Chapter XVI: Part 16

MACKENZIE, SIR GEORGE (1636-1691).--Lawyer and miscellaneous writer, _s._ of Sir Simon M., of Lochslin, a brother of the Earl of Seaforth, was _ed._ at St. Andrews, Aberdeen, and Bourges, called to the Bar in 1659, in 1677 became Lord Advocate, in which capacity he was the subservient minister of the persecuting policy of Charles II. in Scotland, and the inhumanity and relentlessness of his persecution of the Covenanters gained for him the name of "Bloody Mackenzie." In private life, however, he was a cultivated and learned gentleman with literary tendencies, and is remembered as the author of various graceful essays, of which the best known is _A Moral Essay preferring Solitude to Public Employment_ (1665). He also wrote legal, political, and antiquarian works of value, including _Institutions of the Law of Scotland_ (1684), _Antiquity of the Royal Line of Scotland_ (1686), _Heraldry_, and _Memoirs of the Affairs of Scotland from the Restoration of Charles II._, a valuable work which was not _pub._ until 1821. M. was the founder of the Advocates' Library in Edin. He retired at the Revolution to Oxf., where he _d._

MACKENZIE, HENRY (1745-1831).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _s._ of a physician in Edin., where he was _b._ and _ed._ He studied for the law, and became Controller of Taxes for Scotland. He was the author of three novels, _The Man of Feeling_ (1771), _The Man of the World_ (1773), and _Julia de Roubigné_ (1777), all written in a strain of rather high-wrought sentimentalism, in which the influence of Sterne is to be seen. He was also a leading contributor to _The Mirror_ and _The Lounger_, two periodicals somewhat in the style of the _Spectator_. In his later days he was one of the leading members of the literary society of Edinburgh.

MACKINTOSH, SIR JAMES (1765-1832).--Philosopher and historian, was _b._ at Aldowrie, Inverness-shire, _s._ of an officer in the army and landowner, _ed._ at Aberdeen, whence he proceeded to Edinburgh to study medicine, in which he _grad._ in 1787. In the following year he went to London, where he wrote for the press and studied law, and in 1791 he _pub._ _Vindiciæ Gallicæ_ in answer to Burke's _Reflections on the French Revolution_, which was well received by those who, in its earlier stages, sympathised with the Revolution, and procured for him the friendship of Fox, Sheridan, and other Whigs. Called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn in 1795, he delivered before that society in 1799 a brilliant course of lectures on _The Law of Nature and Nations_, which greatly increased his reputation. In 1804 he went out to India as Recorder of Bombay, and two years later was appointed a Judge of the Admiralty Court. He remained in India until 1811, discharging his official duties with great efficiency. After his return he entered Parliament in 1813 as member for Nairnshire, and attained a considerable reputation as a forcible and informing speaker on questions of criminal law and general politics. On the accession of the Whigs in 1830 he was made a member of the Board of Control for India. He also held from 1818-24 the Professorship of Law and General Politics at Haileybury. His true vocation, however, was to literature, and it is to be regretted that so much of his time and strength was withdrawn from it, his writings being confined to a _Dissertation on the Progress of Ethical Philosophy_ in the _Encyclopædia Britannica_, a sketch of the History of England for Lardner's _Cabinet Cyclopædia_, a Life of Sir Thomas More for the same, a fragment of a projected _History of the Revolution of 1688_, and some articles in the _Edinburgh Review_.

MACKLIN, CHARLES (1697?-1797).--Actor and dramatist, _b._ in the north of Ireland, was one of the most distinguished actors of his day, shining equally in tragedy and comedy. Having killed another actor in a quarrel he was tried for murder, but acquitted, and _d._ a centenarian. He wrote, among other comedies, _Love à la Mode_ (1759) and _The Man of the World_ (1781), which were the only ones printed. He was the creator of Sir Pertinax Macsycophant, a famous burlesque character.

M'LENNAN, JOHN FERGUSON (1827-1881).--Sociologist, _b._ at Inverness, and _ed._ at Aberdeen and Camb., was in 1857 called to the Scottish Bar, and was subsequently Parliamentary Draftsman for Scotland. His main contribution to literature is his original and learned book, _Primitive Marriage_ (1865). Another work, _The Patriarchal Theory_, left unfinished, was completed by his brother (1884). These works and other papers by M. gave a great impulse to the study of the problems with which they deal, and cognate questions. M. received the degree of LL.D. from Aberdeen in 1874.

"MACLEOD, FIONA," (_see_ SHARP, WILLIAM).

MACLEOD, NORMAN (1812-1872).--Scottish divine and miscellaneous writer, _s._ of the Rev. Norman M., D.D., a distinguished minister of the Scottish Church, studied at Edin., and was ordained in 1838. He became one of the most distinguished ministers, and most popular preachers of his Church, was made one of the Royal Chaplains in Scotland in 1857, and became a trusted friend of Queen Victoria. He was the first ed. of _Good Words_, to which he contributed many articles and stories, including _Wee Davie_, _The Starling_, and _The Old Lieutenant and his Son_.

MACNEILL, HECTOR (1746-1818).--Poet, was in the West Indies 1780-86, and clerk on a flagship. He wrote various political pamphlets, two novels, and several poems, _The Harp_ (1789), _The Carse of Forth_, and _Scotland's Skaith_, the last against drunkenness, but is best known for his songs, such as _My Boy Tammy_, _I lo'ed ne'er a Laddie but ane_, and _Come under my Plaidie_.

