V I L 



V I L 



Hiftory records, in twelve books, the events occurring in 

 Florence from its foundation till the year of his death, and 

 comprehends alfo the principal changes that happened in the 

 other Itahan provinces. The early part of this Hiftory 

 abounds with errors and fables ; but in defcribing the oc- 

 currences of Tufcany in his own time, he is deemed a fafe 

 guide, allovring for his partiality to the Guelph intereft, and 

 for his unacknowledged extrafts from the Hiftory of Ricor- 

 dano Malafpini. This Hiftory, which has been always much 

 efteeraed, both for its matter and the elegance of its ftyle, 

 was firft-printed by the Giunti of Florence in 1537, and the 

 lateft of feveral editions of it was that of Milan, in the col- 

 leftion of Italian hiflorians. It waS continued after his 

 death by his brother, Matteo Villani, who brought it 

 down to 1363, in which year, whilil he was writing the 

 nth book, he was carried off by the plague. His Hiftory 

 is not held in equal eftimation with that of his brother, its 

 ftyle being too diffufe ; but he was contemporary with the 

 events which he relates. Tirabofchi. Gen. Biog. 



ViLLANi, FiLippo, fon of Matteo, was educated for the 

 law, and was for many years chancellor to the municipality 

 of Perugia. But he chiefly devoted himfelf to literary pur- 

 l^uits, and in 1 404 delivered leftures on the Commedia of 

 Dante. He added forty -two chapters to his father's Hiftorj' 

 of Florence, thus completing the i ith book. He alfo com- 

 pofed the " Lives of illuftrious Florentines," originally 

 written in Latin, but tranflated into Italian, and publifhed 

 in 1747 by Mazzuchelli, with copious annotations. The 

 firft book of this work treated of the origin and antiquities 

 of Florence. Tirabofchi. Gen. Biog. 



VILLANTERIA, in Geography, a town of Italy, in 

 the department of the Upper Po ; 9 miles S.W. of Lodi. 



VILLA R, a town of France, in the department of 

 Mont Blanc ; 9 miles W. of Conflans. 



ViLLAR Mayor, a town of Portugal, in the province 

 of Beira ; 5 miles N. of Alfayates. 



VlLLAR lie Cartas, a town of Spain, in New Caftile ; 25 

 miles S. of Huete. 



Villa R Je Toro, a town of Portugal, in the province of 

 Beira ; 10 miles N. of Alfayates. 



VILLAR A, a town of Spain, in the province of Bif- 

 cay ; 13 miles S. of Bilbao. 



VILLARCAYO, a town of Spain, in Old Caftile ; 12 

 miles N. of Frias. 



VILLA RD de Lans, Le, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Ifere ; 8 miles S.S.W. of Grenoble. 



ViLLARD St. Pancrace, a town of France, in the depart- 

 ment of the Higher Alps ; 3 miles S. of Briangon. 



VILLAREJORUBIA, a town of Spain, in New 

 Caftile ; 35 miles S.E. of Cuen^a. 



VILLARESIA, in Botany, a genus named after Mat- 

 thew ViUares, a Spanifh botanift, in the Flora Peruviana, 

 p. 28, according to De Theis. We have no account of its 

 charafters. 



VILLA RET, Claude de, in Biography, was born at 

 Paris in 1715, and liberally educated, but prevented, by the 

 pernicious influence of youthful paffions, from duly availing 

 himfelf of his acquifitions. After writing a novel and a 

 piece for the theatre, he quitted Paris in 1 748, and went 

 upon the flage at Rouen, and other places. But renounc- 

 ing this mode of life at Liege in 1756, he returned to Paris, 

 and becoming firft clerk in the chamber of accounts, he was 

 reclaimed from his diffipated courfc, and made hin:ifelf ac- 

 quainted with thofe fources of French hiftory to which his 

 office gave liim accefs. On the death of the abbe Velly in 

 1 759, he was felefted for continuing his Hiftory ; and at the 

 fame time waa made fecretary to the peerage. His early 



imprudence and his fubfequent application to bufinefs ter- 

 minated his life in 1766. His continuation of the " Hif- 

 toire de France" commences in the 8th volume,, with the 

 reign of Phihp VI. and concludes in the 17th volume: it 

 abounds with interefting remarks and curious anecdotes, but 

 the reader is diverted from the main objeft by prolixity of 

 detail in prefaces and digreffions. The ftyle however is 

 elegant and animated, but too rhetorical for the fimplicity of 

 hiftory. Villaret was alfo the author of " Confiderations 

 fur I'Art du Theatre," 1758 ; and " L'Efprit de Voltaire," 

