She
wrote many poems, and translated Corneille's
(Horace) and (Pompée.
wrote many poems, and translated Corneille's
(Horace) and (Pompée.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v29 - BIographical Dictionary
A German
historian; born at Freyburg on the Unstrut,
April 6, 1808; died at Jena, Aug. II, 1893.
Among his works are : Epochs in the History
of the Roman Constitution) (1841); (Studies
in Roman History) (1863); (Criticism of the
Sources of Ancient Roman History) (1879).
Peters, Samuel Andrew. An American
clergyman and author; born at Hebron, Conn. ,
1735; died in New York, 1826.
He was or-
dained a minister in the Church of England
at Hartford in 1760. In 1774 he sailed to
England to escape persecution on account of
his toryism, and in 1781 published the satirical
(General History of Connecticut,' which gave
rise to the misconception as to “Blue Laws,
which were in the brain of Peters instead of
having ever been on the statute-books of Con-
necticut.
Petersen, Niels Mathias (pā'der-sen). A
Danish historian and philologist; born at
Sanderum in the island of Fuynen, Oct. 24,
1791; died at Copenhagen, May 11, 1862. He
was appointed professor of Norse languages
in the University of Copenhagen in 1845.
Among his numerous works are: History of
the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Lan-
guages) (2 vols. , 1829-30); "History of Den-
mark in Heathenism (3 vols. , 2d ed. 1854);
Norse Mythology) (2d ed. 1862); (History of
Danish Literature) (5 vols. , 2d ed. 1867-71).
Peterson, Charles Jacobs. An American
publisher and novelist; born in Philadelphia,
1818; died there, 1887. He was the founder of
Peterson's Magazine, and the author of several
popular novels. His works include: (Military
Heroes of the United States) (1847); (Cruising
in the Last War) (1849); “Grace Dudley) (1849);
Kate Aylesford (1855); “Mabel' (1857).
Peterson, Frederick. An American physi-
cian and poet; born in Minnesota in 1859.
He has published "Poems and Swedish Trans-
lations' (1883); and "In the Shade of Ygdrasil)
(1893).
Peterson, Henry. An American journalist
and poet, cousin of Charles J. ; born in Phila-
delphia, 1818; died in 1891. For twenty years
he was on the editorial staff of the Philadelphia
## p. 426 (#442) ############################################
426
PETIS DE LA CROIX- PFEFFEL
Petronius Arbiter (pe-tro'nē-us är'biter). .
A Latin writer of satirical fiction. He lived
in the first century of our era, but nothing is
known with certainty of his life. Of his story
or novel, called "Satires, which originally con-
sisted of about 20 (books, there is extant
a considerable fragment, (Trimalchio's Ban-
quet. ” *
Petrucelli della Gattina, Ferdinando
(pā-trö-chel’ē deillä gät-te'nä). An Italian
politician and journalist; born in Naples, 1813.
He wrote : Preliminaries of the Roman Ques-
tion) (1860); King of Kings,' a study of
Hildebrand (2d ed. 1865); Diplomatic His.
tory of Conclaves) (4 vols. , 1804-65).
Peyrebrune, Georges de - Mathilde Geor-
gina Elisabeth de Peyrebrune de Judicis
(pår-brün'). A French novelist; born in Dor-
dogne in 1848. She is one of the most popular
women novelists in France, and has written:
(Gatienne) (1882); Jean Bernard (1883); (A
Separation) (1884); (The Brothers Colombe)
(1885), one of her best works; (A Decadent'
(1888); (The Romance of a Bas-Bleu' (1892).
showing the dangers of a literary career for
women.
Saturday Evening Post. Among his works are :
(The Modern Job, and Other Poems) (1809);
(Faire-Mount! (1874); Cæsar : A Dramatic
Study) (1879).
Petis de la Croix, François (pā-tē' dé lä
krwä'). A French Orientalist; born in Paris
in 1653; died in 1713. He was secretary to
the French ambassador in Morocco, and greatly
assisted in negotiating the treaties of peace be-
tween France, Tunis, and Tripoli. From 1692
he was professor of Arabic in the Royal College
of France. He translated from the Persian
(The Thousand and One Days) (5 vols. ,
1710–12). His great work (The History of
Timur,' from the Arabic of Ali Yazdi, was
published nine years after his death (4 vols. ,
1722), and translated into English in 1723.
Petit de Julleville, Louis (pe-tē' dè zhül-
vēl'). A French historian of literature; born
at Paris, July 18, 1841. He became professor
of French literature in the Sorbonne. His
principal work is (History of the Theatre in
France) (5 vols. , 1880-86); it is very full with
regard to the old French theatre. He gives
in «The Theatre in France) (1889) an account
of the evolution of the French drama down to
the present time. In 1896 he commenced the
publication of a History of the French Lan-
guage and Literature, to be comprised in 8
vols.
Petöfi, Alexander (pā-tė'fē). A celebrated
Hungarian poet; born at Kis-Körös, near Pesth,
Jan. I, 1823; died July 31, 1849. Among his
chief works are: (The Wine-Bibbers) (1842);
'The Hangman's Rope); (Coriolanus, trans-
lated from Shakespeare (1848); 'Arise, Ye Mag-
yars) (1848). *
Petrarch, Francesco (pē'trärk). The great-
est of Italian lyric poets; born at Arezzo, July
20, 1304; died at Arquà, July 18, 1374. He wrote
mostly in Latin; but his fame rests on his lyrics
written in the vulgar tongue, and his (Rime,'
containing sonnets (227), ballads, songs, etc.
In Latin verse he wrote: (Africa, an epic in
hexameters, recounting the feats of Scipio Afri.
canus the Elder; a (Bucolic Poem); a volume
of 68 (Metrical Epistles. ? Ilis chief writings in
Latin prose are: (Of Contempt of the World);
(Of the Solitary Life); (Of the Remedies for
Either Fortune); (Memoranda, brief histori-
cal and legendary anecdotes; (Of Illustrious
Men. *
Petrie, W. M. Flinders (pe'trē). A celebrated
English Egyptologist, grandson of Capt. Flin-
ders the Australian explorer; born June 3, 1853.
He made measurements of prehistoric monu-
ments in Britain (1875-80); discovered and exca-
vated the Græco-Egyptian city of Naukratis,
in the Delta; and examined the interior of the
pyramids at Hawara and Illahun. The results
of his researches are found in (Stonehenge :
Plans, etc. (1881); Pyramids and Temples of
Gizeh) (1883); (Tanis) (1885-89); (Ten Years'
Diggings in Egypt) (1892), a popular summary
of his Egyptian work.
Peyrol, or Peyrot, Antoine (pā-ről'). A
Provençal poet; born at Avignon in the be-
ginning of the 17th century; died about 1780.
His Christmas Carols) (Noëls) are published
with those of two other Provençal poets, Sa.
boly and Roumanillo (1852).
Peyton, John Lewis. An American lawyer
and author; born in Staunton, Va. , Sept. 15.
