ALEXANDER, archbishop of Patras, and a native of Sienna, where he was born about the year 1508, was of an illustrious and ancient family, which came originally from Rome, but afterwards settled at Sienna. He composed with success for the theatre; but he was not more distinguished by his genius, than by the purity of his manners, and his regard to virtue. His charity was very great; and was chiefly exerted in relieving the necessities of men of letters. He has left behind him a number of works in Italian; the most remarkable of which are, 1. Various Dramatic pieces, which laid the first foundation of his character as a writer. 2. A Treatise on the Sphere. 3. A Theory of the Planets. 4. A Translation of Aristotle's Art of Rhetoric and Poetry, in 4to. 5. A System of Piccolomini Morality published at Venice, 1575, in 4to; translated into French by Peter de Larivey in 4to; and printed at Paris, 1581. These, with a variety of other works, prove his extensive knowledge in natural philosophy, mathematics, and theology. He was the first who made use of the Italian language in writing upon philosophical subjects. He died at Sienna the 12th of March 1578, aged 70. A particular catalogue of his works may be seen in the Typographical Dictionary. There is one performance ascribed to this author, entitled Dialogo della bella Creanza delle Donne, (printed at Milan, 1558, and at Venice, 1574, in 8vo;) which but ill suits the dignity of a prelate. It is filled with maxims which have an evident tendency to hurt the morals of young women. Piccolomini's name, indeed, is not in the title page; and it has all the appearance of being a juvenile production. It is very scarce; and the public would sustain no loss by its being entirely out of print. It was translated into French by F. d'Ambroise, and published at Lyons, in 1606, under the title of Instruction des jeunes dames. It was afterwards reprinted in 1583, under that of Dialogue et Devis des Demoiselles.

Francis, of the same family with the foregoing, was born in 1520, and taught philosophy with success for the space of 22 years, in the most celebrated universities of Italy, and afterwards retired to Sienna, where he died, in 1624, at the age of 84. This city went into mourning on his death. His works are, 1. Some Commentaries upon Aristotle, printed at Mayence, 1628, in 4to. 2. Universa Philosophia de Moribus, printed at Venicce, 1583, in folio. He laboured to revive the doctrine of Plato, and endeavoured also to imitate the manners of that philosopher. He had for his rival the famous James Zabarella, whom he excelled in facility of expression and neatness of discourse; but to whom he was much inferior in point of argument, because he did not examine matters to the bottom as the other did, but passed too rapidly from one proposition to another.

PICCOLOMINI of Arragon, Octavius, duke of Amalfi, prince of the empire, a general of the emperor's army, and knight of the order of the Golden Fleece, was born in 1599. He first bore arms among the Spanish troops in Italy. He afterwards served in the army of Ferdinand II. who sent him to the relief of Bohemia, and entrusted him with the command of the imperial troops in 1634. After having signalized himself at the battle of Nortlingue, he made Marshal de Châtillon raise the siege of St Omer. He had the good fortune to gain a victory over Marquis de Feuquieres in 1639; nor did the loss of the battle of Wolfenbuttle, in 1651, impair his glory. He died on the 10th of August 1656, being five years after, aged 57, without issue; and with the character of an able negotiator and an active general. The celebrated Caprara was his nephew.

(A) The origin of the name of this province does not date earlier than A.D. 1200. It was an academical joke; an epithet first applied to the quarrelsome humour of those students in the university of Paris who came from the frontier of France and Flanders, and hence to their country. Valesii Notitia Galliarum, p. 447. Longuerac, Description de la France, p. 52. Piccolomini, James, whose proper name was Ammanati, took that of Piccolomini in honour of his patron Pius II. He was born in a village near Lucca in 1422. He became bishop of Massa, afterwards of Frescati; a cardinal in 1461, under the name of Cardinal de Pavie; and died in 1479, at the age of 57, of an indigestion of figs. He left 8000 pistoles in the bankers hands, which Pope Sixtus IV. claimed; and of which he gave a part to the Hospital of the Holy Ghost. His works, which consist of some Letters, and a history of his own time, were printed at Milan, in 1521, in folio. His history, entitled Commentaries, commences the 18th of June 1464, and ends the 6th of December 1469. They may very properly be considered as a Sequel of Pope Pius II.'s Commentaries, which end with the year 1463.

Piccolomini, Aeneas Sylvius. See Pius II.

Picentia, (Strabo, Pliny), the capital of the Picentini, whose territory, called Ager Picentinus, a small district, lay on the Tuscan sea, from the Promontorium Minervae, the south boundary of Campania on the coast, to the river Silarus, the north boundary of Lucania, extending within-land as far as the Samnites and Hirpini, though the exact termination cannot be assigned. The Greeks commonly confound the Picentinum and Picentes, but the Romans carefully distinguish them. The former, with no more than two towns that can be named, Silernum and Picentia; the situation of both doubtful: only Pliny says the latter stood within-land, at some distance from the sea. Now thought to be Bicenza, (Holstenius), in the Principato Citra of Naples.

Picenum, (Caesar, Pliny, Florus); Picenus Ager, (Cicero, Sallust, Livy, Tacitus); Ager Picentium, (Varro): a territory of Italy, lying to the east of Umbria, from the Apennine to the Adriatic; on the coast extending from the river Aesis on the north, as far as the Pretutianii to the south. In the upper or northern part of their territory the Umbri excluded them from the Appennine, as far as Camerinum, (Strabo); but in the lower or southern part they extended from the Adriatic to the Apennine. A very fruitful territory, and very populous. Picentes, the people, (Cicero); from the singular Picens, (Livy): different from the Picentini on the Tuscan sea, though called so by the Greeks; but Ptolemy calls them Piceni, as does also Pliny. Their territory at this day is supposed to form the greatest part of the March of Ancona, (Cluverius).

Pichford, in the county of Salop in England; on the south-east side of Shrewsbury, near Condover. It is noted for a spring of pitchy water (from whence some derive its name), on the top of which there always flows a sort of liquid bitumen. Over most of the coal pits in this neighbourhood there lies a stratum of blackish rock; of which, by boiling and grinding, they make pitch and tar, and also distil an oil from it.

Pichincha, or Pinchinca, a mountain in Peru. See Peru, No. 56.