crown to her son James VI. The Earl of Murray, at the same time, was declared regent, the prince being then an infant of the age of thirteen months. The queen soon after escaped from prison, and raised an army to oppose the regent, but was defeated by him, and fled to England in 1568. At the invitation of Elizabeth she entered England, and was instantly secured at Carlisle, from whence she was conveyed to another prison, and at length was most treacherously brought to trial, found guilty, and condemned to death, for a conspiracy against the life of the. queen of England. She was beheaded in the castle of Fotheringay, February 8, 1587, and her remains were intered in Peterborough cathedral; but when her son came to the throne, they were removed, and magnificently buried in Westminster-abbey. Bothwell fled to Denmark, where he died in obscurity.

METCALF, (JOHN) a blind sportsman. This extraordinary person was born at Knaresborough in Yorkshire, in the year 1717, and lost his sight when he was four years of age. Being instructed to play on the violin, he attended as a musician at the Queen's-head, High Harrogate, for many years, and was the first person who set up a wheel carriage for the conveyance of company to and from the places of public resort, in the neighbourhood. In 1745, he engaged to serve as musician in colonel Thornton's volunteers, and narrowly escaped being taken prisoner at the battle of Falkirk. He was afterwards taken as a Scotch spy, tried by a

court

court-martial, and acquitted. Being soon re leased, he returned to Knaresborough, and commenced common carrier between that town and York; frequently acting as a guide in intricate roads during the night, or when the tracks were covered with snow. No person was more eager of the chase, which he would follow either on foot or on horseback with the greatest avidity. This very singular character has been present at many of the most remarkable chaces in that part of the kingdom, and has generally ranked among the number of those who were first in with the hounds. Strange as this may appear to those who enjoy the sense of seeing, the employment he followed for more than thirty years past, is still more extraordinary, and one of the last to which we could suppose a blind man would ever turn his attention, that of projecting, and contracting for, the making of high-roads, building bridges, houses, &c. With no other assist ance than a long staff in his hand, he has been known to ascend the precipice, and explore the valley, and investigate the extent of each, its form and situation. His plans and estimates were made in a method peculiar to himself, and which he found it impossible to convey a proper idea of to others. In 1795, he dictated the occurrences of his life to a friend, who published them under the title of "Blind Jack of Knaresborough; or, the life of John Metcalf." He was then seventy-eight years of age, and refided on a small holding at Spofforth, near Wetherby; with his daughter and son-in-law.

MICHAEL

216

MICHAEL ANGELO.MOLIERE.

MICHAEL ANGELO DA CARAVAGGIO, a famous Italian painter, born in 1569, was in the early part of his life no other than a daylabourer, but having seen some painters at work on a brick wall which he had assisted in raising, he was so delighted with their art, that he immediately applied himself to the study of it. His progress was so rapid, that, in a few years, he was admired in Venice, Rome, and other parts of Italy, as the author of a new stile in painting. His pieces are to be met with in many of the cabinets in Europe; and one of them is to be seen in the Dominican church at Antwerp, which Rubens used to call his master. It is said of this painter, that he was as singular in his disposition as in his gusto of painting, Detraction and contention were his delight, insomuch that his pencil was no sooner out of his hand, than his sword was in it. MOLIERE, (JOHN BAPTISTE) a French comedian and dramatic poet, whose real name was Porquelin, was born in Paris, in 1620. His father was a tapestry maker, and intended to rear his son to the same business; but his grandfather having often taken him to the theatre, he became disgusted with his trade, and prevailed on the old gentleman to permit him to follow his studies, which he did under the Jesuits. When Cardinal Richlieu encouraged and protected dramatic poets, several private theatres were erected at Paris, to one of which Moliere attached himself, and then it was that he changed his name. In 1653, he formed a company of comedians, in conjunction with

La Bejart, an actress of promising talents, with whom he went to Lyons, where he produced his first play, called L'Etourdi, the Blunderer. After visiting many places, this company came to Paris, and exhibited before the court in 1658. Here they were so well approved, that the king took them into his service, and granted Moliere a pension. After writing a great number of dramatic pieces, he produced his last comedy, "Le Malade Imaginaire," or the Hypochondriac. This performance was acted for the fourth time, February 17th, 1673, on which day our poet died. The circumstance of his death was very extraordinary. The principal character represented in the play is a sick man, who upon a certain occasion pretends to be dead. Moliere acted that part, and is said to have died in the exhibition of it. Others say, that Moliere, though very ill, performed the whole of it. Voltaire says, of Moliere, "that he retrieved comedy out of chaos, as Corneille did tragedy :” and in another place, calls him, "the best comic poet that ever lived in any nation."

MONSEY, (Dr. MESSENGER) many years physician to Chelsea Hospital, a man of very comprehensive understanding, genius, and wit, and of infinite whimsicality, all which he preserved in full force to his death, at the age of ninety-six, in December 1788. He was by nature, what Swift was from affectation and spleen. Dr. Monsey was particularly blunt in his humours, and gave his worst of thoughts the worst of

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words;" but those thoughts were never malig nant: his openness of manner, and severity of language, proceeded entirely from a love of truth, and a disdain of every thing that savoured of affectation and foppery. With an appearance of rigour and parsimony, he was really tolerant to natural failings, and possessed a very benevolent heart, always ready to promote patronage for distress, and to set a liberal example. This gentleman entertained the highest admiration for Mrs. Montague, (the worthy patroness of chimney-sweepers) and considered her as one of the first intellectual characters he had ever known in his long and large intercourse with mankind. The following extract of a letter of pleasantry, from Mrs. Montague to Dr. Monsey, in January 1785, when the Doctor was ninety-three years of age, points out a reciprocity of friendship. " My dear doctor, I flatter myself you do not love me less vehemently at ninety, than you did at eighty-nine. Indeed, I feel my passion for you increases yearly. A miser does not love a new guinea, or an antiquary an old one, more than I do you. Like a virtuoso, I admire the verd antique on your character, and set a higher price on your affection every day. If the winter of the year had been as pleasant as the winter of your age, I should have called on you at Chelsea before this time, but it has been so harsh and severe that I durst not venture myself abroad under its influence, &c." The following anecdote of Dr. Monsey is well attested. He lived so long