MEN
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Among the Moderns, there is a famous Piece under this Title, firft publifhed in 1594, againft the Chiefs of the League, call d alfo the Gubolicon of Spain. It is efteem'd a Mailer-piece for the time. See Catiiolicon.
MENISCUS, in Optics, aGlafs, or Lens, concave on one fide, and convex on the other ; fometimes alfo call'd Lunula. SeeLENs and Optic Glafs.
In a Menifcui, if the Diameter of the Convexity be equal to that of the Concavity, a Ray falling parallel to the Axis, will continue parallel thereto after refraftion.
Such a Menifcui therefore, will neither colleft, nor difperfe the Rays ; and is therefore of no ufe in Diop- r i ks. See Refraction.
To find the Focus of a Menifcui, the Rule is, As the difference of the Semi-diameters of the Convexity and Concavity, is to the Semi-diameter of the Convexity: fo is the Diameter of the Concavity, to the diftance of the Focus from the Menifcui. Hence,
If the Semi-diameter of the Concavity, be triple the Semi-diameter of the Convexity, thedillance of the Focus from the Menifcui will be equal to the Semi-diameter : and therefore the Menifcui will be equivalent to a Lens equally convex on either fide. See Convex-L«ij.
Again; If the Semi-diameter of the Concavity be double that of the Convexity ; the diftance of the Focus will be equal to the Diameter : and therefore the Menif- mus will be equivalent to a Piano-Convex Lens. See Flano-Co»z>cx.
If the Semi- diameter of the Concavity be quintuple that of the Convexity, the Menifcui will be equivalent to a Sphere. See Spherical Lens.
The Semi-diameter therefore of the Convexity being given ; that of the Concavity required to remove the Fo° cus to any given diftance from the Menifcui, is eafily found. See Focus.
MENNONITES, a Sett in the United Provinces, in moft relpefls the fame with thofe in other Places ca'lled Anabaptifli. See Anabaptist.
They had their Rife in 1495, in a Village in Friezland: their Founder was one Mennon, who undertook to reform the Religion of the antient Anabaptifts, and to throw out all Enthufiafm touching the new Kingdom of Chritt, ££<;.
The Mennonitei hold, that there is no original' Sin ; that the firft Man was not created juft ; that in fpeaking of the Father, Son, and Holy Gholl, we muft not ufe the word Perfon, nor that of Trinity ; that Jefus Chrift did not take his Flefh from the Subftance of his Mother but from the Effence of the Father; or that the Word of the Father became Man ; that he brought it from Hea- ven ; or that we don't know whence he had it : And that the Union of the Divine and Human Nature was fo ef- feaed, as that the Divine was rendered vifible, and liable to Death.
The Mennonitei teach fatther, that Chriftians are not allow'd to fwear ; to exercife any Civil Magiftrature - to ufe the Sword, not even for the Punilhment of Criminals. They add, that Minifters of the Word are not permitted' to receive any Wages for their Work : that they muft not baptize little Children ; and that the Souls of Men after Death reft in an unknown Place till the Day of Tude ment. ' J s
The Mennonitei are faid to be divided into Sects, whereof there are two Principal. The Mennonitei of Friezland, and thofe of Flanderi.
The latter exercife avery ftrict Church-Difcipline and Excommunicate for the flighteft Offence?; nor do they hold it lawful to have any Society or Communication with thofe Excommunicated. Thofe of Friezland, on the contrary receive into their Communion fuch as are Excommunica- ted by the others ; whence they are call'd Stercoral and BorbariBx. Their Difciplineisvery remifs.
They recommend an univerfal Toleration of Religions very earncftly, and receive all kind of Perfons into their Affemblies, provided they be of good Morals, and believe the Scripture to be the Word of God ; however divided they may be as to the particular Articles of Faith.
Tho' the Mennonitei ufually pafs for a Sefl of Anabap- tifts, yet M. Her. Scbin, who has publifhed their Hiftory
- nd Apology, maintains that they are not Anabaptifts
either in Principle, or by Origin : He owns they baptize none but Adults ; but then, neither do they re-baptize any who had received it in their Childhood. They fpeak with a great deal of Prudence and Referve as to the ex- traordinary Operations of the Holy Spirit ; and are far from the Fanaticifm of the old Anabaptifts. No People are more fubmiflive to Magiftrates, or carry Paffive Obe- dience farther than they. Far from Rebellion ; they con- demn even the moft juft War, &c.
MENOLOGY in the Greek Church, is much the fame with the Manyotojy, or Calendar in the Latin. See Mar- tyrot.ogy and Calendar.
