MCELUSINA. 299 MELVILLE. d'Arras as the basis of a romance, which was reiulered into French verse by Concdoette in 1401, and in translations and other forms made the character of Jlelusina famous. Consult Koh- Icr, Der UrsjyrKiig der Melusincnsage (Leipzig, 1895). MEL'VIL, JIelvile, or Melville, Sir .TAirES, of Hallhill (1535-1017). A Scotch soldier, diplo- mat, and historical writer. He was the third son of Sir John Jlelvil of ilelville of Raith. Scotland, who was convicted and executed at Stirling on charges of higli treason on account of his devo- tion to the principles of the Reformation. Young Jilelvil was sent to France and became page of honor to the Bishop of Valence, and Avas after- wards attached to the service of Constable Jlont- morenci. Under him he saw his first military service in Flanders in 1553, and in 1557 was taken prisoner at the battle of Saint Quentin. Two years after he obtained his release and was dispatched to Scotland on a secret mission. Dur- ing his absence occurred the tournament in which Montmorenci killed Henry II.; and at ^Melvij's return he judged it best to turn his steps toward Gcrinany, where he was employed by the Elector Palatine. Wliile on a visit to France in 15(U he met Queen Jlary of Scotland, to whom he tendered his allegiance and Sword. In 1504 he returned to his native land and presented himself to Mary at Perth. Shortly afterwards he was sent to England, as ambassador to Queen Elizabeth. Again in 1500 he was sent to l<]ngland to bear the news of the birth of an heir to the Scottish throne. He adhered to the Queen so long as there appeared to be any hope of her ultimate success, hut after she was committed to Loch- leven Castle,, was sent by the nobles to ofTer the regency to the Earl of Murray. During ilorton's regency he retired from Court, but when James began to reign, was received with favor. He was knighted and appointed Privy Councilor and Gen- tleman of the Bedchamber to Queen Anne. On James's accession to the English tlirone. Melvil retired into private life and died at Hallliill, November 1.3. 1017. The Memoirs of ffir Jnmcs Melvil of ndUhill ; Containing an Impartial Account of the Most Femarkahle Affairs of I'ttate Dvring the Last Age, etc., accidentally discovered in Edinburgh Castle in 1600, were publislied in 1G83 by his grandson, George Scott, but in an incomplete form. An accurate edition was printed in 1827-33 at Edinburgh, by the Ban- natyne Club, and is of great historic value. MEL'VILLE, or MELVILL, AxnnEw (154.5- lfi'22). A Senttisli reformer. He was liorn Augtist 1. 1545. at Baldovie, near Jlontrose, Forfarshire. He was educated at the grammar school of Mont- rose, whence he removed in his fourteenth year to the University of Saint . drews. Here he re- mained four years, and then proceeded to Paris, where he continued his studies for two years. In 1500 he was chosen regent in the College of Saint Marceon, Poitiers, whither he had gone to acquire a knowledge of law. From Poitiers he proceeded to Geneva, where, by the influence of his friend Beza. he was appointed to the chair of hiimanity in the academy. He returned to Scotland in 1574, and was. in the course of the same year, ap- pointed principal of the University of Glasgow. In 1580 Melville was chonen principal of Saint Mary's College, Saint Andrews. In 15S2 he preached the opening sermon before the General Vol. XIII,— 20. Assembly, and boldly "inveighed against the bloody knife of absolute authority, whereby men intended to pull the crown off Christ's head, and to wring the sceptre out of his lumd." The A.s- senibly applamled his intrepidity, drew up a rc- numstrance in a similar spirit, and appointed IIelville and otlicrs to present it. In 1584 Jlelville Mas sumnuined before the rri%y Council. He maintained tluit whatever a jireacher might say in the pulpit, even if it should be called treason, he was not bound to answer for in a civil court, until he luul been first tried in a chiircli court. For this denial of secular jurisdiction he was condemned to imprisonment, l)Ut escaped to Lon- don, where he remained till the downfall of Arran in the following year. After an absence of twenty months he returned to Scotland and re- sumed his oflice at Saint Andrews. In 160G Mel- ville was called to England to attend the famous conference at Hampton Court. Having ridiculed the service in the chapel royal in a Latin epi- gram, he was twice summoned before the English Privy Council, and on the second occasion his temper gave way, and he broke out into a torrent of invective against the Archbishop of Canter- bury for encouraging popery and superstition, profaning the Sabbath, etc. The King imme- diately sent him to the Tower, where he re- mained for more than four years. In 1611 he was released on the solicitatiiui of the Duke of Bouillon, W'ho wanted hi% services as a professor in his university at Sedan in France, Melville died in London, in 1022, but neither the exact date of his death nor the events of his last years are ascertained. He published much in prose and verse, in Latin and English. Consult his Life by McCrie (2 vols., London, 1819; revised ed, 18.50). MELVILLE, George Jon>r Wiitte (1S2I- 78). An English author. He was born near Saint Andrews, Scotland, and entered the armv in 1839. In 1846 he became captain in the Cold- stream Guards, and during the Crimean War served as a volunteer in the Turkish cavalry. Melville may be justly regarded as the founder of the fashionable novel of the high-life sporting variety. In describing the hunting field he aroused much interest, as shown by the i)0[)u- larity of his score or more of novels from Kate Coventnj in 1856 to Black hut Comely in 1878, MELVILLE, George Wallace (1841 — ). An American naval engineer, born in New York City. He was educated in New York and at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and entered the LTnited States Navy as an engineer in 1801, Among his contributions to the building up of the new navy are his designs for the triple screw machinery for the two cruisers f'oluniliin and Minneapolis. Melville sailed in 1879 under Lieu- tenant De Long on the ill-fated Jeannette expedi- tion to discover a northeast passage across the Polar Sea. After the loss of the Jeannette he brought to safety the crew of his own boat, and subsequently conducted the search which dis- covered the Jeannette records and the bodies of De Long and his companions. The details of this perilous experience are related in his In the Lena Delta (1885). He was afterwards a member of the Greely Relief Expedition (1884). He was appointed chief engineer in 1881, engi- necr-in-chief in 1887, and rear-admiral in 1899, MELVILLE, Herman (1819-91). An Ameri- can novelist, born iu New York Citv, and note-