1824. He studied law at the University of
Virginia, and subsequently practiced in Chi-
cago. In 1861 he went to Europe as agent of
the Confederacy, and remained abroad until
1880. He has published: (Adventures of My
Grandfather) (1867); (The American Crisis)
(1867); (Over the Alleghanies) (1869); (Me-
morials of Nature and Art) (1881).
Pfau, Ludwig (pfou). A German lyric poet
and art critic; born at Heilbronn, Aug. 25,
1821; died at Stuttgart, April 12, 1894. He
took a prominent part in the Baden revolu-
tion, 1848; and was editor of the Owl-Glass,
one of the most spirited comic journals of that
day. He wrote: (Voices of the Time (1848);
"German Sonnets for the Year 1850) (1849);
translated into German (Breton Folk-Songs!
(1859). Among his works in art criticism are:
(Art in the State) (3d ed. 1888); Contempo-
rary Art in Belgium); (Art and Criticism'
(1877).
Pfeffel, Gottlieb Konrad (pfā'iel). A Ger-
man poet; born at Colmar, June 28, 1736; died
there, May 1, 1809. He became totally blind
in 1758. He is best known as a fabulist. He
wrote (Ibrahim'; (The Tobacco Pipe); (The-
atrical Diversions after French Models (1765);
Dramatic Plays for Children' (1769). A selec-
tion from his (Fables and Poetical Narratives)
was published in 1810.
## p. 427 (#443) ############################################
PFEIFFER - PHILLIPS
427
Pfeiffer, Ida Reyer (pfi'fer). An Austrian
traveler; born at Vienna, Oct. 15, 1797; died
there, Oct. 28, 1858. Her travels were made in
both hemispheres. Among her books are :
(Travels of a Viennese Woman in the Holy
Land) (2 vols. , 1843); (Travels in the Scandi-
navian North and Iceland (2 vols. , 1846); (A
Lacly's Voyage Round the World) (1850); (My
Second Voyage Round the World (4 vols. ,
1856); "Voyage to Madagascar) (2 vols. , 1861).
Pfizer, Gustav (pfe'tser). A German poet;
born at Stuttgart, July 29, 1807; died there, July
19, 1890. His principal works are: Poems)
(1831 ; a second series 1835); “Life of Martin
Luther) (1836); Poems Epical and Epico-
Lyrical (1840); the poem “The Italian and the
German: Æneas Silvius Piccolomini and Gregor
von Heimburg (1844); (History of Alexander
the Great' (1847).
Phædrus (fē'drus). A Latin fabulist. He
was a native of Macedonia, and was taken to
Rome as a slave, but was freed by Augustus.
Nearly the whole of the (Æsopian Fables of
Phaedrus, Freedman of Augustus) are extant in
the original poetic form; besides these, we have
three different versions in Latin prose, made
in the Middle Ages.
Phelps, Austin. An American clergyman
and author; born at West Brookfield, Mass. ,
Jan. 7, 1820; died at Bar Harbor, Me. , Oct. 13,
1890. He was pastor of the Pine Street Con-
gregational Church, Boston, 1842-48; and pro-
fessor of sacred rhetoric in Andover Theologi-
cal Seminary, 1848–79. He was noted as an
original writer and an eloquent preacher. His
works include : (The Still Hour) (1859); (The
New Birth) (1867); Men and Books) (1882);
English Style in Public Discourse) (1883).
Phelps, Charles Henry. An American mis-
cellaneous writer; born at Stockton, Cal. , Jan.
1, 1853. He wrote (Californian Verses) (1882).
Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart. See Ward, Mrs.
Elizabeth Stuart (Phelps).
Pherecrates (fer-e-krā'tēs). A Greek comic
poet of the fourth century B. C. , contemporary
of Cratinus, Crates, and Aristophanes. Of his
works fragments only remain; among them an
(Address to Old Age, preserved by Stobæus.
He is variously stated to have written 18 or
16 plays.
Pherecydes of Syros (fer-e-si' dēs). An
early Greek philosopher, native of the island
of Syros; he lived in the sixth century B. C. ,
being contemporary with Thales and Anaxi-
mander. He is credited with having written a
work on the origin of things, in which the
doctrine of metempsychosis is first propounded.
Philemon (fi-lē'mon). A Greek comic poet ;
born at Soli in Cilicia, about 361 B. C. ; died
263 B. C. He wrote 97 plays, nine of which
are extant: the Latin poet Plautus's Merchant)
and (Trinummus) are founded on Philemon's
(The Merchant) and (The Treasure. ) * See
article Philemon, Menander, etc. )
Philippson, Martin (fil'ip-son). A German
historian; born at Magdeburg, June 27, 1846.
He was appointed professor of history in the
University of Brussels, 1878. Among his works
are : (Henry IV. and Philip III. : Origin of
French Preponderance in Europe, 1598-1610)
(3 vols. , 1871); (The Age of Louis XIV. ? (1879);
(Origins of Modern Catholicism' (1884).
Philips, Ambrose. An English poet; born
in Leicestershire, 1675 (? ); died 1749. He wrote
a series of Pastorals) (1709); 'The Distressed
Mother) (1712), a drama adapted from the
(Andromache) of Racine, and highly praised
by Addison in the Spectator; (The Briton'
and Humphry, Duke of Gloucester,' dramas
( 1722 ). He wrote also some epigrams, and
made translations of odes of Pindar, Anacreon,
and Sappho.
Philips or Phillips, Edward. An English
miscellaneous writer, nephew of Milton; born
at London, 1630; died about 1696.
He was
a voluminous writer. Among his works are:
(New World of English Words) (1658); (Mys.
teries of Love and Eloquence; or, The Arts of
Wooing, etc. (1658); “Compendious Latin Dic-
tionary) (1682); Poem on the Coronation of
his Most Sacred Majesty King James II. and
his Royal Consort' (1685).
Philips, Francis Charles. An English bar-
rister, playwright, and novelist; born in 1849.
After long service as officer in the army, he
retired from it and became a barrister. From
1874 to 1880 he was lessee of the Globe Thea-
tre, London. His novels include: As in a
Looking-Glass) (1885), translated into several
languages, and dramatized for Mrs. Beere and
Sarah Bernhardt; (A Lucky Young Woman)
(1886); (The Dean and his Daughter) (1887),
dramatized; (Mrs. Bouverie (1894). He was
also collaborator in the acted plays (Husband
and Wife); "Godpapa'; etc.
Philips, John. An English dramatist; born
at Bampton in Oxfordshire, 1676; died 1709.
He was an ardent student of the ancient classics,
and also of Chaucer, Spenser, and Milton. He
came into the favorable notice of critics and
lovers of poetry with "The Splendid Shilling)
(1703), pronounced by the Tatler. «the best
burlesque poem in the English language. In
a like burlesque vein he wrote (Blenheim
(1705); then the didactic poem (Cyder) in
imitation of Virgil's "Georgics.
Philips, Katherine Fowler. [“ The Match-
less Orinda. ”] An English poet; born in Lon-
don, Jan. I, 1631; died June 22, 1664.
She
wrote many poems, and translated Corneille's
(Horace) and (Pompée. She signed herself
“Orinda) in correspondence with literary
friends, and was pronounced "matchless ) for
her poetry, first collected in 1678. Dryden,
Cowley, Jeremy Taylor, and others eulogized
it extravagantly; but personal admiration for
the woman probably affected their judgment.
