R I P 
king of Northumbria, it was re-erected in a style of more 
magnificence than was usual in that age, by the famous 
Wilfrid, archbishop of York. The great king Athelstane 
granted to it many immunities, and particularly the privilege 
of sanctuary. After its destruction by the Scots in the reign 
of Edward II. it ceased to be a monastic foundation. The 
church, however, was rebuilt, and made collegiate by arch¬ 
bishop Melton, from whose time, till the reign of Henry VIII. 
it had 7 prebends, with distinct revenues attached to it, be¬ 
sides 9 chantries, which were dissolved by Edward VI. 
King James I. renewed the collegiate privileges of the church, 
and completed it as it still exists. Population of the parish, 
exclusive of the borough, 2346; number of houses, 452. 
Population of the borough not returned. 
RIPOSTE, in the Manege, is the vindictive motion of a 
horse that answers the spur with the kick of his foot. 
RI'PPER, s. One who rips; one who tears; one who 
lacerates. 
RIPPERDA (John-William), Baron of, a remarkable 
political adventurer, was born in 1680, of a noble family, 
in the province of Groningen. He was educated a catholic 
under the Jesuits of Cologne; but having married a protest- 
ant heiress, he conformed to her religion. He was for some 
time in the service of the states-general, in the post of colonel 
of infantry, which he occupied when, in 1715, he was sent 
from the States to the court of Spain, to negociate a com¬ 
mercial treaty. Having ingratiated himself with the king, 
Philip V., he returned to the catholic religion, and took up 
his abode at Madrid. It was one of his projects to send for 
weavers from Holland, with whom he founded a cloth manu¬ 
factory, conducted at the royal expence, and with great loss. 
His first wife being dead, he married, in 1721, a Castilian 
lady of high birth, by whom he had two sons. He rapidly 
rose in the confidence of the king, and in 1725 was sent to 
Vienna to negociate an accommodation with the imperial 
court. In the same year he signed a treaty at Luxemburg 
with the emperor’s plenipotentiaries; and on his return to 
Madrid was rewarded for his services by being created a 
grandee of the third class, and Duke of Ripperda. He was 
also appointed secretary of state for foreign affairs; and the 
management of the war, marine, and financial departments, 
was entrusted to him, so that he had all the power, without 
the name of prime minister. To these high charges he, 
however, proved unequal; and in May 1726, he was dis¬ 
missed from his employments. Having then taken refuge in 
the house of the English ambassador. Lord Stanhope, he 
was taken thence by force, and confined in the oastle of 
Segovia. There he remained upwards of two years; when 
having found means to make his escape into Portugal, he 
thence passed into England, where he continued till 1730. 
He then went to the Hague, resumed the Protestant religion, 
and seemed disposed to pass the rest of his days in tranquil¬ 
ity. His restless and ambitious temper, however, induced 
him to form a connexion with an envoy from Morocco, in 
consequence of which, about the close of 1731, he embarked 
for that country, then governed by Muley Abdallah. He 
was favourably received by that Prince, to whom he opened 
the project of uniting the Barbary states against Spain, 
reducing the fortresses held in Africa by that country, and 
finally invading Spain itself. He had influence enough to 
engage the Moors to undertake the seige of Ceuta; and 
having declared himself a convert to the Mahometan religion, 
and assumed the name .of Osman, he was nominated to the 
chief command of the army employed for that purpose. In 
the meantime the King of Spain, informed of his proceedings, 
revoked his patents of grandee and duke. ‘ 
Ripperda, by his military talents, inspired the Moors with 
confident hopes of success in their enterprize, when the arri¬ 
val of a Spanish army in Africa, which laid siege to Oran, 
disconcerted his plans. He, however, persisted in the siege 
of Ceuta, and gave a considerable defeat to its garrison, which 
with some reinforcements had marched out into the field. 
