PIE PIE 413 
tured this work, was done when Pupienus and Balbinus 
were emperors, A.D. 2,37. Durvum is the Latin name of 
the mountain called at this day Durvau. The road 
through the bifttoprick of Bafil to Neufchatel is perhaps 
not more interefting on account of the noble arch above 
defcribed through which it pafles, than for the aftonifh- 
ing romantic beauty of the country, which not being 
defcribed in any book of travels, is a lamentable proof of 
its not having been much frequented by our countrymen. 
iiesit. Mag. March, 1782. 
PIERREFEU', a town of France, in the department of 
the Var: fix miles north of Hieres. 
PIERREFIT'TE, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Allier: ten miles north of Le Donjon. 
PIERREFIT'TE, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Meufe 5 (even miles weft of St. Mihiel, and 
ten north-eaft of Bar le Due. 
PIERREFIT'TE, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of Paris : fix miles north of Paris. 
PIERREFONTAI'NE, a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Doubs, and chief place of a canton, in 
the diftri 61 of Baume. The place contains 1110, and the 
canton 7889, inhabitants.' 
PIERREFOR'TE, a town of France, in the depart¬ 
ment of the Cantal : twelve miles fouth-weft of Sr. Flour, 
and fix eaft of Aurillac. 
PIERRES DE LEG. See Paternosters, vol. xviii. 
PIER'RIE, f. Precious ftones. Chaucer. 
PIER'RIER, f. [Fr. from pierre, a ftone.] A heap of 
large ftones baftily collefiled together near a fortified 
place, and covered with earth, in order to conceal them 
from a befieging enemy. If grafs ftiould have grown 
upon it, the enemy will, in all probability, confider it as 
a mere eminence, or commanding fpot of ground, and 
will, of courfe, endeavour to get pofieffion of it. The 
inftant he makes the attempt, a di fcharge of ordnance 
mull: be directed from the rampart againft this heap, for 
the purpofe of fcattering the ftones amongft the aflailants, 
and forcing them to retire. Perhaps it might add to this 
fpecies of defence were temporary works thrown up in 
front of the heap, and a mine laid underneath.—A pro¬ 
jectile to carry ftones.—-The difperfion of a charge of 
ftones, thrown from a mortar, or pierrier, is much great¬ 
er than any perfon, who has not witnefied it, can ima¬ 
gine. Douglas’s Obfervations on Carnot's Syjlem of Defence; 
1819. 
PIERREVIL'LE (St), a town of France, in the de¬ 
partment of the Ardeche, and chief place of a canton, in 
the diftrifit of Privas. The place contains 1471, and the 
canton 7856, inhabitants. 
PIER'SON (Thomas). This ingenious perfon was for¬ 
merly a blackfmith, a watchmaker, a fchoolmafter, &c. 
at Stokefley in Cleveland. He afterwards had a little 
place in the cuftom-houfe at Stockton, where he died the 
30th oDAuguft, 1791. He wrote a poem, called “ Rofe- 
bury i opping,” and a tragedy, entitled “The Trea¬ 
cherous Son-in-Law,” printed at Stockton in 1786, but 
we do not know that it was ever a filed. Biog. Dram. 
PIERSZAI'E, a town of Lithua nia, in the palatinate 
of Wilna : lixty miles eaft of Lida. 
PIES'KI, a town of Lithuania, in the palatinate of 
Novogrodek : forty miles weft-fouth-weft of Novogrodek. 
PI'EF, or Piot, f. [front pie.] A magpie; fo called in 
fome parts of England. 
. PIETAN'L I A, f. in old records ; a pittance, a por¬ 
tion of vifihials distributed to the members of a college. 
PIETANTIA RIUS, f. The officer in a college who 
was to diftribute the pietantia. 
PIE'TENPACH, a river of Auftria, which joins the 
Reilen near Schwadorf; both emptying themfelves toge¬ 
ther into the Danube twelve miles below Vienna. 
