71 
MEL 
MEL 
fclte of the prefent manfe; and to the north of this 
lioufe, there has been lately difcovered the foundation of 
a curious oratory, or private chapel, from which was dug 
up a large ciftern, formed from one ftone, having a leaden 
pipe appended to it, for the conveyance of water. 
At feme diftance to the fouth of this town are the three 
Eldon-hills, on the northernmoft of which is a large Ro¬ 
man encampment, and below it are the remains of an ex¬ 
tensive Britifh fortrefs. Around this were feveral fmallei 
forts, alfo of Britifh origin, feme of which the Romans ap¬ 
pear to have converted into mqre defeniible polls, i hiee 
entrenchments on thefe hills were connected by a very 
lingular kind of military road, defcribed by Mr. King- 
horn, who furveyed it in 1803, as being m general about 
forty feet broad, but in fome places fifty, where the un- 
evennefs of the ground required fuch a breadth. On each 
fide of this road is a ditch* from twelve to twenty-eight 
feet wide, whence the earth is thrown up fo as to form a 
mound on the exterior lide. As this remain differs ma¬ 
terially from all other Roman roads in this country, it 
feems probable that it has been the work of the Roma¬ 
nized Britons, during their contefls with the Piets and 
Scots, after the departure of their enlightened conque¬ 
rors, whofe modes of warfare they would naturally endea¬ 
vour to imitate. From the Britifh fort on Eldon-hills to 
the fortrefs on Caldflieds-hill there likewife runs a fofle 
and rampart, which feems to have been carried through 
the diftance between thefe fortrefles as a defeniible boun¬ 
dary. The great Roman road erodes the Tweed at the 
village of Galtonfide, a little above Melrofe. On the de¬ 
clivity of the hill, on which this village Hands, are the 
remains of a fpacious encampment. The ftone wall 
around it is Hill tolerably entire. Half a mile to the eaft 
is another entrenchment, called Chefter-Knows, winch 
was probably the moil confiderable ftation they pofleffed 
in this part of the country, being nearly three-quarters 
of a mile in circumference. Beauties of Scotland, vol. li. 
MEL'SACK, a town of Pruflia, in the province of 
Ermeland: thirty-fix miles fouth-weft of Konigfberg, and 
thirty fouth of Elbing. Lat. 54.12. N. Ion. 20. 7. E. 
MELSI'NES, or Melsenes, a town of France, in the 
department of the Scheldt: eight miles north of Oude- 
' MELSIN'GEN, or Melsun'gen, a town of Heffe 
Caffel: fix miles weft of Spaqgenberg, and fourteen fouth- 
fouth-eaft of Caffel. ... 
MEL'SO, a town of Italy, in Friuli: nine miles north- 
weft of Udina. 
To MELT, v. a. [meltan, Sax.] To diflolve; to make 
liquid 5 commonly by heat.—How they would melt me 
out of my fat drop by drop, and liquor fiftierman s boots 
with me. Shakefpeare. 
The rock’s high fummit in the temple’s ftiade, 
Nor heat could melt , nor beating ftorrn invade. Pope. 
To diflolve5 to break in pieces—To take in pieces this 
frame of nature, and melt it down into its full principles; 
and then to obferve how the divine wifdom wrought all 
thefe things into that beautiful compoiition; is a kind 
of joy, which pierceth the mind. Burnet.-- To foften to 
love or tendernels: 
The mighty mailer fmil’d to fee 
That love was in the next degree: 
’Twas but a kindred found to move. 
For pity melts the mfind to love. 
Dryden. 
To wafte away: 
Thou would’ft have plung’d thyfelf 
In general riot, melted down thy youth 
In different beds of lull. S/taheJp. Timm of Athens. 
To MELT, v.n. To become liquid; to diflolve; to be 
made fluid.—Let them melt away as waters which run 
continually. PJ'alm. —To be foftened to pity, or any gen¬ 
tle pafiion 5 to grow tender, mild, or gentle: 
Dighton and Forreft; 
Albeit, they were fleflit villains, bloody dog9, 
Melting with tendernefs and mild compaifion, 
Wept like two children in their death's fad ftory. Shahcfp. 
