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PON  features of Venice. The public prison, which he united to the ducal palace by the celebrated Bridge of Sighs, was another of Ponte's great works, and one of the most admired for its air of solidity and stern magnificence. He also built the large storehouse of the arsenal, the church of Santa Croce, &c. But he gained perhaps greater celebrity by his restorations, or rebuilding of the public buildings of the Rialto, the college of the ducal palace, the hall of the great council, and the hall of the Squitinio—works of much importance, both from their size and architectural character. Notwithstanding these great employments, Ponte was, in his old age, so poor that he was obliged to appeal to the senate for assistance. He died in 1597.—J. T—e.  PONTE. See.  PONTÈCOULANT,, Count de, a distinguished French astronomer, was born in 1795. He was educated at the Polytechnic school, and on leaving it he became an officer of the French artillery, in which he rose by degrees to the rank of colonel. In 1848 he was made a peer of France. Amongst his works are—"Théorie analytique du Système du Monde;" a voluminous treatise on mathematical and mechanical astronomy, published in portions at intervals from 1829 till 1846; an elementary treatise on astronomy, Paris, 1840; and a series of very important papers on astronomical subjects, chiefly relating to the perturbations of the earth, moon, and planets, most of which have appeared in the Mémoires des Savans Etrangers.—R.  PONTIANUS, a Roman ecclesiastic who succeeded Urban I. in the papacy in 231. He was banished to Sardinia by the Emperor Severus, and died under the scourge in the persecution by Maximin in 235. In the sixth century an African bishop of the same name wrote against the ecclesiastical policy of Justinian.—W. B.  PONTIUS DE LA FUENTE,, or , professor of theology and canon of Seville. He was well versed in languages and general learning, and was preacher to Charles V. and his son Philip II., but adopted protestant views in England. On his return to Spain he taught his new opinions, for which he was attacked. He defended himself ably, but his books were seized, and he was imprisoned by the Inquisition. He continued in confinement two years under sentence of death, and expired on the day fixed for his execution, in 1559. His effigy was carried to the Auto da fé and burned in his stead. He wrote on several books of scripture; on christian doctrine; the "Confession of a Sinner;" and a catechism.—B. H. C.  PONTIUS,, an eminent Flemish engraver, was born at Antwerp about 1596. He was a pupil of L. Vosterman. He is celebrated for a long series of engravings from portraits by Vandyck, including the chief Flemish painters of that time, in which he has most happily rendered Vandyck's manner; and still more for his prints from the works of Rubens. These he engraved under Rubens' immediate superintendence, whose clear, firm, and brilliant style is reproduced to perfection in the prints. He also engraved many plates after other masters, but they are less esteemed than those from Rubens and Vandyck. The year of his death is unknown. His latest dated print is inscribed 1653.—J. T—e.  PONTOPPIDAN,, the Elder, a learned Danish grammarian, was born in the island of Funen, during the second decade of the seventeenth century. The church was his profession; and he finally received an appointment to the bishopric of Trondhjem in Norway, where he died in 1678, aged sixty-two. His chief work, a grammar of the Danish language, is composed in Latin, and was published in 1668. It is interesting as being the first printed grammar of the Danish tongue.—J. J.  PONTOPPIDAN,, the Younger, an eminent Danish author, and nephew of the preceding, was born at Aarhuus in Jutland in 1698. He studied at Fredericia, and afterwards at Copenhagen, where he took his degree in divinity. During the earlier period of his life, he held various ecclesiastical appointments in Holstein and Schleswig, but afterwards removed to Denmark, where he became one of the royal chaplains. In 1738 he was made professor of theology in the university of Copenhagen, and in 1747 was preferred to the bishopric of Bergen in Norway. Finally, he became vice-chancellor of Copenhagen university, an office he held till his death in 1764. Pontoppidan was a laborious and unwearied writer, and his works are valuable and full of research. His chief production is the "Gesta et Vestigia Danorum extra Daniam"in which the author gives an account of the ancient Danes, their emigrations to other European countries, &c. He also wrote "Annales Ecclesiæ Danicæ," a history of the Danish church. Other works were likewise composed by him in his native tongue, such as his "Norges Naturlige Historic" (Natural History of Norway), famous for its stories of sea-serpents and similar monsters; and "Don Danske Atlas" (The Danish Atlas), a most elaborate topographical description of Denmark.