Marco
won the favor of Kublai, and was taken into
his service: he was employed on various im-
portant missions to the remotest parts of the
Khan's dominions, and thus collected informa-
tion regarding the countries and their inhab-
itants.
won the favor of Kublai, and was taken into
his service: he was employed on various im-
portant missions to the remotest parts of the
Khan's dominions, and thus collected informa-
tion regarding the countries and their inhab-
itants.
Warner - World's Best Literature - v29 - BIographical Dictionary
, 1872), chiefly literary and theatrical.
Platen-Hallermund, August, Count von
(plät'en-hälſler-mönd). An eminent German
poet ; born at Ansbach, Oct. 24, 1796; died at
Syracuse in Sicily, Dec. 5, 1835. His principal
works are : (Sonnets from Venice) (1824); (The
Fateful Fork) (1826), an Aristophanic comedy
ridiculing the reigning literary fashions of the
time ;(The Romantic Edipus) (1828), a comedy
with the same subject: then followed a num-
ber of lyric poems and odes, with the drama
(The League of Cambrai, and the epic story
(The Abassides,' written in 1830. His (Songs
of Poland) (1830) gave expression to his deep
hate for the Czar; though privately circulated
they were not published till after the poet's
death. *
Plato (plā'to). The renowned Greek philos-
opher; born at Athens, probably 427 B. C. ;
died there, 347 B. C. His writings seem to
have come down to us complete. They consist
of 44 separate works in 64 books, and are all
written in dialogue form. These dialogues are
classed in three series, marking three periods in
the philosopher's life. First, those written dur-
ing the life of Socrates or during the year or
two next following his death: in these Plato is
thoroughly under the Socratic influence, and
the discussion is ever on conduct, the founda-
. tions of morality. The dialogues of this period
are: the "Apology, Lysis, Charmides,
(Laches, (Protagoras, Menon' (Gorgias,' (Io,
(Euthyphro,' (Crito,' etc. In the second pe-
riod the object of research is the objective
ground of cognition : to this belong (Theætetus,
(The Sophist, (The Politician, (Parmenides.
The dialogues of the third period deal with
the problem of reducing to philosophical unity
the data of the several sciences,- physics, eth-
ics, politics, etc. : to this class belong Phæ-
drus,' “Symposium, Phædo,) (Philebus, (The
Republic,) (Timæus, (The Laws. No better
guide to the full sense and spirit of Plato's
dialogues need be wished than Jowett's trans-
lation, as revised by Jowett shortly before his
death. *
Plautus, Titus Maccius (plâ'tus or plou'-
tus). A celebrated Roman comic poet; born
at Sarsina in Umbria, about 254 (? ) B. C. ; died
at Rome about 184 B. C. According to Varro,
130 comedies passed current in his time as
written by Plautus; but of these Varro consid-
ered only 21 genuine. Twenty of these are
extant. In their plots, leading incidents, and
characters, and even in the outlines of the
dialogues, they are borrowed from Greek origi-
nals; but Plautus fairly makes this borrowed
material his own. Lessing declared Plautus's
"Captives to be “the best constructed drama
in existence”; and the greatest of modern
dramatists, as Shakespeare and Molière, did
not scruple to draw on the Roman poet for
motives of their comedies. *
Plavistshikoff, Peter Alexiévich (pläv-
ist'she-kof). A Russian dramatist; born at
Moscow, 1760; died there, 1812. Besides lyric
and didactic poems, he wrote these dramatic
pieces: (Ruric, Founder of the Russian Mon-
archy); (Takmass Kuli Khan, Prince of Si-
beria); Yemmak, Conqueror of Siberia); (The
Landless Peasant); (The American Savages.
Pliny the Elder, or the Naturalist (Caiu
Plinius Secundus) (plin'ē). A celebrated Ro.
man compiler of encyclopædic knowledge; born
at Novum Comum, the modern Como, 23
A. D. ; died 79 A. D. He wrote a Natural His-
tory) in 37 books, compiled, as the author states
in the preface, from more than 2,000 volumes.
He begins with physics and astronomy, which
occupy books I and 2; books 3-6 treat of
geography; books 7-19 treat of man, the ani-
mal kingdom, and plants; in books 20-32
the author notes the medicinal properties of
plants; the remaining books are devoted to
mineralogy and the medicinal uses of minerals,
and to fine art and anecdotes of artists. *
Pliny the Younger (Caius Publius Cæcilius
Secundus, Minor). A Roman orator, nephew
of Pliny the Elder; born at Comum, A. D. 61;
died about 113. Of his writings, one oration
is extant, (The Panegyric, addressed to the
emperor Trajan on the occasion of Pliny's in-
vestiture with the insignia of the consulship;
and his "Letters, including the correspondence
between him and Trajan while Pliny was pro-
prætor of Bithynia. *
Plotinus (plo-ti'nus). An Alexandrine, the
most celebrated representative of Neo-Plato-
nism ; born at Lycopolis in Egypt, 205 A. D. ;
died at Minturnæ in Campania, 270. His writ-
ings were collected by his disciple Porphyrius,
and divided into six parts, each part subdivided
into nine books. The doctrine of Plotinus starts
from the basis of Plato's doctrine of ideas; but
with that he combines many foreign elements
of supernaturalism, mysticism, and extravagant
idealism.
Plouvier, Édouard (plöv-yā'). A French
dramatist and story-writer; born at Paris, Aug.
2, 1821 ; died there, Nov. 12, 1876. Among his
stories are: (The Christmas Tree) (1854 );
( The Beauty with Golden Hair) (1861). He
wrote a volume of songs, "Sunday Refrains'
(1856); and the comedies (The Steeple-Chase )
(1851), Winter Night's Dream' (1854), CA
Household Crisis) (1858), (The Dragooness
(1874); also (The Late Capt. Octave) (1859).
Plumptre, Anna. An English miscellaneous
writer, sister of James; born 1760; died at Nor-
wich, 1818. She wrote: (Antoinette,' a novel;
:
:
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PLUMPTRE-POGODIN
433
(Life of Kotzebue) (1801); Narrative of a
Three Years' Residence in France) (1810);
(Narrative of a Residence in Ireland (1817);
many other narratives of observations in for-
eign countries, as South Africa (1806), the Otto-
man Empire, Brazil, Japan, etc. ; and several
stories.
Plumptre, James. An English dramatic and
miscellaneous writer ; born 1770; died Jan. 23,
1832, at Great Gransden in Huntingdonshire,
where he was rector of a church. Among his
writings are: (The Coventry Act,' comedy
(1793); “Osway,' tragedy (1795); “The Lakers,
comic opera (1798); A Popular Commentary
on the Bible (1827).
Plutarch (plöſtärk). A celebrated Greek
moralist, practical philosopher, and biographer;
born at Chæronea in Baotia ; the time of his
birth and death cannot be determined, but he
appears to have been living at an advanced age
at the death of Trajan, 117 A. D. He wrote
(Parallel Lives) of notable men of Greece and
Rome: and a great many (Moral Treatises,
including (The Education of Children); (The
Right Way of Hearing '; Precepts about
Health); (Cessation of Oracles); 'The Pythian
Responses”; (The Retarded Vengeance of the
Deity); “The Dæmon of Socrates); (The Vir-
tues of Women'; "On the Fortune of the Ro-
mans); (Political Counsels); “On Superstition);
(On Isis and Osiris); (On the Face of the
Moon's Disk); (On the Opinions Accepted by
the Philosophers. *
Pocci, Franz, Count von (pot'che). A Ger.
man poet, musician, and designer; born at
Munich, March 7, 1807; died there, May 7,
1876. Besides several light musical dramas he
wrote an opera, (The Alchemist, and a num-
ber of songs and sonatas; a volume of Poems)
(1843); Hunting Songs) (1843); (Student
Songs); several books for children, admirable
alike for literary form and artistic illustration,
-eg. , (The Little Rose Garden,' a prayer-
book (3d ed. 1868); (A Little Book of Prov-
erbs.
Pocock, Edward. An English Orientalist;
born at Oxford, 1604; died 1691. He wrote,
or rather edited, with a most learned and elab-
orate commentary, (Specimen of the History
of the Arabians) (1649); and a similar work,
(Moses's Gate (1655), one of the writings of
Maimonides.
