equal depth to his battalions. He was obliged, therefore, to take his choice; and he imagined, that he could gain the victory no otherwise than by the efforts he should make with his two wings, in order to break and disperse those of the Persians; not doubting but, when his wings were once victorious, they would be able to attack the enemy's main flank, and complete the victory without much difficulty. This was the same plan as Hannibal followed afterwards at the battle of Cannæ, which succeeded so well with him, and which indeed can scarce ever fail of succeeding.

MARATHON, BATTLE OF. The Persian army, commanded by Datis, consisted of one hundred thousand foot, and ten thousand horse. That of the Athenians amounted in all but to ten thousand men. This had ten generals, of whom Miltiades was the chief; and these ten were to have the command of the whole army, each for a day, one after another. There was a great dispute among these officers, whether they should hazard a battle, or expect the enemy within their walls. The latter opinion had a gseat majority, and appeared very reasonable; for what appearance of success could there be in facing, with a handful of The Persians then attacked the main body of soldiers, so numerous and formidable an army as the Grecian army, and made their greatest efforts that of the Persians?-Miltiades, however, declar-particularly upon their front. This was led by ed for the contrary opinion; and showed, that the Aristides and Themistocles, who supported it a only means to exalt the courage of their own long time with an intrepid courage and bravery; troops, and to strike a terror into those of the ene- but were at length obliged to give ground. At my, was to advance boldly towards them with an that very instant came up their two victorious air of confidence and intrepidity. Aristides stren-wings, which had defeated those of the enemy, uously defended this opinion, and brought so many and put them to flight. Nothing could be more of the commanders into it, that it finally prevailed. seasonable for the main body of the Grecian army, Aristides reflecting, that a command which chan- which began to be broken, being quite borne down ges every day, must necessarily be feeble, unequal, by the numbers of the Persians. The scale was not of a piece, often contrary to itself and incapa- quickly turned, and the barbarians were entirely ble either of projecting or executing any uniform routed. They all betook themselves to their heels, design, was of opinion that their danger was both and fled, not towards their camp, but to their ships, too great and too pressing for them to expose their that they might make their escape. The Atheaffairs to such inconveniences. In order to pre- nians pursued them thither, took seven of their vent them, he judged it necessary to vest the whole ships, and set many of them on fire. The Athepower in one single person; and, to induce his nians had not above two hundred men killed in colleagues to act conformably, he himself set the this engagement; whereas of the Persians above first example of resignation. When the day came six thousand were slain, without reckoning those on which it was his turn to take upon him the who fell into the sea as they endeavored to escape, command, he resigned it to Miltiades, as the more or those that were consumed with the ships set on able and experienced general. The other com- fire. manders did the same, all sentiments of jealousy giving way to the love of the public good; and by this day's behavior we may learn, that it is almost as glorious to acknowledge merit in other persons, as to have it in one's self.

Hippias was killed in the battle. That ungrate ful and perfidious citizen, in order to recover the unjust dominion usurped by his father, Pisistratus, over the Athenians, had the baseness to become a servile courtier to a barbarian prince, and to implore his aid against his native country. Urged on by hatred and revenge, he suggested all the means he could invent to load his country with chains; and even put himself at the head of its enemies, with design to reduce that city to ashes, to which he owed his birth, and against which he had no other ground of complaint than that she would not acknowledge him for her tyrant. An ignominious death, together with everlasting infamy entailed upon his name, was the just reward of so black a treachery.

