1'RESCOTT, WILLIAM HICKLINO. 



PBKSTER, JOAO. 



MI 



to discover the procrsa alluded to. It wa in all probability a wo*h of 

 lomt i-ort ; but whether a simple application uf water-colour, of wax, 

 or of varuiah c,if tlio latter, either the preparation or the statue being 

 warmed to a certain temperature), there are now no certain mean* of 

 judging. 



PraxiUlc* bad two *ons, Timarchus and Cephisodotus, or Cephi-o- 

 dortu, both of whom were artist*. Pliny say* of the latter, "Praxitelii 

 uliu* Cephiiodotua rei et arti* lieree fiiit." 



There wai another artit called Praxiteles living at a later period. 

 Ho was a modeller and chaser. There wan also a painter of the game 

 name, mentioned by 1'liny (' Hist Xat,' xxxv. 11). 



PKESCUTT, WILLIAM IUCKLINQ, was born on the 4th of 

 May, 1796, at Salem, HaMchtuetU, U. S., and U descended from an 

 old MaasachusetU family. Ilia father wae an eminent lawyer and 

 judge at Boston ; hii grandfather commanded the American militia at 

 the so-called Battle of Bonker'i Hill. His father having removed to 

 Boston young Pntcott wai there placed with the Hev. Dr. Gardiuer, a 

 pupil of Dr. Samuel Parr, and on excellent clastic ; and under hU 

 tuition the youth made great progress. In 1811 he entered Harvard 

 Univenity, when* he pursued his classical studies with considerable 

 success until compelled by failing health and temporary loss of sight 

 to lay them aside. It had been intended that he should follow his 

 father'* profession, but after a short trial he found it necessary to 

 relinquish hi* legal, and indeed all eru>im, studies for awhile. Bring 

 advised to travel he proceeded to Kurope and spent a couple of years 

 in Kugland, 1'r.mce, and Italy, when be returned to Boston restored 

 in health, but with his sight permanently impaired. 



Happily his father was possessed of ample means, and it was 

 determined (hat he should abandon his purpose of a professional life. 

 A* he was able he devoted time and thought to the literature of modern 

 Europe, but it was long before he turned his attention seriously to 

 authorship. Hi* earliest contributions were to the pages of the ' North 

 American lieview ' in essays on Italian, Spanish, English, and Ame- 

 rican literature; he aim wrote a Memoir of Brockden Brown, the 

 novelist, in Sparks'* 'American Biography,' and occasional articles 

 elsewhere : a selection from these was published under the title of 

 ' Biographical and Miscellaneous Essays,' Svo, 1813, and has been more 

 than once reprinted. 



But Mr. Prescott had from the time of abandoning hi* legal studies 

 cl erished the hope of being able to write a history; and as he pro- 

 t touted more deeply hi* researches into the literature and history of 

 Spain bis design assumed form and consistency. Having fixed on the 

 reign of Ferdinand the Catholic, he was able through the friendly 

 offices of Mr. Kverett, the United States minister at Madrid, to obtain 

 for his projected work a singularly rich and extensive body of mate- 

 rials, consisting of rare books, manuscripts, and transcripts of official 

 documents. But they reached him under circumstances which would 

 have crashed the purpose of most rn-n. An extract from the preface 

 to hi* ' History of Peru,' dated April 1847, will best explain what 

 tin se were, and most authentically describe that peculiarity of bis 

 literary history which U so remarkable in itself and so valuable and 

 encouraging to others who may suffer under any physical infirmity. 

 He says, " While at the university I received an injury in one of my 

 eye, which deprived me of the light of it. The other, soon after was 

 attacked by inflammation so severely that for some time I lost the sight 

 of that also ; and though it was subsequently restored, the organ was 

 so much disordered as to remain permanently debilitated; while twice 

 in my life since, I hare been deprived of the use of it for all pur- 

 pose* of reading or writing for several years together. It was during 

 one of these period* that 1 received from Madrid the material* for my 

 hi-tury of 'Ferdinand and Isabella;' and in my disabled condition, 

 with my transatlantic treasure* lyini; around me, I was like one pining 

 from hunger in the midst of abundance. In this state I resolved to 

 make the ear if possible do the work of the eye. I procured the 

 servica of a secretary, who read to uie the various authorities ; and 

 in time I became so far familiar with the sound* of the different 

 foreign languages (to some of which, indeed, I had been previously 

 accustomed by a residence abroad), that I could comprehend his 

 reading without much difficulty. As the reader proceeded, I dictated 

 copious notes; and, when thews had swelled to a considerable amount, 

 they were read to me repeatedly, till I had mastered their content* 

 sullicirntly for the purpose of composition.". 



There were still to be overcome the difficulties attending the actual 

 process of competition. Mr. Prescott attempted dictation, but after 

 many trial* was forced to relinquish it, from finding thit he could not 

 thu* attain to the requisite freedom and force of diction. He then 

 procured from London a writing-case for the blind, in which the 

 stylus of the writer was guided by means of wire* over a sheet of car- 

 bonistd paper, the writing being made without ink upon ordinary 

 paper placed underneath. " With tbi* instrument,'' says Mr. Prescott 

 in a letter to tlie editor of 'Homes of American Authors' (dated 

 July 1862), "I have written every word of my hutoricalt. This 

 modus operand! expose* one to some embarrassment* ; for, as one 

 cannot see what he i* doing on the other side of the paper, any more 

 than a performer on the treadmill ire* what he i* grinding on the 

 other ride of the wall, it become* very difficult to make corrections. 

