M E L 
fore, they indulged the hope, that from his clemency and 
goodnel's they ffiould receive the fame protection and 
countenance which they received under Adrian.” The 
date of this Apology is fixed by Eulebius in the year 170; 
with which that given in the Alexandrian Chronicle cor- 
refponds. Modern critics, however, from a palfage which 
it contains relating to Commodus the emperor’s fon, 
have been induced to give it a later date; fome placing 
it in 175, and others, among whom is Lardner, m 177. 
Melito was the author of various works, the titles of which 
may be feen in Eufebius, and alfo in Jerome, whcfe ca¬ 
talogue differs in fome trifling refpedls from that of the 
former father; but of all thefe writings there only remain 
a few fragments, preferved in Eufebius and the Alexan¬ 
drian Chronicle. From the title of one of thofe pieces, 
“ Concerning the Revelation of John,” it feems very pro¬ 
bable that he afcribed that book to John the apoftle, and 
that he elteemed it to be a book of canonical authority. 
Concerning the time of Meiito's death we have no certain 
information, excepting what we may gather from a letter 
of Polycrates to Vittor bilhop of Rome, which proves that 
it took place before the election of that pontiff - in the 
year 192. Gen. Biog. 
MELITOPOL, a town of Ruflia, in the province of 
Tauris, fituated on a lake about twelve miles from the 
fea of Azoph. It is 108 miles fouth of Ekaterinoflav. Lat. 
46. 12. N. Ion. 35. 10. E. 
MELIT'TIS, J'. [from piMrlz, which in the Attic dia¬ 
led! is the name of a bee; fo that this word is, in fad!, 
equivalent to MeliJJit, and was adopted by Lirinseus there¬ 
fore for the] Bastard-Balm. In botany, a genus of the 
clafs didynamia, order gymnofpermia, natural order of 
verticillatae, (labiatce, Juff.) Generic charadlers—Calyx: 
perianthium one-leafed, bell-lliaped, round, ftraight, with 
a two-lipped mouth ; upper lip higher, emarginate, acute; 
lower Ihorter, bifid, acute, with the divifions gaping. Co¬ 
rolla: one-petalled, ringent; tube much narrower than 
the calyx; opening fcarcely thicker than the tube; upper 
lip eredl, roundiih, entire; lower fpreading, trifid, blunt, 
middle fegment larger, flat, entire. Stamina: filaments 
four, awl-lhaped, under the upper lip, the middle ones 
ftiorter than the two outer; antherae converging by pairs 
in form of a crofs, ’bifid, blunt. Piftillum: germ blunt, 
four-cleft, villofe; ffyle filiform, the length and lituation 
of the ftamens; ftigma bifid, acute. Pericarpium: none; 
calyx unchanged, containing the feeds at the bottom. 
Seeds : four.— Ejfential Character. Calyx wider than the 
tube of the corolla; corolla, upper lip fiat, lower crenated; 
anthers crols-wife. There are but two fpecies. 
1. Melittis meliflophyllum, common balm-leaved red- 
difh baftard-balm: calyx three-lobed; leaves elliptic. Root 
perennial, fending up in the fpring three, four, or more, 
ftems, a foot and a half high, or more, upright, with a 
few branches at the bafe. The whole plant is hairy. 
Leaves oppofite, petioled, ovate-elliptic or ovate-lanceo¬ 
late, fiomewhat pointed, unevenly and bluntly ferrate, the 
lerratures terminating in purplilh glands, flightly villofe, 
■wrinkled; petioles channelled above, hirfute, united at 
the bafe. Flowers large, handfome, growing chiefly on 
one fide, in half-whorls, about fix flowers together; co¬ 
rolla flightly villofe, white ftained with purple; the mid¬ 
dle fegment of the lower lip full, purple edged with white, 
and the edge finely notched. See Botany Plate VIII. 
fig. 35. and Plate X. fig. 14. 
Mr. Curtis remarks, that the cruciform appearance of 
the anthers ought not to form a part of the eflential cha- 
rafter, being common to many of the aidynamous plants ; 
we may acid, that it is a charadler which is apparent only 
for a fhort time Pie remarks farther, that moft authors 
defcribe the Melittis as having an unpleafant fmell: the 
frefli herb when bruifed partakes of the fcent of flunking 
horehound; but when dried it becomes delightfully fra¬ 
grant, like new hay ; the flowers alfo when they firft open 
are odoriferous. Native of feveral parts of Europe : with 
u.s in the weftern parts of the kingdom only; as in De- 
VOL. XV. No. 1024. 
