78 R I C 
little bodies which Micheli takes for the anthers, seem to 
Schreber not to be different from the other papillae on the 
surface of the frond, except in size. He conjectures that the 
tube on the germ is the anther, and the little granules within 
it, the pollen. He recommends the examination to be made 
before the germ becomes spherical. Linnaeus has five 
species, all natives of Europe. Withering as also the same 
number, natives of Britain, one of which, namely R. fruti- 
culosa, is the same with jungermannia furcata of Linnaeus. 
Swartz has added another species (R. reticulata) from Ja¬ 
maica ; figured by Dillenius as a Lichenoides, in t. 19. f. 
21. These plants were formerly known under the names 
lichen, lichenastrum, and hepatica. 
RICCIOL1 (John-Baptist), a learned Italian Jesuit, and 
an eminent philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, in 
the 17th century, was born at Ferrara, a city belonging to the 
papal jurisdiction, in the year 1598. At the age of sixteen, 
he commenced his noviciate in the society of Jesus; and as 
he was distinguished by uncommon talents, together with in¬ 
defatigable application, he made a rapid and astonishing pro¬ 
gress in all the branches of literature and science. When he 
had completed his course of academical studies, he was se¬ 
lected to teach successively rhetoric, polite learning, philo¬ 
sophy, and scholastic divinity, in the Jesuit’s colleges at Par¬ 
ma and Bologna. While he discharged the duties of these 
appointments with great success and reputation, he devoted 
his leisure hours to the study of geography, hydrography, 
chronology, experimental philosophy, and astronomy. These 
were the subjects best adapted to his genius and inclination ; 
and at length his superiors permitted him to quit all other em¬ 
ployments, that he might apply himself wholly to these 
sciences. In experimental philosophy he had an excellent 
associate in Father Francis Grimaldi, a member of the same 
society, who united with him in making curious experiments 
on the fall of bodies, which confirmed the law of acceleration, 
invented by Galileo, and fixed by Balliani. During the dis¬ 
pute which took place in his time, respecting the correctness 
of the Gregorian reformation of the calendar, he enlisted him¬ 
self among the advocates for the reform, and published some 
little pieces on the subject at Bologna, under the name of 
Michael Manfredi. His principal attention, however, was oc¬ 
cupied on productions of greater magnitude. He projected a 
grand work which was to be divided into three parts, con¬ 
taining a complete system of philosophical, mathematical, 
and astronomical knowledge. The first of these parts was 
given by him to the public in 1651, in two large and closely 
printed volumes folio, under the title of “ Almagestum No¬ 
vum, Astronomiam veteram Novamque Complectens.” &c. 
In imitation of the “ Almagest” of Ptolemy, it presents us with 
a collection of the discoveries and improvements in astrono¬ 
mical science, from the earliest ages of antiquity to the author’s 
own time, so ably digested, that Gassendi pronounced it to be 
“ Promptuarium et Thesaurum ingentem Astronomic,” and 
Montucla calls it “ a Treasure of Erudition and Astronomical 
Science.” This part is divided into ten books, treating of the 
sphere of the world, the elementary sphere, the sun, the moon, 
eclipses, the fixed stars, the planets, comets, and new stars, 
the several systems of the world, and general problems relat¬ 
ing to astronomy. From a table of contents which is pre¬ 
fixed to this part, it appears that the second part was to be 
divided into five books, treating of trigonometry, or the doc¬ 
trine of plane and spherical triangles, astronomical instru¬ 
ments, the optical part of astronomy, geography, and chro¬ 
nology; and the third part into ten books, comprehending 
observations of the sun, of the moon, of eclipses, of the fixed 
stars, and planets, with precepts and tables of the primary 
and secondary motions, and other astronomical tables. But 
if these parts were completed by the author, they do not ap¬ 
pear to have been ever published. In the year 1661, he 
presented to the world his “ Geographic et Hydrographic 
Reformate, Libri XII.,” in folio; and in 1665, his “ Astro¬ 
nomic Reformate Tomi duo,” folio, two volumes in one. 