 1759. Nouv. Dia. Hift. 



VILLARIA, in Botany, was intended by Schreber to 

 com.memorate the excellent author of the " Hiftoire des 

 Plantes de Dauphine," M. Villars, formerly phyfician to 

 the military hofpital at Grenoble, who died profeffor of 

 botany at Stralburgh, two or three years ago, where his 

 bier was elegantly decorated with wreaths of his own Rofa 

 rubrifolla ; fee RosA, n. 44. He pubhfhed there, in 1807, 

 a " Catalogue Methodique du Jardin de I'Ecole de Medc- 

 cine de Strafbourg," in French, according to Juffieu's fyf- 

 tem, with a hiftorical, critical and praftical preface. Villars 

 was an excellent and indefatigable obferver of nature, well 

 worthy of commemoration, which makes us regret our total 

 want of information refpefting his genus, except the generic 

 characters given by Schreber. As this author did not live 

 to write a work on the fpecies of plants, and has left no 

 account of the native country, number of fpecies, nor any 

 other circumftance in the hiftory of his Villar'ia, the genus 

 can never be properly adopted. We Ihall only here remark, 

 that the name ought certainly to be Villarsia ; fee that 

 article. — Clafs and order, Dioecia Pentandria. Nat. Ord. 

 perhaps Rhamni or Sapindi of Juflieu. 



Gen. Ch. Male, Cal. Perianth of one leaf, in five deep, 

 fpreading, roundifli, obtufe, concave, coriaceous, nearly 

 equal, fegments, thinner at the margin, permanent ; two of 

 them interior. Cor. Petals five, oblong, obtufe, flat, 

 fpreading, coriaceous, thinner at the margin, twice the 

 length of the calyx, permanent. Stam. Filaments five, awl- 

 fhaped, ereft, half as long as the calyx ; anthers roundifh, 

 two-lobed. Pyi. Germen orbicular, deprefTed (we prefume 

 imperfeft ) ; ftyle very fhort ; fligma capitate. 



Female, Cal. and Cor. as m the male. Nectary of fire 

 ovate, obtufe, ereft, permanent leaves, alternate with the 

 petals, and not fo long. Pift. Germen turbinate, fomewhat 

 ovate ; ftyle very fhort, fcarcely any ; ftigma capitate, 

 flightly three-cleft. Per'ic. Berry nearly globular, pointed 

 with the permanent ftyle, three-celled. Seeds folitary. 



Obf. This defcription is materially defeftive, inafmuch 

 as there is no mention of the germen being inferior or fu- 

 perior, nor indeed any ufeful information with regard to the 

 refpeftive infertion of the parts ; except the leaves of the 

 neftary being alternate with the petals, which, if true, mi- 

 litates againft our conjefturf s as to the natural order of this 

 genus. Neverthelefs, we fhall attempt an effential charac- 

 ter, in hopes that thofe who have accefs to the learned 

 Schreber's herbarium, may difcover, and commiunicate to 

 the world, a complete hiftory of the plant in queftion. 



Eff. Ch. Male, Calyx in five deep fegments. Corolla 

 of five petals. NeCtary none. Germen orbicular, imperfeft. 



Female, Cal. and Pet. like the male. Neftary of five 

 leaves, alternate with the petals. Style one. Berry of 

 three cells. Seeds folitary. 



VILLARINO, in Geography, a town of Spain, in the 

 province of Leon, on the E. fide of the Duero, and con- 

 fines of Portugal ; 38 miles W. of Salamanca. 



VILLARLUENGO, a town of Spain, in Aragon ; 

 2 1 miles S.W. of Alcaniz. 



VILLA- 



