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Thefe Vigils came, by degrees, to be fo eniargM, that at laft all the Day preceeding the Holy-day was call'd by this Name.
V1GILIA, that State of an Animal which is oppofite to Sleep, and popularly call'd Waking, or Watching. See Sleep, and Waking.
V1GINTIVIRATE, a Dignity among the antient Ro- man^ eitabli/h'd by Ctffar.
This Dignity comprehended four others ; for of the Vi- gintiviri, or twenty Men which compos'd the Company, there were three who fat and judg'd of all Criminal Afrairs ; three others had the Infpeclion of the Coins and Coinage ; four took Care of the Streets of Rome j and the reft were Judges of Civil Affairs.
VILL. See Village.
VILLA Regis, a Title antiently given to thofe Villages where the Kings of England had a Royal Seat, and held the Manor in their own Demefn.
VILLAGE, Villa, or Vill, an Affemblage of Houfes, inhabited chiefly by Peafants and Farmers, having ufually a Church, but no Market.
The want of a Market diftinguimes it from a Town, as the Church does from a Green, Street, l$c. See Town,££c.
The Word is French, form'd of i>/7, or vilis, low, mean, contemptible.
Among our Saxon Anceftors, Vill or Village was ufed in the Senfe of the Roman Villa ; via, for a Country Farm or Seat, furnifh'd with convenient Out-houfes, £S?c. for reporting the Fruits thereof
Afterwards it came to be taken for a Manor, then for part of a Parilri, or the Parifli it felf. See Parish.
Hence, in feveral antient Law-Books, Vill and 'Tarijb are the fame thing : Accordingly, Fortefcue, de Laudibus Leg. Ang. writes, That the Boundaries of Villages., are not by Houles, Streets, or Walls, but by a large Circuit of Ground, within which may be divers Hamlets, Waters, Woods, l$c.
Fleta makes this difference between a Man/ion, a Village, and a Manor ; that a Manfion may confift of one, or more Houfes j tho it is only to be one Dwelling-place, without any other very near it : for if other Houfes be contiguous, 'tis then a Village. A Manor may confift of one or more Vil- lages. See Mansion, and Manor.
For the better Government of Villages, the Lord of the Soil has ufually a Power to hold a Court-Baron, every three Weeks. See CovRT-Baron.
VILLAIN, in our antient Cuftoms, the fame with 'Bond- man. See Bondman.
In Doomfday Book he is call'd Servus, Servant, Slave. See Servant, Slave, ££?c.
A Villain was one who held Lands in Villenage, or on condition of rendering bafe Services to his Lord. See Ser- vice.
There were antiently in England two forts of Villains, viz. Villains hi Grofs, who were bound immediately to the Perfons of their Lords, and to their Heirs 5 and Villains re- gardant to a Manor : Thefe the Civilians call Glebtff Afcrip- ii 5 and they were bound to their Lord, as Members be- longing to fuch a Manor, of which he was owner.
This latter was a pure Villain, of whom the Lord took Redemption to marry his Daughter, and to make him free; and he might put him out of his Lands and Tenements at his Will ; might beat and chaftife him, but not maim him.
There are not properly any fuch Villains now, tho the Law concerning them ftands unrepeal'd.
The Lands before held in Villenage, are now held in free and common Socage. See Tenure, Socage, &c.
They were call'd Villains from Villa ; becaufe they dwelt in Villages : The fame were alfo call'd <Page?ifes, and Ruf- tici 5 and of fuch fervile Condition were they, that they were ufually fold with the Farm to which they refpe£Hvely belong'd.
Villain Ejlate, or Condition, is contradiftinguifh'd to Free Eftate. See Free Ejlate.
VILLAINOUS Judgment, is that which cafts the Re- proach and Stain of Villany and Shame on him againft whom it is given. See Judgment.
Such is that againft a Confpirator, &c.
Lambard calls it Villainous < PttwJJoment 5 and fays, It may well be call'd Villainous, in regard the Judgment, in fuch Cafe, /hall be like the antient Judgment in attaint, viz. that the Criminals /hall not be of any Credit afterwards $ nor /hall it be lawful for them, in Perfon, to approach the King's Court : That their Lands and Goods fhall be feiz'd into the King's Hands, their Trees rooted up, their Bodies imprifon'd, Z$c.
VILLENAGE, or Villainage, a fervile kind of Te- nure of Lands or Tenements ; whereby the Tenant was bound to do all fuch Service as the Lord commanded, or were fir for a Villain to perform. See Villain.
This BraBon exprefles by, Sciri non potent vefpere, quale ftroitium fieri debet Mane.
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Villenage is divided into that by Blood, and that by Te- nure.
T"enure\n Villenage, could make no Freeman a Villain^ imlefs it were continu'd time out of Mind ; nor could free Land make a Villain free. See Tenure.