Pocock, Isaac. An English playwright; born
at Bristol, 1782; died 1835. Among his most
successful productions were : John of Paris,'
comic opera (1814); (Zembuca; or, The Net-
Maker, holiday piece (1815); (The Robber's
Wife,' romantic drama (1829); King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table, Christ-
mas spectacle (1834).
Poe, Edgar Allan. An American poet and
story-writer; born in Boston, Jan. 19, 1809; died
in Baltimore, Md. , Oct. 7, 1849. Left an or.
phan in early childhood, he was adopted by
John Allan of Richmond, Va. , and at the age
of 19 left this home and published his first vol.
ume of verse at Boston. He was a cadet at
the United States Military Academy, 1830-31 ;
and subsequently was editor of the Southern
Literary Messenger, 1835-37; of the Gentle-
man's Magazine, 1839-40; of Graham's Maga-
zine, 1841-42; and of the Broadway Journal,
1845. He also contributed to the Evening
Mirror, Godey's Lady's Book, the Whig Review,
and other periodicals. He projected a maga-
zine to be called Literary America, and to aid
it, lectured in New York city and through the
South, 1848-49. He died under distressing con-
ditions at Baltimore in 1849. A complete list
of his works in book form includes : (Tamer-
lane and Other Poems) (Boston, 1827); (Al
Aaraf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems) (Balti-
more, 1829); Poems) (2d ed. , including many
poems now first published, New York, 1831).
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, of
Nantucket) (New York, 1838); (The Conchol-
ogist's First Book) (Philadelphia, 1839); (Tales
of the Grotesque and Arabesque (Philadelphia,
1840); 'The Prose Romances of Edgar A. Poe)
(Philadelphia, 1843); (The Raven and Other
Poems) (New York, 1845); (Mesmerism : In
Articulo Mortis) (London, 1846); (Eureka, a
Prose Poem (New York, 1848). After his
death there were republished (The Literati :
Some Honest Opinions about Autorial Merits
and Demerits, with Occasional Words of Per-
sonality, etc. , edited by R. W. Griswold (New
York, 1850); ( Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and
Humor ; and Poems, edited by Henry Vizetelly
(London, 1852). A collected edition was issued
in 3 vols. , 1850, 4th vol. 1856. The definitive
edition is the one edited by E. C. Stedman
and G. E. Woodberry (10 vols. , Chicago, 1894-
95). *
(
Poggio Bracciolini, Gian Francesco (pod'-
jē-o brätch-e-o-le'ne). An eminent Italian hu-
manist; born at Castel Terranuova, near Flor-
ence, Feb. II, 1380 ; died at Florence, Oct.
30, 1459. By his untiring research of the mon-
astery libraries of Switzerland and Germany,
he brought to light MSS. supposed to have
been lost, of works of the ancient classics, as
Quintilian, Valerius Flaccus, Ascanius, Statius,
Ammianus, and many others. He translated
into Latin several of the Greek classics. His
own writings are: (Facetiæ, a work of the
same questionable character as others of the
same title - the book had 26 editions at the
end of the 15th century; (Of the Variances of
Fortune); a History of Florence); (The
Miseries of Human Life); (The Infelicity of
Princes); "On Marriage in Old Age); Dia-
logue Against Hypocrites.
Pogodin, Michail Petrovich (põ-go'din). A
Russian historian; born at Moscow, Nov. 23,
1800; died there, Dec. 20, 1875. He wrote:
(On the Origin of the Russians) (1823); (Char-
acter of Ivan the Terrible) (1828); (Complicity
of Godunov in the Murder of Demetrius)
(1829); (Marfa Posadniza, a tragedy (1831);
(Stories (3 vols. , 1833); History of the Pseudo-
28
## p. 434 (#450) ############################################
434
POINSINET - POLO
:
Demetrius) (1835); “Russian History) (7 vols. ,
1846-54: the work was left untinished); Re-
searches on the Historic Basis of Serfdom!
(1858); (The First Seventeen Years of the
Reign of Peter the Great' (1875).
Poinsinet, Antoine Alexandre Henri
(p wan-se-nā'). A French dramatic writer;
born at Fontainebleau, 1735; died at Cordova,
1769. His first work was a parody of the
opera (Tithonus and Aurora); then followed
(The False Dervish, comic opera (1757);
(The Little Philosopher,' comedy (1760); “San-
cho Panza in his Island, opera-bouffe (1762);
(Tom Jones,' lyric comedy (1764); Erme-
linda, lyric tragedy (1767); (The Sick Ogre,'
spectacular piece; 'Lot and his Daughters. ?
Poitevin, Prosper (pwät-van'). A French
lexicographer and writer; born about 1804;
died at Paris, Oct. 27, 1884. He wrote : Ali
Pasha and Vasiliki,' a poem (1833); and some
comedies, among them "A Night at Potiphar's)
(1841), «The Husband in Spite of Himself
(1842). His works on lexicography and lin-
guistics are numerous; among them (Universal
Dictionary of the French Language) (2 vols. ,
1854-60), and (General and Historical Gram-
mar of the French Language) (2 vols. , 1856).
Pol, Vincenty (põl). A Polish poet; born
at Lublin, April 20, 1807; died at Cracow,
Dec. 2, 1872. He wrote the patriotic (Songs
of Janusz! (1833); (Song of Our Country)
(1843), which won for its author unbounded
popularity; Pictures from Life and from
Travel' (1847), probably his finest work; “The
Starost of Kisla' (1873), a narrative poem on
the chase.
Polevoj, Nikolaj Alexéjevitsh (po-lev'oi).
A Russian novelist, dramatist, and literary
critic; born at Irkutsk, July 4, 1796; died at
St. Petersburg, March 6, 1846. His dramatic
compositions are Ugolino,' (Parasha, (Little
Grandfather of the Russian Fleet': they have
a place in the repertoire of Russian theatres.
He wrote also History of the Russian Peo-
ple) (6 vols. , 1829-33).
Politian (Angelo Ambrogini) (pā-lish'än).
A celebrated Italian humanist; born at Monte-
pulciano in Tuscany, July 1454; died at Flor-
ence, 1494. At 15 he wrote epigrams in Latin,
at 17 in Greek, and at 18 published an edition
of Catullus. He was professor of Greek and
Roman literature at Florence, 1480. His trans-
lations from Greek into Latin, especially that
of the Iliad, were much admired by his contem-
poraries. Among the Greek works translated
by him were those of Epictetus, Herodian, Hip-
pocrates, and Galen, Plutarch's Eroticus, and
Plato's (Charmides. Among his original works
are : A Brief Account of the Conspiracy of the
Pazzi! (1478); Miscellanea' (1489), a collection
of his essays in philology and criticism ; several
poems in elegant Latin, among them (Manto,
in praise of Virgil; (Ambra, an idyllic sketch
of Tuscan landscape; (The Countryman,' cele-
brating the delights of rural life wrote in
Italian the stanzas called (The Joust,' on Giuli-
ano de' Medici's victory in a tournament; and
(Orpheus, a lyric drama.
Polko, Elise (põl’ko). A German story-
writer; born at Leipsic, Jan. 31, 1822. She
wrote an interesting series of (Musical Tales)
(first installment 1852); also (A Woman's Life)
(1854); "In the Artist World); (Reminiscences
of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (1868); (Con-
versations) (1872);' From the Year 1870); New
Story-Book) (1884).
Pollard, Edward Albert. An American
journalist and author ; born in Virginia, Feb.
27, 1828; died at Lynchburg, Va. , Dec. 12, 1872.
As editor of the Richmond Examiner during
the Civil War, he was an earnest advocate of
the Confederate cause, but an active opponent
of Jefferson Davis. Among his numerous works
are: Black Diamonds) (1859); “Southern His-
tory of the War) (1862); (The Lost Cause)
(1866); “The Life of Jefferson Davis) (1869).
Pollard, Josephine. An American writer of
juvenile literature; born in New York city in
1843; died in 1892. Her works include : (The
Gypsy Books) (1873-74); "Elfin Land) (1882),
poems; (Gellivor, a Christmas Legend (1882);
i The Boston Tea Party) (1882).
Pöllnitz, Karl Ludwig (pėl'nits). A Ger-
man adventurer, known as a writer of memoirs;
born 1692; died 1775. He was at one time mas.
ter of ceremonies at the court of Frederick the
Great. He wrote La Saxe Galante) (1737 :
the private life of Augustus of Saxony), and
Memoirs of his own life and times (1734).
