LYTE, HENRY FRANCIS (1793-1847).--Hymn-writer, _b._ at Ednam, near Kelso,
of an ancient Somersetshire family, and _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin,
took orders, and was incumbent of Lower Brixham, Devonshire. He _pub._
_Poems: chiefly religious_ (1833). He is chiefly remembered for his
hymns, one of which, _Abide with Me_, is universally known and loved.
LYTTELTON, GEORGE, 1ST LORD LYTTELTON (1709-1773).--Poet, _s._ of Sir
Thomas L., of Hagley, Worcestershire, _ed._ at Eton and Oxf., was the
patron of many literary men, including Thomson and Mallet, and was
himself a somewhat voluminous author. Among his works are _Letters from a
Persian in England to his friend in Ispahan_ (1735), a treatise _On the
Conversion of St. Paul_ (1746), _Dialogues of the Dead_ (1760), which had
great popularity, and a _History of the Reign of Henry II._,
well-informed, careful, and impartial, but tedious. He is chiefly
remembered by his _Monody_ on the death of his wife. The stanza in _The
Castle of Indolence_ in which Thomson is playfully described (canto 1,
st. lxviii.), is by L., who is himself referred to in lxv. He took some
part in public affairs, and was Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1756.
LYTTON, EDWARD GEORGE EARLE LYTTON-BULWER, 1ST LORD
(1803-1873).--Novelist and statesman, third son of General Earle Bulwer
of Heydon and Dalling, Norfolk, and of Elizabeth Lytton, heiress of
Knebworth, Herts, was _b._ in London, and _ed._ privately and at Camb. He
began to write when still a boy, and _pub._, in 1820, _Ismael and other
Poems_. His marriage in 1825 to Rosina Wheeler, an Irish beauty, caused a
quarrel with his mother, and the loss of his income, and thus
incidentally gave the impulse to his marvellous literary activity. The
marriage proved an unhappy one, and was terminated by a separation in
1836. During its continuance, however, his life was a busy and productive
one, its literary results including _Falkland_ (1827), _Pelham_ (1828),
_Paul Clifford_ (1830), _Eugene Aram_ (1832), _The Pilgrims of the
Rhine_, _Last Days of Pompeii_, _Rienzi_ (1835), besides _England and the
English_, _Athens its Rise and Fall_, and innumerable tales, essays, and
articles in various reviews and magazines, including the _New Monthly_,
of which he became ed. in 1831. In the same year he entered Parliament as
a Liberal, but gradually gravitated towards Conservatism, and held office
in the second government of Lord Derby as Colonial Sec. 1858-59. As a
politician he devoted himself largely to questions affecting authors,
such as copyright and the removal of taxes upon literature. He continued
his literary labours with almost unabated energy until the end of his
life, his works later than those already mentioned including the _Last of
the Barons_ (1843), _Harold_ (1848), the famous triad of _The Caxtons_
(1850), _My Novel_ (1853), and _What will he do with it?_ (1859); and his
studies in the supernatural, _Zanoni_ (1842), and _A Strange Story_
(1862). Later still were _The Coming Race_ (1870) and _Kenelm Chillingly_
(1873). To the drama he contributed three plays which still enjoy
popularity, _The Lady of Lyons_, _Richelieu_, both (1838), and _Money_
(1840). In poetry he was less successful. _The New Timon_, a satire, is
the best remembered, largely, however, owing to the reply by Tennyson
which it brought down upon the author, who had attacked him. In his
works, numbering over 60, L. showed an amazing versatility, both in
subject and treatment, but they have not, with perhaps the exception of
the Caxton series, kept their original popularity. Their faults are
artificiality, and forced brilliancy, and as a rule they rather dazzle by
their cleverness than touch by their truth to nature. L. was raised to
the peerage in 1866.
_Life, Letters, etc._, of Lord Lytton by his son, 2 vols., comes down to
1832 only. Political Memoir prefaced to _Speeches_ (2 vols., 1874).
LYTTON, EDWARD ROBERT BULWER, 1ST EARL OF LYTTON (1831-1891).--Poet and
statesman, _s._ of the above, was _ed._ at Harrow and Bonn, and
thereafter was private sec. to his uncle, Sir H. Bulwer, afterwards Lord
Dalling and Bulwer (_q.v._), at Washington and Florence. Subsequently he
held various diplomatic appointments at other European capitals. In 1873
he succeeded his _f._ in the title, and in 1876 became Viceroy of India.
He was _cr._ an Earl on his retirement in 1880, and was in 1887 appointed
Ambassador at Paris, where he _d._ in 1891. He valued himself much more
as a poet than as a man of affairs; but, though he had in a considerable
degree some of the qualities of a poet, he never quite succeeded in
commanding the recognition of either the public or the critics. His
writings, usually appearing under the pseudonym of "Owen Meredith,"
include _Clytemnestra_ (1855), _The Wanderer_ (1857), _Lucile_ (1860),
_Chronicles and Characters_ (1868), _Orval, or the Fool of Time_ (1869),
_Fables in Song_ (1874), and _King Poppy_ (1892). As Viceroy of India he
introduced important reforms, and his dispatches were remarkable for
their fine literary form.
