W I s 



of fti'aw which is ufed in rubbing horfea down. Wifp h 

 alfo a term fometimea applied to a rowel or feton put in 

 animals. 



WISPEL, in Commerce, a corn meafure in Germany. A 

 laft of wheat contains 3 wifpels ; and a laft of oats only 2 

 wifpels. See Scheffel. 



WISSANT, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the flraits of Calais ; 1 2 miles N. of Boulogne. 



WISSING, William, in Biography, was born at Am- 

 fterdam in 1656. He received inftrudtions in the art of 

 painting from Dondyns, an hiftorical painter at the Hague, 

 but on leaving that mailer went to Paris, and in the year 

 1680, came to England, and aflifted Leiy in his numerous 

 works. After Lely's death, he became rather a favourite, and 

 promifed to become a formidable rival to Kneller. He drew 

 all the royal family, and was particularly favoured by the 

 duke of Monmouth, whofe portrait he painted feveral times. 

 The duke of Somerfet alfo patronized him, and employed 

 Lim to paint himfelf and his duchefs, and the piftures are 

 now at Petworth. 



Wiffing was appointed principal painter to James II., and 

 was fent by him into Holland, to paint portraits of William 

 and Mary. He did not long furvive his return to England, 

 and died at Burleigh, the feat of the earl of Exeter, in 1687, 

 at the age of 3 1 . His heads were painted with foftnefs and 

 delicacy, in a ftyle quite diftinft from that of his maftcr, 

 Lf ly, or his rival, Kneller ; too foft, indeed, for charafter ; 

 and his larger piilures lack compofition and harmony, both 

 ill line and colour. 



WISSOKY-MEYTO, in Geography. See Hohen- 



MAUT. 



WISSOWATIUS, Andrew, in Biography, a Socinian 

 divine, was born of a noble family in Lithuania, in 1608, 

 educated in the New Unitarian college at Racow under Crel- 

 lius, and for fome time purfued his ftudies at Leyden, flriftly 

 adhering to the principles of his tutor. Finding, on his 

 return to Poland, that his brethren fuffered perfecution from 

 the diet of Warfaw, he exerted himfelf courageoufly in their 

 defence, and encountered many perfonal difficulties and fuf- 

 ferings in the exercife of his minillry in various parts of 

 Poland. He was not filenced by the decree iffued againlt 

 Unitarians in 1658, but leading an unfettled hfe, he was 

 induftrious in feizing every opportunity that occurred for 

 making profelytes. In 1660, he was the only perfon of his 

 party who was prefent at the " Colloquium Charita- 

 tivum," where he firmly maintained his opinions againft the 

 jefuit Chichovius and others. He is faid to have refilled 

 large bribes, as well as to have encountered fevere trials, in 

 maintaining his fentiments. Removing to Hungary, he 

 fpent two years in learning the language fo as to be able to 

 inftrudt and fortify his brethren in that kingdom. Laft of 

 all he retreated to Holland, where he was employed in fuper- 

 intending an edition of the " Bibliotheca Fratrum Polo- 

 noruni," in 9 vols, fol., and where he died in 1678. His 

 integrity and conftancy are highly applauded by the hifto- 

 rians of his fcft ; his writings were numerous, and one of 

 them, publifhed after his death, was entitled " Religio 

 rationalis, feu de Rationis judicio in controverfiis, etiam 

 theologicis ac religiofis adhibendo, traftatus." Gen. Biog. 



WISSO WITZ, in Geography, a town of Moravia, in the 

 circle of Hradifch ; 20 miles E.N.E. of Hrndifch. 



WIST, WisTA, a quantity or meafure of land among 

 our Saxon ancellors ; of different dimenfions, in different 

 places. In the Monailicon, it is faid to be half a bide, or 

 fixty acres : in an old chronicle of the mon'aftery of Battle, 

 it is faid to be forty -eight acres. 



Wist, in Geography, a town of Sweden, in the province 

 of Eall Gothland ; 6 miles S.S.E. of Linkioping. 



Vol. XXXVni. 



