His
(Songs) were published in 1858.
(Songs) were published in 1858.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v26 to v30 - Tur to Zor and Index
His chief work
is the epic Death of Smail-aga Cengic (Jen-
ghiz Khan] (1846; several editions), translated
into Bohemian, Polish, Russian, Slovenic, and
German. He wrote the notable political
pamphlet (The Croats to the Magyars) (1848).
Mazzini, Joseph (mät-sē'nē). An Italian
patriot; born at Genoa, June 28 (? ), 1805; died
at Pisa, March 10, 1872. Upon the fall of the
Revolutionary government of 1848, in Rome,
Mazzini fled to Switzerland, and from there
was driven to England. He was concerned in
the revolutionary movements of 1852, 1853, and
1857, and so on down to the occupation of Rome
in 1870. He wrote much in English and French.
His commentaries on Dante's works are very
important, and his essays on affairs in Europe
and criticisms on the great writers of Europe
are most eloquent and discerning. His Me.
moirs) were printed in 1875. (Complete
Works, 18 vols. , 1861-91. ) *
Mazzoni, Guido (mat-so'nē). An Italian
poet and scholar; born at Florence, June 12,
1859. He became professor of Italian litera-
ture in the University of Padua, 1887. He
has written : (Epigrams) (1880); (Experiments
in Metre) (1882); ( Poems) (1883); (New Poems)
(1886); Literary Reviews) (1887); Among
Books and Papers) (1887); etc.
Mead, Edwin Doak. An American histor-
ical writer and lecturer; born in Chesterfield,
N. H. , Sept. 29, 1849. He is the author of (The
Philosophy of Carlyle) (1881), and (Martin
Luther : a Study of the Reformation) (1884).
He is editor of the New England Magazine
(1897).
Meason, Malcolm Ronald Laing (me'zon).
A Scottish soldier, editor, journalist, and story-
writer; born at Edinburgh, 1824. Entering the
army (1839), he served with distinction in India ;
edited the Bombay Telegraph 1851-54; has
been special correspondent for the London
Daily News and Daily Telegraph, the New
York Herald, etc. He has written : (The Bub-
bles of Finance) (1865); (The Profits of Panics)
(1866); (Turf Frauds) (1875); (Three Months
after Date, and Other Tales); (Sir William's
Speculations) (1886); etc.
Medici, Lorenzo de' (med'ê-che), called the
Magnificent. A celebrated Florentine states-
man and patron of letters (1449-1492). He
wrote many fine poems in Italian and Latin,
and contributed much of his wealth to literary
undertakings.
Meding, Oskar (mā'ding). (“Gregor Sa.
marow. ”) A German statesman and historical
novelist; born at Königsberg, Prussia, April
11, 1829. After holding othice in Prussia, he en-
tered the public service of Hanover (1859), and
became councilor of State. He has resided
since 1873 in Berlin. Among his works are:
(For Sceptres and Crowns) (1872–76); “Heights
and Depths) (1879-80); "Summit and Abyss
(1888); Memoranda for Contemporary His-
tory) (1881-84); a short biography of the Em-
peror William I. , entitled (Eighty-nine Years
in Faith, Struggle, and Victory) (1886).
Meek, Alexander Beaufort (mék). An
American jurist, journalist, and miscellaneous
writer; born at Columbia, S. C. , July 17, 1814;
died at Columbus, Miss. , Nov. 30, 1865. He
served in the Seminole war, 1836; was attorney-
general of Alabama, 1836; judge of Tuscaloosa
County, 1842-44; member of the Legislature
in 1853, where and when he established the
free-school system of Alabama; Speaker of
the Alabama House, 1859. Besides a legal di-
gest (1842), he wrote : (The Red Eagle) (1855);
(Songs and Poems of the South) (1857); "Ro-
mantic Passages in Southwestern History'
(1857); (History of Alabama) (unpublished);
etc. His best-known poem is (The Charge at
Balaklava.
Meï, Lev Aleksandrovich (mā'ē). A Russian
poet; born at Moscow, Feb. 13, 1822; died at
St. Petersburg, May 16, 1862. He was long in
the government employ at St. Petersburg. He
wrote a modern rendering of “The Tale of the
Troop of Igor); the historical dramas (The
Tsar's Bride(1849), (Servilia' (1854), “The
Women of Pskov) (1860); numerous short po-
ems, etc. (Works, 3 vols. , 1863–65. )
Meilhac, Henri (mā-yäc'). A noted French
dramatist; born in Paris, Feb. 23, 1831. He has
written (mostly in collaboration with Ludovic
Halévy): “What Pleases the Men (1860); (La
Belle Hélène) (1865); (Bluebeard' (1866); 'The
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1867); "La Péri-
chole) (1869); (Froufrou) (1869); etc. Several
of his pieces have been used by Offenbach as
opera-bouffe librettos.
Meinhold, Johann Wilhelm (min'hõlt). A
German clergyman; born at Netzelkow, Use-
dom Island, Feb. 27, 1797 ; died at Charlotten-
burg, Nov. 30, 1851. He was settled at Usedom
and Coserow. His books are (Maria Schweid-
ler) (1843) and (Sidonia von Bork, both pur-
porting to be mediæval manuscripts discovered
by Meinhold; his object being to show the
Biblical critics, through the deception, that in-
ternal evidence as to the antiquity of works is
not reliable. Both the works were successful
and popular. *
Meissner, Alfred (mis'nėr). A German poet
and novelist; born at Teplitz, Oct. 15, 1822;
died at Bregenz, May 29, 1885. He lived at
Prague (1850–69) and Bregenz (1869-85). His
principal works are : the revolutionary (Poems)
(1845); the epic (Ziska' (1846); the romances
## p. 377 (#393) ############################################
MELANCHTHON - MENDELSSOHN
377
(Sansara' (3d ed. 1861), (Dark Yellow) (1862–
64), Norbert Norson) (1883). ((Works,'18
vols. , 1871-73. )
Melanchthon, Philipp (me-langk'thon). (A
Greek translation of his real name Schwarzerd,
black earth. ”] A famous German theologian
and religious reformer; born at Bretten, Baden,
Feb. 16, 1497 ; died at Wittenberg, April 19, 1560.
He was professor of Greek at Wittenberg
(1518), and Luther's chief literary helper in
the German Reformation ; revised the Augsburg
Confession (1530); wrote the (Apology' (1530);
etc. His influence extended even to England.
His principal theological work was 'Loci Com-
munes) (Places in Common : 1521), of which
over sixty editions were issued during his life.
time. The best edition of his works is in 24
vols. , in the (Corpus Reformatorum' (Body
of Reformers: 1834-60).
Meleager (mel-e-ā'jér). A Greek poet; born
at Gadara, Palestine; flourished about the mid-
dle of the first century B. C. He is best known
as a writer of epigrams on love; and by his
(Stephanos) (Garland), a compilation made up
of short poems taken from the writings of some
forty poets, alphabetically arranged, with an
introduction ir verse by himself. The best edi-
tion of his own poems, edited by Gräfe, was
published at Leipzig, 1811.