Phillips, George Searle. [“ January Searle. ”
An English-American littérateur; born in
## p. 428 (#444) ############################################
428
PHILLIPS - PICARD
England in 1818; died in 1889. He was a
well-known writer and lecturer of Yorkshire,
England, who removed to this country and
became prominent in literary circles. He pub-
lished: (Chapters in the History of a Life);
(Memoirs of Wordsworth); and (The Gypsies
of Dane's Dyke.
Phillips, Henry. An American writer and
lawyer of Philadelphia; born in Pennsylvania,
1838. He has written : History of American
Colonial Paper Currency); History of Ameri-
can Continental Paper Money); Pleasures of
Numismatic Science); Poems from the Span-
ish and German. '
Phillips, Wendell. An eminent American
social and political reformer and orator; born
at Boston, Nov. 29, 1811; died there, Feb. 2,
1884. He wrote: (The Constitution a Pro-
Slavery Compact! ( 1840 ); (Can Abolition-
ists Vote or Take Office ? ) (1845); Review
of Spooner's “Constitutionality of Slavery »
(1847); “Review of Webster's Speech of March
7th) ( 1850 ); Review of Kossuth's Course)
(1851); Defense of the Anti-Slavery Movement)
(1853); (Addresses' (1859); 'Speeches, Lectures,
and Letters) (1863). *
Philo the Jew (fi'lo), or Philo Judæus. An
Alexandrine Jewish philosopher; born at Alex-
andria about 20 B. C. About the year 40, in
his old age, he went to Rome at the head of
a Jewish embassy, to persuade the emperor
Caligula to exempt the Jews from the obliga-
tion of paying the emperor divine honors; a
full account of this mission is given in Philo's
extant work (On the Embassy to Caius. We
have still many of his writings, or considerable
fragments of them; an edition of them has
been published (8 vols. , 1851-54).
Philolaus (fil-o-lā'us). A Greek Pythagorean
philosopher, native of Magna Græcia; con-
temporary with Socrates. Only fragments of
his writings have come down to us.
He was
the first to commit to writing the doctrines of
Pythagoras. He taught the doctrine of the
earth's motion; that the sphere of the fixed
stars, the five planets, and the sun, moon, and
earth, move round the central fire, which is
the hearth of the universe. )
Philostratus (fi-los'tra-tus). A Greek rhet-
orician and sophist; born in the island of
Lemnos between 170 and 180 A. D. ; died about
250. Of his writings five are extant: viz. , Life
of Apollonius of Tyana, the famous religious
impostor and thaumaturge; Lives of the Soph-
ists); (Heroics); "Images); and (Epistles. )
Philoxenus (fi-lok'se-nus). A Greek poet ;
born in the island of Cythera about B. C. 435;
died at Ephesus, B. C. 380. He was taken
prisoner in war, conveyed as a slave to Ath-
ens, and sold to the musician Melanippides, who
gave him a liberal education. At the court
of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, he brought
upon himself condemnation to servitude in the
quarries by refusing to praise the autocrat's
verses; when brought again before the tyrant
and asked what he thought of the verses now,
he answered, " Take me away to the quarries. ”
He took his revenge on Dionysius in his dithy-
ramb 'Cyclops. He wrote 24 dithyrambs, and
a lyric poem on the genealogy of the Æacidæ.
Of his writings only scanty fragments remain.
Phenix, John. See Derby.
Phranza (fran'tsa) or Phranzes, George
(fran'tses). The last of the Byzantine his-
torians; born in 1401; died in 1478. He was
chamberlain of Manuel II. (Palæologus), and
protovestiary, or wardrobe keeper, to Constan-
tine XIII. , whose life he saved at the siege of
Patras (1429). After the capture of Constan-
tinople by Mohammed II. he escaped to Corfu,
and retiring to a monastery, wrote his inter-
esting and reliable Chronicon' or Byzantine
history, covering the period from 1259 to 1477.
Phrynichus (frin'i-kus). A Greek tragic poet
of the fifth century B. C. Departing from the
custom of tragic poets, he took for the subject
of his greatest tragedy 'The Capture of Miletus)
by the Persians, a contemporary event. It
moved the Athenians profoundly, but they fined
the poet 1,000 drachmas for harrowing their
sensibilities by rehearsing the woes of their
allies. Next he wrote: (The Phænician Wo-
men, commemorating the defeat of Xerxes at
Salamis. He wrote also several tragedies on
legendary themes, as (The Danaids); (Ac-
tæon); (Alcestis); 'Tantalus. ' Only fragments
of his plays remain.
Piatt, Donn. An American lawyer, journal-
ist, and author; born in Cincinnati, O. , 1819;
died in 1891. He began his career as a lawyer;
was secretary of the Paris legation in Pierce's
administration ; served as colonel of volunteers
during the Civil War; and subsequently be-
came famous as a journalist in Washington.
His works include: Memories of Men Who
Saved the Union (1887); (The Lone Grave
of the Shenandoah) (1888); Life of General
George H. Thomas) (1893).
Piatt, John James. An American journalist
and poet, nephew of Donn; born at Milton,
Ind. , 1835. He entered journalism; became
clerk of the U. S. Treasury Department and
the House of Representatives; and from 1882
to 1894 was consul at Cork, Ireland. He has
written poems of considerable merit and ori-
ginality. His works include : Poems by Two
Friends) (1860), with W. D. Howells; (The
Nests at Washington (1863), with Mrs. Piatt;
(Poems in Sunshine and Firelight) (1866);
(Western Windows) (1868); Idyls and Lyrics
of the Ohio Valley) (1884).
Piatt, Mrs. Sarah Morgan (Bryan). An
American poet, wife of John J. ; born at Lex.
ington, Ky. , 1836. Her best-known works are:
A Woman's Poems) (1871); (A Voyage to
the Fortunate Isles) (1874); Dramatic Persons
and Moods) (1880); (The Witch in the Glass)
(1888); "An Enchanted Castle) (1893).
Picard, Louis Benoît (pe-kär'). A French
writer of comedy ; born at Paris, July 29, 1769;
(
## p. 429 (#445) ############################################
PICHAT - PIETSCH
429
ences.
died there, Dec. 31, 1828. At 20 he was a
writer for the stage, but in 1797 he first came
into prominence with the comedy Mediocre
and Groveling' (worked over by Schiller in
(The Parasite). He then went upon the stage,
and in 1801 became director of the Louvois
Theatre ; but renounced the stage in 1807, was
elected to the French Academy, and was ap-
pointed director of the Imperial Academy of
Music. His best comedies are: (The Little
City); Monsieur Musard? (Mr. Trifler); “The
Puppets); “The Two Philiberts. )
Pichat, Michel (pē-shä'). A French dram-
atist; born at Vienne, 1790; died at Paris, 1828.
He wrote the tragedies (Turnus,' Leonidas)
(1825), which had great success, (William Tell);
(Ali Pasha) (1822), a melodrama; "Devotion of
the French Physicians at Barcelona' (1822), a
poem.