Pollock, Walter Herries. An English edi.
tor, poet, and author, son of Sir W. F. Pollock;
born in London in 1850. He was admitted to
the bar in 1874, has delivered lectures at the
Royal Institution, and from 1884 to 1894 acted
as editor of the Saturday Review. Among his
miscellaneous literary and poetical publications
are : Lectures on French Poets); ' The Picture's
Secret,' a novel; (Songs and Rhymes, Eng.
lish and French); a translation of De Musset's
(Nights); “Old and New, verse; (Fencing' in
the (Badminton Library. '
Pollok, Robert. A Scotch poet; born at
Moorhouse in Renfrewshire, about 1798; died
at Shirley-Commor, near Southampton, Sept.
17, 1827. His poem (The Course of Time)
(1827) is noted. He wrote also (Tales the
Covenanters) (1833).
Polo, Gaspar Gil. See Gil Polo.
Polo, Marco. A famous Italian traveler;
born at Venice, 1254; died there, 1324. He
accompanied his father and his uncle, Venetian
traders, 1271, on their second journey to the
court of Kublai, the Khan of Tartary.
Marco
won the favor of Kublai, and was taken into
his service: he was employed on various im-
portant missions to the remotest parts of the
Khan's dominions, and thus collected informa-
tion regarding the countries and their inhab-
itants. The three Venetians started on their
(
## p. 435 (#451) ############################################
POLO DE MEDINA- PONGERVILLE
435
return home, 1292, by way of Cochin-China,
Sumatra, Ceylon, Ormus, Trebizond, and Con-
stantinople, reaching Venice in 1295. Marco
commanded a Venetian galley in the war with
Genoa, and was taken prisoner, 1298; while in
prison he dictated to Rusticiano of Pisa an
account of his travels, which Rusticiano wrote
out in French, and nine years later revised
and amended. The title of the book is simply
(The Book of Marco Polo. About 80 MS.
copies of it are extant, differing each from each
considerably.
Polo de Medina, Salvador Jacinto (poʻlo
de mā-dē'nä). A Spanish poet; born in Murcia
about 1607; died about 1660. He wrote a poem
in the form of a vision, “The Incurables' Hos-
pital; Journey out of this Life into the Next,'
a moral treatise which was much admired in
his time; (On Moral Supremacy, to Lælius);
also some fables and some satirical verses.
Polyænus (pol-i-ē'nus). A Greek writer of
the second century, native of Macedonia. He
wrote a historical collection of instances of mili-
tary ruses employed by Greeks, Romans, and
Barbarians. It was entitled (Strategics,' or
(Stratagems, and was inscribed to the em-
perors Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Verus.
The work is extant. It was first printed in
1549, and again in 1887.
Polybius (pā-lib'ē-us). A celebrated Greek
historian; born at Megalopolis in Arcadia, 204
B. C. , while much of Greece was still inde-
pendent; died 122, after it had long been a
province of Rome, and himself an admired
companion of its conquerors. His work, (His-
tories, comprised 40 books, of which only the
first five have come down to us complete: it
was the author's purpose to write the history
of all the known regions of the civilized world
which had fallen under the sway of Rome. ) *
Polyides (pol-e-i'des). A Greek poet and
musician of the fourth century B. C. ; famous
for his dithyrambs. To him is credited by
Welcker the tragedy of Iphigenia, some pass-
ages from which are quoted by Aristotle in
his (Poetics.
Pomeroy, Marcus Mills. ["Brick Pomeroy. " ]
An American journalist and humorous writer;
born at Elmira, N. Y. , 1833; died in 1896. He
was a journalist of La Crosse, Wis. , and later
of New York city, where he founded Brick
Pomeroy's Democrat. His chief publications
are : 'Gold Dust) (1872); (Brick Dust) (1872);
Perpetual Money) (1878).
Pomfret, John. An English poet; born at
Luton in Bedfordshire, 1667; died 1703. His
best-known work is ( The Choice: A Poem Writ-
ten by a Person of Quality) (1700), which had
four editions within a year. His other principal
writings are: (A Prospect of Death,' an ode
(1700), and (Reason, a poem (1700).
Pommier, Victor Louis Amédée (pom-yā').
A French poet; born at Lyons, 1804; died in
1877. Among his writings are : (The Russian
Expedition) (1827); (The Republic; or, The
Book of Blood) (1836); “The Assassins) (1837);
(Hell) (1853), a most realistic portrayal of the
infernal regions as conceived by old-time or-
thodoxy; (Algeria and Conquering Civilization)
(1848); (Death of the Archbishop of Paris)
(1849); “Monologues of a Solitary) (1870).
Pompery, Édouard de (põm-per-ē'). A
French miscellaneous writer; born at Couv-
relles in Aisne, 1812. He is a socialist demo-
crat, and nearly all his writings deal with social
questions. He wrote: (The Doctor from Tim-
buktu) (1837); Despotism or Socialism) (1849);
(Woman in Human Society: Her Nature, her
Rôle, her Social Value) (1864); (Essay on the
True Voltaire) (1873).
Pompignan, Jean Jacques Lefranc, Mar-
quis de (põm-pēn-yän ). A French poet; born
at Montauban, 1709; died 1784. His tragedy
(Dido) (1734) had an extraordinary success;
it was followed by Zoraide, tragedy ; (The
Farewell of Mars,' comedy (1735); “Trip to
Languedoc and Provence, narrative poem
(1740). Some of his odes are works of con-
summate grace and art, e. g. , the "Ode on the
Death of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Ponce de Leon, Luis (põn'thā dā lā-on').
A great Spanish lyric poet; born at Granada,
1527; died at Madrigal, 1591. He entered the
order of Augustin Friars, 1544, and in 1561
became professor of theology in the University
of Salamanca. He suffered five years' impris-
onment, by sentence of the Court of Inquisi-
tion, for his translation of the “Song of Songs)
into Spanish, with commentary.
Among his
prose writings is a treatise on the Names of
Christ) (1583) and “The Perfect Wife) (1583):
both books are still in popular use in Spain.
His poems, almost exclusively of a religious
character, are to be classed with the highest
products of the lyric Muse of Spain. His
translations in verse of some of the works of
Virgil and Horace, of 40 of the Psalms, and
of passages from Greek and Italian poets, are
characterized by much spirit and grace of style.
Poncy, Louis Charles (pôn-sē'). A French
poet; born at Toulon, 1821; died 1891. He
was a stone-mason quite without school edu-
cation. He published a series of volumes of
verse: “Poems) (1840); (Marine Views) (1842);
Marguerite's Posy) (1855).
Pond, Frederick Eugene. An American
journalist and author; born in Marquette
County, Wis. , April 8, 1856. He was among
the first to urge the establishment of a Na-
tional Sportsman's Association, and under the
pen-name of «Will Wildwood ” has published
Handbook for Young Sportsmen (1876);
(Memoirs of Eminent Sportsmen) (1878); and
(Gun Trial and Field Records of America)
(1885).
Pongerville, Jean Baptiste Aimé Sanson
de (pôn-zhā-vēl'). A French miscellaneous
writer; born at Abbeville in Somme, March 3,
1782; died at Paris, Jan, 24, 1870. His great
(
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## p. 436 (#452) ############################################
436
PONINSKI – PORPHYRICS
(
work is a scholarly metrical translation of the
Latin poet Lucretius. He translated also into
French verse some of Ovid's works, under the
title (Mythological Amours.
Poninski, Anton Slodzin (põ-nin'skē). A
Polish poet; died 1742. He wrote (Hymeneal
Song of Augustus III. (1720), and (Sarmatides
or Satires) (1741).
Ponsard, François (pôn-sär). A French
dramatist; born at Vienne, 1814; died at Paris,
1867. His first venture in literature was made
with a translation of Lord Byron's Manfred)
(1837). His Lucretia) (1843), in the produc.
tion of which on the stage of the Odéon the
celebrated Rachel acted the leading rôle, was
a brilliant success : it marked a reaction against
romanticism. Among his other dramatic pro-
ductions are : Agnès de Méranie) (1846); (Char-
lotte Corday) (1850); «Ulysses) (1852); Honor
and Money) (1853), a fine satiric comedy; (The
Bourse) (1856); "What Pleases Womankind)
(1860), a trilogy, which had little success; (The
Lion in Love) (1866); (Galileo) (1867).