MACAULAY, MRS. CATHERINE (SAWBRIDGE) (1731-1791).--_Dau._ of a landed
proprietor of Kent, was an advocate of republicanism, and a sympathiser
with the French Revolution. She wrote a _History of England from the
Accession of James I. to the Elevation of the House of Hanover_ (8 vols.,
1763-83), which had great popularity in its day, some critics, _e.g._
Horace Walpole, placing it above Hume. Though a work of no real research
or authority, it is in the main well written.
MACAULAY, THOMAS BABINGTON, LORD (1800-1859).--Historian, essayist, and
statesman, _s._ of Zachary M., a wealthy merchant, and one of the leaders
of the anti-slavery party, was _b._ at Rothley Temple, Leicestershire,
and _ed._ at a private school and at Trinity Coll., Camb., of which he
became a Fellow in 1824, and where, though he gained distinction as a
classical scholar and debater, he did not take a high degree, owing to
his weakness in mathematics. About the time of his leaving the Univ. his
prospects were entirely changed by the failure of his father's firm. He
accordingly read law, and in 1826 was called to the Bar, which led to his
appointment two years later as a Commissioner in Bankruptcy. He had by
this time made his first appearance in print, in _Knight's Quarterly
Magazine_, and in 1825 he formed the connection with the _Edinburgh
Review_ which redounded so greatly to the fame of both. His first
contribution was the famous essay on Milton, which, although he
afterwards said of it that "it contained scarcely a paragraph which his
matured judgment approved," took the reading public by storm, and at once
gave him access to the first society in London, in which his
extraordinary conversational powers enabled him to take a leading place.
He now began to turn his mind towards public life, and by favour of Lord
Lansdowne sat in the House of Commons for his family borough of Calne.
Entering the House in 1830 in the thick of the Reform struggle, M. at
once leaped into a foremost place as a debater, and after the passage of
the Reform Bill sat as one of the two members for the new borough of
Leeds, and held office as Sec. to the Board of Control. The acquaintance
with Indian affairs which he thus gained led to his appointment as a
member of the Supreme Council of India, whither he went in 1834. Here his
chief work was the codification of the criminal law, which he carried out
with great ability, and by which he wrote his name on the history of the
empire. By the regard for the rights of the natives which he showed, he
incurred much ill-will in interested quarters. For this he consoled
himself with the pleasures of literature, which gradually assumed the
preponderance in his mind over political ambitions. In 1838 he returned
to England. The next year he began _The History of England_, but for some
time to come his energies were still divided between this task, the
demands of the _Edinburgh Review_, and politics. He was elected for
Edin., for which he sat until 1847, when he was thrown out on the
Maynooth question, and from 1839-41 was Sec. for War. The _Lays of
Ancient Rome_ were _pub._ in 1842, and a collection of his essays in _The
Edinburgh_ the following year. In 1846 he joined the government of Lord
John Russell as Paymaster-General, an office with light duties, his
retirement from which, however, followed the loss of his seat in the next
year. He was now finally set free for his great work, which became
thenceforth the leading interest of his life. The first and second vols.
appeared in 1848, and were received with extraordinary applause. In 1852
he was offered, but declined, a seat in the coalition government of Lord
Aberdeen, accepting, however, the seat in Parliament which Edin., now
repentant, gave him unsolicited. His health began about this time to
show symptoms of failure, and he spoke in the House only once or twice.
In 1855 the third and fourth vols. of the _History_ came out, and meeting
with a success both at home and in America unprecedented in the case of
an historical work, were translated into various foreign languages. In
1857 M. was raised to the Peerage, a distinction which he appreciated and
enjoyed. His last years were spent at Holly Lodge, Kensington, in
comparative retirement, and there he _d._ on December 28, 1859. Though
never _m._, M. was a man of the warmest family affections. Outside of his
family he was a steady friend and a generous opponent, disinterested and
honourable in his public life. Possessed of an astonishing memory,
knowledge of vast extent, and an unfailing flow of ready and effective
speech, he shone alike as a parliamentary orator and a conversationalist.
In his writings he spared no pains in the collection and arrangement of
his materials, and he was incapable of deliberate unfairness.
Nevertheless, his mind was strongly cast in the mould of the orator and
the pleader: and the vivid contrasts, antitheses, and even paradoxes
which were his natural forms of expression do not always tend to secure a
judicial view of the matter in hand. Consequently he has been accused by
some critics of party-spirit, inaccuracy, and prejudice. He has not
often, however, been found mistaken on any important matter of fact, and
in what he avowedly set himself to do, namely, to give a living picture
of the period which he dealt with, he has been triumphantly successful.
Unfortunately, strength and life failed before his great design was
completed. He is probably most widely known by his _Essays_, which retain
an extraordinary popularity.
_Life_ by his nephew, Sir G.O. Trevelyan. _See_ also J.C. Monson's _Life_
(English Men of Letters).
MACCARTHY, DENIS FLORENCE (1817-1882).--Poet, _b._ at Dublin, and _ed._
at Maynooth with a view to the priesthood, devoted himself, however, to
literature, and contributed verses to _The Nation_. Among his other
writings are _Ballads, Poems, and Lyrics_ (1850), _The Bell Founder_
(1857), and _Under-Glimpses_. He also ed. a collection of Irish lyrics,
translated Calderon, and wrote _Shelley's Early Life_ (1872).
