94 M A G 
ony; bounded on the north by the duchy of Mecklen¬ 
burg, on the Couth and Couth-weft by the principality of 
Anhalt and Halberftadt, on the eaft by Upper Saxony 
with part of Brandenburg, and on the weft by the duchy 
of Wolfenbuttle. Some parts are Ceparated from the reft, 
and on all other Cides environed by the circular counties 
of Upper Saxony. The country belonging to it is, for 
the moft part, level. Fuel is fcarce, but the country af¬ 
fords feveral mines of pit-coal, and is fupplied with wood 
from the neighbouring province, by means of its rivers. 
The falt-Cprings are of fitch richneCs, that they are able 
to fupply all Germany with that commodity. Accord¬ 
ing to a computation made in 1703, the whole duchy, ex- 
clufive of that part of the county of Mansfield which is 
connefted with it, contained 35 towns and 4.31 villages. 
From the year 1750 to 1756, the burials amounted, one 
year with another, to 8786 ; fo that the number of its in¬ 
habitants, during thofe years, may be eftimated at 330,000. 
According to Hoeck’s account in 1801, the number is 
dated at 275,262. The ftates of the country confided of 
prelates, the nobility, and the cities. The reformation 
was introduced into this duchy in the fixteenth century, 
and about the middle of the fucceeding century Luthe- 
ranifm was the only religion that was tolerated ; but fince 
that time French and German Calvinift refugees have 
been received, and under king Frederic-William the 
private exercife of the Roman-catholic worlhip was tole¬ 
rated bqth at Magdeburg and Halle. The biftiopric of 
Magdeburg was formed out of a BetiediCline convent, 
founded by the emperor Otho I. in 637, and converted 
into an archbifhopric in 967. By the peace of Weftpha- 
lia, in 1648, the houfe of Brandenburg obtained, under 
certain ftipulations, the reverfion of this archbifliopric, 
and in 1680 the actual pofleffion of it. The duchy had 
its own regency, which in 1714, was removed from Halle 
to Magdeburg, and confifted of two fenates; but the ca¬ 
thedral chapter was afterwards excluded from any part in 
the government. The annual revenues amounted to 
above 800,000 rix-dollars. By the peace of Tilfit in 1807, 
that part of the duchy, which lies on the left fide of the 
Elbe, was ceded by the king of Pruflia to the new king¬ 
dom of Weftphalia. 
MAG'DEBURG, a city of Germany, in the above du¬ 
chy, of which it is not only the capital, but that of all 
Lower Saxony, and formerly even of all Germany. It 
Hands on the Elbe, in lat. 52. 16. N. Ion. 12. 9. E. It 
is a city of great trade, ftrongly fortified, and very anci¬ 
ent. Its name fignifies the maiden city 5 which, fome ima¬ 
gine, took its rife from the temple of Venus, faicl to have 
flood here anciently, and to have been deftroyed by Char¬ 
lemagne. The founder of the city is fnppofed to have 
been Otho I. or his emprefs Editha, daughter to Edmund 
the Saxon king of England. The fame emperor founded 
a benedictine convent here, which he afterwards converted 
into an archbilhopric, of which thearchbilhop was a count- 
palatine, and had very great privileges, particularly that 
of wearing the archiepifcopal pallium, and having the crofs 
borne before him. The firft tournament in Germany is 
faid to have been appointed near this city, by the emperor 
Henry the Fowler; but thefe paftimes were afterwards 
abolilhed, becaufe they oecafioned envy and animofity 
among the nobility. The fituation of the city is very con¬ 
venient and pleafant, upon the banks of the Elbe, amidft 
fpacious fruitful plains, and on the road betwixt High and 
Low Germany. It has been a great fufferer by fires and 
fieges; but by nonefo much as that in 1631 when the em¬ 
peror’s general, count Tilly, took it by ltorm, plundered 
and fet it on fire, by which it was entirely reduced to allies, 
except the cathedral, the convent of Our Lady, and a few 
cottages belonging to filhermen ; of 20,000 burghers, not 
above 400 efcaping. The foldiers fpared neither age nor 
lex ; but ripped up women with child, murdered fucking 
infants in fight of their parents, and ravilhed young wo¬ 
men in the Itreets; to prevent which violation, many of 
them flung themfelves into the Elbe, and others into the 
MAG 
fire. The city is now populous, large, and well built, 
particularly the broad ftr.eet and cathedral fquare. The 
principal buildings are the king’s palace, which was an¬ 
ciently the refidence of the bilhops, and in which were 
held the war and demefne offices, with the armory, the 
governor’s houfe, and the guildhall, where the regency 
and confiftory are held. The Lutheran cathedral here, 
dedicated to St. Maurice, is a fuperb ftrufture, in the 
antique tafte, with a fine organ, the mafter-pipe of which 
is fo big, that a man can fcarcely clafp it with both 
arms; it alfo contains the tombs of the emperor Otho 
and the emprefs Editha; a fine marble ftatue of St. Mau¬ 
rice, a porphyry font, an altar in the choir of one ftone 
of divers colours, curioufly wrought, and many other 
curiofities. They fliow here a bedltead and table which 
belonged to Martin Luther, when he was an Auguftine 
friar in a cloifter of this city before bhe reformation. 
