588 M I S 
depart upon difunion. Brown. —Both bodies do, by the 
new texture refulting from their miftion, produce colour. 
Boyle on Colours. 
MISTISSIN'NY, a lake of Canada. Lat. 50.40. N. Ion. 
74. W. 
MIS'TLE, a river of Maffachufetts, which runs into 
Bolton harbour. 
To MIS'TLE. See To Misle, p. 573. 
MIS'TLETOE, j. [myptelTan, Sax. from mijlle, Dan. 
birdlime, and tan, a twig.] A plant. See Viscum. —The 
flower of the mijllctoe con lifts of one leaf, which is fhaped 
like a bafon, divided into four parts, and befet with warts ; 
the ovary which is produced in the female flowers is 
placed in a remote part of the plant from the male flow¬ 
ers, and confifts of four fhorter leaves; this becomes a 
round berry, full of a glutinous fubftance, inclofing a 
plain heart-fhaped feed ; this plant is always produced 
from feed, and is not to be cultivated in the earth, but 
will always grow upon trees ; from whence the ancients 
accounted it a fuper-plant, and thought it to be an ex- 
crefcence on the tree without feed. The manner of its 
propagation is as follows: the mijllctoe thrulh, which 
feeds upon the berries of this plant in winter when it is 
ripe, doth open the feed from tree to tree; for the vif- 
cous part of the berry, which immediately furrounds the 
feed, doth fometimes fallen it to the outward part of the 
bird’s beak, which to get difengaged of, he ftrikes his 
beak at the branches of a neighbouring tree, and fo leaves 
the feediticking by this vifcous matter to the bark, which, 
if it lights upon afmooth part of the tree, will fallen itfelf, 
and the following winter put out and grow: the trees 
which this plant doth moll readily take upon are the ap¬ 
ple, the afh, and fome other flnooth-rind trees : whenever 
a branch of an oak-tree hath any of thefe plants growing 
upon it, it is cut off, and preferved by the curious in 
their collections of natural curiofities. Miller. — Miffelloe 
grow'eth chiefly upon crab-trees, apple-trees, fometimes 
upon hazels, and rarely upon oaks; the miffeltoe whereof 
is counted very medicinal: it is ever green winter and 
fummer, and beareth a white glittering berry ; and it is 
a plant utterly differing from the plant upon which it 
groweth. Bacon. 
If fnowe do continue, flieepe hardly that fare 
Crave miftlc and ivie for them for to fpare. Toffer, 
A barren and detefted vale it is: 
The trees, though fummer, yet forlorn and lean, 
Q’ercome with mofs and baleful mijjelto. Shukcfpcarc. 
MIST'LIKE, arlj. Refembling a mill: 
Good Romeo, hide thyfelf. 
Not I, unlefs the breath of heart-flck groans, 
MJilihe, infold me from the fearch of eyes. Shahefpeare. 
MIST'LEY. See vol. xiv. p. 286. 
MIST OOK, particip. paff. of mi/lake: 
Look nymphs, and fhepherds look. 
What fudden blaze of majefty, 
Too divine to be mijlooli. Milton's Arcades. 
MIS'TRA. See Misitra, p. 572, 3. 
'To MISTRA'IN, v. a. To educate amifs : 
For (lie by force is ftill fro me detayned, 
And with corruptful brides is to untruth mi drained. Spcvf. 
To MISTRANSLA'TE, v. a. To tranflate incorrectly. 
Eufebius, by them miftranjlated. Bp. Hall. —They mif- 
tranjlate the words. Featley's Dippers Dipt. 
MISTRANSLA'TION, f. An incorreCl tranflation.— 
Here are to be excepted mijiranjlations and errors, either 
in copy or in prefs. Leflie's Short Method with the Deijls. 
