The old English viol, like the Spanish vifiuela,via9, a six -stringed guitar. Mr. Chappell (Pop. Mus. i, 246) says "the position of the fingers was marked on the finger-board by frets, as in guitars of the present day. The 'chest of viols' consisted of three, four, five, or six of different sizes; one for the treble, others for the mean, the counter-tenor, the tenor, and perhaps two for the bass." Etymologically, I'w/ is connected with the Dan. Fiol and the A.S.foele, through the Fr. viole,OU\ Fr. vielle, Med. Lat. vitella. In the Promj^torium Parrulo- rum we find "Fyyele, viella, tidicina, vitella." Again, in North's Plutarch (Antonins, p. 980, ed. 1595) there is a description of Cleopatra's barge, " the poope whereof was of gold, the sailes of purple, and the owers of silver, which kept stroke in rowing after the sound of the mu- sicke of Hutes, howboyes, cytherns, ryolls, and such other instruments as they played vpon in the barge." — Smith. See Musical Instruments.
Viola, DoMENico, a Neapolitan painter of the 17th centurv, was a disciple and imitator of the cavalier Mat- tia Preti. He executed some works of a mediocre grade
VIOLE
798
YIKET
for the churches and collections, lie is said to have died | al)i)ut Iti'.K). iiee.ii\woner,Bio(j./Jigt.<i/theFineA7-ls,s,y. j
Viole, D.vMiii. fiicoKGKs, a Icnnied French priest, was l)uni at Smdaire (diocese of t'liartres), in l.VJ.s, of an ..Id n..l)le laniily. In lt)--'o lie entered the Order of r.ene.iictines at St. :Manr, and then studied theoloi^y at ('..rliie. He spent his <tays in (piiet study and histori- cal research, dyins at Auxerre, April "il, IGtiit, and Icav- iui; several works, for which see Hoefer, Aoue. Bio(j. (ieii^ritlr, s. V. I
Violent Hands is a phrase in the rubric ..f the | Eni,dish service lor the burial of tiie dead, which de- ; dares that tht.se who have committed suicide are not to be admitted to Christian burial.
Viper is the uniform rendering, in the A. Y., of nrsr. cp/i'vh (from nS'S, prob. to hiis), which occurs oidv in .lob xx, 1(5; Isa. xxx, (J: lix, 5; and of txicia (INIatt.iii,"; xii,34; xxiii,i53; Lulceiii,7; Acts xxviii, 3). In all instances a venomous serpent is evidently denote.l. but the particular kind, if anything more than a j^eneric term, is indeterminable. Tlie lMii;lisli name is derived from the Latin viripara, which sii;iiities '•bringin<; forth its young alive;" but, though the voung are thus produced, they are previously formed in an egg within tlie parent's ovary, and hence Isaiah's allusion to the hatching of vipers (lix, 5) is perfectly justified i)y physiology and natural history. Hence it is used tropically for deceitfid and wicked men (Matt. iii, 7; xii, 34: xxiii, 33; Luke iii, 7). From the earli- est ages the "viper" has been dreaded for its venomous bite, and made tlie emblem of everything that is hurt- ful ami destructive; indeed, its poison is <me of the most active and dangerous in the animal kingdom. The true viper is the uildei- (Pelins bertis or Vijiera beiiis),
Common Viper {Vi/'era bents).
which retains its eggs until hatched. Its bite, how- ever, is not necessarily fatal. So terrible was the nat- ure of these creatures that they were very commonly thought to be sent as executioners of divine vengeance upon mankind for enormous crimes which had escaped tlie course of justice. The people of Melita showed that tliey were thoroughly imbued with this supersti- tion when I'aul was shii)wrecked on the island (Acts xxviii, 3). Such a dangerous serpent is known in the East by the name of IcJ'uk (i. e. el-ej/'ak, equivalent to
O... 1 V.i... [Ll-JU.y
the Ileb. word) : it is thus described by Shaw and Jack- son as the most venomous of the serpent tribe in Xortli- ern Africa and Soutli-western Asia. It is remarkable for its (piick and penetrating poison; it is about two fei t long, and as thick as a man's arm, beautifully spotted with yellow ami brown, and sprinkled over with black- ish specks similar to the horn-nosed snake. These ser- pents iiave a wide mouth with whicii they inhale a great ipiantity of air, and when inflated tlierewith they eject it with such force as to i)e heard a considerable distance. The modern Oriental name is derived from an Arabic word which signifies "to burn," wiience some have inferred that the fiery serpents sent to chastise the Israelites in the desert were leffahs, or vipers. Sec
SlCUPENT.
Vipond, David, an English Weslejan minister, was born at llardwick, Norf.)lk, in 1778. He was saved from inlidelity by reading the bi. .graphics in tiie IIV.-- Icydii M<-thodi>>t Miiyazine. His appointments were Canterbury, Newbury, Kochcster, ISOX, and Sevenoaks,
1811. He died at Newbury, (.f consumption, .luly I'i.
1812. See »'«/. Met/i. J/t/y. 1813, p. 8iSl ; JJintiks of IVesl.Conf. 1812.
Vipoiid, John, a !Methndist preacher, was convert- ed vouiig. and in 1707 was ailmitted on trial by the l']nglish ^Vc^leyan Conference. In 1709 he was ap- pointed to Whitehaven Circuit, where he only preache.l a few times. He was seized witli a fever and died. His character was unblemished and Iiis talents promis- ing. See Atmore, Aleth, Memorhil, s. v.
Vipond, William, an English Wesleyan minis- ter, labored successfully on the following circuits: Diss, I Yarmouth, Norwich. Brackley, 18110; Newbury, Canter- bury, and London West, 1807. He died at Newbury, April 2(), 1800, in the thirty-third year of his age and the eleventh of his itinerancy. " His ministerial abil- ities were great, his manner devout, his language pure Tud impressive, his piety deep, his information exten- >-ive. and Ids usefulness considerable." See West. Meth. M'tfi. 1810, p. 10,49; Minutes of Wesl. Co«/. 1809.