number and fortitude of those who [tion which Dioclesian carried on have suffered for Christianity as a for ten years with fresh fury collateral proof at least of its ex-against the Christians; for a most cellency; for the thing for which diligent search was then made afthey suffered was not a point of ter all their books and papers; and speculation, but a plain matter of all of them that were found were fact, in which (had it been false) committed to the flames. Eusethey could not have been mista- bius, indeed, composed a martyrken. The martyrdom, therefore, of ology, but it never reached down so many wise and good men, taken to us; and those since compiled with a view of the whole sys-are extremely suspected. From tem of Christianity, will certainly the eighth century downwards, afford something considerable in several Greek and Latin authors its favour. endeavoured to make up the loss,

moria.

The churches built over the by compiling, with vast labour, acgraves of the martyrs, and call-counts of the lives and actions of ed by their names, in order to the ancient martyrs, but which preserve the memory of their suf- consist of little else than a series ferings, were distinguished by the of fables: nor are those records title martyrium confessio, or me-that pass under the name of martyrology worthy of superior creThe festivals of the martyrs are dit, since they bear the most of very ancient date in the Chris-evident marks both of ignorance tian church, and may be carried and falsehood. back at least from the time of Polycarp, who suffered martyrdom about the year of Christ 168. On these days the Christians met at the graves of the martyrs, and offered prayers and thanksgivings to God for the example they had af-xew, colligo. forded them: they celebrated the eucharist, and gave alms to the poor; which, together with a panegyrical oration or sermon, and reading the acts of the martyrs, were the spiritual exercises of these anniversaries.

MARTYROLOGY, a catalogue or list of martyrs, including the history of their lives and sufferings for the sake of religion. The term comes from maprop, witness," and Asya, dico, or

The martyrologies drew their materials from the calendars of particular churches, in which the several festivals dedicated to them are marked; and which seem to be derived from the practice of the ancient Romans, who inserted the names of heroes and great men in their fasti, or public registers.

Of the sayings, sufferings, and deaths of the martyrs, though preserved with great care for the above purpose, and to serve as The martyrologies are very numodels to future ages, we have merous, and contain many ridibut very little left, the greatest culous and even contradictory part of them having been destroy-narratives; which is easily aced during that dreadful persecu-counted for, if we consider how

many forged and spurious ac-Treves, afterwards archbishop of counts of the lives of saints and Vienne, is a descendant of the Romartyrs appeared in the first ages man, if we may so call it; for Du of the church, which the legen- Sollier gives its genealogy thus:— dary writers afterwards adopted The martyrology of St. Jerome is without examining into the truth the great Roman martyrology; of them. However, some good from this was made the little Rocritics, of late years, have gone man one printed by Roseweyd: of a great way towards clearing the this little Roman martyrology was lives of the saints and martyrs formed that of Beda, augmented from the monstrous heap of fic- by Florus. Ado compiled his in tion they laboured under. See the year 858. The martyrology article LEGEND. of Nevelon, monk of Corbie, written about the year 1089, is little more than an abridgment of that of Ado: father Kircher also makes mention of a Coptic martyrology preserved by the Maronites at Rome.

We have also several Protes

The martyrology of Eusebius of Cæsarea was the most celebrated in the ancient church. It was translated into Latin by St. Jerome; but the learned agree that it is not now extant. That attributed to Beda, in the eighth century, is of very doubtful autho-tant martyrologies, containing the rity; the names of several saints sufferings of the reformed under being there found who did not the Papists, viz. an English Marlive till after the time of Beda. tyrology, by J. Fox; with others The ninth century was very fertile by Clarke, Bray, &c. See PERin martyrologies; then appeared SECUTION. that of Florus, subdeacon of the church at Lyons; who, however, only filled up the chasms in Beda. This was published about the year 830, and was followed by that of Waldenburtus, monk of the diocese of Treves, written in verse about the year 848; and this by that of Usard, a French monk, Martyrology is also applied to and written by the command of the painted or written catalogues Charles the Bald, in 875, which in the Romish churches, containlast is the martyrology now ordi- "ing the foundations, obits, prayers, narily used in the Romish church. and masses, to be said each day. That of Rabanus Maurus is an MASORA, a term, in the Jewimprovement on Beda and Flo-ish theology, signifying a work on rus, written about the year 845; that of Noker, monk of St. Gal, was written about the year 894. The martyrology of Ado, monk of Ferriers, in the diocese of

