ROLAND, MADAME, a brave, pure-souled, queen-like woman with “a strong Minerva face,” the noblest of all living Frenchwomen, took enthusiastically to the French Revolution, but when things went too far supported the Moderate or Girondist party; was accused, but cleared herself before the Convention, into whose presence she had been summoned, and released; but two days after was arrested, imprisoned in Charlotte Corday’s apartments, and condemned; on the scaffold she asked for pen and paper “to write the strange thoughts that were rising in her,” which was refused; looking at the statue of Liberty which stood there, she exclaimed bitterly before she laid her head on the block, “O Liberty, what crimes are done in thy name!” (1754-1793).

ROLAND DE LA PLATIERE, JEAN MARIE, husband of Madame Roland, was Inspector of Manufactures at Lyons; represented Lyons in the Constituent Assembly; acted with the Girondists; fled when the Girondist party fled, and on hearing of his wife’s fate at Rouen bade farewell to his friends who had sheltered him, and was found next morning “sitting leant against a tree, stiff in the rigour of death, a cane-sword run through his heart” (1732-1793).

ROLLIN, CHARLES, French historian, born in Paris; rector of the University; wrote “Ancient History” in 13 vols., and “Roman History” in 16 vols., once extremely popular, but now discredited and no longer in request (1661-1741).

ROLLO, a Norwegian, who became the chief of a band of Norse pirates who one day sailed up the Seine to Rouen and took it, and so ravaged the country that Charles the Simple was glad to come to terms with them by surrendering to them part of Neustria, which thereafter bore from them the name of Normandy; after this Rollo embraced Christianity, was baptized by the Bishop of Rouen, and was the first Duke of Normandy (860-932).

ROMAGNA, the former name of a district in Italy which comprised the NE. portion of the Papal States, embracing the modern provinces of Ferrara, Bologna, Ravenna, and Forli.

ROMAINE, WILLIAM, evangelical divine of the English Church, born at Hartlepool, author of works once held in much favour by the evangelicals, entitled severally “The Life, the Walk, and the Triumph of Faith” (1714-1795).

ROMAN EMPIRE, HOLY, or the REICH, the name of the old German Empire which, under sanction of the Pope, was established by Otho the Great in 962, and dissolved in 1806 by the resignation of Francis II., Emperor of Austria, and was called “Holy” as being Christian in contrast with the old pagan empire of the name.

ROMANCE LANGUAGES, the name given to the languages that sprung from the Latin, and were spoken in the districts of South Europe that had been provinces of Rome.

ROMANES, GEORGE JOHN, naturalist, born at Kingston, Canada; took an honours degree in science at Cambridge; came under the influence of Darwin, whose theory of evolution he advocated and developed in lectures and various works, e. g.  “Scientific Evidences of Organic Evolution,” “Mental Evolution in Animals,” “Mental Evolution in Man”; his posthumous “Thoughts on Religion” reveal a marked advance from his early agnosticism towards a belief in Christianity; founded the Romanes Lectures at Oxford (1848-1894).