130 M E O 
At length, Being fruftrated in his expectation of a chair 
in the univerfity of Pifa, in his indignation he compofed 
twelve bitter favires againfthis opponents and detra&ors, 
•which exhibited great powers in that fpecies of compo- 
fition, but were not likely to improve his profpefls in his 
own country. He therefore, in 1685, accepted an invita¬ 
tion from queen Chriftina of Sweden, then refident at 
Rome, who gave him a very honourable reception, and 
admitted him into her academy. This fituation permitted 
him to purfue his private (ludies at his leifure ; and it was 
here that he compofed the greateft part of his poems. The 
death of the queen in r689 again threw him upon the 
public; and he was obliged for a maintenance to write 
compofitions for other perfons, particularly fermons for 
ecclefiaftics who were not able to compofe for themfelves. 
In 1691 he obtained from pope Innocent XII. acanonicate 
in the church of St. Angelo in Pefchiera.; and in 1701 
was nominated coadjutor in the chair of eloquence in 
the college of Sapienza at Rome. He died, according to 
one account in 1704, to another in 1708. 
There is fcarcely any kind of Italian poetry in which 
Menzini did not exercife his powers. “ His Pindaric 
Canzoni (fays Tirabofchi) have not the loftinefs and 
rapid flow which are admired in thofe of Chiabrera and 
Filicaia, yet have a warmth and elegance which place 
them among the belt. In anacreontic fongs, in pafloral 
fonnets, elegies, and facred hymns, he has few equals, 
and perhaps no fuperiors. In Italian fatires none can 
compare with him.” He likewife wrote elegantly in 
Latin, both in profe and verfe. All the works of Men¬ 
zini were publilhed collectively at Florence in four vo¬ 
lumes, 1731. Of thefe, the firfl: volume contains his 
lyric poems ; the fecond, his milcellaneous poems ; the 
third, his Italian profe ; and the fourth, his Latin com¬ 
pofitions. Menzini was a member of the academy Della 
Crufca, and was extremely defirous to have his verfes 
cited by name as authority in its Dictionary. This pri¬ 
vilege was firfl; granted to his fatires ; and in the edition 
of the dictionary in 1731, all his works are confidered as 
belonging to the golden age of the language. Fabroni. 
'Tirabofchi. 
MEOBEC', a town of France, in the department of the 
Tndre : twelve miles fouth-weftof Chateauroux, and nine 
fouth of Buzancois. 
MEO'LO, a town of Italy, in the Trevifan: eleven 
miles ealt of Trevigio. 
MEONSTO'KE, a village in Hampfhire, near Bilhop’s 
Waltham. The living is in the gift of the bilhop of 
Winchefter, who has prefented it to his brother-in-law, 
the Rev. Mr. Poulter, one of the prebendaries of Win¬ 
chefter cathedral: with the living of Soberton annexed, 
it is worth about 600I. per annum.—In the pariflr of So¬ 
berton, there is a manor called Eaft Hoe, the property of 
the late Mr. James Amyatt, efq. M. P. for Southampton, 
an feveral parliaments.—Weft Lodge is in the foreft of 
Bere, adjoining to this parilh, of which Robert Thiftle- 
thwaite, efq. formerly M. P. for the county, is lord-warden; 
and major Bathurft, who relides in the houfe at Weft 
Lodge, is ranger. The king has only one purlieu within 
Soberton parilh. The earl of Portfmouth has a confi- 
derable freehold-eftate here, and a purlieu. 
The village of Corhampton is about two miles diftant; 
the manfion-houfe is the property of H. P. Wyndham, 
efq. who poffeffes the greateft part of the property there, 
•with the tithes of a great part of the parilh. John Long, 
•efq. has a confiderable eftate in the parilh, with his tithes 
annexed. Here is a free-fehool with a donative, founded 
by the Collings’s family, the former proprietors of Mr. 
Wyndham’s eftate. Here is a fmall church; and the 
fchoolmafter does the duty for the donation, and teaches 
a certain number of free boys, worth all together about 
f xty pounds per annum. 
Exton is the next village adjoining. The manor of 
Exton is held under the dean and chapter of Winchefter; 
and Mr. Wyndham has likewife a good manfion-houfe in 
M E 0 
Exton, occupied by Matthew Bunbury, efq. The rec¬ 
tory is valued at about 200I. per annum. 
