PUNCH, the abbreviated form of Punchinello (Ital. Polici nella, Pulcinella), the most popular of the puppets or marionettes (q.v.), and the chief figure in the "Punch and Judy" show. It is of Italian origin, though its history is by no means free from obscurity. The earlier etymologists sought to trace the name to various mythical individuals, by whom, it was alleged, the type was first furnished. F. Galiani adopts the theory which derives it from the name of Puccio d'Aniello, a vintager of Acerra near Naples, who, having by his wit and grotesque appearance vanquished some strolling comedians in their own sphere, was induced to join the troop, and whose place, by reason of his popularity, was supplied after his death by a masked actor who imitated his dress and manner. The claims of other individuals—Paolo Cinella, Pol liceno and Pulcinella, a Neapolitan dealer in fowls—have also found supporters, and the derivation of the name and character from some old mystery representing Pontius (0. Eng. Pownce; Fr. Ponce) Pilate and Judas, or the Jews, was formerly popular. It has even been suggested that the title is a modification of roXi) KCPEO) (I move much) as expressive of the restlessness which is characteristic of the puppet; and the assumption that the char acter was invariably of diminutive size has given rise to its refer ence to the word pollice, the thumb (cf. Diiumling, Tom Thumb). The most plausible theory, however, regards the name in its Italian form as a diminutive of pulcino, f em. pulcina, a chicken. It is sometimes stated that, in consequence of the habit of using the word "chicken" as a term of endearment, it came to mean "a lit tle child," and hence "a puppet" (W. Skeat). The choice, how ever, seems to lie between the theory of Quadrio, that it was ap plied on account of the resemblance of the hooked nose to a beak, and that of J. Baretti, which ascribes its employment to the nasal squeak and timorous impotence of the original character. With
respect to the development of the modern type, it has been as sumed that the whole family of Italian maschere (Arlecchino, Brighella and the like) are modified survivals of the principal Oscan characters of the Atellanae, and that Punchinello is the rep resentative of Maccus, the fool or clown. In proof of this it is urged that Acerra, the supposed residence of Puccio d'Aniello and the traditional source of the character, is in the neighbour hood of Aversa, the old Atella ; and reference is also made to a bronze statue of Maccus, discovered at Rome in 1727, an engrav ing of which has been preserved in Ficoroni's Le Maschere sceniche e le figure comiche d'antichi Romani. But the resem blance of the statue to the puppet is scarcely a striking one, and the large nose and deformed figure are somewhat hazardous ground on which to base a theory.
Andrea Perrucci (1699) and Gimma assert with some show of authority that Silvio Fiorillo, a comedian named after his princi pal part, Captain Matamoros (the Italian Miles Gloriosus), in vented the Neapolitan Pulcinella. It was afterwards improved by Andrea Calcese, surnamed Ciuccio, who died of the plague in 1656, and who, according to Gimma, imitated in the character the peasants of Acerra. This would place the origin of the Italian. Pulcinella somewhere about the commencement of the 17th cen tury, the original character appearing to have been that of a coun try clown, hook-nosed, shrill-voiced, cowardly, boastful and often stupid, yet given at times to knavish tricks and shrewd sayings. In thorough accordance with this date, we find that the earliest known appearance of Polichinelle in France is at the beginning of the reign of Louis XIV., in the show of the puppet-playing den tist Jean Brioche. The date of its introduction into England has been disputed, J. Payne Collier being of opinion that. Punch and King William came together, a second theory suggesting an earlier origin with the Huguenot refugees.