M E R 
weft are Teen Tome walls of circumvallation, fix feet in 
height, which were probably mere intrenchments for the 
infantry; the attacks of the Brebes being only fudden 
and momentary inroads, which did not require a long 
defence. There is at Mequinez, as well as at Morocco, 
a walled and guarded fuburb for the Jews. The houfes 
are neater here than at Morocco. The Jews are more 
numerous ; and they can turn their induftry to a greater 
account, becaufe the Moors in this city are more polifhed, 
and (being nearer to Europe) more vifited, than thole in 
the fouthern parts. Near the Jewry, there is another 
enclol'ed and leparate quarter, called the Negro Town. 
It -was built by Muley Ifmael, for the accommodation of 
thole black families which compofed his foldiery ; but 
this town is now uninhabited, as are all thofe deltined 
for the lame ufe through the reft of the empire. 
At the fonth-eaft extremity of the city ftands the palace 
of the emperor, which was built by Muley Ifmael. The 
fpace occupied by the palace is very great; it includes 
feveral gardens, elegantly difpofed, and well watered. 
There is a large garden in the centre, furrounded by a 
vaft and pretty-regular gallery, refting on columns, which 
communicates with the apartments. Thofe of the wo¬ 
men are very lpacious, and have a communication with a 
large chamber which looks into the garden. As you pafs 
from one apartment to another, you find at intervals re¬ 
gular courts paved with fquare pieces of black and white 
marble; in the middle of thefe courts is a marble bafin, 
from the centre of which rifes a jet d’eau, and the water 
falls down into this bafin. Thefe fountains are nume¬ 
rous in the palace; they are ufeful for domeftic pur- 
poles, and they ferve for the ablutions, which the fcru- 
ples of the Mahometans have exceedingly multiplied. 
The palaces of the Moorilh kings are large, becaufe they 
are compofed only of one range of apartments: thefe are 
long and narrow, from eighteen to twenty feet high ; 
they have few ornaments, and receive the light by two 
large folding doors, which are opened more or lefs as 
occafion requires. The rooms are always lighted from a 
fquare court in the centre, which is generally encom- 
palfed with a colonnade. At Mequinez, as well as at Fez, 
they make a kind of glazed tiles, fimilar to what we call 
Dutch tiles, of various colours ; which are ufed to pave 
their rooms and face their walls, and give to their houfes 
an air of neatnefs and coolnefs not occurring in other 
towns of the empire. The Moors of Mequinez are much 
more affable and engaging than thofe of the fouthern 
provinces; and the women are extremely handfome, 
with fine black eyes, and beautiful teeth. They are fome- 
times feen walking on the terrace ; but, when a Moor 
appears, they immediately retire. At Mequinez, as well as 
at Morocco, there is an hofpitium, or convent, of Spanhh 
Recollects, founded more than one hundred years ago 
by the munificence of the kings of Spain, for the benefit 
and fpiritual comfort of the Chriftian captives. This 
city is thirty-five miles fouth-weft of Fez. Lat. 33. 56. N. 
Ion. 5. 50. W. 
MER, or Mena'rs, a town of France, and principal 
place of a diftrift, in the department of the Loir and 
Cher: nine miles north-eaft of Blois, and twenty-one 
fouth-weft of Orleans. Lat. 47. 42. N. Ion. 1. 35. E. 
ME'RA, in Hindoo mythology, is the fabled wife of 
Haimavat, and mother of Uma, a name and form of Par- 
vati, thus incarnated to become the wife of Siva, and pa¬ 
rent, or reputed parent, of Kartikya. (See Kartikya.) 
The ftories connedted with this fable are very numerous, 
filling many books in great efteem among the Hindoos. 
In the thirtieth and following leftions of the firft kanda , 
or book, of the Ramayana, it is detailed, in a very poetical 
ftyie, how the “ great Haimavat, fovereign of mountains, 
the grand magazine of metallic fubftances, had two 
daughters of incomparable beauty, by his wife Mera.” 
