wine-merchant in a small way, was _ed._ at Trinity Coll., after which he
went to London, and studied law at the Middle Temple, 1799. He took with
him a translation of _Anacreon_, which appeared, dedicated to the Prince
Regent, in 1800, was well received, and made a position for him. In the
following year appeared _Poems by Thomas Little_. In 1803 he received the
appointment of Admiralty Registrar at Bermuda, and after visiting the
island and travelling in America, he committed his official duties to a
deputy (an unfortunate step as it proved), and returned to England. The
literary fruit of this journey was _Epistles, Odes, and other Poems_
(1806). In 1807 M. found his true poetic vocation in his
_Irish-Melodies_--the music being furnished by Sir John Stevenson, who
adapted the national airs. The reception they met with was enthusiastic,
and M. was carried at once to the height of his reputation. They
continued to appear over a period of 25 years, and for each of the 130
songs he received 100 guineas. His charming singing of these airs, and
his fascinating conversational and social powers made him sought after in
the highest circles. In 1815 there appeared _National Airs_ which,
however, cannot be considered equal to the _Melodies_. After making
various unsuccessful attempts at serious satire, he hit upon a vein for
which his light and brilliant wit eminently qualified him--the satirical
and pungent verses on men and topics of the day, afterwards _coll._ in
_The Twopenny Post Bag_, in which the Prince Regent especially was
mercilessly ridiculed, and about the same time appeared _Fables for the
Holy Alliance_. In 1818 he produced the _Fudge Family in Paris_, written
in that city, which then swarmed with "groups of ridiculous English."
_Lalla Rookh_, with its gorgeous descriptions of Eastern scenes and
manners, had appeared in the previous year with great applause. In 1818
the great misfortune of his life occurred through the dishonesty of his
deputy in Bermuda, which involved him in a loss of £6000, and
necessitated his going abroad. He travelled in Italy with Lord John
Russell, and visited Byron. Thereafter he settled for a year or two in
Paris, where he wrote _The Loves of the Angels_ (1823). On the death of
Byron his memoirs came into the hands of Moore, who, in the exercise of a
discretion committed to him, destroyed them. He afterwards wrote a _Life
of Byron_ (1830), which gave rise to much criticism and controversy, and
he also ed. his works. His last imaginative work was _The Epicurean_
(1827). Thereafter he confined himself almost entirely to prose, and
_pub._ Lives of Sheridan (1827), and Lord Edward Fitzgerald (1831). His
last work, written in failing health, was a _History of Ireland_ for
Lardner's _Cabinet Cyclopædia_, which had little merit. Few poets have
ever enjoyed greater popularity with the public, or the friendship of
more men distinguished in all departments of life. This latter was
largely owing to his brilliant social qualities, but his genuine and
independent character had also a large share in it. He left behind him a
mass of correspondence and autobiographical matter which he committed to
his friend Lord John (afterwards Earl) Russell for publication. They
appeared in 8 vols. (1852-56).
_Memoir, Journal, and Correspondence_, by Lord John Russell (1856).
MORE, HANNAH (1745-1833).--Miscellaneous and religious writer, was one of
the five daughters of a schoolmaster at Stapleton, Gloucestershire. The
family removed to Bristol, where Hannah began her literary efforts. Some
early dramas, including _The Search after Happiness_ and the _Inflexible
Captive_ brought her before the public, and she went to London in 1774,
where, through her friend, Garrick, she was introduced to Johnson, Burke,
and the rest of that circle, by whom she was highly esteemed. After
publishing some poems, now forgotten, and some dramas, she resolved to
devote herself to efforts on behalf of social and religious amelioration,
in which she was eminently successful, and exercised a wide and salutary
influence. Her works written in pursuance of these objects are too
numerous to mention. They included _Hints towards forming the Character
of a young Princess_ (1805), written at the request of the Queen for the
benefit of the Princess Charlotte, _Coelebs in search of a Wife_ (1809),
and a series of short tales, the _Cheap Repository_, among which was the
well-known _Shepherd of Salisbury Plain_. This enterprise, which had
great success, led to the formation of the Religious Tract Society. The
success of Miss M.'s literary labours enabled her to pass her later years
in ease, and her sisters having also retired on a competency made by
conducting a boarding-school in Bristol, the whole family resided on a
property called Barley Grove, which they had purchased, where they
carried on with much success philanthropic and educational work among the
people of the neighbouring district of Cheddar. Few persons have devoted
their talents more assiduously to the well-being of their
fellow-creatures, or with a greater measure of success.
MORE, HENRY (1614-1687).--Philosopher, _b._ at Grantham, and _ed._ at
Camb., took orders, but declined all preferment, including two deaneries
and a bishopric; and also various appointments in his Univ., choosing
rather a quiet life devoted to scholarship and philosophy, especially the
study of writings of Plato and his followers. He led a life of singular
purity and religious devotion, tinged with mysticism, and his writings
had much popularity and influence in their day. Among them may be
mentioned _Psychozoia Platonica_ (1642), _repub._ (1647) as
_Philosophicall Poems_, _Divine Dialogues_ (prose) (1668), _The Mystery
of Godliness_, and _The Mystery of Iniquity_. His life was written by his
friend Richard Ward.
MORE, SIR THOMAS (1478-1535).--Historical and political writer, _s._ of
Sir John M., a Justice of the King's Bench, was _b._ in London. In his
16th year he was placed in the household of Morton, Archbishop of
Canterbury, who was wont to say, "This child here waiting at the table
... will prove a marvellous man." In 1497 he went to Oxf., where he
became the friend of Erasmus and others, and came in contact with the new
learning. He studied law at New Inn and Lincoln's Inn, and for some time
thought of entering the Church. He was, however, in 1504 sent up to
Parliament, where his powerful speaking gained for him a high place.
Meanwhile, he had brilliant success in the Law Courts, and was introduced
by Wolsey to Henry VIII., with whom he soon rose into high favour. He
became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Speaker of the House of
Commons, 1523, and was sent on missions to Charles V. and Francis I. At
length, on the fall of Wolsey, M. was, much against his will, appointed
Lord Chancellor, an office which he filled with singular purity and
success, though he was harsh in his dealings with persons accused of
heresy. But differences with the King soon arose. M. disapproved of
Henry's ecclesiastical policy, as well as of his proceedings in regard to
the Queen, and in 1532 he resigned his office. In 1534 he refused the
oath which pledged him to approval of the King's marriage to Anne Boleyn,
and for this he was imprisoned in the Tower, and on July 7, 1535,
beheaded. His body was buried in St. Peter's in the Tower, and his head
exhibited on London Bridge, whence it was taken down and preserved by his
_dau._, the noble Margaret Roper. All Catholic Europe was shocked at the
news of what was truly a judicial murder. Among his works are a Life of
_Picus, Earl of Mirandula_ (1510), and a _History of Richard III._,
written about 1513. His great work, _Utopia_, was written in Latin in two
books--the second 1515, and the first 1516. It had immediate popularity,
and was translated into French 1530, English 1551, German 1524, Italian
1548, and Spanish 1790. It gives an account of an imaginary island and
people, under cover of which it describes the social and political
condition of England, with suggested remedies for abuses. The opinions on
religion and politics expressed in it are not, however, always those by
which he was himself guided. M. wrote many works of controversy, among
which are _Dyaloge concerning Heresies_, also epigrams and dialogues in
Latin. His pure and religious character, his sweet temper, his wit, his
constancy and fortitude under misfortune combine to render him one of the
most attractive and admirable figures in English history.
_Life_ by W. Roper (son-in-law), Lord Campbell, _Lives of Chancellors,
Utopia_ was translated by Robinson (1551, etc.), Bishop Burnet (1684,
etc.), and ed. by Lupton (1895), and Michelis (1896).
MORGAN, LADY (SYDNEY OWENSON) (1780?-1859).--Novelist, _dau._ of Robert
Owenson, an actor, was the author of several vivacious Irish tales,
including _The Wild Irish Girl_ (1806), _O'Donnel_ (1814), and _The
O'Briens and the O'Flaherties_ (1827); also two books on society in
France and in Italy characterised by "more vivacity and point than
delicacy," and a Life of Salvator Rosa.
MORIER, JAMES JUSTINIAN (1780?-1849).--Traveller and novelist, _s._ of
Isaac M., descended from a Huguenot family resident at Smyrna, where he
was _b._, was _ed._ at Harrow. Returning to the East he became in 1809
Sec. of Legation in Persia. He wrote accounts of travels in Persia,
Armenia, and Asia Minor; also novels, in which he exhibits a marvellous
familiarity with Oriental manners and modes of thought. The chief of
these are _The Adventures of Hajji Baba_ (1824), and _Hajji Baba in
England_ (1828), _Zohrab the Hostage_ (1832), _Ayesha_ (1834), and _The
Mirza_ (1841). All these works are full of brilliant description,
character-painting, and delicate satire.
MORISON, JAMES COTTER (1832-1888).--Was _ed._ at Oxf. He wrote _Lives of
Gibbon_ (1878), and _Macaulay_ (1882); but his best work was his _Life of
St. Bernard_ (1863). _The Service of Man_ (1887) is written from a
Positivist point of view.
MORLEY, HENRY (1822-1894).--Writer on English literature, _s._ of an
apothecary, was _b._ in London, _ed._ at a Moravian school in Germany,
and at King's Coll., London, and after practising medicine and keeping
schools at various places, went in 1850 to London, and adopted literature
as his profession. He wrote in periodicals, and from 1859-64 ed. the
_Examiner_. From 1865-89 he was Prof. of English Literature at Univ.
Coll. He was the author of various biographies, including Lives of
_Palissy_, _Cornelius Agrippa_, and _Clement Marot_. His principal work,
however, was _English Writers_ (10 vols. 1864-94), coming down to
Shakespeare. His _First Sketch of English Literature_--the study for the
larger work--had reached at his death a circulation of 34,000 copies.
MORRIS, SIR LEWIS (1833-1907).--Poet, _b._ at Penrhyn, Carnarvonshire,
and _ed._ at Sherborne and Oxf., was called to the Bar, and practised as
a conveyancer until 1880, after which he devoted himself to the promotion
of higher education in Wales, and became honorary sec. and treasurer of
the New Welsh Univ. In 1871 he _pub._ _Songs of Two Worlds_, which showed
the influence of Tennyson, and was well received, though rather by the
wider public than by more critical circles. It was followed in 1876-77 by
_The Epic of Hades_, which had extraordinary popularity, and which,
though exhibiting undeniable talent both in versification and narrative
power, lacked the qualities of the higher kinds of poetry. It deals in a
modern spirit with the Greek myths and legends. Other works are _A Vision
of Saints_, _Gwen_, _The Ode of Life_, and _Gycia_, a tragedy.
MORRIS, WILLIAM (1834-1896).--Poet, artist, and socialist, _b._ at
Walthamstow, and _ed._ at Marlborough School and Oxf. After being
articled as an architect he was for some years a painter, and then joined
in founding the manufacturing and decorating firm of Morris, Marshall,
Faulkner and Co., in which Rossetti, Burne-Jones, and other artists were
partners. By this and other means he did much to influence the public
taste in furnishing and decoration. He was one of the originators of the
_Oxford and Cambridge Magazine_, to which he contributed poems, tales,
and essays, and in 1858 he _pub._ _Defence of Guenevere and other Poems_.
_The Life and Death of Jason_ followed in 1867, _The Earthly Paradise_ in
1868-70, and _Love is Enough_ in 1875. In the last mentioned year he made
a translation in verse of Virgil's _Æneid_. Travels in Iceland led to the
writing of _Three Northern Love Stories_, and the epic of _Sigurd the
Volsung_ (1876). His translation of the _Odyssey_ in verse appeared 1887.
