OpenLLM-France/wikimedia huggingface dataset:
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wright, Silas

See also Silas Wright on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WRIGHT, SILAS (1795-1847), American political leader, was born at Amherst, Mass., on the 24th of May 1795. He graduated at Middlebury College, Vermont, in 1815, was admitted to the bar in 1819, and began practice at Canton, in northern New York. He was appointed surrogate of St Lawrence county in 1820, and was successively a member of the state Senate in 1824-1826, a member of the national House of Representatives in 1827-1829, comptroller of the state in 1829-1833, ​U.S. senator in 1833-1844, and governor of New York in 1844-1846. During his public life he had become a leader of the Democratic party in New York, Martin Van Buren being his closest associate. He was an influential member of the so-called “Albany Regency,” a group of Democrats in New York, including such men as J. A. Dix and W. L. Marcy, who for many years virtually controlled their party within the state. Wright's integrity in office was illustrated in 1845, when the “anti-rent troubles” (see New York) broke out and it seemed probable that the votes of the disaffected would decide the coming election. The governor asked and obtained from the legislature the power to suppress the disturbance by armed force, and put an end to what was really an insurrection. When the national Democratic party in 1844 nominated and elected James K. Polk to the presidency, instead of Martin Van Buren, Wright and the state organization took an attitude of armed neutrality towards the new administration. Renominated for governor in 1846, Wright was defeated, and the result was by many ascribed in part to the alleged hostility of the Polk administration. He died at Canton on the 27th of August 1847.
The best biography is that by J. D. Hammond, Life and Times of Silas Wright (Syracuse, N.Y., 1848), which was republished as vol. iii. of that author's Political History of New York.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wrotham

See also Wrotham on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WROTHAM, an urban district in the Medway parliamentary division of Kent, England, 10 m. W. by N. of Maidstone, on the South-Eastern & Chatham railway. Pop. (1901) 3571. The church of St George, Early English and later, contains numerous brasses; and near it is the site of a palace of the archbishops of Canterbury, maintained until the time of Archbishop Simon Islip (c. 1350). S.W. of Wrotham is the village of Ightham, in which is a fine quadrangular moated manor-house, the Mote, in part of the 14th century, but with portions of Tudor dates.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wright, William Aldis

See also William Aldis Wright on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WRIGHT, WILLIAM ALDIS (1836–), English man of letters, was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and in 1888 became vice-master of the college. He was one of the editors of the Journal of Philology from its foundation in 1868, and was secretary to the Old Testament revision company from 1870 to 1885. He edited the plays of Shakespeare published in the “Clarendon Press” series (1868–1897), also with W. G. Clark the “Cambridge” Shakespeare (1863–1866; 2nd ed. 1891–1893) and the "Globe" edition (1864). He published (1899) a facsimile of the Milton MS. in the Trinity College library, and edited Milton's poems with critical notes (1903). He was the intimate friend and literary executor of Edward FitzGerald, whose Letters and Literary Remains he edited in 1889. This was followed by the Letters of Edward FitzGerald to Fanny Kemble (1895), his Miscellanies (1900), More Letters of Edward FitzGerald (1901), The Works of Edward FitzGerald (7 vols., 1903). He edited the metrical chronicle of Robert of Gloucester (1887), Generydes (1878) for the Early English Text Society, and other texts.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Writers to the Signet

See also Society of Writers to Her Majesty's Signet on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WRITERS TO THE SIGNET, in Scotland, a society of law agents corresponding to solicitors in England. They were originally clerks in the secretary of state's office and prepared the different writings passing the signet; every summons is still signed on its last page by a writer to the signet. By the Titles to Land Consolidation (Scotland) Act 1868, they have the exclusive privilege of preparing all crown writs, charters, precepts, &c., from the sovereign or the prince of Scotland. They have no charter but are usually considered a corporation by long custom; they have office-bearers and are members of the College of Justice. On the Act of Union there was much debate as to whether writers to the signet should be eligible to the Scottish bench. It was finally decided that they should be eligible after ten years' practice. But, with the exception of Hamilton of Pencaitland in 1712, no writer to the signet has ever had a seat on the bench.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wright, Thomas (palaeontologist)

