327 
M A R 
were much applauded; the three latter were lefs fo; and 
the work, although it has given birth to feveral others 
upon the fame model, is now almoft forgotten. Marana 
lived in Paris in a ftate of decent mediocrity, till 1689, 
when he returned to Italy, where he died in folitude in 
1691. 
MARANA'SIN, in Pagan theology; Jupiter, fo called 
by the Sidonians. 
MARANA'THA, [Syriac, The Lord comes, or The 
Lord is come.] A form of denouncing and anathematiz¬ 
ing among the Jews. St. Paul pronounces, If any love not 
the Lord Jefus Ckri/ 1 , let him be anathema maranatha ; (1 Cor. 
xvi.22.) which is as much as to fay, “ Mayell thou be de¬ 
voted to the greateft of evils, and to the utmolt feverity 
of God’s judgments ; may the Lord come quickly to take 
vengeance of thy crimes.” Calmel. 
Selden and Lightfoot maintain that maranatha is not 
found in this fenfe among the rabbins. Maranatha may 
be underftood in an abfolute fenfe; “Let him that loveth 
not the Lord Jefus Chrift be anathema. The Lord is 
come ; the Mefliah hath appeared ; evil to whofoever re¬ 
ceives him not.” He particularly addreffes the unbeliev¬ 
ing Jews. Selden de Synedriis, cap. 8. 
The editor of Calmet’s Didiionary, in his volume of 
Fragments, has attempted to elucidate the fubjedt as fol¬ 
lows : “The expreffion ufed by the apoftle is fo remarka¬ 
ble, that it has attradled general notice. It is ufually un- 
ftood to be Syriac phrafeology, fignifying ‘ Let him be 
accurfed, when the Lord comes.’ It certainly was not 
now for the firft time ufed as a new kind of curfing by 
the apoftle, but was the application of a current mode of 
fpeech to the purpofe he had in contemplation. Perhaps, 
therefore, by infpedling the manners of the Eaft, we fltould 
find the true import of this fingular paflage. The neareft 
approach to it that I have been able to difcover, is in the 
following extradl from Mr. Bruce, vol. i. p. 112; and 
though, perhaps, this does not come up to the full power 
of what the apoftle meant, yet probably it gives us the 
idea which was commonly attached to the phrafe in that 
country, and which would have been underftood by it on 
a fubjedt of ordinary occurrence. Mr. B. had been forced 
by a pretended faint in Egypt, to take him on-board his 
vefiel, as if to carry him to a certain place ; whereas Mr. 
B. meant no fuch thing; but, having fet him on-lhore 
at fome little diftance from whence he came, he failed 
away from him. Upon feeing this, our faint fell into a 
defperate paffion, curfing, blafpheming, and ftamping with 
his foot; and every minute crying SharUllah ! i. e. ‘May 
God fend, and do juftice.’ This appears to be the 
ftrongeft execration this paflionate perfon could ufe; be¬ 
ing as much as to fay, To punifti you adequately is out 
of my power: I remit you to the vengeance of God !” 
MAR AN'D, a town of Perfia, in the province of Adir- 
beitzan, and forty-two miles north of Tauris. 
MARANHA'O, or Maran'non, a jurifdidtion of South 
America, in Brafil, belongingto the Portuguefe, who firft 
fettled there in the year 1599, upwards of fixty years after 
the difcovery. It takes its name from an ifland fituated 
at the mouth of three rivers, about forty-two miles in cir¬ 
cumference, which is fertile and well inhabited. In the 
year 1612, the French feized on the ifland, and built a 
town, called St. Luis de Maranhao ; but the Portuguefe 
recovered it out of their hands. It is now very ftrong; 
and has a flout caftle, built on a rock, towards the fea, 
which commands a very convenient harbour. It is the 
lee of a bifliop, under the archbilhop of St. Salvador de 
la Baya. The ifland itfelf is very difficult of accefs, by 
reafon of the rapidity of the three rivers which form it; 
fo that veflels muft wait for proper winds and feafons to 
vifit it. Befides the chief town, here are two others, but 
lefs confiderable ; and about twenty-feven hamlets belong¬ 
ing to the natives, and by them called Oc or Tave, each 
confiding of only four large huts, forming a fquare in the 
middle but front three to five hundred paces in length, 
M A R 
and about twenty or thirty feet in depth; all being built 
of large timber, and covered from top to bottom with 
leaves, fo that each may contain two or three hundred in¬ 
habitants. The air is ferene, feldorn incommoded with 
dorms, exceffive drought, or moifture, except in the time 
of the periodical rains, which la ft from February to June. 
