death of Mary, William III.'s queen, and another a spirited delineation of a frightful incident related of Colonel Kirke and a lady in Monmouth's rebellion—are in the heroic couplet. The remaining poems, which are of very little value, are in the Pindaric metres made popular by Cowley.—T. A.
POMPADOUR, Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de, the notorious mistress of Louis XV., was the daughter of a butcher, and was born in 1722. At an early age she became celebrated for the beauty of her person, the brilliancy of her accomplishments, and the fascination of her manners. She was married to a person named D'Etioles when she attracted the notice of Louis XV., and was soon installed as the principal favourite of that profligate monarch. She was created Marquise de Pompadour in 1745, and obtained such complete control over the indolent king, that not only the entire affairs of the court but of the kingdom were managed according to her orders. She was a woman of the most imperious and vindictive character, and did not hesitate to sacrifice for the slightest resistance to her will the chief ministers of the king and first personages of the state. Great numbers, too, of comparatively unknown persons were recklessly doomed by her to perpetual imprisonment, and sufferings worse than death, for offences real or supposed against her pride and ill-acquired power. The story of De Latude, who for an attempt to put a trick upon her suffered imprisonment nearly for life, is well known: and he mentions that one fellow-sufferer had expiated for nineteen years the crime of giving Madame de Pompadour a warning which, while it saved her life, was calculated to wound her pride; that another had been arrested seventeen years before on the mere suspicion of having spoken ill of her; and that a third had been arrested as the suspected author of a pamphlet against the favourite, which he declared to Latude by everything sacred that he had never so much as seen. When madame's own charms began to pall on the satiated monarch, she maintained her influence over him by procuring for him other mistresses. The corruption of morals thus engendered became frightful, and contributed not a little to produce the anarchy which convulsed France in the following reign. The marquise died in 1764, at the age of forty-two. When she felt the hand of death upon her, she determined to depart with the state of a queen; and contrary to the royal etiquette of France, she breathed her last at Versailles. She lay on a splendid couch, richly attired and rouged, and distributed with her dying breath honours and places to the courtiers who eagerly thronged around her deathbed—the king promptly complying with her recommendations. Hardly had she expired, however, when the scene changed. Two domestics carried out her body in a hand-barrow from the palace to her private house. Louis stood at the window as her remains were carried by, and remarked—"The marchioness will have bad weather on her journey." Her apologists plead that she was a liberal patron of the fine arts. It is certain that she contributed largely to ruin the morals and the finances of France.—J. T.
POMPEI, Girolamo, orator, philosopher, theologian, and poet, born of a noble Veronese family on the 18th April, 1731; died in Verona, 4th February, 1788. His great reputation is evidenced by the fact, that the Emperor Joseph II. offered him whatever chair he might prefer in the university of Pavia, which however he declined. He was the author of the best Italian translation of Plutarch's Lives, 1773; of two acted tragedies, reputed elegant and well constructed; and of "Pastoral Poems, with some Idyls of Theocritus and Moschus translated into Italian," which are ranked among the best compositions of their class for sensibility and sweetness.—W. M. R.
