44 



MONTE F1ASCONE MONTESPAN. 



by whose aid he gained the great victory of St Got- 

 hard (11HJ4). This victory led to a peace, and Monte- 

 cuccoli was made president of the imperial military 

 council. On the breaking out of the war between 

 the empire and France, he was placed at the 

 head of the imperial troops, iind checked the 

 progress of Louis XIV'., by the capture of Bonn, 

 and by forming a junction with the prince of Or- 

 ange, in spite of Turenne and Conde. The next 

 year, the chief command was taken from him, but 

 was restored in 1675, that he might make head 

 against Turenne, on the Rhine. Montecuccoli was 

 the only adversary worthy of that great commander. 

 They spent four months in following and observing 

 each other, each conjecturing the movements of his 

 opponent by what would be his own in the same 

 circumstances, and they were never deceived. They 

 were on the point of risking a battle, when the 

 French general was killed by a cannon ball. (See 

 Turenne.) In the letter of Montecuccoli to the em- 

 peror, in which lie speaks of the death of his great 

 rival, he says that he cannot help regretting the loss 

 of a man who was an honour to human nature : these 

 words he had repeated several times on hearing the 

 news of Turenne's death. The prince of Conde could 

 alone dispute the superiority which that event gave 

 him. The prince was at first worsted, but finally 

 succeeded in making head against the imperial com- 

 mander, who considered this campaign as the most 

 glorious of his life not because he conquered, but 

 because he was not conquered. Montecuccoli passed 

 the remainder of his life at the imperial court, the 

 patron of learning, and promoted the establishment 

 of an academy for natural science. He died at 

 Lintz, in 1680. His memoirs, written in Italian, are 

 distinguished for conciseness, clearness, and profound 

 and scientific views. 



MONTE FIASCONE ; a papal town in the Patri- 

 monio, five miles south of Bolsena, ten north-west of 

 Viterbo; Ion. 11 56' E.; lat 42 33' N.; population 

 3000; see of a bishop. This is by some said to be 

 the ancient Falerium, or Falerii, capital of the Fa- 

 lisci. It is now remarkable only for its situation, and 

 for the hills surrounding it, which produce great 

 quantities of excellent wine, particularly Muscadel. 



MONTEM ; a singular celebration which takes 

 place every three years at Eton school,' England See 

 Eton. 



MONTEMAYOR, JORGE DE, a celebrated poet, 

 born about 1520, in the small town of Montemayor, 

 or Monteinor, not far from Coimbra, in Portugal. 

 He was much less indebted to study than to his natural 

 genius, but he understood several living languages, 

 and his translations from them are characterized by 

 ease and faithfulness. In his youth, he entered the 

 military career, although his inclination attracted 

 him to music and poetry. He afterwards went to 

 Castile, and, being destitute of other means of sub- 

 sistence, joined the chapel of Philip II. as a singer, 

 and accompanied that prince to Germany, Italy, and 

 the Low Countries. After his return, he appears to 

 have lived in Leon, where he wrote his celebrated 

 Diana, which constitutes him the founder of the 

 Spanish pastoral romance. Queen Catharine, sister 

 of Charles V., and regent of the kingdom, called the 

 poet to her court, and conferred on him an honour- 

 able post. By an elegy of Francisco Marcos Dro- 

 antes, which is contained in all the editions of the 

 Diana, it appears that he died as early as 1562. 

 Although a Portuguese by birth, he is considered as 

 belonging to Spanish literature, as he wrote in Cas- 

 tilian. Cervantes calls the Diana the finest model 

 of the pastoral romance. Besides that work, which 

 is unfinished, we have a Cancionero, or collection of 

 his poems. 



MONTENEGRINS; the inhabitants of Montene- 

 gro, a country in the western part of Turkey in 

 Europe, in the province of Albania, between lat. 42" 

 8' and 43 5' N.,and Ion. 18 38' and 19 35' E. 

 In the language of the natives, the country is called 

 Tschernagora, and received the name of Montenegro 

 (IJlack Mountain), from the dark colour of the forests 

 which cover its mountains. The inhabitants are 

 Sclavonians, and are described as bold, warlike, and 

 hospitable, but inclined to robbery. They are esti- 

 mated at about 60,000, of whom 15,000 are capable 

 of bearing arms. The superficial area of the country 

 is 1000 square miles. Tin's district was never reduced 

 by the Turks, and, in 1797, the inhabitants threw off 

 all dependence on Turkey, and formed an indepen- 

 dent state, under the protection of Russia. Their 

 ruler is called wladika, and is the spiritual and tem- 

 poral head of affairs. Their language is Illyrico- 

 Sclavonian. They belong to the Greek church, but 

 have their own patriarch. The principal town is 

 Atigne. In 1767, an adventurer by the name of 

 Steftano Piccolo, made his appearance among them, 

 who gave himself out for the Russian emperor Peter 

 III., and excited an insurrection, which was not paci- 

 fied without much bloodshed. See Sommieres, I'oy- 

 age Historique et Politique de Montenegro (2 vols., 

 1820). 



MONTE NOTTE; a mountain in Italy, on the 

 borders of the state of Genoa and the duchy of Mon- 

 ferrat, seven miles north of Savona, twelve south of 

 Acqui. On the llth of April, 1796, the Austrians, 

 commanded by general Beaulieu, were defeated by 

 the French under Bonaparte ; the imperialists lost 

 2000 men killed, and as many prisoners. 



MONTE NUOVO ; a mountain in Naples, thrown 

 up by an earthquake, in the sixteenth century, in the 

 valley of Averno. In forty-eight hours it attained 

 the height of 2100 feet. Some part of it is cultivated. 

 Near the foot of the mountain the sand is very hot 

 from subterraneous fire. 



MONTEREAU. See Chatillon. 



MONTE SANTO. See Athos. 



MONTEREY, a seaport or bay in New California. 

 Lon. 121 51' W. Lat. 36 36' N. The bay is 

 spacious, and is situated between Point Pinos, and 

 Point Anno Nuovo. The climate is healthy, but 

 subject to thick fogs. 



MONTESPAN, FRANCJOISE ATHENAIS DE ROCHE- 

 CHOUART, de Mortemart; marchioness de, mistress 

 of Louis XIV., born in 1641, the second daughter 

 of the duke of Mortemart, in 1 663, married to the 

 marquis de Montespan. To the most fascinating 

 beauty she also added a natural liveliness and wit, 

 and a highly cultivated mind. Her conversation was 

 gay, natural, and piquante. On her first appearance 

 at court, as the queen's dame du palais, Mile, de la 

 Valliere possessed the favour of the monarch ; but 

 the grace, beauty and wit of the lovely marchioness 

 soon made an impression on him (1668), and it was 

 not long concealed from the courtiers although the 

 pious queen was slow to credit it that, while that 

 voluptuous prince already had one mistress at court, 

 he was living in double adultery with another. Her 

 husband had been ordered to retire to his estates, and 

 Mme. de la Valliere withdrew in 1674. The first 

 child of this adulterous connexion was born in 1672, 

 and the birth was carefully concealed. The education 

 of the children was committed to Mme. Scarron, after- 

 wards De Maintenon, under the strictest injunctions 

 of secrecy ; but this exterior of decency was soon laid 

 aside, and they were openly avowed. The influence 

 of the favourite mistress was often exercised in pub- 

 lic affairs, and her advice was often formally asked 

 and followed. Several transient passions of the, 

 king still left her her power, until age and lo;ig 