Ponson du Terrail, Pierre Alexis (pôň-sôn
dü ter-il'). A French romancer; born at Mont-
maur near Grenoble, July 8, 1829; died at
Bordeaux, Jan. 31, 1871. He wrote an in-
credible number of works of fiction; among
his works are: Heritage of a Centenarian);
(Gown and Sword (1857); (The Matrimonial
Agency); Memoirs of a Man of the World)
(1861); Nights at the Gilded House); (The
King of Navarre's Mistress' (1863); (The Great
World's Bohemians) (1867); Dr. Rousselle's
Secret! (1869); (Aurora's Amours) (1870).
Pontmartin, Armand Augustin Joseph
Marie (pôn-mär-tan'). A French story-writer
and literary critic; born at Avignon, July 16,
1811; died there, 1890. In 1853 he commenced
a series of Literary Talks) in the Gazette
de France, which, collected, fill 30 volumes.
Among his works are: (Recollections of an
Old Lover of Music) (1878); Medusa's Raft)
(1872); “Recollections of an Old Critic'; My
Memoirs) (2 vols. , 1885-86); “Sins of Old Age!
(1889); Literary Episodes) (1890).
Pontoux, Claude de (pôn-to'). A French
versifier; born at Chalons-sur-Saône, about
1530; died there, 1579. He wrote: (Lament-
able Harangues on the Death of Divers Ani-
mals); "Love's Smiles and Tears) (1576); (The
Idea and Other Works! (1579), (The Idea)
being a lady to whom he paid a hopeless suit.
Pool, Maria Louise. An American journal-
ist and novelist; born in Rockland, Mass. , 1845.
At one time she was connected with the New
York Tribune. Her best-known works are:
(In Buncombe County); (A Vacation in a
Buggy' (1887); (Tenting at Stony Beach) (1888);
(Rowena in Boston) (1892);(In a Dike Shanty)
(1896).
Poole, William Frederick. An eminent
American librarian and bibliographer; born at
Salem, Mass. , 1821; died at Evanston, Ill. , 1894.
He was a librarian of Boston, Cincinnati, and
Chicago. His chief work is the celebrated
Index to Periodical Literature, which he in-
itiated, and of which in its greatly expanded
later form he was co-editor with W. I. Fletcher.
Among his other works are (The Battle of
the Dictionaries) (1856), and (Cotton Mather
and Salem Witchcraft (1869).
Poore, Benjamin Perley. An American jour-
nalist, compiler, and author; born at Newbury,
Mass. , Nov. 2, 1820; died at Washington, D. C.
May 30, 1887. He spent several years abroad,
and devoted much time to research in French
history. Upon his return he became active in
journalism, and for thirty years was Washington
correspondent of the Boston Journal. His works
include: (The Rise and Fall of Louis Philippe
(1848); “Early Life of Napoleon' (1851); (Remi-
niscences of Sixty Years) (1886).
Poorten-Schwartz, J. M. W. van der. See
Maartens.
Poot, Huibert Cornelis (pöt). A Dutch
poet; born at Abtswoud, South Holland, Jan.
29, 1689; died at Delft, Dec. 31, 1733. His
countrymen called him the Hesiod of Hol-
land. " He published Miscellaneous Poems!
(1716; to which succeeded a second volume,
1728, and a third, 1735).
Pope, Alexander. A great English poet;
born at London, May 21, 1688; died at Twick-
enham on the Thames, May 30, 1744. His
principal works are : «The Iliad of Homer,
translated (1715-20); 'Homer's Odyssey' (1725);
(Essay on Criticism,' in the manner of Horace
(1711); (The Temple of Fame) (1711); (Epis-
tle from Eloisa to Abelard) (1716); (The Rape
of the Lock) (1712); (The Dunciad? (1728,
1742); Essay on Man (1733); (Imitations of
Horace (1740). *
Pope, John. An American general ; born at
Louisville, Ky. , March 16, 1822 ; died at San-
dusky, O. , Sept. 23, 1892. He graduated from
West Point in 1842, and had important com-
mands in the Civil War. Later in life he had
charge of various departments of the regular
army in the West. He published: (The Vir-
ginia Campaign of July and August 1862, a
defense of his campaign in command of the
Army of the Potomac.
Porphyrius (por-fi'rē-us). A celebrated Neo-
Platonic philosopher; born at Batanea in Syria,
233 A. D. ; died at Rome, 304 A. D. He was a
disciple first of Longinus, then of Plotinus,
whose works he edited, and whom he succeeded
as master of a school of philosophy at Rome.
But few of his writings have come down to us.
He wrote a History of Philosophy,' to which
probably belongs the extant Life of Pythago-
ras. Some fragments of his work against the
Christian religion - condemned to the flames
by the emperor Theodosius II. in 453 -- are
preserved in the writings of his adversaries.
We have his tractate (Оn Abstinence from
Animal Food); also his (Homeric Questions,
in 32 chapters; his Epistle to Marcella) on
the right conduct of life; his letter to the
a
## p. 437 (#453) ############################################
PORSON - PORTER
437
)
(
Egyptian priest Anebon in condemnation of
magic and theurgy; Introduction to Philoso-
phy,' in which the question of realism and
. nominalism is first mooted; "On Deriving a
Philosophy from Oracles); and “On the Cave
of the Nymphs.
Porson, Richard. An eminent English
scholar and critic; born in Norfolk, Dec. 25,
1759; died in London, Sept. 25, 1808. He was
educated at Eton and Cambridge, and regius
professor of Greek at Cambridge from 1792
till his death. He possessed phenomenal pow-
ers of memory, great critical acumen, and a
knowledge of Greek unequaled in his day. His
emendations and critical notes on the Greek
writers are accepted as authoritative. He wrote
for the literary reviews on many subjects; ed.
ited Æschylus (1795); the (Hecuba, Orestes,
(Phænissæ, and Medea) of Euripides (1797-
1801): and published Adversaria) ( 1812 );
(Tracts and Criticisms) (1815); (Aristophanica)
(1820); 'Photii Lexicon' (1822); «Notæ in Sui-
dam' (1834). His Letters to Archdeacon Travis
on the « Three Witnesses) are monuments of
analytic and argumentative power.
Port, Elizabeth-Marie (port). A Dutch poet
and novelist; born in the second half of the
eighteenth century. Her writings are: (The
Country) (1792), prose and poetry; (For the
Solitary' ( 1789 ); (Reinhart on Nature and Re-
ligion (1793); "Elegies) (1794); (True Enjoy.
ment of Life) (1796); My Childhood's Tears)
(1804), domestic tableaux; Frederick Weit
and his Children'; On Society and Solitude)
(1806); and New Poems) (1807).
Porter, Anna Maria. An English novelist;
born at Durham, 1780; died 1832. Sister of
Jane and Sir R. K. ; she wrote (Artless Tales)
(1793-95), which was succeeded by a long series
of novels, among them :(Walsh Colville (1797);
(The Lakes of Killarney) (1804); (The Hun-
garian Brothers) (1807); (The Recluse of Nor-
way) (1814); ( The Knight of St. John (1817);
(The Fast of St. Magdalen) (1818); (Roche
Blanche) (1822); Honor O'Hara! (1826);
(Barony) (1830); also Ballads, Romances, and
Other Poems) (1811).
Porter, David. An American naval officer
and diplomat; born in Boston, Feb. I, 1780;
died near Constantinople, March 3, 1843. He
commanded in several naval engagements of
the Tripoli war (1801-6) and the War of 1812.
From 1831 to 1843 he held important diplomatic
positions at Constantinople. His chief work is
Constantinople and its Environs) (1835).
Porter, David Dixon. An American admi.
ral, son of David; born at Chester, Pa. , June
8, 1813; died at Washington, D. C. , Feb. 13,
1891. He came into prominence in the Mexi-
can War, and during the Civil War held im-
portant naval commands at New Orleans, Vicks-
burg, and Fort Fisher. As an author he will
be best remembered for his nautical romance,
(The Adventures of Harry Marline) (1886).
ong his other works are : "Life of Commo-
dore David Porter) ( 1875 ); (Allan Dare and
Robert le Diable) (1885), a romance; “History
of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion)
(1887).
