P I c 
373 
P I C 
Pathology, vol. xix. p. im,-—C ommon experience 
(hows how the pica, or longingof a pregnant woman, will, 
by a keen fancy, ftamp and imprefs the charafter of the 
thing fo paflionately defired upon the child in her womb. 
IJaUyweU's Mclarr.pr. 1681. 
PI'CA, a river of South America, which runs into the 
Pacific Ocean, forming a harbour at its mouth, in lat. 
20.12. N. 
PI'CA DE REGALA'DOS, a town of Portugal, in 
the province of Entre Duero e Minho : five miles north- 
north- eaft of Braga. 
PI'CAE, f. The fecond order of the clafs Aves, or 
Birds, in the Linnsean fyftem. See the Article Ornitho¬ 
logy, vol. xvii. p. 765, 6. 
PIC'ANING, a town of Africa on the Ivory coaft : 
lat. 5. aj. N. Ion. 4. 35. W. 
• PICA'RA, a large province of South America, in New 
Granada; bounded on the eaft by the Andes. 
PICA'RD, f. in our old writers, a kind of large boat, 
about fifteen tons or upwards, ufed on the river Severn. 
See flat. 35 Hen. VIII. cap. 9. 13 Eliz. cap. 11. 
PICA'RD (John), an able French mathematician, and 
one of the molt learned aftronomers in the 17th century, 
was born at Fleche in Anjou, but in what year is not 
known. He was educated to the church, and, after re¬ 
ceiving prieft’s orders, became prior of Riilie in his na¬ 
tive province. While he did not neglect the other 
branches of knowledge immediately connected with his 
profeffion, his prevalent bias was towards the ftudy of 
the mathematical fciences, which he cultivated with the 
greateft ardour and fuccefs. To the ftudy of aftronomy, 
in particular, he found himfelf irrefiftibly attached. Com¬ 
ing to Paris, his fuperior talents for thefe fciences foon 
made him known and refpefted ; and, as the Academy 
of Sciences was at that time forming, he was felefted to 
become one of its members, and was affociated with them 
in the year 1666, with the appointment of aftronomer to 
the academy. In the fame year, conjointly with M. Au- 
zout, he publifhed a new micrometer, for meafuring the 
fmalleft apparent diameters of the ftars, and their leaft 
fenfible diftances; which was an improvement of that 
given to the public by the marquis de Malvafia, in 1662, 
betng more accurately divided, and rendred more com¬ 
modious in various refpefts. In the year 1671 M. Pi¬ 
card was fent, by order of the king, on the reprefenta- 
tion of the academy, to the obfervatory of Uraniburg, 
built under the direction of the celebrated Tycho Brahe, 
on the ifland of Huen, in the Sound, not far from Copen¬ 
hagen. The principal defign of this million was, that by 
aftronomical obfervations on the fpot he might determine, 
with the greateft poffible exaftnefs, the elevation of the 
pole and the longitude at that place, for the purpofe of 
more eafily adapting to the meridian of Paris the aftrono¬ 
mical tables founded on the obfervations of Tycho 
Brahe. M. Picard’s obfervations, however, were not con¬ 
fined to this objeft, but were direfted to other points, of 
which an account is given in his “Journey to Urani- 
burg,” &c. Our aftronomer was alio commiflioned to 
colleft, as far as was pofiible, the original manuferipts of 
Tycho Brahe’s obfervations which had been printed in 
Germany. In this undertaking he met with confidera- 
ble fuccefs, and he returned to Paris with many of thofe 
originals; which were the more valuable, as they were 
found to differ in many refpefts from the printed copies, 
and contained a book more than had before appeared. 
After refuming his labours at Paris, M. Picard made 
many very-ufeful obfervations and difeoveries, either by 
himfelf, or jointly with the elder M. Caflini, who was his 
fellow-member in the Academy of Sciences. In the 
years 1669 and 1670, by order of LouisXIV. he traverfed 
feveral parts of the kingdom of France, principally for 
the purpofe of meafuring the degrees of the French meri¬ 
dian ; and he firft gave a chart of the country, which the 
Caffinis afterwards carried to a great degree of perfection. 