To he diflblved; to lofe fubftance : 
Beauty is a witch, 
Againft whofe charms faith melteth into blood. Skakcfp. 
To be fubdued by affliction.—My foul melteth for heavi- 
nefs; ftrengthen thou me. PJ’alm. 
MEL'TER, f. One that melts metals.—This the au¬ 
thor attributes to the remiffnefs of the former melters , in 
not exhaufting the ore. Derham’s Phyfico-Theologij. 
MEL'THAM, a townfhip of England, in the Weft 
Riding of Yorkfhire. Number of inhabitants 1278, of 
whom 533 are employed in trade and manufactures. It 
is four miles fouth of Huddersfield. 
MEL'TING, f. The a 61 of diflolving any thing. 
MEL'TING, adj. Hot; having the property of dif- 
folving.—When the melting fire burneth, the fire caufeth 
the waters to boil. Ija. lxiv. 2. 
MEL'TINGLY, atlv. Like fomething melting.—Zel- 
mane lay upon a bank, that, her tears falling into the 
water, one might have thought fhe began melting/p to be 
metamorphofed to the running river. Sidney. 
MEL'TON, or Melton Constable, a village in Nor¬ 
folk, at the fburce of the river Thyrn, or Buro, five miles 
fouth-weft from Holt. Here is the feat of fir Jacob-Henry 
Aftley, bart. M. P. for the-county. The manfion-houfe 
is fituated in a large park, with fine plantations ; and 
amongft the paintings is a David with Goliah’s head, 
efteemed a capital piece. Wilkes'’s Britifh Diredory, vol. iii. 
MEL'TON on the HILL', a village in the weft riding 
of Yorkftiire, one mile from the river Dun, and three 
from Doncafter; fo called from its lofty fituation, from 
whence may be leen the two minfters of York and Lincoln. 
MEL'TON MOW'BRAY, a fmall market-town in the 
county of Leicefter. In ancient writings it is called Me- 
deltune and Meltone. It is fituated in a vale on the banks 
of the river Eye ; and connected with it there are three 
bridges over the rivers Eye and Sealford: thefe are re¬ 
paired, and the ftreets preferred in good condition, with 
lamps, &c. from the rents arifing out of the town-eftates. 
The church, which Leland calls “ afaire paroche church, 
fumtime an hofpital and cell to Lewis in Suffex,” is a fpa¬ 
cious ftruCture, confifting of a nave, aifles, tranfepts, and 
chancel, with a tower in the centre, and a porch at the 
weft end : the latter is a peculiar feature to the building, 
and has an elegant door-way, with an ozee-arch; above 
this porch is the large weftern window, comprifing five 
lights, with four lofty mullions. The whole church is 
crowned with an embattled parapet, and at each angle is a 
crocketed pinnacle : the tower conlifts of two well-pro¬ 
portioned ftories above the church : it was damaged by 
lightning on the 5th of May, 1770. 
The poor of this town derive afliftanee from feveral 
charitable benefactions; among which are fome public 
fchools. So early as the reign Of Henry III. we find thefe 
taken under the immediate patronage of that monarch. 
A free-fehool for girls was eftablilhed herein 1795. In 
the population report, Melton-Mowbray is Hated to con¬ 
tain 348 houfes, and 1766 inhabitants. The market-day 
is Tuefday; and at every alternate market is generally a 
large fhow of cattle. Here are alfo three annuals fairs, 
viz. Tuefday after Jan. 17, Whitfun-Tuefday, and Aug. 21. 
and a ftatute for hiring fervants. It is fifteen mile? from 
Leicefter, and 104 from London. Lat. 52.46. N. Ion. o. 
53 - W. 
Among the more eminent natives of Melton were 
John de Kirkby, who was appointed keeper of the great 
leal in 1272, lord high treafufer in 1283, and bifliop of 
Ely in 1286 ; William de Melton, fucceflively lord high 
treafurer, lord chancellor, and archbilhop of York, in the 
reigns of Edward II. and III. and John Henley, better 
known by the populaj appellation of Orator Henley, 
1 win* 
