Page:Collier's New Encyclopedia v. 10.djvu/326

LEFT WALLER 278 WALLIS court of his ungrateful master when the "Lion of the North," as he was called — Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden — invaded the empire with his Protestant army, and carried such defeat and ruin into the heart of the Imperial dominions, that the Emperor Ferdinand, seeing his gen- erals slain, his armies routed, and the haughty foe advancing on his capital, was compelled to implore Wallenstein — the man he had so deeply injured — to return, and not only save the empire from ruin, but his sovereign from humil- iation. Having obtained his own terms from the weak and ungrateful Ferdi- nand, Wallenstein raised his banner, and so much was he beloved by the soldiery that in less than seven days he had armed and equipped 50,000 men at his own cost, and advancing against the suc- cessful enemy, drove Gustavus out of Bavaria, and following him into Saxony, forced him at Liitzen to hazard a pitched battle, in which, though the Imperialists were defeated, the death of Gustavus, who fell in the moment of victory, was considered an ample equivalent. The death of the Swedish king made the rest of the war easy, and by Wallenstein's vigilance the empire was again saved. Ferdinand, once more firmly seated on his throne, again became envious of the man to whom he owed both life and crown, and, taking offense at the devo- tion of Wallenstein's officers, accused EDMUND WALLER their chief of treason, and issued an order to take him dead or alive. On this Wallenstein fled with a party of friends to the castle of Eger, where its comman- der treacherously murdered him and all his devoted friends, in 1634. WALLER, EDMUND, an English poet; born in Coleshill, Hertfordshire. England, March 3, 1606. He was edu- cated at Eton and King's College, Cam- bridge. His mother was a sister of John Hampden, and a royalist, but all the rest of his relatives were against the court. His first collection of poems appeared in 1645. He was noted for his wit and was a great favorite at court, in Parliament, and in society, and sang the praises of the Lord Protector as well as those of the Stuarts. He was a member of the "Long Parliament" and was sent as commissioner to the king, after the battle of Edgehill. Shortly after, he plotted in favor of the king, and when detected, turned informer, but by judici- ous bribery got off with banishment and a fine of $50,000. After nearly ten years of exile in Paris, Cromwell allowed Wal- ler to return in 1653, and he took his usual place in society and Parliament, and was afterward welcome at the courts of Charles II. and James II. He died in Beaconsfield, England, Oct. 21, 1687. WALLFLOWER, the common name of the species of plants belonging to the f:enus Cheiranthiis, natural order Cruci- erse. They are biennial or perennial herbs or undershrubs. Many of them exhale a delicious odor, and are great favorites in gardens. "The best known is the C. Cheiri, or common wallflower, which, in its wild state, grows on old walls and stony places. In the cultivated plants the flowers are of more varied and brilliant colors, and attain a much larger size than in the wild plant, the flowers of which are always yellow. WALLINGFORD, a borough of Con- necticut, in the town of the same name, in New Haven co. It is on the Quinni- piac river, and on the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad. Its in- dustries include the manufacture of sil- ver goods, plated goods, wire, brassware, hardware, iron and brass bedsteads, etc. It has a sanitarium, a public library, a Masonic Home, and other public build- ings. Pop. (1910) 8,690; (1920) 9,648. WALLIS, JOHN, an English mathe- matician; bom in Ashford, England, Nov. 23, 1616. Educated for the Church at Emanuel College, Cambridge, he took orders in 1640, and in 1663 obtained a living in London. He was one of the secretaries to the Assembly of Divines at Westminster; became Savilian Pro- fessor of Geometry at Oxford in 1649. Charles II., for services rendered to the royal cause, made him one of the royal chaplains, and in 1661 he was one of the revisers of the "Book of Common Prayer." He was one of the earliest and most useful members of the Royal So- ciety, founded in 1663. He was the