510 
P I R 
Where favage pirates feek through feas unknown 
The lives of others, vent’rous of their own. Pope. 
In different parts, pirates are differently denominated ; 
as, in the Weft Indies, bucaneers, free-booters, §~c. in the 
Mediterranean, corfairs, fyc. See the article Bucaneer, 
vol. iii. 
The colours ufually difplayed by pirates are faid to be 
a black field, with a death’s head, a battle-axe, and hour- 
glafs. The laft inftrument is generally fuppofed to de¬ 
termine the time allowed to the prifoners, whom they 
take, to confider whether they will join the pirates in 
their felonious combination, or be put to death, which is 
often perpetrated in the molt cruel manner. 
Among the moll celebrated pirates of the north is 
recorded Alvilda, daughter of a king of the Goths named, 
Syparaus. She embraced this occupation to deliver her¬ 
felf from the violence impofed on her inclination, by a 
marriage with Alf, fon of Sigarus king of Denmark. She 
drefl'ed herfelf as a man; and compofed her band of 
rowers, and the reft of her crew of a number of young 
women attired in the fame manner. Amongft the firit 
of her cruizes, file touched at a place where (he found a 
company of male pirates bewailing the death of their 
captain. Thefe were captivated with the agreeable man¬ 
ners of Alvilda, and chofe her for their chief. By this 
reinforcement (he became fo formidable upon the fea, that 
prince Alf came to engage her. She fuftained his attacks 
for a confiderable time : but, in a vigorous aflion, Alf 
boarded her veffel, and having killed the greateft part of 
her crew, feized the captain, namely herfelf; whom 
neverthelefs he knew not, becaufe the princefs had a 
cafque which covered her vifage. Being mafter of her 
perfon, he removed the cafque, recognized her, and of¬ 
fered her his hand in wedlock. 
Pirate was alfo anciently ufed for the perfon to whofe 
care the mole, or pier of a haven, (in Latin pira,) was 
entrufted. 
Pirate was fometimes too, according to Spelman, ufed 
for a fea-captain, or foldier. After, in the life of king 
Allred, tells us, “juffit naves longas fabricari, impofit- 
ifque piratis in illis vias maris cuftodiendas commifit.” 
Pirate, moreover, is a term for any robber; particu- 
cularly a bookfeller who feizes the copies of any other 
men.—This poem ^tbe Splendid Shilling) was written 
for his own diverfion, without any defign of publication. 
It was communicated but to me; but foon fpread, and 
fell into the hands of pirates. It was put out, vilely 
mangled, by Ben Bragge; and impudently faid to be 
correfted by the author! Johvj'ons Life of J. Phillips. 
To PI'RATE, v. n. To rob by fea.—When they were a 
little got out of their former condition, they robbed at 
land and pirated by fea. Arbuthnot. 
To PI'RATE, v. a. To take by robbery.—They adver- 
tifed, they would pirate his edition. Pope. 
PIR'ATIION, [Heb. diftipation.] The name of a city. 
Judges. 
PIRATH'ONITE, f. An inhabitant of Pirathon. 
PIRAT'ICAL, adj. Predatory; robbing; conlifting 
in robbery.—Having gotten together (hips and barks, 
[they] fell to a kind of piratical trade, robbing, fpoiling, 
and taking prifoners the illips of all nations. Bacon's 
Hen. VII. — Pradtifing robbery. — The errours of the 
prefs were multiplied by piratical printers; to not one of 
whom I ever gave any other encouragement, than that of 
not profecuting them. Pope. 
PIRATTCALLY, adv. By piracy.—Thofe to whom I 
allude were of earlier date, and fuch as had been piratically 
taken and fold. Bryant on Troy. 
PIRAU'GY, a river of Bralil, eaft of Rio Grande and 
Point Negro. 
P 1 RAY 7 , a river of South-America, which runs into 
the Paraguay. 
PIRAYU', a town of Paraguay : twenty miles fouth- 
eaft of Affumption. 
P I R 
PIRAZZE'TA, a town of Naples in Bafilicata ^four¬ 
teen miles north-eaft of Turfi. 