Pichler, Adolf (pich'ler). An Austrian poet
and naturalist; born at Erl in the Tyrol, Sept. 4,
1819. He wrote narratives of the revolution-
ary troubles of 1848, viz. : (The Days of March
and October in Vienna, 1848) (1850); and (The
Italo-Tyrolean War (1849), in which he served
as a volunteer. He wrote also a volume of
(Poems) (1853); “Hymns) (2d ed. 1857); (From
the Tyrol Mountains) (1862);(Epigrams) (1865);
(All Sorts of Stories from the Tyrol (1867);
(Boundary Stones, poetical narratives (1874);
(Literature and Art,' a volume of epigrams
(1879); "In My Time, personal recollections
(1892); (The Solitary) (1896).
Pichler, Karoline. An Austrian novelist;
born at Vienna, Sept. 7, 1769; died there, July
9, 1843. She was a very prolific writer. Among
her stories are: (Agathocles) (3 vols. , 1808);
(Woman's Worth) (4 vols. , 1808); “The Siege
of Vienna) (3 vols. , 1824); (The Castle among
the Mountains); Black Fritz. )
Pichon, Jérôme Frédéric, Baron (pē-shôn').
A French writer on historical subjects; born
at Paris, Dec. 3, 1812. Among his works are :
(The Apparition of Jehan de Meun; or, The
Dream of the Prior of Salon (1845); (The
Count d'Hoym, his Library and his Collections)
(2 vols. , 1880).
Pickering, Charles. An American natu-
ralist and author; born in Pennsylvania, 1805;
died in Boston, 1878. He traveled extensively,
and published the volumes: "The Races of
Man and their Geographical Distribution/
(1848); "Geographical Distribution of Animals
and Man) (1861); (Chronological History of
Plants) (1879).
Pickering, Henry. An American poet; born
in Newburg, N. Y. , 1781; died in New York,
1831. His poetical writings include: (Ruins
of Pæstum (1822); (Athens and Other Poems)
(1824); and (The Buckwheat Cake) (1831).
Pickering, John. A distinguished American
philologist and Oriental scholar ; born in Salem,
Mass. , 1777 ; died in Boston, 1846. He held
many important public positions; was president
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and a member of various learned associations
at home and abroad. He published a paper
on the Adoption of a Uniform Orthography
for the Indian Languages) (1820); a (Vocab-
ulary of Words and Phrases Peculiar to the
United States) (1816); a (Greek Dictionary)
(1826); and wrote many pamphlets on scien-
tific and political questions.
Pico, Giovanni, Count of Mirandola (pē’ko).
An Italian scholar and philosopher; born at
Mirandola, Feb. 24, 1463; died at Florence,
Nov. 17, 1494. A prominent figure of his time,
he displayed more learning than depth or ori-
ginality of thought. He wrote (Heptaplus,' an
allegorical explanation of the creation ; (Philo-
sophical, Cabalistic, and Theological Conclus-
ions) (1486); (Of the Dignity of Man); etc.
(Works, Bologna, 1496 ; often republished. )
Picot, Georges (pē-kõ'). A French historian;
born at Paris, Dec. 24, 1838. He succeeded
Thiers as member of the Institute in 1878, and
on the death of Jules Simon in 1896 became
permanent secretary of the Academy of Sci-
He wrote: (Elections to the States-
General in the Provinces from 1302 to 1614)
(1874); (The Parliament of Paris under Charles
VIII. (1877); Judiciary Reform in France)
(1881); (A Social Duty and Workmen's Homes)
(1885); History of the States-General and
their Influence on the Government of France
from 1355 to 1614) (4 vols. , 1872), his principal
work, which twice won the Gobert prize of the
Academy (2d ed. 5 vols. , 1888).
Piedagnel, François Alexandre (pyā-dän-
yel'). A French verse-writer; born at Cher-
bourg, Dec. 27, 1831. He published three vol-
umes of poems: (Yesterday) (1882); (On the
Road) (1886); (April (1887). He wrote also :
Jules Janin) (1874); (J. F. Millet: Recollec-
tions of Barbizon (1878).
Pierce, Henry Niles. An American Epis-
copal bishop and author; born in Pawtucket,
R. I. , 1820. He spent many years in the West
as a missionary, and was consecrated bishop
in 1870. He has published many essays, ser-
mons, and reviews; and a volume of poems,
( The Agnostic, etc. (1884).
Pierpont, John. A Unitarian clergyman and
poet ; born in Litchfield, Conn. , April 6, 1785;
died in Medford, Mass. , Aug. 27, 1866. Among
his works is (Airs of Palestine, and Other Po-
ems) (1840). One of his best-known poems
is (Warren's Address at the Battle of Bunker
Hill.
Piers Plowman. Assumed name of William
Longland or Langland. An English satirical
writer of the 14th century. His work (The
Vision of Piers Plowman religious and
moral allegory, in rhyme - is a picture of the
disorders in church and State prevailing at his
time.
Pietsch, Ludwig (pētsh). A German traveler
and designer; born at Dantzic, Dec. 25, 1824.
He wrote : (The World and Art' (2 vols, 1867);
## p. 430 (#446) ############################################
430
PIGAULT-LEBRUN
PINKERTON
:
(Travels in the East) (1870); From Berlin to
Paris : War Pictures) (1871); “Morocco) (1878);
(Pilgrimage to Olympia in 1876) (1879); (How
I Became an Author) (2 vols. , 1892-94).
Pigault-Lebrun (pē-go'lė-brün'), pseudo-
nym of Antoine P. de L'Epinoy. A French
novelist and dramatist ; born at Calais, April 8,
1753; died at La Celle Saint Cloud, July 24,
1835. He wrote more than 70 volumes of
stories, among them (The Child of the Car-
nival' (1792), “The Barons of Felsheim (1798),
(Spanish Madness) (1801); and several come-
dies, as (The Pessimist) (1789), (Rivals of
Themselves) (1798), Love and Reason (1799).
He wrote also Literary and Critical Miscel-
lanies) (2 vols. , 1816).
Pignotti, Lorenzo (pen-yot'tē). An Italian
poet and historian; born at Figlina, Tuscany,
1739; died at Pisa, 1812. Among his writings
are poems (On the Grave of Shakespeare
(1778); (The Shade of Pope (1791). He wrote
a book of Fables) (1779), which were very
popular; and a History of Tuscany' (9 vols. ,
1813).
Piis, Pierre Antoine Augustin (pēs). A
French dramatist ; born at Paris, 1755; died
1832.
Among his very numerous dramatic
pieces were : Aristotle in Love, vaudeville
(1780); “Summer Loves) (1781); (Two Sedan-
Chairmen' (1781); Marriage in Extremis)
(1782), a comedy in one act. His miscella-
neous writings included : Carlo-Robertiad
(1784), a satire on ballooning; (Easter Eggs
for my Critics) (1786).
Pike, Albert. An American lawyer, journal-
ist, and poet; born in Boston, Dec. 29, 1809;
died in Washington, D. C. , April 2, 1891. Early
in life he went West, entered journalism, and
later practiced law in Arkansas.
historian; born at Freyburg on the Unstrut,
April 6, 1808; died at Jena, Aug. II, 1893.
