MARONITES. 84 MARPUKG. Aleppo, and southward as far as Nazareth. Their political constitution is a kind of military re- public, regulated for the most part by ancient usages and by unwritten, but wellreeojinized laws. Like the Arabs of Syria, they have a po- litical hierarchy, partly hereditary, partly elec- tive. The chief administration is vested in four superior slieiks, who possess a sort uf |)atriar- chal authority, and under these are subordinate chiefs, with whom, as in the feudal system, the people hold a military tenure. They are bitter enemies of their neighbors, the Druses (q.v. ). In- tellectually and morally they are on a low plane. Their cliief occupations are cattle-raising and silk culture. Consult: Socin. FaUistina und Syrien (Leipzig, 18S0) ; Bliss, "Essay-S on the Sects of Syria and Palestine — the ilaronites," in the Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly iitatenicnt (London. I8'.l2l ; KoeMer, Die kat hoi ischc Kirche der Moryinliinder (Darmstadt, 1886). MAROON (Fr. marron. chestnut, chestnut- colored, from It. marrone. chestnut). A subdued crimson color, not so yellow as chestnut (mar- ron ) , from which the name is probably de- rived, nor so brilliant as magenta. MAROONS (Fr. marron, apocopated, from siinarrun. Sp. cimarron, fugitive, from cima, mountain-top, twig, from Lat. cyma, Gk. Kir/ta, kynia. sprout, from Kieiv, lyein, to conceive). A name given in .Jamaica and Dutch Guiana to runaway negro slaves. The term was first ap- plied to those slaves who ran away and took refuge in the uplands when their Spanish mas- ters were driven out by the British after the lat- ter conquered .Jamaica, in 10.55. For one liun- dred and forty years they maintained a constant warfare with the British colonists; but in 1705 they were subdued, and a portion of them re- moved to Nova Scotia, where they gave so nnich trouble that most of them were transported to Sierra Leone. The Maroons of Dutch Guiana still form a number of small independent com- nninities practicing various pagan rites, some nf which can be traced to analogous African ceremonies. They are now known more common- ly as Bush negroes. MAROS, mo'rfish. The principal river of Eastern Hungary. It rises in the mountains of Eastern Transylvania, and Hows westward, emptying into the Theiss at Szegedin, after a course of .543 miles (Map: Hungary. G 3). It is navigable about two-thirds of it.s length to Karls- burg. hut its navigation is impeded by the great irrcgiiliirity of its volume. MAROS-VASARHELY, vii'shiir hcl y". A royal free town and capital of the County of MarosTorda in Transylvania. Hungary, situ- ated on the river Maros. ;)0 miles east-southeast of Klausenlnirg (Map: Hungary,.! 3). It has a castle which is now used for barracks, and eon- ni'cted with which is a fifteenth-century (iothic duirch : a palace with a fine library of over tiO.OOfl volumes (including a manuscript of Taci- tus), and a natural history collection; a techni- cal school, twr) gymnasia, and an industrial museum. The industries of the town include the manufacture of .sugar, spirits, tobacco, beer, trinuned lumber, anil the refining of jietroleum. Po|niIiilion. in 1800. L5.204; in inOf). 19.001. MAROT, mft'rA'. Ci.ftMEXT (140.51.544). A French poet, born at Cahors. In youth he studied law at Paris, but early abandoned this for litera- ture. He soon won the passing favor of Francis I. and the enduring patronage of ilargaret of Navarre. He accompanied Francis in the cam- ])aigns of 1.520 and 1525 and was wounded at Pavia. Taken prisoner, but soon released, he re- turned to France, was suspecteil of Protestantism, and, in spite of a strong denial, imprisoned first in Paris, then less rigorously at Chartrcs. He was fiecd by the King in 1527, but soon reimpris- oned on another charge. Again released, he suc- ceeded his father as royal valet de ehambre and in 1532 published a volume of verses, the .Ido/cscciiea Clementine, followed by a second volume in 1333. He now fell once more under suspicion of heresy, lied to Margaret's Court in 1534, and thence to Italy. Hence he returned to Lyons in 1536 and enjoyed seven years of court favor, terminated by his translation of Psalms i.-l. (1541), which was conilenuied by the Sorbonne. It was com- pleted l)y Beza and is still used in French Protes- tant churches. Marot lied to Geneva (1543), quarreled with Calvin, and went to Turin, where he died. The best of Marot's poetry is his lighter work, fables, epistles, epigrams, songs. Ma- rot's Works were frequently collected ( 1538, 1.544, etc.). best by .Januet "(4 vols., 1863-72), and by Pifteau (4 vols., 1884). An elaborate edition by Guiffrcy in six volumes is not yet com- pleted (vol. iii. 1881). There is a Life by Douen (Paris. 1878-79), and a study with a good bib- liography l>y Bourciez in Petit de .luUcville. His- toire de la langue et de la littirature frantaise, vol. iii. (ib., 1898). MARO'ZIA. A Roman lady of the tenth cen- tury who played an important part in the political history of the times. She was the daughter of the infamois Theodora (q.v.) and Theophylact, 'Consul and Senator of the Romans.' Her first husl>and was .lberic (q.v.) ; after his death she married Guido of Tuscany: and after the death of the latter, Hugo, King of Italy. By the power of her family and by her marital alliances she had entire control of Rome for some years. She deposed Pope .lohn X. in 928. and in the follow- ing year he was either strangled or starved to death. A little later she bestowed the Papacy upon her son .John XL, who by popular rumor was supposed to be the otVspring of her guilty love with Pope ."sergius III. She styled herself 'Sena- trix' of all the Romans, and 'Patricia.' Soon after her third marriage Miirozia and her hus- band were thrown into prison in 932 by her son .liberie II. (q.v.). Her husband esca|)ed. but nothing is known of her fate. Consult Gregoro- viiis. History of the City of Rome in the Middle Aiics. translated bv Hamilton (London. 1894- 1 ;i()0 ) . MARPLOT. A med<lling. good natured busy- body in till' Husyhody (q.v.). MARPLOT, OR TiiK .SF.roNo Part of the BrsT- minv. . lomedy by Susanna Ccntlivre (cpv.). It was jicrformed at the Dniry Lane Theatre De- cember 10. 1710, and afli'rwanls altered liy Henry Woodward and called The Marplot of Lisbon. This character reappears in 1825 as Paul Pry in the comedy by .John Poole, and resembles Sir Martin Marall in Dryden's successful comedy, founded on Lord Newcastle's Marplot, a transla- (i<m nf ^Illli^ns L'F.tonrdi. MARPURG. miir'pnrJrK, FRiF.nRicit Vii,hei.m (1718-05). A German writer on music, born at