M'COSH, JAMES (1811-1894).--Philosophical writer, _s._ of an Ayrshire
farmer, was a minister first of the Church of Scotland, and afterwards of
the Free Church. From 1851-68 he was Prof. of Logic at Queen's Coll.,
Belfast, and thereafter Pres. of Princeton Coll., New Jersey. He wrote
several works on philosophy, including _Method of the Divine Government_
(1850), _Intuitions of the Mind inductively investigated_ (1860), _Laws
of Discursive Thought_ (1870), _Scottish Philosophy_ (1874), and
_Psychology_ (1886).
M'CRIE, THOMAS (1772-1835).--Biographer and ecclesiastical historian,
_b._ at Duns, and _ed._ at the Univ. of Edin., became the leading
minister of one of the Dissenting churches of Scotland. His _Life of
Knox_ (1813) ranks high among biographies for the ability and learning
which it displays, and was the means of vindicating the great Reformer
from a cloud of prejudice and misunderstanding in which he had been
enveloped. It was followed by a _Life of Andrew Melville_ (1819), Knox's
successor as the leader of the Reformers in Scotland, also a work of
great merit. M'C. also _pub._ histories of the Reformation in Italy and
Spain. He received the degree of D.D. in 1813.
MACDONALD, GEORGE (1824-1905).--Poet and novelist, _s._ of a farmer, was
_b._ at Huntly, Aberdeenshire, and _ed._ at the Univ. of Aberdeen, and at
the Independent Coll., Highbury. He became minister of a congregation at
Arundel, but after a few years retired, on account partly of theological
considerations, partly of a threatened, breakdown of health. He then took
to literature, and _pub._ his first book, _Within and Without_ (1856), a
dramatic poem, _Poems_ followed in 1857, and _Phantasies, a Faerie
Romance_, in 1858. He then turned to fiction, and produced numerous
novels, of which _David Elginbrod_ (1862), _Alec Forbes_ (1865), _Robert
Falconer_ (1868), _The Marquis of Lossie_ (1877), and _Sir Gibbie_
(1879), are perhaps the best. He also wrote stories for children of great
charm and originality, including _The Princess and the Goblin_, _At the
Back of the North Wind_, and _Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood_. As a novelist
he had considerable narrative and dramatic power, humour, tenderness, a
genial view of life and character, tinged with mysticism, and within his
limits was a true poet. On retiring from the ministry he attached himself
to the Church of England, but frequently preached as a layman, never
accepting any remuneration for his sermons.
MACKAY, CHARLES (1814-1889).--Poet and journalist, _s._ of a naval
officer, was _b._ at Perth, and _ed._ at the Royal Caledonian Asylum,
London, and at Brussels, but much of his early life was spent in France.
Coming to London in 1834, he engaged in journalism, _pub._ _Songs and
Poems_ (1834), wrote a _History of London_, _Popular Delusions_, and a
romance, _Longbeard_. His fame, however, chiefly rests upon his songs,
some of which, including _Cheer, Boys, Cheer_, were in 1846 set to music
by Henry Russell, and had an astonishing popularity. In 1852 he became
ed. of the _Illustrated London News_, in the musical supplement to which
other songs by him were set to old English music by Sir H.R. Bishop. M.
acted as _Times_ correspondent during the American Civil War, and in that
capacity discovered and disclosed the Fenian conspiracy. He had the
degree of LL.D. from Glasgow in 1846.
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.
MERIVALE, CHARLES (1808-1893).--Historian, _s._ of John Herman M., a
translator and minor poet, _b._ in London, _ed._ at Harrow, Haileybury,
and Camb., he took orders, and among other preferments held those of
chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, 1863-69, and Dean of
Ely. From his college days he was a keen student of Roman history, and
between 1850 and 1864 he _pub._ his _History of the Romans under the
Empire_, an able and scholarly work, though considered by some critics to
be too favourable to the Emperors, and the imperial idea. An earlier work
was _The Fall of the Roman Republic_ (1853).
MERRIMAN, H. SETON, (_see_ SCOTT, H.S.).
MESTON, WILLIAM (1688?-1745).--_S._ of a blacksmith, was _ed._ at
Marischal Coll., Aberdeen, took part in the '15, and had to go into
hiding. His _Knight of the Kirk_ (1723) is an imitation of _Hudibras_. It
has little merit.
MICKLE, WILLIAM JULIUS (1735-1788).--Poet, _s._ of the minister of
Langholm, Dumfriesshire, was for some time a brewer in Edin., but failed.
He went to Oxf., where he was corrector for the Clarendon Press. After
various literary failures and minor successes he produced his translation
of the _Lusiad_, from the Portuguese of Camoens, which brought him both
fame and money. In 1777 he went to Portugal, where he was received with
distinction. In 1784 he _pub._ the ballad of _Cumnor Hall_, which
suggested to Scott the writing of _Kenilworth_. He is perhaps best
remembered, however, by the beautiful lyric, _There's nae luck aboot the
Hoose_, which, although claimed by others, is almost certainly his.
