57 2 
P I Z 
PIXOT'TO, a town of Sicily, in the valley of Noto: 
eight miles Couth of Modica. 
PIZAR'RO (Francifco), the difcoverer and conqueror 
of Peru, was the natural fon of a Spanith gentleman by a 
woman of the loweft rank. His father, thinking himfelf 
not obliged to raife him to a condition fuperior to his 
maternal birth, not only left him deftitute of all education, 
but employed him in the fervile office of keeping twine. 
Indignant at this treatment, he ran away and enlifted for 
a common foldier. After lerving Come time in Italy, he 
joined the adventurers who were now flocking to thare 
in the treafures of the newly-difcovered America. He 
was prefent in all the wars of Cuba and Hifpaniola ; and 
accompanied Ojeda in his expedition to the gulf of Darien, 
and Balboa in his march acrofs the ifthmus to the South 
Sea. On all thefe occaflons he flood pre-eminent for 
undaunted courage, perfeverance, enterprife, and con¬ 
duit ; and, though fo illiterate as^ to be unable to read, 
was confidered as formed for command. His mind and 
body were equally fitted for difficult and laborious un¬ 
dertakings; and experience had prepared him to meet 
every emergency. He was paft the meridian of life, and 
had acquired fome property, when, in 1524, the aitive 
fpirit of ambition and avarice induced him, with Diego 
de Almagro and Hernando Luque, to enter into an aflo- 
ciation for the conquefl of the fuppofed rich countries on 
the coaft of the South Sea. They embarked their for¬ 
tunes in the enterprife; and Pizarro, as th^leaft wealthy, 
was to undergo the firft hazard of the attempt. He failed 
from Panama in a fingle vefiel, fo feeble were the means 
by which the fubverfion of a great empire was to be 
efl’efted. Pizarro with his aflociates made the moft im¬ 
portant conquefts, till at length they quarrelled among 
themfelves, and fell victims to their own ambition, 
jealoufy, and avarice. Almagro foon after was defeated 
and beheaded by Pizarro, who was foon after aflaffinated 
by Almagro’s friends. See the article Peru, vol. xix. p. 743. 
PIZO'LO, a town of Sicily, in the valley of Noto: 
eight miles fouth of Modica. 
PIZZA'TI (Giufeppe), publiflted at Venice, in folio, 
with a feparate volume of plates, in 1782, “ La Scienza 
de’ Suoni e dell’ Harmonia, The Science of Sounds and 
of Harmony.” The author clearly explains the pheno¬ 
mena of found, as far as concerns practical mufic, from 
d’Alembert, another modern writer on harmonics, and 
gives an account of late difcoveries in the fcience, and 
of the fyftems of Rameau and Tartini, from Roufleau, 
explaining the laws of harmony in their prefent ufe. 
PIZZICA'TO, adj. [from pizzicare, Ital. to pinch.] A 
term that announces to the performers on bowed in- 
ftruments the ufe of the fingers inflead of the bow. 
When the bow is to be refumed, it is exprefled by the 
words col area .—There are fome chord-inftruments which 
have no bow, and which are played only by pinching, as 
the lute, guitar, &c. and fometimes thofe with which 
the bow is generally ufed are pinched, as the violin and 
violoncello ; and this method of playing is marked in the 
Italian by the word pizzicato. Chambers. 
PIZZIGHITO'NE, a town of Italy, fituated on the 
Adda, contains 400 fouls. In its cattle Francis I. was 
confined, after being made prifoner. It is nine miles 
north-weft of Cremona, and thirteen miles fouth-eaft of 
Lodi. Lat. 45. 10. N. Ion. 9. 48. E. 
PIZ'ZLE,/. A vulgar word for the penis of brutes. 
PIZ'ZO, a town of Naples, in Calabria Ultra, near the 
coaft : thirteen miles north-eaft of Tropea. Pizzo was 
the feene of the landing, and, very foon after, of the 
execution, of Joachim Murat, (ex-king of Naples,) in 
1815. See the article Naples, vol. xvi. p. 559. 
PIZ'ZO FERRA'TO, a town of Naples, in Abruzzo 
Citra : thirteen miles eaft-fouth-eall of Sulmona. 
PIZ'ZO di GOT'TO, a town of Sicily in the valley 
of Demons : fix miles fouth of Melazzo. 