Melendez Valdes, Juan, Don (mā-len'deth
väl-dās'). A Spanish poet; born at Ribera del
Fresno, March 11, 1754; died at Montpellier,
France, May 24, 1817. He was professor of
the humanities at Salamanca (1781); afterward
entered public life; the lasting unpopularity
incurred by siding with the French on their
invasion of Spain forced him in 1811 into exile,
where he died. He was one of the most promi-
nent figures in Spanish literary life during the
18th century. (Poetical works, best edition,
Paris, 1820. )
Melgar, Mariano (māl-gar'). A Peruvian
poet; born at Arequipa, Peru, 1791 ; shot at
Cuzco, March 10, 1815, having been taken
prisoner in Pumacagua's rebellion. Affected
by a disappointment in love, nearly all his
verse was sad. Many of his lyrics were set to
music, and are among the most popular songs
of the Spanish-American country-folk.
Meli, Giovanni (mā'lē). The greatest of
Sicilian poets; born at Palermo, March 4, 1740;
died there, Dec. 20, 1815. He was professor
of pharmaceutical chemistry in the University
of Palermo (1787). His best work was his
songs, some of which recall Anacreon and The-
ocritus; next, his witty satires and fables. He
wrote also two epics, and the heroi-comic
poem (Don Chisciotte, an elaboration and
continuation of Cervantes's (Don Quixote.
(Works,' poetical and scientific, 8 vols. , Pa-
lermo, 1830. )
Meline, James Florant. An American his.
torical writer; born at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. ,
1811; died in Brooklyn, N. Y. , Aug. 14, 1873.
His later years were devoted to literary work.
Three of a series of articles on Savonarola
have been published. Most noted of his works
are : (Two Thousand Miles on Horseback )
(1867); (Mary Queen of Scots, and her Latest
English Historian,' an attack upon Froude's
view of the subject; and Life of Sixtus the
Fifth' (1871).
Mellin, Gustaf Henrik (mel-lēn'). A Swed-
ish novelist; born at Revolax, Finland, April
23, 1803; died Aug. 2, 1876. He was a pastor
at Norra Wram (1851). Most of his novels
deal with Swedish history. Among them are :
(The Flower of Kinnekulle) (3d ed. 1831);
(Sivard Kruse's Wedding) (2d ed. 1832); (Anna
Reibnitz (2d ed. 1833). He produced also his-
torical, biographical, and poetical writings.
("Works, Stockholm, 1852. )
Melo or Mello, Francisco Manuel de (mā'.
lo or mel’lo). A Portuguese historian and poet ;
born at Lisbon, Nov. 23, 1611; died there, Oct.
13, 1665. He served with distinction in the
Spanish army in Flanders; was imprisoned for
nine years, and banished to Brazil, on a false
charge of murder. He wrote sometimes in
Spanish, sometimes in Portuguese. Among his
voluminous works are: (History of the Dis-
turbances, Separation, and War of Catalonia,
in the Time of Philip IV. (1645; best ed. Paris,
2 vols. , 1826-32); (The Three Muses of Melo-
dino) (1649), containing his poems, mostly sa-
tirical and comic.
Melville, George John Whyte. See Whyte-
Melville.
Melville, Herman. A noted American writer
of travel and adventure; born at New York,
Aug. 1, 1819; died there, Sept. 28, 1891. Going
to sea as a cabin-boy, he spent a number of
years in travel. His most famous books were
(Typee) (1846), and "Omoo) (1847), narrating
his adventures in the Marquesas Islands; others
were (White Jacket) (1850), Moby Dick'
(1851), and a number of other stories, and three
volumes of poems. He lectured in the United
States in 1857. *
Menander (me-nan'dėr). A famous Greek
comic poet; born at Athens, 342 B. C. ; died
about 291 B. C. See Kock's (Fragments of the
Attic Comedians) (vol. 3, Leipzig, 1888), and
article Philemon, Menander, and the Lost
Attic Comedy,' in the Library. ' *
Mencius (men'shi-us). Latinized from Meng-
tse (meng-tse'). A famous Chinese philoso-
pher; born at Tsow-hien, 372 B. C. ; died about
289 B. C. He was a follower of Confucius,
whose influence he revived. Twenty-nine years
he spent in traveling about China preaching,
but with small success; his last fifteen years
were passed with his disciples in retirement.
His sayings are contained in the last of the
Chinese (Four Books. They can be seen in
English in the second volume of Legge's Chi-
nese Classics) (London, 1875). * (See (Chi-
nese Literature) in Library. ')
Mendelssohn, Moses (men'del-sõn). A fa-
mous Jewish philosopher; born at Dessau,
## p. 378 (#394) ############################################
378
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY - MENZEL
Anhalt, Germany, Sept. 6, 1729; died at Berlin,
Jan. 4, 1786. He has been called “the Ger-
man Socrates. He wrote on religious, moral,
æsthetic, and practical questions, in a semi-
philosophical, common-sense way, popularizing
the philosophy of Leibnitz and Wolf, and bring-
ing into notice that of Spinoza. Among his
friends were Lessing, Nicolai, Herder, Wie-
land, etc. He wrote : (Phædon' (1767), a dia-
logue on the immortality of the soul, which
won a European reputation; Jerusalem (1783);
(Morning Hours) (1785); etc. ((Works,' Leip-
zig, 1843-45. )
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix (men'del.
sõn-bär-töl'de). An eminent German composer
and musician, grandson of Moses; born at Ham-
burg, Feb. 3, 1809; died at Leipzig, Nov. 4,
1847. Apart from his musical works, between
one and two hundred in number, he was a vo-
luminous correspondent. His Letters) were
published in 1861 and 1863 (English translation,
1862-63); "Letters to the Moscheles) (1888);
"Selected Letters) (London, 1894). *
Mendès, Catulle (mon-des'). A French poet
and novelist; born at Bordeaux, May 22, 1843.
His verse is marked by extreme devotion to
form; his style has been called the cameo-art
in literature. The collection entitled (Poesies)
appeared in 1878. In prose he has written :
(Love's Follies) (1877), (Parisian Monsters)
(1882), “To Read at the Bath) (1884), etc. ; the
dramas (Captain Fracasse) (1872), "Fiamette)
(1889), etc. His best novel is "Grande-Maguet!
(1888). *
Mendes Leal da Silva, José (men'dās lā-äl'
dä sēl'vä). A distinguished Portuguese states-
man and poet; born at Lisbon, Oct. 18, 1818;
died at Cintra, Aug. 14, 1886. He was minister
of the navy and of foreign affairs; ambassa-
dor to France 1874-83; to Spain 1883-86.
His
(Songs) were published in 1858. He wrote
also a large number of plays, some of them
very popular on the Portuguese stage, as (Uncle
Andrew from Brazil) and (The Sportsman';
and several romances.
Mendez-Pinto, Feriao or Fernam (men'.
deth-pen-to). A Portuguese traveler; born near
Coimbra about 1510; died near Lisbon, 1583.
He spent many romantic years as a traveler in
the East, being repeatedly captured, often sold
as a slave, acquiring a large fortune, becoming
for a time a Jesuit, founding a Roman Catho-
lic seminary in Japan, etc. He wrote (Mendez-
Pinto's Pilgrimage (1614), which was translated
into the principal European languages, and has
become a Portuguese classic.
Mendive, Rafael Maria de (mān-dē'vā). A
Cuban poet; born in Havana, 1821 ; died in
1886. His first collection of poems ( 1847 ),
entitled (Passion-Flowers,' is widely popular.