A series of prose romances began with _The House of the Wolfings_ (1889),
and included _The Roots of the Mountains_, _Story of the Glittering
Plain_, _The Wood beyond the World_, _The Well at the World's End_
(1896), and posthumously _The Water of the Wondrous Isles_, and _Story of
the Sundering Flood_. In addition to poems and tales M. produced various
illuminated manuscripts, including two of Fitzgerald's _Omar Khayyam_,
and many controversial writings, among which are tales and tracts in
advocacy of Socialism. To this class belong the _Dream of John Ball_
(1888), and _News from Nowhere_ (1891). In 1890 M. started the Kelmscott
Press, for which he designed type and decorations. For his subjects as a
writer he drew upon classic and Gothic models alike. He may perhaps be
regarded as the chief of the modern romantic school, inspired by the love
of beauty for its own sake; his poetry is rich and musical, and he has a
power of description which makes his pictures live and glow, but his
narratives sometimes suffer from length and slowness of movement.
_Life_ by J.W. Mackail (2 vols., 1899), _The Books of W. Morris_, Forman,
etc.
MORTON, THOMAS (1764-1838).--Dramatist, _b._ in Durham, came to London to
study law, which he discarded in favour of play-writing. He wrote about
25 plays, of which several had great popularity. In one of them, _Speed
the Plough_, he introduced Mrs. Grundy to the British public.
MOTHERWELL, WILLIAM (1797-1835).--Poet, _b._ and _ed._ in Glasgow, he
held the office of depute sheriff-clerk at Paisley, at the same time
contributing poetry to various periodicals. He had also antiquarian
tastes, and a deep knowledge of the early history of Scottish ballad
literature, which he turned to account in _Minstrelsy, Ancient and
Modern_ (1827), a collection of Scottish ballads with an historical
introduction. In 1830 he became ed. of the _Glasgow Courier_, and in 1832
he _coll._ and _pub._ his poems. He also joined Hogg in ed. the Works of
Burns.
MOTLEY, JOHN LOTHROP (1814-1877).--Historian, _b._ at Dorchester, a
suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, was _ed._ at Harvard, where O.W. Holmes
(_q.v._), afterwards his biographer, was a fellow-student. After
graduating he went to Europe, studied at Göttingen and Berlin, and
visited Italy. On his return he studied law, and was admitted to the Bar
in 1837. He did not, however, practise, and was in 1840 sent to St.
Petersburg as Sec. of Legation. Meanwhile, having _pub._ two novels,
_Morton's Hope_ and _Merry Mount_, which had little success, he turned to
history, and attracted attention by some essays in various reviews.
Having decided to write an historical work on Holland, he proceeded in
1851 to Europe to collect materials, and in 1856 _pub._ _The Rise of the
Dutch Republic_. It was received with the highest approval by such
critics as Froude and Prescott, and at once took its place as a standard
work. It was followed in 1860 by the first two vols. of _The United
Netherlands_. The following year M. was appointed Minister at Vienna, and
in 1869 at London. His latest works were a _Life of Barneveldt_, the
Dutch statesman, and _A View of ... the Thirty Years' War_. M. holds a
high place among historical writers both on account of his research and
accuracy, and his vivid and dramatic style, which shows the influence of
Carlyle.
MOULTRIE, JOHN (1799-1874).--Poet, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., took orders
and was Rector of Rugby. He wrote several books of poetry, his best known
pieces are _My Brother's Grave_, and _Godiva_.
MULOCK, DINAH MARIA (MRS. CRAIK) (1826-1887).--Novelist, _dau._ of a
Nonconformist minister of Irish descent. Beginning with stories for
children, she developed into a prolific and popular novelist. Her best
and most widely known book is _John Halifax, Gentleman_ (1857), which had
a wide popularity, and was translated into several languages. Others are
_The Head of the Family_, _Agatha's Husband_, _A Life for a Life_, and
_Mistress and Maid_. She also wrote one or two vols. of essays.
MUNDAY, ANTHONY (1553-1633).--Dramatist, poet, and pamphleteer, _s._ of a
draper in London, appears to have had a somewhat chequered career. He
went to Rome in 1578, and _pub._ _The Englyshe Romayne Life_, in which he
gives descriptions of rites and other matters fitted to excite Protestant
feeling; and he appears to have acted practically as a spy upon Roman
Catholics. He had a hand in 18 plays, of which four only are extant,
including two on _Robert, Earl of Huntingdon_ (_Robin Hood_) (1598), and
one on the _Life of Sir John Oldcastle_. He was ridiculed by Ben Jonson
in _The Case is Altered_. He was also a ballad-writer, but nothing of his
in this kind survives, unless _Beauty sat bathing in a Spring_ be
correctly attributed to him. He also wrote city pageants, and translated
popular romances, including _Palladino of England_, and _Amadis of
Gaule_. He was made by Stow the antiquary (_q.v._) his literary executor,
and _pub._ his _Survey of London_ (1618).
MURE, WILLIAM (1799-1860).--Scholar, laird of Caldwell, Ayrshire, _ed._
at Westminster, Edin., and Bonn, sat in Parliament for Renfrewshire
1846-55. He was a sound classical scholar, and _pub._ _A Critical History
of the Language and Literature of Ancient Greece_ (5 vols., 1850-57). He
held the view that the _Iliad_ and _Odyssey_ are now substantially as
they were originally composed. M. was Lord Rector of Glasgow Univ.
1847-48.
MURPHY, ARTHUR (1727-1805).--Actor and dramatist, _b._ in Ireland, and
_ed._ at St. Omer, went on the stage, then studied for the Bar, to which
he was ultimately admitted after some demur on account of his connection
with the stage. His plays were nearly all adaptations. They include _The
Apprentice_ (1756), _The Spouter_, and _The Upholsterer_. He also wrote
an essay on Dr. Johnson, and a Life of Garrick.
MURRAY, LINDLEY (1745-1826).--Grammarian, was _b._ in Pennsylvania, and
practised as a lawyer. From 1785 he lived in England, near York, and was
for his last 16 years confined to the house. His _English Grammar_ (1795)
was long a standard work, and his main claim to a place in literature.
His other writings were chiefly religious.
MYERS, FREDERIC WILLIAM HENRY (1843-1901).--Poet and essayist, _s._ of a
clergyman, was _b._ at Keswick, and _ed._ at Cheltenham and Camb. He
became an inspector of schools, and was the author of several vols. of
poetry, including _St. Paul_ (1867). He also wrote _Essays Classical and
Modern_, and Lives of Wordsworth and Shelley. Becoming interested in
mesmerism and spiritualism he aided in founding the Society for Psychical
Research, and was joint author of _Phantasms of the Living_. His last
work was _Human Personality and its Survival of Bodily Death_ (1903).
NABBES, THOMAS (_fl._ 1638).--Dramatist, was at Oxf. in 1621. He lived in
London, and wrote comedies, satirising bourgeois society. He was most
successful in writing masques, among which are _Spring's Glory_ and
_Microcosmus_. He also wrote a continuation of Richard Knolles' _History
of the Turks_.
NAIRNE, CAROLINA (OLIPHANT), BARONESS (1766-1845).--_B._ at the House of
Gask ("the auld house"), _m._ in 1806 her second cousin, Major Nairne,
who on reversal of attainder became 5th Lord Nairne. On his death, after
residing in various places in England, Ireland, and on the Continent, she
settled at the new house of Gask (the old one having been pulled down in
1801). Of her songs--87 in number--many first appeared anonymously in
_The Scottish Minstrel_ (1821-24); a collected ed. with her name, under
the title of _Lays' from Strathearn_, was _pub._ after her death.
Although the songs, some of which were founded on older compositions, had
from the first an extraordinary popularity, the authoress maintained a
strict anonymity during her life. For direct simplicity and poetic
feeling Lady N. perhaps comes nearer than any other Scottish song-writer
to Burns, and many of her lyrics are enshrined in the hearts of her
fellow-countrymen. Among the best of them are _The Land of the Leal_
(1798), _Caller Herrin'_, _The Laird o' Cockpen_, _The Auld House_, _The
Rowan Tree_, _The Hundred Pipers_, and _Will ye no come back Again?_ The
Jacobitism of some of these and many others was, of course, purely
sentimental and poetical, like that of Scott. She was a truly religious
and benevolent character, and the same modesty which concealed her
authorship withdrew from public knowledge her many deeds of charity.
NAPIER, MARK (1798-1879).--Historian, _s._ of a lawyer in Edinburgh, was
called to the Bar, practised as an advocate, and was made Sheriff of
Dumfries and Galloway. He _pub._ Memoirs of the Napiers, of Montrose, and
of Graham of Claverhouse, the last of which gave rise to much
controversy. N. wrote from a strongly Cavalier and Jacobite standpoint,
and had remarkably little of the judicial spirit in his methods. His
writings, however, have some historical value.
NAPIER, SIR WILLIAM FRANCIS PATRICK (1785-1860).--was one of the sons of
Col. the Hon. George N. and Lady Sarah Lennox, _dau._ of the 2nd Duke of
Richmond, and the object of a romantic attachment on the part of George
III. One of his brothers was Sir Charles N., the conqueror of Scinde.
Entering the army at 15, he served with great distinction in the
Peninsula under Moore and Wellington. His experiences as a witness and
participator in the stupendous events of the war combined with the
possession of remarkable acumen and a brilliant style to qualify him for
the great work of his life as its historian. _The History of the War in
the Peninsula and in the South of France from 1807-14_ (1828-40) at once
took rank as a classic, and superseded all existing works on the subject.
Though not free from prejudice and consequent bias, it remains a
masterpiece of historical writing, especially in the description of
military operations. It was translated into French, German, Spanish,
Italian, and Persian. N. also _pub._ _The Conquest of Scinde_ (1844-46),
mainly a defence of his brother Charles, whose life he subsequently
wrote. He became K.C.B. in 1848, and General 1859.
NASH, THOMAS (1567-1601).--Satirist, etc., _b._ at Lowestoft, _ed._ at
Camb. A reckless life kept him in perpetual poverty, and a bitter and
sarcastic tongue lost him friends and patrons. He cherished an undying
hatred for the Puritans, and specially for Gabriel Hervey, with whom he
maintained a lifelong controversy, and against whose attacks he defended
Robert Greene (_q.v._). Among his writings are _Anatomy of Absurdities_
(1589), _Have with you to Saffron Walden_, and _Pierce Pennilesse, his
Supplication to the Divell_ (1592), all against the Puritans. In
_Summer's_ (a jester of Henry VIII.) _Last Will and Testament_ occurs the
well-known song, "Spring, the sweet Spring, is the year's pleasant King."
_Christ's Tears over Jerusalem_ (1593) may have indicated some movement
towards repentance. Another work in a totally different style, _The
Unfortunate Traveller, or the Life of Jack Wilton_ (1594), a wild tale,
may be regarded as the pioneer of the novel of adventure. It had,
however, so little success that the author never returned to this kind of
fiction. A comedy, _The Isle of Dogs_ (now lost), adverted so pointedly
to abuses in the state that it led to his imprisonment. His last work was
_Lenten Stuffe_ (1599), a burlesque panegyric on Yarmouth and its red
herrings. N.'s verse is usually hard and monotonous, but he was a man of
varied culture and great ability.