Porter, Horace. An American general and
military writer; born at Huntingdon, Pa. , April
15, 1837. He graduated from West Point, and
during the Civil War was a staff officer of
McClellan and Rosecrans, and subsequently
Grant's trusted aide and personal friend in Vir-
ginia during the last two years of the War. He
is the author of "Campaigning with Grant,
which first appeared serially in the Century
Magazine.
Porter, Jane.
Platen-Hallermund, August, Count von
(plät'en-hälſler-mönd). An eminent German
poet ; born at Ansbach, Oct. 24, 1796; died at
Syracuse in Sicily, Dec. 5, 1835. His principal
works are : (Sonnets from Venice) (1824); (The
Fateful Fork) (1826), an Aristophanic comedy
ridiculing the reigning literary fashions of the
time ;(The Romantic Edipus) (1828), a comedy
with the same subject: then followed a num-
ber of lyric poems and odes, with the drama
(The League of Cambrai, and the epic story
(The Abassides,' written in 1830. His (Songs
of Poland) (1830) gave expression to his deep
hate for the Czar; though privately circulated
they were not published till after the poet's
death. *
Plato (plā'to). The renowned Greek philos-
opher; born at Athens, probably 427 B. C. ;
died there, 347 B. C. His writings seem to
have come down to us complete. They consist
of 44 separate works in 64 books, and are all
written in dialogue form. These dialogues are
classed in three series, marking three periods in
the philosopher's life. First, those written dur-
ing the life of Socrates or during the year or
two next following his death: in these Plato is
thoroughly under the Socratic influence, and
the discussion is ever on conduct, the founda-
. tions of morality. The dialogues of this period
are: the "Apology, Lysis, Charmides,
(Laches, (Protagoras, Menon' (Gorgias,' (Io,
(Euthyphro,' (Crito,' etc. In the second pe-
riod the object of research is the objective
ground of cognition : to this belong (Theætetus,
(The Sophist, (The Politician, (Parmenides.
The dialogues of the third period deal with
the problem of reducing to philosophical unity
the data of the several sciences,- physics, eth-
ics, politics, etc. : to this class belong Phæ-
drus,' “Symposium, Phædo,) (Philebus, (The
Republic,) (Timæus, (The Laws. No better
guide to the full sense and spirit of Plato's
dialogues need be wished than Jowett's trans-
lation, as revised by Jowett shortly before his
death. *
Plautus, Titus Maccius (plâ'tus or plou'-
tus). A celebrated Roman comic poet; born
at Sarsina in Umbria, about 254 (? ) B. C. ; died
at Rome about 184 B. C. According to Varro,
130 comedies passed current in his time as
written by Plautus; but of these Varro consid-
ered only 21 genuine. Twenty of these are
extant. In their plots, leading incidents, and
characters, and even in the outlines of the
dialogues, they are borrowed from Greek origi-
nals; but Plautus fairly makes this borrowed
material his own. Lessing declared Plautus's
"Captives to be “the best constructed drama
in existence”; and the greatest of modern
dramatists, as Shakespeare and Molière, did
not scruple to draw on the Roman poet for
motives of their comedies. *
Plavistshikoff, Peter Alexiévich (pläv-
ist'she-kof). A Russian dramatist; born at
Moscow, 1760; died there, 1812. Besides lyric
and didactic poems, he wrote these dramatic
pieces: (Ruric, Founder of the Russian Mon-
archy); (Takmass Kuli Khan, Prince of Si-
beria); Yemmak, Conqueror of Siberia); (The
Landless Peasant); (The American Savages.
Pliny the Elder, or the Naturalist (Caiu
Plinius Secundus) (plin'ē). A celebrated Ro.
man compiler of encyclopædic knowledge; born
at Novum Comum, the modern Como, 23
A. D. ; died 79 A. D. He wrote a Natural His-
tory) in 37 books, compiled, as the author states
in the preface, from more than 2,000 volumes.
He begins with physics and astronomy, which
occupy books I and 2; books 3-6 treat of
geography; books 7-19 treat of man, the ani-
mal kingdom, and plants; in books 20-32
the author notes the medicinal properties of
plants; the remaining books are devoted to
mineralogy and the medicinal uses of minerals,
and to fine art and anecdotes of artists. *
Pliny the Younger (Caius Publius Cæcilius
Secundus, Minor). A Roman orator, nephew
of Pliny the Elder; born at Comum, A. D. 61;
died about 113. Of his writings, one oration
is extant, (The Panegyric, addressed to the
emperor Trajan on the occasion of Pliny's in-
vestiture with the insignia of the consulship;
and his "Letters, including the correspondence
between him and Trajan while Pliny was pro-
prætor of Bithynia. *
Plotinus (plo-ti'nus). An Alexandrine, the
most celebrated representative of Neo-Plato-
nism ; born at Lycopolis in Egypt, 205 A. D. ;
died at Minturnæ in Campania, 270. His writ-
ings were collected by his disciple Porphyrius,
and divided into six parts, each part subdivided
into nine books. The doctrine of Plotinus starts
from the basis of Plato's doctrine of ideas; but
with that he combines many foreign elements
of supernaturalism, mysticism, and extravagant
idealism.
Plouvier, Édouard (plöv-yā'). A French
dramatist and story-writer; born at Paris, Aug.
2, 1821 ; died there, Nov. 12, 1876. Among his
stories are: (The Christmas Tree) (1854 );
( The Beauty with Golden Hair) (1861). He
wrote a volume of songs, "Sunday Refrains'
(1856); and the comedies (The Steeple-Chase )
(1851), Winter Night's Dream' (1854), CA
Household Crisis) (1858), (The Dragooness
(1874); also (The Late Capt. Octave) (1859).
Plumptre, Anna. An English miscellaneous
writer, sister of James; born 1760; died at Nor-
wich, 1818. She wrote: (Antoinette,' a novel;
:
:
(
## p. 433 (#449) ############################################
PLUMPTRE-POGODIN
433
(Life of Kotzebue) (1801); Narrative of a
Three Years' Residence in France) (1810);
(Narrative of a Residence in Ireland (1817);
many other narratives of observations in for-
eign countries, as South Africa (1806), the Otto-
man Empire, Brazil, Japan, etc. ; and several
stories.
Plumptre, James. An English dramatic and
miscellaneous writer ; born 1770; died Jan. 23,
1832, at Great Gransden in Huntingdonshire,
where he was rector of a church. Among his
writings are: (The Coventry Act,' comedy
(1793); “Osway,' tragedy (1795); “The Lakers,
comic opera (1798); A Popular Commentary
on the Bible (1827).
Plutarch (plöſtärk). A celebrated Greek
moralist, practical philosopher, and biographer;
born at Chæronea in Baotia ; the time of his
birth and death cannot be determined, but he
appears to have been living at an advanced age
at the death of Trajan, 117 A. D. He wrote
(Parallel Lives) of notable men of Greece and
Rome: and a great many (Moral Treatises,
including (The Education of Children); (The
Right Way of Hearing '; Precepts about
Health); (Cessation of Oracles); 'The Pythian
Responses”; (The Retarded Vengeance of the
Deity); “The Dæmon of Socrates); (The Vir-
tues of Women'; "On the Fortune of the Ro-
mans); (Political Counsels); “On Superstition);
(On Isis and Osiris); (On the Face of the
Moon's Disk); (On the Opinions Accepted by
the Philosophers. *
Pocci, Franz, Count von (pot'che). A Ger.
man poet, musician, and designer; born at
Munich, March 7, 1807; died there, May 7,
1876. Besides several light musical dramas he
wrote an opera, (The Alchemist, and a num-
ber of songs and sonatas; a volume of Poems)
(1843); Hunting Songs) (1843); (Student
Songs); several books for children, admirable
alike for literary form and artistic illustration,
-eg. , (The Little Rose Garden,' a prayer-
book (3d ed. 1868); (A Little Book of Prov-
erbs.
Pocock, Edward. An English Orientalist;
born at Oxford, 1604; died 1691. He wrote,
or rather edited, with a most learned and elab-
orate commentary, (Specimen of the History
of the Arabians) (1649); and a similar work,
(Moses's Gate (1655), one of the writings of
Maimonides.
Pocock, Isaac. An English playwright; born
at Bristol, 1782; died 1835. Among his most
successful productions were : John of Paris,'
comic opera (1814); (Zembuca; or, The Net-
Maker, holiday piece (1815); (The Robber's
Wife,' romantic drama (1829); King Arthur
and the Knights of the Round Table, Christ-
mas spectacle (1834).
