V O I 



VOL 



VOISHA, a town of Servia; 48 iniles W. of Jeiii- 

 bafar. 



VOISIN, Joseph de, in Biography, a theological writer, 

 was bom at Bourdeaux, of a family diftinguifhed in the de- 

 partment of law, but his difpofition being devotional, he 

 abandoned the legal for the ecclcfiaftical profeflion, and ob- 

 tained prieft's orders, and the degree of doftor in theo- 

 logy. He was a good Hebrew fcholar, and ver\- converfant 

 with Rabbinical literature. In 1635 he publifhod a Latin 

 trandation of a Rabbinical work on the foul ; and in 1647 

 he gave to the public " Theology of the Jews," in Latin, 

 4to., and afterwards a " Treatife on the Jewifh Jubilee," 

 and other works of a fimilar kind. He was the editor, and 

 partly author, of the work of the prince of Conti againft 

 theatrical fpcftacles, 1666 ; and after the death of that 

 prince, of a defence of it againft the abbe d'Aubignac. His 

 tranflation of the Roman MilTal into French was printed in 

 1660; but at the inftigation of cardinal Mazarin, it was 

 condemned by an affembly of the French clergy, though it 

 had obtained the fanftion of fome bifhops and doftors in 

 theology. The plea urged againft it was its being an at- 

 tempt to prepare for the celebration of mafs in French, 

 and it was fupprefied by a decree of the council. The grand- 

 vicar of Paris fanftioned the printing and fale of the work ; 

 but the king enforced the pope's brief, which prohibited a 

 tranflation of the MifTal. Voifin afterwards obtained a royal 

 privilege for its impreflion. This learned and pious per- 

 ibn died in 1685. Moreri. 



VOISINNES, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Upper Marn'.- ; 6 miles W. of Langres. 



VOITEUR, a town of France, in the department of 

 the Jura ; 6 miles N. of Lons le Saunier. 



VOITSBERG, or WoiTSSBERO, a town of the duchy 

 of Stiria, on the Kainach ; 20 miles W.S.W. of Gratz. 

 N. lat. 47° 4'. E. long. 15°. 



VOITURE, Vincent, in Biography, born at Amiens 

 in the year 1 J98, was a lively French writer, and an agree- 

 able companion in the faftiionable circles. At the court 

 of Lewis XHL he was well received, whofe brother, 

 Gafton, duke of Orleans, made him mafter of the cere- 

 monies, and introducer of foreign ambafladors, and whom he 

 followed in his retirement to Languedoc. In 1634 he was 

 admitted into the French Academy, of which he was a dif- 

 tinguifhed member, as he was v/ell acquainted with the 

 Latin, Italian, and Spanilh languages. He held the office 

 of interpreter to the queen-mother, and was employed in 

 feveril court commiflions. At Madrid he ingratiated him- 

 felf with the count d'Olivares, and for the gratification of 

 his curiofity made a tour to Africa. His Spanilh verfes 

 were taken for thofe of Lopez de Vega ; and at Rome he 

 was elefted, on account of his Italian literature, a member 

 of the Academy degli Umorifti. On his return to France, 

 he was appointed maitre d'hotcl to the king ; and M. 

 d'Avaux, fuperintendant of the finances, gave him the fine- 

 cure place of his " commis." But all his preferments and 

 penfions were not a fufficient fund for fupplying him with 

 the means of gaming and of gallantry. Being naturally feeble 

 in his conftitution, his various indulgencies were the occa- 

 fion of terminating his life, in 1648, at the age of 50 years. 

