MAR BOD MAKCELMJS. 



G79 



Parian marble on wnicli the celebrated tables at Ox- 

 ford are inscribed. 



Pentelican marble, from mount Pentelicus, near 

 Athens, resembles, very closely, the preceding', but 

 is more compact and finer granular. At a very 

 early period, when the arts had attained their full 

 splendour, in the age of Pericles, the preference was 

 given, by the Greeks, not to the marble of Paros, 

 but to that of mount ' Pentelicus, because it was 

 whiter, and also, perhaps, because it was found in 

 the vicinity of Athens. The Parthenon was con- 

 structed entirely of Pentelicau marble. Among the 

 statues of this marble in the royal museum at Paris, 

 are the Torso, a Bacchus in repose, a Paris, the 

 tin-one of Saturn, and the tripod of Apollo. 



Carrara marble is of a beautiful white colour, but 

 is often traversed by gray veins, so that it is difficult 

 to procure large blocks wholly free from them. It is 

 not subject to turn yellow, as the Parian. This 

 marble, which is almost the only one used by modern 

 sculptors, was also quarried and wrought by the an- 

 cients. Its quarries are said to have been opened 

 in the time of Julius Caesar. 



Red antique marble (rosso antico of the Italians ; 

 JEgyptinm of the ancients). This marble, according 

 to antiquaries, is of a deep blood-red colour, here 

 and there traversed by veins of white, and, if closely 

 inspected, appears to be sprinkled over with minute 

 white dots, as if it were strewed with sand. Another 

 variety of this marble is of a very deep red, without 

 veins, of which a specimen may be seen in the In- 

 dian Bacchus, in the royal museum of Paris. 



Green antique marble (verde antico of the Italians), 

 is an indeterminate mixture of white marble and 

 green serpentine. It was known to the ancients un- 

 der the name marmor Spartanum, or Lacedxmonitim. 



African breccia marble (antique African breccia). 

 It lias a black ground, in which are imbedded frag- 

 ments or portions of a gravish-white, of a deep red, 

 or of a purple wine colour. This is said to be one of 

 the most beautiful marbles hitherto found, and has a 

 superb effect when accompanied with gilt ornaments. 

 Its native place is not known with certainty; it is 

 conjectured to be Africa. The pedestal of Venus 

 leaving the bath, and a large column, both in the 

 royal museum in Paris, are of this marble. 



MARBOD, or MAROBODUUS. See Marco- 

 manni, and Arminius. 



MARBURG; capital of Upper Hesse, in Hesse- 

 Cassel, situated on the Lahn, with a population of 

 6700 inhabitants, a castle, and a university. It is 

 built on the declivity of a hill, on the summit of 

 which is the castle. It has five Catholic, Lutheran, 

 and Calvinist churches. The university was founded 

 in 1 527, and has an excellent library of above 100,000 

 volumes, a valuable botanical garden, an anatomical 

 theatre, and other institutions connected with it. In 

 1829, the number of students was 347. It is re- 

 markable as being the first Protestant university 

 founded in Germany. 



MARCELLINUS AMMIANUS. See Ammia- 

 nus Marcellinus. 



MARCELLO, BENEDETTO; a noble Venetian, 

 youngest son of the senator Agostino Marcello. 

 He was born in 1686; and, while a youth, became a 

 great proficient in the science of music, in conse- 

 quence, it is said, of a reflection thrown upon his 

 deficiency in that respect, at a concert given by his 

 brother Alessandro, which hurt his pride, and stimu- 

 lated him to exertion. He afterwards studied under 

 Gasparini, and, receiving a liberal education, dis- 

 tinguished himself as a poet, as well as a musician. 

 In 1716, a serenata of his composition was performed 

 at the celebration of the birth of the first son of the 

 emperor Charles VI., and excited great applause. 



Eight years after appeared the first four volumes 

 of his adaptation to music of Giustiniani's Para- 

 phrase of the Psalms, which he afterwards completed 

 in eight more, the whole being published in 1726. 

 Garth, of Durham, has adapted suitable words, from 

 the English translation of the Psalms, to Marcello's 

 music, with a view to their being performed as an- 

 thems in the cathedrals, with great success. This 

 elaborate work was printed by subscription, in eight 

 folio volumes. Marcello was successively a member 

 of the council of forty, provveditore of Pola, and 

 chamberlain of Brescia, in which city he died in 

 1739. 



MARCELLUS, M. CLAUDIUS ; the first Roman 

 general who successfully encountered Hannibal, in 

 the second Punic war. During his consulship (B.C. 

 223) he had given the greatest proofs of his valour, 

 in a single combat with Viridomarus, a Gallic chief, 

 whom he slew; the Gauls, discouraged by the loss 

 of their leader, fled before an inferior Roman force. 

 The result of this victory was the complete conquest 

 of Upper Italy. Marcellus received the honour of a 

 triumph, as the decree of the senate expressed it, for 

 his victory over the Insubri and Germans. This is 

 the first time that the Germans are mentioned in the 

 Roman history, and the last mention we Lave of a 

 personal contest between generals. Soon after this, 

 the second Punic war broke out, and, after the fatal 

 battle of Cannae, he was sent against Hannibal; and, 

 as praetor, took the command of the troops remain- 

 ing at Canusium, in the room of Terentius Varro. 

 On receiving information of Hannibal's march to 

 Nola, he hastened to anticipate him, threw himself 

 into the city, and forced the Carthaginians to retreat, 

 with a loss. Hannibal made a second attack upon 

 Noia, and, as the place was untenable, Marcellus re- 

 solved to risk a general engagement on the open 

 plain. His army was inferior in point of numbers, 

 but had the advantage of longer spears. After a 

 hard-fought battle, Hannibal was driven to his camp. 

 Marcellns was now chosen consul, with the celebrat- 

 ed Fabius Maximus Cunctator for his colleague. 

 He frustrated a third attempt of Hannibal to regain 

 the city of Nola, and again offered him battle, which 

 the latter declined. His activity was interrupted for 

 a time by disease. He afterwards went to his pro- 

 vince of Sicily, where the siege of Syracuse was his 

 most remarkable achievement. After having used 

 every means (B.C. 2 1 4) to capture by force that city, 

 which was defended by the mechanical ingenuity of 

 Archimedes, he limited himself to a blockade, and 

 frustrated all the efforts of the Carthaginians to relieve 

 it, and succeeded, partly by artifice, and partly by 

 force, in making himself master of the place (B. C. 

 212). The city was surrendered unconditionally, and 

 he was unable to save it from pillage, but he gave 

 orders that no Syracusan should be put to death. 

 Many of the inhabitants, however, and among them 

 Archimedes, were killed in the heat of victory. Mar- 

 cellus was filled with regret on account of the death 

 of Archimedes, granted many privileges to his con- 

 nexions, and caused him to be buried with much 

 pomp. After having reduced the greater part of the 

 island, and gained a complete victory over the Car- 

 thaginians, he returned to Rome, and received the 

 honour of an ovation. He was again made consul 

 (B. C. 211), with M. Valerius Lavinius, and again 

 received the command in Sicily. But the Syracusans 

 sent ambassadors to Rome to complain of his cruelty, 

 and pray for another general. Marcellus was 

 acquitted, but he voluntarily exchanged provinces and 

 remained in Italy. The Syracusans afterwards re- 

 pented of their conduct, and entreated his forgiveness. 

 He pardoned them, and procured them the restora- 

 tion of their former privileges, and the honour of 



