p I 
547 
in the fupport of popery as he is in that of prcteftantifin. 
Pitts has like wife betrayed bad faith in his confident 
quotations from the antiquary Leland, though it is 
certain that he never law hi- writings, and could only 
copy what Bale has taken from them. His work is 
replete with miftakes and mifreprefentations, and is 
chiefly valuable for the accounts he has given of the 
Englifli Catholic writers who became refugees for their 
religion. Nico,{Jon’s /lift. Library. 
PIT'SCHEN or Bitscken, a town of Silefia, in the 
principality of Brieg. In the year 158S, this town was 
pillaged and burnt by the Poles, after they ba$ defeated 
Maximilian of Auftria ; and in the years 1637, and 1633, 
it was again lacked. It was pt one time the fee or a 
bifliop, afterwards removed to Breflaw : it contains two 
churches, and a college, and is furrounded with walls; 
thirty-miles north-eaft of Brellau. Lat. 51. 8. N. Ion. 18. 
j 5-E- 
PITS'HAN, a town of Little Bukharia : thirty mile's 
eaft-north-eaft of Tcurfan. 
PITS'HANGER, a fubordinate manor to Ealing, in 
Middlefex, was for many years the property of the 
Edwards family ; of whom Thomas Edwards, efq. the 
author of the celebrated “Canons of Criticifm,” was 
long a relident here. Its late polTeflbr, John Soane, efq. 
profeflor of architefture io the Royal Academy, greatly 
improved the houfe and grounds, and rendered this a 
very pleafant and clafiical retreat. . This gentleman fold 
the eftate about the year 1815. 
PITSjEGAM', ft. in botany. See Jasminum. 
PITSYLVA'NIA. See Pittsylvania. 
PITT, a county of America, -in North Carolina, con¬ 
taining 9169 inhabitants, of whom 3589 were Haves in 
1810.—Alfo a townfbip of Allegany county, Penn- 
lylvania, containing 2441 inhabitants. 
PITT (Chriftopber), an Englifli poet, fon of a phy- 
•ftcian, was born at Blandford in Dorletlhire, in the year 
1699. He was educated in Winchefter fchool, where he 
was diltinguilhed for his afliduity in iludy; for his tnfle 
as a general fcholar, and as a writer of Englifli yerfe. 
On leaving Winchelter, he was elefted to New College, 
Oxford; and, as an acknowledgement of the kindnefs of 
the electors, he prefented them with two manufeript 
volumes of poems, of which one was mifceilaneous, and 
the other contained a complete verfion of Lucan’s Phar- 
falia. He ; was intended for the church ; and, after three 
years refidence at college, he was prefented, in j 722, to 
the reftory of Pimpern, in Dorfetfliire, to which place he 
retired after a further continuance of two years at 
Oxford, when he had taken his degree of M. A. Here 
he palled the remainder of his life in an eafy fituation, 
maintaining a focial and very friendly intercourfe with 
many perfons of rank and literary eminence. He died in 
1748, in the 49th year of his age, generally refpefted and 
beloved, In 1727, hepublillied a volnmeof mifceilaneous 
poems; after which he produced a tranflation of Vida’s 
Art of Poetry, which pofleffes much of the elegance 
and high polifli of the original. His fuccefs in this de¬ 
partment of literature encouraged him to undertake the 
talk of tranflating Virgil’s Eneid, which he completed in 
1738, and publilhed in two vols. 4to. in 1740. “This 
tranflation/’ fays his biographer, “if Dryden’s had not 
exiited, would have been confidered as a very valuable 
addition to the mafs of Englilh poetry ; and even in com¬ 
petition with that work, it may fuftain itfelf by its dif¬ 
ferent merits.” It is certainly much more exa£I to the 
original, not only in meaning, but in that polifli and re¬ 
finement which is fo often violated by the coarfenefs of 
Dryden. It is alfo by no means deficient in ftrength 
and vigour: but it cannot boaft of thole happineffes of 
expreflion, that glow and elevation, which in the belt 
paffages of Dryden give the (lamp of original genius. 
