424 MAR 
Sir John Marfiiam was eminently learned in the lan¬ 
guages, hiftory, and chronology. The firft fruit of his 
ltudies was, “ Diatriba Chronologica,” 4to. 1649 ; a dif- 
fertation in which he examines the principal difficulties 
occurring in the chronology of the Old Teftametit: the 
fubftance of this work was afterwards inferted in his C’a- 
11011. He wrote the preface to the firft volume of the 
Monafticon Anglicanum, publiffied in 1655. His prin¬ 
cipal performance is entitled “ Canon Chronicus Higyp- 
tiacus, Ebraicus, Grtecus, & Difquifitiones,” fol. Lond. 
1672; reprinted, with corrections, at Leipfic, 4to. 1676. 
I11 this work lie was the firit who propofed to the learned 
world the hypothefis of four collateral dynafties of Egyp¬ 
tian kings, reigning at the fame time over different dif- 
triCts of that" country, in order to reduce the extravagant 
chronology of the Egyptian records to a conformity with 
that of the Hebrew Scriptures. This point he endeavours 
to eftablifh with great erudition ; and, though feveral par¬ 
ticulars in his fyftem have been oppugned, yet the learned 
have in general agreed that no tolerable fcheme of Egyp¬ 
tian hiftory can be formed on any other foundation. He 
left at his death, unfinifiied, a fifth book of his Canon 
Chronicus, containing the Perfian empire. Biogr. Britan. 
M AR'SHFIELD,anciently Me re sfield, a market-town 
and pariffi in Gloucefierfhire, on the borders of Somerfet- 
ihire and Wiltffiire. The manor was anciently part of the 
demefnes.of the crown, but foon after the conqueft was 
given to the fee of Wells, to be holden as of the honour 
of Gloucefter.. It afterwards came to the earls of Glou- 
cefter ; William, the fecond earl, gave it to the abbey of 
Key n (ham, which he had founded for black canons, in 
the reign of Henry II. In this abbey the manor conti¬ 
nued till the diffolution; finee which period it has palled, 
by grants, defeent, and purchafe, to various poffefl'ors, and 
is now the property of Chriftopher Codrington, efq. The 
parifli of Marflifield is fixteen miles in circumference ; the 
.town, which Hands in the centre, confifts principally of 
one ftreet, of a mile in length. It is governed by a bai¬ 
liff, annually elected at a court-baron ; his power, how¬ 
ever, though he is attended by a ferjeant at mace, extends 
but little farther than the examination of weights and 
meafures. A weekly market is held on Thurfdays, which, 
with the two annual fairs, (May 24 and Oft. 24.) were 
firft granted to the abbot of Keynlliam in the year 1262, 
renewed at various times, and finally confirmed by James I. 
The pariffi-church is a fpacious ftrufture, confifting of a 
lofty nave, two aides, and a well-finilhed towe r , in the 
ftyle of the age of Henry IV. and was probably erefted 
by the abbot of Tewkfbury, to whom, at that period, the 
impropriation belonged. On the left-hand of the high 
altar are three fubfellia, or ftone flails, with light canopies 
and finials, where the officiating priefts ufed to be feated. 
This is a clothing-town ; and a confiderable trade in malt 
3 s carried on, of which great quantities are fent to Bath 
and Briftol. It is diftant from Bath feven miles, Briftol 
twelve, Sodbury eight, Chippenham ten, Gloucefter thir¬ 
ty-fix, and London one hundred and four. Lat. 51. 31. N. 
Ion. 2.21. W. 
Upon a great common, called the Downs, are the evi¬ 
dent remains of ancient intrenchments ; near which are 
five tumuli, or barrows ; the largelt is called Ofwald’s 
tomb ; but the traditional account of this being the grave 
of Ofwald, king of the Northumbrians, is not fupported 
by i hiftory. 
At a place called the Rocks, near the town, are three 
ftones fet up to mark the limits of the three counties of 
Gloucefter, Wilts, and Somerfer, which meet here in a 
point. Rudge thinks that from this circumftance origi¬ 
nated the ancient name of the parifli, meare bein^ an 
Anglo-Saxon word for limit or boundary. Radge’s Hijlory 
of the. County of G/oucefer. Wilkes's Dircilory. 
