Sr] 4 MAS 
MASSOLI'NO da PANICA'LE, a painter, concerning 
the exa£l time of vvhofe birtli and death the biographers 
of the older artifts differ exceedingly; one making him 
die, at the age of thirty-feven, in the year 1415, another 
in 1418, and a third in 1440. It appears molt probable, 
from a circumftance mentioned in the life of Maffaccio, 
that the truth lies nearer the latter than the former pe¬ 
riods; and that he muff have lived fomewhat longer than 
thirty-feven years. In the firft place, all agree that Maf¬ 
faccio, who was born in 140a, was taught the art of paint¬ 
ing by MafTolino, whom he faw executing his labours in 
the chapel of Brancacci, in the church of St. Pietro al 
Carmine at Florence; and again it is faid by the fame 
biographers, that Maffaccio learnt for the firft time the 
death of his matter upon his return from Rome, at which 
time it is moft probable he was thirty years of age, or 
thereabouts ; and then was engaged to finifh the pictures 
which MafTolino had left incomplete, and not till then ; 
which would hardly have been the cafe if MafTolino had 
died in 1415 or 1418, fince Maffaccio was a reputed 
painter before he was twenty years old, and almoft, if not 
quite, at the head of the profeffion before he was twenty- 
five. See Massaccio, p. 507. 
Panicale was in his early life employed as a goldfmith, 
and afterwards learnt under Lorenzo Ghiberti the arts 
of modelling and cafting in bronze; and became one of 
Ghiberti’s bell workmen, particularly in clearing out the 
figures after cafting. At the age of nineteen, he chofe to 
ftudy painting, and for that purpofe engaged himfelf with 
Stamina. Few of the works of MafTolino are now known. 
The principal ones are the hall of the Orfini palace at 
Rome; and his Hiftory of St. Peter in the church of St. 
Pietro, at Florence, above mentioned. He feems to have 
greatly improved upon the ftyle of the fchool of Giotto, 
and was probably led to it by having wrought with Ghi¬ 
berti in fculpture. His ftyle, though fiill dry and meagre, 
exhibited fymptoms of a certain harmony and grandeur 
unknown before. 
MASS'ON (John Papirius), a French writer, was the 
fon of a rich merchant, and born in the territory of Fo- 
rez, May 1544. After lludying the belles lettres and phi- 
lofophy, and travelling to different places, he came to 
Paris, where he was made librarian to the chancellor of 
the duke of Anjou, in which place he continued ten 
years. In 1576, he was made an advocate of parliament; 
yet never pleaded but one caufe, which, however, he 
gained with univerfal applaufe. He married the fifter of 
a counfellor in parliament, with whom he lived thirty- 
four years, but had no iflue by her. He died, very much 
regretted, Jan. 9, 1611. He wrote four books of French 
annals in Latin, firft printed at Paris 1577, and afterwards 
in 1598, 4to. MafTon confidered this as his principal per¬ 
formance ; yet he is now chiefly known by his Elogia Vi~ 
tOTurn clariffimorunty although he publifhed feveral other 
works. His life was compofed by the prefident deThou, 
and prefixed to the later editions of his Elogia. 
MASS'ON (Anthony), a French minim, and efteemed 
pious writer, was born at Roye in Picardy in the year 
3620. At twenty years of age he entered into the order 
of St. Francifco de Paulo; and died at Vincennes in 1700, 
in his eightieth year, efteemed for his piety and virtues, 
and refpeCled for his literary acquirements. He was par¬ 
ticularly attached to the ftudy of the facred fcriptures, 
and contributed feveral pieces towards their illuftration : 
fuch as, i. Curious hiftorical and moral Queftions rela¬ 
tive to the Book of Genefis determined, with the Aflift- 
ance of the holy Fathers and the molt able Interpreters, 
3685, 12mo. 2. Hiftory of Noah and the Univerfal De¬ 
luge, 1687, i2tno. 3. Hiftory of the Patriarch Abraham, 
a688, 12mo. &c. Moreri. 
MASS'ON (Innocent le), a celebrated general of the 
Carthufian order, was born at Noyon in Picardy, in the 
year 1628. He embraced the monaftic life in his native 
city when he was nineteen years of age ; apd acquired a 
high reputation, not only for his piety and ftrift cbferv- 
M A $- 
ance of his vows, but alfo for his learning and abilities. 
