280 M E S 
them; but they may be ftruck atalmofr all times of the year 
•in a very moderate ftove. Some ftrike in ten days, Jome 
take a fortnight, and others require a month or fix weeks. 
MESEM'MA, or Bousem'mo, a town of Africa, in the 
kingdom of Fez, inhabited by Arabs. 
MESENGUY' (Francis-Philip), a French abbe whofe 
practical writings are held in much efteem, particularly 
by thole who think with the Janlenifts, was born at Beau¬ 
vais in the year 1677. During leveral years he taught 
.the chlTics and rhetoric at the college in his native city ; 
and, being afterwards lent for to Paris, was appointed to 
prelide over the rhetorical clafs in the college of Beau¬ 
vais. Here he was chofen coadjutor to Coffin, who fuc- 
ceeded the celebrated Rollin in the prefidentlhip of the 
college; and was made catechift of the penlionaries, for 
whofe ufe he drew up his “JExpofition of Chriftian Doc¬ 
trine.” Having excited the dilpleafure of the court by 
the zeal which he difplayed againft the lupporters of the 
conftituticn Unigenitus, in the year ,1728, he found it ne- 
ceffary to relinquilh his fituation in the college, and to 
withdraw into privacy. The retreat which he chofe was 
in the midft of Paris, where he fpent the remainder of 
his days, wholly occupied in devotion and ftudy, and the 
compolition of his different works. He died in 1763, at 
the great age of eighty-fix, refpe&ed even by his enemies, 
on account of his unaffefted piety, his zealous labours 
for the advancement of religion, his amiable manners, 
and his candour and limplicity. He was the author of, 
1. An Abridgment of the Hiftory and Morality of the 
Old Teftament, 1728, nmo. on which Rollin pailes high 
commendations. 2. An Abridgment of the Hiftory of 
the Old Teftament, with Explanations and Refledtions, 
10 vols. nmo. which is an extenfion of the preced¬ 
ing, and well adapted to the benefit of young perlons, 
and general readers. 3. An edition of The New Tefta¬ 
ment, in one volume, and another in three volumes 121110. 
accompanied with fliort notes, illuftrative of its literal 
and fpiritual meaning. 4. An Expoiition of Chriftian 
Dodtrine, or Inftrudtions relative to the principal Truths 
©f Religion, 6 vols. i2mo. which is written with clear- 
nefs and precifion, but contains fome paffages which gave 
offence at Rome, and occafioned its condemnation by 
pope Clement XIII. 5. The Conftitution Unigenitus, 
.with Remarks, nmo. ’ 6. A Letter to a Friend, on the 
fubjedt of the fame bull, 121110. 7. Dialogues on Reli¬ 
gion, 121110. The abbe Mefenguy was alfo largely con¬ 
cerned in compiling The Lives of the Saints, edited by 
the abbe Goujet; and he was one of the perlons employed 
on The Mifial of Paris. Gen. Biog. 
MESENTER'IC, adj. [mej'enterique. Fr. from mefen¬ 
tery.'] Relating to the mefentery.—They are carried into 
the glands of the mefentery, receiving a fine lymph from 
the lymphatic dudts, which dilutes this chylous fluid, and 
icours its containing velfels, which, from the mefenteric 
glands, unite in large channels, and pafs diredtly into the 
.common receptacle of the chyle. Cheyne. 
MESENTER'ICA,^! [fo called by Tode from its refem- 
blance to the human mefentery.] In botany, a genus of 
the clafs cryptogamia, order fungi.-— Ejjentiul Char utter. 
Creeping, gelatinous, veiny; the ramifications of the 
veins joined by a thin membrane. 
1. Mefenterica lutea: lemon-coloured, or of a golden 
yellow. Found after rain in the fpring, liimmer, and 
fometimes in autumn, upon rotten wood, fpreading to 
the breadth of two or three inches, like a fine veiny weh, 
of a yellow colour, more or lefs deep ; fovnetimes green- 
ilh. The margin at length fwells, and aflumes a bright 
yellow hue ; whence Tode concluded that part to be the 
feat of the fructification. The whole is fo delicate, that, 
if expoled ror twelve hours to a warm air, it decays en¬ 
tirely, leaving but a few very minute icales. 
