№：№v - №
ſae
[\\]]
T.
R!！!!!!!!!!!!!!IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIſºſſſſſſſſſſ!!!E
v ， ， • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • F）
º
tº Jºl
MU_\U Q&A. K.J.
NººS)
º
MATA® AS/NAMº-WAN).º.º.
∞ș5，2°
milliºn unnuntutºnºmºllutiºn
sº escºee-le- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
intrºllinºlºuntrillº
Cº-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º-º- - - - - - -
F

































DICTIONARY
OF
PHRASE AND FABLE
I'hoto. G. B. Esam, New Ollerton.
E. COBHAM BREWER, LL.D. (Aged 85 Years.)
Author of “The Dictionary of Phrase and Fable.”

DICTIONARY
OF
PHRASE AND FABLE
A., “’ * & =
9 & 6 & &
GIVING THE -- " . . . . . . . . .”
Derivation, Source, or Origin of Common Phrases, A//usions,
and Words that haze a Zale to Ze/7 -
W
&
My •
0. BY THE REV.
EYCOBHAM BREWER, LL.D.
NEW EDITION
REVISED, CORRECTED, AND ENLARGED
TO WHICH IS ADDED
A CONCISE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE
tooth THousAND
CASSELL AND COMPANY, LIMITED
* * EONDON, PAAEMS & ME LBOURNE
1895
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
#
# f
..' ,' '
* *
y i *
%
;
j

9), 0UCK /
^jo * JYow and ºy tºwa
'%as 4. Yait.' |Sq2, .
M U} ſºvovºr ałow, (A Awww.uv a cowſ Mace, k vuºr
*: '%aw. ana Šakº was *ašona & covºvow
waſ ºf tº book w a ifiak ſº a &c., a waw vow (ana&
.." * wº wº º
JA \ſs wowaſ maº nºw `. *a, ºwn wasawMew
nº fit awºkº Awaſſed ºf a £e ºbeſiew many wovou,
rººm *ws $ºn exhºord , and an wa *Made ºl. teen neached
wkeſ, wº-QA alway whºotſte whea & took was ºne wadovlaka
was than 50 y” 0. º Mao º Wewed Mone tº
$oºk ov M3 nºw wºW %as &#w § a/ ific owº, elºw,
#aſ raw maſºvu ow % tº ſaid w alone ovu'uo covecºed, and-
. *one wººd. 4. juvadº \ſº wwk /mly’ve rº “f”,
ſwvo’ \ 0.2 *ww. Ao ‘c dºwcled on.- -
W has twº ºak, ºv concoval, ºak, 0^ fit awkw
* * * * 85% ºwn tºo aav, W wowſ, tº devºte-
* koa kaatſa is ºvoº ke !. &vk,- a neº-own aw"
&whº . 2ack º amº vvº aſ ckwa Ø (u% Cavſ, £e
made va * \{a\to wº "Now and intana'a ºwn’
kas, º , ºtoa º attack, wna woº Ava has two
Fººd V (M (A. fº * \{% %. onaſ fed K. owº, ſº make.
addſwaa and tw.echº, waſ ſo ow}*Awie moºr avºicſo ºn toº
woeſ...{ rate ad 64%ºm } 09 *A \to Now was *y. biºlº
is vºw aſt Q (Q&AAJ- www. tº IV \t otA tºwed , –
^jk; {ax} 4ta wºu o ſº JWavewayſ, 69a) £ave £een-
Mwww.M … ñed ſº now e^2 a ion £2% Nºt-
º "º"disſiºn-ºw ºn tº sawwe was **)
kaº ºva Wººd in Wu, ...ſ. Waa in a 4&n #me,’
awa ºvando nºv Acketano wn &ndaſ, Jºvºaça aaa .4%aeaca,
have &Mutaka ſ wºve ſon cºnscio; 3. KM awº-w ~,


! Acom/ º “y
4. & (an * ca'a Vowch even * ſº {y 4 wº &M wº
º #s º **** ºw was ºva'a ºnawa. wkwa % We
twº wiskºwºs" ºr nºw & t We accoacy, ºr Westown ww-
dwavodeº one ºw\º www.cdow. A www. \s wº Mºv vºwto taken
vº ki ſma/Mou * yº Uvu º wº Wława Yºu "ona * ***
޺wa'. ( ( |
Ja wow "No, waa katana'a wavºwn aſ tº ºwy
8%ase and hałł' advan) as has two lakes *w acº tºw
wevoww. tº wow waſ ºr sºwnev. Mans Wºw ºn "Wºnd * *
$ovk Cºnvaio" & wke Antwr /ma/Mov, Jova. 350 wa a \a to have icºn
244 ed and aſ 'WºwW &aa (ºwn Neºavata f Mwww. edwºod flag ºwn
* Mo ke Avvostol Acwº Y —
Yºwake was way dwoweak due , and wit $o Ano' awak ſoft
Mºndard is \t was “awao º cºmaa's wk, #4. wºm'io
\ awºw trº lſº J. wº t/ſ, & toºk sy %a. Kw $ºw-
2\ºxtº Arae have awaavolºd was wºrk, Jºat have Jewſ **
Awwºw awa Aśva kawi was diſavº, ºvºws'. We ºwn tº hºw
sooººwn kºa bewawaa (; vad , own & Rºw, ºw, taewomans
A. K. awºkº, wwº º to was koa accoºna A, Kø wayww.—
º Kwº (aok | wººd wwwºwn ºvda & made, º 3. Avºwn.
Mºvadoſt, M A. º tºwn º JM/Ara Mewtwº-ſº (DR º
9, wº, \ An A. ººrwº ºw * * vº a row.3% \ºdºwo waſ wº.
Akwa wºe j . **) Mawa *A*, ºxº "ºnal Acadvºw ºn-
***śā º, ^\,{\aw & tº”, a well-kwwn awº , ovač º (A. %kow-
wº-ſaw wºw wºw ) ºwe ma wavasa Mºwtºwn Wv Wºº. –
Y 20 dowo Wºt momeo & A\ow wºwee covyce wondence \{{2 (R-
Vox aw wºn 33d vačíe Mºe , wow{A 9evve ſw w/6 º Maws, | wad.
www.ſa nº tºwn.0% ºw yº Radovì twº A onwy, wºwº vasway
§e *\ed wº ałł Wº * , and aſ W. Wave # * 'wº, #, mune
Kaa haſ a c º Wo ºntºww i *} **s-à-tºes wiłł
**cºat o' Mwadland toºk º nºwns. ºw (k * Av ºr N.&A va, -,

- § ***** J}\twº, -
&actuſ.“ A'ra-v. fi
–4 vſ. own JJ 4- -
T HIE
IDI O TI O N A RY
OF
PHRASE AND FA ELE.
—- —e.<>e—
A. This letter is modified from the
Hebrew 8 (aleph = an ox), which was
meant to indicate the outline of an ox's
head.
A among the Egyptians is denoted by
the hieroglyphic which represents the
ibis. Among the Greeks it was the
symbol of a bad augury in the sacrifices.
A in logic is the symbol of a universal
affirmative. A asserts, E denies. Thus,
syllogisms in barbara contain three uni-
versal affirmative propositions.
A1 means first-rate—the very best.
In Dloyd's Register of British and Foreign
Shipping, the character of the ship's hull
is designated by letters, and that of the
anchors, cables, and stores by figures.
Al means hull first-rate, and also an-
chors, cables, and stores; A2, hull
first-rate, but furniture second-rate.
Vessels of an inferior character are clas-
sified under the letters AE, E, and I.
i he is a prime girl, she is ; She is A1.”—Satºm,
lCh.
A.B. (See ABLE.)
A.B.C. = Aerated Bread Company.
A B C Book. A primer, a book in
which articles are set in alphabetical
order, as the A B C Railway Guide.
The old Primers contained the Cate-
chism, as is evident from the lines:—
“That is question now ;
And then comes answer like an Absey book.”
ShulceSpearé º Ring John, i. 1.
A.B.C. Process (The) of making
artificial manure. An acrostic of Alum,
Blood, Clay, the three chief ingredients.
A. E. I. O. U. The device adopted
%y Frederick V., Archduke of Austria
(the Emperor Frederick III. — 1440-
1493).
Allstria Est. Imperare Orbi Universo.
Alle; Erdreich. Tst Oesterreich Unterthan.
Austria's Enll)ire Is Overall Universal.
To which wags added after the war of
1866,
Austria's Emperor Is Ousted Utterly.
Frederick II. of Prussia, is said to hav
translated the motto thus:–
“Austria Erit In Orbe Ultima” (Austria will
One day be lowest in the world).
A.U.C. Anno ºrbis condita (Latin),
“from the foundation of the city”—i.e.,
Rome.
6.
Aaron. An Aſtron’s Serpent. Some-
thing so powerful as to swallow up minor
powers.-Exodus vii. 10-12.
Ab. Abovo. From the very beginning.
Stasinos, in the epic poem called the
Little Iliad, does not rush in Anedias
res, but begins with the eggs of Leda,
from one of which Helen was born. If
Leda had not laid this egg, Helen would
never have been born. If Helen had not
been born, Paris could not have eloped
with her. If Paris had not eloped with
Helen, there would have been no Trojan
War, etc. -
Ab oro usque ad mala. From the first
dish to the last. A Roman coena (dinner)
consisted of three parts. The first course
was the appetiser, and consisted chiefly
of eggs, with stimulants; the second was
the “ dinner proper; ” and the third the
dessert, at which mála (i.e., all sorts of
apples, pears, quinces, pomegranates, and
So on) formed the most conspicuous part.
—Ho). Sat. I. iii. 5.
1
Aback
Abd
Aback'. I was taken aback—I was
greatly astonished —taken by surprise-
startled. It is a sea term. A ship is
“taken aback ’’ when the sails are Sud-
denly carried by the wind back against
the mast, instantly staying the ship’s
progress—very daugerous in a strong
gale.
A small frame with wires
Each wire contains
ten movable balls,
which can be shifted
backwards or for-
wards, so as to vary
ad libiţatin the num-
ber in two or more
blocks. It is used to
teach children addi-
tion and subtraction.
The ancient Greeks and Romans em-
ployed it for calculations, and so do the
Chinese. The word is derived from the
Phoen, abak (dust); the Orientals used
tables covered with dust for ciphering
and diagrams. In Turkish schools this
method is still used for teaching writing.
The multiplication table invented by
Bythagoras is called Abacus Pythagor’i-
cus. (Latin, abacus ; Greek, & 365.)
Abaddon. The angel of the bottom-
less pit (Rev. ix. 11). The Hebrew abad
means “he perished.”
“The angell of the bottomlesse pytt, whose
name in the hebrew tonge is Abadon.”—Timdale.
Abam’bou. The evil spirit of the
Camma tribes in Africa. A fire is kept
always burning in his house. He is
supposed to have the power of causing
sickness and death.
Ab'acus.
stretched across it.
—OO –-OOOOOOOO—
—OOOO—OOOOO() —
—O-—OOOOOOOOO–
—OOOOOOO–-() ()()—
—OOOOO – OOO(){}—
—OOOOOOOOO–()—
Abandon means put at anyone's
orders; hence, to give up. (Latin, ad,
to; bann-um, late Latin for “a decree.”)
Abandon fait larron. As oppor-
tunity makes the thief, the person who
neglects to take proper care of his goods,
leads into temptation, hence the proverb,
“Neglect leads to theft.”
Abſaris. The dart of Abaris. Abaris,
the Scythian, was a priest of Apollo ;
and the god gave him a golden arrow
on which to ride through the air. This
dart rendered him invisible ; it also
cured diseases, and gave Oracles. Abaris
gave it to Pythagoras.
“The dart of Abaris carried the philosopher
wheresoever he desired it.”—Willm.0tt.
Abate (2 syl.) means properly to knock
down. (French, abattre, whence a battite,
i.e., wholesale destruction of game;
O.E. a-bedtan.)
Abate, in horselisanship, is to per-
form well the downward motion. A
horse is said to abate when, working
upon curvets, he puts or beats down, both
his hind legs to the ground at once, and
keeps exact time.
Abatement, in heraldry, is a mark
of dishonour annexed to coat armour,
whereby the honour of it is abated.
Abaton. (Greek a, not ; 8atvo, I go.)
As inaccessible as Abéton. Artemisia, to
commemorate her conquest of Rhodes,
erected two statues in the island, one
representing herself, and the other em-
|blematical of Rhodes. When the
Rhodians recovered their liberty they
looked upon this monument as a kind of
palladium, and to prevent its destruction
surrounded it with a fortified enclosure
which they called Abaton, or the inac-
cessible place. (Lucan speaks of an
island difficult of access in the fens of
Memphis, called Abáton.)
Abb'assides (3 syl.). A dynasty of
caliphs who reigned from 750-1258.
The name is derived from Abbas, uncle
of Mahomet. The most celebrated of
them was Haroun-al-Raschid (born 765,
reigned 786-808).
Abbey Laird (An). An insolvent
debtor sheltered by the precincts of
Holyrood Abbey.
“As diligence cannot be proceeded with on
Sunday, the Abbey Lairds (as they were jocularly
called) were enabled to come forth on that day
to mingle in Our Society.”—R. Chambers.
Abbey-lubber (An). An idle, well-
fed dependent or loafer.
“It came into a common proverl)e to call him
an Abbºtſ-lubber, that, was Idle, wel fed, a long,
lewd, lither loiterer, that might worke and would
not.”—The Bull mynge of Pattles Church, 1563.
It is used also of religions in con-
tempt; see Dryden’s Spanish Friar.
Abbot of Misrule, or Lord of Misrule.
A person who used to superintend the
Christmas diversions. In France the
“Abbot of Misrule '’ was called L’abbé
de Liesse (jollity). In Scotland the
master of revels was called the “Master
of Unreason.”
Abbotsford. A name given by Sir
Walter Scott to Clarty Hole, on the
south bank of the Tweed, after it be-
came his residence. Sir Walter devised
the name from a fancy he loved to in-
dulge in, that the abbots of Melrose
Abbey, in ancient times, passed over the
fords of the Tweed.
Abd in Arabic = slave or servant, as
Abd-Allah (servant of God), Abd-el-
Kader (servant of the Mighty One), Abd-

Abdael
Abhor
ul-Latif (servant of the Gracious One),
etc.
Abdael (2 syl.).
Duke of Albemarle.
( * Bray, Abdael o'er the prophets' School was
) la C63
George Monk, third
Ce(I :
Abduel, with all his father's virtues graced, . .
Without one Hebrew's blood, restored the crown.”
Dryden, and Tetit : Absalom and Achitophel, Part ii.
* Tate's blunder for Abdiel (q.v.).
Abdall’ah, the father of Mahomet,
was so beautiful, that when he married
Amina, 200 virgins broke their hearts
from disappointed love.—JVashington
Irring : Life of Mahomet.
Abdall’ah. Brother and predecessor
of Giaffir, pacha of Aby'dos. He was
murdered by Giaffir (2 syl.).-Byron :
J}ride of Abydos.
Abdals. Persian fanatics, who think
it a merit to kill anyone of a different
religion; and if slain in the attempt, are
accounted martyrs.
Abde'ra. A maritime town of Thrace,
said in fable to have been founded by
Abdéra, sister of Diomede. It was so
overrun with rats that it was abandoned,
and the Abderitans migrated to Mace-
donia.
Abderiſtan. A native of Abdéra, a
maritime city of Thrace. The Abderi-
tans were proverbial for stupidity, hence
the phrase, “You have no more mind
than an Abderite.” Yet the city gave
birth to some of the wisest men of
Greece : as Democrítos (the laughing
philosopher), Protagóras (the great so-
phist), Anaxarchos (the philosopher and
friend of Alexander), Hecataeos (the
historian), etc.
Ab deritan Laughter. Scoffing
laughter, incessant laughter. So called
from Abdéra, the birthplace of Democ-
litos, the laughing philosopher.
Ab'derite (3 Syl.). A scoffer, so called
from Democ'ritos.
Abde'rus. One of Herakles's friends,
devoured by the horses of Diomede.
Diomede gave him his horses to hold,
and they devoured him.
Abdiel. The faithful seraph who
withstood Satan when he urged the
angels to revolt. (See Patradise Lost,
Bk. v., lines 896, etc.)
“[He] adheres, with the faith of
ancient form of adoration.”—Sir W. Scott.
Abeceda'rian. One who teaches or
is learning his A B C.
Abecedaria, hymns. Hymns which
began with the letter A, and each verse
Åbdiel, to the
or clause following took up the letters
of the alphabet in regular succession.
(See ACROSTIC PoETRY.)
Abel and Cain. The Mahometan
tradition of the death of Abel is this :
Cain was born with a twin sister who
was named Aclima, and Abel with a
twin sister named Jumella. Adam
wished Cain to marry Abel's twin sister,
and Abel to marry Cain's. Cain would
not consent to this arrangement, and
Adam proposed to refer the question to
God by means of a sacrifice. God re-
jected Cain's sacrifice to signify his dis-
approval of his marriage with Aclima,
his twin sister, and Cain slew his brother
in a fit of jealousy.
Abel Keene. A village schoolmaster,
afterwards a merchant's clerk. He was
led astray, lost his place, and hanged
himself. – Crabbe : Borough, Letter xxi.
Aſbelites (3 syl.), Abel'ians, or Abe-
lo'nians. A Christian sect of the fourth
century, chiefly found in Hippo (N.
Africa). They married, but lived in
continence, as they affirm Abel did.
The sect was maintained by adopting
the children of others. No children of
Abel being mentioned in Scripture, the
Abelites assume that he had none.
Abes'sa. The impersonation of
Abbeys and Convents, represented by
Spenser as a damsel. When Una asked
if she had seen the Red Cross Knight,
Abessa, frightened at the lion, ran to the
cottage of blind Superstition, and shut
the door. Una, arrived, and the lion
burst the door open. The meaning is,
that at the Reformation, when Truth
came, the abbeys and convents got
alarmed, and would not let Truth enter,
but England (the lion) broke down the
door.—Faëry Queen, i. 3.
Abesta. A book said to have been
written by Abraham as a commentary
on the Zend and the Pazend. It is
furthermore said that Abraham read .
these three books in the midst of the
furnace into which he was cast by
Nimrod.—Persian Mythology.
Abey'ance really means something
gaped after (French, bayer, to gape).
The allusion is to men standing with
their mouths open, in expectation of
Some sight about to appear.
Abhigit. The propitiatory sacrifice
made by an India:l rajah who has slain
a priest without premeditation.
Abhor' (Latin, ab, away from, and
horreo, to shrink; originally, to shudder,
Abiala.
Above
have the hair on end). To abhor is to
have a natural antipathy, and to show it
by shuddering with disgust.
Abiala. Wife of Makambi; African
deities. She holds a pistol in her hand,
and is greatly feared, Her aid is im-
plored in sickness.
Abida. A god of the Kalmucks, who
receives the souls of the dead at the
moment of decease, and gives them
permission to enter a new body, either
human or not, and have another spell
of life on earth. If the spirit is spotless
it may, if it likes, rise and live in the
8.I]".
Abidhar'ma.
physics in the Tripitaka (q.v.).
Abigail. A lady’s maid, or lady-
maid. Abigail, wife of Nabal, who
introduced herself to David and after-
wards married him, is a well-known
Scripture heroine (1 Sam. xxv. 3). Abi-
gail was a popular middle class Christian
name in the seventeenth century. Beau-
mont and Fletcher, in The Scornful
Lady, call the “waiting gentlewoman ''
Abigail, a name employed by Swift,
Fielding, and others, in their novels.
Probably “Abigail Hill,” the original
name of Mrs. Masham, waiting-woman
to Queen Anne, popularised the name.
Abim'elech is no proper name, but
a regal title of the Philistines, meaning
Father-king.
Able. An able Seaman is a skilled
seaman. Such a man is termed an A.B.
(Able-Bodied); unskilled seamen are
called “boys’’ without regard to age.
Able-bodied Seaman. A sailor of
the first class. A crew is divided into
three classes : — (1) able seamen, or
skilled sailors, termed A.B. ; (2) ordin-
ary seamen ; and (3) boys, which in-
clude green - hands, or inexperienced
men, without regard to age or size.
Aboard. He fell aboard of me—met
me; abused me. A ship is said to fall
aboard another when, being in motion,
it runs against the other.
To go aboard is to embark, to go on
the board or deck.
Aboard main tack is to draw one of
the lower corners of the main-sail down
to the chess-tree. Figuratively, it means
“to keep to the point.”
Aboll'a. An ancient military garment
worn by the Greeks and Romans, opposed
to the toga or robe of peace. The abolla.
being worn by the lower orders, was
The book of mota- .
affected by philosophers in the vanity of
humility.
Abom'inate (abominor, I pray that
the omen may be averted; used on men-
tioning anything unlucky). As ill-omened
things are disliked, so, by a simple figure
of speech, what we dislike we consider
ill-omened.
Abomination of Desolation (The).
The Roman standard is so called (Matt.
xxiv. 15). As it was set up in the holy
temple, it was an abomination ; and,
as it brought destruction, it was the
“abomination of desolation.”
Abon Hassan. A rich merchant,
transferred during sleep to the bed and
palace of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid.
Next morning he was treated as the
caliph, and every effort was made to
make him forget his identity. Arabia),
Nights (“The Sleeper Awakened ”).
The same trick was played on Christo-
pher Sly, in the Induction of Shake-
speare's comedy of Taming of the Shrew ;
and, according to Burton (Anatomy of
Melancholy, ii. 2, 4), by Philippe the
Good, Duke of Burgundy, on his mar-
riage with Eleonora.
“Were I caliph for a day, as honest, Al).On
Hassan, I would scourge me these jugglers out
of the Commonwealth.”—Sir Walter Scott.
Abonde (Dame). The French Santa
Claus, the good fairy who comes at
night to bring toys to children while
they sleep, especially on New Year's
Day.
Abortive Flowers are those which
have stamens but no pistils.
Abou ebn Sina, commonly called
Avicenna. A great Persian physician,
born at Shiraz, whose canons of medi-
cine were those adopted by Hippocratēs
and Aristotle. Died 1037.
Abou-Belºr, called Father of the
Pirgin, i.e., Mahomet's favourite wife.
He was the first caliph, and was founder
Of º sect called the Sunnites. (571-
(334.
Abou Jahi'a. The angel of death
in Mohammedan mythology. Called
Azrael by the Arabs, and Mordad by
the Persians.
Aboulomri (in Mohammedan mytho-
logy). A fabulous bird of the vulture
sort which lives 1,000 years. Called by
the Persians Kerkès, and by the Turks
Ak-Baba.-Herbelot.
Above properly applies only to matter
on the same page, but has been extended
Above-board
Abrahamites
to any previous part of the book, as See
above, p. *.
Above-board. In a straightforward
manner. Conjurers place their hands
70 der the table when they are preparing
their tricks, but above when they show
them. “I et all be above-board ”
means “let there be no under-hand
work, but let us see everything.”
Above par. A commercial term mean-
ing that the article referred to is more
than its nominal value. Thus, if you
must give more than £100 for a £100
share in a bank company, a railway
share, or other stock, we say the stock
is “above par.” º
If, on the other hand, a nominal
£100 worth can be bought for less than
£100, we say the stock is “below par.”
Figuratively, a person in low spirits
or ill health says he is “below par.”
Above your hook—i.e., beyond your
comprehension; beyond your mark. The
allusion is to hat-pegs placed in rows;
the higher rows are above the reach of
small statures.
Abracada'bra. A charm. It is said
that Abracadabra was the Supreme deity
of the Assyrians. Q. Severus Sammon'-
icus recommended the use of the word
as a powerful antidote against ague,
flux, and toothache. The word was to
be written on parchment, and suspended
round the neck by a linen thread, in the
form given below :---
. A B R A C A D A B R A
A B R A C A D A B R.
A B R A C A D A B
A B It A C A D A
A B [t A C A D
A P R A C A
A B R A C
A B R A
A B R.
A B
A.
Abrac'ax, also written Abraa'as or
Abras'aaw, in Persian mythology denotes
the Supreme Being. In Greek notation
it stands for 365. In Persian mythology
Abracax presides over 365 impersonated
virtues, one of which is supposed to pre-
vail on each day of the year. In the
second century the word was employed
by the Basilid'ians for the deity; it was
also the principle of the Grostic hier-
archy, and that from which sprang their
numerous AFons. (See ABRAXAS STONES.)
Abraham.
JHis parents. According to Moham-
medan mythology, the parents of Abra-
ham were Prince Azar and his wife,
Adna.
JHis infancy. As King Nimrod had
been told that one shortly to be born
would dethrone him, he commanded the
death of all such ; so Adna retired to a
cave where Abraham was born. He
was nourished by sucking two of her
fingers, one of which supplied milk and
the other honev.
II is boyhood. At the age of fifteen
months he was equal in size to a lad of
fifteen, and very wise ; so his father
introduced him to the court of King
Nºod-herº : Bibliothèque Orien-
tale. -
II is offering. According to Moham-
medan tradition, the mountain on
which Abraham offered up his son was
Arfaday; but is more generally thought
to have been Moriah.
IHis death. The Ghebers say that
Abraham was thrown into the fire by
Nimrod's order, but the flame turned
into a bed of roses, on which the child
Abraham went to sleep.–Tavernier.
“Sweet and welcome as the bed
For their own infant prophet spread,
When pitying Heaven fo roses turned
The death-flames that beneatlı him burnel.”
T. Moore : Fire Worshippers,
To Sham Abraham. To pretend illness
or distress, in order to get off work.
(See ABRAM-
“I have heard people say Sham Abram you may,
But must not Shalm. A bralian Newland.”
T. Dibdin or Upton.
Abraham Newland was cashier of the
Bank of England, and signed the notes.
Abraham's Bosom. The repose of
the happy in death (Luke xvi. 22). The
figure is taken from the ancient custom
of allowing a dear friend to recline at
dinner on your bosom. Thus the beloved
John reclined on the bosom of Jesus.
There is no leaping from Delī'lah’s lap
into Abraham's boson-i.e., those who
live and die in notorious sin must not
expect to go to heaven at death.-Bos-
toy, Crook in the Lot.
Abraham Newland (An). A bank-
note. So called because, in the early part
of the nineteenth century, none were
genuine but those signed by this name.
Abrahamic Covenant. The cove-
nant made by God with Abraham, that
Messiah should spring from his seed.
This promise was given to Abraham,
because he left his country and father’s
house to live in a strange land, as God
told him.
Abrahamites (4 syl.). Certain Bo-
hemian deists, so called because they
Abram-colour
6
Absoluatulate
professed to believe what Abraham be-
lieved before he was circumcised. The
sect was forbidden by the Emperor
Joseph II. in 1783.
Abram - colour. Probably a cor-
ruption of Abron, meaning, auburn.
IHalliwell quotes the following from-
Coriolanus, ii. 3: “Our heads are some
brown, some black, some Abram, Some
bald.” And again, “Where is the
eldest son of Priam, the Abram-coloured
Trojan P” “A goodly, long, thick
Abram-coloured beard.”—Blurt, Maste?’
Constable.
Hall, in lais Satires, iii. 5, uses (thron for auburn.
“A lusty courtier . . . . with a], ron locks Wils
fairly furnish&d.”
Abram-Man, or Abraham Cove. A
Tom o' Bedlam ; a naked vagabond ; a
begging impostor.
The Abraham Ward, in Bedlam, had
for its inmates begging lunatics, who
used to array themselves “with party-
coloured ribbons, tape in their hats, a
fox-tail hanging down, a long stick with
streamers,” and beg alms; but “for all
their seeming madness, they had wit
enough to steal as they went along.”
—Canting Academy.
See King Lear, ii. 3.
In Beaumont and Fletcher we have
several synonyms:—
“And these, what name or title e'er they bear,
Jackmam or Pattºrico, Cramke or Clapper-dudgeon,
Praie, or Abram-Tuſtin, I Speak to all ”
Beggar's Bush, ii. 1.
Abraxas Stones. Stones with the
word Abraajas engraved on them, and
used as talismans. They were cut into
symbolic forms combining a fowl's head,
a serpent’s body, and human limbs. (See
ABRACAX.)
Abreast. Side by side, the breasts
being all in a line.
The ships were all abreast—i.e., their
heads were all equally advanced, as
soldiers marching abreast.
Abridge is not formed from the
word bridge ; but comes from the Latin
abbreviáre, to shorten, from brevis
(short), through the French abréger (to
shorten).
Abroach. To set mischief abroach is
to set it afoot. The figure is from a
cask of liquor, which is broached that
the liquor may be drawn from it. (Fr.,
brocher, to prick, abrocher.)
Abroad. You are all abroad. Wide
of the mark ; not at home with the sub-
ject. Abroad; in all directions.
“An elm displays her dusky arms abroad.”
D?'yden.
Ab'rogate. When the Roman senate
wanted a law to be passed, they asked
the people to give their votes in its fa-
vour. The Latin for this is rogåre legem
(to solicit or propose a law). If they
wanted a law repealed, they asked the
people to vote against it ; this was a b-
rogåre legem (to solicit against the law).
Absalom. James, Duke of Mon-
mouth, the handsome but rebellious son
of Charles II. in Dryden’s Absalom
and Achitophel (1649-1685).
Absalom and Achitophel. A poli-
tical satire by Dryden (1649-1685).
I)avid is meant for Charles liſ. ; Absalom
for his natural son James, Duke of Mon-
mouth, handsome like Absalom, and,
like him, rebellious. Achitophel is
meant for Lord Shaftesbury, Zimri for
the Duke of Buckingham, and Abdael for
Monk. The selections are so skilfully
made that the history of David seems
repeated. Of Absalom, Dryden says
(Part i.):—
“Whate'er he did was done with so much ease,
In hill) alone 't was natural to lylease :
His motions all accompanied with grace,
And lyaradise Was Olyeneul in his face.”
Abscond’ means properly to hide ;
but we generally use the word in the
sense of stealing off secretly from an
employer. (Latin, abscondo.)
Ab'sent. “Out of mind as soon as
out of sight.” Generally misquoted
“Out of sight, out of mind.”— Lord
J3rooke.
The absent are always wrong. The
translation of the French proverb, Les
absents out to/jours tort.
Absent Man (The). The character
of Bruyère’s Absent Ilſan, translated
in the Spectator and exhibited on the
stage, is a caricature of Comte de
Brancas.
Ab’solute. A Captain Absolute, a
bold, despotic man, determined to have
his own way. The characteris in Sheri-
dan's play called The Rivals.
Sir Anthony Absolute, a warm-hearted,
testy, overbearing country squire, in the
same play. William Dowton (1764-1851)
i. nick-named “Sir Anthony Abso-
ute.
Absoluatulate. To run away or ab-
scond. A comic American word, from
ab and squat (to go away from your
squatting). A squatting is a tenement
taken in some unclaimed part, without
purchase or permission. The persons
who take up their squatting are termed
sq2(atters.
Abstermious
-- __*...****** - -
a---
Abste'mious, according to Fabius .
and Aulus Gellius, is compounded of abs
and temetum. “Teme’tum” was a strong,
intoxicating drink, allied to the Greek
methu (strong drink).
“Vimum prisca lingua temétum appellabant."—
Aulus Gellius, X. 23.
Abstract Numbers are numbers
considered abstractly—1, 2, 3; but if
we say 1 year, 2 feet, 3 men, etc., the
numbers are no longer abstract, but con-
cº'ete.
Taken in the abstract. Things are said
to be taken in the abstract when they
are considered absolutely, that is, with-
out reference to other matters or per-
sons. Thus, in the abstract, one man is
as good as another, but not so socially
and politically.
Abstraction. An empty Abstraction,
a mere ideality, of 110 practical use.
Every noun is an abstraction, but the
narrower genera may be raised to higher
ones, till the common thread is so fine
that hardly anything is left. These high
abstractions, from which everything but
one common cord is taken, are called
empty abstractions.
For example, ºnan is a genus, but may
|be raised to the genus (twijnal, thence to
organised being, thence to created being,
thence to matter in the abstract, and so
on, till everything but one is emptied
Out.
Absurd means strictly, quite deaf.
(Latin, ab, intensive, and surdus, deaf.)
lèeductio ad absurdum. Proving a
proposition to be right by showing that
every supposable deviation from it would
involve an absurdity.
Abu'dah. A merchant of Bagdad,
haunted every might by an old hag ; he
finds at last that the way to rid himself
of this torment is to “fear God, and
keep his commandments.”—Tales of the
Genii.
“Like Abudah, he is always looking out for the
Fury, and knows that the might will come with
the inevitable hag With it.”—Thackeray.
Abundant Number (An). A nuni-
ber such that the sum of all its divis-
ors (except itself) is greater than the
number itself. Thus 12 is an abundant
number, because its divisors, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6
= 16, which is greater than 12.
A Deficient number is one of which
the sum of all its divisors is less than
itself, as 10, the divisors of which are 1,
2, 5 = 8, which is less than 10.
A Perfect number is one of which the
sum of all its divisors exactly measures
- Acadia,
itself, as 6, the divisors of which are 1,
*3 - -
Abus, the river Humber.
“For by the river that whylome was hight
The ancien Abus . . . . . [was from] . . . .
Their chieftain, Humber, named aright.”
And Drayton, in his Polyolbion, 28,
Says:—
“For my princely name, .
Frohn Humber, king Of Huns, as anciently it
C3.1116. -
See Geoffrey's Chronicles, Bk. ii. 2.
Ab'yla. A mountain in Gibraltar.
This, with Calpê in Spain, sixteen miles
distant, forms the two pillars of Hercules.
“Heaves up huge Abyla on Afric's sand,
Crowns Witlı high Caillé Eurolye's Salient
Strand.”
Darwin : Economy of Vegetation.
Abyssin'ians. A sect of Christians
in Abyssinia, who admit only one nature
in Jesus Christ, and reject the Council
of Chalce'don.
Acacetus. One who does nothing
badly. It was a name given to Mercury
or Hermès for his eloquence. (Greek,
a, not; kakos, bad.)
Academ'ics. The followers of Plato
were so called, because they attended his .
lectures in the Academy, a garden
planted by Acade'mos.
“See there the olive grove of Académus, Plato's
retre.lt.” Milton : Pwradise Lost, Book iv.
Academy. Divided into—Old, the
philosophic teaching of Plato and his
immediate followers; Middle, a modifi-
cation of the Platonic system, taught by
Arcesila'os ; New, the half - sceptical
school of Car'neadès.
Plato taught that matter is eternal
and infinite, but without form or order;
and that there is an intelligent cause,
the author of everything. He maintained
that we could grasp truth only so far
as we had elevated our mind by thought
to its divine essence.
Arcesila'os was the great antagonist of
the Stoics, and wholly denied man's ca-
pacity for grasping truth.
Car'neadès maintained that neither our
senses nor our understanding could sup-
ply us with a sure criterion of truth.
The talent of the Academy, so Plato
called Aristotle (B.C. 384-322).
Academy Figures. Drawings in
black and white chalk, on tinted paper,
from living models, used by artists. So
called from the Royal Academy of Artists.
Aca'dia—i.e., Nova Scotia, so called
by the French from the river Shuben-
acadie. The name was changed in 1621.
Acadine
Accost
In 1755 the old French inhabitants were
driven into exile by order of George II.
“Thus dwelt together in loye those simple
Acadian farmers.” Longfellow : Evangeline.
Acadine. A fountain of Sicily which
revealed if writings were authentic and
genuine or not. The writings to be
tested were thrown into the fountain,
and if spurious they sank to the bottom.
Oaths and promises were tried in the
same way, after being written down.—
Diodorus Siculus.
Acanthus. The leafy ornament used
in the capitals of Corinthian and com-
posite columns. It is said that Callim'-
achos lost his daughter, and set a basket
of flowers on her grave, with a tile to
keep the wind from blowing it away.
The next time he went to visit the grave
an acanthus had sprung up around the
basket, which so struck the fancy of the
architect that he introduced the design
in his buildings.
Acceptance. A bill or note accepted.
This is done by the drawee writing on it
“accepted,” and signing his name. The
person who accepts it is called the
“acceptor.”
Accessory. Accessory before the fact
is one who is aware that another intends
to commit an offence, but is himself ab-
sent when the offence is perpetrated.
Accessory after the fact is one who
screens a felon, aids him in eluding
justice, or helps him in any way to
profit by his crime. Thus, the receiver
of stolen goods, knowing or even sus-
pecting them to be stolen, is an accessory
ea post facto.
Accident. A logical accident is some
property or quality which a thing pos-
sesses, but which does not essentially
belong to it, as the tint of our skin, the
- height of our body, the redness of a
brick, or the whiteness of paper. If
any of these were changed, the sub-
stance would remain intact.
Accidental or Subjective Colours.
Those which depend on the state of our
eye, and not those which the object
really possesses. Thus, after looking at
the bright Sun, all objects appear dark;
that dark colour is the accidental colour
of the bright sun. When, again, we
come from a dark room, all objects at
first have a yellow tinge. This is es-
pecially the case if we wear blue glasses,
for a minute or two after we have taken
them off.
The accidental colour of red is bluish
green, of orange dark blue, of violet yel-
low, of black white; and the converse.
Accidentals in music are those
sharps and flats, etc., which do not
properly belong to the key in which the
music is set, but which the composer
arbitrarily introduces.
Accidente I (4 syl.) An Italian curse
or oath : “Ce qui veut dire en bon fran-
çais, ‘Puisses-tu mourir d'accident, sans
confession,’ damné.”—17. About : Tolla.
Accidents, in theology. After con-
secration, say the Catholics, the substance
of the bread and wine is changed into
that of the body and blood of Christ,
but their accidents (flavour, appearance,
and so on) remain the same as before,
Accius Na'vius. A Roman augur
in the reign of Tarquin the Elder. When
he forbade the king to increase the num-
ber of the tribes without consulting the
augurs, Tarquin asked him if the thought
then in his mind was feasible. “Un-
doubtedly,” said Accius. “Then cut
through this whetstone with the razor
in your hand.” The priest gave a bold
cut, and the block fell in two. This
story (from Livy, Bk. i., chap. 36) is
humorously retold in Bon Gaultier's
Ballads.
Accolade (3 syl.). The touch of a
sword on the shoulder in the ceremony
of conferring knighthood; originally an
embrace or touch by the hand on the
neck. (Latin, ad collum, on the neck.)
Accommodation. A loan of money,
which accommodates us, or fits a want.
Accommodation Note or Bill. An
acceptance given on a Bill of Exchange
for which value has not been received by
the acceptor from the drawer, and which,
not representing a commercial transac-
tion, is so far fictitious.
Accommodation Ladder. The light
ladder hung over the side of a ship at
the gangway.
Accord' means “heart to heart.”
(Latin, ad corda.) If two persons like
and dislike the same things, they are
heart to heart with each other.
Similarly, “con-cord” means heart
-with heart; “dis-cord,” heart divided
from heart; “re-cord ” properly means
to recollect—i.e., re-cordåre, to bring
again to the mind or heart; then to set
down in writing for the purpose of recol-
lecting.
Accost' means to “come to the side ’’
of a person for the purpose of speaking
to him. (Latin, ad costam, to the side.)
Account
AchenOn.
Account'. To open an accoºt, to
enter a customer's name on your ledger
for the first time. (Latin, accomputare,
to reckon with.)
To keep open account is when merchants
agree to honour each other's bills of ex-
change.
A current account or “account Cur-
rent, aſe. A commercial term, meaning
that the customer is entered by name in
the creditor's ledger for goods purchased
but not paid for at the time. The
account runs on for a month or more,
according to agreement.
To cast accounts. To give the results
of the debits and credits entered, bal-
ancing the two, and carrying over the
Surplus.
A sale for the account in the Stock
Exchange means : the sale of stock not
for immediate payment, but for the
fortnightly settlement. Generally this
is speculative, and the broker or cus-
tomer pays the difference of price be-
tween the time of purchase and time of
settlement.
We will give a good account of them—
i.e. we will give them a thorough good
drubbing.
Accurate means well and carefully
done. (Latin, ad-curăre, accurátus.)
Accu'sative (The). Calvin was so
called by his college companions. We
speak of an “accusative age,” meaning
searching, one eliminating error by ac-
cusing it.
“This hath been a very accusative age.”--
Sir E. Deriqug.
Ace (1 syl.). The unit of cards or
dice, from as, the Latin unit of weight.
(Italian, asso; French and Spanish, d's.)
JWithin, an ace. Within a shave. An
ace is the lowest numeral, and he who
wins within an ace, wins within a single
mark. (See AMBES-AS.)
To bate an ace is to make an abate-
ment, or to give a competitor some
start or other advantage, in Order to
render the combatants more equal. It
is said that the expression originated in
the reign of Henry VIII., when one of
the courtiers named Bolton, in order to
flatter the king, used to say at cards,
“Your Majesty must bate me an ace,
or I shall have no chance at all.”
Taylor, the water poet (1580-1654),
speaking of certain women, says–
“Though bad they be, they will not bate an ace
To be cald Prudence, Temp'rance, Faith, and
Grace.”
Acel'dama. A battle-field, a place
where much blood has been shed. To
the south of Jerusalem there was a field
so called; it was purchased by the priests
with the blood-money thrown down by
Judas, and appropriated as a cemetery
for strangers (Matt. xxvii. 8; Acts i.
19). (Aramaic, Ökél-damá.)
Aceph'alites (4 Syl.) properly means
men without a head. (1) A faction
among the Eutych'ians in the fifth cen-
tury after the submission of Mongus their
chief, by which they were “deprived
of their head.” (2) Cortain bishops
exempt from the jurisdiction and disci-
pline of their patriarch. (3) A sect of
levellers in the reign of Henry I., who
acknowledged no leader. (4) The fabu-
lous Blemmyès of Africa, who are de-
scribed as having no head, their eyes
and mouth being placed elsewhere.
(Greek, a-keph'alé, without a head.)
Acestes (3 syl.). The Arrow of
Acestes. In a trial of skill Acestes, the
Sicilian, discharged his arrow with such
force that it took fire. (AEm. 5, line 525.)
“T,iko Acestes' shaft of old,
The Swift thought klilules as it flies.”
L0)ugfellow.
Achae'an League. A confederacy
of the twelve towns of Achaea. It was
broken up by Alexander the Great, but
was again reorganised B.C. 280, and
dissolved by the Romans in 147 B.C.
Achar in Indian philosophy means
the All-in-All. The world is spun out
of Achar as a web from a spider, and
will ultimately return to him, as a spider
sometimes takes back into itself its own
thread. Phenomena are not independ-
ont realities, but merely partial and in-
dividual manifestations of the All-in-All.
Achates (3 syl.). A fidus Achatés.
A faithful companion, a bosom friend.
Achates in Virgil’s AEmeid is the chosen
companion of the hero in adventures of
all kinds.
“He has chosen this, fellow for his fidus
Achattes.”—Sir Walter Scott.
Ache’mon, or Achmon, and his
brother Basālas were two Cercópés for
ever quarrelling. One day they saw
Hercules asleep under a tree and insulted
#. but Hercules tied them by their
eet to his club and walked off with them,
heads downwards, like a brace of hares.
Everyone laughed at the sight, and it
became a proverbial cry among the
Greeks, when two men were seen quar-
relling—“Look out for Melampy'gos!”
(i.e. Hercules).
“Ne insidas in Melamly gum.”
* According to Greek fable, monkeys
Acheron
are degraded men. The Cercópés were
changed into monkeys for attempting to
deceive Zeus.
Ac'heron. The “River of Sorrows''
(Greek, achos roës); one of the five rivers
of the infernal regions.
“Sad Acheron of sorrow, black and deep.”
Milton : I’d?'adise Lost, ii. 578.
Pabulum Acherontis. Food for the
churchyard; said of a dead body.
Acheron'tian Books. The most cele-
brated books of augury in the world.
They are the books which the Etruscans
received from Tagés, grandson of Jupiter.
Acheru'sia. A cavern on the bor-
ders of Pontus, said to lead down to the
infernal regions. It was through this
cavern that Hercules dragged Cerberus
to earth.
Achi.lea. The Yarrow, called by
the French the herbe atta, charpentiers—
*.e., carpenter’s wort, because it was
supposed to heal wounds made by car-
penters’ tools. Called Achillêa from
Achillès, who was taught the uses and
virtues of plants by Chiron the centaur.
The tale is, that when the Greeks in-
vaded Troy, Telêphus, a son-in-law of
Ring Priam, attempted to stop their
landing; but Bacchus caused him to
stumble over a vine, and, when he had
fallen, Achillès wounded him with his
spear. The young Trojan was told by
an oracle that “Achillès (meaning mil-
foil or yarrow) would cure the wound ; ”
but, instead of seeking the plant, he
applied to the Grecian chief, and pro-
mised to conduct the host to Troy if he
would cure the wound. A chillès con-
sented to do so, scraped some rust from
his spear, and from the filings rose the
plant milfoil, which, being applied to
the wound, had the desired effect.
Achifles (3 syl.). King of the Myr'-
midons (in Thessaly), the hero of Homer's
epic poem called the Iliad. He is re-
presented as brave and relentless. The
poem begins with a quarrel between
him and Agamemnon, the commander-
in-chief of the allied Greeks ; in conse-
quence of which Achilles refused to go
to battle. The Trojans prevail, and
Achilles sends forth his friend Patroc'los
to oppose them. Patroc'los fell; and
Achilles, in anger, rushing into the battle,
killed Hector, the commander of the
Trojans. He himself, according to later
poems, fell in battle a few days after-
wards, before Troy was taken.
10
Achitophel
Achilles.
Army : The Myrmidons followed him to Troy.
. Death of : It was Paris who wounded Achiljes
in the heel with an arrow (a post-Homeric story).
Father: Peleus (2 Syl.), King of Thessaly.
Friend : Patroclos.
IIorses : Balios ( = Swift-footed) and Xanthos
( = chestnut-coloured), endowed with human
Speech.
Mistºress iº,
Briseis (2 Syl.).
Mother: Thetis, a sea goddess.
Som: Pyrrhos, surnamed Neoptolémos ( = the
new warrior),
Tomb : In SigCeum, Over which no bird ever flies.
—I’lingſ, X. 29.
Tutors : First, Phoenix, who taught him the
eleh;ents : then Chiron the centaur.
}}'ife : Deidamia. (5 Syl.) De-i-da-my’-ah.
Achilles (pronounce A-kil’-leez). The
English, John Talbot, first Earl of
Shrewsbury (1373-1453).
Achilles of England, the Duke of
Wellington (1769–1852).
Of Germany, Albert, Elector of Bran-
denburg (1414-1486).
Of Lombardy, brother of Sforza and
Palamèdès. All the three brothers were
in the allied army of Godfrey (Jerusalem
I)elivered). Achilles of Lombardy was
slain by Corinna. This was not a com-
plimentary title, but a proper name.
Of Rome, Lucius Sicinius Dentātus,
the Roman tribune ; also called the
Second Achilles. Put to death B.C. 450.
Achilles of the West. Toland the
Paladin; also called “The Christian
Theseus ” (2 syl.).
Achilles' Spear.
Achilles' Tendon. A strong sinew
running along the heel to the calf of the
leg. The tale is that Thetis took her
son Achilles by the heel, and dipped him
in the river Styx to make him invulner-
able. The water washed every part,
except the heel covered with his mother's
hand. It was on this vulnerable point
the hero was slain ; and the sinew of the
heel is called, in consequence, tendo
Achillis. A post-Homeric story.
The Heel of Achilles. The vulnerable
or weak point in a man's character or
of a nation. (See above.)
Aching Void (An). That desolation
of heart which arises from the recollec-
tion of some cherished endearment no
longer possessed. -
“What peaceful lours I once enjoyed
How sweet their memory still !
But they have loft, an aching W Oid
The world can never fill.”
Cowler: Walking with God.
Achit'ophel. (See ABSALOM AND
ACHITOPHEL.) Achitophel was David’s .
traitorous counsellor, who deserted to
Troy : Hippodalmia, surnamed
(See ACHILLEA.)
Achor
11
Acrostic
Absalom ; but his advice being disre-
garded, he hanged himself (2 Sam. XV.).
The Achitophel of Dryden’s Satire was
the Earl of Shaftesbury:—
“Of those (the rebels) the false Achitophel Was
l'St ; -
A name to all succeeding ages curst :
For close designs and crooked counsels ſit ;
Sagacious, bold, and turbulent of Wit :
liestle is, unſixed in principles and place ;
In power unpleased, impatient in disgrace.”
Part i. 150-5.
A'chor. God of flies, worshipped by
the Cyreneans, that they might not be
annoyed with these tiny tormentors.
(See FLIES, God of.)
Alcis. The son of Faunus, in love
with Galatea. Polyphemos, his rival,
crushed him under a huge rock.
Ac'me. The crisis of a disease. Old
medical writers used to divide the pro-
gress of a disease into four periods: the
ar'-che, or beginning; the anabasis, or
increase; the ac'ne, or term of its utmost
violence ; and the pa_rac'-me, or decline.
Figuratively, the highest point of any-
thing.
Achmonian Wood (The). The tryst-
place of unlawful love. . It was here
that Mars had his assignation with
Harmonia, who became the mother of
the Amazons.
“C'est là que . . . Mal's eut les favett.rs de la
nymphe Harmonie, columerce don't maquirent les
Ania Zones.”—Etiemine ... O €ographie.
Acoinetae. An order of monks in
the fifth century who watched day and
night. (Greek, watchers.)
Acolyte (3 syl.). A subordinate officer
in the Catholic Church, whose duty is
to light the lamps, prepare the Sacred
elements, attend the officiating priests,
etc. (Greek, a follower.)
Aconite. The herb Monkshood or
Wolfsbane. Classic fabulists ascribe its
poisonous qualities to the foam which
dropped from the mouths of the three-
headed Cerbèrus, when Hercules, at the
command of Eurystheus, dragged the
monster from the infernal regions.
(Greek, &kóvitov ; Latin, aconičum.)
“Ilurida term ibiles miscent Aconi'a novercº.”
Ovid : Metamorphoses, i. 147.
Acra'sia (Self-indulgence). An en-
chantress who lived in the “Bower of
Bliss,” situate in “Wandering Island.”
She transformed her lovers into mon-
strous shapes, and kept them captives.
Sir Guyon having crept up Softly, threw
a net over her, and bound her in chains
of adamant ; then broke down her
bower and burnt it to ashes.—Sponsor:
Faëry Queen, ii. 12.
Acra'tes (3 syl.), i.e., incontinen "e,
called by Spenser the father of Cymoch'-
lès and Pyroch’lés.-Faëry Queen, ii. 4.
Acre. “God's acre,” a cemetery or
churchyard. The word “acre,” Old
Dnglish, accer, is akin to the Latin
affer and German acker (a field).
Acre-fight. A duel in the open field.
The combats of the Scotch and English
Dorderers were so called.
Acre-shot. A land tax. “Acre '’
is Old English, accer (land), and “shot"
is scot or sceat (a tax).
Acres. A Bob Acres—i.e., a coward.
From Sheridan's comedy called The
Rivals. His courage always “oozed out
at his fingers’ ends.”
Acroamatics. Esoterical lectures;
the lectures of Aristotle, which none but
his chosen disciples were allowed to
attend. Those given to the public gene-
rally were called eacoter'íc. (Acroamatic
is a Greek word, meaning delivered to an
audience, akpoéopat, to attend lectures.)
Acroat'ic. (See
ACROAMATICS.)
Acrobat means one who goes on J is
extremities, or uses only the tips of his
fingers and toes in moving about. (It is
from the two Greek words, akros bano,
to go on the extremities of one’s limbs.)
Acrop'olis. The citadel of ancient
Athens.
Of course, the word is compoundo I of alcros and
polis = the city on the height, i.e., the high rock.
Acrostic (Greek, akros stichos). The
term was first applied to the verses of
the Erythraean sibyl, written on leaves.
These prophecies were excessively ob-
scure ; but were so contrived that when
the leaves were sorted and laid in order,
their initial letters always made a word.
— Dionys., iv. 62.
Acrostic poetry among the Hebrews
consisted of twenty-two lines or stanzas
beginning with the letters of the alphabet
in succession, as Psalm crix., etc.
Same as esoter"ic.
Acrostics. Puzzles, generally inverse,
consisting of two words of equal length.
The initial letters of the several lines
constitute one of the secret words, and
the final letters constitute the other
word.
Also words re-arranged so as to make
other words of similar significance, as
“Horatio Nelson ’’ re-arranged into
Act
12
Ad Valoren
JHoſz0) est a Nilo. Another form of
acrostic is to find a sentence which reads
the same backwards and forwards, as
B.T.L.N.L.T.E., the initial letters of
“Eat ToI.ive, NeverliveTo Fat;” which
in Latin would be, E.U.V.N.V.U.E.
(Ede Ut Pivas, Ne Vivas Ut Edas).
Act and Opponency. An “Act,”
in Our University language, consists of
a thesis and “ disputation ” thereon,
covering continuous parts of three hours.
The person “disputing ” with the
“keeper of the Act ’’ is called the “op-
ponent,” and his function is called an
“opponency.” In some degrees the
student is required to keep his Act, and
then to be the opponent of another
disputant. Much alteration in these
matters has been introduced of late,
with other college reforms.
Act of Faith (auto da fé), in Spain,
is a day set apart by the Inquisition for
the punishment of heretics, and the
absolution of those who renounce their
heretical doctrines. The sentence of the
Inquisition is also so called ; and so is
the ceremony of burning, or otherwise
torturing the condemned.
Act of God (An). “Damnum fatäle,”
such as loss by lightning, shipwreck,
fire, etc.; loss arising from fatality, and
not from one’s own fault, theft, and so
on. A Devonshire jury once found a
verdict—“That deceased died by the
act of God, brought about by the flooded
condition of the river.”
Actaeon. A hunter. In Grecian
mythology Actaeon was a huntsman, who
surprised Diana bathing, was changed
by her into a stag, and torn to pieces
by his own hounds. Hence, a man
whose wife is unfaithful. (See HORNS.)
Sir Actaeon, with Ringwood at thy
Shalcespeal e : Merry Wives, ii. 1.
“Diyulge Page himself for a secure and wilful
ctaeon.” Ibid. iii. 2.
Actian Years. Years in which the
Actian games were celebrated. Au-
gustus instituted games at Actium to
celebrate his naval victory over Antony.
They were held every five years.
Action Sermon. A sacramental
sermon (in the Scots Presbyterian
Church).
“I returned home about seven, and addressed
myself towards my Action Sermon, Mrs. Olivant.”
—E. Irving.
Active. Active verbs, verbs which act
on the noun governed.
Active capital. Property in actual
employment in a given concern.
Active commerce. Exports and imports
“Go thou, like
heel.”
carried to and fro in our own ships.
Passive commerce is when they are carried
in foreign vessels. The commerce of
England is active, of China passive.
Activity. The sphere of activity, the
whole field through which the influence
of an object or person extends.
Acton. A taffeta, or leather-quilted
dress, worn under the habergeon to keep
the body from being chafed or bruised.
(French, hocqueton.)
Actresses. Female characters used
to be played by boys. Coryat, in his
Crudities (1611), says, “When I went
to a theatre (in Venice) I observed
certain things that I never saw before ;
for I saw women acte. . . . I have
heard that it hath sometimes been used
in London’” (Vol. ii.).
“Whereas, women's parts in plays have hitherto
been acted by men in the habits of women . . .
we do permit and give leave for the time to come
that all women's parts be acted by women, 1662.”
—Ch (17°les Iſ.
The first female actress on the English stage
was Mrs. Coleman (1656), who played Ianthe
in the Siege of Rhodes.
The last male actor that took the part of a
woman on the English stage, in serious drama,
was Edward Kynaston, noted for his beauty
(1619–1687).
Acu tetigisti. You have hit the
nail on the head. (Lit., you have touched
it with a needle.) Plautus (Rudens, v.
2, 19) says, “Rem acu tetigisti ; ” and
Cicero (Pro Milâne, 24) has “Vulnus acu
punctum,” evidently referring to a sur-
geon’s probe.
Acutia'tor. A person in the Middle
Ages who attended armies and knights
to sharpen their instruments of war.
(Latin, actto, to sharpen.)
Ad Graecas Calendas. (T)eſcrped)
to the Greek Calends—i.e., for ever.
(It shall be done) on the Greek Calends
—i.e., never. There were no Calends
in the Greek notation of the months,
(See NEveR.)
Ad inquirendum. A judicial writ
commanding an inquiry to be made into
Some complaint.
Ad Hib'itum. Without restraint, -
Ad rem (Latin).
hand; to the purpose.
gisti.) (See above, ACU.)
Ad tigiuſſºn Crºizzes.
(Latin).
Ad valo'rem. According to the price
charged. Some custom - duties vary
according to the different values of the
goods imported. Thus, at One time teas
To the point in
(Actſ rem teti-
All to a man
Ad vitam
13
Adamant
paid duty ad valorem, the high-priced tea
paying more duty than that of a lower
price.
Ad vitam aut culpam. A Latin
phrase, used in Scotch law, to indicate
the legal permanency of an appoint-
ment, unless forfeited by misconduct.
Adam. The Talmudists say that
Adam lived in Paradise only twelve
hours, and account for the time thus:–
The first hour, God collected the dust
and animated it.
The second hour, Adam stood on his
feet.
The fourth hour, he named the
animals.
The sixth hour, he slept and Eve was
created. -
The seventh hour, he married the
WOI]18,11.
The tenth hour, he fell.
The twelfth hour, he was thrust out
of Paradise.
The Mohammedans tell us he fell on
Mount Serendib, in Ceylon, where there
is a curious impression in the granite
resembling a human foot, above 5 feet
long and 24 feet broad. They tellusit was
made by Adam, who stood there on One
foot for 200 years to expiate his crime;
when Gabriel took him to Mount Ara-
fath, where he found Eve. (See ADAM's
PEAK.)
Adam was buried, according to Arabian
tradition, on Aboucais, a mountain of
Arabia.
Adam. The old Adam ; beat the
offending Adam out of thee; the first
Adam. Adam, as the head of unre-
deemed man, stands for “original sin,”
or “man without regenerating grace.”
The second Adam; the new Adam, etc.;
I will give you, the new Adam. Jesus
Christ, as the covenant head, is so called;
also the “new birth unto righteousness.”
JWhen Adam delved and Eve span.
“Au temps passé, Berthe filait.” This
Bertha was the wife of King Pepin.
“When Adam delived and Eve span,
º Who was then the gentleman 2''
Adam. A sergeant, bailiff, or any
one clad in buff, or a skin-coat, like
Adam.
“Not that Adam that kept I’aradise, but that
Adam that keeps the prison.” — Shakespecta e :
Comedy of En rors, iv. 3.
A faithful Adam. A faithful old
servant. The character is taken from
Shakespeare's comedy of As You Like
It, where a retainer of that name, who
had served the family sixty-three years,
offers to accompany Orlando in his flight,
and to share with him his thrifty savings
of 500 crowns.
Adam Bell. A northern outlaw,
Whose name has become a synonym for
a good archer. (See CLYM of THE
CLOUGH.)
Adam Cupid--i.e., Archor Cupid,
perhaps with allusion to Adam Bell,
the celebrated archer. (See Percy’s
Ičeliques, vol. i., p. 7.)
Adam's Ale. Water as a beverage;
from the supposition that Adam had
nothing but water to drink. In Scotland
jº, for a beverage is called Adam's
& Jºº.
Adam's Apple. The protuberance
in the fore-part of a man’s throat; so
called from the superstition that a piece
of the forbidden fruit which Adam ate.
Stuck in his throat, and occasioned the
Swelling.
Adam's Needle. The yucca, so called
because it is sharp-pointed like a needle.
Adam's Peak, in Ceylon, is where the
Arabs Say Adam bewailed his expulsion
from Paradise, and stood on one foot till
God forgave him. It was the Portuguese
who first called it “Pico de Adam.”
(See KAABA.)
In the granite is the mark of a human foot,
above 5 feet long by 2% broad, said to have been
made by Adam, who, we are told, stood there on
one foot for 200 years, to expiate his crime. After
llis penance lie was restored to Eve. The Hindlüs
aSScrt that the footprint is that made by Buddha,
When he ascended to heaven.
Adam's Profession. Gardening,
agriculture. Adam was appointed by
God to dress the garden of Eden, and to
keep it (Gen. ii. 15); and after the fall
he was sent out of the garden “to till
the ground” (Gen. iii. 23).
“There is no ancient gentlemen, but gardeners,
ditchers, and grave-makers ; they hold up Adam's
profession.”—The Clown in “Hamlet,” Y. 1.
Adams. Parson Adams, the ideal of
a benevolent, simple-minded, eccentric
country clergyman; ignorant of the
world, bold as a lion for the truth, and
modest as a girl. The character is in
Fielding’s novel of Joseph Andrews.
Adamant is really the mineral cor-
undum; but the word is indifferently
used for rock crystal, diamond, or any
hard substance, and also for the magnet
or loadstone. It is often used by poets
for no specific substance, but as hardness
or firmness in the abstract. Thus,
Virgil, in his AEneid vi. 552, speaks of
“adamantine pillars ” merely to express
solid and strong ones; and Milton fre-
quently uses the word in the same way.
Adamastor
14
Adept
Thus, in Paradise Lost, ii. 436, he says
the gates of hell were made of burning
adamant: -
“This huge convex of fire
Outrageous to devour, immureş us round
Ninefold, and gates of burning adamant
Barred over us prohibit all egress.”
Satan, he tells us, wore adamantine
armour (Book vi. 110):
“Satan, with Yast and haughty Strides ad-
vanced, . r w
Came towering, armed in adamant and gold.”
And a little further on he tells us his
shield was made of adamant (vi. 255):
“He [Satan] hasted, and opposed the rocky orb
Of ten-fold adamant, his an]]}le Shield
- - 3.
A Yast circullllfel'eh Ce.
Tasso (canto vii. 82) speaks of scudo
di lucidissimo diamante (a shield of
clearest diamond).
Other poets make adamant to mean
the magnet. Thus, in Troilus and Cres-
sideſ, ii. 2:
“As true as steel, as plantage to the moon,
As suit to day, as turtle to Her mate,
As iron to adamant.”
(* Plantage to the moon,” from the notion that
plants g; eW bes; with the increasing moon.)
And Green says:
“A3 true to thee as Steel to adalmant.”
So, in the Arabian Nights, the “Third
Calendar,’’ we read:
“TO-Innol’row al) Out. In OOln We Sl)all be near the
lilack mountain, or nine of adamant, which at
this yery minute draws all your fleet towards it,
by virtue of the iron in your ships.”
Adamant is a (negative) and damao (to
conquer). Pliny tells us there are six
unbreakable stones (xxxvii. 15), but the
classical adamas (gen. adamant-is) is
generally supposed to mean the diamond.
Diamond and adamant are originally the
same word.
Adamastor. The Spirit of the
stormy Cape (Good Hope), described by
Camoëns in the Lusiad as a hideous
phantom. According to Barreto, he was
one of the giants who invaded heaven.
Adam'ic Covenant. The Covenant
made with God to Adam, that “the
seed of the woman should bruise the
serpent’s head' (Gen. iii. 15).
Ad'amites (3 syl.). A sect of fanatics
who spread themselves over Bohemia
and Moravia, in the fifteenth and six-
teenth centuries. One Picard, of Bo-
hemia, was the founder in 1400, and
styled himself “Adam, son of God.”
He professed to recall his followers to
the state of primitive innocence. No
clothes were worn, wives were in com-
mon, and there was no such thing as
good and evil, but all actions were in-
different. , -,
Ad'aran', according to the Parsee
Superstition, is a sacred fire less holy
than that called Behram (q.v.).
Adays. Nowadays, at the present
time (or day). So in Latin, Nunc dièrum
and Nunc tempõris. The prefix “a” =
at, of, or on. Simularly, anights, of late,
on Sundays. All used adverbially.
Addison of the North—i.e., Henry
Mackenzie, the author of the Man of
Feeling (1745–1831). -
Addix it, or Addize'runt (Latin).
All right. The word uttered by the
ºrs when the “birds '' were favour-
à, 016.
Addle is the Old English adelt
(filth), hence rotten, putrid, worthless.
Addled egg, better “addle-egg,” a
Worthless egg. An egg which has not
the vital principle.
Addle- headed, addle - pate, empty-
headed. As an addle-egg produces ino
living bird, so an addle-pate lacks
brains.
Addle Parliament (The)—5th April to
7th June, 1614. So called because it
did not pass one single measure. (Sºe
PARLIAMENT.)
Adelantado. A big-wig, the great
boss of the place. It is a Spanish word
for “his excellency’” (adelantar, to
excel), and is given to the governor
of a province.
“Open no door. If the adelantado of Slºain
Were here lie should not enter.”—Ben Jonson :
lºvery Matil Out of his Humour, V. 4.
Ad’emar, or Ademá'yo (in Jerusalem
JDelivered). Archbishop of Poggio, an
ecclesiastical warrior, who with Wil-
liam, Archbishop of Orange, besought
Pope Urban on his knees that he
might be sent on the crusade. He took
400 armed men from Poggio, but they
sneaked off during a drought, and left
the crusade (Book xiii.). Ademar was
not alive at the time, he had been slain
at the attack on Antioch by Clorinda
(Book xi.); but in the final attack on
Jerusalem, his spirit came with three
squadrons of angels to aid the besiegers
(Book xviii.).
Adept' properly means one who has
attained (from the Latin, adeptus, parti-
ciple of adipisco). The alchemists
applied the term were adepth/s to those
persons who professed to have “attained
to the knowledge of ’’ the elixir of life
or of the philosopher's stone.
Alchemists tell us there, are always 11 adepts,
neither more nor less. Like the sacred chickens
Adessenarians
15
Adonai
of Compostella, of which thcre arc Only 2 and
always:–a cock and a hen.
“ In Rosicrucian lore as learn'd
As he that v-7'é adºp"; º'º.,,.
S. Butler: Hudibrats.
Adessenarians. A term applied to
those who hold the real presence of
Christ's body in the eucharist, but do
not maintain that the bread and Wine
lose any of their original, properties.
(The word is from the Latin adesse, to
be present.)
Adºeste Fide'1és. Composed by
John Reading, who wrote “Dulcé
Domum.” It is called the “Portuguese
Hymn,” from being heard at the Portu-
guese Chapel by the Duke of Leeds, who
supposed it to be a part of the usual
Portuguese service.
Adfiliate, Adfiliation. The ancient
Goths adopted the children of a former
marriage, and put them on the same
footing as those of the new family.
(Latin, ad-filius, equal to a real son.)
Adha, al (the slit-eared). The Swiftest
of Mahomet’s camels.
Adhab-al-Cabr. The first purgatory
of the Mahomefans.
Adiaphorists. Followers of Me-
lanchthon ; moderate Lutherans, who
hold that some of the dogmas of Luther
are matters of indifference. (Greek,
adiaph'oros, indifferent.)
Macaulay : Essay, Burleigh.
Adieu, good-b'ye. A Dieu, an ellip-
tical form for I commend you to God.
Good-b'ye is God be with ye.
Adis'sechen. The serpent with a
thousand heads which sustains the uni-
verse. (Indian mythology.)
Adjective Colours are those which
require a mordant before they can be
used as dyes.
Adjourn'. Once written &form. French,
d-journer, to put off to another day.
“He ajorned than to relie in the North of
Carlele.”—Longtoft : Chr07vicle, p. 309.
Adjournment of the House. (See
Moving THE ADJOURNMENT.)
Admirable (The). Aben-Ezra, a
Spanish rabbi, born at Tolédo (1119-
1174).
Admirablo Crichton (The). James
Crichtóm (/ºry-ton). (1551-1573.)
Admirable Doctor (Doctor admiró-
bilis). Roger Bacon (1214-1292).
Admiral, corruption of Amir-a!.
Milton, speaking of Satan, says:–
“His spear (to equal which the tallest pine
Hewn on Norwegian hills, to be the mast
Of some tall amiral, were but a wand)
He walked with.”—Paradise Lost, i. 292.
The word was introduced by the Turks
or Genoese in the twelfth century, and
is the Arabic Amir with the article al
(lord or commander); as Amir-al-mºt
(commander of the water), Amir-al-
Omra (commander of the forces), Amir-
al-Müminim (commander of the faith-
ful).
English admirals used to be of three
classes, according to the colour of their
flag—
Admiral of the Rex!, used to hold the
centre in an engagement.
Admiral of the White, used to hold
the wan. -
Admiral of the Blue, used to hold the
I’Qal``.
The distinction was abolished in 1864;
now all admirals carry the white flag.
Admirals are called Flag Officers.
Admiral of the Blue. A butcher who
dresses in blue to conceal blood-stains.
A tapster also is so called, from his blue
apron. A play on the rear-admiral of
the British navy, called “Admiral of the
Blue (Flag).”
“As soon as customers begin to stir
The Admiral of the Blue cries, ‘Coming. Sir.’”
1'oon lºobin, 1731.
Admiral of the Red. A punning
term applied to a wine-bibber whose
face and nose are very red.
Admittance. Licence. Shakespeare
says, “Sir John, you are a gentleman of
excellent breeding, of great admittance ’’
—i.e., to whom great freedom is allowed
(Merry Wives, ii. 2). The allusion is to
an obsolete custom called admission, by
which a prince avowed another prince
to be under his protection. Maximilian,
Fmperor of Mexico, was the “admittant”
of the Emperor Napoleon III.
Admonitionists, or Admonition-
ers. Certain Puritans who in 1571 sent
an admonition to the Parliament con-
demning everything in the Church of
England which was not in accordance
with the doctrines and practices of
Geneva.
Adolpha. Daughter of General
ICleiner, governor of Prague and wife
of Idenstein. Her only fault was
“excess of too sweet nature, which
ever made another's grief her own.”—
Iſnowles : Maid of Mariendorpt (1838).
Ado'nai. Son of the star-beam, and
god of light among the Rosicrucians.
Adornais
16
A drastus
One of the names given by the Jews to
Jehovah, for fear of breaking the com-
mand, “Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord [Jehovah] thy God in vain.”
Adonais (4 Syl.). The song about
Adoºnis; , Shellºy’s elegy on Keats is so
called. See Bion's Lament for Adonis.
Ado'nies. Feasts of Adonis, cele-
brated in Assyria, Alexandria, Egypt,
Judea, Persia, Cyprus, and all Greece,
for eight days. Lucian gives a long
description of them. In these feasts
wheat, flowers, herbs, fruits, and
branches of trees were carried in pro-
cession, and thrown into the Sea or some
fountain.
Ado'nis. A beautiful boy. The allu-
sion is to Ado'nis, who was beloved by
Venus, and was killed by a boar while
hunting. *
“Rose-cheeked Adonis hied him to the clase ;
Hunting lie loved ; but love he laughed to
SCOTI1.
Sick-thoughted Venus makes almain unto him,
And, like a bold-faced suitolºgins to WOO him.”
Shakespectre: Ventus (úld Adonis.
Adonis of 50. Leigh Hunt was sent
to prison for applying this term to
George IV. when Regent.
Adonis Flower (The), according to
Bion, is the rose; Pliny (i. 23) says it
is the anemone; others say it is the field
poppy, certainly the prince of weeds;
but what we now generally mean by the
Adónis flower is pheasant’s eye, called in
IFrench ſ/07tte-de-sang, because in fable
it sprang from the blood of the gored
hunter.
“Auo počov Tuktev, to Še Śakpua Tav ovepovov.”
(Blood brings forth roses, tears ancinone.)—Biom -
Elegy om. A domis. See also Ovid : Metamorphoses,
Bk. x., Fable 15.)
Adonis Garden, or A garden of
Adonis (Greek). A worthless toy; a
very perishable good. The allusion is
to the fennel and lettuce jars of the
ancient Greeks, called “Adonis gar-
dens,” because these herbs were planted
in them for the annual festival of the
young huntsman, and thrown away the
next morning. (1 Henry VI., i. 6.)
Adonis River. A river in Phoenicia,
which always runs red at the season
of the year when the feast of Adonis is
held. The legend ascribes this redness
to sympathy with the young hunter;
others ascribe it to a sort of minium, or
red earth, which mixes with the water.
“Thammuz came next behind,
Whose annual wound in Lebanon allured
The Syrian damsels to lament his fate
In almorous ditties all a Summer's day,
While smooth Adonis from his natiye rock
Ran purple to the Sea, º With D100d
Of Thammuz yearly wounded. -
Milton : Paradise Lost, Book I, line 445, etc.
Ado'nists. Those Jews who maintain
that the proper vowels of the word Je-
hovah are unknown, and that the word
is never to be pronounced Ado'nai.
(Hebrew, adom, lord.)
Adoption. Adoption by arms. An
ancient custom of giving arms to a
person of merit, which laid him under
the obligation of being your champion
and defender.
Adoption by baptism. Being god-
father or godmother to a child. The
child by baptism is your god-child.
Adoption by hair. Cutting off your
hair, and giving it to a person in proof
that you receive him as your adopted
father. . Thus Bo’son, JGing of Arles, cut
off his hair and gave it to Pope John
VIII., who adopted him.
Adoption . Controversy. ... Elipand,
Archbishop of Toledo, and Felix, Bishop
of Urgel, maintained that Jesus Christ
in his human nature was the son of God
by adoption only (Rom. viii. 29), though
in his pre-existing state he was the “be-
gotten, Son of God” in the ordinary
Catholic acceptation. Duns Scotus, Du-
randus, Calixtus, and others supported
this view.
Adoptionist. . A disciple of Elipand,
Archbishop of Toledo, and Felix, Bishop
of Urgel (in Spain), is so called.
Adore (2 syl.) means to “carry to
one’s mouth '' “to kiss” (ad-os, ad-
07:áre). The Romans performed adora-
tion by placing their right hand on their
mouth, and bowing. The Greeks paid
adoration to kings by putting the royal
robe to their lips. The Jews kissed in
homage : thus God said to Elijah he
had 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed
unto Baal, “every mouth which hath
not kissed him,” (1 Kings xix. 18;
See also Hos. xiii. 2). “Riss the Son
lest He be angry '' (Psalm ii. 12), means
worship, reverence the Son. Even in
England we do homage by kissing the
hand of the sovereign.
Adram'melech. God of the people
of Sepharvaſim, to whom infants were
burnt in Sacrifice (Kings xvii. 31). Prob-
ably the Sun.
Adrastus. An Indian prince from
the banks of the Ganges, who aided the
Ring of Egypt against the crusaders.
He wore a serpent’s skin, and rode on
an elephant. Adrastus was slain by
Rinaldo.—Tasso : Jerusalem Delivered,
Book xx. -
*
Adrian
Advowson
Adrian (St.), represented, in Chris-
tian art, with an anvil, and a sword or
axe close by it. He had his limbs cut
off on a smith’s anvil, and was after-
wards beheaded. St. Adrian is the
patron saint of the Flemish brewers.
Adriel, in Dryden’s Absalom and
Achitophel, is meant for the Earl of
Mulgrave.
“Sharp-judging Adriel, the muses' friend,
Himself a muse: in Sanhedrim's debate
True to his prince, but not a slave of state ;
Whom David's love with honours did adorn,
That from his disobedient son Were torn.”
P(t)'t T.
Adrift. I am all adrift. He is quite
adrift. To turn one adrifé. Sea phrases.
A ship is said to be adrift when it has
broken from its moorings, and is driven
at random by the winds. To be adrift
is to be wide of the mark, or not in the
right course. To turn one adrift is to
turn him from house and home to go
his own way.
Adroit' properly means “to the
right" (French, d droite). The French
call a person who is not adroit gauche
(left-handed), meaning awkward, boor-
lSil.
Adsidelta. The table at which the
flamens sat during sacrifice.
Adullamites (4 syl.). The adherents
of Lowe and Horsman, seceders in 1866
from the Reform Party. John Bright
said of these members that they retired
to the cave of Adullam, and tried to
gather round them all the discontented.
The allusion is to David in his flight
from Saul, who “escaped to the cave
Adullam ; and every one that was in
distress, and every one that was in debt,
and every one that was discontented,
gathered themselves unto him '' (1 Sam.
xxii. 1, 2).
Advauncer.
a stag’s horn.
“In a llart the main horne itself they call the
beſtºne. The lowest antlier is called the brow-
(tºtlier; the next, Total ; the next that, surroial;
and then the top.
“In a buck, they say blur, beame, braumch, ad-
Q(tºt?cers, palme, and speilers.”—Marwootl: Forest
.Latwes.
Advent. Four weeks to comme-
morate the first and second coming of
,Christ ; the first to redeem, and the
second to judge the world. The season
begins on St. Andrew’s Day, or the Sun-
day nearest to it. (Latin, ad-ventus, the
coming to.)
ºversary (The).
"W. S.
Advocate (An) means one called to
Satan. (1 Pet.
The second branches of .
assist clients in a court of law. (Latin,
advocêre.)
The Devil's Advocate. One who brings
forward malicious accusations. When
any name is proposed for canonisation
in the Roman Catholic Church, two
advocates are appointed, one to oppose
the motion and one to defond it. The
former, called Advoca’tus Diab'oli (the
Devil’s Advocate), advances all he can
against the person in question ; the
latter, called Adroca'tats Dei (God's
Advocate), says all he can in support
of the proposal.
Advocates' Library, in Edinburgh,
founded 1682, is one of the five libraries
to which copyright books are sent. (See
&º
Advowson means the right of ap-
pointing the incumbent of a church or
ecclesiastical benefice. In mediaeval times
the “advocacy'” or patronage of
bishoprics and abbeys was frequently in
the hands of powerful nobles, who often
claimed the right to appoint in the event
of a vacancy; hence the word (from
Latin, advocatio, the office of a patron).
A presentative advowson is when the
patron presents to the bishop a person to
whom he is willing to give the place of
preferment.
A colla'tive advowson is when the
bishop himself is patron, and collates his
client without any intermediate person.
A dow’ative advowson is where the
Crown gives a living to a clergyman
without presentation, institution, or in-
duction. This is done when a church or
chapel has been founded by the Crown,
and is not subject to the ordinary.
Advowson in gross is an advowson
separated from the manor, and belong-
ing wholly to the owner. While at-
tached to the manor it is an advowson
appendant. “Gross '' (French) means
absolute, entire ; thus gross weight is
the entire weight without deductions.
A villain in gross was a villain the
entire property of his master, and not
attached to the land. A common in gross
is one which is entirely your own, and
which belongs to the manor.
Sale of Advowsons. When lords of
manors built churches upon their own
demesnes, and endowed them, they be-
came private property, which the lord
might give away or even sell, under
certain limitations. These livings are
called Advowsons appen'dant, being ap-
pended to the manor. After a time they
became regular “ commercial property,”
2
Adytum
-º- -->
and we still see the sale of some of them
in the public journals.
Adytum. The Holy of Holies in the
Greek and Roman temples, into which
the general public were not admitted.
(Greek, a-dºttom – not to be entered;
duo, to go.)
AE'diles (2 syl.). Those who, in
ancient Rome, had charge of the public
buildings (ades), such as the temples,
theatres, baths, aqueducts, sewers, in-
cluding roads and streets also.
AEgeus (2 syl.). A fabulous king of
Athens who gave name to the AEgèan
Sea. His son, Theseus, went to Crete
to deliver Athens from the tribute ex-
acted by Minos. Theseus said, if he
succeeded he would hoist a white sail on
his home-voyage, as a signal of his
safety. This he neglected to do ; and
AEgeus, who watched the ship from a
rock, thinking his son had perished,
threw himself into the sea.
This incident has been copied in the
tale of Sir Tristram and Ysolde. Sir
Tristram being severely wounded in
Brittany, sent for Ysolde to come and
see him before he died. He told his
messenger, if Ysolde consented to come
to hoist a white flag. Sir Tristram's
wife told him the ship was in sight with
a black flag at the helm, whereupon
Sir Tristram bowed his head and died.
[TRISTRAM.]
AEgine'tan Sculptures. , Sculptures
excavated by a company of Germans,
Danes, and English (1811), in the little
island of Ægi'na. They were purchased
by Ludwig, Crown Prince of Bavaria,
and are now the most remarkable orna-
ments of the Glyptothek, at Münich.
AEgir'. God of the ocean, whose wife
is Rana. They had nine daughters, who
wore white robes and veils (Scandin-
avian mythology). These daughters are
the billows, etc. The word means “to
flow.”
AE'gis. The shield of Jupiter made
by Vulcan was so called, and symbolised
“Divine protection.” The shield of
Minerva was called an aegis also. The
shield of Jupiter was covered with the
skin of the goat Amalthaea, and the
Greek for goat is, in the genitive case,
aigos. The aegis made by Vulcan was
of brass.
I throw my dºg is over you, I give you
my protection.
AEgro/tat. To sport an agrötat. In
university parlance, an aegrótat is a
18
aye.”
AğOn
medical certificate of indisposition to
exempt the bearer from attending chapel
and college lectures.
A E I (A–7), a common motto on
jewellery, means “for ever and for
(Greek.)
AElu'rus. The cat. An Egyptian
deity held in the greatest veneration.
Herodótus (ii. 66), tells us that Diana,
to avoid being molested by the giants,
changed herself into a cat. The deity
used to be represented with a cat’s head
on a human body. (Greek, ailouros,
a cat.)
AEmilian Law. Made by AEmilius
Mamercus the praetor. It enjoined that
the oldest priest should drive a nail every
year into the capitol on the ides of Sep-
tember (September 5).
AEmonia, AEmo'nian
HAEMONIAN).
AEme'as. The hero of Virgil's epic.
He carried his father Anchi’sés on his
shoulders from the flames of Troy. After
roaming about for many years, he came
to Italy, where he founded a colony
which the Romans claim as their origin.
The epithet applied to him is pints = pious,
dutiful.
AEne'id. The epic poem of Virgil,
(in twelve books). So called from
Aºne'as, and the suffix -is, plur. idés
(belonging to).
“The story of Sinon,” says Mºlcro')ius, “and the
taking of Troy is borrowed from Pisander.
“The loves of Dido and AEnčus are taken from
those of MedC.A. and Jason, in Apollónius of
Rhodes.
“The story of the Wooden Horse and burning
Of Troy is from Arctimus of Milčºus.”
AEol'ic Digamma. An ancient
Greek letter (F), sounded like our ºw.
Thus, oinos with the digamma was
Sounded woinos, whence the Latin
wintºm, our wine. Gamma, or g, was
shaped thus T, hence digamma =
double ſy.
AEolic Mode, in music, noted for its
simplicity, fit for ballads and songs.
The Phrygian Mode was for religious
music, as hymns and anthems.
AEolus, in Roman mythology, was
“god of the winds.” -
AEolian harp. The wind-harp. A box
on which strings are stretched. Being
placed where a draught gets to the
strings, they utter musical sounds.
AEon (Greek, aion), eternity, an im-
measurable length of time; any being
that is eternal. Basilidès reckons there
have been 365 Such aeons, or gods; but
(HZEMONIA
ZEra,
Valentinius restricts the number to 30.
Sometimes written “eon.”
In geology each series of rocks covers an eon,
or an indefinite and immeasurable period of
time. -
AEra. [ERA.]
Aérated Bread. Bread made light
by means of carbonic acid gas instead of
leaven.
Aérated Water. Water impregnated
with carbonic acid gas, called fived air.
Ae'rians. Followers of Aerius, who
maintained that there is no difference
between bishops and priests.
AEs’chylus (Greek, Avayw80s), the
most sublime of the Greek tragic poets.
He wrote 90 plays, only 7 of which
are now extant. Æschylus was killed
by a tortoise thrown by an eagle (to
break the shell) against his bald head,
which it mistook for a stone (B.C. 535-
456). See Horace, Ars Poetica, 278.
Pronounce Ees'-ke-lus.
AEs’chylus of France. Prosper
Jolyot de Crébillon. (1674-1762.)
AEsculapius. - The Latin form of
the Greek word Asklöpios, the god of
medicine and of healing. Now used for
“a medical practitioner.”
AEsir, plural of As or Asa, the celestial
gods of Scandinavia, who lived in As-
gard (god's ward), situate on the hea-
venly hills between earth and the rain-
'bow. The chief was Odin. We are told
that there were twelve, but it would be
hard to determine who the twelve are,
for, like Arthur's knights, the number
seems variable.
mentioned:—(1) Odin ; (2) Thor (his
eldest son, the god of thunder); (3) Tyr
(another son, the god of wisdom); (4)
Baldur (another son, the Scandinavian
Apollo); (5) Bragi (the god of elo-
quence); (6) Widar (god of silence); (7)
Hödur the blind (Baldur's twin brother);
(8) Hermod (Odin’s son and messenger);
(9) Hoenir (divine intelligence); (10)
Odur (husband of Freyja, the Scandin-
avian Venus) ; (11) Loki (the god of
mischief, though not an asa, lived in
Asgard); (12) Vali (Odin’s youngest
son); another of Odin’s sons was Kvasir
the keen-sighted. Then there were the
Vanir, or gods of air, ocean, and water;
the gods of fire; the gods of the Lower
World; and the Mysterious Three, who
sat on three thrones above the rainbow.
Their names were Har (the perfect), the
Like-perfect, and the Third person.
Wives of the AEsi, Odin’s wife was
Frigga; Thor's wife was Sif (beauty);
The following may be
19
Aetites
Baldur's wife was Nanna (daring);
Bragi’s wife was Iduna ; Odur’s wife
was Freyja (the Scandinavian Venus);
Loki's wife was Sigüna.
The AEsir built Asgard themselves,
but each god had his own private man-
sion. That of Odin was Gladsheim ;
but his wife Frigga had also her private
abode, named Fensalir ; the mansion of
Thor was Bilskirnir ; that of Baldur
was Broadblink; that of Odur’s wife
was Folkbang ; of Vidar was Landvidi
(wide land); the private abode of the
goddesses generally was Vingolf.
The refectory or banquet hall of the
AEsir was called Valhalla.
Niórd, the water-god, was not one of
the ZEsir, but chief of the Vanir ; his son
was Frey; his daughter, Freyja (the
Scandinavian Venus) ; his wife was
Skadi ; and his home, Noatun.
AEson's Bath. Sir Thomas Browne
(Religio Medici, p. 67) rationalises this
into “ hair-dye.” The reference is to
Medea renovating Æson, father of
Jason, with the juices of a concoction
made of sundry articles. After Æson
had imbibed these juices, Ovid says:—
“Barba, comaeque,
Canitie posita, nigrum rapuére, colorem.”
Metamorphoses, Wii. 288.
AEsonian Hero (The). Jason, who
was the son of AEson.
AE’sop's Fables were compiled by
Babrios, a Greek, who lived in the Alex-
andrian age.
Aºsop, a Phrygian slave, very de-
formed, and the writer of fables. He
was contemporary with Pythagöras,
about B.C. 570.
Almost all Greek and Latin fables are ascribed
to AESOI), as all our Psalms are ascribed to David.
The Latin fables of Phaedrus are supposed to be
translations of AEsopian fables.
Aºsop of Arabia. Lokman (?). Nasser,
who lived in the fifth century, is gener-
ally called the “Arabian AEsop.”
gº of England. John Gay. (1688-
732.
1732
Aºsop of France. Jean de la Fontaine.
(1621–1695.)
Aºsop of Germany, Gotthold Ephraim
Lessing. (1729-1781.)
AEsop of India. Bidpay or Pilpay.
(About three centuries before the Chris-
tian era.)
A'etites (3 syl.). Eagle - stones.
(Greek, ačtos, an eagle.) Hollow stones
composed of several crusts, one within
another. Supposed at one time to form
part of an eagle's nest. Pliny mentions
them. Kirwan applies the name to
AEtolian IBIero
20
Agag
clay-ironstones having a globular crust
of oxide investing an ochreous kernel.
Mythically, they are supposed to have
the property of detecting theft.
AEtolian Hero (The). IJiomede, who
was king of Ætolia. Ovid.
Affable means “one easy to be spoken
to.” (Latin, ad fari, to speak to.)
Affect'. To love, to desire. (Latin,
affecto.
lair : Gratve.
l'Affection aveugle raison (French).
Cassius says to Brutus, “A friendly eye
could never see such faults.” “L’esprit
est presque toujours la dupe du coeur.”
(La Rochefoucauld: Mavimes.)
Again, “a mother thinks all her geese
are swans.”
Italian : A ogni grolla paion belli i
Suoi grollatini. Ad Ogni uccello, Suo
nido e bello.
Jºey?ch : A chaque oiseau son mid
parait beau.
Latin : Asinus asino, Sus sui, pulcher.
Sua cuique res est carissima.
Affront' properly means to stand
front to front. In Savage nations oppos-
ing armies draw up front to front before
they begin hostilities, and by grimaces,
sounds, words, and all conceivable
means, try to provoke and terrify their
vis-à-vis. When this “affronting” is
over, the adversaries rush against each
other, and the fight begins in earnest.
Affront. A salute; a coming in front
of another to salute.
“Only, sir, this I must caution you of, in your
affront, or salute, never to move your hat.”—
Greenvi T'u Qū0que, Wii. 95.
Afraid. He who trembles to hear a
leaf fall should keep out of the wood.
This is a French proverb: “Qui a peur
de feuilles, ne doit aller au bois.” Our
corresponding English proverb is, “He
who fears scars shouldn’t go the wars.”
The timid should not voluntarily expose
themselves to danger.
“Little boats should keep near shore,
Larger ones lllay Yonture more.”
Africa. Teneo te, Africa (I take
possession of thee, O Africa). When
Caesar landed at Adrumětum, in Africa,
he tripped and fell—a bad omen; but,
with wonderful presence of mind, he
pretended that he had done so inten-
tionally, and kissing the soil, exclaimed,
“Thus do I take possession of thee, O
Africa.” Told also of Scipio. (See Don
Quiacote, Pt. II. Bk. vi. ch. 6.)
Africa Semper aliquid novi affert.
“Africa is always producing some
novelty.” A Greck proverb quoted
“Some affect the light, and somº: Shade.”
(in Latin) by Pliny, in allusion to the
ancient belief that Africa abounded in
strange monsters.
African Sisters (The). The Hes-
perides (4 syl.) who lived in Africa.
They were the daughters of Atlas.
Afriet, or “Afrit.” The beau ideal
of what is terrible and monstrous in
Arabian superstition. A sort of ghoul
or demon. Solomon, we are told, once
tamed an Afrit, and made it submissive
to his will.
Aft. The hinder part of a ship.
Fore and Aft. The entire length (of
a ship), from stem to stern.
After-cast. A throw of dice after
the game is ended ; anything done too
late.
“Ever he playeth an after-cast
Of all that he shall Say or do.”—Gowcy.
After-clap. Beware of &fter-claps.
An after-clap is a catastrophe or threat
after an affair is supposed to be over.
It is very common in thunderstorms to
hear a “clap" after the rain subsides,
and the clouds break.
“What plaguy mischief and mishap3
Do dog him Still Willl after-claps.”
Duttle,' ... IIudabras, Pt. i. 3.
After Meat, Mustard. In Latin,
“Post bellum, auxilium.” We have
also, “After death, the doctor,” which
is the German, “Wann der kranke ist
todt, so kommt der arztmei’’ (when the
patient’s dead, comes the physic). To
the same effect is “When the steed is
stolen, lock the stable door.” Meaning,
doing a thing, or offering service when
it is too late, or when there is no longer
need thereof.
After us, the Deluge. “I care not
what happens when I am dead and
gone.” So said Mdme. de Pompadour,
the mistress of Louis XV. (1722-1764).
Metternich, the Austrian statesman
(1773-1859), is credited with the same :
but probably he simply quoted the words
of the French marchioness.
Aft-meal. An extra meal; a meal
taken after and in addition to the ordin-
ary meals.
“At aft-meals who shall pay for the wine 2"
Thynne : Debate.
Agag, in Dryden’s satire of Absa-
lom and Achitophel, is meant for Sir
Edmondbury Godfrey, the magistrate
|before whom Titus Oates made his de-
claration, and was afterwards found
barbarously murdered in a ditch near
Agamarshana,
21
Agdistes
Primrose Hill. Agag was hewed to
pieces by Samuel (1 Sam. xv.). -
“And Corah (Titus Oates) might for Agag’s
Innu” der call
In terms as coarse as Samuel used to i.
º 75- *
Agamarshana. A passage, of the
Veda, the repetition of which will purify
the soul like absolution after confession.
Agamemnon. King of Argos, in
Greece, and commander-in-chief of the
allied Greeks who went to the siege of
Troy. The fleet being delayed by ad-
verse winds at Aulis, Agamemnon sacri-
ficed his daughter Iphigeni'a, to Diana,
and the winds became at once favourable.
—Homer’s Iliad.
“Till Agamemnon's daughter's blood
Appeased thc gods that them withstood.”
- Iºwrl of Surrey.
IIis brother was Menelâ0s. . -
His daughters were Iphigenia, Electra, Iphian-
assº, and Clurysothemis (Sophocles).
He was grandson of Pelops. g ºt
He was killed in a bath lly his wife Clytem-
nestra, after his return from Troy. .
His son was Qrestés, who slew his mother for
murdering lais father, and was called Agamem-
nonidés. * -
His wife was Clytemnestra, who lived in adult-
ery with Egistheus. At Troy he ſell in love with
CašSandra, a daughter of King Priam.
Viačre fortes anté Agamemnona (“there
are hills beyond Pentland, and fields
beyond Forth '’), i.e., we are not to
suppose that our own age or locality
monopolises all that is good.—IIor. Od.
iv. 9, 25. We might add, at post Affa-
memnàna wivent.
“Great men there lived cre Agamemnon came,
And after him will others rise tofanie.”—E. C. B.
Aganicë (4 Syl.), or Aglaonicë, the
Thessalian, being able to calculate
eclipses, she pretended to have the moon
under her command, and to be able
when she chose to draw it from heaven.
Her secret being found out, her vaunting
became a laughing-stock, and gave birth
to the Greek proverb cast at braggarts,
“Yes, as the Moon obeys Aganicé.”
Aganippe (4 syl.). A fountain of
Boeotia at the foot of Mount Helicon,
dedicated to the Muses, because it had
the virtue of imparting poetic inspira-
tion. From this fountain the Muses are
called Agamippedès (5 syl.) or Agamip-
pidès (5 syl.).
Ag'ape (3 syl.). A love-feast. The
early Christians held a love-feast before
Or after communion, when contributions
were made for the poor. These feasts
became a scandal, and were condemned
at the Council of Carthage, 397. (Greek,
agapé, love.)
Agapem'one (5 Syl.).
disreputable association of men and
A somewhat .
women living promiscuously on a com-
mon fund, which existed for a time at
Charlynch, near Bridgewater, in Somer-
Setshire. (Greek, affapé, love.)
Agapetae. Women under vows of
virginity, who undertook to attend the
monks. (The word is Greek, and means
aloved.)
Ag'ate (2 Syl.). So called, says Pliny
(xxxvii. 10), from Acha'tés or Gaga'tés,
a river in Sicily, near which it is found
in abundance.
“These, these are they, if we consider well,
That Saphir's and the diamonds doe excell,
The ºrie, the emerauld, and the turkeS$0
) | Qll
T]he singuine corrall, amber's golden hiew,
The christall, jacinth, a chate, ruby red.”
Taylor: The Waterspout (1630).
Agate is supposed to render a person
invisible, and to turn the sword of foes
against themselves.
Agate. A very diminutive person.
Shakespeare speaks of Queen Mab as no
bigger than an agate-stone on the fore-
finger of an alderman.
“I was never manned with an agate till now.”
Shakespeare: 2 Hem. I }''. i. 2.
Ag'atha. Daughter of Cuno, the
ranger, in love with Max, to whom she
is to be married, provided he carries off
the prize in the annual trial-shot. She
is in danger of being shot by Max un-
wittingly, but is rescued by a hermit,
and becomes the bride of the young
huntsman.—Weber's Opera of Der
I'reischütz. –
Agatha (St.). Represented in Chris-
tian art with a pair of shears, and
holding in her hand a salver, on which
her breasts are placed. The reference
is to her martyrdom, when her breasts
were cut off by a pair of shears.
Agave (3 syl.) or “American aloe,”
from the Greek, agatſos, admirable.
The Mexicans plant fences of Agavé
round their wigwams, as a defence
against wild beasts. The Mahometans
of Egypt regard it as a charm and
religious symbol; and pilgrims to Mecca.
indicate their exploit by hanging over
the door of their dwelling a leaf of
Agavé, which has the further charm of
warding off evil spirits. The Jews in
Cairo attribute a similar virtue to the
plant, every part of which is utilised.
Agdistes (self-indulgence). The god
who kept the porch of the “Bower of
Bliss.” He united in his own person the
two sexes, and sprang from the stone
Agdus, parts of which were taken by
Deucalion and Pyrrha to cast over their
Age as accords
22
Agist
shoulders, after the flood, for re-peopling
the world. (Spenser: Faërie Queene,
book ii. 12.) Ag-dis'-tes in 3 Syl.
Age as accords (To). To do what
is fit and right (Scotch law term). Here
“Age'' is from the Latin agère, to do.
“To set about the matter in a regular manner,
Or, as he termed it. . . . . to ‘age as accords.’”—
Sir W. Scott : Itedgattºutlet, Chall). 2.
Age of Animals. An old Celtic
rhyme, put into modern English, says:—
“Thrice the age of a dog is that of a horse ;
Thrice the age of a horse is that of a man ;
Thrice the age of a man is that of a deer ;
Thrice the age of a deer is that of an eagle.”
Age of Women (The). Though many
women are mentioned in the Bible, the
age of only one (Sarah, Abraham's wife)
is recorded, and that to show at her
advanced age she would become the
mother of Isaac.
“Elizabeth, the mother of the Baptist,” we
a; e told by St. Luke, “was well-stricken in age.”
Age of the Bishops (The). The
ninth century. (Hallam : Middle Ages.)
Age of the Popes (The). The
twelfth century. (Hallam : Middle Ages.)
Agé hoc. “Attend to this.” In
sacrifice the Roman crier perpetually
repeated these words to arouse attention.
In the “Common Prayer Book” the
attention of the congregation is fre-
quently aroused by the exhortation,
“Let us pray,” though nearly the whole
service is that of prayer.
Ages. Varro (Fragments, p. 219,
Scaliger's edition, 1623) recognises three
ages:—
(1) From the beginning of mankind
to the Deluge, a time wholly unknown.
(2) From the Deluge to the First
Olympiad, called the mythical period.
(3) From the first Olympiad to the
present time, called the historic period.
Titian symbolised the three ages of
man thus:—
(1) An infant in a cradle.
(2) A shepherd playing a flute.
(3) An old man meditating on two
skulls.
According to Lucretius also, there are
three ages, distinguished by the materials
employed in implements (v. 1282), viz.:
(1) The age of stone, when celts or im-
plements of stone were employed.
(2) The age of bronze, when implements
were made of copper or brass.
(3) The age of iron, when implements
were made of iron, as at present.
A.
Hesiod names five ages, viz.:--
The Golden or patriarcllal, under the care of
Saturn...
The Silver or voluptuous, under the care of
Jupiter. -
The Brazen or warlike, under the care of
Neptune. . -
The Heroic or renaissant, under the care of
MarS.
The Iron or present, under the care of Pluto.
* The present is sometimes called
the wire age, from its telegraphs, by
means of , which well-nigh the whole
earth is in intercommunication. .
Fichte names five ages also : the ante-
diluvian, post-diluvian, Christian, satanic,
and millennian.
Ag'elasta. The stone on which
Cerés rested when worn down by fatigue
in searching for her daughter. (Greek,
joyless.) -
Agenorides (5 syl.).
was the son of Agénor.
Agent. Is man a free agent 2 This
is a question of theology, which has long
been mooted. The point is this: If
God fore-ordains all our actions, they
must take place as he fore-Ordains them,
and man acts as a watch or clock; but
if, on the other hand, man is responsible
for his actions, he must be free to act as
his inclination leads him. Those who
hold the former view are called necessita-
rians; those who hold the latter, liberta-
7” (172S.
Agglutinate Languages. Tho
Tura'nian family of languages are so
called because every syllable is a word,
and these are glued together to form
other words, and may be unglued so as
to leave the roots distinct, as “inkstand.”
Aghast'. Frightened, as by a ghost;
from Anglo-Saxon gést, a ghost.
Cadmos, who
Agio. The percentage of charge
made for the exchange of paper money
into cash. (Italian).
“The profit is called by the Italians aggio.”—
Sca?'lett.
Agis. King of Sparta, who tried to
deliver Greece from the Macedonian
yoke, and was slain in the attempt.
“To saye a rotten state, Agis, who saw
E’en Sparta's Self to Sérvile a varice sink.”
Thomson : JWinter, 488-9.
Agist'. To take the cattle of another
to graze at a certain sum. The feeding
of these beasts is called agistment. The
words are from the Norman agiser (to
be levant and couchant, rise up and lie
down), because, says Coke, beasts are
levant and couchant whilst they are on
the land. * ,
Agla,
23
Agrimony
Agºla. A cabalistic name of God,
formed from the initial letters of Attāh,
Gibbor, Leholām, Adonài (Thott art
strong for ever, O Lord /). (See NOT-
ARICA.)
Aglaos. The poorest man in Arcadia,
pronounced by Apollo to be far happier
than Gygës, because he was “contented
With his lot.”
“Poor and content is rich and rich enough ;
But riches endless ale as poor as winter
To him who ever fears, he shall be poor.”.
Shakespeare : Othello iii. 3. .
Agnes. She is an Agnes (elle falt
!’Agnès)—i.e., she is a sort of female
“Verdant Green,” who is so unsophistic-
ated that she does not even know what
love means. It is a character in Mo-
lière’s L’Ecole des Femmes.
Agnes (St.) is represented by Dom-
enichino as kueeling on a pile of fagots,
the fire extinguished, and the executioner
about to slay her with the sword. The
introduction of a lamb (ag/ºlts) is a
modern innovation, and play on the
name. St. Agnes is the patron of young
virgins.
“St. Agnes was first tied to a stake,
but the fire of the stakes went out ;
whereupon Aspasius, set to watch the
martyrdom, drew his sword, and cut off
her head.”
Agnes' Day (St.), 21st January. Upon
St. Agnes’ night, you take a row of pins,
and pull out every one, one after another.
Saying a pater-noster, stick a pin in
your sleeve, and you will dream of him
or her you shall marry.—Aubrey: Mis-
cellany, p. 136.
Agºnoites (3 Syl.).
Ag-no-i-tae (4 Syl.).
(1) Certain heretics in the fourth
century who said “God did not know
everything.”
(2) Another sect, in the sixth century,
who maintained that Christ “did not
know the time of the day of judgment.”
(Greek, a, not ; yuyvögkø, to know.)
Agnostic (An). A term invented by
Prof. Huxley in 1885 to indicate the
mental attitude of those who withhold
their assent to whatever is incapable of
proof, such as the absolute. In regard
to miracles and revelation, agnostics
neither dogmatically accept nor reject
such matters, but simply say Agnosco—I
do not know—they are not capable of
proof.
Agnus-castus. A shrub of the Vitex
tribe, called agnos (chaste) by the
Greeks, because the Athenian ladies, at
Ag'-70-ites, or
the feast of Cerés, used to strew their
couches with Vitex leaves, as a palladium
of chastity. The monks, mistaking
agnos (chaste) for agnus (a lamb), but
knowing the use made of the plant,
added castus to explain its character,
making it chaste-lamb. (For another
similar blunder, see I.H.S.)
Agnus Dei. A cake of wax or
dough stamped with the figure of a
lamb supporting the banner of the Cross,
and distributed by the Pope on the
Sunday after Easter as an amulet. Our
Lord is called Agnus Dei (the Lamb of
God). There is also a prayer so called,
because it begins with the words, Agnus
Dei, qui tollis pecca'ta mundi (O Lamb of
God, that takest away the sins of the
world).
Agog'. He is all agog, in nervous
anxiety; on the qui vive, like a horse in
clover. (French, d gogo, or vivre d gogo,
to live in clover.)
Agonistes (4 syl.). Samson Agonistes
(the title of Milton's drama) means
Samson wrestling with adversity—Sam-
son combating with trouble. (Greek,
aſoni'30mai, to combat, to struggle.)
Agonistics. A branch of the Dona-
tists of Africa, who roamed from town to
town affirming they were ministers of
justice. The Greek agón (an assembly)
= the Latin mundána, days when the
law-courts were opened, that country
people might go and get their law-suits
settled.
Agony properly means contention in
the athletic games; and to agonise is the
act of contending. (Greek, agón, a game
of contest, as well as a “place of
assembly ’’).
Agony, meaning “great pain,” is the
wrestle with pain or struggle with suffer-
Ing.
Agony Column of a newspaper. A.
column containing advertisements of
missing relatives and friends; indicating
great distress of mind in the advertiser.
Agrarian Law, from the Latin affer
(land), is a law for making land the
common property of a nation, and not
the particular property of individuals.
In a modified form, it means a re-
distribution of land, giving to each citizen
a portion.
Agrimony. The older spelling was
Argemony, and Pliny ca’ls it argemonia,
from the Greek argemos, a white speck
on the eye, which this plant was supposed
to cure,
Ague
24
Air One's opinions
Ague (A. cure for). (See Homſ ER.)
Ague-cheek. Sir Andrew Ague-
cheek, a straight-haired country squire,
stupid even to silliness, self-conceited,
living to eat, and wholly unacquainted
with the world of fashion. The character
is in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Agur's Wish (Prov. xxx. 8). “Give
me neither riches nor poverty.”
Ahasuerus, or Ahashverosh. A title
common to several Persian kings. The
three mentioned in the Bible are sup-
posed to be Cyaxarés (Dan. xi. 1);
Xerxes (Esther); and Cambyses (Ezra
iv. 6).
An alabaster vase found at Halicarnassus gives
four renderings of the name Xerxes, viz., Persian,
I'll Shāyarsha; Assyrian, Khisiharstuha, Egyptian,
A lish yarsha; ; and the Greek, Xeraces; the Sans-
krit root Kshi means “to rule,” Kshathra (Zend
I(Sathra), a king.
Ahead. The wind’s ahead—i.e., blows
in the direction towards which the ship's
head points; in front. If the wind
blows in the opposite direction (i.e.,
towards the stern) it is said to be astern.
When one ship is ahead of another, it is
before it, or further advanced. - “Ahead
of his class,” means at the head. Ahead
in a race, means before the rest of the
I’ll]]ll GTS.
To go ahead is to go on without hesi-
tation, as a ship runs ahead of another.
Ahith'ophel, or Achiţ'ophel. A
treacherous friend and adviser. Ahitho-
phel was David’s counsellor, but joined
Absalom in revolt, and advised him
“ like the oracle of God” (2 Sam. xvi.
20–23). In Dryden’s political satire,
Achitophel stands for the Earl of Shaftes-
bury. (See ACHITOPHEL.)
Ahmed (Prince). Noted for the tent
given him by the fairy Pari-ban'ou, which
would cover a whole army, but might be
carried in one's pocket; and for the
apple of Samarcand’, which would cure
all diseases. – Arabian Nights, Prince
Ahmed, etc.
This tent coincides in a marvellous
manner with the Norse ship called Skid-
bladnir (q.v.). (See SOLOMON's CARPET.)
Aholibah (Ezek. xxiii. 4, 11, etc.).
The personification of prostitution. Used
by the prophet to signify religious adult-
ery or harlotry. (See HARLOT.)
“The great difficulty in exposing the immoral-
ifies of this Aholibah is that her [acts] are so
revolting.”—Papers on the Social Evil, 1885.
Aholiba'mah. A granddaughter of
Cain, loved by the seraph Samia'sa. She
is a proud, ambitious, queen-like beauty,
a female type of Cain. When the flood
came, her angel-lover carried her under
his wings to some other planet.— Byron :
IHeaven and Earth.
Ahriman, or Ahrim'amés. The prin-
ciple or angel of darkness and evil in the
Magian system. (See ORMUSD.)
“I recognise the evil spirit, sir, and do honour
to Ahrimanes in this young man.”—Thackeray.
Aide toi et le Ciel taidera (God
will help those who help themselves). The
party-motto of a political society of
France, established in 1824. The object
of the Society was, by agitation and the
press, to induce the middle classes to
resist the Government. Guizot was at
One time its president, and Le Globe and
Le National its organs. This society,
which doubtless aided in bringing about
the Revolution of 1830, was dissolved in
1832.
Aigrette (2 syl.). A lady's head-
dress, consisting of feathers or flowers.
The French call the down of thistles and
dandelions, as well as the tuft of birds,
aigrette.
Aim. To give aim, to stand aloof.
A term in archery, meaning to stand
within a convenient distance from the
butts, to give the archers information
how near their arrows fall to the mark
aimed at.
“But, gentle people, give me aim awhile,
For nature puts me to a heavy task ;
Stand all aloof.”
Shakespeare : Titus Amdronicus, Y. 3.
To cry aim. To applaud, encourage.
In archery it was customary to appoint
certain persons to cry aim, for the sake
of encouraging those who were about to
shoot.
“All my neighbou's shall cry aim.”
Shakespeatre : Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 2.
Aim-crier. An abettor, one who
encourages. In archery, the person em-
ployed to “cry aim.” (See above.)
“Thou smiling aim-crier at princes' fall.”
English Arcadiat.
Air, an element, Anaxagoras held
air to be the primary form of matter.
Aristotle gives Fire, Air, Earth, and
Water as the four elements.
Air, a manner, as “the air of the
court,” the “air of gentility; ” “a good
air’’ (manner, deportment) means the
pervading habit.
Air, in music, is that melody which
predominates and gives its character to
the piece.
Air one's opinions (To). To state
opinions without having firmly based
Air-brained
25
Aladdin's Window
them on proper data. To let them fly
loose, like a caged bird.
To ventilate an opinion means to suggest for the
purpose of having it duly tested. A conceited
man airs his opinions, a discreet. One venutilattes
them, as corn when it is winnowed, and the Chaff
is lylown off.
Air-brained. Giddy, heedless. This
word is now generally spelt “hare-
brained; ” but, by ancient authors, hair-
brained. In C. Thomson's Autobio-
graphy it is spelt “Air-brained,” which
seems plausible.
Air-line signifies (in the United
States) the most direct and shortest
possible route between two given places,
as the Eastern and Western Air-line
Railway.
Air-ship (An). A balloon.
“Presently, a north-easterly current of wind
Struck the air-ship, and it began to lal Ove Wit ll
great velocity upon a horizontal line.” — Mac
Adeler: The Captain's MS.
Air-throne. Odin's throne in Glads-
heim. His palace was in Asgard.
Airs. To give oneself mighty airs :
to assume, in manner, appearance, and
tone, a superiority to which you have
no claim. The same as Air, manner (q.v.).
The plural is essential in this case to take it out
of the category of mere eccentricity, or to dis-
tinguish it from “air" in the sense of deport-
ment, as “he had a fine, manly air,” “his air was
that Óf a gentleman.” Air, in the singular, being
generally complimentary, but airs” in the plural
filways conveying censure. In 16alian, we find
the phrase, Si da dell ((?"ić.
Airap'adam. The white elephant,
one of the eight which, according to
Indian mythology, sustain the earth.
Aisle (pronounce ile). The north and
south wings of a church. Latin, ala
(axilla, ascella), through the French, aile,
a wing. In German the nave of a
church is schiff, and the aisle flügel (a
wing). In some church documents the
aisles are called alleys (walks), and
hence the nave is still sometimes called
the “middle aisle '’ or alley. The choir
of Lincoln Cathedral used to be called
the “Chanters’ alley; ” and Olden tells
us that when he came to be church-
warden, in 1638, he made the Puritans
“come up the middle alley on their
knees to the raile.”
Aitch-bone of beef. Corruption of
“Naitch-bone,” i.e. the haunch-bone
(Latin, mates, a haunch or buttock).
Similarly, “an apron” is a corruption of a
mapperon ; “an adder” is a corruption of a madder
(Old Eng., mapddre). In other words, we haye
reversed the order ; thus “a new t” is an ewt, “a
nag '' is an Ög UDanish). Latin, eq[atus], a horse.
Ajax, the Greater, King of Salamis,
a man of giant stature, daring, and self-
confident. Generally called Tel’amon
Ajax, because he was the son of Tel’a-
mon. When the armour of Hector was
awarded to Ulysses instead of to himself,
he turned mad from vexation and stabbed
himself.-Homer’s Iliad, and later poets.
Ajax, the Less. Son of Oileus (3 syl.),
Ring of Locris, in Greece. The night Troy
was taken, he offered violence to Cas-
sandra, the prophetic daughter of Priam ;
in consequence of which his ship was
driven on a rock, and he perished at sea.
—Homer's Iliad, and later poets.
“Ipsa (Juno), Jovis rapidum jaculata, c nubibus
Disjæºle rates, evertitgue asquora ventis ;
Illum (Ajax) expirantelm transfixo pectore
flamlıhas
Turbino corripuit, Scopuloque infixit acuto.”
Virgil : , Eneid, i. 42, etc.
Akbar. An Arabic word, meaning
“Very Great.” Akbar-Khan, the “very
great Khan,” is applied especially to the
Rhan of Hindústan who reigned 1556-
1605.
Ak'uan, the giant whom Rustan
slew. (Persian mythology.)
Ak'uman. The most malevolent of
all the Persian gods.
Alabama, U. S. America. The name
of an Indian tribe of the Mississippi
Valley, meaning “here we rest.”
Alabaster. A stone of great purity
and whiteness, used for ornaments. So
called from “Alabastron,” in Upper
Egypt, where it abounds.
Aladdin, in the Arabian Nights’
Tales, obtains a magic lamp, and has a
splendid palace built by the genius of the
lamp. He marries the daughter of the
sultan of China, loses his lamp, and his
palace is transported to Africa. Sir
Walter Scott says, somewhat incor-
rectly:--
“Vanished into air like the palace of Aladdin.”
* The palace did not vanish into air,
but was transported to another place.
Aladdin's Lamp. The source of
wealth and goodfortune. After Aladdin
came to his wealth and was married, he
suffered his lamp to hang up and get
rusty. -
“It was impossible that a family, holding a
document which gave them access to the most
powerful... noblemen in Scotland, should have
suffered it to remain unemployed, like Aladdin's
rusty lanll).”—Senior.
Aladdin's Ring, given him by the
African magician, was a “preservative
against every evil.”—Arabian Nights :
Aladdin and the JP'onderful Lamp.
Aladdin's Window. To finish Alad-
din’s Window—i.e. to attempt to com-
Aladine
26
Albatross
plete something begun by a great genius,
but left imperfect. The genius of the
lamp built a palace with twenty-four
windows, all but one being set in frames
of precious stones; the last was left for
the sultan to finish ; but after exhausting
his treasures, the Sultan was obliged to
abandon the task as hopeless.
Tait's second part of Dryden’s Absalom
and Achitophel is an Aladdin's JWindow.
Aladine (3 syl.). The Sagacious but
cruel old king of Jerusalem in Tasso's
Jerusalem Delivered, book xx. This
is a fictitious character, inasmuch as the
Holy Land was at the time under the
dominion of the caliph of Egypt. Alad-
ine was slain by Raymond.
A1'ako. Son of Baro-De'vel, the
great god of the gipsies. The gipsies
say that he will ultimately restore them
to Assa's in Assyria, their native country.
The image of Alako has a pen in his left
hand and a sword in his right.
Alans. Large dogs, of various species,
used for hunting deer.
“Skins of animals slain in the chase were
stretched on the ground . . . and upon a heal)
of these lay 3 glams, as they were galled, i.e.; Wolf
greyhounds of the largest size.”—Sir W. Scott: The
Talismvitºv, Chal). Vi.
Alar'con. Ring of Barca, who joined
the armament of Egypt against the
Crusaders. His men were, only half
armed.—Jerusalem Delivered.
Alarm. An outcry made to give
notice of danger. . (Italian, all” arme,
“to arms; ” French, alarme.)
Alar'um Bell. In feudal times a
'larum bell was rung in the castle in
times of danger to summon the retainers
to arms. A variant of alarm (q.v.).
- “Awake a Wako
Ring the alarum bell ! Murder and treason '''
Shakespeare: Macbeth, ii. 3.
Alas nam. Alasnam's lady. In the
Arabian Nights’ Tales Alasnam has
eight diamond statues, but had to go in
quest of a ninth more precious still, to
fill the vacant pedestal. The prize was
found in the lady who became his wife,
at once the most beautiful and the most
perfect of her race.
“There is wanting one pure and perfect model,
and that one, wherever it is to be found, is like
Alasnam's lady, worth them all.”—Sir Walter
Scott.
Alasnam's Mirror. The “touch-
stone of virtue,” given to Alasnam by
one of the Genii. If he looked in this
mirror it informed him whether a damsel
would remain to him faithful or not. If
the mirror remained unsullied so would
the maiden; if it clouded, the maiden
would prove faithless.-Arabian Nights:
Prince Zey?? Ala871am.
Alastor. The evil genius of a house;
a Nemesis. Cicero says: “Who medi-
tated killing himself that he might
become the Alastor of Augustus, whom
he hated.” Shelley has a poem entitled
“Alastor, or The Spirit of Solitude.”
The word is Greek (alastö), the aveng-
ing god, a title applied to Zeus); the
Romans had their Jupiter Vindex; and
we read in the Bible, “Vengeance is
mine. I will repay, saith the Lord ”
(Rom. xii. 19).
Alauda. A Roman legion raised by
Julius Caesar in Gaul, and so called
because they carried a lark's tuft on the
top of their helmets.
Alawy. The Nile is so called by the
Abyssinians. The word means “the
giant.”
Alb. The long white tunic (Latin,
albus, white) bound round the waist
with a girdle. The dress is emblematical
of purity, and continence, and worn by
priests when saying Mass.
Albadara. A bone which the Arabs
say defies destruction, and which, at the
resurrection, will be the germ of the new
body. The Jews called it Luz (q.v.);
and the “Os sacrum ” (q.v.) refers prob-
ably to the same superstition.
Alban (St.), like St. Denis, is re-
presented as carrying his head between
his hands. His attributes are a sword
and a crown.
St., Aphrodisius, St. Aventine, St. Desiderius,
St. Chrysolius, St. Hilarian, St. Leo, St. Lucanus.
St. Lucian, St. Proba, St. Solangia, and several
other martyrs, are represented as carrying their
heads in their hands. An artist's bungling way
Of identifying a lacadless trunk.
Albania, Turkey, or rather the
region about the Caucasus. The word
means the “mountainous region.”
Albanian Hat (An). “Un chapeau
à l’Albanaise.” A sugar-loaf hat, such
as was worn by the Albanians in the
sixteenth century.
Alba'no Stone or Peperino, used by
the Romans in building ; a volcanic tufa
quarried at Alba'no.
Albany. Scotland. (See ALBIN.)
Alba'ti. The white brethren. Certain
Christian fanatics of the fourteenth
century, so called because they dressed
in white. Also the recently baptised.
(Latin.)
Albatross. ... The largest of web-
footed birds, called by sailors the Cape
Sheep, from its frequenting the Cape of
Albert
27
Album.
Good Hope. It gorges itself, and then
sits motionless upon the waves. It is said
to sleep in the air, because its flight is a
gliding without any apparent motion of
its long wings. Sailors say it is fatal to
shoot an albatross. Coleridge's All-
cient Mariner is founded on this Super-
stition.
Albert (An). A chain from the
waistcoat pocket to a button in front of
the waistcoat. So called from Prince
Albert, the consort of Queen Victoria.
When he went to Birmingham, in 1849,
he was presented by the jewellers of the
town with such a chain, and the fashion
took the public fancy.
Albertazzo (in Orlando Furioso)
married Alda, daughter of Otho, Duke of
Saxony. His sons were Hugh or Ugo,
and Fulke or Fulco. From this family
springs the Royal Family of England.
Albia'zar (in Jerusalem Delivered).
One of the leaders of the Arab host which
joined the Egyptian armament against
the Crusaders. “A chief in rapine, not
in knighthood bred.” (Book xvii.)
Albigen'ses (4 syl.). A common name
for heretics prior to the Reformation ; so
called from the Albigeois, inhabitants of
the district which now is the department
of the Tarn, the capital of which was Albi.
It was here the persecution of the Re-
formers began, under the direction of
Pope Innocent III., in 1200. The Wal-
den'ses rose after them, but are not
unfrequently confounded with them.
Albin. A name at one time applied
to the northern part of Scotland, called
by the Romans “Caledonia.” This
was the part inhabited by the Picts.
The Scots migrated from Scotia in the
North of Ireland, and acquired mastery
under Kenneth M’Alpin in 843. In
poetry Scotland is called Albin.
Gaelic, ſtilp; Keltic, alp, our. Alps. Alpin is
either Ailp-ben son of the hills, i.e., the hill-
country, or Alp-imm (lilly island). Albania
means the “ hilly country.” -
“Woe to his kindred, and woe to his cause,
When Albin her clay more indignantly draws.”
Campbell: Lochiel's Warminuſ.
Albino. A term originally applied
by the Portuguese to those negroes who
were mottled with white spots; but now
applied to those who are born with red
eyes and white hair. Albinos are found
among white people as well as among
negroes. The term is also applied to
beasts and plants. (Latin, albus, white.)
Albin o-poets. Oliver Wendell
Holmes, in the Autocrat of the Breakfast
Table (chap. viii.) ? speaks Qf Kirke
White as one of the “sweet Albino
poets,” whose “plaintive song '' he
admires. It implies some deficiency of
virility, as albinism suggests weakness,
and possibly is meant as a play upon
the name in this particular instance.
A1"bion. England, so named from
the ancient inhabitants called Albionés.
The usual etymology of albus (white),
said to have been given by Julius Caesar
in allusion to the “white cliffs,” is quite
untenable, as an old Greek treatise, the
JDe Mundo, formerly ascribed to Aris-
totle, mentions the islands of Albion
and Ierné three hundred years before
the ... invasion of Caesar. Probably
“Albion ” or Albany was the Celtic
name of all Great Britain, subsequently
restricted to Scotland, and then to the
Highlands of Scotland. Certainly the
inhabitants of the whole island are im-
plied in the word Albionés in Festus
Avienus's account of the voyage of
Hamilcar in the fifth century B.C. (See
ALBIN.)
“Beyond the Pillars of Hercu'ê š is the ocean
which flows round the earth, and in it are 2 very
large islands called Biitannia, Viz., All)ion and
lè ué.”—De Mundo, Sec. iii.
AI'bion. Son of the king of this
island when Oberon held his court in
what we call Kensington Gardens. He
was stolen by the elfin Milkah, and
brought up in fairyland. When nine-
teen years of age, he fell in love with
Renna, daughter of King Oberon, but
was driven from the empire by the in-
dignant monarch. Albion invaded the
territory, but was slain in the battle.
When Kenna knew this, she poured the
juice of moly over the dead body, and it
changed into a snow-drop.–T. Tickell.
Albion the Giant. Fourth son of
Neptune, sixth son of Osiris, and brother
of Herculés, his mother being Amphi-
trita. Albion the Giant was put by his
father in possession of the isle of Britain,
where he speedily subdued the Samo-
theans, the first inhabitants. His
brother Bergion ruled over Ireland and
the Orkneys. Another of his brothers
was Lestrigo, who subjected Italy. (See
W. Harrison’s Introduction? to Holinshed’s
Chronicle.)
Aſbrac'ca's Pamsel (in Orlando
I*trioso) is Angelica. Albracca is the
capital of Cathay (q.v.).
Album. A blank book for scraps.
The Romans applied the word to certain
tables overlaid with gypsum, on which
were inscribed the annals of the chief
priests, the edicts of the praetors, and
Alcade
28
Alderman
rules relating to civil matters. In the
Middle Ages, “album ” was the general
name of a register or list; SO called from
being kept either on a white (albus) board
with black letters, or on a black board
with white letters. For the same reason
the boards in churches for notices, and
the boards in universities containing the
names of the college men, are called
albums.
Alcade (3 syl.). A magistrate is so
called in Spain and Portugal. The word
is the Arabic al cadi (the judge).
Alcaic Verse or Alcaics. A Greek
and Latin metre, so called from Alcaos,
a lyric poet, who invented it. Each line
is divided into two parts, thus:
- — | < — | – || – S- \- — ; \* — l
The first two lines of each stanza of the
Ininth ode of Horace are in Alcaics. The
first two lines of the ode run thus, and
in the same metre :
“See how Soracté groans with its wintry snow,
And weary Woodlands bend With the toilsome
weight.”
Alcan'tara (Order of). A military
and religious order instituted in 1214 by
Alfonso IX., King of Castile, to com-
memorate the taking of Alcantara from
the Moors. The sovereign of Spain is,
ea;-officio, head of the Order. A resusci-
tation of the order of St. Julian of the
Pear-tree, instituted by Fernando Gomez
in 1176, better known by the French
title St. Julien du Poirier. The badge
of the order was a pear-tree.
Alcastus (in Jerusalem Delivered).
The Cap'aneus of the Crusaders, leader
of 6,000 foot soldiers from Helvetia.
Alce (2 syl.). One of the dogs of
Actae'on. The word means “strength.”
Alceste (2 syl.). The hero of Mo-
lière’s Misanthrope. Not unlike Shake-
speare’s character of Timon.
Alchemilla or Lady’s Mantle. The
alchemist’s plant; so called because al-
chemists collected the dew of its leaves
for their operations. Lady means the
Virgin Mary, to whom the plant was
dedicated.
Alchemy (Al-ki-mé) is the Arabic
al kimia (the secret art); so called
not only because it was carried on in
secret, but because its main objects were
the three great secrets of science—the
transmutation of baser metals into gold,
the universal Solvent, and the elixir of
life.
*
Alcim'edon. A generic name for a
first-rate carver in wood.
“Pocula, nonam
Fagina, coºlātum divini opus Alcimedontis,”
Wirgil : Eclogue, iii. 36.
Alci'na. The personification of car-
mal pleasure in Orlando Flºrioso, the
Circé of classic fable, and Labé of the
Arabians. She enjoyed her lovers for a
time, and then changed them into trees,
stones, fountains, or beasts, as her fancy
dictated.
Alcinoo poma dare (to give apples
to Alcinóus). To carry coals to New-
castle ; sending cider to Herefordshire.
The orchards of Alcinóus, King of
º (Corfu), were famous for their
II. Ullt;S.
Alcofribas. The pseudonym of
Tabelais in his Gargantua and Panta-
gºttel. Alcofribas Nasier is an anagram
of “François Rabelais.” The intro-
duction runs thus: “The inestimable
life of the great Gargantua, father of
Pantagruel, heretofore composed by M.
Alcofribas, abstractor of the quint-
essence, a book full of pantagruelism.”
Alcuith, mentioned by the Venerable
Bede, is Dumbarton.
Aldabella or Aldabelle (in Orlando
JFurioso). Sister of Oliviero and
Brandimarte, daughter of Monodantès,
and wife of Orlando.
Aldabella. A marchioness of Florence,
who gave entertainment to the mag-
nates of the city. She was very hand-
Some, heartless, and arrogant. When
Fazio became rich with Bartoldo's
money, Aldabella inveigled him from
his wife, and his wife, out of jealousy,
accused her husband of being privy to
Bartoldo’s death. Fazio being con-
demned for murder and robbery, his
wife Bianca accused Aldabella of in-
veigling him, and the marchioness was
condemned by the Duke of Florence to
spend the rest of her life in a nunnery.
— Dear? Milman, ; Fazio.
Aldeb'aran. The sun in Arabian
mythology. In astronomy, the star
called the Bull’s eye in the constellation
Taurus. (Arabic al the, debaran.)
Alderman. One of the seniors or
elders. Now applied to a class of
magistrates in corporate towns. In
London an alderman is the chief magis-
trate in a ward appointed by election.
There are also aldermen of the County
Council.
A turkey is called an alderman, both
from its presence in aldermanic feasts,
Alderman
29
Alectromancy
and also because of its red and purple
colours about the head and neck, which
Imake it a sort of poultry alderman.
A70 alderman in chains, by a similar
effort of wit, is a turkey hung with
Sausages.
Alderman (An). A burglar's tool;
a crowbar for forcing safes. So called
from the high rank it holds with
burglars.
Alderman (An). . A cant term for
half-a-Crown. An alderman as chief
magistrate is half a king in his own
Ward; and half a crown is half a king.
Aldgate Pump. A draught 072
Aldgate Pump. A cheque with no
effects. A worthless bill. The pun is
on the word draught, which means
either an order on a bank for money or
a sup of liquor.
A1 dibo-ronte-phos'co-phornio. A
courtier in Henry Carey's farce called
Chro'non-hotom-thologos.
Aldiger (in Orlando Furioso).
Buo'vo's son, of the house of Clarmont,
who lived in Agrismont Castle. He
was brother of Malagigi and Vivian; all
Christians.
Aldine (2 syl.). Teader of the second
squadron of Arabs who joined the Egyp-
tian armament against the Crusaders,
— Tasso : Jerusalem Delivered. (See
SYPHAx.)
Aldine Editions. Iºditions of the
Greek and Latin classics, published and
printed under the superintendence of
Aldo Manuzio, his father-in-law Andrea
of Asolo, and his son Paolo (1490-1597);
most of them in small octavo, and all
noted for their accuracy. The father
invented the type called italics, once
called Aldine, and first used in printing
Pirgil, 1501.
Aldingar (Sir). Steward of Queen
Eleanor, wife of Henry II. He im-
peached her fidelity, and submitted to
a combat to substantiate his charge ;
but an angel, in the shape of a child,
established the queen’s innocence.—
Percy’s Reliques,
Ale is the Scandinavian Öl, called ealo
in our island. Beer, written bere, even in
the reign of James I., is the Anglo-Saxon
beor, from bere (barley). A beverage
made from barley is mentioned by
Tacitus and even Herodotus. Hops were
introduced from Holland and used for
brewing in 1524, but their use was pro-
hibited by Act of Parliament in 1528—a
prohibition which soon fell into disuse.
Ale is made from pale malt, whence its
light colour; porter and stout from malt
more highly dried. Beer is the general
Word, and in many parts of England
includes ale, porter, and stout. The
word ale was introduced by the Danes,
and the word beer by the Teutons.
Among London brewers been means the
dark form, called also stout or porter.
“Called ale among men ; but by the gods called
beer.”—The Alvism (tl.
Aleberry, a corruption of ale-bree.
A drink made of hot ale, spice, sugar,
and toast. Burns speaks of the barley.
bree (Anglo-Saxon brin, broth).
... “Cause an aleberry to be made for her, and put
into, it powder of canal) hor.” — The 1'athway to
IIealth.
. Ale-dagger (A2). A dagger used
in Self-defence in ale-house brawls.
“He that drinkes with cutlers must not be
Without his ale-dagger.” (1589). (See N. E. D.
Pierce Pennilesse says:—“All that will not . . .
Weare ale-house daggers at your backes [should
º pºin from taverns].”—Sec Shakespeare Society,
I). 55.
Ale-draper, a tapster.
the selling of ale, etc.
“No other occul)ation have I but to be an alo-
draper.”—II. Chettle: Kind-harts' Dreame, 1592.
Ale Hºnight (A7). A knight of the
ale-tub, a tippler, a Sot.
Ale-drapery,
Ale-silver. A yearly tribute paid to
the corporation of London, as a licence
for selling ale.
Ale-stake.
ale-houses by way of “sign.”
was very often fixed to its top.
tavern.
“A garland had he set upon his head
As great as it Werein for an ale-stake.”
Chatttee?'.
“I know many an ale-Stake.”
11 at wh;iºns : Jºnglish Dº'atºnat, i. 100.
Ale-wife. The landlady of an ale-
house or ale-stand.
Alec'to. One of the Furies, whose
head was covered with snakes.
“Then like Alecto, terrible to view,
Or like Medusa, the Circassian grew.”
II00le: Jerusalem Delive?'ed, b. Yi.
Alectorian Stone (A72). A stone,
said to be of talismanic power, found
in the stomach of cocks. Those who
possess it are strong, brave, and wealthy.
Milo of Crotöna owed his strength to
this talisman. As a philtre it has the
power of preventing thirst or of assuag-
The pole set up before
A bush
A.
ing it. (Greek, alectör, a cock.)
Alectromancy. TJivination by a
cock. T)raw a circle, and write in
succession round it the letters of the
Aleria.
...,x*
alphabet, on each of which lay a grain
of corn. Then put a cock in the centre
of the circle, and watch what grains he
eats. The letters will prognosticate the
answer. Libanius and Jamblicus thus
discovered who was to succeed the
emperor Valens. The cock ate the
grains over the letters t, h, e, o, d =
Theod [orus]. Greek alector, cock;
Ananteia, divination.
Aleria (in Orlando Furioso). One
of the Amazons, and the best beloved of
the ten wives of Guido the Savage.
Alert. To be on the watch. From
the Latin erectus, part. Of erigère, to
set upright; Italian, erto ; French, erte,
a watch-tower. Hence the Italian staré
all' erta, the Spanish estar alerta, and
the French étre à l’erte, to be on the
watch. -
Alessio. The lover of Liza, in Bel-
lini’s opera of La Somnambula (Scribe's
libretto).
Alethes (3 Syl.). An ambassador
from Egypt to King Al'adine. He is
represented as a man of low birth raised
to the highest rank, subtle, false, de-
ceitful, and wily.—Tasso : Jerusalem
Delivered.
Alexander and the Robber. The
robber's name was Diomedês.—Gesta
lºomanorum, Cxlvi.
You are thinking of Parmenio, and I
of Alexander—i.e., you are thinking
what you ought to receive, and I what
I Ought to give ; you are thinking of
those castigated, rewarded, or gifted;
but I of my own position, and what
punishment, reward, or gift is con-
sistent with my rank. The allusion is
to the tale about Parmen'io and Alex-
ander, when the king said, “I consider
not what Parmenio should receive, but
what Alexander should give.”
Only two Alexanders. Alexander said,
“There are but two Alexanders—the
invincible son of Philip, and the inimit-
able painting of the hero by Apellés.”
The continence of Alexander. Having
gained the battle of Issus (B.C. 333) the
family of King Darius fell into his
hand; but he treated the ladies as
queens, and observed the greatest de-
corum towards them. A eunuch, having
escaped, told Darius of this noble con-
tinence, and Darius could not but admire
such nobility in a rival.—Arrian Ama-
basis of Alexander, iv. 20. (See CoN-
TINENCE.) -
Alexander, so Paris, Son of Priam,
30
Alexandrian School
was called by the shepherds who brought
him up.
Alexander of the North. Charles
XII. of Sweden, so called from his mili-
tary achievements. He was conquered at
Pultowa, in Russia (1709), by Czar Peter
the Great (1682-1718).
* “Repressing liere
The frantic Alexander of the North.”
Tho?]tson : Wººte)'.
The Persian Alexander. Sandjar (1117-
1158).
Alexander the Corrector. Alex-
ander Cruden, author of the “Concord-
ance to the Bible,” who petitioned
Parliament to constitute him “Corrector
of the People,” and went about con-
stantly with a sponge to wipe out the
licentious, coarse, and profane chalk
scrawls which met his eye. (1701-
1770.) -
Alexander's Beard. A smooth
chin, no beard
chin.
“Disgraced yet with Alexander's bearde.”
Gascoigme: The Steele Glats, .
at all. An Amazônian
Alexandra (in Orlando Furioso).
Oronthea's daughter ; the Amazon
Queen.
Alexandra, so Cassandra, daughter
of Priam, is called. The two names are
mere variants of each other.
Alexandrian. Anything from the
East was so called by the old chroniclers
and romancers, because Alexandria was
the depôt from which Eastern stores
reached Europe.
“Reclined on Alexandrian carpets (i.e., Persian).
Iºose : Orlando Furioso, x. 37.
Alexandrian Codex. A manuscript
of the Scriptures in Greek, which be-
longed to the library of the patriarchs
of Alexandria, in Africa, A.D. 1098.
In 1628 it was sent as a present to
Charles I., and (in 1753) was placed in
the British Museum. It is on parchment,
in uncial letters, and contains the Sep-
tuagint version (except the Psalms), a
part of the New Testament, and the
Epistles of Clemens Românus.
Alexandrian Library. Founded
|by Ptolemy Soter, in Alexandria, in
Egypt. The tale is that it was burnt
and partly consumed in 391 ; but when
the city fell into the hands of the calif
Omar, in 642, the Arabs found books
sufficient to “heat the baths of the city
for six months.” It is said that it con-
tained 700,000 volumes.
Alexandrian School. An academy
of literature by Ptolemy, son of Lagos,
Alexandrine Age
31
Alhambra.
especially famous for its grammarians
and mathematicians. Of its gram-
Anarians the most noted are AristarchOS,
Harpocration, and Eratosthenès; and
of its mathematicians, Ptolemy and
Euclid, the former an astronomer, and
the latter the geometer whose Elements
are still very generally used.
Alexandrine Age. From A.D. 323
to 640, when Alexandria, in Egypt, was
the centre of science and literature.
Alexandrine Philosophy. The
system of the Gnostics, or Platonised
form of Christianity.
Alexan'drines (4 syl.). Iambic
verses of 12 or 13 syllables, divided into
two parts between the sixth and seventh
syllable ; so called because they were
first employed in a metrical romance of
A learander the Great, commenced by
Lambert-li-Cors, and continued by
Alexandre de Bernay, also called Alex-
andre de Paris. The final line of the
Spenserian stanza is an Alexandrine.
“A needless Alexandrine ends the song,
Which, like a wounded snake, drags its Slow
length along.” º
Pope : Essay on Criticism, Part ii., lines 356-7.
Alexandrite (4 syl.). A variety of
chrysobery found in the mica-slate of
the Urals. So named from Czar Alex-
ander II. (1818, 1855-1881), because it
ºws the Russian colours, green and
I'601.
Alexis (St.). Patron saint of hermits
and beggars. The story goes that he
lived on his father’s estate as a hermit
till death, but was never recognised.
He is represented, in Christian art,
with a pilgrim’s habit and staff. Some-
times he is drawn as if extended on a
mat, with a letter in his hand, dying.
Alfa'der (father of all). The most
ancient and chief of the Scandinavian
gods. Odin, father of the AEsir, or
gods.
Alfa'na. (See HoRSE.)
Alfar'. The good and bad genii of
the Scandinavians.
Alfheim (home of the good genii). A
celestial city inhabited by the elves and
fairies. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Alfonsin. An instrument for ex-
tracting balls. So called from Alfonse
Ferri, a surgeon of Naples, who in-
vented it. (1552.)
Alfonsine Tables. Astronomical
tables constructed in 1252, by Isaac
Hazan, a Jewish rabbi, who named
them in honour of his patron, Alfonso
X., King of Castile, surnamed “The
Wise.”
Alfonso, to whom Tasso dedicated
his Jerusalem Delivered, was Alfonso
d’Este, Duke of Ferrara.
Alfonso XI., of Castile, whose
“favourite ’’ was Leonora de Guzman.
Being threatened with excommunication
unless he put her away (as Leonora was
in love with Ferdinando, a brave officer),
the king created Ferdinando Marquis
of Montreal, and gave him the hand of
his mistress in marriage. As soon as
Ferdinando discovered who Leonora
was, he restored her to the king, and
retired to a monastery. — Donizetti's
Opera, La Favorita.
Alfred's Scholars. Werfrith, Bishop
of Worcester; Ethelstan and Werwulf,
two Mercian priests; , Plegmund (a
Mercian), afterwards Archbishop of Can-
terbury; Asser a Welshman; Grimbald,
a great French Scholar, etc., invited over
to England by King Alfred.
Algarsife (3 Syl.). Son of Cambus-
can, and brother of Cam'balo, who
“won Theod'ora to wife.” It was in the
“Squire's Tale,” by Chaucer, but was
never finished. (See CANACE.)
“Call him up that left halſ told
The story of Cambuscan bold,
Of Camball, and of Algarsife,
And who had Canace to wife.”
Milton : Il Pemseroso.
Algebra is the Arabic algebr (the
equalisation), “the supplementing and
equalising (process); ” so called because
the problems are solved by equations,
and the equations are made by supple-
mentary terms. T'ancifully identified
with the Arabian chemist Gebir.
Algrind, of Spenser, is meant for
Grindal, Bishop of London in the be-
ginning of Elizabeth’s reign. He was
a Marian exile, and not a very cordial
co-operator with Bishop Parker.
“The hills where dwellêd holy Saints
I reverence and adore ;
Not for themselves, but for the Saints,
Which had been dead of yore.
And now they been to heaven for went,
Their good is with them go ;
Their Sannple to us only lent,
That als. We mought do So.
“Shepherds they weren of the best,
And lived in lowly leas,
And sith their souls be now at rest,
Why done we them disease ?
Such one he was (as I have heard)
Old Algrind often saine,
That whilome was the first shepherd,
And lived with little gain.” - -
I'clogue Wii.
The palace of the
The word
Alham'bra.
ancient Moors in Grana'da.
Ali
32
All cannot do all
is the Arabic al-hamra, or at full length
ka!’-at al hamra (the red castle).
Ali. Cousin and son-in-law of Ma-
homet, the beauty of whose eyes is with
the Persians proverbial; insomuch that
the highest term they employ to express
beauty is Aym Hali (eyes of Ali).-
Cha)-diº.
Alias. “You have as many aliases
as Robin of Bagshot,” one of Mac-
heath’s gang : he was Robin of Bag-
shot, alias Gordon, alias Bluff Bob, alias
Carbuncle, alias Bob Booty.—Gay: The
Deſ/ga)'s Opera.
Alibi (elsewhere). A plea of having
been at another place at the time that
an offence is alleged to have been com-
mitted.
“Never mind, the character, and stick to the
alley bi. Notling_like an alley bi, Sammy, no-
thing.”—Dickens: Pickwick Papers.
Alibi 'Clock (Am), 1887. A clock
which strikes one hour, while the hands
point to a different time, the real time
being neither one nor the other.
Aliboron. Maitre Aliboron. Mr.
Jackass. Aliboron is the name of a
jackass in La Fontaine's Fables. (See
GONIN.)
Alice. The foster-sister of Robert le
T)iable, and bride of Rambaldo, the
Norman troubadour. She came to Pa-
lermo to place in the duke’s hand her
mother's will, which he was enjoined
not to read till he was a virtuous man.
When Bertram, his fiend-father, tempted
his son to evil, Alice proved his good
genius; and when, at last, Bertram
claimed his soul as the price of his ill
deeds, Alice read the “will,” and won
him from the evil one. —– Meyerbeer's
Opera, Roberto il Diavolo.
Alice Brand. Wife of Lord Richard,
cursed with the “sleepless eye.” Alice
signed Urgan the dwarf thrice with the
sign of the cross, and he became “the
fairest knight in all Scotland ; ” when
Alice recognised in him her own brother.
—Sir JValter Scott : The Lady of the
Lake, iv. 12.
Alichi'no (wing-drooped). A devil, in
The Inferno of Dante.
Alick and Sandie. Contractions of
Alexander; the one being Alex’ and the
other 'xander.
Al'icon. The seventh heaven, to
which Azrael conveys the spirits of the
just. (Mahonetan mythology.)
Alien Priory (An). A priory which
owes allegiance to another priory. A
sub-priory, like Rufford Abbey, Notts,
which was under the prior of Rievaulx
in Yorkshire.
Alifan'faron, the giant. Don Quixote
attacked a flock of sheep, which he
declared to be the army of the giant
Alifanfaron. Similarly Ajax, in a fit of
madness, fell upon a flock of sheep,
which he mistook for Grecian princes.
Aliiat. The name by which the
Arabs adore nature, which they repre-
sent by a crescent moon.
Aliprando (in Jerusalem Delivered).
One of the Christian knights. Having
discovered the armour of Rinaldo cast
on one side, he took it to Godfrey, who
very naturally inferred that Rinaldo had
been slain. (See Gen. xxxvii. 31-35.)
Aliris. Sultan of Lower Bucharia.
Under the disguised name of Fer'amorz,
he accompanied Lalla Rookh, his be-
trothed, from Delhi, and won her heart by
his ways, and the tales he told on the
journey. The lady fell in love with the
poet, and was delighted to find, on the
morning of the wedding, that Feramorz
was, in fact, the Sultan, her intended
husband.—T. Moore : Lalla Rookh.
Al Kader (the Divine decree). A
particular night in the month Ramad-
han, when the Arabs say that angels
descend to earth, and Gabriel reveals to
man the decrees of God.—Al Koran,
ch. xcviii.
Alkahest.
versal solvent.
by Paracelsus.
Al Rakim (pronounce Rah-keem').
The dog in the legend of the Seven
Sleepers of Ephesus.
Al-Sirat (Arabian, the path). The
bridge over hell, no wider than the
edge of a sword, across which every one
who enters heaven must pass. (Ma-
hometan theology.)
All. Everything.
thing we possess.
“Our all is at Stake.”
Addison : State of War.
All axld Some.
The hypothetical uni-
The word was invented
“Our all,” every-
“One and all.”
(Old English, ealle det Somme, all at once,
altogether.)
“Now stop your nosos, reader8, all and some.”
Tydem : Absalom (thud Aclvitophel.
Ali and Sundry. All without ex-
ception.
“He invited all and Sundry to p \rtake frecly of
tl.e :)ately cake and ale.”—Hall Uwine.
All cannot do all. Horace says,
“Non omnia possumus omnes.” Ger-
man proverb, “IEin jeder kann nicht
All Fools' Day
33
All Souls' f)ay
- 42
alles.” All are not equally clever. Or
rather, “Be not surprised that I cannot
do what you can do, for we are not all
exactly alike.”
All Fools' Day (April 1st).
APRIL Fool.)
All Fours. A game of cards; so
called from the four points that are at
stake, viz. High, Low, Jack, and Game.
To go on all fours is to crawl about
On knees and hands like a little child.
It does not go on all fours means it
does not suit in every minute particular ;
it does not fully satisfy the demand. It
limps as a quadruped which does not go
on all its four legs. Omnis comparatio
claudicat (all similes limp).
“No simile can go on all-fours.”
MatcClºt? (ty.
All-hallowin Summer. The second
summer, or the summerly time which
sets in about All-Fſallows-tide. Called
by the French, L'été de St. Martin
(from October 9th to November 11th).
Also called St. Luke’s Summer (St.
Luke's Day is October 18th). The
Indian Summer. Shakespeare uses the
term—
“Farewell, thou latter Spring ; farewell, All-
hallown Summer "
1 Henry IV. i. 2.
All Hallow's Day (November 1st).
The French call it Toussaint, which we
have translated All Saints' Day. Hallow-
mas is All-Saints’ festival. (Anglo-
Saxon, häliff, but Håliſ/-īnándth was
September, and Hālīg-daeg was simply
a Holy-day.)
All Hallows' Eve. The Scotch tradi-
tion is, that those born on All Hallows’
Eve have the gift of double sight, and
commanding powers over spirits. Mary
Avenel, on this supposition, is made
to see the White Lady, invisible to less
gifted visions.
“Being born on All-hallows' Tºve, she (Mary
A venel) was supposed to be invested with power
over the in visible world.” (See Sir Walter Scott :
The Monastery, chap. Xiy.)
All in all. He is all in all to me,
that is, the dearest object of my affec-
tion. God shall be all in all means all
creation shall be absorbed or gathered
into God. The phrase is also used ad-
verbially, meaning altogether, as : —
“Take him for all in all,
I shall not look upon his like again.” ...
-> Shakespect?'e : Hatmlet, ii. 2.
(See
All in the Wrong. A drama, by
Murphy, borrowed from Destouches, the
French dramatist. -
All is lost that is put in a riven dish.
In Latin, “Pertüsum quicquid infun-
ditur in dolium, perit.” (It is no use
helping the insolvent.)
All is not gold that glitters or
glisters. Trust not to appearances. In
Latin, “Nulla fides fronti.” -
“Not all that tempts your wandering eyes
And heedless hearts is lawful prize,
Nor all that glister's gold.”
Gray : The Cat amd the Gold Fish.
All my Eye (and) Betty Martin.
All nonsense. Joe Miller says that a
Jack Tar went into a foreign church,
where he heard some one uttering these
words—Ah 1 mihi, beate Martine (Ah
[grant] me, Blessed Martin). On giving
an account of his adventure, Jack said
he could not make much out of it, but it
seemed to him verv like “All my eye
and Betty Martin.” Grose has “Mihi
beatae Martinis” [sic]. The shortened
phrase, “All my eye,” is very common.
All one. The same in effect. An-
swers the same purpose.
All-overish. A familiar expression
meaning all over ill at ease. “I feel all-
overish,” not exactly ill, but uncom-
fortable all over. The precursor of a
fever, influenza, ague, etc.
All Saints or All Hallows. In 610
the Pope of Rome ordered that the
heathen Pantheon should be converted
into a Christian church, and dedicated
to the honour of all martyrs. The
festival of All Saints was first held on
May 1st, but in the year 834 it was
changed to November 1st. “Hallows”
is from the Anglo-Saxon haliff (holy).
All Serene, derived from the Spanish
word seréna. In Cuba, the word is used
as a countersign by sentinels, and is
about equivalent to our “All right,” or
** All’s Well.”
All Souls' Day. The 2nd of No-
vember, so called because the Roman
Catholics on that day seek by prayer
and almsgiving to alleviate the sufferings
of souls in purgatory. It was first insti-
tuted in the monastery of Clugny, in 993.
According to tradition, a pilgrim, re-
turning from the Holy Land, was com-
pelled by a storm to land on a rocky
island, where he found a hermit, who
told him that among the cliffs of the
island was an opening into the infernal
regions through which huge flames as-
cended, and where the groans of the
tormented were distinctly audible. The
pilgrim told Odilo, abbot of Clugny, of
this; and the abbot appointed the day
following, which was November 2nd, to
3
All the go
be set apart for the benefit of Souls in
purgatory.
All the go. All the fashion. Trapers
will tell you that certain goods “go off
well.” They are in great demand, all
the mode, quite in vogue.
“Her carte is hung in the West-end shops,
With her name in full on the white below ;
And all day long there's a big crowd stol)S
To look at the lady who’s “all the go.”
Sims: Ballads of Babylon (“Beauty and the Beast”).
All there. Said of a sharp-witted
person. Not all there, said of one of
weak intellect. The one has all his
wits about him, the other has not.
All this for a Song . The exclama-
tion of Burleigh, when Queen Elizabeth
ordered him to give £100 to Spenser for
a royal gratuity.
All to break (Judges ix. 53). “A
certain woman cast a piece of millstone
upon Abimelech’s head, and all to
Drake his skull” does not mean for the
sake of breaking his skull, but that she
wholly smashed his skull. A spurious
form, owing its existence to a typo-
graphical mistake. The to really be-
longs to the verb ; and in the last
passage quoted it should be read “all
to-brake.” The to is a Teutonic par-
ticle, meaning asunder, in pieces. It is
very common in Old English, where we
have “To-bite,” i.e. bite in pieces, to-
cleave, to-rend, to-tear. All is the
adverb = entirely, wholly. So “all to
bebattered ” =wholly battered to pieces.
All-to-frozen. Here to-frozen is in-
tensitive. So in Latin dis-crucior =
valde crucior. Plautus (in his Mendèchmi,
ii. line 24) uses the phrase “dis-caveas
malo,” i.e. be fully on your guard, etc.,
be very much beware of.
Gothic, dis ; O. N., toy ; Old High German, 2a, ;
Latin, dis ; Greek, de.
“Mercutio's icy hand had all-to-frozen nine "
(i.e. wholly frozen up mine).—Romeo and Juliet
dº Wings . . . . . Were al-to-ruffled and
sometimes impaired.”—Miltom : Comvus. ...
All waters (I am for). I am a Jack
of all trades, can turn my hand to any-
thing, a good all-round man. Like a
fish which can live in salt or fresh
Water.
“I alm fol' all Wºlters.”
Shakespectre : Twelfth Night, iv. 2.
All-work. A maid of all work. A
general servant who does all the work
of a house; at Once nurse-maid, house-
maid, and cook.
Alla or Allah (that is, al-ilāh). “The
adorable.” The Arabic name of the
Supreme Being.
“The city Won for Allah from the Giaoul'.”
Byron. Childe Harold, ii. 77.
*-
34
Alliteration
Alla Akbar'. Allah is most nighty.
The cry of the Arabs:–0ckley.
Allan - a - Dale. The minstrel of
Robin Hood's yeomen. He was assisted
by Robin Hood in carrying off his bride,
when on the point of being married
against her will to a rich old knight.
Allemand. “Une querelle d’ Alle-
mand,” a quarrel about nothing. We
call pot valour “Dutch courage.”
Allen. (See ALLWORTHY.)
Allestree. Richard Allestree, of
Derby, was a noted almanac maker in
IBen Jonson’s time.
. “A little more
Would fetch all his astronomy from Allestree.”
Ben Jomson : Magnetic Lady, iv. 2 (1632).
Alley (The). The Stock Exchange
Alley.
“John Rive, after many active years, in the
Alley, retired to the Continent, and died at the
age of 118.”—Old and New Londom, p. 476.
Alliensis (Dies) (June 16th, B.C. 390),
when the Romans were cut to pieces by
the Gauls near the banks of the river
Allía; and ever after held to be a dies
7tefastus, or unlucky day.
Alligator. When the Spaniards first
saw this reptile in the New World, they
called it el lagarto (the lizard). Sir Wal-
terfaleigh called these creatures lagartos,
and Ben Jonson alligartas.
“To the present day the Europeans in Ceylon
apply the term alligator, to what are in reality
crocodiles.”—J. E. Tenment: Ceylon (vol. 1. part 2,
chap. iii. 1). 186'.
Alligator Pears (the fruit of Persea
gratissima) is a curious corruption. The
aboriginal Carib word for the tree is
“aouacate,” which the Spanish dis-
coverers pronounced “avocado,” and
English sailors called “alligator,” as
the nearest approach which occurred to
them.
Alliteration.
DR. BETHEI, OF ETON.
“Didactic, dry, declamatory, dull,
Big, buriy Bethel bellows fike a 'bull "
lºton College.
CARDINAL Wol,SEY.
.* Begot by butchers, but by bishops bred,
How high his Honour holds his haughty head.”
* Huchald composed an alliterative
poem on Charles the Bald, every word
of which begins with c.
Henry Harder composed a poem of
100 lines, in Latin hexameters, on cats,
every word of which begins with c. The
title is Canum cum? Catis certame,”
carmine compositum currente calamo
0 Catulli Caninii. The first line is—
“Cattorum canimus certamina clara Canunique.”
Allodials
Hamonicus wrote the Certamen catho-
licum cum Calvinistis, every word of
which begins with c.
*: It is a curious coincidence that the
names of these three men all begin with
H
* In the Materia more Magistralis
every word begins with ºn.
*l Placentius, the Dominican, who died
1548, wrote a poem of 258 Latin hexa-
meters, called Pugna Porcorum, every
word of which begins with p. It begins
thus : —
“Plaudite, Porcelli, porcorum pigra propago.”
Which may be translated—
“Praise, Paul, prize pig's prolific progeny.”
"I Tusser, who died 1580, has a rhym-
ing poem of twelve lines, every word
of which begins with t.
* The Rev. B. Poulter, prebendary of
Winchester, composed in 1828 the famous
alliterative alphabetic poem in rhymes.
Each word of each line begins with the
letter of the alphabet which it represents.
It begins thus:—
“An Austrian army awfully arrayed,
Boldly by loattery besieged Belgrade ;
('Ossack commanders, cannomading come,
Deading destruction's devastating doon) ; . . .”
* Some ascribe this alliterative poem
to Alaric A. Watts (1820). (See H.
SouTHGATE, Many Thoughts on Many
Things.)
Another attempt of the same kind
begins thus:–
“About an age ago, as all agree,
Beauteous Belinda, brewing best Bolhea.
Carelessly chattered, controverting clean,
Dublin's derisive, disputatious dean . . .”
Allo'dials. Lands which are held by
an absolute right, without even the bur-
den of homage or fidelity ; opposed to
feudal. The word is Teutonic—all-ād
(all property).
Allop'athy is in opposition to Ho-
Anoop'athy. The latter word is from the
Greek, homason pathos, similar disease;
and the former is allo pathos, a different
disease. In one case, “like is to cure
like ’’; and in the latter, the disease is
cured by its “antidote.”
Alls. The five Alls. A public-house
sign. It has five human figures, with a
motto to each :-
(1) A king in his regalia . lmotto I govern all.
(2) A bishop, in his pontificals , I pray for all.
(3) A lawyer, in his gown ... , I plead for all.
(4) A soldier in regimentals , I fight for all.
(5) A labourer, with his tools , I pay for all.
Several of these signs still exist.
Alls. Tap-droppings. The refuse of
all sorts of spirits drained from the
3
Alman.
sº
glasses, or spilt in drawing. The
mixture is sold in gin-houses at a cheap
rate.
Allworth. In A New Way to Tay
Old Debts, by Massinger.
Allworthy, in Fielding's Tom Jones,
is designed for the author's friend,
T&alph Allen, of Bristol.
“I,et humble Allen, with an awkward shame,
D0 good by Stealth, and blush to find it famie.”
Pope : Epºlogue to Sat. i. 135, 136.
Al'ma (the human soul), queen of
“Body Castle,” beset by enemies for
seven years (the Seven Ages of Man).
The besiegers are a rabble rout of evil
desires, foul imaginations, and silly
conceits. Alma, conducted Arthur and
Sir Guyon over her castle. “The
divine part of a man,” says Spenser,
“is circular, a circle being the emblem
of eternity; but the mortal part tri-
angular, as it consists of three things—-
blood, flesh, and bones.”—Prion’s Poem.
Alma Maſter. A collegian so calls
the university of which he is a member.
The words are Latin for “fostering
mother.”
“Expulsion from his Alma Mater.”—The Col-
legiam and the Porter.
Almack's. A suite of assembly rooms
in King Street, St. James's (London),
built in 1765 by a Scotchman named
Macall, who inverted his name to obviate
all prejudice and hide his origin. Balls,
presided over by a committee of ladies
of the highest rank, used to be given at
these rooms; and to be admitted to
them was as great a distinction as to
be presented at Court. The rooms
were afterwards known as Willis's,
from the name of the next proprietor,
and used chiefly for large dinners.
They were closed in 1890.
Almagest. The Symfavis-megisté of
Ptolemy, translated by the Arabians in
800, by order of the calif Al Maimon,
and then called Al-maghèsti, i.e. “the
megistö.” It contains numerous obser-
vations and problems of geometry and
astronomy. It is very rare, and more
precious than gold.
Alman, a German. The French
Allemand, a German, which, of course,
is the classic Alamani or Alamazºni.
Similarly, Almany = Germany, French,
Allemagne.
“Chonodomarius and Vestralpus, Aleman kings,
. . . sat them downe neere unfo Argentoratum.”
Holland: Ammianus Marcellius.
“Now, Fulko comes . . . . . And dwelt in
Amany.”—Harrington ; Orlando Furioso, iii. 30.
Almanac
36
Aloe
Al'manac is the Arabic al manac
(the diary). Verstegen says it is the
Saxon al-mom-aght (all moon heed), and
that it refers to the tallies of the full
and new moons kept by our Saxon an-
cestors. One of these tallies may still
be seen at St. John’s College, Cam-
bridge.
Before printing, or before it was common :
By Solomon Jarghi .. ... in and after 1150
, Peter de Dacia . . * * ... à))0llt 1300
, Walter de Elvendene .. - ... 13.7
,, John Somers, Oxford . . 1380 . .
, Nicholas de Lynna ... 1.285
;: Purbach . . . . - - e & ... 11:20-1461
Tirst printed by Guten he g, at Mentz 1457
By Regiomontanus, at Nuremberg ... 1472-3
, Zainer, at Ulm . . s = - - ... 1478
, Richard l’ynson (Sheapeheard's
*. f(ztlemaar). . . e e - e. ... 1497 || |
, Stöffler, in Venice & º 14:39
, Poor Iłobin's Allmanack 1652
, Francis Moore's Aimanack i.e.
tween ... - a a e 1698 and 1713
Stam]) (llity imposed 1710, repealed 1834.
The Man, i' the Almanzac stuck with
pins (Nat. Lee), is a man marked with
points referring to signs of the zodiac,
and intended to indicate the favourable
and unfavourable times of letting blood.
I shan’t consult your almanae (French),
I shall not come to you to know what
weather to expect. The reference is to
the prognostications of weather in al-
IIl{ll lä,CS.
Almesbury. It was in a sanctuary
at Almesbury that Queen Guenever took
refuge, after her adulterous passion for
Tancelot was revealed to the king
(Arthur). Here she died; but her body
was buried at Glastonbury.
Almighty Dollar. Washington
Irving first made use of this expression,
in his sketch of a “Creole Village '’
(1837).
“The almighty dollar, that great ºct Of uni-
Yersal devotion throughout our land. . . .”—
W. Irving : Wolfert's Roost, Creole Village, p. 40.
* Ben Jonson speaks of “almighty
gold.”
Almond Tree. Grey hairs.
Preacher thus describes old age:–
“In the day when the keepers of the house (the
hands) Shall tremble, and the strong men (the legs)
bow themselves, and the grinders (the teeth) cease
because they are few, and those that look out of
the Windows (the eyes) he darkened . . . and the
allmond-tree Shall flourish (grey hairs on a bald
pate), and the grasshopper be a burden, and de-
sire shall fail . . . . . when the silver Čord (the
Spinal marrow) shall be loosed, the golden bowl
(intellect) broken, and the pitcher broken at the
º (the pulse of the heart stopped).”—Eccles.
XI.1
The
º
Almonry. The place where the
almoner resides, or where alms are
distributed. An almoner is a person
whose duty it is to distribute alms,
which, in ancient times, consisted of
one-tenth of the entire income of a
monastery. (See AMBRY.) -
Aims. Gifts to the poor.
Dr. Johnson Says the word has no singulat?";
whereas Todd says it has no lolural. Like riches
it is wholly singular in construction, but is used
both as a noun singular and noun plural. Of
course.it is Almos-ine, allmos-ie, Almose, almesse,
almes, alms, the s is not the plural suffix. Riches
is the French richesse, Both words are singular,
Dut, as nouns of multitude, Irefer the plural con-
Struction. (Latin alimosina, Greek eleēmosynē,
from the Yer) eleēo, I pity.)
Alms Basket. To live on the alms
basket. To live on charity.
AIms-drink. Another's leavings; for
alms consists of broken bread and the
residue of drink. It is also applied to
the liquor which a drinker finds too
much, and therefore hands to another.
AIms-fee. Peter’s pence, or Rome
scot. Abolished in England by Henry
VIII.
Alms-house. A house where paupers
are supported at the public expense; a
poor-house. Also a house set apart for
the aged poor free of rent.
“Only, alas ! the poor who had neither friends
nor attendants. .
Crept away to die in the alms-house, hon:e
Of the Iloneless.” º - *
Longfellow : Evangeline, part ii. 5, 2.
Aims-man. One who lives on alms.
Alnaschar Dream (An). Counting
your chickens before they are hatched.
Alnaschar, the barber’s fifth brother,
invested all his money in a basket of
glass-ware, on which he was to make
a certain profit. The profit, being in-
vested, was to make more, and this was
to go on till he grew rich enough to
marry the vizier’s daughter. Being
angry with his imaginary wife he gave
a kick, overturned his basket, and broke
all his wares.
“To indulge in Almasghar-like dreams of com-
pound interest ad infinitum.”—The Times.
Aïnaschar of Modern Literature.
Coleridge has been so called because he
“dreamt” his ſubla Khan, and wrote
it out next morning. (1772-1834.)
* Probably he had been reading
Purchas’s Pilgrimage, for none can
doubt the resemblance of the two
pieces.
Aloe. A Hebrew word, Greek aloé.
A very bitter plant ; hence the proverb,
Plus aloes quam mellis habet, “ (Life) has
more bitters than sweets.” The French
say, “La côte d'Adam contient plus
Along-shore Men
d'aloës que de miel,” where côte d'Adam,
of course, means woman or one's wife.
Socotrine Aloes came originally from
the island called Socotra, in the Indian
Ocean.
Along-shore Men or Longshoremen,
that is stevedores (2 Syl.), or men em-
ployed to load and unload vessels.
Alonzo of Aguilar'. When Fer-
nando, King of Aragon, was laying siege
to Grana'da, after chasing Zagal from
the gates, he asked who would under-
take to plant his banner on the heights.
Alonzo, “the lowmost of the dons,” un-
dertook the task, but was cut down by
the Moors. His body was exposed in
the wood of Oxijera, and the Moorish
damsels, struck with its beauty, buried
it near the brook of Alpuzarra.
Aloof. Stand aloof, away. A sea.
term, meaning originally to bear to
windward, or luff. (Norwegian, Ger-
man, etc., luft, wind, breeze.)
Alorus, so the Chaldeans called their
first king, who, they say, came from
Babylon.
A l'outrance. To the uttermost.
W
(Anglo-French for 6 outrance.)
“A clampion has started, up to , maintain
& l'outrance her innocence of the great offence.”
—Stamdard.
Alp. The Adrian renegade, a Vene-
tian by extraction, who forswore the
Christian faith to become a commander
in the Turkish army. He led the host
to the siege of Corinth, while that
country was under the dominion of the
Doge. He loved Francesca, daughter of
Minotti, governor of Corinth, but slie
died of a broken heart because he de-
serted his country and was an apostate.
The renegade was shot in the siege.—
J3 yron : Siege of Corinth.
Alph. A mythical “sacred river in
Xanadu,” which ran “through caverns
measureless to man.”—Coleridge ; ſubla
Iſham.
Alpha. “I am Alpha and Omega,
the first and the last ’’ (Rev. i. 8).
“Alpha' is the first, and “O-mega’’
the last letter of the Greek alphabet.
A Q.
Alphabet. This is the only word
compounded of letters only. The Greek
alpha (a) beta (b); our A B C (book),
etc.
* The number of letters in an
37
Alphonso
alphabet varies in different languages.
Thus there are
21 letters in the Italian alphabet.
; Hebrew & Syriac alphabet
5 *
& 5 * Juatin 37
24 25 (+l’eek * }
25 Ży French $ )
*26 , Englisll, German, Dutch ,
27 5 * Spanish 7 y
28 3 * Al’abic 3?
32 33 Coptic * }
33 3) l{ussian 33
38 35 Armenian }}
39 33 Georgian 3 *
40 3? Slavonic 33
45 33 Persian (Zend) 33
33 Sanskrit 33
* The Chinese have no alphabet, but
about 20,000 syllabic characters.
Ezra vii. 21 contains all the letters of the En-
glish language, presuming I and J to be identical.
Even the Italian alphabet is cal)able of more
than seventeen trillion combinations; that is, 17
followed by eighteen other figures, as—
17,000,000,000,000,000,000 ;
while the English alphabet will combine into
more than twenty-nine thousand quatrillion com-
binations; that is, 29 followed by twenty-seven
other figures, as—
29,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000.
Yet we have no means of marking the several
sounds of our different vowels; nor can we show
low to pronounce such simple words as foot,
(pull and dull), sugar (father and rather), (gin and
be-gin), calm, Bourges, in “Boeuf-gras,”
aeuſs, and thousands of other words.
* We want the restoration of th to
distinguish between this and thin a
Greek ch to distinguish between Chºreh
and Christ, two g’s (one soft and one
hard), two c's, two o’s, half a dozen a’s,
and so on.
* Take a, we have fate, fat, Thames
(e), war (o), salt (au), etc. So with e,
we have prey (a), met (e), England (i),
sew (o), Jerb (u), etc. The other vowels
are equally indefinite.
Alphe'os and Arethu'sa. The
Greek fable says that Alphe'Os, the
river-god, fell in love with the nymph
Arethu'sa, who fled from him in affright.
The god pursued under the sea, but the
nymph was changed into a spring, which
comes up in the harbour of Syracuse.
“We have seen a moustachioed Alpheos, at
Ramsgate, pursue an affrighted Arethusa.” —
London. Iteview.
Alphe'us (in Orlando Furioso). A
magician and prophet in the army of
Charlemagne, slain in sleep by Clorida'no.
... Alphesibea or “Arsinöe,” wife of
Alcméon. She gave her spouse the
fatal collar; the source of numberless
evils.
So was the necklace ... of , Harmonia, and SQ
were the collar and veil of Eriphylé, Wife of
Alm])}lia1‘āOS.
Alphonso, etc. (See ALFONSO, etc.)
AIpleich
38
Alvina Weeps
Alpleich or “Elfenreigen” (the weird
spirit-song), that music which some hear
before death. Faber refers to it in his
Pilgrims of the Night.
“Hark, hark, my soul | Angelic songs are
swelling.”
Pope also says, in the Dying Chris-
tian– -
“Hark they whisper ; angels say,
Sister spirit, come away.”
Alpue, Alpieu (Alpet), in the game
of Basset, doubling the stake on a
winning card.
“What pity 'tis those conquering eyes
Which all the world subdue,
Should, while the lover gazing dies,
Be only on alpue.” lºthereſſe : Basset.
Alquife (al-kā-f/). A famous en-
chanter, introduced into the romances
of ancient times, especially those re-
lating to Amadis of Gaul.
Alrinach. The demon who presides
over floods and earthquakes, rain and
hail. It is this demon who causes ship-
wrecks. When visible, it is in a female
form. (Eastern mythology.)
Alruna-wife (An). The Alrunes
were the larés or penatés of the ancient
Germans. An Alruna-wife was the
household goddess of a German family.
An Alruna-maidcn is a household
maiden goddess.
“She (Hypatia) looked as fair as the sun, and
talked like an Alrunil-wife.”—Kingsley : IIypatia,
chap. xii.
Alsatia. The Whitefriars Sanctuary
for debtors and law-breakers. Cunning-
ham thinks the name is borrowed from
Alsace, in France, which being a frontier
of the Rhine, was everlastingly the seat
of war and the refuge of the disaffected.
Sir Walter Scott, in his Fortunes of
Nigel, has described the life and state
of this rookery. He has borrowed
largely from Shadwell’s comedy, The
Squire of Alsatia. (See PETAND.)
Alsvidur. (See HORSE.)
Altamo'rus (in Jerusalem Delivered).
King of Samarcand', who joined the
Egyptian armament against the Crusa-
ders. “He was supreme in courage
as in might.” (Book xvii.) He sur-
* himself to Godfrey. (Book
XX.
Altan Kol or Gold River (Thibet).
So called from the gold which abounds
in its sands.
Altar (A71), in Christian art. St.
Stephen (the Pope), and Thomas Becket
are represented as immolated before an
altar. St. Canute is represented as
lying before an altar. St. Charles
*** *s
Borromeo is represented as kneeling
before an altar. St. Gregory (the Pope)
is represented as offering sacrifice before
an altar. And the attribute of Victor is
an altar overthrown, in allusion to his
throwing down a Roman altar in the
presence of the Emperor Maximian.
J.ed to the altar, i.e. married. Said
of a lady. The altar is the communion-
table railed off from the body of the
church, where marriages are solemnised.
The bride is led up the aisle to the rail.
Alter ego. My double or counter-
part. In The Corsican Brothers, the
same actor performs the two brothers,
the one being the aller ego of the other.
(Latin, “a second I’’). One who has
full powers to act for another.
Althaea's Brand, a fatal contin-
gency. Althaea's son was to live so long
as a log of wood, then on the fire, re-
mained unconsumed. She contrived to
keep the log unconsumed for many
years, but being angry one day with
Meleáger, she pushed it into the midst
of the fire, and it was consumed in a
few minutes. Meleager died at thie
same time.—Ovid. Metamorphoses, viii. 4.
“The fatal lyrillh (i Alth;ba burned.”
Shakcspeare: 2 IIenary VI., Act i. 1.
Althea (Divine). The divine Althea
of Richard Lovelace was Lucy Sachev-
erell, called by the poet, “Lucretia.”
“When love with unconſinöd Wings
Hovels within my gates,
And my divine Althea brings
To Whisper at nly grates.”
The “grates’’ referred to were the
prison grates. ... Lovelace was thrown
into prison by the Long Parliament for
his petition from Kent in favour of the
king.
Altisidora (in the “Curious Imper-
tinent''), an episode in Don Quiacote.
Altis. The plot of ground on which
the Greeks held their public games.
Alto relie'vo. Italian for “high
relief.” A term used in sculpture for
figures in wood, stone, marble, etc., so
cut as to project at least one-half from
the tablet. It should be riliero (3 Syl.).
Alumbra'do, a perfectionist ; SO
called from a Spanish sect which arose
in 1575, and claimed special illumination.
(Spanish, meaning “illuminated,” “en-
lightened ”).
Alvina Weeps, or “Hark! Alvina.
weeps,” i.e. the wind howls loudly,
a Flemish saying. Alvina was the
daughter of a king, who was cursed
by her parents because she married
Alyface
Amasis
unsuitably. From that day she roamed
about the air invisible to the eye of man,
but her moans are audible.
Alyface (Annot), servant of Dame
Christian Gustance, the gay widow, in
Udall's comedy Ralph Roister Doister.
Alzirdo (in Orlando Furioso). King
of Trem'izen, in Africa. He was over-
thrown by Orlando on his way to join
the allied army of Ag'ramant.
A.M. or M.A. When the Latin form
is intended the A comes first, as Artium
Magister; but where the English form
is meant the M precedes, as Master of
Arts. --
Am'adis of Gaul. The hero of a
romance in prose of the same title,
originally written in Portuguese in four
books. These four were translated into
Spanish by Montalvo, who added a fifth.
Subsequent romancers added the ex-
ploits and adventures of other knights,
so as to Swell the romance to fourteen
books. The French version is much
larger still, one containing twenty-four
books, and another running through
seven volumes. The original author
was Vasco de Lobeira, of Oporto, who
died 1403.
The hero, called the “Lion-knight,”
from the device on his shield, and “Bel-
tenebros '' (darkly beautiful), from his
personal appearance, was a love-child
of Perſion, King of Gaul, and Eliz’ena,
Princess of Brittany. He is represented
as a poet and musician, a linguist and a
gallant, a knight-errant and a king, the
very model of chivalry.
Other names by which Am'adis was
called were the Lovely Obscure, the
Júnight of the Burning Sword, the
Jönight of the Dwarf, etc. Bernardo, in
1560, wrote “Amadigi di Gaula.”
Am'adis of Greece. A supple-
mental part of the romance called
Am'adis of Gaul, added by Feliciano
de Silva.
Amaimon (3 syl.). One of the chief
devils whose dominion is on the north
side of the infernal gulf. He might be
'bound or restrained from doing hurt from
the third hour till noon, and from the
ninth hour till evening.
“An aimon sounds well ; Luciſor well.”
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 2.
- Amalfitan Code. A compilation of
maritime laws, compiled in the eleventh
century at Amalfi, then an important
trading town.
Amaliyaga,
& ſº & 4
who had seven daughters. He broke
their legs to prevent their running away,
and left them to people the forests. -
Amalthaea. (See SIBYLLINE Books.)
Amalthea's Horn. The cornucopia.
Or horn of plenty. The infant Zeus
was fed with goats’ milk by Amalthea,
one of the daughters of Melisseus, King
of Crete. Zeus, in gratitude, broke off
one of the goat's horns, and gave it to
Amalthèa, promising that the possessor
should always have in abundance every-
thing desired. (See AEGIs.)
. Amanda, the impersonation of love
in Thomson's Spring, is Miss Young,
tºwards married to Admiral Camp-
611.
Am'arant. . A cruel giant slain by
Guy of Warwick.-Guy and Amarant,
Percy's Reliques.
Am'aranth. Clement of Alexandria,
Says–Amarant its ſlos, symbolum est im-
Amortalita’tis. The word is from the
Greek amaran'tos (everlasting). So called
because its flowers never fade like other
flowers, but retain to the last much of
their deep blood-red colour.