Villenage is alfo divided by Brafton into "Pure Villenage^ where the Services to be perform'd were indeterminate and arbitrary, as above exprels'd ; and Socage Villenage, which was to carry the Lord's Dung into his Fields, to plough his Ground on certain Days, fow and reap his Corn, &c. and even to empty his Jakes; as the Inhabitants of Bicktoa were bound to do to the Lord of Clun-Cajlle in Shropjbire: which was afterwards turn'd into a Rent, now call'd Bickton Silver ; and the Villatnous Service excus'd.
VILLI, Coarfe Hair, in Anatomy, is ufed in the fame Scnfe as Fibres, or Fibrilltg. See Fibre.
In Botany, Villi denotes a fort of Tomentuffi, or Down, like the Grain or Shag of Plu/h ; with which, as a kind of Excrefcence, fome Trees do abound.
VILLOUS, Villosa, is particularly apply'd to one of the Coats or Membranes of the Stomach, cali'd Crufta Vil- lofa. See Stomach, £J?c.
It takes its Name from innumerable Villi, or fine Fibrill<g, wherewith its inner Surface is cover'd. See Crusta Villofa.
VINALIA, in Antiquity, a Name common to twoFcafts among the antient Romans ; the one in honour of Jupiter, and the ether of Venus. See Feast.
The firft was held on the 19th of Augufl, and the fecond on the ill of May.
The Vinali a of the 19th of Jugufi were call'd Vinalia Ruftica, and were inftituted on occafion of the War of the Latins againft Mezentius; in the Courfe of which War, that People vow'd a Libation to Jupiter of all the Wine of the fucceeding Vintage.
On the fame Day likewife fell the Dedication of a Tem- ple of Venus ; whence fome Authors have fallen into a Mif- take, that thefe Vinalia were facred to Venus, But VarrO, LLL. V. and Feflits, in Verbo Rzijlica, dillinguifh between the two Ceremonies ; and exprefly affert the Vinalia to be a Feaft of Jupiter.
VINCULUM, in Fluxions, denotes fome compound Surd Quantity's being multiply'd into a Fluxion, $$c.
Thus, in this Expreffion , a x 1/ a x — -on, t he Vincu- luni is the compound Surd, y/ ox — a a, which is x ! into a x .
VINDEMIATING, the gathering of Grapes* or other ripe Fruits ; as Apples, Pears, Cherries, &c.
The Word is form'd of the Latin Vindemia, Vintage. See Vintage.
V1NDEMIATRIX, a Fixed Star of the third Magni- tude, in the Confteliation Virgo ; whofe Longitude, Latitude, E5?r. fee among the reft of thofe of Virgo.
VINDICATION, Claiming, in the Civil Law, an Aaion arifing from the Property a Perfon has in any thing : or a Permiflion to take or feize a thing as one's own, out of the Hands of a Perfon whom the Law has doom'd not to be the true Proprietor.
VINE, a Noble Plant or Shrub, of the Reptile Kind ; famous for its Fruit, or Grapes, and for the Liquor they af- ford. See WinE.
The Kinds of Vines are almoft infinite ; denominated, either from the Soil and Place where they grow ; as the Bourguignon, Bourdelas, Italian, Mantua Vine, &c. or from the Form, Colour, Tafte, &c. of their Grapes 5 as the Acorn, Apricot, Damalk, Birds-bill, Mufcadine, &d See Grape.
Our Gardeners find, that Vines are capable of being culti- vated in England, fo as to produce large Quantities of Grapes ; and thofe ripen'd to fuch a degree, as may afford a good fubUantial vinous Juice. Witnefs the Vineyards in So- merfetjh ire ; particularly that famous one at Bath.
In effect, it does not feem fo much owing to the Incle- mency of our EngHjb Air, that our Grapes are generally in- ferior to thofe of France, &c. as to the want of a juft cul- ture.
Thofe fitteft for the Englijb Climate, Mr. Mortimer finds to be the fmall black Grape, the white Mufcadine, Parfley Grape, Mufcadilla, white and red Frontigniac. — Mr. Brad"- ley recommends the July Grape, the early fweet Water Grape lately brought from the Canaries ; the Arbo'ts, or French fweet Water Grape : All which, if well manag'd, and the Weather favourable, are ripe by the middle of Auguft. He alfo recommends the Claret and Burgundy Grapes.
The beft Soil for Vines, according to Mortimer, is the hotteft Gravel, Sand, or dry rocky Ground ; provided it be well water'd and /haded. At 'firft planting, Mr. Brad- ley recommends chalky Hills, as proper for Vines.
To mend a Soil that wants thofe Qualities, 'tis good to throw in the rubbi/h of old Buildings, well mix'd with twice as much Earth and lifted about the Roots of the Vines*. See Vineyard.
I i i i Vines
