498 



PETER THE APOSTLE PETERS. 



PETER. ST. CHURCH OP. See Rome. 



PKTER THE APOSTLE (whose original name 

 was Simon), was a Galilean fisherman from Bethsaida. 

 His brother Andrew, having been received by Jesus 

 among his disciples, introduced Simon to the divine 

 instructer. He promptly resolved to leave all and 

 follow Jesus, at whose command he had made a 

 most remarkable draught of fishes. Afier this 

 event, we find him always among the followers of 

 Christ, and one of his most confidential disciples. 

 From the firmness of his faith, Jesus named him 

 Cephas (in Greek, Petros), a rock, and bestowed 

 upon him peculiar marks of affection ; yet he never 

 gave him any superiority over the other apostles, as 

 the Roman Catholics maintain, nor did Peter himself 

 ever assume it. On the contrary, Jesus reminded 

 him, in their presence, of his faults, and his impet- 

 uosity ; and, in the last dreadful night before the 

 crucifixion, Peter encountered the reproving look of 

 his master, whom he had followed at a distance to 

 the house of the high priest, and there basely denied, 

 from fear of punishment. Repentance for this 

 crime purified and strengthened his noble heart, 

 which glowed with a warm love of Jesus. His 

 zeal and eloquence made him often the speaker in 

 behalf of his fellow apostles on important occasions ; 

 as, for instance, at the feast of pentecost, after the 

 ascension of Christ, where Peter had the boldness 

 to preach the gospel publicly, for the first time, 

 and converted several thousands by his powerful 

 eloquence; and before the Jewish council, where he 

 defended the new faith. His opinions had great 

 influence in the Christian churches ; and, on his 

 proposal, the apostles and elders of the first synod 

 at Jerusalem resolved that a conformity to the laws 

 of Moses should not be required of the Gentile con- 

 verts to Christianity. Peter probably travelled through 

 several countries of Middle and Western Asia, as a 

 teacher of Christianity ; but the tradition that he 

 went to Rome, and was crucified there, in the year 

 67, rests only on the legends of the Roman church, 

 on which, also, the pope rests his claims to be con- 

 sidered the successor of this apostle. The two 

 Epistles of Peter, in the new Testament, were 

 written in Greek, and directed to the churches in 

 Asia Minor. In their style, and in the exposition 

 of doctrines, they bear strong marks of his ardent 

 mind, hurrying from thought to thought, careless in 

 expression, but animated and forcible. 



PETER THE HERMIT ; an enthusiastic monk of 

 Amiens, who. about the close of the eleventh cen- 

 tury, roused Europe to the first crusade (q. v.). 

 Peter, who had made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, 

 instigated by the difficulties he had undergone, flew, 

 at his return, to pope Martin the Second, and, 

 under the auspices of that pontiff, preached to an 

 assembly of more than 4000 of the clergy, with 

 30,000 laymen, that met at Piacenza, the wild 

 project of driving the Mohammedans from Jeru- 

 salem. The success of his enthusiastic harangues 

 was proportionate to the boldness of his scheme 

 and the ignorance of his auditors. Peter himself 

 led the way through Hungary, at the head of an 

 undisciplined multitude of more than 30,000 men, a 

 comparatively small number of whom survived to 

 reach the city. Peter distinguished himself by his 

 personal courage at the storming of the holy city ; 

 and, having witnessed the accomplishment of his 

 undertaking, returned to his native country, where 

 he founded the abbey of Noirmoutier, and died its 

 first superior. 



PETERBOROUGH, CHARLES MORDAUNT, earl 

 of, son of lord Mordaunt, whom he succeeded in his 

 title and estate, in 1675, was engaged in the expe- 

 dition to Tangier, in 1680, in which he served with 



distinction against the Mohammedans. He went 

 over to Holland in the reign of James II., and, 

 entering into the scheme of his dethronement, 

 returned to England with his successor, by whom he 

 was created earl of Monmouth, and appointed first 

 commissioner of the treasury. He succeeded to the 

 earldom of Peterborough on the death of his uncle, 

 in 1697, and was subsequently employed as com- 

 mander of the English army in Spain, in the war of 

 the Spanish succession. He distinguished himself 

 greatly by his courage, activity, and conduct in 

 taking Barcelona, and obtaining many advantages 

 over the French, in consequence of which he was 

 appointed generalissimo of the imperial forces, and 

 received the thanks of the British parliament. In 

 the reign of George I. he was made a knight of the 

 garter, and received the appointment of general of 

 marines. His death took place during a voyage to 

 Lisbon, in 1735. Lord Peterborough was intimate 

 with his literary contemporaries, and was himself 

 a writer of poetry, some of which has been pub- 

 lished. In the Correspondence of the Countess of 

 Suffolk, edited by Mr Croker, are several of his 

 letters. 



PETERBOROUGH, BJSHOP OF. See Marsh, 

 Herbert 



PETERERO, or PATTERERO ; a small piece 

 of ordnance used on board ships for the discharging 

 of nails, broken iron, or partridge-shot, on an enemy 

 attempting to board. They are generally open at 

 the breech, and their chamber made to take out to 

 be loaded that way, instead of at the muzzle. 



PETERS, HUGH, minister of Salem, Massa- 

 chusetts, was born at Fowey, in Cornwall, England, 

 in 1599, and, in 1622, took his degree of master of 

 arts at Trinity college, Cambridge. After obtaining 

 a license, and preaching in London, with great suc- 

 cess, he removed to Holland, and, several years 

 afterwards, to America, on account of his non-con- 

 formity. In 1636, he was intrusted with the charge 

 of the church at Salem, and remained there five 

 years. He did not, however, confine his attention 

 exclusively to spiritual concerns, but took an 

 active interest in mercantile and civil affairs ; he 

 assisted in reforming the police of the town ; sug- 

 gested the plan of the fishery, and -of the 

 coasting and foreign voyages : procured car- 

 penters, and engaged in trade with great success. 

 In 1641, he went to England on a mission to procure 

 an alteration in the laws of excise and trade, but 

 never returned. During the civil war, he advocated 

 the cause of parliament by his preaching, and was 

 appointed by Cromwell one of the licensers of minis- 

 ters, and also a commissioner for amending the laws, 

 though totally disqualified for such employment. Af- 

 ter the restoration, he was tried for conspiring with 

 Cromwell, and compassing the king's death, and 

 was executed October 16, ] 660, aged sixty-one years. 

 He is accused by Burnet of having pressed the con- 

 demnation of the unfortunate Charles, but he himself 

 declared, in his will, that he opposed it. He was a 

 man of no learning, but of impetuous zeal, and pecu- 

 liar native vigour of mind. His sermons, several of 

 which were published, produced a great effect upon 

 the populace by their striking, though vulgar elo- 

 quence. His course and familiar images never failed 

 to answer their purpose ; and he possessed the faculty 

 of associating his thoughts in such a manner as to 

 prevent them from being easily forgotten. 



PETERS, RICHARD, an eminent American judge 

 and agriculturist, was born near Philadelphia, Aug. 

 22, 1744. He received his education in Philadelphia 

 at the college of which city he was graduated. In 

 entering into active life, he was a good Latin and 

 Greek scholar, and acquainted with the French and 