See also Thomas Wright (geologist) on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WRIGHT, THOMAS (1809–1884), British palaeontologist, was born at Paisley in Renfrewshire on the 9th of November 1809. He studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Dublin, and qualified as a doctor in 1832. Soon afterwards he settled at Cheltenham, and graduated M.D. at St Andrews in 1846. He devoted his leisure to geological pursuits, became and active member of the Cotteswold Naturalists' Club (founded in 1846), and gathered a fine collection of Jurassic ammonites and echinoderms. He contributed to the Palaeontographical Society monographs on the British fossil Echinodermata from the Oolitic and Cretaceous formations (1855–1882); he also began (1878) a monograph on the Lias ammonites of the British Islands, of which the last part was issued in 1885, after his death. He wrote many papers in the Ann. and Mag. Nat. Hist. and Proc. Cotteswold Club. The Wollaston medal was awarded to him by the Geological Society of London in 1878, and he was elected F.R.S. in 1879. He died at Cheltenham on the 17th of November 1884.
# 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Wrist

See also Wrist on Wikipedia; and our 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica disclaimer.
​WRIST, in anatomy, the carpus or carpal articulation in man, the joint by which the hand is articulated with the fore-arm (see Anatomy: Superficial and Artistic; and Skeleton: Appendicular). The word means by origin “that which turns,” and is formed from the O. Eng. wríðan, to twist.
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/N

(The list of articles on this page is incomplete)
N
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/Praise to God, immortal praise

​Praise to God, immortal praise. Anna Laetitia Barbauld, née Aikin. [Harvest.] This, the most popular and widely used both in Great Britain and America of Mrs. Barbauld's Hymns, first appeared in Dr. W. Enfield's Hys. for Public Worship, &c., Warrington, 1772, No. 35, in 9 st. of 4 l., and entitled, "Praise to God in Prosperity and Adversity." In the following year it was repeated in Mrs. Barbauld's (then Miss Aikin) Poems, Lond., J. Johnson, 1773, p. 115, without title, but with Habakkuk iii. 17, 18, "Although the fig-tree shall not blossom," &c., quoted as a note. It is not found in in many collections until 1812, when it was included by Dr. Collyer in his Coll., No, 689. From that date it gradually increased in use, sometimes in its complete form, but more frequently with abbreviations, extending to the omission of various stanzas, until in one or two cases it has been reduced to twelve lines only. The various centos, all beginning with, the same first line, are too numerous to analyse, save the more important and such as have additions made thereto by others. These are:—
1. In S. P. C. K. Hymns, 1852, No. 172. this cento is in 4 st. of 6 l., the first three of which are compiled, with alterations, from the original text, and the last "Peace, prosperity and health," from another source.
2. In Morrell and How's Ps. & Hys., 1875: the same three stanzas as above, and a new fourth stanza by Bishop How of 8 l. This text is repeated in Church Hymns, 1871, No. 280, with the last stanza by Bishop How reduced to 6 lines.
3. In the New Mitre Hymnal, 1875, from the original Mitre H. Bk., of 1836, with a doxology.
4. In Thring's Coll., 1882, No. 408, the cento is composed of 4 st. of 6 l. of which stanzas i., ii. are from the S. P. C. K. as above, and st. iv. a doxology.
Other centos may be traced out by consulting the original text in Lyra Brit., 1867, p. 33, or Lord Selborne's Book of Praise, 1862 and 1867, pp. 289–290. In addition to these centos, beginning with the original first line, there are also the following in C. U.:—
5. Praise to God, unceasing praise. This, in Francis Pott's Hymns, &c., 1861., is the S. P. C. K. Hymns text as above, with an alteration of the opening line.
6. Praise to God, exceeding praise. This, in T. Darling's Hys., &c., 1887, is from the original with alterations by Mr. Darling.
7. Lord, should rising whirlwinds tear. This, in the Presb. Ps. and Hys. for the Worship of God, Richmond, U.S.A., 1867, No. 431, is composed of st. iii.–vi. slightly altered.
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/R