Miltiades, however, thought fit to wait till his own day came. Then, like an able captain, he endeavored, by the advantage of the ground, to gain what he wanted in strength and number. He drew up his army at the foot of a mountain, that the enemy should not be able either to surround him, or charge him in the rear. On the two sides of his army he caused large trees to be thrown, which were cut down on purpose, in order to cover his flanks, and render the Persian cavalry useless. Datis, their commander, was very sensible that the place was not advantageous for him; but, relying It is almost without example, that such a handupon the number of his troops, which was infinite-ful of men as the Athenians were, should not only ly superior to that of the Athenians, and, on the make head against so numerous an army as that of other hand, not being willing to stay till the rein- the Persians, but should entirely rout and defeat forcement of the Spartans, he determined to en-them. One is astonished to see so formidable a gage. The Athenians did not wait for the enemy's power attack so small a city, and miscarry; and charging thein. As soon as the signal was given for battle, they ran against the enemy with all the fury imaginable.

The battle was very fierce and obstinate. Miltiades had made the wings of his army exceeding strong, but had left the main body more weak, and not so deep; the reason of which seems manifest enough. Having but ten thousand men to oppose to such a numerous and vast army, it was impossible for him either to make a large front, or to give an

we are almost tempted to disbelieve the truth of an event that appears so improbable, and which, nevertheles, is very certain and unquestionable. This battle alone shows what wonderful things may be performed by an able general, who knows how to take his advantages; by the intrepidity of soldiers, who are not afraid of death; by a zeal for one's country; the love of liberty; an hatred and detestation of slavery and tyranny; which were sentiments natural to the Athenians, but undoubtedly

very much augmented and inflamed in them by the very presence of Hippias, whom they dreaded to have again for their inaster, after all that had passed between them.

sive with such people as are not capable of investigating the points in which they differ from the case in question. Their conversation is instructive and pleasing. The Marabbuts of the Moors are more learned and ingenious in every respect than those of the black nations.

MARBLES, PLAYING. Playing marbles are mostly imported from Holland, where they are made by breaking the stone alabaster, or other substance, into pieces or chips of a suitable size: these are put into an iron mill, which turns by water. There are several partitions with rasps within, cut floatwise, not with teeth, which turn constantly round with great swiftness. The friction against the rasps makes the pieces round; and as they are formed, they fall out of different holes, into which size or chance throws them.

MARAHBUTS, or MARABOUTS. Derived from a word which signifies a monk, or a man engaged to the performance of his vow, denote Ma- MARBLE. (Marmor.) In Natural History, a hometan priests, who are dispersed through various genus of fossils, comprising bright and beautiful parts of Africa. Those of the Mandingo nation stones, composed of small, separate concretions, apply themselves, besides religious matters, to the moderately hard, not giving fire with steel, ferstudy of physic, as far as it depends on mere ex-menting with, and soluble in, acid menstruums, perience, without entering into the investigation and calcining in a slight fire. of the causes of diseases. They are also often called upon by the kings and chiefs to give their opinion in cases of law and equity. Most of them are well versed in the Arabic language of the Mauritanic dialect, and they are the only people of letters among the blacks; for none of the black nations about Senegal and Gambia have even an alphabet, much less any writing in their own languages. The selling of charms is said to constitute the greatest part of their revenue, and the more reputation any one of them has acquired, the dearer it is sold. These charms usually consist in nothing but a few lines taken from the Koran, written on a little piece of paper, which, after being nicely sewed up in leather or cloth, are worn by the purchasers about their necks. They are designed to protect and defend them in danger; but as one charm has only the power of preserving them from one kind of danger, they are obliged to have many of them; so that many of the blacks are covered with them in different parts of the body; and they have such a strong faith in them, that when they are surprised in the night-time by an enemy, they will not take up arms for their own defence, though in the most imminent danger, till they have dressed themselves with these charms, and then they will meet him undauntedly. This faith in charms, however, is a corruption of the Mahometan religion; and the Moors, who live on the north side of the river Senegal, observing it in its purity, make no use of them.

