70 M E E 
nual. Stem flender, branched, climbing by -means of 
fimple tendrils. Leaves heart-fliaped, five-lobed, obfcurely 
toothed, rough, on thick twilled Italks. Flower-llalks 
axillary, Tolitary, limple, capillary, about an inch long 5 
flowers finall, yellow, like tliofe of the melon-plant. Fruit 
red, the lize and lhape of a fmall olive, and tailing like a 
green cucumber. Juflieu lays, two of the filaments bear 
each two antherEe, which is the cafe in Bryonia, to which 
genus this plant is certainly very nearly akin. Vahl, hav¬ 
ing omitted the genus in its proper place, had perhaps a 
delign of uniting it with Bryonia. 
Propagation and Culture. The plants will not grow in 
the open air here, but the feeds mull be fown upon a 
hot-bed ; and, if the plants are permitted, will foon fpread 
over the furface of a large bed. When the fruit is ripe, 
if it fcatters the feeds, the plants will come up where the 
earth happens to be ufed on a hot-bed again 5 and, if they 
are fupplied with water, wall require no farther care. This 
plant is in fome gardens preferved for the fake of variety; 
but is of no ule. 
MELOZ'ZO (Francefco), an hiltorical painter, who 
flourillied about 1+71. He is celebrated as being one of 
the firll wdio introduced the fore-lliortening of figures 
upon ceilings, fo as to make them appear afcending or 
defcending; and a pifilure of his, over the great altar in 
the Church of the Apofiles at Rome, which reprelents the 
afcenfion of our Saviour, is celebrated with the warmell 
prailes. Vafari fays, that the figure of Chrill leems to 
pierce the roof. This work was painted for cardinal 
Riario, nephew of Nicholas V. about 1472 ; and, when 
that chapel was repaired, it was cut out and placed in 
the Quirinal Palace, where it is Hill leen with this epi- 
graphe : “ Opus Melotii Forotivienfis, qui luminos for- 
nices pingendi artem vel primus invenit vel illuflravlt.” 
Some heads of the apollles were likew'ile preferved in the 
Vatican : they are well turned, almoll always fore-lhort- 
ened, and wrought with great finilh, diligence, and grace. 
It is to be lamented, that fo uncommon a genius has not 
met with an exatt hillorian, who would have informed 
us of his preparatory lludies. He is bell known by the 
name of Melozzo da Forli. 
MELPIGNA'NO, a town of Naples, in the province 
of Otranto : nine miles well-north-w'ell of Otranto. 
MELPIL'LY, a tolvn of Hindoollan, in the Carnatic : 
tiventy-five miles north of Nellore. 
MELPOM'ENE, in fabulous hiltory, one of the mufes, 
daughter of Jupiter and Mnemofyne. She prefided over 
tragedy. Horace has addrefled the finell of his odes to 
her, as to the patronefs of lyric poetry. She was gene¬ 
rally reprefented as a young woman with a ferious coun¬ 
tenance. Her garments were fplendid ; Ihe wore a bulkin, 
and held a dagger in one hand, and in the other a fceptre 
and crown. 
MEL'RICHSTADT, a town of the duchy of Wurz- 
burgh, on the Streys : nineteen miles north of Schwein- 
furt, and thirty-eight north of Wurzburg. Lat. 50. 27. N. 
Ion. 10. 27. E. 
MELRO'SE, a town of Scotland, in the county of Rox- 
burg, on the Tweed. Melrole has long been famed for 
linens, named Melrofe land-linens, for which commilfions 
have been received from London and foreign countries. 
So far back as the year 1668, the weavers were incorpo¬ 
rated under what is called a Seal of Caufe, from John 
earl of Haddington, then lord of the lordlhip, and bailie 
principal of the regality of Melrofe ; but for feveral years 
pall this trade has, from a variety of caufes, been upon 
the decline. It is eleven miles north-north-well of Jed¬ 
burgh, and thirty-five fouth of Edinburgh. Lat. 55. 38. N. 
