land, he stopped at Basle, where he read lectures on physic in the German tongue. He was one of the first who made use of chemical remedies with success, by which he acquired great reputation. See MEDICINE. He gloried in destroying the method established by Galen, and thus drew upon himself the hatred of the other physicians. It is said that he boasted of being able, by his remedies, to preserve the life of man for several generations; but he himself experienced the vanity of such boasting, by dying at Saltzburg, in 1504, at thirty-seven years of age according to some, or forty-eight according to others. The best edition of his works is that of Geneva in 1658, in 3 vols. folio.

PARACENTE'SIS, n. s. Fr. paracentese ; Greek παρακέντησις, οἱ παρακεντέω, to pierce. That operation whereby any of the venters are perforated to let out any matter; as tapping, &c. PARACENTESIS. See SURGERY. PARACENTRICAL, adj. Į Gr. Tapà, beside,and KEVTρov,

PARACENTRIC.

a centre. Deviating from circularity. Since the planets move in the elliptic orbits, in one of whose foci the sun is, and, by a radius from the sun describe equal areas in equal times, we must find out a law for the paracentrical motion, that may make the orbits elliptic. Cheyne.

PARACENTRIC MOTION, the motion or space by which a revolving planet approaches nearer to or recedes farther from the sun, or centre of attraction.

PARACHUTE, a large and strong kind of umbrella, invented by M. Blanchard, the French aeronaut, to break a person's fall from an air balloon, in case of any accident happening to it at a high elevation. See AERONAUTICS.

PARACLETE, the Comforter, a name given to the Holy Ghost.

PARADE', n. s. Fr. parade; Ital. parada; of Lat. paro, to contrive or go about a thing. Order; array; procession; show; pomp.

The cherubim stood armed

I hate its noise and stiff parade, its blank
And empty forms, and stately courtesy,
Where between bows and blows, a smile and stab,
There's scarce a moment. Soldiers always live
In idleness or peril: both are bad.

Proctor.

Be rich; but of your wealth make no parade, At least before your master's debts are paid. Swift. PARADE, in a military sense, is the place where troops assemble or draw together, to nount guard, &c.

PARADE, in fencing, implies the action of parrying or turning off any thrust. See FENCING. PARADIN (William), a French historian of he sixteenth century, born at Cuiseaux, near Chalons, was author of a great number of works; particularly the History of Aristæus respecting the version of the Pentateuch; and Memoralia insignium Franciæ familiarum.

PARADIS (Paul), a learned Venetian, who first taught the Hebrew language in the Royal College of Paris; and wrote some pieces on it. PARADISE, n. s. Fr. paradise; Gr. zapádoos. The region in which the first pair were placed; any happy region.

Consideration, like an angel, came,

And whipt the' offending Adam out of him;
Leaving his body as a paradise,
To envelope and contain celestial spirits.
Shakspeare.
If he should lead her into a fool's paradise,
It were very gross behaviour.

ld. Romeo and Juliet.
The earth
Shall all be paradise, far happier place
Than this of Eden, and far happier days.

Milton.

The ancients express the situation of the paradisiacal earth in reference to the sea. Burnet.

Such a mediocrity of heat would be so far from exalting the earth to a more happy and paradisi.cal state, that it would turn it to a barren wilderness. Woodward's Natural History.

The summer is a kind of heaven when we wander in a paradisiacal scene, among groves and gardens; but, at this season, we are like our poor first parents, turned out of that agreeable, though solitary life, and forced to look about for more people to help to bear together in cities. our labours, to get into warmer houses, and hive

By Alla! I would answer nay;
Though on Al-Sirat's arch I stood,
Which totters o'er the fiery flood,
With paradise within my view,
And all his Houris beckoning through

Pope.

Byron.

