Character Sketches of Romance Volume Iii Part 7

=Mayor of Garratt= (_The_). Garratt is between Wandsworth and Tooting. The first mayor of this village was elected towards the close of the eighteenth century, and the election came about thus: Garratt Common had often been encroached on, and in 1780 the inhabitants a.s.sociated themselves together to defend their rights. The chairman was called _Mayor_, and as it happened to be the time of a general election, the society made it a law that a new "mayor" should be elected at every general election. The addresses of these mayors, written by Foote, Garrick, Wilks, and others, are satires and political squibs. The first mayor of Garratt was "Sir" John Harper, a retailer of brickdust; and the last was "Sir" Harry Dimsdale, a m.u.f.fin-seller (1796). In Foote's farce so called, Jerry Sneak is chosen mayor, son-in-law of the landlord (1763).

=Mayors= (_Lord_) who have founded n.o.ble houses:

_Lord Mayor._ AVELAND (_Lord_), from Sir Gilbert Heathcote 1711 BACON (_Lord_), from Sir Thomas Cooke, draper 1557 BATH (_Marquis of_), from Sir Rowland Heyward, cloth-worker 1570 BRAYBROOKE (_Lord_), from Sir John Gresham, grocer 1547 BROOK (_Lord_), from Sir Samuel Dashwood, vintner 1702 BUCKINGHAM (_Duke of_), from Sir John Gresham, grocer 1547 COMPTON (_Lord_), from Sir Wolston Dixie, skinner 1585 CRANBOURNE (_Viscount_), from Sir Christopher Gascoigne 1753 DENBIGH (_Earl of_), from Sir G.o.dfrey Fielding, mercer 1452 DONNE (_Viscount_), from Sir Gilbert Heathcote 1711 FITZWILLIAM (_Earl of_), from Sir Thomas Cooke, draper 1557 PALMERSTON (_Lord_), from Sir John Houblon, grocer 1695 SALISBURY (_Marquis of_), from Sir Thomas Cooke, draper 1557 WARWICK (_Earl of_), from Sir Samuel Dashwood, vintner 1702 WILTSHIRE (_Earl of_), from Sir G.o.dfrey Boleine 1457 (queen Elizabeth was his granddaughter).

=Maypole= (_The_), the nickname given to Erangard Melousine de Schulemberg, d.u.c.h.ess of Kendal, the mistress of George I., on account of her leanness and height (1719, died, 1743).

=Mazarin of Letters= (_The_), D'Alembert (1717-1783).

=Mazarine= (_A_), a common council-man of London; so called from the mazarine-blue silk gown worn by this civil functionary.

=Mazeppa= (_Jan_), a hetman of the Cossacks, born of a n.o.ble Polish family in Podolia. He was a page in the court of Jan Casimir, king of Poland, and while in this capacity intrigued with Theresia, the young wife of a Podolian count, who discovered the amour, and had the young page lashed to a wild horse, and turned adrift. The horse rushed in mad fury, and dropped down dead in the Ukraine, where Mazeppa was released by a Cossack, who nursed him carefully in his own hut. In time the young page became a prince of the Ukraine, but fought against Russia in the battle of Pultowa. Lord Byron (1819) makes Mazeppa tell his tale to Charles XII. after the battle (1640-1709).

"Muster Richardson" had a fine appreciation of genius, and left the original "Mazeppa" at Astley's a handsome legacy [1766-1836].--Mark Lemon.

=M. B. Waistcoat=, a clerical waistcoat. M. B. means "Mark [_of the_]

Beast;" so called because, when these waistcoats were first worn by Protestant clergymen (about 1830), they were stigmatized as indicating a popish tendency.

He smiled at the folly which stigmatized an M. B.

waistcoat[TN-9]--Mrs. Oliphant, _Phbe, Jun._, ii. 1.

=McGrath= (_Miss Jane_), "is a woman. Uv course doorin' the war she wuz loyal ez she understood loyalty. She believed in her State. She hed two brothers which went into the Confedrit servis, and she gave 'em both horses. But wood any sister let her brother go afoot?... Her case is one wich I shel push the hardest.... Ef Congress does not consider it favorably it will show that Congress hez no bowels."--D. R. Locke's, _The Struggles--Social, Financial and Political--of Petroleum_, V.

Nasby.

=Meadows= (_Sir William_), a kind country gentleman, the friend of Jack Eustace, and father of young Meadows.

_Young Meadows_ left his father's home because the old gentleman wanted him to marry Rosetta, whom he had never seen. He called himself Thomas, and entered the service of Justice Woodc.o.c.k as gardener. Here he fell in love with the supposed chamber-maid, who proved to be Rosetta, and their marriage fulfilled the desire of all the parties interested.--I.

Bickerstaff, _Love in a Village_.

Charles Dignum made his _debut_ at Drury Lane, in 1784, in the character of "Young Meadows." His voice was so clear and full-toned, and his manner of singing so judicious, that he was received with the warmest applause.--_Dictionary of Musicians._

=Meagles= (_Mr._), an eminently "practical man," who, being well off, travelled over the world for pleasure. His party consisted of himself, his daughter Pet, and his daughter's servant called Tatty-coram. A jolly man was Mr. Meagles; but clear-headed, shrewd, and persevering.

