62 



MOIIERI MORGHEN. 



MORERI, Louis, a French ecclesiastic and bio- 

 graphical writer, born in Provence, in 1G43, was 

 educated among the Jesuits, at Aix, and, entering 

 into holy orders, became almoner to the bishop of 

 Apt. That prelate having formed the plan of a 

 universal historical dictionary, caused researches for 

 materials to be made, in various countries, and 

 particularly in the Vatican library at Rome. Not 

 choosing to let the work appear in his own name, lie 

 transferred his collections to Moreri, by whom they 

 were arranged and prepared for the press. He 

 published his Dictionnaire Historique at Lyons, in 

 1674, in one volume, folio ; and a second edition, 

 enlarged to two volumes, appeared in 1681. Moreri 

 died in the course of the preceding year. The 

 voluminous compilation to which his labours gave 

 birth, having been variously augmented, by Le Clerc 

 and other writers, extends, in the last edition (pub- 

 lished at Paris, in 1759), to 10 vols., folio. 



MORESQUES, in painting. See Grotesques. 



MORET O Y CABANA, AUGUSTJN ; an eminent 

 Spanish dramatic poet in the reign of Philip IV., of 

 whose life nothing is known, except that he wrote 

 plays, sometimes in connexion with other writers, 

 and sometimes by himself, but afterwards entered 

 a religious house, and renounced poetry. In comedy, 

 many prefer him to Calderon, although they blame 

 the defects of his plots, and his incorrect style. Some 

 of his plays are entirely comic, and distinguished for 

 character, although in the form of the Spanish come- 

 dies of intrigue. His comedy Defuera vendra, quien 

 de Casa nos echara (with several others, in Huarte's 

 Tcatro Espanol) contains several characters, drawn 

 with much humour and comic power. His Grazioso 

 (the clown or buffoon of the comedias de capo, y espa- 

 t/) too often utters stale, jests. His EL Desden con 

 el Desden, one of the most popular Spanish comedies, 

 has been imitated in other languages (in French by 

 Moliere, in his Princessed' Elide). His Nopuede ser 

 was also brought upon the French stage, by Dumani- 

 ant, in the Guerre ouverte, and imitated, by Molie?re, 

 in his Ecote des Marts. H is dramas are found in the 

 Comedias de Moreto y Cabana (1676 1681, 3 vols., 

 4to). 



MORGAGNI, GIAMBATTISTA ; one of the most 

 learned physicians and anatomists of Italy, born at 

 Forli, in the States of the Church, in 1682, studied 

 at Bologna, where the celebrated Valsalva was his 

 friend and teacher, and soon became so distinguished 

 in natural philosophy, medicine, and also astronomy, 

 that he was able to assist his master in his lectures. 

 But he devoted himself more particularly to the study 

 of anatomy, and, in his twenty-fourth year, composed 

 some important and valuable essays on anatomical 

 subjects. After passing several years in his native 

 city, as a practising physician, he became (in 1712) 

 professor of medicine in Padua. His fame as an 

 anatomist was extended throughout Europe, and pro- 

 cured him admittance to the principal academies. 

 Among his numerous writings are his Adversaria 

 Anatomica omnia. The Leyden edition of 1741 con- 

 tains also Nova Institutionum medicarum Idea; 

 Epistolee anatomica: ; De Scdibus et Causis Morbo- 

 rw>, &c. His complete works were published, be- 

 fore his death, by his pupil Larber (Morgagni Opera 

 omnia, 1765). He died in 1771. Mis name has 

 been given to several parts of the body discovered by 

 him 



MORGAN, WILLIAM. See Masonry, Free. 



MORGANA. See Fata Morgana. 



MORGANATIC MARRIAGE (matrimonium ad 

 morganuticam, matrimonium ad legcm Salicam), from 

 the Gothic word morgjan (to shorten, limit), also 

 sometimes called, in Germany, a left-handed mar- 

 riage, is one in which it is stipulated that the wife 



(who is inferior, in birth, to the husband) and her 

 children shall not enjoy the privileges of his rank, 

 nor inherit his possessions. The king of Prussia 

 contracted an alliance of this kind with the present 

 princess of Liegnitz. The common law of Germany 

 permits such marriages only to the high nobility. 

