590 M I T 
It is to be obferved, that the Greeks in general, in early 
times, were very little acquainted with the affairs of Af¬ 
rica ; and all that they had from this part of the world, 
was faid to come from Cyrene, fome old cities of their 
forefathers being there, and keeping up a friendfliip and 
traffic with them. The thyon , a tree growing plentifully 
in almoft all parts of Africa, and which is the fame with 
the Citrus of the Romans, was in this manner attributed 
to Cyrene, by the fame Theophraftus. And thus, when 
fpeaking of truffles, he adds, that the Cyrenean mify fur- 
{ jailed all the other kinds in flavour; his words Hand at 
arge in Athenasus; and thence Pliny has taken his ac¬ 
count, which he clofes in this manner: “ The thing which 
they call mify, in the province of Cyrene, is of this kind ; 
but it is more flelhyand of a finer tafte and fmell.” This 
is the fenfe of Pliny, as the text Hands in our copies; but 
it is probable that he tranflated Theophraftus better than 
they ; at leaft, as we know that what he fays is not his 
own, but taken from that author, we have a right to un- 
derftand it in his way, and that is, “ that the roots of this 
Cyrenean mify have a delicate fmell, refembling that of 
meat or flelh newly cut.” Pliny, lib. xix. cap. 3. 
It is very certain, that this Cyrenean mily of the old 
Greeks is the fame thing with the delicate African truffle, 
or lerfez , of Leo Africanus and the moderns; and Pliny 
had read fome of the ancients who were fenfible of this, 
and had taken from them an account that the African 
truffles are the fineft in the world; and yet did not per¬ 
ceive, that thefe African truffles were the fame with the 
Cyrenean mify, which he immediately after mentions 
from Theophraftus. 
MISZEAL'OUS, (idj. Miftakenly zealous.—The prac¬ 
tices and combinations of libelling feparatifts, and the 
mijzealous advocates thereof. Milton''s Animadv. 
MITAN', a town of China, of the third rank, in Koei- 
tcheou, on the river Milan : thirty miles weft-north-weft 
of Ciie-tfien. 
MIT'CHAM, or Mid'gham, a village in Surry, eight 
miles fouth-fouth-weft from London, on the road to Rei- 
gate.—Mitcham Grove is the handfome feat of Henry 
jloare, elq. The river Wandle, which is an excellent 
trout-lfream, winds through the plantations, and adds 
greatly to their beauty. On this river is eredted a fmall 
wheel, by which the water is conveyed in pipes to the 
higheftpart of thelioufe.—In this parilh alfo are Collier’s 
Wood Houfe, Ravenlbury, and other villas. On the river 
are fome fnuff-mills, lpinning-mills, and calico-manufac¬ 
tories ; in one of the latter is an engine, in cafe of fire, 
the pumps of which are worked by the fame w'heel that is 
ufed in the bufinefs. In the chancel of the church is a 
monument to the memory of fir Ambrofe Crowley, an al¬ 
derman of London, who died in 1713, and is celebrated 
in the Tatler, No. 73, under the name of Sir Humphrey 
Greenhat. By the conftrudlion of a rail-road from Wandf- 
worth to Croydon, which pafles within a mile of this vil¬ 
lage, the inhabitants are fupplied with coals, lime, and 
other articles, at a comparatively eafy rate, 
MIT'CHEL, f. in mafonry. — Mitchels are Purbeck- 
ftones for paving, picked all of a fize, from fifteen inches 
fquare to two feet; being fquared and hewn ready for 
paving. Jumes's Mil. Did. 
MITCHELDE'AN ; fee Dean, vol. v. p. 630. Since 
that fliort article was printed, the Rev. Henry Berkin, 
late curate of this parifti, obferving the great want of re¬ 
ligious inftrudtion which the poor miners and colliers on 
that fide of the Foreft of Dean laboured under, put forth 
the following Addrefs to the public in general, and to the 
nobility and gentry of the county of Gloucefter in parti¬ 
cular. It was dated Apr. 30, 1816. and we copy it from 
the Gloucefter Herald. 
