laborers employed here amounted to nearly 2000: since the peace, they are reduced to about two thirds of that number. The arsenal at Woolwich, called the Warren, is the grand national depot for every species of ordnance, both military and naval, and contains an immense quantity of guns, gun-carriages, military wagons, and every thing pertaining to the department of the ordnance. The arsenal includes nearly sixty acres, and contains various piles of brick buildings for different uses. The number of artificers, laborers and boys employed is about 3000, exclusive of the convicts, who amount to about 900, generally employed in the most laborious offices. At Woolwich is a royal military academy, instituted in 1719, but not finally arranged till 1741. It is under the direction of the master-general and board of ordnance for the time being; a lieutenant-governor, an inspector, a professor of mathematics, and four masters; a professor of chemistry; a professor of fortification, and two masters; one French master, two drawing masters, a fencing master, a dancing master, &c. The number of pupils, styled cadets, since the peace, has been reduced to 100. They are of the most respectable families; when admitted, must be at least four feet and nine inches high, and not exceed sixteen, nor be under fourteen, years of age. As soon as they are admitted on the establishment, they begin to receive pay, at the rate of £45 12s. per annum. The building is of a castellated form, and was built at the expense of about £150,000. Woolwich contains, also, barracks, a pagoda, used as a repository for models, several hospitals, and other charitable establishments.

WooTZ. (See Steel.)

WORCESTER; the chief town of Worcestershire, and one of the most ancient cities in England, agreeably situated in a beautiful vale on the eastern banks of the Severn. Being an ancient fortified place, this city had a strong wall, of which some remains may yet be seen. The cathedral is a noble specimen of Gothic simplicity. It was first erected by Ethel red, king of Mercia, in 680, but was burned down and rebuilt in the beginning of the thirteenth century. It suffered considerable damage during the civil war, in the reign of Charles I. Its form is that of a double cross. It is in length, 410 feet; in breadth, 78; and in height, 68; and the tower, which rises, from the centre of the cross aisle, to the altitude of 200 feet, is ornamented at the corners by

The

lofty pinnacles and battlements. cathedral contains many handsome monuments, and is adorned with a variety of sculptures. This city suffered much during the wars between the houses of York and Lancaster; but the most remarkable event here was the famous battle between the English army, under Cromwell, and the Scotch, in the cause of Charles II, in 1651. (See Cromwell.) Of the parish churches, there are nine within the walls and two without. Here are various public buildings and charitable institutions, and meeting-houses for various sects. Its hop market is the most considerable in the kingdom. There is a bridge over the Severn, consisting of five arches. The trade of Worcester is considerable. The porcelain and glove manufactures are carried on to a great extent. It sends two members to parliament. Population in 1831, 18,610; 120 miles north-west of London; lon. 2° W.; lat. 52° 10′ N.

WORCESTER, John Tiptoft, earl of, a patron of learning, and one of the few literary ornaments of England in the fifteenth century, was born at Everton, or Evaston, in Cambridgeshire, and educated at Baliol college, Oxford. He was the son of lord Tibetot, or Tiptoft and Powys, and was created a viscount and earl of Worcester by Henry VI, who also ap pointed him lord-deputy of Ireland. By Edward IV he was made knight of the garter, and constituted justice of North Wales for life. Dugdale says he was soon after made constable of the Tower; while others assert that he was twice lord high constable, and twice lord high treasurer. He was also a second time deputy or lieutenant of Ireland, under the duke of Clarence, in which capacity he attainted the earls of Kildare and Desmond for supporting the insurrection against government, and sentenced the latter to be beheaded. On the temporary reverse of fortune experienced by Edward IV and the house of York, in consequence of the junction between the earl of Warwick and the duke of Clarence, the earl of Worcester, the severity of whose judicial proceedings as high constable had rendered him extremely obnoxious to the Lancastrians, became one of the first objects of their vengeance. He endeavored to find security for his person by concealment, but was discovered in a tree in the forest of Weybridge, near Huntingdon, and thence conveyed to London, where he was hastily tried on the accusation of cruelty in his Irish administration, par

