Pesth

See Budapest. Petau (pe-to'), Denis, Latinized Petavius. Born at Orléans, France, Aug. 21, 1583: died at Paris, Dec. 11, 1652. A French chronologist, antiquary, and Roman Catholic theologian. Among his chronological works are "Opus de doctrina temporum "(1627), "Tabulæ chronologice" (1628), "Uranologium" (1630), "Rationarium temporum" (1633-34). He also wrote "De theologic is dogmatibus" (1644-50), etc. Petch, or Peč, or Petsh. See Ipek . Petchenegs (pech-e-negz'). A nomadic people, of Turkish stock, who established a state between the Don and the Danube, which po e ed considerable power from the 9th to the 11th century. It disappeared in the 13th cen northern part of Guatemala; also, an island in the lake. Peter (pe'ter) (originally Simon). [D. G. Dan. Sw. Peter , F. Pierre , OF. Pier , Piers , (whence ME. Piers , mod. Pierce , Peirce , Pearce , Pears ), Sp. Pg. Pedro , It. Pietro , Piero , from L. Petrus , from Gr. Πέτρος , translating Heb. Cephas , a stone.] One of the twelve apostles. He was originally a fisherman; became one of the three most favored disciples of Christ; and was the most prominent leader of the church after the ascension. He was imprisoned by Herod in 44; contended with Paul at Antioch touching the proper policy to be observed toward the Gentiles; and according to tradition was the founder of the church at Rome and a martyr there in the reign of Nero. He is the reputed author of two epistles in the New Testament. Peter is claimed by the Roman Catholic Church as its first bishop or pope. His death is celebrated with that of St. Paul on the 29th of June in the Eastern, Roman, and Anglican churches. This is the most ancient of the festivals of the apostles, dating from the 3d century. Peter (Portuguese and Spanish kings). See Pedro. Peter I. Alexeievitch, surnamed "The Great." Born at Moscow, June 9 (N. S.), 1672: died at St. Petersburg, Feb. 8 (N. S.), 1725. Czar of Ru ia, son of Alexis. He reigned conjointly with his half-brother Ivan from 1682, and alone from 1696. Hefreed himself from the regency of his sister Sophia in 1689; captured Azoff from the Turks in 1696; traveled in Germany, the Netherlands, England, and Austria 1696-97; put down a rebellion of the Strelitzi in 1698; and took part in the Northern War (which see) 1700-21, in the course of which he was defeated by Charles XII. of Sweden at Narva in 1700, and defeated him in turn at Pultowa in 1709. He was forced by the Turks (who had taken up arms at the in stance of Charles) to restore Azoff by the treaty of Pruth in 1711. In 1721 he concluded the peace of Nystadt with Sweden, by which he obtained Livonia, Esthonia, Inger manland, and part of Karelia. He founded St. Petersburg in 1708; imprisoned his son Alexis (see Alexis ) for treason in 1718; and carried on a succe ful war against Persia 1722-23. He introduced Western civilization into Ru ia, which he made one of the great powers of Europe. Peter II. Alexeievitch. Born Oct. 23, 1715: died 1730. Czar of Ru ia 1727-30, son of Alexis and grandson of Peter the Great. Peter III. Feodorovitch (properly Karl Peter Ulrich). Born at Kiel, Holstein, Feb. 21, 1728: a a inated at Ropsha, Ru ia, July 17, 1762. Czar of Ru ia, son of Charles Frederick, duke of Holstein, and Anna (daughter of Peter the Great). He was appointed heir in 1742; married Catharine (later empre ) in 1745; and succeeded to the throne in Jan., 1762. He immediately made peace with Frederick the Great, with whom his predece or had been at war since 1757. (See Seven Years ' War .) He was murdered after a few months'reign, and his wife, who was an accomplice in his murder, was placed on the throne. Peter Bell. A poetical tale by William Words worth, published in 1819. Peter Bell the Third. A burlesque poem by Shelley. Peter of Blois, or Petrus Blesensis. Born at Blois, France: died about 1200. A French ecclesiastic and scholar who settled in England in the reign of Henry II. Peter of Bruis (or Bruys). Burned as a heretic about 1126. A French reforming enthusiast, a pupil of Abelard. He sought to restore the church to its original purity by abolishing infant baptism, the ma , and other observances. Peter the Hermit, or Peter of Amiens. Born about 1050: died at Huy, Belgium, July 11, 1115. A hermit and monk, one of the leading preachers of the first Crusade. He led the advance division of the first Crusade as far as Asia Minor in 1096. Peter borough (pē'ter-bur-ō). A city in the counties of North amp ton and Hunting don, England, situated on the Nen 75 miles north of London. It is a railway and trading center. A Benedictine abbey was founded here in 655. The cathedral, one of the most important of