Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/153

 MAT

C ?o8 )

MAT

clrry'd by the Mafteis in Chancery, feefore thcmj Affida- vits are made, and Deeds and Recognizances acknow- ledged. See Chancery,

MASTER PIECE, an exqutfitej or extraordinary Work or Performance, in any Art or Science.

Master-Piece, or Chef d'Oeitvre, is particularly ufed among the French, for a particular Work, which thoie who afpire to be admitted Matter in any Art or Trade, are to perform in prefence of the Matters or Jurands of that Company, by way of Specimen of their Capacity. The Majier- Piece of a Mafon is a Defccnt biafs'd either in the Head or in Talut, corrected by a full Arch. That of a Carpenter, a Rartipant Curve of a Stair-Cafe, thcSpi- ral well adjufted with the Defcent. That of a Joiner, a Plat-bottom Cheft, or a Door-Cafe, or a Mantle-Tree. That of a Tiler, a Luthern well conducted in the Four- chette, with a Ridge. That of a Plumber, a little Cil- tern a Oil de Lamfe. That of a Glazier, a Pair of Com- parti ments of Glaifes of fever al Colour?, hollow'd, in- caftrated, and join'd with Lead of Chef ttfOettvre* That of Paviors, a Rofe in a Free-Stone or Flint-Pavement. That of a Cordwainer, a Turn-up Shoe^ ££?c.

MASTIC; a clear and fweet refinous Gum, iffuingfrom the Trunk and large Branches of the Maftic or Lentisk Tree, cither without* or with an lncifion. It is temperate in Heatj and of a dry, binding Quality; fo that it ftrengthens the Stomach, Hays Vomiting, flops Iflues of Blood, and tickling Coughs and Catarrhs. It lengthens the Reins, and is a good Cleanfer, and is for that reafon prefcribed in Seminal Weakneffes. The Goldfmiths mix it with Turpentine and black Ivory, and lay it under their Diamonds, to give them a Luftre. The Maftic is the Product or' Scio. The Trees that produce it are cultivated with as much Care as the Vines. It brings in a Revenue of 80000 Ducats per Annum to the Grand Signior. There is alfo a kind of black MaBic brought from Egypt, which ferves to fophifticate Camphor. The belt Maflic is brought from the Ifle of Chio$ it is in larger Tears, and thofe more balfamic, than that of the Levant. The Ma- fiic produced in Chio belongs to the Grand Signior, who takes it of this People in lieu of the Tribute he exacts of the other Grecian Iflands. It has its Name MaBic, from its being continually chew'd by the Tttr&s, efpecially the Women.

MASTICATION, in Medicine, the Action of chew- ing, or of agitating the folid Parts of our Food between the Teeth, by means of the Motion of the Jaws, the Tongue, and the Lips 5 whereby it is broke into fmall Pieces, impregnated with Saliva, and fo fitted for Deglu- tition, andamoreeafy Digeftion in the Stomach. See Digestion, Chylification, Deglutition, &c.

The Mixture of Saliva with the Food, is of abfolute neceflity ; for the Saliva imbibed within the Parts, diflblves the Salts hid in them ; and by fo doing, prepares the Food for Fermentation in the Stomach: The Food therefore has the Beginning of its Digeftion from the Saliva, and its Conclufion from the Ferment in the Stomach. See Sa-

fclVA.

MASTICATORIES, in Medicine, are fuch Remedies as are taken in at the Mouth, and chew'd, in order to pro- mote the Evacuation of the falival Humour ; as Tobacco, Ginger, Pepper, Sage, Rofemary, Thyme, Maftic, &c.

MASTOIDES, m Anatomy, the fame with Mammilla- res. The Word is ufually apply'd to fuch Proceffes in the Body, as have the Appearance of Breafts or Dugs; ari- sing from a broad Bafis, and terminating in an obtufe Top. The Word is fometimes alfo apply'd to thofe Mufclcs which Hoop the Head, proceeding from the Neck-Bone, and Breaft-Bone, and terminating in the Procefs Mammi- formis. The Word comrs from the Greek |W*f©"i Nipple, Dug, and «<T©-, Imago, Figure.

MATCH, a kind of Cord flightly twilled, and prepared to receive and preferve Fire, for the Ufes of Artillery, Mines, Fire-Works, &c. It is made of hempen Tow, fpun on the Wheel like Cord, but very flack, and is com- peted of three Twines or Threads, which are afterwards again cover 'd with Tow; fo that the Twines don't ap- pear : laftly, it is hoil'd in Lees of old Wines ; whence its Colour. Since Fufecshave been introduced in lieu of Muf- Jcets, the Confumption of Match has been much lefs con- iiderable than before.

MATER TENUIS, orPiAMATER. See Meninges.

Mater Duba. See alfo Meninges.

MATERIAL, denotes fomething compofed of Matter. The Epicureans, Sf)hiozifts,&c. own none other but Material Subftances; fee Substance. Among Caufcs, fome are material, others formal : See Cause. Material Caufes having no Underftanding or Liberty, muft always act in the fame Manner, when under the fame Circumstances. The Phi- lofophers and Divines difpute, whether or no there be any material Forms really diftinft from Matter. See Form.

