M A J 
ber of academical diflertations. The principal fubjeSls of 
tire former were, petrifactions or foffils, renal calculi, tranf- 
fufionf anatomy, botany, artificial medicated baths, &c. 
MA'JOR’s BA'Y, a bay of the ifiand of St. Chrifto- 
pher. Lat. 17. ao. N. Ion. 62. 2a. W. 
MA'JOR DO'MO,/ An Italian term, frequently ufed 
to fignify a Reward, or mailer of the houfehold. The 
title of major domo was formerly given in the courts of 
princes to three different kinds of officers. 1. To him 
who took care of what related to the prince’s table, or eat¬ 
ing ; otherwife called eleater, prajeBus men/a, architriclinus, 
dapifer, and princcps coquorum. 2. To the lteward of the 
houfehold. 3. To the chief minifter, or him to whom 
the prince deputed the adminiltration of his affairs, fo¬ 
reign and domeftic, relating to war as well as peace. In- 
ftances of major domos in the two firli fenfes are frequent 
in the Englifh, French, and Norman, affairs. 
MAJORA'GIO (Marcantonio), an elegant Italian 
fcholar, was born in 1514., at a village of that name in 
the diocefe of Milan. The family name was Conti, but 
his father affumed that of the place in which he was fet¬ 
tled. The wars in Lombardy reduced him to poverty ; 
and Marcantonio was indebted for a literary education to 
his coufin Primo Conti, profeffor in Como. He after¬ 
wards was received into the houfe of Lancellotto Fagnani, 
at Milan, where he purfued his ftudies during five years 
with an ardour which brought his life into danger. One 
of his preceptors was the famous Cardan. Such was his 
proficiency, that at the age of twenty-fix he was made 
public profeffor of eloquence at Milan ; but he had fcarce- 
]y held this office two years, when the new wars in that 
ifate broke up the univerfity, and obliged the profeffors 
to change their abode. Majoragio went to Ferrara, where 
lie improved himfelf in the ffudies of philofophy and ju- 
rifprudence under Maggi and Alciati. At the return of 
peace he refumed his ttation at Milan, when a ftorm was 
raifed againit him on a fubjeft which is curioufly charac- 
teriflic of the times. Majoragio had received at baptifm 
the name of Anton-maria, the latter part of the compound 
being a refult of his mother’s particular devotion for the 
Virgin. As he grew up, he acquired the claffical delicacy 
which diftinguiflied the Italian fcholars of that period ; 
and, not being able to find any authority in pure latinity 
for the junction of a mafculine and feminine name, he 
fubfcribed himfelf, in the title of a Latin work, Marcus- 
Antonius, inftead of Antonius-Maria. On'this circumftance 
his enemies founded a charge of impiety, and he was 
obliged to plead his caufe before the fenate. By his elo¬ 
quence he obtained an acquittal, and was permitted to 
continue his public leftures. He contributed greatly to 
revive the ftudy of letters in Milan, by reftoring the prac¬ 
tice of public declamations, by promoting the eftablifh- 
ment of the Academy de’ Trasformati, and by his attempts 
to found a public library. It appears that in 1550 he ob¬ 
tained an ecclefiaftical dignity, but of what kind is not 
known. He died in 1555, at the age of forty-one. In 
proportion to the length of his life, his writings were 
very numerous, confiding of orations, prefaces, poems, 
Latin and Italian, and trails on various fubjeffts. He 
employed much time in commenting on the works of 
Cicero relating to eloquence, and the rhetoric and other 
philofophical works of Arillotle ; in which latter he bor¬ 
rowed much from the preceding labours of Viftorius, but 
not without acknowledgment. Upon the whole, Majo¬ 
ragio for eloquence and elegant erudition was not inferior 
to any fcholar of his time. Bayle. Tira'oofchi. 
MAJORA'NA,/. in botany. See Mentha, Ocymum, 
and Origanum. 
MAJORA'TIQN,/. [from major.'] Increafe; enlarge¬ 
ment.—There be five ways of majoration of founds : en- 
clofure Ample; enclofure with dilatation; communica¬ 
tion ; reflection concurrent; and approach to the fenfory. 
Bacon's Nat. Hijl. 
