PUR 



PUR 



PURGLITZ, or Krziwokt.ad, in Geography, a citadel 

 of Bohemia, in the circle of Rakonitz, where the royal 

 treafures were anciently kept, and ftate prifoners confined ; 

 feven miles S.E. of Rakonitz. 



PURGOT, a town of Hindooftan, in Coimbctore; 35 

 miles W. of Ardenelle. 



PURGOW, a town of Hindooftan, in Baglana ; 25 

 miles E.N.E. of Bafleen. 



PURGSTALL, a town of Auftria ; four miles N. of 

 Scheibs. 



PURIFICATION, in Chemijlry, &c. the ad of puri- 

 fying or refining natural bodies ; or of feparating the fxces 

 and impurities from thorn. 



For the methods of purifying metals, gold, filver, iron, 

 copper, tin, &c. fee poLD, SiLVEU, &c. and REiiNiNC. 



For the purification of femi-metals, minerals, and other 

 matters, as antimony, fulphur, camphor, faltpetre, &c. fee 

 Antimony, Sulphuk, CA.Mi-HOR, &c. 



Purification', in Pharmacy. See Trying. 



Purification, in Matters of Religion, denotes an offer- 

 ing made the prieft by women rifing out of child-bed, 

 before they are re -admitted into the church. 



By the law of Mofes, a woman, after bringing forth a 

 male child, was unclean forty days ; after a female, eighty 

 days ; during which time, fhe was not to touch any thing 

 holy, nor to go near the temple, but was to continue 

 within doors, feparate from all company, and commerce 

 of others. 



This term expired, file was to prefent herfelf at the tem- 

 ple, and at the door of the tabernacle, to offer a lamb, 

 as an holocauft, and a pigeon or turtle ; which the prieft 

 taking, offered to God, and prayed for her, that fhe might 

 be purified. ^ 



This ceremony, which confifted of two things, an holo- 

 cauft, and a facrifice of expiation, was called nTHD "IHC' 

 punficatio, purgatio. 



The holy Virgin, though, according to the fathers, exempt 

 from the terms of the law, yet complied with it, and, at 

 the time prefcribed, went to the temple, and accomplifhed 

 the law ; in commemoration of which the church yearly 

 folemnizes the feaft of the Purification of the Virgin, on the 

 fecond of February ; called alfo the Feaft of Candlemas. 



Purification, The Feajl of the, feems to be very ancient. 

 It is ordinarily faid to have been inilituted in the time of 

 Juftinian, in the year 54Z, and this on occafion of a mor- 

 tality, which that year difpcopled almoft the whole city of 

 Conflantinople. Ytt there are fome, who imagine it to have 

 been obferved before, though in another manner, and on a 

 different day from that fixed by Juftinian ; toz. between the 

 Circumcifion and Epiphany. See Candlbmas. 



Tlie fame day is the prefontation of our Saviour in the 

 temple. * 



Purification, in Geography, a town of Mexico, in the 

 province of Xalifco ; eight miles S. of Compoftella Nuova. 

 N. lat. 19° 58'. W. long. 105° 46'. 



PURIM, a folemn feaft held among the Jews on the 

 fourteenth and fifteenth of March, in memory of their 

 dehverancc from the confpiracy of Haman by Efther. See 

 Esther. 



This feaft, which derives its name from the Pcrfian word 

 purim, q. d. hts, becaiife it was by the cafting of lots that 

 _Hsman determined this time for the deftruftion of the Jews, 

 is the Bacchanals of thcfc people, which they celebrate with 

 all manner of n^joicing, mirth, and jollity ; indulging them- 

 felves with every kind of luxury, cf'ptcially in drinking wine 

 even to drunkennefs, which they confider as part of the 

 duty of the folemnity ; becaufe it was by means of the wine 



banquet (they fay) that Efther made the king's heart merry, 

 and brought him into that good humour, wliich inclined him 

 to grant the requeft prefented by her for their deliverawce ; 

 and, therefore, they think they ought alfo to make their 

 hearts merry, when they celebrate tlic commem.oration of it. 

 During this feftival the book of Efther is folemnly read in 

 all their fynagogues from the beginning to the end, at which 

 they are all to be prefent, men, women, children, and fer- 

 vants, becaufe all fhared in the benefit of the deliverance 

 which Efther obtained for them. And as often as the nam* 

 of Haman occurs in the reading of this book, the cuftom i- 

 for all to clap with their hands, and ft amp with their feet, 

 and cry out, Let hi^ memory perifh. Prideaux's Conn. vol. ii. 

 p. 456. 



PURITANS, in Ecckfiaflical Biflory. See Cathari 

 and Novatians. 



Puritans is alfo a term anciently ufed for the Calvinifts 

 of Great Britain, from their profeffing to follow the pure 

 word of God, in oppofition to all traditions, human confti- 

 tutions, and other authorities. 



The feparatioii, whence this diftinguifhing appellation 

 took its rife, commenced on the following occafion. Upon 

 the acceffion of queen Mary, it is well known that popery 

 revived in this kingdom ; the ftatutes of kirfg Edward were 

 repealed, and the penal laws againfl heretics were put in 

 execution againft the reformers. Many fuffered at home ; 

 and others efcaped the fury of perfecution by feeking refuge 

 in foreign countries. Some went into France and Flanders ; 

 fome to Geneva ; and others into thofe parts of Germany 

 and Switzerland, where the reformation had taken place, 

 and where the magiftrates received them with great humanity, 

 and allowed them places for public worfhip. The exiles 

 were moft numerous at Frankfort ; and there that conteft 

 and divifion began, which gave rife to the Puritans, and to 

 that reparation from the church of England, which con- 

 tinues to this day. In the year 1554, fome of the Englifh 

 fugitives fettled in this city ; and agreed to conduft their 

 worfhip, without anfwering aloud after the minifter, and 

 without ufing the liturgy and furplice ; to begin the public 

 fervice with a general confeflion of fins, then to fing a pfahn, 

 after which the minifter prayed for the divine afliftancc, and 

 next proceeded to the fermon ; after fermon, a general 

 prayer for all eftates, and particularly for England, at the 

 end of which was fubjoined the Lord's prayer, and a re- 

 hearfal of the articles of belief ; tlien the people were to 

 fing another pfalm, and the minifter to difmifs them with a 

 bleffing. Such was the order which they had unanimoufly 

 adopted ; and having chofen a minifter and deacons, they in- 

 vited their difperfed brethren to join with them. In the 

 year IJ56, Dr. Cox, afterwards bifhop of Ely, came to 

 fettle at Frankfort with feveral of his friends ; who inter- 

 rupting the public fervice by anfwering aloud after the 

 minifter, and reading the whole litany, in violation of the 

 agreement upon which the congregation was formed, over- 

 powered the firft fettlers ; and obtaining leave of the ma- 

 giftrates for the free ufe of king Edward's fervice-book, 

 performed divine worftiip according to the rites that had 

 been authorifed by that prince ; while others, who preferred 

 the Genevan method of worfhip, as more pure and fimple, 

 left the city of Frankfort, and removed to Bafil and Geneva. 

 Thus commenced the difliniflion of Puritans and Con- 

 formifts, by which the two parties were afterwards known. 

 The former were called Conformifts, on account of their 

 compliance with the ecclefiaftic.1l laws enafted by Edw. VI. 

 and the denominations of Nonconformifts and Puritans were 

 given to the latter, from their infiiting upon a form of wor- 

 fhip, more exempt from fuperftition, and of a purer kind 



4 than 