Pitt’s tranflation, however, has taken a firm hold on the 
public; and has repeatedly been reprinted in a complete 
edition of Virgil in Englilh verfe, of which the Eclogues 
5 
and Georgies were contributed by Dr. Wharton, with 
various critical diflertations by himfelf and others. 
Johnfton’s Eng I'M Pods. 
PIT r (William), Earl of Chatham, an illultrious 
Englilh ftatefinan, was l'econd.fon of Robert Pitt, efq. 
of Boconnic, and Harriet Villisrs, lifter to the earl of 
Grandifon; and grandfon of Thomas Pitt, efq. governor 
.of Fort St. George in the E'aft Indies, in the reign of 
queen Anne, who fold an extraordinary diamond to the 
king of France for 135,000k and thus obtained the name' 
of Diamond Pilt. lie was born in Weftmiulter on Nov. 
15 1708 ; and received the early part of his education at 
Eton. At the age of i 3 he was .entered of Trinity- 
college, Oxford. Of his academical reputation little is 
known, but his name appears to a copy of Latin verfes 
on. the death of Gebrge I. publilhed in the univerfity- 
tribute on that occafion. The hereditary difpofition to 
the gout, which appeared even vvlai 1 it he was at fchool, 
probably impeded his exertions in college, and compelled 
him to quit it without taking a degree. He then made 
a tour on the continent, with little advantage to his 
health ; but lie was obliged to his diforder for allowing 
him leifure to ftore his mind with ufeful knowledge, 
and for precluding the ufual temptations to juvenile 
diffipation. It can fcarcely bp fuppofed that the mili¬ 
tary profeffion was ever intended to be his permanent 
destination, and the comtnilflon of a cornet in the 
Blues, which his friends obtained for him, was proba¬ 
bly only regarded as a temporary addition to a fcanty 
income. . 
In 1735 ' le was placed in the proper theatre for his 
abilities by-an introdudlion into the bonfe of commons 
as representative (if it can be fo called) of the family- 
borough of Old Sarum. In the fame parliament, his two 
friends, George Lyttleton, afterwards Lord Lyttleton, 
and Richard Grenville, afterwards Lord Temple, were 
firft aggregated to the fenatoriai body. The firft time 
Mr. Pjtt lpoke in that aflembly was to lecond a motion 
of Lyttleton, for a congratulatory addrefs to his majefty 
on the marriage of the Prince of Wales (Frederic). 
His fpeech was received witli applaufe, and obtained for 
him the notice of the prince, who was then at the head 
of an oppofition-party. With this party Mr. Pitt always 
voted, and thereby incurred the difpleafure of the 
minifter, Sir Robert Walpole, who revenged himfelf by- 
taking away his commiflion. This emancipation, as it 
might properly be confidered, was celebrated by fotne 
lines of his friend Lyttleton, ironically complimenting 
Walpole for fnatching “ the fervile Itandard from his 
hand,” and railing him to patriotic eminence. 
The quality by which a young man chiefly diftinguilhes 
himfelf in the Britifli parliament is’ eloquence ; and 
oppofition is the moli favourable poll for its exertion. 
In this field Mr. Pitt foon attained the firft rank. A 
manly figure, an exprefiive countenance, a melodious 
voice, a keen eye, a graceful manner, and pleafing 
addrefs, gave luftre and effeft to a copious elocution, not 
indeed highly correft, but animated with the fire of 
genius, and frequently marked with pafihges of fingular 
force and energy that imprefled tbemfelves upon the 
memory, and were almoft irreliftible in their effect. 
The records of the Britifli fenate fcarcely prefent 
another name fo diftinguiflied by that eloquence which 
bears away with it the paflions and convidfions of the 
hearer, and ftrikes an antagonift with awe. To thefe 
powers he added true elevation of mind, honour, 
integrity, and pure conftitutional principles. 
Without attempting to trace all the fteps of this 
ftatefman’s progrefs from an oppofitionift to a member of 
adminiftration ; w’e may briefly obferve, that he con¬ 
tinually rofe in the efteem of the nation, as an able and 
vigilant oppofer of all meafures that appeared to him to 
be unconftitutional. Seven of his fpeeches preferved in 
Chandler’s Debates, and which were delivered during 
the remainder of fir Robert Walpole’s adminiftration, 
exhibit 