MAJOR'CAj an illand of the. Mediterranean, lying be- 
M A J ‘ 167 
tween Yvica on the weft and Minorca on the eaft. Thefe 
three iflands were anciently called Baleares, fuppofed to 
be from the Ikill of their inhabitants ,n flinging, for which 
they were very remarkable. Originally they belonged to 
the Carthaginians; but, during the wars of that people, 
with the Romans, they feem to have regained their liberty. 
In 122 B.C. they were fu.bdued by Metellus the Roman 
conlul, who treated the inhabitants with fuch cruelty, that 
out of 30,000 he Icarcely left 1000 alive. He then built 
two cities on Majorca ; one called Palma , now Majorca , to 
the eaft ; the other to the weft, named Pollentia, now no 
longer in being. The iflar.d continued fubjefl to the 
Romans, and to the nations who overran the weftern part 
of the empire, for many ages. At laft it was fubdued by 
the Moors about the year 800. By them the ifland was 
put in a much better condition than it ever was before or 
iince. The Moors, being very indultrious, and alfo po¬ 
pulous, furrounded the whole coaft with fortifications,, 
that is, with a kind of towers and lines between them 
cultivated every fpot in the ifland that was not either rock 
or land ; and had no fewer than fifteen great towns, whereas- 
now there are not above three. Neither was it at all diffi¬ 
cult for the Moorilh monarch to bring into the field an 
army much fuperior in number to the inhabitants that are 
now upon it, taking in all ranks, fexes, and ages. In 1229, 
the ifland was fubdued by the king of Arragon, who elta- 
bliftied in it a new kingdom, feudatory to that of Arragon, 
which was again deftroyed in 1341 by the fame monarchs ; 
and, ever iince, the ifland has been fubjebf to Spain, and. 
has entirely loft its importance. At Alfabia, a village 
near the city of Majorca, fir John Carr was (hown the 
fiate-chair of the ancient kings of Majorca. 
This ifland is the largeft of the Baleares, being about 
fifty miles long, and thirty-five broad ; the four chief 
capes pointing direftly to the four cardinal points. It 
is divided into two parts; that towards the north and weft; 
is mountainous, but not barren ; the other, lying fouth 
and eaft, is level, and laid out in corn-land, paltures, vine¬ 
yards, and orchards. This ifland abounds in corn, wine, 
oil, honey, faffron, capers, large and fmall cattle, wool, 
cheefe, filh, rabbits, partridges, deer, wild-fowl, and horfes, 
without any ravenous wild beafts. The whole ifland is 
encompafled with ltrong towers, from which an enemy 
may be deferied at a diftance. It has feveral good har¬ 
bours and anchoring-places. The air is temperate and 
wholefome ; but the exceflive iieat and drought here fre¬ 
quently occafion a fcarcity ; though the ifland in general 
is well fupplied with water. The inhabitants, in their 
manners and enftoms, refemble the Spaniards ; but parti¬ 
cularly the Catalonians. Perfons of falhion here ipeak 
Spanifh ; but the language of the commonalty is a medley 
of Limofin, Greek, Latin, Spanifli, and Arabic. The 
ifland maintains twenty companies of foot, five troops of 
horfe, and two companies of matrofles, for the defence of 
the capital; befides four regiments cantoned in other parts 
of the ifland. 
The ifland of Majorca is not only deftitute of navigable 
rivers, but its highways are inconvenient for travelling, 
and very much out of repair; fo that all the articles of 
land-carriage, from the interior to the fea, are conveyed 
on the backs of mules, or by carts of very clumfy con- 
ftruftion. It has been faid, that mines of gold and filver 
and precious (tones were formerly found in this ifland ; 
but of this there now remains no evidence. Its quarries 
of various forts of marble and of Itone are, however, nu¬ 
merous. In the marffies of Campos a quantity of natural 
fait is difeovered, but for want of being worked it turns 
to little account ; near the fame town is a fpring of ful- 
phureous water, called the Holy, or St. John’s, Fountain,, 
which is reckoned falutary in various complaints. In this 
ifland are lotne birds of prey, particularly the hawk ; but 
venomous animals are very little known. The coral-fifh- 
ery is carried on in the bay of Alcudia during the months 
of July and Augult. 
Til fie 
