432 P A W 
fatisfaftion to the owners, in cafe the fame fhall not 
amount to the principal and profit; or, if it does, the 
goods fhall be delivered to the owner, without paying any 
thing, under a penalty of iol. §24. Pawn-brokers to 
produce their books before any juftice, if required, on a 
penalty of iol. to 5I. § 25. 
Penalty on pawn-brokers neglecting to make entry, 
iol. and for every offence againlt this aft, where no pe¬ 
nalty is provided, 40s. to iol. half to the informer, the 
remainder to the poor. § 26. Complaint fhall, in all 
cafes, be made within twelve months. § 27. 
No perfon convifted of a fraud or felony may be an 
informer under this aft. §29. Churchwardens to prole- 
cute for every offence at the expenfe of the parifli, on 
notice from a juftice. § 28. 
This aft does not extend to perfons lending money 
tipon goods at 5 per cent, intereft. 
This aft to extend to the executors, &c. of pawn¬ 
brokers and pawners. § 31. 
The form of conviftion is fettled by § 33. and an ap¬ 
peal given to the quarter-feflions by § 35. 
However lucrative the bufinefs of pawn-brokers may 
be to thofe who follow it, doubts are entertained whether 
the toleration of them be not an evil to the public. 
They are, indeed, temporarily ufeful, to perfons in the 
nioft neceflitous circumftances ; but, as it is impoffible, 
by any legillative interference, to bring them under that 
control which would be defirable, as their interefts are 
always at variance with the interefts of their employers, 
and as mankind, under the preffure of necefiity, are re- 
ftrained by no facrifice in feeking momentary relief, ulti¬ 
mate confiderations are too often overlooked. Hence the 
firft rel'ort for aid frequently leads to a fecond, and then 
to others fucceflively, while the property originally 
pledged remains unredeemed, and all the reft belonging 
to the owner gradually diminiflies, till he is left deftitute. 
It is the poor and neceffitous only who avail themfelves 
of railing fupplies on their goods, to ward off fome im¬ 
pending evil, and it is furprifing how low fucli tranfac- 
tions are carried. Nay, the ftatute itfelf illuftrates the 
nature of this miferable traffic more forcibly than could 
be done in other terms. It is enafted, that if, at the pe¬ 
riod of redeeming the goods impledged, there fhall be a 
certain fum due of intereft and profit, of which the 
loweft denomination fhall be a farthing, and the redeemer 
“ lhall not be able to produce and pay to the pawn-broker 
a current farthing, which fhall be to the fatisfaftion and 
liking of fuch perfon or perfons as are to receive the fame, 
but fhall, in lieu thereof, tender to fuch perfon or perfons 
to receive the fame, one halfpenny, in order to dif- 
charge the faid remaining farthing fo due, as aforefaid, 
the laid pawn-broker or pawn-brokers, his, her, or their, 
fervant or agent, to whom fuch tender of a halfpenny fhall 
be made, fliall, in exchange thereof, deliver unto fuch 
perfon or perfons, fo redeeming goods as aforefaid, one 
good and lawful farthing of the current coin of this king¬ 
dom, or, in default thereof, fhall wholly abate the faid 
remaining farthing from the total fum to be received” 
from the redeemer. But it is not only in the view of the 
indigent yielding to the preffure of necefiity, in parting 
with their property for an inconfiderable value, that fo- 
° ciety fuffers an injury. The thoughtlefs and depraved 
here find ready means of gratifying their propenfities, by 
theaffiftance of the pawn-broker’s fliop; and thoufands part 
with their apparel and furniture for what is, the next 
moment, wafted in intoxication. Befides, the facility of 
obtaining the reception of ftolen goods, is attended with 
the molt pernicious confequences, and themoft powerful 
encouragement to theft. Notwithftanding the law anx- 
ioufly endeavours tofecure property to its owners by irn- 
poling penalties on thofe who offer it in pawn, and in or¬ 
daining it to be reftored by the pawn-broker, cafes innu¬ 
merable may be figured, where the pawn-broker cannot 
difcriminate what is the genuine property of any indi¬ 
vidual in particular; and where it is not only difficult, 
PAX 
but may prove impoffibie, to bring an offender to juftice. 
