V A V
Vastus Externa?, fprings from the Root of the great Trochanter, and from the Lined Afpera ; outwardly tendi- nous and inwardly flefhy ; and defending obliquely forwards, becomes, vice verfa, tendinous inwardly and flefhy outward- ly ; till meeting the Tendon of the ReSius, it grows quite tendinous, and is inferred together with it.
Vastus Interims, arifes Tikewife partly tendinous, and partly flefhy, from the Lined Afpera, immediately below the lefs Trochanter, upon the outfide of the Tibia ; and is continued almoft to the lower Apophyfcs thereof, on the in- fide : whence ,t defends obliquely, and growing tendinous, is inferted with the former,
VAT, or Fat, a kind of VeffeJ, ufed to hold Wine, Ale, Beer, Syder, or any other Liquor, in the time of its Preparation.
VATICAN, is properly the Name of one of the feven Hills wheteon Rome Hands : On the Foot hereof is the famous Church of St. Teter, hence called the Vatican ; and a magnificent Palace of the Pope, which has the (ame De- nomination.
Hence arife divers figurative Expreffions ; as, the Thun- derbolt iff the Vatican, q. d. the Pope's Anathema, t$c.
The Library of the Vatican is one of the moll celebra- ted in the World : It is particularly remarkable for its Ma- nuscripts. Towards the beginning of the laft Century, it was greatly augmented by the addition of that of the Elec- tor \Palatine. It is open to all the World three or four times a- Week.
In it are fhewn a Virgil, Terence, &c. above a thoufand Teats old ; the Manufcript whereon the Edition of the Sep- tuagint was made ; and abundance of Rabbinical Manu- fcripts. See Library.
The Word, according to Aldus Gellius, is derived from Vaticinium, Prophecy ; by realon of the Oracles and Pre- dictions which were ufed to be deliver'd there by the Infpi- ration of an antient Deity, called Vaticanus ; who was fup- pofed to unbind the Organ of Speech in new-born Children ; and whom others will have to be no orher rhan Jupiter, confider'd in that Capacity.
VATICINATION, the Aft of Prophecying or Divining. See Divination, and Prophecy.
VAVASOR, or Valvasor, or Vavasour, or Valva- sour, in our antient Cuftoms, a Diminutive of Vajfal, or Vaff'or ; fignifying iVaffal of a Vajfal, or one who held a Fee of another Vajfal. See Vassal.
Tet, Camden, and others, hold Vavafor to be a Dignity, next below that of a Baron : He adds, that the VVotd is form'd of Vas fortitum ad Valetudinem, a Veffel chofen for Safety, and Health.
Some derive the Word a valvis, quafi obligatus fit adflare ad valvas Domini, vel digitus fit eas intrare ; as being a Perfon oblig'd to wait at his Lord's Door, or worrhy to en- ter thereat : But the Etymology is ridiculous enough.
T)u Cange fays, they were call'd Valvafires, and Valva- fini ; and were of two Kinds : the great, called Valvafires, who held ot the King ; fuch were Counts and Barons : and the lejfer, call'd Valvafini, who held of the former.
VAVASORY, the Quality of the Lands, or Fee held by a Vavafor.
There are bafe Vavafories, and frank, or noble Vavafo- ries ; according as it hath pleas'd the Lord to make his Va- vafour.
Safe Vavafories are thofe for which the Lord of the Fee owes Summage, Light-horfe, Rents, or other Services.
Free Vavafories are fuch as are exempt from thefe Services. §hlod dicitur de Saroma non eft obfervandum in Vavaforia, vel aliis minoribus feodis quam Saroma, quia caput non habent ficut Saronia. Braft. Lib. II. cap. 39.
VAUDOIS, or Valtenses, or Waltenses, a Name given to a Soft of Chrillians, who made their firtt appear- ance about the Year nffo ; or, as others will have it, about the Year 1 1 18.
The Occafion of their Rife is thus deliver'd : ' In an
Affembly of feveral. of the more confiderable Citizens of
Lyons, one of 'em fell down Suddenly dead in the middle.
Upon which, 'Pierre Valdo, who was one of the Number, being {truck with the Accident, diftributed a large Sum of Money among the Poor on the Spot. This drawing a gteat number of People to follow him, he exhorted them to embrace a voluntary Poverty, after the Example of Je- fus Chrift and his Apoflles : And as he was a Man of fome learning, he expounded to 'em the New Teftament in the vulgar Tongue.
' The Clergy foon began to cry out on him as a rafh In- truder : bur he, deTpifing their Reprimands, Hill held on 5 and even went further. For the Accufations of the Priefls having exafperated him, he began to declaim againft 'em; expos'd their corrupt Lives and Morals ; and even, by de- grees, came to cenfure fome of the Corruptions in the Difcipline and Docfrine of the Church.' And this pav'd fome of the way to the Reformation.
The Vaudois had their Name from this Valdo, whofe Re- tainers they were. They were alio call'd Lyonifts, and-^Si?- hatez, or Infabatez, or Enfabatex,.