Poe, Edgar Allan. An American poet and
story-writer; born in Boston, Jan. 19, 1809; died
in Baltimore, Md. , Oct. 7, 1849. Left an or.
phan in early childhood, he was adopted by
John Allan of Richmond, Va. , and at the age
of 19 left this home and published his first vol.
ume of verse at Boston. He was a cadet at
the United States Military Academy, 1830-31 ;
and subsequently was editor of the Southern
Literary Messenger, 1835-37; of the Gentle-
man's Magazine, 1839-40; of Graham's Maga-
zine, 1841-42; and of the Broadway Journal,
1845. He also contributed to the Evening
Mirror, Godey's Lady's Book, the Whig Review,
and other periodicals. He projected a maga-
zine to be called Literary America, and to aid
it, lectured in New York city and through the
South, 1848-49. He died under distressing con-
ditions at Baltimore in 1849. A complete list
of his works in book form includes : (Tamer-
lane and Other Poems) (Boston, 1827); (Al
Aaraf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems) (Balti-
more, 1829); Poems) (2d ed. , including many
poems now first published, New York, 1831).
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, of
Nantucket) (New York, 1838); (The Conchol-
ogist's First Book) (Philadelphia, 1839); (Tales
of the Grotesque and Arabesque (Philadelphia,
1840); 'The Prose Romances of Edgar A. Poe)
(Philadelphia, 1843); (The Raven and Other
Poems) (New York, 1845); (Mesmerism : In
Articulo Mortis) (London, 1846); (Eureka, a
Prose Poem (New York, 1848). After his
death there were republished (The Literati :
Some Honest Opinions about Autorial Merits
and Demerits, with Occasional Words of Per-
sonality, etc. , edited by R. W. Griswold (New
York, 1850); ( Tales of Mystery, Imagination, and
Humor ; and Poems, edited by Henry Vizetelly
(London, 1852). A collected edition was issued
in 3 vols. , 1850, 4th vol. 1856. The definitive
edition is the one edited by E. C. Stedman
and G. E. Woodberry (10 vols. , Chicago, 1894-
95). *
(
Poggio Bracciolini, Gian Francesco (pod'-
jē-o brätch-e-o-le'ne). An eminent Italian hu-
manist; born at Castel Terranuova, near Flor-
ence, Feb. II, 1380 ; died at Florence, Oct.
30, 1459. By his untiring research of the mon-
astery libraries of Switzerland and Germany,
he brought to light MSS. supposed to have
been lost, of works of the ancient classics, as
Quintilian, Valerius Flaccus, Ascanius, Statius,
Ammianus, and many others. He translated
into Latin several of the Greek classics. His
own writings are: (Facetiæ, a work of the
same questionable character as others of the
same title - the book had 26 editions at the
end of the 15th century; (Of the Variances of
Fortune); a History of Florence); (The
Miseries of Human Life); (The Infelicity of
Princes); "On Marriage in Old Age); Dia-
logue Against Hypocrites.
Pogodin, Michail Petrovich (põ-go'din). A
Russian historian; born at Moscow, Nov. 23,
1800; died there, Dec. 20, 1875. He wrote:
(On the Origin of the Russians) (1823); (Char-
acter of Ivan the Terrible) (1828); (Complicity
of Godunov in the Murder of Demetrius)
(1829); (Marfa Posadniza, a tragedy (1831);
(Stories (3 vols. , 1833); History of the Pseudo-
28
## p. 434 (#450) ############################################
434
POINSINET - POLO
:
Demetrius) (1835); “Russian History) (7 vols. ,
1846-54: the work was left untinished); Re-
searches on the Historic Basis of Serfdom!
(1858); (The First Seventeen Years of the
Reign of Peter the Great' (1875).
Poinsinet, Antoine Alexandre Henri
(p wan-se-nā'). A French dramatic writer;
born at Fontainebleau, 1735; died at Cordova,
1769. His first work was a parody of the
opera (Tithonus and Aurora); then followed
(The False Dervish, comic opera (1757);
(The Little Philosopher,' comedy (1760); “San-
cho Panza in his Island, opera-bouffe (1762);
(Tom Jones,' lyric comedy (1764); Erme-
linda, lyric tragedy (1767); (The Sick Ogre,'
spectacular piece; 'Lot and his Daughters. ?
Poitevin, Prosper (pwät-van'). A French
lexicographer and writer; born about 1804;
died at Paris, Oct. 27, 1884. He wrote : Ali
Pasha and Vasiliki,' a poem (1833); and some
comedies, among them "A Night at Potiphar's)
(1841), «The Husband in Spite of Himself
(1842). His works on lexicography and lin-
guistics are numerous; among them (Universal
Dictionary of the French Language) (2 vols. ,
1854-60), and (General and Historical Gram-
mar of the French Language) (2 vols. , 1856).
Pol, Vincenty (põl). A Polish poet; born
at Lublin, April 20, 1807; died at Cracow,
Dec. 2, 1872. He wrote the patriotic (Songs
of Janusz! (1833); (Song of Our Country)
(1843), which won for its author unbounded
popularity; Pictures from Life and from
Travel' (1847), probably his finest work; “The
Starost of Kisla' (1873), a narrative poem on
the chase.
Polevoj, Nikolaj Alexéjevitsh (po-lev'oi).
A Russian novelist, dramatist, and literary
critic; born at Irkutsk, July 4, 1796; died at
St. Petersburg, March 6, 1846. His dramatic
compositions are Ugolino,' (Parasha, (Little
Grandfather of the Russian Fleet': they have
a place in the repertoire of Russian theatres.
He wrote also History of the Russian Peo-
ple) (6 vols. , 1829-33).
Politian (Angelo Ambrogini) (pā-lish'än).
A celebrated Italian humanist; born at Monte-
pulciano in Tuscany, July 1454; died at Flor-
ence, 1494. At 15 he wrote epigrams in Latin,
at 17 in Greek, and at 18 published an edition
of Catullus. He was professor of Greek and
Roman literature at Florence, 1480. His trans-
lations from Greek into Latin, especially that
of the Iliad, were much admired by his contem-
poraries. Among the Greek works translated
by him were those of Epictetus, Herodian, Hip-
pocrates, and Galen, Plutarch's Eroticus, and
Plato's (Charmides. Among his original works
are : A Brief Account of the Conspiracy of the
Pazzi! (1478); Miscellanea' (1489), a collection
of his essays in philology and criticism ; several
poems in elegant Latin, among them (Manto,
in praise of Virgil; (Ambra, an idyllic sketch
of Tuscan landscape; (The Countryman,' cele-
brating the delights of rural life wrote in
Italian the stanzas called (The Joust,' on Giuli-
ano de' Medici's victory in a tournament; and
(Orpheus, a lyric drama.
Polko, Elise (põl’ko). A German story-
writer; born at Leipsic, Jan. 31, 1822. She
wrote an interesting series of (Musical Tales)
(first installment 1852); also (A Woman's Life)
(1854); "In the Artist World); (Reminiscences
of Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy) (1868); (Con-
versations) (1872);' From the Year 1870); New
Story-Book) (1884).
Pollard, Edward Albert. An American
journalist and author ; born in Virginia, Feb.
27, 1828; died at Lynchburg, Va. , Dec. 12, 1872.
As editor of the Richmond Examiner during
the Civil War, he was an earnest advocate of
the Confederate cause, but an active opponent
of Jefferson Davis. Among his numerous works
are: Black Diamonds) (1859); “Southern His-
tory of the War) (1862); (The Lost Cause)
(1866); “The Life of Jefferson Davis) (1869).
Pollard, Josephine. An American writer of
juvenile literature; born in New York city in
1843; died in 1892. Her works include : (The
Gypsy Books) (1873-74); "Elfin Land) (1882),
poems; (Gellivor, a Christmas Legend (1882);
i The Boston Tea Party) (1882).
Pöllnitz, Karl Ludwig (pėl'nits). A Ger-
man adventurer, known as a writer of memoirs;
born 1692; died 1775. He was at one time mas.
ter of ceremonies at the court of Frederick the
Great. He wrote La Saxe Galante) (1737 :
the private life of Augustus of Saxony), and
Memoirs of his own life and times (1734).
