536 P I T 
female,in this plant, at all preponderated in the offspring; 
but, as this point appeared interefting, I made a few trials 
to afcertain it. And, as the foregoing obfervations had 
occurred in experiments made principally to obtain new 
and improved varieties of the pea for garden-culture, 
I chofe, for a (imilar purpofe, the more hardy varieties 
ufually Town in fields. By introducing the farina of the 
largeft and moll luxuriant kinds into the bloffoms of the 
moll diminutive, and by reverfing this procel's, I found 
that the powers of the male and female, in their effects on 
the offspring, are exaflly equal. The vigour of the 
growth, the fize of the feeds produced, and the feafon of 
maturity, were the fame, though the one was a very early, 
and the other a late, variety. I had, in this experiment, 
a linking indance of the dimulative effects of eroding the 
breeds; for the fmalled variety, whofe height rarely 
exceeded two feet, was increafed to fix feet ; whild the 
height of the large and luxuriant kind was very little 
dirninifhed. By this procefs, it is evident, that any num¬ 
ber of new varieties may be obtained ; and it is highly 
probable, that many of thefe will be found better calcu¬ 
lated to correct the defeiSls of different foils and lituations, 
than any we have at prefent: for, I imagine that all we 
now poffefs have in a great meafure been the produce of 
accident; and it will rarely happen, in this or any other 
cafe, that accident has done all that art will be found 
able to accomplilh. 
“I cannot difmifs this fubjeft, without exprefiing my 
regret, that thofe who have made the fcience of botany 
their ftudy, Ihould have confidered the improvement of 
thofe vegetables, which in their cultivated date, afford 
the larged portion of fubfidence to mankind and other 
animals, fo little connected with the objeft of their pur- 
fuit. Hence it has happened, that whild much attention 
has been paid to the improvement of every fpecies of 
ufeful animal, the mod valuable efculent plants have been 
almod wholly neglected. But, when the extent of the be¬ 
nefit which would arife to the agriculture of the country, 
from the poffeflion of varieties of plants which, with the 
fame extent of foil and labour, would afford even a fmall 
increafe of produce, is confidered, this fubjefl appears of 
no inconfiderable importance. The improvement of 
animals is attended with much expenfe, and the improved 
kinds neceffarily extend themfelves flowly ; but a fingle 
bufltel of improved wheat or peafe, may in ten years be 
made to afford feed enough to fupply the whole ifland ; 
and a fingle apple, or other fruit-tree, may within the 
fame time be extended to every garden in it.” See Car- 
diospermum, Lotus, Paullinia, ViciA,and Ulva. 
PIT,/ [Saxon.] A hole in the ground.— Pits upon 
the fea-fhore turn into frefh water, by percolation of the 
fait through the fand ; but, in fome places of Africa, the 
water in luch pits will become brackifh again. Bacon. 
Our enemies have beat us to th e pit; 
It is more worthy to leap in ourlelves, 
Than tarry till they pufli us. ShakeJ'peare's Jul. Ctef. 
Abyfs; profundity: 
Get you gone. 
And from the pit of Acheron 
Meet me i’ the morning. Shakefpeare's Macbeth. 
The grave.— O Lord, think no fcorn of me, left I become 
like them that go down into the pit. Pfalms xxv iii. i.— 
The area on which cocks fight.—They managed the dif- 
pute as fiercely as two game-cocks in the pit. Locke on 
Education. 
Make him glad, at lead, to quit, 
His victory, and fly the pit. Hudibras. 
The middle part of the theatre 5 all that fpace between 
the amphitheatre or galleries, and the theatre or ftage; 
called by the ancients orcheftra, and by the French par¬ 
terre. —This being the molt commodious part, it was here 
the Roman fenate was placed. It has its name pit, from 
its being funk below the level of the ftage. Chambers. — 
P I T 
Here the critics, and judges of new pieces, are fuppofed 
to refort : 
Now luck for us, and a kind hearty pit ; 
For he who pleafes never fails of wit. Dryden. 