WIT 



WISTE, a town of the duchy of Bremen ; 10 miles S.W. 

 of Bremen. 



WisTE, a river of the duchy of Bremen, which runs into 

 the Wumme, i mile E. of Otterlberg. 



WISTERNITZ, a town of Moravia, in the circle of 

 Olmutz ; 4 miles E. of Olmutz. 



WisTERNiTZ, Unter, a town of Moravia, in the circle of 

 Brunn ; 22 miles S. of Brunn. 



WISTON, or WizTON, a town in the hundred of Dan- 

 Gladdan, county of Pembroke, South Wales, at the dif- 

 tance of 5 miles N.E. by E. from Haverford Weft. It is 

 a contributory borough with Pembroke and Tenby in 

 fending one member to parliament, and is governed by a 

 mayor. The parifti contains about 6000 acres : and in the 

 return of the year 181 1, the population was enumerated as 

 607 perfons, occupying 1 03 houtes. An annual fair is held 

 on the 8th of November. In ancient times here was a 

 caftle of great extent ; but it is now in ruins. — Carlifle's 

 Topographical Didtionary of Wales, 4to. 181 1. 



WISTRIZ, or Wesseriz, a river of Bohemia, which 

 runs into the Egra, 3 miles E. of Schlakenwerth. 



WISTYCZA, a town of Lithuania ; 5 miles N. of 

 Brzefc. 



WISZOGZOD, a town of the duchy of Warfaw ; 52 

 miles N.W. of Warfaw. 



WIT, De, in Biography. There were feveral painters of 

 this name very refpedlable in their profefllon. Peter Candido 

 de Wit, born at Bruges in 1548, went to Italy, and became 

 a friend and co-labourer with G. Vafari. He was afterwards 

 employed by the grand duke of Tufcany at Florence, and 

 painted in oil and frefco. The emperor Maximilian invited 

 him to Munich, and there he terminated his career. Gafper 

 de Wit, his brother, painted fmall landfcapes very highly 

 finifhed, in which he introduced Italian architeftural ruins. 

 Of later date was Emanuel de Wit, born at Alkmaer in 

 1607, and a painter of ftill life. He afterwards became a 

 painter of architefture and perfpeftive views of churches, 

 &c. which were touched with great clearnefs, animation, and 

 fpirit. He died in 1692. Another of the name, Jacob de 

 Wit, is the flower of the flock. He was born at Amfter- 

 dam in 1695, and having exhibited a defire for the purfuit 

 of art, was placed with Van Spiers, an hiilorical painter, for 

 three years. He afterwards went to Antwerp to contem- 

 plate the admirable produftions of Rubens and Vandyke, 

 which adorned that city ; and there he became the pupil of 

 Jacob van Halen, continuing with him two years. 



To him we are indebted for the prefervation of the com- 

 pofition made by Rubens for four cielings, divided into 

 thirty-fix compartments, in the church of the Jefuits, which 

 was deftroyed by lightning in 17 18. They have been fince 

 engraved from de Wit's (ketches by John Prout. 



He was principally employed in adorning cielings and the 

 walls of apartments ; and generally chofe allegorical and 

 emblematical fubjefts, which he compofed with confiderable 

 ingenuity, and coloured in a clear and pleafing manner. He 

 was employed by the magiftrates of Amfterdam, in 1736, to 

 adorn their great council-chamber ; and his work has had 

 the honour of being applauded by fir J. Reynolds. His 

 flietches for his larger works are touched with great freedom 

 and neatnefs, and with good colour. He was living in 1744. 

 Wit, a faculty of the mind, confifting, according to 

 Mr. Locke, in the aflembhng and putting together of thofe 

 ideas with quicknefs and variety, wherein can be iound any 

 refemblance or congruity ; by which to make up pleafant 

 piftures, and agreeable vifions, in the fancy. 



This faculty, the fame great author obferves, is juft the 

 contrivy o{ judgment, which confifts in the feparating care- 

 fully from one another, of fuch ideas wherein can be found 

 , 4B the 



