PEN 
cording to the words of the fong of Hannah, (i Sam. ii. 
5.) “ The barren hath born feven, and (he that hath 
m.iny children is waxed feeble.” 
PENIN'SULA, f [pene infu/a, Lat. peninfule, Fr.] A 
piece of land almolt Surrounded by the fea, but joined by 
a narrow neck to the main.—-Afide of Milbrook lieth the 
peniij'ula of Infwork, on whole neckland ftandeth an 
ancient houfe. Carew. —Spain, from its fituation, is gene¬ 
rally called, by way of diftinftion, the Peniij'ula. James's 
Mil. DiB. 
PENIN'SULA POI'NT, a cape on the weft coaft of the 
ifland of Mindoro. Lat. 12.40. N. Ion. 120. 56. E. 
PENIN'SULATF.D, udj. Almoft furrounded by water. 
■—The mountains, the river Neath, and its fttady banks, 
form a beautiful back-ground and contraft to the bold 
craggy (bore, and the broken peninfulatecl knolls, which 
not unfrequently project from it. Wyndham's Tour. 
PENI'NUS, in mythology, a god acknowledged by 
the Penini, inhabitants of the Alps, from whom that 
chain of mountains derived its name: as we'learn from 
Livy, Dec. 3. xi. 38. Guichenon, in his Hiftory of Sa¬ 
voy, has preferved the infcription that was upon the pe- 
deftal of a fine ftatue, that reprefented this god under the 
figure of a young man naked, in thefe terms, “ L. Luci- 
lius Deo Penino Optimo Maximo donum dedit.” Cato 
and Servius (in 3 VEn.) fay, that this was not a god, but 
a goddefs, whom'the one calls Penina, and the other 
Apenina ; but both the figure and the infcription exprefs 
the contrary. The ftatue of that god was afterwards 
carried off, and that of Jupiter put in its place. Never- 
thelefs, the worfhip of Penjnus was not abolifhed, but 
the mountaineers continued to pay adoration to him. 
Some fay that this god was Jupiter himfelf, which they 
infer from the epithets “ Optimus Maximus;” but 
others fay that he was the Sun ; and that the carbuncle 
upon the ftatue, called Peninus’s eye, was the fame with 
that of Ofiris, who, in Egypt, reprefented the Sun. 
PENISAA'RI, an ifland of the Baltic, three verfts 
long, and diftant fix verfts from Lavanfaari, which fee. 
It is inhabited only by a few families, and has no water- 
fprings. 
PENISCO'LA, a town of Spain, in Valencia, fituated 
on the coaft of the Mediterranean, furrounded on three 
fides by the fea, and difficult of accefs by land: twenty- 
four miles fouth of Tortofa, and 195 eaft of Madrid. Lat. 
40. 24. N. Ion. o. 24. E. 
PENISHE'HR, or Penjeshehr, a town of Candahar, 
and capital of a diftrift, in the Cabuliftan, on the eaft fide 
of the Hindoo-Kho Mountains: forty-fix miles north 
of Cabul. Lat. 35.16. N. Ion. 68. 24. E. 
PEN'ISTONE, or Penniston, a final I market-town, 
in the Weft Riding of Yorkfhire, fituated eight miles 
weft-fouth-weft from Barnfley. The market is on Thurs¬ 
day, but it is little frequented. Here are four annual fairs, 
which are chie-fly noted for the fale of moor-fheep. The 
town is environed with dreary moors, efpecially to the 
weftward, where nothing prefents itfelf to the eye but 
bleak and barren mountains, covered with heath or ling. 
Peniftone, according to the population returns, contains 
115 houfes, and 515 inhabitants. The church is a large 
ftrudture; and near the centre of the town is a well-en¬ 
dowed grammar-fchool. Beauties of England and Wales, 
vol. xvi. 
PEN'ITENCE, or Penitency, /. [ penitence , Fr. pee- 
nilentia, Lat.] Repentance; forrow tor crimes; contri¬ 
tion for fin, with amendment of life of change of the af¬ 
fections.—Where penitency, not difturb’d may grieve. 
Tailor's Hog hath loft his Pearl. 
Death is deferr’d, and penitence has room 
To mitigate, if not reverfe, the doom. Dryden. 