MACPHERSON, JAMES (1736?-1796).--Alleged translator of the Ossianic poems, _s._ of a small farmer at Ruthven, Inverness-shire, studied for the Church at Aberdeen and Edin., became teacher of the school in his native parish, and afterwards tutor in a gentleman's family. In 1758 he _pub._ _The Highlander_, an ambitious poem in 6 cantos, which, however, attracted no attention. But in the following year he submitted to John Home (_q.v._), the author of _Douglas_, certain writings which he represented to be translations from ancient Gaelic poems. By the help of Home and some of his friends M. was enabled to _pub._ a considerable number of his _Fragments of Poetry translated from the Gaelic and Erse Languages_. These were received with profound and widely-spread interest, and gave rise to a controversy which can hardly yet be said to be settled. While some authorities received them with enthusiastic admiration, others immediately called their genuineness in question. In the first instance, however, a subscription was raised to enable M. to make a journey in search of further poetic remains, the result of which was the production in 1761 of _Fingal_, an epic in 6 books, and in 1763 of _Temora_, also an epic, in 8 books. The fame which these brought to their discoverer was great, and the sales enormous. In 1764 M. went as sec. to the Governor of Pensacola in Florida. Returning in 1766 he settled in London, became an energetic pamphleteer in support of the Government, and in 1780 entered Parliament, and was next year appointed to the lucrative post of Agent for the Nabob of Arcot. He retired in 1789, and bought an estate in his native parish, where he _d._ in 1796. Great doubt still rests upon the subject of the Ossianic poems: it is, however, generally admitted that M. took great liberties with the originals, even if they ever really existed in anything at all resembling the form given in the alleged translations. No manuscripts in the original have ever been forthcoming. Few, however, will deny that M. either discovered, or composed, a body of poetry unlike anything that has preceded it, of unequal merit, indeed, but containing many striking and beautiful passages, and which unquestionably contributed to break up the tyranny of the classical school and thus prepare the way for the romantic revival.

MAGINN, WILLIAM (1793-1842).--Journalist and miscellaneous writer, _b._ at Cork, became a contributor to _Blackwood's Magazine_, and afterwards foreign correspondent to _The Representative_, a paper started by J. Murray, the publisher, and when its short career was run, one of the leading supporters of _Fraser's Magazine_. One of the most brilliant periodical writers of his time, he has left no permanent work behind him. In his later years he fell into intemperate habits, and _d._ in poverty.

MAHONY, FRANCIS SYLVESTER (FATHER PROUT) (1804-1866).--Humorist, _b._ at Cork, and _ed._ at the Jesuit Coll. at Clongoweswood, Co. Kildare, at Amiens, and at Rome, becoming a member of the society, was Prof. of Rhetoric at Clongoweswood, but was soon after expelled from the order. He then came to London, and became a leading contributor to _Fraser's Magazine_, under the signature of "Father Prout." He was witty and learned in many languages. One form which his humour took was the professed discovery of the originals in Latin, Greek, or mediæval French of popular modern poems and songs. Many of these _jeux d'esprit_ were _coll._ as _Reliques of Father Prout_. He wittily described himself as "an Irish potato seasoned with Attic salt." Latterly he acted as foreign correspondent to various newspapers, and _d._ at Paris reconciled to the Church.

MAINE, SIR HENRY JAMES SUMNER (1822-1888).--Jurist, _ed._ at Christ's Hospital and at Camb., where he became Regius Prof. of Civil Law 1847-54. Called to the Bar in 1850, he went in 1862 to India as legal member of the Government. On his return he was in 1870 appointed Prof. of Comparative Jurisprudence at Oxf., which office he held until his election in 1878 as Master of Trinity Hall. He became Whewell Prof. of International Law at Camb. in 1887, and was the author of many valuable works on law and the history of political institutions, and profoundly influenced the study of jurisprudence. Among his writings are _Ancient Law_ (1861), _Village Communities_ (1871), _Early History of Institutions_ (1875), and _Dissertations on Early Law and Customs_ (1883).

MAIR, or MAJOR, JOHN (1469?-1550).--Historian, studied at Camb. and Paris, was the teacher of John Knox and George Buchanan. In 1506 he was a Doctor of the Sorbonne, and in 1519 became Prof. of Divinity at St. Andrews. He wrote, in Latin, treatises on divinity and morals, and a _History of Greater Britain_, in which the separate histories of England and Scotland were brought together, _pub._ at Paris (1521). In his writings, while upholding the doctrinal teaching of Rome, he was outspoken in condemning the corruptions of the clergy.

MAITLAND, SIR RICHARD (1496-1586).--Poet, _f._ of M. of Lethington, Sec. of State to Mary Queen of Scots. In his later years he was blind, and occupied himself in composing a _History of the House of Seaton_, and by writing poems, _e.g._ _On the New Year_, _On the Queene's Maryage_, etc. He held various offices, chiefly legal, but appears to have kept as far as possible out of the fierce political struggles of his time, and to have been a genially satirical humorist.

MALCOLM, SIR JOHN (1769-1833).--Indian soldier, statesman, and historian, _b._ at Burnfoot, Dumfriesshire, went to India in 1782, studied Persian, was employed in many important negotiations and held various distinguished posts, being Ambassador to Persia and Governor of Bombay 1826-30. He was the author of several valuable works regarded as authorities, viz., _A History of Persia_ (1815), _Memoir of Central India_ (1823), _Political History of India from 1784 to 1823_ (1826), and _Life of Lord Clive_ (1836).

MALLET, originally MALLOCH, DAVID (1705-1765).--Poet and miscellaneous writer, _ed._ at Crieff parish school and the Univ. of Edin., where he became acquainted with James Thomson, and in 1723 went to London as tutor in the family of the Duke of Montrose. In the following year appeared his ballad of _William and Margaret_, by which he is chiefly remembered, and which made him known to Pope, Young, and others. In 1726 he changed his name to Mallet to make it more pronounceable by Southern tongues. His _Excursion_, an imitation of Thomson, was _pub._ in 1728. At the request of the Prince of Wales, whose sec. he had become, he wrote with Thomson a masque, _Alfred_ (1740), in which _Rule Britannia_ first appeared, which, although he claimed the authorship, is now generally attributed to Thomson. He also wrote a _Life of Bacon_; and on Bolingbroke bequeathing to him his manuscripts and library, he _pub._ an ed. of his works (1754). On the accession of George III., M. became a zealous supporter of Lord Bute, and was rewarded with a sinecure. In addition to the works above named M. wrote some indifferent dramas, including _Eurydice_, _Mustapha_, and _Elvira_. Dr. Johnson said of him that he was "the only Scotsman whom Scotsmen did not commend."

MALONE, EDMUND (1741-1812).--Critic, _s._ of an Irish judge, _b._ in Dublin, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll. there, studied for the law, but coming into a fortune, decided to follow a literary career. Acute, careful, and sensible, he was a useful contributor to the study of Shakespeare, of whose works he _pub._ a valuable ed. in 1790. He also aided in the detection of the Rowley forgeries of Chatterton, and the much less respectable Shakespeare ones of Ireland. At his death he was engaged upon another ed. of Shakespeare, which was brought out under the editorship of James Boswell (_q.v._). M. also wrote Lives of Dryden and others, and was the friend of Johnson, Goldsmith, Reynolds, and Burke.

