M E N 
feited. They rauft, however, explain it only to their pu- 
pils of the three higheft clafles: and, to enfure a greater 
degree of reverence for its fandlity, it is underilood that 
a Brahman, duly pious, would not, on any confideration, 
read it on a forbidden day of the moon, or until after the 
performance of certain ceremonies prefcribed in the code. 
The learned trandator, from internal evidence, afcribes 
the date of the Inftitutes, in their prefent form, to a pe¬ 
riod as far back as 880 years before Chrift. See the article 
Hindoostan, vol. x. p. 140. 
Menu is highly honoured by name in the Veda itfelf, 
where it is declared, that “ whatever Menu pronounced 
was a remedy for the foul:” and it is aderted by a high 
authority among the Hindoos, “ that Menu held the fil'd; 
rank among legidators, becaufe he had expreded in his 
code the whole fenfe of the Veda; that no code was ap¬ 
proved which contradicted Menu; that other fallras, and 
treatifes on grammar or logic, retained fplendour only 
fo long as Menu, wdio taught the way to juft wealth, to 
virtue, and to final happinefs, was not feen in competition 
with them.” It has been alfo authoritatively aderted, 
that “ the Veda, with its Angus, or the fix compofitions 
deduced from it, the revealed fyftem of medicine, the 
Purantts, or facred hiftories, and the code of Menu, were 
four works of fupreme authority, which ought never to 
be lhaken by arguments merely human.” Of the nume¬ 
rous gloffes or comments on Menu, that of Culluca Bhatta 
is mod; highly commended by fir William Jones, who has 
implicitly followed his text and interpretation. 
The work, as prefented to the European reader by fir 
William Jones, contains abundance of curious matter, 
extremely interefting both to fpeculative lawyers and to 
antiquaries; with many beauties, and with many ble- 
rnidies which cannot be juftified or palliated. It is a 
fyftem of defpotifm and prieftcraft, both indeed limited 
by law, but artfully confpiring to give mutual fupport, 
though with mutual checks : it abounds with ftrange 
conceits in metaphyfics and natural philofophy, with idle 
luperftitions, and with a fclieme of theology molt ob- 
fcurely figurative, and conlequently liable to dangerous 
mifconceptions; with minute and childifh formalities; 
with ceremonies generally abfurd, and often ridiculous. 
The punilhments denounced are partial and fanciful; for 
fome crimes dreadfully cruel, for others reprehenfibly 
(light: and the morals even, though rigid enough on 
the whole, are, in one or two inftances, (as in the cafe 
of light oaths and of pious perjury,) unaccountably 
relaxed. Neverthelefs, a fpirit of lublime devotion, of 
benevolence to mankind, and of amiable tendernefs to 
all fentient creatures, pervades the whole work. Some 
doubt, however, has been entertained with regard to the 
fublimity of the devotion, vnd the amiable tendernefs of 
feeling, afcribed by fir William Jones to this fpecimen of 
the Hindoo writings; and it has been alleged, that the 
general charadter of the devotion of the Hindoos is that 
of a debafing fuperftition, and that their tendernefs for 
animals is chiefly fuperftition and weaknefs, derived from 
their dodtrine of tranfmigration. The ftyle of it hqs a 
certain auftere majefty that founds like the language of 
legiflation, and extorts a refpedtiul awe. Thefentirnents 
of independence on all beings but God, and the harlh 
admonitions, even to kings, are truly noble. Whatever 
opinion, in fhort, may be formed of Menu and his laws, 
jn a country happily enlightened by found philolophy 
and the only true revelation, it ought to be remembered 
that thole law's are adtually revered as the word of the 
Molt High, by nations of great importance to the politi¬ 
cal and commercial interelts of Europe, and particularly 
by many millions of Hindoo lubjedts, whole well-diredted 
induftry adds largely to the wealth of Britain, and who 
alk no more in return thanprotedtion for their perfons 
and places of abode, juftice in their temporal concerns, 
indulgence to the prejudices of their old religion, and 
the benefit of thofe laws which they have been taught to 
believe facred, and which alone they can poflibly compre- 
M E N 127 
bend. See Preface to Sir William Jones’s Tranflation of 
the Inftitutes of Menu, in his Works, vol. vii. and our 
article Law, vol. xii. p. 340. 