MIDDLETON, CONYERS (1683-1750).--Divine and scholar, _b._ at Richmond,
Yorkshire, and _ed._ at Camb. He was the author of several latitudinarian
treatises on miracles, etc., which brought him into controversy with
Waterland (_q.v._) and others, and of a _Life of Cicero_ (1741), largely
plagiarised from William Bellenden, a Scottish writer of the 17th
century. Another of his controversies was with Bentley on college
administration. He was master of a very fine literary style.
MIDDLETON, THOMAS (1570-1627).--Dramatist, was a Londoner and city
chronologer, in which capacity he composed a chronicle of the city, now
lost. He wrote over 20 plays, chiefly comedies, besides masques and
pageants, and collaborated with Dekker, Webster, and other playwrights.
His best plays are _The Changeling_, _The Spanish Gipsy_ (both with
Rowley), and _Women beware Women_. Another, _The Game of Chess_ (1624),
got the author and the players alike into trouble on account of its
having brought the King of Spain and other public characters upon the
stage. They, however, got off with a severe reprimand. M. was a keen
observer of London life, and shone most in scenes of strong passion. He
is, however, unequal and repeats himself. Other plays are: _The Phoenix_,
_Michaelmas Term_ (1607), _A Trick to Catch the old One_ (1608), _The
Familie of Love_ (1608), _A Mad World, My Masters_ (1608), _The Roaring
Girl_ (1611) (with Dekker), _The Old Law_ (1656) (with Massinger and
Rowley), _A Faire Quarrel_ (1617); and among his pageants and masques are
_The Triumphs of Truth_ (1613), _The Triumphs of Honour and Industry_
(1617), _The Inner Temple Masque_ (1619), etc.
MILL, JAMES (1773-1836).--Philosopher and historian, _s._ of a shoemaker,
was _b._ at Montrose, and showing signs of superior ability, was sent to
the Univ. of Edin. with a view to the ministry. He was licensed as a
preacher in 1798, but gave up the idea of the Church, and going to London
in 1802 engaged in literary work, ed. the _St. James's Chronicle_, and
wrote for the _Edinburgh Review_. In 1806 he began his _History of
British India_ (1817-18), and in 1819 received the appointment of
Assistant Examiner to the India Office, and in 1834 became head of the
department. M. had meanwhile become the intimate friend of Jeremy
Bentham, was perhaps the chief exponent of the utilitarian philosophy,
and was also one of the founders of the London Univ. His philosophical
writings include _Elements of Political Economy_ (1821), and _Analysis of
the Human Mind_ (1824). M.'s intellect was powerful, though rigid and
somewhat narrow; his style was clear and precise, and his conversational
powers very remarkable, and influential in moulding the opinions of those
who came into contact with him, especially his distinguished son, John
Stuart (_q.v._).
MILL, JOHN STUART (1806-1873).--Philosopher, _s._ of the above, _b._ in
London, was _ed._ by his _f._ with the view of making him the successor
of Bentham and himself, as the exponent of the Utilitarian philosophy. In
all respects he proved an apt pupil, and by his 15th year had studied
classical literature, logic, political economy, and mathematics. In that
year he went to France, where he was under the charge of Sir S. Bentham,
a brother of Jeremy. His studies had led him to the adoption of the
utilitarian philosophy, and after his return he became acquainted with
Grote, the Austins, and other Benthamites. In 1823 he entered the India
House as a clerk, and, like his _f._, rose to be examiner of Indian
correspondence; and, on the dissolution of the Company, retired on a
liberal pension. In 1825 he ed. Bentham's _Rationale of Judicial
Evidence_. During the following years he was a frequent contributor to
Radical journals, and ed. the _London Review_. His _Logic_ appeared in
1843, and produced a profound impression; and in 1848 he _pub._
_Principles of Political Economy_. The years between 1858 and 1865 were
very productive, his treatises on _Liberty_, _Utilitarianism_,
_Representative Government_, and his _Examination of Sir W. Hamilton's
Philosophy_ being _pub._ during this period. In 1865 he entered the House
of Commons as one of the members for Westminster, where, though highly
respected, he made no great mark. After this political parenthesis he
returned to his literary pursuits, and wrote _The Subjection of Women_
(1869), _The Irish Land Question_ (1870), and an _Autobiography_. M. had
_m._ in 1851 Mrs. Taylor, for whom he showed an extraordinary devotion,
and whom he survived for 15 years. He _d._ at Avignon. His
_Autobiography_ gives a singular, and in some respects painful account of
the methods and views of his _f._ in his education. Though remaining all
his life an adherent of the utilitarian philosophy, M. did not transmit
it to his disciples altogether unmodified, but, finding it too narrow and
rigid for his own intellectual and moral requirements, devoted himself to
widening it, and infusing into it a certain element of idealism.
Bain's _Criticism with Personal Recollections_ (1882), L. Courtney's
_John Stuart Mill_ (1889), _Autobiography_, Stephens's _Utilitarians_, J.
Grote's _Examination of the Utilitarian Philosophy of Mill_, etc.
MILLER, HUGH (1802-1856).--Geologist, and man of letters, _b._ at
Cromarty, had the ordinary parish school education, and early showed a
remarkable love of reading and power of story-telling. At 17 he was
apprenticed to a stonemason, and his work in quarries, together with
rambles among the rocks of his native shore, led him to the study of
geology. In 1829 he _pub._ a vol. of poems, and soon afterwards threw
himself as an ardent and effective combatant into the controversies,
first of the Reform Bill, and thereafter of the Scottish Church question.
