MAC 
throughout the univerfe, and not as a perfon diftinft from 
the Father and the Son. The feft of Macedonians was 
cruflied before it had arrived at its full maturity, by the 
council aflembled by Theodofius, in 381, at Conftanti- 
nople. 
MACEI'RA, or Midja're, an ifland in the Arabian 
Sea, near the coall, about fifty miles in length, and from 
three to eight broad. It is barren and uninhabited, with 
dangerous fhoals on the fouth-weft coaft, which extend 
ninety miles along the fhore, and fo far into the fea, that 
the land cannot be feen before the Unfkilful pilot feels the 
rocks, Lat. 20.48. N. Ion. 57. 35. E. 
MACEI'RA (Little), an ifland in the Arabian Sea, 
about fixteen miles long, and three broad : ten miles well 
of Maceira. 
MACELLA'RIOUS, adj. [maceHum, the fliambles.] Be¬ 
longing to the fhambles. Cole. 
MACELL A'TOR, f. A butcher. Cole. 
MA'CER, a river of Africa, in the country of Tripoli, 
which runs into the Mediterranean twenty miles eaft of 
Zebeda. 
MA'CER (ZEmilius). A Roman poet of this name 
flourilhed in the age of Auguftus, and wrote of birds, 
ferpents, and medicinal herbs, as appears from Ovid, who 
mentions (Trilt. iv. 10.) that Macer, at an advanced age, 
had frequently read his works to him. He is alfo noticed 
by Ovid (Da Ponto, ii. 10.) as having written a poem on 
the events of the Trojan war after the period at which 
Homer concludes. A poem De Herbarum Virtutibus, 
now extant under the name of .fEtnilius Macer, is cer¬ 
tainly fuppofititious, as it is written in a barbarous ftyle, 
and quotes many later authors. Haller fays it mull have 
been later than the year 842, as it refutes Walfrid Strabus, 
who wrote at that period. He conjectures that the author 
was a Frenchman, fince he gives lome French names to 
plants. He fometimes tranlcribes whole verles from the 
Schola Salernitana. This work, worthlefs as it is, has 
undergone feveral editions under its nialk of antiquity. 
VoJJii Poet. Lat. 
MACERA'TA, a town of Naples, in Lavora, about 
three miles from Capua, in the road to Naples. 
MACERA'TA, a town of Italy, in the marquifate of 
Ancona, on the Chienta; the fee of a bifliop, fuffragan of 
Fermo. It contains feveral churches, thirteen convents, 
an univerfity, two academies, and about 10,000 inhabi¬ 
tants. It is generally confidered as the capital of the pro¬ 
vince. The principal gate is built in the form of a tri- 
umphal arch. It is twenty miles fouth of Ancona, and 
ninety-live north-eall of Reme. Lat. 43.15. N. Ion. 13. 
31. E. 
MACERA'TA, a town of Italy, in the duchy of Ur- 
bino : ten miles north-well of Urbino. Lat. 43.48. N. 
Ion. 12. 35. E. 
To MA'CERATE, v. a. [macero , Lat. macerer , Fr.] 
To make lean ; to wear away.—Recurrent pains of the 
ftomach, megrims, and other recurrent head-aches, ma¬ 
cerate the parts, and render the looks of patients con- 
fumptive and pining. Harvey on Confumptions. —To mor¬ 
tify; to harafs with corporal hardlhips.—Covetous men are 
all fools; for what greater folly can there be, or madnefs, 
than for fuch a man to macerate himfelf when he need not ? 
Burton on Melancholy.- —To fteep almott to folution.—In lo¬ 
tions in women’s cafes, he orders two portions of helle¬ 
bore macerated in two cotylae of water. Arbuthnot. 
MA'CERATING,/i The ad of making lean 5 of fteep- 
jng almoft to diflolution. 
MACERA'TION, f. The aft of wafting, or making 
lean.—Mortification; corporal hardlhip.—Infufion either 
with or without heat, wherein the ingredients are intend¬ 
ed to be almoll wholly diffolved.—The faliva ferves for a 
maceration and diflolution of the meat into a chyle. Ray 
on Creation. 
MACHADOCK', a river of Virginia, which runs into 
the Potomack in lat. 38. 22. N. Ion, 77. 5. W. 
MACHA'CA, a town of Peru, in the diocefe of La 
M A C SO- 
Paz : fixty miles fouth-weft of La Paz. Lat. 17.40. S. 