Among his works are : Epochs in the History
of the Roman Constitution) (1841); (Studies
in Roman History) (1863); (Criticism of the
Sources of Ancient Roman History) (1879).
Peters, Samuel Andrew. An American
clergyman and author; born at Hebron, Conn. ,
1735; died in New York, 1826.
He was or-
dained a minister in the Church of England
at Hartford in 1760. In 1774 he sailed to
England to escape persecution on account of
his toryism, and in 1781 published the satirical
(General History of Connecticut,' which gave
rise to the misconception as to “Blue Laws,
which were in the brain of Peters instead of
having ever been on the statute-books of Con-
necticut.
Petersen, Niels Mathias (pā'der-sen). A
Danish historian and philologist; born at
Sanderum in the island of Fuynen, Oct. 24,
1791; died at Copenhagen, May 11, 1862. He
was appointed professor of Norse languages
in the University of Copenhagen in 1845.
Among his numerous works are: History of
the Danish, Norwegian, and Swedish Lan-
guages) (2 vols. , 1829-30); "History of Den-
mark in Heathenism (3 vols. , 2d ed. 1854);
Norse Mythology) (2d ed. 1862); (History of
Danish Literature) (5 vols. , 2d ed. 1867-71).
Peterson, Charles Jacobs. An American
publisher and novelist; born in Philadelphia,
1818; died there, 1887. He was the founder of
Peterson's Magazine, and the author of several
popular novels. His works include: (Military
Heroes of the United States) (1847); (Cruising
in the Last War) (1849); “Grace Dudley) (1849);
Kate Aylesford (1855); “Mabel' (1857).
Peterson, Frederick. An American physi-
cian and poet; born in Minnesota in 1859.
He has published "Poems and Swedish Trans-
lations' (1883); and "In the Shade of Ygdrasil)
(1893).
Peterson, Henry. An American journalist
and poet, cousin of Charles J. ; born in Phila-
delphia, 1818; died in 1891. For twenty years
he was on the editorial staff of the Philadelphia
## p. 426 (#442) ############################################
426
PETIS DE LA CROIX- PFEFFEL
Petronius Arbiter (pe-tro'nē-us är'biter). .
A Latin writer of satirical fiction. He lived
in the first century of our era, but nothing is
known with certainty of his life. Of his story
or novel, called "Satires, which originally con-
sisted of about 20 (books, there is extant
a considerable fragment, (Trimalchio's Ban-
quet. ” *
Petrucelli della Gattina, Ferdinando
(pā-trö-chel’ē deillä gät-te'nä). An Italian
politician and journalist; born in Naples, 1813.
He wrote : Preliminaries of the Roman Ques-
tion) (1860); King of Kings,' a study of
Hildebrand (2d ed. 1865); Diplomatic His.
tory of Conclaves) (4 vols. , 1804-65).
Peyrebrune, Georges de - Mathilde Geor-
gina Elisabeth de Peyrebrune de Judicis
(pår-brün'). A French novelist; born in Dor-
dogne in 1848. She is one of the most popular
women novelists in France, and has written:
(Gatienne) (1882); Jean Bernard (1883); (A
Separation) (1884); (The Brothers Colombe)
(1885), one of her best works; (A Decadent'
(1888); (The Romance of a Bas-Bleu' (1892).
showing the dangers of a literary career for
women.
Saturday Evening Post. Among his works are :
(The Modern Job, and Other Poems) (1809);
(Faire-Mount! (1874); Cæsar : A Dramatic
Study) (1879).
Petis de la Croix, François (pā-tē' dé lä
krwä'). A French Orientalist; born in Paris
in 1653; died in 1713. He was secretary to
the French ambassador in Morocco, and greatly
assisted in negotiating the treaties of peace be-
tween France, Tunis, and Tripoli. From 1692
he was professor of Arabic in the Royal College
of France. He translated from the Persian
(The Thousand and One Days) (5 vols. ,
1710–12). His great work (The History of
Timur,' from the Arabic of Ali Yazdi, was
published nine years after his death (4 vols. ,
1722), and translated into English in 1723.
Petit de Julleville, Louis (pe-tē' dè zhül-
vēl'). A French historian of literature; born
at Paris, July 18, 1841. He became professor
of French literature in the Sorbonne. His
principal work is (History of the Theatre in
France) (5 vols. , 1880-86); it is very full with
regard to the old French theatre. He gives
in «The Theatre in France) (1889) an account
of the evolution of the French drama down to
the present time. In 1896 he commenced the
publication of a History of the French Lan-
guage and Literature, to be comprised in 8
vols.
Petöfi, Alexander (pā-tė'fē). A celebrated
Hungarian poet; born at Kis-Körös, near Pesth,
Jan. I, 1823; died July 31, 1849. Among his
chief works are: (The Wine-Bibbers) (1842);
'The Hangman's Rope); (Coriolanus, trans-
lated from Shakespeare (1848); 'Arise, Ye Mag-
yars) (1848). *
Petrarch, Francesco (pē'trärk). The great-
est of Italian lyric poets; born at Arezzo, July
20, 1304; died at Arquà, July 18, 1374. He wrote
mostly in Latin; but his fame rests on his lyrics
written in the vulgar tongue, and his (Rime,'
containing sonnets (227), ballads, songs, etc.
In Latin verse he wrote: (Africa, an epic in
hexameters, recounting the feats of Scipio Afri.
canus the Elder; a (Bucolic Poem); a volume
of 68 (Metrical Epistles. ? Ilis chief writings in
Latin prose are: (Of Contempt of the World);
(Of the Solitary Life); (Of the Remedies for
Either Fortune); (Memoranda, brief histori-
cal and legendary anecdotes; (Of Illustrious
Men. *
Petrie, W. M. Flinders (pe'trē). A celebrated
English Egyptologist, grandson of Capt. Flin-
ders the Australian explorer; born June 3, 1853.
He made measurements of prehistoric monu-
ments in Britain (1875-80); discovered and exca-
vated the Græco-Egyptian city of Naukratis,
in the Delta; and examined the interior of the
pyramids at Hawara and Illahun. The results
of his researches are found in (Stonehenge :
Plans, etc. (1881); Pyramids and Temples of
Gizeh) (1883); (Tanis) (1885-89); (Ten Years'
Diggings in Egypt) (1892), a popular summary
of his Egyptian work.
Peyrol, or Peyrot, Antoine (pā-ről'). A
Provençal poet; born at Avignon in the be-
ginning of the 17th century; died about 1780.
His Christmas Carols) (Noëls) are published
with those of two other Provençal poets, Sa.
boly and Roumanillo (1852).
Peyton, John Lewis. An American lawyer
and author; born in Staunton, Va. , Sept. 15.
1824. He studied law at the University of
Virginia, and subsequently practiced in Chi-
cago. In 1861 he went to Europe as agent of
the Confederacy, and remained abroad until
1880. He has published: (Adventures of My
Grandfather) (1867); (The American Crisis)
(1867); (Over the Alleghanies) (1869); (Me-
morials of Nature and Art) (1881).