Penitence is Sometimes ufed for thedifeipline, or pu- 
nifhment, attending repentance; more ufually called pe- 
vance. It alfo gives title to feveral religious orders, con¬ 
fiding either of converted debauchees and reformed 
Vol. XIX, No. 1323. 
P E N 53f> 
proftitutes, or of perfons who devote themfelves to the 
office of reclaiming them. Of this latter kind is the 
Order of Penitence of St. Magdalen, eftablilhed about 
the year 1272 by one Bernard, a citizen of Marfeilles, who 
devoted himfelf to the work of converting the courtezans 
of that city. Bernard was feconded by feveral others ; 
who, forming a kind of fociety, were at length erected 
into a religious order by pope Nicholas III. under the 
rule of St. Auguftine. Father Gefnay fays, that they, 
alfo made a religious order of the penitents, or women 
they converted, giving them the fame rules and obser¬ 
vances which they themfelves kept. 
Congregation of Penitence of St. Magdalen at Paris, 
owed its rife to the preaching of one Tifteran, a Francif- 
can, who converted a vaft number of courtezans about 
the year 1492. Louis duke of Orleans gave them his 
houfe for a monaftery ; or rather, as appears by their 
conftitutions, Charles VIII. gave them the hotel called 
Bochaigne, whence they were removed to St. George’s 
chapel in 1572. By virtue of a brief of pope Alexander, 
Simon bifliop of Paris, in 1497, drew up for them a body 
of Statutes, and gave them the rule of St. Auguftine. It 
was neceffary, before a woman could be admitted, that 
file had firft committed the fin of the flefli. None were 
admitted who were above 35 years of age. Till the be- 
ginningof the 17th century, none but penitents were 
admitted ; but, fince its reformation by Mary Alvequin, 
in 1616, none have been admitted but maids, who however 
ftill retain the ancient name penitents. 
PEN'ITENT, adj. Repentant; contrite for fin; Sor¬ 
rowful for paft tranfgreftions, and refolutely amending 
life.—The proud he tam’d, the penitent he chear’d. 
Dryden. 
Much it joys me 
To fee you become fo penitent. Shahefpcare. 
PEN'ITENT, /’. One forrow'ful for fin.-The repent¬ 
ance, which is formed by a grateful fenfe of the divine 
goodnefs towards him, is refolved on while all the appe¬ 
tites are in their Strength : the penitent conquers the 
temptations of fin in their full force. Rogers .—One un¬ 
der cenfures of the church, but admitted to penance. — 
The counterfeit Dionyfius deferibes the practice of the 
church, that the catechumens and penitents were admitted 
to the Leffonsand Pfalms,and then excluded. Stillingfleet, 
—One under the diredtion of a confefTor. 
Penitents, an appellation given to certain fraternities 
of perfons diftinguifhed by the different fhape and colour 
of their habits. Thefe are Secular Societies, who have 
their rules, ftatutes, and churches, and make public pro- 
ceffions under their particular croffes or banners. Of 
thefe there are more than a hundred, the molt consider¬ 
able of which are as follow : The White Penitents, of 
which there are feveral different forts at Rome, the 1110ft 
ancient of which was conltituted in 1264; the brethren 
of this fraternity every year give portions to a certain 
number of young girls, in order to their being married: 
their habit is a kind of white Sackcloth, and on the Shoul¬ 
der is.a circle, in the middle of which is a red-and-wdiite 
crofs. Bla^k Penitents, the moft considerable of which 
are the Brethren of Mercy, inftituted in 1488 by Some 
Florentines, in order to affift criminals during their im¬ 
prisonment, and at the time of their death : on the day 
of execution, they walk in proceffion before them, ting¬ 
ing the feven penitential pfalnis and the litanies; and, af¬ 
ter they are dead, they take them down from the gibbet 
and bury them ; their habit is black fackcloth. There 
are others whole bufinefs it is to bury fuch perfons as are 
found dead in the ftreets: thefe wear a death’s head on 
one fide of their habit. There are alfo blue, grey, red, 
green, and violet, penitents ; all of whom are remarkable 
for little elfe befides the different colour of their habits. 
Mabillon tells us, that at Turin there are a fet of peni¬ 
tents kept in pay to walk through the ftreets in proceffion, 
and cut their fhoulders with whips, &c. 
Penitents of the Name of Jefus, a congregation of_re- 
Y ligious 
