438 
P I L, 
Here there are two chapels, and fifteen other houfes ; to 
which are added confeffionals, fo contrived that the prieft 
cannot fee the perfon confeffing. The penance varies 
according to the circumftances of the penitent; during 
the continuance of which (which is fometimes three, fix, 
or nine, days) he fublifts on oatmeal, fometimes made into 
bread. He traverfes fiiarp ftones on his bare knees or 
feet, and goes through a variety of other forms, paying 
fixpence at every different confefiion. When all is over, 
the prieft bores a gimblet-hole through the pilgrim’s ftaff 
near the top, in which he fattens a crofs peg ; gives him 
as many holy pebbles out of the lake as he cares to carry 
away, for amulets to be prefented to his friends, and fo 
difmiffes him, an objeft of veneration to all other papifts 
not thus initiated, who no fooner fee the pilgrim’s crofs 
in his hands, than they kneel down to get his blelfing. 
There are many other parts of Ireland facred to extraor¬ 
dinary worfhip and pilgrimage; and the number of holy 
wells, and the miraculous cures produced by them, is 
very great. 
Dr. Johnfon, in his Raflelas, gives us fome obferva- 
tions on pilgrimage, which are fo much to the purpofe, 
that we think we cannot do better than lay them before 
our readers. “ Pilgrimage, (faid Imlac, into whofe 
mouth the obfervations are put,) like many other adds of 
piety, may be reafonable or fuperftitious according to the 
principles upon which it is performed. Long journeys in 
fearch of truth are not commanded. Truth, fuch as is 
necefi'ary to the regulation of life, is always found where 
it is honeftly fought: change of place is no natural caufe 
of the increafe of piety, for it inevitably produces diffipa- 
tion of mind. Yet, fince men go every day to view the 
fields where great aftions have been performed, and return 
with ftronger imprefiions of the event, curiofity of the 
fame kind may naturally difpofe us to view that country 
whence our religion had its beginning: and I believe no 
man furveys thole awful fcenes without fome confirma¬ 
tion of holy refolutions. That the Supreme Being may 
be more eafiiy propitiated in one place than in another, is 
the dream of idle fuperftition ; but that fome places may 
operate upon our own minds in an uncommon manner, 
is an opinion which hourly experience willjuftify. He 
who fuppofes that his vices may be more fuccefsfully 
combated in Paleftine will perhaps find himfelf miftaken ; 
yet he may go thither without folly : but he who thinks 
they will be more freely pardoned, difltonours at once his 
reafon and religion. 
To PIL'GRIMIZE, v.n. To ramble about like a pil¬ 
grim. Not in ije. —I’ll bear thy charges, an thou wilt 
but pilgrimize it along with me to the land of Utopia. 
B. Jonfon's .Cafe altered. 
PILIAT'CHIN, a cape on the eaft coaft of Rnfiia, in 
the Penzinfkoi Sea : 272 miles eaft-north-eaft of Ochotfk. 
Lat. 60. 10. N. Ion. 155. 14.. E. 
PIL'IO, a town of Thibet : fixty-feven miles north of 
Tourfan Hottrn. 
PI'LIS, a town of Hungary: eight miles fouth-eaft of 
Gran, and eighteen north-weft of Buda. 
PILKAL'LEN, a town of Pruflian Lithuania: fixty- 
four miles eaft ot Konigfberg, and thirty fouth-eaft of 
Tiifit. Lat. 54. 45. N. Ion. 22. 57. E. 
PIL'KINGTON, a town in Lancalhire, with 7353 in¬ 
habitants, including 3824 employed in trade and manu¬ 
factures, and 1196 houfes: three miles fouth of Bury. 
PIL'KINGTON (Laetitia), a famous poetical genius, 
the daughter of Dr. Van Lewin, a phyfician of Dublin, 
w here fhe was born in 1712. She was married very young 
to the Rev. Matthew Pilkington, a poet alfo of no incon- 
(iderable merit ; and the two wits, as is often the cafe, 
lived very unhappily together. They were at length to¬ 
tally feparated, on the hufband accidentally difcoveringa 
gentleman in her bedchamber at two o’clock in the mor¬ 
ning ; a circumftance which fhe accounted for in a very 
unfatisfaftory manner. The ftory is told at large in her 
Memoirs; where fhe fays, “Lovers of learning, I am 
p i L 
fure, will pardon me, as I folemnly declare it was the at- 
tradive charms of a new book, which the gentleman 
would not lend me, but confented to ftay till I read it 
through, that was the foie motive of my detaining him.” 
