512 
MASS 
ftances, fervea to extend their commerce and to improve 
their maritime power. Before the liege of this city by 
Casfar, it had fent its fliips to the Levant, Africa, Spain, 
and England ; and it held a principal rank among re¬ 
publics. During the difputes between Pompey and Gte- 
fhr, Marfeilles to6k part with the former, and refufed to 
open its gates to the latter, though he appeared before it 
at the head of three legions. "Caefar profecuted the fiege 
of the city which, after long refiflance, and much inter¬ 
nal diftrefs, was obliged to furrender at diferetion. The 
vittor, in confideratiori of the antiquity of the place, and 
th.e celebrity which it had acquired by its culture of the 
fciences and arts, abftained from the horrors of pillage ; 
but deprived it of its dependant towns and colonies, and 
cleftroyed its fortifications and warlike machines; and,hav¬ 
ing demanded the furrender of its arms, veflels, and mo¬ 
ney, placed in it a garrifon of two legions. Contenting 
himfelf, however, with difarming the inhabitants, he al¬ 
lowed them to live under their own laws, and to enjoy the 
advantages of commerce. From the capture of the city 
to the time when Auguftus became foie mailer of Rome, 
nothing particularly worthy of notice happened in this 
province. For about a century afterwards, this city was 
governed under the form of a republic, enjoying the pro¬ 
tection and fubjeft to the authority of the Roman em¬ 
pire. Marfeilles, having enriched itfelf by its induftry 
and frugality, became, at length, the victim of luxury and 
extravagance, infomuch that, in the fecond century of the 
Chriftian era, the inhabitants gave occafion for the pro¬ 
verb, “ Maffiliam naviges,” to exprefs a difpofition for a 
life of debauchery. About the year 150, the Chriltian re¬ 
ligion was introduced into this city. Maffilia produced a 
number of perfons diftinguifhed by their proficiency in 
fcience and literature. We have already mentioned Py- 
theas and Euthymenes. To thefe we may add Teron and 
Gyaraeus, who flourifhed about 75 years before our era, 
and were celebrated aftronomers and mathematicians j 
Ofcus or Ofcius, born about 20 years B. C. a celebrated 
orator; Agrotas of the fame character, and the contem¬ 
porary of the former, who pleaded only in Greek ; Pac- 
catus, Petronius, Demofthenes, Crinas, and Charmis, of 
whom the three laft mentioned were celebrated phyficians: 
the firft: an orator, and the fecond a poet. In the cabinets 
of collectors are many medals of this city in filver and in 
bronze. The moft common of the firfl: fort have the head 
of Diana on one fide, and a lion on the reverfe. Thofe 
which have the head of Apollo and the two letters M A, 
are very common. The medals of Maffilia difeovered 
in 1771, about four leagues from Aix, were of pure filver ; 
and all of them had the head of Diana, with a lion on the 
reverfe. For its modern hiftory and prefent ftate, fee 
Marseilles, p. 420 of this volume. 
MASSILLO'N (John Baptiff), a French prelate, and 
one of the greateft pulpit-orators of his time, was the fon 
of a notary at Hieres in Provence, where he was born in 
the year *663. At the age of eighteen he entered into 
the Congregation of the,Oratory, where he diftinguifhed 
himfelf by his talents and agreeable manners; and in the 
different towns to which he was fent, he gained all hearts 
by the agreeablenefs of his wit, the livelinefs of his cha- 
rafier, and his delicate and obliging politenefs. It was 
at Vienne that he made his firlt efforts in eloquence, on 
the occafion of the death of Henry de Villars, archbifhop 
of that city, whofe funeral oration be pronounced. So 
general and warm was the approbation with which this 
difeourfe was received, that the preacher’s fame reached 
the ears of father de la Tour, then general of the Congre¬ 
gation of the Oratory, who gave orders for his being lent 
to Paris. Some time after his arrival, being afked by the 
general what he thought of the preachers of moft note in 
the capital, he replied, “ They difeover great genius and 
abilities; but, if I preach, I (hall not preach as they do.” 