Droxtord is a confiderable village about four miles 
from Meonftoke, divided into four townlhips or tythings. 
The parilh-church is fituate in that called Droxford : 
the living is worth about five hundred pounds per an¬ 
num, in the gift of the bifliop of Winchefter. It is a ma¬ 
nor held in ancient loccage under the bifnop of Win¬ 
chefter; and there are two other manors within the fame, 
viz. the manor of Midlington, the feat of Peter Barfoot, 
efq. and the manor of Holywell, the feat of Humphrey 
Minchin, efq. Midlington manor was a grant from Ed¬ 
ward the Third to John de Midlington. It is pleafantljr 
fituated, in a fine open country, having the turnpike- 
road, leading from Gofport to London, through the 
centre of it. The manfion-houfe ftands on a pleafing 
flope, with a fine trout-ftream at the bottom, and com¬ 
mands a mod delightful profpeCt over Portfdown, and 
the adjacent country. Wilkes's Britijh Direct or 11. 
MEO'TIS. See M^otis, vol. xiv. p. 83. 
MEPHIB'OSHETH, [Heb. reproach.} A man’s name. 
MEPHIT'IC, or Mefhitical, adj. [mephitis, Lat.J 
Ill-favoured ; (linking.—Thefe philofophers confider men 
in their experiments, no more than they do mice in an 
air-pump, or in a recipient of mephitic gas. Burke. — Me¬ 
phitical exhalations are poifonous or noxious fleams if- 
fuing out of the earth, from what caule foever. Quincy. 
MEPHITIS, J'. A poifonous and noxious fleam ilfuing 
out of the earth. 
MEPHITIS, in mythology, is a name given to Juno, 
becaufe (he is fuppofed to prefide over (linking exhala¬ 
tions, or corrupted and noxious air ; and hence it was 
ufed to fignify luch noxious airitfelf. Servius, upon the 
paflage in Virgil (ZE11. vii.) “ Saevanque exhalat opaca 
Mephitim,” (ays, that this goddefs may poflibly be Juno 
taken for the air, becaufe it is by means of the air that 
bad fmells are communicated. According to Scaliger, 
the word is Etrufcan, and derived from the Syrians, with 
whom it fignified any (linking fmell. Juno had a temple 
among the Hirpines under this appellation. 
MEPH'OATH, [Hebrew.] The name of a city. 
MEP'PEL, a town of Holland, in the department of 
Overiflel, fituated on the Walt Aa: twenty-four miles 
weft of Corvoden. 
MEP'PEN, a town and fortrefs of Germany, in the 
bilhopric of Munfter, at the conflux of the Hafe and 
Embs: fifty-two miles north of Munfter. Lat. 52.43. N. 
Ion. 7. 26. E. 
MEQUINEN'ZA, a town of Spain, in the kingdom of 
Arragon, at the conflux of the Segre, the Cinca, and the 
Ebro; anciently called Ofitogefa, and Iblofa. It is an¬ 
cient, and defended by a callle, and was once the fee of 
a bilhop : thirty-eight miles fiouth-fiouth-weft ofBalbaftro, 
and fixteen fouth-fouth-weft of Lerida. 
MEQUINEZ', the northern capital of the Morocco 
empire, ftands at the extremity of the province of Beni 
Haffen, eighty leagues north from the city of Morocco 
(which is the fouthern imperial city), and twenty to the 
eaft of Sallee and the ocean. Maknaffa, its founder, built 
it firfl: at the bottom of a valley; but Muley Ifmael ex¬ 
tended it confiderably over the plain that lies to the weft 
of the valley, It is furrounded with well-cultivated 
fields and hills, adorned with gardens and olive planta¬ 
tions, and abundantly watered with rivulets. Accord¬ 
ingly, fruits and vegetables thrive here exceedingly; and 
even the fuperior urbanity of the inhabitants announces 
the temperature of the climate. The winter indeed is 
very inconvenient, on account of the dirtinefs of the 
town; the ftreets not being paved, and the foil being 
(limy. 
Mequinez is furrounded with walls; the palace itfelf 
is fortified with two baftions, on which formerly forne 
fmall guns were mounted. Muley Ilmael, and Muley 
Abdallah, often in this city refilled the efforts of the 
Brebes, the ('worn enemies of their tyranny. To the 
weft 
