758 
PER 
PER 
PERU', a pod-town of North America, in Clinton- 
county, date of New York, on the wed dde of Lake 
Champlain; containing 1347 inhabitants.—A town of 
Berkffiire-county, Mad'achufetts, containing 912. perfons. 
—A town of Bennington-county, in the date of Ver¬ 
mont ; with 239 inhabitants. 
PERU', /I in botany. SeeDoLiceos. 
- , Balfam of. ’ See Balsam and Myroxylum. 
-, Marvel of. See Mirabilis. 
To PERVA'DE, v. a. [ pervarlo , Lat.] To pafs through 
an aperture ; to permeate.—Paper dipped in water or oil, 
the oculus-mundi done deeped in water, linen-cloth oiled 
or varnidied, and many other fubdances foaked in fuch 
liquors as will intimately pervade their little pores,become 
by that means more transparent than otherwife. Newton's 
Optics. 
The labour’d chyle pervades the pores 
In all the arterial perforated dtores. Blackmore. 
To pafs through the whole extenfion. — Matter, 
once bereaved of motion, cannot of itfelf acquire it 
again, nor till it be druck by fome other body from with¬ 
out, or be intrindcally moved by an immaterial lelf-aftive 
fubdance, that can penetrate and pervade it. Bentleij. 
What but God 
Pervades, adjuds, and agitates, the whole ? T/iomfon. 
PERVA'SION, f. The aft of pervading or pading 
through.— If fufion be made rather by the ingrefs and 
tranfcurdons of the atoms of dre, than by the bare pro¬ 
pagation of that motion, with which dre beats upon the 
outdde of the veffels, that contain the matter to be melted; 
both thofe kinds of duidity, afcribed to faltpetre, will ap¬ 
pear to be caufed by the pervafion of a foreign body .Boyle. 
PERVA'SIVE, adj. Having power to pervade : 
Or fuits him more the winter’s candied thorn, 
When from each branch anneal’d, the w'orks of frod 
Pervafive, radiant icicles depend ? She nft one's Ecnn. 
PERVENCHE'RES, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Orne, and chief place of a canton, in the dif- 
trift of Mortagiie. The place contains 771, and the can¬ 
ton 9728, inhabitants. 
PERVER'SE, adj. [ pervers, Fr. perverfus, Lat.] Didort- 
ed from the right: 
Where nature breeds 
Perverfe, all mondrous, all prodigious, things. Milton. 
Obdinate in the wrong; dubborn ; untraftable : 
Thou for the tedimony of truth had born 
Univerfal reproach ; far W'orfe to bear 
Than violence ; for this was all thy care 
To dand approv’d in light of God, though worlds 
Judg’d thee perverfe. Milton's P.L. 
To fo perverfe a fex all grace is vain, 
It gives them courage to offend again. Dryden. 
Petulant; vexatious; peevilh; dedrous to crofsand vex; 
crofs : 
If thou dod love, pronounce it faithfully; 
Or, if you think I am too quickly won, 
I’ll frown and be perverfe, and fay thee nay, 
So thou wilt wooe : but elfe not for the world. Slialtef. 
PERVER'SELY, adv. With intent to vex; peevilhly; 
vexatioudy ; fpitefully ; crofsly ; with petty malignity. 
— Men perverjely take up piques and difpleafures at 
others, and then every opinion of the difliked perfon 
mud partake of his fate. Decay of Chr. Piety. 
A patriot is a dangerous pod, 
When wanted by his country mod, 
Perverjely comes in evil times. 
Where virtues are imputed crimes. Swift. 
PERVER'SENESS, f. Petulance 5 peevidinefs; fpiteful 
droffnefs. 
Virtue hath fome pervcrfenefs, for (he will 
Neither believe her good, nor others’ ill. Donne. 
When a friend in kindnefs tries 
To Ihow you where your error lies, 
Conviftion does but more incenfe ; 
Pcrverfenefs is your whole defence. Swift. 
Perverdon ; corruption. Not in life. —Neither can this be 
meant of evil governours or tyrants ; for they are often 
edablifhed as lawful potentates; but of fome perverjinefs 
and defection in the nation itfelf. Bacon. 
PERVER'SION, f. The aft of perverting; change to 
fomething worfe.—Women to govern men, Haves free¬ 
men, are much in the fame degree; all being total vio¬ 
lations and perverfions of the laws of natirre and nations. 
Bacon. 
PERVF.R'SITY, f. [perverfile, Fr. from perverfe.} Per- 
verfenefs; croffnefs : 
What drange perverfily is this of man ! 
When ’twas a crime to tade th’ inlightning tree. 
He could not then his hand refrain. Norris. 
PERVER'SIVE, adj. Having power to corrupt, or turn 
from right to wrong. 
To PERVER'T, v. a. [ perverto , Lat. pervertir, Fr.] 
To didort from the true end or purpofe.—If thou feed 
the oppredion of the poor, and violent perverting; of juf- 
tice in a province, marvel not. Ecclus, v. 8.—Porphyry 
has wrote a volume to explain this cave of the nymphs 
with more piety than judgment; and another perfon has 
perverted it into obfeenity ; and both allegorical. Broome. 
If then his providence 
Out of our evil feek to bring forth good, 
Qur labour mud be to pervert that end, 
And out of good dill to find means of evil. Milton's P.L. 
To corrupt; to turn from the right; oppofed to convert, 
which is to turn from the wrong to the right.—The 
fubtle praftices of Eudoxius, bifhop of Condantinople, in 
perverting and corrupting the mod pious emperor Valens. 
Waterland. 
The heinous and defpiteful aft 
Of Satan, done in Paradife, and how 
He in the ferpent had perverted Eve, 
Her hufband die, to tade the fatal fruit. 
Was known in heav’n. Milton's P. L. 
PERVER'TER, f. One that changes any thing from 
good to bad; a corrupter.—Where a child finds his own 
parents his perverters, he cannot be fo properly born as 
damned into the world. South. —One who didorts any 
thingfrom the right purpofe.—He that reads a prohibition 
in a divine law, had need be well fatisfied about the fenfe 
he gives it, led he incur the wrath of God, and be found 
a perverter of his law'. Stillingfleet. 
PERVER'TIBLE, adj. That may be ealily perverted. 
—There are many paffages that have an evident charafter 
of harmlefs mirth and jollity; which, although they are 
piquant, yet are not eafily pervertible to any difparagement 
of our neighbour. W. Montague's Dev. EJf. 1648. 
To PERVES'TIGATE, v. a. [pervefigo, Lat.] To 
fearch very carefully in order to find out. 
PERVESTIGA'TION,/. A diligent inquiry, or fearch 
after.—In the pervefigation of the true and genuine text, 
it was perfpicuoufly manifed to all men, that there was 
no argument more firm or certain to be relied on. Chil- 
lingworlh's Rel. of Proiefiants. 
PERU'GIA, anciently Pervfina, one of the mod an¬ 
cient and didinguifhed cities of Etruria. The era of its 
foundation long preceded that of Rome, and, like the 
origin of Clufium, Cortona, &c. is almod lod in didance 
of time. In conjunftion with all the other Etrurian 
dates, it long refided the Romans; and, when fubjefted, 
or rather reconciled to them, it became a faithful and 
courageous ally. It defied the power of Hannibal, and 
flourifhed in peace and opulence till the reign of Augudus, 
when unfortunately it engaged in the rebellion of Lucius 
Antonius, uncle of the triumvir, and under his command 
fhut its gates againd Augudus, who took it, and, as it is 
3 afferted. 