NAYLER, JAMES (1617?-1660).--Quaker theologian, _s._ of a Yorkshire
yeoman, who, after serving in the Parliamentary army, joined the Quakers
in 1651, became one of Foxe's most trusted helpers, and exercised a
powerful influence. By some of the more enthusiastic devotees of the sect
he was honoured with such blasphemous titles as "the Lamb of God," which,
however, he did not arrogate to himself, but asserted that they were
ascribed to "Christ in him." He was found guilty of blasphemy, pilloried,
whipped, and branded, and cast into prison, from which he was not
released until after the death of Cromwell, when he made public
confession and resumed preaching. He was the author of a number of short
works both devotional and controversial. He ranks high among the Quakers
for eloquence, insight, and depth of thought.
NEAL, JOHN (1793-1876).--Novelist and poet, _b._ at Portland, Maine, was
self-educated, kept a dry goods store, and was afterwards a lawyer. He
wrote several novels, which show considerable native power, but little
art, and are now almost forgotten. Among those which show the influence
of Byron and Godwin are _Keep Cool_ (1818), _Logan_ (1822), and
_Seventy-six_ (1823). His poems have the same features of vigour and want
of finish. In 1823 he visited England, and became known to Jeremy
Bentham. He contributed some articles on American subjects to
_Blackwood's Magazine_.
NEAVES, CHARLES, LORD (1800-1876).--Miscellaneous author, _b._ and _ed._
in Edinburgh, was called to the Bar, and became a judge. He was a
frequent contributor to _Blackwood's Magazine_. His verses, witty and
satirical, were _coll._ as _Songs and Verses, Social and Scientific_. He
wrote also on philology, and _pub._ a book on the Greek Anthology.
NECKHAM, ALEXANDER (1157-1217).--Scholar, _b._ at St. Albans, was
foster-brother to Richard Coeur de Lion. He went to Paris in 1180, where
he became a distinguished teacher. Returning, to England in 1186 he
became an Augustinian Canon, and in 1213 Abbot of Cirencester. He is one
of our earliest men of learning, and wrote a scientific work in Latin
verse. _De Naturis Rerum_ (_c._ 1180-94) in 10 books. Other works are _De
Laudibus Divinæ Sapientiæ_ (in Praise of the Divine Wisdom), and _De
Contemptu Mundi_ (on Despising the World), and some grammatical
treatises.
NEWCASTLE, MARGARET, DUCHESS of (1624?-1674).--_Dau._ of Sir Thomas
Lucas, and a maid of honour to Queen Henrietta. Maria, _m._ in 1645 the
1st Duke of Newcastle (then Marquis), whom she regarded in adversity and
prosperity with a singular and almost fantastic devotion, which was fully
reciprocated. The noble pair collaborated (the Duchess contributing by
far the larger share) in their literary ventures, which filled 12 vols.,
and consisted chiefly of dramas (now almost unreadable), and
philosophical exercitations which, amid prevailing rubbish, contain some
weighty sayings. One of her poems, _The Pastimes and Recreations of the
Queen of Fairies in Fairyland_ has some good lines. Her Life of her
husband, in which she rates him above Julius Cæsar, was said by Lamb to
be "a jewel for which no casket was good enough."
NEWMAN, FRANCIS WILLIAM (1805-1897).--Scholar and theological writer,
brother of Cardinal N., _b._ in London, and _ed._ at Oxf. After spending
three years in the East, he became successively classical tutor in
Bristol Coll., Professor of Classical Literature in Manchester New Coll.
(1840), and of Latin in Univ. Coll., London, 1846-63. Both brought up
under evangelical influences, the two brothers moved from that standpoint
in diametrically opposite directions, Francis through eclecticism towards
scepticism. His writings include a _History of the Hebrew Monarchy_
(1847), _The Soul_ (1849), and his most famous book, _Phases of Faith_
(1850), a theological autobiography corresponding to his brother's
_Apologia_, the publication of which led to much controversy, and to the
appearance of Henry Rogers' _Eclipse of Faith_. He also _pub._
_Miscellanea_ in 4 vols., a Dictionary of modern Arabic, and some
mathematical treatises. He was a vegetarian, a total abstainer, and enemy
of tobacco, vaccination, and vivisection. Memoir by I.G. Sieveking, 1909.
NEWMAN, JOHN HENRY (1801-1890).--Theologian, _s._ of a London banker, and
brother of the above, was _ed._ at Ealing and Trinity Coll., Oxf., where
he was the intimate friend of Pusey and Hurrell Froude. Taking orders he
was successively curate of St. Clement's 1824, and Vicar of St. Mary's,
Oxford, 1828. He was also Vice-principal of Alban Hall, where he assisted
Whately, the Principal, in his _Logic_. In 1830 he definitely broke with
the evangelicalism in which he had been brought up; and in 1832,
accompanied by H. Froude, went to the South of Europe, and visited Rome.
During this lengthened tour he wrote most of his short poems, including
"Lead Kindly Light," which were _pub._ 1834 as _Lyra Apostolica_. On his
return he joined with Pusey, Keble, and others in initiating the
Tractarian movement, and contributed some of the more important tracts,
including the fateful No. xc., the publication of which brought about a
crisis in the movement which, after two years of hesitation and mental
and spiritual conflict, led to the resignation by N. of his benefice. In
1842 he retired to Littlemore, and after a period of prayer, fasting, and
seclusion, was in 1845 received into the Roman Catholic Church. In the
following year he went to Rome, where he was ordained priest and made
D.D., and returning to England he established the oratory in Birmingham
in 1847, and that in London in 1850. A controversy with C. Kingsley, who
had written that N. "did not consider truth a necessary virtue," led to
the publication of his _Apologia pro Vita Sua_ (1864), one of the most
remarkable books of religious autobiography ever written. N.'s later
years were passed at the oratory at Birmingham. In 1879 he was summoned
to Rome and _cr._ Cardinal of St. George in Velabro. Besides the works
above mentioned he wrote, among others, _The Arians of the Fourth
Century_ (1833), _Twelve Lectures_ (1850), _Lectures on the Present
Position of Catholics_ (1851), _Idea of a University_, _Romanism and
Popular Protestantism_, _Disquisition on the Canon of Scripture_, and his
poem, _The Dream of Gerontius_. Possessed of one of the most keen and
subtle intellects of his age, N. was also master of a style of marvellous
beauty and power. To many minds, however, his subtlety not seldom
appeared to pass into sophistry; and his attitude to schools of thought
widely differing from his own was sometimes harsh and unsympathetic. On
the other hand he was able to exercise a remarkable influence over men
ecclesiastically, and in some respects religiously, most strongly opposed
to him. His sermons place him in the first rank of English preachers.
_Lives_ or books about him by R.H. Hutton, E.A. Abbott. _Works_ (36
vols., 1868-81), _Apologia pro Vita Sua_ (1864), etc.
NEWTON, SIR ISAAC (1642-1727).--Natural philosopher, _b._ at Woolsthorpe,
Lincolnshire, the _s._ of a small landed proprietor, and _ed._ at the
Grammar School of Grantham and at Trinity Coll., Camb. By propounding the
binomial theorem, the differential calculus, and the integral calculus,
he began in 1665 the wonderful series of discoveries in pure mathematics,
optics, and physics, which place him in the first rank of the
philosophers of all time. He was elected Lucasian Prof. of Mathematics at
Camb. in 1669, and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1672, over which body
he presided for 25 years from 1703. In the same year his new theory of
flight was _pub._ in a paper before the society. His epoch-making
discovery of the law of universal gravitation was not promulgated until
1687, though the first glimpse of it had come to him so early as 1665.
The discovery of fluxions, which he claimed, was contested by Leibnitz,
and led to a long and bitter controversy between the two philosophers. He
twice sat in Parliament for his Univ., and was Master of the Mint from
1699, in which capacity he presented reports on the coinage. He was
knighted in 1705, and _d._ at Kensington in 1727. For a short time, after
an unfortunate accident by which a number of invaluable manuscripts were
burned, he suffered from some mental aberration. His writings fall into
two classes, scientific and theological. In the first are included his
famous treatises, _Light and Colours_ (1672), _Optics_ (1704), the
_Principia_ (1687), in Latin, its full title being _Philosophiæ Naturalis
Principia Mathematica_. In the second are his _Observations upon the
Prophecies of Holy Writ_ and _An Historical Account of Two Notable
Corruptions of Scripture_. In character N. was remarkable for simplicity,
humility, and gentleness, with a great distaste for controversy, in
which, nevertheless, he was repeatedly involved. _Life_ by Sir D.
Brewster, second ed., 1855, etc.
NEWTON, JOHN (1725-1807).--Divine and hymn-writer, _s._ of a shipmaster,
was _b._ in London, and for many years led a varied and adventurous life
at sea, part of the time on board a man-of-war and part as captain of a
slaver. In 1748 he came under strong religious convictions, and after
acting as a tide-waiter at Liverpool for a few years, he applied for
orders in 1758, and was ordained curate of Olney in 1764. Here he became
the intimate and sympathetic friend of Cowper, in conjunction with whom
he produced the _Olney Hymns_. In 1779 he was translated to the Rectory
of St. Mary, Woolnoth, London, where he had great popularity and
influence, and wrote many religious works, including _Cardiphonia_, and
_Remarkable Passages in his Own Life_. He lives, however, in his hymns,
among which are some of the best and most widely known in the language,
such as _In evil long I took delight_, _Glorious things of Thee are
Spoken_, _How Sweet the Name of Jesus sounds_, and many others. In his
latter years N. was blind.
NICHOL, JOHN (1833-1894).--Poet and biographer, _s._ of John P.N., Prof.
of Astronomy in Glasgow, _ed._ at Glasgow and Oxf., and held the chair of
English Literature in Glasgow, 1862-1889. Among his writings are
_Hannibal_ (1873), a drama, _Death of Themistocles and other Poems_
(1881), _Fragments of Criticism_, and _American Literature_; also Lives
of Bacon, Burns, Carlyle, and Byron.
NOEL, HON. RODEN BERKELEY WRIOTHESLEY (1834-1894).--Poet, _s._, of the
1st Earl of Gainsborough, was _ed._ at Camb. He wrote _Behind the Veil_
(1863), _The Red Flag_ (1872), _Songs of the Heights and Deeps_ (1885),
and _Essays_ on various poets, also a Life of Byron.
NORRIS, JOHN (1657-1711).--Philosopher and poet, _ed._ at Oxf., took
orders, and lived a quiet and placid life as a country parson and
thinker. In philosophy he was a Platonist and mystic, and was an early
opponent of Locke. His poetry, with occasional fine thoughts, is full of
far-fetched metaphors and conceits, and is not seldom dull and prosaic.
From 1692 he held G. Herbert's benefice of Bemerton. Among his 23 works
are _An Idea of Happiness_ (1683), _Miscellanies_ (1687), _Theory and
Regulation of Love_ (1688), _Theory of the Ideal and Intelligible World_
(1701-4), and a _Discourse concerning the Immortality of the Soul_
(1708).
NORTH, SIR THOMAS (1535?-1601?).--Translator, 2nd _s._ of the 1st Lord
N., may have studied at Camb. He entered Lincoln's Inn 1557, but gave
more attention to literature than to law. He is best known by his
translation of _Plutarch_, from the French of Amyot, in fine, forcible,
idiomatic English, which was the repertory from which Shakespeare drew
his knowledge of ancient history: in _Antony and Cleopatra_ and
_Coriolanus_ North's language is often closely followed. Another
translation was from an Italian version of an Arabic book of fables, and
bore the title of _The Morale Philosophie of Doni_.
