3 
M A B 
branches for pipes; for which reafon the tree is called 
pipe-wood, bois a calumet. 
2. Mabea taquari: leaves ovate-obtufe, marked with 
red veins beneath. This differs from the preceding in 
having a reddifh bark ; and the leaves larger, green above, 
and veined with red beneath ; the larged are three inches 
and a quarter long, and an inch and a quarter wide. The 
fruit is much larger than the former. In other refpeCts 
it is like the former, and the branches are put to the fame 
ufe. 
MA'BER, a town of Perfia, in Chufiftan : forty-eight 
miles fouth-fouth-wed of Suffer. 
MABE'RIA, a lake of Africa, in Negroland, whofe 
waters run into the Senegal in lat. 14. 40. N. Ion. 7. 40. E. 
MABIL'LON (John), a very learned French Benedic¬ 
tine monk, was born at Pierre-mont, a village belonging 
to the diocefe of Rheims, in the year 1632. He was in- 
ftruCted in grammar-learning by one of his uncles, who 
was reCtor of a parifh near his native place; and after¬ 
wards fentto the college of Rheims, where he foon diftin- 
guifhed himfelf by the vivacity of his genius, and his ap¬ 
plication to dudy. By thefe qualifications and his piety, 
he recommended himfelf to a place in the feminary of 
the cathedral church, where the youths defigned for the 
fervice of the diocefe were educated. After continu¬ 
ing here three years, he took the habit in the abbey 
of St. Rerny, at Rheims, belonging to the Benedic¬ 
tines of the Congregation of St. Maur, in 1653, and in 
the following year made the profeflion. It was with no 
little pleafure that his fuperiors received into the frater¬ 
nity a young perfon, of whofe abilities and zeal they had 
fatisfadfory evidence, and which they confidered as fuffi- 
cient pledges that he would do honour to the order; but 
the expectations which they conceived of him were foon 
afterwards nearly dedroyed, in confequence of his being 
afflicted with a perpetual head-ache, which no medicine 
could relieve. Being by this means rendered incapable of 
the lead application, he was fent for the recovery of his 
health to different monaderies in the country. In the 
year 1660, he was ordained pried at Amiens ; and, as his 
health was not yet re-eftablilhed, he was employed on fuch 
temporal affairs of the congregation as were fuitable to his 
constitution. Thefe affairs he managed with great regu¬ 
larity and exaCtnefs, till his fuperiors, at his earned re- 
qued, releafed him from an office which was inconfident 
with his love of dudy. That he might not prejudice his 
health, however, either by too great folitude, or too clofe 
application, they fent him to St. Dennis, where he was 
employed, during the whole year 1663, in ffiowing drangers 
the treafures and ancient monuments of the abbey. But 
having, fortunately for himfelf and the intereds of litera¬ 
ture, broken a mirror which it was pretended had belonged 
to Virgil, he without difficulty obtained leave from his fu¬ 
periors to quit a fituation which was unworthy of him, and 
which obliged him frequently to relate things the truth 
of which he did not believe. 
While he was gradually getting the better of his indif- 
pofition, he carefully improved his moments of eafe in 
reading the works of the fathers, and the bed authors, and 
furnifhed his mind with a large fund of theological, eccle- 
fiadical, and critical, learning. In the year 1664, father 
d’Achery having applied for fome young monk, qualified 
to affid him in compiling his Spicilegium, Mabillon was 
felected for this purpofe, and went to Paris, where he con¬ 
tributed effentially to relieve that father, who. was now 
become infirm, from the burthen of his laborious under¬ 
taking. The manner in which he acquitted himfelf, as 
foon as he took a fflare in this work, placed his talents in 
a confpicuous light, and fhovved what might be expeCted 
from him. It proved the occafion of his beings foon ap¬ 
pointed to publifh a. complete edition of the works of St. 
Bernard. Father Chantelou, a monk of the fame order, 
had commenced fuch undertaking; but he died towards 
the latter end of the year lad mentioned, after having only 
publifhed the fermons for the feafons and faints. To Ma- 
M A B 
billon, therefore, the talk was committed ; and he executed 
it with a degree of correCtnefs, judgment, and learning; 
that abundantly judified the choice of his fuperiors. His 
edition made its appearance in 1667, in two volumes folio, 
and alfo in nine volumes oCtavo. In 1690, he publifhed 
an improved edition of the fame, with much additional 
matter; and he was preparing to publifh a third at the 
time of his death. 
