SOL 



SOLIMENE, Fkancesco, called alfo U Abate Clccio, 

 in Biography, was born at Nocera de Pagani, near Naples, 

 is 1637. He was the fon of a painter, Angelo Solimene, 

 who at firft educated him in literary purfuits, in which he 

 was exceedingly affiduous, and made confiderable progrefs ; 

 whilit at the fame time he indulged himfelf in cultivatmg 

 an inherent talte for defign. By the advice of cardinal 

 Orfmi, Francefco was permitted by his father to change the 

 objeft of his principal purfuit, and, inltead of the law, to 

 adopt the pencil, as the ground-work of his future fame. 

 He became the difciple of Francefco Maria, and afterwards 

 of Giacomo del Po ; but foon left Naples, to go to Rome, 

 where the freedom and brilliancy of Pietro da Cortona's 

 execution and defign attrafted his admiration, and fixed his 

 attention. To what he acquired of Cortona, he attempted 

 to add the fweetnefs of Guido Rheni ; and thus framed for 

 himfelf a ftyle remarkable for its eafe and fuavity, more than 

 for its grace or truth. A very beautiful produftion of his 

 is at Hampton Court, of the pool of Bethefda ; but his 

 mott celebrated works are the facriity of S. Paulo Mag- 

 giore, and the Lalt Supper, in the refeftory of the con- 

 \entuali at Aflifi. Solimene podefied a vivid invention, and 

 confequently a ready pencil ; fo much fo, that his execution 

 is always fpirited and mafterly, equally adapted to almoll 

 all kinds of fubjedls ; and his colouring unites brilliancy 

 and force. He died at Naples in 1 747, aged 90. 



SOLINGEN, in Geography, a town of the duchy of 

 Berg, on the Wipper ; 12 miles £.S.£. of Duil'eldorf. 

 N. lat. 5i°8'. E. long. 7° 2'. 



SOLINUS, Caius Julius, in Biography, a Latin 

 grammarian, but of what particular period is not known, 

 though he is generally referred to the third century. He 

 appears to have refidcd chiefly at Rome, but is known only 

 as the author of a work, which he firft entitled " Collec- 

 tanea llerum Memorabihum," afterwards " Polyhillor." 

 This is a colleftion of the remarkable things in different 

 countries, partly tranfcribed, without acknowledgment, 

 from Pliny's Natural Hillory ; whence the author has been 

 called the ape of Pliny. The- work, however, of Solinus 

 contains fome things not to be found in Pliny, and it con- 

 tains likewife an elucidation of fome difficulties in the 

 original ; and on thefe accounts it has been deemed worthy 

 of tiie notice of critics. Salmafius publifhed an edition of 

 it in two vols, folio, in which, however, the original is al- 

 moll buried in the learning of the commentator. Solinus 

 was author likewife of a poem, entitled " Ponticon," of 

 which only a few verfes remain. There have been many 

 editions of the " Polyhiitor," which were adapted to the 

 tafte of ages fond of wonders. The belt modern ones are 

 faid to be the oftavo of Salmafius, 2 vols. 1689; and 

 Gefner's, printed at Leipfic in 1777. 



SOL 10, in Geography, a river of Calabria, which runs 

 into the Mediterranean, N. lat. 39° 40'. E. long. 16° 6'. 



SOLIPUGA, or SoLiFUOA, in Natural Hijlory, the 

 name given by the Romans to a fmall venomous infeft of the 

 fpider-kind, called by the Greeks heliocentros ; both words 

 fignifying an animal which llings moft in the country, and 

 feafons, where the fun is moit hot. 



Solinus makes this creature peculiar to Sardinia ; but this 

 19 contrary to all the accounts given us by the ancients. 

 It is common in Africa, and fome parts of Europe. 



Almoft all the hot countries produce this venomous little 

 creature. It lies under the fand, to feize other infefts as 

 they go by ; and it it can meet with any uncovered part of 

 a man, will bite him, and the wound will prove very painful 

 and envenomed. It is faid that the bite is abfolutely mortal, 

 but probably this is not true. Solinus writes the word foli. 