The land is fertile and rich, producing every thing in 
perfection without labour or manure. The inhabitants 
go naked, but paint their faces and bodies of various co¬ 
lours, adorning their heads and arms with a variety of fea¬ 
thers. The children are born white, but are anointed 
with oils, which gradually turn their fkins brown, or of 
an olive hue. The men are ftrong and healthy, live to a 
great age,and are feldom affliCfed with difeales. Bows and 
arrows are their only weapons, with which they are very 
dexterous ; but they are fierce and cruel, efpecially to their 
prifoners. The capital, of the fame name, St. Felipe, or 
St. Luis de Maranhao, is fituated lat. 2. 30. S. Ion. 45. 
30. W. 
MARA'NO, a town of Italy, in Friuli, on the coaft of 
the Adriatic, containing about 1000 inhabitants: eigh¬ 
teen miles fouth of Udina, and forty-four eaft of Trevigio. 
Lat. 45. 50. N. Ion. 13. 50. N. 
MARA'NO, a town of Naples, in Lavora: fix miles 
north-weft of Naples. 
MARA'NO, or Mariano, a town of Italy in the Ve- 
ronefe: eight miles north-north-weft of Verona. 
MAR'ANON, or Maragnon, called alfo the River of 
the Amazons, is celebrated as the molt diftinguifhed river 
not only in South America, but in the whole world. Of 
this river we have already given fome account under the 
article Amazon ; but it deferves, on account of its mag¬ 
nitude and length, as well as the fertility and commerce 
that are diffufed along its fhores, a more particular and 
ample notice. Condamine, whofe account of this river 
we have curforily mentioned, computed its navigation at 
1000 maritime leagues, or 3000 miles; to which recent 
difcoveries enable us to add at leaft 4 or 500 leagues; 
fo that, if the countries, through which it purfues its 
courfe, were poflefied by industrious and populous na¬ 
tions, a ftiip of 4 or 500 tons might afcend this wonder¬ 
ful river to the extent of 4500 miles of navigation. 
As the courfe of the Maranon, for more than one-third 
of its progrefs, is from north to fouth, it considerably ex¬ 
ceeds the whole breadth of South America 5 but, efti- 
mated in a line nearly direct, the length on a map will be 
found to be about 2500 geographical miles. If we thus 
eftimate the Kian of China, it will be found to reach 
2000 miles, and the Ob of Siberia 1900; the Mifl’ouri of 
North America may probably be eftimate'd at 2000 miles. 
But the pre-eminence of the Maranon has been very much 
increafed by recent difcoveries. This prodigious river, 
this torrent-fea, as it has been called, is not only iuperior 
in the length, but in the breadth and depth of its ma- 
jeftic courle ; and receives on all fides, as tributaries, ri¬ 
vers of fuch power, that any one of them would enrich 
the deferts of Africa, and might fpread fertility, trade, 
and civilization, throughout a wide empire. Where the 
Beni joins the Maranon, it is half a league in breadth, 
(the Spaniffi league being four Britifh miles.) The Tun- 
guragua, or Falle Maranon, from the weft; the Llavari, 
or Madera, from the fouth; and the Negro from the 
north; are all rivers of this furprifing delcription. In 
Ihort, through more than one-half of the great continent 
of South America, almoft every advantage of a maritime 
fliore might be diffufed by the Maranon, and its conflu¬ 
ent ftreams. 
The true Maranon, or Ucaial, as it is alfo called in part 
of its courfe, is the mod important of all the ftreams 
which defcend from the grand chain of the Andes. In 
1794 itwas explored by father Girval, who navigated 
it from its junction with the Falfe Maranon to its con¬ 
fluence with the Pachitea ; and found it of a ferene cur¬ 
rent, and abounding with fifti, while animals of chase 
fwarns-. 