Any hollow' of the body : as, the pit of the ftomach ; the 
arm-ptf. A dent made by the finger. A mark made by 
a difeafe. 
To PIT, v. a. To lay in a pit, or hole.—They lived 
like beads, and were pitted like beafts, tumbled into the 
grave, or deprived of the honour of the grave; as was 
Cononiah and Jezebel. Granger on Ecclejiaftes, 1621.— 
To put to fight, as cocks.—To prefs into hollows. — An 
anafarca,a fpecies of dropfy,is charadterifed by the film¬ 
ing and' foftnefs of the fkin, which gives way to the 
lead impreflion, and remains pitied for Come time. Sharp. 
—To mark with (mail hollows, as by the fmall pox. 
PIT'-COAL, J\ Foflil coal.—The bell fuel is pear, the 
next charcoal made of pit-coal or cinders. Mortimer. See 
the article Coal, vol. iv. p. 753. 
PIT'-HOLE, J'. A mark or cavity made by difeafe.—I 
have known a lady fick of the fmall pocks, only to keep 
her face from pit-holes, take cold, flrike them in again, 
kick up the heels, and vanilh. Bcaum. and FI. Fair Maid 
of the Inn. 
PIT'-MAN, / He that in fawing timber works below 
in the pit.—With the pit-faw' they enter the one end of 
the fluff', the top-man at the top, and the pit-man under 
him: the top-man obferving to guide the law exadlly,and 
the pit-man drawing it with all his llrength perpendicu¬ 
larly down. Moxon. 
PIT'-SAW, f. The large faw ufed by two men, of 
whom one is in the pit.— The pit-faw is not only ufed by 
thofe workmen that faw timber and boards, but is alfo 
for fmall matters ufed by joiners. Moxon. 
PITAHA'YA. See Cactus pitahaya. 
PITA'MA, or Pitamaha, the name of the god 
Brahma among the Hindoos; the creative power in their 
divine triad. 
PITAM'BER, a name among Hindoo mythologifts, 
given to their paftoral god Krifhna, and fometimes alfo 
to Vifhnu andNarayana; who are probably the fame deity 
under different names. 
PIT'ANE, in ancient geography, a town of -iTolia, in 
Alia Minor. The inhabitants made bricks which fwam 
on the furface of the water. 
PI'TANS. According to Mr. Orme, in his Hiftory of 
the Carnatic, the Pitans are fuppofed to be the defend¬ 
ants of the Northern Indians, who were early converted 
to Mahometanifm. They have been reckoned good 
troops, and are naturally fierce. 
PIT'APAT, adv. [probably from pas-a-pas, or patte- 
patte , Fr,] With palpitations.—A lion meets him, and 
the fox’s heart went pitapat. L' Eftrange. 
PIT'APAT, /. A palpitation; a flutter. A light 
quick (lep.—Now I hear the pitapat of a pretty foot 
through the dark alley; no, ’tis the fon of a mare that’s 
broken loofe, and munching upon the melons. Dryden’s 
Don Sebajiian. 
PITAU', or Pithau (Nicholas), a Dutch engraver, 
was born at Antwerp in the year 1633. He was the fon 
and pupil of James Pitau. He travelled to Paris A. D. 
1660. Baffan erroneoufly informs us that he was born in 
1664 at Antwerp ; and Watelet fays at Paris in 1633; 
Huber and Martini corredt thefe miflakes, and from 
other authorities it appears certain that he was at Paris 
the time we have mentioned above, and died there fome 
time about the year 1676. His ftyle of engraving nearly 
refembles that of Francis de Poilly, though his ftrokes 
are more vigorous. His drawing is in general tolerably 
corredl, but, at times, rather heavy, efpecially in the ex¬ 
tremities of his figures. He worked with thegraveronly, 
and appears to have handled that inftruraent with much 
facility; but, from the famenefs of manner with which 
he has treated his figures, draperies, and back-grounds, the 
effect 