“Immortal amarant—a fiower which once
In Paradise, fast by the tice of life,
Began to bloom ; but soon, for mali's offence,
To leaven removed, whicre first it grew, there
grows
And flowers aloft, shading the fount of life. . . .
With these, that never fade, the spirits elect
IBind their resplendent, locks.”
Milton : Pura dise Lost iii. 353-61.
*: In 1653 Christina, Queen of Sweden,
instituted the Order of the “Knights of
the Amaranth,” but it ceased to exist
at the death of the Queen. Among the
ancients it was the symbol of immor-
tality.
The best known species are “Love
lies bleeding” (amarantus caudātus),
and “Prince's feather ” (amarantus hy.
pochondriaeus). “Cock's comb '' is
now ranked under the genus Celosia.
Amaryllis. A pastoral sweetheart.
The name is borrowed from the pastorals
of Theocritos and Virgil.
“To Sport with Amaryllis in the shado.”
Milton : Jºycidas, 68.
Amasis (Ring of), same as Polycrátēs’
Ring. Polycratēs, tyrant of Samos, was
so fortunate in everything that Amasis,
Ring of Egypt, advised him to part
with something which he highly prized.
Polycratēs accordingly threw into the
sea an engraved ring of extraordinary
value. A few days afterwards, a fish
was presented to the tyrant, in which
the ring was found. Amasis now re-
nounced all friendship with Polycratēs,
Amati
as a man doomed by the gods; and not
long afterwards, a satrap, having en-
trapped the too fortunate despot, put
him to death by crucifixion.— Herodotus,
iii. 40.
Amati. A first-rate violin; properly,
one made by Amatiof Cremona (c. 1600).
(See CREMONA.)
Amaurot (Greek, the shadowy or
unknown place), the chief city in Utopia
(no-place), a political novel by Sir
Thomas More. Rabelais, in his Fanta-
gruel, had previously introduced the
word, and tells us that the Amaurots
conquered the Dipsodes (or Duplicians).
Amaurote, a bridge in Utopia. . Sir
Thomas More says he could not recollect
whether Raphael Hyghloday told him
it was 500 paces or 300 paces long; and
he requested his friend Peter Giles, of
Antwerp, to put the question to the
adventurer. -
“I cannot recollect whether the reception room
of the Spaniard's, Castle in the Air is 200 or 300
feet long. I will get the next aeronaut. Who
journeys to the moon, to take the exact dimen:
§ions for me, and will memorialise the learned
society of Laputa.”—Dean Swift: Gulliver's Travels.
Amazement. Not afraid with any
amazement (1 Peter iii. 6), introduced at
the close of the marriage service in the
Book of Common Prayer. The mean-
ing is, you will be God’s children so long
as you do his bidding, and are not
drawn aside by any distraction (TTómats).
No doubt St. Peter meant “by any
terror of persecution.” Cranmer, being
so afraid, was drawn aside from the
path of duty.
Amazia, meant for Charles II., in
Pordage's poem of Azaria and Hushai.
We are told by the poet, “his father's
murtherers he destroyed; ” and then he
preposterously adds—
“Beloved of all, for merciful was he,
Like God, in the Superlative degree.”
To say that such a selfish, promise-
breaking, impious libertime was “like
God, in the superlative degree,” is an
outrage against even poetical licence and
court flattery. • .
Am'azon. A horsewoman, a fighting
or masculine woman. The word means
without breast, or rather, “deprived of
a pap.” According to Grecian story,
there was a nation of women in Africa.
of a very warlike character. There
were no men in the nation ; and if a.
boy was born, it was either killed or
sent to his father, who lived in some
neighbouring state. The girls had their
40
Ambi-dexter
right breasts burnt off, that they might
the better draw the bow.
“These dreadful Amazons, gallant Viragoes who
... . carried, victorious arms . . . into Syria and
Asia Minor.”—J. E. Chambliss: David Livingstone
(Introduction, p. 24).
Amazo'nia. In South America, ori-
ginally called Mar'anón'. The Spaniards
first called it Orella'na. ; but after the
women joined their husbands in at-
tacking the invaders, the Spaniards
called the people Amazons and the
country Amazonia.
Amazonian Chin (An). A beardless
chin, like that of a woman warrior.
“When with his Amazonian clin he drove
The bristled lips before binn.’
Shakespettre : Coriðlamºus, ii. 2.
Ambassador, a practical joke played
on greenhorns aboard ship. A tub full
of water is placed between two stools,
and the whole being covered with a
greer, cloth, a sailor sits on each stool,
to keep the cloth tight. The two
sailors represent Neptune and Amphi-
trité, and the greenhorn, as ambassador,
is introduced to their majesties. He is
given the seat of honour between them;
but no sooner does he take his seat than
the two sailors rise, and the greenhorn
falls into the tub, amidst the laughter
of the whole crew.
Am'ber. This fossilised vegetable
resin is, according to legend, a con-
cretion of birds’ tears. The birds were
the sisters of Meleáger, who never ceased
weeping for the death of their brother.—
Ovid : Metamorphoses, viii. line 270, etc.
“Around thee shall glisten the loyeliest amber
That G V Cr the Sorrowing Sea-bird hath WC])t.”
T. Moore: Fire Worshippers.
Amber, a repository. So called be-
cause insects and small leaves are pre-
served in amber.
“You may be disposed to preserve it in your
aliller.”—Notes and Queries.—W. Dove.
“Pretty in amber, to observe the forms
Qf hairs, or straws, or dirt, or grubs, or worms,
The things, we know, are neither rich nor rare,
But Wonder Ilow the dovil they got there.”
Pope : Ep. to Arbuthnot, 169-72.
Amberabad'. . Amber-city, one of
the towns of Jinnistan, or Fairy Land.
Ambes'-as or Ambes-ace. Two aces,
the lowest throw in dice; figuratively,
bad luck. (Latin, ambo-asses, both or
two aces.) -
“I had rather he in this choice than throw
amnes-ace for my life.”—All's Well, etc., ii. 3.
Ambi-dexter properly means both
hands right hands; a double dealer; a
juror who takes money from both parties
for his verdict ; one who can use his
left hand as deftly as his right,
Ambition
41
Amerithes
Ambition, strictly speaking, means
“the going from house to house” (Latin,
ambitio, going about canvassing). In
IRome it was customary, some time
before an election came on, for the can-
didates to go round to the different
dwellings to solicit votes, and those
who did so were ambitious of office.
Ambree (Mary). An English heroine,
who has immortalised her name by her
valour at the siege of Ghent, in 1584.
Her name is a proverbial one for a
woman of heroic spirit.
“My daughter will be Yaliant,
And prove a very Mary Ambry i' the business.”
13ent Jomsom, : Tale of a Tub, i. 4.
Ambrose (St.), represented in Chris-
tian art in the costume of a bishop.
His attributes are (1), a bee-hive, in
allusion to the legend that a swarm of
bees settled on his mouth when lying in
his cradle; (2) a scourge, by which he
expelled the Arians from Italy.
The penance he inflicted on the IEmperor Theo-
dosius has been represented by Rubens, a copy
of which, by Vandyck, is in the National Gallery.
Ambro'sia. The food of the gods
(Greek, a privative, brotos, mortal); so
called because it made them not mortal,
i.e. it made them immortal. Anything
delicious to the taste or fragrant in
perfume is so called from the notion
that whatever is used by the celestials
must be excellent.
“A table where the heaped ambrosia, lay.”
Homer, by Bryant: Odyssey, v. line 141.
* Husband and wife inust drink from the cul) of
conjugal life ; but they must both taste the sanie
ambrosia, or the same gall.”—R. C. IIowghton :
\}'O?ne? ºf the Orient, part iii.
Ambrosian Chant. The choral
music introduced from the Eastern to the
Western Church by St. Ambrose, the
Bishop of Milan, in the fourth century.
It was used till Gregory the Great
changed it for the Gregorian.
Ambro'sian Library. A library in
Milan, so called in compliment of St.
Ambrose, the patron Saint.
Ambrosio, the hero of Lewis's ro-
łmance, called The Monk. Abbot of the
Capuchins at Madrid. The temptations
of Matilda overcome his virtue, and he
proceeds from crime to crime, till at last
he sells his soul to the devil. Ambrosio,
being condemned to death by the In-
quisition, is released by Lucifer; but no
sooner is he out of prison than he is
dashed to pieces on a rock.
Am"bry, a cupboard, locker, or recess.
In church, for keeping vestments, books,
or other articles. Used by a confusion
for almonry, or niche in the wall where
alms, etc., were deposited. Now used
for holding the sacramental plate, con-
secrated oil, and so on. The Secret
drawers of an escritoire are called am-
bries. (Archaic English almary, Latin
armarium, French armoire.)
“Theravarice hath almaries,
And y ren-bounden cofres.”
I’ien's I’lough?mam, p. 288.
Almonry is from the Latin eleemosyn-
arium, a place for alms.
“The place wherein, this Chapel or Almshouse
stands was called the ‘Elemosinary' or Almonry,
now corrupted into Ambrey, for that the alms of
the Abbey are there distributed to the poor.”—
Stow : Survey.
Ambusca'de (3 syl.) is the Italian
imbosca'ta (concealed in a wood).
Ame damnée (French), a scape-goat.
“He is the ame damnée of everyone about the
court—the scapegoat, who is to . carry away all
their iniquities.”—Sir Walter Scott: Peveril of the
Pettle, chap. 48.
Amedieu (3 syl.). “Friends of
God; ” a religious body in the Church
of Rome, founded in 1400. They wore
no breeches, but a grey cloak girded
with a cord, and were shod with wooden
shoes.
Amelia. A model of conjugal affec-
tion, in Fielding’s novel so called. It is
said that the character is intended foi
his own wife.
Amelon. A Chaldean hero, who
reigned thirteen sares. A sare = 3,600
years.--Banier : Mythology, vol. i.
Amenon is another hero of . Chajdea, who
reigned 12 sares. Amphis reigned 6 sares.
Amen Corner, London, the end of
Paternoster Row, where the monks
finished their Pater Noster, on Corpus
Christi Day, as they went in procession
to St. Paul’s Cathedral. They began in
Paternoster Row with the Lord's prayer
in Latin, which was continued to the
end of the street ; then said Amen, at .
the corner or bottom of the Row ; then
turning down Ave-Maria Lane, com-
menced chanting the “Hail, Mary '''
then crossing Ludgate, they chanted the
Credo. Amen Lane no longer exists.
Amende honorable, in France,
was a degrading punishment inflicted
on traitors, parricides, and Sacrilegious
persons, who were brought into court
with a rope round their neck, and made
to beg pardon of God, the king, and the
court.
Now the public acknowledgment of
the offence is all that is required.
Amen'thes (3 Syl.). The Egyptian
Ha'dés. The word means hiding-place.
American Flag
42
Armina,
American Flag. The American
Congress resolved (June 14, 1777), that
the flag of the United States should
have thirteen stripes, alternately red
and white, to represent the thirteen
States of the Union, together with
thirteen white stars, on a blue ground.
General Washington’s escutcheon con-
tained two stripes, each alternated with
red and white, and, like the American
stars, those of the General had only five
points instead of six. A new star is
now added for each new State, but the
stripes remain the same.
However, before the separation the flag con-
tained thirteen stripes of alternate red and white"
to indicate the thirteen colonies; and the East
India Company flag, as far back as 1704, had thir-
teen stripes. The Company flag was cantoned
with St. George's Cross, the British American
flag With the Union Jack.
American Peculiarities:—
Natives of New England Say Guess.
33 R. York & Middléstates ,, Earpect.
33 Southern States . . , Reck,072.
33 "Western States . . ,, Calculate.
The Americans
Every state has,
American States.
are rich in nicknames.
or has had, its sobriquet. The people
Of
Alabagna, are lizards.
A ricansas ,, toothlyickS
California, , gold-hunterS.
Coloratolo ,, rovers.
Commecticut ,, WOOden nuthlegs.
Delaware ,, musk rats.
Florida. . . ,, fly-ul)-the-Creeks.
Georgia. . . ,, buzzards.
Illinois . . , Suckers.
Iºdiſtma. . . ,, hoosiers.
Jolt:Ct, ,, hawk-Gyeš.
JVamsas . . ,, jay-hawkers.
I(emtucky ,, CO1 n–CrackerS.
1.0 Misiana, , Creoles.
Mat???e ,, foxes.
Mſtºryland ,, craw—tlıulmpers.
Michigatºn, , Wolverines.
M7777) esota, , gophers.
Mississippi ,, tadpoles.
Missouri, , bukes.
Nel)7'd skat, ,, bug-eaters.
Névada, . . , Sage—hens.
granite-boys.
Blues 07' claim-Catchers.
knickerbockers.
tar-jjoilers Or Tuckoes.
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Fork; e -
North Carolina
71
* ,
}}
22
Ohio - - . . , buck-eyes.
Oregon. . . ... , web-feet or hard cases.
Pennsylvania. . . , Pennamites or Leath (ºr-
leads.
IRhode Island . . , gun-flints.
So?till, CalTolima, , Weasels.
Te???? 6ssee ,, whelps.
Teºcas . . , beef-heads. . .
Vermoºt. 1, green-lmOuntain boys.
, Virginia, , beadies.
Wisconsin, , badgers.
American States. The eight states
which retain the Indian names of the
chief rivers, as: Alabama, Arkansas,
Illinois, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri,
Ohio, and Wisconsin.
Ameth’ea. (See HORSE.)
Amethyst. A species of rock-crystal
supposed to prevent intoxication
(Greek, a-methºdsta, the antidote of in-
toxication). Drinking-cups made of
amethyst were supposed to be a charm
against inebriety.
‘. . It was the most cherished of all
precious stones by Roman matrons,
from the superstition that it would
preserve inviolate the affection of their
husbands.
* Numbers. (See AMICABLE,
€UC.
Amicable Numbers. Numbers
which are mutually equal to the sum
of all their aliquot parts: as 220, 284.
The aliquot parts of 220 are 1, 2, 4, 5,
10, 1 i, 20, 22, 44, 55, 110, the sum of
which is 284. Again, the aliquot parts
of 284 are 1, 2, 4, 71, 142, the sum of
which is 220.
Amicus curiae (Latin, a friend to
the court). One in the court who in-
forms the judge of some error he has
detected, or makes some suggestion to
assist the court.
Ami'cus Plato, Sed magis amica Ver'itas
(Plato I love, but I love Truth more).
A noble dictum attributed to Aristotle,
but certainly a very free translation
of a phrase in the Nicomache'an Ethics
(“Where both are friends, it is light to
prefer Truth").
Am'iel (3 Syl.). A form of the name
Eliam (friend of God). In Dryden’s
satire of Absalom and Achitophel it
is meant for Sir Edward Seymour,
Speaker of the House of Commons. (2
Sam. xxii. 34.)
“Who can Amiel's praise refuse?
Of ancient race by birth, but nobler yet
In his own worth, and without title great.
The Sanhedrim Jong time as chief he ruled,
Their reason guided and their passion cooled.”
JD7-yden.: Absaloºm, and Achitophel, i. 899–903.
Amiens (3 syl.). The Peace of
Amiens, March 27, 1802, a treaty signed
by Joseph Bonaparte, the Marquis of
Cornwallis, Azara, and Schimmelpen-
ninck, to settle the disputed points
between France, Jºngland, Spain, and
Holland. It was dissolved in 1803.
Ami'na. An orphan adopted by a
miller, and beloved by Elvino, a rich
farmer. The night before her espousals
she is found in the bed of Count Ro-
dolpho, and is renounced by her be-
trothed husband. The count explains
to the young farmer and his friends that
Ami'na, is innocent, and has wandered
in her sleep. While he is still talking,
the orphan is seen getting out of the
window of the mill, and walking in her
sleep along the edge of the roof under
Amirladab
Ampersand
which the mill-wheel is rapidly revolving.
She crosses a crazy bridge, and comes
among the spectators. In a few minutes
she awakes, flies to Elvi'no, and is
claimed by him as his beloved and inno-
cent bride:– Belli'ni’s best opera, La
Somnambula.
Amin'adab. A Quaker. The Scrip-
ture name has a double 1), but in old
comedies, where the character represents
a Quaker, the name has generally only
one. Obadiah is used, also, to signify a
Quaker, and Rachel a Quakeress.
Amine (3 syl.). Wife of Sidi Nou-
man, who ate her rice with a bodkin,
and was in fact a ghoul. “She was so
hard-hearted that she led about her
three sisters like a leash of greyhounds.”
—Arabian Nights.
Aminte (2 syl.). The name assumed
by Cathos as more aristocratic than her
own. She is courted by a gentleman,
but discards him because his manners
are too simple and easy for “bon ton; ”
he then sends his valet, who pretends to
be a marquis, and Aminte is charmed
with his “distinguished style of manners
and talk.” When the game has gone
far enough, the trick is exposed, and
Aminte is saved from a mésalliance.—
Molière: Les Précieuses Ridicules.
It was a prevailing fashion in the Middle
Ages to clange names ; Voltaire's proper name
was A rouet (1694–1778); Melancthon's was Schirur-
zerde (1497–1560). The real manues of Deside rius
lirasmus were Gheracyd Ghertterd (1467–1536);
Anacharsis Clootz was Jean Baptiste Clootz, etc.
Am'iral or Ammiral. An early
form of the word “admiral.” (French,
amiral ; Italian, ammiraglio.) (See AD-
MIRAL.) -
Amlet (Richard). The gamester in
Vanbrugh's drama called The Con-
federacy.
Am'mon. The Libyan Jupiter; so
called from the Greek danmos (sand),
because his temple was in the desert.
Herodotus calls it an Egyptian word
(ii. 42).
Son of Jupiter Ammon. Alexander the
Great. His father, Philip, claimed to
'be a descendant of Hercules, and there-
fore of Jupiter; and the son was saluted
by the priests of the Libyan temple as
son of Ammon. Hence was he called
the son or descendant both of Jupiter
and of Ammon.
Ammonian Horn (The), the cornu-
copia. It was in reality a tract of very
fertile land, in the shape of a ram’s horn,
given by Ammon, King of Libya, to his
mistress, Amalthèa (q.v.) (the mother of
Bacchus).
Am'monites (3 syl.). Fossil molluscs
allied to the nautilus and cuttlefish.
So called because they resemble the
horn upon the ancient statues cf Jupiter
Ammon. (See above.)
A'mon's Son (in Orlando Furioso),
is Rinaldo. He was the eldest son of
Amon or Aymon, Marquis d’Este, and
nephew of Charlemagne.
Am’oret, brought up by Venus in the
courts of love. She is the type of female
}oveliness—young, handsome, gay, witty,
and good ; Soft as a rose, sweet as a
violet, chaste as a lily, gentle as a dove,
loving everybody and by all beloved.
She is no Diana to make “gods and men
fear her stern frown '' ; no Minerva to
“freeze her foes into congealed stone
with rigid looks of chaste austelity ‘’;
but a living, breathing virgin, with a
warm heart, and beaming eye, and pas-
sions strong, and all that man can wish
and woman want. She becomes the
loving, tender wife of Sir Scudamore.
Tim'ias finds her in the arms of Cor-
flambo (sensual passion); combats the
monster unsuccessfully, but wounds the
lady.—Spens er: Faëry (ºteºn, book iii.
Amcret, a love-song, love-knot, love-
affair, love personified. A pretty word,
which might be reintroduced.
“He will be in his almorets, and his canzon.cts,
his lastorals, and his madrigals.”—11, y trood :
J/Uve's Mist)'é88.
“For not icladde in silke was he,
But all in flouris and flourettes,
I-laintid all with almorettes.”
Q I?om (t)\ce of the Io; 6, 892.
Amorous (The). Philippe I. of France:
so called because he divorced his wife,
Berthe to espouse Bertrade, who was
already married to Foulques, count of
Anjou. (1061-1108.)
Amour propre. One's self-love,
vanity, or opinion of what is due to self.
To make an appeal to one’s amour propro,
is to put a person on his metal. To
wound one’s amour propre, is to gall his
good opinion of himself—to wound his
vanity. (French.)
Ampaſro de Pobres. A book ex-
posing the begging impostors of Madrid,
written by Herrera, physician to Telipe
III.
Ampersand, the character made
thus, “ & '' = and. In the old Horn-
books, after giving the twenty-six letters,
the character & was added, and was
called “Ampersand,” a corruption of
Amphialus
44
Amundeville
“and per-se & '' (and by itself, and).
A B C D . . . . X Y. Z. &.
“Any odd shalve folkS understand
To mean my Protean amperzand.”
Punch (17 April, 1869, p. 153, col. 2).
The martyr Bradford, says Lord Russell, was
“A per se A,” with them, “ to their comfort.”
etc.—i.e. stood alone in their defence.
Amphi'alus, Son of Cecropia, in love
with Philoclea, , but he ultimately
married Queen Helen of Corinth.-Sin'
Philip Sidney : The Countess of Pem-
broke’s Arcadia.
Amphictyon'ic Council. A council
of confederate Greeks from twelve of
their tribes, each of which had two
deputies. The council met twice a year
—in the spring at Delphi, and in the
autumn at Thermopylae. According to
fable, it was so called from Amphictyon,
son of Deucalion, its supposed founder.
(Greek, amphictionés, dwellers round
about.)
Amphig’ons. Words strung together
without any real connection. The two
pleaders in Pantagruel by Rabelais (book
ii. c. 11-13) give an excellent example.
Amphigouri, nonsense verse, rigma-
role.
“A kind of overgrown amphigouri, a hetero-
geneous combination.”—Quarterly Iteview, i. 50,
1809.
* Porson’s “Three Children sliding
on the Ice ’’ is a good specimen of
amphigouri.
Amphion is said to have built Thebes
by the music of his lute, which was so
melodious that the stones danced into
walls and houses of their own accord.
Tennyson has a rhyming jeu d'esprit.
Amphitrite (either 3 or 4 syl.). The
sea. In classic mythology, the wife of
Neptune (Greek, amphi-trio for tribo,
rubbing or wearing away [the shore] on
all sides).
“His weary chariot sought the bowers
Of Almphitritë and her tending nymphs.” .
Thomsom, : Sutºmºner. (16:5-6).
Amphit'ryon. Le véritable Amphi-
tryon est l’Amphitryon oit l’on dine (Mo-
lière). That is, the person who provides
the feast (whether master of the house
or not) is the real host. The tale is that
Jupiter assumed the likeness of Am-
phit'ryon, and gave a banquet ; but
Amphitryon himself, came home, and
claimed the honour of being the master
of the house. As far as the servants
and guests were concerned, the dispute
was soon decided—“he who gave the
feast was to them the host.” - -
round the neck, as a charm.
‘hamulet, that which is suspended.)
Amphrysian Prophetess (Am-
phrysia Valës). The Cumaean sibyl; so
called from Amphrysos, a river of
Thessaly, on the banks of which Apollo
fed the herds of Admeſtos; consequently
Amphrysian means Apollo'nian.
Ampoulle (Sainte). The jug or
bottle containing oil used in anointing
the kings of France, and said to have
been brought from heaven by a dove for
the coronation service of St. Louis. It
was preserved at Rheims till the first
Revolution, when it was destroyed.
Amram's Son. Moses. (Exodus vi.
o
20.)
“As when the potent rod
Of Amram's son, in Egypt's evil day,
Waved round the coast.” *
Milton : 1’aradise Lost, i. 338-40.
Amri, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
designed for Heneage Finch, Earl of
Nottingham and Lord Chancellor.
“Qur list of nobles next Jet Amri grace,
Whose merits claimed the Abeth din's (Lord
Chancellor's) high place—
To whom the double blessing does belong,
With Moses’ inspiration, Aaron's tongue.”
Part; ii.
Amrita. The elixir of immortalify,
made by churning the milk-sca (Hindº
Amythology). Sir William Jones speaks
of an apple so called, because it bestows
immortality on those who partake of it.
The word means immortal. (See AM-
BROSIA.) -
Amsanctus. A lake in Italy, in the
territory of Hirpinum, said to lead down
to the infernal regions. The word means
sacred wate)'. -
Amuck'. To run amuck. To talk or
write on a subject of which you are
wholly ignorant ; to run foul of. The
Malays, under the influence of opium,
become so excited that they sometimes
rushforth with daggers, yelling “Amoſ, 1
amoq " '' (Kill! kill !), and fall foul of
any one they chance to meet.
“Satire's my weapon, but I'm too discreet
To run annuck and tilt at all I meet.”
J’ope: Satires, i. 60-70.
Am'ulet. Something worn, generally
(Arabic,
The early Christians used to wear
amulets called Ichthus, fish; the word
is composed of the initial letters of
Ie'sos CHristos THeou Uios Soter (Jesus
Christ, Son of God, our Saviour). (See
NOTARICA.) -
Amun'deville. Lady Adeline Amun-
deville, a lady who “ had a twilighttinge
of blue,” could make epigrams, give
Amyclaban Brothers
45
Anah
delightful soirées, and was fond of
making matches.—Byron : Don Juan,
XV., xvi.
Amyclaean Brothers (The). Castor
and Pollux, who were born at Amyclaº.
Amyclae'an Silence. More silent
than Amyelae. The inhabitants of
Amycla were so often alarmed by false
rumours of the approach of the Spartans,
that they made a decree no one should
ever again mention the subject. . When
the Spartans actually came against the
town, no one durst mention it, and the
town was taken.
Amyris plays the fool, i.e. a person
assumes a false character with an ulterior
object, like Junius Brutus. Amyris was
a Sybarite (3 syl.) sent to Delphi to
consult the Oracle, who informed him
of the approaching destruction of his
nation. Amyris fled to Peloponnesus
and his countrymen called him a fool;
but, like the madness of David, his
“folly” was true wisdom, for thereby he
saved his life.
Amys and Amylion. The Py'adºs
and Orestés of mediæval story. —
Jºllis's Specimens.
Anabaptists. A nickname of the
Baptist Dissenters; so called bºcause,
in the first instances, they had been
baptised in infancy, and , were again
baptised on a confession of faith in adult
age. The word means the twice-baptised.
Anabaptists. A sect which arose in
Germany in 1521.
Anachar'sis. Anacharsis among the
Seythians. A wise man amongst fools;
‘‘ Good out of Nazareth '' ; “A Sir
Sidney Smith on Salisbury Plain.” The
opposite proverb is “Saul amongst the
Prophets,” i.e. a fool amongst wise men:
Anacharsis was a Scythian by birth, and
the Scythians were proverbial for their
uncultivated state and great ignorance.
Anacharsis Clootz. Baron Jean Bap-
tiste Clootz, a Prussian by birth, but
lorought up in Paris, where he adopted
the revolutionary principles, and called
himself The Orator of the Human Race.
(1755-1794.)
Anacleth'ra. The stone on which
Cerés rested after searching in vain for
her daughter. It was kept as a sacred
deposit in the Prytaneum of Athens.
Anacreon. A Greek poet, who
wrote chiefly in praise of love and wine.
(B.C. 563-478.)
A vacreon of the Twelfth Century.
Walter Mapes, also called “The Jovial
Toper.” (1150-1196). His best-known
piece is the famous drinking-song,
“Meum est propositum in taberna
mori,” translated by Leigh Hunt.
Anacreozº Moore. Thomas Moore, who
not only translated Anacreon into Eng-
lish, but also wrote original poems in
the same style. (1779-1852.)
Anacreon of the Guillotine. Bertrand
Darère de Vieuzac, president of the
National Convention ; so called from the
flowery language and convivial jests
used by him towards his miserable
victims. (1755-1841.)
Anacreon of the Temple. Guillaume
Amfrye, abbé de Chalieu ; the “Tom
Moore ” of France. (1639-1720.)
The French Anacreon. Pontus de
Tyard, one of the Pleiad poets (1521-
1605). P. Laujon. (1727-1811.)
The Persian Anacreon. Mohammed
Hafiz. (Fourteenth century.)
The Scotch Anacreon. Alexander
Scot, who flourished about 1550.
The Sicilian Anacreon. Giovanni Meli.
(1740-1815.)
Anacreon of Painters. Francesco
Albano, a famous painter of lovely
females. (1578-1660.)
Anacreon'tic. In imitation of Anac'-
reon (q.v.).
Anach'ronism. An event placed at
a wrong date ; as when Shakespeare, in
Troilets and Cressida, makes Nestor quote
Aristotle. (Greek, and chronos, out of
time.)
Anagnostes (Greek). A domestic
servant employed by the wealthy
Romans to read to them at meals.
Charlemagne had his reader; and monks
and nuns were read to at meals. (Greek,
amaginosko, to read.)
Anagrams.
Dame Eleanor Davies (brophetess in the reign
of Charles I.) = Never so ºnwald at lataly.
Gustavus =: Auſſusſtt.S.
Horatio Nelson=IIonvoy est a Nilo (made by Dr.
Burmey). . * •
Queen Victoria's Jubilee Year = I require love inv
& sitbject. * * * *
ºld est Veritas (John xviii. 38) 2- Win" est qui
(ld68t.
Marie Touchet (mistress of Charles IX. of
France = Je charme tout (made by Henri IV.).
Voltaire is an anagram of Arouet l'e)f(eume). ,
These are interchangeable words :-
Alcuinus and Calvinus; Amor and Roma; Eros
and Rose ; EYil and Live; and many more.
Anah, a tender-hearted, pious, meek,
and loving creature, granddaughter of
Cain, and sister of Aholiba'mah. Japhet
loved her, but she had set her heart on
the seraph Aza'ziel, who carried her off
Anaria,
to some other planet when the flood
came.—Byron : Heaven and Earth.
Ana'na. The pine-apple (the Bra-
zilian ananas).
“Witness thou, best Anana : thou the pride
Of vegetable life.” Thomson : Summer, 685,686.
Anastasia (St.). Her attributes are
a stake and faggots, with a palm branch
in her hand. The allusion is, of course,
to her martyrdom at the stake.
Anathema. A denunciation or
curse. The word is Greek, and means
to place, or set up, in allusion to the
mythological custom of hanging in the
temple of a patron god something de-
voted to him. Thus Gordius hung up
his yoke and beam ; the shipwrecked
hung up their wet clothes; workmen
retired from business hung up their
tools, etc. Hence anything set apart for
destruction ; and so, set apart from the
Church as under a curse.
“Me tabula, Sacer
Votiva ly:lries indicat uvida
Suspendisse potenti
Vestimenta Inlaris deo.”
IIorace : Odes (v. 13–16).
* Horace, having escaped the love-
snares of Pyrrha, hangs up his votive
tablet, as one who has escaped the
dangers of the Sea.
Anatomy. He was like an anatomy—
à.e. a mere skeleton, very thin, like one
whose flesh had been anatomised or cut
off. Shakespeare uses atomy as a syno-
nym. Thus the hostess Quickly says to
the Beadle: “Thou atomy, thou !” and
Doll Tearsheet caps the phrase with,
“Come, you thin thing ; come, you
rascal.”—2 Henry IV., v. 4.
Anaxarete (5 Syl.) Of Salamis was
changed into stone for despising the love
of Iphis, who hung himself.-Ovid :
Metamorphoses, xiv. 750.
Anaxarte (4 Syl.). A knight whose
adventures and exploits form a supple-
mental part of the Spanish romance
called Am'adis of Gaul. This part
was added by Feliciano de Silva.
Ancae'os. Helmsman of the ship
Argo, after the death of Tiphys. He
was told by a slave that he would never
live to taste the wine of his vineyards.
When a bottle made from his own
grapes was set before him, he sent for
the slave to laugh at his prognostica-
tions ; but the slave made answer,
“There’s many a slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip.” At this instant a mes-
senger came in, and told Ancaeos that
46
Ancient Mariner
a wild boar was laying his vineyard
waste, whereupon he set down his cup,
went out against the boar, and was
killed in the encounter.
Ancalites (4 syl.) , Inhabitants of
parts of Berkshire and Wiltshire, re-
ferred to by Caesar in his Commen-
taries.
An'chor. That was my sheet anchor
—i.e. my best hope, my last refuge.
The sheet anchor is the largest anchor
of a ship, which, in stress of weather, is
the sailor's chief dependence. The word
sheet is a corruption of the word shote
(thrown out), meaning the anchor
“thrown out ’’ in foul weather. The
Greeks and Romans said, “my sacred
anchor,” because the sheet anchor was
always dedicated to some god.
Anchor (The), in Christian art, is
given to Clement of Rome and Nicolas
of Bari. Pope Clement, in A.D. 80. was
bound to an anchor and cast into the
sea. Nicolas of Bari is the patron
saint of sailors.
The anchor is apeak—that is, the cable
of the anchor is so tight that the ship is
drawn completely over it. (See Bow ER
ANCHOR, SHEET ANCHOR.)
The anchor comes home, the anchor has
been dragged from its hold. Figura-
tively, the enterprise has failed, not-
withstanding the precautions employed.
To weigh anchor, to haul in the anchor,
that the ship may sail away from its
mooring. Figuratively, to begin an
enterprise which has hung on hand.
Anchor Watch (A)). A watch of
one or two men, while the vessel rides
at anchor, in port.
Ancien Régime. An antiquated
system of government. This phrase,
in the French Revolution, meant the
monarchical form of government, or the
system of government, with all its evils,
which existed prior to that great change.
Ancient. A corruption of ensign—a
flag and the officer who bore it. Pistol
was Falstaff’s “ancient.”
“Ten times more dishonourably ragged than
an old-faced ancient.”—Shakespeare: 1 II enry II".,
i Y. 21. -
“My whole charge consists of ancients, cor-
porals, lieutenants, gentlemen of companies
.”—Shakespeare : 1 IIeury IV., iv. 2
Ancient Mariner. Having shot an
albatross, he and his companions were
subjected to fearful penalties. On re-
pentance he was forgiven, and on reach-
ing land told his story to a herinit.
Ancient of Days
r
At times, however, distress of mind
drove him from land, to land, and
wherever he abode he told his tale of
woe, to warn from cruelty and persuade
men to love God’s creatures.—Coleridge.
Ancient of Days (Daniel iii. 9).
Jehovah.
Ancile (3 syl.). The Palladium of
Rome. It was the sacred buckler which
Numa said fell from heaven. To prevent
its being stolen, he caused eleven others
to be made precisely like it, and confided
them to twelve priests called Salii, who
bore them in procession through the city
every year at the beginning of March.
“Idque ancile vocat, quodab omni Darte recisum
1 otius notes oculis, angulus omnis abežt.”
Ovid : Fasti, iii. 377.
And. The character “ & " is a mono-
gram of et (and), made in Italian type, &º.
Andirons or Hand-irons, a corrup-
tion of anderia, andéra, andéla, or andéna.
Ducange says, “Andena est ferrum,
quo appodiantur ligna in foco, ut melius
luceant, et melius comburantur.” Far-
ther on he gives anderia, anderius, an-
dellus, etc., as variants. Called “dogs’’
because they were often made in the
resemblance of dogs. The derivation of
anderons is not clear ; Ducange Says,
“dicitur andena, quasi ante vaporem,
i.e. calorem,” but this probably will
satisfy no one. The modern French
word is landier, old French andier, Low
Latin andãºlts.
Andrea, Ferrara. A sword. So
called from a famous sword-maker of
the name. (Sixteenth century.)
“We'll put in bail, my boy ; old Andrea Ferrara,
shall lodge his security.”—Scott: IV(tverley, cli. 50.
Andrew, a name commonly used in
old plays for a valet or man-servant.
Probably a Merry Andrew is simply
the mirth-making Andrew or domestic
jester. (See MERRY ANDREW.)
Similarly, Abigail is used in old plays for a
Waiting gentlewoman. (See A BLGAIſ.)
Andraw (An). A merchant vessel,
probably so called from Andrew Doria,
the famous Genoese admiral.
“I should think of shallows and of flats,
And see my wealthy Andrew docked in Sand.”
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, i. 1.
Andrew (St.), depicted in Christian
art as an old man with long white hair
and beard, holding the Gospel in his
right hand, and leaning on a cross like
the letter X, termed St. Andrew’s cross.
The great pictures of St. Andrew are his
Flagellation by Domenichino, and the
Adoration of the Cross by Guido, which
47
Android
has also been depicted by Andrea
Sacchi, in the Vatican at Rome. Both
the Flagellation and the Adoration
form the subjects of frescoes in the
chapel of St. Andrea, in the church of
San Gregorio, at Rome. His day is
November 30th. It is said that he
suffered martyrdom in Patrae (A.D. 70).
(See ST. RULE.)
The “adoration of the cross" means his fervent
address to the cross on which he was about to
suffer. “Hail, precious cross, consecrated by the
body of Christ,' I come to thee exulting and full
of joy. Receive me into thy dear armis.” The
“flagellation " means the Scourging which always
preceded cal)ital punishments, according to IRo-
Illall Clist Olll.
St. Andrew's Cross is represented in
the form of an x (white on a blue field).
The cross, however, on which the
apostle suffered was of the ordinary
shape, if we may believe the relic in the
convent of St. Victor, near Marseilles.
The error rose from the way in which
that cross is exhibited, resting on the
end of the cross-beam and point of the
foot.
According to J. Leslie (History of
Scotland), this sort of cross appeared
in the heavens to Achaius, King of the
Scots, and Hungus, King of the Picts,
the night before their engagement with
Athelstane. As they were the victors,
they went barefoot to the kirk of St.
Andrew, and vowed to adopt his cross
as their national emblem. (See CoN-
STANTINE’s CROSS.)
Andrew Macs (The). The crew
of H.M.S. Andromaché. Similarly,
the Beller'ophon was called by English
sailors “Billy ruffian,” and the Achilles
the “Ash heels.” (See BEEFEATER,
etc.) .
Androcles and the Lion. An-
drocles was a runaway slave who took
refuge in a cavern. A lion entered, and
instead of tearing him to pieces, lifted
up his fore paw that Androcles might
extract from it a thorn. The slave being
subsequently captured, was doomed to
fight with a lion in the Roman arena.
It so happened that the same lion was
let out against him, and, recognising his
benefactor, showed towards him every
demonstration of love and gratitude.
In the Gesta Romanorum (Tale civ.)
the same story is told, and there is
a similar one in AEsop's Fables. The
original tale, however, is from Aulus
Gellius, on the authority of Plistonices,
who asserts that he was himself an eye-
witness of the encounter.
Android. An automaton figure of a
Andromeda,
48
Angelica,
human being (Greek, andros-eidos, a
man’s likeness). One of the most
famous of these machines is that by
M. Vaucanson, called the flute-player.
The chess-player by Kempelen is also
celebrated. (See AUTOMATON.)
Androm'eda. Daughter of Cepheus
(2 syl.) and Cassiopeia. Her mother
boasted that the beauty of Androméda.
surpassed that of the Nereids; so the
Nereids induced Neptune to send a sea-
monster on the country, and an Oracle
declared that Andromeda must be given
up to it. She was accordingly chained
to a rock, but was delivered by Perseus
(2 syl.). After death she was placed
among the stars. (See ANGELICA.)
Ovid: Mutatinorphoses, Y. 1, etc.
Andronica (in Orlando Furioso).
One of Logistilla’s handmaids, famous
for her beauty. She was sent with
Sophrosynē to conduct Astolpho from
India to Arabia.
Anent. Over against ; concerning.
(Old English, on-emn , later forms, on-
efen, on-eferet, an-'ent.)
Ange de Gréve (French), a hang-
man or executioner. The “Place de
Grève’’ was at one time the Tyburn of
Paris.
Angel. Half a sovereign in gold; so
called because, at one time, it bore the
figure of the archangel Michael slaying
the dragon.
* When the Rev. Mr. Patten, vicar
of Whitstable, was dying, the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury sent him £10.
The wit said, “Tell his Grace that now
I am sure he is a man of God, for I have
seen his angels.”
Angel (a public-house sign), in compli-
ment to Richard II., who placed
angel above his shield, holding it up in
his hands.
To write like an angel (French). The
angel referred to was Angelo Vergece
[Vergezio], a Cretan of the sixteenth
century. He was employed both by
Henri II. and by François I., and was
noted for his caligraphy. (Didot :
Nouvelle Biographie Universelle [1852-
66
Angel of the Schools. St. Thomas
Aquinas. (See ANGELIC DOCTOR.)
Angels, say the Arabs, were created
from pure, bright gems; the genii, of
Jire, and man, of clay.
Angels, according to Dionysius the
an
Areop'agite, were divided into nine or-
ders:—
(i) jºim, Cherubim, and Thrones, in the
€
first circle. . w -
(ii) Dominions, Virtues, and Powers, in the
Second circle. .. - -
(iii) Principalities, Archangels, and Angels, in
the third circle. -- -
St. Gregory the Great : Homily 34,
“In heaven above,
The effulgent bands in triple circles move.”
Tass0: Jerusalem Delivered, xi. 13.
Angels. The seven holy angels are —
Abdiel, Gabriel, Michael, Raguel,
Raphael, Simiel, and Uriel. ... Michael
and Gabriel are mentioned in the Bible,
Raphael in the Apocrypha.
* Milton (Paradise Lost, book i., from
392) gives a list of the fallen angels.
Angel-beast. A favourite round
game of cards, which enabled gentlemen
to let the ladies win small stakes. Five
cards are dealt to each player, and three
heaps formed—one for the king, one for
play, and the third for Triolet. The
name of the game was la bête (beast).
Angel was the stake. Thus we say,
Shilling-whist.
“This gentleman offers to play at Angel-l;east,
though he scarce knows the cards.”—Mulberry
Garden,
Angel Visits. TJelightful intercourse
of short duration and rare occurrence.
“(Visits) Like those of angels, short and far
between.” (ti)": Grºvé, lyt. ii. 586.
“Ilike angel-visits, few and far between.”
Campbell : Pleasures of Hope, line 375.
Angel-water, a Spanish cosmetic,
made of roses, trefoil, and lavender.
Short for Angelica-water, because ori-
ginally it was chiefly made of the plant
Angelica.
“Angel-water was the worst scent about her.”
—Sedley : Bella.m.
Angelic Doctor. Thomas Aquinas
was so called, because he discussed the
knotty points in connection with the
being and nature of angels. An ex-
ample is, “ Utrum An'gelus moveatur de
loco ad locum transeundo per medium ?”
The Doctor says that it depends upon
circumstances. -
‘." It is said, by way of a quiz, that one of his
(Illestions was: “How many angels can dance on
the point of a pin 2''
Angelic Hymn. The hymn begin-
ning with Glory be to God on high, etc.
(Luke ii. 14); so called because the former
part of it was sung by the angel host
that appeared to the shepherds of Beth-
lehem. ‘p
Angelica. Daughter of Gal’aphron,
king of Cathay, the capital of which was
Albracca. She was sent to sow discord
among the Christians. Charlemagne
Angelica's Draught
49
Angoulaffre
sent her to the Duke of Bavaria, but
she made her escape from the duke's
castle. Being captured in her flight,
she was bound to a rock, and exposed
to sea-monsters. Rogéro delivered her,
but she escaped out of his hands by a
magic ring. Orlando greatly loved her,
but she married Medoro, a young Moor,
and returned to India, where Medoro Suc-
ceeded to the crown in right of his wife.
(Orlando Furioso.) (See ANDROMEDA).
Angelica's Draught, something
which completely changes affection.
The tale is that Angelica was passion-
ately in love with Rinaldo, who hated
her, whereas Orlando, whom she hated,
actually adored her shadow. Angelica
and Rinaldo drink from a certain foun-
tain, when a complete change takes
place ; Rinaldo is drunk with love, and
Angelica’s passion changes to abhor-
rence. Angelica ultimately married
Medoro, and Orlando went mad.
(Ariosto : Orlando Furioso.)
Angelical Stone. The speculum of
Dr. Dee. He asserted that it was given
him by the angels Raphael and Gabriel.
It passed into the possession of the Earl
of Peterborough, thence to Lady Betty
Germaine, by whom it was given to the
Duke of Argyll, whose son presented it
to Horace Walpole. It was sold in
1842, at the dispersion of the curiosities
of Strawberry Hill.
Angel'ici. Certain heretics of the
second century, who advocated the
worship of angels.
Angelites (3 syl.). A branch of the
Sabellian heretics; so called from An-
gelius, in Alexandria, where they used
to meet. (Dr. Hook: Church Dictionary.)
An'gelo. (See MICHAEL ANGELO.)
Angelo and Raffaelle. Michael
Angelo criticised Raffaelle very severely.
“Such was the language of this false Italian
119:6210 | :
One time he christened Raphael a Tyg-
Thali()ll, - -
Swore that his maidens Were composed
of stone ; •
Swore his expressions were like owls, so
His dºgs, like the lamest cripple, lame ;
And as for composition, he had none.”
Peter Pindar: Lyric Odes, Yiii.
(See MICHAEL ANGELO.)
Angelus (The). A Roman Catholic
devotion in honour of the Incarnation,
instituted by Urban II. It consists of
three texts, each said as versicle and
response, and followed by the salutation
of Gabriel. The name is derived from
the first words, Angelus Domini (The
angel of the Lord, etc.).
The prayer is recited three times a
day, generally about 6 a.m., at noon,
and about 6 p.m., at the sound of a bell
called the Angelus.
The Angelus bell (often wrongly
called the Curfew) is still rung at 8 p.m.
in Some country churches.
“Sweetly Over the village the bell of the All-
gelus SOunded.”
Longfellow : Evangeline.
Anger. Athenodo'rus, the Stoic, told
Augustus the best way to restrain unruly
anger was to repeat the alphabet before
giving way to it. (See DANDER.)
“The sacred line he did but once repeat,
And laid, the storm, and cooled the raging
healt.” Tickell: The Horn. Bool.
Angevin, adjective of Anjou.
John was not the last of the Angevin kings of
Iºngland, though he was the last king of England
who reigned over Anjou.
Angiolina (4 Syl.). The young wife
of Marino Falie'ro, the doge. She was
the daughter of Loreda'no. (Byron :
Marino Fal:ero.)
Anglant/e's Lord. Orlando, who was
lord of Anglant and knight of Brava.
An'gle. A dead angle. A term in
fortification applied to the plot of earth
before an angle in a wall which can
neither be seen nor defended from the
parapet.
Angle with a Silver Hook (To),
To buy fish at market.
An'gling. The father of angling,
Izaak Walton (1593–1683). Angling
is called “ the gentle craft'; shoe-
making was also so called. Probably
there is a pun concealed in the first of
these ; a common bait of anglers being
a “gentle.” In the second case, St.
Crispin was a Roman gentleman of high
birth, and his craftsmen took from him
their title of “gentle' (generósi).
Angoulaffre of the Broken Teeth,
a giant “12 cubits in height.” His face
measured 3 feet across; his nose was
9 inches long ; his arms and legs were
each 6 feet; his fingers 6 inches and 2
lines; his enormous mouth was armed
with sharp-pointed yellow tusks. He
was descended from Goliath, and as-
sumed the title of “Governor of Jeru-
Salem.” Angoulaffre had the strength of
30 men, and his mace was the trunk of
an oak-tree 300 years old. Some say
the Tower of Pisa, lost its perpendicu.
larity by the weight of this giant, who
4
Angry
50
Animals
one day leaned against it to rest himself.
He was slain by Roland, the paladin, in
single combat at the Fronsac. (Cro-
quemitaine.)
Angry (The). Christian II., of Den-
mark, Norway, and Sweden, was so
called on account of his ungovernable
temper. (1513-1559.)
An'gular. Cross-grained ; of a patchy
temper ; one full of angles, whose
temper is not smooth.
Angurvaſdel. Frithiof's sword, in-
scribed with Runic letters, which blazed
in time of war, but gleamed with a dim
light in time of peace. (See SWORD.)
Anima Mundi [the Soul of the world],
with the oldest of the ancient philo-
sophers, meant “the source of life '’;
with Plato, it meant ‘‘the animating
principle of matter,” inferior to pure
spirit ; with the Stoics, it meant “the
whole vital force of the universe.”
Stahl (1710) taught that the pheno-
mena of animal life are due to an im-
mortal anima, or vital principle distinct
from matter.
Animal. To go the entire animal, a
facetious euphuism for “To go the
whole hog.” (See Hog.)
Animal Spirits. Liveliness and
animation arising from physical vigour.
Animals admitted into Heaven
. (The). They are ten : (1) Jonah’s whale ;
(2) Solomon's ant; (3) the ram caught by
Abraham and sacrificed instead of Isaac;
(4) the cuckoo of Belkis; (5) the camel
of the prophet Saleh ; (6) Balaam's ass;
(7) the oa of Moses; (8) the dog Kratim
of the Seven Sleepers; (9). Mahomet's
ass, called Al Borak ; and (10) Noah’s
dove.
Animals in Christian Art. The
ant symbolises prudence; the ape, malice,
lust, and cunning; the ass, sobriety, or
the Jewish nation; the asp, Christ, or
Christian faith ; the bee, industry; the
camel, Submission ; the cock, vigilance ;
the dog, fidelity; the foa, fraud and
Cunning ; the hog, impurity ; the lamb,
innocence; the leopard, sin ; the oa,
pride ; the wolf, cruelty.
Some animals are appropriated to
certain Saints: as the calf or ox to
Luke , the cock to Peter; the eagle to
John the Divine ; the lion to Mark ; the
raven to Benedict, etc.
The lamb, the pelican, and the uni-
corn, are symbols of Christ.
The dragon, serpent, and Swine, sym-
bolise Satan and his crew.
Animals sacred to special Dei-
ties. To Apollo, the wolf, the griffon,
and the crow ; to Bacchus, the dragon
and the parºther; to Diana, the staff ; to
AEsculapius, the serpent ; to Hercules, the
deer ; to Isis, the heifer; to Jupiter, the
eagle; to Juno, the peacock and the lamb;
to the Larés, the dog, to Mars, the horse
and the vulture ; to Mercury, the cock ;
to Minerva, the owl, to Neptune, the
bull; to Tethys, the halyeon ; to Venus,
the dove, the swan, and the sparrow ; to
Vulcan, the lion, etc.
Animals (Symbolical). The ant, fru-
gality and prévºston; ape, uncleanness ;
ass, stupidity; bantam cock, pluckiness,
priggishness ; bat, blindness ; bear, ill-
temper, ºncouthness ; bee, industry;
beetle, blindness; bull, strength, straight-
Jortgardness ; bull-dog, periinaeity; but-
terfly, Sportiveness, living in pleasure; cat,
deceit, calf, lumpishness, cowardice; ci.
cada, poetry; cock, vigilance, overbearing
ºnsolence; crow, longevity; crocodilé,
hypocrisy ; cuckoo, cuckoldom ; dog,
Jidelity, dirty habits ; dove, innocence,
harmlessness ; duck, deceit (French,
cutſtard, a hoax); eagle, majesty, in-
spiration ; elephant, sagacity, ponder-
osity; fly, feebleness, insignificance; fox,
cunning, artifice; frog and toad, inspira-
tion? goat, lasciviousness; goose, conceit,
jolly; gull, gullibility; grasshopper,
old age; hare, timidity; hawk, rapacity,
penetration ; hen, maternal care ; horse,
speed, grace, jackdaw, vain assumption,
empty conceit, jay, Senseless chatter;
kitten, playfulness; lamb, innocence, sacri-
Jice; lark, cheerfulness; lion, noble courage;
lynx, Suspicious vigilance ; magpie, gar-
ºulity; mole, blindness, obtuseness; mon-
key, tricks ; mule, obstimacy, nightin-
gale, forlorºness ; Ostrich, stupidity; ox,
patience, strength ; Owl, wisdom ; parrot,
nocking verbosity; peacock, pride ;
pigeon, cowardice (pigeon-livered); pig,
obstimacy, dirtiness; puppy, empty-headed
conceit, rabbit, fecundity; raven, ill luck;
robin red-breast, conſiding trust; ser.
pent, wisdom ; sheep, silliness, timidity;
Sparrow, lasciviousness ; Spider, willness;
stag, cuckoldom ; Swallow, a sunshine
friend; Swan, grace ; swine, filthiness,
greed ; tiger, ferocity; tortoise, chastity;
turkey-cock, official insolence ; turtle-
dove, conjugal fidelity; vulture, rapine ;
Wolf, cruelty, Savage ferocity, and rapine;
worm, cringing ; etc.
Animals (The cries of). Apes gibber;
asses bray; bees httml , beetles drome;
bears growl; bitterns boom ; blackbirds
40%istle ; blackcaps — we speak of the
Animosity
51
Annunciation
“ chick-chick” of the blackcap ; bulls
bellow ; canaries sing or quaver, cats
mew, purr, swear, and caterwald, Calves
bleat and blear ; chaffinches chirp or pink;
chickens pip ; cicada sing ; cocks crow ;
cows anoo or low ; crows caw, cuckoos
cry cuckoo; deer bell ; dogs bark, bay,
howl, and yelp; doves coo; ducks quack,
eagles scream : falcons chant, flies buzz;
foxes bark and yelp , frogs croak, geese
cackle and hiss, goldfinch—we speak of
the “merry twinkle” of the female;
grasshoppers chirp and pitter; grouse—
we speak of the “drumming” of the
grouse; guineafowls cry “come back”;
guineapigs Squeak; hares Squeak, hawks
scream; henscackle and cluck; horses meigh
and whinny; hyenas laugh; jays chatter;
kittens mew ; lambs bad and bleat ; larks
sing ; linnets chuckle in their call; lions
roar; magpies chatter, mice Squeak and
squeal ; monkeys chatter and gibber ;
nightingales pipe and warble—we also
speak of its “jug-jug '; owls hoot and
screech ; oxen low and bellow ; parrots
talk ; peacocks scream ; peewits .
pee-wit, pigeons coo; pigs grunt, Squeak,
and squeal, ravens croak ; redstarts
whistle; rooks caw; screech-owls screech
or shriek ; sheep bad or bleat; Snakes
hiss ; sparrows chirp or yelp, stags
bellow and call ; swallows twitter; Swans
cry—we also speak of the “bombilation”
of the swan ; thrushes whistle ; tigers
growl, tits—we speak of the “twit-
twit ’’ of the bottle-tit; turkey-cocks
gobble; vultures scream; whitethroats
chirr ; wolves howl.
Animosity means animation, spirit,
as the fire of a horse, called in Latin
equi animos'itas. Its present exclusive
use in a bad sense is an instance of the
tendency which words originally neutral
have to assume a bad meaning. (Compare
churl, villain.)
Animula.
“Animula, vagula, blandula,
Hospes, comesque, corporis;
Quae nunc abibis in loca,
Pallidula, rigida, nudula P’’
The Pimperor Hadrian to his Soul.
Sorry-lived, blithe-little, fluttering Sprite,
Joinrade and guest in this body of clay,
Whitler, ab whither, departing in fliglit,
Rigid, iaif-naked, pale minion, away ?
w E. C. B.
Anna (Domna). A lady beloved by
Don Otta'vio, but seduced by Don Gio-
vanni, who also killed her father, the
“‘Commandant of the City,” in a duel.
(Mozart’s opera of Don Giovanni.)
Annabel, in Dryden's satire of
Absalom and Achitophel is designed for
the Duchess of Monmouth. Her maiden
name and title were Anne Scott, Countess
of Buccleuch, the richest heiress in
Europe. The duke was faithless to
her, and after his death, the widow,
still handsome, married again.
“To all his [Monmouth's] wishes, nothing he
[David] denied ;
And made the charming Annabel his bride,”
Part i. lines 33, 34.
Anna Matilda (An), an ultra-senti-
mental girl. Mrs. Hannah Cowley used
this pen-name in her responses in the
IWorld to Della Crusca (R. Merry).
(See the Baviad by Gifford.)
Annates (2 syl.). One entire year's
income claimed by the Pope on the
appointment of a bishop or other eccle-
siastic in the Catholic Church. This is
called the first fruits (Latin, annus, a
year). By the Statute of Recusants
(25 Hen. VIII. c. 20, and the Confirm-
ing Act), the right to English Annates
and Tenths was transferred to the
Crown ; but, in the reign of Queen
Anne, annates were given up to form a
fund for the augmentation of poor
livings. (See Bounty, QUEEN ANNE’s.)
Anne. Sister Anne. Sister of Fatima,
the seventh and last of Bluebeard’s
wives.
Anne's Fan (Queen). Your thumb
to your nose and your fingers spread.
Anne's Great Captain. The Duke
of Marlborough (1650-1722).
Annie Laurie was eldest of the
three daughters of Sir Robert Laurie,
of Maxwellton, born December 16, 1682.
William Douglas, of Fingland (Kirk-
cudbright), wrote the popular song, but
Annie married, in 1709, James Fer-
gusson, of Craigdarroch, and was the
mother of Alexander Fergusson, the hero
of Burns's song called The Whistle.
William Douglas was the hero of the Song
“Willie was a wanton wag.”
Annulo Dei figuram ne gestato
(In). Wear not God’s image in a ring
(or inscribe e .), the 24th symbol
of the Protreptics. Jamblicus tells us
that Pythagoras wished to teach by this
prohibition that God had an “incor-
poreal subsistence.” In fact, that it
meant “thou shalt not liken God to any
of His works.”
Probably the ring, symbolising eternity, bore
upon the special prohibition.
Annuncia’tion. Day of the Ayºtº-
ciation. The 25th of March, also called
Lady Day, on which the angel announced
Annus TructuS
Anthony -
to the Virgin Mary that she would be
the mother of the Messiah.
Annus Luctus, the period during
which a widow is morally supposed to
remain chaste. If she marries within
about nine months from the death of
her late husband and a child is born, a
doubt might arise as to the paternity of
the child. Such a marriage is not
illegal, but it is inexpedient.
Annus Mirab'ilis. The year of
wonders, 1666, memorable for the great
fire of London and the successes of our
arms over the Dutch. Dryden has
written a poem with this title, in which
he describes both these events.
Anodyne Necklace (A27), a halter.
An anodyne is a medicine to relieve
pain. Probably a pun on 120dus, a knot,
is intended also. George Primrose says:
“May I die by an anodyne necklace,
but I had rather be an under-turnkey
than an usher in a boarding-school.”
Anomoe'ans or Unlikists. A sect in
the fourth century which maintained
that the essence of the Son is wholly
unlike that of the Father. (Greek,
am'0/noios, unlike.)
Anon, immediately, at once. The
Old English an-07, or an-ame = at once.
Variants, on one, anome.
“They knew ye hymn in brekyng of brede, and
Onone he vamyste awaye fro hem.”—JIS. Linicolm,
3 * * * “Spek the lion . . . ...;
To the fox anone his wille.”
Wright's Political Songs.
* “For the nonce ’’ is a corrupt
form of “For the-n once,” where the-n
is the accusative case, meaning “For
the Once ’’ or “ For this once.”
Anon-rightes. Right quickly.
“He had in town five hundred knightes,
He hem [them] of [off) sent anon-rightes.”
Arthur and Merlim, p. 88.
Ansa'rian. The Moslems of Medi'na.
were called Ansarians (anticiliaries) by
Mahomet, because they received him and
took his part when he was driven from
house and home by the Koreishites
(Kore-ish'-ites).
Answer is the Old English and swaru,
verb and swar-ian or swerian, where
And is the preposition = the Latin re
in 7'e-spond-eo. (See SWEAR.)
To answer like a Norman, that is,
evasively. -
“We say, in France, ‘Answering like a Nor-
man,’ which means to give an evasive answer,
ºer yes nor no.”—Maa' O'Rell: Friend M’Donald,
Cll. W.
To answer its purpose, to carry out
what was expected or what was in-
tended. Celsus says, “Medicina Sæpius
respondet, interdum tamen fallit.”
To answer the bell is to go and see
what it was rung for.
To answer the door is to go and open
it when a knock or ring has been given.
In both the last two instances the
word is “answering to a summons.”
To swear means literally “to affirm
Something,” and to an-swear is to “say
something ” by way of rejoinder ; but
figuratively both the “swer” and the
“answer” may be made without words.
“. . . . My story being done, . . .
She [Desdemoma] swore [affirmed] 'twas
Strange, ... . . . - - -
'Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful.”. .
Shakespeare: Othello, i. 3.
Answer more Scotico (To). To
divert the direct question by starting
another question or subject.
“‘Hark you, sirrab,” said the doctor, ‘I trust
you remember you are owing to the laird 4 Stone
of barleymeal and a bow of oats. . . . .”
“‘I was thinking, replied the man more Scotico,
that is, returning no direct answer on the subject
on which he was addressed, ‘I was thinking my
best way would be to come down to your honour,
and take your advice, in case my trouble should
come back.’”—Sir Walter Scott: The Abbot, ch.
IX X \ }.
Antae'os, in Greek mythology, was a
gigantic wrestler, whose strength was
invincible so long as he touched the
earth ; and every time he was lifted
from it, was renewed by touching it
again. (See MALE’GAR.)
“As once Antaeos, on the Iibyan strand,
More fierce recovered when he reached the
Sand.” IIoole's Ariosto, book iv.
It was Hercules who succeeded in killing
this charmed giant. He
“Lifts proud Antaeos from his mother's plains,
And with strong grasp the struggling giant
Stl’ains ;
Back falls his panting head and clammy hair,
Writhe his weak limbs and flits llis life in air.”
Darwin : Economy of Vegetation.
Antece'dents. I know 770thing of his
antecedents—his previous life, character,
or conduct. (Latin, antecedens, fore-
going.)
Antediluvian. Before the Deluge,
meaning the Scripture Deluge.
Anthi'a. The lady-love of Abroc'-
omas in Xenophon’s romance, called
Ephesi'aca. Shakespeare has borrowed
from this Greek novel the leading
incidents of his Romeo and Juliet, es-
pecially that of the potion and mock
entombment. N.B. This is not the
historian, but a Xenophon who lived in
the fourth Christian century.
Anthony.
Anthony (St.). Patron saint of Swine-
herds, because he always lived in woods
and forests.
Anthroposophus
#3
r
*_e t
Antrustions
St. Anthony’s Cross.
T, called a lace.
St. Anthony’s Fire. Erysip'elas is so
called from the tradition that those who
sought the intercession of St. Anthony
recovered from the pestilential erysipelas
called the sacred fire, which proved ex-
tremely fatal in 1089.
St. Anthony’s Piff. A pet pig, the
Smallest of the whole litter. St. An-
thony was originally a swineherd, and,
therefore, the patron Saint of pigs.
Anthropos'ophus. The nickname of
Dr. Vaughan, rector of St. Bride's, in
Bedfordshire. So called from his An-
throposoph'ia Teomagica, to show the
condition of man after death.
Anti-Christ, or the Man of Sin, ex-
pected by some to precede the second
coming of Christ. St. John so calls
every one who denies the incarnation of
the eternal Son of God.
Antigone. The Modern Antigone.
Marie Thérèse Charlotte, Duchesse d’An-
goulême, daughter of Louis XVI. ; so
called for her attachment to Louis
XVIII., whose companion she was.
(1778-1851.)
An'timony. Said to be derived from
the Greek antimon'achos (bad for
monks). The tale is that Valentine once
gave some of this mineral to his convent
pigs, who thrived upon it, and became
very fat. He next tried it on the
monks, who died from its effects; so
Valentine said, “tho' good for pigs, it
was bad for monks.” This fable is
given by Furetière.
Another derivation is anti-monos
(averse to being alone), because it is
found in combination with sulphur,
silver, or some other substance.
Littré suggests isthimmit, and connects
it with stilizam.
Antino'mian. [Greek, anti - nomos,
exempt from the law.] One who believes
that Christians are not bound to observe
the “law of God,” but “may continue
in sin that grace may abound.” The
term was first applied to John Agricola
by Martin Luther.
Antin'ous (4 syl.). A model of manly
beauty. He was the page of Hadrian,
the Roman Emperor.
“The polished grace of Antinúus.” — Daily
Telegraph.
Antipathy (of human beings)
To Animals : Henri III. and the
T}uke of Schoenberg felt faint at the
sight of a cat : Vanghelm felt the same
The taucross,
at the sight of a pig, and abhorred pork;
Marshal Brézé sickened at the sight of
a rabbit ; the Duc d'Epernon always
Swooned at the sight of a leveret, though
he was not affected at the sight of a
hare.
To Fish : Erasmus felt grievous
nausea, at the Smell of fresh fish.
To Flowers and Fruits : Queen Anne,
Grétry the composer, Faverite the Italian
poet, and Vincent the painter, all ab-
horred the smell of roses; Scaliger had
the same aversion to watercresses; and
Ring Vladislas sickened at the smell of
apples.
To Music : Le Mothe de Nayer felt
faint at the Sound of any musical instru-
ment; Nicano had a strong aversion to
the sound of a flute.
To Thunder : Augustus trembled at
the noise of thunder, and retired to a
vault when a thunderstorm was ap-
prehended.
Witches have an antipathy to running
Water. h
“Some men there are loye not a jºig,
Some that are mad if they behold a cat.
Shakespeare: Merchant of Velvice, iW. 1.
Antipathy (of animals). According
to tradition, wolves have a mortal anti-
pathy to scillaroots; geese to the soil of
Whitby ; smakes to soil of Ireland; cats
to dogs; all animals dislike the castor-
oil plant; camphor keeps off insects; Rus-
sian leather is disliked by bookworms;
paraffin by flies ; cedar-wood is used for
wardrobes, because its odour is disliked
by moths. Ants dislike green Sage.
Anti-pope is a pope elected by a
Åing in opposition to the pope elected by
the cardinals; or one who usurps the
popedom in opposition to the rightful
pope. Geddes gives a list of twenty-four
anti-popes, three of whom were deposed
by the council of Constance.
Antis'themes. Founder of the Cynic
School in Athens. He wore a ragged
cloak, and carried a wallet and staff like
a beggar. Socrates wittily said he
could “see rank pride peering through
the holes of Antis thenès' rags.” -
Anteni'nus. The Wall of Antonime.
A turf entrenchment raised by the
Tomans from Dunglass Castle, on the
Clyde, to Caer Ridden Kirk, near the
Firth of Forth, under the direction of
Lollius Urbicus, legate of Antoninus
Pius, A.D. 140.
Antony. (See ANTIIONY.)
Antrustions. The chief followers of
the Frankish kings, who were specially
Ants
54
Apis
* *-.
trusty to them. (Old German, tróst,
trust, fidelity.)
“None but the king could have antrustions.”
--Stubbs: Constitutional II istcry.
Ants. “Go to the ant, thout sluggard,
. . . . which provideth her meat in the
summer” (Proverbs vi. 6-8; and xxx.
25). The notion that ants in general
gather food in harvest for a winter’s
store is quite an error; in the first place,
they do not live on grain, but chiefly on
animal food ; and in the next place
they are torpid in winter, and do not
require food. Colonel Sykes, however,
says there is in Poonah a grain-feeding
species, which stores up millet-seed; and
according to Lubbock and Moggridge,
ants in the South of Europe and in
Texas make stores.
* What are called “ant eggs’’ are
not eggs, but the pupae of ants.
Anu"bis. In Egyptian mythology,
similar to the Hermès of Greece, whose
office it was to take the souls of the dead
before the judge of the infernal regions.
Anu'bis is represented with a human
body and jackal's head.
Anvil. It is on the anvil, under de-
liberation ; the project is in hand. Of
course, the reference is to a Smithy.
“She had another arrangement on the anvil.”
—Le Fantu : The House iº the Churchyard.
Any-how, i.e. in an irregular
manner. “He did it any-how,” in a
careless, slovenly manner. “He went
on any-how,” in a wild, reckless manner.
Any-how, you must manage it for me, by
hook or crook; at all events. (Old
English, denig-hº.)
Aönian. Poetical, pertaining to the
Muses. The Muses, according to Grecian
mythology, dwelt in Aönia, that part of
Boeotia, which contains Mount Helicon
and the Muses’ Fountain. Thomson
calls the fraternity of poets
“The Aonian hivo
Who praiséd are, and starve right merrily.”
Castle of Indolence, ii. 2.
A outrance. (French.) To the
farthest point. The correct form of
the phrase. (See A L’OUTRANCE.)
Ape. The buffoon ape, in Dryden’s
poem called The Hind and the Panther,
means the Free-thinkers.
“Next lier [the bear] the buffoon ape, as atheist3
Miffled all sects, and had his own to choose.”
Part i. 39, 40.
Iſe keeps them, like an ape, in the corner
of his jaw; first mouthed, to be last swal-
lowed (Hamlet iv. 2). Most of the Old
World monkeys have cheek pouches,
used as receptacles for food.
|
To lead apes or To lead apes in hell.
It is said of old maids. Hence, to die
an old maid.
“I will, even take sixpence in earnest of the
bear-ward, and lead his apes into hell.”—Shake-
Speare: Much Ado about Nothing, ii, 1.
Fadladin'da says to Tatlanthe (3 syl):
“Pity that you who've scryed so long and well
Should die à Virgin, and lead apes in hell.”
- H. Carey: Chronomhotomthologos.
“Women, dying maids, lead apes in hell.”—The
J.07mdon Prodigal, i. 2,
To play the ape, to play practical
jokes; to play silly tricks; to make
facial imitations, like an ape.
To put an ape into your hood (or) cap—
i.e. to make a fool of you. Apes were
formerly carried on the shoulders of
fools and simpletons.
4. o say all ape's patehºoster, is to chatter
with fright or cold, like an ape.
Apellés. A famous Grecian painter,
contemporary with Alexander the Great.
“There comelior forms embroidered rose to view
Than e'er Alpelles' wondrous pencil drew.”
Ariosto: Orlathudo Furioso, hook xxiv.
Ap'eman'tus. A churlish philoso-
pher, in Shakespeare's Tºmon of Athens.
“The cynicism of Apemantus contrasted with
the lilisanthropy of Timon.”—Sir H atter Scott.
A-per-se. An A. l ; a person or
thing of unusual merit. “A” all alone,
with no one who can follow, nemo provi-
Antts aut Secundus.
Chaucer calls Cresseide tº the floure
and A-per-se of Troi and Greek.”
“Juondon, thou art of townés A-per-se.”—Lams-
downle MISS.
Apex, the topmost height, really
means the pointed olive-wood spike on
the top of the cap of a Roman priest.
The cap fitted close to the head and was
fastened under the chim by a fillet. It
was applied also to the crest or spike of
a helmet. The word now means the
summit or tiptop.
Aph'rodite (4 syl.). The Greek
Venus; so called , because she sprang
from the foam of the sea. (Greek,
aphros, foam.) *
Aphºrodite's Girdle. Whoever wore
Aphrodite's magic girdle, immediately
became the object of love. (Greek
Anythology.)
Apicius. A gourmand. Apicius
was a Roman gourmand, whose income
being reduced by his luxurious living to
£80,000, put an end to his life, to avoid
the misery of being obliged to live on
plain diet.
A-pigga-back. (See PIG-BACK.)
Apis, in Egyptian mythology, is
the bull symbolical of the god Apis. It
was not suffered to live more than
Aplomb
–
twenty-five years, when it was sacrificed
and buried in great pomp. The mad-
ness of Cambysés is said to have been in
retribution for his killing a sacred bull.
Aplomb means true to the plumb-
line, but is generally used to express
that self-possession which arises from
perfect self-confidence. We also talk
of a dancer's aplomb, meaning that he
is a perfect master of his art. (French,
d plomb.)
“Hel'e Cxists the best Stock in the World . . .
mon of aplom]) and reserve, Of great range and
many moods, of strong instincts, yet apt for
culture.”—I'mcº'son : English Traits, p. 130.
Apocalyptic Number. The mys-
tic number 666. (Rev. xiii. 18.) (See
NUMBER OF THE BEAST.)
Apo'crypha. Those books included
in the Septuagint and Vulgate versions
of the Old Testament, but not considered
to be parts of the original canon. They
are accepted as canonical by Catholics,
but not by Protestants, and are not
printed in Protestant Bibles in ordinary
circulation. The word means hidden
(Greek, apokrupto), “because they were
wont to be read not openly. . . .
but, as it were, in secret and apart ’’
(Bible, 1539, Preface to the Apocrypha).
As the reason why these books are not
received as canonical is because either
their genuineness or their authenticity
is doubtful, therefore the word “apo-
cryphal ‘’ means not genuine or not
authentic.
Apollina'rians. An ancient sect
founded in the middle of the fourth
century by Apollina'ris, bishop of Lao-
dice'a. They denied that Christ had a
human soul, and asserted that the Logos
supplied its place. The Athanasian
creed condemns this heresy.
Apollo. The Sun, the god of music.
(Roman mythology.)
“A pollo's angry, and the heavens themselves
Do strike at my injustice.”
Āhakespeare: Winter's Tºtle, iii. 2.
A perfect Apollo. A model of manly
beauty, referring to the Apollo Belvidere
q.v.).
( The Apollo of Portugal. Luis
Camoëns, author of the Lusiad; so
called, not for his beauty, but for his
poetry. He was god of poetry in Portu-
gal, but was allowed to die in the streets
of Lisbon like a dog, literally of starva-
tion. Our own Otway suffered a similar
fate. (1527-1579.)
Apollo Belvidere [Bel-ve-dea.)"]. A
marble statue, supposed to be from the
chisel of the Greek sculptor Calamis,
Apostles
who flourished in the fifth ante-Christian
era. It represents the god holding a
bow in his left hand, and is called
Belvidere from the Belvidere Gallery of
the Vatican, in Rome, where it stands.
It was discovered in 1503, amidst the
ruins of An'tium, and was purchased by
Pope Julius II.
Apollodo'ros. Plato says: “Who
would not rather be a man of sorrows
than Apollodoros, envied by all for his
enormous wealth, yet nourishing in his
heart the scorpions of a guilty con-
science?” (The Republic). This Apollo-
doros was the tyrant of Cassan'drea
(formerly Potide'a). He obtained the
Supreme power B.C. 379, exercised it
with the utmost cruelty, and was put to
death by Antigonos Gon'atas.
Apollo'nius. Master of the Rosi-
crucians. He is said to have had the
power of raising the dead, of making
himself invisible, and of being in two
places at the same time.
Apollyon. King of the bottomless pit.
(Rev. ix. 11.) His contest with Chris-
tian, in Bunyan’s allegory, has made his
name familiar. (Greek, the destroyer.)
Apostate (The). Julian, the Roman
emperor. So called because he forsook
the Christian faith and returned to
Paganism again. (331, 361-363.)
A poster'io'ri [Latin, from the latter].
An a posteriori argument is proving the
cause from the effect. Thus, if we see
a watch, we conclude there was a watch-
maker. Robinson Crusoe inferred there
was another human being on the desert
island, because he saw a human foot-
print in the wet sand. It is thus the ex-
istence and character of Deity is inferred
from his works. (See A PRIORI.)
Apostles. The badges or symbols of
the fourteen apostles.
Andrew, a cross, because he was crucified on a
croS3 shaped like the letter x.
Bartholomew, a knife, because he was flayed
With a knife.
James the Greater, a scallop-shell, a pilgrim's
8tºff, or a goºd bottle, because he is the patron
Saint Of pilgrims. (See SCAL LOP-SHIE I, L.)
James the Less, a fuller's pole, because he was
killed by a blow on the head with a pole, dealt
him by Simeon the fuller.
. John, a cup with a winged serpent flying out of it,
in allusion to the tradition about Aristodeſmos,
Driest Of Diana, who challenged John to drink a
cull) of lyoison. John made the sign of a cross on
the Cul), Satan like a dragon flew from it, and
John then drank the cup, whicle was quite in-
Il () Cºll()llS.
Judas Iscariot, a bag, because he had the bag
ałld “bare what was put therein '' (John xii. 6).
Jude, a club, because he was martyred with a club.
Matthew, a hatchet Or halbert, because he was
Slain at Nad’abar with a halbert.
Matthias, a battle-aace, because he was first
Stoned, and then beheaded with a battle-axe.
Apostles
6
Apparel
a “*- -
Paul, a sword, because his head was cut off with
a sword. The convent of La Lisla, in Spain,
|boasts of possessing the Very in Strument. e
Peter, a bunch of keys, because Christ gave him
the “ keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Cock,
because he went out and wept bitterly When he
beard the cock crow, (Matt, xxvi. 75.)
Philip, a long Staff surmounted with a cross, be-
cause he suffered (leath by being suspended by
the neck to a tall pillar.
Simon, a Saw, because he was sawn to death,
according to tradition. - -
Thomas, a lance, because he , was pierced
through the body, at Me!'iapour, With a lance.
(See EVANGELISTS.)
Apostles, where buried. Accord-
ing to Catholic legend, seven of the
Apostles are buried at Rome. These
seven are distinguished by a star (*).
ANDREW lies buried at Amalfi (Naples).
BARTILO LOMEW, * at Rome, in the church Of
Bartholomew Island, on the Tiber.
JAMES THE GREATER was buried at St. Jago de
Compostella, in Spain. -
JAMES THE LESS, # at Rome, in the church of
the Holy Apostles.
JO IIN, at Ephesus.
JUDE,” at ROme. -
MATTHEW, at Salerno (Naples).
MATTIILAs,” at Rome, under the altar of the
Basilica.
PAUL, Somewhere in Italy.
PETER,” at Rome, in the church of St. Peter,
PHILIP,” at Rome.
SIMION or SIMEON,” at Rome.
T119 MAS, at Ortöna (Naples). (? Madras.)
*| MARK THE EVANGELIST is Said to lla We been
buried at Venice. - -
LUKE, TTIF EVANGELIST is Said to llave been
1juried at Padula.
N. B.—Italy claims thirteen of these alpostles or
evangelists—Rome seven, Nalles three, , Paul
somewhere in Italy, Mark at Venice, Luke at
Padua.
Apostles of
Abyssinians, St. Frumentius. (Fourth century.)
Alps, Felix Neff. (1798–1829.)
Ardennes, St. Hubert. (656–730.)
47-menians, Gregory of Armenia. (256-331.)
I'mglish, St. Augustine. (Died 607.) St. George.
Ethiopia. (See ABYSSINIANS.)
Free Trade, Richard Cobden. (1804-1865.)
French, St. Denis. (Third century.)
I'risianis, St. Willyrod. (657-738.)
Gawls, St. Irenaeus (130-200); St. Martin. (316–
397.
Geºtiles, St. Paul.
Ge?'772&ny, St. Boniface. (680-755.)
IIighlanders, St. Colum]). (521-597.)
II*tºgary, St. Anastatius. (954-1044.)
India'm.8 (American), Bartolomé de Las CaSaS
(1474-1500); Rev. John Eliot, (1603-1690.)
Indies (East), St. Francis Xavier. (1506-1552.)
Infidelity, Voltaire. (1694–1778.)
Ireland, St. Patrick. (372–493.) -
Netherlands, St. Armand, Bishop of Maestricht.
(580-679.) -
North, St. Ansgar or Anscarius (801-864); Ber-
nard Gilpin. (1517–1583.)
Picts, St. Ninian.
Scottish Reformers, John Knox. (1505-1572.)
Slavs, St. Cyril. (I)ied 868.) re
Spain, St. James the Greater. (Died 44.)
Temperance, Father-Mathew. (1790–1856.)
Yorkshire, Pauli’nus, bishop of York
Itochester. (597–644.)
Wales, St. David. (480-544.)
* The Twelve Apostles. The last twelve
names on the poll or list of ordinary de-
grees were so called, when the list was
arranged in order of merit, and not
alphabetically, as now ; they were also
called the Choseſ, Thwelve. The last of the
:
and
twelve was designated St. Paul from a
play on the verse 1 Cor. xv. 9. The same
term is now applied to the last twelve
in the Mathematical Tripos.
Apostle of the Sword. So Mahomet
was called, because he enforced his creed
at the point of the sword. (570–632.)
Prince of the Apostles. St. Peter.
(Matt. xvi. 18, 19.)
Apostle Spoons. Spoons formerly
given at christenings; so called because
one of the apostles figured at the top of
the handle. Sometimes twelve spoons,
representing the twelve apostles; some-
times four, representing the four evan-
gelists; and sometimes only one, was
presented. Sometimes, but very rarely,
a set occurs containing in addition the
“Master Spoon ’’ and the “Lady
Spoon.” We still give at christenings
a silver spoon, though the apostolic
handle is no longer retained.
Apostles' Creed (The). A church
creed supposed to be an epitome of
Scripture doctrines, or doctrines taught
by the apostles. It was received into
the Latin Church, in its present form,
in the eleventh century; but a formula
somewhat like it existed in the second
century. Items were added in the
fourth and fifth centuries, and verbal
alterations much later.
‘... It is said that Tullo, Bishop of Antioch, in-
ºuced the Crved as 1)art Of the daily Service in
1.
Apostolic Fathers. Christian au-
thors born in the first century, when the
apostles lived. John is supposed to
have died about A.D. 99, and Polycarp,
the last of the Apostolic Fathers, born
about 80, was his disciple. These three
are tolerably certain : Clement of Rome
(30-100), Ignatius (died 115), and Poly-
carp (80-169). Three others are Barna-
bas, Hermas, and Papias. Barnabas
was the companion of Paul, Hermas is a
very doubtful name, and Papias (Bp. of
Hierapolis) is mentioned by Eusébius.
* Polycarp could hardly have been a
disciple of John, although he might have
received Christian instruction from the
old “beloved One.”
Apostolic Majesty. A title borne
by the Emperor of Austria, as King of
Hungary. It was conferred by Pope
Sylvester II. on the King of Hungary
in 1000.
Apparel. T)ress. The Ornamental
parts of the alb, at the lower edge and
at the wrists. Catechu'mens used to
talk of putting On their apparels, or fine
Af
Appeal
pe
*_e
t?
Apple-pie Bed
white surplices, for the feast of Pente-
cost.
Pugin says: “The albe should be made with
apparels worked in silk or gold, embroidered With
ornaments.” º
Rock tells us—"That apparels were stitched on
the upper part of the almice, like a collar to it.'
Appeal to the Country (An).
Asking electors by their choice of repre-
sentatives to express their opinion of
some moot question. In order to obtain
the public opinion Parliament is dissolved,
and a new election must be made.
Appiadeg (4 syl.). Five divinities
whose temple stood near the fountains
of Appius, in Rome. Their names are
Venus, Pallas, Concord, Peace, and
Vesta. They were represented on horse-
back, like Amazons.
Ap'pian Way. The oldest and best
of all the Roman roads, leading from the
Porta, Cape’ma of Rome to Cap'ua. This
“queen of roads” was commenced by
Appius Claudius, the decemvir, B.C.
313.
Apple (Newton and the). Voltaire
tells us that Mrs. Conduit, Newton’s
niece, told him that Newton was at
Woolsthorpe, when, seeing an apple fall,
be was led into a train of thought
which resulted in his discovery of gravi-
tation (1666).
His mother had married a Rev. B. Smith, and
in 1656 had returned to Woolsthorpe. , Her grand-
daughter was the Wife of Mr. Conduit, Who Suc-
ceeded Newton in the Mint. Nowton Was on a
visit to his motlier. -
The apple of discord. A cause of
dispute; something to contend about.
At the marriage of Thetis and Pe’leus,
where all the gods and goddesses met
together, T)iscord threw on the table a
golden apple “for the most beautiful.”
Juno, Minerva, and Venus put in their
separate claims; and not being able to
settle the point, referred the question
to Paris, who gave judgment in favour
of Venus. This brought upon him the
vengeance of Juno and Minerva, to
whose spite the fall of Troy is attributed.
* The “apple'' plays a large part in
Greek story. Besides the “Apple of
Discord,” related above, we have the
three apples thrown down by Hippo-
iménês when he raced with Atalanta.
The story says that Atalanta stopped to
pick up the apples, whereby Hippo-
mēnēs won the race, and according to
the terms obtained her for wife.
Then there are the golden apples of
the Hesperidés, guarded by a sleepless
dragon with a hundred heads; but
Herculês slew the dragon and carried
*
-->
some of the apples to Eurystheus.
This was the twelfth and last of his
“labours.”
Of course, the Bible story of Eve and
the Apple will be familiar to every
reader of this dictionary.
Apples of Istakhar” are “all sweetness
On One side, and all bitterness on the
Other.”
Apples of Paradise, according to tradi-
tion, had a bite on One side, to com-
memorate the bite given by Eve.
Apples of Pyban, says Sir John Mande-
ville, fed the pigmies with their odour
Only.
Apples of Sodom. Thevenot says—
“There are apple-trees on the sides of
the Dead Sea, which bear lovely fruit,
but within are full of ashes.” Josephus
speaks of these apples. Witman says
the same is asserted of the Oranges there.
(See Tacitus, Hist., v. 7.)
“Ilike to the apples on the Dead Sea's shore,
All ashes to the taste.”
Byron : Childe Harold, iii. 34.
The apple of perpetual youth. This is
the apple of Idun, daughter of the
dwarf Svald, and wife of Bragi. It is
by tasting this apple that the gods pre-
serve their perpetual youth. (Scandin-
avian mythology.)
The singing apple had the power of
persuading any one to anything. (Chery
and Fairstar : Countess D'Anois.)
Prince Ahmed's apple — a cure for
every disorder. This apple the prince
purchased at Samarcand". (Arabian
Nights, Prince Ahmed, etc.)
The apple of the eye. The pupil, of
which perhaps it is a corruption.
not, it is from an erroneous notion that
the little black spot of the eye is a little
round solid ball like an apple. Any-
thing extremely dear or extremely sen-
sitive. -
“He kept him as the apple of his eye.”—Deut.
XXXii. 3.
Apple-john (An). An apple so
called from its being at maturity about
St. John’s Day (May 6th). We are told
that apple-johns will keep for two
years, and are best when shrivelled.
“I am withered like an old apple-john.”
Shakespectre: l Henry IV. iii. 3.
... Sometimes called the Apples of King John,
which, if correct, would militate against the
notion about “St. John's Day.” g
“There were some things, for instance, the
Apples of King John, . . . I should be tempted
to buy.”—Bigelow : Life of B. Franklin.
'. In the United States there is a drink called
“ Apple-Jack,” which is applc or cider brandy.
Apple-pie Bed. A bed in which the
sheets are so folded that a person cannot
*
Apple-pie Order
58
Aquarians
get his legs down; from the apple
tº nover ; or, more probably, a corrup-
tion of “a map-pe-pli bed.” (French,
mappe pliée, a folded sheet.)
Apple-pie Order.
order.
The origin of this phrase is still
doubtful. Some suggest cap-d-pie,
like a knight in complete armour. Some
tell us that apples made into a pie are
quartered and methodically arranged
when the cores have been taken out.
Perhaps the suggestion made above of
nºtp-pe-pli (French, ºappes plièes, folded
linen, neat as folded linen, Latin, plico,
to fold) is nearer the mark.
It has also been suggested that “Apple-pie
Ortler” may be a corruptiºn of (tlyha, beta, heal)-
ing as orderly as the letters of the alphabet.
“Everything being in apple-1)ie Order, . . . Dr.
Johnson . . . proposed that we should accompany
him . . . to M’Tassa's kraal.”—Adventures in Mash-
onaland, p. 294 (1893).
April. The opening month, when
the trees unfold, and the womb of
nature opens with young life. (Latin,
ape)'i')'e, to open.)
April Fool. Called in France ºn
poisson d’Avril (q.v.), and in Scotland a
gowº (cuckoo). In Hindustan similar
tricks are played at the Huli Festival
(March 31st). So that it cannot refer
to the uncertainty of the weather, nor
yet to the mockery trial of our Redeemer,
the two most popular explanations. A
better solution is this: As March 25th
used to be New Year’s Day, April 1st
was its octave, when its festivities
culminated and ended.
lºor the same reason that the “Mockery of
Jesus” is rejected as a solution of this custom,
the tradition that it arose from Noah Sending out
ºve On the first Of the month limay lye Set
AS1 (te.
Perhaps, it , may be a relig of the Roman
“Cerealia,” held at the beginning of April. The
tale is that Proserpina was sporting in the Elysian
meadows, and lºad just filled her lap with daffo-
dils, when Pluto carried her off to the lower
world. Her mother, Cerés, heard the echo of her
screams, and went in search of “the voice;” but
her search was a fool's errand, it was hunting
the gowk, or looking for the “ echo of a scream.”
. . Of course this fable is an allegory of seed-
till le.
My April morn—i.e. my wedding
day; the day when I was made a fool
of. The allusion is to the custom of
making fools of each other on the 1st of
April.
April Gentleman (An). . A man
newly married, who has made himself
thus “an April fool.”
April Squire (An). A novus homo.
A man who has accumulated money,
and has retired into the country, where
Prim and precise
his money may give him the position of
a Squire.
A prio'ri [Latin, from an antecedent].
An a priori argument is when we
deduce a fact from something ante-
cedent, as when we infer certain effects
from given causes. All mathematical
proofs are of the a priori kind, whereas
judgments in the law courts are of the
a posteriori evidence; we infer the animats
from the act. (See A POSTERIORI.)
Apron. This is a strange blunder.
A mapperon, converted into A), appero??.
“Napperon ’’ is French for a napkin,
from mappe (cloth in general). Halliwell,
in his Archaic Dictionary, p. 571, gives
Nappern (an apron) North.
Other examples of n attached to the following
noun, or detached from it, are an adder for a
madder (Old English, maeddre); a neuri for an ewt;
a mag (Danish, (itſ); muncle (Shakespeare), mine
uncle ; For the momce (this once), whee m is trans-
ferred from the preceding pronoun thq-m or the-n,
i.e. this-n (accusative case after “for”).
Apron-string Tenure (An). A
tenure held in virtue of one’s wife.
Tied to his mother’s apron-string, com-
pletely under his mother’s thumb.
Applied to a big boy or young man who
is still under mother rule.
A propos de bottes (French).
Turning to quite another subject;
propos de riem.
Aqua Regia [royal water]. So called
because it dissolves gold, the king of
Ametals. It consists of one part of nitric
acid, with from two to four of hydro-
chloric acid.
Aqua Tofa'na or Acqua Tofanica. A
poisonous liquid much used in Italy in
the seventeenth century by young wives
who wanted to get rid of their husbands.
It was invented by a woman named
Tofana, who called it the Manna of St. .
Nicholas of Bari, from the widespread
notion that an oil of miraculous efficacy
flowed from the tomb of that saint. In
Italian called also Aquella di Napoli.
Aqua Vitae [water of life]. Certain
ardent spirits used by the alchemists.
Den Jonson terms a seller of ardent
spirits an “aqua-vitae , man’” (Al-
chemist, i. 1). The “elixir of life” was
made from distilled spirits, which were
thought to have the power of prolonging
life. (See EAU-DE-VIE.)
Aqua'rians. A sect in the early
Christian Church which insisted on the
use of water instead of wine in the
IOrd’s Supper.
Aquarius
Aqua'rius [the water-bearer]. One
of the signs of the zodiac (January 20th
to February 18th). So called because it
* when the Nile begins to over-
OW.
Aqueous Rocks. Rocks produced
by the agency of water, such as bedded
limestones, sandstones, and clays ; in
short, all the geological rocks which are
arranged in layers or strata.
Aquilant (in Orlando Furioso). A
knight in Charlemagne's army, son of
Olive'ro and Sigismunda. He was called
black from his armour, and his brother
Gryphon white. While Aquilant was
searching for his brother he met Marta'no
in Gryphon's armour, and took him
bound to Damascus, where his brother
Wà.S. -
Aquiline (3 Syl.). Raymond's match-
less steed, bred on the banks of the
Tagus. (Georgies, iii. 271-277; and
Tasso, Jerusalem Delivered, book vii.)
(See HoRSE.)
Aquinian Sage (The). Ju’venal is
so called because he was born at Aqui'-
num, a town of the Volscians.
Arabesque [Arrabesk']. The gor-
geous Moorish patterns, like those in
the Alhambra, especially employed in
architectural decoration. During the
Spanish wars, in the reign of Louis
XIV., arabesque decorations were pro-
fusely introduced into France. (French,
“Arab-like.”)
Arabian Bird (The). The phoenix;
a marvellous man, quite Sºti generis.
“O Antony O thou Arabian bird ' " ...
Shakespeal e : Anttomy &nd Cleopatra, iii. 2,
Arabian Nights (The). First made
known in Europe by Antoine Galland, a
French Oriental scholar, who translated
them and called them. The Thousand and
One Nights (from the number of nights
occupied in their recital). They are of
Indian, Persian, Egyptian, and Arabian
Origin.
Common English translations—
4 Yols, 12mo, 1792, by , R. Heron, published in
Edinburgh and Ilondon.
3 vols. 12mo, 1794, by Mr. Beloe, Ilondon.
22, ... ?? 1798, by Richard Gough, enlarged.
Paris edition.
5 vols. 8vo, 1802, by Rev. Edward Foster.
33 ,, . 1830, by Edw. Win. Lane.
The Tales of the Genii, by Sir Charles
Morell (i.e. Rev. James Ridley), are
excellent imitations.
Arabians. A class of Arabian here-
tics of the third century, who maintained
that the soul dies with the body.
59
Arbaces
~ *z
Arabic Figures. The figures 1, 2,
3, 4, etc. So called because they were
introduced into Europe (Spain) by the
Moors or Arabs, who learnt them from
the Hindus. Far more important than
the characters, is the decimalism of these
figures: 1 figure = units, 2 figures =
tens, 3 figures = hundreds, and so on ad
???finitum.
The figures i, ii, iii, iv, V., Yi, Yii, viii., ix., x, etc.,
are called Roman figures. .
The Greeks arranged their figures under three
Columns of nine figures, units, tens, and hun-
dreds, and employed the letters of the alphabet.
As there are but twenty-four letters, a sansculotte
letter had to be introduced into each column.
In the units column it represented 6, and was
called episémon. In the tens column it represented
90, and was called koppos. And; in the third
column it represented 900, and was called Sanpi.
Thousands were represented by a dash under
Some letter Of the first three columns:
As, 3 = 2, but 3 = 2,000;
e = 5, but e = 5,000;
|
or = 200, but or = 200,000;
and SO On.
Ar’abs. Street Arabs. The houseless
poor; street children. So called because,
like the Arabs, they are nomads or
wanderers with no settled home.
Arachne's Labours. Spinning and
weaving. Arachnē was so skilful a
needlewoman that she challenged
Minerva to a trial of skill, and hanged
herself because the goddess beat her.
Minerva then changed her into a spider.
“Arachné's labours ne'er her hours divide, .
Her noble hands nor looms nor spindles guide.”
Hoole's Jerusalem. Delivered, book ii. ,
A'raf, AI [the partition]. A region,
according to the ICOran, between Para-
dise and Jehennam, for those who are
neither morally good nor bad, such as
infants, lunatics, and idiots. The in-
mates of Al Araf will be allowed to con-
verse with the blessed and the cursed;
to the former this region will appear a
hell, to the latter a heaven. (Sºe
LIMBO.)
Araspes (in Jerusalem Delivered),
Ring of Alexandria, more famed for
devices than courage. He joined the
Egyptian armament against the Cru-
Saders.
Aratos of Achaea, in Greece, mur-
dered Nic'oclés, the tyrant, in order to
restore his country to liberty, and would
not allow even a picture of a king to
exist. He was poisoned by Philip of
Macedon.
“Aratus, who awlſile relumed the Soul
Of fondly-lingering liberty in Greece.”
Thomson : Winter, 491, 492.
Arba'ces (3 Syl.). A Mede and As-
Syrian Satrap, who conspired against
Arbor Day
60
Archimedes Screw
Sardanapalus, and founded the empire
of Media on the ruins of the Assyrian
kingdom. (Byron : Sardanapalus.)
Arbor Day. A day set apart in
Canada, and the United States for plant-
ing trees. (See Historic Note Book,
p. 42.
Arbor Judae. Said to be so called
because Judas Iscariot hanged himself
thereon. This is one of those word-re-
semblances so delusive to etymologists.
Judae is the Spanish judia (a French
bean), and Arbor Judae is a corruption
of Arbol Judia (the bean-tree), so called
from its beam-like pods.
Arcades Ambo [Arcćdes 3 Syl.],
both sweet innocents or simpletons,
both Verdant Greens. From Virgil's
Jºelogue, vii. v. 4. (See below, ARCADIAN
YoUTH.) Byron's translation was
“blackguards both.”
Arca'dian. A shepherd, a fancy
farmer ; so called because the Arcadians
were a pastoral people, and hence pas-
toral poetry is called Arca'dve.
An Arcadian youth. A dunce or
'blockhead; so called because the Arca-
dians were the least intellectual of all
the Greeks. Juvenal (vii. 160) uses the
phrase Arcadicus juvênis for a stupid
fool.
Arcadian Nightingales. Asses.
“April is the month of love ; and the country
Of Cha.Stelleraud aboundS With Arcadian nightill-
gales.”—Ratbelais. Pantag, wel. V. 7 (note).
Archangels. According to the Koran,
there are four archangels. Gabriel, the
angel of revelations, who writes down
the divine decrees; Mi'chael, the cham-
pion, who fights the battles of faith;
Az'rael, the angel of death ; and Az'raft!,
who is commissioned to Sound the trum-
pet of the resurrection.
Arch-monarch of the World. Na-
poleon III. of France. (1808, 1852-1870,
died 1873.)
Archers. The best archers in British
history and story are Robin Hood and
his two comrades Little John and Will
Scarlet.
The famous archers of Henry II. were
Tepus his bowman of the Guards,
Gilbert of the white hind, Hubert of
Suffolk, and Clifton of Hampshire.
Nearly equal to these were Egbert of
Kent and William of Southampton.
Domitian, the Roman emperor, We are told,
could shoot four arrows |pet Ween the Spread
fingers of a man's hand.
Tell, who shot an apple set on the head of his
son, is a replica of the Scandinavian tale of Egil,
Who, at the command of King Nidung, performed
a precisely similar feat.
Robin Hood, we are told, could shoot an arrow
a mile or more.
Arches (The Court of). The most
ancient consistory court of England, the
dean of which anciently held his court
under the arches of Bow church. Of
course we refer to the old church, the
steeple of which was supported on
arches. The present structure was the
work of Sir Christopher Wren.
Arche'us (3 syl.), according to the
Paracelsians, is that immaterial prin-
ciple which energises all living sub-
stances. There were supposed to be
numerous archèi, but the chief one was
Said to reside in the stomach.
Archiloch'ian Bitterness. Iłl-
Inatured satire, so named from Archil'-
Ochos, the Grecian satirist (B.C. 714-676).
Archimage (3 syl.). The name given
by Thomson to the “demon Indolence.”
Archima'gus is the title borne by the
High Priest of the Persian Magi.
“‘ I will, he cried, “ so help me God I destroy
That Villain Archimage.'”
Thomson : Castle of Indolence, c. ii.
Archima'go [Hypocrisy]. In Spen-
ser’s Faërie Queene (ii. 1). He assumes
the guise of the Red Cross Knight, and
deceives Uma, ; but Sansloy sets upon
him, and reveals his true character.
When the Red Cross Knight is about to
be married to Una, he presents himself
before the King of Eden, and tells him
that the Knight is betrothed to Duessa.
The falsehood being exposed, Archimago
is cast into a vile dungeon (book i.). In
book ii. the arch-hypocrite is loosed
again for a Season, and employs Bragga-
docchio to attack the Red Cross Knight.
These allegories are pretty obvious:
thus the first incident means that Truth
(Una), when Piety (the Red Cross
JKnight) is absent, is in danger of being
led astray by Hypocrisy; but any In-
fidel (Sansloy) can lay bare religious
hypocrisy.
“Such whenas Archimnago them did view
He weeněd well to worke some uncouth wyle.”
Spense”: Faërie Queene, ii. 1, St. 8.
* Sometimes Spenser employs the
shortened form “Archimage.”
Archime'des Principle. The quan-
tity of water removed by any body
immersed therein will equal in bulk the
bulk of the body immersed. This scien-
tific fact was noted by the philosopher
Archime'dés. (See EUREKA.)
Archime'des Screw. An endless
screw, used for raising water, propelling
Architect
ships, etc., invented by Archime'dés of
Syracuse.
Ar'chitect of his own Fortune.
Appius says, “ Fabrum Sude esse quemºte
fortunae.” Longfellow says, “All are
architects of Fate.” (The Builders.)
Archon'tics. Heretics of the Second
century, who held a number of idle
stories about creation, which they attri-
buted to a number of agents called
“archons.” (Greek, archon, a prince
or ruler.)
Ar'cite (2 syl.). A young Theban
knight, made captive by Duke Theseus,
and shut up with Pal’amon in a prison at
Athens. Here both the captives fell in
love with Emily, the duke's sister-in-
law. After a time both captives gained
their liberty, and Emily was promised
by the duke to the victor in a tourna-
ment. Arcite was the victor, but, as he
was riding to receive the prize of his
prowess, he was thrown from his horse,
and died. So Emily became the bride
of Pal’amon. (Chaucer. The ſnight’s
Tale.)
The story is perhaps better known
through Dryden's version, Palamo), and
Arcite.
Ar'cos Barbs. War steeds of Arcos,
in Andalu'sia, very famous in Spanish
ballads. (See BARBED STEEDS.)
Arctic Region means the region of
Arctu'ros (the Bear stars). Ark in San-
skrit means “to be bright,” applied to
stars or anything bright. The Greeks
translated ark into arkt (os), “a bear”;
hence Arctu'rus (the Bear stars), and
Arctic region, the region where the
north star is found.
Arden (Enoch). Mr. G. R. Emerson,
in a letter to the Athenaeum (August
18th, 1866), points out the resemblance
of this tale by Tennyson to one entitled
IHomeward Bound, by Adelaide Anne
Procter, in a volume of Legends and
Lyrics, 1858. Mr. Emerson concludes
his letter thus: “At this point (i.e. when
the hero sees his wife ‘seated by the
fire, whispering baby words and smiling
on the father of her child’) Tennyson
departs from the story. Enoch goes
away broken-hearted to die, without
revealing his secret ; but Miss Procter
makes the three recognise each other,
and the hero having blessed his wife,
leaves her, to roam “over the restless
ocean.’”
Mrs. Gaskell's Manchester Marriage is a similar
tale. In this tale “Frank” is made to drown
himself; and his wife (then Mrs. Openshaw) never
knows of his return.
Argantes
Area-sneak. A boy or girl who
Sneaks about areas to commit petty
thefts.
Areop'agus or Mars’ Hill. The seat
of a famous tribunal in Athens; so
called because the first cause tried there
was that of Mars or Arés, accused by
Neptune of the death of his son Halir-
rhoth'ius.
“Then Paul Stood in the midst of Mars' Hill.”
—ActS X Wii. 22.
Ar’etine (3 syl.), or rather Pietro
Aretino, patronised by François I. of
France. A poet noted for his dis-
reputable life and licentious verses.
(1492-1557.)
“[Shakespeare] fried his hand with Aretine on
a licentious subject.”—Steevems.
Aretin'ian Syllables. Ut, re, mi,
fa, Sol, la, used by Guido d'Arezzo in
the eleventh century for his system of
hexachords. Hexachord means a scale
of six notes. They are the first syllables
of some words in the opening stanza of a
hymn for St. John’s Day. “Ut queant
laxis re-sonare fibris,” etc. Si, the
seventh note, was not introduced till the
seventeenth century. Originally thescale
consisted of six notes only. (See Do.)
“Au parayant on he so servait que de six notes;
et on remplaqait lesi au moyen de combinaisons
appelées muances.” – Bow, lºct: Dictioninutrie des
Sciences, p. 1523, Col. 2.)
Argan, a miserly hypochondriac. He
reduced himself to this dilemma: if his
apothecary would not charge less, he
could not afford to be sick; but if he
swallowed fewer drugs, he would suffer
in health. (Molière's Le Malade Imagi-
naire.)
Argand Lamp. A lamp with a
circular wick, through which a current
of air flows, to Supply oxygen to the
flame, and increase its brilliancy. In-
vented by Aimé Argand, 1789.
Argan'te (3 Syl.). A giantess of un-
bridled licentiousness, in Spenser's Faërie
Queene, iii. 7.
“That geauntesse Argantè is bellight,
A daughter of the Titans . .
Her sire TyphoeuS Was. . . . .
BUok iii. 7, St. 47,
Argan'tes (3 Syl.).
&
$ 3
A Circassian of
high rank and matchless courage, but
fierce to brutality, and an ultra-despiser
of the sect of the Nazarenes. He was
sent as an ambassador from Egypt to
Ying Al'adine. He and Solyman were
by far the most doughty of the Pagan
knights. The former was slain by
Binaldo, and the other by Tancred.
(Tasso : Jerusalem Delivered.) -
“Bonaparte stood before the deputies like the
Argantés of Italy's heroic looet, and gave them
Argenis 62 Ariel
the choice of peace and war, with the air of a Argonauts. The Sailors of the ship
superior being, capable at once of dictating their /--> *
fate.”—Sir Walter Scott. Argo. Apollo'nios of Rhodes wrote an
* ~~~~ * * - - * epic poem on the subject. (Greek, argo
enis. A political allegory b 2
Ar'g p gory py 7tatts.)
John Barclay, containing allusions to the
state of Europe, and more especially to
IFrance, during the time of the league.
(1582-1621.) (See UTOPIA.)
Argentile and Cur'an. Argentile
was the daughter of King Adelbright,
who, on his deathbed, committed her in
charge to King Edel. Edel kept her a
close prisoner, under hope of getting
into his possession her lands and do-
minion. Curan, the son of a Danske
king, in order to woo her, became a
kitchen drudge in Edel's household, and
Edel resolved to marry Argentile to this
drudge, but she fled away. Curan now
turned shepherd, and fell in love with a
neatherd's maid, who turned out to be
Argentile. The two were married, and
Curan claiming his wife's dominions,
became King of Northumberland, and
put Edel to death. (Percy’s Reliques.)
Argent'ine Republic. The Republic
of the Argentine, or Silver River; in
other words, the Confederation of the
Bio de la Plata.
Arge'o (in Orlando Furioso). Baron
of Servia, and husband of Gabri'na.
He is a sort of Potiphar. His wife tried
to seduce Philander, a young Dutch
knight, and failing in her effort, she
accused him to her husband of adultery;
whereupon Arge'o threw the “faithless
guest’’ into durance. In the course of
time Gabrina implored the young cap-
tive to defend her against a wicked
knight who had assailed her virtue.
He consented to be her champion, and
was placed in concealment. Presently
a knight drew near, and Philander,
rushing on him, dispatched him ; but
the supposed “adulterer” was, in
reality, Arge'o himself; and Gabri'na,
being now a widow, was free to marry
her Dutch “Joseph.” -
Argillan (in Jerusalem Delivered).
A haughty, turbulent knight, born on
the banks of the Trent. Accusing God-
frey and his brother of having murdered
Binaldo, he induced the Latians to
revolt. The revolt spread to the Swiss
and English, but Godfrey succeeded in
restoring order. Argillam was arrested,
but made his escape, and was slain in
battle by Solyman. (Books viii. ix.)
Argo. A ship sailing on an adven-
ture. The galley of Jason that went in
search of the Golden Fleece was so
called, from the Greek argos (swift).
Argosy. A merchant ship. A cor-
ruption of “ragusea.” Ships of the
largest size were built at Ragusa in
Dalmatia and Venice.
“He hath an argosy bound to Tripolis, another
to the Indies . . . . a third to Mexico, a fourtli
to England.”—Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice,
i. 3.
Argot [A7'ſ/0]. Slang or flash lan-
guage (French).
“Sans le (lemot d'argot) fairc venir du grec argos,
e.g. çomme l’on a prétentlu avant mous, nous y
Yerrions logiquement undininute du vieux mot
(trºtt qui signifiait injure, reproche, et aussi ruse,
Jinlºsse, Subtilité.”—Larghey. Dictionquaire d'Argot.
Francisque-Michel, however, in his Philologie
Comparée, says, “L'ancienne langue Française
avait le mot argu, mais dans un Sons bien differ-
ent, que Ion'peut (tablir parles passages suiyant
. . .” He then gives five examples.
Argus-eyed. Jealously watchful.
According to Grecian fable, Argos had
100 eyes, and Juno set him to watch Io,
of whom she was jealous.
Argyle (2 syl.)—of whom Thomson
says, in his Autumn (928-30)
“On thee, Argyle,
Her hope, her stay, her darling, and her boast,
Thy fond, imploring country turns her eye—”
was John, the great duke, who lived
only two years after he succeeded to the
dukedom. Pope (Ep. Sat. ii. 86, 87)
says—
“Argyle the state's whole thunder born to wield,
And Shake alike the Senate and the field.”
Arians. The followers of Arius, a
presbyter of the church of Alexandria,
in the fourth century. He maintained
(1) that the Father and Son are distinct
beings; (2) that the Son, though divine,
is not equal to the Father; (3) that the
Son had a state of existence previous to
His appearance on earth, but not from
eternity; and (4) that the Messiah was
not real man, but a divine being in a
case of flesh.
Arideus [A-ree'-de-lts] in Jerusalem
I)elivered, herald in the Christian army.
The other herald is Pindorus.
Ariel. A spirit of the air and guar-
dian of innocence. He was enslaved to
the witch Sycorax, who overtasked him;
and in punishment for not doing what
was beyond his power, shut him up in a
pine-rift for twelve years. On the death
of Sycorax, Ariel became the slave of
Caliban, who tortured him most Cruelly.
Prospero liberated him from the pine-
rift, and the grateful fairy served him
for sixteen years, when he was set free.
(Shakespeare : Tempest.)
A'riel. The sylph that watched over
Belinda. (Pope: Itape of the Lock, i.)
Aries
63
Armenians
A'riel. One of the angels cast out of
heaven. The word means lion of God.
(Milton : Paradise Lost, book vi. 371.)
A'ries. The Ram. The sign of the
Zodiac in which the sun is from March
21st to April 20th.
“At last from Aries rolls the bounted us sun.”
'I'homson : Spring, 20.
Ariman'es (4 syl.). “The prince of
earth and air,” and the fountain-head of
evil. It is a personage in Persian my-
thology, introduced into Grecian fable
under the name of Ariman'nis. Dyron
introduces him in his drama called Man-
fred.
Arimas' pians. A one-eyed people
of Scythia, who adorned their hair with
gold. They were constantly at war with
the gryphons who guarded the gold
IIllllêS.
“As when a gryphon, through the wilderness . . .
l?ursues the Arimaspian, who by ste Alth
Had from lais wakeful custody purloined
The guarded gold.” * *
Milton : Putradise Lost, ii. 913-6.
Arioch. One of the fallen angels
cast out of heaven. The word means a
fierce lion. (Milton : Paradise Lost, vi.
371.)
Ari'on. A Greek musician, cast into
the sea by mariners, but carried to 'i'ae-
naros on the back of a dolphin.
Llri'on. The wonderful horse which
Herculês gave to Adras' tos. It sprang
from Cerés and Neptune, had the power
of speech, and its feet on the right side
were the feet of a man. (See HoRSE.)
Arios to was privately married to
Alessandra Benucci, widow of Tito
Strozzi; she is generally called his
mistress.
Ariosto of the North.
calls Sir Walter Scott.
iv. 40.)
Ariste'as. The wandering Jew of
Grecian fable. (See JEw.)
Aristides (4 syl.). Surnamed The
Just. An Athenian statesman.
* Then Aristides lifts his honest front,
Spotless of heart ; to Whom the unflattering
Of *šiom ga, Ye the noblest name of “Just.’”
Thomson : Winter, 459-61.
The British Aristides. Andrew
Marvell (1620-1678).
The French Aristides. Mons. Grévy,
porn 1813, president of the Third Re-
public 1879-1887, died 1891. He was a
barrister by profession.
Aristippos. (See HEDONISM.)
Aristocracy. The cold shade of the
aristocracy – i.e. the unsympathising
So Lord Byron
(Childe Harold,
patronage of the great. The expression
first occurs in Sir W. F. P. Napier's
JHistory of the Peninsular War.
The word “aristocracy” is the Greek
aristo-cratia (rule of the best-born).
Aristoph'anes. The English or
modern Aristophanes. Samuel Foote
(1722-1777).
The French Aristophanes. J. Baptiste
Poquelin de Molière (1622-1673).
Aristotle.
Aristotle of China. Tehuhe, who died
A.D. 1200, called the “Prince of Science.”
Aristotle of the nineteenth century.
Baron Cuvier, the great naturalist
(1769–1832).
Aristotelian Philosophy. Aris-
totle maintained that four separate causes
are necessary before anything exists:
the material cause, the formal, the final,
and the moving cause. The first is the
antecedents from which the thing comes
into existence ; the second, that which
gives it its individuality; the moving or
efficient cause is that which causes matter
to assume its individual forms; and the
final cause is that for which the thing
exists. According to Aristotle, matter
is eternal.
Aristotelian Unities. Aristotle,
the Greek philosopher, laid it down as
a rule that every tragedy, properly con-
structed, should contain but one cata-
strophe; should be limited to one denou-
ment ; and be circumscribed to the action
of one single day. These are called the
Aristotel’ic or Dramatic unities. To
these the French have added a fourth,
the unity of uniformity, i.e. in tragedy
all the “dramatis personae'' should be
traffic in style, in comedy comic, and in
farce farcical.
Ark. You must have come out of the
ark, or you were born in the ark, because
you are so old-fashioned, and ignorant of
current events.
Arma'da. The Spanish Armada.
The fleet assembled by Philip II. of
Spain, in 1588, for the conquest of
England. Used for any fleet.
Arme/nians. A religious sect So
called from Armenia, where Christianity
was introduced in the second century.
They attribute only one nature to Christ
and hold that the Spirit proceeds from
the Father only. They enjoin the ado-
ration of saints, have some peculiar ways
of administering baptism and the Lord's
Supper, but do not maintain the doctrine
of purgatory.
Armida,
64
Arn-monat
Armida. One of the prominent
female characters in Tasso's Jerusalem
Delivered. She was a beautiful sorceress,
with whom Rinaldo fell in love, and
wasted his time in voluptuous pleasure.
Two messengers were sent from the
Christian army with a talisman to dis-
enchant him. After his escape, Armida
followed him in distraction, but not
being able to allure him back, set fire to
her palace, rushed into the midst of a
combat, and was slain.
In 1806, Frederick William of Prussia
declared war against Napoleon, and his
young queen rode about in military cos-
tume to arouse the enthusiasm of the
jº When Napoleon was told of it,
e wittily said of her: “She is Armida,
in her distraction setting fire to her own
palace.”
Arminians (Anti - Calvinists), so
called from James Harmensen, of Hol-
land, whose name, Latinised, is Jaco'bus
Arminius. He asserted that God bestows
forgiveness and eternal life on all who
repent and believe ; that He wills all men
to be saved; and that His predestination
is founded on His foreknowledge.
Armory. Heraldry is so called,
because it first found its special use in
direct connection with military equip-
ments, knightly exercises, and the mêlée
of actual battle.
“Some great man’s badge of war or armory.”
Morris : Earthly Paradise, ii. 167.
Armoury. The place where armour
is kept. “But, the SWOrd
Of Michael from the armoury of God
Was given hind.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, Yi. 320.
Arms. In the Bayeux tapestry, the
Saxons fight on foot with javelin and
battle-axe, and bear shields with the
British characteristic of a boss in the
centre. The men were moustached.
The Normans are on horseback, with
long shields and pennoned lances. The
men are not only shaven, but most of
them have a complete tonsure on the
back of the head, whence the spies said
to Harold, “There are more priests in
the Norman army than men in Harold’s.”
Arms of England (The Royal). The
three lions leopardised were the cog-
misance of William the Conqueror ; the
lion rampant in the second quarter is
from the arms of Scotland; and the harp
in the fourth quarter represents Ireland.
The lion supporter is in honour of
England, and the unicorn in honour of
Scotland. These two supporters were
introduced by James I.
See also vii. 200.
William I. had only two lions passant
gardant, the third was introduced by
Henry II. The lion rampant first ap-
peared on Scotch Seals in the reign of
Alexander II. (1214-1249). The harp
was assigned to Ireland in the time of
Henry VII. ; before that time the arm:
of Ireland were three crowns. The uni-
corn was not a supporter of the royal
arms of Scotland before the reign of
Mary Stuart.
Which arm of the service. Military or
naval P
The secular arm. Civil, in contra-
distinction to ecclesiastical jurisdiction.
“The relapsed arm delivered to the Secular
arm.”—Priestley : Corruptions of Christianity.
To arm a magnet. To put an arma-
ture on a loadstone.
A coat of arms. An heraldic device.
A passage of arms. A literary con-
troversy ; a battle of words.
An assault at arms (or of arms). An
attack by fencers; a hand-to-hand
military exercise.
At arm’s length. At a distance. To
keep one at arm’s length is to repel
familiarity.
In arms. A child in arms is an infant
carried about in one’s arms.
A city in arms is one in which the
people are armed for war.
Júng of arms. A chief herald in the
College of Heralds. Here arms means
heraldic devices.
Small arms. Those which do not, like
artillery, require carriages.
To appeal to arms. To determine to
decide a litigation by war.
To arms 1 Make ready for battle.
“To arms cried Mortimer,
And couclied lais quivering lance.”
- Grayſ : The Bard.
Come to my arms. Come, and let me
embrace you.
To lay down their arms. To cease
from armed hostility ; to surrender.
Under arms. Prepared for battle; in
battle array.
Up in arms. In open rebellion ;
roused to anger, as the clergy were up
in arms against Colenso for publishing
his Lectures on the Pentateuch. The latter
is a figure of Speech.
With open arms. Cordially; as per-
sons receive a dear friend when they
open their arms for an embrace.
Arnauts [brave mem]. Albanian
mountaineers.
“Stained with the best of Arnaut's blood.”
JByrom . The Giaoul'.
Arn-monat. Anglo - Saxon, acrº-
monath, barn month. The Anglo-Saxon
Arnold
Artemus Ward
name for August, because it was the
month for garnering the corn.
Arnold, of Melch’thal, patriarch of
the forest cantons of Switzerland. He
was in love with Matilda, a sister of
Gessler, the Austrian governor of the
district. When the tyranny of Gessler
drove the people into rebellion, Arnold
gave up Matilda and joined the in-
surgents; but when Gessler was shot by
William Tell, he became united to her in
marriage. (Rossini’s opera of Guglielmo
Tel/.
Arnol'dists. The partisans of Arnold
of Brescia, who raised his voice against
the abuses and vices of the papacy in the
twelfth century. He was burnt alive by
Pope Adrian IV.
Arod, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
designed for Sir William Waller.
“But in the sacred ammals of our plot
Industrious Arod never be forgot,
The labours of this midnight magistrate
May vie with Corah [Titus Oates] to preserve
the State.” al]'t li.
Aroint thee. Get ye gone, be off.
In Cheshire they say, rynt ye, witch ;
and milk-maids say to their cows when
they have done milking them, 7'ymt ye,
(or 'roint) my beauties; but it is doubtful
whether this is connected with the word
in question.
Aron'teus (4 Syl.), in Jerusalem
Delivered. An Asiatic king, who joined
the Egyptian armament against the
Crusaders, “not by virtue fired, but
vain of his titles and ambitious of fame.”
Aroundight. The sword of Sir
Launcelot of the Lake. (See SworD.)
“It is the sword of a good knight,
Though homespun was his mail,
What matter if it be not light,
Joyeuse, Cola'da, Durindale,
IExcalibar, or Aroundight 2'
Longfellow,
Arras, tapestry. So called from Arras,
in Artois, famed for its manufacture.
When rooms were hung with tapestry it
was a common thing for persons to hide
behind it, especially the arras curtain
before the door. Hubert concealed the
two villains who were to put out
Arthur's eyes behind the arras. Polo'-
nius was slain by Hamlet while con-
cealed behind the arras. Falstaff pro-
posed to hide behind the arras at
Windsor, etc.
Arria, a Roman lady, the wife of
Caecima, Paetus. Paetus being accused of
conspiring against the Emperor Claudius
was condemned to death and sent by sea
to Rome. Arria accompanied him, and
stabbed herself in the boat, then pre-
Senting the dagger to her husband, she
said: “Paetus, it gives no pain” (non
dolet). (Pliny, vii.)
* Her daughter Arria, wife of
Thraseas, when her husband was con-
demned to death by Nero, opened her
veins; but Thraseas entreated her to
live, for the sake of her children.
Arrière Pensée (plural arrières pen-
Sées), a hidden or reserved motive, not
apparent on the Surface.
Arrot, the weasel, in the tale of
Ičeynard the Fox.
Arrow. The broad arrow, thus M.
A mark used by the British Board of Ord-
nance, and placed on their stores. (See
BROAD ARRow.)
Arrowroot is a raretta, the Indian
word (tra is the name of the plant.
There is no evidence of its being used to
absorb the poison of poisoned arrows in
fleshy wounds.
Arsetes (in Jerusalem Delivered).
The aged eunuch, who brought up Clo-
rin'da, and attended her steps.
Artaxerxes, called by the Persians
Kai-Ardeshir, and surnamed diraz-dest
(long-handed), because his right hand
was longer than his left. The Romans
translated diraz-dest into longi-manus ;
the Greek Arta into Arde (“noble’”).
Art'egal (Sir) (in Spenser's Faërie
Queene), is the hero of the fifth book,
and impersonates Justice, the foster child
of Astraea. In the previous books he
occasionally appears, and is called Sir
Arthegal. It is said that Arthur, Lord
Grey of Wilton, was the prototype of
this character. He was sent to Ireland
as Lord Lieutenant in 1580, and the poet
was his secretary. In book iv., canto 6,
Sir Art'egal is married to Britomart, and
proceedsto succourſrena (Ireland), whose
heritage had been withheld by the tyrant
Grantorto. (See ARTHEGAL.)
Artemus Ward. A showman, very
cute, and very American. The hypo-
thetical writer of the essays or papers
so called, the real author being Charles
F. Browne.
Being asked if his name was Artémus
Or Artemu, he wrote on his address
Car
*—
&
“Don’t bother me with your etas and short e's,
Nor ask me for more than you have on my
card ; * º
Oh spare me from etymological sorties,
And simply accept Ime aS Artemus Ward,”
5
Artesian Wells
66
Ayrans
* Which, however, leaves the pro-
nunciation of “Ward ” doubtful.
Arte'sian Wells. So called from
Arte'sium (the Latin for Artois), in
France, where they were first bored.
Artful Dodger. A young thief, a
most perfect adept in villainy, up to
every sort of wicked dodge. (Dickens :
Oliver Twist.)
Arthegal. Uterine brother of Prince
Arthur. Spenser, in his Faërie Queene
(book iii.), makes Britomart see his
person and name in the magic glass.
She falls in love with the looking-glass
hero, and is told by Merlin that she will
marry him, and become the mother of
a line of kings that would supersede
both the Saxons and Normans. He re-
ferred, of course, to the Tudors, who
were descendants of Cadwallader. (See
ARTEGAL.)
Arthur, King of the Silurés, a
tribe of ancient Britons, was mortally
wounded in the battle of Camlan, in
Cornwall, raised by the revolt of his
nephew, Modred. He was taken to
Glastonbury, where he died.
JHis wife was Guinever, who com-
mitted adultery with Sir Launcelot of
the Lake, one of the Knights of the
IRound Table.
Eſe was the natural son of Uther and
Igerna (wife of Gorlois, duke of Corn-
wall), and was brought up by Sir Ector.
He was born at Tintad'gel or Tintagel,
a castle in Cornwall.
His habitual residence was Caerleon, in
Wales; and he was buried at Av'alon.
PHis sword was called Eveal’iba) or
Eaccalibor, his spear, Rome (1 syl.), and
his shield, Pridwin. His dog was named
Cavall. (See RounD TABLE KNIGHTS.)
Arthurian Romances.
be divided into six parts:
(1) The romance of the Saº Graal.
By Robert Borron.
(2) The Merlin, which celebrates the
birth and exploits of King Arthur. By
Walter Mapes.
(3) The Launcelot.
Becket.
(4) The search or Quest of the San
Graal. It is found by Sir Galahad, a
knight of pure heart and great courage;
but no sooner does he find it than he
is taken up to heaven. By Thomas à
Becket.
(5) The Mort d’Arthur, or Death of
Arthur. By Thomas à Becket.
(6) Sundry Tales, but especially the
These may
à
By Thomas
- .
adventures of Sir Tristan. By Luke
Gast, of Salisbury.
Arthur's Seat, a hill near Edinburgh,
is A’rd. Seir (hill of arrows), where
people shot at a mark.
Articles of Roup (Scotch). Con-
ditions of sale at an auction announced
by a crier. (Roup is the Teutonic re-
open, to cry out.)
Artists, The Prince of, Albert
Dürer; so called by his countrymen.
(1471-1528.)
Artotyrites (4 syl.). Certain here-
tics from among the Montanists; so
called because they used bread and
cheese in the Eucharist. They admitted
women to the priesthood. (Greek, artos,
barley-bread, and tutºros, cheese.)
Arts. Degrees in Arts. In the medi-
aeval ages the full course consisted of the
three subjects which constituted the
Triv'intm, and the four subjects which
constituted the Qatadriv'ium :-
The Triv'ium was grammar, logic, and
rhetoric.
The Quadriv'intm was music, arithme-
tic, geometry, and astronomy.
The Master of Arts was the person
qualified to teach or be the master of
students in arts ; as the Doctor was the
person qualified to teach theology, law,
or medicine.
Arundel. The heraldic device of the
family is six swallows (hirondelles), a
pun upon the name.
Arundel, (See HoRSE.)
Arunde'lian Marbles. A collection
of ancient sculptures collected at great
expense by Thomas Howard, Earl of
Arundel, and presented to the Univer-
sity of Oxford in 1667 by his grandson,
Henry Howard, afterwards Duke of
Norfolk. They contain tables of an-
cient chronology, especially that of
Athens, from B.C. 1582 to 264, engraved
in Old Greek capitals. Date of the
tables, B.C. 263.
Arvalºur'. (See HoRSE.)
Aryans. The parent stock of what
is called the Indo-European family of
nations. They lived probably in Bactria,
i.e. between the river Oxus and the
Hindu-koosh mountains. The Aryan
family of languages include the Persian
and Hindú, with all the European
except Basque, Turkish, Hungarian,
and Finnic. Sometimes called the Indo-
European, sometimes the Indo-Germanic,
and sometimes the Japetic.
Sanskrit, Zend, Latin, Greek, and Celtic are, of
Coul'Se, included.
Arzina,
67
Asgard
Arzi'na. A river that flows into the
North Sea, near Wardhus, where Sir
Willoughby's three ships were frozen,
and the whole crew perished of starva-
tion.
“In these fell regions, in Arzina caught,
, And to the stony deep his idle ship
Immediate sealed, he with his hapless crew . . .
Froze into Statues.” *
Thomson : Winter, 934.
As you were, in military drilling,
means, Return to the position in which
you were before the last exercise. As
you were before.
Asa was a term of address to all the
gods of Gladsheim ; as Asa Odin, Asa
Thor, Asa Loki, Asa Tyr, etc.
“‘That's all very well, Asa, Odin,” answered
Frey ; “but who, let me ask, is to undertake the
feeding of the human animal?’”—Keary : IIeroes
of Asgard, p. 73.
Asa Loki. Descended from the
giants and received among the celestials.
He is represented as a treacherous
malignant power, fond of assuming
disguises, and plotting evil. One of his
progeny is Hela (q.v.). (Scandinavian
mythology.) (See AESIR.)
Asa Thor. Eldest son of Asa Odin,
and the first-born of mortals. (Scan-
dinavian mythology.)
Asaph. A famous musician in
David’s time (1 Chron. xxv. 1, 2). Mr.
Tate, who wrote the second part of
Absalom and Achitophel, lauds Dryden
under this name.
“While Judall's throne and Sion's rock Stand
The †g of Asaplm and the famo shall last.”
Absalom (ºnd Achitophel, part ii. 1063-4.
Asºbolos. One of Actaeon’s dogs.
The word means soot-coloured. (See
AMARYNTHOS.)
Ascal'aphos. Turned by Proserpine,
for mischief-making, into an owl. (Greek
fible.)
As capart. A giant conquered by
Sir Bevis of Southampton. He was thirty
feet high, and the space between his eyes
was twelve inches. This mighty giant,
whose effigy figures on the city gates of
Southampton, could carry under his arm
without feeling distressed Sir Bevis with
his wife and horse. (See GIANTs.)
“As Bevis of Southampton fell upon *"
Shatkespeare: 2 IIem?'y VI., act; ii. 3.
Ascendant. In casting a horoscope
the easternmost star, representing the
house of life, is called the ascendant, be-
cause it is in the act of ascending. This
is a man’s strongest star, and so long as
it is above the horizon his fortune is
said to be in the ascendant. When a
man's circumstances begin to improve,
and things look brighter, we say his
star is in the ascendant. (See Hous Es,
STARs.)
IIouse of the Ascendant includes five
degrees of the zodiac above the point
just rising, and twenty-five below it.
|Usually, the point of birth is referred to.
The lord of the Ascendant is any planet
within the ‘‘house of the Ascendant.”
The house and lord of the Ascendant
at birth were said by astrologers to
exercise great influence on the future
life of the child. Perhaps Deborah re-
ferred to the influence of the stars when
she said “the stars in their courses
fought against Sisera.” (Judges v. 20.)
Ascension Day or Holy Thursday.
The day set apart by the Catholic and
Anglican Church to commemorate the
ascent of our Lord from earth to
heaven.
Formerly it was customary to beat the bom ºlds
of each respective parish on this day, and many
practical jokes were played even during the first
quarter of the ninefeenth century, to make the
boys remember the delimitations: such as “bump-
ing them,” pouring water clandestinely on them
from house windows, beating them with thin
rods, etc. Beating the bounds was called in Scot-
land Riding the ma1‘ches (bounds).
Asclepiadics or Asclepiadic Metre.
A Greek and Latin verse, so called from
Asclepiadès, the inventor. Each line is
divided into two parts, thus:–
The first ode of Horace is Asclepiadic.
The first and last two lines run thus,
and in the same metre :-
Dear friend, patron of song, sprung from the
race of kings; * -
Thy name ever a grace and a protection brings.
My º if to the lyre haply you chance to
wed, *
Pride would high as the stars lift my exalted
:l ( E. C. B.
Ascod'rogites (4 syl.). Certain
heretics who said “they were vessels
full of new wine '' (Greek, askos). By
new wine they meant the Gospel. (Matt.
ix. 17.)
Ascot Races. A very fashionable
“meet,” run on Ascot Heath, Berkshire
(6 miles from Windsor). The best horses
of all England compete, and at a some-
what more advanced age than at the
“great classic races” (q.v.).
Ascrae'an Poet or Sage, Hesiod,
the Greek didactic poet, born at Ascra,
in Boeotia. Virgil calls him the “Old
Ascraeon.” (Eclogues, vii, 70.)
Asgard. The fortress of the Asir or
the Northern gods, the Olympos of
Ash Tree
68
Aspen
Scandinavian mythology. It is said to be
situated in the centre of the universe, and
accessible only by the rainbow-bridge
(Bifrost). The word As means a “god,”
and gard an “enclosure,” our “yard.”
Odin was priest of Asgard before he
migrated to the Lake Logur or Moelar
Sea.
Ash Tree, or “Tree of the Universe.”
(See YggDRASIL.)
Ash Wednesday. The first Wednes-
day in Lent, so called from an ancient
Roman Catholic custom of sprinkling
ashes on the heads of those condemned
to do penance on this day.
The ashes were those of the palms, burnt on
Palm Sunday. The pessimi were sprinkled with
ashes, the less offending were signed on the fore-
head with the sign of the cross, the officiating
minister saying, “ Memento, homo, quia pulvis es,
et in pulverem reverteris.” The custom, it is
said, Was introduced by Gregory the Great.
Ashmo'lean Museum. Presented to
the University of Oxford in 1682 by
Elias Ashmole. Sometimes called the
Trades'cant, because it belonged to the
Tradescant family.
Ash'taroth. The goddess-moon in
Syrian mythology, called by Jeremiah
(vii. 18, xliv. 17, 25) “the queen of
heaven.” Goddess of the Zidonians.
“Moonéd Ashtaroth,
Heaven's queen and nother both.”
Milton : The IIymm.
Ashur. The highest god of the
Assyrians. It had the head of an
eagle and four wings, but the body
of a man.
“Out of that land went forth Asshur, and
builded Nineveh.”—(; Cn. X. II.
Asinus. As'imus as'inum fricat
(Latin, “one ass rubs another ”), that
is, we fratermise with persons like our-
selves; or, in other words, “Birds of a
feather flock together.” The allusion
Ineeds no explanation.
Aſsir. [See AESIR.]
Ask. The vulgar Aa, is the more
correct (Saxon, avia??, to ask). In as-
senting to Bills, the king used to reply,
“Be it as it is axed.” Chaucer says in
the Doctor of Medicine’s Tale, “For my
werke nothing will I axe.” Launfal,
1027, has, “Ho that wyll there axsy
justus.” Other quotations could easily
be added.
Ask and Embla. The Adam and
Eve made by Odin, one from ash-wood
and the other from elm.
Aslo. (See HORSE.)
Asmode'us [the destroyer]. The
demon of vanity and dress, called in the
Talmud “the king of devils.”
The Asmode'ſs of domestic peace (in the
Book of Tobit). Asmode/us falls in love
with Sara, daughter of Ragºuel, and
causes the death of seven husbands in
succession, each on his bridal night. After
her marriage to Tobit, he was driven
into Egypt by a charm, made by Tobias
of the heart and liver of a fish burnt on
perfumed ashes, and being pursued was
taken prisoner and bound.
“IBetter pleased
Than ASmodle'u's with the ſishy fullne
That drove him), though enalmoured, from the
Of º Son, and With a Vengeance sent
From Media post to Egypt, there fast bound.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, iv. 167-71.
Asmode'us. The companion of Don
Cle'ofas in The Devil on Two Sticks.
(Chap. iii.)
Asmode’us ſlight. Don Cleſofas, catch-
ing hold of his companion’s cloak, is
perched on the steeple of St. Salva/dor.
Here the foul fiend stretches out his
hand, and the roofs of all the houses open
in a moment, to show the Don what is
going on privately in each respective
dwelling.
“Could the reader takean Asmodeus-flight, and,
waving open all roofs and privacies, look down
from the roof of Notre Dalme, What a Paris Were
it !”—Carlyle : French I?evolution II., Yi. chap. vi.
Asſolza of Magad'ha. In the third
century the “nursing father” of Buddh-
ism, as Constantine was of Christianity.
He is called “the king beloved of the
gods.”
Aso'ors. Evil genii of the Indians.
Aspaſsia, a courtesan. She was the
most celebrated of the Greek Hetaerae, to
whom Perſiclés attached himself. On
the death of Pericles she lived with
Lys'iclés, a cattle-dealer.
* The Hetaerae of Athens were, many
of them, distinguished for talents and
accomplishments. Those of Corinth
were connected with the worship of
Aphroditë (Venus).
Aspatia, in the Maid's Tragedy, of
Beaumont and Fletcher, is noted for her
deep Sorrows, her great resignation, and .
the pathos of her speeches. Amyn’tor
deserts her, women point at her with
Scorn, she is the jest and bye-word of
every one, but she bears it all with
patience.
Aspen. The aspen leaf is said to
tremble, from shame and horror, because
our Lord’s cross was made of this wood.
The fact is this: the leaf is broad, and
Aspersions
69
ASS
placed on a long leaf-stalk so flexible
as scarcely to be able to support, it in
an upright position. The upper part
of the stalk, on which the play mainly
depends, is flattened ; and, being at
right angles with the leaf, is peculiarly
liable to be acted on by the least breath
of air.
Aspen leaf. Metaphorically, a chatter-
ing tongue, never quiet.
“Those aspen leaves of theirs never leave
wagging.”—Sir T. More. *
Asper'sions properly means “sprink-
lings” or “scatterings.” Its present
meaning is base insinuations or slanders.
** No Sweet #ersion [rain] shall the heavens
To make i. contract grow.”
Shakespeare: The Tempest, iv. 1.
Casting aspersions on one, i.e. Sprink-
ling with calumnies, slandering or in-
sinuating misconduct.
“I defy all the world to cast a just aspersion on
my character.”—Fielding : Tom Jones.
Asphalºtic Lake. The Dead Sea,
where asphalt abounds both on the
surface of the water and on the banks.
Asphalt is a bitumen. (From the Greek
asphaltos.)
As'rael. (See AZRAEL.)
Ass. (See GOLDEN ASS.)
Ass. The ass on which Mahomet
went to heaven to learn the will of God
was called Al Borak (the lightning).
Ass. There is a dark stripe running
down the back of an ass, crossed by
another at the shoulders. The tradition
is that this cross was communicated to
the creature when our Lord rode on the
back of an ass in His triumphant entry
into Jerusalem. (See CHRISTIAN TRA-
DITIONS.)
Ass, deaf to music. This tradition
arose from the hideous noise made by
“Sir Balaam ” in braying. Because
Midas had no power to appreciate music,
Apollo gave him the ears of an ass. (See
ASS-EARED.)
“A varice is as deaf to the voice of virtue,
as the ass to the Yoice of Apollo.” — Orlando
I'virioso, xvii.
An ass in a lion's skin. A coward
who hectors, a fool that apes the wise
man. The allusion is to the fable of
an ass that put on a lion’s hide, but was
betrayed when he began to bray.
An ass with two panniers. A man
walking the streets with a lady on each
arm. This occupies the whole pave-
ment, and is therefore bad manners well
meriting the reproach. In Italy they
call such a simpleton a pitcher with two
handles, his two arms akimbo forming
the two handles. In London we call it
walking bodkin, because the man is
sheathed like a bodkin and powerless.
Our expression is probably a corruption
of the French Faire le panier & deua,
anses (“put your arms akimbo” or
“make yourself a basket with two
handles”).
The ass waggeth his ears. This pro-
verb is applied to those who lack
learning, and yet talk as if they were
very wise ; men wise in their own con-
ceit. The ass, proverbial for having
no “taste for music,” will neverthe-
less wag its ears at a “concord of
sweet sounds,” just as if it could well
appreciate it.
Till the ass ascends the ladder—i.e.
Inever. A rabbinical expression. The
Romans had a similar one, Cºlm asſimus
in teg'ulis ascen/derit (when the ass
climbs to the tiles). And Buxtorf has
Si ascen/derit asſimus per scalas.
Sell your ass. Get rid of your foolish
ways.
That which thou knowest ſºot perchance
thºd ass came tell thee. An allusion to
Balaam’s ass. -
To make an ass of oneself. To do
Something very foolish. To expose
oneself to ridicule.
To mount the ass (French). To be-
come bankrupt. The allusion is to a
custom very common in the sixteenth
century of mounting a bankrupt on an
ass, with his face to its tail. Thus
mounted, the defaulter was made to ride
through the principal thoroughfares of
the town.
Asses have cars as well as pitchers.
Children, and even the densest minds,
hear and understand many a word and
hint which the speaker supposed would
pass unheeded.
Asses that carry the mysteries (as’imxts
portat myste'ria). A classical knock at
the Roman clergy. The allusion is to
the custom of employing asses to carry
the cista, which contained the sacred
symbols, when processions were made
through the streets. (Warburton : Divine
Legation, ii. 4.)
Well, well / honey is not for the ass’s
mouth. Persuasion will not persuade
fools. The gentlest words will not divert
the anger of the unreasonable.
Wrangle for an ass’s shadow. . . To
contend about trifles. The tale told by
Demosthénés is, that a man hired an ass
to take him to Megåra ; and at noon, the
sun being very hot, the traveller dis-
mounted, and sat himself down in the
shadow of the ass. Just then the owner
Ass's Bridge
70
Astarte
came up and claimed the right of sitting
in this shady spot, saying that he let out
the ass for hire, but there was no bargain
made about the ass’s shade. The two
men then fell to blows to settle the point
in dispute. A passer-by told the tra-
veller to move on, and leave the owner
of the beast to walk in the ass’s shadow
as long as he thought proper.
Ass's Bridge (The). Prop. 5, book
i. of Euclid. This is the first difficult
proposition in geometry, and stupid
boys rarely get over it the first time
without tripping.
It is the ass’s pitfall, not his bridge.
If this be rightly called the “Bridge of Asses,”
He's not the fool who sticks, but he that
paşSeS. E. C. B.
Asses (Feast of). (See Fools.)
Ass-eared. Midas had the ears of
an ass. The tale says Apollo and Pan
had a contest, and chose Midas to decide
which was the better musician. Midas
gave sentence in favour of Pan ; and
Apollo, in disgust, changed his ears into
those of an ass.
Assas'sins. A band of Carmathians,
collected by Hassan, subah of Nish'-
apour, called the Old Man of the Moun-
tai??s, because he made Mount Leb/anon
his stronghold. This band was the
terror of the world for two centuries,
when it was put down by Sultan
Bib/aris. The assassins indulged in
haschisch (bang), an intoxicating drink,
and from this liquor received their name.
(A.D. 1090.) -
“The Assassins . . . . before they attacked the
enemy, would intoxicate themselves with a
lºo Woler made of helm]) - leaves . . . . called
hashish.”—J. Wolff.
Assay' or Essay'. To take the assay
is to taste wine to prove it is not
poisoned. Hence, to try, to taste ; a
Savour, trial, or sample. Holinshed
says, “Wolsey made dukes and earls
serve him of wine with a say taken ''
(p. 847).
Edmund, in King Lear (v. 5), says
to Edgar, “Thy tongue, some say of
breeding breathes ; ” i.e. thy speech
gives indication of good breeding—it
savours of it. Hence the expression, I
Imake my first assay (trial).
“[He] makes vow before his uncle never more
To give the assay of arms against your majesty.”
Shakespectre : Hamlet, ii. 2.
A cup of assay. A cup for the assay
of wine.
To put it in assay. To put it to the
test.
Assaye Regiment. The 74th Foot,
so called because they first distinguished
themselves in the battle of Assaye, where
2,000 British and 2,500 Sepoy troops
under Wellington defeated 50,000 Mah-
rattas, commanded by French officers,
in 1803. This regiment is now called
“the 2nd Battalion of the Highland
Light Infantry.” The first battalion
was the old No. 71.
Assien’to Treaties. [Spanish, agree-
Ament treaties.] Contracts entered into
by Spain with Portugal, France, and
Lngland, to supply her South American
colonies with negro slaves. England
joined in 1713, after the peace of
Utrecht,
Ass'ine"go. A young ass, a simple-
ton (a Portuguese word).
“Thou hast no more lyrain than I have in mine
elbows; an assinego may tutor thee.”—Shake-
Speatre: Troilus (únd Cressida, ii. 1.
Assumption (Feast of the). The
15th of August, so called in honour of
the Virgin Mary, who (according to the
Roman and Greek Churches) was taken
to heaven that day (A.D. 45), in her
corporeal form, being at the time
Seventy-five years of age.
This seems Yery improbable, if Christ was
crucified A.D. 33. It would make Mary survive
her son twelye, years, and to lave been thirty
years Old at his bilºth instead of about fifteen.
Assurance. Audacity, brazen self-
confidence. ... “His assurance is quite
unbearable.”
To make assurance double sure. To
make security doubly secure. -
“But yet I’ll make assurance double sure,
And take a bond of fate.”
Shakespeare : Macbeth, iv. 1.
Astag’oras (in Jerusalem Delivered).
A female fiend, who had the power of
raising storms, and whose partners were
the three Furies: Tisiph'oné, Meg'ara,
and Alec'to.
Astar'te (3 syl.). Goddess of the
Moon, in Phoenician mythology.
“With these in troop
Calme Astoreth, Whom the Phoenicians called
Astarbé, queen of heaven, with crescent horns.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, i. 437-9.
Astarte (3 Syl.). The lady beloved
by Manfred. In order to see and speak
to her, the magician entered the hall of
Arima/nés, and the spirits called up the
phantom of the young lady, which told
the count that “to-morrow would end
his earthly ills.” When Manfred asked
her if she loved him, she sighed
“Manfred,” and vanished. (Byron :
Manfred.)
“Astarte, my helovèd, speak to me.” ..
Matºfred, ii, 4.
Astolat
71
Ate
Astolat. By some identified with
Guildford, in Surrey.
Astol’pho (in Orlando Furioso), . An
English duke (son of Otho), who joined
.Charlemagne against the Saracens. He
was carried on the back of a whale to
Alci'na’s isle ; but when Alcina, tired of
him, she turned him into a myrtle. He
was disenchanted by Melissa. Astolpho
descended into the infernal regions, and
his flight to the moon (book xviii.) is
one of the best parts of the whole poem.
(See INFERNO.)
It came upon them like a blast from
Astolpho's horº — i.e. it produced a
panic. Logistilla gave Astolpho a magic
horn, and whatever man or beast heard
its blast was seized with panic, and be-
came an easy captive. (Orlando Furioso,
book viii.)
Like Astolpho's book, it told you
everything. . The same fairy gave
Astolpho a book, which would not only
direct him aright in his journeys, but
would tell him anything he desired
to know. (Ariosto : Orlando Furioso,
book viii.)
Astoreth. (See ASHTAROTH.)
Astraea. Equity, innocence. During
the Golden Age this goddess dwelt on
earth, but when sin began to prevail, she
reluctantly left it, and was metamor-
phosed into the constellation Virgo.
“When hard-hearted interest first began
To poison earth, Astraea left the plain.”
Thomson: Castle of Indolence, canto 1.
Astral Body (The). The noumenon
of a phenomenal body. This “spirit
body '' survives after the death of the
material body, and is the “ghost” or
“double.” Macbeth's dagger was an
astral body; So, in theosophy, is the
“kama-rupa,” or mind body; and in
transubstantiation the veritable “blood
and flesh ’’ of Christ is the astral body
of the accidents “bread and wine.”
Man is supposed to consist of body, soul, and
Spirit. The last is the astral body of man.
Astral Spirits. The spirits of the
stars. According to the mythology of
the Persians, Greeks, Jews, etc., each
star has its special spirit. Paracelsus
maintained that every man had his
attendant star, which received him at
death, and took charge of him till the
great resurrection.
Astre'a. A poetical name of Mrs.
Aphra Behn, born of good family in the
reign of Charles I. Her works are very
numerous and very indecent, including
seventeen dramatic pieces. She died
1689, and was buried in Westminster
Abbey.
“The stage how loosely does Astrea tread.”
. Pope : Satires, v. 290.
Astrology. (See DIAPASON, MICRO-
COSM.)
Astronomer of Dublin (The). The
head of the chief rebel of Dublin, set on
a tall white-painted stake on the highest
point of Dublin Castle, where it remains
till it falls to decay or is replaced by
the head of a greater rebel. The Irish
say: “God send to Dublin many more
astronomers.”
“His head is poled high
Upon the castle here,
Beholding stars as though he were
A great astronomer.” IJerricle.
Astronomers Royal: (1) Flamsteed,
1675; (2) Halley, 1719 ; (3) Bradley,
1742; (4) Bliss, 1762; (5) Maskelyne,
who originated the Nautical Almanack,
1765; (6) Pond, 1811; (7) Airy, 1835;
(8) Christie, 1881.
Astrophel. , Sir Philip Sidney.
“Phil. Sid.” being a contraction of
Philos Sidus, and the Latin sidus being
changed to the Greek astron, we get
(stron-philos (star-lover). The “star ”
that he loved was Penélope Devereux,
whom he called Stella (star), and to whom
he was betrothed. Edmund Spenser
Wrote a pastoral called Astrophel, to the
memory of his friend and patron, who
tº the battle of Zutphen. (1554-
2050.
Asy'lum means, literally, a place
where pillage is forbidden (Greek, a
(negative), Sulon, right of pillage), The
ancients set apart certain places of
refuge, where the vilest criminals were
protected, both from private and public
assaults.
Asyniur. The goddesses of Asgard.
The gods were called the Æsir, the sin-
gular of which is Asa.
At. Strain at a gnat (Matt. xxiii. 24).
Greek, di-aulizo, to strain off. Here
“at” is an error, probably in the first
instance typographical, for “out.”
“Out” is given in the Bible of 1603, and
has been restored by the Revisers.
Ate (2 Syl.). Goddess of vengeance
and mischief. This goddess was driven
out of heaven, and took refuge among
the sons of men.
“With Até by his side come hot from hell,... . .
Cry 'Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war.”
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iii. 1.
Atellanae
72
Atomic Philosophy
Atella'nae or Atell'an Fables. Inter-
ludes in the Roman theatres, introduced
from Atella, in Campa/nia. The char-
acters of Macchus and Bucco are the
foundations of our Punch and Clown.
(See PUNCH.)
Ater/gata. A deity with the upper
part like a woman and the lower part
like a fish. She had a temple at AS'ca-
lon. (See DAGON.)
Athana'sian Creed, so called be-
cause it embodies the opinions of Atha-
maſsius, respecting the Trinity. It was
compiled in the fifth century by Hilary,
Bishop of Arles. - -
* In the Episcopal Prayer Book of
America, this creed is omitted.
Athei'stane (3 syl.), surnamed “The
Tſnready” (i.e. impolitic, unwise), thane
of Coningsburgh. (Sir Walter Scott :
Ivanhoe.)
Athenaeum (the review so called)
was founded by James Silk Buckingham
in 1829. It was named after the insti-
tution founded by Hadrian, where works
of art and learning were dedicated to
Athéné.
Athe'nian Bee. Plato, a native of
Athens, was so called because his words
flowed with the sweetness of honey.
Athens. The Modern Athens, i.e.
Edinburgh. Willis says that its singular
resemblance to Athens, approached from
the Piraeus, is very striking.
“An imitation Acrop'olis is commenced on the
Calton Hill, and has the effect of the Parthenon.
Hymettus is rather more lofty than the Pentland
hills, and Pentel'icus is farther off and grander
than Arthur's Sea; ; but the old Castle of Edin-
burgll is a noble feature, Superbly magnificent.”
—Pemcillings.
Athens of Ireland. Belfast.
Athens of the New World. Boston,
noted for its literary merit and institu-
tions.
Athens of the West. Cor'dova, in Spain,
was so called in the Middle Ages.
Athole Brose (Scotch). A com-
pound of oatmeal, honey, and whisky.
At Home (An). A notification sent
to friends that the lady who sends it
will be at home on the day and at the
hour specified, and will be glad to see
the persons mentioned in the card of
invitation. These “At homes '' are
enerally held in an afternoon before
dinner. Light refreshments are pro-
vided, and generally some popular games
are introduced, occasionally music and
dancing. .
Not at Home. Not disengaged, or
prepared for the reception of visitors;
not in the house.
Atin. Strife. The squire of Py-
rochlès, and stirrer up of contention.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, book ii.)
Atkins. (See TOMMY ATKINS.)
Atlante'an Shoulders. Shoulders
able to bear a great weight, like those
of Atlas, which, according to heathen
mythology, supported the whole world.
“Sage he stood,
With Atlantean shoulders fit to bear
The weight of mightiest monarchies.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, book ii. 305-7.
Atlan’tes. Figures of men, used in
architecture instead of pillars. So called
from Atlas, who in Greek mythology
Supported the world on his shoulders.
Female figures are called Caryat'idés
(q.v.). (See TELAMONES.)
Atlan’tes (3syl.) (in Orlando Furioso).
A Sage and a magician who lived in an
enchanted palace, and brought up
Roge'ro to all manly virtues.
Atlan'tic Ocean. An ocean, so called
from the Atlas mountains.
Atlant'is. A mythic island which
contained the Elysian Fields.
The New Atlantis. An island imagined
by Lord Bacon, where was established a
philosophical commonwealth bent on the
cultivation of the natural sciences. (See
UTOPIA, CITY OF THE SUN.)
Atlas. King of Maurita'nia in Africa,
fabled to have supported the world upon
his shoulders. Of course, the tale is
merely a poetical way of saying that the
Atlas mountains prop up the heavens,
because they are so lofty. We call a
book of maps an “Atlas,” because it
contains Or holds the world. The word
was first employed in this sense by Mer-
caſtor, and the title-page of his collec-
tion of maps had the figure of Atlas
with the world on his back,
“Bid Atlas, propping heaven, as poets feign,
His Subterranean WolnderS Spread . "
Thomson : Autumn, 797-8.
Atman, in Buddhist philosophy, is the
noumenon of one’s own self. Not the
Ego, but the ego divested of all that is
objective ; the “spark of heavenly
flame.” t
“The unseen and unperceivable, which was
formerly called the soul, was now called the self,
Atman. Nothing could be predicated of it ex-
cept that it was, that it perceived and thought,
and that it must be blessed.” — Mata: Muller:
Nineteenth Century, May, 1893, p. 777.
Atom’ic Philosophy. The hypo-
thesis of Leucippus, Democritus, and
Epicurus, that the world is composed
of a congeries of atoms, or particles of
Atomic Theory -
7
3
Atticus
matter so minute as to be incapable of
further diminution.
Of course it is quite impossible even to think of
a portion of matter which has not an upper and
under side, with some breadth and thickness.
“According to Democrytus, the expounder of the
Atomic Theory of matter, images composed of
the finest atoms floated from the object to the
mind.”—McCosh : Psychological Cognitive P07067's,
I). 23.
Atom'ic Theory. That all elemental
bodies consist of aggregations of atoms,
not united fortuitously, but according to
fixed proportions. The four laws of
Dalton are—constant proportion, recip-
rocal proportion, multiple proportion,
and compound proportion.
‘. This has nothing to do with the atomic
theory of Leucippus. It merely means that gases
and other elements always combine in certain
known l’atioS OF unitS.
Atom'ic Volume. The space occu-
pied by a quantity, compared with, or
in proportion to, atomic weight.
Atom'ic Weight. The weight of an
atom of an element, compared with an
atom of hydrogen, the standard of unity.
Atos'sa. Sarah, Duchess of Marl-
borough, so called by Pope, because she
was the friend of Lady Mary Wortley
Montague, whom he calls Sappho. He-
rod'otus says that Atossa, the mother
of Xerxes, was a follower of Sappho.
Atrip. The anchor is atrip when it
has just been drawn from the ground
in a perpendicular direction. A sail is
atrip when it has been hoisted from the
cap, and is ready for trimming. The
word is from the Norwegian and Danish
trip, a short step.
Attaint. A term in chivalry, mean-
ing to strike the helmet and shield of an
antagonist so firmly with the lance, held
in a direct line, as either to break the
lance or overthrow the person struck.
Hence to “attaint of treason,” etc.
“Attaint was a term of tilting, used to express
the champion's having attained his mark, gr, in
other words, struck his lance straight and fair
against the helmet, or breast of his adversary.”—
Sir Walter Scott: The Monastery (note).
Attercop. An ill-tempered person,
who mars all sociability. Strictly speak-
ing, the attercop is the poison-spider.
(Anglo-Saxon, atter, poison ; cop, spider.
Our cob-web should be cop-web, i.e.
spider-web.)
Attic Bee (The). Soph'oclés, the
tragic poet, a native of Athens ; so
called from the great sweetness of his
compositions. (B.C. 495-405.)
Attic Bird (The). The nightingale;
so called because Philomel was the
daughter of the King of Athens.
- - “Where the Attic bird
Trills her thick-warbled notes the summer long.”
Milton, ; Paradise Regatiºned, iv. 245–6.
Attic Boy (The). Cephâlos, beloved
by Aurora or Morn; passionately fond
of hunting.
“Till ciyil-suited Morn appear
Not tricked and frounced, as
With the Attig boy to hunt,
But kerchiefed in a con'; à Ciollſ.”
4
ſiltoºl, Il P677S67'OsO.
Attic Faith. Inviolable faith, the
very opposite of “Punic Faith.”
Attic Muse (The). Xenophon, the
historian, a native of Athens; so called
because the style of his composition is a
model of elegance. (B.C. 444-359.)
Attic Order, in architecture, a square
column of any of the five orders. (See
ORDERS.) k
Attic Salt. Elegant and delicate wit.
Salt, both in Latin and Greek, was a
common term for wit, or sparkling
thought well expressed: thus Cicero
says, “Scipio omnes sale Supera'bat’”
(Scipio surpassed all in wit). The
Athenians were noted for their wit and
elegant turns of thought, and hence
Attic salt means wit as pointed and
delicately expressed as by the Athenians.
“Attic point,” wit. -
Attic Science.
Attic Greek.
Attics, Attic Storey. Attics are the
rooms in the attic storey, and the attic
storey generally is an extra storey made
in the roof. In the Roman and Renais-
sance styles of architecture the low storey
above the cornice or entablature is called
the “Attic.” Professor Goldstücker
derives the word from the Sanskrit
attaka (a room. On the top of a house).
(See The Transactions of the Philo-
logical Society, 1854.)
Attic storey. The head; the body
being compared to a house, the head is
the highest, or attic storey.
“Here a gentleman present, who llad in his attic
More pepper than brains, shrieked: ‘The man's
a fanatic.’”
Lowell: Fable for Critics (stanza 50).
Ill furnished in the attic storey. Not
clever, dull.
Queer in the attic storey. Fuddled,
partially intoxicated.
Atticus. The most elegant and
finished scholar of the Romans. His
admirable taste and sound judgment
were so highly thought of that even
Cicero submitted to him several of his
treatises. -
3.
She was wont
A knowledge of
Attingians
*
4
Augsburg Confession
The English Atticus. Joseph Addison;
so called by Pope, on account of his
refined taste and philosophical mind.
(1672–1719.)
The Christian Atticus. Reginald
Hº Bishop of Calcutta. (1783–
1826. -
The Irish Atticus. George Faulkner;
so called by Lord Chesterfield. (1700-
1775.)
Attin'gians. Heretics of the eighth
century, who solemnised baptism with
the words, “I am the living water.”
(Attin, a name of Neptune.)
Attock. The forbidden river, beyond
which no pure Hindoo can pass.
Attorney, Solicit or (French,
atourner, to attorn, or turn over to
another). One legally qualified to
manage matters in law for others, and
to prosecute or defend others, as the case
may be. . A solicitor is one who solicits
or petitions in Courts of Equity on
behalf of his clients. At one time
solicitors belonged to Courts of Equity,
and attorneys to the other courts.
From and after Act 36,37. Vict. lxvi. 87, “all
persons admitted as Solicitors, attorneys, or
proctors . . . . . . empowered to practise in any
court, the jurisdiction of which is llereby trans-
iérred to the High Court of Justice, or the Court
of Appeal, shall be called Solicitors of the Su-
prene Court.” (1873.)
Power of Attorney. Legal au-
thority given to another to collect rents,
pay wages, invest money, Or to act in
matters stated in the instrument on your
behalf, according to his own judgment.
In such cases quod aliquis facit per ali-
quem, facit per se.
Warrant of Attorney. The legal in-
strument which confers on another the
“Power of Attorney.”
Aſtys. Metamorphosed into a fir-tree
by Cybelé. See the poem by Catullus,
translated by Leigh Hunt.
Au Courant (French), “acquainted
with ” (lit. =in the current [of events]).
To keep one and courant of everything
that passes, is to keep One familiar with,
or informed of, passing events.
Au Fait (French). Skilful, thorough
master of; as, He is quite at fait in those
matters, i.e. quite master of them or
conversant with them.
Au Grand Sérieux (French).
sober earnest.
“We are not asked to take these narratives (tw.
grand sérieua. They are rather sketches of the
past, illustrating what could have been done,
find may be done again by Wolmen . . . . .”—
§"; amid Queries (Notes on Books, June 10, 1893,
p. 459).
In
Au Pied de la Lettre (French).
Literatim et verbatim ; according to the
strict letter of the text.
“In reading au pied de la lettre the story of his
[Buddha's] fatal illness supervened on a meal of
dried boar's flesh,' served to him by a certain
Kunda.”—Nineteenth Century (June, 1893, p. 1020).
Au Revoir (French). “Good bye
for the present.” Literally, till seeing
$/02 affair?.
Aubry's Dog. (See DOG.)
Au'deanism. The doctrine of Au’-
deus of Mesopotamia, who lived in the
fourth century. He maintained that the
Old Testament justifies the belief that
God has a sensible form (Gen. i. 26).
Audhum’la [the nourishing power],
in Scandinavian mythology, is the cow
created by Surt to nourish Ymir. She
supplied him with four rivers of milk,
and was herself nourished by licking the
rocks. (See YMIR.)
* Bör, the first man, was made by
Audhumla licking salt from the Snow.
Odin was the son of Bör.
The breath of Audhunila was very sweet, but
llel' inlilk Wºl,S ])ittel'.
Audley. We will John Audley it,
i.e. abridge it. A theatrical phrase.
In the eighteenth century one Shuter
had a travelling company which visited
different fairs. It was his custom to
lengthen out his performance till a
goodly number of newcomers had col-
lected on the open stage of his theatre,
when a boy called out John Audley, and
the play which was going on inside was
brought to an end as soon as possible.
(1759.)
Aud’rey.
jilted William for Touchstone.
speare : As You Like It.)
Auge'an Stables. The stables of
Augéas, King of Elis, in Greece. In
these stables he had kept 3,000 Oxen,
and the stalls had not been cleansed for
thirty years. When Herculés was ap-
pointed to cleanse these stables, he
caused two rivers to run through them.
To cleanse the Augean stables. To
clear away an accumulated mass of
corruption, moral, religious, physical, or
legal. To reform wrongs almost past
the power of man to tackle.
Augsburg Confession. The chief
standard of faith in the Lutheran
church. So called because, while the
Diet of the German Empire was sitting
at Augsburg, in 1530, the confession of
faith drawn up by Melancthon and
Luther was presented to Charles W.
A country wench, who
(Shake-
August
Aunt Sally
Au'gury means properly the func-
tion of an augur (perhaps from aviºn
garritus). St. Pierre says: “The
first navigators, when out of sight of
land, watched the flight of birds, as
indications of the shore, and with no
other guidance discovered many new
islands.” From this custom (he says)
arose the practice of consulting birds
before entering on any important enter-
prise. (Studies.)
August. The sixth month (beginning
from March) was once called sea:tilis,
but was changed to Augustus in com-
pliment to Augustus Caesar of Rome,
whose “lucky month '' it was, in which
occurred many of his most fortunate
events.
The preceding month (July), origin-
ally called Quintilis, had already been
changed to Julius in honour of Julius
Caesar.
Augusta. London ; SO called by the
Romans.
“Oft let me wander o'er the dewy fields,
... . . . . . . . . . . Q1 21S.Cellſ
Some enlinence, Augusta, in thy plains,
And See the country far diffused around.”
Thomson : Spring, 102, 107-9.
Augustan Age. The best literary
period of a nation ; SO called from Au-
gustus, the Emperor of Rome, the most
palmy time of Latin literature. Horace,
Ovid, Propertius, Tibullus, Virgil, etc.,
flourished in this reign.
Augustan Age of English Literature.
Beginning in the reign of Elizabeth and
ending in that of James I. For list of
authors, see Historic Note-book, p. 59.
Augustan Age of China, France,
Germany, Hindústan, Portugal, etc., see
ditto.
Augustan. History. A series of
histories of the Roman Empire from 157
to 285, ascribed to the six following
authors : Delius Spartiánus, Julius
Capitolinus, AElius Lampridius, Vul-
catius Gallicanus, Trebellius Pollio, and
Flavius Vopiscus.
Augustine (The Second). Thomas
Aquinas, also called the Angelic Doctor.
(1224-1275.)
Augustinians. Friars or nuns of
the Augustine Order, established in the
eleventh century in commemoration of
St. Augustine, and in imitation of the
ancient order founded by him in the
fourth century.
Those who believe, on the authority
of St. Augustine, in absolute predestina-
tion and effectual grace. That is, that
predestination is quite independent of
man, and that grace has no reference to
preceding piety and moral conduct, but
is ...youchsafed by God’s own absolute
will. Whom He would He did pre-
destinate, and “whom He did predes-
timate, them. He also called ” (Romans
viii. 30).
Augustus. No proper name, but a
mere title given to Octavian, because
he was head of the priesthood. In the
reign of Diocletian the two emperors
were each styled Augustus (sacred
majesty), and the two viceroys Caesar.
Prior to that time Haſdrian limited the
title of Casar to the heir presumptive.
Attſ/ºstets. Philippe II. of France; so
called because he was born in the month
of August. (1165, 1180-1223.)
º II. of Poland. (1520, 1548–
572.
Aulay, in Indian mythology, is the
horse with a huge trunk, on which Baly
the giant rode.
“Through these wide portals oft lºad Baly rode
Triumphant from his proud abode,
When, in his greatness, he best rode
The Aulay, lugest of four-footed kind.
The Aulay-horse, that in his force
With elephantine trunk, could bind
And lift the elephant, and on the wind
Whill him away, with sway and swing,
IE’en like a pebble from the practised siing.”
Southey : Curse of I(ehama, xvi. 2.
Auld Brig and New Brig, of Robert
Burns, refers to the bridges over the
river Ayr, in Scotland.
Auld Hornie. After the establish-
ment of Christianity, the heathen deities
were degraded by the Church into fallen
angels; and Pan, with his horns, crooked
nose, goat’s beard, pointed ears, and
goats’ feet, was transformed to his Sa-
tanic majesty, and called Old Horny.
“O thou, whatever title suit thee,
Auld Hornie, Satan, Nick, or Clootie.”
But?”.S.
Auld Reekie. Edinburgh old town;
so called because it generally appears
to be capped by a cloud of “reek” or
Smoke.
Aulic Council. The council of the
Raiser in the old German Empire, from
which there was no appeal (1495-1806)
(Latin, aula, a court). The name is
now given in Austria, to a council of
Vienna, which manages the war depart-
ment of the Austrian Empire.
Aunt Sally. A game in which a
wooden head is mounted on a pole. The
fun of the game is to knock the nose of
the figure, or break the pipe stuck in its
mouth. This is to be done by throwing
at it, from a stated distance, a short
club. The word aunt was anciently
Aureola,
76
Autolycus
*
applied to any old woman: thus, in
Shakespeare, Puck speaks of .
“The wisest aunt telling the saddest tale.”
Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.
Aure'ola. A circle of light, emble-
matical of glory, placed by the old
painters round the heads of martyrs and
saints. The notion was derived from
IExod. xxv. 25. Facies coro'nam azºré'olam
(“Thou shalt by thine own merits make
for thyself a crown, besides that of gold
which God has promised to the faith-
ful”), (Donne: Sermons). Strictly speak-
ing, the glory confined to the head alone
is a nimbus, and only when it envelops
the entire body is it called an aureola.
Du Cange informs us that the aureola of nuns
is white, of martyrs red, and of doctors greem.
‘. The nimbus of a Christ. should contain a
cross; of the Virgin Mary, a circlet of stars; of
God the Father, a triangle with rays; of a living
Saint, a Square without rays. ... - *
“They say, who know the life divine,
And upward gaze with eagle eyne,
That by each golden crown on high,
Rich with celestial jewelry, -
Which for our Lord's redeemed is set,
There hangs a radiant coronet, -
All gemned with pure and living light
Too dazzling for a sinner's sight,
Prepared for virgin souls, and them
Who Seek the martyr's diadem.”
ICeble : Christiaº, ) eſt?".
Au'ri. Auri sacra famés (the cursed
hunger for wealth), applied to that rest-
less craving for money which is almost a
II].OIlOIOlajilla.
Aurora. Early morning. Accord-
ing to Grecian mythology, the goddess
Aurora, called by Homer “rosy-fin-
gered,” sets out before the sun, and is
the pioneer of his rising.
“You cannot shut the windows of the sky,
Thrºugh which Aurora, shows her brightening
g Thomson: Castle of Indolence, canto ii. 3.
Attrora’s tears. The morning dew.
. Aurora Australis. The Southern
lights, a similar phenomenon to the
“Aurora Borealis.”
Aurora Borea'lis (Latin). The elec-
trical lights occasionally seen in the
northern part of the sky; also called
“ Northern Lights,” and “Merry
Dancers.” (See DERWENTwATER.)
Aurora Raby. A rich, noble English
Orphan ; left to the care of guardians; a
Catholic in religion; and in person
“A rose with all its sweetest leaves yet folded.”
Byron : Don Juſtºm, xy. 43.
Auro'ra Septentrionalis. Same
as Aurora, Austrălis (q.v.).
Ausonia. An ancient name of Italy;
So called from Auson, son of Ulysses, and
father of the Auso'nés. -
“All the green delights Ausonia pours.”
Thomson Summer, 956.
Auspices. Under your good antspices,
i.e. through your influence, or the in-
fluence of your good name. In Rome
only the Commander-in-Chief wasallowed
to take the auspices of war. If a legate
gained a victory, he was said to win it
under the good auspices of his superior
in command.
“Auspex' is from avisper (avis and
spicio), one who observes the flight, etc.,
of birds. -
Auster. A wind pernicious to flowers
and health. In Italy one of the South
winds was so called; its modern name is
the Sirocco. (Greek, austeros, hot, dry).
In England it is a damp wind, generally
bringing wet weather.
“Nought but putrid streams and noisome fogs,
For ever hung on drizzly Auster's beard.”
Thomsom, : Castle of Indolence, ii. 78.
Austin Friars. Friars of the Order
of St. Augustine. (See BEGGING...)
Austrian Lip. The thick under-lip,
characteristic of the house of Hapsburg.
Derived from Cymburgis, daughter of
Ziemovitz, Duke of Masovia, and niece
of the then King of Poland. Cymburgis
was noted for her beauty and unusual
strength.
Aut Caesar aut nullus [Latin,
Either Caesa” or no one], everything or
nothing ; all or not at all. Caesar used
to Say, “he would sooner be first in a
village than second at Rome.” Milton
makes Satan say,
“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heaven.”
- Milton : Par. Lost, i. 263.
(See SIX.)
Authentic Doctor. Gregory of
Rimſini. (Fourteenth century.)
Auto da Fe. [An act of faith..] A
day set apart by the Inquisition for the
examination of “heretics.” Those not
acquitted were burnt. The reason why
inquisitors burnt their victims was, be-
cause they are forbidden to “shed
blood”; an axiom of the Roman Cath-
olic Church being, “JEcclesia mom mowit
Sø'ſ/ttiſtem ’’ (the church is untainted
with blood).
Autolycus. The craftiest of thieves.
He stole the flocks of his neighbours, and
changed, their marks. Sisyphos out-
witted him by marking his sheep under
their feet, a device which so tickled the
rogue that he instantly “cottoned” to
him. Shakespeare introduces him in
The Winter’s Tale as a pedlar, and says
he was called the son of Mercury, because
Automation
77
A Vern US
he was born under that “thieving
planet.”
“Autolycus is no lapidary, though he drives a
roaring trade in flash jewellery.” — Pall Mall
Gazette.
Autom'aton—plural, aºtomatoms or
automata. Machines which imitate the
actions, etc., of living creatures. The
most famous are the following:—(1) The
pigeon that could fly, made, B.C. 400, by
Archytas, of Tarentum ; (2) the wooden
eagle of Regiomonta'nus, the German,
which flew from the city of Koenigsberg
to meet the emperor, saluted him, and
returned, 1436-1476; (3) the duck of
Waucanson of Grenoble, which could eat
and drink, and even in a way digest
food; its wings, viscera, bones, etc.,
minutely resembled those of a living
animal. Vaucanson also made an image
of Pan, which, at the beck of Syrinx,
rose from his seat, played on his pipe,
bowed when applauded, and sat down
again. He also made an asp which,
On being touched by an actress, in the
character of Cleopatra, flew at her breast
with a malignant hiss. Louis XV. set
him to make a human figure, but he died
before he had completed it. (Greek,
autos-mao, I self-move.) (See ANDROID.)
* Pierre Droz and his son Louis were
noted for their automatons; so was
Frederick of Knause (Vienna). The
chess-player of Wolfgang, baron of
ICempelen, in 1784, created quite a furor
in Paris. Napoleon on one occasion
played chess with this automaton. (See
BRAZEN HEADS.)
Autom'edon. A coachman. He was
the charioteer of Achilles.
Autumn. He is come to his autumn,
i.e. to be hanged, to his “fall.”
pun on the plan of “turning a man off ''
by dropping the plank on which he
stands. The drop is the “leaf,” and
autumn is called the “fall,” or “fall of
the leaf.”
Alva, in Burmah, has marble quarries
of which idols are made, and only priests
are allowed to trade there. (Symes, vol.
ii. p. 376.)
“As on Ava's shore,
Where none but priests are priviléged to trade
In that best marble of which gods are made.”
T. MoCºre: Lalla, Roolch, part 1.
Avalanche (3 Syl.) means properly
Something which goes downwards
(French, d wal). The word is applied to
a mass of Snow mixed with earth, ice,
and stones, which slips down a mountain
side to the lower ground. Metaphoric-
ally, we speak of an “avalanche of
applause,” an “avalanche of bouquets”
showered on the stage, etc.
Avalon. An ocean island, where
Ring Arthur resided and was buried.
The word means “ Apple island ” (aval,
apple ; yº’, island); and it is generally
thought to mean Glastonbury, a name
derived from the Saxon glastn (green
like glass).
Avant Courier. (French, avant
cottºrier.) A “messenger sent before ”
to get things ready for a party of tra-
vellers, or to announce their approach.
Anything said or done to prepare the
way for something more important to
follow; a feeler, a harbinger.
Avant Garde. (French.) The van
or advanced guard of an army.
Avatar'. The advent to earth of a
deity in a visible form. The ten avăța'ras
of Vishnu, in Hindú mythology, are by
far the most celebrated. 1st advent, in
the form of a fish; 2nd, in that of a
tortoise; 3rd, of a hog; 4th, of a mon-
ster, half man, and half lion, to destroy
the giant Iranian ; 5th, in the form of a
dwarf (this Avâtar is called Varumna);
6th, in human form, under the name of
Rāma, ; 7th, under the same figure and
name, to slay the thousand-armed giant
CartaSuciriargunan; 8th, as a child mamed
|Krishna, who performed numerous mir-
acles (this is the most memorable of
all the advents); 9th, under the form
of Buddha. These are all past. The
10th advent will be in the form of a
white horse (Kalki) with wings, to
destroy the earth. -
“In Vishnu land what ayatar 2
Or Who in Moscow, towards the czar 2"
- Bº'ow?????g.
Ave Mari'a [Hail, Mary II (Ave, 2
syl.). The first two words of the
angel’s salutation to the Virgin Mary.
(Luke i. 28.) In the Roman Catholic
Church the phrase is applied to an in-
vocation to the Virgin beginning with
those words; and also to the smaller
beads of a rosary, the larger ones being
termed pater-720sters.
Avenel (2 syl.). White Lady of
Avenel. A tutelary spirit in Scott's
Monastery.
Avenger of Blood (The). The man
who, in the Jewish polity, had the right
of taking vengeance on him who had
slain one of his kinsmen. The Avenger
in Hebrew is called goël.
Cities of refuge were appointed for the pro-
tection of homicides, and of those who had
caused another’s death by accident. The Koran
sanctions the Jewish custom. Family feuds
have been a common hunting ground of poets
and novelistS.
Aver'nus (Greek, a-07%is, “without
a bird”). A lake in Campania, so called
Avertin
from the belief that its sulphurous and
mephitic vapours killed any bird that
happened to inhale them. Poets call it
the entrance to the infernal regions;
hence the proverb, The descent to Avernus
is easy, but coming back again is quite
another matter, meaning that all bad
habits are easily acquired, but very hard
to be abandoned.
Avertin (St.). The patron saint of
lunatics; so called from the French
avertimetta (lunatics).
Avesta. The sacred Scriptures of the
Magians, composed by Zoroaster. Better
known as the Zend-Avesta or “living
word in the Zend language.”
Aveugle. Son of Erebus and Nox.
(Spenser : Faërie Queene.)
Avie'nus. A writer of fables in the
decline of the Roman empire. In the
Middle Ages, a collection of fables used
to be called Avlynet, or Esopet.
A vinculo matrimonii (Latin).
Divorced from marriage ties. A total
divorce. A divorce a memsa et thoro is
a partial divorce. The divorce a vinculo
matrimonii is because the marriage was
never legal, as in the case of bigamy, or
marriage within the prohibited degrees;
but a divorce a memsa et thoro is because
the parties cannot live together from
incompatibility of temper, in which case
they may, if they choose, come together
again.
Aviz. An order of knighthood in
Portugal, founded by Sancho I., and
having for its object the subjugation of
the Moors.
