ROH 



R O H 



in France, allied for its own defence with her enemies. He be- 

 fieged and took Rochelle, the ftrong hold of the Calvinifts ; 

 and though the duke of Rohan vigoroufly maintained the 

 war in Languedoc, he was at length obliged, in 1629, to 

 make his fubmifiion, and the party was deprived of all its 

 fortrefTes, but dill allowed the public exerciieof its religion. 

 To fome of the moft violent, who were enraged at the terms 

 of accommodation, and accufed their chief of having fold 

 them, he prefented his naked breait, faying, " ftrike ! I 

 am content to die by your hands, after having ventured my 

 life in your fervice." As it was one of the conditions that 

 he fhould quit the kingdom till it pleafed the king to recall 

 him, he retired to Venice, and it is affirmed, that, during his 

 refidence in that city, the duke engaged in a negociation with 

 the Ottoman Porte, for the purchafe of the ifland of Cyprus, 

 with a view of fettling in it Proteltant refugees from France 

 and Germany, and that it failed principally through the 

 death of the patriarch Cyril, by whofe mediation it was car- 

 ried on. The Venetian republic nominated him its general 

 in chief againlt the Imperialifts ; but the king of France 

 topk him from its fervice to fend him ambaflador to the 

 Swifs and Grifons. At the head of the troops of the lat- 

 ter, he drove the Germans and Spaniards out of the Valte- 

 line in 1633. He after this defeated the Spaniards on the 

 banks of the lake Corao, but the Grifons becoming fufpicious 

 that it was not intended to withdraw the French troops from 

 their country, rofe in arms, and the duke was obliged to 

 make a feparate treaty with them in 1637. He now retired 

 to Geneva, and from thence went to join his friend, the duke 

 of Saxe- Weimar, with whom he fought againft the Impe- 

 rialiftsat Rheinfeld, in 1638. He was feverely wounded in 

 the aftion, and died fome weeks after, at the abbey of Konig- 

 feld, in Switzerland, at the age of fifty-nine. His body 

 was interred in the church of St. Peter, at Geneva, where a 

 magnificent monument was erected to his memory. The 

 duke was author of feveral works, military and political. 

 Thefe are, " Les Interets des Princes ;" " Le parfait Ca- 

 pitaine, ou l'Abrege des Commentaires de Csefar ;" " Un 

 Traite de la Corruption de la Milice ancienne ;" " Un 

 Traitc du Government des Treize Cantons ;" " Memoires," 

 containing the tranfaftions in France from 16 10 to 1629; 

 " Recuejl des quelque Difcours politiques fur les Affaires 

 de l'Etat, depuis 1612 jufqu'en 1629;" " Memoire6 et 

 Lettres de Henri, due de Rohan, fur la Guerre de la Val- 

 telin." The duke was one of the greateft captains of his 

 time, and poiTeffed all the qualities requifite in the head of 

 a party, together with difintereftednefs, generofity, and 

 gentlenefs of manners. His wife, Margaret of Bethune, 

 daughter of the great duke of Sully, warmly efpoufed the 

 interefts of her hufband and party, and was greatly cele- 

 brated for her courage. His brother alfo, Benjamin de 

 Rohan, lord of Soubife, adled a diftinguifhed part in the 

 Calvinift wars, and finally took refuge in England, where 

 he died in 1690. 



RoHAN", in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Morbihan, and chief place of a canton, in 

 the diftrid of Plbermel ; 10 miles N.W. of Joffelin. The 

 place contains 422, and the canton 9951 inhabitants, on a 

 territory of 2675 kiliometres, in 9 communes. N. lat. 48 6'. 

 W. long. 2 40'. 



ROHAN-ROHAN, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Two Sevres ; 6 miles S.S.W. of Niort. 



