PER 
579 
PEP 
turn, conftantly refufed to join in the general chorus of 
Handel’s praife. 
The foie ambition of Pepufch, during the laft years of 
his life, feems to have been the obtaining the reputation 
of a profound theorift, perfectly (killed in the mufic of 
the'ancients; and, attaching himfelf to the mathemati¬ 
cian DeMoivreand Geo. Lewis Scot, who helped him to 
calculate ratios, and to conftrue the Greek writers on 
mufic, he bewildered himfelf and fome ol his fcholars 
with the Greek genera, fcales, diagrams, geometrical, 
arithmetical, and harmonica!, proportions, furd quanti¬ 
ties, apotomes, lemmas, and every thing concerning an¬ 
cient harmonics that was dark, unintelligible, and fo¬ 
reign to common and ufeful praftice. But, with alibis 
pedantry and ideal admiration of the mufic of the ancients, 
he certainly had read more books on the theory of mo¬ 
dern mufic, and examined more curious compofitions, 
than any of themuficians of his time; and, though totally 
devoid of fancy and invention, he was able to correft the 
produftions of his contemporaries, and to affign reafons 
for whatever had been done by the greateft mailers who 
preceded him. But, when he is called the mod learned 
mufician of his time, it fhould be faid, “ in the mufic'of 
the 16th century.” Indeed, he had at 1 aft fuel) a partia¬ 
lity for mufical myfteries, and a fpirit fo truly antiquarian,- 
that he allowed no compofition to be mufic but what was 
old and obfeure. Yet, though he fettered the genius of 
his fcholars by antiquated rules, he knew the mechani¬ 
cal law’s of harmony fo well, that, in glancing his eye 
over a fcore, he could by a Itroke of his pen fmooth the 
wildeft and moll incoherent notes into melody, and make 
them fubmilfive to harmony ; inftantly feeing the fuper- 
fluous or deficient notes, and fuggefting a bafs from which 
there was no appeal. His induftry deferves to be ho¬ 
nourably recorded: he told Dr. Burney, that, when he 
was a young man, he determined never to go to bed at 
night till he knew fomething that he did not know in 
the morning. 
His very valuable library of fcarce mufical authors was 
difperfed after his death. He bequeathed a confiderable 
part of his bell books anti manuferipts to Kelner, an old 
German friend, who played the double-bals in the thea¬ 
tres and concerts of the time ; fome to Travers, and thefe 
and the rell were at laft fold, difperfed, and embezzled, 
in a manner difficult to deferibeor underftand. Burney's 
Hijl. of Mufic. 
PEPU'ZA, in ancient geography, a town of Alia, in 
Phrygia P.acatiana. 
PEPU'ZIANS, in ecclefiaftical hiftory, a feft of an¬ 
cient heretics, who had their name from a pretence that 
Jefus Chrift appeared to one of their prophetelfes in the 
city of Pepuza in Phrygia, which was their holy city. 
The name of this prophetefs was Quintilia; hence they 
are called Quintilians aifo. In this feft, the women 
were permitted to perform the facerdotal and even epif- 
copal funftions; grounding their practice on Gal. iii. 28. 
where St. Paul fays there is no diftinftion of males and 
females. They attributed extraordinary gifts to Eve for 
having iirft eaten of the tree of knowledge; told great 
things of Mary the lifter of Mofes, as having been a pro¬ 
phetefs, &c. They added, that Philip the deacon had 
four daughters, who were all prophetelfes, and were of 
their left. In thefe alfemblies it was ufual to fee the vir¬ 
gins entering in white robes, perlonating prophetelfes. 
Chambers's Cyclopcedia. 
PEPYLYCH'NUS, in ancient geography, a river which 
bounded Macedonia. 
PEP'YS’s I'SLANDS. See Falkland Islands. 
PEQUAN'ACK, a town of America, in Morris-coun¬ 
ty, New Jerfey, feparated from Bergen-county on the 
north by Pegunnock-river: contains 3853 inhabitants. 
PEQUAN'NOCK POI'NT, and RIVER. The Bivcr 
is a fmall ftream which runs fouth through the towns 
of Huntington and Stratford, in Fairfield-county, Con- 
nefticut, arid difeharges itfelf into a bay in the found, 
Vol. XIX, No. r326. 
where velfels may anchor. The Point forms the weftern 
extremity of the bay, near which are fome rocks: five 
miles fouth-weft of Stratford-river. 
