GOLD OF PLEASURE; a genus of the filiculosa order, belonging to the tetradyminae class of plants. There are five species; but the only remarkable one is the sativum, which grows naturally in corn-fields in the south of France and Italy, and also in some parts of Britain. It is an annual plant, with an upright stalk a foot and an half high, sending out two or four side-branches, which grow erect; the flowers grow in loose spikes at the end of the branches, standing upon short footstalks an inch long: they are composed of four small yellowish petals, placed in form of a cross; these are succeeded by oval capsules, which are bordered and crowned at the top with the style of the flower, having two cells filled with red seeds. This is cultivated in Germany for the sake of the expressed oil of the seeds, which the inhabitants use for medicinal, culinary, and economical purposes. The seeds are a favourite food with geese. Horses, goats, sheep, and cows, eat the plant.

MYCENÆ, (Homer); a town of Argolis; formerly the capital, and the royal residence of Agamemnon, fifty stadia to the north of Argos, celebrated by the poets. After the war of Troy, on the extinction of Agamemnon's kingdom, it fell to such decay, that in Strabo's time there was not so much as a trace of it remaining: but that, in the Macedonian war carried on by the Romans, there was something of a town, is plain from the Excerpta of Polybius, to whom add Livy. It was famous for its breed of horses. (Virgil, Horace).

MYCONÈ, an island of the Archipelago, situated in E. Long. 25° 51'. N. Lat. 37° 28'. It is about 36 miles in circuit; and has a town of the same name, containing about 3000 inhabitants. The people of this island are said to be the best sailors in the Archipelago, and have about 150 vessels of different sizes. The island yields a sufficient quantity of barley for the inhabitants, and produces abundance of figs, and some olives; but there is a scarcity of water, especially in summer, there being but one well on the island. There are a great number of churches and chapels, with some monasteries. The dress of the women in this island is very remarkable, and as different from that of the other islands as that of those islanders is different from the dress of the other European ladies. Their heads are adorned with lively-coloured turbans; their garments are a short white shift plaited before and behind, which reaches to their knees; they have white linen-drawers, and red, green, yellow, or blue stockings, with various coloured slippers. An ordinary suit for the better sort will cost 200 crowns.