Virgo Virginum ( Virgin ofrirgins) is a devotion- al title in the l>atin Church for the Virgin Mai~y.
Virllis, in Roman mythology, was a surname of Fortviia, a goddess of luck for men, just as Fortiina Mulkbris was a goddess of luck for women. As early as the time of Ancus Mircius or of Servius Tullius, a tenijile was erected to her memory. To her the women prayed for the preservation of their charms.
Viriplaca, in Roman mythology, the medium of
VIRTUE
801
VISDELOU
reconciliation between men, was a goddess in whose temple, erected upon the I'latinum, dissatistied married people complained of their ilifferences. She was famous because she generally sent the dissatistied home recon- ciled.
Virtue, a term used in various significations. Some defnie it to be " living according to nature :" others, " uni- versal benevolence to being." Some, again, place it "in regard to truth ;" others, in the " moral sense." Some place it in " the imitation of God ;" others, " in the love of God and our fellow-creatures." Some, again, think it consists " in mediocrity," supposing vice to consist in' extremes; others have placed it in "a wise regard to our own interest." Dr. Smith refers it to the principle of syrapathj' ; and Paley defines it to be the doing good to mankind, in obedience to the will of God, and for the sake of everlasting happiness. Some of these defini- tions are certainly objectionable. Perhaps those who place it in the love of God and our fellow-creatures may come as near to the trulh as ain% See Edwards and Jameson, On Virtue; Grove and Paley, Moi-al rhil.; Cumberland, Laiu of Nature, i, 4; Beattie, Elements of Moral Science, ii, 8, 77 ; Watts, Self- love and Virtue Reconciled, 2d vol. of his Works, last ed. — Buck.
The standard of virtue is the will of God as express- ed in nature (including the human constitution) and his written word. See Fleming and Krauth, Vocuh.of Philos. p. 487, 548, 907.
Virtues, Cardinal, are the four virtues Pru- dence (cj. v.), Justice (q. v.), Fortitude, and Temper- ance (q. v.).
VIRTUES, Theological, are the three virtues Faith (q. v.), Hope (q. v.), and Charity (q. v.).
VIRTUES and Vices is a favorite impersonation un- der human forms, in the Middle Ages, as in the Chapter- house of Salisbury, England. In this manner we have allusions to figures of Love and Hope, Despair and Hate, etc., in the churches.
Virtus, in Roman mythology, was the deified man- liness. To her and Honor two temples were erected by M. Marcellus.
Visacci, Antonio (called also II Visaed'), an Ital- ian painter, flourished at Urbino about 1600. He stud- ied under Federigo Baroccio, and, in conjunction with other artists, was employed to paint the arches, pict- ures, and other decorations in honor of Giulia de' Me- dici, married to the duke of Urbino. He possessed a special talent for pen-drawing and chiaro-oscuro. His pictures of the Prophets were designed in grand style, and have been transferred from the cathedral to the apostolic palace. Among his other works left at his native place is a fine picture o{ St.3Ionica. in the Church of Sant' Agostino. He left some copies from Baroccio at various places, particularl}' at the Cathedral of Cagli. He resided and practiced a long time at Pesaro, where he instructed several pupils. See Lanzi, Storia Pittoricu ; Spooner, Biof/. Hist, of the Fine A rts, s. v.
Viscata, or Viscosa {the cleaving), in Roman mythology, was a surname of Fortune, under which name she had a temple.
Visch, Karl de, a Cistercian of Flanders, who died in the second half of the 17thcentury as professor of mor- al philosophy at Ebersbach, in Germany, is the author of Bibliotheca Scriptorum Ordinis Cisterciensis . . . acced. Chronoloffia Antiquissirna Monasteriorum hujus Ordinis a 400 et quod excurritAnnis Concinnata (Cologne, 1656). He also edited Alani de. Insulis 0pp. Moral. Parcenet. et Polem. Correctiora et Illustr. (Antwerp, 1654). See Winer, Handbuch der theolog. JAteratur, i, 715, 914; Jocher, A llgemeines Gelehrten-Lexikon, s. v. (B. P.)
Visch, Matthias de, a Flemish painter, was born at Reningen in 170-2. He studied at Bruges, under Joseph Van der Kerkhove, and in the academy, where he obtained the first prize in 1721. He went to Paris in 1723, and from thence to Italv, where he resided nine X.— E EE
years, diligently studying the antique and the works of the great masters. He then returned to Bruges and opened a school of design, and executed several works for the churches. He was subsequently appointed di- rector of the academy at Bruges, and was noted more for his efforts to advance the art and the instruction of pupils than for great skill in execution. He collect- ed materials for a history of painting in Belgium, which were afterwards used by Descamps in his Lives of the Flemish Painters. He died in 1765. See Spooner, Biog. Hist, of the Fine A rts, s. v.
Vischer, Peter, a celebrated (Jerman sculptor, was born about 1400. He pursued his studies in Italy, where he resided several years. His first great work was his monument to the arcliduke Ernest of Magde- burg, erected in the cathedral of that place in 1497. Vischer ultimately settled in Nuremberg, where he lived with his rive sons. His masterpiece is the Tomb of St. Sebald, in the church of that saint at Nuremberg. Among other figures in this work are twelve small statues, eighteen inches high, of the apostles, which are conspicuous for their fine expression. In one part of it the artist introduced his own portrait in his working dress. He was occiq^ied in this work thirteen years, and received for his own labor and that of his sons only 2402 florins. He executed some other works of great excellence at Nuremberg, and died in 1530. See Spoon- er, Biog. Hist, of the Fine A rts, s. v.