630 M O L 
fame difcourfes, which fink into tamenefs, infipklity, and 
vulgarity, 2. Inftrudlions and Prayers for Perfons under 
a Courfe of Penance ; 1724, umo. 3. Penitential Exer- 
cifes, with an Office for Penitents; 181110. 4. The Pfalms 
tranflated into French, accompanied with the Latin, and 
iliuftrated by Notes, literal and moral. 5. Chriftian 
Thoughts; and other pieces, which have been repeatedly 
printed at Paris. Gen. Biog. 
MO'LINIST, f. One who follows the docfrine and 
opinions of Louis Molina, a Spanilh Jefuit, in refpeift to 
grace ; an adverfary of the Janfenifts. See p. 628. 
MOLI'NO, a towm of Naples, in Abruzzo Ultra: thir¬ 
teen miles fouth-fouth-eaft of Aquila. 
MOLI'NOS (Michael), a pious Spanifii prieft, famous 
for having given rile to the fe£l of myftics known by the 
name of Qiuetijls, was defcended from a family of wealth 
and rank, and born at Saragoffa in the year 1627. We 
meet with no particulars of his life before his fettlement 
at Rome, which appears to have taken place about the 
year 1663. Here he gained a high reputation for ardent 
piety and devotion ; and was held in much efteem by per¬ 
fons of all ranks, not excepting the popes themfelves. 
He is faid to have been offered many benefices; which 
he refufed with a noble difinterefiednefs, and devoted 
himfelf chiefly to the dire£tion of confidences. In this 
capacity he was greatly efteemed, and had a confiderable 
number of difciples of both fexes. This circumftance, 
as may be imagined, excited againft him no little envy; 
and the appearance of a work publifhed by him at Rome 
in 1681, under the title of “The Spiritual Guide,” af¬ 
forded them a favourable opportunity of ruining him. 
This book, befides the ufual precepts and inflitutions of 
myftic theology, contained feveral notions relating to a 
fpiritual and contemplative life, w'hich were fo adapted 
to feduce the indolent mind, and to captivate the warm 
imagination, that it furniflied them with a pretext for 
charging it with a tendency to open the door to fenfual 
indulgence and all forts of licentioufnefs. His princi¬ 
ples, according to Molheim, amount to this : “ That the 
whole of religion confifts in the perfect calm and tran¬ 
quillity of a mind removed from all external and finite 
things, and centered in God, and in fuch a pure love of 
the Supreme Being as is independent on all profpeft of 
intereft or reward.” Or, to exprefs his dodlrine in other 
words, “ The foul, in the purfuit of the fupreme good, 
muff retire from the reports and gratifications of lenfe, 
and, in general, from all corporeal objects, and, impofing 
filence upon all the motions of the underftanding and 
will, mult be ahforbed in the Deity.” Hence the deno¬ 
mination of Quietijls w r as given to the followers of Mo- 
linos ; though that of Myftics, which was their vulgar 
title, was more applicable, and exprelfed with more pro¬ 
priety their fanatical fyltem. Such a fyllem was foon per¬ 
ceived by the Jefuits, and other zealous votaries of Rome, 
to imply a tacit cenfure on the Romilh church, as having 
departed front the fpirit of true religion, by placing the 
eflence of piety in external works, and in the performance 
of a certain round of rites and ceremonies. From this cir¬ 
cumftance they were pou'erfully inftigated to fecond the 
views of our author’s other enemies. Cardinal d’Etrees 
alio, the French ambalfador at Rome, took a warm and 
aftive part againft Molinos; influenced, as many imagine, 
not only by a perfuafion of the dangerous tendency of 
his theological tenets, but by refentment on account of 
the oppofition which the Spaniard had difcovered to the 
defigns and negotiations of the French monarch at the 
court of Rome. Be that as it may, the llorm of perfec¬ 
tion was dire died againft our myftic from thefe feveral 
quarters with fuch violence, that he was unable to with- 
itand it; and, in the year 1685, notwithftanding the num¬ 
ber, credit, and rank, of his friends at Rome, he was ar- 
refted and lent to the prifon of the Inquifition. 
