PLOCKHORST. 121 PLOTINUS. turned after havin" been professor at the School of Art ill Weimar from 1S6C to 18G9. His ve- liu'ious paintings excel in lofty conception, great trutlif Illness and depth of expression, and a mas- terlv technique, placiiifr him in the front rank as a colorist. Foremost among them is the "Contest of Archangel ilichael vith Satan for the Body of Moses" ( 1861-66) in the Cologne ihiseum, and other noteworthy specimens include "Jlary and John Eeturning from Christ's Tomb," in the Liiwenstein Oallerv at Moscow; "Christ and the" Adulteress," "Mater Dolorosa" ( 1860 ) , both in the Leipzig Museum: and "Resurrection" (1867), in the Cathedral at Marienwerder. Among his more recent works ma3- be mentioned "Christ's Entry into Jerusalem"' (1892) and "Abide with Us" (1895). Of several meritorious portraits, those of Emperor William I. and Empress Augusta (1876) are in the National Gallery, Berlin. PLOESTI, pl6-es'te. A town of Rumania. See Plove-shti. PLOMBIERES, plox'byiii"'- -'^ fashionable watering-place in the Department of Vosges, France, 13 miles south of Epinal (Map: France, X 4). It is picturesquely situated in a deep val- ley on the Augronne and is celebrated for a num- lier of mineral and thermal springs, known since the time of the Romans. The place was embel- lished by Stanislas Leszczynski in the eighteenth century, and by Xapoleon III. in the nineteenth. There are sumptuous public and private bath- houses, a hospital founded by Stanislas, two large hotels, a casino, a park, and promenades. Popu- hition, in 1901, 1830. At Plombi&res in July, 1858, occurred the secret meeting between Na- poleon III. and Cavour which led to the conclu- sion of an alliance between France and Sardinia against Austria. See Italy; Cavour. PLONGEE, plox'zhfi' (Fr.. plunged). In military science, a term meaning a slope toward the front. The plough of a shell in artillerv' fire is that part of the curve of the trajectory between its highest altitude and the point at which it strikes the earth. In fortification the plongee is the superior slope of the parapet toward the front. The slope of the latter varies from 1 in 9 to 1 in 4. PLONNIES, ple'nez, LuiSE vox (1803-72). A German lyrist and religious poet, born at Darm- stadt. Her sketches of travel in Belgium, pub- lished in 1847, won her election to the Brussels Royal Academy. Her lyric ability is best shown by her translations: Britaitiiia (1843), Enqlische Lyriker des I'J. Jahrhunderts (1863), though some of her original works have merit, such as Gcdichtc { 1844) ; a sonnet sequence, Abiihird und HnUiise (1849): and Die sieben liaben (1862; 3d ed. 1866). Of her religious poems the best known are: Lilicn auf dein Fclde (1864) ; a drama, Maria ilagdalena (1870); and David (1873). PLONNIES, Wn-HELM vox (1828-711. A German military writer, son of Luise von Pliinnies. He was born in Darmstadt, entered the Hessian infantry at sixteen, fought in the campaign of 1848-49 in Baden, and resigned in 1861. In belles-lettres he made himself known by a version of Kiidiiin (1853). by the poems Im- mortcllcn des Schlachtfeldes (1870) and Schuan- enlieder (1871), and by a humorous novel, Leben, M'irken und Ende des Generals Leberecht vom Knoiif (1869; 2d ed. 1877; written under the pseudonym Ludwig Siegrist). His works on fire- arms are very valuable. They include: Xeue Studien iiber die gezogene Feuertcaffe der Infan- terie (1861-64), Das ZiindnmMyewelir (1865), Hinterladungsgeicehre (1867), and, with Wey- gandt, Die deutsche Gewehrfrage (1871). PLON-PLON, plox' plO.x'. A name given to Prince Xapoleon. son of Jerome Bonaparte, in al- lusion to his cowardice in the Crimean War. Uhe word is a corruption of plomb-plomb (lead). PLOTI'NUS (Lat., from Gk. nXwr^os, Plo- tinos). The most original and important pliiloso- pher of the Neo-Platonie .school. He was born at Lycopolis, in Egypt, about a.d. 205 ; but such w-as his utter indifference to things human, "being ashamed almost to live in a body," that he never would divulge even liis parentiigo. He would never allow his birthday to be celebrated, although he gave feasts on those of Socrates and Plato ; nor would he ever permit a painter or sculptor to per- petuate his features, or, as he called it. to produce the image of an image — the bodybeing to him only afaint imageofexistence. His body was altogether contemptible in his eyes; he would see no physi- cian in his illness, and was very sparing in the use of food, refraining from meat, often even from bread. Strangely enough, his desire for the study of philosophy did not arise within him before his twenty-eighth year, when he repaired to Alex- andria, and there, after having sat at the feet of the great masters for some time without feeling satisfied with their teachings, he at last became acquainted with Ammonius Saccas, and in him found the desired teacher. For ten years he zeal- ously attended his lectures, and although he had agreed, with tw'o fellow-students, never to make known aught of Ammonius's teachings to the world, he yet became the chief representative and author of that school, less as a pupil than as an independent thinker, who, taking his stand upon its theorems, developed them to their full extent. In 242 he joined Gordianus's expedition to Per- sia, in order to devote himself to the philosophy of India and Persia ; but the Emperor being mur- dered in ilesopotamia. he had to repair hurriedly to Antioch, whence, in 244, he went to Rome. His lectures here were attended by crowds not only of eager youths, but of men and women of the highest circles. Xot only Platonic wisdom, in Xeo-Platonic garb, but asceticism and the charm of a purely contemplative life, were the themes on which he, in ever-new variations, and with an extraordinary depth and brilliancy, held forth ; and such was the impression his earnest- ness made upon his hearers, that .several of them really gave up their fortunes to the poor, set their slaves free, and devoted themselves to a life of study and ascetic piety. Dying parents in- trusted their children and money to him, well knowing that a more honest guardian, and one more anxious for his charges, could not be found. It is hardly surprising to find that his contem- poraries coupled with his rare virtues the gift of working miracles. At the age of sixty he thought of founding an aristocratical and com- munistic commonwealth on the model of Plato's Republic, and obtained from the Emperor Gal- lienus a grant of two cities in Campania as a' site for his -Platonopolis'; but courtiers prevented the fulfillment of this promise. Plotinus died in
