p I 
mountain is by tome reported to be equal to the peak of 
Teneriffe in height. Mr. Adanfon, who vififed tliefe 
iflands in his return from Senegal in 1753, fays, that the 
peak is about half a league in perpendicular altitude, 
which, allowing the French league to be 2450 toi'fes, 
would give a moderate height, not exceeding 7350 feet. 
The peak would form a very convenient firil meridian, 
from which to reckon the longitude. Themountain, how¬ 
ever, we are told, (CruttwelPs Gaz.) is filled with difmai 
dark caverns or volcanoes, which frequently vomit out 
flames, fmoke, and allies, to a great diftance. At the foot 
of the mountain, towards the eaft, is a fpring of frefli 
water, generally cold, but fometimes fo heated with the 
fubterraneous fire as to rufn forth in torrents, with a kind 
of ebullition like boiling water, equalling that in heat, 
and (ending forth a ftream of fulphureous fetid vapours, 
liquefied (tones, minerals, and flakes of earth all on fire. 
The dimenfions of the ifland are about 30 Britilh miles 
in length, and 10 in breadth. The chief places are Pico, 
Lagoas, Santa Cruz, San Sebaftian, Pafquin, San Rocko, 
Playa, and Magdalena. The ifland is produftive; its 
cattle are numerous, of various kinds, and excellent; its 
wine is highly commended ; and it furnilhes a confider- 
able quantity and variety of wood, particularly the cedar 
and the teixo, which is (olid and hard as iron, and veined 
when finely polilhed. The inhabitants live wholly on the 
produce of their own ifland in plenty and comfort. Pico 
carries on a confiderable trade in wine, which feems to be 
(old as Canary. Lat. 38. 30. N. Ion. 28. 16. W. 
PPCO, a mountain of Spain, on the confines of New 
and Old Caftileand Eftremadura. 
PPCO, or Puer'to de Pico, a town of Spain, in Old 
Caftile, on a mountain, near the fource of the Tormes. 
PPCO (Giovanni) of Mirandola, one of the mod 
extraordinary perfons of his time, and furoamed the 
Phanix, was the third foil of Gianfrancefco Pico, prince 
of Mirandola and Concordia. He was born in 1463 5 and 
almoft from his childhood difplayed remarkable powers 
of memory, and an uncommon difpofition to literature. 
At the age of fourteen he was fent to Bologna for the 
ffudy of canon-law ; but, after fpending two years in that 
purfuit, he attached himfelf to philofophy and theology, 
and, for improvement in thefe (ciences, refolved to vilit 
the mod celebrated fchools in Italy and France. The 
particulars of his travels are not known; but his firft 
flay was at the univerfity of Ferrara, where lie was kindly 
received by his kinfman duke Hercules I. and ftudied 
untjer Batifta Guarino. Befides the Greek and Latin 
' languages, he made himfelf mafter of the Hebrew’, Chal¬ 
dee, and Arabic. Indeed fome of his eulogifls have'given 
him an acquaintance with 22 languages at the age of 
eighteen ; an abfurd exaggeration, which his fober bio¬ 
graphers do not choofe to repeat. His fondnefs for Ori¬ 
ental learning was the occafion of a lerious misfortune to 
him. Falling in the way of an impoftor, whofhowed him 
fixty books which he pretended to have been compofed by 
order of Efdras, and to contain the profoundeft myfteries 
of ^religion and philofophy, he purchafed them at a great 
price, and then fat down to the ftudy of them with in¬ 
credible ardour. This was not only a great, lofs of time, 
but it gave him a turn to myftical notions, which were 
the caufe of the fufpicions he afterwards underwent in 
refpeft to orthodoxy. 
