RHYMER, Thomas the, an ancient Scottish bard, flourished in the thirteenth century. His surname was Learmont; the appellation of Rhymer was conferred upon him in consequence of his verses, while his territorial designation of De Ercildoune was derived from the village of that name in Berwickshire, situated upon the Leader, two miles from its junction with the Tweed. This place, according to unvarying tradition, was the residence, and probably the birthplace, of the bard; and here, after the lapse of seven centuries, the ruins of his tower are still pointed out. There is satisfactory evidence that Thomas of Ercildoune was a man of rank, and enjoyed the friendship of the nobles of his day. He appears to have acquired at a very early period the reputation of a prophet, and many curious notices of his predictions are scattered through the works of Barbour, Wyntoun, Bower, and Blind Harry. Some metrical prophecies vulgarly attributed to the Rhymer seem to have been current in the reigns of James V., Queen Mary, and James VI., and were collected and published both in Latin and English. At the time of the union with England his predictions were often quoted by the Scottish people, and even at the present day many rhymes ascribed to Thomas of Ercildoune are current in Scotland, especially in the border districts of the country. He must have died before the close of the thirteenth century, as his son, in a charter dated in 1299, designates himself "Thomas of Ercildoune, son and heir of Thomas Rymour of Ercildoune."—J. T.
RIBADENEIRA, Pietro, a Jesuit father and historian of the order, and of its founder, born in 1527; died in 1611.—(See Loyola.) It was not until several voluminous compilations by members of the society had appeared, that this writer came forward with the intention, as it seems, of giving to the world a comprehensive and trustworthy biography of Ignatius Loyola, and a narrative of the rise of the order of Jesus. The Bollandists, in their Acta Sanctorum, had taken the lead in their exhaustive and voluminous manner. The Spaniard Ludovico Gonsalvo had also used well the advantage he possessed as having had a personal acquaintance with Loyola; and it was the materials furnished by this writer which Ribadeneira took as the text or foundation of his own work. His life of the founder of the order is voluminous, and in many instances he corrects the misstatements or exaggerations of other writers, especially those of Maffei. A warm advocate of the Jesuit order, he nevertheless writes cautiously, and in a manner that inspires confidence. This writer was followed by Orlandinus, in whose bulky volume, which is recognized as the authentic history of the society, the name of Ribadeneira frequently occurs; and it must be from these incidental references that any notices of his personal history are to be gleaned. While yet a boy he had been admitted into the society, and sent to the university of Paris for his education (1542), where he must have made rapid progress, for only seven years later he was selected to pronounce an oration in commendation of the society before the magnates of Palermo on a signal occasion. On his return thence he was sent on special commissions into Germany and Belgium, to Strasburg, to Louvain, and other places, where his talents as a preacher and disputant were found to be available for the purposes of the society, and especially when those whom Olandinus designates as the arch heretics were to be encountered and refuted, such as Melancthon, Erasmus, and other monsters of that stamp.—I. T.
RIBALTA, Francesco, a celebrated Spanish historical and portrait-painter, born at Castellon de la Plana in 1551. After studying some time at Rome he settled in Valencia, where he earned a great reputation, and where the majority of his finest works are still preserved, comprising some important altarpieces, and other religious works; his drawing, colouring, and composition being all of a superior character. His style somewhat resembles that of Sebastian del Piombo, whose works formed the chief subject of his studies in Rome. Ribalta died in 1628.—(Cean Bermudez, Diccionario Historico, &c.; Ford, Handbook for Travellers in Spain.)—R. N. W.
RIBERA, Francisco de, a learned Spanish Jesuit, born in 1537, and educated at Salamanca. He became a member of the Society of Jesus in 1570, and filled the chair of divinity at Salamanca till his death, which occurred in 1591. His works consist of commentaries on the minor prophets, on the Gospel of John, and on the Epistle to the Hebrews; a treatise "De templo et iis quæ ad templum pertinent;" and a life of St. Theresa.—F. M. W.