Their names w.ere Ganga and Uma. The firft (the river 
Ganges) was yielded in marriage to all the celeftials, at 
their earned; folicitation. Her younger filter, remaining 
MER 13X 
a virgin, became a devotee of extraordinary rigidity, and 
was at length efpoufed by Siva, whole frigidity was, 
however, fuch as to require much addrefs, on the part 
of the celeftials, to animate him to the due pitch of 
paffion ; his nuptials, and the confequent production of 
Kartikya, being of great moment. On this occafion it 
was that Kama, the god of love, artfully placing the 
beauteous Uma before Siva, while in the graceful adt of 
gathering flowers wherewith to decorate his emblem, the 
linga, had the audacity to launch an arrow at the dreaded 
deity. Siva, enraged, reduced Kama to allies (or, ac¬ 
cording to fome legends, to a mental efience) by a beam 
of fire, darted from his central eye. In the Siva-purana, 
the parents of Parvati in this incarnation are named 
Himachala and Mahina, in other works Himalaya and 
Mena, (lee Mena, p. 83.) the name of the father, in 
all cafes, being derived from a Sanlkrit word meaning 
Jnoiv. Mera is faid to be daughter of the mountain 
Meru; a moft fruitful fource of mythological tales of 
wonder and extravagance. See Meru. 
ME'RA, in geography, a town of Spain, in Galicia, 
near the fea-coaft: three miles eaft of Corunna. 
ME'RA, a river of Swillerland, which runs into the 
Adda eight miles fouth of Chiavenna, in the country 
of the Grifons. 
ME'RA-de-AS'TA, formerly a large town of Anda- 
lufia, feated on the river Guadaleta, between Arcos and 
Xeres de la Frontera; but now only a large heap of 
ruins. Here the Arabs conquered Roderick thelall king 
of the Goths, and by that victory became mailers of 
Spain in 713. 
ME'RA-CO'BIN, a town of Africa, in the kingdom of 
Adel, on the coaft of the Indian Sea. Lat. 8. 10. N. 
Ion. 49. 14. E. 
ME'RAB, [Heb. one that multiplies.] The name of 
a woman. 
ME'RAB, a town of Arabia, in the province of Nedf- 
jed : 100 miles north of Jamama. 
ME'RAB, a town of Perfia, in Chorafan: forty-five 
miles north-eaft of Melchid. 
MERA'CIOUS, adj. [ meracus , Lat.] Strong; racy; neat; 
pure ; clear. 
MERA'CITY, /. Purenefs, cleamefs. 
MERAI'AH, [Hebrew.] The name of a man. 
MERA'IOTH, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
ME'RAN, a town of the county of Tyrol, of which 
it was formerly the capital, at the conflux of the Adige 
and the Pafler; containing fix churches and convents: 
two miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Tyrol, and thirty-eight 
north of Trent. Lat. 46. 38. N. Ion. n. 24. E. 
MERA'NA, or Me'hen, a town of Germany, in the 
lordlhip of Schonburg: three miles weft-north-weft of 
Glauchau. Lat. 50.49. N. Ion. 12. 21. E. 
MERAN'NUM, J. [in old records.] Timbers; wood, 
for building. Phillips. 
MERA'RI, J'. [Heb. bitter.] A man’s name. 
MERAT', a town of Hindooltan, in the country of 
Delhi: forty miles north of Delhi. Lat. 29. 20. N. Ion. 
78. 6. E. 
MERA'TE, a town of Italy, in the department of the 
Serio: nine miles weft of Bergamo. 
MERAT'TE, a town of Algiers: fifteen miles north 
of Tagademt. 
MERAUDABAD', or Mooradabad, a town of Hin- 
doollan, in Oude; once a large city with a mint, now 
decayed : twenty miles north-eaft of Sumbul. 
MERA'ZION. See Marazion, vol. xiv. p. 333. 
MER'BAT, a town of Arabia, in the province of H a- 
dramaut. The principal trade of the inhabitants is in. 
incenfe: 200 miles eaft-north-eaft of Hadramaut, and 
thirty-two north of Dafar. 
MER'BES (Bonde), a French prieft and efteemed 
writer, was born at Montdidier, in the diocele of Amiens, 
in the year 1616. He became a member of the congrega¬ 
tion of the oratory, where he taught the belles lettres 
during 
