MAR 
He is often tedioufly minute in his narrations, and prolix 
in his digreffions. On the whole, however, his works are 
read with pleafure. Moreri. 
MAR'SOM’s KE'Y, a fmall ifland in the Spanilh Main. 
Lat. 12. 5. N. Ion. 82. 58. W. 
M AR'SON, a town of France, in the department of the 
Marne, and chief place of a canton, in thediftrifl of Cha- 
lons-fur-Marne. The place contains 400, and the canton 
7608, inhabitants. 
MAR'SOWITZ, a town of Bohemia, in the circle of 
Beraun: twenty miles fouth-eaft of Beraun. 
MAR'STA, a town of Sweden, in the province of Up¬ 
land : fixteen miles fouth of Upfal. 
MAR'STA, a fmall ifland near the well coaft of Sweden, 
in the North Sea. Lat. 56.47. N. Ion. 12. 31. E. 
MAR'STON (John). Of this poet, who flourifhed in 
the reigns of Elizabeth and James I. but few circum- 
ftances remain on record. Wood only informs us that 
he was a ftudent in Corpus-Chrilli College, Oxford ; but 
has neither fixed the place of his birth, nor the family 
from which he was delcended. We find, from Dugdale’s 
Origines, that, when he left Oxford, he was entered of the 
Middle Temple, of which fociety he was chofen Ietlurer 
in the 34th of Elizabeth. The period of his death is not 
known : he was living in 1633. His comic humour 
fometirnes ferves to remind us of Shakefpeare : he abounds 
in farcafm ; and the fatirical mifanthrope, whofe character 
appears in aim off every one of his pieces, if it juftly ex¬ 
poles him to the charge of famenefs or mannerifm, never- 
thelefs affords alinolt conftant amufement, and occalionally 
good moral reflection. He wrote with unpardonable hafte 
and careleifnels ; and the plots of all his plays, which ge¬ 
nerally bid very fair in the beginning, turn out to be mi- 
ferably lame and undigeffed long before the conclufion. 
He was, however, a chalte and pure writer, avoiding that 
obfcenity, ribaldry, and fcurrility, which too many of the 
playwrights of that time, and indeed much more fo in 
fome periods fince, have made the bafis of their wit, to 
the great difgrace and fcandal of the ftage. He abhorred 
fuch writers and their works; and purified fo oppofite a 
practice in his own performances, that “ whatfoever even 
in the fpring of his years he prefented upon the private 
and public theatre, in his autumn and declining age he 
needed not to be afhamed of.” 
His plays are eight in number: viz. 1. Antonio and 
Mellida, an hiftorical play; 4to. 1602. 2. Antonio’s Re¬ 
venge, a tragedy ; 4to. 1602. 3. Malcontent, a tragi¬ 
comedy ; 4to. 1604. 4. Dutch Courtezan, a comedy; 
4to. 1605. 5. Parafitafter, a comedy ; 4to. 1606. 6. The 
Wonder of Women, or Sophonifba, a tragedy ; 4to. 1606. 
7. What you Will, a comedy; 4to. 1607. 8. Infatiate 
Countefs, a tragedy ; 410. 1613 ; 4to. 1631. Of thefe, all 
but the 3d and 8th were publifhed in one volume tamo, 
1633. It is evident that Marfton mult have lived in 
triendfhip with Ben Jonfon at the time of his writing 
the Malcontent, which play he has warmly dedicated to 
him ; yet it is probable that Ben’s feif-fufficiency and na¬ 
tural arrogance might in time leffien that friendlhip; as 
we afterwards find our author, in his epiltle to the reader 
prefixed to his Sophonifba, calting fome very fevere glances 
at the pedantry and plagiarifm of that poet, in borrowing 
orations from Sallult and other of the clalfical writers, and 
making ufe of them in his tragedies of Sejanus and Catir 
line. Ben Jonfon told Drummond of Hawthornden, that 
he had fought feveral times with Marlton; and faid, that 
Marlfon wrote his father-in-law’s preachings, and his fa¬ 
ther-in-law his comedies. Mat lion alfo wrote fome excel¬ 
lent fatires, called The Scourge of Villainy, 1599. 
MAR'STON MO'OR, a place ot England, in t lie county 
of York, memorable for a battle fought there in 1644. See 
the article England, vol. vi. p. 674. 
