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 MAYOR OF THE PALACE MAZARIN 305 commune, and is charged with the preserva- tion of public security, the preparation of sta- tistics of marriages, births, &c., and with ju- dicial power over certain minor offences. The chief executive officers of cities in the United States are termed mayors, and are elected an- nually or biennially by the citizens. MAYOR OF THE PALACE (Lat. major domus regice, or magister palatii), an officer of state in France under the Merovingian kings, who originally exercised the functions of royal stew- ard, having the management of the king's es- tates and the direction of his household. By degrees these functionaries usurped almost the entire power of the state, the kings remaining such only in name, whence they were called rois faineants or lazy kings. This assumption of absolute power dates from the middle of the 7th century, when the administration of Austrasia, Neustria, and Burgundy was en- grossed by their mayors, Grimoald, Archam- baud, and Ebroin. Pepin of Heristal, mayor of Austrasia, from 688 to his death in 714 ruled France with absolute sway, and was suc- ceeded by his natural son Charles Martel, whose son Pepin the Short, father of the emperor Charlemagne, took the title of king, and found- ed the Carlovingian dynasty of French mon- archs. The office then lost much of its impor- tance, or was altogether abolished. MAYSVILLE, a city and the capital of Mason co., Kentucky, situated on the Ohio river, at the terminus of the Maysville and Lexington railroad, 65 m. above Cincinnati, and 61 m. N. E. of Lexington ; pop. in 1870, 4,705, of whom 681 were colored. It lies on a bend of the river, and is backed by a range of hills which give it a very attractive appearance. Among the public buildings are a handsome city hall, a court house, a substantial stone jail, and a hos- pital. The city has an active trade derived from N. E. Kentucky, and is one of the most extensive hemp markets in the United States. It contains three banks, two flour mills, two extensive plough factories, one cotton factory, and chair, coach, and wagon factories. There are several public schools, a high school, a con- vent, an academy, one tri-weekly and three weekly newspapers, and twelve churches. It was settled in 1784, and incorporated in 1833. MAYWEED, a plant of the composite fam- ily, with so much the aspect of the chamomile that some botanists place it in the same genus as anthemis cotula, while others regard the fact that the ray flowers are neutral as suffi- cient to characterize a separate genus, maruta. The plant, is a native of Europe, and has be- come extensively naturalized in this country ; and while it is very common along roadsides and in barnyards, it is not an aggressive weed upon cultivated grounds. It is also known as dog's fennel and stinking chamomile; it has not only the appearance of chamomile, but similar properties, but accompanied by a nause- ous odor, which does not prevent its occasional use in domestic medicine. It is said that the fresh plant, especially if bruised, will cause blistering if applied to the skin. Its only im- portance is as an exceedingly common weed; Mayweed (Maruta cotula). and as it is an annual and easily exterminated, its presence is an index of careless cultivation. MAZACA. See C^ESAREA (II.). MAZARIN, Jnles (Ital. MAZARINI, or MAZZA- RINO, GIULIO), cardinal, a French statesman, born at Piscina, in the kingdom of Naples, or according to some in Rome, July 14, 1602, died in Paris, March 9, 1661. He was of a noble Sicilian family, received his early edu- cation at Rome, and afterward studied law at the universities of Alcala and Salamanca in Spain. In 1625 he was a captain in the papal army. Even at this early age he dis- played remarkable diplomatic talent, and was employed in important negotiations with the French and Spanish commanders in Italy. Entering the civil service of the pope, he was attached to the suite of Cardinal Sacchetti, the papal ambassador at Turin. In 1629 the cardinal returned to Rome, leaving Mazarin at Turin, with the title of internuncio and full powers to conclude a peace. In this capaci- ty he went to Lyons in 1630, where he was presented to Louis XIII., and subsequently to Cardinal Richelieu, who succeeded in attaching him to the interests of France. In 1634 Riche- lieu caused him to be made vice legate of Avi- gnon, and in 1641 procured for him a cardinal's hat from Pope Urban VIII. After the death f Richelieu in December, 1642, Mazarin became a member of the council of state ; and on the death of Louis XIII. in May, 1643, the regent Anne of Austria made him prime minister. He at first pursued a cautious policy, affecting great humility and moderation ; but a power- ful party was soon organized against him, headed by the duke of Beaufort, the prince of Conti, the duchess of Longueville, and De Retz, archbishop-coadjutor of Paris. The people being already heavily taxed, the parliament of