RICARDO, David, the eminent political economist, was born in London in 1772, the third son of a numerous family. His father, who was of the Jewish persuasion, was a native of Holland, and early in life settling in England, became a prosperous member of the London Stock Exchange. He received a business education, from which the classical element was excluded, and at fourteen became a confidential assistant of his father. When the younger Ricardo, however, abandoned the Jewish faith, and made a marriage disagreeable to the elder, a breach between father and son ensued, which terminated their business connection. Ricardo started on his own account in the Stock Exchange, and with great success, amassing a very large fortune. As he prospered, he devoted more time to the study of literature and science; and in 1819 entered the house of commons as member for Portarlington, which he represented until his death in 1823, frequently speaking on financial and economical subjects, and voting with the liberal opposition. As early as 1799 he had become acquainted with the Wealth of Nations, and the nature of his business fostered the taste thus acquired for the study of political economy. His first work was originally published in the Morning Chronicle, at the instance of Mr. Perry, its editor, during the year 1809, and in the form of letters. Reprinted as a pamphlet, with the title "The High Price of Bullion a proof of the depreciation of Bank Notes," it went through several editions, and the date of its publication preceded that of the appointment of the famous bullion committee, the deliberations of which it influenced, while its principles were afterwards embodied in their report. In 1815 Mr. Ricardo published an essay "On the influence of a low price of corn on the profits of stock," in which he advocated free trade in corn, a subject which he resumed in 1822, when he published a pamphlet an "Protection to Agriculture." He was not, however, for an unconditional repeal of the duty on corn; himself a large landed proprietor, he considered the special burdens on land to constitute a claim for the imposition of a small fixed duty. In 1820 he contributed to the Encyclopædia Britannica an article on the "Funding System." At his death he left behind him a pamphlet recommending the establishment of a national bank. His chief work, "On the principles of political economy and taxation," was published in 1817, and alike by those who rejected, and by those who accepted its doctrines, has been always recognized as a very distinguished contribution to the literature of political economy. In this work, discarding all Adam Smith's limitations and modifications of the principle, such for instance, that it is chiefly true of the earlier stages of society, Mr. Ricardo sought to demonstrate that the exchangeable value of commodities, or their worth as compared with each other, depends always and under all circumstances on the quantities of labour necessarily required to produce them and bring them to market. For a further account of his life and writings see the sketch of both, prefixed by Mr. M'Culloch to his edition of Ricardo's works published in 1846.—F. E.
* RICASOLI, Bettino, Baron, an influential Italian statesman, and successor of Count Cavour in the office of prime minister to Victor Emmanuel, is descended from one of the most ancient Florentine families, bearing a name constantly recurring throughout the whole of the middle ages in connection with the highest offices, municipal and political, of the republic. He inherited an estate, which the misfortunes and improvidence of his immediate forefathers had dilapidated and almost destroyed. But instead of following the usual course, and seeking to retrieve his fortunes by placing his abilities and hereditary name at the disposal of the sovereign, he set himself carefully to manage and diligently to improve his estates by the application of new and enlightened agricultural experiments and processes, of which his country at the same time reaped the benefit, and succeeded in ultimately freeing his extensive estates from all the burdens which encumbered them. In 1847 when Tuscany, in common with the rest of Italy, awakened to political existence, the baron, as he was familiarly termed, was at once regarded as one of the natural leaders of his fellow-citizens. In connection with several other distinguished patriots, he established a newspaper, which contributed powerfully to instruct the people, and to fit them for exercising their newly-acquired privileges of freedom. On the break up of the Ridolfi cabinet in 1848, Ricasoli was intrusted with the task of forming an administration, but his efforts were feebly seconded and proved unsuccessful. He concurred in the recall of the grand-duke in 1849, but on condition that he should not call in the Austrians. Leopold, however, soon afterwards
