ROB 



ROB 



through France, Flanders, Germany, and Italy. At Rome 

 he was introduced to perfons of the greateft diftinftion, and 

 received feveral marks of efteem from the cardinals Bellar- 

 mine and Baronius. It was in this city that he firft con- 

 ceived the plan of his " Gallia Chriftiana." He was after- 

 wards nominated bilhop of Chalons-fur-S3one ; upon which 

 erent this prelate conferred a canonry of his cathedral upon 

 his preceptor, and made him his archdeacon and grand vicar. 

 The bilhop was defirous of exprefling his regard for our 

 author, by collating him to other benefices; but M. Ro- 

 bert conftantly refufed any additional preferment. He dif- 

 charged the duties of his appointments with the ftriftelt 

 fidelity, and died in the epifcopal palace at Chalons in 1637, 

 when about 73 years of age. The moit c nifiderable of his 

 production is entitled " Gallia Chriftiana," &c. publilhed 

 at Paris in 1626, in folio, with an appendix, preface, and 

 chronological tables of the popes and anti-popes, the 

 Eaftern and Weftern emperors, the kings of France and 

 England, the councils of France, the indiftions, &c. He 

 left behind him materials for a fecond edition of this work, 

 which were made ufe of by M. St. Marthe, whofe new col- 

 lections increafed the work to three volumes folio. It was 

 afterwards extended by the Benediftine6 to twelve volumes 

 folio. 



Robert de Vaugondy, a French geographer, was born 

 at Paris in the year 1688. Little is known of his private 

 hiftory, but he became geographer to the king, and died 

 at Paris in 1766. His works are " An Introduction to San- 

 son's Geography," 1 743 ; " An Abridgment of the dif- 

 ferent Syftems of the World," 1745 ' " Sacred Geogra- 

 phy," 1746 ; "A Treatife on the Ufe of the Globes ;" 

 " A Portable Atlas ;" and above all " Atlas Univerfel," 

 publilhed in 1756, confifting of 108 maps, upon a large 

 fcale, engraved with neatnefs and accuracy. He had a fon, 

 who for fome time was the alliduous companion of his la- 

 bours, and who affifted him in the " Atlas Univerfel," to 

 which work is prefixed an hiftorical preface, in fix chap- 

 ters, treating of the origin, progrefs, and prefent ftate of 

 geography. 



Robert de Brienne, harper to Edward I. previous to 

 his afcending the throne. The harp For many ages feems 

 to have been the favourite inftrumer.t ct the inhabitants of 

 this ifland, whether under Britifh, Saxon, Danifh, or Nor- 

 man kings. Many difgraceful orcumitances are blazoned 

 of the poor minftrels ; it is therefore but (uft to relate thofe 

 that redounded to their honour, and the Chronicle of Walter 

 Heming furnifhes an incident that well deferves to be 

 recorded. 



Edward I., according to this hiftorian, about the year 

 1 27 1, a fhort time before he afcended the throne, took his 

 harper with him to the Holy Land ; and this mufician muft 

 have been a clofe and conftant attendant on his matter, for 

 when Edward was wounded with a poiioned knife at Pto- 

 lemais, the harper, cithargda fuus, hearing the ftruggle, 

 rufhed into the royal apartment, and killed the aflafiin. 

 This fignal fervice from his bard did not, however, incline 

 the monarch, afterwards, to fpare his brethren in Wales. 

 See Grey's Ode, " Ruin feize thee, ruthlefs king!" 

 Robert, Herb, in Botany. See Geranium. 

 Robert Bay, in Geography, a bay on the E. coaft of 

 Newfoundland. 



Robert Bay. See Cvl de Sac Robert. 

 Roberts's Ifland, a fmall ifiand on the Florida ftream. 

 N. lat. 24 42'. W. long. 8i° 33'. 



Roberts's //lands, a duller of fmall iflands in the Pacific 

 Ocean, the largeft being eight miles long and from two to 

 ihret wUie, four others being *ery fmaU ; difcovered in the 



year 1792 by lieutenant Herget, commander of the Dxda- 

 lus ftore-fhip. S. lat. 7°53'. E. long. 2i9°5o'. 



