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NITTAN'Y, a mountain of Pennfylvania, between 
the river J.uniatta and the weft branch of the Sulquehanna. 
NITTENAU', a town of Bavaria, on the Regen: fif¬ 
teen miles north-north-eaft of Ratilbon. 
NIT'TILY, adv. [from nit.'] Loufily.—One Bell was 
put to death at Tyburn for moving a new rebellion 5 he 
was a man nittily needy, and therefore adventurous. 
Hayward. 
NIT'TLING, a town of the duchy of Wurzburg: five 
miles fouth of Munnerftatt. 
NIT'TY, adj. Abounding with the eggs of lice.—I’ll 
know the poor egregious nitty rafcal. B. Jonfon's Puetajier. 
—An epithet of contempt, perhaps from nitid. —O dap¬ 
per, rare, compleat, fweetwittte youth ! Marjlon's Sat. 1598. 
NI'TU-TOD'DA, f. in botany. See Mimosa. 
JMIT'ZENSDORF, a town of Germany, in the county 
of K.enneberg: two miles north of Salzungen. 
NI'VAL, adj. [nivalis, Lat.] Abounding with fnow. 
NI'VE, a river of France, which rifes in the Pyrenees, 
and runs into the feaat Bayonne. 
NIVEL'LE, a town of the Netherlands, heretofore ca¬ 
pital of Walloon Brabant, which had anciently the privi¬ 
lege of coining money : fifteen miles fouth of Bruflels, 
and feventy-five weft-north-weft of Namur. 
NIVEL'LE (Gabriel Nicholas), was born at Paris about 
the year 1687. Feeling an early inclination to retirement 
and ftudy, he entered the feminary of St. Magloire, be¬ 
longing to the Congregation of the Oratory, where he 
continued till that community was difperled in 1723. 
After this he was nominated prior commendatory of St. 
Gereon, in the diocefe of Nantes. In the year 1730, he 
•was imprifoned for four months in the Baftile, on account 
of his oppofition to the bull Unigenitus. He died in 1761, 
at the age of feventy-four. He is principally known by a 
work entitled “ An Account of the Proceedings in the 
Faculty of Theology at Paris, on the Subjeil of the Con- 
ftitution Unigenitus,” in 7 vols. umo. and fome other 
pieces connected with the fame fubjeit. Gen. Biog. 
NIVEL'LE DE LA CHAUSSE'E, (Peter Claude), an 
eftimable dramatic writer, was born at Paris in 1692, of 
an ancient and refpeilable family. He received his early 
education at the Jefuits’ College, and ftudied rhetoric and 
philofophy at Pleftis. Though the nephew of a farmer- 
general, with the career of wealth and honours open be¬ 
fore him, he ratherchofe to indulge his tafte for literature. 
He wrote verfes, which obtained the applaufes of the 
friends to whom they were fhown ; and he early con¬ 
tracted an acquaintance with La Motte, who encouraged 
him in the cultivation of his talents. When that emi¬ 
nent author, however, publilhed his Fables, Nivelle was 
one of his critics ; and, on the publication of La Motte’s 
fyftem of profe-poetry, he attacked him more warmly in 
his “ Epitre de Clio a M. de Berey,” a poem which was 
much applauded. By the advice of his friends, he next 
turned his thoughts to dramatic compofition, and pro¬ 
duced a comedy entitled “ La Faufle Antipathie.” This 
piece was fufficiently fuccefsful to encourage him to pro¬ 
ceed ; and his next comedy, “ Le Prejuge a la Mode,” was 
received with an applaufe that furpafled his expectations. 
