Vash'ni (Heb. Vashni', ''J'dl, my strength, or strong; Sept, Sari; Vulg. Vasseni) , the. first-born of Samuel ac- cording to 1 Chron. vi, 28 [Heb. 13] ; but 1 Sam. viii, 2 shows that the true reading should be "^3^1, " the sec- ond," and that the name of Joel, the eldest son, has dropped out. See Samus;l.
Vash'ti (Heb. Vashti', "^ri'l^^, Pers. beautiful worn-
VASISHTHA
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VASSILACCHI
an; Sept. 'Aariv; Josephus OvdoTt]; Vulg. Vastht), the "queen" (nsb^n) of Ahasuerus (Xerxes), who, for re- fusing to show herself to the king's guests at the royal banquet, when sent for by the king, incurred his wrath, and was repudiated and deposed (Esth. i), when Esther was substituted in her place. B.C. 483. Many attempts have been made to identify her with historical person- ages; as by Usher with Atossa, the wife of Darius lly- sraspis, and by J. Capellus with Pari/sutis, the mother of Ochus; but, as was said of Esther (like the •' three- score queens" in Cant, vi, 8, 9; corap. Herod, i, 13.5), it is far more probable that she was only one of the infe- rior wives, dignified with the title of queen, whose name has utterly disappeared from history. See Esther. This view of Vashti's position seems further to tally ex- actly with the narrative of Ahasuerus's order, and Vash- ti's refusal, considered with reference to the national manners of the Persians. For I'lutarch {Conju;/. Pra- cept.c. JG) tells us, in agreement with Herod, v, 18, that the kings of Persia have their legitimate wives to sit at table with them at their banquets; but that, when they choose to riot and drink, they send their wives away and call in the concubines and singing-girls. Hence, when the heart of Ahasuerus " was merry with wine," he sent for Yashti, looking upon her only as a concu- bine ; she, on the other hand, considering herself as one of the Kovpiciai yvi'alKtg, or legitimate wives, refused to come. Josephns's statement (Ant. xi, 6, 1) that it is contrary to the customs of the Persians for their wives to be seen by any men but their own husbands is evi- dently inaccurate, being equally contradicted by He- rodotus (v, 18) and by the book of Esther itself (v, 4, 8,, 12, etc.).— Smith.
Vasishtha (superlative of Sanscrit rasi/nuif, "wealthy") is the name of one of the most celebrated Vedic Kishis, the author of several hymns of the liig- veda, and a personage important in the early history of the Brahmanic or priestly caste of the Hindus. All that is certainly known of him is that he was a sage of high reputation, and a priest jealous of the privileges and the position of his caste, and ever ready to assert its superiority- over the second, or military and royal, caste. See Muir, Original Sanscrit Texts (Lond. 1858) ; Miiller, C/iips J'rom a German Workshop.
Vasquez, Alonso, a Spanish painter, was born at Ronda about 1589. He studied at Seville under Anto- nio Artian, and acquired considerable reputation as a historical painter. His principal works are in the monastery of the Barefooted Carmelites at Seville. He died about 1645. See Spooner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine A 7is, s. v.
Vasquez, Dionysius, a Spanish monk, was born June 5, 1500, at Toledo. He was a very learned man, and one of the first who undertook the edition of the Bihlia Complutensia, which cardinal Ximenes proposed. He died June 1, 1539. His writings, in Latin and Span- ish, are mostly in MS. See Antonii Biblioth. Ilisjnmi- cii; Gandulphus, De 200 Scriptoi-ibus Augustinianis ; Jocher, AUgeineines Gekhrten-Lexikon, s. v. (B. P.)
Vasquez, Gabriel, a Spanish Jesuit, was born in 1551 at Belmonte. For twenty-nine years he was professor at Alcala, where he died, Sept. 23, 1604. He wrote, Commentt. in Epp. Pauli : — Comment, in Th. Aquinaiis Theologiani : — Metaphys. Disquisitionum de Cultu Adorationis Lihri Tres (Maj-ence, 1600). His works were published in 10 vols. fol. (Lyons, 1620). See Antonii Biblioth. Hhipanica ; Allegambe, Bibliothe- ca Scriptoriim Societutis Jesu; Jocher, Allgemeines Ge- lehrten-Lexikon, s. v. (B. P.)
Vasquez, Juan Bautista, a Spanish painter and sculptor, was born at Seville in the 16th century. His best painting is a picture of the Virgin and Infant, at the altar of the Church of Our Lady of tiranada. See Spoo- ner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine Arts. s. v.
Vassar, John E., a missionary colporteur of the
American Tract Society, commonly called "Uncle John Vassar." For many years he was foreman in the great brewery of his cousin Matthew Vassar, tlie founder of the college at Poughkeepsie which bears the family name. John was converted about the year 1843, when he rejected an offer of large wealth from his cousin and entered vigorously into the temperance reform move- ment. He was among the first colporteurs the Tract Society sent to the then Far West. He began his la- bors about 1848 in the wilderness of Illinois, and he con- tinued in that capacity, with slight interruption, until his death. He had a peculiar fitness for liis work. Thoroughly armed with Gospel texts, and full of ear- nestness and unselfish love, he pressed the truth upon all; and he was almost invariably received with kind- ness by all. He was equally at home among cultured families, from Boston to San Francisco, as among other classes — farmers, mechanics, lumbermen, miners, soldiers, and freedmen. He was specially useful in the late war; among whole brigades of soldiers in the army he was " Uncle John," loved and honored by all. He not only held religious meetings, but he did hospital duty, dug graves for the dead, and then performed religious ser- vices and communicated with the relatives of the de- ceased. Once he was taken a prisoner of war; but, to escape his ceaseless religious importunity, he was soon set at liberty. His labors were instrumental in the con- version of multitudes. Vassar College is a monument worth}' of the memory of its founder; but more endur- ing is the monument of the noble Christian deeds that marked the life of this honored and successful mission- arv. He died at his home in Poughkeepsie, Dec. 6, 1878. (W. P. S.)