In 1834 he became accountant in one of the local banks, and in the next
year brought out his _Scenes and Legends in the North of Scotland_. In
1840 the popular party in the Church, with which he had been associated,
started a newspaper, _The Witness_, and M. was called to be ed., a
position which he retained till the end of his life, and in which he
showed conspicuous ability. Among his geological works are _The Old Red
Sandstone_ (1841), _Footprints of the Creator_ (1850), _The Testimony of
the Rocks_ (1856), and _Sketch-book of Popular Geology_. Other books are:
_My Schools and Schoolmasters_, an autobiography of remarkable interest,
_First Impressions of England and its People_ (1847), and _The Cruise of
the Betsy_. Of the geological books, perhaps that on the old red
sandstone, a department in which M. was a discoverer, is the best: but
all his writings are distinguished by great literary excellence, and
especially by a marvellous power of vivid description. The end of his
life was most tragic. He had for long been overworking his brain, which
at last gave way, and in a temporary loss of reason, he shot himself
during the night.
_Life and Letters_, P. Bayne (1871), etc.
MILLER, THOMAS (1807-1874).--Poet and novelist, of humble parentage,
worked in early life as a basket-maker. He _pub._ _Songs of the Sea
Nymphs_ (1832). Going to London he was befriended by Lady Blessington
(_q.v._) and S. Rogers (_q.v._), and for a time engaged in business as a
bookseller, but was unsuccessful and devoted himself exclusively to
literature, producing over 40 vols., including several novels, _e.g._,
_Royston Gower_ (1838), _Gideon Giles the Roper_, and _Rural Sketches_.
In his stories he successfully delineated rural characters and scenes.
MILMAN, HENRY HART (1791-1868).--Poet and historian, _s._ of Sir Francis
M., a distinguished physician, _ed._ at Eton and Oxf. Taking orders he
became in 1835 Rector of St. Margaret's, Westminster, and in 1849 Dean of
St. Paul's. He also held the professorship of Poetry at Oxf. 1821-31.
Among his poetical works may be mentioned _Fazio_ (drama) (1815), _Samor_
(epic) (1818), _The Fall of Jerusalem_ (1820), _The Martyr of Antioch_
(1822), and _Anne Boleyn_ (1826). It is, however, on his work as an
historian that his literary fame chiefly rests, his chief works in this
department being his _History of the Jews_ (1830), _History of
Christianity_ (1840), and especially _The History of Latin Christianity_
(6 vols. 1854-56), which is one of the most important historical works of
the century, characterised alike by literary distinction and by learning
and research. M. also brought out a valuable ed. of Gibbon's _Decline and
Fall_, and wrote a _History of St. Paul's Cathedral_.
MILNES, R. MONCKTON, (_see_ HOUGHTON).
MILTON, JOHN (1608-1674).--Poet, was _b._ 9th December 1608 in Bread
Street, London. His _f._, also John, was the _s._ of a yeoman of
Oxfordshire, who cast him off on his becoming a Protestant. He had then
become a scrivener in London, and grew to be a man of good estate. From
him his illustrious _s._ inherited his lofty integrity, and his love of,
and proficiency in, music. M. received his first education from a Scotch
friend of his father's, Thomas Young, a Puritan of some note, one of the
writers of _Smectymnuus_. Thereafter he was at St. Paul's School, and in
1625 went to Christ's Coll., Camb., where for his beauty and his delicacy
of mind he was nicknamed "the lady." His sister Anne had _m._ Edward
Phillips, and the death of her first child in infancy gave to him the
subject of his earliest poem, _On the death of a Fair Infant_ (1626). It
was followed during his 7 years' life at the Univ., along with others, by
the poems, _On the Morning of Christ's Nativity_ (1629), _On the
Circumcision_, _The Passion_, _Time_, _At a Solemn Music_, _On May
Morning_, and _On Shakespeare_, all in 1630; and two sonnets, _To the
Nightingale_ and _On arriving at the Age of Twenty-three_, in 1631. In
1632, having given up the idea of entering the Church, for which his _f._
had intended him, he lived for 6 years at Horton, near Windsor, to which
the latter had retired, devoted to further study. Here he wrote
_L'Allegro_ and _Il Penseroso_ in 1632, _Arcades_ (1633), _Comus_ in
1634, and _Lycidas_ in 1637. The first celebrates the pleasures of a life
of cheerful innocence, and the second of contemplative, though not
gloomy, retirement, and the last is a lament for a lost friend, Edward
King, who perished at sea. _Arcades_ and _Comus_ are masques set to music
by Henry Lawes, having for their motives respectively family affection
and maiden purity. Had he written nothing else these would have given him
a place among the immortals. In 1638 he completed his education by a
period of travel in France and Italy, where he visited Grotius at Paris,
and Galileo at Florence. The news of impending troubles in Church and
State brought him home the following year, and with his return may be
said to close the first of three well-marked divisions into which his
life falls. These may be called (1) the period of preparation and of the
early poems; (2) the period of controversy, and of the prose writings;
and (3) the period of retirement and of the later poems. Soon after his
return M. settled in London, and employed himself in teaching his
nephews, Edward and John Phillips, turning over in his mind at the same
time various subjects as the possible theme for the great poem which, as
the chief object of his life, he looked forward to writing. But he was
soon to be called away to far other matters, and to be plunged into the
controversies and practical business which were to absorb his energies
for the next 20 years. The works of this period fall into three
