456 MAR 
fall, he obferves, “ There is indeed an exception, when 
any great genius thinks it worth his while to expofe a 
foolifh piece ; fo we ftill read Marvell’s anfwer to Parker 
with pleafure, though the book it anfwers be funk long 
ago.” The opinion of fuch a writer may alfo ferve to 
eftablifh the genuinenefs of Marvell’s wit. He wrote 
other works in controverfy ; of which were “ Mr. Smirke, 
or the Divine in Mode,” with its continuation ; “ An 
Iiiftorical ElTay on General Councils, &c.” “ A Seafon- 
able Queftion, and an Ufeful Anfwer and “ A Seafon- 
able Argurhent to the Grand Juries of England to peti¬ 
tion for a new Parliament.” His lad w'ork was “ An 
Account of the Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Go¬ 
vernment in England,” printed in 1678. This gave fo 
much offence to the ruling powers, that an advertifement 
appeared in the Gazette, offering a reward for the difco- 
very of the printer, publilher, and author, of it 5 but 
which feems to have produced no effeft. 
Notwithftanding the acrimony with which Marvell op- 
pofed the court and its plans, his character as a man of 
wit ingratiated him with the mirth-loving monarch, and 
his powers as a W'riter made the miniftry extremely defirous 
of filencing or gaining him over. To this purpofe a re¬ 
markable anecdote is related. One morning, after he had 
been familiarly entertained the preceding evening by his 
majefty, the door of his apartment, up two pair of Itairs 
in a court in the Strand, was fuddenly opened by lord- 
treafurer Danby. Marvell, jvho was writing at his table, 
was furprifed, and afked his lord fliip if he had not miftaken 
his way. “No! (replied the courtier,) now I have found 
Mr. Marvell ;” and he proceeded to fay that he was fent 
from his majefty, to know in what manner he could ferve 
him. Marvell at firlt jeftingly replied, that it was not in 
the king’s power to ferve him ; but, when the minifter pro¬ 
ceeded with great ferioufhefs to fpeak of his majefty’s 
efteern and friendfhip for him, made him an offer of a 
thoufand pounds, and began to fpread out the money on 
the table, with promifes of future favours, the patriot 
with equal ferioufnefs afterted his independence, and re¬ 
jected the bribe. The poet Mafon, who has made Marvell 
the hero of his “ Ode to Independence,” thus alludes to 
his incorruptible integrity : 
In awful poverty his honeft Mufe * 
Walks forth vindictive through a venal land ; 
In vain Corruption fheds her golden dews, 
In vain Oppreftion lifts her iron hand : 
He fcorns them both; and, arm’d with truth alone. 
Bids Lull and Folly tremble on the throne. 
His life was more than once threatened by his irritated 
enemies; and his death, which happened in Auguft, 1678, 
has been attributed to poifon, though no circumftance is 
mentioned to render the fufpicion credible. He was bu¬ 
ried in the church of St. Giles in the Fields ; and the cor¬ 
poration of Hull, in gratitude for his long and faithful fer- 
vices, voted a fum of money to defray his funeral ex- 
penfes, and raife a monument to his memory. Ten years 
afterwards a highly laudatory epitaph was compofed for 
him, which the reCtor would not fuffer to be infcribed on 
his tomb, though the writer had carefully avoided every 
party-fentiment. 
Marvell was a dark-complexioned man, with an ex- 
preflive countenance, ftlentand referved among ftrangers, 
but lively and facetious in the company of his intimates. 
His early poems exprefs a fondnefs for the charms of ru¬ 
ral nature, and much delicacy of fentiment; they are in¬ 
genious and full of fancy, after the manner of Cowley ar.d 
his cotemporaries. His works were published in 2 vols. 
rarno. 1726, by Mr. Cooke, with his life prefixed. A 
much more complete edition of his verfe and prole was 
given by Capt. Edward Thomfon in 3 vols. 4-to. 1776, 
with a new life of the author. In this edition feveral 
compofitioris commonly attributed to other writers are 
given to Marvell, from the incompetent evidence of being 
M A R 
found in a manufcriptjrook partly of his hand-writrngv 
Coohe's and Thomfon's Lives of Marvell. 