As there are not wanting fome who form objections to 
marrying learned wives, the chance of fuch literary af- 
fignations may perhaps be added to the lift of them. 
After this unlucky adventure, Mrs. Pilkington came 
to London ; and having recourfe to her pen for fubfift- 
ence, through the means of Colley Cibber, (lie lived for 
fome time on the contributions of the great. She was 
however thrown into the Marlhalfea for debt ; and, being 
fet at liberty, opened a pamphlet-fhop. She raifed at 
length a handfome fubfcription for hei%Memoirs; which 
are written with great fprightlinefs and wit, containing 
feveral entertaining anecdotes of Dean Swift, with whom 
(lie was intimate, as well as many pretty little pieces of 
her own poetry. She wrote alfo a tragedy called the 
“ Turkilh Court, or the London Apprentice,” which was 
aCled at Dublin in 1748, but, we believe, never printed. 
This ingenious woman died, in great penury, in Dub¬ 
lin, July 29, 1750 ; having had recourfe to the bottle in 
order to drown her forrows; by which it is thought fhe 
fhortened her days. She departed at the age of 39, leav¬ 
ing feveral children to take their chance in the wide 
world ; for her hufband renounced them at the fame time 
that he renounced her. John, her eldeft fon, turned out 
alfo fomethingof a poet; and has likewife publifhed his 
Memoirs. He died in the year 1763. Biographia Dra- 
matica. 
PILKO'PEN, a town of Pruflia, in the province of 
Samland, fituated on a mountain, where the ancient Pruf- 
fians placed an idol, called Pilkob, which they worfhip- 
ped : thirty miles north of Konigfberg. 
PILL , f. [pilula, Lat. pillule, Fr.] Medicine made into 
a fmall ball or mafs.—When I was fick, you gave me 
bitter pills. Shahefpeare. 
The oraculous doflor’s myftick bills. 
Certain hard words made into pills. Crajhaw. 
Any thing naufeous: 
That wheel of fops! that fanter of the town ; 
Call it diverfion, and the pill goes down. Young. 
To PILL, v. a. [piler , Fr. from pellis, Lat. fkin.] To 
take of the rind, or outfide; to peel; to ftrip off the bark. 
This is the primary fenfe.—Jacob took him rods of green 
poplar, and pilled white ftreaks in them. Gen. xxx. 37.— 
Commons are always bare, pilled and fhorn, as the flieep 
that feed upon them. South’s Sermons, vii. 69.—To ftrip; 
to rob; to plunder; [ piller, Fr.]—That no man be fo 
hardy to go into no chatnbre, or logynge, where that any 
woman lyeth in childbedde, her to robbe ne pylle of no 
goods. Statutes and Ord. of War, 1513. 
So did he good to none, to many ill ; 
So did he all the kingdom rob and pill. Spenfer. 
The commons hath he pill’d with grievous taxes, 
And loft their hearts. Shakefpeare's Rich. II. 
Large-handed robbers your grave matters are, 
And pill by law. Shakefpeare’s Timon. 
To PILL, v.n. To be ftript away ; to come off in flakes 
or fcoriae. This fliould be peel; which fee.—The white- 
nefs pilled away from his eyes. Tobit xi. 13.—To commit 
robbery.—We prowl, poll, and pill. Mir. for Mug. — 
Suppole pilling and polling officers, as bufy upon the 
people, as thole flies w'ere upon the fox. L'Eftrange. 
PILL, or Crock'ern Pill, a village, in the county of 
Somerfet, on a point of land, at the mouth of the Avon, 
where it joins the Severn at Kingroad ; chiefly inhabited 
by mariners and pilots, employed to navigate veflels up 
the river and down the Briftol Channel : twelve miles 
below Brillol. 
PILLADEE', a town of Bengal: fixteen miles fouth of 
Tomar. 
1 PIL'LAGE, 
