Abel de Pujol was, perhaps, the most faithful of the disciples of David, and the most zealous in maintaining his traditions and defending his memory. He was at the same time fortunate in securing the patronage of every successive government during his long career. But whilst this afforded him abundant employment on a large scale—his works decorating the palaces and churches of the capital and the museums of the provinces—it gave a constrained semi-official and conventional character to everything he did. His chief works are the "Renaissance of the Arts," on the grand staircase of the Louvre; the "Preaching of St. Stephen" in the apse of St. Denis; and the great frescoes in the chapel of St. Roch at Saint-Sulpice, with various works at Versailles, Fontainebleau, &c. Abel de Pujol succeeded Baron Gros as member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1835. He died September 28, 1861.—J. T—e.
PULCI, Luigi, a distinguished Italian poet, was born in 1431. He was a native of Florence, where he enjoyed the friendship and patronage of the celebrated Lorenzo de Medici. His great work is the "Morgante Maggiore," a sort of epic romance, half serious half comic in its style, which takes its name from the giant Morgante, one of the characters introduced. The rest of the works of Pulci consist of sonnets and poems now little known. He died in 1487.—D. M.
PULGAR, Fernando del, a Spanish historian, born probably about 1436. He was educated at the court of John II. of Castile, and became secretary to Henry IV., and afterwards to Isabella, who also appointed him historiographer to the court. The portion of his chronicle previous to 1482 is of little value, owing to its inaccuracies. But in the subsequent portion, narrating events many of which passed under his own eye, he may be considered trustworthy. Unfortunately, it does not come down to the fall of Granada, although we know that he was alive at that time. Another work, for which probably he collected materials while composing his chronicle, is entitled "Claros Varones de Castilla," a series of biographical sketches of forty-six of the most remarkable men of the age of Henry IV., among others the king himself. Count Haco, and Rodrigo Manrigue. He also wrote a commentary on the "Coplas of Mingo Revulgo;" a report to Queen Isabella on the History of Granada, after the capture of the city; and a series of thirty-two letters, addressed to various persons. He must not he confounded with Hernan Perez del Pulgar, supposed to be the author of a chronicle of Gonzalo de Cordova, 1584.—F. M. W.
PULLUS, PULLEN, or PULLEYNE, Robertus, the restorer of learning at Oxford in the twelfth century, appears, if a statement made by the continuator of Bede may be trusted, to have been a native of Exeter. He repaired to Paris, and at that great university, then at the height of its fame and popularity, mastered all the learning of the age. Returning to England he settled at Oxford in 1134, where, ever since the dispersion of the students in the time of Harold I., the university had been all but extinct; and opening a school, lectured daily on the holy scriptures, and preached with great power to the students on Sundays. Disciples flocked to him in crowds; other learned men began to lecture; King Henry gave strenuous encouragement; and the university woke up at once from its long torpor into vigorous intellectual life. The fame of Pullen spread widely, and he was summoned to Rome by Innocent II. In 1144 he was made a cardinal by Lucius II., and soon after appointed chancellor of the Roman church. He was loved and honoured by St. Bernard, one of whose letters, No. 334, is addressed to him. "Up to this time," says St. Bernard, "you have been faithfully and profitably labouring to forward the erudition of many; now is the time" (he was begging the cardinal to support the newly-elected pope, Eugenius III.) "to work for the Lord, that his law may not be set at nought by the wicked." Pullen is said to have procured bulls and charters conferring privileges on the university of Oxford, but none are extant. He died in the third year of Eugenius III., that is, in 1148. The account given of him by Wood is full of inaccuracies.—T. A.