_Mrs. Meagles_, wife of the "practical man," and mother of Pet.--C.

d.i.c.kens, _Little Dorrit_ (1857).

=Meal-Tub Plot=, a fict.i.tious conspiracy concocted by Dangerfield for the purpose of cutting off those who opposed the succession of James, duke of York, afterwards James II. The scheme was concealed in a meal-tub in the house of Mrs. Cellier (1685).

=Measure for Measure.= There was a law in Vienna that made it death for a man to live with a woman not his wife; but the law was so little enforced that the mothers of Vienna complained to the duke of its neglect. So the duke deputed Angelo to enforce it, and, a.s.suming the dress of a friar, absented himself awhile, to watch the result. Scarcely was the duke gone, when Claudio was sentenced to death for violating the law. His sister Isabel went to intercede on his behalf, and Angelo told her he would spare her brother if she would give herself to him.

Isabel told her brother he must prepare to die, as the conditions proposed by Angelo were out of the question. The duke, disguised as a friar, heard the whole story, and persuaded Isabel to "a.s.sent in words,"

but to send Mariana (the divorced wife of Angelo), to take her place.

This was done; but Angelo sent the provost to behead Claudio, a crime which "the friar" contrived to avert. Next day, the duke returned to the city, and Isabel told her tale. The end was, the duke married Isabel, Angelo took back his wife, and Claudio married Juliet, whom he had seduced.--Shakespeare, _Measure for Measure_ (1603).

? This story is from Whetstone's _Heptameron_ (1578). A similar story is given also in Giraldi Cinthio's third decade of stories.

=Medam'othi=, the island at which the fleet of Pantag'ruel landed on the fourth day of their voyage. Here many choice curiosities were bought, such as "the picture of a man's voice," an "echo drawn to life,"

"Plato's ideas," some of "Epicurus's atoms," a sample of "Philome'la's needlework," and other objects of _vertu_ to be obtained nowhere else.--Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, iv. 3 (1545).

? _Medamothi_ is a compound Greek word, meaning "never in any place."

So _Utopia_ is a Greek compound, meaning "no place;" _Kennaquhair_ is a Scotch compound, meaning "I know not where;" and _Kennahtwhar_ is Anglo-Saxon for the same. All these places are in 91 north lat. and 180 1' west long., in the Niltale Ocean.

=Medea=, a famous sorceress of Colchis who married Jason, the leader of the Argonauts, and aided him in getting possession of the golden fleece.

After being married ten years, Jason repudiated her for Glauce; and Medea, in revenge, sent the bride a poisoned robe, which killed both Glauce and her father. Medea then tore to pieces her two sons, and fled to Athens in a chariot drawn by dragons.

The story has been dramatized in Greek by Euripides; in Latin by Seneca and by Ovid; in French by Corneille (_Medee_, 1635), Longepierre (1695), and Legouve (1849); in English by Glover (1761).

Mrs. Yates was a superb "Medea."--Thomas Campbell.

=Mede'a and Absyr'tus.= When Medea fled with Jason from Colchis (in Asia), she murdered her brother, Absyrtus, and, cutting the body into several pieces, strewed the fragments about, that the father might be delayed in picking them up, and thus be unable to overtake the fugitives.

Meet I an infant of the duke of York, Into as many gobbets will I cut it As wild Medea young Absyrtus did.

Shakespeare, 2 _Henry VI._ act v. sc. 2 (1591).

=Mede'a's Kettle.= Medea, the sorceress, cut to pieces an old ram, threw the parts into her caldron, and by her incantations changed the old ram into a young lamb. The daughters of Pelias thought they would have their father restored to youth, as aeson had been. So they killed him, and put the body in Medea's caldron; but Medea refused to utter the needful incantation, and so the old man was not restored to life.

Change the shape, and shake off age. Get thee Medea's kettle, and be boiled anew.--W. Congreve, _Love for Love_, iv. (1695).

=Medecin Malgre Lui= (_Le_) a comedy by Moliere (1666). The "enforced doctor" is Sganarelle, a f.a.ggot-maker, who is called in by Geronte to cure his daughter of dumbness. Sganarelle soon perceives that the malady is a.s.sumed in order to prevent a hateful marriage, and introduces her lover as an apothecary. The dumb spirit is at once exorcised, and the lovers made happy with "pills matrimoniac."

In 1723 Fielding produced a farce called _The Mock Doctor_, which was based on this comedy. The doctor he calls "Gregory," and Geronte "Sir Jasper." Lucinde, the dumb girl, he calls "Charlotte," and Anglicizes her lover, Leandre, into "Leander."

=Medham= ("_the keen_"), one of Mahomet's swords.

=Medicine= (_The Father of_), Aretaeos of Cappadocia (second and third centuries).

? Also Hippoc'rates, of Cos (B.C. 460-357).