VOLTAIRE. 
Another hound— 
Against the welkin vollies out his voice. Shakspeare. 
VO'LLIED, adj. Disploded; discharged with a volley. 
I stood 
Thy fiercest, when in battle to thy aid 
The blasting vollied thunder made all speed. Milton. 
VOLLORE, a town of France, in Auvergne, department 
of the Puy de Dome; 6 miles south-east of Thiers. 
VOLME, a small river of Prussian Westphalia, which falls 
into the Roer. 
VOLMERSTEIN, a small town of Prussian Westphalia, 
in the county of Mark; 8 miles south-west of Schwiert. 
VOLNEY, a township of the United States, in Oswego 
county. New York; 50 miles west of Rome. 
VOLO, an ancient town of European Turkey, in Thessaly, 
situated on an arm of the sea called the gulf of Volo; 38 miles 
north-west of Larissa. Lat. 39. 28. N. long. 23. 12. E. Its 
population amounts to nearly 5000. 
VOLOGDA, a province or government of European Rus¬ 
sia, lying to the south of that of Archangel, and to the east 
of those of Novgorod and Olonefz. It extends from lat. 58. 
30. to 65. N., and from long. 38. 20. to 49. 20. E., being 
one of the largest, but worst peopled governments of the em¬ 
pire; for while its territorial extent is 149,000 square miles, 
its population probably does not amount to 654,000. 
VOLOGDA, a town of European Russia, and the capital 
of the above province; 365 miles east-by-south of Petersburg, 
and 248 north-north-east of Moscow. 
VOLOKOLAMSK, a town of European Russia; 73 miles 
west-north-west of Moscow. 
VOLONNE, a town of France, department of the Lower 
Alps; 6 miles east-south east of Sisteron. 
VOLOTSCH1NSK, a town of European Russia, in the 
government of Volhynia. 
VOLPE, a cape on the north coast of Sardinia. Lat. 
40. 4. N. long. 9. 47. E. 
VOLPEDO, a town of Italy, in the province of Tortona, 
on the small river Curone; 6 miles east of Tortona. Popu¬ 
lation 1000. 
VOLPERSDORF, a village of Prussian Silesia; 14 miles 
south of Glatz. 
VOLPIANO, a town of Italy, in the Piedmontese province 
of Turin; 12 miles north-by-east of Turin. Population 
3700. 
VOLT, $. [volte, Fr.] Volt signifies a round or a circu¬ 
lar tread; a gate of two treads made by a horse going side¬ 
ways round a centre; so that these two treads make parallel 
tracts, the one which is made by the fore feet larger, and 
the other by the hinder feet smaller; the shoulders bear¬ 
ing outwards, and the croupe approaching towards the 
centre. Farrier's Diet. 
VOLSK, an inland town of European Russia, in the go¬ 
vernment of Saratov, on the Wolga; 70 miles north-east of 
Saratov. Population 4600. 
VOLTA, a town of Milan, near the Mincio; 12 miles 
north-by-west of Mantua. 
VOLTA, a considerable river of Guinea, in Western 
Africa, forming the boundary between the Gold and Slave 
coasts. 
VOLTAGGIO, a small town of Italy, among the Appen- 
nines; 15 miles north of Genoa. 
VOLTAIRE (Mhrie Francois Arouet de), was born at 
Chatenay, near Paris, in the year 1694, and in his earliest 
youth indicated a partial fondness for verse. In pursuing 
his literary education at the Jesuits’ college of Louis-le-Grand, 
he had for his preceptor father Poree ; and at the age of 12, 
distinguished himself by compositions above his years. The 
celebrated Ninon de l’Enclos, to whom he was presented, 
left him a legacy of 2000 livres, which he destined for a ju¬ 
venile library. Dissatisfied with law, for the profession of 
which his father designed him, he devoted his whole atten¬ 
tion to poetry. His father made an attempt to divert him 
from his favourite pursuit, by sending him as a page in the 
Vol. XXIV. No. 1652. 
