M U S 
M U -S 
407 
In botany, a genus confiding of feveral fpecies referred 
by Thunberg to Gorteria. It belongs to the clafs fyn- 
genefia, order polygamia fruftranea, natural order com- 
pofitae capitatse, Linn, (corymbiferae, Jnff. ) Generic Cha- 
rablers—Common calyx : of one leaf, cylindrical, naked, 
toothed in the margin. Corolla : compound, radiated. 
Florets of the difk numerous, perfeft, with a funnel- 
(haped five-cleft corolla; thofe of the radius fewer, fe¬ 
male, with a ligulate lanceolate one. Stamina: (in the 
perfeft florets only) filaments five, (hort; antherae united 
into a cylindrical tube. Piftillum : (of the perfect florets) 
germen hairy ; ftyle thread-Ihaped, the length of its own 
little corolla; ftigma cloven. In the female florets, the 
germen is obfolete and abortive; ftyle none; ftigma none. 
Pericarpium : none, except the calyx, falling off entire. 
Seeds: to the perfedl florets only, folitary, roundifh ; 
down Ample ; receptacle villous. — Effential Char after. 
Receptacle villous ; down Ample, compofed of hairs ; flo¬ 
rets of the radius ligulate ; calyx of one leaf, cylindrical, 
toothed. There are fix fpecies. 
1. Muflinia linearis: leaves linear, ftnooth, with fringed 
teeth at the bafe ; ftalk Angle-flowered. This and all the 
following fpecies are natives of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Leaves pointed ; flower-ftalk longer than the leaves. 
2. Muflinia uniflora. See Gorteria uniflora. 
3. Muflinia fpeciofa : leaves either pinnatifid or undi 
vided, downy beneath ; fegments linear-lanceolate; ftalk 
downy, fingle-flowered ; calyx downy. Root lubdivided, 
fibrous. Leaves entirely radical; green above, and flight- 
ly downy; white with down beneath; revolute at the 
margin. Florets of the radius yellow, with a flight ftreak 
on their lower fide, and a dark fpot'at their bale on the 
upper. Willdenow obferves, that this differs from Gor¬ 
teria rigens (vol. viii. p. 698.) in the ftru&ure of its ca¬ 
lyx, in having no Item, as well as on account of its annual 
root, and whole habit. 
4. Muflinia incifa: leaves either pinnatifid or undi¬ 
vided, hairy, downy beneath; ftalk fingle-flowered, the 
length of th,e leaves ; calyx fmooth. Root annual, de- 
feending very deep. Leaves moftly radical, on (talks, ob¬ 
long; when pinnatifid. their fegments are ovate-oblong, 
green and rough above, downy and white beneath, with 
reflexed margins; they are all eredt, about three inches 
long, their (talks and ribs fprinkled over with white 
hairs. Stalks round, (lightly ftriated. 
5. Muflinia othonna : leaves pinnatifid, fmooth; (talk 
fingle-flowered ; calyx turbinate. The leaves are all ra¬ 
dical, two or three inches long, and fomewhat glaucous ; 
their fegments linear, with a cartilaginous, prickly- 
toothed, margin, and a terminal briftle. Flower-ftalk 
four inches high, eredt, Ample, with one linear bradte 
above the middle. Flower terminal, folitary, eredt, an 
inch in diameter. Calyx ftriated, fmooth, with two rows 
of marginal teeth ; the innermoft furniftied with long 
points, but much (horter than the radius, the florets of 
which appear to be yellow', with a brown ftripe under¬ 
neath. 
6. Muflinia pinnata : leaves pinnate, villous, downy- 
white beneath ; leaflets elliptical, the terminal one larger 
and fubdivided ; ftalk fingle-flowered; calyx villous. See 
the article Gorteria, vol. viii. alfoThunb. Prodr. 162 , 3 . 
and the Copenhagen Tranf. vol. iv. 
MUSSITA'TION, J. [niuffito, Lat.] Murmur; grum¬ 
ble. Bullokar. —Their words feemed as if they came out 
of a bottle, or whole voice refembled the murmur, or 
muffitation, which liquor makes that is pent up in a bottle. 
Young on Idolatrous-Corruptions. 
MUSS'O, a town of Italy, in the department of the 
Lario : twenty-four miles north of Como. 