2. Mefenterica caerulea : entirely of a glaucous blue. 
Found once only, in September, on a half-rotten board. 
'J'ode. 
jj. Mefenterica argentea : white, very broad; the mar- 
M E S 
gin tumid and downy. On old boards or polls in cellars, 
fpreading from a little foft and tender tuft, as white as 
fnow, into a membrane from four to twenty-four inches 
in extent, full of beautifully-branching veins, and fringed 
at the margin. After fome time the whole turns reddifh 
and decays. 
4. Mefenterica grifea. In this fpecies the ramifications 
of the veins exhibit the figure of a fmali tree rnoft per¬ 
fectly fhaped. It differs from M. lutea only in its lint, 
which i : a mixture of brown and afh-colour, and in its 
birth place ; for it has been often found in the feed-cells 
of the Boletus fufeus, w r hen old and half decayed ; about 
the middle of September. 
5. Mefenterica fanguinolenta. This, like the preced¬ 
ing, is a fpecies peculiar to Lufatia, or lately diicovered 
there by Albertini. It is broad and milky ; bloody at 
the touch. This curious fpecies was found but once, 
about the end of September, covering almoft entirely the 
thick trunk of a half-decayed fir-tree, and lurking be¬ 
twixt the bark and the wood. Untouched, it prelented a 
lively colour between white and green , but, expoled to 
the mere contaft of the air, and much more when prelfed 
between the fingers, it emitted a fort of bloody liquid, 
which foon turned brownifh. It is however pretty thick, 
foft, glutinous, and in form as well as habits reiembling 
the other fpecies. Brought home, in lefs than half a day 
it dwindled and vanquished fo completely, that nought 
remained but a few brown, dry, difperfed, flocks, evincing 
but imperfeCtly the plant they had furvived. 
MES'ENTER Y, /! [^e ersfie^ot, Gr. mej'entere, Fr.] That 
round which the guts are convolved.—When the chyle 
paffeth through the mefentery, it is mixed with the lymph. 
Arbuthnot on Aliments. 
MESERA'IC. See Mesaraic. 
MESER'CAN, a town of Perfia, in Chufiftan : thirty- 
fix miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Suffer. 
MESERE', a town of France, in the department of the 
Sarte : nine miles north of La Fleche. 
MESERJEE'N, a town of Algiers: five miles fouth- 
weft of Oran. 
MES'ERITSCH, or Meserzicz, a town of Moravia, 
in the circle of Prerau : thirty miles eaft of Olmutz, and 
twenty eaft of Prerau. Lat. 49.26. N. Ion. 18. 2. E. 
MES'ERITSCH (Great), a town of Moravia, in the 
circle of Iglau : feventeen miles eaft of Iglau, eighteen 
well of Olmutz. Lat. 49. 23.N. Ion. 15. 55. E. 
MES'ERITZ, or Miendsirsitch, a town of the du¬ 
chy of Warlaw : forty miles weft of Polen. 
ME'SEWITZ, a town of Pruflia, in the palatinate of 
Culm : twenty-one miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Culm. 
MESH, J’. [ maefche, Dut.] The interftice of a net; the 
fpace between the threads of a net.—The drovers hang 
Iquare nets athwart the tide, through which the ffioai of 
pilchard palling, leave many behind entangled in the 
meajhes. Carew. 
He fpreads his fubtle nets from fight. 
With twinkling glafles to betray 
The larks that in the mejhes light. Dryden. 
To MESH, v. a. To catch in a net; to enfnare; 
The flies by chance mefht in her hair. 
By the bright radiance thrown 
From her clear eyes rich jewels were. 
They fo like diamonds llione. Drayton. 
ME'SHA, [Hebrew.] The name of a man ; the name 
of a place. 
MESHAW', a village in Devonlhire ; feven miles from 
Souttimolton, and twenty-one from Exeter. 
MESHAZABEL, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
ME'SHECH, [Heb.lhut up.] A man’s name; one of the 
three holy children, 
MESHEL'LEMITH, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MESHEL'LEMOTPI, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MESHELMI'AH, [Heb. peace.] A man’s name. 
MESH'ING, J. The art of catching in a net. 
1 MESH'OBAD, 
