545 
MAT 
write a hiftory of Chrift, and of his.miracles. Moreover, 
in this Gofpel are recorded divers plain predictions of the 
mileries and defolations of Jerufalem, and the overthrow 
of the temple and the Jewilh date, befides many other 
figurative intimations of the fame things in many of our 
Lord’s difcourfes and parables; which could not be well 
publilhed to all the world in writing till about this time. 
TheTuitablenefs of St. Matthew’s Gofpel to the date of 
the Chritlian religion, and ofthe Jewidt people, about the 
year 64. or 65, leads to that time. And, however Unwil¬ 
lingly, from private apprehensions and prejudices, we may 
admit the thought of protruding fo long the writing of 
the hiftory of our Lord’s minidry ; the circumftances of 
things, fays Lardner, will conftrain us toacquiefce in this 
feafon as the molt likely. Cave thought that it was writ¬ 
ten about the fifteenth year after our Saviour’s afcenfion, 
in the year 48. 
Another queftion, which has been much controverted, 
is concerning the language in which St. Matthew’s Gof¬ 
pel was originally written; whether in the Greek, which 
is now extant, as many modern writers contend, or in the 
Hebrew, as all the ancient authors, who have exprefsly 
delivered their fentiments on this fubjed, have affirmed. 
In Lardner, whofe opinion is unfavourable to a Hebrew 
original, the reader may meet with a lift of thofe learned 
moderns who are advocates for a Greek original, and a 
fummary of the arguments adduced in fupport of their 
fide of the queftion. On the other hand, the teftimonies 
of the ancients relative to a Hebrew' original of this Gof¬ 
pel have been very ably defended by many of the molt 
judicious modern critics, whofe names are given, and 
whofe w ritings on the fubjeCt are referred to, by Michae- 
lis, and his tranflator Mr. Marfti. A judicious abftraCl 
of the evidence on this fide of the queftion has been drawn 
up by Dr. Campbell; but the moll full and complete 
view of it is given by Michaelis, who has entered deeply 
.into the inquiry. By the word Hebrew, when applied to 
the original of St. Matthew’s Gofpel, we are not to un- 
derftand at prefent the language in which the books of 
the Old Teltament are for the moft part written, but what 
Jerome very aptly calls Syro-Chaldaic, having an affinity 
to both languages, but much more to the Chaldean than 
the Syrian. We lhall only add, that, according to the 
firongeft teftimony of antiquity, Matthew’s Gofpel was 
publilhed before thofe of the other evangelifts. Lard¬ 
ner's Suppl. Campbell's Pref. to kis 7 ran/, of St. Matthew. 
St. Matthew’s Day is a feftival of the Chriftian church 
obferved on the 21ft of September. The Jews alfo have a 
kind of feftival, or rather a fall, on this day ; for on it 
they commemorate the death of the ten fpies who brought 
an evil report of the Holy Land. See Numbers xiii. 1. to 
xiv. 37. 
MATTH'EW of PA'RIS, or Matthew Paris, (for 
it is doubtful whether he was born in France or in Eng¬ 
land, and whether Paris was the name of his birth-place 
or of his family,) one of our bell hiftorians from William 
the Conqueror to the latter end of the reign of Henry III. 
but of his life few particulars have been tranfmitted to us. 
Leland, his original biographer, without determining whe¬ 
ther he was born in France or England, informs us, that 
he was a monk of St. Alban’s, and that he was fent by 
pope Innocent to reform the monks of the convent at 
Holm in Norway. • Bilhop Bale, the next in point of time, 
adds to the above relation, that, on account of his extra¬ 
ordinary gifts of body and mind, he was much efteemed 
by king Henry III. who commanded him to write the hif- 
t®ry of his reign. Fuller makes him a native of Cam- 
bridgefhire, becaufe there was an ancient family of his 
name in that county: he alfo mentions his being fent by 
the pope to yilit the monks in the diocefe of Norwich. 
Biffiop Tanner, bilhop Nicholfon, doctor du Pin, and the 
Nouveau Dictionnaire Hiftoriaue, add not a tingle fa£l to 
thofe above related. Matthew Paris died in the monaf- 
tery of St. Alban’s, in the year 1159. He was doubtlefs 
S man of extraordinary knowledge tor the thirteenth cea« 
Vol, XIV, No. 994. 
M A T 
tury; of an excellent moral chara£ter, and, as an hjftorian, 
of drift integrity. His ftyle is unpolifhed ; but that de¬ 
feat is fufiiciently atoned for by the honeit freedom with 
which he relates the truth, regardlefs of the dignity or 
fanftify of the perfons concerned. His works are, 1. Hif- 
toria ab Adamo adConquejlum Anglia, MS. in C. C. C. Cantab, 
c. ix. Moft of this book is tranferibed by Matthew of 
Weftminfter, into the lirft part of his Florilegium. 2. 
