Part 298 (1/2)
MALAGROWTHER, an old courtier in the ”Fortunes of Nigel” soured by misfortune, and who would have every one be as discontented as himself.
MALAISE, an uneasy feeling which often precedes a serious attack of some disease.
MALAPROP, MRS., a character in Sheridan's ”Rivals,” noted for her blunders in the use of fine or learned words, as in the use of ”allegory”
for ”alligator.”
MaLAR LAKE, large and beautiful Swedish lake, stretching 80 m.
westward from Stockholm; its sh.o.r.es are deeply indented with bays, and the surrounding hills as well as the thousand islands it contains are well wooded.
MALAY ARCHIPELAGO or INDIAN ARCHIPELAGO is that group of many hundred islands stretching from the Malay Peninsula SE. to Australia between the North Pacific and the Indian Ocean, of which Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and Celebes are the largest.
MALAYS, a branch of the human family now cla.s.sed among the Mongols, and which inhabit the Malay Peninsula, the islands of the Indian Archipelago, as well as Madagascar, and many of the islands in the Pacific; they are of a dark-brown or tawny complexion, short of stature, have flat faces, black coa.r.s.e hair, and high cheek-bones; there are three cla.s.ses of them, distinguished from each other in character and habits of life; the more civilised of them are Mohammedans.
MALCOLM, SIR JOHN, Indian soldier and statesman, born in Dumfriess.h.i.+re; went as cadet to the Madras army in 1785, and for over 30 years was an important figure in Eastern affairs; he was amba.s.sador to Persia 1800, governor of Mysore 1803, again in Persia as plenipotentiary in 1807 and 1810, political agent in the Deccan 1817, and governor of Bombay 1827-30; he distinguished himself also in several wars; wrote ”A History of Persia” and other historical works, and returning to England entered Parliament in 1831, opposed to the Reform Bill; two years later he died in London (1769-1833).
MALCOLM CANMORE, son of Duncan, whom Macbeth slew, succeeded his father in 1040 as king of c.u.mbria and Lothian, and in 1057, on Macbeth's death, became king of all Scotland; till 1066 his reign was peaceful, but thereafter it was one long conflict with the Normans in England; raids and counter-raids succeeded each other till, in 1091, Malcolm was forced to do homage to William Rufus; next year he lost his possessions S. of the Solway, and in 1093 he was slain in battle at Alnwick; the influence of his second wife, the saintly Margaret, did much to promote the civilisation of Scotland and to bring the Scottish Church into harmony with the rest of Christendom.
MALDIVE ISLANDS (20), a chain of several hundred tiny coral islands in the Indian Ocean stretching 550 m. southward from a point 300 m. SW.
of Cape Comorin, 200 of which are inhabited; Male is the residence of the sultan, who is a tributary of the governor of Ceylon; the natives are akin to the Singhalese, and occupy themselves gathering cowries, cocoa-nuts, and tortoise-sh.e.l.l for exportation.
MALEBOLGE, the name given to the eighth circle in Dante's ”Inferno,”
as consisting of ”evil pits,” which the name means, 10 in number, for those guilty of frauds: contains (1) seducers, (2) flatterers, (3) simonists, (4) soothsayers, (5) bribers and receivers of bribes, (6) hypocrites, (7) robbers, (8) evil advisers, (9) slanderers, (10) forgers.
MALEBRANCHE, NICHOLAS, a French metaphysician, born in Paris; determined to embrace a monastic life, entered the congregation of the Oratory at the age of 22, and devoted himself to theological study, till the treatise of Descartes on ”Man” falling into his hands, he gave himself up to philosophy; his famous work ”De la Recherche de la Verite”
was published in 1673, the main object of which was to bridge over the gulf which separates mind from matter by the establishment of the thesis that the mind immediately perceives G.o.d, and sees all things in G.o.d, who in Himself includes the presumed irreconcilable ant.i.thesis (1638-1715).
MALESHERBES, LAMOIGNON DE, French statesman, born in Paris; a good and upright man; was twice over called to be one of Louis XVI.'s advisers, but his advice was not taken and he retired; defended Louis at his trial; pled for him ”with eloquent want of eloquence, in broken sentences, in embarra.s.sment and sobs,” and was guillotined for it; he had been censor of the press, and to his liberal-minded censors.h.i.+p the world owes the publication of the ”Encyclopedie” (1721-1794).
MALHERBE, FRANcOIS DE, a French lyric poet and miscellaneous writer of great industry, born at Caen, is, from his correct though affected style, regarded as one of the reformers of the French language (1555-1628).
MALIGNANTS, the advisers of Charles I., chief among whom were Strafford and Laud; were so called by the Parliamentarians, who blamed them for the evils of the country; the name was afterwards applied to the whole Royalist party.
MALINES or MECHLIN (52), a Belgian city on the Dyle, 14 m. S.