Ion 69. 14 W. 
M ACHZERI'NA, f. in botany. See ScHjENUS. 
MACHZE'RUS, or Macheron'te, a city and fort be¬ 
yond Jordan, in the tribe of Reuben, north and eaft of 
the lake Alphaltites, two or three leagues beyond Jordan, 
and not far from where the river difcharges itfelf into the 
Dead Sea. This caftle had been fortified by the Afmo- 
nians; Gabinius demolifhed it, and Ariftobulus reftored 
it. Herod the Great made it much ftronger than before. 
Either here or in the neighbourhood was a fpring of hot 
water, very falutary. John the Baptift was put in prifon, 
and beheaded, at Machaerus, by the order of Herod An- 
tipas. Jofiph Antiq. xiv. 10. 
MACH'ALA, a town of South America, in the audi¬ 
ence of Quito, and jurifdiftion of Guayaquil. The en¬ 
virons produce great quantities of cacao, reckoned the 
belt in all Guayaquil. In its neighbourhood are numbers 
of mangrove-trees, whofe fpreading branches and thick 
trunks cover all the plains ; which, lying low, are fre¬ 
quently overflowed. The wood of the mangrove-tree is 
found very durable, being fubjeft neither to fplit nor rot. 
It is fifty-five miles north-north-weft of Loxa. Lat. 3. 
15. S. Ion. 79. W. 
MACHANGA'RA, a river of South America, which 
pafles by the city of Quito. 
MACHA'ON, an illuftrious hero and phyfician, who, 
with his brother Podalirius, accompanied the Grecian 
army in the expedition againft Troy, and performed great 
fervices among the troops. Thefe two perfons were 
deemed the Tons of Elculapius ; and Machaon appears to 
have been the elder brother, according to the poet Quintus 
Calaber, who introduces Podalirius as faying, on the oc- 
cafion of his death, that “ his dear brother had brought 
him up like a fon, after their father was taken into heaven, 
and had taught him to cure difeafes.” (Lib. vii. v. 60.) 
Homer, indeed, mentions Podalirius firft, when he name3 
both together; but that feems to have arifen only from 
the convenience of the verfe; rTo^aipio? nUe 
for Machaon appears to have been molt highly efteemed 
by the great officers of the army. It was he who admi- 
niftered to Menelaus when wounded by Tindarus, firft 
wiping the blood from the wound, and then applying 
emollient remedies, after the manner of his father. It 
was Machaon, alfo, who cured the lamenefs of Philoftetes, 
occafioned by dropping an arrow', dipped in the gall of 
the Lernean Hydra, bequeathed him by Hercules, on his 
foot: “ Tarda Philoftette fanavit crura Machaon.” Prop, 
lib. ii. 
It appears, too, from the writings of the poets, that 
Machaon was a brave and aftive foldier; for he is men¬ 
tioned as engaged in fome of the moft dangerous enter- 
prifes, with the other celebrated leaders. Homer tells of 
a wound which he received in the fiioulder, in one of the 
Tallies of the Trojans; and Virgil and Hyginus inform 
us, that he was one of the brave warriors who entered the 
wooden horfe, from which, according to the former, he 
was the firft to defcend. (ASneid. lib. ii. Hygin. Fabul. 
cap. 81.) He is faid to have loft his life in Angle combat 
with Nereus, or, as others ftate, with Eurypilu.s the fon 
of Telephus, during the fiege of Troy ; which, however, 
is inconfiftent with the aflertion juft mentioned, fince the 
fiege was terminated by the introduftion of the troops in 
the wooden horfe. (See Paufanias in Laconic. 2. Cala¬ 
ber, lib. vi. vii.) Paufanias adds, that the remains of 
Machaon were preferved by Neftor, and conveyed to Mef- 
fenia, where they were buried. 
Machaon married Anticlea, daughter of Diodes king of 
Meffenia, by whom he had two Ions, Nichomachus and 
Gorgafus, who refided at Pherae, and poffeffed the terri¬ 
tory of their grandfather, until the Heraclidte, on their 
return from Troy, made themfelves mailers of Meffenia, 
and the reft of the Pdoponnefus. Machaon is fuppofed 
to have been a king, either in his own right or that of 
his wife, fince Homer, in two or three places, calls liim 
3 pallor- 