Banished in 1869, he lived alternately in New
York and Nassau, writing legends and stories
in verse. He was one of the best of Spanish-
American poets; many of his verses received
English, French, and Italian translations. A
new edition appeared in 1860, published by
the Spanish critic Don Manuel Cañete.
Mendoza, Antonio Hurtado de (men-dö'thä).
A Spanish dramatist and poet; born about
1590; died 1644. He was private secretary of
Philip IV. , and a member of the Inquisition.
Among his best plays are «The Obligations
of Lying,' and (The Husband Makes the Wife.
He wrote also many ballads and lyrics, and
a 'Life of Our Lady) in about 800 roundelays.
Mendoza, Diego Hurtado. A distinguished
Spanish statesman, satirist, and historian; born
in the palace of the Alhambra at Granada,
1503; died at Valladolid, 1575. Intended ori-
ginally for the Church, he entered the army
instead, and rose high in public life. His chief
works are, first, the famous satiric romance
(Little Lazarus of Tormes) (1553, and afterward
many editions), which was translated into a
number of languages (English by Blakeston,
1670), provoked many imitations, and created
that new department in Spanish literature which
finally produced (Gil Blas); and second, the
(War of Granada) (first complete edition, 1776).
("Works, Vols. iii. , xxi. , xxxii. , xxxvi. , of Riva.
deneyra's (Library of Spanish Authors. ')
Mendoza, Inigo Lopez de. See Santillana.
Menendez y Pelayo, Marcelino (mā-nen'-
deth ē pā-lä'yo). A Spanish scholar, historian,
and poet; born at Santander, 1855. He is pro-
fessor of Spanish literature at the University
of Madrid, and one of the most brilliant writers
of modern Spain. His History of Spanish
Heterodoxy' (3 vols. , 1880-82), in which he de.
fended the Inquisition, and declared against
modern liberalism and science, has excited
much discussion. Other prose works are : (His-
tory of Æsthetic Ideas in Spain (1884-91);
"Calderon and his Plays) (3d ed. 1885); (Span-
ish Science) (3d ed. 1887-89); etc. His best
poetry is contained in (Odes, Epistles, and
Tragedies) (1883).
Menken, Adah Isaacs. An American-Jewish
poet and actress ; born near New Orleans, 1835 ;
died 1868. Her maiden name was Dolores
Adios Fuertes. Married four times (once to the
pugilist John C. Heenan), she was generally
known by the name of her first husband, Alex.
ander Isaacs Menken. Her verses show po-
etic ability uncultivated. She published: (Mem-
ories); “Infelicia) (1868).
Menzel, Wolfgang. A German critic and
miscellaneous writer; born at Waldenburg, Si-
lesia, June 21, 1798; died at Stuttgart, April
23, 1873. He was member of the Würtemberg
Assembly (1830–38) and Chamber (1848-49);
editor for many years of the Literaturblatt
(Journal of Literature). His writings were very
varied. The best known were : (German Lit-
erature) (1828; English translation in Ripley's
(Specimens of Foreign Literature, Boston,
1840); a collection of critiques, “History of the
Germans) (6th ed. 1872–73; English translation
by Horrocks, London, 1849); (History of Ger-
man Poetry) (2d ed. 1875); (Rübezahl) (1829);
.
## p. 379 (#395) ############################################
MERCATOR- MERLIN
379
(
.
(Narcissus) (1830), two tales; ( Furore) (1851),
a romance ; etc.
Mercator (Latinized from his real name,
Kramer), Gerhard (mér-kā'tor). A celebrated
Flemish geographer; born at Rupelmonde, Bel-
gium, March 5, 1512; died at Duisburg, Prussia,
Dec. 2, 1594. He invented the “Mercator sys-
tem” of projection of the earth's surface, made
familiar in our atlases. His chief works were
(Geographical Maps according to Ptolemy)
(1578-84); and (Atlas) (1595), which made an
epoch in cartography.
Mercier, (Louis) Sébastien (măr-s7-yā'). A
French dramatist and essayist; born at Paris,
June 6, 1740; died there, April 25, 1814. He
was a member of the Five Hundred; professor
of history at the Central School, Paris; mem-
ber of the National Institute. His dramatic
works appeared in four volumes at Amsterdam,
1778–84. His most important writings were :
(Picture of Paris) (12 vols. , 1781-90), a descrip-
tion of Parisian life; New Paris ) (6 vols. ,
1800), a description of Parisian life during the
Revolution. My Night-Cap) (4 vols. , 1784)
was an attack on classicism. He was a very
prolific writer, and made the first French trans-
lation of Schiller's (Maid of Orleans.
Meredith, George. A great English novel-
ist and poet; born in Hampshire, 1828. He
has published: (Poems) (1851); (The Shaving
of Shagpat) (1855); (Farina: a Legend of Co-
logne) (1857); ( The Ordeal of Richard Feverel?
(1859); Mary Bertrand) (1860); (Evan Har-
rington (1861); Modern Love) (1862), poems;
(Emilia in England (1864), subsequently re-
published under the title (Sandra Belloni);
(Rhoda Fleming' (1865); (Vittoria) (1866);
(The Adventures of Harry Richmond' (1871);
(Beauchamp's Career) (1875); (The Egoist)
(1879);( The Tragic Comedians) (1881);Poems
and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth (1883); “Diana
of the Crossways) (1885); (Ballads and Poems
of Tragic Life) (1887); (A Reading of Earth)
(1888); "One of our Conquerors) (1890); (The
Empty Purse (1892), poems; Lord Ormont
and his Aminta) (1894); (The Amazing Mar.
riage) (1895). His shorter prose tales include:
(The Tale of Chloe ); (The House on the
Beach); «The Case of General Ople and Lady
Camper. *
Meredith, Owen. See Lytton.
Mérimée, Prosper (mā-rê-mā'). A celebrated
French essayist and littérateur; born at Paris,
Sept. 28, 1803; died at Cannes, Sept. 23, 1870.
He studied law, but never practiced; was sen-
ator in 1853. His best-known works were the
two novels (Colomba) (1830), treating of the
Corsican vendetta ; and (Carmen' (1840), which
furnished the plot of Bizet's opera of the
He wrote besides : Plays of
Clara Gazul) (1825); (Historic Monuments)
(1843); "Historic and Literary Medleys) (1855),
a collection of comedies in the style of the
Spanish “intermezzo”; “Guzla) (1827), a col-
lection of Illyrian lyrics; (Mateo Falcone, a
novel; Letters to an Unknown' (Lettres à
Une Inconnue): 1873); etc. *
Merivale, Charles. An English historian
and divine; born at Barton Place, Devonshire,
March 8, 1808; died at Ely, Dec. 27, 1893. He
was dean of Ely from 1869. He wrote: (His-
tory of the Romans under the Empire) (latest
ed. 1890), his principal work, extending from
Cæsar's Gallic campaigns to Commodus, where
Gibbon begins; (General History of Rome )
(1875); Lectures on Early Church History)
(1879); etc.
Merivale, Herman. An English states-
man, political economist, and historical writer,
brother of Charles; born at Dawlish, Devon-
shire, Nov. 8, 1806; died in London, Feb. 9,
1874. He was professor of political economy
at Oxford, 1837-42 ; under-secretary for the
colonies, 1848–60; perpetual under-secretary for
India. He wrote : (Colonization and Colonies)
(2 vols. , 1841), the best work on the subject;
(Historical Studies) (1865); etc.
