finally compelled to yield to Marlborough. In 1706 he lost the battle of Ramillies, and that of Malplaquet in 1709. At the latter he was dangerously wounded, and had to be carried from the field. The peace of Rastadt in 1714 interrupted for a protracted season his military career; and throughout the chief part of his after-life he was immersed in the business and intrigues of state. There is comparatively little that can interest the general reader in Villars' history from 1714 to 1732. In the last-named year, on the occurrence of a breach between France and Austria, he was sent to command in Italy; and during the campaigns of 1733-34 he exhibited, although upwards of eighty, all the fiery vigour that marked his youth. On his way back to France he became ill at Turin, and died 17th June, 1734.—J. J.
VILLARS, Montfaucon de, a French abbé, born near Toulouse in 1635, and related to Montfaucon, the antiquary. He came to Paris hoping to recommend himself by his talents in the pulpit, and on arriving there produced several works of imagination and criticism. One of these, "Le Comte de Gabalis, ou entretiens sur les science secrettes," when it first appeared in 1670 was universally read as innocent and amusing. It was afterwards proscribed, and its author denied the pulpit. Villars was assassinated on the road to Lyons in 1673.—W. J. P.
VILLASANDINO, Alfonso Alvarez de, a Spanish poet of the fifteenth century. He flourished about 1440. Villasandino was one of the most popular poets of his day, but is now in great measure forgotten. We gather from his poems that he was a soldier and a courtier, that he was twice married, and heartily repented his second match, and that his life was passed in poverty and dependence. The most of his poems which are extant, are to be found in the bulky collection made by Baena for the amusement of Juan II. But they now possess little more than a historical value, though in his own time their author was glorified as "the light, and mirror, and crown, and monarch of all the poets that had lived in Spain." One of his short poems, a hymn to the Madonna, was so great a favourite with him that he used to say it would surely clear him, in the other world, from the power of the arch-enemy; but however that might be, it has not saved him from neglect in this.—R. M., A.
VILLEGAGNON or VILLEGAIGNON, Nicolas Durand de, nephew of Villiers de l'Isle-Adam, chevalier of Malta, and a celebrated adventurer, was born of an ancient and noble family at Provins about the year 1510. From his earliest youth he had manifested a taste for polite literature, which, added to his other accomplishments and handsome person, made him one of the most distinguished men of his time. He became chevalier when he was little more than twenty years of age, and won his first honours in the galleys belonging to his order. Having subsequently followed Charles V., who was then at peace with France, into Africa, he was severely wounded in an encounter with a stalwart Moor before the town of Algiers. After the termination of the campaign he retired for a time to Rome, where while he was recovering from his wounds, he amused himself with writing an account of the expedition, which was published at Paris in 1542 under the following title—"Caroli V. imperatoris expeditio in Africam ad Arginam." Villegagnon was one of the chevaliers who contended for the honour of hurrying to the aid of Mary, queen of Scotland, who had shortly before succeeded to the throne when but a few days old; and it was he who commanded the ship that carried her to France in 1548. After serving against the Turks in one of their periodical contests with the Maltese, he was appointed vice-president of Brittany by Henry II. But he soon after got into bad blood with the governor of Brest, and not being willing to abide the consequences of the quarrel, he besought the government to allow him to go and found a settlement in South America; his reason, or alleged reason, being that a French colony in that country would divide the attention of the Spaniards, and so diminish their power. But there is another way of telling the story: Villegagnon, it is said, having gone over to the protestant faith, intended the colony which he purposed to found as a refuge for his fellow-religionists, who were then suffering persecution at the hands of Henry. But whatever his original design might be, certain it is that he obtained through the influence of Admiral Coligni, who had also already cast in his lot with the Huguenots, a couple of vessels of two hundred tons burthen and an ample supply of provisions, together with the sum of ten thousand livres. The adventurers, amongst whom besides artisans and soldiers were a number of persons of gentle birth, set sail from Havre in July, 1555, but were