MAS 
liiasOttty of building, which tliey afe stiji- 
t)osed to be masters of, or because the first 
Foui'.ders of the society were persons of that 
professibn. These are now very consider- 
able, both for number and character, being 
found in every cduntry in Europe, and con- 
sisting principally of persons of merit and 
consideration. As to antiquity, they lay 
claim to a standing bf some thousand years. 
\yhat the end of their institution is seems 
still a secret ; and they are said to be ad- 
mitted into the fraternity by being put in 
possession of a great number of secrets, 
called the mason’s word, which have been 
religiously kept from age to age, being ne- 
ver divulged. 
MASONRY, in general, a branch of ar- 
chitecture, consisting in tlie art of hewing 
or squaring stones, and cutting tliem level 
or perpendicular, for the uses of building : 
but in a more iimited sense, masonry is tlte 
art of assembling and joining stones toge- 
ther with mortan 
MASSETER, in anatomy, a muscle which 
has its origin in the lower and interior part 
of the jngura, and its end at tlte external 
superficies of tlie angle of the jaw. 
MASSONIA, in botany, so named from 
Mr. Francis Masson, a genus of the Hexan- 
dria Monogynia class and order. Natural 
order of Coronari*. Asphodeli, Jussieu. 
Essential character : corolla inferior, with a 
six-parted border ; filaments on the neck of 
Uie tube ; capsule three-winged, three- 
celled, many seeded. There, are four spe- 
cies, all of them found at tlie Cape of Good 
Hope. 
MAST, a long round piece of timber, 
elevated perpendicularly upon the keel of a 
ship, upon wbirh are attached the yards, 
the sails, and the rigging, in order to their 
receiving the wind necessary for navigation. 
A mast, according to its length, is either 
formed of one single piece, which is called 
a pole-mast, or composed of several pieces 
joined together, each of which retains the 
name of mast separately. A top mast is 
raised at the head or top of tlie lower mast, 
through a cap; and supported by the tres- 
tle-trees. It is composed of two strong 
bars of timber, supported by two promi- 
nences, wliich are as shoulders on the oppo- 
site sides of the masts, a little under its up- 
per end/ athwart these bars are fixed the 
cross-trees, upon which the frame of the 
top is supported. Between the lower mast- 
head and the foremost of the cross-trees a 
square space remains vacant, the sides of 
which are bounded by the two trestle-ti'ees. 
' MAS 
Perpendicularly above this is the fofbiliSsI 
hole in the cap, whose after-liole is solidly 
fi.xed on the head of the lower-mast. The 
top-mast is erected by a tackle, whose ef* 
fort is cUmmnnicated from the head of the 
lower inait to the foot of the top^mast, and 
the upper end of the latter is accordingly 
guided into and conveyed up througli tlie 
holes between the trestle-trees and the cap, 
as before-mentioned; the machinery by 
which it is elevated, or, according to the 
sea-phrase, swayed up, is fixed in tlie fob 
lowing manner. The tOp-rope, passing 
through a block which is hooked On oiie side 
of the cap, and afterwards Ihroitgh a hole, 
furnished with a sheave or pitllfey on the 
lower end of the top-mast, is again bronglit 
npwardson the otlier side of tlie mast, where 
it is at length fastened to an eye-bolt in the 
cap, Whicli is always on the side opposite to 
the top-block. To the lower end of the 
top-rope is fixed the top-tackle, tile effort 
of which being transmitted to the top rope, 
and thence to the lieel of the tOp-mast, ne- 
cessarily lifts the latter upwards parallel to 
the lower mast. When the top-mast is 
raised to its proper height, the lower end of 
it becomes firmly wedged in the square 
hole (above described) between the trestle- 
trees. A bar of wood or iron, called the 
fid, is then thrust thtoiigh a hole in the heel 
of it, across the trestle-trees, by which the 
whole weight of the top mast is supported. 
See Sftip bnildivgi 
MASTER of arts', is the first degree 
taken up in foreign universities, and for the 
most part in those of Scotland ; but the 
second in Oxford and Cambridge; candi- 
dates not being admitted to it till they have 
studied seven years in the university. 
Master in chanceryt The masters in 
chancery are assistants to the Lord Chan- 
eellor and Master of the Rolls ; of these 
tliere are some ordinary, and others extra- 
ordinary ! the masters in ordinary are twelve 
ill number; some of whom sit in court every 
day during the term, and have referred to 
them interlocutory orders for stating ad- 
counts, and computing damages, and the 
like ; and tlicy also administer oaths, take 
affidavits, and acknowledgments of deeds 
and recognizances. The masters extraor- 
dinary are appointed to act in the country, 
in the several counties of England, beyond 
ten miles distance from London ; by taking 
affidavits, recognizances, acknowledgments 
of deeds, &c. for the ease of the suitors of 
the court. 
Master of the horse, a great officer of 
.S % 