PIRCK'HEIMER (Bilibald), a German writer, was 
born at Eickftadt, where his father, who praflifed the 
law, was a counfellor to the bifhop. Having an excellent 
genius, great care was bellowed on his education ; and 
at the age of eighteen he entered among the troops of the 
bifhop, where he continued tw'o years. He afterwards 
went to Padua, and for three years ftudied jurifprudence; 
but applied alfo to the belles-lettres, and particularly the 
Greek language, in which he made a very great progrefs. 
As his father, however, wifhed him to devote himfelf 
entirely to the law, he proceeded to Pifa, where he re¬ 
mained four years, and in the courfe of that time made 
himfelf completely mafter of the Italian. He ftudied alfo 
the mathematics, theology, and medicine; and, after 
fpending feven years in Italy, where he gained univerfal 
efteem by his prudence and good condudl, he was recalled 
by his father to his native place. He was fubfequently 
in the fervice of the duke of Bavaria, and Sigifmund 
archduke of Auftria, both of whom nominated him their 
counfellor; and he refided fometimes at Munich, and 
fometimes at Infpruck. But, becoming tired of a court- 
life, and the frequent journeys he was obliged to under¬ 
take for the fervice of two mailers, he retired to Nurem¬ 
berg, to enjoy tranquillity, and contribute to the comfort 
of his father, who was Hill alive, but in a very advanced 
age. He married, in 1497, a lady of a noble family in 
that city; and being created a fenator, in confequence of 
his abilities and addrefs, he was deputed to various 
princes to negotiate affairs of importance. Three years 
after, war being declared between the emperor and the 
Swifs, Pirckheimer was entrufted with the command of 
the troops fent by the city of Nuremberg to alfift the 
emperor; on which occafion he condufled himfelf with 
fo much courage and prudence, that he acquired the 
efteem of that prince, who appointed him to be one of 
his counfellors. When peace was concluded, the city of 
Nuremberg, as a teftimony of its approbation, made him 
liberal prelents, which excited the jealoufy of envious 
perfons fo much, that they did every thing in their 
power to obfcure his reputation. At length, in difguft, 
he requefted leave to refign, which he obtained with fome 
difficulty, and devoted himfelf to letters, to which he had 
always retained a llrong attachment, and which he culti¬ 
vated as much as his occupations would permit. After 
the death of his wife, he returned to public life, and was 
employed by the republic of Nuremberg in important 
negotiations, and was often fent to the diets of the empire 
to take care of its intereft. The gout, with which he 
was attacked, made it neceffary for him to renounce tra¬ 
velling, and even to refign once more his office of fenator, 
which the fenate permitted him to do only on condition 
that he would continue to affift it by his councils, and 
agree to receive a penfion. He confented to the former, 
but abfolutely refufed the latter; and died in December 
1530,at the age offixty. 
When Pirckheimer refigned, for the firft time, his 
office of fenator, he began to apply ferioufly to ffudy, to 
colledt a library of printed books and manufcripts, and 
to tranflate Greek authors into Latin, of which verfions 
a confiderable number wrnre publiffied. The celebrated 
Huet, however, had no high opinion of his tranflations; 
fince he fays, that he was fo fcrupulous in obferving the 
cadence and ineafure which he thought he found in the 
originals, that he often, without any hefitation, perverted 
their meaning and truth. There was publifhed after his 
death, “ Pirckheimeri Opera Politica, Hiftorica, Philoli- 
gica, et Epiftolica, cum Alberti Dureri figuris aeneis. 
Adjedlis Opufculis Pirckheimeri aufpicio concinnatis : 
Clarae Pirckheimeras Abbatiflae, Conradis Celtis, Joannis 
Stabii, Chriftophori Scheurlii, Eobani Hefti, Epiftolae 
variae variorum ejus aevi dodtiffimorum virorum ad Pirck- 
heimerum ; una cum Conradi Ritterlhufii Commentario 
de Vita et Scriptis Pirckheimeri. Omnia nunc primum 
edita 
