M 1 D 
tife 2aft mentioned, our author’s conftitution began to 
break very rapidly, and he was Stacked by a llow heftic 
fever and a diforder in his iiver, which produced evident 
fymptoms of approaching diffolution. In thei'e circum¬ 
ftances he went to London, for the advice of his friend 
Dr. Heberden, in whole medical Ikill he had the greateft 
confidence ; but finding, after a Hay of feveral days at the 
doctor's houfe, that his cafe was houelefis, he retired to 
his villa at Hiiderlham, where he died on the 2.8th of 
July, 1750, in the 67th year of his age. In the latter part 
of his life, he had been prefented by fir John Frederic to 
a fmall living in Surrey ; his acceptance of which was fe- 
verely animadverted upon, in a piece publifhed after his 
death, by his old antagoniit Dr. Church. According to 
our view of things, we cannot acquit him of blame in 
this proceeding; but, like too many of his brethren, 
whofe confidences will permit to give their affent and 
Confient to articles which they cannot approve, he appears 
to have fiatisfied himfielf with conlidering fubficription to 
be a meafiure merely political. 
That Dr. Middleton was a very learned and ingenious 
divine, will not be difiputed by any one. That he was 
alfio an ardent lover of truth, as well as Heady and difin- 
terefted in the purfiuit of it, may be fairly concluded from 
the circumftances of his life above related, the facrifices 
which he mult have made by adopting and avowing fien- 
timents that cut off all his hopes of preferment. Accord¬ 
ing to the account given of him in the Biographia Bri- 
tannica ; “ As to his perfon, he was of a proper middle 
ftature, and a thin habit; his eye was very lively, but 
fmall; he was a little out-mouthed ; of a manly com¬ 
plexion ; and, to ufe the painter’s phrafe, there was a 
very expreffive motion in every feature, though his whole 
deportment was compofed to gravity. The character he 
formed for himfelf as the moll eligible was, to make the 
fcholar agreeable by polifhing him with the gentleman, 
and to give weight to the man of fenfe by uniting him to 
the man of virtue.” Dr. Middleton, a little time before 
his death, had formed a delign of drawing up an exaft 
liiftory of his works, with the occafions and circumftances 
of them ; but he did not live to execute it. There were 
alfo found among his papers fome materials for a Life of 
Demofthenes, correfpondent to that of Cicero. In the 
year 1752, his “ Mifcellaneous Works” w'ere publifned, 
in 4. vols. 4-to. including feveral pofthumous pieces, chiefly 
relating to ecclefiaftical hiftory and biblical criticifm. Of 
this colleftion a fecond edition was publiftied in 1755, in 
5 vols. 8vo. Gen. Biog. 
MID'DLETON (Thomas), a very voluminous drama¬ 
tic writer in the time of James I. We meet with very few 
particulars relating to him ; for, notwithftanding that he 
has fhown confiderable genius in thofe plays which are 
unqueftionably all his own, and which are very numerous, 
yet he feems in his lifetime to have owed the greateft part 
of the reputation he acquired to his connexion with Jon- 
:fon, Fletcher, Maflinger, and Rowley, with whom he was 
concerned in the writing of feveral pieces. Yet, fureiy, 
it is a proof of merit fufficient to eftablilh him in a rank 
far from contemptible among our dramatic writers, that 
a fet of men of fuch acknowledged abilities confidered 
him as deferving to be admitted a joint-labourer with 
them in the field of poetical fame ; and more efpeci- 
ally by Jonfon, who entertained fo high an opinion of his 
own talents as fcarcely to admit any brother near the 
throne. Middleton was, in 1626, appointed chronologer 
to the city of London; and is fuppofed to have died 
foon after. A lift of his numerous pieces is given in the 
Biographia Dramatica. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of United America, on 
Rhode Ifland. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of Virginia : ten miles of 
Winchefter. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of the ftate of Delaware : 
twenty-one miles fouth-fouth-weft of Wilmington, and 
forty-nine fouth-weft of Philadelphia. 
