STAXTIATION.] • On great festivals and other solemn occasions the mass is performed by a priest or prelate, attended by a deacon and subdeacon, who says the responses and chants the epistle and gospel of the day. On those occasions the man, or at least parts of it, are sung by a choir, accom panied by the organ and other musical instruments. This is called " high mass," and is a long and pompous service. Palestrina, Mozart, Cherubim, and other among the most celebrated musicians, lave pro duced most beautiful compositions for this service. Both for the low and the high masses the officiating priest is dressed in peculiar various coloured garments appropriated to the occasion, which he afterwards takes off in the vestry-room.
The '31isealo' is the name of the book which contains the ritual of the mare, and which the priest holds open before him on the altar. Some of the old Missals, whether MSS. or printed, are beautifully ornamented with paintings, and are valued aa bibliographic curiosities.
The Protestant and reformed churches have no mass, as they do not believe in the doctrine of transubstantiation ; but several of the detached Oremue; or prayers of that service, which are very fine, have been retained in the Litnrgy of the Church of England, translated in the vulgar tongue.
' MASSA'OETsE, an ancient people of central Asia, in an expedition against whom Cyrus ie said to have lost his life. (' Herod., i. 205.216 ; Justin.; 1. 8.) Alexander also met them in his expedition to Sog dian& B.C. 328. CArrian; iv.) I lorodotus says that they lived north of the Lazes, by which ho probably means the Jaxartes (1. 201), and on the plain to the east of the Caspian Sea : this would include the country now known as Sungari& and Mongolia, extending to the base of the Altai mountains. According to Strobe, the Ilyperborei, Saurorriatn,
and Aritnaspi dwelt above the Euxine, the Inter, and the Adriatic; and the and Maseageta" above the Caspian (p. 507, Casaubon); and a little further he remarks that the Manssagetre were to the coat of the Dare, who bordered on the Caspian Sea (p. 611).
Herodotus was in doubt whether the .ttaseagctto ought to be reckoned among the Scythians (i. 20l); but they were usually re garded as part of the Scythian nation by succeeding writers. (` Anion; Iv. 17 ; ' Pliny,' 11.N., vi. 19.) Stroh* (xi.) details Borne of the in human customs of the tribe ; which load Niebuhr and Birkh to con sider the Msaesqetse as a branch of the Mongolian race ; while Humboldt (' Central Aare') believes them to have been of the Indo-European stock. The similarity of their name (DI asks...feta ; compare Tyri-gcrr, TIywo phta) might load to the supposition that they were connected with the Clete) of Europe.
The Maasagetze are described by Herodotus as a numerous and powerful nomadic people, who resembled the Scythian,' in their dress and mode of life. Gold and silver were plentiful among them, obtained no doubt from the Altai range ; but no iron or silver was found in their country. They were however in a very low state of civilisation, even for a nomadic people. They had a community of wives; and their aged people were killed and eaten by their relations.