In theyear 1817, an afi'ociation was formed in Edinburgh, 
for the purpofe of aiding thofe with advice and informa¬ 
tion who have dealings with pawn-brokers. Its fpecial 
objeft is, to warn the ignorant of the laws under which 
their property is protefted. 
The banks called Savings Banhs may probably prove a 
beneficial fubftitute for refort to the pawn-broker. Sums 
amounting to a fhilling and upwards are received,and bear 
intereft at4 per cent, when accumulated to twelve fhillings; 
thus enabling the labourer, or mechanic, or artifan, to 
preferve the remnant of his weekly wages, and convert it 
to advantage. Banks of this defcription are, at the pre- 
fent moment, rapidly diffeminating throughout the dif¬ 
ferent parifhes and towns of England and Scotland; and 
their outlet has been attended with one decided benefit, 
in diminifhing the refort to alehoufes, where the earnings 
of labour, too fmall to form an objeft for prefervation, 
quickly difappeared. In fome towns of Italy we have 
underftood there are charitable inftitutions of a mixed 
nature between pawn-broking and banking. There, an 
advance feems to be made on goods impledged at a cer¬ 
tain rate of intereft by fome, and by others money is re¬ 
ceived and returned, with 7 per cent, at the termination 
of a year. The tranfaftions of thefe inftitutions, how¬ 
ever, are not completely explained, either as to the fecu- 
rity given or the advantage derived. Ency. Brit. Suppl. 
Jacob's Laic Diet. 
PAWNE'E,/. One to whom fomething is entrufted as 
a fecurity for money borrowed.—If the pawn be-laid up, 
and the pawnee robbed, he is not anfwerable. Littleton's 
Rep. 332. 
PAWNE'ES, the name of an Indian nation, inhabiting 
a part of Louifiana, confifting of three villages. The 
number of warriors is 1993, of women 2170, and of 
children 2060, according to the ftatenrent made in the 
“ Exploratory Travels in North America.” 
PAWNGAW', a town of Hindooftan, in Dowlatabad: 
twenty miles egft of Perinda. 
PAX, Peace, an allegorical divinity among the an¬ 
cients. The Athenians raifed her a ftatue, which repre- 
fented her as holding Plutus the god of wealth in her lap, 
to intimate that peace gives rife to profperity and to 
opulence; and they were the firft who erefted an altar 
to her honour after the viftories obtained by Timotheus 
over the Lacedaemonian' power, though Plutarch af- 
ferts it had been done after the conquefts of Cimon over 
thePeriians. Among the Romans, fhe was worfhipped 
in a variety of magnificent temples. That which was 
begun by Claudius, and finifhed by Vefpafian, was not 
inferior to any in Rome. If we may believe Suetonius, 
Jofephus, and St. Jerome, the emperor depofited there the 
precious and rich fpoils of the temple of Jerufalem. In 
this temple thofe w’ho profeffed the fine arts affembled, 
in order to difpute about their prerogatives, that in the 
prefence of the goddefs of peace all heats might be ba- 
nilhed from their debates. This goddefs had alfo in the 
fame city an altar, which was very much frequented. 
Monuments reprefent to us Peace under the figure of a 
woman crowned with laurel,, olive, or chaplets of rofes, 
holding in one hand the caduceus, and in the other ears 
of corn, the fymbol of plenty, which file procures. Arif- 
tophanes gives her Venus and the Graces for her compa¬ 
nions. 
PAX, f. [Lat. peace.] A fmall metallic plate, com¬ 
monly of filver, with the reprefentation of the crucifixion 
engraved upon it, which was kiffed by the prieft at a 
certain part of the mafs, he repeating at the fame time 
Pax tecum, “ Peace be with you,” and afterwards by the 
affiftants in token of fraternal charity. The word has 
been often confounded with pix. —Innocent the Firft in¬ 
vented the killing of the paxe at maffe. Crowley's Delibe¬ 
rate Anfw, 1588.—Kifs the pax, and be quiet like your 
neighbours. Chapman's Com. of May-Day, 16x1. 
PAX'-WAX. See Pack-wax, vol. xviii. 
x PAXA’ROS, 