NORTON, CAROLINE ELIZABETH SARAH (SHERIDAN) (1808-1877).--Grand-daughter
of Richard Brinsley S. (_q.v._), _m._ in 1827 the Hon. G.C. Norton, a
union which turned out most unhappy, and ended in a separation. Her first
book, _The Sorrows of Rosalie_ (1829), was well received. _The Undying
One_ (1830), a romance founded upon the legend of the Wandering Jew,
followed, and other novels were _Stuart of Dunleath_ (1851), _Lost and
Saved_ (1863), and _Old Sir Douglas_ (1867). The unhappiness of her
married life led her to interest herself in the amelioration of the laws
regarding the social condition and the separate property of women and the
wrongs of children, and her poems, _A Voice from the Factories_ (1836),
and _The Child of the Islands_ (1845), had as an object the furtherance
of her views on these subjects. Her efforts were largely successful in
bringing about the needed legislation. In 1877 Mrs. N. _m._ Sir W.
Stirling Maxwell (_q.v._).
NORTON, CHARLES ELIOT, LL.D., D.C.L., etc. (1827-1909).--American
biographer and critic. _Church Building in the Middle Ages_ (1876),
translation of the _New Life_ (1867), and _The Divine Comedy_ of Dante
(1891); has ed. _Correspondence of Carlyle and Emerson_ (1883),
_Carlyle's Letters and Reminiscences_ (1887), etc.
OCCAM or OCKHAM, WILLIAM (1270?-1349?).--Schoolman, _b._ at Ockham,
Surrey, studied at Oxf. and Paris, and became a Franciscan. As a
schoolman he was a Nominalist and received the title of the Invincible
Doctor. He attacked the abuses of the Church, and was imprisoned at
Avignon, but escaped and spent the latter part of his life at Munich,
maintaining to the last his controversies with the Church, and with the
Realists. He was a man of solid understanding and sense, and a masterly
logician. His writings, which are of course all in Latin, deal with the
Aristotelean philosophy, theology, and specially under the latter with
the errors of Pope John XXII., who was his _bête-noir_.
OCCLEVE, (_see_ HOCCLEVE).
OCKLEY, SIMON (1678-1720).--Orientalist, _b._ at Exeter, and _ed._ at
Camb., became the greatest Orientalist of his day, and was made in 1711
Prof. of Arabic in his Univ. His chief work is the _Conquest of Syria,
Persia, and Egypt by the Saracens_ (3 vols., 1708-57), which was largely
used by Gibbon. The original documents upon which it is founded are now
regarded as of doubtful authority. O. was a clergyman of the Church of
England.
O'KEEFFE, JOHN (1747-1833).--Dramatist, wrote a number of farces and
amusing dramatic pieces, many of which had great success. Among these are
_Tony Lumpkin in Town_ (1778), _Wild Oats_, and _Love in a Camp_. Some of
his songs set to music by Arnold and Shield, such as _I am a Friar of
Orders Grey_, and _The Thorn_, are still popular. He was blind in his
later years.
OLDHAM, JOHN (1653-1683).--Satirist and translator, _s._ of a
Nonconformist minister, was at Oxf., and was the friend of most of the
literary men of his time, by whom his early death from smallpox was
bewailed. He made clever adaptations of the classical satirists, wrote an
ironical _Satire against Virtue_, and four severe satires against the
Jesuits. He is cynical to the verge of misanthropy, but independent and
manly.
OLDMIXON, JOHN (1673-1742).--Historical and miscellaneous writer,
belonged to an old Somersetshire family, wrote some, now forgotten,
dramas and poems which, along with an essay on criticism, in which he
attacked Addison, Swift, and Pope, earned for him a place in _The
Dunciad_. He was also the author of _The British Empire in America_
(1708), _Secret History of Europe_ (against the Stuarts), and in his
_Critical History_ (1724-26) attacked Clarendon's _History of the
Rebellion_. All these works are partisan in their tone. O. was one of the
most prolific pamphleteers of his day.
OLDYS, WILLIAM (1696-1761).--Antiquary, wrote a Life of Sir W. Raleigh
prefixed to an ed. of his works (1736), a _Dissertation on Pamphlets_
(1731), and was joint ed. with Dr. Johnson of the _Harleian Miscellany_.
He amassed many interesting facts in literary history, the fruits of
diligent, though obscure, industry. The only poem of his that still lives
is the beautiful little anacreontic beginning "Busy, curious, thirsty
Fly." O. held the office of Norroy-King-at-Arms. He produced in 1737 _The
British Librarian_, a valuable work left unfinished.
OLIPHANT, LAURENCE (1829-1888).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _s._
of Sir Anthony O., Chief Justice of Ceylon. The first 38 years of his
life were spent in desultory study, travel, and adventure, varied by
occasional diplomatic employment. His travels included, besides
Continental countries, the shores of the Black Sea, Circassia, where he
was _Times_ correspondent, America, China, and Japan. He was in the
Crimean War, Indian Mutiny, Chinese War, the military operations of
Garibaldi, and the Polish insurrection, and served as private sec. to
Lord Elgin in Washington, Canada, and China, and as Sec. of Legation in
Japan. In 1865 he entered Parliament, and gave promise of political
eminence, when in 1867 he came under the influence of Thomas L. Harris,
an American mystic of questionable character, went with him to America,
and joined the Brotherhood of the New Life. In 1870-71 he was
correspondent for the _Times_ in the Franco-German War. Ultimately he
broke away from the influence of Harris and went to Palestine, where he
founded a community of Jewish immigrants at Haifa. After revisiting
America he returned to England, but immediately fell ill and _d._ at
Twickenham. O. was a voluminous and versatile author, publishing books
of travel, novels, and works on mysticism. The most important are as
follows: _The Russian Shores of the Black Sea_ (1853), _Minnesota and the
Far West_ (1855), _The Transcaucasian Campaign_ (1856), _Patriots and
Fillibusters_ (adventures in Southern States) (1860), _Narrative of a
Mission to China and Japan_ (1857-59), _The Land of Gilead_ (1880),
_Piccadilly_ (1870), and _Altiora Peto_ (1883) (novels), and _Scientific
Religion_.
OLIPHANT, MRS. MARGARET OLIPHANT (WILSON) (1828-1897).--Novelist and
miscellaneous writer, was _b._ near Musselburgh. Her literary output
began when she was little more than a girl, and was continued almost up
to the end of her life. Her first novel, _Mrs. Margaret Maitland_,
appeared in 1849, and its humour, pathos, and insight into character gave
the author an immediate position in literature. It was followed by an
endless succession, of which the best were the series of _The Chronicles
of Carlingford_ (1861-65), including _Salem Chapel_, _The Perpetual
Curate_, and _Miss Marjoribanks_, all of which, as well as much of her
other work, appeared in _Blackwood's Magazine_, with which she had a
lifelong connection. Others of some note were _The Primrose Path_,
_Madonna Mary_ (1866), _The Wizard's Son_, and _A Beleaguered City_. She
did not, however, confine herself to fiction, but wrote many books of
history and biography, including _Sketches of the Reign of George II._
(1869), _The Makers of Florence_ (1876), _Literary History of England_
1790-1825, _Royal Edinburgh_ (1890), and Lives of _St. Francis of
Assisi_, _Edward Irving_, and _Principal Tulloch_. Her generosity in
supporting and educating the family of a brother as well as her own two
sons rendered necessary a rate of production which was fatal to the
permanence of her work. She was negligent as to style, and often wrote on
subjects to which her intellectual equipment and knowledge did not enable
her to do proper justice. She had, however, considerable power of
painting character, and a vein of humour, and showed untiring industry in
getting up her subjects.
OPIE, MRS. AMELIA (ALDERSON) (1769-1853).--Novelist, _dau._ of a medical
man, was _b._ at Norwich. In 1798 she _m._ John Opie, the painter. Her
first acknowledged work was _Father and Daughter_ (1801), which had a
favourable reception, and was followed by _Adeline Mowbray_ (1804),
_Temper_ (1812), _Tales from Real Life_ (1813), and others, all having
the same aim of developing the virtuous affections, the same merit of
natural and vivid painting of character and passions, and the same fault
of a too great preponderance of the pathetic. They were soon superseded
by the more powerful genius of Scott and Miss Edgeworth. In 1825 she
became a Quaker. After this she wrote _Illustrations of Lying_ (1825),
and _Detraction Displayed_ (1828). Her later years, which were singularly
cheerful, were largely devoted to philanthropic interests.
ORDERICUS VITALIS (1075-1143?).--Chronicler, _b._ near Shrewsbury, was in
childhood put into the monastery of St. Evroult, in Normandy, where the
rest of his life was passed. He is the author of a chronicle,
_Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy_ (_c._ 1142) in 13 books.
Those from the seventh to the thirteenth are invaluable as giving a
trustworthy, though not very clear, record of contemporary events in
England and Normandy. It was translated into English in 1853-55.
ORM, or ORMIN (_fl._ 1200).--Was an Augustinian canon of Mercia, who
wrote the _Ormulum_ in transition English. It is a kind of mediæval
_Christian Year_, containing a metrical portion of the Gospel for each
day, followed by a metrical homily, largely borrowed from Ælfric and
Bede. Its title is thus accounted for, "This boc iss nemmed the
_Ormulum_, forthi that Orm it wrohhte."
ORME, ROBERT (1728-1801).--Historian, _s._ of an Indian army doctor, _b._
at Travancore, and after being at Harrow, entered the service of the East
India Company. Owing to failure of health he had to return home in 1760,
and then wrote his _History of the Military Transactions of the British
Nation in Indostan from 1745_ (1763-78), a well-written and accurate
work, showing great research. He also _pub._ _Historical Fragments of the
Mogul Empire, the Morattoes and English Concerns in Indostan from 1659_
(1782). His collections relating to India are preserved at the India
Office.
ORRERY, ROGER BOYLE, 1ST EARL of (1621-1679).--Statesman and dramatist,
third _s._ of the Earl of Cork, was _ed._ at Trinity Coll., Dublin. After
having fought on the Royalist side he was, on the death of the King,
induced by Cromwell to support him in his Irish wars and otherwise. After
the death of the Protector he secured Ireland for Charles II., and at the
Restoration was raised to the peerage. He wrote a romance in 6 vols.,
entitled _Parthenissa_, some plays, and a treatise on the _Art of War_.
He has the distinction of being the first to introduce rhymed tragedies.
O'SHAUGHNESSY, ARTHUR WILLIAM EDGAR (1844-1881).--Poet, _b._ in London,
entered the library of the British Museum, afterwards being transferred
to the natural history department, where he became an authority on fishes
and reptiles. He _pub._ various books of poetry, including _Epic of
Women_ (1870), _Lays of France_ (1872), and _Music and Moonlight_ (1874).
Jointly with his wife he wrote _Toyland_, a book for children. He was
associated with D.G. Rossetti and the other pre-Raphaelites. There is a
certain remoteness in his poetry which will probably always prevent its
being widely popular. He has a wonderful mastery of metre, and a
"haunting music" all his own.
OTWAY, CÆSAR (1780-1842).--Writer of Irish tales. His writings, which
display humour and sympathy with the poorer classes in Ireland, include
_Sketches in Ireland_ (1827), and _A Tour in Connaught_ (1839). He was
concerned in the establishment of various journals.
