MAN 
fquares. Tliefe things are, however, not found in the 
Vedas, nor even in the Puranas, of the Hindoos, but are 
taught in great detail by the Agama Sajira, a compilation 
of much later date; fabricated, as has been reafonably 
fuppofed, by perfons, who, in thefe as in other matters, ef- 
tablithed many unjuftifiable practices on the foundations 
of emblems and allegories which they mifunderftood or 
wilfully mifreprefented. 
MAN'TSALA, a town of Sweden, in the province of 
Tavaltland : thirty-feven miles fouth-eaft of Tavalthus. 
MAN'TUA, in ancient geography, a town of the 
Tranfpadana in Italy, fituated on the Mincio, a river run¬ 
ning from the Lacus Benacus. It is faid to have been 
founded about 300 years before Rome by Ocnus, the fon 
ofManto; and was the ancient capital of Etruria. When 
Cremona, which had followed the intereft of Brutus, was 
given to the foldiers of Oftavius, Mantua alfo, which was 
in the neighbourlvood, thared the common calamity, and 
many of the inhabitants were tyrannically deprived of 
their poffeffions. Virgil, who was among fliem, and a na¬ 
tive of the town, and hence often called Mantuanus, ap¬ 
plied for redrefs to Auguftus, and obtained it by means 
of his poetical talents. 
MAN'TUA, in modern geography, was, previoufiy to 
the French revolution, a duchy of Italy, in poffetfion of 
the houfe of Auftria, bounded on the north by the Bref- 
fan and Veronefe, on the eaft by the Ferrarefe, on the 
fouth by the duchy of Modena, and on the weft by the 
Cremonefe. In length it is about fifty miles, and in 
breadth thirty-five. It is watered by the Po, which runs 
through the middle of it; and alfo by the Oglio, Min- 
cio, Secchia, &c. which difcharge themfelves into the 
Po. This territory abounds with corn, fruits, and le¬ 
gumes; and it affords fome wine, great quantities of 
flax, and many good horfes. The fmall duchy of Man¬ 
tua was taken poffeflion of by Louis of Gonzaga in the 
year 1328, and was held by the houfe of Gonzaga from 
this period ; till at length Charles IV. the lalt duke of 
Mantua, being a vaffal of the empire, took part with the 
French in the difpute relating to the fucceftion of Spain ; 
for which reafon he was put under the ban of the empire, 
and died at Venice in 1708. He having no heirs, the em¬ 
peror kept the Mantuan in his own hands, and the duke 
of Savoy had Montferrat, which were confirmed to them 
by fublequent treaties. The houfe of Auftria continued 
in poffcfiion of the duchy, annexed to the government of 
the Milanefe, till by the peace of Luneville it was ceded 
to the Cifalpine republic, afterwards the kingdom of 
Italy ; in which it formed the department of the Mincio. 
By the terms of the 93d article of the ACl of the Congrefs 
of Vienna, June 9, 1815, the Mantuan returns into the 
poffeflion ot the emperor of Auftria; 
MAN'TUA, capital of the above territory, is fituated 
on a lake, formed by the inundations of the Mincio, eight 
miles in circumference, two broad, and from two to five 
hundred feet deep. The feveral parts of this lake have 
different names, as Lago di Mezo, Lago di Sotto, Lago 
di Paivolo, and Lago di Sopro. The two chief bridges 
leading to this city over the lake are, Ponte di Molini, 
defended by two citadels; and Ponte di St. Giorgio, 
with fortifications at both ends. The city is divided by 
the water into two alnioft equal parts, which have a com¬ 
munication with each other over fix bridges. In the heat 
of fummer, when tine lake is low and ftagnates, the air be¬ 
comes fo noxious, that the better fort of the inhabitants 
leave the city for fome time. The citadel, which is rather 
more fecure by nature than by art, is partly free from 
this inconvenience. The greater part of the ftreets are 
long, broad,-and ftraight, with handfome ftone houles, 
fine fquares, and (lately churches. On the other fide of 
the lake are three fuburbs, namely, to the north, Porto 
Fortezza; to the north-eaft, Borgo di St. Giorgio; and 
fo the fouth, II The. Here are in all four collegiate 
churches, fifteen parochial, fourteen other churches and 
alms-houfes, eleven oratories, thirty-nine convents 3 and 
Vol. XIV. No. 976. 
