Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 19.djvu/463

Rh P M - P O M 443 Prussia, remained subject to Poland down to the beginning of the 14th century, when part of it fell away to the Teutonic knights and part of it was annexed to the duchy of Pomerania-Wolgast. Christianity was introduced in the 12th century, and its advance went hand in hand with the Germanizing of the district. The later medieval history of Pomerania is occupied with an endless succes sion of subdivisions among different lines of the ducal houses, and with numerous expansions and contractions of territory through constant hostilities with the elector of Brandenburg, who claimed to be the immediate feudal superior of Pomerania, and with other neighbouring powers. The names Vorpominern and Hinterpom- inern were at first synonymous with Slavinia and Pomerellen, but towards the close of the 14th century they were transferred to the two duchies into which the former (Pomerania proper) was divided. In 1625 the whole of Pomerania became united under the sway of Bogeslaus XIV., and, on his death without issue in 1637, Branden burg laid claim to the duchy in virtue of a compact of 1571. The Swedes, however, had in the meantime occupied the country, and at the peace of Westphalia (1648) ths elector had to content him self with East Pomerania and see the other half awarded to Sweden. In 1720 Swedish Pomerania was curtailed by extensive concessions to Prussia, but the district to the west of the Peene remained in possession of Sweden down to the dissolution of the German empire. On the downfall of Xapoleon, Sweden assigned her German pos sessions to Denmark in exchange for Norway, whereupon Prussia, partly by purchase and partly by the cession of Lauenburg, finally succeeded in uniting the whole of Pomerania under her sway. POMEROY, a city of the United States, in Meigs county, Ohio, lies on the right bank of the Ohio about half-way between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati. It is the terminus of the Ohio River division of the Columbus, Hocking Valley, and Toledo Railway, and has extensive coal-mines dating from 1833, salt works (14,000,000 bushels per annum), and bromine factories. Incorporated as a village in 1841 and as a city in 1868, Pomeroy had 5824 inhabitants in 1870 and 5560 in 1880. POMFRET, JOHN (1667-1703), holds a certain place in English letters as the author of a short poem, The Choice, which embodies in easy and happy Drydenic diction the refined Epicureanism of tlie 18th century, and was consequently widely popular throughout that century. Pomfret was an English clergyman, rector of Maulden in Bedfordshire, son of the vicar of Luton in the same county. The story is preserved by Johnson that the bishop of London stopped him in some church preferment because in his Choice he declared that he would have no wife, although he expressed a wish for the occasional company of a modest and sprightly young lady. The poet was married in real life all the same, and, while wait ing in London to clear up a misunderstanding caused by the paganism of his poetry the bishop apparently think ing that he had openly preferred a mistress to a wife he caught small-pox and died at the age of thirty-five. Of his poetry Johnson happily says, &quot; He pleases many ; and he who pleases many must have some species of merit.&quot; POMONA, the old Koman goddess of tree-fruits (poma). Ovid (J/&amp;lt;?/., xiv. 623 sq.) tells how she was loved by the silvan deities, the satyrs, pans, etc., and how Vertumnus, god of the turning year, wooed and won the shy goddess. Corresponding to Pomona there seems to have been a male Italian deity called Puemunus, who was perhaps identical with Vertumnus. At Rome Pomona had a special priest, the flamen Pomonalis, who ranked lowest among the fifteen flamens. About 12 miles from Rome on the way to Ostia there was a Pomonal, or place (perhaps grove) sacred to Pomona. She was also worshipped in the neighbourhood of Arniternum. POMPADOUR, JEANNE ANTOINETTE POISSON LE NOR- MANT D ETIOLES, MARQUISE DE (1721-1764), the most famous of all the mistresses of Louis XV., was born in Paris on 29th December 1721, and was baptized as the legitimate daughter of Fran9ois Poisson, an officer in the household of the duke of Orleans, and his wife Madeleine de la Motte, in the church of St Eustache, but she was suspected, as well as her brother, afterwards marquis of Marigny, to be the child of a very wealthy financier, and farmer-general of the revenues, Le Xormant de Tourne- hem. He at any rate took upon himself the charge of her education ; and, as from the beauty and wit she showe i from childhood she seemed to be born for some uncommon destiny, he declared her &quot; un morceau de roi,&quot; and specially educated her to be a king s mistress. This idea was con firmed in her childish mind by the prophecy of an old woman, whom in after days she pensioned for the correctness of her prediction. In 1741 she was married to a nephew of her protector and guardian, Le Noxmant d Etioles, who was passionately in love with her, and soon became a queen of fashion. Yet the world of the financiers at Paris was far apart from the court world, where she wished to reign; she could get no introduction at court, and could only try to catch the king s eye when he went out hunting. But Louis XV. was then under the influence of Madame de Mailly, who carefully prevented any further intimacy with &quot;la petite Etioles,&quot; and it was not until after her death that the king met the fair qiieen of the financial world of Paris at a ball given by the city to the dauphin in 1744, and he was immediately subjugated. She at once gave up- her husband, and in 1745 was established at Versailles as &quot; maitresse en titre.&quot; Louis XV. bought her the estate of Pompadour, from which she took her title of marquise. She was hardly established firmly in power before she showed that ambition rather than love had guided her, and began to mix in politics. Knowing that the French people of that time were ruled by the literary kings of the time, she paid court to them, and tried to play the part of a Maecenas. Voltaire was her poet in chief, and the founder of the physiocrats, Quesnay, was her physician. In the arts she was even more successful ; she was herself no mean etcher and engraver, and she encouraged and protected Vanloo, Boucher, Vien, Greuze, and the engraver Jacques Guay. Yet this policy did not prevent her from being lampooned, and the famous Poissardes against her contri buted to the ruin of many wits suspected of being among the authors, and notably of the Comte de Maurepas. The command of the political situation passed entirely into her hands ; she it was who brought Belle-Isle into office with his vigorous policy ; she corresponded regularly with the generals of the armies in the field, as her recently published letters to the Comte de Clermont prove ; and she intro duced the Abbe de Bernis into the ministry in order to effect a very great alteration of French politics in 1756. The continuous policy of France since the days of Richelieu had been to weaken the house of Austria by alliances in Germany ; but Madame de Pompadour changed this here ditary policy because Frederick the Great wrote scandalous verses on her ; and because Maria Theresa wrote her a friendly letter she entered into an alliance Avith Austria. This alliance brought on the Seven Years War with all its disasters, the battle of Rosbach and the loss of Canada ; but Madame de Pompadour persisted in her policy, and when Bernis failed her, brought Choiseul into office, and supported him in all his great plans, the Pacte de Famille, the suppression of the Jesuits, and the peace of Versailles. But it was to internal politics that this remarkable woman paid most attention ; no one obtained office except through her ; in imitation of Madame de Maintenon she prepared all business for the king s eye with the ministers, and con trived that they should meet in her room ; and she daily examined the letters sent through the post office with Janelle, the director of the post office. By this continuous- labour she made herself indispensable to Louis. Yet, when she had lost the heart of her lover after a year or two r she had a difficult task before her ; to maintain her influ ence she had not only to save the king as much trouble as possible, but to find him fresh pleasures. When he first