OTWAY, THOMAS (1651 or 1652-1685).--Dramatist, _s._ of a clergyman, was
_b._ near Midhurst, Sussex, and _ed._ at Oxf., which he left without
graduating. His short life, like those of many of his fellows, was marked
by poverty and misery, and he appears to have _d._ practically of
starvation. Having failed as an actor, he took to writing for the stage,
and produced various plays, among which _Don Carlos, Prince of Spain_
(1676), was a great success, and brought him some money. Those by which
he is best remembered, however, are _The Orphan_ (1680), and _Venice
Preserved_ (1682), both of which have been frequently revived. O. made
many adaptations from the French, and in his tragedy of _Caius Marius_
incorporated large parts of _Romeo and Juliet_. He has been called "the
most pathetic and tear-drawing of all our dramatists," and he excelled in
delineating the stronger passions. The grossness of his comedies has
banished them from the stage. Other plays are _The Cheats of Scapin_,
_Friendship in Fashion_, _Soldier's Fortune_ (1681), and _The Atheist_.
OUIDA, (_see_ RAMÉE).
OUTRAM, GEORGE (1805-1856).--Humorous poet, was a Scottish advocate, a
friend of Prof. Wilson, and for some time ed. of the _Glasgow Herald_. He
printed privately in 1851 _Lyrics, Legal and Miscellaneous_, which were
_pub._ with a memoir in 1874. Many of his pieces are highly amusing, the
_Annuity_ being the best.
OVERBURY, SIR THOMAS (1581-1613).--Poet and miscellaneous writer, _ed._
at Oxf., became the friend of Carr, afterwards Earl of Rochester and
Somerset, and fell a victim to a Court intrigue connected with the
proposed marriage of Rochester and Lady Essex, being poisoned in the
Tower with the connivance of the latter. He wrote a poem, _A Wife, now a
Widowe_, and _Characters_ (1614), short, witty descriptions of types of
men. Some of those _pub._ along with his are by other hands.
OWEN, JOHN (1560-1622).--Epigrammatist, _b._ at Plas Dhu, Carnarvonshire,
_ed._ at Winchester and Oxf., and became head master of King Henry VIII.
School at Warwick. His Latin epigrams, which have both sense and wit in a
high degree, gained him much applause, and were translated into English,
French, German, and Spanish.
OWEN, JOHN (1616-1683).--Puritan divine, _b._ at Stadhampton,
Oxfordshire, and _ed._ at Oxf., from which he was driven by Laud's
statutes. Originally a Presbyterian, he passed over to Independency. In
1649 he accompanied Cromwell to Ireland, and in 1650 to Edinburgh. He was
Dean of Christ Church, Oxf. (1651-60), and one of the "triers" of
ministers appointed by Cromwell. After the Restoration he was ejected
from his deanery, but was favoured by Clarendon, who endeavoured to
induce him to conform to the Anglican Church by offers of high
preferment. Strange to say Charles II. also held him in regard, and gave
him money for the Nonconformists; and he was allowed to preach to a
congregation of Independents in London. His great learning and ability
rendered him a formidable controversialist, specially against Arminianism
and Romanism. His works fill 28 vols; among the best known being _The
Divine Original, etc., of the Scriptures_, _Indwelling Sin_,
_Christologia_, or ... The Person of Christ_, and a commentary
on Hebrews.
OWEN, ROBERT (1771-1858).--Socialist and philanthropist, _b._ at Newton,
Montgomeryshire, had for his object the regeneration of the world on the
principles of socialism. His sincerity was shown by the fact that he
spent most of the fortune, which his great capacity for business enabled
him to make, in endeavours to put his theories into practice at various
places both in Britain and America. He was sincerely philanthropic, and
incidentally did good on a considerable scale in the course of his more
or less impracticable schemes. He propounded his ideas in _New Views of
Society, or Essays on the Formation of the Human Character_ (1816).
OXFORD, EDWARD DE VERE, EARL of (1550-1604).--Was a courtier of Queen
Elizabeth, who lost his friends by his insolence and pride, and his
fortune by his extravagance. He _m._ a _dau._ of Lord Burghley, who had
to support his family after his death. He had some reputation as a writer
of short pieces, many of which are in the _Paradise of Dainty Devices_.
PAINE, THOMAS (1737-1809).--Political and anti-Christian writer, _s._ of
a stay-maker and small farmer of Quaker principles at Thetford, became
with large classes perhaps the most unpopular man in England. After
trying various occupations, including those of schoolmaster and
exciseman, and having separated from his wife, he went in 1774 to America
where, in 1776, he _pub._ his famous pamphlet, _Common Sense_, in favour
of American independence. He served in the American army, and also held
some political posts, including that of sec. to a mission to France in
1781. Returning to England in 1787 he _pub._ his _Rights of Man_
(1790-92), in reply to Burke's _Reflections on the French Revolution_. It
had an enormous circulation, 1,500,000 copies having been sold in England
alone; but it made it necessary for him to escape to France to avoid
prosecution. Arrived in that country he was elected to the National
Convention. He opposed the execution of Louis XVI., and was, in 1794,
imprisoned by Robespierre, whose fall saved his life. He had then just
completed the first part of his _Age of Reason_, of which the other two
appeared respectively in 1795 and 1807. It is directed alike against
Christianity and Atheism, and supports Deism. Becoming disgusted with the
course of French politics, he returned to America in 1802, but found
himself largely ostracised by society there, became embroiled in various
controversies, and is said to have become intemperate. He _d._ at New
York in 1809. Though apparently sincere in his views, and courageous in
the expression of them, P. was vain and prejudiced. The extraordinary
lucidity and force of his style did much to gain currency for his
writings.
PAINTER, WILLIAM (1540?-1594).--Translator, etc., _ed._ at Camb., was
then successively schoolmaster at Sevenoaks, and Clerk of the Ordnance,
in which position his intromissions appear to have been of more advantage
to himself than to the public service. He was the author of _The Palace
of Pleasure_ (1566), largely consisting of translations from Boccaccio,
Bandello, and other Italian writers, and also from the classics. It
formed a quarry in which many dramatists, including Shakespeare, found
the plots for their plays.
PALEY, WILLIAM (1743-1805).--Theologian, _s._ of a minor canon of
Peterborough, where he was _b._, went at 15 as a sizar to Christ's Coll.,
Camb., where he was Senior Wrangler, and became a Fellow and Tutor of
his coll. Taking orders in 1767 he held many benefices, and rose to be
Archdeacon of Carlisle, and Sub-Dean of Lincoln. P., who holds one of the
highest places among English theologians, was the author of four
important works--_Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy_ (1785),
_Horæ Paulinæ_, his most original, but least popular, book (1790), _View
of the Evidences of Christianity_ (1794), and _Natural Theology_ (1802).
Though now to a large extent superseded, these works had an immense
popularity and influence in their day, and are characterised by singular
clearness of expression and power of apt illustration. The system of
morals inculcated by P. is Utilitarian, modified by theological ideas.
His view of the "divine right of Kings" as on a level with "the divine
right of constables" was unpleasing to George III., notwithstanding which
his ecclesiastical career was eminently successful. His manners were
plain and kindly.
PALGRAVE, SIR FRANCIS (1788-1861).--Historian, _s._ of Meyer Cohen, a
Jewish stockbroker, but at his marriage in 1823, having previously become
a Christian, assumed his mother-in-law's name of Palgrave. He studied
law, and was called to the Bar in 1827. From 1838 until his death in 1861
he was Deputy Keeper of the Records, and in that capacity arranged a vast
mass of hitherto inaccessible documents, and ed. many of them for the
Record Commission. His historical works include a _History of England in
Anglo-Saxon Times_ (1831), _Rise and Progress of the English
Commonwealth_ (1832), and _History of Normandy and England_ (4 vols.,
1851-64), _pub._ posthumously. He was knighted in 1832. His works are of
great value in throwing light upon the history and condition of mediæval
England.
PALGRAVE, FRANCIS TURNER (1824-1897).--Poet and critic, _s._ of the
above, _ed._ at Oxf., was for many years connected with the Education
Department, of which he rose to be Assistant Sec.; and from 1886-95 he
was Prof. of Poetry at Oxf. He wrote several vols. of poetry, including
_Visions of England_ (1881), and _Amenophis_ (1892), which, though
graceful and exhibiting much poetic feeling, were the work rather of a
man of culture than of a poet. His great contribution to literature was
his anthology, _The Golden Treasury of Songs and Lyrics_ (1864), selected
with marvellous insight and judgment. A second series showed these
qualities in a less degree. He also _pub._ an anthology of sacred poetry.
PALTOCK, ROBERT (1697-1767).--Novelist, was an attorney, and wrote _The
Life and Adventures of Peter Wilkins, a Cornish Man_ (1751), admired by
Scott, Coleridge, and Lamb. It is somewhat on the same plan as _Robinson
Crusoe_, the special feature being the _gawry_, or flying woman, whom the
hero discovered on his island, and married. The description of
Nosmnbdsgrutt, the country of the flying people, is a dull imitation of
Swift, and much else in the book is tedious.
PARDOE, JULIA (1806-1862).--Novelist and miscellaneous writer, _b._ at
Beverley, showed an early bias towards literature, and became a
voluminous and versatile writer, producing in addition to her lively and
well-written novels many books of travel, and others dealing with
historical subjects. She was a keen observer, and her Oriental travels
had given her an accurate and deep knowledge of the peoples and manners
of the East. Among her books are _The City of the Sultan_ (1836),
_Romance of the Harem_, _Thousand and One Days_, _Louis XIV. and the
Court of France_, _Court of Francis I._, etc.
PARIS, MATTHEW (_c._ 1195-1259).--Chronicler, entered in 1217 the
Benedictine Monastery of St. Albans, and continued the work of Roger de
Wendover (_q.v._) as chronicler of the monastery. In 1248 he went on the
invitation of Hacon King of Norway to reform the Abbey of St. Benet Holm.
In this he was successful, and on his return to England enjoyed the
favour of Henry III., who conversed familiarly with him, and imparted
information as to matters of state, which constitutes a valuable element
in his histories. He had a high reputation for piety and learning, was a
patriotic Englishman, and resisted the encroachments of Rome. His chief
work is _Historia Major_, from the Conquest until 1259. In it he embodied
the _Flores Historiarum_ of his predecessor Roger, and the original part
is a bold and vigorous narrative of the period (1235-59). He also wrote
_Historia Minor_ and _Historia Anglorum_, a summary of the events
(1200-1250).
PARK, MUNGO (1771-1806).--Traveller, _b._ near Selkirk, studied medicine
at Edin. As a surgeon in the mercantile marine he visited Sumatra, and on
his return attracted the attention of various scientific men by his
botanical and zoological investigations. In 1795 he entered the service
of the African Association, and made a voyage of discovery on the Niger.
His adventures were _pub._ in _Travels in the Interior of Africa_ (1799),
which had great success. He _m._ and set up in practice in Peebles; but
in 1805 accepted an invitation by Government to undertake another journey
in Africa. From this he never returned, having perished in a conflict
with natives. His narratives, written in a straightforward and pleasing
style, are among the classics of travel.
PARKER, THEODORE (1810-1860).--Theologian, _b._ at Lexington,
Massachusetts, _ed._ at Harvard, was an indefatigable student, and made
himself master of many languages. In 1837 he was settled at West Roxbury
as a Unitarian minister, but the development of his views in a
rationalistic direction gradually separated him from the more
conservative portion of his co-religionists. He lectured on theological
subjects in Boston in 1841, travelled in Europe, and in 1845 settled in
Boston, where he lectured to large audiences, and exercised a wide
influence. He took a leading part in the anti-slavery crusade, and
specially in resisting the Fugitive Slave Act. In 1859 his health, which
had never been robust, gave way; he went to Italy in search of
restoration, but _d._ at Florence. Although he was a powerful theological
and social influence, his writings are not of corresponding importance:
it was rather as a speaker that he influenced his countrymen, and he left
no contribution to literature of much permanent account, though his
_coll._ works fill 14 vols. Among the most outstanding of his writings
are _A Discourse of Matters Pertaining to Religion_, and _Sermons for the
Times_.