Martyrology is also used in the Romish church for a roll or register kept in the vestry of each church, containing the names of all the saints and martyrs both of the universal church, and of the particular ones of that city or monastery.

the Bible, performed by several learned rabbins, to secure it from any alterations which might otherwise happen.

Their work regards merely the

letter of the Hebrew text, in which they call masora,"tradition," from they have first fixed the true read-op, tradidit, as if this critique

ing by vowels and accents; they were nothing but a tradition which have, secondly, numbered not on- they had received from their forely the chapters and sections, but fathers. Accordingly they say, the verses, words, and letters of that, when God gave the law to the text; and they find in the Moses at Mount Sinai, he taught Pentateuch 5245 verses, and in him first the true reading of it; the whole Bible 23,206. The ma- and, secondly, its true interpresora is called, by the Jews, the tation; and that both these were hedge or fence of the law, because handed down by oral tradition this enumeration of the verses, from generation to generation, &c., is a means of preserving it till at length they were committed from being corrupted and altered. to writing. The former of these, They have, thirdly, marked what-viz. the true reading, is the subever irregularities occur in any of ject of the masora; the latter, or the letters of the Hebrew text; true interpretation, that of the such as the different size of the mishna and gemara.. letters, their various positions and inversions, &c.; and they have been fruitful in finding out reasons for these mysteries and ir-years after Christ, who composed, regularities in them. They are, fourthly, supposed to be the authors of the Keri and Chetibh, or the marginal corrections of the text in our Hebrew Bibles.

The text of the sacred books, it is to be observed, was originally written without any breaks or divisions into chapters or verses, or even into words; so that a whole book, in the ancient manner, was but one continued word: of this kind we have still several ancient manuscripts, both Greek and Latin. In regard, therefore, the sacred writings had undergone an infinite number of alterations, whence various readings had arisen, and the original was become much mangled and disguised, the Jews had recourse to a canon, which they judged infallible, to fix and ascertain the reading of the Hebrew text; and this rule

VOL. II.

M

According to Elias Levita, they were the Jews of a famous school at Tiberias, about five hundred

or at least began, the masora; whence they are called masorites and masoretic doctors. Aben Ezra makes them the authors of the points and accents in the Hebrew text, as we now find it, and which serve for vowels.

The age of the masorites has been much disputed. Archbishop Usher places them before Jerome; Capel, at the end of the fifth century; father Morin, in the tenth century. Basnage says, that they were not a society, but a succession of men; and that the masora was the work of many grammarians, who, without associating and communicating their notions, composed this collection of criticisms on the Hebrew text. It is urged, that there were masorites from the time of Ezra and the men of the great synagogue, to about the year of Christ 1030:

and that Ben Asher and Ben Nicod, after Baronius, observes, Naphtali, who were the best of that the word comes from the Hethe profession, and who, accord-brew missach (oblatum); or from ing to Basnage, were the invent- the Latin missa missorum; because ors of the masora, flourished at in the former times the catechuthis time. Each of these publish- mens and excommunicated were ed a copy of the whole Hebrew sent out of the church, when the text, as correct, says Dr. Prideaux, deacons said, Ite, missa est, after as they could make it. The east- sermon and reading of the epistle ern Jews have followed that of and gospel; they not being allowBen Naphtali, and the western ed to assist at the consecration. that of Ben Asher; and all that Menage derives the word from has been done since is to copy af-missio, "dismissing;" others from ter them, without making any missa,"missing, sending," because more corrections, or masoretical in the mass the prayers of men on criticisms. earth are sent up to heaven.

