. Otto tells us that
Prester John had "a sceptre of emeralds."

Maimon[)i]d[^e]s, about the same time (twelfth century), mentions him, but
calls him "Prester-Cuan."

Before 1241 a letter was addressed by "Prester John" to Manuel
Comn[=e]nus, emperor of Constantinople. It is preserved in the
_Chronicle_ of Albericus Trium Fontium, who gives for its date 1165.

Mandeville calls Prester John a lineal descendant of Ogier, the Dane. He
tells us that Ogier, with fifteen others, penetrated into the north of
India, and divided the land amongst his followers. John was made
sovereign of Teneduc, and was called "Prester" because he converted the
natives to the Christian faith.

Another tradition says that Prester John had seventy kings for his
vassals, and was seen by his subjects only three times in a year.

In _Orlando Furioso_, Prester John is called by his subjects
"Sen[=a]pus, king of Ethiopia." He was blind, and though the richest
monarch of the world, he pined with famine, because harpies flew off
with his food by way of punishment for wanting to add paradise to his
empire. The plague, says the poet, was to cease "when a stranger
appeared on a flying griffin." This stranger was Astolpho, who drove the
harpies to Cocy'tus. Prester John, in return for this service, sent
100,000 Nubians to the aid of Charlemagne. Astolpho supplied this
contingent with horses by throwing stones into the air, and made
transport-ships to convey them to France by casting leaves into the sea.
After the death of Agramant, the Nubians were sent home, and then the
horses became stones again, and the ships became leaves (bks.
xvii.-xix.).

=Pretender= (_The Young_), Prince Charles Edward Stuart, son of James
Francis Edward Stuart (called "The _Old_ Pretender"). James Francis was
the son of James II., and Charles Edward was the king's grandson.--Sir
W. Scott, _Waverley_ (time, George II.).

Charles Edward was defeated at Cull[=o]den in 1746, and escaped to the
Continent.

God bless the king--I mean the "Faith's defender;"
God bless--no harm in blessing--the Pretender.
Who that Pretender is, and who is king,
God bless us all! that's quite another thing.

Ascribed by Sir W. Scott to John Byrom (in _Redgauntlet_).

The mistress of Charles Edward Stuart was Miss Walkingshaw.

=Prettyman= (_Prince_), in love with Cloris. He is sometimes a fisherman,
and sometimes a prince.--Duke of Buckingham, _The Rehearsal_ (1671).