After having employed feven years in his academical 
tour, became, at the age of twenty-three, to Rome, in 
the popedom of Innocent VIII. There, with the pardon¬ 
able oflentation of a young Icholar who was confcious to 
himfelf of extraordinary acquifitions, and had, donbtlefs, 
been treated with much learned adulation, he polled up 
900 Propofitions appertaining to dialectics, morals, phy- 
iics, mathematics, metaphyfics, theology, natural magic, 
and the cabbala, extracted from writers in Latin, Greek, 
Arabic, and Chaldee; offering to difpute with, anyanta¬ 
gonist whomfoever upon any one of them. Thefe Pro¬ 
pofitions, or, as they were called, Concfafiones, are extant 
C O. 383 
in the jyorks of Pico, and excite regret that a mind o_ 
fuch uncommon power and activity Ihould have been em s 
ployed upon fuch frivolities. In addition to the endlef 
topics of metaphyfics, theology, and the ordinary fubjeCts 
of deputation, into which he entered very profoundly, 
the Conclufiones involved the ancient and obfcure philo¬ 
fophy of Pythagoras, Trifmegiftus, and Orpheus; the 
doCtrines of the Cabbala, or myftic interpretation of the 
facred writings, taught by Origen and Hilarius; the 
extent, ufes, and learning, of natural magic, which was 
vindicated from the vulgar reproach of impiety and 
necromancy. Seventy-two new phyfical and metaphy- 
fical dogmata of the author’s invention were likewife 
propofed and defended. Thefe Propofitions, according 
to the oftentatious praCtice on thefe occafions, were fixed 
in the moft public places in Rome ; and the propofer 
engaged to defray the expenfes of any one who fiiould 
come from a diftance for the purpofe of difputing with 
him. This challenge did not bring forward any dilpu- 
tants, but expofed Mirandola to much envy and zea- 
ioufy, particularly from the profeflors of fcience at Rome, 
who felt the reflexion that would be caft upon their credit 
by their declining a competition which they durft not 
encounter. Unable to injure his fame as a fcholar, they 
made a much more dangerous attack upon the foundnefs 
of his faith: thirteen queftions were felefted, which were 
charged with the terrible fufpicion of herefy, and con¬ 
tempt of the ordinances of the church ; a fufpicion very 
readily liftened to by the church when directed againlt 
great learning, which the increaling influence of philo- 
fophy and letters began to make her watch with extreme 
jealoufy. Mirandola repelled this attack by publifliing 
his Apologia, or Defence of the accufed Propofitions; 
which if it did not effectually clear away the fufpicions 
he had incurred, tended to confirm his enemies in their 
dread of his learning and powers; and it muft be owned 
that, overlooking the inifapplication of talents to fuch 
fubjeCts, the Apologia exhibits a command of profound 
and well-digefted learning and keen argument, truly 
aftonilhing at the age of twenty-three. This work, and 
the difcuflions it contained of certain delicate points, 
added to (ome hints of the limit of pontificial control 
in matters of faith, were fo difagreeable to pope Innocent 
VIII. that he interdicted the reading both of the Apo¬ 
logy and the difputed Propofitions, and fummonedPico 
to Rome to anfiwer for his conduct. He was at this time 
in France; but, in obedience to the pope’s fummons, he 
fet out on his return to Italy. In the mean-time that 
pope died, and was fucceeded by Alexander VI. who by 
a brief, dated in 1493, declared Pico free from all blame. 
The love of glory, however, was not Mirandola’s only 
paflion : his youth, fplendid accomplifliments, and the 
graces of his perfon, for which he is faid to have been re¬ 
markable, attracted the admiration and carefles of many 
diftinguiftied Roman ladies, who united the love of let¬ 
ters to that of pleafure, a tafte very common amongft the 
Italian ladies of that age. The young philofopher yielded 
to the force of thefe allurements, or rather (according to 
the account of his nephew and biographer) eagerly fol¬ 
lowed the bent of his difpofition, naturally inclined to 
obey the attractions of beauty. But this life of pleafure, 
however luitable to his condition and inclinations, was 
of a fliort continuance. Irritated by the reftlefs perfecu- 
tion of his enemies, and obliged perpetually to defend 
himfelf againlt the imputation of herefy, the moft formi¬ 
dable calumny which in that age'any man could have to 
contend with, he detached himfelf from vicious plea- 
fures, and regulated his manner of life by rigidly obfer- 
ving the laws of abftinence impofed by Chriftianity ; for, 
being a firm adherent to the Chriftian do&rines, the charge 
of infidelity and the vigilance of his enemies made him 
the more felicitous to guard againlt the appearance of dif- 
obeying them. Becoming from this time wholly devoted 
to learning, he foon acquired fuch celebrity, that the moft 
eminent fcholars from all parts of Italy came to vifit him 