PARADISEA, in ornithology, a genus of birds belonging to the order of picæ. The beak is covered with a belt or collar of downy feathers at the base; and the feathers on the sides are very long. Birds of this genus,' says Latham, ' have the bill slightly bending; the base covered with velvet-like feathers. The nostrils are small, and concealed by the feathers. The tail consists of ten feathers; the two middle ones, and sometimes more in several of the species, are very long, and webbed only at the base and tips. The legs and feet are very large and strong: they have three toes forward, one backward, and the middle connected to the outer one as far as the first joint. The whole of this genus have, till lately, been very imperfectly known; few cabinets possessing more than one species, viz. tae greater, or what is called the common bird of Paradise; nor has any set of birds given rise to more fables, the various tales concerning which are to be found in every author; such as, their never touching the ground from their birth to death; living wholly on the dew; being produced without legs; and a hundred such stories, too ridiculous even to mention. This last error is hardly yet wholly eradicated. The Portuguese first found these birds on the island of Gilolo, the Papua Islands, and New Guinea; and they were known by the name of birds of the sun. The inhabitants of Ternate call them manuco duwata, the bird of God; whence the name manuco diata, used by some naturalists, is derived. The peculiar length and structure of their scapular feathers hinders them from settling

in high winds, on trees; and, when they are thrown on the ground by these winds, they cannot rise again. When taken by the natives, they are immediately killed, and they defend themselves with great courage with their formidable bills. Latham enumerates eight species, but there are many more.

1. P. alba, the white bird of Paradise, is the most rare, and has two varieties; one quite white, and the other black and white. The former is very rare. The second has the fore part black, and the back part white; with twelve crooked wiry shafts, which are almost naked, though, in some places, covered with hairs.

2. P. makima, the largest bird of Paradise, is commonly two feet four inches long; the head is small; the bill hard and long, of a pale color. The head and back part of the neck is lemoncolored, a little black about the eyes; about the neck, of the brightest glossy emerald green, soft like velvet; as is also the breast, which is black; the wings are large, and chestnut colored; the back part of the body is covered with long, straight, narrow feathers, of a pale brown color, similar to the plumes of the ostrich. These feathers are spread when the bird is on the wing; for which reason he can keep very long in the air. On both sides of the belly are two tufts of stiff and shorter feathers of a golden yellow, and shining. From the rump proceed two long stiff shafts, which are feathered on their extremities. These birds are found at the Aroo islands, fifteen Dutch miles east of Key, during the west or dry monsoon; and they return to New Guinea as soon as the east or west monsoon sets in. They come always in a flock of thirty or forty, and are led by a bird which the inhabitants of Aroo call the king. This leader is black, with red spots; and constantly flies higher than the rest of the flock, which never forsake him, but settle as soon as he settles; a circumstance that frequently proves their ruin when the king lights on the ground, whence they are not able to rise on account of the singular structure and disposition of their plumage. They are likewise unable to fly with the wind, which would ruin their loose plumage; but take their flight constantly against it, cautious not to venture out in hard blowing weather, as a strong wind frequently obliges them to come to the ground. During their flight they cry like starlings. Their note, however, approaches more to the croaking of ravens; which is heard very plainly when they are in distress from a fresh gale blowing on the back of their plumage. In Aroo, they settle on the highest trees, especially on the ficus benjamina of the hortus malabaricus, commonly called the waringa tree. The natives catch them with bird-lime, or in nooses, or shoot them with blunt arrows; dry and fumigate the bodies with sulphur or smoke, and sell them at Banda for half a rixdollar each; but at Aroo they may be bought for a spike-nail or a piece of old iron. Flocks of these birds are often seen flying from one island to the other against the wind. During the east monsoon their tails are moulted, so that they have them only during four months of the west monsoon.

3. P. minor, the smaller bird of Paradise is

about twenty-nine inches long. His beak is lead-colored, and paler at the point. The eyes are small, and enclosed in black about the neck. The head and back of the neck are of a dirty yellow; the back of a grayish yellow; the breast and belly of a dusky color; the wings small, and chestnut-colored. The long plumage is about a foot in length, and paler than in the large species; as in general the colors of this species are less bright than the former; though in most other respects they are alike. They likewise follow a leader, who is blacker, with a purplish cast, and finer in color than the rest. The neck and bil are larger in the male than in the female. They roost on the tops of the highest trees, and do not migrate. The natives sear the birds with a hot iron, and put them in a tube of bamboo for preservation.