Merivale, Herman Charles. An English
dramatist, novelist, and poet, son of Herman;
born in London, 1839. A lawyer for fifteen
years, he withdrew from practice in 1879. He
has written the plays (All for Her) (1874),
(Forget Me Not! (1879), etc. ; the stories
(Faucit of Balliol (1882) and (Binko's Blues)
(1884); the volume of poems (The White Pil.
grim (1883); the tragedy (Florien (1884).
Meriwether, Mrs. Elizabeth (Avery). An
American novelist; born in Tennessee, 1832.
Her home is at Memphis, Tenn. She has writ-
ten : (The Master of Red Leaf(1879), Ku-
Klux-Klan) (1880), a drama; My First and
Last Love); etc.
Meriwether, Lee. An American writer;
born in Columbus, Miss. , Dec. 25, 1862. He
is the author of: (A Tramp Trip: How to See
Europe on Fifty Cents a Day) (1887); (The
Tramp at Home); and (Afloat and Ashore on
the Mediterranean.
Merle, Jean Toussaint (mårl). A French
dramatist, publicist, and critic; born at Mont-
pellier, 1785; died in Paris, 1852. A prolific
writer, he collaborated with Ourry, Brazier, Car-
mouche, etc. , on the dramas (The Old Young-
Man (1812); “The New-Market Races) (1818);
(The Monster and the Magician) (1826); etc. :
and wrote Memoirs, Historic, Literary, and
Critical, of Bachaumont? (3 vols. , 1808-9);
(The English Spy) (1809); (Of the Opera'
(1827); Anecdotes, Historical and Political, for
a History of the Conquest of Algiers) (1831-32);
(Chambord) (1832); etc.
Merle d'Aubigné. See D'Aubigné.
Merlin (mer'lin). Putative author of (The
Prophecy of Merlin); a British bard and magi.
cian supposed to have lived in the 5th century.
In the 12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth gave
a Latin translation of the Prophecy,' which
till then had been preserved in Welsh tradition.
By natural accretion the Prophecy) grew in
same name.
## p. 380 (#396) ############################################
380
MERRIAM - MEYER
volume from age to age, and to " Merlin ” are
ascribed poems which had their rise in the
time of King Arthur, as the "Avallenau) (AP-
ple-Garth), and the Hoianau) (Listeners).
Merriam, George Spring. An American es-
sayist and biographer; born in Massachusetts,
1843. He lives at Springfield, Mass. He has
written : (A Living Faith, Life of Samuel
Bowles, (A Symphony of the Spirit); and is a
frequent contributor to periodicals.
Merrill, Selah. A well-known American
explorer and archæologist; born at Canton
Centre, Conn. , May 2, 1837. He was chaplain
in the Civil War ( 1864-65 ); since then has
been engaged in explorations in Palestine. He
was consul at Jerusalem 1884-86 and 1890-93.
Among his works are: (East of the Jordan
(2d ed. 1883); “Galilee in the Time of Christ)
(1881); “The Site of Calvary) (1886); etc.
Merry, Robert. An English dilettante; born
in London, April 1755; died at Baltimore, Md. ,
Dec. 14, 1798. He resigned from the army
(1775); became a member of the famous Della
Crusca Academy at Florence, Italy (1784-87);
on returning to London, wrote plays and poems
under the pseudonym “Della Crusca. ) His
affected style found many imitators, and the
school that arose was satirized by Gifford in
his (Baviad' and Mæviad. He married an
actress, and came to this country in 1796.
Mersliakov, Alexis Theodorovich (măr-zlē-
ä-kof'). A noted Russian poet and miscella-
neous writer; born at Dolmatov, government
of Perm, 1778; died near Moscow, 1830. He
was an ardent classicist; professor of rhetoric
and literature at the University of Moscow in
1810. He wrote a number of poems which were
set to music and became popular songs. His
principal literary works were : Ancient Poetry
and its Influence on Modern Civilization' (1810);
and Imitation and Translation of Greek and
Latin Authors) (1825).
Méry, Joseph (mā-re'). A French miscella-
neous writer; born near Marseilles, Jan. 21, 1798;
died in Paris, June 17, 1866. Some of his works
became very popular. Among them were the
volumes of verse (Poetic Melodies) (1853), (Na-
poleon in Italy) (1859); the romances (London
Nights) (1840), “Héval (1843), Novel Novels)
(1853); the dramas (The Two Frontins) (1858),
(The Fiancée Worth Millions) (1864). With
Barthélemy he wrote satirical verses, and by
himself librettos for several operas.
Mesihi (mes'i-he). A renowned Turkish
poet; flourished in the 14th century. He is
one of the seven poets called by the Turks (the
Pleiades, and whose names, written in gold,
are suspended in the temple of Mecca. Sir
William Jones, in his Commentaries on Asi-
atic Poetry, translated one of his idyls.
Mesonero y Romanos, Ramon de (mā-so-
nā'rõ rõ-ma'nos). A Spanish descriptive writer
and historian, employing sometimes the pseu-
donym El Curioso Parlante ” (The Inquisitive
Chatterer); born at Madrid, July 10, 1803; died
there, April 1882. He was connected with the
national library, Madrid (1845). He wrote:
(Manual of Madrid (3d ed. 1844), containing
apt pictures of life there ; (Madrid Panorama)
(2 vols. , 1832–35); (Types and Characters)
(1843-62); (Mementos of Travel in France and
Belgium' (1842); (Ancient Madrid' (1861), a
scholarly history; etc. He founded and edited
the Spanish Pictorial Weekly (8 vols. , 1836).
Mesquita, Salvador de (mās-ke'tä). A Bra.
zilian poet; born in Rio Janeiro in 1646; died
in Rome, beginning of 18th century. His repu-
tation as a poet was assured when he wrote
his sacred drama (Sacrificium Jephtæ) (1680).
His best tragedies are Demetrius, (Perseus,
and Prusias of Bithynia' (1690 to 1700).
Metastasio, Pietro (mā''täs-tä'zē-7). A cel.
ebrated Italian poet; born at Rome, Jan. 13,
1698; died at Vienna, April 12, 1782. His real
name was Trapassi. He was court poet at
Vienna, honored, surrounded by friends, and
probably the most famous Continental poet
of his time. His fame rests chiefly on his lys-
ical dramas (The Gardens of the Hesperides!
(1720); Demetrius) (1732); «The Clemency of
Titus) (1734); (Atilius Regulus) (1740-50); and
(Themistocles. He was a master of the can-
zonet, and wrote also sonnets, idyls, elegies,
criticisms, and letters. Monuments were erected
to him at Rome and Vienna. (Works, best
edition, Paris, 1780-82. )
Metcalfe, Frederick. An English Scandi-
navian scholar; born 1815; died Aug. 24, 1885.
He was a clergyman of the Church of Eng-
land. He wrote: (The Oxonian in Norway)
(1856); (The Oxonian in Thelemarken) (1858);
A History of German Literature (1858); “The
Oxonian in Iceland (new ed. 1867); “The Eng.
lishman and the Scandinavian) (1880); etc.