Hijloria Major, feu rerum Anglicanarum hiforia a Gul. Con- 
quefloris adventu ad annum 43 Hcnrici III. See. feveral times 
printed. The firft part of this hiftory, viz. to the year 1235, 
is tranferibed almoft verbatim from the Chronicle of Ro¬ 
ger Wendover; and the Appendix, from the year 1260, 
is the work of William Raihinger, who was alfo a monk 
of St. Alban's. 3. Vita duorum Offarum, Mercia regum, S . 
Albanifundatorum. 4. Ge/la 22 abbatum S. Albani. 5. Ad- 
ditamenta Chronicorum ad Hijl. majorem ; printed. 6. Hiforia 
Minor,five Epitome Majoris Hiforia-, in MS. Befides many 
other things in rnanufeript. Kichofon's Hijl. Lib. 
MATTHEW of WESTMINSTER, an ancient Eng- 
liftt chronicler, was a Benedictine monk of the abbey of 
Weftminfter, and flounlhed in the fourteenth century. 
He compiled a chronicle in Latin commencing from the 
creation, down to the year 1307, which he entitled Flores 
Hiftoriarum, whence he has had the name of Florilegus. 
His work chiefly related to Englith hiftory, and is very 
freely tranferibed from Matthew Paris and others. This 
writer is by tome highly commended tor veracity and ac¬ 
curacy; but bilhop Nicholfon treats him as a mere com¬ 
piler of little judgment. The Flores Hiforiarum, per Mat- 
thaum Wefmonrfterienfurn collcBi, was publilhed at London 
in 1367, and at Frankfort in 1601, both in folio; It is 
divided into three books ; from the creation to the birth 
of Chrift; from that period to the Norman conquell; and 
thence to the beginning of Edward the Second’s reign. 
Seventy years more were added by other hands. Nichojon's 
Hijl. Lib. 
MATTH'EW (St.), in geography, an iflana in the 
Atlantic Ocean, difeovered in 1516 by the Portuguefe, 
who have a fettlement on the ifland. Lat. 1.45.S. Ion. 
13. W.-—An illand in the Indian fea, near the coaft of 
Siam. Lat. 9.35. N. Ion. 97. 52. E.—A river of Lower 
Siam, which runs into the Eaft Indian fea in lat. 10. 5. N. 
—A town of Spain, in the kingdom of Arragon, feated 
in a pleafant plain, and in a very fertile country watered 
with many fprings. Lat. 40. 22. N. Ion. o. 15. W. 
MATTHEW’S BA'Y, a bay in the gulf of Mexico, 
weft of the gulf of Campeachy,—A bay called Matlheo 
Bay, on the coaft of Peru, in the North Pacific Ocean ; 
fix leagues to the north-eaft-by-eaft from Point Galera, 
and five or fix leagues fouth-fouth-weft from the river St. 
Jage, with anchorage all the way. 
MATTHEW’S SHO'ALS, two rocky iflets furrounded 
with lhoals,in theEaftlndian fea. Lat. 5.14. S. Ion. 124. 54.E. 
MATTH'EWS, a county of North America, in Vir¬ 
ginia, eighteen miles long and fix broad, bounded weft by 
Gloucelter, north by Middlefex, eaft by the Chefapeak, 
and fouth by Mobjack Bay : 193 miles from Walhington. 
MATTHI'AS, [an abbreviation of Mattathias, and of 
like fignification, “ the gift of God.”] A man’s name. 
MATTHI'AS (St.), an apoltle of Jelus Chrift, but not of 
the number of the twelve chofen by Chrift himfelf. He 
obtained this high honour upon a vacancy made in the 
college of the apoltles by the treafon and death of Judas 
Ifcariot. The choice fell on Matthias by lot; his com¬ 
petitor being Joleph called Barfabas, and furnained Juftus. 
Ads i. 15-26. Matthias was qualified for the apoftleftn’p, 
by having been a conltant attendant upon our Saviour all 
the time of his miniftry. He was, probably, one of the 
feventy difciples. After our Lord’s reiur reel ion, he 
preached the Gofpel firft in Judea. Afterwards it is pro¬ 
bable he travelled eaftwards, his refidence being princi¬ 
pally near the irruption of the liver Apfarus am} the haven 
Hylfus. The barbarous people treated him with great 
rudenefs and inhumanity j and, after many labours ami 
6 Z fuffierings 
