Part 10 (1/2)
_Mary Melrose_, Violet's cousin, but without a penny. She marries Talbot Champneys; but his father, Sir Geoffrey, wanted him to marry Violet, the heiress.--H. J. Byron, _Our Boys_ (a comedy, 1875).
=Melusi'na=, the most famous of the _fees_ of France. Having enclosed her father in a mountain for offending her mother, she was condemned to become a serpent every Sat.u.r.day. When she married the count of Lusignan, she made her husband vow never to visit her on that day, but the jealousy of the count made him break his vow. Melusina was, in consequence, obliged to leave her mortal husband, and roam about the world as a ghost till the day of doom. Some say the count immured her in the dungeon wall of his castle.--_Jean d'Arras_ (fourteenth century).
? The cry of despair given by the _fee_ when she discovered the indiscreet visit of her husband, is the origin of the phrase, _Un cri de Melusine_ (”A shriek of despair”).
=Melvil= (_Sir John_), a young baronet, engaged to be married to Miss Sterling, the elder daughter of a City merchant, who promises to settle on her 800,000. A little before the marriage, Sir John finds that he has no regard for Miss Sterling, but a great love for her younger sister, f.a.n.n.y, to whom he makes a proposal of marriage. His proposal is rejected; and it is soon brought to light that Miss f.a.n.n.y had been clandestinely married to Lovewell for four months.--Colman and Garrick, _The Clandestine Marriage_ (1766).
=Melville= (_Major_), a magistrate at Cairnvreckan village.--Sir W. Scott, _Waverley_ (time, George II.).
_Melville_ (_Sir Robert_), one of the emba.s.sy from the privy council to Mary queen of Scots.--Sir W. Scott, _The Abbot_ (time, Elizabeth).
_Melville_, the father of Constantia.--C. Macklin, _The Man of the World_ (1764).
_Melville_ (_Julia_), a truly n.o.ble girl, in love with Faulkland, who is always jealous of her without a shadow of cause. She receives his innuendos without resentment, and treats him with sincerity and forbearance (see act i. 2).--Sheridan, _The Rivals_ (1775).
=Melyhalt= (_The Lady_), a powerful subject of King Arthur, whose domains Sir Galiot invaded; notwithstanding which the lady chose Sir Galiot as her fancy knight and chevalier.
=Memnon=, king of the Ethiopians. He went to the a.s.sistance of his uncle, Priam, and was slain by Achilles. His mother, Eos, inconsolable at his death, weeps for him every morning, and her tears const.i.tute what we call dew.
_Memnon_, the black statue of King Amen'ophis III., at Thebes, in Egypt, which, being struck with the rays of the morning sun, gives out musical sounds. Kircher says these sounds are due to a sort of clavecin or aeolian harp enclosed in the statue, the cords of which are acted upon by the warmth of the sun. Cambyses, resolved to learn the secret, cleft the statue from head to waist; but it continued to utter its morning melody notwithstanding.
_Memnon_, ”the mad lover,” general of As'torax, king of Paphos.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Mad Lover_ (1617).
_Memnon_, the t.i.tle of a novel by Voltaire, the object of which is to show the folly of aspiring to too much wisdom.
=Memnon's Sister.= He'mera, mentioned by Dictys Cretensis.
Black, but such as in esteem Prince Memnon's sister might beseem.
Milton, _Il Penseroso_ (1638).
=Memorable= (_The Ever-_), John Hales, of Eton (1584-1656).
=Memory.= The persons most noted for their memory are:
Magliabecchi, of Florence, called ”The Universal Index and Living Cyclopaedia” (1633-1714).
P. J. Beronicius, the Greek and Latin improvisator, who knew by heart Horace, Virgil, Cicero, Juvenal, both the Plinys, Homer, and Aristophanes. He died at Middleburgh, in 1676.
Andrew Fuller, after hearing 500 lines twice, could repeat them without a mistake. He could also repeat verbatim a sermon or speech; could tell either backwards or forwards every shop sign from the Temple to the extreme end of Cheapside, and the articles displayed in each of the shops.
”Memory” Woodfall could carry in his head a debate, and repeat it a fortnight afterwards.