POMPEIUS, Cneius Magnus, son of Cneius Pompeius Strabo, was born b.c. 106. At a very early age he entered into military service under his father in the social war, in that against the Italians, and elsewhere. When the Marian party entered Rome, and committed fearful crimes, Pompey, who favoured the aristocratic party, was in some danger; for his house was plundered. After the death of Marius, 86 b.c., he appeared again in public. When Sulla finished the Mithridatic war, and was returning to Rome, the ambitious Pompey resolved to distinguish himself against the Marian faction. In 83 b.c. he raised three legions, assumed the command of them, and hastened to meet Sulla, after defeating the Marian general, M. Brutus. Though proscribed by the senate, his troops adhered to him; and Sulla received him with great honour. In the year 82 b.c. he was recognized as one of Sulla's legates, and waged war in Etruria with Papirius Carbo, colleague of the younger Marius. When Præneste surrendered, and Sulla became master of Italy, the latter saw the policy of uniting Pompey to himself by closer ties; and gave him in marriage his step-daughter Æmilia, who was already married. To the disgrace of the young soldier, he agreed to put away his own wife Antistia for this purpose. Having become dictator of Italy, Sulla pursued the Marian party in other lands, and sent Pompey against them. The latter, therefore, sailed to Sicily. Carbo fled, was taken, and put to death at Lilybæum by Pompey. Leaving Sicily 81 b.c., he crossed to Africa to attack Ahenobarbus, whom he defeated in a decisive battle, and then subjugated all Numidia, putting Hiempsal on the throne. Returning to Rome with a great number of elephants and lions, he was received with much eclat, and Sulla pronounced him Magnus—a title which he retained ever after. Contrary to the desire of Sulla himself, he insisted on a triumph, and obtained it, though he was nothing but an eques. The dictator himself opposed it in the senate at first. In 79 b.c. Pompey also succeeded in procuring Lepidus to be elected consul, though Sulla was against this candidate. After the dictator's death, Pompey resisted the attempts of Lepidus to change the laws of Sulla. In 77 b.c. active hostilities commenced between the three men who were now the rulers of Rome—viz., the two consuls and Pompey. Lepidus having collected an army in Etruria, marched against Rome; where Catulus and Pompey encountered him and routed his army. Pompey now marched into Gaul against Brutus, Lepidus' father-in-law. The latter defended himself in Mutina for some time, but was finally obliged to surrender, on condition that his life was spared, which was granted. But the cruel conqueror ordered him to be put to death next day, in direct violation of his promise. The next object of Pompey's ambition was to get the conduct of the war in Spain against Sertorius, general of the Marian faction, who had maintained his ground against Metellus for three years. Hence he was reluctant to disband his army, though the senate commanded him to do so; and managed to act in secret opposition to their will, till they were forced, by the pressure of circumstances, to allow him to go to Spain with the title of proconsul. In 76 b.c. he set out with a large army, crossed the Alps, and approached the south of Spain, where he was suddenly surprised by Sertorius, and lost one of his legions. After the winter was past, he commenced his second campaign, 75 b.c., and defeated Sertorius' legates near Valencia. Soon after Pompey encountered Sertorius himself. The war was carried on between Pompey and Metellus on the one side; Sertorius and Perpenna on the other, with varying and indecisive fortunes. It is apparent, however, that the two leaders of the aristocratic party gained little if any advantage. After the base murder of Sertorius by Perpenna, 72 b.c., the war was soon terminated by Perpenna's total defeat and capture. As Metellus returned to Rome before Pompey, the latter reaped the glory of bringing the war to a successful issue. Soon after his return to Italy, he had also the good fortune to put an end to the Servile war, though Crassus had previously defeated and weakened Spartacus. Disqualified as he was by law, he was now too powerful and popular to be kept out of the consulship. He and Crassus were elected to that office for 70 b.c. Their administration was marked by two laws, both tending to weaken the aristocracy. In 67 b.c. Gabinius proposed a law, which was carried amid much opposition, that unlimited power over the Mediterranean sea, and a considerable distance inland, with a fleet, soldiers, and sailors, should be given to a consular man, for the purpose of suppressing piracy. The command was bestowed on Pompey, who set about the task with vigour and skill, bringing it to a successful termination in the space of three months. Above twenty thousand prisoners were taken, whom he distributed judiciously in various parts. The next object of his desire was to procure the administration of the war against Mithridates of Pontus. By the law of Manilius the thing was effected, and Pompey received almost unlimited power over the Roman empire and her armies. Lucullus, who had hitherto conducted the war with success, was set aside accordingly, being most ungratefully treated; and all Pompey had to do was to bring it to a close, which the immense resources at his disposal speedily enabled him to do. Mithridates was defeated in Lesser Armenia, and fled to the Cimmerian Bosphorus. After receiving the submission of the Armenian king, whose throne he did not disturb, Pompey pursued Mithridates as far as the Phasis, where he wisely resolved to turn back. Wintering at Amisus,
