e Christmas Eve a Polish Jew
came to his house in a sledge, and, after rest and refreshment, started
for Nantzig, "four leagues off." Mathis followed him, killed him with an
axe, and burnt the body in a lime-kiln. He then paid his debts, greatly
prospered, and became a highly respected burgomaster. On the wedding
night of his only child, Annette, he died of apoplexy, of which he had
previous warning by the constant sound of sledge-bells in his ears. In
his dream he supposed himself put into a mesmeric sleep in open court,
when he confessed everything, and was executed.--J. R. Ware, _The Polish
Jew_.

[Asterism] This is the character which first introduced H. Irving to
public notice.

=Math'isen=, one of the three anabaptists who induced John of Leyden to
join their rebellion; but no sooner was John proclaimed "the
prophet-king" than the three rebels betrayed him to the emperor. When
the villains entered the banquet-hall to arrest their dupe, they all
perished in the flames of the burning palace.--Meyerbeer, _Le Proph[`e]te_
(an opera, 1849).

=Matilda=, wife of the earl of Leicester, in the "first American tragedy
regularly produced" in the United States.

She plans to poison her lord, a plot discovered and thwarted by him. In
shame and remorse she stabs herself to the heart, praying Leicester to
"pity her youthful paramour."--William Dunlap, _Leicester, A Tragedy_
(1794).

_Matilda_, sister of Rollo and Otto, dukes of Normandy, and daughter of
Sophia.--Beaumont and Fletcher, _The Bloody Brother_ (1639).

_Matilda_, daughter of Lord Robert Fitzwalter.

[Asterism] Michael Drayton has a poem of some 650 lines, so called.

_Matilda_, daughter of Rokeby, and niece of Mortham. Matilda was beloved
by Wilfred, son of Oswald; but she herself loved Redmond, her father's
page, who turned out to be Mortham's son.--Sir W. Scott, _Rokeby_
(1812).

=Matsys= (_Quintin_), a blacksmith of Antwerp. He fell in love with Liza,
the daughter of Johann Mandyn, the artist. The father declared that
none but an artist should have her to wife; so Matsys relinquished his
trade, and devoted himself to painting. After a while, he went into the
studio of Mandyn to see his picture of the fallen angel; and on the
outstretehed[TN-6] leg of one of the figures painted a bee. This was so
life-like, that when the old man returned, he proceeded to frighten it
off with his handkerchief. When he discovered the deception, and found
out it was