Soon after the imprifonment of Molinos, a procefs was 
condudted againft him before a general congregation of 
the Roman Inquifition, in the prefence of pope Inno- 
M O L 
cent XI. and the cardinal inquifitors. The refult was a 
decree, importing, that he had taught falfe and pernicious 
opinions, contrary to the dodtrine of the church, and to 
the purity of Chriftian piety; and that fixty-eight propo- 
fitions, extracted from his writings, were heretical, fcan- 
dalous, and blafphemous. The pope alfo iflued an edidl, 
condemning all his books and writings, and directing 
the ordinaries of the Inquifition to commit them to the 
flames, wherever they fliould be found. Two years after 
this, Molinos was obliged publicly to abjure the errors 
of which he was accufed, on a fcaftold eredfed before the 
church of the Dominicans; and this fcene was concluded 
by a lentence of perpetual and clofe imprifonment, from 
which he was delivered by death in 1696, when he was in 
the feventieth year of his age. 
“ The candid and impartial,” fays Molheim, “ will ac¬ 
knowledge, that the opinions and expreflions of this en~ 
thufiaft were perfidioully milreprefented and perverted by 
the Jefuits and others, whofe intereft it was that he ihould 
be put out of the way, and excluded from every thing 
but contemplation and repqfie ; and it is molt certain, that 
his dodtrine was charged with confequences which he 
neither approved, nor even apprehended. But, on the 
other hand, it muft be confefled, that the fyftem of Mo¬ 
linos was chargeable with the greateft part of the re¬ 
proaches that are juftly thrown upon the Myftics, and 
favoured much the illulions and follies of thole fanatics, 
who would make the crude vilions of their difordered 
fancies pafs for divine revelations.” The condemnation 
and death of Molinos did not put a flop to the progrefs 
of his fyftem ; and he had a confiderable number of dif¬ 
ciples in Italy, Spain, France, and the Netherlands. 
Among the molt celebrated of thole who adopted it, 
though they differed from Molinos and from each other 
in fome points, were Francis Malaval, madame Guyon, 
and Fenelon archbilhop of Cambray, as we have already 
feen in their biographical notices. The Spiritual Guide 
was compofed in the Spanilh language, and firft publilhed 
in the year 1675, when it was honoured with the appro¬ 
bation and encomiums of many eminent and refpeftable 
perfonages. It was publilhed in Italian in feveral places, 
and at length at Rome in 1681. Afterwards it was tran¬ 
flated into French, Dutch, and Latin, and palfed through 
feveral editions in France, Italy, and Holland. The La¬ 
tin verfion, which bears the title of Mamuluclio Spiritaalis , 
W'as publilhed at Halle, in the year 1687, in 8vo. by Franke. 
There is another work of Molinos, compofed in the fame 
fpirit, “ Concerning the Daily Celebration of the Com¬ 
munion,” which was alfo condemned. Mojheim's Hifi. 
Eccl. faec. xvii. 
MOLINO'SISTS, f. A feft among the Romanifts, who 
adhere to the doctrines of Molinos. See the preceding 
article. 
MOLI'SE, a province of Naples; bounded on the north 
by Abruzzo Citra, on the eaft by Capitanata, on the fouth 
by Lavora, and on the weft by the States of the Church. 
It is the fmalleft of all the Neapolitan provinces, being 
only about thirty miles long, and twenty-four wide. It 
is fertile in corn, wine, and laffron ; and abounds in gams 
and lilk. Campo-bafl'o is the capital. 
MOLI'SE, a city of Naples, which gives name to the 
above province, but is not the capital. It is ninety miles 
eaft-fouth-eaft of Rome, and forty-eight north-north-eaft 
of Naples. Lat.4i.39.N. Ion. 14. 25. E. 
MOLI'VO, a leaport-town on the north-weft coaft of 
the illand of Metelen, defended by a caltle, on the fite 
of the ancient Methymna. The Greek Chriftians have 
three churches. It is twenty miles north-north-weft of 
Caftro. 
MOLL, a town of Brabant: ten miles eaft of Herental. 
MOLL, a river which rifes in the archbilhopric of Saltz- 
burg, and runs into the Drave near Saxenburg. 
MOL'LAH, J'. [Arabic.] A doctor of the law. 
MOL'LANS, a town of France, in the department of 
the Upper Saone i ten miles weft of Vefoul. 
MOLLARU', 