He kept his words, and adopted a ftyle of pulpit-elo¬ 
quence that was properly his own. In fome refpefts, in¬ 
deed, he might be faid to make Bourdaloue his model} 
ILLO N. 
but his natural genius prevented him from clofely imitat¬ 
ing that great orator. The latter excelled in ftrifl and 
logical reafoning; but Maffillon aimed more at reaching 
the heart by.pathetic addreffes, and in this fpecies of elo¬ 
quence became unrivalled: a fermon excellent in all re- 
fpeils, fays d’Alembert, would have been one in whicli 
tiie peculiar recommendations of both thefe extraordinary 
men had been juciiciouily combined. Maffillon’s ftyle 
and language were fimple, elegant, and perfpicuous; his 
imagination lively, but well regulated ; his images ftrik- 
■ang and natural; his thoughts juft and delicate ; and his 
reprefentations animated and forcible. His manner of 
delivery, likewife, was admirably adapted to give fuccefs 
to the kind of eloquence to which his genius directed 
him. At the moment he entered the pulpit, he appeared 
to be deeply impreffed with the great truths which he was 
about to pronounce. When he rofe to addrefs his audi¬ 
ence, his air was modeft, but collected ; his eyes were 
humbly directed downwards ; his gefture was eafy and 
unftudied, and accompanied with little action ; and his 
tone of voice was inimitably touching and unaffefted. 
With thefe recommendations he fafeinated the attention 
of his audience, and made himfelf heard with that pro¬ 
found filence which was a higher compliment to the ora¬ 
tor than the moft tumultuary applaufe. Pcttora mulcet 
would have been an appropriate motto to his portrait. 
In the mean time, the fame of Maffillon excited the cu- 
riofity of the king to hear him, and he was appointed to 
preach a courfe of Advent-fermons at Verfailles. During 
his attendance at court on this occafion, Louis XIV. took 
the opportunity of paying him this fine compliment j 
“Father,” faid he, “I have often had my pulpit filled 
by celebrated orators, with whom I have been greatly 
pleafed ; but, whenever I hear you, I am much difpleafed 
with myfelf.” It is the opinion of many, that, as Ra¬ 
cine was the firft French poet, fo Maffillon was the firft 
French orator : in fine, he h3s been ufually confidered the 
Cicero, while Boffuet has been termed the Demofthenes, 
of France. It has been oblerved^f t-he former, “ that he 
knew how to weep with grace.” His fermon Sur le petit 
Nombre des E/us, “ The linall Number of the Elefl,” is a 
furpriling compofition, which, on its delivery, produced 
fuch an effeft, that the whole audience were, at a certain 
part of it, feized with a fudden and violent emotion, and 
almoft every perfon half rofe from his feat by a kind of 
involuntary movement. The murmur of acclamation and 
furprife was fo great, that it threw the orator into confu- 
fion ; but this only heightened the impreffion of that pa¬ 
thetic difeourfe. The firft time that he preached before 
Louis XIV. he was alfo interrupted, during the exordium, 
by an involuntary murmur of approbation, which neither 
the facrednefs of the place, the brilliancy of the court, 
nor the prefence of the king, were able to reprefs. Thus 
he raviffied the admiration of a circle, already accuftomed 
to the eloquence of Bofluet, of Bourdalone, and of Fie- 
chier. 
Maffillon was chofen, on account of his philofophical 
and conciliatory difpofition of mind, to reconcile the car¬ 
dinal de Noailles with the Jefuits. All he gained by his 
attempts was the difpleafure of botli parties j and he found 
that it was eafier to convert finners than ,to reconcile theo¬ 
logians. In 1717, the regent, perfonally acquainted with 
ljis merit, appointed him to the biftiopric of Clermont. 
The next year, being deftined to preach before Louis XV. 
who was only nine years of age, he compofed thofe dif- 
courfes which are fo well known by the name of Petit 
Carenie. Thefe are the chef d’ceuvre of this orator, and in¬ 
deed of the oratorical art: they ought continually to be 
read by preachers as models for the formation of theiF 
tafte, and by princes as leflons of humanity. The funeral 
oration of the duchefs of Orleans, in 1723, was the laft 
difeourfe he pronounced in Paris, He never afterwards 
left his diocefe, where his gentlenefs, politenefs, and kind- 
nefs, had gained him the affeftion of all who knew him. 
He reduced the exorbitant rights of the epifcopal roll to 
1 moderate 