The Arabs have done the same thing by their Koran that the Masorites have done by the Bible; nor do the Jews deny their having borrowed this expedient from the Arabs, who first put it in practice in the seventh century.

The general division of masses consists in high and low. first is that sung by the choristers, and celebrated with the assistance of a deacon and sub-deacon: low masses are those in which the prayers are barely rehearsed with

There is a great and little ma-out singing. sora printed at Venice and at Basil, with the Hebrew text in a different character. Buxtorf has written a masoretic commentary, which he calls Tiberias.

MASS, Missa, in the church of Rome, the office or prayers used at the celebration of the eucharist; or, in other words, consecrating the bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, and offering them, so transubstantiated, as an expiatory sacrifice for the quick and the dead.

There are a great number of different or occasional masses in the Romish church, many of which have nothing peculiar but the name: such are the masses of the saints; that of St. Mary of the Snow, celebrated on the fifth of August; that of St. Margaret, patroness of lying-in-women; that at the feast of St. John the Baptist, at which are said three masses; that of the Innocents, at which the gloria in excelsis and hallelujah are omitted, and, it beAs the mass is in general be-ing a day of mourning, the altar lieved to be a representation of is of a violet colour. As to orthe passion of our blessed Savi-dinary masses, some are said for our, so every action of the priest, and every particular part of the service, is supposed to allude to the particular circumstances of his passion and death.

the dead, and, as is supposed, contribute to fetch the soul out of purgatory. At these masses the altar is put in mourning, and the only decorations are a cross in

MASSACRE, a term used to signify the sudden and promiscuous butchery of a multitude. See PERSECUTION.

the middle of six yellow wax turdays, Sundays, and the Annun lights: the dress of the celebrant, ciation. The priest counts upon and the very mass-book, are black; his fingers the days of the ensuing many parts of the office are omit-week on which it is to be celebrated, and the people are dismissed ted, and cuts off as many pieces of without the benediction. If the bread at the altar as he is to say mass be said for a person distin-masses; and after having conse guished by his rank or virtues, it crated them, steeps them in wine, is followed with a funeral oration: and puts them in a box; out of they erect a chapelle ardente, that which, upon every occasion, he is, a representation of the deceas- takes some of it with a spoon, ed, with branches and tapers of and, putting it on a dish, sets it yellow wax, either in the middle on the altar. of the church, or near the deceased's tomb, where the priest pronounces a solemn absolution of the deceased. There are likewise private masses said for stolen or strayed goods or cattle, for health, for travellers, &c., which go under the name of votive masses. There is a still further distinction of masses, denominated from the countries in which they were used: thus, the Gothic mass, or missa mosarabum, is that used among the Goths when they were masters of Spain, and which is still kept up at Toledo and Salamanca; the Ambrosian mass is that com-bread. We may suppose, says posed by St. Ambrose, and used Dr. Jortin, that this sect did not only at Milan, of which city he last long; that these sluggards was bishop: the Gallic mass, used were soon starved out of the by the ancient Gauls; and the Ro-world; or, rather, that cold and man mass, used by almost all the hunger sharpened their wits, and churches in the Romish commu- taught them to be better interprenion. ters of scripture.

Mass of the presanctified (missa præsanctificatorum), is a mass peculiar to the Greek church, in which there is no consecration of the elements; but, after singing some hymns, they receive the bread and wine which were before consecrated. This mass is performed all Lent, except on Sa

MASSALIANS, or MESSALIANS, a sect which sprung up about the year 361, in the reign of the emperor Constantius, who maintained that men have two souls, a celestial and a diabolical; and that the latter is driven out by prayer. From those words of our Lord, "Labour not for the meat that perisheth," it is said, that they concluded they ought not to do any work to get their

MASTER, a person who has servants under him; a ruler, or instructor. The duties of masters relate to the civil concerns of the family. To arrange the several businesses required of servants; to give particular instructions what is to be done, and how it is to be done; to take care that no more