PRO 
treats of the quantities and accents of sylla- 
bles, and the manner of making verses. The 
English prosody turns chiefly on two things, 
numbers and rhyme. 
PROSONOMASIA, a figure in rhetoric, 
whereby allusion is made to the likeness of 
a sound in several names or words. 
PROSOPIS, in botany, a genus of the 
Decandria Monogynia class and order. Na- 
tural order of Loraentaceae. Legnminosae, 
Jussieu. Essential character : calyx bell- 
shaped, five-toothed ; stigma simple ; le- 
gume linear, many-seeded, ’^here is but 
one species, viz. P. spicigera ; it is a native 
of most parts of the Coromandel coast, 
flowering during the cold season ; the pod 
of this tree is the only part used ; it is 
nearly an inch in circumference, and from 
six to twelve ihches long ; when ripe, it is 
brown and smooth, containing besides the 
seeds, a large quantity of a brown mealy 
substance, which the natives eat j it has a 
sweetish agreeable taste. 
PROSOPOPOEIA, a figure in rhetoric, 
whereby we raise qualities, or things inani- 
mate, into persons. This figure is divided 
into two parts : 1 . when good and bad qua- 
lities, accidents, and things inanimate, are 
introduced as living and rational beings ; as 
in the following verses of Milton ; 
• Now gentle gales. 
Fanning their, odoriferous wings, dispense 
Native perfumes ; and whisper whence 
they stole 
Those balmy spoils. 
The second part of this figure is when 
we give a voice to inanimate things, and 
make rocks, woods, rivers, buildings, &c. 
express tlie passions of rational creatures, 
as in the following lines of Spencer. 
She foul blasphemous speeches forth did 
cast. 
And bitter curses, horrible to tell, 
That ev’n the temple wherein she was 
placed, 
Did quake to hear, and nigh asunder 
burst ! 
PROSTATjE, See Anatomy. 
PROTEA, in botany, a genus of the 
Tetrandria Monogynia class and order. 
Natural order of Aggregatae. Protea, Jus- 
sieu. Essential character : corolla four- 
cleft or four-petalled ; anthers linear, in- 
serted into the petals below the tip ; calyx 
proper, none ; nut one- seeded, superior. 
There are sixty-foiir species ; these are all 
PRO 
shrubs and natives of the Cape of Good 
Hope. 
PROTECTION parliament. See 
Arrest and Privilege. 
PROTEST, in law, is where one openly 
affirms, that he does either not at all, or but 
conditionally, yield his consent to any act, 
or to the proceeding of a judge in court, 
wherein his jurisdiction is doubtful, or to 
answer upon his oath further than by law he 
is bound. It is also that act by which the 
holder of a foreign bill of exchange declares 
that such bill is dishonoured. Further, it is 
that act of a master, on his arrival, with his 
ship from parts beyond the seas, to save him 
and his owners harmless and indemnified 
from any damage sustained in the goods of 
her lading, on account of storms. See 
Bills of Exchange and Insurance. 
PROTESTA NTS, a term now applied to 
all Christians who in any country or of any 
sect dissent from the principles and disci- 
pline of the church of Rome. This name 
was first given to the following princes of 
the German Empire ; John, Elector of 
Saxony ; George, Elector of Brandenburg, 
for Franconia ; Ernest and Francis, Dnkes 
of Lunenburg, the Landgrave of Hesse, and 
the Prince of Anhalt. Thesp princes, 
being seconded by thirteen imperial towns, 
mz. Strasbourg, Ulm, ' Nuremberg, Con- 
stance, Rottingen, Windseim, Memmingen, 
Nortlingen, landau, Kempten, Heilbroii, 
Wissemberg, and St. Gall, solemnly pro- 
tested against the decree of the Emperor 
Charles the Fifth, and the diet of Spires, by 
which it had been decreed to prohibit any 
further innovations in religion. This Pro- 
test was made in the year 1529 ; from 
which time all who have renounced, or 
never agreed to, the doctrines of the Romish 
(diiirch have been denominated Protestants, 
This class of Christians consequently includes 
the Huguenots in France, the Refugees in 
Holland, the Presbyterians in Scotland, as 
well as the Episcopalians and Nonconfor- 
mists in England ; together with a nu- 
merous body of Christians in America. The 
principal denominations of Protestants in 
England, are -the Episcopalians or church 
of England, the Presbyterians, the Inde- 
pendents, and the, Baptists, general and 
particular. These, however, have divided 
themselves into innumerable sects and par- 
ties ; the principal of which are de- 
nominated Arians and Socinians, or, more 
properly speaking, Unitarians ; Sabellians, 
Calvinists, Sublapsarians and Supralapsa- 
rians, Arminians, Baxterians, Antinomians, 
