MASTER 
a miferable merchant, that is neither rich nor wife, but 
after fome bankrouts. AJcham's Schoohnajler. 
A Tailor’s wife had chefnuts in her lap; 
Her hulband’s to Aleppo gone, majler o’ th’ Tyger. Shakefp. 
One uncontrolled : 
Great, and increafing; but by fea 
He is an abfolute majler. Shakefp. Antony and Cleopatra. 
A compellation of refpefl.— Majler doltor, you have 
brought thofe drugs. Shakefpeare. 
Majlers, play here; I will content your pains. 
Something that’s brief; and bid good morrow. Shakefpeare. 
A voung gentleman.—Where there are little majlers and 
miffes in a houfe, they are impediments to the diverfions 
of the fervants; the remedy is to bribe them, that they 
may not tell tales. Swift. 
If gaming does* an aged fire entice, 
Then my young majler fwiftly learns the vice. Dryden. 
One who teaches ; a teacher.— Majlers and teachers ffiould 
not raife difficulties to their fcholars ; but fmooth their 
way, and heip them forwards. Locke. —A man eminently 
fkilful in prafiice or fcience.—Spenfer and Fairfax, great 
wafers of our language, Law much farther into the beauties 
of our numbers than thofe who followed. Dryden. 
The great mocking majler mock’d not then. 
When he faid. Truth was buried here below. Davies. 
MAS'TER,y. A title given to feveral officers and per¬ 
sons of authority and command ; particularly to the chiefs 
of the orders of knighthood,&c. Thus we lay the Grand 
Mafter of Malta; of St. Lazarus; of the Golden Fleece; 
of the Free Mafons, &c. 
Master, Magijler, was a title frequent among the Ro- 
manifts; they had their Mailer of the People, Mag/Jler Popult, 
who was the diflator; Mailer of the Cavalry, Magijler 
Equitum, who held the fecond poll in an army after the 
diiflator ; and under the later emperors there were alfo 
Mailers of the Infantry, Magijlri Peditum ; a Mailer of the 
Cenfus, Magijler Cenjus, who had nothing of the charge of 
a cenfor, or fubcenfor, as the name feems to intimate, but 
w as the fame with the prapojitus frumentariornm. 
Master of the Militia, Magijler Militia, was an officer 
in the lower empire, (created, as it is faid, by Dioclefian,) 
who had the infpe£lion and government of all the forces, 
with power to punilh, See. lomewhat like a conltable of 
France. At fir ft there were two of thefe officers inlli- 
tuted, the one for the infantry, and the other for the ca¬ 
valry ; but the two were united under Conllantine. Af¬ 
terwards, as their power was increafed, fo was their num¬ 
ber alfo; and there was one appointed for the court, 
another for Thrace, another for the Eall, and another for 
Illyria. The Mafter of Arms, Magijler Armorum, was an 
officer or comptroller under the mailer of the militia. 
Master of the Offices, Magifier Officiorum, had the 
Tuperintendance of all the officers of the court; he was 
alfo called Magijler OJftcii Palatini, limply Magijler ; and his 
poll Magijieria. —This officer was the fame in the wellern 
empire with the curcpalates in theeallern. 
MAS'TER, f. A general name for every officer who is 
the chief of this kind ; and has others of the fame fpecies, 
or that have the fame funflions, under him. Thus we 
have the 
Master of the Armory, Magijler Armorum et Arma¬ 
tures Regis, an officer who has the care of his majelly’s 
arms and armory, mentioned in the ancient Hat. 39 Eliz. 
c. 7. 
Master at Arms, an officer appointed to teach the 
officers and crew of a ffiip of war the exercife of fmal! arms; 
to confine and plant centinels over the prifoners, and fu- 
perintend whatever relates to them during their confine¬ 
ment. He is alfo to obferve that the fire and lights are 
extinguilhed as foon as the evening-gun is fired, except 
thofe which are permitted by properauthority, or under the 
inflection, of centinels. It is likewife his duty to attend 
dig 
the gangway when any boats arrive aboard, and fearch 
them carefully, together with their rowers, that no fpi- 
ritous liquors may be conveyed into the (hip unlefs by 
permilfion of the commanding officers. In thefe feveral 
duties he is affilted by proper attendants, called his cor- 
porals, who alfo relieve the centinels and one another at 
certain periods. 
