Riccioli, (iiovANNi Battista, an Italian astrono- mer and Jesuit, was born at Ferrara in 1598, and was professor of philosophy, theology, etc., at Bologna and Parma. By authority of his superiors, he devoted him- self to astronomy, that he might confute the Copernican system, which he attempted to do in his Almugestum Norum (1(5") I, 2 vols.). According to his theory, the sun, moon, .Jupiter, and Saturn revolve around the earth ; while Mercury, Venus, and Mars are satellites of the sun. He also published an able treatise on mathe- matical geograi)hy and hydrography in IGGl, and As- tronomia lieformata in 1GG5. He died in 1671. See F'abroni, Vit<e Itutonim Doc. Excel.; Tiraboschi, Storia delta Letleratura Ituliunu. — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog. Ge- nerale, s. v.
Rice, Aaron, a Methodist preacher, was a native of Green County, Ky. Of liis early history and his con- version, little is known. He became a member of the Louisville Conference of the jMethodist Episcopal Church, .South, and was long esteemed as an able and reputable minister. He died Sept. 9, \'iiW.—M inutes of Annual Conf. M. E. Church, South, 184G.
Rice, David, a Presbyterian minister, was born in Hanover County, Va., Dec. 20, 1733. He began his clas- sical studies under the Hev. John Todd, and went to New Jersey College in 17,09, becoming a member of the junior class. He graduated in 17G1 ; was licensed to preach by the Presbytery of Hanover. Nov., 17()-2; and was ordain- ed and installed pastor of Hanover Church, Va., Dec, 17G3. Giving up this charge, he afterwards preached for about ten years in Bedford County, Va., migrating to Kentuckv in Oct., 1783, where lie labored for fifteen years. In 1798 he removed to (ireen County, but did not take any pastoral charge. !Mr. Hice assisted in the estalilishmcnt of Hampden Sidney College, was one of the trustees of the Transylvania I'niversity, and presi- dent of the board from 1783 to 1787. The following is a list of his publications: Essay on Baptism (1789): — Lecture on Dirine Decrees (1791) : — Slavery Inconsistent vilh .hiflice, etc. (1793, I2mo):— .Di Epistle (18().-)):— Second Epistle { 1808) : — f.etters and Sermons. — Sprague, A nnal.i if the A mer. Pulpit, iii, 246.
Rice, Edward, D.D., an English clergyman, was educated at Clirisi's Hospital, whence lie was elected as an exhibitioner to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1813. He was one of the classieal masters of Christ's Hospital in 1820; vicar of Ilorley, Surrey, in 1827; head-master of Christ's Hospital in 18,'i(); and died in I8.")3. He publisbed several sermons: On Liturgies (Loud. 1820, 8vo): — (>;i the Coronation of George IV (ibid. 1821, 8vo) : — Two Sermons on the llomish Church, etc. (ibid. 1829. 8vo), See Lond. Gent. Mag. March. 1853, p. 316. See .Mlibone. Dirt, of Brit, and A mer. Aulh. s. V. ; Darling, Cycli>]>. Bihiiog. s. v.
Rice, Henry Lefiler, a Dutch Heformed minister, was the son ol Henry and Elizabeth (LeHler) Hice, and was born in Washington County, Ky., June 25, 1795. His early education was conducted by the Hev. James Vance, of KeirtiK-ky, who took young Hice for some years into his own lionie. After spending three years in i Transyivaiiia I'niversity, Ky., he was graduated from
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that institution in the class of 1818. Having early ex- perienced the renewing grace of (ioii, in his sixteenth year he united, b}' a public profession of his faith, with the Presbyterian Church at Corydon, Ind. Immedi- ately after leaving Ihe university, he entered the theo- logical seminary at Princeton, N. J., whence he was regularly graduated in three years, after passing through the full course of study. He was licensed by the Pres- bytery of New Brunswick, Oct. o, l.S-Jl, and was ordain- ed as an evangelist by the same presbyterj-, Oct. 2, 1822. After his ordination lie spent two years iu mis- sion work in new portions of the West, and then return- ed to New Jersey, where he accepted a call to become pastor of the Dutch Reformed Cliurch at Spottswood, and was installed in September, 1825. Here he labored faitlifiiUy and successfully about eight years, until he was released by his classis, April IC, 1834, in order that he might accept a call to the (ierman Reformed Church in Chambersburg, Pa., over whicii latter charge he was installed in May, 1834, and in which he continued until his death. While residing in Chambersburg, he be- came profoundly interested in the literary and theolog- ical institutions of the German Reformed Church lo- cated at Mercersburg, and in the fall of 1836 lie was induced to undertake an agenc}' on their behalf, his pulpit being supplied, meanwhile, by neighboring min- isters. For a considerable tiine he was president of the Board of Trustees of Marshall College at Mercersburg. After his removal to Mercersburg he studied the (ier- man language, and so thoroughly mastered it as to preach occasionally in that tongue to the German peo- ple in his vicinity, to their great delight. While pros- ecuting the above-mentioned agency with great ener- gy and success, he was stricken down by fever, and died at Chambersburg, May, 3, 1837. Mr. Rice married, in 1821, Miss Gertrude Van Dyke, youngest daughter of Matthew Van Dyke,of Mapleton, four miles from Prince- ton, N. J. She was a woman of estimable character and fervent piety. She died June 9, 1837, about a month after her husband. ]\Ir. Rice was a man of large culture and of extraordinary piety, energv, and influ- ence. (W. P. S.)