ticularly towards two infant sons of the earl of Desmond, and condemned to lose his head on Tower hill, on the eighteenth of October, 1470, which sentence was executed accordingly. He was married three times, but left only one son and heir, by his third wife. The earl of Worcester appears to have been a person of considerable learning and of great accomplishments for the age in which he lived. In his return from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, he had passed some time at Venice, Padua and Rome. He was led to Rome by his desire to see the Vatican library, and he there made an elegant oration to pope Pius II. He was a great collector of books, and gave manuscripts of 500 marks value to the university of Oxford. The literary works of this nobleman, as far as we are acquainted with them, are an English translation of Cicero De Amicitia, and of Two Declarations made by Publius Cornelius Scipio and Gayus Flamigneus, Competitors for the Love of Lucrece, both printed by William Caxton; some Orations and Epistles; and an English translation of Cæsar's Commentaries, as touching British affairs, supposed to be printed in the reign of Henry VIII. In the sixth of Edward IV, he drew up Orders for the placing of the Nobility in all Proceedings, and Orders and Statutes for Justs and Triumphs; and in the Ashmolean collection are Ordinances, Statutes and Rules, made by John Tiptofte, Erle of Worcester, and Constable of England, by the King's Commandment, at Windsor, 29th May, 6th Edward IV, to be observed in all Justs of Peers within the Realm of England, &c. He is also said to have written a Petition against the Lollards, and an Oration to the Citizens of Padua; and among the manuscripts belonging to Lincoln cathedral is a volume containing about twenty epistles, four of his writing, and the rest addressed to him.

WORCESTER, Edward Somerset, marquis of, an English nobleman, celebrated for his scientific studies, and supposed to have been the first inventor of the steamengine. This nobleman engaged in the service of Charles I during the civil war, and, after its termination, spent his time in retirement, and in the cultivation of natural philosophy and mechanics. In 1663, he published a book entitled the Scantlings of One Hundred Inventions, in which he first gave a description of the uses and effects of his engine; and he afterwards published a small pamphlet, called an Exact and True Definition of

the most stupendous Water-commanding Engine, invented by the Right Honorable (and deservedly to be praised and admired) Edw. Somerset, Lord Marquess of Worcester. (See Steam.) In neither of these works does he give any statement of the mode of constructing his engine; but, from his description and account of its effects, it may be inferred that its action depended on the condensation as well as the elastic force of the steam, and consequently that in principle it resembled the modern steam-engine. It seems also that he had actually constructed a machine upon a large scale, though, unfortunately for himself and for the interests of science, he was unable to excite the attention of the public towards his project, and was looked upon by his contemporaries as a visionary speculator. His death took place in 1667, at the age of seventy.

WORCESTER; shire town of Worcester county, in Massachusetts. (See Appendix, end of this volume.)

WORD. (In the scriptural sense, see Logos; in a philological meaning, see Languages, and Philology.)

WORD, or WATCHWORD, in an army or garrison, is some peculiar word or sentence, by which the soldiers know and distinguish one another in the night, &c., and by which spies and designing persons are discovered. It is used also to prevent surprises. The word is given out, in an army, every night.

WORDSWORTH, William, the celebrated founder of what is called the lake school of poetry, was born in 1770, of a respectable family, at Cockermouth, in Cumberland. The first part of his education he received at Hawkshead grammar-school (Lancashire); and the classical knowledge which he acquired there is said to have been more extensive than is usual with boys of his age. While at Hawkshead, he delighted in reading and reciting the poets, and in rambling among the beautiful scenery of that country. His first attempt in verse was made at the age of thirteen. In 1787, he removed to Cambridge, where he was matriculated as a student of St. John's college. At the university he continued a sufficient time to obtain the degree of master of arts; and, in one of the long vacations, he undertook a pedestrian excursion on the continent. The result of his remarks he gave to the public, in 1793, with the title of Descriptive Sketches, in Verse, taken during a Pedestrian Tour in the Italian, Swiss and Savoyard Alps. In the same