English Norman churches, was begun early in the 12th century and finished before the 13th, except the interpolated Decorated windows, the Perpendicu lar retrochoir, the 13th-century northwest tower, the fine central tower of the 14th, and the famous west front of the 13th. The west front consists of 3 grand gabled arches Peters, Wilhelm Karl Hartwig of equal height, the central one much the narrowest, between two small arcaded and pinnacled towers. The spandrels are filled with rosettes and statues in niches, and above the arches is carried a range of arcades with statues. Each gable contains a small wheel. This splendid front forms in fact an open screen before the actual front of the cathedral: it is marred by a low Perpendicular porch inserted in the opening of the central arch. The interior is light and effective. The ceiling of the nave, though of the 12th century, is of wood; that of the choir is Perpendicular. The chevet of the church was originally of apsidal form, and this can still be traced in the later retrochoir. The dimensions are 471 by 81 feet; length of east transepts, 202; height of vaulting, 81. Population (1891), Peter borough. The capital of Peter borough County, Ontario, Canada, situated on the Otonabec 69 miles northeast of Toronto. Population (1891), 9,717. 25,172. Peter borough and Mon mouth, Earl of. See Mordaunt , Charles . Mordaun Peter head (pe-ter-hed'). A seaport in Aberdeen shire, Scotland, situated on the North Sea 28 miles north-northeast of Aberdeen. It is largely engaged in the herring and other fisheries. Population (1891), 12,195. Peterhof (pā'ter-hof). A town in the government of St. Petersburg, Ru ia, situated on the Gulf of Finland about 15 miles west of St. Petersburg. Near it is the imperial palace, built by Peter the Great, of high interest from the great quantity of works of art of all kinds and of historical relics which are collected in it, as well as for the beautiful gardens with their fountains and statues, and the connected imperial pleasure-houses. Population, 9,516. Peter house. See St. Peter's College . Peter Lombard. See Lombard . Peterloo Ma acre. [Formed in imitation of Waterloo .] A riot at St. Peter's Field, Manchester, England, Aug. 16, 1819. A large a embly, mainly of the laboring cla es, had met in behalf of ref or mine the bride charged by the military, and many were killed and wounded. Petermann (pā'ter-män), August. Born at Bleicherode, Pru ia, April 18, 1822: committed suicide at Gotha, Sept. 25, 1878. A noted German geographer. He went to Great Britain in 1845; took charge of the Geographical Institute (founded by Perthes) at Gotha in 1854; and encouraged geographical explorations in Africa, the polar regions, and elsewhere. He founded and conducted Petermann's "Mitteilungen" ("Communications") after 1855, and contributed to the atlases of Stieler, etc. Peter Martyr. See Martyr . Peters (pa'ters), Christian August Fried rich. Born at Hamburg, Sept. 7, 1806: died at Kiel, Pru ia, May 8, 1880. A noted German astronomer, appointed profe or of astronomy at Königsberg in 1849, and director of the observatory at Altona (removed in 1872 to Kiel) in 1854. He edited "A str ono misc he Nach rich ten." Peters, Christian Henry Frederick. Born at Koldenbüttel, near Eiderstedt, Schleswig, Sept. 19, 1813: died at Clinton, N. Y., July 18, 1890. A German-American astronomer, director of the observatory at Hamilton College, New York, from 1858. He discovered over 40 asteroids. He published "Celestial Charts" (18821888), etc. Peters (pē'tėrz), or Peter (pē'ter), Hugh. Born in Cornwall, England (baptized June 29, 1598): hanged at Charing Cro , Oct. 17, 1660. An English Puritan clergyman. He graduated at Cambridge (Trinity College) in 1616. In Oct., 1635, he emigrated to Boston, and in 1636 became minister to the First Church. Salem, Ma achusetts. In 1641 he was the agent of the colony in England, and later filled important offices in England under Cromwell. At the Restoration he was impris oned in the Tower and tried and convicted as an accomplice in the death of Charles I., Oct. 13, 1660. Peters (pā'ters), Karl. Born at Neuhaus, Hannover, 1856. An African explorer and administrator. He founded the German Colonization Society; in 1884 acquired in East Africa large tracts of land and obtained for them an imperial protectorate; as head of the German East Africa Company extended its po e ions and organized its stations; brought about a colonial congre at Berlin in 1886; and returned to East Africa in 1887. He made further explorations in 1889-90 and 1891-93, and was made imperial commi ioner for German East Africa in 1891. He fought his way through Masa