MALORY, SIR THOMAS (_fl._ 1470).--Translator of _Morte d'Arthur_. Very little is known of him. An endeavour has been made to identify him with a Sir Thomas Malory of Warwickshire, who fought successively on both sides in the Wars of the Roses, sat in Parliament 1444-45, and _d._ 1471. In his book he strove to make a continuous story of the Arthurian legends, and showed judgment alike in what he included and omitted.

MALTHUS, THOMAS ROBERT (1766-1834).--Economist, _s._ of a landed proprietor, was _b._ near Dorking, and _ed._. at Jesus Coll., Camb., of which he became a Fellow. Taking orders he became incumbent of Albury, Essex. He travelled much on the continent, collecting information as to the means of livelihood and mode of life of various peoples. In 1798 the first ed. of his famous _Essay on Population_ appeared, and in 1803 a second greatly enlarged. Its leading proposition, supported by much learning, is that while population increases approximately in a geometrical ratio, the means of subsistence do so in an arithmetical ratio only, which, of course, opened up an appalling prospect for the race. It necessarily failed to take into account the then undreamed-of developments whereby the produce of the whole world has been made available for all nations. The work gave rise to a great deal of controversy, much of it based on misunderstanding. M. was Prof. of Political Economy at Haileybury.

MANDEVILLE, BERNARD DE (1670-1733).--Satirist, a native of Dort in Holland, who having studied medicine at Leyden, came over to England to practise his profession. In 1705 he _pub._ a short poem, _The Grumbling Hive_, which in 1714 reappeared with a prose commentary, and various dissertations on the origin of moral virtue, etc., as _The Fable of the Bees, or Private Vices Public Benefits_, and in 1729 was made the subject of a persecution for its immoral tendency. It was also vigorously combated by, among others, Bishop Berkeley and William Law, author of _The Serious Call_. While the author probably had no intention of subverting morality, his views of human nature were assuredly cynical and degrading in a high degree. Another of his works, _A Search into the Nature of Society_ (1723), appended to the later versions of the _Fable_, also startled the public mind, which his last works, _Free Thoughts on Religion_ and _An Enquiry into the Origin of Honour and the Usefulness of Christianity_ did little to reassure.

MANDEVILLE, SIR JOHN.--Was the ostensible author only of a book of travels bearing his name, written about the middle of the 14th century, giving an account of journeys in the East, including India and the Holy Land. It appears to have been compiled from the writings of William of Boldensele, Oderic of Pordenone, and Vincent de Beauvais. The name of Mandeville was probably fictitious.

MANGAN, JAMES CLARENCE (1803-1849).--Poet, _b._ at Dublin, _s._ of a small grocer, was brought up in poverty, and received most of his education from a priest who instructed him in several modern languages. He then became a lawyer's clerk, and was later an assistant in the library of Trinity College, Dublin. He contributed verses of very various merit to a number of Irish newspapers, and translations from the German to _The Dublin University Magazine_. By some critics his poetical powers were considered to be such as to have gained for him the first place among Irish poets; but his irregular and intemperate habits prevented him from attaining any sure excellence. His best work, generally inspired by the miseries of his country, often rises to a high level of tragic power, and had his strength of character been equal to his poetic gift it is difficult to say to what heights he might have attained. He _d._ of cholera.

MANLEY, MRS. MARY DE LA RIVIERE (1663 or 1672-1724).--Novelist, dramatist, and political writer, _dau._ of Sir Roger Manley, was decoyed into a bigamous connection with her cousin, John M. Her subsequent career was one of highly dubious morality, but considerable literary success. Her principal works are _The New Atalantis_ (_sic_) (1709), a satire in which great liberties were taken with Whig notabilities, _Memoirs of Europe_ (1710), and _Court Intrigues_ (1711). She also wrote three plays, _The Royal Mischief_, _The Lost Lover_, and _Lucius_, and conducted the _Examiner_. In her writings she makes great havoc with classical names and even with spelling. She was a vivacious and effective political writer.

MANNING, ANNE (1807-1879).--Miscellaneous writer. Her best known works are _Mistress Mary Powell_, which first appeared in _Sharpe's Magazine_ in 1849, and _The Household of Sir Thomas More_, a delightful picture of More's home life told in the form of a diary written by his daughter Margaret. Her writings have much literary charm, and show a delicate historical imagination.

MANNING, HENRY EDWARD (1808-1892).--Cardinal and theologian. _B._ at Totteridge, Herts, and _ed._ at Harrow and Oxf., where he became notable as an eloquent preacher, and as one of the ablest of the Tractarian party. He was rector of Woollavington-cum-Graffham 1833, and Archdeacon of Chichester 1840. In 1851 he entered the Church of Rome, in which he attached himself to the Ultramontane party. More even than Newman he was the leading spirit of the Roman Church in England. His writings consist of sermons, of which he _pub._ several vols. before his secession from the Church of England, and controversial works, including _Petri Privilegium_ (1871), _The Vatican Decrees_ (1875), in answer to Gladstone's _Vaticanism_, and _The Eternal Priesthood_ (1883). He became Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster 1865, and Cardinal 1875.

MANNYNG, ROBERT, or ROBERT DE BRUNNE (_fl._ 1288-1338).--Was a Canon of the Gilbertine Order. His work, _Handlynge Sinne_ (_c._ 1300), translated with original additions from the _Manuel des Péchés_, a book written in French verse by William of Waddington, is practically a collection of tales and short stories on the Commandments, Seven Deadly Sins, Sacraments, etc., and is of value as giving a contemporary picture of the time. He also made (_c._ 1335) a translation in verse of the French _Chronicle_ of Peter Langtoft, the second and more interesting part of which covers the period from the death of Cadwallader to the end of the reign of Edward I.

MANSEL, HENRY LONGUEVILLE (1820-1871).--Metaphysician, _s._ of a clergyman, was _b._ at Cosgrave, Northamptonshire, and _ed._ at Merchant Taylors' School and Oxf. He took orders, was Reader in Theology at Magdalen Coll. 1855, Bampton Lecturer 1858, Prof. of Ecclesiastical History 1867, and Dean of St. Paul's 1869. Among his writings are _Prolegomena Logica_ (1851), _The Limits of Demonstrative Science_ (1853), _Man's Conception of Eternity_ (1854), _Limits of Religious Thought_ (1858), _Philosophy of the Conditioned_ (1866). He was also joint ed. of Sir. W. Hamilton's _Lectures_.

