Virginia, the daughter of Mde. de la Tour. Madame was of a good family in Normandy, but, having married beneath her social position, was tabooed by her family. Her husband died before the birth of his first child, and the widow went to live at Port Louis, in the Mauritius, where Virginia was born. Their only neighbor was Margaret, with her love-child, Paul, an infant. The two children grew up together, and became strongly attached; but when Virginia was 15 years old, her wealthy great-aunt adopted her and requested that she might be sent immediately to France to finish her education. The aunt wanted her to marry a French count, and as Virginia refused to do so, disinherited her and sent her back to the Mauritius. When within a cable’s length of the island, a hurricane dashed the ship to pieces, and the corpse of Virginia was cast on the shore. Paul drooped, and died within two months.--Bernardin de St. Pierre, Paul and Virginia (1788).
⁂ In Cobb’s dramatic version of this story, Virginia’s mother is of Spanish origin, and dies committing Virginia to the charge of Dominique, a faithful old negro servant. The aunt is Donna Leonora de Guzman, who sends Don Antonio de Guardes to bring Virginia to Spain, and there to make her his bride. She is carried to the ship by force; but scarcely is she set on board when a hurricane dashes the vessel to pieces. Antonio is drowned, but Virginia is rescued by Alhambra, a runaway slave, whom she has befriended. The drama ends with the marriage between Virginia and Paul (1756-1818).
Virginius, father of the Roman Virginia, the title of a tragedy by S. Knowles (1820). (For the tale, see Virginia.)
Macready (1793-1873) made the part of “Virginius” in Knowles’s drama so called, but the first to act it was John Cooper, in Glasgow (1820).
Visin, a Russian who had the power of blunting weapons by a look. Starchat´erus, the Swede, when he went against him, covered his sword with thin leather, and by this means obtained an easy victory.
Vision of Judgment (The), a poem in twelve parts, by Southey, written in hexameter verse (1820). The laureate supposes that he has a vision of George III., just dead, tried at the bar of heaven. Wilkes is his chief accuser, and Washington his chief defender. Judgment is given by acclamation in favor of the king, and in heaven he is welcomed by Alfred, Richard Cœur de Lion, Edward III., Queen Elizabeth, Charles I. and William III., Bede, Friar Bacon, Chaucer, Spenser, the duke of Marlborough and Berkeley the sceptic, Hogarth, Burke the infidel, Chatterton, who made away with himself, Canning, Nelson and all the royal family who were then dead.
⁂ Of all the literary productions ever issued from the press, never was one printed of worse taste than this. Byron wrote a quiz on it called The Vision of Judgment, in 106 stanzas of eight lines each (1820).
Visines, De (The). The uncle, an emigrant abbé who teaches French in Philadelphia, to private pupils. One of these is Marguerite Howard, with whom the nephew, Henri De Visines, speedily falls in love. The girl, in skating, finds herself upon a floating cake of ice from which she is rescued by Henri De Visines. A series of revelations brings about the truth that Marguerite is of the De Visine blood, and in due time she marries her newly-found cousin.--S. Weir Mitchell, Hephzibah Guinness (1880).
Vita´lis, the pseudonym of Eric Sjöberg, a Swedish poet. (Latin, vita lis, “life is a strife.”)
Viti´za or Witi´za, king of the Visigoths, who put out the eyes of Cordŏva, the father of Roderick. He was himself dethroned and blinded by Roderick.--Southey, Roderick, the Last of the Goths (1814).