M I D 843 
MID'DLETOWN, a poft-town of Maryland : eight 
miles weft-north-weft of Frederic’s Town. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of New Hamplhire : forty 
miles north-weft of Portfmouth. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of the ftate of Vermont: 
thirty-nine miles north of Bennington. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of the ftate of New York, in 
Long Ifland. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of New York, on the Pa- 
pachton. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of Pennfylvania: nine miles 
eaft of Harrilburgh. 
MID'DLETOWN, a town of the ftate of New Jerfey: 
fourteen miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Brunfwick. 
MLD'DLET 0 WN, a town of Maryland: feven miles 
weft of Vienna, and nine north-weft of Cambridge. 
MID'DLEWICH, a confiderable market-town in the 
hundred of Northwich, and county of Chefter, is fituated 
at the conflux of the rivers Croke and Dan, about 6 miles 
from Northwich, 22 from Chefter, and 167 from London, 
its name was derived from its centrical fituation, “ Be¬ 
tween the Wiches, or Salt Towns,” of which there are 
three in the county; and its origin has been fuppofed to 
be as remote as the time of the Romans ; the road to it 
from Northwich being mentioned by Camden, as raifed 
with gravel to fuch a height as to be readily known for a 
work of that people. The church is a fpacious ftrufture, 
and includes two chapels. On the fouth fide of it is a 
college, founded by Thomas Savage, archbilhop of York. 
The government of the town is vefted in a bailiff and bur- 
geffies annually chofen. Confiderable employment is de¬ 
rived to the inhabitants from the manufadture of fait, 
which has been carried on in this town from a very early 
period ; very valuable brine-lprings being found in the 
town and its vicinity. A cotton-inanufaftory has been 
recently eftablilhed here. A grammar-fchool was founded 
at Middlewich about the end of the feventeenth century: 
the lchool-houle was given by Ralph Lowndes. Markets 
are held on Tuefdays and Fridays ; and fairs annually on 
Holy Thurfday, Aug. 25, and Oft. 29. The parilh of 
Middlewich is very extenfive, and comprifes fifteen town- 
fliips. One of thefe, Kinderton, has been decided by 
Mr. Whitaker to be the Caudate of the Romans. Beauties 
of England and Wales. 
MID'DLING, adj. Of middle rank; of condition 
equally remote from high and low.—A middling fort of 
a man, left well enough to pafs by his father, could never 
think he had enough fo long as any man had more. 
L' Ejlrange's Fables. —Of moderate fize ; having moderate 
qualities of any kind.—Longinus preferred the lublime 
genius that fometiines errs, to the middling or indifferent 
one, which makes few faults, but fieldom riles to any ex¬ 
cellence. Dryden. 
MID'DLINGLY, adv. Paffably ; indifferently. Todd's 
Johnfon. 
MI'DERFELS, or Miterfels, a town and caftle of 
Bavaria: twelve miles north-eaft of Straubin. 
MIDGE, f. [nucbge, Sax.] A gnat; 
Where there is no place 
For the glow-worm to lye. 
Where there is no fpace 
For receipt of a fly, 
Where the midge dares not venture. 
Old Ballad ; Percy's 11 el. 
MID'GLEY, a town in the weft riding of Yorklhire ; 
feven miles north of Barnfley. 
MID'HURST, [Sax. Middle-wood, or In the Middle of 
the Wood.] A market-town in the county of Suffex, 
pleafantly fituated on an eminence, lurrounded by feveral 
linall hills, and watered by the river Arun. The petty 
felfions for the hundred are held here. In the town is a 
free grammar-fchool for twelve boys, founded Novem¬ 
ber 15, 1672, by Gilbert Hannam. Midhurft has a week¬ 
ly market on Thurfdays; and three fairs, viz. April 5, 
Whit- 