MAP, or MAPES, WALTER DE (_fl._ 1200).--Ecclesiastical statesman and romancist. Most of the facts about him are gleaned from his _De Nugis Curialium_ (Of the Trifles of the Courtiers), a miscellany of contemporary notes and anecdotes, throwing much light on the manners and opinions of the Court of Henry II. He was _b._ probably in Herefordshire, and had Celtic blood in his veins, his _f._ had rendered service to the King, and he had studied at Paris, and on his return attended the Court, where he found favour, and obtained preferment both in Church and State, and in 1173 was a travelling justice. Thereafter he attended the King, probably as chaplain, on his foreign wars, represented him at the French Court, and went to Rome to the Lateran Council of 1179. After the death of Henry II. he seems to have continued in favour under Richard I. and John, and was Archdeacon of Oxf. in 1196. M. is the reputed author of some at least of the _Golias_ poems, rough satires on the vices of the clergy, but his great work, which has influenced the future of English literature, was his systematising and spiritualising the Arthurian legends with additions of his own, including the legends of _Launcelot_, of the _Quest of the Holy Grail_, and of the _Morte d' Arthur_.

MARKHAM, GERVASE (1568?-1637).--Translator and miscellaneous writer, served as a soldier in the Low Countries and Ireland. Retiring into civil life about 1593 he displayed extraordinary industry as a translator, compiler, and original writer. Among his original writings are a poem on the _Revenge_ (1595) (Sir R. Grenville's ship), a continuation of Sidney's _Arcadia_, _The Discourse of Horsemanshippe_ (1593), _The Young Sportsman's Instructor_, _Country Contentments_ (1611), and various books on agriculture; also plays and poems, some of the latter of which are religious.

MARLOWE, CHRISTOPHER (1564-1593).--Dramatist, _s._ of a shoemaker at Canterbury, where he was _b._, was _ed._ at the King's School there, and in 1581 went to Benet's (now Corpus Christi) Coll., Camb., where he graduated B.A. 1583, and M.A. in 1587. Of his life after he left the Univ. almost nothing is known. It has, however, been conjectured, partly on account of his familiarity with military matters, that he saw service, probably in the Low Countries. His first play, _Tamburlaine_, was acted in 1587 or 1588. The story is drawn from the Spanish Life of Timur by Pedro Mexia. Its resounding splendour, not seldom passing into bombast, won for it immediate popularity, and it long held the stage. It was followed in 1604 by _Faustus_, a great advance upon _Tamburlaine_ in a dramatic sense. The absence of "material horror" in the treatment, so different in this respect from the original legend, has often been remarked upon. M.'s handling of the subject was greatly admired by Goethe, who, however, in his own version, makes the motive knowledge, while M. has power, and the mediæval legend pleasure. In his next play, _The Jew of Malta_, M. continues to show an advance in technical skill, but the work is unequal, and the Jew Barabas is to Shylock as a monster to a man. In _Edward II._, M. rises to his highest display of power. The rhodomontade of _Tamburlaine_ and the piled-up horror of _The Jew_ are replaced by a mature self-restraint, and in the whole workmanship he approaches more nearly to Shakespeare than any one else has ever done. Speaking of it Lamb says, "The death scene of Marlowe's King moves pity and terror beyond any scene, ancient or modern, with which I am acquainted." M. is now almost certainly believed to have had a large share in the three parts of _Henry VI._, and perhaps also he may have collaborated in _Titus Andronicus_. His next plays, _The Massacre of Paris_ and _The Tragedy of Dido_ (written with Nash, _q.v._), both show a marked falling off; and it seems likely that in his last years, perhaps, breaking down under the effects of a wild life, he became careless of fame as of all else. Greene, in his _Groat's Worth of Wit_, written on his deathbed, reproaches him with his evil life and atheistic opinions, and a few days before his hapless death an information was laid against him for blasphemy. The informer was next year hanged for an outrageous offence, and his witness alone might not be conclusive, but M.'s life and opinions, which he made no secret of, were notorious. On the other hand, his friends, Shakespeare, Nash, Drayton, and Chapman, all make kindly reference to him. To escape the plague which was raging in London in 1593, he was living at Deptford, then a country village, and there in a tavern brawl he received a wound in the head, his own knife being turned against him by a serving man, upon whom he had drawn it. The quarrel was about a girl of the town. The parish record bears the entry, "Christopher Marlowe, slain by ffrancis Archer, the 1 of June 1593." M. is the father of the modern English drama, and the introducer of the modern form of blank verse. In imagination, richness of expression, originality, and general poetic and dramatic power he is inferior to Shakespeare alone among the Elizabethans. In addition to his plays he wrote some short poems (of which the best known is _Come live with me and be my love_), translations from Ovid's _Amores_ and Lucan's _Pharsalia_, and a glowing paraphrase of Musaeus' _Hero and Leander_, a poem completed by Chapman.

Ed. of _Works_ by Dyce, Cunningham, and Bullen; Ingram's _C. Marlowe and his Associates_, etc.

MARMION, SHACKERLEY (1603-1639).--Dramatist, _s._ of a country gentleman of Northamptonshire, was _ed._ at Oxford. After a youth of extravagance, he fought in the Low Countries. His writings consist of an epic, _Cupid and Psyche_, and three comedies, _Holland's Leaguer_, _A Fair Companion_, and _The Antiquary_. His plays show some power of satire, and were popular, but he had little of the dramatist.

MARRYAT, FREDERICK (1792-1848).--Novelist, _s._ of a West India merchant, was _b._ in London. In 1806 he entered the navy as a midshipman under Lord Cochrane (afterwards Earl of Dundonald), and saw much service in the Mediterranean, at Walcheren, and in the Burmese War of 1824. He returned in 1830 as a Captain and C.B. The scenes and experiences through which he had passed were the preparation for and the foundation of his numerous novels, of which the first, _Frank Mildmay_, was _pub._ in 1829. It was followed by over 30 others, of which perhaps the best are _Peter Simple_, _Jacob Faithful_ (1834), _Mr. Midshipman Easy_ (1836), _The Dog Fiend_ (1837), and _The Phantom Ship_ (1839). M. is the prince of sea story-tellers; his knowledge of the sea, vigorous definition of character, and hearty and honest, if somewhat broad, humour never failing to please.