But a nocturnal surprize of the Moors in the trenches soon 
after entirely broke up the siege; and Ripperda, who had 
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fled in his shirt to Tetuan, was received so coldly at the court 
of Morocco, that he meditated an escape to some other coun¬ 
try. His design was discovered, and he was brought before 
the emperor, from whose cruel character nothing less than 
death could be expected for the unfortunate adventurer. He, 
however, pleaded his cause so effectually, that he was only 
committed to custody for a short time, and then set at liberty. 
He afterwards lived in quiet at his house and in his harem at 
Morocco, affecting a great zeal for the Mussulman faith, but 
at the same time forming a new project which was to restore 
him to consequence. This was a consolidation of different 
religions, especially the Mahometan and Jewish, which he 
endeavoured to render compatible by admitting the prophetic 
character of Mahomet, but inculcating the expectation of 
a future Messiah. It is said that he made converts to his 
opinions, and that even the emperor took pleasure in con¬ 
versing with him on the subject: it is probable, however, 
that he at length excited suspicion, since he found it expe¬ 
dient to retire to Tetuan, where he lived on the interest of 
monies which he had vested in different European banks, 
and which he had probably gained not by the most honest 
means; for it is said that he profited largely by an adulterated 
coinage which he issued when in power at Morocco. His 
projecting spirit continued to the last, for he advanced con¬ 
siderable sums to Theodore for his attempts on the crown of 
Corsica. He was somewhat insane towards the close of his 
life, which terminated at Tetuan in 1737. Moreri. Moore's 
Life of Ripperda. 
RIPPERS, in the wire works, are the people who attend 
in the mills, take the prepared small rods of iron, and work 
at the barrels where they are drawn into wire. 
RIPPIN TOR, a mountain of England, in Devonshire; 
1549 feet high. 
RI'PPING, s. Discovery.—This ripping of ancestors is 
very pleasing unto me, and indeed savoureth of good con- 
ceipt and some reading withall. Spenser. 
RIPPINGALE, a parish of England, in Lincolnshire; 4 
miles north-by-west of Bourne. Population 509. 
RIPPLE, a parish of England, county of Worcester; 3 
miles south-east-by east of Upton-upon-Severn. Population 
733. 
To RI'PPLE, v. n. To fret on the surface, as water swift¬ 
ly running.—Eamont runs rapidly on near the way, rippling 
over the stones. Gray. 
To Ripple flax. To wipe or draw off its seed-vessels; to 
clean flax. North. Ray, and Grose. [ repa , Su. Goth, to 
pluck; repa lin, linum vellere. Dr. Jamieson.'] 
RI'PPLE, s. Agitation of water fretting on the surface, or 
laving the banks. A large comb, through which flax is 
dressed. It is constructed with several upright triangular 
prongs, set near together in a strong piece of wood, for the 
purpose of rippling flax and hemp. 
RI'PPLING, s. The ripple dashing on the shore.— 
Reached shore through a most turbulent rippling, occasioned 
by the fierce current of the tides between the islands and the 
coast. Pennant. —Method of cleaning flax. 
RIPPON, in geography. See Ripon. 
RIPRAPPS, a narrow shoal in the English channel, be¬ 
tween Folkstone and Boulogne, south-west and north-east 
about ten miles; with a strong bottom, and at a low spring- 
tide not covered above fourteen feet with the sea. 
RIPRESA, [Ital. J the same as reprise in French, and repeat 
in English. 
RIPTON, ABBOT’S, a parish of England, in Hunting¬ 
donshire ; 4 miles north of Huntingdon. 
RIPTON, KING’S, a parish about 2 miles distant from the 
foregoing. 
RI'PTOWELL, s. A gratuity, or reward given to tenants, 
after they had reaped their lord's corn. Bailey. 
RIQUEURIA, in botany, a name in the Flora Peruviana, 
destined to commemorate Lewis Riqueur, apothecary to king 
Philip V. of Spain. De T/icis. 
RIS, a town of France, department of the Puy de Dome. 
Population 1400; 9 miles north of Thiers. 
RISARD 
