Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Volume 2.djvu/425

 PIT

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PIT

Cavity thereof to the Bafe or Uterus; where beingjfed with a fine Juice, feparated by the Flowers, it grows, expands, and thus forms the Embryo of a young Fruit. See Stamina, Farina, f>c.

For a more diftinft Account of the Procefs of Generation of Plants. See Plant.

PISTOL, a little Fire- Arm, bore at the Saddle-Bow, the Girdle, or in the Pocket. See Fi re-Arm.

The Fijiol is faid to have taken its Name from Pifloya a City in Italy; where, as Fauehet tells us, they were fird made — Borel derives the Word from Fiffula, Pipe, the Bar- rel of this Piece bearing fome Refemblance to a Flute, &c.

Pistole, or Doublon, in Commerce, a Gold Coin, ftruck in Spain, and feveral Parts of Italy, Switzerland, &c. See Coin.

It has its Augmentations, and Diminutions', which are Quadruple Pijloles, Double Pifloles, and Half Piftolcs.

The Pi/lole is about the fame Weight, Finenefs, and Va- lue, with the French Louis d'ors, viz.. equal to Sixteen Shil- lings and Six Pence, Sterling.

In Spain the Pifiole is accounted equal to four Pieces of Eight, 32 Rials, 1088 Maravedis, old Money ; 1360 Mara- vedis, new Money ; and 2040 Maravedis of Billon, the old Money current at Seville, Cadiz., in Andalufia, &c. being 25 per Cent, better than the imaginary Money they reckon by at Madrid, Bilboa, &c. which Augmentation was made by Charles U. in 1686. to prevent the Exportation of Mo- ney out of the Kingdom. See Money 1.

Moil of the Exchanges in Italy are made on the Foot of thePiftole. See Exchange.

PISTON, a Part, or Member in feveral Machines, par- ticularly Pumps, Air-Pumps, Syringes, &c. call'd alfo Em- bolus, and popularly the Sucker. See Embolus.

The Piflon of a Pump is a fliort Cylinder of Metal, fitted exactly to the Cavity of the Barrel or Body ; and which be- ing work'd up and down alternately therein, raifes the Water ; and when rais'd preffes it again, To as to make it force up a Valve, wherewith it is furnilhed, and fo efcape thro' the Nofe of the Pump. See Pump.

The Pifions of Air- Pumps, Syringes, Ghr. Seedefcribed un- der Air-Pump, and Syringe.

PIT and Callows, in our ancient Cudoms. See Furca & Fossa.

PITANCIARIUS, an Officer in the ancient Mona- steries, whofe Bufmefs it was to provide and diftribute the Pitances of Herbs and Meat, amongft the Monks. See Pit- tance.

P 1 T C H, P 1 x, a kind of tenacious Juice, or Gum, drawn from fitty Woods, chiefly Pines and Firs ; ufed in Ship- ping, in Medicine, and various other Arts.

Pitch is properly a Juice of the Bark ; and is conceived to be no other than the Oil thereof infpifiated and turned black, farther than in the Balm. See Bark and Balm.

The Method of drawing, or procuring, it, is by cleaving the Tree into little Billets, which they lay in a Furnace having two Apertures, thro' one of which the Fire is put, and thro' the other the Pitch is gathered ; which oozing from the Wood runs along the bottom of the Furnace into Batons

or Receptacles for the Purpofe The Smoak which is here

very thick, gives it the black Colour we find it withal

Some will only have our common Pitch to be the lift Run- ning, and Tar to be the firft. See Tar.

Wheeler gives us another Manner of drawing Pitch, ufed in the Levant,— A Pit is dug in the Ground two Ells in Dia- meter a-top, but contracting as it goes deeper : This they

fill with Branches of Pine, cloven into Shivers The top of

the Pit is then covered over with Fire, which burning down to the bottom, the Pitch diftils and runs out at a Hole made therein.

Pitch acquires different Names according to its different Preparations, Colours, and Qualities. As it diftils from the Wood it is called Barras, but afterwards affumes a double Name, the fineft and cleared being called Galipot, and the coarfer, marbled Barras.

Of the Galipot is made what we call white Pitch, or Bur- gundy Pitch, which is nothing but the Galipot melted with Oil of Turpentine ; tho' fome will have it a native Pitch, diftilling from a Refinous Tree growing in the Mountains of the Franche-Compte.

Of the fame Galipot is likewife prepared what we call Ro- fin; by boiling the Pitch to a certain Confidence, and ma- king it up in Cakes. See Rosin.

The black Pitch, which is what we properly call Pitch, is the liquid Galipot burnt and reduced into the Form and Confidence we fee it in by mixing Tar with it while hot.

The bed is that brought from Sweden and Norway.— Its Goodnefs confifts in its being of a lhining black, dry, and brittle.

Naval Pitch, Pix Navalit, is that drawn from old Pines, rang'd and burnt like Charcoal.— This, with the Mixture of Tow or beaten Cables, lerves for the pitching of Veffels.

