virtue 
In eneric degree ami suit .if men vertiu' is comiiietnlal.lr, 
but not eglllly : not i.ll.-ly Ill-rail M' Ill.-lr- r-.t:ttr- :>l .- \ M.-L-all, 
but for that also mrtue it selfe is in. I in cnn-y n-sp.-.-t ..! 
cgul! value anil estiina! i..n. 
r,iii,-iilin,ii, Artc of Eng. I'm si.-, p. ::i. 
He daub'd his vice with show of virtue. 
.V/lHJi-.. Hi. -ll III , iii. !: ill. 
If Virtue be to Itself no small Itcward. and Vice in a great 
measure its own Punishment, . have a soli.l ^n.ini.l to 
go u|xin. Skaftfslxirii, M.nalisls, ii. j 3. 
To do good for its own sake is virtw, to do it for some 
ulterior end or object, not itself K"-l. i* >"' VI '' ' "/'" ; and 
never tn a.t tint for the xake of an end, other than doing 
well and light, is the mark of vice. 
/'. //. llraillry, Ethical Studies, p. 56. 
Hutchcsnn. who is the very founder in modern timesof 
the doctrine of "amoral nense," and who has defended the 
(liHinterrHted character..! ..,'//.- more powerfully than per- 
haps any other moralist, resolved all virtue into benevo- 
lence, or the pursuit of the happiness of others; but he 
maintained that the excellence and obligation of benevo- 
1. !.!>- are revealed to us by " a moral sense." 
Lecky, Europ. Morals, 1. I. 
3. A particular moral excellence : as, the Vir- 
tue of tcmpi'i-Miiro or of charity. 
For, If our virtues 
Did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike 
As If we had them not. Shak., M. for M., i. 1. 84. 
Being a Prince so full of Virtues, ... he [the Black 
Prince] left no Place for any Vice. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 127. 
The virtues of a private Christian are patience, obedi- 
ence, submission, and the like ; but those of a magistrate, 
or general, or a king, are prudence, counsel, active forti- 
tude, coercive power, awful command, and the exercise 
of magnanimity as well as justice. 
Dryden, Orig. and Prog, of Satire. 
Great faults, therefore, may grow out of great virtues la 
excess. De Quincey, Style, 1. 
4. Specifically, female purity ; chastity. 
Angelo had never the purpose to corrupt her; only he 
hath made an essay of her virtue. 
Shak., M. for M., iii. 1. 184. 
Hast. I believe the girl has virtue. 
Mar. And if she has, 1 should be the last man in the 
world that would attempt to corrupt it. 
Goldsmith, She Stoops to Conquer, iv. 
6. Any good quality, merit, or admirable fac- 
ulty. 
The times which followed the Restoration peculiarly re- 
quire that unsparing impartiality which is his [ llallani's] 
most distinguishing virtue. 
Macaulay, Hallam's Const. Hist. 
The virtue of books is to be readable, and of orators to 
be interesting. Emerson, Eloquence. 
6. An inherent power; a property capable of 
producing certain effects ; strength ; force ; po- 
tency; efficacy; influence, especially active in- 
fluence, and often medicinal efficacy. 
Zlf zou lyke to knowe the Vertues of the Dyamand (as 
men may fynde in the LIpidarye, that many men knowen 
noght), I schalle telle zou. Mandeville, Travels, p. 159. 
This Salomon was wise and knew the vertues of stones 
and trees, and so hce knew the course of the starres. 
Sir T. Malory, Mortc d'Arthur, III. Ixxxvi. 
I see there 's virtue in my heavenly words. 
Marlou-e, Faustus, i. 3. 
Jesus, Immediately knowing that virtue had gone out 
of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who 
touched my clothes? Mark v. 30. 
Your If is the only peace-maker ; much rirf tie In If. 
Shak., As you Like it, v. 4. 108. 
These I can cure, such secret virtue lies 
In herbs applifcd by a virgin's hand. 
Fletcher, Faithful Shepherdess, i. 1. 
7. One of the orders of the celestial hierarchy. 
The virtues are often represented in art as an- 
gels in complete armor, bearing pennons and 
battle-axes. 
Hear, all ye angels, progeny of light, 
Thrones, dominations, princedoms, virtues, powers! 
