46 



MONTEZUMA MONTFORT. 



The city is built on a gentle ascent, mid is fortified ; 

 the streets are wide, straight, and well-paved; the 

 houses generally of one story, with flat roofs. The 

 principal building is the cathedral. The climate is 

 moist; storms are frequent in summer, and the cold 

 is severe in the winter months, June, July and August. 

 The port is the best on the Plata. The exports are 

 tallow, hides, and salt beef ; imports, manufactured 

 goods, coffee, sugar, &c. ; population 10,000. Monte 

 Video was built by a Spanish colony from Buenos 

 Ayres, and was a long time an object of ambition to 

 Portugal. When the former shook off the Spanish 

 yoke, the Brazilian court seized the opportunity of 

 taking possession of it. It was recovered, after a 

 long siege, in 1814, and retaken by the Brazilians in 

 1821. By the treaty of 1$28 it became the capital 

 of a republic of the same name. See Banda Oriental. 



MONTEZUMA; emperor of Mexico, at the time 

 of the Spanish invasion. In 1519, when Cortes ar- 

 rived on the coast of Mexico, and expressed his in- 

 tention of visiting the emperor in his capital, Monte- 

 zuma sent him a rich present, but forbade his farther 

 advance. Cortes, however, heeded not this prohibi- 

 tion, and the emperor, intimidated, began vainly to 

 negotiate for the departure of the Spaniards. His 

 despotic government having made him many enemies, 

 who willingly joined Cortes, and assisted him in his 

 progress to Mexico, he was obliged to consent to the 

 advance of the Spaniards, to whom he assigned quar- 

 ters in the town of Cholula, where he plotted their 

 destruction. His plot being discovered, a massacre 

 of the Cholulans followed, and Cortes proceeded to 

 the gates of the capital, before Montezuma was de- 

 termined how to receive him. His timidity prevailed, 

 and, meeting the Spanish leader in great state, he 

 conducted him with much respect to the quarters al- 

 lotted to him. The mask was, however, soon re- 

 moved: Cortes seized Montezuma in the heart of his 

 capital, and kept him as a hostage at the Spanish 

 quarters. (See Cortes.) He wasat first treated with re- 

 spect, which was soon changed into insult, and fetters 

 were put on his legs. He was at length obliged to 

 acknowledge his vassalage to the king of Spain, but 

 he could not be brought to change his religion. He 

 was constantly planning how to deliver himself and 

 his countrymen ; and when Cortes, with great part of 

 his forces, was obliged to march out to oppose Nar- 

 vaez, the Mexicans rose up and furiously attacked the 

 Spaniards who remained. The return of their com- 

 mander alone saved the latter from destruction, and 

 hostilities were going forward, when Montezuma, still 

 the prisoner of the Spaniards, was induced to advance 

 to the battlements of the Spanish fortress, in his 

 royal robes, and attempt to pacify his subjects. 

 His address only excited indignation, and, being 

 struck on the temple with a stone, he fell to the 

 ground. Every attention was paid to him by Cortes, 

 from motives of policy ; but, rejecting all nourish- 

 ment, he tore off his bandages, and soon after ex- 

 pired, spurning every attempt at conversion. This 

 event took place in the summer of 1520. He left 

 two sons and three daughters, who were converted 

 to the Catholic faith Charles V. gave a grant of 

 lands, and the title of count of Montezuma, to one of 

 the sons, who was the founder of a noble family in 

 Spain. See Robertson's History of America. 



