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As many accidents may happen in the March of an army,- as defiles, marfhesj woods, and the like, it is the prudence of a general to order his March accordingly, and to take care that the columns of his army have a free communication one with the other. The March of an army is compofed of an advance guard, the main body, and the rear guard, and is fometimes in two, four, fix, or eight columns, according as the ground will allow. ,
M^RCH Marcbla, in our old writers, is uled tor a limit or border! Thus we read of the Marches, between England and Wales ; or England and Scotland ; which laft are di- vided into JVeft and Middle Marches. And the word is ufed generally for the precincts of the king's dominions, in 24 Hen. 8. c. 12. Terms of Law.
The word comes from the German March, i. e. Limes ; or from the French Marque, i. c. Stgnum, ufed for the marks or figns to diftinguiih between two countries or territories. Blount, Cowtl.
MARCHANTIA,Z*Wworf, in the Linnasan fyftcm of botany, the name of a genus of plants, the characters of which are thefe : It is of the nature of what we generally call the lichens or liverworts, and produces male and female flowers on the different parts of the fame plants.
The male flower ftands on a long erect peduncle, which arifes from a fort of cup or cafe on the plant. The cup is a common perianthium, of the peltated kind, and divided into four, five, or ten parts, every fegment having its edges deprefled, and all being of the fame fize. This perianthium is larc-e, and contains under it as many flowers as there are fegments of it. Each flower is monopetalous, of a turbi- nated form, {landing erect, and fomewhat fhorter than the cup. The ftamen in each flower is Angle, and is a {lender filament, longer than the flower. The apex or anthera, fuftained on this ftamen, is of an oval figure, and is com- monly found burft at the top into as many parts as there are fegments in the perianthium, be that four, five, or ten. The farina within it is affixed to a fort of hairynefs. The female flower has no pedicle ; the cup is a one-leav'd pe- rianthium, erect, open at the top, and undivided, confiding of a fort of membranaceous ring, which does not fall off till the feeds are ripened. There is no other flower but this cup, which contains feveral naked feeds in the bottom ; they are of a roundifh comprefTed figure. Dillenius has comprifed this genus under the general term lichen ; and Micheli has called different fpecies of it by the different names of lunula- ria and hepatica ; and, according to thefe difti notions, the Marchantia is the name of thofe fpecies which have the cup of the male flower divided into eight or ten fegments, which are flat, and do not enclofe the flowers. The hepatica is the name of thofe fpecies which have the male cup, of a conic figure, divided into five fegments, and thofe bending inwards, and the lunularia of thofe fpecies which have the male cup, of a cruciform figure, with curled fegments, enclofing the
I flowers. Linncci Gen. Plan. p. 506. MicbeliNov. Gen. Plant, Livervort is faid to be aperient, attenuant, and refolvent, and therefore good in obitructlons of the liver, and other vifcera ; but at prefent is only ufed as an ingredient in fame compofitions.
MARCHERS, or isr(/5 Marchers, in our old writers, no- blemen that lived on the marches of Wales, or Scotland. Thele, in times paft, according to Cambden, had their laws, and power of life and death, &c. like petty kings. But fuch powers were abolifhed by the flat. 27 Hen. 8. c. 26. and r Edw. 6. c. 10. Terms of Law, Blount.
MARCHIONIS Pulv'ts, a term ufed for a certain compound powder, prefcribed in the Leyden Difpenfatory, and greatly recommended by many as an anti-epileptic and abforbent. t he ingredients are male piony root, half an ounce, wood of mifletoe of the oak, rafpings of ivory, elks hoof, fpodium, the tooth of the unicorn fifh, or, in its flead, the antlers of the flag's horn, red and white coral, and pearls, of each a dram. Thefe are all to be rubbed into a powder, with twenty leaves of pure gold, and given half a dram twice a day.
MARLULUS, among the Romans, a knocker, or inffrument of iron to knock at the doors with. Pitifc. Lex. Ant.
MARDAC, in the materia medica of the antients, a name given by fome to litharge. The Arabian writers have fome- times called it by this name, and fometimes by that of mar- dejengi. Many of their commentators have thought that they meant two different fubftances by thefe two names ; but it
, does not appear to he truly the cafe, the two words {landing, m different writers, for the fame thing. Avifenna has given us a chapter on Mardac, in which he has tranflated the chapter of Diofcondes on litharge : And Serapio has given us a chapter on the mcrdefmgi, in which he has given us an account of the fame fubfhmce, under the terms that Galen . ufes for the defcnption of litharge, and even quotes him for the account.
MARES Equa, in zoology, the female of the horfc kind. See the articles Equus and Horse.