MENU'F, a town of Egypt, on the Birket el Mariout: 
fourteen miles fouth-eaft of Alexandria, and twenty-eight 
fouth-weft of Roletta. 
MEh'U'F, a town of Egypt, and chief place of a diftridt, 
fituated on the fide of a canal, formerly navigable, but 
which has ceafed to be fo lince a dyke was made acrofs it 
to reftrain the water, which flowed in too great abun¬ 
dance, and injured the lands bordering on that branch 
of the Nile which runs to Damietta. This canal fur- 
rounds the walls of the town from fouth to weft. The 
town is ill built, the houfes mean, and the ftreets crooked 
and narrow : there are but few remains of antiquity. 
Here are feveral pits for foaking flax. There are no gar¬ 
dens ; all the fruit and vegetables, except dates and a 
few pot-herbs, being brought from a diltance: but the 
land is well cultivated, and produces wheat, barley, maize, 
lentils, and lupines. The cultivation of maize from feed¬ 
time to liarveft occupies leventy or eighty days. Melons, 
water-melons, and cucumbers, are cultivated, but only 
in fmall quantities. The animals employed in hufbandry 
are oxen, buffaloes, camels, affes, and a few horfes. Dur¬ 
ing the inundation, Menuf is liirrounded with water, 
but it remains only a fhort time. It is flickered from the 
fouth; and, being open to the north and north-weft, it 
is kept moderately cool. The inhabitants are in number 
about 5000. It is twenty-two miles north-north-weft of 
Cairo. 
MENU'FIA, a diftridt of Egypt, on the fouth part of 
the Delta, between the eaft and weft branches of the Nile. 
MENUGAT', a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro¬ 
vince of Caramania, on a river of the fame name, which 
runs into the gulf of Satalia twenty-one miles weft of 
Alanieh. 
ME'NUM, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MENU'RA. See Phasianus montanus. 
ME'NUS, in ancient geography, a river of Germany; 
now the Maine, riling in Franconia, and running from 
eaft to weft into the Rhine at Mentz. 
MENU'THIAS, in ancient geography, an ifland ad¬ 
joining to the north-eaft of the promontory Pralum of 
Ethiopia beyond Egypt. Some take it to be Madagascar, 
or the ifland St. Laurence. Ifaac Voflius will have it to 
be Zanzibar; M*adagafcar being at a greater diltance from 
the continent than the ancients ever failed to, whereas 
Menuthias was nearer: yet, though Zanzibar be nearer 
the continent, it is however nearer the equator than Pto¬ 
lemy’s Menuthias, placed in fouth latitude 12-t degrees. 
MENYAN'THES, f. [Linnaeus derives it from fj.r,v, a 
month, and arSo;, a flower; becaufe the flower continues 
open about that time.] Buck-bean ; in botany, a genus 
of the clafs pentandria, order monogynia, natural order 
of precise, (lyiimachise, Juff.) Generic charadters— Calyx: 
perianthium one-leafed,. Jive-parted, eredt, permanent. 
Corolla: one-petalled,-funnel-form; tube cylindric- 
funnel-form, fhort; border five-cleft beyond the middle ; 
clefts reflex-fpreading, blunt, conlpicuoully fhaggy. Sta¬ 
mina: filaments five, awl-fhaped, fhort; antherae acute, 
bifid at the bale, eredt. Piftillum: germ conical; ftyj© 
cylindric, almoft the length of the corolla; ftigma bifid, 
comprefted. Pericarpium: caplule ovate, lurrounded by 
the calyx, one-celled. Seeds: many, ovate, fmall. (Nym- 
phoides. Town, was diftinguifhed by the petals being 
ciliate, not fhaggy.)— Ejjhitial Character. Corolla fhaggy } 
ftigma bifid; caplule one-celled. There are leven fpecies. 
x. Menyanthes nymphoides, fringed buck-bean, or fmall 
yellow water-lily: leaves cordate, quite entire; corollas 
ciliate. Root perennial, long and l'tringy, as are alfo the 
Items; thefe are fmooth, round, and jointed. They pro¬ 
duce a few pairs of oppofite floating Leaves, thick, repand- 
tpothed, or rather waved than toothed. Aiming above, 
dotted beneath, on footftalks various in length according 
to the depth of the water. Dr. Smith oblerves, that thefe 
leaves* 
