PEN 
Supported above the ground : 
"The marble brought, ere&sthe fpacious dome, 
Or forms the pillars’ long-extended rows. 
On which the planted grove, and penjile garden, grows. 
Prior. 
PEN'SILENESS, fi The (late of hanging.-—Wherein 
the penfilenefs of the earth, the pole of the north, and 
the finitenefs or convexity of heaven, are manifeftly 
touched. Bacon on Learning. 
PENSIL'ITY, f. The ftate of being penfile. 
PEN'SION, f. [French.] A payment of money; a rent. 
This is the primary meaning, which Dr. Johnfon has 
overlooked ; and has cited no earlier example of the 
word, under his violent definition of it, than that from 
Addifon. It is alfo a fum of money paid to fome 
churches in lieu of tythes.—He commanded to give to 
all that kept the city penfions and wages, i Efdr. iv. 56. 
—Our Saviour reje&s all fuch unwife and perverfe tra¬ 
ders, who will not exchange brittle glafs for folid gold; 
a fmall temporary penfion for a vaftly rich freehold. Bar- 
row. —An allowance made to any one without an equi¬ 
valent. In England it is generally underftood to mean 
pay given to a ftate hireling for trealon to his country. 
Dr. Johnfon. — This definition extremely puzzled the 
great lexicographer bimfelf, when it was propofed to bef- 
tow a penfion on him , in the year 1762. See Bofwell’s 
Life of Johnfon. And the candid biographer informs 
v.s, that lord Loughborough told him, “the penfion was 
granted to Johnfon folely as the reward of his literary 
merit, without any ftipulation whatever, or even tacit 
underftanding that he ftiould write for adminiftration !” 
The true meaning of penfion, in its fecondary fenfe, 
(however a penfion may be fometimes undefervedly ac¬ 
cepted and beftowed,) is the allowance made as an ac¬ 
knowledgment for any eminent and diftinguifhed fer- 
vices. Todd. —It would be very agreeable to her majefty, 
if the penfiion of 5000I. per annum were continued and 
limited by aCI of parliament to the duke of Marlborough’s 
pofterity, for the more honourable fupport of their dig¬ 
nities, in like manner as his honours, and the honour 
and manor of Woodftock, and houfe of Blenheim, were 
already limited and fettled. Mejfiage of Q. Anne to the 
Commons, Jan. 9th, 1706.—A charity beftowed on the 
education of her young fubjefts has more merit than a 
thoufand penfions to thofe of a higher fortune. Addifions 
Guardian.- —He has lived with the great without flat¬ 
tery and been a friend to men in power without pen¬ 
fions. Pope. 
Chremes, for airy penfions of renown, 
Devotes his fervice to the ftate and crown. Young. 
To receive a penfion from a foreign prince or ftate, 
without leave of our king, has been held to be criminal, 
becaufe it may incline a man to prefer the intereftof fuch 
foreign prince to that of his own country. All penfions 
are liable to certain duties annually impofed by parlia¬ 
ment. Perfons having penfions from the crown at plea- 
fure are incapable of being ele&ed members of parlia¬ 
ment. 
Pensions of the Inns of Courts. Annual payments 
of each member to the houfes. And alfo, that which in 
the two Temples is called a parliament, and in Lincoln’s 
Inn a council, in Gray’s Inn is termed a penfion; being 
ufually an afiembly of the members to confult of the af¬ 
fairs of the fociety. Jacob's Law Di£t. 
To PEN'SION, v. a. To fupport by an arbitrary al¬ 
lowance.—One might expert to fee medals of France in 
the higheft perfection, when there is a fociety pcvfioned 
and fet apart for the defigning of them. Acldifon on 
Medals. 
The hero William, and the martyr Charles, 
One knighted Blackmore, and onepew/ion’rfQuarles. Pope. 
PEN'SIONARY, adj. [penfionnaire, Fr.] Maintained 
PEN 565 
by penfions.—They were devoted by penfionary obliga¬ 
tions to the olive. Howell's Vocal Forejl. 