MISTRESS, or Mastress, J\ [As mi/ier was origi¬ 
nally majler, from the Fr. maijtre; fo mijlrefs was at firfl 
maijirejs and majlrefs, and at length mijtrejs; from maij- 
trejj'e, now nuiUrefe, ‘Fr.] A woman who governs ; as dif- 
M I S 
tingui/hed from fuhjeSl or (errant. —Hiftoryes are, as tef- 
tyfyeth Cicero, the majlrefjes of lyfe, and expofytours of 
tymes. Bale'sPrcf. to Lelaud, 1549.—Rome now is mijtrejs 
of the whole world, fea and land, to either pole. B. Jon- 
J’on's Catiline. —What a miferable fpeClacle, for a nation, 
that had been mijlrefs at fea fo long. Arhutlinot on Coins. 
This maid, of which I tell my tale expreffe, 
She kept lierfelf, her neded no maitrej's. Chaucer. 
Let us prepare 
Some welcome for the mijlrefs of the houfe. Shaltefpeare. 
Like the lily, 
That once was mijlrefs of the field and flourifh’d, 
I’ll hang my head and perifli. ShakeJ'peare's Hen. Till. 
The late queen’s gentlewoman! a knight’s daughter! 
To be her mijlrefs'' mijlrefs! the queen’s queen ! Shahefp-, 
Thofe who affert the lunar orb prefides 
O’er humid bodies, and the ocean guides ; 
Whofe waves obfequious ebb, or fwelling run 
With the declining or encreafing moon ; 
With reafon feem her empire to maintain 
As mijlrefs of the rivers and the main. Blaclimore. 
A woman who hath fomething in poffeflion.—There had 
flie enjoyed lierfelf while flie was mijlrefs of lierfelf, and had 
no other thoughts but fucli as might arife out of quiet 
fenfes. Sidney. 
Ages to come, that fliall your bounty hear. 
Will think you mijlrefs of the Indies were ; 
Though ftreighter bounds your fortune did confine. 
In your large heart was found a wealthy mine. Waller. 
A woman (killed in anything.—A letter defires all young 
wives to make themfelves miftrefj'es of Wingate’s Arith- 
metick. Addijbn's Spectator. —A woman teacher.—Erect 
public fchools, provided with the bell and ablelt mafters 
and miflrejfes. Swift. —A woman beloved and courted.— 
They would not luft’er the prince to confer with, or very 
rarely to fee, his mijlrefs, whom they pretended he ihould 
forthwith marry. Clarendon. 
Nice honour ftill engages to requite 
Falfe miflrejfes and proud with flight for flight. Granville. 
A term of contemptuous addrefs: 
Look you pale, mijlrefs ? 
Do you perceive the ghaftnefs of her eye ? Shahefpeare. 
A whore; a concubine.—I will lay before you the Hate of 
the cafe, fuppofing you had it in your power to make me 
your mijlrefs , or your wflfe; and hope to convince you 
that the latter is more to your interell, and will contri¬ 
bute more to your pleafure. Spectator. 
To MIS'TRESS, v.n. To wait upon a miftrefs; to be 
courting. Not in uje. 
As if their day were only to be fpent 
In dreffmg, mifirejfmg , and complement. Donne. 
MIS'TRESS-SHIP, f. Female dominion, rule, or pow'er. 
—-If any of them fliall ufurp a mijirejs-jhip over the reft, 
or make herfelf a queen over them. Bp. Hall's Remains. 
MISTRET'TA, a town of Sicily, in the valley of De- 
mona, the fee of a bilhop : fixty-four miles w'eit of Mef- 
fina, and fifty eaft-fouth-eaft of Palermo. Lat. 38. 55. N. 
Ion. 14.22. E. 
MISTRI'AL, J\ An erroneous trial. 
MISTRUS'T, J'. Diffidence; fufpicion ; want of con¬ 
fidence : 
Not then mijlrufl, but tender love, enjoins 
That I ihould mind thee oft; and mind thou me! Milton, 
To MISTRUS'T, v. a. To fufpeft; to doubt; to re¬ 
gard with diffidence.—The relation of a Spartan youth, 
that fuffered a fox concealed under his robe to tear out 
his bowels, is mjirujled by men of bufinefs. Brown. 