Among the relics they pretended to have the bafon in 
which Pilate wafiied his hands after his condemnation of 
our Saviour; the lantern which Judas made ufe of when 
he apprehended him; and the ladder on which the cock 
crowed after St. Peter denied him. The chapter, confifts 
of a provoft, fixteen major and feven minor canons; be. 
fides which, there are four other Lutheran collegiate foun¬ 
dations, and a Lutheran convent dedicated to our Lady, 
in which is a fchool, or feminary. Here is alfo a gymna- 
fium, with an academy, in which young gentlemen are in- 
ftructed in the art of war. The canons of the chapter, which, 
except the change of religion, is upon the fame footing 
as before the reformation, mult make proof of their nobi¬ 
lity. The revenue of the provoft is computed at 12,000 
crowns a-year. Here is a great trade, and a variety of ma¬ 
nufactures. The chief are thofe of woollen cloths and 
fluffs, ftlks, cottons, linen, ftockings, hats, gloves, tobacco, 
and fnuff. The city was formerly one of the Hanfe and 
Imperial towns. Editha, confort to Otho I. on whom it 
was conferred as a dowry, among many other privileges 
and advantages, procured it the grant of a yearly fair: 
The burgravate ofthis city was anciently an officeofgreat 
power; having the civil and criminal jurifdiftion, the office 
of hereditary cupbearer being annexed to it; and was long 
held as a fief of the archbifhopric, but afterwards became 
an imperial fief, which was again conferred on the arch¬ 
bifhopric by the elector of Saxony, upon certain condi¬ 
tions. The number of inhabitants, in 1798, is dated by 
Haflel at 30,611; and in 1802, by Krugg, at 32,000. Magde¬ 
burg, during the late war, had been, from its great ftrength 
and fnppofed fecurity, made a depot for the moft Valua¬ 
ble effects from Munlfer, Heffe, and Eaft Friefland, to a 
valt amount; but it furrendered almoft without refiftance to 
the French in June 1807. Magdeburg is fifty-two miles 
ealt-fouth-eaft of Potfdarn. 
MAG'DEH, or Fortune-tellers ; a eaft of Hindoos, 
produced from the defeendants of a man of the Bice hav¬ 
ing had connexion with a woman of the Chehtree. 
MAG'DELA, a town of Germany, in the principality 
of Weimar: feven miles fouth-eaft of Weimar. ' 
MAGDELA'INE, a clutter of frtiall iflandsin the Me¬ 
diterranean, near the north coalt of Sardinia. Lat. 41.11.N. 
Ion. 9. 36. E. 
MAG'DESPRUNG, a town of Germany, in the duchy 
of Anhalt: two miles north of Hartzgerode. 
MAG'DIEL, [Hebrew.] A man’s name. 
MAGE,/, [magus, Lat.] A magician: 
The hardy mayd (with love to frend) 
Firft entering, the dreadful mage there fownd 
Deep buffed ’bout worke of wondrous end. Spenfcr, 
MAGEDAN', a town of Judea, fituated eaft of the 
lake of Gennefareth. 
MAGE'E, a town of Hindooftan: twenty-five miles 
eaft of Benares. 
MAGEE’s SOU'ND, a bay on the conft.of one of Queen 
Charlotte’s Iflands in the North Pacific Ocean. Lat, 52, 
46, N, Ion, 131,46, W, 
MAGEEONCorXA., 
