Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 15.djvu/560

Rh 532 M A R M A R Raphael s contours, or of the inspired and winning sentiment of his faces ; while in the parts where he is left to himself the rounding and shading, the background and landscape he manages his burin with all the skill and freedom which he had gained by the imitation of northern models, but puts away the northern emphasis and redund ance of detail. His work, however, does not long remain at the height marked by pieces like the Lucretia, the Dido, the Judgment of Paris, the Poetry, the Philosophy, or the first Massacre of the Innocents. Marcantonio s engravings after the works of Raphael s later years are cold, osten tatious, and soulless by comparison. Still more so, as is natural, were those which he and his pupils produced after the designs of the degenerate scholars of Raphael and Michelangelo, of a Giulio Romano, a Polidoro, or a Bandi- nelli. Marcantonio s association with Giulio Romano was the cause of his first great disaster in life. He engraved a series of obscene designs by that painter in illustration of the Sonnetti lussuriosi of Pietro Aretino, and thereby incurred the anger of Pope Clement VII., at whose order he was thrown into prison. Marcantonio s ruin was completed by the calamities attendant on the sack of Rome in 1527. He had to pay a heavy ransom in order to escape from the hands of the Spaniards, and fled from Rome, in the words of Vasari, &quot;all but a beggar.&quot; It is said that he took refuge in his native city, Bologna ; but he never again emerges from obscurity, and all we know with certainty is that in 1534 he was dead. (s. c.) MARCASITE. Modern mineralogists, following Haid- inger, have restricted this name to those forms of native bisulphide of iron which crystallize in the orthorhombic system, and are sometimes known as &quot; prismatic iron- pyrites.&quot; By the older mineralogists the word was used with less definite meaning, being applied to all crystallized and radiated pyrites, whether rhombic or cubic. In the last century both minerals were extensively used as ornamental stones. The marcasites were generally of small size, faceted like rose diamonds, and brilliantly polished, in which form they were mounted in pins, brooches, shoe- buckles, watch-cases, and other ornamental o&quot;bjects. The lustre of the polished surface was so brilliant that the stone, although opaque, formed a rough substitute for diamond ; and this lustre was not readily impaired by atmospheric influences. Much of the old marcasite jewellery is of so pale a colour as almost to resemble burnished steel ; such kinds generally belong to the true modern marcasite, sometimes called &quot; white pyrites &quot;; while the specimens which possess a brassy yellow colour are mostly referable to the cubic species, which is distinctively termed pyrite. Some of the finest pyrites suitable for the jeweller is found in Elba and in Brazil ; but the mineral enjoys a&quot; very wide geographical distribution, and is common in England, especially in Cornwall, where it is known to the miners as &quot; mundic.&quot; By the ancient Peruvians the mineral was extensively used for amulets, while the larger pieces were polished as mirrors ; hence marcasite is sometimes called pierre des Incas. The word marcasite, variously written marchasite, marchesite, marquesite, &c., appears to have been introduced from Spain, and is supposed to be of Arabic origin. It is notable that the word was applied by early writers on chemistry to the metal now called bismuth. MARCELLINUS, ST, according to the Liberian catalogue, became bishop of Rome on June 30, 296 ; his predecessor was Caius or Gaius. Of his pontificate virtually nothing is known. In the Concilia of Mansi and Hardouin there is an account of a synod alleged to have been held in 303 at Sinuessa (between Rome and Capua), at which Marcellinus was accused by three of his priests and two of his deacons of having accompanied Diocletian into the temple of Vesta and Isis, and there burnt incense. The narrative goes on to say that ultimately he confessed his guilt in the presence of the three hundred assembled bishops, but that his condemnation was left to himself, for &quot; prima sedes non judicatur a quoquam.&quot; It is further stated in the same account that he and many of the other bishops were put to death by Diocletian on August 23, 303. The story of the synod of Sinuessa was current at an early date, but was condemned by Augustine and Theodoret as a mere invention of the Donatists. Its fabulous character is maintained by Dollinger (Papstfabeln) and by Hefele (Concilieiigeschichte), even against the weighty authority of the Breviary, where it constitutes a lesson in one of the nocturns for April 26, the commemoration day of Marcellinus. Marcellinus died, according to the Liberian catalogue, in 304, after a pontificate of eight years three months and twenty-five days ; after a considerable interval he was succeeded by Marcellus, who has sometimes been identified with him. MARCELLUS, MARCUS CLAUDIUS, Roman warrior, was born about 268 B.C., and served first in Sicily against Hamilcar. In his first consulship (222) he was engaged in the war against the Insubres, and won the spolia opima by slaying their chief Viridomarus. In 216 he was to have gone as praetor to Sicily with a fleet, but was detained on the news of the defeat at Cannae. He went to Canusiurn and took command of the fragments of the army. He tried without success to prevent Capua going over to Hannibal, but saved Nola. In 214 he was in Sicily as consul at the time of the revolt of Syracuse ; he stormed Leontini and besieged Syracuse, but the engineering skill of Archimedes repelled his attacks and compelled him to content himself with a blockade. Himilco landed with a Carthaginian army, and Marcellus failed to prevent their occupying Agrigentum. Taking the opportunity of a feast of Artemis, Marcellus stormed Epipoke ; but the old town and the island remained untaken, as also the fort of Euryalus, which was, however, cut off and soon fell. Meanwhile pestilence raged among the Carthaginian army encamped outside. After several months, during which disorder reigned in the town, he gained a lodgment by the aid of a Spanish officer, and Syracuse was sur rendered (212). Marcellus spared the lives of the Syracusans, but carried off their art treasures to Rome. Consul again in 210, he took Salapia by help of the Roman party there, and put to death the Numidian garrison. Proconsul in 209, he attacked Hannibal near Venusia, and after a desperate battle retired to that tawn ; he was accused of bad generalship, and had to leave the army to defend himself in Rome. In his last consulship (208), while both consuls were reconnoitring near Venusia, they were unexpectedly attacked, and Marcellus was killed. His successes have probably been exaggerated, but he was a brave soldier, and the name often given to him, the &quot; sword of Rome,&quot; was well deserved. Though plebeians, the Marcelli henceforth took a high position ; they were hereditary patrons of Sicily. MARCELLUS, M. CLAUDIUS, was curule sedile in 56 B.C. with P. Clodius. In 52 he spoke on behalf of Milo at his trial. In 51 he was consul with Ser. Sulpicius. During his consulship he proposed to remove Caesar from his army from March 49. The decision was, however, delayed by Pompeius s irresolution till February 50, and then the tribune C. Curio insisted that Pompeius also should vacate his command; and the senate voted this by a large majority. But at last C. Marcellus, cousin of Marcus, and then consul, went to Pompeius with the two consuls elect, and offered Irm the command of the army against Caesar. In January 49 M. Marcellus tried to put off declaring war till an army could be got ready ; but when Pompeius left Italy Marcus and his brother Caius followed, while his cousin withdrew