classes--(1) those directed against Episcopacy, including _Reformation of
Church Discipline in England_ (1641), and his answers to the writings of
Bishop Hall (_q.v._), and in defence of _Smectymnuus_ (_see_ under
Calamy); (2) those relating to divorce, including _The Doctrine and
Discipline of Divorce_ (1643), and _The Four Chief Places of Scripture
which treat of Marriage_ (1645); and (3) those on political and
miscellaneous questions, including the _Tractate on Education_ (1644),
_Areopagitica_ (1644), _A Speech for the Liberty of Unlicensed Printing_
(his greatest prose work), _Eikonoklastes_, an answer to the _Eikon
Basiliké_ of Dr. Gauden (_q.v._), _The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates_
(1649), in defence of the execution of Charles I., which led to the
furious controversy with Salmasius, the writing of _Pro Populo Anglicano
Defensio_ (1650), the second _Defensio_ (1654), which carried his name
over Europe, and _The Ready and Easy Way to establish a Free
Commonwealth_, written on the eve of the Restoration. In 1643 M. had _m._
Mary Powell, the _dau._ of an Oxfordshire cavalier, a girl of 17, who
soon found her new life as the companion of an austere poet, absorbed in
severe study, too abrupt a change from the gay society to which she had
been accustomed, and in a month returned to her father's house on a
visit. When the time fixed for rejoining her husband arrived, she showed
no disposition to do so, upon which he began to aim at a divorce, and to
advocate in the works above mentioned "unfitness and contrariety of mind"
as a valid ground for it, views which incurred for him much notoriety and
unpopularity. A reconciliation, however, followed in 1645, and three
_dau._ were born of the marriage. In 1649 the reputation of M. as a
Latinist led to his appointment as Latin or Foreign Sec. to the Council
of State, in the duties of which he was, after his sight began to fail,
assisted by A. Marvell (_q.v._) and others, and which he retained until
the Restoration. In 1652 his wife _d._, and four years later he entered
into a second marriage with Katharine Woodcock, who _d._ in child-birth
in the following year. To her memory he dedicated one of the most
touching of his sonnets. At the Restoration he was, of course, deprived
of his office, and had to go into hiding; but on the intercession of
Marvell (_q.v._), and perhaps Davenant (_q.v._), his name was included in
the amnesty. In 1663, being now totally blind and somewhat helpless, he
asked his friend Dr. Paget to recommend a wife for him. The lady chosen
was Elizabeth Minshull, aged 25, who appears to have given him domestic
happiness in his last years. She survived him for 53 years. The
Restoration closed his second, and introduced his third, and for his
fame, most productive period. He was now free to devote his whole powers
to the great work which he had so long contemplated. For some time he had
been in doubt as to the subject, had considered the Arthurian legends,
but had decided upon the Fall of Man. The result was _Paradise Lost_,
which was begun in 1658, finished in 1664, and _pub._ in 1667. A remark
of his friend, Thomas Ellwood (_q.v._), suggested to him the writing of
_Paradise Regained_, which, along with _Samson Agonistes_, was _pub._ in
1671. Two years before he had printed a _History of Britain_, written
long before, which, however, is of little value. The work of M. was now
done. In addition to his blindness he suffered from gout, to which it was
partly attributable, and, his strength gradually failing, but with mind
unimpaired and serene, he _d._ peacefully on November 8, 1674. In M. the
influences of the Renaissance and of Puritanism met. To the former he
owed his wide culture and his profound love of everything noble and
beautiful, to the latter his lofty and austere character, and both these
elements meet in his writings. Leaving Shakespeare out of account, he
holds an indisputable place at the head of English poets. For strength of
imagination, delicate accuracy and suggestiveness of language, and
harmony of versification, he is unrivalled, and almost unapproached; and
when the difficulties inherent in the subject of his great masterpiece
are considered, the power he shows in dealing with them appears almost
miraculous, and we feel that in those parts where he has failed, success
was impossible for a mortal. In his use of blank verse he has, for
majesty, variety, and music, never been approached by any of his
successors. He had no dramatic power and no humour. In everything he
wrote, a proud and commanding genius manifests itself, and he is one of
those writers who inspire reverence rather than affection. His personal
appearance in early life has been thus described, "He was a little under
middle height, slender, but erect, vigorous, and agile, with light brown
hair clustering about his fair and oval face, with dark grey eyes."
SUMMARY.--_B._ 1608, _ed._ at St. Paul's School and Camb., and while at
the latter wrote earlier poems including _The Nativity_ and Sonnets,
lived for 6 years at Horton and wrote _L'Allegro_, _Il Penseroso_,
_Arcades_, _Comus_, and _Lycidas_, travelled in France and Italy 1638,
settled in London, entered on his political and controversial labours,
and wrote _inter alia_ on _Reform of Discipline_ 1641, _Divorce_ 1643-45,
_Education_ 1644, _Areopagitica_ 1644, and the two _Defences_ 1650 and
1654, appointed Latin Sec. 1649, this period closed by Restoration 1660,
_Paradise Lost_ written 1658-64, _pub._ 1667, _Paradise Regained_ and
_Samson Agonistes_ 1671, _d._ 1674, _m._ first 1643 Mary Powell, second
1652 Katharine Woodcock, third 1663 Eliz. Minshull, who survived till
1727.
