Chapter Peu-à-Peu to Pharaoh of P by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Peu-à-Peu to Pharaoh

Peu-à-Peu. So George IV. called prince Leopold. Stein, speaking of the prince’s vacillating conduct in reference to the throne of Greece, says of him, “He has no colour,” i.e. no fixed plan of his own, but is blown about by every wind.

Peveril (William), natural son of William the Conqueror, and ancestor of Peveril of the Peak.

Sir Geoffrey Peveril, a cavalier, called “Peveril of the Peak.”

Lady Margaret Peveril, wife of sir Geoffrey.

Julian Peveril, son of sir Geoffrey; in love with Alice Bridgenorth. He was named by the author after Julian Young, son of the famous actor.—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the Peak (time, Charles II.).

“Whom is he called after?” said Scott. “It is a fancy name,” said Young; “in memoriam of his mother, Julia Ann.” “Well, it is a capital name for a novel, I must say,” he replied. In the very next novel by the author of Waverley, the hero’s name is “Julian.” I allude, of course, to Peveril of the Peak.—F. Young: Memoirs, 19.

Peveril of the Peak, the longest of all sir W. Scott’s novels, and the most heavy (1823). It contains 108 characters, besides courtiers, officers, etc.

The hero of this novel is Julian Peveril a cavalier, and the heroine is Alice Bridgenorth, daughter of major Bridgenorth a Roundhead. And the main subject of the novel is the “Popish Plot.” Of course the hero and heroine marry.

The novel is crowded with well-known historic characters; amongst them are Charles II., his brother James duke of York, prince Rupert, Antony Cooper earl of Shrewsbury, lord Rochester, George Villiers duke of Buckingham, sir Edmondbury Godfrey, Hudson the dwarf, colonel Blood, Titus Oates, Settle the poet, etc.

Amongst the women are the widow of Charles I., the wife of Charles II., with his mistresses, Nell Gwynne and Louise Querouaille, etc.

Phædra, daughter of Minos, and second wife of Theseus. (See Phedre.)

(E. Smith wrote a tragedy called Phædra and Hippolytus (1708); Racine wrote a famous tragedy called Phèdre in 1677; and Pradon a tragedy called Phèdre et Hippolyte in 1677.)

Phædra, waiting-woman of Alcmena (wife of Amphitryon). A type of venality of the lowest and grossest kind. Phædra is betrothed to judge Gripus, a stupid magistrate, ready to sell justice to the highest bidder. Neither Phædra nor Gripus forms any part of the dramatis personæ of Molière’s Amphitryon (1668).—Dryden: Amphitryon (1690).

Phædria, the impersonation of wantonness. She is handmaid of the enchantress Acrasi a, and sails about Idle Lake in a gondola. Seeing sir Guyon, she ferries him across the lake to the floating island, where he is set upon by Cymochles. Phædria interposes, and ferries sir Guyon (the knight Temperance) over the lake again.—Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. (1590).

Phædrus’s Fables, in Latin, about A.D. 25. Translated into English verse by Christopher Smart, in 1765.

Phaeton , son of Helios and Clymenê. He obtained leave to drive his fat her’s sun-car for one day, but was overthrown, and nearly set the world on fire. Jove or Zeus struck him with a thunderbolt for his presumption, and cast him into the river Po.

Phalaris, tyrant of Agrigentum, in Sicily. (For the tale of the “Brazen Bull,” see Perillos, p. 828.)