[ 283 ]
V A U
as in zxRomei and with Plaifter, on Timber
VAULT, Fornix, in Architecture, an arch'd Roof, fd contriv'd, as that the feveral Vo'ffoirs, or Vault-Stones whereof it confiils, do by their Difpolition fuitain each other. See Arch.
Faults are to be prefer'd, on many Occafions, to Soffits, or Mat Uchngs, as they give a greater Rife and Elevation 5 and beiides, are more firm and durable. See Cieling, Roof, &c.
The Antients, Salmafim obferves, had only three Kinds of Vaults: Thefirft, the Fornix, made Cradle-wife; the Jecond, Teftudo, Tortoife wife, call'd by the French Cut de Four ; or Oven-wile : The third Concha, or Trumpet-wife, as growing narrower and narrower.
But the Moderns fubdivide thefe three Sorts into a great many more, to which they give different Names, according to their Figures and Ufes : Some are Circular, others El- liptical, &c.
The Sweeps of fome, again, are larger, others lefs Por- tions of a Sphere ; All above Hernifpheres are call'd high, or furmounted Vaults ; all that are lefs than Hernifpheres, are lew, oxfurbafed Vaults, or T'ejiudines, &c.
In fome the Height is greater than the Diameter ; in others 'tis lefs : There are others, again, quire flat, only made with Haunfes ; others Oven like, or in form of a Cut de Four, &c. others growing wider as they lengthen, like a Trumpet.
There are likewife Gothic Vaults, with Ogives, &c.
Of Vaults, again, fome ate, Jingle, others double, crofs, diagonal, horizontal, afcendwg, descending, angular, oblique, fendent, ckc. See Ogive, Groin, Pendentive, &c.
Mafter- Vaults, are thole which cover the principal Parts of Buildings ; in contradiltinftion to the lejjer, or fubordi- nate Vaults, which only cover fome little Part; as a Paffage, a Gate, &c.
^Double Vault, is fuch a one as being built over another, to make the exterior Decoration range with the interior, leaves a Space between the Convexity of the one, and the Conca- vity of the other ; as in the Dome of St. 'Peter's at Rome.
Vaults with Compartments, are fuch whofe Sweep, or in- ner Face, is enrich'd with Pannels of Sculpture, feparated by Plat-bands : Thefe Compartments, which are of different Figures, according to the Vaults, and ufually gilt, on a white Ground, are made with Stuc, on Brick Walls ; as in the Church of St. 'Peter' Vaults.
theory of "Vaults.
A Semicircular Arch, or Vault, {landing on two c Piedroits f or Impolls, and all the Stones that compofe them, being cur and placed in fuch manner, as that their Joints, or Beds, being prolong'd, do all meet in the Cenrre of the Vault ; 'tis evident, all the Stones mull be in form of Wedges, i, e. mult be wider and bigger a-top than at bottom : by virtue of which, they futlain each oiher, and mutually oppofe the Effort of their Weight, which determines them to fall.
The Stone in the middle of the Vault, which ftands per- pendicular to the Horizon, and is call'd the Key of the Vault, is futtain'd on each fide by two contiguous Stones, juft as by two inclined Planes : and of confequence, the Ef- fort it makes to fall, is not equal to its Weight.
But Hill, that Effort is greater, as the inclined Planes are lefs inclin'd ; fo that, if they were infinitely little in- clined, i. e. if they were perpendicular to the Horizon, as well as the Key, it wou'd tend to fall with its whole Weight ■ and wou'd actually fall :, but for the Mortar.
The feennd Stone, which is on the right or left of the Key- Stone, is fullain'd by a third; which, by virtue of the Figure ot the Vault, is neceffnily more inclin'd to the fecond, than the fecond is to the firlt ; and of confequence, the fecond, in the Etrbrt it makes to fall, employs a lefs Part of its Weight than the firft.
For the fame Reafon, all the Stones, reckoning from the Key-Stone, employ Hill a lefs and lefs Part of their Weight, to the laft ; which retting on a horizontal Plane, employs no part of its Weight ; or, which is the fame thing, makes no effort to fall ; as being entirely fupported by the Import.
Now, in Vaults, a great Point to be aim'd at, is, that all the Vovffoirs, or Stones, make an equal effort towards falling : To effect this, it is vifible, that as fuch (reckoning from the Key to the Import) employ a Hill lefs and lefs Part of its whole Weight, the firft, for Inftance, only em- ploying one half; the fecond, one third ; the third, one fourth, &c. there is no other way to make thole different Parts equal, but by a proportionable Augmentation of the whole, i, e. the fecond Stone muft be heavier than the firit ; the third than the fecond, &c. to the laft; which fhould be infinitely heavier.
M. de la Hire demonstrates, what that Proportion is, in which the Weights of the Stones of a Semicircular Arch, muft be increafed, to be in Equilibrio, or to tend with equal Forces to fall ; which is the firmed Difpofition a Vault can have.
Befoto
