Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

MENELAEIA. MENSA. 749
magistrate of tile same name under him, who p. 247, a.), and honoured him and Helena with
perhaps took his place in case of death, or of his aiinnual and solemn sacrifices at Theraplae, which
being incapacitated by illness or other causes from continued to be offered in the days of Isocrates.
discharging his duties. In Oscan inscriptions the (Helenz. ncort. 1)p. 218, D.) These solemnities are
name occurs in the form of gneddiss tdrvtils; so that sometimes called'EXAE'a. (See Creuzer, CSyclbol.
the orthography of Festus is more correct than iii. p. 38.) [L. S.]
that of Livy, which is placed at the head of this MENSA (rpdcresa), a table. The simplest
article. (Lepsius, Ilscr. Unhbr. et Oscae.) kind of table was one with three legs, round,
MEGALE'SIA, MEGALENSIA, or MEGA- called cilliba (Festus, s. v.; Varro, de Ling. Lat. v.
LENSES LUDI, a festival with games celebrated
at Rome in the month of April and in honour of
the great mother of the gods (Cybele, EWyd'Mk bo0ds, 3
whence the festival derived its name). The statue
of the goddess was brought to Rome from Pessinus
in the year 203 B. c., and the day of its arrival
was soleumnised with a magnificent procession, lectisternia, and games, and great numbers of people
carried presents to the goddess on the Capitol.
(Varro, de Ling. Lat. vi. 15; Liv. xxix. 14.) The
oegular celebration of the Megalesia, however, did
tot begin till twelve years later (1 91 a. c.), when
the temple which had been vowed and ordered to be 25. p. 123, ed. Spengel; Hor. Sbet. i. 3. 13; Ovid.
built in 203 B. c., was completed and dedicated by Mlet. viii. 662), and in Greek rpbirous. (Xen.
kM. Junius Brutus. (Liv. xxxvi. 36.) But from 4cAeab. vii. 3. ~ 10; Athen. iv. 21, 35, v. 28.) It
aiLother passage of Livy (xxxiv. 54) it appears is shown in the drinking-scene painted on the wall
that the Megalesia had already been celebrated of a wine-shop at Pompeii. (Gell's Pocl)eiacu,
in 193 B.c. The festival lasted for six days, be- 1832, vol. ii. p. 11.) (See woodcut.) The term
ginning on the 4th of April. The season of this Tpa7refa, though commonly used in Greek for a
festival, like that of the whole month in which it table of any kind, must, according to its etymology,
took place, was full of general rejoicings and feast- have denoted originally a four-legged table. Acing. It was customary for the wealthy Romans cordingly, in paintings on vases, the tables are
on this occasion to invite one another mutually to usually represented with four legs, of which anI
their repasts, and the extravagant habits and the example is givenl in the annexed cut. (Millill,
good living during these festive days were probably carried to a very high degree, whence a
senatusconsultum was issued in 161 a. c., prescribing that no one should go beyond a certain
extent of expenditure. (Gellius, ii. 24; compare
xviii. 2.)
The games which were held at the Megalesia
were purely scenic, and not circenses. They were f I
at first held on the Palatine in front of the temple _
of the goddess, but afterwards also in the theatres. -
(Cic. (le Ic142usp. Reso. Il, &ci) The first ludi A1
scenici at Rome were, according to Valerius Antias, introduced at the Megalesia, i. e. either in 193
~or 191 B. c. The day which was especially set
apart for the performsance of scenic plays was the
third of the festival. (Ovid. Fast. iv. 377; Ael. Pectlacres die iascs Alntitocs, vol. i. pi. 59.) Iiorace
Spartian. Anztosisz. Caracc. c. 6.) Slaves were not used at Rome a dining-table of white marble, thus
permitted to be present at the games, and the ma- combining neatness with economy. (Sat. i. 6. 116.)
gistrates appeared dressed in a purple toga and For the houses of the opulent, tables were made of
praetexta, whence the proverb, pslzstrac AeoayTlencsis. the most valuable and beautiful kinds of wood,
Thle games were under the superintendence of the especially of maple (f'Eaodcuravi, Athen. ii. 32;
curule aediles (Liv. xxxiv. 54), and we know that acernce, Hor. Sat. ii. 8. 10; Mart. xiv. 90), or of
four of the extant plays of Terence were performed the citrus of Africa, which was a species of cyat the Megalesia. Cicero (dle aicus.) Rosp. 12), press or juniper. (Citrea, Cic. Veerr. iv. 17; Mart.
probably contrasting the games of the Megalesia ii. 43, xiv. 89; Plin. II. N. xiii. 29.) For this
with the more rude and barbarous games and ex- purpose the Romans made use of the roots and
Ihibitions of the circus, calls them mzanixse ccasti, tubers of the tree, which, when cut, displayed the
solemlnes, seliqiosi. (See Ovid. Fatst. iv. 179-372; greatest variety of spots, beautiful waves, and curlP. Manutius, ad Cic. ad Famil. ii. 11.) [L. S.] ing veins. The finest specimens of tables so
MELLEIREN (,useAAelprv). [ECIE N.] adorned were sold for many thousand pounds.
MEMBRA'NA. [LIBER.] (Plin. If. N. xiii. 29, xvi. 26, 84; Tertull. dle
MENELAEIA (ueE'EAdcera),a festivalcelebrated Pallio, sub fin.; A. Aikin, On Oanamzectal Woods,
at Therapnae in Laconia, in honour of Menelaus and pp. 23, 24.) Besides the beauty of the boards
lielena, who were believed to be buried there. (drltsO eaa) the legs of these tables were often
(Paus. iii. 19. ~ 9.) Menelaus was to the Lacedae- very tasteful, being carved in imitation of lion's or
monianswhat Nestorwasto the Messenians, amodel tiger's feet, and made of ivory. (Athen. 1. c.;
of a wise and just king, and hence they raised him to Mart. ii. 43. 9.)
the rank of one of the great gods (Isocrat. Pacnalt. One of the principal improvements was the ins