4. P. nigra Amboinensis, a species of the black bird of Paradise, seen in Amboyna in 1689. This was only one foot in length, with a fine purple hue, a small head, and a straight bill. On its back, near the wings, are feathers of a blue and purple color, as on the other birds of Paradise; but under the wings, and over all the belly, they are yellow-colored, as in the common sort on the back of the neck they are mouse-colored, mixed with green. Before the wings are two roundish tufts of feathers, which are green edged, and may be moved at pleasure by the bird, like wings. Instead of a tail, it has twelve or thirteen black, naked, wire-like shafts, hanging promiscuously like feathers. Its legs are strong, and have sharp claws. The head and eyes are remarkably small; the latter are surrounded with black.

5. P. nigra major, the large black bird of Paradise, is brought without wings or legs for sale; so that no accurate description of it has yet been given. Its figure, when stuffed, is narrow and round, but stretched in length to the extent of four spans. The plumage on the neck, head, and belly, is black and velvet-like, with a strong hue of purple and gold. The bill is blackish, and one inch long. On both sides are two bunches of feathers, which appear like wings. The plumage is soft, broad, similar to peacocks' feathers, with a glorious gloss and greenish hue. The feathers of the tail are of unequal length; those next to the belly are narrow, like hair; the two uppermost are much longer, and pointed; those immediately under them are a span and a half longer than the upper ones; they are stiff, on both sides fringed with a plumage like hair, black above, but glossy below. Birds of this species are brought only from one particular place of New Guinea.

6. P. nigra minor, the small black bird of Paradise, has plumage equal in length, but thinner in body, black above, and without any remarkable gloss, not having those shining peaock feathers which are found on the greater species. It wants likewise the three long pointed feathers of the tail, which the larger black species has.

7. P. regalis, or regis, the king's bird, is about seven inches long, and somewhat larger than a titmouse. Its head and eyes are small; the bill straight; the eyes included in circles of

black plumage; the crown of the nead is flamecolored; the back of the neck blood-colored; the neck and breast of a chestnut-color, with a ring of the brightest emerald green. Its wings are in proportion strong; and the quill feathers dark, with red shining plumes, spots, and stripes. The tail is straight, short, and brown. Two long naked black shafts proceed from the rump, at least a hand-breadth beyond the tail; having at their extremities semilunar twisted plumage, of the most glaring green color above, and dusky below. The belly is white and green sprinkled; and on each side is a tuft of long plumage, feathered with a broad margin, being on one side green, and on the other dusky. The back is blood-red and brown, shining like silk. The legs are in size like those of a lark, three fore toes and one back toe. This bird associates not with any of the other birds of Paradise; but flits solitary from bush to bush, wherever he sees red berries, without ever mounting on tall trees. PARADOX, n. s. PARADOX'ICAL, adj. PARADOX'ICALLY, adv. PARADOXICALNESS, n. s. PARADOXOLOGY.

Fr. paradoxe; Gr. Tapadosos. A tenet contrary to received opinion;

Sreceived

sition in appearance absurd: the derivatives follow this sense.

A glosse there is to colour that paradox, and make it appear in shew not to be altogether unreasonable.

You undergo too strict a paradox,
Striving to make an ugly deed look fair.

Hooker.

Shakspeare. How worthy are they to smart that mar the harmony of our peace, by the discordous jars of their new and paradoxical concerns! Bp. Hall.

'Tis not possible for any man in his wits, though never so much addicted to paradoxes, to believe otherwise, but that the whole is greater than the part: that contradictions cannot be both true; that three and three make six; that four is more than three. Wilkins.

'Tis an unnatural paradox in the doctrine of causes, that evil should proceed from goodness.

These will seem strange and paradoxical to one that takes a prospect of the world.

Norris.

In their love of God, men can never be too affectionate it is as true, though it may seem a paradox, that in their hatred of sin, men may be sometimes too passionate. Sprat.