(The list of articles on this page is incomplete)
R
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/O

(The list of articles on this page is incomplete)
O
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/P

(The list of articles on this page is incomplete)
P
# A Dictionary of Hymnology/Q

(The list of articles on this page is incomplete)
Q
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Megalostrata

MEGALOSTRATA, a Grecian Poetess, Friend of Alcmon the Lyrist, about 672, B. C.
None of her poems remain; but there are satires written against her.
F. C.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Merian, (Madame)

MERIAN (MADAME), see Gravio; born at Frankfort, 1647.
Famous for painting flowers, &c. in water colours; look several journeys, to forward her favourite study, particularly to the West Indies, where, during two months stay at Surinam, she painted after nature all the insects she could discover, which were published, with explanations in Latin, at Amsterdam, 1705, folio, and twice reprinted, in Latin and French. She published also a book of Caterpillars, their changes, and the plants ​they feed upon, which were much admired; and two on European insects. She died at Amsterdam, 1717.
L'Advocat's Biog.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Messalina

MESSALINA, Wife of the Roman Emperor Claudius.
Famous for her licentiousness and cruelty. She was put to death, A. D. 48.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Mavia

MAVIA, by Birth a Roman, and educated a Christian,
Was forced away by a troop of the Saracens of Pharan: and presented to Obedien, their prince, who was a Christian. From her great beauty, he made her his wife; and upon his death she became sole mistress of the kingdom; and immediately commenced hostilities with the Romans, (with whom they were at peace,) put herself at the head of her troops, made incursions into Palestine, as far as Phoenicia, ravaged the frontiers of Egypt, and was engaged in several battles, in which she obtained all the glory (A. D. 373, Valentinian, Valens, and Gratian, emperors). The commander in Phoenicia demanded succour of the general of the Eastern armies, who came with a considerable body of troops, and after severely taxing the cowardice of the commander, in not being able to resist a woman, commenced battle with her himself; ordering the commander to stand aloof as a simple spectator; but himself and army were soon forced to yield, and would have been cut to pieces, had not the Phoenician commander, forgetting the insult be had received, ran to his assistance, covered his retreat, and retired himself fighting, repulsing, and molesting the enemy with arrows. As the warlike princess continued to obtain all the advantage, the Romans were obliged to submit to ask for peace; to which she consented, on condition of their sending the anchorite Moses to be the bishop of her nation: this was performed, and idolatry destroyed in her kingdom. She maintained a strict alliance with the Romans, and gave her daughter in marriage to count Victor.
Histoire du Bas Empire.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Mayr, (Susanna)

MAYR (SUSANNA), a famous Painter,
F. C.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Matraini, (Clara Cantarini)

Her stile is said to be pure, correct, and full of force and elegance; her ideas clear, noble, and ingenious; and she particularly excels as a lyrist. Many of her pieces are in Rime di dirersi Signori Napolitani è d'altri, which was printed at Venice, 1566. The same are also printed separately. Many others are subjoined to her Letters, which were printed at Lucca, 1595. In these she appears well instructed in sacred history, and in theology in general; one of them, to her son, contains many useful maxims for manners and conduct. Her Christian Meditations, mixed with very beautiful scraps of poetry, and concluded by a fine ode to the Almighty, were also printed there. She wrote also a Life of the Virgin Mary, in which are many pieces of poetry; others are found in different collections. She was well skilled in the Platonic philosophy, was generally esteemed by the literati of that age, and corresponded with many of them.
F. C.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Metrana, (Anne)