M E L 61 
vonfhire, about Totnefs, Barnftaple, See. Hampfhire, in 
the New Ford!; Pcmbrokdhire, about Haverfordweft; in 
woods and lhady places. It flowers in May or June. 
/?. NJ. grandiflora, or purple-and-white alpine baftard 
balm: calyx in four equal lobes„.nearly llnooth; leaves 
ovate-fubcordate. Native of woods in Hungary and Swif- 
ferland, as well as m Devonlhire and Cornwall, flowering 
early in the fummer. Linnaeus, Haller, and their pupils 
for the moft part, confider this as a variety; but later bo- 
tanifts have oblerved that it differs effentially in the calyx, 
■whole lobes are four, all lateral, none vertical, for the 
moft part entire, though fometimes notched. The corolla 
is larger, white, with a pale tinge of yellow or cream- 
colour in its upper part, and the middle fegment of its 
lower lip purple with a white margin. The general habit, 
form, and fcent, of the two plants agree; but this is rather 
the moft ornamental. Clufius diftinguilhed them in his 
Hilt. ii. 37. as did after him Johnfon in Ger. ein. 690. 
Clufius alfo mentions another variety, in all refpefts 
fmaller, the leaves more like thofe of Lamium purpureum, 
(vol. xii. p. 109.) ovate and heart-lhaped; the flowers are 
not fo large; they are ufually of a pale red, and fometimes 
white. It is a native of Swiflerland, Auftria, &c. Much 
honey is fecreted from a gland that encircles the bafe of 
the germ ; hence this is a favourite plant with bees, and 
it accords well with its name Melittis. 
2. Melittis Japonica, or Japan baftard-balm : leaves al¬ 
ternate, ovate, obtule, unequally ferrate ; calyx viliofe. 
Stem upright, villofe, Ample, a fipan high. Leaves alter¬ 
nate, petioled, doubly ferrate, villofe, fpreading, a finger’s 
length. Flowers peduncled, lolitary in the axils of the 
leaves ; peduncle rough-haired, an inch long. Calyxes 
llrigofe-hirfute, drooping. The leaves being alternate, 
is lo improbable in this genus, that we cannot but fulpedt 
a miftake in that particular, or in the generic charadlers 
of the plant. We know nothing of this fpecies but what 
Thunberg has given above. Native, as it is prelumed, of 
Japan ; though Thunberg law only one plant, cultivated 
in a pot, in the ifland of Nipon, in his journey towards 
Jeddo, flowering in May and June. The Japanefe called 
it sjuwo. 
Propagation and Culture. Plants of this fort are capable 
of being increafed by parting the roots, and planting them 
out early in the autumn, where they are to remain ; but 
the roots lliould not be parted oftener than every third 
year. When feeds can be procured, they may alfo be 
raifed by fowing them in the early fpring, where they are 
to remain. They fucceed bell in a loamy foil and eaftern 
alpedl, where they can be had ; and are capable of afford- 
ing ornament in the borders and other parts of pleafure- 
grounds and gardens. 
MEL'ITUS, a poet and orator of Athens, who became 
one of the principal accufers of Socrates. After his elo¬ 
quence had prevailed, and Socrates had been put ignomi- 
nioully to death, the Athenians repented of their leverity 
to the philofopher, and condemned his accufers. Melitus 
perilhed among them, B. C. 400. His charadler was mean 
and infidious, and his poems had nothing great,or fublime. 
Diogenes Laertius. 
ME'LIUS, a man’s name; a famous Roman. 
ME'LIUS INQUIREN'DUM, a writ that lieth for a 
fecond inquiry, where partial dealing is fulpecled; and 
particularly of what lands or tenements a man died feized, 
on finding an office for the king. F.N.B. 255. A me¬ 
lius inquirendum fliall be awarded out of the K.B. where 
a coroner is guilty of corrupt practices; diredfed to lpe- 
cial commiffioners. 
MELIZO'MUM, J i [Greek.] A decoeftion of honey. 
Phillips. 
MELIZZA'NO, a town of Naples, in Lavora: fifteen 
miles eall of Capua. 
MELK. See Melck, p. 47, 8. 
MEL'KOVATZ, a town of Bulgaria: fixty-two miles 
fouth ofViddin, forty-two north-north-weft of Sella, 
MEL'KSIIAM, a confiderable market-town in the 
R county’ 