Mankind in the gross is a gaping monster, that loves to be deceived, and has seldom been disappointed; nor is their vanity less fallacious to our philosophers, who adopt modes of truth to follow them through the paths of error, and defend paradoxes merely to be singular in defending them.

Mackenzie. If their vanity of appearing singular puts them upon advancing paradoxes, and proving them as paCollier. ra roically, they are usually laught at.

PARADOX. No science abounds more with paradoxes than geometry; thus, that a right line should continually approach to the hyperbola, and yet never reach it, is a true paradox; and

in the same manner, a spiral may continually approach to a point, and yet not reach it in any number of revolutions, however great. See M'Laurin's Fluxions. See LOGARITHMS.

PARADOXI, a sort of mimes or buffoons among the ancients, who entertained the people with extempore effusions of drollery. They were also called Paradoxologi, Ordonari, Neanicologi, and Aretalogi.

PARAGAUDE, among the ancient Romans, wreaths of gold, or silk and gold, interwoven in, not sewed to, their garments. The garment was sometimes of one color, with one paragauda; sometimes of two colors with two paragaude; or three colors, with three, &c. They were worn both by men and women.

PARAGOANA, a peninsula of Venezuela, Colombia, which is united to the continent by a narrow isthmus, on which stands the city of Coro. The isthmus is about a league in width, and the peninsula stretches from south-west to north-west for twenty leagues. It is chiefly inhabited by people of color and Indians, who breed great quantities of cattle on it.

PARAGOANA, a craggy cape on the coast of Venezuela, thirteen leagues from the city of

letters are the five following, viz. ↑ ↑ 178, to which some add the . The use of paragogic letters is only to give a more full and agreeable sound to words, either for the sake of the verse, or the smoothness of the period. As in the Hebrew, letters are sometimes added 'euphoniæ gratiâ,' so likewise, the four fol lowing letters, viz. ♫ 11', which, according to the grammatical rules, ought to be present, are omitted. Dr. A. Rees.

Ital.

PARAGON, n. s. & v. a. French parangon; paragone; Gr. παράγων. A pattern or model; to match; compare; parallel; be equal to (as in a pattern).

The picture of Pamela, in little form, he wore in a tablet, purposing to paragon the little one with Artesia's length, not doubting but even, in that little quantity, the excellency of that would shine through the weakness of the other.

Alone he rode without his paragon.
An angel! or, if not,

An earthly paragon.

I will give thee bloody teeth,
If thou with Cæsar paragon again
My man of men.

Sidney.

Spenser.

Shakspeare.

Id.

We will wear our mortal state with her, Catharine our queen before, the primest creature That's paragon'd i' th' world. Id. Henry VIII. Proud seat

Of Lucifer, so by allusion called
Of that bright star to Satan paragon'd.

Milton.

PARAGONG, a town of the province of Bootan, North Hindostan, and capital of a district of the same name. It is famous for its manufacture of swords, daggers, arrows, and

Of his last paragraph, I have transcribed the most important parts.

Swift. When one subject is continued to a considerable length, the larger divisions of it should be put into paragraphs. Murray.

A PARAGRAPH is properly a section or division of a chapter, and in references is marked thus, ¶. PARAGUA, a river of New Granada, Colombia, in the province of Maracaibo, which runs S. S. E., and enters the Apure.

PARAGUAY, an extensive government of Buenos Ayres, bounded by Chiquitos, Chacos, and Tucuman, on the north-west and west; by the lake of Xarayes on the north; on the northeast and east by the Portuguese territories; and on the south-east and south by the Parana, which separates it from the missions of Guaira in Buenos Ayres, its jurisdiction ending in the south of the city of Assumption, in 26° 48′ S. lat.; and it is divided from Tucuman by the river Paraguay.

