M A L 
by a preaching friar; and afterwards, without the abid¬ 
ance of a tutor, made himfelf matter of the Greek and 
Hebrew languages. In the year 1582 he entered into the 
order of St. Dominic, and diltinguiflied himfelf by the in¬ 
defatigable diligence with whicli he applied to his fttidies, 
particularly thole of biblical literature, divinity, and ec- 
clefiaftical hi It ory. No fooner had he paffed through his 
date of pupilage, than his fuperiors fele&ed him for the 
office of tutor; and he taught philofophy for four years, 
and divinity for ten years, with extraordinary fuccefs and 
reputation. Having difcovered feveral miltakes in the 
volumes of Baronius’s Annals which had already been 
publifhed, as well as in his Martyrology, in the year 1600 
lie fent an account of them to that cardinal; who was fo 
well pleafed with the learning, judgment, and politenefs, 
which his letter difcovered, that he applied to the general 
of his order to fend for him to Rome, where he might 
conveniently avail himfelf of his affiltance. Here Mal- 
venda was fully occupied ; for, befides the review of Ba¬ 
ronius’s Annals, who adopted a great number of his cor- 
redfiotis, he was ordered by the general to review and cor¬ 
rect the Miffal, Martyrology, and Breviary, of his order; 
and his amended editions of them wrnre publiffied, with 
the papal famftion, in the year 1603. He was then directed 
to examine the Bibliotheca veterum Patrum of Margerin 
de la Bigne; and his obfervations op it, and fuggeftions 
of improvements, were made life of in the edition of that 
work publiffied in 1605. In the year 1604, our author pub¬ 
liffied De Antichrilto Lib xi. in folio, which was received 
with great applaufe at Rome; and in the following year 
he publiffied a treatife, entitled, Dc Paradifo Voluptatis, in 
4to. The next tafk which his general ordered hyn to un¬ 
dertake was. Annals of the Order of preaching Friars; 
but the interruption which his various other engagements 
and lludies occafioned, permitted him only to compile im¬ 
perfect memoirs, which it was not his intention to fend 
into the world, but to leave them as ufeful materials for 
fome future writer, who might be able to devote himfelf 
more clofely to that work. In this imperfeft ftate, how¬ 
ever, and againlt his confent, they were publiffied at Na¬ 
ples in 1627, in folio. In 1608, Malvenda returned to his 
native country with Aliaga, provincial of Arragon, who 
made him his deputy; and from that time he was taken 
up in affilting the different provincials, and other fuperior 
members of his order in Spain, till Aliaga was made arch- 
biffiop of Valentia, when he took him to refide with him 
in his palace, as his molt intimste companion and friend. 
The opportunity which this fituation afforded our author 
for profecuting his learned labours, was molt diligently 
improved by him; and from the year 1621 to 1628 he was 
employed in preparing a literal tranflation of the Scriptures 
into Latin, accompanied with ffiort commentaries. This 
work he carried on from the beginning of Genefis to the 
fourteenth chapter of Ezekiel; when he was feized with 
a diforder which proved fatal to him, in May 1628, at the 
age of iixty-three. After his death, the manufcript of this 
tranflation was fent to the general of the Dominicans, by 
whofe directions it was publifhed in 1650 under the title 
of “ Commentarioruin in Sacram Scripturam, una cum 
nova de Verbo ad Verbum ex Hebraso Tranflatione, va- 
riifque LeCtionibus, Vclumina quinque,” folio. Various 
other learned productions employed his pen, and were 
left behind him in manufcript. Antonii Bibl, Script. Hifp. 
MALVEN'TRA, a fmail ifland near the welt coaft of 
Bard in ia. 
MAL'VERN (Great), a village and parilh in the lower 
divifion of the hundred of Perffiore, and county of Wor- 
eelter, fituated on the ealtern declivity of the Malvern Hills, 
at the diftance of eight miles from Worcefter, twenty-four 
from Cheltenham, and 120 from London. A hermitage, 
or religious fociety, for feculars, was founded here in 
the time of Edward the Confeffor, and obtained fome en¬ 
dowment from that monarch. About the year 1083, 
Aldewine, the chief of this place, was perfuaded by St. 
