MAR 
MARO'N, f, [French.] A piece of brafs or copper, 
about the fize of a crown, on which the hours for going 
the rounds were marked, in the old French military fer- 
vice. Several of thefe were put into a fmall bag, and de- 
pofited in the hands of the major of the regiment, out of 
which they were regularly drawn by the lerjeants of com¬ 
panies, for the officers belonging to them. The hours 
and half-hours of the night were engraved upon each 
maron in the following manners Ronde de dix heures, de 
dix heures et demie ; “ The ten-o’clock rounds, or thofe of 
lialf-palt ten.” Thefe pieces were numbered, i, a, &c. to 
correfpond with the feveral periods of the night $ fo that 
the officer, for inrtance, who was to go the ten-o’clock 
rounds, had as many marons, marked 10, io, as there were 
polts or guard-houfes which he was direfted to vifit. 
Thus, on reaching the firft, after having given the mot, or 
watchword, to the corporal, (who, whilrt he receives it, 
mult keep the naked point of his fword, or bayonet, clofe 
to the cheft of the perfon who gives it,) he delivers into 
liis hands the maron marked i. Thefe marons, being 
pierced in the middle, are fucceffively ltrung by the dif¬ 
ferent corporals upon a piece of wire, from which they 
hide into a box called bo'etc aux rondes, or “ box belonging 
to the rounds.” This box is carried the next morning to 
the major, who keeps the key ; and who, on opening it, 
can eafily afeertain whether the rounds have been regu¬ 
larly gone, by counting the different marons, and feeing 
them fucceffively ltrung. This is certainly a moft excel¬ 
lent invention to prevent a negieft of duty in officers or 
non-commifiioiled officers. 
MARONE'A, or Maro'gna, in ancient geography, a 
town of Ciconia, in Thrace, near the lake Ifmaris; it is 
mentioned as the place of the retreat of the 10,000. Ac¬ 
cording to Pliny, it had formerly been denominated Or- 
tagurea. As its territory produced excellent wine, it was 
regarded as being under the protection of Bacchus; and, 
according to traditionary report, this wine had the per¬ 
fume of nectar. 
MARO'NI, a river of Guiana, which runs into the 
Atlantic in lat. 5. 52. N. Ion. 55. 14. W. 
MARO'NIA, in ancient geography, a town of Syria, 
placed by Ptolemy in Chalcidia, between Tolmideffa and 
Coara. 
MAR'ONITES, in ecclefiaftical hiftory, a feci of eaftern 
Chriftians, who follow the Syrian rite, and are fubjeft to 
the pope ; their principal habitation being on Mount Li- 
banus, or between the Anlarians to the north and the 
Druzes to the foutfa. 
Molheim informs us, that the doflrine of the Monothe¬ 
lites, condemned and exploded by the council of Conftan- 
tinople, found a place of refuge among the Mardaites, fig- 
nifying in Syriac “ rebels,” a people who took poffeflion of 
Lebanon, A.D, 676, which became the afylum of vaga¬ 
bonds, Haves, and all forts of rabble 5 and about the con- 
clufion of the feventh century they were called Maronites, 
after Maro, their firft biffiop; a name which they rtill re¬ 
tain. None, he fays, of the ancient writers, give any cer¬ 
tain account of the firft perfon who inftrufled thefe moun¬ 
taineers in the doflrine of the Monothelites ; it is proba¬ 
ble, however, from feveral circumftances, that it was John 
Maro, whofe name they had adopted ^ and that this eccle- 
fiallic received the name of Maro from his having lived 
in the character of a monk in the famous convent of St. 
Maro, upon the borders of the Orontes,, before his fettle- 
ment among the Mardaites of Mount Libanus- One 
tiling is certain, from the tellimony of Tyrius, and other 
unexceptionable witneffes, as alfo from the moft authentic 
records, viz. that the Maronites retained the opinions, of 
the Monothelites until the twelfth century, when, aban¬ 
doning and renouncing the doflrine of one will in Chrift, 
they were re-admitted to the communion of the Roman 
church. The moft learned of the modern Maronites have 
left no method unemployed to defend their church again!! 
this accufation ; they have laboured to prove, by a variety 
of teftynonies, that their anceltors always perfevered in the 
M A R 395 
catholic faith, and in their attachment to the Roman pontiff, 
without ever adopting the doflrine of the Monophyfites 
or Monothelites. But all their efforts are infufficient to 
prove the truth of thefe affertions to fuch as have any ac¬ 
quaintance with the hiftory of the church, and the records 
of ancient times ; for to all fuch, the teftimonies they al¬ 
lege will appear abfolutely fiflitious and deftitute of au¬ 
thority. Ecd. Hiji. vol. ii. 
