530 



PILATRE DE ROZIER HLLNITZ. 



ed to introduce the Roman standards with the image 

 of the emperor into Jerusalem, in violation of the 

 Jewish usages, attempted to get possession of the 

 treasure of the temple, and put to death some Gali- 

 leans in the midst of the sacrifices an act whicf 

 brought upon him the hostility of Herod, tetrarch of 

 Galilee. When Christ had been condemned to death 

 by the Jewish priests, who had no power of inflicting 

 capital punishments, he was carried by them to Pi- 

 late to be executed. Pilate, seeing nothing worthy 

 of death in him, sent him, as a Galilean, to Herod, 

 who, however, sent him back to Pilate. Yielding 

 to the clamours of the Jews, the Roman governor 

 finally ordered Jesus to be executed, but permitted 

 Joseph of Arimathea to take his body and bury it. 

 Pilate was afterwards removed from his office by 

 Vitellius, prefect of Syria (A. D. 37), and, according 

 to tradition, was banished by Caligula to Gaul, 

 where he is said to have died, or committed suicide, 

 at Viemie, A. D. 40. The Scala Santa, near the 

 church of Santa Croce, in Rome, is said to be formed 

 of the twenty-eight steps of the marble palace of 

 Pilate, and the devout therefore ascend it only on 

 their knees. In the church itself is shown the in- 

 scription in Greek, Hebrew and Latin, placed by 

 Pilate on the cross. It is written with red lead on 

 cedar wood. 



PILATRE DE ROZIER. 'See Aeronautics. 

 PILCHARD (clupea pilchardus) ; a species of 

 fish resembling the herring, not only in form, but 

 also in its migrations and stated returns. It is about 

 nine inches in length, with large scales : the back 

 is bluish, and the sides and belly silvery ; the head 

 is compressed, and the mouth without teeth. The 

 upper angle of each of the gills is marked with a 

 large black spot. These fish annually appear on 

 the English coast during the summer, and are taken 

 in immense quantities. The statements of the 

 numbers caught at one time are almost beyond be- 

 lief; thus it is said that, in 1767, there were at one 

 time enclosed in the bay of Ives, in Cornwall, 7000 

 hogsheads, or 2,450,000. The average amount of 

 the export of these fish from England is about 30,000 

 hogsheads. In some years, so few pilchards visit 

 the coast, that great distress is occasioned among 

 the fishermen, who mainly depend on the capture of 

 these fish for subsistence. The dog-fish (a species 

 of shark) are great enemies of the pilchards, follow- 

 ing the shoals, and devouring them in amazing num- 

 bers. 



PILES. See Hemorrhoids. 

 PILGRIMAGES. To visit places or objects 

 with which interesting associations are connected is 

 natural to every age and people". Athens or Rome, 

 the ruins of a feudal castle, or the graves of the 

 great or the beloved, attract our steps and awaken 

 our sensibilities. The livelier the susceptibility, the 

 greater will be the interest. In ages, therefore, in 

 which feeling predominates over reason, this inter- 

 est will be greater than in calmer times. In early 

 nations, therefore, we find a strong disposition to 

 visit places which are hallowed by religious associa- 

 tions. In some religions, however, this trait ap- 

 pears stronger than in others, and the visiting of 

 holy places is made an act of particular merit. The 

 injunction of pilgrimages is common in the religions 

 of the East. How important an event is the pilgrim- 

 age to Mecca in the life of a pious Mohammedan ? 

 (See Kaaba, Mecca, Hadjy and Mohammed.} With 

 the Christians, pilgrimages became more frequent 

 as more honour was paid to the relics of martyrs or 

 saints ; and the simple piety of the early devotees 

 was particularly gratified by visiting the sepulchre 

 of the Saviour, and the spots where he had lived, 

 taught, and suffered. The Saracens permitted the 



Christian pilgrims to visit the holy sepulchre with 

 out molestation ; but when the rude Turks took pos- 

 session of Palestine, it was very different, and the 

 repeated complaints of pilgrims returning from Jeru- 

 salem occasioned the excitement which led to the 

 crusades. Pilgrimages were performed in the mid- 

 dle ages to many different places. Some spots, how- 

 ever, attracted a much larger concourse than others, 

 the credulity of the time associating with them 

 peculiarly great or numerous miracles, or peculiarly 

 extensive indulgences being granted to the pilgrims 

 who visited them. This was the case, for instance, 

 with Rome, Compostella and Tours. Pilgrimages 

 were, in fact, so common, that the learned Riihs 

 considers them as a great means of communication 

 between the various nations of the middle ages, and 

 as having promoted the diffusion of many arts and 

 improvements of various kinds, at a time when 

 travelling was dangerous, when no newspapers exist- 

 ed, and, in fact, the peaceful intercourse of nations 

 was so little developed. The following instance 

 will show to what extent pilgrimages were perform- 

 ed. In 1428, in the reign of Henry VI., there went 

 to the shrine of St James of Compostella, in Spain, 

 from London 280 pilgrims, from Bristol 200, \Vey- 

 mouth 122, Dartmouth ninety, Yarmouth sixty, 

 Jersey sixty, Plymouth forty, Exeter thirty, Liver- 

 pool twenty-four, Ipswich twenty in the whole, 

 926 pilgrims from eleven towns. Catholics still con- 

 tinue to make pilgrimages, but by no means to the 

 same extent as formerly, in times of less reflection 

 and more enthusiasm. Governments, however, 

 have discouraged the concourse of Pilgrims, parti- 

 cularly assemblages of several days' continuance, 

 which still exist in some instances. The licentious- 

 ness which Burckhardt describes as prevailing among 

 the pilgrims to Mecca (see Kabba) agrees perfectly 

 with what is known of the general pilgrimages of 

 Christians. Pilgrims still continue to travel to 

 Rome, where they are provided for in establishments 

 founded by pious persons. The last numerous as- 

 semblage of pilgrims at Rome was in the year 1825, 

 when pope Leo XII. proclaimed a jubilee. See 

 Jubilee. 



PILLAU ; a seaport of East Prussia, eight 

 leagues from Konigsberg, at the southern extremity 

 of a narrow peninsula formed by the Baltic and the 

 Frische-Haff ; lat. N. 54 33' 39"; Ion. E. 19 55'. 

 The port is safe and commodious, and all vessels 

 going to Konigsberg or Elbing stop here. A fort 

 protects the place; 4518 inhabitants. Much fish- 

 ing is carried on here. 



PILLNITZ ; a palace of the king of Saxony, on 

 the right bank of the Elbe, two leagues south of 

 Dresden. The court remains here annually for some 

 time. Its situation is very beautiful. In history, 

 Pillnitz is famous for a meeting of the emperor 

 Leopold II., Frederic William Il.of Prussia, the count 

 of Artois, the ex-minister Calonne, and several other 

 personages, from August 25 to 27, 1791. A treaty 

 of offensive alliance was not concluded, but prelimin- 

 aries were agreed on for a defensive alliance, be- 

 tween Austria and Prussia, which was settled at 

 Berlin, Feb. 7, 1792. The brothers of the king of 

 France received, Aug. 27, only an assurance from 

 Prussia and Austria, that they hoped all the powers 

 whose assistance had been asked for would be ready 

 to contribute, according to their means, to restore 

 ;he royal family, and to establish a government 

 bunded on the rights of sovereigns, and the welfare 

 of the people, in which case Austria and Prussia 

 would join them. In the mean time, they would 

 ive orders that their troops should hold themselves 

 n readiness to act. Six secret articles are also said 

 to have existed. (See Schdll's Histoire des Traitet 



