Encyclopaedia Britannica > Volume 15, NIC-PAR

PAG
than by reading authors upon it ; and accordingly spent
U less time in such books than he did in those of history
hjrninus. and geography. He had also made morality and poli-
‘'■Y——* tics his particular study; so that he maybe said to have
drawn his own character in his Homme Heroique, and
to have been one of the completest gentlemen of his
time. Louis XIII. was heard to say several times,
that the count de Pagan was one of the most worthy,
best turned, most adroit, and most valiant men, in his
kingdom.—That branch of his family, which removed
from Naples to France in 1552, became extinct in his
person.
Pagan, a heathen, centile, or idolater ; one who
adores false gods. See Mythology.
PAGANALIA, certain festivals observed liy the an¬
cient Romans in the month of January. They were in¬
stituted by Servius Tullius, who appointed a certain
number of villages {pagi), in each of which an altar
was to he raised for annual sacrifices to their tutelar
gods; at which all the inhabitants were to assist, and
give presents in money, according to their sex and age,
by which means the number of country people was
known. The servants upon this occasion offered cakes
to Ceres and Ttllus, to obtain plentiful harvests.
PAGANELLUS, a species of fish. See Gobius,
Ichthyology Index.
PAGANISM, the religious worship and discipline
of pagans : or, the adoration of idols and false gods.
See Idolatry, Mythology, and Polytheism.
PAGEANT, a triumphal car, chariot, arfdi, or
other like pompous decoration, variously adorned with
colours, flags, &c. carried about in public shows, pro¬
cessions, &c.
PAGI, Antony, a very famous Cordelier, and one
of the ablest critics of his time, was horn at Rogne in
Provence in 1624. He took the habit in the convent
at Arles in 1641, and was at length four times provin¬
cial of his order; hut his religious duties did not prevent
his vigorous application to the study of chronology and
ecclesiastical history, in which he excelled. His most
considerable work is, A Critique upon the Annals of
Baronins ; where, following the learned cardinal year
by year, he has rectified an infinite number ol mistakes
both in chronology and in the representation of facts.
He published the first volume in 1689, dedicated to the
clergy of France, who allowed him a pension: the
whole was printed after his death, in 4 vols folio, at
Geneva, in 1705, by the care of his nephew Francis
Pagi, of the same order. He wrote some other things
before bis death, which happened in 1699; and had the
character of an able historian as well as oi a learned and
candid critic. His nephew Francis, above mentioned,
wrote a Chronological Abridgement of the History of
the Popes, in Latin, 3 vols 410. Francis had also a
nephew, Anthony Pagi, who added three more volumes
to the History of the Popes ; of which two more were
intended, if not executed.
PAGNINUS, SanctES, an Italian dominican, emi¬
nent for his skill in oriental languages and biblical learn¬
ing, was born at Lucca in 1466, and became afterwards
PAG
an ecclesiastic of the order of St Dominic. He was Pagnhnts^
deeply and accurately skilled in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Hago.
Chaldee, and Arabic ; but he was particularly excellent
in the Hebrew'. He applied himself to examine the
vulgar translation of the Scriptures ; and believing it to
be either not of Jerome, or greatly corrupted, he under¬
took to make a new one from the present Hebrew text;
in which he meant to imitate St Jerome, who set about
making a new translation at a time when the church
would admit no other hut the Septuagint. This design
of Pagninus, so early after the restoration of letters,
seemed a hold one ; yet such was the reputation of the
man, that it was approved by Pope Leo X. who promi¬
sed to furnish him with all necessary expences for caily¬
ing on the work : and, besides, we find at the beginning
of his translation, which was printed at Lyons in 1527,
two letters of the succeeding popes, Hadrian VI. and
Clement VII. which licensed the printing of it. Pag¬
ninus, in his Letters to Pope Clement, for the printing
of this translation, openly declares, that the Vulgar edi¬
tion, as it is at present, is not St Jerome’s ; yet adds,
that he has retained in his translation as much of it as
he could. It appears by a letter of Picus Mirandula to
Pagninus, that he had spent 25 years upon this transla¬
tion. It is the first modern translation of the Bible from
the Hebrew text ; and the Jew's who read it affirmed,
that it agreed exactly with the Hebrew, and was in
some respects superior to the ancient translations. The
great fault of Pagninus was, that he adhered with too
great servility to the original text; and this scrupulous
attachment made his translation, says Father Simon,
“ obscure, barbarous, and full of solecisms. He imagi¬
ned, that to make a faithful translation of the Scriptures,
it was necessary to follow exactly the letter according to
the strictness of grammar. This, however, is quite con¬
trary to his pretended exactness, because two languages
seldom agree in their ways of speaking ; and therefore,
instead of expressing the original in its proper purity, he
defaces and robs it of all its ornaments.” Father Simon
nevertheless allows the great abilities and learning of
Pagninus; and all the later commentators and transla¬
tors of the Scriptures ha\e agreed in giving him his just
praise. Huetius, though he thinks Father Simon’s criti¬
cism of him just and well grounded, yet proposes his
manner as a model for all translators of the sacred books:
Scriptut'<e interpretandee rationis utile nobis exemplar
proposuit Sanctus Pagninus. He alsotranslated the New
Testament from the Greek, as he had done the Old from
the Hebrew, laying the Vulgar all the while before
him ; and dedicated it to Pope Clement VII. He was
author of a Hebrew Lexicon, and a Hebrew Grammar:
which Buxtorf, who calls him vir linguarvm Orienta-
Hum peritissimus, made great use of in compiling his.
He died in 1 536, aged 70. Luther spoke of him and
his translations in terms of the highest applause.
PAGO, an island in the gulf of Venice, separated
from the continent of Morlachia by a narrow channel.
The ancient geographers have left us no description of
it: though (as Fortis observes) its form (a), extent,
and rich produce, unquestionably deserved it.” And
[ 621 ]
(a) Its figure is indeed remarkably irregular, its breadth being in no proportion to its length ; for one of the
Extremities, called Puntadi Loni, is above ten miles long, and less than one broad. Almost all the circumference