M O M 
640 
root, fomewhat like that of bryony. Stems thick, rough, 
trailing, dividing into many branches, and extending 
every way two or three feet. Leaves thick, rough, almoft 
heart-lhaped, grey, on long foot-ftalks. Flowers axillary, 
much let's than thofe of the common cucumber, of a pale 
yellow colour, with a greenilh bottom. The male flowers 
ftand on fliort thick peduncles; but the female flowers 
lit on the top of the young fruit, which grows to an inch 
and a half in length, fwelling like a cucumber, of a grey 
colour like the leaves, and covered with fliort prickles. 
The fruit does not change its colour, but when ripe quits 
the peduncle, and calls out the feeds and juice with 
great violence; fo that the feeds are Icattered round to a 
confiderable diftance, and plenty of plants will come up 
the following fpring. But, when this fruit is defigned 
for medicinal life, it lhould be gathered before it is ripe, 
otherwife the greateft part of the juice, which is the only 
valuable part, will be loft; for the exprefied juice is not 
to be compared with that which runs out of itfelf; and 
the elaterium made from the clear juice is whiter, and 
will keep much longer, than that which is extradited by 
preffure. All parts of the plant are bitter, and ftrongly 
purgative; but the dried juice or faeculse of the fruit, 
known in the (hops by the name of elaterium, is the only 
part now medicinally employed. The method directed 
an the London Pharmacopoeia for preparing this medicine 
is : to flit the ripe fruit, and pafs the juice (very lightly 
prefled) through a very fine fieve into a glafs vefl'el; then 
to fet it by for fome hours, until the thicker part has 
fubfided; to pour ofr the thinner part fwimming at the 
top, and feparate the reft by filtering; to cover the 
thicker part which remains after filtration with a linen 
cloth, and to dry it with a gentle heat. The fenfible 
qualities of this infpiifated juice are not remarkable either 
to the fmell or tafte: it is inflammable, and diflolves 
readily in watery or lpirituous menftrua. Elaterium is a 
very powerful cathartic, and was frequently employed as 
fuch, both by the Greek and Arabian phyficians; and 
its ufe has fince been much commended in hydropic 
cafes, particularly by Pauli, Sydenham, and Lifter. It is 
undoubtedly the moft violent purgative in the materia 
medica, and ought therefore to be adminiftered with 
great caution; and only where milder cathartics have 
proved ineffectual. The dofe is from half a grain to 
three grains: the moft prudent and efteClual way in 
which dropfies are now treated by this remedy, is by re¬ 
peating it at fliort intervals in fmall dofes. Native of 
the South of Europe. Cultivated by Gerarde in 1596. 
Called in Englifh, wild, fpirting, fquirting, or afles, cu¬ 
cumber; in French, concombre fauvage, ou d’ane. 
Propagation and Culture. Sow the feeds on a hot-bed 
the beginning of March ; and, when the plants come up, 
prick them into a frefh hot-bed, letting them have free 
air in warm weather, and refrefliing them frequently 
with water. When the plants have four or five leaves, 
plant them out into the hot-bed where they are to re¬ 
main, putting one or two plants into each light; water¬ 
ing and fliading them until they have taken toot. After 
this, treat them as melons or cucumbers, permitting their 
branches to extend in the fame manner, and keeping 
them clean from weeds. With this management, if they 
have not too much wet, and are not too much expoled to 
the open air, they will produce fruit in July, and the 
feeds will ripen in Auguft and September; when it mult 
be gathered as foon as it opens, otherwife the feeds will 
be caft abroad, and with difficulty gathered up again. 