yea, he published an Evening Walk, an Epitle in Verse, addressed to a Young Lady, from the Lakes of the North of England. Both these poems contain many specimens of beautiful picturesque description; but it is curious to observe how different is the style from that which he afterwards adopted. On quitting college, he for a while amused himself with wandering over various parts of the kingdom, and at length took a cottage in the secluded hamlet of Alfoxton, at the foot of the Quantock hills, in Somersetshire, and near the spot where Mr. Coleridge then resided. The two friends passed their time in literary pursuits, or in rambling among the hills, or by the sea-shore. Mr. Wordsworth was then a friend, and Cole-. ridge an enthusiast, of liberty; and the consequence was rather ludicrous. A village lawyer took it into his head that they were dangerous Jacobins; and a spy was employed to watch them in their walks, and to endeavor to draw from them their supposed secret. As may be imagined, he could discover nothing, and reported them to be perfectly harmless. It was while he was dwelling in Somersetshire that he planned and partly wrote the Lyrical Ballads, intended as an experiment on a new system of poetry. They were published in 1798, and reprinted in 1807, with an additional volume. It was a considerable time before this novel poetical style found favor in the eyes of the public; and it was assailed by the weapons of ridicule, satire and argument; but it has at length gained numerous partisans and imitators, and Mr. Wordsworth is now looked up to as the head of a class which includes many men of talents. In 1798, he paid, in company with his sister, another visit to the continent, and, in 1803, settled at Grassmere, in Westmoreland. In 1803, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Hutchinson, of Penrith, by whom he has several children. He has continued ever since to reside at Grassmere, or at Rydal, on one of the Westmoreland lakes, except during the period of a third tour on the continent (1820), in which he bent his steps to the classic land of Italy. Through the personal friendship of lord Lonsdale, Mr. Wordsworth has for some years held the situation of distributor of stamps for the counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland. Besides the Lyrical Ballads, Mr. Wordsworth has published the Excursion, a Poem (4to., 1814), a work as original in its composition and subjects as it is honorable to the taste and benev

olence of the writer; the White Doe of Rylstone, a Poem (4to., 1815); a Thanksgiving Ode, January 13, 1816, with other short Pieces, chiefly referring to Public Events (1816); Peter Bell, a Tale, in Verse (1819); the Wagoner, a Tale (1819); the River Duddon, a Series of Sonnets; Vaudracour and Julia, with other Pieces (8vo., 1820); Ecclesiastical Sketches (1822), consisting of a series of sonnets relative to certain points in the ecclesiastical history of England; and Memorials of a Tour on the Continent (8vo., 1822). The Excursion is the second part of a long poem entitled the Recluse, of which the first and third parts have not been published. The whole forms a philosophical poem, containing views of man, nature and society, and having for its principal subject the sensations and opinions of a poet living in retirement; the first and third parts consisting chiefly of meditations in the author's own person, while in the Excursion the intervention of characters speaking is employed. The minor poems which he had previously published were afterwards arranged by the author, in the edition of 1815, in such a manner as to show their psychological connexion with each other, and with the main work, the Recluse. The finer productions of Wordsworth's muse are characterized by the union of deep feeling with profound thought, a power of observation which makes him familiar with all the loveliness and wonders of the world within and around us, and an imagination capable of inspiring all objects with poetic life. His diction is lofty, sustained and impassioned, when he is not led astray by his attempts to extend the language of ordinary life to the subjects of poetry. Like his friends Coleridge and Southey, Wordsworth has forsaken and retracted his early liberal opinions.

WORLD. (See Universe, and Earth, also Commerce of the World.)

WÖRLITZ; a town in the duchy of Anhalt-Dessau, three leagues from the city of Dessau, with 1800 inhabitants, and beautiful gardens in the English style, laid out by the late duke. Several descriptions have been given of it. There is a collection of ancient works of art, especially paintings, in the (so called) Gothic house, in this garden. (See Dessau.)