Pfau, Ludwig (pfou). A German lyric poet
and art critic; born at Heilbronn, Aug. 25,
1821; died at Stuttgart, April 12, 1894. He
took a prominent part in the Baden revolu-
tion, 1848; and was editor of the Owl-Glass,
one of the most spirited comic journals of that
day. He wrote: (Voices of the Time (1848);
"German Sonnets for the Year 1850) (1849);
translated into German (Breton Folk-Songs!
(1859). Among his works in art criticism are:
(Art in the State) (3d ed. 1888); Contempo-
rary Art in Belgium); (Art and Criticism'
(1877).
Pfeffel, Gottlieb Konrad (pfā'iel). A Ger-
man poet; born at Colmar, June 28, 1736; died
there, May 1, 1809. He became totally blind
in 1758. He is best known as a fabulist. He
wrote (Ibrahim'; (The Tobacco Pipe); (The-
atrical Diversions after French Models (1765);
Dramatic Plays for Children' (1769). A selec-
tion from his (Fables and Poetical Narratives)
was published in 1810.
## p. 427 (#443) ############################################
PFEIFFER - PHILLIPS
427
Pfeiffer, Ida Reyer (pfi'fer). An Austrian
traveler; born at Vienna, Oct. 15, 1797; died
there, Oct. 28, 1858. Her travels were made in
both hemispheres. Among her books are :
(Travels of a Viennese Woman in the Holy
Land) (2 vols. , 1843); (Travels in the Scandi-
navian North and Iceland (2 vols. , 1846); (A
Lacly's Voyage Round the World) (1850); (My
Second Voyage Round the World (4 vols. ,
1856); "Voyage to Madagascar) (2 vols. , 1861).
Pfizer, Gustav (pfe'tser). A German poet;
born at Stuttgart, July 29, 1807; died there, July
19, 1890. His principal works are: Poems)
(1831 ; a second series 1835); “Life of Martin
Luther) (1836); Poems Epical and Epico-
Lyrical (1840); the poem “The Italian and the
German: Æneas Silvius Piccolomini and Gregor
von Heimburg (1844); (History of Alexander
the Great' (1847).
Phædrus (fē'drus). A Latin fabulist. He
was a native of Macedonia, and was taken to
Rome as a slave, but was freed by Augustus.
Nearly the whole of the (Æsopian Fables of
Phaedrus, Freedman of Augustus) are extant in
the original poetic form; besides these, we have
three different versions in Latin prose, made
in the Middle Ages.
Phelps, Austin. An American clergyman
and author; born at West Brookfield, Mass. ,
Jan. 7, 1820; died at Bar Harbor, Me. , Oct. 13,
1890. He was pastor of the Pine Street Con-
gregational Church, Boston, 1842-48; and pro-
fessor of sacred rhetoric in Andover Theologi-
cal Seminary, 1848–79. He was noted as an
original writer and an eloquent preacher. His
works include : (The Still Hour) (1859); (The
New Birth) (1867); Men and Books) (1882);
English Style in Public Discourse) (1883).
Phelps, Charles Henry. An American mis-
cellaneous writer; born at Stockton, Cal. , Jan.
1, 1853. He wrote (Californian Verses) (1882).
Phelps, Elizabeth Stuart. See Ward, Mrs.
Elizabeth Stuart (Phelps).
Pherecrates (fer-e-krā'tēs). A Greek comic
poet of the fourth century B. C. , contemporary
of Cratinus, Crates, and Aristophanes. Of his
works fragments only remain; among them an
(Address to Old Age, preserved by Stobæus.
He is variously stated to have written 18 or
16 plays.
Pherecydes of Syros (fer-e-si' dēs). An
early Greek philosopher, native of the island
of Syros; he lived in the sixth century B. C. ,
being contemporary with Thales and Anaxi-
mander. He is credited with having written a
work on the origin of things, in which the
doctrine of metempsychosis is first propounded.
Philemon (fi-lē'mon). A Greek comic poet ;
born at Soli in Cilicia, about 361 B. C. ; died
263 B. C. He wrote 97 plays, nine of which
are extant: the Latin poet Plautus's Merchant)
and (Trinummus) are founded on Philemon's
(The Merchant) and (The Treasure. ) * See
article Philemon, Menander, etc. )
Philippson, Martin (fil'ip-son). A German
historian; born at Magdeburg, June 27, 1846.
He was appointed professor of history in the
University of Brussels, 1878. Among his works
are : (Henry IV. and Philip III. : Origin of
French Preponderance in Europe, 1598-1610)
(3 vols. , 1871); (The Age of Louis XIV. ? (1879);
(Origins of Modern Catholicism' (1884).
Philips, Ambrose. An English poet; born
in Leicestershire, 1675 (? ); died 1749. He wrote
a series of Pastorals) (1709); 'The Distressed
Mother) (1712), a drama adapted from the
(Andromache) of Racine, and highly praised
by Addison in the Spectator; (The Briton'
and Humphry, Duke of Gloucester,' dramas
( 1722 ). He wrote also some epigrams, and
made translations of odes of Pindar, Anacreon,
and Sappho.
Philips or Phillips, Edward. An English
miscellaneous writer, nephew of Milton; born
at London, 1630; died about 1696.
He was
a voluminous writer. Among his works are:
(New World of English Words) (1658); (Mys.
teries of Love and Eloquence; or, The Arts of
Wooing, etc. (1658); “Compendious Latin Dic-
tionary) (1682); Poem on the Coronation of
his Most Sacred Majesty King James II. and
his Royal Consort' (1685).
Philips, Francis Charles. An English bar-
rister, playwright, and novelist; born in 1849.
After long service as officer in the army, he
retired from it and became a barrister. From
1874 to 1880 he was lessee of the Globe Thea-
tre, London. His novels include: As in a
Looking-Glass) (1885), translated into several
languages, and dramatized for Mrs. Beere and
Sarah Bernhardt; (A Lucky Young Woman)
(1886); (The Dean and his Daughter) (1887),
dramatized; (Mrs. Bouverie (1894). He was
also collaborator in the acted plays (Husband
and Wife); "Godpapa'; etc.
Philips, John. An English dramatist; born
at Bampton in Oxfordshire, 1676; died 1709.
He was an ardent student of the ancient classics,
and also of Chaucer, Spenser, and Milton. He
came into the favorable notice of critics and
lovers of poetry with "The Splendid Shilling)
(1703), pronounced by the Tatler. «the best
burlesque poem in the English language. In
a like burlesque vein he wrote (Blenheim
(1705); then the didactic poem (Cyder) in
imitation of Virgil's "Georgics.
Philips, Katherine Fowler. [“ The Match-
less Orinda. ”] An English poet; born in Lon-
don, Jan. I, 1631; died June 22, 1664.
She
wrote many poems, and translated Corneille's
(Horace) and (Pompée. She signed herself
“Orinda) in correspondence with literary
friends, and was pronounced "matchless ) for
her poetry, first collected in 1678. Dryden,
Cowley, Jeremy Taylor, and others eulogized
it extravagantly; but personal admiration for
the woman probably affected their judgment.
