M I L 
would be particularly convenient for the labourers who 
repair the roads, who would ne,ver be more than half a 
mile, when at work, from their home. The truftees 
would be lufnciently remunerated by an abatement in the 
wages, or an eafy rent to the occupier. Coaches, horfes, 
and every fort of travellers, meeting with accidents, or 
needing affiftance, would always be within half a mile of 
help, and a certain knowledge of where it was to be had. 
But it is neecllefs to enlarge ; and all we wifh is, that fome 
member of parliament would endeavour to get the ex¬ 
periment tried upon fome one fiage, and we have no doubt 
it would foon come into general ufe. New Cyclopaedia. 
MILEC'ZA, a town of Lithuania, in the palatinate of 
Wilna: feventy-fix miles eaft of Wilna. 
Mi'LEI', a city of China, of the fecond rank, in the 
province of Yun-nan : 1155 miles fouth-louth-well of 
Pekin. Lat. 14. 34. N. Ion. 103.14. E. 
MI'LENT, a town of Pruflia, in the province of Po- 
merelia : five milqs fouth-weft of Marienburg. 
MPLES, f. [Latin.] In its general import, fignifies 
foldier. In our Englilh laws and cuftoms, miles is pecu¬ 
liarly appropriated to a knight, called alfo cqnes. 
MILESA'RA, a town of Afiatic Turkey, in the pro¬ 
vince of Diarbekir : twenty-four miles welt of Ourfa. 
MI'LESBURY, a poft-town of the ftate of Penniyl- 
vauia: 260 miles weft-north-weft of Wafhington. 
MILE'SIAN, f. and udj. [from Milejius.'] Belonging 
to the Irilh, as the fuppoled defcendant of Milefius. 
MILESTI, the inhabitants of Miletus, which fee. 
MILESI'MO, a town of France, in the department of 
the Stura: ten miles north-eaft of Ceva. 
MILESI'ORUM MU'RUS, a place of Egypt at the en¬ 
trance of one of the mouths of the Nile. 
MILE'SIUS, a furname of Apollo.—A native of Miletus. 
—The name of a hero from whom, as fome fuppofe, the 
Iriih are defcended. 
MILET' (John Francis), furnamed FranciJ'co, an en¬ 
graver, was born at Antwerp in the year 1644. lie was 
of French extra&ion, and becoming the difeiple of Lo¬ 
renzo Frank, was inftrubted to imitate the learned and 
admirable ftyle of Poullin. He became a painter and en¬ 
graver of epic and heroic landfcape; travelled to Paris, 
and from thence to England, where he left fome teftimo- 
nials of his merit as an artift. On his return to Paris he 
was elebted a profelfor in the French Academy, and ended 
his days in that metropolis, in the year 1680, leaving be¬ 
hind him feveral children, of whom two became painters. 
The engravings of Francifco are juftly regarded with 
fome intereft by connoifleurs. 
MIL'ETIN, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Ko- 
nigingratz : twelve miles north-north-weft of Konigin- 
gratz. 
MILE'TIUM, a town of Calabria, built by the people 
of Miletus of Afia.—A town of Crete. 
MILE'TO, a town of Naples, in Calabria Ultra, the 
fee of a bifhop, held immediately under the pope. This 
town is laid to have been built by the Milefians, after 
Darius had deftroyed their city. In the year 1783, it was 
dellroyed by an earthquake, not a houle being left Hand¬ 
ing. See Earthquake, vol. vi. p. 212. It is twenty-two 
miles foutli-fouth-weft of Squillace, and eight eaft-north- 
eaft of Nicotera. Lat.38.25.N. Ion. 16.25.E. 
MILET'S. See Miletus. 
MILETTO, a mountain of Naples, in Capitanata : 
fixteen miles from St. Severe. 
MILE'TUS, a fon of Apollo, who fled from Crete to 
avoid the wrath of Minos, whom he meditated to de¬ 
throne. He came to Caria, where he built a city which 
he called by his own name. Some luppofe that he only 
conquered a city there, which affumed his name. They 
farther fay, that he put the inhabitants to the fword, and 
divided the women among his foldiers. 
MILE'TUS, in ancient geography, a town of Crete, 
mentioned by Homer 3 but where fituated does not ap- 
Vol. XV. No. 1049. 
mil sea 
pear. It is faid to be the mother-town of Miletus in Caria;. 
whither a colony was led by Sarpedon, Minos’s brother. 