Metternich, Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lo-
thar, Prince (met'ter-nich). A celebrated Aus-
trian statesman; born at Coblentz, May 15,
1773; died at Vienna, July 11, 1859.
is the epic Death of Smail-aga Cengic (Jen-
ghiz Khan] (1846; several editions), translated
into Bohemian, Polish, Russian, Slovenic, and
German. He wrote the notable political
pamphlet (The Croats to the Magyars) (1848).
Mazzini, Joseph (mät-sē'nē). An Italian
patriot; born at Genoa, June 28 (? ), 1805; died
at Pisa, March 10, 1872. Upon the fall of the
Revolutionary government of 1848, in Rome,
Mazzini fled to Switzerland, and from there
was driven to England. He was concerned in
the revolutionary movements of 1852, 1853, and
1857, and so on down to the occupation of Rome
in 1870. He wrote much in English and French.
His commentaries on Dante's works are very
important, and his essays on affairs in Europe
and criticisms on the great writers of Europe
are most eloquent and discerning. His Me.
moirs) were printed in 1875. (Complete
Works, 18 vols. , 1861-91. ) *
Mazzoni, Guido (mat-so'nē). An Italian
poet and scholar; born at Florence, June 12,
1859. He became professor of Italian litera-
ture in the University of Padua, 1887. He
has written : (Epigrams) (1880); (Experiments
in Metre) (1882); ( Poems) (1883); (New Poems)
(1886); Literary Reviews) (1887); Among
Books and Papers) (1887); etc.
Mead, Edwin Doak. An American histor-
ical writer and lecturer; born in Chesterfield,
N. H. , Sept. 29, 1849. He is the author of (The
Philosophy of Carlyle) (1881), and (Martin
Luther : a Study of the Reformation) (1884).
He is editor of the New England Magazine
(1897).
Meason, Malcolm Ronald Laing (me'zon).
A Scottish soldier, editor, journalist, and story-
writer; born at Edinburgh, 1824. Entering the
army (1839), he served with distinction in India ;
edited the Bombay Telegraph 1851-54; has
been special correspondent for the London
Daily News and Daily Telegraph, the New
York Herald, etc. He has written : (The Bub-
bles of Finance) (1865); (The Profits of Panics)
(1866); (Turf Frauds) (1875); (Three Months
after Date, and Other Tales); (Sir William's
Speculations) (1886); etc.
Medici, Lorenzo de' (med'ê-che), called the
Magnificent. A celebrated Florentine states-
man and patron of letters (1449-1492). He
wrote many fine poems in Italian and Latin,
and contributed much of his wealth to literary
undertakings.
Meding, Oskar (mā'ding). (“Gregor Sa.
marow. ”) A German statesman and historical
novelist; born at Königsberg, Prussia, April
11, 1829. After holding othice in Prussia, he en-
tered the public service of Hanover (1859), and
became councilor of State. He has resided
since 1873 in Berlin. Among his works are:
(For Sceptres and Crowns) (1872–76); “Heights
and Depths) (1879-80); "Summit and Abyss
(1888); Memoranda for Contemporary His-
tory) (1881-84); a short biography of the Em-
peror William I. , entitled (Eighty-nine Years
in Faith, Struggle, and Victory) (1886).
Meek, Alexander Beaufort (mék). An
American jurist, journalist, and miscellaneous
writer; born at Columbia, S. C. , July 17, 1814;
died at Columbus, Miss. , Nov. 30, 1865. He
served in the Seminole war, 1836; was attorney-
general of Alabama, 1836; judge of Tuscaloosa
County, 1842-44; member of the Legislature
in 1853, where and when he established the
free-school system of Alabama; Speaker of
the Alabama House, 1859. Besides a legal di-
gest (1842), he wrote : (The Red Eagle) (1855);
(Songs and Poems of the South) (1857); "Ro-
mantic Passages in Southwestern History'
(1857); (History of Alabama) (unpublished);
etc. His best-known poem is (The Charge at
Balaklava.
Meï, Lev Aleksandrovich (mā'ē). A Russian
poet; born at Moscow, Feb. 13, 1822; died at
St. Petersburg, May 16, 1862. He was long in
the government employ at St. Petersburg. He
wrote a modern rendering of “The Tale of the
Troop of Igor); the historical dramas (The
Tsar's Bride(1849), (Servilia' (1854), “The
Women of Pskov) (1860); numerous short po-
ems, etc. (Works, 3 vols. , 1863–65. )
Meilhac, Henri (mā-yäc'). A noted French
dramatist; born in Paris, Feb. 23, 1831. He has
written (mostly in collaboration with Ludovic
Halévy): “What Pleases the Men (1860); (La
Belle Hélène) (1865); (Bluebeard' (1866); 'The
Grand Duchess of Gerolstein (1867); "La Péri-
chole) (1869); (Froufrou) (1869); etc. Several
of his pieces have been used by Offenbach as
opera-bouffe librettos.
Meinhold, Johann Wilhelm (min'hõlt). A
German clergyman; born at Netzelkow, Use-
dom Island, Feb. 27, 1797 ; died at Charlotten-
burg, Nov. 30, 1851. He was settled at Usedom
and Coserow. His books are (Maria Schweid-
ler) (1843) and (Sidonia von Bork, both pur-
porting to be mediæval manuscripts discovered
by Meinhold; his object being to show the
Biblical critics, through the deception, that in-
ternal evidence as to the antiquity of works is
not reliable. Both the works were successful
and popular. *
Meissner, Alfred (mis'nėr). A German poet
and novelist; born at Teplitz, Oct. 15, 1822;
died at Bregenz, May 29, 1885. He lived at
Prague (1850–69) and Bregenz (1869-85). His
principal works are : the revolutionary (Poems)
(1845); the epic (Ziska' (1846); the romances
## p. 377 (#393) ############################################
MELANCHTHON - MENDELSSOHN
377
(Sansara' (3d ed. 1861), (Dark Yellow) (1862–
64), Norbert Norson) (1883). ((Works,'18
vols. , 1871-73. )
Melanchthon, Philipp (me-langk'thon). (A
Greek translation of his real name Schwarzerd,
black earth. ”] A famous German theologian
and religious reformer; born at Bretten, Baden,
Feb. 16, 1497 ; died at Wittenberg, April 19, 1560.
He was professor of Greek at Wittenberg
(1518), and Luther's chief literary helper in
the German Reformation ; revised the Augsburg
Confession (1530); wrote the (Apology' (1530);
etc. His influence extended even to England.
His principal theological work was 'Loci Com-
munes) (Places in Common : 1521), of which
over sixty editions were issued during his life.
time. The best edition of his works is in 24
vols. , in the (Corpus Reformatorum' (Body
of Reformers: 1834-60).
Meleager (mel-e-ā'jér). A Greek poet; born
at Gadara, Palestine; flourished about the mid-
dle of the first century B. C. He is best known
as a writer of epigrams on love; and by his
(Stephanos) (Garland), a compilation made up
of short poems taken from the writings of some
forty poets, alphabetically arranged, with an
introduction ir verse by himself. The best edi-
tion of his own poems, edited by Gräfe, was
published at Leipzig, 1811.