Pollock, Walter Herries. An English edi.
tor, poet, and author, son of Sir W. F. Pollock;
born in London in 1850. He was admitted to
the bar in 1874, has delivered lectures at the
Royal Institution, and from 1884 to 1894 acted
as editor of the Saturday Review. Among his
miscellaneous literary and poetical publications
are : Lectures on French Poets); ' The Picture's
Secret,' a novel; (Songs and Rhymes, Eng.
lish and French); a translation of De Musset's
(Nights); “Old and New, verse; (Fencing' in
the (Badminton Library. '
Pollok, Robert. A Scotch poet; born at
Moorhouse in Renfrewshire, about 1798; died
at Shirley-Commor, near Southampton, Sept.
17, 1827. His poem (The Course of Time)
(1827) is noted. He wrote also (Tales the
Covenanters) (1833).
Polo, Gaspar Gil. See Gil Polo.
Polo, Marco. A famous Italian traveler;
born at Venice, 1254; died there, 1324. He
accompanied his father and his uncle, Venetian
traders, 1271, on their second journey to the
court of Kublai, the Khan of Tartary.
Marco
won the favor of Kublai, and was taken into
his service: he was employed on various im-
portant missions to the remotest parts of the
Khan's dominions, and thus collected informa-
tion regarding the countries and their inhab-
itants. The three Venetians started on their
(
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POLO DE MEDINA- PONGERVILLE
435
return home, 1292, by way of Cochin-China,
Sumatra, Ceylon, Ormus, Trebizond, and Con-
stantinople, reaching Venice in 1295. Marco
commanded a Venetian galley in the war with
Genoa, and was taken prisoner, 1298; while in
prison he dictated to Rusticiano of Pisa an
account of his travels, which Rusticiano wrote
out in French, and nine years later revised
and amended. The title of the book is simply
(The Book of Marco Polo. About 80 MS.
copies of it are extant, differing each from each
considerably.
Polo de Medina, Salvador Jacinto (poʻlo
de mā-dē'nä). A Spanish poet; born in Murcia
about 1607; died about 1660. He wrote a poem
in the form of a vision, “The Incurables' Hos-
pital; Journey out of this Life into the Next,'
a moral treatise which was much admired in
his time; (On Moral Supremacy, to Lælius);
also some fables and some satirical verses.
Polyænus (pol-i-ē'nus). A Greek writer of
the second century, native of Macedonia. He
wrote a historical collection of instances of mili-
tary ruses employed by Greeks, Romans, and
Barbarians. It was entitled (Strategics,' or
(Stratagems, and was inscribed to the em-
perors Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Verus.
The work is extant. It was first printed in
1549, and again in 1887.
Polybius (pā-lib'ē-us). A celebrated Greek
historian; born at Megalopolis in Arcadia, 204
B. C. , while much of Greece was still inde-
pendent; died 122, after it had long been a
province of Rome, and himself an admired
companion of its conquerors. His work, (His-
tories, comprised 40 books, of which only the
first five have come down to us complete: it
was the author's purpose to write the history
of all the known regions of the civilized world
which had fallen under the sway of Rome. ) *
Polyides (pol-e-i'des). A Greek poet and
musician of the fourth century B. C. ; famous
for his dithyrambs. To him is credited by
Welcker the tragedy of Iphigenia, some pass-
ages from which are quoted by Aristotle in
his (Poetics.
Pomeroy, Marcus Mills. ["Brick Pomeroy. " ]
An American journalist and humorous writer;
born at Elmira, N. Y. , 1833; died in 1896. He
was a journalist of La Crosse, Wis. , and later
of New York city, where he founded Brick
Pomeroy's Democrat. His chief publications
are : 'Gold Dust) (1872); (Brick Dust) (1872);
Perpetual Money) (1878).
Pomfret, John. An English poet; born at
Luton in Bedfordshire, 1667; died 1703. His
best-known work is ( The Choice: A Poem Writ-
ten by a Person of Quality) (1700), which had
four editions within a year. His other principal
writings are: (A Prospect of Death,' an ode
(1700), and (Reason, a poem (1700).
Pommier, Victor Louis Amédée (pom-yā').
A French poet; born at Lyons, 1804; died in
1877. Among his writings are : (The Russian
Expedition) (1827); (The Republic; or, The
Book of Blood) (1836); “The Assassins) (1837);
(Hell) (1853), a most realistic portrayal of the
infernal regions as conceived by old-time or-
thodoxy; (Algeria and Conquering Civilization)
(1848); (Death of the Archbishop of Paris)
(1849); “Monologues of a Solitary) (1870).
Pompery, Édouard de (põm-per-ē'). A
French miscellaneous writer; born at Couv-
relles in Aisne, 1812. He is a socialist demo-
crat, and nearly all his writings deal with social
questions. He wrote: (The Doctor from Tim-
buktu) (1837); Despotism or Socialism) (1849);
(Woman in Human Society: Her Nature, her
Rôle, her Social Value) (1864); (Essay on the
True Voltaire) (1873).
Pompignan, Jean Jacques Lefranc, Mar-
quis de (põm-pēn-yän ). A French poet; born
at Montauban, 1709; died 1784. His tragedy
(Dido) (1734) had an extraordinary success;
it was followed by Zoraide, tragedy ; (The
Farewell of Mars,' comedy (1735); “Trip to
Languedoc and Provence, narrative poem
(1740). Some of his odes are works of con-
summate grace and art, e. g. , the "Ode on the
Death of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
Ponce de Leon, Luis (põn'thā dā lā-on').
A great Spanish lyric poet; born at Granada,
1527; died at Madrigal, 1591. He entered the
order of Augustin Friars, 1544, and in 1561
became professor of theology in the University
of Salamanca. He suffered five years' impris-
onment, by sentence of the Court of Inquisi-
tion, for his translation of the “Song of Songs)
into Spanish, with commentary.
Among his
prose writings is a treatise on the Names of
Christ) (1583) and “The Perfect Wife) (1583):
both books are still in popular use in Spain.
His poems, almost exclusively of a religious
character, are to be classed with the highest
products of the lyric Muse of Spain. His
translations in verse of some of the works of
Virgil and Horace, of 40 of the Psalms, and
of passages from Greek and Italian poets, are
characterized by much spirit and grace of style.
Poncy, Louis Charles (pôn-sē'). A French
poet; born at Toulon, 1821; died 1891. He
was a stone-mason quite without school edu-
cation. He published a series of volumes of
verse: “Poems) (1840); (Marine Views) (1842);
Marguerite's Posy) (1855).
Pond, Frederick Eugene. An American
journalist and author; born in Marquette
County, Wis. , April 8, 1856. He was among
the first to urge the establishment of a Na-
tional Sportsman's Association, and under the
pen-name of «Will Wildwood ” has published
Handbook for Young Sportsmen (1876);
(Memoirs of Eminent Sportsmen) (1878); and
(Gun Trial and Field Records of America)
(1885).
Pongerville, Jean Baptiste Aimé Sanson
de (pôn-zhā-vēl'). A French miscellaneous
writer; born at Abbeville in Somme, March 3,
1782; died at Paris, Jan, 24, 1870. His great
(
:
## p. 436 (#452) ############################################
436
PONINSKI – PORPHYRICS
(
work is a scholarly metrical translation of the
Latin poet Lucretius. He translated also into
French verse some of Ovid's works, under the
title (Mythological Amours.
Poninski, Anton Slodzin (põ-nin'skē). A
Polish poet; died 1742. He wrote (Hymeneal
Song of Augustus III. (1720), and (Sarmatides
or Satires) (1741).
Ponsard, François (pôn-sär). A French
dramatist; born at Vienne, 1814; died at Paris,
1867. His first venture in literature was made
with a translation of Lord Byron's Manfred)
(1837). His Lucretia) (1843), in the produc.
tion of which on the stage of the Odéon the
celebrated Rachel acted the leading rôle, was
a brilliant success : it marked a reaction against
romanticism. Among his other dramatic pro-
ductions are : Agnès de Méranie) (1846); (Char-
lotte Corday) (1850); «Ulysses) (1852); Honor
and Money) (1853), a fine satiric comedy; (The
Bourse) (1856); "What Pleases Womankind)
(1860), a trilogy, which had little success; (The
Lion in Love) (1866); (Galileo) (1867).