Hear my decree. Milton, P. L., v. 601. 
8f. A mighty work ; a miracle. 
Thanne Jhesus bigan to seye repreef to cltees in whlche 
ful manye vertues of him weren doon. Wyclif, Mat. xl. 20. 
By virtue of, in virtue of, by or through the power, 
force, efficacy, or authority of. 
Bv nertu of the anctorite that he hath of the chirche. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.), 1. 21. 
The king then assumed the power in virtue of his pre- 
rogative. D. Webster, Speech, March 10, 1818. 
Cardinal virtues. See cardinal. Material virtuet. 
See material. Moral virtue. See moral. TScclogical 
virtues, the tlu-oe virtues faith, hope, and charity. The 
seven chief or principal virtues. See seven. To 
make a virtue of necessity, to do as if from Inclination 
or sense of duty what has to be done by compulsion. 
However, we were forced to make a virtue of necessity, 
and humour him, for it was neither time nor place to be 
angry with the Indians, all our lives lying in their hand. 
Dampitr, Voyages, I. 13. 
= Syn. 2. Murals, Ethics, etc. (see morality); probity, in- 
tegrity, rectitude, worth. 
Virtued(vi'r'tud). . [< virtue + -<<(-.] Endued 
with power or virtue ; efficacious. 
Hut hath the rirlu'd steel a pow'r to move? 
Or can the untonch''! needle point alike? 
Quartet, Emblems, v. 4. 
6767 
virtuefy (vtVtu-fn, r. t.; pr-t. mid pp. 
fml. ppr. nr/ini'i/iiii/. [< rirlur + -///.] To 
give \ivtne to; impart the quality of virtu, to, 
( Kiivr. | 
It Is this which rirtutfit* emotion, even tin. ugh there 
be nothing virtu. .us which is not voluntary. 
Chalme,-*, constitution of Man, II. (Eneyc. Diet.) 
Virtueless (v.Vtn-los), n. [< rirtui: + -tat.] 
Destitute of virtue, potency, or efficacy ; worth- 
less. 
And these digressive things 
Are such as you may well endure, since (being derlv'd 
from kings, 
And kings not poor nor virtueless) you canno t Ii. .1.1 me bate, 
Nor scorn my words, which oft, though true. In mean men 
meet disgrace. Chapman, Iliad, xlv. 107. 
Virtuelets she wlsh'd all herbs and charms, 
Wherewith false men increase their patients' harms. 
Fairfax. 
On the right hand of one of the marines of Salvator, In 
the Pltti palace, there Is a passage of sea reflecting the 
sunrise, which Is thoroughly good, and very like Turner ; 
the rest of the picture, as the one opposite to It, utterly 
virtueless. Raskin, .Mod. Painters, II. v. 1. 
virtue-prooft (ver'tu-pro'f), a. Irresistible in 
virtue. 
Ho veil 
She needed, virtue-proof; no thought Infirm 
Alter'd her cheek. Milton, P. L., T. 384. 
virtUOBa (vir-ttf-6'sa), M. ; pi. virtuose (-se). 
[It. : see rirtuoso.] The feminine of virtuoso. 
A fine concert, in which La Diamantlna, a famous vir- 
tuoso, played on the violin divinely, and sung angelically. 
(Jray, Letter,, I. 78. 
virtuose (vir-t^-os'), a. [< It. virtuoso: see 
rirtuoso.] Same as virtuosie. 
Mme. Carreno is essentially a virtuose player, and It was 
in pieces by Liszt that she astonished her audience. 
The Academy, May 17, 1890, p. S46. 
virtuosi, . Italian plural of virtuoso. 
virtuosie (vir-tij-o'sik), a. [< virtuose + -ic.] 
Exhibiting the artistic qualities and skill of a 
virtuoso. [Kare.] 
Of late we have had only fugitive pieces of the romantic, 
and even virtuosie, schools. 
The Academy, April 13, 1889, p. 261. 
virtuosity (vir-tij-os'i-ti), n. [< rirtuoso + 
-ity.] 1. Lovers of "the elegant arts collec- 
tively; the virtuosi. 
