52 
MEL 
to point out the differences in a bird fo well known. The 
black approaches neareft to the original Hock. The per¬ 
manent varieties noticed by Gmelin are the following. 
y. M. gallopavo criftatus, the crefted turkey, is merely 
a variety of the common kind, fimilar to what occurs 
among the ordinary cocks. It is fometimes black, fome- 
times white. That defcribed by Albin was of the ufual 
fize; its feet flefil-coloured, the upper part of the body 
deep brown; the bread, belly, thighs, and tail, white; 
and alfo the feathers that form the tuft. In other refpefts 
it refembled exadlly the ordinary kind ; it had the fpongy 
and glandulous flefh which covers the head and arch of 
the neck, and the lock of hard hair rifing from the bread, 
and the ftiort fpurs on each foot; it all'o bore the fame 
fingular antipathy to fcarlet, &c. 
3 . M. gal. cupreus, the varied turkey. Copper-coloured; 
the primary wing-quills white ; tail grey. 
e. M. gal. toto albus, the white turkey. “ A mod beau¬ 
tiful kind has been lately introduced into England, of a 
fnowy whitenefs, finely contrading with its red head. 
Thefe, I think, came out of Holland, probably bred from 
an accidental white pair, and afterwards preserved pure 
from any dark or variegated birds.” Pennant in Phil. 
Tranf. vol. lxxi. p. 67. 
MELEA'GRIS,/! in botany. See Fritillaria. 
ME'LECH, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. Melech, Ma- 
lech, and Moloch, fays Mr. Bryant, are terms which mean 
the fame, though differently expreffed: they betoken a 
king ; as Maleclia does a queen. It was an old title given 
to many deities in Greece : it became obfolete, and was 
mifunderdood ; fo it was often changed to and 
MtiXiyno;, fignifying the J'weet, gentle, benign, deity. 
Paufanias mentions a Jupiter Melichios in Attica and at 
Argos, and another with Artemis at Sicyon. Malaga 
in Spain was properly Malacha, the Royal City. Perhaps 
Amelek was Ilam Melech contracted. Chron. iv. 40. 
Malchom, the god of the Sidonians, was, I fuppofe, a 
contraction of Malech-Cliom, a title given to the fun ; but 
conferred alfo upon the chief of the Amonian family. 
Zepli. i. 4. See Bryant’s Analyfis, vol. i. p. 70. 
MEL'EDA, an ifland in the Adriatic, Separated from 
the peninfula of Sabioncello by a narrow channel. It 
belongs to the republic of Ragufa, by whom a governor 
is appointed. It meafures about thirty miles in length; 
but the breadth is very unequal, being interfeCted by 
many bays and inlets, which afi’ord good harbours for 
fifhermen. It produces vines, orange and lemon trees, 
but not fufiicient corn for the inhabitants ; about 2000, 
inhabiting fix or feven villages. Father Giorgi, a Benedic¬ 
tine monk of this ifland, in 1730, publilhed an eflay, to 
prove that this was the ifland of Melita on which St. Paul 
differed fhipwreck, and not Malta. The bite of the viper 
is here remarkably malignant. See Melita. Lat. 43. 5. N. 
Ion. 17. 44. E. 
MEL'ELA, a town of Africa, in Barca: feventy-fix 
miles fouth-weft of Tolometa. 
MELEM'BA, a town of Cacongo. Lat. 5. 30. S. Ion. 
11.55. E. 
MELENDYDAR' a river of North-Wales, which runs 
into the Conway three miles above Aberconway. 
MELE'NES, a fmall ifland in the Englifh channel, near 
the coaft of France : Lat. 48. 48. N. Lon. 3.31. W. 
MELEN'KI, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 
Vladimir, on the Oka; forty-four miles fouth-eaft of 
Vladimir. Lat. 60. 24. N. Ion. 41.24. E. 
ME'LES, in ancient geography, a fine river of Alia 
Minor, running by the wails of Smyrna in Ionia, with a 
cave at its head, where Homer is faid to have written his 
poems. And from it Homer takes the name Melejigencs. 
ME'LES, a king of Lydia, who fucceeded his father 
Alyattes, about 747 years before Cliriff. He was father 
to Candaules. 
MELETE'AN, adj. [from Melet.'] Belonging to Homer. 
MELESI'GENES, a name given to Homer. See 
Meles. 
