Middle ton, Thomas

Born at London (?) about 1570: died at Newing ton Butts, 1627. An English dramatist. He entered Gray's Inn about 1593, became a playwright about 1599, and wrote in conjunction with William Rowley, Munday, Drayton, Webster, and others. He arranged lord mayor's shows and court masks, and in 1620 was appointed city chronologer. Among his plays are "The Old Law" with Mas singer and Rowley (printed 1656), "The Mayor of Quin borough" (1661), "Blurt, Master Constable" (1602), "The Phœnix" (1607), "Michael mas Terme" (1607), "The Family of Love" (licensed 1607), "A Trick to Catch the Old One" (licensed 1607), "Your Five - Gallants" (1608), "A Mad World, my Masters" (1608), "The Roaring Girl" with Dekker (printed 1611), "A Fair Quarrel" with Rowley" (1617), "The Changeling" and "The Spanish Gipsy" with Rowley (1653), "More Di emblers besides Women" with "Women beware Women" (licensed before 1622, printed 1657), "A Game at Che " (1624). The date of the following plays is conjectural: "A Chaste Maid in Cheap side" (1630), "No Wit, no Help like a Woman's" - (1657), "The Witch ch" (which see) (first printed in 1778), "Anything for a Quiet Life" (1662), "The Widow" with I Ben Jonson and Fletcher (1652). He wrote also about 20 masks, entertainments, and pageants; some miscellaneous verse, including "Micro cynic on: Six Snarling Satires" (1599); and various prose pamphlets, including "The Black Book" (1604), "Father Hubberd's Tales, etc." (1604), etc. Middle ton's works were not collected till 1840, when Dyce's edition appeared, which is now out of print. In 1886 Mr. Bullen's edition, in 8 vols., appeared. Dict . Nat. Biog. Middle ton, Thomas Fanshaw. Born at Kedleston, Derby shire, England, Jan. 26, 1769: died at Calcutta, July 8, 1822. An English scholar and divine, appointed first bishop of Calcutta in 1814. He published "Doctrine of the Greek Article applied to the Criticism and Illustration of the New Testament" (1808), etc. Middle town (mid'l-toun). A city, one of the capitals of Middle sex County, Connecticut, situated on the Connecticut 15 miles south of Hartford. It is a port of entry, and is the seat of Wesley an University (Methodist Episcopal), Berkeley Divinity School (Episcopal), a State insane asylum, and an industrial school girls. Population (1900), 9,589. Middle town. A manufacturing city in Orange County, New York, 54 miles north-northwest of New York city. Population (1900), 14,522. Middle wich (mid'l-wich). A town in Cheshire, England, 26 miles southeast of Liverpool. Population (1891), 3,706. Midgard (mid'gärd). [ON. Midhgardhr , Goth. Midjungards, OHG. Mittilgart, Mittigart , OS. Middilgard ; AS. Mid dang eard , the middle yard or inclosure, i. e. the earth.] In Old Norse mythology, the abode of the human race, formed in the midst of Ginnungagap out of the eyebrows of the giant Ymir, the first created being, and joined to heaven by the rainbow bridge of the gods. The word is common to the Germanic languages. Midgardsorm (mid'gärd-sõrm). [ON. Midh gardhsormr: Midhgardhs and ormr , serpent, worm.] In Old Norse mythology, a water demon, the monstrous serpent which lies about the earth in the encircling sea. It was the offspring of Loki and the giante Angurboda (Old Norse Angr bodha). At Ragnarök Thor slays the serpent, but falls dead from the poison which the monster breathes forth. It was also called Jörmungand (Old Norse Jörmungandr ). Midhat Pasha (mid'hät pash'a). Born in Bulgaria, 1822: died in Arabia, May 8, 1884. A Turkish politician, grand vizir in 1872 and 1876-77. Midhurst (mid'hėrst). A small town in Su ex, England, situated on the West Rother 46 miles southwest of London. Midi (mē-de'), Canal du, or Canal du Langue doc. [F., 'canal of the south' or 'of Langue doc.'] A canal uniting the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. It extends from the Garonne, near Toulouse, to the Etang de Thau, near Agde. It was opened in 1681. Length, 149 miles. Midian (mid'i-an). An Arabian tribe settled in the northern part of the Syro-Arabian desert. In Gen. xxv. 2 the Midi a nites are represented as descendants of Abraham and Keturah. They hara ed the Israel their hordes and despoiling the country, until they were ites in the period of the judges, cro ing the Jordan with defeated by Gideon. Later they disappear more and more from history, and are mentioned only as a trading people (Isa. lx. 6). Midland (mid'land). The district of Virginia which extends from Tidewater westward to the base of the Appal a chi ans. Midland Counties. A name given collectively to nearly the whole of the inland counties of England. In the registration system they are grouped as South Midland, West Midland, and North Midland counties. Mid loth i an, or Mid-Lothian (mid-lō'Thi-an). The county of Edinburgh, Scotland. Midnapur (mid-na-pör'). 1. A district in Bengal, British India, intersected by lat. 22° N., long. 87° E. Area, 5,186 square miles. Population (1891), 2,631,516.-2. The capital of the district of Midnapur, situated on the Kasai 70 miles west of Calcutta. Population, about 30,000. Midrash (midrash). Heb., 'exposition,' 'explanation.'] The name for the old rabbinical commentaries on biblical books, which grew out of the popular discourses and lectures delivered during the services in the synagogue. Among the older Midrashim are Mechilta on a part of Exodus, Siphra on Levitic us, and Siphre on Numbers and Deuteronomy, all of which belong to the period of the Mishnah (which see). The most popular of the Midrashim was that of Rabbah or Rabboth (magnum) on the Pent a teuch and the so-called "Five Rolls"-i. e., the books of Canticles, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther - which was composed between the 6th and 12th centuries. Midshipman Easy, Mr. See Mr. Midshipman Easy . Midsummer Night's Dream, A. A comedy by Shakspere, acted in 1595. It is mentioned by Meres in his "Palladis Tamia," which was i ued in 1598, and was entered on the "Stationers' Register" Oct. 8, 1600. Two editions were printed in that year-one by James Roberts, the other by Thomas Fisher. Roberts's copy was used for the folio reprint. Chaucer's legend of “This be of Babilon," and Golding's translation of the same story from Ovid, probably furnished the matt or for the Interlude. So much as relates to Bottom and his fellows evidently came fresh from nature as she had pa ed under the poet's eye. The linking of these clowns in with the ancient tragic tale of Pyramus and This be, so as to draw the latter within the region of modern farce, thus travestying the cla ic into the grotesque, is not le original than droll.