Lyons to teach the mathematics, which 

 answered very well there ; and after some 

 time his generous disposition procured 

 him still better success elsewhere. Among 

 his scholars were two foreigners, who ex- 

 pressing their uneasiness to him at be- 

 ing disappointed of some bills of ex- 

 change for a journey to Paris, he asked 

 them how much would do, and being told 

 fifty pistoles, he lent them the money 

 immediately, even without their note for 

 it. Upon their arrival at Paris, mention- 

 ing this generous action to M. Daguesseau, 

 father of the chancellor, this magistrate 

 was touched with it, and engaged them 

 to invite Ozanam to Paris, with a promise 

 of his favour. The opportunity was ea- 

 gerly embraced; and the business of 

 teaching the mathematics here soon 

 brought him in a considerable income; 

 but he wanted prudence for some time 

 to make the best use of it. He was 

 young, handsome, and sprightly; and 

 much addicted both to gaming and gal- 

 lantry, which continually drained his 

 purse Among others, he had a love 

 intrigue with a woman who lodged in 

 the same house with himself, and gave 

 herself out for a person of condition. 

 However, this expense, in time, led him 

 to think of matrimony, and he soon after 

 married a young woman without fortune. 

 She made amends for this defect, by her 

 modesty, virtue, and sweet temper; so 

 that, though the state of his purse was 

 not amended, yet he had more home-felt 

 enjoyment than before, being indeed com- 

 pletely happy in her as long as she lived. 

 He had twelve children by her, who most- 

 ly all died young ; and he was lastly ren- 



dered quite unhappy by the death of his 

 wife also, which happened in 1701. Nei- 

 ther did this misfortune come singly ; fbr 

 the war breaking out about the same 

 time, on account of the Spanish succes- 

 sion, it swept away all his scholars, v\!io 

 being foreigners, were obliged to leave 

 Paris. Thus he sunk into a melancholy 

 state ; under which, however, he received 

 some relief and amusement from the 

 honour or" being admitted this same }f;ar 

 an eleve of the Royal Academy of Scien- 

 ces. 



He seems to have had a presentiment 

 of his death from some lurking disorder 

 within, of which no outward symptom ap- 

 peared. In that persuasion he refused to 

 engage with some foreign noblemen, who 

 offered to become his scholars, alleging 

 that he should not live long enough to 

 carry them through their intended course. 

 Accordingly lie was seized soon after 

 with an apoplexy, which terminated 

 his existence in less than two hours, 

 on the third of April, 1717, at 77 years 

 of age. 



Ozanam was of a mild and calm dispo- 

 sition, a cheerful and pleasant temper, en. 

 deared by a generosity almost unparallel- 

 ed. His manners were irreproachable 

 after marriage ; and lie was sincerely 

 pious and zealously devout, though studi- 

 ously avoiding to meddle in theological 

 questions. He used to say, that it was 

 the business of the Sorbonne to discuss, 

 of the Pope to decide, and of a mathema- 

 tician to go straight to heaven in a per- 

 pendicular line. He wrote a great num- 

 ber of useful books. 



P. 



POr p, the fifteenth letter, and ele- 

 9 venth consonant of the alphabet; 

 the sound of which is formed by express- 

 ing the breath somewhat more suddenly 

 than in forming the sound of b : in other 

 respects, these two sounds are very much 

 alike, and are often confounded one with 

 another. When p stands before t or s, 

 its sound is lost, as in the words psalms, 

 Ptolemaic, ptisan, &c. when placed be- 



fore /> } they both together have the sound 

 ofjC as in philMephy^ phi/sic, &c, 



In the Italian music, P. stands for 

 piano, or softly ; P P- for piu piano, i. c, 

 more softly ; "and P P P. for pianissimo, 

 or very softly. 



Among astronomers, P. M. is used to 

 denote post meridian, or afternoon ; and 

 sometimes for post inane, :'. e. after mid- 

 night, 



