It must not be believed that Mr. Maurice's labors were confined to the theological or philosophical arena. It has been tndy said by the A thenceum that he " lived during his allotted term the lives of many men." He was the originator, or one of the originators, of tlie Christian socialistic movement, the design of which was to break down the system of competitive labor, and ele- vate the working classes by teaching them to associate together in little companies, undertaking work in com- mon, and sharing the proceeds. With a view to pre- paring working-men for such a task, he founded a work- ing-men's college in London, to which in his last years he devoted much of his time and attention. He also took great interest in the cause of female education. Indeed, there are few social questions of anj' importance to which his sympathies did not extend. See Fra- ser's Magazine, 1854 (April) ; Scrihner's Monthly, 1872 (Sept.); British Quart. Rev. ISIZ (Jan.), art. ii; Encjlish Cyclop. S.V.; NMx>wi, Diet, of Brit, and Amer. Authors, s, V. ; Xew A iner. Cyclop, s. v.
Maurice, Henry, D.D., an English divine, flour- ished near the middle of the 17th century as chaplain to the archbishop of Canterbury. He published A Vin- dication of the Primitive Church and Diocesan Episco- pacy, in answer to Baxter's Church History of Bishops (Lond. 1682, 8vo) -.—Sermons (1682, 4to ; 1744, 4to) :— A Defence of Diocesan Episcopiacy, in answer to David Clarkson's Primitive Episcojmcy (Lond. 1700) : — Doubts concerning Roman Infallibility. See Gibson's Pi-eserva- tive, iv, 271; Allibone, Diet. Brit, and Amer, Authors, vol. ii, s. V. ; Darling, Cyclop. Bibliogr. vol. ii, s. v.
Maurice, Thomas, an English divine and scholar, noted particularly f<ir his studies of the antiquities of India, was born abnut 175.5 at Hertford, where his fa- ther was then bead-master of the Christ's Hospital school. After his father's death the family was im- poverished by an unfortunate marriage of the widow, and his education proceeded irregidarly till Dr. Parr, on opening his school at Stanmore, was ])rcvailed on to re- ceive him as a pu[)il, and treated him witti great gener- osity and kindness. Destined for the Church, he en- tered at nineteen St. John's College, Oxford, whence he removed next year to University College. After taking his degree of B.A., he was ordained by bishop Lowth, and held for some time the curacy of the large par- ish of Woodford, in Essex, which in 1785 he resigned for a chapel at Ejiping, in order,to obtain greater leisure for study. His turn for historical studies had been fos- tered at University College by his distinguished tutor Lord Stowell, and he now began to concentrate his at- tention on the history of India, for treating upon which
he made proposals in 1790 in a published letter address- ed to the East India directors. The irreligious spirit of the French Kevolution, alamaing Mr. INIaurice's mind, induced him to remodel his first work after it was near- ly completed, and to devote a considerable proportion of it to dissertations on the Hindu mythologj-. In 1791 he came before the public with two volumes of his Indian Antiquities: the rest were brought out at inter- vals, the completion of the work being mainly owing to the liberality of the earl of Harborough ; and the sev- enth and last volume appeared in 1797. This work re- mains to our day a trustworthy book of reference. Mean- time he had undertaken a History of Hindostan, the three volumes of which, in quarto, were published in 1795, 1798, 1799, and a second edition appeared in 1821. In 1798 earl Spencer presented him to the vicarage of Wormleighton, in Wanvickshire ; next year he was ap- pointed assistant librarian in the British Museum ; in 1800 bishop Tomline obtained for him the pension that had been held by the poet Cowper ; and in 1804 he re- ceived from the lord chancellor the vicarage of CudJiam, in Kent. His Modern History of Hindostan, in two vol- umes, appeared in 1802 and 1804. Several other vol- umes on Eastern history and theology, and attempts in verse, succeeded this work ; and one of his last under- takings was his Menwirs, comprehending the History of the Progi-ess of Indian Literatuiv, aiul Anecdotes of Lit- erary Characters in Britain, during a Period of Thirty Yeais. Of this work the three volumes appeared in 1819, 1820, and 1822. He died March 30, 1824. See English Cyclop, s. v. ; Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A me?: A ittliors, s. V. ; Gorton, Biog. Diet. s. v.
Mauritius and the Thebaic Legion. • The le- gend concerning St. Mauritius and his fellow-soldiers originated with Eucherius, bishop of Lyons (f about 450), and was first published in A.D. 1662, bj^ the Jesuit Fran- cis Chifiletus, from an old martyrology in the Abbey of St. Claude, in the Jura. A recension of this legend was admitted Iw Surius into his Lives of Sai7its in 1569, which is drawn from martyrologies of a later date, and was composed by a monk connected with the cloister of St. Maurice, who bore the same name as the bishop, but flourished nearly a century later. Much has been writ- ten for and against the authenticity of the legend, but the results of modern criticism seem to indicate that a basis of truth underlies the story. The evidence in its favor reaches to the 4th centurj', while the adverse proof rests chiefly on the improbability of the events narrated. It relates that during the wars of the emperor Maxim- ian with the Gaids, a legion, known as the Thebaic, was ordered from the East to reinforce his army. It was composed entirely of Christians, and was led by IVIauri- tius. While the emperor rested at Octodurum (now IMartigny, at the foot of Mount St. Bernard), tlie bulk of this legion was stationed at St. Maurice, in the pres- ent canton of Wallis, excepting two cohorts, which were sent to Treves. The army was at this time employed in persecuting Christians, in which service the Thebaic legion was ordered to co-operate. They refused to obey, and the emperor, in a rage, commanded the decimation of the legion. As they remained firm, even after a sec- ond decimation, IMaximian ordered the massacre of the entire body. Eucherius states that at this period a le- gion numbered 6600 men, and clearly asserts that the greater portion of this legion perished at St. ISIaurice, while the martyrology of St. INIauritius adds that offi- cers were sent to Treves to execute a similar punish- ment on tlie two cohorts stationed there. A similar le- gend occurs in Simeon Metaphrastes, according to which a St. Mauritius with seventy of his soldiers was execu- ted by order of IMaximian ; but this was probably a Greek adaptation <if the Latin story. Grave doubts are cast upon the legend by the great number of fugitives from this massacre which constantly meet us, and by the improbabilitj' of the sacrifice of so large a body of troops in time of war. See De Lisle, Defense de la ]'ente du Martyre de la Legion Thebeenne (1737) ; the A eta SS.,