MAJLÁTH, JÁNOS, or JOHN, COUNT (1786-1855), Hungarian historian and poet, was born at Pest on the 5th of October 1786. First educated at home, he subsequently studied philosophy at Eger (Erlau) and law at Györ (Raab), his father, Count Joseph Majláth, an Austrian minister of state, eventually obtaining for him an appointment in the public service. Majláth devoted himself to historical research and the translation into German of Magyar folk-tales, and of selections from the works of the best of his country's native poets. Moreover, as an original lyrical writer, and as an editor and adapter of old German poems, Majláth showed considerable talent. During the greater part of his life he resided either at Pest or Vienna, but a few years before his death he removed to Munich, where he fell into a state of destitution and extreme despondency. Seized at last by a terrible infatuation, he and his daughter Henriette, who had long been his constant companion and amanuensis, drowned themselves in the Lake of Starnberg, a few miles south-west of Munich, on the 3rd of January 1855. Of his historical works the most important are the _Geschichte der Magyaren_ (Vienna, 1828-1831, 5 vols.; 2nd ed., Ratisbon, 1852-1853) and his _Geschichte des österreichischen Kaiserstaats_ (Hamburg, 1834-1850, 5 vols.). Specially noteworthy among his metrical translations from the Hungarian are the _Magyarische Gedichte_ (Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1825); and _Himfy's auserlesene Liebeslieder_ (Pest, 1829; 2nd ed., 1831). A valuable contribution to folk-lore appeared in the _Magyarische Sagen, Märchen und Erzählungen_ (Brünn, 1825; 2nd ed., Stuttgart and Tübingen, 1837, 2 vols.). MAJOLICA, a name properly applied to a species of Italian ware in which the body is coated with a tin-enamel, on which is laid and fired a painted decoration. It is also applied to similar wares made in imitation of the Italian ware in other countries. The word in Italian is _maiolica_. Du Cange (_Gloss. s.v._ "Majorica") quotes from a chronicle of Verona of 1368, in which the form _majolica_ occurs for the more usual Latin form _majorica_. It has usually been supposed that this type of pottery was first made in the island of Majorca, but it is more probable that the name was given by the Italians to the lustred Spanish ware imported by ships hailing from the Balearic Islands. (See CERAMICS: _Medieval and Later Italian_.)