macy with vigour. He instructed students in that department of medicine, and published a translation of the London Pharmacopœia. He passed surgeon in 1825, and lectured in 1826 on chemistry and materia medica in the Aldersgate school. These lectures laid the foundation of his admirable work on "Materia Medica and Therapeutics." He was an excellent botanist and chemist, as well as pharmaceutist, and his knowledge of practice was also good. In this way he was well fitted for giving instruction in Materia Medica and in the art of prescribing. In 1840 he obtained the degree of M.D. from Erlangen, and was appointed physician to the London hospital, and subsequently was elected licentiate and then fellow of the Royal College of Physicians. This last honour he obtained in 1845. His practice as a physician increased much, and he was compelled to resign his lectureship. He became one of the examiners in the London university. Besides his standard work on Materia Medica, he also wrote on diet, and on polarized light. He contributed many articles to periodicals and the Proceedings of societies. He was an active member of the Pharmaceutical and Linnæan Societies. A monument of him has been placed in the London hospital.—J. H. B.
PEREIRA DE FIGUEIRODA, Antonio, a Portuguese divine, was born in 1725, and educated at the jesuit college of Villa Vicosa. In 1744 he took part in the disputes between the courts of Rome and Lisbon, and for his spirited defence of the royal prerogative he was made, by Joseph I., chief interpreter to the foreign and war offices. He published a translation of the Bible into Portuguese, with notes and preface, in twenty-three volumes; also a work entitled "Tentativa Theologica," a Latin grammar, elements of ecclesiastical history (unfinished), and some educational works.—F. M. W.
PEREZ, Antonio, minister of Philip II. of Spain, was born about 1541, and succeeded his father, who had been for forty years secretary of state, in his office. Don John of Austria, an illegitimate son of Charles V., was in 1576 commander of the army of the Netherlands; and Philip, with a view to control his movements, appointed Juan de Escovedo to be his secretary. The sequel is one of the most intricate passages in history; but there appears to be no doubt that Philip was led to believe that Don Juan was meditating an attempt to make himself sovereign of the Low Countries, an alliance with England, and possibly an invasion of Spain, and that Escovedo was an active agent in carrying out these designs. Under this belief, the king authorized Perez to procure the assassination of Escovedo. An attempt was first made to poison him, which failed, and one of Escovedo's servants was hanged for the crime. Failing this, on the 31st March, 1578, Escovedo was mortally stabbed in the street of Madrid by one of four ruffians engaged by Perez, all of whom escaped and were rewarded, but the two principal culprits died soon afterwards, not without suspicion that they had been poisoned by order of Perez. M. Mignet, who has published a volume on this incident, based on many documents never before brought to light, deems it conclusively established that the accusation of treason against Don Juan was unfounded, and that Perez determined to destroy Escovedo, and to shield himself by making the king an accomplice, for another reason. The motive, which he considers almost proved, was that Escovedo had detected an intrigue between Perez and the Princess Eboli, the king's mistress, and feared the consequences of the disclosure. Certain it is that Philip, yielding to the entreaties of the relatives of the murdered man, caused Perez to be arrested four months afterwards. The prosecution lingered until all the important witnesses were dead. A prosecution for alleged corruption was instituted, he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, eight years' exile, and a heavy fine. Then, all the papers which proved the king's complicity having been, as was supposed, recovered, the graver charge was pushed forward; Perez was put to the torture and confessed the murder, but accused the king of having been privy to it. Finding that his fate was determined on, he contrived to escape from prison and reached Arragon, where the ancient constitution secured him a fair and public trial. Philip endeavoured to overawe the popular feeling in favour of the ancient privileges, but an insurrection was the consequence. Then, on an absurd charge of heresy, he caused Perez to be seized by the officers of the inquisition; but the Saragossans rose again and liberated the prisoner, who escaped to France. Even there several attempts were made to murder him, at the instigation of the Spanish government. Perez afterwards visited England, and enjoyed the friendship of the earl of Esses, Francis and Anthony Bacon, and other distinguished men. He published a narrative of his sufferings, Paris, 1598; also, "Letters and Aphorisms," and a life of Philip II., which exists only in a French translation. He died in Paris in 1616 in great poverty.—F. M. W.
