MAS 
510 
Murder : 
The tyrannous and bloody act is done ; 
The moft arch deed of piteous majfacre 
That ever yet this land was guilty of. Shakcfpeare. 
To MASS'ACRE, v. a. To butcher; to daughter 5 n- 
difcriminately.—Af ter the miferable daughter of the Jews, 
at the deflrudfion of Jerufalem, they were Scattered into 
all corners, opprelTed and detelted, and fometimes majfacred 
and extirpated. Atterbury. 
I'll find a day to majfacre them all. 
And raze their fattion and their family. Shakcfpeare. 
MAS'SACRE I'SLAND. See Maouna, p. 320. 
IvIAS'SACRE I'SLAND, a fmall ifland on the coaft of 
Weft Florida : eight miles eaft of Pafcagoola River. 
MASSA'CRE RIV'ER, a river of Hifpaniola, which 
runs into the fea on the north fide of the ifland, in lat. 15. 
45. N. Ion. 72. 32. W. 
MASS'ACREING, /. The aft of butchering; the aft 
of deftroying without diftinftion. 
MASS'ADA, a caftle or fortrefs in the tribe of Judah, 
we# of the Dead Sea, not far from Engedi, fituated on a 
fteep rock, and of very difficult accefs. But at the top of 
the rock is a plain of lufficient extent, which may be even 
cultivated, and afford fubfiftence. Jonathan the Afrno- 
nean, brother of Judas Maccabaeus, and high prieft of the 
Jews, fortified this place again# the kings of Syria. 
Herod the Great fortified it anew, and made it almoft im¬ 
pregnable. As it had no water, he caufed feveral cifterns 
to be made, and ftored up there a vaft quantity of water and 
provifions, that, if any misfortune fhould happen to him, 
or if the country fhould revolt, he might there find a re¬ 
treat. Thus fortified and fecured, it became the retreat 
of the zealots and affaffins in the laft, exterminating, war 
between the Jews and the Romans; and many dreadful 
feenes were added within its walls'. See the article Jew, 
■vol.x. p. 800, 801. and for the dreadful conclufion of its 
hiftory, which happened on the 15th of April, A, D. 73. 
fee p. 805 of the fame article, 
MASSAFRA', a town of Naples, in the province of 
Otranto : nine miles north-weft of Tarento. 
MASSAFUE'R A. See Masafuera, p. 462. 
MASSAGA'NO, or Massangano, a town of Angola, 
and capital of a province to which it gives name, on the 
Coanza: one hundred miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Loanda. 
lat. 9. 54. S. Ion. 14. 40. E. 
MASSAGE'TES, in ancient geography, a people of 
Afia, who inhabited the country on the weft of the Caf- 
pian Sea, and who imitated the free Scythians in their 
Habit, manner of living, arms, and warlike genius ; but 
they ufed, befides bows and arrows, javelins and feymetars. 
Brafs ferved them inftead of (feel for making their offen- 
five weapons; and their defenfive armour was ornamented 
with gold. Their horfes were likewife fenced with a brealt- 
plate of brafs, wliilft their bridles and other furniture 
were adorned with gold ; for filver and iron were not ufed 
By them, becaufe their country did not produce thefe me¬ 
tals. Although every man was obliged to marry a wife, 
yet they held them all in common ; fo that, when a man 
met wjth a woman to his liking, lie took her into his cha¬ 
riot or waggon, and cohabited with her without any fur¬ 
ther ceremony than hanging up his quiver at the head of 
it. Thi* cultoro, Herodotus tells us, was unjuftly attri¬ 
buted to all the Scythians by the Greeks, whereas it was 
peculiar to the Maftagetes only. A more inhuman cuftom 
than this was adopted by them, according to this author; 
which was, that when a man had once attained to old age, 
•which was not lb much limited by law as inferred by con¬ 
curring fymptoms, all his relations met, and facrificed him, 
together with a number of cattle of feveral kinds, and, 
having boiled the flefli, they fat down to it as a feaft. 
