vice of Mrs. Saddletree. She murdered her infant, and was condemned
to death; but her half-sister, Jeanie, went to London, pleaded her cause
before the queen, and obtained her pardon. Jeanie, on her return to
Scotland, married Reuben Butler; and Geordie Robertson (then Sir George
Staunton) married Effie. Sir George being shot by a gypsy boy, Effie
(_i.e._ Lady Staunton), retired to a convent on the Continent.--Sir W.
Scott, _Heart of Midlothian_ (time, George II.).

=Midshipman Easy.= (See EASY.)

=Midsummer Night's Dream.= Shakespeare says there was a law in Athens,
that if a daughter refused to marry the husband selected for her by her
father, she might be put to death. Eg[=e]us (3 _syl._), an Athenian,
promised to give his daughter, Hermia, in marriage to Dem[=e]trius; but,
as the lady loved Lysander, she refused to marry the man selected by her
father, and fled from Athens with her lover. Demetrius went in pursuit
of her, followed by Hel[)e]na, who doted on him. All four came to a
forest, and fell asleep. In their dreams a vision of fairies passed
before them, and on awaking, Demetrius resolved to forego Hermia, who
disliked him, and to take to wife Helena, who sincerely loved him. When
Egeus was informed thereof, he readily agreed to give his daughter to
Lysander, and the force of the law was not called into action (1592).

[Asterism] Several of the incidents of this comedy are borrowed from the
_Diana_ of Montemayor, a Spaniard (sixteenth century).

=Midwinter= (_Ozias_), the _alias_ of another Allan Armadale. His father
has murdered the father of the real Allan, and the son of the homicide
resolves to keep his own identity a secret, while trying to atone to
Allan for the wrong done him. He loves and marries the perfidious
governess of Allan's betrothed.--Wilkie Collins, _Armadale_.

=Miggs= (_Miss_), the handmaiden and "comforter" of Mrs. Varden. A tall,
gaunt young woman, addicted to pattens; slender and shrewish, of a sharp
and acid visage. She held the male sex in utter contempt, but had a
secret exception in favor of Sim Tappertit, who irreverently called her
"scraggy." Miss Miggs always sided with madam against master, and made
out that she was a suffering martyr, and he an inhuman Nero. She called
ma'am "mim;" said her sister lived at "twenty-sivin;" Simon she called
"Simmun." She said Mrs. Varden was "the mildest, amiablest,
forgivingest-sperited, longest-sufferingest female in existence."
Baff