418 MAH 
are placed at a confiderable diftance from Ills difk. The 
fun’s light therefore, by which this planet is illuminated, 
having to pafs twice through the atmofphere of Mars be¬ 
fore it reaches the earth, mud be deprived of a great pro¬ 
portion of the violet rays ; and confequently the colour 
of the refulting light by which Mars is vifible, muft be 
red. As there is a confiderable difference of colour 
among the other planets, and likewife among the fixed 
ftars, are we not entitled to conclude, that thofe in which 
the red colour predominates have the greateft or the 
denfeft atmofpheres ? According to this principle, Saturn 
muft have the next greateft atmofphere to that of Mars. 
Brezvjler's Supplementary Chapters to Fergyfort's AJlronomy. 
MARS, in mythology, the fon of Jupiter and Juno, or 
of Juno alone according to Ovid. This goddefs, as the 
poet mentions, wiflied to become a mother without the 
nffiftance of the other fex, like Jupiter, who had produced 
Minerva all armed from his head ; and (lie was fliown a 
flower by Flora in the plains near Olenus, whofe very 
touch made women pregnant. The education of Mars 
was entrufted by Juno to the god Priapus, who inftrufied 
him in dancing and every manly exercife. His trial be¬ 
fore the celebrated court of the Areopagus, according to 
the authority of fome authors, for the murder of Hallir- 
hotius, forms an interefting epoch in hiftory. The amours 
of Mars and Venus are greatly celebrated. The god of 
war gained the affections of Venus, and obtained the gra¬ 
tification of his defires; but Apollo, who was confcious 
of their familiarities, informed Vulcan of his wife’s de¬ 
baucheries, and awakened his fufpicions. Vulcan fecretly 
laid a net around the bed, and the two lovers were ex- 
pofed, in each others arms, to the ridicule and fatire of all 
the gods, till Neptune prevailed upon the hufband to fet 
them at liberty. This unfortunate difcovery fo provoked 
Mars, that he changed into a cock his favourite Ale&ryon, 
whom he had Rationed at the door to watch againft the 
approach of the Sun ; and Venus alfo (flowed her refent- 
ment by perfecuting with the moft inveterate fury the 
children of Apollo. In the wars of Jupiter and the Ti¬ 
tans, Mars was feized by Orus and Ephialtes, and con¬ 
fined for fifteen months, till Mercury procured him his 
liberty. During the Trojan war, Mars interefted hiin- 
felf on the fide of the Trojans, and defended the favou- 
rites of Venus with uncommon activity. The worfhip of 
Mars was not very univerfal among the ancients; his tem¬ 
ples were not numerous in Greece, but in Rome he re¬ 
ceived the moft unbounded honours, and the warlike Ro¬ 
mans were proud of paying homage to a deity whom they 
efteemed as the patron of their city, and the father of the 
firft of their monarchs. His moft celebrated temple at 
Rome was built by Auguftus after the battle of Philippi. 
It was dedicated to Mars Ultor, or the Avenger. His 
priefts among the Romans were called Salii; they were 
firft inftituted by Numa, and their chief office was to 
guard the facred ancylia, or fhields, one of which, as was 
luppofed, had fallen down from heaven. Mars was ge¬ 
nerally reprefented in the naked figure of an old man, 
armed with a helmet, a pike, and a fhield. Sometimes 
he appeared in a military drefs, and with a long flowing 
beard, but fometimes without. He generally rode in a 
chariot drawn by furious horfes, which the poets called 
Flight and Terror. His altars were ftained with the blood 
of the ftorfe, on account of his warlike f’pirit, and of the 
wolf, on account of his ferocity. Magpies and vultures 
were alfo ottered to him, on account of their greedinefs 
and voracity. The Scythians generally ottered him afl'es, 
and the people of Caria dogs. The weed called dog-grafs 
was facred to him, becaufe it grows, as is commonly re¬ 
ported, in places which are fit for fields of battle, or where 
the ground has been ftained with the eft’ufion of human 
blood. The furnames of Mars are not numerous. He 
was called Gradivus, Mavors, Quirinus, and Salifubfulus, 
among the Romans. The Greeks called him Ares ; and 
he was the Enyalus of the Sabines, the Cumulus of the 
Gauls, and the Mamcrs of Carthage. Mars was father of 
MAR 
Cupid, Anteros, and Harmonic, by the goddefs Venus. 