Melendez Valdes, Juan, Don (mā-len'deth
väl-dās'). A Spanish poet; born at Ribera del
Fresno, March 11, 1754; died at Montpellier,
France, May 24, 1817. He was professor of
the humanities at Salamanca (1781); afterward
entered public life; the lasting unpopularity
incurred by siding with the French on their
invasion of Spain forced him in 1811 into exile,
where he died. He was one of the most promi-
nent figures in Spanish literary life during the
18th century. (Poetical works, best edition,
Paris, 1820. )
Melgar, Mariano (māl-gar'). A Peruvian
poet; born at Arequipa, Peru, 1791 ; shot at
Cuzco, March 10, 1815, having been taken
prisoner in Pumacagua's rebellion. Affected
by a disappointment in love, nearly all his
verse was sad. Many of his lyrics were set to
music, and are among the most popular songs
of the Spanish-American country-folk.
Meli, Giovanni (mā'lē). The greatest of
Sicilian poets; born at Palermo, March 4, 1740;
died there, Dec. 20, 1815. He was professor
of pharmaceutical chemistry in the University
of Palermo (1787). His best work was his
songs, some of which recall Anacreon and The-
ocritus; next, his witty satires and fables. He
wrote also two epics, and the heroi-comic
poem (Don Chisciotte, an elaboration and
continuation of Cervantes's (Don Quixote.
(Works,' poetical and scientific, 8 vols. , Pa-
lermo, 1830. )
Meline, James Florant. An American his.
torical writer; born at Sackett's Harbor, N. Y. ,
1811; died in Brooklyn, N. Y. , Aug. 14, 1873.
His later years were devoted to literary work.
Three of a series of articles on Savonarola
have been published. Most noted of his works
are : (Two Thousand Miles on Horseback )
(1867); (Mary Queen of Scots, and her Latest
English Historian,' an attack upon Froude's
view of the subject; and Life of Sixtus the
Fifth' (1871).
Mellin, Gustaf Henrik (mel-lēn'). A Swed-
ish novelist; born at Revolax, Finland, April
23, 1803; died Aug. 2, 1876. He was a pastor
at Norra Wram (1851). Most of his novels
deal with Swedish history. Among them are :
(The Flower of Kinnekulle) (3d ed. 1831);
(Sivard Kruse's Wedding) (2d ed. 1832); (Anna
Reibnitz (2d ed. 1833). He produced also his-
torical, biographical, and poetical writings.
("Works, Stockholm, 1852. )
Melo or Mello, Francisco Manuel de (mā'.
lo or mel’lo). A Portuguese historian and poet ;
born at Lisbon, Nov. 23, 1611; died there, Oct.
13, 1665. He served with distinction in the
Spanish army in Flanders; was imprisoned for
nine years, and banished to Brazil, on a false
charge of murder. He wrote sometimes in
Spanish, sometimes in Portuguese. Among his
voluminous works are: (History of the Dis-
turbances, Separation, and War of Catalonia,
in the Time of Philip IV. (1645; best ed. Paris,
2 vols. , 1826-32); (The Three Muses of Melo-
dino) (1649), containing his poems, mostly sa-
tirical and comic.
Melville, George John Whyte. See Whyte-
Melville.
Melville, Herman. A noted American writer
of travel and adventure; born at New York,
Aug. 1, 1819; died there, Sept. 28, 1891. Going
to sea as a cabin-boy, he spent a number of
years in travel. His most famous books were
(Typee) (1846), and "Omoo) (1847), narrating
his adventures in the Marquesas Islands; others
were (White Jacket) (1850), Moby Dick'
(1851), and a number of other stories, and three
volumes of poems. He lectured in the United
States in 1857. *
Menander (me-nan'dėr). A famous Greek
comic poet; born at Athens, 342 B. C. ; died
about 291 B. C. See Kock's (Fragments of the
Attic Comedians) (vol. 3, Leipzig, 1888), and
article Philemon, Menander, and the Lost
Attic Comedy,' in the Library. ' *
Mencius (men'shi-us). Latinized from Meng-
tse (meng-tse'). A famous Chinese philoso-
pher; born at Tsow-hien, 372 B. C. ; died about
289 B. C. He was a follower of Confucius,
whose influence he revived. Twenty-nine years
he spent in traveling about China preaching,
but with small success; his last fifteen years
were passed with his disciples in retirement.
His sayings are contained in the last of the
Chinese (Four Books. They can be seen in
English in the second volume of Legge's Chi-
nese Classics) (London, 1875). * (See (Chi-
nese Literature) in Library. ')
Mendelssohn, Moses (men'del-sõn). A fa-
mous Jewish philosopher; born at Dessau,
## p. 378 (#394) ############################################
378
MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY - MENZEL
Anhalt, Germany, Sept. 6, 1729; died at Berlin,
Jan. 4, 1786. He has been called “the Ger-
man Socrates. He wrote on religious, moral,
æsthetic, and practical questions, in a semi-
philosophical, common-sense way, popularizing
the philosophy of Leibnitz and Wolf, and bring-
ing into notice that of Spinoza. Among his
friends were Lessing, Nicolai, Herder, Wie-
land, etc. He wrote : (Phædon' (1767), a dia-
logue on the immortality of the soul, which
won a European reputation; Jerusalem (1783);
(Morning Hours) (1785); etc. ((Works,' Leip-
zig, 1843-45. )
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix (men'del.
sõn-bär-töl'de). An eminent German composer
and musician, grandson of Moses; born at Ham-
burg, Feb. 3, 1809; died at Leipzig, Nov. 4,
1847. Apart from his musical works, between
one and two hundred in number, he was a vo-
luminous correspondent. His Letters) were
published in 1861 and 1863 (English translation,
1862-63); "Letters to the Moscheles) (1888);
"Selected Letters) (London, 1894). *
Mendès, Catulle (mon-des'). A French poet
and novelist; born at Bordeaux, May 22, 1843.
His verse is marked by extreme devotion to
form; his style has been called the cameo-art
in literature. The collection entitled (Poesies)
appeared in 1878. In prose he has written :
(Love's Follies) (1877), (Parisian Monsters)
(1882), “To Read at the Bath) (1884), etc. ; the
dramas (Captain Fracasse) (1872), "Fiamette)
(1889), etc. His best novel is "Grande-Maguet!
(1888). *
Mendes Leal da Silva, José (men'dās lā-äl'
dä sēl'vä). A distinguished Portuguese states-
man and poet; born at Lisbon, Oct. 18, 1818;
died at Cintra, Aug. 14, 1886. He was minister
of the navy and of foreign affairs; ambassa-
dor to France 1874-83; to Spain 1883-86.
His
(Songs) were published in 1858. He wrote
also a large number of plays, some of them
very popular on the Portuguese stage, as (Uncle
Andrew from Brazil) and (The Sportsman';
and several romances.
Mendez-Pinto, Feriao or Fernam (men'.
deth-pen-to). A Portuguese traveler; born near
Coimbra about 1510; died near Lisbon, 1583.
He spent many romantic years as a traveler in
the East, being repeatedly captured, often sold
as a slave, acquiring a large fortune, becoming
for a time a Jesuit, founding a Roman Catho-
lic seminary in Japan, etc. He wrote (Mendez-
Pinto's Pilgrimage (1614), which was translated
into the principal European languages, and has
become a Portuguese classic.
Mendive, Rafael Maria de (mān-dē'vā). A
Cuban poet; born in Havana, 1821 ; died in
1886. His first collection of poems ( 1847 ),
entitled (Passion-Flowers,' is widely popular.