Avoid Etxremes. The wise saw of
Pittacos of Mitylene. (B.C. 652-569.)
Avoir. Avoir Martel en tête (French).
To be distracted. Martel is a hammer,
hence distraction, torment, torture. -
Avoirdupois. French, avoir, aver or
(ºvier, goods in general, and poise=poids
(weight). Not the verb, but the noun
avoir. Properly avoir de poids (goods
having weight), goods sold by weight.
We have the word aver, meaning goods
in general, hence also cattle; whence
Such compounds as aver-corn, aver-
penny, aver-silver, aver-land, and so on.
Wehave also thenoun “having, havings”
= possessions. -
There is a common French phrase avoir dupoids
(to be weight), with which our word avoirdupois
has been muddled up. .
“Pared my present havings [property] to bestow
My bounties upon you.” - - -
Shakespeare: Henry VIII., iii. 2.
78
Sonal interest to answer.
Axin Ornancy
“One of your having, and yet cark and care.”
TuSes' Looking Glass.
Even medicines, as wholesale goods, are bought
and Sold by a Yoirdupois Weight.
A-weather. The reverse of a-lee.
“A-weather ” is towards the weather,
or the side on which the wind strikes.
“A-lee” is in the lee or shelter, and
therefore opposite to the wind side; as
helm a-weather. -
Awkward. French, gauche, not dex-
terous. Awk means the left hand.
Hence in Holland’s Plutarch we have
“The awke or left hand”; and again,
“They receive her awkly when she pre-
senteth ... the right hand.” (See
SINISTER.)
Awkward Squad. In military lan-
guage means recruits not yet fitted to
take their place in the regimental line.
‘... A squad is a troop or company of soldiers
under a Sergeant. It is a contraction of squad-
ron, A. Squadron of cavalry is the unit of a
regiment. Three or four squadrons make a regi-
ment, and a certain number of regiments con-
Stitute an alluy. In naval affairs a Squadron is a
Section of a fleet.
Awl. “I’ll pack up my awls and
be gone,” i.e. all my goods. The play is
on awl and all.
Axe. “ To hang up one’s awe.” To
retire from business, to give over a use-
less project. The allusion is to the
ancient battle - axe, hung up to the
gods when the fight was done. All
classical scholars will call to mind the
allusion of Horace to a similar Roman
custom. Being snubbed by Pyrrha,
he says, “He will hang up his axé
upon her wall,” or more literally, his
“drenched garments on the temple-
walls of Neptune.” (1 Odes, V. 14-17.)
(See ASK.)
To put the axe on the helve. To solve
a difficulty. To hit the right nail on
the head.
To send the awe after the helpe. To
Spend good money after bad, or under
the hope of recovering bad debts.
Fle has an awe to grind. Some selfish
motive in the background ; some per-
Franklin tells
of a man who wanted to grind his axe,
but had no one to turn the grindstone.
Going to the yard where he saw young
Franklin, he asked the boy to show him
how the , machine worked, and kept
praising him till his axe was ground,
and then laughed at him for his pains.
Axinoman'cy. Divination by an
axe ; much practised by the ancient
Greeks with a view of discovering
Ayah
Azymites
crime. An agate was placed on a red-
hot axe, and indicated the guilty person
by its motion. (Greek, aa'iné manteia.)
Ayah (Anglo-Indian). A native
Hindú nurse or lady’s maid.
“The ayahs, or nurses, are said to be the best in
tº world"—h. Taylor ; Visit to India, chap. ii.
}}. 37.
Aye'shah (3 Syl.). Mahomet's second
and favourite wife. He married her
when she was only nine years old, and
died in her arms.
Ayr'shire Poet. Robert Burns, born
near the town of Ayr. (1759-1796.)
Azaz'el. The scape-goat ; SO called
by the Jews, because the high priest
cast lots on two goats; one lot was for
the Lord, and the other lot for Azazel or
Satan, and the goat on which the latter
lot fell was the scape-goat.
Azaziel. A Seraph who fell in love
with An'ah, a granddaughter of Cain.
When the flood came, he carried her
under his wing to some other planet.
(Byron : Heaven and Earth.)
Azazil. In Milton’s Paradise Lost,
Azazil is the standard-bearer of the in-
fernal host. According to the Koran,
when God commanded the angels to
worship Adam, Azazil replied, “Why
should the son of fire fall down before a
son of clay ?” and God cast him out of
heaven. His name was then changed
to Eblis, which means “despair.”
“Then *ight commands that at the warlike
S()ll]] (
Of trumpets loud, and clarions, be upreared
His mighty standard ; that proud honour
claimed. .
Azazil, as his right, a cherub tall.” -
Milton : Paradise Lost, book i. 531-4.
Azim. The young convert who joined
“the creed and standard ” of the veiled
prophet of Khorassan, in Moore's Lalla
Rooſch. When he was witness of the
prophet's infamy, he joined the caliph's
army, and was mainly instrumental in
defeating that of the veiled prophet.
Az'o, Marquis of Esté, married Pari-
si'na, who fell in love with Hugo, a
natural son of Azo. The marquis
ordered Hugo to be beheaded; but no
one knows what the fate of Parisi'na.
was. Azo, at any rate, married again,
and had a family. his Azo was in
reality Niccolo of Ferra'ra. (Byron :
JParisima.)
A’zor's Mirror. Zemi'ra is the name
of the lady, and Azor that of the bear,
in Marmontel's tale of Beauty and the
Peast. Zemira, entreats the kind
monster to let her see her father, if only
for a few moments; so drawing aside a
curtain, he shows him to her in a magic
mirror. This mirror was a sort of tele-
Scope, which rendered objects otherwise
too far off distinctly visible.
Az'oth. The panace'a of Paracelsus,
regarded by his followers as “the tinc-
ture of life.”
Az'rael (3 Syl.). The angel that
watches over the dying, and takes the
Soul from the body. The angel of death.
IHe will be the last to die, but will do so
at the second trump of the archangel.
“The Mohammedan doctors say that Azrael was
COlmmissioned to inflict the penalty of death on all
mankind.”—H. Christmas.
The wings of Azrael. The approach
of death ; the signs of death coming on
the dying.
“Those who listen in the . . . watches of the
night for the Wings of Azrael.”—Besant,
Az'rafil. The archangel commissioned
to blow the trumpet of the resurrection.
(The Iſoran,)
Aztecs. An indigenous people of
Mexico who, in 1325, founded Tenoch-
titlam. They were in the zenith of
their power in the fourteenth and fif-
teenth centuries. When the Spaniards
arrived, their king was Montezuma ;
their supreme god was Taoti; and
Huitzilopochtli was the divine protector
of their nation, to whom they offered
human victims.
Azucena. An old gipsy who stole
Man'rico, infant son of Garzia, the
Conte di Luna's brother. (Perdi : Il
Trovatore.)
Azure. Sky blue. Represented in
royal arms by the planet Jupiter, in
noblemen’s by the sapphire. The
ground of the old shield of France was
azure. Emblem of fidelity and truth.
Represented in heraldic devices by hori-
Zontal lines.
Azu'riel. The fairy who owned what
we call Holland Park. King Oberon
gave him his daughter Kenna in mar-
riage when he drove Albion from his
empire. Albion invaded Kensington, the
territory of King Oberon, but was slain
in battle by Azuriel. (Tickell.)
Az'ymites (3 syl.). The Roman Cath-
olics are so called by the Greek Church,
because the holy wafers used by them
in the eucharist are made of unleavened
bread. (Greek, azāmos, unleavened.)
TS 80 Babel
B Arthur Orton, “the Tichborne Claim-
º º - ant.” Supposed to denote “Baronet of
IB. This letter is the º, of a British Kingdom.”
house. It is called in Hebrew beth (a Baal-Peor or Bel’pheffor … r.”
ovnfi * ~~~ - gº phegor. The Pria'-
hºise), , in Egyptian hierology this pºiſés jºidiaries.
letter is a sheep.
B stands for 300. Scit B. trecentum
Sibi cognáčºm retinére. And, again, Et
J3. trecentum per se retinere videtúr. But
with a line above, it denotes 3,000.
For Becarre and Bemol (French for B sharp
and B flat), See BECARIRE.
Marked with a B (French), i.e. a poor
thing. In the French language almost
all personal defects begin with the letter
B; e.g. bigle (squint-eyed), borgºte (one-
eyed), bossu (humpty), boiteita (lame),
t
€10C.
Mot to know B from a battledoor. To
be quite illiterate, not to know even his
letters. Miege tells us that hornbooks
used to be called battledoors. The
phrase might therefore originally mean
not to know the B of, from, or out of,
your hornbook. But its more general
meaning is “not able to distinguish one
letter from another.”
“He knoweth not a B from a battledoore.”—
Howell ; Emglish Proverbs.
“IDistinguish a B from a battledore.”—Delcker :
Gºlls Horquebook.
I know B from a Bull's foot. Similar
to the proverb, “I know a hawk from
a hernshaw.” (See HAWK.) The bull’s
parted hoof somewhat resembles a B.
“There were members who scarcely knew B
from a bull's foot.” — Brackenbridge: Modern
Chivalry.
B. C. Marked with B.C. (bad
character). When a soldier disgraced
himself by insubordination he was
formerly marked with “B. C.” before
he was drummed out of the regiment.
B. and S. Brandy and soda-water.
B. R. S. The name of “residence ’’
given by officers in mufti, who do not
wish to give up their address. The word
stands for Barrac K.S.
B Flats. Bugs. The pun is “B”
(the initial letter), and “flat,” from the
flatness of the obnoxious insect. Also
called Norfolk Howards, from Mr. Bugg,
who advertised in the Times that he
should in future change his name into
“Norfolk Howard.” (See F SHARP.)
B.'s. Four B.’s essential for social
Success. Blood, brains, brass, brads
(money). (American.)
JBeware of the B.'s, i.e. the British.
A Carlow caution.
B. of B. K. Some mysterious initials
applied to himself in his diary by
Baal Samin. The god of celestial
places.
Baal Shemesh. The Sun-god.
Baal Zeboub [Beelzebub], god of
corruption or of flies. (See FLIES.)
Baba. Same as papa (Turkish). Ali-
|baba is “father Ali.”
Babau. The bogie with which
nurses in Languedoc terrify unruly
children.
Babes in the Wood.
trustful folks,
easily gulled.
(2) Insurrectionary hordes that in-
fested the mountains of Wicklow and
the woods of Enniscorthy towards the .
close of the eighteenth century. (See .
CHILDREN.)
(3) Men in the stocks or in the pillory.
Babes (Deities of), in Rome. VATI-
CAN, or, more correctly, VAGITAN-US
(q.v.), the god who caused infants to
utter their first cry. FABULIN-US
(7.7).), the god to whom Roman parents
made an offering when an infant uttered
its first word. CUBA (q.v.), the goddess
who kept infants quiet in their cots.
DOMIDU/CA, the goddess who brought
young children safe home, and kept
guard over them when out of their
parents’ sight.
Babies in the Eyes. That is, love
in the expression of the eyes. Love is
the little babe Cupid, and hence the
conceit, originating from the reflection
of the onlooker in the pupil of another’s
eyes
(1) Simple
never Suspicious, and
“In each of her two crystal eyes
Simileth a naked boy [Cupid].”
Lord Surrey.
She clung about his neck, gave him ten kisses,
Toyed with his locks, looked babies in his
eyes.” Heywood : Love's Mistress.
Babel. A perfect Babel. A thorough
confusion. “A Babel of sounds.” A.
confused uproar, in which nothing can
be heard but hubbub. The allusion is
to the confusion of tongues at Babel.
(Genesis xi.) -
“God . . . comes down to see their city,
. . . . . . . . and in derision Sets
Tºpon their tongues a various spirit, to raze
Quite out their native language, aná instead
To sow a jangling noise of words unknown.
Forthwith a hideous gabble rises loud
Among the builders; each to other calls
Not understood. . . . Thus was the building left
Ridiculous, and the Work Confusion named.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, xii. 48-62,
Babouc
81
Bacchus
Babouc. (See BACBUc.)
Babouin. Taisez-vous, petite baboutim;
laissez parlez votre mere, qui est plus sage
que volts. The tale or fable is this: A
girl One day went to make an offering to
Venus, and prayed the goddess to give
her for husband a young man on whom
she had fixed her affections. A young
fellow happened at the time to be behind
the image of Cupid, and hearing the
petition, replied, “So fine a gentleman
is not for such as you.” The voice
Seemed to proceed from the image, and
the girl replied, “Hold your tongue,
you little monkey; let your mother
speak, for she is wiser than you.”
Baby Charles.
to call his son
Charles I.
Babylon. The modern Babylon. So
‘London is sometimes called, on account
of its Wealth, luxury, and dissipation.
Babylonian Numbers. Ne Baby-
lonios tentāris wºunteros. Do not pry into
futurity by astrological calculations and
horoscopes. Do not consult fortune-
tellers. The Chaldaeans were the most
noted of astrologers. (Horace : Odes,
book i. xi. 2.)
3abylonish Captivity. The seventy
years that the Jews were captives in
Babylon. They were made captives by
Nebuchadnezzar, and released by Cyrus
(B.C. 538).
Babylonish Garment (A). Baby-
lonica testis, a garment woven with
divers colours. (Pliny, viii. 74.)
“I saw among the fºllº a goodly Babylonislı
So James I. used
Charles, afterwards
garment.”—Joshua Yii. 21.
Baca. The Valley of Baca, also
called the Valley of Tears, translated in
the New Version “the Valley of Weep-
ing,” apparently a dry sterile valley,
the type of this earth spoilt by sorrow
and sin. “Blessed is the man . e
in whose heart are the ways of them.
Who passing through the valley of Baca
make it a well . .” (Psalm lxxxiv.
6). That man is blessed whose trust in
God converts adverse circumstances into
proofs of divine love. “Whom He loveth
He chasteneth.” They “go from strength
to strength.”
In the mountains of Tebanon is a
valley called Baca, but it is described as
fertile and very delicious. The Valley
of Lebanon (Joshua Xi. 17) is encom-
passed by mountains, one of which is
very barren, and abounds in thorns,
rocks, and flints, but another is called
a terrestrial paradise. Baca, means
“mulberry trees,” but Bekah means
a “plain.” Perowne says Bacah is
from a Hebrew root which means
“weeping.”
. “Our Sources of common pleasure dry up as we
journey. On through the Yale of Ba'châ.”—Sir
|Waller Scott : The Antiquary.
Bacbuc. The Holy Bottle, and also
the priestess of the Holy Bottle, the
oracle of Lantern-land consulted by
Pallurge On the momentous question
whether or not he ought to marry. The
IHoly Bottle answered with a click like
the noise made by a glass Snapping.
Bacbuc told Panurge the noise meant
trine (drink), and that was the response,
the most direct and positive ever given
by the Oracle. Panurge might interpret
it as he liked, the obscurity would
always save the Oracle.
So bic or Glück (say I) or neither,
Or both, for aught I care, or either ;
More undecided than Bagbuc, -
Here's heads for Pic, and tails for §§
Bacchana'lia. Festivals in honour
of Bacchus, distinguished for their licen-
tiousness and debauchery. Plato says he
has seen the whole population of Athens
drunk at these festivals.
Bacchana'lian. Drunken, rollick-
Some, devoted or pertaining to Bacchus
(q.v.).
Bacchant. A person given to habits
of drinking; so called from the “bac-
chants,” or men admitted to the feasts of
Bacchus. Bacchants wore fillets of ivy.
Bacchante (2 syl.). A female wine-
bibber; so called from the “bacchantés,”
or female priestesses of Bacchus. They
wore fillets of ivy.
Bacchis. A sacred bullwhich changed
its colour every hour of the day.
(Egyptian mythology.)
Bacchus ſwine]. In Roman mytho-
logy the god of wine. He is represented
as a beautiful youth with black eyes,
golden locks, flowing with curls about
his shoulders and filleted with ivy. In
peace his robe was purple, in war he
was covered with a panther's skin. His
chariot was drawn by panthers.
The famous statue of Bacchus in the
palace of Borghese (3 Syl.) is represented
with a bunch of grapes in his hand and
a panther at his feet. Pliny tells us
that, after his conquest of India, Bacchus
entered Thebes in a chariot drawn by
elephants.
. . The Etruscan Bacchus was called
Jºsa) or Nesa)"; the Umbrian Desar; the
6
Baccoch
82
Back
Assyrian Issus; the Greek, Dion-iſsus ;
the Galatian Nyssus; the Hebrew Nizzi:;
a Greek form was Iacchus (from Iaché,
a shout); the Latin Bacchus; other
forms of the word are the Norse Jºis ;
the Indian Ies ; the Persian Yez ; the
Gaulish Hes; the German Hist; and
the Chinese Jos.
“As jolly Bacchus, god of pleasure,
Chaºined the wide world with drink and dances,
And all lais thousand airy fancies,
Alas ! he quite forgot the while
His favourite vineš in Lesbos' isle.” Parmell.
Bacchus, in the Lusiad, is the evil
demon or antagonist of Jupiter, the lord
of destiny. As Mars is the guardian
power of Christianity, Bacchus is the
guardian power of Mohammedanism.
Bacchus sprang from the thigh of Zelts.
The tale is that Sem'elé asked Zeus to
appear before her in all his glory, but
the foolish request proved her death.
Zeus saved the child which was prema-
turely born by sewing it up in his thigh
till it came to maturity. The Arabian
tradition is that the infant Bacchus was
nourished during infancy in a cave of
Mount Meros. As “Meros” is Greek
for a thigh, the Greek fable is readily
explained.
PP/hat has that to do with Bacchus 3
i.e. what has that to do with the matter
in hand? When Thespis introduced
recitations in the vintage Songs, the
innovation was suffered to pass, so long
as the subject of recitation bore on the
exploits of Bacchus ; but when, for
variety sake, he wandered to other
subjects, the Greeks pulled him up with
the exclamation, “What has that to do
with Bacchus?” (See HECUBA, MOU-
TONS.)
Bacchus a noyé plus d’hommes gue
Neptune. The ale-house wrecks more
men than the ocean.
A priest of Bacchus. A toper.
“Tlie jolly old priests of Bacchus in the parlour
make their libations of claret.”—J. S. Le Fathlt! :
The House inv the Churchyard, p. 113.
A son of Bacchus. A toper.
Baccoch. The travelling cripple of
Ireland. Generally, a talkative, face-
tious fellow, prompt at repartee, and
not unlike the ancient jester.
Bachelor. A man who has not
|been married. Probably from baccalaris,
“a man employed on a grazing-farm ‘’
(Low Latin, bacca, for vacca, a cow).
French, bachelier, bachelette (a damsel).
A Bachelor of Arts. The student who
has passed his examination, but is not
yet of standing to be a master. For-
inerly the bachelor was the candidate
for examination. The word used to
be spelt bachiller ; thus in the Pro-
ceedings of the Privy Council, vol. i.
p. 72, we read:—“The king ordered
that the bachillers should have reason-
able pay for their trouble.”
Froissart styles Richard II. le jeune
* JRichart. The Italian is don-
zella. - -
Bachelor of Salamanta (The). Don
Cherubim. He is placed in different
situations of life, and is made to asso-
ciate with all classes of society. (Le
Sage : The J3achelor of Salamanca (a
novel).)
Bachelor's Buttons. Several flowers
are so called. Red Bachelor’s Buttons,
the double red campion; yellow Bach-
elor’s Buttons, the “upright crowfoot ”;
white Bachelor's Buttons, the white
ranunculus and white campion.
“The Similitude these flowers have to the
jagged cloath buttons anciently worne . . . gaye
occasion . . . to call them Bachelour's J3uttons.”—
Gerard : Herbal.
Or else from a custom still sometimes
observed by rustics of carrying the
flower in their pockets to know how
they stand with their sweethearts. If
the flower dies, it is a bad omen ; but if
it does not fade, they may hope for the
best.
To wear bachelor’s buttons.
a bachelor. (See above.)
Bachelor's Fare.
and kisses.
Bachelor's Porch.
used to be so called. The menservants
and other poor men used to sit on
benches down the north aisle, and the
maidservants, with other poor women,
on the south side. Even when married
the custom was not discontinued. After
service the men formed one line and the
women another, down which the clergy
and gentry passed amidst Salutations,
and the two lines filed off. In some
country churches these arrangements
are still observed.
Bachelor's Wife (A). A hypothetical
wife. A bachelor has only an imaginary
wife.
“Bachelors' wives and old maids’ children be
Well taught,”—Heywood: Proverbs.
Back (To). To support with money,
influence, or encouragement: as to
‘‘ back a friend.” A commercial term
meaning to endorse. When a merchant
backs or endorses a bill, he guarantees
its value.
Falstaff says to the Prince :-
“You care not who sees your back. Call you
To remain
Bread and cheese
The north door
Back and Edge
83
Back-stair
that backing of your friends 2. A plague upon Such
backing jº. : 1 Henry IV., ii. 4.
“Englishmen, will fight, now as well as ever
they did ; and there is aimlyle power to back them.”
—W. Robertsom, : John Bright, chap. XXXi. p. 298.
Back and Edge. Entirely, heartily,
tooth and nail, with might and main.
The reference is to a wedge driven home
to split wood.
“They were working back and edge for me.”—
Bold rewood: Robbery under Arms, ch. ii.
To back and fill. A mode of tacking,
when the tide is with the vessel and the
wind against it. Metaphorically, to be
irresolute.
To back out. To draw back from an
engagement, bargain, etc., because it
does not seem so plausible as you once
thought it. Many horses are unwilling
to go out of a stable head foremost, and
are backed out.
“Octavius backs out ; lis caution and reserve
come to her rescue.”—C. Clarke: Shulcespeatre.
To back the field. To bet on all the
horses bar one. A sporting term used
in betting. .
To back the sails. So to arrange them
that the ship's way may be checked.
To back up. To uphold, to support.
As one who stands at your back to
Support you.
At the back of. Behind, following
close after. Figure from following a
leader.
“With half the city at his back.”
- Lyrom : D07, Judºv.
To see his back, to see the back of any-
thing. To get rid of a person or thing;
to see it leave.
Back the oars or back water is to row
backwards, that the boat may move the
reverse of its ordinary direction. -
On the back of Immediately after.
Figure from soldiers on the march.
To the back, that is, to the backbone,
entirely.
To break the back of a thing. To
surmount the hardest part.
JHis back is tºp. He is angry, he
shows that he is annoyed. The allusion
is to a cat, which sets its back up when
attacked by a dog or other animal. '
To get one's back up. To be irritated
(See above).
To have his back at the wall.
on the defensive against odds. One
beset with foes tries to get his back
against a wall that he may not be
attacked by foes behind.
“He planted his back against a wall, in a skilful
attitude offence, ready with his bright glancing
l'a.])ier to do iyattie with aiſ the heavy fierce un-
armed men, Some six or seven in number.”—Mrs.
Gaslºell: The Poor Clare, iii.
To act
To set one's back up. (See above.)
“That Word Set my back up.”
J)ame Huddle's Letter (1710).
To turn one’s back on another. To
leave, forsake, or neglect him. To leave
One by going away.
“At length we . turn, our backs on the
outskirts of civilisation.” Tristram: Moab, ii. 19.
J3ehind my back. When I was not
present. When my back was turned.
Laid 07: one’s back. Laid up with
chronic ill-health; helpless. Figure from
persons extremely ill.
Thrown on his back. Completely
worsted. A figure taken from wrestlers.
Backbite (To). To slander behind
one's back.
“The only thing in which all parties agreed was
to backbite the manager.”—P. Irving : Traveller,
Buckthorm, p. 193.
Backbone (The). The main stay.
“Sober . . . . practical men . . . . constitute
the moral backbone of the country.”—W. Looth:
Iº Dºtykest England (Part i. 2, 1), 17).
To the backbone. Thoroughly, as true
to the backbone.
“A union man, and a nationalist to the back-
bone.”—T. Roosevelt : T. H. Benton, clap. V. p.
113. -
Backgammon is the Anglo-Saxon bac
admen (back game); so called because
the pieces (in certain circumstances) are
taken up and obliged to go back to enter
at the table again.
Background. Placed in the back-
07:0ttnd, i.e. made of no consequence.
Pictures have three distances, called
grounds : the foreground, where the
artist is supposed to be ; the middle
ground, where the most salient part of
the picture is placed; and the back-
ground or distance, beyond which the
eye callinot penetrate.
Back-hander. A blow on the face
with the back of the hand. Also one
who takes back the decanter in order to
hand himself another glass before the
decanter is passed on.
“I’ll take a back-lander, as Clive don't seem to
drink.”—Thatcheeray : The Newcomes.
Back-speer (To). To cross-examine.
(Scotch.)
“He has the wit to lay the scene in such a
remote . . . country ... that nobody should be
able to back-speer him.” — Sir W. Scott: The
JBet?‘othed (Introduction). -
Back-stair Influence. Private or
unrecognised influence. It was cus-
tomary to build royal palaces with a
staircase for state visitors, and another
for those who sought the sovereign upon
private matters. If any one wanted a
private interview with royalty, it was
highly desirable to conciliate those
Backwardation
84
Badaud
appointed to guard the back stairs, as
they could admit or exclude a visitor.
“Ofice, we confess, beneath the patriot's cloak,
From º Cracked bag the dropping guinea.S
l) l'Oke
And, jingling down the back stairs, told the
{ oiáčo is as great a rogue as you.'”
I’ope : Epistle to Lord Bathurst, 35-8.
Backwardation (Stockbrokers’ term).
The sum paid by a speculator on a “bear
account'' (i.e. a speculation on a fall in
the price of certain stock), in Order
to postpone the completion of the
transaction till the next settling day.
(See CONTANGo.)
Backward Blessing (Muttering a).
Muttering a curse. To say the Lord’s
Prayer backwards was to invoke the
devil.
Backwater. (1) Water at the
lower end of a millrace to check the
speed of the wheel. (2) A current of
water from the inland, which clears off
the deposit of sand and silt left by the
action of the sea ; as the Backwater of
Weymouth.
Bacon. The Bacon of Theology. Bishop
Butler, author of the Analogy. (1692-
1752.
*. brazen head. (See BRAZEN.)
To baste your bacon. To strike or
scourge one. The Saxons were called
“hogs” by their Norman lords. Henry
VIII. spoke of the common people as
the “swinish multitude ’’; and Falstaff
says to the travellers at Gadshill, “On,
bacons, on ’’ (1 Henry I P., ii. 2).
Bacon is the outside portion of the sides
of pork, and may be considered gener-
ally as the part which would receive a
low.
To save one’s bacon.
from injury.
“But as he rose to save his bacon,
By hat and wig he was forsaken.”.
Coombe: Dr. Symtalac, cauto Yi, line 240.
There seems to be another sense in
which the term is used—viz. to escape
To save oneself
loss; and in this sense the allusion is to
the care taken by our forefathers to save
from the numerous dogs that frequented
their houses the bacon which was laid up
for winter store, the loss of which would
have been a very serious calamity.
A chaw-bacon. A rustic. Till com-
paratively modern times the only meat
which rustics had to eat was bacon. I
myself know several farm labourers who
never taste any meat but bacon, except
on club and feast days.
JHe may fetch a ſliteh of bacon from
Dunmow, i.e. he is so amiable and good-,
tempered he will never quarrel with his
Wife. The ailusion is to a custom founded
by Juga, a noble lady, in 1111, and
restored by Robert de Fitzwalter in
1244; which was, that “any person
from any part of England going to
Dunmow, in Essex, and humbly kneel-
ing on two stones at the church door,
may claim a gammon of bacon, if he
can Swear that for twelve months and a
day he has never had a household brawl.
or wished himself unmarried.”
Baconian Philosophy. A system
of philosophy based on principles laid
down by Francis Bacon, Lord Ver’ulam,
in the 2nd book of his Novum O'ga.
num. It is also called inductive philo.
Sophy.
Baconian Theory. The theory that
Lord Bacon wrote the plays attributed
to Shakespeare.
Bac'trian Sage. Zoroaster, a native
of . Bactria. , (Balkh), about 500 years
before the birth of Christ. -
Bad. Charles le mat(vais.
of Navarre (1332-1387).
IHe is gone to the bad. Has become a
ruined man, or a depraved character.
He has gone amongst bad people, in bad
ways, or to bad circumstances.
To the bad. On the wrong side of the
account; in arrears.
Bad Blood. Vindictiveness, ill-
feeling.
“If there is any had blood in the fellow he will
be Sure to ShoW it.”— Brother Jonatham.
To make bad blood, to stir up bad blood.
To create or renew ill-feeling and a win-
dictive spirit.
Bad Books. You are in my bad
books. Under disgrace. Also In any
black books. (See under BLACK Books.)
Bad Debts. Debts not likely to be
paid. - -
Bad Form, not comme il faut. Not
in good taste.
Bad Lot (A). A person of bad moral
character, or one commercially unsound.
Also a commercial project or stock of
worthless value. The allusion is to
auctioneering slang, meaning a lot which
no one will bid for. So an inefficient
soldier is called one of the Queen’s bad
bargains. -
Bad Shot (A). A wrong guess. A
sporting phrase; a bad shot is one which
does not bring down the bird shot at,
one that misses the mark.
Badaud. A booby. C'est un franc
badaud, he is a regular booby. Le
Charles II.
Badge
85
Bag
badaud de Paris, a French cockney.
Erom the Italian, badare, to gaze in the
air, to stare about one.
Badge of Poverty. In former
times those who received parish relief
had to wear a badge. It was the letter
P, with the initial of the parish to which
they belonged, in red or blue cloth, on
the shoulder of the right sleeve. (See
DYvour.)
Badge-men. Alms-house men; SO
called because they wear some special
dress, or other badge, to indicate that
they belong to a particular foundation.
“He quits the gay and rich, the young and free,
Among the badge-men with a badge to be.”
Crabbe : Borough.
Badger (A). A licensed huckster,
who was obliged to wear a badge.
By 5 Eliz., c. 12, it was enacted that
“Badgers were to be licensed annually,
under a penalty of £5.”
“Under Dec. 17, 1565, , we read of Çertain
persons upon Humber side Wii O . . . by great
quantities of corn, two of whom Were authorised
badgers.’”—State Papers (Domestic Series).
Badger (To). To tease or annoy by
superior numbers. In allusion to the
ancient custom of badger-baiting. A
badger was kennelled in a tub, where
dogs were set upon him to worry him
out. When dragged from his tub the
poor beast was allowed to retire to it till
he recovered from the attack. This
process was repeated several times.
Iładger. It is a vulgar error that the
legs of a badger are shorter on one side
than on the other.
“I think that Titus Oates Was a S uneven as a
badger.”— Lord Macaulaty.
JDrawing a badge) is drawing him out
of his tub by means of dogs.
Badinage. Playful raillery, banter
(French), from the verb badiner, to joke
or jest. The noun badine means a
switch, and in France they catch wild
ducks by covering a boat with switches,
in which the ducks seek protection. A
person quizzed is like these wild ducks.
Badinguet. A nickname given to
Napoleon III. It was the name of the
workman whose clothes he wore when he
contrived to escape from the fort of
Ham, in 1846.
“If Badinguet and Bismarck have a row to-
gether let them settle it between them with their
fists, instead of troubling hundreds of thousands
of men who ... . . have no wish to fight.”—Zola :
The Downfall, chap. ii. (1892).
Badingueux. The party of the
Emperor Napoleon III. The party of
the Empress were called “Montijoyeux”
and “Montijocrisses,” from Montijo in
Spain. She was the second daughter of
the Count of Montijo.
Badminton is properly a “copus
cup,” made of claret spiced and sweet-
ened, a favourite with the Duke of
Beaufort of Badminton. As the duke
used to be a great patron of the prize
ring, Badminton was used as equivalent
to claret as the synonym of blood.
Also a game similar to lawn tennis,
only played with shuttlecocks instead of
balls.
Baffle. To erase the cognisance of
a recreant knight. To degrade a knight
from his rank. To be knocked about by
the winds. -
“I am disgraced, impeached, and baffled here.”
Shakespeare: Richard II., act i. 1.
Bag. , Bag and Baggage, as “Get
away with you, bag and baggage,” i.e.
get away, and carry with you all your
belongings. The bag or sack is the
pouch in which a soldier packs his few
articles when he moves from place to
place. Baggage is a contemptuous term
for a woman, either because soldiers
send their wives in the baggage wagons,
or from the Italian bagascia (a harlot),
French bagasse, Spanish bagazo, Persian,
baffa.
Bag and baggage policy. In 1876 Mr.
Gladstone, speaking on the Eastern
question, said, “Let the Turks now
carry away their abuses in the only
possible manner, namely, by carrying
away themselves. . . . One and all, bag
and baggage, shall, I hope, clear out
from the province they have desolated
and profaned.” This was termed by
the Conservatives the bag and baggage
policy.
A bag of bones. Very emaciated;
generally “A mere bag of bones.”
A bag of game. A large battue.
From the custom of carrying game
home in “bags.”
A bag of tricks or A whole baff of
tricks. Numerous expedients. In al-
lusion to the fable of the Foa and the
Cat. The fox was commiserating the
cat because she had only one shift in the
case of danger, while he had a thousand
tricks to evade it. Being set upon by
a pack of hounds, the fox was soon
caught, while puss ran up a tree and
was quite secure. -
A good baff. A large catch of game,
fish, or other animals sought after by
Sportsmen.
Got the bag. Got his dismissal. (See
SACK.
The bottom of the bag. The last
Bag
86
Baillif
expedient, having emptied every other
one out of his bag. -
To empty the baff. To tell the whole
matter and conceal nothing. (French,
vider le sac, to expose all to view.)
To let the eat out of the bag. (See
wnder CAT.)
Bag (To). To steal, or slip into one's
bag, as a poacher or pilferer who slyly
slips into his bag what he has con-
trived to purloin.
Bags. A slang word for trousers,
which are the bags of the body. When
the pattern was very staring and “loud,”
they once were called howling-bags.
Bag-man (A). A commercial tra-
veller, who carries a bag with specimens
to show to those whose custom he
Solicits. In former times commercial
travellers used to ride a horse with
Saddle-bags sometimes so large as almost
to conceal the rider.
Bag o' Nails. Some hundreds of
years ago there stood in the Tyburn
Road, Oxford Street, a public-house
called The Bacchanals : the sign was
Pan and the Satyrs. The jolly god,
with his cloven hoof and his horns, was
called “The devil; ” and the word Bac-
chanals soon got corrupted into “Bag o'
Nails.” The Devil and the Bag o' Wails
is a sign not uncommon even now in
the midland counties.
Baga de Secretis. Records in the
Record Office of trials for high treason
and other State offences from the reign of
Edward IV. to the close of the reign of
George III. These records contain the
proceedings in the trials of Anne Boleyn,
Sir Walter Raleigh, Guy Fawkes, the
regicides, and of the risings of 1715 and
1745. (Baga = Bag.)
Bagatelle (A). A trifle; a thing of
no consideration. “Oh nothing. A
mere bagatelle.” In French, “Il dé-
pense tout 80% argent en bagatelles ''
means, he squanders his money on trash.
“Il ºne s'amuse qu’d des bagatelles,” he
finds no pleasure except in frivolities.
Bagatelle ! as an exclamation, means
Nonsense ! as “Vous dites qu’il me fera
wn procès. Bagatelle l’’ (fiddlesticks ()
“He considered his wife a bagatelle, to be shut
up at pleasure” [i.e. a toy to be put away at
pleasure].—The Depraved Husband.
Baguette d'Armide (La). The
Sorcerer’s wand. Armida is a sorceress
in Tasso's Jerusalem? Delivered. Ba-
guette is a rod or wand.
Bahagnia, Bohemia ; Bahaignons,
Bohemians. (1330.)
Bahr Geist (A). A banshee or grey-
Spectre.
, “Know then (said Eyeline) it [the Balır Geist]
is a Spectre, usually the image of the departed
lyerson, Who, either for wrong suffered, sustained
during life, or through treasure hidden, . . .
haunts the spot from time to time, becomes fami.
liar to those who dwell, there, and takes an
interest in their fate.”—Sin' W. Scott : The Be-
trothed, chap. 15.
Bail (French, bailler). To deliver up.
Common bail or bail below. A bail
given to the sheriff, after arresting a
person, to guarantee that the defendant
will appear in court at any day and time
the court demands.
Special bail or bail above, consists of
persons who undertake to satisfy all
claims made on the defendant, and to
guarantee his rendering himself up to
justice when required.
Bail. ... (See LEG-BAIL.)
To bail ºp. To disarm before robbing,
to force to throw up the arms, (Austra-
lian.)
Bailey. The space enclosed within
the external walls of a castle, not
including the “Keep.” The entrance
was over a drawbridge, and through the
embattled gate (Middle-age Latin balium
or balliºm, a corruption of vallum, a
rampart).
When there were two courts to a
Castle, they were distinguished as the
outer and inner bailey (rampart). Sub-
Sequently the word included the court
and all its buildings; and when the
Court was abolished, the term was
attached to the castle, as the Old Bailey
(London) and the Bailey (Oxford).
Bailiff. At Constantinople, the per-
son who had charge of the imperial
children used to be called the bajulus,
from baios, a child. The word was sub-
Sequently attached to the Venetian con-
Sul at Constantinople, and the Venetials
ambassador was called the balio, a word
afterwards extended to any superinten-
dent or magistrate. In France the bailli
was a Superintendent of the royal do-
mains and commander of the troops. In
time, any Superintendent of even a
private estate was so called, whence our
farmer's bailiff. The sheriff is the king’s
bailiff—a title now applied almost ex-
clusively to his deputies or officers. (See
BUMBAILIFF.) .
Bailleur. Un bon bāilleur en fait
báiller deux (French). Yawning is catch-
ing.
Baillif (Herry). Mine host in
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. When the
poet began the second “Fit” of the
Bain Marie
87
|Balaam
Rime of Sir Thopas, Herry Baillif
interrupts him with unmitigated con-
tempt:—
“‘No mor of this, for Goddes dignitieſ'
Quod our host, “for thou makest me
So Wery . .
... that,
Mine eerés aken for thy nasty §§ 33
w Gl'Se 15327.
Bain Marie. A saucepan containing
hot water into which a smaller sauce-
pan is plunged, either to keep it hot, or
that it may boil without burning. A
glue pot is a good example, Mons.
Bouillet says, “Ainsi appelé du nom de
l'inventeur’” (Balneum Mariae). But
derivations from proper names require
authentication.
Bairam (3 syl.). The name given to
two movable Moslem feasts. The first,
which begins on the first day of the
moon which follows that of Ramadan,
and lasts three days, is a kind of Paschal
feast. The second, seventy days later,
lasts four days, and is not unlike the
Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
* As the Mohammedan year is a lunar
one, in 33 years these feasts will have
occurred at all the four seasons.
Baisser. Il semble qu'il n'y a qu'd se
baisser et éſ, prendre (French). One
would thinkhehas only to pickand choose.
Said of a person who fancies that fortune
will fall into his lap, without his stir-
ring. Literally, “to stoop down and
pick up what he wants.”
Bait. Food to entice or allure, as
bait for fish. Bait for travellers is a
“feed” by way of refreshment taken
en passant. (Anglo-Saxon, batan, to
bait or feed.)
Bajaderes. Indian dancing girls.
A corruption of the Portuguese baila-
deira, whence bai’adera, bajadere.
Bajulus. A pedagogue. A Grand
Bajulus, a “big” pedagogue. In the
Greek court, the preceptor of the Em-
peror was called the Grand Bajulus.
Originally “porter.” (Cf. BAILIFF.)
Bajura. Mahomet’s standard.
Baked. Half-baked. Imbecile, of
weak mind. The metaphor from half-
baked food.
Balced Meat means meat-pie. “The
funeral baked meats did coldly furnish
forth the marriage table '' (Hamlet); i.e.
the hot meat-pies (venison pasties) served
at the funeral and not eaten, were served
cold at the marriage banquet.
Baker (The). Louis XVI. was called
“the Baker,” the queen was called
“ the baker’s wife’’ (or La Boulangère),
and the dauphin the “shop boy; ” be-
cause a heavy trade in corn was carried
on at Versailles, and consequently very
little was brought to Paris.
“The return of the baker, his wife, and the
Shop-boy to Paris [after the king was brought
from Versailles] had not had the expected effect.
Flour and bread were still Scarce.”—A. Duºmas :
The Cowmtess de Charny, chap. ix.
Baker's Dozen. Thirteen for twelve.
When a heavy penalty was inflicted for
short weight, bakers used to give a
surplus number of loaves, called the
ânbread, to avoid all risk of incurring
the fine. The 13th was the “vantage
loaf.” -
Mr. Riley (Liber Albus) tells us that
the 13th loaf was “the extent of the
profit allowed to retail dealers,” and
therefore the vantage loaf means, the
loaf allowed for profit.
To give one a baker’s dozen, in slang
phraseology, is to give him a sound
drubbing—i.e. all he deserves and one
stroke more.
Baker's Knee (A). A knop-knee,
, or knee bent inwards, from carrying the
heavy bread-basket on the right arm.
Balºshish. A Persian word for a
gratuity. These gifts are insolently de-
manded by all sorts of officials in Turkey,
Egypt, and Asia Minor, more as a claim
than a gratuity.
Bal. Donnerle bald quelqu'un (French).
To make one dance for it ; to abuse One.
In several games played with a ball, the
person who catches the ball or to whom
the ball is given, is put to an immense
amount of labour. Thus, in Hurling,
the person who holds the ball has one of
the labours of Hercules to pass through.
His opponent tries to lay hold of him,
and the hurler makes his way over hills,
dales, hedges, and ditches, through
bushes, briars, mire, plashes, and even
rivers. Sometimes twenty or thirty per-
sons lie tugging together in the Water,
scrambling and scratching for the ball.
(See Strutt, Sports and Pastimes, section
xii.) (See BALL.)
Balaam. The Earl of Huntingdon,
one of the rebels in Monmouth’s army.
“And, therefore, in the name of dulness, be
The well-hung Balaam.” -
Drydem : Absalom amd Aichitophel, 1573-4.
Balaam. A “citizen of sober fame,”
who lived hard by the Monument of
London; “he was a plain, good man ;
religious, punctual, and frugal,” his
week-day meal being only “one solid
dish.” He grew rich ; got knighted;
Balaam
88
Balder
seldom went to church ; became a Cour-
tier; “took a bribe from France; ” was
hanged for treason, and all his goods
were confiscated to the State. (See
Diamond Pitt.) It was Thomas Pitt,
grandfather of the Earl of Chatham,
who suggested to Pope this sketch.
(Pope : Moral Essays, Ep. iii.)
JBalaam. Matter kept in type for fill-
ing up odd spaces in periodicals. These
are generally refuse bits—the words of
an oaf, who talks like “Balaam’s ass.”
(Numb. xxii. 30.) (American.)
Balaam Basket or Box (A). An
ass's pannier. In printer’s slang of
America, it is the place where rejected
articles are deposited. (See BALAAM.)
Balafré, Le [the gashed]. Henri, Son
of François, second Duke of Guise. In
the Battle of Dormans he received a
sword-cut which left a frightful scar on
his face (1550-1588). So Ludovic Lesly,
an old archer of the Scottish Guards,
is called, in Sir Walter Scott's Quentin
JDurward.
Balai. Donner trois tours de balai
par la cheminée (French). To be a witch.
Literally, to run your brush three times
up the chimney. According to , an
ancient superstition, all witches had to
pass their brooms on which they rode
three times up the chimney between one
Sabbath and the following.
Balak, in the second part of Absa-
lom and Achitophel, a satire by Dryden
and Tate, is meant for Dr. Burnet,
author of Burnet’s Own Time.
Balâm the ox, and the fish Nun, are
the food of Mahomet’s paradise; the
mere lobes of the livers of these animals
will suffice for 70,000 saints. (Al Moran.)
Balan. Bravest and strongest of the
giant race. Vasco de Lobeira, in Amadis
of Gaul. Also, Emir of the Saracens,
and father of Ferumbras or Fierabras
(q.v.).
Balance (The). “Libra,” the 7th
sign of the Zodiac, which contains the
autumnal equinox. According to fable
it is Astraea, who, in the iron age, re-
turned from earth to heaven. Virgil, to
praise the equity of Augustus, promises
him a future residence in this sign.
* According to Persian mythology,
at the last day there will be a huge
balance big as the vault of heaven.
The two scale pans will be called that
of light and that of darkness. In the
former all good will be placed, in the
latter all evil. And each individual will
receive an award according to the judg-
ment of the balance.
Balance. He has a good balance at
his bankers. His credit side shows a
large balance in his favour.
Balance of power. The States of
Europe being so balanced that no one
nation shall have such a preponderance
as to endanger the independence of
another.
Balance of trade. The money-value
difference between the exports and im-
ports of a nation.
To balance an account. To add up the
debit and credit sides, and subtract the
less of the two from the greater. The
remainder is called the balance.
To strike a balance. To calculate the
exact difference, if any, between the
debit and credit side of an account.
Balayer. Chacun doit balayer devant
sa porte (French), “Let everyone correct
his own faults.” The allusion is to a
custom, nearly obsolete in large towns,
but common still in London and in
villages, for each housewife to sweep
and keep clean the pavement before her
own dwelling.
Balclutha (The tower of), in Ossian,
is Dun-dee, where Dun means a tower.
Those circular buildings so common in
the Orkney and Shetland Islands, the
Hebrides, and all the north of Scotland,
are duns. Dee is a corruption of Tay,
the river on which the city is built; in
Latin, Tao-dunum.
Bald. Charles le Chauve. Charles I.,
#) of Louis le Débonnaire (823, 840-
877).
Baldachin. The dais or canopy
under which, in Roman Catholic pro-
cessions, the Holy Sacrament is carried
(Italian, baldacchino, so-called from
Baldacco (Italian for Bagdad), where
the cloth was made). Also the canopy
above an altar.
Baldassa're. Chief of the monastery
of St. Jacopo di Compostella. (Domi-
zetti’s opera La Favorita.)
Balder, the god of peace, second son
of Odin and Frigga. He was killed by
the blind war-god Höder, at the instiga-
tion of Loki, but restored to life at the
general request of the gods. (Sean-
dizzarian mythology.)
N.B.-Sydney Dobell (born 1824) has
a poem entitled Balder, published in
1854.
Balder is the sum or daylight which is killed by
the blind-god at the instigation of Loki or dark-
ness, but is restored to life the next day.
IBalderdash
89
Balls
JBalder’s abode was Broadblink (vast
splendour).
Balderdash. Ribaldry,
(Danish balder, tattle, clatter.)
Baldwin. The youngest and come-
liest of Charlemagne’s paladins; and the
nephew of Sir Roland.
Baldwin (in Jerusalem Delivered).
The restless and ambitious Duke of Bo-
logna, leader of 1,200 horse in the allied
Christian army. He was Godfrey’s bro-
ther ; not so tall, but very like him.
Baldwin, the Ass (in the tale of Rey-
mard the Fow). In the third part of the
Beast-epic he is called “Dr. Baldwin.”
(Old German, bold friend.)
Bale. When bale is highest, boot is
mighest. When things have come to the
worst they must needs mend.
jargon.
Balearica, Tormenta. Here to)'-
menta means instruments for throwing
stones. Caesar (Gallic War, iv. 25) says:
“Fundis, tormentis, Sagittis hostes pro-
pellere.” The inhabitants of the Balearic
Islands were noted slingers, and indeed
owe their name to this skill. (Greek,
ballo, to cast or hurl.) Pronounce Bal-
e-art-ca.
Balfour of Burley. Teader of the
Covenanters in Scott's Old Mortality, a
novel (1816).
Balios. (See HoRSE.)
Balisar'da or Balisardo. Roge'ro's
sword, made by a sorceress, and capable
of cutting through enchanted substances.
“With Balisarda's slightest blow
Nor helm, nor shield, nor cuirass could avail,
Nor Strongly-tempered plate, nor twisted mail.”
Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, book xxiii.
Balistra'ria. Narrow apertures in
the form of a cross in the walls of an-
cient castles, through which cross-bow-
men discharged their arrows.
Baliverso (in Orlando Furioso). The
basest knight in the Saracen army.
Balk means the high ridge between
furrows (Anglo-Saxon balea, a beam, a
ridge); hence a rising ground.
A balk of timber is a beam running
across the ceiling, etc., like a ridge. As
the balk is the part not cut by the
plough, therefore “to balk” means to
leave untouched, or to disappoint.
To make a balk. To miss a part of
the field in ploughing. Hence to dis-
appoint, to withhold deceitfully.
To make a balk of good ground. To
throw away a good chance,
Balker. One who from an eminence
balks or directs fishermen where shoals
of herrings have gathered together.
(Anglo-Saxon, balc-an, to shout.)
Balkis. The Queen of Sheba, or Saba,
who visited Solomon. (Al Iſoran, c. ii.)
Ball. To strike the ball 7076'e',' the
line. To fail in one's object. The al-
lusion is to the game of tennis, in which a
line is stretched in the middle of the
court, and the players standing on each
side have, with their rackets, to knock
it alternately over the line.
“Thou hast stricken the ball under the line.”—
John Heywoode's Works (London, 1566).
To take the ball before the bound. To
anticipate an opportunity ; to be over-
hasty. A metaphor from cricket, as
when a batsman runs up to meet the
ball at full pitch, before it bounds. (See
BALLE.)
Ball of Fortune (A). One tossed,
like a ball, from pillar to post ; one who
has experienced many vicissitudes of
fortune.
“Brown had been from infancy a ball for fortune
to spurn at.”—Sir Walter Scott: Guy Mannering,
chal). XXi. -
The ball is with you. It is your turn
IlOW.
To have the ball at your feet.
a thing in one's power.
from foot-ball.
“We have the ball at our feet ; and, if the
government will allow it. . . . . we can now crush
out the rebellion.”—Lord Attelcland.
To keep the ball a-rolling. To con-
tinue without intermission. To keep
the fun alive; to keep the matter going.
A metaphor from the game of bandy,
or la jeu de la cross. -
“It is Russia that keeps the ball rolling, [the
Servian and Bulgarian War, 1885, fomented and
encouraged loy Russian agents].” – Newspaper
paragraph, 1885.
To keep the ball up. Not to let con-
versation or fun flag; to keep the thing
going. A metaphor taken from Several
games played with balls.
“I put in a Word now and then to keep the ball
up.”—BC77th (tº).
To open the ball. To lead off the first
dance at a ball. (Italian, ballaro, to
dance.)
Balls. The three golden balls. The
emblem of St. Nicholas, who is said to
have given three purses of gold to three
virgin sisters to enable them to marry.
As the cognisance of the Medici family,
they probably represent three golden pills
—a punning device on the name. Be
this, however, as it may, it is from the
To have
A metaphor
Ballad
90
Banbirno
Lombard family (the first great money-
lenders in England) that the sign has
been appropriated by pawnbrokers. (See
MUGELLO for another account.)
Ballad means, strictly, a song to
dance-music, or a song sung while
dancing. º ballare, to dance,
ballata, our ballad, ballet [q.v.]).
Ballads. “Let me make the ballads,
and who will may make the laws.”
Andrew Fletcher of Saltoun, in Scot-
land, wrote to the Marquis of Montrose,
“I knew a very wise man of Sir
Christopher Musgrave's sentiment. . He
believed, if a man were permitted to
make all the ballads, he need not care
who should make the laws '' (1703).
Ballambangjan (The Straits of). A
sailor's joke for a place where he may
lay any wonderful adventure. These
straits, he will tell us, are so narrow
that a ship cannot pass through without
jamming the tails of the monkeys which
haunt the trees on each side of the
strait; or any other rigma role which his
fancy may conjure up at the moment.
Ballast. A man of 770 ballast. Not
steady; not to be depended on. Un-
steady as a ship without ballast. A
similar phrase is, “The man wants
ballast.”
Balle. Prendre la balle and bond
(French). Strike while the iron is hot;
make hay while the sun shines. The
allusion is to certain games at ball,
which must be struck at the moment of
the rebound. -
Jēenvoyer la balle à quelqu'un (French).
To pay one off in his own coin. Liter-
ally, to strike back the ball to the
sender.
Ballendino (Don Antonio). Intended
for Anthony Munday, the dramatist.
(Ben Jonson, The Case Altered, a comedy.)
Ballet (pronounce bal-lay). A
theatrical representation of Some adven-
ture or intrigue by pantomime and
dancing. Baltazari’ni, director of music
to Catherine de' Medici, was the in-
wentor of modern ballets.
Balliol College, Oxford, founded in
1263, by John de Baliol, Knight (father
of Baliol, King of Scotland).
Balloon (A pilot). Metaphorically,
a feeler, sent to ascertain public opinion.
“The pilot balloon sent from
[the sender] the direction of the wind, and he
now trims his Sails accordingly.” — Newspaper
paragraph, January, 1886.
Balloon Post. During the siege of
Paris, in 1871, fifty-four balloon posts
were dispatched, carrying two-and-a-
half million letters, weighing ten tons.
Balm (French, batſme). Contraction
of balsam (q.v.). The Balm of Gilead
= the balsam of Gilead.
Is there no balm in Gilead 2 Is there
no remedy, no consolation, not even in
religion ?
Balmawhapple. A stupid, obstinate
Scottish laird in Scott's Waverley, a
novel (1805).
Balmérino (Lord) was beheaded,
but the executioner at the first stroke
cut only half through the neck, and (we
are told) his lordship turned round and
grinned at the bungler.
Balmung or Gram. The sword of
Siegfried, forged by Wieland, the Vulcan
of the Scandinavians. Wieland, in a
trial of merit, clove Amilias, a brother
Smith, through steel helmet and armour,
down to the waist ; but the cut was so
fine that Amilias was not even aware
that he was wounded till he attempted
to move, when he fell into two pieces.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Balmy. “I am going to the balmy”
—i.e. to “Balmy sleep; ” one of Dick
Swiveller's pet phrases. (Dickens : Old
Curiosity Shop.)
Balmy-stick (To put on the). In
prison slang means to feign insanity;
and the “Balmy Ward ” is the prison
ward in which the insane, real orfeigned,
are confined.
Balnibar'bi. A land occupied by
projectors. (Swift : Gulliver's Travels.)
Balthazar. One of the kings of
Cologne—i.e. the three Magi, who came
from the East to pay reverence to the
infant Jesus. The two other magi were
Melchior and Gasper.
Baltic. The Mediterranean of the
north (Swedish, balt ; Danish, bolta;
Latin, baltéets ; English, belt), the sea of
the “Pelts.”
Baiwhidder (The Rev. Micah). A
Scotch Presbyterian minister, full of
fossilised national prejudices, but both
kind-hearted and sincere. (Galt. Annals
of the Parish, a novel (1821).)
Bambi'no. A picture or image of
the infant Jesus, swaddled (Italian,
bambi'no, a little boy). The most cele-
brated is that in the church of Sta.
Maria, in the Ara Coeli of Rome.
Barmbocciades
91
Bande Noire
Bamboc'ciades (4 Syl.).
of grotesque scenes in low life, such as
country wakes, penny weddings, and so
on. They are so called from the Italian
word bamboccio (a cripple), a nickname
given to Pieter van Laer, the first Dutch
painter of such scenes, distinguished in
Rome.
Bamboccio or Bamboche. (See
MICHAEL-ANGELO DES BAMBOCHES.)
Bamboo'zle. To cheat by cunning,
or daze with tricks.
“The third refinement observable in the letter
I send, you, consists of the choice of certain
words invented by some pretty fellows, such as
banter, bamboozle . . . and kidney . . . Some of
which are now struggling for the Yogue, and
others are in possession of it.”—Swift : The Tatler
(Sept. 28, 1710).
To bamboozle into (doing something).
To induce by trickery.
To bamboozle one out of something. To
get something by trickery.
Bampton Lectures. Founded by
the Rev. John Bampton, canon of Salis-
bury. He left an estate to the university
of Oxford, to pay for eight divinity lec-
tures on given subjects, to be preached
at Great St. Mary’s, and printed after-
wards.
Ban. A proclamation of outlawry;
a denunciation by the church (Anglo-
Saxon, ge-ban, a proclamation ; verb,
ge-bayºnaº).
Marriage bans. (See BANNs.)
To ban is to make a proclamation of
outlawry. To banish is to proclaim a
man an exile. (See BANDIT.)
Lever le ban et l’arrière ban (French).
To levy the ban was to call the king's
vassals to active service; to levy the
arrière ban was to levy the vassals of a
suzerain or under-lord.
“Le mot ban, qui signifie bannière, se disait de
l'appel fait par le Seigneur à Ses vassaux pour les
convoquer Sous Son €tendard. On distinguait le
ban composé des vassaux, immédiats, quietajent
convoqués lar le Toi luimène, et, l'arrière ban,
composé des YaSSaux convoqués par leurs
suzeratiºns.”—Bouillet : Dictionmai're d'Histoire, etc.
Banagher. (See under BEATS.)
Ban'at. A territory under a ban
(lord), from the Illyrican word bojan, a
lord. The Turks gave this title to the
lords of frontier provinces—e.g. the
Banat of Croatia, which now forms part
of the kingdom of Hungary.
Banbury. A Banbury-man—i.e. a
Puritan (Ben Jonson); a bigot. From the
reign of Elizabeth to that of Charles II.
Banbury was noted for its number of
Puritans and its religious “zeal.”
As thin as Banbury cheese. In Jack
Drum’s Entertainment we read, “You
Pictures
are like a Banbury cheese, nothing but
paring;” and Bardolph compares Slender
to Banbury cheese (Merry Wives, i. 1).
The Banbury cheese is a rich milk
cheese about an inch in thickness.
Banco. Sittings in Banco. Sittings
of the Superior Court of Common Law
in its own bench or court, and not in
circuit, as a judge of Nisi Prius (q.v.).
(Banc is Italian for “bench * or “seat
of justice.”)
So much banco—i.e. so much bank
money, as distinguished from current
coin. At Hamburg, etc., currency is in-
ferior to “bank money.” (Not money
in the bank, but the fictitious value set
on cash by bankers.)
Bancus Regius. The king’s or
queen's bench. Bancus Communis, the
bench of common pleas.
Bandan'a. Or Bandanna. A pocket-
handkerchief. It is an Indian word,
properly applied to silk goods, but now
restricted to cotton handkerchiefs having
a dark ground of Turkey red or blue,
with little white or yellow spots. (Hin-
dú, bandhnºi, a mode of dyeing.)
Bandbox. He comes out of a band-
boar—i.e. he is so neat and precise, so
carefully got up in his dress and person,
that he looks like some company dress,
carefully kept in a bandbox.
Neat as a bandboa. Neat as clothes
folded and put by in a bandbox.
Bandbox Plot (The). Rapin (His-
tory of England, iv. 297) tells us that a
bandbox was sent to the lord-treasurer,
in Queen Anne's reign, with three pistols
charged and cocked, the triggers being
tied to a pack-thread fastened to the
lid. When the lid was lifted, the pistols
would go off, and shoot the person who
opened the lid. He adds that [dean]
Swift happened to be by at the time, and
seeing the pack-thread, cut it, thereby
saving the life of the lord-treasurer.
“Two ink-horn tops your Whigs did fill
With gunpowder and lead;
Which with two serpents made of quill,
You in a bandbox laid;
A tinder-box there was beside,
Which had a trigger to it,
To which the very string was ty’d
That was designed to do it.”
Plot upon Plot (about 1713).
Bande Noire. Properly, a black
band; metaphorically, the Vandal So-
ciety. Those capitalists that bought up
the Church property confiscated in the
great French revolution were so called,
because they recklessly pulled down
ancient buildings and destroyed relics of
great antiquity.
- Bandit
Banner
Bandit, plural banditti or bandits,
properly means outlaw (Italian, bandito,
banished, men pronounced “banned'').
As these outlaws very often became
robbers, the term soon came to signify
banded highwaymen.
Bands. Clerical bands are a relic of
the ancient amice, a Square linen tippet
tied about the neck of priests during the
administration of mass. (Discontinued
by the parochial clergy the latter part of
the 19th century, but still used by
clerics on the Continent.)
Legal bands are a relic of the wide col-
lars which formed a part of the ordinary
dress in the reign of Henry VIII., and
which were especially conspicuous in the
reign of the Stuarts. In the showy days
of Charles II, the plain bands were
changed for lace ends.
“The eighth Henry, as I understand,
Was the first prince that ever wore a hand.”
John Taylor, the Water Poet (1580-1654).
Bandy. I am not going to bandy
words with you—i.e. to dispute about
words. The reference is to a game
called Bandy. The players have each a
stick with a crook at the end to strike a
wooden or other hard ball. The ball is
bandied from side to side, each party
trying to beat it home to the opposite
goal. (Anglo-Saxon, bendam, to bend.)
“The bat was called a bandy from its being
hent.”—Brand: Populatº' Amtiquities (article “Golf,”
1). 538).
Bane really means ruin, death, or
destruction (Anglo-Saxon, bama, a mur-
derer); and “I will be his bane,” means
I will ruin or murder him. Bane is,
therefore, a mortal injury.
“My bane and antidote are both before it.
This [Sword] in a moment brings me to an end.
But this [Plato] assures me I shall never die.”
A dalison : Cato.
Bango'rian Controversy. A theo-
logical paper-war stirred up by a sermon
preached March 31st, 1717, before George
I., by Dr. Hoadly, Bishop of Bangor,
on the text, “My kingdom is not of this
world.” The best reply is by Law, in a
series of Letters to Hoadly.
Bang-up, or Slap-bang. First-rate,
thumping, as a “thumping legacy.”
It is , a slang punning synonym of
thumping or striking. Slap-bang is
double bang, or doubly striking. .
Banian Or Banyan (A). A loose
coat (Anglo-Indian).
“His coat was brownish black perhaps of yore,
In Summer time a banyan loose he wore.”
Lowell ; FitzAdam's Story (Stanza. 15).
Banian Days [Ban-yan]. Tays when
no meat is served to a ship’s crew. The
term is derived from the Banians, a class
of Hindu merchants, who carried on a
most extensive trade with the interior of
Asia, but being a caste of the Vaisya,
abstained from the use of meat. (Sans-
krit, banj, a merchant.)
Bank. A money-changer's bench or
table. (Italian banco or banca.)
Bank of a River. Stand with
your back to the source, and face to the
sea or outlet: the left bank is on your
left, and right bank on your right hand.
Sisters of the Bank, i.e. of the bank-
side, “the brothel quarter’’ of London.
Now removed to a different quarter,
and divided into “North” and “South.”
“On this side of the Banke was sometimes the
bordello or Stewes.”—Stow : Sun'vey.
Bankrupt. Money-lenders in Italy
used to display the money they had to
lend out on a banco or bench. When
one of these money-lenders was unable
to continue business, his bench or coun-
ter was broken up, and he himself was
spoken of as a bancorotto—i.e. a bank-
rupt.
Bankside. Part of the borough of
Southwark, noted in the time of Shake-
speare for its theatres and retreats of the
demi - nonde, called “Sisters of the
Bank.”
“Come, I will send for a whole coach, or two of
Bankside ladies, and we will be jovial.”—Ram-
dolph : The Muses' Looking Glass.
Banks's Horse. A learned horse,
called Marocco, belonging to one Banks,
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It is
said that his shoes were of silver. One
of his exploits was “the ascent of St.
Paul’s steeple.”
Bannatyne Club. A literary club
which takes its name from George Ban-
natyne, to whose industry we owe the
preservation of very much of the early
Scotch poetry. It was instituted in 1823
by Sir Walter Scott, and had for its
object the publication of rare works
illustrative of Scotch history, poetry,
and general literature. The club was
dissolved in 1859.
Banner means a piece of cloth.
(Anglo-Saxon, fanſ, Latin, pannºts ;
Welsh, bana"; Italian, bandie'ra; French,
bannière.)
“An emperor's banner should be sixe foote
longe, and the same in breadth ; a king's banner
five foote ; a prince's and a duke's banner, four
foote ; a marquys's, an erle's, a Viscount’s, a
baron's, and a banneret's banner shall be but
three foote square.”—Park.
The banner of the Prophet is called
banneret
93
Baptes
Sanjek-sherif, and is kept in the Eyab
mosque of Constantinople.
The two black banners borne before the
Califs of the house of Abbas were called
Might and Shadow.
The sacred banner of France is the
Oriflamme (q.v.).
IBanners in chºrches. These are sus-
pended as thank-offerings to God. Those
in St. George's Chapel, Windsor, Henry
VII.'s Chapel, Westminster, etc., are to
indicate that the knight whose banner is
hung up, avows himself devoted to God’s
Sel'W1Ce.
Banneret. One who leads his vassals
to battle under his own banner. A
knight made in the field was called a
banneret, because the chief ceremony
was cutting or tearing off the pointed
ends of his banner.
Bannière. Cent ans bannière, cent
ans civière. The ups and downs of life.
A grand seigneur who has had his
banner carried before him for a century,
may come to drive his hand-barrow
through the streets as a costermonger.
Bannière. Il faut la croia: et la
bannière pour l’avoir. If you want to
have him, you must make a great fuss
over him—you must go to meet him
with cross and banner, “alley and devant
de lui avec un croia: et la bannière.”
Banns of Marriage. The publi-
cation in the parish church for three
successive Sundays of an intended mar-
riage. It is made after the Second
Lesson of the Morning Service. To
announce the intention is called “Pub-
lishing the banns,” from the words “I
publish the banns of marriage between
. . . .” (Anglo-Saxon, ge-bannan, to
proclaim, to announce).
To forbid the banns. To object to the
proposed marriage.
“And a better fate did poor Maria deserve than
to have a banns forloidden by the curate of the
parish Wh() publisled them.”—Stenºte: Sentimeºn-
tal Journey.
Banquet used at one time to mean
the dessert. Thus, Taylor, in the
Pennyless Pilgrim, says: “Our first and
Second course being threescore dishes
at One boord, and after that, always a
banquet.” (French, banquet, banc, a
bench or table. We use “table * also
for a meal or feast, as “the funeral
baked meats did coldly furnish forth
the marriage table,” i.e. feast.)
“After supper . . . a delicate banquet, with
abundance of wine.”—Cogam (1583).
A banquet of brine. A flood of tears.
“My leart was charged to overflowing, and
forced into my eyes, a banquet of brine.”—C.
Thomson: Autobiography, p. 263.
Ban'quo. A Scotch general of royal
extraction, who obtained several victories
over the Highlanders and Danes in the
reign of Donald VII. He was murdered
by the Order of Macbeth, and his ghost
haunted the guilty usurper. (Shake-
speare : Macbeth.)
Banshee. The Supposed domestic
spirit of certain Irish or Highland
Scottish families, supposed to take an
interest in its welfare, and to wail at
the death of one of the family. The
Welsh “Cyhyraeth '' is a sort of
Banshee.
* The distinction of a Banshee is
allowed only to families of pure Milesian
stock. (Gaelic, ban-Sith, a woman-
fairy.)
Bantam. A little bantam cock. A
little plucky fellow that will not be
bullied by a person bigger than himself.
The bantam cock will encounter a dung-
hill cock five times his own weight, and
is therefore said to “ have a great soulin
a little body.” The bantam originally
came from Bantam, in Java.
Banting. Doing Banting. Reducing
superfluous fat by living on meat diet,
and abstaining from beer, farinaceous
food, and vegetables, according to the
method adopted by William Banting, a
London cabinet-maker, once a very fat
man (born 1796, died 1878). The word
was introduced about 1864.
Bantling. A child. Mahn suggests
the German, bankling, a bastard.
(Query, bandling, a little one in Swadd-
ling-clothes.)
Banyan. A Hindú shopkeeper. In
Bengal it denotes a native who manages
the money concerns of a European, and
also serves as an interpreter. In Madras
such an agent is called Dubash (i.e. one
who can speak two languages). (See
BANIAN DAYS.)
Bap or Bap'homet. An imaginary
idol or symbol, which the Templars were
said to employ in their mysterious rites.
The word is a corruption of Mahomet.
º J}&phomet , Old Spanish, Mało-
1)latt.
Baptes (2 syl.). Priests of the god-
dess Cotytto, whose midnight orgies
were so obscene that they disgusted even
Cotytto, the goddess of obscenity. They
received their name from the Greek
verb bapto, to wash, because they bathed
themselves in the most effeminate man-
ner. (Juvenal, ii. 91.)
13aptist
94
Barbary
Baptist. Joh?? the Baptist. His
symbol is a sword, the instrument by
which he was beheaded.
Bar. The whole body of barristers;
as bench means the whole body of
bishops.
“A dinner was given to the English Bar.”—The
Times. 'I
Bar, excepting. In racing phrase a
man will bet “Two to one, bar one,”
that is, two to one against any horse in
the field with one exception. The word
means “barring out ’’ one, shutting out,
or debarring one. -
Bar. At the bar. As the prisoner at
the bar, the prisoner in the dock before
the judge.
Trial at bar, i.e. by the full court of
judges. The bar means the place set
apart for the business of the court.
To be called to the bay. To be admitted
a barrister. The bar is the partition
separating the seats of the benchers
from the rest of the hall. Students
having attained a certain status used to
be called from the body of the hall
within the bar, to take part in the
proceedings of the court. To disbar is
to discard from the bar. Now, “to be
called within the bar ” means to be ap-
pointed king's (or queen’s) counsel; and
to disbar means to expel a barrister
from his profession.
Bar, in heraldry. An honourable or-
dinary, consisting of two parallel lines
drawn across the shield and containing
a fifth part of the field.
“A barre . . . . is drawne overthwart the es-
£9Chon ... ... it containeth the fifth part of the
Field.”—Gwillim : Heraldry.
A Baº' sinister in an heraldic shield
means one drawn the reverse way; that
is, not from left to right, but from right
to left. Popularly but erroneously
supposed to indicate bastardy.
Bar (Trial at). The examination of
a difficult cause before the four judges
in the Superior courts.
Barabas. The hero of Marlow’s
tragedy, The Jew of Malta.
‘. A mere monster, brought in with a large
1)ainted nose. . . . He kills in sport, poisons whole
Thunneries, in Yents infernal machines. . . .”—C.
L(imb. -
Barata'ria. Sancho Panza’s island-
city, over which he was appointed go-
vernor. The table was presided over
by Doctor Pedro Rezio de Ague'ro, who
caused every dish set upon the board to
be removed without being tasted—some
because they heated the blood, and others
because they chilled it; some for one ill
effect, and some for another ; so that
Sancho was allowed to eat nothing. The
word is from barato (cheap).
“The meat was put on the table, and whisked
away; like Sancho's inauguration feast at Bara-
taria.”—Thackeray.
Barâthron. A deep ditch behind
the Acropolis of Athens into which
malefactors were thrown : somewhat in
the same way as criminals at Rome were
cast from the “Tarpeian Rock.”
Barb. An arrow. The feathers under
the beak of a hawk were called barb
feathers (beard feathers). The point of
an arrow has two iron “feathers,” which
stick out so as to hinder the extraction
of the arrow. (Latin, barba, a beard.)
N.B.-The barb is not the feather on
the upper part of the shaft, but the
hooked iron point or head.
Barb. A Barbary steed, noted for
docility, speed, endurance, and spirit.
(See BARBED STEEDs.)
Barbari. Quod non fece'runt Barbari,
fece'runt Barberi” (What the barbarians
left standing, Barberini contrived to
destroy). Pope Barberini robbed the
roof of the Pantheon to build the Bald-
acchi'no, or canopy of St. Peter’s. It is
made entirely of bronze, and weighs
ninety tons.
Barbarians is certainly not derived
from the Latin barba (a beard), as many
suppose, because it is a Greek word, and
has many analogous ones. The Greeks
and Romans called all foreigners bar-
barians (babblers ; men who spoke a lan-
guage not understood by them); the Jews
called them Gentiles (other nations);
the Russians Ostiaks (foreigners). The
reproachful meaning crept in from the
natural egotism of man... It is not very
long ago that an Englishman looked
with disdainful pity on a foreigner,
and the French still retain much of
the same national exclusiveness. (See
WUNDERBERG.)
“If then I know not the meaning of the voice
[words], I shall be to him that speaketh a bar-
barian [a foreigner], and he that speaketh Will
be a barbarian llll to ille.”—1 COr. Xiy. II.
Barbarossa [Red-beard, similar to
Rufus]. The surname of Frederick I.
of Germany (1121-1190). Also Khair-
eddin Barbarossa, a famous corsair of
the sixteenth century.
Barbary. St. Barbary, the patron
Saint of arsenals and powder magazines.
Her father delivered her up to Martian,
governor of Nicomedia, for being a
Christian. After she had been subjected
to the most cruel tortures, her unnatural
13arba SOrl 9.
13arcelona,
father was about to strike off her head,
when a lightning flash laid him dead at
her feet. Hence, those who invoke
saints select St. Barbary in thunder-
storms. (See BARBE.)
Roan Barbary. The favourite horse
of Richard II. (See HORSE.)
“O, how it yearned my heart when I beheld
In London Streets that coronation day,
When Bolingbroke rode on roan Barbary !
That º that thou [Rich. II.] So Often lla.St
best rid,
That horse that ISO carefully have dressed.”
Shakespeare : Richard II., Y, 5.
Barbason. A fiend mentioned by
Shakespeare in the Merry Wives of
Windsor, ii. 2, and in Henry V., ii. 1.
“Almaimon Sounds well, Lucifer well, BarbaşOn
well ; yet they are . . . the names of fiends.”—
Merry Wives.
Barbazure (or Blue-Beard). See
“Punch’s Prize Novelists,” by Thack-
eray.
Barbe (Ste.). The powder-room in a
IFrench ship; so called from St. Barbara,
the patron saint of artillery. (See BAR-
BARY.) * *
A barbe de fou apprend-on & raire
(French). An apprentice is taught to
shave on the chin of a fool.
Tel a fait sa barbe, qui n'est pas beat
fils (French). You may waste half the
day on making your toilet, and yet not
come forth an Adonis. You cannot
make a silk purse of a Sow's ear. Not
every block will make a Mercury.
“Heap lying curls a million on your head,
On Socks, a cubit higll, plant your proud tread,
You're just what you are—that's all about it.”
Goethe. Faust (Dr. A^\Ste?'), p. 163. *
Barbecue (3 syl.). A West Indian
dish, consisting of a hog roasted whole,
stuffed with spice, and basted with
Madeira wine. Any animal roasted
whole is so called.
“Oldfield, with Imore than harpy throat Subdueti,
Cries, “Send, me, ye gods, a whole hog bar-
bécued ' ' " Pope : Satires, ii. 25, 26.
Barbed Steed (a corruption of
barded). A horse in armour. (French,
bardé, caparisoned.)
“And now, instead of mounting barbčd steeds
To fright the souls of fearful adversaries,
He capers nimbly in a lady's chamber,
To the lašcivious pleasing of a lute.” *
Shalcespeare: Richard III., act i. 1.
Barbel. Latin, barbellus (the barbed
fish); so called from the barbules, or
fleshy appendages round the mouth.
Barbeliots. A sect of Gnostics. Their
first immortal son they called Barbeloth,
omniscient, eternal, and incorruptible.
He engendered light by the instrument-
ality of Christ, author of Wisdom. From
Wisdom sprang Autogenès, and from
Autogenés, Adam (male and female),
and from Adam, matter. The first
angel created was the Holy Ghost,
from whom sprang the first prince,
named Protarchontés, who married Ar-
rogance, whose offspring was Sin.
Barber. Every barber knows that
“Olmnibus not unn tonsoribus.”
orace: 1 Satires, VII.3.
In Rome the tonstri'nae or barbers’ shops
were the fashionable resort of loungers
and idlers. Here every scandal was
known, and all the talk of the town was
repeated. -
Barber Poet. Jacques Jasmin, last
of the Troubadours, who was a barber
of Gascony. (1798-1864.)
Barber's Pole. The gilt knob at the
end represents a brass basin, which is
Sometimes actually suspended on the
pole. The basin has a notch cut in it to
fit the throat, and was used for lathering
customers who came to be shaved. The
pole represents the staff held by persons
in venesection; and the two spiral ribbons
painted round it represent the two ban-
dages, one for twisting round the arm
previous to blood-letting, and the other
for binding. Barbers used to be the
surgeons, but have fallen from “their
high estate’” since Science has made its
voice “to be heard on high.”
N.B. — The Barbers' Hall stood in
Monkwell Street, Cripplegate. The last
barber-surgeon in London was Middle-
ditch, of Great Suffolk Street, in the
Borough. He died 1821.
“To this year” (1541), says Wornum . . .
“belongs the Barber-Surgeons' picture of Henry
(VIII.) granting a charter to the Corporation.
The barbers and Surgeons of London, originally
constituting one company, had been separated
but were again, in the 32 Henry VIII., combined
into a single society, and it was the ceremony of
presenting them with a new charter which is
commemorated by Holbein's picture, now in their
laall in Monkwell Street.” -
Barbican (The) or Barbacan. The
outwork intended to defend the draw-
bridge in a fortified town or castle
(French, barbaeane). Also an opening
or loophole in the wall of a fortress,
through which guns may be fired.
Barbier. U72 barbier ºase l’azzère
(French). Caw me and I’ll caw thee.
One good turn deserves another. One
barber shaves another.
Barcarole (3 Syl.). A song sung by
Venetian barcaroli, as they row their
gondolas. (Italian, barcarolo, a boatman.)
Barcelona (A). A fichu, piece of
velvet for the neck, or small neck-tie,
made at Barcelona, and common in
TBarclayans
96
TBark
England in the first quarter of the nine-
teenth century. Also a neckcloth of
some bright colour, as red with yellow
spots.
“And on this handkerchief so starch and white
She pinned a Barcelona black and tight.”
Peter Pindar: Portfolio (Dimal).
“A double Barcelona, protected his neck.”—
Scott: Peveril of the Peak (Prefatory Letter.)
Bar'clayans. (See BERE'ANS.)
Barco'chebah or Barchöcheba's
(Shimeon). A fanatical leader of the
Jews who headed a revolt of the Jews
against the Romans A.D. 132, took Jeru-
salem in 132, and was slain by Julius
Severus in an assault of Bethel, A.D. 135.
(Didot: Nouvelle Biographie Universelle.)
“Shared the fall of the Antichrist Barco-
chel)ah.”—Professor Seeley : Ecce IIonv0.
Bardesanists. Followers of Bar-
desanes, of Edessa, founder of a Gnostic
sect in the second century. They be-
lieved that the human body was ethereal
till it became imbruted with sin. Milton,
in his Comets, refers to this:—
- * When Lust,
By unchaste looks, loose gestures, and foul talk,
But most by lewd and lavish acts of sin,
Iets in defilement to the inward parts,
The Soul grows clotted by contagion,
Imbodies and im])rutes.”
Bardit. The ancient German chant,
which incited to war.
Bardo de’ Bardi. A wealthy Flor-
entine scholar, father of Romola, in
George Eliot's Romola, a novel (1863).
Bardolph. One of Falstaff’s inferior
officers. Falstaff calls him “the knight
of the burning lamp,” because his nose
was so red, and his face so “full of
meteors.” He is a low-bred, drunken
Swaggerer, without principle, and poor
as a church mouse. (Merry Wives ;
JHenry IV., i., ii.)
“We must have better assurance for Sir John
than Bardolf's. We like not the security.”—Lord
Macaulay.
Bards. The oldest bardic composi-
tions that have been preserved are of the
fifth century; the oldest existing manu-
script is the Psalter of Cashel, a col-
lection of bardic legends, compiled in the
ninth century by Cormac Mac Culinan,
bishop of Cashel and king of Munster.
J3ard of Avon. Shakespeare, who was
born and buried at Stratford-upon-Avon.
Also called “The bard of all times.”
(1564-1616.)
Bard of Ayrshire.
native of Ayrshire.
Bard of Hope.
author of The Pleasures of Hope.
1844.)
Bobert Burns, a
(1759-1796.)
Thomas Campbell,
(1777–
Bard of the Imagination. Mark Aken-
side, author of Pleasures of the Imagina-
tion. (1721-1770.)
Bard of Memory. Rogers, author of
The Pleasures of Memory. (1762-1855.)
Bard of Olney. Cowper, who resided
at Olney, in Bucks, for many years.
(1731-1800.)
The Bard of Prose.
“He of the hundred tales of love.”
Childe Hatrold, iv. 56.
*.e. Boccaccio.
The Bard of Rydal Mount. William
Wordsworth ; so called because Rydal
Mount was his mountain home. Also
called the “Poet of the Excursion,”
from his principal poem. (1770-1850.)
J}ard of Twickenham. Alexander Pope,
who resided at Twickenham. (1688-1744.)
Barebone Parliament (The). The
Parliament convened by Cromwell in
1653; so called from Praise-God Bare-
bone, a fanatical leader, who was a
prominent member.
Barefaced. Audacious, shameless,
impudent. This seems to imply that
Social and good manners require con-
cealment, or, at any rate, to veil the face
with “white lies.” In Latin — 'etecta,
facie; in French—d visaffe découvert.
Cassius says to his friend Brutus, “If I
have veiled my looks . . . ,” that is,
concealed my thoughts from you.
Barefooted. Certain monks and
nuns, who use Sandals instead of shoes.
The Jews and Romans used to put off
their shoes in mourning and public
calamities, by way of humiliation. The
practice is defended by the command of
our Lord to His disciples: “Carry
neither purse, nor Scrip, nor shoes ''
(Luke X. 4). -
Bare Poles (Under) implies that the
weather is rough and the wind so high
that the ship displays no sails on the
masts. Figuratively applied to a man
reduced to the last extremity. Figura-
tively, a disingenuous person Sails under
bare poles.
“We were scudding before a heavy gale, under
bare poles.”—Capt. Marryat,
Bargain. Into the bargain?. In ad-
dition thereto ; besides what was bar-
gained for.
To make the best of a bad bargain. To
bear bad luck, or a bad bargain, with
equanimity.
Bark. Dogs in their wild state never
bark; they howl, whine, and growl, but
do not bark. Barking is an acquired
habit; and as only domesticated dogs
IBarker
97
Barracle
bark, this effort of a dog to speak is no
indication of a savage temper.
Barking dogs seldom bite. Huffing,
bouncing, hectoring fellows rarely pos-
sess cool courage.
Prench : “Tout chien qui aboye ne
mord pas.”
Latin: “Canes timidi vehementius
latrant quam mordent.”
Italian: “Can che abbaia, non morde.”
German : “Fin hellender hund beisst
nicht leicht.” -
To bark at the moon. To rail at those
in high places, as a dog thinks to
frighten the moon by baying at it.
There is a superstition that it portends
death or ill-luck.
“I’d rather be a dog, and hay the moon,
Tlian such a Roman.” sº e
Shalcespeare: Julius Caesa)", iv. 3.
JHis bark is worse than his bite. He
scolds and abuses roundly, but does not
bear malice, or do mischief. The pro-
verb says, “Barking dogs never bite.”
Barker. A pistol, which barks or
makes a loud report. -
Barktan. The famous black stone in
the eastern corner of the Kaaba; it is 4;
feet in length, and is surrounded with a
circle of gold. The legend is that when
Abraham wished to build the Kaaba, the
stones came to him of their own accord,
and the patriarch commanded all the
faithful to kiss the Barktan.
Bar'Iaham. A hermit who converted
Jos'aphat, an Indian prince. This Ger-
man romance, entitled Barlaham and
Josaphaë, was immensely popular in the
Middle Ages. It was written by Rudolf
of Ems (13th century).
Barley. To cry barley. To ask for
truce (in children’s games). Query, a
corruption of parley.
“A proper lad o' his quarters, that will not cry
barley in a brulzie.”—Sir W. Scott: Waverley, xiii.
Barley-bree. Barley-broth ; that is,
malt liquor brewed from barley (Scotch).
“The cock may craw, the day may daw,
And aye we'll taste the barley-bree.”
Du?")ws : Willie Brew’d a Peck o' Mauš.
Barley Cap. To wear the barley
cap. "Io be top-heavy or tipsy with
lºy-bree The liquor got into the
68,01. -
Barleycorn. John or Sir John Bar-
le/corn. A personification of malt liquor.
The term has been made popular by
Robert Burns.
“Inspiring bold John Barleycorn,
What dangers thou canst make us scorn 1 °
Burns: Tam o'Shanter, 105, 106.
Barley-mow. ... A heap of , barley
housed, or where it is housed. (Anglo-
Saxon, mowe, a heap ; Italian, mucchio;
Spanish, mucho.)
Barley Sugar. Sugar boiled in a
decoction of barley. It is not now made
so, but with Saffron, sugar, and water,
flavoured with oil of citron, orange, or
lemon.
“Barley sugar was prepared by boiling, down
Ordinary Sugar in a decoction of pearl-barley.”—
Rºmowledge (July 6th, 1883).
Barmecide (3 syl.). The word is
used to express the uncertainty of things
on which we set our heart. As the
beggar looked forward to a feast, but
found only empty dishes; so many a
joy is found to be mere illusion when
we come to partake of it.
“To-morrow ! the mysterious unknown guest
Who cries aloud, “Remember Barmecide :
And tremble to be happy with the rest.'”
Dongfellow.
Bar'mecide's Feast. A feast where
there is nothing to eat; any illusion.
Barmecide asked Schac'abac, a poor,
starving wretch, to dinner, and set
before him an empty plate. “How do
you like your soup P” asked the mer-
chant. “Excellently well,” replied
Schacabac. “Did you ever see whiter
bread P’’ ‘‘Never, honourable sir,”
was the civil answer. Wine was then
brought in, and Schacabac was pressed
to drink, but excused himself by saying
he was always quarrelsome in his cups.
Being over-persuaded, he fell foul of
his host, and was provided with food to
his heart's content. (Arabian Nights :
Barber's Sixth Brother.) -
Bar'nabas. St. Barnabas' Day, June
11. St. Barnabas was a fellow-labourer
of St. Paul. His symbol is a rake,
because the 11th of June is the time of
hay-harvest.
Barnabites (3 syl.). An Order of
monks, so called because the church of
St. Barnabas, in Milan, was given to
them to preach in. They are also called
“Canons of St. Paul,” because the origi-
nal society made a point of reading St.
Paul’s Epistles.
Barnaby Lecturers. Four lec-
turers in the University of Cambridge,
elected annually on St. Barnabas' Day
(June 11), to lecture on mathematics,
philosophy, rhetoric, and logic.
Barnaby Rudge. A half-witted
lad whose companion is a raven.
(Dickens : Barnaby Rudge.)
Barnacle. The Solan goose. The
strange tales of this creature have arisen
7
Barnacles
Barratºry
from a tissue of blunders. The Latin
permac'ula is a “small limpet,” and ber-
7tacula (Portuguese, bernaca, French, bar-
Mache) is the Scotch bren-clake or “Solan
goose.” Both words being corrupted
into “barnacle,” it was natural to look
for an identity of nature in the two
creatures, so it was given out that the
'goose was the offspring of the limpet.
Gerard, in 1636, speaks of “broken
pieces of old ships on which is found
certain spume or froth, which in time
'breedeth into shells, and the fish which
is hatched therefrom is in shape and
habit like a bird.”
Barnacles. Placemen who stick to
their offices but do little work, like the
barnacles which live on the ship but
impede its progress.
“The redundants would be “Barnacles' with a
vengeance . . . and the work be all the worse
done for these hangers-on.”—-Nimeteenth Century
(August, 1888, p. 280).
Bar'nacles. Spectacles, or rather
reading-glasses; so called , because in
shape they resemble the twitchers used
by farriers to keep under restraint unruly
horses during the process of bleeding,
dressing, or shoeing. This instrument,
formerly called a barnacle, consisting of
two branches joined at one end by a
hinge, was fixed on the horse’s nose.
T}r. Latham considers the word a cor-
ruption of binocles (double-eyes), Latin,
binus oculus. Another suggestion is
“binnacle,” the case on board ship in
which the steering compass is placed,
illuminated when it is dark by a lamp.
Barnardine. A reckless, dissolute
fellow, “fearless of what’s past, present,
and to come.” (Shakespeare : Measure
Joy Measure.) -
Barn-burners. Destructives, who,
like the Dutchman of story, would burn
down their barns to rid themselves of
the rats.
Barnet. An epicure who falls in
love with, and marries, a lady on account
of her skill in dressing a dish of stewed
carp. (Edward, a novel by Dr. John
Moore, 1796.)
Barnwell (George). The chief cha-
racter in a prose tragedy, so called, by
George Lillo. He was a London appren-
tice, who fell in with a wanton in Shore-
ditch, named Sarah Millwood, whom he
visited, and to whom he gave £200 of his
master’s money, and ran away. He next
robbed his uncle, a rich grazier at Lud-
low, and beat out his brains. Having
spent the money, Sarah turned him out
of doors, and each informed against the
other. Sarah Millwood and George
Barnwell were both hanged. (Lillo,
1693–1739.) *
Baro-Devel. The great god of the
gipsies. His son is named Alako.
Baron properly means a man (Old
High German, baro). It was a term
applied to a serving-soldier, then to a
military chief, and ultimately to a lord.
The reverse of this is seen in our word
slave (a servile menial), which is the
Slavonic word slav (noble, illustrious).
J3arones vel varrones dicuntun' servi mili-
tum, qui 2ſtique Stultissimi Sunt Servi wide-
licet stultorum. (Scholiast.) (See IDIOT.)
Baron Bung. Mine host, master of
the beer bung.
Baron Munchausen (pron. Moohn-
how'-2)). Said to be a satire on Bruce,
the Abyssinian traveller, to whom the
work was dedicated. The author was
Raspé, a German fugitive from the
officers of justice, living in Cornwall
(1785). The chief incidents were com-
piled from various sources, such as the
Menda'cia Ridic'ula of J. P. Lange ;
Lucian's Thºſe History of Things Dis-
covered in the Moon : Rabelais ; and the
Jºolhe'to de Ambas Lis'boa.
Baron of Beef. Two sirloins left
uncut at the backbone. The baron is the
backpart of the ox, called in Danish, the
Tug. Jocosely said to be a pun upon
baron and sirloin.
Barons' War (The). An historical
poem by Michael Drayton (1603).
“The pictures of Mortimer and the queen, and
of Edward's entrance into the castle, are splendid
and spirited.”—Campbell.
Barrack Hack (The). A lady who
hangs on the sleeve of a military officer,
attends all barrack fêtes of every descrip-
tion, and is always ready to get up a
dance, dinner, or picnic, to please the
officers on whom she dances attendance. .
Barracks means huts made of the
branches of trees (Gaelic, barr, the top
of anything; barrach, the top-branche;
of trees; barrachad, a hut made of .
branches). Our word is plural, indica-
tive of the whole collection ; but the
French baraque is singular. (See B. K. S.)
Barratry or Barretry. Qui fait
barat, barat lui vient (French). With
what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again. Barratry is
false faith to one’s employers. It is a
Sea term, and means the commission of
a fraud on the owners or insurers of a
Barrel Fever
99
Barristers' Bags.
ems -º-º:
ship by the captain or the crew. The
fraud may consist of many phases, such
as deserting the ship, sinking her, falsi-
fying her cargo, etc. The French have
other proverbs to the same effect: as,
La tricherie revient presque totſjoº's d 80%
maître. “He made a pit and . . . is
fallen into the ditch which he made.
|His mischief shall return upon his own
head.” (Psalm vii. 14, 15, 16.)
Barrel Fever. Intoxication or ill-
ness from intemperance in drink.
Barrell's Blues. The 4th Foot ;
so called from the colour of their facings,
and William Barrell, colonel of the
regiment (1734-1739). Now called “The
Ring's Own (Royal Lancaster Regi-
ment).” They were called “Lions”
from their badge, The Lion of Jºngland.
Barrette. Parler &labarrette (French).
To give one a thump o' the head. The
word barrette means the cap worn by
the lower orders.
“Et moi, je pourrais bien parler a ta barrette.”
Moliè?'e: L'Avat?‘e.
It is also used to signify the Ordinary
biºetta of ecclesiastics and (probably)
of French lawyers. Il & recu le chapedit
or la barrette. He has been made a
cardinal.
“Le pape lui enyoyait la, barrette, mais elle he
servit qu' à le faire mourir cardinal.”—Voltaire:
Sécle de Louis XIV., chal). XXXiX.
Barrica'de (3 syl). To block up.
The term rose in France in 1588, when
Henri de Guise returned to Paris in
defiance of the king’s order. The king
sent for his Swiss Guards, and the
Parisians tore up the pavement, threw
chains across the streets, and piled up
barrels filled with earth and stones,
behind which they shot down the Swiss
as they passed through the streets. The
French for barrel is barrique, and to
barricade is to stop up the streets with
these barrels.
The day of the Barricades :
(1) May 12th, 1588, when the people
forced Henri III. to flee from Paris.
(2) August 5th, 1648, the beginning
of the Fronde War.
(3) July 27th, 1830, the first day of
le grand semain which drove Charles X.
from the throne.
(4) February 24th, 1848, which drove
Louis Philippe to abdicate and flee to
England. -
(5) June 23rd, 1848, when Affre,
Archbishop of Paris, was shot in his
attempt to quell the insurrection.
(6) December 2nd, 1851, the day of
the coup d'état, when Louis Napoleon
made his appeal to the people for re-
election to the Presidency for ten years.
Barrier Treaty, November 5th, 1715,
by which the Dutch reserved the right of
holding garrisons in certain fortresses of
the Spanish Netherlands.
Bar'rikin. Jargon, words not under-
stood. (Old French, baracan, from the
Breton, bara, gwyn, “white bread,”
taken as a type of barbarous words;
modern French, baragouin, gibberish.)
Barring-out. A practice of barring
the master out of the schoolroom in
order to dictate terms to him. It was
Once common, but is now numbered
with past customs. Miss Edgeworth has
a tale so called.
Bar'rister. One admitted to plead
at the bar ; one who has been “called
to the bar.” The bar is the rail which
divides the counsel from the audience,
or the place thus enclosed. Tantamount
to the rood-screen of a church, which
separates the chancel from the rest of
the building. Both these are relics of
the ancient notion that the laity are an
inferior order to the privileged class.
* A silk gown or bencher pleads
within the bar, a stuff gown or outer
barrister pleads without the bar.
Ayº Oute) 07' Utter J3aºister. This
phrase alludes to an ancient custom
observed in courts of law, when certain
barristers were allowed to plead ; but
not being benchers (king’s counsel or
sergeants-at-law) they took their seats
“at the end of the forms called thé
bar.” The Utter Barrister comes next
to a bencher, and all barristers inferior
to the Utter Barristers are termed “Inner
Earristers.”
* The whole society is divided into
three ranks: Benchers, Utter Barristers,
and Inner Barristers.
An Inner JBarrister. A barrister in-
ferior in grade to a Bencher or Utter
Barrister.
A Revising Barrister. One appointed
to revise the lists of electors.
A Vacation Barrister. One newly
called to the bar, who for three years
has to attend in “long vacation.”
Barristers’ Bags. In the Common
Law bar, barristers' bags are either red
or dark blue. Red bags are reserved for
Queen’s Counsel and Sergeants; but a
stuff gownsman may carry One “if pre-
sented with it by a silk.” Only red bags
may be taken into Common Law Courts;
blue bags must be carried no farther
Barristers’ Gowrms
100 Bas Bleu.
than the robing room. In the Chancery
Courts the etiquette is not so strict.
Barristers' Gowns. “Utter barris-
ters wear a stuff or bombazine gown,
and the puckered material between the
shoulders of the gown is all that is now
left of the purse into which, in early
days, the Successful litigant . . . dropped
his . . . pecuniary tribute . . . for
services rendered ” (Notes and Queries,
11 March, 1893, p. 124). The fact is
that the counsel was supposed to appear
merely as a friend of the litigant. Even
now he cannot recover his fees.
Barry Cornwall, poet. A nom de
plume of Bryan Waller Procter. It is
an anagram of his name. (1788-1874.)
Barsa’nians. Heretics who arose in
the sixth century. They made their
Sacrifices consist in taking wheat flour
on the tip of their first finger, and
carrying it to their mouth.
Bar-sur-Aube (Prévot). Je me wou-
drais pas àtre roi, si j'étais prévot de
JBar-sur-Aube (French). I should not
care to be king, if I were Provost of
Bar-sur-Aube [the most lucrative and
honourable of all the provostships of
France]. Almost the same idea is ex-
pressed in the words
“And often to our comfort we shall find,
The sharded beetle in a safer hold
Than is the full-winged eagle.”
Almost to the same effect Pope says:
“And more true joy Marcellus exiled feels,
Than Caesar with a Senate at his leels.”
* See CASTLE OF BUNGAY.
Bartholo. A doctor in the comedies
of Le Mariage de Figaro, and Le Barbier
de Séville, by Beaumarchais.
Bartholomew (St.). The symbol
of this saint is a knife, in allusion to the
knife with which he was flayed alive.
St. Bartholomew's Day, August 24th.
IProbably Bartholomew is the apostle
called “Nathanael” by St. John the
Evangelist (i. 45-51).
Massacre of St. Bartholomew. The
slaughter of the French Protestants in
the reign of Charles IX., begun on St.
IBartholomew’s Day, i.e. between the
24th and 25th August, 1572. It is said
that 30,000 persons fell in this dreadful
persecution. -
Bartholomew Fair. Held in West
Smithfield (1133-1855) on St. Bartholo-
mew’s Day.
A Bartholomew doll. A tawdry, over-
dressed woman; like a flashy, bespangled
#. offered for sale at Bartholomew
&ll',
* ~~
person.
A Bartholomew pig. A very fat
At Bartholomew Fair one of
the chief attractions used to be a pig,
roasted whole, and sold piping hot.
Falstaff calls himself,
* A little tidy Bartholomew boar-pig.”—2 Henry
. ii. 4.
Barthram's Dirge (in Sir Walter
Scott's Border Minstrelsy). Sir Noel
Paton, in a private letter, says: “The
subject of this dirge was communi-
cated to Sir Walter as a genuine
fragment of the ancient Border Muse
by his friend Mr. Surtees, who is in
reality its author. The ballad has no
foundation in history ; and the fair
lady, her lover, and the nine brothers,
are but the creation of the poet’s fancy.”
Sir Noel adds: “I never painted a
picture of this subject, though I have
often thought of doing so. The engrav-
ing which appeared in the Art Journal
was executed without my concurrence
from the oil sketch, still, I presume, in
the collection of Mr. Pender, the late
M.P., by whom it was brought to the Ex-
hibition of the Royal Scottish Academy
here’’ (at Edinburgh) November 19th,
1866.
Bartol'do. A rich old miser, who
died of fear and penurious self-denial.
Fazio rifled his treasures, and, being
accused by his own wife Bianca, was
put to death. (Dean Milman : Fazio.)
Bartole (2 syl.). He knows his “Pay-
tole '' as well as a cordelier his “JDorm; ”
(French). Bartole was an Italian lawyer,
born in Umbria (1313-1356), whose autho-
rity amongst French barristers is equal
to that of Blackstone with us. The cor-
deliers or Franciscans were not great at
preaching, and perhaps for this reason
used a collection called Dormi, contain-
ing the best specimens of the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries. This compila-
tion was called Do?'mi from the first
word in the book. The compilation is
anonymous.
Bartolist.
above.)
Barzillai (3 syl.). The Duke of
Ormond, a friend and staunch adherent
of Charles II. The allusion is to Bar-
zillai, who assisted David when he was
expelled by Absalom from his kingdom
(2 Sam. xvii. 27–29).
“Barzillai crowned with honours and with
One skilled in law. (See
y €3,1'S . . . - -
In exile with his godlike prince he mourned,
For him he suffered, and with him returned.”
Dryden : Absalom, and Achitophel, l. 817-24.
Bas Bleu, (See BLUE StockING.)
13ase
101
Bass
Base. The basis, or that on which
an animal walks (Greek, baino, to go,
and basis, a footstep). The foot is
the foundation—hence, base of a pillar,
etc. It is also the lowest part, and
hence the notion of worthless. Bass in
music (Italian, basso) is the lowest part,
or the part for the lowest compass of
voice.
Base Tenure. Holding by copy of
court-roll, in opposition to freeholders.
Base of Operation, in war. That
is, a fortified or otherwise secure spot,
where the magazines of all sorts can be
formed, whence the army can derive
stores, and upon which (in case of
reverse) it can fall back. If a fleet, it is
called a movable base; if a fortified or
other immovable spot, it is called a fived
base. The line from such a base to the
object aimed at is called “the Line of
Operation.”
Bashaw'. An arrogant, domineering
man ; so called from the Turkish vice-
roys and provincial governors, each of
whom bears the title of bascha (pacha).
A three-tailed bashaw. A beglerbeg
or prince of princes among the Turks,
having a standard of three horse-tails
borne before him. The next in rank is
the bashaw with two tails, and then the
bey, who has only one horse-tail.
Basilian Monks. Monks of the Order
of St. Basil, who lived in the fourth
century. This Order has produced 14
popes, 1,805 bishops, 3,010 abbots, and
11,085 martyrs.
Rasilica. Originally the court of
the Athenian archon, called the basileus,
who used to give judgment in the stoa
basil'ikä. At Rome these courts of
justice had their nave, aisles, porticoes,
and tribunals; so that when used for
Christian worship very little alteration
was needed. The church of St. John
Lateran at Rome was an ancient basilica.
Basilics or Basilica. A digest of
laws begun by the Byzantine emperor
Basilius in 867, and completed by his
Son Leo, the philosopher, in 880.
Basilid'ians. A sect of Gnostic
heretics, followers of Basilidès, an
Alexandrian Gnostic, who taught that
from the unborn Father “Mind.” was
begotten; from Mind proceeded. “The
Word” ; from the Word or Logos
proceeded “Understanding”; from Un-
derstanding “Wisdom" and “Power”;
from Wisdom and Power “Excellen-
cies,” “Princes,” and “Angels,”
. Perseda,
the agents which created heaven.
Next to these high mightinesses come
365 celestial beings, the chief of whom
is Abraxas (q.v.), and each of whom has
his special heaven. What we call Christ
is what the Basilidians term. The first-
begotten “Mind.”
Basilisco. A braggart; a character
in an old play entitled Solyman and
Shakespeare makes the Bas-
tard say to his mother, who asks him
why he boasted of his ill-birth, “Enight,
knight, good mother, Basilisco-like ’’—
i.e. my boasting has made me a knight.
(King John, i. 1.)
Basilisk. The king of serpents
(Greek, basilents, a king), supposed to
have the power of “looking any one
dead on whom it fixed its eyes.” Hence
T}ryden makes Clytus say to Alexander,
“Nay, frown not so ; you cannot look
me dead.” This creature is called a king
from having on its head a mitre-shaped
crest. Also called a cockatrice, and
fabulously alleged to be hatched by a
serpent from a cock's egg.
“Like a boar
Plunging his tusk in mastiff's gore ;
Or basilisk, when roused, whose lyreath,
Teeth, sting, and eyeballs all are death.”
IGing: Art of L0v6.
To be left in the basket.
Left in the
Basket.
Neglected or uncared for.
waste-basket.
To give a basket. To refuse to marry.
In Germany a basket [korb) is fixed on
the roof of one who has been jilted, or
one who, after long courtship, cannot
persuade the lady courted to become his
wife.
Baso'chians. Clerks of the basilica or
palace. When the Kings of France in-
habited the “Palace of Justice,” the
judges, advocates, proctors, and lawyers
went by the common name of the cleres
de la basoche, subsequently (in 1303)
divided into “Clerks of the Palace,” and
“Clerks of the Châtelet.” The chief of
the basochians was called Le roi de la
basoche, and had his court, coin, and
grand officers. He reviewed his “sub-
jects” every year, and administered
justice twice a week. Henri III. Sup-
pressed the title of the chief, and trans-
ferred all his functions and privileges
to the Chancellor.
Bass. Matting made of bast, that is
the lime or linden tree. Dutch, bast,
bark; Swedish, basta, to bind ; so called
because used for binding. “Ribbons
from the linden tree give a wreath no
charms to me.” The shepherds of
Bastard
102 Bath Stone
Carniola make a cloth of the outer bark.
The inner bark is made into Russian
matting, and is serviceable to gardeners
for packing, tying up plants, protecting
trees, etc. Other materials are now
used for the same purposes, and for
hassocks, etc., but the generic word bass
designates both bast-bark and all its
imitations.
Bastard. Any sweetened wine,
but more correctly applied to a sweet
Spanish wine (white or brown) made of
the bastard muscadine grape.
“I will loledge you willingly in a cup of
hastard.”—Sir Walter Scott: Kenilworth, chap. iii.
Ba'ste (1 Syl.). I’ll baste your jacket
for you, i.e. came you. I’ll give you a
thorough basting, i.e. beating. (Spanish,
Öaston, a stick; Italian, bastone ; French,
báton.) -
Ba'stille means simply a building
(French, bastiq', now bittin', to build).
Charles W. built it as a royal château;
Philippe-Auguste enclosed it with a high
wall; St. Louis administered justice in
the park, under the oak-trees; Philippe
de Valois demolished the old château
and commenced a new one ; Louis XI.
first used it as a state prison ; and it was
demolished by the rabble in the French
Revolution, July 14th, 1789.
Bastina'do. A beating (Italian,
bastone ; French, baston, now batton, a
stick). The Chinese, Turks, and Per-
sians punish offenders by beating them
on the soles of the feet. The Turks call
the punishment zarb.
Bastion (A), in fortification, is a
work having two faces and two flanks,
all the angles of which are salient,
that is, pointing outwards towards the
country. The line of rampart which
joins together the flanks of two bastions
is technically called a curtain.
Bastions in fortifications were invented in 1480
by Achmet Pasha : but San Michaeli of Verona,
in 1527, is Said by Maffei and Vasari to have been
the real inventor,
Bat. Harlequin's lath wand (French,
batte, a wooden sword).
To carry out one’s bat (in cricket). Not
to be “out ’’ when the time for drawing
the stumps has arrived.
Off his own bat. By his own exertions;
On his own account. A cricketer's
phrase, meaning runs won by a single
player.
Bat-horses and Bat-men. Bat-horses
are those which carry officers' baggage
during a campaign (French, bát, a pack-
Saddle). Bat-men are those who look
after the pack-horses.
Batavia. The Netherlands; so called
from the Batavi, a Celtic tribe who
dwelt there.
“Flat Batavia's willowy groves.”
$zgºs - Wordsworth,
Bate me an Ace. (See BOLTON.)
Bath. Inights of the Bath. This
name is derived from the ceremony of
bathing, which used to be practised at
the inauguration of a knight, as a symbol
of purity. The last knights created in
this ancient form were at the coronation
of Charles II. in 1661. G.C.B. stands for
Grand Cross of the Bath (the first-class);
K.C.B. Jºnight Commander of the Bath
(the second class); C.B. Companion of
*
the Bath (the third class).
Iſing of Bath. Richard Nash, gener-
ally called Beau Nash, a celebrated
master of the ceremonies at Bath for
fifty-six years. (1674-1761.)
There, go to Bath with you ! I)on't
talk nonsense. Insane persons used to
be sent to Bath for the benefit of its
mineral waters. The implied reproof is,
what you say is so silly, you ought to go
to Bath and get your head shaved.
Bath Brick. Alluvial matter made
in the form of a brick, and used for
cleaning knives and polishing metals.
It is not made at Bath, but at Bridg-
water, being dredged from the river
Parrett, which runs through Bridgwater.
Bath Chair (A). A chair mounted
on wheels and used for invalids. Much
used at Bath, frequented by invalids for
its hot springs. -
TEath Metal. The same as Pinch-
beck (q.v.). An alloy consisting of six-
teen parts copper and five of zinc.
Bath Post. A letter paper with a
highly - glazed surface, used by the
highly-fashionable visitors of Bath when
that watering-place was at its prime.
(See PoST.) Since the introduction of
the penny post and envelope system,
this paper has gone out of general use.
Bath Shillings. Silver tokens coined
at Bath in 1811-1812, and issued for
4s., for 2s., and for 1s., by C. Culver-
house, J. Orchard, and J. Phipps.
Bath Stone. A species of limestone,
used for building, and found in the
Lower Oolite, in Wiltshire and Somer-
setshire. It is easily wrought in the
quarry, but hardens on exposure to the
air. Called “Bath” stone because
several of the quarries are near Bath,
in Somersetshire.
Bath.
103 Battle
Bath (Major). A poor, high-minded
officer, who tries to conceal his poverty
by bold speech and Ostentatious bearing.
Colman’s Poor Gentleman (Lieutenant
Worthington) is a similar character.
(Fielding : Amelia (a novel) 1751.)
Bath-kol (daughter of the voice). A
sort of divination common among the
ancient Jews after the gift of prophecy
had ceased. When an appeal was made
to Bath-kol, the first words uttered after
the appeal were considered oracular.
Bathos. [Greek, bathos, depth]. A
ludicrous descent from grandiloquence
to commonplace. A literary mermaid.
“Humano capiti cervicem pictor equinam
Jungere si velit . . . ut turpiter atrum
Desinat in piscenn linulier form ()S:l Superne.”
“Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus.”
Horace : De Arte Poetica, line 139.
A good example is the well-known
couplet:
“And thou, Dalluousie, the great god of war,
Lieutenant-general to the earl of Mar.”
Bath'sheba. The Duchess of Ports-
mouth, a favourite court lady of Charles
II. The allusion is to the wife of Uri'ah
the Hittite, criminally beloved by David
(2 Sam. xi.). The Duke of Monmouth
Says:
“My father, whom with reverence yet I name,
Charmed into ease, is careless of lais fame;
And, brilled with petty Sulms of fºreign, gold,
Is grown in Batlashella's embraces old.
Dryden : Absalom &md Achitophel, i. 707-10.
Bathyllus. A beautiful boy of
Samos, greatly beloved by Polycrátēs
the tyrant, and by the poet Anacreon.
(See Horace: Epistle xiv. 9.)
“To them [i.e. the acsthetic school] the boy-
hood of Bathyllus is of more nonment than the
manhood of Napoleon.”—Mallock : The New Repub-
lic, book iv. Chap. 1.
Batiste. The fabric is so called from
Baptiste of Cambrai, who first manu-
factured it.
Ba/trachomy'omachia (pronounce
Ba-trak'0-my'o-mak’ia). A storm in a
puddle ; much ado about nothing. The
word is the name of a mock heroic
poem in Greek, supposed to be by Pi'grés
of Caria, and means The Battle of the
Progs and Mice.
Batta or Batty (Hindustanee). Per-
quisites; wages. Properly, an allowance
to East Indian troops in the field. In
garrison they are put on half-batta.
“He would rather live on half-pay in a garrison
that could boast of a fives-court, than Vegetate
ºn full batta where there was none.”— G. R. Gleig:
Thomas Munro, Yol. i. chal). iv. p. 227. -
Battar, Al [the Trenchant]. One of
Mahomet's swords, confiscated from the
Jews when they were exiled from Me-
di'na.
Battels. Rations or “commons’’
allowed to students at the University of
Oxford. (To batten, to feast.)
Battel Bills. Buttery bills at the
universities. (See above.)
Battersea. You must go to Battersea
to get your simples cut. A reproof to a
simpleton, or one who makes a very
foolish observation. The market gar-
deners of Battersea used to grow simples
(medicinal herbs), and the London apoth-
ecaries went there to select or cut such
as they wanted. (See NAVIGA.)
Battle. Professor Creasy says there
are fifteen decisive battles; that is,
battles which have decided some political
change: B.C. 490, Marathon; 413, Syra-
cuse; 331, Arbela ; 207, Metaurus; the
defeat of the Romans by Varus, 9;
Chalons, A.D. 451; Tours, 732; Hastings,
1066; Joan of Arc's victory at Orléans,
1429; the Armada, 1588; Blenheim,
1704; Pultow'a, 1709 ; Saratoga, 1777 ;
Valmy, 1792; and Waterloo, 1815.
JBattle royal. A certain number of
cocks, say sixteen, are pitted together ;
the eight victors are then pitted, then
the four, and last of all the two ; and
the winner is victor of the battle royal.
Metaphorically, the term is applied to
chess, etc. -
Battle scenes. Le Clerc could arrange
on a Small piece of paper not larger than
one’s hand an army of 20,000 men.
The Battle-painter or Delle Battaglie.
(See MICHAEL ANGELO.)
Battle of the Books. A satire, by Dean
Swift, on the contention among literary
men whether ancient or modern authors
were the better. In the battle the
ancient books fight against the modern
books in St. James's Library.
Battle of the Giants ; i.e. the battle of
Marignan (Ilſa-7'in-yan") in 1515, when
François I. won a complete victory over
12,000 Swiss, allies of the Milanese.
Battle of the Herrings, in 1429. A
sortie made by the men of Orléans,
during the siege of their city, to inter-
cept a supply of Salt herrings sent to
the besiegers.
Battle of the Moat. A skirmish or
battle between Mahomet and Abu Sofian
(chief of the Koreishites) before Medina ;
so called because the “prophet” had a
moat dug before the city to keep off the
invaders; and in the moat much of the
fighting took place. *
Battle of the Standard, in 1138, when
Battle
104 Battus paieront
the English overthrew the Scotch, at
Northallerton, in Yorkshire. The stan-
dard was a high crucifix borne by the
English on a wagon.
Battle of the Spurs (1302), in which the
allied citizens of Ghent and Bruges won
a famous victory over the chivalry of
France under the walls of Courtray.
After the battle more than 700 gilt spurs
(worn by French nobles) were gathered
from the field.
In English history the Battle of Guine-
gate (1513) is so called, “because the
French spurred their horses to flight,
almost as soon as they came in sight of
the English troops.”
A close battle. A naval fight at “close
quarters,” in which opposing ships en-
gage each other side by side.
A line of battle. The position of
troops drawn up in battle array. At
Sea, the arrangement formed by ships in
a naval engagement. A line-of-battle
ship is a ship fit to take part in a main
attack. Frigates do not join in a
general engagement.
A pitched battle. A battle which has
been planned, and the ground pitched on
or chosen beforehand, by both sides.
JHalf the battle. Half determines the
battle. Thus, “The first stroke is half
the battle,” that is, the way in which
the battle is begun half determines what
the end will be.
Trial by battle. The submission of a
legal suit to a combat between the liti-
gants, under the notion that God would
defend the right. It was legal in Eng-
land till the nineteenth century.
Wager of Battle. One of the forms of
ordeal or appeal to the judgment of
God, in the old Norman courts of the
kingdom. It consisted of a personal com-
bat between the plaintiff and the defen-
dant, in the presence of the court itself.
Abolished by 59 Geo. III. c. 46.
Battle of the Frogs and Mice
(The). [See BATRACHOMYOMACHIA.]
Battle of the Kegs (The). A mock-
heroic by Francis Hopkinson (1738-1791).
In the War of Independence certain
machines, in the form of kegs, charged
with gunpowder, were sent down the
river to annoy the British at Philadel-
phia. When the British found out the
nature of these machines, they waged
relentless war with everything they saw
floating about the river.
Battle of the Poets (The). A
satirical poem by John [Sheffield], Duke
of Buckingham, in which all the
versifiers of the time are brought into
the field (1725).
Battle of the Whips. The Scythian
slaves once rose in rebellion against
their masters, and many a bloody en-
counter followed. At length, one of
the Scythian masters said to his fol-
lowers: Let us throw away our spears
and swords, and fight in future with
whips. We get killed by the former
weapons and weakened. So in the next
encounter they armed themselves with
whips, and immediately the slaves saw
the whips, remembering former Scourg-
ings, they turned tail and were no more
trouble. --
Battle (Sarah), who considered whist
the business of life and literature one of
the relaxations. When a young gentle-
man, of a literary turn, said to her he
had no objection to unbend his mind for
a little time by taking a hand with her,
Sarah was indignant, and declared it
worse than sacrilege to speak thus of
her noble occupation. Whist “was her
life business; her duty; the thing she
came into the world to do, and she did
it. She unbent her mind afterwards
over a book.” (C. Lamb : Elia.)
Battledore (3 syl.) means, properly,
a baton for washing linen by striking
on it to knock out the dirt. The plan
is still common in France. The word
is the French battoi)", a beater used
by washerwomen ; Portuguese, Batidor,
Spanish, batidero, a wash-board.
Battu. Autant pleatre anal battit que
bien battu (French). It little matters
whether stripes are given maliciously or
not, as they smart the same. Whether
misfortunes come from God or Satan,
they are misfortunes still. A slight
variant is “ Autant vaut bien battu que
amal battle,” which means, it is of no
consequence whether badly beaten or
not, enough that I am beaten; “over
shoes, over boots.”
Battu de fol Oiseau (Etre), or
“ 6tre battu de l'oiseau,” to be utterly
dismayed; to be dazed. The allusion is
to bird-catching at night, when a candle
or lantern is held up before the birds
aroused from their sleep ; the birds,
being dazed, are beaten down easily
with sticks.
Battus paieront (Les). Vas victis I
Those who lose must pay the piper.
“C'est le loi du pays de Béarn que le
battu païe l'amende.” Again, “C’est la
coutume de Lorris, les battits paient
Baubee
105
IBay
l'amende.” This is certainly the general
custom in law and war. -
Baubee. (See BAWBEE.)
Bauble. A fool should never hold a
baatöle i7, his hand. ‘‘’Tis a foolish bird
that fouls its own nest.” The bauble
was a short stick, ornamented with ass’s
ears, carried by licensed fools. (French,
babiole, a plaything; Old French, baubel,
a child’s toy.) -
If every fool held a bauble, fuel would
be dear. The proverb indicates that the
world contains so many fools that if each
had a separate bauble there would be
but little wood left for lighting fires.
To deserve the battöle. To be so foolish
as to be qualified to carry a fool’s em-
blem of office.
Baucis. (See PHILEMON.)
Ba'viad (The). A merciless satire
by Gifford on the Della Cruscan poetry,
published 1794. The word is from
Virgil’s Eclogue, iii. 9.
He may with foxes plough, and milk he-goats,
Who praises Bavius or on Mayius dot;.
The Cid's horse.
Any bad poet.
IBavie'ca.
Ba'vius.
VIAD.)
“May he choice patron bless each grey goose
(; lll -
May every Pavius have his Bufo still.”
Pope: Prologºte to the Satires, 249-50.
Bawbee.
“Wha’ll hire, wha’ll hire, wha’ll hire me 2
Three plumps and a Wallop for ale bawbee.”
The tale is that the people of Kirk-
mahoe were so poor, they could not
afford to put any meat into their broth.
A 'cute cobbler invested all his money
in buying four sheep-shanks, and when
a neighbour wanted to make mutton
broth, for the payment of one halfpenny
the cobbler would “plump' one of the
sheep-shanks into the boiling water, and
give it a “wallop’’ or whisk round. He
then wrapped it in a cabbage-leaf and
took it home. This was called a gustin
bone, and was supposed to give a rich
“gust' to the broth. The cobbler
found his gustin bone very profitable.
Jenny’s bawbee. Hermarriage portion.
The word means, properly, a debased
(See BA-
copper coin, equal in value to a half-
penny, issued in the reign of James W.
of Scotland. (French, 5. billon, de-
based copper money.)
*: The word “bawbee '' is derived
from the laird of Sillebawby, a mint-
master. That there was such a laird
is quite certain from the Treasurer’s
account, September 7th, 1541, “In argento
Teceptis a Jacobo Atzinsome, et Alexandro
Orok de Sillebawby respective.”
Bawley Boat (A). A small fishing-
Smack used on the coasts of Kent and
Essex, about the mouth of the Thames
and Medway. Bawleys are generally
about 40 feet long, 13 feet beam, 5 feet
draught, and from 15 to 20 tons
measurement. They differ in rig from
a cutter in having no booms to the
mainsail, which is, consequently, easily
brailed up when working the trawl nets.
They are half-decked, with a wet well
to keep fish alive.
Bawtry. Like the saddler of Bawtry,
who was hanged for leaving his liquor
(Yorkshire Fº It was customary
for criminals on their way to execution
to stop at a certain tavern in York for
a “parting draught.” The saddler of
Bawtry refused to accept the liquor and
was hanged. If he had stopped a few
minutes at the tavern, his reprieve,
which was on the road, would have
arrived in time to save his life.
Baxto'rians. Those who entertain
the same religious views as Richard
Baxter. The chief points are—(1) That
Christ died in a spiritual sense for the
elect, and in a general sense for all; (2)
that there is no such thing as reproba-
tion; (3) that even saints may fall
from grace. Dr. Isaac Watts and Dr.
Doddridge held these views.
Bay.
Supposed to be an antidote against
lightning, because it was the tree of
Apollo. Hence Tibe'rius and some
other of the Roman emperors wore a
wreath of bay as an amulet, especially
in thunder-storms. (Pliny.)
“IReach the bays–
I’ll tie a garland here about his liead :
'Twill keep my boy from lightning.”
The White Devil.
The withering of a bay-tree was Sup-
posed to be the omen of a death.
“'Tis thought the king is dead. We'll not stay—
The bay-trees in our country are Witlered.”
Shakespeare : Itichard II., ii. 4.
Crowned with bays, in sign of victory.
The general who obtained a victory
among the Romans was crowned with a
wreath of bay leaves.
Bay. The reason why Apollo and all
those under his protection are crowned
with bay is a pretty fable. Daphnº,
daughter of the river-god Penéos, in
Thessaly, was very beautiful and re:
solved to pass her life in perpetual
virginity. Apollo fell in love with her,
Bay the Moon
106 Bead
but she rejected his suit. On one occa-
sion the god was so importunate that
Daphné fled from him and sought the
protection of her father, who changed
her into the bay-tree. The gallant god
declared henceforth he would wear bay
leaves on his brow and lyre instead of
the oak, and that all who sought his
favour should follow his example.
The Queen’s Bays. The 2nd Dragoon
Guards; so called because they are
mounted on bay horses. Now called The
Queen’s.
Bay. The colour of a horse is Varro's
equats badius, given by Ainsworth as,
“brown, bay, sorrel, chestnut colour.”
Coles gives the same. Our bayard;
bright bay, light bay, blood bay, etc.
Bay the Moon (To). To bark at the
moon. (French, aboyer, to bark at.)
(See BARK.)
Bay Salt is salt of a bay colour. It
is the salt of sea-water hardened by the
heat of the sun.
Bayadere (bah-ya-dare). A dancing
girl dressed in Eastern costume; so called
from the bajaderes of India, whose
duty is to dance before the images of the
gods; but the grandees employ similar
dancers for their private amusements.
The word is a corruption of the Portu-
guese bailadeira.
Bayard (Chevalier), Pierre du Terrail,
a celebrated French knight (1476-1524).
J.e. chevalie,' sans pett): et Sans reproche.
The British Bayard. Sir Philip Sidney.
(1554-1584.)
The Polish Bayard. Prince Joseph
Poniatowski. (1763-1814.)
Bayard of the East (The) or Of the
Indian Army. Sir James Outram
(1803-1863).
Bayard. A horse of incredible swift-
ness, belonging to the four sons of
Aymon. If only one of the sons
mounted, the horse was of the ordinary
size; but if all four mounted, his body
became elongated to the requisite length.
The name is used for any valuable or
wonderful horse, and means a “high-
bay.” (bay - ard). (Villeneuve : Les
Quatre-Filz Aymon.). (See HoRSE.)
Iſeep Bayard in the stable, i.e. keep
what is of value under lock and key.
(See above.)
Bold as Blind Bayard. Foolhardy.
If a blind horse leaps, the chance is he
will fall into a ditch. Grose mentions
the following expression, To ride bayard .
of ten toes—“Going by the marrow-bone
stage '’—i.e. walking.
Bayar'do. The famous steed of
Rinaldo, which once belonged to Amſadis
of Gaul. (See HoRSE.) -
Bayardo’s Leap. Three stones, about
thirty yards apart, near Sleaford. It
is said that Rinaldo was riding on his
favourite steed Bayardo, when the
demon of the place sprang behind him ;
but the animal in terror took three tre-
mendous leaps and unhorsed the fiend.
Bayes, in the Rehearsal, by the Duke
of Buckingham, was designed to satirise
John Dryden, the poet laureate.
Bayes's Troops. Dead men may rise
again, like Bayes's troops, or the savages
tº the Fantoei'ai (Something New). In
the Rehearsal, by George Williers, Duke
of Buckingham, a battle is fought be-
tween foot-soldiers and great hobby-
horses. At last Drawcansir kills all on
both sides, Smith then asks how they
are to go off, to which Bayes replies,
“As they came on—upon their legs ’’;
upon which they all jump up alive
agall).
Bayeux Tapestry. Supposed to
be the work of Matilda, wife of William
the Conqueror. It represents the mis-
sion of Harold to the duke, and all the
incidents of his history from that event
till his death at Hastings in 1066. It is
called Bayeux from the place where it
is preserved. A drawing, on a reduced
scale, of this curious antique is preserved
in the Guildhall Library.
Bayle (2 syl.). Dances of the common
people were so called in Spain, in oppo-
sition to the stately court dances, called
danza. The Baylè were of Moorish in-
vention, the most celebrated being La
Sarabanda, La Chacoma, Las Gambelas,
and E! Heymano Bartolo.
Bay'onet. So called from La Bayo-
nette, a lower ridge of the Montagne
d’Arrhune. A Basque regiment, early in
the seventeenth century, running short
of powder, stuck their knives into their
muskets, and charged the Spaniards with
success. Some derive this word from
Bayonne.
Bayonets. A synonym of “rank and
file,” that is, privates and corporals of
infantry. As, “the number of bayonets
was 25,000.” *
“It is on the bayonets that a Quartery aster-
General relies for his working and fatigue parties.”
—IIowitt: Hist, of Eng. (year 1854, p. 260). ,
Bead (Anglo-Saxon, béd, a prayer).
When little balls with a hole through
them were used for keeping account of
Bead-house
107 Beans
--~~~
the number of prayers repeated, the
term was applied to the prayers also.
(See BEADSMAN.)
To count one's beads. To say one's
prayers. In the Catholic Church beads
are threaded on a string, some large
and some small, to assist in keeping
count how often a person repeats a
certain form of words. -
To pray without one’s beads. To be
out of one’s reckoning. (See above.)
Baily’s Beads. When the disc of the
moon has (in an eclipse) reduced that of
the Sun to a thin crescent, the crescent
assumes the appearance of a string of
beads. This was first observed by
Francis Baily, whence the name of the
phenomenon. -
St. Cuthbert’s Beads. Single joints
of the articulated stems of encrimites.
They are perforated in the centre, and
bear a fanciful resemblance to a cross;
hence, they were once used for rosaries
(beads). St. Cuthbert was a Scotch
monk of the sixth century, and may be
called the St. Patrick of the north of
England and south of Scotland.
St. Martin’s beads. Flash jewellery.
St. Martins-le-Grand was at one time a
noted place for sham jewellery.
Bead-house. An almshouse for beads-
IQ6]l.
Bead-roll. A list of persons to be
prayed for ; hence, also, any list.
. Beadle. A person whose duty it is
to bid or cite persons to appear to a
summons; also a church servant, whose
duty it is to bid the parishioners to
attend the vestry, or to give notice of
vestry meetings. (Anglo-Saxon, badel,
from beddan, to bid or summon.)
Beadsman or, Bedesman. An in-
habitant of an almshouse ; so called
because in Catholic times most charities
of this class were instituted that the
inmates might ‘‘pray for the soul of the
founder.” (See BEAD.)
“Seated with some grey beadsman.”
Crabbe: Borough,
Beak. . A magistrate.
beag, a gold collar worn by civic magis-
trates.) -
* W. H. Black says, “The term is
derived from a Mr. Beke, who was for-
merly a resident magistrate at the Tower
Hamlets.
Beaker. A drinking-glass; a rum-
mer. (Greek, bikos, a wine jar.)
“Here, Gerard, reach your peaker.” .
Browning : Blot in the 'Scutcheon, i. 1,
(Anglo-Saxon -
Thrown on my beam-ends.
A ship is said
Beam.
Driven to my last shift.
to be on her beam-ends when she is laid
by a heavy gale completely on her beams
or sides. Not unfrequently the only
means of righting her in such a case is
to cut away her masts.
On the starboard beam. A distant
point out at Sea on the right-hand side,
and at right angles to the keel.
On the port beam. A similar point on
the left-hand side.
On the weather beam. On that side of
a ship which faces the wind.
Beam (of a stag). That part of the
head from which the horns spring.
(Anglo-Saxon béam, a tree ; the horns
are called branches.)
Bean. Every bean has its black.
Nemo sine vitiis nascitta, “everyone
has his faults.” The bean has a black
eye. (Ogyri grano ha la set& Semola.)
IHe has found the beam in the cake, he
has got a prize in the lottery, has come
to some unexpected good fortune. The
allusion is to twelfth cakes in which a
bean is buried. When the cake is cut
up and distributed, he who gets the bean
is the twelfth-night king.
Beans, slang for property, money,
is the French biens, goods, “A bean ‘’
=a guinea, is in Grose.
“I like a beane [almS-money] in a monkeshood.”
–Cotgrave.
(See BARRISTERS’ Gowns.)
Beams. Pythag'oras forbade the use
of beans to his disciples—not the use of
beans as a food, but the use of beans for
political elections. Magistrates and
other public officers were elected by
beans cast by the voters into a helmet,
and what Pythag'oras advised was that
his disciples should not interfere with
politics or “love beans”—i.e. office.
Aristotle says the word bean means
ven'ery, and that the prohibition to
‘‘abstain from beans” was equivalent
to “keeping the body chaste.”
* The French have the proverb, “If
he gives me peas I will give him beans,”
S'il me domme des pois, je lui domneral des
fêves, i.e. I will give him tit for tat, a
Rowland for an Oliver. .
Beans are in flower, les fêvres ſleitris-
sent, and this will account for your
being so silly. Our forefathers imagined
that the perfume of the flowering bean
... was bad for the head, and made men
silly or light-headed.
JHe knows how many beams go to make
Bean. Feast
108 Bear
Qup five. He is “up to Snuff; ” he is no
fool; he is not to be imposed upon. The
reference is to the ancient custom of
moving beans in counting.
“I was a fool, I was, and didn't know how many
beans make five [that is, how many beans must
be moved to make up fivejº-Färjeºn.
“Few men better knew how many blue beans
it takes to make five.”—Galt.
* Blue Beans: “Three blue beans in
a blue bladder.” A rattle for children.
“F. Hark | does if rattle 2
S. Yes, like three blue beans in a blue bladder.”
Old Fortunatus (Ancient Dramas), iii. p. 128.
* “Blue beans” are bullets or shot.
Three small bullets or large shot in a
bladder would make a very good rattle
for a child. (See BLUE BEANs.)
Full of beans. Said of a fresh and
spirited horse.
To get beams. To incur reproof.
I’ll give him beams. A licking ; a
jolly good hiding. A very common
phrase. Probably from the French re-
ferred to above, meaning as good as I
got ; “beans for his peas.”
Much the same as
A feast given by an
Bean Feast.
wayZ-goose (q.v.).
employer to those he employs.
Bean Goose (The). A migratory
'bird which appears in England in the
autumn of the year, and is so named
from a mark on its bill like a horse-
bean, It is next in size to the Grey
Lag-goose. The term comes from the
northern counties where the bean (goose)
is common.
“Espèce d'oie don't les mandibules sont taillées
en forme de féveroles.”—Royal Dictionumaire.
Bean-king (The). Rey de Habas,
the child appointed to play the part of
king on twelfth-night. In France it
was at one time customary to hide a
bean in a large cake, and he to whom
the bean fell, when the cake was dis-
tributed, was for the nonce the bean
king, to whom all the other guests
showed playful reverence. The Greeks
used beans for voting by ballot.
Bean-King’s festival. Twelfth-night.
(See above.)
Bear (A). (Stock Exchange), a fall,
or a speculator for a fall. To ope-
rate for a bear. To realise a profitable
bear.
Bearing the market is using every
effort to depress the price of stocks in
order to buy it.
The arena of bears and bulls, i.e. the
Stock Exchange.
* Dr. Warton says the term bear came
from the proverb of “Selling the skin
|before º have caught the bear,” and
referred to those who entered into
contracts in the South Sea Scheme to
transfer stock at a stated price. (See
BULL.)
“So was the huntsman by the bear oppressed,
Whose hide he sold before he caught the beast.”
Waller's Battle of the Summer Islands, c. ii.
A Bear account. A speculation in
stocks on the chance of a fall in the
price of the stock sold, with a view of
buying it back at a lower price or re-
ceiving the difference. (See BULLS.)
Bear (The). Albert, margrave of
Brandenburg. He was also called “The
Fair” (1106–1170). --
The bloody Bear, in Dryden’s poem
called The Hind and Panther, means
the Independents.
“The bloody bear, an independent beast,
Unlicked to form, in groans her bate expressed.”
Pt. i. 35, 36.
The Great Bear and Little Bear. The
constellations so called are specimens of
a large class of blunders founded on
approximate sounds. The Sanskrit rakh
means “to be bright; ” the Greeks cor-
rupted the word into arktos, which
means a bear; so that the “bear ’’
should in reality be the “bright ones.”
The fable is that Calisto, a nymph of
Diana, had two sons by Jupiter, which
Juno changed into bears, and Jupiter
converted into constellations.
“The wind-shaked Surge, with high and mon-
Strous mane,
Seems to cast water on the burning bear,
And quench the guards of th’ ever-fixéd pole.”
Shakespeare: Othello, ii. 1.
“'Twas here we saw Calisto's star retire.
Beneath the Way eS, unawed by Juno’s ire.”
Camoems : Lusiad, book V.
The Beah' or Northermº Bean’. Russia.
“France turns from her abandoned friends afresh,
And soothes the bear that growls for patriot
flesh.” Campbell: Poland, Stanza 5.
A Bridled Bear. A young nobleman
tunder the control of a travelling tutor.
(See BEAR-LEADER.
The Bear and Ragged Staff. A public-
house sign in compliment to Warwick,
the king-maker, whose cognisance it
was. The first earl was Arth or Arth-
gal, of the Round Table, whose cogni-
sance was a bear, because arth means
a bear (Latin, urs'). Morvid, the second
earl, overcame, in single combat, a
mighty giant, who came against him
with a club, which was a tree pulled
up by the roots, but stripped of its
branches. In remembrance of his victory
over the giant he added “the ragged
Staff.”
The Bear and the Tea-kettle (Kams-
chatka). Said of a person who injures
Bear
109
IBeard
himself by foolish rage. One day a
bear entered a hut in Kamschatka, where
a kettle was on the fire. Master Bruin
went to the kettle, and smelling at it
'burnt his nose; being greatly irritated,
he seized the kettle with his paws, and
squeezed it against his breast. This, of
course, made matters worse, for the
boiling water scalded him terribly,
and he growled in agony till some .
neighbours put an end to his life with
their guns.
A bear sucking his paws. It is said
that when a bear is deprived of food, it
sustains life by sucking its paws. The
same is said of the English badger.
Applied to industrious idleness.
As savage as a bear with a Sore (or
sealt) head. Unreasonably ill-tempered.
As a bear has no tail, for a lion he’ll
fail. The same as Ne Sutor supra crep'-
idam, “let not the cobbler aspire above
his last.” Robert Dudley, Earl of Lei-
cester, being a descendant of the
Warwick family, changed his own crest,
which was “a green lion with two tails,”
for the Warwick crest, a “bear and
ragged staff.” When made governor of
the Low Countries, he was suspected of
aiming at absolute Supremacy, or the
desire of being the monarch of his
fellows, as the lion is monarch among
beasts. Some wit wrote under his crest
the Latin verse, “Ursa caret cauda non
queat esse leo.”
“Your bear for lion needs must fail,
Because your true bears have no tail.”
To take the bear by the tooth. To put
your head into the lion’s mouth ; need-
lessly to run into danger.
You dare as soon take a bear by his
tooth. You would no more attempt
such a thing, than attempt to take a
bear by its tooth.
Bear (To). Come, bear a hand 1 Come
and render help ! In French, “Donner
70% coup & quelqu'un.” Bring a hand, or
bring your hand to bear on the work
golng On. -
To bear arms. To do military service.
To bear away (Nautical). To keep
away from the wind.
To bear one company. To be one's
companion.
“His faithful dog shall bear him company.”
Pope: Essay om Man, epistle i. 112.
To bear down. To overpower; to force
down.
“Fully prepared to bear down all resistance.”—
Cooper : The Pilot, chap. xviii.
To bear down upon (Nautical). To
approach from the weather side.
To bear 72 mind. Remember ; do not
forget. Carry in your recollection.
“To learn by heart,” means to learn memoriter.
Mind and heart Stand for memory in botll
phrases.
To bear out. To corroborate, to con-
firm.
To bear up. To support; to keep the
Spirits up.
To bear with. To show forbearance;
to endure with complacency.
“How long shall I bear with this evil congre-
gation ?”—Numbers xiv. 27.
To bear the bell. (See BELL.)
Bear of Bradwardine (The) was a
wine goblet, holding about an English
pint, and, according to Scott, was made
by command of St. Duthac, Abbot of
Aberbrothoc, to be presented to the
Baron of Bradwardine for services ren-
dered in defence of the monastery.
Inscribed upon the goblet was the motto:
“Beware the bear.”
Bear Account (A). (See BEAR.)
Bear Garden. This place is a perfect
bear-garden—that is, full of confusion,
noise, tumult, and quarrels. Bear-gar-
dens were places where bears used to be
kept and baited for public amusement.
Bear-leader. One who undertakes
the charge of a young man of rank
on his travels. It was once customary
to lead muzzled bears about the streets,
and to make them show off in order to
attract notice and gain money.
“Bear ! [said Dr. Pangloss to his pupil]. Under
fayour, young gentleman, I am the bear-leader,
loeing alppointed your tutor.”—G. Colina.m. ; Hein'.
at-Law.
Bears are caught by Honey. In
French, “Il faut avoir mauvaise bête par
doucentr,” for, as La Fontaine says, “Plus
fait doucetſ, que violence.” Bears are
very fond of honey. Bribes win even
|bears.
‘.' There is another phrase: Divide honey ariſh a
bear, i.e. It is letter to divide your honey with a
bear than to provoke its anger.
Beard. Cutting the beard. The Turks
think it a dire disgrace to have the beard
cut. Slaves who serve in the seraglio
have clean chins, as a sign of their
servitude.
Kissing the beard. In Turkey wives
kiss their husband, and children their
r father on the beard.
To make one’s beard (Chaucer). This is
the French “Faire la barbe & 7ºſelºt’ın,”
and refers to a barber’s taking hold of a
man’s beard to dress it, or to his shaving
the chin of a customer. To make one's
beard is to have him wholly at your
mercy.
Beard
I told him to his beard. I told him to
his face, regardless of consequences; to
speak openly and fearlessly.
Beard (T6). To beard one is to defy
him, to contradict him flatly, to insult
by plucking the beard. Among the
Jews, no greater insult could be offered
to a man than to pluck or even touch
his beard.
To beard the lion in his dem. To Con-
tradict one either in his own growlery,
or on some subject he has made his
hobby. To defy personally or face to
face.
“Dar'st thou, then,. . .
To heard the lion in his den,
The Douglas in his hall ?”
Sir W. Scott : Manºniom, canto vi. Stanza, 14.
Maugre his beard. . In spite of him.
To laugh at one's beard. To attempt
to make a fool of a person—to deceive
by ridiculous exaggeration. w
“‘By the prophet ! but he laughs at our heards,'
exclaimed the Pacha angrily. ‘These are foolish
lies.’”—Marryat : Pacha of Many Tales.
To laugh in one’s beard. [“Rire dams
sa barbe’”] To laugh in one’s sleeve.
To run in one's beard. To offer oppo-
sition to a person ; to do something
obnoxious to a person before his face.
The French say, “d la barbe de quel-
qu'un,” under one's very nose.
With the beard on the shoulder (Span-
ish). In the attitude of listening to
overhear something ; with circumspec-
tion, looking in all directions for Sur-
prises and ambuscades.
“They rode, as the Spanish proverb expresses
it, “with the beard on the shoulder,’ looking
round from time to time, and using every pre-
caution . . . . against pursuit.”— Sir W. Scott :
Peveril of the Peak, chal). Wii.
Taa, atpon beards. Peter the Great
imposed a tax upon beards. Every one
above the lowest class had to pay 100
roubles, and the lowest class had to pay
a copec, for enjoying this “luxury.”
Clerks were stationed at the gates of
every town to collect the beard-tax.
Bearded. Bearded Master (Magister
barba’tus). So Persius styled Socratēs,
under the notion that the beard is the
symbol of wisdom. (B.C. 468-399.)
Pogona'this (Bearded). . . Constantine
IV., Emperor of Rome (648, 668-685).
The Bearded. Geoffrey the Crusader,
and Bouchard of the house of Mont-
morency.
JHandsome-beard. Baldwin IV., Earl
of Flanders. (1160-1186.)
John the Bearded. Johann Mayo, the
German painter, whose beard touched
the ground when he stood upright.
II0.
Beasts
* *
Bearded Women :
l ºtel Graetjē, of Stuttgard, born
562.
The Duke of Saxony had the portrait
taken of a poor Swiss woman, remarkable
for her large bushy beard. -
In 1726 a female dancer appeared at
Venice, with a large bushy beard.
Charles XII. had in his army a woman
whose beard was a yard and a half long.
She was taken prisoner at the battle of
Hºwe, and presented to the Czar,
24.
Mlle. Bois de Chêne, born at Geneva
in 1834, was exhibited in London in
1852-3; she had a profuse head of hair,
a strong black beard, large whiskers,
and thick hair on her arms and back.
Julia, Pastra'na, was exhibited in Lon-
don in 1857; died, 1862, at Moscow ; was
embalmed by Professor Suckaloff ; and
the embalmed body was exhibited at
191, Piccadilly. She was found among
the Digger Indians of Mexico.
Margaret of Holland had a long, stiff
beard.
Bearings. I’ll bring him to his bear-
ings. I’ll bring him to his senses.
sea term. The bearings of a ship at
anchor is that part of her hull which is
on the water-line when she is in good
trim. To bring a ship to her bearings is
to get her into this trim. (Dana : The
Seaman’s Manual, 84.)
To lose one’s bearings. To become be-
wildered ; to get perplexed as to which
is the right road.
7% tº the bearings. To ascertain the
relative position of some object.
Bearnais (Le). Henri IV. of France;
so called from Le Be'arm, his native pro-
vince (1553-1610).
Beasts (Heraldic):
Couchant, lying down.
Counter-passant, moving in opposite
directions.
JDormant, sleeping.
Gardant, full-faced. -
Issuant, rising from the top or bottom
of an ordinary. -
Nascent, rising out of the middle of
an ordinary. -
Passant, walking.
Passant gardant, walking, and with
full face.
Passant regardant, walking and look-
ing behind.
JRampant, rearing.
Regardant, looking back.
Sejanč, seated.
Salient, springing.
Statant, standing still,
Beastly Drunk 111
Beaten
Beastly Drunk. It was an ancient
motion that men in their cups exhibited
the vicious qualities of beasts. Nash
describes seven kinds of drunkards:—
(1) The Ape-drunk, who leaps and sings;
(2) The Lion-drunk, who is quarrelsome;
(3) The Swine-drunk, who is sleepy and
puking ; (4) The Sheep-drunk, wise in
his own conceit, but unable to Speak;
(5) The Martin-drunk, who drinks him-
self sober again; (6) The Goat-driſſºk,
who is lascivious; and (7) The Fow-
drunk, who is crafty, like a Dutchman
in his cups. [See MAUDLIN.]
Beat. A track, line, or appointed
range. A walk often trodden or beaten
by the feet, as a policeman's beat. The
word means a beaten path.
Not in my beat. Not in my line; not
in the range of my talents or inclination.
Off his beat. Not on duty; not in his
appointed walk; not his speciality or
line.
“Off his own leat his opinions were of no
value.”—Emerson : English Traits, chap. i.
On his beat. In his appointed walk;
on duty.
Out of his beat. In his wrong walk;
out of his proper sphere.
To beat up one’s quarters. To hunt
out where one lives; to visit without
ceremony. A military term, signifying
to make an unexpected attack on an
enemy in camp.
“To beat up the quarters of Some of our IeSS-
known relations.”—Lamb : Essays of Elia.
Beat (To). To strike. (Anglo-Saxon,
beata/2.)
To beat an alarm. To give notice of
danger by beat of drum.
To beat or drum a thing into one. To
repeat as a drummer repeats his strokes
on a drum.
To beat a retreat (French, battre en
retraite); to beat to arms : to beat a
charge. Military terms similar to the
above.
To beat the air. To strike out at no-
thing, merely to bring one's muscles into
play, as pugilists do before they begin to
fight; to toil without profit; to work to
Ino purpose.
“So fight I, not as one that beateth the air.”—
1 Cor. ix. 26.
To beat the bush. One beat the bush
and another caught the hare. “Il a
ðattit les buissons, et autre a pris les
oiseau.c.” “Il bat le buisson sans prendre
les oisillons” is a slightly different idea,
meaning he has toiled in vain. “Other
men laboured, and ye are entered into
their labours” (John iv. 48). The allu-
sion is to beaters, whose business it is to
beat the bushes and start the game for a
shooting party.
To beat the JDevil’s
TATToo.)
To beat the Dutch. To draw a very
long bow; to say something very in-
credible.
“Well if that don't beat the Dutch . "
To beat time. To mark time in music
by beating or moving the hands, feet, or
a wand. -
To beat up supporters. To hunt them
up or call them together, as soldiers are
by beat of drum.
Beat (To). To overcome or get the
better of. This does not mean to strike,
which is the Anglo-Saxon bedtan, but to
better, to be better, from the Anglo-
Saxon verb betan.
Dead beat. So completely beaten or
worsted as to have no leg to stand on.
Like a dead man with no fight left in
him ; quite tired out.
“I’m dead beat, but I thought I'd like to conne
in and see you all once 111ore.”—lºoe: Without w
Home, p. 32.
JDead beat escapement (of a watch).
One in which there is no reverse motion
of the escape-wheel.
That beats Ban'agher. Wonderfully
inconsistent and absurd — exceedingly
ridiculous. Banagher is a town in
Ireland, on the Shannon, in King’s
County. It formerly sent two members
to Parliament, and was, of course, a
famous pocket borough. When a mem-
ber º: of a family borough where
every voter was a man employed by the
lord, it was not unusual to reply, “Well,
that beats Banagher.” .
“‘Well,' says he, “to gratify them I will. So just
a morSel. But, Jack, this beats Bannagher' (sic).”
º Yeats: Fairy Tales of the Irish Peasantry,
That beats Termagant. Your ranting,
raging pomposity, or exaggeration, Sur-
passes that of Termagant (q.v.).
To beat hollow is to beat wholly, to be
wholly the Superior.
To beat up against the wind. To tack
against an adverse wind ; to get the
petter of the wind.
Beat. (French, abattre, to abate.)
To beat down. To make a seller
Tattoo. (See
“abate” his price.
Beaten to a Mummy. Beaten so
that one can distinguish neither form
nor feature. -
Beaten with his own Staff. Con-
futed by one's own words. An argu-
montum ad hominem.
“Can High Church bigotry go farther than
this 2 And how well have I since heen leaten
With mine own staff.”—J. Wesley, (He refers to
Beating
112
Beauty
his excluding Bolzius from “the Lord's table,”
because he had not been Canonically bal)tized.)
Beating about the Bush. Not
coming directly to the matter in hand,
but feeling your way timidly by indirec-
tion, as persons beat bushes to ascertain
if game is lurking under them.
Beating the Bounds. On Holy
Thursday, or Ascension Day, it used to
be customary for the parish school chil-
dren, accompanied by the clergymen and
parish officers, to walk through their
parish from end to end. The boys were
struck with willow wands all along the
lines of boundary. Before maps were
common, the boys were thus taught to
know the bounds of their own parish.
The custom still prevails in some parishes.
Beati Possidentes. Blessed are
those who have [for they shall receive].
“Possession is nine points of the law.”
Beatific Vision. The sight of the
Deity, or of the blessed in the realms of
heaven. (See Isaiah vi. 1-4, and Acts
vii. 55, 56.)
Beatrice, beloved from girlhood by
Dante, a native of Florence, was of the
Portinari family. She died under
twenty-four years of age (1266-1290).
IBeatrice married Simone de’ Bardi, and
I)ante married Gemma Donati.
Beau.
Beau Brummel. George Bryan. (1778-
1840.
. * D'Orsay. Father of Count
D'Orsay, and called by Byron Jeune
Cupidom.
Real, Fielding, called “Handsome
Fielding” by Charles II., whose name
was Hendrome Fielding. He died in
Scotland Yard, London. -
Bean, Hewitt. The “Sir Fopling
Plutter ’’ of Etheredge. (The Man of
Mode; or, Sir Fopling Flutter.) -
JBeatt Nash. Son of a Welsh gentle-
man, a notorious diner-out. He under-
took the management of the bath-rooms
at Bath, and conducted the public balls
with a splendour and decorum never
|before witnessed. In old age he sank
into poverty. (1674-1761.)
Beau, Tibbs, noted for his finery,
vanity, and poverty. (Goldsmith. Citizen
of the World.)
Beau Ideal. The model of beauty
or excellency formed by fancy.
Beau Jour beau Retour (A). My
turn will come next. (Never used in a
good sense, but always to signify the
resentment of an injury.)
Beau Lion (Un). A fine dashing
fellow ; an aristocrat every inch ; the
“lion ” of society. The lion is the king
of beasts.
Beau Monde. The fashionable
world; people who make up the coterie
of fashion.
Beau . Trap. ; A loose pavement
under which water lodges, and which
squirts up filth when trodden on, to the
annoyance of the Smartly dressed.
Beauclerc [good Scholar]. Applied
to Henry I., who had clerk-like accom-
plishments, very rare in the times in
which he lived (1068, 1100-1135). -
Beaumontague [pronounce bo-mom-
taig). Bad work, especially ill-fitting
carpenter’s work; literary padding;
paste and Scissors literature ; so called
from putty used by carpenters, etc., for
filling up cracks and bad joinery. Ger-
man, teig, dough ; and Emile Beaumont,
the geologist (1798-1851), who also gives
his name to “Peaumontite.”
Beautiful. Beautiful or fair as an
angel. Throughout the Middle Ages it
was common to associate beauty with
virtue, and ugliness with sin; hence
the expressions given above, and the
following also -—“ Seraphic beauty,”
“Cherubic loveliness,” “Ugly as sin,”
etc.
Beautiful Parricide. Beatrice Cenci,
the daughter of a Roman nobleman, who
plotted the death of her father because
he violently defiled her. (Died 1599.)
“Francesco Cenci (xvi. Siècle). . . . await quatre
fils et une fille (Béatrix). Il les maltraitait
cruellement, ou les faisait Servir à ses plaisirs
brutaux. . . . Révoltée de tant d'horreurs, Béa-
trix, sa fille, de concert avec deux de Ses frerês,
êt flucrece'ieur mére, fit assassimer Francesco
Cenci. Accusés de parricide, ils périrent tous
quatre sur l'échafaud par la Sentence de Clément
VIII. (1605).”—Bowillet. - * -
... This is Muratori's version of the affair, but it
is much disputed. It is a favourite theme for
tragedy.
Beauty. Tout est beatſ Sams cham-
delles. “La nuit tous les chats somt gris.”
Beauty is but skin deep.
“O formose puer, nimium ne crede colori.”.
Virgil, Bucolics, ii.
Beauty and the Beast. The hero
and heroine of Madame Villeneuve's
fairy tale. , Beauty saved the life of
her father by consenting to live with
the Beast; and the Beast, being dis-
enchanted by Beauty's love, became a
handsome prince, and married her.
(Contes Marines, 1740.)
Beauty
_*- :--
* A handsome woman with an un-
couth or uncomely male companion.
Beauty of Buttermere. Mary
Robinson, married to John Hatfield, a
heartless impostor, executed for forgery
at Carlisle in 1803.
Beauty Sleep. Sleep taken before
midnight. Those who habitually go to
bed, especially during youth, after mid-
night, are usually pale and more or less
haggard.
“Would I please to remember that I had roused
him up at night . . . . [in] his beauty Sleep.”—
JBlackºmore : L07”va, D007e, chal). 64.
Beaux Esprits (French). Men of
wit or genius (singular number, Un bel
esprit, a wit, a genius).
Beaux Yeux (French). Beautiful
eyes or attractive looks. “I will do it
for your beatſa, yetta: '' (because you are
so pretty, or because your eyes are so
attractive). -
Beaver. A hat ; so called from its
being made of beaver-skins.
Beaver. That part of the helmet
which lifted up to enable the wearer to
drink. Similarly bever, the afternoon
draught in the harvest-field, called
jours's. (Italian, bevere, to drink;
Spanish, beber; Latin, bibo ; , French,
batveur, a drinker; Armoric, bettvralth,
beverage, etc.)
“ Hamlet : Then you saw not his face 2
“ Horatio: O yes, my lord ; he wore his leaver
p.” Shakespeare : LIamlet, i. 2.
Becarre, Bemol. Sauter de béeam're
en bémol (French), to jump from one
subject to another without regard to
pertinence; “Sauter du coq à l'ane,”
from Genesis to Revelation. Literally,
to jump from sharps to flats. Becarre
is the Latin B quadratum or B quarré.
In old musical notation B sharp was
expressed by a square B, and B flat by
a round B.
* Bémol is B mollis, soft (flat).
Becasse. You goose ; you simple-
ton; you booby. Bécasse is a wood-
cock. “C'est une becasse,” he or she is
a fool.
Becket's Assassins. William de
Tracy, Hugh de Morville, Richard Brito
(or le Bret), and Fitz-Urse.
Bed. The great bed of Ware. A bed
twelve feet square, and capable of hold-
ing twelve persons; assigned by tradi-
tion to the Earl of Warwick, the king-
maker. It is now in Rye House.
“Although the sheet were big enough for the
bed of Ware in England.”—Shakespeare: Twelf. h.
Night, iii. 2.
tl
113
Bed-post
To make the bed.
make it fit for use.
To arrange it and
In America, this
sense of “make ’’ is much more common
than it is with us. “Your room is
made,” arranged in due Order. To
make it all right.
As you make your bed you must lie 07,
it. Everyone must bear the conse-
quences of his own acts. “As you sow,
so must you reap.” “As you brew, so
must you bake.”
To bed out. To plant what are called
“bedding-out plants” in a flower-bed.
* Bedding-out plants are reared in
pots, generally in a hot-house, and are
transferred into garden-beds early in
the summer. Such plants as geraniums,
marguerites, fuchsias, penstemons, pe-
tunias, verbenas, lobelias, calceolarias,
etc., are meant.
You got out of bed the wrong way, or
with the left leg foremost. Said of a
person who is patchy and ill-tempered.
It was an ancient superstition that it
was unlucky to set the left foot on the
ground first on getting out of bed. The
same superstition applies to putting on
the left shoe first, a “fancy’’ not yet
wholly exploded.
* Augustus Caesar was very Super-
stitious in this respect.
Bed of Justice. (See LIT.)
Bed of Roses (A). A situation of
ease and pleasure.
Bed of Thorns (A). A situation of
great anxiety and apprehension. -
Bed-post. In the twinkling of a bed-
post. As quickly as possible. In the
ancient bed-frames movable staves were
laid as we now lay iron laths; there
were also staves in the two sides of the
bedstead for keeping the bed-clothes
from rolling off; and in some cases a
staff was used to beat the bed and
clean it. In the reign of Edward I.,
Sir John Chichester had a mock skirmish
with his servant (Sir John with his
rapier and the servant with the bed-
staff), in which the servant was acci-
dentally killed. Wright, in his Domes-
tic Manners, shows us a chamber-
maid of the seventeenth century using
a bed-staff to beat up the bedding.
“Twinkling ” means a rapid twist, or
turn. (Old French, guincher: Welsh,
gwing, gwingaw, our wriggle.)
“I’ll do it instantly, in the twinkling of a bed-
Staff.”—Shadwell ; Vintuoso, 1676.
“He would have cut him down in the twinkling
of a bed-post.”—“IRabelais,” dome into English. .
Bobadil, in Every Man in his Humour,
8
T}ede 114
Bee
and Lord Duberley, in the Heir-at-Law,
use the same expression.
Bede (Adam). A novel by George
Eliot (Marian Evans), 1859. One of
the chief characters is Mrs. Poyser, a
woman of shrewd observation, and as
full of wise saws as Sancho Panza.
Bedell. The Vice-chancellon’s bedell
(not beadle). The officer who carries the
mace before the Vice-Chancellor, etc.,
in the universities is not a beadle but a
bedell (the same word in an older form).
Iłe’der. A valley famous for the
victory gained by Mahomet, in which
“he was assisted by 3,000 angels, led by
Gabriel, mounted on his horse Haizum.”
(Al Koran.)
Beder. King of Persia, who married
Giauha'ré, daughter of the most power-
ful of the under-sea emperors. Queen
Labé tried to change him into a horse,
but he changed her into a mare instead.
(Arabian Nights, “J3eder and Giant-
harč.”)
Bedford. Saxon, Bedean forda (for-
tress ford)—that is, the ford at the
fortress of the river Ouse.
Bedford Level. Land drained by
the Earl of Bedford in 1649. This large
tract of fenny land lay in the counties
of Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, Hunt-
ingdonshire, Northamptonshire, and
Lincolnshire.
Bedfordshire. I am off to Bedford-
shire. To the land of Nod, to bed. The
language abounds with these puns,
e.g. “the marrowbone stage,” “A
Dunse scholar,” “Knight of the beer-
barrel,” “Admiral of the blue,” “Mas-
ter of the Mint’’ (q.v.), “Master of
the Rolls” (q.v.), etc. And the French
even more than the English.
Bed’iver.
Table, and the butler of King Arthur.
Bedlam. A lunatic asylum or mad-
house ; a contraction for Bethlehem, the
name of a religious house in London,
converted into a hospital for lunatics.
Tom o' Bedlam. (See ToM.)
‘. St.Mary of Bethlehem, London, was founded
as a priory in 1247, and in 1547 it was giyen to the
mayor and corporation of London, and incorpor-
ated as a royal foundation for lunatics.
Bedlamite (3 Syl.). A madman, a
fool, an inhabitant of a Bedlam.
Bedouins [Bed-wins]. The homeless
street poor are so called. Thus the
Times calls the ragged, houseless boys
“the Bedouins of London.” The
Bedouins are the nomadic tribes of
A knight of the Round
Arabia (Arabic, beda win, a dweller in
a desert; badw, a desert). (See STREET
ARABS.)
“These Bedouins of the prairie invariably carry
their lodges with them.”—A. D. Richardsom, : Be-
qſoud the Mississippi, chal). Y.
Bed’reddin’ Hassan, in the story
of Nort)"eddin' and his Son, in the
Arabian Nights.
“Comparing herself to Bedreddin Hassan, whom
the vizier ... . discovered by his superlative skill
in composing cream-tarts. Without pepper in
them.”—Scott: IIeart of Midlothiam. -
Bed-rock. American slang for one's
last shilling. A miner's term, called in
England the “stone-head, ” and in
America, the “Bed-rock,” the hard
basis rock. When miners get to this
bed the mine is exhausted. “I’m come
down to the bed-rock,” i.e. my last
dollar.
“‘No, no l’ continued Tennessee's partner,
hastily, “I’ll play this yer hand alone. I've come
down to the bed-rock ; it's just this : Tennessee,
thar, has played it pretty rough and expensive,
like, on a Stranger. . Now What's the fair
thing 2 Some would say more, and some would
Say IeSS. Here's Seventeen hundred dollars in
coarse gold and a watch—it's about all my pile—
and call it Square.’”—Bret Harte : Temnessee's
I?&?"tºe".
Bedver. Ring Arthur’s butler; .
(Geoffrey:
Caius or Kaye was his sewer.
I}ritish History, ix. 13.)
Bee. The Athenian Bee. Plato. (See
ATHENIAN BEE, page 72, col. 1.)
It is said that when Plato was in his
cradle, a swarm of bees alighted on his
mouth. The story is good enough for
poets and orators. The same tale is
told of St. Ambrose. (See AMBROSE,
page 41, Col. 1.)
The Bee of Athens. Soph'oclés. (See
ATTIC BEE, page 73, col. 1.)
Xenophon (B.C. 444-359) is also called
“the Bee of Athens,” or “ the Athen-
ian Bee.”
* See also ANIMALS (SYMBOLICAL),
page 50, Col. 2.
To have your head full of bees. Full
of devices, crotchets, fancies, inventions,
and dreamy theories. The connection
'between bees and the soul was once
generally maintained: hence Mahomet
admits bees to Paradise. Porphyry says
of fountains, “they are adapted to the
nymphs, or those souls which the an-
cients called bees.” The moon was
called a bee by the priestesses of Ceres,
and the word lunatic or moon-struck
still meäns one with “bees in his head.”
“Il a des rats dans la tête.”—French Proverb.
(See MAGGOT.)
To have a bee in ſour bonnet. To be
cranky; to have an idiosyncrasy; also,
Bee
115 Beefeaters
to carry a jewel or ornament in your
cap. (See BIGHES.)
“For pity, sir, find out that bee
That bore my love a Way—
* I'll seek him in your bonnet brave.' . . .”
Herrick; : The Mad Maid's Song.
Bee. A social gathering for Some
useful work. The object generally pre-
cedes the word, as a spelling - bee (a
gathering to compete in spelling). There
are apple-bees, husking-bees, and half
a dozen other sorts of bees or gatherings.
It is an old Devonshire custom, which
was carried across the Atlantic in Eliza-
bethan times.
Bee-line. The line that a bee takes
in making for the hive; the shortest
distance between two given points.
“Our footmarks, seen afterwards, showed that
we had steered a bee-line to the brig.”—Kame:
Arctic Earplorations, Vol. i. chal). X Wii. 1). 198.
Bees. -
Jupiter was nourished by bees in in-
fancy. (See ATHENIAN BEE, p. 72, col. 1.)
Pindar is said to have been nourished
by bees with honey instead of milk.
The coins of Ephesus had a bee on the
I'GVéI'Sé.
The Greeks consecrated bees to the
Ill OOH].
With the Romans a flight of bees was
considered a bad omen. Appian (Civil
II ar, book ii.) says a swarm of bees
lighted on the altar and prognosticated
the fatal issue of the battle of Pharsalía.
The priestesses of Cerés were called
bees. -
In Christian Art St. Ambrose is repre-
sented with a beehive, from the tradi-
tion that a swarm of bees settled on his
mouth in his infancy.
Beef, Ox. The former is Norman,
and the latter Saxon. The Normans
had the cooked meat, and when set
before them used the word they were
accustomed to. The Saxon was the
herdsman, and while the beast was under
his charge called it by its Saxon name.
." Old Alderman Ox continues to hold his Saxon
title while he is under the charge of serfs and
bondsmen ; but becomes Beef, a fiery French
gallant, when he arrives before the worshipful
jaws that are destined to consume lilfi.”—Ivanhoe.
Weaver's beef of Colchester, i.e. sprats,
caught abundantly in the neighbourhood.
(Fuller: Worthies.)
Beefeaters. Yeomen of the Guard
in the royal household, appointed, in
1485, by Henry VII., to form part of
the royal train in banquets and other
grand occasions. The old theory was
that the word means “an attendant on
the royal buffets,” Anglicised into
buffeters or buffeteers, and corrupted into
JBeefeaters ; but Professor Skeat says no
such word as buffeter has yet been found
in any book; nor does buffetier exist in
JFrench.
A plausible reply to this objection is that
the word may have got corrupted almost
ab initio in those unlettered days; and
the earliest quotation of “Beefeater,”
already adduced, is above 150 years from
the institution of the force, and even
then the allusions are either satirical or
humorous : as “Begone, yee greedy
beefe-eaters, y” are best º' (Histºrio-
Anastia, iii. 1; A.D. 1610); “Bows, or
Beefeaters, as the French were pleased
to terme us” (1628); “You beef-eater,
you saucy cur” (1671). Not one of the
quotations fixes the word on the Yeomen
of the Guard, and that the English have
been called Beefeaters none will deny.
Even if the allusion given above could
be certainly affixed to Yeomen of the
Guard it would only prove that 150 or
160 years after their establishment in
the palace they were so called (corruptly,
humorously or otherwise).
Arguments in favour of the old deriva-
tion : — - :
(1) Certainly Henry VII. himself did
not call these yeomen “beef-eaters.”
Pſe was as much French as Welsh, and
must have been familiar with the buffet
(bu-fey); he had no spark of humour in
his constitution, and it is extremely
doubtful whether beef was a standing
dish at the time, certainly it was not so
in Wales. We have a good number of
menus extant of the period, but beef does
not appear in any of them.
(2) We have a host of similar corrup-
tions in our language, as Ayºdº’ew Macs
(q.v.), Billy-ruffians (see BELLEROPHON),
Bull and Mouth (q.v.), Charles's Wain
(q.v.), Bag-o’-Nails, Goat and Compasses,
Sparrow-grass (asparagus), ancient (en-
sign), lutestring (lustring, from lustre),
JDog-cheap (god-kepe, i.e. a good bar-
gain), and many more of the same sort.
(3) There can be no doubt that the
“beefeaters” waited at the royal table,
for in 1602 we read that “the dishes
were brought in by the halberdiers
[beefeaters], who are fine, big fellows'’
(quoted in Notes and Queries, February
4th, 1893, p. 86).
(4) If beef was a general food in the
sixteenth century, which is extremely
doubtful, it would be supremely ridic-
ulous to call a few yeomen “eaters of
beef,” unless beef was restricted to
them. In the present Argentine Re-
public, beef dried, called “jerked beef,”
Beef-steak Club 11
IBefore the Mast
is the common diet, and it would be
foolish indeed to restrict the phrase
“eaters of jerked beef’’ to some half-
score waiters at the President's table.
(5) That the word buffeteer or
buffetier is not to be found (in the
Inglish sense) in any French author,
does not prove that it was never used
in Anglo-French. We have scores of
perverted French words, with English
meanings, unrecognised by the French ;
for example: encore, double entendre,
surtout (a frock coat), eperſ/7te, and so on.
(6) Historic etymology has its value,
but, like all other general rules, it re-
quires to be narrowly watched, or it may
not unfrequently over-ride the truth.
Historically, Rome comes from Romulus,
Scotland from Scota or Scotia, Britain
from Brutus. All sorts of rubbishy
etymology belong to the historic craze.
Beefeaters. Yeomen Extraordinary of
the Guard appointed as warders of the
Tower by Edward VI. They wear the
same costume as the Yeomen of the
º mentioned above. (See BUPHA-
GOS.
Beef-steak Club owed its origin to
an accidental dinner taken by Lord
Peterborough in the scene-room of Rich,
over Covent Garden. Theatre. The
original gridiron on which Rich broiled
the peer’s steak is still preserved in the
palladium of the club, and the members
have it engraved on their buttons.
(History of the Clubs of London.)
Beefington or Milor Beefington, a
character in Canning’s mock tragedy,
The Rovers, a burlesque, in the Anti-
Jacobin, on the sentimental German
dramas of the period. Casimere is a
IPolish emigrant, and Beefington an
English nobleman, exiled by the tyranny
of King John.
Beelzebub. God of flies, supposed
to ward off flies from his votaries. One
of the gods of the Philistines. (See
ACHOR.) The Greeks had a similar deity,
Zeus Apomy'ios. The Jews, by way of
reproach, changed Beelzebub into Baal
Zeboub (q.v.), and placed him among
the daemons. Milton says he was next
in rank to Satan, and stood
“With Atlante'an shoulders, fit to bear
The weight of mightiest monarchies.” ..
- - (Book ii.)
“One next himself in power, and next in crime,
Long after known in Palestine, and named
JBeölzelyu)).” I’aradise Lost, i. 79-81.
Beer. Cerés, when wandering over
the earth in quest of her daughter,
taught men the art of making beer,
because “ils ºne me purent apprendré l'art
726 illes.
them.
de faire le win.” (Mem., de l'Academie
des Inscriptiones, xvii.) (See ALE.)
He does not think small beer of himself.
[See SMALL BEER.]
Beer and Skittles. Life is not all
beer and skittles, i.e. not all eating,
drinking, and play ; not all pleasure ;
not all harmony and love.
“Sport like life, and life like sport,
ISn’t all SkittleS and beel'.”
Beer aux Mouches, or Béer atta, cor-
To stand gaping in the air (at
the flies or the rooks). Béer, Old
Erench for baye)", to gape.
Beeswing. The film which forms on
the sides of a bottle of good old port.
This film, broken up into Small pieces,
looks like the wings of bees. A port
drinker is very particular not to “break
the beeswing ” by shaking the bottle, or
turning it the wrong way up.
... ." Beeswinged port is old port which has formed
itS Second Crust. Ol' ])éeSWillg.
Beetle (To). To overhang, to
threaten, to jut over (Anglo-Saxon,
beot-ian, to menace). Hence beetle or
beetled brow.
“Or to the dreadful summit of the cliff,
That beetles o'er his lyase into the Sea.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 4.
Beetle-crusher. A large, flat foot.
The expression was first used in Punch,
in one of Leech’s caricatures. Those
who know London know how it is over-
run with cockroaches, wrongly called
black-beetles. -
Befa'na. The good fairy of Italian
children, who is supposed to fill their
stockings with toys when they go to bed
on Twelfth Night. Some one enters the
children’s bedroom for the purpose, and
the wakeful youngsters cry out, “Ecco
la . Befa'na.” According to legend,
Befana was too busy with house affairs
to look after the Magi when they went
to offer their gifts, and said she would
wait to see them on their return ; but
they went another way, and Befana,
every Twelfth Night, watches to see
The name is a corruption of
Bpiphania.
Before the Lights, in theatrical par-
lance, means on the stage, before the
foot-lights.
Before the Mast. To serve before the
Anast. To be one of the common sailors,
whose quarters are in the forward part of
the ship. The half-deck is the sanctum
of the second mate, and, in Greenland
fishers, of the spikeoneer, harpooners,
Beg the Question
117 T}éguins
carpenters, coopers, boatswains, and all
secondary officers; of low birth.
“I myself come from before the mast.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Antiquary, chap. XX.
Beg the Question (To). (See BEG-
GING...)
Beggar. A beggar may sing before a
pickpocket. (In Latin, “Cantabit vacuus
coram latrone viator.”) A beggar may
sing before a highwayman because he
has nothing in his pocket to lose.
Set a beggar on horseback, and he’ll ride
to the de’ iſ. There is no one so proud
and arrogant as a beggar who has Sud-
denly grown rich.
“Such is the Sad effect of wealth-rank pride—
Mount but a beggar, how the rogue will ride . "
I’eter Pinda!' ... Epistle to Lord Lonsdale.
Latin : “Asperius nihil est humili cum
surgit in altum.”
I’rench : “Il n'est orgueil que de
pauvre enrichi.”
Italian : “Il vilan nobilitado non con-
nosce il parentado’’ (A beggar ennobled
does not know his own kinsmen).
Spanish : “Quando el villano está en
el mulo, non conoze a dios, ni al mundo ’’
(when a beggar is mounted on a mule,
he knows neither gods nor men).
Beggars. King of the Beggars. Bamp-
fylde Moore Carew (1693-1770).
Beggars should not be choosers. Beggars
should take what is given them, and
not dictate to the giver what they like
'best. They must accept and be thank-
ful.
Beggars' Barm. The thick foam
which collects on the surface of ponds,
hrooks, and other pieces of water where
the current meets stoppage. It looks
like barm or yeast, but, being unfit for
use, is only beggarly barm at best.
Beggars' Bullets. Stones.
Beggar's Bush. To go by beggar's
bush, or Go home by beggar’s bush—i.e. to
go to ruin. Beggar’s bush is the name
of a tree which once stood on the left
hand of the London road from Hunting-
don to Caxton ; so called because it was
a noted rendezvous for beggars. These
punning phrases and proverbs are very
COmmOrl.
Beggar's Daughter. Bessee, the
beggar’s daughter of Bednall Green.
Bessee was very beautiful, and was
courted by four suitors at once—a.
knight, a gentleman of fortune, a Lon-
don merchant, and the son of the inn-
keeper at Romford. She told them that
they must obtain the consent of her
father, the poor blind beggar of Bethnal
Green. When they heard that, they all
slunk off except the knight, who went
to ask the beggar's leave to wed the
“pretty Bessee.” The beggar gave her
£3,000 for her dower, and £100 to buy
her wedding gown. At the wedding
feast he explained to the guests that he
was Henry, son and heir of Sir Simon
de Montfort. At the battle of Evesham
the barons were routed, Montfort slain,
and himself left on the field for dead.
'baron’s daughter discovered him,
Inursed him with care, and married him;
the fruit of this marriage was “pretty
Bessee.” Henry de Montfort assumed
the garb and semblance of a beggar to
escape the vigilance of King Henry's
spies. (Percy: Reliques.)
Begging Hermits were of the Au-
gustine order; they renounced all pro-
perty, and lived on the voluntary alms
of “the faithful.”
* Begging Friars were restricted to
four orders: Franciscans (Grey Friars),
Augustines (Black Friars), Carmelites
(White Friars), and Dominicans (Preach-
ing Friars).
Begging the Question. Assuming
a proposition which, in reality, involves
the conclusion. Thus, to say that par-
allel lines will never meet because they
are parallel, is simply to assume as a
fact the very thing you profess to prove.
The phrase is a translation of the Latin
term, petitio princip’ii, and was first
used by Aristotle.
Beghards. A brotherhood which
rose in the Low Countries in the twelfth
century, and was so called from Lambert
Bègue. The male society were Beg-
hards, the female, Begitims. They took
no vows, and were free to leave the
society when they liked. In the seven-
teenth century, those who survived the
persecutions of the popes and inquisition
joined the Tertiarii of the Franciscans.
(See BEGUINS.)
Begtash'i. A religious order in the
Ottoman Empire, which had its origin
in the fourteenth century. The word is
derived from Hadji Begtash, a dervish,
its founder.
Begue d'entendement. This is a
really happy phrase for one whose wits
are gone wool-gathering ; he is a man
of “stammering understanding.”
Béguins. A sisterhood instituted
in the twelfth century, founded by
Lambert Bègue or Lambert le Bègue.
The members of the male society were
Begum
118 Belial
called Beghards (q.v.). The Béguins
were at liberty to quit the cloister,
if they chose, and marry. The cap
called a beguin was named from this
sisterhood.
“Secta quædam pestifera illorum qui Beguini
vulgariter appellantur, qui Se Fratres Pauperes
de tertia ordine S. Francisci communiter nomina-
bant, ex quibus plures fuerunt tanquam ha-retici
condemnati et combusti.”—Bernard Guido : Life
of Johm, XXii.
Begum. A lady, princess, or woman
of high rank in India ; the wife of a
ruler. (Bey or Beg, governor of a
Turkish province, a title of honour.)
Behe'moth (Hebrew). The hippo-
pot'amus; once thought to be the rhino-
ceros. (See Job xl. 16.)
** Beh Old I in lº mail,
d.”
Belle'moth real's his hea.
Thomson : Swimmer, 709, 710.
* The word is generally, but incor-
rectly, pronounced Beſhemoth ; but Mil-
ton, like Thomson, places the accent on
the second syllable.
“Scarce from his linold
Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheayed
| His vastness.” Milton.: Paradise Lost, vii. 471.
Beh'menists. A sect of visionary
religionists, so called from Jacob Beh-
IſléIl gamo. their founder. (1575-
625.
Behram. The most holy kind of
fire, according to Parseeism. (See ADA-
RAN.)
Bejan. A freshman or greenhorn.
This term is employed in the French and
Scotch universities, and is evidently a
corruption of bec jaune (yellow beak),
a French expression to designate a
nestling or unfledged bird. In the
university of Vienna, the freshman is
termed beamus, and in France footing-
money is bejdºnia.
“IIis grandmother yielded, and Robert was
Straightway a bejan or yellow-beak.”—Macdonald:
le. I'alconer.
Bel-à-faire-peur. A handsome, dare-
devil of a fellow.