Ion. 2. 47. W. * 
The parilli of Melrofe and its immediate neighbour¬ 
hood are diltinguifhed by numerous and fplendid remains 
of antiquity. The abbey of Melrofe is one of the moll 
remarkable monaltic llruftures in Scotland. Its original 
foundation probably took place towards the dole of the 
fixtli century. In the works of the venerable Bede, we 
MEL 
have an account of the fituation of the more ancient edi¬ 
fice, on the bank of the Tw'eed, as likewfife of its abbots. 
This place was a celebrated fchool for learned and reli¬ 
gious men, and feems to have continued to flourilh till 
the reign of king David, by whom the new abbey was 
founded in the year 1136. The former ellablilhment w'as 
at Old Melrofe, the name of which Hill ferves to remind 
the inhabitants that they tread on ground rendered la- 
cred by the piety of their anceflors. The foundation of 
the wall, which inclofed the ancient monallery and its 
precinfts, can Hill be difeovered, ilretching "acrofs a fort 
of promontory, formed by a curvature of the Tweed ; 
but all veltiges of the buildings are entirely loll. It feems 
probable, therefore, that they were of little comparative 
magnitude, and might perhaps have been conflrufted 
only of wood, or other perilhable materials, as moll of 
the churches of that age undoubtedly w'ere. Of a fimilar 
defeription was the edifice eredled by king David, which 
was rebuilt firll in the thirteenth century, and again after 
the acceflion of Robert Bruce, who granted a revenue for 
its relloration. This lall appears, from its ruins, to have 
been a truly magnificent and fpacious llrudture. Indeed 
the fize and workmanlhip of its columns, its fymmetrical 
proportions, and the quality of the Hone of which it is 
conflrufted, entitle it to rank among the moll fuperb edi¬ 
fices which devotion or fuperllition has reared in Great 
Britain. From the charters granted to this monallery by 
different Scottifh monarchs, its inmates appear to have 
been monks of the Cillertian order, and to have enjoyed 
a pre-eminence or fpecies of jurifdidlion over all their 
brethren in Scotland. Among the more dillinguilhed of 
thefe monks was the famous St. Cuthbert, who entered 
as a monk about the year 601, and had the honour of 
founding the bilhopric of Durham. 
The church belonging to this abbey conllitutes the 
moll entire part of its mins. It was built in the form of 
St. John’s crofs, and is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. 
The prelent extent of this building is 258 feet in length, 
and 1375 in breadth; its circumference meafuring 943. 
That thefe are not the original dimenfions, however, is 
evident from the Hate of the wefiern divilion, the greater 
part of which has been dellroyed, and that fo completely, 
that it is impoflible to determine to what diHance it 
reached. Both the exterior and the interior of this edifice 
were formerly adorned with a variety of fculptured figures 
of men and animals. Many of the former, in particular, 
were defiroyed in the reigns of Henry VIII. Edward VI. 
and Elizabeth, whofe fiatefmen and warriors were no lefs 
fanatics than the Scotch reformer John Knox, in whole 
time, likewife, this building fullained much additional 
injury. The niches in which they Hood difplay much 
curious and beautiful workmanlhip. The tower, which 
rofe from the middle of the crofs or tranlept, was a noble 
piece of architeflure. Part of it llill remains, but the 
lpire is entirely gone. The eafl window is moll magnifi¬ 
cent, and conlifis of four mullions with tracery, varioully 
ornamented. On each fide appear feveral elegant niches; 
and on the top is the figure of an old man, with a globe 
in his left hand, refling on his knee; and another of a 
young man on his right; both in fitting poflures, with 
an open crown over their heads. Underneath this wfin- 
dowq in the infide, Hood the altar-piece. A great num¬ 
ber of pifeinas, niches, &c. excellently fculptured, are 
dilperfed throughout. Many of the pillars are perfedl 
and beautiful, and the embellilhments upon them Hill 
feem as if newly executed; a decifive evidence of the ex¬ 
cellence both of the Hone and of the workmanfliip. Part 
of this church continues fo be ufed for divine fervice. 
The ruins yet Handing, belides the church, confill 
chiefly of part of the walls of the cloiflers; the other 
buildings, of which there were many, being almofi en¬ 
tirely levelled with the ground. All of thefe, together 
with the gardens, and other conveniences, were enclofed 
within a lofty wall, which extended about a mile in cir¬ 
cuit. A large and elegant chapel formerly occupied the 
feite 