METRANA (ANNE), one of the most celebrated Painters, at Turin, in the Beginning of this Century.
In painting portraits from nature, she advanced the glory of the art, having in this surpassed her mother, a very fine painter.
Abecedario Pitt.
# A Biographical Dictionary of the Celebrated Women of Every Age and Country/Matilda (of Tuscany)

MATILDA, Countess of Tuscany, Daughter of Boniface, Marquis of Mantua died 1115, aged 76.
Her mother Beatrice, sister of the emperor Henry III, after the death of Boniface, married Gazelo, duke of Lorrain, and contracted Matilda to Godfrey Gibbosus, or Crookback, duke of Spoleto and Tuscany, Gazelo's son by a former marriage. This formidable alliance, made without his consent, alarmed Henry, who marched into Italy, and made his sister prisoner; hoping that, by carrying her into Germany, he might dissolve the agreement, which gave him too powerful a rival in the government of that country. He died 1056, soon after his return; and the young Matilda's husband, in 1070. She was afterwards married to Azo V, marquis of Ferrara, from whom she was divorced by the pope, as she was also from her third husband Welpho V, duke of Bavaria, whom she married 1088. She parted from him 1095.
Dispossessed of her estates by the Emperor Henry III, she joined the popes, recovered all her own dominions, and dismembered from the empire many goodly territories, which, at her death, having had no issue, she gave for ever in fee to the see of Rome; ​which the emperors disputed or resigned, as suited their and their adversaries purposes.
The famous pontiff, Gregory VIIth, whom we must now consider as ambitious, insolent, and tyrannical, but who certainly seems to have acted under a mistaking sense of duty, and who undoubtedly was one of the greatest men of his age, as, bating his zeal for the aggrandizement of the popedom, he is allowed to be just and upright, was the friend of Matilda, who looked upon him as the first of mankind. When in 1077 the emperor Henry IV. was reduced to the character of a suppliant, the pope being at Canosa, in the Appenines, a fortress belonging to the countess, he remained three days in the outer court fasting and praying, before he could be admitted to make his submissions to the haughty pontiff, and then only obtained the favour at the intercession of Matilda and her companions. Her attachment to Gregory, and her hatred against the Germans (one of whom she considered as her protector, and the other as her natural enemy) was so great, that she defended him with great heroism, and on her death made over all her estates to the apostolic see; consisting of a great part of Tuscany, Mantua, Parma, Reggio, Placentia, Ferrara, Verona, and almost the whole of what was called the Patrimony of St. Peter, from Viterbo to Orvieto, together with part of Umbria, Spoleto, and the marquisate of Ancona.
Fortune, however, changing, the emperor deposed the pope, who died 1085. His last words, which showed that he was deceived in his own character, as well as his adherents, were: "I have loved justice, and hated iniquity, therefore I die in exile."
Matilda, who looked on the emperor with aggregated ​detestation, is said, in conjunction with pope Urban II, to have seduced his son Conrad into rebellion against his father; and, accordingly, the young prince assumed the title of king of Italy; but he soon died.
Modern History.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Laura

Layout 2
LAURA,
The beloved of Petrarch, is better known by that title, than by her own name of Laura de Noyes. She was born at Avignon, and ​married Hugo de Sade. Petrarch first saw her in 1327, and conceived a passion for her, which existed during her life; yet her chastity has never been called in question. Petrarch wrote three hundred and eighteen sonnets and eighty-eight songs, of which Laura was the subject. She died of the plague, in 1348, aged thirty-eight. She is said to have had a graceful figure, a sweet voice, a noble and distinguished appearance, and a countenance which inspired tenderness.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Lavalette, Emilie, Countess de