MAR'STON-SIC'CA, a village in Gloucellerfhire, fix 
miles from Campden. Here is a roalfing-jack, in the 
pcfleffion of Mr. Tomms, laid to be the fame which king 
Cnarles II. was fet to wind up, when be appeared as ier- 
M A R 447 
vant to Mrs. Lane. It is not curious in itfelf, but only 
as it is connected in flory with that prince. 
MAR'STRAND, one of the raoft extreme among that 
duller of iflands which extends from the coaft of Sweden. 
Marftrand, from its ftrength called the Gibraltar of 
Sweden, is a rocky ifland in theCattegat, about two miles 
in circumference. The town, which lies on the eaftern 
fide, contains 160 houfes, and about 1200 inhabitants. It 
was declared a free port in 1776 ; and was the great refort 
for the American vefl’eis, which were not permitted to 
enter any other port of Sweden. This traffic enriched 
the town, particularly in 1780 and 1781. Since the peace, 
the commerce has greatly diminifhed, and the inhabitants 
have derived their chief fubfiftence from the herring- 
fifhery, by means of the number of fhips which, in bad 
weather, take refuge in the harbour,, and by a contraband 
trade. Though Marftrand is called a free port, the ex¬ 
emption is imaginary ; for, although all goods are ad¬ 
mitted into the town free of duty; yet they cannot be 
exported without paying the ufual cuftoms ; and they are 
fubjecf to a very ftrici fearch. The harbour is fecure and 
commodious, but of difficult entrance, and in tempeftu- 
ous weather dangerous without a pilot. Each of the two 
entrances is commanded by two new batteries. The place 
is (till further fortified by the ltrong citadel of Carlllein, 
which (lands on an eminence in the middle of the ifland. 
It was built in 1682 by Charles XI. and taken by the 
Danes in 1719; but the fortifications have been fince con- 
fiderably ftrengthened ; and it is now deemed impregnable. 
On the top of the higheft tower is a light-houfe, which 
commands an extenfive view of the Cattegat, fprinkled 
with an aftonifhing number of rocks and iflands. It is 
faid, that, on account of the numerous rocks and fhoals 
that render this fea dangerous, above 300 veflels have 
been accuftomed to take refuge annually in the harbour 
of Marftrand. This place is eighteen miles north-weftof 
Gotheborg. Lat. 57. 54. E. Ion. 11. 30. E. 
MAR'SY (Gafpard and Balthafar), two excellent fculp- 
tors who were natives of Cambray ; the fir It was born in 
1624, the fecond in 1628. They acquired the principles 
of their art under their father, and in 1648 went to Paris 
to perfefl themfelves. They worked together for im¬ 
provement during-fome years ; and at length attrafled the 
notice of M. de la Vrilliere, fecretary of ftate, who em¬ 
ployed them in the decorations of his houfe, fince the Ho¬ 
tel de Touloufe. Their reputation being now eftablifhed, 
they were engaged in the works carrying on at Verfailles. 
Their moll celebrated performance was a group of Tritons 
watering the horfes of the Sun in the baths of Apollo. 
Their la ft work in conjundlion was the tomb of John Ca- 
fimir king of Poland. The younger Marfy then laid afide 
the chifel; and the elder, Gafpard, finifhed feveral more 
works alone, which were worthy of his reputation. He 
was received into the Academy of Painting and Sculpture 
in 1657, nominated profeflbr in 1659, and chofen reftor 
in 1675. U e died in 1681. Balthalar was adnTitted into 
the academy in 1673, and died in the following year. Of 
the two brothers, the eldeit poflelTed more fcience and 
judgment, the youngeft more genius and animation. 
They worked together with the greateft harmony, mutu¬ 
ally communicating their defigns, and each endeavouring 
to throw lultre upon the other. D'Argenville Vies dds 
Sculpt. 
MAR'SY (Frangois-Marie de), a modern Latin poet 
and mifcellaneous writer, was a native of Paris. He en¬ 
tered early into the fociety of Jefuits, where he cultivated 
his literary talents fo fuccefsfully, that at the age of twenty 
he had acquired confiderable reputation by his Latin poe¬ 
try. His principal performance in this walk was entitled 
Piclura, iamo. 1736. In this poem he puffts over the 
mechanical part of the art of painting, and gives, as it 
were, a gallery of pictures, feveral of which are touched 
with much defcriptive force. Obliged to quit the habit 
of the order, he employed himfelf as a man of letters, and 
compofed feveral uleful works. Of thefe were, 2. L’Hif- 
toire 