Bel Esprit (French). A vivacious
Wit; a man or woman of quick and
lively parts, ready at repartee. (Plural,
beauty esprits.)
Belch. Si). Toby Belch. A reckless,
roistering, jolly knight of the Eliza-
bethan period. (Shakespeare: Twelfth
Night.)
Belcher. A pocket-handkerchief—
properly, a blue ground with white
spots; so called from Jim Belcher, the
pugilist, who adopted it,
Beldam. An old woman ; literally,
a grandmother. The French also use bel
age for old age.
“Old men and beldames in the streets
Do prophesy upon it dangerously.”
Shalcespeare: King John, iv. 2.
Bele'ses (3 syl.). A Chaldean sooth-
sayer and Assyrian satrap, who told
Arba'cès, governor of Media, that he
would one day sit on the throne of Sar-
danapa'lus, King of Nineveh and AS-
syria. His prophecy was verified, and
he was rewarded by Arba'cès with the
government of Babylon. (Byron : Sar-
damapalus.)
Belfast Regiment (The). The 35th
Foot, which was raised in Belfast in
1701. There is no such regiment now
in the British Army. What used to be
called No. 35 is now called the 1st bat-
talion of the Royal Sussex, the 2nd
battalion being the old No. 107.
Bel-fires. Between Bel’s two fires.
Scylla on one side and Charybdis on the
other. In Irish, Itte, dha teine Bheil,
in a dilemma. The reference is to the
two fires kindled on May Eve in every
village, between which all men and
beasts devoted to sacrifice were com-
pelled to pass.
Belford. A friend of Lovelace in
Richardson’s Clarissa Harlowe. These
“friends” made a covenant to pardon
every sort of liberty which they took
with each other.
Belfry. A military tower, pushed
by besiegers against the wall of a be-
sieged city, that missiles may be thrown
more easily against the defenders. Pro-
'bably a church steeple is called a belfry
from its resemblance to these towers,
and not because bells are hung in it.
(French, beffroi, a watch-tower, Old
French, belfreit, beléfreit, from German,
berg-frić, bergen, to protect, frit [wridej,
a place fenced in for security.)
“Alone, and warming his five wits,
The White owl in the belfry sits.”
Tennyson: The Owl, stanza 1.
Belial (Hebrew). The worthless or
lawless one, i.e. the devil. Milton, in
his pandemonium, makes him a very
high and distinguished prince of dark-
ness. (Paradise Lost.)
“What concord hath Christ with Belial 2"–2
COr. vi. 15.
“Belial came last—than whom a spirit more lewd
Fell not from heaven, or more gross to love
Vice for itself.”
Aſilton : Paradise Lost, book i. 490–2.
Sons of Belial. Tawless, worthless,
rebellious people. (See above.)
“Now the sons of Eli Were sons of Belial,”—
1 Salm. ii. 12,
Belinda,
119 Bells
w—
serio-comical poem, entitled the Rape
of the Lock. The poem is based on a
real incident :—Lord Petre cut off a lock
of Miss Fermor’s hair, and this liberty
gave rise to a bitter feud between the
two noble families. The poet says that
Belinda wore on her neck two curls, one
of which the baron cut off with a pair of
scissors borrowed of Clarissa. Belinda,
in anger, demanded back the ringlet ;
but it had flown to the skies and become
a meteor, which “shot through liquid
air, and drew behind a radiant trail of
hair.” (See BERENICE.)
Belinun'cia. A herb sacred to Belis,
with the juice of which the Gauls used
to poison their arrows.
Belisa'rius... Belisarius begging for
an ob'olus. Belisa'rius, the greatest of
Justinian's generals, being accused of
conspiring against the life of the
emperor, was deprived of , all his
property; and his eyes being put
out, he lived a beggar in Constan-
tinople. The tale is that he fastened
a bag to his road-side hut, and had
inscribed over it, “Give an obolus to
poor old Belisarius.” This tradition is
of no historic value.
Bell. Acton, Currey, and Ellis. As-
sumed names of . Anne, Charlotte, and
Emily Brontë.
Bell. As the bell clinks, so the fool
thinks, or, As the fool thinks, so the bell
clinks. The tale says when Whitting-
ton ran away from his master, and had
got as far as Hounslow Heath, he was
hungry, tired, and wished to return.
Bow Bells began to ring, and Whitting-
ton fancied they said, “Turn again,
Whittington, Lord Mayor of London.”
The bells clinked in response to the
boy's thoughts. “Les gens de peu de
jugement Sont comme les cloches, d qui
Pom fait dire tout ce que l’on veut.”
Dickens has the same idea in his Christ-
Anas Chimes.
The Passing Bell is the hallowed bell
which used to be rung when persons
were in extremis, to scare away evil
spirits which were supposed to lurk
about the dying, to pounce on the soul
while ‘‘passing from the body to its
resting-place.” A secondary object was
to announce to the neighbourhood the
fact that all good Christians might offer
up a prayer for the Safe passage of the
ing person into Paradise. We now
call the bell rung at a person's decease
the “passing bell.” -
Belin'da. The heroine of Pope's
The Athenians used to beat on brazen
kettles at the moment of a decease to
Scare away the Furies.
Ringing the hallowed bell. Bells were
believed to disperse storms and pesti-
lence, drive away devils, and extinguish
fire. In France it is still by no means
unusual to ring church bells to ward off
the effects of lightning. Nor is this
peculiar to France, for even in 1852 the
Bishop of Malta ordered the church bells
to be rung for an hour to “lay a gale
of wind.” Of course, the supposed
efficacy of a bell resides in its having
been consecrated.
“Funera plango, ful'gura frango, sab’bata pango,
IEX'cito lentos, dis'sipo Ventos, paco cruentos.”
(Death's tale I tell, the winds dispel, ill-feeling
Qué11, --
The Slothful Shake, the storm-clouds break, the
Šah}}ath Wake. E. C. B.)
(See RINGING THE BELLS BACKWARDS.)
Sound as a bell. (See SIMILES.)
Tolling the bell (for church). A relic
of the Avé Bell, which, before the Re-
formation, was tolled before service to
invite worshippers to a preparatory
prayer to the Virgin.
To bear the bell. To be first fiddle ; to
carry off the palm ; to be the best. Be-
fore cups were presented to winners of
horse-races, etc., a little gold or silver
bell used to be given for the prize.
“Jockey and his º; Were by their masters Sent
To put in for the be
They are to run and cannot miss the bell.”
- North : Forest of Varieties.
* It does not refer to bell-wethers,
or the leading horse of a team, but
“bear” means bear or carry off.
Who is to bell the cat 2 Who will risk
his own life to save his neighbours ?
Any one who encounters great personal
hazard for the sake of others undertakes
to “bell the cat.” The allusion is to the
fable of the cunning old mouse, who
suggested that they should hang a bell
on the cat’s neck to give notice to all
mice of her approach. “Excellent,”
said a wise young mouse, “but who is
to undertake the job P.” (See BELL-THE-
CAT.) -
“Is there a man in all Spain able and willing to
bell the cat [i.e. persuade the queen to abdicate]?”
—Thé Timles.
Bells. The Koran says that bells
hang on the trees of Paradise, and are
set in motion by wind from the throne
of God, as often as the blessed wish for
music. (Sale.)
- “Bells aS musical
As those that, on the golden-Shafted trees
Of Eden, shook by the eternal breeze.”
T, MOOT'é: Lalla, Rookh, part i, ,
Bell, Book, and Candle
120
Bellarmine
At three bells, at five bells, etc. A
term on board ship pretty nearly tan-
tamount to our expression o’clock. Five
out of the seven watches last four hours,
and each half-hour is marked by a bell,
which gives a number of strokes corre-
sponding to the number of half-hours
passed. Thus, “three bells” denotes
the third half-hour of the watch, “five
bells” the fifth half-hour of the watch,
and so on. The two short watches,
which last Only two hours each, are
from four to six and six to eight in
the afternoon. At eight bells a new
watch begins. (See WATCH.)
“Do you there bear 2 Clean shirt and a shave
for muster at five bells.”—Basil Hall. -
I’ll not hang all my bells on one horse.
I’ll not leave all my property to one son.
The allusion is manifest.
Give her the bells and let her fly.
Don't throw good money after bad;
make the best of the matter, but do
not attempt to bolster it up. When a
hawk was worthless, the bells were
taken off, and the bird was suffered to
escape, but the advice given above is to
“leave the bells'’ and let the hawk go.
Ringing the bells backwards, is ringing
a muffled peal. Backwards is often used
to denote “in a contrary direction ”
(tout le contraire), as, “I hear you are
grown rich—” “Yes, backwards.” To
ring a muffled peal, is to ring a peal
of sorrow, not of joy.
*: In olden times bells were rung
backwards as a tocsin, or notice of
danger. -
“BeaconS were lighted upon crags and emi-
nences; the bells were rung backwards in the
churches; and the general summons to arm
announced an extremity of danger.”—Sir W. Scott:
The Betrothed, Chap. iii.
Like sweet bells jangled, oºſt of tune
and harsh (Hamlet, iii. 1). A most ex-
quisite metaphor for a deranged mind,
such as that of Don Quixote. .
H/arwick shakes his bells. Beware of
danger, for Warwick is in the field.
Trojans beware, Achilles has donned
his armour. The bells mean the bells of
a hawk, the hawk Shakes his bells.
“Neither the king, nor he that loves him best,
Dares stir a wing, if Warwick shakes his bells.”
Shakespeare: 3 Henry VI., i. 1.
Bell, Book, and Candle. A cere-
mony in the greater excommunication
introduced into the Catholic Church in
the eighth century. After reading the
sentence a bell is rung, a book closed,
and a candle extinguished. From that
moment the excommunicated person
seen in the Close Roll of 1453.
Iſlä,SOILS.
is excluded from the sacraments and
even divine worship.
“Bell, book, and candle shall, not drive me
back.”—Shakespeare : King John, iii. 3. -
In spite of bell, book, and candle, i.e.
in spite of all the opposition which the
Christian hierarchy can offer. (See
CURSING...)
Bell of Patrick's Will (elog an
eadhachta Phałraic) is six inches high,
five broad, and four deep. It certainly
was in existence in the sixth century.
In the eleventh century a shrine was
made for it of gold and silver filigree,
adorned with jewels. -
Bell Savage, or La Belle Sauvage=
Pocahontas. According to one deriva-
tion it is a contraction of Isabelle Savage,
who originally kept the inn. It is some-
what remarkable that the sign of the inn
was a pun on the Christian name, a
“bell, on the Hope ’’ (hoop), as may be
The
hoop seems to have formed a garter or
frame to most signs. The site of the
inn is now occupied by the premises of
Messrs. Cassell & Co.
“They now returned to their inn, the famous
Bell Savage.”—Scott : Kenilworth, xiii.
Bell-the-Cat. Archibald Douglas,
Earl of Angus, was so called. James
III. made favourites of architects and
One mason, named Cochrane,
he created Earl of Mar. The Scotch.
nobles held a council in the church of
Lauder for the purpose of putting down
these upstarts, when Lord Gray asked,
“Who Will bell the Cat P” “That Will
I,” said Douglas, and he fearlessly put
to death, in the king’s presence, the
obnoxious minions. (See BELL.)
Bell-wavering. Vacillating, sway-
ing from side to side like a bell. A man
whose mind jangles out of tune from
delirium, drunkenness, or temporary in-
sanity, is said to have his wits gone bell-.
wavering.
“I doubt me his wits have gone bell-wavering
by the road.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chap.
Belladonna (Italian, beautiful lady).
This name was given to the Deadly
Nightshade, from a practice once com-
mon among ladies of touching their
eyes with it to make the pupils large
and lustrous.
Bell'armine (A). A large Flemish
gotch, i.e. a corpulent beer-jug of some
strong ware, originally made in Flan-
ders in ridicule of Cardinal Bellarmine,
the great persecutor of the reformed
party there. These jugs had at the
Bella.Ston
121
Belly
neck a rude likeness of the cardinal with
his large, square, ecclesiastical beard.
“. ... like a larger jug, that some men call
A bellalºmine . . . .
Whereon the lewder hand of pagan workmen,
Over the proud ambitious head, hath carved
An idol large, with beard episcopal,
Making the vessel look like tyrant Eglon.”
Cartright: The Ordinary.
“One of the Fellows of Exeter [College], when
Dr. Prideaux was rector, sent his servitor, after
nine o'clock at night, with a large bottle to fetch
Some ale from the alehouse. When he was coming
home with it under his gown, the proctor met
him, and asked him what he did out so late, and
what he had under his gown 2. The man answered
that his master had sent him to the Stationers to
borrow Bellarmine, which book he had under his
arm ; and so, he went home. Whence a bottle
With a big belly is called a Bellarmine to this day,
1667.”—Owomiana, vol. i. p. 232,
Bell'aston (Lady). A profligate,
whose conduct and conversation are
a life-like photograph of the court
“beauties” of Louis XV. (Fielding :
Tom Jones.)
Belle. A beauty. The Belle of the
Toom. The most beautiful lady in the
room (French). -
La belle France. A common French
phrase applied to France, as “Merry
England” is to our own country.
Belles Lettres. Polite literature
(French); similarly, Beatta, arts, the fine
arts. -
Bellefontaine (Benedict). The most
wealthy farmer of Grand Pré (Nova
Scotia), and father of Evangeline. When
the inhabitants of his village were
exiled, and he was about to embark,
he died of a broken heart, and was
buried on the sea-shore. (Longfellow :
Jºvangeline.)
Beller'ophon. One of the ships
which took part in the Battle of the
Nile, and was called by the English
sailors “the Bully-ruffran,” or “Belly-
ruffron.”
“Why, she and the Belly-ruffron seem to have
pretty well shared and shared alike.”—Captain
Marryat: Poor Jack, chap. xiii.
Beller'ophon. The Joseph of Greek
mythology; Antaea, the wife of Proe.
tos, being the “Potiphar’s wife’’ who
tempted him, and afterwards falsely ac-
cused him. Being successful in various
enterprises, he attempted to fly to heaven
on the winged horse Peg'asos, but Zeus
sent a gad-fly to sting the horse, and
the rider was overthrown.
Letters of Bellerophon.
other documents either dangerous or
prejudicial to the bearer. Proetos sent
Bellerophon with a letter to the King of
Lycia, his wife's father, recounting the
Letters or
charge, and praying that the bearer
might be put to death. -
Pausa/nias, the Spartan, sent messen-
gers from time to time to King Xerxes,
with similar letters; the discovery by
one of the bearers proved the ruin of
the traitor.
David’s letter sent by Uriah (2 Sam.
xi. 14) was of a similar treacherous cha-
racter; hence the phrase, “Letters of
|Uriah.”
Belle’rus. Belle’rium is the Land's
End, Cornwall, the fabled land of the
giant Bellerus. -
“Sleep'st by the fable of Bellerus old.”
Milton : Lycidas, 160.
Bellicent. Daughter of Gorloise and
Igerna. According to Tennyson, she
was the wife of Lot, King of Orkney;
but in La Morte d'Arthur Margause is
called Tlot's wife.
Bellin. The
Jºeynard the Fow.
Bellisant. Sister to King Pepin of
France, wife of Alexander, Emperor of
Constantinople. Being accused of in-
fidelity, the emperor banished her, and
she became the mother of Valentine and
Orson. (Palentine and Orson.)
Bellman. Before the new police force
was established, watchmen or bellmen
used to parade the streets at night, and
at Easter a copy of verses was left at
the chief houses in the hope of obtain-
ing an offering. These verses were the
relics of the old incantations sung or
said by the bellman to keep off elves
and hobgoblins. The town crier.
Bello'na. Goddess of war and wife
of Mars. (Roman mythology.)
“Her features, late so exquisitely lovely, in-
flamed with the fury of frenzy, resembled those
Of a Bellona.”—Sir Walte?' Scott.
Bellows. The pit of the stomach.
To knock a man on the “bellows '’ takes
his “wind (breath) away.”
Sing old rose and burn the bellows. (See
SING...)
Bellwether of the Flock. A jocose
and rather depreciating term applied to
the leader of a party. Of course the
allusion is to the wether or sheep which
leads the flock with a bell fastened to its
neck.
Belly. The belly and its members.
The fable of Menenius Agrippa to the
Roman people when they seceded to the
Sacred Mount : “Once on a time the
members refused to work for the lazy
belly; but, as the supply of food was
ram, in the tale of
Belly-timber
2
2
T}en
thus stopped, they found there was a
necessary and mutual dependence be-
tween them.” Shakespeare introduces
the fable in his Coriolanus, i. 1.
The belly has 770 cars. A hungry man
will not listen to advice or arguments.
The Romans had the same proverb,
P'enter non habet attres ; and in French,
Ventre affainé n'a point d’oreilles.
Belly-timber. Food.
“And now, Dame Peveril, to dinner, to dinner.
The old fox must have his belly-tilt, lyer, though
the hounds have been after him the Whole day.”
—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the Peak, Chal). 48.
Belomancy (Greek). Divination by
arrows. Labels being attached to a given
number of arrows, the archers let them
fly, and the advice on the label of the
arrow which flies farthest is accepted and
acted on. This practice is common with
the Arabs.
Beloved Disciple.
xiii. 23, etc.)
Beloved Physician.
(Col. iv. 14.)
Below the Belt. (See BELT.)
Belphegor. A nasty, licentious,
obscene fellow. Bel-Phegor was a Mo-
abitish deity, whose rites were celebrated
on Mount Phegor, and were noted for
their obscenity. The Standard, speak-
ing of certain museums in London, says,
“When will men cease to be deluded
by these unscrupulous Belphegors?”
(meaning “quacks”).
* Phegor, Phogor, or Peor, a famous
mountain beyond the Jordan. Nebo
and Pisgah were neighbouring moun-
tains. Beth-Peor is referred to in
Deut. iii. 29.
Belphoebe, meant for Queen Eliza-
beth. She was sister of Ann'oret.
Equally chaste; but of the Diana and
Minerva type. Cold as an icicle, pas-
Sionless, immovable. She is a white
flower without perfume, and her only
tender passion is that of chivalry.
Like a moonbeam, she is light without
warmth. You admire her as you admire
a marble statue. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book iii.)
Belt. To hit below the belt. To
strike unfairly. It is prohibited in
pº-ſighting to hit below the waist-
621U.
To call men knaves and fools, to charge a man
with nepotism, to make a slanderous report which
is not actionable, indeed to take away a man's
character, in any way, where self-defence is im-
1)ossible, is “ hitting him below the belt.”
“Lord Salisbury hits hard, but never hits below
the belt.”—Daily Telegraph, November, 1885.
St. John. (John
St. Luke.
To hold the belt. To be the champion.
In pugilism, etc., a belt is passed on to
the champion.
Beltane (2 syl.). A festival observed
in Ireland on June 21st, and in some
parts of Scotland on May Day. A fire
is kindled on the hills, and the young
people dance round it, and feast on
cakes made of milk and eggs. It is
supposed to be a relic of the worship of
Baal. The word is Gaelic, and means
JBel’s fire , and the cakes are called
beltame-cakes.
Belted Knight. The right of wear-
ing belt and spurs. Even to the present
day knights of the shire are “girt with
a belt and sword,” when the declaration
of their election is officially made.
Belted Will. Lord William Howard,
warden of the western marches (1563–
1640).
“His Bilboa blade, by marchmen felt,
Hung in a broad and studded belt ;
Hence, in rude phrase, the borderers still
Called noble HoWard Belted Will.” -Scott.
Belten'ebros. Am'adis of Gaul so
calls himself after he retires to the Poor
Rock. His lady-love is Oria'na. (Amadis
of Gaul, ii. 6.) -
Belvawney (Miss), of the Ports-
mouth theatre. She always took the
part of a page, and wore tights and silk
º (Dickens : Nicholas Nickleby,
1838.
Belvedere [bel-ve-dear]. A sort of
pleasure-house or look-out on the top of
a house. The word is Italian, and means
a ſºle prospect.
Belvidera (in Otway’s Venice Pre-
served). Sir Walter Scott says, “More
tears have been shed for the sorrows
of Belvideſra, and Monimia than for
those of Juliet and Desdemona.”
“And Bely idera pours her soul in love.”
Thomson : TVºter.
Bemuse (2 sy].). To get into a
dreamy, half-intoxicated State.
“Bemusing himself with beer.”—Sala: Gaslight
and Daylight. -
Ben. The Neptune of the Saxons.
Ben (a theatrical word). Benefit.
“A big ben,” a good or bumping bene-
fi -
t.
Pig Ben of Westminster. A name given
to the large bell, which weighs 13 tons
10 cwt., and is named after Sir Benjamin
Hall, the Chief Commissioner of Works
when the bell was cast, (1856.)
T3en J Ochanan.
123
Bendigo
Ben Joc'hanan', in the satire of
Absalom and Achitophel, by Dryden and
Tate, is meant for the Rev. Samuel
Johnson, who, suffered much persecution
for his defence of the right of private
judgment.
“A Jew [Englishman] of humble parentage was
e ;
By trade a, Levite ſclergyman], though of low
degree.” Part ii. 354, 355.
Ben trovato (Italian). Well found;
a happy discovery or invention.
Benai'ah (3 syl.), in the satire of
Absalom and Achitophel, by Dryden and
Tate, is meant for George Edward Sack-
ville, called General Sackville, a gentle-
man of family, and a zealous partisan
of the Duke of York. Benaiah was cap-
tain in David's army, and was made by
Solomon generalissimo. (1 Kings ii. 35.)
“Nor can Bemaiah’s worth forgotten lie,
Of steady soul when public storms were high ;
Whose conduct, while the Moors fierce onsets
made,
Secured at once our honour and our trade.”
Part; ii. 819–20,
Bena'res (3 syl.). One of the “most
holy” cities of the Hindus, reverenced
by them as much as Mecca is by the
Mohammedans.
Benbow (Admiral), in an engage-
ment with the French near St. Martha,
on the Spanish coast, in 1701, had his
legs and thighs shivered into splinters
by a chain-shot, but, supported in a
wooden frame, he remained on the
quarter-deck till morning, when Du
Casse bore away. Almey'da, the Portu-
guese governor of India, in his engage-
ment with the united fleet of Cambay'a.
and Egypt, had his legs and thighs
shattered in a similar manner; but, in-
stead of retreating, had himself bound
to the ship's mast, where he “waved
his sword to cheer on the combatants,”
till he died from loss of blood. (See
CYNAEGEROS, JAAFER, etc.)
“Whirled by the cannon's rage, in shivers torn,
His thighs far shattered o'er the waves are
Boº *: the mast the god-like hero stands,
Waves his proud Sword and cheers his Woeful
band S :
Though winds and seas their wonted aid deny,
To yield he knows not, but lue knows to die.”
Cuºmoems: Lºtsiad, book X.
Benbow. A sot, generous, free, idle,
and always hanging about the ale-house.
He inherited a good estate, spent it all,
and ended life in the workhouse. The
tale is in Crabbe's Borough.
“Benbow, a boon companion, long approved
By joyial sets, and (as he thought) beloved,
Was judged as one to joy and friendship prone,
And deemed injurious to himself alone.” .
Lettel X Wi.
Bench. The seat of a judge in the
law courts; the office of judge.
To be raised to the bench. To be made
a judge.
The King's ſqueen's] bench. The
Supreme Court of Common Law; so called
because at one time the sovereign pre-
sided in this court, and the court fol-
lowed the sovereign when he moved
from one place to another. Now a
division of the High Court of Judicature.
Bench. Bench of bishops. The whole.
body of English prelates, who sit together
On a bench in the House of Lords.
To be raised to the Episcopal bench. To
be made a bishop.
Bench and Bar. Judges and
pleaders. The bench is the seat on
which a judge sits. The bar of a court
was formerly a wooden barrier, to
separate the counsel from the audience.
Now, silk gowns (q.v.) sit nearer the
judge, and their juniors behind them.
(See BARRISTERS.)
Benchers. Senior members of the
Inns of Court ; so called from the bench
on which they used to sit. They exercise
the function of calling students to the
bar, and have the right of expelling the
obnoxious. (See BAR, page 94, col. 1.)
“He was made successively. Barrister, Utter
Barrister, Bencher, and IReader.”—Wood.
Bend, meaning power, as Beyond my
bend, i.e. my means or power. The
allusion is to a bow or spring; if strained
beyond its bending power, it breaks.
(See BENT.)
Bend Sinister. He has a bend
sinister. He was not born in lawful
wedlock. In heraldry, a band running
from the upper right-hand corner to the
lower left-hand corner (as the shield
appears before you on paper) is called a
bend-sinister, and is popularly, but
erroneously, supposed to indicate bas-
tardy.
Ben'demeer'. A river that flows
near the ruins of Chil’minar’ or Istachar',
in the province of Chusistan' in Persia.
“There's a bower of roses by Bendemeer's stream,
And the nightingale sings round it all the day
Olng.” T. Moore: Lalla ROOlºh, Part 1.
Bender. Sixpence.
Ben'digo. A rough fur cap, named
from a noted pugilist, William Thomp-
son ; so nicknamed from his birthplace
º in Australia.
Bendy
124
T}enshie
Bendy (Old). The devil, who is
willing to bend to anyone's inclina-
tion. The way of sin is so broad that
every shade of error can be admitted
without obstruction.
Benedicite (5 syl.). “Bless you : ”
a benediction used in the Roman Catho-
lic Church ; also the canticle.
Benedick. A sworn bachelor caught
in the wiles of matrimony, like Bene-
dick in Shakespeare's comedy of Much
Ado about Nothing.
“Let'our worthy Cantal) be bachelor or Bene-
dick, what concern is it of ours.”—Mrs. Edwards:
A Girton Girl, chap. XV.
* Benedick and Benedict are used
indiscriminately, but the distinction
should be observed.
Benedict. A bachelor, not neces-
sarily one pledged to celibacy, but simply
a man of marriageable age, not married.
St. Benedict was a most uncompromis-
ing stickler for celibacy.
“Is it not a pun ? There is an old saying,
* Needles and pins; when a man marries his trou-
ble begins.” If so, the unmarried man is bemedic-
tus.”—Life in the West.
Benedictines (4 syl.). Monks who
follow the rule of St. Benedict, viz.
implicit obedience, celibacy, abstaining
from laughter, spare diet, poverty, the
exercise of hospitality, and unremitting
industry.
Ben'efice (3 syl.). Under the Romans
certain grants of lands made to veteran
soldiers were called beneficia, and in the
Middle Ages an estate held ea; ºnero
beneficio of the donor was called “a
benefice.” When the popes assumed
the power of the feudal lords with re-
ference to ecclesiastical patronage, a
“living ” was termed by them a benefice
held under the pope as Superior lord.
This assumption roused the jealousy of
France and England, and was stoutly
resisted. -
Benefit of Clergy. Exemption of
the clerical order from civil punishment,
based on the text, “Touch not mine
anointed, and do my prophets no harm ‘’
(1 Chron. xvi. 22). In time it compre-
hended not only the ordained clergy,
|but all who, being able to write and
read, were capable of entering into holy
orders. This law was abolished in the
reign of George IV. (1827).
Ben'en-ge'li. (See HAMET.) -
Benet (French). A simpleton, so
called because they were supposed to be,
in a special way, the objects of God's
care. (French, béni, Old French, beneit,
from Latin, benedictus.) We call an
idiot an “Innocent'' (q.v.).
Benevolence. A “forced” gratuity,
under the excuse of a loan, exacted by
some of the Plantagenet kings. First
enforced in 1473, it was declared illegal
by the Bill of Rights in 1689.
“Royal benevolences were encroaching more
and more on the right of parliamentary taxation,”
–Green. : History of the Iºnglish People, vol. ii.
l)ook Vi. Clap. i. p. 197.
Benev'olus, in Cowper's Task, is John
Courtney Throckmorton of Weston Un-
derwood.
Bengal Tigers. The old 17th Foot,
whose badge, a royal tiger, was granted
them for their services in India (1802-23).
Now the Leicester Regiment.
Bengalese (3 syl.) for Ben'galis or
Bengalees. Natives of Bengal. (Sin-
gular, Bengali or Bengalee.)
Bengo'di. A wonderful country
where “they tie the vines with sausages,
where you may buy a fat goose for a
penny and have the giblets given into
the bargain. In this place there is a
mountain of Parmesan cheese, and peo-
ple’s employment is making cheesecakes
and macaroons. There is also a river
which runs Malmsey wine of the very
best quality. (Boccaccio . Eighth Day,
Novel iii.)
Benicia Boy. John C. Heenan,
the American pugilist, who challenged
and fought Tom Sayers for “the belt ’’
in 1860; so called from Benicia in Cali-
fornia, his birthplace.
Benjamin. The pet, the youngest.
Queensland is the Benjamin of our colo-
nial possessions. The allusion is to
Benjamin, the youngest son of Jacob
(Gen. xxxv. 18).
Benjamin. A smart overcoat ; so
called from a tailor of the name, and
rendered popular by its association with
Joseph’s “coat of many colours.”
Benjamin's Mess. The largest share.
The allusion is to the banquet given by
Joseph, viceroy of Egypt, to his brethren.
“Benjamin’s mess was five times so
much as any of theirs ” (Gen. xliii. 34).
Bennaskar. A wealthy merchant
and magician of Delhi, in Ridley's Tales
of the Genii.
“Ilike the jeweller of Delhi, in the house of the
magician Bennaskar, I at length reached a vaulted
§ dedicated to secrecy and silence.”—Sir W.
COtt.
Benshie, Benshee (see BANSHEE).
The Scotch Bodach Glay, or Grey
Spectre, is a similar superstition ; and
the Pari-Banou (Nymph of the Air)
13ent 12
T3erlin Time
of the Arabian Nights is also a sort of
Penshee.
“How oft has the Benshee cried l’” [How busy
death has been of late with our notables.]—T.
Moore: Irish Melodies, NO. ii.
Bent. Inclination ; talent for Some-
thing. Out of my bent, not in my way,
not in the range of my talent. Bent 07:
it, inclined to it. As a thing bent is in-
clined, so a bent is an inclination, or
bias. Genius or talent is a bent or bias.
: “Whatever is done best, is done from the
matural bent, and disposition of the Imind.”—
Hazlitt : Table T'allº.
They fool me to the top of my bent, i.e.
as far as the bow can be bent without
snapping. (Hamlet, iii. 2.) (See BEND.)
Benvolio. Nephew to Montague,
a testy, litigious gentleman, who would
“quarrel with a man that had a hair
more or a hair less in his beard than he
had.” Mercutio says to him, “Thou
hast quarrelled with a man for coughing
in the street, because he hath wakened
thy dog that hath lain asleep in the
#!") (Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet,
iii. 1.
Beppo. The contraction of Giuseppe,
and therefore equal to our Joe. Hus-
band of Laura, a Venetian lady. He
was taken captive in Troy, turned Turk,
joined a band of pirates, grew rich, and,
after several years’ absence, returned to
his native land, where he discovered his
wife at a carnival ball with her cavaliero
Sevente. He made himself known to
her, and they lived together again as
man and wife. (Byron : Beppo.)
Berch'ta [the white lady]. This fairy,
in Southern Germany, answers to Hulda.
(the gracious lady) of Northern Germany;
but after the introduction of Christianity,
when pagan deities were represented as
demons, Berchta lost her former charac-
ter, and became a bogie to frighten
children.
Bere'ams (3 Syl.). The followers
of the Rev. John Barclay, of Kin-
cardineshire (1773). They believe that
all we know of God is from revela-
tion ; that all the Psalms refer to
Christ; that assurance is the proof of
faith; and that unbelief is the unpar-
donable sin. They took their name
from the Bereans, mentioned in the
Book of the Acts (xvii. 11), who
“received the Word with all readiness
of mind, and searched the Scriptures
daily.”
Berecynthian Hero. Midas, the
Phrygian king ; so called from Mount
Berecyntus, in Phrygia.
Berengarians. Followers of Be-
renger, archdeacon of Angers, the learned
opponent of Lanfranc (eleventh cen-
tury). He said that the bread by
consecration did not become the very
body of Christ “generated on earth so
many years before, but becomes to the
faithful, nevertheless, the blessed body
Of Christ.”
Berenice (4 syl.). The sister-wife of
Ptolemy III., who vowed to sacrifice her
hair to the gods, if her husband returned
home the vanquisher of Asia. She sus-
pended her hair in the temple of the
war-god, but it was stolen the first
night, and Conon of Samos told the king
that the winds had wafted it to heaven,
where it still forms the seven stars near
the tail of Leo, called Coma Berenicàs.
* Pope, in his Rape of the Lock, con-
verts the purloined ringlet into a star or
meteor, “which drew behind a radiant
trail of hair.” (Canto v.)
Berg Folk. Pagan spirits doomed
to live on the Scandinavian hills till
the day of redemption. (Scandinavian
mythology.) -
Bergaean (A). A great liar ; so
called from Antiphanes Berga. -
Bergelmir. A frost-giant, father of
the Jötuns, or second dynasty of giants.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Berger. L'heure du Berger (French).
The shepherd's hour, i.e. the swain's or
lover’s hour; the happy hour of tryst;
the critical moment.
Bergomask. A clown or merry-
andrew ; a native of Bergamo. Com-
pare, a gasconader ; a Boeotian.
Berkley (Mr.). An Englishman of
fortune, good-humoured, and humane.
IHe is a bachelor and somewhat eccentric,
but sound common sense is a silver
thread which is never lost. (Longfellow:
Jſ/perior? (a romance), 1839.)
Berkshire (Saxon, Béaroc - scire,
forest-shire), a name peculiarly appro-
priate to this county, which contains the
forest districts of Windsor and Bagshot.
Berlin Decree. A decree issued at
Berlin by Napoleon I., forbidding any
of the nations of Europe to trade with
Great Britain (1806). This mad fancy
F. the first step to the great man’s
all.
Berlin Time. The new Berlin Ob-
servatory is 44° 14' east of Paris, and
53' 35’ east of Greenwich. The Berlin
day begins at noon, but our civil day
begins the midnight preceding. •
Berliners
126 Bertha,
Berliners
Trussia. -
Bermeja. Insula de la Torre, from
which Amadis of Gaul starts when he
goes in quest of the Enchantress-Damsel,
daughter of Fin'etor the necromancer.
The people of Berlin, in
Bermoothes. An hypothetical island
feigned by Shakespeare to be enchanted,
and inhabited by witches and devils.
Supposed by some to be Bermudas; but
a correspondent in Notes and Queries
(January 23rd, 1886, p. 72) utterly
denies this, and favours the suggestion
that the island meant was Lampedusa.
“From the still-vexed Bermoothès, there she's
hid.” Shakespeare: The Tempest, i. 2.
Bermudas. To live in the Bermudas,
i.e. in some out-of-the-way place for
cheapness. The shabby genteel hire a
knocker in some West-end square, where
letters may be left for them, but live in
the Bermudas, or narrow passages north
of the Strand, near Covent Garden.
Bernard (St.). Abbot of the monas-
tery of Clairvaux in the twelfth century.
IHis fame for wisdom was very great,
and few church matters were under-
taken without his being consulted.
Petit Bernard. Solomon Bernard, en-
graver of Lyons. (Sixteenth century.)
Poor Bernard. Claude Bernard, of
Dijon, philanthropist (1588-1641).
Laterillus. Samuel Bernard, capitalist
(1651-1739). -
Legentil Bernard. Pierre Joseph Ber-
nard, the French poet (1710-1775).
Bernard. Bonus Bernardus 1707, videt
omnia (see above). We are all apt to
forget sometimes; events do not always
turn out as they are planned before-
hand.
“Poor Peter was to win honours at Shrewsbury
School; and carry them thick to Cambridge; and
after that a living awaited him, the gift of his
godfather, Sir Peter Arley; but Bonus Bernardus
won videſ omnia, and Poor Peter's lot in life was
very different to what his friends had planned.”
—Mrs. Gaskell ; Cranford, chap. vi.
Bernard Soup (St.).
Soup.)
Bernardo, in Dibdin's Bibliomania
(a romance), is meant for Joseph Hazle-
wood, antiquary and critic (1811).
Bernar'do del Carpio. One of the
most favourite subjects of the Spanish
minstrels; the other two being the Cid
and Lara's seven infants.
Bernard's Inn.
Mackworth Inn, from Dean Mackworth,
who died 1454. .
(See STONE
Formerly called
“This house was, in the thirty-first year of the
reign Of Henry VI., a meSSuage belonging to Dr.
John Mackworth, dean of the cathedral church
of Lincoln, and at that time in the holding of
one Lionel Bernard . . . . and it hath, ever since
retained the name of Bernard's Inn.”—IIarleian,
MSS. N.O. 1104.
Berners or Barnes (Juliana).
Prioress of Sopewell nunnery, near St.
Albans, reputed authoress of the Bokys
of Hawking and Hunting (1486). Gener-
ally called “Dame Berners.” Another
book ascribed to her is the Boke of the
Plazing of Arms (1485).
Bernese (2 syl.). A native of Berne,
in Switzerland.
Bernesque Poetry. Serio-comic
poetry; so called from Francesco Berni,
of Tuscany, who greatly excelled in it.
(1490-1536.)
Bernouilli's Numbers or the pro-
perties of numbers first discovered by
James Bernouilli, professor of mathe-
matics at Basle (1654-1705).
Berser'ker. Grandson of the eight-
handed Starka/der and the beautiful
Alfhilde, called bar-serce (bare of mail)
because he went into battle unharnessed.
Hence, any man with the fighting fever
On him.
“You Say that I am berserker. And . . . bare-
Şark I go to-morrow to the War.”—IRev. C. Kings-
ley: Hereward the Walce.
Berth. He has tumbled into a Wºłce
berth. A nice situation or fortune. The
place in which a ship is anchored is
called its berth, and the sailors call it a
good or bad berth as they thinkit favour-
able or otherwise. The space also
allotted to a seaman for his hammock is
called his berth. (Norman, berth, a
cradle.)
To give a wide berth. Not to come
near a person; to keep a person at a
distance. The place where a ship lies
in harbour is called her berth : hence,
to give a “wide berth’’ is to give a ship
plenty of room to Swing at anchor.
Bertha. The betrothed of John of
Leyden, but, being a vassal of Count
Oberthal, she was unable to marry with-
out her lord’s consent. When she went
with her mother to ask permission of
marriage, the count, struck with her
beauty, determined to make her his
mistress. She afterwards makes her
escape from the castle, and, fancying
that the “prophet” had caused the
death of her lover, goes to Munster
fully resolved to compass his death by
setting fire to the palace. She is appre-
hended, and, being brought before the

prophet-king, recognises her lover in
T}ertha,
T27
\ f
T}esom
him, saying, “I loved thee. Once, but
now my love is turned to hate,” and
stabs herself. (Meyerbeer's opera, Le
Prophète.)
Bertha. The blind daughter of Caleb
Plummer in Dickens's Cricket on the
JIearth (a Christmas story), 1845.
Bertha (Frau). A German imper-
Sonation of the Epiphany, corresponding
to the Italian Befana. Represented as
a white lady, who steals Softly into
nurseries and rocks infants asleep in
the absence of negligent nurses; she
is, however, the terror of all naughty
children. Her feet are very large, and
she has an iron nose. (See BEFANA.)
Berthas [Stock Exchange term]. The
London, Brighton, & South Coast Rail-
way Deferred Stock.
Berthe au Grand Pied. Mother of
Charlemagne, and great granddaughter
of Charles Martel; so called because she
had a club-foot.
Bertolde [Bar-told]. Imperturbable
as Bertolde, i.e. not to be taken by
surprise, thrown off your guard, or dis-
concerted at anything. Bertolde is the
hero of a little jeu d'esprit in Italian
prose, J. Cesare Croce. He is a com-
edian by profession, whom nothing as-
tonishes, and is as much at his ease
with kings and queens as with persons
of his own rank and vocation.
Bertram. One of the conspirators
against the Republic of Venice “in
whom there was a hesitating softness
fatal to a great enterprise.” He be-
trayed the conspiracy to the Senate.
(Byron : Marino Faliero.)
Bertram (Henry), in Sir W. Scott's
novel of Guy Mannering, was suggested
by James Annesley, Esq., rightful heir
of the earldom of Anglesey, of which he
was dispossessed by his uncle Richard.
FIe died in 1743.
Bertram, Count of Rousillon,
beloved by Helèna, the hero of Shake-
speare's comedy, All’s Well that Ends
|Well.
“I cannot reconcile, my heart to Bertram, a man
noble Without generosity, and young without
truth ; , Who marries Helena as a coward, and
leaves her as a profligate.”—Dr. Johnson.
Bertram Risingham. The vassal
of Philip of Mortham. Oswald Wy-
cliffe induced him to shoot his lord at
Marston Moor, and for this vile deed
the vassal demanded of him all the gold
and movables of his latermaster. Oswald,
being a villain, tried to outwit Bertram,
and even murder him ; but in the end it
turns out that Mortham was not killed,
neither was Oswald his heir, for Red-
mond O’Neale, the page of Rokeby, is
found to be Mortham’s son. (Scott :
Jęokeby.)
Bertramo. The fiend-father of
Robert le Diable. After alluring his
son to gamble away all his possessions,
he meets him near the rocks St. Tre/ne,
and Hel’ema seduces him in the “Dance
of Love.” When Bertra/mo at last
comes to claim his victim, he is resisted
by Alice, the foster-sister of the duke,
who reads to him his mother’s will, and
angels come to celebrate the triumph of
good over evil. (Meyerbeer's opera of
Roberto il Diavolo.)
Berwicks [Stock Exchange term],
meaning the North-Eastern Railway
shares. The line runs to Berwick.
Beryl Molozane (3 Syl.). The lady
beloved by George Geith ; a laughing,
loving beauty, all Sunshine and art-
lessness; tender, frank, full of innocent
chatter; helping everyone and loving
everyone. Her lot is painfully unhappy,
and she dies. (F. G. Trafford [J. Eſ.
Riddell] : George Geith.)
Berzak [the interval]. The space
between death and the resurrection.
(The Koran.)
Besaile. A great grandfather (French,
bisaiettl). This word should be restored.
Besants or Bezants. Circular pieces
of bullion without any impression, Sup-
posed to represent the old coinage of
Byzantium, and to have been brought
to Europe by the Crusaders.
Beside the Cushion. Beside the
question ; not to the point; not perti-
ment to the matter in hand. French,
hors de propos ; Latin, mihil ad rhombum.
t was Judge Jeffreys who used the
phrase, “Besides [sic] the cushion.”
Besom. To hang out the besom. To
have a fling when your wife is gone on
a visit. To be a quasi bachelor once
more. Taking this in connection with
the following phrase, it evidently means,
holding the marriage service in abey-
all C62.
“This is French argot, Irotir le balai (to burn
the besom) means to live the life of a liber-
time, whence balochard, Paris Slang for a liber-
time. Probably our phrase, “burn the bellows,”
is pretty much the same as rotin' le balai.
Jumping the besom. Omitting the
marriage service after the publication
of banns, and living together as man
Bess 128
Beth Gelert
and wife. In Southern Scotch, a street-
walker is called a besom, and in French
balan (a besom) means the life of a liber-
time, as Rôtir le balai ; Il ont bien rôti le
balai ensemble, where balai means a de-
bauch or something worse. No further
explanation can be needed or could be
given.
Bess. Good Queen? Bess. Queen Eliza-
beth (1533, 1558-1603).
Bess o' Bedlam. A female lunatic
vagrant. Bedlam is a common name
for a madhouse, and Bess is a national
name for a woman, especially of the
lower order. The male lunatic is a
Tom o' Bedlam.
Bess of Hardwicke. Elizabeth,
Countess of Shrewsbury, to whose
charge, in 1572, Mary Queen of Scots
was committed. The countess treated
the captive queen with great harshness,
being jealous of the earl her husband.
Bess of Hardwicke married four times:
Alexander Barley (when she was only
fourteen years of age); William Caven-
dish; Sir William St. Loe, Captain of
Queen Elizabeth’s Guard; and lastly,
George, Earl of Shrewsbury. She built
Hardwicke Hall, and founded the wealth
and dignity of the Cavendish family.
Bessemer Iron. Pig-iron refined,
and converted into steel or malleable
iron by passing currents of air through
the molten metal, according to a process
discovered by Sir H. Bessemer, and
patented in 1856.
Bessie Bell and Mary Gray. A
ballad. The tale is that these two young
ladies, natives of Perth, to avoid the
plague of 1666, retired to a rural retreat
called the Burnbraes, about a mile from
Lynedock, the residence of Mary Gray.
A young man, in love with both, carried
them provisions. Both ladies died of
the plague, and were buried at Dornock
Hough.
Bessus. A cowardly, bragging cap-
tain, a sort of Bob'adil (q.v.). (Beaumont
and Fletcher: A ſing and no King.)
Best. At best or At the very best.
Looking at the matter in the most
favourable light. Making every allow-
{l, IlC6. .
“Life at best is but a mingled yarn.”
. At one’s best. At the highest or best
point attainable by the person referred to.
I'or the best. With the best of motives;
with the view of obtaining the best
results.
I must make the best of my way home.
It is getting late and I must use my
utmost diligence to get home as soon as
possible. -
To have the best of it, or, To have the
best of the bargain. To have the advan-
tage or best of a transaction.
To make the best of the matter. To
submit to ill-luck with the best grace in
your power.
Best Man (at a wedding). The bride-
groom’s chosen friend who waits on him,
as the bride’s maids wait on the bride.
Best Things (The Eight), according
to Scandinavian mythology:-
(1) The ash Yggdrasil is the best of
trees: º
€62S -
(2) Skidbladmir, of ships;
(3) Odin, of the AEsir";
(4) Sleipnir, of steeds;
(5) Bifrost, of bridges;
(6) Bragi, of bards;
(7) Habrok, of hawks
(8) Garm, of hounds.
Bestiaries or Bestials. Books very
popular in the eleventh, twelfth, and
thirteenth centuries, containing the pic-
tures of animals and their symbolisms.
“The unicorn has but one horn in the middle
of its forehead. It is the only animal that ven-
tures to attack the elephant ; and so sharp is the
nail of its foot, that with one blow it can ril)
the belly of that beast. Hunters can catch the
unicorn Only by placing a young Virgin in its
haunts. . No sooner does he see the damsel, than
he runs towards her, and lies down at her feet, and
so suffers himself to be captured by the hunters.
The unicorn represents Jesus Christ, who took on
Him our nature in the virgin's womb, was De-
trayed to the Jews, and delivered into the hands
of Pontius Pilate, lts one horn signifies the
Gospel of Truth. . . .”—Le Bestictive Divin de
Guillaume, Clerc de N07'mandie (13th century).
Bête. Morte la bête, mort le venin.
Dead men tell no tales; dead dogs don’t
bite. When one is dead his power of
mischief is over. Literally, if the beast
is dead, its poison is dead also.
Quand Jean-Bété est mort, il & laissé
bien des heritiers. Casimir Delavigne
says to the same effect, Les Sots deputis
Adam Sont en majorité. Jean-Béte
means a fool or dolt. -
Bête Noire. The thorn in the side,
the bitter in the cup, the spoke in the
wheel, the black sheep, the object of
aversion. A black sheep has always
been considered an eyesore in a flock,
and its wool is really less valuable. In
times of superstition it was looked on as
bearing the devil's mark. .
“The Dutch Sale of tin is the bête moire Of the
Cornish miners.”—The Times.
Beth Geiert, or “the Grave of the
Greyhound.” A ballad by the Hon.
William Robert Spencer. The tale is that
Bethlemenites
129 Beurre
one day Llewellyn returned from hunt-
ing, when his favourite hound, covered
with gore, ran to meet him. The chief-
tain ran to see if anything had happened
to his infant son, found the cradle over-
turned, and all around was sprinkled
with gore and blood. Thinking the
hound had eaten the child, he stabbed it
to the heart. Afterwards he found the
babe quite safe, and a huge wolf under
the bed, quite dead. Gélert had killed
the wolf and saved the child.
Beth Iemenites (4 syl.). Followers
of John Huss, so called because he used
to preach in the church called Bethlehem
of Prague.
Betrothed (The). One of the Tales
of the Crusaders, by Sir Walter Scott,
1832. Tady Eveline Berenger is the
betrothed of Sir Damian de Lacy, whom
she marries.
Better. My better half. A jocose
way of saying my wife. As the twain
are one, each is half. Horace calls his
friend animae dimidium meda. (1 Odes
iii. 8.) -
To be better than his word. To do
more than he promised.
To think better of the matter. To
give it further consideration ; to form a
more correct opinion respecting it.
Better kind Friend, etc. Bette,'
kind friend than friend kind. Friend is
a corruption of fremd; meaning a stran-
ger. Better [a] kind stranger than a
kinsman who makes himself a stranger,
or an estranged kinsman.
Better off. In more easy circum-
stances.
Bettina. A mascotte who always
brought good luck wherever she went.
Though a mere peasant, she is taken to
the Prince of Piombino's palace of
Laurent, to avert his ill-luck; but by
marrying Pippo (a shepherd) she loses
her gift. However, the prince is re-
minded that the children of a mascotte
are hereditary mascottes, and makes
Bettina promise that her first child shall
be adopted by the prince. (See MAS-
COTTE.)
Bettina. The name under which
Flizabeth Brentano translated into Eng-
lish Goethe’s Letters to a Child in 1835.
She was the wife of Ludwig Achim von
Arnim, and it was her correspondence
with Goethe which were the Letters to a
Child referred to. Elizabeth Brentano
was born 1785.
Betty. A name of contempt given
to a man who interferes with the duties
Of female servants, or occupies himself in
female pursuits; also called a “Molly.”
Betty. A skeleton key; the servant
of a picklock. Burglars call their short
crowbars for forcing locks Jennies and
Jemmies. “Jenny” is a “small engine,”
i.e. 'ginie, and Jemmy is merely a variant.
Betu"bium. Dumsby, or the Cape of
St. Andrew, in Scotland.
“The north-inflated tempest foams
O'er Orka's and Betubium's highest peak.”
‘I'honnè07, Atltum?v, 891, 2.
Between. Between hay and grass.
Neither one thing nor yet another ; a
hobbledehoy, neither a man nor yet a
boy. -
Between cup and lip. (See SLIP.)
Between Scylla and Charybdis. Be-
tween two equal dangers; on the horns
of a dilemma. (See CHARYBDIS.)
Between two fires. Between two dan-
gers. In war, an army fired upon from
opposite sides is in imminent danger.
Between two stools you come to the
ground. “Like a man on double busi-
ness bound, Istand in pause where I shall
first begin, and both neglect.” He who
hunts two hares leaves one and loses the
other.” Simul sorbère ac flare non pos-
sum. The allusion is to a children’s
game called “The Ambassador,” also a
practical joke at one time played at Sea.
when the ship crossed the line. Two
stools are set side by side, but somewhat
apart, and a cloth is covered over them,
A person sits on each stool to keep the
cloth taut, and the ambassador is in-
vited to sit in the middle; but, as soon
as he is seated, the two rise and the
ambassador comes to the ground. -
Between you and me (French, entre
mous). In confidence be it spoken.
Sometimes, Between you and me and the
gate-post. These phrases, for the most
part, indicate that some ill-natured re-
mark or slander is about to be made of a
third person, but occasionally they refer
to some offer or private affair. “Be-
tween ourselves” is another form of the
Same phrase.

Betwixt and Between. Neither
one nor the other, but somewhere be-
tween the two. Thus, grey is neither
white nor black, but betwixt and be-
tween the two.
Beurre. Avoir beurre sur la tête. To
loe covered with crimes. Taken from a
Jewish saying, “If you have butter on
your head (i.e. have stolen butter and put
it in your cap), don’t go into the Sun.”
(Vidocq : Voleurs, vol. i. p. 16.)
9
Beuves
130
Bias
Jºy suis pour mon beurre. . . Here
beltºre means argent. I paid for it
through the nose. Beurré or butter has
the same relation to food as wealth has
to civil life ; it does not take the place
of it, and does not make it, but it makes.
it go down more pleasantly, and adds
somewhat to its wholesomeness. As
Shakespeare says, “Where virtue is, it
makes more virtuous.”
Promettre plus de bentºre que de pain.
To promise much, but perform little.
To promise more than one can, Or
chooses to, perform. The butter of a
promise is of no use without substantial
bread. “Be thou fed'’ will not fill an
empty stomach. A little help is worth a
deal of pity. -
Beuves (1 syl.), or Buovo of Aſgreſ-
Anont. The father of Malagigi, and uncle
of Rinaldo. (Ariosto : Orlando Furioso.)
Bev'er. A “drink” between meals
(Italian, bevere, to drink—our beverage ;
Latin, bibere—our im-bibe). At Eton
they used to have “Bever days,” when
extra beer and bread were served during
the afternoon in the College Hall to
scholars, and any friends whom they
might bring in.
“He . . . will devour three breakfasts . . .
Without prejudice to his bevers.”—Beaumont
and Fletchen”: Woman Hater, i. 3.
Bev'il. A model gentleman in Steele's
Conscious Lovers.
“Whate'er can deck imankind,
Or chaºm the heart, in generous Beyil showed.”
Thomsom, : Winter, 654-5.
Be'vis. The horse of Lord Marmion.
(Sir Walter Scott.) (See HoRSE.)
Bevis of Southampton. A knight of
romance, whose exploits are recounted
in Drayton's Polyolbion. The French
call him Beetves de Haºtone.
Bevoriskius, whose Commentary 07?
the Generations of Adam is referred to
by Sterne in the Sentimental Journey,
was Johannes Bevoricius, physician and
senator, author of a large number of
books. The Commentary will be found
at fol. 1 (1652).
Bev'y. A bevy of ladies. A throng
or company ; properly applied to roe-
'bucks, quails, and pheasants. Timid
gregarious animals, in Self-defence, go
down to a river to drink in bevies or
small companies. Ladies, from their
timidity, are placed in the same category
(Italian, bevere, to drink).
“And upon her deck what a bevy of human
flowers—young women, how lovely —young men,
how noble!”—De Quincey : Dream-fugite. -
Beza'liel, in the satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for the Marquis of Worcester,
afterwards Duke of Beaufort.
“Bezaliel with each grace and Yirtue fraught,
Serene his looks, serene his life and thought :
Qn whom so largely Nature heaped her store, .
There scarce remained for arts to give him
Inlore.” Part ii. 947-56. ,
Bezoſnian. A new recruit; applied
Originally in derision, to young soldiers
sent from Spain to Italy, who landed
both ill-accoutred and in want of every-
thing (Ital, besog/??, from bisogno, need;
French besoin). -
“Base and pilfering besognios and marauders.”
—Sir W. Scott: Monastery, xvi.
“Great men. Oft die by vile bezonians.”
, Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., act iv. 1,
“Under which king, Bezonian? Speak
or die” (2 FIen. IV., act v. 3). Choose
your leader or take the consequences
—Caesar or Pompey P “Speak or die.”
Bheem or Bhima. One of the five
Pandoos, or brotherhoods of Indian
demi-gods, famous for his strength. He
slew the giant Kinchick, and dragged
his body from the hills, thereby making
the Kimchick ravine.
Biaeum, in rhetoric, means converting
the proof into a disproof. As thus:
That you were the murderer is proved
by your being on the spot at the time.
Reply: Just the contrary, if I had been
the guilty person most certainly I should
have run away. (Greek, bidion.)
Bian'ca. Wife of Fazio. When Fazio
became rich, and got entangled with the
Marchioness Aldabella, she accused him
to the Duke of Florence of being privy
to the death of Bartoldo, an old miser.
Fazio was arrested and condemned to
death. Bianca, now repented of her
jealous rashness, and tried to save her
husband, but failing in her endeavours,
went mad, and died of a broken heart,
(Dean Milman : Fazio.)
N. B. — The name is employed by
Shakespeare both in his Taming of the
Shrew and also in Othello.
Bianchi. (See NERI.)
Bias. The weight in bowls which
makes them deviate from the straight
line; hence any favourite idea or pur-
suit, or whatever predisposes the mind
in a particular direction.
Bowls are not now loaded, but the
bias depends on the shape of the bowls.
They are flattened on One side, and
therefore roll obliquely.
“Your stomach makes your fabric roll,
Just as the bias rules the bowl
Prior: Alma, iii, line 1281.
commit adultery.”
Biberius
181
Bible
Biberius Caidius Mero. The pun-
ning nickname of Tiberius Claudius
Nero. Biberius º: drink-loving,
Caldius Mero [Claudius Nero], by meta-
thesis for calidus mero, hot with wine.
Bible means simply a book, but is
now exclusively confined to the “Book
of Books.” (Greek, biblos, a book.)
The headings of the chapters were pre-
fixed by Miles Smith, Bishop of Glou-
cester, one of the translators.
(i) BIBLES NAMED FROM ERRORS OF
TYPE, or from archaic words:—
The Breeches Bible. So called because
Genesis iii. 7 was rendered, “The eyes
of them bothe were opened . . . . . and
they sowed figge-tree leaves together, and
made themselves breeches.” By Whit-
tingham, Gilby, and Sampson, 1579.
The Idle Bible, 1809. In which the
“ idole shepherd ” (Zech. xi. 17) is
printed “the idle shepherd.”
The Bug Bible, 1551. So called
because Psalm xci. 5 is translated, “Thou
shalt not be afraid of bugges [bogies]
by nighte.”
The Great Bible. The same as Mat-
thew Parker’s Bible (q.v.).
The Place-maker’s Bible. So called
from a printer’s error in Matt. v. 9,
“Blessed are the placemakers [peace-
makers], for they shall be called the
children of God.”
The Pºžers’ Bible makes David
pathetically complain that “the printers
ſprinces] have persecuted me without a
cause ’’ (Ps. cxix. 161).
The Treacle Bible, 1549 (Beck's Bible),
in which the word “balm ’’ is rendered
“treacle.” The Bishops' Bible has
tºyacle in Jer. iii. 28 ; xlvi. 11; and in
Fzek. xxvii. 17. -
The Umrighteous Bible, 1652 (Cam-
bridge Press). So called from the print-
er’s error, “Enow ye not that the
unrighteous shall inherit the Ringdom
of God?” (1 Cor. vi. 9).
The Vinegar Bible. So called because
the heading to Luke xx. is given as
“The parable of the Winegar” (instead
of Vineyard).
Press in 1717.
The Wicked Bible. So called because
the word wºot is omitted in the seventh
commandment, making it, “Thou shalt
Printed by Barker
and Lucas, 1632.
To these may be added: the Discharge Bible,
the Ears to Ear. Bible, Rebecca's Camels Bible,
the IRosin Bible, the Standing Fishes Bible, and
SOlme Others,
i
(ii) BIBLES NAMED FROM PROPER
NAMES, or dignities.
Printed at the Clarendon
Cranmer.
JBishop's Bible. Therevised edition of
Archbishop Parker's version. Published
1568.
Coverdale's Bible, 1535. Translated by
Miles Coverdale, afterwards Bishop of
Exeter. This was the first Bible sanc-
tioned by royal authority.
Cranmer's Bible, 1539. This is Cover-
dale’s Bible corrected by Archbishop
It was printed in 1540, and
in 1549 every parish church was enjoined
to have a copy under a penalty of 40s. a
month. -
The Douay Bible, 1581. A translation
made by the professors of the Douay
College for the use of English boys de-
signed for the Catholic priesthood.
The Geneva Bible. The Bible trans-
lated by the English exiles at Geneva.
The same as the “Breeches Bible '’
(q.v.).
King James's Bible. The Authorised
Version ; so called because it was under-
taken by command of James I. Pub-
lished 1611. -
Matthew Parker’s Bible, or “The
Great Bible,” published in the reign
of Henry VIII. under the care of Arch-
bishop Parker and his staff (1539-1541).
In 1572 several prolegomena, were
added.
Matthews' Bible is Tindal's version. It
was so called by John Rogers, super-
intendent of the English churches in
Germany, and was published with notes
under the fictitious name of Thomas
Matthews, 1537.
The Mazarine Bible. The earliest book
printed in movable metal type. It con-
tains no date. Copies have been re-
cently sold from £2,000 to £3,900. Called
the Mazarine Bible from the Bibliothèque
Mazarine, founded in Paris by Cardinal
Mazarine in 1648.
Sacy’s Bible. So called from Isaac
Louis Sacy (Le-maistre), director of the
Port Royal Monastery. . He was im-
prisoned for three years in the Bastille
for his Jansenist opinions, and translated
the Bible during his captivity (1666-
1670).
Tyndale’s Bible. William Tyndale, or
Tindal, having embraced the Reformed
religion, retired to Antwerp, where he
printed an English translation of the
Scriptures. All the copies were bought
up, whereupon Tyndale printed a revised
edition. The book excited the rancour
of the Catholics, who strangled the
“heretic” and burnt his body near Ant-
werp in 1536. . . .
Iſºclif's Bible, 1380, but first printed
in 1850. - - .
IBible-backed
(iii) VERSIONs.
The Authorised Version, 1611. (See
KING JAMES's BIBLE.)
The Revised Version. Published in
May, 1885. The work was begun in
June, 1870, by twenty-five scholars, ten
of whom died before the version was
completed. The revisers had eighty-five
sessions, which extended over fourteen
years.
Bible-backed. Round-shouldered,
like one who is always poring over a
book.
Bible-carrier (A). A pogram; creak-
shoes; or Saint, in a scornful sense.
“Of all, bookes, they least respect the Bible.
Many will have statute bookes, cronicles, yea
play-bookes, and such-like toyish pamphlets, but
110t a bible in their house Or hands. . . . Some
vse to carry other bookes with them to church
... . to draw away their mindes from hearing
God's word when it is read and preached to them.
Some goe, yet further, and will not suffer their
wives, children, or other of their household to
reade the Word. And some scoffe at such as
carry the scriptures with them to church, terming
them in reproach Bible-carriers.”—Gouge : Whole
Armour of God, p. 318 (1616".
Bible Christians. A Protestant
sect founded in 1815 by William
O’Bryan, a Wesleyan, of Cornwall;
also called Bryanites (3 syl.).
Bible-Clerk. A sizar of the Oxford
university; a student who gets certain
pecuniary advantages for reading the
Bible aloud at chapel. The office is
almost a sinecure now, but the emolu-
ment is given, in Some colleges, to the
sons of poor gentlemen, either as a free
gift, or as the reward of merit tested by
examination.
Bible Statistics.
The Number of Authors is 50... . -
About 30 books are mentioned in the Bible, but
not included in the Canon.
In the Old In the New TO tal
Testament, Testament. O C3. I.
Books . . . . 2 66
Chaptel'S . . 929 260 1,189
Verses. . . . 23,214 7,959 31,173
Words. . . . 592,439 181,253 773,692
I lettel'S 2,728,800 838,380 3,567,180
- y
Apocrypha. Books, 14 ; chapters, 183; verses,
6,0sí; wºrds, 253,185; lettérs, i. 63.37é.
Middle book: . . . Proverbs 2 TheSS.
Middle chapter ... Job xxix. Rom. xiii. & xiv.
Middle Verse . . 2 Chron. XX. Acts XYii. 17.
(between yerses 17 and 18)
Least verse . . . . 1 Cliron. i. 25, John xi. 35.
Smallest chapter Psalm cryii.
Longest chapter PSalm crix.
Izra vii. 21 contains all the letters of the alpha-
bet, except j. -
2 Kings xix. and Isaiah xxxvi. are exactly alike.
The last two Yerses of 2 Cluron, and the Opening
verses of Ezra are alike. .
Ezra ii. and Nehemiah vii. are alike.
The word and occurs in the Old Testament
35,543 times. -
The word and occurs in the New Testament
l0,684 times. •
The word Jehovah occurs 6,855 times.
The letter Mem in the Hébrew text occurs
77,778 times.
133
Bickerstaff
The letter Vaſu, in the Hebrew text occurs
76,922 times. (These are the most frequent.)
The letter Teth occurs 11,052 times.
The letter Samech, occurs 13,580 times. (These
are the least frequent.) ... -
The Bible was divided into chapters by Cardinal
Hugo de Sancto-Caro, about 1:36, , .
The Old Testament was diyided into verses by
Rabbi Mordecai Nathan ; and the New Testament,
in 1544, by R. Stephens, a French printer, it is
said, whiié on horseback. -
Of the 3,000 languages and dialects on the earth,
the Bible has been translated into 180.
The Septuagint, a translation into Greek, was
Imade in Egypt. 285 B.C. - -
The first complete English translation was by
Wicklif, A.D. 1380.5 the first French translation,
in 1160; the first German, in 1460 ; the first Ameri-
can edition was printed at Boston in 1752. . . . .
The Oldest MS. Of the Bible in the British
Museum is the “Codex Alexandrinus.” Parts of
the New Testament are omitted. The “Codex
Vaticănus” is the oldest in the Vatican Library
at ROme.
Biblia Pauperum [the poor man’s
Bible]. Some forty or fifty pictures of
Bible subjects used in the Middle Ages,
when few could read, to teach the leading
events of Scripture history. (See MIRROR
OF HUMAN SALVATION.)
Biblical. Father of Biblical criticism
and eacegesis. Origen (186-254).
Bibliomancy. Forecasting future
events by the Bible. The plan was to
open the sacred volume at random, and
lay your finger on a passage without
looking at it. The text thus pointed out
was supposed to be applicable to the
person who pointed it out. (Greek,
biblia, Bible ; manteia, prophecy.) (See
SoRTES.)
* Another process was to weigh a
person suspected of magic against a
Bible. If the Bible bore down the
other scale, the accused was acquitted.
Bib'ulus. Colleague of Julius Caesar,
a mere cipher in office, whence his name
has become proverbial for One in Office
who is a mere fainéant.
Biceps. Muscular strength of the
arm ; properly, the prominent muscles of
the upper arm ; so called because they
have two heads. (Latin, biceps, two
heads.)
Biceps Parnassus (Pers. Pºol. 2),
i.e. Parnassus with two heads or tops
(bis caput).
“Nec fonte labra, prolui caballino,
Nec in bicipiti Somniasse Parnasso
Memini, ut repente sic poeta prodirem.
Persiºts : Satires (prologuc'.
Bick'erstaff (Isaac). A name as-
sumed by Dean Swift in a satirical
pamphlet against Partridge, the alman-
ack-maker. This produced a paper war
so diverting that Steele issued the
Tatler under the editorial name Gf
“Isaac Bickerstaff, Esq., Astrologer ‘’
(1709).
Bicorn 133
Big Gooseberry
Bicorn. An hypothetical beast Sup-
posed to devour all men under petti-
coat government. It is described as
very fat and well liking. There was
another beast called Chichevache, which
fed on obedient wives, but the famished
beast was thinner than the most rascal
of Pharaoh’s lean kine, for its food
always fell short. Of course, bi-corn
(two-horns) contains an allusion familiar
to all readers of our early literature.
Bid. To bid fair. To seem likely:
as “He bids fair to do well; ” “It
bids fair to be a fine day.” (Anglo-
Saxon, bédan or beddam, to promise, to
offer.
To bid for [votes]. To promise to
support in Parliament certain measures,
in order to obtain votes.
To bid against one. To offer or pro-
mise a higher price for an article at
auction. -
I bid him defiance, I offer him de-
fiance ; I defy him.
Bid. I bid you good might. I wish
you good night, or I pray that you may
have a good night. This is the Anglo-
Saxon biddan, to ask, pray, or intreat.
Whence “beads-men’’ (q.v.), “bidding
prayer” (q.v.). “Bid him welcome.”
“Neither bid him God-speed.”—2 John 10, 11.
To bid the [marriage] banns. To ask
if anyone objects to the marriage of the
persons named. “Si quis’’ (q.v.).
To bid to the wedding. In the New
ºnent is to ask to the wedding
east.
Bid-ale. An invitation of friends to
assemble at the house of a poor man to
drink ale, and thus to raise alms for his
relief.
... “The ordinary amusements in country parishes
(in 1632) were church-ales, clerk-ales, and bid-
ales. . . ; consisting of drinking and Sports,
particularly dancing.”—T. V. Short, D.D.: History
of the Church of England, p. 392.
“Denham, in 1634, issued an order in the western
circuit to put an end to the disorders attending
church-ales, bid-ales, clerk-ales, and the like.''-
Howitt: History of England (Charles I., Chap. iii.
D. 159).
Bidding Beads. Telling off prayers
by beads (Anglo-Saxon, biddan, to ask,
to pray).
Bidding-Prayer. The prayer for
the Souls of benefactors said before the
sermon; a relic of this remains in the
prayer used in cathedrals, university
churches, etc. Bidding is from bead or
bede. (Anglo-Saxon, biddan, to pray
for the souls of benefactors.) (See
BEADSMAN.)
Biddy (i.e. Bridget). A generic name
for an Irish servant-maid, as Mike is for
an Irish labourer. These generic names
are very common : for example, Tom
Tug, a waterman; Jack Pudding, a
buffoon; Cousin Jonathan, an American
of the United States; Cousin Michel, a
German ; John Bull, an Englishman;
Moll and Betty, English female servants
of the lower order ; John Chinaman, a
Chinese ; Colin Tompon, a Swiss ; Nic
Frog, a Dutchman; Mossoo, a French-
man; and many others. -
* In Arbuthnot's John Bull Nic Frog
is certainly a Dutchman; and Frogs
are called “Dutch Nightingales.” The
French sometimes serve Liège frogs at
table as a great delicacy, and this has
caused the word to be transferred to the
French ; but, properly, Nic Frog is a
Dutchman.
Bideford Postman. Edward Capern,
the poet (born 1819), so called because
at one time he was a letter-carrier at
Bideford. He died in 1894.
Bidpai. [See PILPAI.]
Biforked Letter of the Greeks.
The capital U, made thus Y, which re-
sembles a bird flying.
“[The birds] flying, write upon the sky
The biforked letter of the GreekS.”
Longfellow : The Wayside Inum, prelude.
Bifrost, in Scandinavian mythology,
is the name of the bridge between heaven
and earth ; the rainbow may be consi-
dered to be this bridge, and its various
colours are the reflections of its precious
stones. (Icelandic, bifa, tremble, and
Yost, path.)
* The keeper of the bridge is Heim-
dall. It leads to Doomstead, the palace
of the Norns or Fates.
Big. To look big. To assume a con-
sequential air.
To talk big. To boast or brag.
“The archdeacon waxed wrotli, talked big, and
looked bigger.”–Trollope : The Wardºt, chal). 20.
Big Bird. To get the big bird (i.e.
the goose). To be hissed on the stage.
A theatrical expression.
Big-endians. A religious party in
the empire of Lilliput, who made it a
matter of conscience to break their eggs
at the big end; they were looked on as
heretics by the orthodox party, who
broke theirs at the small end. The Big-
endians are the Catholics, and the Little-
endians the Protestants.
Big Gooseberry Season (The). The
time when Parliament is not assembled,
-- Big-wig
134
TBill
It is at such times that newspapers
are glad of any subject to fill their
columns and amuse their readers;
monster gooseberries will do for such
a purpose for the nonce, or the Sea-
Serpent.
Big-wig (A). A person in authority,
a “mob.” Of course, the term arises
from the custom of judges, bishops, and
so on, wearing large wigs. Bishops no
longer wear them.
Bigaroon. Incorrectly spelt Bica-
room. A white-heart cherry.
biga)'reau º Latin, bigarella ; i.e. bis way-
ellus, double-varied, red and white
mixed. The French word, bigarrure,
means party-colour, bigaº'er).
Bighes (pron. bees). Jewels, female
ornaments. (Also written bie.)
She is all in her bighes to-day—i.e. in
full fig, in excellent spirits, in good
humour.
Bight. To hook the bight—i.e. to get
entangled. The bight is the bend or
doubled part of a rope, and when the
rope of one anchor gets into the “bight °
of another, it gets “hooked.”
Bigorne (2 syl.). A corruption of
“Bicorn” (q.v.).
Big'ot means simply a worshipper
(Anglo-Saxon, bigail, to worship ; Ger-
man, bigott). Various explanations have
|been given from time to time, but none
are well supported. -
Bigot and his Castle of Bungay.
(See CASTLE, etc.)
Bil/bo. A rapier or sword. So called
from Bilba'o, in Spain, once famous for
its finely-tempered blades. Falstaff says
to Ford :
“I suffered the pangs of three several deaths;
first, an intolerable fright, to be detected . .
next, to he compassed, like a good bibo. . . hilt
to point, heel to head ; and then . . .”—Merry
Wives, iii. 5.
Bilboes. A bar of iron with fetters
annexed to it, by which mutinous sailors
are linked together. The word is de-
rived from Bilbaſo, in Spain, where they
were first made. Some of the bilboes
taken from the Spanish Arma'da are
still kept in the Tower of London.
Bile. It rouses my bile. It makes me
angry or indignant. In Latin, biliosus
(a bilious man) meant a choleric one.
According to the ancient theory, bile is
one of the humours of the body, and
(French,
when excited abnormally it produces
choler or rage.
“If raised my bile to see him so reflect their .
grief aside.”—Hood: Plea of Midsuminer Fairies,
Stanza, 54.
* Black bile is melancholy.
Bilge Water. Filthy drainings. The
bilge is the lowest part of a ship, and,
as the rain or sea-water which trickles
down to this part is hard to get at, it is
apt to become foul and very offensive.
Bilk. To cheat, to obtain goods and
decamp without paying for them.
“The landlord explained it by saying that “a
bilk' is a man Who never misses a meal and never
pays a cent.”—A. K. McClure: Rocky Mountaints,
letter Xxii. p. 211.
* To “bilk” in cribbage is to spoil
your adversaries' score ; to balk him.
Perhaps the two words are mere variants.
Bilker (A). A person who gives a
cabman less than his fare, and, when
remonstrated with, gives a false name
and address. Sometimes a “bilker’’
gets out and says, “Cabby, I shall be
back in a minute,” turns the corner and
is no more seen. - -
“The time for taking out a summons expires in
Seven days, and it often takes longer than that
to hunt a ‘bilker' down.”—Nimeteenth Century
(March, 1893, p. 177).
Also a cabman who does not pay the
owner for the cab.
Bill (The). The nose, also called the
beak. Hence, “Billy ” is slang for a
pocket-handkerchief.
“Lastly came Winter, clothéd all in frize,
Chattering his teeth for cold that did him
while § his hoary beard his breath did freeze;
And the dull drops that from his purple bill
AS Hºlmbeck, did adown distill.”
Spenser: Faërie Queene, canto vii.
Bill (A). The draft of an Act of
Parliament.
A public bill is the draft of an Act of
Parliament affecting the general public.
A private bill is the draft of an Act of
Parliament for the granting of some-
thing to a company, corporation, or
certain individuals.
A true bill. I confess what you say
is true. The case against the accused is
first submitted to the grand jury. If
they think the charge has a fair colour,
they write on the declaration “A true
bill,” and the case is submitted to the
petty jury. Otherwise, they write “No
true bill,” or “Not found,” and the case
is at once dismissed or “ignored.” .."
To ignore a bill is to write on it igno-
%'(t)}^{{S. -
“‘Ignoramus' is the word properly used by the
º Enquest . . . and Written upon the bill.”—
07061,
|Bill of Fape
135
Billy Barlow *
Bills payable. Bills of exchange,
promissory notes, or other documents
promising to pay a sum of money.
J3ills receivable. . Promissory notes,
bills of exchange, or other acceptances
held by a person to whom the money
stated is payable.
Bill of Fare (A). A list of the mentſ
provided, or which may be ordered, at a
restaurant. -
Bill of Health. A clean bill of health.
A document, duly signed by the proper
authorities, to certify that when the ship
set sail no infectious disorder existed in
the place. -
A foul bill of health is a document to
show that the place was suffering from
some infection when the ship set Sail.
If a captain cannot show a clean bill, he
is supposed to have a foul one.
Bill of Lading. A document signed
by the master of a ship in acknowledg-
ment of goods laden in his vessel. In
this document he binds himself to deliver
the articles in good condition to the
persons named in the bill, certain excep-
tions being duly provided for. These
bills are generally in triplicate—one for
the sender, one for the receiver, and one
for the master of the vessel.
Bill of Pains and Penalties (A).
A legislative act imposing punishment
(less than capital) upon a person charged
with treason or other high crimes.
Bill of Quantities. An abstract of
the probable cost of a building.
Bill of Rights. The declaration de-
livered to the Prince of Orange on his
election to the British throne, confirm-
ing the rights and privileges of the
people. (Feb. 13th, 1689.)
Bill of Sale. When a person borrows
money and delivers goods as Security, he
gives him a bill of sale, that is, permis-
sion to sell the goods if the money is not
returned on a stated day.
Bills of Mortality took their rise
in 1592, when a great pestilence broke
out, which continued till 1595. The
term is now used for those abstracts
from parish registers which show the
'births, deaths, and baptisms of the
district.
Within the Bills of Mortality = within
the district.
Bills of Parcals. An itemised
statement of articles purchased. These
bills are itemised by the seller,
Billee’ (Little). The youngest of
“Three sailors of Bristol city,” who
“took a boat and went to Sea.”
“There was gorging Jack, and guzzling Jimmy,
And the youngest—he was little Billee.
Now, when they got as far as the equator,
They had nothing left but one split pea.
To gorging Jack says guzzling Jimmy, ,
‘We’ve nothing left, we must eat we.’”
Thackeray.
[They decide to eat Little Billee, but
he contrives to escape.]
Billet-doux [pronounce billy dool.
French, a love-letter, a Sweet or affec-
tionate letter.
Billiards. A corrupt form of the
|French billard. “Autrefois, le baitor,
avee lequel on poussait les billes'', then
“la table verte sur laquelle on joiſe”; and,
lastly, the “game itself.”
Similar plural forms are , the games called
lowls, cards, dominoes, draughts, marbles, quoits,
skittles, tops, etc.
Billings (Josh). The nom de plume
of H. W. Shaw, an American humorist,
who died 1885. His Book of Sayings was
published in 1866.
Billingsgate (London). Gate =
quay, and bellan is to bawl or bellow.
This quay is so called from the shouting
of the fishermen in trying to attract
attention and vend their fish. -
That’s Billingsgate. Vulgar and
coarse, like the manners and language
of Billingsgate fish-fags.
“Parnassus spoke the cant of Billingsgate.”
JDryden Art of Podtry, c. 1.
To talk Billingsgate, i.e. to slang, to
scold in a vulgar, coarse style.
Jou are 770 better than a Billingsgate
jish-fag, i.e. you are as rude and ill-
mannered as the women of Billingsgate
fish-market. The French say “Maubert’”
instead of Billingsgate, as Your compli-
ments are like those of the Place Maubert,
i.e. no compliments at all, but vulgar
dirt-flinging. The “Place Maubert’” has
long been noted for its market.
Billingsgate Pheasant (A). A red
herring.
Billy. A policeman’s staff, which is a
little bill or billet.
A pocket-handkerchief. “A blue
billy” is a handkerchief with blue
ground and white spots.
Billy Barlow. A street droll, a
merry Andrew ; so called from a half-
idiot of the name, who fancied himself
“some great personage.” He was well,
known in the East of London, and died
in Whitechapel workhouse. Some of his
- relative value.
Billycock Hats
136
Tºird in the Hand
sayings were really witty, and some of
his attitudes really droll.
Billycock Hats... First used by
Billy Coke (Mr. William Coke) at the
great shooting parties at Holkham. The
old-established hatters in the West End
still call them “Coke hats.”
Bi-metallism. The employment of
two metals, silver and gold, of fixed
Now gold is the only
standard metal in England and some
other countries. Silver coins are mere
tokens, like copper coins; and if given
in payment of large sums are estimated
at the market value, so much an ounce;
but a gold sovereign is always of one
fixed legal value.
Binary Arithmetic. Arithmetic in
which the base of the notation is 2
instead of 10. The unit followed by a
cipher signifies two, by another unit it
signifies three, by two ciphers it signifies
four, and so on. Thus, 10 signifies two,
º signifies four; while 11 signifies 3,
€TC.
Binary Theory. A theory which
Supposes that all definite chemical salts
are combinations of two radicles or
elements, one of which is electro-positive
(basic), and the other electro-negative
(acid).
Bingham's Dandies. The 17th
Lancers; so called from their colonel,
the Earl of Lucan, formerly Lord
Bingham. The uniform is noted for its
admirable fit and smartness. Now
called “The Duke of Cambridge's Own
Lancers.”
Bin'nacle. The case of the mariner’s
compass, which used to be written
bittacle, a corruption of the Portuguese
º, French, habitacle, properly an
abode.
Birchin Lane. I must send you to
Birchin Lane, i.e. whip you. The play
is on birch (a rod).
A Suit in Birchin Lane. Birchin Lane
was once famous for all sorts of apparel;
references to second-hand clothes in
Birchin Lane are common enough in
Elizabethan books. -
“Passing through Birchin Lane amidst a camp-
royal of hose and doublets, I took . . . occasion
to Slip into a captain's suit—a valiant buff doublet
stuffed with points and a pair of velvet, slops
ºl thick with lace.”—Middleton : Black Book,
(1604).
Bird. An endearing name for girl.
“And by my word, your bonnie bird
In danger shall not tarry ; . *
S0, though the waves are raging white,
'll row you o'er the ferry....
Campbell: Lord Ullin's Daughter,
Bird is the Anglo-Saxon brid, the
young of any animal, hence bride, verb,
beran, to bring forth.
A bird of ill-omen. A person who is
regarded as unlucky; one who is in the
habit of bringing ill-news. The ancients
thought that some birds indicated good
luck, and others evil. Even to the pre-
Sent day many look upon owls, crows,
and ravens as unlucky birds; swallows
and storks as lucky ones.
Ravens, by their acute sense of smell,
discern the savour of dying bodies,
and, under the hope of preying on
them, light on chimney-tops or flutter
about sick rooms; hence the raven indi-
cates death. Owls screech when bad
weather is at hand, and as foul weather
often precedes sickness, so the owl is
looked on as a funeral bird.
A bird of passage. A person who shifts
from place to place ; a temporary visit-
ant, like a cuckoo, the Swallows, star-
lings, etc.
A jail-bird. (See JAIL.)
The bird of Juno. The peacock.
* Minerva's bird is either the cock or
the owl; that of Venus is the dove.
The bird of Washington. The Ameri-
can or baldheaded eagle,
“The well-known bald-headed eagle, sometimes
called the Bird of Washington.”—Wood.
The Arabian bird. The phoenix.
The greeſ, bird tells everything a
person wishes to know. (Cherry and
Pain'star.)
The talking bird spoke with a human
voice, and could bid all other birds join
in concert. (Arabian Nights.)
Old bºrds are not to be caught with
*% Experience teaches wisdom.
me beats the bush, and another takes
the bird. The workman does the work,
the master makes the money.
'Tis the early bird that catches the
2009'???.
“Early to bed and early to rise, *
Makes a man healthy, Wealthy, and wise.”
A little bird told me so. From JEccles.
x. 20: “Curse not the king, no not in
thy thought, . . . for a bird of the air
shall carry the voice, and that which
hath wings shall tell the matter.”
Bird in the hand. A bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush. Posses-
sion is better than expectation.
Italian : “E meglio aver Oggi un novo, che
dimani una, gallina.” e - -
French : “Il vaut mieux avoir l'oeuf aujourd'hui,
que la poule demain '' (Turkish).
“ Untien vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras.”
“Un Sou, quand, il est assuré, vaut mieux que
cinq en espérance.” º
German : “Ein Vogel in der hand ist besser als
Zehen über land.” *.
Bird in thy Bosom
137
Bishop
“Besser ein spatz in der hand, als ein Storch auf
dem dache.”
Latin “Ego Spem pretiQ non emam.”
- : “A pound in the purse is WOrth two
in the book.” . -
On the other side we have : “Quine s'aventure,
n'a ni cheval ni, mule.” “Nothing venture, no-
thing have,” “Give a sprat to catch, a mackerel.”
“Chi non S'arrischia, non guadagna.”
Bird in thy Bosom. Thott hast
kept well the bird in thy bosom. Thou
hast remained faithful to thy allegiance
or faith. The expression was used by
Sir Ralph Percy (slain in the battle of
Hedgly Moor in 1464), to express his
having preserved unstained his fidelity
to the House of Lancaster.
Bird of Esté. The white eagle, the
cognisance of the house.
• “His dazzling way
The bird of Esté soars beyond the solar ray.”
Tasso : Jerusalem, Delivered, x.
Birds. Birds of a feather flock
together. Persons associate with those
of a similar taste and station as them-
selves. Qui se ressemble s”ussemble.
Cicero says, “Similes similibus gaudent,
pares cºmparibus facillime congregantity.”
“Ne mous associons qu’avec 7:0s égaua, ’’
(La Fontaine).
To kill two birds with one stone. To
effect two objects with one outlay of
trouble.
Birds (protected by superstitions).
Choughs are protected in Cornwall,
because the soul of King Arthur mi-
grated into a chough.
The Hawk is held sacred by the
Egyptians, because it is the form as-
sumed by Ra or Horus.
The Ibis is sacred in Egypt, and to
kill one was at one time a capital offence.
It is said that the god Thoth escaped
(as an Ibis) from the pursuit of Typhon.
Mother Carey's Chickens, or Storm
Betrels are protected by sailors, from a
superstition that they are the living
forms of the Souls of deceased Sailors.
The Robin is protected, both from
Christian tradition and nursery legend.
(See RoPIN REDBREAST.)
The Stork is a sacred bird in Sweden,
from the legend that it flew round the
cross, crying . Styrka, Styrka, when
Jesus was crucified. (See STORK.)
Swans are superstitiously protected in
Ireland from the legend of the Fion-
nuala (daughter of Lir), who was
metamorphosed into a Swan and con-
demned to wander in lakes and rivers
till Christianity was introduced. (See
Irish Melodies, Silent O’Moyle.)
‘." The bat (a winged animal) was regarded by
the Caribs as a good angel, Which protected their
dwellings at night ; and it was accounted sacri-
legious to kill one.
Bird's-eye View. A mode of per-
spective drawing in which the artist is
supposed to be over the objects deline-
ated, in which case he beholds them as
a bird in the air would see them. A
general view.
Birdcage Walk (St. James's Park,
London); SO called from an aviary.
Birmingham Poet. John Freeth,
who died at the age of seventy-eight in
1808. He was wit, poet, and publican,
who not only wrote the words and tunes
of Songs, but Sang them also, and Sang
them well.
Birthday Suit. He was in his birth-
day suit. Quite nude, as when first
born.
Bis. Bis dat, qui cito dat (he gives
twice who gives promptly)—i.e. prompt
relief will do as much good as twice the
sum at a future period (Publius Syrus
Proverbs.)
Purple and bis, i.e. purple and fine
linen (Latin, byssus, fine flax). The
spelling is sometimes biss, bys, etc.
Biscuit (French-Latin, bis, twice;
cuit, baked). So called because it was
originally twice ovened. The Romans
had a bread of this kind.
In pottery, earthenware or porcelain,
after it has been hardened in the fire, but
has not yet been glazed, is so called.
Bise. A wind that acts notably on
the nervous system. It is prevalent in
those valleys of Savoy that open to the
north
“The Bise blew cold.” ..
Rogers: Italy, part 1. div. ii. Stanza 4.
Bishop (Evêque), the same word,
episcopus ; whence episc, eveSc, evesque,
evéque; also 'piscop, bishop.
Bishop, Cardinal, Pope (as bever-
ages):
Dishop is made by pouring red wine
(such as claret or burgundy), either hot
or cold, on ripe bitter oranges. The
liquor is then sugared and spiced to
taste. In Germany, “bishop '' is a
mixture of wine, sugar, nutmeg, and
orange or lemon. It is sometimes called
“Purple Wine,” and has received its
name of bishop from its colour.
Cardinal is made by using white wine
instead of red.
Pope is made by using tokay.
“When I was at college, Cup was spiced audit
ale ; Bish was “cup’’ with wine (properly
claret or burgundy) added ; Cardinal was “cup”
with brandy added. 1 were served with a,
hedge-hog [i.e. a whole lemon or orange bristling
Bishop Barnaby 138
Bites and Bams
with gloves] floating in the midst. Each guest
had his own glass or cup filled by a lad!e from the
common bowl (a large silver one).”
The bishop hath put his foot in it.
Said of milk or porridge that is burnt, or
of meat over-roasted. Tyndale says,
“If the podech be burned-to, or the
meate ouer rosted, we Saye the byshope
hath put his fote in the potte,” and ex-
plains it thus, “because the bishopes
burn who they ſust.” Such food is also
said to be bishopped.
Bishop Barnaby.
lady-bird, etc.
Bishop in Partibus.
TIBUS.)
Bishop of Hippo. St. Augustine
(354–430) is often so referred to. He
held the See for many years.
Bishop's Apron represents the short
cassock which, by the 74th canon, all
clergymen were enjoined to wear.
Bishop's Bible (The). (See under
BIBLE, page 131, Col. 2.)
Bishop's Mitre. Dean Stanley tells
us that the cleft of a bishop’s mitre
represents the mark of the crease of the
mitre, when folded and carried under
The May-bug,
(See IN PAR-
the arm, like an opera hat. (Christian
Institutions, p. 154.)
Bissextile. Leap-year. We add a
day to February in leap-year, but the
Tºomans counted the 24th of February
twice. Now, the 24th of February was
called by them “dies bissertus” (sewto
calendas Martias), the sextile or sixth
day before March 1st; and this day
being reckoned twice (bis) in leap-year,
was called “annus bisseztus.”
Bisson or Bisen [blind] is the Anglo-
Saxon bisen. Shakespeare (Hamlet, ii.
2) speaks of bisson rheum (blinding
tears), and in Coriolanus, ii. 1, “What
harm can your bisson conspectuities
glean out of this character?”
Biston'ians. The Thracians; so
called from Biston, son of Mars, who
built Biston'ia on the Lake Bistonis.
“So the Bistonian race, a maddening train,
Exult and revel on the Thracian plain;
With milk their bloody banquets they allay.
Or from the lion rend his painting prey;
Qn some abandoned Sayage fiercely fly,
Seize, tear, devour, and think it luxury.”
g Pitt: Statius, Book ii.
Bit. A piece.
A bit of my mind, as “I’ll tell him a
bit of my mind,” I’ll reprove him.
Same word as bite, meaning a piece
bitten off, hence a piece generally.
(Anglo-Saxon, bitan, to bite.)
Bit by bit. A little at a time ; piece-
neal,
Not a bit, or Not the least bit. Not at
all ; not the least likely. This may be
not a morsel, or not a doit, rap, or sou.
“Bit’” used to be a small Jamaica coin.
We still talk of a threepenny-bit. Bit,
of course, is the substantive of bite, as
morse! (French morçeau) of mordre.
Bit (of a horse). To take the bit in (or
between) his teeth. To be obstinately
self-willed ; to make up one’s mind not
to yield. When a horse has a mind to
run away, he catches the bit “between
his teeth,” and the driver has no longer
control over him.
“Mr. X, will not yield. He has taken the lit,
between his teeth, and is resolved to carry out
his original measure.”— Newspaper paragraph,
April, 1886.
Bit, Money. The word is used in
the West Indies for a half pistareen
(fivepence). In Jamaica, a bit is worth
sixpence, English ; in America, 12%
cents; in Ireland, tenpence.
The word is still thieves' slang for
money generally, and coiners are called
bit-makers.
*: In English we use the word for a
coin which is a fraction of a unit. Thus,
a shilling being a unit, we have a six-
enny bit and threepenny bit (or not in
bits but in divers pieces). So, taking a
sovereign for a unit, we had seven-shil-
ling bits, etc. -
Bite. A cheat; one who bites us.
“The biter bit ’’ explains the origin.
We say “a man was bitten’’ when he
“burns his fingers ” meddling with
something which promised well but
turned out a failure.
To bite the dust, as “Their enemies
shall bite the dust,” i.e. be slain in
battle.
Bite. To bite one’s thumb at another.
To insult; to provoke to a quarrel.
“Gregory. I will frown as I ljass by ; and let
them take it as they list. - - - - -
“Sampson. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my
thumb at them ; which is a disgrace to them, if
they bear it.”—Shakespectre: Itoineo (thd Juliet, i. 1.
To bite the lip, indicative of suppressed
chagrin, passion, or annoyance.
“She had to bite her lips till the blood came in
order to keep down the angry Words that would
rise in her heart.”—Mrs. Gatskell: Mary Barton,
chap. xi.
To bite upon the bridle. To champ the
bit, like an impatient or restless horse.
Bit'elas. Sister of Fairlimb, and
daughter of Rukenaw, the ape, in the
story of Reynard the Fox. (Alkmar.)
Bites and Bams. Hoaxes and
quizzes; humbugery.
“[His] humble efforts at jocularity were chiefly
confined to . . . bites and bams.”—Sir W. Scott:
Guy Mannering, chap. 3.
Biting Remark
139 Black Acts
Biting Remark (A). A remark
more biting than Zeno's. Near'chos
ordered Zeno the philosopher to be
pounded to death in a mortar. When
he had been pounded some time, he told
Nearchos he had an important secret to
communicate to him ; but, when the
tyrant bent over the mortar to hear
What Zeno had to say, the dying man
bit off his ear. -
“That would have been a biting jest.”.
Shakespect?'8: Richard III., act ii. 4.
Bitt. To bitt the cable is to fasten it
round the “bitt'’ or frame made for the
purpose, and placed in the fore part of
the vessel. -
Bitten. Imposed upon, let in, made
to suffer loss. “I was terribly bitten in
that affair.” I suffered great loss. To
|bite is to cheat or suffer retaliation.
Thus, Pope says, “The rogue was bit,”
he intended to cheat, but was himself
taken in. “The biter bit ’’ is the moral
of AEsop's fable called The Piper and the
File; and Goldsmith’s mad dog, which,
“for some private ends, went mad and
bit a man,” but the biter was bit, for
“The man recovered of the bite, the
dog it was that died.”
Bitter End (The). A outrance; with
relentless hostility; also applied to afflic-
tion, as, “she bore it to the bitter end,”
Ineaning to the last stroke of adverse
fortune. “All Thy waves have gone
Over me, but I have borne up under them
to the bitter end.” Here “bitter end ?”
means the end of the rope. The “bitter-
end” is a sea term meaning “that part
of the cable which is “abaft the bifts.”
When there is no windlass the cables are
fastened to bitts, that is, pieces of timber
So called ; and when a rope is payed out
to the bitter-end, or to these pieces of
timber, all of it is let out, and no more
remains. However, we read in Prov. v.
4, “Her end is bitter as wormwood,”
which, after all, may be the origin of
the phrase. -
Bitter as Gail, as soot, as worm-
wood. Absinthe is made of wormwood.
(See SIMILES.)
Bittock. A little bit ; -ock as a
diminutive is preserved in bull-ock, hill-
Ock, butt-ock, etc. “A mile and a
bittock” is a mile and a little bit. (Sir
Walter Scott : Guy Mannering, i.)
Biz, in theatrical slang, means “busi-
ness.” Good biz means full houses; but
an actor’s “biz’’ is quite another thing,
meaning by-play. Thus, Hamlét trifling
with Ophelia’s fan, Lord Dundreary's
hop, and so on, are the special “busi-
Iness” of the actor of the part. As a
rule, the “business” is invented by the
actor who creates the part, and is
handed down by tradition. 4
Black for mourning was a Roman
custom (Juvenal, x. 245) borrowed from
the Egyptians.
JBlack, in blazonry, means constancy,
wisdom, and prudence.
JBlack, in several of the Oriental
nations, is a badge of servitude, slavery,
and low birth. Our word blackguard
seems to point to this meaning. The
Latin miger meant bad, unpropitious.
(See BLACKGUARD.)
Black. (See under Colours for its
symbolisms, etc.).
Black as a Crow (or as a raven);
“as a raven’s wing ; ’’ as ink; as hell,
?.e. hades (2 syl.), meaning death or the
grave ; as your hat, etc. (See SIMILES.)
Black as a Newgate Knocker. A
Newgate knocker is the fringe or lock of
hair which costermongers and thieves
twist back towards the ear.
Black in the Face. Extremely
angry. The face discoloured with passion
or distress.
“Mr. Winkle pulled . . . till he was black in the
face.”—Dickens: Pickwick Papers. *
“He SWOre himself black in the face.”—Peter
Pinda!' (Wolcott).
Black is White. (See SweAR.)
JBeateſ, black and blate. So that the
skin is black and blue with the marks of
the beating.
I must have it in black and white, i.e.
in plain writing ; the paper being white
and the ink black.
To say black’s his eye, i.e. to vituper-
ate, to blame. The expression, Black’s
the white of his eye, is a modern corrup-
tion. To say the eye is black or evil,
is to accuse a person of an evil heart or
great ignorance. The Latin niger also
meant evil. (See BLACK PRINCE.)
“A fool may do all things, and no man say
black's his eye.”—The Tell Tale.
Black Act. 9 Geo. I. c. 22 is so
called, because it was directed against
the Waltham deer-stealers, who black-
ened their faces for disguise, and, under
the name of Blacks, appeared in Epping
Forest. This Act was repealed in 1827.
Black Acts. Acts of the Scottish
Parliament between the accession of
James I. and the year 1587; so called
because they were printed in black
characters. -
Black Art
140 Blackfoot,
Black Art. The art practised by
conjurors, wizards, and others, who pro-
fessed to have dealings with the devil.
Black here means diabolical or wicked.
Some derive it from higromancy, a cor-
ruption of necromancy. gº
Black Assize. July 6th, 1577, when
a putrid pestilence broke out at Oxford
during the time of assize.
Black-balled. Not admitted to a
club ; the candidate proposed is not ac-
cepted as a member. In voting by bal-
lot, those who accept the person proposed
drop a white or red ball into the box, but
those who would exclude the candidate
drop into it a black one. It is now
more usually done by two compartments,
for “yes” and “no '' respectively.
Black Book. A book exposing
abuses in Church and State, which fur-
nished much material for political reform
in the early part of the present century.
(See BLACK BOOKS.) -
* Amherst speaks of the Proctor's
black book, and tells us that no one can
proceed to a degree whose name is found
there. (1726.) It also appears that
each regiment keeps a black book or
record of ill-behaviour.
Black Book of the Admiralty. An old
navy code, said to have been compiled
in the reign of Edward III.
Black Books. To be in my black
books. In bad odour; in disgrace ; out
of favour. The black books were those
compiled in the reign of Henry VIII. to
set forth the scandalous proceedings of
the English monasteries, and were so
called from the colour of their binding.
We have similarly the Blue Book, the
Red Book, and so on.
Black Books of the Eachequer. An
official account of the royal revenues,
payments, perquisites, etc., in the reign
of Henry I Its cover was black
leather. There are two of them pre-
served in the Public Record Office.
Black Brunswickers. A corps of
700 volunteer hussars under the com-
mand of Frederick William, Duke of
Brunswick, who had been forbidden by
Napoleon to succeed to his father’s
dukedom. They were called “Black”
|because they wore mourning for the
deceased Duke. Frederick William fell
at Quatre-Bras, 1815. One of Millais's
best pictures is called “The Black
Brunswicker.”
Black Cap, or the Judgment Cap,
worn by a judge when he passes
sentence of death on a prisoner. This
cap is part of the judge's full dress. The
judges wear their black caps on Novem-
ber 9th, when the Lord Mayor is pre-
sented in the Court of Exchequer.
Covering the head was a sign of mourn-
ing among the Israelites, Greeks,
Romans, and Anglo-Saxons. (2 Sam.
xv. 30.)
Black Cattle. Oxen for slaughter;
so called because black is their prevailing
colour, at least in the north.
Black Cattle.
“She was chartered for the West Coast of
Africa to trade With the natives, but not in black
cattle, for slavery was never our line of business.”
—J. Grant : Dick Rodney, chap. xi.
Black Death. A putrid typhus,
in which the body turned black with
rapid putrefaction. It occurred in 1348,
and carried off twenty-five millions in
Europe alone, while in Asia and Africa
the mortality was even greater.
Negro slaves.
Black Diamonds. Coals; also clever
fellows of the lower orders. Coals and
diamonds are both carbon.
Black Dog. A fiend still dreaded in
many country places. (See IDOG.)
Black Dog. Base silver coin in the
reign of Anne. Made of pewter double
washed.
Black Doll (A). The sign of a
marine store shop. The doll was a
dummy dressed to indicate that cast-off
garments were bought.
Black Douglas. William Douglas,
Lord of Nithsdale. Died 1390.
Black Flag (A) denotes a pirate,
and is called the “Jolly Roger.”
Black Flags. Moslem soldiers. The
banner of the Abbasides (3 Syl.) is black ;
that of the Fatimites (3 syl.) green , and
that of the Ommiades (3 syl.) white.
Iſence the banner of the Kalif of Bag--
dad is black, but that of the Sultan of
Damascus is green. (Gibbon, chap. iii.)
JBlack Flags. Pirates of the Chinese
Sea who opposed the French in Tonquin,
etc. -
Black-foot. There is a powerful and
numerous tribe of North American
Indians called Black-feet. A black-foot
is an intermediary in love affairs; but if
perfidious to the wooer he was called a
white-foot.
Blackfoot (The). ... One of the many
Irish factions which disturbed the peace
T}lack Friars
in the first half of the nineteenth cen-
tury.
“And the Blackfoot, who courted each foeman's
approach, -
Faith ! 'tis hot-foot ſºdily he'd fly from the
Stout Father Roach.” Love)'.
Black Friars. The Dominicans were
formerly so called in England.
Black Friday. December 6th, 1745,
the day on which the news arrived in
London that the Pretender had reached
Derby. -
Black Game. Heath-fowl; in contra-
distinction to red game, as grouse. The
male bird is called a blackcock.
Black Genevan (A). A black
preaching gown ; once used in some
Anglican churches, and still used by
some Dissenters in the pulpit. So called
from Geneva, where Calvin preached in
such a robe.
“The Nonconformist divine leaves his vestry in
lmis black Genevan, toadied by his deacons and
elders.”—Newspaper paragraph, July 18th, 1885 (on
Sunday bands).
Black-guards. Those horse-boys
and unmilitary folk, such as cooks with
their pots, pans, and other kitchen
utensils, which travel with an army, and
greatly impede its march.
Gifford, in his edition of Ben Jonson,
says: “In all great houses there were a
number of dirty dependents, whose office
it was to attend the wool-yards, scul-
leries, etc. Of these the most forlorn
were selected to carry coals to the kit-
chem. They rode with the pots and
pans, and were in derision called the
black-guards.”
In the Lord Steward’s office a pro-
clamation (May 7th, 1683) begins thus:
“Whereas . . . a sort of vicious, idle,
and masterless boyes and rogues, com-
monly called the Black-guard, with
divers other lewd and loose fellows .
do usually haunt and follow the court.
. . . Wee do hereby strictly charge . . .
..all those so called, . . . with all other
loose, idle . . . men . . . who have in-
truded themselves into his Majesty's
court and stables . . . to depart upon
pain of imprisonment.”
Black Hole of Calcutta. A dark
cell in a prison into which Suraja Dow-
lah thrust 146 British prisoners. Next
morning only twenty-three were found
alive (1756). -
* The punishment cell or lock-up in
barracks.
Black Horse. The 7th Dragoon
Guards, or “the Princess Royal’s D. G.”
141 Black Mail
Their “facings” are black. Also called
“Strawboots,” “The Blacks.”
Black Jack. Black Jack rides a good
horse (Cornish). The miners call blende
or sulphide of zinc “Black Jack,” the
occurrence of which is considered by
them a favourable indication. The
blende rides upon a lode of good ore.
Black Jack (A). A large leather
gotch for beer and ale, so called from the
outside being tarred.
Black Joke. An old tune, now
called The Sprig of Shillelagh. Tom
Moore has adapted words to the tune,
beginning, “Sublime was the warning
which Liberty spoke.”
Black Leg. A swindler, especially
in cards and races. Also, one who
works for less than trade-union wages;
a non-union workman.
“Pledging the strikers not to return to work so
long, as a single Black-leg was retained in the
Service.”—Nineteenth Century, February, 1891, p.
243.
Black Letter. The Gothic or Ger-
man type. So called because of its black
appearance. The initial items of this
|book are now called “black letter,”
Sometimes called “Clarendon type.”
Black Letter Day. An unlucky
day ; one to be recalled with regret.
The Romans marked their unlucky
days with a piece of black charcoal, and
their lucky ones with white chalk.
Black-letter dogs. Literary antiquaries
who poke and pry into every hole and
corner to find out black-letter copies of
books.
“By fell black-letter dogs . . .
That from Gothic kennels eager strut.”
Matthias : Pursuits of Literatºre.
Black Lists. Lists of insolvency
and bankruptcy, for the private guidance
of the mercantile community. (See BLACK
Books.)
Black Looks. Tooks of displeasure.
To look black. To look displeased. The
figure is from black clouds indicative of
foul weather.
Black Mail. Money given to free.
booters by way of exempting property
from depredation. (Anglo-Saxon, anal,
“rent-tax ; ” French, maille, an old coin
worth-083 farthing). Grass mail was rent
paid for pasturage. Mails and duties
(Scotch) are rents of an estate in money
or otherwise. “Black” in this phrase
does not mean wicked or wrongful, but
is the Gaelic, to cherish or protect.
Black mail was a rent paid to Free Com-
panies for protecting the property paid
T}lack Man
142
Black Sheep
for, from the depredations of freebooters,
etc. - - - -
To levy black mail now means to exact
exorbitant charges; thus the cabs and
omnibuses during the Great Exhibition
years “levied blackmail” on the public.
Black Man (The). The Evil One.
Black Maria. The black van which
conveys prisoners from the police courts
to jail. The French call a mud-barge a
“Marie-Salope.” The tradition is that
the van referred to was so called from
Maria Lee, a negress, who kept a Sailors'
boarding house in Boston. She was a
woman of such great size and strength
that the unruly stood in dread of her,
and when constables required help, it
was a common thing to send for Black
Maria, who soon collared the refractory
and led them to the lock-up. So a
prison-van was called a “Black Maria.”
Black Monday. Easter Monday,
April 14th, 1360, was so called. Edward
III. was with his army lying before
Paris, and the day was so dark, with
mist and hail, so bitterly cold and So
windy, that many of his horses and
men died. Monday after Easter holi-
days is called “Black Monday,” in
allusion to this fatal day. Launcelot
Says : . .
“It was not for nothing that my nose fell a-
bleeding on Black Monday last, at six o'clock i'
the morning.”—Shakespeare: iferchani of Venice,
11. 5.
February 27th, 1865, was so called in
Melbourne from a terrible sirocco from
the N.N.W., which produced dreadful
havoc between Sandhurst and Castle-
maine.
IBlack Monday. In schoolboy phrase-
ology is the first Monday after the
holidays are over, when lessons begin
again.
Black Money. Base coin brought
to England by foreigners, and prohibited
by Edward III.
Black Cºx. The black oa has tºod on
his foot—i.e. misfortune has come to
him. Black oxen were sacrificed to
Pluto and other infernal deities.
- Black Parliament. The Parlia-
ment held by Henry VIII. in Bridewell.
Black Prince. Edward, Prince of
Wales, son of Edward III. Froissart
says he was “styled black by terror of
his arms” (c. 169). Strutt confirms this
saying: “for his martial deeds sur-
named Black the Prince ’’ (Antiquities).
Meyrick says there is not the slightest
proof that Edward, Prince of Wales,
ever wore black armour (vol. ii.); indeed,
we have much indirect proof against the
supposition. Thus Shaw (vol. i. plate
31) gives a facsimile from a picture on
the wall of St. Stephen's Chapel, West-
minster, in which the prince is clad in
gilt armour. Stothard says “the effigy
is of copper gilt.” In the British
Museum is an 'llumination of Edward
III. granting to his son the duchy of
Aquitaine, in which both figures are
represented in silver armour with gilt
joints. The first mention of the term
“Black Prince ’’ occurs in a parliament-
ary paper of the second year of Richard
II.; SO that Shakespeare has good reason
for the use of the word in his tragedy of
that king :- -
“Brave Gaunt, thy father and myself
Resº the Black Prince, that young Mars of
From förth the ranks of many thousand French.”
- Richard II., ii. 3.
“That black name, Edward, black Prince of
Wales.”—Henry V. ii. 4.
Black Republicans. The Repub.
licans were so called by the pro-slavery
party of the States, because they resisted
the introduction of slavery into any
State where it was not already recog-
nised.
Black Rod, i.e. “Gentleman Usher
of the Black Rod,” so called from his
staff of office—a black wand surmounted
by a lion.
Black ºood of Scotland. The
‘‘piece of the true cross' or rood, set in
an ebony crucifix, which Margaret, the
wife of King Malcolm, left at death to
the Scottish nation. It passed into vari-
. hands, but was lost at the Reform-
8, U10]]. -
Black Russia. Central and Southern
Bussia is so called from its black soil.
“The winter crops in the whole of European
Russia are very good, especially in the black-
earth regions. In the government of Northern
Fussia, the condition is less favourable.”—News-
paper paragraph, December, 1893.
Black Saturday. August 4th, 1621;
so called in Scotland, because a violent
storm occurred at the very moment the
Parliament was sitting to enforce episco-
pacy on the people.
Black Sea. So called from the
abounding black rock in the extensive
coal-fields between the Bosphorus and
Heracle'a.
Black Sheep [Kárá-Koin-loo). A
tribe of Turkomans, so called from their
standards. This tribe was extirpated by
the White Sheep (q.v.).
A Black Sheep. A disgrace to the
Black Standard
family; a mauvais suffet, a workman who
will not join in a strike. Black sheep
are looked on with dislike by shepherds,
and are not so valuable as white ones.
Black Standard. The dress, tur-
bans, and standards of the Abbasside
caliphs were all black. (D’Iſerbelot.)
Black Strap. Bad port wine. A
Sailor's name for any bad liquor. In
North America, “Black-strap ’’ is a
mixture of rum and molasses, sometimes
vinegar is added.
“The seething blackstrap was pronounced ready
for use.”—Pinkerton : Molly Maguires, chap. xvii.
}). 174.
Black Swan. (See RARA AVIS.)
Black-thorn Winter (The). The
cold weather which frequently occurs
when the black-thorn is in blossom.
(See BORROWED DAYS.)
Black Thursday. February 6th,
1851; so called in the colony of Wic-
toria, from a terrible bush-fire which
then occurred.
Black Tom. The Earl of Ormonde,
Lord Deputy of Ireland in the reign of
Elizabeth; so called from his ungracious
ways and “black looks.”
“He being yery stately in apparel, and erect in
port, despite his great age, yet with a dark, dour,
and imenacing look upon his face, so that all who
mlet his gaze seemed to quake bëfore the same,”
—Hom. Emily Lawless: };"ith Essex, in Ireland, p. 105.
Black Watch. Companies employed
to watch the Islands of Scotland. They
dressed in a “black ’’ or dark tartan
(1725). Subsequently they were en-
rolled into the 42nd regiment, under the
Earl of Crawford, in 1737. Their tartan
is still called “The Black Watch Tartan.”
The regiment is now called “The Royal
Highlanders.”
Black. --White. To swear black is
Achite. To persist in an obvious un-
truth. . The French locution, Si vous lui
diffes blanc, iſ répondra noir, means,
He will contradict what you say point
blank.
Blacks. Mutes at funerals, who
WOre a black cloak ; sometimes called
the Black Guards.
. “I do pray ye
To give me leave to live a little longer.
You Stand about me like my Blacks.”
Beaumont and Fletcher: Moms. Thomas, iii. 1.
Blacks (The), or “The 7th Dragoon
Guards,” or “The Princess Royal’s D.
G.” Called blacks from their facings.
Nicknames: “The Virgin Mary's Guard,”
“Straw boots,” “Lingoniers,” etc.
Blackacre (Widow). The best of
Wycherley's comic characters; she is a
143 Blank Cartridge
masculine, litigious, pettifogging, head-
strong woman. (The Plain Dealer.)
Blackamoor. Washing the blacka-
Anoor white—i.e. engaged upon a hope-
less and useless task. The allusion is to
one of AEsop's fables so entitled.
Blackness. All faces shall gather
blackness (Joel ii. 6)—i.e. be downcast in
consequence of trouble.
Blacksmith. The learned blacksmith.
Flihu Burritt, U.S. (1811-1879.)
Blad'amour. The friend of Paridel
in Spenser's Faërie Queene. The poet
had his eye upon the Earl of Northum-
berland, one of the leaders in the northern
insurrection of 1569. (See PARIDEL.)
Blade. A knowing blade, a sharp
fellow ; a regular blade, a buck or fop.
(Anglo-Saxon, blad or blacd, a branch or
Sprig.)
* Blad–“ branch,” whence “fruit,
prosperity, glory,” etc. The compound,
Blad-daeg = a prosperous day; blad-giftſ,
a glory-giver, i.e. a king, a “regular
blade.”
Bladud. A mythical king of Eng-
land, and father of King Lear. He
built the city of Bath, and dedicated the
medicinal springs to Minerva. Bladud
studied magic, and, attempting to fly,
fell into the temple of Apollo and was
dashed to pieces. (Geoffrey of Monmouth.)
“Inexhaustible as Bladud's well."—Th (tcleeray.
Blanche'fleur. The heroine of Boc-
caccio's prose romance called Il Filocopo.
Her lover, Florës, is Boccaccio himself,
and Blanchefleur was a young lady pas-
sionately beloved by him, the natural
daughter of King Robert. The story
of Blanchefleur and Florës is substan-
tially the same as that of Dor'igen and
Aurelius by Chaucer, and that of Diano'ra
and Ansaldo in the Decameron. (See
i)IANORA and DORIGEN.)
Blan'diman. The faithful man-
servant of fair Bellisant (q.v.), who
attended her when she was divorced.
(Valentine and Orson.)
Blaney. . A wealthy heir, ruined by
dissipation, in Crabbe's Borough.
“Misery and mirth are blended in his face,
Much inmate Vileness and some outward grace:...
The serpent's cunning and the sinner's fall.”
- Ilettel Xi V.
Blank Cartridge. Cartridge with
powder only, that is, without shot,
bullet, or ball. Used in drill and in
Saluting. Figuratively, empty threats.
Blank Cheque
144
T31aze
Blank Cheque. A cheque duly
signed, but without specifying any sum
of money; the amount to be filled in by
the payee.
Blank Practice. Shooting for prac-
tice with blank cartridges.
Blank Verse. English verse with-
out rhyme.
Blanket. . The wrong side of the
Ölanket. A love-child is said to come
of the wrong side of the blanket.
“He grew up to be a fine waule fallow, like
mony ane that comes o' the Wrang side o' the
blanket.”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquatºry, chap. xxiv.
A wet blanket. A discouragement, a
marplot. A person is a wet blanket who
discourages a proposed scheme. “Treated
with a wet blanket,” discouraged. “A
wet blanket influence,” etc. A wet
blanket is used to smother fire, or to
prevent one escaping from a fire from
being burnt.
Blanketeers. The Coxeyites were
so called in 1894. “General” Coxey of
the United States induced 50,000 persons
to undertake a 700 miles’ march to Wash-
ington, with blankets on their backs, to
terrorise Congress into finding work for
the unemployed.
Previous to this, the word had been
applied to some 5,000 Radical operatives
who assembled on St. Peter's Field,
near Manchester, March 10, 1817. They
provided themselves with blankets and
rugs, intending to march to London, to
lay before the Prince Regent a petition
of grievances. Only six got as far as
Ashbourne Bridge, when the expedition
collapsed.
“The Americans have no royal dukes, no bench
of bishops, no House of Lords, no effete mon-
archy; but they have Home Rule, OIlê 1113,1] Olle
vote, and Coxey with his blanketeers.”—Liberty
Ičeview, May 5th, 1894, p. 354.
Blare. To cry with a great noise,
like a child in a tricky temper; to
bellow. (Latin, ploro, to weep with
noise.) - -
Blarney. None of your blarney. Soft,
wheedling speeches to gain some end ;
sugar-words. Cormack Macarthy held
the castle of Blarney in 1602; and con-
cluded an armistice with Carew, the
Lord President, on condition of sur-
rendering the fort to the English garri-
son. Day after day his lordship looked
for the fulfilment of the terms, but re-
ceived nothing except protocols and soft
speeches, till he became the laughing-
stock of Elizabeth’s ministers, and the
dupe of the Lord of Blarney.
To kiss the Blarney Stone. Whoever
does this shall be able to persuade to
anything. The Blarney Stone is tri-
angular, lowered from the north angle
of the castle, about twenty feet from
the top, and containing this inscription :
“Cormac Mac Carthy fortis me fieri
fecit, A.D. 1446.” Blarney is near Cork.
Blasé (pronounce blah-zay). Sur-
feited with pleasure. man blasé is
one who has had full swing to all the
pleasures of life, and has no longer any
appetite for any of them. A worn out
debauchée (French, blaser, to exhaust
with enjoyment).
Blasphemous Balfour. Sir James
Balfour, the Scottish judge, was so
called because of his apostasy. He died
1583.
Blast. In full blast. In the extreme.
In America will be heard such a sentence
as this: “When she came to the meet-
ing in her yellow hat and feathers,
wasn’t she in full blast?” A metaphor
from the blast furnace in full operation.
Blast. To strike by lightning ; to
make to wither. The “blasted Oak.”
This is the sense in which the word is
used as an exclamation.
“If it "tlae [ghost] assume my noble father's
person,
I’ll cross it, though it blast me.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 1.
Blatant Beast (The). “A dreadful
fiend of gods and men, ydrad ; ” type of
“Common Rumour º’ or “Slander.”
He has 100 tongues and a sting; with
his tongues he speaks things “most
shameful, most unrighteous, most un-
true ; ” and with his sting “steeps them
in poison.” Sir Calidore muzzled the
monster, and drew him with a chain to
Faërie Land. After a time the beast
broke his chain and regained his liberty.
(Saxon, blatan, to bellow.) (SpenSer:
IFaërie Queene, books v. vi.)
Blayney's Bloodhounds. The old
89th Foot ; so called because of their
unerring certainty, and untiring perse-
verance in hunting down the Irish rebels
in 1798, when the corps was commanded
by Lord Blaney.
This regiment is now called “ the
Second Battalion of the Princess Vic-
toria’s Irish Fusiliers.” The first bat-
talion is the old 87th Foot.
Blaze. A white mark in the forehead
of a horse. (Icelandic, blesi, a white
star on the forehead of a horse; German,
blasz, pale.)
Blaze 14
Blessing
* A star is a sort of white diamond
in the forehead. A blaze is an elongated
star or dash of white.
To blaze a path. To notch trees as a
clue. Trees so notched are called in
America “blazed trees,” and the white
wood shown by the notch is called “a
blaze.” (See above.)
“Guided by the blazed trees . . . they came to
the spot.”—Goulding : The Young Maroon.6%’S, 118.
“They buried him where he lay, a blazed tree
marking his last resting-place.”—Adventù'ěS in
Matshomatland, p. 158.
Blaze (To). To blaze abroad. To
noise abroad is the German verb blasén,
to blow or sound. Shakespeare uses the
noun blazon.
“But, this eternal blazon must not be
TO ears of flesh and blood.” g
Holmlet, i. 5.
Blazer (A). A boatman's jacket.
Properly and originally applied to the
Johnian crew (Camb.), whose boat
jackets are the brightest possible Scarlet.
“A blazer is the red flannel boating jacket worn
by the Lady Margaret, St. John's College, Cam-
pºse Boat Club.”—Daily News, August 22nd,
Blazon [Blazonry]. To blazon is to
announce with a trumpet, hence the
Ghost in Hamlet says, “But this eternal
blazon must not be to ears of flesh and
blood,” i.e. this babbling about eternal
things, or things of the other world,
must not be made to persons still in the
flesh. Knights were wont to be an-
nounced by the blast of a trumpet on
their entrance into the lists; the flourish
was answered by the heralds, who de-
scribed aloud the arms and devices
borne by the knight ; hence, to blazon
came to signify to “describe the charges
borne '’; and blazonry is “the science
of describing or deciphering arms.”
(German, blasen, to blow.) -
Blé. Manger son blé en herbe (French),
to eat the calf before it is cast ; to spend
your fortune before it comes to you ; to
spend your income in advance. Liter-
ally, to feed off your green wheat.
Blear-eyed (The). Aurelius Bran-
dolini, the Italian poet, called Il Lippo
(1440-1497). -
Bleed. To make a man bleed is to
make him pay dearly for something ; to
victimise him. Money is the life-blood
of commerce. -
It makes my heart bleed. It makes me
very sorrowful. -
” She found them indeed
#ut it made her heart bleed.”
Little Bo-Peep,
Bleeding of a Dead Body (The).
It was at one time believed that, at the
**-* =m
approach of a murderer, the blood of the
murdered body gushed out. If in a
dead body the slightest change was ob-
servable in the eyes, mouth, feet, or
hands, the murderer was supposed to be
present. The notion still survives in
Some places.
Blefus'cu. An island severed from
Lilliput by a channel 800 yards wide,
inhabited by pigmies. Swift meant it
for France. (Gulliver’s Travels.) -
Bleidablik [vast splendour]. The
abode of Baldur, the Scandinavian
Apollo.
Blemmyes (of Africa). Men said to
have no head, their eyes and mouth
being placed in the breast. (See ACEPHA-
LITES; CAORA.)
Blenheim Dog. A small spaniel; so
called from Blenheim Palace in Oxford-
shire, where the breed has been preserved
ever since the palace was built.
Blenheim House (Oxfordshire). The
house given by the nation to the Duke
of Marlborough, for his victory over the
French at Blenheim, in Bavaria, in the
reign of Queen Anne (1704).
“When Europe freed confessed the saving power
Of Marlborough's hand, Britain. who Sent him
Of liberty and justice, grateful rais
This palace, Sacred to the leader's fame.”
x - Littleton, ; Blenheim.
..forth,
Chief of confederate hosts, to fight ºe CallSe
€
Blenheim Steps. Once noted for
an anatomical school, over which Sir
Astley Cooper presided. Here “resur-
rectionists” were sure to find a ready
mart for their gruesome wares, for which
they received sums of money varying
from £3 to £10, and sometimes more.
Such phrases as “going to Blenheim
Steps,” meant going to be dissected, or
unearthed from one’s grave. *
“The body-snatchers, they have come,
And made a snatch at me;
'Tis very hard them kind of men
Won’t let a body be.
The cock it crows—I must he gone—
My William, we must part;
But I’ll be yours in death although
Sir Astley has my heart.”
- Hood: Mary's Ghost.
Bless. He has not a [sixpence] to
bless himself with, i.e. in his possession ;
wherewith to make himself happy. This
expression may probably be traced to
the time when coins were marked with
a deeply-indented cross. Cf. To keep
the devil out of one’s pocket.
Blessing with three ſingers is sym-
bolical of the Trinity, in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost.
10
Blest
146
IBlindner’s I)inner
Blest. I’ll be blest if I do it. I
am resolved not to do it. A euphemism
for cººrst.
Blikian'dabol [splendid misery]. The
canopy of the goddess Hel or Hela (q.v.).
Blimber (Miss). A blue-stocking,
who knows the dead languages, and
wears learned spectacles. She is the
daughter of Dr. Blimber, a fossil school-
master of the high and dry grammar
type. (Dickens : Dombey and Son.)
Blind. That’s a mere blind. A pre-
tence ; something ostensible to conceal
a covert design. The metaphor is from
window-blinds, which prevent outsiders
from seeing into a room.
Blind as a bat. A bat is not blind,
but when it enters a room well lighted,
it cannot see, and blunders about. It
sees best, like a cat, in the dusk. (See
SIMILES.)
Blind as a beetle. Beetles are not blind,
but the dor-beetle or hedge-chafer, in its
rapid flight, will occasionally bump
against one as if it could not see.
JBlind as a mole. Moles are not blind,
but as they work underground, their
eyes are very small. There is a mole
found in the south of Europe, the eyes
of which are covered by membranes,
and probably this is the animal to which
Aristotle refers when he says, “the mole
is blind.” (See SIMILES.)
Blººd as an owl. Owls are not
blind, but being night birds, they see
better in partial darkness than in the
full light of day. (See SIMILES.)
You came on his blind side. His soft
or tender-hearted side. Said of persons
who wheedle some favour out of another.
He yielded because he was not wide
awake to his own interest.
“I.incoln wrote to the Salme friend that the
nomination took the democrats On the lylind
side.”—Nicolay and Hay: Abrahám, Lincoln,
VOl. i. Chal). XV. p. 275.
JBlind leaders of the blind. The allu-
sion is to a sect of the Pharisees, who
were wont to shut their eyes when they
walked abroad, and often ran their
heads against a wall or fell into a ditch.
(Matt. xv. 14.) -
The Blind:—
Francesco Bello, called Il Cieco.
Luigi Grotto, called Il Cieco, the
Italian poet. (1541-1585.)
Lieutenant James Holman, The Blind
Traveller. (1787-1857.)
Ludwig III., Emperor of Germany,
L'Aveugle. (880, 890-934.)
an alley with no outlet.
Blind Alley (A). A “cul de sac,”
It is blind
because it has no “eye ’’ or passage
through it.
Blind Beggar of Bethnal Green
(The). A public-house sign in the
Whitechapel Road. (Hotten: History of
Sign-Boards.) (See BEGGAR.)
Blind Department (The). In Post
Office parlance, means that department
where letters with incoherent, "insuffi-
cient, or illegible addresses are examined,
and, if possible, put upon the proper
track for delivery. The clerk so em-
ployed is called “The Blind Man.”
“One of these addresses was “Santlings, Hile-
wite ” (St. Helen's, Isle of Wight). I, myself,
had, one from France addressed, ‘A Mons. E.
Jobham, brasseur, Angleterre, and it reached me.
Another address was Hāselfeach in no famt-
shere' (Hazelbeach, Northamptonshire).”
Blind Ditch (A). One which cannot
be seen. Here blind means obscure, as
a blind village.
Blind Harper (The).
who died 1739.
Blind Harry. A Scotch minstrel of
the fifteenth century. His epic of Sir
William Wallace runs to 11,861 lines.
Blind Hedge (A). A hawhaw
hedge, not easily seen. Milton uses the
word blind for concealed, as “In the
blind mazes of this tangled wood.”
(Comus, line 181.)
Blind old Man of Scio's rocky
Isle. Homer is so called by Byron in
John Parry,
his Bride of Abydos.
Blind Magistrate (The). Sir John
Fielding, knighted in 1761, was born
'blind. He was in the commission of the
IPeace for Middlesex, Surrey, Essex, and
the liberties of Westminster.
Blindman's Holiday. The hour
of dusk, when it is too dark to work,
and too soon to light candles.
Blindman's Lantern (The), or “Eyes
to the Blind.” A walking stick with
which a blind man guides his way. In
French argot bougie means a walking
stick.
Blindmen's Dinner (The). A din-
ner unpaid for. A dinner in which the
landlord is made the victim. Eulen-
spiegel being asked for alms by twelve
'blind men, said, “Go to the inn ; eat,
drink, and be merry, my men; and here
are twenty florins to pay the fare.”
The blind men thanked him ; each
Blinkers
147 IB1oody
supposing one of the others had received
the money. Reaching the inn, they told
the landlord of their luck, and were at
once provided with food and drink to
the amount of twenty florins. On
asking for payment, they all said, “Let
him who received the money pay for the
dinner; ” but none had received a penny.
Blinkers. Spectacles; the allusion
is to a horse's blinkers.
Block. To block a Bill. In parlia-
mentary language means to postpone or
prevent the passage of a Bill by giving
notice of opposition, and thus preventing
its being taken after half-past twelve at
night.
“By blocking the Bill [he] denied to two mil-
lion persons the right of having votes.”—Comtenn-
porary Review, August, 1884, p. 171,
Blockhead. A stupid person ; one
without brains. The allusion is to a
wig-maker’s dummy or tète & perrºgue,
on which he fits his wigs.
“Your wit will not so Soon out as another man's
will ; ’tis strongly wedged up in a block-head.”—
Shakespeare: Coriolativus, ii. 3.
Blood. A buck, an aristocratic rowdy.
A term taken from blood horses.
“A blood or dandy about town.”—Thatcleercly:
TVamity Fair, chal). X. p. 49. :--
Blood. Family descent.
“And hath made of one blood all nations of
lmen.”—Acts X Wii. 26.
Blood thicker than water. Relation-
ship has a claim which is generally
acknowledged. It is better to seek kind-
ness from a kinsman than from a
stranger. Water soon evaporates and
leaves no mark behind; not so blood.
So the interest we take in a stranger is
thinner and more evanescent than that
which we take in a blood relation.
“Weel ! blude’s thicker than Water. She's
welcome to the cheeses and the hams just the
same.”—Sir W. Scott : Guy Mammel’ing,
A Prince of the Blood. One of the
Royal Family.
Bad blood. Anger, quarrels; as, It
stirs up bad blood. It provokes to ill-
feeling and contention.
Plue blood. (See ºnder BLUE.)
Young blood. Fresh members; as,
“To bring young blood into the con-
Cern.” +
In cold blood. Deliberately; not in
the excitement of passion or of battle.
It makes one’s blood boil. It provokes
indignation and anger.
It runs in the blood. It is inherited or
exists in the family race.
“It runs in the blood of our family.”—Sheri-
d(11) : The Rivals, iv. 2,
My own flesh and blood. My own
children, brothers, sisters, or other near
kindred. -
Laws written in blood. Dema'dés said
that the laws of Draco were written in
blood, because every offence was pun-
ished by death. .
The field of blood. Acel'dama (Acts i.
19), the piece of ground purchased with
the blood-money of our Saviour, and set
apart for the burial of strangers,
The field of the battle of Cannae,
where Hannibal defeated the Romans,
B.C. 216. -
Plood of our Saviour. An order of
knighthood in Mantua; so called because
their special office was to guard “the
drops of the Saviour's blood” preserved
in St. Andrew’s church, Mantua.
Blood and iron policy—i.e. war policy.
No explanation needed.
Blood-guiltiness.
murder.
Blood-horse (A). A thorough-bred.
Bloodhound. Figuratively, one who
follows up an enemy with pertinacity.
Bloodhounds used to be employed for
tracking wounded game by the blood
spilt ; subsequently they were employed
for tracking criminals and slaves who
had made their escape, and were hunters
of blood, not hunters by blood. The
most noted breeds are the African,
Cuban, and English.
Blood Money. Money paid to a
person for giving such evidence as shall
lead to the conviction of another; money
paid to the next of kin to induce him to
forego his “right” of seeking blood for
|blood; money paid to a person for be-
traying another, as Judas was paid
blood-money for showing the band the
place where Jesus might be found.
Blood Relation (A). One in direct
descent from the same father or mother;
one of the same family stock.
Blood-thirsty. Eager for shedding
blood. - -
Blood of the Grograms (The).
Taffety gentility; make-believe aristo-
cratic blood. Grogram is a coarse silk
taffety stiffened with gum (French, gros-
grain).
“Our first tragedian was always boasting of his
being “an old actor,’ and was full of the ‘blood
of the Grograms.’”—C. Thomson : Autobiography,
p. 200.
The guilt of
Bloody, used as an expletive in Such
phrases as “A bloody fool,” “Bloody
drunk,” etc., arose from associating
folly and drunkenness, etc., with what
Bloody
148
Blow
are called “Bloods,” or aristocratic | their teens, but ridiculous for “the fat .
rowdies. Similar to “Drunk as a lord.”
“It was bloody hot walking to-day.”—Swift :
Journal to Stella, letter XXii.
Bloody (The). Otho II., Emperor of
Germany. (955, 973-983.)
The Bloody Eleventh. The old 11th
Foot was so called from their having
been several times nearly annihilated, as
at Almanza, Fontenoy, Roucoux, OS-
tend, and Salamanca (1812), in captur-
ing a French standard. Now called
“The Devonshire Regiment.”
Bloody Assizes. The infamous as-
sizes held by Judge Jeffreys in 1685.
Three hundred were executed, more
whipped or imprisoned, and a thousand
sent to the plantations for taking part
in Monmouth’s rebellion.
Bloody Bill. The 31 Henry VIII.,
c. 14, which denounced death, by hang-
ing or burning, on all who denied the
doctrine of transubstantiation.
Bloody-bones. A hobgoblin ; gen-
erally “Raw-head and Bloody-Bones.”
Bloody Butcher. (See BUTCHER.)
Bloody Hand. A man whose hand
was bloody, and was therefore presumed
to be the person guilty of killing the
deer shot or otherwise slain. (Cf. RED
HAND.) Also the badge of a baronet.
Bloody Wedding. St. Bartholo-
mew's slaughter in 1572 is so called
because it took place during the mar-
riage feast of Henri (afterwards, Henri
IV.) and Marguerite (daughter of Cath-
erine de Medici).
Bloody Week (The). The week
ending on Sunday, May 28th, 1871, when
IParis was burning, being set on fire by
the Communists in hundreds of places.
The destruction was frightful, but Nôtre
Dame, the Hôtel Dieu, and the magnifi-
cent collection of pictures in the Louvre,
happily escaped demolition.
Bloom. From bloom to bloom. A
floral rent. The Lord of the Manor
received a red rose or gillyflower, on the
Feast of John the Baptist, yearly (July
5th, O. S.). (See Notes and Queries,
Feb. 13th, 1886, p. 135.)
Bloom'erism. A female costume ;
so called from Mrs. Amelia Bloomer, of
New York, who tried in 1849 to intro-
duce the fashion. The dress consisted
of a short skirt and loose trousers
gathered closely round the ankles—
becoming enough to young ladies in
and forty.”
Blount (Charles). Author of some
deistical writings in the time of Charles
II. (1654-1693.) . -
“He heard of Blount, etc.” Crabbe: Borough. '
Blouse. A short smock-frock of a
blue colour worn commonly by French
workmen. Bleeſ is French argot for
777&ºted?!.
“A garment, called bliaut or blictus, which ap-
pears to have been another name for a surcoat....
In this bliaus We may discover the modern French
blottse, a . . Smock-frock.”—Plamché : British,
CoStatmle.
1. Blow (To). As the wind blows ;
or to blow with the breath. (Anglo-
Saxon, blawan, to blow or breathe.)
It will Soo?? blow over. It will soon be
no longer talked about; it will soon
come to an end, as a gale or Storm blows
OVer OT Cea,SéS.
* To blow off is another form of the
same phrase.
To blow great guns. The wind blows
so violently that its noise resembles the
roar of artillery.
To blow hot and cold, (or) To blow hot
and cold with the same breath. To be
inconsistent. The allusion is to the fable
of a traveller who was entertained by
a satyr. Being cold, the traveller blew
his fingers to warm them, and afterwards
blew his hot broth to coolit. The satyr,
in great indignation, turned him out of
doors, because he blew both hot and cold
with the same breath.
To blow off the steam. To get rid of
superfluous energy. The allusion is to
the forcible escape of superfluous steam
no longer required.
2. Blow (To). To sound a trumpet.
“But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Let us be tigers in our fierce deportment.”
Shakespeare: Henry V., iii. 1. .
To blow. To inform against a com-
panion; to “peach.” The reference is
to the announcing of knights by blast of
trumpet.
3. Blow (To). To blast as with gun-
powder.
I will blow him up sky high. Give him
a good scolding. A regular blowing up
is a thorough jobation. The metaphor
is from blasting by gunpowder.
* But to blow up a bladder, etc., means
to inflate it. .
4. Blow. A stroke. (German, blåtten;
to beat or strike.)
At one blow. By one stroke.
The first blow is half the battle. Well
begun is half done. Pythagoras used to
T}low a Cloud
149 Blue
say, “The beginning is half the whole.”
“Incipe: Dimidium facti, est capisse ’’
(Ausonius). “Dimidium facti, qui capit,
habet ’’ (Horace). “Ce n'est que le
premier pas qui coºte.”
Without striking a blow. Without
coming to a contest.
Blow a Cloud. To Smoke a cigar or
pipe. This term was in use in Queen
Elizabeth’s reign.
Blow Me (an oath). You be blowed
(an oath), a play on the word Dash me,
which is a euphemism for a more offen-
sive oath.
“‘Well, if you won't stand a pint,' quoth the tall
lman, ‘ I will, that's all, and blow temperance.'”—
Ringsley : Altom. Locke, chap. ii.
Blow Out (A). A “tuckin,” or feast
which swells out the paunch.
Blow-point. A game similar to our
pea-puffing, only instead of peas Small
wooden skewers or bits of pointed wood
were puffed through the tube. The
game is alluded to by Florio, Strutt,
and several other authors.
Blown, in the phrase “fly-blown,”
has nothing to do with the verb to blow
(as the wind blows). It means that flies
have deposited their eggs and tainted
the article. In French, déposer des oufs
de montches sun' . . . and a fly-blow is
wn aeuf de mouche. The word seems to be
connected with blot, the egg of a moth
or other insect.
Blown Herrings are bloated her-
rings. The French bouffi (blown) is
analogous to both expressions. Blown
herrings are herrings bloated, swollen,
or cured by Smoking.
Blown upon. Made the subject of a
Scandal. His reputation has been blown
upon, means has been the subject of
talk wherein something derogatory was
hinted at or even asserted. Blown upon
by the breath of slander.
“Blown,” meaning stale, tainted, is probably
the Same as the above ; but blown upon can-
In Ot be.
Blowzelin'da. A country maiden in
Gay's pastoral called The Shepherd's
Week.
“Sweet is my toil when Blowzelind is near ;
Qf her hereft, 'tis winter all the year
Come, Blowzélinda, ease thy Swain's desire,
My summer's shadow and my winter's fire.” .
Pastoral i.
Blowzy. Coarse, red-faced, bloated;
applied to women. The word is allied
to blush, blaze, etc. . . (Dutch, bloozen
and blaazen : Danish, blusser, to blaze.)
Blubber. To cry like a child, with
—,
noise and slavering. Connected with
slobber, slaver.
“I play the boy, and blubber in thy bosom.”
Otway: Venice Preserved, i. 1.
Blubber Cheeks. Fat, flabby cheeks,
like whale’s blubber. “The blubber
cheeks of my friend the baronet.”
Bluchers. Half boots; so called after
Field-Marshal von Blucher (1742–1819).
Blue or Azure is the symbol of Divine
etermity and human immortality. Con-
sequently, it is a mortuary colour—
hence its use in covering the coffins of
young persons. When used for the gar-
ment of an angel, it signifies faith and
fidelity. As the dress of the Virgin, it
indicates modesty. In blazomºry, it sig-
nifies chastity, loyalty, fidelity, and a
spotless reputation.
The Covenanters wore blue as their
badge, in opposition to the scarlet of
royalty. They based their choice on
Numb. xv. 38, “Speak unto the children
of Israel, and bid them that they make
them fringes in the borders of their
garments . . . and that they put upon
the fringe . . . a ribband of blue.”
(See CoIOURS for its symbolisms.)
Blue (A), or a “staunch blue,” de-
scriptive of political opinions, for the
most part means a Tory, for in most
counties the Conservative colour is blue.
(See TRUE BLUE.)
“This was a blue demonstration, a gathering of
the Conservative clans.”—Holme Lee.
. A blue. (See BLUE STOCKING...)
A dark blue. An Oxford man or
Harrow boy.
A light blue.
Eton boy.
An old blue. One who has pulled in
a University boat-race, or taken part in
any of their athletic contests.
“There were five old blues playing.”—Stamdard,
May 8th, 1883.
True blue. This is a Spanish phrase,
and refers to the notion that the veins
shown in the skin of aristocratic families
are more blue than that of inferior per-
sons. (See SANG.)
Thºſe blue will never stai?. A really
noble heart will never disgrace itself.
The reference is to blue aprons and
blouses worn by butchers, which do not
show blood-stains.
True as Coventry blue. The reference
is to a blue cloth and blue thread made
at Coventry, noted for its permanent
dve.
y Twas Presbyterian true blue (Hudibras,
i. 1). The allusion is to the blue apron
A Cambridge man or
Blue-apron
150 Blue Devils
-
which some of the Presbyterian preachers
used to throw over their preaching-tub
before they began to address the people.
In one of the Rump songs we read of a
person going to hear a lecture, and the
Song SayS——
“Where I a tub did view,
Hung With an apron blue;
'Twas the preacher's, I conjecture.”
To look blue. To be disconcerted. He
was blue in the face. Aghast with won-
der.
drive the colour from the cheeks, and
give them a pale-bluish tinge.
Blue-apron Statesman (A). A lay
politician, a tradesman who interferes
with the affairs of the nation. The
reference is to the blue apron once
worn by almost all tradesmen, but now
restricted to butchers, poulterers, fish-
mongers, and so on.
Blue Beans. Bullets. Lead is blue.
“Many a valiant Gaul had no breakfast that
lmOl'ning but What the Germans call blue
lºs, i.e. bullets.”—W. Maccall: My School Days,
85,
Three blue beans in a blue bottle or
bladder. (See atnder BEANs.)
Bluebeard. A bogey, a merciless
tyrant, in Charles Perrault's Contes du
Temps. The tale of Bluebeard (Cheva-
lier Raoul) is known to every child, but
many have speculated on the original of
this despot. Some say it was a satire on
Henry VIII., of wife-killing motoriety.
Dr. C. Taylor thinks it is a type of the
castle lords in the days of knight-
errantry. Holinshed calls Giles de Retz,
Marquis de Laval, the original Bltie-
beard. This Giles or Gilles who lived at
Machecoul, in Brittany, was accused of
murdering six of his seven wives, and
was ultimately strangled and burnt in
40.
“The Bluebeard , chamber of his mind, into
Which no eye but his own must look.”—Carlyle.
* Campbell has a Bluebeard story in
his Tales of the Western Highlands,
called The Widow and her Daughters.
A similar one is No. 39 of Wisentini’s
collection of Italian stories. So is No. 3
of Bermoni’s collection.
Bluebeard's Key. When the blood
stain of this key was rubbed out on one
side, it appeared on the opposite side; so
prodigality being overcome will appear
in the form of meanness; and friends,
over-fond, will often become enemies.
Blue Billy (A). A blue neckcloth
with white spots, worn by William
Mace. More likely the allusion is to the
'bill or nose. (See BILLY.)
The effect of fear and wonder is to
---
Blue Blood. (See page 149, True Blue.)
Blue Boar. A public-house sign;
the cognisance of Richard III. In
Leicester is a lane in the parish of St.
Nicholas, called the Blue Boar Lane, be-
cause Richard slept there the night
before the battle of Bosworth Field.
“The bristly boar, in infant gore,
Wallows jeneath the thorny Shade.”
Gray: The Bard.
Blue Bonnets (The). The Scotch
Highlanders; the Scotch generally. So
called from the blue woollen cap at one
time in very general use in Scotland,
and still far from uncommon.
“England shall many a day
Tell of the bloody fray,
When the blue bonnets calme over the border.”
Si) ſy. Scott.
Blue Boolºs. In England, parlia-
mentary reports and official publications
presented by the Crown to both Houses
of Parliament. Each volume is in folio,
and is covered with a blue wrapper.
* Short Acts of Parliament, etc., even
without a wrapper, come under the same
designation.
In America, the “Blue Books” (like our “Red
Books”) contain lists of those persons who hold
government appointments. The official colour of
Spain is red, of Italy greem, of France yellow, of
Germany and Portugal white,
Blue Bottle. . A beadsman, a police-
man ; so called from the colour of his
dress. Shakespeare makes Doll Tear-
sheet denounce the beadle as a “blue-
bottle rogue.”
“You proud varlets, you need not be ashamed
to wear, blue, When your master is one of your
fellows.” Tijekker. The HomeSt Whore (1602).
“I’ll have you soundly swinged for this, you
blue-bottle rogue.” – Shakespeare: 2 Hem. IV.,
a CU Y. 4. -
Blue Caps or Blue Bonnets. The
Scotch.
“He is there, too, . . . and a thousand blue
4,
y *
caps more.”—Shakespeare: i Hemº'ſ IV., ii.
Blue-coat School. Christ’s Hos-
pital is so called because the boys there
wear a long blue coat girded at the loins
with a leather belt. Some who attend
the mathematical School are termed
Iſing’s boys, and those who constitute
the highest class are Grecians.
Founded by Edward VI. in the year
of his death. There are several other
blue-coat schools in England besides
Christ's Hospital.
Blue Devils, or A fit of the blues.
A fit of spleen, low spirits. Roach and
Esquirol affirm, from observation, that
indigo dyers are especially subject to
melancholy; and that those who dye
Blue-eyed Maid
I51
-- Blue Peter
scarlet are choleric. Paracelsus also
asserts that blue is injurious to the
health and spirits. There may, there-
fore, be more science in calling melan-
choly blue than is generally allowed.
The German blei (lead) which gives rise
to our slang word blue or bluey (lead)
seems to bear upon the “leaden down-
cast eyes” of melancholy.
Blue-eyed Maid (The). Minerva,
the goddess of wisdom, is so called by
Homer.
“Now Prudence gently pulled the poet's ear,
And thus the daughter of the Blue-eyed Maid,
In fiattery’s soothing Sounds, divinely Said,
‘O Peter, eldest-born of Phoebus, hear.’”
- Peter Pinda)' . A Falling Minister.
Blue Fish (The). The shark, tech-
nically called Carcharias glaucus, the
upper parts of which are blue.
Blue Flag. He has hoisted the blite
flag. He has turned publican or fish-
monger, in allusion to the blue apron at
One time worn by publicans, and still
worn by fishmongers.
Blue Gown (A). A harlot. Nares
tells us that “a blue gown was a dress
of ignominy for a harlot in the House of
Correction. (See below.)
Blue-gowns. The bedesmen, to whom
the kings of Scotland distributed cer-
tain alms. Their dress was a cloak or
gown of coarse blue cloth, with a pewter
badge. The number of these bedesmen
was equal to that of the king's years, so
that an extra one was added every re-
turning birthday. These paupers were
privileged to ask alms through the whole
realm of Scotland. No new member has
been added since 1833. (See GABER-
LUNZIE.)
Blue Guards (The). So the Oxford
Blues, now called the Royal Horse
Guards, were called during the cam-
paign in Flanders (1742-1745).
Blue Hen. Captain Caldwell used
to say that no cock could be truly
game whose mother was not a blue
hen. As Caldwell commanded the
1st Delaware regiment in the war,
the State of Delaware was nicknamed
Blue Herº.
Your mother was a blue hen, no doubt.
A reproof given to a braggart. (See
above.)
Blue-jackets. Sailors; so called be-
cause the colour of their jackets is blue.
Blue John (A). A petrefaction of
blue fluor-spar, found in the Blue John
mine of Tre Cliff, Derbyshire; and so
called to distinguish it from the Black
Jack, an ore of zinc. Called John from
John Kirk, a miner, who first noticed it.
Blue Laws (The). These were
puritanical laws enacted in 1732, at New
Haven, Connecticut, in the United
States of America. Their object was to
stamp out “heresy,” and enforce a
strict observance of the Sunday. Many
persons insist that they are apocryphal;
but in October, 1891, the German Ameri-
can Lincoln Club protested against their
enforcement by a democratic judge, and
resolved—
“To call upon all right-thinking citizens to
assist in an effort to have the laws repealed, by
Supporting and Yoting only for Such candidates
for the legislature as would pledge themselves
to Yote for their repeal.”
Blue-light Federalists. A name
given to those Americans who were be-
lieved to have made friendly (“blue-
light'’) signals to British ships in the
war. (1812.)
Blue-mantle. The English pursui-
want at arms is so called from his official
robe.
Blue Monday. The Monday before
Lent, spent in dissipation. (German,
der blatte Montag.) It is said that dissipa-
tion gives everything a blue tinge. Hence
“blue '’ means tipsy. (See BLUE DEVILs.)
* Drink till all is blue. -
Cracking bottles till all is blue.” - *
Fraser's Magazime, xvii. (1838).
Blue Moon. Once in a blue moon.
Very rarely indeed.
* On December 10th, 1883, we had a
“blue moon.” The winter was un-
usually mild.
Blue Mould. Applied to cheese which
has become the bed of a fungus, tech-
nically called Aspergillus glaucus.
The blue mould of bread, paste, jams,
etc., is the fungus called Mucor Mitcedo.
Blue Murder. To shout blue murder.
Indicative more of terror or alarm than
of real danger. It appears to be a play
on the French exclamation anofºlent ;
there may also be a distinct allusion to
the common phrase “blue ruin.”
Blue-noses. The Nova Scotians.
“‘Pray, sir,’ said one of my fellow-passengers,
‘Can you tell me the reason Why the NOWa. Scotians
are called “Blue-noses” ”’ - .
“‘ It is the name of a potato,' said I," which they
produce in the greatest perfection, and boast to
be the best in the world. The Americans haye,
in consequence, given them the nickname of Blue
Noses.’”—Haliburton : Sam Slick.
Blue Peter. A flag with a blue
ground and white square in the centre,
hoisted as a signal that the ship is about
to sail. Peter is a corruption of the
Blue-pigeon
2 Bluff
French partir (leave or notice of de-
parture). The flag is hoisted to give
notice to the town that any person
having a money-claim may make it
before the ship starts, and that all about
to sail are to come on board.
According to Falconer, it is a corrup-
tion of the “blue repeater.”
In whist, it is a “call for trumps”;
that is, laying on your partner's card a
higher one than is required. .
To hoist the blue Peter. To leave.
“When are you going to sail P'.
“‘I cannot justly Say. Our ship's bound for
America, next voyage . . . but I've got to go to
the Isle of Man first . . . And I may have to hoist,
the blue Peter any day.’”—Mrs. Gaskell: Man'y
Barton, chap. xiii.
Blue-pigeon Flyer. A man who
steals the lead off of a house or church.
“Bluey’’ is slang for lead, so called
from its colour. To “pigeon” is to
gull, cheat, or fub. Hence, blue-pigeon,
one who cheats another of his lead, or
fubs his lead. “Flyer,” of course, is
one who flies off with the stolen lead.
Blue Ribbon (The). “To be adorned
with the blue ribbon,” to be made
knight of the garter, or adorned with a
blue ribbon at the knee. Blue ribbon
is also a temperance badge. (See CoRDON
BLEU.)
“Ilord Lansdown is to be made Knight of the
Garter . . . . though there is no vacancy. Lord
Derby received the Blue Ribbon in 1859, although
there was no Yacancy.”—Truth : March, 1894.
The Blue Ribbon of the Turf. The
Terby. Lord George Bentinck sold his
stud, and found to his vexation that one
of the horses sold won the Derby a few
months afterwards. Bewailing his ill-
luck, he said to Disraeli, “Ah you don’t
know what the Derby is.” “Yes, I do,”
replied Disraeli; “it is the blue ribbon
of the turf,” alluding to the term cordo72
blew (q.v.); or else to the blue garter,
the highest of all orders.
º “The blue ribbon of the profession”
is the highest point of honour attainable
therein. The blue ribbon of the Church
is the Archbishopric of Canterbury, that
in law is the office of Lord Chancellor.
Blue Ribbon (A). A wale from a
blow. A bruise turns the skin blue.
“Do you want a blue ribbon round those white
sides of yours, you monkey P' answered Qrestes;
* because, if you do, the hippolyotamus hide hangs
ready outside.’”—Kingsley : Hypatia, chap. iv.
Blue Ruin. Gin. Called blue from
its tint, and ruin from its effects.
Blue Squadron (The). One of the
three divisions of the British Fleet in
the seventeenth century. (See ADMIRAL
OF THE BLUE.)
Blue Stocking A female pedant.
In 1400 a society of ladies and gentle-
men was formed at Venice, distinguished
by the colour of their stockings, and
called della calza. It lasted till 1590,
when it appeared in Paris and was the
rage among the lady Savantes. From
France it came to England in 1780, when
Mrs. Montague displayed the badge of
the Bas-bleu club at her evening assem-
blies. Mr. Benjamin Stillingfleet was a
constant attendant of the soirées. The
last of the clique was Miss Monckton,
afterwards Countess of Cork, who died
1840.
“‘You used to be fond enough of books . . . . a
regular blue-stocking Mr. Bland called you.’ ”—
E. S. Phelps: The Gates Ajar, chap. iv.
Blue Talk. Indecent conversation,
from the French, JBibliothèque Blent.
(Harlots are called “Blues” from the
blue gown they were once compelled to
wear in the House of Correction.)
Blue Wonder (A). The German
Blattes, Wºnder, which means “a queer
story,” as Du Sollst dein blattes wºnder
Sehem, You will be filled with amaze-
ment (at the queer story I have to
relate). A “blue wonder” is a cock
and bull story, an improbable tale,
something to make One stare. The
French, contes bleus.
Blue and Red, in public-house signs,
are heraldic colours, as the Blue Pig,
the Blue Cow, the Red Lion, the Red
Hart, etc.
Blue and Yellow (The). The Edin-
burgh Review ; so called from its yellow
and blue cover. The back is yellow, the
rest of the cover is blue.
Blues (The), applied to troops.
The Oaford Blues. The Royal Horse
Guards were so called in 1690, from the
Earl of Oxford their commander and the
blue facings. Wellington, in one of his
despatches, writes:—“I have been ap-
pointed colonel of the Blues.”
“It was also known as the ‘Blue Guards'
during the campaign, in Flanders (1742-1745).”—
Trimém : Itegiments of the British Army,
Bluff (To), in the game called Poker,
is to stake on a bad hand. This is a
dodge resorted to by players to lead an
adversary to throw up his cards and
forfeit his stake rather than risk them
against the “bluffer.”
“The game proceeded. George, although he
affected no ignorance of the ordinary principles
of poker, played like a novice—that is to say, he
bluffed extravagantly on absurdly low hands.”—
Truth : Queer Stories, Sept. 3rd, 1885,
Dluff Harry
Bluff Harry or Hai. Henry VIII.,
so called from his bluff and burly man-
ners (1491, 1509-1547.)
Blunderbore. A giant, brother of
Cormoran, who put Jack the Giant
Riller to bed and intended to kill him ;
but Jack thrust a billet of wood into
the bed, and crept under the bedstead.
Blunderbore came with his club and
broke the billet to pieces, but was much
amazed at seeing Jack next morning at
breakfast-time. When his astonish-
ment was abated he asked Jack how
he had slept. “Pretty well,” said the
Cornish hero, “but once or twice I
fancied a mouse tickled me with its
tail.” This increased the giant's sur-
prise. Hasty pudding being provided
for breakfast, Jack stowed away such
huge stores in a bag concealed within
his dress that the giant could not keep
pace with him. Jack cut the bag open
to relieve “the gorge,” and the giant,
to effect the same relief, cut his throat
and thus killed himself. (See GIANTS.)
Blunderbuss. A short gun with a
large bore. (Dutch, donderbus, a thun-
der-tube.)
Blunt. Ready money.
Blunt (Major-General). An old
cavalry officer, rough in speech, but
very brave and honest, of good under-
standing, and a true patriot. (Shad-
well: The Volunteers.)
Blurt out (To). To tell something
from impulse which should not have
been told. To speak incautiously, or
without due reflection. Florio makes
the distinction, to “flurt with one's
fingers, and blurt with one’s mouth.”
Blush. At the first blush. At the
first glance; speaking off-hand without
having given the subject mature deliber-
ation. The allusion is to blushing at
Some sudden or unexpected allusion ;
the first time the thought has flashed
into your mind.
To put to the blush. To make one
blush with shame, annoyance, or con-
fusion.
“England might blush in 1620, when English-
men £1'embled at a fool's frown [i.e. James I.], but
110t, in 1649, When an enraged people cut off his
Son's [Charles I.] head.”—Wendell Phillips: Ora-
tions, p. 419. -
Bo Or Boh, in old Runic, was a fierce
Gothic captain, son of Odin. His name
was used by his soldiers when they
would take the enemy by surprise. (Sir
William Temple.)
even to a fool.
153 Boar's Flesh
-->
From this name comes our bogie, a
hobgoblin or little Bo. Gifford Castle
is called Bo Hall, being said to have
been constructed by bogies or magic.
Compare Greek, boi, bah I verb, boač, to
shout out ; Latin, běo, to bellow like a
bull (bos). (See BOGIE.)
You cannot say Bo 1 to a goose—i.e.
you are a coward who dare not say bo!
When Ben Jonson was
introduced to a nobleman, the peer was
SO struck with his homely appearance
that he exclaimed, “What are you
Ben Jonson P Why, you look as if you
could not say Bo! to a goose.” “Bo!”
exclaimed the witty dramatist, turning
to the peer and making his bow. (Latin,
bo-are; Greek, boa-ein, to cry aloud.)
Bo-tree. A corruption of bodhi or
bodhiruºma (the tree of wisdom), under
which Sakyamuni used to sit when he
concocted the system called Buddhism.
Boa. Pliny says the word is from
bos (a cow), and arose from the supposi-
tion that the boa, sucked the milk of
COWS.
Boanergès (soms of thunder). A
name given to James and John, the sons
of Zeb'edee, because they wanted to call
down “fire from heaven’’ to consume
the Samaritans for not “receiving ” the
Tord Jesus. (Luke ix. 54; see Mark
iii. 17.)
Boar. The Boar. Richard III. ; so
called from his cognisance.
“The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar
That spoiled your summer fields and fruitful
VlheS ;
. . . This foul Swine . . . lies now . . .
Near to the town of Leicester, as we learn.”
Shakespeare : Richard III., Y. 3.
The bristled Baptist boar. So Dryden
denominates the Anabaptists in his Hánd
and Panther.
“The bristled Baptist boar, impure as #: [the ape],
11.M.,
*
But whitened with the foam of sang
With fat pollutions filled the sacred place,
And mountains levelled in his furious race.”
Part i. 43-6.
The wild boar of Ardennes [Le Sanglier
des Ardennes]. Guillaume, Comte de la
Marck, so called because he was fierce
as the wild boar, which he delighted to
hunt. Introduced by Sir Walter Scott
as William, Count of la Marck, in Quen-
in Durward.
Boar (The), eaten every evening in
Walhalla by the AEsir, was named SAEH-
RIMNIR. It was eaten every evening
and next morning was restored whole
again.
Boar's Flesh. Buddha died from a
meal of dried boar's flesh. Mr. Sinnett
Boar's Head
154
Boaz
tells us that the “boar” referred to was
the boar avatar of Vishnu, and that
“dried boar’s flesh ’’ means esoteric
knowledge prepared for popular use.
None but Buddha, himself must take
the responsibility of giving out occult
secrets, and he died while so occupied,
i.e. in preparing for the general esoteric
knowledge. The protreptics of Jambhi-
cus are examples of similar interpreta-
tions. (See Nineteenth Century, June,
1893, p. 1021.)
Boar's Head. [The Christmas dish.]
Freyr, the Scandinavian god of peace
and plenty, used to ride on the boar
Gullinbursti; his festival was held at
Yuletide (winter solstice), when a boar
was sacrificed to his honour.
The Boar’s Head. This tavern, made
immortal by Shakespeare, used to stand
in Eastcheap, on the site of the present
statue of William IV. It was the cog-
misance of the Gordons, the progenitor
of which clan slew, in the forest of
Huntley, a wild boar, the terror of all
the Merse (1093).
Board. A council which sits at a
board or table; as “Board of T)irectors,”
“Board of Guardians,” “School Board,”
“Board of Trade,” etc. (Anglo-Saxon,
bord, a board, table, etc.)
To sweep the board. To win and carry
off all the stakes in a game of cards.
2. Board, in Sea phrases, is all that
space of the sea, which a ship passes
over in tacking. .
On board. In the ship.
board,” to enter the ship or other sea
vessel.
Overboard.
into the sea.
To board a ship is to get on board an
enemy’s vessel.
Tallen out of the ship
To make a good board. To make a good
or long tack in beating to windward.
To make a short board. To make a
short tack. “To make short boards,”
to tack frequently.
To make a stern board.
foremost.
To run aboard of. To run foul of
[another ship].
3. To board. To feed and lodge to-
gether, is taken from the custom of the
university members, etc., dining together
at a common table or board. -
To sail stern
Board. To accost. (French, aborder,
to accost.)
“I’ll board her, though she chide as loud
AS thunder.” *
Shakespeare: Taming of the Shrew, i. 2.
(See also Hamlet, ii, 2.) .
“To go on
* * *
Board of Green Cloth. So called
because the lord steward and his board
sat at a table covered with green
cloth. It existed certainly in the reign
of Henry I., and probably earlier, and
was abolished in 1849. -
, “Board of Green Cloth, June 12th, 1681. Order
was this day given that the Maides of Honour
should have cherry-tarts instead of gooseberry-
tarts, it being observed that cherry's are three-
pence a pound.”
Board School (A). An undenomi-
national elementary school managed by
a School Board, and supported by a
parliamentary grant collected by a rate.
Boarding School. I am going to
boarding school. Going to prison to be
taught good behaviour.
Boards. He is on the boards, i.e. an
actor by profession.
Boast (The). The vainglory, the
ostentation, that which a person boasts
of, or is proud of.
“The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
Awaits [sic] alike the inevitable hour.’
Gray : The Elegy, stanza 9.
Boast of England (The). Tom
Thumb or Tom-a-lin. Richard Johnson,
in 1599, published a “history of this
ever-renowned soldier, the Red Rose
Knight, surnamed The Boast of Eng-
land, showing his honorable victories in
foreign countries, with his strange for-
tunes in Faëry Land, and how he
married the fair Angliterra, daughter of
Prester John. . . .”
Boat. Both in the same boat. Both
treated alike: both placed in the same
conditions. The reference is to the boat
launched when a ship is wrecked.
To be represented in a boat is the
ordinary symbol of apotheo'sis. Many
sovereigns are so represented on coins.
Boatswain. The Officer who has
charge of the boats, sails, rigging, an-
chors, cordage, Cables, and colours.
Swain is the Saxon Swei?? (a boy, Ser-
vant), Swedish swen. Hence, a shepherd
is a swain, and a Sweetheart is a woman’s
servant or Swain.
Boatswain. The name of Byron's
favourite dog, buried in Newstead Abbey
garden.
Boaz and Jachin. The names of the
two brazen pillars set up by Solomon
at the entrance of his temple—Boaz
(strength) on the left hand, and Jachin
(stability) on the right. (1 Kings vii. 21.)
“Two pillars raising by their skill profound,
Boaz and Jachim, thro' the East renowned.”
- Crabbe. Borough,
** * *-* *- ---
T3Ob
I
55
JBodkin
Bob. A shilling. A “bender ’’ is a force, at least into Ireland. (See
sixpence. (Compare BAWBEE.)
Bob. A set of changes rung on [church]
bells: as a “bob major,” a “bob-
minor,” a “triple bob.”
To give the bob to any one. To deceive,
to balk. This word is a corruption of
gop. The bob of a pendulum or
mason’s plumb-line is the weight that
pops backwards and forwards. The bob
of a fishing-line pops up and down when
fish nibble at the bait. To bob for apples
or cherries is to try and catch them
while they swing backwards and for-
wards. As this is very deceptive, it is
easy to see how the word signifies to
balk, etc.
To bob means also to thump, and a bob
is a blow.
“He that a fool doth very wisely hit,
I)0th very foolishly, although he smart,
Not to seem Senseless of the bob.”
Shakespeare: As You Like It, ii. 7.
Bear a bob. Be brisk. The allusion
is to bobbing for apples, in which it
requires great agility and quickness to
catch the apple. -
A bob wig. A wig in which the
bottom locks are turned up into bobs or
short curls.
Bobadii. A military braggart of
the first water. Captain Bobadil is a
character in Ben Jonson's comedy of
I'very Man in his Humour. This name was
probably suggested by Bobadilla, first
governor of Cuba, who sent Columbus
home in chains. (See VINCENT.)
“Bobadil is the author's best invention, and is
Worthy to march in the same regiment with
Bessus and Pistol, Parolles, and the Copper Cap-
tain’” (q.v.).-B. W. Procter.
* See all these names in their proper
places.
Bobbery, as “Kicking up a bobbery,”
making a squabble or tumult, kicking
up a shindy. It is much used in India,
and Colonel Yule says it is of Indian
Origin.
Bobbish.
Pretty bobbish. Prett
well (in spirits and health), from bob,
brisk. (See above.) A very ancient ex-
pression.
Bobbit. If it isn't weel bobbit we’ll
bob it again. If it is not done well
enough, we will try again. To bob is to
dance, and literally the proverb means,
“If it is not well danced, we will dance
over again.”
Bobby. A policeman; so called be-
cause Sir Robert Peel introduced the
PEELER.)
“But oh for the grip of the bobby's hand
Upon liis neck that day.”
Punch : July 26, 1884.
Boccus (King). A kind of Solomon,
who not only drank strong poison “in
the name of the Trinite ” without hurt ;
but also answered questions of wisdom,
morality, and natural science. (The
History of King Boceus and Sydrack,
from the French.)
Bockland or Bookland. Tand severed
from the foleland, and converted into a
private estate of perpetual inheritance
by a short and simple deed or bock.
Bod. The divinity invoked by Indian
women who desire fecundity. Children
born after an invocation to Bod must be
redeemed, or else serve in the temple of
the goddess. (Indian mythology.) -
Boden-See. The Lake of Constance ;
so called because it lies in the Boden, or
low country at the foot of the Alps.
(Latin, Senus Bodamicus.)
Bodies. Compound bodies, in chemi-
cal phraseology, mean those which have
two or more simple bodies or elements
in their composition, as water.
Simple bodies, in chemical phraseology,
mean the elements.
The heavenly bodies. The sun, moon,
stars, and so on.
The seven bodies (of alchemists). The
seven metals supposed to correspond
with the seven “planets.”
I’lamets. “t #etals.
I. Apollo, or the Sun . . Gold.
2. T)iana, Ol' the MOOn . . Silyer.
3. Mercury . . . . . . . . Quicksilver.
4. VenllS CO]).]]er.
5. Mal'S . . Iron.
6. Jupiter Tin.
7. Saturn . . . . LCad.
Bodkin. A dagger. (Welsh, bodogyn,
a small dagger.)
Bodkin. When he himself might his
quietus make with a bare bodkin (Hamlet,
iii. 1). A stiletto worn by ladies in the
hair, not a dagger. In the Seven Cham-
pions, Castria took her silver bodkin
from her hair, and stabbed to death first
her sister and then herself. Praxida
stabbed herself in a similar manner.
Shakespeare could not mean that a man
might kill himself with a naked dagger,
but that even a hair-pin would suffice
to give a man his quietus.
Bodlein. To ride bodkin. To ride in
a carriage between two others, the ac-
commodation being only for two.
* Dr. Payne says that bodkin in this
sense is a contraction of bodykin, a
13odle
156
Bogtrotters
little body, which may be Squeezed into
a small space.
“If you can bodkin the Sweet creature into the
coach.”— Gibbon. -
“There is hardly room between Jos and Mis8
Sharp, who are on the front seat, Mr. Osborne
sitting bodkin opposite, between Captain Dobbin
and Aimelia.”—Thacker(ty : ['anity Fair.
Bodle. A Scotch coin, worth the
sixth of a penny; so called from Both-
well, a mint-master.
“Fair play, he car'd na deils a boddle.”
Batºns : Tam o'Shamter, line 110.
To care not a bodle = our English
phrase, “Not to care a farthing.”
Bodle'ian Library (Oxford). So
called because it was restored by Sir
Thomas Bodley in 1597.
Body. (Anglo-Saxon, bodig.)
A regular body, in geometry, means
one of the five regular solids, called
“Platonic” because first suggested by
Plato. (See PLATONIC BODIES.)
To body forth. To give mental shape
to an ideal form.
“Imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown.”
Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, V. l.
Body and Soul. To keep body and
soul together. To sustain life; from the
notion that the soul gives life. The
Tatin azzima, and the Greek psyché,
mean both soul and life; and, according
to Homeric mythology, the departed
soul retains the shape and Semblance
of the body, hence the notion of ghosts.
Indeed, if the soul is the “principle of
life,” it must of necessity be the fac-
simile of every living atom of the body.
(See ASTRAL BODY.)
Body-colour (A). . Is a paint con-
taining a body or consistency. In water-
colours it is mixed with white lead and
laid on thickly. -
IBody Corporate (A). An aggregate
of individuals legally united into a cor-
poration.
Body Politic (A). A whole nation
considered as a political corporation ; the
State. In Latin, totum corpus reipublica.
Body-snatcher (A). One who
Snatches or purloins bodies, newly
buried, to sell them to surgeons for
dissection. By a play on the words, a
bum-bailiff was so called, because his
duty was to Snatch or capture the body
of a delinquent.
* The first instance of body-snatching
on record was in 1777. It was the body
of Mrs. Jane Sainsbury from the burial
ground near Gray’s Inn Lane. The
men, being convicted, were imprisoned
for six months. . . . . . .” --- -
Boemond. The Christian King of
Antioch, who tried to teach his subjects
arts, laws, and religion. Pyrrhus de-
livered to him a fort, by which Antioch
was taken by the Christians after an
eight months' siege. Boemond and
Roge'ro were two brothers, the sons of
Roberto Guiscardo, of the Norman race.
(Tasso : Jerusalem Delivered.)
Boeo/tia. According to fable it is
so-called because Cadmus was conducted
by an ox (Greek bous) to the spot where
he built Thebes; but, according to fact,
it was so called because it abounded in
cattle. (Greek, Boiótia.)
Boeotian. A rude, unlettered person,
a dull blockhead. The ancient Boeotians
loved agricultural and pastoral pursuits,
so the Athenians used to say they were
dull and thick as their own atmosphere;
yet Hesiod, Pindar, Corinna, Plutarch,
Pelopſidas, and Epaminondas, were all
Boeotians.
Boeotian Ears. Ears unable to ap-
preciate music or rhetoric.
“Well, friend, I assure thee thou hast not got
Boeotian ears [because glow gan, appreciate the
beqwties of my sermons].”— Le Sage: Gil Blits,
Wii. 3.
Boëthius. Tast of the Latin authors,
properly so called (470–524). Alfred
the Great translated his JDe Consolatio’??e
Philosophia into Anglo-Saxon.
Bogie. A scarecrow, a goblin. (Bul-
garian, bog, a god; Slavonic, boget;
Welsh, burg, a goblin, our bugbear.)
The Assyrian mothers used to scare
their children with the name of Narsès
(Gibbon); the Syrians with that of
Bichard Coeur de Lion ; the Dutch with
Boh, the Gothic general (Warton); the
Jews with Lilith ; the Turks with
Mathias Corvi'nus, the Hungarian king;
and the English with the name of Luns-
fort (q.v.). (See Bo.)
Bo'gio (in Orlando Furioso). One of
the allies of Charlemagne. He promised
his wife to return within six moons, but
was slain by Dardinello.
Bogle Swindle. A gigantic Swindle
concocted in Paris by fourteen persons,
who expected to net at least a miſſion.
sterling. It was exposed in the Times.
Bogomi'li. A religious sect of the
twelfth century, whose chief seat was
Thrace. So called from their constant
repetition of the words, “Lord, have
mercy upon us,” which, in Bulgarian, is
bog (LOrd), milui (have mercy).
Bogtrotters. Irish tramps; so called
from their skill in crossing the Irish
IBogus
157
Bolognese School
bogs, from tussock to tussock, either as
guides or to escape pursuit.
Bogus. Bogºus currency. Forged or
sham bills. Bogus transactions. Fraudu-
lent transactions. The word is by Some
connected with bogie.
Towell (Biglow Papers) says, “I more than sus-
pect, the word to be a corruption of the French
baſſasse.” &
in French argot is another word (bogue); the
rind of a green chestnut, or case of a Watch ; a
bogus chestnut, or Watch.
Bohème (Laj. A Bohemian, that is,
one living on his wits, such as a penny-
a-liner, journalist, politician, artist,
dancer, or in fact any chevalier of
unsettled habits and no settled home.
From the French, Bohémien, a gipsy.
Une maison de Bohéme means a house
where no regularity is observed, but all
things are at sixes and sevens.
Bohemia. The Queen of Bohemia.
A public-house sign in honour of Lady
Elizabeth Stuart, daughter of James I.,
who was married to Frederick, elector
palatine, for whom Bohemia was raised
into a separate kingdom. It is through
this lady that the Brunswick family suc-
ceeded to the throne of Great Britain.
Bohemian. A gipsy, an impostor.
The first gipsies that entered France
came from Bohemia, and appeared before
|Paris in 1427. They were not allowed to
enter the city, but were lodged at La
Chapelle St. Denis.
Aslang term applied to literary men
and artists of loose and irregular habits,
living by what they can pick up by their
brains. -
“Never was there an editor with less ahout him
of the literary Bohemian. A strong contrast to
lais unhappy contemporary, Chatterton.”—Port-
wightly Išeview : Pustom, Letter.
Bohe’mian Brethren. A religious
sect formed out of the remnants of the
Hussites. They arose at Prague in the
fifteenth century, and were nicknamed
Cave-dwellers, because they lurked in
caves to avoid persecution.
Bohemian Life (A). An irregular,
restless way of living, like that of a gipsy.
Bohort (Sir). A knight of Arthur's
Round Table, brother of Sir Lionel, and
nephew of Lancelot of the Lake. Also
called Sir Borg.
Boi'es (2 syl.). Priests of the savages
of Florida. Each priest has his special
idol, which must be invoked by the fumes
of tobacco. (American Indian mythology.)
Boiling-point. He was at boiling-
point. Very angry indeed. Properly
the point of heat at which water, under
ordinary conditions, boils. (212° Fah-
renheit, 100° Centigrade, 80° Réaumur.)
Boiley or Boily. Bread soaked in
water. A word used in baby-farming
establishments (French, bouillie). (Pall
Mall Budget, Aug. 22, 1889.)
Boissere'an Collection. A collec-
tion at Stuttgart of the early specimens
of German art, made by the three
brothers Boisserée.
Bo'lay or Boley. The giant which the
Indians say conquered heaven, earth, and
the inferno. (Indian mythology.)
Bold. Bold as Beauchamp (Beech-um).
It is said that Thomas Beauchamp, Earl
of Warwick, with one squire and six
archers, overthrew 100 armed men at
Hogges, in Normandy, in 1346.
This exploit is not more incredible
than that attributed to Captal-de-Buch,
who, with forty followers, cleared Meaux
of the insurgents called “La Jacquerie,”
7,000 of whom were slain by this little
band, or trampled to death in the
narrow streets as they fled panic-struck
1358). t
( Bold as brass. Downright impudent ;
without modesty. Similarly, we say
‘‘ brazen-faced.”
I make bold to say. I take the liberty
of saying ; I venture to Say.
Bole’rium Promontory. The Land’s
End.
Bole'ro. A Spanish dance ; so called
from the name of the inventor.
Bolingbroke. Henry IV. of Eng-
land ; so called from Bolingbroke, in
Lincolnshire, where he was born. (1366,
1399-1413.) ... •
Bollandists. Editors of the Acta
Sanctorum begun by John Bolland (1596–
1665); the sixty-first folio volume was
published in 1875.
Bollen. Swollen. (Anglo-Saxon,
bolla, a bowl.) Hence “joints bolme-
big ’’ (Golding), and “bolne in pride''
(Phaer). The seed capsule or pod of
flax is called a “boll.”
“The barley, was in the ear, and the flax was
bolled.”—ExOd. ix. 31.
Bolo'gna Stone. A variety of barite,
found in masses near Bologna. After
being heated, powdered, and exposed to
the light it becomes phosphorescent in
the dark.
Bolognese School. There were three
periods to the Bolognese School in paint-
ing—the Early, the Roman, and the
Eclectic. The first was founded by
IBOlt
158 BOrmb
Marco Zoppo, in the fifteenth century,
and its best exponent was Francia. The
second was founded in the sixteenth
century by Bagnacavallo, and its chief
exponents were Primatic’io, Tibaldi, and
Nicolo dell’ Abate. The third was
founded by the Carracci, at the close of
the sixteenth century, and its best
masters have been Domenichi'no, Lan-
franco, Guido, Schido'ne, Guercino, and
Alba'ni. -
Bolt. An arrow, a shaft (Anglo-
Saxon, bolta; Danish, bolt; Greek, ballo,
to cast; Latin, pello, to drive). A door
bolt is a shaft of wood or iron, which
may be shot or driven forward to secure
a door. A thunderbolt is an hypothetical
shaft cast from the clouds; an aerolite.