ROHAULT, James, in Biography, a French philofo- 

 pher and mathematician, was born at Amiens, in Picardy, in 

 1620. Having received the early part of his education at 

 his native place, he was fent to Paris, to ftudy mathematics 

 and philofophy. In his enquiries he appears to have been 



poffeffed of an ardent love of truth, and to have fought after 

 it with the utmoll diligence and impartiality. He itudied 

 both the ancients and moderns, but Des Cartes was the au- 

 thor which engaged moft of his notice, and of that cele- 

 brated philofopher he became a zealous follower. His at- 

 tachment to the fyftem of Des Cartes introduced him to the 

 acquaintance of Claude Clerfelier, who gave him his daughter 

 in marriage, in oppofition to the remonitrances of his family. 

 He engaged his fon-in-law to draw up an abridgment and 

 explanation of the philofophical works of Des Cartes, and 

 to illuftrate the fame with notes. The refult of his labours, 

 which he entitled " Phylics," was taught by him at Paris, 

 during ten or twelve years before he gave it to the public. 

 Rohault died in the year 1675, at tn ^ a g e °^ fifty-five, leaving 

 behind him the character of an amiable, as well as very 

 learned man. His Phyfics were tranflated frora the French 

 into Latin by Dr. Samuel Clarke, who accompanied his 

 verfion with notes that overfet the fyftem of Des Cartes, in 

 order to make way for that of the illuftrious fir Ifaac Newton. 

 The beft edition of this tranflation is that 'f 1718. Ro- 

 hault alfo publiflied " Elements of Mathematics," and " Dia- 

 logues concerning Philofophy :" and after the author's death, 

 a collection of pieces was made from his manufcripts, and 

 printed firft at Paris, and afterwards at the Hague, in 1690, 

 in two vols. i2mo. containing the firft books of Euclid, 

 Trigonometry, Practical Geometry, Fortification, Me- 

 chanics, Perfpeftive, &c. 



ROHBA, in Geography, a town of Arabia, in the pro- 

 vinceof Hedsjas ; 10 miles S. of Vadelkora. 



ROHEETA, a town of Hindooftan, in the circar of 

 Gohud ; 20 miles S.E. of Gohud. 



ROHILCUND, or Rohilla, a circar or province of 

 Hindooftan, fituated on the E. fide of the Ganges, and 

 N.W. of the fubah of Oude. The territory of the Ro- 

 hillas was formerly called Catheir, and recently derived its 

 name from the conquerors of that tribe, who, about the 

 year 1720, left Afghaniftan, and the mountains which they 

 occupied between India and Perlia, and came thither in pur- 

 fuit of military fervice. Thefe emigrants were firft enter- 

 tained by Madar Saha, the Hindoo chief of Serowly, 

 a fmall town in the N.W. quarter of Rohilcund, who, by 

 robbery and predatory excurfions, maintained a large party 

 of banditti. Some time afterwards, the Rohillas quarrelled 

 with Madar Saha, and affociated with the chief of Bareilly ; 

 but, feparating from this chief, they made incurfions into the 

 territory of the rajah of Kemaoon. In this expedition they 

 at firft fucceeded, but were afterwards defeated ; their 

 leader, who was an original emigrant from Afghaniftan, 

 being taken prifoner and put to death. After his death, his 

 aflbciate, Ali Mahomet, a youth of the fett of Jats, whom 

 he had captured in one of his excurfions, and brought up in 

 the Mahometan religion, became the chief of the party ; 

 and being brave and enterprifing, though young, he availed 

 himfelf of every opportunity that occurred for advancing 

 his power, and enlarging his territory. Ali, chiefly by the 

 affiftance of the vizier Kummer ud Dein, obtained a com- 

 miflion for collecting the revenue of the penfion land, which, 

 it is faid, he punctually remitted. From this period we 

 may date the firft eftablifhment of the P.ohilla power in 

 Rohilcund, the name by which they diftinguifhed the Cuttera 

 or Kutterah diftri&s, and their other territories on the eaft 

 fide of the Ganges. Ali Mahomet fixed his refidence at 

 Owlah, and eltablifhed throughout his territory a permanent 

 fyftem of government, which, though occafionally rigorous, 

 afforded protection to the lower clafs of people. In procefs 

 of time, and in confequence of feveral predatory acts which 

 he committed, Ali was attacked by the prince Mahomet 

 3 Shah, 