Phillips, George Searle. [“ January Searle. ”
An English-American littérateur; born in
## p. 428 (#444) ############################################
428
PHILLIPS - PICARD
England in 1818; died in 1889. He was a
well-known writer and lecturer of Yorkshire,
England, who removed to this country and
became prominent in literary circles. He pub-
lished: (Chapters in the History of a Life);
(Memoirs of Wordsworth); and (The Gypsies
of Dane's Dyke.
Phillips, Henry. An American writer and
lawyer of Philadelphia; born in Pennsylvania,
1838. He has written : History of American
Colonial Paper Currency); History of Ameri-
can Continental Paper Money); Pleasures of
Numismatic Science); Poems from the Span-
ish and German. '
Phillips, Wendell. An eminent American
social and political reformer and orator; born
at Boston, Nov. 29, 1811; died there, Feb. 2,
1884. He wrote: (The Constitution a Pro-
Slavery Compact! ( 1840 ); (Can Abolition-
ists Vote or Take Office ? ) (1845); Review
of Spooner's “Constitutionality of Slavery »
(1847); “Review of Webster's Speech of March
7th) ( 1850 ); Review of Kossuth's Course)
(1851); Defense of the Anti-Slavery Movement)
(1853); (Addresses' (1859); 'Speeches, Lectures,
and Letters) (1863). *
Philo the Jew (fi'lo), or Philo Judæus. An
Alexandrine Jewish philosopher; born at Alex-
andria about 20 B. C. About the year 40, in
his old age, he went to Rome at the head of
a Jewish embassy, to persuade the emperor
Caligula to exempt the Jews from the obliga-
tion of paying the emperor divine honors; a
full account of this mission is given in Philo's
extant work (On the Embassy to Caius. We
have still many of his writings, or considerable
fragments of them; an edition of them has
been published (8 vols. , 1851-54).
Philolaus (fil-o-lā'us). A Greek Pythagorean
philosopher, native of Magna Græcia; con-
temporary with Socrates. Only fragments of
his writings have come down to us.
He was
the first to commit to writing the doctrines of
Pythagoras. He taught the doctrine of the
earth's motion; that the sphere of the fixed
stars, the five planets, and the sun, moon, and
earth, move round the central fire, which is
the hearth of the universe. )
Philostratus (fi-los'tra-tus). A Greek rhet-
orician and sophist; born in the island of
Lemnos between 170 and 180 A. D. ; died about
250. Of his writings five are extant: viz. , Life
of Apollonius of Tyana, the famous religious
impostor and thaumaturge; Lives of the Soph-
ists); (Heroics); "Images); and (Epistles. )
Philoxenus (fi-lok'se-nus). A Greek poet ;
born in the island of Cythera about B. C. 435;
died at Ephesus, B. C. 380. He was taken
prisoner in war, conveyed as a slave to Ath-
ens, and sold to the musician Melanippides, who
gave him a liberal education. At the court
of Dionysius, tyrant of Syracuse, he brought
upon himself condemnation to servitude in the
quarries by refusing to praise the autocrat's
verses; when brought again before the tyrant
and asked what he thought of the verses now,
he answered, " Take me away to the quarries. ”
He took his revenge on Dionysius in his dithy-
ramb 'Cyclops. He wrote 24 dithyrambs, and
a lyric poem on the genealogy of the Æacidæ.
Of his writings only scanty fragments remain.
Phenix, John. See Derby.
Phranza (fran'tsa) or Phranzes, George
(fran'tses). The last of the Byzantine his-
torians; born in 1401; died in 1478. He was
chamberlain of Manuel II. (Palæologus), and
protovestiary, or wardrobe keeper, to Constan-
tine XIII. , whose life he saved at the siege of
Patras (1429). After the capture of Constan-
tinople by Mohammed II. he escaped to Corfu,
and retiring to a monastery, wrote his inter-
esting and reliable Chronicon' or Byzantine
history, covering the period from 1259 to 1477.
Phrynichus (frin'i-kus). A Greek tragic poet
of the fifth century B. C. Departing from the
custom of tragic poets, he took for the subject
of his greatest tragedy 'The Capture of Miletus)
by the Persians, a contemporary event. It
moved the Athenians profoundly, but they fined
the poet 1,000 drachmas for harrowing their
sensibilities by rehearsing the woes of their
allies. Next he wrote: (The Phænician Wo-
men, commemorating the defeat of Xerxes at
Salamis. He wrote also several tragedies on
legendary themes, as (The Danaids); (Ac-
tæon); (Alcestis); 'Tantalus. ' Only fragments
of his plays remain.
Piatt, Donn. An American lawyer, journal-
ist, and author; born in Cincinnati, O. , 1819;
died in 1891. He began his career as a lawyer;
was secretary of the Paris legation in Pierce's
administration ; served as colonel of volunteers
during the Civil War; and subsequently be-
came famous as a journalist in Washington.
His works include: Memories of Men Who
Saved the Union (1887); (The Lone Grave
of the Shenandoah) (1888); Life of General
George H. Thomas) (1893).
Piatt, John James. An American journalist
and poet, nephew of Donn; born at Milton,
Ind. , 1835. He entered journalism; became
clerk of the U. S. Treasury Department and
the House of Representatives; and from 1882
to 1894 was consul at Cork, Ireland. He has
written poems of considerable merit and ori-
ginality. His works include : Poems by Two
Friends) (1860), with W. D. Howells; (The
Nests at Washington (1863), with Mrs. Piatt;
(Poems in Sunshine and Firelight) (1866);
(Western Windows) (1868); Idyls and Lyrics
of the Ohio Valley) (1884).
Piatt, Mrs. Sarah Morgan (Bryan). An
American poet, wife of John J. ; born at Lex.
ington, Ky. , 1836. Her best-known works are:
A Woman's Poems) (1871); (A Voyage to
the Fortunate Isles) (1874); Dramatic Persons
and Moods) (1880); (The Witch in the Glass)
(1888); "An Enchanted Castle) (1893).
Picard, Louis Benoît (pe-kär'). A French
writer of comedy ; born at Paris, July 29, 1769;
(
## p. 429 (#445) ############################################
PICHAT - PIETSCH
429
ences.
died there, Dec. 31, 1828. At 20 he was a
writer for the stage, but in 1797 he first came
into prominence with the comedy Mediocre
and Groveling' (worked over by Schiller in
(The Parasite). He then went upon the stage,
and in 1801 became director of the Louvois
Theatre ; but renounced the stage in 1807, was
elected to the French Academy, and was ap-
pointed director of the Imperial Academy of
Music. His best comedies are: (The Little
City); Monsieur Musard? (Mr. Trifler); “The
Puppets); “The Two Philiberts. )
Pichat, Michel (pē-shä'). A French dram-
atist; born at Vienne, 1790; died at Paris, 1828.
He wrote the tragedies (Turnus,' Leonidas)
(1825), which had great success, (William Tell);
(Ali Pasha) (1822), a melodrama; "Devotion of
the French Physicians at Barcelona' (1822), a
poem.