Layout 2
LAVALETTE, EMILIE, COUNTESS DE,
Niece of the Empress Josephine, married Marie Chamans Lavalette, aid-de-camp to Bonaparte. Her maiden name was Emilie Beauharnais. The manner in which the marriage was brought about is well described in the "Memoirs of Lavalette."
General Bonaparte, wishing to reward the bravery of his aid-de-camp, and being then restricted in his power, determined he should marry this niece of Madame Bonaparte. "I cannot make you a major," said Bonaparte, "I must therefore give you a wife. You shall marry Emilie Beauharnais. She is very handsome, and well educated."
Lavalette raised objections: he had no fortune, and was immediately to depart for Egypt with his chief; he urged that he might be killed there, or, which was perhaps his strongest objection, that the lady might not fancy him.
Bonaparte overruled all these objections, telling him that if he, Lavalette, was killed, his widow would have a pension, and might marry again advantageously; and concluded by saying, "The wedding shall take place in eight days. I will allow you a fortnight for the honeymoon. You must then come and join us at Toulon, Come, come, the thing is all settled. Tell the coachman to drive home."
Lavalette tells the story of his brief wooing; but it will be sufficient to say that he won the consent of the beautiful girl, who was then at boarding-school, and that a fortnight after their marriage he left his bride, and joined the expedition to Egypt. In eighteen months he returned, and was most affectionately welcomed by his wife, who presented to him their infant daughter; the happiness of the married pair was complete, and their affection for each other continued faithful and true during years of prosperity.
On the restoration of the Bourbons, the Count Lavalette was imprisoned and condemned to death. His wife tried every means to obtain his pardon, and, failing in this, she proposed to him, the night before his execution, to put on her dress, and imitating her walk and manner, holding his handkerchief to his face, as if he were weeping, to go out from the prison, and when once in the street, she had provided means for his safety. As they were about the same height, the deception succeeded, and Count Lavalette escaped to Belgium, but his wife was kept for six weeks in prison, and not allowed to see any one but her jailor. She passed twenty-five days without sleep, fearing at every moment that she might see her husband brought back a prisoner. This anxiety at length produced insanity, which continued, with some intervals of rationality, during her whole life. Lavalette left France in 1816; in 1822 he was allowed to return, and from that time till his death devoted himself to the care of his wife.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Landa, Catharine

Layout 2
LANDA, CATHARINE,
Was eminent for her beauty and learning. She wrote a letter in Latin to Peter Bembo, which, with his answer, is printed in that author's works. She died in 1626, at a very early age.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Lane, Jane

Layout 2
LANE, JANE,
A woman of great spirit and sagacity, assisted in the escape of Charles the Second after the battle of Worcester. The royal fugitive, disguised in her father's livery, rode before her on horseback from Bentley Hall, in Staffordshire, to Mr. Norton's, near Bristol. Charles, on his restoration, rewarded her amply; and she married Sir Clement Fisher, Bart., of Packington Hall, in Warwickshire.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Lannoy, The Countess of

Layout 2
LANNOY, THE COUNTESS OF,
By birth Countess of Loos Coswaren. She was born at the castle of Gray, in Brabant, in 1767. In 1788 she espoused the Count de Lannoy, and emigrated with him when the Low Countries were overrun by the French armies of the republic. Having lost all their property by confiscation, like many other families of rank, they were reduced to the utmost need in a strange land. All their resources lay in the energy and ability of the countess. She had always devoted herself to music for the gratification of her taste, and had even attempted composition; she now made it a profession, and gave instructions with success in the city of Berlin. She published several trios for the piano, violin, and violoncello; several songs, with an accompaniment for the harp and the piano; with other pieces of music for those instruments. In 1801, she was permitted to, return to Belgium with her family, but was obliged to go through with a tedious lawsuit, which involved all her fortune. After several anxious years, the suit was lost, and she was obliged to take refuge at Paris, with her daughters, where, by resuming her musical labours, she obtained a scanty living. She died in 1822.
# A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Lapierre, Sophie

Layout 2
LAPIERRE, SOPHIE,
A pretty Parisian singer, was a member of the conspiracy, which was formed in 1795, to overthrow the Directory, and replace the authority in the hands of the people. Sophie, and several other women, were taken prisoners with the conspirators, and she confronted her judges with the greatest composure, and even levity. As, however, she could only be accused of singing republican songs, she was acquitted.