Wolftan, bilhop of Worcetter, to become a Benedictine 
M A L 231 
monk: upon which he immediately fet about procuring 
benefactions for building and maintaining a priory of 
that order. Gifleberf, then abbot of Weftminfter, af- 
flgned feveral manors and eftates to its fupport, whereby, 
with the added munificence of devotees, the monaltery 
was railed to great wealth and confequence. Few veftiges 
now remain, except the church, which, at the diffolution, 
was purchafed by the inhabitants, and rendered parochial. 
This is Itill a magnificent IfruCture, being 171 feet in 
length, and 63 in breadth, with an embattled and pinna¬ 
cled tower, riling from the centre to the height of 124 
feet. The painted glafs in the windows, reprefenting 
many fcenes from fcripture-hiltory, was once the objeCt of 
univerfal admiration'; but, through time and negleCf, is 
now in a mutilated ftate, thougirenough is left to afford 
an idea of its former beauty. Several'parts of the choir 
are ornamented with teffelated pavement, exhibiting the 
arms of many ancient and noble families. The tombs 
and monumental infcriptions are very numerous, and 
fome of them of remote antiquity ; the infcription on 
Walcher, the fecond prior of Malvern, which was difco¬ 
vered in 1711, is dated 1135. Among the tombs is one 
of a Saxon knight, with his battle-axe and other accou¬ 
trements, fuppoled to be the only one of this kind in Eng¬ 
land. Malvern has long been noted for two medicinal 
fprings; that called St. Anne’s Well, about a quarter of 
a mile from the church, is bituminous, and elteemed very 
falutary ; the other is chalybeate, but is in a great mea- 
fure negleCted. Great Malvern, according to the popu¬ 
lation return in the year 1810, contained 819 inhabitants. 
About three miles diftant is the hamlet of Little 
Malvern, which was once a confulerable village; but 
now contains only fix houl'es, inhabited by thirty-four 
perfons. A Benedictine priory was founded here, in the 
year 1171, by two brothers, Joceline and Edred, who 
were fucceffively priors. The church was rebuilt in 1482, 
by John Alcock, bilhop of Worcefter; but is how in a" 
ruinous ltate. 
MAL'VERN CHA'CE, a diftriCt containing 7115 acres 
in Worcefterlhire, befides 241 acres called the Prior’s 
Land; 619 in Herefoidffiire, and 103 in Gloucefterffiire. 
MAL'VERN HILL'S, are fituated in the counties of 
Worcelter, Gloucelter, and Hereford, but principally on 
the fouth-welt part of the former, making a diltinct boun¬ 
dary to the rich vale of the Severn, lying to the eaft, and 
handing as a frontier between Worcelterfliire and Here¬ 
foidffiire. This lofty range of hills occupies a fpace about 
nine miles in length from north to fouth, and from one 
to three miles in breadth. The higheft parts are thofe 
called the Herefordffiire and Worcefterlhire Beacons” 
about four miles diltant from each other; the former fif¬ 
ing to the height of 1280 feet, and the latter to 1313 feet 
above the furface of the Severn. On the Herefordffiire 
Beacon are the remains of an ancient encampment, con¬ 
futing of a double entrenchment; the outermoft about 
half a mile in circumference. The avenues and paffes are 
Itill to be feen, and the greateft part is in fine prefervation. ■ 
The veftiges of another entrenchment, confuting only of 
a fingle ditch, appear about a mile and half further to the 
fouth ; and on the declivity of the Beacon is a cave cut 
in the rock, about ten feet long, fix broad, and feven 
high, of rude workmanffiip and unknown origin. Within 
a mufket-fhot of the trenches of the camp, in the pariffi 
of Colwal, in Herefordffiire, was found, in 1650, a coro¬ 
net or bracelet of gold, fet with precious (tones, by one 
Taylor, as he was digging, who fold it to a goldfmith at 
Gloucefter for 37I. the goldfmith fold it to a jeweller in 
London for 250I. and afterwards the jeweller fold the 
Itones for 1500I. 
The central part of this range of hills, and nearly the 
whole of the ealtern fide, conlilt of different compounds 
of felfpar, hornblende, quartz, and mica, difpofed in 
very irregular forms. Granite is one of thefe compounds 
and appears to be lefs irregular than the reft. It is fome- 
times found in the higheft parts of the hills* but prevails 
chiefly 
