the infinitive, which is properly considered by the oriental grammarians as the spring and fountain of all the moods and tenses, and which, therefore, in Arabic is called the masdar, or the source. The Persians are very fond of the participle preterite; and it is very often used by their elegant writers to connect the members of a sentence, and to suspend the sense till the close of a long period. In poetry it sometimes is used like the third person preterite of a verb. Our author has subjoined a table of the moods and tenses, as they answer to those of European languages.

In the ancient language of Persia there were very few or no irregularities: the imperative, which is often irregular in the modern Persian, was anciently formed from the infinitive, by rejecting the termination ceden; for originally all infinitives ended in den, till the Arabs introduced their harsh consonants before that syllable, which obliged the Persians, who always affected a sweetness of pronunciation, to change the old termination of some verbs into ten, and by degrees the original infinitives grew quite obsolete; yet they still retain the ancient inperatives, and the aorists which are formed from them. This little irregularity is the only anomalous part of the Persian language, which, nevertheless, far surpasses in simplicity all other languages, as Sir William Jones says, ancient or modern, of which he has any knowledge.

One of the chief beauties of the Persian language is the frequent use of compound adjectives; in the variety and elegance of which it surpasses not only the German and English but even the Greek. These compounds are thought so beautiful by their poets that they sometimes fill a distich with them.

The construction of the Persian tongue is very easy, and may be reduced to a few rules, most of which it has in common with other languages. The nominative is usually placed before the verb, with which it agrees in number and person. It is remarked, however, that many Arabic plurals are considered in Persian as nouns of the singular number, and agree as such with verbs and adjectives. Another irregularity in the Persian syntax is, that the cardinal numbers are usually joined to nouns and verbs in the singular. The adjective is placed after its substantive, and the governing noun is prefixed to that which it governs. Conjunctions which express conjecture, condition, will, motive, &c., require the conjunctive or potential mood. Prepositions and interjections are fixed to nouns in the nominative case. The modern Persians borrowed their poetical measures from the Arabs, and they are very various and complicated.

The Persian elegy differs only in its length from the ode, except that the cassideh often turns upon lofty subjects, and the gazal comprises for the most part the praises of love and merriment, like the lighter odes of Horace and Anacreon. Sir William Jones, among other numerous trans⚫lations, has given us a translation in verse of a beautiful Persian song by Hafiz. But we must now content ourselves with referring to the close of Sir William Jones's Persian Grammar, or to his

Works, vol. 5, for further information on these interesting topics.

PERSIAN WHEEL. See HYDROSTATICS. PERSICA, the peach, is by Linnæus referred to the same class and genus with amygdalus ; however, as they are reckoned different genera, by Tournefort and others, we shall here mention the three principal species of the persica most remarkable for the beauty of their flowers. 1. P. Africana, the double-flowering dwarf almond. 2. P. humilis, the dwarf almond. These two reach not above the height of three or four feet, though their flowers are of equal beauty with the 3. P. vulgaris, the common peach tree, with double flowers. It is a very great ornament in gardens, producing very large double flowers of a beautiful red or purple color, and growing to a considerable size. Numerous other species of peach trees, with their culture, uses, &c., are described under AMYGDALUS.

PERSICARIA, in botany. See POLYGONUM. PERSICUM MARE, or PERSICUS SINUS, in ancient geography, a part of the sea which the Romans called Mare Rubrum, and the Greeks Mare Erythraum; washing Arabia Felix on the east, between which and Carmania, entering into the land, it washes Persia on the south. Its large mouth consists of straight sides, like a neck, and then the land retiring equally a vast way, and the sea surrounding it in a large compass of shore, there is exhibited the figure of a human head (Mela). Theophrastus calls this bay Sinus Arabicus.

PERSIMON. See DIOSPYROS. From the persimon is made a very palatable liquor in the following manner :-As soon as the fruit is ripe a sufficient quantity is gathered, which is very easy, as each tree is well stocked with them. These persimon apples are put into a dough of wheat or other flour, formed into cakes; and put into an oven, in which they continue till they are quite baked and sufficiently dry, when they are taken out again: then, in order to brew the liquor, a pot full of water is put on the fire, and some of the cakes are put in: these become soft by degrees as the water grows warm, and crumble in pieces at last; the pot is then taken from the fire, and the water in it well stirred about, that the cakes may mix with it: this is then poured into another vessel, and they continue to steep and break as many cakes as are necessary for a brewing: the malt is then infused, and they proceed as usual with the brewing. Beer thus prepared is reckoned much preferable to other beer. They likewise make brandy of this fruit in the following manner: Having collected a sufficient quantity of persimons in autumn they are altogether put into a vessel, where they lie for a week till they are quite soft; then they pour water on them, and in that state they are left to ferment of themselves, without any addition. The brandy is then made in the common way, and is said to be very good, especially if grapes (in particular of the sweet sort), which are wild in the woods, be mixed with the persimon fruit. Some persimons are ripe at the end of September, but most of them later, and some not before Novem

ber and December, when the cold first overcomes their acrimony. The wood of this tree is very good for joiners' instruments, such as planes, handles to chisels, &c., but if after being cut down it lies exposed to sunshine and rain, it is the first wood which rots, and in a year's time there is nothing left but what is useless. When the persimon trees get once into a field, they are not easily got out of it again, as they spread greatly.