ROBERTI, Johx, in Biography, a celebrated profefl'or 

 of divinity among the Jefuits, was born in the year 1569. 

 He commenced his academical ftudies at Liege, and con- 

 tinued them at Cologne, where, when he was twenty-two 

 years of age, he entered into the fociety of Jefus. His pro- 

 ficiency in various branches of learning is highly commended, 

 particularly in the belles-lettres, the feveral departments ot 

 theological learning, and ecclefiaftical hiftory. He was made 

 profeflor of divinity, and created doftor of that faculty, at 

 Mentz, difcharging the duties of his poll with great repu- 

 tation, during a long fucceffion of years, in that city, at 

 Doway, at Treves, and at Wurzburg. He died at Namur 

 in 165 1, in the 82d year of his age. He was author of 

 many works on theological fubjefts, of which the moft im- 

 portant, and that which proves how deeply he was verfed in 

 fcripture criticifm, was entitled " Myllicx Ezekielis Qua- 

 driga?, hoc eft, Evangelia Hiiloriarum et Temporum Serie 

 vmculata Gr. et Lat." 



ROBERTON, in Geography, a townlhip of Washington 

 county, Pennfylvania, containing 899 inhabitants. 



ROBERTSON, William, in Biography, was. born at 

 Dublin in 1705, and received his grammar-learning under Dr. 

 Francis Hutchefon, afterwards the celebrated profeflor o! 

 moral philofophy in the univerfity of Glafgow. In the year 

 1722 young Robertfon removed to that univerfity, where he 

 continued till the year 1725, when he was admitted to the 

 degree of M. A. During this year there was a difpute be- 

 tween Mr. Sterling, the principal of the univerfity, and the 

 ftudents, about the right of chooling the reftor, in which 

 Mr. Robertfon took an aftive part, being felefted by his 

 fellow ftudents to read their proteft againft the perfon, and 

 his authority, who had been chofen reftor in oppofition to 

 their wifhes. Thus diftinguifhed, he excited againft himfelf 

 the indignation of the principal, Mr. Sterling, and his reftor, 

 and was the only one of more than fourfcore petitioners 

 againft whom they inltituted proceedings. He was cited 

 before the faculty, and after a trial which lafted feveral days 

 a fentence of expulfion was pronounced. Mr. Robertfon was 

 fatisfied of the juftice of his caufe, and preiented a memorial 

 on the fubjeft to the duke of Argyle, through whofe in- 

 fluence an appeal was made to the king, who appointed a 

 commiflion to vifit the univerfity of Glafgow, with full 

 powers to examine into and reftify all exifting abufes. As 

 a refult of this enquiry, the right of elefting their reftor was 

 reltored to the ftudents : the vifitors on this occafion alfo, 

 among whom was the earl of Hay, called the principal to a 

 fevere account for the public money which he had embez- 

 zled, and afcertained the right of the univerfity to fend two 

 gentlemen, upon handfome exhibitions, to Baliol college in 

 Oxford : they moreover annulled the expulfion of Mr. Ro- 

 bertfon, and ordered that meafure particularly to be re- 

 corded in the proceedings of the commiflion ; declared the 

 eleftion of the reftor, who had been named by the principal, 

 to be void ; and aflembled the ftudents, who immediately 

 chofe the fon of lord Rofs to be their reftor. 



While the vifitors were exercifing their powers, Mr. 

 Robertfon remained at London, and on the return of lord 

 Hay he introduced Mr. Robertfon to Dr. Hoadly, the 

 bilhop of Winchefter, who made him known to Dr. Wake, 

 archbifhop of Canterbury ; and he was entertained with 

 much civility by both thefe prelates. He had, from a 

 thorough conviftion of its importance, devoted himfelf to 

 the clerical profefTion ; but at prefent being too young to be 

 admitted into orders, he employed himfelf, while in London, 

 in vifiting public libraries, attending leftures, and improving 



7 himfeli 



