vv o u 



allejrorical fubjefts. Sometimes he attempted hiftory, but 

 not fuccefsfuUy. He was in favour with the emperor 

 Ferdinand II. ; but coming to England with his ambaflador 

 in lfi'?7, he was appointed chief painter to the prince of 

 Wales, afterwards Charles II. On the breaking out of the 

 rebellion he returned to Antwerp, and became diredlor of the 

 academy there, where in 1659 he was killed by the acci- 

 dental difcharge of a gun. 



WOUVERMANS, Philip, was a remarkable and 

 melancholy inilance of thofe mis-fhapen and unhappy com- 

 binations of talent, indullry, and ill-fortune, which have 

 occafionally difgraced the world of connoiileurfhip. He 

 was the fon of an indifferent hillorical painter, and was born 

 at Haerlem in 1620. Having obtained poffeffion of his 

 father's (lore of piftorial knowledge, he was placed with 

 John Wynants, the landfcape-painter, under whofe inllruc- 

 tion he foon acquired a confiderable degree of power in 

 embodying the creations of his own fancy, and to tliis 

 acquilition he added much by an attentive ftudy of nature. 



There is but little known of his private hfe. Celebrity, 

 which now attends his name, formed no part of his enjoy- 

 ments ; indeed they appear to have been few, and confined 

 to his affeftion for and attention to his art and his family, 

 which was numerous. His piftures, beautiful as they are, 

 agreeable in their compolition and colour, and exquifite in 

 their iinifli, exhaufted his time without railing him above 

 indigence and obfcurity. The more free, (light, and loofe 

 works of Peter de Laer, called Bamboccio, abforbed the 

 admiration of tiie Dutch coUeftors, while the elegant and 

 delightful produftions of Wouvermans remained unnoticed 

 and unknown. Time has adjuiled the balance, and the 

 united voice of the tafteful now (heds a luftre over the nam.e 

 of the latter ; loo late, alas ! for his gratification or benefit. 



The negleft which he endured, and the feverity of labour 

 required to complete fo many piftures as he has left, in fo 

 high and perfeft a degree of finifliing, exhaufted his health, 

 and he died at the early age of 48 ; having burnt a (hort 

 time before his death all his ftudies and drawings, to prevent, 

 as he declared, his children from being induced to follow a 

 profeflion which had been but a fource of poverty and mifery 

 to himfelf. 



The fubjeiSs of his piftures are drawn from the common 

 fcenes of nature, but are fometimes of a more elevated call 

 than thofe chofen by the generality of his compatriots, par- 

 ticularly his hawkings and huntings, where cavahers and 

 high dames, with appropriate fcenery, rich trappings to their 

 horfes, and numerous retinues, are introduced with great 

 tafte and propriety. His encampments and battles are 

 compofed with the fame Ikill and fuavity ; indeed the latter 

 is a principal charafteriftic of all his works, whatever be 

 their fubjefts, from the humble hay-cart to the richeil com- 

 bination of materials which the gay palace, its garden, and 

 fplendid adornments, afforded him. Farriers' iTiops, fairs 

 of horfes, travellers on their road, or at inn-doors, &c. &c. 

 were equally rendered agreeable by his delightful arrange- 

 ments of chiaro-ofcuro and of colours, and by the exqui- 

 fitely firm full touch with which they are executed. His 

 works are numerous, and when in good prefervation fell at 

 very confiderable prices. 



Wouvermans, Peter, the younger brother of Pliilip, 

 was alfo an artift of confiderable talent, though by no means 

 equal to him. He was alfo born at Haerlem, about the year 

 1625. He was trained under R. Rogman, but principally 

 followed his brother's ftyle, and adopted his clafs of fub- 

 jefts. But though his piftures are frequently fold for 

 Philip's, yet they are not fo delicate or fpirited, and may 

 be eaiily dittioguiflied from his by a cultivated eye. There 

 6 



W R A 



was alfo another brother, a few years younger than Peter, 

 who followed the fame line of art with rather more talent ; 

 fo that we cannot be furprifed at the number of piftures 

 which bear the name of Wouvermans. John died in 1666, 

 at the age of 3S. 



