Dryden. Wait the seasons of Providence with patience and perseverance in the duties of our calling, what difficulties soever we may encounter. L'Estrange. To persevere in any evil course makes you unhappy in this life, and will certainly throw you into everlasting torments in the next. Wake. Patience and perseverance overcome the greatest difficulties. Clarissa. And perseverance with his battered shield. Brooke. PERSEVERANCE, in theology, a continuance in a state of grace to a state of glory. About this subject there has been much controversy in the Christian church. All divines, except Unitarians, admit that no man can ever be in a state of grace without the co-operation of the Spirit of God; but the Calvinists and Arminians differ widely as to the nature of this co-operation. The former, at least such as 'call themselves the true disciples of Calvin, believe that those who are once under the influence of divine grace can never fall totally from it, or die in mortal sin. The Arminians, on the other hand, contend that the whole of this life is a state of probation; that without the grace of God we can do nothing that is good; that the Holy Spirit assists, but does not overpower our natural faculties; and that a man, at any period of his life, may resist, grieve, and even quench the Spirit. THEOLOGY. See PERSEUS, in fabulous history, the son of Jupiter by Danae, the daughter of king Acrisius. See ACRISIUS and DANAE. Many miracles are related of this hero by the poets. Having engaged to bring the head of Medusa to Polydectes king of Seriphos, who had educated him, Minerva gave him her shield, Mercury lent him his wings and caduceus, with his dagger made of diamonds called herpe; and Pluto lent him his helmet, which rendered him invisible. Thus equipped, Perseus flew through the air, visited the Graiæ, and their sisters the Gorgons; killed Medusa, and brought away her head; gave birth to Pegasus and Chrysaor from her blood; turned the giant Atlas into a mountain by a sight of her head; killed the sea monster that was going to devour Andromeda; married that princess; changed her uncle Phineus and his troops, who were going to carry her off from him, into stones; and made the same metamorphosis upon Polydectes when he was going to ravish Danae. Having afterwards killed his grandfather Acrisius accidentally, by throwing a quoit, he refused to succeed him in the throne of Argos, and exchanged it for that of Tirynthus; after which he founded the city of Mycenae, of which he became king, and where he and his posterity reigned for 100 years. He flourished, according to most chronologists, in 1348 B. C.; but according to Sir Isaac Newton only in 1028. PERSEUS, in astronomy. See ASTRONOMY. PERSEUS. See MACEDON. This unfortunate monarch left a daughter and two sons, Philip and Alexander. The latter was bred a carpenter, but, having acquired some learning, became secretary to the senate of Rome. PERSHORE, or PEARSHORE, an ancient market town of Worcestershire, is situated on the north side of the river Avon, 103 miles northwest by west from London, on the direct road to Worcester. It consists of two parochial divisions; viz. the vicarage of St. Andrew, and the chapelry of Holy Cross. Pershore is a town of great antiquity, and is said to have derived its name from the number of pear-trees which grow in its vicinity. According to bishop Tanner, Oswald, a nephew of Ethelred, king of Mercia, founded a monastery here in 689; but William of Malmsbury asserts that Egelward, duke of Dorset, in the reign of Edgar, was the first founder. Gough, in his additions to Camden, only accounts for the discrepancy, by stating that it was considerably enlarged and increased in its endowments by Egelward. It became an abbey of Benedictine monks, dedicated at first to the blessed Virgin and the apostles Peter and Paul, but afterwards to St. Edburga. Belonging to the abbey was a large church, called the Holy Cross, 280 feet in length, and 120 broad. Of the abbey itself there are but few vestiges; but the church has been repaired, and used for parochial purposes. It has a lofty square tower, and contains several old monuments. In ancient times, the principal approach to the abbey was. through Lice Street, a Saxon appellation derived from the corpses for interment being carried along that street. A small part of the gateway on the north side is still in existence; near it was the chapel of St. Edburga, a daughter of king Edward the Elder. Pershore has at present two churches, that of Holy Cross abovementioned, and All Saints, which is small, but neat, and has a square tower. The town consists principally of one street, about three-quarters of a mile in length, and has many respectable houses. The manufacture of stockings is the chief pursuit of the inhabitants. It formerly sent members to parliament, but none have been returned since the 23d of Edward I. It has a market on Tuesday, and three annual fairs. PERSIA, a most ancient and celebrated empire of Asia, the limits of which have been variously stated. At present, according to Sir William Jones, Persia is the name of only one province of this extensive empire, which, by the natives, and all the learned Mussulmans in India, is called Iràn. The same learned writer is confident that Iràn, or Persia in its largest extent, formerly comprehended within its outline the lower Asia. OF ANCIENT PERSIA. The most ancient name of this country was Elam, or Ælam, from Elam the son of Shem, from whom its first inhabitants are descended. Herodotus calls its inhabitants Cephenes; and in very ancient times the people are said to have called themselves Artæi, and the country where they dwelt Artæa. In the books of Daniel, Esdras, &c., it is called by the names of Pars, Pharas, or Fars, whence the modern name of Persia; but whence those names have been derived is now uncertain. That Persia was originally peopled by Elam, the son of Shem, has been very generally admitted; but the ancient history of this distinguished empire is very little known.. The first Persian