Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/380

 PEN

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.P E N

never granted more than once. Thofe who fell a fecond Time were never ro be reconciled to the Church, and were to look for Pardon only at the Hands of God.

Penance, in our Canon-Law, is an Ecdefiaftical Puniflr* meat, chiefly adjudg'd to the Sin of Fornication. The Pu- nifhment is thus prefcribed by the Canons : The Delinquent to ftand in the Church Porch on fome Sunday bare Head and bare Foot, in a white Sheet, with a white Wand in the Hand ; here bewailing hirnfclf, and begging every one to pray for him. Then to enter the Church, falling down, and kiffing the Ground; and at laft, placed on an Eminence in the Middle of the Church, againft the Mimller, to declare the Foulnefs of the Crime, odious to God, and fcandalous to the Congre- gation.

If the Crime be not notorious, the Canons allow the Pu- nifhment to be commuted at the Parties Requeft, for a pecu- niary Mulct, for the Benefit of the Poor, &c. - PENATES, in the ancient Mythology, a Term applied to all the Domeltic Gods, whom the Ancients adored in their Houfes; whence they are ordinarily confounded with the Lares. See Lares.

Authors are not at all agreed about the Origin of the P)H foliates, who were properly the Tutelary Gods of the Tro- jans, and were only adopted by the Romans,who gave 'em the Title of Senates.

jDe Mezinac, in his Notes on 'Dido's, Epiftle to JEneas, re- lates at large what he has met withal in the ancient Writers on this Subject : Dionyfw* HalicamaJ/iem tells us that JEneas firft lodg'd thefe Gods in the City Lavinhtm^ and that his Son Afcanius, afterwards, upon building the City Alba, trans- lated 'em thither ; but that they return d twice miraculoufly to Lavinium. The fame Author adds, that in Rome is it ill feen a dark Temple, fhaded by the adjacent Buildings, where- in are the Images ot the 'Trojan Gods, with the Infcription 2)e»aSi which fignifies Penates. SeeDENATEs.

Thefe Images reprefent two young Men fitting, each of which holds a Lance. 1 have feen, adds 'Dionyfius, feveral other Statues of the fame Gods in ancient Temples 5 who all ap- pear like young Men drefs'd in a Habit of War.

Varro fetches thefe Senates from Samothrace to Phrygia, to be afterwards tranfported by ALneas into Italy.

Macrobius, who relates this from Varro, adds, that they yrere call'd 'Penates from the Latin Words per quos pemtus fpiramus, which feems a mere Subtilty. The real Etymolo- gy rauft be fought in the Phrygian, not the Latin Tongue.

Rofinus diftinguifhes among the Penates: He makes an Order of Penates of the Heavens ; fuch as Pa/las in the Etherial Region, Jupiter^ in the middle Region, and Juno in the lowelt; 'Penates of Cities, Penates of private Families, &c.

So that in effect, the fpii penates were the Guardian or tutelary Gods of every Thing. See God.

Cicero, in Aldus Gellius, derives the Word hence, quod pe- nes nosnati flint. Yet, in his Book de Nat. Deor. he fays 'tisform'd from Pe mis, Provifion; or, perhaps, adds he, qucd penitns infident. Others fay, quia coluntur in penetrdibus.

'Tis a popular Queftion among the Learned, who were the Senates of Rome?. Somefay Vcfia, others Neptune and Apol- lo ; Fives fays CaftornnA Pollux, with whom agrees Voffius, who adds that the Reafon of their chufing Cafior and Pol- lux in quality of Penates, might be the important Service they did the Romans in the War againft the Latins.

Nor are Authors more unanimous on the Subject of the Pe- nates, which JEneas brought into Italy. Some fay they were Neptune and Apollo who built the Walls of Troy ; others Ju- piter, Juno, and Minerva ; others Coxitis and Terra,

PENCIL, an Inftrument ufed by Painters, for the Applica- tion of their Colours. See Colour.

There are Pencils of various kinds, and made of various Matters: The moft ufual are of Badgers and Squirrels Hair, thofe of Swans-down, and thofe of Boars Briftles ; which laft are bound on to a Stick bigger, or lefs, according to the Ufes they are deftined for ; and when large are call'd Srf/Jbes.

The others are inclos'd in the Barrel of a Quill.

The Word comes from the Latin, Penicillum, which figni- fies the fame Thing. The Ancients, M. Felibien obferves, had Pencils made of little Pieces of Spunge; whence doubtlefs, the Story of the Painter, who not able to exprefs the Foam of a Dog, fucceeded by throwing his Spunge at the Picture.

Pencil-C^. Sec Porte-C><«o«.

joi;

Pencil of Rays, in Opticks, is a double Cone of Rays,

ned together at the Bafe ; one of which hath its Vertex in Jbme point of the Object, arid has the Glafs G L S. (Tab Op- ticks Fig. 59 ) for its Bafe ; and the other has its Bafe on the fame Glafs, but its Vertex in the point of Convergence ; as at C. See Ray, S$c.

Thus S G SC is a Pencil of Rays ; and the Line S L C is call'd the Axis of that Pencil.