The great geographical features of this country are its numerous rivers, lakes, swamps, plains, and woods. The most noted of its rivers are the Paraguay, the Parana, the Porudos, Mbotely, Tobati, Ipane, Piray, in the north; and in the south the Canabe and the Tibiquari. These, in the rainy season, overflow their banks, the ground being flat to the extent of several hundred miles; the inundation spreads into lakes which are of great superficial extent, but little depth. When it subsides large tracts which have been submerged become extremely fertile. The climate in general is moist and temperate, though in some parts it is cold, and white frosts are common in July and August. All kinds of grain, the sugar-cane, beans, peas, melons, cucumbers, and European vegetables, abound in the more fruitful parts; asparagus is found wild, and there is a remarkably fine sort of vine, of which a good wine is made: tobacco and cinchona, or Jesuits' bark; sarsaparilla; rhubarb; jalap; sassafras; guaiacum; cupay, whose oil is used in medicine; nux vomica; vanilla; cacao, the cedar; the curi or pine, from whose red knots, which contain a varnish, the Indians make images; the algarrobo, or carob tree, which is converted into bread; and the Paraguay tea or matte, a plant which rises about a foot and a half high, with slender branches, and leaves like those of senna, are also found here. This last herb grows about 100 leagues from the capital. The gathering and preparing it consists in drying the leaves, which are scattered on shelves for the purpose over a fire, when they are crumbled into a rough dust, and then put up into packages of from seven to eight arrobas, each arroba weighing 25 lbs. The consumption

of this article, not only in these provinces, but in those of Peru and Chili, is incredible; there is scarcely any person who does not take an infusion of it two or three times in the course of the day, making an infusion of it like tea, with warm water and sugar; the mines would stand still, it is said, if the owners were to neglect to supply the workmen with it. It is infused and made nearly in the same way as Chinese tea, excepting that the branches are put in with the leaves. Te pomegranate, fig, lemon, and orange, also flourish in Paraguay. The native fruits include the jujuba, chanar, yacani, quabira (from which candles are made for the churches), the delicious quembe, the mammon, resembling a melon, and growing on the trunk of a tree; the anguay, whose pips, of a rich violet color, and triangular shape, are used by the Indians for necklaces; the bacoba, banana, anana, manioc, the cotton tree, which grows here to a great size, &c. &c.; indigo, cochineal, nacalic, whose beautiful yellow is much used by dyers; and reeds of great size, besides a great number of other useful trees and plants; and an immense variety of beautiful flowers. The largest bird is the cassowary or American ostrich, which is remarkable for its fine plumage and swift motions. Of the humming bird there are nine species. In the woods are also hares, rabbits, partridges, wild boar, deer, &c.; but from the great quantity of neat cattle, the flesh of which is preferred, none of these animals are hunted. In the lakes and shores of the river geese are taken in great numbers. They are enlivened likewise by nightingales, goldfinches, parrots of most beautiful plumage, peacocks, and birds of prey, amongst which there is one called tuca, resembling the crow, but having a beak the length of a hand, and beautifully variegated with red, yellow, and black streaks. The most ferocious animal of Paraguay is the jaguar or tiger, which commits great havoc amongst the cattle, and often attacks man. The puma couga, or the American lion, is a fierce animal, but not to be compared to the African lion; and the black bear is also large and ferocious. The tapir or river cow, the water pig or capibara, the cavies, and various other amphibious animals, frequent the numerous streams; and musquitoes, with an innumerable variety of insects and snakes, are the plague both of the waters and the land. It is estimated that there are twenty kinds of serpents, of which the rattle-snake is the most common. The great boa constrictor is also found adjoining the rivers. In some parts the vampire bat, seizing on a person asleep, sucks the blood, so as to endanger the life of its victim. There is also a species of butterfly whose bite causes a corroding humor to appear, which forms a nidus for a little worm, that leaves behind an unseemly wound, of tedious cure.