—J. J. <section end="775H" /> <section begin="775I" />PONTORMO,, the ordinary name of , derived from his birthplace Pontormo in Tuscany, where he was born in 1493. He was the scholar of Andrea del Sarto, and, like his master, was an imitator and devoted admirer of Michelangelo. He was an excellent portrait painter, but his most important works were some frescoes in the church of San Lorenzo in Florence, representing the Deluge and the Last Judgment. As they were, however, in the mannered style of the anatomical imitators of Michelangelo, they lost all estimation in the subsequent century, fell with all similar works into discredit, and were whitewashed over. Pontormo died at Florence in 1558. His portraits are still highly esteemed. He was the master of Angelo Bronzino.—(Vasari.)—R. N. W. <section end="775I" /> <section begin="775J" />PONTUS DE LA GARDIE, a French soldier of fortune in the sixteenth century, served successively in the armies of Mary Queen of Scots, the king of Denmark, and Eric, king of Sweden; and having borne a prominent part in the revolution by which Eric was deposed and John III. raised to the throne, rose to the rank of grand marshal of the armies of Sweden and governor of Livonia. He was drowned at Revel in 1585.—T. A. <section end="775J" /> <section begin="775K" />PONZ,, a Spanish writer on art, was born in 1725, and studied at Rome for several years. In 1759 he was attracted to Naples by the discoveries at Herculaneum and Pompeii. He was afterwards employed by Charles III. to adorn the library of the Escurial with portraits of eminent literary characters. In this work he passed six years, and then received a commission to visit the various colleges of the jesuits, to examine the works of art there contained. This labour occupied him twenty years (1771-90), and the results are recorded of his "Viage de España," 18 vols., a work of great importance to the history of Spanish art. He died in 1792.—F. M. W. <section end="775K" /> <section begin="775L" />POOL or POOLE,, the biblical commentator, was born in York in the year 1624. He was a descendant of the ancient family of the Pools of Spinkhill, Derbyshire; and his father, Francis Pool, Esq., was a gentleman of good estate. Matthew was educated at Emanuel college, Cambridge, and having finished his studies he succeeded Dr. Tuckney as minister of St. Michael's-le-Querne, London. Here he continued for fourteen years, when he was ejected in 1662 by the act of conformity. After this he devoted himself chiefly to study. His great work is his "Synopsis Criticorum," in 5 vols., folio, a work of immense labour, and the value of which to biblical students it is impossible to overestimate. This was the result of ten years' unremitting effort, continued generally for nearly twelve hours each day. As this work was intended for scholars he set himself to produce a work which should be more adapted to unlettered readers of the Bible, and this resulted in his "Annotations upon the Holy Bible," of which he had written as far as the 59th chapter of Isaiah before his death. The work, completed by some of his friends, was published in 2 vols., folio, London, 1683-85. He wrote also some other works of a theological and polemical character. Having vigorously attacked Romanism in his "Nullity of the Romish Faith," and his "Dialogues between a Popish priest and an English Protestant," he became obnoxious to the Romish party, and finding his name in Oates' list of those marked for assassination, he deemed it prudent to retire to Amsterdam, where he died October, 1679.—W. L. A. <section end="775L" /> <section begin="775M" />POOLE,, an English mariner, concerning whom nothing is known beyond the fact of his having taken an active share in the northern fisheries, which in the early part of the seventeenth century engaged largely the attention of maritime nations, and in the pursuit of discovery in high latitudes in connection with such undertakings. He sailed in 1610 and the two following years in the employ of the Muscovy Company, reaching on one occasion the latitude of 79° 50´ in the sea between Greenland and Spitzbergen, and in a subsequent voyage attaining the parallel of 80°. The narrative of Poole's voyages is given in Purchas, part iii., London, 1625.—W. H. <section end="775M" /> <section begin="775Zcontin" />* POOLE,, R.A., was born at Bristol in 1810. Of a respectable mercantile family, Mr. Poole received <section end="775Zcontin" />