Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/150

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MAS

ValefiuS won't allow the two to be confounded together: the lait being a Seel of Jews before, or at leaft cotempo- rary withChriftj and the former a Sect of Heretics de- jcen-'led from them. Rujinus dirtinguim.es them by their Names: The Jevoifh Sect he calls Masbutheans^ and the Heretics Masbuthanians. The Masbutheans were a BrarkH at the Siritbfteaw*

The Word is derived frorti the Hebrezv POttf Sthatet\ to reft or refofe, and fignifies idle^ eafy, indolent People. Eufebitts fpeaksof them, as if they had been focall'd from Ma$botheu$ t their Chief ; but 'tis much more probable that their Name is Hebrew; or at leaft Chaldaic, fignifying the fame thing with a Sabbatarian in our Language, that is, one who makes profeffion of keeping Sabbath.

MASCLE, is a Term in Heraldry for a Bearing of this Figure : Gules a Chevron Ermin between three Mafoles Argent, by the Name of Bellgrave. Guillim faith, that Maf- cle reprefents the Mafh of a Net* and is an honourable Bearing. A Mafcle differs from a Lozenge, only by being voided.

MASCULINE, fornething belonging to the Male, or the ftronger of the two Sexes. See Male.

MASCULINE, is more ordinarily ufed in Grammar to fignify the firft and nobleft of the Genders of Nouns. The Mafculine Gender is that which belongs to the Male Kind, or fornething analogous to it, and which Calbm has afhVd to a Word. For Men considering themfelves, and obferving the Difference between the two Sexes, have thought fit to vary the fame Adjective Names, by giving chem different Terminations, as they are differently ap- ply'd to Men or Women. Thus in Latin we fay bonus E- qnus, a good Horfe, in the Mhfculine 5 but fpeaking of a Mare, we change the Termination, not of the Adjective only, but alfo of the Subllamive, and fay, bona Equa. In Englipy, however^ we are more Uriel 5 for wc generally exprefs the Difference of Sex by different Words, not by the varying the Termination of the fame, or by varying the Adjective: As Boar in the Mafculine, Sow in the Fe- minine; Bay, Girl 5 Brother, Sifter ; Buck, Doe j Bull, Coxv, &c. Indeed we have about twenty Fcminines diftinguifh'd from their Mafatlines, by the "Variation of the Termina- tion of the Male into eft 5 for inftance, Abbot, Abbeft ; Ac- tor, ABrefty Count, Cotmtefs ; Heir, Heir eft ', Mafter, Miftreft t i$c. And this is all that our Language knows of any thing like the Genders, which are only a different way of expreffing the Male and the Female. But the old Lan- guages, and even fome of the Moderns, have gone fur- ther ; for as fome Adjectives may have Relations to other Things, befides Men and Women, it has been thought neceftary to appropriate to them one or other of the Ter- minations invented for Men and Women. Hence moft other Subftantives have been ranged under the Heads of Mafculine or Feminine. This, in fome Cafes, is done with a /hew of Reafon, but in others is merely arbitrary 5 and for that reafon is found to vary according to the Languages, and even according to the Words introduced from one Language into another. Thus the Names of Trees are generally feminine in Latin, and Mafculine in the French : Farther, the Genders of the fame Word are fome times varied in the fame Language. Thus Ahtts, according to Trifcian, was antiently Majculine, but is now become Fe- minine. And Navire, a Ship, in French, was antiently Fe- minine, but is now Mafculine. The modern Tongues have no more than two Genders, viz: the Mafculine and the Feminine 5 at leaft, whatever is not Feminine, is accoun- ted Mafculine. See Gender.

The French, in their Foe try, have a kind of Rhimes which they call Mafculine, to diftinguifh them from o- thers, which they call Feminine. The Mafculine Rhime is that made with a Word which has a flrong, open, and accented Pronunciation ; as all Words have, excepting thofe which have an e Feminine in their laft Syllable : for inftance, Amour and Jour, Mort and Sort, are Mafculine Rhimes j and Fere and Mere, Gloire and Memoire, are Fe- minine. Hence Verfes ending with a Mafoline Rhime, are call'd Mafculine Verfes : and thofe ending with a Fe- minine Rhime, Feminine Verfes. 'Tis now a Rule efta- blifh'd among the trench Poets, never to ufe above two Mafculine, or two Feminine Verfes fucccflively, except in the loofer Kinds of Poetry. Marot was the firft who in- troduced this Mixture of Mafculine and Feminine Verfes, and Ronfard was the firft who practifed it with Succcfs. The Mafculine Verfes fhould always have a Syllable lefs than the Feminine ones. See Rhime.

The Aftrologers maintain, that the Siffns and Planets are really diftinguifh'd into Mafculine and Feminine; not on account of any Difference of Sex, in their Bodies, or in their Names : but by reafon of their Qualities, which are either active, hor, or cold, accounted Mafculine \ or pafiive, dry, and moift, which are Feminine. On this Principle they call the Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars, Maft

cidine, and the Moon and Venus, Feminine. Mercury] tRej iuppofc, partakes of the two. Among the Signs, Arte?, Libra, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, Aquarius, are Mafculine; Came; i'a~ fncomus, Taurus, Virgo, Scorp.o t and Vifces, are Feminine.