No fooner had father Mabillon fent the works of St. 
Bernard into the world, than the Congregation employed 
him in completing the Lives of the Saints, for which fa¬ 
thers d’Achery and Chantelou had been collecting and 
digeding materials. The firlt volume of this collection 
was publifhed in 1668, folio; and was followed, at differ¬ 
ent periods, by eight others, the laft being publifhed in 
1702. The writers of the .Journal de Trevonx juftly ob- 
ferve, that “this work ought to be confidered, not as a 
fimple collection of memoirs relating to monadic hiftory, 
but as a valuable compilation of ancient monuments, 
which, being illultrated by learned notes, throw much light 
on the molt obfcure part of eccleftical hiltory. The pre¬ 
faces alone would fecure to the author an immortal repu- 
tation. The manners and ufages of thofe dark ages are 
examined into with great care, and an hundred important 
queftions are difcuffed by an exaft and folid critique.” 
The prefaces were publifhed feparately in 1732, in 4to; 
In 1674, our author publifhed, “ De Pane Euchariltico 
azimo et fermentato Differtatio,” 8vo. intended to prove, 
in oppofitiou to the affertion of father Sirmond, that the 
Latin church made ufe of leavened bread in the cor.fecra- 
tion of the eucharift for many ages; and that the ufe of 
unleavened bread was not introduced till after Photius’s 
fchifm. During the following year, he publifhed, “Ve- 
terum AnaleCtorum Tomus I. compleftens varia Frag- 
menta et Epiftola Scriptorum Ecclefiafticorum, tarn profa 
quam metro, haCtenus inedita, cum Adnotationibus et ali¬ 
quot Difquitionibus,” 8vo ; which was afterwards followed 
by three other volumes, the laft dated in 1685. A better- 
digefted edition was printed by M. de la Barre, in 1723; 
in folio. The pieces which cornpofe this collection are, 
many of them valuable and interefting ; but the author’s 
differtations conftitute its principal merit. The work, 
however, which has done moft honour to father Mabillon, 
appeared in 1681, and is entitled “ De Re diplomatica Libri 
lex; in quibus quicquid ad veterum Inftrumentorum An- 
tiquitatem, Materiam, Scripturam, et Stilum ; quicquid 
ad Sigilla, Monogrammata, Subfcriptiones, ac Notas chro- 
nologicas; quicquid inde ad Antiquariam, hiftoricam, 
forenfemque, difciplinam pertinet, explicaturet illuftratur. 
Accedunt Commentarius de antiquis Regum Francorum 
Palatiis, veterum Scripturarum varia Specimina Tabulis 
LX. comprehenfa, nova ducentorum et amplius Monumen- 
torum ColleCtio; folio. The examination of almoft an 
infinite number of charters and ancient titles, which had 
palled through his hands, induced him to form a de- 
fign of reducing to certain rules and principles an art of 
which before there had been only very confufed ideas. It 
was a bold attempt; but he executed it with fuch fuccefs, 
that it was thought to have been carried at once to per¬ 
fection. For twenty years this work enjoj'ed an univer- 
fal approbation ; but at laft father Germon the jefuit at¬ 
tacked it, and gave occafion to a literary difpute. 
So high was the opinion now generally entertained of 
Mabillon’s extraordinary merit, that the min liter Colbert 
was defirous of beftowing on him a penficn of two thou- 
fand livres ; but his unambitious apd difinterefted fpirit 
led him to decline that generous offer ; and he contented 
himfelf with requefting the protection of the court towards 
his congregation. In the year 1682, however, Colbert en¬ 
gaged him to take a journey into Burgundy, for the pur- 
pole of examining fome ancient titles relating to the royal, 
family ; and received from him all the fatisfaCtion which 
he delired. In the following year that minilter lent him 
into Germany, in order to fearch among the archives and 
libraries of the ancient abbeys in that country 3 . for fitch 
t curious 