i land with reckle bloodshed, and tried to place Uganda under German protection. He visited the United States in 1893. Peters (pē'tèrz), Samuel. Born at Hebron, Conn., Dec. 12, 1735: died at New York, April 19, 1826. An American Episcopal clergyman, a grand-nephew of Hugh Peters. He wrote a satire entitled "General History of Connecticut "(1781), containing the so-called "Blue Laws" (invented by him). Peters (pā'ters), Wilhelm Karl Hartwig. Born at Koldenbüttel, near Eiderstedt, Schleswig, April 22, 1815: died at Berlin, April 20, 1883. A German naturalist and traveler, brother of C. H. F. Peters. He explored Mozambique 1843-47, and published "Naturwi enschaftliche Reise nach Mozambique" (1852-82). Petersburg Petersburg. See St. Petersburg . Petersburg (pē'tėrz-berg). A city in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, situated on the Appomattox, at the head of steam navigation, 23 miles south of Richmond. It is the third city in the State; has important trade in tobacco, cotton, flour, grain, etc.; and has manufactures of tobacco, cotton, etc. It was incorporated in 1748. It was besieged by the Federals under Grant 1864-65. After some unsucce ful attempts to seize it, the siege commenced June 19, 1864. Final operations began March 25, 1865; and after the battle of Five Forks (March 31 and April 1) it was evacuated by the Confederates April 2-3, and surrendered April 3. Population (1890), 22,680. Peter Schlemihl (pā'ter shlā mēl). "The Story of a Man Without a Shadow," a romance by Chami o, published in 1814. Chami o's "Peter Schlemihl" is a faultle work of art, and one of deep import. There, too, a popular superstition forms the leading motive, namely, the idea that a man might lose his shadow, the devil carrying it off when he could not get the man himself into his power. This tale deserves its universal renown. The poet has made the hero a symbolical portrait of himself." "Schlemihl" means an unlucky wight, and Chami o has attributed to this poor devil the same incapacity of coping with the world which in his own case had disposed him to solitude, to intercourse with nature and with children of nature. Scherer, Hist. German Lit., p. 296. Petersen (pā'ter-sen), Clemens. Born in Denmark, 1834. A Danish-American miscellaneous writer. Petersen, Niels Matthias. Born in Fünen, Denmark, Oct. 24, 1791: died at Copenhagen, May 11, 1862. A Danish historian and philologist. His works include a "History of the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Languages" (1829-30), "Contribution to the History of Danish Literature" (2d ed. 1867-71), etc. Peters field (pē'terz-fēld). A town in Hampshire, England, 16 miles north of Portsmouth. Population (1891), 8,706. Petersham (pe'ter-sham). A town in Worces ter County, Ma achusetts, 26 miles northwest of Worcester. It was the scene of the final engagement in Shays's rebellion, in which the insurgents under Shays were dispersed by the State troops under Lincoln, Feb., 1787. Peter the Great Bay. An arm of the Sea of Japan, south of the Maritime Province, Siberia. Peterwardein (pā'ter-vär-din), Hung. Pétervárad (pā-ter-vä'rod). A town in Slavonia, Hungary, situated on the Danube, opposite Neusatz, 44 miles northwest of Belgrad. It is one of the strongest fortre es of the Austrian empire, and has been called "the Gibraltar of Hungary. It was wrested from the Turks by the Imperialists in 1688. In a battle fought near it, Aug. 5, 1716, the Imperialists under Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the Turks under the grand vizir Damad Ali. It was occupied by the Hungarian insurgents in 1848, and surrendered to the Austrians on Sept. 6, 1849. Population (1890), 3,603. Pétion (pā-tyôn'), Alexandre Sabes. Born at Port-au-Prince, April 2, 1770: died there, March 29, 1818. A Haitian general and politician. He was a light mulatto and an educated man; was commandant of artillery under To us saint Louverture and Rigaud; followed the latter to France in 1800; and was attached to Leclerc's expedition 1801-02. In 1802 he joined the revolt of those who feared that slavery was to be reestablished, served under Des salines, and after his death became president of Haiti (March 10, 1807). Chris top he had already revolted in the north, and the French portion of the island was thus divided into two parts, between which there was almost constant war for many years. Pé tion, by reelection, continued to rule the southern part until his death, but besides the war with Chris top he there were many internal di ensions. Pétion de Villeneuve (pā-tyôn'de vēl-nev'), Jérôme. Born at Chart res, France, 1753: committed suicide near Bordeaux, June, 1794. A French