PARKMAN, FRANCIS (1823-1893).--Historian, _s._ of a Unitarian minister in
Boston, Massachusetts, graduated at Harvard, and qualified as a lawyer,
but never practised, and though hampered by a state of health which
forbade continuous application, and by partial blindness, devoted himself
to the writing of the history of the conflict between France and England
in North America. This he did in a succession of works--_The Conspiracy
of Pontiac_ (1851), _The Pioneers of France in the New World_ (1865),
_The Jesuits in North America_ (1867), _La Salle and the Discovery of the
Great West_ (1869), _The Old Regime in Canada_ (1874), _Count Frontenac
and New France_ (1877), _Montcalm and Wolfe_ (1884), and _A Half Century
of Conflict_ (1892). In these the style, at first somewhat turgid,
gradually improved, and became clear and forcible, while retaining its
original vividness. P. spared no labour in collecting and sifting his
material, much of which was gathered in the course of visits to the
places which were the scenes of his narrative, and his books are the most
valuable contribution in existence to the history of the struggle for
Canada and the other French settlements in North America. He also wrote
two novels, which had little success, and a book upon rose-culture.
PARNELL, THOMAS (1679-1718).--Poet, _b._ and _ed._ in Dublin, took orders
in 1700, and was Vicar of Finglas and Archdeacon of Clogher. The death of
his young wife in 1706 drove him into intemperate habits. He was a friend
of Swift and Pope, a contributor to the _Spectator_, and aided Pope in
his translation of the _Iliad_. He wrote various isolated poems showing a
fine descriptive touch, of which the most important are _The Hermit_,
_The Night Piece_, and _The Hymn to Contentment_. P. was a scholar, and
had considerable social gifts. His Life was written by Goldsmith.
PARR, DR. SAMUEL (1747-1825).--Scholar, _s._ of an apothecary at Harrow,
where and at Camb. he was _ed._ He was successively an assistant-master
at Harrow and headmaster of schools at Colchester and Norwich, and having
taken orders, finally settled down at Hatton, Warwickshire, where he took
private pupils. He was undoubtedly a great Latinist, but he has left no
work to account for the immense reputation for ability which he enjoyed
during his life. His chief power appears to have been in conversation, in
which he was bold, arrogant, and epigrammatic. He was nicknamed "the Whig
Johnson," but fell very far short of his model. His writings, including
correspondence, were _pub._ in 8 vols.
PATER, WALTER HORATIO (1839-1894).--Essayist and critic, _s._ of Richard
G.P., of American birth and Dutch extraction, a benevolent physician,
_b._ at Shadwell, and _ed._ at the King's School, Canterbury, and at
Queen's Coll., Oxf., after leaving which he made various tours in Germany
and Italy where, especially in the latter, his nature, keenly sensitive
to every form of beauty, received indelible impressions. In 1864 he was
elected a Fellow of Brasenose, and in its ancient and austere precincts
found his principal home. As a tutor, though conscientious, he was not
eminently successful; nevertheless his lectures, on which he bestowed
much pains, had a fit audience, and powerfully influenced a few select
souls. He resigned his tutorship in 1880, partly because he found himself
not entirely in his element, and partly because literature was becoming
the predominant interest in his life. In 1885 he went to London, where he
remained for 8 years, continuing, however, to reside at Brasenose during
term. The reputation as a writer which he had gained made him welcome in
whatever intellectual circles he found himself. Leaving London in 1893 he
settled in a house in St. Giles, Oxf. In the spring of 1894 he went to
Glasgow to receive the honorary degree of LL.D., a distinction which he
valued. In the summer he had an attack of rheumatic fever, followed by
pleurisy. From these he had apparently recovered, but he succumbed to an
attack of heart-failure which immediately supervened. Thus ended
prematurely in its 55th year a life as bare of outward events as it was
rich in literary fruit and influence.
P. is one of the greatest modern masters of style, and one of the
subtlest and most penetrating of critics. Though not a philosopher in the
technical sense, he deeply pondered the subjects with which philosophy
sets itself to deal; but art was the dominating influence in his
intellectual life, and it was said of him that "he was a philosopher who
had gone to Italy by mistake instead of to Germany." He may also be
called the prophet of the modern æsthetic school. His attitude to
Christianity, though deeply sceptical, was not unsympathetic. As a boy he
came under the influence of Keble, and at one time thought of taking
orders, but his gradual change of view led him to relinquish the idea.
Among his works may be mentioned an article on Coleridge, and others on
Winckelmann, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, etc., which
were _coll._ and _pub._ as _Studies in the History of the Renaissance_
(1873); _Appreciations_ (1889) contained his great essays on _Æsthetic
Poetry_ and _Style_, various Shakespearian studies and papers on Lamb and
Sir T. Browne; _Imaginary Portraits_, and _Greek Studies_ (1894); _Plato
and Platonism_ (1893). His masterpiece, however, is _Marius the
Epicurean_ (1885), a philosophical romance of the time of Marcus
Aurelius. The style of P. is characterised by a subdued richness, and
complicated, but perfect structure of sentences. In character he was
gentle, refined, and retiring, with a remarkable suavity of manner and
dislike of controversy.
PATMORE, COVENTRY KERSEY DIGHTON (1823-1896).--Poet, _s._ of Peter George
P., also an author, _b._ at Woodford, Essex, was in the printed book
department of the British Museum. He _pub._ _Tamerton Church Tower_
(1853), and between 1854 and 1862 the four poems which, combined, form
his masterpiece, _The Angel in the House_, a poetic celebration of
married love. In 1864 he entered the Church of Rome. Thereafter he _pub._
_The Unknown Eros_ (1877), _Amelia_ (1878), and _Rod, Root, and Flower_
(1895), meditations chiefly on religious subjects. His works are full of
graceful and suggestive thought, but occasionally suffer from length and
discursiveness. He was successful in business matters, and in character
was energetic, masterful, and combative. He numbered Tennyson and Ruskin
among his friends, was associated with the pre-Raphaelites, and was a
contributor to their organ, the _Germ_.
PATTISON, MARK (1813-1884).--Scholar and biographer, _b._ at Hornby,
Yorkshire, _s._ of a clergyman, _ed._ privately and at Oxf., where in
1839 he became Fellow of Lincoln Coll., and acquired a high reputation as
a tutor and examiner. At first strongly influenced by Newman and the
Tractarian movement, he ultimately abandoned that school. In 1851,
failing to be elected head of his coll., he threw up his tutorship, and
devoted himself to severe study, occasionally writing on educational
subjects in various reviews. In 1861, however, he attained the object of
his ambition, being elected Rector of Lincoln Coll. In 1883 he dictated a
remarkable autobiography, coming down to 1860. In 1875 he had _pub._ a
_Life of Isaac Casaubon_, and he left materials for a Life of Scaliger,
which he had intended to be his _magnum opus_. He also wrote _Milton_ for
the English Men of Letters Series, and produced an ed. of his sonnets.
PAULDING, JAMES KIRKE (1779-1860).--Novelist, etc., _b._ in the state of
New York, was chiefly self-educated. He became a friend of W. Irving, and
was part author with him of _Salmagundi_--a continuation of which by
himself proved a failure. Among his other writings are _John Bull and
Brother Jonathan_ (1812), a satire, _The Dutchman's Fireside_ (1831), a
romance which attained popularity, a _Life of Washington_ (1835), and
some poems.
PAYN, JAMES (1830-1898).--Novelist, _s._ of an official in the Thames
Commission, _ed._ at Eton, Woolwich, and Camb. He was a regular
contributor to _Household Words_ and to _Chambers's Journal_, of which he
was ed. 1859-74, and in which several of his works first appeared; he
also ed. the _Cornhill Magazine_ 1883-96. Among his novels--upwards of 60
in number--may be mentioned _Lost Sir Massingberd_, _The Best of
Husbands_, _Walter's Word_, _By Proxy_ (1878), _A Woman's Vengeance_,
_Carlyon's Year_, _Thicker than Water_, _A Trying Patient_, etc. He also
wrote a book of poems and a volume of literary reminiscences.
PEACOCK, THOMAS LOVE (1785-1866).--Novelist, _b._ at Weymouth, the only
child of a London merchant, was in boyhood at various schools, but from
the age of 13 self-educated. Nevertheless, he became a really learned
scholar. He was for long in the India Office, where he rose to be Chief
Examiner, coming between James Mill and John Stuart Mill. He was the
author of several somewhat whimsical, but quite unique novels, full of
paradox, prejudice, and curious learning, with witty dialogue and
occasional poems interspersed. Among them are _Headlong Hall_ (1816),
_Nightmare Abbey_ (1818), _Maid Marian_ (1822), _Misfortunes of Elphin_
(1829), _Crotchet Castle_ (1831), and _Gryll Grange_ (1860). He was the
intimate friend of Shelley, memoirs of whom he contributed to _Fraser's
Magazine_.
PEARSON, CHARLES HENRY (1830-1894).--_B._ at Islington, _ed._ at Rugby
and King's Coll., London, at the latter he became Prof. of Modern
History. Owing to a threatened failure of sight he went to Australia,
where he remained for 20 years, and was for a time Minister of Education
of Victoria. Returning to England in 1892 he wrote his _National Life
and Character: a Forecast_, in which he gave utterance to very
pessimistic views as to the future of the race. He also wrote a _History
of England during the Early and Middle Ages_ (1867).
PEARSON, JOHN (1613-1686).--Theologian, _s._ of an archdeacon of Suffolk,
_b._ at Great Snoring, Norfolk, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., took orders, and
after holding various preferments, including the archdeaconry of Surrey,
the mastership of Jesus Coll., and of Trinity Coll., Camb., was made, in
1673, Bishop of Chester. His _Exposition of the Creed_ (1659) has always
been regarded as one of the most finished productions of English
theology, remarkable alike for logical argument and arrangement, and
lucid style. He was also the author of other learned works, including a
defence of the authenticity of the epistles of Ignatius. In his youth P.
was a Royalist, and acted in 1645 as a chaplain in the Royal army. He was
one of the commissioners in the Savoy Conference.
PECOCK, REGINALD (1395?-1460?).--Theologian, _b._ in Wales, entered the
Church, and rose to be successively Bishop of St. Asaph 1444, and of
Chichester 1450. He was a strenuous controversialist, chiefly against the
Lollards; but his free style of argument, and especially his denial of
the infallibility of the Church, led him into trouble, and on being
offered the choice of abjuration or death at the stake, he chose the
former, but nevertheless was deprived of his bishopric, had his books
burned, and spent his latter days in the Abbey of Thorney,
Cambridgeshire. His chief work is _The Repressor of overmuch blaming of
the Clergy_ (1455), which, from its clear, pointed style, remains a
monument of 15th century English. _The Book of Faith_ (1456) is another
of his writings.
PEELE, GEORGE (1558?-1597?).--Dramatist and poet, _s._ of a salter in
London, _ed._ at Christ's Hospital and Oxf., where he had a reputation as
a poet. Coming back to London about 1581 he led a dissipated life. He
appears to have been a player as well as a playwright, and to have come
into possession of some land through his wife. His works are numerous and
consist of plays, pageants, and miscellaneous verse. His best plays are
_The Arraignment of Paris_ (1584), and _The Battle of Alcazar_ (1594),
and among his poems _Polyhymnia_ (1590), and _The Honour of the Garter_
(1593). Other works are _Old Wives' Tale_ (1595), and _David and Fair
Bethsabe_ (1599). P. wrote in melodious and flowing blank verse, with
abundance of fancy and brilliant imagery, but his dramas are weak in
construction, and he is often bombastic and extravagant.