When the plants fpread fo as to fill the frames, they 
may be railed on bricks, and the ends of the plants 
drawn out; for, when theft?are vigorous, they will fpread 
eight or ten feet, and, if they are confined, will become 
lb thick, that the tender branches will rot, and no fruit 
will be produced. Thefe plants may alfo be let in pots, 
placed in the ftove, and the vines fallened to ftakes: and 
thus, when they are Ikilfully managed, they will produce 
MOM 
their fruit tolerably well; and in this way they make a 
better appearance than when the vines fpread on the 
ground, like cucumbers and melons. But, when the 
plants fpread on the ground, which is their natural way 
of growing, they thrive much better, and produce more 
fruit, than when they are fupported; for, though thefe 
plants have clafpers, yet thefe are not formed for climb¬ 
ing, but merely to fallen themfelves about any neigh¬ 
bouring fupport, to fecure them from being raifed by the 
wind and broken; which would often happen, where 
they grow in the open air and are fully expofed, were it 
not for this fecurity. 
The laft fort is ealily propagated by feeds, which, if 
permitted to fcatter, will come up the following fpring; 
or, if the feeds are fown upon a bed of light earth, the 
plants will come up in about a month after, and may be 
tranfplanted to an open lpot of ground, in rows at three 
or four feet diftance, and almoft as far afunder in the 
rows: if thefe are carefully tranfplanted while young, 
there will be little hazard of their growing; and, after 
they have taken new root, they will require no farther 
care, but to keep them clear from weeds. If the ground 
is dry in which they are planted, the roots will continue 
three or four years, unlefs the winter lhould prove very 
fevere. 
MOMOR'DICA (Stinking). See Bryonia. 
MOMO'TUS, /i in ornithology, the Motmot. This 
is made a feparate genus by Dr. Turton in his tranflation 
of Gmelin’s Linnaeus; it was firft feparated by Dr. La¬ 
tham; but we have thought it belt to adhere to the Lin- 
naean fyftem, by leaving it under the genus Ramphastos, 
which fee. 
MOMPESSON' (Rev. William). Ancient France may, 
with jultice, boaft of a prelate in Marfeilles’ good bifhop, 
who was the benefaCtor and preferver of mankind. See 
Bei.sunce, vol ii. p. 878. England, however, may con¬ 
gratulate herfelf in having cherilhed in her bofom a pa- 
riih-prieft, who, without the dignity of character, and the 
extent of perfons over whom the French bifhop diftri- 
buted the bleflings of his paftoral care, watched over the 
fmallef flock committed to his charge at no lefs rifque of 
life, and with no lefs fervour of piety and activity of 
benevolence. 
The Rev. Mr. Mompeflon was reCtor of Eyam in Der- 
byfhire during the time of the plague that nearly depo¬ 
pulated the town in the year 1666, the year after the 
plague of London. He married Catharine the daughter 
of Ralph Carr, efq. of Cowpon, in the county of Durham, 
by whom he had two children living at the time of this 
dreadful vifitation. He in vain intreated Mrs. Mompeflon 
to quit Eyam at the time of the plague, and to take her 
two children with her. He told her, that, though it was 
his duty to ftay amongft his parifliioners during their af¬ 
fliction, it was by no means her’s, and that Ihe by thefe 
means would fave her children from being infe&ed with 
the reigning diftemper. She faid, that flie would live and 
die with him. The children were at laft fent away, and 
the mother died. Mr. Mompeflon, who appears to have 
been an ailing man, never caught the plague; and was 
enabled, during the whole of the calamity, to perform 
the functions of the phyfician, the legiflator, and the prieft, 
of his afflicted parifli, aflifting the lick with his medicines, 
his advice, and Jus prayers. Veneration, no lefs than 
curiofity, mull lament that fo little is known of this ve¬ 
nerable pallor after the plague. Tradition Hill Ihows a 
cavern near Eyam, now called Cucklett’s-church, former¬ 
ly Cucklett's-fields, where this refpectable man ufed fo 
preach and to pray to thofe of his parifliioners who had 
not the diftemper. This fatal difeafe vifited leventy-fix 
families, out of which two hundred and fifty-fix perfons 
died. The church-yard not being able to contain the 
bodies of thofe that perillied by the plague, many perfons 
were buried in the hills and the fields adjoining. Several 
of the tomb-llones ereCled to their memory are Hill vifible* 
particularly 