Scorn his houfehold policies, 
His filly plots and penfionary fpies. Donne. 
PEN'SIONARY, fi. [penfionarius, low Lat.] One re¬ 
ceiving a penfion, or annual payment.—All parfons, vi¬ 
cars, penfionaries, prebendaries, and other beneficed men. 
InjunEl. by K. Edw. VI. 1547. 
Pensionary was the title given to the firft minifter of 
the regency of each city in Holland, under the old fy- 
ftem. His office was to give his advice in affairs relating 
to the government, either of the ftate in general, or of 
the city in particular ; and, in aflemblies of the ftates of 
the province, he was fpeaker in behalf of his city. The 
function, however, of thefe penfionaries was not every¬ 
where alike : in fome cities they only gave their advice, 
and were never found in aflemblies of the magiftrates, 
except when exprefsly called hither; in others they at¬ 
tended conftantly; and in others they made the propo- 
fitions on the part of the burgomafters, drew up their 
conclufions, &c. They were called penfionaries, becaufe 
they received an appointment or penfion. 
Grand Penfionary w’as the appellation of the firft minifter 
of all the States of the province of Holland under the 
old fyftem. This high officer was chairman in aflemblies 
of the ftates of that province; he propofed the matters 
to be confulted on, collected the votes, formed and pro¬ 
nounced the refolutions of the ftates ; he alfo opened let¬ 
ters, conferred with foreign minifters. See. He was 
charged with infpeCling the finances, preferving the 
rights of the province, maintaining the authority of the 
ftates, and feeing to the obfervation of the laws, See. 
for the good of the ftate. He affifted in the college of 
deputy-counfellors of the province, who reprefented the 
fovereignty in the abfence of the ftates ; and he was per¬ 
petual deputy of the ftates-general of the United Pro¬ 
vinces. His commiffion was only given for five years; 
after which it was deliberated whether or no it fliould be 
renewed. But there was no inftance of its having been 
revoked; death only put a period to the functions of 
this important minifter. Formerly he was called the«rf- 
vocate of the province: the title penfionary was only given 
at the time Barnevelt had the office. Grotius calls him 
in Latin adfeffor jurifperitus; Merula, advocatus gencralis; 
and Matthaeus, profeffor at Leyden, confiliarius penfiona- 
rius, which is the quality the ftates gave him in their in- 
ftruments. 
PEN'SIONER, jfi. One who is fupported by an allow¬ 
ance paid at the will of another; a dependant.—Prices 
of things neceflary for fuftentation grew exceffive, to the 
hurt of penfioners, foldiers, and all hired fervants. Camden. 
Hovering dreams, 
The fickle penfioners of Morpheus’ train. Milton. 
A Have of ftate hired by a ftipend to obey his mafteiv 
Dr. Johnfon. —See Pension. 
In Britain’s fenate he a feat obtains. 
And one more penfiioner St. Stephen gains. Pope. 
One of an order of ftudents in the univerfity cf Cam¬ 
bridge.—About forty years fince, forty pounds per an¬ 
num for a commoner (or perfumer, as the term is at Cam¬ 
bridge) was looked on as a fufficient maintenance. Dean 
Prideanx’s Life and Lett. 1715. 
Pensioner, in the univerfity of Cambridge and in 
that of Dublin, has a very peculiar meaning; for thofe 
ftudents, either under-graduates or bachelors of arts, 
are called penfioners who live wholly at their own ex¬ 
pen fe, and who receive no emolument whatever from 
the college of which they are members. They are di¬ 
vided into two kinds, the greater and the lefs: the for¬ 
mer of which are generally called fellow-commoners, be¬ 
caufe they eat with the fellows of their college ; the lat¬ 
ter are always called penfioners, and eat with the fcholars, 
who are thofe ftudents of the college, either under-gra¬ 
duates 