Cupid’s bolt is Cupid’s arrow.
The fool's bolt is soon spent. A foolish
archer shoots all his arrows so heedlessly
that he leaves himself no resources in
case of need.
J must bolt. Be off like an arrow.
To bolt food. To swallow it quickly
without waiting to chew it.
To bolt out the truth. To blurt it out ;
also To bolt out, to exclude or shut out
by bolting the door.
To bolt. To sift, as flour is bolted.
This has a different derivation to the
above (Low Latin, bult-clla, a boulter,
from an Old French word for coarse
cloth).
“I cannot bolt this matter to the bran,
As Bradwarden and laoly Austin can.”
J)7'yden’s version of the Cock, and Fox. .
Bolt from the Blue (A). There fell
a bolt from the blue. A sudden and
wholly unexpected catastrophe or event
occurred, like a “thunderbolt” from the
blue sky, or flash of lightning without
warning and wholly unexpected.
“Namgue Diespiter
Igni corusco nubila dividens,
Plerumque, per purum tomantes
Egit equos volucremdue currum. . . .
Horace : 1 Ode xxxiv. 5, etc.
“On Monday, Dec. 22nd [1890], there fell a bolt
from the blue. The morning papers announced
that the men were out [on Strike].”—Nineteenth,
Century, February, 1891, p. 240.
*: In this phrase the word “bolt'' is
used in the popular sense for lightning,
the Latin fulmen, the French foudre and
tonnerre, in English sometimes for an
aerolite. Of course, in strict scientific
language, a flash of lightning is not a
thunderbolt. Metaphorically, it means
a sudden and wholly unexpected catas-
trophe, like a thunderbolt [flash of
lightning] from a blue or serene sky.
German: Wie ein Blitzstrahlaus blauem Aether.
Italian: Comme un fulmine a ciel Sereno. -
Latim: Audiit et coeli genitor de l'arte Serena
intonuit layum. (Virgil: Aheid, ix. 630)
53
Bolt in Tun, a public-house, sign,
is heraldic. In heraldry it is applied to
a bird-bolt, in pale, piercing through a
tum. The punning crest of Serjeant
Bolton, who died 1787, was ‘‘ on a wreath
a tun erect proper, transpierced by an
arrow fesseways or.” Another family
of the same name has for crest “a tun
with a bird-bolt through it proper.” A.
third, harping on the same string, has “a
bolt gules in a tun or.” The public-
house sign distinguished by this device
or name adopted it in honour of some
family claiming one of the devices men-
tioned above.
Bolt Upright. Straight as an arrow.
A bolt is an arrow with a round knob at
the end, used for shooting at rooks, etc.
Bolted. Bolted ontë. Either ran off
suddenly, or being barred out of the
house.
The horse bolted. The horse shot off
like a bolt or arrow.
Bolted Arrow. A blunt arrow for
shooting young rooks with a cross-bow ;
called “bolting rooks.” A gun would
not do, and an arrow would mangle the
little things too much. .
Bolton. The Bolton Ass. This crea-
ture is said to have chewed tobacco and
taken Snuff. (Dr. Doran.)
JBate ºne an ace, quoth Bolton. Give
me some advantage. , What you say
must be qualified, as it is too strong.
Ray Says that a collection of proverbs
were Once presented to the Virgin Queen,
with the assurance that it contained all
the proverbs in the language ; but the
Queen rebuked the boaster with the pro-
verb, “Bate me an ace, quoth Bolton,”
a proverb omitted in the compilation.
John Bolton was one of the courtiers
who used to play cards and dice with
Henry VIII., and flattered the king by
asking him to allow him an ace or some
advantage in the game.
Bolus. An apothecary. Apothecaries
are so called because they administer
bolºſses. Similarly Mrs. Suds is a washer-
woman ; Boots is the shoeblack of an
inn, etc.
George Colman adopts the name for
his apothecary, who wrote his labels in
rhyme, one of which was—
“When taken,
To be well shaken"; . .
but the patient being shaken, instead of
the mixture, died. - -
Bomb. A shell filled with gunpowder.
(Greek, bombos ; Latin, bombus, any
Bornba,
9. Borne
deep noise. Thus Festus says: “Bom-
bus, Sonus 770m apium tantum, aut poettli
bilbientis; sed etiam tonitrús.” And
Catullus applies it to the blast of a trum-
pet, “efflabant cornua bombis,” lxiv. 263.)
Bomba. Iſing Bomba. A nickname
given to Ferdinand II., King of Naples,
in consequence of his cruel bombard-
ment of Messina in 1848, in which the
slaughter and destruction of property
was most wanton.
Bomba II. was the nickname given to
his son Francis II. for bombarding Pa-
lermo in 1860.
Bombali'no (Little Bomba).
Another meaning equally applicable is
Vox et practer'ea nihil, Bomba being the
explosion made by puffing out the cheeks,
and causing them suddenly to collapse.
Liar, break-promise, worthless.
Bombast literally means the produce
of the bombyx (Middle Latin bombaa,
Greek bombuſa), and applied to cotton-
wool used for padding. The head of the
cotton plant was called “bombast” or
“bombace” in the sixteenth century.
Bombast was much used in the reign of
Henry VIII. for padding, and hence in-
flated language was so called.
“We have receiyed your letters full of love, . . .
And in Our maiden council rated them . . .
AS bombast and as lining to the time.”
Shalcespectre: Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2.
Bombastes Furio’so. One who
talks big and uses long sesquipedalian
words; the ideal of bombast. He is
the hero of a burlesque opera so called,
by William Barnes Rhodes. (1790.)
Bombastus. The family name of
Aureolus Paracelsus (1493-1541). He
is said to have kept a small devil
prisoner in the pommel of his sword.
“Bombastus kept a devil's bird
Shut in the pommel of his sword,
That taught him all the cunning pranks
Of past and future mountebanks.”
S. Butler: Hudibras, part ii. 3.
Bon Gaultier Ballads. Parodies
of modern poetry by W. E. Aytoun and
Theodore Martin (Sir).
Bon gré mal gré. Willing or un-
Willing, willy milly, molens volens.
Bon Mot (French).
saying ; a pun; a clever repartee.
Bon Ton (French). Good manners,
or manners äccredited by good society.
Bon Vivant (French). A free liver;
one who indulges in the “good things of
the table.”
, Bona Fide. Without subterfuge or
deception; really and truly. Literally,
in good faith (Latin).
IIe was also called
A good or witty
Bona-ro'ba. A courtesan (Italian);
so called from the smartness of their
robes or dresses.
“We knew where the bona-robas were.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., iii. 2.
Bonduca = Boadicea. (Fletcher’s
Tragedy, 1647.)
Bone. Bred in the bone. A part of one's
nature. “What’s bred in the bone will
come out in the flesh.” A natural pro-
pensity cannot be repressed. Naturam
fured expellas, autem itsque redibit.
Bone in my Throat. I have a bone
??? my throat. I cannot talk; I cannot
answer your question. -
I have a bone in my leg. An excuse
given to children for not moving from
one’s seat. Similarly, “I have a bone
in my arm,” and must be excused using
it for the present.
Bone of Contention. A disputed
point; a point not yet settled. The
metaphor is taken from the proverb
about “Two dogs fighting for a bone,”
etc. -
Bones. Deuca'lion, after the Deluge,
was ordered to cast behind him the bones
of his mother, i.e. the stones of mother
earth. Those thrown by Deuca/lion be-
came men, and those thrown by his wife,
Byrrha, became women.
Pindar Suggests that, laas, a stone, is a pun on
laos, the people. Both words, in the genitive
case singular, are alike laou. (Olymthics, ix. 66.)
Bone to pick (A). A sop to Cer-
bërus. A lucrative appointment given
to a troublesome opponent in order to
silence him. Thus Chisholm Anstey was
sent to Hong-Kong as a judge to keep
him away from the House of Commons.
Of course the allusion is to throwing a
bone to a dog barking at you.
“In those days the usual plan to get rid of an
Oratorical patriot in the House was to give him
‘ a bone to pick.’”—Anthony Collins.
I have a bone to pick with you. An
unpleasant matter to settle with you. At
the marriage banquets of the Sicilian
poor, the bride's father, after the meal,
used to hand the bridegroom a bone,
saying, “Pick this bone, for you have
taken in hand a much harder task.”
Bone. (See ALBADARA ; LUZ ; OS
SACRUM.) -
Bone (To). To filch, as, I boned it.
Shakespeare (2 FIenry VI., act i. 3) says,
“By these ten bones, my lord . . .”
meaning his ten fingers; and (Hamlet,
iii. 2) calls the fingers “pickers and
stealers.” Putting the two together,
there can be no doubt that “to bone '’
Borne-grubber
160 Bonnet
means to finger, that is, “to pick and
Steal.”
“You thought that I was buried deep
Quite decent-like and chary,
But from her grave in Mary-bone,
They've come and boned your Mary 1”
Hood: Mary's Ghost.
Bone-grubber (A). A person who
grubs about dust-bins, gutters, etc., for
refuse bones, which he sells to bone-
grinders, and other dealers in such stores.
Bone-lace.
made of trotter-bones.
Bone-shaker (A).
cab; also an old bicycle.
“A good swift hansom is worth twice as much
as a “bone-shaker’ any day.”—Nimeteenth Cem-
tury, March, 1893, p. 473.
Boned. I boned him. Caught or
seized him. (See above, To BONE.)
Bones. The man who rattles or plays
the bones in nigger troupes.
To make no bones about the matter, i.e.
no difficulty, no scruple. Dice are called
“bones,” and the French, flatter le dé
(to mince the matter), is the opposite of
our expression. To make no bones of a
thing is not to flatter, or “make much
of,” or humour the dice in order to show
favour.
Napier’s bones. (See under NAPIER.)
Without more bones. Without further
scruple or objection. (See above, “Make
700 bones,” etc.)
Bonese (2 syl.). The inhabitants of
Po’ni, one of the Celebès.
Bonfire. Ignis Ossium. The Athenaeum
shows that the word means a fire made
of bones ; one quotation runs thus, “In
the worship of St. John, the people . . .
made three manner of fires: one was of
clean bones and no wood, and that is
called a bonefire; another of clean wood
and no bones, and that is called a wood-
fire . . . and the third is made of wood
and bones, and is called “St. John’s
fire ‘’’ (Quatuor Sermones, 1499). Cer-
tainly bone (Scotch, bane) is the more
ancient way of spelling the first syllable
of the word; but some suggest that
“bon-fire" is really “boon-fire.”
A four-wheel
“In some parts of Lincolnshire . . . they make
fires in the public streets. . . with bones of oxen,
Sheep, etc. . . . heal)ed together . . . hence came
the origin of bonfires.”—Leland, lä52.
* Whatever the origin of the word, it
has long been used to signify either a
beacom fire, or a boom fire, i.e. a fire ex-
pressive of joy. We often find the word
spelt “bane-fire,” where bane may mean
“bone '’ or beacon. Welsh ban, lofty;
allied to the Norwegian batſm, a beacon
or cresset.
Lace woven on bobbins
Bon'homie'. Kindness, good nature;
free and easy manners; cordial benevo-
lence. (French.)
“I never knew a more prepossessing man. His
bomhomie was infectious.”—C. D. Warner: Little
Jourmey, Chal). Wi.
Bonhomme (Un). A goody man ;
according to Dr. Young's line, “What
is mere good nature, but a fool?” The
word, divided into two, is used in a good
sense, as Etre atmº bon homme. Jacques
Bonhomme means a peasant.
Jacques Bonhomme (French). A peas-
ant who ventures to interfere in politics.
Hence, the peasants' rebellion in 1358
was called La Jacquerie. The term
means “James Goodfellow ’’; we also
often address the poor as “My good
fellow.”
Bon'iface. A sleek, good-tempered,
jolly landlord. From Farquhar's comedy
of The Beaua.” Stratagem. -
“A regular British Boniface.”—The Jollºw Bull.
St. Boniface. The apostle of Germany,
an Anglo-Saxon whose original name
was Winifrid or Winfrith. (680-750.)
St. Boniface's cup. An extra cup of
wine (to the health of the Pope). Pope
Boniface, we are told in the Ebrietatis
JEncomium, instituted an indulgence to
those who drank his good health after
grace, or the health of the Pope of the
time being. An excuse for an extra
glass.
Bonne (French).
nursery governess.
Bonne Bouche (A).
morsel; a tit-bit (tid-bit).
“Now I'll give you a real bomme-bouche. This is
a bottle Of the ſalmous connet port of 1811.”—The
Epicure.
Bonnet. A pretended player at a
gaming-table, or bidder at an auction,
to lure others to play; so called because
he blinds the eyes of his dupes, just as
if he had struck their bonnet over their
eyes. -
“A man who sits at a gaming table, and appears
to lie playing against the table ; when a Stranger
appears the Bonnet generally wins.”—The Times.
A nursemaid, a
A delicious
IBonnet.
Braid Bonnet. The old Scotch cap,
made of milled woollen, without seam or
lining.
Glengarry Bonnet. The Highland bon-
net, which rises to a point in front.
JHe has a green bomet. Has failed in
trade. In France it used to be custom-
ary, even in the seventeenth century, for
bankrupts to wear a green bonnet (cloth
ap). -
IIe has a bee in his bonnet, (See BEE)
BOnnet; Tiairds
161 T3OOk
Bonnet Lairds. Local magnates of
Scotland, who wore the Braid Bonnet.
Bonnet-piece. A gold coin of James
W. of Scotland, the king's head on which
wears a bonnet.
Bonnet Rouge. The red cap of
Liberty worn by the leaders of the
Trench revolution. It is the emblem of
Red Republicanism.
Bonnie Dundee. John Graham, of
Claverhouse, Wiscount Dundee (1650-
1689).
Bonnyclabber. A drink made of
beer and buttermilk. (Irish, bač78776,
milk; elaba, thick or thickened.)
“With beer and buttermilk, mingled together, . .
To drink Such . . . bonny-clapper.” g
Bem, Jomsom, : The New Imm, i. 3.
Bono Johnny. John Bull is so
called in the East Indies.
Bontemps. Roger Bontemps (French).
The personification of “Never say die.”
The phrase is from Béranger.
“Vous pauvres, pleins d'envie ;
Vous riches, desireux;
Vous, dont le char dévie
Après un cours heureux ;
Vous, qui perdrez peut-être
Des titres éclatans, s
IElm gai! prenez pour mâitre
Le gros Roger Bontemps.” Be'ranger.
Ye poor, with envy goaded ;
Ye rich, for more who long ;
Ye who by fortune loaded,
Find all things going wrong
Ye who by some disaster
See all your cables break,
From henceforth for your master
Bluff Roger Bontemps take.
F. C. B.
Bonus. A bounty over and above
the interest of a share in any company.
(Latin, boºts gºtáºsteſs, a good profit or
bounty. The interest or fruit of money
put out in an investment was by the
Romans called the quaestus.)
Bonus Homārus. (See HoMER.)
Bonzes (sing. Božº'2e). Indian priests.
In China, they are the priests of the
Fohists; their number is 50,000, and
they are represented as idle and dis-
solute. In Japan they are men of rank
and family. In Tonquin every pagoda
has at least two bonzes, and some as
many as fifty. .
Booby. A spiritless fool, who suffers
himself to be imposed upon. In Eng-
land the Solan goose is called a booby or
nº (Spanish, bobo ; German, bube.)
A booby will never make a hawk. The
bird called the booby, that allows itself
to be fleeced by other birds, will never
become a bird of prey itself.
que Nationale in Paris.
Booby (Lady). A caricature on
Richardson’s Pam'ela. A vulgar upstart,
who tries to seduce Joseph Andrews.
(Fielding : Joseph Andrews.)
Booby-trap (A). A pitcher of water,
book, or something else, balanced gin-
gerly on the top of a door set ajar, so
that when the booby or victim is enticed
to pass through the door, the pitcher or
book falls on him.
Book (Ang.-Saxon, boe; Danish, bettke;
German, buche, a beech-tree). Beech-
bark was employed for carving names
on before the invention of printing.
“Here on my trunk's surviving frame,
Carved many a long-forgotten name, , .
As love's own altar, honour me :
Spare, Woodman, spare the beechen tree.”
Campbell: Beech Tree's Petition.
Book.
The dearest ever sold. A
Mazarin Bible at the Thorold sale, in
1884, bought by Mr. Quaritch, book-
seller, Piccadilly, London, for £3,900.
In 1873 Lord Ashburnham gave £3,400
for a copy. -
Book. The oldest iſ the world. That
by Ptah-Hotep, the Egyptian, compiled
in the reign of Assa, about B.C. 3366.
This MS. is preserved in the Bibliothè-
It is written
on papyrus in hieratic characters, and is
a compilation of moral, political, and
religious aphorisms. It strongly insists
On reverence to women, politeness, and
monotheism. Ptah-Hotep was a prince
of the blood, and lived to the age of 110
years. .
Book. Logistilla gave Astolpho, at
parting, a book which would tell him
anything he wanted to know, and save
him from the power of enchantment.
(Ariosto : Orlando Furioso, book viii.)
Beware of a man of one book. Never
attempt to controvert the statement of
any one in his own special subject. A
shepherd who cannot read will know
more about sheep than the wisest book-
worm. This caution is given by St.
Thomas Aqui'nas.
That does not suit my book. Does not
accord with my arrangements. The
reference is to betting-books, in which
the bets are formally entered.
To bring him to book. To make him
prove his words; to call him to account.
Make him show that what he says
accords with what is written down in
the indentures, the written agreement,
or the book which treats of the subject.
To book it. To take down an order;
to make a memorandum ; to enter in a
book.
To speak by the book. With minute
11
T}ook of Books
162
IBoots
exactness. To speak literatim, accord-
ing to what is in the book.
To speak like a book. To speak with
great precision and accuracy; to be full
of information.
To speak without book. Without au-
thority; from memory only, without
consulting or referring to the book.
Bell, book, and candle. (See underbBLL.)
Book of Books (The). The Bible.
Book of Life (The). In Bible lan-
guage, is a register of the names of those
who are to inherit eternal life. (Phil.
iv. 3; Rev. xx. 12.)
Books.
IIe is in my books, or in my good books.
The former is the older form ; both
mean to be in favour. The word book
was at one time used more widely, a
single sheet, or even a list being called a
book. To be in my books is to be on
my list of friends.
“I was so much in his books, that at his decease
he left me his lam]).”—Addison.
“If you want to keep in her good books, don't
call her ‘the old lady.’”—Dickens.
In
IHe is in my black (or bad) books.
disfavour. (See BLACK BOOKS.)
On the books. On the list of a club, on
the list of candidates, on the list of
voters, etc. -
'. In the universities we say, “on the boards.”
Out of my books. Not in favour; no
longer in my list of friends.
The battle of the books. The Boyle
controversy (q.v.). (See Pº)
To take one’s name off the books. To
withdraw from a club. In the passive
voice it means to be excluded, or no
longer admissible to enjoy the benefits
of the institution. The university phrases
are “to keep my name on the boards”;
“to take my name off the boards,” etc.
Book-keeper. One who borrows
books, but does not return them.
Book-keeping. The system of keep-
ing the debtor and creditor accounts
of merchants in books provided for the
purpose, either by single or by double
entry.
Waste-book. A book in which items
are not posted under heads, but are left
at random, as each transaction occurred.
JOay-book. A book in which are set
down the debits and credits which occur
day by day. These are ultimately sorted
into the ledger.
Ledger (Dutch, legen, to lay). The
book which is laid up in counting-houses.
In the ledger the different items are
regularly sorted according to the system
in use. (LEDGER-LINES.)
By Single entry. Book - keeping in
which each debit or credit is entered
only once into the ledger, either as a
debit or credit item, under the cus-
tomer's or salesman's name.
By , double entry. By which each
item is entered twice into the ledger,
. On the debit and once on the credit
S1C16.
Bookworm. One always poring over
his books; so called in allusion to the
insect that eats holes in books, and lives
both in and on its leaves.
Boom. A sudden and great demand
of a thing, with a corresponding rise in
its price. The rush of a ship under
press of sail. The word arises from the
Sound of booming or rushing water.
“The boom was Something wonderful. Every-
body bought, everybody sold.”—Mark, 'I'wain :
Life 07, the Mississippi, chap. 57.
Boom-Passenger (A). A convict
on board ship, who was chained to the
boom when made to take his daily
exercise.
Boon Companion (A). A convivial
companion. A boy, vivant is one fond
of good living. “Who leads a good
life is sure to live well.” (French, bon,
good.)
Boot. I will give you that to boot, i.e.
in addition. The Anglo-Saxon boot or
bût means “compensation.” (Gothic,
bóta, profit.)
“As anyone shall be more powerful . . . . or
higher in degree, shall he the more deeply make
boot for sin, and pay for every misdeed.”—Laws
of King Ethelred.
Boot-jack. (See under JACK.)
Boots. Seven - leagued boots. The
boots worn by the giant in the fairy tale,
called The Seven-leagued Boots. These
boots would stride over seven leagues at
a pace.
I measure five feet ten inches without my
boots. The allusion is to the chopine or
high-heeled boot, worn at one time to
increase the stature. Hamlet says of the
lady actress, “You are nearer heaven
than when Isaw you last, by the altitude
of a chopine.” (ii. 2.) -
Boots (an instrument of torture),
They were made of four pieces of narrow
|board nailed together, of a competent
length to fit the leg. The leg being
placed therein, wedges were inserted till
the sufferer confessed or fainted.
“All your empirics could never do the like cure
llpon the gout as the rack in England or your
Scotch boots.”—Marston : The Malcontemt.
Boots
163 TBOre
Boots. The youngest bishop of the
House of Lords, whose duty it is to read
prayers; so called because he walks
into the house in a dead man’s shoes or
boots, i.e. he was not in the house till
some bishop there died, and left a
vacancy.
Boots. To go to bed in his boots.
To be very tipsy. y
Boots at an Inn. A servant whose
duty it is to clean the boots. . The Boots
of the Holly-tree Inn, a Christmas tale
by Charles Dickens (1855).
Bootless Errand. An unprofitable
or futile message. The Saxon bot means
“reparation”—“overplus to profit”; as
“I will give you that to boot ”; “what
boots it me?” (what does it profit me?).
“I sent him
IBootless home and weather-beaten back.”
. Shakespeare: I Henry IV., iii. 1.
Boötes (Bo-o'-tees), or the ox-driver,
a constellation. According to ancient
mythology, Boötes invented the plough,
to which he yoked two oxen, and at
death, being taken to heaven with his
plough and oxen, was made a constel-
lation. Homer calls it “the wagoner.”
“Wide o'er the spacious regions of the north,
That see Boötes urge his tardy Wain.”
Thomsom, : Winter, 834-5.
Booth. Husband of Amelia. (Field-
ing : Amelia.)
Boozy. Partly intoxicated. (Russian,
busa, millet-beer; Latin, butza, from bato,
to fill ; Welsh, bozi ; Old Dutch, buyzen,
to tipple; Coptic, bottza, intoxicating
drink.)
“[n Egypt there is a heer called ‘Boozer,'
Which is intoxicating.”—Morming Chronicle, Aug.
27th, 1852.
Bor (in Norfolk) is a familiar term of
address to a lad or young man; as,
“Well, bor, I saw the morther you
spoke of ’’—i.e. “Well, sir, I saw the
lass. . . .” “Bor” is the Dutch boer,
a farmer ; and “mor” the Dutch anoer,
a female.
Borach'io. A drunkard. From the
Spanish boyach'oe or borrach'o, a bottle
made of pig's skin, with the hair inside,
dressed with resin and pitch to keep the
wine sweet. (Minshew.)
Iłowachio. . A follower of Don John,
in Much Ado About Nothing, who thus
plays upon his own name:—
“I will, like a true drunkard [borachio], utter all
to thee,”—Act iii. 5.
Bor’ak or Al Borak (the lightning).
The animal brought by Gabriel to carry
Mahomet to the seventh heaven. It had
the face of a man, but the cheeks of a
horse; its eyes were like jacinths, but
brilliant as the stars; it had the wings
of an eagle, spoke with the voice of a
man, and glittered all over with radiant
light. This creature was received into
Paradise. (See ANIMALS, CAMEL.)
Bord Halfpenny. A toll paid by
the Saxons to the lord for the privilege
of having a bord or bench at some fair
for the sale of articles.
Borda'rii or Boydmen. A class of
agriculturists superior to the Villa’ni,
who paid their rent by supplying the
lord’s board with eggs and poultry.
(Domesday Book.)
Border (The). The frontier of Eng-
land and Scotland, which, from the
eleventh to the fifteenth century, was
the field of constant forays, and a most
fertile source of ill blood between North
and South Britain.
“March, march, Ettrick and Teviotdale ; e
Why the deil dinna, ye march forward in
‘der 2
March, ınarch, Eskdale and Iiddesdale—
All the Blue BOnllets are bound for the
}JOrder.”
Sir Walter Scott : The Momastery.
Border Minstrel. Sir Walter Scott,
because he sang of the border. (1771-
1832.) .
Border States (The). The five
“slave” states (Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri) which
lay next to the “free states’’ were so
called in the Civil War, 1861-1865.
Bordlands. Lands kept by lords in
Saxon times for the supply of their own
board or table. (Anglo-Saxon, bord, a
table.)
Bordlode. Service paid for the land.
Bore (A). A person who bestows
his tediousness on you ; one who wearies
you with his prate, his company, or his
solicitations. Verb bear, bore, borne, to
endure. A bore is someone we bore with
or endured.
“At this instant,
He bores me with Soni e trick.”
Shakespeare: Henry VIII., i. 1.
Bore. A tidal wave.
The most celebrated bores are those
of the Brahmaputra, Ganges, Hooghly,
Indus, and Tsintang (in China). Bores
occur regularly in the Bristol Channel
and Solway Frith; occasionally (in high
tides), in the Clyde, Dee (Cheshire),
Dornoch Frith, Tune, Severn, Trent
TBOre
164
LXOS
(eygre), and Wye. The bore of the Bay
of Fundy is caused by the collision of the
tides. (Icelandic bára, a wave or billow.)
Bore (in pugilistic language) is one
who bears or presses on a man so as to
force him to the ropes of the ring by his
physical weight ; figuratively, one who
bears or presses on you by his pertin-
acity.
“All beggars are liable to rebuffs, with the cer-
tainty besides of being considered bores.”—Prince
Albe?'t, 1859. -
Bor'eal. Northern.
- “In radiant streams,
Bright over Europe, bursts the Boreal morn.”
Thomson : Autuºlº, 98.
Bor'eas. The north wind. According
to mythology, he was the son of Astraeus,
a Titan, and Eos, the morning, and lived
in a cave of Mount Haemus, in Thrace.
(Greek, boros, voracious; Böreas, the
north wind; Russian, boria, storm.)
“Cease, rude Boreas blustering railer.”
- co. A le.c. Steve?.S.
“Omnia pontus haul it Saxa. Vorax.” Lucaſm.
Borghese (Bor-ga'-zy). The Princess
Porghese pulled down a church con-
tiguous to her palace, because the in-
cense turned her sick and the organ made
her head uneasy.
Bor'gia. (See LUCREZIA.)
Born. Not born yesterday. Not to
be taken in ; worldly wise.
Born Days. In all my born days.
Ever since I was born.
Born in the Purple (a translation
of porphyrogenitats). The infant of
royal parents in opposition to born in
the gutter, or child of beggars. This
has nothing to do with the purple robes
of royalty. It refers to the chamber
lined with porphyry by one of the Byzan-
time empresses for her accouchement.
(See Nineteenth Century, March, 1894,
p. 510.)
“Zoe, the fourth wife of Leo VI., gave birth to
the future Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus
in the purple Chamber ()f the imperial palace.”—
Finlay : History of the Byzantime and Greek: Em-
pires, Vol. i.
Born with a Silver Spoon, or Boºm
with a silver Sp007, in one’s mouth. Born
to good luck; born with hereditary
wealth. The reference is to the usual
gift of a silver spoon by the godfather or
godmother of a child. The lucky child
does not need to wait for the gift, for it
is born with it in its mouth or inherits it
from infancy.
Borough English is where the
youngest son inherits instead of the
eldest. It is of Saxon origin, and is so
called to distinguish it from the Norman
custom.
“The custom of Borough English abounds in
Kent, Šliºs Surrey, the neighbourhood ()f
yº
London, and Some set. In the Midlands it is
rare, and north, of the Humber . . . it does not
seem to occur.”—F. Pollock : Macmillam's Maga-
2?), e, Xl Yi. (1882).
Borowe. St. George to borowe, i.e.
St. George being Surety. (Danish, borgen,
bail; Swedish, borgan, a giving of bail.)
Borr. Son of Ymer, and father of
Odin, Ville, We, and Hertha or Earth.
The Celtic priests claimed descent from
this deity. (Celtic mythology.)
Borrow. A pledge. To borrow is to
take something which we pledge our-
Selves to return. (Anglo-Saxon, borg, a
loan or pledge; verb boyff-ian.)
“Ye may retain as borrow's my two priests.”—
Scott: Ivanhoe, chap. xxxiii.
Borrowed days of February (The).
12th, 13th and 14th of February, said to
be borrowed from January. If these
days prove stormy, the year will be
favoured with good weather; but if
fine, the year will be foul and unfavour-
able. These three days are called by
the Scotch Faoilteach, and hence the
word frtoilteach means execrable weather.
Borrowed days of March. The
last three days of March are said to be
“borrowed from April.”
‘March said to Aperill,
I See 3 hoggs ſhoggets, sheep) upon a hill ;
And if you’ll lend me (layeS 3
I'll find a way to make them dee [die].
The first o' them wus wind and weet,
The Seçond o' them Wus Shaw and sleet,
The third o' them wus sic a freeze
It froze the birds' nebS to the trees.
When the 3 days were past and game
Th93 silly hoggs came hirpling [limping] hame.”
Bortell. The bull, in the tale of
IZeynard the Foa. (Heinrich von All-
Anaº.)
Bosſeil in lingua. He is bribed to
silence; he has a coin (marked with a
bull’s head) on his tongue. Adalardus,
in Statutis Abbatia Corbeiensis (bk. i.
c. 8), seems to refer to the bos as a coin.
“JEoves et reliquam pecuniam habeat . . .
*(nde et àpse et omnis familia ejus wivere
possit” (i.e. plenty of gold and silver...).
Plautus, however, distinctly says (Persa,
ii. 5, 16), “J}oves biºi hic sūt in eru.
ména’’ (Two bulls in a purse.) The
Greeks had the phrase, Bows strº y\ortms.
Servius tells us that even the Romans
had a coin with a bull stamped on it.
(See Pliny, 18, 3.) Presuming that there
was no such coin, there cannot be a
doubt that the word Bos was used as
the equivalent of the price of an ox.
1.65
Bottle-Chart
BOSh
Bosh. A Persian word meaning 770m-
sense. It was popularised in 1824 by
James Morier in his Adventures of
JHajji , Baba of , Ispahan, a Persian
romance. (Turkish, bosh lakerdi, silly
talk.)
“I always like to read old Darwin's Loves of the
I’lants; bosli as it is in a scientific point of View.”
—Kimgsley : Two Years Ago (Chap. X.).
Bosky. On the verge of drunken-
ness. University slang, from boskö, to
pasture, to feed. Everyone will remem-
'ber how Sir John Falstaff made sack his
meat and drink.
Bosom Friend (A). A very dear
friend. Nathan says, “It lay in his
bosom, and was unto him as a daughter.”
(2 Sam. xii. 3.) Bosom friend, amie du
coeur. St. John is represented in the
New Testament as the “bosom friend’”
of Jesus.
Bosom Sermons. Written sermons,
not extemporary ones or from notes.
T}oes it not mean committed to memory
or learnt by heart? {
“The preaching from ‘bosom Sermons,' or from
Writing, being considered a lifeless practice before
the ičformation.`ātūnā: Jºeformation in Eng-
latºd, p. 179. -
Bosphorus=Oxford. The Thracian
Bosphorus, or Bosporus, unites the Sea.
of Marmöra with the Euxine (2 syl.) or
Black Sea. According to Greek fable,
Zeus (Jupiter) greatly loved Io, and
changed her into a white cow or heifer
from fear of Hera or Juno ; to flee
from whom she swam across the strait,
which was thence called bos poros,
the passage of the cow. Hera dis-
covered the trick, and sent a gadfly to
torment Io, who was made to wander,
in a state of phrenzy, from land to land.
The wanderings of Io were a favourite
subject of story with the ancients.
Ultimately, the persecuted Argive prin-
cess found rest on the banks of the
Nile.
Dionysius of IIulicarnassus and Valerius Flaccus
give this account, but Accarion Says it was a ship,
With the prow of an ox, sent by Sonne Thracians
ºgil the Straits, that gave name to this pas-
Sovc V-, -
Boss, a master, is the Dutch baas,
head of the household. Hence the
great man, Chief, a masher, a swell.
“Mr. Stead calls Mr. O'Connor the ‘Boss of the
HOUSG.’”
Bossum. One of the two chief
deities of the negroes on the Gold Coast,
the other being Demonio. Bossum, the
principle of good, is said to be white ;
and Demonio, the principle of evil, black.
(African mythology.)
servants live here.
Bostal or Borstall. A narrow road-
way up the steep ascent of hills or downs.
(Anglo-Saxon biorh, a hill; Stigelé, a
rising path ; our stile.)
Bot'anomancy. Divination by leaves.
Words were written on leaves which
were exposed to the wind. The leaves
left contained the response. (SeeboTANY.)
Bot’any means a treatise on fodder
(Greek, bot'amé, fodder, from boskein, to
feed). The science of plants would be
“phytol’ogy,” from phyton-logos (plant-
treatise). ..
Botch. A patch. Botch and patch
are the same word ; the older form was
bodge, whence boggle. (Italian pezzo, pro-
nounced patzo.)
Bother, i.e. pother (Hibernian). Hal-
liwell gives us blother, which he says
means to chatter idly.
“‘Sir, cries the umpire, ‘cease your pother,
The creature's neither one nor t'other.’”
Lloyd : The Channeleon.
* The Irish bádhar (buaidhirt, trouble),
or its cognate verb, to deafen, seems to
be the original word.
Bothie System. The Scotch system
of building, like a barrack, all the out-
houses of a farmstead, as the byres,
stables, barns, etc. he farm men-
(Gaelic, botha/, a
cot or hut, our booth.)
“The jyothie System prevails, more or less, in
}%eastern and north-eastern districts.”—J. Begg,
Botley Assizes. The joke is to ask
a Botley man, “When the assizes are
coming on ?” and an innuendo is sup-
posed to be implied to the tradition that
the men of Botley once hanged a man
because he could not drink so deep as
his neighbours.
Bottes. A propos de bottes. By the
by, thus: Mais, Mons., & propos de bottes,
cominent Se porte madame votre mére 3
“That venerable personage . [the Chaldaean
Charon] not only gives Izduhar instructions how
to regain his health, but tells him, somewhat
4 propos des bottes ... . the Jong story of his per-
fidious adventure.”—Nineteenth Century, June,
1891, p. 911. -
Bottle. Looking for a needle in a
bottle of hay. Looking for a very small
article amidst a mass of other things.
Bottle is a diminutive of the French
botte, a bundle; as botte de foin, a bundle
of hay.
Hang ºne in a bottle. (See CAT.)
Bottle-chart. A chart of ocean Sur-
face currents to show the track of sealed
bottles thrown from ships into the Sea.
Bottle-holder
166 & BOULCan
Bottle-holder. One who gives moral
but not material support. The allusion
is to boxing or prize-fighting, where each
combatant has a bottle-holder to wipe off
blood, refresh with water, and do other
services to encourage his man to perse-
vere and win.
“Ilord Palmerston considered himself the bottle-
holder of oppressed States... . . He was the stead-
fast partisan of constitutional liberty in every
part of the World.”—The Times.
Bottle-imps. The Hebrew word for
familiar spirits is oboth, leather bottles,
to indicate that the magicians were wont
to imprison in bottles those spirits which
their spells had subdued.
Bottle-washer (Head). Chief agent;
the principal man employed by another;
a factotum. Head waiter or butler
(bótteller).
Bottled Beer is said to have been
discovered by Dean Nowell as a most ex-
cellent beverage. The Dean was very
fond of fishing, and took a bottle of
beer with him in his excursions. One
day, being disturbed, he buried his bottle
under the grass, and when he disinterred
it some ten days afterwards, found it
so greatly improved that he ever after
drank bottled beer.
Bottled Moonshine. Social and
benevolent schemes, such as Utopia,
Coleridge's Pantisocracy, the dreams of
Owen, Fourier, St. Simon, the New
Republic, and so on.
“Godwin Hazlitt Coleridge Where now
are their ‘novel philosophies and Systems' 2
Bottled moonshine, which does not improve by
keeping.”—Birrell: Obite)’ Dicta, p. 109 (1885).
IBottom.
A ship's bottom is that part which is
used for freight or stowage.
Goods imported in British bottoms are
those which come in our own vessels.
Goods imported in foreign bottoms are
those which come in foreign ships.
A full bottom is where the lower half
of the hull is so disposed as to allow
large stowage.
A sharp bottom is when a ship is capa-
ble of speed.
At bottom. Radically, fundamentally:
as, the young prodigal lived a riotous
life, but was good at bottom, or below
the surface.
At the bottom. At the base or root.
“Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.”
—Ruskin. : True and Beautiful, p. 426.
From the bottom of my heart. With-
out reservation. (Imo corde.)
“If one of the parties . . . be content to forgive
from the bottom of his heart, all that the other
# trespassed against him.”—Common Prayer
00/0,
JHe was at the bottom of it.
instigated it, or prompted it.
Never venture all in one bottom—i.e.
one ship. “I)o, not put all your eggs
into one basket.”
“My ventures are not in one bottom trusted.”—
Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, i. 1.
To have no bottom. To be unfathom-
able.
To get to the bottom of the matter. To
He really
ascertain the entire truth; to bolt a
matter to its bran.
To stand on one’s own bottom. To be
independent. “Every tub must stand
on its own bottom.”
To touch bottom.
depth.
A horse of good bottom means of good
stamina, good foundation.
To reach the lowest
Bottom (Nick), the ºceaver. A man
who fancies he can do everything, and
do it better than anyone else. Shake-
speare has drawn him as profoundly
ignorant, brawny, mock heroic, and with
an overflow of self-conceit. He is in
one part of Midsummer Night’s Dream
represented with an ass’s head, and
Titania, queen of the fairies, under a
spell, caresses him as an Ado'nis.
* The name is very appropriate, as
the word bottom means a ball of thread
used in weaving, etc. Thus in Clark’s
IHeraldry we read, “The coat of Bad-
land is arſent, three bottoms in fess
gules, the thread or.”
“When Goldsmith, jealous of the attention
which a dancing monkey attracted, said, ‘I can
do that,’ he was but playing Bottom.”—R. G.
White.
Bottomless. The bottomless pit. An
allusion to William Pitt, who was re-
markably thin.
Botty. Conceited. The frog that
tried to look as big as an ox was a
“botty’ frog (Norfolk). A similar word
is “swell,” though not identical in mean-
ing. “Bumpkin '' and “bumptious”
are of similar construction. (Welsh, bot,
a round body, our bottle ; both, the boss
of a shield; bothel, a rotundity.)
Boucan. Donner ܺ boucan. To
give a dance. Bougan or Bocan, was a
musician and dancing master in the
middle of the seventeenth century. He
was alive in 1645.
“Thibaut sedit estre Mercure,
Et l'orgueilleux, Colin nous jure
Qu'il estaussi bien Apollon
Que Boccan est.bon violon.”
* * Sievin de St. Annant (1661).
“Iles musiciens qui jouent au ballet du roi Sont
appelés ‘disciples de Bocan.’”—Histoire Comique de
Francion (1635).
Bouders
167
Bow
Bouders or Boudons. A tribe of
giants and evil genii, the guard of Shiva.
(172dian mythology.)
Boudoir, properly speaking, is the
room to which a lady retires when she
is in the Sulks. (French, bouder, to pout
or sulk.)
The first boudoirs were those of the
mistresses of Louis XV. (See BOWER.)
Boues de St. Amand (Les). The
mud baths of St. Amand (that is, St.
Amand-les-Eaux, near Valenciennes,
famous for its mineral waters). These
mud-baths are a “sorte de limon qui Se
troºve près des eaua aminérales.” By a
figure of speech, one says, by way of
reproof, to an insolent, foul-mouthed
fellow, “I see you have been to the
mud-baths of St. Amand.”
Bought and Sold, or Bought, sold,
and dome for. Ruined, done for, out-
witted.
“Jocky of Norfolk, be not too bold,
For Diccoln, thy master, is bought alyd Sold.”
Shakespeare: Richard III., act Y. 3.
“It would make a man mad as a bugk to be so
bought and Sold.”—Comedy of Errors, iii. 1.
Bougie. A wax candle ; so called
from Bougiah, in Algeria, whence the
wax was imported. A medical instru-
ment used for dilating strictures or re-
moving obstructions.
Boule or Boule-work (not Buhl). A
kind of marquetry; so called from André
Charles Boule, a cabinetmaker, to whom
Louis XIV. gave apartments in the
Louvre. (1642-1732.)
Bouljanus. An idol worshipped at
Nantes, in ancient Gaul. An inscription
was found to this god in 1592. (Celtic
Amythology.)
Bouncer. That’s a bouncer. A gross
exaggeration, a braggart's lie. (Dutch,
bonz, verb bonzen, to bounce or thump.
A bouncing lie is a thumping lie, and a
ôouncer is a thººmpey.)
“He speaks plain cannon, ſtre, and Smoke, and
bounce.”—Shakespeare: King John, ii. 2.
Bounty. Queen Anne's Bounty. The
produce of the first-fruits and tenths
due to the Crown, made over by Queen
Anne to a corporation established in the
year 1704, for the purpose of augmenting
church livings under £50 a year.
Bouquet. French for nosegay.
“Mr. Disraeli was able to make a financial state-
ment burst into a bouquet of flowers.”—McCarthy:
Ottº' Own Times, vol. iii, chap. xxx. p. 11.
The bouquet of wine, also called its
nosegay, is its aro'ma.
Bourbon. So named from the castle
and seigniory of Bourbon, in the old
province of Bourbonnais. The Bourbon
family is a branch of the Cap'et stock,
through the brother of Philippe le Bel.
Bourgeois (French), our burgess.
The class between the “gentleman'?
and the peasantry. It includes all mer-
chants, shopkeepers, and what we call
the “middle class.”
Bourgeoisie (French). The mer-
chants, manufacturers, and master-
tradesmen considered as a class. Cito-
Aſen is a freeman, a citizen of the State ;
bourgeois, an individual of the Bour-
geoisie class. Molière has a comedy
entitled Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.
“The commons of England, the Tiers-Etat of
France, the bourgeoisie of the Continent gener-
ally, are the descendants of this class [artisans]
gºals."-ºut: Political Economy (Prelim.
1). 12).
Bouse. (See BooZY.)
Boustrap'a. Napoleon III. The
word is compounded of the first syllables
I}oºt-logne, Stra-sbourg, Pa-ris, and al-
ludes to his escapades in 1836 and 1840,
Boustroph'edon. A method of
writing or printing, alternately from
right to left and left to right, like the
path of oxen in ploughing. (Greek,
botts-strepho, ox-turning.)
Bouts-rimés [rhymed-endings]. A
person writesa line and gives the last word
to another person, who writes a second
to rhyme with it, and so on. Dean
Swift employs the term for a poem, each
stanza of which terminates with the same
word. He has given a poem of nine
verses, each of which ends with Domi-
tilla, to which, of course, he finds nine
rhymes. (French.)
Bovey Coal. A lignite found at
Bovey Tracy, in Devonshire.
Bow (to rhyme with ſlow). . (Anglo-
Saxon, boffa ; verb, bogan or bugan, to
arch.)
Draw not your bow till your arrow is
faced. Have everything ready before
you begin.
IIe has a famous bow up at the castle.
Said of a braggart or pretender.
JHe has two strings to his bow. Two
means of accomplishing his object ; if
one fails,” he can try the other. The
allusion is to the custom of the British
bowmen carrying a reserve string in case
of accident.
To draw a bow at a venture. To attack
with a random remark; to make a ran-
dom remark which may hit the truth.
“A certain man drew, a bow at a venture and
Smote the King of Israel.”—l KingS XXii. 34,
BOW
168
Bower Of Bliss
To draw the long bow. To exaggerate.
The long-bow was the famous English
weapon till gunpowder was introduced,
and it is said that a good archer could
hit between the fingers of a man’s hand
at a considerable distance, and could
propel his arrow a mile. The tales told
about long-bow adventures are so won-
derful that they fully justify the phrase
given above.
To unstring the bow will not heal the
wound (Italian). René of Anjou, king of
Sicily, on the death of his wife, Isabeau
of Lorraine, adopted the emblem of a
bow with the string broken, and with
the words given above for the motto, by
which he meant, “Lamentation for the
#: §f his wife was but poor satisfac-
IOll.
Bow (to rhyme with now). The fore-
end of a boat or ship. (Danish and
Norwegian, boug or bow, a shoulder; Ice-
landic, bogr.)
On the bow. Within a range of 45° on
one side or the other of the prow.
Bow Bells. Born within sound of
JBow bells. A true cockney. St. Mary-
le-Bow has long had one of the most
celebrated bell-peals in London. John
Dun, mercer, gave in 1472, two tene-
ments to maintain the ringing of Bow
bell every night at nine o’clock, to direct
travellers on the road to town; and in
1520 William Copland gave a bigger bell
for the purpose of “sounding a retreat
from work.” Bow church is nearly the
centre of the City. (This bow rhymes
with ſlow.)
Bow-catcher (A). A corruption of
“Beau Catcher,” a love-curl, termed by
the French an accroche cont?'. A love-
curl worn by a man is a Bell-rope, i.e.
a rope to pull the belles with.
Bow-hand. The left hand; the hand
which holds the bow. (This bow rhymes
with flow.)
To be too much of the bow-hand. To
fail in a design; not be sufficiently dex-
terous.
Bow-street Runners. Detectives
who scoured the country to find crim-
inals, before the introduction of the
police force. Bow Street, near Covent
Garden, London, is where the principal
police-court stands. (This bow rhymes
with flow.)
Bow-window in Front (A) A big
corporation. •
“He was a very large man,. . . . with what is
termed, a considerable bow-window in front.”—
Capt. Ma'ryat: Poor Jack, i.
Bow-wow Word. A word in imita-
tion of the sound made, as hiss, cackle,
murmur, cuckoo, whip-poor-will, etc.
(Max Müller.)
Bowden. Not every man can be vicar
of Bowden. Not everyone can occupy
the first place. Bowden is one of the best
livings in Cheshire. (Cheshire proverb.)
Bowdlerise (To). To expurgate a
book in editing it. Thomas Bowdler,
in 1818, gave to the world an ex-
purgated edition of Shakespeare's works.
We have also Bowdlerite, Bowdlerist,
Bowdleriser, Bowdlerism, Bowdlerisa-
tion, etc. (See GRANGERISE.)
Bowels of Mercy. Compassion,
sympathy. The affections were at one
time supposed to be the outcome of
certain secretions or organs, as the bile,
the kidneys, the heart, the head, the
liver, the bowels, the spleen, and so on.
Hence such words and phrases as melan-
choly (black bile); the Psalmist says
that his reins, or kidneys, instructed him
(Psa. x. 7), meaning his inward convic-
tion ; the head is the seat of under-
standing; the heart of affection and
memory (hence “learning by heart”), the
bowels of mercy, the spleen of passion or
anger, etc. -
His bowels yearned over him (upon or
towards him). He felt a secret affection
for him.
“Joseph made haste, for his bowels, did yearn
#9. his brother.”—Gen. xliii. 30 ; see also I Kings
Bower. A lady’s private room.
(Anglo-Saxon bur, a chamber.) (To
rhyme with flower.) (See Bouloſ R.)
“By a back staircase she slipped to ller own
bower.”—Bret Harte : Thamkful Blossoms, part ii.
Bower Anchor. An anchor carried
at the bow of a ship. There are two:
one called the best bower, and the other
the small bower. (To rhyme with flower.)
“Starboard being the best bower, and port the
small power.”—Smyth : Sailor's Word-bool.
Bower-woman (A). A lady's maid
and companion. The attendants were
admitted to considerable freedom of
speech, and were treated with familiarity
and kindness. (“Bower” to rhyme
with flower.)
“‘This maiden,” replied Eveline, ‘is my bower-
woman, and acquainted with my most inward
thoughts. I beseech you to permit her presence
at our conference.”—Sir W. Scott: The Betrothed,
Chap. Xi.
Bower of Bliss, in Wandering
Island, the enchanted residence of Acra'-
sia, destroyed by Sir Guyon. (Spenser:
Faërie Queene, book ii.) (“Bower’ to
rhyme with flower.)
BOWie
I69
Boy Bishop
Bowie Knife. A long, stout knife,
carried by hunters in the Western States
of America. So called from Colonel James
Bowie, one of the most daring characters
of the States. Born in Logan, co. Ken-
tucky. A bowie knife has a horn handle,
and the curved blade is 15 in. long, and
1+ wide at the hilt. (“Bowie’’ to rhyme
with showy.)
Bowing. We uncover the head when
we wish to salute anyone with respect ;
but the Jews, Turks, Siamese, etc., un-
cover their feet. The reason is this:
With us the chief act of investiture is
crowning or placing a cap on the head ;
but in the East it is putting on the slip-
pers. To take off our symbol of honour
is to confess we are but “the humble
servant” of the person whom we thus
salute. (“Bowing ” to rhyme with
ploughing or plowing.)
Bowled. He was bowled out. A
term in cricket. (Pronounce bold.)
Bowling. Tom Bowling. The type
of a model sailor in Smollett’s Roderick
Jęandom. (To rhyme with rolling.)
* The Tom Bowling referred to in
T)ibdin's famous sea-song was Captain
Thomas Dibdin, brother of Charles
Dibdin, who wrote the song, and father
of Dr. Dibdin, the bibliomaniac.
“Here a sheer hulk lies poor Tom Bowling,
The darling of the crew.” Libdin,
Bowls. They who play bowls must
eapect to meet with rubbers. Those who
touch pitch must expect to defile their
fingers. Those who enter upon affairs
of chance, adventure, or dangerous
hazard must make up their minds to
encounter crosses, losses, or difficulties.
Those who play with edged instruments
must expect to get cut. Soldiers in
battle must look out for wounds, gam-
blers for losses, libertines for diseases.
* “Bowls” to rhyme with rolls.
Bowse. (See BROWSE.)
Bowyer God. The same as the
“archer god,” meaning Cupid. (“Bow-
er’’ to rhyme with grower.)
Box.
am out of my element.
used to say he ought to have been
brought up to some business; that when-
ever he went to Vauxhall and heard the
mirth of his neighbours, he used to
fancy pleasure was in every box but his
own. Wherever he went for happiness,
he somehow always got into the wrong
box. (See CHRISTMAS Box.)
I’ve got into the wrong box. I
sive dinner.
Lord Lyttelton .
Box and Cox. The two chief char-
acters in John M. Morton’s farce, usually
called Boa; and Coa.
Box the Compass. Repeat in Order
the 32 points. (Spanish, boaar, to Sail
round.) -
Box Days. Two days in spring and
autumn, and one at Christmas, during
vacation, in which pleadings may be
filed. This custom was established in
1690, for the purpose of expediting busi-
mess. Each judge has a private box
with a slit, into which informations may
be placed on box days, and the judge,
who alone has the key, examines the
papers in private.
Box Harry (To), among commercial
travellers, is to shirk the table d'hôte and
take something substantial for tea, in
order to save expense. Halliwell says,
“to take care after having been ex-
travagant.” To box a tree is to cut
the bark to procure the sap, and
these travellers drain the landlord by
having a cheap tea instead of an expen-
To “box the fox '' is to
rob an orchard.
Boxing-Day. (See CHRISTMAS BOX.)
Boy in Sailor language has no refer-
ence to age, but only to experience in
seamanship. A boy may be fifty or any
other age. A crew is divided into able
seamen, Ordinary Seamen, and boys or
greenhorns. A ‘‘boy’’ is not required
to know anything about the practical
working of the vessel, but an “able
seaman’” must know all his duties and
be able to perform them.
“A loy does not ship to know anything.”
Boy Bachelor. William Wotton,
D.D., was admitted at St. Catherine's
Hall before he was ten, and took his B.A.
when he was twelve and a half. (1666-
1726.)
Boy Bishop. St. Nicholas. From
his cradle he is said to have manifested
marvellous indications of piety, and was
therefore selected for the patron Saint of
boys. (Fourth century.)
Boy Bishop. The custom of choosing
a boy from the cathedral choir, etc., on
St. Nicholas Day (December 6th), as a
mock bishop, is very ancient. The boy
possessed episcopal honour for three
weeks, and the rest of the choir were his
prebendaries. If he died during the time
of his prelacy, he was buried in pontifica'l-
ibus. "I’robably the reference is to Jesus
Christ sitting in the Temple among the .
doctors while He was a boy. The
IBoycott
170
Brag
custom was abolished in the reign of
Henry VIII.
Boy in buttons (A).
Boycott (To). To boycott a person is
to refuse to deal with him, to take any
notice of him, or even to sell to him.
The term arose in 1881, when Captain
Boycott, an Irish landlord, was thus
ostracised by the Irish agrarian insur-
gents. The custom of ostracising is of
very old standing. St. Paul exhorts
Christians to “boycott’’ idolaters (2
Cor. vi. 17); and the Jews “boy-
cotted ” the Samaritans. The French
phrases, Damner time boutique and Dam-
ner ºne ville, convey the same idea ; and
the Catholic Church anathematises and
interdicts freely.
“One word as to the way in which a man should
be boycotted. When any man has taken a farm,
from which a tenant has been evicted, or is a
grabber, let everyone in the parish turn his back
on him ; have no communication with him ; have
no dealings, with him. You need never, say an
unkind word to lim ; but never, Say anything at
all to him. . If you must meet him in fair, walk
away from him silently. Do him no violence, but
have no dealings with him. Iyet every man's
door lye closed against him ; and make him feel
himself a stranger and, a castaway, in his own
neighbourhood.”—J. Dillom, M.P. (Speech, to the
Iland League, Feb. 26, 1881).
(See BUTTON.S.)
Boyle Controversy. A book-battle
between the Hon. Charles Boyle, third
Earl of Orrery, and the famous Bentley,
respecting the Epistles of Phal'aris.
Charles Boyle edited the Epistles of
Phalaris in 1695. Two years later
Bentley published his celebrated Dis-
Sertation, to prove that the epistles were
not written till the second century after
Christ instead of six centuries before
that epoch. In 1699 he published an-
other rejoinder, and utterly annihilated
the Boyleists.
Boyle's Law. “The volume of a
gas is inversely as the pressure.” If we
double the pressure on a gas, its volume
is reduced to one-half; if we quadruple
the pressure, it will be reduced to one-
fourth ; and so on ; so called from the
Hon. Robert Boyle, (1627-1691.)
Boyle Lectures. Eight Sermons a
year in defence of Christianity, founded
by the Hon. Robert Boyle. -
Boz. Charles Dickens (1812-1870).
“Boz, my, signature in the Morning Chronicle,”
he tells us, “was the nickname of a pet child, a
younger brother, whom I. had dubbed. Moses, in
bonour of the Vicar of Wakefield, which, being
pronounced Bozes, got shortened into Bož.”
“Who the dickens' BOZ’ could be
Puzzled many a learned elf ;
But time revealed the mystery,
For ‘Boz' appeared as Dickens' self.”
Epigram in the Canthusiaſm.
Bozzy. James Boswell, the bio-
grapher of Dr. Johnson (1740-1795).
Brabançonne. A Belgian patriotic
song, composed in the revolution of 1830,
and so named from Brabant, of which
Drussels is the chief city.
Brabançons. Troops of adventurers
and bandits, who made war a trade
and lent themselves for money to any-
one who would pay them; so called
from Brabant, their great nest. (Twelfth
century.)
Brace. The Brace Tavern, south-
east corner of King’s Bench ; originally
kept by two brothers named Partridge,
*.e. a brace of birds.
Brace of Shakes. In a brace of
shakes. Very soon. (See SHAKES.)
Similar phrases are: “In the twinkling
of an eye.” (See EYE.) “In the
twinkling of a bed-post.” (See BED-
POST.)
Brad'amant or Bradaman'te. Sister
of Rinaldo, in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.
She is represented as a most wonderful
Christian Am'azon, possessed of an irre-
sistible spear, which unhorsed every
knight that it touched. The same
character appears in the Orlando Inna-
ſnora/to of Bojardo.
Bradshaw's Guide was started in
1839 by George Bradshaw, printer, in
Manchester. The Monthly Guide was
first issued in December, 1841, and con-
sisted of thirty-two pages, giving tables
of forty-three lines of English railway.
Brad'wardine (Rose). The daughter
of Baron Bradwardine, and the heroine
of Scott's Waverley. She is in love with
young Waverley, and ultimately marries
him.
Brag. A game at cards; so called
because the players brag of their cards
to induce the company to make bets.
The principal sport of the game is occa-
sioned by any player bragging that he
holds a better hand than the rest of the
party, which is declared by saying “I
brag,” and staking a sum of money on
the issue. (Hoyle.)
JBrag is a good dog, bºtt Holdfast is a
better. Talking is all very well, but doing
is far better.
Jack Brag. A vulgar, pretentious
braggart, who gets into aristocratic
Society, where his vulgarity stands out
in strong relief. The character is in
Theodore Hook's novel of the same name.
“He was a sort of literary Jack Brag.”—T. II.
Bººt001,
Braggadochio
171 Brandy
Braggado'chio. A braggart. One
who is very valiant with his tongue, but
a great coward at heart. A barking dog
that bites not. The character is from
Spenser's Faërie Queene, and a type of
the “Intemperance of the Tongue.”
After a time, like the jackdaw in bor-
rowed plumes, Braggadochio is stripped
of all This “glories”: his shield is
claimed by Sir Marinel ; , his lady is
proved by the golden girdle to be the
false Florimel; his horse is claimed by
Sir Guyon ; Talus shaves off his beard
and scourges his Squire ; and the pre-
tender sneaks off amidst the jeers of
everyone. It is thought that the poet
had Felipe of Spain in his eye when he
drew this character. (Faërie Queene, iii.
8, 10; v. 3.)
Bra'gi. Son of Odin and Frigga.
According to Scandinavian mythology,
he was the inventor of poetry; but,
unlike Apollo, he is always represented
as an old man with a long white beard.
FIis wife was Iduna.
Bragi's Apples. An instant cure of
weariness, decay of power, ill temper,
and failing health. These apples were
inexhaustible, for immediately one was
eaten its place was supplied by another.
Bragi's Story. Always enchanting,
but never coming to an end.
“But I have made my story long enougll ; if I
say more, you may fancy that it is Bragi who has
come among you, and that he has entered on his
endless story.”—Keatºry : Heroes of Asgard, p. 224.
Bragmar'do. When Gargantua took
the bells of Notre Dame de Paris to
hang about the neck of his horse, the
citizens sent Bragmardo to him with a
remonstrance. (Rabelais : Gargantua
and Pantag'ruel.)
Brah'ma (Indian). The Self-existing
and invisible Creator of the universe ;
represented with four heads looking to
the four corners of the world. The
divine triad is Brahma, Vishnu, and
Siva.
Brahma. One of the three beings
created by God to assist in the creation
of the world. The Brahmins claim him
as the founder of their religious system.
“Whate'er in India, holds the Sacred name
Of piety or lore, the Brahmins claim ;
3
In wildest rituals, vain and painful, lost,
Brahma, their founder, as a god they boast.”
Camoens: Lu Siad, book vii.
Brah'mi. One of the three goddess-
daughters of Vishnu, representing “crea-
tive energy.” -
Brahmin. A worshipper of Brahma,
the highest caste in the system of Hin-
duism, and of the priestly order.
Bramble (Matthew). A testy, gouty,
benevolent, country squire, in Smollett's
novel of Humphrey Clinker. Colman
has introduced the same character as
Sir Robert Bramble in his Poor Gentle-
man. Sheridan’s “Sir Anthony Abso-
lute” is of the same type.
“A'n't I a paronet 2 Sir Robert Bramble, at
Blackberry Hall, in the county of Kent 2 'Tis
time you should know it, for you llave been my
clumsy, two-ſisted Yalet-de-chambre these thirty
years.”—The Poor Gentlemam, iii. 1.
Bran. If not Bran, it is Bran’s
brother. If not the real “Simon Pure,”
it is just as good. A complimentary
expression. Bran was Fingal’s dog, a
mighty favourite.
Bran-new or Brand-new. (Anglo-
Saxon, brand, a torch.) Fire new.
Shakespeare, in Love's Labotør Lost, i. 1,
says, “A man of fire-new words.” And
again in Twelfth Night, iii. 2, “Fire-
new from the mint ’’; and again in
Iſing Lear, v. 3, “Fire-new fortune”;
and again in Richard III., act i. 3,
“Your fire-new stamp of honour is
scarce current.” Originally applied to
metals and things manufactured in
metal which shine. Subsequently ap-
plied generally to things quite new.
Brand. The Clicquot brazed, etc., the
best brand, etc. That is the merchant’s
or excise mark branded on the article
itself, the vessel which contains the
article, the wrapper which covers it, the
cork of the bottle, etc., to guarantee its
being genuine, etc. Madame Clicquot,
of champagne notoriety, died in 1866.
IIe has the brand of villain in his looks.
It was once customary to brand the
cheeks of felons with an F. The custom
was abolished by law in 1822.
Brandenburg. , Confession of Bran-
denburg. A formulary or confession of
... faith drawn up in the city of Branden-
burg, by order of the elector, with the
view of reconciling the tenets of Luther
with those of Calvin, and to put an end
to the disputes occasioned by the con-
fession of Augsburg.
Bran'dimart, in Orlando Furioso, is
Orlando’s brother-in-law. -
Brandon, the juggler, lived in the
reign of Henry VIII.
Brandons. Lighted torches. Dom-
inica de brandonibats (St. Valentine’s
Day), when boys used to carry about
brandons (Cupid’s torches).
Brandy is Latin for Goose. Here
is a pun between anser, a goose, and
answer, to reply. What is the Latin for
Brandy Nan
172
Breaches
goose? Answer [anser] brandy. (See
TACE THE LATIN FOR CANDLE.)
Brandy Nan. Queen Anne, who
was very fond of brandy (1664, 1702–
1714). On the statue of Queen Anne
in St. Paul’s Churchyard a wit wrote—
“Brandy Nan, Brandy Nan, left in the lurch,
Her face to the gin-Shop, her back to the
ll.”
Church.
A “gin palace” used to stand at the
south corner of St. Paul’s Churchyard.
Branghtons (The). Vulgar, malicious,
jealous women. The characters are taken
from Miss Burney’s novel called Evelina.
One of the brothers is a Cockney Snob.
Brank. A gag for scolds. (Dutch,
prang, a fetter; German, pranger, Gaelic,
brancas, a kind of pillory.)
Brasenose (Oxford). Over the gate
is a brass nose, the arms of the college ;
but the word is a corruption of brasen-
huis, a brasserie or brewhouse. (Latin,
brasin'izºm.)
Brass. Impudence. A lawyer said
to a troublesome witness, “Why, man,
you have brass enough in your head to
make a teakettle.” “And you, sir,”
replied the witness, “ have water enough
in yours to fill it.”
Sampson Brass. A knavish attorney;
servile, affecting sympathy, but making
his clients his lawful prey. (Dickens :
Old Curiosity Shop.)
Brat. A child ; so called from the
Welsh, brat, a child’s pinafore; and brat
is a contraction of brattach, a cloth, also
a standard.
“JEvery man must repair to the brattach of his
tribe.”—Scott.
“O Israel O household of the IOrd
O Abrahan's brats O brood of blessed Seed . "
Gascoigme : De Profundis.
Brave. The Brave.
Alfonso IV. of Portugal (1290, 1324-
1357).
John Andr. van der Mersch, patriot,
The brave Fleming (1734-1792).
Bravery. Finery is the French brave-
wie. The French for courage is bravoure.
“What woman in the city do I name
When that I say the city woman bears
The cost of princes on unwortly shoulders ?
Who can come in and say that I mean her ? . . .
Or what is he of basest function
That says his bravery is not of my cost 2'' ..
Shakespeare: As You Like It, ii. 7.
Bravest of the Brave. Marshal
Ney. So called by the troops of Fried-
land (1807), on account of his fearless
|bravery. Napoleon said of him, “That
man is a lion.” (1769-1815.)
Brawn. The test of the brawn’s head.
A little boy one day came to the court of
Ring Arthur, and, drawing his wand
over a boar’s head, declared, “There’s
never a cuckold’s knife can carve this
head of brawn.” . No knight in the
court except Sir Cradock was able to
accomplish the feat. (Percy’s Reliques.)
Bray. (See WICAR.)
Brazen Age. The age of war and
violence. It followed the silver age.
“To this next came in course the brazen age,
A warlike offspring, prompt to bloody rage,
Not impious yet. Hard steel succeeded then,
And stubborn as the metal were the men.”.
Dryden : Meta^n.07.phoses, i.
Brazen-faced. Bold (in a bad Sense),
without shame.
“What a brazen-faced varlet art tuou !”
Shakespeare: King Lettr, ii. 2.
Brazen Head. The following are
noted:—One by Albertus Magnus, which
cost him thirty years’ labour, and was
broken into a thousand pieces by Thomas
Aquinas, his disciple. One by Friar
Bacon. 8.
“Bacon trembled for his brazen head.”
Pope : Dunciata, iii. 104.
“Quoth he, ‘My head's not made of brass,
As Friar Bacon's noddle was.” .. - -
S. Butler: Hudibra S., ii. 2.
The brazen head of the Marquis de
Villena, of Spain. - -
Another by a Polander, a disciple of
Escotillo, an Italian.
* It was said if Bacon heard his head
speak he would succeed; if not, he would
fail. Miles was set to watch, and while
Bacon slept the Head spoke thrice :
“Time is ”; half an hour later it said,
‘‘Time was.” In another half-hour it
said, “Time’s past,” fell down, and was
broken to atoms. Byron refers to this
legend.
“Like Friar Bacon's brazen head,
‘Time is,’ ‘Time was,’ ‘Time's past. -
JDon Juan, i. 217.
Brazen Head. A gigantic head kept
in the castle of the giant Fer'ragus, of
Bortugal. It was omniscient, and told
those who consulted it whatever they
required to know, past, present, or to
come. (Valentine and Orson.)
Brazen out (To). To stick to an
assertion knowing it to be wrong; to
outface in a shameless manner; to dis-
regard public opinion.
Breaches, meaning creeks or small
bays, is to be found in Judges v. 17.
Deborah, complaining of the tribes who
refused to assist her in her war with
Sisera, says Reuben continued in his
sheepfolds, Gilead remained beyond
I've spoken,
St.’”
Bread 173
Breath.
Jordan, Dan in ships, and Asher in his
breaches, that is, creeks on the Sea-
shore.
Bread. To break bread. To partake
of food. Common in Scripture langu-
age. Breaking of bread. The Eucharist.
“They continued... . . in breaking of bread, and
in prayers.”—Acts ii. 42 ; and again verse 46.
Bread. He took bread and salt, i.e.
he took his oath. Bread and salt were
formerly eaten when an oath was taken.
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thout
shalt find it after many days (Eccles.
xi. 1). When the Nile overflows its
banks the weeds perish and the soil is
disintegrated. The rice-seed being cast
into the water takes root, and is found
in due time growing in healthful vigour.
JDon’t quarrel with your bread and
butter. Don’t foolishly give up the
pursuit by which you earn your living.
To know which side one’s bread is
buttered. To be mindful of one’s own
interest.
To take the bread out of one’s mouth.
To forestall another; to say something
which another was on the point of
saying ; to take away another’s liveli-
hood. (See under BUTTER.)
Bread-basket (One's). The stomach.
Bread and Cheese. The barest
necessities of life.
Break (To).
(See BANKRUPT.)
To break a bond. To dishonour it.
To break a journey. To stop before
the journey is accomplished.
'o brea/s a matter to a person. To be
the first to impart it, and to do so
cautiously and by piecemeal.
To break bread. To partake of the
Lord's Supper.
“Upon the first day of the Week, when the
disciples came together to break bread, Paul
lyreaclied to them.”—ActS XX. 7.
To break one's fast. To take food
after long abstinence; to eat one’s
breakfast after the night's fast.
To break one’s neck. To dislocate the
bones of one’s neck. -
To break on the wheel. To torture one
on a “wheel” by breaking the long
bones with an iron bar. (Cf. Coup DE
GRACE.)
To break a butterfly on a wheel. To
employ superabundant effort in the ac-
complishment of a small matter.
“Satire or sense, alas ! can Sporus feel,
"Who breaks a hutterfly upon a wheel.”
Pope : Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot, 307-8.
To break out of bounds. To go beyond
the prescribed limits.
To become a bankrupt.
Break Cover (To). To start forth
from a hiding-place.
Break Down (To).
control of one’s feelings.
Break Faith (To).
word or pledge.
Break Ground (To). To commence
a new project. As a settler does.
Break In (To). To interpose a re-
mark. To train a horse to the saddle or
to harness.
Break of Day. Day-break.
“At lyreak of day I will come to thee again.”
Wordsworth : Pet Lamb, Stanza, 15.
Break the Ice (To). To prepare
the way; to cause the stiffness and re-
serve of intercourse with a stranger to
relax; to impart to another bit by bit
distressing news or a delicate subject.
Break your Back (To). Make you
bankrupt. The metaphor is from carry-
ing burdens on the back.
Break up Housekeeping (To). To
discontinue keeping a separate house.
Break with One (To). To cease
from intercourse.
“What cause have I given him to break with
me 2"–Florence lºſ(t)'7'yat.
Breakers Ahead. , Hidden danger
at hand. Breakers in the open sea
always announce Sunken rocks, sand-
banks, etc.
Breaking a Stick. Part of the
marriage ceremony of the American
Indians, as breaking a wine-glass is
part of the marriage ceremony of the
Jews. (Lady Augusta Hamilton : Mar-
riage Rites, etc., 292, 298. -
In one of Raphael’s pictures we see
an unsuccessful suitor of the Virgin
Mary breaking his stick. This alludes
to the legend that the several suitors
were each to bring an almond stick,
which was to be laid up in the sanctuary
over-night, and the owner of the stick
which budded was to be accounted the
suitor which God approved of. It was
thus that Joseph became the husband
of Mary. (Pseudo-Matthew’s Gospel,
40, 41.) *
In Florence is a picture in which the
rejected suitors break their sticks on
Joseph’s back.
Breast. To make a clean breast of it.
To make a full confession; concealing
nothing.
Breath. All in a breath. ...Without
taking breath, (Latin, c0%tiº Spiritu.)
To lose all
To violate one’s
Breathe
174 Brevet Rank
It takes away one’s breath. The news
is so astounding it causes one to hold his
breath with surprise.
Out of breath. Panting from exer-
tion; temporarily short of breath.
Save your breath to cool your porridge.
Don’t talk to me, it is only wasting
your breath.
“You might have saved your breath to cool your
l)orridge.”—Mrs. Gaskell: Libbie Marsh (Era, Ill).
To catch one’s breath. To check sud-
denly the free act of breathing.
“‘ I see her, replied I, catching my breath with
joy.”—Capt. Marryat: Peter Simple.
To hold one's breath. Voluntarily to
cease breathing for a time.
To take breath. To cease for a little
time from some exertion in order to
recover from exhaustion of breath.
Under one's breath. In a whisper or
undertone of voice.
Breathe.
die.
Brèche de Roland. A deep defile
in the crest of the Pyrenees, some three
hundred feet in width, between two pre-
cipitous rocks. The legend is that Ro-
land, the paladin, cleft the rock in two
with his sword Durandal, when he was
Set upon by the Gascons at Ronces-
valles. - -
“Then would I seek the Pyrenean breach
hich Roland clove with huge two-handed
Sway.” |Wordsworth.
To breathe 0776's last. To
Breeches. To wear the breeches. Said
of a woman who usurps the prerogative
of her husband. . Similar to The grey
*mare is the better horse. (See GREY.)
The phrase is common to the French,
Dutch, Germans, etc., as Elle porte les
braies. Die vrouw die hosen an haben.
Sie hat die Hösen.
Breeches Bible. (See BIBLE.)
Breeze. House-sweepings, as fluff,
dust, ashes, and so on, thrown as refuse
into the dust-bin. We generally limit
the meaning now to small ashes and
cinders used for coals in burning bricks.
The word is a corruption of the French,
débris (rubbish, or rather the part broken
or rubbed off by wear, tear, and stress
of weather). The French, braise, older
form brese, means small coke or charcoal.
The Breeze-fly. The gad-fly; so called
from its sting. (Anglo-Saxon, briose ;
Gothic, bºy, a sting.)
Breeze. A gentle wind or gale.
(French, brise, a breeze.) Figuratively,
a slight quarrel.
Breidablik [wide - shining]. The
palace of Baldur, which stood in the
Milky Way. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Brennus. A Latin form of the
Rymric word Brenhin (a war-chief).
In times of danger the Druids appointed
a bre)??? to lead the confederate tribes to
battle.
Brent. . Without a Wrinkle. Burns
says of John Anderson, in his prime of
life, his “locks were like the raven,”
and his “bonnie brow was brent ’’
(without a wrinkle).
Brent-goose (A). Properly a brant-
goose, the branta berniela, a brownish-
grey goose of the genus branta.
“For the people of the village
Saw the flock of brant. With Wonder.”
Longfellow : Hittwatha, part XVi. Stanza, 32.
Brent-hill means the eyebrows.
Looking or gazing from under brent-
hill. In Devonshire means “frowning
at one;” and in West Cornwall to brend
means to wrinkle the brows. It is very
remarkable that the word should have
such opposite meanings.
Brentford. Like the two kings of
I}rentford Smelling at one nosegay. Said
of persons who were once rivals, but
have become reconciled. The allusion
is to an old farce called The Rehearsal,
by the Duke of Buckingham. “The
two kings of Brentford enter hand in
hand,” and the actors, to heighten the
absurdity, used to make them enter
“smelling at one nosegay” (actii. s. 2).
Bres so mmer, or Brest - Summer.
(French, sommier, a lintel or breSSummer.)
A beam supporting the whole weight of
the building above it; as, the beam over
a shop-front, the beam extending over
an opening through a wall when a
communication between two contiguous
rooms is required. Sometimes these
beams support a large Superstructure.
(The word bress, brest, or breast, in car-
pentry, means a rafter, and the German
bret = a plank.)
Bretwalda (ruler of Britain). The
chief of the kings of the heptarchy who
exercised a certain undefined power over
the other rulers; something like that of
Hugues Cap'et over his peers.
“The office of Bretwalda, a kind of elective
chieftainship, of all Britain, was held by several
Northumbrian kings, in succession.” — Earle :
English Tongue, p. 26. -
Brevet Rank is rank one degree
higher than your pay. Thus, a brevet-
major has the title of major, but the
Breviary
175
Brick-tea.
pay of captain. (French, brevet, a
patent, a concession.)
Breviary. An epitome of the old
office of matins and lauds for daily
service in the Roman Catholic Church.
The Breviary contains the daily “Divine
Office,” which those in orders in the
Catholic Church are bound to recite.
The office consists of psalms, collects,
readings from Scripture, and the life of
Some Saint or Saints.
Brew. Brew me a glass of grog, i.e.
mix one for me. Brew me a cup of tea,
i.e., make one for me. The tea is set to
brew, i.e. to draw. The general meaning
of the word is to boil or mix ; the re-
stricted meaning is to make malt liquor.
Brewer. The Brewer of Ghent. James
van Artevelde. (Fourteenth century.)
It may here be remarked that it is a
great error to derive proper names of
any antiquity from modern words of a
similar sound or spelling. As a rule,
very few ancient names are the names
of trades; and to suppose that such
words as Bacon, Hogg, and Pigg refer
to swineherds, or Gaiter, Miller, Tanner,
Ringer, and Bottles to handicrafts, is
a great mistake. A few examples of a
more scientific derivation will suffice for
a hint:—
BREWER. This name, which exists in
France as Bruhière and Brugière, is not
derived from the Saxon briwan (to brew),
but the French bruyère (heath), and is
about tantamount to the German “Plan-
tagenet” (broom-plant). (See Rymer’s
Foedera, William I.)
BACON is from the High German
verb bagan (to fight), and means “the
fighter.”
PIGG and BIGG are from the old High
German pichał? (to slash). -
HoGG is the Anglo-Saxon hyge
(scholar), from the verb hogan (to
study). In some cases it may be from
the German hoch (high).
BOTTLE is the Anglo-Saxon Bod'-el
§e envoy). Norse, bodi, Danish,
bud.
GATTER is the Saxon Gaid-er (the
darter). Celtic, gais, our goad.
MILLER is the old Norse, melia, our
mill and maul, and means a “mauler'’
or “fighter.”
RINGER is the Anglo-Saxon hring gay
(the mailed warrior).
SMITH is the man who Smites.
TANNER (German Thanger, old Ger-
man Danegaud) is the Dane-Goth.
This list might easily be extended.
Briar'eos or AEgeon. A giant with
fifty heads and a hundred hands. Homer
says the gods called him Briar'eos, but
men called him. AEgeon. (Iliad, i. 403.)
“Not he who brandished in his hundred hands
His fifty Swords and fifty shields in fight,
Could. º Surpassed the fierce Argantes'
lmight.”
f
'asso: Jerusalem, Delivered, book vii.
The Briareus of languages. Cardinal
Mezzofanti, who knew fifty-eight dif-
ferent tongues. Byron called him “a
walking polyglot ; a monster of lan-
guages; a Briareus of parts of speech.”
(1774 - 1849.) Generally pronounced
JBri'-a-ruce.
I}old Briareus. Handel (1685-1756).
3riar-root Pipe. A pipe made from
the root-wood of the large heath (bruyère),
which grows in the South of France.
Bribo'ci. Inhabitants of part of
Berkshire, and the adjacent counties
referred to by Caesar in his Commen-
taries.
Bric-à-brac. Odds and ends of
curiosities. In French, a marchand de
bric-d-brac is a seller of rubbish, as old
nails, old screws, old hinges, and other
odds and ends of small value ; but we
employ the phrase for Odds, and ends of
vertu. (Bricoler in , archaic French
means Faire toute espèce de înetier, to be
Jack of all trades. Brac is the ricochet
of bric, as fiddle-faddle and scores of
other double words in English.)
“A man with a passion for bric-a-brac is
always stumbling over antique, bronzes intaglios,
mosaics, and daggers of the time. Of #envenutº
Cellini.”—Aldrich: Miss Mehettible's S07, Chap. ii.
Brick. A regular brick. A jolly
good fellow. (Compare retpáyovos &vip,
* square”; and “four-square to all
the winds that blow.”)
“A fellow like nobody else, and, in fine, a
brick.”—George Eliot: Daniel Deronda, book ii.
Chall). 16.
Brick-and-mortar Franchise. A
Chartist phrase for the £10 household
system, now abolished.
Brickdusts. The 53rd Foot; SO
called from the brickdust-red colour of
their facings. Also called Five-and-
threºpennies, a play on the number and
daily pay of the ensigns.
Now called the 1st battalion of the
“Ring's Shropshire Light Infantry.”
The 2nd battalion is the old 85th.
Brick-tea. The inferior leaves of the
tea-plant mixed with sheep's blood and
IBride
176
Bridport
pressed into cubes; the ordinary drink of
the common people south of Moscow.
“The Tartars swill a horrible gruel, thick and
Slal), of brick-tea, Suet, Salt, pepper, and Sugar,
boiled in a chaldron (sic).”—The Daily Telegraph,
Friday, October 16th, 1891.
Bride. The bridal wreath is a relic of
the coro'ha 77%ptia'lis used by the Greeks
and Romans to indicate triumph.
* Bride Cake. A relic of the Roman
Confarrea'tio, a mode of marriage prac-
tised by the highest class in Rome. It
was performed before ten witnesses by
the Pontifex Maximus, and the con-
tracting parties mutually partook of a
cake made of salt, water, and flour
(far). Only those born in such wedlock
were eligible for the high sacred offices.
Bride or Wedding Favours repre-
sent the true lover’s knot, and symbolise
tlill Oil.
Bride of Aby'dos. Zuleika, daughter
of Giaffir, Pacha of Aby'dos. As she
was never wed, she should be called the
affianced or betrothed. (Byron.)
Bride of Lammermoor. Lucy
Ashton. (Scott : Bride of Lammermoor.)
Bride of the Sea. Venice; so called
from the ancient ceremony of the Doge,
who threw a ring into the Adriatic,
saying, “We wed thee, O sea, in token
of perpetual domination.”
Bridegroom is the old Dutch grom
(a young man). Thus, Groom of the Stole
is the young man over the wardrobe.
Groom, an ostler, is quite another word,
being the Persian garma (a keeper of
horses), unless, indeed, it is a contracted
form of stable-groom (stable-boy). The
Anglo-Saxon Bryd-glºma (guma = man)
confused with groom, a lad.
Bridegroom's Men. In the Roman
marriage by confarreatio, the bride was
led to the Pontifex Maximus by bache-
lors, but was conducted home by married
men. Polydore Virgil says that a married
man preceded the bride on her return,
bearing a vessel of gold and silver. (See
BRIDE CAKE.)
Bridewell. The city Bridewell,
Bridge Street, Blackfriars, was built over
a holy well of medical water, called St.
Bride's Well, where was founded a
hospital for the poor. After the Re-
formation, Edward VI. chartered this
hospital to the city. , Christ Church was
given to the education of the young ;
St. Thomas’s Hospital to the cure of
the sick ; and Bridewell was made a
penitentiary for unruly apprentices
and vagrants.
e'
Bridge of Gold. According to a
German tradition, Charlemagne's spirit
crosses the Rhine on a golden bridge at
Bingen, in Seasons of plenty, to bless
the vineyards and cornfields.
“Thou Standest, like imperial Charlemagne,
Upon thy bridge of gold.”
I/Ongfellow : A\ttwº.
Made a bridge of gold for him ; , i.e.
enabling a man to retreat from a false
position without loss of dignity.
Bridge of Jehennam. (See SERAT.)
Bridge of Sighs, which connects the
palace of the Doge with the state prisons
of Venice. Over this bridge the state
prisoners were conveyed from the judg-
ment-hall to the place of execution.
“I stood in Venice, on the Bridge of Sighs,
A palace and a prison on each land.”
Byrom : Childe Harold's Pilgrimage, iv. 1.
* Waterloo Bridge, in London, used,
Some years ago, when suicides were
frequent there, to be called The Bridge
of Sighs.
Bridgewater Treatises. Insti-
tuted by the Rev. Francis Henry Eger-
ton, Earl of Bridgewater, in 1825. He
left the interest of £8,000 to be given to
the author of the best treatise on “The
power, wisdom, and goodness of God,
as manifested in creation.” Eight are
published by the following gentlemen :-
(1) The Rev. Dr. Chalmers, (2) Dr.
John Kidd, (3) the Rev. Dr. Whewell,
(4) Sir Charles Bell, (5) Dr. Peter M.
Roget, (6) the Rev. Dr. Buckland, (7)
* Rev. W. Kirby, and (8) Dr. William
rout.
Bridle. To bite on the bridle is to
suffer great hardships. The bridle was
an instrument for punishing a scold ;
to bite on the bridle is to suffer this
punishment.
Bridle Road or Way. A way for a
riding-horse, but not for a horse and cart.
Bridle up (To). In French, se
Tengorger, to draw in the chin and toss
the head back in scorn or pride. The
metaphor is to a horse pulled up Sud-
denly and sharply.
Bridlegoose (Judge), or Bridoie, who
decided the causes brought to him by
the throw of dice. (Rabelais : Gargantua
and Pantag’ruel, iii. 39.)
Bridport. Stabbed with a Bridport
dagger, i.e. hanged. Bridport, in Dorset-
shire, was once famous for its hempen
goods, and monopolised the manufacture
of ropes, cables, and tackling for the
British navy. The hangman’s rope being
made at Bridport gave birth to the
proverb. (Fuller : Worthies.)
Brigadore 177
IBrisk
Brig'adore (3 Syl.). (See HORSE.)
Brigand properly means a Seditious
fellow. The Brigands were light-armed,
irregular troops, like the Bashi-Bazouks,
and like them were addicted to maraud-
ing. The Free Companies of France were
Brigands. (Italian, briga/ºte, Seditious;
briga, variance.)
Brigandine. The armour of a
brigand, consisting of Small plates of
iron on quilted linen, and covered with
leather, hemp, or something of the kind.
Brigantine (3 Syl.) or Hermaphrodite
Brig. A two-masted vessel with a brig's
foremast and a schooner’s mainmast.
(Dana’s Seaman’s Manital.) A pirate
vessel.
Bright's Disease. A degeneration
of the tissues of the kidneys into fat,
first investigated by Dr. Bright. The
patient under this disease has a flabby,
bloodless appearance, is always drowsy,
and easily fatigued.
Brigians. The Castilians; so called
from one of their ancient kings, named
Brix or Brigus, said by monkish fabulists
to be the grandson of Noah.
“Edward and Pedro, emulous of fame . . . .
Thrº' the fierce Brigians luewed their lyloody
Tilſº Cold embrace the Striplings lay.”
Cantoens: Lºttsiad, V.
Brigliado'ro. (See HoRSE.)
Brilliant Madman (The). Charles
XII. of Sweden. (1682-1697-1718.)
“Macedonia's madman or the Swede.”
Johnsom, : Vanity of Humvalºv Wishes.
Briney or Briny. I’m on the briny.
The Sea, which is salt like brine. -
Bring About (To). To cause a thing
to be done.
Bring Down the House (To). To
Cause rapturous applause in a theatre.
Bring into Play (To). To cause to
act, to set in motion.
Bring Round (To). To restore to
Consciousness or health ; to cause one to
recover [from a fit, etc.].
Bring To (To). To restore to con-
Sciousness; to resuscitate. Many other
meanings.
‘‘I’ll lºring her to,' said the driver, with a brutal
grill ; 1'll give her something better than caul-
phor.’”—Mrs. Stowe : Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Bring to Bear (To). To cause to
happen successfully.
Bring to Book (To). To detect one
in a mistake.
Bring to Pass (To).
happen.
To cause to
Bring to the Hammer (To). To
offer or sell by public auction.
Bring Under (To). To bring into
subjection.
Bring Up (T6).
or an early age.
meanings.
Brioche (2 syl.). A sort of bun or
cake common in France, and now pretty
generally sold in England. When Marie
Antoinette was talking about the bread
riots of Paris during the 5th and
6th October, 1789, the Duchesse de
Polignac naïvely exclaimed, “How is it
that these silly people are so clamorous
for bread, when they can buy such nice
brioches for a few sous P” This was in
spirit not unlike the remark of our own
Princess Charlotte, who avowed “that
she would for her part rather eat beef
than starve,” and wondered that the
people should be so obstinate as to insist
upon having bread when it was so
SC8,1'C6.
Bris. Il conte di San Bris, governor
of the Louvre, was father of Valentina,
and leader of the St. Bartholomew mas-
sacre. (Meyerbeer’s Opera: Gli Ugonotti.)
Briseis (3 syl.). The patronymic
name of Hippodamia, daughter of
Briseus (2 syl.). A concubine of Achilles,
to whom he was greatly attached.
When Agamemnon was compelled to
give up his own concubine, who was the
daughter of a priest of Apollo, he took
Briséïs away from Achilles. This so
annoyed the hero that he refused any
longer to go to battle, and the Greeks
lost ground daily. Ultimately, Achilles
sent his friend Patroclos to supply his
place. Patroclos was slain, and Achilles,
towering with rage, rushed to battle,
slew Hector, and Troy fell.
Brisingamen. Freyja's necklace
made by the fairies. Freyja left her
husband Odin in order to obtain this
necklace ; and Odin deserted her because
her love was changed into vanity. It is
not possible to love Brisingamen and
Odin too, for no one can serve two
masters. 1
As a moral tale this is excellent. If
Freyja personifies “the beauty of the
year,” then the necklace means the rich
autumn tints and flowers, which (soon
as Freyja puts on) her husband leaves
her—that is, the fertility of the genial
year is gone away, and winter is at
hand. - -
Brisk as a Bee.
To rear from birth
Also numerous other
(See SIMILES.)
Brissotins I
*7
{
- Brittany
Brissotins. A nickname given to
the advocates of reform in the French
Revolution, because they were “led
by the nose ’’ by Jean Pierre Brissot.
The party was subsequently called the
Girondists.
Bristol Board. A stiff drawing-
paper, originally manufacturedatºristol.
Bristol Boy (The). Thomas Chat-
terton the poet (1752-1770).
“The maryellous boy, ,
The sleepless soul that perished in his pride.”
}} ordsworth : Resolution (tºld Indépendence.
Bristol Diamonds. Brilliant crys-
tals of colourless quartz found in St.
Vincent's Rock, Clifton, near Bristol.
Bristol Fashion (In). Methodical
and orderly. More generally “Ship-
shape and Bristol fashion.”
“In the great mass meeting, October 18th, 1884,
a route of above three miles was observed in one
umbroken line. No cheering disturbed the stately
solemnity; no one ran to give any direction; no
noise of any kind was heard; but on, in one un-
broken line, steady, and, Stately, narched the
throng in ‘Bristolfasluion.’”—Daily News, October
20th, 1884.
Bristol Milk. Sherry sack, at one
time given by the Bristol people to their
friends.
“This mctaphorical milk, whereby Xeres or
Sherry-Sack is intended.”—Puller: Worthies.
Bristol Waters. Mineral waters of
Clifton, near Bristol, with a temperature
not exceeding 74°; formerly celebrated
in cases of pulmonary consumption.
They are very rarely used now.
Britain. By far the most probable
derivation of this word is that given by
Bochart, from the Phoenician Baratanic
(country of tin), contracted into B'ratan’.
The Greek Cassite)"ides (tin islands) is a
translation of Baratanic, once applied to
the whole known group, but now re-
stricted to the Scilly Isles. Aristotle,
who lived some 350 years before the
Christian era, calls the island Britannie,
which is so close to B'ratanic that the
Suggestion of Bochart can scarcely admit
of a doubt. (De Mundo, sec. 3.)
Pliny says, “Opposite to Celtiberia are
a number of islands which the Greeks
called ‘Cassiteridés” (evidently he
means the British group). Strabo says
the Cassiterides are situated about the
Same latitude as Britain.
Great Britain consists of “Britannia,
prima” (England), “Britannia Secunda.”
(Wales), and “North Britain’” (Scot-
land), united under one sway.
Greater Britain?. The whole British
empire.
Britannia. The first known repre-
Sentation of Britannia, as a female figure
sitting on a globe, leaning with one arm
on a shield, and grasping a spear in the
other hand, is on a Roman coin of
Antoninus Pius, who died A.D. 161.
The figure reappeared on our copper
coin in the reign of Charles II., 1665,
and the model was Miss Stewart, after-
wards created Duchess of Richmond.
The engraver was Philip Roetier, 1665.
In 1825 W. Wyon made a new design.
“The King's new medall, where, in little, there
is Mrs. Stewart's face, . . . and a pretty thing it
is, that he should clipose her face to represent
|Britannia by.”—Pepys' Diſtry (25 Feb.).
British Lion (The). The pugnacity
of the British nation, as opposed to the
John Bull, which symbolises the sub-
stantiality, solidity, and obstimacy of the
people, with all their prejudices and
national peculiarities.
To rouse the British Lion is to flourish
a red flag in the face of John Bull; to
provoke him to resistance even to the
point of war.
“To twist the lion’s tail” is a favour-
ite phrase and favourite policy with
some rival unfriendly powers.
Britomart [sweet maid] (see below).
Daughter of King Ryence of Wales,
whose desire was to be a heroine. She
is the impersonation of Saintly chastity
and purity of mind. She encounters the
“savage, fierce bandit and mountaineer”
without injury; is assailed by “ hag and
unlaid ghost, goblin, and Swart fairy of
the mine,” but “dashes their brute vio-
lence into sudden adoration and blank
awe.” Britomart is not the impersona-
tion of celibacy, as she is in love with
an unknown hero, but of “virgin
purity.” (Spenser: Faërie Queene, book
iii. Her marriage, book v. 6.)
“She charmed at once and tamed the heart,
Incomparable Britomart.” Scott.
Brit'omartis. A. Cretan Inymph,
very fond of the chase. Ring Minos fell
in love with her, and persisted in his
advances for nine months, when she
threw herself into the sea. (Cretan,
bričus-martis, sweet maiden.)
Briton (Like ay. Vigorously, perse-
veringly, “To fight like a Briton ’’ is
to fight with indomitable courage. “To
work like a Briton’’ is to work hard and
perseveringly. Certainly, without the
slightest flattery, dogged courage and
perseverance are the strong characteris-
tics of John Bull. A similar phrase is
“To fight like a Trojan.”
Brittany. The damsel of Brittany.
Eleanora, daughter of Geoffrey, second
son of Henry II., King of England and
Duke of Brittany. At the death of
Broach
179 T}roker
Prince Arthur she was the real heir to
the crown, but John confined her in the
castle of Bristol till death (1241).
Broach. To broach a new subject.
To start one in conversation. he allu-
sion is to beer tubs. If one is flat,
another must be tapped. A broach is a
peg or pin, and to broach a cask is to
i. a hole in the top for the vent-peg.
“I did lyroach this business to your highness.”
Shalcespeare: Henry VIII., ii. 4.
Broad as Long. 'Tis about as broad
as it is long. One way or the other
would bring about the same result.
Broad Arrow on Government stores.
It was the cognisance of Henry, Wiscount
Sydney, Earl of Romney, master-general
of the ordnance. (1693–1702.) , e.
* It seems like a symbol of the Trin- .
ity, and Wharton says, “It was used by
the Kelts to signify holiness and royalty.”
Broad. Bottom Ministry (1744).
Formed by a coalition of parties: Pelham
retained the lead; Pitt supported the
Government; Bubb Doddington was
treasurer of the navy.
Broadcloth. The best cloth for
men’s clothes. So called from its great
breadth. It required two weavers, side
by side, to fling the shuttle across it.
Originally two yards wide, now about
fifty-four inches; but the word is now
used to signify the best quality of
(black) cloth.
Broadside. Printed matter spread
over an entire sheet of paper. The
whole must be in one type and one
measure, i.e. must not be divided into
columns. A folio is when the sheet is
folded, in which case a page occupies
only half the sheet.
“Palulºhlets, and broadsides were scattered
right and left.”—Fiske : American History, chal).
Wii. 1). 341.
In naval language, a broadside means
the whole side of a ship ; and to “open
a broadside on the enemy'' is to dis-
chargé all the guns on one side at the
Same moment.
Brobdingmag. The country of gi-
gantic giants, to whom Gulliver was a
pigmy “ not half so big as a round little
worm plucked from the lazy finger of
a maid.”
“You high church steeple, you gavky stag,
Your llusband must conné fromi Brojdingiiag.”
IV (ºne O'Harat. Mſidas.
Brobdingnagian. Colossal; tall as
a church steeple. (See above.)
s.Himi’s of Brobding magian lyroportious.”—The
Brocken. The spectre of the Brocken.
This is the shadow of men and other
objects greatly magnified and reflected
in the mist and cloud of the mountain
opposite. The Brocken is the highest
Summit of the Harz range. -
Brocklehurst (The Rev. Robert). A
Calvinistic clergyman, the son of Naomi
Brocklehurst, of Brocklehurst Hall, part
founder of Lowood Institution, where
young ladies were boarded, clothed, and
taught for £15 a year, subsidised by
private subscriptions. The Rev. Robert
Brocklehurst was treasurer, and half
starved the inmates in order to augment
his own income, and scared the children
by talking to them of , hell-fire, and
making capital out of their young faults
or supposed shortcomings. He and his
family fared sumptuously every day, but
made the inmates of his institution deny
themselves and carry the cross of vexa-
tion and want. (0. Brontë. Jane Eyre.)
Brogue (1 syl.) properly means the
Irish brog, or shoe of rough hide. The
application of broy to the dialect or
manner of speaking is similar to that of
buskin to tragedy and sock to comedy.
“And put my clouted brogues front off inly feet.”
** Shakespectre : Cymnbcline, iv. 2.
Brogues (1 syl.). Trousers. From
the Irish brog, resembling those still worn
by some of the French cavalry, in which
trousers and boots are all One garment.
Broken Feather (A). A broken
feather in his wing. A scandal connected
with one’s character.
“If an angel were to walk, about, Mrs. Sam
Hurst Would never rest till she had found out,
where lie came from; and perhaps whether he had
a, ])roken feather in his Wing.”—Mrs. Oliphant :
I’ll Celje.
Broken Music. A “consort ’’ Con-
sisted of six viols, usually kept in one
case. When the six were played to-
gether it was called a “whole consort,”
when less than the six were played it
was called “a broken consort.” Some-
times applied to open chords or arpeg-
g1OS.
“Here is goºd broken music.” . .
Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida, iii. 1.
* Lord Bacon in his Sylva, Sylvarum
gives a different explanation: he says
certain instruments agree together and
produce concordant music, but others
(as the virginal and lute, the Welsh and
Irish harps) do not accord.
Broken on the Wheel. (See BREAK.)
Broker. Properly speaking, is one
who sells refuse. In German, called
Indklers, that is, “sellers of damaged
Brontes
180
BrOWrl
stores.” (Teutonic, brak or wrak, refuse,
allied with German braitchen.)
* Generally some special word is pre-
fixed : as bill-broker, cotton-broker,
ship-broker, stock-broker, etc.
Brontes (2 Syl.). A blacksmith per-
sonified; one of the Cyclops. The name
signifies Thunder.
“Not with Such weight, to frame the forky
brand
The jerous llammer falls from Brontës'
and.’
Hoole : Jerusalem. Delivered, book XX.
Bronzomar/te. (See HORSE.)
Brook (Master). The name assumed
by Ford when he visits Sir John Falstaff.
The amorous knight tells Master Brook
all about his amour with Mrs. Ford, and
how he duped her husband by being
stowed into a basket of dirty linen.
“iFord. I'll give you a pottle of Journt sack to
give me recourse to him, and tell him my name is
Brook, only for a jest.
“Host. My hand, bully. Thou shalt have egress
and regress, . . . and thy name shall be Brook.”—
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 1.
| Brooks of Sheffield. Animaginary
individual mentioned in David Copper-
field. (See HARRIS, MRS.)
Broom. A broom is hung at the
mast-head of ships about to be sold, to
indicate that they are to be swept away.
The idea is popularly taken from Ad-
miral Tromp. ; but probably this allusion
is more witty than true. The custom of
hanging up something to attract notice
seems very common. Thus , an old
piece of carpet from a window indicates
household furniture for sale; a wisp of
straw indicates oysters for sale ; a bush
means wine for sale; an old broom, ships
to sell, etc. etc. (See PENNANT.)
A new broom. One fresh in office.
New brooms sweep clean. Those newly
appointed to an office find fault and
want to sweep away old customs.
Brosier. Eating one out of house
and home. At Eton, when a dame keeps
an unusually bad table, the boys agree
together on a day to eat, pocket, or
waste everything eatable in the house.
The censure is well understood, and the
hint is generally effective. (Greek, broso,
to eat.)
Brother or Frère. A friar not in
orders. (See FATHER.)
Brother (So-and-so). . A fellow-bar-
rister. -
Brother Benedict,
(See BENEDICT.)
A married man.
Brother Birch. A fellow - school-
master.
Brother Blade. A fellow-soldier,
properly ; but now anyone of the same
calling as yourself.
Brother Brush. A fellow-painter.
Brother Bung. A fellow-tapster.
J3rother Bºts/ºi/2. A fellow-comediar
or actor.
A Brother Chip. A fellow-carpenter.
A Brother Clergyman. A fellow-
clergyman.
A Brother Crispin. A fellow-shoe-
maker.
A Brother Mason. A fellow-Free-
Ilſlå, SOIl. -
A Brother Quill. A fellow-author.
A Brother Salt. A fellow-seaman or
Sailor.
A Brother Shuttle. A fellow-weaver.
A Brother Stitch. A fellow-tailor.
A Brother String. A fellow-violinist.
A Brother Whip. A fellow-coachman.
Brother German. A real brother.
(Latin, ſermánts, of the same stock ;
geºmen, a bud or sprout.)
“Te in germani fratris dilexi loco.”—Terence:
Andria, l. 5, 58.
A uterine brother is a brother by the
mother’s side only. (Latin, uterºints,
born of the same mother, as “frater
uterinus,” utérus.)
Brother Jonathan. When Wash-
ington was in want of ammunition, he
called a council of officers, but no prac-
tical suggestion could be offered.
must consult brother Jonathan,”
the general, meaning his excellency,
Jonathan Trumbull, the elder governor
of the State of Connecticut. This was
done, and the difficulty was remedied.
To consult brother Jonathan then be-
came a set phrase, and brother Jonathan
grew to be the John Bull of the United
States. (J. R. Bartlett : Dictionary of
Americanisms.)
Brother Sam. The brother of Lord
Dundreary (q.v.), the hero of a comedy
based on a German drama, by John
Oxenford, with additions and altera-
tions by E. A. Sothern and T. B. Buck-
stone. (Supplied by T. B. Buckstone,
J287.)
Browbeat. To beat or put a man
down by knitting the brows.
Brown. A copper coin, a penny ; so
called from its colour. Similarly a sove-
reign is a “yellow boy.” (See BLUNT.)
To be done brown. To be roasted,
deceived, taken in.
Brown as a Berry. (See SIMILES.)
Brown, Jones, and Robinson.
Three Englishmen who travel together.
Their adventures were published in
T}rown. Bess
181 Bruns
Punch, and were the production of
Richard Doyle. They typify the middle-
class English abroad; and hold up to
ridicule their gaucherie and contracted
notions, their vulgarity and extrava-
gance, their conceit and Snobbism.
Brown Bess means brown barrel.
The barrels were browned to keep them
from rusting. (Dutch, bus, a gun-barrel;
Low German, běisse, Swedish, byssa.
Our arquebus, blunderbuss.) In 1808 a
process of browning was introduced, but
this has, of course, nothing to do with
the distinctive epithet. Probably Bess is
a companion word to Bill. (See below.)
Brown Bill. A kind of halbert used
by English foot-soldiers before muskets
were employed. We find in the me-
diaeval ballads the expressions, “brown
brand,” “brownsword,” “brown blade,”
etc. Sometimes the word 77tsty is Sub-
stituted for brown, as in Chaucer: “And
in his side he had a rousty blade ’’;
which, being the god Mars, cannot mean
a bad one. Keeping the weapons bright
is a modern fashion; our forefathers
preferred the honour of blood stains.
Some say the weapons were warnished
with a brown varnish to prevent rust,
and some affirm that one Brown was a
famous maker of these instruments, and
that Brown Bill is a phrase similar to
Armstrong gun and Colt’s revolver.
(See above.)
“So, with a land of bowmen and of pikes,
Brown bills and targetiers.
Marlowe: Edward II. (1622.
* Brown also means shining (Dutch,
brm), hence, “My bonnie brown sword,”
“brown as glass,” etc., so that a “brown
bill” might refer to the shining steel,
and “brown Bess” to the bright barrel.
Brown Study. Absence of mind;
apparent thought, but real vacuity. The
corresponding French expression ex-
plains it—Sombre réverie. ... Sombre and
brun both mean sad, melancholy, gloomy,
dull.
“Invention flags, his brain grows muddy,
And black despair succeeds brown study.”
Congreve: An Impossible Thing.
Browns. To astonish the Browns. To
do or say something regardless of the
annoyance it may cause or the shock it
may give to Mrs. Grundy.
Anne Boleyn had a whole host of
Browns, or “country cousins,” who
were welcomed at Court in the reign
of Elizabeth. The queen, however, was
quick to see what was gauche, and did
not scruple to reprove the Browns if
she noticed anything in their conduct
not comme il faut. . . Her bluntness of
speech often “astonished the Browns.”
Brownie. The house spirit in Scot-
tish superstition. He is called in Eng-
land Robin Goodfellow. At night he
is supposed to busy himself in doing
little jobs for the family over which
he presides. Farms are his favourite
abode. Brownies are brown or tawny
Spirits, in opposition to fairies, which
are fair or elegant ones. (See FAIRIES.)
“It is not long since every family of consider-
able Substance Was haunted by a spirit they called
Browny, which did several sorts of work ; and
this was the reason why they gave him offerings
. . . on What they called “ Browny's Stolle.’” —
Maºtiºn : Scotland.
Brownists. Followers of Robert
Brown, of Rutlandshire, a violent op-
ponent of the Established Church in the
time of Queen Elizabeth. The present
“Independents’’ hold pretty well the
Same religious tenets as the Brownists.
Sir Andrew Aguedheek says:
“I'd as lieſ be a Brownist, as a politician.”—
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, iii. 2.
Browse his Jib (To). A sailor's
phrase, meaning to drink till the face
is flushed and swollen. The jib means
the face, and to browse here means “to
fatten.”
* The only correct form of the phrase,
however, is “to bowse his jib.” To
bowse the jib means to haul the sail taut ;
and as a metaphor signifies that a man
is “tight.”
1Bruel.
Jºeynard the Foa.
little-roarer.
Bruin. One of the leaders arrayed
against Hudibras. He was Talgol, a
Newgate butcher, who obtained a cap-
tain’s commission for valour at Naseby.
He marched next Orsin (Joshua Gosling,
landlord of the bear-gardens at South-
wark).
Sir J3riting. The name of the bear in
the famous German beast-epic, called
Reynard the Foa. (Dutch for brown.)
Brumaire. The celebrated 18th
Brumaire (Nov. 9th, 1799) was the day
on which the Directory was overthrown
and Napoleon established his Supremacy.
Brum'magem. Worthless or very
inferior metallic articles made in imita-
tion of better ones. Birmingham is the
great mart and manufactory of gilt toys,
cheap jewellery, imitation gems, mosaic
gold, and such-like. Birmingham was
called by the Romans “Bremenium.”
Brums. In Stock Exchange phrase-
ology this means the “London and
The goose, in the tale of
The word means
IBrunehild
182
Brutus
North-Western Railway shares.” The
Brum, i.e. the Birmingham line.
Brunehild (3 Syl.) or Brunehil'da.
Daughter of the King of Issland, be-
loved by Günther, one of the two great
chieftains of the Nibelungenlied or Teu-
tonic Iliad. She was to be carried off
by force, and Günther asked his friend
Siegfried to help him. Siegfried con-
trived the matter by Snatching from her
the talisman which was her protector,
but she never forgave him for his
treachery. (Old German, bruni, coat of
mail; hiſt, battle.)
Brunello (in Orlando Flérioso). A
deformed dwarf of Biserta, to whom
King Ag’ramant gave a ring which had
the virtue to withstand the power of
magic (book ii.). He was leader of the
Tingitanians in the Saracen army. He
also figures in Bojardo's Orlando Inna-
#10 ratto.
Brunswicker. A native of Bruns-
wick. (See BLACK BRUNSWICKER.)
Brunt. To bear the brunt. To bear
the stress, the heat, and collision. The
same word as “burn.” (Icelandic,
bruni, burning heat, bren, Anglo-Saxon,
brenning, burning.) The “brunt of a
battle '' is the hottest part of the fight.
(Compare “fire-brand.”)
Brush. The tail of a fox or squirrel,
which is brushy. -
Brush away. Get along.
IBrush off. Move on.
He brushed by me. He just touched
me as he went quickly past. Hence also
brush, a slight skirmish.
All these are metaphors from brushing
with a brush.
Give it another brush. A little more
attention ; bestow a little more labour
on it ; return it to the file for a little
more polish. - -
Brush up (To). To renovate or
revive; to bring again into use what
has been neglected, as, “I must brush
up my French.” When a fire is slack
we brush up the hearth and then sweep
clean the lower bars of the stove and
stir the sleepy coals into activity.
Brut. A rhyming chronicle, as the
Prut d’Angleterre and Le Roman de
Britt, by Wace (twelfth century). Brut
is the Romance word bruit (a rumour,
hence a tradition, or a chronicle based
on tradition). It is by mere accident
that the word resembles “Brute ’’ or
“Brutus,” the traditional king. (See
Meat column.) - -
Brut d'Angleterre. A chronicle of
the achievements of King Arthur and
his Knights of the Round Table. Arthur
is described as the natural Son of Uther,
pendragon (or chief) of the ancient
IBritons. He succeeded his father, in
516, by the aid of Merlin, who gave him
a magic sword, with which he conquered
the Saxons, Picts, Scots, and Irish.
Besides the Britt referred to, several
other romances record the exploits of
this heroic king. (See ARTHUR.)
Brute, in Cambridge University slang,
is a man who has not yet matriculated.
The play is evident. A “man,” in
college phrase, is a collegian ; and, as
matriculation is the sign and seal of
acceptance, a scholar before that cere-
mony is not a “man,” and therefore
only a “biped brute.”
Brute (Sir John). A coarse, pot-
valiant knight, ignobly noted for his
absurdities. (Tanbrugh : The Provoked
JJ’ife.)
Brute , or Brutus, in the mytho-
logical history of England, the first
king of the Britons, was son of Sylvius
(grandson of Ascanius and great grand-
son of AEmeſas). Having inadvertently
killed his father, he first took refuge
in Greece and then in Britain. In
remembrance of Troy, he called the
capital of his kingdom Troy-novant
(New Troy), now London.
* The pedigree was as follows:–
(1) ARne'as, (2) Ascanius, (3) Silvius, (4)
Brutus. (See TROY NOVANT.)
Brutum Fulmen (Latin). A noisy
but harmless threatening; an innocuous
thunderbolt.
“His [the Pope's] denunciations are but a
brutumn fºllºnem.”—The Standard.
Brutus (Junius), the first consul of
Rome. He condemned to death his own
two sons for joining a conspiracy to re-
store to the throne the banished Tarquin.
“The public father [Brutus], who the private
- uelled, w
And On the (lread tribunal sº y Sat.”
homºsom : Winte?".
The Spanish Brutus. Alphonso Perez
de Guzman (1258-1320). While he
was governor, Castile was besieged by
Don Juan, who had revolted from his
brother, Sancho IV. Juan, who held in
captivity one of the sons of Guzman,
threatened to cut his throat unless
Guzman surrendered the city. Guzman
replied, “Sooner than be a traitor,
I would myself lend you a sword to
slay him,” and he threw a sword over
the city wall. The son, we are told,
IBrutus
183
IBuck-rider
was slain by the father's sword before
his eyes.
Brutus (Marcus). Caesar's friend,
joined the conspirators to murder him,
because he made himself a king.
“And thou, unhappy Brutus, kind of heart
Whose steady arm, by awful yirtue urged,
Lifted the Roman Steel against thy friend.”
* , Thomsom, : Winter, 524-6.
Et tu, Brute. What I does my own
familiar friend lift up his heel against
me? The reference is to that Marcus
Brutus whose “bastard hand stabbed
Julius Caesar.” (Suetoniºts.)
Bruxellois. The inhabitants of
Brussels or Bruxelles.
Brydport Dagger. (See BRIDPORT.)
Bub. Drink. (Connected with bubble
—Latin, bibo, to drink; our imbibe.) (See
GRUB.)
“I)1'unk With Helicon's Water's and double-
brewed bub.”—Prior: To a Person who wrote ill.
Bubastis. The Diana of Egyptian
mythology; the daughter of Isis an
sister of Horus. g
Bubble (A). A scheme of no sterling
worth and of very ephemeral duration
—as worthless and frail as a bubble.
“The whole scheme [the Fenian raid on British
America] was a collapsed bubble.”—The Times.
The Bubble Act, 6 George I., cap. 18;
published 1719, and repealed July 5th,
1825. Its object was to punish the pro-
moters of bubble schemes.
A bubble company. A company whose
object is to enrich themselves at the
expense of subscribers to their scheme.
A bubble Scheme. A project for getting
money from subscribers to a scheme of
no value.
Bubble and Squeak. Cold boiled
meat and greens fried. They first bub-
bled in water when boiled, and afterwards
hissed or Squeaked in the frying-pan.
Something pretentious, but of no real
value, such as “rank and title,” or a
bit of ribbon in one’s button hole.
Bucca. A goblin of the wind, sup-
posed by the ancient inhabitants of
Cornwall to foretell shipwrecks.
Buc'caneer’ means sellers of smoke-
dried meat, from the Caribbean word
boucan, Smoke-dried meat. The term
was first given to the French settlers in
Hayti, whose business it was to hunt
animals for their skins. The flesh they
smoke-dried and sold, chiefly to the
Dutch.
When the Spaniards laid claim to all
America, many English and French ad-
venturers lived by buccaneering, and
hunted Spaniards as lawful prey. After
the peace of Ryswick this was no longer
tolerated, and the term was then ap-
plied to any desperate, lawless, piratical
adventurer.
Bucentaur. A monster, half-man
and half-ox. The Venetian state-galley
employed by the Doge when he went on
Ascension Day to wed the Adriatic was
so called. (Greek, bolts, ox; centauros,
centaur.)
Buceph'alos [bull-headed]. A horse.
Strictly speaking, the charger of Alex-
ander the Great, bought of a Thessalian
for thirteen talents (£3,500).
“True, true; I forgot your Bucephalus.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Antiquary.
Buchanites (3 syl.). A sect of fan-
atics who appeared in the west of Scot-
land in 1783. They were named after
Mrs. or Lucky Buchan, their founder;
who called herself “‘Friend Mother in
the Lord,” claiming to be the woman
mentioned in Rev. xii., and maintaining
that the Rev. Hugh White, a convert,
was the “man-child.” -
“I never heard of alewife that turned preacher,
except Illickie Buchan in the West.”—Scott: St.
IRoman's Well, c. ii.
Buck. A dandy. (See below.)
“A most tremendous huck he was, as he sat
there serene, in state, driving his greys.”—Thatcl:-
eray : Vanity Fair, chap. Vi.
Buck-basket. A linen-basket. To
buck is to wash clothes in lye ; and a
buck is one whose clothes are buck, or
nicely got up. When Cade, says his
mother was “descended from the
Lacies,” two men overhear him, and
say, “She was a pedlar's daughter, but
not being able to travel with her furred
pack, she washes bucks here at home.”
(2 Henry VI., iv. 2.) (German,
bettehem, to steep clothes in lye ; beuche,
clothes so steeped. However, comparé
“bucket,” a diminutive of the Anglo-
Saxon bºtc.)
, Buck-bean. . A corruption of bog-
bean, a native of wet bog-lands.
Buck-rider (A). A dummy fare who
enables a Cabman to pass police-con-
stables who prevent empty cabs loitering
at places where cabs will be likely to be
required, as at theatres, music-halls, and
large hotels. A cabman who wants to
get at such a place under hope of picking
up a fare gives a “buck” a shilling to
get into his cab that he may seem to
have a fare, and so pass the police.
“Constables are stationed at certain points to
Spot the professional “buck-riders.’”—Nineteenth
Century (March, 1893, p. 576).
ºr.
Buck-tooth
184 T3udget
Buck-tooth. A large projecting
front-tooth. (See BUTTER TOOTH.)
Buckwheat. A corruption of bog.
German, buche, beech-wheat; it is so
called because it is triangular, like beech-
mast. The botanical name is Fago-
pyrum (beech-wheat).
- “The buckwheat,
Whitened broad acres, SWeetening with its flowers
- x 3
The August Wind.
Bryant : The Fountain, stanza 7.
Buckhorse. A severe blow or slap
on the face. So called from a boxer of
that name.
Buckingham. (Saxon, boccem-ham,
beech - tree village.) Fuller, in his
Worthies, speaks of the beech-trees as
the most characteristic feature of this
County.
Bucklaw, or rather Frank Hayston,
lord of Bucklaw, a wealthy nobleman,
who marries Lucia di Lammermoor (Lucy
Ashton), who had pledged her troth to
Edgar, master of Ravenswood. On the
wedding-night Lucy murders him, goes
mad, and dies.
Inteia di Lammermoor. Sir Walter Scott’s
Bride of Lammermoor.)
Buckle. I can’t buckle to. I can’t
give my mind to work. The allusion is
to buckling on one’s armour or belt.
To cut the buckle. To caper about, to
heel and toe it in dancing. In jigs the
two feet buckle or twist into each other
with great rapidity.
“Throth, it wouldn't lave a laugh in you to see
the parson dancin' down the road on his way
home, and the ministher and methodist praigher
cuttin' the buckle as they went along.”—W. B.
Yeats: Fairy Tales of the Irish, Peasantry, p. 98
(See also p. 196).
To put into buckle. To put into pawn
at the rate of 40 per cent. interest.
To talk buckle. To talk about marriage.
“I took a girl to dinner who talked buckle to
me.”—Vera, 154.
Buckler. (See SHIELD.)
Bucklersbury (London) was at one
time the noted street for druggists and
herbalists; hence Falstaff says—
“I cannot cog, and Say thou art; this and that,
like a many of these lisping hawthorn buds, that
come like women in men's apparel, and smell like
Tłucklersbury in simple, time.” — Shakespeare:
Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 3.
Buckmaster's Light Infantry.
The 3rd West India Regiment was so
called from Buckmaster, the tailor, who
used to issue “Light Infantry uniforms”
to the officers of the corps without any
authority from the Commander-in-Chief.
Buckra. Superior, excellent. That’s
buckra. A buckra coat is a smart coat;
a buckra man, a man of consequence.
(Donizetti’s opera of
This word among the West Indians does
the service of burra among the Anglo-
Indians: as burra Saib (great master,
à.e. white man), burra khana (a magni-
ficent spread or dinner).
Buckshish or J3aksheesh. A gratuity,
pour boire. A term common to India,
Persia, and indeed all the East.
Buddha means the Wise One. From
the Indian word budh, to know. The
title was given to Prince Siddhar'tha,
generally called Saky'a-muni, the founder
of Buddhism. His wife’s name was
Gopa.
Buddhism. A system of religion
established in India in the third century.
The general outline of the system is that
the world is a transient reflex of deity ;
that the soulis a “vital spark” of deity;
and that after death it will be bound to
matter again till its “wearer” has, by
divine contemplation, so purged and
purified it that it is fit to be absorbed
into the divine essence.
Buddhist. One whose system of
religion is Buddhism.
Bude or Gurney Tight. The latter
is the name of the inventor, and the
former the place of his abode. (Golds-
worthy Gurney, of Bude, Cornwall.)
Budge is lambskin with the wool
dressed outwards, worn on the edge of
capes, bachelors' hoods, and so on.
Budge Tow, Cannon Street, is so-called
because it was chiefly occupied by budge-
makers.
“O foolishness of Imen' that, lend their ears
To those budge-doctors of the Stoic fur.”
Milton. Comws, 706, 767.
ºuage (To) is the French bouger, to
Still’.
Budge Bachelors. A company of
men clothed in long gowns lined with
budge or lambs’ wool, who used to
accompany the Lord Mayor of London
at his inauguration.
Budget. The statement which the
Chancellor of the Exchequer lays before
the House of Commons every session,
respecting the national income and ex-
penditure, taxes and Salaries. The word
is the old French bougette, a bag, and
the present pse arose from the custom of
bringing to the House the papers per-
taining to these matters in a leather bag,
and laying them on the table. Hence,
to open the budget or bag, i.e. to take the
papers from the bag and Submit them to
the House.
A budget of news is a bagful of news,
a large stock of news.
Buff;
185
IBuild
Cry Budget. A watchword or shib-
boleth. Thus Slender says to Shallow—
“We have a nay-word how to know one another.
I come to her in White and Cry muttºn She crit's
budget; and by that we know one another.” —
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, Y. 2.
Buff. Buff is a contraction of buffle
or buffalo; and buff skin is the skin of
the buffalo prepared. “To stand in
buff” is to stand without clothing in
one's bare skin. “To strip to the buff'
is to strip to the skin. The French for
“buff'' is buffle, which also means a
buffalo.
To stand buff, also written bluff,
meaning firm, without flinching. Sheri-
dan, in his School for Scandal, ii. 3, says,
“That he should have stood bluff to old
bachelor so long, and sink into a husband
at last.” It is a nautical term ; a
“bluff shore ” is one with a bold and
almost perpendicular front. The word
buff, a blow or buffet, may have got con-
founded with bluff, but without doubt
numerous instances of ‘‘ buff '’ can be
adduced.
“And for the good old cause stood luff,
'Gainst many a bitter kick and cuff.”
J3 utler IIudibrats's lººp 'taph.
“I must even Stand Jouff and outface |lint.”—
Fielding.
the
BUFF in “Blind-man’s buff,”
well-known game, is an allusion to the
three buffs or pats which the “blind-
man’’ gets when he has caught a player.
(Norman-French, buffe, a blow ; Welsh,
paſſ, verb, paffio, to thump; our buffet
is a little slap.)
Buffalo Bill. Colonel Cody.
Buffalo Robe (A). The skin of a
bison dressed without removing the hair,
and used as a travelling rug. The word
“robe '' is often omitted.
“The large and roomy sleigh was decked with
buffalo robes, red-bound, and furnished with
sham eyes and cars.”—Thé Upper Ten Thousand,
"fleaving, all hands under their buffaloes.”—
I(ame : Arctic Jºrpedition.
Buffer of a railway carriage is an
apparatus to rebuff or deaden the force
of collision.
Buffer (A). A chap. The French
boºfer (older form, baitſfer) meant to
eat, as il baitſfera tout settl. If this is
the basis of the word, a buffer is one
who eats with us, called a Commoner
in our universities.
“I always Said the old buffer Would.”—Miss
77 (taldon : L(tdy Attalley’s Secret.
Buffoon means one who puffs out his
cheeks, and makes a ridiculous explosion
by causing them suddenly to collapse.
This being a standing trick with clowns,
caused the name to be applied to low
Buffoon :- -
jesters. The Italian buffare is “to puff
out the cheeks for the purpose of making
an explosion; ” our puff. ... (Italian
buffone, a buffoon; French bouffon.)
Buffoons. Names synonymous with
Bobôche. A clown in a small theatre
in the Boulevart du Temple, Paris.
(1815-1825.)
Galimafré.
A contemporary and rival
of the former.
Tabariſ. (Of the seventeenth
Bºscambille. century.)
Grimaldi. (1779-1837.) (See SCARA-
MOUCH.)
Buffs. The old 3rd regiment of foot
soldiers. The men’s coats were lined
and faced with buff; they also wore buff
waistcoats, buff breeches, and buff
stockings. These are the “Old Buffs,”
raised in 1689. -
At one time called the Buff Howards, from
- Howard their colonel (1737–1749).
. The “Young Buſ's are the old 31st Foot raised
in 1703; now called the “ Huntingdonshire Regi-
ment,” whose present uniform is scarlet with Düff
facingS.
The Rothshire Buffs. The old 78th,
Inow the second battalion of the Seaforth
Highlanders.
Bugaboo. A monster, or goblin,
introduced into the tales of the old
Italian romancers. (See below.)
Bugbear. A scarecrow. Bug is the
Welsh bºwg, a hobgoblin, called in Russia.
buka. Spenser says, “A ghastly bug
doth greatly them affear” (book ii.
canto 3); and Hamlet has “bugs and
goblins” (v. 2).
“Warwick was a bug that feared us all.”
Shakespeare : 3 Henry IV., v. 3.
“To the world no blighear is so great
As want of figure and a small estate.”
Pope: Satires, iii. 67-68.
* The latter half of this word is some-
what doubtful. The Welsh bár—ire,
fury, wrath, whence baroſſ, spiteful,
seems probable.
Buggy. A light vehicle without a
hood, drawn by one horse. (Hindu-
stani, bāghi.)
Buhl-work. Cabinet - work, inlaid
with brass; so called from Signor Boule,
the inventor, who settled in Paris during
the reign of Louis XIV. (The word
should be spelt BOULE-WORK.)
Build, for make, as, A mayº of strong
build, a man of robust make. The
metaphor is evident.
Build. Applied to dress. Not so bad
a build after all, not badly made.
Builder's
186 TBullet,
Builder's Square. Emblematic of
St. Thomas, patron of architects.
Bulbul. The nightingale. A Persian
word, familiarised by Tom Moore.
“'Twas like the notes, half-ecstasy, half-pain,
The bulbul utters.” e
Moore : Lalla Iłoolch (Veiled Prophet, part 1,
Stanza 14).
Bulis, metamorphosed into a drake ;
and his son, Egypios, into a vulture.
Bull. One of the twelve signs of the
Zodiac (April 20 to May 21). The time
for ploughing, which in Egypt was per-
formed by oxen or bulls. *
“At last from Aries rolls the bounteous sum,
And the bright Bull receives him.”
Thomson : Spring, 26, 27.
Bull. A blunder, or inadvertent con-
tradiction of terms, for which the Irish
are proverbial. The British Apollo,
1740, says the term is derived from one
Obadiah Bull, an Irish lawyer of London,
in the reign of Henry VII., whose blun-
dering in this way was notorious.
Bull is a five-shilling piece. “IHalf a
bull” is half-a-crown.
great leaden seal. Hood, in one of his
comic sketches, speaks of a crier who,
being apprehended, “swallowed three
hogs (shillings) and a bull.”
The pope’s bull. So called from the bulla
or capsule of the seal appended to the
document. Subsequently the seal was
called the bulla, and then the document
itself. -
The edict of the Emperor Charles IV.
(1356) had a golden bulla, and was there-
fore called the golden bull. (See GoLDEN
BULL.)
Bull. A public-house sign, the cogni-
sance of the house of Clare. The bull
and the boar were signs used by the par-
tisans of Clare, and Richard, Duke of
Gloucester (Richard III.).
Bull.
A bull in a chima shop. A maladroit
hand interfering with a delicate busi-
ness; one who produces reckless destruc-
tion.
A brazen bull. An instrument of tor-
ture. (See PHALARIS.)
JHe may bear a bull that hath borne a
calf (Erasmus : Proverbs)—“He that
accustometh hym-selfe to lytle thynges,
by lytle and lytle shalbe able to go a
waye with greater thynges (Taverner).
To take the bull by the horns. To
attack or encounter a threatened danger
fearlessly; to go forth boldly to meet a
difficulty. The figure is taken from bull-
fights, in which a strong and skilful
From bulla, a
matadore will grasp the horns of a bull
about to toss him and hold it prisoner.
John Bull. An Englishman. Applied
to a native of IEngland in Arbuthnot’s
ludicrous History of Europe. This his-
tory is sometimes erroneously ascribed
to Dean Swift. In this satire the French
are called Lewis Baboon, and the Dutch
Nicholas Frog.
“One would think, , in personifying itself,
a nation would . . . . picture , something grand,
heroic, and imposing, but it is characteristic of
the 1)eculiar humour of the English, and of their
love for what is blunt, comic, and familiar, that
they llave embodied their national oddities in the
figure of a Sturdy, corpulent old fellow . . . with
red Waistcoat, leather breeches, and a stout oaken
cudge! . . . [Wholm they call] John Bull.”—Wash-
ington. Irving.
Bull and Gate. Bull and Mouth.
Public-house signs. A corruption of
Boulogne Gate or Mouth, adopted out
of compliment to Henry VIII., who
took Boulogne in 1544.
Bull-dog (A). A man of relentless,
Savage disposition is sometimes so called.
A “bull-dog courage '’ is one that
flinches from no danger. The “bull-
dog” was the dog formerly used in bull-
baiting.
Bull-dogs, in University slang, are
the two myrmidons of the proctor, who
attend his heels like dogs, and are ready
to spring on any offending undergraduate
like bull-dogs. (See MYRMIDONs.)
Bull-necked. The Bull-necked Forger.
Cagliostro, the huge impostor, was so
called. (1743-1795.)
Bull-ring. (See MAYOR OF THE BULL-
RING...)
Bull's Eye. A small cloud suddenly
appearing, seemingly in violent motion,
and growing out of itself. It soon
covers the entire vault of heaven, pro-
ducing a tumult of wind and rain.
(1 Kings xviii. 44.)
Bull's Eye. The inner disc of a target.
“A little way from the centre there is a spot
where the shots are thickly gathered ; Some few
have hit the bull's-eye.”—Fiske : I.ccursions, etc.,
chap. vi. p. 178.
To make a bull’s eye. To gain some
signal advantage ; a successful cottp.
To fire or shoot an arrow right into the
centre disc of the target.
Bulls, in Stock Exchange phrase-
ology, means those dealers who “bull,”
or try to raise the price of stock, with
the view of effecting sales. A bull-
account is a speculation made under the
hope that the stock purchased will rise
before the day of settlement. (See BEAR.)
Bullet. Every bullet has its billet.
Nothing happens by chance, and no act
T3ulletin
187 TBUIn
is altogether without some effect. “There
is a divinity that shapes our ends, rough
hew them as we will.” Another mean-
ing is this: an arrow or bullet is not
discharged at random, but at Some mark
or for some deliberate purpose.
“Let the arrow fly that has a mark.”—Caesar
Borgia, chal). XX. -
Bulletin. French for a certificate.
An official report of an officer to his
superior, or of medical attendants re-
specting the health of persons of notor-
iety; so called because they were au-
thénticated by an official bulla or seal.
(Spanish, boletín, a warrant ; Italian,
bullettino, a roll.)
Bulling the Barrel is pouring water
into a rum cask, when it is nearly empty,
to prevent its leaking. The water, which
gets impregnated with the spirit and is
very intoxicating, is called bull.
Seamen talk of bulling the teapot
(making a second brew), bulling the
coffee, etc. *
Bullion properly means the mint
where bolla, little round coins, are made.
Subsequently the metal in the mint.
Buily. To overbear with words. A
bully is a blustering menacer. (Anglo-
Saxon, bulgian, to bellow like a bull.)
It is often used, without any mixture
of reproof, as a term of endearment,
S : —
“O sweet bully Bottom.”—Midsummer Night's
Dream, iv. 4.
“Bless thee, bully doctor.” — Merry Wives of
Windsor, ii. 3.
Bully-boy (A). A jolly companion,
a “brick.” (German, buhle, a lover ;
buhler, a gallant.)
. “We be three poor mariners
Newly come from the seas,
We spend our lives in jeopardy,
While others live at ease ;
Shall we go dance the round, the round,
Shall we go dance the round?
And he that is a bully boy
Come pledge me on this ground.”
- Leutteronmelia. (1609.)
Bully-rook. A blustering cheat. Like
bully, it is sometimes used without any
offensive meaning. Thus the Host, in
The Merry Wives of Windsor, addresses
Sir John Falstaff, Ford, and Page, etc.,
as bully-rook—“How now, my bully-
rook?” equal to “my fine fellow.”
* A bully rake is “one who fights
for fighting’s sake.” To bully-rag is to
intimidate; bully-ragging is abusive in-
timidation. According to Halliwell, a
Yag is a scold, and hence a “ragging”
means a scolding. Connected with rage.
Bum-bailiff.
The French poussé-cul seems to favour
the notion that bum-bailiff is no corrup-
tion. These officers are frequently re-
ferred to as bums.
“Scout, me fol' him at the corner of the orchard,
like a bunn-bailiff.
Suakespeare: Trrelfth Night, iii, 4.
Bum-boat. A small wide boat to
carry provisions to vessels lying offshore.
Also called “dirt-boats,” being used for
removing filth from ships lying in the
Thames. (Dutch, bumboot, a wide fish-
ing boat. In Canada, a punt is called a
bun. A bun is a receptacle for keeping
fish alive.)
Bumble. A beadle.
the officious, overbearing
Dickens's Oliver Twist.
Bumbledom. The dominion of an
overbearing parish officer, the arro-
gance of parish authorities, the conceit
of parish dignity. (See above.)
Bummarees. A class of middlemen
or fish-jobbers in Billingsgate Market,
who get a living by bummaréeing, i.e.
buying parcels of fish from the Sales-
men, and them retailing them. A cor-
ruption of bonne marée, good fresh fish,
or the seller thereof. According to the
Dictionnaire de l'Académie, marée means
toute 807te de poisson de mér que n'est pas
Salé. Bonne marée, marée fraiche.
So called from
beadle in
Bumper. A full glass, generally
connected with a “toast.” Dr. Arn
says a bumper is when the surface of
the wine bumps up in the middle.
(French, bomber, to render convex, to
bulge or swell out.)
“A fancied connection with bump, a Swelling,
has not only influenced the form of the word,
but [has] added the motion of fullness.”—Slea.”
Iºtymological Dictionary.
Bumpkin. A loutish person. (Dutch,
boomken, a sprout, a fool.) This word
very closely resembles the word “chit.”
(See CHITTY.)
Bumptious. Arrogant, full of mighty
airs and graces; apt to take offence at
presumed slights. A corruption of pre-
sumptuous, first into “Sumptious,” then
to bumptious.
Bum. A small cake. (Irish, boimmedſ,
Scotch, bannock.)
*: In regard to “hot cross buns’’ on
Good Friday, it may be stated that the
Greeks offered to Apollo, Diana, Hecate,
and the Moon, cakes with “horns.”
Such a cake was called a boºts, and (it is
said) never grew mouldy. The “cross'’
symbolised the four quarters of the moon.
“Good Friday comes this month: the old woman
I’ll IIS
With one a penny, two a penny ‘llot cross buns,”
IBunch. 188
t T3Urbon
Whose virtue is, if you believe what's said,
They'll * grow mouldy like the common
}}read.”
Poor Robim : Almamack, 1733.
Bunch of Fives. A slang term for
the hand or fist.
Buncle (John). “A prodigious hand
at matrimony, divinity, a Song, and a
peck.” He marries seven wives, loses all
in the flower of their age, is inconsolable
for two or three days, then resigns him-
self to the decrees of Providence, and
marries again. (The Life and Opinions of
John Buncle, Esq., by Thomas Amory.)
“John is a kind of innocent Henry VIII. Of
private life.”—Leigh, Hunt.
Bundle. Bundle off. Get away. To
bundle a person off, is to send him away
unceremoniously. Similar to pack off.
The allusion is obvious.
Bundle of Sticks. Æsop, in one of
his fables, shows that sticks one by one
may be readily broken ; not so when
several are bound together in a bundle.
The lesson taught is, that “Union gives
strength.”
“They now lay to heart the lesson of the lyun-
dle of Sticks.”—The T'imes.
Bundschuh [highlows]. An insur-
rection of the peasants of Germany in
the sixteenth century. So called from
the highlows or clouted shoon of the
insurgents.
Bung. A cant term for a toper.
“Away, . . . you filthy bung,” says
Doll to Pistol. (2 Henry IP., ii. 4.)
I}rother Bung. A cant term for a
publican.
Bºng eſp. Close up, as a bung closes
a cask.
Bungalow (Indian). The house of
a European in India, generally a ground
floor with a verandah all round it, and
the roof thatched to keep off the hot
rays of the sun. There are English
bungalows at Birchington and on the
Norfolk coast near Cromer. A dék-
bºgalow is a caravansary or house
built by the Government for the use of
travellers. (Hindustani, bangló.)
Bungay. Go to Bungay with you !—
7.é. get away and don’t bother me, or
don’t talk such stuff. Bungay, in
Suffolk, used to be famous for the manu-
facture of leather breeches, once very
fashionable. Persons who required new
ones, or to have their old ones new-
seated, went or sent to Bungay for that
purpose. Hence rose the cant Saying,
“Go to Bungay, and get your breeches
mended,” shortened into “Go to Bungay
with you!”
Bungay. My castle of Bungay. (See
wºnder CASTLE.)
Bunkum. Claptrap. A representa-
tive at Washington being asked why he
made such a flowery and angry speech,
So wholly uncalled for, made answer, “I
was not speaking to the House, but to
Buncombe,” which he represented (North
Carolina).
“America, too, Will find that caucuses, stump-
Oratory, and Speeches to Buncom] e will not carry
men to the immortal gods.”—Carlyle: Latter-day
Pamphlets (Parliaments, p. 93).
Bunny. A rabbit. So called from
the provincial word bun, a tail. The
Scotch say of the hare, “she cocks her
bun.” Bunny, a diminutive of bun,
applied to a rabbit, means the animal
With the “little tail.”
“Bunny, lying in the grass,
Saw the shiny column pass.”
JBret Harte : Battle Bummy, stanza I.
Bunsby (Jack). Captain Cuttle’s
friend; a Sir Oracle of his neighbours :
profoundly mysterious, and keeping his
eye always fixed upon invisible dream-
land somewhere beyond the limits of
infinite space. (Dickens : Dombey and
Son.)
Bunting. In Somersetshire bunting
means sifting flour. Sieves were at one
time made of a strong gauzy woollen
cloth, which being tough and capable of
resisting wear, was found suitable for
flags, and now has changed its reference
from sieves to flags. A “bunt-mill” is
a machine for sifting corn.
“Not unlike . . . a loaker's bunt, when he separ-
ates the fiOur from the bran.”—Stédºncum.
Buphagos. Pausanias (viii. 24) tells
us that the son of Japhet was called Bu-
phagos (glutton), as Hercules was called
Adephagus, because on One occasion he
ate a whole ox (Athendeos x.). The
French call the English “Beefeaters,”
because they are eaters of large joints of
meat, and not of delicate, well-dressed
viands. Neither of these has any rela-
tion to our Yeomen of the Guards.
(See BEEFEATERS, page 115.)
Burbon. A knight assailed by a
rabble rout, who batter his shield to
pieces, and compel him to cast it aside.
Talus renders him assistance, and is in-
formed by the rescued knight that Four-
delis, his own true love, had been enticed
away from him by Grantorto. When
the rabble is dispersed, and Fourdelis
recovered, Burbon places her on his
steed, and rides off as fast as possible.
Eurbon is Henri IV. Of France; Fourdeſ-
lis, the kingdom of France; the rabble
rout, the Roman Catholic party that tried
Buchardise
189
Burn.
to set him aside ; the shield he is com-
pelled to abandon is Protestantism his
carrying off Fourdelis is his obtaining
the kingdom by a coup after his renunci-
ation of the Protestant cause. (SpenSer:
I’aérie Queene, v. 11.)
Burchardise. To speak e3, cathedra ;
to speak with authority. Burchard (who
died 1026) compiled a volume of canons
of such undisputed authority, that any
sentence it gave was beyond appeal.
Burchell (Mr.). Abaronet who passes
himself off as a poor man, his real name
and title being Sir William Thornhill.
His favourite cant word is “Fudge.”
(Goldsmith : Vicar of Wakefield.)
Burd (Helen). The Scotch female
impersonation of the French pretta; or
prud’homme, with this difference, that
she is discreet, rather than brave and
wise.
Burden of a Song. The words re-
peated in each verse, the chorus or re-
frain. It is the French bourdon, the big
drone of a bagpipe, or double-diapason
of an organ, used in forté parts and
choruses. -
JBurden of Isaiah. The “measure” of
a prophecy announcing a calamity, or a
denunciation of hardships on those
against whom the burden is uttered.
(Isa. xiii. 1, etc.) -
The burden of proof. The obligation
to prove something. -
“The lyurden of proof is on the party holding
the affirmlative ’’ [])ecause no one can prove a
negative, except by reductio (td (tbsurdum].—
Greenleaf : Ont. Evidence (Vol. i. part 2, chap. iii.
1), 105).
Bure (2 syl.). The first woman, and
sister of Borr, the father of Odin. (Sean-
dinavia), mythology.)
Bureauc/racy. A system of govern-
ment in which the business is carried on
in bureaux or departments. The French
bºrea'ſ means not only the office of a
public functionary, but also the whole
staff of officers attached to the depart-
ment. As a word of reproach, bureau-
cracy has nearly the same meaning as
Dickens's word, red-tapeism (q.v.).
Burglar [burg-larron]. The robber
of a burgh, castle, or house. Burglary
is called, in ancient law-books, hame-
Seeken or hòn-seon, house-violation.
Burgun'dian. A Burgundian blow,
?.6. decapitation. The Duc de Biron,
who was put to death for treason by
Henri IV., was told in his youth, by a
fortune-teller, “to beware of a Burgun-
dian blow.” When going to execution,
he asked who was to be his executioner,
and was told he was a man from Bur-
gundy.
Burial of an Ass. No burial at all.
“He shall be buried with the burial of an ass,
drawn, and cast forth beyond the gates of Jeru-
Salem.”—Jer. Xxii. 19.
Bu'ridan's Ass. A man of inde-
cision; like one “on double business
bound, who stands in pause where he
should first begin, and both neglects.”
Bu'ridan the scholastic said: “If a
hungry ass were placed exactly between
two hay-stacks in every respect equal,
it would starve to death, because there
would be no motive why it should go to
one rather than to the other.”
Burke. To murder by placing some-
thing over the mouth of the person at-
tacked to prevent his giving alarm. So
called from Burke, an Irishman, who
used to suffocate his victims and murder
them for the sole purpose of selling the
dead bodies to surgeons for dissection.
Hanged at Edinburgh, 1829.
To bººke a question. To strangle it in
its birth. The publication was burked:
suppressed before it was circulated.
Burkers. Body-snatchers; those who
kill by burking.
Burl, Burler. In Cumberland, a
burler is the master of the revels at a
bidden-wedding, who is to see that the
guests are well furnished with drink.
To burl is to carouse or pour out liquor.
(Anglo-Saxon, bylian.)
“Mr. H. called for a quart of beer. . . . He told
me to burl out the beer, as he was in a hurry, and
1 burled out the glass and gave it to him.”—The
Times : L(tºw IReports.
Burlaw or IByrlaw. A sort of Lynch-
law in the rural districts of Scotland.
The inhabitants of a district used to
make certain laws for their own observ-
ance, and appoint one of their neigh-
bours, called the Burlaw-man, to carry
out the pains and penalties. The word
is a corrupt form of by-law, byr-a
burgh, common in such names as Derby,
the burgh on the Derwent ; Grimsby
(q.v.), Grims-town.
Burlesque. Father of burlesque poetry.
Hippo'nax of Ephesus. (Sixth century
B.C.)
Burlond. A giant whose legs Sir
Try'amour cut off. (Romance of Sir
Tryamour.)
Burn. His money burns a hole in his
pocket. He cannot keep it in his pocket,
or forbear spending it.
IBurn
190 Busby
To bºy'), one’s boats. To cut oneself off
from all means or hope of retreat. The
allusion is to Julius Caesar and other
generals, who burned their boats or ships
when they invaded a foreign country,
in order that their soldiers might feel
that they must either conquer the
country or die, as retreat would be
impossible.
To burn one's fingers. To suffer loss
by speculation or interference. The
allusion is to taking chestnuts from
the fire. -
“He has been bolstering up these rotten iron-
works. I told him lie would burn his fingers.”—
Mrs. Lyºn, Linton.
You cannot burn the candle at both ends.
You cannot do two opposite things at
one and the same time; you cannot
exhaust your energies in One direction,
and yet reserve them unimpaired for
something else. If you go to bed late
you cannot get up early. , You cannot
eat your cake and have it too. You
cannot serve God and Mammon. You
cannot serve two masters. Potty’sºtis delta:
lièvres, et les manques. (La Pontaine.)
Simul sorbère de flare non possiſm.
IP'e bºt)'), daylight. We waste time in
talk instead of action. (Shakespeare :
Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 1.)
Burn, a stream. A variant of bourn
(Anglo-Saxon, burne, a brook, as in
Winterbourne, Burnham, Swinburn, etc.).
Burning Crown (A). A crown of
red-hot iron set on the head of regicides.
“He was adjudged *
To have his lead seared with a burning crown.”
Tragedy of Hoffmann. (1631.)
The lºtrypt child dreads the
“What
Burnt. º
fire. Once caught, twice shy.
wouldst thou have a serpent sting thee
twice P 7”
Burnt Candlemas Day. Feb. 2,
1355-6, when Edward III. marched
through the Lothians with fire and
sword. He burnt to the ground Edin-
burgh and Haddington, and then re-
treated from want of provisions. The
Scots call the period “Burnt Candlemas.”
(See “Epochs of History,” England
atnder the Plantaffenets ; and Macmillan’s
series, Little History of Scotland, edited
by Prof. Freeman.)
Bursa (a bull’s hide). So the citadel
of Carthage was called. The tale is
that when Dido came to Africa, she
bought of the natives “as much land as
could be encompassed by a bull’s hide.”
The agreement was made, and Dido cut
the hide into thongs, so as to enclose a
space sufficient for a citadel.
*
The following is a similar story: The
Yakutsks granted to the Russian ex-
plorers as much land as they could
encompass with a cow's hide ; but the
Russians, cutting the hide into strips,
obtained land enough for the port and
town of Yakutsk.
The Indians have a somewhat similar
tradition. The fifth incarnation of
Vishnu was in the form of a dwarf called
Vamen. Wamen, presenting himself
before the giant Baly, asked as a reward
for services as much land as he could
measure in three paces to build a hut
on. Baly laughed at the request, and
freely granted it. Whereupon the
dwarf grew so prodigiously large that,
with three paces, he strode over the
whole world. (Sonnerat: Voyages, vol.
i. p. 24.)
Burst. To inform against an accom-
plice. Slang variety of “split’’ (turn
king’s evidence, impeach). The person
who does this splits or breaks up the
whole concern.
Bury the Hatchet. Let by-gones
be by-gones. The “Great Spirit” com-
manded the North American Indians,
when they smoked the cal/umet or peace-
pipe, to bury their hatchet, scalping-
knives, and war-clubs in the ground,
that all thought of hostility might be
buried out of sight.
“It is much to be regretted that the American
government, having brought the great war, to a
conclusion, did not bury the hatchet altogether.”
—The Times.
“Buried was the bloody hatcket :
Buried was the dreadful war-club ;
I3\\ried Were all warlike Weapons,
And the war-cry was forgotten :
Then was peace annong the nations.” ...
JLongfellow : Hiawatha, xiii.
Burying, Crémation. The Parsees
neither bury or burn their dead, because
they will not defile the elements (fire
and earth). So they carry their dead
to the Tower of Silence, and leave the
body there to be devoured by vultures.
(See Nineteenth Century, October, 1893,
p. 611.)
Burying at Cross Roads.
CROSS-ROADS.)
Bus. A contraction of Omnibus. Of
course, Omnibi, as a plural, though some-
times used, is quite absurd.
Busby (A). A frizzled wig. Doctor
Busby, master of Westminster school,
did not wear a frizzled wig, but a close
cap, somewhat like a Welsh wig. (See
WIGS.)
Busby. The tall cap of a hussar,
artillery-man, etc., which hangs from
the top over the right shoulder.
( See
Bush
191
Butcher
Bush. One beats the bush, but another
has the hare, i.e. one does the work, but
another reaps the profit. The Latins
said, Sie vos non vobis. The allusion is
to beating the bush to start game. (See
BEATING...)
Good wine needs 770 bush. A good ar-
ticle will make itself known without
being puffed. The booths in fairs used
to be dressed with ivy, to indicate that
wine was sold there, ivy being sacred to
IBacchus. An ivy-bush was once the
common sign of tayerns, and especially of
private houses where beer or wine could
be obtained by travellers.
peasant who sells his vineyard has to put
a green bush over his door.
The proverb is Latin, and shows that
the Romans introduced the custom into
Europe. “Vino vendib'ili hedera non
opus est” (Columella). It was also com-
mon to France. “And win qui se vend
bien, il me faut point de lierre.”
“If it be true that good wine needs no
true that a good play needs no prologue.
"Shakespºir. : As You Like It (Spilogue).
To take to the bush. To become bush-
rangers, like runaway convicts who live
by plunder. The bush in this case
means what the Dutch call bosch, the
uncleared land as opposed to towns and
clearings.
“Everything being much cheaper in Toronto
tlian away in the bušll.”—Geikie : Life inv the
WOOds, -
Bushel. To measure other people’s
co,” by one’s own batshel. To make one-
self the standard of right and wrong ; to
appraise everything as it accords or dis-
agrees with one's own habits of thought
and preconceived opinions; to be ex-
tremely bigoted and self-opiniated.
Under a bushel. Secretly ; in order to
hide it.
“Do Imen light a candle and put it under a
bushel?”—Matt. Y. I5.
Bushman (Dutch, Boschjesman). Na-
tives of South Africa, who live in the
‘‘ bush ’’; the aborigines of the Cape ;
dwellers in the Australian “bush; ” a
bush farmer.
“Bushmen . . . . are the only nomades in the
country. They meyer cultivate the soil, nor rear
any domestic animal Save wretched dogs.”–
LivingStone : Travels, chap. ii. p. 55.
Pushrangers. Escaped convicts who
have taken refuge in the Australian
“bush,” and subsist by plunder.
“The bushrangers at first were absentees [i.e.
eşçaped, convicts] whº were soon allured or
driven to theft, and yiolence. So early as 1808
they had, Jºy Systematic rolylbery, excited feelings
Of alarm.”—West: Tasmania.
Business, Busy. Saxon, bysgian, the
verb, by sig (busy); Dutch, bezägen : Ger-
man, besorgniss (care, management);
º
bush, 'tis
In France, a
Sorge (care); Saxon, Seoga?! (to see).
From the German sorgen we get the
French soigner (to look after something),
Soigne, and be-Sogne (business, or that
which is our care and concern), with
be-Soim (something looked after but not
found, hence “want”); the Italian
beSoffnio (a beggar).
Business To-morrow. When the
Spartans seized upon Thebes, they placed
Archias over the garrison. Pelopſidas,
with eleven others, banded together to
put Archias to the sword. A letter con-
taining full details of the plot was given
to the Spartan polemarch at the banquet
table ; but Archias thrust the letter
under his cushion, saying, “Business to-
morrow.” But long ere that sun arose
he was numbered with the dead.
Bu'sirane (3 Syl.). An enchanter
bound by Brit'omart. (Spenser : Faërie
Queene, book iii. 11, 12.)
Busiris. A king of Egypt, who used
to immolate to the gods all strangers
who set foot on his shores. Hercules
was seized by him ; and would have
fallen a victim, but he broke his chain,
and slew the inhospitable king.
Busi'ris, according to Milton, is the
Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea.
“Wex'd the Red-Sea coast, whose waves o'er-
till I'CW
Busiris and his Memphian chivalry.”
&radise Lost, book i. 306, 307.
Buskin. Tragedy. The Greek tra-
gic actors used to wear a Sandal some
two or three inches thick, to elevate
their stature. To this sole was attached
a very elegant buskin, and the whole
was called cothur'nus. (See SoCK.)
“Or what (though rare) of later age
Ennobled hatlı the buskined stage.”
Milton : Il Penseroso, 79, 80.
Buss. To kiss. (Welsh, bus, the
human lip ; Gaelic, bus, the mouth ;
French, baiser, a kiss.)
“Yon towers, Whose Walnton tops do buss the
clouds,
Must kiss their own feet.”
Shakespeare : Troilus and Cressida, iv. 5.
Busterich. A German god. His
idol may still be seen at Sondershusa,
the castle of Schwartzenburg.
Busy as a Bee. The equivalent
Latin phrase is “Satág is tamgºam mus in
matella.” (See SIMILES.)
Butcher. The Butcher. Achmed
Pasha was called djezzar (the butcher),
and is said to have whipped off the heads
of his seven wives. He is famous for
his defence of Acre against Napoleon I.
The Butcher. John, ninth lord Clifford,
also called The Black, died 1461.
Lutcher
192
Buttons
The Bloody Butcher. The Duke of
Cumberland, second son of George II.
So called from his barbarities in Sup-
pressing the rebellion of the young Pre-
tender.
The Royalist Butcher. Blaise de Mont-
luc, distinguished for his cruelties to the
Protestants in the reign of Charles IX.
of France (1502–1572).
Butcher Boots. The black boots
worn en petite tenue in the hunting field.
Butter. Soft Soap, soft solder (pron.
saw-der), “wiping down '' with winning
words. Punch expressively calls it “the
milk of human kindness churned into
butter.” (Anglo-Saxon, butere or butyre,
Latin, butyrººm, Greek, boºſtifrom, i.e.
boºt-turos, cow-cheese, as distinguished
from goat- or ewe-butter.)
Soft words butter no parsnips. Saying
“‘Be thou fed,’ will not feed a hungry
man.” Mere words will not find salt to
our porridge, or butter to our parsnips.
“Fine words, says our homely old proverb, but-
ter no parsnips.”—Lowell.
JHe looks as if butter would not melt in
his montth. He looks like a dolt. He
looks quite harmless and expressly made
to be played upon. Yet beware, and
“touch not a cat but a glove.”
“She smiles and languishes, you'd think that
butter would not melt in her mouth.”—Thackeray:
Pemdemnis, lx.
IIe knows on which side his bread is
buttered. He knows his own interest.
Seit uti foro.
IIe that has good store of butter may
lay it thick on his bread. Cui multum est
pipéris, etiam oleribus immiscet.
To butter one’s bread on both sides. To
be wastefully extravagant and luxurious.
Butter-fingers. Said of a person
who lets things fall out of his hand. His
fingers are slippery, and things slip from
them as if they were greased with butter.
Often heard on the cricket field.
“I never was a butter-fingers, though a bad
batter.”—H. Kingsley.
Butter-tooth (A). A wide front
tooth. (See BUCK-TOOTH.)
Buttered Ale. A beverage made of
ale or beer (without hops) mixed with
butter, Sugar, and cinnamon. y
Buttercups. So called because they
were once supposed to increase the butter
of milk. No doubt those cows give the
best milk that pasture in fields where
buttercups abound, not because these
flowers produce butter, but because they
grow only on Sound, dry, old pastures,
which afford the best food. Miller, in
his Gardener’s Dictionary, says they were
so called “under the notion that the
yellow colour of butter is owing to these
plants.” -
Butterflies, in the cab trade, are
those drivers who take to the occupation
only in summer-time, and at the best of
the season. At other times they follow
Some other occupation.
“The feeling of the regular drivers against
these “butterflies' is very strong.”—Nineteenth
Century (March, 1893, 1). 177).
Butterfly Kiss (A). A kiss with
one’s eyelashes, that is, stroking the
cheek with one’s eyelashes.
Button. A decoy in an auction-
room ; so called because he buttons or
ties the unwary to bargains offered for
sale. The button fastens or fixes what
else would slip away.
The button of the cap. The tip-top.
Thus, in Hamlet, Guildenstern says:
“On fortune's cap we are not the very
button” (act ii. sc. 2), i.e. the most
highly favoured. The button on the
cap was a mark of honour. Thus, in
China to the present hour, the first
grade of literary honour is the privilege
of adding a gold button to the cap, a
custom adopted in several collegiate
schools of England. This gives the ex-
pression quoted a further force. Also,
the several grades of mandarins are dis-
tinguished by a different coloured button
on the top of their cap.
JButton (of a foil). The piece of cork
fixed to the end of a foil to protect the
point and prevent injury in fencing.
Buttons. The two buttons on the
back of a coat, in the fall of the back,
are a survival of the buttons on the back
of riding-coats and military frocks of the
eighteenth century, occasionally used to
button back the coat-tails.
A boy in buttons. A page, whose
jacket in front is remarkable for a display
of small round buttons, as close as they
can be inserted, from chim to waist.
“The titter [tingle], of an electric bell brought
a large fat buttons, with a stage effect of being
dressed to look small.”—IIowell: Hazard of New
Fortunes, (vol. i. part i. Chal). Wii. p. 58).
He has 720t all his buttons. He is half-
silly; “not all there '’; he is “a button
short.”
JDash my buttons. Here, “buttons’’
means lot or destiny, and “dash ’’ is a
euphemistic form of a more offensive
word.
The buttons come off the foils. Figura-
tively, the courtesies of controversy are
neglected.
“Familiarity, with controversy . . . will have
accustomed him to the misadventures, which
arise when, as sometimes will happen in the heat
of fence, the buttons come off the foils.”—Nime,
teenth Century (June, 1891, p. 925). .
Button-hole
193 Bygones
'Tis in his buttons. He is destined to
obtain the prize; he is the accepted
lover. It is still common to hear boys
count their buttons to know what trade
they are to follow, whether they are
to do a thing or not, and whether some
favourite favours them. (See BACHELOR.)
“'Tis in his buttons; he will carry't.”—Shake-
speare: Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 2.
'Tis not in his buttons. 'Tis not in his
power, 'tis not in his lot.
To have a soul above buttons. To be
worthy of better things; to have abili-
ties too good for one’s present employ-
ment. This is explained by George
Colman in Sylvester Daggerwood: “My
father was an eminent button-maker...
but I had a soul above buttons . . . and
panted for a liberal profession.”
To put into buttons. To dress a boy as
a “page,” with a jacket full in the
front with little buttons, generally me-
tallic and very conspicuous.
To take by the button. To detain one
in conversation ; to apprehend, as, “to
take fortune by the button.” The allu-
sion is to a custom, now discontinued,
of holding a person by the button or
button-hole in conversation.
Button-hole. To button-hole a person.
To bore one with conversation. The
French have the same locution: Serrer le
boºtton [ä quel qu'unj.
“He went about button-holing and boring
everyone.”—H. Kingsley: Mathilde.
To take one down a buttom-hole. To
take One down a peg ; to lower one's
conceit.
“Better mind yerselves, or I'll take ye down a
..button-hole lower.”—Mrs. B. Stowe: Uncle Tom’s
Cabin, iW.
Button-hole (A). A flower inserted
in the button-hole of a coat.
“In fine weather he [the driver of a hansom]
Will Sport a button-hole—generally a dahlia, or
Some flower of that ilk.”—Nineteenth Century
(March, 1893, p. 473).
Buy in (To). To collect stock by
purchase; to withhold the sale of some-
thing offered at auction, because the
bidding has not reached the “reserve
price.”
Buy Off (To). To give a person
money to drop a claim or put an end to
contention, or to throw up a partner-
ship.
Buy Out (To). To redeem or ransom.
“Not being able to buy out his life . . . . .
Dies ere the weary sun set.”
Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors, i. 2.
Buy Over (To). To induce one by a
bribe to renounce his claim; to gain
over by bribery.
To buy over a person’s head. To out-
bid another.
Buy Up (To). To purchase stock to
such an amount as to obtain a virtual
monopoly, and thus command the mar-
ket ; to make a corner, as “to buy up
corn,” etc.
Buying a Pig in a Polze. (See
PIG, etc.)
Buzfuz (Seljeant). A driving, chaff-
ing, masculine bar orator, who twists
“Chops and Tomato Sauce ’’ into a de-
claration of love. (Dickens : Pickwick
Papers.) -
Buzz. Empty the bottle.
tion of bouse (to drink).
“In bousing a bout ’twas his gift to excel,
And of all jolly to pers he bore off the bell.”
(See Boozy.)
Buzz (A).
report.
A corrup-
A rumour, a whispered
“Yes, that, on every dream,
Each buzz, each fancy . . .
He may enguard his dotage.”
ShalcéSpeatre: ICing Lear, i. 4.
Buzzard (The) is meant for Dr. Bur-
nett, whose figure was lusty.
“The noble Buzzard ever pleased me best.”
Dryden : Hind and Panther, lyart iii. 1121.
Buzzard called hawk by courtesy. It
is a euphemism—a brevet rank—a com-
plimentary title.
“Of small renown, 'tis true; for, not to lie,
We call [your buzzard] “hawk” by courtesy.”
Dryden : Hima and Panther, iii. 1122-3.
JBetween hawk and buzzard. Not quite
a lady or gentleman, nor quite a ser-
vant. Applied to tutors in private
houses, bear-leaders, and other grown-
up persons who are allowed to come
down to dessert, but not to be guests at
the dinner-table.
By. Meaning against. “I know
nothing by myself, yet am I not thereby
justified.” (1 Cor. iv. 4.)
By-and-by now means a little time
hence, but when the Bible was trans-
lated it meant instantly. “When perse-
cution ariseth . . . by-and-by he is
offended ” (Matt. xiii. 21); rendered in
Markiv. 17 by the word “immediately.”
Our presently means in a little time
hence, but in French présentement means
now, directly. Thus in France we see,
These apartments to be let presently, mean-
ing now—a phrase which would in Inglish
signify by-and-by.
Bygones. Let bygones be bygonés.
Let old grievances be forgotten and
never brought to mind.
13
By-laws
194 Cabal
-*
By-laws. Local laws. From by, a
'borough. Properly, laws by a Town
Council, and bearing only on the borough
or company over which it has jurisdic-
tion.
By-road (A).
local road.
IBy-the-by. En passant, laterally
connected with the main subject. “By-
play” is side or secondary play; “By-
lanes and streets '' are those which
branch out of the main thoroughfare.
The first “by” means passing from one to
another, as in the phrase “Day by day.”
Thus “By-the-by.” is passing from the
main subject to a by or secondary one.
By-the-way is an incidental remark
thrown in, and tending the same way as
the discourse itself.
Byron. The Polish Byron.
Mickiewicz (1798-1855).
The Russian Byron. Alexander Ser-
geivitch Puschkin (1799-1837).
Byrsa. (See page 191, col. 1, BURSA.)
Byzantine Art. That symbolical
system which was developed by the early
Greek or Byzantine artists out of the
Christian symbolism. Its chief features
are the circle, dome, and round arch ;
and its chief symbols the lily, cross,
vesica, and nimbus. St. Sophia, at Con-
stantinople, and St. Mark, at Venice, are
excellent examples.
Byzantine Empire (The). The
Eastern or Greek Empire from 395 to
1453.
Byzantine Historians. Certain
Greek historians who lived under the
Eastern empire between the sixth and
fifteenth centuries. They may be divided
into three groups:—(1) Those whose
works form a continuous history of the
Byzantine empire, from the fourth cen-
tury to the conquest of Constantinople
by the Turks; (2) general chroniclers
who wrote histories of the world from
the oldest period; and (3) writers on
Roman antiquities, statistics, and cus-
toms. -
Byzantines (3 syl.). Coins of the
Byzantime empire, generally called Be-
Sú??ts.
Not a main road; a
Adam
C
C. This letter is the outline of the
hollow of the hand, and is called in He-
brew caph (the hollow of the hand).
C. The French c, when it is to be
Sounded like s, has a mark under it (c);
this mark is called a cedilla. (A diminu-
tive of z ; called zeta in Greek, ceda in
Spanish.)
C. There is more than one poem
written of which every word begins with
C. For example:
(1) One composed by HUEBALD in
honour of Charles le Chauve. It is in
Latin hexameters and runs to somewhat
more than a hundred lines, the last two
of which are
“Qonveniet claras claustris componere cannas
Completur clarus carmen cantabile CALVIs.”
(2) One by HAMCONIUS, called “Cer-
tamerº catholicum cum Calvinistis.”
(3) One by HENRY HARDER, of 100
lines in Latin, on “Cats,” entitled:
“Canum cum Catis certamen carmine
compositiºn currey?te calamo C. Catulli
Caninii.” The first line is—
“Cattorum canimus certamina clara canumdue.”
Cats' canine caterwauling contests chant.
See M and P for other examples.
Ça Ira (it will go). Called empha-
tically Le Carillon National of the French
Tevolution (1790). It went to the tune
of the Carillon National, which Marie
Antoinette was for ever strumming on
her harpsichord.
“% Ira '' was the rallying cry bor-
rowed by the Federalists from Dr. Frank-
lin of America, who used to say, in
reference to the American revolution,
“Ah 1 ah. I ca ira, ca ira !” ("twill be
sure to do). The refrain of the carillon
IS—
Ha! ha . It will speed, it will speed, it will speed
Tesistance is Vain, We are sure to succeed.
Caa'ba (3 Syl.). The shrine of Mecca,
Said by the Arabs to be built on the
exact spot of the tabernacle let down
from heaven at the prayer of repentant
Adam. Adam had been a wanderer for
200 years, and here received pardon.
The shrine was built, according to Arab
tradition, by Ishmael, assisted by his
father Abraham, who inserted in the
walls a black stone “presented to him
by the angel Gabriel.”
Cab. A contraction of cabriolet (a
little caperer), a Small carriage that scam-
pers along like a kid.
Cabal'. A junto or council of in-
triguers. One of the Ministries of
Charles II. was called a cabal (1670),
because the initial letters of its members
formed this acrostic : Clifford, Ashley,
Buckingham, Arlington, and Lauder-
dale. This accident may have popular-
ised the word, but, without doubt, we
borrowed it from the French cabale, “an
Cabala, 195
intriguing faction,” and Hebrew cab'ala,
“secret knowledge.” A junto is merely
an assembly; Spanish, junta, a council.
(See NoDARICA; TAMMANY RING...)
“In dark cabals and mighty juntos met.”
- Thomson.
“These ministers were emphatically called the
Cabal, and they soon made the appellation so in-
famous that it has never Since . . . . been used
except as a term of reproach.” — Macaulay :
England, Vol. i. chap. ii. p. 165.
Cab'ala. The oral law of the Jews
delivered down from father to son by
word of mouth. Some of the rabbins say
that the angel Raziel instructed Adam
in it, the angel Japhiel instructed Shem,
and the angel Zedekiel instructed Abra-
ham ; but the more usual belief is that
God instructed Moses, and Moses his
brother Aaron, and so on from age to
age.
N.B.-The promises held out by the
cabala are : the abolition of sin and
sickness, abundant provision of all
things needful for our well-being during
life, familiar intercourse with deity and
angels, the gift of languages and pro-
phecy, the power of transmuting metals,
and also of working miracles.
Cab'alist. A Jewish doctor who
professed the study of the Cabala, a
mysterious science said to have been
delivered to the Jews by revelation,
and transmitted by oral tradition. This
Science consisted mainly in understand-
ing the combination of certain letters,
words, and numbers, said to be sig-
nificant.
Cabalistic. Mystic word-juggling.
(See CABALIST.)
Cabalie'ro. A Spanish dance, grave
and stately ; so called from the ballad-
music to which it was danced. The
ballad begins—
“Esta noche le mataron al caballero.”
Cabbage. It is said that no sort of
food causes so much thirst as cabbage,
especially that called colewort. Paus-
anias tells us it first sprang from the
Sweat of Jupiter, some drops of which
fell on the earth. Coelius, Rhodiginus,
Ovid, Suidas, and others repeat the
Same fable.
“Some drops of Sweat happening to light on
the earth prºduced what mortals call cabiage.”
-Ittbelais : Pantagruel, book iv. (Prologue).
Cabbage (To). To filch. Sometimes
a tailor is called “cabbage,” from his
pilfering cloth given him to make up.
Thus in Motteux's Rabelais, iv. 52, we
read of “Poor Cabbage's hair.” (Old
French, cabas, theft, verb cabasser;
Cachet
Dutch, kabassen ; Swedish,
Danish, griber, our grab.)
“Your tailor, instead of shreds, cabbages whole
yards Of cloth.”—Arbuthnot's John Bull.
Cabbage is also a common schoolboy
#: for a literary crib, or other petty
€IU.
Cabinet Ministers. The chief offi-
cers of state in whom the administrative
government is vested. It contains the
First Lord of the Treasury (the Premier),
the Lord High Chancellor, Lord Pre-
sident of the Council, Lord Privy Seal,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, six Secre-
taries of State, the First Lord of the
Admiralty, Lord Lieutenant and Lord
Chancellor of Ireland, President of the
Board of Trade, Chancellor of the
Duchy of Lancaster, the President of
the Board of Agriculture. The five
Secretaries of State are those of the
Home Department, Foreign Affairs,
Colonies, War, India, and Chief-Secre-
tary to the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.
Sometimes other members of the
Government are included, and some-
times one or two of the above left out
of the Cabinet. These Ministers are
privileged to consult the Sovereign in the
private cabinet of the palace.
Cabiri. Mystic divinities worshipped
in ancient Egypt, Phoenicia, Asia Minor,
and Greece. They were inferior to
the Supreme gods. (Phoenician, kabir,
powerful.)
Cable's Length. 100 fathoms.
* Some think to avoid a difficulty by
rendering Matthew xix. 24 “It is easier
for a cable to go through the eye of a
needle . . . .”, but the word is káum Mov,
and the whole force of the passage rests
on the “impossibility” of the thing, as
it is distinctly stated in Mark x. 24,
“How hard is it for them that th'ust in
[their] riches, éti Tots xpiuag tw. . .” It is
impossible by the virtue of money or
by bribes to enter the kingdom of
heaven. (See page 205, col. 1, CAMEL.)
Cabochon (En). Uncut, but only
polished ; applied to emeralds, rubies,
and other precious stones. (French,
cabochon.)
Cachecope Bell. A bell rung at
funerals, when the pall was thrown over
the coffin. (French, cache corps, cover
over the body.)
Ca/chet (pron. cah'shay). Lettres de
cachet (letters sealed). Under the old
Trench régime, carte-blanche warrants,
sealed with the king’s seal, might be
obtained for a consideration, and the
grabba,
Cacodaemon.
196 Cadmean
person who held them might fill in any
name. Sometimes the warrant was to
set a prisoner at large, but it was more
frequently for detention in the Bastille.
During the administration of Cardinal
Fleury 80,000 of these cachets were
issued, the larger number being against
the Jan'senists. In the reigns of Louis
XV. and XVI. fifty-nine were obtained
against the one family of Mirabeau.
This scandal was abolished January
15th, 1790.
Cae'odae/mon. An evil spirit. As-
trologers give this name to the Twelfth
House of Heaven, from which only evil
prognostics proceed. (Greek, kakos
daim.07%.) . -
“Hie thee to hell for shame, and leave the world,
Thou cacodemon.”
Shalºespeare: Richard III., i. 3.
Cacoethes (Greek). A “bad habit.”
Cacoethes Zoqttendi. A passion for
making speeches or for talking.
Cacoethes scribendi.
ing into print; a mania for authorship.
Caſcus. A famous robber, repre-
sented as three-headed, and vomiting
flames. He lived in Italy, and was
strangled by Hercules. Sancho Panza
says of the Lord Rinaldo and his friends,
“They are greater thieves than Cacus.”
(Don Quiacote.) -
Cad. A low, vulgar fellow ; an
omnibus conductor. Either from Cadet,
or a contraction of cadger (a packman).
The etymology of cad, a cadendo, is only
a pun. B. —The Scotch cadie or cawdie
(a little servant, or errand-boy, or carrier
of a sedan-chair), without the dimi-
nutive, offers a plausible suggestion.
“All Edinburgh men and boys know that
when sedan-ghairs were discontinued; the old
cadies sank into ruinous poverty, and became
synonymous with roughs. The Word Was brought
to London by James Hannay, who frequently
used it.”—M. Pringle.
Caddice or Caddis. Worsted galloon,
crewel. (Welsh, cadas, brocade; cadach
is a kerchief; Irish, cada”.)
“He hath ribands of all the colours i' the rain-
Bow ; . . . caddisses, calm brics, lawns.”—Shake-
speare : Winter's Tatle, iv. 3.
Caddice-garter. A servant, a man of
mean rank. When garters were worn
in sight, the gentry used very expensive
ones, but the baser sort wore worsted
galloon ones. Prince Henry calls Poins
a “caddice-garter.” (1 Henry IV., ii.
“Dost hear,
i. . My honest caddis-garter ?”
: Glapthormo Wit in a Comstable, 1639,
The love of rush-
Caddy. A ghost, a bugbear. A
caddis is a grub, a bait for anglers.
“Poor Mister Leyiatlian Addy
L9 his grandeur so lately a Sun,
Is sinking (Sad fall !) to a caddy.”
Peter Pinday: Great Cry and Little Wool, epistle 1,
Cade. Jack Cade legislation. Pres-
sure from without. The allusion is to
the insurrection of Jack Cade, an Irish-
man, who headed about 20,000 armed
men, chiefly of Kent, “to procure re-
dress of grievances '' (1450).
“You that love the commons, follow me:
Now show yourselves men ; 'tis for liberty.
We will not leave one lord, one gentleman :
Spare none but such as go in clouted shoon.”
Shakespeſtre : 2 110717'y W.I., iv. 2.
Cader Idris or Arthur’s Seat. If
any man passes the night sitting on this
“chair,” he will be either a poet or a
madman.
Cades'sia (Battle of) gave the Arabs
the monarchy of Persia. (A.D. 636.)
Cadet. Younger branches of noble
families are called cadets, because their
armorial shields are marked with a
difference called a cadency.
Cadet is a student at the Royal Mili-
tary Academy at Woolwich, the Royal
Military College at Sandhurst, or in one
of her Majesty’s training ships, the
JEaccellent and the Britannia. Trom
these places they are sent (after passing
certain examinations) into the army as
ensigns or second lieutenants, and into
the navy as midshipmen. ... (French,
cadet, junior member of a family.)
Cadger. One who carries butter,
eggs, and poultry to market ; a packman
or huckster. From cadge (to carry).
Hence the frame on which hawks were
carried was called “a cadge,” and the
man who carried it, a “cadger.” A man
of low degree.
“Every cadger thinks himself, as good as an
gº."—Mououla: Malcolm, part ix. Chal). Xlv. p.
Ca'di, among the Turks, Arabs, etc.,
is a town magistrate or inferior judge.
“Cadi Lesker’’ is a superior cadi. The
Spanish Alcaydé is the Moorish al cadi.
(Arabic, the judge.) *
Cadme'an Letters (The). The sim-
ple Greek letters introduced by Cadmus
from Phoenicia. (Greek myth.)
Cadme'an Victory (Greek, Kadmeia.
wiké; Latin, Cadmea Victoria). A vic-
tory purchased with great loss. The
allusion is to the armed men who sprang
out of the ground from the teeth of the
dragon Sown by Cadmus. These men
fell foul of each other, and only five of
them escaped death.
Cadmeans
Cadmeans. The people of Carthage
are called the Gens Cadméa, and SO are
the Thebans.
Cadmus having slain the dragon
which guarded the fountain of Dircé, in
Boeotia, sowed the teeth of the monster,
when a number of armed men Sprang up
and surrounded Cadmus with intent to
kill him. By the counsel of Minerva, he
threw a precious stone among the armed
men, who, striving for it, killed one
another. The foundation of the fable is
this: Cadmus having slain a famous free-
booter that infested Boeotia, his banditti
set upon him to revenge their captain's
death; but Cadmus sent a bribe, for
which they quarrelled and slew each
other.
Cadog'an (Ca-dug-an). A club of
hair worn by young French ladies; so
called from the portrait of the first Earl
of Cadog'an, a print at One time very
popular in France. The fashion was
introduced at the court of Montbéliard
by the Duchesse de Bourbon.
Cadu'ceus (4 Syl.). A white wand
carried by Roman officers when they
went to treat for peace. The Egyptians
adorned the rod with a male and female
serpent twisted about it, and kissing each
other. From this use of the rod, it be-
came the symbol of eloquence and also
of office. In mythology, a caduceus
with wings is placed in the hands of
. Mercury, the herald of the gods; and the
poets feign that he could therewith give
sleep to whomsoever he chose ; where-
fore Milton styles it “his opiate rod?”
in Paradise Lost, xi. 133.
“So With his dread Caducells Hermès led
From the dark regions of the imprisoned (lead ;
Qr drove in silent shoals the lingering train
To Night's dull shore and Pluto's dreary reign.”
Darwin. : Loves of the Plants, ii. 291.
Cadur'ci. The people of Aquita'nia.
Cahors is the modern capital.
Caedmon. Cowherd of Whitby, the
greatest poet of the Anglo-Saxons. In
his wonderful romance we find the bold
prototype of Milton’s Paradise Lost. The
portions relating to the fall of the angels
are most striking. The hero encounters,
defeats; and finally slays Grendel, an
evil being of Supernatural powers.
Caerite Franchise (The). The fran-
chise of a Roman subject in a praefecture.
These subjects had the right of self-
government, and were registered by the
Roman censor as tax-payers; but they
enjoyed none of the privileges of a
Tºoman citizen.
