PEE 



PEG 



any offence laid to his charge ; and the 

 reason why the jury is so called, is, be- 

 cause by the common law, and the cus- 

 tom of this kingdom, every person is to 

 be tried by his peers, or equals, a lord 

 by the lords, and a commoner by com- 

 moners. See JURY. 



PEER of the realm, a noble lord who has 

 a seat and vote in the House of Lords, 

 which is also called the House of Peers. 

 These lords are called peers, because, 

 though there is a distinction of degrees in 

 our nobility, yet in public actions they 

 are equal, as in their voles in Parliament, 

 and in trying any nobleman, or other per- 

 son impeached by the Commons, &c. See 

 PARLIAMENT. 



All the peers who have a right to sit 

 and vote in Parliament, are to be summon- 

 ed at least twenty days before the trial" of 

 a peer indicted for treason or felony : the 

 method of proceeding in which is, after 

 the indictment is lound, the King, by com- 

 mission under the great seal, appoints one 

 of the peers, and generally the Lord 

 Chancellor, to be Lord High Steward, 

 who in these cases sits as judge. In or- 

 der to bring the indictment before him, a 

 certiorari is issued out of the Court of 

 Chancery ; and another writ also issues 

 for bringing up the prisoner, a precept 

 being made for that purpose by the Lord 

 High Steward, assigning a day, and the 

 place of trial, and for summoning the 

 peers, twelve of whom are at least to 

 be present, and as many more as choose 

 to be present. The day of trial being 

 come, and the Lord High Steward being 

 seated in his usual state, after the com- 

 mission is read, and the particular cere- 

 monies are over, his lordship declares to 

 the prisoner at the bar the cause of their 

 assembly, assures him of justice, and at 

 the same time encourages him to answer 

 without fear; on which the indictment is 

 read over, and the prisoner arraigned ; 

 when, after hearing all the evidence pro- 

 duced for the King, and the prisoner's an- 

 swer, the prisoner is ordered to withdraw 

 from the bar, when the lords go to some 

 place by themselves, to consider of the 

 evidence ; and afterwards, being returned 

 in order to give their verdict, the Lord 

 High Steward openly demands of the lords, 

 one by one, beginning with the puisne 

 lord, whether the prisoner, calling him by 

 his name, be guilty of the crime for which 

 he is arraigned ; when, laying their right 

 hand upon their left breast, they separate- 

 Jy answer, either guilty, or not guilty, up- 

 on their honour ; and if he be found guil- 



ty by a majority of votes more than twelve, 

 he is brought to the bur again, when the 

 Lord High Steward acquaints the prison- 

 er with the verdict of his peers, and pass- 

 es sentence and judgment accordingly. It 

 has been adjudged, that where such trial 

 is by commission, as above, the Lord High 

 Steward, after a verdict given, may 

 take time to advise upon it, and his of- 

 fice continues till he pusses judgment. 



A peer is not to be put upon any in- 

 quest, even though the cuuse has a rela- 

 tion to two peers, but in trials where any 

 peer is either plaintiff or defendant, there 

 must be two or more knights returned on 

 the jury. Where a peer is defendant in a 

 court of equity, he is not to be sworn to 

 his answer, but it may be upon his honour, 

 as in the trial of peers: however, when a 

 peer is to answer to interrogatories, or to 

 make an affidavit, or is to be examined as 

 a witness, he is to be sworn. 



PEERESS, a woman who is noble by 

 descent, ci cation or marriage. If a peer- 

 ess by descent or creation, marries a per- 

 son under the degree of nobility, she still 

 continues noble ; but if she obtains that 

 dignity only by marriage, she loses it on 

 her afterwards marrying a commoner ; 

 yet, by the courtesy of England, she al- 

 ways retains the title of her nobility. No 

 peeress can be arrested for debt or tres- 

 pass ; for though, on account of their sex, 

 peeresses cannot sit in the House of Lords, 

 yet they enjoy the privileges of peers, 

 and therefore all peeresses by birth are 

 to be tried by their peers. 



PEGANUM, in botany, a genus of the 

 Dodecandria Monogynia class and order. 

 Natural order of Multisiliquae. Rutacese, 

 Jussieu. Essential character; calyx five- 

 leaved, or none; corolla five petalled; 

 capsule three-celled, three-valved, many- 

 seeded. There are two species, viz. P, 

 harmala, a native of Spain, and P. dauri- 

 cum, a native of Siberia. 



PP^GASUS, in astronomy, a constella- 

 tion of the northern hemisphere, in form 

 of a flying horse. 



PEGASUS, in natural history, a genus of 

 fishes of the order Cartilaginei. Generic 

 character: snout elongated; mouth be- 

 neath ; pectoral fins large ; ventral fins 

 single-rayed; body compressed down- 

 wards, mailed ; abdomen divided with 

 bony segments. There are three species. 

 P. draco is found in the seas of India, 

 and is about three inches long, and dis- 

 tinguished by having its pectoral fins of 

 so extraordinary a size, that it is enabled 