Pichler, Adolf (pich'ler). An Austrian poet
and naturalist; born at Erl in the Tyrol, Sept. 4,
1819. He wrote narratives of the revolution-
ary troubles of 1848, viz. : (The Days of March
and October in Vienna, 1848) (1850); and (The
Italo-Tyrolean War (1849), in which he served
as a volunteer. He wrote also a volume of
(Poems) (1853); “Hymns) (2d ed. 1857); (From
the Tyrol Mountains) (1862);(Epigrams) (1865);
(All Sorts of Stories from the Tyrol (1867);
(Boundary Stones, poetical narratives (1874);
(Literature and Art,' a volume of epigrams
(1879); "In My Time, personal recollections
(1892); (The Solitary) (1896).
Pichler, Karoline. An Austrian novelist;
born at Vienna, Sept. 7, 1769; died there, July
9, 1843. She was a very prolific writer. Among
her stories are: (Agathocles) (3 vols. , 1808);
(Woman's Worth) (4 vols. , 1808); “The Siege
of Vienna) (3 vols. , 1824); (The Castle among
the Mountains); Black Fritz. )
Pichon, Jérôme Frédéric, Baron (pē-shôn').
A French writer on historical subjects; born
at Paris, Dec. 3, 1812. Among his works are :
(The Apparition of Jehan de Meun; or, The
Dream of the Prior of Salon (1845); (The
Count d'Hoym, his Library and his Collections)
(2 vols. , 1880).
Pickering, Charles. An American natu-
ralist and author; born in Pennsylvania, 1805;
died in Boston, 1878. He traveled extensively,
and published the volumes: "The Races of
Man and their Geographical Distribution/
(1848); "Geographical Distribution of Animals
and Man) (1861); (Chronological History of
Plants) (1879).
Pickering, Henry. An American poet; born
in Newburg, N. Y. , 1781; died in New York,
1831. His poetical writings include: (Ruins
of Pæstum (1822); (Athens and Other Poems)
(1824); and (The Buckwheat Cake) (1831).
Pickering, John. A distinguished American
philologist and Oriental scholar ; born in Salem,
Mass. , 1777 ; died in Boston, 1846. He held
many important public positions; was president
of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,
and a member of various learned associations
at home and abroad. He published a paper
on the Adoption of a Uniform Orthography
for the Indian Languages) (1820); a (Vocab-
ulary of Words and Phrases Peculiar to the
United States) (1816); a (Greek Dictionary)
(1826); and wrote many pamphlets on scien-
tific and political questions.
Pico, Giovanni, Count of Mirandola (pē’ko).
An Italian scholar and philosopher; born at
Mirandola, Feb. 24, 1463; died at Florence,
Nov. 17, 1494. A prominent figure of his time,
he displayed more learning than depth or ori-
ginality of thought. He wrote (Heptaplus,' an
allegorical explanation of the creation ; (Philo-
sophical, Cabalistic, and Theological Conclus-
ions) (1486); (Of the Dignity of Man); etc.
(Works, Bologna, 1496 ; often republished. )
Picot, Georges (pē-kõ'). A French historian;
born at Paris, Dec. 24, 1838. He succeeded
Thiers as member of the Institute in 1878, and
on the death of Jules Simon in 1896 became
permanent secretary of the Academy of Sci-
He wrote: (Elections to the States-
General in the Provinces from 1302 to 1614)
(1874); (The Parliament of Paris under Charles
VIII. (1877); Judiciary Reform in France)
(1881); (A Social Duty and Workmen's Homes)
(1885); History of the States-General and
their Influence on the Government of France
from 1355 to 1614) (4 vols. , 1872), his principal
work, which twice won the Gobert prize of the
Academy (2d ed. 5 vols. , 1888).
Piedagnel, François Alexandre (pyā-dän-
yel'). A French verse-writer; born at Cher-
bourg, Dec. 27, 1831. He published three vol-
umes of poems: (Yesterday) (1882); (On the
Road) (1886); (April (1887). He wrote also :
Jules Janin) (1874); (J. F. Millet: Recollec-
tions of Barbizon (1878).
Pierce, Henry Niles. An American Epis-
copal bishop and author; born in Pawtucket,
R. I. , 1820. He spent many years in the West
as a missionary, and was consecrated bishop
in 1870. He has published many essays, ser-
mons, and reviews; and a volume of poems,
( The Agnostic, etc. (1884).
Pierpont, John. A Unitarian clergyman and
poet ; born in Litchfield, Conn. , April 6, 1785;
died in Medford, Mass. , Aug. 27, 1866. Among
his works is (Airs of Palestine, and Other Po-
ems) (1840). One of his best-known poems
is (Warren's Address at the Battle of Bunker
Hill.
Piers Plowman. Assumed name of William
Longland or Langland. An English satirical
writer of the 14th century. His work (The
Vision of Piers Plowman religious and
moral allegory, in rhyme - is a picture of the
disorders in church and State prevailing at his
time.
Pietsch, Ludwig (pētsh). A German traveler
and designer; born at Dantzic, Dec. 25, 1824.
He wrote : (The World and Art' (2 vols, 1867);
## p. 430 (#446) ############################################
430
PIGAULT-LEBRUN
PINKERTON
:
(Travels in the East) (1870); From Berlin to
Paris : War Pictures) (1871); “Morocco) (1878);
(Pilgrimage to Olympia in 1876) (1879); (How
I Became an Author) (2 vols. , 1892-94).
Pigault-Lebrun (pē-go'lė-brün'), pseudo-
nym of Antoine P. de L'Epinoy. A French
novelist and dramatist ; born at Calais, April 8,
1753; died at La Celle Saint Cloud, July 24,
1835. He wrote more than 70 volumes of
stories, among them (The Child of the Car-
nival' (1792), “The Barons of Felsheim (1798),
(Spanish Madness) (1801); and several come-
dies, as (The Pessimist) (1789), (Rivals of
Themselves) (1798), Love and Reason (1799).
He wrote also Literary and Critical Miscel-
lanies) (2 vols. , 1816).
Pignotti, Lorenzo (pen-yot'tē). An Italian
poet and historian; born at Figlina, Tuscany,
1739; died at Pisa, 1812. Among his writings
are poems (On the Grave of Shakespeare
(1778); (The Shade of Pope (1791). He wrote
a book of Fables) (1779), which were very
popular; and a History of Tuscany' (9 vols. ,
1813).
Piis, Pierre Antoine Augustin (pēs). A
French dramatist ; born at Paris, 1755; died
1832.
Among his very numerous dramatic
pieces were : Aristotle in Love, vaudeville
(1780); “Summer Loves) (1781); (Two Sedan-
Chairmen' (1781); Marriage in Extremis)
(1782), a comedy in one act. His miscella-
neous writings included : Carlo-Robertiad
(1784), a satire on ballooning; (Easter Eggs
for my Critics) (1786).
Pike, Albert. An American lawyer, journal-
ist, and poet; born in Boston, Dec. 29, 1809;
died in Washington, D. C. , April 2, 1891. Early
in life he went West, entered journalism, and
later practiced law in Arkansas.