Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/854

* MONTH. 766 MONTIANO Y LUYANDO. to the weather, vegetation, ami harvest, hut these were iliseariled when the revolutionary ealendar went out of use. As to .syniholic art, the months have borrowed from the zodiacal signs. (See Zodiac.) In poetry, they liave received symbolic representation ehielly on the basis of their sea- sonal characteristics in Central and Western Europe. Consult: Chambers, Hook of Dai/s, and Hone, Everydiiy Book. .See C.vlend.r; JIoon. MONTH. In law, both solar (or calendar) and lunar months are recognized. At the early conunon law, where the term was not otherwise defined, it was held to mean the lunar month of 2S days, except in case of commercial paper and other mercantile obligations, when, by the custom of merchants, it was deemed to mean the ealendar month of 30 or 31 days. By statute in Kngland the term month, where it occurs in statutes, must be interpreted to mean calendar month, but this does not alter the common law rule as to contracts and other transactions. In the United States generally, the term, unless otherwise defined, is usually construed to mean a calendar month. It is so defined in Xew York by statute. However, in the interpretation of the word where found in statutes, it seems the eoni- mon law rule still prevails in some jurisdictions. See TlMK. MONTHOLON, mO.N'ti'IoN', Charles Tris- tan, Marquis de (1783-lSo3). A French soldier and writer of Napoleonic memoirs. He was descended from an ancient French family and was born in Paris. He displaved great zeal on behalf of the First Consul on the 18th Bru- niaire in the capacity of chef tl'c.scndron, ser'ed in a number of campaigns, and was severely wounded at W'agrani. Xaptdeon made him his chamberlain in ISO'.!. He became brigadier-gen- eral in 1814. and was appointed to the chief conunand in the Department of Loire. On Napo- leon's alKlication. Montholon remained in France, held aloof from the Bourbons, and joined the Emperor on his return from Elba. He was present at Waterloo and accompanied Najjoleon to .Saint Helena, continuing his devoted atten- tions to him till lie breathed his last, and having been named in his will as one of his trustees, spared no exertion to carry its provisions into elTeet. For participating in Louis Napoleon's unsuccessful coup at Boulogne, in 1840, jlontho- lon was sentenced to twenty years' imprisonment, but was pardoned in 1848. With General Gour- gaud he published Mcniohcs pour scriir f) Vhis- toirc dc Friiucc noun ynpoh'on Merits d Snintc 11 ('line sous S(i dictce (1823). He was also the author of RMts dc la captiritc dc Sainte HiHinc (1S47). MONTH'S MIND. In the Roman Catholic Church, the requiem mass celebrated for a de- ceased person a month after death, as 'year's mind' was used for an anniversary mass in a similar ease. MONTHYON, mON't*'ON'. An incorrect spell- iriL' "f Mniil villi (q.v.). MONTI. mAn't^ VtNCENZO ( 17.-)4-lS2S) . An It.iliiiii |iiHt. born near Fusi<.'nano, in the Province nf Kcrrara. February 10. 17.')4. He studieil juris- prudence very much against his will, being in- clined to classical studies. In 1778 he went to Roine and stayed there some time as secretary to Prince Brasehi. In 17tH Monti's evident lean- ing toward the ideas represented by the French Revolution brought him into bad odor, and the leeliiig against him was hardly allayed by the composition of the Bassevillidiiu (17!)3), hieli seemed to show his horror of the excesses due to revolutions. Finally in 1797 Monti fled . from Rome and accompanied the French agent, Marmont, to Florence and Bologna, .fterwards at Milan he obtained a position in the govern- ment of that region, and when the Cisalpine Republic fell he betook himself to Paris. After Napoleon's victory at Marengo he took the chair of oratory and poetry at the University of Pavia in 1802. By Napoleon's favor he held a position at the College de France, where he ended his tragedy, Cajo Gracco, and began in Dantesque style a poem on the mathematician Mascheroni. When Napoleon became King of Italy. Monti was made historiographer of the realm, an olliee which he lost in 1814. although he was permitted to retain his professorship. The rest of his life was passed in study, but was saildcned bv adversity. He died at Milan, Octo- ber 13. 1828. The various political changes through which Monti passed reveal themselves in his literary works. The first edition of the lyrics of Monti was the Sa'/giii di poesie (Leghorn. 1770); the next the Veisi (1788). In 1783, or thereabouts, he began the Feroniade, a mythological poem in blank verse cm the draining of the Pontine marshes. The work was never finished, although the poet spent the last years of his life in elaborating it. One of his most notable poems, because of its perfection of form, was the Mdselierouiana (1801), in which the spirit of Mascheroni discourses with others of the mis- fortunes of Italy. To about 1S2.T belongs the Scrmonc sopra la mitolofiia, a manifesto in verse in favor of classicism and attacking romanticism. .Mthough his temperament was not euiiiiently dramatic, ^lonti essayed the drama with some success. The Aristodcino was printed at Parma in 1780 and performed at Valle di Roma in 1787. His (liilcoUo Manfrcdi is really a romantic drama; it was imblished at Rome in 1788. ilonti's most successful dramatic composition is the Cdio Gracco (Milan. 18021. His transla- tions include versions of the Satires of Persius, of a frag'ment of the I'liilocteles of Sophocles, and, most notjible of all. of the Iliad. This last, published at Jlilan. 1810 and 1812. is pretty true to the tone of the Homeric epic, ^Monti's prose works arc less numerous than his. works in verse. .Among them are the Le:ioni di clo<jiicnza, deliv- ered from his chair at Pavia; the Lcllerc filn- loiiiche : the IjCltera. addressed to Bettinelli; and the Dialofihi, on tnie Italian speech. With the aid of his son-in-law. Perticari. he prepared a lexicographical work, the I'ropo.-ila di alcuiic cor- rczioni cd ufifiiuiilc da Farsi al rocaholarin della Crusca (Milan. 1817-2(1). Consult: A. Jlonti, linccM~o Monti, riccrchc storichc e Ictterarie (Rome, 1873) ; Cantit. Monti c I'etd che fu sua (Milan, 1870) ; Vicchi. Miiccn:o Monti, le Icltcre c la politica in Italia da] It-'tO til IS.iO, especially vols, vi.viii, (Faenza. 1870. and Rome. 18S.')-S7). MONTIANO Y LUYANDO. m.'.n'ti". ii'nA * loo-yiin'dA. Ar.t'.sTi'x m: ( 10!)7-I7fi4). A Spanish poet, born at Vallailoliil. His first poem. Roho di Dina. was written while he was a youii^' man at Majorca. .ftcrwanls he went to Madrid. where he was eonnei-ted with the Departmi'iit of .State for many j'ears. He was a man of ac-