Mitford
MARY RUSSELL, an English writer; born in Alresford, Hampshire, England, Dec. 16, 1787; when 10 years old she drew a lottery prize of $100,000. Her father (a physician), having dissipated several fortunes, she adopted literature. Her most famous works were: "Our Village" (5 vols. 1824-1832); and "Recollections of a Literary Life" (1852-1854). Other works were the tragedies "Julian" (1823), "The Foscari" (1826), and "Rienzi" (1828), all produced by Macready or Charles Kemble; "Belford Regis" (1835), a a novel; poems, short stories, juvenile stories, etc. She died in Swallowfield, Jan. 10, 1855.
MITHRIDATES (-dā'tēz), surnamed EUPATOR, and THE GREAT, King of Pontus, and the 16th of the name; born about 131 в. c. He was the son of Mithridates Euergetes, was brought up at Sinope, and displayed in his youth extraordinary daring and tact. He succeeded his father, 120 B. c., and his first acts were the murder of his mother and his brother.
He then began his career of conquest by making himself master of Colchis and the Tauric Chersonese. The kingdoms of Bosporus, Cappadocia and Bithynia were successively add added to his dominion; took Phrygia and Galatia, almost all Asia Minor, and occupied Thrace and Athens.
All hope of reconciliation with Rome was taken away by the massacre of all the Romans found in Asia. After four years of war, Mithridates was compelled to give up his conquest and his fleet, and pay a heavy contribution to the Mithridates invaded Bithynia, defeated the Romans at Chalcedon, and besieged Cyzicus. Lucullus soon compelled him to raise the siege, defeated him in Pontus, and drove him into Armenia. Again the tide turned, and Mithridates recovered a large part of his dominions. In 66, Pompey was sent to carry on the war, and defeated him near the Euphrates, so that he had no choice but to retire into the kingdom of Bosporus. His spirit was still unbroken, and he formed the bold plan of invading Italy from the N.; but eventually his son Pharnaces was proclaimed king by the soldiers. He took poison, which proved ineffectual, and was put to death by a faithful slave in his service, 63 B. C.
Romans.
MITYLENE MITLA (mēt'lä), a ruined city of Mexico, 15 miles S. E. of Oaxaca, with extensive remains of a prehistoric race.