PYTHEAS 



mathematics, and music, practised 

 vegetarianism, and believed in im- 

 mortality and the transmigration 

 of souls. The mystic side of his 

 philosophy seems to have been 

 derived by Pythagoras from the 

 hymns attributed to the mythical 

 Orpheus, and also perhaps from his 

 travels in Egypt. 



Like the philosophers of the 

 Ionian School, Pythagoras at- 

 tempted a scientific explanation of 

 the universe in terms of some one 

 thing, but whereas Thales taught 

 that all substances are variants of 

 water, and Heraclitus that they 

 were variants of fire, Pythagoras 

 found the arche or first principle 

 of the universe in number. Num- 

 ber, he taught, determined the 

 harmonies of music, the propor- 

 tions of architecture, the move- 

 ments of the sun, moon, and stars, 

 and the harmonies of the spheres. 



From these foundations it was 

 easy to identify number with 

 everything that is orderly, proper, 

 right, good, and beautiful. Pytha- 

 goras is regarded as the real founder 

 of the science of geometry, and 



Python. 1. Portion of Indian python showing, at A, spur 



or vestige of pelvic girdle. 2. Lower and, above, upper 



jaw of Indian python. 3. Coiled specimen 



W. S. Jierridge, F.Z.S. 



also as the discoverer of the 

 musical octave. The proof of the 

 famous 47th proposition of Euclid 

 is attributed to him. The body of 

 doctrine taught by Pythagoras 

 was carefully conserved by his 

 followers, and had great influence 

 upon subsequent speculative 

 thought. The philosophy of Plato 

 is much indebted to Pythagoras. 

 See Early Greek Philosophy, J. 

 Burnet, 2nd ed. 1908; Pythagoras 

 and the Delphic Mysteries, E. 

 Schure. Eng. trans. 1910; Greek 

 Thinkers, T. Gomperz, Eng. trans. 

 1901-12. 



Pytheas (4th century B.C.). 

 Greek geographer and astronomer. 

 A native of Massilia (Marseilles), he 

 circumnavigated the coasts of 

 Europe from Gades (Cadiz) as far 

 as Thule, probably the Orkneys 

 and 8hetlands, and published the 

 result of his expedition in one or 

 more works, only fragments of 

 which remain. Pytheas calculated 

 the height of the sun by observing 

 in his native place the relation of 



the gnomon to the 

 length of its 

 shadow at the time 

 of the summer 

 solstice, and is 

 said to have been 

 the first to connect 

 the spring tides 

 with the phases 

 of the moon. 



Pythia. Priest- 

 ess of Apollo, who 

 gave the responses 

 at the oracle of 

 Delphi or Pytho. 

 Python. In Greek mythology, 

 the serpent born of the mud left by 

 the flood which overwhelmed the 

 world in the time of Deucalion 

 (q.v.). This serpent was killed on 

 Mt. Parnassus by Apollo with his 

 bow and arrows, and the Pythian 

 Games were supposed to celebrate 

 this victory. See Leto. 



Python. Genus of large ser- 

 pents found in the tropical parts 

 of the E. hemisphere. They belong 

 to the boa family, and are dis- 

 tinguished by the structure of the 

 skull. None of them has poison 

 fangs, but the jaws carry numerous 

 sharp curved teeth. The back- 

 ward curve of the teeth makes it 

 impossible for the victim to tear 

 himself away. 



But the conspicuous character- 

 istic of the pythons is their great 

 size. Usually they range from 

 15 to 20 ft. in length, and 

 have been known to attain 30 ft., 

 with a thickness of body in pro- 

 portion. They kill their prey by 

 constriction with the coils of the 



PYX 



body, by which means the bones 

 of the victim are broken and the 

 entire body crushed and elon- 

 gated for swallowing. Pythons live 

 among trees near water, and cap- 

 ture their prey small deer, goats, 

 and other animals by night. 

 The female has the unusual habit 

 of incubating her eggs, lying coiled 

 about them for some eight weeks. 

 There are numerous species, all 

 handsomely marked and mottled. 

 See Animal, colour plate ; Snake. 



Pyx (Gr. pyxis, box). Vessel 

 in which the Blessed Sacrament is 

 reserved for administration to the 

 sick. The word is found in a 

 decree of Pope Leo IV (c. 850), 

 ordering that nothing shall be 

 placed above the altar save the 

 pyx, and in early times the pyx 

 was kept suspended above the 

 altar. Later it was kept in the 

 locked tabernacle on the altar. 

 The pyx is usually of vase form. 



Pyx, TRIAL OF THE Periodical 

 testing of gold and silver coins 

 issued by the English mint. The 

 practice dates from the time of 

 Henry II, and undoubtedly origin- 

 ated in the testing of coins for the 

 king by private contractors. The 

 coins are now tested annually, as a 

 rule by persons selected from the 

 Goldsmiths' Company, one gold 

 coin out of every 2,000 minted and 

 one silver coin out of every 60 Ib. 

 Troy of silver being put aside in the 

 pyx or box for the purpose. The 

 trial takes place in the hall of 

 the Goldsmiths' Company, London, 

 See Mint 



Sacred pyx pi silver gilt chiselled in 

 high relief, early 17th century 



Byeourlesyoflhcdircclor. Victoria and 

 Albert Museum, S. Kensington 