 His heart was good, but he was vain and irritable ; and he 

 had the meannefs to be aOiamed of his defcent from a father 

 who was a wine-merchant, fo that he could not bear plea- 

 fantries that referred to his ori-^in : and it was therefore 

 faid of him, that " wine, whicii raifed other people's fpirits, 

 flattened his." Againft thofc whom he provoked by his 

 farcafms, he had not courage to defend himfelf ; and there- 

 fore, when he once ofTendcd a aourt lord, and ^as ordered 



to draw his (word, he replied, " the match is not equal : you 

 are tall, and I am Ihort ; you arc brave, and I am a pol- 

 troon ; you want to kill me : well then ! I reckon myfelf 

 dead." By this kind of apology he difarmed his antago- 

 nifts. His peculiar excellence, like that of Balzac, con- 

 fifted in letter-writing, which he was very flow in exe- 

 cuting, and in which he dilplayed much wit and pleafantry, 

 often degenerating into affcftation, and fometimes into in- 

 delicacy. His letters, however, notwithllanding their im- 

 perfeftions and faults, were much admired, and ferved as a 

 pafiport into the politeft companies. His poems were of a 

 fimilar charafter to that of his letters. They confift of 

 epiftles, elegies, fonnets, rondeaus, ballads, and fongs. For 

 want of nature and correft tafte, his works have funk into 

 oblivion. The lateft edition is that of Paris, in 2 vols. 

 l2mo. 1759. Moreri. 



VOIVRE, La, in Geography, a town of France, in the 

 department of the Vofges ; 9 miles E. of Remberviller. 



VOJUSSA, a river of European Turkey, which runs 

 into the Adriatic ; 7 miles N. of Valona. 



VOKINOSAMA, a town of Japan, in the ifland of 

 Ximo ; 1 8 miles N. of Funai. 



VOKSA, a river of Rutfia, which runs from lake Saima 

 to lake Ladoga, in the government of Viborg. 



VOKSCHA, a river of Ruffia, which rifes in the pro- 

 vince of Uftiug, and joins the Mezen, in the government of 

 Archangel ; 16 miles N. of Ok-nllcoi. 



VOIX Celestine, in Mufic, a flop in the organ, an 

 oftave above the vox humana. 



VOL, in Ancient Geography, a town of Africa Propria, 

 S. of Carthage, between the rivers Bagradas and Triton. 

 Ptolemy. 



Vol, among Heralds, fignifies the two wings of a fowl 



joined together, borne in armoury ; as being tlie whole that 



makes the flight. Accordingly, a ^t-mi-i'o/ is a finglc wing. 



VOLA, the palm, or infide of the hand, comprehended 



between the fingers and the wrift. 



VOLANA, in /Indent Geography, a river of Gallia 

 Cifalpina, called alfo Podi Volana. — Alfo, a town of Italy, 

 in S.imnium. 



VOLANDUM, a fortified place of Afia, in Armenia, 

 and the ftrongeft in the country. It was taken by Corbulo 

 without the lofs of a fingle man, and all the inhabitants above 

 the age of fourteen years were configned to the edge of the 

 fword. 



VOLANO, in Geography, a fea-port town of Italy, in 

 the Ferrarcfe, at the mouth of the fouthcrn branch of the 

 Po, which is called Po di Volano ; 23 miles E. of Ferrara. 

 VOLANS. See DuACO, and Piscis. 

 VOLANT, in Heraldry, is when a bird, in a coat of 

 arms, is drawn flying, or having its.wings fpread out. 

 Volant, Pafs. oce Pass-volant. 

 Volant, Pont. See Pont-volant. 

 VOLAR, in Geography, a town of Tranfylvania ; 4 

 miles S. of Hunyad. 



VOLATA, Ital., in Mufic, a flight, rapid divifion, a 

 rapid extemporaneous pafTage at a dole, or paufe. 



VOLATERRiE, in Mcient Geography, a town of Ita- 

 ly, in Etruria, at a certain diftancc from the lea, lituated 

 on a mountain, which, according to Straho, was fifteen ftadia 

 in height. It is placed by fome authors in the rank of the 

 twelv cities of Etruria. After its (ubjcrtion to the Ro- 

 mans, it remained faithful. In the time of Sylia's profcrip- 

 tions, it was unfuccefsfully befieged for two years. Its in- 

 habitants obtained the right of Roman eitizenfhip. At the 

 fall of the empire it pafl'ed under the power of the Vandals, 

 Huns, ami Goths ; but was retaken by Narfes, in the year 



553- 