Fauftus Nairon, a Maronite, fettled at Rome, has pub- 
liffied an apology for Maron, and the reft of his nation. 
His tenet is, that they really took their name from the 
Maron who lived about the year 400, and’ of whom men¬ 
tion is made in Chryfollom, Theodoret, and the Menolo- 
gium of the Greeks. He adds, that the difciples of this 
Maron fpread themfelves throughout all Syria; that they 
built feveral monalteries, and, among others, one that bore 
the name of their leader; that all the Syrians, who were 
not tainted with lierefy, took refuge among them; and 
that, for this reafon, the heretics of thofe times called them 
Maronites, 
Volney traces the origin of the Maronites, called alfo 
Mawarna , at the end of the fixth age of the church, to a 
hermit named Maroun, who lived on the banks of the 
Orontes, and who, by his farting, his reclufe mode of life, 
and his aufterities, became much refpefled by the neigh¬ 
bouring people. It feems that, in the difputes which at 
that time arofe between Rome and Conftantinople, he 
employed his credit in favour of the weltern Chriftians. 
His death gave new energy to the zeal of his followers; 
and it was reported that miracles were wrought by his re¬ 
mains 1 hence many perfons affembled from Kinefrin, 
Awafem, and other places, who built at Hama a chapel' 
and a tomb, whence foon arofe a convent, very celebrated 
in that part of Syria. As quarrels between the two me¬ 
tropolitan churches increafed, a monk, named John the 
Maronite, about the end of the feventh century, obtained, 
by his talents for preaching, the reputation of being one 
of the moft powerful fupporters of the caufe of the La¬ 
tins, or partisans of the pope. Their opponents, who ef- 
poufed the caufe of the emperor, and were on this account' 
called Melkites, or “ royalilts,” made at that time great 
progrefs in Lebanon. In order fuccefsfully to counteract 
them, the Latins fent among them John the Maronite, 
who, having been prefented to the agent of the pope at' 
Antioch, and duly confecrated faifbop of Djebail, was 
fent to preach in thofe countries. John, collecting his 
partifans, and augmenting their number, found it necef- 
fary to refill the force of the Melkites by force ; and, hav¬ 
ing affembled all the Latins, he fettled with them at Le¬ 
banon, and there formed a fociety independent with re-- 
fpefl to both its civil and religious government. John 
having eftablilhed order and military difeipline among the’ 
mountaineers, and having provided them with arms and 
leaders, they employed their liberty in combating the com¬ 
mon enemies of the empire and of their little ltate ; and 
prefently became mailers of almolt all the mountains as 
far as Jerufalem. A fchifm likewife took place among 
the Mahometans, which facilitated their conquefts. After 
a variety of events, partly propitious and partly difaltrous, 
about the year 1215 the Maronites effefled a re-union 
with Rome, from which they were never widely feparated, 
and which rtill fubfifts. William of Tyre, who gives this 
relation, obferves that they had 40,000 men able to bear 
arms. The peace they enjoyed under the Mamalukes was 
disturbed by Selim II. but, the time and attention of this 
prince being occupied about other objects, they joined the 
Druzes and their emir in making encroachments on the 
Ottomans; but thefe commotions iffued unfortunately; 
for, Amurath III. fending againft them Ibrahim pacha 
of Cairo, that general reduced them to obedience in 1588, 
and fubjefled them to the annual tribute which they (till 
pay. Since that period, the pachas, defirous of extending 
their authority and extortions, have frequently attempted 
to introduce their garrifons and agas into the mountains 
of the Maronites j but, being conftantly repulfed, they 
•Mve" 