Caeré was the first
197 Caftan
_*
community placed in this dependent posi-
tion, whence the term Caerite franchise.
Ca'erle'on, on the Usk, in Wales.
The habitual residence of King Arthur,
where he lived in splendid state, sur-
rounded by hundreds of knights, twelve
of whom he selected as Knights of the
Round Table.
Caesar was made by Hadrian a title,
conferred on the heir presumptive to the
throne (A.D. 136). Diocletian conferred
the title on the two viceroys, calling the
two emperors Augustus (sacred majesty).
The German Emperor still assumes the
title of kaiser (q.v.).
“Thou art an emperor, Cæsar, keisar, and Phee-
Zar.”—Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3.
“No bonding knees shall call thee Caesar now.”
Shakespeare: 3 Henry P.I., iii. 1.
Caesar, as a title, was pretty nearly
equivalent to our Prince of Wales and
the French dauphin.
Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion.
The name of Pompeia having been
mixed up with an accusation against P.
Clodius, Caesar divorced her ; not be-
cause he believed her guilty, but because
the wife of Caesar must not even be sus-
pected of crime. (Suetonius : Julius
Caesar, 74.)
Caesar. (See page 76, 2, AUT CESAR.)
Julius Caesar’s sword. Crocea, Mors
(yellow death). (See page 76, 2, SworD.)
Julius Casar won 320 triumphs.
Caesa'rian Operation or Cesa'real,
Operation. The extraction of a child
from the womb by cutting the abdomen
(Latin, casso, cut from the womb). Julius
Caesar is said to have been thus brought
into the world. -
Cae'sarism. The absolute rule of
man over man, with the recognition of
no law divine or human beyond that of
the ruler's will. (See CHAUVINISM.)
Caeteris paribus (Latin). Other
things being equal; presuming all other
conditions to be equal. .
Caf (Mount). In Mohammedan my-
thology is that huge mountain in the
middle of which the earth is sunk, as a
night light is placed in a cup. Its found-
ation is the emerald Sakhrat, the reflec-
tion of which gives the azure hue to the
sky.
Caf'tan. A garment worn in Turkey
and other Eastern countries. It is a
sort of under-tunic or vest tied by a
girdle at the waist.
“Picturesque merchants and their customers
no longer in the big trousers of Egypt, but inj
the long caftans and abaş of Syria.”—B, Taylor;
Lands of the Satº'acen, Chal), ix. I), 122.
Cag Mag
198
Calamity
Cag Mag. Offal, bad meat; also a
tough old goose; food which none can
relish. (Gaelic and Welsh, cag magiſ.)
Cage. To whistle or sing in the cage.
The cage is a jail, and to whistle in a
cage is to turn Queen’s evidence, or
peach against a comrade.
Cagliostro. Comte de Cagliostro, or
Giuseppe Balsamo of Palermo, a char-
latan who offered everlasting youth to
all who would pay him for his secret
(1743-1795).
Cagots. A sort of gipsy race in
Gascony and Bearne, supposed to be des-
cendants of the Visigoths, and shunned
as something loathsome. (See CAQUEUx,
COLLIBERTS.)
“Cagoti non fuerunt monachi, anachoritae, aut
lel) rosi; . . . Sed genus quoddalm inominum &eteris
odiosulin. Vasconibus Cagots, nonnullis, Capoti,
Burdegalentibus Gaheti, Vascis et Navarris Agoti,
dicuntur.”—Ducamge: Glossarium Mamwale, vol. ii.
pp. 23, 24.
Cahors. Usuriers de Cahors. In the
thirteenth century there was a colony of
Jewish money-lenders settled at Cahors,
which was to France what Lombard
Street was to London.
Cai'aphas. The country-house of
Caiaphas, in which Judas concluded his
bargain to betray his Master, stood on
“The Hill of Evil Counsel.”
Cain - coloured Beard. Yellow,
symbolic of treason. In the ancient
tapestries Cain and Judas are repre-
sented with yellow beards. (See YEL-
LOW.)
“He hath but a little wee face, with a little
yellow beard, a Cain-coloured beard.”—Sha ce-
speare: Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 4.
Cain'ites (2 syl.). Disciples of Cain,
a pseudo-Gnostic sect of the Second
century. They renounced the New
Testament, and received instead. The
Gospel of Judas, which justified the false
disciple and the crucifixion of Jesus.
This sect maintained that heaven and
earth were created by the evil principle,
and that Cain with his descendants were
the persecuted party.
Cairds or Jockeys. Gipsy tribes.
Halliwell tells us “Caird ” in North-
umberland-tinker, and gipsies are great
menders of pots and pans. (Irish, ceard,
a tinker; Welsh, cerdd, art or craft.)
“Donald Caird's come again.” Populatº' Song.
Caius (Dr.). A French physician in
Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor.
“The clipped English of Dr. Caius.”—Macaulay.
Caius College (Cambridge). Elevated
by Dr. John Key (Caius), of Norwich,
into a college, being previously only a
hall called Gonville. Called Keys. (1557.)
Cake. A fool, a poor thing. (Cf.
HALF-BAKED.)
To carry off
Calre. To take the cake.
the prize. The reference is to the prize-
cake to the person who succeeded best
in a given competition. In Notes and
Queries (Feb. 27th, 1892, p. 176) a cor-
respondent of New York tells us of a
“cake walk’ by the Southern negroes.
It consists of walking round the prize
cake in pairs, and umpires decide which
pair walk the most gracefully. In ancient
Greece a cake was the award of the toper
who held out the longest.
In Ireland the best dancer in a danc-
ing competition was rewarded, at one
time, by a cake.
“A churn-dish stuck into the earth supported
on its flat end a cake, which was to become the
prize of the best dancer. . . . At length the com-
petitors yielded their claims to a young man
who, taking the cake, placed it gallantly in thé
lap of a pretty girl to whom . . . he was about to
be married.”—Bartlett and Coyme: Scenery and
Antiquities of Ireland, Vol. ii. p. 64.
You cannot eat your cake and have it
too. You cannot spend your money
and yet keep it. You cannot serve God
and Mammon.
Your cake [or my cake] is dough. All
my swans are turned to geese. Occisa
est res. tua [or meal. Morº affaire est
z * e
manquée , my project has failed.
Calke...Dough. I wish my cake were
dough again. I wish I had never
married. Bellenden Ker says the pro-
verb is a corruption of Eł w”hissche my
keke was d'how en ſeen, which he says
is tantamount to “Something whispers
within me—repentance ; would that my
marriage were set aside.”
Cakes. Land of Cakes. Scotland,
famous for its oatmeal cakes.
“Land o' cakes and brither Scots.” Burms.
Calabash. A drinking cup or water-
holder; so called from the calabash nut
of which it is made.
Calamanco Cat (A). A tortoise-
shell cat. Calamanco is a glossy woollen
fabric, sometimes striped or variegated.
It is the Spanish word Calamá.co.
Calam'ity. The beating down of
standing corn by wind or storm. The
word is derived from the Latin calamus
(a stalk of corn). Hence, Cicero calls a
storm Calamito'sa tempestas (a corn-
levelling tempest).
. “Another ill accident is drought, and the spoil-
ing of the corn ; inasmuch as the word ‘calamity’
was first derived from calamus (stalk), when the
corn could not get out of the ear,”—Bacom,
Calandrino 199
Calandrino. A typical simpleton
frequently introduced in Boccaccio's
Decameron ; expressly made to be be-
fooled and played upon.
Calatrava (Red Cross Knights of).
Instituted at Calatrava, in Spain, by
Sancho III. of Castile in 1158 ; their
badge is a red cross cut out in the form
of lilies, on the left breast of a white
mantle.
Calauri'a. Pro Delo Calauria (Ovid :
Metamorphoses, vii. 384). Calauria was
an island in the Sinus Saronicus which
Latóna gave to Neptune in exchange for
Delos. A quid pro quo.
Calceola'ria. Little-shoe flowers ;
so called from their resemblance to fairy
slippers. (Latin, calceolus.)
Calceos mutavit. He has changed
his shoes, that is, has become a senator.
Roman senators were distinguished by
their shoes, which were sandalled across
the instep and up the ankles.
Calculate is from the Latin calculi
(pebbles), used by the Romans for coun-
ters. In the ab'acus, the round balls
were called calculi, and it was by this
instrument the Roman boys were taught
to count and calculate. The Greeks
voted by pebbles dropped into an urn—
a method adopted both in ancient Egypt
and Syria, ; counting these pebbles was
‘‘ calculating ” the number of voters.
(See page 2, col. 1, ABACUS.)
I calculate. A peculiarity of expres-
sion common in the western states of
North America. In the southern states
the phrase is “I reckon,” in the middle
states “I expect,” and in New England
“I guess.” All were imported from the
mother country by early settlers.
“Your aunt sets two tables, I calculate ; don't
She 2'-Susan Warmer: Queechy (vol. i. chap. xix.)
Calculators (The). , Alfragan, the
Arabian astronomer. Died 820. -
Jedediah Buxton, of Elmeton, in
Derbyshire. (1705-1775.)
George Bidder and Zerah Colburn (an
American), who exhibited publicly.
Inaudi exhibited . “his astounding
powers of calculatin’” at Paris in 1880,
his additions and subtractions were from
left to right.
." Buxton, being asked ‘How many cubical
eighths-of-an-inch there are in a body whose three
Sides are 23,145,786 yards, 5,642,732 yards, and 54,965
}. 2. replied Correctly without Setting down a
gure.
“Colburn, being asked the square root of 106,929
and, the cube root 268,336,125, replied before the
all dience had set the figures down.”—Price: Pay-
allel History, vol. ii. p. 570,
Calendar
Cale. [See KALE.]
Caleb. The enchantress who carried
off St. George in infancy.
Caleb, in Dryden's satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is meant for Lord Grey
of Wark (Northumberland), one of the
adherents of the Duke of Monmouth.
“And, therefore, in the name of dulness, be
The Well-hung Balaam [Earl of Huntingdon]
and old Cahel) free.” Linues 512-13.
Ca/leb Quotem. A parish clerk or
jack-of-all-trades, in Colman’s play
called The Review, or Waffs of Windsor,
which first appeared in 1808. Colman
borrowed the character from a farce by
Henry Lee (1798) entitled Throw Physic
to the Dogs.
“I resolved, like Caleb Quotem, to have a place
at the l'eview.”—— Washington, 17'ving.
Caledon. Scotland. (See meat article.)
“Not thus, in ancient days of Caledon,
Was thy Voice nute almid the festal crowd.”
Sir W. Scott.
Caledo'nia. Scotland. A corruption
of Celyddon, a Celtic word meaning “a
dweller in woods and forests.” The
word Celt is itself a contraction of the
same word (Calyd), and means the same
thing.
“SeeS Caledonia, in romantic view.”
T'llo"). SO).
“O Caledonia, stern and wild,
Meet, nurse for a poetic child.”
Sir W. Scott: Lay of the Last Ministrel.
Calembour (French). A pun, a jest.
Erom the “Jester of Kahlenberg,” whose
name was Wigand von Theben; a cha-
racter introduced in Tyll Jºulenspiegel, a
German tale. Eulenspiegel (a fool or
jester) means Owl's looking-glass, and
may probably have suggested the title
of the periodical called the Owl, the
witty but satirical “looking-glass” of
the passing follies of the day. The jester
of Calembourg visited Paris in the reign
of Louis XV., and soon became noted
for his blunders and puns.
Calendar.
The Julian Calendar, introduced B.C.
46. It fixed the ordinary year to 365
days, with an extra day every fourth
year (leap year). This is called “The
Old Style.”
The Gregorian Year. A modification
of the Julian Calendar, introduced in 1582
by Pope Gregory XIII., and adopted in
Great Britain in 1752. This is called
“the New Style.”
The Mohammedan Calendar, used in
Mohammedan countries, dates from July
16th, 622, the day of the Hegira. It
consists of 12 lunar months (29 days, 12
hours, 44 minutes). A cycle is 30 years.
The Revolutionary Calendar was the
Calendar
200
Caligulá,
work of Fabre d'Eglantine and Mons.
Romme.
Calendar. A Newgate Calenda) or
“Malefactors’ Bloody Register,” con-
taining the biography, confessions, dying
speeches, etc., of notorious criminals.
Began in 1700.
Calendars (The Three) were three
royal princes, disguised as begging
dervishes, the subjects of three tales in
the Arabian Nights.
Ca1‘ends. The first of every month
was so called by the Romans. Varro
Says the term originated in the practice
of calling together or assembling the
people on the first day of the month,
when the pontifex informed them of the
time of the new moon, the day of the
nones, with the festivals and sacred
days to be observed. The custom con-
tinued till A.U.C. 450, when the fasti or
Calendar was posted in public places.
(See GREEK: CALENDS.)
Cal'epin (A). A dictionary. (Italian,
calepino.) Ambrosio Calepino, of Cale-
pio, in Italy, was the author of a dic-
tionary, so that “my Calepin,” like my
Euclid, my Johnson, according to
Cocker, etc., have become common
nouns from proper names. Generally
called Cal'epin, but the subjoined quota-
tion throws the accent on the le.
“Whom do you prefer
For the best linguist, 2 And I Seelily
Said that I thought Calepine's Dictionary.”
Dr. Domme: Fourth Satiré.
Caleys (A Stock Exchange term).
Caledonian Railway Ordinary Stock.
A contraction of Calé-donians. (See
STOCK ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Calf-love. Youthfulfancy as opposed
to lasting attachment.
“I thought it was a cluildish besotment you
had for the man—a sort of calf-love. . . .”—Rhoda,
Broughtom.
Calf-skin. Fools and jesters used
to wear a calf-skin coat buttoned down
the back. In allusion to this custom,
Faulconbridge says insolently to the
Archduke of Austria, who had acted
most basely to Richard Coeur-de-Lion—
“Thou wear a lion's hide Doff it, for shame,
And hang a calf-skin on those recreant limbs.”
Shakespeare: King John, iii. 1.
Caliban. Rude, uncouth, unknown ;
as a Caliban style, a Caliban language.
The allusion is to Shakespeare’s Caliban
(The Tempest), in which character Lord
Falkland, etc., said that Shakespeare
had not only invented a ſtew creation,
but also a new language.
“Satan had not the privilege, as Caliban, to use
meW phrases, and diction unknown.”—Dr. Bentley.
Coleridge says, “In him [Caliban", as in some
brute animals, this advance to the intellectual
faculties, without the moral sense, is marked by
the appearance of yice.”.
(Caliban is the “missing link” between lorute
animals and man.)
Calibre [kal’i-ber]. A mind of no
calibre : , of no capacity. A mind of
great calibre : of large capacity. Calibre
is the bore of a gun, and, figuratively,
the bore or compass of one's intelligence.
“The enemy had generally new arms . . . of
uniform caliber.”—Grant: Memoirs, vol. i. chap.
YXX1X. I). 572.
.* We measure men's calibre by the broadest
circle of achievements.”— Chapin. : Lessons of
JFaith, p. 16.
Caliburn. Same as Excalibur, King
Arthur's well-known sword. (See
SworD.)
“Onward Arthur paced, with hand
On Caliburn's resistless brand.”
Scott: Bºridal of Trierºn aim.
Calico. So called from Calicut, in
Malabar, once the chief port and em-
porium of Hindustan.
Calidore (3 syl.). Sir Calidore is
the type of courtesy, and hero of the
sixth book of Spenser’s Faërie Queene.
FIe is described as the most courteous of
all knights, and is entitled the “all-
beloved.” The model of the poet was
Sir Philip Sidney. His adventure is
against the Blatant Beast, whom he
muzzles, chains, and drags to Faërie
Land.
“Sir Gawain was the Calidore of the Round
Table.”—Southey.
Calig'orant. An Egyptian giant and
cannibal who used to entrap strangers
with a hidden net. This met was made
|by Vulcan to catch Mars and Venus;
Mercury stole it for the purpose of
catching Chloris, and left it in the
temple of Anu'bis; Calig'orant stole it
thence. At length Astolpho blew his
magic horn, and the giant ran affrighted
into his own net, which dragged him to
the ground. Whereupon Astolpho
made the giant his captive, and de-
spoiled him of his net. This is an
allegory. , Caligorant was a great so-
phist and heretic in the days of Ariosto,
who used to entangle people with his
talk; but being converted by Astolpho
to the true faith, was, as it were, caught
in his own net, and both his sophistry
and heresy were taken from him.
(Ariosto : Orlando Furioso.)
Caligula. A Roman emperor; so
called because he wore a military sandal
called a caliga, which had no upper
leather, and was used only by the com-
mon soldiers. (12, 37-41.)
“The word, caligae, however, continued the
aron . . . “Imeans, in its primitive Sense,
Caligula's Horse 201
Callabre
sandals; and Caius Caesar . . . received the cog-
nomen of Caligula, a caligis, sive cºtl’igis levio'-
Tibus, quibus adolescentior mom fuel (tt in 6361-citu
German'ici patris sui. And the cºtligae were also
proper to the monastic bodies; for we read in the
ancient Glossarium, upon the rule of St. Benedict
... that caligge were tied with latchets.”—Scott :
Waverley, Xlyiii.
Caligula's Horse. Incita’tus. It
was made a priest and consul, had a
manger of ivory, and drank wine from
a golden goblet. (See HORSE.)
Caliph or Calif. A title given to
the successors of Mahomet. Among the
Saracens a caliph is one vested with
supreme dignity. The caliphat of Bag-
dad reached its highest splendour under
Haroun al Raschid, in the ninth cen-
tury. For the last 200 years the ap-
pellation has been swallowed up in the
titles of Shah, Sultan, Emir, and so on.
(Arabic, ſhalīfah, a successor; khalafa,
to succeed.)
Caiis'ta.
J'ai) Pe)?ite)7t.
Calisto and Arcas. CalistO was
an Arcadian nymph metamorphosed into
a she-bear by Jupiter. Her son Arcas
having met her in the chase, would have
killed her, but Jupiter converted him
into a he-bear, and placed them both in
the heavens, where they are recognised
as the Great and Little Bear.
Calix'tines (3 syl.). A religious sect
of Bohemians in the fifteenth century;
so called from Calia; (the chalice), which
they insisted should be given to the laity
in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper,
as well as the bread or wafer. .
Call (A). A “divine” summons or
invitation, as “a call to the ministry.”
A call before the curtain. An applause
inviting a favourite actor to appear
before the curtain, and make his bow to
the audience.
A Gospel call. The invitation of the
Gospel to men to believe in Jesus to the
saving of their souls.
A morning call.
visit. -
A call 072 shareholders. A demand to
pay up a part of the money due for
shares allotted in a company.
Payable at call. To be paid on de-
The heroine Of Rowe's
A short morning
mand.
Call Bird (A). A bird trained as a
decoy.
Call-boy (The). A boy employed in
theatres to “call” or summon actors,
when it is time for them to make their
appearance on the stage. -
Call of Abraham. The invitation
or command of God to Abraham, to leave
his idolatrous country, under the promise
of being made a great nation.
Call of God. An invitation, exhor-
tation, or warning, by the dispensations
of Providence (Isa. xxii. 12); divine
influence on the mind to do or avoid
something (Heb. iii. 1). -
Call of the House. An imperative
summons sent to every Member of Par-
liament to attend. This is done when
the sense of the whole House is required.
At the muster the names of the members
are called over, and defaulters reported.
Call to Arms (To). To summon to
prepare for battle. “Ad arma vocare.”
Call to the Bar. The admission of
a law student to the privileges of a bar-
rister. The names of those qualified are
called over. (See page 94, col. 1, BAR.)
Call to the Pastorate. An invita-
tion to a minister by the members of a
Presbyterian or Nonconformist church
to preside over a certain congregation.
Call to the Unconverted. An in-
vitation accompanied with promises and
threats, to induce the unconverted to
receive the gospel. Richard Baxter
wrote a book so entitled.
Call (To). I call God to witness. I
solemnly declare that what I state is true.
To call. To invite: as, the trumpet
calls.
“If honour calls, where'er she points the way,
The sons of honour follow and obey.”
Cluttº'chill ; The F(trewell, Stanza, 7.
To call [a man] out. To challenge him;
to appeal to a man’s honour to come
forth and fight a duel.
To call in question. To doubt the
truth of a statement; to challenge the
truth of a statement. “In dºtbinºmy
voca?'é.”
To call over the coals. (See CoALs.)
To call to account. To demand an ex-
planation; to reprove.
Called. He is called to his account. .
IHe is removed by death. Called to the
judgment seat of God to give an account
of his deeds, whether they be good, or
whether they be evil. (See page 202,
col. 1, CALLING...)
Calla/bre or Calaber. A Calabrian
fur. Ducange says, “At Chichester the
“priest vicars’ and at St. Paul’s the
“minor canons’ wore a calabre amyce; ”
and Bale, in his Image of Both
Churches, alludes to the “fair rochets
of Raines (Rennes), and costly grey
amicës of calaber and cats’ tails.”
Caller Herrings
202 Calumet
“The Lord Mayor and those aldermen above the
chair ouglit to have their coats furred with grey
amis, and also with changeable taffeta; and those
below the chair with calabre and with green
taffeta,”—Hutton : New View of Londom.
Caller Herrings.
Hence ‘‘ caller air.”
calian, to cool.)
Calligraphy (The art of). Writing
very minutely and yet clearly. Peter
Bale, in the sixteenth century, wrote in
the compass of a silver penny the Lord’s
Prayer, the Creed, the Ten Command-
ments, two Latin prayers, his own name,
the day of the month and date of the
year since the accession of Queen
Elizabeth, and a motto. With a glass
this writing could be read. By photo-
graphy a sheet of the Times newspaper
has been reduced to a smaller compass.
(Greek, calos-grapho, I write beauti-
fully.)
Callim'achos. The Italian Calli-
machos. Filippo Buonaccorsi (1437-1496).
Eresh herrings.
(Anglo-Saxon,
Calling. A vocation, trade, or pro-
ºfession. The allusion is to the calling of
the apostles by Jesus Christ to follow
Him. In the legal profession persons
must still be called to the bar before they
can practise.
Jºffectual calling. An invitation to
believe in Jesus, rendered effectual by
the immediate operation of the Holy
Ghost. -
Calliope [Kal-lä-0-pe, 4 syl., Greek,
kaxos, 3, beautiful voice]. The muse of
epic or heroic poetry. Her emblems
are a stylus and wax tablets. The
painting of this Muse by Ercolana
Ercolanetti (1615-1687) and her statue
by Clementi (who died in 1580) are very
celebrated.
. The Greek wordis KaRAtóm, in which
the i is short. Erroneously called
“Callope.”
Callip'olis. A character in the Battle
of Alcazar (1594) by George Peele. It
is referred to by Pistol in 2 Henry IV.,
actii. 4; and Sir W. Scott uses the word
over and over again as the synonym of
lady-love, sweetheart, charmer. Sir
Walter always spells the word Calli-
pólis, but Peele calls it Calipólis. The
drunken Mike Lambourne says to Amy
Bobsart — ‘.
“Hark ye, most fair Callipolis, or most lovely
countess of clouts, and divine duchess of dark
corners.”—Kenvilworth, chap. XXXiii.
And the modest Roland Graeme calls the
'beautiful Catherine his “most fair Cal-
lipòlis.” (The Abbot, chap. xi.)
Callippic Period. The correction
of the Meton'ic cycle by Callippos. In
four cycles, or seventy-six years, the
Metonic calculation was seven and a-half
in excess. Callippos proposed to quad-
ruple the period of Meton, and deduct a
day at the end of it : at the expiration
of which period Callippos imagined that
the new and full moons returned to the
same day of the solar year.
Callirrhoe (4 syl.). The lady-love
of Chae'reas, in Char'iton’s Greek ro-
mance, entitled the Loves of Chae’reas and
Callirrhoë, written in the eighth century.
Cal'omel. Hooper says—
“This name, which means ‘leautiful black,”
was originally given to the AEthiop's mineral, or
black Sulphuret of mercury. It was afterwards
applied in joke by Sir Theodore Mayerne to the
chloride of mercury, in honour of a favourite
negro servant whom he employed to prepare it.
As calomel is a white powder, the name is merely
a jocular misnomer.”—Medical Dictionary.
Greek, Ka86s, beautiful, uéAas, black.
Calo'yers. Monks in the Greek
Church, who follow the rule of St.
IBasil. They are divided into cen/obites,
who recite the offices from midnight to
Sunrise ; an'chorites, who live in hermit-
ages; and recluses, who shut themselves
up in caverns and live on alms. (Greek,
Kaxds and yépov, beautiful old man.)
Calpe (2 syl.). Caſpé and Ab'yla.
The two pillars of Hercules. According
to one account, these two were originally
only one mountain, which Hercules tore
asunder ; but some say he piled up each
mountain separately, and poured the Sea
between them. -
“Heaves up huge Abyla on Afric's sand,
Crowns with high Calpé Europe's Salient strand,
Crests with opposing towers the splendid scene
And pours from urns innimense the sea between.’
Darwin : Economy of Vegetation.
Cal'umet [the peace - pipe). When
the North American Indians make peace
or form an alliance, the high contracting
parties smoke together to ratify the
arrangement.
The peace-pipe is about two and a-
half feet long, the bowlis made of highly-
polished red marble, and the stem of a
reed, which is decorated with eagles’
quills, women’s hair, and so on.
“The Great Spirit at an ancient
period called the Indian nations together,
and standing on the precipice of the red
pipe-stone rock, broke off a piece which
he moulded into the bowl of a pipe, and
fitting on it a long reed, filled the pipe
with the bark of red willow, and smoked
over them, turning to the four winds.
He told them the red colour of the pipe
represented their flesh, and when they
Calvary
ve
smoked it they must bury their war-
clubs and scalping-knives. At the last
whiff the Great Spirit disappeared.”
To present the calumet to a stranger
is a mark of hospitality and good-will;
to refuse the offer is an act of hostile
defiance.
“Wash the war-paint from your faces,
Wash the war-stains from your fingers,
Bury your war-clubs and your weapons; . . .
Smoke the calumet together,
And as brothers live henceforward.”
Longfellow : Hiawatthat, i.
Cal/vary [bare skull], Golgotha
[skull]. The place of our Lord’s cruci-
fixion; so called from some fanciful
resemblance which it bore to a human
skull. The present church of “the
IHoly Sepulchre” has no claim to be
considered the site thereof; it is far
more likely that the “mosque of Omar,”
or the dome of the rock, occupies the real
site.
A Calvary. A representation of 'the
successive scenes of the Passion of Christ
in a series of pictures, etc., in a church.
The shrine containing the representations.
Calvary Clover said to have sprung
up in the track made by Pilate when he
went to the cross to see his “ title
affixed” [Jesus of Nazareth, king of the
Jews]. It is a common trefoil, probably
a native of India or Turkey. Each of
the three round leaves has a little car-
mine spot in the centre. In the day-
time the three leaves of the trefoil form
a sort of cross; and in the flowering
season the plant bears a little yellow
flower, like a “crown of thorns.” Julian
tells us that each of the three leaves had
in his time a white cross in the centre,
and that the centre cross lasts visible
longer than the crosses of the other
two leaves. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Calvary Cross (A). A. Latin cross
mounted on three steps (or grises).
Calvert's Entire. The 14th Foot.
Called Calvert from their colonel, Sir
Harry Calvert (1806-1826), and entire,
because three entire battalions were kept
up for the good of Sir Harry, when ad-
jutant-general. The term is, of course,
a play on Calvert's malt liquor. The
regiment is now called The Prince of
Wales's Own (West Yorks. Regiment).
Calves. The inhabitants of the Isle
of Wight are so called from a legendary
joke which states that a calf once got
its head firmly wedged in a wooden pale,
and, instead of breaking up the pale, the
farm-man cut off the calf's head.
Calves gone to Grass (His), Said
of a spindle-legged man, And another
2
03
Camacho
mocking taunt is, “Veal will be dear,
because there are no calves.”
Calves’ Head. There are many ways
of dressing a calf's head. Many ways
of Saying or doing a foolish thing ; a
simpleton has many ways of showing
his folly; or, generally, if one way
won’t do we must try another. The
allusion is to the great Calves’ Head
Club banquet, when the board was
laden with calves’ heads cooked in
Sundry ways and divers fashions.
Calves’ Head Club. Instituted in
ridicule of Charles I. The great annual
banquet was held on the 30th January,
and consisted of a cod’s head, to repre-
sent the person of Charles Stuart, in-
dependent of his kingly office ; a pike
with little ones in its mouth, an emblem
of tyranny: a boar's head with an apple
in its mouth to represent the king prey-
ing on his subjects; and calves’ heads
dressed in sundry ways to represent
Charles in his regal capacity. After the
banquet, the king’s book (Icon Basil'i/É)
was burnt, and the parting cup was,
“To those worthy patriots who killed
the tyrant.” -
Calvinism. The five chief points
of Calvinism are :
(1) Predestination, or particular elec-
tion.
(2) Irresistible grace.
(3) Original sin, or the total depravity
of the natural man, which renders it
morally impossible to believe and turn
to God of his own free will.
(4) Particular redemption.
(5) Final perseverance of the Saints.
Cal'ydon. A forest supposed, in the
romances relating to King Arthur, to
occupy the northern portion of England.
Calypso, in Fénelon’s Télémaque, is
meant to represent Madame de Monte-
span. In fairy mythology, she was
queen of the island Ogygia. On which
Ulysses was wrecked, and where he was
detained for seven years.
Calypso's Isle. Gozo, near Malta.
Called in classic mythology Ogygia.
Cam and Isis. The universities of
Cambridge and Oxford; so called from
the rivers on which they stand.
“May you, my Cam and Isis, preach it long,
‘The right divine of kings to govern wrong.’”
Pope : D tº??ciatól, iv. 187.
Cama. The God of love and mar-
riage in Indian mythology.
Cama/cho, “richest of men,” makes
grand preparations for his wedding with
gº
Camaldolities Z.
04
Cambyses
Quite'ria, “fairest of women”; but, as
the bridal party were on their way,
Basilius cheats him of his bride by pre-
tending to kill himself. As he is sup-
posed to be dying, Quiteria is given to
him in marriage as a mere matter of
form ; but, as soon as this is done, up
jumps Basilius, and shows that his
wounds were a mere pretence. (Cer-
wantes: JDon Quiapote, pt. ii. bk. 2, ch. 3, 4.)
Camal'dolites (4 Syl.). A religious
order of great rigidity of life, founded
in the vale of Camal'doli, in the Tuscan
Apennines, by St. Romuald, a Bene-
dictine. (Eleventh century.)
Camaral’zaman (Prince) fell in love
with Badou'ra, Princess of China, the
moment he saw her. (Arabian Nights :
Prince Camaralzaman.) -
Camarilla (Spanish). A clique ; the
confidants or private advisers of the
sovereign. It literally means a Small
private chamber, and is in Spain applied
to the room in which boys are flogged.
“Encircled With a dangerous camarilla.”—The
Times. -
Camari'na. Ne movéas Camarinam
(Don’t meddle with Camarina). Cama-
rina was a lake in Sicily, which, in time
of drought, yielded a pestilential stench.
The inhabitants consulted an oracle
about draining it, and Apollo replied,
“T)on’t meddle with it.” Nevertheless,
they drained it, and ere long an enemy
marched an army over the bed of the
lake and plundered the city. The pro-
verb is applied to those who remove one
evil, but thus give place to a greater.
The Channel may be an evil to those
who suffer sea-sickness, but it is a
million times better to endure this evil
than to make it a high road to invaders.
The application is very extensive, as :
Don’t kill the small birds, or you will be
devoured by insects. One pest is a safe-
guard against a greater One.
* A similar Latin phrase is Anagyrin
47?07'é'é.
“When the laird of Ellangowan, droye the
gipsies from the neighbourhood, though they
had been allowed to remain there undisturbed
hitherto, Dominie Sampson warned him of the
danger by quoting the proverb ‘Ne moveds Cam-
dºingtºn.'”—Sir W. Scott : Guy Mºvering, Chap. Wii.
Cam'balo's Ring. . Given him by
his sister Can'acé. It had the virtue of
healing wounds. (See CAMBEL.) (SpenSer:
JFaërie Queene, bk. iv.)
“Well mote ye wonder how that noble knight,
After he had so often Wounded heen,
Could stand on foot now to renew the fight . . .
All was through virtue of the ring he wore ;
The which, not only did not from him let
One drop of blood to fall, but did restore .
His weakened powers, and dulled Spirits
Whet.” Spenuscr: Faërie Queene, iv. 3.
Cambel. Called by Chaucer, Cam’.
balo; brother of Can'acé, a female para-
gon. He challenged every suitor to his
sister's hand, and overthrew all except
Tri'amond, who married the lady.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, book iv.) (See
CANACE.)
Camber. Second son of King Brute,
to whom Wales was left, whence its
name of Cambria. (British fable.)
Cam"bria. The ancient name of
Wales, the land of the Cimbri or Cymry.
“Cambria's fatal day.”
Gray : Bard.
Cam'brian. Pertaining to Wales;
Welsh. (See above.)
“The Cambrian mountains, like far clouds,
That skirt the blue horizon, dusky rise.”
Thomsom, : Spring, 961–62.
Cam'brian Series (in geology). The
earliest fossiliferous rocks in North
Wales. So named by Professor Sedg-
wick.
Cambric. A kind of very fine white
linen cloth, so named from Cambray or
Cameryk, in Flanders, where it is still
the chief manufacture.
“He hath ribbons of all the colours of the rain-
bow ; inkles, caddises, cambricks, and lawns.”—
Shakespeare: W imien's Table, iv. 3.
Cam'buscan'. King of Sarra, in the
land of Tartary; the model of all royal
virtues. His wife was El’feta ; his two
sons, Algarsife and Cam'balo ; and his
daughter, Can'acé. On her birthday
(October 15th) the King of Arabia and
India sent Cambuscan a “steed of brass,
which, between sunrise and sunset, would
carry its rider to any spot on the earth.”
All that was required was to whisper
the name of the place in the horse's ear,
mount upon his back, and turn a pin set
in his ear. When the rider had arrived
at the place required, he had to turn
another pin, and the horse instantly de-
scended, and, with another screw of the
pin, vanished till it was again required.
This story is told by Chaucer in the
Squire’s Tale, but was never finished.
Milton (Il Penseroso) accents the word
Cambus'-can.
- “Him that left half-told
The story of Callbuscan bold.”
(See CANAC.E.)
Camby'ses (3 Syl.). A pompous, rant-
ing character in Preston’s lamentable
tragedy of that name.
“Giye me a cup of Sack, to make mine eyes look
red ; for I must speak in passion, and I will do it
in King Cambyses' vein.”—Shakespeare: 1 IIenry
IV., ii. 4.
Camden Society
205
Camlan
Camden Society, for the publication
of early historic and literary remains, is
named in honour of William Camden,
the historian.
Camel. The name of Mahomet's
favourite camel was Al Kaswa. The
mosque at Koba covers the spot where
it knelt when Mahomet fled from Mecca.
Mahomet considered the kneeling of the
camel as a sign sent by God, and re-
mained at Koba in safety for four days.
The swiftest of his camels was Al Adha.
Camel. The prophet Mahomet's camel
performed the whole journey from Jeru-
salem to Mecca in four bounds, for which
service he had a place in heaven with Al-
borak (the prophet’s “horse”), Balaam’s
ass, Tobit's dog, and Ketmir (the dog of
the seven sleepers). (Curzon.)
Camel. “It is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle, than for
a rich man to enter into the kingdom of
God” (Matt. xix. 24). In the Koran
we find a similar expression: “The im-
pious shall find the gates of heaven shut ;
nor shall he enter till a camel shall pass
through the eye of a needle.” In the
Rabbinical writings we have a slight
variety which goes to prove that the
word “camel ” should not be changed
into “cable,” as Theophylact suggests:
“Perhaps thou art one of the Pampe-
dith'ians, who can make an elephant
pass through the eye of a needle.” (See
CABLE.)
“It is as hard to come, as for a camel
To thread the postern of a needle's eye.”
Shulcespeare: Itichard II. V. 5.
Camel'lia. The technical name of a
genus, and the popular name of the
species of evergreen shrubs; SO named
in honour of G. J. Kamel (Latin Camel-
lius), a Spanish Jesuit. Introduced into
England in 1739.
Cam'elot (Somersetshire), where
Ring Arthur held his court. (See WIN-
CHESTER.)
Cameiote (2 syl.). Fustian, rubbish,
trash. The cloth so called ought to be
made of goats’ hair, but is a mixture of
wool and silk, wool and hair, or wool,
silk, and hair, etc. (French, camelot ;
Arabic, camlat.) (See page 206, CAMLET.)
Cam'eo. An anaglyph on a precious
stone. The anaglyph is when the figure
is raised in relief; an intaglio is when
the figure is hollowed out. The word
cameo means an onyx, and the most
famous cameo in the world is the Onyx
containing the apotheósis of Artſ/t/Stats.
These precious stones have two layers
of different colours, one serving for the
figure, and the other for the ground.
Cam'eron Highlanders. The 79th
Regiment of Infantry, raised by Allan
Cameron, of Errock, in 1793. Now
called “The Queen’s Own Cameron
Highlanders.”
Cameronian Regiment. The 26th
Infantry, which had its origin in a body
of Cameronians (q.v.), in the Revolution
of 1688. Now the 1st Battalion of the
Scottish Rifles; the 2nd Battalion is the
old No. 90. -
Camero'nians. The strictest sect of
Scotch Presbyterians, organised in 1680,
by Richard Cam'eron, who was slain in
battle at Aird’s Moss in 1680. He Ob-
jected to the alliance of Church and
State. In 1876 most of the Cameronians
were merged in the Free Church. In
history the Cameronians are generally
called the Covenanters.
Camilla. Virgin queen of the Wol-
scians. Virgil (Æneid, vii. 809) says she
was so swift that she could run over a
field of corn without bending a single
blade, or make her way over the sea
without even wetting her feet.
“Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain,
Flies o'er the unbending corn and Skilus along
the main.”
JPope: Essay on Criticism, 372-3.
Camilius, five times Dictator of
Rome, was falsely accused of embezzle-
ment, and went into voluntary exile ;
but when the Gauls besieged Rome, he
returned and delivered his country.
“Camillus, only vengeful to his foes.”
Tho?)? Soºn : }; inter.
Camisard. In French history, the
Camisards are the Protestant insurgents
of the Cevennes, who resisted the
violence of the dragonnades, after the
revocation of the edict of Nantes. Their
leader was Cavalier, afterwards Gov-
ernor of Jersey.
Cam'isarde or Camisa'do. A night
attack; so called because the attacking
party wore a câmise or peasant's Smock
over their armour, both to conceal it,
and that they might the better recognise
each other in the dark.
Cam'isole (3 syl.). A loose jacket
worn by women when dressed in negligée
(French). - .
Camisole de Force. A strait-waist-
coat. Frequently mentioned in accounts
of capital punishments in France.
Camlan (Battle of, Cornwall), which
put an end to the Knights of the Round
Camlet
206
Canada. Balsam
Table. Here Arthur received his death
wound from the hand of his nephew
Modred. (A.D. 542.)
Cam’let is not connected with the
word camel ; it is a fine cloth made of
goats' hair, called Turkish yarn, and is
from the Arabic word camlat, which
Littré says is so called from Seil el camel
(the Angora goat).
Cam'rmock. As crooked as a cammock.
The cammock is a piece of timber bent
for the knee of a ship ; a hockey-stick;
a shinny-club. (Anglo-Saacon.)
“Though the cammock, the more it is bowed the
better iſ is ; yet the bow, the more it is bent the
Weaker it waxeth.”—Lily.
Camorra. A secret society of Italy
Organised early in the nineteenth century.
It claimed the right of settling disputes,
etc.
Camorrist. One of the desperadoes
belonging to the Camorra. “Camorr-
ism,” the gospel of the league.
Camp Candlestick (A). A bottle,
or a soldier's bayonet.
Camp-followers. Non-combatants
(such as servants, carriers, hostlers,
suttlers, laundresses, and so on), who
follow an army. We are told that in
1859 as many as 85,000 camp-followers
were in attendance on 15,000 combatants
in a Bengal army. -
Campaign Wig (A), imported from
France. It was made very full, was
curled, and was eighteen inches in length
in the front, with drop locks. In some
cases the back part of the wig was put
in a black silk bag. Of course the
campaign referred to the victories of
Marlborough. (Social Life in the Reign
of Queen? Anne, chap. xii.)
* There were also campaign coats,
campaign lace, campaign shoes, cam-
paign shirts, campaign gowns, campaign
waistcoats, etc.
Campa'nia. Properly the Terra di
Ilavo'ro of Italy, i.e. the plain country
about Capua.
“Disdainful Of Campania's gentle plains.”
Tho???.Son. Swimmer.
Campaspe (3 Syl.). A beautiful
harlot, whom Alexander the Great
handed over to Apellés. Apelles drew
her in the nude.
“When Cupid and Campaspe played
At cards for kisses, Cupid paid.” Lily.
Campbells are Coming (The). This
soul-stirring song was composed in 1715,
when the Earl of Mar raised the stan-
dard for the Stuarts against George I.
John Campbell was Commander-in-
Chief of his Majesty's forces, and the
rebellion was quashed. The main in-
terest now attached to the famous Song
is connected with the siege of Lucknow
in the Indian rebellion, 1857. Nana
Sahib had massacred women and child-
ren most foully, and while the survivors
were expecting instant death, a Scotch
woman lying ill on the ground heard.
the pibroch, and exclaimed, “I)inna ye
hear it P. Dinna, ye hear it? The pipes
o’ Havelock sound.” And soon after-
wards the rescue was accomplished.
The first verse runs thus:—
“The Campbells are coming, O-ho O-ho
The Campbells are coming, O-ho
The Campbells are coming to bonnie Iloch
Tiºbbells are coming, O-ho
Campbellite (3 syl.). A follower of
John McLeod Campbell, who taught the
universality of the atonement, for which,
in 1831, he was deposed.
Campceiling. A ceiling sloping on
One side from the vertical wall towards a
plane surface in the middle. A corrup-
tion of cam (twisted or bent) ceiling.
(Halliwell gives cam, “awry.”)
Campeador (cam-pa'-do?).
(q.v.).
Can'ace (3 Syl.). A paragon of
women, the daughter of King Cambus-
Can', to whom the King of Arabia and
India sent as a present a mirror and a
ring. The mirror would tell the lady if
any man on whom she set her heart
would prove true or false, and the ring
(which was to be worn on her thumb)
would enable her to understand the
language of birds and to converse with
them. It would also give the wearer
perfect knowledge of the medicinal pro-
perties of all roots. Chaucer never
finished the tale, but probably he meant
to marry Can'acé to some knight who
would be able to overthrow her two
brothers, Cam'balo and Algarsife, in the
tournament. (Squire's Tale.) (See below.)
Can'acé was courted by a crowd of
suitors, but her brother, Cam'balo or
Cambel, gave out that anyone who pre-
tended to her hand must encounter him
in single combat and overthrow him.
She ultimately married Tri’amond, son
of the fairy Ag'apé. (Spenser : Faërie
Queene, bk. iv. 3.) (See CAMBET.) *
Can'ache (3 syl.). One of Actaeon’s
dogs. (Greek, “the clang of metal
falling.”)
Can'ada Balsam. Made from the
I’inºts balsamea, a native of Canada.
The Cid
Canaille
Canaille (French, cam-may'e). The
mob ; the rabble (Italian, canaglia, a
pack of dogs, from Latin canis, a dog).
Canard. A hoax. Cornelissen, to
try the gullibility of the public, reported
in the papers that he had twenty ducks,
one of which he cut up and threw to the
nineteen, who devoured it greedily. He
then cut up another, then a third, and
so on till nineteen were cut up ; and as
the nineteenth was gobbled up by the
surviving duck, it followed that this one
duck actually ate nineteen ducks—a
wonderful proof of duck voracity. This
tale had the run of all the papers, and
gave a new word to the language.
(French, cane, a duck.) (Quetelet.)
Canary (A). Slang for “a guinea.”
or “sovereign.” Gold coin is so called
because, like a canary, it is yellow.
Canary-bird (A). A jail-bird. At
one time certain desperate convicts were
dressed in yellow ; and jail was the cage
of these “canaries.”
Cancan. To dance the cancai?. A
free-and-easy way of dancing quadrilles
invented by Rigolboche, and adopted in
the public gardens, the opera comique,
and the casinos of Paris. (Cancan
familiarity, tittle-tattle.)
“They were going through a quadrille with all
those supplementary gestures introduced by the
great ltigolpoche, a notorious dumseuse, to whom
the notorious can can owes its origin.”—A. Egmont
Hake : Paris Originals (the Chiffonier).
Cancel, to blot out, is merely “to
make lattice-work.” This is done by
making a croSS over the part to be
Omitted. (Latin, cancello, to make trellis.)
(See CROSS IT OUT.)
Cancer (the Crab) appears when the
Sun has reached his highest northern
limit, and begins to go backward towards
the South ; but, like a crab, the return
is sideways (June 21st to July 23rd).
* According to fable, Cancer was the
animal which Juno sent against Her-
cules, when he combated the Hydra of
Tierné. Cancer bit the hero’s foot, but
Hercules killed the creature, and Juno
took it up to heaven, and made it one of
the twelve signs of the zodiac.
Candau'les (3 syl.). IGing of Lydia,
who exposed the charms of his wife to
Gy'gès ; whereupon the queen compelled
Gyges to assassinate her husband, after
Which she married the murderer, who
became king, and reigned twenty-eight
years. (716-678.)
. Candidate (3 Syl.) means “clothed
in white.” Those who solicited the
office of consul, quaestor, praetor, etc.,
207
Candle
among the Romans, arrayed themselves
in a loose white robe. It was loose that
they might show the people their scars,
and white in sign of fidelity and humility.
(Latin, candidus, whence candidati,
clothed in white, etc.)
Candide (2 syl.). The hero of Wol-
taire's novel so called. All sorts of mis-
fortunes are heaped upon him, and he
bears them all with cynical indifference.
Candle. -
Bell, Book, and Candle. (See page 120,
Col. 1, BELL, etc.)
(or Gay) as the king’s candle.
“Bariolé comme la chandelle des rois,”
in allusion to an ancient custom of pre-
senting, on January 6th, a candle of
various colours to the three kings of
Cologne. It is generally applied to a
woman overdressed, especially with gay
ribbons and flowers. “IFine as five-
pence.”
The game is not worth the candle (Le
jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle). Not worth
even the cost of the candle that lights
the players.
To burn the candle at both ends. In
French, “ Préler la chandelle par les
detta: bouts.” To indulge in two or more
expensive luxuries or dissipated habits
at the same time ; to haste to rise up
early and late take rest, eating the bread
of carefulness.
To hold a candle to the devil. To aid or
countenance that which is wrong. The
allusion is to the practice of Roman
Catholics, who burn candles before the
image of a favourite Saint, carry them in
funeral processions, and place them on
their altars.
* When Jessica (in the Merchant of
Penice, ii. 6) says to Lorenzo : “What,
must I hold a candle to my shame?” she
means, Must I direct attention to this
disguise, and blazon my folly abroad P
Why, “Cupid himself would blush to
see me thus transformed to a boy.” She
does not mean, Must I glory in my
shame P
To sell by the candle. A species of
Sale by auction. A pin is thrust through
a candle about an inch from the top, and
bidding goes on till the candle is burnt
down to the pin, when the pin drops
into the candlestick, and the last bidder
is declared the purchaser. This sort of
auction was employed in 1893, according
to the Reading Mercury (Dec. 16), at
Aldermaston, near Reading.
“The Council thinks it meet to propose the way
of selling by “inch of candle,' as being the most
probable means to procure the true Value of the
goods,”—Milton : Letters, etc. . . . . -
Candle-holder
208 Cannon
To smell of the lamp (or candle). To
betray laborious art, but the best lite-
rary work is the art of concealing art;
to manifest great pains and long study
by night.
To vow a candle to the devil. To pro-
pitiate the devil by a bribe, as some
seek to propitiate the saints in glory by
a votive candle. -
What is the Latin for candle 2–Tace.
Here is a play of words: ta'ce means
hold your tongue, don’t bother me. (See
GOOSE.) -
Candles used by Roman Catholics at
funerals are the relic of an ancient
Roman custom.
Candle-holder. An abettor. The re-
ference is to the practice of holding a
candle in the Catholic Church for the
reader, and in ordinary life to light a
workman when he requires more light.
“I’ll be candle-holder and look On.”—Sluttlee-
speare : 1807meo and Juliet, i. 4.
Candles of the Night. The stars
are so called by Shakespeare, in the
Merchant of Venice, v. 1. Milton has
improved upon the idea :-
“Else, O thievish Night,
Why shouldst thou, but for some felonious end,
In thy dark lantern thus close up the Stars
That Nature hung in heaven, and filled their
allll)S
With everlasting oil, to give due light
To the misled and lonely traveller 2 ”
Comus, 200–206.
Candlemas Day. The feast of the
purification of the Virgin Mary, when
Christ was presented by her in the Tem-
ple. February 2nd, when, in the Roman
Catholic Church, there is a candle pro-
cession, to consecrate all the candles
which will be needed in the church
during the year. The candles symbolise
Jesus Christ, called “the light of the
world,” and “a light to lighten the
Gentiles.” It was the old Roman cus-
tom of burning candles to the goddess
Februa, mother of Mars, to scare away
evil spirits.
“On Candlemas Day
Candles and candlesticks throw all away.”
Candour (Mrs.). A type of female
backbiters. In Sheridan's comedy of
The School for Scandal.
“The name of ‘Mrs. Candour' has become one
of those formidable by-words, which have had
lmore power in putting folly and ill-nature out of
countenance than Whole Volumes Of relmon-
Stl’ance.”—T. Moon'é.
Canens. A nymph, wife of Picus,
Ring of the Laurentès. When Circé had
changed Picus into a bird, Canens
lamented him so greatly that she pined
away, till she became a v03, et praetered
Žihil. (Ovid: Metamorphoses, 14 fab. 9.)
Caneph'orae (in architecture). Fig-
ures of young persons of either sex
bearing a basket on their head. (Latin,
camephora, plural ; singular, Greek,
Kavmſpópos.) The English singular is
“canephor” (3 syl.).
Canicular Days. The dog-days,
corresponding with the overflow of the
Nile. From the middle of July to the
beginning of the Second week in Sep-
tember. (Latin, canicëla, diminutive of
canis, a dog.)
Canicular Period. A cycle of 1461
years or 1460 Julian years, called a
“Sothic period.” When it was supposed
that any given day had passed through
all the seasons of the year.
Canic'ular Year. The ancient Egyp-
tian year, computed from One heliacal
rising of the Dog-star (Sirius) to the
next.
Canidia. A sorceress, who could
bring the moon from heaven. Alluded to
by Horace. (Epodes, V.)
“Your ancient conjurors were wont
To make her [the moon] from her Sphere dis-
Inoullt, . . -
And to their incantations Stoop.”
Butler: Hudibras, part ii. 3.
Canister. The head (pugilistic term).
“To mill his canister” is to break his
head. A “canister cap ’’ is a covering
for the head, whether hat or cap. A
“canister’’ is a small coffer or box, and
the head is the “canister’’ or coffer of
man's brains.
Canker. The briar or dog-rose.
“Put down Richard, that sweet lovely rose,
And plant this thorn, this canker, Bolinghi'oke.”
Shakespeare : 1 iſenyº) 1 W., i. 3.
Cannae. The place where Han'nibal
defeated the Romans under L. AEmilius
Paulus. Any fatal battle that is the
turning point of a great general's pros-
perity is called his Cannae. Thus, we
say, “Moscow was the Cannae of Napo-
leon Bonaparte.”
Cannel Coal. A corruption of can-
dle coal, so called from the bright flame,
unmixed with Smoke, which it yields in
combustion.
Cannibal. A word applied to those
who eat human flesh. The usual deriva-
tion is Caribbee, corrupted into Canibbee,
supposed to be man-eaters. Some of
the tribes of these islands have no r.
“The natives live in great fear of the canil)als
(i.e. Caribals, or people of Cariba).”—Columbus.
Cannon (in billiards). A corruption
of carrom, which is short for carambole.
A cannon is when the player's ball strikes
Carnoe
209
CanoSSa.
the adversary's ball in such a way as to
glance off and strike a second ball.
Canoe' (2 syl.). A boat. (Spanish,
canda, a canoe; Dutch, cano ; German,
kahn, a boat ; Old French, cane, a ship,
and camoč, a boat; Latin, canna, a hollow
stem or reed; our came, cajº = a jug ;
cannon, canal, etc.)
Canon.
persons who resided in the buildings
contiguous to the cathedral, employed
either in the daily service, or in the
education of the choristers. The word
is Greek, and means a measuring rod,
the beam of a balance; then, a roll or
register containing the names of the
clergy who are licensed to officiate in a
cathedral church.
Canon. A divine or ecclesiastical law.
“Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon 'gainst Self-slaughter.”
Shakespeare: Hanlet, i. 2.
Can'on. Law. A collection of eccle-
siastical laws which serve as the rule of
church government. (See below.)
Canon'ical. Canon is a Greek word,
and means the index of a balance, hence
a rule or law. (See above.)
The sacred canon means the accepted
books of Holy Scripture, which contain
the inspired laws of Salvation and mo-
rality; also called The Canonical Books.
Canonical Dress. The costume worn
by the clergy according to the direction
of the canon. Archdeacons, deans, and
bishops wear canonical hats.
Canonical Epistles. The seven
catholic epistles, i.e. one of James, two
of Peter, three of John, and one of Jude.
The epistles of Paul were addressed to
specific churches or to individuals.
“The second and third epistles of John ave
certainly not catholic. One is to a specific lady
and her children ; and the other is to Gaius.
the word “canonical” in this phrase means
appointed to be read in church, then the epistles
f Paul are canonical. In fact there are only
five canonical epistles.
Canon'ical Hours. The times with-
in which the sacred offices may be per-
formed. In the Roman Catholic Church
they are seven—viz. matins, prime,
tierce, Sext, nones, vespers, and compline.
Prime, tierce, sext, and nones are the
first, third, sixth, and ninth hours of the
day, Counting from six in the morning.
Compline is a corruption of completo'rium
(that which completes the services of
the day). The reason why there are
seven canonical hours is that David says,
“Seven times a day do I praise thee *
(Psalm czix. 164).
The canons used to be those -
*: In England the phrase means the
time of the day within which persons
can be legally married, i.e. from eight
in the morning to three p.m.
Canonical Obedience. The obedi-
ence due by the inferior clergy to the
superior clergy set over them. Even
bishops owe canonical obedience to the
archbishop of the same province.
Canon'ical Punishments are those
punishments which the Church is author-
ised to inflict.
Canonicals.
The pouch on the gown of an M.D.,
designed for carrying drugs.
. The coºf of a serjeant-at-law, designed
for concealing the tonsure.
The lamb-skin on a B.A. hood, in imi-
tation of the toga can'dida of the Romans.
The strings of an Oxford undergradu-
ate, to show the wearer is still in leading
strings. At Cambridge, however, the
strings are the mark of a graduate who
has won his ribbons.
The tippet on a barrister's gown,
meant for a wallet to carry briefs in.
The proctors' and pro-proctors’ tippet,
for papers—a sort of Sabretache.
Cano'pic Vases. Used by the Egyp-
tian priests for the viscera of bodies
embalmed, four vases being provided for
each body. So called from Cano'pus, in
Egypt, where they were first used.
Cano'pus. The Egyptian god of
water. The Chaldeans worshipped fire,
and sent all the other gods a challenge,
which was accepted by a priest of Cano'-
pus. The Chaldeans lighted a vast fire
round the god Canopus, when the Egyp-
tian deity spouted out torrents of water
and quenched the fire, thereby obtaining
the triumph of water over fire.
Can'opy properly means a gºat city-
tain. Herodotus tells us (ii. 95) that
the fishermen of the Nile used to lift
their nets on a pole, and form thereby
a rude sort of tent under which they
slept securely, as gnats will not pass
through the meshes of a net. Subse-
quently the tester of a bed was so called,
and lastly the canopy borne over kings.
(Greek, kövoll, a gnat ; Kojvoiretov, a
gnat-curtain; Latin, comöpéttºn, a gnat-
curtain.)
Canossa. Canossa, in the duchy of
Modèna, is where (in the winter of
1076-7) Kaiser Heinrich_IV, went to
humble himself before Pope Gregory
VII. (Hildebrand).
14
Cant
210
. Cap
Has the Czar gone to Canossa 2 Is he
about to eat humble pie?
When, in November, 1887, the Czar went to
Berlin to visit the Emperor of Germany, the
Standard asked in a leader, “Has the Czar gone
to CalmOSSa P"
Cant. A whining manner of speech ;
class phraseology, especially of a reli-
gious nature (Latin, canto, to sing,
whence chant). It is often derived from
a proper name. We are told that
Alexander and Andrew Cant maintained
that all those who refused the “Cove-
nant ’’ ought to be excommunicated, and
that those were cursed who made use of
the prayer-book. These same Cants, in
their grace before meat, used to “pray
for all those who suffered persecution for
their religious opinions.” (Mercurius
Publicus, No. ix., 1661
tº The proper name cannot have given
us the noun and verb, as they were in
familiar use certainly in the time of Ben
Jonson, signifying “professional slang,”
and “to use professional slang.”
. “The doctor here,
When he discourses of dissection,
Of vena cava, and of vend, porta. . . .
What does he do but cant 2 Or if he run
TO his judicial astrology,
And trowl out the trime, the quartile, and the
se:ctile,
DOeS he mot Callt. 2” -
JBen Jomson (1574–1637) ; Andrew Camt died 1664.
Cantabrian Surge. The Bay of
Biscay. So called from the Cantábri who
dwelt about the Biscayan shore. Sue-
tonius tells us that a thunderbolt fell in
the Cantabrian Lake (Spain) “in which
twelve axes were found.” (Galba, viii.)
“She her thundering army leads
To Calpê [Gibraltar] . . . . or the rough
Cantabrian Surge.”
AkemSide: Hymn to the Naiades.
Cantãte Sunday. Fourth Sunday
after Easter. So called from the first
word of the introït of the mass: “Sing
to the Lord.” Similarly “Laetäre
Sunday” (the fourth after Lent) is so
called from the first word of the mass.
Canteen' means properly a wine-
cellar. Then a refreshment-house in a
barrack for the use of the soldiers. Then
a vessel, holding about three pints, for
the use of soldiers on the march. (Italian,
cantina, a cellar.)
Canterbury. Canterbury is the higher
rack, but Winchester the better manger.
Canterbury is the higher see in rank,
but Winchester the one which produces
the most money, This was the reply of
William Ldington, Bishop of Winchester,
when offered the archbishopric of Can-
terbury (1366). Now Canterbury is
£15,000 a year, and Winchester £6,500.
Canterbury Tales. Chaucer sup-
posed that he was in company with a
party of pilgrims going to Canterbury to
pay their devotions at the shrine of
Thomas à Becket. The party assembled
at an inn in Southwark, called the
Tabard, and there agreed to tell one tale
each, both in going and returning. He,
who told the best tale was to be treated
with a supper on the homeward journey.
The work is incomplete, and we have
none of the tales told on the way home.
A Canterbury Tale. A cock-and-bull
story; a romance. So called from Chau-
cer's Canterbury Tales.
Canting Crew (The). Beggars, gip-
'sies, and thieves, who use what is called
the canting lingo.
Canucks. The Canadians. So called
in the United States of America.
Canvas means cloth made of hemp.
To canvas a subject is to strain it through
a hemp strainer, to sift it; and to ca/vass
a borough is to sift the votes. (Latin,
cajº'nabis, hemp.)
Canvas City (A).
Campment.
“The Grand Master assented, and they pro-
ceeded accordingly, . . . . ayoiding, the most
inhabited parts of the canvas city.”—Sir W. Scott:
The Tatlistman, Chal). X.
“In 1851, during the gold rush, a town of tents,
known as Canvas Town, rose into being on the
St. Kilda Road, Melbourne: Several thousand
inliabitants lived in this temporary settlement,
which was laid out in Streets and lasted for
Several months.”—Cities of the World; Melbourne.
A military en-
Ca'ora. A river, on the banks of
which are a people whose heads grow
beneath their shoulders. Their eyes are
in their shoulders, and their mouths in
the middle of their breasts. (Hakluyt :
Voyages, 1598.) Raleigh, in his Descrip-
tion of Guiana, gives a similar account
of a race of men. (See BLEMMYES.)
“The Anthropophagi and men whose heads
Do grow beneath their shoulders.” -
Shakespeare: Othello, i. 3.
Cap.
JBlack cap. (See page 140, BLACK CAP.)
Cater cap. A square cap or mortar-
board. (French, quartier.) -
College cap. A trencher like the caps
worn at the English Universities by
students and bachelors of art, doctors of
divinity, etc.
JFool’s cap. A cylindrical cap with
feather and bells, such as licensed Fools
used to wear.
Forked cap. A bishop's mitre.
the paper so called, see FooDSCAP.
For
Cap 211
Cap
John Knoa; cap (A).
black silk velvet.
“A cap of black silk velvet, after the John
Knox fashion.”—Edinburgh, University Calendar.
Monmouth cap (A). (See MONMOUTH.)
Phrygian cap (A). Cap of liberty (q.v.).
§ cap. A cloth Cap Worn com-
monly in Scotland. -
Cap and bells. The insignia of a pro-
fessional fool or jester.
A feather in one’s cap. An achievement
to be proud of ; something creditable.
Square cap. A trencher or “mortar-
board,” like the University cap.
Statute cap. A woollen cap ordered
by statute to be worn on holidays by all
citizens for the benefit of the woollen
trade. To a similar end, persons were
obliged to be buried at death in flannel.
“Well, better Wits have Worm plain statute
caps.”—Shakespeare : Love's Labour Lost, v. 2.
Trencher cap, or mortar-board. A
cap with a Square board, generally
covered with black cloth.
I must put on my considering cap. I
must think about the matter before I
give a final answer. The allusion is to
a conjurer’s cap.
If the cap fits, wear it. If the remark
applies to you, apply it to yourself.
Hats and caps differ very slightly in
size and appearance, but everyone knows
his own when he puts it on.
Setting her cap at him. Trying to
catch him for a sweetheart or a husband.
The lady puts on the most becoming of
her caps, to attract the attention and
admiration of the favoured gentleman.
To gain the cap. To obtain a bow
from another out of respect.
“Such gains the cap of him that makes them fine,
But keeps his book uncrossed.”
Shakespeare: Cymbeline, iii. 3.
To pull caps. To quarrel like two
women, who pull each other's caps.
Your cap is all on one side. The
French have the phrase Mettre son
bonnet de travers, meaning “to be in an
ill-humour.” . Hilaire le Gai ex-
plains it thus: “La pluſpárt des tapageurs
de profession portent ordinairement le
chapeau sur l’oreille.” It is quite certain
that workmen, when they are bothered,
push their cap on one side of the head,
generally over the right ear, because the
light hand is occupied.
Cap (the verb).
I cap to that, i.e. assent to it. The
allusion is to a custom observed in France
amongst the judges in deliberation.
Those who assent to the opinion stated
by any of the bench signify it by lifting
their toque from their heads,
A cap made of
To cap. To excel.
“Well, that caps the globe.”—C. Brontë : Jame
JEyre.
Cap Verses (To). Having the metre
fixed and the last iétter of the previous
line given, to add a verse beginning with
the given letter (of the same metre or
not, according to prearrangement) thus:
English.
The way was long, the wind was cold (D).
Dogs with their tongues their wounds do heal (L).
Like words congealed in northern air (R).
Regions Caesar never knew (W).
With all a poet's ecstasy (Y).
You may deride my awkward pace, etc. etc.
• * - - - - - e. Latim. .
Nil pictis timidus navita puppibus (S).
Sunt quos curriculo pulverem Olympicum (M).
Myrtoum pavidus nauta Secet mare (IE).
Est qui nec veteris pogula Massici (I)
Illum, si proprio condidit horreo (0).
O, et loresidium . . . . (as long (18 you pled S6).
* It would make a Christmas game
to cap proper names: as Plato, Otway,
Young, Goldsmith, etc., or to cap pro-
verbs, as : “Bome was not built in a
day”; “Ye are the salt of the earth”;
“Hunger is the best sauce ’”; “Example
is better than precept"; “Time and tide
wait for no man”; etc. -
Cap and Bells. Wearing the cap
and bells. Said of a person who is the
butt of the company, or one who excites
laughter at his own expense. The re-
ference is to licensed jesters formerly
attached to noblemen's establishments.
Their headgear was a cap with bells.
“One is bound to speak the truth . . . . whether
he mounts the cap and bells or a ShoWel hat [like
a bishop].”—Thacker(ty.
Cap and Feather Days. The time
of childhood. -
“Here I was got into the scenes of my cap-and-
feather days.”—Cobbett.
Cap and Gown. The full academical
costume of a university student, tutor,
or master, worn at lectures, examina-
tions, and after “hall” (dinner).
“Is it a cap and gown affair 2"—C. Bede: Verdamt
Green.
Cap in Hand. Submissively. To
wait on a man cap in hand is to wait
on him like a servant, ready to do his
bidding.
Cap of Fools (The). The chief or
foremost fool; one that exceeds all
others in folly.
“Thou art the cap of all the fools alive.”
Shakespeare: Timon of Athens, iv. 3.
Cap of Liberty. When a slave was
manumitted by the Romans, a Small
red cloth cap, called pil'éus, was placed
on his head. As soon as this was done,
he was termed liberti'nus (a freedman),
and his name was registered in the city
Cap
212 Capite Censi
tribes. When Saturninus, in 263, pos-
sessed himself of the capitol, he hoisted
a cap on the top of his spear, to indicate
that all slaves who joined his standard
should be free. When Marius incited
the slaves to take up arms against Sylla,
he employed the same symbol; and
when Casar was murdered, the con–
spirators marched forth in a body, with
a cap elevated on a spear, in token of
liberty. (See LIBERTY.)
Cap of . Maintenance. A cap of
dignity anciently belonging to the rank
of duke ; the fur cap of the Lord Mayor
of London, worn on days of state; a cap
carried before the British sovereigns at
their coronation. Maintenance here
means defence.
Cap of Time. They wear themselves
&n the cap of time. Use more ceremony,
says Parolles, for these lords do “wear
themselves in the cap of time,” i.e. these
lords are the favours and jewels worn
in the cap of the time being, and have
the greatest influence. In the cap of
time being, they are the very jewels,
and most honoured. (Shakespeare: All’s
Well, etc., ii. 1.)
Cap-acquaintance (A), now called
a bowing acquaintance. One just suf-
ficiently known to bow to.
Cap-money. Money collected in a
cap or hat ; hence an improvised col-
lection.
Cap-a-pie. The general etymology
is the French cap & pied, but the French
phrase is de pied en cap.
“Armed at all points exactly cap-a-pie.”
ShatleSpeare: H.&mlet, i. 3.
“I am courtier, cap-a-pe.
Shakespeare : Winter's Tale, iv. 3,
* We are told that cap & pie is Old
Trench, but it would be desirable to
give a quotation from some old French
author to verify this assertion. I have
hunted in vain for the purpose. Again,
is pie Old French for pied ? This is not
a usual change. The usual change
would be pied into pie. The Latin
might be De capite ad pedem.
Capfull of Wind. Olaus Magnus
tells us that Eric, King of Sweden, was
so familiar with evil spirits that what
way soever he turned his cap the wind
would blow, and for this he was called
Windy Cap. The Laplanders drove a
profitable trade in selling winds; but,
even so late as 1814, Bessie Millie, of
Pomona (Orkney Islands), helped out
her living by selling favourable winds to
mariners for the small sum of sixpence.
(See MoWT ST. MICHEL.)
Cape. Spirit of the Cape.
page 14, Col. 1, ADAMASTOR.)
Cape of Storms. (See STORMS.)
Capel Court. A speculation in stocks
of such magnitude as to affect the money
market. Capel Court is the name of the
place in London where transactions in
stocks are carried on.
Caper. The weather is so foul not
even a caper would venture out. A Manx
proverb. A caper is a fisherman of Cape
Clear in Ireland, who will venture out
in almost any weather.
(See
Caper Merchant. A dancing-master
who cuts “capers.” (See CUT CAPERS.)
Capet (Cap-pay). Hugues, the founder
of the French monarchy, was surnamed
Cap'etus (clothed with a capot or monk’s
hood), because he always wore a clerical
costume as abbot of St. Martin de Tours.
This was considered the family name of
the kings of France; hence, Louis XVI.
was arraigned before the National Con-
vention under the name of Louis Capet.
Capital. Money or money’s worth
available for production.
“His capital is continually going from him [the
merchant] in Some Shape, and returning to him
in another.”—Adam Smith. : Wealth of Nations,
vol. i. book ii. chap. i. p. 276.
Active capital. Ready money or pro-
perty readily convertible into it.
Circulating capital. Wages, or raw
material. This sort of capital is not
available a second time for the same
purpose. _*
JFaced capital. Land, buildings, and
machinery, which are only gradually
consumed.
Political capital is something employed
to serve a political purpose. Thus, the
Whigs make political capital out of the
errors of the Tories, and vice versä.
“He tried to make capital out of his rival's dis-
comfiture.”—The Times.
Capital Fellow (A). A stock-
jobber; in French called Un Capitaine,
par allusion atta, capitalia, Sur lesquels on
agiote habituellement. A good-tempered,
jovial, and generous person.
Capitals. To speak in capitals. To
emphasise certain words with great
stress. Certain nouns spelt with a
capital letter are meant to be emphatic
and distinctive.
Cap'ite Censi. The lowest rank of
Roman citizens; SO called because they
Capitulars 213
Carabas
were counted simply by the poll, as they
had no taxable property.
Capitulars. The laws of the first
two dynasties of France were so called,
because they were divided into chapters.
(French, capitulaire.)
Capon. Called a fish out of the coop
by those friars who wished to evade the
Friday fast by eating chickens instead
of fish. (See YARMOUTH.)
Capon (A).
A Crail’s capon.
A Severn capon. A sole.
A Yarmouth capon. A red herring.
* We also sometimes hear of a Glas-
gow capon, a Salt herring.
Capon (A). A love-letter. In French,
poulet means not only a chicken but also
a love-letter, or a sheet of note-paper.
Thus Henri IV., consulting with Sully
about his marriage, says: “My niece
of Guise would please me best, though
report says maliciously that she loves
poulets in paper better than in a frica-
See.”
“Boyet . . . break up this Capon [i.e. open this
lºletter."-shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost,
Cap'ricorn. Called by Thomson, in
his Winter, “the centaur archer.” An-
ciently, the winter solstice occurred on
the entry of the Sun into Capricorn;
but the stars, having advanced a whole
sign to the east, the winter solstice now
falls at the sun’s entrance into Sagit-
tarius (the centaur archer), so that the
poet is strictly right, though we vul-
garly retain the ancient classical manner
of speaking. Capricornus is the tenth,
or, strictly speaking, the eleventh sign
of the zodiac. (Dec. 21-Jan. 20.)
* . According to classic mythology,
Capricorn was Pan, who, from fear of
the great Typhon, changed himself into
a goat, and was made by Jupiter one of
the signs of the Zodiac. -
A castrated cock.
A dried haddock.
Captain. Capitano del Popolo, i.e.
Garibaldi (1807-1882).
The Great Captain (el gram capita'no).
Gonzalvo di Cordova (1453–1515.)
Manuel Comme/nus of Treb'izond
(1120, 1143–1180).
Captain Cauf's Tail. The com-
mander-in-chief of the mummers of
Plough Monday. -
Captain Copperthorne's Crew. All
masters and no men. -
Captain Podd. A showman. So
called from “Captain'' Podd, a famous
puppet-showman in the time of Ben
Jonson.
Captain Stiff. To come Captain Stiff
Over 07?e. To treat one with cold form-
ality.
“I. Shouldn't quite come Captain Stiſſ over
him.”—S. Warrem Ten Thousand a Year.
Cap'tious. Fallacious, deceitful; now
it means ill-tempered, carping. (Latin,
captio'sus.) -
“I know I love in Yain, strive against hope ;
Yet in this captious and intenible sieve
I Still pour in the waters of my love.”
Shakespeare: All's Well that Ends Well, i. 3.
Cap'ua. Capua corrupted Hannibal.
Luxury and self-indulgence will ruin
anyone. Hannibal was everywhere vic-
torious over the Romans till he took up
his winter quarters at Capua, the most
luxurious city of Italy. When he left
Capua, his star began to wane, and, ere
long, Carthage was in ruins and himself
an exile.
Capua was the Cannae of Hannibal. As
the battle of Cannae was most disastrous
to the Roman army, so was the luxury
of Capua to Hannibal’s army. We have
a modern adaptation to this proverb:
i. Moscow was the Austerlitz of Napo-
eon.”
Cap'uchin. A friar of the Order of
St. Francis, of the new rule of 1528 ;
so called from their “cap’uce ’’ or
pointed cowl.
Cap'ulet. A noble house in Vero'na,
the rival of that of Monſtague (3 syl.);
Juliet is of the former, and Romeo of
the latter. Lady Capulet is the beau-
ideal of a proud Italian matron of the
fifteenth century. The expression so
familiar, “the tomb of all the Capulets,”
is from Burke. (Shakespeare : Romeo
and Juliet.)
Cap'ut Mortuum. Tatin for head
of the dead, used by the old chemists to
designate the residuum of chemicals,
when all their volatile matters had es-
caped. Anything from which all that
rendered it valuable has been taken
away. Thus, a learned scholar para-
lysed is a mere caput mortuum of his
former self. The French Directory,
towards its close, was a mere capºſt
Amortuum of a governing body.
Caqueux. A sort of gipsy race in
Brittany, similar to the Cagots of Gas-
cony, and Colliberts of Poitou.
Car'abas. He is a Marquis of Card-
bas. A fossil nobleman, of unbounded
pretensions and vanity, who would fain
restore the slavish foolery of the reign
Caracalla.
214 Carcass
of Louis XIV. ; one with Fortunatus’s
purse, which was never empty. The
character is taken from Perrault’s tale
of Puss in Boots.
“Prêtres que nous vengeons
Ize Yez la dime et partageons;
Iºt toi, peuple animal,
POrte encor le bāt féodal. . . .
Chapeau bas! Chapeau bas I
Gloire au marquis de Carabas 1”
Béranger, 1816.
Caracal'la [long-mantle]. Aure/lius
Antoni'nus was so called because he
adopted the Gaulish caracalla in prefer-
ence to the Roman toga. It was a large,
close-fitting, hooded mantle, reaching
to the heels, and slit up before and
|behind to the waist. Aure/lius was
himself born in Gaul, called Caracal in
Ossian. (See CURTMANTLE.)
Carac'ci (pron. Kar - rah! - che).
Founder of the eclectic school in Italy.
Luis and his two cousins Augustin and
Annibale founded the school called Izz-
camminati (progressive), which had for
its chief principle the strict observance
of nature. Iuis (1554-1619), Augustin
(1558-1601), Annibale (1560–1609).
The Caracci of France. Jean Jouvenet,
who was paralysed on the right side, and
painted with his left hand. (1647-1707.)
The Annibale Caracci of the Eclectic
School. Bernardi'no Campi, the Italian,
is so called by Lanzi (1522-1590).
Carack or Carrack. A ship of great
bulk, constructed to carry heavy freights.
(Spanish, caraca.) -
“The rich-laden carack bound to distant shores.”
Pollo/c: Cown'se of Time, book vii. line 60.
Carad'oc. A Knight of the Round
Table, noted for being the husband of
the only lady in the queen's train who
could wear “the mantle of matrimonial
fidelity.” Also in history, the British
chief whom the Romans called Carac-
tacus.
Caraites. A religious Sect among
the Jews, who rigidly adhered to the
words and letters of Scripture, regard-
less of metaphor, etc. Of course, they
rejected the rabbinical interpretations
and the Cab'ala. The word is derived
from Caraïm, equivalent to scripturarii
(textualists). Pronounce Carry-ites.
Caran D'Ache. The pseudonym of
M. Emanuel Poirié, the French cari-
caturist.
Carat of Gold. So called from the
carat bean, or seed of the locust tree,
formerly employed in weighing gold and
silver. Hence the expressions “22
carats fine,” “ 18 carats fine,” etc.,
meaning that out of 24 parts, 22 or 18
are gold, and the rest alloy.
“Here's the note
How. º your chain Weighs to the utmost
Cºll'a, D. Shakespeare : Comedy of Errors, iv. 1.
Caraway. Latin, carum, from Caria
in Asia Minor, whence the seeds were
imported.
“Nay, you shall see my orchard, where in an
arbour We Will eat a last year's pippin of my own
graffing, With a dish of caraways.”—Shakespeare:
2 Henry IV., Y. 3 (Justice Shallow to Falstaff).
Carbineer' or Carabineer. Properly
a skirmisher or light horseman, from the
Arabic carabine. A carbine is the light
musket used by cavalry soldiers.
“He ... left the Rhinegrave, with his company
Of mounted Carbineers, to guard the passage.”—
Motley : Dutch Irepublic (Vol. i. part i. chap. ii.
p. 179).
Carbona'do. A chop ; mince meat.
Strictly speaking, a carbonado is a piece
of meat cut crosswise for the gridiron.
(Latin, carbo, a coal.)
“If he do come in my way, so ; if he do not—if
I come in his Willingly, let him make a carbonado
of me.”—Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., v. 3. -
Carbona'ri means charcoal-burners,
a name assumed by a secret political
society in Italy (organised 1808-1814).
Their place of muster they called a
“hut;” its inside, “the place for selling
charcoal;” and the outside, the “forest.”
Their political opponents they called
“wolves.” Their object was to convert
the kingdom of Naples into a republic.
In the singular number, Carbonaro. (See
CHARBONNERIE.)
Carbuncle of Ward Hill (The).
A mysterious carbuncle visible enough
to those who stand at the foot of the
hill in May, June or July; but never
beheld by anyone who has succeeded in
reaching the hill top.
“I have distinguished, among the dark rocks,
that wonderful carbuncle, which gleams ruddy as
a furnace to them who yiew it from beneath, but
has ever become invisible to him whose daring
foot has scaled the precipice from which it darts
its splendour.”—Sir W. Scott : The Pirate, chap.
XIX.
* I)r. Wallace thinks it is water
trickling from a rock, and reddened by
the Sun.
Car'canet. A small chain of jewels
for the neck. (French, carcan, an iron
collar.)
“Ilike captain jewels in a carcanet.”
Shakespeare : Sommets.
" Car'cass. The shell of a house before
the floors are laid and walls plastered ;
the skeleton of a ship, a wreck, etc.
The body of a dead animal, so called
from the Latin caro-cassa (lifeless flesh).
(French, carcasse.).
“The Goodwins, I think they call the place ; a
Carcasses 215
very dangerous flat and fatal, where the Carcases
of many a tall ship. lie buried.”—Shakespeare:
Merchant of Venice, iii. 1.
Carcasses. Shells with three fuze-
holes. They are projected from mortars
(q.v.), howitzers (q.v.), and guns. They
will burn furiously for eight or ten
minutes, do not burst like shells, but the
flames, rushing from the three holes, set
on fire everything within their influence.
“Charlestown, ... having been fired by a car-
cass from Copp's Hill, sent up dense columns of
smoke.”—Lessing : United States.
Card. * - -
That’s the card. The right thing; the
ticket. The reference is to tickets of
admission, cards of the races, and pro-
grammes.
“10s. is about the card.”—Mayhew : L0mdom
Labour, etc.
A queer card.
“indifferent honest.”
in cards to play to.
A knowing card. A sharp fellow, next
door to a sharper. The allusion is to
card-sharpers and their tricks.
“Whose great aim it was to be considered a
knowing card.”—Dickens: Sketches, etc.
A great card. A big wig; the boss of
the season; a person of note. A big
card.
A leading card. A star actor. A
person leads from his strongest suit.
A loose card. A worthless fellow who
lives on the loose.
“A loose card is a cal’d Of no Yalue, and, Con-
sequently, the properest to throw away.”—110yle :
Gutnues, etc. * . -
A sure card. A person one can fully
depend on ; a person sure to command
An eccentric person,
A difficult lead
success. A project to be certainly de-
pended on. As a winning card in One's
hand.
IHe is the card of our house. The man
of mark, the most distingué. Osric tells
Hamlet that Laertès is “the card and
calendar of gentry” (v. 2). The card is
a card of a compass, containing all its
points. Laertés is the card of gentry, in
whom may be seen all its points. We
also say “a queer card,” meaning an
odd fish.
That was my best trump card. My
best chance. The allusion is to loo,
whist, and other games played with
cards.
To play one’s best card. To do that
which one hopes is most likely to secure
SllóCéSS.
To speak by the card. To speak by the
book, be as precise as a map or book.
A merchant's expression. The card is
the document in writing containing the
agreements made between a merchant
and the captain of a vessel. Sometimes
Cards
the owner binds himself, ship, tackle,
and furniture for due performance, and
the captain is bound to deliver the cargo
committed to him in good condition. To
speak by the card is to speak according
to the indentures or written instructions.
In some cases the reference is to the
card of a mariner's compass.
“Law . . . is the card to guide the World hy.”—
Hooker : Ecc. Pol., part ii. Sec. 5.
“We must speak by the card, or equivocation
will undo us.”—Shakespeare : Hamlet, V. l.
Cards.
It is said that there never was a good
hand of cards containing four clubs.
Such a hand is called “The Devil’s
Four-poster.”
Lieuben, a German lunatic, bet that
he would succeed in turning up a pack
of cards in a certain order stated in a
written agreement. He turned and
turned the cards ten hours a day for
twenty years; and repeated the opera-
tion 4,246,028 times, when at last he
succeeded.
In Spain, spades used to be colºmbines ;
clubs, rabbits ; diamonds, pinks ; and
hearts, roses. The present name for
spades is espados (Swords); of clubs,
bastos (cudgels); of diamonds, dineros
(square pieces of money used for paying
wages); of hearts, copas (chalices).
The French for spades is pique (pike-
men or soldiers); for clubs, trèſe (clover,
or husbandmen); of diamonds, carreaua,
(building tiles, or artisans); of hearts,
chaeur (choir-men, or ecclesiastics).
The English spades is the French form
of a pike, and the Spanish name; the
clubs is the French trefoil, and the
Spanish name ; the hearts is a corruption
of chaºur into coeur. (See VIERGE.)
Court cards. So called because of their
heraldic devices. The king of clubs
originally represented the arms of the
Pope; of spades, the King of France;
of diamonds, the King of Spain ; and of
hearts, the King of England. The
French kings in cards are called Tavid
(spades), Alexander (clubs), Caesar (dia-
monds), and Charles (hearts)—repre-
senting the Jewish, Greek, Roman, and
Frankish empires. The queens or dames
are Argine—i.e. Juno (hearts), Judith
(clubs), Rachel (diamonds), and Pallas
(spades) — representing royalty, forti-
tude, piety, and wisdom. They were
likenesses of Marie d’Anjou, the queen
of Charles VII. ; Isabeau, the queen-
mother; Agnes Sorel, the king’s mis-
tress; and Joãn d'Arc, the dame of
spades, or war.
He felt that he held the cards in his own
hands. That he had the whip-end of
Cardinal
216
Carlovingian
the stick; that he had the upper hand,
and could do as he liked. The allusion
is to games played with cards, such as
whist.
IIe played his cards well. He acted
judiciously and skilfully, like a whist-
player who plays his hand with judg-
ment. To play one’s cards badly is t
manage a project unskilfully. -
The cards are in my hands. Ihold the
disposal of events which will secure suc-
cess. The allusion is obvious.
“The Vitelli busied at Arezzo ; the Orsini irri-
tating the French, ; the war of Naples imminent ;
—the cards are in my hands.”—Cassar Borgia,
YX l X.
On the cards. Likely to happen, pro-
jected, and talked about as likely to
occur. On the programme or card of
the races; on the “agenda.”
To count on one’s cards. To anticipate
success under the circumstances. The
allusion is to holding in one's hand cards
likely to win.
To go in with good cards. To have
good patronage ; to have excellent
grounds for expecting Success.
To throw up the cards. To give up as
a bad job; to acknowledge you have no
hope of Success. In some games of
cards, as loo, a player has the liberty of
saying whether he will play or not, and
if one’s hand is hopelessly bad he throws
up his cards and sits out till the next
deal.
Cardinal Humours. Blood, phlegm,
yellow bile, and black bile.
Cardinal Numbers. Such numbers
as 1, 2, 3, etc. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc., are
ordinal numbers.
Cardinal Points of the Compass.
Due north, west, east, and south. So
called because they are the points on
which the intermediate ones, such as
N.E., N.W., N. , etc., hinge or
hang. (Latin, cardo, a hinge.)
Cardinal Signs [of the Zodiac].
The two equinoctial and the two Sol-
sticial signs, Aries and Libra, Cancer
and Capricornus.
Cardinal Virtues. Justice, pru-
dence, temperance, and fortitude, on
which all other virtues hang or depend.
Cardinal Winds.
due East, West, North, and South.
Cardinals. Hinges. (Latin, cardo.)
The election of the Pope “hinges” on
the voice of the sacred college, and on
the Pope the doctrines of the Church
depend; so that the cardinals are in
fact the hinges on which the Christian
Those that blow
Church, turns. . There may be six car-
dinal bishops, fifty cardinal priests, and
fourteen cardinal deacons, who consti-
tute the Pope’s Council, and who elect
the Pope when a vacancy occurs.
Cardinal's Red Hat. Some assert
that Innocent IV. made the cardinals
wear a red hat “in token of their being
ready to lay down their life for the
gospel.”
Car duel or Yartel. Carlisle. The
#. where Merlin prepared the Round
'Table.
Care-cloth (The). The fine linen
cloth laid over the newly-married in the
Catholic Church. (Anglo-Saxon, cear,
large, as cear wºnd (a big wound), ceaſ
80rh (a great sorrow), etc.)
Care killed the Cat. It is said that
“a cat has nine lives,” yet care would
wear them all out.
Care Sunday (the fifth Sunday in
Lent). Professor Skeat tells us (Notes
and Queries, Oct. 28th, 1893), that
“care '’ means trouble, suffering; and
that Care-Sunday means Passion-Sun-
day. In Old High German we have
Iſar-woche and Kar-fººtag.
The Latin cºtra, sometimes meant “sorrow,
grief, trouble,” as, “ Curam et angörem animi
levăre.”—Cicero : Att. i. 15.
Carème (2 syl.). Lent; a corruption
of quadrágesima.
Car-goose (A) or Gargoose. The
crested diver, belonging to the genus
Colymbus. (Anglo-Saxon, ga)' and gos.)
Caricatures mean “sketches over-
drawn.” (Italian, caricateſ/ra, from
carica'''é, to load or burden.)
Car’illons, in France, are chimes or
tunes played on bells; but in England
the suites of bells that play the tunes.
Our word carol approaches the French
meaning nearer than our own. . The
best chimes in the world are those in Les
Balles, at Bruges.
Carinae. Women hired by the Ro-
mans to weep at funerals; SO called from
Caria, whence most of them came,
Carle or Carling Sunday [Pea Sun-
day]. The octave preceding Palm Sun-
day; so called because the special food
of the day was earling—i.e. peas fried
in butter. The custom is a continuation
of the pagan bean-feast. The fifth
Sunday in Lent.
Carlovin'gian Dynasty. So called
from Carolus or Charles Martel.
Carludovica.
217
Carpet
Carludovica. A Pan'ama hat, made
of the Carludovica palºmata ; so called in
compliment to Carlos IV. Of Spain,
whose second name was Ludovic.
Car'magnole (3 Syl.). A red Repub-
lican song and dance in the first French
revolution; so called from Carmagnola,
in Piedmont, the great nest of the
Savoyards, noted for street music and
dancing. The refrain of “Madame
Veto,” the Carmagnole song, is “ Dan-
sons la Carmagnole—vive le S07 du
canon 1 * The word was subsequently
applied to other revolutionary Songs,
such as Ça ira, the Marseillaise, the
Chant did JOepart. Besides the Songs,
the word is applied to the dress worn
by the Jacobins, consisting of a blouse,
red cap, and tri-coloured girdle ; to the
wearer of this dress or any violent re-
volutionist ; to the speeches in favour
of the execution of Louis XVI., called
by M. Barrière des Carmagnoles; and,
lastly, to the dance performed by the
mob round the guillotine, or down the
streets of Paris.
Carmelites (3 Syl.). An order of
mendicant friars of Mount Carmel, the
monastery of which is named Elias,
from Elijah the prophet, who on TMount
Carmel told Ahab that rain was at hand.
Also called White Friars, from their
white cloaks.
Carmillian. The phantom ship on
which the Kobold of the Baltic sits when
he appears to doomed vessels.
Carmin'ative. A charm medicine.
Magic and charms were at one time the
chief “medicines,” and the fact is per-
petuated by the word carminative,
among others. Carminatives are given
to relieve flatulence. (Latin, carmen, a
charm.)
Carmine (2 syl). The dye made
from the carmès or kermès insect, whence
also crimson, through the Italian eye-
4)??.S2/20.
Carnation. “Flesh-colour.” (Latin,
caro ; genitive, carnis, flesh.)
Garney. To wheedle, to keep car-
eSSIng.
Carnival. The season, immediately
preceding Lent; shrove-tide. Ducange
gives the word earne-levale. (Modern
Italian, carnovále ; Spanish and French,
carnaval.) -
Italis, cargievſtle, carnovale, carnaval. Quidam
Scriptores Itali “ carne-walé " ... dictum jutant,
quasi Cſºme vale (good-bye meat); sed id etymon
mon probat Octav. Ferrarius. Cangius . . . .
appellasse Gallos., existimat, carn-gºval, quðd
Sonat Caro abscedit . . . [We are referred to a
charter, dated 1195, in which occurs the word
ca?'ne-levamen, and a quotation is given in Which
occurs the phrase in carnis levamen].-Ducamge,
Vol. ii. p. 222. -
Carot'id Artery. An artery on each
side of the neck, supposed by the ancients
to be the seat of drowsiness, brought on
by an increased flow of blood through it
to the head. (Greek, caróticos, inducing
sleep.)
Carouse (2 syl.). Mr. Gifford says
the Danes called their large drinking cup
a roºtse, and to rouse is to drink from a
rouse ; ca-rouse is gar-rouse, to drink all
up, or to drink all—i.e. in company.
“The king doth wake to-night, and takes his
l'Ouse.” Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 4.
Carouse the hunter’s hoop. Trinking
cups were anciently marked with hoops,
by which every drinker knew his stint.
Shakespeare makes Jack Cade promise
his friends that “seven halfpenny loaves
shall be sold for a penny; and the three-
hooped pot have ten hoops.” Pegs or
pins (q.v.) are other means of limiting
the draught of individuals who drank
out of the same tankard.
Carpathian Wizard. Proteus (2
syl.), who lived in the island of Car'-
pathos, between Rhodes and Crete. He
was a wizard and prophet, who could
transform himself into any shape he
pleased. He is represented as carrying
a sort of crook in his hand. Carpathos,
now called Scarpanto.
“By the Carpathian Wizard's hook.”
Milton : Comus, 893.
Carpe Diem. Enjoy yourself while
you have the opportunity. Seize the
present day. (Horace : 1 Odes, xi. 8.)
“JDum vivimus, vivāmits.”
Carpenter is from the Low Latin
carpentarius, a maker of carpenta (two-
wheeled carts and carriages). The car-
pentum was used for ladies; the carpentum
funebre or carpentum pompaticum was a
hearse. There was also a carpentum,
(cart) for agricultural purposes. There
is no Latin word for our “carpenter”;
the phrase faber lignarius is used by
Cicero. Our forefathers called a car-
penter a “Smith’’ or a “wood-Smith.”
(French, charpentier.)
Carpet.
The magic carpet of Tangºt. A carpe",
to all appearances worthless, but if any-
one sat thereon, it would transport him
instantaneously to the place he wished
to go. So called because it came from
Tangu, in Persia. It is sometimes termed
Prince Housain's carpet, because it came
Carpet-bag
218
Carry the Day
into his hands, and he made use of it.
(Arabian Nights : Prince Ahmed.) (See
below.)
Solomon’s carpet. The Eastern writers
say that Solomon had a green silk carpet,
on which his throne was placed when he
travelled. This carpet was large enough
for all his forces to stand upon ; the men
and women stood on his right hand, and
the spirits on his left.
arranged in order, Solomon told the wind
where he wished to go, and the carpet,
with all its contents, rose in the air and
alighted at the place indicated. In order
to screen the party from the Sun, the
birds of the air with outspread wings
formed a canopy over the whole party.
(Sale: Koran.) (See above.)
Such and such a question is on the
carpet. The French set, le tapis (on the
table-cloth) — i.e. before the house,
under consideration. The question has
been laid on the table-cloth of the house,
and is now under debate.
Carpet-bag Adventurer (A). A
passing adventurer, who happens to be
on the road with his travelling or carpet-
bag.
Carpet - bag Government. The
government of mere adventurers. In
America, a state in the South reorganised
by “carpet-baggers,” i.e. Northern
political adventurers, who sought a career
in the Southern States after the Civil
War of 1865. [It may be noted that in
America members of Congress and the
State legislatures almost invariably reside
in the district which they represent.]
Carpet Knight. One dubbed at
Court by favour, not having won his
spurs by military service in the field.
Mayors, lawyers, and other civilians
knighted as they kneel on a carpet
before their sovereign. “R nights of
the Carpet,” “Knights of the Green
Cloth,” “Rnights of Carpetry.”
“The subordinate commands fell to young
patricians, carpet-knights, who, Went, on cam-
s tº ".
paigns with their families and slaves.”—Froude:
Caesar, chap. iv. p. 91.
Carpocraſtians. Gnostics; so called
from Carpo'cratēs, who flourished in the
middle of the second century. They
maintained that the world was made by
angels, that only the soul of Christ
ascended into heaven, – and that the
body will have no resurrection.
Carriage Company. Persons who
keep their private carriage.
“Seeing a great deal of carriage company.”—
Thackeray. -- - -
When all were
Carriages. Things carried, luggage.
“And after those days we took up our carriages,
15.
and went up to Jerusalem.”—Acts xxi. 15
Car'ronades (3 syl.). Short, light
iron guns. As they have no trunnions
they differ in this respect from guns and
howitzers (q.v.). They were invented
in 1779 by Mr. Gascoigne, director of
the Carron foundry, in Scotland, whence
the name. Carronades are fastened to
their carriages by a loop underneath,
and are chiefly used in the arming of
ships, to enable them to throw heavy
shot at close quarters, without over-
loading the decks with heavy guns. On
shore they are used as howitzers.
Carry Arms 1 Hold your gun in the
right hand, the barrel nearly perpen-
dicular, and resting against the hollow
of the shoulder, the thumb and fore-
finger embracing the guard. (A military
command.) (See CARRY SworDS.)
(See CoALS.)
Carry Everything before One (To).
To be beyond competition; to carry off
all the prizes. A military phrase.
Similarly, a high wind carries every-
thing before it.
Carry Fire in one Hand and Water
in the other (To). To say one thing
and mean another ; to flatter, to deceive ;
to lull suspicion in Order the better to
work mischief. -
“Altera manu fert aquam, altera ignem.
Altera, mantl fert lapid lm, altera, panehm os-
tentat.” Plautus.
Carry One's Point (To). To suc-
ceed in one’s aim. Candidates in Rome
were balloted for, and the votes were
marked on a tablet by points. Hence,
omne punctum ferre meant “to be
carried mem. com.,” or to gain every
vote; and “to carry one’s point ’’ is
Carry Coals.
to carry off the points at which one
aimed.
Carry Out (To) or Carry through.
To continue a project to its completion.
Carry out one's Bat (To). A
cricketer is said to carry out his bat
when he is not “out ’’ at the close of
the game.
Carry Swords ! Hold the drawn
sword vertically, the blade against the
shoulder. (A military command.) (See
above, CARRY ARMS.)
Carry the Day (To). To win the
contest ; to carry off the honours of the
day. In Latin, victoriam report&re.
Carry Weight
219
Case
Carry Weight (To), in races, etc.,
means to equalise the weight of two or
more riders by adding weights to the
lighter ones, till both (or all) the riders
are made of one uniform weight.
* He carries weight ! he rides a race :
'Tis for a thousand pounds.”
Cowper: John Gilpin.
To carry weight. To have influence.
Cart before the Horse.
cart before the horse is to reverse the
right order or allocation of things.
French. : “Mettre la Charrette a Yant leg boufs.”
Latim : “Currus bowelm trahit,
Praepostere.”
Greek: : “Hysteron proteron.” -
German : “Die pferde hinter den wagen span-
1621).
Italian, ; “Metter il carro inanzi ai buoi.”
Carte Blanche (French). A blank
cheque signed by the giver, but left to
be filled in by the receiver, with a sum
of money drawn on the bank-account of
the giver. Power to act at discretion in
an affair placed under your charge.
Carte de Visite (French). A visiting
card; a photographic likeness on a card
for the albums of friends, etc. This
custom originated, in 1857, with the
T)uke of Parma.
Carte'sian Philosophy. The philo-
sophical system of René Descartes (Latin,
Carte'sius), of La Haye, in Touraine.
The basis of his system is cog'ito ergo
sum. Thought must proceed from Soul,
and therefore man is not wholly ma-
terial; that soul must be from some
Being not material, and that Being is
God. As for physical phenomena, they
must be the result of motion excited by
God, and these motions he termed
wortices. (1596–1650.)
*: Of course, he begs the whole ques-
tion in his first assertion. (See CoGITO.)
Carthage of the North. Tubeck
was so called, when it was the head of
the Hanseatic League.
Carthage'na. Capital of New Gra-
na'da, in South erica, unsuccessfully
attacked in 1747 by Admiral Vermon.
“Wasteful, forth
Walks the dire power of pestilent disease . . .
• Such as, of late, at Carthagena quenched
The British fire. You, gallant Vernon, saw
The miserable scene ; you, pitying, saw
To infant-weakness sunk the warrior's arm.”
Thomsom, : Summer, 1034–43.
Carthag'inem esse Delendam
(censeo) were the words with which
Cato the Elder concluded every speech
in the Roman senate. More usually
quoted “Jelenda est Carthago.” They
are now proverbial, and mean, “That
which stands in the way of our great-
ness must be removed at all hazards,”
To put the
Carthagin'ian Faith. Treachery.
(See PUNICA FIDES.)
Carthu'sians. Founded, in 1086,
by St. Bruno, of Cologne, who, with
six companions, retired to the solitude
of La Chartreuse, near Greno'ble, in
Vienne.
Cartoons. TJesigns drawn on cartone
(pasteboard), like those of Raffaelle, for-
merly at Hampton Court, but now at
Kensington Museum. They were bought
by Charles I., and are seven in number:
“The Miraculous Draught of Fishes,”
“Feed my Lambs,” “The Beautiful
Gate of the Temple,” “Death of An-
ami’as,” “Elymas the Sorcerer,” “Paul
at Lystra,” and “Paul on the Mars
Hill.”
“They were designs for tapestries to be worked
ſº-Julia B. De Forest : Short History of
Cart'ridge Paper was originally
manufactured for soldiers’ cartridges.
The word is a corruption of cartouche,
from carta (paper).
Carya'tes or Caryat'ids. Figures of
women in Greek costume, used in archi-
tecture to support entablatures. Ca'-
ryae, in Arca'dia, sided with the Persians
in the battle of Thermop'ylae; in conse-
quence of which the victorious Greeks
destroyed the city, slew the men, and
made the women slaves. Praxit/elés, to
perpetuate the disgrace, employed figures
of these women, instead of columns.
(See page 72, col. 2, ATLANTES ; page 208,
col. 2, CANEPHORAE.)
Caryat’ic Order or Caryatid'ic
Order. Architecture in which Cary-
at'ids are introduced to support the
entablature.
Casabian/ca, was the name of the
captain of , the French man-of-war,
L’Orient. At the battle of Aboukir,
having first secured the safety of his
crew, he blew up his ship, to prevent it
falling into the hands of the English.
His little son, refusing to leave him,
perished with his father. Mrs. Hemans
has made a ballad, Casabianca, on this
subject, modifying the incident. The
French poets Lebrun and Chénier have
also celebrated the occurrence.
Cas'ca. A blunt-witted Roman, one
of the conspirators against Julius Caesar.
(Shakespeare: Julius Caesar.)
Case (To). To skin an animal. In
the Cookery by Mrs. Glasse is the direc-
tion, “Take your hare when it is cased,
. . . and make a pudding. . . .”. The
witticism, “First catch your hare,” may
possibly have been suggested by this
Case-hardened
220
Cast Accounts
direction, but it is not in the Art of
Cookery made Plain and Easy.
Case-hardened. Impenetrable to all
Sense of honour or shame. The allusion
is to iron toughened by carbonising the
surface in contact with charcoal in a
case or closed box. It is done by heat.
Cashier' (2 syl.). To dismiss an officer
from the army, to discard from society.
(French, casser, to break; Italian, cas-
Sa'i'é, to blot out ; Ger. kassiren.)
“The ruling rogue, who dreads to be cashiered,
Contrives, as he is hated, to be feared.
Swift : Epistle to Mr. Gay, line 137.
Casi'no. Originally, a little casa or
room near a theatre, where persons
might retire, after the play was over,
for dancing or music.
Casket Homer. Alexander the
Great’s edition, with Aristotle's correc-
tions. After the battle of Arbe'la, a
golden casket, studded with jewels, was
found in the tent of Dariºus. Alexan-
der, being asked to what purpose it
should be applied, made answer, “There
is but one production in the world
worthy of so costly a depository,” and
placed therein his edition of Homer,
which received from this circumstance
the term of Casket Homer.
Caspar. A huntsman who sold him-
self to Zamiel, the Black Huntsman.
The night before the expiration of his
lease of life he bargained for three
years’, respite on condition of bringing
Max into the power of the evil one.
Zamiel replied, “To-morrow either he
or you.” On the day appointed for the
trial-shot, Caspar places himself in a
tree. Max is told by the prince to aim
at a dove. The dove flies to the tree
where Caspar is concealed. Max shoots
at the dove, but kills Caspar, and Zamiel
comes to carry off his victim. (Weber’s
Opera of Der Freischütz.)
Cassan'dra. Daughter of Priam,
gifted with the power of prophecy;
but Apollo, whom she had offended,
brought it to pass that no one believed
her predictions. (Shakespeare: Troilus
and Cressida.)
“Those who foresee and predict the downfall,
lmeet With the fate of CaSSandra.”—The Times,
Cassa/tion. The court of cassation,
in France, is the court which can casser
(or quash) the judgment of other courts.
Cassi. Inhabitants of what is now
Cassio hundred, Hertfordshire, referred
to by Caesar in his Commentaries.
Cassib'elan. Great-uncle to Cym-
beline. He granted Caesar a yearly
tribute of £3,000.
beline.)
Cassio (in Shakespeare's Othello).
(Shakespeare: Cym-
Michael Cassio was a Florentine, and
Othello’s lieutenant. Iago made him
drunk, and then set on Roderi'go to
quarrel with him. Cassio wounded
Roderigo, and a brawl ensued, which
offended Othello. Othello suspended
Cassio, but Iago induced Desdemo'na to
plead for his restoration. This interest
in Cassio, being regarded by the Moor as
a confirmation of Desdemona’s illicit
love, hinted at broadly by Iago, pro-
voked the jealousy of Othello. After
the death of the Moor, Cassio was ap-
pointed governor of Cyprus. -
Cassiope'ia [the lady in the chair].
The chief stars of this constellation form
the outline of a chair. The lady referred
to is the wife of Cepheus (2 syl.), King
of Ethiopia. . She boasted that the
beauty of her daughter Androměda sur-
passed that of the sea-nymphs. The
sea-nymphs complained to the sea god
of this affront, and Andromeda, to
appease their wrath, was chained to a
rock to be devoured by sea-monsters.
Perseus (2 syl.) delivered her, and made
her his wife. The vain mother was taken
to heaven out of the way, and placed
among the stars.
“That starred Ethiop queen that strove
To set her beauty's praise above
The Sea-lmy Imphs and their powers Offencv.,.
Milton : Il Penseroso.
N.B.-“IHer beauty’s praise ’’ means
that of her beautiful daughter. An-
droměda was her mother’s “beauty.”
Cassiter’ides (5 syl.).The tin islands,
generally supposed to be the Scilly Is-
lands and Cornwall, but probably the
isles in Vigo Bay are meant. It is said
that the Veneti procured tin from Corn-
wall, and carried it to the Isles of Vigo
Bay, but kept as a profound secret the
place from which they obtained it. The
Phoenicians were the chief customers of
the Veneti, -
Cast About (To). To deliberate, to
consider, as, “I am casting about me
how I am to meet the expenses.” A
Sporting phrase. Togs, when they have
lost scent, “cast for it,” i.e. spread
out and search in different directions to
recover it. -
Cast Accounts (To). To balance or
Keep accounts. To cast up a line of
figures is to add them together and set
down the sum they produce. To cast
or throw the value of one figure into
another till the whole number is totalled.
- Cast Anchor
4-3
21
Castle
Cast Anchor (To). To throw out
the anchor in order to bring the vessel
to a standstill. (Latin, anchoram jacáre.)
Cast Aside (To). To reject as
worthless.
Cast Down. Dejected.
jectus.)
Cast a Sheep's Eye at One (To).
To look askance or sideways at One ; to
look wantonly at One.
Cast beyond the Moon. To form
wild conjectures. One of Heywood's
proverbs. At one time the moon was
supposed to influence the weather, to
affect the ingathering of fruits, to rule
the time of sowing, reaping, and slay-
ing cattle, etc. .
“I talke of things impossible, and cast beyond
the moon.” IIey wood.
Cast in One's Lot (To). To share
the good or bad fortune of another.
Cast into One's Teeth (To). To
throw a reproof at one. The allusion
is to knocking one’s teeth out by stones.
“All my faults observed, set in a note book, .
Learned and conned by rote, to cast into my
teeth.” Shakespectre : Julius Caesar.
Cast of the Eye (A). A squint.
One meaning of the word cast is to
twist or warp. Thus, a fabric is said
to “cast” when it warps; and seamen
speak of “casting,” or turning the head
of a ship on the tack it is to sail. We
also speak of a “casting” or turning
vote.
“My goode powe clene cast [twisted] on one
side.”—Ascham : Toa:0philus.
Cast Pearls before Swine (To).
If pearls are cast to Swine, the swine
would only trample them under foot.
Casting Vote. The vote of the pre-
siding officer when the votes of the
assembly are equal. This final vote
casts, turns, or determines the question.
Castagnette (Captain). A hero
noted for having his stomach replaced
by Desgenettes by a leather one. His
career is ended by a bomb, which blows
him into fragments. An extravaganza
from the French of Manuel. -
Cas/taly. A fountain of Parnassus
sacred to the Muses. Its waters had the
power of inspiring with the gift of poetry
those who drank of them.
“The drooping Muses [Sir Industry]
. Brought to another Castalie,
Where Isis imany a famous nursling breeds,
Or where old Cam soft paces o'er the lea
In pensive mood.”
Thomsom, : Castle of Indolemce, ii. 21.
“Isis” means the University of Oxford,
(Latin, de-
and “Cam” the University of Cam-
bridge, so called from the respective
rivers on which they stand.
Caste (1 syl.), race. The Portuguese
casta. In Sanskrit the word used for
the same purpose is varna (colour). The
four Hindu castes are Brahmins (the
sacred order), Shatri'ya (soldiers and
rulers), Vaisy'a (husbandmen and mer-
chants), Sudra (agricultural labourers
and mechanics). The first issued from
the mouth of Brahma, the second from
his arms, the third from his thighs, and
the fourth from his feet. Below these
come thirty-six inferior classes, to whom
the Vedas are sealed, and who are held
cursed in this world and without hope in
the next. The Jews seem to have enter-
tained the same notion respecting the
common people, and hence the Sanhe-
drim say to the officers, “This people,
who know not the law, are cursed.”
(John vii. 49.)
To lose caste. To lose position in
society. To get degraded from one
caste to an inferior one.
Castle Builder (A). One who en-
tertains Sanguine hopes. One who
|builds air-castles which have no exis-
tence except in a dreamy imagination.
(See below.)
Castle in the Air. A splendid
edifice, but one which has no existence.
In fairy tales we often have these castles
built at a word, and vanishing as soon,
like that built for Aladdin by the Genius
of the Lamp. These air-castles are
called by the French Châteaua d’Espagne,
because Spain has no châteaux. We also
find the expression Châteaua en Asie for
a similar reason. (See CHATEAUX.)
Castle of Bungay (My).
“Were I in my Castle of Bungay
Vpon the riuer of Waueney,
I would he care for the King of Cockney.”
Attributed to Lord Bigod of Bungay.
The lines are in Camden’s Britannia
(edit. 1607). The events referred to in
the ballad belong to the reign of Stephen
or Henry II. (See BAR-SUR-AUBE, page
100, col. 1.)
Castle of Indolence. In the land
of Drowsiness, where every sense is
steeped in enervating delights. The
owner of the castle was an enchanter,
who deprived all who entered his domains
of their energy and free-will. (Thomson :
Castle of Indolence.)
Castle Terabil (or “Terrible”) in
Arthurian legends stood in Launceston.
It had a steep keep environed with a
Castor
222
Cat;
triple wall. Sometimes called Dun-
heved Castle. It was within ten miles
of Tintagel.
Castor. A hat. Castor is the Latin
for a beaver, and beaver means a hat
made of the beaver’s skin.
e “Tom Trot
Took his new Castor from his head.” -
Ičamdall : Diary.
Castor and Pollux. What we call
comazants. Electric flames sometimes
seen in stormy weather playing about
the masts of ships. If only one flame
showed itself, the Romans called it Helen,
and said that it portended that the worst
of the storm was yet to come; but two
or more luminous flames they called
Castor and Pollua, and said that they
boded the termination of the storm.
But when the sons of Leda shed
Their star-Jamps on our vessel's head,
The Storm-Winds cease, the troubled Spray
I'alls from the rocks, clouds flee a Way,
And on the bosom of the deep
In peace the angry billows sleep. E. C. B.
Horace : iſ Odes xii., 27–32.
Castor's Horse. Cyll'aros. Virgil
ascribes him to Pollux. (Geor., iii.)
(See HoRSE.)
Cas'uist (3 syl.). One who resolves
casts conscientiae (cases of conscience).
M. le Fevre calls casuistry “the art of
quibbling with God.”
Casus Belli (Latin). A ground for
war; an occurrence warranting inter-
national hostilities.
Cat. Called a “familiar,” from the
mediaeval superstition that Satan’s fa-
vourite form was a black cat. Hence
“witches '' were said to have a cat as
their familiar.
Cat. A symbol of liberty. The Roman
goddess of Liberty was represented as
holding a cup in one hand, a broken
sceptre in the other, and with a cat
lying at her feet. No animal is so great
an enemy to all constraint as a cat.
Cat. Held in veneration by the Egyp-
tians under the name of AElurus. This
deity is represented with a human body
and a cat’s head. Diodorus tells us that
whoever killed a cat, even by accident,
was by the Egyptians punished by death.
According to Egyptian tradition, Diana.
assumed the form of a cat, and thus ex-
cited the fury of the giants.
The London Review says the Egyptians
worshipped the cat as a symbol of the
moon, not only because it is more active
after sunset, but from the dilation and
contraction of its pupil, symbolical of the
waxing and waning of the night-goddess.
(See PUSS.) .
Jiang me in a bottle like a cat. (Mitch
Ado about Nothing, i. 1.) In olden
times a cat was for sport enclosed in a
bag or leather bottle, and hung to the
branch of a tree, as a mark for bowmen
to shoot at. Steevens tells us of another
Sport: “A cat was placed in a soot bag,
and hung on a line; the players had to
beat out the bottom of the bag without
getting beSmudged, and he who suc-
ceeded in so doing was allowed to hunt
the cat afterwards.
Some . . . are mad if they behold a cat.
(Merchant of Venice, iv. 1.) Henri III.
of France swooned if he caught sight of
a cat, and Napoleon I. showed a morbid
horror of the same ; so did one of the
Ferdinands, Emperor of Germany. (See
ANTIPATHY, page 53; PIG.)
Cat-call. A kind of whistle used at
theatres by the audience to express dis-
pleasure or impatience. A hideous noise
like the call or want! of a cat.
“I was very much surprised with the great
CQnsorſ. Of cat-calls . . . . to see so many persons
of quality of both sexes assembled together at a
ind of Caterwauling.” – Addison, Spectator, No.
61.
Cat-eyed. Able to see in the dark.
Cat's eye is an Opalescent mineral gem.
Cat Jumps (The). See how the cat
jumps, “which way the wind blows”;
which of two alternatives is likely to be
the successful one before you give any
Opinion of its merit or adhesion to it,
either moral or otherwise. The allusion
is to the game called tip-cat. Before
you strike, you must observe which way
the “cat” has jumped up.
* We are told that our forefathers
had a cruel sport, which consisted in
placing a cat in a tree as a mark to shoot
at. A wily sportsman would, of course,
wait to see which way it jumped before
he shot at her. This sort of sport was
very like that of hanging two cats by
their tails over a rope. (See page 224,
KILKENNY CAT.)
“He soon saw whiclı way the cat did jump,
And his company he offered plump.”
The Dog's-meat Man (See Universal Songster, 1825.)
Cat Stane. Battle stone. A mono-
lith in Scotland (sometimes wrongly called
a Druidical stone). The Norwegian
term, bazata Stein, means the same thing.
(Celtic, cath, battle.)
Cat and Dog. To live a cat and
dog life. To be always snarling and
quarrelling, as a cat and dog, whose
aversion to each other is intense.
“There will Je jealousies, and a cat-and-dog
life over yonder worse than ever.”—Carlyle:
Frederick; the Great (Vol. ii. book ix. p. 346.).
It is raining cats, and dogs. Very
heavily. We sometimes say, “It is
Cat;
raining pitchforks,” which is the French
locution, “Il tombe des hallebardes.”
Cat and Fiddle, a public-house sign,
is a corruption of Caton le fidèle, mean-
ing Caton, Governor of Calais.
Cat and Kittens. A public-house
sign, alluding to the pewter-pots so
called. Stealing these pots is termed
“‘Cat and kitten sneaking.” We still
call a large kettle a kitchen, and Speak
of a soldier's kit. (Saxon, cytel, a pot,
pan, or vessel generally.)
Cat and Tortoise, or Boar and Sow.
Names given to the testu'do.
Cat has nine Lives (A). (See under
NINE.)
Cat i' the Adage (The). The adage
referred to is, the cat loves fish, but does
not like to wet her paws.
“I,etting “I dare not wait upon ‘I would,”
Like the poor cat i' the adage.”
! Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 7.
Cat may look at a King (A). An
insolent remark of insubordination,
meaning, “I am as good as you ’’; or
“Are you too mighty to be spoken to or
looked at P” “You may wear stars and
ribbons, and I may be dressed in hodden
grey, but a man’s a man for a’ that.”
Cat-o'-nine-tails. A whip, first with
three, then with six, and lastly with
nine lashes, used for punishing offenders,
and briefly called a cat. Lilburn was
scourged, in 1637, with a whip having
only three lashes, but there were twenty
knots in each tail, and, as he received a
lash every three paces between the Fleet
and Old Palace Yard, Cook says that
60,000 stripes were inflicted. Titus Oates
was scourged, in the reign of James II.,
with a cat having six lashes, and, between
Newgate and Tyburn, received as many
as 17,000 lashes. The cat-o’-nine-tails
once used in the British army and
navy is no longer employed there, but
garotters and some other offenders are
still scourged. Probably the punish-
ment was first used on board ship, where
ropes would be handy, and several ropes
are called cats, as “cat-harpings,” for
bracing the shrouds; “cat-falls,” which
pass over the cat-head and communicate
with the cat-block, etc. The French
martinet (q.v.) had twelve leather
thongs.
Cat Proverbs.
A cat has nine lives. A cat is more
tenacious of life than other animals,
because it generally lights upon its feet
without injury, the foot and toes being
223 • Cat Proverbs
padded so as to break the fall.
NINE.)
“Tyb. What wouldst thou have with me 2
Mer. GQod king of cats, nothing but one of your
Iline lives.”
Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet, iii. 1.
All cats love fish. (See previous column,
CAT I'THE ADAG.E.) -
Before the cat can lick her ear—i.e.
before the Greek kalends. Never. No
cat can lick her ear. (See NEVER.)
Care killed the cat. (See page 216, 2,
CARE.
In the dark all cats are gray. All
persons are undistinguished till they
have made a name. - 2
Not room to swing a cat. Swinging
cats as a mark for sportsmen was at one
time a favourite amusement. There
were several varieties of this diversion.
Sometimes two cats were swung by their
tails over a rope. Sometimes a cat was
swung to the bough of a tree in a bag
or sack. Sometimes it was enclosed in
a leather bottle.
Sick as a cat. Cats are very subject
to vomiting. Hence the vomit of a
drunkard is called “a cat,” and the act
Of discarding it is called “shooting the
Cat.”
Let the cat out of the bag. To disclose
a secret. It was formerly a trick among
country folk to substitute a cat for a
sucking-pig, and bring it in a bag to
market. If any greenhorn chose to buy
a “pig in a poke ’’ without examination,
all very well; but if he opened the sack,
“he let the cat out of the bag,” and the
trick was disclosed.
“She let the cat out of her bag of verse ... .
She almost proposed to her hero in rhyme.”—
George Meredith: The Egotist, iii.
To bell the cat. (See page 119, BELL.)
To tº cat-in-pan. To turn traitor,
to be a turncoat. The phrase seems
to be the French tourner cóte en peine (to
turn sides in trouble). I do not think it
refers to turning pancakes. -
“When George in pudding-time came o'er
And moderate men looked big, sir.
I turned a cat-in-pan once more,
And so became a Whig, sir.”
Vicar of Bray.
‘.' Bacon says, “There is a cunning which we in
England call the turning of the cat in the pain;
which is, when that which a man says to another,
he says it as if another had said it to him.”
Touch not a cat but a glove. Here
“but ’’ is used in its original meaning
of “beout,” i.e. without. (For another
example of “but ’’ meaning without, see
Amos iii. 7.) The words are the motto
of Mackintosh, whose crest is “cat-a-
mountain salient guardant proper’”;
supporters, two cats proper. The whole
is a pun on the word Catti, the Teutonic
(See
Cat; Proverbs
224
Catacomb
settlers of Caithness, i.e. Catti-ness,
and mean, “Touch not the clan Cattan
or Mountain Cat without a glaive.”
The same words are the adopted motto
of Grant of Ballindalloch, and are ex-
plained by the Second motto, ensé et
aft'imo.
In French: On ne prend pas tel chat Sans
In Ollfles. -
What can you have of a cat but her
Skin 3 The thing is useless for any pur-
pose but One. In former times the
cat's fur was used for trimming cloaks
* coats, but the flesh is utterly use-
€SS.
Who ate the cat 3 A gentleman who
had his larder frequently assailed by
bargees, had a cat cooked and placed
there as a decoy. It was taken like the
other foods, and became a standing jest
against these larder pilferers.
A Cheshire cat. He grims like a
Cheshire cat. Cheese was formerly sold
in Cheshire moulded like a cat. The
allusion is to the grinning cheese-cat,
but is applied to persons who show their
teeth and gums when they laugh. (See
Alice in Wonderland.)
A ſilkenny cat. The story is that,
during the rebellion of Ireland, Kil-
kenny was garrisoned by a troop of
Hessian soldiers, who amused them-
selves in barracks by tying two cats
together by their tails and throwing
them across a clothes-line to fight. The
officers, hearing of this, resolved to put
a stop to the practice. The look-out
man, enjoying the sport, did not observe
the officer on duty approaching the bar-
racks; but one of the troopers, more
quick-sighted, seizing a sword, cut the
two tails, and the cats made their
escape. When the officer inquired the
meaning of the two bleeding tails, he
was coolly told that two cats had been
fighting and had devoured each other
all but the tails.
* Whatever the true story, it is
certain that the municipalities of Kil-
kenny and Irishtown contended so
stoutly about their respective bound-
aries and rights to the end of the
seventeenth century, that they mutually
impoverished each other, leaving little
else than “two tails” behind.
Whittington’s cat. A cat is a ship
formed on the Norwegian model, having
a narrow stern, projecting quarters, and
deep waist. It is strongly built, and
used in the coal trade. Harrison speaks
of it as a “cat” or “catch.” According
to tradition, Sir Richard. Whittington
made his money by trading in coals,
which he conveyed in his “cat” from
Newcastle to London. The black faces
of his coal-heavers gave rise to the tale
about the Moors. In confirmation of
this suggestion, it may be added that
Whittington was Lord Mayor in 1397,
and coal was first made an article of
tº from Newcastle to London in
Cat's Cradle. A child’s play, with
a piece of twine. Corrupt for cratch-
cradle or manger cradle, in which the
infant Saviour was laid. Cratch is the
French crèche (a rack or manger), and
to the present hour the racks which
stand in fields for cattle to eat from are
called cratches.
Cat's Foot. To live ºtºde,' the cat’s
Joot. To be under petticoat government;
to be henpecked. A mouse under the
paw of a cat lives but by sufferance and
at the cat's pleasure.
Cat's Melody (The). Squalling.
“The children were playing the cat's melody to
keel) their Imother in countenance.”— W. B. Yeats :
Fairy Tales of the Irish Peasantry, p. 238.
Cat's Paw. To be made a cat’s paw
of, i.e. the tool of another, the medium
of doing another's dirty work. The
allusion is to the fable of the monkey
who wanted to get from the fire some
roasted chestnuts, and took the paw of
the cat to get them from the hot ashes.
“I had no intention of becoming a cat's paw to
draw European chestnuts Out Of the fire.”—Comm.
Ičodgers.
At sea, light air during a calm causing
a ripple on the water, and indicating a
storm, is called by sailors a cat’s paw,
and seamen affirm that the frolics of a
cat indicate a gale. These are relics of
a superstition that cats are witches or
demons in disguise.
Cat's Sleep. A sham sleep, like that
of a cat watching a mouse.
Cats.
Mistress Tofts, the singer, left legacies
at death to twenty cats.
“Not Niobé mourned more for fourteen brats,
Nor Mistress Tofts, to leave her twenty cats.”
Peter Pindar: Old Simon.
Catacomb. A subterranean place
for the burial of the dead. The Persians
have a city they call Comb or Coom, full
of mausoleums and the sepulchres of
the Persian saints. (Greek, kata-kumbé,
a hollow, place underground.) (See
Roomſ.)
“The most awful idea connected with the cata-
combs, is their interminable extent, and the
possibility of going astray in the labyrinth of
darkness.”—Hawthorme: Marble Fawn, iii,
Catalian
225
Catchpole
Catai'an (3 syl.). A native of Cathay
or China ; outlandish, a foreigner gener-
ally, a liar.
“I will not believe such a Cataian, though the
priest of the town commended him for a true
man.”—Shalcespeare : Merry Wives, ii. 1.
Catalogue Raisonné (French). A
catalogue of books arranged under Sub-
jects.
Catamaran. A scraggy old woman,
a vixen; so called by a play on the first
syllable. It properly means a raft con-
sisting of three sticks, lashed together
with ropes; used on the coasts of Coro-
mandel and Madras.
“No, you old catamaran, though you pretend
y Oll never read novels. . . . . ”—Thackeray : Lovel
the Widower, chap. i.
Cataphrygians. Christian heretics,
who arose in the second century; so
called because the first lived in Phrygia.
They followed the errors of Monta'nus.
Catarrh. A cold in the head. The
word means a down-running; from the
Greek katarrheo (to flow down).
Catastrophe (4 Syl.). A turning
upside down. The termination of a
drama is always a “turning upside
down '' of the beginning of the plot.
(Greek, kata-strepho.)
To lie upon the catch.
“Quid me captas?”
“They sent certain of the Pharisees . . . . to
catch Him in His words.”—Mark xii. Here the
Greek word is &ypeijo, to take by hunting. They
were to lie upon the catch till they found occasion
against Hill).
You’ll catch it. You’ll get severely
punished. Here “it’’ stands for the
indefinite punishment, such as a whip-
ping, a scolding, or other unpleasant
consequence.
To lie in wait,
Catch a Crab (To). In rowing, is to
'be struck with the handle of one’s oar;
to fall backwards. This occurs when
the rower leaves his oar too long in the
water before repeating the stroke. In
Italian granchio is a crab, and pigliar iſ
granchio is to “catch a crab,” or a
Tartar.
Catch a Tartar. The biter bit.
Grose says an Irish soldier in the Im-
perial service, in a battle against the
Turks, shouted to his comrade that he
had caught a Tartar. “Bring him along,
then,” said his mate. “But he won’t
come,” cried Paddy. “Then come along
yourself,” said his comrade. “Arrah!”
replied Paddy, “I wish I could, but he
Won’t let me.”
“We are like the man who boasted of having
callght a Tartar, when the fact was that the
Tartar had caught him.”—Cautions for the Times.
Catch as Catch can. Get by hook
or crook all you can.
“All must catch that catch can.” — Johnson :
Rambler, No. 197.
Catch Me at It! Most certainly I
shall never do what you say.
. “‘Catch me going to., London l' exclaimed
Vixen.”—Miss Braddom, : Viacom.
Catch the Speaker's Eye (To). To
find the eye of the Speaker fixed on you;
to be observed by the Speaker. In the
FIouse of Commons the member on
whom the eye of the Speaker is fixed
has the privilege of addressing the
House.
“He succeeded in catching the Speaker's eye.”
–4. Trollope.
Catch Out (To). In cricket, is to
catch the ball of a batsman, whereby
the striker is ruled out, that is, must re-
linquish his bat. -
Catch your Hare (First). It is
generally believed that “Mrs. Glasse,”
in her Cookery Book, gave this direction;
but the exact words are, “Take your
hare when it is cased, and make a pud-
ding, . . . etc.” To “case ’’ means to
take off the skin. Thus, in All's Wel/
that Ends Well, iii. 6, we have these
words, “We’ll make you some sport with
the fox ere we case him.” Scatch also
means to skin, and this word gave rise
to the misquoted catch. Though scatch
and case both mean to skin, yet the
word used in the book referred to is case,
not scatch. Mrs. Glasse was the pen-
name of Dr. John Hill (1716-1775),
author of The Cookery Book. (See CASE.)
Bracton, however (book iv. tit. i.
chap. xxi. Sec. 4), has these words:
“Vulgariter dicitºr, quod primo oportet
cerviſm capere, et posted (cum captus
fuerit) illum excoriare.”
* The Welsh word cach = ordure,
dung, and to cach (cachº) would be to
clean and gut the hare.
Catch-Club. A member of the Catch-
club. A bum-bailiff, a tipstaff, a con-
stable. The pun is obvious.
Catchpenny. A worthless article
puffed off to catch the pennies of those
who are foolish enough to buy them.
Catchpole. A constable ; a law
officer whose business it was to appre-
hend criminals. Pole or poll means
head, person; and the word means one
15
Catch Weights 2
Catharine Wheels
who catches persons by the poll or neck.
This was done by means of an instru-
ment something like a shepherd’s crook.
“Cacchepoles, from catch and pole, because
these officers lay hold of a man's neck.”—Wiclif:
New Testament (Acts xvi., Glossary).
Catch Weights, in racing, means
without restrictions as to weight.
Catch-word. A popular cry, a word
or a phrase adopted by any party for
political or other, purposes. “Three
acres and a cow,” “A living wage,”
are examples. -->
Catch-word. The first word on any
page of a book or manuscript which is
printed or written at the foot of the
preceding page. In the early days of
printing the catch-word was generally
used, but for the last two hundred years
the practice has been gradually dying
out. Its purpose was, among other
things, to enable the reader to avoid an
awkward pause when turning over a
leaf. The first book so printed was a
Tacitus, by John de Spira, 1469.
Catch-word. In theatrical parlance,
is the last word or so of the previous
speaker, which is the cue of the person
who follows.
Catechu'men [kat'y-ku'men]. One
taught by word of mouth (Greek, hate-
chow'memos). Those about to be bap-
tised in the early Church were first
taught by word of mouth, and then
catechised on their religious faith and
duties.
Cater-cousin. An intimate friend;
a remote kinsman. (French, quatre-
cousin, a fourth cousin).
“His master and he, Saving your worship's
reverence, are scarce, cater-cousins.”—Shake-
speare : Merchant of Venice, ii. 2.
Caterpillars. Soldiers. In 1745 a.
soldier, quartered at Derby, was desired
by the landlord to call on him whenever
he passed that way, for, added Boniface,
“I consider soldiers the pillars of the
state.” When the rebellion was put
down, it so happened that the same
regiment was quartered in Derby, and
the soldier called on his old host, but
was very coldly and somewhat un-
civilly received. The soldier reminded
Boniface of what he said at parting—“I
consider soldiers the pillars of the state.”
“Did I say so?” said mine host, “Well,
I meant cater-pillars.”
Caterwauling. The wawl or wrawl
of cats; the er being either a plural,
similar to “childer” (children), or a
corrupted genitive.
“What a caterwauling, do you keep here !"—
Shakespeare : Twelfth Night, ii. 3.
Catgut. A contracted form of cattle-
gut, especially sheep. Another form is
catling-gut, i.e. cattle-ing gut. In Gen.
xxx. 40 we read that Jacob did separate
“his own flocks by themselves, and put
them not unto Laban's cattle [i.e.
sheep).” Again, in xxxi. 9, Jacob said,
“God hath taken away the cattle [sheep
and lambs] of your father, and given
them to me ; ” and verse 43 he says,
“These cattle [sheep and lambs] are my
cattle.” -
* Musical strings never were made
from the gut of a cat.
Catgut Scraper (A). A fiddler.
Cath'ari. Novatian heretics. The
Waldenses were subsequently so called.
(Dueange : vol. ii. p. 288, col. 2.)
Cath'arine. To braid St. Catharine’s
tresses. To live a virgin.
“Thou art too fair to be left to braid St. Catha-
rine’s tresses.” Longfellow: Evanſſeline.
Catharine (Knights of St.), 1714. A
Russian military order founded by Peter
the Great after his naval victory of
Aland, and so named in compliment to
his wife Catharine.
Catharine of Russia. A sutler.
When Czar Peter wished to marry her,
it was needful to make her of noble .
birth; so a private person was first con-
verted into her brother, and then into a
great lord by birth. Hence Catharine,
being the sister of a “great lord,” was
made fit to be the wife of the Czar.
(De Cusine : Russia, chap. iv.)
Catharine Theot (1725-1795). A
visionary born at Avranches, who gave
herself out to be (like Joanna, Southcott)
the mother of God, and changed her
name Theot into Theos (God). She
preached in Paris in 1794, at the very
time that the worship of the Supreme
Being was instituted, and declared that
Robespierre was the forerunner of the
WORD. The Comité de la Süreté
Génerale had her arrested, and she was
guillotined. Catharine Theot was called
by Dom Gerle “ la mére de dieu,” and
Catharine called Robespierre “her well-
beloved son and chief prophet.”
Catharine Wheel (A). A sort of
firework. (See below.)
Catharine Wheels.
ań'i/?é Wheels.
To tuºſº Cath-
To turn head over heels
Catharine-wheel
227
Catholic
on the hands. Boys in the streets, etc.,
often do so to catch a penny Or so from
trippers and others.
24 Catharine-wheel window. A wheel-
window, sometimes called a rose-win-
dow, with radiating divisions. St.
Catharine was a virgin of royal descent
in Alexandria, who publicly confessed
the Christian faith at a sacrificial feast
appointed by the Emperor Maximinus,
for which confession she was put to
death by torture by means of a wheel
like that of a chaff-cutter.
Catharine-wheel Politicians.
Lovers of political changes.
Catharine-wheel Republics. “Re-
publics,” says Mr. Lowell, “always in
revolution while the powder lasts.”
Cath'arists. A. sect of the Mani-
cheans ; so called from their professed
purity of faith. (Greek, katharos, pure.)
They maintained that matter is the
source of all evil; that Christ had not a
real body; that the human body is in-
capable of newness of life; and that the
sacraments do not convey grace. (See
Dueange : vol. ii. p. 289, col. 1.)
Cathay'. China, or rather Tartary,
the capital of which was Albrac'ca, ac-
cording to Orlando Furioso. It was
called Khita'i by the Tartars, and China.
was first entered by Europeans in the
Middle Ages from the side of Tartary.
“Better fifty years of Europe than a cycle of
Cathay.” Tennyson : Locksley Hall.
Cathedrae Molles (Latin). Luxu-
rious women. Properly, soft chairs.
The cathedra was a chair for women,
like our ottoman; and Juvenal applies
the soft chair used by women of dainty
habits to the women who use them.
Cathedrals of the Old Founda-
tion. Those which have never been
monastic, but which have ab initio been
governed by a dean, and chapter, with
the statutable dignities of precentor,
chancellor, and treasurer.
Catherans or Caterans.
freebooters or marauders.
Scotch, catherein, peasantry.)
Catherine. (See CATHARINE.)
Catholic (The). “Catholicus,” a
title inherited by the King of Spain ; as
the monarch of England is entitled
“Fidèi Defensor,” and the King of
France was styled “Christianissimus.”
(See page 228, CATHOLIC MAJESTY.)
Catholic Association (The), 1756.
The first Catholic Association was formed
Highland
(Lowland
for the purpose of obtaining relief from
disabilities. In 1760 the association was
re-established on a more representative
basis, but it became moribund in 1763.
Another association was organised in
1773, which fell under the control of
Tord Kenmare; this society was broken
up 1783. In 1793 a new society was
formed on a still wider basis, and Wolfe
Tone was elected secretary. In 1793 the
Catholic Relief Bill received the Royal
Assent.
In Ireland, 1823; suppressed 1825 (6
Geo. iv. c. 4); dissolved itself February,
1829. The association was first suggested
by Daniel O’Connell at a dinner-party
given by Mr. O’Mara at Glancullen, and
on Monday, May 12th, the first meeting
of the association was held in Dempsey’s
Rooms, Sackville Street. It became one of
the most powerful popular movements
ever organised. The objects were: (1) to
forward petitions to Parliament; (2) to
afford relief to Catholics assailed by
Orange lodges; (3) to support a Liberal
press both in Dublin and London; (4)
to circulate cheap publications; (5) to
aid the Irish Catholics of America, ; and
(6) to aid English Catholics. Indirectly
it undertook the repeal of the Union,
and the redress of Irish grievances
generally. Everyone who paid Id. a.
month was a member. (See CATHOLIC
EMANCIPATION.)
Catholic Church (The). The Church
considered as a whole, as distinguished
from parish churches. When the Wes-
tern Church broke off from the Eastern,
the Eastern Church called itself the
Orthodox Church, and the Western
Church adopted the term Catholic. At
the Reformation the Western Church
was called by the Reformers the Roman
Catholic Church, and the British Estab-
lished Church was called the “Protes-
tant Church,” the “Reformed National
Church,” or the “Anglo - Catholic
Church.” It is foolish and misleading
to call the Anglican Church the Catholic
Church, as at most it is only a branch
thereof. No Protestant would think of
calling himself a Catholic.
Catholic Emancipation Act (The).
10 Geo. IV. c. 7, April 13th, 1829,
whereby Catholics were admitted to all
corporate offices, and to an equal enjoy-
ment of all municipal rights. The army
and navy had been already opened to
them. They were, however, excluded
from the following offices: (1) Regent ;
(2) Chancellor of England or Ireland ;
(3) Viceroy of Ireland; (4) all offices
Catholic Epistles
228
Catted
connected with the Church, universities,
and public schools; and (5) the disposal
of Church patronage.
Catholic Epistles (The) of the New
Testament are those Epistles not ad-
dressed to any particular church or
individual. Conventionally they are
seven—viz. 1 James, 2 Peter, 1 Jude,
and 3 John ; but 2 John is addressed to
a “lady,” and 3 John to Gaius, and, of
course, are not Catholic Epistles either
in matter or otherwise.
Catholic King (The) or His Catholic
Majesty. A title given by the Pope to
Ferdinand, King of Aragon (1452, 1474-
1516), for expelling the Moors from
Spain. This was about as unwise as
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by
Louis XIV.
Catholic League (The), 1614. A
confederacy of Catholics to counter-
balance the Evangelic League (q.v.) of
Dohemia. The two Leagues kept Ger-
many in perpetual disturbance, and
ultimately led to the Thirty Years' War
(1618-1648).
Catholic Majesty, 759.
given by Gregory III. to Alfonso I.,
IGing of Asturias.
Catholic Relief.
ASSOCIATION.)
Catholic Rent (The), 1823. The
subscription of 1d. per month towards
the expenses of the Catholic Association
(7.9.).
Catholic Roll (The). A document
which each Roman Catholic was obliged
to swear to on taking his seat as a
Member of Parliament. It was abolished,
and a single oath prescribed to all
members by the 29, 30 Victoria, c. 19
(1866).
Catholicon. A panacea. (Greek,
katholicon ióma, a universal remedy.)
“Meanwhile, permit me to recommend,
As the matter admits of no delay,
My wonderful catholicon.” -
Longfellow : The Golden Legend, i.
Catholicos. The head of the Assy-
rian Nestorians. Now called the
Patriarch of Armenia.
(See CATHOLIC
Catiline's Conspiracy. Tucius
Sergius Catilina, B.C. 64, conspired with
a large number of dissolute young nobles
to plunder the Roman treasury, extir-
pate the Senate, and fire the capitol.
Cicero, who was consul, got full infor-
mation of the plot, and delivered his
first Oration against Catiline November
A title-
8th, 63, whereupon Catiline quitted
Rome. Next day Cicero delivered his
Second Oration, and several of the con-
spirators were arrested. On December
4th Cicero made his third Oration,
respecting what punishment should be
accorded to the conspirators. And on
December 5th, after his fourth Oration,
sentence of death was passed. Catiline
tried to escape into Gaul, but, being
jewepted, he was slain fighting, B.C.
Catilines and Cethe'gi (The). Sy-
nonyms for conspirators who hope to
mend their fortunes by rebellion.
“The intrigues of a few impºverished Catilines
and Cetllegi.”—Motley: Dutch Republic.
Catius. . In Pope's Moral Essays
(Epist. i.), intended for Charles Darti-
neuf, a kind of Lucullus, who preferred
“A rogue with venison to a rogue
Without.”
Catkins. The inflorescence of hazel,
birch, willow, and some other trees; so
called from their resemblance to a cat’s
tail.
“See the yellow catkins cover
All the Slender willows over.”
Mary Howitt: Voice of Spring, stanza 2.
Cat-lap. Milk or weak tea, only fit
for the cat to lap. -
“A more accomplished old won an never drank
Cat-lap.”—Sir W. Scott: Redgawmtlet, chap. xii.
Cato. He is a Cato. A man of
simple life, severe morals, self-denying
habits, strict justice, brusque manners,
blunt of speech, and of undoubted
patriotism, like the Roman censor of
that name.
Cato-Street Conspiracy. A scheme
entertained by Arthur Thistlewood and
his fellow-conspirators to overthrow the
Government by assassinating the
Cabinet Ministers. So called from Cato
Street, where their meetings were held.
(1820.)
* The other names of these conspir-
ators are Brunt, Davidson, Harrison,
Ings, Monument, Tidd, and Wilson.
All eight were sent to the Tower, March
3rd, 1820, by warrant of the Secretary
of State.
Catsup or Ketchup. The Eastern
kijap (soy sauce).
Catted. The anchor hung on the
cathead, a piece of timber outside the
ship to which the anchor is hung to keep
it clear of the ship.
“The decks were all life and commotion ; the
Sailors on the forecastle singing, Ho ; clieerly,
men 'as they catted the anchor.”—H. Melville:
Omoo, xxxvi, p. 191.
Catual
229
Causa Causata
Cat'ual. Chief minister of the Zam’-
orin or ancient sovereign of India.
“Begirt with high-plumed nobles, by the flood
The first great minister of India stood,
His name ‘the Catual' in India's tongue.”
Camoems: Lusiad, book vii.
Catum (Al) [the strong]. A bow
which fell into the hands of Mahomet
when the property of the Jews of Medi'na.
was confiscated. In the first battle the
prophet drew it with such force that it
Snapped in two.
Catwater. The estuary of the Plym
(Plymouth). A corruption of château
(chat-eau); as the castle at the mouth
of the Plym used to be called. -
Caucas'ians, according to Blumen-
bach’s ethnological system, represent
the European or highest type of the
human race ; SO called from Cau'casus,
the mountainous range. Whilst the
professor was studying ethnology, he
was supplied with a skull from these
regions, which he considered the stand-
ard of the human type.
Caucus. A meeting of citizens in
America, to agree upon what members
they intend to support, and to concert
measures for carrying out their political
wishes. The word arose from the
caulkers of Boston, who had a dispute
with the British soldiers a little before
the Revolution. Several citizens were
killed, and meetings were held at the
, caulkers’ house or calk-house, to concert
measures for redress of grievances.
“The whole Fenian affair is merely a caucus in
disguise.”—The Times.
“This day the caucus club meets. . . . . in the
garret of Tom Dawes, the adjutant of the Boston
regiment.”—John Adams : Diary, Vol. ii. p. 164,
February, 1763.
Caudine Forks. A narrow pass in
the mountains near Capua, now called
the Valley of Arpaia. It was here that
the Roman army, under the consuls T.
Veturius Calvi'nus and Sp. Postumius
fell into the hands of the Samnites, and
were made to pass under the yoke.
“Hard as it was to abandon an enterprise so
very dear to him . . . . he did not hesitate to take
the more prudent course of passing under (sic)
the Caudine Forks of the Monroe doctrine, and
leave Maximilian and the French bondholders to
their fate.”—Standard, Nov. 17th, 1866.
Caudle is any sloppy mess, especially
that sweet mixture given by nurses to
gossips who call to see the baby during
the first month. The word simply
means something warm. (Latin, calidus;
French, chaudeau : Italian, caldo.)
Caudle (Mrs.). A curtain lecturer.
The term is derived from a series of
papers by Douglas Jerrold, which were
a
published in Punch. These papers re-
present Job Caudle as a patient sufferer
of the curtain lectures of his nagging
wife.
Caught Napping (To be). To suffer
some disadvantage while off one’s guard.
Pheasants, hares, and other animals are
sometimes surprised “napping.” I
have myself caught a cock-pheasant
Ilapping. &
Caul. The membrane on the heads
of Some new-born infants, supposed to
be a charm against death by drowning.
To be born with a caul was with the
Romans tantamount to our phrase, “To
be born with a silver spoon in one’s
mouth,” meaning “born to good luck.”
M. Francisque-Michel, in his Philologie-
Comparée, p. 83, 4, says: “Calle, espèce
de coiffure, est synonyme de coiffé,” and
quotes the proverb, “Ste. Migorce 1 mous
sommes mées coiffées.” (La Comédie des
Proverbes, act ii. 4.)
Cauld-lad (The) of Hilton Hall. A
house-spirit, who moved about the fur-
niture during the night. Being resolved
to banish him, the inmates left for him
a green cloak and hood, before the
kitchen-fire, which so delighted him
that he never troubled the house any
more; but sometimes he might be heard
singing—
“Here's a cloak, and here's a hood,
The cauld-lad of Hilton will do no more good.”
Cauline (Sir) (2 syl.). A knight who
lived in the palace of the King of Ire-
land, and “used to serve the wine.” He
fell in love with Christabelle, the king’s
daughter, who plighted her troth to him
secretly, for fear of the king. The king
discovered the lovers in a bower, and
banished Sir Cauline. After a time an
eldridge came, and demanded the lady
in marriage. Sir Cauline slew the
“Soldain,” but died of the wounds
received in the combat; and the fair
Christabelle died of grief, having “burst
her gentle hearte in twayne.” (Percy’s
Jęeliques, iv.) -
Cau'rus or Corus. The west-north-
west wind, which blew from Caurus
(Argestès).
“The ground by piercing Caurus seared.”
Thomsom, : Castle of Imdolence, ii. 78.
Causa Causans. The initiating
cause ; the primary cause.
Causa Causata. The cause which
owes its existence to the ‘‘ causa,
causans”; the Secondary cause.
Cause
2
30
Cave
* The vera causa is (a) the immediate
predecessor of an effect; (b) a cause veri-
fiable by independent evidence. (Mill.)
In theology God is the causa causams, and crea-
tion the causa causūta. The presence of the sun
above the horizon is the vera causa of daylight,
and his withdrawal below the horizon is the vera,
causa of night.
Cause (The).
or project.
To make common cause. To abet the
same object. Here “cause ’’ is the
legal term, meaning pro or com, as it
may be, the cause or side of the question
advocated. -
Cause Celebre. Any famous law case.
A mission ; the object
Causes. Aristotelian causes are these
four :
(1) The Efficient Cause. That which
immediately produces the effect.
(2) The Material Cause. The matter
on which (1) works.
(3) The Formal Cause. The Essence or
“Form” (= group of attributes) intro-
duced into the matter by the efficient
C8, UIS62. * *
(4) The Final or Ultimate Cause. The
purpose or end for which the thing exists
or the causal change takes place. But
God is called the ultimate Final Cause,
since, according to Aristotle, all things
tend, so far as they can, to realise some
Divine attribute.
* God is also called The First Cause, or
the Cause Causeless, beyond which even
imagination cannot go.
Cauſtelous. Cautious, cunning,
treacherous. (Latin, cautéla ; French,
cauteleva; ; Spanish, cauteloso.)
“Caught with cautelous baits.” .
Shakespeare: Coriolamus, iv. 1.
“Swear priests and cowards and men cautelous.”
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar, ii. 1.
Cauther (Al). The lake of Paradise,
the waters of which are sweet as honey,
cold as snow, and clear as crystal. He
who once tastes thereof will never thirst
again. (The Koran.)
Caution Money. A sum deposited
before entering college, by Way of Se-
curity.
Caut'ser. (See CAUTHER.)
Cava. Cava’s traitor sire. Cava or
Florinda was the daughter of St. Julian.
It was the violation of Cava by Roderick
that brought about the war between the
Goths and the Moors. St. Julian, to
avenge his daughter, turned traitor to
Roderick, and induced the Moors to
invade Spain. King Roderick was slain
at Xerés on the third day. (A.D. 711.)
cave in his head (break it).
Cavalerie à Pied. The Zouaves
(pronounce zwav) and Zephyrs of the
French army are so called because of their
fleetness and Swiftness of foot.
Cavalie'r (3 syl.).
whence a knight, a gentleman.
caballus, a horse.)
The Cavalier.
Eon de Beaumont, the French soldier;
Chevalier d’Eon. (1728-1810.)
Charles Breydel, the Flemish land-
scape painter. (1677-1744.)
Francesco Cairo (Cavaliere del Cairo),
historian. (1598-1674.)
Jean le Clerc, le chevalier. (1587–1633.)
J. Battista Marini, Italian poet ; Il
cavalier (1569-1656).
Andrew Michael Ramsay (1686-1743).
Cavalier' or Chevalier de St. George.
James Francis Edward Stuart, called
“ the Pretender,” or “the Old Pre-
tender” (1688-1765).
The Young Cavalier or the Bonnie
Chevalier. Edward, the “Young Pre-
tender’” (1720-1785).
Cavalier Servant, in Italian cicisbe'o,
and in Spanish cortejo. A gentleman
that chaperones married ladies.
“Coach, servants, gondola, he goes to call,
And Carries fan and til) pet, gloves and shawl.”
Byrom . Beppo, St. xl.
Cavalie'rs. Adherents of Charles I.
Those of the opposing Parliament party
were called Roundheads (q.v.).
A horseman ;
(Latin,
Cavall'. “Ring Arthur's hound of
deepest mouth.” (Idylls of the King ;
I'mid.)
Cave-dwellers. (See page 157, col. 1,
BoELEMIAN BRETHREN.)
Cave In. Shut up ! have done ! I’ll
PHis fortune
has caved in (has failed). The bank has
caved in (come to a smash). The affair
caved in (fell through). Common Ameri-
can expresslons.
In the lead diggings, after a shaft has
been sunk, the earth round the sides falls
or caves in, unless properly boarded ; and
if the mine does not answer, no care is
taken to prevent a caving in.
Cavé ne literas Bellerophontis
adferras. Take care that the letter
you carry is not a warrant for your
death. (See page 121, col. 1, BELLER-
OPHON.)
Cave of Achadh Aldai. A cairn in
Ireland, so called from Aldai, the an-
cestor of the Tuatha de Danaan kings.
Cave of Adullam (The). (See page
17, Col. 1, ADULLAMITES.)
Cave 23]
, Ceelict
Cave of Mammon. The abode of
the god of wealth in Spenser’s Faërie
Queene, ii. 7.
Caveat (3 syl.).
To enter a caveat. To give legal notice
that the opponent is not to proceed with
the Suit in hand until the party giving
the notice has been heard; to give a
Warning or admonition.
Caveat Emptor. The buyer must be
responsible for his own free act. Let
the buyer keep his eyes open, for the
bargain he agrees to is binding. In
English law, Chief Justice Tindal modi-
fied this rule. He said if the buyer
gives notice that he relies on the vendor's
judgment, and the vendor warrants the
article, then the vendor is bound to
furnish an article “reasonable and fit
for the purpose required.”
Cavell or Cavel. A parcel or allot-
ment of land measured by a cord or
cable. (German, kabel, whence kaveln,
to assign by lot.)
Cavendish Tobacco. An American
brand of chewing or smoking tobacco,
prepared for use by Softening, sweeten-
ing with molasses, and pressing into
plugs. Called “Cavendish ’’ from the
Original manufacturer.
Caviare (3 syl.). Caviare to the
general. Above the taste or comprehen-
Sion of Ordinary people. Caviare is a
kind of pickle made from the roe of
Sturgeons, much esteemed in Muscovy.
It is a dish for the great, but beyond the
reach of the general public. (Hamlet,
ii. 2.)
“All popular talk about lacustrine villages and
flint implements . . . is caviaº'e to the multitude.”
—Pall Mall Gazette,
Cavo-rilie'vo. “Relief,” cut below
the original surface, the highest parts of
the figure being on a level with the sur-
face. Also called Intaglio-rilievato (pro-
nounce cah'-vo-rel-ye'-vo).
Caxon. A worn-out wig; also a big
cauliflower wig, worn out or not. It has
been suggested that the word is from
the proper name, but nothing whatever
is known about such a person.
“People scarce could decide on its phiz,
Which looked wisest—the caxon or jowl.
Peter Pindar: The Portfolio,
C. D. i.e. Catera desunt (Latin). The
rest [of the MS.] is wanting.
Ceſan. The Cean poet.
of Ceſos.
“The Cean and the Teian muse.”
Byrom : Dom Juan (The Poet's Song),
Simon’ides,
Ceca to Mecca (From). From one
end of the world to the other ; from
pillar to post. It is a Spanish phrase
meaning to roam about purposelessly.
Ceca and Mecca are two places visited
by Mohammedan pilgrims. (Compare:
Jºrom Dan to Beersheba, and From Land’s
Pnd to John o' Groat’s.) -
“‘Let us return home,” said Sancho, “no longer
ramble about from Ceca to Mecca.’”—Cervatºmtes:
Don Quiacote, I. iii. 4.
Cecil’ia (St.). A Roman lady who
underwent martyrdom in the third Cen-
tury. She is the patron Saint of the
blind, being herself blind; she is also
patroness of musicians, and “inventor
of the organ.”
“At length divine Cecilia came,
In Ventress of the VoCal frame."
Dryden: Algæander's Feast.
According to tradition, an angel fell in
love with her for her musical skill, and
used nightly to visit her. Her husband
saw the heavenly visitant, who gave to
both a crown of martyrdom which he
brought from Paradise. . Dryden and
Pope have written odes in her honour,
and both speak of her charming an angel
by her musical powers:
“He [Timotheus] raised a mortal to the skies,”
Shē [Cecilia] brought an angel down.” t
Drydem : Alexander's Feast.
Cecil's Fast. A dinner off fish.
W. Cecil (Lord Burleigh) introduced a
Bill to enjoin the eating of fish on cer-
tain days in order to restore the fish
trade.
Ced, Kéd, or Ceridwen. The Arkite
goddess or Ceres of the Britons.
“I was first modelled into the form of a pure
man in the hall of Ceridwen, Who Subjected me to
penance.”—Taliesin (Davies's Translation).
Cedar. Curzon Says that Solomon
cut down a cedar, and buried it on the
spot where the pool of Bethes/da used to
stand. A few days before the crucifixion,
this cedar floated to the surface of the
pool, and was employed as the upright
of the Saviour’s cross. (Monasteries of
the Levant.) (See CROSS.)
Cedilla. The mark (...) under a French
sibilant c. This mark is the letter Z, and
the word is from the Italian zediglia
(“zeticula,” a little z. (Greek, zéta;
Spanish, ceda, with a diminutive.)
Cee'lict (St.) or St. Caliatus, whose
day is the 14th of October, the day of
the Battle of Hastings. .
Brown Willis tells us there was a
tablet once in Battle parish church with
these words:
“This place of war is Battle called, because in
battle here - - -
Ceiriture
232
Certo
Quite conquered and o'erthrown the English
nation Were.
This slaughter, happenéd to them upon St.
, Ceelict's day,” etc.
Ceinture de la Reine. The octroi
levied at Paris, which at one time was
the queen’s pin-money or private purse.
Celadon. The lower of Amelia, a
“matchless beauty.” Being overtaken
by a storm, Amelia became alarmed, but
Celadon, folding her in his arms, ex-
claimed, “”Tis safety to be near thee,
sure, and thus to clasp perfection.” As
he spoke, a flash of lightning struck
Amelia dead. (Thomson : The Seasons ;
Summer.)
Celandine, a shepherdess in love
with Marina. Finding his suit too easily
granted, he waxed cold, and discarded
the “matchless beauty.” (W. Browne :
Britannia’s Pastorals; 1613.)
Celestial City (The). Heaven is so
called by John Bunyan in his Pilgrim’s
JProgress.
Celestial Empire (The). China ; so
called because the first emperors were
all celestial deities.
Celes’tians. Followers of Celes’tius,
disciple of Pela/gius. St. Jerome calls
him “a blockhead swollen with Scotch
pottage *—Scotch being, in this case,
what we now call Irish.
Ce'lia [heavenliness]. Mother of Faith,
Blope, and Charity. She lived in the
hospice called Holiness. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, bk. i. 10.)
Celia or Caelia. A common poetical
name for a lady or lady-love. Thus,
Swift had an ode in which Strephon
describes Caelia's dressing-room.
“Five hours, and who can do it less in,
By haughty Cºelia, Spent in dressing.”
Celt. A piece of stone, ground arti-
ficially into a wedge-like shape, with a
cutting edge. Used, before the employ-
ment of bronze and iron, for knives,
hatchets, and chisels.
Celts (The), or The Kelts. This family
of nations includes the Irish, Erse, Manx,
Welsh, Cornish, and Low Bretons. Ac-
cording to historic fable, Celtina was the
daughter of Britannus. She had a son by
IHercules, named Celtus, the progenitor
of the Celts.
Cem'etery properly means a sleeping-
place. The Jews used to speak of death
as sleep. The Persians call their ceme-
teries “The Cities of the Silent.” The
Greeks thought it unlucky to pronounce
the name of Death, (Greek, koinétérion.)
Cen’obites (3 Syl.). Monks. So
called because they live in common.
Hermits and anchorites are not ceno-
bites, as they live alone. (Greek, koiné-
biötes.)
Cenoman'ni. The inhabitants of
Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridge, re-
ferred to by Caesar in his Commentaries.
Cenotaphs. The most noted in
ancient times—
AENKAS to Deiphöbus (AEmeid, i. 65 y. 505}.
ANDROMACHE (4 Syl.) to Hector (AEmeid, i. 3; v. 302)
ARGENTIER to Kallaischros (Anthologia, bk. iii.
ARISTOTLE, to HermúS and Eubülos (Diogen&s
Laërtius). -
The ATHENIANS to the poet Euripides.
CALLIMACHOS to Sopolis, Son of Dioclidès (Epi-
gram of Calliºmachos, 22)
Calºus to his brother (Epigram of Catullus,
Drdo to Sichaeus (Justin, xviii. 6).
EUPOLIS and Aristodicé to their Son Theotimos.
GERMAIN DE BRIE to Hervé, the Breton, in 1512.
ONESTOS to Tºmčclés (Anthologia, iii. p. 366).
The ROMANs to Drusus in Germany, and to Alex-
ander Severus, the emp., in Gaul (Suetonius:
Life of Claudiºs : and the Amthologiq).
STATIgs to his father (The Sylvae of Statius, V.
- Epicédium. 3).
TIMARES to his son Teleutagöra.s.. .
XENOCRATES to Lysidicés (Anthologia).
‘. A cenotaph (Greek, Kevós Tāqos, an empty
tomb) is a monument or tablet to the memory of
a person whose body is buried elsewhere. A mau-
§oleum is an imposing monument enshrining the
dead body itself.
Censorius et Sapiens. Cato Major
was so called. (B.C. 234-149.)
Cent Nouvelles Nouvelles. French
imitations of Granuc'ci, Malespi’ni, and
Campeggi, Italian tale-writers of the
seventeenth century.
Centaur (2 syl.). A huntsman. The
Thessalian centaurs were half-horses,
half-men. They were invited to a mar-
riage feast, and, being intoxicated, be-
haved with great rudeness to the women.
The Lap'ithae took the women’s part,
fell on the centaurs, and drove them out
of the country. *
“Feasts that TheSSalian centaul's never knew.”
Thomson : A'wtwº.
Cent-cyne. One of the upper ten ;
a person of high birth, a descendant of
the race of kings. (Anglo-Saxon cyme,
royal ; cyſte-dom, a kingdom ; also noble,
renowned, chief.)
“His wife, by birth a Cent-cyne, went out as a
gºyant." — Gaboriaw: Promise of Marriage,
Cento. Poetry made up of lines bor-
rowed from established authors, Auso/-
nius has a nuptial idyll composed from
verses selected from Virgil. (Latin, cento,
patchwork.)
* The best known are the Homéro-
centones (3 Syl.), the Cento Virgilianus by
Proba Falconia (4th century), and the
Cento Nºptiális of Ausonius. Metellus
Central Sun
233
Ceremony
made hymns out of the Odes of Horace
by this sort of patchwork. Of modern
centos, the Comédie des Comédies, made
up of extracts from Balzac, is pretty well
known.
Central Sun. That body or point
about which our whole system revolves.
Mädler believed that point to be eta in
Taurus.
Centre. In the Legislative Assem-
bly The Centre were the friends of order.
In the Fenian rebellion, 1866, the chief
movers were called Head Centres, and
their subordinates Centres.
Centre of Gravity. That point on
which a body acted on by gravity is
balanced in all positions.
Centum'viri. A court under whose
jurisdiction the Romans placed all mat-
ters pertaining to testaments and in-
heritances.
Centu'rion. A Roman officer who
had the command of 100 men. His
badge was a vine-rod. (Latin, centum,
a hundred.)
Century White. John White, the
Nonconformist lawyer. So called from
his chief publication, The First Century
of Scandalous, Malignant Priests, made
and admitted into Benéfices by the Pre-
lates, etc. (1590-1645).
Ceph'alus and Procris. Made
familiar to us by an allusion to them
in the play of Pyramus and Thisbé,
where they are miscalled Shafalus and
ProCrus. Cephalus was the husband of
Procris, who, out of jealousy, deserted
him. Cephalus went in search of her,
and rested awhile under a tree. Procris,
knowing of his whereabouts, crept
through some bushes to ascertain if a
rival was with him. Cephalus heard the
noise, and thinking it to be made by some
wild beast, hurled his javelin into the
'bushes and slew Procris. When the un-
happy man discovered what he had done,
he slew himself in anguish of spirit with
the same javelin.
“Pyramws: Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.
Thisbé . As Shafalus to Procrus, I to you.” T.
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, v. 1.
Ce/pheus (2 syl.). One of the north-
ern constellations, which takes its name
from Cepheus, King of Ethiopia, hus-
band of Cassiopeia and father of An-
drom'eda. -
Ce"pola. Devices of Cópola. Quips
of law are so called from Bartholomew
Cépola, whose law-quirks for prolonging
lawsuits have been frequently reprinted.
Ce/quiel (3 syl.). A spirit who trans-
ported Torral'ba from "Walladolid’ to
Rome and back again in an hour and a
half. (Pellicer.)
Cerau/nium. The opal. So called
by the ancients from a notion that it was
a thunder-stone. (Latin, ceraunium ;
Greek, kerau’mios.)
Cer’berus. Agrim, watchful keeper,
house-porter, guardian, etc. Cerberus,
according to Roman mythology, is the
three-headed dog that keeps the en-
trance of the infernal regions. Herculés
dragged the monster to earth, and then
let him go again. (See SOP.
* Orpheus (2 syl.) lulled Cerberus to
sleep with his lyre ; and the Sibyl who
conducted AEneas through the Inferno,
also threw the dog into a profound sleep
with a cake seasoned with poppies and
honey.
The origin of the fable of Cerberus is
from the custom of the ancientle gyptians
of guarding graves with dogs.
* The exquisite cameo by Dioscoridés,
in the possession of the King of Prussia,
and the painting of Hercules and Cer-
berus, in the Farnésé Gallery of Rome,
are of world-wide renown.
Cerdo'nians. A sect of heretics,
established by Cerdon of Syria, who lived
in the time of Pope Hyginus, and main-
tained most of the errors of the Mani-
chees.
Ceremonious (The). Peter IV. of
Aragon. (1319, 1336–1387.)
Cer'emony. When the Romans fled
before Brennus, one Albi'nus, who was
carrying his wife and children in a cart
to a place of Safety, overtook at Janic'u-
lum the Vestal virgins bending under
their load, took them up and conveyed
them to Caeré, in Etruria. Here they
remained, and continued to perform their
Sacred rites, which were consequently
called “Caere-monia.” (Livy, v.)
* Scaliger says the word comes from
certſs=Sanctus. Cerus manus=Creator;
and Cereo (according to Varro) is by
metathesis for creo. Ceres, according to
Scaliger, is also from creo. By this ety-
mology, “ Ceremony” means sacred
rites, or Solemn acts in honour of the
Creator. The great objection to this
etymology is that Cicero, Tacitus, and
other classic authors spell the word
Caere-monia and not Cere-monia.
Master of the Ceremonies. An officer,
first appointed by James I, to superin-
tend the reception of ambassadors and
Ceres
234
Chair
strangers of rank, and to prescribe the
formalities to be observed in levees and
other grand public functions.
Ce'res (2 Syl.). Corn. Ceres was
the Roman name of Mother-Iºarth, the
protectress of agriculture and of all the
fruits of the earth.
“Dark frowning heaths grow bright with Ceres'
store.” Thomson : Castle of Indolence, ii. 27.
Cerinthians. Disciples of Cerin'-
thus, a heresiarch of the first century.
They denied the divinity of Christ, but
held that a certain virtue descended into
Him at baptism, which filled Him with
the Holy Ghost.
Cerulean Brother of Jove (The).
Neptune. Here cerulean means green.
Cess. Measure, as ex-cess, excess-ive.
Out of all cess means excessively, i.e. ea.
(out of all) cess.
“Poor jade, is wrung in the withers out of
all cess.”—Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., ii. 1.
Cess. A tax, contracted from assess-
ment (“sess”); as a “church-cess.”
In Ireland the word is used sometimes
as a contraction of success, meaning luck,
as “bad cess to you ! ”
Cestui que Vie is the person for
whose life any lands or hereditaments
may be held.
Cestuí que use, the person entitled to a
use. Cestati que trust, the person for
whose benefit a trust may be created.
Cestus, in Homer, is the girdle of
Venus, of magical power to move to
ardent love. In Jerusalem Delivered,
Ar/mida wore a similar cestus.
Cf. Tatin, confer = compare.
Chabouk. (See CHIBOUQUE, p. 245.)
Chaboul; or Chabuk. A long whip,
or the application of whips and rods; a
Persian and Chinese punishment. (Det-
ôois.)
“Drag forward that fakir, and cut llis robe into
tatters on his back witli your cluabouks.”—Scott :
The Sun'geom's Daughter, c. xiv.
The criticism of the chabuk. The
application of whips or rods (Persian).
(Dubois.)
“If that monarch did not giye the clabuk to
Feramorz, there would be an end to all legitimate
§ºment in Bucharia.” — T. Moore : Lalla,
OOkh.
Chacun a son Goñt. “Everyone
has (a) his taste”; or, “Everyone to (d)
his taste.” The former is French, the
latter is English-French. The phrase
is much more common with us than it is in
IFrance, where we meet with the phrases
—Chacun a Sa chacunerie (everyone has
his idiosyncrasy), and chacun a sa Amarotte
(everyone has his hobby). In Latin
sua cuique voluptas, ‘‘ as the good-man
said when he kissed his cow.”
Chad-pennies. Whitsuntide offer-
ings at St. Chad's cathedral, Lichfield,
for keeping it in repair.
Chaff. An old bird is not to be caught
with chaff. An experienced man, or one
with his wits about him, is not to be
deluded by humbug. The reference is
to throwing chaff instead of bird-seed
to allure birds. Hence—
You are chaffing me. Making fun of
me. A singular custom used to exist
in Notts and Leicestershire some half a
century ago. When a husband ill-treated
his wife, the villagers emptied a sack of
chaff at his door, to intimate that
“thrashing was done within,” which
some think to be the origin of the word.
* “To chaff,” meaning to banter, is a
variant of chafe, to irritate.
Chair (The). The office of chief
magistrate in a corporate town. -
JBelow the chair. An alderman who
has not yet served the mayoralty.
Passed the chair. One who has served
the chief office of the corporation.
* The word is also applied to the
office of a professor, etc., as “The chair
of poetry, in Oxford, is now vacant.”
The word is furthermore applied to the
president of a committee or public
meeting. Hence—
To take the chair. To become the
chairman or president of a public meet-
ing. The chairman is placed in a chair
at the head of the table, or in some con-
spicuous place like the Speaker of the
House of Commons, and his decision is
absolutely final in all points of doubt.
|Usually the persons present nominate
and elect their own chairman ; but in
Some cases there is an ea officio chairman.
Chair. When members of the House
of Commons and other debaters call out
“Chair,” they mean that the chairman
is not properly supported, and his words
not obeyed as they ought to be. Another
form of the same expression is, “Pray
support the chair.”
Groaning chair. The chair in which
a woman is confined or sits afterwards
to receive congratulations. Similarly
“groaning cake” and “groaning cheese”
are the cake and cheese which used to
be provided in “Goose month.”
“For a nurse, the child to dandle,
Sugar, soap, Spiced pots, and candle,
A groaning chair, and eke a cradie.”
P007 Robin's Alma mack, 1676,
Chair-days 235
Chann
Chair-days. Old age.
“I llad long supposed that chair-days, the beau-
tiful name for those days of old age ... ... was of
Shakespeare's own in Yention . . . but this is a
mistake . . . the word is current in Lancashire
still.”—Trench: English Past and Present, Y.
“In thy reverence and thy chair-days, thus
To die in l'uffian battle.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., act Y. 2.
Chair of St. Peter (The). The office
of the Pope of Rome, said to be founded
by St. Peter, the apostle; but St.
Peter’s Chair means the Catholic festival
held in commemoration of the two epis-
copates founded by the apostle, one at
Rome, and the other at Antioch (January
18th and February 22nd).
Chalcedony [kalcedony]. A precious
stone, consisting of half-transparent
quartz; SO called from Chalce'don, in
Asia Minor, where it was first found.
Its chief varieties are agate, carnelian,
cat's-eye, chrysoprase, flint, hornstone,
Onyx, plasma, and Sard.
* Albertus Magnus (book i. chap. 2)
says: “It dispels illusions and all vain
imaginations. If hung about the neck
as a charm, it is a defence against
enemies, and keeps the body healthful
and vigorous.
Chaldee's (Kal-dees).
the Chaldees. Babylo'nia.
Challs.
I’ll chalk out your path for you—i.e.
lay it down or plan it out as a carpenter
or ship-builder plans out his work with
a piece of chalk.
I can walk a chalk as well as you. I
am no more drunk than you are. The
allusion is to the ordeal on board ship of
trying men suspected of drunkenness.
They were required to walk along a line
chalked on the deck, without deviating
to the right or left.
The tapster is undone by chalk, i.e.
credit. The allusion is to scoring up
credit on a tally with chalk. This was
Common enough early in the nineteenth
century, when milk scores, bread scores,
as well as beer scores were general.
Chalk it up. Put it to his credit.
‘..'. As good-humoured. Sarcasm, Chalk it up / is
tantalm Oulnt to Saying, “What you have done so
astonishes me that I must make some more or
IeSS permanent record of it.”
Chalk and Cheese. I know the
difference between chalk and cheese. Be-
tween what is worthless and what is
Valuable, between a counterfeit and a
real article. Of course, the resemblance
of chalk to cheese has something to do
with the saying, and the alliteration
helps to popularise it.
“This Scotch Scarecrow was no more to be com-
pared to him than chalk was to cheese"—Sir W.
Scott : Woodstocle, XXiy. º
The Land of
I cannot make chalk of one and cheese
of the other. I must treat both alike ; I
must show no favouritism.
They are no more like than chalk is like
cheese. There may be a slight apparent
resemblance, but there is no real likeness.
Chalks.
I beat him by long chalks. Thoroughly.
In allusion to the ancient custom of
making merit marks with chalk, before
lead pencils were so common.
Walk your chalks. Get you gone.
Lodgings wanted for the royal retinue
used to be taken arbitrarily by the
marshal and Sergeant-chamberlain, the
inhabitants were sent to the right about,
and the houses selected were notified by
a chalk mark. When Mary de Medicis,
in 1638, came to England, Sieur de Labat
was employed to mark “all sorts of
houses commodious for her retinue in
Colchester.” The same custom is re-
ferred to in the Life and Acts of Sir
William Wallace, in Edinburgh. The
phrase is “Walk, you’re chalked,” cor-
rupted into Walk your chalks.
*: In Scotland, at one time, the land-
lord gave the tenant notice to quit by
chalking the door.
“The prisoner has cut his stick, and walked his
chalk, and is off to London.”—C. Kingsley.
Challenge to the Array (A). An
objection to the whole panel or body of
jurymen, based on some default of the
sheriff, or his officer who arrayed the
panel.
Challenge to the Polls (A). An
objection or protest to certain persons
Selected for a jury. If a man is not
qualified to serve, or if he is supposed
to be biassed, he may be challenged. In
capital cases a prisoner may challenge
persons without assigning any reason,
and in cases of treason as many as
thirty-five, (22 Henry VIII., c. 14; 7, 8
George IV., c. 28, s. 3.)
Challenging a Jury. This may be
to object to all the jurors from some
informality in the way they have been
“arrayed ‘’’ or empanelled, or to one or
more of the jurors, from some real or
supposed disqualification or bias of judg-
ment. The word “challenge ’’ is Nor-
man, and is exactly equivalent to “call
out ; ” hence we say Captain. A chal-
lenged or called out Captain B.
Cham (kam). The sovereign prince
of Tartary, now written “khan.”
“Fetch you a hair off the great Cham’s heard.”
—Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, ii. 1.
The great Cham of Literature. Dr.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784). -
Chambre Ardente
236
Chancellor
Chambre Ardente (French), “A
lighted chamber '' (A darkened court).
Before the Revolution, certain offences
in France were tried in a court from
which daylight was excluded, and the
only light admitted was by torches.
These inquisitorial courts were devised
by Cardinal Lorraine. The first was held
in the reign of François I., for trying
heretics. Brinvilliers and his associates
were tried in a darkened court in 1680.
Another was held in 1716, during the
regency. When judges were ashamed
to be seen, prisoners could not expect
much leniency.
Chameleon. You are a chameleon,
i.e. very changeable—shifting according
to the opinions of others, as the chame-
leon changes its hue to that of contiguous
objects.
“As the chameleon, who is known
To have no colours of its own,
But borrows from his neighbour's hue,
His White or black, his green or loſſue.”
I” io)'.
* Pliny tells us that Democritus wrote
a book on Superstitions connected with
the chameleon.
C’est 20% cameleon. One who shifts
his opinions according to circumstances;
a vicar of Bray.
To chameleonise is to change one’s
Opinions as a chameleon changes its
colour.
Champ de Manoeuvre (Le). The
Soldiers’ exercise ground.
Champs de Mai. The same as the
Champs de Mars (q.v.), transferred after
755 to the month of May. Napoleon I.
revived these meetings during the
“Hundred Days” (June 1st, 1815).
Champs de Mars. The March
meetings held by Clovis and his imme-
diate followers, sometimes as mere
pageants for the amusement of the
freedmen who came to offer homage to
their lord, and pay their annual gifts;
sometimes for business purposes, espe-
cially when the king wished to consult
his warriors about some expedition.
Champak'. An Indian tree (Michelia
Champaca). The wood is sacred to
Buddha, and the strongly-scented golden
flowers are worn in the black hair of
Indian women.
“The Champak OdouTS fail.”
Shelley : Limes to Indian Air.
Cham'perty (Latin, campi partitio,
division of the land) is a bargain with
Some person who undertakes at his own
cel (q.v.) as usher of the court.
cost to recover property on condition of
receiving a share thereof if he succeeds.
“Champerty is treated as a worse offence ; for
by this a Stranger Supplies Imoney to carry on a
Suit, on condition of sharing in the land or other
property.”—Parsons: Comtracts (Yol. ii. part ii.
Chal). 3, page 264.) -
Champion and Severall. A “cham-
pion ” is a common, or land in allotments
without enclosures. A “severall ” is a
private farm, or land enclosed for indi-
vidual use. A champion also means one
who holds a champion.
“The champion differs from severall much
l'or Want of partition, closier, and such.”
T'usser: Five Hundred Points, etc. (Intro.).
Champion of England. A person
whose office it is to ride up Westminster
Hall on a Coronation Tay, and challenge
any one who disputes the right of succes-
sion. The office was established by
William the Conqueror, and was given
to Marmion and his male descendants,
with the manor of “broad Scrivelsby.”
De Ludlow received the office and manor
through the female line ; and in the
reign of Richard II. Sir John Dymoke
succeeded through the female line also.
Since then the office has continued in
the Dymoke family.
“These Lincoln lands the Conqueror gave,
That England's glove they might convey
To knight renowned amongst the brave—
The baron bold of Fonteney.”
A?? Anglo-Norman Ballad modernised,
Chance. (See MAIN CHANCE.)
Chan'cel means a lattice-screen. In
the Roman law courts the lawyers were
cut off from the public by such a screen.
(Latin, cancellits.)
Chancel of a church. That part of a
church which contains the altar, and the
seats set apart for the choir. It is gene-
rally raised a step or more above the floor
of the nave.
Chancellor. A petty officer in the
Roman law courts stationed at the chan-
In the
Eastern Empire he was a secretary or
notary, subsequently invested with judi-
cial functions. The office was introduced
into England by Edward the Confessor,
and under the Norman kings the chan-
cellor was made official secretary of all
important legal documents. In France,
the chancellor was the royal notary, pre-
sident of the councils, and keeper of the
Great Seal, -
Chancellor of England };he). The
Lord Chancellor, or the Lord High
Chancellor. The highest judicial func-
tionary of the nation, who ranks above
all peers, except princes of the blood
Chancellor,
237
Cha.OS
and the Archbishop of Canterbury. He
is “ Keeper of the Great Seal,” is called
“Reeper of His (or Her) Majesty's Con-
science,” and presides on the Woolsack
in the House of Lords.
. Chancellor of the Exchequer (The).
The minister of finance in the Privy
Council. -
Chan'cery. The part of the Court
occupied by the lawyers.