PIZZO'NE, a town of Naples, in the Lavora; one 
mile north of Venafro. 
P L A 
PLA, a town of Spain, in the province of Catalonia: 
five miles fouth of Urgel. 
PLA'BENNEC, a town of France, in the department 
of the Finifterre: five miles fouth-weft of Lefneven, and 
feven miles north-eaft of Breft. 
PLA'CABLE, adj. [ placabilis , Lat.] Willing or pof- 
fible to be appealed.—.Thofe implanted anticipations are, 
that there is a God, that he is placable, to be feared, 
honoured, loved, vvorfltipped, and obeyed. Hale's Grig, of 
Mankind. 
Since I fought 
By prayer the offended Deity to appeafe; 
Methought I faw him placable and mild, 
Bending his ear. Miltons P. E. 
PLACABIL'ITY, or Pla'caeleness, f. Willingnefs 
to be appealed ; poflibility to be appealed :— Placabylitis 
is no lyttle parte of benignitie, and is properly where a 
man is by any occafion moved to be angrye, and not- 
withftanding, either by his owne reafon in gene rate or by 
counfayle perfwaded, omitteth to be revenged; and 
oftentimes receiveth the tranfgreffour,once reconciled,into 
more favour. Sir T. E/yot’s Gov. —The various methods 
of propitiation and atonement Ihow the general confent 
of all nations in their opinions of the mercy and placa¬ 
bility of the divine nature. Anonymous. 
PLACAN'ICA, a town of Naples, in Calabria Ultra : 
feventeen miles eaft-fouth-eaft of Reggio. 
PLACARD, or Placart, [plnkaert, Dutch ; placard, 
Fr. from plaque, a flat piece of metal, ftone, or wood ; 
Gr. 7rAii|: hence applied to an edibt, or table of orders, 
put up in public places.] An edidt; a declaration; a 
manifefto. An advertifement, or public notification.— 
In architecture, the decoration of the door of an apart¬ 
ment, coniifting of a chambranle, crowned with its frize, 
and its cornice fometimes fupported with confoles. 
To PLACARD, v. a. To notify publicly: in col¬ 
loquial language, to poll. 
To PLACATE, v. a. [placo , Lat.] To appeafe; to 
reconcile. This word is ufed in Scotland.-—That the 
efteft of an atonement and reconciliation was to give all 
mankind a right to approach and rely on the protection 
and beneficence of a placated Deity, is not deducible from 
nature. Forbes. 
PLAC'CIUS (Vincent), a learned jurift, was born at 
Hamburg in the year 1642. After ftudying at Leipfic 
and other places, he travelled into Italy and France, and 
became a licentiate in law at Orleans. Returning to his 
native city, he praftifed at the bar; and in 1675 was 
appointed profeflbr of moral philofophy and eloquence, the 
duties of which lie performed till his death in 1699. He 
was author of a volume of Latin poems, and of many 
other works, of which the principal are, 1. A curious 
bibliographical piece concerning anonymous writers, firft 
publifhed at Hamburg, in 1674, under the title of “ De 
Scriptis et Scriptoribus anonymis atque pfeudonymis 
Syntagma 5” together with the “ Catalogus AuCloruni 
fuppofitorum” of Rhodias. The work was well received, 
and he prepared a new edition of it, with confiderable 
additions, which was printed after his death, in two vols. 
folio, in 1708, under the care of John Albert Fabricius. 
A fupplement to it was publiflted by Milius, in 1740, at 
Hamburg. 2. De Arte Excerpendi, 1689. Gen. Biog. 
PLACE, f. [Fr. piazza, Ital. platea, Lat. placea, low 
Lat. plats, Germ, plaece, Sax. plait, Su. Goth, plain, level; 
7rA«Tf?, Gr. broad, large.] Particular portion of fpace.-— 
Search you out a place to pitch your tents. Deut . i. 33. 
Here I could frequent 
With worthip, place by place, where he vouchfaf’d 
Prefence divine. Milton's P. L. 
Locality; ubiety; local relation,— Place is the relation 
of diftance betwixt any thing, and any two or more 
points confidered as keeping the fame diftance one with 
another ; and fo as at reft : it has fometimes a more con- 
fufed 