Banished in 1869, he lived alternately in New
York and Nassau, writing legends and stories
in verse. He was one of the best of Spanish-
American poets; many of his verses received
English, French, and Italian translations. A
new edition appeared in 1860, published by
the Spanish critic Don Manuel Cañete.
Mendoza, Antonio Hurtado de (men-dö'thä).
A Spanish dramatist and poet; born about
1590; died 1644. He was private secretary of
Philip IV. , and a member of the Inquisition.
Among his best plays are «The Obligations
of Lying,' and (The Husband Makes the Wife.
He wrote also many ballads and lyrics, and
a 'Life of Our Lady) in about 800 roundelays.
Mendoza, Diego Hurtado. A distinguished
Spanish statesman, satirist, and historian; born
in the palace of the Alhambra at Granada,
1503; died at Valladolid, 1575. Intended ori-
ginally for the Church, he entered the army
instead, and rose high in public life. His chief
works are, first, the famous satiric romance
(Little Lazarus of Tormes) (1553, and afterward
many editions), which was translated into a
number of languages (English by Blakeston,
1670), provoked many imitations, and created
that new department in Spanish literature which
finally produced (Gil Blas); and second, the
(War of Granada) (first complete edition, 1776).
("Works, Vols. iii. , xxi. , xxxii. , xxxvi. , of Riva.
deneyra's (Library of Spanish Authors. ')
Mendoza, Inigo Lopez de. See Santillana.
Menendez y Pelayo, Marcelino (mā-nen'-
deth ē pā-lä'yo). A Spanish scholar, historian,
and poet; born at Santander, 1855. He is pro-
fessor of Spanish literature at the University
of Madrid, and one of the most brilliant writers
of modern Spain. His History of Spanish
Heterodoxy' (3 vols. , 1880-82), in which he de.
fended the Inquisition, and declared against
modern liberalism and science, has excited
much discussion. Other prose works are : (His-
tory of Æsthetic Ideas in Spain (1884-91);
"Calderon and his Plays) (3d ed. 1885); (Span-
ish Science) (3d ed. 1887-89); etc. His best
poetry is contained in (Odes, Epistles, and
Tragedies) (1883).
Menken, Adah Isaacs. An American-Jewish
poet and actress ; born near New Orleans, 1835 ;
died 1868. Her maiden name was Dolores
Adios Fuertes. Married four times (once to the
pugilist John C. Heenan), she was generally
known by the name of her first husband, Alex.
ander Isaacs Menken. Her verses show po-
etic ability uncultivated. She published: (Mem-
ories); “Infelicia) (1868).
Menzel, Wolfgang. A German critic and
miscellaneous writer; born at Waldenburg, Si-
lesia, June 21, 1798; died at Stuttgart, April
23, 1873. He was member of the Würtemberg
Assembly (1830–38) and Chamber (1848-49);
editor for many years of the Literaturblatt
(Journal of Literature). His writings were very
varied. The best known were : (German Lit-
erature) (1828; English translation in Ripley's
(Specimens of Foreign Literature, Boston,
1840); a collection of critiques, “History of the
Germans) (6th ed. 1872–73; English translation
by Horrocks, London, 1849); (History of Ger-
man Poetry) (2d ed. 1875); (Rübezahl) (1829);
.
## p. 379 (#395) ############################################
MERCATOR- MERLIN
379
(
.
(Narcissus) (1830), two tales; ( Furore) (1851),
a romance ; etc.
Mercator (Latinized from his real name,
Kramer), Gerhard (mér-kā'tor). A celebrated
Flemish geographer; born at Rupelmonde, Bel-
gium, March 5, 1512; died at Duisburg, Prussia,
Dec. 2, 1594. He invented the “Mercator sys-
tem” of projection of the earth's surface, made
familiar in our atlases. His chief works were
(Geographical Maps according to Ptolemy)
(1578-84); and (Atlas) (1595), which made an
epoch in cartography.
Mercier, (Louis) Sébastien (măr-s7-yā'). A
French dramatist and essayist; born at Paris,
June 6, 1740; died there, April 25, 1814. He
was a member of the Five Hundred; professor
of history at the Central School, Paris; mem-
ber of the National Institute. His dramatic
works appeared in four volumes at Amsterdam,
1778–84. His most important writings were :
(Picture of Paris) (12 vols. , 1781-90), a descrip-
tion of Parisian life; New Paris ) (6 vols. ,
1800), a description of Parisian life during the
Revolution. My Night-Cap) (4 vols. , 1784)
was an attack on classicism. He was a very
prolific writer, and made the first French trans-
lation of Schiller's (Maid of Orleans.
Meredith, George. A great English novel-
ist and poet; born in Hampshire, 1828. He
has published: (Poems) (1851); (The Shaving
of Shagpat) (1855); (Farina: a Legend of Co-
logne) (1857); ( The Ordeal of Richard Feverel?
(1859); Mary Bertrand) (1860); (Evan Har-
rington (1861); Modern Love) (1862), poems;
(Emilia in England (1864), subsequently re-
published under the title (Sandra Belloni);
(Rhoda Fleming' (1865); (Vittoria) (1866);
(The Adventures of Harry Richmond' (1871);
(Beauchamp's Career) (1875); (The Egoist)
(1879);( The Tragic Comedians) (1881);Poems
and Lyrics of the Joy of Earth (1883); “Diana
of the Crossways) (1885); (Ballads and Poems
of Tragic Life) (1887); (A Reading of Earth)
(1888); "One of our Conquerors) (1890); (The
Empty Purse (1892), poems; Lord Ormont
and his Aminta) (1894); (The Amazing Mar.
riage) (1895). His shorter prose tales include:
(The Tale of Chloe ); (The House on the
Beach); «The Case of General Ople and Lady
Camper. *
Meredith, Owen. See Lytton.
Mérimée, Prosper (mā-rê-mā'). A celebrated
French essayist and littérateur; born at Paris,
Sept. 28, 1803; died at Cannes, Sept. 23, 1870.
He studied law, but never practiced; was sen-
ator in 1853. His best-known works were the
two novels (Colomba) (1830), treating of the
Corsican vendetta ; and (Carmen' (1840), which
furnished the plot of Bizet's opera of the
He wrote besides : Plays of
Clara Gazul) (1825); (Historic Monuments)
(1843); "Historic and Literary Medleys) (1855),
a collection of comedies in the style of the
Spanish “intermezzo”; “Guzla) (1827), a col-
lection of Illyrian lyrics; (Mateo Falcone, a
novel; Letters to an Unknown' (Lettres à
Une Inconnue): 1873); etc. *
Merivale, Charles. An English historian
and divine; born at Barton Place, Devonshire,
March 8, 1808; died at Ely, Dec. 27, 1893. He
was dean of Ely from 1869. He wrote: (His-
tory of the Romans under the Empire) (latest
ed. 1890), his principal work, extending from
Cæsar's Gallic campaigns to Commodus, where
Gibbon begins; (General History of Rome )
(1875); Lectures on Early Church History)
(1879); etc.
Merivale, Herman. An English states-
man, political economist, and historical writer,
brother of Charles; born at Dawlish, Devon-
shire, Nov. 8, 1806; died in London, Feb. 9,
1874. He was professor of political economy
at Oxford, 1837-42 ; under-secretary for the
colonies, 1848–60; perpetual under-secretary for
India. He wrote : (Colonization and Colonies)
(2 vols. , 1841), the best work on the subject;
(Historical Studies) (1865); etc.