The Marahbuts of the black nations, as well as those of the Moors, are also the principal merchants, and the most opulent people among them, and the gum trade on the river Senegal is chiefly carried on by those of the Moors. The Marahbuts are also the only people who can travel with any safety into distant kingdoms, which no layman can well do without running the risk of being made a slave. Their religious profession protects them every where; they are even respected among those nations, who are not Mahometans; and they are considered by them as a godly and virtuous people, and men of wisdom. They make proselytes every where to the Mahometan religion, and are industrious in spreading it all over Africa. Some Marahbuts of the Foolah nation who visit Senegal, are pretty well versed in the Old Testament, and are partly acquainted with the institutes of the new

one.

The Marahbuts reason very well on such subjects as they are acquainted with, but their manner, like that of the eastern nations, is that of adducing parables or similes in their arguments, which do not always bear the strictest resemblance to the case in hand; though they are very persua

MARCASITES. In Natural History, compound, inflammable, metallic bodies, of a hard and solid substance, of an obscurely and irregularly foliaceous structure, of a bright, glittering appearance, naturally constituting the whole strata, though sometimes found in detached masses; very freely giving fire with steel; not fermenting with acid menstruums; and, when put into the fire, yielding a blue sulphureous flame, and afterwards calcining into a purple powder.

MARCH. In Chronology, the third month in the year, consisting of thirty-one days.

MARINE. A general name for the navy of a kingdom or state; as also the whole economy of naval affairs, or whatever respects the building, rigging, arming, equipping, navigating, and fighting ships. It comprehends likewise the government of naval armaments, and the state of all the persons employed therein, whether civil or military.

MARINE REMAINS. A term used by many authors to express the shells of sea fishes, and parts of crustaceous and other sea animals, found in digging at great depths in the earth, or on the tops of high mountains. Their being lodged in these places, is an evident and unquestionable proof of the sea's having once been there, since it must have covered those places where it has left its productions. It has been a favorite system with many, and particularly with the late Dr. Woodward, that all these marine bodies were brought to the places where they now lie, by the waters of the universal deluge; which, as we are informed by holy writ, covered the whole surface of the globe, and even the highest mountains. But though this is a very ready expedient to account for many of the natural phenomena, yet there are evident proofs that it cannot have been the cause of all that is attributed to it, and there

must necessarily have been some other cause of many of these remains having been placed where we now find them. Neither does the opinion of some particular authors, that partial inundations of different places have left these marine bodies behind them at the recess of the waters, seem sufficient to account for the multitudes of these remains, many of which we find thrown upon places inaccessible to such floods.

Signior Moro has attempted to account for these phenomena on a new plan of reasoning. He observes that it is the best basis of argument to begin from facts: and that if we can certainly find how some part of these animal remains come to be deposited at such great distances from their natural residence, we may very rationally conclude, that by the same means, be they what they will, all the rest were also brought thither. He adds, that the earth, once the bottom of the sea, or the level surface of a plain, may be, and frequently has been, in the memory of man, raised up into a mountain by subterranean fires, earthquakes, and volcanoes. He mentions the famous instance of the new island raised out of the bottom of the sea near Santorini in the year 1707, which became of a circumference not less than six miles, and of the new mountain raised near Puzzoli in 1538.

These, and many other like facts, prove that the origin of mountains and islands may have been such, and that the matter they consist of may have been the same which was once the bottom of the sea; and that the marine bodies found in these mountains, were such as were living, or remaining of living fish at the time when the island or mountain was so raised above the surface of the water which before covered it.

particular inundations, which must have been wholly incapable of lodging many of them there. The lodgment of shells in the solid strata of mountains, is better accounted for by this system of Signior Moro than any other: and if it be asked why some mountains afford them in great plenty, and others do not at all, it will not be difficult to answer, by observing, that among the mountains of the more known parts of the world, some consist of mere solid rock, and others of various strata of earthy and other matter; that the first of these may be supposed primary or natural mountains, and the other secondary or accidental ones: and that these marine remains are always wanting in the former, and usually are found in the latter, which is a fact greatly favorable to this system. There are many difficulties attending the accounts of all authors of the formation of the earth, and the lodging of these bodies in it; nor is this last system without difficulty. The causes here assigned as to the origin of mountains and islands, doubtless have been so in regard to some, but scarcely to all; and the bodies here treated of are so numerous, in some particular places, that scarcely any account can solve the difficulty of their being collected together in so strange a man

ner.