PENDANT, an Ear-ring, or Ornament, of fome precious Matter, wore by the Ladies ; hung by a Hole made for that purpofe thro' the Ear ; and frequently enriched with Dia- monds, Pearls, and other precious Stones,

The Pendants of the European Ladies are ndihin? m companion with thofe wore by the j£ Indians, both Men and Women; among whom 'tis the Famion to lengthen out the Ears, and to enlarge the Hole, by putting in Pendants of the Size ot Saucers, let with Stones.

The Queen of Calicut r Pyrard tells us, and other Ladies ot her Court, have their Ears, by this Means, weigh'd down as low as their Breaits, and even lower ; imagining this a main point of Beauty ; and. the Holes large enough to pafs the Fill thro. r

The Moncois, who are the common People, are not allow- ed to wear thei r Ears fo long as the Naires i who are the No^ blefTe ; three Fingers length are the utmoft itretch allow'd the Former.

In the W. Indies, Cokmbm named a certain Coaft Orejai by reafon he found People with Holes in their Ears big enongH to pafs an Egg thro 1.

They make Holes, too, in their Lips and Noftrils,and han£ Pendants at 'em; which is alfo practis'd by the Mexicans and other Nations.

PENDANT, in Heraldry, a Term applied to the Parts hanging down from the Label, to the Number of 5, 4, 5, or 6 at moft : Thefe muft be fpecified in Blazoning, when there are more than three. Sec Label.

Theyrefemble the Drops at the Bottom of the Triglyphs in the Doric Freeze.

Pendant Feathers, in Falconry, are thofe Feathers, which grow behind the Thighs of an Hawk. See Feather.

Pendants, among FJorifts, a Kind of Seeds, grow- ing on Stamina, or Chives 5 fuch are thofe in the middle of Tulips, Lillies, 0c.

Pedants of a Ship, are of two Kinds.

I. Thofe long Colours or Streamers, cut pointing out to- wards the End, and there divided into two Parts, and hung out at the Heads of the Malts, or at the Yard-arm Ends, are called Pendants ; and ufed for mew, and fomctimes for dis- tinction of Squadrons. See Colour, Flag, &c.

II. That ihort Rope is called a Pendant, which at one End is fattened to the Head of the Malt, or to the Yard, or to the Clew of the Sail, and at the other End, hath a Block and Shiver, to reeve fome running Rope into.

Thus, the Pendant of the Tackle is madefaft to the Head of the Malt; and the Pendants of the Back-flays are faftened to, and hang down on the infide of the Shrouds.

All the Yard-arms, except the Miffen have of thefe Pen- dants, into which the Braces are reev'd.

PENDENTIVE, in Architecture, the whole Body of a Vault, fufpended out of the Perpendicular of" the Walls, and bearing againft the Arc-boutants. See Vault.

1)avtkr defcribes it as a Portion of a Vault between the Arches of a Dome, ufually enrich'd with Sculpture: And Felibien, as the Plain of the Vault, contain'd between the double Arches, the forming Arches and the Ogives. See Ogive.

The Pendentives are ufually of Brick, or foft Stone; but Care muft be taken that the Couches oir Beds of Ma- fonry be always laid level, and in right Lines proceeding from the Sweep whence the Rife is taken.

The Joints too muft be made as final! as poflible, to fave the Neceflity of filling 'em up with Wood, or of ufing much Mortar.

PENDULOUS, hanging down; a Name Botanifts give to thofe Flowers which hang downwards; the Stalk not being able to fuftain 'em upright. See Flower.

PENDULUM, in Mechanicks, any heavy Body fo fuf- pended as that it may vibrate, or fwing backwards and for- wards, about fome fix'd Point, by the force of Gravity. See Vibration.

The Vibrations, or alternate Afcent and Defcent, of the pen- dulum, are call'dits Ofc/llations. See Oscillation.

The Point on which it vibrates, iscalfd the Centre of Suf- penjlou or Motion. See Centre and Suspension.

And a right Line pairing thro' the Centre, parallel to the apparent Horizon, is call'd the Axis of Of illation. See Axis.

TheVibrations of a Pendulum, are all Ifochronal, or effected in fpaces of* Time perfectly equal. See Isochronal.

And hence the Pendulum becomes the moft accurate Chro- nometer, or Inftrument for meafuring Time, in the World. See Time and Chronometer.

And hence alfo its Vibrations are propofedasan invariable and univerfal Meafure of Lengths for the moft diftant Coun- tries and Ages. See Measure.

For a Vibration being once found precifeJy equal to a fe- cond of Time of the Suns mean Motion; if v.g. the Horary Foot (as M. Huygens calls the third Part of his fecond Pen- dulum) compared to the Englip Standard Foot, be as 592 to ?tfc; 'twill be eafy, by Calculation, to reduce all the other Meafures of the World ro thefe Feet ; the Lengths ot" Pendu- lums, reckon 'd from the Point of Sufpenfion, to the Centre of the Ball, being to each other, as the Squares of the Times

wherein