PENN, WILLIAM (1644-1718).--Quaker apologist, _s._ of Sir William P., a
celebrated Admiral, was _b._ in London, and _ed._ at Oxf., where he
became a Quaker, and was in consequence expelled from the Univ. His
change of views and his practice of the extremest social peculiarities
imposed by his principles led to a quarrel with his _f._, who is said to
have turned him out of doors. Thereafter he began to write, and one of
his books, _The Sandy Foundation Shaken_ (_c._ 1668), in which he
attacked the doctrines of the Trinity, the atonement, and justification
by faith, led to his being, in 1668, imprisoned in the Tower, where he
wrote his most popular work, _No Cross, No Crown_ (1668), and a defence
of his own conduct, _Innocency with her Open Face_ (1668), which resulted
in his liberation. Shortly after this, in 1670, on the death of his _f._,
who had been reconciled to him, P. succeeded to a fortune, including a
claim against the Government amounting to £15,000, which was ultimately
in 1681 settled by a grant of the territory now forming the state of
Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, however, he had again suffered imprisonment for
preaching, and employed his enforced leisure in writing four treatises,
of which one, _The Great Cause of Liberty of Conscience_ (_c._ 1671), is
an able defence of religious toleration. In 1682, having obtained the
grant above referred to, he set sail for America, with the view of
founding a community based upon the principles of toleration. Having
established a Constitution and set matters in working order there, P.
returned to England in 1684 and busied himself in efforts for the relief
of those Quakers who had remained at home. The peculiar position of
affairs when James II. was endeavouring to use the Dissenters as a means
of gaining concessions to the Roman Catholics favoured his views, and he
was to some extent successful in his efforts. His connection with the
Court at that time has, however, led to his conduct being severely
animadverted upon by Macaulay and others. In 1690 and for some time
thereafter he was charged with conspiring against the Revolution
Government, but after full investigation was completely acquitted. His
later years were embittered by troubles in Pennsylvania, and by the
dishonesty and ingratitude of an agent by whose defalcations he was
nearly ruined, as a consequence of which he was imprisoned for debt. He
_d._ soon after his release in 1718.
PENNANT, THOMAS (1726-1798).--Naturalist and traveller, _b._ in
Flintshire, and _ed._ at Oxf., was one of the most distinguished
naturalists of the 18th century, and _pub._, among other works on natural
history, _British Zoology_ (1768), and _History of Quadrupeds_ (1781). In
literature he is, however, best remembered by his _Tours in Scotland_
(1771-75), which did much to make known the beauties of the country to
England. He also travelled in Ireland and Wales, and on the Continent,
and _pub._ accounts of his journeys. Dr. Johnson said of him, "he
observes more things than any one else does."
PEPYS, SAMUEL (1633-1703).--Diarist, _s._ of John P., a London tailor,
but of good family and connected with Sir E. Montague, afterwards Earl of
Sandwich, was _ed._ at St. Paul's School and at Camb. After leaving the
Univ. he entered the household of Montagu, who became his life long
patron. He held various Government posts, including that of
Surveyor-General of the Victualling Office, in which he displayed great
administrative ability and reforming zeal, and in 1672 he became Sec. of
the Admiralty. After being imprisoned in the Tower on a charge in
connection with the Popish plot, and deprived of his office, he was in
1686 again appointed Sec. of the Admiralty, from which, however, he was
dismissed at the Revolution. Thereafter he lived in retirement chiefly at
Clapham. P. was a man of many interests, combining the characters of the
man of business, man of pleasure, and _virtuoso_, being skilled in music
and a collector of books, manuscripts, and pictures, and he was Pres. of
the Royal Society for two years. He wrote _Memoirs of the Royal Navy_
(1690), but his great legacy to literature is his unique and inimitable
_Diary_, begun January 1, 1660, and coming down to May 31, 1669, when the
failure of his sight prevented its further continuance. As an account by
an eye-witness of the manners of the Court and of society it is
invaluable, but it is still more interesting as, perhaps, the most
singular example extant of unreserved self-revelation--all the foibles,
peccadilloes, and more serious offences against decorum of the author
being set forth with the most relentless _naïveté_ and minuteness, it was
written in a cypher or shorthand, which was translated into long-hand by
John Smith in 1825, and ed. by Lord Braybrooke, with considerable
excisions. Later and fuller ed. have followed. P. left his books, MSS.,
and collections to Magdalene Coll., Camb., where they are preserved in a
separate library.
PERCIVAL, JAMES GATES (1795-1854).--Poet, _b._ at Berlin, Conn., was a
precocious child, and a morbid and impractical, though versatile man,
with a fatal facility in writing verse on all manner of subjects and in
nearly every known metre. His sentimentalism appealed to a wide circle,
but his was one of the tapers which were extinguished by Lowell. He had
also a reputation as a geologist. His poetic works include _Prometheus_
and _The Dream of a Day_ (1843).
PERCY, THOMAS (1729-1811).--Antiquary and poet, _s._ of a grocer at
Bridgnorth, where he was _b._, _ed._ at Oxf., entered the Church, and
became in 1778 Dean of Carlisle, and in 1782 Bishop of Dromore. He _pub._
various antiquarian works, chiefly with reference to the North of
England; but is best remembered for his great service to literature in
collecting and ed. many ancient ballads, _pub._ in 1765 as _Reliques of
Ancient Poetry_, which did much to bring back interest in the ancient
native literature, and to usher in the revival of romanticism.
PHILIPS, AMBROSE (1675?-1749).--Poet, _b._ in Shropshire and _ed._ at
Camb., wrote pastorals and dramas, was one of the Addison circle, and
started a paper, the _Freethinker_, in imitation of the _Spectator_. He
also made translations from Pindar and Anacreon, and a series of short
complimentary verses, which gained for him the nickname of "Namby Pamby."
His _Pastorals_, though poor enough, excited the jealousy of Pope, who
pursued the unfortunate author with life-long enmity. P. held various
Government appointments in Ireland.
PHILIPS, JOHN (1676-1709).--Poet, _s._ of an archdeacon of Salop, and
_ed._ at Oxf. His _Splendid Shilling_, a burlesque in Miltonic blank
verse, still lives, and _Cyder_, his chief work, an imitation of Virgil's
_Georgics_, has some fine descriptive passages. P. was also employed by
Harley to write verses on Blenheim as a counterblast to Addison's
_Campaign_. He _d._ at 33 of consumption.
PHILLIPS, SAMUEL (1814-1854).--Novelist, of Jewish descent, studied for
the Church at Göttingen and Camb., but his _f._ dying, he was obliged to
give up his intention and take to business, in which, however, he was
unsuccessful, and fell into great straits. He then tried writing, and
produced some novels, of which the best known was _Caleb Stukely_, which
appeared in _Blackwood_ in 1842. He was latterly a leader-writer for the
_Times_.
PICKEN, ANDREW (1788-1833).--Miscellaneous writer, _b._ in Paisley, was
in business in the West Indies, and in Glasgow and Liverpool, but not
being successful, went to London to try his fortunes in literature. His
earlier writings, _Tales and Sketches of the West of Scotland_ and _The
Sectarian_ (1829), gave offence in dissenting circles: his next, _The
Dominie's Legacy_ (1830), had considerable success, and a book on
_Travels and Researches of Eminent Missionaries_ (1830) did something to
rehabilitate him with those whom he had offended. His last work, _The
Black Watch_ (1833), had just appeared when he _d._ of an apoplectic
seizure. His best work is somewhat like that of Galt (_q.v._).
PIERPONT, JOHN (1785-1860).--Poet, _b._ at Litchfield, Conn., was first a
lawyer, then a merchant, and lastly a Unitarian minister. His chief poem
is _The Airs of Palestine_.
PIKE, ALBERT (1809-1891).--Poet, _b._ at Boston, Mass., was in his early
days a teacher, and afterwards a successful lawyer. His now
little-remembered poems were chiefly written under the inspiration of
Coleridge and Keats. His chief work, _Hymns to the Gods_, which appeared
in _Blackwood's Magazine_, closely imitates the latter. He also wrote
prose sketches.
PINDAR, PETER, (_see_ WOLCOT, J.).
PINKERTON, JOHN (1758-1826).--Historian and Antiquary, _b._ in Edin., was
apprenticed to a lawyer, but took to literature, and produced a number of
works distinguished by painstaking research, but disfigured by a
controversial and prejudiced spirit. His first publication was _Select
Scottish Ballads_ (1783), some of which, however, were composed by
himself. A valuable _Essay on Medals_ (1784) introduced him to Gibbon and
Horace Walpole. Among his other works are _Ancient Scottish Poems_
(1786), _Dissertation on the Goths_ (1787), _Medallic History of England_
(1790), _History of Scotland_ (1797), and his best work, _Treatise on
Rocks_ (1811). One of his most inveterate prejudices was against Celts of
all tribes and times. He _d._ in obscurity in Paris.
PINKNEY, EDWARD COATE (1802-1828).--_B._ in London, where his _f._ was
U.S. ambassador. He wrote a number of light, graceful short poems, but
fell a victim to ill-health and a morbid melancholy at 25. His longest
poem is _Rudolph_ (1825).
PIOZZI, HESTER LYNCH (SALUSBURY) (1741-1821).--Miscellaneous writer, _m._
Henry Thrale, a wealthy brewer, and, after his death, Gabriel Piozzi, an
Italian musician. Her chief distinction is her friendship with Dr.
Johnson, who was for a time almost domesticated with the Thrales. Her
second marriage in the year of Johnson's death, 1784, broke up the
friendship. She wrote _Anecdotes of Dr. Johnson_, a work which had a
favourable reception, and gives a lifelike picture of its subject, and
left an _Autobiography_. Her poem, _The Three Warnings_, is supposed to
have been touched up by Johnson. Many details of her friendship with J.
are given in the _Diary_ of Madame D'Arblay (_q.v._).
PLANCHÉ, JAMES ROBINSON (1796-1880).--Dramatist and miscellaneous writer,
_b._ in London of Huguenot descent, was in the Herald Office, and rose to
be Somerset Herald, in which capacity he was repeatedly sent on missions
to invest foreign princes with the Order of the Garter. He produced
upwards of 90 adaptations, and about 70 original pieces for the stage. He
also wrote a _History of British Costumes_, _The Pursuivant of Arms_
(1852), and _The Conqueror and his Companions_ (1874), besides
autobiographical _Recollections_ (1872).
POE, EDGAR ALLAN (1809-1849).--Poet and writer of tales, was _b._ at
Boston, where his parents, who were both actors, were temporarily living.
He was left an orphan in early childhood in destitute circumstances, but
was adopted by a Mr. Allan of Richmond, Virginia. By him and his wife he
was treated with great indulgence, and in 1815 accompanied them to
England, where they remained for five years, and where he received a good
education, which was continued on their return to America, at the Univ.
of Virginia. He distinguished himself as a student, but got deeply into
debt with gaming, which led to his being removed. In 1829 he _pub._ a
small vol. of poems containing _Al Araaf_ and _Tamerlane_. About the same
time he proposed to enter the army, and was placed at the Military
Academy at West Point. Here, however, he grossly neglected his duties,
and fell into the habits of intemperance which proved the ruin of his
life, and was in 1831 dismissed. He then returned to the house of his
benefactor, but his conduct was so objectionable as to lead to a rupture.