It was Zum Grunen Ganse, . . . where all the Virtu- 
osity and nearly all the Intellect of the place assembled of 
an even ing. Carlyle, Sartor Resartus, i. 3. 
2. In the fine arts, exceptional skill; highly 
cultivated dexterity; thorough control of tech- 
llic. Virtuosity is really a condition to the highest ar- 
tistic success, since it means a complete mastery of the 
materials and processes at the artist's disposal ; but, Inas- 
much as the ready use of materials and processes is often 
in itself wonderful to the percipient, virtuosity Is often 
erroneously cultivated and applauded for its own sake. 
The let in is especially applied to music. 
In this [inlaid work], as In the later work of most styles 
of art. mechanical virtuosity ... was beginning to usurp 
the place of originality and purity of design. 
O. C. M. Birdirood, Indian Arts, II. 44. 
This gave to both performers a legitimate opportunity 
of displaying their virtuosity. 
The Academy, June 15, 1889, p. 420. 
Brilliancy of technique is now the property of nearly 
every public performer, and instrumental music is being 
threatened by that decadence which all art history proves 
Is the constant companion of virtuosity. 
The Century, XXXV. 2. 
virtuoso (vir-tij-o'so), n. ; pi. virtuosos, virtuosi 
(-so/., -si). [= F. virtuose, < It. virtuoso, a vir- 
tuoso, lit. one who is excellent, i. e. excels in 
taste: see virtuous.] If. An experimental phi- 
losopher ; a student of things by direct obser- 
vation, lioyle. 2. One who has an instructed 
appreciation of artistic excellence; a person 
skilled in or having a critical taste for any of the 
elegant arts, as painting, sculpture, etc.; one 
having special knowledge or skill in antiqui- 
ties, curiosities, and the like. 
The Italians call a man a virtuoso who loves the noble 
arts and is a critic in them. 
Dryden, On Dufresnoy's Art of Painting. 
Our host . . . had been a Colonel in France ; . . . was 
a true old blade, and had been a very curious virtuoso, m 
we found by a handsome collection of books, medals, . . . 
and other antiquities. Evelyn, Diary, March 23, 1646. 
Nothing can be pleasanter than to see a circle of these 
virtuosos about a cabinet of medals, descanting upon the 
value, rarity, and authentlcalness of the several pieces 
that lie before them. Addisan, Ancient Medals, I. 
If this virtuoso excels in one thing more than another, 
it is In canes. Steele, Taller, No. 142. 
His house, indeed, would not much attract the admira- 
tion of the lirttuim. He built it himself, and it is remark- 
able only for its plainness. Fieldiny, Amelia, iii. 12. 
3. One who is a master of the meclianirnl 
p.-irt of a fine art, especially music, and who 
makes display of his dexterity. See rii-rw- 
virulencc 
Th<- - * ll'.UH exc- 
ciltjon in M.I- . and ii-mawikl. 
/A "'.- I, 1**, p. 888. 
virtuosoship ( \ : -ip), . |< vtfti 
+ -K/II/I. ] DII- neciip.t!ii.n or piirMiitH of u vir- 
tuosi. />'//. Iliiril. 
virtUOUSfvi Vtii-n-., a. |Karly nio.i. K. :il-'- 
lilnii.-,; < Ml-:, rii-t 11,1,1.--. *. OF. n rlniiiis. n rlniiij-, 
1'. n-i-tiu-ns = Sp. IV- It- rirtiiii.io. virt II..H-. ex- 
cellent, cireotiw-, ellioiieilllls., < I.I,. |-,,-/,/.v//.v, 
good, virtuOUS, < I... rn-tu.-; excellence, virtue: 
see virtue.] It. Having or exhibiting n 
j-treiiKth iinil courage; valorous; brave; gal- 
lant. 
N . iiertheles whan Merlin saugh the Salines so vertoute, 
he ascrlde the kynge Ban : "Sir, what do ye now? ye myght 
haue hem puttc oute of the place longe setb, ffor ye be 
moo peple be that oon half than thl be." 
JffrtiMB. E.T.8.), ill. 596. 
Must all men that are rir/uu* 
Think suddenly to match themselves with me? 
I conquer'd him, and bravely ; did I not '.' 