MONTFAUCON, BERNARD DE, a French Bene- 

 dictine, of the congregation of St Matir, celebrated 

 as a critic and antiquary, was of noble descent, and 

 was born at the castle of Soulage, in Languedoc, in 

 1655. When young he engaged in military service, 

 which lie quitted, and, in 1675, took the monastic 

 vows. In 1688, he published conjointly with fathers 

 Lopin and Pouget, a volume entitled Analecta Gneca, 

 live faria Opuscula. One of his great undertakings 



was an edition of the works of Athanasius, which ap- 

 peared in 1698 (in 3 vols., folio). He then visited 

 Home, where he exercised the functions of agent- 

 general of the congregation ; and, on his return from 

 Rome, published an account of his observations, under 

 the title of Diarhim Itultcum; and, in 1706, a collec- 

 tion of the works of the ancient Greek fathers, with 

 a Latin translation, notes and remarks. In 1708 ap- 

 peared his Palteographia Graca, sive de Ortu et Pro- 

 gressit Literarum Gracarum. Among his subse- 

 quent labours are the Hexapla of Origen (1713, 2 

 vols, folio) ; an edition of the works of Chrysostom 

 (13 vols, folio) ; and Les Monuments de la Monarchic 

 Francaise. His works in folio alone form forty-four 

 volumes. The most important of his productions is 

 the treasure of classical archaeology, entitled L'An- 

 tiqiiite expliquee et representee en Figures, with the 

 supplement, 15 volumes, folio, containing 1200 plates. 

 His death took place at the abbey of St Germain- 

 des-Pres, 1741. English translations have been pub- 

 lished of the Diarhim Italicum&nd Antiquite expliquee. 



MONTFERRAT (Monteferrato}; formerly a duchy 

 of Italy, bounded by Piedmont, Genoa, and the Milan- 

 ese; the capital was Casale. It now belongs to the 

 Sardinian territories. Mention is made of a marquis 

 of Montferrat in 980. It was erected into a duchy 

 by Maximilian, in 1573. In 1631, a part of it was 

 ceded to Savoy, by the duke of Mantua, to whose 

 ancestors Charles V. had granted it in 1536. In 1703, 

 the remainder was annexed to the same duchy, by the 

 emperor. Since that period, it has shared the fete of 

 Savoy. See Savoy. 



MONTFORT, SIMON DE, earl of Leicester, son of 

 Simon de Montfort, who distinguished himself by his 

 activity, zeal, and severity in the crusade against the 

 Albigenses, was born in France, and, in 1231, retired 

 to England, on account of some dispute with queen 

 Blanche. Henry III. received him very kindly, bestow- 

 ed upon him the earldom of Leicester, which had for- 

 merly belonged to his ancestors, and gave him his sis- 

 ter, the countess dowager of Pembroke, in marriage. 

 Henry soon after appointed him seneschal of Gas- 

 cony, where he ruled so despotically that the inhabi- 

 tants sent a deputation to the king, declaring that 

 they would renounce their allegiance if Montfort was 

 not removed. He was accordingly recalled, and, 

 according to some accounts, examined before the 

 lords, but acquitted. A violent personal altercation 

 between the king and the haughty earl ensued, in 

 which the former applied the opprobrious epithet of 

 traitor to his subject, and the latter gave his sove- 

 reign the lie. A reconciliation was, however, effected, 

 and De Montfort was employed on several occasions, 

 in a diplomatic and military capacity. As the dis- 

 satisfaction of the barons with the government as- 

 sumed a more decided tone, the name of this noble- 

 man is more frequently mentioned. He concerted, 

 with the principal barons, a plan of reform, and, in 

 1258, they appeared in parliament armed, and de- 

 manded that the administration should be put in the 

 hands of twenty-four barons, who were empowered 

 to redress grievances, and to reform the state. These 

 concessions were called the provisions of Oxford, the 

 parliament having been holden at that place. The 

 administration of the twenty-four guardians, at the 

 head of whom was Leicester, continued for several 

 years. In 1262, Henry made an attempt to escape 

 from their authority, but was constrained to submit, 

 by the vigour and activity of Leicester, and agreed 

 that their power should be continued during the 

 reign of his successor. This stipulation soon led to 

 new troubles, and both parties finally consented to 

 refer the subject to the arbitration of St Louis. The 

 barons refused to abide by his decision, and hostili- 

 ties again commenced which resulted in the triumph 



