The natives are descended from Javanese, who in the 16th century, or earlier, settled in Palembang, and ruled over the whole land. The race, however, has become mixed with other Malays, and the language has lost its purity. In the north-west interior is a tribe called the Koeboes (Kubiis), of whose origin nothing is known, but who are probably the remainder of the aborigines. They do not follow agriculture, but go about almost naked, and live chiefly by fishing and hunting. No clear idea of a Supreme Being seems to be possessed by them, though they believe in existence after death, — Chambers. See Malays.
Palencia, Alonso de, a celebrated Spanish author, deserves a place here for his labors in practical religious literature and his edition of Josephus. Palencia was born in 1423 ; at the age of seventeen became page to the bishop of Burgos, and, after travelling in Italy and on the Continent, was made royal historiographer. He died near the close of his century. He wrote PI Pspejo de la Cruz (1485), and several other works of like char- acter, still in MS., besides the groat historical works on which his fame rests. His version of Josephus was finished in 1492. See Prescott, Ferdinand and Isabel- la, i, 136 ; Enylish Cyclop), s. v., and the literature there given,
Paleotti, Gabrikl, an Italian cardinal, was bom at Bologna Oct. 4, 1524. His father, who was a law- yer, intended Gabriel also for that profession; but at maturity he decided for the clerical life, and, content- ing liimself with a simple canonicate, he refused the bishopric of Majorca, which Campeggio wished to re- sign in his favor. In 1556 he was put on the committee of the Index Exptirrjatorius. He was sent to the Coun- cil of Trent to sustain the interests of the Church, and Pius IV decorated him with the purple March 12, 1565. Pius V endowed him, Jan. 30, 1566, with the bishopric of Bologna. A particular friend of St. Charles Borro- meo and of Sextus Y, he received more than thirty votes in the conclave assembled to appoint a successor to the latter. The bishopric of Sabina was given to him March 20, 1591. He died at Rome July 23, 1597. He published, De Bono Senectutis (Antwerp, 1598): — De imaginibus sacris etprofanis (Rome, 1594) : — A rchiepis- cojxde Bonaniensis (ibid. 1594) : — De nothis spuriisque
PALES
551
PALESTINE
filiis (Frankfort, 1573) : — De consistorialibus consulta- tionibus. He drew up A cfa Concilii Tridmtini for the sessions in which he participated, and Pallavicini and Oderic Regnaud brought out a large part of this work, which, however, has not been published entire. See Ledesma, De vita et i-ebus gestis G. Paleotli (Bologna, 1647). — Hoefer, Nouv. Biog, Genh-ak, s. v.
Pales, a deity worshipped by the ancient Romans, as presiding over shepherds and their Hocks.
Parestine (Heb. Pek'sheth, T'^^^S, Joel iii, 4; "Palffistina," Exod. xv, 14; Isa. xiv, '29, 31) in the Bible means Philistia, "the land of the Philistines;" and so it was understood by our translators. The Heb. word is found, besides the above, only in Psa. Ix, 8 ; Ixxxiii, 7 ; Ixxxvii, 4 ; and cviii, 9, in all which our translators have rendered it by " Philistia" or '• Philis- tines." The Sept. has in Exod. i>v\i(7Titlfj, but in Isa. and Joel d\Xu(pii\oi ; the Vulg. in Exod. Philisthiim, in Isa. PhUistkwa, in Joel Puhest/iiiii. (See belo^v.) In the present article it is used in a much wider sense. It is employed in the same sense in which most of the Greek and Roman geographers understood it {UaXai- crivi], Palcesliiia) — as denoting tlie whole land allot- ted to the twelve tribes of Israel by Joshua. Some recent writers confine the name to the country west of the Jordan, extending from Dan on the north to Beersheba on the south. Others again appear to ex- tend it northwards as far as the parallel of Hamath, and southward to the borders of Egypt. It is here used, however, to denote the country lying on the east as well as the west side of the Jordan ; while, on the other hand, it is confined to the territory actually di- vided by lot among the Israelites, thus excluding large sections of what is generally known as " The Land of Promise." Palestine, in fact, is here taken as synony- mous with " The Holy Land" — substantially the same land given by Jehovah to his chosen people, and long- held by them. The present article is based upon that of Dr. Porter in Kilto's Cyclojuedia, with many ad- ditions, especially from Mr. Grove's article in Smith's Dictionary of the Bible, and the results of our oAvn per- sonal researches and observations.
I. Situation. — The geographical position of Palestine is peculiar. It is central, and yet almost completely isolated. It commands equal facilities of access to Eu- rope, Africa, and Asia; while, in one point of view, it stands apart from all. The Jews regarded it as the centre of the earth ; and apparently to this view tlie prophet Ezekiel refers when he says, "Thus saith the Lord God, This is Jerusalem : I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her" (v, 5). The idea ^vas adopted and perhaps unduly ex- panded by the rabbins and some of the early Christian fathers. One of the absurd Christian traditions still preserved in Jerusalem is that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the physical centre of the earth ; and a spot is marked by a circle of marble pavement and a short column under the dome of the Greek Church which is said to be the exact point as indicated by our Lord himself (Murray's Handbook, p. 164). The main thought, however, in this tradition is, in principle, strictly true. Palestine stood midway between the three greatest ancient nations, Assyria, Egypt, and Greece. It was for many centuries the centre, and the only centre, of religious light and of real civilization, from Avhich all other nations, directly or indirectly, drew their supplies. It is a remarkable fact, which every thoughtful student of historj' must admit, that duruig the whole period of Jewish history, light — in- tellectual, moral, and religious — radiated from Palestine, and from it alone. The farther one receded from that land, the more dim the light became ; and the nearer one approached, it shone with the purer radiance. The heavenly knowledge communicated in "sundry times and divers manners" through the Jewish patriarchs and prophets was unfolded and perfected by our Lord and