Iteau. and Fl., King and No King, I. 1. 
2. Possessed of or exhibiting virtue; morally 
good; acting in conformity with right; dis- 
charging moral duties and obligations, and ab- 
staining from immoral practices: as, a virtuous 
man. 
A Man of excellent Parts of Body, and of no leas En- 
dowments of Mind ; valiant and witty ; to which U we 
might add vtrtuous, he had been compleat. 
Baker, Chronicles, p. 107. 
It Is the Interest of the world that virtuous men should 
attain to greatness, because it gives them the power of do- 
ing good. Dryden, Amboyna, Ded. 
A virtuous mind cannot long esteem a base one. 
Hamilton, To Miss Schuyler (Works, I. 187). 
Indeed, as Aristotle says, our Idea of a virtuous man In- 
cludes the characteristic that he takes pleasure In doing 
virtuous actions. U. Sidgwick, Methods of Ethics, p. 82. 
3. Being in conformity to the moral or divine 
law: as, a virtuous deed; a virtuous life. 
If what we call virtue lie only virtuous because It Is use- 
ful, it can only be virtuous when it Is useful. 
Lecky, Europ. Morals, I. 45. 
The beauty of a virtuous action may be explained as con- 
sisting in its relation to the virtuous character In which it 
has its source, or to the other acts of a virtuous life, or to 
the general condition of a virtuous state of society. 
Fouler, Shaftesbury and Hutcheson, p. (17. 
If there Is any virtuous action performed at any time, 
that In it which constitutes It virtuous Is the motive of 
universal love which is its impelling force. 
Bmiatheca Sacra, XLVII. 570. 
4. Chaste; pure; modest. 
Mistress Ford, ... the modest wife, the virtuous crea- 
ture, that hath the jealous fool to her husband. 
Shak., M. W. of W., iv. 2. 136. 
Her beauty was beyond compare, 
She was both virtuous and fair. 
The Suffolk Miracle (Child's Ballads, I. 218). 
6f. Efficacious by inherent qualities; having 
singular or eminent properties or powers; po- 
tent; effective. 
Ther nas no man nowhere so vertuous ; 
He was the beste bcggere in his hous. 
Chaucer, Oen. Prol. to C. T., 1. 251. 
This prlnytee is so vertuous that the vertu therof may 
not al be declarld. 
Book of Quinte Essence (ed. Furnlvall), p. 8. 
Culling from every flower 
The virtuous sweets. Shak., 2 Hen. IV., iv. 6. 76. 
The ladles sought around 
For virtuous herbs, which, gather d from the ground, 
They nqueez'd the juice and cooling ointment made. 
Dryden, Flower and Leaf, 1. 418. 
Syn. 2 and 3. I'pright, exemplary, worthy, righteous. 
See morality. 
virtuously (ver'tu-us-li), adv. In a virtuous 
manner ; in conformity with the moral law or 
with duty; chastely; honorably. 
The gods are my witnesses I desire to do virtuously. 
Sir P. Sidney. 
I knew you lov'd her, virtuously you lov'd her. 
Beau, and Fl., Knight of Malta, U. 2. 
And 111 be your tnie servant, 
Ever from this hour virtuously to love you, 
Chastely and modestly to look upon you. 
Fletcher, Rule a Wife, v. 5. 
virtuousness (ver'tu-us-nes), n. [Early mod. 
E. also rertuoutmes; (. virtuous + -nf.J The 
state or character of being virtuous. 
Polemon . . . from thensforthe becam a I'hl'er [philoso- 
pher] of singular gravitee, of incomparable sobrenes, of 
moste constante vertuousnes, and so coutynued all his lif 
aftlr. Udall (Ellis's Lit. Letters, p. <>). 
The love of Britomart, . . . the vertuousnes of Belphtrbe. 
Spenser, To Raleigh. Prefix to F. t). 
virulence (vir'ij-lens), . f < K. n>/< << = Sp. 
Pg. viruleiicin = It. rinili n-<i, < Ll,. ririilriitin, 
an offensive odor, < L. ririilciitux, full of poison : 
see virulent.] The quality of being virulent, or 
charged with virus, (a) The quality or property of 
being extremely acrimonious or poisonous : as, the rim. 