In the same year P. _pub._ an enlarged ed. of his poems, and in 1833 was
successful in a competition for a prize tale and a prize poem, the tale
being the _MS. found in a Bottle_, and the poem _The Coliseum_. In the
following year Mr. Allan _d._ without making any provision for P., and
the latter, being now thrown on his own resources, took to literature as
a profession, and became a contributor to various periodicals. In 1836 he
entered into a marriage with his cousin Virginia Clemm, a very young
girl, who continued devotedly attached to him notwithstanding his many
aberrations, until her death in 1847. _The Narrative of Arthur Gordon
Pym_ appeared in 1838, and in 1839 P. became ed. of the _Gentleman's
Magazine_, in which appeared as _Tales of the Arabesque and Grotesque_
many of his best stories. In 1845 his famous poem, _The Raven_, came out,
and in 1848 _Eureka, a Prose Poem_, a pseudo-scientific lucubration. The
death of his wife gave a severe shock to his constitution, and a violent
drinking bout on a visit to Baltimore led to his death from brain fever
in the hospital there. The literary output of P., though not great in
volume, limited in range, and very unequal in merit, bears the stamp of
an original genius. In his poetry he sometimes aims at a musical effect
to which the sense is sacrificed, but at times he has a charm and a magic
melody all his own. His better tales are remarkable for their originality
and ingenuity of construction, and in the best of them he rises to a high
level of imagination, as in _The House of Usher_, while _The Gold
Beetle_ or _Golden Bug_ is one of the first examples of the cryptogram
story; and in _The Purloined Letters_, _The Mystery of Marie Roget_, and
_The Murders in the Rue Morgue_ he is the pioneer of the modern detective
story.
_Life_, Woodberry (American Men of Letters). _Works_ ed. by Woodberry and
Stedman (10 vols.), etc.
POLLOK, ROBERT (1789-1827).--Poet, _b._ in Refrewshire, studied for the
ministry of one of the Scottish Dissenting communions. After leaving the
Univ. of Glasgow he _pub._ anonymously _Tales of the Covenanters_, and in
1827, the year of his untimely death from consumption, appeared his poem,
_The Course of Time_, which contains some fine passages, and occasionally
faintly recalls Milton and Young. The poem went through many ed. in
Britain and America. He _d._ at Shirley, near Southampton, whither he had
gone in search of health.
POMFRET, JOHN (1667-1702).--Poet, _s._ of a clergyman, entered the
Church. He wrote several rather dull poems, of which the only one
remembered, though now never read, is _The Choice_, which celebrates a
country life free from care, and was highly popular in its day.
POPE, ALEXANDER (1688-1744).--Poet, was _b._ in London, of Roman Catholic
parentage. His _f._ was a linen-merchant, who _m._ as his second wife
Edith Turner, a lady of respectable Yorkshire family, and of some
fortune, made a competence, and retired to a small property at Binfield,
near Windsor. P. received a somewhat desultory education at various Roman
Catholic schools, but after the age of 12, when he had a severe illness
brought on by over-application, he was practically self-educated. Though
never a profound or accurate scholar, he had a good knowledge of Latin,
and a working acquaintance with Greek. By 1704 he had written a good deal
of verse, which attracted the attention of Wycherley (_q.v._), who
introduced him to town life and to other men of letters. In 1709 his
_Pastorals_ were _pub._ in Tonson's _Miscellany_, and two years later
_The Essay on Criticism_ appeared, and was praised by Addison. The _Rape
of the Lock_, which came out in 1714, placed his reputation on a sure
foundation, and thereafter his life was an uninterrupted and brilliant
success. His industry was untiring, and his literary output almost
continuous until his death. In 1713 _Windsor Forest_ (which won him the
friendship of Swift) and _The Temple of Fame_ appeared, and in 1715 the
translation of the _Iliad_ was begun, and the work _pub._ at intervals
between that year and 1720. It had enormous popularity, and brought the
poet £5000. It was followed by the _Odyssey_ (1725-26), in which he had
the assistance of Broome and Fenton (_q.v._), who, especially the former,
caught his style so exactly as almost to defy identification. It also was
highly popular, and increased his gains to about £8000, which placed him
in a position of independence. While engaged upon these he removed to
Chiswick, where he lived 1716-18, and where he issued in 1717 a _coll._
ed. of his works, including the _Elegy on an Unfortunate Lady_ and the
_Epistle of Eloisa to Abelard_. In 1718, his _f._ having _d._, he again
removed with his mother to his famous villa at Twickenham, the adornment
of the grounds of which became one of his chief interests, and where, now
the acknowledged chief of his art, he received the visits of his friends,
who included the most distinguished men of letters, wits, statesmen, and
beauties of the day. His next task was his ed. of Shakespeare (1725), a
work for which he was not well qualified, though the preface is a fine
piece of prose. The _Miscellanies_, the joint work of Pope and Swift,
were _pub._ in 1727-28, and drew down upon the authors a storm of angry
comment, which in turn led to the production of _The Dunciad_, first
_pub._ in 1728, and again with new matter in 1729, an additional
book--the fourth--being added in 1742. In it he satirised with a wit,
always keen and biting, often savage and unfair, the small wits and
poetasters, and some of a quite different quality, who had, or whom he
supposed to have, injured him. Between 1731 and 1735 he produced his
_Epistles_, the last of which, addressed to Arbuthnot, is also known as
the _Prologue to the Satires_, and contains his ungrateful character of
Addison under the name of "Atticus;" and also, 1733, the _Essay on Man_,
written under the influence of Bolingbroke. His last, and in some
respects best, works were his _Imitations of Horace_, _pub._ between 1733
and 1739, and the fourth book of _The Dunciad_ (1742), already mentioned.
A naturally delicate constitution, a deformed body, extreme
sensitiveness, over-excitement, and overwork did not promise a long life,
and P. _d._ on May 30, 1744, aged 56.
His position as a poet has been the subject of much contention among
critics, and on the whole is lower than that assigned him by his
contemporaries and immediate successors. Of the higher poetic qualities,
imagination, sympathy, insight, and pathos, he had no great share; but
for the work which in his original writings, as distinguished from
translations, he set himself to do, his equipment was supreme, and the
medium which he used--the heroic couplet--he brought to the highest
technical perfection of which it is capable. He wrote for his own age,
and in temper and intellectual and spiritual outlook, such as it was, he
exactly reflected and interpreted it. In the forging of condensed,
pointed, and sparkling maxims of life and criticism he has no equal, and
in painting a portrait Dryden alone is his rival; while in the _Rape of
the Lock_ he has produced the best mock-heroic poem in existence. Almost
no author except Shakespeare is so often quoted. His extreme vanity and
sensitiveness to criticism made him often vindictive, unjust, and
venomous. They led him also into frequent quarrels, and lost him many
friends, including Lady M. Wortley Montagu, and along with a strong
tendency to finesse and stratagem, of which the circumstances attending
the publication of his literary correspondence is the chief instance,
make his character on the whole an unamiable one. On the other hand, he
was often generous; he retained the friendship of such men as Swift and
Arbuthnot, and he was a most dutiful and affectionate son.
SUMMARY.--_B._ 1688, _ed._ at various Romanist schools, introduced to
Wycherley 1704, _pub._ _Pastorals_ 1709, _Essay on Criticism_ 1711, _Rape
of the Lock_ 1714, _Windsor Forest_ and _Temple of Fame_ 1713,
translation of _Iliad_ 1715-20, _Odyssey_ 1725-26, _coll._ _Works_ 1717,
buys villa at Twickenham 1718, _pub._ ed. of _Shakespeare_ 1725,
_Miscellanies_ 1727-28, _Dunciad_ 1728 (fourth book 1742), _Epistles_
1731-35, _Essay on Man_ 1733, _Imitations of Horace_ 1733-39, _d._ 1744.
The best ed. of the _Works_ is that of Elwin and Courthope, with _Life_
by Courthope (10 vols., 1871-89).
PORDAGE, SAMUEL (1633-1691?).--Poet, _s._ of a clergyman in Berks, _ed._
at Merchant Taylor's School, studied law at Lincoln's Inn, and made
various translations, wrote some poems, two tragedies, _Herod and
Mariamne_ (1673), and _The Siege of Babylon_ (1678), and a romance,
_Eliana_. He is best known by his _Azaria and Hushai_ (1682), in reply to
Dryden's _Absalom and Achitophel_, distinguished from the other replies
by its moderation and freedom from scurrility.
PORSON, RICHARD (1759-1808).--Scholar, _s._ of the parish clerk of E.
Ruston, Norfolk, was distinguished from childhood by a marvellous
tenacity of memory which attracted the attention of the curate of the
parish, who _ed._ him, after which he was sent by a gentleman to Eton.
Subsequently a fund was collected for the purpose of maintaining him at
Camb., where he had a brilliant career, and became a Fellow of Trinity
Coll. This position he lost by refusing to take orders. In 1792 he was
appointed Prof. of Greek in the Univ., but resided for the most part in
London, where he was much courted by literary men, but unfortunately fell
into extremely intemperate habits. P. was one of the very greatest of
Greek scholars and critics; but he has left little permanent work of his
own. He ed. four plays of Euripides, viz., _Hecuba_, _Orestes_,
_Phoenissæ_, and _Medea_. His most widely read work was his _Letters_
to Archdeacon Travis on the disputed passage, 1 John v. 7, which is
considered a masterpiece of acute reasoning. He is buried in the chapel
of Trinity Coll.
PORTER, ANNA MARIA (1780-1832), PORTER, JANE (1776-1850).--Novelists,
were the _dau._ of an Irish army surgeon, and sisters of Sir Robert Ker
P., the painter and traveller. After the death of the _f._ the family
settled in Edin., where they enjoyed the friendship of Scott. ANNA at the
age of 12 _pub._ _Artless Tales_, the precursor of a series of tales and
novels numbering about 50, the best being _Don Sebastian_ (1809). JANE,
though the elder by four years, did not _pub._ until 1803, when her first
novel, _Thaddeus of Warsaw_, appeared. _The Scottish Chiefs_ followed in
1810. Both of these works, especially the latter, had remarkable
popularity, the _Chiefs_ being translated into German and Russian. She
had greater talent than her sister, but like her, while possessed of
considerable animation and imagination, failed in grasping character, and
imparting local verisimilitude. Both were amiable and excellent women. A
romance, _Sir Edward Seaward's Diary_ (1831), purporting to be a record
of actual circumstances, and ed. by Jane, is generally believed to have
been written by a brother, Dr. William Ogilvie P.
POWELL, FREDERICK YORK (1850-1904).--Historian, _ed._ at Rugby and Oxf.,
called to the Bar at the Middle Temple 1874, became an ardent student of
history, and succeeded Froude as Prof. of Modern History at Oxf. in 1894.
Absorbed in study, he wrote less than his wide and deep learning
qualified him for. Among his works are _A History of England to_ 1509,
and he also wrote on Early England up to the Conquest, and on Alfred and
William the Conqueror.
PRAED, WINTHROP MACKWORTH (1802-1839).--Poet, _s._ of a sergeant-at-law,
was _b._ in London, _ed._ at Eton and Camb., and called to the Bar 1829.
He sat in Parliament for various places, and was Sec. to the Board of
Control 1834-35. He appeared to have a brilliant career before him, when
his health gave way, and he _d._ of consumption in 1839. His poems,
chiefly bright and witty skits and satirical pieces, were _pub._ first in
America 1844, and appeared in England with a memoir by Derwent Coleridge
in 1864. His essays appeared in 1887.