PULSZKY, Ferencz Aurel, an eminent Hungarian statesman and author, was born in 1814, and is descended from a Polish family which settled in Hungary in the seventeenth century. He was educated at Miskolcz and Operies, and was admitted to the bar in 1833. Two years later he accompanied his uncle in a tour through Germany, Italy, Great Britain and Ireland, and in 1837 published the results of his observations in this country under the title of "Extracts from the Diary of a Hungarian Traveller in Great Britain." In 1840 he was chosen to represent his native county, Sàros, in the Hungarian diet, and took an active part in the proceedings of the opposition. He failed to obtain a seat, however, at subsequent elections; and having married an accomplished lady, the daughter of a Viennese merchant, he took up his residence at Castle Szeweny, about sixty miles from Pesth, and devoted himself to the improvement of his estate. When the revolution of 1848 broke out he quitted his retirement, and was appointed under-secretary of state at Vienna. When a collision took place between Austria and Hungary, Pulszky was sent to London by Kossuth on a confidential mission to the British government. After the overthrow of the Hungarian constitution he resided for the most part in England, and published a number of works which have met with a cordial reception from the English people. The most important of these is his tour in America, entitled "Red, White, and Black," London, 1852. He and Madame Pulszky were the joint authors of "Tales and Traditions of Hungary," 3 vols. The latter also wrote the "Memoirs of an Hungarian Lady," in 2 vols. Madame Pulszky died in 1866.—J. T.
PULTENEY, Richard, an English botanist and physician, was born at Loughborough on 17th February, 1730, and died of pneumonia on 13th October, 1801. He was educated as a medical man, and practised as surgeon at Leicester. He did not succeed well there, owing to his dissenting views, which were not in accordance with those of the inhabitants of the town. He prosecuted the study of botany, and communicated papers on the sleep of plants and on the rare plants of Leicestershire to the Royal Society of London, of which body he became a fellow. In 1762 he became doctor of medicine of the university of Edinburgh, and printed a thesis on Cinchona officinalis. The earl of Bath took notice of him, and he travelled as physician to that nobleman. On the death of the earl, Pulteney settled at Blandford in Dorsetshire, and continued there till his death. He acquired a large practice, and became eminent as a physician. Among his works are a general view of the writings of Linnæus; and sketches of the progress of botany in England. He also communicated papers which were published in the Transactions of the Linnæan Society, of which he was a member, and to which he bequeathed his collections. He showed throughout life a great ardour for science, and he was a pious man, of great simplicity and candour. A genus, Pultenæa, was named by Sir James Edward Smith after him.—J. H. B.
PULTENEY, William, Earl of Bath, a distinguished English statesman, was descended from an old family, and was born in 1682. He was educated at Westminster school and at Christ church, Oxford, and afterwards travelled for some time on the continent. On his return home in 1705 he was returned to parliament for the burgh of Hedon in Yorkshire, through the influence of Henry Guy, Esq., formerly secretary to the treasury, who subsequently left him a very large fortune. He at once attached himself to the whig party, and spoke for the first time in support of a bill for excluding placemen from parliament. He afterwards took a prominent part in the proceedings against Dr. Sacheverell, was one of the most steady and able supporters of the opposition, and in consequence rendered himself peculiarly obnoxious to the tories. He was the intimate friend of Sir Robert Walpole, and in 1712, when that minister was sent to the Tower for corruption, Pulteney defended him with great eloquence. On the accession of George I., Pulteney was made secretary at war, an office which he held till 1717, when a schism broke out in the government, and he resigned along with Walpole. When the latter returned to power, it might have been expected that a friend who had such strong claims upon him, personal and political, would have been appointed to some high office. But Walpole's inordinate ambition and jealousy of every rival, made him reluctant to admit into his cabinet a colleague of Pulteney's ability and independence. He therefore, instead of inviting him to take office, tendered him a peerage, which Pulteney, as might have been expected, indignantly declined. Two years afterwards, however, he accepted the subordinate though lucrative post of cofferer of the household, no doubt with the expectation that it would prove a step to a higher; but finding himself disappointed, he watched for an opportunity of revenge, and as soon as a favourable conjuncture arrived, he attacked the measures of the government, and was in consequence dismissed from his place. He then openly joined the opposition, or patriots as they were called, entered into a close