PEQUE'A CREE'K, a river of Pennfylvania, which 
runs into the Sufquehannah in lat. 39. 54. N. Ion. 76. 
22. W. 
PEQUESIGEHAU'GEM, or Bear Lake, the fource 
of a river of the fame name, which is the north-eafterly 
branch of Maggakadawa river; it is of an irregular form, 
about three miles long, and two wide. 
PEQ'LTEST CREE'K, a river of New Jerfey, which 
runs into the Delaware in lat. 40. 47. N. Ion. 75. 10. W. 
PEQUIGNY', a town of France, in the department 
of the Somme, memorable for an interview and treaty 
between Edward IV. king of England, and Louis XL 
king of France, in the year 1474: one poll and a half 
north of Amiens, and three and three quarters fouth of 
Abbeville. 
PER, prep. [Latin.] By, through. A word much 
ufed in compofition. 
PER SE', adv. [Latin.] By himfelf, herfelf, or itfelf 
abftraftedly: 
They fay he is a very man per fe, 
And Hands alone. Slialiefpeare's Tr. and Creff. 
PE'RA,yi in botany. See Perula. 
PE'RA, in ancient geography, a place near Mount 
Hymettus in Attica, where was a temple of Venus, 
with a fountain, which procured a happy delivery for 
the females who drank of it, according to the relation of 
Suidas. 
PE'RA, one of the fuburbs of Conftantinople, where 
ambafladors and Chriftians ufually refide. See Constan¬ 
tinople, vol. v. 
PE'RA, a town of Portugal, in Algarva: eight miles 
eaft of Villa Nova dePortimao. 
PE'RA, a feaport, capital of a kingdom on the weft 
coaft of Malacca, on a river of the fame name : 170 miles 
north-weft of Malacca. Lat. 4.23. N. Ion. 101. 15. E. 
PE'RA, or Pu'lo Pe'ra, a fmall ifland in the Eaftern 
Indian Sea, at the entrance of the Straits of Malacca. 
Lat. 5. 54. N. Ion. 98. 36. E. 
PERAC'TIC, f. A mathematical inftrument ufed in 
furveying. 
PERAC'TION, f. The aft of finishing. Cole. 
PERACU'TE, f. [ peracutus , Lat.] Verylharp; very 
violent.—Malign continual peracute fevers, after moll 
dangerous attacks, fuddenly remit of the ardent heat. 
Harvey. 
PERA'DO, f. in botany. See Ilex. 
PERADVEN'TURE, adv. [par adventure, Fr.] Per¬ 
haps; maybe; by chance.—That wherein they might 
not be like unto either, was fuch peradventure as had been 
no whit lefs unlawful. Hooker.—What peradventure may 
appear very full to me, may appear very crude and 
maimed to a ftranger. Digby. —Doubt: queftion. It is 
fometimes ufed as a noun, but not gracefully nor properly. 
—Though men’s perfons ought not tobe hated, yet, with¬ 
out all peradventure, their praftices juftly may. South. 
PERZE'A, in ancient geography, a province of Alia 
Minor, which commenced on the frontiers of the Doride, 
towards Mount Phcenix, north-eaftof the Ille of Rhodes, 
and terminated at Daedala. The Iirft writer who men¬ 
tions this province is Polybius. It was fora long time 
fubjeft to the Rhodiafls, and a town called Cryaftits was 
fituated in it.—Alfo, a country on the other fide of Jor¬ 
dan, which was one of the divifions of Paleftine. Ac¬ 
cording to Jofephus,' Perasa had for its limits on the eaft 
Rabba, or Philadelphia; on the weft, the Jordan; on 
the fouth, Macherontes ; and on the north, Pella.—Alfo, 
a fmall country of Alia, on the banks of the Tigris.— 
Alfo, a canton of Greece, in the territory of Corinth, 
the inhabitants of which were called Pa rad. 
PERiEQUATO'RES, f. among the Romans, alfelfors 
appointed to regulate the cenfus according to every man’s 
7 I circumltances. 