497 
suite of the Marquis de Chateauneuf, ambassador from 
France to Holland; but falling in love with the daughter of 
Mad. du Noyer, a refugee, he was sent back to Paris, and 
excluded from his father’s house. In this situation he was 
taken under the protection of M. de Caumartin, his father’s 
friend; and at his country-house he had the advantage of 
conversing with the elder Caumartin, who inspired him with 
his own enthusiastic admiration of Henry IV. and Sully. 
He indulged a disposition for writing lampoons; and for 
one of these, aimed at the government, he was imprisoned 
for a year in the Bastille. At this time he had composed 
his tragedy of “ CEdipe,” which was brought on the stage 
in 1718, and much applauded. The regent was also highly 
pleased with it, and granted him permission to return to 
Paris, after his release from the Bastille. His father, much 
interested in his favour by attending at one of the represen¬ 
tations of his tragedy, was reconciled to him, and gave up 
all thoughts of making him a lawyer. At Brussels, which 
he visited in 1722, he became acquainted with the poet 
Rousseau; but in consequence of this interview, they be¬ 
came enemies for life. On his return, his “ Mariamne” was 
exhibited, and did not succeed. In 1726, he was again 
lodged in the Bastille, in consequence of a quarrel with the 
chevalier de Rohan; and obtained liberation, after a con¬ 
finement of six months, upon condition of leaving the king¬ 
dom. England was the country of his choice, and he 
brought with him his poem of the “ Henriade.” It was 
printed in London by subscription, patronized by king 
George I. and Caroline princess of Wales, and yielded a 
profit which laid the foundation of his fortune. His man¬ 
ners, however, did not suit those of England, and his con¬ 
versation was thought licentious. Having obtained permis¬ 
sion to return to France in 1728, he put his money into a 
lottery, and engaged in other lucrative speculations, and 
thus amassed a large capital, which he augmented by his 
economy. His tragedy of “Brutus,” brought on the stage 
in 1730, was not very popular; and as his dramatic reputa¬ 
tion was ambiguous, he was advised by Fontenelle and La 
Motte to abandon this species of composition, alleging that 
it was not adapted to his genius. His reply was the produc¬ 
tion of his “ Zaire,” which was regarded as the most affect¬ 
ing piece on the French stage, after the “ Phedre” of Ra¬ 
cine. On account of his “ Lettres Philosophiques,” he was 
considered as an avowed enemy to revelation and ecclesias¬ 
tical authority; and the parliament of Paris issued a decree, 
which ordered his work to be committed to the flames, and 
his person to be arrested. Upon this he quitted the capital, 
and retired to Cyrei, near Vassi, in Champagne, the seat of 
the Marquis du Chatelet, where they employed themselves 
in making experiments, and where Voltaire wrote his “ Ele¬ 
ments of the Newtonian Philosophy.” He also continued 
to write tragedies, so that his “ Alzire’’ appeared in 1736, 
and his “ Mahomet” in 1741; but the latter, charged with 
being an attack upon religion, was withdrawn from the 
stage. His “ Merope,” exhibited in 1743, was received 
with the greatest applause. Before this time he had made 
his peace at court by a political service, which it is not ne¬ 
cessary for us to relate; and he farther ingratiated himself 
with the royal family by his piece for the festivities on the 
marriage of the Dauphin, entitled “ La Princesse de Na¬ 
varre.” Received at court, he became gentleman of the 
chamber in ordinary, and historiographer of France; and, 
under the latter character, drew up his history of the war of 
1741. He also engaged in other courtly offices, and wrote 
the manifesto of the French court in favour of-the Pretender, 
on his expedition to Scotland. In 1746, he was admitted 
into the French academy. In consequence of urgent invi¬ 
tations on the part of the King of Prussia, and assurance of 
a pension of 22,000 livres, with other benefits, he arrived 
at Potsdam in June, 1750; and was received by the king 
with the most flattering tokens of respect. Here it was his 
practice to spend two hours in the day with his majesty, 
during which he employed himself in correcting his works; 
and the rest of his time was at his own disposal. His tran- 
5 I quillity. 