MARINER'S COMPASS. This is an instrument used at sea by mariners to direct and ascertain the course of their ships. It consists of a circular brass box, which contains a paper card with the thirty-two points of the compass or winds, fixed on a magnetic needle that always turns to the north, excepting a small deviation, which is variable at different places, and at the same place at differThis is no new opinion; but this author has set ent times. The needle, with the card, turns on an it in a new and much stronger light than ever it upright piu fixed in the centre of the box. To the had appeared in before, by the instances and exam- middle of the needle is fixed a brass conical socket ples he has brought in proof of it. Some have or cap, by which the card hanging on the pin turns been fond of believing that the bodies we call ma- freely round the centre. The top of the box is rine remains, were never indeed any parts of living covered with a glass, to prevent the wind from animals, but that they are merely lusi naturæ form-disturbing the motion of the card. The whole is ed in the places where they are found; but Fabius Columna proved this to be an error, showing that the shark's teeth, or glossopetræ of the island of Malta, when calcined by a strong fire, yielded ashes the same with those from animal bodies, and by no means of the same nature with those produced from calcined stones.

That changes of parts of the bottom of the sea into dry land, have often been made, is proved not only from the late known instances, but from the testimonies of Strabo, Pliny, and other writers of credit and nothing is more obvious to reason, than that in the sudden rise of such parts of the bottom of the sea, all its contents, all the shells, and other hard parts of fishes lying there, would be carried up with it.

As some mountains and some islands must have certainly been produced in this manner, it is not impossible but that all of them may have been so; and there is no more than this required to account clearly and evidently for all the vast profusion of marine bodies at land as we find them, without having recourse to the improbable means of the universal deluge, which, for many plain reasons, cannot have been the cause; or to the effects of

inclosed in another box of wood, where it is suspended by brass hoops or gimbals, to keep the card in a horizontal position during the motions of the ship. The whole is to be so placed in the ship, that the middle section of the box, parallel to its sides, may be parallel to the middle section of the ship along its keel.

The mariner's compass was long very rude and imperfect, but at length received great improvement from the invention and experiments of Dr. Knight, who discovered the useful practice of making artificial magnets; and the farther emendations of Mr. Smeaton, and Mr. M'Culloch, by which the needles are larger and stronger than formerly, and instead of swinging in gimbals, the compass is supported in its very centre upon a prop, and the centres of motion, gravity, and magnetism are brought almost all to the same point. After the discovery of that most useful property of the magnet, or loadstone, viz. its giving a polarity to hardened iron or steel, the compass was many years in use before it was known in anywise to deviate from the poles of the world. About the middle of the sixteenth century, so confident were some persons that the needle invariably pointed due north, that

they treated with contempt the notion of the vari- MAROTTI. In Botany, is a tall tree growing ation, which about that time began to be suspected. in Malabar, with leaves like those of the bay, bearHowever, careful observations soon discovered, ing a round oblong fruit, including a very large, that in England and its neighborhood, the needle hard, and yellowish stone, containing ten or eleven pointed to the eastward of the true north line; and kernels. The oil extracted from the seeds or kerthe quantity of this deviation being known, mari- nels of the fruit, eases pain, and cures the scabies ners became as well satisfied as if the compass had and itchings, being rubbed on the parts: it is good none; because the true course could be obtained also for eyes infested with salt humors; and, mixed by making allowance for the true variation. with ashes, it is successfully applied to imposthumes and abscesses in cows, and other cattle, and beasts of burden.

