Poet, translator, and antiquarian Thomas Percy is best remembered today for his Reliques of Ancient English Poetry (1765), which inspired widespread interest in British folk literary forms such as ballads and verse tales as well as contributing to the late eighteenth century formation of a British literary canon.

An English knight and rebel who fought in campaigns against Scots on the Anglo-Scottish border as well as the French in the Hundred Years' War, Henry Percy was nicknamed "Hotspur" by the Scots for his speed and attack readiness. Percy aided Henry IV in the usurpation of Richard II, but eventually, Percy led a series of uprisings against Henry IV. Percy is a major character in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1.

Sister to Sir Philip Sidney and aunt to Lady Mary Wroth, this literary patroness was a poet and translator in her own right, authoring a substantial body of religious verse.

Italian author, dramatist, and patriot. Writings of his hardship as a political prisoner inspired sympathy for the Italian nationalist movement.

Poet and playwright during the Elizabethan period. Peele dabbled in many genres of theatre, including history, pastoral, melodrama, folk, and tragedy, as well as pageants.

Author of several papers in the Guardian and the Spectator, Pearce also offered modest assistance to Samuel Johnson in the compilation of his dictionary. He was made Bishop of Rochester and Dean of Westminster in 1756.

Born as Saul of Tarsus, Saint Paul, or Paul the Apostle, was among the first generation of Christians to spread the teachings of Jesus. He is commonly regarded as the most important figure in the history of Christianity after Jesus himself.

In Homer's Iliad, a close wartime companion of Achilles.

The primary patron saint of Ireland. In legend, he banished all snakes from the island.

Pasta was an Italian operatic soprano whose vocal and physical expressiveness revolutionized opera and made her the foremost performer of her day.