MERIVALE, CHARLES (1808-1893).—­Historian, s. of John Herman M., a translator and minor poet, b. in London, ed. at Harrow, Haileybury, and Camb., he took orders, and among other preferments held those of chaplain to the Speaker of the House of Commons, 1863-69, and Dean of Ely.  From his college days he was a keen student of Roman history, and between 1850 and 1864 he pub. his History of the Romans under the Empire, an able and scholarly work, though considered by some critics to be too favourable to the Emperors, and the imperial idea.  An earlier work was The Fall of the Roman Republic (1853).

MERRIMAN, H. SETON, (see SCOTT, H.S.).

MESTON, WILLIAM (1688?-1745).—­S. of a blacksmith, was ed. at Marischal Coll., Aberdeen, took part in the ’15, and had to go into hiding.  His Knight of the Kirk (1723) is an imitation of Hudibras.  It has little merit.

MICKLE, WILLIAM JULIUS (1735-1788).—­Poet, s. of the minister of Langholm, Dumfriesshire, was for some time a brewer in Edin., but failed.  He went to Oxf., where he was corrector for the Clarendon Press.  After various literary failures and minor successes he produced his translation of the Lusiad, from the Portuguese of Camoens, which brought him both fame and money.  In 1777 he went to Portugal, where he was received with distinction.  In 1784 he pub. the ballad of Cumnor Hall, which suggested to Scott the writing of Kenilworth.  He is perhaps best remembered, however, by the beautiful lyric, There’s nae luck aboot the Hoose, which, although claimed by others, is almost certainly his.

MIDDLETON, CONYERS (1683-1750).—­Divine and scholar, b. at Richmond, Yorkshire, and ed. at Camb.  He was the author of several latitudinarian treatises on miracles, etc., which brought him into controversy with Waterland (q.v.) and others, and of a Life of Cicero (1741), largely plagiarised from William Bellenden, a Scottish writer of the 17th century.  Another of his controversies was with Bentley on college administration.  He was master of a very fine literary style.

MIDDLETON, THOMAS (1570-1627).—­Dramatist, was a Londoner and city chronologer, in which capacity he composed a chronicle of the city, now lost.  He wrote over 20 plays, chiefly comedies, besides masques and pageants, and collaborated with Dekker, Webster, and other playwrights.  His best plays are The Changeling, The Spanish Gipsy (both with Rowley), and Women beware Women.  Another, The Game of Chess (1624), got the author and the players alike into trouble on account of its having brought the King of Spain and other public characters upon the stage.  They, however, got off with a severe reprimand.  M. was a keen observer of London life, and shone most in scenes of strong passion.  He is, however, unequal and repeats himself.