Character Sketches of Romance Volume Iii Part 88

R. Browning, _The Ring and the Book_, ii, 557, etc.

=Ponce de Leon=, the navigator who went in search of the _Fontaine de Jouvence_, "qui fit rajovenir la gent." He sailed in two ships on this "voyage of discoveries," in the sixteenth century.

Like Ponce de Leon, he wants to go off to the Antipodes in search of that _Fontaine de Jouvence_ which was fabled to give a man back his youth.--_Vera_, 130.

=Pongo=, a cross between "a land-tiger and a sea-shark." This terrible monster devastated Sicily, but was slain by the three sons of St.

George.--R. Johnson, _The Seven Champions, etc._ (1617).

=Ponoc'rates= (4 _syl._), the tutor of Gargantua.--Rabelais, _Gargantua_ (1533).

=Pontius Pilate's Body-Guard=, the 1st Foot Regiment. In Picardy the French officers wanted to make out that they were the seniors, and, to carry their point, vaunted that they were on duty on the night of the Crucifixion. The colonel of the 1st Foot replied, "If we had been on guard we should not have slept at our posts" (see _Matt._ xxviii. 13).

=Pontoys= (_Stephen_), a veteran in Sir Hugo de Lacy's troop.--Sir W.

Scott, _The Betrothed_ (time, Henry II.).

=Pony= (_Mr. Garland's_), Whisker (_q.v._).

=Poole= (1 _syl._), in Dorsetshire; once "a young and l.u.s.ty sea-born la.s.s," courted by Great Albion, who had by her three children, Brunksey, Fursey and [St.] h.e.l.len. Thetis was indignant that one of her virgin train should be guilty of such indiscretion; and, to protect his children from her fury, Albion placed them in the bosom of Poole, and then threw his arms around them.--M. Drayton, _Polyolbion_, ii. (1612).

=Poor= (_Father of the_), Bernard Gilpin. (1517-1583).

=Poor Gentleman= (_The_), a comedy by George Colman, the younger (1802).

"The poor gentleman" is Lieutenant Worthington, discharged from the army on half-pay because his arm had been crushed by a sh.e.l.l in storming Gibraltar. On his half-pay he had to support himself, his daughter Emily, an old corporal and a maiden sister-in-law. Having put his name to a bill for 500, his friend died without effecting an insurance, and the lieutenant was called upon for payment. Imprisonment would have followed if Sir Robert Bramble had not most generously paid the money.

With this piece of good fortune came another--the marriage of his daughter Emily to Frederick Bramble, nephew and heir of the rich baronet.

=Poor Richard=, the pseudonym of Benjamin Franklin, under which he issued a series of almanacs, which he made the medium of teaching thrift, temperance, order, cleanliness, chast.i.ty, forgiveness, and so on. The maxims or precepts of these almanacs generally end with the words, "as poor Richard says" (begun in 1732).

=Poor Robin=, the pseudonym of Robert Herrick, the poet, under which he issued a series of almanacs (begun in 1661).

=Pope= (_to drink like a_). Benedict XII. was an enormous eater, and such a huge wine-drinker that he gave rise to the Baccha.n.a.lian expression, _Bibamus papaliter_.

=Pope Changing His Name.= Peter Hogsmouth, or, as he is sometimes called, Peter di Porca, was the first pope to change his name. He called himself Sergius II. (844-847). Some say he thought it arrogant to be called Peter II.

=Pope-Fig-Lands=, Protestant countries. The Gaillardets, being shown the pope's image, said, "A fig for the pope!" whereupon their whole island was put to the sword, and the name changed to Pope-fig-land, the people being called "Pope-figs."--Rabelais, _Pantag'ruel_, iv. 45 (1545).

The allusion is to the kingdom of Navarre, once Protestant; but in 1512 it was subjected to Ferdinand, the Catholic.

=Pope-Figs=, Protestants. The name was given to the Gaillardets for saying "A fig for the pope!"

They were made tributaries and slaves to the Papimans for saying "A fig for the pope's image!" and never after did the poor wretches prosper, but every year the devil was at their doors, and they were plagued with hail, storms, famine, and all manner of woes, in punishment of this sin of their forefathers.--Rabelais, _Pantagruel_, iv. 45 (1545).

=Pope Joan=, between Leo IV. and Benedict III., and called John [VIII.].

The subject of this scandalous story was an English girl, educated at Cologne, who left her home in man's disguise with her lover (the monk Folda), and went to Athens, where she studied law. She went to Rome and studied theology, earning so great a reputation that, at the death of Leo IV., she was chosen his successor. Her s.e.x was discovered by the birth of a child, while she was going to the Lateran Basilica, between the Coliseum and the church of St. Clement. Pope Joan died, and was buried, without honors, after a pontificate of two years and five months (853-855).--Maria.n.u.s Scotus (who died 1086).

The story is given most fully by Martinus Polonus, confessor to Gregory X., and the tale was generally believed till the Reformation. There is a German miracle-play on the subject, called _The Canonization of Pope Joan_ (1480). David Blondel, a Calvinist divine, has written a book to confute the tale.

The following note contains the chief points of interest:--

Anastasius, the librarian, is the first to mention such a pope, A.D.

886, or thirty years after the death of Joan.

Maria.n.u.s Scotus, in his _Chronicle_, says she reigned two years, five months and four days (853-855). Scotus died 1086.

Sigebert de Gemblours, in his _Chronicle_, repeats the same story (1112).

Otto of Friesingen[TN-101] and Gotfried of Viterbo both mention her in their histories.

Martin Polonus gives a very full account of the matter. He says she went by the name of John Anglus, and was born at Metz, of English parents.

While she was pope, she was prematurely delivered of a child in the street "between the Coliseum and St. Clement's Church."

William Ocham alludes to the story.

Thomas de Elmham repeats it (1422).

John Huss tells us her baptismal name was not Joan, but Agnes.

Others insist that her name was Gilberta.

In the _Annales Augustani_ (1135), we are told her papal name was John VIII., and that she it was who conscrated[TN-102] Louis II., of France.

Arguments in favor of the allegation are given by Spanheim, _Exercit. de Papa Faemina_, ii. 577; in Lenfant, _Historie de la Papesse Jeanne_.

Arguments against the allegation are given by Allatius or Allatus, _Confutatio Fabulae de Johanna Pap.i.s.sa_; and in Lequien,[TN-103] _Oriens Christia.n.u.s_, iii. 777.

Arguments on both sides are given in Cunningham's translation of _Geiseler, Lehrbuch_, ii. 21, 22; and in La Bayle's _Dictionnaire_, iii., art. "Pap.i.s.se."

? Gibbon says, "Two Protestants, Blondel and Bayle, have annihilated the female pope;" but the expression is certainly too strong, and even Mosheim is more than half inclined to believe there really was such a person.

=Pope of Philosophy=, Aristotle (B.C. 384-322).