MELE'TIUS, the author of a controverfy which di- 
M E L 
vided the church in the fourth century, after whom his 
adherents and followers were called Meletians. He was 
bifliop of Lycopolis, in Upper Egypt; and was depofed 
from the epifcopal office by Peter, bifhop of Alexandria, 
for reafons of which very different accounts are given 
by ecclefiaftical writers. Athanafius fays, that he was 
convifted of feveral criihes, particularly of facrificing to 
idols in the time of perfecution ; and he adds that his 
followers, infiead of Chriftians, were called Meletians. 
Socrates alfo, who has followed Athanafius, gives the 
fame account of him. There are feveral confiderations, 
however, which tend to weaken the credit of this repre- 
fentation. In the firft place, Athanafius was a bitter 
enemy to the Meletians, who were alfo always his ene¬ 
mies, and joined the Arians in oppofition to him ; whence 
it may fairly be fulpedted that his account is that of a 
prejudiced perfon. Epiphanius, to whom others afient, 
fays, that Meletius made a fchifm, but attempted not 
any innovation in the faith. Again, Epiphanius and 
others attribute the diifenfions between Peter and 
Meletius, and the proceeding of the former in depofing 
the latter, to their difference in opinion concerning 
fuch as had lapfed during the time of perfecution. 
Sozomen makes the fault of Meletius to confift in his 
having; on the flight of Peter, ufurped a power of 
ordaining where he had no right: and, when the 
council of Nice condemned him and his adherents, the 
fentence did not lay any thing to his charge but the 
rafhnefs and prefumption of his ordinations, together 
with his obftinacy in maintaining them; and it permitted 
him to remain in Lycopolis, to retain the name of bifhop, 
as W’ell as the honour annexed to that office, though it 
forbade him to ordain any perfon : which W'ould not 
have been fo mild, had he been convifted of apoftacy,-or 
of facrificing to idols. It is moreover worthy of notice, 
that Miletius always complained of the injuftice with 
which he was treated ; and that his caufe was efpoufed by 
a numerous body of Chriftians, no lefs than twenty- 
eight bifhops, and many good men, declaring for him. 
Peter’s violent a<ft of authority in pronouncing fentence 
of depofition againft Meletius, was treated by the latter 
with the utmoft contempt, and he not only continued 
to exercife all the duties of the epifcopal fun&ion, but 
affumed the right of ccnfecrating prefbyters ; a privi¬ 
lege which, by the law's of Egypt, belonged only to the 
bifhop of Alexandria. This fchifm commenced about 
the year 306 ; and, though the council of Nice, by the 
comparatively mild fentence of condemnation which 
they paffed on the author, endeavoured to heal it, their 
attempt v'as ineffeftual, fince it fubfifted for the fpace of 
a hundred and fifty years. Mojheim, ftec. iv. 
MEL'ETIN, a river of European Turkey, which runs 
into the Pruth twelve miles north of Jaffi, in the province 
of Moldavia. 
MELETZ'KOI, a towm of Ruffia, in the government 
of Tobolik : forty-four miles north of Atchinfk. 
MEL'FI, a town of Naples, in Bafilicata, the fee of a 
bifliop, immediately under the pope; it contains feven 
churches, and eight convents. In 1528, it was taken by 
the French : five miles north-weft of Venofa. Lat. 41.1. N. 
Ion. 15. 39. E. 
MEL'FORD. See Long Melford, vol. xiii. 
MEL'GAR, a towm of Spain, in Old Caftile : twenty- 
three miles weft-north-weft of Burgos. 
MELGAS'SO, a town of Portugal, in the province of 
F.ntre Duero e Minho, fituated on the Minho; built in 
the year 1170 by king Alphonfo Henriquez, and fur- 
rounded with walls by king Denis ; it is defended by a 
caftle. It is thirty miles north of Braga, and fifteen north- 
eaft of Moncao. Lat. 42. 5. N. Ion. 8. W. 
MEL'GREN, a town of France, in the department of 
the Finifterre : ten miles weft-north-weft of Quimperle, 
and three north-eaft of Concarneau. 
.MELHA'NIA, f. in botany, a genus of Forlkahl’s, 
named by him from Mellian, the Arabic appellation of the 
hiil upon which he gathered it, and wdiiclns rich in curious 
plants. 
1 
