Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 15.djvu/462

VICELINUS does not make him vicious. Such guilt as he may have contracted in any case is charged directly to the sinful act, not to the vice. Hence the teaching of St. Thomas Aquinas that, absolutely speaking, the sin surpasses the vice in wickedness. Even though the sin be removed by God the vice, if there was one, may still remain, just as failure to act in any direction does not necessarily and straight way destroy the habit which perchance existed. The habit of sinful indulgence of any sort is to be extirpated by unrelenting vigilance and the performance of contrary acts over a space more or less protracted according as the vice was more or less inveterate. Obviously this applies to vices antagonistic to acquired virtues, for so far as the infused virtues are concerned they can be recovered only, as they were originally obtained, through the gratuitous bounty of God. It is interesting to note that according to St. Thomas after one has been rehabilitated in the state of grace and has received, let us say, the infused virtue of temperance, the vice of intemperance does not continue formally as a habit but only as a sort of disposition and as something which is in process of destruction (in via corruptionis).

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Vicelinus, Saint, Bishop of Oldenburg, apostle of Holstein, b. at Haraeln about 1086; d. 12 Dec, 1154. Orphaned at an early age, he received his primary education at Hameln. He left secretly for Paderborn, where he enjoyed the home and instructions of Hartmann, and soon surpassed his companions and assisted in the management of the cathedral school. He was called to Bremen to act as teacher and principal of t he school, and was offered a canonry by Archbishop Frederic. In 1122 he went to Laon in France to complete his studies (Hauck, "Kirchengesch. Deutschl.", Leipzig, 1903, IV, 600); this is doubted by SchuTen (Beitrage zur Kritik älterer hoist. Geschichte, 1876, 38). On his return he was ordained priest by St. Norbert of Magdeburg. Archbishop Adalben sent him among the Wends, and in the fall of 1126 Henry, Prince of the Obotrites, gave him a church in Llibeck. At the death of Henry (22 March, 1127) Vicelinus returned to Bremen, and was appointed pastor at Wippenthorp. This gave him an opportunity to work among the Holsatians and neighbouring Slavs. His preaching gathered crowds of eager listeners, and many priests aided him in founding the monastery of Neumiinster, according to the Rule of St. Augustine, which was liberally endowed by the archbishop. Wars among the tribes in 1137 caused the missionaries to abandon their labours for two years. Vicelinus sent two priests to Lübeck, but with little success. At his suggestion King Lothair intended to build a fortress and monastery at Segeburg, but death prevented him. Some years later Vicelinus established a house at Hogensdorf. In 1149 he was made Bishop of Olden- burg, where he did much for the spiritual and temporal welfare of his diocese. In 1152 lie was struck by paralysis and lingered amid much suffering for two years. His body was transferred to Bordesholm in 1332, and buried before the main altar. In 1874 the small Catholic parish at Hameln had his picture engraved on a new bell. He is usually represented with a church resting on his left arm; his feast is celebrated on 12 Dec.

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Vicente,, Portuguese dramatist, b. about 1470; he was living in 1536. He took up the study of law but abandoned it for literature. As a lyric poet he is represented by some humorous poems in the "Cancioneiro" of Garcia de Resende. He owes his fame to his plays, and with good reason he is styled the father of the Portuguese drama. He wrote in all no fewer than 42 pieces, of which 10 are in Spanish, 14 in Portuguese, and the rest in mingled Spanish and Portuguese. It had already become the fashion for the leading Portuguese authors to write in Spanish as well as in their native tongue, and this fashion was to continue throughout the Renaissance. Many of Vicente's plays were composed for the purpose of celebrating religious and national festivals; others commemorate events in the life of the royal family; still others are quite popular in their tone and were intended by him to serve the ends of entertainment only. The first of his plays was the "Visitacao" (in Spanish), which celebrates the birth of John III, King of Portugal (1502). He recited it himself in the chamber of the Spanish mother of John III. It is known that ladies and gentlemen of the Court, as well as the poet himself, played parts in his dramas when they were produced in the palace. Like the classic dramas of Spain, they are regularly in verse, and they contain lyrics of his own with melodies composed also by him, as well as other popular lyrics and melodies introduced for particular effect. For the sake of convenience the plays may be grouped under the headings of autos (the more peculiarly religious pieces), comedies and tragi-comedies, and farces. The 17 autos are usually called his "Obras de devocao". They reveal an influence of the contemporaneous Spanish dramatist, Juan del Encina, while contemporaneous Spaniards, like Lucas Fernandez and Torres Naharro, may possibly have inspired his profane compositions. But he was never a servile imitator; the life of the time is reflected again and again by him in an original and interesting manner, and, in spite of uncouthness of form, his little dramas remain very readable. Of course only a genuinely devout Catholic could have written his "Obras de devocao". The first edition of his works was published at Lisbon in 1561-2.

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Vicenza, — The city is the capital of a province in Venetia (Northern Italy). The surrounding country is agricultural, but there are also quarries of marble, sulphur, copper, and silver mines, and beds of lignite and kaolin; mineral springs also abound, the most famous being those of Recoaro. Among the industries worthy of mention are the woollen and silk, pottery, and musical instruments. The cathedral, dating from early in the eleventh century, and restored in the thirteenth, sixteenth, and nineteenth, possesses numerous pictures and sculptures, nearly all of them by Vicentine artists (Cittadello, Celestia, Liberi, Ruschi). The Church of the Ara Cocli (1244), formerly belonging to the Clarisses, contains statues by Marinali and Ciissetti, and paint- ings by Tiepolo. The Churches of the Carmine (1372) and S. Caterina (1292), formerly belonging to the Humilisti, possess notable pictures. S. Corona (1260) was built by the Dominicans after the death of Ezzelino, and is rich in pictures by Montagna ("The Magdalene") and Rellini ("Baptism of Christ"). Other churches are: S. Croce (1179), SS. Fellce e Fortunato (eighth century), SS. Filippo e Giacomo (twelfth century). S. Lorenzo of the Friars Minor (12S0), in the Gothic style, contains the tombs of many illustrious Vicentines. In the cloister of S.