From succeeding observations it was afterwards found, that the deviation of the needle from the north was not a constant quantity, but that it gradually diminished, and at last, namely about the year 1657, it was found that the needle pointed due north at London, and has ever since been going to the westward.

The azimuth compass differs from the common sea compass in this; that the circumference of the card or box is divided into degrees; and there is fitted to the box an index with two sights, which are upright pieces of brass, placed diametrically opposite to each other, having a slit down the middle of them, through which the sun or star is to be viewed at the time of observation.

MARINES. Soldiers raised for naval service, and trained to fight either on ship-board, or in an action on land.

MARQUIS. A peer in Britain, in rank between an earl and a duke, and wearing a coronet on state occasions.

MARQUETRY. Marquetry, or inlaid work, is a curious work composed of several fine hard pieces of wood, of various colors, fastened in thin slices on a ground, and sometimes enriched with other matters, as silver, brass, tortoise-shell, and ivory. The ground on which the pieces are to be arranged and glued is usually of well-dried oak or deal; and is composed of several pieces glued together, to prevent its warping. The wood to be used in marquetry is reduced into leaves of the thickness of a line, or the twelfth part of an inch, and is either of its natural color, or stained, or

MARITIME. Something relating to, or bound-made black to form the shades by other methods;

ed by the sea; thus, a maritime province, or country, is one bounded by the sea; and a maritime kingdom or state is one that makes a considerable figure, or is very powerful at sea. Hence, by maritime powers, among the European states, are understood Great Britain and Holland.

hot over the fire; others by steeping it in limethis some perform by putting it in sand heated very water and sublimate; and others in oil of sulphur. of the pieces are formed according to the parts of The wood being of the proper colors, the contours the design they are to represent; this is the most difficult part of marquetry, and that which requires the most patience and attention. The two chief instruments used in this work are a saw and a wooden vice, which has one of its chaps fixed, and the other movable; which is open and shut by the foot, by means of a cord fastened to a treadle.

MARK, THE EVANGELIST. According to the old ecclesiastical writers, the person known in the Acts of the Apostles by the name of John Mark, who was, for many years, the companion of Paul and Peter on their journeys. His mother Mary was generally in the train of Jesus, and his house at Jerusalem was open constantly for the MARRIAGE. Marriage is the lawful conreception of the apostles. He was himself present junction of man and wife; it was also anciently at a part of the events which he relates, and re-used to denote the interest of bestowing a ward or ceived his information partly from eye witnesses. a widow in inarriage. His gospel is plainly intended for Christian converts from paganism. It is not certain, however, whether it was first read at Rome or Alexandria, where he had established churches, or at Antioch. He is distinguished from the other evangelists by his brevity, passing over much that relates to his character as Messiah, which could be important only to Jewish converts. The genuineness of his gospel has never been questioned with any good grounds.

MARKET. A public place in a city or town, in which live cattle, provisions or other goods, are set to sale; and also a privilege, either by grant or prescription, by which a town is enabled to keep a market. A market is less than a fair, and is commonly held once or twice a week.

MARMOT. A quadruped about the size of the rabbit, and inhabits the higher regions of the Alps and Pyrenees. The woodchuck of North America, is called the Maryland marmot.

Taking marriage in the light of a civil contract, the law treats it as it does all other contracts: allowing it to be good and valid in all cases where the parties, at the time of making it, were in the first place willing to contract; secondly, able to contract; and lastly, actually did contract, in the proper forms and solemnities required by law.

MARRIAGE, IN POLITICAL ECONOMY. The reader may find many curious calculations and remarks relating to this subject in Dr. Price's Observations on Reversionary Payments.' From a variety of facts it appears, that marriages, one with another, do each produce about four births, both in England and other parts of Europe. Dr. Price observes, that the births at Paris are above four times the weddings; and therefore it may seem, that in the most healthy country situations, every wedding produces above four children; and though this be the case in Paris, for reasons which he has given, he has observed nothing like it in any other great town. He adds, that from comparing