MIS 



484 



MIT 



recent. The name given by Lyell to a 

 ubdi vision of the tertiary. Ste EOCENE. 



MIU'UELETS. A species of partisan troops 

 raised in the north of Spain. 



MI'RA. A singular star in the neck of 

 Cetus : it appears and disappears periodi- 

 cally seven times in six years, whence 

 the name. At its greatest brilliancy it is 

 a star of the third magnitude. 



MIRI'GE. The name given by the 

 French to an optical deception produced 

 by refraction, and in which a distant 

 ship appears as if transferred to the sky, 

 ana a village in the desert as if built in a 

 lake. 



MIR'ROR. A looking-glass, from Lat. 

 tniror, to admire. Any polished body im- 

 pervious to the rays of light, and which 

 reflects them equally, is a mirror. Mir- 

 rors were anciently made of metal, but 

 at present they are generally smooth 

 plates of glass, tinned or silvered on the 

 back ; and are either plane, convex, or 

 concave. The first sort reflect the rays 

 in a direction similar to that by which 

 they fall upon it, and therefore represent 

 bodies of their natural size ; but the con- 

 vex ones make the rays diverge, and 

 therefore diminish the images of those 

 objects which they exhibit ; while again 

 the concave ones, by collecting the rays 

 into a focus, not only magnify the ob- 

 jects which they show, but serve the 

 same purposes as burning-glasses do 

 when exposed to the rays of the sun, and 

 the body to be ignited is placed in their 

 foci; hence they are commonly known 

 by the name of burning-mirrors. 



MIRZA. The common style of honour 

 in Persia, when it precedes the surname 

 of an individual ; when appended it sig- 

 nifies a prince. 



MISCH'NA. ( A part of the Jewish Tal- 



MISH'NA. ) mud, being a digest of tra- 

 ditions and explanations of scripture. 



MISDEMEANOR. In fate, an offence which 

 does not amount to a crime. Crimes and 

 misdemeanors are synonymous terms, 

 though in common usage the word crime 

 is made to denote such offences as are of 

 a more atrocious kind, while smaller 

 faults, and omissions of less consequence, 

 are comprised under the gentler name of 

 misdemeanors. 



MISE. A Norman-French term, used in 

 law books in various senses. (1.) An 

 issue to be tried at the grand assize. (2.; 

 Expense ; in this sense commonly used 

 in entering judgments in actions personal. 

 (3.) In Walet, an honorary gift by the 

 people-to a new prince of Wales. (4.) A 

 tribute paid in the county palatine of 

 Chester, at the charge of the owner of the 

 earldoms. 



MISERICOR'DIA. In law, an arbitrary 

 fine imposed for an offence; so called be- 

 cause the amercement ought to be less 



than that required by Magna Charta. 

 When a person Vs outrageously amerced 

 in a court that is not of record, the writ 

 called moderata misericordia lies for mo- 

 derating the amercement, according to 

 the nature of the fault. 



MISFEA/SANCE. In law, a trespass ; from 

 Fr. mei, wrong, and faisaiice, fromfaire, 

 to do. 



MIS'TLETOE, Sax. mistlelta. A. parasiti- 

 cal plant, the Viscum album, which al- 

 ways grows on trees, and was held 

 sacred by the Druids, especially when 

 found on the oak, their sacred tree. It 

 is the /{ of the Greeks, and was by them 

 thought to possess many medicinal vir- 

 tues. See VISCUM. 



MISNO'MER. 1. In law, a misnaming or 



mistaking of a person's name. 2. An 



indictment or other act vacated by a 

 wrong name. From old Fr. me, wrong, 

 and nommer, to name. 



MISPRIS'ION. In law, any high offence 

 under the degree of capital, but approach- 

 ing thereto; from Fr. mepris ; from mes, 

 wrong, and prendre, to take. Misprisions 

 are negative and positive : they are nega- 

 tive when they consist in the conceal- 

 ment of something which ought to have 

 been revealed, and positive when they 

 consist in the commission of something 

 which ought not to have been done. 



MIS'SAL. The mass-book of the Ro- 

 mish Church ; from mass (q. v.) 



MIST, Sax. mist. Water in minute but 

 solid drops, descending from the atmo- 

 sphere. See FOG. 



MITCH'EL. Purbeck stones of 15 inches 

 by two feet, when squared for building, 

 are thus named by the workmen. 



MITE, Sax. mite. I. In entomology. See 

 ACARUS. 2. A small coin, formerly cur- 

 rent, equal to about the third of a far- 

 thing. Also a small weight, used by 

 moneyers,' equal to about the twentieth 

 part of a grain, and divided into 24 doits. 



MITH'RAS. The grand Deity of the 

 Persians. 



MITH'RIDATE. A pharmaceutical pre- 

 paration named after Mithridates, king 

 of Pontus and Bithynia, who took a dose 

 of it every morning to protect him against 

 poison. In those days it consisted of rue, 

 walnuts, figs, and salt; but its ingredi- 

 ents were afterwards increased in num- 

 ber to 61. At present it is simply an 

 aromatic opiate, and is little used. 



MI'TKAL VALVE. The valve of the ori- 

 fice of the left ventricle of the heart ; so 

 named from its resemblance to a mitre. 



MI'TRE, Fr. from Lat. mitra,a. cap worn 

 by the Roman ladies. 1. A sacerdotal 

 ornament worn on the head by bishops 

 and some other ecclesiastics on solema 

 occasions; being a sort of cap pointed 



and cleft at the top. 2. A diagonal 



juncture of two pieces of wood, stone, 