To get a man’s head into chancery is
to get it under your arm, where you can
pummel it as long as you like, and he
cannot get it free without great difficulty.
The allusion is to the long and exhausting
nature of a Chancery suit. If a man
Once gets his head there, the lawyers
punish him to their heart’s content.
“When I can perform my mile in eight minutes
or a little less, I feel as if I had old Time’s lead
in chancery.”—Holmes : Autocrat, chap. vii. p. 191.
Chaneph. The island of religious
hypocrites, inhabited by sham saints,
tellers of beads, mumblers of awe marias,
and friars who lived by begging. (The
word meant hypocrite in Hebrew.) (See
Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 63, 64.)
Change. Ringing the changes. Re-
peating the same thing in different ways.
'The allusion is to bell-ringing.
* To know how many changes can be
rung on a peal of bells, multiply the
known preceding number by the next
Subsequent one, thus: 1 bell no change ;
2 bells, 1 × 2 = 2 changes; 3 bells, 2
X 3 = 6 changes; 4 bells, 6 × 4 = 24
changes; 5 bells, 24 × 5 = 120 changes;
6 bells, 720 changes, etc. . .
Take your change out of that. Said to
a person who insults you when you give
him a quid pro quo, and tell him to take
out the change. It is an allusion to
Shopping transactions, where you settle
the price of the article, and put the sur-
plus or change in your pocket.
Changeling (2 syl.). A peevish,
sickly child. The notion used to be that
the fairies took a healthy child, and left
in its place one of their starveling elves
which never did kindly.
“Oh, that it could be proved
That SQūe night-tril)ping fairy had exchanged
In Cradle-clothes our children as they lay,
And called mine Percy, his Plantagenet
Tllen Would I have his Harry, and he mine.”
Shakespeare: 'I Henry IV., i. 1.
Chant du Depart. After the Mar-
seillaise, the most celebrated song of
the first French Revolution. It was
written by M. J. Chénier for a public
festival, held June 11th, 1794, to com-
memorate the taking of the Bastille.
The music is by Méhul. A mother, an
old man, a child, a wife, a girl, and three
warriors sing a verse in turn, and the
Sentiment of each is, “We give up our
claims on the men of France for the
good of the Republic.” (See page 217,
col. 1, CARMAGNOLE.)
“La republique nous appelle, -
Sachons yaingre qu sachons perir ;
Un Français doit vivre pour elle,
POur elle un Français doit Imourir.”
* * * M. J. Chentic?".
The Republic invites,
Let us conquer or fall ;
For her Frenchmen live,
And die at her call. JE. C. B.
Chantage. A subsidy paid to a
journal. Certain journals will pro-
nounce a company to be a “bubble
one '’ unless the company advertises in
its columns; and at gaming resorts will
publish all the scandals and mischances
connected with the place unless the pro-
prietors subsidise them, or throw a Sop
to Cerberus. This subsidy is technically
known as Chantage in France and Italy.
Chan'ticleer. The cock, in the tale
of Reynard the Foa, and in Chaucer's
AVonne Prestes Tale. The word means
“shrill-singer.” (French chanter-clair,
to sing clairment, i.e. distinctly.)
“My lungs began to crow like chanticleer.”
Shakespeare : As You Like It, ii. 7.
Chaonian Bird (The). The dove.
So called because it delivered the oracles
of Chaonia (Dodôna).
“But the mild swallow none with toils infest,
And none the Soft Chaonian bird molest.” ..
Ovid : Art of Love, ii.
Chaon'ian Food. Acorns. So called
from the oak trees of Chaonia or Do-
dona. Some think beech-mast is meant,
and tell us that the bells of the oracle
were hung on beech-trees, not on Oaks.
* The Greek word is Ómyös; Latin,
fagus. Hence Strabo, Ag3%umv, dºnyév te
IIeXaayóv éópavov #kev. (He to Dodona,
came, and the hallowed oak or beech
[fagus], the seat of the Pelasgi.) . Now,
“fagus” means the food-tree, and both
acorns and mast are food, so nothing
determinate can be derived from going
to the root of the word, and, as it is
extremely doubtful where Dodona was,
we get no light by referring to the
locality. Our text says Chaonia (in
Epirus), others place it in Thessaly.
Cha'os (ka'os). Confusion ; that
confused mass of elemental substances
supposed to have existed before God.
reduced creation into order. The poet
Hesiod is the first extant writer that
Speaks of it.
“Light, uncollected, through the chaos urged
It 8 infant way ; nor order yet had, draw
I?
His lovely train from out the dubious gloom.”
Thomson : Autumn, 732-4,
Chap
238
Charge
Chap. A man, properly a merchant.
A chap-man is a merchantman or
tradesman. “If you want to buy, I’m
your chap.” A good chap-man or chap
became in time a good fellow. Hence,
A good sort of chap, A clever chap, etc.
(Anglo-Saxon, ced p-mann.)
* An awkward customer is an analo-
gous phrase.
Chap-book (A). A cheap little book
containing tales, ballads, lives, etc., sold
by chapmen.
Chapeau or Chapel de Roses.
C'est un petit mariage, car quand on
demande ce qu'un père donne à une
fille, et qu'on veut répondre qu'il donne
peu, on dit qu’il lui donne un chapeau
de roses. Les roses sont consacrés à
Venus, aux Grâces, et à l’Amour. (Les
§º de quelques Colſtºmes Anciennes,
1672.)
N.B.—“Chapel” wenow calla chaplet.
Chapeau-bras. A soft hat which
can be folded and carried under the arm
(bras, French for arm). Strictly speak-
ing, it should be a three-cornered hat.
Chapel is the chest containing relics,
or the shrine thereof (Latin, capella ;
Erench, chape, a cope). The kings of
France in war carried St. Martin’s cope
into the field, and kept it in a tent as a
talisman. The place in which the cope
was kept was called the chapelle, and the
keeper thereof the chapelain.
Chapel (A). Either a place subsidiary
to the parish church, or a place of wor-
ship not connected with the State, as a
Methodist Chapel, a Baptist Chapel, etc.
Chapel, in printers' parlance, meant
his workshop. In the early days of
printing, presses were set up in the
chapels attached to abbeys, as those of
Caxton in Westminster Abbey. (See
Monk, FRIAR, etc.)
Chapel. The “caucus’’ of journey-
men printers assembled to decide any
point of common interest. The chairman
is called the “father of the chapel.”
To hold a chapel. To hold a printers’
Cà, UICUIS. - ... •
Chapel-of-Ease. A place of worship
for the use of parishioners residing at a
distance from the parish church.
Chap/eron. A lady’s attendant and
protector in public. So called from the
Spanish hood worn by duennas. (English-
French.) (See TAPISSERIE.)
To chaperOne. To accompany a young
unmarried lady in loco parentis, when
she appears in public or in Society.
Chapter. To the end of the chapter.
From the beginning to the end of a pro-
ceeding. The allusion is to the custom
of reading an entire chapter in the first
and second lesson of the Church service.
This is no longer a general rule in the
Church of England.
Chapter and Verse. To give chapter
and verse is to give the exact authority of
a statement, as the name of the author,
the title of the book, the date thereof,
the chapter referred to, and any other
particular which might render the refer-
ence easily discoverable. *
Chapter of Accidents (A). Un-
foreseen events. To trust to the chapter
of accidents is to trust that something
unforeseen may turn up in your favour.
The Roman laws were divided into
books, and each book into chapters.
The chapter of accidents is that under
the head of accidents, and metaphoric-
ally, the sequence of unforeseen events.
Chapter of Possibilities (The). A
may-be in the course of events.
Character. In character. In har-
mony with a person’s actions, etc.
Out of character. Not in harmony
with a person’s actions, writings, pro-
fession, age, or status in Society.
Character (A). An oddity. One
who has a distinctive peculiarity of
manner: Sam Weller is a character,
so is Pickwick. And Sam Weller’s con-
duct in the law-court was ‘‘in charac-
ter,” but had he betrayed his master it
would have been “out of character.”
Charbon/nerie Democrat'ique. A
new Carbona'ri society, founded in Paris
on the principles of Babeuf. The object
of these Republicans was to make Paris
the centre of all political movements.
(See page 214, Col. 2, CARBONARI.)
Charge.
Curate in charge. A curate placed by
a bishop in charge of a parish where
there is no incumbent, or where the in-
cumbent is suspended.
To charge oneself with. To take upon
oneself the onus of a given task.
To give charge over. To set one in
authority over. -
“I gave my brother Hanani . .
Jerusalem.”—Nehemiah vii. 2.
To give in charge. To hand over a
person to the charge of a policeman.
To have in charge. To have the care
of something.
To take in charge. To “take up ’’ a
person given in charge; to take upon
oneself the responsibility of something.
. . charge Over
Charge 239
Charlemagne
Charge (To). To make an attack or
onset in battle. “To charge with
bayonets” is to rush on the enemy with
levelled bayonets.
To return to the charge. To renew
the attack.
Chargé d'Affaires. The proxy of an
ambassador, or the diplomatic agent
where none higher has been appointed.
Charicle/ia. The lady-love of The-
agenês in the exquisite erotic Greek ro-
mance called The Loves of Theagenês
and Charicle'ia, by Heliodoros, Bishop
of Trikka, in the fourth century.
Charing Cross. Not from chère
reine, in honour of Eleanor, the dear
wife of Edward I., but la chère reine
(the Blessed Virgin). Hence, in the
Close Roll, Richard II., part 1 (1382),
we read that the custody of the falcons
at Charrying, near Westminster, was
granted to Simon Burley, who was to
receive 12d. a day from the Wardrobe.
* A correspondent in Notes and
Queries, Dec. 28th, 1889, p. 507, suggests
the Anglo-Saxon cérran (to turn), allud-
ing to the bend-of the Thames.
“Queen Eleanor died at Hornby, near Lincoln,
and was buried at Westminster. In every town
where the corpse rested the king caused a cross
“Of Cunning workmanship' to be erected in re-
membrance of her. There were fourteen, some Say
fifteen, altogether. The three-which remain are in
capitals: Lincoln, Newark, Granthalm, Leicester,
Stamford, G-EDDI NéïON, NORTHAMPTON,
Stony-Stratford, Wolyurn, Dunstable, St. Albans,
WALTHAM, West-Cheap (Cheapside), Charing,
and (15th Herdly?).” - -
'. In front of the South Eastern Railway station
(Strand) is a model, in the original dimensions, of
the old cross, which was made of Caen stone, and
was demolished in 1643.
Char’iot. According to Greek my-
thology, the chariot was invented by
Erichthonius to conceal his feet, which
were those of a dragon.
“Seated in car, by him constructed first
*
To hide his hideous feet. . --
Rose : Orlando Furioso, xxxvii. 27.
Chariot of the Gods. So the
Greeks called Sierra Leo'ne, in Africa, a
ridge of mountains of great height. A
Sierra means a saw, and is applied to a
ridge of peaked mountains.
“Her palmy forests, mingling with the skies,
Let)na's Tugged Steep behind us fiies.”
Camoens: Lusíad, book 5.
Chariots or Cars. That of
- ADMIE/TOS was drawn by lions and wild boars.
BACCHUS by panthers.
CERES 2 Syl. by winged dragons.
CYB/ELE (3 Syl.) by lions.
DIANA by Stags.
JUNO hy peacocks.
NEPTUNE by Sea-horses.
PLUTO by black horses.
The SUN, by Seven horses (the seven days of
the Week).
VENUS by doves.
Charioteers (in Rome) were classed
under four factions, distinguished by
their liveries:—white, red, sky-blue,
and green. Domitian added two more,
viz. the golden and the purple.
Charities. Masks.
“Our ladies laugh at ) are-faced trulls when
they have those mufflers on, which they call
masks, and which were formerly much more
properly called charity, because they cover a
multitude of sins.”—Rabelais : Pantagruel, Y. 27.
Charity. Charity begins at home.
“Let them learn first to show piety at
home '' (1 Tim. v. 4 and 8).
Cold as charity. Than which what’s
colder to him who gives and him who
takes 2
Chariva'ri. The clatter made with
pots and pans, whistling, bawling, hiss-
ing, and so on. Our concert of “mar-
row-bones and cleavers’’; the German
Jſatzenmusik, got up to salute with
ridicule unequal marriages. Punch is
our national Charivari, and clatters
weekly against political and social
wrong-sidedness.
Charlatan. The following etymology
is suitable to a book of Phrase and Fable.
It is said that one Latan, a famous
quack, used to go about Paris in a
gorgeous car, in which he had a travel-
ling dispensary. A man with a horn
announced the approach of this magnate,
and the delighted sightseers used to cry
out, “ P'oïla 1 le char de Latan.” When
Ilived in Paris I often saw this gorgeous
car ; the horn-man had a drum also, and
M. Latan, dressed in a long showy robe,
wore sometimes a hat with feathers,
sometimes a brass helmet, and some-
times a showy cap. He was a tooth-
extracter as well as dispenser.
Probably “Latan,” was an assumed name, for
charlatan is undoubtedly the Italian ciarlatano,
a babbler or quack.
Charlemagne. His nine wives were
Hamiltrude, a poor Frankish woman,
who bore him several children : Desid.
erata, who was divorced; Hildegarde,
Fastrade (daughter of Count Rodolph
the Saxon), and Luitgarde the German,
all three of whom died before him ;
Maltegarde ; Gersuinde the Saxon ;
Begiºna ; and Adalinda.
Charlemagne’s peers. (See PALADINS.)
Charlemagne's sword. La Joyeuse.
JFaire Charlemagne. To carry off one's
winnings without giving the adversaries
“ their revenge.”
“Faire Charlemagne c'est se retirer du jeu
avec tout Son gain, ne point donner de revanche.
Charlemagne garda, jusqu' à la fin toutes Ses con-
quêtes et quitta le jeu de la Yie Sans avoir rien
rendu du fruit de Ses victoires. Le joueur qui se
retire les mains pleins, fait comme Charlemagne.”
—Genim : I'écréations, i. 186.
Charles :
240
Chase
Charles. An ill-omened name for
kings:
Jºngland : Charles I. was beheaded by
his subjects.
Charles II. lived long in exile. .
Charles Edward, the Young Pre-
tender, died in poverty and disgrace in
France.
Prance : Charles I., the Bald, march-
ing to repel the invading Saracens,
was forsaken by his followers, and died
of poison at Brios.
Charles II., the Fat, reigned wretch-
edly, and died a beggarly dependent on
the stinting bounty of the Archbishop of
Metz. -
Charles III., the Simple, died in the
dungeon of Château. Thierry.
Charles IV., the Fair, reigned six
years, married thrice, but buried all his
children except one daughter, who was
forbidden by the Salic law to succeed to
the crown.
Charles VI. lived and died an idiot or
madman.
Charles VII. starved himself to death.
Charles VIII. Smashed his head against
the lintel of a doorway in the Château
Amboise, and died in agony.
Charles IX. died at the age of twenty-
four, harrowed in conscience for the
part he had taken in the “Massacre of
St. Bartholomew.”
Charles X. spent a quarter of a cen-
tury in exile, and when he succeeded to
the throne, fled for his life and died in
exile.
Charles le Téméraire, of Burgundy,
lost his life at Nancy, where he was
utterly defeated by the Swiss.
Maples: Charles I. saw the French
massacred in the “Sicilian Vespers,”
and experienced only disasters.
Charles II., the Lame, was in cap-
tivity at his father's death.
Charles III., his grandson, was assas-
sinated. (See JANE.)
Charles I. When Bernini’s bust of
Charles I. was brought home, the King
was sitting in the garden of Chelsea.
Palace. He ordered the bust to be un-
covered, and at the moment a hawk
with a bird in its beak flew by, and a
drop of the blood fell on the throat of
the bust. The bust was ultimately
destroyed when the palace was burnt
down.
Charles and the Oak. When
Charles II. fled from the Parliamentary
army, he took refuge in Boscobel House;
but when he deemed it no longer safe to
remain there, he concealed himself in an
—w
Oak. Tr. Stukeley says that this tree
‘‘ stood just by a horse-track passing
through the wood, and the king, with
Colonel Carlos, climbed into it by means
of the hen-roost ladder. The family
reached them victuals with a nut-
hook.” (Itinerarium Citrio'sum, iii. p.
57, 1724.)
Charles's Wain. The constellation
called the Great Bear, which forms the
outline of a wheelbarrow or rustic
wagon. “Charles’’ is a corruption of
the word churles, the farmer's wagon.
(Anglo-Saxon, ceorles wan.)
* Sometimes still further corrupted
into “Eing Charles’s wain.”
Charleys, or Charlies. The old night
watch, before the police force was organ-
ised in 1829. So called from Charles I.,
in whose reign the system was re-organ-
ised. (1640.)
Charlotte Elizabeth.
(1792-1846).
Charm means a Song.
is singing on Or against Some One.
chant is the same. (Latin, carmen.)
Mrs. Tonna,
Incantation
En-
Charon's Toll [care'-20?]. A coin,
about equal to a penny, placed in the
mouth or hand of the dead to pay
Charon for ferrying the spirit across the
river Styx to the Elysian fields. -
Charter.
Chartism. The political system of
the Chartists, who, in 1838, demanded
the People's Charter, consisting of five
principles: universal Suffrage, annual
parliaments, stipendiary members, vote
by ballot, and electoral districts.
Charyb"dis [ch = }]. A whirlpool
on the coast of Sicily. Scylla and Cha-
rybdis are employed to signify two equal
dangers. Thus Horace says an author
trying to avoid Scylla, drifts into Cha-
rybdis, i.e. seeking to avoid one fault,
falls into another. The tale is that
Charybdis stole the oxen of Hercules,
was killed by lightning, and changed into
(See PEOPLE'S CHARTER.)
the gulf.
“Thus when I shun Scylla, your father, I fall
into Charybdis, your mother.” — Shakespeare :
Merchant of Venice, iii. 5.
Chase (A). A small deer-forest held,
for the most part, by a private indivi-
dual, and protected only by Common
law. Forests are royal prerogatives,
protected by the “Forest Laws.”
Chase (A). An iron frame used by
printers for holding sufficient type for
Chasidim
~~
one side of a sheet. The type is first
set up letter by letter in the “composing
stick,” and is then transferred to the
“galley,” where it appears in columns.
It is next divided into pages, and then
transferred to the chase, where it is held
tight by quoins, or small wedges of
wood. The word is French, chasse (a.
frame); our case-ment. (See STICK.)
Chasſidim and Zad'ikim. After
the Babylonish captivity the Jews were
divided into two groups—those who
accepted and those who rejected the
Persian innovation. The former were
called pietists (chasidim), and the latter
alprights (Zadikim).
Chasseurs de Vincennes (French).
The Duke of Orleans’ rifle corps; so
called because they were garrisoned at
Vincennes. (1835.)
Chat. Nid d'ºne solºis dans l’Oreille
d’un chat. A mare's nest. This French
phrase is the translation of a line in
Wynkyn de Worde’s Amusing Questions,
printed in English in 1511. “I)emand :
What is that that never was and never
will be P Response : A mouse's nest in
a cat’s ear.” (See MARE's NEST.)
Chat de Beaugency (Le). Keeping
the word of promise to the ear, but
breaking it to the sense. The legend is
this: An architect was employed to con-
struct a bridge over the Loire, opposite
Beaugency, but not being able to ac-
complish it, made a league with the
devil to give his sable majesty the first
living being which crossed the bridge.
The devil supposed it would be the
architect himself, but when the bridge
was finished the man threw a cat for-
wards, and it ran over the bridge like a
wild thing. The devil was furious, but
a bargain’s a bargain, and the “cat of
Beaugency'” became a proverb.
Châteaux en Espagne. [Castles in
Spain.]. A castle in the air; something
that exists only in the imagination. In
Spain there are no châteaux. (See
CASTLE.)
Château. Many wines are named after
the manor on which the grapes are
grown : as Cháteau Lafitte, Château La
Tour, Château Margaua, Chéteau Rose
(and Bordeaux), Château Ygºtem (a white
Bordeaux), etc. -
Chatſtelin's. A fashionable coffee-
house in the reign of Charles II.
“Met their Seryant coming to bring me to Chat-
elin's, the French house, in Covent Garden, and
there with music and good company ... . . mighty
merry till ten at night. The Duke of Monmouth
and a great many blades Were at Chatelin's, and I
left them there.”—Pepys: Diſtry, April 22nd, 1668,
241 Cheap
Chatterbox. A talkative person.
The Germans have Plaudertasche (chat-
terbag). Shakespeare speaks of the
clack-dish. “His use was to put a
ducat in her clack-dish ’’ (Measure for
Measure, iii. 2)—i.e. the box or dish used
by beggars for collecting alms, which
the holder clatters to attract attention.
We find also chatter-basket in old
writers, referring to the child’s rattle.
Chatterhouse. To go through the
chatterhouse. Between the legs of One or
more boys, set apart like an inverted A,
who strike, with their hands or caps,
the victim as he creeps through. Halli-
well (Archaic Dict.) gives chat, a small
twig, and chatter, to bruise; also chat-
tocks, refuse wood left in making fag-
gots. Probably, the boys used little
twigs or sticks instead of caps or hands.
And to go through chatterhouse means
to get a trouncing or tunding. The pun
between chatterhouse and charterhouse
is obvious.
Chatterpie.
The pie means the magpie.
chatter.) (See Halliwell.)
Chaucer of Painting (The). Albert
Dürer of Nurnberg (1471-1528). “The
prince of artists.”
Chauvin. A blind idolator of Napo-
leon the Great. The name is taken
from Les Aides de Camp, by Bayard and
Dumanoir, but was popularised in
Charet's Conscriţ Chattván. -
Chauvinism. A blind idolatry of
Napoleon the Great. Now it means
a blind and pugnacious patriotism : a
warlike spirit. -
." Chauvin, patriote ardent, jusqu'à l’exagéra-
tion. Allusion all nom d’un type de caricature
populaire, comme le. prouye cet exemple: 1820,
époque oil un liberalism plus large commenga, à
se moquer de ces éloges donnés aux conscrit
Clauvin, fit justice deces miaiseries de l'opinion.”
—Loredatºv Lal'chey : Diction?vaine de l'Ain'got 1'al-
*isicm, 1872.
Chawbacon (A). An uncouth rustic,
supposed to eat no meat but bacon.
I myself knew a most respectable day-labourer,
who had saved up enough money to keep himself
in old age, who told me he never saw or touched
any meat in his cottage but bacon, except once a,
year, and that was on club-day (1879). He never
ate rabbit, game, chicken, Or duck.
Chawed up. Done for, utterly dis-
comfited, demolished. (American.)
Che sara, sara. What shall be
will be. The motto of the Russells
(Bedford),
“What doctrine call ye this, Che san'a, sara 2 °–
Faust (Amster's translation), i.1.
Cheap as a Sardinian. . A Roman
phrase referring to the great crowds of
Same as chatterbox.
(Mag, to
16
Cheap Jack
Sardinian prisoners brought to Rome by
Tiberius Gracchus, and offered for sale
at almost any price.
Cheap Jack. Jack, the chap-man.
Not cheap, meaning low-priced, but
cheap meaning merchant, as in “chap-
man,” “Cheap-side,” etc. Jackis a term
applied to inferior persons, etc. (Saxon,
cepa, a merchant; ceapian, to buy ; ceap-
2nd/772, a tradesman.) (See JACK.)
Cheapside Bargain (A). A very
weak pun, meaning that the article was
bought cheap or under its market value.
Cheater (2 syl.) originally meant an
Jºscheator or officer of the king’s ex-
chequer appointed to receive dues and
taxes. The present use of the word
shows how these officers were wont to
fleece the people. (See CATCHPOLE).
* Compare with escheator the New
Testament word “Publicans,” or col-
lectors of the Roman tax in Judaea, etc.
Chech. Called also stone-chest, kist-
vaen (a sepulchral monument Or Crom-
lech).
“We find a rude chech Or flat stone of an oval
form, about three yards in length, five feet over
Where broadest, and ten or twelve inches thick.”
—Caºzden.
Checkmate, in the game of chess,
means placing your adversary’s king in
Such a position that he can neither cover
nor move out of check. Figuratively,
“to checkmate ’’ means to foil or outwit
another ; checkmated, outmanoeuvred.
“Mate’’ (Arabic, mat, dead; Spanish,
Anatar, to kill). The German schach
means both chess and check, and the
Italian Scacco means the squares of the
chess-board; but Schach-ºnatt and scacco-
Amatto = check-mate. The French échec
is a “stoppage,” whence doºmer or faire
échec et mat, to make a stoppage (check)
and dead; the Spanish, acaque de mate
means the check of death (or final check).
* If we go to Arabic for “mate,” why
not go there for “check” also º And
“sheik mat” = the king dead, would be
consistent and exact. (See CHESS.)
Cheek. None of your cheek. None
of your insolence. “None of your
jaw '', means none of your nagging or
word irritation.
* We say a man is very cheeky, mean-
ing that he is Saucy and presumptuous.
To give cheek. To be insolent. “Give
me none of your cheek.”
To have the cheek. To have the face
or assurance. “He hadn’t the cheek to
ask for more.” -
“Qn account of his having so much cheeks”—
Dickens: Bleak House.
242
Cheeseparer
Cheek (To). To be saucy. “You
must cheek him well,” i.e. confront him
with fearless impudence ; face him out.
Cheek by Jowl. In intimate con-
fabulation ; tāţe-d-tête. , Cheek is the
Anglo-Saxon ceca, céac-bdin, cheek-bone;
and jowl is the Anglo-Saxon ceole (the
jaw); Irish, gia!. -
“I’ll go with thee, cheek by jowl.”—Shake-
Speare: Midsvºlvimer Night's Dreamz, iii. 2.
Cheese.
Tusser says that a cheese, to be per-
fect, should not be like (1) Gehazi, i.e.
dead white, like a leper; (2) not like
Lot's wife, all salt ; (3) not like Argus,
full of eyes; (4) not like Tom Piper,
“hoven and puffed,” like the cheeks of
a piper ; (5) not like Crispin, leathery;
(6) not like Lazarus, poor ; (7) not like
Esau, hairy ; (8) not like Mary Magda-
lene, full of whey or maudlin ; (9) not
like the Gentiles, full of maggots or
gentils; and (10) not like a bishop,
made of burnt milk. (Five Hundred
I’oints of Good Husbandry.)
* A cheese which has no resemblance
to these ten defects is “quite the cheese.”
JBread and cheese. Food generally, but
of a frugal nature. “Come and take
your bread and cheese with me this
evening.”
A green cheese. An unripe cheese.
The moon made of green cheese. A
slight resemblance, but not in the least
likely. “You will persuade him to
believe that the moon is made of green
cheese.” (See above.)
'Tis an old 7'at that won’t eat cheese.
It must be a wondrously toothless man
that is inaccessible to flattery; he must
be very old indeed who can abandon his
favourite indulgence ; only a very cun-
ning rat knows that cheese is a mere
bait.
Cheese. Something choice (Anglo-
Saxon, ceos-àº, to choose ; German,
kieseſ, French, choisin). Chaucer says,
“To cheese whether she wold him marry
or no.”
“Now thou imight cheese
How thou couetist ſcovetest] to calme, now thou
ISnowist all liminallies.”
P. Plough?nam's Vision.
It is not the cheese. Not the right
thing; not what I should choose.
JHe is quite the cheese or just the cheese
—i.e. quite the thing. By a double
refinement we get the slang varieties,
That’s prime Stilton, or double Glo'ster—
?.e. slap bang up.
Cheeseparer (A). A skinflint ; a
man of Small Savings; economy carried
Cheeseparing
243
Cherry
to excess—like one who pares or shaves
off very thinly the rind of his cheese
instead of cutting it off. The tale is
well known of the man who chose his
wife out of three sisters by the way they
ate their cheese. One pared it—she (he
said) was mean: one cut it off extrava-
gantly thick—she was wasteful; the
third sliced it off in a medium way, and
there his choice fell.
Cheeseparing Economy. A useless
economy. The French say, “Une écono-
Amie de boºts de chandelle.” The allusion
is to the well-known tale of a man who
chose one of three sisters for wife by
the way they pared their cheese. (See
above.)
Cheese-Toaster (A). A sword; also
called a “toasting-fork.” “Come 1 out
with your toaster.” In Latin verić
means a dart, a spit used in roasting, or
a toasting-fork. Thus we have “pug-
mant mucrone weruque Sabello” (AE). vii.
663), and in Aºn. i. 210, etc., we read
that the men prepared their supper,
after slaying the beasts, “pars in frustra
Seeant, verubusque trementia figunt,” In
the former example were is used for an
instrument of war, and in the latter for
a toasting-fork or spit.
Cheesewring (Lynton, Devon). A
mass of eight stones, towering to the
height of thirty-two feet ; so called
because it looks like a gigantic cheese-
press. ... This is probably a natural work,
the effect of some convulsion. The
Kilmarth Rocks, and part of Hugh
Lloyd’s Pulpit, present somewhat similar
piles of stone.
Chef d’CEuvre. A masterpiece.
(French.) (Pronounce sha deuvr.)
Chemistry [kem’istry] is from the
Arabic ſcimia, whence ... al-kimia (the
occult art), from kamai (to conceal).
Inorganic chemistry is that branch of
chemistry which is limited to metallic
and non-metallic substances, which are
not organised bodies.
Organic chemistry is devoted to or-
ganised bodies and their elements.
Chemos or Chemosh [Kee' nosh].
War-god of the Moabites; god of lust.
“Next, ChemOS, the obscene dread of Moab's
SOhS,
From Ar’oer to Nelyo, and the Wild
ilāh.”
Of Southmost Ab'arim.
Milton : Paradise Lost, book i, 406-8.
Chennap'pa. . The city of Chen-
*appa. So Madras is called by the
natives.
Chenu (French). Hoary, grey-headed.
This word is much used in Paris to sig-
nify good, delicate, eacquisite in flavour,
delicious, de bon goût. It was originally
applied to wine which is improved by
age. Thus we hear commonly in Paris
the expression, “ Voilà du vin qui est
bien chemºt ?’ (mellow with age). Some-
times gris (grey, with age) is substituted,
as, “ Moºts enz boirons tant de ce boy, win?
gris” (Le Tresor des Chansons Nouvelles,
p. 78). The word, however, is by no
means limited to wine, but is applied to
well-nigh everything worthy of com-
mendation. We even hear Chem?' I'elatit,
good morning ; and Chen'ſ Sorgue, good
night. “Reluit,” of course, means
“sunshine,” and “sorgue '’ is an old
IFrench word for , evening or brown.
“Chenument ’’= d. ºne'veille.
Chequers. A public-house sign. In
Fngland without doubt the arms of
Eitzwarren, the head of which house, in
the days of the Henrys, was invested
with the power of licensing vintners and
publicans, may have helped to popu-
larise this sign, which indicated that the
house was duly licensed; but the sign
has been found on houses in exhumed
Pompeii, and probably referred to some
game, like our draughts, which might
be indulged in on the premises. Pos-
sibly in some cases certain public-houses
were at one time used for the payment
of doles, etc., and a chequer-board was
provided for the purpose. In such cases
the sign indicated the house where the
parish authorities met for that and other
purposes.
Cherone'an [ch-k]. The Cheronean
Sage. Plutarch, who was born at
Chaerone'a, in Boeotia (46-120).
“This plurase, O Cheronean Sage, is thine.”
JBeattie : Minstrel.
Cherry. The whole tree or wºot a
cherry on it. “Aut Caesar aut mullus.”
All in all or none at all. -
“This Hospitaller seems to be one of those
pragmatical knaves who must have the Whole
tree, or they'll not have a cherry on it.”
To make two bites of a cherry. To
divide something too small to be worth
dividing.
Cherry Fairs. Now called tea-
gardens. Nothing to do with cherries;
it is cheery fairs—i.e. gay or recreation
fairs. A “cheering ” is a merry-
making. Halliwell tells us that “Cherry
(or rather chery) fairs are still held in
Worcestershire.” Gower says of this
Cherry
244
Chevy Chase
world, “Alle is but a cherye-fayre,” a
phrase frequently met with. -
“This life, my son, is but a cliery-fayre.”—MS.
Bodl. 221 (quoted by Halliwell).
Cherry Trees and the Cuckoo.
The cherry tree is strangely mixed up
with the cuckoo in many cuckoo stories,
'because of the tradition that the Cuckoo
must eat three good meals of cherries
before he is allowed to cease singing.
- “Cuckoo, cuckoo, cherry-tree,
Good bird, prithee, tell to me
HOW many years I am to See.”
The answer is made by the cuckoo
repeating its cry the prophetic number
of times. -
Cher'ubims. The 11th Hussars are
so called, by a bad pun, because their
trousers are of a cherry colour.
Chery and Fair-Star. Chery was
the son of a king’s brother and Bru-
netta ; Fair-star was the daughter of .
the king and Blond'ina, the two fathers
being brothers, and the two mothers
sisters. They were cast on the sea.
adrift, but were found and brought up
by a corsair and his wife. Ultimately
they are told of their birth by a green
bird, and marry each other. This tale
is imitated from The Sisters who Envied
their Younger Sister, in Arabian Nights.
N.B.-The name is from the French
cher (dear), and is about equal to
“deary’’ or “dear one.” It is quite
wrong to spell it with a double r.
(Comtesse d’Aulnoy : Fairy Tales.)
Cheshire is the Latin castra'-shire,
called by the Romans Deva'ma castra
(the camp town of Deva, or Dee-
mouth).
Chess. Called by the Hindus chetty-
anga (the four angas)—i.e. the four
members of the army—viz. elephants,
horses, chariots, and foot-soldiers; called
by the ancient Persians chetrang. The
Arabs, who have neither e nor g, called
it shetranj, which modern Persians cor-
rupted into Sacchi, whence the Italian
Scacchi, German Schach, French échee,
our chess. (See page 242, CHECKMATE.)
Chesterfield, lauded by Thomson in
his Winter is the fourth earl, author of
Chesterſield’s Letters to His Son (1694-
1773).
Chesterſield Płouse (London) was built
|by Isaac Ware for Philip, fourth earl of
Chesterfield. (See above.)
Chestnut. A stale joke. In The
Broken Sword, an old melodrama by
William Dillon, Captain Xavierisforever,
telling the same jokes with variations.
Eſe was telling about one of his exploits
connected with a cork-tree, when Pablo
corrects him, “A chestnut-tree you
mean, captain.” “Bah (replied the
captain) I say a cork-tree.” “A chest-
nut-tree,” insists Pablo. “I must
know better than you (said the captain);
it was a cork-tree, I say.” “A chest-
nut (persisted Pablo). I have heard
you tell the joke twenty-seven times,
and I am sure it was a chestnut.”
“IS not this an illustration of the enduring
Yitality of the ‘chestnut ’2 [joke].”—Notes and
Queries.
Chestnut Sunday. Togation Sun-
day, or the Sunday before Ascension
Day.
Cheval (French, & cheval). Troops
are arranged 6 cheval when they com-
mand two roads, as Wellington’s army
at Waterloo, which, being at the apex-
of two roads, commanded that between
Charleroi and Brussels, as well as that
to Mons.
“The Western Powers will assuredly never
permit Russia, to place herself again & cheval
ºn the Ottoman empire and Persia.”—The
27] 26S,
Cheval de Bataille (His). His
strong argument. (See Notes and Queries,
May 22nd, 1886, p. 410.)
Chevalier d’Industrie. A man
who lives by his wits and calls himself a
gentleman.
“Deniclieur de fauvettes, chevalier de l'ordre
de l’industrie, qui Ya chercher quelque bon mid,
quelque fennime qui lui fasSe Sa fortune.”—Goºl-
gaºn, ow, l'Homme Prodigienta: (1713).
Chevalier du Brouillard (Le). The
IFrench Jack Sheppard. A drama.
Chevaux de Frise (French). Horses
of Friesland. A beam filled with spikes
to keep off horses; so called from its use
in the siege of Groningen, Friesland, in
1594. A somewhat similar engine had
been used before, but was not called by
the same name. In German it is “a
Spanish horseman’” (ein Spanischer
Ičeiter).
Cheveril. He has a cheveril coſt-
science. One that will easily stretch like
cheveril or kid leather. -
“Oh, here's a wit of cheveril, that stretches
from an inch narrow to an ell broad l’”—Shake-
Speare : Romeo and Juliet, ii., 4.
“Your soft cheveril conscience would receive,
If you might Dlease to stretch it.”
Shakespeare: Henry VIII., ii. 3.
Chevy Chase. There had long been
a rivalry between the families of Percy
and Douglas, which showed itself by
Chiabreresco
245
Chicker.
incessant raids into each other's terri-
tory. Percy of Northumberland one
day vowed he would hunt for three days
in the Scottish border, without conde-
scending to ask leave of Earl Douglas.
The Scotch warden said in his anger,
“Tell this vaunter he shall find one day
more than sufficient.” The ballad called
Chevy Chase mixes up this hunt with the
battle of Otterburn, which, Dr. Percy
justly observes, was “a very different
event.” (Chaucer, chevachie, a military
expedition on horseback.)
“To louder strains he raised his voice, to tell
What woful wars in ‘Chevy Chase' befell,
When Percy drove the deer with hound and
wałº 'be wept by children yet unborn.”
- Gay : Pastoral VI,
Chiabreres'co (Italian). Poetry
formed on the Greek model; so called
from Gabriel Chiabre'ra, surnamed the
“Pindar of Italy’’ (1552-1637).
Chiar-oscuro [pronounce ke-ar-ros-
ſcº'-rol. A style of painting now called
“black and white.”
... “Chiar-oscuro . . . . is the art of representing
Tight in Shadow and Shadow in light, so that the
parts represented in Shadow, shall still have the
clearness and warmth, of those in light ; and
those in light, the depth and softness of those in
Shadow.”—Chambers: Encyclopædia, iii. p. 171.
Chib'ia'bos. The musician ; the har-
mony of nature personified. He teaches
the birds to sing and the brooks to war-
ble as they flow. “All the many sounds
of nature borrow sweetness from his
Singing.”
“Very dear to Hiawatha
Was the gentle Chibiabos. . . .
For his gentleness he loved him,
And the Imagic of his singing.” -
Longfellow : Hiawatha, vi.
Chibouque (A). Asmoking-pipe with
a long tube, used in the East (Turkish).
Chic. Fashionable; comme il faut ;
the mode. This is an archaic French
word in vogue in the seventeenth cen-
tury. It really is the Spanish chico,
little, also a little boy, and chica, a little
girl or darling. Similarly, wee in Scotch
is a loving term of admiration and pride.
(Chic is an abbreviation of the German
geschickſ, apt, clever.)
“J”use de mots de l'art, je met en marge Ivic ;
J'espere avec le tenus que j'entendrai le chic.”
Les Satyres de Dw Lorens, xii. p. 97.
Avoir le chic. To have the knack of
doing the thing smartly.
Chicard and chicándard= elegant, de
grand style, are very common expressions
with artists.
Chich’ivache (3 syl.). French for
the “Sorry cow,” a monster that lived
only on good women—all skin and bone,
because its food was so extremely scarce.
The old English romancers invented
another monster, which they called
Bicorn, as fat as the other was lean ;
but, luckily, he had for food “good and
enduring husbands,” of which there is
no lack. (See BICORN.)
“O noble wyyás, ful of heigh pruden/ce, “
Let noon humilitie your tongés mayle:
Ne lat no clerk have cause or diligen’ce
To write Qf you a story of Such mervayle
As of Griseldes, pacient and kynde, . -
Lest Chichi-Vache you swolwein hir entraile.”
Chaucer: L'Envoye de Chaucer, Y, 9064.
The French chiche-face means “thin-
face.” Lydgate wrote a poem entitled
JBycorne and Chichevache.
Chick-a-biddy (A). A child’s name
for a young chicken, and a mother's
word of endearment to her young child.
“Biddy” is merely the call of a child,
|bid-bid-bid-bid to a chicken.
“Do you, sweet Rob 2 Do you truly, chicka-
biddy ?”—Dickens: Dombey and Som.
Chicken (plural chickens). It is quite
a mistake to suppose “chickens’’ to be
a double plural. The Anglo-Saxon
is cicen, plural cicen-4. We have a few
plural forms in -en, as OX-en, brack-en,
children, brethren, hosen, and eyen;
but of these children and brethren are
not the most ancient forms. “Chick ’’
is a mere contraction of chicken.
The old plural forms of “child” are child-, -e,
dialectic child-ey; children is a later form. The
old plural forms of “brother” are brothru, brothºre,
brethre; later forms are brethren and Un'othºres (now
brothers).
Children and chicken must always be
pickin’. Are always hungry and ready
to eat food.
To count your chickens ere they are
hatched (Hudibras). To anticipate pro-
fits before they come. One of Æsop's
fables describes a market woman saying
she would get so much for her eggs, with
the money she would buy a goose; the
goose in time would bring her so much,
with which she would buy a cow, and so
On ; but in her excitement she kicked
over her basket, and all her eggs were
broken. The Latins said, “I)on’t sing
your song of triumph before you have
won the victory” (ante victoriam can'eré
triumphum). “Don’t crow till you are
out of the wood” has a similar meaning.
(See page 36, col. 2, ALNASCHAR'S
DREAM.)
Chºrses like chickens come home to roost.
(See under CURSES.)
Mother Carey's chickens. (See MoTHER
CAREY.) -
She’s no chicken. Not young. The
young child as well as the young fowl is
called a chicken or chick.
Chicken
46 Children
Chicken of St. Nicholas (The). So
the Piedmontese call the ladybird, or
little red beetle with spots of black,
called by the Russians “God’s little
cow,” and by the Germans, “God’s
little horse ’’ sent as a messenger of love.
Chicken-hearted. Cowardly. Young
fowls are remarkably timid, and run to
the wing of the hen upon the slightest
cause of alarm.
Chien. Entre chien et loºp. Dusk,
between daylight and lamp-light; owl-
light.
“The best time to talk of difficult things is
emtre chiem, et loup, as the Guernsey folk Say.”—
Mrs. Edwardes : A CPirton Girl, chap. xlvi.
Chien de Jean de Nivelle (Le),
which never came when it was called.
Jean de Nivelle was the eldest son of
Jean II. de Montmorency, born about
1423. He espoused the cause of the
Duke of Burgundy against the orders
of Louis XI. and the wish of his father,
who disinherited him. Bouillet says:
Jean de Nivelle était devenu en France
à cause du refus qu’il fit de répondre à
l'appel de son roi un objet de haine et
de mépris; et le peuple lui donna le
surmom injurieux de chie)?, de la le pro-
verbe.
“C'est le chien de Jean de Niyelle
Qui s'en fuit toujourS quand on l'appelle.
The Italians call this Arlotto's dog.
Child, at one time, meant a female
infant, and was the correlative of boy.
“Mercy on 's A barne, a very pretty barne.
A. boy, or a child, I wonder 2°–Shakespeare:
Winter's Tale, iii. 3.
Child of God (A), in the Anglican
and Catholic Church, means one who
has been baptised; others consider the
phrase to mean one converted by special
grace and adopted into the holy family
of God’s Church.
“In my baptism, wherein I was made a member
of Christ, the ghild of God, and an inheritor of
the Kingdom of Heaven.”—Church Catechism.
Child of the Cord. So the de-
fendant was called by the judges of the
vehmgericht in Westphalia, because
everyone condemned by the tribunal
was hanged to the branch of a tree.
Childe, as Childe Harold, Childe of
Ellechilde Waters, Childe Roland, Childe
Tristram, Childe Arthur, etc. In all
these cases the word “Childe ’’ is a
title of honour, like the infante and
infanta of Spain. In the times of
chivalry, the noble youths who were
candidates for knighthood were, during
their time of probation, called infans,
valets, damoysels, and bacheliers, Childe
or infant was the term given only to the
most noble. (In Anglo-Saxon, the same
word [cniht] means both a child and a
knight.)
Childe Harold. A man sated of the
world, who roams from place to place to
flee from himself. The “childe’’ is, in
fact, Lord Byron himself, who was only
twenty-one when he began, and twenty-
eight when he finished the poem. In
canto i. (1809), he visited Portugal and
Spain; in canto ii. (1810), Turkey in
Europe ; in canto iii. (1816), Belgium
and Switzerland; and in canto iv. (1817)
Venice, Rome, and Florence.
Children. The children inz the wood. '
The master of Wayland Hall, Norfolk,
on his deathbed left a little son,
three years old, and a still younger
daughter, named Jane, to the care of
his wife’s brother. The boy was to
have £300 a year when he came of
age, and the girl £500 as a wedding
portion; but, if the children died pre-
viously, the uncle was to inherit. After
twelve months had elapsed, the uncle
hired two ruffians to murder the two
babes. As they went along one of the
ruffians relented, and killed; his fellow ;
then, putting down the children in
a wood, left them. The poor babes
gathered blackberries to allay their
hunger, but died during the night, and
“Robin Redbreast ’’ covered them over
with strawberry leaves. All things went
ill with the cruel uncle; his sons died,
his barns were fired, his cattle died,
and he himself perished in gaol. After
the lapse of seven years, the ruffian was
taken up for highway robbery, and con-
fessed the whole affair. (Percy: Re-
y
- - - - -
“Then sad he sung ‘The Children in the Wood.’
(All ! barbarous uncle, Stained With infant
How #berries they plucked in deserts wild,
And fearless at the glittering falchion Smiled ;
Their little corpse the robin-redbreast found,
And strewed with pious bill the leaves around.”
- Gay : Pastoral VI.
Children. Three hundred and sixty-
five at a birth. It is said that the
Countess of Henneberg accused a beggar
of adultery because she carried twins,
whereupon the beggar prayed that the
countess might carry as many children
as there are days in the year. Accord-
ing to the legend, this happened on
Good Friday, 1276. All the males were
named John, and all the females Eliza-
beth. The countess was forty-two at
the time.
Children as plural of “child.” (See
*der CHICKEN, page 245, col. 2.)
247
Chintz
Chilenos
Chile'nos. People of Chili.
Chilian. A native of Chili, pertain-
ing to Chili, etc.
Chiliasts [kil’iasts]. Another word
for Millen/arians ; those who believe
that Christ will return to this earth and
reign a thousand years in the midst of His
saints. (Greek, chilias, a thousand.)
Chillingham Cattle. A breed of
cattle (bos taurus) in the park of the Earl
of Tankerville, supposed to be the last
remnant of the wild oxen of Britain.
Chillon'. Prisoner of Chillon. Fran-
çois de Bonnivard, of Lunes. Lord
Byron makes him one of six brothers,
all of whom suffered as martyrs. The
father and two sons died on the battle-
field; one was burnt at the stake; three
were incarcerated in the dungeon of
Chillon, near the lake of Gene’va—of
these, two died, and François was set
at liberty by “the Bearnais.” Byron
says that Bonnivard has left traces of
his footsteps in the pavement of the
dungeon. He was put in prison for
“republican principles” by the Duke-
Bishop of Savoy. (1496-1570.)
Chilminar’ and Balbec. Two cities
built by the Genii, acting under the
orders of Jan ben Jan, who governed
the world long before the time of Adam.
Chilminar, or the “Forty Pillars,” is
Persepolis. These two cities were built
as lurking places for the Genii to hide in.
Chiltern Hundreds (The). There
are three, viz. Stoke, Desborough, and
Bonenham (or Burnham). At one time
the Chiltern Hills, between Bedford and
Hertford, etc., were covered with beech
trees which formed shelter for robbers;
so a steward was appointed by the
Crown to put down these marauders
and protect the inhabitants of the
neighbourhood from depredations.
necessity of such watch and ward has
long since ceased, but the office remains;
and, since 1750, when a Member of Par-
liament wishes to vacate his seat, one
way of doing so is by applying for the
stewardship of the three Chiltern Hun-
dreds. The application being granted,
the Member is advanced to an office under
the Crown, and his seat in the House
is ea officio vacated. Immediately the
Member has effected his object, he
resigns his office again. The gift is in
the hands of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer. It was refused to a Member
for Reading in 1842.
* The Stewardships used for a similar
purpose were Old Sarum (in Sussex),
The
East Hendred (in Berks), the Manor of
Poynings (in Sussex), Hempholwic (in
Yorkshire), all of which have dropped
out of use. The Stewardship of the
Manor of Northstead (in Yorks) survives
(1894), but the Escheatorships of Munster
and Ulster were abolished in 1838.
The Lomdom, Gazette of August 4, 1893, announced
that the “Chancellor of the Exchequer has ap-
pointed, William Henry Grenfell to be steward
and bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds in the room
of John Morrogh, resigned.” -
Chimaera [kime'raj. An illusory
fancy, a wild, incongruous scheme, a
castle in the air. Homer describes the
chimaera, as a monster with a goat’s
body, a lion’s head, and a dragon’s tail.
It was born in Lycia, and was slain by
|Bellerophon. (Greek, chimaira, a she-
goat.)
Chime in with (To). To be in har-
mony with, to accord with, to fall in
with. The allusion is to chiming bells.
“This chimed in with Mr. Dombey's own hope
and belief.”—Dickéms: Dombey and Son.
C him n e y Mo n e y or Hearth
money. A Crown duty for every fire-
place in a house (14 Car. ii. c. 2). Re-
pealed by 1 Will. & Mary, i, c. 2.
Chimneypot Hat (A). The ordin-
ary cylindrical black-silk hat, generally
worn as more dressy than the soft felt
hats or stiff billycocks. Called by the
French cheminée.
Chinese Gordon. General Gordon
(afterwards killed at Khartoum), who
succeeded in putting down the Taëping
rebellion, which broke out in 1851 and
lasted fifteen years. The rebels had
ravaged sixteen of the eighteen pro-
vinces, and had destroyed six hundred
cities. In 1861 Ward raised an army
called the “Ever Victorious,” which
was placed under General Gordon, and
in 1864 the rebellion was stamped out.
Chingachgook. The Indian chief
in Fenimore Cooper's Last of the
Mohicans, Pathfinder, Deerslayer, and
Pioneer. Called in French Le Gros
Serpent.
Chink or Jink. Money; so called
because it chinks or jingles in the purse.
Thus, if a person is asked if he has
money, he rattles that which he has in
his purse or pocket.
“Have chinks in thy purse.” Tusser.
Chintz means spotted. The cotton
goods originally manufactured in the
East. (Persian, chinz, spotted, stained ;
Hindu, chint, plur. chints ; Sanscrit,
chitra, variegated.)
Chios
248
Chloe
Chios (Ki'os). The man of Chios.
Homer, who lived at Chios, near the
AEge'an Sea. Seven cities claim to be
his place of birth—
“Smyrna, Ithodos, Colöphon, Salamis, Clios,
Argos, Athenae.”—Varro.
Chip or Chips.
A carpenter is known by his chips. A
man is known to be a carpenter by the
chips in his workshop, so the profession
or taste of other men may be known by
their manners or mode of speech. There
is a broadcloth slang as well as a Cordu-
roy slang; a military, naval, School, and
university slang. -
Such carpenters, such chips. As the
workman, so his work will be.
JBrother Chip. Properly a brother
carpenter, but in its extended meaning
applied to anyone of the same vocation
as ourselves. (Es nostra fasciae, Petro-
nius.)
".” The ship's º penter is, at Sea, commonly
I
ips.
Totatoes sliced thin
addressed as “chi
Saratoga chips.
Sometimes
while raw, and fried crisp.
called chipped potatoes.
Chip of the Old Block (A). A son
or child of the same stuff as his father.
The chip is the same wood as the block.
Burke applied the words to W. Pitt.
Chiron [Ki/ron]. The centaur who
taught Achilles music, medicine, and
hunting. Jupiter placed him in heaven
among the stars, where he is called
Sagitta'rius (the Archer).
Chi'ron, according to Danté, has watch
over the lake of boiling blood, in the
seventh circle of hell. : *
Chirping Cup or Glass. A merry-
making glass or cup of liquor. Wine
that maketh glad the heart of man, or
makes him sing for joy.
“A chirping cup is my matin Song, .
And my vesper bell is my bowl; Ding dong !”
A Friar of Orders Grey.
Chisel. I chiselled him means, I
cheated him, or cut him out of some-
thing.
Chitty-faced. Baby-faced, lean. A
chit is a child or sprout. Both chit and
chitty-faced are terms , of contempt.
(Anglo-Saxon, cith, a twig, etc.)
Chivalry.
The paladins of Charlemagne were all
scattered by the battle of Roncesvallés.
The champions of Did'erick were all
assassinated at the instigation of Chriem-
hil'da, the bride of Ezzel, King of the
Huns. -
The Knights of the Round Table were
all extirpated by the fatal battle of
Camlan.
Chivalry. The six following clauses
may be considered almost as axioms of
the Arthu'rian romances:—
(1) There was no braver or more noble
king than Arthur.
(2) No fairer or more faithless wife
than Guin’iver.
(3) No truer pair of lovers than Tristan
and Iseult (or Tristram and Ysolde).
(4) No knight more faithful than Sir
Iſaye.
(5) None so brave and amorous as Sir
Lauń'celot.
(6) None so virtuous as Sir Gal’ahad.
The ſlower of Chivalry. William
Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale. (Four-
teenth century.)
Chivy. A chase in the school game
of “Prisoners’ Base ’’Or “Prison Bars.”
Probably a gipsy word. One boy sets a
chivy, by leaving his bar, when one
of the opposite side chases him, and if
he succeeds in touching him before he
reaches “home,” the boy touched be-
comes a prisoner.
Chivy or Chivvy. Slang for the face.
Much slang is due to rhyme, and when
the rhyme is a compound word the
rhyming part is sometimes dropped and
the other part remains. . . Thus Chivy
[Chevy]-chase rhymes with “face,” by
dropping “chase” chivy remains, and
becomes the accepted slang word. Simi-
larly, daisies = boots, thus: daisy-roots
will rhyme with “boots,” and by drop-
ping “roots,” the rhyme, daisy remains.
By the same process sky is the slang for
pocket, the compound word which gave
'birth to it being “sky-rocket.” “Christ-
mas” the slang for a railway guard, as
“Ask the Christmas,” is, of course, from
the rhyme “Christmas-card ”; and
“raspberry’” the slang for heart, is
from the rhyme “raspberry-tart.”
“Then came a knock at the Rory O'More [door],
Which made my raspberry beat.”
Other examples given under their
proper heads. *
Chloe (Klo'ee). The shepherdess be-
loved by Daphnis in the pastoral romance
of Longus, entitled Daphnis and Chloé.
St. Pierre's tale of Paul and Pirginia is
founded on the exquisite romance of
Tongus.
* Prior calls Mrs. Centlivre “Cloe.”
Chloe, in Pope's Moral Essays (epist.
ii.), Lady Suffolk, mistress of George II.
“Content to dwell in decencies for
ever.”
Choereas
249
Chouans
Choe'reas [Åe'reas]. The lover of
Callir’rhoë, in Cha'riton’s Greek ro-
mance, called the Loves of Choereas and
Callir’rhoë. (Eighth century.)
Choice Spirit (A) or “Choice Spirit
of the Age,” a gallant of the day, being
one who delights to exaggerate the
whims of fashion.
Iſobson’s Choice. (See HoPSON.)
Choke. May this piece of bread choke
me, if what I say is not true. In ancient
times a person accused of robbery had a
piece of barley bread, on which the mass
had been said, given him to swallow. He
put it in his mouth uttering the words
given above, and if he could swallow it
without being choked, he was pro-
nounced innocent. Tradition ascribes
the death of the Earl Godwin to choking
with a piece of bread, after this solemn
appeal. (See CoRSNED.)
Choke-pear. An argument to which
there is no answer. Robbers in Hol-
land at one time made use of a piece of
iron in the shape of a pear, which they
forced into the mouth of their victim.
On turning a key, a number of springs
thrust forth points of iron in all direc-
tions, so that the instrument of torture
could never be taken out except by
means of the key.
Choker (A). A neckcloth. A white
choker is a white neckcloth or neck-
tie, worn in full dress, and generally
by waiters and clergymen. Of course,
the verb to choke has supplied the word.
Chop and Chops.
Chop and change (To). To barter by
the rule of thumb. Boys “chop” one
article for another (Anglo-Saxon, cip-an,
or cedp-ian, to sell or barter).
A mutson chop is from the French
coup-er, to cut off. A piece chopped off.
The wind chops about. Shifts from
point to point Suddenly. This is cip-am,
to barter or change hands. (See above To
CHOP AND CHANGE.) -
“HOW the House Of Lords and House of Com-
lanons Chopped round.”—Thatcheeray : The Four
Geum'ges (George I.).
Chop-fallen. Crest-fallen; down in
the mouth. (See next column, CHOPS.)
Chop-House (A). An eating-house
where chops and steaks are served.
“John Bull . . . would set up a chop-house at
the Very gates of paradise.”—Washington Irving:
Vol. i. chal). Yi. 1). Gl. §
* A Chinese custom-house is called a
Chop-house (Hindu, chap, a stamp).
Chop Logic (To). To bandy words;
to altercate. Lord Bacon says, “Let
not the council chop with the judge.”
(See CHOP AND CHANGE.)
“How now, kow now, Ghop logic What is this 2
“Proud, and ‘I thank you,' and ‘I thank you
And'ºï ‘not proud.’”
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, iii. 5.
Chops. The face, is allied to the
Latin caput, the head ; Greek kéyak-os,
Anglo-Saxon ceaſel, the snout; in the
plural, the cheeks. We talk of a “pig's
chap.”
* The Latin cap-ut gives us the word
chap, a fellow or man; and its alliance
with chop gives us the term “chapped'’
hands, etc. Everyone knows the answer
given to the girl who complained of
chapped lips : “My dear, you should
not let the chaps come near your lips.”
Dow?? in the chops—i.e. down in the
mouth ; in a melancholy state ; with the
mouth drawn down. (Anglo-Saxon,
cealſ, the Snout or jaw ; Icelandic,
kiaptºr.) t
Chops of the Channel. The short
broken motion of the waves, experienced
in Crossing the English Channel; also
the place where such motion occurs.
Chopine (2 syl.), or Chopin. A high-
heeled shoe. The Venetian ladies used
to wear “high-heeled shoes like stilts.”
Hamlet says of the actress, “Your lady-
ship is nearer to heaven, than when I
saw you last, by the altitude of a
chopine’’ (actii. s. 2). (Spanish, chapin,
a high cork shoe.)
Choreutae [Korn/tee]. A sect of
heretics, who, among other errors, per-
sisted in keeping the Sunday a fast.
Choriambic Metre. Horace gives
us a great variety, but the main feature
in all is the prevalence of the choriam-
bus (— S_2 > −). Specimen translations
of two of these metres are subjoined:
(1) Horace, 1 Odes, viii.
–N->\-ºf - } \-2– —
Lydia, why on Stanley,
By the great gods, tell me, I pray, ruinous love
you centre 2
Once he was strong and manly,
NOW never seen, patient of toil, Marš' sunny camp
- ll LC1'. J. C. B.
t;O ell Le
(2) The other specimen is 1 Odes, xii.
- - º - N-> N-ºf -— *-* –-
— `-- * ~ * – *-* -
*- -º | - N-> N->'' –-
... When you, with an approving smile,
Praise those delicate arms, Lydy, of Telephus,
lı me ! how you stir up my bile !
Heart-sick, that for a boy you should forsake me
thus. JE. C. B.
Chouans (2 syl.). French insurgents
of the Royalist party during the Revo-
lution. Jean Cottereau was their leader,
Choughs
250
Christian
nicknamed chouan (owl), because he
was accustomed to warn his companions
of danger by imitating the screech of
an owl. Cottereau was followed by
George Cadoudal.
*: It is an error to suppose Chouan to
be a proper Iname.
Choughs Protected. (See page 137,
col. 1, BIRDS, etc.)
Chouse (1 syl.). To cheat out of
something. Gifford says the interpreter
of the Turkish embassy in England is
called chiants, and in 1609 this chialus
contrived to defraud his government of
£4,000, an enormous sum at that period.
From the notoriety of the swindle the
word chiants or to chouse was adopted.
“He is Ino chiaus.”
Bem, Jomson : Alchemist, i. 1 (1610).
Chriem-hil'da, or Chriem-hild. A
woman of unrivalled beauty, sister of
Gunther, and beloved by Siegfried, the
two chief heroes of the Nibelungenlied.
Siegfried gives her a talisman taken
from Gunther’s lady-love, and Gunther,
in a fit of jealousy, induces Hagen to
murder his brother-in-law. Chriemhild
in revenge marries Ezzel, King of the
Huns; invites the Nibelungs to the
wedding feast; and there they are all
put to the sword, except Hagen and
Gunther, who are taken prisoners, and
put to death by the bride. (See KRIEM-
HILD.) -
Chriss-cross Row (row to rhyme
with low). The alphabet in a horn-
book, which had a cross at the beginning
and end.
“Philosophy is all the go
Alld Science (ſuite the fashion;
Our grandalms learnt the Chriss-crošS ROW,
L–d, how their daughters dash on.”
Amon. in the Eaglet.
Chrisom or Chrism signifies pro-
perly “the white cloth set by the
minister at baptism on the head of the
newly anointed with chrism”—i.e. a com-
position of oil and balm. In the Form
of Private Baptism is this direction :
“Then the minister shall put the white
vesture, commonly called the chrisome,
upon the child.” The child thus bap-
tised is called a chrisom or chrisom
child. If it dies within the month, it is
shrouded in the vesture ; and hence, in
the bills of mortality, even to the year
1726, infants that died within the month
were termed chrisoms. (The cloth is so
called because it was anointed. Greek,
chºrisma, verb chrio, to anoint.)
“A” made a finer end and went away an it had
hº any chrisom clild,”—Shakespeare : Henry V.,
li. 3, -
Christabel [Kris'tabel]. The heroine
of Coleridge's fragmentary poem of that
Ila,IIlê.
Christabelle [Kris'tabel]. Daughter
of a “bonnie king ” in Ireland. She
fell in love with Sir Cauline (q.v.).
Christendom [A3'is'-en-dum] gener-
ally means all Christian countries; but
Shakespeare uses it for baptism, or
‘‘ Christian citizenship.” Thus, in King
John, the young prince says:–
“By my christendom
So I were out of prison and kept sheep,
I should be merry as the day is long.”
A Ct. iv. SC. I.
Christian [ch = k]. The hero of
John Bunyan’s allegory called The Pil-
grim’s Progress. He flees from the
“City of Destruction,” and journeys to
the “Celestial City.” He starts with a
heavy burden on his back, but it falls off
when he stands at the foot of the cross.
Christia/2. A follower of Christ. So
called first at Antioch (Acts xi. 26).
Most Christian Doctor. John Charlier
de Gerson (1363-1429).
Most Christian King. The style of
the King of France. (1469.)
Pepin le Bref was so styled by Pope
Stephen III. (714-768).
Charles le Chauve was so styled by
the council of Savonnières (823, 840-877).
Louis XI. was so styled by Pope Paul
II. (1423, 1461–1483).
Since which time (1469) it was univer—
Sally adopted in the French monarchy.
‘. And thou, Q. Gaº!, with gaudy trophies plumed
* Most Christian king.' Alas ! in yain assumed.'
Cºlºmoems: Lusiad, book Wii.
JFounder of Christian Eloquence. Louis
Bordaloue, the French preacher (1632-
1704).
Christian Traditions,
with natural objects.
1. Birds, Beasts, and Fishes.
connected
The Ass : Cross on the back. (See
ASS.)
Bunting. (See YELLOW-HAMMER.)
* The Crossbill has nothing to
do with the Christian cross ;
the bird is so called, because its
mandibles cross each other.
JHaddock : The finger-marks on
the Haddock and John Dory.
(See HADDOCK, etc.)
Ichthus, a fish. (See ICHTHUS.)
JPike's Head (q.v.).
Pigeons or Doves: The Russians
are averse to pigeons as a food,
because the Holy Ghost assumed
the form of a dove at the
baptism of Jesus. (Sporting
Magazine, January, 1825, p.307.)
Christiana, 251
Christopher
JRobin Redbreast : The red breast.
(See ROBIN.)
Stork : The cry of the Stork. (See
STORK.
Swallow : The cry of the Swallow.
(See SWALLOW.)
Swine : The holes in the forefeet
of Swine. (See PIGS.)
2. The Wegetable World.
The Arum, Aspen, Calvary-clover,
Cedar (see also CROSS), Dwarf-elder,
Judas - tree, Passion - flower, Purple
Orchis, Red Anemone, Rood Selken,
Spotted Persicaria, Thistle.
(See these articles, and FLOWERS WITH
TRADITIONS OF CHRIST.)
3. The Number Thirteen. (See THIR-
TEEN.) *
Christian'a [ch = k1. The wife
of Christian, who started with her chil-
dren and Mercy from the “City of
Destruction ” long after her husband.
She was placed under the guidance of
Mr. Great-Heart, and went, therefore,
in “silver slippers’’ along the thorny
road (Bunyan : The Pilgrim’s Progress,
part ii.).
Christmas (Krist/mas). “Christ-
mas comes but once a year.” (Thomas
Thisser.)
Christmas. Slang for a railway-
guard. Explained under CHIVY (q.v.).
Christmas Box. A small gratuity
given to servants, etc., on Boxing Day
(the day after Christmas Day). In the
early days of Christianity boxes were
placed in churches for promiscuous cha-
rities, and opened on Christmas Day.
The contents were distributed next day
by the priests, and called the “dole of
the Christmas box,” or the “box money.”
It was customary for heads of houses to
give small sums of money to their sub-
ordinates “to put into the box * before
mass on Christmas Day.
Somewhat later, apprentices carried a
loox round to their master’s customers
for small gratuities. The custom since
1836 has been gradually dying out.
“Gladly the boy, with Christmas-box in hand,
Throughout the town his devious route pursues,
And Of his master's customers implores
The yearly luite.”
Chºistmas.
Christmas Carols are in commemo-
ration of the song of the angels to the
shepherds at the nativity. Durand tells
us that the bishops with the clergy used
to sing carols and play games on Christ-
mas Day. (Welsh, carol, a love-song ;
Italian, carola, etc.) -
Christmas Day. Transferred from
the 6th of January to the 25th of De-
cember by Julius I. (337-352).
Old Christmas Day. January 6th.
When Gregory XIII. reformed the
Calendar in 1852, he omitted ten days;
but when the New Style was adopted in
England, in 1582, it was necessary to
cut off eleven days, which drove back
January 6th to December 25th of the
previous year. So what we now call
January 6th in the Old Style would be
Christmas Day, or December 25th.
Christmas Decorations. The great
feast of Saturn was held in December,
when the people decorated the temples
with such green things as they could
find. The Christian custom is the same
transferred to Him who was born in
Bethlehem on Christmas Day. The
holly or holy-tree is called Christ's-
thorn in Germany and Scandinavia,
from its use in church decorations and
its putting forth its berries about Christ-
mas time. The early Christians gave an
emblematic turn to the custom, referring
to the “righteous branch,” and justify-
ing the custom from Isaiah lx. 13–
“The glory of Lebanon shall come unto
thee; the fir-tree, the pine-tree, and the
box together, to beautify the place of
my sanctuary.”
Christmas Trees and Maypoles
are remnants of the Scandinavian Ash,
called Yggdrásil', the Tree of Time,
whose roots penetrate to heaven, Niff-
heim and Ginnungagap (the gap of
gaps). In Ginnungagap the frost giants
dwell, in Niffheim is the great serpent
Nidhögg ; and under this root is Hel-
heim, the home of the dead.
* We are told that the ancient Egyp-
tians, at the Winter Solstice, used a
palm branch containing twelve leaves or
shoots to symbolise the “completion of
the year.” The modern custom comes
from Germany.
Christolytes [ICris'-to-lites]. A sect
of Christians that appeared in the sixth
century. They maintained that when
Christ descended into hell, He left His
soul and body there, and rose only with
His heavenly nature.
Christopher (St.). The giant carried
a child over a brook, and said, “ Chylde,
thou hast put me in grete peryll. I
might bere no greater burden.” To
which the child answered, “ Marvel
thou nothing, for thou hast borne all the
world upon thee, and its sins likewise.”
This is an allegory: Christopher means
Chronicle
252
Church.
Christ-bearer; the child was Christ, and
the river was the river of death.
Chronicle Small Beer (To). To
note down events of no importance
whatsoever.
“He was a wight, if ever such wight were . . .
To suckle fools and chronicle small beer.”
Shakespeare : Othello, ii. 1.
Chronicon ex Chron'icis is by
Florence, a monk of Worcester, the
earliest of our English chroniclers. It
begins from Creation, and goes down to
1119, in which year the author died ;
but it was continued by another hand to
1141. Printed in 4to at London, 1592.
Its chief value consists in its serving as
a key to the Saxon chronicle.
Chronon-hoton-thologos [ch = k1.
A burlesque pomposo in Henry Carey's
farce, so called. Anyone who delivers
an inflated address.
“ Aldiborontephoscophornio, where left you
Chrononluotonthologos ?”—H. Carey.
Chrysalis... [ch = k1. The form
which caterpillars assume before they
are converted into butterflies or moths.
The chrysalis is also called an aurelia,
from the Latin altrum, gold. The
external covering of some species has a
metallic, golden hue, but others are
green, red, black, etc. (Greek, chrusos,
gold.
* The plural is either chrysalises or
chrys'alides (4 Syl.).
Chrysa'or [ch = k1. Sir Artegal’s
sword, “that all other swords excelled.”
(Spenser: Faërie Queene.) (See SWORD.)
Chrysippus. Nisi Chrysippus fatisset,
Porticus moſt esset. Chrysippus of Soli
was a disciple of Zeno the Stoic, and
Cleanthes his successor. He did for the
Stoics what St. Paul did for Christianity
—that is, he explained the system,
showed by plausible reasoning its truth,
and how it was based on a solid founda-
tion. Stoicism was founded by Zeno,
it is true; but if Chrysippus had not
advocated it, the system would never
have taken root.
Chubb (Thomas). A deistical writer
who wrote upon miracles in the first half
of the eighteenth century.
“He heard of Blount, of Mandeville, and Chubb.”
Crabbe : B07'Ough.
Chuck Full. Probably a corruption
of chock full or choke full– i.e. full
enough to choke One. -
“Ayr was holding some grand market ; streets
:vnd inn had been chokefull during the Sunny
hours.”—Carlyle, in Froude's Jäme W. Carlyle, Yol.
i. letter lxxxYii. p. 275, -
Chukwa. The tortoise at the South
Pole on which the earth is said to rest.
Chum. A crony, a familiar com-
panion, properly a bedfellow ; a corrup-
tion either of chamber-mate or comrade.
“To have a good chum is one of the pleasantest
parts of a voyage.”—Nordhoff: Merchant Vessels,
chap. Xii. p. 164.
Chum in with (To). To be on
friendly terms with. (See above.)
Church. The etymology of this word
is generally assumed to be from the
Greek, Kuriou oikos (house of God);
but this is most improbable, as the word
existed in all the Celtic dialects long
before the introduction of Greek. No
doubt the word means “a circle.” The
places of worship among the German
and Celtic nations were always circular.
(Welsh, cyreſ, French, cirque; Scotch,
kirk ; Greek, kirk-os, etc.) Compare
Anglo-Saxon circe, a church, with circol,
a circle.
IHigh, Low, and Broad Church. Dr.
South says, “The High Church are
those who think highly of the Church
and lowly of themselves ; the Low
Church, those who think lowly of the
Church and highly of themselves ''
(this may be epigrammatic, but the
latter half is not true). Broad Church
are those who think the Church is broad
enough for all religious parties, and
their own views of religion are chiefly
of a moral nature, their doctrinal views
being so rounded, and elastic that they
can come into collision with no One.
º: By the “High Church’’ now are
meant those who follow the “Oxford
Movement’’; the “Low Church ‘’ party
call themselves the “Evangelical ?”
Church party.
The Church of Latter-day Saints. The
Mormons.
The Anglican Church. That branch
of the Protestant Church which, at the
Reformation, was adopted in England.
It disavowed the authority of the Pope,
and rejected certain dogmas and rules of
the Roman Church.
* Since 1532 generally called the
“Established Church,” because estab-
lished by Act of Parliament. t
The Catholic Church. The Western
Church called itself so when it separated
from the Eastern Church. It is also
called the Roman Catholic Church, to
distinguish it from the Anglican Church
or Anglican Catholic Church, a branch
of the Western Church.
The Established Church. The State
Church, which, in England, is Episco-
palian and in Scotland Presbyterian.
Church-goer 253
Cicerone
Before the Reformation it was, in both
countries, “ Catholic; ” before the intro-
duction of Christianity it was Pagan,
and before that Druidism. In Turkey
it is Mohammedanism ; in Russia the
Greek Church ; in China, India, etc.,
other systems of religion.
To go into the Church. To take holy
orders, or become an “ordained” clergy-
Ill?,’l.
Church-goer (A). One who regularly
attends the parish church.
Church invisible (The). Those who
are known to God alone as His sons and
daughters by adoption and grace. (See
CHURCII VISIBLE.)
“Oh, may I join the choir in Yisible.”
G. Eliot.
Church Militant. The Church on
earth means the whole body of believers,
who are said to be “waging the war of
faith” against “the world, the flesh, and
the devil.” It is therefore militant, or
in warfare. (See CHURCH TRIUMPHANT.)
Church Porch (The) was used in
ancient times for settling money trans-
actions, paying dowries, rents, and pur-
chases of estates. Consequently, it was
furnished with benches on both sides.
Pſence, Lord Stourton sent to invite the
Hartgills to meet him in the porch of
Rilmington church to receive the £2,000
awarded them by the Star Chamber.
(Lord de Ros : Tower of London.)
Church Triumphant (The). Those
who are dead and gone to their rest.
Having fought the fight and triumphed,
they belong to the Church triumphant
in heaven. (See CHURCH MILITANT.)
Church Visible (The). All osten-
sible Christians; all who profess to be
Christians; all who have been baptised
and admitted into Church Communion.
(See CHURCH INVISIBLE.)
Churched. Baptized.
To church a woman is to read the
appointed Service when a woman comes
to church to return thanks to God for
her “Safe deliverance’’ and restored
health.
Churchwarden (A). A long clay
pipe, such as churchwardens used to
Smoke some half a century ago when
they met together in the parish tavern,
after they had made up their accounts
in the vestry, or been elected to office at
the Easter meeting.
“Thirty years have enabled these [briar-root
pipes] to destroy short clays, ruin meerschaums,
and even do much mischief to the venerable
Churchwarden.'”—Notes and Qweries, April 25th,
1885, p. 323
rww.rº
Churchyard Cough (A). A con-
sumptive cough indicating the near
approach of death.
Chuzzlewit (Martin). The hero of
Dickens's novel so called. Jonas Chuz-
zlewit is a type of mean tyranny and
sordid greed. -
Chyndo'nax. A chief Druid, whose
tomb, with a Greek inscription, was dis-
covered near Dijon in 1598.
Ci-devant (French). Former, of
times gone by. As Cl-devant governor’—
fi.e. Once a governor, but no longer SO.
Ci-devant philosophers means philoso-
phers of former days.
“The appellation of mistress put her in mind of
her ci-devant abigailshil).”—Jane Porter : Thad-
deus of Warsaw, chap. XXi.
Cic'ero. So called from the Latin,
eicer (a wart or vetch). Plutarch says
“a flat excrescence on the tip of his nose
gave him this name.” His real name
was (Tullius) Tully.
La Bouche de Ciceron. Philippe Pot,
prime minister of Louis XI. (1428-
1494.)
The Cicero of France.
Massillon (1663-1742.)
The Cicero of Germany. Johann III.,
elector of Brandenburg. (1455-1499.)
The Cicero of the British Senate.
George Canning (1770–1827.)
The British Cicero. William Pitt, Earl
of Chatham (1708–17 (8.)
The Christian Cicero. Lucius Coelius
ºntius, a Christian father, who died
0.
The German Cicero. Johann Sturm,
printer and scholar. (1507-1589.)
Cicero'ne (4 syl.). A guide to point
out objects of interest to strangers. So
called in the same way as Paul was
called by the men of Lystra “Mercuſ-
rius, because he was the chief speaker”
(Acts xiv. 12). Cicero was the speaker
of speakers at Rome; and certainly, in a
party of sight-seers, the guide is “the
chief speaker.” It is no compliment to
the great Orator to call the glib patterer
of a show-place a Cicero ; but we must
Jean Baptiste
, not throw stones at our Italian neigh-
bours, as we have conferred similar
honour on our great epic poet in chang-
ing “Grub Street” into “Milton Street.”
* Pronounce chieh-e-Yo'ny.
“Every glib and loquacious hireling who shows
strangers ähout their pleasure-galleries, palaces,
and ruins is called [in Italy] a cicerome or a
Cicero.”—Trench: On the Study of Words, lecture
111. 1). 88, ...A
* In England, generally called “a
guide.”
Cicisbeo
Cicisbe'o ſche-chiz-bee/-o]. A dangler
about women; the professed gallant of
a married woman. Also the knot of
silk or ribbon which is attached to fans,
walking-sticks, umbrellas, etc. Cicis-
beism, the practice of dangling about
WOIOleIl.
Cicle'nius or Cylle'nius. Mercury.
So called from mount Cylle'né, in Pelo-
ponne'sus, where he was born.
Cicuta. In Latin cicita means the
length of a reed up to the knot, such as
the internodes made into a Pan-pipe.
Hence Virgil (Eol. ii. 36) describes a
Pan-pipe as “Septem compacta ciciſtis
fistula.” It is called Cow-bane, because
cows not unfrequently eat it, but are
killed by it. It is one of the most poi-
sonous of plants, and some think it made
the fatal draught given to Socratēs.
“Sicut cicuta homini Yemenum est, sic cicutº
Vinum.”—Pliny, xiv. 7. - -
“Qua poterunt unquam satis expurgåre figutas.”
Florace: 2 Epist. ii. 53.
Cid. Arabic for lord. Don Roderi'go
Laynez, Ruy Diaz (son of Diaz), Count
of Bivar'. He was called “Anio cid el
campéador,” my lord the champion (1025-
1099). Corruption of Said.
The Cid's horse. Babie/ca. (3 or 4
syl.). (See HORSE.
The Cid's Sword. Cola/da. The Sword
taken by the Cid Roderigo from King
Bucar was called Tizona. (See SworD.)
The Portuguese Cid. Nunez Alva'rez
Perei'ra, general diplomatist. (1360-
1431.)
Cid Hamet Benengeli. The Sup-
posititious author of Don Quizote’s Ad-
Qe72t2(?’es.
Cigogne (French). A stork. Conte
de la cigogne. An old wife's tale; silly
tittle-tattle. “On conte des choses mer-
weilleuses de la cigogne '' (wonderful
stories are told of the stork). This, no
doubt, refers to the numerous Swedish
legends of the stork, one of which is that
its very name is derived from a stork
flying round the cross of Christ, crying,
Styrka / Styrka 1 (strengthen, strengthen,
or bear up), and as the stork has no
voice at all, the legend certainly is a
“Conte de la cigogne,” or old wife's
fable.
“J'apprehende qu'on ne croye que tout ce que
j'ai rapporté jusqu'a present ne passe, Dour des
contes de la cigogne, ou de ma mère l'oie.”— Le
Roman Bourgeois, 1713.
Cil'Iaros. (See HORSE.)
Cimmer'ian Bosphorus. The strait
of Kaffa.
254
five
Cinter
Cimmer’ian Darkness. Homer
(possibly from some story as to the
Arctic night) supposes the Cimmerians
to dwell in a land “beyond the ocean-
stream,” where the Sun never shone.
(Odys., xi. 14.)
“In dark Cimlmerian desert ever dwell.”
- Milton : L'Allegro.
Cincho'na, or Qatiºne. So named
from the wife of the Conté del Chinchon,
viceroy of Peru, whence the bark was
first sent to Europe in 1640. I.innaeus
erroneously named it Cinchona for Chin-
chona. (See PERUVIAN BARK.)
Cincinnatus, the Roman, was plough-
ing his field, when he was saluted as
Dictator. After he had conquered the
Volsci and delivered his country from
danger, he laid down his office and re-
turned to his plough.
“And Cincinnatus, awful from the plough.”
Thomson: Winter, 512.
The Cincinnatus of the Americans.
George Washington (1732-1799).
Cinderel/la [little cinder girl]. Hero-
ine of a fairy tale. She is the drudge of
the house, dirty with housework, while
her elder sisters go to fine balls. At
length a fairy enables her to go to the
prince's ball; the prince falls in love with
her, and she is discovered by means of a
glass slipper which she drops, and which
will fit no foot but her own.
The glass slipper is a mistranslation of
pantotſfle en vaiº (a fur slipper), not en
verre. (R. C. Perrault : Contes de Fées.)
Cinque Cento. An epithet applied
to art between 1500-1600; called in
France Renaissance, and in England
Jºlizabethaſ. It was the revival of the
classical or antique, but is generally
understood as a derogatory term, imply-
ing debased or inferior art. The great
schools of art closed with 1500. The
“immortal five ’’ great painters were
all born in the previous century: viz.
Leonardo da Vinci, born 1452; Michel
Angélo, 1474; Titian, 1477; Raphael,
1480; and Correggio, 1494. Cinque
Cento is the Italian for 500, omitting the
thousand-mil cinque cento.
Cinque Ports (The). Originally the
Seaports: Hastings, Sandwich,
Dover, Romney, and Hythe. Subse-
quently Winchelsea and Rye were added.
Cinter (A). The framing erected
between piers to hold up the stones of
an arch during the making thereof.
... “Certain crude beliefs may be needful in the
infancy, of a nation, but when the arch is made,
when the intelligence is fully developed, the
cinter is thrown d()Wh and truth Stands unsup-
ported.”—E. D. Fawcett,
Cipher 255
sºft-sº
Cipher. Dr. Whewell's riddle is—
“A headless man had a letter (0) to write,
He who read it (mauſiht) had lost his sight;
The dumb repeated it (maught) Word for word,
And deaf was the Iman who listened and heard
(maught).
Cir'ce (2 syl.). A Sorceress. She
lived in the island of Æaea. When
Ulysses landed there, Circé turned his
companions into swine, but Ulysses
resisted this metamorphose by virtue of
a herb called anoly, given him by Mer-
cury.
“Who knows not Circo,
The daughter of the Sun, whose charméd cup
Whoever tasted lost his upright shape, .
And downward fell into a grovelling Swine 2''
Milton : Comus, 50–53.
Circle of U1/1oa. A white rainbow
or luminous ring sometimes seen in
Alpine regions opposite the Sun in foggy
weather. - “...
Circuit. The journey made through
the counties of Great Britain by the
judges twice a year. There are six cir-
cuits in England, two in Wales, and
three in Scotland. Those in England
are called the Home, Norfolk, Midland,
Oxford, Western, and Northern ; those
of Wales, the North and South circuits;
and those of Scotland, the Southern,
Western, and Northern.
Circumbendibus (A). He took a
circumbendibus, i.e. he went round about
and round about before coming to the
point.
“Partaking of what scholars call the periphras-
tic and ambagitory, and the Vulgar the circum-
}}endibus.”—Sir W. Scott: Waverley, Chalp. XXi Y.
Circumcell'ians. A sect of the
African Don'atists in the fourth century;
so called because they rambled from town
to town to redress grievances, forgive
debts, manumit slaves, and set them-
selves up as the Oracles of right and
wrong. (Latin, circum-cello, to beat
about.)
Circumcised Brethren (in Hudi-
bras). They were Prynne, Bertie or
Burton, and Bastwick, who lost their
ears and had their noses slit for lam-
pooning Henrietta Maria and the bishops.
Circumlocu'tion Office. A term
applied in ridicule to our public offices,
because each person tries to shuffle off
every act to some one else; and before
anything is done it has to pass through
so many departments, that every fly is
crushed on a wheel. The term was
invented by Charles Dickens, and ap-
pears in Little Dorrit.
Ciric-Sceat or Church Scot. An
ecclesiastical due, paid chiefly in corn,
City
in the reign of Canute, etc., on St. Mar-
tim's Day.
Cist (Greek kisté, Latin cista). A
chest or box. Generally used as a
coffer for the remains of the dead. The
Greek and Roman cist was a deep cylin-
drical basket made of wickerwork, like
a lady’s work-basket. The basket into
which voters cast their tablets was called
a “cist; ” but the mystic cist used in
the rites of Cerés was latterly made of
bronze. -
Cist Urn (A). An urn for the ashes
of those buried in cists.
Cister'cians. A religious Order, so
called from the monastery of Cister'cium,
near Dijon, in France. The abbey of
Cistercium or Citeaux was founded by
Robert, abbot of Moléme, in Burgundy,
at the close of the eleventh century.
Citadel (A), in fortification, a small
strong fort, constructed either within
the place fortified, or on the most in-
accessible spot of its general outline ; to
give refuge for the garrison, that it may
prolong the defence after the place has
fallen, or to hold out for the best terms
of capitulation. Citadels generally com-
mand the interior of the place, and are
useful, therefore, for overawing a popu-
lation which might otherwise strive to
shorten a siege. (French, citadelle ;
Italian, citadella, a little city.)
Cities. -
Cities of Refuge. Moses, at the com-
mand of God, set apart three cities on
the east of Jordan, and Joshua added
three others on the west, whither any
person might flee for refuge who had
killed a human creature inadvertently.
The three on the east of Jordan were
Bezer, Ramoth, and Golan ; the three on
the west were Hebron, Shechem, and
Redesh. (Deut. iv. 43; Josh. xx. 1-8.)
The Cities of the Plain. Sodom and
Gomorrah.
“Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Tlot
dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his
tent toward Sodom.”—Gen. xiii. 12.
The Seven Cities. Egypt, Jerusalem,
Babylon, Athens, Rome, Constantinople,
and either Tondon for commerce, or
Paris for beauty. (See PENTAPOLIS.)
Citizen King (The). Louis Philippe
of France. So called because he was
elected king by the citizens of Paris.
(Born 1773, reigned 1830-1848, died
1850.)
City (A), strictly speaking is a large
town with a corporation and cathedral;
City College
256
Civil Service
'but any large town is so called in
ordinary speech. In the Bible it means
a town having walls and gates.
“The eldest son of the first man [Cain] builded
a city (Gen. iv. 17)—not, of course, a Nineveh or a
Babylon, but still a city.”—Rawlinsom. Origin of
Nations, part, i. Clap. i. p. 10.
City College (The). Newgate. The
wit is now a thing of the past.
City of Bells (The). Strasburg.
“He was a Strasburgher, and in that city of
bells had been a medical practitioner.”—Mayme
Ičeid: The Scalp Hunters, chap. xxv.
City of David (The). Jerusalem.
So called in compliment to King David.
(2 Sam. v. 7, 9.)
City of Destruction (The). This
world, or rather, the world of the un-
converted. Bunyan makes Christian
flee from the “City of Destruction ” and
journey to the “Celestial City,” by
which he allegorises the “walk of a
Christian '' from conversion to death.
City of God (The). The church or
whole body of believers; the kingdom
of Jesus Christ, in contradistinction to
the city of the World, called by John
Bunyan the City of Destruction. The
phrase is that of St. Augustine ; one of
his chief works bearing that title, or
rather De Civitate Dei.
City of Lanterns (The). A suppo-
sititious city in Lucian’s Verde Historiae,
situate somewhere beyond the zodiac.
(See LANTERN-LAND.)
City of Palaces (The). Agrippa, in
the reign of Augustus, converted Rome
from “a city of brick huts to one of
marble palaces.” (Cf. Suetonius.)
Calcutta is called the “City of Pal-
aces.” Modern Paris well deserves the
compliment of being so called.
City of Refuge (The). Medina, in
Arabia, where Mahomet took refuge
when driven by conspirators from Mecca.
He entered the city, not as a fugitive,
but in triumph, A.D. 622. (See under
CITIES OF REFUGE, page 255.)
City of St. Michael (The). Dum-
fries, of which city St. Michael is the
patron Saint.
City of Saints. Montreal, in Can-
ada, is so named because all the streets
are named after saints.
“Mr. Geo. Martin . . . said he came from [Mont-
real] a city of Saints, where all the streets were
named after Saints.”—Secular Thought, September
10th, 1891. - -
City of the Great King (The)—i.e.
Jerusalem. (Psa. xlviii. 2; Matt. v. 35.)
City of the Seven Hills (The).
Rome, built on seven hills (Urbs septa-
collis). The hills are the Aventine,
Caelian, Capitóline, Esquiline, Palátine,
Quirinal, and Viminal.
The AVENTINE, HILL was given to the people.
It was deemed unlucky, because here Remus was
slain. It was also called “Collis Dianae,” from the
Temple of Diana which stood there. . -
The CAE LIAN HILL was given to Caelius Vibenna,
the Tuscan, who came to the help of the Romans
in the Sabine war, -
The QAPI. To LINE, HILL or “Moms, Tarpeius,”
also called “Mons. Saturni,” on which stood thie
great Castle or capitol of Rome. It contained the
Temple of Julyiter Capitolinus. .
The ESQUILINE HILL was given by Augustus
to Mecanas, who built thereon a magnificent
Ill?, HSIOIl.
The PALATINE HILL was the largest of the
seven. Here Romulus held his court, whence the
word “palace” (palativºm). * &
The QUIRINAL HILL was where the Quirós or
Curés Settléd. It was also called “Cabalinus,”
from two n.arble statues of a horse, one of which
was the work of Phidias, the other of Praxitélés.
he WIMINAL HILI, was so called from the
number of osiers (vimimes) which grey there. It
contained the Temple of Jupiter Wilminális.
City of the Sun (The). A romance
by Campanella, similar to the Republic
of Plato, Utopia of Sir Thomas More, and
Atlantis of Lord Bacon (1568-1639).
City of the Violet Crown. Athens
is so called by Aristophanés (log répávos
—see Equites, 1323 and 1329; and Achar-
*ians, 637). Macaulay refers to Athens
as the “violet-crowned city.” Ion (a.
violet) was a representative king of
Athens, whose four sons gave names to
the four Athenian classes; and Greece,
in Asia Minor, was called Ionia. Athens
was the city of “Ion crowned its king”
or “of the Violet crowned.” Similarly
Paris is the “city of lilies”—i.e. fleurs-
de-luce or Louis-flowers.
* I do not think that Athens was
called tootépévos from “the purple hue
which Hymettus assumed in the evening
sky.”
Civic Crown.
Civil List. Now applied to expenses
voted annually by Parliament to pay
the personal expenses of the Sovereign,
the household expenses, and the pensions
awarded by Royal bounty; but before
the reign of William III. it embraced
all the heads of public expenditure, ex-
cept those of the army and navy.
Civil Magistrate (A). A civic or
municipal magistrate, as distinguished
from ecclesiastical authority. -
Civil Service Estimates (The),
C.S.E. The annual Parliamentary grant
to cover the expenses of the diplomatic
services, the post-office and telegraphs,
the grant for national education, the
(See under CROWN.)
a movable lid.
Civil War 2:
7 -
Claque
collection of the revenue, and other ex-
penses neither pertaining to the Sove-
reign, the army, nor the navy.
Civil War. War between citizens
(civilés). In English history the term is
applied to the war between Charles I.
and his Parliament; but the War of the
Red and White Roses was a civil war.
In America the War of Secession (1861-
1865) was a civil war.
Civis Romanus Sum. This single
plea sufficed to arrest arbitrary condem-
Ination, bonds, and scourging. Hence,
when the centurion commanded Paul “to
be examined by scourging,” he virtually
pleaded “Civis Românus sum ”; and
asked, “Is it lawful for you to Scourge a
Roman citizen, and uncondemned 3” (1)
No Roman citizen could be condemned
unheard; (2) by the Valerian Law he
could not be bound; (3) by the Sempro-
nian Law it was forbidden to Scottºge him,
or to beat him with rods. (See also
Acts xvi. 37, etc.)
Civitas Solis. A political and philo-
Sophical romance by Thomas Campanella
(1568–1639), born at Stillo, or Stilo, in
Italy. This romance is a kind of Utopia,
formed on the model of Plato's Republic.
His society is a sort of convent-life
established on the principles of a theo-
cratic communism.
Clabber Napper's Hole. Near
Gravesend; said to be named after a free-
booter; but more likely the Celtic Caer-
ber l'arber (water-town lower camp).
Clack Dish. A dish or basin with
Some two or three
centuries ago beggars used to proclaim
their want by clacking the lid of a
wooden dish.
“Can you think I get my living by a bell and
Clack-disll 2 .*
“. . . . . How's that ?
“Why, begging, sir.”
Claft. An Egyptian head-dress with
long lappets pendent on the shoulders,
as in the statue of Amenophis III.
Clak-ho-har'yah. At Fort Wan-
couver the medium of intercourse is a
mixture of Canadian-French, English,
Indian, and Chinese. An Englishman
goes by the name of ſint-Shosh, a cor-
ruption of King George; an American
is called Boston and the ordinary salu-
tation is clak-ho-haryah. This is ex-
plained by the fact that the Indians,
frequently hearing a trader named
Clark addressed by his companions,
“Clark, how are you?” imagined this
Family of Love (1608).
to be the correct English form of saluta-
rion. (Taylor : Words and Places.)
Clam. (See CLOSE As A CLAM.)
Clan-na-Gael (The). An Irish Fenian
Organisation founded in Philadelphia in
1870, and known in secret as the “United
Brotherhood”; its avowed object being
to Secure “the complete and absolute
independence of Ireland from Great
Britain, and the complete severance of
all political connection between the two
Countries, to be effected by unceasing
preparation for armed insurrection in
Ireland.” (See DYNAMITE SATURDAY.)
‘.” In 1883 Alexander Sullivan was elected Olmo
of the three heads of this club, to which is due
the dynamite outrages in London (January, 1885),
and the design to murder the Queen’s ministers.
Clap-trap. Something introduced to
win applause; SOmething really worth-
less, but sure to take with the ground-
lings. A trap to catch applause.
Clapper. A plank bridge over a
stream ; a ferry-gate. A roofing-board
is called a clap-board.
“A little low and lonesome shed,
With a roof of clap-boards overlead.”
Alice Caº'y : Settlers' Cluristmas Eve.
Brobably a corruption of clath-board,
a covering board, from Anglo-Saxon,
clath, a covering, whence our clothes.
* Boards for making casks are also
called “clap-boards.”
Clapperclaw. To jangle and claw
each other about. (Dutch and German,
Alappen, to strike, clatter.)
“Now they are clapper-clawing one another ;
I'll go look on.”—Shakespeare: Troilus...and Cres-
Sida, Y. 4.
* A clapper-claw is a back-scratcher.
Clapper - dudgeons. Abram-men
(q.v.). The clapper is the tongue of a
bell, and in cant language the human
‘‘tongue.” Dudgeon is a slang word
for a beggar.
Clapping the Prayer Books, or
stamping the feet, in the Roman Cath-
olic Church, on Good Friday, is designed
to signify the abandonment of Our
Saviour by His disciples. This is done
when twelve of the thirteen burning
candles are put out. The noise comes
from within the choir.
Claque ; Claqueurs. Applause by
clapping the hands; persons paid for
doing so. M. Sauton, in 1820, estab-
lished in Paris an office to ensure the
success of dramatic pieces. He was the
first to organise the Parisian claque. The
manager sends an order to his office for
any number of claqueurs, Sometimes for
17
Claras 2.
8
Clavie .
500, or even more. The class is divided
into commissairs, those who commit the
pieces to memory and are noisy in
pointing out its merits ; rieurs, who
laugh at the puns and jokes; pleuretºrs,
chiefly women, who are to hold their
pocket-handkerchiefs to their eyes at
the moving parts; chatouilleurs, who
are to keep the audience in good humour;
and bisseurs, who are to cry (bis) encore.
The Romans had their Laudicoeni (q.v.).
Claras (Stock Exchange term). The
Chatham, London, and Dover Railway
Ordinary Stock (C.L.R.S.).
Clare (St.). A religious order of
women, the second that St. Francis in-
stituted. It was founded in 1213, and
took its name from its first abbess.
Clarenceux King-of-Arms. One of
the two provincial heralds, with juris-
diction over the southern provinces. The
name was taken in honour of the Duke
of Clarence, third son of Edward III.
The herald of the northern provinces is
called Norroy King-of-Arms. -
* Garter-King-of-Arms, also “Prin-
cipal King-of-Arms,” has to attend on
Rnights of the Garter, and arrange
whatever is required in connection with
these knights. There is a Bath King-
of-Arms, not a member of the college,
to attend on Knights of the Bath.
Clarendon. The Constitutions
Clarendon. Laws made by a general
council of nobles and prelates, held at
Clarendon, in Wiltshire, in 1164, to
check the power of the Church, and
restrain the prerogatives of ecclesiastics.
These famous Ordinances, sixteen in
number, define the limits of the patron-
age and jurisdiction of the Pope in these
realms.
Clarendon Type. The black letters
which head these articles are so called.
Claret. The wine so called does not
receive its name from its colour, but the
colour so called receives its name from
the wine. The word means clarified
wine (vinum clare’tum). What we call
hippocras was called claretºn, made of
wine and honey clarified.
Claret. Blood. To broach one’s claret.
To give one a bloody nose; so called
from the claret colour. -
Claret Cup. A drink made of claret,
brandy, lemon, borage, Sugar, ice, and
carbonated water.
Claret Jug (One's).
(See above, CLARET.)
To tap 0%'s claret jug. To give one a
One’s nose.
of
bloody nose. “Tap '' is meant for a
pun—to broach and to knock. -
Classic Races (The). The five chief
horse-races in England, viz. the 2,000
and 1,000 guinea races for two-year-olds,
run at Newmarket, the Derby for fillies
and colts, the Oaks for fillies only, and
the St. Leger.
Classics. The best authors. The
Romans were divided by Servius into
six classes. Any citizen who belonged
to the highest class was called class'ients,
all the rest were said to be infra classem.
From this the best authors were termed
class'ici aucto'rés (classic authors), i.e.
authors of the best or first class. The
high esteem in which Greek and Latin
were held at the revival of letters ob-
tained for these authors the name of
classic, emphatically; and when other
first-rate works are intended some dis-
tinctive name is added, as the English,
French, Spanish, etc., classics.
Claude Lorraine (i.e. of Lorraine).
This incorrect form is generally used in
Bnglish for the name of Claude le
Lorrain, or Claude Gelée, the French
landscape painter, born at the Château-
de-Chamage, in Lorraine. (1600-1682.)
The Scotch Claude. Thomas of Dud-
dingston (near Edinburgh). -
Claus (Santa). (See SANTA CLAUS.)
Clause. Letter-clause, a close letter,
sealed with the royal signet or privy-
seal ; in opposition to letters-patent,
which are left open, the seal being
attached simply as a legal form.
(“Clause,” Latin clausus, shut, closed.
“Patent,” Latin patens, open.)
Clause Rolls (Rotáli claitsi).
Rolls. (See CLOSE ROLLS.)
“Clause Rolls contain all such matters of record
as were colmmitted to close writs. These Tolls are
preserved in the Tower.”—Jacob: Law Dictionary.
Clavie. Burning of the Clavie on New-
year's eve (old style) in the village of
Burghead, on the southern shore of the
Moray Frith. The clavie is a sort of
bonfire made of casks split up. One of
the casks is split into two parts of differ-
ent sizes, and an important item of the
ceremony is to join these parts together
with a huge nail made for the purpose.
Whence the name clavus (Latin), a nail.
Chambers, who in his Book of Days (vol.
ii. p. 789) minutely describes the cere-
mony, suggests that it is a relic of Druid
worship, but it seems to me to be con-
nected with the Roman ceremony Ob-
served on the 13th September, and called
the clavus aºnális. The two divisions of
the cask, I think, symbolise the old and
Close
. Clavilenó 2.
9
Clear
the new year, which are joined together
by a nail. The two parts are unequal,
because the part of the new year joined
on to the old is very Small in comparison.
Clavile'no. The wooden horse on
which Don Quixote got astride, in order
to disenchant the Infanta Antonoma'sia,
and her husband, who were shut up in
the tomb of Queen Magun'cia, of Can-
day'a. It was the very horse on which
Peter of Provence carried off the fair
Magalo'na, ; it was constructed by Mer-
lin, and was governed by a wooden pin
in the forehead. (The word means
Wooden Peg.) (Don Quiacote, part ii.
book 3, chaps. 4, 5.) (See CAMBUSCAN.)
Claw means the foot of an animal
armed with claws; a hand. To claw is
to lay one’s hands upon things. It also
means to tickle with the hand; hence to
please or flatter, puff or praise. (Anglo-
Saxon, clawnſ, a claw, with the verb claw-
dam, to claw.)
Claw me and I will claw thee, means,
“praise me, and I will praise you,” or,
scratch my back, and I will do the same
for you.
“Taugh when I am merry, and claw no man in
his humour.”—Shakespeare: Much Ado, etc., ii. 3.
Claw-backs. Flatterers. Bishop
Jewel speaks of “the Pope’s claw-
backs.” (See above, and CLAPPERCLAWS.)
Clay'more or Glay'more (2 syl.) is
the Celtic glaif (a bent sword), Gaelic
claidheamh (a sword), and m0r (great).
(See MoRGLAY.)
“I’ve told thee Inow the Soutlil'Olus fell
Eeneath the broad claynhore.”
Aytoun * Eacecution of Montrose, stanza 2.
Clean. Free from blame or fault.
“Ye are clean, but not all.”—John xiii. 10.
BILL. To show a clean bill of health.
(See page 135, col. 1, BILL OF HEALTH.)
BREAST. To make a clean breast or
Make a clean breast of it. To make a
full and unreserved confession.
HANDS. To have clean hands. To be
quite clear of some stated evil. Hence
“clean-handed.”
To keep the hands clean. Not to be
involved in wrong-doing.
HEART. To have a clean heart. A
righteous spirit.
“Create in me a clean leapt, and renew a right
Spirit Within line.”—PSallm. li. 10.
HEELS. To show a clean pair of heels.
To make one’s escape, to run away.
i. “clean '’ means free from obstruc-
1Oll.
“The Maroons were runaway slaves who had
• . . i ShOWn their tyrants a clean pair of heels'’
–SCLlſt.
J of their contents.
LIFE. To live a clean life. Blameless
and undefiled.
TONGUE. A clean tongue. Not abusive,
not profane, not foul.
Clean (To).
Clean away / Scrub on, go on clean-
ing, etc.
To cleaſe down.
swill down.
To clean out. To purify, to make
tidy. Also, to win another's money till
his pocket is quite empty.
To clean up. To wash up, to put in
order.
* Clean, used adverbially, means en-
tirely, wholly ; as, “you have grown
clean out of knowledge,” i.e. wholly be-
yond recognition.
Clean and Unclean Animals.
Pythagoras taught the doctrine of the
transmigration of the soul, but that it
never entered into those animals which
it is lawful to eat. Hence those animals
which were lawful food for man were
those into which the human soul never
entered ; but those into which the
human soul entered were unclean or
not fit for human food. This notion
existed long before the time of Pytha-
goras, who learnt it in Egypt.
* In the Old Testament, those animals
which chew the cud and part the hoof
were clean, and might be eaten. Hares
and rabbits could not be eaten because
(although they chew the cud) they do not
part the hoof. Pigs and camels were un-
clean, because (although they part the
hoof) they do not chew the cud. Birds of
prey were accounted unclean. Fish with
fins and scales were accounted fit food
TO sweep down, to
for man. (Lev. xi.)
Cleaned Out. Impoverished of
everything. De Quincey says that
Richard Bentley, after his lawsuit with
Dr. Colbatch, “must have been pretty
well cleaned out.”
Clear (verb).
Clear away. Remove.
Clear off'ſ Away with you ! Take
away.
Clear out. Empty out, make tidy.
(See below, CLEAR OUT FOR GUAM.)
Clear up. Become fine after rain or
cloudiness; to make manifest; to eluci-
date what was obscure.
To clear an eacamination paper. To
floor it, or answer every question set.
To clear the air. To remove the
clouds, mists, and impurities.
To clear the dishes. To empty them
Clear the Court
To clear the room. To remove from it
every thing or person not required.
To clear the table. To remove what
has been placed on it.
Clear the Court. Bemove all
strangers, or persons not officially con-
cerned in the suit.
Clear the Decks. Prepare for action
'by removing everything not required.
* Clear used
wholly, entirely ; as, “He is gone clear
away,” “Clear out of sight.”
Clear (the adjective).
A clear head. A receptive under-
standing.
A clear statement. A straightforward
and intelligible statement.
A clear style [of writing]. A lucid
method of expressing one’s thoughts.
Clear as Crystal. Clear as Mud.
(See SIMILES.)
Clear-coat. A mixture of size, alum,
and whitening, for sizing walls. To
cover over whatever might show through
the coat of colour or paper to be put on
it, also to make them stick or adhere
more firmly. - -
Clear Day (A). A bright day, an
entire day, as, “The bonds must be left
three clear days for examination,” to
examine them before the interest is paid.
Clear Grit (The). The real thing,
as “champagne is . . . if it be but the
clear grit ’’ (Anglo-Saxon, gryt, bolted
flour).
* A man of grit, or clear grit, is one,
of decision, from whom all doubt or
vacillation has been bolted out, as husks
from fine flour.
Clear out for Guam (To). The
ship is bound for no specific place. In
the height of the gold fever, ships were
chartered to carry passengers to Aus-
tralia without having return cargoes
secured for them. They were, there-
fore, obliged to leave Melbourne in
ballast, and to Sail in search of home-
ward freights. The Custom House
regulations required, however, that, on
clearing outwards, some port should be
named ; and it became the habit of
captains to name “Guam ” (a small
island of the Ladrone group) as the
hypothetical destination. Hence, “to
clear out for Guam ” came to mean,
clear out for just anywhere—we are
bound for whatever coast we may
choose to venture upon. (See Notes and
Queries, April 18th, 1885, p. 314.)
260
adverbially means
Clementina.
--a
Clear Voice (A). A voice of pure
intonation, neither husky, mouthy, nor
throaty.
Cleared out. I am quite cleared out.
I have spent all my money; I have not
a farthing left. In French, Je Sitis
Anglé. (See FRENCH LEAVE.) Cleared
out means, my purse or pocket is cleared
out of money.
Clearing House. A building in
Lombard Street, set apart, since 1775,
for interchanging bankers’ cheques and
bills. Each bank sends to it daily all
the bills and cheques not drawn on its
own firm ; these are sorted and dis-
tributed to their respective houses, and
the balance is settled by transfer tickets.
The origin of this establishment was a
post at the corner of Birchin Lane and
Lombard Street, where banking clerks
met and exchanged memoranda.
Railway lines have also their “Clear-
ing Houses” for settling the “tickets”
of the different lines.
A “clearing banker” is a banker who
has the entrée of the clearing house.
“London has become the clearing-house of the
whole world, the place where international del)ts
are exchanged against each otlier. And Some-
thing, like 5,000 million pounds'-worth of checks
and bills lyass that clearing yearly.”—A. C. Perry :
Elements of Political Economy, p. 363.
Cleave. Either to sticſ; to or to part
from. A man “shall cleave to his wife’’
(Matt. xix. 5). As one that “cleaveth
wood” (Psalm cyli. 7). The former is
the Anglo-Saxon clif-an, to stick to,
and the latter is cleof-an, to split.
Cle'lia. A vain, frivolous female
'butterfly, with a Smattering of every-
thing. In youth she coquetted; and,
when youth was passed, tried Sundry
ways of earning a living, but always
without success. It is a character in
Crabbe's Borough.
Cle/lie. A character in Madam Scu-
déri’s romance so called. . This novel
is a type of the buckram formality of
Louis XIV. It is full of high-flown
compliments, theatrical poses, and cut-
and-dry sentiments. -
Clement (St.). Patron saint of tan-
ners, being himself a tanner. His sym-
bol is a pot, because November the 23rd,
St. Clement's Day, is the day on which
the early Danes used to go about beg-
ging for ale. -
Clementina (The Lady). In love
with Sir Charles Grandison, who marries
Harriet Biron. (Richardson: Sir Charles
Grandison.)
Clench 261
Clerk
Clench and Clinch. To clench is to
grasp firmly, as, “He clenched my arm
firmly,” “He clenched his nerves bravely
to endure the pain.” (Anglo-Saxon,
be-clencan, to hold fast.)
To clinch is to make fast, to turn the
point of a nail in order to make it fast.
IHence, to clinch an argument. (Dutch,
}:linken, to rivet. Whence “clinker-
built,” said of a ship whose planks
overlap each other, and are riveted to-
gether.)
I gave him a clencher (should be
“clincher”). I nailed him fast.
Cleom/brotos (4 Syl.). A philoso-
pher who so admired Plato's Phaedon
that he jumped into the Sea in order to
xchange this life for a better. He was
called Ambracio'ta (of Ambra/cia), from
the place of his birth in Epirus.
“He who to enjoy
Plato's clysium, lealped into the Sea,
Cleolm]) rotus.” * * e
- Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 471-3.
Cleon. The personification of glory
in Spenser's Faërie Queene.
Cleopatra was introduced to Julius
Caesar by Apollodórus in a bale of rich
Syrian rugs. When the bale was un-
bound, there was discovered the fairest
and wittiest girl of all the earth, and
Caesar became her captive slave.
Cleopa'tra and her Pearl. It is
said that Cleopatra, made a banquet for
Antony, the costliness of which excited
his astonishment ; and, when Antony
expressed his surprise, Cleopatra took
a pearl ear-drop, which she dissolved in
a strong acid, and drank to the health
of the Roman triumvir, saying, “My
draught to Antony shall far exceed it.”
There are two difficulties in this anec-
dote—the first is, that vinegar would not
dissolve a pearl; and the next is, that
any stronger acid would be wholly unfit
to drink. Probably the solution is this:
the pearl was sold to some merchant,
whose name was synonymous with a
strong acid, and the money given to
Antony as a present by the fond queen.
The pearl melted, and Cleopatra drank
to the health of Antony as she handed
him the money. (See “Gresham” in
Ičeader’s Handbook.)
Clergy. The men of God’s lot or
inheritance. In St. Peter's first epistle
(ch. v. 3) the Church is called “God’s
heritage '’ or lot. In the Old Testament
the tribe of Levi is called the “lot or
heritage of the Lord.” (Greek, KAñpos;
Latin, clerus and clericus, whence Nor-
man clerea, and clerkus, French, clergé.)
Benefit of clergy. (See BENEFIT.)
Cler/gymen. The dislike of Sailors
to clergymen on board ship arises from
an association with the history of Jonah.
Sailors call them a kittle cargo, or kittlish
cargo, meaning dangerous. Probably
the disastrous voyage of St. Paul con-
firmed the prejudice.
Clerſical Titles.
(1) CLERK. As in ancient times the
clergyman was about the only person
who could write and read, the word
clerical, as “clerical error,” came to
signify an error in spelling. As the
respondent in church was able to read,
he received the name of clerk, and the
assistants in writing, etc., are so termed
in business. (Latin, clerºicus, a clergy-
man.)
(2) CURATE. One who has the cure
of Souls. As the cure of the parish used
to be virtually entrusted to the clerical
stipendiary, the word curate was appro-
priated to this assistant.
(3) RECTOR. One who has the par-
sonage and great tithes. The man who
rules or guides the parish. (Latin, “a
ruler.”)
(4) WICAR. One who does the “duty”
of a parish for the person who receives
the tithes. (Latin, vicarius, a deputy.)
(5) INCUMBENT and PERPETUAL CUR-
ATE are now termed Vicars. (See PAR-
SONS.)
...' The French curé equals our vicar, and their
Qjicatin'6 Ollr Clil'ate.
Clerſical Vestments.
(1) White. Emblem of purity, worn
on all feasts, Saints' days, and Sacra-
mental occasions.
(2) Red. The colour of blood and of
fire, worn on the days of martyrs, and
on Whit-Sunday, when the Holy Ghost
came down like tongues of fire.
(3) Green. Worn only on days which
are neither feasts nor fasts.
(4) Purple. The colour of mourning,
worm on Advent Sundays, in Lent, and
on Ember days.
(5) Black. Worn on Good Friday,
and when masses are said for the dead.
Cler/imond. Niece of the Green
Knight (q.v.), bride of Valentine, the
brave, and sister of Fer/ragus the giant.
(Valentine and Orson.)
Clerk. A scholar. Hence, beatſ-clerc.
(See above, CLERICAL TITLES.)
“All the clerks, . . . &
I mean, the learned ones, in Christian kingdoms,
Haye their free voiceS. * *
Shakespeare: Henry VIII., ii, 2,
Clerk-ale
262
Cliquot
St. Nicholas’s Clerks. Thieves. An
equivoque on the word Nick.
“I think there came prancing down the hill a
couple of St. Nicholas's clerks.”—Rowley. Match,
at Midnight, 1633. .
Clerk-ale and Church-ale. Mr.
Douce says the word “ale '' is used in
such composite words as bride-ale, clerk-
ale, church-ale, lamb-ale, Midsummer-
ale, Scot-ale, Whitsun-ale, etc., for
revel or feast, ale being the chief liquor
given.
“The multitude call Church-ale Sunday their
revelyng day, which day is spent in bulbeatings,
bearbeating, . . . dicying, . . . and drunkemmeSS.”
—W. Rethe (1570).
Clerkenwell (London) means the
Clerks”-well, where the parish clerks of
London used to assemble yearly to play
Some sacred piece.
Clerkly. Cleverly ; like a scholar.
“I * you, gentle Servant : 'tis very clerkly
dOne.”
Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Yeroma, iii. I.
Client. In Roman history meant a
plebeian under the patronage of a
patron. The client performed certain
services, and the patron protected the
life and interests of the client. The
word is now a legal one, meaning a
person who employs the services of a
legal adviser to protect his interests.
Clifford (Paul). A highwayman,
reformed by the power of love, in Sir L.
Bulwer Lytton’s novel so called.
Climacteric. It was once believed
that 7 and 9, with their multiples, were
critical points in life; and 63, which is
produced by multiplying 7 and 9 to-
gether, was termed the Grand Climac-
teric, which few persons succeeded in
outliving.
“There are two years, the seventh and the
ninth, that commonly bring great changes in a
man's life, and great dangers; wherefore 63, that
contains both these numbers multiplied together,
gomes not without heaps of dangers.”—Levinus
lemmius.
Climacteric Years are seventh and
ninth, with their multiples by the odd
numbers 3, 5, 7, 9—viz. 7, 9, 21, 27, 35,
45, 49, 63, and 81, over which astrologers
supposed Saturn, the malevolent planet,
presided. Hippūcrates recognises these
periods. (See NINE.)
Climax means a stair (Greek), ap-
plied to the last of a gradation of argu-
ments, each of which is stronger than
the preceding. The last of a gradation
of words of a similar character is also
called a climax. The point of highest
development.
“In the very climax of his career ... ... he was
. Stricken down.” – Chittendem : Récollections of
Lincoln, chap. xlv. p. 454,
Climb. On the climb. Under the
hope of promotion. Thomas Becket,
after he became Cardinal-archbishop of
Canterbury, was at the top of the tree,
and no further promotion was in the
power of the king to bestow. Being no
longer on the climb, he could set the
king at defiance, and did do so.
Clinch. To bend the point of a nail
after it is driven home. The word is
sometimes written clench, from the
French clenche, the lift of a latch.
(German, klinke, Dutch, klänken, to
rivet.) (See page 261, col. 1, CLENCH.)
That was a clincher. That argument
was not to be gainsaid; that remark
drove the matter home, and fixed it “as
a nail in a sure place.”
A lie is called a clincher from the tale
about two Swaggerers, one of whom
said, “I drove a nail right through
the moon.” “Yes,” said the other, “I
remember it well, for I went the other
side and clinched it.” The French say,
Je lui ai bien rivé S07, clou (I have
clinched his mail for him).
Clinker (Humphrey). Hero of Smol-
lett's novel so called. The general scheme
of Oliver Twist resembles it, Humphrey
is a workhouse boy, put out apprentice ;
but being afterwards reduced to great
want, he attracts the notice of Mr.
Bramble, who takes him into his service.
He turns out to be Bramble’s natural son,
and falls in love with Winifred Jenkins,
Miss Bramble’s maid.
Clio was one of the nine Muses, the
inventress of historical and heroic
poetry.
Clio. Addison is so called because his
papers in the Spectator are signed by
one of the four letters in this word,
probably the initial letters of Chelsea,
London, Islington, Office. (See NOTA-
BICA.)
* See Professor Morley’s “Introduc-
tion to the Spectator,” on the subject.
Clipper. A fast-sailing ship.
“We shall have to catch, the Aurora, and she
has a name for being a clipper.”—4. Doyle :
The Sigm of Four, chap. x.
She's a clipper. Said of a stylish or
beautiful woman. A first-class craft.
Clipping Pace (A). Very fast. A
clipper is a fast-sailing vessel.
“Leaving Bolus Head, we scudded on at a clip-
ping page, and the skiff yielded so much to the
lyreeze that Bury said we must reef the mainsail.”
—W. S. Tremch. : Realities of Irish Life, chap. x.
Cli'quot (of Punch celebrity). A
nickname of Frederick William IV, of
Cloaciria,
263
ClOSh
Prussia; so called from his fondness for
champagne (1795, 1840-1861).
Cloaci'na. Goddess of sewers. (Latin,
cloaca, a sewer.)
“Then Cloacina, goddess of the tide,
Whose sable streams beneath the city glide,
Indulged the modish flame ; the to Wn she royed,
y
A mortal scavenger She Saw, she loved. • *
Gay : Trivia, ii.
Cloak and Sword Plays. Modern
comedy, played in the Ordinary costume
of modern life. The phrase was adopted
by Canderon, who lived in Spain while
gentlemen were accustomed to Wear
cloaks and swords. For tragedy the
men actors wore either heraldic or dra-
matico-historic dresses. In England
actors in tragedy and old comedy wore
the costume of Charles II.'s period, till
quite recently.
Clock. So church bells were once
called. (German, glocke , , French,
cloche : Mediaeval Latin, cloca.)
“Wel sikerer[surer] was his crowyng in his logge
Than is a chok [bell] Ol' alyl)ay Ol'Ologge.
Chauce) ; The Nomme Prestes Tale (1639–40).
Clock. The tale about St. Paul’s clock
striking thirteen is given in Walcott's
Memorials of Westminster, and refers to
John Hatfield, who died 1770, aged 102.
He was a soldier in the reign of William
III., and was brought before a court-
martial for falling asleep on duty upon
Windsor Terrace. In proof of his
innocence he asserted that he heard St.
Paul’s clock strike thirteen, which
statement was confirmed by several
witnesses.
Clodhopper. A farmer, who hops or
walks amongst the clods. The cavalry
call the infantry clodhoppers, because
they have to walk instead of riding
horseback.
Clog Almanac. A primitive alma-
nac or calendar, originally made of a
“clog,” or log of wood, with four faces
or parallelograms; the sharp edge of
each face or side was divided by notches
into three months, every week being
marked by a big notch. The face left
of the notched edge contained the saints'
days, the festivals, the phases of the
moon, and so on in Runic characters,
whence the “clog '’ was also called a
Runic staff. These curiosities are not
uncommon, and specimens may be seen
in the British Museum, the Bodleian
(Oxford), the Ashmolean Museum, St.
John’s (Cambridge), the Cheetham
Library (Manchester), and other places
both at home and abroad,
Cloister. He retired into a cloister,
a monastery. Almost all monasteries
have a cloister or covered walk, which
generally occupied, three sides of a
quadrangle.
Clootie. Auld Clootie. Old Nick.
The Scotch call a cloven hoof a cloot, so
that Auld Clootie is Old Cloven-foot.
Clorida/no (in Orlando Furioso). A
humble Moorish youth, who joins Me-
do'ro in seeking the body of King
Dardinello to bury it. Medoro being
wounded, Cloridano rushed madly into
the ranks of the enemy and was slain.
Ciorin'da (in Jerusalem Delivered).
A female knight who came from Persia.
to oppose the Crusaders, and was ap-
pointed by Al'adine leader of all the
Pagan forces. Tancred fell in love with
her ; but not knowing her in a night
attack, slew her after a most dreadful
combat. Before she died she received
Christian baptism at the hands of Tan-
cred, who mourned her death with great
sorrow of heart. (Book xii.) .
Sena/pus of Ethiopia (a Christian) was
her father ; but her being born white
alarmed her mother, who changed her
babe for a black child. Arsetés, the
eunuch, was entrusted with the infant
Clorinda, and as he was going through
a forest he saw a tiger, dropped the
child, and sought safety in a tree. The
tiger took the babe and suckled it, after
which Arsetēs left Ethiopia with the
child for Egypt.
Close as a Clam. A clam is a
bivalve mollusca, which burrows in sand
or mud. It is about the size of a
florin, and may be eaten raw or fried
like an oyster. Clams are gathered
Only when the tide is out. When the
tide is in they are safe from molesta-
tion, hence the saying “Happy as a
clam at high tide.” (Anglo-Saxon,
clam, mud; verb clam-ian, to glue ;
German, klamm, close.)
Close Rolls are mandates, letters,
and writs of a private nature, addressed,
in the Sovereign’s name, to individuals,
and folded or closed and sealed on the
outside with the Great Seal. . -
* Patent Rolls are left open, with the
Seal hanging from the botton.
Close-time for Game. (See SPORT-
ING SEASONS.)
Closh (Meinherr). A Dutch Jack-
tar. Closh is corrupt form of Claus, a
contraction of Nicholas, a name as .
Cloten
264 Clym of the Clough
common with the Dutch as Jack is with
the English people.
Cloſten. A vindictive lout who wore
his dagger in his mouth. He fell in
love with Im’ogen, but his love was not
reciprocated. (Shakespeare: Cymbeline.)
Cloth (The). The clergy; the clerical
office ; thus we say “having respect for
the cloth.” Formerly the clergy used
to wear a distinguishing costume, made
of grey or black cloth.
Clotha'rius or Clothaire (in Jerº-
salem Delivered). At the death of
IHugo he takes the lead of the Franks, but
is shot by Clorinda (q.v.) with an arrow
(book xi.). After his death, his troops
Sneak away and leave the Christian
army (book xiii.).
Clotho, in Classic mythology. One
of the Three Fates. She presided over
birth, and drew from her distaff the
thread of life; Atropos presided over
death and cut the thread of life; and
Tachesis spun the fate of life between
birth and death. (Greek, klótho, to
draw thread from a distaff.)
“A France slashed asunder with Clotho-scissors
and civil War.”—Catºlyle. (This is an erroneous
allusion. It was Atropos who cut the thread.)
Cloud, Clouds. -
IIe is in the clouds. In dreamland;
entertaining visionary notions; having
no distinct idea about the matter in
question. -
Iſe is under a cloud. Under suspicion,
in disrepute.
To blow a cloud is to Smoke a cigar or
pipe.
Cloud. A dark spot on the forehead
of a horse between the eyes. A white
Spot is called a star, and an elongated
Star is a blaze. (See BLAZE.)
“Agrippa. He [Antony] has a cloud on his face.
Pºlº, He were the worse for that were he
"Šºspeare : Amtomy and Cleopatra, iii. 2,
Cloud (St.). Patron saint of nail-
Smiths, by a play upon the French word
clotſ, a nail.
Clouded Cane (A). A malacca cane
clouded or mottled from age and use.
These canes were very fashionable in
the first quarter of the present century.
Cloven Foot. To show the clove?
foot, i.e. to show a knavish intention; a
base motive. The allusion is to Satan,
represented with the legs and feet of a
goat ; and, however he might disguise
himself, he could never conceal his
cloven feet. (See BAG o' NAILS, GOAT.)
* Real grief little influenced its composition
. . . and the cloven foot peeps out, in some
letters written by him at the period.”—St. James's
Magazime.
Clover. He's in clover. In luck, in
prosperous circumstances, in a good
situation. The allusion is to cattle feed-
ing in clover fields.
Clowns. The three most celebrated
are Joseph Grimaldi (1779-1837), the
French Carlin (1713-1783), and Richard
Tarlton, in the days of Queen Elizabeth,
who acted at the galleried inn called the
Belle Sauvage.
“To sit with Tarlton on an alehouse signe.”
Bishop Hall : Satin’es.
Club.
A society of persons who club
together, or form themselves into a knot
or lump.
The word was originally applied to
persons bound together a, WOW.
(German, geliibde.) (See CARDS, 4 clubs.)
“[1190) was the era of chivalry, . . . . for bodies
of men uniting themselyes by a Sacred vow,
gelwbde, which word and thing have passed over
to us in a singularly dwindled condition, club'
We call it ; and the Yow . . . . does not rank yery
high."-Carlyle; Frederick, the Great, vol. i. p.
Club-bearer (The). Periphetēs, the
robber of Argolis, is so called because he
murdered his victims with an iron club.
Club-land. That part of the West
End of London where the principal clubs
are situated; the members of such clubs.
Club-law. The law of might or
compulsion through fear of chastisement.
Do it or get a hiding.
Clue. I have ºot yet got the clue : to
give a clue, i.e. a hint. A clue is a ball of
thread (Ang.-Saxon, cleowen). The only
mode of finding the way out of the
Cretan labyrinth was by a skein of
thread, which, being laid along the
proper route, indicated the right path.
Clumsy (Norwegian, Jelūmp, a lump;
Swedish, ſcleanſmsenz, benumbed ; Toe-
landic, klumsa). Piers Plowman has
“thou klompsist for cold,” and Wiclif
has “Our hondis ben aclumpsid.”
Halliwell gives us clumpish = awkward,
and clump = lazy.
Clu'ricaune (3 syl.). An elf of evil
disposition who usually appears as a
wrinkled old man, and has knowledge
of hid treasures. (Irish mythology.)
Clydesdale Horses. Scotch draught-
horses, not equal to Shire-horses in size,
but of great endurance. (See SHIRE-
HORSES.)
Clym of the Clough, with Adam Bell
and William of Cloudesly, were noted
outlaws, whose skill in archery rendered
Clytie
Coals Of Fire
them as famous in the north of England
as Robin Hood and Little John in the
midland counties. Their place of resort
was in Englewood Forest, near Car-
lisle. N.B. — Englewood means fire-
wood. Clym of the Clough means
Clement of the Cliff.
Clytſie (3 syl.). A water-nymph, in
love with Apollo. Meeting with no re-
turn, she was changed into a Sunflower,
which, traditionally, still turns to the
sun, following him through his daily
COUITS62.
Cneph. The name under which the
Egyptians adore the Creator of the
world.
Cnidian Venus (The). The ex-
quisite statue of Venus or Aphrodité by
Praxitélés, placed in the temple of Venus,
at Cnidus.
Co. A contraction of company, as
Smith and Co.
Coach (A). A private tutor. The
term is a pun on getting on fast. To get
on fast you take a coach ; you cannot
get on fast without a private tutor—
ergo, a private tutor is the coach you
take in Order that you may get on
quickly. (University Slang.)
“The books . . . . are expensive, and often a
further expense is entailed by the necessity of
Securing ‘a coach.’”— Stedman : Oxford, chap. x.
l). 188.
To dine in the coach. In the captain’s
private room. The coach or couch of a
ship is a small apartment near the stern,
the floor being formed of the aftmost
part of the quarter-deck, and the roof
by the poop.
A slow coach. A dull, unprogressive
person, somewhat fossilised.
“What a dull, Old-fashioned chap thou be ‘st . . .
but thou Wert always a Slow-coach.” — Mrs.
Gaskell: Cibbie Marsh (Era 2).
Coach-and-four (or Coach-and-siz).
It is said one may drive a coach-and-
four through an Act of Parliament, i.e.
lawyers can always find for their clients
Some loophole of escape.
“It is easy to drive a coach-and-four through
Wills, and Settlements, and legal things.”—H. Ie,
Haggard.
“[Rice] was often heard to say . . . . that he
Would drive a coach and six horses through the
Act Of Settlement.”— Welwood.
Coach-and-pair (A).
drawn by a pair of horses.
four, coach-and-six, etc.
Coach Away. Get on a little faster.
Your coach drags; drive on faster.
Coached Up. Taught by a private
tutor for examination. “Well. Coached
up,” well crammed or taught.
Coach-and-
A coach
Coal. Hot as a coal. The expression
has an obvious allusion. *
To post the coal or cole. To pay or
put down the cash. Coal-money has
been in use in the sporting world for
very many years. Buxton, in 1863,
used the phrase “post the coal,” and
Since then it has been in frequent use.
Probably rhyming slang: “Coal,” an
imperfect rhyme of goo!— gold. (See
page 248, CHIVY, and page 266, COALING...)
“It would not suit me to write, . . . even if they
Offered, . . . to post the coſe.”-Hood.
Coal Brandy. Burnt brandy. The
ancient way to set brandy on fire was to
drop in it a live or red-hot coal.
Coals.
To blow the coals. To fan dissensions,
to excite Smouldering animosity into
open hostility, as dull coals are blown
into a blaze by a pair of bellows.
To carry coals. To be put upon.
“Gregory, o' my word, we’ll not carry
coals”—i.e. submit to be “put upon?”
(Romeo and Juliet, i. 1). So in Every
Man out of his Iſumour, “Here comes
One that will carry coals, ergo, will hold
my dog.” The allusion is to the dirty,
laborious occupation of coal-carriers.
Gifford, in his edition of Ben Jonson,
Says, “Of these (i.e. Scullions, etc.), the
most forlorn wretches were selected to
carry coals to the kitchen, halls, etc.”
(See page 141, col. 1, BLACKGUARD.)
To carry coals to Newcastle. To do
what is superfluous. As Newcastle is
the great coal-field, it would be quite
Superfluous to carry coals thither. The
French say, “Porter de l’eau & la rivière’”
(to carry water to the river). There are
numerous Tatin equivalents: as, “To
carry wood to the forests; ” “Poma
Alcinoo dare'' (See ALCINoo); “Noctuas
Athenas ferre '’ (See NogTUAs); “Crocum,
'n Cilician ferre” (See CRoCUM).
To haul over the coals. To bring to
task for shortcomings; to scold. At
one time the Jews were “bled ” When-
ever the kings or barons wanted money;
and one very common torture, if they
resisted, was to haul them over the coals
of a slow fire, to give them a “roast-
ing.” (See Ivanhoe, where Front-de-
Boeuf threatens to haul Isaac over the
coals.)
Coals of Fire. To heap coals of fire
on the head of a foe. To melt down his
animosity by deeds of kindness.
“If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to
eat; and if he be thirsty, giye him water to drink;
for thou Shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.”—
Prov. xxY. 21, 22.
Coaling 266
COb
Coaling, in theatrical slang, means
telling phrases and speeches, as, “My
part is full of ‘coaling lines.’” Coal
being money, means profit, whence coal-
inſ. (See p. 265, To POST THE COAL . . .)
Coalition Government. A Govern-
ment formed by various parties by a
mutual Surrender of principles. The
administration of Lord North and Charles
Fox, 1783, was a coalition, but it fell to
pieces in a few months. That of Lord
Salisbury with the old Whig party
headed by Lord Hartington was a coali-
tion (1886-1892). -
Coast Clear.
The coast is clear.
hood of interference.
guards are about.
Coast Men of Attica. The mer-
chant class who lived along the coast-
lands (Par'ali).
Coasting Lead (A).
lead used in shallow water.
Coasting Trade. Trade between
ports of the same country carried on by
coasting vessels.
Coasting Waiter. An officer of
Customs in the Port of London, whose
duty it was to visit and make a return
of coasting vessels trading from one part
of the kingdom to another, and which
(from the nature of their cargo) were
not required to report or make entry at
the Custom House. These vessels were
liable to the payment of certain small
dues, which it was the duty of the
Coasting Waiter to exact. He was also
expected to search the cargo, that no
contraband goods were illicitly on board.
Like Tide Waiters, these Coasting Wait-
ers were abolished in the latter half of
the nineteenth century, and their duties
have since been performed by the Exam-
ining Officer. Their salary was about
:640 a year.
Coat.
Cut your coat according to your cloth.
Curtail your expenses to the amount of
your income ; live within your means.
Si moſt possis gºod velis, velis id gºod
possis.
Near is my coat, but nearer is my skin.
Is the coast clear 2
There is no likeli-
None of the coast-
A Sounding
“Thinica pallio propior est.” “Igo
proacimus anihi.”
To baste one’s coat. To dust his
jacket; to beat him.
To wear the king’s coat. To be a
soldier.
Turning one's coat for luck. It was an
ancient superstition that this was a
charm against evil Spirits.
(See TURN-
COAT.)
* William found
A means for our deliverance: ‘Turn your cloaks,”
Quoth liee, “for Pucke is busy in these oakes.’”
Bishop Corbett: Iter Borealé.
Coat of Arms. A Surcoat worn by
knights over their armour, decorated
with devices by which heralds described
the wearer. Hence the heraldic device
of a family. Coat-armour was invented
in the Crusading expeditions, to distin-
guish the various noble warriors when
wrapped in complete steel, and it was
introduced into England by Richard
Lion-heart.
Coat of many Colours (Gen.
xxxvii. 3). Harmer, in his Observations
(vol. ii. p. 386), informs us that “many
colours ” in this connection does not
mean striped, flowered, embroidered, or
“printed” with several colours, but
having “divers pieces of different colours
sewed together ” in patchwork. The
Hebrew word is passeem. In 2 Sam.
xiii. 18 we are told that king’s daughters
wore a garment of many colours or
divers pieces. Dr. Adam Clarke says
that similar garments, “are worn by
persons of distinction in Persia, India,
and some parts of China to the present
day.” The great offence was this: Jacob
was a sheik, and by giving Joseph a
“prince's robe’” he virtually announced
him his heir. (See DIVERS COLOURS.)
Coats, Hosen, and Hats (Dan. iii.
21). These were not articles of dress,
but badges of office. It will be recol-
lected that Shadrach and his two com-
panions had recently been set over
provinces of Babylon; and Nebuchad-
mezzar degraded them by insisting on
their wearing their insignia of office.
The word cap would be better than
“hat,” their caps of office ; and sandals
would be better than “hosen.” Coats
or cloaks have always designated office.
“ Hosen '’ means what the Romans
called calceus patricius, which were san-
dalled up to the calf of the leg. Every
Latin scholar knows that calceos mattare
means to “become a Senator.”
Cob (A). Between a pony and a horse
in size, from thirteen to nearly fifteen
hands high. The word means big, stout.
The original meaning is a tuft or head,
hence eminent, large, powerful. The
“cob of the county’’ is the great boss
thereof. A rich cob is a plutocrat.
IHence also a male, as a cob-Swan.
* Riding horses run between fifteen
and sixteen hands in height, and carriage
Cobalt
267
Cock and Bull Story
horses, between sixteen and seventeen
hands.
Cobalt. From the German Kobold
(a gnome). The demon of mines. This
metal was so called by miners, because
it was long thought to be useless and
troublesome. It was consequently at-
tributed to the ill offices of the mine
demon.
Cobbler. A drink made of wine
(sherry), sugar, lemon, and ice. It is
sipped up through a straw. (See COB-
BLER’s PUNCH.)
“This wonderful invention, sir, . . . is called
cobbler,-Sherry col)bler, when you name it long;
gobbler when you name it short.”—Dickens : Mar-
tim Chºtzzlewit, xvii. *
Cobbler. Let not the cobbler overstep
his last (Ne Sutor ultra crep'idam). Let
no one presume to interfere in matters
of which he is ignorant. The tale goes
that a cobbler detected a fault in the
shoe-latchet of one of Apelles’ paintings,
and the artist rectified the fault. The
cobbler, thinking himself very wise, next
ventured to criticise the legs; but
Apelles answered, “Reep to your
trade ’’—you understand about shoes,
but not about anatomy.
Cobbler Poet (The). Hans Sachs of
Nuremberg, prince of the mastersingers
of Germany (1494-1574).
Cobbler's Punch. Gin and water,
with a little treacle and vinegar.
Cobbler's Toast. School-boys' bread
and butter, toasted on the dry side and
eaten hot.
Cob'ham, referred to by Thomson in
his Autºmn, was Sir Richard Temple,
created Lord Cobham in 1714.
Cob-nut. A nut with a tuft. (Welsh,
600 or cop, a tuft ; German, kopf, the
head.)
Coburgs. A corded or ribbed cotton
cloth made in Coburg (Saxony), or in
imitation thereof. Chiefly used for
ladies’ dresses.
Cob'web. Cob, Teutonic for “spi-
der.” Dutch, Spinneſºop , Saxon, atter-
cop (poisonous spider); Chaldee, kopi
(spider’s web).
Cock. Mahomet found in the first
heaven a cock of such enormous size
that its crest touched the second heaven.
The crowing of this celestial bird arouses
every living creature from sleep except
man. The Moslem doctors say that
Allah lends a willing ear to him who
reads the Koran, to him who prays for ||
pardon, and to the cock whose chant is
divine melody. When this cock ceases
to crow, the day of judgment will be at
hand.
Cook. IXedicated to Apollo, the sun-
god, because it gives notice of the rising
of the sun. It was dedicated to Mer-
cury, because it summons men to busi-
ness by its crowing. And to AEscu-
lapius, because “early to bed and early to
rise, makes a man healthy.”
A cock on church spires is to remind
men not to deny their Lord as Peter
did, but when the cock crew he “went
out and wept bitterly.” Peter Le Neve
affirms that a cock was the warlike
ensign of the Goths, and therefore used
in Gothic churches for ornament.
lºvery cock crows on its own dunghill,
or Ilka cock crows on his own midden.
It is easy to brag of your deeds in your
own castle when safe from danger and
not likely to be put to the proof.
Latin : Gallus in suo sterquilinio
plurimum potest.
French : Chien sur son fumier est
hardi.
Spanish : Cada Galla canta en su
muladar.
Nourish a cock, but offer it not in sacri-
jice. This is the eighteenth Symbolic
Saying in the Protreptics of Iamblichus.
The cock was sacred to Minerva, and
also to the Sun and Moon, and it would
be impious to offer a sacrilegious
offering to the gods. What is already
consecrated to God cannot be employed
in Sacrifice. -
That cock won't fight. That dodge
wouldn’t answer ; that tale won’t wash.
Of course, the allusion is to fighting
cocks. A bet is made on a favourite
cock, but when pitted he refuses to
fight.
To cry cock. To claim the victory;
to assert oneself to be the superior. As
a cock of the walk is the chief or ruler
of the whole walk, so to cry cock is to
claim this cockship.
Cock and Bottle. A public-house
sign, meaning draught and bottled ale
may be had on the premises. The
“cock” here means the tap. It does
not mean ‘‘The Cork and Bottle.”
Cock and Bull Story. A corrup-
tion of a concocted and bully story. The
catch-pennies hawked about the streets
are still called cocks — i.e. concocted
things. Bully is the Danish bullen (ex-
aggerated), our bull-rush (an exaggerated
rush), bull-frog, etc.
Another etymology may be suggested;
Cock and Pie 268
Cock Tuane Ghost
The idol Nergal was the most common
idol of the ancient Phoenicians, Indians,
and Persians, and Nergal means a dung-
hill cock. The Egyptian bull is equally
notorious under the name of Osiris. A
cock-and-bull story may therefore mean
a myth, in reference to the mythological
fables of Nergal and Osiris.
The French equivalents are faire ºn
coq à l'éne and ºn conte de ma mère l'oie
(a mother goose tale).
Cock and Pie (By). We meet with
cock’s bones, cock’s wounds, cock’s mother,
cock's body, cock's passion, etc., where
we can have no doubt that the word is a
minced oath, and stands for the sacred
name which should never be taken in
vain. The Pie is the table or rule in the
old Roman offices, showing how to find
out the service for each day, called by
the Greeks pi'naa, (an index). The latter
part of the oath is equivalent to “the
Mass book.”
“By cock and pie, sir, you shall not away to-
night.”—Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., act Y. 1.
Cock and Pie (as a public-house sign)
is probably “The Cock and Magpie.”
Cock of Hay (A) or a haycock. A
Small heap of hay thrown up tempo-
rarily. (German, koeke, a heap of hay;
Norwegian, kok, a heap.) -
Cock of the North. The Duke of
Gordon. So called on a monument
erected to his honour at Fochabers, in
Aberdeenshire. (Died 1836.)
Cock of the Walk. The dominant
bully or master spirit. The place where
barn-door fowls are fed is called the
walk, and if there is more than one cock
they will fight for the Supremacy of this
domain.
Cock-a-hoop or Cock-a-hoºp. To sit
cock-a-houp. Boastful, defiant, like a
game-cock with his houpe or crest erect;
eagerly expectant. (French, coq &
hºppe.)
“And haying routed a whole troop,
With Victory was cock-a-hoop.”
- JButler: Hudibras, i. 3.
Cock apace. Set off as fast as you
can run. A cock is a tap through which
liquor runs. “To cock” is to walk
lightly or nimbly.
“If storms be nigh then cock alºace,” says
Tusser (1174).
Cockboat or Cockle Boat. A small
boat made of a wicker frame, and
covered with leather or oil-cloth. The
Welsh fishers used to carry them on
their backs. (Welsh, eveh, a boat;
Erench, coche, a passage boat; Irish,
coca, Italian, cocca, Norwegian, kog, a
cockboat.)
Cock-crow. The Hebrews divided
the night into four watches : 1, The
“beginning of the watches” or “even''
(Lam. ii. 19); 2, “The middle watch”
or “midnight” (Judg. vii. 19); 3, “The
cock - crowing; ” 4, “The morning
watch” or “dawning ” (Exod. xiv.
24).
“Ye, know not when the master of the house
COmeth, at even, Or at 1midnight, Ol' at the cock-
croWing, or in the morning.”—Mark Xiii. 35.
* The Romans divided the night into
sixteen parts, each One hour and
a - half, beginning at midnight. The
third of these divisions (3 a.m.) they
called gallicinium, the time when cocks
begin to crow; the next was conticinium,
when they ceased to crow ; and fifth was
diluculum, dawn.
Probably the Romans sounded the
hour on a trumpet (bugle) three times,
and if so it would explain the diversity
of the Gospels: “Before the cock crow”
(John xiii. 38, Luke xxii. 34, and Matt.
xxvi. 34); but “Before the cock crow
twice ’’ (Mark xiv. 30)—that is, before
the “bugle '’ has finished sounding.
Apparitions vanish at cock crow. This
is a Christian superstition, the cock being
the watch-bird placed on church spires,
and therefore Sacred.
“The morning cock grew loud,
And at the sound it [the Ghost] Shrunk in haste
Aºi "ºlished from our sight.”
Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 2.
Cock-eye. A Squint. Cock-eyed,
having a squint; cross-eyed. (Irish
and Gaelic, caog, a Squint; “Caogshuil,”
squint-eyed.)
Cock-fighting was introduced into
Britain by the Romans. It was a fa-
vourite sport both with the Greeks and
with the Romans.
That beats cock-fighting. That is
most improbable and extraordinary.
The allusion is to the extravagant tales
told of fighting-cocks.
“He can only relieve his feelings by the . . .
frequent repetition, ‘Well, that beats cock-fight-
ing : '''- Whyte-Melville.
To live like fighting-cocks. To live
in luxury. Before game-cocks are pitted
they are fed plentifully on the very best
food.
Cock-horse. To ride-a-cock-horse. To
sit astride a person’s foot or knee while
he dances or tosses it up and down.
Cock Lane Ghost. A tale of terror
without truth ; an imaginary tale of
Cock-pit
horrors. In Cock Lane, Stockwell (1762),
certain knockings were heard, which Mr.
Parsons, the owner, declared proceeded
from the ghost of Fanny Kent, who
died suddenly, and Parsons wished peo-
ple to suppose that she had been mur-
dered by her husband. All London was
agog with this story; but it was found
out that the knockings were produced
by Parsons' daughter (a girl twelve years
of age) rapping on a board which she
took into her bed. Parsons was con-
demned to stand in the pillory. (See
STOCKWELL GHOST.) -
Cock-pit. The judicial committee of
the privy council is so called, because
the council-room is built on the old
cock-pit of Whitehall palace.
“Great consultations at the cockpit about
battles, duels, victories, and what not.”—Poor
Robin's Almanack, 1730.
Cock Sure is cocky sure—pertly con-
fident. We call a self-confident, over-
bearing prig a cocky fellow, from the
barnyard despot ; but Shakespeare em-
ploys the phrase in the sense of “sure
as the cock of a firelock.”
“We Steal as in a castle, cock-sure.”—Shalce-
Speare : 1 Henry IV., ii. 1.
* The French phrase is d coup stºr,
as: “Nous réussions & coup stºr,” we
are certain of success, “Cela, est aims?
6 coºp Sºr,” etc., and the phrase “Sure
as a gun,” seem to favour the latter
derivation.
Cock the Ears (To). To prick up
the ears, or turn them as a horse does
when he listens to a strange sound.
Here “cock’ means to turn, and seems
to be connected with the Greek kiſkAos,
a circle, and the verb kukAóo. -
Cock the Nose or Cook up the nose.
To turn up the nose in contempt. (See
CoCK YOUR EYE.) -
Cock up your Head [foot, etc.].
Lift up, turn up your head or foot.
The allusion is to cocking hay, i.e. lift-
ing it into Small heaps or into the hay-
cart. (See Coor of HAY.)
Cock your Eye (To) is to shut one
eye and look with the other; to glance
at. A “cock-eye” is a squinting eye,
and “cock-eyed?’ is having squinting
eyes. In many phrases, cock means to
turn. (See above.) -
Cock your Hat (To). To set your
hat more on one side of the head than
on the other ; to look knowing and pert.
Soldiers cock their caps over the left side
to “look Smart.” (See CoCKED HAT.)
269
Cockatrice
Cockade. The men-servants of the
military wear a small black cockade on
their hat, the Hanoverian badge. The
Stuart cockade was white. At the battle
of Sherra-Muir, in the reign of George I.,
the English soldiers wore a black rosette
in their hats. In the song of Sherra-
Muir the English soldiers are called
“the red-coat lads wi' black cockades.”
(French, cocarde; German, kokarde.)
In the British Army and Navy the
cockade, since the Hanoverian accession,
has been black.
AUSTRIAN cockade is black and yellow.
All sentry boxes and boundary posts are
so painted. Ein Schwarz-gelber was the
nickname of an Austrian Imperialist in
848
BAVARIA, light blue and white are the
royal colours.
DELGIUM, black, yellow, and red.
FRANCE (regal), the royal colour was
white.
IIANOVER, the cockade was black.
* enters into all the German cock-
8,016>S.
PRUSSIA, black and white are the royal
colours.
RUSSIA, green and white are the royal
colours.
To amoat??t the cockade. To become a
soldier. From time immemorial the
partisans of different leaders have adopted
some emblem to show their party; in
1767 an authoritative regulation deter-
mined that every French soldier should
wear a white cockade, and in 1782 the
badge was restricted to the military.
The phrase given above is common both
to England and France.
Cockaigne (Land of). An imagins
ary land of idleness and luxury. The
subject of a burlesque, probably “the
earliest specimen of English poetry which
we possess.” London is generally so
called, but Boileau applies the phrase
to Paris. (See page 270, col. 2, COCKNEY.)
Allied to the German, kitchen, a cake.
Scotland is called the “land of cakes”;
there is the old French word cocaigne,
abundance. Compare Latin cogºto, to
Cook, cogitima)'ia, coquºia, etc.
* Ellis, in his Specimens of Early
Bnglish Poets (i. 83-95), has printed at
length an old French poem called “The
Land of Cockaign” (thirteenth century),
where “the houses were made of barley
sugar and cakes, the streets were paved
with pastry, and the shops supplied
goods for nothing.”
Cock'atrice (3 syl.). A monster with
the wings of a fowl, tail of a dragon,
Cocked Hat
270
Cockney
and head of a cock. So called because
it was said to be produced from a cock’s
egg hatched by a serpent. According to
legend, the very look of this monster
would cause instant death. In conse-
quence of the crest with which the head
is crowned, the creature is called a
basilisk, from the Greek, basiliskos (a
little king). Isaiah says, “The weaned
child shall put his hand on the cocka-
trice den” (xi. 8), to signify that the
most noxious animal should not hurt the
most feeble of God’s creatures.
Figuratively, it means an insidious,
treacherous person bent on mischief.
“They will kill one another by the look, like
cockatrices.”—Shakespeare : Twelfth Night, iii. 4.
Cocked Hat (A). A hat with the
brim turned, like that of a bishop, dean,
etc. It is also applied to the chapeau
bras, and the military full-dress hat,
pointed before and behind, and rising
to a point at the crown, the chapeau dº
cornu. “Cock” in this phrase means to
turn ; cocked, turned up.
Júnocked into a cocked hat. In the
game of nine-pins, three pins were set
up in the form of a triangle, and when
all the pins except these three were
knocked down, the set was technically
said to be “knocked into a cocked hat.”
Hence, utterly out of all shape or
plumb. A somewhat similar phrase is
“Rnocked into the middle of next
Week.”
Cocked-hat Club (The). A club of
the Society of Antiquaries. A cocked
hat was always placed before the presi-
dent when the club met.
There was another club so called in
which the members, during club sittings,
wore cocked hats.
Coclcer. According to Cocker. All
Tight, according to Cocker. According
to established rules, according to what is
correct. Edward Cocker (1631-1677) pub-
lished an arithmetic which ran through
sixty editions. The phrase, “According
to Cocker,” was popularised by Murphy
in his farce called The Apprentice.
Cockie or Cocky. Bumptious, over-
bearing, conceited, and dogmatical; like
a little bantam cock.
Cockle Hat. A pilgrim’s hat. War-
burton says, as the chief places of devo-
tion were beyond sea, or on the coasts,
pilgrims used to put cockle-shells upon
their hats, to indicate that they were
pilgrims. Cockles are symbols of St.
James, patron Saint of Spain. Cockle=
scallop, as in heraldry.
“And how shall I your true love know
From many another One 2
Oh, by his cockle hat and staff,
And by his Sandal Shoon.”
Beaumont and Fletcher: The Friar of Orders Grey.
Cockle Shells. Favourite tokens
worn by pilgrims in their hats. The
polished side of the shell was scratched
with some rude drawing of the “blessed
Virgin,” the Crucifixion, or some other
Subject Connected with the pilgrimage.
Being blessed by the priest, they were
considered amulets against spiritual
foes, and might be used as drinking
vessels. - -
Cockles. To cry cockles. To be
hanged; from the gurgling noise made
in Strangulation. -
Cockles of the Heart. “To ºvdºm
the cockles of one’s heart,” said of good
wine. (Latin, cochleae cordis, the ven-
tricles of the heart.)
“Fibrae quidem rectis hisce exterioribus, in
dextro ventriculo proxime subjectſe oblique dex-
trorsum ascendentes in basim cordis terminantur,
et Spirali Suo alm})ital lleliceh, Sive cochlean, Satis
apte referunt.”—Lower: Tractatus de Corde, p. 25.
(1669.)
Cockledemoy (A). An amusing
rogue, a sort of Tyll Eulenspiegel. A
character in Marston’s comedy of The
Dutch Courtesan. He cheats Mrs. Mulli-
grub, a vintner’s wife, of a goblet and
salmon.
Cockney. One born within sound of
Bow-bells, London ; one possessing
London peculiarities of speech, etc.;
one wholly ignorant of country sports,
country life, farm animals, plants, and
SO Oll. -
Camden says the Thames was once
called “the Cockney.”
The word has been spelt Cockeney,
Cockaneys, Cocknell, etc. “Cocknell”
would be a little cock. “Peter i77 deliciis
matris ºutritus,” Anglice, a kokenay, a
pampered child. “Niais” means a
nestling, as faucon niais, and if this is the
last syllable of “Cockney,” it confirms
the idea that the word means an enfant
gáté. -
Wedgwood suggests cocker (to fondle),
and says a cockerney or cockney is one
pampered by city indulgence, in contra-
distinction to rustics hardened by out-
door work. (Dutch, kokeln, to pamper;
French, coqueliner, to dangle.)
Chambers in his Journal derives
the word from a French poem of the
thirteenth century, called The Land of
Cocagne, where the houses were made
of barley-sugar and cakes, the streets
Cockney School 271
*—
paved with pastry, and the shops Sup-
plied goods without requiring money in
payment. The French, at a very early
period, called the English cocagne men,
i.e. bons vivants (beef and pudding men).
“Cry to it, nuncle, as the cockney did to the
eels, when she put them into the paste alive.”—
Shakespeare : Lear, ii. 4.
The king of cockneys. A master of the
revels chosen by students of Lincoln's
Inn on Childermas Day (Dec. 28th).
Cockney School. Teigh Hunt,
Bazlitt, Shelley, and Keats; so called
by Lockhart. (1817.)
“If I may be permitted to have the honour of
christening it, it may be henceforth referred
to by the designation of the ‘Cockney School.’”
—Z., Blackwood's Magazine, Oct., 1817.
Cockpit of Europe. Belgium is so
called because it has been the site of
more European battles than any other
country ; for example, Oudenarde,
Ramillies, Fontenoy, Fleurus, Jem-
mapes, Ligny, Quatre Bras, Waterloo.
Cockshy (A). A free fling or “shy”
at something. The allusion is to the
once popular Shrove-Tuesday sport of
shying or casting stones or sticks at
cocks. This sport is now Superseded by
pigeon-shooting, which is thought to be
more aristocratic but can hardly be
deemed more humane.
Cockswain, or Coxswaſ N [cow’n].
The swain or servant of the cock or boat,
together with its crew. (Anglo-Saxon,
swój? Or Swein, a youth Or servant, and
cock, a boat.) (See CoCKBOAT.)
Cocktail. The New York World, 1891,
tells us that this is an Aztec word, and
that “the liquor was discovered by a
Toltec noble, who sent it to the king by
the hand of his daughter Xochitl. The
king fell in love with the maiden, drank
the liquor, and called them xoc-tl, a
name perpetuated by the word cocktail.
ºf Cocktail is an iced drink made of
spirits mixed with bitters, sugar, and
Some aromatic flavouring. Champagne
cocktail is champagne flavoured with
Angostura bitters; soda cocktailis soda-
water, Sugar, and bitters.
“Did ye iver try a brandy cocktail, Cornel?”—
Thackeray : The Newcomes, xiii.
Cocqcigrues. At the coming of the
Cocqcigºttes. That good time coming,
when every mystery shall be cleared up.
“‘That is one of the seven things,’ said the fairy
Bedonebyasyoutdid, ‘ I am, forbidden to tell tiil
the coming of the Cocq gigrues.’”— C. Kingsley:
The Water Babies, chap. Yi,
Cocytus, [Ko-ky'tus].
five rivers of hell.
“river of lamentation.”
One of the
The word means the
The unburied
Coffee
were doomed to wander about its banks
for 100 years. (Greek, kökwo, to weep.)
“Cocytus, named of lamentation loud
Heard. On the rueful Strealm.” - -
Milton : Paradise Lost, ii. 579.
*
Codds. Codgers. . Thackeray says,
“The Cistercian lads call the poor
brethren of the Charterhouse codds,”
adding, “but I know not wherefore.”
(Turkish, kodjah, an old man or woman.)
We say “Well, old boy,” without re-
ferring to age.
“I say, do you know any of the old codds : . . 2
Colonel Newcome is going to be a codd.”—Nime-
teenth Century, October, 1893, p. 589.
Codille (2 syl.). Triumph. A term
in the game of Ombre. When one of
the two opponents of Ombre has more
tricks than Ombre, he is said to have
won Codille, and takes all the stake that
Ombre played for. Thus Belinda is said,
in the Rape of the Lock, to have been
“between the jaws of ruin and Codille.”
She wins with the “king of hearts,”
and she wives codëlle.
Codlin's your Friend, not Short.
(Dickens : Old Curiosity Shop, chap.
xix.). Codlin had a shrewd suspicion
that little Nell and her grandfather had
absconded, and that a reward would be
offered for their discovery. So he tried
to bespeak the goodwill of the little girl
in the hope of making something of it.
“None of the speakers, has much to say, in
actual hostility to Lord Salisbury's speech, but
they all harp upon the theory that Codlin is the
friend, not Short.”—Newspaper paragraph, Oct.
13th, 1885.
Coehorns (2 syl.). Small howitzers
of about 43 inches calibre ; so called
from Baron van Coe'horn, of Holland.
Coe/nobites or Cenobites (3 Syl.).
Monks who live in common, in contra-
distinction to the hermits or anchorites.
(Greek, koinosbios.) -
Coeur de Lion.
Richard I. of England ; so called from
the prodigies of personal valour per-
formed by him in the Holy Land. (1157,
1189-1199.)
Louis VIII. of France, more frequently
called Le Lion. (1187, 1223–1226.)
Boleslas I. of Poland, also called “The
Intrepid.” (960, 992-1025.)
Coffee. The Turkish word is Kauhi,
JCantweh or Kawvey.
Coffee. In Ardennes ten cups of coffee
are taken after dinner, and each Cup has
its special name. (1) Café, (2) Gloria,
(3) Pousse Café, (4) Goutte, (5) Re-
goutte, (6) Sur-goutte, (7) Rincette, (8)
Re-rincette, (9) Sur-rincette, and (10)
Coup de l’étrier. -
COffirm.
272
Coins
Gloria is coffee with a small glass of
brandy in lieu of milk; all the following
have more and more l’eau de vie ; and
the last is the “stirrup-cup.”
Coffin. A raised crust, like the lid
of a basket. Hence Shakespeare speaks
of a “custard coffin'' (Taming of the
Shrew, iv. 3), (Greek, koph/i770s, a
basket.) (See MAHOMET’s CoFFIN.)
“Of the paste a coffin will I rear.”
Shakespeare: Titus Amdronicus, Y. 2.
Cog'geshall. A Coggeshall job. The
saying is, that the Coggeshall folk
wanted to divert the current of a
stream, and fixed hurdles in the bed of
it for the purpose. Another tale is that
a mad dog bit a wheelbarrow, and the
people, fearing it would go mad, chained
it up in a shed. (See GOTHAM.)
Cogito, ergo sum. Descartes' axiom.
This is a petitio principii.
can only prove this: that “I think.”
And he might just as well infer from it
the existence of thought as the existence
of I. He is asked to prove the latter,
and immediately assumes that it exists
and does something, and then infers that
it exists because it does something. Sup-
pose I were asked to prove the existence
of ice, and were to say, ice is cold,
therefore there is such a thing as ice.
Manifestly I first assume there is such a
thing as ice, then ascribe to it an attri-
bute, and then argue back that this
attribute is the outcome of ice. This is
not proof, but simply arguing in a circle.
Cohens (Stock Exchange term). The
Turkish ’69 loan, floated by the firm of
that name.
Coif (1 syl.). The coif of the old
serjeant -at-law was a relic of his
ecclesiastical character. The original
serjeants-at-law were clerical lawyers,
and the coif is the representation of the
tonsure.
Serjeants of the Coif. Serjeants-at-
law (now abolished). (See above.)
Coiffé. Il est mé coiffé. He is born
with a silver spoon in his mouth ; born
to fortune. (See page 229, col. 2, CAUL.)
“Quelques enfans Viennent au monde avec une
pellicule . . . que l’on appelle du nom de coèſfe;
et que l’on croit estre une marque de bonheur.
Ce qui a donné lieu au proverhe françois. . . . Il
est mécoèffé.”—Traité des Superstition, 1679.
Coiffer to Sainte Catherine. To
remain an old maid. “St. Catherine est
la patronne des filles à marier et des
vieilles filles. , Ce Sont ces dernières qui
restent ordinairement pour soigner les
chapelles consacrées à la Sainte, et qui
Sont chargées de Sa toilette.” (Hetaire
‘‘I think 77
-
le Gai : Encyclopédie des Proverbes Fran-
çais.)
“Il crois peut-être que, je le regrette, que, de
désespoir je vais coiffer St. Catherine. Ah all
lmais non moi aussi je Veux l\le 1\larier.”—L(t.
Mascotté (an Opera).
Coin. Paid in his own coin. Tit for
tat. “I’ar pari referre.”
Coin Money (To).
with rapidity and ease.
“For the last four years . . . I literally coined
money.”—I’. Remble : Itesidence in Georgia.
Coins.
BRITISH. Iron rings were used for
money by the ancient Britons, and
Segonax, a petty king under Cassivelân,
is the first whose head was impressed on
the coin. Gold, silver, and copper coins
were struck by Cunobelin.
The ROMANS introduced their
coins into the island.
The oldest ANGLO-SAXON coin was the
Scéatta (pl. Sceatta), sixth century. In
the reign of Ethelbert, King of Kent,
money accounts were kept in pounds,
Amazºcuses, Shillings, and pence. One of
the last being equal to about 3 pence
of Our money. 5 pence = one Scilling, 30
Scillings one manca or mancus, and 40
One pound. Mancuses were in gold and
silver also.
The NoFMANs introduced pence with
a cross so deeply impressed that the coin
could be broken either into two or four
parts, hence the terms half-pence and
fourthings.
The Angel, a gold coin (7s. 6d.), was
introduced by Edward IV., and had a
figure of Michael slaying the dragon.
The Bawbee first came into use in the
reign of James VI. of Scotland. (French,
bas-billon, base copper coin.)
The Carðlus (20s.) was a gold coin of
the reign of Charles I.
The Crown (5s.) was first issued in
1553. Crowns and half-crowns are still
in common circulation.
English Dollars (4s. 6d.) were intro-
duced in 1798.
JFlorins, a gold coin (6s.), were issued
by Edward III. ; but the silver florin
(2s.) in 1849.
The Guinea (a gold coin = 21s.) was
first issued in 1717; but a gold coin
so-called, of the value of 30s., was
issued in 1673, reduced in 1696 to 22s.
Our Sovereign was first issued in 1816,
|but there were coins so called in the
reigns of Henry I. (worth 22s.), Edward
VI. (from 24s. to 30s.).
Shillings of the present value date
from 1503; pence made of bronze in
To make money
OWIl
Coke
273
Colin Tampon
1862, but copper pence were coined in
1620, half-pence and farthings in 1665.
Coke. To cry coke. To cry pecca'vi;
to ask for mercy. Ruddiman says
“coke ’’ is the sound which cocks utter
when they are beaten. -
Coke upon Littleton. Tent and
brandy.
“Another . . . sipping Coke upon Littleton, i.e.
tent and brandy.”—Nichols: Illustrations of Liter-
(tture (1743).
Colbronde or Colbrand. The Danish
giant slain by Sir Guy of Warwick. By
the death of this giant the land was
delivered from Danish tribute.
“I am not Samson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand,
T0 mow 'em down before lime.”
Shakespeare : IIemºry VIII., v. 4.
Colcannon. Potatoes and cabbage
pounded together and then fried in
butter (Irish). “Col” is cole or cale,
i.e. cabbage.
“About 1774 Isaac Sparks, the Irish comedian,
founded in Tuong Acre a Colcannoll Club.”—Thé
Athematºum, January 20th, 1875.
Cold as Charity. (See CHARITY.)
Cold-Bath Fields. So called from
the cold baths established there by Mr.
Bains, in 1697, for the cure of rheu-
matism, convulsions, and other nervous
disorders.
Cold Blood. Dome i7 cold blood.
(French, Sang froid.) Not in the heat
of temper; deliberately, and with pre-
meditation. The allusion is to the
ancient motion that the blood grew hot
and cold, and this difference of tempera-
ture ruled the temper.
Cold-blooded Animals. As a rule,
all invertebrate animals, and all fishes
and reptiles, are called cold-blooded,
because the temperature of their blood
is about equal to the medium in which
they live.
Cold-blooded Persons. Those not
easily excited ; those whose passions are
not easily roused ; those whose circula-
tion is sluggish.
Cold-chisel (A). A chisel of tem-
pered steel for cutting cold metal.
Cold Drawn Gil. Castor oil, ob-
tained by pressure in the cold.
Cold Pigeon (A). A message sent
in place of a love-letter. The love-
letter would have been a poulet (q.v.).
A pigeon pie is called a dove-tart, and
dove is symbolical of love. Pyramus
says of Thisbe, “What dead, my dove?”
A verbal message is “cold comfort” to
a lover looking out for a letter.
-
Cold Pudding settles Love by
sºng the pains of indigestion, colic,
€UC.
Cold Shoulder. To show or give one
the cold shoulder is to assume a distant
manner towards a person, to indicate
that you wish to cut his acquaintance.
The reference is to a cold shoulder of
mutton served to a stranger at dinner;
there is not much of it, and even what
is left is but moderate fare.
Cold Steel. The persuasion of cold
Steel is persuasion enforced at the point
of the sword or bayonet.
Cold Water Ordeal. An ar;cient
method of testing the guilt or innocence
of the common sort of people. The
accused, being tied under the arms, was
thrown into a river. If he sank to the
bottom, he was held to be guiltless, and
drawn up by the cord; but if he floated,
the water rejected him, because of his
guilt.
Cold Without. An elliptical expres-
sion, meaning spirits mixed with cold
water without Sugar.
Coldbrand. (See COLBRONDE.)
Coldstream Guards. One of the
three regiments of Foot Guards. It was
originally under the command of Colonel
Monk (1650-1660), and in January, 1660,
marched under him from Coldstream in
Berwickshire with the object of bringing
back Charles II. to the throne.
Cole = money. (See COAL.)
Cole (King). A legendary British
king, described as “a merry old soul”
fond of his pipe, fond of his glass, and
fond of his “fiddlers three.” (Ky.
Coil, i.) -
Colemi'ra (3 Syl.). A poetical name
for a cook; being, of course, compounded
of coal and mire.
“‘Could I,’ he cried, ‘ express how bright a grace
Adorns thy morning hands and Well-washed
àCe, - •
Thou wouldst, Colemira, grant what I implore
And yield me love, or wāsh thy face no more.”
Shemstone : Colemira, am, Eclogue.
Colin Clout. A name which Spenser
assumes in The Shepherd's Calendar,
and in the pastoral entitled Colin Clout’s
Come Home Again, which represents his
return from a visit to Sir Walter Raleigh,
“the Shepherd of the Ocean.”
Colin Tampon. The nickname of
a Swiss, as John Bull is of an English-
man, Brother Jonathan of a North
American, and Monsieur Crapaud of a
Erenchman.
18
Collapse
274
College Colours
Collapse. The scheme collapsed. Came
to nothing. An inflated balloon is said
to collapse when the gas has escaped
and the sides fall together, or pucker
into wrinkles. As a collapsed balloon
will not mount, a collapsed scheme will
not go off. (Latin, collapsus, collabor,
to fall or sink together.)
Collar.
Against the collar. Somewhat fa-
tiguing. When a horse travels up-hill
the collar distresses his neck, so foot-
travellers often find the last mile or so
“against the collar,” or distressing.
Authors of long books often find the
last few pages wearisome and against
the grain.
In collar. In harness. The allusion
is to a horse's collar, which is put on
when about to go to work.
Out of collar. Out of work, out of
place. (See above.)
To slip the collar. To escape from
restraint ; to draw back from a task
begun.
To work up to the collar. To work
tooth and nail; not to shirk the work
in hand. A horse that lets his collar
lie loose on his neck without bearing on it
does not draw the vehicle at all, but
leaves another to do the real work.
“As regarded himself, the path lay plain. He
must work up to the collar, hot and hard, leaving
himself no time to feel the parts that were galled
and wrung.”—Mrs. Edwardes: A Girton Girl,
Chap. iv.
Collar (verb). To collar one. To
seize by the collar; to prig ; to appro-
priate without leave.
To collar the cole or coal.
money. (See COAL.)
Collar-day (A). In royal levees,
means that attendants are to wear all
their insignia and decorations, such as
medals, stars, ribbons, and orders. This
is done on grand occasions by order of
To prig the
the Crown. The Queen's Collar-day is
when she wears the Order of the
Garter.
Collar of Arsinoë (4 syl.) or Collar
of Alphesibéa, given by her to her hus-
band Alcméon, was a fatal gift ; SO was
the collar and veil of Eriph'ylé, wife of
Amphiarāos. (See FATAL GIFTS.)
Collar of SS. A decoration re-
stricted to the Lord Chief Justices of
the Queen’s Bench, the Lord Chief
Baron of the Exchequer, the Lord Mayor
of London, the Kings-of-Arms, the
Heralds, the Sergeant-at-Arms, and
the Sergeant Trumpeter. (Coussan’s
FIeraldry.) (See SS.) -
Collectivists. Collectivism is the
opposite of Individualism. In the latter
System, everyone is to be his own
master, and everything is to be free
and in common. In the former system,
government is to be the sole employer,
the sole landlord, and the sole pay-
master. Private property is to be aból-
ished, competition to be stamped out;
everyone must work for his living, and
the State must find the work. Bellamy's
novel of Looking Backward will give a
pretty, fair notion of what is meant by
Collectivism. (See INDIVIDUALISTs.) '
College (New). Newgate prison. “To
take one's final degree at New College”
is to be hanged. “Ring’s College” is
King’s Bench Prison, now called Queen’s
College. . Prisoners are “collegiates.”
College is the Latin collegium, and has
a very wide range, as, College of the
Apostles, College of Physicians, College
of Surgeons, Heralds' College, College
of Justice, etc.; and on the Continent
we have College of Foreign Affairs, Col-
lege of War, College of Cardinals, etc.
College Colours.
CAMBRIDGE BOAT CREws, light blue.
Caitts, light blue and black.
Catherine's, blue and white.
Christ's, common blue.
Clare, ińack and golden yellow.
Corpus, cherry-colour and white.
Downing, chocolate.
I'ml?nclºvuel, Cherry-colour and dark blue
Jesus, red and black.
John's, bright red and white.
Ičing's, violet.
Magdalent, indigo and lavender.
Pembroke, claret and French grey.
Peterhouse, dark blue and white.
}ueen’s, green and white.
ydney, red and blue.
Trimity, dark blue.
Th’imity Hall, black and white.
OxFord BoAT CREws, dark blue.
St. Alban's, blue with arrow-head. . . .
Balliol, pink, white, blue, white, pink. ;
Brazenose, black, and gold edges.
Christ Church, blue with red cardinal's hat.
Corpus, red with blue Stripe.
St. Edmond’s, red, and yellow edges
Iºaceter, black, and red edges.
Jesus, green, and white edges
John's, yellow, black, red.
Limcolm, blue with mitre.
Magdalém, black and White. .
St. Mary's, white, black, white.
Mentom, blue, with white edges and red cross.
New College, three pink and two white stripes.
Oriel, blue and white. .
Pembroke, pink, white, pink. . . -
Queen's, red, white, blue, white, blue, white,
l’G (i.
Trinity, blue, with double dragon's head, yellow
and green, or blue, with white edges.
University, blue, and yellow edges.
Wadham, light blue. - -
Worcester, Dlue, white, pink, white, blue.
College Colours (America) in foot-
ball matches, boating, etc. º
A delbert, Bismarck brown and purple.
Alleghany, cadet blue and old gold.
- College IPOrt; 275
Colossus
A mherst, white and purple.
Bates, garnet. e
Boston University, scarlet and white,
Bowdoin, white. • . .
Brown, brown and white.
Buchtel, orange and blue.
Califormia, blue and gold.
C.G.N.Y.; lavender. -
Colby, silver grey. -
Columbia, blue and White,
Cornell, cornelian and white.
Dartmouth, dark green.
Dickinsom, red and white.
Hamilton, rose pink.
Harvard, crimson.
Hobart, drange and purple.
Kenyom, mauve.
Lafayette, white and maroon.
Madison, orange and maroon.
Michigan, blue and maizé.-,
New York, University, Violet.
- Ohio University, blue.
Primceton, orange and black.
Rensselaer Polytechnic, Cherry. .
Izochester, blue and grey.
Rutgers, Scarlet.
Swarth?more, garnet. .
Syracuse, blue and pink.
Trinity, white and green.
Tufts, blue and brown.
Union, garnet, - *
University of North Carolina, white and blue.
of South Carolina, red and blue.
of Pennsylvania, blue and red.
of the South, red and blue.
of Vermont, old gold and green.
of Virginia, cardinal and grey.
Vassar, pink and grey.
Wesleyān, Cardinal and black.
Williams, royal purple.
Wooster, old gold.
Yale, blue.
College Port. The worst species of
red wine that can be manufactured and
palmed off upon young men at college.
(See WIDows' Port.)
“We all know what college port is like.”—The
Times.
Col'liberts. A sort of gipsy race in
Poitou, Maine, and Anjou, similar to the
Cagots of Gascony and the Caqueua, of
Brittany. In feudal times a collibert
was a serf partly free, but bound to
certain services. , (Latin, col-libertus, a
fellow freedman.)
Colluthians. A religious sect which
rose in the fourth century; so called
from Colluſthos of Alexandria, their
founder. -
Colly my Cow. A corruption of
Calainos, the most ancient of Spanish
ballads. Calainos the Moor asked a
damsel to wife, who said the price of
winning her should be the heads of the
three paladins of Charlemagne, named
Rinaldo, Roland, and Olivier. Calainos
went to Paris, and challenged the pala-
dins. First Sir Baldwin, the youngest
knight, accepted the challenge and was
overthrown ; then his uncle Roland
went against the Moor and smote him.
Collyrid'ians. A sect of Arabian
Christians, chiefly women, which first
appeared in 373. They worshipped the
Virgin Mary, and made offerings to her
in a twisted cake, called a collyris.
(Greek, kollura, a little cake.)
Collywobbles. The gripes, usually
accompanied with Sundry noises in the
stomach. These noises are called the
“borbarigmus.” (The wobbling caused
by a slight colic.)
Cologne. The three kings of Cologne.
The three magi, called Gaspar, Melchior,
and Baltha'zar. They are called by
other names, but those given are the
most generally accepted.
Colon. One of the rabble leaders in
Hudibras was Noel Perryan, or Ned
Perry, an ostler, who loved bear-baiting,
but was a very straight-laced Puritan of
low morals.
Col'ophon. The end of a book, Colº-
ophon was a city of Io'nia, the in-
habitants of which were such excellent
horsemen that they would turn the scale
of battle to the side on which they
fought ; hence, the Greek phrase, To
add a colopho'nian, means “to put a
finishing stroke to any matter.” (Strabo.)
In the early times of printing, the state-
ment containing the date, place, printer,
and edition was given at the end of the
book, and was called the colophon.
* Now called the “imprint.”
“The volume was uninjured . . . from title-
page to colophon.”—Scott . The Antiquary.
Coloquin'tida, or Colocynth. Bitter-
apple or colocynth. (Greek, kolokunthis.)
“The food that to him now is luscious as
locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as colo-
quintida.”—Shakespeare : Othello, i. 3. -
Coloquin'tida (St.). Charles I. was
so called. He was bitter as gall to the
Levellers.
“The Ijevellers styled him [Charles I.] an Ahab,
and a Coloquintida, a man of blood, and the ever-
lasting obstacle to peace and liberty.”—Howitt:
History of England (“Charles T.,” chap, yi. p. 284).
Colorado (U.S. America). A Spanish
word meaning red, referring to the red
hue of the water of the river.
Colossal. Gigantic. As a colossal
scheme. (See below.)
Colossus or Colossos (Latin, colos-
sus). A giant. The Rhodian Colossos
was a gigantic statue of brass, 126 feet
high, executed by Charès. It is said
that ships could pass full sail under the
legs of this statue, but the notion of a
striding statue rose in the sixteenth cen-
tury, and is due to Blaise de Vigenère,
who was the first to give the chef d’azuvre
of Charês this impossible position. The
Comte de Caylus has demonstrated that
the Apollo of Rhodes was never planted
Colour
276
Colours
at the mouth of the Rhodian port, that
it was not a striding statue, and that
ships never passed under it. Neither
Strabo nor Pliny makes mention of any
of these things, though both describe the
gigantic statue minutely. Philo (the
architect of Byzantium, third century)
has a treatise on the seven wonders of
the world, and says that the Colossos
stood on a block of white marble, and
Lucius Ampellius, in a similar treatise,
says it stood in a car. Tickell out-herods
Herod in the following lines:
“So, near proud Rhodes, across the raging flood,
Stupendous form theyast Colossus stood, :
While at one foot the througing galleys ride,
A. wº hour's Sail scarce reached the farther
Sigle: . e -
Betwixt his brazen thighs, in loose array
Ten thousand streamers on the pillows play.”