“ The Royal Foreft of Dean, in the county of Glou¬ 
cefter, a walte trait of upwards of ao,ooo acres, has no 
church in it, nor any means of religious inftruition ex- 
prefsly for the ule of its inhabitants. Thefe, confiding 
chiefly of miners and colliers, partly from their fecluded 
MIT 
fituation between the rivers Severn and Wye, partly from 
the nature of their employments, and partly from the 
diftance of great.numbers of them from the parilh-churches 
adjoining the foreft, have hitherto been too generally liv¬ 
ing in the negleif of moral and religious duties. Few 
have been ufed to obferve the fabbath, ftill fewer to at¬ 
tend the churches on the borders; and the ignorance na¬ 
turally accompanying fuch a Hate has not failed to pro¬ 
duce a correfpondent effeft on the life and condudt. Seven 
years have nearly elapfed fince I became ftipendiary curate 
of the parifli of Mitcheldean, on the north fide of the foreft, 
next Herefordlhire; and, finding that part of the foreft ad¬ 
joining me in the above ftate, I confidered it a duty to at¬ 
tempt its improvement. Anxious to ameliorate, at leaft, 
its rifing generation, I opened a Sunday-fchool for the 
forefters’ children, feveral hundred of whom, at length, 
came to receive education and religious inftrufrion in a 
building ere6ted for this foie purpofe. For further par¬ 
ticulars on this head, I beg to refer to the firft report of the 
National Society for the Education of the Poor, though 
fully confcious how unworthy I am of the commendation 
they have been pleafed to beltow. My next attempt was 
with the parents. Finding that few, by comparifon, at¬ 
tended public worfliip, I vifited them in their cottages, 
to read and explain the Bible; and I was led to adopt 
this plan from the particular fituation of the forefters, 
deftitute of churches or minifters whom they could pro¬ 
perly call their own. In thefe paftoral vifits, made on dif¬ 
ferent evenings in different places, and in which I have 
ufually fpent two hours in reading and pradfically ex¬ 
plaining the Holy Scriptures, I have fometimes had two 
hundred perfons prefent at one time ; and calculate, on 
the whole, that eight hundred, at different times, have 
thus come under inftruftion. Many inftances might be 
produced, certainly not lefs than twenty families, of re¬ 
formation in both fexes, which has evinced itfelf in their 
defire to poflefs the Bible and Common Prayer Book, and 
by a total change in their moral charafter. At one of the 
piaces which I am accuftomed to vifit, where the heat and 
crowd have at times been almoft infufferable, the colliers, 
aided by two or three neighbouring farmers, offered to 
build a large room, for the better accommodation of greater 
numbers. This, for obvious reafons, was declined ; but 
it led me earneftly to wiffl that the forefters might be more 
immediately brought within the pale of the eftablifted 
church ; and, by regular attendance on a church appro¬ 
priated to themfelves, be made habitually acquainted 
with that admirable Liturgy to which too many of them 
are now utter ftrangers. With the concurrence of the 
lord bifliop of the diocefe, a memorial and plan has been 
laid before government, with an offer on my part, that, 
if the needful fund for building a church and parfonage- 
lioufe could be provided, I would give up my prefent cu¬ 
racy, and ferve the new church, without any further emo¬ 
lument than the endowment neceflary for its confecration. 
It may, perhaps, be proper here to remark, that private 
circumftances obliged me laft year to leave Micheldean 
for an adjoining curacy, Wefton. The Sunday-fchool has 
in confequence been difcontinued ; but, in the event of a 
church being built, would be relumed in the foreft with 
a profpeft of increafed fuccefs. I am now authorifed to 
ftate, that the meafure has the full approbation of govern¬ 
ment, who will grant five acres of land in the foreft for 
this purpofe, being all that is allowed by a<ft of parlia¬ 
ment ; and will alio give fuch other aid as circumftances 
may allow. For the completion of the plan, I am encou¬ 
raged to apply to the liberality of the public ; in confi¬ 
dence that, wdien the cafe is known, the application will 
not be in vain. An accurate furvey has been made; and 
from 250 to 300 cottages, containing from 1260 to 1500 
fouls, found on extra-parochial ground, all within a rea¬ 
sonable diftance of the intended lpot. The fum requifite 
for building the church and parfonage-houfe, will not ex¬ 
ceed 2500I. the fituation being very favourable for mate¬ 
rials, and economy confulted in the plan as far as con- 
a. fiftent 