MUSS'O (Cornelius), a learned Italian prelate, and 
one of the mod celebrated preachers in the fixteenth cen¬ 
tury, was rlefcended from a noble family, and born at 
Placentia in the year 1511 . When only nine years old 
he dedicated himfelf to the order of St. Francis, to fulfil 
a vow made by his mother when (lie was pregnant with 
him, and entered a monaftery in his native city. He 
early difeovered great vivacity of genius, a prodigious 
ftrength of memory, and talents peculiarly adapted for 
the pulpit; which induced his fuperiors to place him 
under the beft mafters, at Carpi, and in other places, in 
order to qualify him for the office of preacher. Under 
their inftrudlions he made a rapid proficiency in claflical 
learning, and the art of oratory ; and, having commenced 
preacher, acquired a high reputation for pulpit-eloquence, 
when he was only nineteen years of age. But his fupe¬ 
riors, wdfely judging that to attain to excellence in this 
art required a more folid foundation of knowledge and 
literature than he at prefent poffefled, fent him with let¬ 
ters of recommendation to Venice, where they hoped 
that, by a difplay of his abilities before the fenate, he 
might fecure an eftablifliment in fome learned feminary. 
This defign proved fuccefsful; for, though upon his en¬ 
trance into the pulpit at the church of St. Mark, his 
youthful appearance, diminutive ftature, and lickly coun¬ 
tenance, created unfavourable impreflions againft him ; 
he fpeedily effaced thefe, and captivated his audience by 
the charms of his voice, the fublimity of his conceptions, 
and the graces of his delivery. He now found many zea¬ 
lous patrons, who procured him an honourable poft in 
the convent of the Francifcans at Padua. Here, without 
neglecling the art of rhetoric, he diligently applied tothe 
ftudy of philofophy, and of divinity; and, after he had 
taken the degree of bachelor, read leftures, and held 
deputations, by which he acquired high reputation. He 
was honoured with the friendfliip of the famous Peter 
Bembo, afterwards cardinal, who aflifted him in his rhe¬ 
torical ftudies. He was inftrudted by Lampridius in the 
Greek language, and by other tutors in the Hebrew and 
Chaldee. Having afliduoufly availed himfelf of the ad¬ 
vantages which he thus enjoyed for improvement, Muflo 
refumed his pulpit-labours, and rofe to decided pre-emi¬ 
nence among his contemporaries in Italy. He preached 
a eourfe of Lent-fermons at Padua, with great applaufe. 
He then maintained thefes for feveral lucceflive days ; 
and, as a reward of his merit, was promoted to the de¬ 
gree of dodftor of divinity. Afterwards he was appointed 
to preach, during a whole Lent, in the convent of his 
order at Venice. The fame office he performed in feveral 
of the principal cities in Italy, particularly at Milan, 
where he was much efteemed by the duke Francis Sfcrza. 
That prince appointed him profefl’or in ordinary of meta- 
phyfics at the univerfity of Pavia, and frequently at¬ 
tended his lectures. Upon the difperlion of the univerfity, 
after the death of Sforza, Muflo was made profeflor of 
metaphylics at Bologna. 
About the year 1537, cardinal Cavnpegio, bifliop of 
Bologna, prefented Muflo to pope Paul III. who ap¬ 
pointed him theologian to the cardinal his grandfon, and 
preacher at St. Lawrence in Damazo at Rome. By his 
iermons in this church he attracted very crowded au¬ 
ditories, and acquired fuch celebrity, that his holinefs 
determined to raife him to the epifcopal rank. Accord¬ 
ingly, in 1541, he was created Bifliop of Bertinozo, in 
the Romagna ; and was foon after tranflated to the fee 
of Bitonto in Apulia; and in 1545, the fame pope fent 
him to the council of Trent, where he was feleded to 
preach a Latin fermon^it the opening of the council, and 
diftinguiftied himfelf in the debates on the points of doc¬ 
trine and difeipline which took place in that aflembly. 
After the interruption of the council which followed its 
tranflation from Trent to Bologna, and the death Paui III. 
his fucceflor, Julius III. chofe the bifliop of Bitonto for 
his dotneftic prelate and afliftant; in which capacity he 
was alfo employed by Pius IV. In the year 1560, he was 
fent nuncio into Germany, together with the nephew of 
the pontiff laft mentioned, and executed his commiflion 
at the court of Ferdinand with great reputation. After¬ 
wards he was employed at the court of Rome on various 
matters till the diffolution of the council of Trent, when 
lie retired to Bitonto, where he applied himfelf to the re- 
* formation 
