Page:A cyclopaedia of female biography.djvu/578

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MON.

him alone; only continue praying to the Lord for him; he will, in the course of his studies, discover his error."

But Monica, with floods of tears, persisted in her request. At lost, a little out of temper, on account of her importunity, he exclaimed, "Begone, good woman; it is impossible a child of such tears should perish." And the result proved that the bishop was correct, though not till after the anxious mother had waited in mingled anxiety and hope for many years.

She had followed her son to Rome, on hearing of his illness, and remained there with him afterwards. They were conversing one evening on holy subjects: the world appeared of no value to either. Monica said, "Son, what I should do here, and why I am here, I know not; the hope of this life is now quite spent. One thing only, your conversion, was an object for which I wished to live. My God has given me this in a large measure. What do I here?" Five days after this she was seized with a fever. Some one lamented that she was about to die in a foreign land—she had formerly been troubled about it. "Nothing," said she, "is far from God, and I do not fear that he will not know where to find me at the resurrection." She died on the ninth day of her illness, in the fifty-sixth year of her age.

MONIMA,

Wife of Mithridates the Great, was a native of Salonica. Her husband loved her devotedly, but when he was defeated by Lucullas, he caused her and all his other wives to be put to death, lest they should fall into the hands of the enemy. Some years after, Mithridates was killed at his own request, to avoid a similar fate. B.C. 64.

MONK, THE HON. MRS.,

Was the daughter of Lord Molesworth, an Irish nobleman, and wife of George Monk, Esq. By her own unassisted efforts she learned the Spanish, Italian, and Latin languages, and the art of poetry. Her poems were not published till after her death, when they were printed under the title of "Marinda; Poems and Translations on several occasions." These writings are said to show the true spirit of poetry, and much delicacy and correctness of thought and expression. They were all written while occupied with the care of a large family, and without any assistance, excepting that of a good library.

Mrs. Mon was a lady of exemplary character, and greatly beloved by all who knew her. She died at Bath, in 1715.

MONTAGU, ELIZABETH,

Daughter of Matthew Robinson, of Horton, Kent, was a lady of great natural abilities which were much improved under the tuition of Dr. Conyers Middleton. About 1742, she married Edward Montagu, of Allesthorpe, Yorkshire, son of Charles, fifth son of the first Earl of Sandwich. By him she had one son, who died in his infancy. She devoted herself to literature, and formed a literary club, called the Blue Stocking Club, from a little incident that occurred there and is thus explained by Madame D'Arblay:

"These parties were originally insulated at Bath, and owed their name to an apology made by Mr. Stillingfleet, in declining to