Master of Arts, the firll degree taken up in foreign 
univerfities, but the fecond in ours ; candidates not being 
admitted to it till they have lludied in the univerfity feveu 
years. 
Master Attendant, is an officer in the royal dock¬ 
yards, appointed to hallen and alfilt at the fitting-out or 
difinantling, removing, or fecuring, vefiels of war, &c. at 
the port where he refides. He is particularly to obferve 
that his majelly’s fhips are fecurely moored ; and for this 
purpofe he is expefted frequently to review the moorings 
which are funk in the harbour, and obferve that they are 
kept in proper repair. It is alfo his duty to vilit all the 
Ihips in ordinary, and fee that they are frequently cleaned 
and kept in order; and to attend at the general mullers 
in the dock-yards, taking care that all the officers, arti¬ 
ficers, and labourers, regiltered in the navy-books, are 
prefent at their duty. 
Master of the Ceremonies, Magijler Admffionum, an 
officer inllituted by king James I. for the more folemu 
and honourable reception of ambafladors, and llrangers of 
quality, whom he introduces into the prefence. The 
badge of his office is a gold chain and medal, having on 
one fide an emblem of peace, with king James’s motto ; 
and on the reverie the emblem of war, with Dieu et mon 
droit. He is always fuppofed to be a perfon of good ad- 
drefs, and a mailer of languages; and has an appointment 
of 300I. a-year : he is conilantly attending at court, and 
hath under him an affillant-marter, or deputy, at 6s. 8d. 
a day, who holds his place during the king’s pleafure. 
There is alfo a third officer, called Marlbal of the Cere¬ 
monies, with 100I. a-year, whofe bulinefs is to receive 
and diltribute the mailer’s orders, or the deputy’s, for the 
fervice; but without their order he can do nothing. This 
is in the king’s gift. 
Master of or in Chancery, Magijler Cancellaria. In 
the Chancery there are'Mailers, who are allillants to the 
lord chancellor, vice-chancellor, and mailer of the rolls ; 
of thefe there are foine ordinary, and fome extraordinary. 
The Mailers in ordinary are twelve in number, of whom 
the Matter of the Rolls is chief ; and fome lit in court 
every day during term, and have referred to them interlo¬ 
cutory orders for Hating accounts, computing damages, 
and the like ; they alfo adminiller oaths, take affidavits, 
and acknowledgments of deeds ana recognizances; they 
alfo examine, on reference, the propriety of bills in Chan¬ 
cery. The extraordinary MaHers are appointed to a£t in 
the country, in the feveral counties of England, beyond 
ten miles diltance from London, by taking affidavits, re¬ 
cognizances, acknowledgments of deeds, &c. for the eafe 
of the luitors of the court. 
Master of the Faculties. See Faculty, vol. viii 
P* 1 54 * 
Master-Gunner, an officer in a Ihip of war, appointed 
to take charge of the artillery and ammunition, to obferve 
that the former are kept in order, and fitted with tackle 
and other furniture; and to teach the Tailors the exercife 
of the great guns, as the mafter of arms does of the muf- 
ketry. Manager of artillery, See. on-lhore : 
Chief mafter-gunner am I of this town ; 
Something I mufi do to procure me grace. Shakefpeare. 
Master-Gunner of England, an officer appointed to 
teach and inflruft all fuch as delire to learn the art of 
gunnery, and to adminiller to every fcholar an oath ; 
which, befides the duty of allegiance, obliges him not to 
ferve any foreign prince or Hate without leave ; nor to 
teach the art of gunnery to any but fuch as have taken 
the faid oath ; and to certify to the mafter of the ordnance 
3. the 