MILE'TUS, in ancient geography, a celebrated town 
of Afia Minor, on the confines of Ionia and Caria. It 
was the capital city of all Ionia, and famous both for the 
arts of war and peace. It was lituated about ten ftadia 
fouth of the mouth of the-river Mseander, near the fea- 
coaft. It was founded by a Cretan colony under Miletus, 
the companion of Bacchus ; or, according to others, by 
Neleus the fon of Codrus, or by Sarpedon a fon of Ju¬ 
piter. It has fuccefiively been called Lclco-eis, Pithyujd , 
and Anatioria. The inhabitants, called Milejii, were very 
powerful, and long maintained an obftinate war againft 
the kings of Lydia. They early applied themfeives to 
navigation ; and planted no lefs than 80 colonies, or (ac¬ 
cording to Seneca) 380, in different parts of the world. It 
was the only town that made head againft Alexander, and 
was with much difficulty taken. It gave birth to Thales, 
one of the fieven wife men, and the firft who applied him- 
felf to the ltudy of nature. It was alfo the country of 
Anaximander, the lcholar and fucceilbr of Thales, the 
inventor, of lun-dials and the gnomon, and the firft that 
pubiilhed a geographical map ; of Anaximenes, fcholar 
and fucceilbr to the foregoing; and of other great men. 
The city ittelf was no lels famous for a temple and oracle 
of Apollo Didymseus, than for the wealth and number 
of its citizens. The temple was burnt by Xerxes, but 
rebuilt by the Milefians, to fucli an immenfe fize, that it 
was accounted the greateft in the v/orld ; being equal in 
compafs, as Strabo attefts, to a village; whence*it re¬ 
mained uncovered, but was lurrounded by a thick grove, 
in which the priefts dwelt, whoferved the temple. Pliny 
places this temple and grove at 158 furlongs diftance from 
the city; but Strabo fays, that it ltood near the walls. 
Near Miletus ltood Mount Lathmus, where the Moon, as 
the poets feigned, made her private viiits to Endymion. 
The Milefians, like the other ftates of Ionia, when free 
from a foreign yoke, were often reduced to a miferable 
ftate of flavery by tyrants of their own, who governed 
them with an arbitrary fvvay, and made them feel all the 
evils of a foreign fubjeftion. In the time of Antiochus II. 
king of Syria, we read of one Timarchus reigning in Mi¬ 
letus, and pradftiling great cruelties on the citizens, till 
he was driven out by that prince, who was on that ac¬ 
count honoured by the Milefians with the furname of 
Theos, or God. Miletus was alio famous for its excellent 
wool, with which were made ftufrs and garments, held in 
the liigheft reputation, both for foftnels, elegance, and 
beauty. The words Milejice falula, or Milcjiaca, were 
ufed to exprefs w-anton and ludicrous plays. St. Paul, 
going from Corinth to Jerufalem, palled by Miletus; and, 
as he went by lea, and could not take Ephefus in his way, 
he caufed the bilhops and priefts of the church of Ephefus 
to come to Miletus, (Ails xx. 15. See.) which was about 
twelve leagues from them. 
Miletus is now a town of Afiatic Turkey, on the weft 
coaft of Natolia; ;t is called Mclas, or Milets; near it 
runs the famous river Meander, it is fixty-four mile* 
fouth of Smyrna. Lat. 37. 22. N. Ion. 27.13. E. 
MILEW'SKO. See Mulhausen. 
MIL'FIELD, a village of England, in the county of 
Northumberland ; anciently the refidence of the Saxon 
kings of Bernicia. Several battles have been fought here 
between the Englilh and the Scotch. It is eighteen miles, 
fouth-lbuth-weft of Berwick, and 324 nortlvof London. 
MIL'FOIL, f. [millefolium, Lat.] A plant; the lame 
with yarrow. See Achillea. 
Milfoil and honey-luckles pound ; 
With thefie alluring favours llrew the ground. Dryden. 
Witter- Milfoil. SeeHoTTONiA and Myriophyllum. 
MIL'FORD, a town of United America, in Suifex 
county, in the Delaware ftate, fituated at the lource of 
a final! river, fifteen miles from.Delaware-bay, and 150 
5 11 fouth ward 
