Letters of Phalaris, certain apocryphal letters ascribed to Phalaris, the tyrant, and published at Oxford, in 1718, by Charles Boyle. There was an edition in 1777 by Walckenaer; another in 1823, by G. H. Schæfer, with notes by Boyle and others. Bentley maintained that the letters were forgeries, and no doubt Bentley was right.
Phallas, the horse of Heraclius (Greek, phalios, “a grey horse.”).
Pha´on, a young man who loved Claribel, but being told that she was unfaithful to him, watched her. He saw, as he thought, Claribel holding an assignation with some one he supposed to be a groom. Returning home, he encountered Claribel herself, and “with wrathfull hand he slew her innocent.” On the trial for murder, “the lady” was proved to be Claribel’s servant. Phaon would have slain her also, but while he was in pursuit of her he was attacked by Furor.—Spenser, Faëry Queen, ii. 4, 28, etc. (1590).
*** Shakespeare’s Much Ado about Nothing is a similar story. Both are taken from a novel by Belleforest, copied from one by Bandello. Ariosto, in his Orlando Furioso, has introduced a similar story (bk. v.), and Turbervil’s Geneura is the same tale.
Pharamond, king of the Franks, who visited, incognito, the court of King Arthur, to obtain by his exploits a place among the knights of the Round Table. He was the son of Marcomir, and father of Clodion.
Calprenède has an heroic romance so called, which (like his Cleopatra and Cassandra) is a Roman de Longue Haleine (1612-1666).
Pharamond, prince of Spain, in the drama called Philaster, or Love Lies a-bleeding, by Beaumont and Fletcher (date uncertain, probably about 1662).
Pharaoh, the titular name of all the Egyptian kings till the time of Solomon, as the Roman emperors took the titular name of Cæsar. After Solomon’s time, the titular name Pharaoh never occurs alone, but only as a forename, as Pharaoh Necho, Pharaoh Hophra, Pharaoh Shishak. After the division of Alexander’s kingdom, the kings of Egypt were all called Ptolemy, generally with some distinctive after-name, as Ptolemy Philadelphos, Ptolemy Euergetês, Ptolemy Philopător, etc.—Selden, Titles of Honor, v. 50 (1614).
Pharaohs before Solomon (mentioned in the Old Testament):
1. Pharaoh contemporary with Abraham (Gen. xii. 15). This may be Osirtesen I. (dynasty xii.).