monarch of whom any thing is known with tolerable accuracy was the great Cyrus, although it is evident that a powerful monarchy had subsisted in Iran for ages before the accession of that hero; that this monarchy was called the Mahébédian dynasty; and that it was in fact the oldest monarchy in the world. at Susa, and two at Ecbatana during the heat of summer. On his death-bed Cyrus appointed his son Cambyses to succeed him in the empire; and to his other son Smerdis he gave several considerable governments. The new monarch immediately set about the conquest of EGYPT, which he accomplished in the manner related in the history of that country. Having reduced Egypt, Cambyses next resolved to turn his arms against the Carthaginians, Hammonians, and Ethiopians. But he was obliged to drop the first of these en terprises for want of ships: and in attempting to cross the Desert against the latter he lost the greater part of an immense army, and was obliged to return to Thebes. Through jealousy of his brother Smerdis he had caused him to be murdered, but, during his absence on this expedition, a magian, who greatly resembled Smerdis in looks, assumed the name of the deceased prince, and raised a rebellion against Cambyses, who was generally hated for his cruelty. Hastening home to suppress this revolt, his sword accicidentally wounded him in the thigh, which occasioned his death. Cyrus is celebrated both by sacred and profane historians; but the latter are at no small variance concerning his birth and accession to the throne. The stories told by Herodotus of Astyages, the last king of the Medes, being alarmed by his dreams; of his endeavouring to prevent their fulfilment by marrying his daughter, Mandane, to a mean Persian; of his afterwards ordering his grandson Cyrus to be murdered; of his preservation by Harpagus, and of Astyages's barbarous revenge by murdering Harpagus's son, and serving up his mangled limbs to Harpagus at a dinner; and of Harpagus's conspiring with Cyrus to dethrone his grandfather; with Asty- Though he had on his death-bed informed the ages's deposition and imprisonment; have all nobles of the murder of his brother, and that the very much the air of a fable. According to person who had usurped the government was an Xenophon, Cyrus was the son of Cambyses, king impostor, yet they gave no credit to his as of Persia, and Mandane the daughter of Asty- surances: Smerdis the magian was allowed to ages king of Media. He was born a year after take possession of the throne in peace, and comhis uncle Cyaxares, the brother of Mandane. menced his reign very popularly. The impoHe lived till the age of twelve with his parents sition was, however, soon detected, the false in Persia, being educated after the manner of the Smerdis having formerly lost his ears; the percountry, and inured to fatigues and military ex- son who had killed the true Smerdis publicly ercises. At this age he was taken to the court confessed his crime; a confederacy of sever. of Astyages, where he resided four years, when principal lords was formed against the usurper, the revolt of the Medes and Persians from the and he and his brother Patizithes were slain, after Babylonians happened. See BABYLONIA. While a reign of only eight months. Nor were they the Cyrus was employed in the Babylonish war, be- only sufferers. The mob fell upon the magi, fore he attacked the metropolis itself, he reduced and made a general massacre of them; the meall the nations of Asia Minor. The most for- mory of which was kept up long after by an midable of these were the Lydians, whose king anniversary festival, called Magophonia. Cræsus assembled a very numerous army, com- of the most noble conspirators having determined posed of all the other nations in that part of to choose a king from among themselves, by reAsia, as well as of Egyptians, Greeks, and pairing on horseback to a particular spot, and Thracians. This vast army, consisting of 420,000 bestowing the crown on him whose horse first men, Cyrus routed at the battle of Thymbra, neighed, Darius, the son of Hystaspes, governor and next day took Sardis, the capital of Lydia. of Susa, was put in possession of this dignity by See CROSUS, and LYDIA. After the conquest the sagacity of his groom. He was elected king of Sardis, Cyrus turned his arms against Baby- of Persia in the year 522 B. C. Immediately lon, which he reduced, as related under BABY- after his accession he promoted the other six LONIA. Having settled the civil government of conspirators to the first employments in the the conquered kingdoms, and restored the Jews kingdom, married the two daughters of Cyrus, to their own land, Cyrus took a review of all his Atossa and Artystona, Parmys the daughter of forces, which he found to consist of 600,000 the true Smerdis, and Phedyma the daughter of foot, 120,000 horse, and 2000 chariots armed with Otanes, who had detected the imposture of the scythes. With these he extended his dominion magi. He then divided the whole empire into all over the nations to the confines of Ethiopia, twenty satrapies or governments, and appointed and to the Red Sea; after which he continued a governor over each division, ordering them to to reign peaceably over his vast empire till his pay him an annual tribute. Under Darius the death, which happened about A. A. Č. 529. In Luilding of the temple of Jerusalem, which had the time of Cyrus the Persian empire extended been obstructed by Cambyses and Smerdis, went from the Indus to the Egean Sea. On the north on successfully, and the Jewish state was entirely it was bounded by the Euxine and Caspian Seas, restored. The most remarkable of Darius's other and on the south by Ethiopia and Arabia. That transactions were his expeditions against Babymonarch kept his residence for the seven cold lon; against Scythia, India, and Greece. The months at Babylon, by reason of the warmth of expedition against Babylon took place A. A. C. that climate; three months in the spring he spent 517. The inhabitants of that city, having laid Six |