as pro- 

 feflbr, and under whofe preudency was publifhed a diflerta- 

 tion, in 1723, on Medicinal Earths. This gentleman died 

 in 1725, aged thirty-three, having furvived his father but 

 two years. His premature death feems to have prevented 

 the publication of the fourth part of his father's great bo- 

 tanical work, at lead for fome time. Haller fays, Ludwig 

 afterwards edited the plates of. the Orchidea, without any 

 letter prefs ; but this publication has never come under our 

 infpectior.. Rivini Opera. Hall. Bibl. Bot. Aikin'* 

 Gen. Biogr. JDryand. Bibl. Banks. 



RIVISONDOLI, in Geography, a town of Naples, in 

 Abruzzo Citra ; 9 miles S.E. of Sulmona. 



RIULI, a town of Naples, in Calabria Citra ; 16 mile?. 

 N.N.E. of Caffano. 



RIVOGLIOMENTO, Ital. in Mufu, changing the 

 place of the parts of a compofition. It is placing the 

 treble or other upper part in the tenor or bale, and vice 

 •verfu. This frequently happens in double counterpoint, 

 when the treble ferves for the bafe, or the bafe for the 

 treble ; and in fuch a manner, as that the harmony, though 

 different, fhall remain equally correct and plcaiing as in the 

 firft arrangement of the parts. 



RIVOLGIMENTO, Ital. inverfion. 



RIVOLI, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Po, fituated at the declivity of a hill on 

 the road from France into Italy by the Cottian Alps, in a 

 fertile country and climate more falubrious, as it is faid, 

 than that of Turin. It contains three parifh churches and 

 three monaderies. The king of Sardinia had a palace here. 

 The inhabitants are fuppofed to be about 800 ; 6 miles W. 

 of Turin. — Alfo, a town of Italy, in the Veronefe ; 12 

 miles N.W. of Verona. 



RIVOLTA, a town of Italy, in the department of 

 the Mincio ; 4 miles W. of Mantua. — Alio, a town 



of 