WORM. In the common acceptation of the word, this term is applied to caterpillars and other larvæ of insects; to those beings which dwell in the interior of living bodies; in short, to all small, soft,

cylindrical animals, however various their conformation and modes of life. Even Linnæus included in his class vermes, the oyster, and the other mollusca, as well as the echini, polypi and medusæ, or sea-blubbers, animals which have since been very properly separated.

WORM, in gunnery; a screw of iron, to be fixed on the end of a rammer, to pull out the wad of a firelock, carbine or pistol, being the same with the wad-hook, only the one is more proper for small arms, and the other for cannon.-Worm, in chemistry, is a long, winding, pewter pipe, placed in a tub of water, to cool and condense the vapors in the distillation of spirits.-Worm a cable or hawser, in sea language, is to strengthen it by winding a small line, or rope, all along between the strands.

WORMIUS, Olaus; a learned Danish physician, born in 1588, at Aarhuus, in Jutland, where his father was a burgomaster. After some previous education, he went, in 1605, to the university of Marpurg, and then to Strasburg, where he studied medicine. He subsequently removed to Basle, and took the degree of M. D., having previously travelled in France, Italy, Holland and England. In 1613, he returned to his native country, and was made professor of the belles-lettres in the university of Copenhagen. In 1615, he was transferred to the chair of Greek literature, and, in 1624, to that of physic, which he held till his death. His academical engagements did not prevent him from practising as a physician; and the reputation of his skill occasioned his being employed by his sovereign, Christiern IV, who, in recompense of his services, made him a canon of the cathedral of Lund. His death took place in 1654. He was the author of several works relative to his profession, and also wrote in defence of the Aristotelian philosophy; but his most important productions are those concerning the antiquities of Denmark and Norway, among which may be mentioned Fasti Danici; Litteratura Danica Antiquissima; Monumentorum Danicorum Libri sex; Lexicon Runicum; and Series Regum Daniæ.

WORMS; an old German city on the left bank of the Rhine, formerly one of the free imperial cities. By the peace of Luneville, in 1801, it was ceded, with the whole left bank of the Rhine, to France; and since the peace of Paris (q. v.), it has belonged to the province of Rhenish Hessia in Hesse-Darmstadt. It lies in an agreeable and fertile country,

the Wonnegau (land of joy), so much praised by the Minnesingers (q. v.), and contains a population of 8000 inhabitants, who are supported chiefly by the cultivation of the vine, and the navigation of the Rhine. There are also some manufactures. The Protestant religion is the prevailing one. The Catholics have two churches, one of which is the cathedral, of which the foundation was laid in the eighth century, but which was not finished until the twelfth century. It is about 740 feet long, and 220 feet wide. The Lutherans have two churches, and the Reformed or Calvinists one. Among several excellent sorts of wine made here, the Liebfrauenmilch (milk of our dear lady) is distinguished. The grapes grow around the church of Our Lady, from which it has its name. Worms is one of the most ancient cities of Germany, and one of the most distinguished in the early history of the country. The Romans had a colony here; and the early Frankish kings, and even Charlemagne and the later Carlovingians, spent much time here. At a later period, it was the seat of the RhenoFrankish dukes. In the history of the middle ages and that of modern times, Worms is also conspicuous. Many diets have been held here, of which those of 1495 and 1521 are the principal. The two held in the former year did much to establish order in Germany. At the latter, Luther defended his faith boldly before the emperor and the assembled members of the empire, concluding his address with the words, "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise: so help me God! amen." Worms derived importance also from its manufactures, commerce, and population, which, even towards the end of the thirty years' war (q. v.), amounted to 30,000 souls, and, as a member of the confederation of the Rhenish cities, was engaged in the principal quarrels with the, neighboring princes. It has declined during the two last centuries, particularly on account of the endless wars between Germany and France. In 1689, this city, as well as Spires, was almost entirely destroyed by the French, by the orders of Louvois. (q. v.) The city has been since rebuilt; yet there are even now many gardens where formerly there were buildings. In the early part of the French revolutionary war, Worms again suffered much, being occupied alternately by both the hostile armies. Worms was formerly a bishop's see, the prince-bishop of which was always the archbishop of Mayence.

