perfectly reconciled to him before his death, which happened in 1670; for he thus addressed him" Son William, let nothing in this world, tempt you to wrong your conscience; I charge you do nothing against your conscience. So will you keep peace at home, which will be a feast to you in a day of trouble." William had a controversy with Muggleton, the founder of a sect called Muggletonians; and a public dispute with the famous Richard Baxter. He lived many years at Werminghurst, in Sussex, on an estate which came by his wife Gulielma Maria Springett, whose father had been killed at the battle of Bamber, in the civil wars. From this residence he went, in company with George Fox, and Robert Barclay, on a mission to Holland and Germany. In 1681, Charles II. in consideration of the services of Sir William Penn, his father, and of sundry debts due to him from the crown at the time of his disease, granted Mr. Penn and his heirs, by letters patent, the province lying on the west-side of the river Deleware, in North-America, and made them absolute proprietors and governors of that country. The name was also changed in honour of Penn, from the New-Netherlands, to Pennsylvania; it having been a sylva, or country overgrown with woods. Being possessed of this absolute government, he published "A Brief Account of the Province of Pensylvania," proposing also, an easy purchase of lands, and good terms of settlement to such as were inclined to remove thither. His character contributed greatly to settle this new colony; and

his friendly pacific manner of treating the Indians, created esteem for him on their parts. He died in 1718, at Jordans, near Beaconsfield, of the effects of three apop ectic fits. He left considerable property behind him, having inherited 15001. a year from his father. PHALARIS, the famous tyrant of Agrigentum, a Cretan by birth, who gave early indications of cruelty and ambition. Ancient writers have never mentioned him, but in terms of abhorrence. When a very young man, he interfered with affairs of government, and aimed at empire; on which account he was banished by the Cretans. He fled to Agrigentum, in Sicily, 'where, by the display of eminent talents and accomplishments, he became a favourite with the people, and at length obtained the sovereignty by stratagem. Sometimes, however, he had an eye to justice, even in the perpetration of his cruelties, as will appear from the following narrative. Perillus, an ingenious artist at Athens, presented him with a brazen bull, which had an opening in his side, so that men might be admitted into his body, and then by making a fire under the belly, their agonies, while roasting, would be expressed like the roaring of the animal it represented, so curiously was the throat constructed. The tyrant was pleased with the contrivance, and admired the workmanship of the bull; but asked the maker of it, whether he had ever tried it? "No," replied Perillus. "Then (said the tyrant) it is but reasonable you should make the first experiment upon your own work;"

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and ordered him immediately to be put into it. The people of Agrigentum, it is said, arose and put the tyrant to the same death which he inflicted on Perillus, B. C. 552. Ovid goes farther, and says, that his tongue was first cut out; and that he was then put into his bull to perish by the same slow fire, with which so many had perished before him. Others inform us, that he was stoned; but all agree that his death was violent. He reigned, according to Eusebius, 28 years; others say, 16.. PHILIPS, (JOHN) an eminent English poet, born in 1676, at Bampton, in Oxfordshire, and educated at Christchurch, Oxford. The first poem which distinguished him was "The Splendid Shilling," which in the Tatler, is stiled "the finest burlesque poem in the English language. His next poem was "Blenheim," written on the victory obtained there by the Duke of Marlborough, in 1704. His third, was entitled Cyder," which is founded on the model of Virgil's Georgics, and is a very excellent piece of its kind. He was remarkably fond of smoking tobacco; and one of his biographers remarks, that "in all his poems, except Blenheim, he has found an opportunity to celebrate its fume." PILKINGTON, (LETITIA) a poetical lady, the daughter of Dr. Van Lewin, a physician of Dublin, was born in 1712. Her husband was a wit, whose love for her after marriage was changed into hatred. This pair were at length separated, and she gives in her " Memoirs," an account of the cause of that separation; which, she says, was nothing more than her indiscretion,

in permitting a gentleman to be found in her chamber, at two o'clock in the morning! adding, that "Lovers of learning will pardon it, when they are told, that it was the attractive charms of a new book which the owner would not lend, without staying till it was read through.” PIVETT, (CHRISTOPHEN) an excellent carver and gilder in York, was born in the year 1703, and died in 1796, aged 93 years. He was formerly in the retiuue of his Royal Highness William Duke of Cumberland: he fought under the Earl of Stair at the battle of Dettingen, and under the Duke of Cumberland in the battle of Fontenoy; was at the siege of Carlisle, and at the battle of Culloden. He went to York the latter

end of the year 1746. His habitation having been burnt down, he took the singular resolution of not lying in a bed, which he had not done for the last thirty-eight years of his life. He used to sleep upon the floor, or upon a chair, or chairs, with his cloaths on. During the whole of this period he lived alone; cooked his victuals; and seldom admitted any person into his habitation, carefully concealing the place of his birth, or to whom he was related. It is supposed he was born in or near London, and that his relations reside there. He appeared to have had a liberal education; and was fond of having receipts for money in the name of Sir Christopher Pivett. He was also remarkable for many singularities. Among other uncommon articles which composed the furniture of his apartment, were a human skull, and some old swords and

armour

armour, on which he set great value. He retained his faculties to the last; declined being indulged with a bed, or even a mattrass, and refused all medical assistance. He was an ingenious artist, and an honest man.

POPE, (BENJAMIN). This gentleman was nearly as remarkable a character as that of Mr. Elwes, of usurious and penurious memory. He was originally a tanner in Southwark, and dealt so extensively in this branch, that his stock in trade was, for many years, supposed to be worth sixty or seventy thousand pounds. He had been long in business, and was reputed to be worth a plumb. He at length became a money-lender, and launched into discounting and buying annuities, &c. He was not, however, so successful in this branch of business as he had been in his former dealings; for the name of Pope, the Usurer, frequently appears in the proceedings of our courts of law, when the venerable sages on the bench thought very differently from Mr. Pope, in their opinion of his practices in this line of business. The most remarkable, and the last instance of this sort was, when he was cast in 10,000l. damages for some usurious or illegal practices, in some money transactions with Sir. Alexander Leith. This was generally thought

a

severe sentence, and, perhaps, the wellknown character of the man contributed not a little towards it. Mr. Pope himself thought it so ( ppressive and unjust, that he complained of it without ceasing, and even printed a case, setting forth the particulars of his grievance. To be even with his plaintiff, Mr. Pope went

abroad