The Valeminians formerly apply'd the Term Material to all People, but thofe of their own Sect ; afferting, that their Souls perifhed with their Bodies. Thus alfo the Stoics maintain'd, that none but the Soul of their Wife- Men furvived the Body. See Stoicks.

MATERIALISTS, the Name of a Sett in the an- tient Church, compofed of Perfons, who, being prepol- fefs'd with that Maxim in the antient Philofophy (ex Ni~ hilo Nihil ft, out of Nothing Nothing can be made) had re- courfe to an Eternal Matter, on which they fuppofed God wrought in the Creation ; inftead of admitting God alone as the fole Caufe of the Exiltence of all Things. Tertxl- lian vigorously oppofes the Doctrine of the Materialijis, in his Treatife againft Hermogenes, one of their Number. See Matter.

MATERIA SUBTILIS, a fine fubtile Matter, which the Cartefians fuppofe to pervade and penetrate, freely, the Parts of all Bodies, and to fill up all their Pores, fo as not to leave the leaft Vacuity or Interftice between them. This Machine they have recourfe to, to fupport the Doc- trine of an abfolute Plenum, and to make it confident with the Phenomena of Motion, ££c. and accordingly make it aft and move juft at pleafure, but in vain 5 tor were there any fuch Matter, in order for it to be able to fill up the Vacuities of other Bodies, it mult, itfelf, be entirely void of any, i.e. be perfectly folid ; fee Solidity : vait- Jy more folid than Gold, and therefore more ponderous* and refiit vaftly more. See Resistance. Which is in- confiftent with Phenomena. See Vacuum and Plenum.

Sir If. NetvroK, indeed, allows of the Exiftence of 11 fub- tile Matter, or Medium, vaftly finer than Air, penetrating the clofeft Bodies, and contributing to the Production of many of the Phenomena of Nature. The Exiilence of fuch a Matter he argues from the Experiment of two Thermometers, which being inclofed in Glafs Veffels,


 * one of them exhaulted of its Air, and both carried from

( warm, and rifes, almofl as foon as that in the Air 5 and
 * a cold to a warm Place, the Thermometer in vacuo grows


 * if return'd into the cold Place, both cool and fall about


 * the fame. Hence, fays he, is not the Heat of the warm


 * Room cemvey'd thro the Vacuum by the Vibrations of a


 * much fubtiler Medium than Air, which remain 'd in va~


 * cko, after the Exhauftion of the Air ? And is not this

' and reflected, and by whofe Vibration, Light comma-
 * Medium the fame with that whereby Light is refracted


 * nicates Heat to Bodies, and is put into Fits of eafy Re-


 * flection, and eafy Tranfrniffion ? And do not the Vibra-


 * tions of that Medium in hot Bodies, contribute to the


 * Intenfenefs and Duration of their Heat? And do not


 * hot Bodies communicate their Heat to contiguous cold


 * ones, by the Vibration of this Medium propagated from


 * them into the cold ones ? And is not this Medium more


 * fubtile, more elaftic and active than Air ? Does it not

1 Force, expanded thro all the Heavens?' See Heat, Cold, g£c. Again, * Does not the Refraction of Light
 * readily pervade all Bodies ? And is it not, by its elaftic


 * proceed from the different Denfity of this Matter in dif-


 * ferent Places ; the Light always receding from the denfer


 * Parts of the Medium V See Refraction. Again,


 * Is not this Matter much rarer within the denfe Bodies


 * of the Sun, Stars, Planets, £$c. than in the empty, ce-


 * leftial Spaces between them ? And in pafltng from them


 * to great Diftances, does it not grow denfer and denfer,


 * and thereby occafion the Gravitation of thofe Bodies


 * towards one another, and of the Parts to the Bodies j


 * every Body endeavouring to recede from the denfer Parts


 * towards the rarer ?' Sec Gravitation. — 'Again, Is not


 * Vifion performed chiefly by the Vibrations of this Matter,


 * excited in the bottom of the Eye by the Rays of Light,


 * and propagated thro the folid, pellucid, and uniform Ca-


 * pillaments of the Optic Nerves into the Senfory ?' A-


 * gain, * Is not animal Motion performed by the Vibbrations


 * of this Medium, excited in the Brain by the Power of


 * the Will, and propagated thence thro the folid Capilla-


 * roents of the Nerves into the Mufcles, to contract and


 * dilate them?* See Medium. Newt. Optic, lib. 3. in c alee.

MATHEMATICS, the Science of Quantity 5 or a Sci- ence that confiders Things as computable, or meafurable. The Word in its Original, -ua'IWf, fignifies Vfcipline or Learning in the general, and feems to have been apply'd to the Doctrine of Quantity, either by way of Eminence, or by reafon this having the Start of all other Sciences, the reft took their common Name therefrom. See Science.

For the Origin of Mathematics, $ofepbtts dates it before the Flood, and makes the Sons of Seth Obfervers of the Courfe and Order of the Heavenly Bodies ; he adds, that to perpetuate their Difcoveries, and fecure 'em from the Injuries either of a Deluge or a Conflagration, they had them engraven on two Pillars, the one of Stone, the'other of Brick h the former of which, he fays, was Handing in Syria in his days.

The