Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/398

PER Sometimes Per se is opposed to Per aliud; in which Sense God alone is (aid to have a Being Per se, as not deriving it from any other, but having it necessarily and of himself.

Sometimes again, Per se signifies as much as, of its own Na- ture, or in virtue of its own Entity : Thus the Sun is said to give light Per se; and Quantity is extended Per se.

Among Logicians, a Thing is faid to be known Per se, Per se notum, when we immediately perceive it upon the first proposing of the Terms : As that the Whole is greater than its Paris. See Axiom.

The Philosophers go so far as to consider the Mode of a Thing existing Per se, or that which constitutes its Existence such; which they call Perseity, Perseitas. See Existence.

PERSECUTION, a Word which literally imports any Pain, Affliction, or Inconvenience, which a Person designedly inflicts on another.

But, as a Term, Persecution is restrain'd to the Sufferings of Christians, in Behalf of their Religion ; particularly to those of the primitive Christians, under the Heathen Empe- rors Nero, Decius, Diocletian, &c.

They reckon ten of these Perfections; Nero lighted the First. Lacantius has wrote the History of the Deaths of North.

Persecutors ; tho' some question whether that Work be really his or not. Bishop Burnet, who has turn'd it into Eng- lish, makes no great doubt of it.

PERSEVERANCE, in Theology, a Christian Virtue, whereby we are enabled to persist in the way of Salvation to the End.

The final perseverance of the Saints is an Article much controverted between the Arminians and Calvnists : The latter of whom maintain it impossible for Grace to be lost; and therefore make Perseverance to the End, a necessary Consequence thereof; which the former deny; believing the most confirm'd Believers never never out of a Poffibihty of falling See Grace.

PERSEUS, in Astonomy a Constellation of the Northern Hemisphere. See Consteallation

The Stars in this Constellaton, in Ptolemy, Catalogue are 29; in Tycho's as many; in the Srtanmc Catalogue 67. The Longitudes, Latitudes, Magnitudes &c. whereof are as follow:

Stars in the Constellation Persus.

PERSIAN, or the Persian Tongue, one of the living oriential Language spoke in the Empire of Persia. See Language

The Persian has two Particularities not found in any of the other Eastern Tongues, The one that it has an auxiliary Verb, answering to the Verb, of the Greeks; the other, that it has an Aoristus. Both these it borrow'd from the Ma- cedonians, after the Conquest of Alexander. Sec Greek

Persian Wheel, in Agriculture, is a Machine for railing a Quantity of Water sufficient to over-flow Lands bordering on the Banks of Rivers, &c. where the Stream is too low to do it alone. See Wheel.

Persian or Persic, in Architecture, a Name common to all Statues of Men, serving instead of Columns, to support Entablatures. See Statue.

They only differ from Caryatides, in that those represent Statues of Women. See Caryatides.

The Persian is a Kind of Order of Columns, first prac- tiz'd among the Athenians; on occasion of a Victory their General Pausanias obtain'd over the Persians. As a Trophy of this Victory, the Figures of Men dress'd in the Persian Mode, with their Hands bound before them, and other Cha- racters of Slavery, were charg'd with the Weight of Doric En- tablatures; and made to do the Office of Doric Columns. See Order.

Persian Columns, M. le Clerc observes, are not always made with the Marks of Slavery; but are frequently used as Symbols of Virtues, Vices, of Joy, Strength, Valour, &c. as when made in the Figure of Hercules to represent Strength, of Mars, Mercury, Fauns, Satyres, &c.

Persian Æra and Year. See Epocha and Year.

Person, an individual Substance, of a rational or intelli- gent Nature. See Substance, and Individual.

The Father and Son are reputed, in Law, as the same Person; an Embassador represents the Person of his Prince, See Embassador.

In Theology the Godhead is divided into three Persons ; but here the Word Person carries a peculiar Idea, very dif- ferent from that attach'd to it every where else; being only used for want of a Term more pertinent and expressive. See Trinity.

The Word Person, Persona is said to be borrow'd a Per- sonando, from personating, or counterfeiting; and is supposed to have first signified a Mask : By Reason, says Boethius, in Larva Concava sonus volvatur, and hence the Actors who appear'd mask'd on the Stage, were sometimes call'd Zarva- ti, and sometimes Personati.

Hence, adds Boethius, as the several Actors repre- sented each their single individual Man, viz. Oedipus, or Chermes, or Hecuba, or Medea; for this Reason, other Peo- ple, who were also distinguish'd by something in their Form, Character, &c. whereby they might be known; came also to be call'd by the Latius Personæ, and by the Greeks.

Again, as these Actors rarely represented any but great and illustrious Characters; the Word came at length to im- port the Mind, as being a Thing of the greatest Regard and Dignity among human Matters. And thus Men, Angels, and even God himsels were call'd Persons.

Things merely corporeal, as a Stone, a Plant, or a Horse, were call'd Hypostates, or Suppsita; but never Persons. See Hypostasis, &c. Rh