MAN soy 
without the city three parifli-churches, two other churches, 
and feven convents. The Jews, of whom there are about 
four or five thoufand, live in a diftinCl quarter. The 
number of the inhabitants, exclufive of the garrifon, was 
formerly computed at 50,000. Bur, fince no court has 
been kept, the number has fo dwindled away, that now 
the inhabitants fcarcely exceed 20,000. In the cathedral, 
which is a work of Julio Romano, are paintings of the 
moft celebrated matters. This great matter lies buried in 
the church of St. Barnabas, near which his houfe is ttill 
(hown. The church of St. Antonio is more famous for 
relics than any in Mantua: a confiderable portion, as is 
pretended, of the blood of Chrift being kept in a fubter- 
raneous chapel with lixteen altars, and once every year 
fhown to the people. The Francifcan church has an ele¬ 
gant infide, and fuch as very few of this mendicant order 
can thow in Italy : it has alfo a good library. The build¬ 
ing that was the ducal palace, is very large and roomy. 
The ducal gallery and mufeum, formerly fo famous, was’, 
in 1630, pillaged by the foldiers, when the imperial ills 
took it by ftorm ; and, like every other palace, it is now 
empty and in ruins. However, a molt valuable treafure 
of relics, gold and filver crowns, ftatues, and other altar- 
furniture, ttill remain in tire palace-church ; where are 
alfo two capital pictures of ineftimable value, one of 
the Baptifm of Conftantine the Great, and the other of 
the Martyrdom of St. Andrew. The univerfity was 
founded in 1625. The filk and other manufactures, 
and the general commerce of this city, formerly fo floir- 
rithing, are now inconfiderable. This city is feventy miles 
weft-touth-weft of Venice, and feventy eaft-fouth-eaft of 
Milan. Lat. 45. 8.N. Ion. 10.46. E. 
Two miles from Mantua, in the territory called the 
Seraglio, are the former poffeftions of the emperor Auguf- 
tu-s, generally termed La Virgiiiana, or The Virgilian 
Fields, with the village Pietola or Pietole, formerly Andes, 
where Virgil was born. In the environs of La Virgi¬ 
iiana is a grotto, which was the favourite place of the 
poet Virgil, and where he compofed many.of his poems. 
Oppenheim's CiJalpine Republic, 1798. 
MAN'TUA, f. [perhaps corrupted from manteau, Fr. 
a cloke.] A lady’s gown.—How naturally do you apply 
your hands to each other’s lappets, ruffles, and mantuas. 
Swift. 
Not Cynthia, when her mantua's pinn’d awry. 
E’er felt fuch rage, refentment, and defpair. 
As thou, fad virgin ! for thy ravitli’d hair. Pope. 
MAN'TUA-MAKER, J. One who makes gowns for 
women.—By profeffon a mantua-maker: I am employed 
by the moft fathionable ladies. Addifon's Guardian. 
MATUA'NUS, the poetical name of Battifia Spagnuclo, 
who was born at Mantua in 1448, and is faid to have been 
an illegitimate offspring of the Spagnuoli family. He en¬ 
tered into the order of Carmelites, and purfued his ftu- 
dies in various cities and under different matters. He 
was particularly attached to Latin poetry, but without 
neglecting graver ftudies, as’appears from his intimacy 
with the celebrated Pico of Mirandola. He bore feveral 
important offices, and undertook many journeys, and was 
finally made general of his order in 1513. He died in 
1516; and was honoured by Frederic Gonzaga, marquis 
of Mantua, with a marble ftatue crowned with laurel. 
The fame of Mantuanus as a Latin poet once flood fo 
high, that fome writers have placed him in parallel with 
his fellow-townfman Virgil; nay, a brother Carmelite ex- 
preffed great indignation that one who was a good Chrif. 
tian as well as poet thould not be placed above any Pa¬ 
gan whomfoever. He at leaft furpaffed him in facility of 
compofition, for he is faid to have written above 55,000 
verfes. Among thofe who held him in great efteem was 
Erafmus; but, on the other hand, the elder Scaliger ranks 
him with mere verfifiers. The moft reafonable judgment 
of his merit feems to be, that he is not without poetical 
genius, efpecially in the performances of his youth ; but 
4 K that 
