M I R 
Reatfloucli, and an admirable tone of colouring. The 
number of his portraits has been eftimated at ten thou- 
fand ; but Houbraken, with more probability, Hates theni 
at half the number, among which were thole of many of 
the moll eminent charafters of the Low Countries. His 
fame reached England, and. procured him an invitation 
from Charles I. which was prevented from taking efteft 
by the plague of London at that period. One of his prin¬ 
cipal patrons was the archduke Albert, who gave him a 
conliderable peniion, with the free exercife of his religion, 
which was that of the feft of Mennonites. He finally 
fixed his abode at Delft, where he died in 1641. Mirevelt 
was a man of mild and polifhed manners, an eloquent 
fpeaker, and well received in all companies. He fre¬ 
quently went to the Hague to take the portraits of the 
Nafiau family, by whom he was much efteemed. Above 
fifty of his heads have been engraved. D' Argenville. 
Pilhington. 
MI'REVELT (Peter), fon of the preceding, and a 
painter of the fame tafte, ftyle, and ftudy. By many he 
as thought fully to equal his father. 
MIR'FIELD, a town of Yorklhire, in the Weft Riding: 
fix miles weft of Wakefield. 
MIR'GO. See Maraga, vol. xiv. 
MIRGON'DA, a town of Hindooftan,in Dowlatabad: 
twenty-five miles fouth-weft of Beder. 
MIRGOROD', a town of Ruflia, in the government of 
Kiev: one hundred miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Kiev. Lat. 
50. N. Ion. 32. 54. E. 
MIR'IAM, [Heb. miftrefs of the fea.] The name of a 
woman. 
Miriam, the filter of Aaron and Mofes, makes two 
or three remarkable appearances in Scripture. It was 
owing to her that her mother was employed by Pharaoh’s 
daughter as nurfe to Mofes. When Mofes had finilhed 
his pious eftufions in the firft hymn on record, after the 
fafe pafl’age of the Red Sea, at the head of the whole 
people of Ifrael, juft efcaped from bondage, he was fe- 
cpnded on this occafion by Miriam, who took a timbrel in 
her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels 
and with dances, and Miriam avfwered them, Sing• ye to the 
Lord, See. Exod. xv. ao, 1. Here is an early inftance of 
women being permitted to bear a part in the performance 
of religious rites, as well as of vocal mufic being accom¬ 
panied by inftrumental, and by what was called dancing p, 
which was probably nothing more than moving or march¬ 
ing in regulated fteps and gefture. Miriam afterwards 
joined with her brother Aaron in murmuring againll 
Mofes, and was feverely chaftifed for that action ; for iiie 
became leprous, and continued feparate from the reft 
without the camp for feven days. She died before her 
brothers, though in the fame year with them, and was 
buried at the public expenfe. 
MIRIF'ICAL, adj. [from the Lat. mirus, wonderful, 
and facio, to do.] Done in a wonderful manner. Bailey. 
MIRJANAGO'RE, a "town, of Bengal: fifteen miles 
fouth of Moorley. 
MI'RIK, a river of Wales, which runs into the Tivy 
in the county of Cardigan. 
MI'RINESS,_/! [from miry.] Dirtinefs ; fulnefs of mire. 
MI'RING, f. The aft of flicking in the mire; of foil¬ 
ing with mire.. 
MIRIOSI'TO, a town of European Turkey, in Ro¬ 
mania : twenty-four, miles north-eaft of Gallipoli. 
MIRK, adj. [myrh, Icel. 'march, Dan. dark, morcker, 
darknefs; mipce, darknefs, Sax.] Dark; obfeure. Uled 
in the north.of England.—The lhadowe makith her [the 
moon’s] hemes merlte. Chaucer. 
A lhadow blacker than the mirbejl, night, 
Inviron’d all. the place with darknefs lad. Fairfax's Taffb. 
MIR'KSOME, adj. Dark; obfeure.—-Through mirk- 
fame air her ready way me makes. Spenfer. 
MIR'KSOMENESS, f. Obfcurity.—You can eafily ford 
over all the depths thereof, and clearly comprehend all the 
darkelt mirhjonimefs therein. Mountain's Appeal to Cajar. 