revolutionist. He was chosen to the third estate of the States-General in 1789; was one of the leaders in the Constituent A embly, and its president in 1790; was commi ioner to Varennes in 1791; was mayor of Paris 1791-92; and was Giron dist deputy to the Convention 17921793. He was proscribed in June, 1793, but escaped to the south. Petit André (pė-tē'ton-drā'). [F., 'Little Andrew.'] An executioner of Louis XI., introduced as a character in the novel "Quentin Durward" by Sir Walter Scott. Petition of Right. Anact of Parliament pa ed in 1628: one of the chief documents of the English constitution. It provided that "no freeman be required to give any gift, loan, benevolence, or tax without common consent by Act of Parliament; that no freeman be imprisoned or detained contrary to the law of the land; that soldiers or mariners be not billeted in private houses; and that commi ions to punish soldiers and sail ors by martial law be revoked and no more i ued" ( 4c land and Ransome , Eng. Polit. Hist., p. 88). Petit Nesle (pé-tē nāl). A smaller residence attached to the Grand Nesle, or Tour de Nesle, in Paris. They stood where the Institute now stands, opposite the Louvre, at the south end of the Pont des Arts. Both were inhabited by the royal family at various times, and numerous crimes were said to have been committed there. Cell in i had his studio in the Petit Nesle. Petit-Thouars, Du. See Dupetit - Thouars . Peto (pē'tō). An a ociate of Falstaff in Shakspere's "Henry IV.," first and second parts. Petöfi (pe'tė-fi), Sándor (Alexander). Born in Little Cumania, Hungary, Dec. 31, 1823: killed probably in the battle of Schä burg, July 31, 1849. The greatest lyric poet of Hungary. He played an important part at the outbreak of the Hungarian revolution in Pest, and throughout the war his patriotic songs made him a national hero. He was last seen on the battle-field of Schä burg, and for many years it was popularly believed that he survived as a prisoner in Siberia. Petra (pē'trä). [Gr. Πέτρα , rock.] In ancient geography, a city in Arabia Petræa, situated in lat. 30° 19′ N., long. 35° 31′ E. The site was early occupied on account of its proximity to the commercial route between Arabia and Egypt. From the 2d century B. C. it was a stronghold of the Nabatæans. The site consists of a precipice-inclosed valley on the northeastern side of Mount Hor. The sandstone rocks are brilliantly colored in many different hues, and are fantastically worn by the action of water. Petra is famous for its rock-cut architectural remains, dating from after the establishment of Roman rule in 105 A. D. These remains have been looked upon by many as those of temples and palaces, but are merely the façades, many of them considerable in scale and elaborate in ornament, of rock-tombs. All lack purity in design, and most precision in execution: but some are picturesque and graceful, bringing to mind the architectural ornament of Pompeian wall-paintings; and they gain in effectivene by their situation and by the marvelous coloring of the rock. The buildings of the town are very ruinous, except the rock-cut theater. Petrarch (pē'trärk), It. Petrarca (pā-trär'kä), Francesco. Born at Arezzo, Italy, July 20, 1304: died at Arquà, near Padua, July 18 (19?), 1374. A celebrated Italian poet, one of the chief names in Italian literature. His father be the same time as Dante: Petrarch remembered seeing the longed to the party of the Bianchi, and was banished at latter in his childhood. The family went to Avignon in 1313, and when about fourteen years old Petrarch went to Petty, Sir William often identified with a certain Caius Petronius mentioned by Tacitus. The original title of his work (see the extract) was "Satire." To Nero's time belongs also the character-novel of Petronius Arbiter, no doubt the same Petronius whom Nero a. 66 compelled to kill himself. Originally a large work in at least 20 books, with accounts of various adventures supposed to have taken place during a journey, it now consists of a heap of fragments, the most considerable of which is the "cena Tri mal chi on is," being the description of a feast given by a rich and uneducated upstart. Though steeped in obscenity, this novel is not only highly important for the history of manners and language, especially the plebeian speech, but it is also a work of art in its way, full of spirit, fine insight into human nature, wit of a high order, and genial humour. In its form it is a satira Menippea, in which the metrical pieces interspersed contain chiefly parodies of certain fashions of taste. This applies especially to the larger carmina, "Troisæ halos is" and "Bellum civile."