SUMMARY.—­B. 1688, ed. at various Romanist schools, introduced to Wycherley 1704, pub. Pastorals 1709, Essay on Criticism 1711, Rape of the Lock 1714, Windsor Forest and Temple of Fame 1713, translation of Iliad 1715-20, Odyssey 1725-26, coll. Works 1717, buys villa at Twickenham 1718, pub. ed. of Shakespeare 1725, Miscellanies 1727-28, Dunciad 1728 (fourth book 1742), Epistles 1731-35, Essay on Man 1733, Imitations of Horace 1733-39, d. 1744.

The best ed. of the Works is that of Elwin and Courthope, with Life by Courthope (10 vols., 1871-89).

PORDAGE, SAMUEL (1633-1691?).—­Poet, s. of a clergyman in Berks, ed. at Merchant Taylor’s School, studied law at Lincoln’s Inn, and made various translations, wrote some poems, two tragedies, Herod and Mariamne (1673), and The Siege of Babylon (1678), and a romance, Eliana.  He is best known by his Azaria and Hushai (1682), in reply to Dryden’s Absalom and Achitophel, distinguished from the other replies by its moderation and freedom from scurrility.

PORSON, RICHARD (1759-1808).—­Scholar, s. of the parish clerk of E. Ruston, Norfolk, was distinguished from childhood by a marvellous tenacity of memory which attracted the attention of the curate of the parish, who ed. him, after which he was sent by a gentleman to Eton.  Subsequently a fund was collected for the purpose of maintaining him at Camb., where he had a brilliant career, and became a Fellow of Trinity Coll.  This position he lost by refusing to take orders.  In 1792 he was appointed Prof. of Greek in the Univ., but resided for the most part in London, where he was much courted by literary men, but unfortunately fell into extremely intemperate habits.  P. was one of the very greatest of Greek scholars and critics; but he has left little permanent work of his own.  He ed. four plays of Euripides, viz., Hecuba, Orestes, Phoenissae, and Medea.  His most widely read work was his Letters to Archdeacon Travis on the disputed passage, 1 John v. 7, which is considered a masterpiece of acute reasoning.  He is buried in the chapel of Trinity Coll.

PORTER, ANNA MARIA (1780-1832), PORTER, JANE (1776-1850).—­Novelists, were the dau. of an Irish army surgeon, and sisters of Sir Robert Ker P., the painter and traveller.  After the death of the f. the family settled in Edin., where they enjoyed the friendship of Scott.  ANNA at the age of 12 pub. Artless Tales, the precursor of a series of tales and novels numbering about 50, the best being Don Sebastian (1809).  JANE, though the elder by four years, did not pub. until 1803, when her first novel, Thaddeus of Warsaw, appeared. The Scottish Chiefs followed in 1810.