PRUSSIA 



PRYNNE 



467 



much obstruction, a constitution, superseding the 

 old Prussian estates by a representative parlia- 

 ment, was promulgated in January 1850, it was 

 repeatedly modified in the following years, until 

 few of its'democratie features were left. Frederick- 

 William had early distinguished himself and de- 

 lighted many Germans, both within and without 

 Prussia, by his patriotic utterances in favour of 

 a new united Germany. He was deeply chagrined 

 when in 1848 the national assembly at Frankfort, 

 influenced by Austrian jealousy of the military 

 strength of Prussia, declined to accept him as the 

 national leader, and elected instead the Archduke 

 John of Austria as lieutenant-general of Germany. 

 Yet, when in the following year he was offered the 

 imperial crown, he found himself unable to face 

 the responsibility of accepting it. He hesitated to 

 make so important a move in the contest with 

 Austria for .the hegemony of Germany. The later 

 years of this reign were characterised by great 

 advances in the material prosperity and internal 

 improvement of the country. Extensive lines of 

 railway and post-roads were opened, the river navi- 

 gation greatly facilitated, treaties of commerce 

 formed with foreign countries, and great expansion 

 given to the Prussian and North German Zollverein 

 (q.v.), the army put upon a footing of hitherto 

 unprecedented efficiency of arms and artillery, and 

 the educational system of the country still further 

 developed. William I. (1861-88), who became 

 German emperor in 1871, had been regent of the 

 kingdom since 1858, owing to the insanity of his 

 brother, the late king. William was no more a 

 lover of constitutional, or at least of popular, 

 liberty than any of his predecessors ; and in his 

 opposition to the progress of the popular move- 

 ment, in so far as it aimed at interference with the 

 regal power, he was powerfully aided by his great 

 adviser Bismarck ( q.v. ), who became prime-minister 

 in 1862 and imperial chancellor in 1871. The 

 successful wars with Austria (1866) and France 

 ( 1870-71 ), which so enhanced the prestige of Prussia 

 and which resulted in the united Germany of to- 

 day, are described at GERMANY. Since the king 

 of Prussia became Gernian Emperor the history 

 of Prussia has been practically merged in the 

 history of Germany. After the brief reign of 

 Frederick III. (March 9 to June 15, 1888), his son, 

 William II. (q.v.), ascended the throne. While still 

 adhering to the military policy of his grandfather, 

 ami stillclierishing a more or less exalted belief in 

 the divine right of kings, the young monarch has 

 shown himself able to realise the importance of the 

 great social questions of modern times, and ready 

 to deal with them in a decided yet sympathetic 

 manner. The advanced, and in some respects 

 socialistic ' labour-policy ' of the emperor, unfolded 

 at a labour-conference of representatives of the 

 great powers in Berlin 1890, and the abolition of 

 tlie anti-socialist laws led to the resignation by 

 Prince Bismarck of all bis ministerial functions in 

 March 189*), an well in the kingdom as in the 

 empire ; and no subsequent Prussian minister has 

 since exercised his predominant powers. Various 

 minor reforms, including a new scheme of local 

 government and of communal taxation, occupied the 

 attention of the Prussian diet. A bill of 1891, 

 giving compensation for the suspension of salaries 

 of Roman Catholic clergy in Prussia during the 

 Kulturkampf was the formal close of that long 

 contest. A primary education bill and some anti- 

 socialist legislation provoked controversy. The 

 history of Prussia is now in tlie main but part of 

 the history of the Empire of Germany (q.v.). 



See, besides works cited at GERMANY, BERLIN, FREDE- 

 RifK II., BISMARCK, &c., H. Tuttle, History of Prustia 

 (Boston, 1884-88) ; Godefroy de Cavaignac, Lei Originet 

 de la Prune Cmtemporainc ( 1890 ). 



Prussian Blue, the name given to sesqni- 

 ferrocyanide of iron, used as a colouring matter. 