 This requires the subject to be pretty thoroughly canvassed in the 

 mind, and all the bloU and erasure* to be made then before taking 



up the stylus. This compels me to go over my composition to the 

 extent of a whole chapter, however long it may be, several times in 

 my mind before bitting down to my desk. When there the work 

 becomes one of memory rather than of creation, and the writing i* 

 apt to run off glibly enough." 



The fir.-t of the works prepared under these difficulties 'The 

 History of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic of Spain ' appeared 

 in the early part of 1S38. By the author'* own countrymen it was 

 received with a hearty welcome, and in England it met with almost 

 unqualified praise from the literary organ* of all parties; while in the 

 country whose favourite monarch* it celebrates it was greeted with 

 enthusiasm, and the author was elected a member of the Hoyal 

 Academy of Madrid. Nor has its popularity been evanescent; a 

 seventh and revised edition of it was published in America and 

 London in 1854, and more than one cheap reprint has since appeared : 

 translations of it have also been mnde into the Spanish, Italian, and 

 German languages. Its popularity was well-merited. For the first 

 time the period of history when Spain rose to a leading position 

 among the nations of Europe was fully, clearly, and vividly placed 

 before the English render from original and official sources; an. I tin 

 narrative was conducted, and events and characters were estimated, 

 with a fairness and conscientiousness which showed itsrlf in every 

 page and led the reader to rest implicitly on the good faith of the 

 historian. The archives of the Spanish court, of the Academy of 

 Madrid, and of private families of historic fame, were now placed 

 freely at Mr. Prescott's disposal, and he turned with ardour to the 

 picturesque story of the Spanish invasions of Mexico and Peru. The 

 first of these narratives, ' The History of the Conquest of Mexico,' 

 was published in three volumes in 1843. The popularity of its pre- 

 decessor had prepared for it a wide and eager circle of rrader* ; and 

 its success was even more sudden and striking than that of the ' His- 

 tory of Ferdinand and Isabella.' It was speedily translated into 

 Spanish, both in Spain and Mexico, and aUo into German, French, 

 and Italian ; and it procured for its author the rare honour of 

 admission into the Institute of France. The companion history ' The 

 Conquest of Peru,' did not appear until 1847. It has fully sustained 

 the high character of its author, and has passed through nearly as 

 many editions as the previous histories, but as it could hardly posses* 

 the romantic interest of the ' History of the Conquest of Mexico ' it 

 will probably not rival that work in general estimation although fully 

 equal to it in historical value. 



In these three great works Mr. Prescott had with the felicity of 

 genius hit upon theme* remarkably rich in themselves and admirably 

 adapted to his peculiar powers. For his crowning work he chose the 

 history of the reign of Philip II., a theme in many respects very 

 dill, ri nt from the others, but one calling for a larger and more com- 

 prehensive treatment, embracing as it did historical characters and 

 event* which spread over the greater part of Europe and the New 

 World during the latter half of the lUth century, a period almost 

 unrivalled in the magnitude and splendour of it* historical events. 

 l-'or this important undertaking Mr. Preacott made hi* preparations 

 with characteristic care, deliberation, and comprehensiveness, collect- 

 ing for it authentic materials from the public archives of almost all 

 ttie great European capitals, as well as from many private colic 

 Towards the end of 1656 nearly seven years after the publication ..! In - 

 previous history, Mr. Prescott was able to lay before the public the 

 first two volumes of his ' History of Philip the Second, King of - 

 and again to achieve a great and unquestionable success. Of the 

 importance of the addition which this work has made to English 

 historical literature them is but one opinion. The excellence* of the 

 author'* previous works are all here the picturesque narrative, the 

 lucid style, the generous yet judicial spirit, the thorough digestion 

 and scrupulous sifting of the materials, often not only contradictory 

 in themselves, but embarrassing in their richness, and above and per- 

 vading all, the thorough integrity of purpose, the earnest and untiring 

 pursuit and ever-present love of truth, which, amid his many 

 admirable qualities, is that which is perhaps his prime characteristic 

 as a historian. 



It only remains to add that in 1866 Mr. Prescott published an 

 edition of Robertson's ' History of the lieign of Charles the Fifth,' 

 with notes and a valuable supplement containing an ' Account of the 

 Emperor's Life after his Abdication.' 



I'KKSTKK JOAO, 'the Priest John,' was the name given in the 

 middle age* to a supposed Christian sovereign who was said to live 

 somewhere in the interior of Asia. This report appear* to have 

 originated with the NestorUn* of Mesopotamia, whose missionaries 

 penetrated into Persia, India, and TarUry, and were prot.-, ted by 

 some of the sovereign* of those regions. Uungh, a powerful khan of 

 the Keraitos, or Krit Tartars, in the llth century ruled over n great 

 part of Eastern Tartary, north of the Chinese wall and near tin- bunks 

 of the river Amour. Hi* r> denoe was at a place called Karkorum. 

 Some of the Mogul khan*, and among the rest Temusin, afterwards 

 called Uengis Khan, paid allegiance to Ouugh Khan. [OEM, is KUAN.] 

 A war broke out however between Gcugis Khan and Oungh, in which 

 the latter was defeated, with the loss of his life in 1202. Uungh K him 

 was reported In Kurope to be a Christian, and to have taken j.ri, -.' 

 orders, and some Neatorian missionaries fabricated and pulilMi, ,1 

 letters said to have been addressed by him to the pope, Louis VII. of 