PERSIS, a Roman lady, whom St. Paul salutes in his epistle to the Romans (xvi. 12), and calls his beloved sister. She is not honored by any church, which is something singular.

PERSIS, in ancient geography, a province of Persia, bounded by Media, Carmania, Susiana, and the Persian Gulf. It is used by some authors for Persia itself. PERSIST', v. n. Lat. persisto; Fr. perPERSISTANCE, n. s. sister. To persevere; PERSISTENCY, continue firm; not to PERSISTIVE, adj. desist the noun substantive and adjective follow these senses.

Thou thinkest me as far in the devil's book, as thou and Falstaff, for obduracy and persistency.

Shakspeare.

Id.

The love of God better can consist with the inde

PER'SON, n. s. PER'SONABLE, adj. PER'SONAGE, n. s. PER'SONAL, adj. PERSONALITY, N. S. PERSONA'TION, PERSONIFICATION,

Fr. personne; Ital. Span. and Lat. persona. An individual human being; see the extracts from Locke; a man or woman considered as opposed to, or distinct PERSON'IFY, v. a. from, things; or considered as present; one's own self, appearance, character, or office; in grammar, a quality of the noun which modifies the verb: personable means of good or handsome person; graceful: personage (Fr. personage), a considerable or eminent person; exterior character or appearance; stature: personal belonging to a human being; proper to an individual; present; real; corporeal; external; in law, that which is moveable or supposed appendant to the person; not real; not land in grammar, a personal verb is that which has all the regular modifications of the three persons; opposed to an impersonal one, that has only the third: personality is individuality; individual existence; it is also used in modern parlance for personal reflection or remark: personally follows the senses of personal: to personate is represent; pass for a given or supposed person; hence pretend; counterfeit; represent as in a picture; describe: but the last senses are disused personation is used by Bacon for coun

Government of the Tongue. If they persist in pointing their batteries against particular persons, no laws of war forbid the making reprisals.

Addison.

Nothing can make a man happy but that which shall last as long as he lasts: for an immortal soul shall persist in being, not only when profit, pleasure, and honour, but when time itself shall cease.

South.

PERSIUS FLACCUS (Aulus), a Latin poet in the reign of Nero, celebrated for his satires. He was born, according to some, at Volterra in Tuscany; and, according to others, at Tigulia, in the gulf of Specia, in the year 34. He was educated till twelve years old at Volterra; and afterwards at Rome, under Palæmon the grammarian, Virginius the rhetorician, and Cornutus the stoic, who contracted a friendship for him. Persius consulted that illustrious friend in the composition of his verses. Lucian also studied with him under Cornutus; and was so charmed with his verses that he was incessantly breaking out into acclamations at the beautiful passages in his satires. He was a steady friend, a good son, an affectionate brother and parent. He was chaste, meek, and modest: which shows how wrong it is to judge of a man merely by his writings; for the satires of Persius are not only licentious, but sharp-and acrimonious. Persius was of a weak constitution, and troubled with a weak stomach, which was the cause of his death in the thirtieth year of his age. Six of his satires remain; in their judgments of which the critics have been much divided, excepting as to their obscurity. Yet his style is grand, figurative, poetical, and suitable to the dignity of the stoic philosophy: and hence he shines most in recommending virtue.

rhetoric, prosopopoeia, the change of things to persons, as Confusion heard his voice:' to personify is, thus to change a thing, or give it per

sonal attributes.

Shakspeare.

I could not personally deliver to her What you commanded me, but by her woman I sent your message. Id. Henry VIII. The lofty cedar personates thee. Shakspeare. I am thinking what I shall say; it must be a personating of himself; a satire against the softness of prosperity. Id. Were it true that her son Ninias had such a stature, as that Semiramis, who was very personable, could be taken for him; yet it is unlikely that she could have held the empire forty-two years after by any such subtilty. Raleigh. The rebels maintained the fight for a small time, and for their persons shewed no want of courage.

Bacon.

It could not mean, that Çain as elder had a natural dominion over Abel, for the words are conditional; if thou doest well: and so personal to Cain. Id.

Person belongs only to intelligent agents, capable of a law, and happiness and misery: this personality extends itself beyond present existence to what is past, only by consciousness, whereby it imputes to itself past actions, just upon the same ground that it does the present.

Id. A zeal for persons is far more easy to be perverted, than a zeal for things. Sprat.