WORMWOOD (artemisia); a genus of compound flowers, which may be recognised by the dissected and usually downy leaves, and the small roundish heads of flowers. The common species (A. absinthium) is tonic, anthelmintic, stomachic, and slightly stimulating, and has been used with advantage in intermittents, gout, scurvy and dropsy. The seed is used by the rectifiers of British spirits, and the plant is a good deal cultivated in certain parts of England for this purpose. The leaves and points of the shoots of the tarragon (A. dracunculus) are used as an ingredient in pickles. A simple infusion of the plant in vinegar makes a pleasant fish sauce: it is eaten along with beef-steaks, and is employed, both in Europe and Persia, to correct the coldness of salad herbs, and season soups and other dishes. The plant is of the easiest culture, but, like the other species, requires a dry soil. From the acrid leaves of A. Chinensis, moxa is obtained a substance much in use among the Chinese as an actual cautery. For this purpose, the moxa is laid upon the part affected, and set on fire. Numerous species of artemisia are found upon the plains of Missouri.

WORONZOFF; a distinguished Russian family. Three females belonging to it are conspicuous in Russian history:-1. Elizabeth Woronzoff; the mistress of the grand prince, afterwards emperor Peter III. She subsequently married the senator Polanski. 2. The countess Butterlin. 3. The princess Daschkoff, for some time the confidant of Catharine II. She took a very active part in the dethroning of the emperor, whose mistress her sister was, and in the elevation of Catharine to the throne. The uncle of these two, the high chancellor count Michael Woronzoff, was the head of the Swedish party, and the enemy of the chancellor Bestuscheff, the head of the Danish party. When the latter fell into disgrace, in 1757, count Woronzoff was made chancellor of the empire. Count Alexander Woronzoff was made, in 1802, chancellor, of the empire by the emperor Alexander, and received the direction of the department of foreign affairs. His brother, S. Woronzoff, was Russian ambassador in London when the French revolution broke out, and took an active part in all the negotiations between England and Russia during the reigns of Catharine, Paul I, and Alexander. He died in London in June, 1832. His son, Michael Woronzoff, is governor of New Russia (residing at Odessa). He was a general of infantry

in the wars of his country in 1813, '14 and '15, against France. In 1826, he was deputed by the emperor Nicholas, with Ribeaupierre, to negotiate, at Akermann, with the Turkish commissioners, respecting the misunderstandings between Russia and the Porte.

WORSHIP OF GOD. The expression of veneration for the highest of beings, of submission to his will, and of thankfulness for his goodness, though it may be offered in the secret stillness of the heart, will often be conveyed by external visible signs, through which the feelings of awe and love endeavor to manifest themselves in the most forcible and lively manner. These acts of homage to a superior power will be characterized by more or less of rudeness or elevation, as the conceptions of the object of worship are more or less gross or spiritual. Prayer and sacrifice, accompanied with various ceremonies, are the most general external acts, by which the feelings of religious veneration are expressed; and while some nations and sects are eager to surround these acts with all the splendor of earthly pomp, others think to render them more worthy of the Being to whom they are addressed, by the absence of all worldly show. If the worship of God, says Paley, be a duty of religion, public worship is a necessary institution; because without it the greater part of mankind would exercise no religious worship at all. Besides, assemblies appointed for this purpose afford regularly recurring opportunities for moral and religious instruction to those who would otherwise receive no such instruction. If we advert to facts, it will be found that the general diffusion of religious knowledge among all orders of Christians, compared with the intellectual condition of barbarous nations, can be ascribed to no other cause than the regular establishment of assemblies for divine worship; in which portions of Scripture are recited and explained, or the principles of Christian erudition are so constantly taught in sermons, incorporated with liturgies, or expressed in extempore prayer, as to imprint, by the very repetition, some knowledge and memory of these subjects upon the most unqualified and careless hearer. But while the different forms of Christian worship resemble each other in their fundamental principle, there is almost every variety in the details of the ceremony; and there have been not less violent controversies and causes of offence, afforded by different views of the ceremonial arrangements of worship,