WOXEN, in Geography, a large and noify current of 

 Sweden, formed by the difcharge of the lake of Saima into 

 the Ladoga, which forms a vaft cataraft about a mile from 

 its mouth. 



WOXNA, a town of Sweden, in Helfmgland ; 40 miles 

 W. of Soderhamn. 



AVOXTORP, a town of Sweden, in the province of 

 Snialand ; 27 miles N.W. of Wexio. 



WOYE, a town of Germany, in the "principahty of 

 Culmbach ; 5 miles S.E. of Hof. 



WOYTZ, a town of Sileiia, in the principality of 

 NeifTe ; 2 miles E. of Ottmuchau. 



WRA, a town of Sweden, in the province of Smaland ; 

 48 miles W.S.W of Wexio. 



WRACK. See Wreck. 



Wrack, in Natural Hijlory. See Wreck. 



Wrack, in Agricullure, a name fometimes given to a 

 marine plant, which is of great utility as a manure. With 

 this plant furgeons fometimes make a cataplafm, by bruifing 

 a quantity of it, and applying it in cafes of fcrofula, or 

 wliite-fwelling, but more particularly glandular tumours. 

 Where this cannot be got, fea-water and oat-meal formed 

 into a poultice have fupplied its place. There is no reafon why 

 the tumours and ill-conditioned lores of brute animals fliould 

 not be benefited by fimilar applications. See Wreck. 



It is frequently ttrmedi fea-iurack, fea-tangk, and fm-oai. 

 See SEA-/K?f(/. 



WRAGBY, in Geography, a fmall market-town in the 

 wapentake of Wingrove, Lindfey divifion of the county of 

 Lincoln, England, is fituatedat the junftion of the turnpike- 

 roads leading from Lincoln to Louth and Horncaftle, and 

 is diftant 11 miles N.E. by E. from Lincoln, and 144 miles 

 N. by W. from London. George ViUiers, duke of Buck- 

 ingham, who pofleffed this manor in the reign of Charles II., 

 obtained ^from that monarch a charter to hold a weekly 

 market on Thurfday and two annual fairs, which are now 

 well frequented. Sir Edmund Turnor, who purchafed the 

 manor of the duke, erefted and endowed an alms-houfe for 

 fix clergymen's widows, and fix other deftitute perfons, for 

 whofe ufe he built a chapel, with an augmentation to the 

 vicarage of 40/. per annum for prayers to be rtad in it twice 

 every day : this chapel was confecrated by bifhop Gardiner 

 July 18, 1697. Here is alfo a free-fchool, founded and 

 endowed in 1633 by William Hanfard, efq. The popula- 

 tion of Wragby is ftated, in the return of the ytar 181 1, to 

 be 709 ; the number of houfes 103. The manor is now 

 pofTefled by Edmund Turnor, efq. who has a feat in the 

 adjacent parifli of Panton, called Panton-hall, which was 

 built by Hawkfmoor, a pupil of fir John Vanbrugh, in the. 

 year 1724 : confiderable additions have been made to it from 

 the defigns of Mr. Carr, architeft at York ; and the adjoin- 

 ing country has been greatly improved by ornamental plant- 

 ations. Two miles north of Wragby is Halton Lodge, the 

 feat of colonel Caldicot, in whofe family the manor of 

 Halton has been veiled for feveral generations. — Beauties 

 of England and Wales, vol. ix. Lincolnrtiire ; by J. Britton, 

 F.S.A. 1S08. 



WRAIN-BoLTS, in Ship-Building, ai-e iron ring-bolts, 

 ufed when planking fhips, occ. with two or more fore-lock 

 holes near the end, for taken-in the fet, as the plank, &c. 

 works nearer the timbers. 



WKAiN-^Aivf/, a fort of ftout billets of tough wood, 



tapered 



I 