While yet young he was judged the fitteft perfon in the 
community to fill the poll of vicar; from which he was 
promoted to that of prior, and afterwards made vilitor of 
the province of Picardy. In 1675, he was defied prior 
of the grand Chartreufe, and general of the whole order; 
and foon afterwards, an accidental fire having almoft en¬ 
tirely deftroyed the honfe of the inftitution, he rebuilt it 
in that fubftantial and commodious form which is de- 
fcribed in the writings of many modern travellers. He 
died in 1703, when about feventy-iix years of age. He 
was the author of, i. ATranflation of the Song of Songs, 
with very learned notes. 2. A treatife on Moral Theo- 
logy, highly commended by many doflors of the Sorbonne. 
3. An Explanation of particular PafTages in the Statutes 
of the Carthufian Order, 1683, 4to. in reply to the ftric- 
tures of the abbe Ranee, in his Duties of the Monaftic 
Life. 4. Numerous pieces in myitical divinity and mo¬ 
rality, chiefly intended for the ufe of the religious of both 
Texes. But his moft important work, and what will be 
found nfeful to the eccleliaftical hiftorian, is, 5. Difciplina 
et Annales Ordinis Carthufienfis, 1703, folio, with learned 
notes and curious documents, which is now exceedingly 
fcarce. Father Maflon was a declared enemy to the Jan- 
fenifts, againft whom he publifhed fome bitter controver- 
fial pieces, and was not fpared by their writers in return. 
Moreri. 
MASS'ON (M.) author of “ A Treatife on Compofi- 
tion,” in French, publifhed in 1705, and much efteemed 
till that of Rameau appeared. The author was maitre de 
chapelle at Chalons, in Champagne. The work is divided 
into two parts; of which the firft treats of melody, the 
fecond of harmony. 
MASS'ON (John), a learned writer, was a reformed 
minifter, born in France, but a refugee to England oa 
account of his religion. He died in Holland. He pub¬ 
lifhed, in 1708, at Leyden, the Lives of Horace and Ovid, 
in Latin, compofed with much critical exaflnefs. He af¬ 
terwards wrote the Life of Pliny the Younger, prefixed 
to a fplendid edition of his Epiftles, printed at Amfter- 
dam in 1734. In 1712, he began a work entitled “ Hif- 
toire critique de la Republique des Lettres,” which he 
carried to fixteen volumes 12010. The Hiftory of Peter 
Bayle and his Works, in French, Amft. 1716, i-i-mo. firft 
aferibed to la Monnoye, is now generally attributed 
MafTon. Tirabojchi. 
MASS'ON (Francis), a name which ranks very hig& 
among thofe who, by encountering perfonal difficulties 
and hardfhips with the moft indefatigable and difinterefted 
zeal, have promoted botanical knowledge, was born at! 
Aberdeen in Auguft 1741. Whether he was originally 
educated as a gardener, or at what time he found his 
way to London, we are not informed. It appears that, 
having been for fome time known to the late excellent 
fuperintendant of the Royal Garden at Kew, Mr. Aitorr, 
and probably employed by him there, he was fixed upon as 
a fit perfon to undertake fome botanical expedition, for 
the purpofe of enriching that collection, when the return 
of the celebrated Banks and Solander from their voyage 
round the world gave a popularity and a ftimulus to every 
exertion in favour of natural fcier.ce. We believe the 
eftablifhment of a travelling botanift in the king’s fer- 
vice, if not fuggefted by the firft-rnentioned of thefe emi¬ 
nent men, was planned entirely under his advice and di¬ 
rection. In 1771 or 1772, Mr. MafTon was difpatched to 
the Cape of Good Hope. That country had been, for 
near a century, celebrated as a mine of botanical riches,, 
which had fcarcely reached our gardens but through the 
medium of thofe of Holland. The works of Hermann, 
Commelin, Burmann, Breynius, and others, had fuifici- 
ently evinced the abundance of thefe treafures ; but com¬ 
paratively few of them had been procured in a living ftate, 
or cultivated with fuccefs, even by the Dutch themfelves; 
and of thofe but a very fmall portion had, from the time 
of the firft carl of Portland, when he came over with 