Merivale, Herman Charles. An English
dramatist, novelist, and poet, son of Herman;
born in London, 1839. A lawyer for fifteen
years, he withdrew from practice in 1879. He
has written the plays (All for Her) (1874),
(Forget Me Not! (1879), etc. ; the stories
(Faucit of Balliol (1882) and (Binko's Blues)
(1884); the volume of poems (The White Pil.
grim (1883); the tragedy (Florien (1884).
Meriwether, Mrs. Elizabeth (Avery). An
American novelist; born in Tennessee, 1832.
Her home is at Memphis, Tenn. She has writ-
ten : (The Master of Red Leaf(1879), Ku-
Klux-Klan) (1880), a drama; My First and
Last Love); etc.
Meriwether, Lee. An American writer;
born in Columbus, Miss. , Dec. 25, 1862. He
is the author of: (A Tramp Trip: How to See
Europe on Fifty Cents a Day) (1887); (The
Tramp at Home); and (Afloat and Ashore on
the Mediterranean.
Merle, Jean Toussaint (mårl). A French
dramatist, publicist, and critic; born at Mont-
pellier, 1785; died in Paris, 1852. A prolific
writer, he collaborated with Ourry, Brazier, Car-
mouche, etc. , on the dramas (The Old Young-
Man (1812); “The New-Market Races) (1818);
(The Monster and the Magician) (1826); etc. :
and wrote Memoirs, Historic, Literary, and
Critical, of Bachaumont? (3 vols. , 1808-9);
(The English Spy) (1809); (Of the Opera'
(1827); Anecdotes, Historical and Political, for
a History of the Conquest of Algiers) (1831-32);
(Chambord) (1832); etc.
Merle d'Aubigné. See D'Aubigné.
Merlin (mer'lin). Putative author of (The
Prophecy of Merlin); a British bard and magi.
cian supposed to have lived in the 5th century.
In the 12th century Geoffrey of Monmouth gave
a Latin translation of the Prophecy,' which
till then had been preserved in Welsh tradition.
By natural accretion the Prophecy) grew in
same name.
## p. 380 (#396) ############################################
380
MERRIAM - MEYER
volume from age to age, and to " Merlin ” are
ascribed poems which had their rise in the
time of King Arthur, as the "Avallenau) (AP-
ple-Garth), and the Hoianau) (Listeners).
Merriam, George Spring. An American es-
sayist and biographer; born in Massachusetts,
1843. He lives at Springfield, Mass. He has
written : (A Living Faith, Life of Samuel
Bowles, (A Symphony of the Spirit); and is a
frequent contributor to periodicals.
Merrill, Selah. A well-known American
explorer and archæologist; born at Canton
Centre, Conn. , May 2, 1837. He was chaplain
in the Civil War ( 1864-65 ); since then has
been engaged in explorations in Palestine. He
was consul at Jerusalem 1884-86 and 1890-93.
Among his works are: (East of the Jordan
(2d ed. 1883); “Galilee in the Time of Christ)
(1881); “The Site of Calvary) (1886); etc.
Merry, Robert. An English dilettante; born
in London, April 1755; died at Baltimore, Md. ,
Dec. 14, 1798. He resigned from the army
(1775); became a member of the famous Della
Crusca Academy at Florence, Italy (1784-87);
on returning to London, wrote plays and poems
under the pseudonym “Della Crusca. ) His
affected style found many imitators, and the
school that arose was satirized by Gifford in
his (Baviad' and Mæviad. He married an
actress, and came to this country in 1796.
Mersliakov, Alexis Theodorovich (măr-zlē-
ä-kof'). A noted Russian poet and miscella-
neous writer; born at Dolmatov, government
of Perm, 1778; died near Moscow, 1830. He
was an ardent classicist; professor of rhetoric
and literature at the University of Moscow in
1810. He wrote a number of poems which were
set to music and became popular songs. His
principal literary works were : Ancient Poetry
and its Influence on Modern Civilization' (1810);
and Imitation and Translation of Greek and
Latin Authors) (1825).
Méry, Joseph (mā-re'). A French miscella-
neous writer; born near Marseilles, Jan. 21, 1798;
died in Paris, June 17, 1866. Some of his works
became very popular. Among them were the
volumes of verse (Poetic Melodies) (1853), (Na-
poleon in Italy) (1859); the romances (London
Nights) (1840), “Héval (1843), Novel Novels)
(1853); the dramas (The Two Frontins) (1858),
(The Fiancée Worth Millions) (1864). With
Barthélemy he wrote satirical verses, and by
himself librettos for several operas.
Mesihi (mes'i-he). A renowned Turkish
poet; flourished in the 14th century. He is
one of the seven poets called by the Turks (the
Pleiades, and whose names, written in gold,
are suspended in the temple of Mecca. Sir
William Jones, in his Commentaries on Asi-
atic Poetry, translated one of his idyls.
Mesonero y Romanos, Ramon de (mā-so-
nā'rõ rõ-ma'nos). A Spanish descriptive writer
and historian, employing sometimes the pseu-
donym El Curioso Parlante ” (The Inquisitive
Chatterer); born at Madrid, July 10, 1803; died
there, April 1882. He was connected with the
national library, Madrid (1845). He wrote:
(Manual of Madrid (3d ed. 1844), containing
apt pictures of life there ; (Madrid Panorama)
(2 vols. , 1832–35); (Types and Characters)
(1843-62); (Mementos of Travel in France and
Belgium' (1842); (Ancient Madrid' (1861), a
scholarly history; etc. He founded and edited
the Spanish Pictorial Weekly (8 vols. , 1836).
Mesquita, Salvador de (mās-ke'tä). A Bra.
zilian poet; born in Rio Janeiro in 1646; died
in Rome, beginning of 18th century. His repu-
tation as a poet was assured when he wrote
his sacred drama (Sacrificium Jephtæ) (1680).
His best tragedies are Demetrius, (Perseus,
and Prusias of Bithynia' (1690 to 1700).
Metastasio, Pietro (mā''täs-tä'zē-7). A cel.
ebrated Italian poet; born at Rome, Jan. 13,
1698; died at Vienna, April 12, 1782. His real
name was Trapassi. He was court poet at
Vienna, honored, surrounded by friends, and
probably the most famous Continental poet
of his time. His fame rests chiefly on his lys-
ical dramas (The Gardens of the Hesperides!
(1720); Demetrius) (1732); «The Clemency of
Titus) (1734); (Atilius Regulus) (1740-50); and
(Themistocles. He was a master of the can-
zonet, and wrote also sonnets, idyls, elegies,
criticisms, and letters. Monuments were erected
to him at Rome and Vienna. (Works, best
edition, Paris, 1780-82. )
Metcalfe, Frederick. An English Scandi-
navian scholar; born 1815; died Aug. 24, 1885.
He was a clergyman of the Church of Eng-
land. He wrote: (The Oxonian in Norway)
(1856); (The Oxonian in Thelemarken) (1858);
A History of German Literature (1858); “The
Oxonian in Iceland (new ed. 1867); “The Eng.
lishman and the Scandinavian) (1880); etc.
Metternich, Clemens Wenzel Nepomuk Lo-
thar, Prince (met'ter-nich). A celebrated Aus-
trian statesman; born at Coblentz, May 15,
1773; died at Vienna, July 11, 1859.