MIR 503 
MIR'ICY, 'adj. Dark; wanting light. Dr. johnfon pre - 
fers murky, though the Saxon mipce would authorife ra¬ 
ther mirk, mirky. See. But modern praftice is in favour 
of Murk and Murky, which fee. 
MIR'MA, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MIRMAN'DE, a town of France, in the department 
of the Drome: fifteen miles fouth of Valence, and nine 
north of Montelimart. 
MIROBRI'GA, in ancient geography, a town of Spain, 
the lcite of which is no-W occupied by Cividarl Rodrigo; 
which fee. This town of Leon was built in the reign of 
Ferdinand II. about the 13th century, and was made a 
rampart againft Portugal. It is fituated in a flat and to¬ 
lerably beautiful country, producing abundance of the 
neceflaries of fubliftence. Its plains extend five league* 
to the north, and are terminated by a chain of mountains, 
which are branches of thole of Bejar, Pena de Francia, 
and Geta. The town is fortified, and is the fee of a bi- 
Ihop. It has feven gates, and its ftreets are tolerably re¬ 
gular. Its population amounts to about 10,000 inhabi¬ 
tants. It has a cathedral, a collegiate church, fix parilh 
churches, five convents of monks, four of nuns, one fe- 
minary, and two hofpitals. The river Ague pafles clofe 
to the town. The ancient Roman aqueduft is deftroyed; 
but the inhabitants have conftrufted another, which con¬ 
veys the water requifite for the town and watering of the 
trees, through the fpace of three leagues. There are alfo 
feme fountains out of the walls; and in. the extent of the 
diocefe are fome medicinal waters; alfo copper, lead, iron, 
and even gold, mines. 
MIROI'R, a town on the lake of Geneva: two miles 
weft of Evian, and twenty-three north-eaft of Geneva, 
MIROI'R, /.’ in cookery, a particular way of drelfing 
fome forts of food, in which a hot iron is ufed to crifp it 
oven. Ajh. 
MI'ROPEL, a town of the duchy of Warfaw: forty 
miles weft-north-weft of Berdiczow. 
MIROPOL'BE, a town of Rulfia, in the government, 
of Charkov: eighty-eight miles north-north-vveft of Char- 
kov. Lat. 51. 22. N. Ion. 34. 34. E. 
MI'ROTITZ, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Pra-- 
chatitz : fourteen miles north-north-eaft of Strakonitz. 
MIROTON', f. in cookery, a kind of dilli made of 
veal and bacon. Ajh. 
MIROUA'RT, or Mirvvart, a town of France, in 
the department of the Forefts, on the river Homme: five 
miles weft-nortli-weft of St. Hubert. 
MIRO'W, a town of the duchy of Mecklenburg: forty- 
four miles north of Spandau. 
MI'RO WITZ, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of Pra- 
chatitz : eighteen miles north-north-eaft.of Strakonitz. 
MIR'ROIR, /. [miroir, Fr.] A mirror; thus written 
fometimes by Pope and Waller: 
Mirroir of poets, mirroir of our age. 
Which her whole face beholding on thy ftage,. 
Pleas’d and dil’pleas’d with her own faults,.endures 
A remedy like thole whom mufic cures. Waller 
MIR'ROR,/. [miroir, Fr. mirar, . Span, to look.] A 
looking-glafs; any thing which exhibits reprefentations- 
of objefts by refleftion. Thisjbfe is very old.rn. our lan¬ 
guage. —This fchal be likened to a man.that beholdith the 
cheere of his birthe in a myrrouv. Widiffe. 
This mirrour and this ring that ye may fee. 
He hath lent to my lady Canace.- Chaucer's Sq. Take. 
And in his waters, which your mirror make, 
Behold your faces as the chryftal bright. Spenfer . 
That power which gave me eyes the world to view, 
To view mylelf infus’d .an inward light. 
Whereby my foul, as by a mirror true. 
Of Iter-own form may take a perfeft light.. Rnvies, 
Late as L rang’d the cryftal vvilds of air, 
In the clear Mtt’nw of thy ruling ftar, 
..I law, alasf fome dread event impend. Pune. 
It 