MARSH, HERBERT (1757-1839).--Theologian and controversialist, _s._ of a clergyman, _ed._ at Canterbury, Cambridge, and Leipsic, was the first to introduce the German methods of Biblical criticism into England, and gave lectures on the subject at Camb., which excited great interest and controversy. In 1816 he was made Bishop of Llandaff, and was translated to Peterborough in 1819. His critical views and his opposition to the evangelical party in the Church, to the Bible Society, to hymns in Divine service, and to Catholic emancipation, involved him in controversy with high, low, and broad churchmen alike. He was the author of a _History of the Politics of Great Britain and France_ (1799), _Comparative View of the Churches of England and Rome_, and _Horæ Pelasgicæ_.

MARSTON, JOHN (1575?-1634).--Dramatist and satirist, _b._ at Coventry, was _ed._ at Oxf. In later life he gave up writing for the stage, took orders, and was incumbent of Christchurch, Hants, 1616-31. He began his literary career in 1598 with satire, _The Scourge of Villanie_ and _The Metamorphosis of Pygmalion's Image_ (1598), the latter of which was burned by order of Archbishop Whitgift. In 1602 appeared _The History of Antonio and Mellida_, and its sequel, _Antonio's Revenge_, ridiculed by Ben Jonson. In repayment of this M. co-operated with Dekker in attacking Jonson in _Satiromastix_ (a Whip for the Satirist). A reconciliation, however, took place, and his comedy, _The Malcontent_ (1604), was dedicated to J., another, _Eastward Ho_ (1605), was written in collaboration with him and Chapman. Other plays of his are _Sophonisba_, _What You Will_ (1607), and possibly _The Insatiate Countess_ (1613). Amid much bombast and verbiage there are many fine passages in M.'s dramas, especially where scorn and indignation are the motives. Sombre and caustic, he has been called "a screech-owl among the singing birds."

MARSTON, PHILIP BOURKE (1850-1887).--Poet, was _b._ in London, and lost his sight at the age of 3. His poems, _Song-tide_, _All in All_, and _Wind Voices_ bear, in their sadness, the impress of this affliction, and of a long series of bereavements. He was the friend of Rossetti and of Swinburne, the latter of whom has written a sonnet to his memory.

MARTIN, SIR THEODORE (1816-1909).--Poet, biographer, and translator, _s._ of James M., solicitor in Edin., where he was _b._ and _ed._ at the High School and Univ. He practised as a solicitor in Edin. 1840-45, after which he went to London and became head of the firm of Martin and Leslie, parliamentary agents. His first contribution to literature was _The Bon Gaultier Ballads_, written along with W.E. Aytoun (_q.v._), full of wit and humour, which still retain their popularity; originally contributed to a magazine, they appeared in book form in 1855. His translations include _Dante's Vila Nuova_, Oehlenschläger's _Correggio_ and _Aladdin_, Heine's _Poems and Ballads_, Schiller's _Song of the Bell_, and Hertz's _King René's Daughter_. He also _pub._ a complete translation of Horace with a Life, and one of Catullus. He is, however, perhaps best known for his _Life of the Prince Consort_ (1874-80), the writing of which was committed to him by Queen Victoria, a work which he executed with such ability and tact as to win for him her lifelong friendship. He also wrote Lives of Prof. Aytoun and Lord Lyndhurst. He _m._ in 1851 Miss Helen Faucit (_d._ 1898), the well-known actress, and authoress of studies on _Shakespeare's Female Characters_, whose Life he _pub._ in 1901. M. kept up his intellectual activity into old age, _pub._ in 1905 a translation of Leopardi's poems, and _Monographs_ (1906). He was Lord Rector of St. Andrews 1881, LL.D. of Edin. 1875, and K.C.B. 1880.

MARTINEAU, HARRIET (1802-1876).--Novelist and economist, _b._ at Norwich, where her _f._, descended from a French family, was a manufacturer. From her earliest years she was delicate and very deaf, and took to literary pursuits as an amusement. Afterwards, when her _f._ had fallen into difficulties, they became her means of support. Her first publication was _Devotional Exercises for Young Persons_ (1823). Becoming interested in political economy, she endeavoured to illustrate the subject by tales, of which two were _The Rioters_ and _The Turn-out_. Later she _pub._ a more serious treatment of it in _Illustrations of Political Economy_ (1832-4), _Poor Law and Paupers_ (1833), and _Illustrations of Taxation_ (1834). About this time she went to London, and was regarded as an authority on economic questions, being occasionally consulted by Cabinet Ministers. Among her books of travel are _Society in America_ (1837), and _Eastern Life, Present and Past_ (1848), which she considered her best book: in it she declared herself no longer a believer in revelation. She also wrote two novels, _Deerbrook_ (1839), and _The Hour and the Man_ (1840), also a number of books for children. Perhaps her most important work is her _History of England during the Thirty Years' Peace_, 1816-46, which appeared in 1849. She translated Comte's _Philosophy_ (1853), and _pub._ a collection of letters between herself and Mr. H.G. Atkinson _On the Laws of Man's Nature and Development_, which encountered severe criticism. In addition to her separate publications she wrote innumerable articles for newspapers, specially the _Daily News_, and for periodicals. In 1845 she settled in the Lake District, where she died.

MARTINEAU, JAMES (1805-1900).--Unitarian theologian, younger brother of the above, was _b._ at Norwich. Possessed of considerable inventive and mathematical talents, he was originally intended for engineering, but studied for the Unitarian ministry, to which he was ordained in 1828. After serving as pastor in various places he became in 1840 Prof. of Mental and Moral Philosophy in the Manchester New Coll. (subsequently removed to London), and Principal 1869-85. Among his writings, which were very influential, are _Rationale of Religious Inquiry_ (1836), _Ideal Substitutes for God_ (1879), _Study of Spinoza_ (1882), _Types of Ethical Theory_ (1885), _Study of Religion_ (1888), _Seat of Authority in Religion_ (1890), and religious poems and hymns. M. was a man of very elevated character and powerful intellect; of great acuteness, candour, and openness to new ideas. He was D.D. of Edin. 1884, and D.C.L. of Oxf. 1888.

