Chapter Mohocks to Monastery of M by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Moll Flanders, a woman of great beauty, born in the Old Bailey. She was twelve years a courtezan, five years a wife, twelve years a thief, eight years a convict in Virginia; but ultimately grew rich, and died a penitent in the reign of Charles II.

(Daniel Defoe wrote her life and adventures, which he called The Fortunes of Moll Flanders, 1722.)

Molly, Jaggers’s housekeeper. A mysterious, scared-looking woman, with a deep scar across one of her wrists. Her antecedents were full of mystery, and Pip suspected her of being Estella’s mother.—Dickens: Great Expectations (1860).

Molly Maggs, a pert young housemaid, in love with Robin. She hates Polyglot the tutor of “Master Charles,” but is very fond of Charles. Molly tries to get “the tuterer Polypot” into a scrape, but finds, to her consternation, that master Charles is in reality the party to be blamed.—Poole: The Scapegoat (about 1840).

Molly Maguires, stout, active young men dressed up in women’s clothes, with faces blackened or otherwise disguised. This secret society was organized in 1843, to terrify the officials employed by Irish landlords to distrain for rent, either by grippers (bumbailiffs), process-servers, keepers, or drivers (persons who impound cattle till the rent is paid).—Trench: Realities of Irish Life, 82.

Molly Mog, an innkeeper’s daughter at Oakingham, Berks. Molly Mog was the toast of all the gay sparks in the former half of the eighteenth century; but died a spinster at the age of 67 (1699–1766).

(Gay has a ballad on this Fair Maid of the Inn. Mr. Standen of Arborfield, the “enamoured swain,” died in 1730. Molly’s sister was quite as beautiful as “the fair maid” herself. A portrait of Gay still hangs in Oakingham inn.)

Molmutius. (See Mulmutius.)

Moloch (ch = k), the third in rank of the Satanic hierarchy, Satan being first, and Beëlzebub second. The word means “king.” The rabbins say the idol was of brass, with the head of a calf. Moloch was the god of the Ammonites, and was worshipped in Rabba, their chief city.

First Moloch, horrid king, besmeared with blood
Of human sacrifice, and parents’ tears,
Though, for the noise of drums and timbrels loud,
Their children’s cries unheard, that passed thro’ fire
To his grim idol. Him the Ammonite
Worshipped in Rabba.
   —Milton: Paradise Lost, i. 392, etc. (1665).

Moly (Greek, môlu), mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. A herb with a black root and white blossom, given by Hermês to Ulysses, to counteract the spells of Circê. (See Hæmony, p. 462.)

… that Moly
That Hermês once to wise Ulysses gave.
   —Milton: Comus (1634).

The root was black,
Milk-white the blossom; Môly is its name
In heaven.
   —Homer: Odyssey, x. (Cowper’s trans.).

Mommur, the capital of the empire of Oberon king of the fairies. It is here he held his court.

Momus’s Lattice. Momus, son of Nox, blamed Vulcan, because, in making the human form, he had not placed a window in the breast for the discerning of secret thoughts.

Were Momus’ lattice in our breasts,
My soul might brook to open it more widely
Than theirs [i. e. the nobles].
   —Byron: Werner, iii. 1 (1822).

Mon or Mona, Anglesea, the residence of t he druids. Suetonius Paulinus, who had the command of Britain in the reign of Nero (from A.D. 59 to 62), attacked Mona, because it gave succour to the rebellious. The frantic inhabitants ran about with fire-brands, their long hair streaming to the wind, and the druids invoked vengeance on the Roman army. (See Drayton, Polyolbion, viii., 1612.)