This was followed by “ L’Ecole des Amis,” and by the 
tragedy of “Maximian.” His reputation had now gained 
him admiflion into the French academy, and had alfo 
made him an object of that envy which feems more than 
ordinarily aCtive among the French men of letters. He 
therefore chofe to bring out his next comedy of “ Mela- 
nide,” as the work of a young unknown author. By this 
artifice he eluded oppofition, and obtained a fuccefs well 
merited by the performance, which is reckoned his maf- 
ter-piece. His “ Ecole des Meres” is indeed by fome pre¬ 
ferred to it; and his “ Gouvernante” is the favourite 
with others. Of all thefe works it is, according to 
d’Alembert, the peculiar and diftinguilhing character, 
that they form a fchool of morals; that they breathe vir¬ 
tue, and infpire the love of it. On this account, though 
they were by no means devoid of comic humour and lively 
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aClion, they were ridiculed by his rivals under the title 
of cit-tragedies, and crying-comedy. Piron, jealous of the 
fuccefs of Melanide, in the fame year that his own Metro- 
manie appeared on the ftage, threw out many farcafms on 
the fermonizing ftrain of this author; and faid one day to 
a friend, “ You are going, then, to hearfather La Chauflee 
preach?” This jeft was not forgotten; and Nivelle, 
though otherwife a man of amiable difpofition, oppofed 
the election of Piron when a candidate for a feat in the 
academy. He tried his powers in other departments of the 
drama ; and compofed a kind of romantic paftoral, enti¬ 
tled “Amour pour Amour;” and even farces and pieces 
of low humour, probably in order to prove that it was 
not for want of comic powers that his former pieces had 
fo ferious a caft. His fame is, however, entirely founded 
upon his grave comedies; for, in the fingle tragedy which 
he attempted, he was judged to fall fliort of the ftrength 
and elevation requifite for that fpecies of compofition. 
This meretorious writer died of a pulmonary diforder in 
1754, at the age of fixty-two, having difplayed in his lalt 
moments the tranquillity of a fage, confcious of the wor¬ 
thy ufe he had made of the faculties bellowed upon him. 
His theatrical works were publilhed at Paris in five vo¬ 
lumes izmo. 1763. D'Alembert. Eloges Acad. 
NI'VEOUS, adj. Snowy; refembling fnow.—Cinabar 
becomes red by the acid exhalation of fulpbur, which 
otherways prefents a pure and niveous white. Brown. 
NIVERNOI'S, before the revolution a province of 
France, of which Nevers was the capital. Now in the 
department of the Yonne. 
NIVERNOI'S (Louis-Jules Mancini, Duke of), a ftatef- 
man and polite writer, was born at Paris in 1716. After 
ferving fome time in the army, he was nominated ambaf- 
fador to Rome, and then to Berlin, where he made him- 
felf very acceptable to the great Frederic. In 1763 he 
was entrufted with the important negociation of the de¬ 
finitive peace at London. On all thefe occafions he main¬ 
tains the character of a prudent and enlightened minifter, 
who united amenity of manners with the dignity of his 
ftation. After his return to Paris he devoted himfelf en¬ 
tirely to letters ; and made himfelf advantageoully known 
by feveral ingenious publications in profeand verl’e, which 
gave him admiflion to the French Academy, and that of 
Infcriptions. In his profe-works he difplayed a fpirit of 
philofophy, and the principles of good tafte and found 
criticifm. His verfes are diftinguilhed for facility, ele¬ 
gance, and ingenuity; and his lighter pieces a! molt rival 
thofe of Voltaire in eafe and vivacity. His moll confider- 
able performance was a collection of Fables, many of 
which are equal to thofe of La Motte, which they refera¬ 
ble in general character. This amiable nobleman lived to 
be a fufferer from the revolution, and was committed to 
prifon in the tyrannical reign of Robefpierre. He reco¬ 
vered his liberty on the fall of that monlter, and died in 
1798, at the age of eighty-two. His works were publilhed 
colleCtively in eight volumes oftavo, 1796. 
NIVERNOIS BA'Y, a large bay at the eaftern extre¬ 
mity of Lake Ontario. 
NIV'ERS, an eminent French mufician, mufic-mafter, 
and organiil of St. Sulpice at Paris, publilhed, in 1667, a 
Treatife on Compofition, and many other works on 
chanting, plain chant, the Gregorian chant, See. and, 
when the fyllable ft was fir ft propofed for the 7th of the 
key of C natural, he wrote a book on the gammut of Ji, 
and an elementary trail, called “ Mufique des Enfans,” 
together with twelve books for the organ. Laborde. 
NIVIL'LE, a town of France, in the department of the 
Oife, and chief place of a canton, in the diltriCt of Beauvais. 
NIUKCHEV'SKOI, a town of Ruflia, in the province 
of Uftiug, on the Sula : twenty-four miles fouth of Uft 
Silelfk. 
NIURUN'DA, a river of Sweden, which rifes in the 
province of Harjeadalen, and firft takes the name of Li- 
unga, till it arrives at Hu fro, in the province of Medel- 
padia. Here it changes its name; and, after crofting the 
province. 