PI'ETISM, f, [from piety.~\ A kind of extremely 
ftrifil devotion. See Pietist.- —They have not ftuck 
more than once openly to declare in their meetings, that 
they would not give over till they had driven pietil'm -out 
Vol. XX. No. 1378. 
of their community, root and branch. Frey, cited by Bp. 
Lavingtnn. 
PI'ETISTS, a religious, fefit that fprung up towards 
the clofe of the 17th century, among the Proteftams of 
Germany; Teeming to be a kind of mean between the 
Quakers of England, and the Quietifts of the Romifli 
church. 
This fefit originated in the zeal of certain perfons, who, 
with the beft intentions, endeavoured to Item the torrent 
of vice and corruption, and to reform the licentious 
manners both of the clergy and of the people. How¬ 
ever, many, deluded by the fuggeftions of an irregular 
imagination, and an ill-formed underftanding, or guided 
by principles and views of a more criminal nature, fipread 
abroad new and fingular opinions, falfe vifions, unintelli¬ 
gible maxims, auftere precepts, and imprudent clamours 
againft the difeipline of the church : all which excited 
the mod dreadful tumults, and kindled the flames of con¬ 
tention and difeord. 
The learned Spener was at the head of the firft refor¬ 
mers, who, by the private focieties he formed at Frank¬ 
fort, with a defign to promote vital religion, roufed the 
hike-warm from their indifference, and excited a fpirit of 
vigour and refolution in thofe who had been finished to 
lament in filence the progrefs of impiety. With this view 
he publifhed a book, entitled “Pious Defires,” in which 
he reprefented in an affefiting manner the diforders of the 
church, and propofed the remedies that were proper to 
'’heal them. The religious meetings above mentioned, or 
Colleges of Piety, as they were called, however well de- 
figned in their original eftablifliment, tended in many 
places to kindle in the breads of the multitude the flames 
of a blind and intemperate zeal, whole effects were impe¬ 
tuous and violent; fo that thefe inllitutions of pietifm 
became objefits of reproach, and occafions of complaint. 
The tumult thus produced was farther promoted by 
the commotions that arofe at Leipfic in the year 1689, 
when certain pious and learned profeflors of philofophy 
undertook to explain the Scriptures in their colleges, with 
a view of forming candidates for the miniftry into a more 
accurate acquaintance with thefe fources of religious 
knowledge. The novelty of this method of inftrufition 
excited attention, and the leftures that were delivered to 
this purpofe were much frequented. Sufpicions and ru¬ 
mours of an unfavourable kind were loon induftrioufly 
propagated, and the profeflors were prohibited from pur- 
(uing the plan of religious inftrufifion which they had 
undertaken. During thefe troubles and divifions, the 
invidious denomination of Pietifts was firft invented; or 
at leaft before this period it was not commonly known. 
The denomination was alfo fometimes applied to perfons 
who r e motley characters exhibited an enormous mixture of 
profligacy ami enthufiafm,and who betterdeferved the title 
of delirious fanatics. Many perfons of various ranks and 
profeflions, of both fexes, learned and illiterate, pretended 
a divine impulfe for pulling up iniquity by the root, and 
reftoring to its primitive luftre the declining caufe of 
piety and virtue, and tor eftablilhing a better difeipline 
in the Chriftian church. Afleniblies, fimilar to thofe efta- 
blifhed by Spener, were introduced for this purpofe into 
Leipfic and other places : but they were not all conduc¬ 
ted with prudence and order. Into thefe afleniblies there 
were introduced feveral extravagant and hot-headed fa¬ 
natics, who foretold the deftrufition of Babel, i. e. the Lu¬ 
theran church ; who terrified the populace with fi<? 3 tious 
vifions, a {Turned the authority of prophets honoured with 
a divine commiflion, revived dofitrines that had long be¬ 
fore been exploded and condemned, declared the ap¬ 
proach of the millennium, and were guilty of many out¬ 
rages againft order and peace. 
Thefe revivers of piety were of two kinds. One fefit, 
at the head of which was Spener, propofed to carry on 
their plan without introducing any change into the doc¬ 
trine, difeipline, or form of government, in the Lutheran 
church : the other party were for introducing confidera- 
5-N ble 