Naval fitch is alfo that fcraped from off the Sides of old

VelTels ; and which is fuppofed to have acquired an aftrin gent Virtue, by means of the Salt- Water.— It ferves to make Plafters ; tho' 'tis certain the Apothecaries ufually ftibiti- tute the common black Pitch in its dead.

Greek-Pitch, or Spanifli Pitch, is that boil'd in Water till it have loft its natural Smell ; upon which it becomes drv and pliable. '

The Ancients call'd it Colophony, from Colophon a City in Greece, whence great Quantities were brought. See Colo- phony.

Oil of Pitch, Oleum Picinum, is an Oil procured from Pitch, by feparating the aqueous Matter that fwims a-top of the melted Pitch — This for the great Virtues attributed to it alfo call'd Balm of Pitch.

Pitch, in Building, is the Angle, a Gable End, and confequently the whole Roof of a Building, is let to. See Gable.

If the Length of each Rafter be % of the Breadth of the Building; the Roof is faid to be true pitch.

If the Rafters are longer, 'tis faid to be a high or Jliarp pitch 'd Roof ; if (horter, which feldom happens, it is faid to be a low or flat pitch d Roof. See Roof, Rafter, efr;

Pitch is alfo a Sea-Term. When a Ship fills with

her Head too much into the Sea, or beats againft it fo as to endanger her Top-Mafts, they fay, (be will pitch her Mafis by the board.

P I TC H I N O'Peiice, a Duty, commonly of one Penny, paid for pitching or letting down every Sack of Corn, or Pack of Merchandize, in a Fair or Market.

P I T H, P 1 t, or P 1 t t E, the inward, central Part of a Tree, or Plant; anfwering to the Medulla, or Marrow, of an Animal. See Plant, Tree, &e.

Some will have the Circulation of the Sap to be effefted by means of the Pith; others by the Bark; and others by the Wood. See Sap, Circulation, ctrc.

PITHIA, and Pithian. See Pythia and Py-

T H I A N.

PITT, Cavea, of a Theatre, all that Space between the Amphitheatre, or Galleries, and Theatre or Stage; call'd by the Ancients Orcheflra, and by the French Parterre. See Theatre, &c.

This being the mod commodious Part, it was here the Roman Senate was placed. See Orchestra.

It has its Nime Pitt, in Latin Cavea, from its being funk below the Level of the Stage. See Stage.

PIT TA C I U M, mntuait, in Chirurgery, a Name which fome Authors give to a little Cloth fpread with a Salve, to be laid on a Part affected.

PITTANCE, or Pitance, Pietance, Fit a- n 1 c a, the Commons, or Allowance of Meat, be it Fi(h, Flefh, or the like, ftatedly eaten at Meals, befides Bread.

The Word is not much ufed except among Religious, aid thole who live in College or Community. Du Cange de- rives it from PinBantia, ufed in the lower Latin for a Mo- nachal Portion given to two Monks in the fame Dilh, con- fiding of fomething better than Pulfe.

Hence we fometimes alfo find it denote a Meal, or Com- mons, better than ordinary ; fuch as is allowed in Commu- nities on Feaft Days,

Others derive the Word i pietate ; and others, with Salmon Jius, from Pittacia, a Mefs, or Portion, allowed the Soldiers, mentioned in feveral Laws of the Theodofian Code.— Tis ad- ded, that the Word Pittacia properly fignified a Title, or written Label, added a-top of the Veffels, to fhew what was within-fide, or how it was intended.

PITUITA, one of the four Humours found in the Bo- dies of Animals, on which their Temperament is commonly fuppofed to depend. See H u m o r and Tempera- ment.

The Pituita, call'd alfo Phlegm, is properly the moft vif- cid, and glutinous Part of the Blood, feparated in the lar- ger! Glands, where the Contortions of the Arteries are great- eft, and give the greared Retardation to the Blood's Veloci- ty ; as in the Glands about the Mouth and Head. See Se- cretion and Phlegm.

The Clafs of Phlegmagogues, as Manna, &c. are fuppofed to purge Pituita. See Phlegmaqogue, Purgative, Min- na, cj-c.

The Phyficians give feveral Epithets to the Pituita, ac- cording to its Condition or Qualities, as Saline, Vitreow, Gypfous, Acid, &c.

The Pituita is fuppofed to be the prevailing Humour in cold, heavy, (low People, inclined to Serioufnefs and Study; as the Bile in thofe inclined to War, &c. See P h l e g- m a t 1 c.

The Pituita difcharged at the Nodrils, is feparated in the Membrane that lines the Cavities of the Nofe, Cheeks, &c. See Nose.

Its Ule is to keep the Membrane Toft, and defend it from Injuries of[extraneous Bodies, efpecialiy thofe of the Air, which pafles this Way in lnfpiration when the Mouth is fhut.

PITUITARY