1000000031

P S A

516

P T O

comprifing fe ...e:",ll cities, towos,

6('.

al!

under

lhe fame

governmcnt, anu

llrll;:dly

diHinguinl td

dle eXtcnl t.!lthc:r

of Ihe

c¡,·jl

ecclefiaflical

jurirJiétion.

PROV INC l.-\L, fome<hiog relatior, to a provioee. See

the

prc:ct"oillg

anicle.

·PRQVOST, of a eity or towo . is the chief munieip.1

01'–

s:.illrate in (cvt'fal trading ci tics, particularly Edinburgh.

París,

crc.

being much

lhe {ame

with mayor in Other

pl"es.

He prcfides in ciry.courts, and ,

togclhe.r,

\Vitll the

baillies, who are hisdeputies. determine!

al! diJTaences

th:u

arifl! among citizens.

The provofl of Edinburgh. as \Vd l as of all the other

conriderahle: towns in Scotland ,

h3S lhe

tide of lord; and

lhe former caJls yearly conventioos

ohlle royal

boroughs

tu Edinburgh

his milli\·c:s.

f ROW, denotes the he.d or fore-part of a !hip, particu–

lar/ y in a galley, b<ing rhar whieh is oppofi<e ro rhe puop

or nern .

PROXIMITY, denores the . e"tion of oearoefs, eitber in

re[pelC) of

place, blood,

or a!Ji;¡oce .

PROXY, • perfon who

off:ei.res

as a deputy in the room

0'-

another.

PRUCH, or BRUG G, a rown of Auflria, in

Germ.ny

twenty.two miles

rOl1th · e~(l

of V ienna.

PRUCK, or BRUCH, of Sriri" in Germany, fixr y miles

fouth. weft of Vienn:t.

PRUNES, areplumbs dried io the fun!hine, or in an oven.

PRUN ING, in g. rdening and agrieulture, is the lopping

off the fuperfluous branches of trces, in arder

make

them bear better

(ruil,

grow higher, or appear more re ..

guIar.

PRUNUS. iD botany, a genus of rhe ieofandri. monogynia

clafs. T he c.lix eonfia . of fi"e fegmeots, aod the eo–

rolla of five perals; .nd the alell of the drupe is full of

rrominent (utu res. T here are 13 fpecies, five of them

na(ives of Britain,

fJiz.

(he inGtitia, or bl.lck bullace.tree¡

lhe fpinofa. or

Ooe-tree)

the padus, or bi rds cherry; the

3viuOl, or cammon

wild cherry ; and Ihe

cerafus, or

bJack

cherry.

PRU RIT IS, denotes an itehing fenfation.

PRUSSI A, a provinee of Poland, Gtuated

0 0

Ihe eoa(! of

lhe

Baltic

fea,

and

divided ioto

regal

aDd

ducal

Pruffia,

rhe fi rll fu bjc(l ro Poland, and the Iafl to the kiog of

Pm rtia .

PR YTA NES. iD Greeian antiqui ly, were the pre fidenrs of

rhe fen.,e. whofe .u,horiry eonfilled ehieAy io aOembling

.the fenare; which, for the moCl pan, was done once e·

very d<ty.

The f<nate eonfined of five hundred, fi fry feoators be–

inn e:le(t"!<..! out of each (rihe¡ after which , Jots were can,

to dr:tcrmine in Wh;H orde r the fenators of each tribe

J!wu ld prefide, which theydid

turos, and during their

prcfidenr!hip \Vere e.lled prytanes. However, alJ the fi(ry

pry~anes

of the (ribes did no( govern all a( once, bUI ten

al a time,

viz.

for [cven day!; and after thirty- 6\'e

days. another tribe came ioto play, and prefi<..!ed for

thu

weeks ;

and fu of lhe ren o

PS¡\ Li\[, adivine fong or hymn; but ehicOy appropriarcd

rn the hund red and fifry PI.I",s of Oavid, a eanonie."

[¡ook of rl" Old T cflament.

j\[ .,!l

of rhe Pfalms have a p"ricular rirle. fignifying

dther lhe

name

of (he author

the perfon who \Vas

f~t

to mufie or fing

il,

lhe ioC1.rument that \Ya! to be ufcd, or

the fuhj etl and

occa~on

it.

