Chapter Prisoner of State to Prophet of P by Brewer's Readers Handbook

nd French child in the whole island were ruthlessly butchered. Procida lost his only son Fernando, who had just married Isoline the daughter of the French governor of Messina. Isoline died broken-hearted, and her father, the governor, was amongst the slain. The crown was given to John of Procida.

Procris, the wife of Cephalos. Out of jealousy, she crept into a wood to act as a spy upon her husband. Cephalos, hearing something move, discharged an arrow in the direction of the rustling, thinking it to be caused by some wild beast, and shot Procris. Jupiter, in pity, turned her into a star.—Greek and Latin Mythology.

The unerring dart of Procris. Diana gave Procris a dart which never missed its aim, and after being discharged returned back to the shooter.

Procrustes , a highwayman of Attica, who used to place travellers on a bed; if they were too short he stretched them out till they fitted it, if too long he lopped off the redundant part.—Greek Mythology.

Critic, more cruel than Procrustes old,
Who to his iron bed by torture fits
Their nobler parts, the souls of suffering wits.

Mallet: Verbal Criticism (1734).

Proctor’s Dogs or Bull-dogs, the two “runners” or officials who accompany a university proctor in his rounds, to give chase to recalcitrant gownsmen.

And he had breathed the proctor’s dogs [was a member of Oxford or Cambridge University].

Tennyson: prologue of The Princess (1830).

Prodigal (The), Albert VI. duke of Austria (1418, 1439–1463).

Prodigy of France (The). Guillaume Budé was so called by Erasmus (1467–1540).

Prodigy of Learning (The). Samuel Hahnemann, the German, was so called by J. P. Richter (1755–1843).

Professor (The), a novel by Charlotte Bronté, who adopted the pseudonym of Currer Bell. The novel was published in 1856.

Profitless Toil. (See Rope of Ocnus.)

Profound (The), Richard Middleton, an English scholastic divine (*-1304).

Profound Doctor (The), Thomas Bradwardine, a schoolman. Also called “The Solid Doctor” (*-1349).

Ægidius de Columna, a Sicilian schoolman, was called “The Most Profound Doctor” (*-1316).

Progne , daughter of Pandion, and sister of Philomela. Prognê was changed into a swallow, and Philomela into a nightingale.—Greek Mythology.

As Prognè or as Philomela mourns …
So Bradamant laments her absent knight.

Ariosto: Orlando Furioso, xxiii. (1516).

Progress of Poesy (The), a pindaric ode by Gray (1757). It stops at Dryden.

Promethean Unguent (The) , made from the extract of a herb on which some of the blood of Prometheus had fallen. Medea gave Jason some of this unguent, which rendered his body proof against fire and warlike instruments.