MARVELL, ANDREW (1621-1678).--Poet and satirist, _s._ of the Rector of Winestead, Yorkshire, where he was _b._, _ed._ Camb., and thereafter travelled in various Continental countries. He sat in Parliament for Hull, proving himself an assiduous and incorruptible member, with strong republican leanings. In spite of this he was a favourite of Charles II., who took pleasure in his society, and offered him a place at Court, and a present of £1000, which were both declined. In his own day he was best known as a powerful and fearless political writer, and for some time from 1657 was assistant to Milton as Latin Sec. After the Restoration he wrote against the Government, his chief work in this kind being on the _Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Government in England_ (1677). He was also the author of an _Historical Essay regarding General Councils_. His controversial style was lively and vigorous, but sometimes coarse and vituperative. His fame now rests on his poems which, though few, have many of the highest poetical qualities. Among the best known are _The Emigrants in the Bermudas_, _The Nymph complaining for the Death of her Fawn_, and _Thoughts in a Garden_. Of the last Palgrave says that "it may be regarded as a test of any reader's insight into the most poetical aspects of poetry," and his _Horatian Ode on Cromwell's Return from Ireland_. The town of Hull voted him a monument, which was, however, forbidden by the Court. His appearance is thus described, "He was of middling stature, pretty strong-set, roundish-faced, cherry-cheeked, hazel-eyed, brown-haired."

_Life and Works_ by Cooke, 1726, reprinted 1772; Thomson, 1726; Dove, 1832; and specially Grosart (4 vols., 1872-74).

MASON, WILLIAM (1724-1797).--Poet, _s._ of a clergyman, was _b._ at Hull, and _ed._ at Camb. He took orders and rose to be a Canon of York. His first poem was _Musæus_, a monody on the death of Pope, and his other works include _Elfrida_ (1752), and _Caractacus_ (1759), dramas--an _Heroic Epistle_ to Sir William Chambers, the architect, in which he satirised some modern fashions in gardening, _The English Garden_, his largest work, and some odes. He was a close friend of Gray, whose Life he wrote. His language was too magnificent for his powers of thought, but he has passages where the rich diction has a pleasing effect.

MASSEY, GERALD (1828-1907).--Poet, _b._ near Tring, Herts. As a boy he worked in a silk-factory, and as a straw-plaiter and errand boy. When he was 15 he came to London, where he was taken up by Maurice and Kingsley. His first book was _pub._ in 1851, but he first attracted attention by _Babe Christabel_ (1854). This was followed by _War Waits_, _Craigcrook Castle_, and _Havelock's March_. A selection from these was _pub._ 1889, under the title of _My Lyrical Life_. Later he wrote and lectured on spiritualism, and produced prose works on the origin of myths and mysteries in _The Book of Beginnings_ (1881), _The Natural Genesis_ (1883), and _Ancient Egypt: the Light of the World_ (1907). He also wrote a book on the sonnets of Shakespeare. M. had a true lyrical vein, but though often musical, he was at times harsh and rugged, and did not give sufficient attention to form and finish.

MASSINGER, PHILIP (1583-1640).--Dramatist, was probably _b._ at Salisbury. His _f._ appears to have been a retainer of the Earl of Pembroke, by whom and by Queen Elizabeth he was employed in a confidential capacity. M. was at Oxf., but quitted the Univ. suddenly without graduating. He is next found in London writing for the stage, frequently in collaboration with others. Few details of his life have come down, but it seems that he was on the whole unfortunate. He was found dead in bed on March 16, 1640, and was buried in St. Saviour's, Southwark, by some of the actors. The burial register has the entry, "buried Philip Massinger, a stranger." Of the many plays which he wrote or had a hand in, 15 believed to be entirely his are extant, other 8 were burned by a servant in the 18th century. He, however, collaborated so much with others--Fletcher, Dekker, etc., that much fine work probably his can only be identified by internal evidence. Among his plays may be mentioned _The Unnatural Combat_ (_pr._ 1639), _The Virgin Martyr_ (1622) (partly by Dekker), which contains perhaps his finest writing. His best plays on the whole, however, are _The City Madam_ (1632), and _A New Way to pay Old Debts_ (_pr._ 1633), which latter kept the stage until the 19th century. He is believed to have joined with Fletcher and Shakespeare in _Henry VIII._ and _The Two Noble Kinsmen_. Other plays which he wrote or had a hand in are _The Duke of Milan_, _The Bondman_, _The Renegado_, _The Roman Actor_, _The Great Duke of Florence_, _The Maid of Honour_, _The Picture_, and _The Fatal Dowry_. His verse is fluent and sweet, and in his grave and reflective passages he rises to a rich and stately music. He often repeats himself, has little humour, and is not seldom coarse. He has, however, much skill in the construction and working out of a story.

MASSON, DAVID (1822-1907).--Biographer and historian, _b._ at Aberdeen, and _ed._ at Marischal Coll. there and at Edin., where he studied theology under Chalmers. He did not, however, enter the Church, but began a literary career by ed. a newspaper in Aberdeen. He then returned to Edin., where he worked for the brothers Chambers, the eminent publishers, and where he became acquainted with Wilson, Sir William Hamilton, and Chalmers, for the last of whom he cherished an extraordinary veneration. Going to London in 1847 he wrote extensively in reviews, magazines, and encyclopædias. In 1852 he became Prof. of English Literature in Univ. Coll., and in 1858 ed. of _Macmillan's Magazine_. He was appointed in 1865 Prof. of English Literature in Edin., where he exercised a profound influence on his students, many of whom have risen to high positions in literature. Though a most laborious student and man of letters, M. took a warm interest in various public questions, including Italian emancipation, and the higher education of women. He was the author of many important works, including _Essays Biographical and Critical_ (1856), _British Novelists_ (1859), and _Recent British Philosophy_ (1865). His _magnum opus_ is his monumental _Life of John Milton_ (6 vols., 1859-80) the most complete biography of any Englishman, dealing as it does not only with the personal life of the poet, but with the history, political, social, and religious of his time. Other books are _Drummond of Hawthornden_ (1873), _De Quincey_ (in English Men of Letters Series) (1878), _Edinburgh Sketches and Memories_ (1892), and _Carlyle Personally and in his Writings_. He also ed. the standard ed. of De Quincey's works, and the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland, his introductions in connection with which are of great historical value. He was appointed Historiographer for Scotland in 1893. M. was full of learning guided by sagacity, genial, broad-minded, and sane in his judgments of men and things, and thoroughly honest and sincere.

