an island of the South sea, lying in S. Lat. 33° 45', W. Long. 82° 46'. It is very high and mountainous, and at a distance seems to consist of one hill or rock. It is of a triangular form, and seven or eight leagues in circumference. There is such plenty of fish, that a boat with a few hooks and lines may very soon catch as many as will serve 100 people. Here are coal-fish, cavilliers, cod, halibut, and cray-fish. Captain Carteret's crew caught a king-fisher that weighed 87 pounds, and was five feet and a half long. The sharks were here so ravenous, that, in taking foundlings, one of them swallowed the lead, by which they hauled him above water; but he regained his liberty by disgorging his prey. Seals are so numerous here, that Captain Carteret says, if many thousands were killed in a night, they would not be missed next morning. These animals yield excellent train oil; and their hearts and plucks are very good food, having a taste something like those of a hog; their skins are covered with a very fine fur. There are many birds here, and some very large hawks. Of the pintado bird one ship caught 700 in one night. Commodore Byron landed here with difficulty in 1765, in order to take in wood and water, of both which he found plenty. He found also great numbers of goats, whose flesh tasted as well as venison in England.
MASEOTHAEI, or MASEOETHAEI, the name of a sect, or rather of two sects; for Eusebius, or rather Hegesippus whom he cites, makes mention of two different sects of Mabuthaeans. The first was one of the seven sects that rose out of Judaism, and proved very troublesome to the church; the other was one of the seven Jewish sects before the coming of Jesus Christ.
The word is derived from the Hebrew שָׁבַע, shabat, "to rest or repose," and signifies idle easy indolent people. Eusebius speaks of them as if they had been so called from Mabuthaeus their chief; but it is much more probable that their name is Hebrew, or at least Chaldaic, signifying the same thing with a Sabbatarian in our language; that is, one who makes profession of keeping Sabbath.
Valentinus will not allow the two sects to be confounded together: the last being a sect of Jews before, or at least contemporary with Christ; and the former a sect of heretics descended from them. Rufinus distinguishes them in their names; the Jewish sect he calls Mabuthaei; and the heretics Mabuthaeani. The Mabuthaeans were a branch of the Simonians.