The commerce of this country, chiefly carried on by the river Paraguay, consists in the export of its tea, tobacco, cotton, sugar, tallow, wax, honey, hides, cattle, horses, mules, wool, and leather. The journey to Buenos Ayres by land is seldom performed except by couriers, who are exposed to the attacks of the wandering Indians, even the navigation of the Great river

not being free from them: on the west are the Tobas and Moscobies, on the south the Abipones, on the north the Guaycurus or Mbayas, and the Panaguas; but the east is free from any close neighbours of this description, though on the distant mountains in this quarter called Yerva, are the Monteses, who give great trouble to the people employed to collect the matti. These unsubdued Indians frequently attack the settlements, which has obliged the inhabitants to form a militia to repel their aggressors; there are also nineteen forts in Paraguay in number, generally near the river, which is furnished with guard boats. The number of Indian villages of the missions was of late considerable; they consist of stone or mud houses, covered with tiles, having a large square, in which is the priest's house, and a good church, the number of inhabitants varying from 500 or 600 to 2000.

Paraguay, after being discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1526, was governed by Juan de Ayalas, to whom Don Pedro de Mendoza, the first governor of Buenos Ayres, gave a commission, a body of troops, military stores, and other necessaries; afterwards, by his orders, Juan de Salinas founded the city of Assumption, the capital. In subjugating this country the Spaniards, under Alvarez Nunes, exercised great cruelty on the inhabitants, and regularly parcelled them out as slaves. To supply workmen for the Spanish plantations, Parana was afterwards conquered; the city of Ciudad Real was founded; and 40,000 Indians were reduced to slavery. In 1556 the Jesuits made their first appearance here, and succeeded by gentleness and policy in reducing many of the natives under the yoke of civilised life. Their success indeed in this benevolent work was astonishing; and it is only to be regretted that the whole order has not been thus employed. They established native towns and villages, which soon under their influence and direction spread over the wilderness: their principal missions were not, however, in Paraguay, but in Buenos Ayres, south of the Parana. When the order was abolished, Spanish South America was divided into governments, and other priests were appointed to succeed them in their administration here. See AMERICA, SOUTH. The population of Paraguay was estimated some time since at 97,480 Indians, Spaniards, or whites, of which the latter do not form much more than a twentieth part. The only important towns are the capital Assumption, Villa-Rica, Curugauty, Conception, and Neembucu.

PARAGUAY, a river of South America, which gives name to the above province, and of which the sources are little known. Mr. Mawe fixes them in lat. 13° S., after which it runs a course of about 1800 miles, and enters the ocean at the Rio de la Plata.

PARAGUAY, OF PARAGUAY TEA TREE, in ootany, a tree which grows naturally in the above country, and is extremely useful both as food and medicine. It is a middle-sized tree, resembling an orange tree and tasting like mallows. The leaves are the part chiefly used. The natives make three gatherings annually; first, of the buds, before they unfold into leaves: these are reckoned best, but

soonest decay: second, of the full grown leaves, at their first expansion: and third, of the leaves, when they have remained on the tree for some time after they are fully blown. These leaves are roasted, and kept in pits under ground for sale. Quantities to the value of £100,000 are annually exported to Peru and Chili. These trees grow naturally in the morasses on the east bank of the Paraguay; but are now dispersed and cultivated all over the country. The leaves are thus used; being dried and reduced almost to powder, they are put into a cup, with sugar and lemon juice; boiling water is then poured on, and the infusion drunk. They are said to be of service in all disorders of the head, breast, and stomach; to allay hunger, and to purify all kinds of water; to preserve the miners from the noxious effect of the minerals; and to be a sovereign remedy in scurvy and putrid fevers. Mr. Lee ranks this tree as a species of Ilex. See ILEX.

PARAIBA, a province of Brasil, bounded north by the river Grande, east by the Brasilian Sea, south by the province of Itamarca, and divided from it by the river Paraiba. The climate is mild, and the soil fertile; and it abounds more than any other province in Brasil wood. The French took possession of it till the year 1584, when they were driven out by the Portuguese. There are many sugar houses in this province.

PARAIBA, the capital of the above province, is situated on the south bank of the river of the same name, about ten miles from the sea, the river being navigable for a considerable way above. It is a handsome and healthy town, defended by three forts. The cathedral is an elegant edifice. The exports consist chiefly of sugar, dyeing woods, and drugs. Population

4000.