Chapter Peace of God to Peeler of P by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Peace of God to Peeler

Peace of God, a peace enforced by the clergy on the barons of Christendom, to prevent the perpetual feuds between baron and baron (1035).

Peace to the Souls. (See Morna, p. 727.)

Peachum, a pimp, patron of a gang of thieves, and receiver of their stolen goods. His house is the resort of thieves, pickpockets, and villains of all sorts. He betrays his comrades when it is for his own benefit, and even procures the arrest of captain Macheath.

The quarrel between Peachum and Lockit was an allusion to a personal collision between Walpole and his colleague lord Townsend.—R. Chambers: English Literature, i. 571.

Mrs. Peachum, wife of Peachum. She recommends her daughter Polly to be “somewhat nice in her deviations from virtue.”

Polly Peachum, daughter of Peachum. (See Polly.)—Gay: The Beggar’s Opera (1727).

Peacock’s Feather Unlucky (A). The peacock’s feather is t he emblem of an evil eye, an ever-vigilant false friend or traitor. The tale is this: Argus was the chief m inister of Osiris king of Egypt. When the king started on his Indian expedition, he left queen Isis regent, with Argus for her chief adviser. Argus, with his hundred eyes (or rather secret spies), soon made himself powerful, shut up the queen-regent in a strong castle, and proclaimed himself king. Mercury marched against him, took him prisoner, and cut off his head. Whereupon, Juno metamorphosed him into a peacock, and set his hundred eyes in his tail.

Pearl. It is said that Cleopatra swallowed a pearl of more value than the whole of the banquet she had provided in honour of Antony. This she did when she drank to his health.

The same sort of extravagant folly is told of Æsopus son of Clodius Æsopus the actor.—Horace: 2 Satires, iii. vers. 239.

A similar act of a vanity and folly is ascribed to sir Thomas Gresham, when queen Elizabeth dined at the City banquet, after her visit to the Royal Exchange.

Here £15,000 at one clap goes
Instead of sugar; Gresham drinks the pearl
Unto his queen and mistress.
   —Heywood.

Pearl of Ireland. (The), St. Bridget or Brigette (1302–1373).

Pearl of the Antilles (The), Cuba, which belongs to Spain.

Pearson (Captain Gilbert), officer in attendance on Cromwell.—Sir W. Scott: Woodstock (time, Commonwealth).

Peasant-Bard (The), Robert Burns (1759–1796).

Peasant-Boy Philosopher (The), James Ferguson (1710–1776).

Peasant-Painter of Sweden, Hörberg. His chief paintings are altarpieces.

The altar-piece painted by Hörberg.
   —Longfellow: The Children of the Lord’s Supper.

Peasant-Poet of Northamptonshire, John Clare (1793–1864).

Peasant of the Danube (The), Louis Legendre, a member of the French National Convention (1755–1797); called in French Le Paysan du Danube, from his “èloquence sauvage.”