Page:A Compendium of Irish Biography.djvu/368

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MOL

MON

your brother not only an ingenious and learned acquaintance, that all the world esteemed, but an intimate and sincere friend, whom I truly loved, and by whom I was truly loved." The highest tribute ever paid to his patriotism and genius was by Grattan, in his great speech in the Irish Parliament, on i6th April 1782. Harris's Ware enumerates fifteen works, chiefly philosophical, from his pen. The most important, besides his Case of Ire- land, were Six Metaphysical Meditations (Lond. and Dub. 1680), Sciothericura Tele- scopicum (Dub. 1686), and Dioptrica Nova (Lond. 1692). [His son Samuel, born in 1689, was secretary to George II. when Prince of Wales, and was afterwards Lord of the Admiralty and a member of the Privy-Council. He died childless in

1727.1 ° '9^ ^^^ 339

Molyneux, Sir Thomas, Bart., State Physician, younger brother of preceding, was born in Cook-street, Dublin, 14th April 1661. He was educated in Trinity Col- lege, and took out his degree of Bachelor of Medicine, and afterwai'ds visited Lon- don, Oxford, Cambridge, and the Conti- nental schools, to extend his knowledge. An interesting correspondence between him and his brother WiUiam, contaiuing an account of his travels, is to be found in the University Magazine, vol. xviii. At Leyden he became acquainted with Locke and many persons of note. During the War of i689-'9i he resided in Chester with his brother. They returned im- mediately after the battle of the Boyne. Thenceforward for some time Dr. Moly- neux resided in the house with his father, and engaged in practice. His pro- gress must have been rapid, for in 1693 he was enabled to purchase an estate worth £100 per annum, and in 171 1 he founded the Molyneux Blind Asylum in Peter-str'^et, Dublin, at a cost of £2,310 for the nouse and £2,341 for furniture. In 1 71 5 he was appointed State Physician, afterwards Surgeon-General to the army ; and in 1 730 a baronetcy was conferred upon him by Lord Carteret. He died in 1733, aged 72. He was a Fellow of the Koyal Society in London, and a constant contribu- tor to the proceedings of the Dublin Philo- sophical Society, being especially interested in antiquarian and zoological enquiries relating to Ireland. "He was allowed by all the learned world who knew him, to be a man of uncommon skill and abili- ty in his profession. ... It was not without good cause that John Locke chose him as his friend and adviser." The present Baronet is the 7th. An interest- ing reference to his fine statue by Roubil-

344

liac, standing in Armagh Cathedral, will be found in Notes and Queries, 3rd Series.

54 "6(18)

Iffonck, Mary,awomanofgreatbeauty and considerable poetical abilities, daughter of Lord Molesworth, was born in the latter half of the 17th century. She acquired an intimate knowledge of Latin, Italian, and Spanish literature. Chiefly residing in the country, one of a numerous family, she cultivated poetry more as an amuse- ment than with a view to publication. She married George Monck of Dublin. A f ter her early death from consumption, at Bath, in 17 1 5, a volume of her poems and trans- lations was published. Several of her pieces are given in Gibber's Lives of the Poets. 34 349

Monro, Robert, Major-General, a Scotch soldier who took a prominent part in the War of 1 641 -'5 2. He distinguished himself in Flanders, and afterwards in the Thirty Years' War. Of his services under the Swedish King he published an account, now very scarce — Monro's Expedition . . . under the Invincible King oj Sweden, 1637. On his return to Scotland he zealously espoused the cause of the Covenant, and "appears to have had much real enjoyment in ruthlessly carrying out its behests. "^^ In 1642 he passed over to Ireland to reinforce the Scotch Presbyterians there. The position of the Scotch force in Ireland — opposed alike to the Irish Catholics and the royal- ists — is as difficult to follow as that of the other parties among whom Ireland was desolated for eleven years. On 15 th of April he landed with 2,500 Scotch at Car- rickfergus, and being joined on the 28th and 29th by Lord Conway and Colonel Chichester with 1,800 foot, five troops of light horse, and two of dragoons, advanced on 1st May to Newry. The Irish Confede- rates almost immediately quitted the town, and the Castle surrendered on 3rd May. Monro put sixty men, eighteen women, and two priests to death, and leaving a garrison of 300 men, set out on the 7th for Carrickfergus, wasting the country and driving off" a prey of 4,000 cattle. After a short delay he again marched out into the County of Antrim, burnt Glenarm, and carried off great cattle preys. He was hospitably received at Dunluce by the Earl of Antrim, who proffered his service and assistance in the pacification of the country, and provided for him a great entertain- ment ; but it was no sooner over than Monro made him a prisoner and occupied the castle. Confining his operations to Ulster, he spoiled the counties of Down and Antrim, and shipped off such num-