How different is the same man from himself, as he sustains the person of a magistrate and that of a friend! South. The great diversion is masking; the Venetians, naturally grave, love to give into the follies of such seasons, when disguised in a false personage.

Be a person's attainments ever so great, he should always remember that he is God's creature. Clarissa.

If he imagines there may be no personal pride, vain fondness of themselves, in those that are patched and dressed out with so much glitter of art or ornament, let him only make the experiment. Law.

These fables Cicero pronounced, under the person of Crassus, were of more use and authority than all the books of the philosopher. Baker on Learning.

Sir Robert Walpole rewarded him with twenty guineas; a much greater sum than he afterwards obtained from a person of yet higher rank. Johnson.

His works are such as a writer bustling in the world, showing himself in public, and emerging occasionally from time to time into notice, might keep alive by his personal influence. Id.

Is it possible, gentlemen, that persons of so acute understandings as those who were arrayed against me to-day, should not see, that if a minister ought not to be a member of parliament, the converse would be equally true, that the crown ought not to choose a member of parliament for its minister? Canning. And what would be the consequence ?

PERSON, in grammar, is applied to such nouns or pronouns as, being either prefixed or under

stood, are the nominatives in all inflections of a verb; or it is the agent or patient in all finite or personal verbs. See ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

PERSONAL ACTION, in law, is an action levied directly and solely against the person; in opposition to a real or mixed action. See ACTION.. PERSONAL GOODS or CHATTELS, in law, signifies any moveable thing belonging to a person, whether alive or dead. See CHATTELS.

PERSONATE, the fortieth order in Linnæus's Fragments of Natural Method, consisting of plants whose flowers are furnished with an irregular gaping or grinning petal, which in figure somewhat resembles the snout of an animal (see BOTANY, Index). Most of the genera of this order are arranged under the class and order didynamia angiospermia. The rest, although they cannot enter into that artificial class and order, for want of the classic character, the inequality of the stamina; yet, in a natural method, which admits of greater latitude, may be arranged with those plants which they resemble in their habit and general appearance, and particularly in the circumstances expressed in that title.

PERSONIFICATION, PERSONIFYING, or PERSONALISING, the giving an inanimate being the figure, sentiments, and language of a person. See ORATORY. Dr. Blair, in his Lectures on Rhetoric, gives this account of personification. It is a figure the use of which is very extensive, and its foundation laid deep in human nature. At first view, and when considered abstractedly, it would appear to be a figure of the utmost boldness, and to border on the extravagant and ridiculous. For what can seem more remote from the tract of reasonable thought than to speak of stones and trees, and fields and rivers, as if they were living creatures, and to attribute to them thought and sensation, affections and actions? One might imagine this to be no more than childish conceit, which no person of taste could relish. In fact, however, the case is very different. No such ridiculous effect is produced

by personification when properly employed; on the contrary, it is found to be natural and agreeable, nor is any very uncommon degree of passion required in order to make us relish it. All poetry, even in its most gentle and humble forms, abounds with it. From prose it is far from being excluded; nay, in common conversation, very frequent approaches are made to it. When we say, the ground thirsts for rain, or the earth smiles with plenty; when we speak of ambition's being restless, or a disease being deceitful; such expressions show the facility with which the mind can accommodate the properties of living creatures to things that are inanimate, or to abstract conceptions of its own forming.' The Doctor goes on to investigate the nature of personification at considerable length. And he adds a very proper caution respecting the use of it in prose compositions, in which this figure requires to be used with great moderation and delicacy. The same liberty is not allowed to the imagination there as in poetry. The same assistances cannot be obtained for raising passion to its proper height by the force of numbers and the glow of style. However, addresses to inanimate objects are not excluded from prose; but have their place only in the higher species of oratory. A public speaker may on some occasions very properly address religion or virtue; or his native country, or some city or province, which has suffered perhaps great calamities, or has been the scene of some memorable action. But we must remember that, as such addresses are among the highest efforts of eloquence, they should never be attempted unless by persons of more than ordinary genius: for if the orator fails in his design of moving our passions by them, he is sure of being laughed at. Of all frigid things, the most frigid are the awkward and unseasonable attempts sometimes made towards such kinds of personification, especially if they be long continued.'

Faith for reason's glimmering light shall give Her immortal perspective.

How richly were my noon-tide trances hung With gorgeous tapestries of pictured joys! Joy behind joy, in endless perspective!

Prior.

Young.

PERSPECTIVE is a branch of the science of optics which teaches how to represent the objects of vision on a plane surface.

Vitruvius says that the first who wrote a treatise on this subject was Agathareus, a disciple of Æschylus, and that subsequently his principles were elucidated and improved by Democritus and Anaxagoras. None of these treatises of the ancients, however, have come down to modern times. It is to the revival of painting in Italy that we must trace the existing art; and it seems to have owed its reviviscence particularly to that branch of painting which was employed in the decorations of the theatres.

The Arabian optician Alhazen, who flourished about the year 1100. should not be omitted,