 It was discovered in 1704 by Diesbach in Berlin 

 (whence it is also called Berlin Blue), and the 

 manufacture was kept a secret till 1724. See 

 BLUE ; also DYEING, Vol. IV. p. 136. 



Prussic Acid, a name given to Hydrocyanic 

 Acid (q.v.) because it was first obtained from 

 Prussian blue. 



Prutenic Tables, astronomical tables com- 



Eiled in the 16th century, and so called because 

 ased on the system of Copernicus, a Prussian. 

 They were corrected by Brahe. 



Pruth, a left-hand affluent of the Danube, 

 rises in the south-east of Austrian Galicia, on tlm 

 north-east side of the Carpathian mountains, and 

 flows eastward past Kolomea and Czernowitz ; 

 from the point at which it leaves Austrian territory 

 to its embouchure in the Danube at Reni, 13 miles 

 below Galatz, it forms the boundary between 

 Russian Bessarabia and Roumania. Length about 

 520 miles, navigable from near Jassy, 168 miles. 



Prynne, WILLIAM, born in 1600 at Swainswick 

 near Bath, from Bath grammar-school passed in 

 1616 to Oriel College, Oxford, and took his B.A. in 

 1621. He entered Lincoln's Inn, and in due time 

 was called to the bar, but was early drawn into 

 the vortex of ecclesiastical controversy, and during 

 1627-30 published The Unlovelinesse'of Love-lockes, 

 Healthes Sicknesse ( against drinking of healths ), and 

 three other Puritan and anti-Arminian diatribes. 

 In 1633 appeared his Histrio-Mastix: the Players 

 Scourge, in whose index, on page 1104, occur the 



words ' Women players notorious . ' Six weeks 



after its publication Henrietta Maria herself took 

 part in a pastoral, so here was a reflection on the 

 queen's own virtue ; and ori 17th February 1634 

 Prynne was sentenced by the Star-chamber to a 

 fine of 5000, degradation from the bar, expulsion 

 from Oxford and Lincoln's Inn, the loss of both 

 ears in the pillory, and the shock to his vanity as 

 an author of seeing his book burned in public by the 

 hangman. He was, moreover, condemned to per- 

 petual imprisonment, and immured in the Tower 

 accordingly. Three years later the pertinacious 

 offender found means to publish from his prison 

 two more pamphlets, in which he fiercely assailed 

 the hierarchy, and was unsparing in his personal 

 abuse of Laud. For this he was once more pro- 

 secuted ; a fresh fine of 5000 was imposed on him ; 

 he was a second time pilloried, losing such stumps 

 of ears as the hangman before had spared ; and 

 was branded on both cheeks with <S'. L. ( ' seditious 

 libeller ' rather ' stigmata Laudis ' by Prynne's 

 interpretation). He was removed successively to 

 Lancaster, Carnarvon, and Mont Orgueil in Jei-sey, 

 and remained a close prisoner till in 1640 the Long 

 Parliament then sitting he was released by a 

 warrant of the House of Commons, and a tumultu- 

 ous expression of popular sympathy celebrated his 

 restoration to liberty. He acted as Laud's bitter 

 prosecutor, leaving no stone unturned against his 

 old enemy (1644); and in 1647 became recorder of 

 Bath, in 1648 member for Newport in Cornwall. 

 But opposing the Independents and Charles I.'s 

 execution, he was one of those of whom Cromwell 

 ' purged ' the House of Commons, and was even 

 imprisoned (1650-52) in Dunster, Taunton, and 

 Pendennis castles. On Cromwell's death he re- 

 turned to his place in parliament, bestirring himself 

 in the royalist interest ; and after the Restoration 

 Charles ll. proposed to ' keep busy Mr Prynne 

 quiet by letting him write against the Catholics, 

 and pore over the records of the Tower,' of which 

 records accordingly Prynne was appointed keeper. 

 This did keep him fairly quiet until his death, 

 which took place at Lincoln a Inn on 24th October 