MATHER, COTTON (1663-1728).--Divine, _s._ of Increase M., a leading American divine, was _ed._ at Harvard, became a minister, and was colleague to his _f._ He was laborious, able, and learned, but extremely bigoted and self-sufficient. He carried on a persecution of so-called "witches," which led to the shedding of much innocent blood; on the other hand he was so much of a reformer as to advocate inoculation for small-pox. He was a copious author, his chief work being _Magnalia Christi Americana_ (1702), an ecclesiastical history of New England. Others were _Late Memorable Providences relating to Witchcraft and Possession_ (1689), and _The Wonders of the Invisible World_ (1693). In his later years he admitted that "he had gone too far" in his crusade against witches.

MATHIAS, THOMAS JAMES (1754?-1835).--Satirist, _ed._ at Camb., and held some minor appointments in the Royal household. He was an accomplished Italian scholar, and made various translations from the English into Italian, and _vice versâ_. He also produced a fine ed. of Gray, on which he lost heavily. His chief work, however, was _The Pursuits of Literature_ (1794), an undiscriminating satire on his literary contemporaries which went through 16 ed., but is now almost forgotten.

MATURIN, CHARLES ROBERT (1782-1824).--Novelist, _b._ in Dublin of Huguenot ancestry, was _ed._ at Trinity Coll. there, and taking orders held various benefices. He was the author of a few dramas, one of which, _Bertram_, had some success. He is, perhaps, better known for his romances in the style of Mrs. Radcliffe and "Monk" Lewis. The first of these, _The Fatal Revenge_ appeared in 1807, and was followed by, among others, _The Milesian Chief_ (1812), _Women_, which was the most successful, and lastly by _Melmoth_, in which he outdoes his models in the mysterious, the horrible, and indeed the revolting, without, except very occasionally, reaching their power. His last work, _The Albigenses_, in a somewhat different style, was _pub._ in the year of his death.

MAURICE, FREDERICK DENISON (1805-1872).--Divine, _s._ of a Unitarian minister, was _b._ at Normanston, near Lowestoft, and studied at Camb., but being then a Dissenter, could not graduate. He went to London, and engaged in literary work, writing for the _Westminster Review_ and other periodicals, and for a short time ed. the _Athenæum_. His theological views having changed, he joined the Church of England, went to Oxf., graduated, and was ordained 1834. He became Chaplain to Guy's Hospital, and held other clerical positions in London. In 1840 he was appointed Prof. of English Literature and History at King's Coll., and subsequently Prof. of Theology. He became a leader among the Christian socialists, and for a short time ed. their paper. On the publication of his _Theological Essays_ in 1853 he was asked to resign his professorship at King's Coll. In 1854 he was one of the founders of the Working Men's Coll., of which he became Principal, and in 1866 he was made Prof. of Moral Philosophy at Camb. Among his writings are _The Religions of the World and their Relation to Christianity_, _Moral and Metaphysical Philosophy_, _The Prophets and Kings of the Old Testament_ (1853), _The Doctrine of Sacrifice_, and _Theological Essays_. M.'s style was copious, and was often blamed as obscure; nevertheless, he exercised an extraordinary influence over some of the best minds of his time by the originality of his views, and the purity and elevation of his character.

MAXWELL, WILLIAM HAMILTON (1792-1850).--Novelist, a Scoto-Irishman, _b._ at Newry, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin, entered the army, and saw service in the Peninsula, and at Waterloo. Afterwards he took orders, but was deprived of his living for non-residence. His novels, _O'Hara_, and _Stories from Waterloo_, started the school of rollicking military fiction, which culminated in the novels of Lever. M. also wrote a Life of the Duke of Wellington, and a _History of the Irish Rebellion_.

MAX-MÜLLER, FRIEDRICH (1823-1900).--Philologist, _s._ of the German poet, Wilhelm M., was _b._ at Dessau, and _ed._ at Leipzig, Berlin, and Paris. In 1846 he was requested by the East India Company to ed. the _Rig Veda_. He settled at Oxf. in 1848, and in 1850 was appointed deputy Taylorian Prof. of Modern European languages, becoming Prof. 4 years later, and Curator of the Bodleian Library in 1856. In 1868 he was elected first Prof. of Comparative Philology. He ed. _Sacred Books of the East_, and wrote in English _Chips from a German Workshop_ (1867-75). He did much to stimulate the study of comparative religion and philology. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1896.

MAY, THOMAS (1595-1650).--Poet and historian, _b._ in Sussex, _s._ of Sir Thomas M., of Mayfield, went to Camb., and thence to Gray's Inn, but discarded law for literature. In 1622 he produced his first comedy, _The Heir_, and also a translation of Virgil's _Georgics_. Six years later, 1627, appeared his translation of _Lucan_, which gained him the favour of Charles I. at whose command he wrote two poems, _The Reigne of King Henry II._, and _The Victorious Reigne of King Edward III._, each in 7 books. When the Civil War broke out M., to the disappointment of his friends, took the side of the Parliament, and was made Sec. to the Long Parliament, the historian of which he became, _pub._ 1647, _The History of the Parliament of England, which began Nov. 3, 1640_. This work he prefaced with a short review of the preceding reigns from that of Elizabeth. The narrative closes with the Battle of Newbury, 1643, and is characterised by fulness of information and candour. M. was also the author of several tragedies, including _Antigone_, of no great merit.

MAY, SIR THOMAS ERSKINE, 1ST BARON FARNBOROUGH (1815-1886).--Jurist and historian, _ed._ at Bedford School, and after holding various minor offices became in 1871 clerk to the House of Commons, retiring in 1886, when he was raised to the peerage. He had previously, 1866, been made K.C.B. He was the author of a treatise on the laws, privileges, etc., of Parliament, which, first _pub._ in 1844, reached in 1901 its tenth ed., and was translated into various languages. His _Constitutional History of England_, 1760-1860 is practically a continuation of Hallam's great work. He also wrote _Democracy in Europe_. As an historical writer M. was learned, painstaking, and impartial.

MAYNE, JASPER (1604-1672).--Dramatist, was at Oxf., entered the Church, and became Archdeacon of Chichester. He wrote two dramas, _The City Match_ (1639), and _The Amorous War_ (1648), in neither of which did he sustain the clerical character. He had, however, some humour.