M AR'SHFIELD, a poll-town of America, in Plymouth 
county, Mafl’achufetts, bounded fouth by Duxborough, 
and thirty-fix miles fouth-eaft of Bofton ; incorporated in 
1640, and containing 1266 inhabitants.—A townfhip in 
MAR 
Caledonia county, Vermont, adjoining to Calais on the 
north-weft, and Peacham on the north-eaft. 
MAR'SHLAND. See Lynn, vol. xiii. p. 833. 
MARSHPE'E, or Mashpe'e, an ancient Indian town, 
of North America, in Barnftaple county, Maffachufetls, 
containing 155 inhabitants. In this town is an Indian 
church; but the number of Indians does not exceed forty 
or fifty perfons. 
MAR'SHWOOD. See vol. xiii. p. 827. 
MAR'SHY, adj. Boggy ; wet ; fenny ; fwampy.—It 
is a diftemper of fuch as inhabit marfhy , fat, low, moift, 
foils, near ftagnating water. Arbuthnot. 
Though here the marfy grounds approach your fields, 
And there the foil a ftony harveft yields. Dryden. 
Produced in marfhes.—With delicates of leaves and marfhy 
weed. Dryden. 
MARSHY HO'PE, the north-weft branch of Nanti- 
coke-river, in Maryland. 
MARSHY RIV'ER, a river of America, which runs 
into the Miffiffippi in lat. 46. 6. N. Ion. 94. 40. W. 
MAR'SI, a nation of Germany, who afterwards came 
to fettle in Italy, where they occupied the territory in the 
environs of the Fucine Lake. They at firft proved very 
inimical to Rome, but in procefs of time they became its 
firmed fupporters. They were allowed by the Romans 
to be the moll intrepid foldiers of their legions when in 
friendfliip, and the moft formidable of their enemies when 
at variance ; and it was a common faying, that “ Rome 
could neither triumph over the Marfi nor without them.” 
They are particularly celebrated for the civil war in which 
they were engaged, and which from them has received the 
name of the Marfan war. The large contributions they 
made to fupport the intereft of Rome, and the number of 
men which they continually fupplied to the republic, ren¬ 
dered them bold and afpiring; and they claimed, with the 
reft of the Italian ftates, a (hare of the honour and pri¬ 
vileges which were enjoyed by the citizens of Rome. 
This petition, though fupported by the interefts, the elo¬ 
quence, and the integrity, of the tribune Drufus, was re¬ 
ceived with contempt by the Roman fenate ; upon which, 
in the 66 zd year of Rome, the Marfi put themfelves at the 
head of the Social War, one of the moft obftinate and 
dangerous oppofitions ever made to the progrefs of the 
Roman power. They obtained feveral victories ; but they 
were at laft defeated ; though the war was not terminated 
but by a grant of thofe privileges for which they contended. 
See the article Rome. 
MAR'SICO NUO'VO, a town of Naples, in Prin- 
cipato Citra, the fee of a bifliop, fuffragan of Salerno : 
eighteen miles north of Policaftro. 
MAR'SICO VET'ERE, a town of Naples, in'the Bafi- 
licata : fourteen miles fouth of Potenza. 
MARSI'GLI (Louis-Ferdinand, Count), a foldier and 
philofopher, was born in 1658, of an ancient and illuf- 
trious family at Bologna. He was brought up from his 
youth in manly exercifes; and, having the misfortune of 
lofing both his parents at an early age, he fought for in- 
ftruftion from fome of the ableft men in Italy, fuch as 
Trionfetti, Montanari, and Malpighi. Mathematics - and 
natural hiftory were his favourite ltudies ; and he increafed 
his knowledge of the latter by his travels. In 1679, he 
accompanied a Venetian envoy to Conftantinople, where 
he alfiduoudy employed himfelf in procuring information 
of all kinds relative to the Turkilh empire. The firft 
fruits of his enquiries appeared in “ Ob(ervations con¬ 
cerning the Thracian Bofphorus,” written in Italian, and 
addreffed to queen Chriltina of Sweden ; this work was 
publiffied at Rome in 1681, 4to. The remarks which he 
collected refpefting the civil and military ltate of the Ot¬ 
toman empire, and the rife, progrefs, and decline, of that 
power, did not appear till after his death. He remained 
eleven months at Conftantinople ; and after his return, 
when hortilities were impending between the Turks and 
Imperialifts in Hungary, he went to Vienna, and offe-red 
