Pancarea is the name given to a representation of the six general councils painted on the walls of St. Peter's at Rome in the 8th century.
Panchatantra (literally, the Jive books) is the name of the celebrated Sanscrit fable-book of the Hindus whence the J/itojutdesa was compiled and enlarged. Its authorship is ascribed to a Brahmin of the name of Vishnusarman, who, as its introduction in a later recension relates, had undertaken to instruct, within six months, the unruly sons of Amarasakti, a king of Mahilaropya or Mihilaropya, in all branches of knowl- edge required by a king, and for this purpose composed this work. If the latter part of this story be true, it is more probable, however, as professor Bcnfey assumes, that Vishnusarman was merely the teacher of the princes, and that the existing work itself was composed bv some other personage ; for an older recension of the VII.— Qq
work does not speak of his having brought his tales into the shape of a work. The arrangement of the Panchatantra is quite similar to that of the Ilitopadisa. The fables arc narrated in prose, and the morals drawn from or connected with them are interwoven with the narrative in verse ; many such verses, if not all, being quotations from other works. On the history of the Panchatantra, and its relation to the fable-books and fables of other nations, see the excellent work of pro- fessor Theodor Benfey, Panchatantra : Fiinf Biicher in- discher Faheln, MUrchen, und Erzdhlunrjeji (Leips. 1859, 2 vols.). The first volume contains his historical and critical researches, and the latter his literal translation of the Panchatantra into German. — Chambers, Cyclop, s. v.
Pancotto, PiETRO, an Italian painter, educated in the school of the Caracci, flourished about 1590. Ac- cording to IMalvasia, he was an eccentric genius. His principal work is a grand fresco representing The Last Judr)ment, in the church of the Madonna di S. Colom- bano at Bologna. In it he revenged himself on the parish priest by introducing his portrait in caricature, which excited the indignation of the clergy, and prob- ably lost him any further employment from them. Lanzi places him in the third rank, among the Bologn- ese painters, Domenichino and Guido holding the first. — Spooncr, Biorj. IJist. of the Fine A rts, ii, 648.
Pancras, St. (Ital. Sun Pancrazio; Fr. St. Pan- crace), a noted Italian ecclesiastic who suffered martyr- dom fur the Christian cause, flourished near the opening of the 4th century. When only a boy of fourteen he boldly oifercd himself as a martyr, and most valiantly defended the Christian faith before the emperor Diocle- tian, who punished Pancras's audacity by executing him. His remains were buried by Christian women. French kings formerly confirmed their treaties in his name, for he was regarded as the avenger of false swearing, and it was believed that all who swore falsely in his name were immediately and visibly punished. A church dedicated to this saint was built at Pome in A.D. 500. He is com- memorated by the Poman Catholic Church May 12. See Butler, Lives of the Saints, vol. i.
Paiidavas, or the descendants of Pandu.is the name of the five princes whose contest for regal supremacy with their cousins, the Kiirus, the sons of Dhritarashtra, forms the foundation of the narrative of the great epic poem, the Mahahharata (q. v.). Their names are Yud- hishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nahda, and Suhadeva — the former three being the sons of Pandu by one of his wives, Pritha ; and the latter two by his other wife, Madrl. But though P.andu is thus the recognised fa- ther of these princes, the legend of the M ahahhdrata looks upon him in truth merely as their father by cour- tesy ; for it relates that Yudhishthira was the son of Dharma, the god of justice; Bhima, of Vayu, the god of wind; Arjuna, of Indra, the god of the firmament; and Nakula and Sahadeva, of the Aswins, the twin-sons of the sun. — Chambers, s. V.
Pandects. This word, which properly means a work containing all subjects (;rrt)'^£Kr;;(;),an encyclopae- dia, is principally applied to the general code of law drawn up by order of the emperor Justinian (q. v.). It acquired the name of Pandects from the universality of its comprehension. It is "called also by the name Di- r/estum, or Digest. It was an attempt to form a com- plete system of law from the authoritative commenta- ries of the jurists upon the laws of Pome. The compi- lation of the Pandects was undertaken after that great collection of the laws themselves which is known as the Codex Justinianeus. It was intrusted to the celebrated Tribonianus, who had already distinguished himself in the preparation of the Codex. Tribonianus formed a commission consisting of seventeen members, who were occupied from the year 530 till 533 in examining, select- ing, compressing, and systematizing the authorities, con- sisting of upwards of two thousand treatises, whose in-
PANDEMOS
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PANEGYRIC
terpretation of the ancient laws of Rome was from that time forward to be adopted with the authority of law. A period of ten years had been allowed them for the completion of their work ; but so diligently did they prosecute it that it was completed in less than one third of the allotted time ; and some idea of its extent may be formed from the fact that it contains upwards of nine thousand separate extracts, selected according to sub- jects from the two thousand treatises referred to above. The Pandects are divided into 50 books, and also into 7 parts, which correspond respectively with books 1-4, 5-11, 12-19, 20-27, 28-35, 36-44, and 45-50. Of these divisions, however, the latter (into parts) is seldom at- tended to in citations. Each book is subdivided into titles, under Avhich are arranged the extracts from the various jurists, who are thirty-nine in number, and are by some called the classical jurists, although other writers on Roman law confine that appellation to five of the num- ber, Papinian, Paulus, Ulpian, Gaius, and Modestinus. The extracts from these indeed constitute the bulk of the collection ; those from Ulpian alone making one third of the whole work, those from Paulus one sixth, and those from Papinian one twelfth. Other writers besides these thirty-nine are cited, but only indirecth', i. e. when cited by the jurists whose works form the ba- sis of the collection. The principle upon wliich the in- ternal arrangement of the extracts from individual writ- ers was made had long been a subject of controversy. The question seems now to be satisfactorily solved ; but the details of the discussion would ca^r^' us bej-ond the prescribed limits. Of the execution of the work, it may be said that although not free from repetition (the same extracts occurring under different heads), and from oc- casional inaptness of citation, and other inconsistencies, yet it deserves the very highest commendation. In its relations to the history and literature of ancient Rome it is invaluable; and taken along with its necessary com- plement the Codex, it may justly be regarded (having been the basis of all the media'val legislation) as of the utmost value in the study of the principles not alone of Roman, but of all European law," including the ecclesi- astical. The word Pandects was used by I'apias (q. v.) to designate the Scriptures.