MAYNE, JOHN (1759-1836).--Poet, was _b._ in Dumfries. In 1780 he _pub._ the _Siller Gun_ in its original form in _Ruddiman's Magazine_. It is a humorous poem descriptive of an ancient custom in Dumfries of shooting for the "Siller Gun." He was continually adding to it, until it grew to 5 cantos. He also wrote a poem on _Hallowe'en_, and a version of the ballad, _Helen of Kirkconnel_. His verses were admired by Scott.

MELVILLE, HERMAN (1819-1891).--Novelist, _b._ in New York, and took to the sea, which led to strange adventures, including an imprisonment of some months in the hands of cannibals in the Marquesas Islands. His first novel, _Typee_ (1846), is based upon this experience. _Omoo_ followed in 1847, _Moby Dick, or the White Whale_, a powerful sea story, in 1852, and _Israel Potter_ in 1855. He was a very unequal writer, but occasionally showed considerable power and originality.

MELVILLE, JAMES (1556-1614).--Scottish divine and reformer, _s._ of the laird of Baldovie, in Forfarshire, and nephew of the great reformer and scholar, Andrew M., by whom, when Principal of the Univ. of Glasgow, he was chosen to assist him as a regent or professor. When, in 1580, Andrew became Principal of St. Mary's Coll., St. Andrews, James accompanied him, and acted as Prof. of Hebrew and Oriental Languages. He wrote many poems, but his chief work was his _Diary_, an original authority for the period, written with much naïveté, and revealing a singularly attractive personality. M., who for his part in Church matters, had been banished to England, _d._ at Berwick on his way back to Scotland.

MELVILLE, SIR JAMES (1535-1617).--Historian, _s._ of Sir John M., of Hallhill, was a page to Mary Queen of Scots at the French Court, and afterwards one of her Privy Council. He also acted as her envoy to Queen Elizabeth and the Elector Palatine. He was the author of an autobiography which is one of the original authorities for the period. The MS., which lay for long hidden in Edin. Castle, was discovered in 1660, and _pub._ 1683. A later ed. was brought out in 1827 by the Bannatyne Club. The work is written in a lively style, but is not always to be implicitly relied upon in regard either to facts or the characters attributed to individuals.

MEREDITH, GEORGE (1828-1909).--Novelist and poet, _b._ at Portsmouth, _s._ of Augustus M., a naval outfitter, who afterwards went to Cape Town, and _ed._ at Portsmouth and Neuwied in Germany. Owing to the neglect of a trustee, what means he had inherited were lost, and he was in his early days very poor. Articled to a lawyer in London, he had no taste for law, which he soon exchanged for journalism, and at 21 he was writing poetry for magazines, his first printed work, a poem on the Battle of Chillianwallah, appearing in _Chambers's Journal_. Two years later he _pub._ _Poems_ (1851), containing _Love in the Valley_. Meantime he had been ed. a small provincial newspaper, and in 1866 he was war correspondent in Italy for the _Morning Post_, and he also acted for many years as literary adviser to Chapman and Hall. By this time, however, he had produced several of his novels. _The Shaving of Shagpat_ had appeared in 1856, _Farina_ in 1857, _The Ordeal of Richard Feverel_ in 1859, _Evan Harrington_ in 1861, _Emilia in England_ (also known as _Sandra Belloni_) in 1864, its sequel, _Vittoria_, in 1866, and _Rhoda Fleming_ in 1865. In poetry he had produced _Modern Love and Poems of the English Roadside_ (1862), generally regarded as his best poetical work. These were followed by _The Adventures of Harry Richmond_ (1871), _Beauchamp's Career_ (1875), said to be the author's favourite, _The Egoist_ (1879), which marks the beginning of a change in style characterised by an even greater fastidiousness in the choice of words, phrases, and condensation of thought than its predecessors, _The Tragic Comedians_ (1880), and _Diana of the Crossways_, the first of the author's novels to attain anything approaching general popularity. The same period yielded in poetry, _Poems and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth_ (1883), _Ballads and Poems of Tragic Life_ (1887), and _A Reading of Earth_ (1888). His later novels, _One of our Conquerors_ (1891), _Lord Ormont and his Aminta_ (1894), and _The Amazing Marriage_ (1895), exhibit a tendency to accentuate those qualities of style which denied general popularity to all of M.'s works, and they did little to add to his reputation. The contemporary poems include _The Empty Purse_ and _Jump to Glory Jane_ (1892). In 1905 he received the Order of Merit, and he _d._ on May 19, 1909. He was twice _m._, his first wife, who _d._ 1860, being a _dau._ of Thomas Love Peacock (_q.v._). This union did not prove in all respects happy. His second wife was Miss Vulliamy, who _d._ 1885. In his earlier life he was vigorous and athletic, and a great walker; latterly he lost all power of locomotion.

Though the writings of M. never were and probably never will be generally popular, his genius was, from the very first, recognised by the best judges. All through he wrote for the reader who brought something of mind, thought, and attention, not for him who read merely to be amused without trouble; and it is therefore futile to attribute failure to him because he did not achieve what he did not aim at. Nevertheless, the long delay in receiving even the kind of recognition which he sought was a disappointment to him. Few writers have striven to charge sentences and even words so heavily with meaning, or to attain so great a degree of condensation, with the result that links in the chain of thought are not seldom omitted and left for the careful reader to supply. There is also a tendency to adopt unusual words and forms of expression where plainness and simplicity would have served as well, and these features taken together give reason for the charges of obscurity and affectation so often made. Moreover, the discussion of motive and feeling is often out of proportion to the narrative of the events and circumstances to which they stand related. But to compensate us for these defects he offers humour, often, indeed, whimsical, but keen and sparkling, close observation of and exquisite feeling for nature, a marvellous power of word-painting, the most delicate and penetrating analysis of character, and an invincible optimism which, while not blind to the darker aspects of life, triumphs over the depression which they might induce in a weaker nature. In matters of faith and dogma his standpoint was distinctly negative.

MERES, FRANCIS (1565-1647).--Miscellaneous author, was of a Lincolnshire family, studied at Camb. and Oxf., and became Rector of Wing in Rutland. He _pub._ in 1598 _Palladis Tamia: Wit's Treasury_, containing a comparison of English poets with Greek, Latin, and Italian.