SOL 



fuga, and fo do many others, erroneoufly deriving the name 

 from its flying from the fun's rays, and burying itfelf ia 

 the fand. 



SOLIS, Antonio de, in Biography, a celebrated Spanifh 

 hiftorian and poet, was born at Alcala de Henares. While 

 he was very young, and a ftudent, he wrote a comedy, 

 which was extremely well received. It was followed by 

 others, as well as by poems on different fubjefts, by which 

 he raifed a very high reputation. He was employed in the 

 fecretary of Rate's office, and the king, Philip IV., made 

 him his own private fecretary. In 1661 the queen no- 

 minated him hitloriographer for the Indies; and it was in 

 this quality that he compofed his " Hillory of the Conquefl. 

 of Mexico," a work which placed him among the moft ap- 

 proved of the Spanifli profe writers, and was greatly 

 applauded both at home and abroad. De Solis took 

 prielts' orders when he was in the 57th year of his age, 

 after which he renounced all connection with the theatre, 

 and adopted a regularity of life conformable to his charafter 

 as a prieft. He died in the year 16S6. The comedies of 

 De Soli.', which were printed coUeftively in 4to. Madrid, 

 in 1 66 1, are faid by critics to be perplexed in their ftory, 

 and rather romantic than comic ; but they have afforded 

 the foundation of many French plays. His poems are faid 

 to difplay more imagination than correft tafte. His hiftorj 

 is written with fpirit and elegance, but there are occafional 

 difplays of the bombaft and falfe tafte, and frequently are 

 to be met with great deviations from the truth. The ob- 

 jeft of De Solis is to make a perfeft hero of Cortes, and 

 on this account the hiftory terminates with the conqueft of 

 Mexico, and does not touch upon fubfequent cruelties. It 

 has been tranflated into the French and Englifti lan- 

 guages. 



Solis, Aqu<t, in Ancient Geography, a town of Albion-, 

 in the 14th route of Antonine's Itinerary, between Ifca 

 or Caerleon and Calleva or Silchefter. Aquae Solis was un- 

 queftionably Bath, which was much frequented by the 

 Romans for its warm and medicinal iprings. 



Solis Via. See Via. 



SOLISTEN, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in the 

 province of Angermanland ; 42 miles N.W. of Hernofand. 



SOLITAIRE Island, a fmall illand in the South 

 Pacific ocean; 25 miles S. of Kerguelen's land. S. lat. 

 49° 49'. E. long. 68° 6'. 



SOLITARI.^ Gl.\ndul.s:, in Anatomy, thofe mucou.1 

 glands of the inteltines, which are arranged fingly. See 

 Intestine. 



SOLITARY, SoLiTARius, fomething retired, or in 

 private ; remote from the company or commerce of others 

 of the fame fpecies. See Hekmit. 



SoLiTAiiiEs, a denomination of the nuns of St. Peter of 

 Alcantara, inltituied in 1676, by cardinal Barberrni, when 

 abbot of Notre Dame de Farfa, in that city. 



The defign of their inftitute is to imitate the fevere, peni- 

 tent life of St. Peter of Alcantara ; to keep a continual 

 filence ; never open their mouths to any body but them- 

 felves ; employ their time wholly in fpiritual exercifes ; and 

 leave the temporal concerns to a number of maids, who have 

 a particular fuperior in a feparate part of the monaltery. 

 They always go bare-footed, without fandals, gird them- 

 felves with a thick cord, and %%-ear no linen. 



Solitary Column, is a column that ftands alone in any 

 public place ; as the Trajan column. 



Solitary Worm, Solium tania, or Lumbricui latus, is 

 a worm fometimes found in the inteftines, and which is al- 

 ways the only one of the kind there ; as commencing from 

 the pylorus, and extending thence the whole length of the 



inteftines j 