_Life_ by Prof. Masson (_6_ vols. 1859-80), also short Lives by M.
Patteson (1880), Garnett (1889). Ed. of _Works_ by Boydell, Sir E.
Brydges, and Prof. Masson.
MINOT, LAURENCE (1300?-1352?).--Poet. Nothing is certainly known of him.
He may have been a soldier. He celebrates in northern English and with a
somewhat ferocious patriotism the victories of Edward III. over the Scots
and the French.
MINTO, WILLIAM (1845-1893).--Critic and biographer, _b._ at Alford,
Aberdeenshire, and _ed._ at Aberdeen and Oxf., went to London, and became
ed. of the _Examiner_, and also wrote for the _Daily News_ and the _Pall
Mall Gazette_. In 1880 he was appointed Prof. of Logic and Literature at
Aberdeen. He wrote a _Manual of English Prose Literature_ (1873),
_Characteristics of the English Poets_ (1874), and a _Life of Defoe_ for
the Men of Letters Series.
MITCHELL, JOHN (1815-1875).--Journalist and political writer, _s._ of a
Presbyterian minister, was _b._ in Ulster. For some time he practised as
a solicitor, but becoming acquainted with Thomas Davis (_q.v._), he
associated himself with the Young Ireland party, and was a leading
contributor to the _Nation_ newspaper. His political sympathies and acts
were carried so far as to bring about in 1848 his trial for
treason-felony, and his transportation for 14 years. After his release he
resided chiefly at New York, and ed. various papers, and opposed the
abolition of slavery; but in 1874 he was elected M.P. for Tipperary, for
which, however, he was declared incapable of sitting. On a new election
he was again returned, but _d._ before the resulting petition could be
heard. He wrote a _Jail Journal_, a work of great power, _The Last
Conquest of Ireland_ (_perhaps_) (1860), and a _History of Ireland_ of
little value.
MITFORD, MARY RUSSELL (1787-1855).--Poetess and novelist, _b._ at
Alresford, Hants, _dau._ of a physician, without practice, selfish and
extravagant, who ran through three fortunes, his own, his wife's, and his
daughter's, and then lived on the industry of the last. After a vol. of
poems which attracted little notice, she produced her powerful tragedy,
_Julian_. In 1812, what ultimately became the first vol. of _Our Village_
appeared in the _Lady's Magazine_. To this four additional vols. were
added, the last in 1832. In this work Miss M. may be said to have created
a new branch of literature. Her novel, _Belford Regis_ (1835), is
somewhat on the same lines. She added two dramas, _Rienzi_ (1828), and
_Foscari_, _Atherton and other Tales_ (1852), and _Recollections of a
Literary Life_, and _d._ at her cottage at Swallowfield, much beloved for
her benevolent and simple character, as well as valued for her
intellectual powers.
MITFORD, WILLIAM (1744-1827).--Historian, _e.s._ of John M. of Exbury,
Hants, descended from an old Northumbrian family, was _b._ in London, and
_ed._ at Cheam School and Oxf. He studied law, but on succeeding to the
family estates devoted himself to study and literature, and to his duties
as an officer of the militia. His first _pub._ was an _Essay on the
Harmony of Language_ (1774). His great work, _The History of Greece_, is
said to have been undertaken at the suggestion of Gibbon, who was a
fellow-officer in the South Hants Militia. This work, the successive
vols. of which appeared at considerable intervals between 1784 and 1810,
was long a standard one, though it is now largely superseded by the
histories of Thirwall and Grote. M. wrote with strong prejudices against
democracy, and in defence of tyrants, but his style is forcible and
agreeable, and he brought learning and research to bear on his subject.
He sat for many years in Parliament.
MOIR, DAVID MACBETH (1798-1851).--Poet and miscellaneous writer, was a
doctor at Musselburgh, near Edin., and a frequent contributor, under the
signature of [Greek: D], to _Blackwood's Magazine_ in which appeared
_Mansie Waugh_, a humorous Scottish tale. He also wrote _The Legend of
Genevieve_ (1824), _Domestic Verses_ (1843), and sketches of the poetry
of the earlier half of the 19th century. His poetry was generally grave
and tender, but occasionally humorous.
MONBODDO, JAMES BURNETT, LORD (1714-1799).--Philosopher and philologist,
_b._ at the family seat in Kincardineshire, was _ed._ at the Univ. of
Aberdeen, Edin., and Groningen, and called to the Scottish Bar in 1737.
Thirty years later he became a judge with the title of Lord Monboddo. He
was a man of great learning and acuteness, but eccentric and fond of
paradox. He was the author of two large works alike learned and
whimsical, _An Essay on the Origin and Progress of Language_ (6 vols.
1773-92), and _Ancient Metaphysics_ (6 vols. 1779-99). He mooted and
supported the theory that men were originally monkeys, and gradually
attained to reason, language, and civilisation by the pressure of
necessity. His doctrines do not sound so absurd now as they did in his
own day. He was visited by Dr. Johnson at Monboddo.