Ponson du Terrail, Pierre Alexis (pôň-sôn
dü ter-il'). A French romancer; born at Mont-
maur near Grenoble, July 8, 1829; died at
Bordeaux, Jan. 31, 1871. He wrote an in-
credible number of works of fiction; among
his works are: Heritage of a Centenarian);
(Gown and Sword (1857); (The Matrimonial
Agency); Memoirs of a Man of the World)
(1861); Nights at the Gilded House); (The
King of Navarre's Mistress' (1863); (The Great
World's Bohemians) (1867); Dr. Rousselle's
Secret! (1869); (Aurora's Amours) (1870).
Pontmartin, Armand Augustin Joseph
Marie (pôn-mär-tan'). A French story-writer
and literary critic; born at Avignon, July 16,
1811; died there, 1890. In 1853 he commenced
a series of Literary Talks) in the Gazette
de France, which, collected, fill 30 volumes.
Among his works are: (Recollections of an
Old Lover of Music) (1878); Medusa's Raft)
(1872); “Recollections of an Old Critic'; My
Memoirs) (2 vols. , 1885-86); “Sins of Old Age!
(1889); Literary Episodes) (1890).
Pontoux, Claude de (pôn-to'). A French
versifier; born at Chalons-sur-Saône, about
1530; died there, 1579. He wrote: (Lament-
able Harangues on the Death of Divers Ani-
mals); "Love's Smiles and Tears) (1576); (The
Idea and Other Works! (1579), (The Idea)
being a lady to whom he paid a hopeless suit.
Pool, Maria Louise. An American journal-
ist and novelist; born in Rockland, Mass. , 1845.
At one time she was connected with the New
York Tribune. Her best-known works are:
(In Buncombe County); (A Vacation in a
Buggy' (1887); (Tenting at Stony Beach) (1888);
(Rowena in Boston) (1892);(In a Dike Shanty)
(1896).
Poole, William Frederick. An eminent
American librarian and bibliographer; born at
Salem, Mass. , 1821; died at Evanston, Ill. , 1894.
He was a librarian of Boston, Cincinnati, and
Chicago. His chief work is the celebrated
Index to Periodical Literature, which he in-
itiated, and of which in its greatly expanded
later form he was co-editor with W. I. Fletcher.
Among his other works are (The Battle of
the Dictionaries) (1856), and (Cotton Mather
and Salem Witchcraft (1869).
Poore, Benjamin Perley. An American jour-
nalist, compiler, and author; born at Newbury,
Mass. , Nov. 2, 1820; died at Washington, D. C.
May 30, 1887. He spent several years abroad,
and devoted much time to research in French
history. Upon his return he became active in
journalism, and for thirty years was Washington
correspondent of the Boston Journal. His works
include: (The Rise and Fall of Louis Philippe
(1848); “Early Life of Napoleon' (1851); (Remi-
niscences of Sixty Years) (1886).
Poorten-Schwartz, J. M. W. van der. See
Maartens.
Poot, Huibert Cornelis (pöt). A Dutch
poet; born at Abtswoud, South Holland, Jan.
29, 1689; died at Delft, Dec. 31, 1733. His
countrymen called him the Hesiod of Hol-
land. " He published Miscellaneous Poems!
(1716; to which succeeded a second volume,
1728, and a third, 1735).
Pope, Alexander. A great English poet;
born at London, May 21, 1688; died at Twick-
enham on the Thames, May 30, 1744. His
principal works are : «The Iliad of Homer,
translated (1715-20); 'Homer's Odyssey' (1725);
(Essay on Criticism,' in the manner of Horace
(1711); (The Temple of Fame) (1711); (Epis-
tle from Eloisa to Abelard) (1716); (The Rape
of the Lock) (1712); (The Dunciad? (1728,
1742); Essay on Man (1733); (Imitations of
Horace (1740). *
Pope, John. An American general ; born at
Louisville, Ky. , March 16, 1822 ; died at San-
dusky, O. , Sept. 23, 1892. He graduated from
West Point in 1842, and had important com-
mands in the Civil War. Later in life he had
charge of various departments of the regular
army in the West. He published: (The Vir-
ginia Campaign of July and August 1862, a
defense of his campaign in command of the
Army of the Potomac.
Porphyrius (por-fi'rē-us). A celebrated Neo-
Platonic philosopher; born at Batanea in Syria,
233 A. D. ; died at Rome, 304 A. D. He was a
disciple first of Longinus, then of Plotinus,
whose works he edited, and whom he succeeded
as master of a school of philosophy at Rome.
But few of his writings have come down to us.
He wrote a History of Philosophy,' to which
probably belongs the extant Life of Pythago-
ras. Some fragments of his work against the
Christian religion - condemned to the flames
by the emperor Theodosius II. in 453 -- are
preserved in the writings of his adversaries.
We have his tractate (Оn Abstinence from
Animal Food); also his (Homeric Questions,
in 32 chapters; his Epistle to Marcella) on
the right conduct of life; his letter to the
a
## p. 437 (#453) ############################################
PORSON - PORTER
437
)
(
Egyptian priest Anebon in condemnation of
magic and theurgy; Introduction to Philoso-
phy,' in which the question of realism and
. nominalism is first mooted; "On Deriving a
Philosophy from Oracles); and “On the Cave
of the Nymphs.
Porson, Richard. An eminent English
scholar and critic; born in Norfolk, Dec. 25,
1759; died in London, Sept. 25, 1808. He was
educated at Eton and Cambridge, and regius
professor of Greek at Cambridge from 1792
till his death. He possessed phenomenal pow-
ers of memory, great critical acumen, and a
knowledge of Greek unequaled in his day. His
emendations and critical notes on the Greek
writers are accepted as authoritative. He wrote
for the literary reviews on many subjects; ed.
ited Æschylus (1795); the (Hecuba, Orestes,
(Phænissæ, and Medea) of Euripides (1797-
1801): and published Adversaria) ( 1812 );
(Tracts and Criticisms) (1815); (Aristophanica)
(1820); 'Photii Lexicon' (1822); «Notæ in Sui-
dam' (1834). His Letters to Archdeacon Travis
on the « Three Witnesses) are monuments of
analytic and argumentative power.
Port, Elizabeth-Marie (port). A Dutch poet
and novelist; born in the second half of the
eighteenth century. Her writings are: (The
Country) (1792), prose and poetry; (For the
Solitary' ( 1789 ); (Reinhart on Nature and Re-
ligion (1793); "Elegies) (1794); (True Enjoy.
ment of Life) (1796); My Childhood's Tears)
(1804), domestic tableaux; Frederick Weit
and his Children'; On Society and Solitude)
(1806); and New Poems) (1807).
Porter, Anna Maria. An English novelist;
born at Durham, 1780; died 1832. Sister of
Jane and Sir R. K. ; she wrote (Artless Tales)
(1793-95), which was succeeded by a long series
of novels, among them :(Walsh Colville (1797);
(The Lakes of Killarney) (1804); (The Hun-
garian Brothers) (1807); (The Recluse of Nor-
way) (1814); ( The Knight of St. John (1817);
(The Fast of St. Magdalen) (1818); (Roche
Blanche) (1822); Honor O'Hara! (1826);
(Barony) (1830); also Ballads, Romances, and
Other Poems) (1811).
Porter, David. An American naval officer
and diplomat; born in Boston, Feb. I, 1780;
died near Constantinople, March 3, 1843. He
commanded in several naval engagements of
the Tripoli war (1801-6) and the War of 1812.
From 1831 to 1843 he held important diplomatic
positions at Constantinople. His chief work is
Constantinople and its Environs) (1835).
Porter, David Dixon. An American admi.
ral, son of David; born at Chester, Pa. , June
8, 1813; died at Washington, D. C. , Feb. 13,
1891. He came into prominence in the Mexi-
can War, and during the Civil War held im-
portant naval commands at New Orleans, Vicks-
burg, and Fort Fisher. As an author he will
be best remembered for his nautical romance,
(The Adventures of Harry Marline) (1886).
ong his other works are : "Life of Commo-
dore David Porter) ( 1875 ); (Allan Dare and
Robert le Diable) (1885), a romance; “History
of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion)
(1887).
Porter, Horace. An American general and
military writer; born at Huntingdon, Pa. , April
15, 1837. He graduated from West Point, and
during the Civil War was a staff officer of
McClellan and Rosecrans, and subsequently
Grant's trusted aide and personal friend in Vir-
ginia during the last two years of the War. He
is the author of "Campaigning with Grant,
which first appeared serially in the Century
Magazine.
Porter, Jane.