PEREZ, David, a musician of Spanish extraction, was born at Naples in 1711. He owed his musical education to Antonio Gallo and Francesco Mancini. His progress in composition was rapid, and he discovered an uncommon genius. On leaving the conservatory he did not observe the usual custom of travelling throughout Italy, but repaired to Sicily, where he filled the functions of chapel-master in the cathedral of Palermo. He composed his first operas for the theatre at Palermo from 1741 to 1748. They were greatly esteemed by the Sicilians, who admired his learning no less than the spirit and fascination of his style. He returned to Naples, and soon after his arrival gave his opera of "La Clemenza di Tito," at the theatre of San Carlos. The fellow-citizens of Perez acknowledged in his style that of the great masters of their school. His reputation increased, and he was invited to Rome by the manager of the principal theatre, where he immediately became celebrated. His first work was the opera of "Simiramide;" that of "Farnace" soon followed, and the Romans confirmed by their plaudits the approbation of his countrymen. From Rome he proceeded to the other Italian cities, and successively composed "Didone Abbandonato," "Zenobia," and "Alessandro nell' Indie," which sustained a comparison with the operas of the best masters of the most celebrated schools of Italy. While most of the Italian cities disputed the possession of Perez, Joseph, king of Portugal, invited him in 1752 to Lisbon, as his chapel-master. His operas enjoyed the highest repute in Portugal. Perez was stimulated to exertion in these compositions by their alternate performance with the works of Jomelli. The former were esteemed for the learned construction of the instrumented parts, the latter for their graceful and expressive melody. Perez died in the service of King Joseph, aged sixty-seven, after living twenty-seven years in Portugal, much admired, beloved, and respected. A dirge of his own composition was performed over his grave by the best musicians in Lisbon.—E. F. R.
PERGOLESE, the musician, was born in 1707 at Pergola in the duchy of Urbano, in the kingdom of Naples; he died in 1739 at Puzzuoli. Such is the careful account of Maffei, which differs from Boyer's statement copied in many biographies, that Pergolese was born in 1704 at Casoria, and died in 1737 at Torre del Greco. The family name of this musician was Jesi, and he was baptized Giovanni Battista. He went to Naples in 1717, where he was patronized by two noble families, through whose interest he was admitted a student of the conservatorio di S. Onofrio. His teacher of composition was Gætano Grecco, then recently removed from a professorship in the conservatorio dei Poveri to the same office in the other institution; and under this master young Jesi wrote in the severe forms of the old Italian contrapuntists. His schoolmates used to call him after the place of his birth, "il Pergolese," and as he became known by this sobriquet, his family name was forgotten. He left the conservatorio in 1726, and then produced an oratorio called "San Guglielmo." No longer under the restraint of studentship, he cast aside the formalities to which his course of instruction had restricted him, and wrote in a style of freedom which gave originality to his melodies and extended his resources of effect. The influence of his patrons procured him the opportunity to compose a comic opera, "Amor fa l'uomo cieco," for the small theatre in Naples; and notwithstanding the failure of this production, he obtained through the same recommendation, engagements to write several other operas, which, though little better received at the time, were successfully revived after his death. "La Serva Padrona," which appeared in 1730, had better fortune; but even its favourable reception could not secure the composer's position in the Neapolitan theatre, and he consequently applied himself to writing for the church and for the chamber, producing in the latter department a large number of instrumental trios. He went to reside at Loretto in 1734, being appointed maestro di capella there. An engagement to compose the opera of "L'Olimpiade" for Rome in 1735 was a high gratification to his ambition, and the complete non-success of the work was, on this account, all the more severe a disappointment, the generous kindness to him of Duni on the occasion, who was engaged to write the next opera, was eminently honourable to both composers. Pergolese was soon after recalled to Rome, to write a mass and ves-
