J. C. Powys' Autobiography: A Reader's Companion - Site POWYS

44 Autobiography
an ape or an angel? I, my lord, am on the side of
the angels.”
one of his [Llewelyn’s] books (147) — See The
Verdict of Bridlegoose (112). JCP refers to this
incident again in Letters to Ross (138).
“one thing needful” (334, 424) — Luke 10:42. Also
quoted in Porius (550), Owen Glendower (718),
The Meaning of Culture (55, 238), Dostoievsky
(29), and Rabelais (33).
O’Neill, Bernard [Bernie] (259ff.) — An eccentric
London doctor (1865–1947), a close friend of the
Powys family. Little is known about him. There
are photos in R. P. Graves (Plate 3) and Letters to
Llewelyn (I, between 208 and 209). The anecdote
about his watching a fisherman’s net to see if it
contained a mermaid seems to allude to an
incident parodying Coleridge in Thomas Love
Peacock’s Nightmare Abbey (1818). Llewelyn
called him “this incomparable Irishman” (Skin for
Skin [74]). JCP dedicated Poems, Suspended
Judgments, and Rabelais to him.
open sesame (127) — The password of the forty
thieves in The Arabian Nights Entertainment.
Ophelia ... flowers (31) — The reference is to the
mad Ophelia and the distributing of flowers in
Shakespeare’s Hamlet (IV v).
Orage, Mr. (559) — A. R. Orage (1875–1934),
literary and political editor, who edited the New
Age from 1907 until 1922. Llewelyn was a
contributor. For Llewelyn’s account of what may
have been the same tea-party, see The Verdict of
Bridlegoose (163).
orange-bellied newt[s] (21, 89) — These also
appear in After My Fashion (284), Ducdame (187),
and Wolf Solent (237). Cf. also Llewelyn’s
Impassioned Clay (23).
Orbis Terrarum (592) — The world, the globe
(Latin). From Augustine. See “semper eadem ...”
Orguz, Count (422) — (Powys makes two
mistakes: “Interrment“ should be “Interment”
and “Orguz” should be “Orgaz”.) El Greco’s
painting of the interment is still in the S. Tome
church in Toledo for which it was originally
designed.
Osage hedges (499) — The so-called Osage
orange (Maclura pomifera) of the central United
States is used for hedges. “Osage” refers to an
American Indian people.
Osmaston Park (12, 23) — Osmaston Manor is
located just over a mile northwest of Shirley.
Ouse (247) — A river in Sussex that runs through
Lewes. It is distinguished from the other Ouse
flowing through Bedford and Huntingdon into
the Wash.
“over” (93) — A cricketing term. Six balls are
bowled from one end of the pitch, and then
another bowler bowls six to the second batsman
from the other. Each set of six is an “over.”
Oxborough Ferry (150) — Near Northwold,
Norfolk. JCP introduces it into A Glastonbury
Romance (7). See also 1929 Diary (61–2) and
Petrushka and the Dancer (11).
Oxford Dictionary (228) — The Oxford English
Dictionary (OED), first published in 13 volumes
between 1884 and 1928. The original editor was J.
A. H. Murray (1837–1915).
Oxonian (267) — Relating to Oxford.
P
Paddock Calls (529) — The play has since been
published (1984). The title comes from
Shakespeare’s Macbeth (I i 18).
Padua (84) — A city in north-east Italy famous for
its university (where Galileo taught).
Palatine Hill (297) — One of the famous seven
hills of Rome.
Paladour (440) — In fact, “Palladour,” the ancient
name for Shaftesbury in Wiltshire.
Pallenore — See “Pellenore.”
Pangloss (375, 522) — The optimistic philosopher
in Voltaire’s Candide, who claimed that we live in
the best of all possible worlds.
Pandarus (405) — The uncle of Cressida in
Classical legend, from whom “pander” derives.
He appears as a character in Chaucer’s Troilus
and Criseyde and Shakespeare’s Troilus and
Cressida.
Pantagruelian (109, 262, 309, 312, 314, 422, 561) —
Relating to Pantagruel, the son of Gargantua in
Rabelais (q.v.). So, “Pantagruelist” (18) and
“Pantagruelians” (435). NB: The first reference
should be capitalized.
Pantaloon (513) — A lean and foolish old man, a
stock character in traditional Italian comedy.
Pantheon (402, 435) — The first reference is to the
temple at Rome founded by Agrippa (27 BC),
rebuilt by Hadrian (AD 117–125), and used as a
Christian church since 609. The second is to the
church in Paris, begun in 1764, secularized in
1885, and now a burial-place for French people of
note.
Panurge (476) — A leading character in Rabelais.
For his brutality to Ding-Dong, see Book 4,
chs.6–8.
Paracelsus (11, 631) — Swiss physician and later
alchemist (c.1493–1541). Llewelyn has a late essay
about him in Swiss Essays.
Pariahs (165) — Compare the use of the word in
Wood and Stone (ch.6).
“Park Coverts” (641) — A place near Montacute
also given as “Park Covers” in A Glastonbury