He had Afcalaphus and Talmenus by Aftyoch ; Alcippe 
by Agraulos ; Molus, Pylus, Evenus, and Theftius, by 
Demonice, the daughter of Agenor. Befides thefe, he 
was the reputed father of Romulus, CEnomaus, Bythis, 
Thrax, Diomedes of Thrace, &c. He prefided over gla¬ 
diators, and was the god of hunting, and of whatever ex- 
ercifes or amufements have fomething manly and warlike.. 
Among the Romans it was ufual for the conful, before 
he went on an expedition, to vifit the temple of Mars, 
where he offered his prayers, and in a folemn manner 
(hook the fpear Which was in the hand of the ftatue of 
the god, at the fame time exclaiming, “ Mars, vigila! God 
of war, w-atch over the welfare and fafety of this city.” 
Several of the old Roman poets of the firft age fpeak of 
a wife of Mars, called Neriene, fignifying, according to 
fome, mildnefs, and given to him in order to foften and 
humanize the roughnefs of his temper; but we find no 
traces of her in their later poets. The temples of Mara 
were of the Doric order, and ufually placed without the- 
walls ; hereby denoting that this deity was to preferve 
the walls from the perils of war. 
The combats inftituted at Rome in honour of the god 
Mars were held twice in the year : once in the Circus, 
on the fourth of the ides of May; and a fecond time on 
the firft of Auguft. Thefe latter were eftablifhed fome 
time after the other, in memory of the dedication of the 
temple of Mars on that day. Thefe games confifted in. 
courfes of horfes, and combats with wild beafts. Germa- 
nicus is faid to have killed two hundred lions in the Cir¬ 
cus, on thefe occafions. 
MARS DI'EP, a road for fhipping, at the entrance of 
the Zuyder Zee from the German Ocean, between the 
coaft of Holland and the Texel. 
MARS la TOU'R, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Mofelle: eleven miles weft-fouth-wett of 
Metz, and nine fouth of Briey. 
MAR'SA, in ancient geography, a town of Pannonia* 
near which the emperor Conttantius gave battle to Wag- 
nentius, who had affumed the title of emperor of the 
Gauls. 
MAR'SA, in modern geography, a town of Africa, ia 
the kingdom of Tunis: ten miles north-eaft of Tunis. 
MARS AC', a town of France, in the department of 
the Puy de Dome : thirty miles north le Puy, and fix 
fouth of Ambert. 
MARSA'GLIA, a town of France, in the department 
of the Stura : fix miles north-eaft of Mondovi. 
MARSA'I, a town of France, in the department of the 
Lower Charente : ten miles eaft of Surgeres. 
MARSA'IS (Caefar-Chefneau du), an excellent gram¬ 
marian and logician, was born at Marfeilles in 1676. In 
his youth he entered into the congregation of the ora¬ 
tory, which his defire of greater liberty foon made him 
quit. He went to Paris, married, was admitted advo¬ 
cate, and began to prattife with fome fuccefs. Difap- 
pointment in his expectations, and domeftic uneafinefs 
occafioned by the bad temper of his wife, induced him* 
however, to quit his profeffion, and engage in the office 
of a private tutor. He firft undertook the education of 
the fon of the prefident Defmaifons; and, when the death 
of the father had fruftrated him of his expeCted recom- 
penfe, he occupied the fame poft in the houfe of the famous, 
financier Law. After the fall of that projector, he be¬ 
came preceptor to the fons of the marquis de Beaufre- 
mont, and obtained great credit from his pupils. Though 
liimfelf indifferent with refpeCt to religion, he did not 
fail to imbue them with the principles of Chrittianity and 
found morality. The fimplicity with which he declared 
his fentiments, were, however, injurious to his character;, 
and a queftion he is faid to have afked on being applied 
to refpeCting fome children of high rank, “ In what reli¬ 
gion they chole that he fhould educate them,” was re¬ 
peated to his diladvantage. When, therefore, he let up 
a boarding-fchool, he met with little fuccefs; and he was 
obliged* 