Sorne have im:tgineJ. Ihat

David wa. lhe fole . urhor of rhe book of Pe. lms; bu.

(he tides of mí\ny of them prove the cODtrary. as Pf.llm

xix.

which "ppears lO h::tve beeo wriucn by Mofes, Ma–

ny of lhe Pf .. lmsare iofcribed with lhe

names

Korah,

Je–

dut:1un ,

cre.

from the perfons who were to

~ng

them.

PSALMODY, the art or a(l of finging pfalms. See the

precedi ng arriele.

PSALT ER, the fame

wit~

Ihe book of Pfalms . See

P SALM.

Among

th~

reJigious, in the Popifh countries , the term

pfalrer is alfo given tO a large ehapler or rofary, eonfi l[.

¡og of

410

hundred and 6fty beads, according to the oum·

ber of pfalms in the palrer.

P SALT E RY, • mulieal in!lr.umeot, mueh in ufe amoog Ihe

anc¡eOl Hebre'ws, who called

nebe!.

We know liltle or oothiogof the preeife form of tbe

ancient pf..ltery,

PSIDI UM, in botany, a genus of the ieofandria tDonogy–

nía clars .' T he calix cooliHs of five fegments. and the co·

rolla of five petals ; the berry has but ooe ccll , cootaining

maoy ((eds . T here are two fpecies, both

oati\'e5

In·

di•.

P SIlTACUS, io ornithology, a genus belonging to the

oíder

of pica;:. T he

beclk

is hooked, dle ruperíar nlandi

bll! being furnifhed with a moveabJe wax; tbe noC1.rils are

plaeed ar the b. re of rh. beak; the tongue is Ae!hy, blunr,

and emire; and. the Ceel are 6tted for clim.bing. Thcrc'

are 47 (pecies, difiinguilhcd

thei rcolour, and the lenJth

of thei r ta¡ls. T his genus ¡neludes th e parrol-kind, which

are all naúves of warm climates ,

PSOAS, in anatomy. See ANATOt-ly, p. 20 3.

P SORALI A, in borany, a genus of the diadelphia decaD–

dria c1afs. The calix is interfperfed with

fldhy

poin",

of the Jength of the

le~urnen,

Whlch

CODUjOS

one (eed .

T here are

fpectes,

none

of them nat¡ves of Brilain.

PTARMICA, in botany. See ACH ILLJE A.

PTE LEA, in botaDy, a genus of Ihe terrandia monogyni.·

clars . T he ealix eonfi(!s of four fegments. aod the eo–

rolla of foltr petáis; the frui t is a Toundinl

m~mbrane,

with

one

fced in lhe cen!re.

Th e

fp:cies are tWO,

Dooe

of them natÍves of Britain.

PTERIS, io botany . • genus of the cryptogami. fil ieum

c1aCs.

The (ruéli fication is fituate in Jines oear lhe mar–

gine. There are 19 fpecies, only one of them,

~iz ,

lhe

aquilina, or femflle fern, is a n:ttive of Britain.

PTERYGOID, fomething refeOlbling a wing.

PTERYGOID}EUS, in anatomy. See A UTO >!T, p.

PTISAN, is properly bar/ey d<eorticared, or depri«d of

its hulls, hy beating in a mortar, as was the aneienl

pra(liee, though the eooling potion, obraioed by boilioC

fu eh harle)' in water, and afterwarJs Cwectening (be Ji–

quor with liquorice- root, is what at prerent goes

the:

name of ptiran; aod

render

laxativc, fome add a lit–

tle fe na, or olher bcrh of dle: Came intendon .

PTOLEMA IC

S)jlml

AjlronolllJ.

is th.1t in«nred by

CJauJius Ptalcl1\;t!us, fl cdeh rateJ altronomer and

mal

he.

matÍcÍln or Pelufium, in EC)'pt.

\lo

ho li\'c:J iDthe bebín–

nin~

of the

l[J

ccnrury of the Chrifiian 41:r.l.

T hi, hyporhofis ruppofes rhe tarth iOlnlO"eably fixe,1in

the

ccnu('J nOlO ll:c

worlJ

001\',

bUI al(oof the uni·

.erfe :