Plants are likewife diftingui/h'd into Mafculine. and Fe^ mmine. The, Mafculine are thofe which have a "reater /hare of Heat and Virtue.

MASON, a Perfon employ *d under the Direction of an, Architect, in the raifing of a Stone-Building. The chief Bufincfs of a Mafon, is to make the Mortar, ralfe the Walls from the Foundation to the Top, with the necef- fary Retreats and Perpendiculars, form the Vaults, and employ the Stones as deliver'd to him. When the Stones are large, the Bufinefs of hewing or cutting them be- longs to the Stone-Cutters; tho thefe are frequently con- founded with the Mafons, The Ornaments of Sculpture are performed by Carvers in Stone, or Sculptors. For the Materials whereon Mafons work, fee Stonej Marble^ E?c. For the Manner of Working, fee Masonry, Build- ingj cjfc For their Works themfelves, fee Wall, £frj The Touls or Implements principally ufed by them, are, the Square, Level, Plumb-Line, Bevel, Compafs, Ham- mer, Chiffel, Mallet, Saw, Trowel, c5c which fee. Be- fides the common Instruments ufed in the Hand, they have likewife Machines for the raifing of great Burdens, the conducting of large Stones, Igc. The principal of thefe are the Lever, Wheel, Pully, t£c. which fee. Mafonry is fomctimes ufed in a more general and unlimited Senfe 5 fo as, befides proper Mafonry, to include the hewing or (awing of larger Stones, to fit them for Building, proper- ly call'd Stone-Cutting 5 and the carving of tho Orna- ments, on the Members and Mouldings, properly call'd Sculpture : which fee. Ifidore derives the Word from Ma- chh, a Machinift, as being obliged to ufe Machines in Building. Some derive it from Machine. DitCawge from Maceria, becaufe the long Fence-Walls that indole Vine- yards, ££c in which Majons are fuppofed to have been firft employ'd, were call'd Materia. Mafon eft Maceriarwn Con- ftrutfar. M. Huet derives it from Mas, an old Word, fignifying Houfe 5 hence Mafon is a Perfon who makes Mas's, that is, Houfes. In the corrupt Latin, a Mafon was call'd Magifter Comacinus, which Lindenbroeh derives from Comacma, an Ifland in Romania, where, in the Time «f the Lombards, the belt Architects were found.

MASONRY, a Branch of Architecture, confifting, as fome define it, in the Art of hewing or fquaring Stones, and cutting them level and perpendicular, for the Ufes of Building : Tho in the more limited Senfe of the Word, Mafonry is the Art of affembling and joining Stones toge- ther with Mortar. Whence there arife as many different Kinds of Mafonry, as there are different Forms and Man- ners of laying or joining the Stones, Fitrttvius makes men- tion of feven Kinds ofMafonry anions* the Antients j three of hew'd Stone, n& that in form of a Net, that in Bind- higi and that call'd the Greek Mafonry: And three of unhewed Stones, viz.. that of an equal Courfe, that of an unequal Courfe, and that fill'd up in the middle. The feventh was a Compofition of all the reft.

Net Mafonry, call'd Reticulation, from its Refemblanca of the Mafhes of a Net, confifts of Stones fquarcd in their Courfes, and fo difpofed, as that their Joints go oblique- ly, and the Diagonals are, the one perpendicular, and the other level. This is the moft agreeable Mafonry to the Eye, but it is apt to crack. See P/ate Architecture, Fig. 1.

Bound Mafonry, is that wherein the Stones were placed one over another, like Tiles 5 the Joints of the Beds be- ing level, and the Mounters perpendicular. So that the Joint that mounts and feparates two Stones, falls directly over the middle of the Stone below. This is lefs beau- tiful than the Net-Work, but more folid and durable, See Tlate Arch. Fig. 1.

Greek Mafonry, according to Vitr-.mus, is that where, af J ter we have laid two Stones, each of which makes a Courfe, another is laid at the end, which makes two Courfes; and the fame Order obferved throughout the Building. This may be call.'U Double Building, in regard the Binding is not only of Stones of the fame Courfe with' one another, but likewife of one Courfe with another Courfe. See Flute Arch. Fig.' 3.

Mafonry by Equal Courfes^ by the Antients call'd Tfodo- mum, differs in nothing from the bound Mafonry, but only in this, that its Stones are not hewn. See Plate Arch,

F 'S- 5-,

Mafonry by Unequal Courfes, call'd Ffoudfodomv.m, is alfo

made of unhew'd Stones, and laid in bound Work : But

then they are not of the fame Thicknefs, nor is there sny

Equality obferved, excepting in the feveral Courfes 5. the

Courfes themfelves being unequal to each other. See

Tlate Arch. f%-4«

Mafonry ftll'd up in the Middle, call'd by the Antients

Emfhfton, is likewife made of unhew'd Stone, and by

Nnnnnn Courfes ;