In the last-mentioned work, he compares together all the best 
observations of astronomers, and, after examining what is 
most certain in them, proceeds upon that foundation to re- 
R I C 
form the principles of astronomy. The last work which he 
published made its appearance in 1669, under the title of 
“ Chronologia Reformata, et ad certas Conclusiones Re- 
dacta,” folio, two volumes in one. Father Riccioli died in 
1671, when about seventy-three years of age. Landi’s Hist, 
de la Lit. de 1'Italic. Moreri. 
RICCOBONI (Louis), a comic actor and writer, born at 
Modena in 1674,devoted himself to the theatre under the name 
of Lelio. In 1716 he came to France with his family, and 
distinguished himself as the best actor at the Theatre Italien. 
Religious motives induced him to quit the stage in 1729, and 
he died in 1753, much esteemed for the decency of his man¬ 
ners, and his amiable disposition. He was the author of a 
number of comedies composed for the theatre to which he 
belonged, and which, though drawn from characters in low 
life, and tainted with the fashionable false wit of play on 
words, had a temporary success, and contain real comic 
humour. One of them, entitled “ LesCaquets,” was revived 
a few years since. He also wrote “Pensees sur la Declama¬ 
tion ;” “ Discours sur la Reformation du Theatre;” “ Obser¬ 
vations sur la Comedie et sur le g£nie de Moliere;” “ Reflec¬ 
tions Historiques et Critiques sur les Theatres de l’Europe;” 
and “ Histoire du Theatre Italien;” works which display 
good sense and information. Nouv. Diet. Hist. 
RICCOBONI (Marie Laboras de Mezieres), second wife 
of the preceding, was born at Paris in 1714. After her mar¬ 
riage she became an actress on the Italian theatre, which she 
quitted with her husband. She contributed by the purity of 
her taste to the improvement of his comedies, and made her¬ 
self extensively known by several novels written with much 
elegance of style and refinement of sentiment. Some of the 
principal of these are “ Lettres de Miladi Catesby;” “ Lettres 
de la Comtesse de Sancerre;” “ Lettres de Sophie de Va- 
liere;” “ Ernestine;” “ Lettres de Milord Rivers.” She also 
translated Fielding’s Amelia, and she appears to have had a 
predilection for England, in which the scene of several of her 
novels is laid. She was in habits of intimate correspondence 
with Garrick. The works of Mad. Riccoboni were printed 
collectively in ten volumes 12mo. Neufchatel, and 9 volumes 
12mo. Paris. They rank among the most elegant and inge¬ 
nious of the class, and display much knowledge of the tender 
affections, and great decency joined to vivacity. Several of 
her novels have been translated into English. This estimable 
woman died in 1792, reduced by the troubles of the time to 
a state approaching to want. Nouv. Diet. Hist. 
RICE, s. [ oryza , Lat. o§vC,a, Gr. from the Arabic 
word rouzi] One qf the esculent grains: it is somewhat 
like barley, and is cultivated in most Eastern countries.— 
Rice is the food of two thirds of mankind ; it is kindly to 
human constitutions, proper for the consumptive, and those 
subject to haemorrhages. Arluthnot. 
For the cultivation of Rios, see Oryza. 
RICE, Lake, a lake of Canada; 6 miles north from Lake 
Ontario, with a portage between them. 
RICEBOROUGH, a town of the United States, and capi¬ 
tal of Liberty county, Georgia, situated on Newport river, and 
containing about 30 houses. 
RICERCARE, [ riccrcata , Ital.] A research, a flourish, 
a prelude, an impromptu, a voluntary. 
RICEVILLE, a post village of the United States, in Rowan 
county, Tennessee. 
RICEYS, Les, a town of France, department of the Aube, 
on the small river Laigne. Though small, it consists of three 
distinct but adjacent places, Ricey-Haut, Ricey-Hauterive, 
and Ricey le Bas, whose aggregate population is about 4000. 
The environs are noted for their excellent wine; 8 miles 
south of Bar-sur-Seine, and 26 south-east of Troyes. 
RICH, adj. [jnc, pice, piche, Saxon; rice, old Fr. 
riche, modern; ricco, Ital. rile , Su. rikr, Icel. from the 
M. Goth, reilcs, a prince, a ruler, according to Serenius.] 
Wealthy; abounding in wealth ; abounding in money or 
possessions; opulent; opposed to poor. 
I am as rich in having such a jewel, 
As twenty seas, if all their sand were pearl. Shalspeare. 
Valuable; 