No Mares in the world are better for breeding out of ot than the Englifh, provided they are properly chofen for the fort of horfe intended to be bred. The Mare, whatever fort ot hoik is intended to be railed from her, mould be perfectly
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found, and as free from all defects as the ftallion. They mould have no fplaint, fpavin nor curb about them ; for the: coJt will certainly take after them if they have. The high'efi- fpiritcd Mares are belt, and, in general, if there be any na- tural defect in the Mare, it fhould be remedied in the ftallion $ and if any in the ftallion, it fhould be remedied in the Mare, as much, as poflible, in order to the having good colts. The particular directions regarding the kinds of horfes to be bred,- are thefe : If for the manege, or pads, the Mares fhould have their heads well fet on, and their breaits broad ; their legs not too long, their eyes bright and fparklina;, and the bodies large enough, that the foal may have roomi to lie in their belly. They fhould he of a good and gentle difpofition, and their motions eafy and graceful ; The more good qualities the Mares have, the better, in general, the colts will prove.
If the ownerwould breed for racing, or for hunting, theism muff, be chofen lighter, with fhort backs and long fides ; their legs muff be longer, and the breaft not fo broad ; and fuch fhould always be chofen as have good blood in their veins. It the fpeed and wind of any particular Mare have been tried, and found good, there is the more certainty of a good colt from her : But fhe fhould be in full health and vigour at the time, and not above feven years old, or eight at the utmofl. The younger the breeders are, the better, in general, the colts will be.
A Mare may be covered any time after fhe is two years old ; but the beft time is after fhe is four ; at this age, or between this and feven, fhe will nourifh a colt beft 6f all ; and though fhe will breed till fhe is thirteen, yet it is generally obferved, that when fhe is paft ten, the colts bred from her are dull and heavy. People who regard the moon, in thefe cafes, will have their Mares covered only between the end of the firit quarter and the full ; they pretend that thefe colts will be the moil flrong and vigorous, but that thofe begot in the waning of the moon, will always be weakly and tender. A much more eflcntial caution, however, is, that before the Mare is to be covered, fhe fhould be taken into the houfe for fix weeks, at leaft, and fed well with good hay and oats, well fifted, to give her flrength to go through the operation. If there is any reafon: to fufpect that the Mare will not conceive, the beft method to infure it is to let her blood in the neck, about fix days be- fore flie is cover'd : The quantity of blood taken away mould be about two quarts, or fomewhat lefs. It is a general cuftom to open the veins on both fides the neck for this, taking half the quantity from each, but this is trifling. The method of covering, fo as to make it moft fure to fuc- ceed, is this : The Mare is to be brought into fome open place, and tied to a poft ; and the ftallion is to leap her in the morning fafting, and as foon r* he difmounts, a pail of cold water is to be thrown upon her, to make her fhrink in and retain the feed. She is then to be taken away out of hearing of the horfe, and is neither to eat or drink for four or five hours after.
It may be known if fhe frauds to her covering, by her keep- ing a good ftomach, and not neighing at the fight of a horfe. Some, to make it quite fecure, put the Mare and horfc to- gether in an empty houfe every night, for four or five nights, taking away the horfe in the morning, and feeding him very liberally, and the Mare very fparingly, and particularly giv- ing her very little water.
There muft be proper care taken of her after covering. The fame method of feeding her with good hay, and fifted oats^ muft be continued three weeks, or a month, and fhe muft be kept within doors, and without any exercife ; her {table muft be kept very clean, and her feet pared, and with thin fhoes on. After this fhe may be turned out for the fummer feafon, and only taken up in September, in order to be kept well fed till fhe foals. If there be great difficulty in her foaling, or the fecundine be retained, the method is to hold her noflrils, fo that fhe cannot breathe ; and if this does not do, a decodion of madder-root, or of fennel, in water, with a mixture of ale or wine, is found very effectual.
When the whole is over, the Mare is very apt to eat up her fecundine; but this fhould be prevented, far it is an unnatu- ral food for her, and will injure her health. When fhe has licked her foal, fome perfons fhould frroak and milk her be- fore the foal fucks. This will make the milk come down in greater plenty, and will prevent it from clotting into lumps, or from difagreeing with the young creature's ftomach. It often happens, that the milk clods in the udder, and the foal, being able to get none out, the Mare is fuppofed to be dry ; and in confequence of this fuppofition, fhe actually becomes fo. But the remedy is z?Sy. Let as much milk as can be" got from her be boiled with fome lavender flowers, and the udder bathed thoroughly with it warm, feveral times a day : If no milk, or not enough can be obtained from her, other milk or common water will do.; for the principal effect is from the heat of the liquor, and the virtue of the lavender,- which breaks the clods and lumps, and then the foal's fuck- ing more as it grows ftronger, will prevent the like accident for the future.
The water given the Mare for the firft month after foaling, muft be what the dealers in horfes call the white mafh, that