He firft difeovered, in 1675, the light in the vacuum of 
-Vol, XX. No. 1375. 
the barometer, or the mercurial phofphorns. He was 
one of the firft who applied the telefcope to aftronomical 
quadrants. He firft projected the work entitled “Li 
Connoiffance des Temps,” wdiich he calculated front 
1679 to 1683 inclulively. This able man died in 1683, 
leaving behind him a name dear to his friends, and re- 
fpeftable to his contemporaries and to pofferity. His 
works, befides what we have already noticed, confift of, 
3. A Treatife on Levelling, publifhed and augmented by 
La Hire. 4. Praflical Dialling by Calculation. 5. Frag¬ 
ments of Dioptrics. 6. Experimenta circa Aquas Efllu- 
entes. 7. De Menfuris. 8. De Menfura Liquidorum et 
Aridorum. 9. An Abridgment of the Meafure of the 
Earth. 10. A Journey to Uraniburg; or, Aftronomical 
Obfervations made in Denmark. 11. Aftronomical Ob¬ 
fervations made in different Parts of the Kingdom. 
All the above-mentioned, and fome others of his works, 
wdiich are much efteemed, may be found in the volumes 
vi. and vii. of the Memoirs of the Academy of Sciences. 
Hutton's Math. Did. 
PICA'RD (Benedict), a French capuchin friar, was 
born at Toul in Lorraine, about the year 1663, and died 
in 1720, when about 57 years of age. His favourite fub- 
jeCIs of ftudy were the hiffory and antiquities of his native 
province, civil and ecclefiaftical ; and he publifhed va¬ 
rious works, which, though far from being well written, 
are held in efteem for the valuable local information and 
the curious enquiries which they contain. The principal 
of them are, 1. An Ecclefiaftical and Civil Regifter of the 
Diocefe of Toul, 1711, 2 vols. 8vo. 2. An Ecclefiaftical 
and Political Hiffory of the City and Diocefe of Toul, 
1707, 4to. 3. The Life of St. Gerard, with Hiftorical 
Notes, 1700, i2mo. 4. Veteris Ordinis Seraphici Momi- 
menti nova Uluftratio, 1708, 121110. 5. The Origin of 
the very illuftrious Houfe of Lorraine, with a ftiort Hiffory 
of its Princes, 1704, umo. a Supplement to the prece¬ 
ding, Sec, 
PICA'RDS, a religious fed, which arofe in Bohemia in 
the 15th century, fo called from its author, who, becaufe 
he originally came from Picardy, was called Picard. He 
drew after him, as it has been faid, a great number of 
men and women, pretending he would reftore them to 
the primitive ftate of innocence in which Adam was 
created : and accordingly himfelf aflumed the title of the 
New Adam. Under this pretence, (fay their enemies,) 
he taught his followers to abandon themfelves to all 
impurity; making them believe, that in this confifted the 
liberty of the fons of God ; and that all thofe not of 
their left were in bondage. He firft began in Germany 
and in the Low Countries, perfuading many people to go 
naked, and giving them the name of Adamites. After 
this, feizing an ifland in the river Laufnecz, a few leagues 
from Thabor, the head quarters of Zifca, he fixed himfelf 
and his followers therein ; appointing his women to be 
common, but allowed none to enjoy them without his 
permiflion. 
At length Zifca, the great general of the Huflites, (fo 
famous for his viftories over the emperor Sigifmund,) 
lfruck with thefe abominations, marched againft them ; 
and, making himfelf mafter of their ifland, put them all 
to death except two; whom he fpared to inform himfelf 
of their doftrine. 
Such is the erroneous and injurious account, as many 
have thought, which different writers, ultimately relying 
on the infufficient authorities of AEneas Sylvius and 
Varillas, have given of the Picards, who feem to have 
been a party of the Vaudois, or Waldenfes, that fled from 
perfecution in their own country, and fought refuge, 
about the beginning of the 15th century, in Bohemia. 
It is very doubtful whether a feft of this denomination, 
chargeable with the licentious principles and conduct 
above recited, ever exifted ; and we cannot forbear ex¬ 
prefling our aftonifhment that Mr. Bayle, in his arr. 
Picards, ftiould adopt the reproachful reprefentations of 
the writers juft mentioned. 
sc 
It 