MEN
It is divided into the feveral Months in the Tear; and contains an Abridgment of the Lives of the Saints ; with a bare Commemoration of the Names of fuch whofe Lives were never written. The Greeh have various Menohgiei, The Romam tax them with inferting divers Hereticks in their Menologiei as Saints. Baillot treats of them at large
The Word comes from the Greek twv Month, and hay*, Difcourfe.
MENSALIA, and Mensaees, were fuch Parfonages, or Livings as were formerly united to the Tables of Reli- gious Houfcs ; and therefore by Canoniils call'd Menfal Benefices. See Parsonage and Benefice.
MENSES, Catamenia in Medicine, ci"c. The Monthly Evacuations of Women not with Child, nor giving fuck - fo call'd from Menfu, Month, the Period wherein they re- turn. They are alfo called Floweri, Comfei, ike.
The Menfei make one of the moft curious and difficult Phamomenainfhe wholehuman Body ; forthe Explanation whereof, many Hypothcfes have been framed : tho' the Matter is yet fcarcely afcertained.
'Tis generally agreed by all, that the Neceffity Women are under for fome extraordinary Supply to compenfate the Expence, and fupportthem during the time of Gefta- tion, was the final Reafon why this Redundance at o- ther times was given them. But this is all they agree in. Some not content with this Occafion alone, will have the Mmfirmta Blood offend in Quality more than in Ouan- tity ; which they argue from the Pain it gives many" Wo- men m the Evacuation. They add, that its Malignity is fo great, that it excoriates the Parts of Men by mere con- tact; that the Breath of a menftruous Woman will give a permanent Stain to Ivory, or a Looking-Glafs ; that a little of the Blood drop'd on any Vegetable, blafls or renders ltfteril ; that if a pregnant Woman be defiled with the Menfei of another Woman, fhe mifcarries ; that if a Dog tafte them, he runs Mud, and grows Epileptic • All which, with many more Fables of the fame kind tho' related by great Authors, Dr. Drake reiefls, as too ridiculous to need a Refutation.
Othersafcribe this Effea to animaginary Dominion of the Moon over the Bodies of Women. This was formerly the prevailing Opinion ; tho' the fmalleft Refleflion would have fhewn them the weaknefs of it : For had rhis Pur- gation been owing to the Influence of the Moon, all Women of the fame Age and Temperament, would have found it at the fame Periods and Revolutions of the Moon, i. e.i at the fame time ; which all Experience fhews to be falfe.
There are two other Opinions which carry with them a great deal of Probability, and are argued with a great deal of Strength and Reafon. In both which, the Quality of the Blood is allow'd to be Innocent; but they ftill differ about the Reafon of its Iffue. The former is that of Dr. Bohn and Dr. Friend, who maintain this Flux to be the reiult of a Fletbora, or Plenitude ; and to be evacuated only for Relief againft the Quantity.
Dr. Friend, who has maintam'd the Caufe of a Plethora with the greateft Strength and Clearnefs, fuppofes that this Plethora anfes from a Coacervation in the Blood- Veffels of a fupetfluity of Aliment, which he thinks remains over and above what is expended by the ordinary ways ; and that Uomen have this Plethora, and not Men, becaufe their Bodies are more humid, and their Veffels, efpccially the Extremities of them, more tender, and their manner of living generally more unactive than that of Man ; and that thefe things concurring, are the occafion that Women do not perfpire fufficiently to carry off the fuperfluous alimentary u, 5 : *," accumulcitea infuch quantity as to diflend the Veflels, and force its way thro" the Capillary Arteries oftheLW.. Itisfuppofed to happen to Women more than the Females of other Species, which have the fame Parts, becaufe of the erefl Pollute of the former; and the r»gam, and other Canals, being perpendicular to the Horizon ; fo that the Preffure of the Blood is directed towards their Orifices : Whereas in Brutes, they are pa- rallel to the Horizon, and the Preffure wholly on the Sides of thofe Veffels. The Difcharge, he thinks, hap- pen in this Part rather than in any other, as being more favoured by the Structure of the Veffels ; the Arteries being very numerous, and the Veins finuousand windin" and therefore more aptto retard the Impetus of the Blood and consequently, in a Plethoric Cafe, to occafion the Run- tU ,?, ° f c % Extrcmiti « of the Veffels, which may la<r, till by a fufficent difcharge the Veffeis are eafed of their Over-load.
This is the Subftance of that great Man's Theory from whence he very Mechanically, and very Philofop'hicallv accounts for the Symptoms.
To his Argument, why Women have Menfei rather than Men, we may add from Boerhaa-ce, that in the for- mer, the Oi Sacrum is wider, and flands farther out and the OiCoccygii farther in; the Of, Innominate vider, and
farther