MONTAGU, ELIZABETH (ROBINSON) (1720-1800).--Critic, _dau._ of a gentleman
of Yorkshire, _m._ a grandson of Lord Sandwich. She was one of the
original "blue-stockings," and her house was a literary centre. She wrote
an _Essay on the Writings and Genius of Shakespeare_ (1769), in which she
compared him with the classical and French dramatists, and defended him
against the strictures of Voltaire. It had great fame in its day, but has
long been superseded.
MONTAGU, LADY MARY WORTLEY (PIERREPONT) (1690-1762).--Letter-writer, was
the eldest _dau._ of the 1st Duke of Kingston. In her youth she combined
the attractions of a reigning beauty and a wit. Her early studies were
encouraged and assisted by Bishop Burnet, and she was the friend of Pope,
Addison, and Swift. In 1712 she _m._, against the wishes of her family,
Edward Wortley-Montagu, a cousin of the celebrated Charles Montagu,
afterwards Earl of Halifax. Her husband having been appointed Ambassador
to the Porte, she accompanied him, and wrote the sparkling _Letters from
the East_ which have given her a place high among the great
letter-writers of the world. While in Turkey she became acquainted with
the practice of inoculation against smallpox, which she did much to
introduce into western countries. After her return to England she settled
at Twickenham, and renewed her friendship with Pope, which, however,
ended in a violent quarrel, arising out of her publication of _Town
Eclogues_. She was furiously attacked by both Pope and Swift, and was not
slow to defend herself. In 1737, for reasons which have never been
explained, she left her husband and country, and settled in Italy. Mr.
M. having _d._ 1761, she returned at the request of her _dau._, the
Countess of Bute, but _d._ the following year.
MONTGOMERIE, ALEXANDER (1545?-1610?).--Poet, probably _b._ in Ayrshire,
was in the service of the Regent Morton and James VI., by whom he was
pensioned. He is sometimes styled "Captain," and was laureate of the
Court. He appears to have fallen on evil days, was imprisoned on the
Continent, and lost his pension. His chief work is _The Cherrie and the
Slae_ (1597), a somewhat poor allegory of Virtue and Vice, but with some
vivid description in it, and with a comparatively modern air. He also
wrote _Flyting_ (scolding) _betwixt Montgomerie and Polwart_, _pub._
1621, and other pieces.
MONTGOMERY, JAMES (1771-1854).--Poet, _s._ of a pastor and missionary of
the Moravian Brethren, was _b._ at Irvine, Ayrshire, and _ed._ at the
Moravian School at Fulneck, near Leeds. After various changes of
occupation and abode, he settled in Sheffield in 1792 as clerk to a
newspaper. In 1796 he had become ed. of the _Sheffield Iris_, and was
twice imprisoned for political articles for which he was held
responsible. In 1797 he _pub._ _Prison Amusements_; but his first work to
attract notice was _The Wanderer of Switzerland_ (1806). It was followed
by _The West Indies_ (1809), _The World before the Flood_ (1812),
_Greenland_ (1819), and _The Pelican Island_ (1828), all of which contain
passages of considerable imaginative and descriptive power, but are
lacking in strength and fire. He himself expected that his name would
live, if at all, in his hymns, and in this his judgment has proved true.
Some of these, such as _For ever with the Lord_, _Hail to the Lord's
Anointed_, and _Prayer is the Soul's sincere Desire_, are sung wherever
the English language is spoken. M. was a good and philanthropic man, the
opponent of every form of injustice and oppression, and the friend of
every movement for the welfare of the race. His virtues attained wide
recognition.
MONTGOMERY, ROBERT (1807-1855).--Poet, a minister of the Scottish
Episcopal Church, wrote some ambitious religious poems, including _The
Omnipresence of the Deity_ and _Satan_, which were at first outrageously
puffed, and had a wide circulation. Macaulay devoted an essay to the
demolition of the author's reputation, in which he completely succeeded.
MOORE, EDWARD (1712-1757).--Fabulist and dramatist, _s._ of a dissenting
minister, was _b._ at Abingdon. After being in business as a
linen-draper, in which he was unsuccessful, he took to literature, and
wrote a few plays, of which _The Gamester_ (1753) had a great vogue, and
was translated into various languages. He is best known by his _Fables
for the Female Sex_ (1744), which rank next to those of Gay (_q.v._).
MOORE, JOHN (1729 or 1730-1802).--Physician and miscellaneous writer,
_s._ of an Episcopal minister, was _b._ in Stirling. After studying
medicine at Glasgow, he acted as a surgeon in the navy and the army, and
ultimately settled in Glasgow as a physician. In 1779 he _pub._ _View of
Manners and Society in France, Switzerland, and Germany_, which was well
received. A similar work, relating to Italy, followed in 1781. He is,
however, chiefly remembered by his romance _Zeluco_ (1786?). One or two
other novels followed, and his last works are a _Journal during a
Residence in France_ (1792), and _Causes and Progress of the French
Revolution_ (1795), the latter of which was used both by Scott and
Carlyle. M. was one of the friends of Burns, and was the _f._ of Sir John
M., the hero of Corunna.