 They are often erroneously regarded as somewhat 

 illegal, which is not the case, though serious objec- 

 tions can be raised against the principle. 



MORGARTEN. On the frontiers of the canton 

 of Schweitz, lies lake JEgeri. It is a league in length, 

 very deep, and has numerous fish of every description. 

 On the eastern border of the lake is the mountain of 

 Morgarten, of which the greatest part belongs to the 

 canton of Zug. Here the forest towns, Schweitz, 

 Uri, and Unterwalden, laid the basis of the Swiss 

 confederation, by the victory gained Dec. 6, 1315, 

 over Leopold, archduke of Austria. (See Switzer- 

 land.') These cantons, united for ten years, declared 

 themselves in favour of the emperor Louis of Bavaria, 

 in consequence of their hatred to Austria. Frederic of 

 Austria, therefore, the rival of Louis, placed them 

 under the ban, and the bishop of Constance excom- 

 municated them. The emperor Louis, and the arch- 

 bishop of Mentz, however, absolved them from both 

 sentences. Frederic then raised an army of 20,000 

 men, which, under the command of his brother, Leo- 

 pold of Austria, advanced against the forest towns, 

 whose power was limited to 1600 brave men. This 

 little body occupied a narrow pass, between mount 

 Morgarten and the lake JEgeri : part of them were 

 stationed on the side of the steep mountain. Leo- 

 pold's army had hardly penetrated the narrow pass, 

 when the Swiss rolled heavy masses of stone upon 

 them, which threw the cavalry into disorder, wound- 

 ed and killed many of the enemy, and dispersed them. 

 Leopold escaped. The three cantons now formed a 

 perpetual league, Dec. 8, 1315, at Brunnen. By 

 the year 1513, ten cantons had successively joined 

 the confederacy. 



MORGENSTERN. See Battle-Axe. 



MORGHEN, RAPHAEL, a celebrated engraver, was 

 born at Naples, in 1758. He receivedhis early instruc- 

 tions from his father, and was afterwards placed as a 

 pupil under the celebrated Volpato, whom he assisted 

 in engraving the famous pictures of Raphael, in the 

 galleries of the Vatican. The print which represents 

 the miracle of Bolsena is inscribed with his name. 

 A fter having married the daughter of Volpato, he was 

 invited to Florence, in 1782, to engrave the master- 

 pieces of the Florentine gallery. Of the works which 

 he produced on this occasion, his copy of Raphael's 

 Madonna della seggiola is considered the most ex- 

 cellent. The reputation which he acquired by his 

 labours on the Florentine gallery, induced the artists 

 of Florence to recommend to the grand-duke to 

 employ him in engraving Leonardo da Vinci's noble 

 composition of the Last Supper, which is painted on 

 the wall of the refectory, in the Dominicans' convent, 

 at Milan. Tliis picture is much dilapidated, and the 

 drawing which was made from it for Morghen was 

 by no means worthy of the original ; so that, though 

 the engraver has given to the world an admirable 

 print, he has failed in giving a correct idea of the 

 style and merit of Leonardo. In 1803, he was chosen 

 an associate of the French institute ; and, in 1812, 

 lie was invited to Paris, by Napoleon, who treated 

 him with the most flattering kindness. Among the 

 most remarkable of the other numerous works of 

 Morghen, may be noticed the Transfiguration, from 

 Raphael ; a Magdalen, from Mtirillo ; a head of the 

 Saviour, from Da Vinci ; the Car of Aurora, from 

 Guido ; the Hours, from Poussin ; the Prize of Diana, 

 from Domenichino ; the Monument of Clement XIII., 

 from Canova ; Theseus vanquishing the Minotaur; 



