Chapter XVIII: Part 18

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.).