olves.--George W. Cable,
"_Posson Jone_" (1879).

=Posthu'mus= [LEONATUS] married Imogen, daughter of Cymbeline, king of
Britain, and was banished the kingdom for life. He went to Italy, and
there, in the house of Philario, bet a diamond ring with Iachimo that
nothing could seduce the fidelity of Imogen. Iachimo accepted the bet,
concealed himself in a chest in Imogen's chamber, made himself master of
certain details and also of a bracelet, and with these vouchers claimed
the ring. Posth[=u]mus now ordered his servant, Pisanio, to inveigle
Imogen to Milford Haven under the promise of meeting her husband, and to
murder her on the road; but Pisanio told Imogen to assume boy's apparel,
and enter the service of the Roman general in Britain, as a page. A
battle being fought, the Roman general, Iachimo, and Imogen were among
the captives; and Posthumus, having done great service in the battle on
Cymbeline's behalf, was pardoned. The Roman general prayed that the
supposed page might be set at liberty, and the king told her she might
also claim a boon, whereupon she asked that Iachimo should state how he
became possessed of the ring he was wearing. The whole villainy being
thus exposed, Imogen's innocence was fully established, and she was
re-united to her husband.--Shakespeare, _Cymbeline_ (1605).

=Potage= (_Jean_), the French "Jack Pudding;" similar to the Italian
"Macaroni," the Dutch "Pickel-herringe," and the German "Hanswurst."
Clumsy, gormandizing clowns, fond of practical jokes, especially such as
stealing eatables and drinkables.

=Pother= (_Doctor_), an apothecary, "city register, and walking
story-book." He had a story _[`a] propos_ of every remark made and of
every incident; but as he mixed two or three together, his stories were
pointless and quite unintelligible. "I know a monstrous good story on
that point He! he! he" "I tell you a famous good story about that, you
must know. He! he! he!..." "I could have told a capital story, but there
was no one to listen to it. He! he! he!" This is the style of his
chattering ... "speaking professionally--for anatomy, chemistry,
pharmacy, phlebotomy, oxygen, hydrogen, caloric, carbonic, atmospheric,
galvanic. Ha! ha! ha! Can tell you a prodigiously laughable story on the
subject. Went last summer to a watering-place--lady of fashion--feel
pulse--not lady, but lap-dog--talk Latin--prescribed galvanism--out
jumped Pompey plump into a batter pudding, and lay like a toad