forced through stress of weather to put in to Dieppe. Having, however, made the necessary repairs, they again shortly after put to sea, and after a stormy passage entered the river Ganabara, in the district of Rio Janeiro, on the 10th November of the same year. There on a small island Villegagnon erected a fort, which he called, after his patron, Fort Coligni. As soon as he had collected sufficient native merchandise to lade his two vessels, he sent them back to France with despatches to the admiral, in which he asked for further supplies, and also for more soldiers and arms in order to put his settlement in a proper state of defence against the savages and the Portuguese, the latter of whom had made themselves masters of all the coast. Coligni the following year sent out three vessels, with two hundred and ninety men, six children (to learn the language of the natives), and five young women, headed by a matron. These ships, which were commanded by Bois le Comte, a nephew of Villegagnon's, also brought out two Genevese pastors, Pierre Richier and Guillaume Chartier. Jean de Lery, a gentleman from whose account of the adventure these particulars are taken, was also of the number. But before the arrival of these reinforcements, discontent and disaffection had broken out in the little colony; and though order and quiet were for the moment restored, the old evils were not long in again showing themselves. Villegagnon, in fact, wanted the wisdom and prudence necessary in the leader of such an expedition. He was besides harsh and oppressive; and when at length religious differences sprung up, all hopes of a successful issue to the adventure were gone. The malcontents in a short while departed for the mother country. Five of these, it is said, finding that the vessel drew water, returned to Fort Coligni; but the poor creatures, at least three of them, were drowned by the inhuman orders of the governor. Villegagnon had by this time openly abandoned the protestant creed, and being himself abandoned by his followers and the colony going quickly to ruin, he left some soldiers in the fort with a promise of speedy succour, and returned to France, where he was much blamed for his gross mismanagement. In 1568 he was appointed representative of the order of Malta at the court of France, a post which he resigned on account of his infirmities in 1570. He died on the 9th January of the following year, at a commandery of the order of Malta called Beauvais. It is in the Gâtinois, near S. Jean de Nemours. He maintained an animated controversy with Calvin, who, greatly disappointed, as he well might, by the issue of an expedition which promised such great things to the oppressed Huguenots, had stirred his temper by calling him an atheist. Besides the work already mentioned, he wrote a book entitled "De hello Melitensi et ejus eventu Francis imposito," Paris, 1553. His controversial writings are the following:—"Réponse aux remonstrances faites à la Reine, Mére du Roi;" "Les propositions contentieuses entre le Chevalier de Villegagnon et de Jean Calvin, &c.;" "Réponse par le Chevalier de Villegagnon sur la résolution des sacremens de Jean Calvin;" "Réponses aux libelles et injures publiez contre lui;" "De Cœnæ Controversia Phil. Melancthonis judicio;" "Liber ad articulos Calvinianos;" "De consecratione mystici sacramenti et duplici Christi oblatione."—R. M., A.
VILLEGAS, a name common to a number of literary Spaniards, whom we shall notice in alphabetical order:—
Villegas, Alfonso, historian, was a native of Toledo, and flourished in the latter part of the sixteenth century. He was in holy orders, but we know nothing more respecting his life. He was author of "Vitæ Sanctorum," commonly called "Flos Sanctorum;" "Vitæ Sanctorum Veteris Testamenti;" "Cæterorum Vitæ Sanctorum," in three vols.; "Homiliæ in anni totius Evangelia et festos dies, exempla potissimum à Marco Marullo hausta." This last work is also connected with hagiology, having for another title, "Fructus Sanctorum."
Villegas, Alonso de, a romancist of the sixteenth century. His principal work, the "Selvagia," a prose romance in five acts (it is also divided into scenes), was published at Toledo in 1554. It is written in imitation of the Celestina, which is famous not only on its own account, but also for having called forth a host of imitations. The story of the Selvagia is ingenious and well-conducted, but its morals cannot be commended, though, strange enough, it everywhere claims to be most exemplarily religious and moral. The following sentence has been spelled out by Ticknor from some acrostic verses prefixed to the work:—"Alonso de Villegas Selvago compuso la Comedia Selvagia en servicio de su Sennora Isabel de Barrionuevo, siendo de edad de veynte annos, en Toledo, su patria."