This kind of death was accounted by them the moft happy, 
as that of dying-by fieknefs was reckoned unfortunate, 
becaufe tltofe who died in this way were buried,, inftead 
MAS 
of acquiring the honour of being facrificed tc their gods, 
and fealted upon by their nearelt relations and intimate 
friends. The Sun was the only deity they worfliipped, 
and to him they facrificed horfes, which, being reckoned 
the nobleft and fwifteft of all creatures, they thought moft 
proper to be offered to the nobleft and fwifteft of all the 
gods. They neither fowed nor planted ; but contented 
themfelves with the milk and flefli of their cattle, and with 
fifti, of which the Iaxartes afforded a very great plenty. 
Herodotus, lib. i. cap. ult. and lib. iv. cap. 172. 
MASSAGONG', a fmall ifland in the Eaftern Indian 
Sea, near the eaft coaft of Naifau. Lat. 3.8. S. Ion. 100. 5. E. 
MASS'AH, [Heb. temptation.] This name was given 
to the encampment of the Hebrews at Rephidim, when 
the people, wanting water, began to murmur again ft Mofes, 
and to tempt the Lord, as if they had doubted of his pre¬ 
fence among them. E\od. xvii. 
MASSALA'GEM (New), a feaport town of Madagas¬ 
car, on the weft coaft. Lat. 16. 30. S. Ion. 63. 10. E. 
MASSALA'GEM (Old), a feaport town of Madagas¬ 
car, on the weft coaft: fixty miles north of New Mafia- 
lagem. 
MASSALGI'ES, f. Perfons employed in Hindooftan as 
porters, or meffengers.— MaJJalgics, coolies, and palankeen- 
bearers, are allowed a certain batta when they travel. 
James's Military Diil. 
MASSA'LIANS, [from aHebrew word fignifying/irayfr.J 
A fet of enthufiafts who fprang up about the year 361, in 
the reign of the emperor Conftantius, who maintained that 
men have two fouls, a celeftial and a diabolical ; and that 
the latter is driven out by prayer. 
St. Epiphanius diftinguifhes two kinds of Maffalians, 
the ancient and the later. The ancient, according to him, 
were neither Jews, Chriflians, nor Samaritans, but pure 
Gentiles; who, owning feveral gods, adored only one, 
whom they called Almighty. As to the later Maffalians, 
who were by profeffion Chriftians, their rife was not till 
about the time of St. Epiphanius. Their doftrine was, 
that prayer alone was lufficient to falvation. Many 
monks, who loved a life of lazinefs, and were averfe from 
labour, joined thefe Maffalians. See Euchites, vol. vii, 
P* ft 8 - 
M ASSAMU'TEN, a river of Virginia, which runs into 
the Shenandoah. 
MASSAN'DRA, an ifland of Africa, in the river Co¬ 
anza, twenty-four miles from its mouth. 
MASSA'NI, in ancient geography, a people of India, 
who, among others, were fubdued by Alexander, accbrd- 
ing to Quintus Curtins. They inhabited a territory near 
the mouth of the river Indus. 
MASSANIEL'LO. See the article Naples. 
MASSAPA', a town of Africa, in the country of Mo- 
caranga: 230 miles north-welt of Sofala. Lat. 18.10.S. 
Ion. 32.10. E. 
MASSA'RIA (Alexander), a phyficlan of celebrity in 
the fixteenth century, was born at Vicenza, and graduated 
at Padua, where he ftudied under Fallopius, and the other 
eminent profeflfors of that fchool. He then returned to 
his native place, where he praftifed his profeffion, with 
confiderable reputation, for the fpace of twenty-five years; 
when his fame had recommended him to the magiftracy 
of Venice, whither he was invited; and he fettled there 
in the year 1578. Nine years afterwards, when Mercu- 
rialis quitted his profeflbrial chair, and removed to Bo¬ 
logna, Maffaria was appointed his luccelfor. He per¬ 
formed the fundions of his new office with confiderable 
eclat, and attracted a large concourfe of pupils ; and at 
the fame time was confulted by the firft people of the ftate.. 
He died fuddenly in the year 1598, when upwards of fe- 
venty years of age. He was the author of feveral works ; 
efpecially a treatife on the plague, on the abufe of blifters,. 
on the proper ufe of blood-letting and purging in fevers,, 
(in which he oppofed the indiferiminate recommendation 
of that pradfice into which Botallusliad fallen ;) and alfo. 
an the difeafes of women, and on fyphilis. The work,. 
which* 
