Chapter Piper of Hamelin to Pixie-Stools of P by Brewer's Readers Handbook

Pisistratos was a great favourite of the Athenian populace; so was Cosmo de Medici with the populace of Florence. Pisistratos was banish ed, but, being recalled by the people, was raised to sovereign power in the republic of Athens; s o Cosmo was banished, but, being recalled by the people, was raised to supreme power in the republic of Fl orence. Pisistratos was just and merciful, a great patron of literature, and spent large sums of money in beautifying his city (Athens) with architecture; the same may be said of Cosmo de Medici. To Pisistratos we owe the poems of Homer in a connected form; and to Cosmo we owe the best literature of Europe, for he spent fortunes in the copying of valuable MSS. The two sons of Pisistratos were Hipparchos and Hippias; and the two grandsons of Cosmo were Guiliano and Lorenzo. Two of the most honoured citizens of Athens (Harmodios and Aristogiton) conspired against the sons of Pisistratos—Hipparchos was assassinated, but Hippias escaped; so Francesco Pazzi and the archbishop of Pisa conspired against the grandsons of Cosmo—Guiliano was assassinated, but Lorenzo escaped. In both cases it was the elder brother who fell, and the younger who escaped. Hippias quelled the tumult, and succeeded in placing himself at the head of Athens; so did Lorenzo in Florence.

Pisos Notion of Justice. Seneca tells us that Piso condemned a man to death for murder on circumstantial evidence; but on going to execution the man supposed to be dead exclaimed, “Hold ! I am the man supposed to have been killed.” The centurion sent back the prisoner to Piso, and explained the reason why. Whereupon Piso condemned all three to death, saying, “Fiat Justitia! I condemn the prisoner to death, because sentence of death has been passed upon him; the centurion, for disobeying orders; and the man supposed to have been murdered, because he is the cause of death to the other two.”

(The tale is told of others besides Piso.)

Pistol, in The Merry Wives of Windsor and the two parts of Henry IV., is the ancient or ensign of captain sir John Falstaff. Peto is his lieutenant, and Bardolph his corporal. Peto being removed (probably killed), we find in Henry V. that Pistol is lieutenant, Bardolph is ancient, and Nym is corporal. Pistol is also introduced as married to Mistress Nell Quickly, hostess of the tavern in Eastcheap. Both Pistol and his wife die before the play is over; so does sir John Falstaff; Bardolph and Nym are both hanged. Pistol is a model bully, wholly unprincipled, utterly despicable; but he treated his wife kindly, and she was certainly fond of him.—Shakespeare.

His [Pistol’s] courage is boasting, his learning ignorance, his ability weakness, and his end beggary.—Dr. Lodge.

His end was not “beggary;” as host of the tavern in Eastcheap, he seems much more respectable, and better off than before. Theophilus Cibber (1703–1758) was the best actor of this part.

Pistris, the sea-monster sent to devour Andromeda. It had a dragon’s head and a fish’s tail—Aratus: Commentaries.

Pithyrian [Pi-thirry-an], a pagan of Antioch. He had one daughter, named Mara’na, who was a Christian. A young dragon of most formidable character infested the city of Antioch, and demanded a virg in to be sent out daily for its meal. The Antiocheans cast lots for the first victim, and the lot fell on Marana, who was led forth in grand procession as the victim of the dragon. Pithyrian, in distraction, rushed into a Christian church, and fell before an image which attracted his attention, at the base of which was the real arm of a saint. The sacristan handed the holy relic to Pithyrian, who kissed it, and then restored it to the sacristan; but the servitor did not observe that a thumb was missing. Off ran Pithyrian with the thumb, and joined his daughter. On came the dragon, with tail erect, wings extended, and mouth wide open, when Pithyrian threw into the gaping jaws the “sacred thumb.” Down fell the tail, the wings drooped, the jaws were locked, and up rose the dragon into the air to the height of three miles, when it blew up into a myriad pieces. So the lady was rescued, Antioch delivered; and the relic, minus a thumb, testifies the fact of this wonderful miracle.—Southey: The Young Dragon (Spanish legend).

Pitt Bridge. Blackfriars Bridge, London, was so called by Robert Mylne, its architect; but the public would not accept the name.