MARVEL'LA, a town of Spain, fituated in a bay on 
the fea-fhore, three leagues from Malaga, at the foot of 
fome arid mountains, and containing about 1100 inhabi¬ 
tants. From the number of houfes fallen into ruins, and 
the extent of the walls, part of which Itill remain, and 
are more than a mile in circumference, we might infer 
that the population has been much greater. The fea is 
on the fouth ; and on the north the mountains of Marvells, 
on which a few vines are planted. This town has one 
parilh-church, two moriafteries, an hofpital, two fchools, 
a manfion-houfe, and a prifon. On the fhore a battion, 
mounted with two pieces of ordnance, is ereCted for the 
defence of the bay, where no large lliip can call anchor. 
The inhabitants derive their fubfiltence from filhing, and 
the produce of a limited agriculture. They alfo employ 
twenty barks in conveying leather, charcoal, wood, wine, 
dried raifons, and black-ftone, &c. to Cadiz, Malaga, and 
Ceuta. To thefe they may fometimes add the juniper- 
berries, which the mountains furnilh in great profufion, 
and of which the Englilli confume great quantities in 
their dyes. 
MAR'VELLOUS, adj. [merveillcux, Fr.J Wonderful; 
ftrange; aftoniihing.—This is the Lord’s doing; it is 
marvellous in our eyes. PJalnis. —Surpifiing credit.—The 
marvellous fable includes whatever is fupernatural, and ef- 
pecially the machines of the gods. Pope's Preface to the 
Iliad. 
MAR'VELLOUS, f. [from the adj.J That which ex¬ 
ceeds probability ; as, It borders on the marvellous. AJIi.—- 
The marvellous is ufed, in works of criticifm, to exprefs 
any thing exceeding natural power, oppofed to th eprobable* 
Johnfon. 
M AR'VELLOUSLY, adj. Wonderfully ; ftrangely.— 
The encouragement of his too late, fucceffes, with which 
he was marvelloujly elated. Clarendon. 
You look not well, feignior Antonio ; 
You have too much refpeCt upon the world ; 
They lofe it that do buy it with much care. 
Believe me, you are viarvelloujly chang’d. Shakefpeare. 
MAR'VELLOUSNESS, f. Wonderfulnefs ; ftrange- 
nefs; aftonilhingnefs. 
MARUG'GIO, a town of Naples, in the province of 
Otranto; ten miles fouth-fouth-weft of Oria. 
MAR'VILLE, a tow n of Frsnce, in the department of 
the Meufe : fix miles fouth-eali of Montmedy, and fix 
weft of Longwy. 
MARUL'LUS (Michael Tarchaniotes), a learned mo¬ 
dern Greek, was a native of Conftantinople, which city'’ 
he abandoned at its capture by the Turks in 1453, and 
retired to Italy'. He bore arnis in that country; but was 
at the fame time a votary of polite literature. He had fe¬ 
veral patrons among the Italian princes, and was for fome 
time liberally entertained by Lorenzo de Medici; but he 
was of a reltlefs difpofition, and did not remain long in 
one place. He married the learned Alexandra Scala of 
Florence, which circumftance involved him in a bitter 
quarrel with Politian, who was an admirer of her’s. He 
had alfo controverfies with others of the learned, which 
he brought upon himfelf by his cenfures of the ancient 
Latin poets, and his high notions of his own merits. 
Marullus unfortunately loft his life in 1 500 while attempt¬ 
ing to ride acrofs the little river Cecina in Tulcany. His 
Latin poems confift of four books of Epigrams and four 
of Hymns, with a fragment of a poem on the Education of 
Princes. They were published collectively at Paris in 
1529, 8vo. and 1561, 121110. and likewife in other places. 
Concerning their merit, very different opinions have been 
given ; on the whole, it feems that they are not void of 
elegance and ingenuity, but cannot claim a place among 
the belt compolitions of the kind. He was reckoned a 
happy imitator of the ftyle of Lucretius, a poet who was 