Om the Prospect of Peace.
“...He doth best ride the narrow world -
Like a Colossus.” Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, i. 2.
* The twin Colossi of Amenophis III.,
on the banks of the Nile, near Thebes,
are seated. The statue of Liberty, New
York, is colossal.
(See RANK.)
Colour, Colours. A man of colour.
A negro, Or, more strictly speaking, one
with negro blood. (See COLOURS.)
“There are three great glasses: (1) the pure
whites; (2), the people of colour.; (3) negroes and
mulattoes.”—Edwards : St. Domingo, i.
Colours.
(1) Black:
In blazomry, Sable, Signifying prudence, wisdom,
avyd Constancy.
In art, signifying evil, falsehood, and error.
21s a ºn 97tuary colour, signifying grief, despair,
death. in the Catholic Church Yiolet may be
Substituted for black).
In metals it is represented by lead, -
Jºn, precious stomes it is represented by the diamond.
In planets it stands for Saturn.
In heraldry it is engraved by perpendicular and
horizontal lines crossing each other at right
angles.
(2) Blue:
Im. º, azure, signifying cha§tity, loyalty,
fidelity. & g . * * -
In art (as an angel's robe) it signifies fidelity and
Colour.
ltill. * *
17, art (as the robe of the Virgin Mary) it signifies
modesty. º * * * *
In art (in the Catholic Church) it signifies
humility and expiation, . * e
As a mortuary colour it signifies eternity (applied
to Deity), immortality (applied to man).
In metals it is represenged by tin. -
In precious stones it is represented by Sapphire.
In planets it stands for Jupiter. . -
In heraldry it is engraved by horizontal lines.
(3) Green :
In blazonry, Yert, signifying love, joy, abundance.
In cºrt, signifying hope; joy, youth. spring (among
the Greeks and Moors it signified Victory).
In church' ornaments, signifying, God’s bounty,
mirth, glādness, the resurrection.
In metals it is represented by copper.
In precious siomes it is represented by the emerald.
In plaſmets it stands fºr Venus. .
As a railway signal it means caution, go slowly.
In heraldry it is engraved from left to right.
(4) Purple:
In blazonry, purpure, signifying temperance.
In art, signifying royalty. * * *
In metals it is represented by quicksilver.
In precious stomes it is represented by a methyst.
In planets it stands for Mercury. -
In heraldry it is engrayed by lines Slanting from
right to left. -
(5) Red:
I'm blazomy, gules.; blood-red is called sanguine.
The former signifies magnanimity, and the
latter, fortitude. *
I72 *::::: it is represented by iron (the metal of
W3.]").
I'm precious stomes it is represented by the ruby.
In planets it stands for Mars. --
In heraldry it is engraved by perpendicular lines.
(6) White:
I'm blazonry, argent ; signifying purity, truth,
Innocence. & * s
In art, priests, Magi, and Druids are arrayed in
white. Jesus after the resurrection should be
draped in white. . . .
As a mortuary colour it indicates hope.
In metals it is represented by silver.
I'm precious stomes it is represented by the pearl.
In planets it stands for Diana or the Moon. . .
In heraldry it is engraved by shields left white,
(7) Yellow:
I'm blazonry or signifying faith, constancy, wis-
dom, glory. tº º Aº ‘º g ->
In modern art or signifying jealousy, incon-
stancy, incontinence. In France the doors of
traitors used to be daubed with yellow, and in
some countries Jews were obliged to dress in
yellow. In Spain the executioner is dressed
in red and yellow. . -
In Christian art, Judas is arrayed in yellow ; but
St. Peter is also arrayed in golden yellow.
In metals it is represented by gold.
In precious Stones it is represented by the topaz.
I'm planets it stands for Apollo or the Sun.
In heraldry it is engraved by dotS.
Colours for Church Decoration.
White, for festivals of our Lord, for Easter, and
for all Saints except martyrs. -
Ited, for martyrs, for Ash Wednesday, the last
three days of Holy Week, and Whit Sunday.
Blue, for all week-days after Trinity Sunday.
Blue or Green, indifferently, for Ordinary Sundays.
Violet, Broºm, or Grey, for Advent and Lent.
Black, for Good Friday.
Colours of the University Boats,
etc. (See CoſſIEGE COLOURS.)
Colours.
Accidental colours. Those colours seen
on a white ground after looking, for
some time at a bright-coloured object,
like the sun.
Complementary colours. Colours which,
in combination, produce white light.
“The colour transmitted is always comple-
mentary to the one reflected.”—Brewster: Optics,
Xll.
Fundamental colours. The seven
colours of the spectrum: violet, indigo,
blue, green, yellow, orange, and red.
Or red, yellow, blue, also called primary
or simple colours.
Secondary colours. Those which
result from the mixture of two or more
primary or simple colours.
Colours. He was with the colours.
In active military Service.
l,
Colours
277
Colt’s-tooth
“The period . . . was raised from Seven to nine
years, five years being passed with the colours,
and four in the reserve.” — Edinburgh Iteview
(1886).
II is coward lips did from their colours
jly. He was unable to , speak. As
cowards run away from their regimental
colours, so [Caesar's] lips, when he was
ill, ran away from their colour and turned
pale.
To come out 72 his true colours. To
reveal one’s proper character, divested
of all that is meretricious.
To describe [a matter] in very black
colours. To see them with a jaundiced
eye, and describe them accordingly ; to
describe [the matter] under the bias of
strong prejudice.
To desert one’s colours.
turncoat ; to turn tail.
to the military flag.
To give colour or To give some plausible
colour to the matter. To render the
matter more plausible; to give it a more
Specious appearance.
To paint in bright colours. To see
or describe things in couleur de rose. Also
“to paint in lively colours.”
To put a false colour on a matter. To
misinterpret it, or put a false construc-
tion on it.
To become a
The allusion is
To see things in their true colours. To
See them as they really are.
Under colour of. . . . Under pretence
of . . . . ; under the alleged authority
of . . . .
Wearing his colours. Taking his part;
being strongly attached to one. The
idea is from livery.
“Jim could always count on every man, woman,
and child, wherever he lived, wearing his colours,
and backing him . . . through thick and thin.”—
13oldrewood : Itobbery Under Arms, chap. xiv.
Without colour. “In nudá veritate,”
without disguise.
Colours. National colours—
Great Britain . . Ited and blue.
America, U.S. ... Stars on blue, white with red
e stripes.
Austria. . . IRéd, white, and red.
Bavaria. . . I?ed,
Denmark IRed, with white cross.
France - - Blue, white, and red.
Netherlands Ited, white, and blue.
Portugal . . . . Iłlue and white.
Prussia. . . . . White.
Russia. . . ... White, with blue cross.
Spain . . . . . . Ited, yellow, and red.
Sweden - * * * JBlue, with yellow cross.
Switzerland . . Red, with white cross,
Colours Nailed to the Mast (With
our), 6 outrance. If the colours are
nailed to the mast, they cannot be lowered
to express submission. -
“If they catch you at disadvantage, the mines
for your life is the Word ; and so we fight them
with our colours nailed to the mast.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Pirate, chap. xxi.
Colour-blindness. Incapacity of
discerning one colour from another.
The term was introduced by Sir David
Brewster. It is of three sorts: (1)
inability to discern any colours, so that
everything is either black or white,
shade or light; (2) inability to distin-
guish between primary colours, as red,
blue, and yellow ; or secondary colours,
as green, purple, and Orange; and (3) in-
ability to distinguish between such com-
posite colours as browns, greys, and
neutral tints. Except in this one respect,
the colour-blind may have excellent
vision.
Colour Sergeant. A sergeant who
carries or has charge of the regimental
colours.
Colour (verb). To colour up, to turn
red in the face ; to blush. -
Coloured Frontispiece by Phiz
(A). A blush.
Colporteur'. . A hawker or pedlar ;
so called because he carries his basket or
pack round his neck. The term is more
especially applied to hawkers of religious
books. (Latin, colliſm, the neck; porto,
to carry.)
Colt (A). A piece of knotted rope
eighteen inches long for the special
benefit of ship boys; a cat-o’-nine-tails.
“Ilook alive there; lads, or as sure as my name
is Sam Weston I'll give the colt to the last man
off the deck.”—J. Grant : Dick fºodney, chap. vii.
Colt (A). A barrister who attends a
sergeant-at-law at his induction.
“I sº the newly-made Chief Baron as
G.
his colt.”—Polloc
“Then Mr. Railey, his colt, delivered his ring to
the Lord Chancellor.”—Wymine.
Colt (76). To befool, to gull. (Italian,
colto, cheated, befooled.) T
Colt-pixy (A). A pixy, puck, or
fairy. To colt-pixy is to take what
belongs to the pixies, and is specially
applied to the gleaning of apples after
the crop has been gathered in ; these
apples were the privilege of the pixies,
and to colt-pixy is to deprive the pixies
of their perquisites.
Colt's Revolver. A fire-arm which,
by means of revolving barrels, can be
fired several times without intermission.
This instrument was patented by Colonel
Samuel Colt, U.S., in 1835.
Colt's-tooth. The love of youthful
pleasure. Chaucer uses the word “colt-
ish ’’ for skittish. Horses have at three
years old the colt's-tooth. The allusion
is to the colt's teeth of animals, a period
C olumbine
278 Comazants
of their life when their passions are
strongest.
“Her merry dancing-days are done ;
She has a colt's-tooth still, I warrant.”
I(ing : OrpheuS and Eurydice.
“Well said, Lord Sands;
Your colt's-tooth is not cast yet.”
Shakespeare : Henry VIII., i. 3.
Columbine (3 syl.). The sweetheart
of Harlequin, and, like him, supposed
to be invisible to mortal eyes. Colum-
bi na in Italian is a pet-name for a lady-
love, and means a little dove, a young
coquette.
columbus. His signature was—
%. 63
• Servidor
S. A. S. Sus Altezas Sacras
Y. M. Y. Jesus Maria. Isabel
Xto. FERENS Christo-pher
IEl Almirante El Almirante.
In English, “Servant—of their Sacred
Bighnesses—Jesus Mary and Isabella
—Christopher—the Admiral.”
The second Columbus. Cyrus West
Field was so called by John Bright when
he completed the Atlantic Cable. Born
at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1819.
Columbus of the Skies (The). Sir
F. William Herschel, discoverer of
Georgium Sidus (Uránus), 1738-1822.
Column. -
The A/eacandi'ine Columſ. Made of
granite ; in memory of the Emperor
Alexander.
The Column of Antoninus. At Rome;
made of marble, 176 feet high; in memory
of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Anto-
minus. Like that of Trajan, this column
is covered externally with spiral bas-
reliefs representing the wars carried on
by the emperor. -
Sixtus V. caused the original statue of this
column to be supplanted by a figure of St. Paul.
(See Trajan’s Column.)
The Column of Arcadius. At Con-
stantinople ; made of marble.
Column at Boulogne. To com-
memorate the camp of Boulogne. This
formidable army was intended for the
invasion of England. England also
girded herself for battle, and here the
matter ended. The Column perpetuates
the memory of this threat.
The Duke of York’s Column, in London,
at the top of the steps leading into St.
James’s Park. Erected in 1830-1833 in
memory of Frederick, Duke of York,
second son of George III., who died in
1827. It is of the Tuscan order, was
designed by R. Wyatt, and is made of
Aberdeenshire granite. On the Summit
is a statue of the duke by Sir R. West-
macott. -
The Column of July. 1832, Paris;
made of bronze, and erected on the spot
where the Bastille stood, to commemo-
rate the revolution of July, 1830, when
Charles X. abdicated. It is surmounted
with a statue of Liberty standing on One
foot. -
London’s Column. (See MONUMENT.)
AWelson’s Column. In Trafalgar Square,
London; was erected in 1843. The four
lions, by Landseer, were added in 1867.
The order of the Column is Corinthian,
and the material Devonshire granite.
The reliefs are (north side) the battle of
the Nile, where Nelson was wounded;
(south side) Nelson’s death at the battle
of Trafalgar; (east side) the bombard-
ment of Copenhagen; and (west side)
the battle of St. Vincent. The column
is surmounted by a statue of Nelson by
E. H. Baily. .
Column of the Place Vendôme. Paris,
1806-1810; made of bronze, and erected
in honour of Napoleon I. The spiral
outside represents in bas-relief the battles
of Napoleon I., ending with Austerlitz
in 1805. It is a facsimile of Trajan's
Column.
In 1871 the statue of Napoleon, which
surmounted this column, was hurled to
the ground by the Communists, but in
1874 a statue of Liberty was substituted
for the original one.
Pompey’s Column. In Egypt; made
of marble.
Trajan’s Column. At Rome; made of
marble, A.D. 114, by Apollodorus. It is
132 feet in height, and has inside a
spiral staircase of 185 steps, and 40
windows to let in light. It was sur-
mounted by a statue of the Emperor
Trajan, but Sixtus W. supplanted the
original statue by that of St. Peter. The
spiral outside represents in bas-reliefs
the battles of the emperor.
Columns of Hercules. Two large
pyramidal columns set up by the Phoe-
nicians as lighthouses and landmarks,
dedicated, one to Herculês (the sun),
and the other to Astarte (the moon).
By the Greeks and Romans the two
pyramidal mountains at the Straits of
Gibraltar (Calpé and Abyla), the former
in Europe and the latter in Africa, were
termed the Pillars of Hercules.
Co’ma Berenices (4 syl.). (See
IBERENICE.)
Com’azants. Called St. Elmo fires
by the French, Castor and Pollux by the
Romans. A celestial light seen occa-
sionally to play round mast-heads, etc.
Comb
279
Come
(Latin, co’ma, hair.) Virgil makes good
use of this phenomenon while Ænéas is
hesitating whether to leave burning
Troy or not :
“Eccelevis summo de vertice visius Iuli
Fundere lumen apex, tractugue innoxia. In O: , ,
Lambere flamma comas, et circum tempora pasci
NoS, pavidi trepidare metu, Crinemølue flagran-
Exéºre, et SanctOS restinguere fontibus
ignes.”
When old Anchises interferes, and a
falling star is interpreted to mean that
Jupiter will lead them forth securely.
(AEméid, ii. 682, etc.)
Comb.
A crabtree comb. A cudgel applied to
the head. To smooth your hair with a
Crabtree comb, is to give the head a
knock with a stick.
Jºeynard’s wonderful comb. This comb
existed only in the brain of Master Fox.
FIe said it was made of the Pan'thera’s
bone, the perfume of which was so
fragrant that no one could resist fol-
lowing it; and the wearer of the comb
was always cheerful and merry. (Rey-
nard the Foa, chap. ii.)
To comb one’s head. To humiliate a
person, or to give him a “set down.”
“I’ll carry you with me to my country box, and
keep you out of liarmi's way, till I find you a wife
Who Will comb your head for you.”—Bulwer-
lyttom : What will he do with it 2 iv. 16.
To comb your noddle with a three-legged
stoo! (Taming of the Shrew, i. 1) is to
beat you about the head with a stool.
Many stools, such as those used by milk-
maids, are still made with three legs;
and these handy weapons seem to have
been used at one time pretty freely,
especially by angry women.
To cut one’s comb. To take down a
person’s conceit. In allusion to the prac-
tice of cutting the combs of capons.
To set ttp one’s comb is to be cockish
and vainglorious.
Comb the Cat (To). To run your
fingers through the lashes of a cat-o'-
nine-tails to disentangle them.
Come and take Them. The reply
of Leon’idas, King of Sparta, to the
messengers sent by Xerxes to Thermop'-
ylae. Xerxes said, “Go, and tell those
madmen to deliver up their arms.”
Teonidas replied, “Go, and tell Xerxes
to come and take them.”
Come Ather (pron. ah-ther) means,
when addressed to horses, “comé hither”
—i.e. to the left, the side on which the
teamsman walks. (See Woo'ISH.)
Come Down, a Peg. Humiliated;
lowered in dignity, tone, demands, etc.
“Well, he has come down a peg or two, and he
don't like it.”—Haggard.
A come down.
position.
“‘Now I'm your worship's washerwoman.' The
dignitary coloured, and said that ‘this was rather
a COme dOWn.’”—Reade.
Come Down upon One (To). To
reproach, to punish severely, to make a
peremptory demand.
Come Home. Return to your house;
to touch one’s feelings or interest.
“No poetry was ever more human than Chau-
Cer's ; none eyer came more generally . . . home
to its readers.”—Green : Short History of the Eng-
lish People, chap. Y.
Come it. Has he come it 2 Has he
lent the money? Has he hearkened to
your request ? Has he come over to
your side P Also, “Out with it !”
Come it Strong. Lay it on thick;
to exaggerate or overdo. (See T)RAW. IT
MILD.)
Come Lightly. Lightly come, lightly
go. There is a somewhat similar Latin
proverb, male parta, male dilabl/??tºr.
Come Of. What’s to come of it 3
What’s to come of him 3 A contracted
form of become. To come of [a, good
stock] is to be descended from [a good
family].
Come Off (To). To occur, to take
place. (Anglo-Saxon, of cºſman = Latin,
pro-cedo, to proceed.)
To come off with honours is to proceed
to the end successfully.
fi Come On! A challenge to fight with
sts. +
Come Out. Said of a young lady
after she has been introduced at Court,
or has entered into Society as a “grown-
up” person. She “comes out into
society.” - -
Come Over One (To). To wheedle
one to do or give something. (Anglo-
Loss of prestige or
Saxon, ofter-cuman, to overcome.) To
come over one is in reality to conquer or
get your own way.
Come Round. (See CoMING, etc.).
Come Short (To). Not to be suffi-
cient. “To come short of ’’ means to
miss or fail of attaining.
Come That, as, Can you come that ?
I can’t come that. Here, “come '’ means
to arrive at, to accomplish.
Come the Religious Dodge (To)
means to ask or seek some favour under
pretence of a religious motive. Here
“come '’ means to come and introduce. .
(See DODGE.)
COrme
280
Cormmerndam
Come to. Amount to, to obtain
possession. “It will not come to much.”
Come to Grief (To). To fail, to
prove a failure, as, “the undertaking
(or company) came to grief,” i.e. to a
grievous end.
Come to Hand (It has). Been re-
ceived. “Come into my hand.” In
Latin, ad manus (alicuffus) pervenire.
“Your letter came to hand yesterday.”—A.
Trollope. * -
Come to Pass (To).
befall, to come about.
“What thou hast spoken is come to pass.”—
Jel’. XXXii. 24.
“It came to pass [éyéveto] in those days that
there Went, Ollt a decree.”—Luke ii. I.
Come to an End. To terminate.
The allusion is to travelling, when the
traveller has come to the end of his
journey.
To happen, to
Come to the Hammer. To be sold
by auction.
Come. to the Heath. To tip. A pun
taken from the place called Tip-tree
Heath, in Essex. Our forefathers, and
the French too, delighted in these sort
of puns. A great Source of slang. (See
CHIVY.)
Come to the Point. Speak out
plainly what you want ; do not beat
about the bush, but state at once what
you wish to say. The point is the gist
or grit of a thing. Circumlocution is
wandering round the point with words;
to come to the point is to omit all need-
less speech, and bring all the straggling
rays to a focus or point.
Come to the Scratch. (See
SCRATCH.)
Come to the Worst. If the worst
come to the worst, even if the very worst
OCCULTS.
Come Under (To).
to be classed under.
Marry, come up ! (See
MARRY.) “To come up to ” means to
equal, to obtain the same number of
marks, to amount to the same quantity.
Come Upon the Parish (To). To
live in the workhouse; to be supported
by the parish.
Come Yorkshire over One (To).
To bamboozle one, to overreach one.
Yorkshire has always been proverbial for
shrewdness and sharp practice. “I’s
Yorkshire too” means, I am 'cute as you
are, and am not to be taken in.
To fall under;
Comedy means a village-song (Greek,
ſcomé-Ödé), referring to the village merry-
makings, in which comic songs still take
a conspicuous place. The Greeks had
certain festal processions of great licen-
tiousness, held in honour of Diony’sos,
in the suburbs of their cities, and termed
ko'anoi or village-revels. On these occa-
sions an ode was generally Sung, and
this ode was the foundation of Greek
comedy. (See TRAGEDY.)
The Father of comedy. Aristoph'anés,
the Athenian (B.C. 444-380).
Comes (2 syl.). A Latin military
title, now called count on the continent
of Europe, but earlin England from the
Saxon earldorman (alderman), Danish
eOrle. The wife of an earl is called
countess.
Comet Wine. A term of praise to
signify wine of Superior quality. A
notion prevails that the grapes in comet
years are better in flavour than in other
years, either because the weather is
warmer and ripens them better, or
|because the comets themselves exercise
some chemical influence on them. Thus
wine of the years isii, 1836, isº, isłą,
1852, 1858, 1861, etc., have a repute.
“The old gentleman yet nurses some few bottles
of the famous comet year...(i.e. 1811), emphatically
called connet Wine.”—'I'he Times.
Coming Round. He is coming
Yound. Recovering from sickness; re-
covering from a fit of the sulks; re-
turning to friendship. Death is the
end of life, and therefore recovering
from “sickness nigh unto death '' is
coming back to health, or coming round
the corner.
Command Night. In theatrical par-
lance, a night on which a certain play is
performed by command of Some person
of authority or influence.
Commandment. The eleventh com-
mandment. Thou shalt not be found
out.
“After all, that Eleventh Commandment is the
only one that is vitally important to keep in
these days.”—B. H. Buſctom: Jennie of the Princé's,
iii. 314.
The teſ, commandments. The ten
fingers or nails. (Shakespeare : 2 Henry
V.I., i. 3.)
Comme il Faut (French, pronounce
cum eel fo), as it should be ; quite
proper; quite according to etiquette or
TUL16.
Commen'dam. A living in com-
Amendam is a living held by a bishop till
an incumbent is appointed. When a
clergyman accepts a bishopric he loses
all his previous preferment; but in
Commendation.
281 - Companions
order that these livings may not be
uncared for, they are commended by the
Crown to the care of the new bishop till
they can be properly transferred. Abol-
ished in 1836.
Commendation Ninepence. A
bent silver ninepence, supposed to be
lucky, and commonly used in the Seven-
teenth century as a love-token, the giver
or sender using these words, “From my
love, to my love.” Sometimes the coin
was broken, and each kept a part.
“Like commendation nine pence, crooked,
With ‘To and from my love,' it looked.”
Butler : Hudibras, i. 1.
“, Filbert: As this divides, thus are we torn in
tWaita. -
itty; And as this meets, thus may we meet
again.'
c Gay: What d'ye Call It?
Commis-voyageur (A). A com-
mercial traveller.
Committee. A committee of the
whole house, in Parliamentary language,
is when the Speaker leaves the chair and
all the members form a committee,
where anyone may speak Once or more
than once. In such cases the chair is
occupied by the chairman of commºttees,
elected with each new Parliament.
A standing committee, in Parliamentary
language, is a committee which con-
tinues to the end of the current session.
To this committee are referred all ques-
tions which fall within the scope of their |
appointment.
Committing Falsehood. Swind-
ling.
The Earl of Rosebery pointed out
that the expression “committing false-
hood” in Scotch law was synonymous
with what in England was called swind-
ling (April 25th, 1885).
Commodity of Brown Paper (A).
Rubbish served as make-weight; worth-
less stock; goods palmed off on the
inexperienced. In most auctions the
buyer of a lot has a fair share of the
commodity of brown paper. Rubbish
given to supplement a loan.
“Here's young Master Rash"! he's in for a com-
modity of brown paper and old ginger, nine-score
and seventeen pounds [i.e. £197, a part of the
advance being old ginger and brown paper].”—
Shakespeare: Measure for Measure, iv. 3,
Commodore. A corruption of “com-
mander” (French, commandeur; Spanish,
coméndador). A naval officer in tem-
porary command of a squadron or divi-
sion of a fleet. He has the pay of a
rear-admiral.
Common Pleas. Civil actions at
law brought by one subject against
another—not by the Crown against a
1806
subject. The Court of Common Pleas is
for the trial of civil [not capital]
offences. In 1875 this court was abol-
ished, and in 1880 it was represented by
the Common Pleas Division and merged
in the King’s [or Queen’s] Bench Divi.
S1011.
Common Prayer. The Book of
Common Prayer. The book used by the
Established Church of England in “di-
vine Service.” Common, in this case,
means 20%ted.
Common Sense does not mean that
good Sense which is common, or com-
monly needed in the ordinary affairs of
life, but the sense which is common to
all the five, or the point where the five
Senses meet, supposed to be the seat of
the soul, where it judges what is pre-
Sented by the senses, and decides the
mode of action. (See SEVEN SENSES.)
Commoner. The Great Commoner.
1. Sir John Barnard, who, in 1737,
proposed to reduce the interest of the
national debt from 4 per cent. to 3 per
cent., any creditor being at liberty to
receive his principal in full if he pre-
ferredit. Mr. Goschen (1889-90) reduced
the 3 per cents. to 2%.
2. wºn Pitt, the statesman (1759-
Commons. To put one on short com-
Amons. To stint him, to give him scanty
meals. In the University of Cambridge
the food provided for each student at
breakfast is called his cominojºs hence
food in general or meals. - -
To come into commons. To enter a
society in which the members have a
common or general dinner table.
Commons in Gross — that is, at
large. These are commons granted to
individuals and their heirs by deed, or
claimed by prescription as by a parson
or corporation.
Commonwealths (Ideal). “Utopia.”
by Sir Thomas More, “The New Atlan-
tis” by Lord Bacon, “The City of the
Sun” by Campanella, etc.
Companion Ladder. The ladder
leading from the poop to the main deck.
The “companion way ” is the staircase
to the cabin. (Dana : Seaman’s Manual.)
* The staircase from the deck to the
cabin.
Companions of Jehu. The Chouans
were so called, from a fanciful analogy
between their self-imposed task and that
appointed to Jehu, on being set over the
kingdom of Israel, Jehu was to cut off
Comparisons
282
Conciergerie
Ahab and Jez'ebel, with all their house,
and all the priests of Baal. The Chouans
were to cut off all who assassinated Louis
XVI., and see that his brother (Jehu.)
was placed on the throne.
Comparisons are Odorous. So
says Dogberry. (Much Ado About
Mothing, iii. 5.)
“We own your verses are melºdious,
But then comparison; are, odiollº...,,,,
Swift: Answer to Sheridan’s “Simile.’
Complementary Colours. (See
CoLOURS.)
Complexion literally means “what
embraces or contains,” and the idea im-
plies that the colour of the skin corre-
sponds to the habit of body, and the
habit of body answers to the element
which predominates. If fire predomi-
nates, the person is bilious or full of
bile; if air, he is sanguine or full of
blood ; if earth, the body is melancholic
or full of black bile ; if water, it is
phleg'matic or full of phlegm. The first
is hot and dry, the second hot and
moist, the third cold and dry, and the
last moist and cold like water.
“'Tis ill, tho’ different your complexions are [i.e.
dispositions].” . Dryden.
“Cretans through mere complexion lie.”
Pitt: IIymm of Callimachus.
Com/pline (2 syl.). The last service
of the day in the
Church. First appointed by the abbot
Benedict in the sixth century. The
word is a corruption of completo/rium.
In ecclesiastical Latin vesperiºus, from
^esper, means evening service, and 60m-
pletinus is formed on the same model.
Compostella. A corruption of Gia-
como-postolo (James the Apostle). So
called after his relics were transferred
thither from Iria Flavia (El Padron) on
the borders of Galicia, in the ninth
century. Leo III. transferred the See
of Iria Flavia to Compostella. (Some-
where between 810 and 816.)
Compte rendu. The account already
sent; the account of particulars deli-
wered; a report of proceedings.
Com/rade (2 syl.). The name of
Fortu'nio's fairy horse. It ate but once
a week; knew the past, present, and
future; and spake with the voice of a
man. (Grimm's Goblins : Fortunio.)
(See HoRSE.)
Com/rades (2 syl.). Those who sleep
in the same bed-chamber. It is a Spanish
military term derived from the custom
of dividing soldiers into chambers. The
Boman Catholic
proper spelling is camerades, men of the
same cam'era (chamber).
Coſmus. God of revelry. Milton
represents him as a male Circé. (Greek,
komos, carousal.) -
“This nymph (Circe], that gazed upon his [Bac-
chus's] clustering locks, . . . .
Had by him, ere he parted thence, a son,
Much like his father, but his mother Imore,
Whom therefore she brought up, and Colmuş
named.” Milton : Coºvus, 54–58.
Comus. The elder brother in this
domestic drama is meant for Lord Vis-
count Brackley, eldest son of John,
Earl of Bridgewater, president of Wales.
The younger brother is Mr. Thomas
Egerton. The lady is Lady Alice Eger-
ton. (Milton.) -
Comus's Court. A social gathering
formerly held at the Half-Moon Tavern
in Cheapside, London.
Con Amo're (Italian). With heart
and soul; as, “He did it con amo're '’—
$.e. lovingly, with delight, and therefore
in good earnest.
Con Commodo (Italian). At a con-
venient rate. A musical term.
Con Spirito (Italian). . With quick-
ness and vivacity. A musical term.
Co'nan. The Thersités of “Fingal; ”
brave even to rashness.
Blow for blow or claw for claw, as
Coman said. Conan made a vow never
to take a blow without returning it;
when he descended into the infernal
regions, the arch-fiend gave him a cuff,
which Conan instantly returned, saying
“Claw for claw.”
“‘Blow for blow,’ as Conan said to the devil.”—
Scott: Waverley, chap. xxii.
Concert Pitch. The degree of
sharpness or flatness adopted by a
number of musicians acting in concert,
that all the instruments may be in ac-
cord. Generally, a particular note is
selected for the standard, as A or C ;
this note is put into the proper pitch,
and all other notes are regulated by it.
Concerto (Italian). A composition
intended to display the powers of some
particular instrument, with orchestral
accompaniments.
Con'cierge (3 syl.). French. The .
door - porter of a public or private
“hotel,” or house divided into flats,
or of a prison.
Conciergerie. (French.) The office
or room of a concierge or porter's lodge;
a state prison. During the Revolution
it was the prisor, where the chief victims
were confined prior to execution,
Conclave
288
Congregationalists
Conclave (2 syl.). A set of rooms,
all of which are entered by one common
key (Latin, con cla/vis). The word is
applied to the little deal cells erected in
some large apartment for the cardinals
who meet to choose a new Pope, because
the long gallery of the Vatican between
the cells and the windows of the palace
is common ground to all the conclavists.
The assembly itself is, by a figure of
speech, also called a conclave.
Conclama/tio, amongst the ancient
Romans, was similar to the Irish howl
Over the dead; and, as in Ireland, women
led the funeral cortège, weeping Osten-
tatiously and gesticulating. “One not
howled over ?’ (corpus nondºm conclama/-
tºm) meant one at the point of death;
and “one howled for ” was one given up
for dead or really deceased. Virgil tells
us that the ululation was a Phoenician
custom ; and therefore he makes the
palace ring with howls when Dido burnt
Therself to death.
“Lamentis, gemituque, et foemineo ululato,
Texta fremunt.” Aſhweid, iv. 667.
Conclamatum est. He is dead past
all hope. The sense of hearing is gener-
ally the last to fail in the hour of death,
hence the Romans were accustomed to
call on the deceased three times by
name, and if no indication of hearing
was shown death was considered certains
Conclamatum est, he has been called and
shows no sign.
Concord is Strength. The wise
saw of Periander, “tyrant” of Corinth
(B.G. 665-585). -
Concor'dat. An agreement made
between a ruler and the Pope relative
to the collation of benefices. As the
Concordat of 1801 between Napoleon
Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII. ; the
Concordat of 1516 between François I.
and Pope Leo X. to abolish the “prag-
matic sanction; ” and the Germanic
Concordat of 1448 between Frederick
III. and Pope Nicholas W.
Condign'. Latin, condignus (well
Worthy); as condign punishment—i.e.
punishment well deserved.
“In thy con’dign praise.”
Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost, i. 2,
Condottieri. Leaders of military
adventurers in the fifteenth century.
The most noted of these brigand leaders
in Italy were Guarnie'ri, Lando, Fran-
Qes'CO of Carmagnola, and Francesco
Sforza. Giacomo Sforza, the son of
Francesco, married the daughter of
the Duke of Milan, and succeeded his
father-in-law. The singular is Com-
dottière (5 syl.). -
Confederate States. The eleven
States which revolted from the Union in
the late American Civil War (1861-1866)
—viz. Georgia, North and South Caro-
li'na, Virginia, Tennessee', Alabama,
Louisia'na, Arkan'sas, Mississippi, and
Flor'ida and Texas.
Confederation of the Rhine. Six-
teen German provinces in 1806 dissolved
their connection with Germany, and
allied themselves with France. At the
downfall of Napoleon in 1814 this con-
federation melted away of itself.
Confession. John of Nepomuc,
canon of Prague, suffered death rather
than violate the seal of confession. The
Emperor Wenceslas ordered him to be
thrown off a bridge into the Moldau, be-
cause he refused to reveal the confession
of the empress. He was canonised as
St. John Nepomu'cen.
Confiscate (3 syl.). To forfeit to
the public treasury. (Tatin, c0% fiscus,
with the tribute money.)
“If thou dost shed one drop of Christian blood,
Thy lands and goods are, by the laws of Venice,
Confiscate to the State Of Venice.”
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, iv. 1.
Confusion Worse Confounded.
T]isorder made worse than before.
“With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout,
COInfusion Worse confounded.”
Milton: Paradise Lost, ii. line 996.
Congé. “To give a person his congé'”
is to dismiss him from your service.
“To take one’s congé'' is to give notice
to friends of your departure. This is
done by leaving a card at the friend’s
house with , the letters P.P.C. (pour
prendre congé) inscribed on the left-hand.
corner. (French, donner congé and don-
her & 80% congé.)
Congé d'Elire (Norman - French,
Weave to elect). A royal warrant given
to the dean and chapter of a diocese to
elect the person nominated by the Crown
to their vacant see.
Congle'ton Bears. The men of
Congleton. It is said that the Congle-
ton parish clerk sold the church Bible to
buy a bear.
Congrega'tionalists. Those Pro-
testant Dissenters who maintain that
each congregation is an independent
community, and has a right to make its
Own laws and choose its own minister.
. rose in the time of Queen Eliza-
eth. -
Congreve
284
Conscience
Congreve Rockets. (1808.) . So
called from Sir William Congreve, eldest
son of Lieut.-Colonel Sir William Con-
grewe (1772-1828).
Congreves. A predecessor of Lucifer
matches. The splints were first dipped
in sulphur, and then tipped with the
chlorate of potash paste, in which gum
was substituted for sugar, and there was
added a small quantity of Sulphide of
antimony. The match was ignited by
being drawn through a fold of Sand-
paper with pressure. These matches,
being dangerous, were prohibited in
France and Germany. (See PROME-
THEANS ; LUCIFERS.)
Conſiugal. What pertains to con-
jugås (yoke-fellows). In ancient times
a yoke (jugºſin) was put on a man and
woman by way of marriage ceremony,
and the two were said to be yoked
together by marriage.
Conjuring Cap. I mºst pºſt 07, any
conjuring cap—i.e., your question re-
quires deliberate thought, and I must
reflect on it. Eric XIV., King of Sweden,
was a great admirer of magic, and had
an “enchanted cap * made, either to
keep his head warm or for mystification.
He pretended to have power over the
elements; and when a storm arose, his
subjects used to say “The king has got
on his conjuring cap.”
Connecticut, U.S. America, is the
Indian Quin - ?eh - Čuk-gut, meaning
“land of the long tidal river.”
Connubialis de Muleibre fecit
Apellem. Love turned a blackSmith
into a great artist. Said of Quentin
Matsys, the blackSmith of Antwerp, who
was in love with an artist’s daughter.
The father scorned the alliance, and said
he should not be accepted unless he
made himself a worthy artist. This did
Matsys and won his bride. The sen-
tence may be seen still on the monument
of Quentin Matsys outside Antwerp
cathedral.
Conqueror. The Conqueror.
Alexander the Great. The conqueror
of the world. (B.C. 356, 336-323.)
Alfonso of Portugal. (1094, 1137-
1185.)
Aurungzebe the Great. Alemgir. The
most powerful of the great Moguls.
(1618, 1659-1707.)
James I. of Aragon. (1206, 1213-1276.)
Othman or Osman I. Founder of the
Turkish power. (1259, 1299–1326.)
Francisco Pizarro. Conquistador. So
too, in all conscience.”.
called because he conquered Peru. (1475-
1541. -
William, Duke of Normandy. So
called because he obtained England by
conquest. (1027, 1066-1087.)
Conqueror's Nose (A). A promin-
ent straight nose, rising at the bridge.
Charlemagne had such a nose, so had
Henry the Fowler (Heinrich I. of Ger-
many); Rudolf I. of Germany; Fried-
rich I. of Hohenzollern, famous for
reducing to order his unruly barons by
blowing up their castles (1382–1440);
our own “Iron Duke; ” Bismarck, the
iron Chancellor of Prussia; etc.
Conquest (The). The accession of
William I. to the crown of England.
So called because his right depended on
his conquest of Harold, the reigning
king. " (1066.)
Conrad (Lord). Afterwards called
Tara, the corsair. A proud, ascetic, but
successful captain. Hearing that the
Sultan Seyd was about to attack the
pirates, Conrad assumed the disguise of
a dervish and entered the palace, while
his crew set fire to the sultan’s fleet.
The trick being discovered, Conrad was
taken prisoner, but was released by Gul-
nare, the Sultan’s favourite concubine,
whom he had rescued from the flaming
palace. Gulnare escaped with the cor-
sair to the Pirates’ Isle, and when Con-
rad found Medora dead, he left the
island, and no one knew whither he
went. The rest of his adventures are
recorded under his new name of Lara.
(Byron : The Corsair.)
Coriscience.
IHave you the conscience to [demand
such a pricel. Can your conscience
allow you to [demand such a price].
Conscience is the secret monitor within
man which accuses or excuses him, as
he does what he thinks to be wrong or
right - *
17, all conscience. As, “And enough
* Meaning that
the demand made is as much as Con-
science would tolerate without accusing
the person of actual dishonesty ; to the
verge of that fine line which separates
honesty from dishonesty.
My conscience 1 An oath. I swear by
Court of Conscience. Established for
the recovery of small debts in London
and other trading places. These courts
have been superseded by county courts.
“Why should not Conscience have yacation,
As well as other courts o' the nation ?” ..
Bºttlem'. Hudibras, ii. 2,
my conscience.
Conscience - 28
Nonconformist Conscience. (See NON-
CONFORMIST.)
Conscience Clause (A). A glause
in an Act of Parliament to relieve per-
sons with conscientious scruples from
certain requirements in it.
Conscience Money. Money paid
anonymously to Government by persons
who have defrauded the revenue. Their
conscience being uneasy, they send the
deficit to the Treasury, and the Sum is
advertised in the Gazette.
Conscious Water, . The conscioets
water saw its God, and blushed (Nympha
pudica Deum widit, et erubidit). Crashaw's
epigram on the miracle of Cana in
Galilee. “The modest water ’’ would
be a closer rendering.
Conscript Fathers. In Latin, Patres
Conscripti. The Roman Senate.
lus instituted a senate consisting of a
hundred elders, called Patres (Fathers).
After the Sabines joined the State,
another hundred were added. Tar-
quinius Priscus, the fifth king, added a
third hundred, called Patres Minórum
Gentium. When Tarquinius Superbus,
the seventh and last king of Rome, was
banished, several of the senate followed
him, and the vacancies were filled up by
Junius Brutus, the first consul. The
new members were enrolled in the sena-
torial register, and called Conscripti; the
entire body was then addressed as Patres
[of] Conscript; or Patres, Conscripti.
Consentes Dii. The twelve chief
Toman deities—
Jupiter, Apollo, Mars, Neptune, Mer-
cury, and Vulcan.
Juno, Vesta, Minerva, Cerés, Diana,
and Venus. -->
IEnnius puts them into two hexameter
VēTSéS :
“J unº Vesta, Minerva, Ceres, Diana, Venus,
Mars, .
Mercurius, Jovi', Neptunus, Vulcanus, Apollo.”
tº Called “consentes,” says Varro,
“Quia in , consilium Jovis adhibebantur.”—De
Jinjua Latimſt, Yii. 28.
Consenting Stars. Stars forming
configurations for good or evil. In
Judges v. 20 we read that “the stars in
their courses fought against Sisera,” i.e.
formed unlucky or malignant configura-
tions.
“. . . . Scourge the bad revolting stars
That have consented unto Henry's death.”
Shakespeare : ; Henry VI., i. 1.
Conservative (4 syl.). A medium
Tory—one who wishes to preserve the
union of Church and State, and not
radically to alter the constitution. The
Bomu-
of three per cent.
Constable
-* * -
word was first used in this sense in 1830,
in the January number of the Quarterly
Beview—“We have always been con-
scientiously attached to what is called
the Tory, and which might with more
propriety be called the Conservative
party’’ (p. 276).
* Canning, ten years previously, had
used the word in a speech delivered at
Liverpool in March, 1820. In Lord
Salisbury's Ministry those Whigs and
Radicals who joined the Conservatives
were called “Liberal Dnionists’’ because
they objected to give Ireland a separate
parliament (1885).
Consistory (A). An ecclesiastical
court. In Rome it consists of the car-
dinals, presided over by the Pope. In
England it is a diocesan court, presided
over by the chancellor of the diocese.
Consolidated Fund (The). In 1757
an Act was passed for consolidating the
nine loans bearing different interests,
into one common loan bearing an interest
In 1890 this interest
was reduced to two and three-quarter
per cent. ; and in 1903 will be still further
reduced to two and a-half per cent.
This fund is pledged for the payment of
the interest of the national debt, the
civil list, the salaries of the judges, am-
bassadors, and other high officials, etc.
Consols. A contraction of Consoli-
dated Fund. (See above.)
Consort is, properly, one whose lot
is cast in with another. As the Queen
does not lose by marriage her separate
existence, like other women, her husband
is called a consort, because he consorts
with the Queen, but does not share her
sovereignty.
“Wilt; thou be our consort. 2”
Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Veroma, iv. I.
Conspirators. Members of a com-
mercial ring or corner. (See CoRNER,
TRUSTS.) These merchants “conspire”
to fix the price of articles, and make the
public bleed ad libiţūm. In criminal
law it means persons who league to-
gether to do something unlawful.
Constable (Latin, comás-stab'uli)
means “Master of the Horse.” The
constable of England and France was at
one time a military officer of state, next
in rank to the crown.
To overritº or 02/tratº the constable. To
get into debt; spend more than one’s
income ; to talk about what you do not
understand. (See below.)
“Quoth Hudibras, Friend Ralph, thou hast
Outrun the constable at last ;
Contenement
Constable 286
; §º. **śe.” Constitution. The fundamental laws
pute, Butler; Érudibras, i. 3. of a state. It may be either despotic,
Who’s to pay the constable 2 Who is
to pay the score?
The constable arrests debtors, and, of
course, represents the creditor; where-
fore, to overrun the constable is to
overrun your credit account. To pay
the constable is to give him the money
due, to prevent an arrest.
Constable de Bourbon. Charles,
Duc de Bourbon, a powerful enemy of
François I. He was killed while heading
the assault on Rome. (1527.)
Constantine Tolman (Cornwall).
A vast egg-like stone, thirty-three feet
in length, eighteen in width, and four-
teen in thickness, placed on the points
of two natural rocks, so that a man may
creep under it. The stone upheld weighs
750 tons.
Constantine's Cross. In Latin,
wincés in hoc ; in English, By this con-
quer. It is said that Constantine, on his
march to Rome, saw a luminous
cross in the sky, in the shape and
with the motto here given. In
the night before the battle of
Saxa Rubra, a vision appeared
to him in his sleep, commanding
him to inscribe the cross and the motto
on the shields of his soldiers. He obeyed
the voice of the vision, and prevailed.
The monogram is XP.orros (Christ). (See
Gibbon . Decline and Fall, chap. xix. n.)
This may be called a standing miracle
in legendary history; for, besides An-
drew’s cross, and the Dannebrog or red
cross of Denmark (q.v.), we have the
cross which appeared to Don Alonzo
before the battle of Ourique in 1139,
when the Moors were totally routed with
incredible slaughter. As Alonzo was
drawing up his men, the figure of a cross
appeared in the eastern sky, and Christ,
suspended on the cross, promised the
Christian king a complete victory. This
legend is commemorated by the device
assumed by Alonzo, in a field argent five
escutcheons azure, in the form of a cross,
each escutcheon being charged with five
bezants, in memory of the five wounds
of Christ. (See LABARUM.)
Constituent Assembly. The first
of the national assemblies of the French
Revolution ; so called because it took
an oath never to separate till it had
given to France a constitution. (1788-
1791.)
Constituents. Those who constitute
or elect members of Parliament. (Latin,
constit’uo, to place or elect, etc.)
aristocratic, democratic, or mixed.
To give a nation a constitution is to
give it fixed laws even to the limitation
of the sovereign's rights, so that the
people are not under the arbitrary
caprice of a ruler, but under a known
code of laws. A despotism or autocracy
is solely under the unrestricted will of
the despot or autocrat.
Constitutions of Clar'endon. (See
CLARENDON.) -
Apostolic Constitutions. A “Catholic”
code of both doctrine and discipline
collected by Clemens Românus. The
word “Apostolic,” as in the “Apostles’
Creed,” does not mean made by the
Apostles, but what the “Church’’ con-
sidered to be in accordance with apos-
tolic teaching.

Con'strue. To translate. To trans-
late into English means to set an English
word in the place of a foreign word,
and to put the whole sentence in good
grammatical Order. (Latin, construo, to
construct.)
... Consuelo (4 syl.). The impersona-
tion of moral purity in the midst of
temptations. The heroine of George
Sand's (Mad. Dudevant’s) novel of the
SæIIle Ila, Iſle.
Contango. The sum paid by a
speculator on a “bull account’’ (i.e. a
speculation on the rise in the price of
certain stock), to defer completing the
bargain till the next settling day. (See
BACKWARDATION.)
Contemplate (3 syl.). To inspect or
watch the temple. The augur among the
IRomans, having taken his stand on the
Capitoline Hill, marked out with his
wand the space in the heavens he in-
tended to consult. This space he called
the templaim. Having divided his
templum into two parts from top to
bottom, he watched to see what would
occur; the watching of the templum was .
called contemplating.
Contempt' of Court. Refusing to
conform to the rules of the law courts.
Consequential contempt is that which
tends to obstruct the business or lower
the dignity of the court by indirection.
JDirect contempt is an open insult or
resistance to the judge or others officially
employed in the court.
Contenement. A word used in
Magna Charta, Ineaning the lands and
chattels connected with a tenement;
*
Contentment
287
Cooking
also whatever befits the Social position
of a person, as the arms of a gentle-
man, the merchandise of a trader, the
ploughs and wagons of a peasant, etc.
“In every case the contenement (a Word ex-
pressive of chattels necessary to each iman's
station) was exempted from seizure.”—Hallam :
Middle Ages, part ii. Chal). Wiii. p. 342.
Contentment is true Riches. The
wise saw of Democ'ritos, the laughing
philosopher. (B.C. 509-400.)
“Content is wealth, the riches of the mind ;
And happy lie who can Such riches find.”
Dryden. : Wife of Bath's Tale.
Contests of Wartburg (The), some-
times called The Battles of the Minstrels.
An annual contest held in Wartburg, in
Saxe Weimar, for a prize given by
Hermann, Margrave of Thuringia, for
the best poem. About 150 specimens of
these poems are still extant, by far the
best being those of Walter of Vogel-
weide, in Thuringia (1168–1230).
tº The poem called The Contest of
Wartburg is by Wolfram, a minnesinger.
It records the contest of the two great
German schools of poetry in the thir-
teenth century—the Thuringian and the
Suabian. Henry of Vogel-weide and
Henry of Ofterdingen represent the two
schools.
Continence of a Scipio. It is said
that a beautiful princess fell into the
hands of Scipio Africa'nus, and he re-
fused to see her, “lest he should be
tempted to forget his principles.” The
same is said of Cyrus (see PANTHEA), of
Anson (see THERESA), and of Alexander.
Continental System. A name
given to Napoleon’s plan for shutting
out Great Britain from all commerce
with the continent of Europe. He
forbade under pain of war any nation
of Europe to receive British exports, or
to send imports to any of the British
dominions. It began Nov. 21st, 1806.
Contin'gent (A). The quota of
troops furnished by each of several con-
tracting powers, according to agreement.
The word properly means the number
which falls to the lot of each ; hence we
call a fortuitous event a contingency.
Contra bonos Mores (Latin). Not
in accordance with good manners; not
comme il faut (q.v.).
Contretemps (French).
chance, Something inopportune.
ally, “out of time.”
Conven'ticle means a “little con-
vent,” and was originally applied to a
cabal of monks against the Telection of
A mis-
Liter-
a proposed abbot. It now means a
religious meeting of dissenters. (Latin,
conventus, an assembly, with a dimin-
utive.) (See CHAPEL.)
Conversation Sharp. Richard
Sharp, F.R.S., the critic. (1759-1835.)
Convey. A polite term for steal.
Thieves are, by a similar euphemism,
called conveyers. (Latin, con-veho, to
carry away.) -
“Convey, the wise it call. Steal foll a fico
for the phrase.” — Shakespeare : Merry Wives of
Windsor, i. 3.
Conveyers. Thieves. (See above.)
“Bolingbroke. ‘Go, Some of you, convey him to
the TOWel'.”
Ičich. II. ‘O, good “Convey.” Conveyers are
Thai ‘. thus nimbly by a true king's fall.’”
Shakespeare: Iłichard II., iv. 4.
Conway Cabal (The), 1777. A
faction organised to place General Gates
at the head of the American army. He
conquered Burgoyne, October, 1777, at
Saratoga, and hoped to supplant Wash-
ington. The Conway referred to is the
town in New Brunswick, North America,
where the cabal was formed.
General Gates was conquered in 1780 by Lord
Cornwallis.
Con'yger or Conigry. A warren
for conies, a cony-burrow.
Cooing and Billing, like Philip and
Mary on a shilling. The reference is
to coins struck in the year 1555, in which
Mary and her consort are placed face
to face, and not cheek by jowl, the
usual way.
“Still amorous, and fond, and billing,
Like Philip and Mary on a shilling.”
IIudibras, part; iii. 1.
(See GoosF.)
Cooked. The books have been cooked,
Cook your Goose.
The ledger and other trade books have
been tampered with, in order to show a
balance in favour of the bankrupt. The
term was first used in reference to
George Hudson, the railway king, under
whose chairmanship the Eastern Counties
Railway accounts were falsified. The
allusion is to preparing meat for table.
Cooking.
Terms belonging to cuisine applied to
man under different circumstances:
Sometimes he is well basted ; he
boils with rage, is baked with heat,
and burns with love or jealousy. Some-
times he is buttered and well but-
tered ; he is often cut aſp, devoured
with a flame, and done brown. We
dress his jacket for him ; sometimes
he is eate?? up with care ; sometimes he
Cooks
288
Cool Hundred
is fried. We cook his goose for him, and
sometimes he makes a goose of himself.
We make a hash of him, and at times he
makes a hash of something else. He
gets into hot water, and sometimes into
a mess. Is made into mincemeat, makes
mincemeat of his money, and is often in
a pickle. We are often asked to toast
him, sometimes he gets well roasted, is
sometimes set on fire, put into a stew, or
is in a stew no one knows why. A “soft”
is half-baked, one severely handled is
well peppered, to falsify accounts is to
salt them, wit is Attic salt, and an ex-
aggerated statement must be taken cum
grano Salis. A pert young person is a
sauce boa, a shy lover is a spoon, a rich
father has to fork out, and is sometimes
dished of his money. -
ii. Connected with foods and drinks.
A conceited man does not think small
beer (or small potatoes) of himself, and
our mouth is called a potato-trap. A
simpleton is a cake, a gudgeon, and a
pigeon. Some are cool as a cucumber,
others hot as a quail. A chubby child is
a little dumpling. A man or woman
may be a cheese or duck. A courtesan
is called a mºttom, and a large coarse
hand is a mutton fist. A greedy person
is a pig, a fat one is a saltsage, and a shy
one, if not a sheep, is certainly sheep-
āsh ; while a Lubin casts sheep’s eyes at
his lady-love. A coward is chicken-
hearted, a fat person is crummy, and a
cross one is crusty, while an aristocrat
belongs to the upper crust of society. A
yeoman of the guards is a beef-eater, a
soldier a red herring, a policeman a
lobster, and a stingy, ill-tempered old
man is a crab. A walking advertiser
between two boards is a sandwich. An
alderman in his chair is a turkey hung
with sausages. e
each other are like as two peas. A chit
is a mere Sprat, a delicate maiden a
tit-bit, and a colourless countenance is
called a whey - face. “How now P
. . . Where got ye that whey-face P”
Cooks. Afhenaeus affirms that cooks
were the first kings of the earth.
In the luxurious ages of ancient Greece
Sicilian cooks were most esteemed, and
received very high wages. Among them
Trimal'cio was very celebrated. It is
said that he could cook the most common
fish, and give it the flavour and look of
the most highly esteemed.
In the palmy days of Rome a chief
cook had £800 a year. Antony gave
the cook who arranged his banquet for
Cleopatra, the present of a city.
Two persons resembling .
Modern Cooks.
CAREME. Called the “Regenerator
of Cookery” (1784-1833).
FRANCATELLI (Charles Elmé), who
succeeded Ude at Crockford’s. After-
wards he was appointed to the Royal
household, and lastly to the Reform
Club (1805-1876).
SoYER (Alexis), who died 1858. His
epitaph is Soyer tranquille.
UDE. The most learned of modern
cooks, author of Science de Gueule. It
was Ude who said, “A cook must be
|born a cook, he cannot be made.”
Another of his sayings is this: “Music,
dancing, fencing, painting, and me-
chanics possess professors under the age
of twenty years, but pre-eminence in
cookery can never be attained under
thirty years of age.” Ude was chef to
Louis XIV., then to Lord Sefton, then
to the Duke of York, then to Crock-
ford’s Club. He left Lord Sefton’s
because on one occasion one of the
guests added pepper to his soup.
WATEL. At a fête given by the great.
Condé to Louis XIV. at Cantilly the roti
at the twenty-fifth table was wanting.
Watel being told of it exclaimed that
he could not survive such a disgrace.
Another messenger then announced that
the lobsters for the turbot-sauce had not
arrived, whereupon Watel retired to his
room and, leaning his sword against the
wall, thrust himself through, and at the
third attempt succeeded in killing him-
self (1671).
WELTJE. Cook to George while
Prince Regent.
Cool Card. You are a cool card (or
pretty cool card). A person who coolly
asks for something preposterous or out-
rageous. Card = character, hence a
queer card, a rum card, etc. And
“cool” in this connection means coolly
impudent.
* Gifford says the phrase means a
“cooling-card, or bolus”; but this is not
likely, as a cool-card acts generally as
an irritant. A person’s card of address
is given at the door, and represents the
person himself, and this without doub
is the card referred to. -
“You’re a shaky old card ; and you can't he in
Jove with this Lizzie.”—Dickens: Own Mºtitial
Friend, book iii, chap. i. p. 192. *--
Cool as a Cucumber. Perfectly
composed; neither angry nor agitated
in the least.
Cool Hundred (A) or Cool Thousand
(or any other sum) means entire, or the
whole of £100. Cool, in this case,
Cool Tankard
289
Cophetua
means, not influenced by hot-headed
enthusiasm or exaggeration.
“I lost a cool hundred myself.”—Mackenzie.
Cool Tankard (A) or Cool Cup. A
drink made of wine and water, with
lemon, sugar, and borage; SOmetimes
also slices of cucumber. -
Coon (A) means a racoon, a Small
American animal valued for its fur. It
is about the size of a fox, and lodges in
hollow trees.
A gone coon. A person in a terrible
fix; one on the verge of ruin. The
coon being hunted for its fur is a “gone
Coon” when it has no escape from its
pursuers. It is said that Colonel Crockett
was one day out racoon - shooting in
North America, when he levelled his
gun at a tree where an “old coon '' was
concealed. Knowing the colonel’s
prowess, it cried out, in the voice of a
man, “Hallo, there ! air you Colonel
Crockett P for if you air, I’ll jist come
down, or I know I am a gone 'coon.”
* Martin Scott, lieutenant-general of
the United States, is said to have had a
prior claim to this saying.
Cooper. Half stout and half porter.
The term arises from the practice at
breweries of allowing the coopers a daily
portion of stout and porter. As they do
not like to drink porter after stout, they
mix the two together.
Cooper. A coop for wine bottles.
The bottles lie in a slanting position in
the coop, and may be transported in
it from place to place. We find allu-
Sions to “six-bottle coopers” not un-
frequently, i.e. coops or cases containing
six bottles. ... Compare “hen-coops,”
“cooped up,” etc. (Latin, cuſpá, a
cask; our “cup.”)
“ (Enter waiter with a cooper of wine.)
Waitel' : Six bottles of Wine for Corporal
Toddy.” O'Keeffe : Ifogºtes All, iii. 4.
Cooper. Do you want a cooper ?
This question is asked of those who have
an Order to visit the wine cellars of the
London Docks. The “cooper’’ bores
the casks and gives the visitor different
wines to taste. -
Cooper's Hill. Near Runnymede
and Egham. . Both Denham and Pope
have written in praise of this hill.
“If I can lye to thee
A poet, thou Parnassus art to me.”
Lenham,
Coot. A silly old coot. Stupid as a
coot. The coot is a small water-fowl.
Bald as a coot. The coot has a strong,
straight, and somewhat conical bill, the
base of which tends to push up the fore-
head, and there dilates, so as to form a
remarkable naked patch.
Cop (A). A policeman.
Cop (A). A copperhead (q.v.).
Cop. To throw, as cop it here. The
Word properly means to beat or strike,
as to cop a shuttlecock or ball with a
bat. (Greek, copio, to beat); but in
Norfolk it means to “hull’’ or throw.
Cop (To). To catch [a fever, etc.].
To “get copped” is to get caught by
the police. (Latin, capere, to take, etc.)
A similar change of a into 0 is in cotched
(caught).
“They thought I was sleepin', ye know,
And they Sed as I’d copped it o' Jim ;
Well, it come like a bit of a blow,
l'Or. I watched by the deathbed of him.”
Simms: Datgomet Ballads (The Last Letter).
“‘I shall cut this to-morrow, . . . .” said the
younger man. “You’ll be copped, then,' replied
the other.”—T. Terrell: Lady Delmar.
Copenhagen. The Duke of Welling-
ton's horse, on which he rode in the
Battle of Waterloo, “from four in the
morning till twelve at night.” It was a
rich chestnut, 15 hands high. It was
afterwards a pensioner in the paddocks
of Strathfieldsaye. It died quite blind,
in 1835, at the age of twenty-seven,
and was buried with military honours.
(See HoRSE.)
Copernicanism. The doctrine that
the earth moves round the Sun, in op-
position to the doctrine that the sun
moves round the earth; so called after
Nicolas Copernicus, the Prussian as-
tronomer. (1473-1543.)
“Even Bellarmine does not by any means hold
the consensus to be decisive against Coperni-
canism ; for, in his letter to F. Foscarini, he says
that though he does not belieye that any proof of
the earth's motion can be adduced, yet, should
Such proof occur, he is quite prepared to change
his views as to the meaning of the Scripture
text.”—Nineteenth Century, May, 1886 (The Case of
Galileo). -
“Whereas it has come to the knowledge of the
Holy Congregation that that false Pythagorean
doctrine altogether, opposed to Holy Scripture,
on the mobility of the earth and the immobility
of the Sun, taught by Nicholas Copernicus
This congregation llas decreed that the said book
Of Colpernicus De Suspended until it be corrected.”
—Decrée of the H. Congregation of the Indez, A.D.
1616. (Quoted in the Nineteenth Century, as above.)
Copes'mate (2 syl.). A companion.
“Copesmate of ugly night’” (Rape of
Lucrece), a mate who copes with you.
Cophet'ua. An imaginary king of
Africa, of great wealth, who “ disdained
all womankind.” One day he saw a
|beggar-girl from his window, and fell in
love with her. He asked her name ; it
was Penel'ophon, called by Shakespeare
Xenel'ophon (Love's Labotør’s Lost, iv. 1).
* - - a -
19 -
Copper
290
Coq-à-l’āne
They lived together long and happily,
and at death were universally lamented.
(Percy’s Reliques, book ii. 6.)
“King Cophetua loved the beggar-maid.”
Shakespeare: IRomeo and Juliet. ii. 1.
Copper (A). A policeman. Said to
lbe so called from the copper badge which
Fernando Wood, of New York, appointed
them to wear ; but more likely a variant
of “cop ’’ (q.v.).
“There were cries of “Coppers, Coppers 'in the
yard, and then a violent Struggle. . . . . Who-
ever it was that was wanted had been evidently
secured and dragged off to gaol.”—T. Terrell: Lady
L'eliſzár, 1.
Copper was by the ancient alchemists
called Venus ; gold, symbol of Apollo
(the Sun); silver, of Diana (the moon);
iron, of Mars; quicksilver, of Mercury;
tin, of Jupiter; and lead, of Saturn.
Copper. Give us a copper, i.e. a piece
of copper money. I have no coppers—
no ha'pence.
Copper Captain (A). A Brummagem
captain; a “General von Poffenburgh.”
Michael Perez is so called in Jè7tle a
Wife and have a Wife, by Beaumont and
Fletcher.
“To this copper-captain was confided the com-
mand of the troops.”— W. Irving.
Copper Nose. Oliver Cromwell ;
also called “Ruby Nose,” “Nosey,”
and “Nose Almighty,” no doubt from
some scorbutic tendency which showed
itself in a big red nose.
Copper-nosed Harry. Henry VIII.
When Henry VIII. had spent all the
money left him by his miserly father, he
minted an inferior silver coin, in which
the copper alloy soon showed itself on
the more prominent parts, especially the
nose of the face; and hence the people
soon called the king “Old Copper-nose.”
Copperheads. Secret foes. Copper-
heads are poisonous serpents of America
that give no warning, like rattlesnakes,
of their attack. In the great Civil War
of the United States the term was ap-
plied by the Federals to the peace party,
supposed to be the covert friends of the
Confederates.
Copple. The hen killed by Reynard,
in the tale of Reynard the Foac.
Copronymus. So Constantine V.
was surnamed (718, 741-775). “Ropros”
is the Greek for dung, and Constantine
W. was called Copronymus: “JParce qu'il
salit les fonts baptism&lſº lorsqu'on le
ôaptisait.”
Copts. The Jacobite Christians of
Egypt, who have for eleven centuries
been in possession of the patriarchal
chair of Alexandria. The word is prob-
ably derived from Coptos, the metro-
polis of the Theba'id. . These Christians
conduct their worship in a dead language
called “Coptic” (language of the Copts).
“The Copts [of Egypt] circumcise, confess to
their priests, and abstain from Swine's flesh. They
are Jacobites in their greed.”—S. Olim. ; Travels im,
lºgypt (vol. i. chap. viii. p. 102).
Copus. A drink made of beer, wine,
and spice heated together, and served in
a “loving-cup.” Dog-Latin for cºſpellow,
Pſippocratis (a cup of hippocras).
Copy. That's a mere copy of your
countenance. Not your real wish or
meaning, but merely One you choose to
present to me.
Copy is a printer’s term both for ori-
ginallMS. and printed matter that is to be
set up in type.
Copyhold Estate. Land which a
tenant holds [or rather, held] without
any deed of transfer in his own posses-
sion. His only document is a copy of
the roll made by the steward of the
manor from the court-roll kept in the
manor-house.
“The villein took an oath of fealty to his lord
for the cottage and land which he enjoyed from
his bounty, ... ... These tenements were suffered
to descend to their children . . . and thus the
tenure of copyhold was established.”—Lingard :
England (vol. ii. chap. i. p. 27, note). .
Copyright. The law of copyright
was made in 1814 (54 Geo. III. c. 156).
It enacted that an author should possess
a rightin his work for life, or for twenty-
eight years. If he died before the
expiration of twenty-eight years, the
residue of the right passed to the heirs.
By Talfourd’s or Lord. Mahon's Act
(1842) the time was extended to forty-
two years, and at least seven years after
decease: for example, if the time unex-
pired exceeds seven years, the heirs
enjoy the residue ; if less, the heirs
claim seven years.
* In the first case eleven copies of the
work had to be given for public use ; by
Lord Mahon’s Act the number was
reduced to five : i.e. one to each of the
following institutions, viz. the British
Museum, the Bodleian (Oxford), the
|University library (Cambridge), the Ad-
vocates’ library (Edinburgh), and the
library of Trinity College (Dublin).
The six Omitted are Sion College, the Scotch
|Universities of Glasgow, Aberdeen, and St.
Andrews, and King's Inn (Dublin).
Coq-à-l’āne. A cock-and-bull story;
idle nonsense, as “Il fait toujours des
coq-d-l’áne "--he is always doing silly
things, or talking rubbish, -
Corah 291
Cordeliers
T! m'a répondiſ par un cog-d-l'éne—
His reply was nothing to the purpose.
Corah, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is meant for Dr. Titus .
Oates (Numbers xvi.). North describes
him as a short man, extremely ugly : if
his mouth is taken for the centre, his
chin, forehead, and cheek-bones would
fall in the circumference.
“Sunk were his eyes, his voice was harsh and
loud : -
sure signs he neither choleric was, nor proud ;
His long chin proved his wit ; his Saint-like
grace - - -
A church vermilion, and a Moses' face.
His memory, miraculously great,
Could plots, exceeding man's belief, repea
Drydem : Absalom, amd Achitophel, i. 646–51.
Coral Beads. The Romans used to
hang beads of red coral on the cradles
and round the neck of infants, to “pre-
serve and fasten their teeth,” and save
them from “the falling sickness.” It
was considered by soothsayers as a
charm against lightning, whirlwind,
shipwreck, and fire. Paracelsus says it
should be worn round the neck of chil-
dren as a preservative “against fits,
sorcery, charms, and poison.” The coral
bells are a Roman Catholic addition, the
object being to frighten away evil spirits
by their jingle.
“Coral is good to be hanged about the neck of
children . . . to preserve them from the falling
sickness. It has also some special sympathy with
nature, for the best coral . . . will turn pale and
wan if the party that wears, it be sick, and it
comes to its former colour again as they récover.”
––Plat: Jewel-House of Art and Nature.
Cor'al Master. . A juggler. So
called by the Spaniards. In ancient
times the juggler, when he threw off his
mantle, appeared in a tight scarlet or
coral dress.
Coram Judice (Latin). Under con-
sideration ; still before the judge.
Cor'anach, or CORONACH. Lamenta-
tion for the dead, as anciently practised
in Ireland and Celtic Scotland. (Gaelic,
comh ránaich, crying together.) Pennant
Says it was called by the Irish hullſloo.
Cor'bant. The rook, in the tale of
Jęeyºard the Fox. (Latin, corvets; French,
corbeatſ.) Heinrich von Alkmar.
Corbeaux. Bearers, i.e. persons who
carry the dead to the grave; mutes, etc.
So called from the corbillards, or coches
d'édèſ, which went from Paris to Corbeil
with the dead bodies of those who died
in the 16th century of a fatal epidemic.
‘J’ai lu quelque part que ce coche [the Corbil-
lard] Servit, Söus Henri IV., a transporter des
morts, victimes d'une épidémie de Paris à Corbeil.
Ile nom de Corbillard resta depuis aux Voitures
funèbres.”—Alf. Bommandot, -
Corcéca [Blind-heart]. Superstition
is so named in Spenser's Faërie Queene.
Abessa tried to make her understand
that danger was at hand, but, being
blind, she was dull of comprehension.
At length she was induced to shut her
door, and when Una, knocked would
give no answer. Then the lion broke
down the door, and both entered. The
meaning is that England, the lion, broke
down the door of Superstition at the
Reformation. Corcéca means Romanism
in England. (Book i. 3.)
Corcyre'an Sedition (The), B.C. 479.
Corcyra was a colony of Corinth, but in
the year of the famous Battle of Plataea.
revolted from the mother country and
formed an alliance with the Athenians.
The Corinthians made war on the colony
and took 1,000 prisoners; of these 250
were men of position, who promised as
the price of liberty to bring back the
Corcyrëans to the mother country. This
was the cause of the sedition. The
250 returned captives represented the
oligarchical party; their opponents re-
presented the democratic element. The
latter prevailed, but it would be difficult
to parallel the treachery and brutality of
the whole affair. (Thucydides, book iv.
46, 48.)
Corde'lia. The youngest of Lear's
three daughters, and the only one that
loved him. (Shakespeare : King Lear.)
Cordelia's Gift. A “voice ever soft,
gentle, and low ; an excellent thing in
woman.” (Shakespeare: King Lear, v. 3.)
“It is her voice that he hears prevailing over
the those [sic] of the rest, of the company, . . .
for She has not Cordelia's gift.”—Miss Broughton:
Dr. Cupid.
Cordeſliers, , i.e. “cord - wearers,”
1215. A religious order of the Minor
Brothers of St. Francis Assisi. They
wore a large grey cloth vestment, girt
about the loins with a rope or cord. It
was one of the mendicant orders, not
allowed to possess any property at all ;
even their daily food was a gift of
charity. The Cordeliers distinguished
themselves in philosophy and theology.
Duns Scotus was one of their most dis-
tinguished members.
The tale is that in the reign of St.
Louis these Minorites repulsed an army
of infidels, and the king asked who those
gems de cordelies (corded people) were.
;" this they received their appella-
IOIl.
Cordeliers.
292
Corinth
Cordeliers (The), 1790. A French
political club in the Great Revolution.
It held its meetings in the “Convent
des Cordeliers,” which was in the “Place
de l’Ecole de Médecine.” The Cordeliers
were the rivals of the Jacobins, and
numbered among its members Paré (the
president), Danton, Marat, Camille
Desmoulins, Hébert, Chaumette, Du-
fournoy de Williers, Fabre d’Eglantine
(a journalist), and others. The Club of
the Cordeliers was far in advance of the
Jacobins, being the first to demand the
abolition of the monarchy and the estab-
lishment of a commonwealth instead.
Its leaders were put to death between
March 24th and April 5th, 1794.
This club was nicknamed “The Pandelmo-
nium,” and Danton was called the “Archfiend.”
When Bailly, the mayor, locked them out of their
ball in 1791, they met in the Tennis Court (Paris),
and changed their name into the “Society of the
Rights of Man”; but they are best known by
their original appellation.
Cordon (The), in fortification, is the
flat stone covering of the revetment (q.v.),
to protect the masonry from the rain.
Cordon (Un grand). A member of
the Legion d’Honneur. The cross is
attached to a grand (broad) ribbon.
Cordon Bleu (Un) (French). A
knight of the ancient order of the St.
Esprit (Holy Ghost); so called because
the decoration is suspended on a blue
ribbon. It was at One time the highest
order in the kingdom.
Un repas de cordon bleet. A well-
cooked and well-appointed dinner. The
commandeur de Souvé, Comte d'Olonne,
and some others, who were Cordons bleus
(i.e. knights of St. Esprit), met together
as a sort of club, and were noted for
their excellent dinners. Hence, when
anyone had dined well he said, “Bien,
c'est un vrai repas de cordon bleu.”
Une Cordon Bleu. A facetious compli-
ment to a good female cook. The play
is between cordon bletſ, and the blue
ribbons or strings of some favourite cook.
Cordon Noir (Un). A knight of the
Order of St. Michael, distinguished by a
black ribbon.
Cordon Rouge (Un) (French). A
chevalier of the Order of St. Louis, the
decoration being Suspended on a red
ribbon.
Cord'uroy'. A corded fabric, Origi-
nally made of silk, and worn by the
kings of France in the chase. (French,
cord did roy.)
Corduroy Road. A term applied to
roads in the backwoods and swampy
districts of the United States of America,
formed of the halves of trees sawn in
two longitudinally, and laid transversely
across the track. A road thus made
presents a ribbed appearance, like the
cloth called corduroy.
“Look well to your seat, 'tis like taking an airing
On a corduroy road, and that out of repairing.’
Lowell: l'able for Critics, Stanza 2.
Cord'wainer. Not a twister of cord,
but a worker in leather. Our word is
the French cordovannier (a maker or
worker of cordouan); the former a cor-
ruption of Cordovanier (a worker in Cor'-
dovan leather).
Corea. (The). The dancing mania,
which in 1800 appeared in Tennessee,
ICentucky, and Virginia. The usual
manifestations were laughing, shouting,
dancing, and convulsions. (Latin chorēa,
a dance where many dance simultane-
ously.)
Corflambo. The impersonation of
sensual passion in Spenser's Faërie
Queene. (Book iv. 8.)
Cori'neus (3 Syl.). A mythical hero
in the suite of Brute, who conquered the
giant Goëm'agot, for which achievement
the whole western horn of England was
allotted him. He called it Corin'ea, and
the people Corin'eans, from his own name.
“In meed of these great conquests by them got,
Corineus had that province utmost West
To him assymèd for his worthy lot, -
Which of llis name and Imemorable gest,
He calléd Cornwall.” -
SpenSer: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.
A Greek poet before the
IHe wrote in heroic
Corinnus.
time of Homer.
verse the Siege of Thºoy, and it is said
that Homer is considerably indebted to
him. (Suidas.)
Corinth. Non culvis homini conting it
adire Corinthum (It falls not to every
man’s lot to go to Corinth). Gellius, in
his Noctes Atticae, i. 8, says that Horace
refers to Laís, a courtesan of Corinth,
who sold her favours at so high a price
that not everyone could afford to pur-.
chase them ; but this most certainly is
not the meaning that Horace intended.
He says, “To please princes is no little
praise, for it falls not to every man’s
lot to go to Corinth.” That is, it is as
hard to please princes as it is to enter
Corinth, situated between two seas, and
hence called Bimäris Corinthus. (1 Odes,
vii. line 2.
* Still, without doubt, the proverb
was applied as Aulus Gellius says: “The
courtesans of Corinth are not every
man’s money.” Demosthenes telks us
Corinth 293
Corneille d’Esope
that Lais sold her favours for 10,000
[Attic] drachmae (about £300), and adds
tanti non emo poemitere. . . . (Horace :
1 Epistles, xvii. line 36.)
Corinth. There is but one road that leads
to Corinth. There is only one right way
of doing anything. . The Bible tells us
that the way of evil is broad, because of
its many tracks; but the way of life is
narrow, because it has only one single
footpath.
“ All other ways alre wrong, all other guides are
false. Hence my difficulty —the number and
yariety of the ways. For you know, ‘There is but
one road that leads to Corinth.’”—Patte)’ – Marius
the Epictured?, chal). 24. .
Corinth's Pedagogue. TXionys'ios
the younger, on being banished a second
time from Syracuse, went to Corinth and
became schoolmaster. He is called Di-
onysios the tyrant. Hence Lord Byron
says of Napoleon—
“Corinth's pedagogue hath now
Transferred his by-word to thy brow.” .
Ode to Napoleon, Stanza Xiy.
Corin'thian (A). A licentious liber-
time. The immorality of Corinth was
proverbial both in Greece and Rome. To
Corin'thianise is to indulge in licentious
conduct. A gentleman sportsman who
rides his own horses on the turf, or sails
his own yacht.
A Corinthia??. A member of the
pugilistic club, Bond Street, London.
Corinthian Brass. A mixed metal
made by a variety of metals melted at
the conflagration of Corinth in B.C. 146,
when the city was burnt to the ground
by the consul Mummius. Vases and
other ornaments were made by the
Romans of this metal, of greater value
than if they had been made of silver or
gold.
The Hông-hee vases (1426) of China were made
Of a Siłłmilar 11,ixed limetal when the Imperial
palace was burnt to the ground. These vessels
are of priceless value. " * - - -
“I think it may be of Corinthian brass,
|Which was a mixture of all metals, but
The brazen upljermost.”
- Byron : Dom Juan, vi. 56.
Corinthian Order. The most richly
decorated of the five orders of Greek
architecture. The shaft is fluted, and
the Capital adorned with acanthus leaves.
(See ACANTHUs.)
Corinthian Tom. The sporting rake
in Pierce, Egan's Life in London. A
“Corinthian ’’ was the “fast man” of
Shakespeare's period.
.* I am no Droud Jack, like Falstaff ; but a Co-
rinthian, a ſad Qí mettle, a good boy.”—Shake-
Spectré: 1 Henry IV., ii. 4.
Corinthian War (The), B.C. 395-387.
A Suicidal contention between the Co-
rinthians and the Lacedemonians. The
allies of Corinth were Athens, Thebes,
and Argos. The only battle of note
was that of Coronéa won by the Lacede-
monians. Both the contending parties,
utterly exhausted, agreed to the arbi-
tration of Artaxerxes, and signed what
is called The Peace of Antalkidas.
Not long after this destructive contest Epami,
nonda's and Pelopidas (Theban generals) won the
battle of Leuctra (B.C. 371), from which defeat
the La ceden, Ollians never recovered.
Corized. This wine is corked—i.e.
tastes of the cork.
Corker or Calker. The mail in a
horse's shoe to prevent slipping in frosty
weather. (Latin, calv.)
Corking-pins. Pins at one time used
by ladies to keep curls on the forehead
fixed and in trim.
Cormoran'. The Cornish giant who
fell into a pit twenty feet deep, dug by
Jack the Giant-killer, and filmed over
with grass and gravel. The name means
cormorant or great eater. For this
doughty achievement Jack received a
belt from King Arthur, with this inscrip-
tion—
“This is the Yaliant Cornish man
That slew the giant Cormoran.”
Jatch, the Giant-kille)'.
Corn ... Horn. Up corn, down hoºz.
When corn is high or dear, beef is down
or cheap, because persons have less
money to spend on meat.
Corn in Egypt (There's). There is
abundance ; there is a plentiful supply.
Of course, the reference is to the Bible
story of Joseph in Egypt.
Corn - Law Rhymer. Ebenezer
Elliot, who wrote philippics against the
corn laws (1781-1849).
“Is not the corn-law rhymer already a king 2 ”
—Carlyle. -
Cornstalks. In Australia, and the
United States, youths of colonial birth
are so called from being generally both
taller and more slender than their
parents.
Corns. To tread on one’s corns. To
irritate one’s prejudices ; - to annoy
another by disregard to his pet opinions
Or habits. -
Corºnage (2 syl.), horn-service. A
kind of tenure in grand serjeanty. The
service required was to blow a horn
when any invasion of the Scots was per-
ceived. “Cornagium ” was money paid
instead of the old service.
Corneille du Boulevard. Guilbert
de Pixérécourt (1773-1844).
Corneille d’Esope (Laj. Motley
work. “C” est la corneille d’Esope.”
Corner
The allusion is to the fable of the Jack-
daw which decked itself with the plu-
mage of the peacocks. The jackdaw
not only lost its borrowed plumes, but
got picked well-nigh to death by the
angry peacocks.
Corner (A). The condition of the
market with respect to a commodity
which has been largely bought up, in
order to create a virtual monopoly and
enhance its market price; as a Salt-
corner, a corner in pork, etc. The idea
is that the goods are piled and hidden in
a corner out of sight.
“The price of bread rose like a rocket, and spec-
ulators wished to corner what little Wheat there
Was.”—New York, Weekly Times (June 13, 1894).
Corner. Driveſ, into a corner. Placed
where there is no escape ; driven from
all subterfuges and excuses. -
Corner (The). Tattersall's horse-
stores and betting-rooms, Knightsbridge
Green. They were once at the corner of
Hyde Park.
To make a corner. To combine in
order to control the price of a given
article, and thus secure enormous profits.
(See CoRNER.
What have I done to deserve a corner 2
To deserve punishment. The allusion is
to setting naughty children in a corner
by way of punishment.
“There's nothing I have done yet, o' my con-
SClen Ce,
DeSeryes a COrner.”
Shakespeare : Henry VIII., iii. 1.
Corner-stone (The). The chief corner-
stone. A large stone laid at the base of
a building to strengthen the two walls
forming a right angle. These stones in
Some ancient buildings were as much as
twenty feet long and eight feet thick.
Christ is called (in Eph. ii. 20) the chief
corner-stone because He united the Jews
and Gentiles into one family. Daughters
are called corner-stones (Psalm cliv. 12)
|because, as wives and mothers, they
unite together two families. In argu-
ment, the minor premise is the chief
Corner-stone.
Cornet. The terrible cornet of horse.
William Pitt, first Earl of Chatham
(1708–1778). His son William was “the
pilot that weathered the storm” (mean-
ing the French Revolution and Napo-
leon).
Cornette. Porter la cornette. To be
domineered over by the woman of the
house ; to be a Jerry Sneak. The cor-
nette is the mob-cap anciently worn by
the women of France. Porter les cºlottes
(to wear the breeches) is the same idea;
94 Coronation. Chair
only it shows who has the mastery, and
not who is mastered. In the latter case
it means the woman wears the dress of
the man, and assumes his position in the
house. Probably our expression about
“wearing the horns” may be referred
to the “cornette ’’ rather than to the
stag or deer.
Corn'grate (2 syl.). A term given
in Wiltshire to the soil in the north-
western border, consisting of an irregu-
lar mass of loose gravel, Sand, and
limestone.
Cornish Hug. A hug to overthrow
you. The Cornish men were famous
wrestlers, and tried to throttle their
antagonist with a particular grip or em-
brace called the Cornish hug.
Cornish Language was virtually
extinct 150 years ago. Toll Pentreath,
the last person who could speak it,
died, at the age of ninety-One, in 1777.
(Notes and Queries.)
Cornish Names.
“By Tre, Pol, and Pen,
You shall know the COrnisſhmen.”
Thus, The [a town] gives Trefry, Tre-
gengon, Tregony, Tregothman, Trelawy,
Tremayne, Trevannion, Treveddoe, Tre-
withen, etc.
Pol [a head] gives Polkerris Point, -
Polperro, Polwheel, etc.
Pen [a top] gives Penkevil, Penrice,
IPenrose, Pentire, etc.
Cornish Wonder (The). John Opie,
of Cornwall, the painter. (1761-1807.)
Cornubian Shore (The). Cornwall,
famous for its tin mines.
“. . . from the bleak Cornubian shore
Dispense the mineral treasure, which of old
Sidonian pilotS Sought.” wº
A key? Side: Hyºm?", to the Naiads.
Cornu-co'pia. (See AMALTHAEA's
HoRN.)
Cornwall. (See BARRY, CORINEUS.)
Cor’onach. (See CORANACH.)
Coronation Chair consists of a stone
so enclosed as to form a chair.
It was probably the stone on which
the kings of Ireland were inaugurated
on the hill of Tara. It was removed by
Fergus, son of Eric, to Argyleshire, and
thence by King Kenneth (in the ninth
century) to Scone, where it was enclosed
in a wooden chair. Edward I. trans-
ferred it to Westminster.
The monkish legend says that it was
the very stone which formed “Jacob’s
pillow.”
The tradition is, “Wherever this stone
Coroner
is found, there will reign some of the
Scotch race of kings.” (See SCONE.)
Cor'oner means properly the Crown-
officer. In Saxon times it was his duty
to collect the Crown revenues; next, to
take charge of Crown pleas; but at
present to uphold the paternal Solicitude
of the Crown by searching into all cases
of sudden or suspicious death. (Vulgo,
crowner ; Latin, coro'na, the crown.)
“But is this law P
Ay, marry, is't : crowner's quest law.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, Y. 1.
Cor'onet. A crown inferior to the
royal crown. A duke's coronet is
adorned with strawberry leaves above
the band; that of a marqºis with straw-
berry leaves alternating with pearls;
that of an earl has pearls elevated on
stalks, alternating with leaves above the
band; that of a viscount has a string of
pearls above the band, but no leaves;
that of a baron has only six pearls.
Coro'nis. 1)aughter of a King of
|Pho'cis, changed by Athena into a
crow. There was another Coro'nis, loved
by Apollo, and killed by him for infi-
delity. -
Corporal violet. (See WIOLET.)
Corporation. A large paunch.
A municipal corporation is a body of
men elected for the local government of
a city or town.
Corps de Garde (French). The
company of men appointed to watch in
a guard-room; the guard-room.
Corps. Diplomatique (French). A
diplomatic body [of men].
Corps Legislatif (French). The
lower house of the French legislature.
The first assembly so called was when
Napoleon I. substituted a corps legislatif
and a tribunal for the two councils of
the Directory, Dec. 24, 1799. The next
was the corps legislatif and conseil d’état
of 1807. The third was the corps legis-
latif of 750 deputies of 1849. The legis-
lative power under Napoleon III. was
vested in the Emperor, the Senate, and
the corps legislatif. (1852.)
Corpse Candle. The ignis fatatus
is so called by the Welsh because it was
Supposed to forbode death, and to show
the road that the corpse would take.
Also a large candle used at lich wakes—
?.e. watching a corpse before interment.
(German leiche, a corpse.)
Corpus Christi [body of Christ]. A
festival of the Church, kept on the
295
Cortiná.
first Thursday after Trinity Sunday, in
honour of the eucharist. There are
colleges both at Cambridge and Oxford
So named.
Corpus Delicti (Latin). The funda-
mental fact that a crime has really been
committed; thus finding a murdered
body is “corpus delicti" that a murder
has been committed by someone.
Corpuscular Philosophy, promul-
gated by Robert Boyle. It accounts for
all natural phenomena by the position
and motion of corpuscles. (See ATOMIC
PHILOSOPHY.)
Corrector. (See ALEXANDER THE
CORRECTOR.)
Corre'ggio. The Corre'ggio of sculp-
tors. Jean Goujon, who was slain in
the massacre of St. Bartholomew, (1510-
1572.)
Corrob’oree. An Australian war-
dance. -
“He roared, stamped, and danced corroboree,
like any black fellow.”—Kingsley : Water-Babies,
chap. viii. p. 300.
The sword of Sir Ot’uel
Corrouge.
in mediaeval romance. (See SWORD.)
Corrugated Iron. Sheet iron coated
with zinc. It is called corrugated or
wrinkled because the sheet is made wavy
by the rollers between which it is made
to pass.
Corruptic'olae. A sect of heretics
of the sixth century, who maintained
that Jesus Christ was correſptible.
Corruption of Blood. Toss of title
and entailed estates in consequence of
treason, by which a man’s blood is
attainºted and his issue suffers.
Corsair' means properly “one who
gives chase.” Applied to the pirates of
the northern coast of Africa. (Italian
corso, a chase ; French corsaire, Latin
cursus.) -
Cors'ned means the “cursed mouth-
ful.” It was a piece of bread “conse-
crated for exorcism,” and given to a
person to swallow as a test of his guilt.
The words of “consecration ” were,
“May this morsel cause convulsions and
find no passage if the accused is guilty,
|but turn to wholesome nourishment if
he is innocent.” (Saxon, corse, curse ;
Snæd, mouthful.) (See CHOKE.)
Cortes (2 syl.). The Spanish or
Portuguese parliament. The word means
“court officers.”
Cortina. . The skin of the serpent
Pytho, which covered the tripod of
Corvinus
296
Coterie
the Pythoness when she delivered her
oracles. “Tripodas cortinategit” (Prº-
dentius : Apophthegmata, 506); also the
tripoditself, or the place where the Oracle
was delivered. (Virgil: AEméid, vi. 345.
“Neque te Phoebi cortina fefellit.”
Corvinus [a raven]. Jaſnos Hunyady,
Governor of Hungary, is so called from
the raven on his shield.
There were two Romans so called—viz.
Valerius Maximus Corvinus Messa'la,
and Valerius Messa'la, Corvinus.
Marcus Vale’rius was so called be-
cause, in a single combat with a gigantic
Gaul during the Gallic war, a raven flew
into the Gaul’s face and so harassed him
that he could neither defend himself nor
attack his adversary.
Corybantic Religion. An expres–
sion applied by Prof. Huxley to the
Salvation Army and its methods. The
rowdy processions of the Salvation Army
(especially at Eastbourne, 1891), re-
sembling the wild ravings of the ancient
Corybantés, or devotees of Bacchus,
more than Sober, religious functions,
have given colour to the new word.
Corycian Cave (The), on Mount
IParnassus; so called from the nymph
Corycia. The Muses are sometimes called
Corycides (4 syl.).
“The immortal Muse
To your calm habitations, to the cave
Corycian . . . Will guide his footsteps.”
Akém Side: Hymn to the Naiads.
Corycian Nymphs (The). The
Muses. (See above.)
Cor'ydon. A Swain ; a brainless,
1ove-sick spooney. It is one of the
shepherds in Virgil's eclogues.
Coryphaeus (The) or “Coryphēus.”
The leader and speaker of the chorus in
Greek dramas. In modern English it is
used to designate the chief speaker and
most active member of a board, company,
or expedition.
Coryphaeus of German Literature
The). Goethe, “prince of German
poets” (1749-1812).
“The Polish poet called upon . . . . the great
Coryphaeus of German literature.”—See Notes and
Qweries, 27th April, 1878.
Coryphaeus of Grammarians.
Aristarchos of Sam'othrace. A cory-
phaeus was the leader of the Greek
chorus; hence the chief of a department
in any of the sciences or fine arts. Aris-
tarchos, in the second century B.C., was
the chief or prince of grammarians.
(Greek, korºphaios, leader.)
Coryphée. A ballet-dancer.
preceding column.)
Cosa (plu. Cosas). A theoretic specu-
lation; a literary fancy; a whim of the
brain (Indian).
Cosmiel (3 Syl.). The genius of the
World. He gave Theodidactus a boat
of asbestos, in which he sailed to the
Sun and planets. . . (Kircher. Ecstatic
Journey to Heaven.)
Cosmopolite (4 syl.). A citizen of
the world. One who has no partiality
to any one country as his abiding-
place; one who looks on the whole world
with “an equal eye.” (Greek, cosmos-
polités.)
Cos'set. A house pet. Applied to a
pet lamb brought up in the house; any
pet. (Anglo-Saxon, cot-seat, cottage-
dweller; German, kossat.)
Costard. A clown in Love's Labout,’s
Lost (Shakespeare), who apes the court
wit of Queen Elizabeth’s time, but mis-
applies and miscalls like Mrs. Malaprop
or Master Dogberry.
Costard. A large apple, and, meta-
phorically, a man’s head. (See CoSTER-
MONGER.)
“Take him over the costard with the hilts of
thy Sword.”—Shakespeare: IRichard III., i. 4.
Cos' termonger. A seller of eatables
about the streets, properly an apple-
seller (from costard, a sort of apple, and
monger, “a trader; ” Saxon, mangian,
“to trade”), a word still retained in iron-
monger, cheese-monger, fish-monger,
news-monger, fell-monger, etc.
“Her father was an Irish costarmonger.”
I3. Jomsom, : The Alchemist, iv. 1."
Cote-hardi. A tight-fitting tunic
buttoned down the front.
“He was clothed in a cote-hardi upon the gyse
of Almayne [Germany].”—Geoffroi de la Town" :
Landry.
Cotereaux (French). Cut-throats.
The King of England, irritated at the
rising in Brittany in the twelfth century,
sent the Brabançons (q.v.) to ravage the
lands of Raoul de Fourgères. These
cut-throats carried knives (couteaua.)
with them, whence their name.
Coſterieſ (3 syl.). A French word,
originally tantamount to our “guild,”
a society where each paid his quota—i.e.
his quote-part or . gild (share). The
IFrench word has departed from its
original meaning, and is now applied to
an exclusive set, more especially of
ladies. -
“All coteries . . . it seems to me, have a ten.
dency to change truth into affectation.”—E. C.
Gaskell ; Charlotte Bronté (Vol. ii. chap. xi. p. 47).
(See
Cotillon
297
Councils
Cotillon (co-til-yon) means properly
the “under-petticoat.” The word was
applied to a brisk dance by eight persons,
in which the ladies held up their gowns
and showed their under-petticoats. The
dance of the present day is an elaborate
one, with many added figures.
Cotset.
So called from cot-seat (a cottage-dweller).
These slaves were bound to work for
their feudal lord. The word occurs fre-
quently in Domesday Book.
Cotswold Barley. You are as long
a-coming as Cotswold barley. Cotswold,
in Gloucestershire, is a very cold, bleak
place on the wolds, exposed to the
winds, and very backward in vegetation,
but yet it yields a good late supply of
barley.
Cotswold Lion.
Cotswold hills are famous.
Cotswold lion (ironical).
Cotta, in Pope's Moral Essays (Epistle
2). John Holles, fourth Earl of Clare,
who married Margaret, daughter of
Henry Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle,
and was created Duke of Newcastle in
1694 and died 1711.
Cottage Countess (The).
Higgins, of Shropshire, daughter of a
small farmer, in 1790 married Henry
Cecil, Marquis of Exeter and Lord of
Burleigh. The bridegroom was at the
time living under the name of John
Jones, separated from his wife, whose
maiden name was Emma Vernon. She
eloped with a clergyman, and subse-
quently to the second marriage “John
Jones,” the lord of Burleigh, obtained a
divorce and an Act of Parliament to
legitimatise the children of his second
wife. Sarah Higgins was seventeen at
the time of her marriage, and “John
Jones” was thirty. They were married
|by licence in the parish church of Bolas.
Tennyson has a poem on the subject
called The Lord of Burleigh, but his-
torically it is not to be irusted.
Cottage Orné (A). (French). A
cottage residence belonging to persons in
good circumstances.
Cottys. One of the three Hundred-
handed giants, Son of Heaven and
Earth. His two brothers were Briareus
[Bri-a-ruce] and Gygës or Gyös. (See
HUNDRED-HANDED, GIANTS.)
Cotton. To cotton to a person. To
cling to one or take a fancy to a person.
To stick to a person as cotton sticks to
Our clothes.
A sheep for which
Jºierce as a
The lowest of bondsmen,
Sarah -
Cotton Lord. A great cottom lord.
A rich Manchester cotton manufacturer,
a real lord in wealth, style of living,
equipage, and tenantry.
Cotto'nian Library. In the British
Museum. Collected by Sir R. Cotton,
and added to by his son and grandson,
after which it was invested in trustees
for the use of the public.
Cottonopolis. Manchester, the great
Centre of cotton manufactures.
“His friends thought he would have preferred
the busy life of Cottonopolis to the out-of-way
County Of Cornwall.” — Newspaper paragraph,
January, 1886.
Cotytto. The Thracian goddess of
immodesty, worshipped at Athens with
nocturnal rites.
“Hail goddess of nocturnal sport,
Dark-Weiled Cotytto.”
Milton : Comus, 129, 130.
Coucy. Enguerrand III., Sire de
Coucy, has won fame by his arrogant
motto:
“Roi je ne suis, -
Ni Prince, nicomte, aussi,
Jesuišîesiré de Coucy.”
Couleur de Rose (French). Highly
coloured ; too favourably considered;
overdrawn with romantic embellish-
ments, like objects viewed through glass
tinted with rose pink.
Coulin. A British giant, pursued by
Debon (one of the companions of Brute)
till he came to a chasm 132 feet across,
which he leaped; but slipping on the
opposite side, he fell back into the
chasm and was killed. (Spenser. Faërie
Queene.) (See GIANTS.)
Councils. OEcºſmemical Councils.
There are twenty-one recognised, nine
Eastern and twelve Western.
TIIE NINE EASTERN : (1) Jerusalem;
(2 and 8). Nice, 325, 787; (3, 6, 7, 9
Constantinople, 381, 553, 680, 869; (4)
Ephesus, 431; (5) Chalcédon, 451.
THE TWELVE WESTERN : (10, 11, 12,
13, 19) Lateran, 1123, 1139, 1179, 1215,
1517; (14, 15) Synod of Lyon, 1245,
1274; (16) Synod of Vienne, in Dau-
phiné, 1311; (17) Constance, 1414; (18)
Basil, 1431-1443; (20) Trent, 1545-1563;
(21) Vatican, 1869.
* Of these, the Church of England
recognises only the first six, viz.:
325 of Nice, against the Arians. - --
381 of Constantinople, against “heretics.”
431 of Ephesus, against the Nestorians and Pela-
glallS.
451 of Chalce'dom, when Athanasius was restored.
553 of Constantinople, against Origen
a'; Čonstantinople, against tiré Monothélites
Sy e.V ºn
Counsel
298 Coup d’Etat
Counsel. Keep your own counsel.
Don’t talk about what you intend to do.
Reep your plans to yourself.
“Now, mind what I tell you, and keep your own
counsel.” – Boldrewood : Robbery Under Arms,
Chal). Wi.
Count Kin with One (To), is a
Scotch expression meaning to compare
one's pedigree with that of another.
Count not your Chickens . . .
(See CHICKENS.)
Count out the House (To). To
declare the House of Commons ad-
journed because there are not forty
members present. The Speaker has his
attention called to the fact, and must
himself count the number present. If
he finds there are not forty members
present, he declares the sitting over.
Count Upon (To). To rely with
confidence on some one or some thing ;
to reckon on.
Countenance (To). To sanction; to
support. Approval or disapproval is
shown by the countenance. The Scrip-
ture speaks of “the light of God’s
countenance,” i.e. the smile of appro-
bation ; and to “hide His face ’’ (or
countenance) is to manifest displeasure.
“General Grant, neither at this time nor at any
other, gaye the least, countenance to the efforts
. . . .”—Nicolay &md Hay: Abraham Lincoln (vol.
ix. chap. ii. p. 51).
To keep in countenance. To encourage,
or prevent one losing his countenance or
feeling dismayed.
To keep one’s countenance. To refrain
from Smiling or expressing one’s thoughts
by the face.
Out of countenance. Ashamed, con-
founded. With the countenance fallen
or cast down.
To put one out of countenance is to
make one ashamed or disconcerted. To
“discountenance’’ is to set your face
against Something done or propounded.
Counter-caster. One who keeps
accounts, or casts up accounts by count-
ers. Thus, in The Winter's Tale, the
Clown says, “Fifteen hundred shorn;
what comes the wool to ? I cannot do ’t
without counters.” (Act iv. s. 3.)
“And what was he 2
ForSooth, a great arithmetician, ... .
... must be belee’d and callmed
An -
By debitor and creditor, this counter-caster.”
Shakespeſtre: Othello, i. 1.
Countercheck Quarrelsome (The).
Sir, how dare you utter such a falsehood?
Sir, you know that it is not true. This
is the third remove from the lie direct;
or rather, the lie direct in the third
degree.
The Reproof Valiant, the Countercheck Quay-
relSome, the Lie Circumstantial, and the Lie
Direct, are not clearly defined by Touchstone.
That is not true ; how dare you utter such a false-
h90d; if you say So, you are a liar; you lie, or are
a liar, seem to fit the four degrees.
Counterforts, in permanent fortifi-
cation. The sides of ditches strengthened
interiorly by buttresses some fifteen or
eighteen feet apart. (See REVETMENTs.)
Counter-jumper. A draper's assis-
tant, who jumps over the counter to go
from One part of the shop to another.
Counterpane. A corruption of
counterpoint, from the Latin cºtl cita (a
wadded wrapper, a quilt). When the
stitches were arranged in patterns it was
called cul'cita puncta, which in French
became courte-pointe, corrupted into
contre-pointe, counter-point, where point
is pronounced “poyn,” corrupted into
{ % pane.”
Counterscarp, in fortification, the
side of a ditch next to the open country.
The side next to the place fortified is the
escarp.
Countess di Civillari (The). A
bog, sewer, cesspool, into which falls the
filth of a city. Two wags promised
Simon da Villa, an introduction to the
Countess diCivillari,and tossed him, in his
scarlet gown, into a ditch where farmers
“emptied the Countess of Civillari for
manuring their lands.” Here the doctor
floundered about half the night, and,
having spoilt his robes, made the best of
his way home, to be rated Soundly by
his wife. (Boccaccio. DeCameron, Eighth
day, ix.)
Country.
To appeal to the country. To dissolve
Parliament in order to ascertain the
wish of the country by a new election of
representatives.
Ifather of his country. (See FATHER.)
Country-dance. A corruption of the
French contre danse (a dance where the
partners face each other).
Coup [coo). He made a good coºp.
A good hit or haul. (French.)
Coup d'Etat (French) means a state
stroke, and the term is applied to one of
those bold measures taken by Govern-
ment to prevent a supposed or actual
danger; as when a large body of men
are arrested suddenly for fear they
should overturn the Government.
The famous coup d’état, by which Louis
Napoleon became possessed of absolute
Coup de Grâce 299
Court Circular
power, took place on December 2nd,
1851.
Coup de Grâce. The finishing
stroke. When criminals were tortured
by the wheel or otherwise, the execu-
tioner gave him a coup de grâce, or blow
on the head or breast, to put him out of
his misery.
“The Turks dealt the coup de grâce to the East-
€rn enl)ire.”—T'iméS.
* The following is taken from a note
(chap. xxx.) of Sir W. Scott’s novel The
Betrothed.
“This punishment [being broken on the wheel]
consists in the executioner, with a bar of iron,
breaking the shoulder-bones, arms, thigh-bones,
and legs—taking alternate sides. The punish-
nient is concluded by a blow across the breast,
galled the coup de grâce, or blow of mercy, because
it removes the sufferer from his agony. Mandrin,
the celebrated smuggler, while in the act of being
thus tortured, tells us that the sensibility of
}. Inever continues after the nervous System
as been Shattered by the first blow.”
Coup de Main (French). A sudden
stroke ; a stratagem whereby something
is effected suddenly. Sometimes called
a coup only, as “The coup [the scheme]
did not answer.”
“ London is not to be taken by a coup de main.”
—Public Opinion.
Coup d'OEil (French). A view ;
glance; prospect ; effect of things in
the mass.
These principles are presented at a
single coup d’aºil.
The coup d'oeil was grand in the ex-
treme.
Coup de Pied de l’Ane (kick from
the ass’s foot). A blow given to a van-
quished or fallen man; a cowardly blow ;
an insult offered to one who has not the
power of returning or avenging it. The
allusion is to the fable of the sick lion
kicked by the ass. (French.)
Coup de Soleil (French). A suit-
stroke, any malady produced by ex-
posure to the Sun.
Coup de Théâtre. An unforeseen or
unexpected turn in a drama to produce
a sensational effect. In ordinary life,
something planned for effect. Burke
and his dagger was meant for a coup de
théâtre, but it was turned into farce by
a little ready wit. (See DAGGER-SCENE.)
Coup Manqué (A). A false stroke.
“Shoot dead, or don’t aim at all ; but never
make a coup namqué.”—Ouida: Under Two Flags,
chap. XX.
Coupon. A certificate of interest
which is to be cut off [French, couper]
from a bond and presented for payment.
It bears on its face the date and amount
of interest to be paid. If the coupons
are exhausted before the principal is
paid off, new ones are gratuitously
supplied to the holder of the bond.
Most foreign state-bonds expire in a stated
term of years, generally a portion being paid Off
annually at par. Suppose there are 1,000 bonds,
and 10 are paid off annually, then in 100 years all
are paid off and the Obligation is cancelled.
Courage of One's Opinion. To
have the courage of one's opinion means
to utter, maintain, and act according to
one’s opinion, be the consequences what
they may. The French use the same
locution. Martyrs may be said to have
had the courage of their opinions.
Courland Weather. Very boister-
ous, uncongenial weather, with high
winds, driving Snow and rain, like the
weather of Courland, in Russia.
Course. Another course would have
dome it. A little more would have effected
Our purpose. It is said that the peasants
of a Yorkshire village tried to wall in a
cuckoo in order to enjoy an eternal
spring. They built a wall round the
bird, and the cuckoo just skimmed over
it. “Ah!” said one of the peasants,
‘‘another carse would a' done it.”
“There is a School of moralists Yºº, connecting
. Wit
Sundry short-comings . . . changes in
lmanners, endeavour to persuade us that only
‘another cal'Se' is wanted to Wall in the cuckoo.”
—Nineteenth Century, December, 1892, p. 920.
Course. To keep on the course. To
go straight; to do one's duty in that
course [path] of life in which we are
placed. The allusion is to racing horses.
“We are not the Only horses that can’t be kept
On the courses—With a good turn Of Speed, too.”
—Boldrew.006 : Robbery under A7"ms, chap. XY.
Court originally meant a coop or
sheepfold. It was on the Latium hills
that the ancient Latins raised their cors
or cohors, small enclosures with hurdles
for sheep, etc. Subsequently, as many
men as could be cooped or folded to-
gether were called a corps or cohort. The
“cors” or cattle-yard being the nucleus
of the farm, became the centre of a lot
of farm cottages, then of a hamlet, town,
fortified place, and lastly of a royal resi-
dence.
Court. A short cut, alley, or paved
way between two main streets. (French,
court, “short,” as prendre un chemin
court, “to take a short cut.”) -
Out of court. Not worth consider-
ation; wholly to be discarded, as such
and such an hypothesis is wholly out of
court, and has been proved to be un-
tenable. “No true bill.”
Court Circular. Brief paragraphs
supplied to certain daily papers by an
officer (the Court Newsman) specially
Court-cupboard 300
Cofite que Cotite
appointed for the purpose. He an-
nounces the movements of the sovereign,
the Prince of Wales, and the court
generally ; gives reports of the levees,
drawing-rooms, state balls, royal con-
certs, meetings of the Cabinet ministers,
deputations to ministers, and so on.
George III., in 1803, introduced the
custom to prevent misstatements on
these subjects.
Court-cupboard. The buffet to hold
flagons, cans, cups, and beakers. There
are two in Stationers' Hall.
“Away with the joint-Stools, remove the court-
cul)board, look to the plate.” — Shakespectre :
Ič07neo and Juliet, i. 5.
Court Fools. (See FOOLS.)
Court Holy Water. Fair speeches,
which look like promises of favour, but
end in nothing.
Court Plaster. The plaster of which
the court ladies made their patches.
These patches, worn on the face, were
cut into the shape of crescents, stars,
circles, diamonds, hearts, crosses; and
some even went so far as to patch their
face with a coach-and-four, a ship in
full sail, a château, etc. This ridiculous
fashion was in vogue in the reign of
Charles I. ; and in the reign of Anne was
employed as the badge of political par-
tisanship. (See PATCHES.)
“Your black patches you wear yariously,
Some cult like Stars, Solme in half-moons, Some
lozenges.” - - -
Beaumont and Fletcher: Elder Brother, iii. 2.
Court of Love. A judicial court for
deciding affairs of the heart, established
in Provence during the palmy days of
the Troubadours. The following is a
case submitted to their judgment : A
lady listened to one admirer, squeezed
the hand of another, and touched with
her toe the foot of a third. Query,
Which of these three was the favoured
suitor P
Court of Pie-powder.
POUDRE.)
Court of the Gentiles (The). They
are but in the Court of the Gentiles. They
are not wholly God’s people; they are
not the elect, but have only a smatter-
ing of the truth. The “Court of the
Israelites” in the Jewish temple was for
Jewish men ; the “Court of the
Women º’ was for Jewish women; the
“Court of the Gentiles’’ was for those
who were not Jews.
“Oh, Cuddie, they are but in the Court of the
Gentiles, and will ne'er win farther ben, I doubt.”
—Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality, chap. viii,
(See PIE-
Courtesy. Civility, politeness. It
was at the courts of princes and great
feudatories that minstrels and pages
practised the refinements of the age in
which they lived. The word originally
meant the manners of the court.
Courtesy Titles. Titles assumed or
granted by social custom, but not of any
legal value. The courtesy title of the
eldest son of a duke is marquis ; of a
marquis is earl, of the eldest son of an
earl is viscount. Younger sons of peers
are by courtesy called lord or honour-
able, and the daughters are lady or
honourable. These titles do not give
the holders official rank to sit in the
House of Lords. Even the Marquis of
Lorne, the Queen’s son-in-law, is only a
commoner (1894).
Cousin. Blackstone says that Henry
IV., being related or allied to every
earl in the kingdom, artfully and con-
stantly acknowledged the connection
in all public acts. The usage has de-
scended to his successors, though the
reason has long ago failed. (Commen-
taries, i. 398.)
Cousin. All peers above the rank of
baron are officially addressed by the
Crown as cousin.
A viscount or earl is “Our right
trusty and well-beloved cousin.”
A marquis is “Our right trusty and
entirely-beloved cousin.”
A duke is “Our right trusty and
right-entirely-beloved cousin.”
Cousin Betsy. A half-witted person,
a “Bess of Bedlam ” (q.v.).
“[None] can say Foster's wronged him of a
penny, or gaye short measure to a child or a
cousin Betsy.”—Mrs. Gaskell.
Cousin-german. The children of
brothers and sisters, first cousins; kins-
folk. (Latin, germa'ºts, a brother, one
of the same stock.)
“There is three cozen-germans that las
cozened all the hosts of Reading, of Maiden-
head, of Colebrook, of llorses and , money.”—
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, iv. 5.
Cousin Jack. So Cornishmen are
called in the western counties.
Cousin Michael (or Michel). The
Germans are so called. Michel, in Old
German, means “gross,” cousin Michel
is meant to indicate a slow, heavy,
simple, unrefined, coarse-feeding people.
Coûte que Coûte (French). Cost
what it may, at any price, be the conse-
quences what they may.
“His object is to serve his party coºle que
cozºte.”—Standa?'d.
Couvade 301
COW-1ick
Couvade (2 syl.). A man who takes
the place of his wife when she is in
child-bed. (See Reader's Handbook,
p. 217, Col. 2.)
Cove (1 syl.). An individual; as a
jlash core (a swell), a rum cove (a man
whose position and character is not
quite palpable), a gentry cove (a gentle-
man), a downy cove (a very knowing
individual), etc. (Gipsy, cova, a thing;
covo, that man; covi, that woman.)
Cov'enanters. A term applied, dur-
ing the civil wars, to the Scotch Presby-
terians, who united by “solemn league
and covenant ’’ to resist the encroach-
ments of Charles I. on religious liberty.
Covent Garden. A corruption of
Convent Garden ; the garden and burial
ground attached to the convent of West-
minster, and turned into a fruit and
flower market in the reign of Charles II.
It now belongs to the Duke of Bedford.
Cov/entry. To send one to Coventry.
To take no notice of him ; to let him live
and move and have his being with you,
but pay no more heed to him than to
the idle winds which you regard not.
According to Messrs. Chambers (Cyclo-
paedia), the citizens of Coventry had at
one time so great a dislike to soldiers that
a woman seen speaking to one was in-
stantly tabooed. No intercourse was
ever allowed between the garrison and
the town ; hence, when a soldier was sent
to Coventry, he was cut off from all
social intercourse.
EIutton, in his History of Birmingham,
gives a different version. He says that
Coventry was a stronghold of the par-
liamentary party in the civil wars, and
that all troublesome and refractory
royalists were sent there for safe custody.
The former explanation meets the
general scope of the phrase the better.
(See BoycoTT.)
Coventry Mysteries. Miracle plays
acted at Coventry till 1591. They were
published in 1841 for the Shakespeare
Society.
Parliaments held at Coventry. Two
parliaments have been held in this city,
One in 1404, styled Parliamentum Indoc-
toºth, and the other in 1459, called
Parliamewtºn Diabolicum.
Cover. To break cover. To start:
from the covert or temporary lair. The
usual earth-holes of a fox being covered
up the night before a hunt, the creature
makes some gorse-bush or other cover
its temporary resting-place, and as soon
as it quits it the hunt begins, -
Covers were laid for . . . Tinner
was provided for. . . . A cover (cottvert)
in French means knife, fork, Spoon, and
napkin. Hence, mettre le couvert, to lay
the cloth; and lever (or 6ter) le couvert,
to clear it away.
Covered Way, in fortification. (See
GLACIS.)
Covering the Face. No malefactor
was allowed, in ancient Persia, to look
upon a king. So, in Esther vii. 5, when
IHaman fell into disgrace, being seen on
the queen's divan, “they instantly cover
Haman’s face,” that he might not look
on the face of Ahasuerus.
*: In India, a low caste man covers his
mouth when speaking to one of high
caste.
Cov'erley. Sir Roger de Coverley. A
member of an hypothetical club in the
Spectator, “who lived in Soho Square
when he was in town.” Sir Roger is
the type of an English Squire in the
reign of Queen Anne. He figures in
thirty papers of the Spectator.
“Who can be insensible to his unpretending
virtues and amiable weaknesses; his modesty,
generosity, hospitality, , and eccentric Whilus ;
the respect for his neighl)ours, and the affection
of his domestics 2’—IHazlitt.
Covetous Man. A Tantalus (q.v.).
“In the full flood stands Tan'talus, his skin
Washed o'er in vain, for ever dry within.
He catches at the Strealm with greedy lips—
From his parched mouth the Walnton tol’rent
Slips. . . .
Change but the name, this fable is thy story :
Thou in a flood of useless wealth dost glory,
Which thou canst only touch, but never taste.”
* Cowley : Horace, Satire i.
Cow. The cow that nourished Ymir
with four streams of milk was called
Audhumla. (Scandinavian mythology.)
(See AUDHUMLA,)
Curst cows. (See under CURST.)
The white) the cow, the surer is it to go
to the altar. The richer the prey, the
more likely is it to be seized,
“The system of impropriations grew so rapidly
that, in the course of three centuries, more than
a third part of all the benefices in England
became such, and those the richest, for the whiter
the cow, the surer was it to go to the altar.”—
Blunt: Reformation in England, p. 63.
“Always behind, like
“Tanquam coda vituli.”
Cow’s Tail.
a cow’s tail.”
(Petronius.)
The cow knows not the worth of her tail
till she loses it, and is troubled with flies,
which her tail brushed off.
“What we have we prize not to the worth
Whiles we enjoy it ; lyut being lack'd and lost,
Why, then we rack the value.” e w
Shakespeare: Much Ado about Nothing, iv. 1.
Cow-lick. A tuft of hair on the
human forehead, Sometimes called a
Coward
302.
Crack
feather ; it cannot be made to lie in
the same direction as the rest of the hair
by brushing, or even by pomatum.
When cows lick their hides they make
the hair stand on end.
“This term must have been adopted from a
comparison with that part of a ... . cow's laide
where the hairs, having different directions, meet
and form a projecting ridge, supposed to be occa-
Sioned by the animals licking themselves.”—
Brochett: Glossary of North-Country Words.
Coward (anciently written culvard)
is either from the French, couard, ori-
ginally written culvert, from culver (a
pigeon), pigeon-livered being still a
common expression for a coward; or
else from the Latin, culum ve)"tere, to
turn tail (Spanish, cobarde ; Portuguese,
covarde ; Italian, codardo, “a coward; ”
Latin, cauda, “a tail”). A beast cowarded,
in heraldry, is one drawn with its coue
or tail between its legs. The allusion is
to the practice of beasts, who sneak off
in this manner when they are cowed.
Cowper. Called “Author of The
Task,” from his principal poem. (1731-
1800.)
Cowper Law, a corruption of Cupar,
etc., is trying a man after execution.
Similar expressions are Jedwood, Jed-
dart, and Jedburgh justice. Cowper
justice had its rise from a baron-baile
in Coupar-Angus, before heritable juris-
dictions were abolished. (See LYDFORD
LAW.)
“Cowper Law, as We Say in Scotland—hang a
man first, and then judge him.”—Lord de Ros:
Tower of London.
Coxcomb. An empty-headed, vain
person. The ancient licensed jesters
were so called because they wore a
cock’s comb in their caps.
“Coxcombs, an eyer empty rage,
Are trumpets of their own disgrace.” .
Gay : Fables, xix.
“Let me hire him too ; here's my coxcomb.”
Shakespeare: King Lear, i. 4.
The Prince of Côa.combs. Charles
Joseph, Prince de Ligne. (1535-1614.)
Richard II. of England is sometimes
called the Coxcomb. (1366, 1377-1400.)
Henri III. of France was called le
Mignon, which means pretty well the
same thing. (1551, 1574-1589.)
Coxeyites (3 Syl.). Followers of Mr.
[“General”] Coxey, of the United
States, who induced 50,000 labourers
from sundry states “to march'' to
Washington to overawe the Government
into giving employment to the unem-
ployed. The word is now employed to
express labour processions and masses
Organised to force concessions to work-
Iſle]].
Coxswain. Kog is Norwegian for
a cockboat; Welsh, awch; Italian, cocoa,
etc.; and Swain, Anglo-Saxon for a
servant, superintendent, or bailiff. (See
CoCKBOAT.)
Coyne and Livery. Food and en-
tertainment for soldiers, and forage for
their horses, exacted by an army from
the people whose lands they passed
through, or from towns where they
rested on their march.
Coys' tril, Coystrel, or Kestrel. A
degenerate hawk; hence, a paltry fellow.
FIolinshed says, “costerels or bearers of
the arms of barons or knights” (vol. i.
p. 162); and again, “women, lackeys,
and costerels are considered as the un-
warlike attendants on an army” (vol. iii.
272). Each of the life-guards of Henry
VIII. had an attendant, called a coystrel
or coystril. Some think the word is a
corruption of costerel, which they derive
from the Latin coterellus (a peasant); but
if not a corruption of kestrel, I should
derive it from costrel (a small wooden
bottle used by labourers in harvest time).
“Pasa quadam quae costrelli vocantaſy.”
(Matthew Paris.)
“He’s a coward and a coystril that will not
flººk to my niece.”—Shakespeare: Twelfth Night,
l. 3.
Cozen. To cheat. (Armoric, coug-
zyein, Russian, kosmodei, Arabic, gausa;
Ethiopic, chasawa, our chouse.)
“I think it no sin
To cozen liim that would unjustly win.”
Shakespeare: All's Well that Ends Well, iv. 2.
Crab (A). An ill-tempered fellow ;
sour as a crab-apple.
To catch a crab, in rowing. (See CATCH
A CRAB.)
Crab-cart. The carapace of a crab.
So called because it is used very com-
monly by children for a toy-cart.
Crack, as a crack man, a first-rate
fellow ; a crack hand at cards, a first-
rate player; a crack article, an excellent
one, i.e. an article cracked up or boasted
about. This is the Latin crepo, to crack
or boast about. Hence Lucretius ii. 1168,
“crepas antiquum genus.”
“Indeed, la 'tis a noble child; a crack, madam.”
- Shakespeare: Coriolativus, i. 3.
A gude crack. A good talker.
“To be a gude crack. . . . was essential to the
trade of a ‘puir body ...of the more esteemed
class.”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquary (Introduc-
tl()]]). -
In a crack. Instantly. In a Snap of
the fingers, crep'iteſ diffito','!!ºn (in a crack
of the fingers). (French, craquer.)
“Une allusion au lyruit de l'ongle contre la dent
que les Orientaux du nioyen äge touchaient du
Crack-brained
303.
Crank ->
doight quand ils voulaient affirmer Solennelle-
lment une chose.” Hence—
“Sire, bien vous croi Seur les Dieux;
Mais assés vous querroie mieux
Sé vous l'ongle liturties all dent.”
Théatre Francois de Moyen Age, p. 167.
Crack-brained. Eccentric ; slightly
mad. Anotherform is “A crack-skull.”
Crack a Bottle — i.e. drink One.
The allusion is to the mischievous pranks
of the drunken frolics of times gone
by, when the bottles and glasses were
broken during the bout. Miss Oldbuck
says, in reference to the same custom,
“We never were glass-breakers in this
house, Mr. Lovel” (Antiquary); mean-
ing they were not bottle-crackers, or
given to drunken orgies. (See CRUSH.)
“Dear Tom, this brown jug that now foams With
mild aie, -
From which I now drink to sweet Nan of the
WaS §e Toly Filpot's, a thirsty old Soul
As e'er cracked a bottle, or fathomed a bowl.”
O'Keefe : Poor Soldier.
Crack a Crib (To). To break into a
house as a thief. (See CRIB.)
Crack Up a Person (To). To praise
him highly. (See CRACK.)
Cracked. Made a bankrupt. A play
on “rupt,” which is from the Latin
ºttºmpo, to break.
Cracked Pipkins.
are discovered by their sound.
is betrayed by speech.
“They bid you talk—my lionest Song
Bids you for ever hold your tongue;
Silence with some is wisdom most profound-
Cracked pipkins are discovered by the Sound.”
- Peter Piºnday : Lord B. (thºd his Motions.
Cracked pipkins
Ignorance
Cracker. So called from the noise it
makes when it goes off.
Cracknells (from the French Graqºſe-
Jin). A hard, brittle cake.
Cradle-land. The same as “borough
|English,” under which lands descend to
the youngest son. By Gavelkind, land
passes to all sons in equal proportions.
If the father has no son, then (in
cradle-land tenures) the youngest daugh-
ter is sole heiress. If neither wife, son,
nor daughter, the youngest brother
inherits ; if no brother, the youngest
sister is heir ; if neither brother nor yet
sister, then the youngest next of kim.
Craft (A). . A trade (Anglo-Saxon,
craft). A craftsman is a mechanic. A
handicraft is manual skill, i.e. mechanical
skill. And leechcraft is skill in medicine.
(Anglo-Saxon lacce-craft; lace, a doctor.)
Craft (A). A general term for a
vessel employed in loading and unloading
ships.
Small craft. Such vessels as Schooners,
sloops, cutters, and so on. ship-
builder was at one time the prince of
Craftsmen, and his vessels were work of
craft emphatically.
Craft. Cunning, or skill in a bad
sense. Hence. Witchcraft, the art or
cunning of a witch.
Craigmillar Castle. So called from
FIenry de Craigmillar, who built the
castle in the twelfth century.
Cra/lºys of War. Cannons were so
called in the reign of Edward III.
Cram. To tell what is not true. A
6)'amme)', an untruth. The allusion is to
stuffing a person with useless rubbish.
Crambe bis Cocta. [“cabbage boiled
twice”]. A subject hacked out. Ju-
venal says, “Occidit miseros crambe repe-
tita magistros” (vii.155), alluding to the
Greek proverb “Dis krambé thanatos.”
“There was a disadvantage in treading this
Border district, for it had been already ransacked
by the author himself, as well as by others; and,
unless presented under a new light, was likely to
afford ground to the objection of Crambe bis
cocta.”—Sin' W. Scott: The Monastery (Introduction).
Crambo. Repetition. So called from
a game which consists in some one
setting a line which another is to
rhyme to, but no one word of the first
line must occur in the second.
JDumb crambo. Pantomime of a word
in rhyme to a given word. Thus if
“cat’’ is the given word, the panto-
mimists would act Bat, Fat, Hat, Mat,
Pat, Rat, Sat, etc., till the word acted is
guessed.
Crampart (King). The king who
made a wooden horse which would
travel 100 miles an hour. (Alkmaar.
Reynard the Foz, 1498.)
Swifter than Crampart's horse. Quick
as lightning ; quick as thought. (See
above.) -
Cramp-ring. To Scott, the cramp-
ring. To be put into fetters; to be
imprisoned. The allusion is obvious.
“There's no muckle hazard o' scouring the
cramp-ring.”—Sir W. Scott: Guy Mannering, chap.
XXI il.
Crane means long-shanks. (Welsh,
gar, “the shanks,” whence our gaiter
and garter.) Garan is the long-shanked
bird, contracted into g’ram, crane ; hero?,
is another form of the same word.
Crank. An Abram man (q.v.). So
called from the German krank (sickly),
whence cranky, “idiotic, foolish, full of
whims,” and cranks (simulated sick-
ness). These beggars were called cranks
Crannock
304
Credat Judaeus
because they pretended madness and
sickness to excite compassion.
Crannock. An Irish measure which,
in the days of Edward II., contained
either eight or sixteen pecks.
“Crannocus continebit xyj pecks. Crannoco
continente Octo lecks.”—Birchequen' of Inteland
(Iðec.). -
Cra'paud or Johnny Chapattd. A
Frenchman ; so called from the device of
the ancient kings of France, “three toads
erect, saltant.” (Guillim's Display of
Iſeraldrie, 1611.) Nostrada'mus, in the
sixteenth century, called the French
“crapauds.”
Les anciens crapauds prenderont Sara
(Nostrada/mus). Sara is the word Aras
reversed, and when the French under
Touis XIV. took Aras from the Span-
iards, this verse was quoted as a pro-
phecy.
Crape . . . . Lawn. A Saint in crape
is twice a saint in lawn. (Pope : Ep. to
Cobham, 136.) Crape (a sort of bom-
bazine, or alpaca) is the stuff of which
cheap clerical gowns used to be made,
and here means one of the lower clergy;
“lawn 7" refers to the lawn sleeves of a
bishop, and here means a prelate. A
good curate is all very well, but the same
goodness in a bishop is exalted as some-
thing noteworthy.
Cravat'. A corruption of Crabat or
Croāt. It was introduced into France by
some French officers on their return from
Germany in 1636. The Croāts, who
guarded the Turkish frontiers of Austria,
and acted as scouts on the flanks of the
army, wore linen round their necks, tied
in front, and the officers wore muslin or
silk. When France organised a regiment
on the model of the Croāts, these linen
neckcloths were imitated, and the regi-
ment was called “The Royal Cravat.”
The Bonny Cravat. A public-house sign
at Woodchurch, Kent; a corruption of
La boºze corvette. Woodchurch was
noted for its Smuggling proclivities, and
the “Bonnie Cravat' was a smuggler's
hostelry. -
To wear a hempen cravat. To be hanged.
Craven means “your mercy is
craved.” It was usual in former times
to decide controversies by an appeal to
battle. The combatants fought with
bâtons, and if the accused could either
kill his adversary or maintain the fight
till sundown, he was acquitted. If he
wished to call off, he cried out “Craven!”
and was held infamous, while the defend-
antwasadvanced to honour. (Blackstone.)
Crawley. Crooked as Crawley (or)
Crawley brook, a river in Bedfordshire.
That part called the brook, which runs
into the Ouse, is so crooked that a boat
would have to go eighty miles in order
to make a progress direct of eighteen.
(Fuller: Worthies.)
Cray'on (Geoffrey). The nom de
plume under which Washington Irving
published The Sketch-Book. (1820.)
Creaking Doors hang the Longest.
“Un pot félé dure plus qu'un neuf.”
“ Tout Se qui branle me chet pas” (tum-
bles not). Delicate persons often outlive
the more robust. Those who have some
personal affliction, like the gout, often
live longer than those who have no such
vent.
Create. Make.
God created the heavens and the eartlı (GCI). i. 1.)
- (Hebrew, carah; Greek, kºtićto.)
God made the firmanent . . . . . . (Gen. i. 7.)
(Greek, trouégo).
God made the Sun and moon . . . . . . (Gen. i. 16.)
God created the great fishes . . . . . . . (Gen. i. 21.)
God made the terrestrial animals ... (Gen. i. 25.
God created man and made him “God-
ike” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Gen. i. 27.
God said “I et us make man in our own image"
(verse 26), and So God created man in His image
Chap. ii. 3. He rested from all the works which
He had created and made. -
Chap. ii. 4. He made the earth and the heavens ;
He also created them.
Chap. ii. 22. He made woman, but created man.
Most certainly create does not of necessity mean
to make out of nothing, as fishes were “created”
from Water, and man was created from “earth.”
Creature (The). Whisky or other
spirits. A contracted form of “Creature-
comfort.”
“When he chanced to have taken an Overdose
of the creature.”—Sir W. Scott : Guy Mammering,
chap. xliy.
A drop of the creature. A little
whisky. The Irish call it “a drop of the
Crater.”
Creature - comforts. Food and
other things necessary for the comfort of
the body. Man being supposed to con-
sist of body and soul, the body is the
creature, but the soul is the “vital spark
of heavenly flame.”
“Mr. Squeers had been seeking in creature-
gomforts [brandy and water] temporary forget-
fulness of his unl)leasant Situation.”—Dickems :
Nicholas Nickleby.
Credat Judaeus Or Credat Judaeus
Apella. Tell that to the Marines.
That may do for Apella, but I don’t
believe a word of it. Who this Apella
was, nobody knows. (Horace : 1 Satires,
v. line 100.)
tº Cicero mentions a person of this
Iname in Ad Atticiſm (12, ep. 19); but See
DUCANGE. -
Credence *Table
* ----
Cre'dience Table. The table near
the altar on which the bread and wine
are deposited before they are conse-
crated. In former times food was
placed on a credence-table to be tasted
previously to its being set before the
guests. This was done to assure the
guests that the meat was not poisoned.
The Italian credenza','e means to taste
meats placed on the creden'24. (Italian,
la credenza, a shelf or buffet ; , Greek,
kreas, food.)
Crédit Foncier (French). A com-
pany licensed to borrow money for city
and other improvements connected with
estates. A board of guardians may
form such a company, and their Security
would be the parish rates. The money
borrowed is repaid by instalments with
interest. The word foncieſ' means
“landed,” as impôt foncier (land-tax),
bien foncier (landed property), and so on.
Crédit Mobilier (French). A com-
pany licensed to take in hand all sorts
of trading enterprises, such as railways,
and to carry on the business of stock-
jobbers. The word mobilier means
personal property, general stock, as bien
mobilier (personal chattels), mobilier wif
et mort (live and dead stock).
Cre/Renpit. A fictitious river near
Husterloe, according to the invention of
Master Reynard, who calls on the Hare
to attest the fact. (Reynard the Fow.)
Cremo'na. An Organ stop, a cor-
ruption of the Italian cormonyne, which is
the German krummhorn, an organ stop
of eight feet pitch ; so called from a
wind-instrument made of wood, and
bent outwards in a circular arc (krumm-
horn, Crooked horn).
Cremonas. Violins of the greatest
excellence; so called from Cremona,
where for many years lived some makers
of them who have gained a world-wide
notoriety, such as An'drea Ama'ti and
Antonio his son, Antonius Stradiva/rius
his pupil, and Giuseppe Guarnerius the
pupil of Stradiva'rius. Cremona has
long since lost its reputation for this
manufacture.
“In Silvis Viva Silui; cano'ra jam mortua cano.”
4 motto on a Crémoma.
§peechless, alive, I heard the feathered throng;
NOW, being dead, I emulate their song. T. G. B.
Cre'ole (2 syl.). A descendant of
white people born in Mexico, South
America, and the West Indies. (Spanish
criado, a servant; diminutive driadillo,
contracted into creollo, creole.) (See
MULATTo.)
305
“a, little Cross.”
Cressida.
Creole dialects. The various jargons
spoken by the West India slaves.
Crepidam. Supra crep'idam. Talk-
ing about subjects above one's metier,
meddling and muddling matters of
which you know little or nothing. (See
CoBBLER.)
Cres' cent. Tradition says that
“Philip, the father of Alexander, meet-
ing with great difficulties in the siege of
Byzantium, set the workmen to under-
mine the walls, but a crescent moon dis-
covered the design, which miscarried;
consequently the Byzantines erected a
statue to Diana, and the crescent became
the symbol of the state.”
Another legend is that Othman, the
Sultan, saw in a vision a crescent moon,
which kept increasing till its horns ex-
tended from east to west, and he adopted
the Crescent of his dream for his stan-
dard, adding the motto, “Joned rep/ſeat
07'beſm.”
Crescent City (The).
in Louisiana, U.S.
Cres'cit. Crescit sub pon'dere Pºtats
(Virtue thrives best in adversity). The
allusion is to the palm-tree, which grows
better when pressed by an incumbent
weight.
Many plants grow the better for being
pressed, as grass, which is wonderfully
improved by being rolled frequently
with a heavy roller, and by being trodden
down by sheep. .
Cressell'e (2 syl.). A wooden rattle
used formerly in the Romish Church
during Passion week, instead of bells, to
give notice of Divine worship. Supposed
to represent the ruttling in the throat of
Christ while hanging on the cross.
New Orleans,
Cresset. A beacon-light; properly
So called because ori-
ginally it was surmounted by a little
cross. (French, croisette.)
Cress'ida, daughter of Calchas the
Grecian priest, was beloved by Troilus,
one of the sons of Priam. They vowed
eternal fidelity to each other, and as
pledges of their vow Troilus gave the
maiden a sleeve, and Cressid gave the
Trojan prince a glove. Scarce had the
vow been made when an exchange of
prisoners was agreed to. Tiomed gave
up three Trojan princes, and was to
receive Cressid in lieu thereof. Cressid
vowed to remain constant, and Troilus
swore to rescue her. She was led off to
the Grecian’s tent, and soon gave all her
affections to Diomed—nay, even bade
20
Cresswell
him wear the sleeve that Troilus had
given her in token of his love.
e e “AS false
As air, as water, wind, or Sandy earth,
As fox to lamb, as wolf to heifer's calf,
Pard to the hind, or step-dame to her son ;
{ Yºlet them say, to stick the heart of false-
) OO C
‘As false as Cressid.” - - -
Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida, iii. 2.
Cresswell (Madame). A woman of
infamous character who bequeathed £10
for a funeral sermon, in which nothing
ill should be said of her. The Duke of
Buckingham wrote the sermon, which
was as follows: “All I shall say of her
is this—she was born well, she married
well, lived well, and died well; for she
was born at Shad-well, married to CreSS-
well, lived at Clerken-well, and died in
Eride-well.”
Cressy (Battle of). Won by Edward
III. and the Black Prince over Philippe
VI. of France, August 26, 1346.
“Cressy was lost by kickshaws and soup meagre.”
Femtom, : Prol. to Southern's Spartam Dame.
Crestfallen. Dispirited. The allu-
sion is to fighting cocks, whose crest
falls in defeat and rises rigid and of a
deep red colour in victory.
“Shall I Seem crest-fallen in my father's sight 2'
Shakespeare : Richard II., i. 1.
Crete. Hound of Crete. A blood-
hound.
“Coupe le gorge, that's the word.
agal In,
O hound of Crete,” - - -
Shakespeare: Henry V., ii. 1.
The Infamy of Crete. The Minotaur.
... “There lay stretched
The infamy of Crete, detested brood
$.
Of the feigned heifer, e
Dante : Hell, xii. (Cary's translation).
Cre’ticus. Metellus, the Roman
general, was so called because he con-
quered Crete (Candia).
Cre’tinism. Mental imbecility accom-
panied by goitre. So called from the
Crétins of the Alps. The word is a cor-
ruption of Christian (Chrétien), because,
being baptised, and only idiots, they were
“washed from original sin,” and incap-
able of actual sim. Similarly, idiots are
called innocents. (French crétin, crétin-
*Sme.)
Crex. White bullace. (Dutch, kriecke,
cherry ; Latin, ce)"astºm.)
Crib (A). Slang for a house or
dwelling, as a “Stocking Crib '' (i.e. a
hosiery), a “Thimble Crib '' (i.e. a
silversmith's). Crib is an Ox - stall.
(Anglo-Saxon, crib, a stall, a bed, etc.)
º where no oxen are, the crib is clean.”—ProV.
X1 W, 4,
I thee defy
806
Crilloń.
A child’s crib is a child’s bed. (See
preceding colºny.) -
Crib (A). A petty, theft ; a literal
translation of some foreign work, stealth-
ily employed to save trouble.
“We are glad to turn from the choruses of
AEschylus, or the odes of Horace, confected in
English verse by , some petty scholar, to the
original text, and the homely help of a School-
boy's crib.”—Balzac's Shorter Stonics : Prefatory
Notice, p. 16.
Crib. To steal small articles. (Saxon,
crybb ; Irish, grib, our grab, grapple,
grip, gripe, etc.) -
Cricket.
The diminutive of the Anglo-Saxon
cric, a staff or crutch. In the Bodleian
library is a M.S. (1344) picture of a monk
bowling a ball to another monk, who is
about to strike it with a cric. In the
field are other monks. There are no
wickets, but the batsman stands before
a hole, and the art of the game was
either to get the ball into the hole, or
to catch it.
Perhaps the earliest mention of the
word “crickett'’ is 1593. John Derrick,
gent., tells us when he attended the
“free school of Guldeforde, he and his
fellowes did runne and play there at
crickett and other plaies.” It was a
Wykehamist game in the days of Eliza-
|beth.
A single stump was placed in the
seventeenth century at each hole to
point out the place to bowlers and
fielders. In 1700 two stumps were used
24 inches apart and 12 inches high, with
long bails atop. tºº
A middle stump was added by the
Hambledon Club in 1775, and the
height of the stumps was raised to 22
inches.
In 1814 they were made 26, inches,
and in 1817 they were reduced to 22
inches. the present height. The length
of run is 22 yards.
The first cricket club was Hambledon,
which practically broke up in 1791, but
existed in name till 1825.
Criſkey. A profane Oath ; a per-
verted form of the word Christ.
Cril/ion. Where wert thout, Crillon 3
Crillon, surnamed the Brave, in his old
age went to church, and listened in-
tently to the story of the Crucifixion.
In the middle of the narrative he grew
excited, and, unable to contain himself,
cried out, “Ou átais - tu, Crillon 2 ”
(What were you about, Crillon, to allow
of such things as these?).
N.B.-Louis de Berton des Balbes de
Crillon was one of the greatest captains
Crimen
307
Critic
of the sixteenth century. Born in Pro-
vence 1541, died 1615.
Henri IV., after the battle of Argives (1589),
wrote to Crillon the following letter: “Prend-toi,
brave Ch'illonz, woºds avoms vaincº & Arques, et tw. 77'y
étais pas.” The first and last part of this letter
have become proverbial.
Crimen laesae Majestatis (Latin).
High treason.
Crimp. A decoy; a man or woman
that is on the look-out to decoy the un-
wary. It is more properly applied to an
agent for supplying ships with sailors, but
these agents are generally in league with
public-houses and private lodging-houses
of low character, into which they decoy
the sailors and relieve them of their
money under one pretence or another.
(Welsh, crimpiaw, to Squeeze or pinch;
Norwegian, krympe, a Sponge.)
Crimp of Death (A). A thief-
catcher. A crimp is a decoy, especially
of soldiers and sailors. (See above.)
“Here lie three crimps of death, knocked down
by Fate
o justice the staunch blood-hounds, too, so
Keen.”
Peter Pindar: Epitaph on Townsend,
MúC??? (???.S., Clºud Jealous.
Cringle (Tom). An excellent sailor
character in the naval story by Michael
Scott, called Tom Ch'ingle's Log, first
published in Blackwood’s Magazine.
Cripple. A battered or bent six-
pence ; so called because it is hard to
make it go.
Cripplegate. St. Giles is the patron
Saint of Cripples and beggars, and was
himself a cripple. Churches dedicated
to this saint are, therefore, in the suburbs
of large towns, as St. Giles of London,
Norwich, Cambridge, Salisbury, etc.
Cripplegate, London, was so called
before the Conquest from the number
of cripples who resorted thither to beg.
(Stowe.) .
Criss-cross Row (Christ-cross row).
The A B C horn-book, containing the
alphabet and nine digits. The most
ancient of these infant-school books had
the letters arranged in the form of a
Latin cross, with A at the top and Z at
the bottom ; but afterwards the letters
were arranged in lines, and a + was
placed at the beginning to remind the
learner that “The fear of the Lord is
the beginning of wisdom,”
“Mortals ne'er shall know
More than contained of old the Chris'-cross row.”
Tickell: The Horm-Book.
Crish'na. An incarnate deity of
perfect beauty. King Canza, being in-
formed that a child of the family of
Devaci would overturn his throne, gave
orders to destroy all the male infants
that were born. When Crishna was
born, his brother conveyed him secretly
to the house of a shepherd king; but
Canza discovered his retreat, and sent
the monster Kākshas to poison him. The
tale says the infant child sucked the
monster to death, and so escaped. As
he grew up, his beauty was so divine
that all the princesses of Hindustan fell
in love with him, and even to the present
hour he is the Apollo of India and the
“idol of women.” His images are
always painted a deep azure colour. (Sir
W. Jones.) (See RAM.A.)
Cri'sis properly means the “ability
to judge.” Hippocratēs said that all
diseases had their periods, when the
humours of the body ebbed and flowed
like the tide of the sea. These tidal
days he called critical days, and the tide
itself a crisis, because it was on these
days the physician could determine
whether the disorder was taking a good
or a bad turn. The seventh and all its
multiples were critical days of a favour-
able character. (Greek, Krino, to judge
or determine.)
Crispin. A shoemaker. St. Crispin
was a shoemaker, and was therefore
chosen for the patron saint of the craft.
It is said that two brothers, Crispin and
Crispian, born in Rome, went to Soissons,
in France (A.D. 303), to propagate the
Christian religion, and maintained them-
selves wholly by making and mending
shoes. Probably the tale is fabulous,
for crepis is Greek for a shoe, Latin
crepid-a, and St. Crepis or Crepid became
Crepin and Crespin.
St. Crispin's Day. October 25th, the
day of the battle of Agincourt. Shake-
speare makes Crispin Crispian one
person, and not two brothers. Hence
Henry W. Says to his soldiers—
“And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go ly . . .
But We in it slıall be remembered.”
Shakespeare: Henry V., iv. 3.
St. Crispin's holiday. Every Monday,
with those who begin the working week
on Tuesday; a no-work day with shoe-
makers. (See CRISPIN.)
St. Crisp???’s la/26e. A shoemaker's
awl. In French, “Lance de St. Crépin.”
Crispin is the patron Saint of shoemakers.
The French argot for a leather purse is ºthe
crepime.
Crite'rion. A standard to judge by.
(Greek, krino, to judge.)
Critic. A judge; an arbiter. (Greek,
Križ0, to judge.)
Croaker
308 Crone
Ch'itic. A captious, malignant critic is
called a Zoilus (q.v.)
“‘And what of this new book the whole world
makes such a rout about 2'. ‘Oh, it is out of all
plumb, my lord ; quite an irregular thing ! ... not
one of the anglés at the four corners is a right
angle. , I had my rule and compasses in my
pocket.” “Excellent critic ' *
“And for the epic poem your lordship bade me
look at, upon taking the length, breadth, height,
and depth of it, and trying them at home upon an
exact Scale Of Bossus [Bossut's], 'tis out, my lord,
in every one of its dimensions.” Admirable con-
noisseur !’”—Sterme: Tristram Shamdy, Vol. iii.
chap. Xii. -
* The abbé Charles Bossut (1730–
1814) was a noted mathematician and
geometer.
Prince of critics. Aristarchos, of By-
zantium, who compiled the rhapsodies of
Homer. (Second century B.C.)
Stop-watch critics.
“‘And how did Garrick Speak the soliloquy last
night 2', ‘Oh, against all rule, my lord, most un-
grammatically. Betwixt the substantiye and the
adjective, which should agree together in number,
case, and gender, he made a breach, thus—stop-
ping as if the point wanted settling; and betwixt,
the nominative case, which, your lordship knows,
should govern the verb, he suspended his voice
in the epilogue a dozen times, three Seconds and
three-fifths by a stop-watch, my lord, each time.”
‘Admirable grammarian “But in suspending
his voice was the sense suspended likewise 2. Did
no expression of attitude or countenance fill up
the chasm? Was the eye Silent P Did you mar-
rowly look?” “I looked only at the stop-watch,
my lord.” “Excellent observer !'”—Sterme: Tris-
tram Shandy, Vol. iii. Chap. Xii.
Croalk'er (2 Syl.). A raven, so called
from its croak; one who takes a de-
sponding view of things. Goldsmith, in
his Good-natured Man, has a character
so named.
Croakumshire. Northumberland is
so called from the peculiar Croaking of
the natives in speaking. This is especi-
ally observable in Newcastle and Mor-
peth, where the people are said to be
born with a burr in their throats, which
revents their giving effect to the
etter 4.
Croc mitaine (A). A fire-eater;
one always ready to quarrel and fight.
(See CROQUEMITAINE.)
Croc'odile (3 syl.). A symbol of
deity among the Egyptians, because it
is the only aquatic animal, says Plu-
tarch, which has its eyes covered with a
thin transparent membrane, by reason
of which it sees and is not seen ; so God
sees all, Himself not being seen. To
this he subsequently adds another reason,
saying, “The Egyptians worship God
symbolically in the crocodile, that being
the only animal without a tongue, like
the Divine Logos, which standeth not in
need of speech.” (De Iside et Osiride,
vol. ii. p. 381.)
* Achilles Tatius says, “The number
of its teeth equals the number of days in
a year.” Another tradition is, that
during the seven days held sacred to
Apis, the crocodile will harm no one.
Crocodile (King). A king who de-
vours his people, or at least their sub-
stance. Browne, in his Travels, tells us
that there is a king crocodile, as there is a
queen bee. The king crocodile has no tail.
Crocodile's Eye. Hieroglyphic for
the morning.
Croc'odile's Tears. Hypocritical
tears. The tale is, that crocodiles moan
and sigh like a person in deep distress,
to allure travellers to the spot, and even
shed tears over their prey while in the
act of devouring it.
“As the mournful crocodile
With Sorrow snares relenting passengers.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., iii. 1.
Crocum in Cilician ferre. To
carry coals to Newcastle. As Cilicia.
abounds with saffron, to send it there
would be needless and extravagant
excess. For similar phrases, see ALCINOO
POMA DARE, NOCTUAS ATHENAS, COALS.
Croesus. Jeich as Ch'oesus. Croesus,
Ying of Lydia, was so rich and powerful
that all the wise men of Greece were
drawn to his court, and his name be-
came proverbial for wealth. (B.C. 560-
546.) T(See GYGES.) -
Crom"eruach'. Chief idol of the
Irish before the preaching of St. Patrick.
It was a gold or silver image surrounded
by twelve little brazen ones.
Cromlech. A large stone resting on
two or more others, like a table. (Welsh,
crom, bent; llech, a flat stone.)
Weyland Smith’s cave (Berkshire),
Trevethy stone (Cornwall), Kit's Coty
IHouse (Kent). Irby and Mangles saw
twenty-seven structures just like these
on the banks of the Jordan ; at Plas
Newydd (Anglesey) are two cromlechs;
in Cornwall they are numerous ; SO are
they in Wales; some few are found in
Ireland, as the “killing-stone” in Louth,
In Brittany, TJenmark, Germany, and
some other parts of Europe, Cromlechs
are to be found.

Cromwell in the part of “Tactus.”
(See TACTUS.) -
Crone, properly speaking, means a
ewe whose teath are worn out ; but
metaphorically it means any toothless
old beldam. (Irish, crioma, old; allied
to the Greek gérôn, an old man.)
“Take up the bastard ; take it up, I say: give 't
to thy crone.”—Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, ii. 3.
Cronian Sea
309
CrOSS
Cro'nian Sea. The north polar Sea.
Pliny says, “A Thule univſs diet ſaviga-
tio'né maré concretum, a nonnullis Cronium
appella'tur.” (Natural History, iv. 16.)
“As when two polar winds blowing adverse
Upon the Cronian Sea.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 290.
Cro'ny. A familiar friend. An old
crony is an intimate of times gone by.
Probably crone with the diminutive ie
for endearment, and equivalent to “dear
old fellow,” “dear old boy.” (See
CRONE.)
Crook in the Lot. There is a crook
in the lot of everyone. There is vexa-
tion bound up in every person’s lot of
life, a skeleton in the cupboard of every
house. A crook in a stick is a bend, a
part where the stick does not run
straight, hence a “shepherd’s crook.”
When lots were drawn by bits of stick,
it was desirable to get sticks which were
Smooth and straight ; but it is very hard
to find one without a crook, knot, or
some other defect. Boston has a book
entitled The Crook iſ? the Lot.
Crooked as Crawley. (See CRAW-
LEY.)
Crooked Sixpence (A).
bring luck. (See MONEY.)
Crooked Stick (A). A self-willed
fellow who will neither lead nor drive,
neither be led nor driven. (See CROOK.)
Said to
Crop Up (or) Out. To rise out of,
to appear at the Surface. A mining
term. Strata, which rise to the surface
are said to crop out. We also say, such
and such a subject crops up from time to
time—i.e. rises to the Surface ; such and
such a thing crops out of what you were
saying—i.e. is apropos thereof.
Cropper. He came a cropper. He
fell head over heels. To get a cropper.
To get a bad fall. “Neck and crop ''
means altogether, and to “come a
cropper” is to come to the ground neck
and crop.
Croquemitaine [croak-mit-tain], the
bogie raised by fear. The romance so
called, in three parts. The first relates
the bloody tournament at Fransac, be-
tween the champions of the Moorish
King Marsillus and the paladins of
Charlemagne. The second is the Siege
of Saragossa by Charlemagne. The
third is the allegory of Fear-Fortress.
The epilogue is the disaster at Ronces-
vallés. The author is M. l'Epine. There
is an English version by Tom Hood,
illustrated by Gustave Doré (1867). (See
FEAR-FORTRESS, MITAINE, etc.)
Croquet. A game played with a
Sort of bandy stick. The crook was
Superseded by a kind of mallet. Du
Cange gives “Croque, croquebois, croquet,
báton armé d'un croc, ou qui est recourbé”
(vol. vii. p. 115). The art of the game
is to strike your balls through very
Small hoops arranged in a given order.
Crore (A), in the East Indies, means
a hundred lacs of rupees, equal nomi-
nally, in round numbers, to a million
sterling. (Pronounce cror, Hindustainee
karor.)
Cross. The cross is said to have
been made of four sorts of wood (palm,
cedar, olive, and cypress), to signify the
four quarters of the globe.
“Ligna crucis palma, cedrus, cupressus, oliva.”
We are accustomed to consider the
sign of the cross as wholly a Christian
Symbol, Originating with the crucifixion
of Our Redeemer. This is quite errone-
Ous. In ancient Carthage it was used
for Ornamental purposes. - Runic crosses
were set up by the Scandinavians as
boundary marks, and were erected over
the graves of kings and heroes. Cicero
tells us (De Divinatione, ii. 27, and 80, 81)
that the augur's staff with which they
marked out the heaven was a cross.
The ancient Egyptians employed the
same as a sacred symbol, and we see on
Greek sculptures, etc., a cake with a
Cross; two such buns were discovered at
FIercula/neum.
It was a sacred symbol among the
Aztecs long before the landing of Cortes.
(Malánche.) In Cozumel it was an ob-
ject of worship; in Tabasco it symbolised
the god of rain; in Palinque (the Pal-
myra of America) it is sculptured on the
walls with a child held up adoring it.
“The cross is not only a Christian symbol, it was
also a Mexican symbol. It was one of the ém.
blems of Quetzalcoatl, as lord of the four cardinal
points, and the four winds that blow therefrom.”
—Fiske : Discovery of America, Vol. ii. chap. viii.
p. 250.) -
Cross (in heraldry). There are twelve
crosses in heraldry, called (1) the ordi-
nary cross; (2) the cross, humetté, or
couped ; (3) the cross urdé, or pointed;
(4) the cross potent ; (5) the cross cross-
let ; (6) the cross botonné, or trefle; (7)
the cross moline ; (8) the cross potence ;
(9) the cross fleury; (10) the cross paté ;
(11) the Maltese cross (or eight-pointed
cross); (12) the cross cleché and fitché.
Some heraldic writers enumerate 285
different kinds of crosses.
Cross - 310
Cross and Pile
Cross (a mystic emblem) may be re-
duced to these four:
The Greek cross (+), found on Assy-
rian tablets, Egyptian and Persian monu-
ments, and on Etruscan pottery.
The cruz decussóta (X), generally
called St. Andrew’s cross. Quite com-
mon in ancient Sculpture.
The Latin cross (+), or “crux im-
missa.” This symbol is also found on
coins, monuments, and medals, long be-
fore the Christian era.
The tau cross (T), or “crux commissa.”
Very ancient indeed, and supposed to be
a phallic emblem. -
# The tau cross with a handle (?) is
common to several Egyptian deities, as
Isis, Osiris, etc.; and is the emblem of
immortality and life generally.
JEveryone must bear his own cross.
FIis own burden or troubles. The allu-
sion is to the law that the person con-
demned to be crucified was to carry his
cross to the place of execution.
Get on the cross. Get into bad ways;
riot go straight. -
" “It's hard lines to think a fellow must grow up
and get on the cross in Spite of himself, and
come to the gallow's foot at last, whether he
likes it or not.”—Boldrewood: Robbery Under Arms,
Chap. Wiii.
The judgment of the cross. An ordeal
instituted in the reign of Charlemagne.
The plaintiff and defendant were re-
quired to cross their arms upon their
breast, and he who could hold out the
longest gained the suit.
On the cross. Not “on the square,”
not straightforward. To get anything
“on the cross” is to get it unfairly or
surreptitiously.
See ROSICRUCIANS.
Cross (To).
Cross it off or out. Cancel it by run-
ning your pen across it. To cancel (q.v.)
means to mark it with lattice lines.
Cross, ill-tempered, is the Anglo-
Saxon crotts.
“AZeyn [against] hem was he kene and crous.”
Ottº'SO?' Mºundi.
Cross Buns. (See BUN.S.)
Cross-grained. Patchy, ill-tem-
pered, self-willed. Wood must be
worked with the grain; when the grain
crosses we get a knot or curling, which
is hard to work uniform.
Cross-legged Knights indicate that
the person so represented died in the
Christian faith. As crusaders were
supposed so to do, they were generally
represented on their tombs with crossed
legs. -
“Sometimes the figure on the tomb of a knight,
has his legs crossed at the ankles, this meant that
the knight went one crusade. , the legs are
crossed at the knees, he went twice ; if at the
thighs he went three times.”—Ditchfield: Our Vil-
lages, 1889.
Cross Man (A). Not straightfor-
ward; ungain ; not honest.
“The Storekeepers know who are their lyest,
Customers, the Square people Or the cross ones.”
—Boldrewood: Robbery Under Arms, chap. xvii.
Cross-patch. A disagreeable, ill-
tempered person, male or female. Patch
means a fool or gossip ; SO called from
his parti-coloured or patched dress. A
cross-patch is an ill-tempered fool or
gossip. Patch, meaning “fellow,” is
common enough ; half a dozen examples
occur in Shakespeare, as a “scurvy
patch,” a “soldier's patch,” “What
patch is made our porter P” “a crew of
patches,” etc.
“Cross-patch, draw the latch,
Sit by the fire and spin ;
Take a cup, and drink it up,
Then call your neighbours in.
Old Nursery Iºhyme.
Cross-roads. All (except suicides)
who were excluded from holy rites were
piously buried at the foot of the cross
erected on the public road, as the place
next in Sanctity to consecrated ground.
Suicides were ignominiously buried on
the highway, with a stake driven through
their body. -
Cross and Ball, so universally
marked on Egyptian figures, is a circle
and the letter T. The circle signifies
the eternal preserver of the world, and
the T is the monogram of Thoth, the
Egyptian Mercury, meaning wisdom.
The coronation orb is a sphere or ball
surmounted by a cross, an emblem of
empire introduced in representations of
our Saviour. In this case the cross
stands above the ball, to signify that the
spiritual power is above the temporal.
Cross and Pile. Money; pitch and
toss. Hilaire le Gai tells us that some
of the ancient French coins had a cross,
and others a column, on the reverse; the
column was called a pile, from which
comes our word “pillar,” and the
phrase “pile-driving.” Scaliger says
that some of the old French coins had a
ship on the reverse, the arms of Paris,
and that pile means “a ship,” whence
our word “pilot.”
“A man may now justifiably throw up cross
and pile for his Opinions.”—Locke: Human Under-
Staffºding.
Cross or pile. Heads or tails. The
French say pile ou face, The “face” or
Cross as a Bear
311
Crown
cross was the obverse of the coin, the
“pile ” was the reverse; but at a later
period the cross was transferred to the
reverse, as in our florins, and the
obverse bore a “head” or “poll.”
“Marriage is worse than cross I Win, pile you
lose.” Shadwell ; Epsom, Wells.
Cross nor pile. I have neither cross
onor pile. Not a penny in the world.
The French phrase is, ‘‘N’avoir mi croia,
m; pile ” (to have neither one sort of
coin nor another).
“Whacum had neither cross nor pile.”.
Butler: Hudibras, part ii. 3.
Cross as a Bear, or Cross as a bear
with a sore head.
Cross as the Tongs. The refer-
ence is to tongs which open like a pair
of scissors.
Cross as Two Sticks.
ence is to the cross (X).
Crossing the Hand. Fortune-tell-
ers of the gipsy race always bid their
dupe to “cross their hand with a bit of
silver.” This, they say, is for luck.
Of course, the sign of the cross warded
off witches and all other evil spirits, and,
as fortune-telling belongs to the black
arts, the palm is signed with a cross to
keep off the wiles of the devil. “You
need fear no evil, though I am a fortune-
teller, if by the sign of the cross you
exorcise the evil spirit.”
The refer-
Crossing the Line—i.e. the equator.
Crot'alum. A sort of castanet, rattled
in dancing. Aristophaſnés calls a great
talker krot'alon (a clack).
Crot'chet. A whim; a fancy; a
twist of the mind, like the crotch or
crome of a stick. (See CROOK.)
“The duke hath crotchetS in hilln.”
|Sluakespeare: Measure for Measure, iii. 2.
Croto'na's Sage. Pythagoras. So
called because at Crotona, he established
his first and chief school of philosophy.
Such success followed his teaching that
the whole aspect of the town became
more moral and decorous in a marvel-
lously short time. About B.C. 540.
Crouchback. (See RED ROSE.)
Crouchmas, from the Invention of
the Cross to St. Helen's Day (May 3rd
to August 18th). Not Christ-mas, but
Cross-mas. Rogation Sunday is called
Crouchmas Sunday, and Rogation week
is called Crouchmas.
“From bull-cow fast,
Till Crouch mag be past " [i.e. August 18th).
Tusser: May Remembrances,
Crow. As the crow flies. The
shortest route between two given places.
The crow flies straight to its point of
destination. Called the bee - line in
America. .
Crow. (See RAVEN.)
I must pluck a crow with you ; I have a
crow to pick with you. ... I am displeased
with you, and must call you to account.
Ihave a small complaint to make against
you. ... In Howell’s proverbs (1659) we
find the following, “I have a goose to
pluck with you,” used in the same sense;
and Chaucer has the phrase “Pull a
finch,” but means thereby to cheat or
filch. Children of distinction among the
Greeks and Romans had birds for their
amusement, and in their boyish quar-
rels used to pluck or pull the feathers
out of each other’s pets. Tyn'darus,
in his Captives, alludes to this, but
instances it with a lapwing. In hiero-
glyphics a crow symbolises contention,
discord, strife.
“If a crow help us in, sirrah, we'll pluck a crow
together.”—Shakespeare : Comedy of Errors, iii. 1.
“If not, resolve before we go,
That you and I must pull a crow.”
utler: EIudibras, part ii. 2.
Crow over One (To), is to exult over
a vanquished or abased person. The allu-
sion is to cocks, who always crow when
they have vanquished an adversary.
Crowbar. An iron with a crook,
used for leverage. (Anglo-Saxon, crite.)
“Science is as far removed from l) rute force as
this Sword from a CrOW bar.” — Butlºwer-Lytton -
Leila, book ii. chap. i. p. 33.
Crowd or Crouth. A species of fiddle
with six or more strings. The last noted
player on this instrument was John
Morgan, who died 1720. (Welsh, crwth.)
“O sweet consent, between a crowd and a Jew's
harp !” Lyly.
Crowde'ro. One of the rabble leaders
encountered by Hudibras at a bear-
baiting. The original of this character
was one Jackson or Jephson, a milliner,
who lived in the New Exchange, Strand.
IHe lost a leg in the service of the Round-
heads, and was reduced to the necessity
of fiddling from alehouse to alehouse for
his daily bread. The word means fiddler.
(See above, CROWD.)
Crown. In heraldry nine crowns are
recognised: The oriental, the triumphal
or imperial, the diadem, the obsidional
crown, the civic, the crown vallery, the
mural crown, the naval, and the Crown
celestial.
The blockade crown (coro'na obsidio-
na'lis), presented by the Romans to the
general who liberated a beleaguered
Crown Glass
312
* * *
Crucial
army. This was made of grass and wild
flowers gathered from the spot.
A camp crown was given by the
Romans to him who first forced his way
into the enemy's camp. It was made of
gold, and decorated with palisades.
A civic crown was presented to him
who preserved the life of a civis or
IRoman citizen in battle. This crown
was made of oak leaves, and bore the
inscription, H.O.C.S.—i.e. hostem occidit,
ci'vem serva'vit (a foe he slew, a citizen
Saved).
A matral crown was given by the
Romans to that man who first scaled
the wall of a besieged town. It was
made of gold and decorated with battle-
ments.
A naval crown was by the Romans
given to him who won a naval victory.
It was made of gold, and decorated with
the beaks of ships.
Aſ olive crown was by the Romans
given to those who distinguished them-
selves in battle in some way not specially
mentioned in other clauses. ¥
An ova'tion crown (coro'na. Ova'lis) was
by the Romans given to the general who
vanquishedpirates Orany despised enemy.
It was made of myrtle.
A triumphal crown was by the Romans
given to the general who obtained a tri-
umph. It was made of laurel or bay
leaves. Sometimes a massive gold crown
was given to a victorious general. (See
LAUREL.)
* The iron crown of Lombardy is the
crown of the ancient Longobardic
kings. It is now at Monza, in Italy.
Henry of Luxembourg and succeeding
kings were crowned with it. Napoleon I.
put it on his head with his own hands.
It is a thin fillet of iron, said to be ham-
mered from a nail of the true cross,
covered with a gold circle, enamelled
with jewels, etc.
Crown Glass is window glass blown
into a crown or hollow globe. It is
flattened before it is fit for use.
Crown Office (The). A department
|belonging to the Court of Queen’s Bench.
There are three Crown officers appointed
by the Lord Chief Justice—viz. (1)
Queen’s Coroner and Attorney ; (2) the
Master ; and (3) the Assistant Master.
The offices are held during good be-
haviour.
Crown of the East—i.e. Antioch,
capital of Syria, which consisted of four
walled cities, encompassed by a common
rampart, that “enrounded them like a
coronet.” It was also surnamed “the
beautiful.”
Crowns (worn by heathen deities):
Apol, Lo wore a crown of laurels.
BACCTIUS, of grapes or iVy.
CE REs, of blades of wheat.
COMIUS, Of TOSes.
CYBālā, of pine leaves.
FLORA, of flowers.
ForTUNE, of fir-Slips.
The GRACEs, of olive-leaves.
HERCULES, of poplar-leaves.
HYMEN, of roses.
JUNO, of quince-leaves.
JUPITER, of Oak-leaves.
The LARíºs, of rosemary. e
MERCURY, of ivy, olive-leaves, or mulberries.
MINERVA, of olive-leaves.
he Musés, of flowers.
PAN, of pine-leaves.
PLUTO, of cypress.
PoMöNA, of fruits.
SATURN, of vine-leaves.
VENUS, Öf myrtle or roses.
Crowner. Coroner—i.e. an Officer of
the Crown.
“The crowner, hath sat on her, and finds it
Christian burial.”—Shakespeare : H(t)\let, W. I.
Crow's-Nest (The), in a Greenlander's
galley, is a small room constructed of
staves, something like an empty cask,
It is fitted up with seats and other con-
veniences, and here the person on watch
continues for two hours looking out for
whales. The whale generally announces
his approach by a “blowing,” which
may in favourable circumstances be
heard several miles off.
Crowguill (Alfred).
Forrester (1805-1872).
Croysa/do. The Great Ch'oysado.
General Lord Fairfax. (Hudibras.)
Crozier or Cro'sier. An archbishop's
staff terminates in a floriated cross, while
a bishop’s Crook has a curved, bracken-
like head. A bishop turns his crook
outwards, to denote his wider authority;
an abbot (whose crook is the same as a
bishop's) carries it turned inwards, to
show that his jurisdiction is limited to
his own inmates. When walking with a
bishop an abbot covers his crook with a
veil hanging from the knob, to show that
his authority is veiled in the presence of
his superior.
Crucial. A crucial test. A very
severe and undeniable one. The allusion
is to a fancy of Lord Bacon's, who said
that two different diseases or sciences
might run parallel for a time, but would
ultimately cross each other: thus, the
plague might for a time resemble other
diseases, but when the bubo or boil ap-
peared, the plague would assume its
specific character. Hence the phrases in-
Stan'tia crucis (a crucial or unmistakable
Alfred Henry
Crude Forms
3.13
Crusted Port
symptom), a crucial, experiment, a
crucial example, a crucial question, etc.
Crude Forms in grammar. The
roots or essential letters of words. The
words are crude or unfinished. Thus am-
is the crude form of the verb amo; 007-
of the adjective bonus ; and dom?!?– of
the noun domiºſ3.
Cruel (The). Pedro, King of Castile
(1334, 1350-1369).
Dedro I. of Portugal; also called le
Justicier (1320, 1357–1367).
Cruel (now Crewel) Garters. Gar-
ters made of worsted or yarn.
“Ha ha look, he wears cruel garters.”.
Shakespeare: Kimg Lear, ii. 4.
“Wearing of silk, why art thou so cruel ?”
Woºmcº's & Weathercock (1612).
Crummy. That’s crummy, that’s
jolly good. She’s a crummy woman, a
fine handsome woman. Crummy means
fat or fleshy. The crummy part of
bread is the fleshy or main part.
opposite of “crusty'' = ill-tempered.
Crump. “Don’t you wish you may
get it, Mrs. Crump 2''' Grose says Mrs.
Crump, a farmer's wife, was invited to
dine with Lady Coventry, who was very
deaf. Mrs. Crump wanted some beer,
but, awed by the purple and plush, said,
in a half-whisper, “I wish I had some
beer, now.” Mr. Flunkey, conscious
that his mistress could not hear, replied
in the same aside, “Don’t you wish you
may get it?” At this the farmer’s wife
rose from table and helped herself.
Lady Coventry, of course, demanded the
reason, and the anecdote soon became
a standing joke.
Crusades (2, Syl.), Holy wars in
which the warriors wore a cross, and
fought, nominally at least, for the
honour of the cross. Each nation had
its special colour, which, says Matthew
Paris (i. 446), was red for France; white
for England; green for Flanders; for
Italy it was blue or azure; for Spain,
gºles ; for Scotland, a St. Andrew’s
cross; for the Knights Templars, red on
white.
The Sever, Croſsades.
(1) 1096-1100. Preached up by Peter
the Hermit. . Led by Godfrey of Bouil-
lon, who took Jerusalem. As a result of
this crusade, Geoffrey of Bouillon be-
came the virtual king of Jerusalem.
(2) 1147–1149; At the instigation of
St. Bernard. Led by Louis VII. and the
Emperor Conrad. To Secure the union
of Europe.
The
(3) 1189-1193. Led by Richard Lion-
heart. For knightly distinction. This
was against Saladin or Salah-Eddin.
(4) 1202–1204. Led by Baldwin of
Flanders and the doge. To glorify the
Venetians.
(5) 1217. Ted by John of Brienne,
titular King of Jerusalem. To suit his
Own purpose. .
(6) 1228-1229. Led by Frederick II.
As a result, Palestine was ceded to Fred-
erick (Kaiser of Germany), who was
crowned king of Jerusalem.
(7) 1248-1254 and (8) 1268-1270. To
satisfy the religious scruples of Louis IX.
Crush. To crush a bottle—i.e. drink
one. Cf. Milton's crush the sweet
poison. The idea is that of crushing
the grapes. Shakespeare has also burst
a bottle in the same sense (Induction
of Taming the Shrew). (See CRACK.)
“Come and crush a cup of wine... . .
Shakespeare: Romé0 and Juliet, i. 2.
To crush a fly on a wheel. To crack a
nut with a steam-hammer ; to employ
power far too valuable for the purpose
to be accomplished. The wheel referred
to is the rack. (See BREAK A BUTTER-
FLY.)
Crush-room (The) of an opera or
theatre. A room provided for ladies
where they can wait till their carriages
are called. Called crush because the
room is not only crowded, but all crush
towards the door, hoping each call will
be that of their own carriage. “Mrs.
X.’s carriage stops the way,” “Lord
X.’s carriage,” etc.
Cru'soe (A). . A solitary man; the
only inhabitant of a place. The tale of
T]efoe is well known, which describes
Bobinson Crusoe as cast on a desert
island, where he employs the most ad-
mirable ingenuity in providing for his
daily wants.
“Whence creeping forth, to Duty’s call be yields,
And strolls the Crusoe of the lonely fields.”
Bloomfield: Farmer's Boy.
Crust. The upper crust (of society).
The aristocracy; the upper ten-thousand.
Crus'ted Port. When port is first
bottled its fermentation is not complete;
in time it precipitates argol on the sides
of the bottle, where it forms a crust.
Crusted port, therefore, is port which
has completed its fermentation.
* The “crust’’ is composed of argol,
tartrate of lime, and colouring matter,
thus making the wine more ethereal in
quality and lighter in colour.
Crusty
Crus’ty. Ill-tempered, apt to take
offence. This is formed from the old
word crows, cross, peevish.
“Azeyn [against] hem was he kene ane crous,
And said, ‘Goth out my Fader hous.’”
Cursor Mºtºdi.
Crutched Friars is the Latin crat-
eia'ti (crossed)—i.e. having a cross em-
broidered on their dress. They were of
the Trinitarian order.
Crux (A). A knotty point, a diffi-
culty. Instanția crucis means a crucial
test, or the point where two similar dis-
eases crossed and showed a special feature.
It does not refer to the cross, an instru-
ment of punishment; but to the crossing
of two lines, called also a mode or knot ;
hence a trouble or difficulty. Quae te
mala erua agitat 2 (Plautus); What'evil
cross distresses you?—i.e. what difficulty,
what trouble are you under?
Crux Ansa'ta. The tau cross with
a loop or handle at the top. (See CROSS.)
Crux Decussata. A St. Andrew’s
CI’OSS,
“Crux decussäta est in qua duo ligna directa
et a quabilia inter se obliquantur, cujus formam
refert litera X quae, ut ait Isidorus (Orig. 1, iii.)
‘in figura, crucem et in numero decem demon-
strat. Haec vulgo Andreana vocatur, quod vetus
traditio sit in hac S. Antream fuisse necatum.”—
Gretser: De Cruce, book i. p. 2.
Crux Pectoralis. The Cross which
bishops of the Church of Rome suspend
Over their breast.
“Crucem cum pretioso ligno vel cum reliquis
Sanctorum ante pectus portare suspenSunn ad
collum, hoc est quod vocamt encolpium [or crux
Pectorålis].”—See Ducamge, vol. iii. p. 302, col. 2,
article ENCOLPIUM.
Cry.
Great cry and little wool. This is
derived from the ancient mystery of
David and Abigail, in which Nabal is
represented as shearing his sheep, and
the Devil, who is made to attend the
churl, imitates the act by “shearing a
hog.” Originally, the proverb ran thus,
“Great cry and little wool, as the Devil
said when he sheared the hogs.” N.B.
—Butler alters the proverb into “All
cry and no wool.”
Cry of Animals (The).
MALS.)
Cry (To).
To cry over spilt milk. To fret about
some loss which can never be repaired.
Cry Cavé (To). To ask mercy; to
throw up the sponge; to confess oneself
beaten. (Latin, caveo.) (See CAVE IN.)
Cry Havock! No quarter. In a
tract entitled The Office of the Constable
and Mareschall in the Tyme of Perre
(See ANI-
314 - Cucking-stool
(contained in the Black Book of th
Admiralty), one of the chapters is, “The
peyne of hym that crieth havock, and of
them that followeth him *-* Item s?
gºtis inventºs fiterit qui clamorem in-
ceperit qui vocatur havok.”
“Cry Havock, and let slip the dogs of war.”
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iii. 1
Cry Quits. (See QUITs.)
Cry Vinegar (To). In French, Crier
Wººdigre. The shout of sportsmen when
a hare is caught. He cries “Winegar !”
he has caught the hare; metaphorically
it means, he has won success. “C”étoit,
dit le Dúchat, la conſtume en Languedoc,
entre les chasseurs, des'écrier l’ºn & l'autre
‘Vinaigre,” dés qu'ils avaient tiré alſº
lièvre, parceque la vraie sauce de cet
animal est le vinaigre.” t-
Ch'ier, aw Vimaigre has quite another meaning.
It is the reproof to a landlord who serves his
customers, with bad wine. In a figurative sense
if InneanS Ch'ie)" (tºl, Volettº".
Cry Wolf. (See Wolf.)
Crystal Hills. On the coast of the
Caspian, near Badku, is a mountain
which sparkles like diamonds, from the
Sea-glass and crystals with which it
abounds.
Crystal/line (3 Syl.). The Crystalline
sphere. According to Ptolemy, between
the “primum mobile ” and the firma-
ment or sphere of the fixed stars comes
the crystal/line sphere, which oscillates
or has a shimmering motion that inter-
feres with the regular motion of the stars.
§ { They pas; the planetS Seven, and pass the
l
And that crystal'line Sphere, whose balance
weighs . .
The trepidation talked (of).” -
Milton : Paradise Lost, iii.
Cub. An ill-mannered lout. The
cub of a bear is said to have no shape
until its dam has licked it into form.
“A bear’s a savage beast, of all
Most ugly and unnatural ;... .
Whelped without form until the dam
IIas licked it into Slape and frame.”
Butler : Hudibras, i. 3.
Cuba. The Roman deity who kept
guard over infants in their cribs and
sent them to sleep. Werb cubo, to lie
down in bed.
Cube. A faultless cube. A truly
good man ; a regular brick. (See BRICK.)
"O y' dis &Am60s &yo.6ös kai retpáyovos
&vev böyov.–Aristotle: Nicomachean Ethics, i. 11,
Sec. 11.
Cucking-stool (The) or Choking-Stool,
for ducking scolds, , is not connected
with choke (to stifle), but the French
choquer; hence the archaic verb euck
(to throw), and one still in use, chuck
Cuckold.
31
*
O Cuirass
(chuck-farthing). The cucking-stool is
the stool which is chucked or thrown
into the water.
“Now, if one cucking-stool was for each scold,
Some towns, I fear, would not their numbers
hold.” Poor Robim (1746).
Cuckold. (See ACTAFON.)
Cuckold King (The). Mark of
Cornwall, whose wife Yseult intrigued
with Sir Tristram, one of the Knights of
the Round Table.
Cuckold's Point. A spot on the
riverside near Deptford. So called from
a tradition that King John made there
successful love to a labourer’s wife.
Cuckoo. A cuckold. The cuckoo
occupies the nest and eats the eggs of
other birds; and Dr. Johnson says “it
was usual to alarm a husband at the
approach of an adulterer by calling out
‘Cuckoo,” which by mistake was applied
in time to the person warned.” Green
calls the cuckoo “the cuckold’s quiris-
ter” (Quip for an Upstart Courtier,
1620). This is an instance of how words
get in time perverted from their ori-
ginal meaning. The Romans used to
call an adulterer a “cuckoo,” as “Te
cuculum Ma'or ea; lustris rapit” (Plautus :
Asinaria, v. 3), and the allusion was
simple and correct; but Dr. Johnson’s
explanation will hardly satisfy anyone
for the modern perversion of the word.
“The cuckoo, then, on every tree,
Mocks married men ; for thus sings he,
O !
Cuckoo ! cuckoo ! O word of fear,
TJnpleasing to a married ear !”
Shakespeare : Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2.
Cuckoo (A). A watch or clock.
The French have the same slang word
coucou for a watch or clock. Of course,
the word is derived from the German
cuckoo-clocks, which, instead of striking
the hour, cry cuckoo.
Cuckoo Oats and Woodcock Hay.
Cuckoo oats and woodcock hay make a
farmer run away. If the spring is so
backward that oats cannot be sown till
the cuckoo is heard (i.e. April), or if the
autumn is so wet that the aftermath of
hay cannot be got in till woodcock
shooting (middle of November), the
farmer must be a great sufferer.
Cuckoo - Spit, “Frog - Spit,” or
“Froth-Spit.” The spume which forms
the nidus of an insect called the Cicada,
Sp?ſmaria, Or, more strictly speaking,
the Cercopis Spumaria (one of the three
divisions of the Cicadariae). This spume
is found on lavender-bushes, rosemary,
fly-catch, and some other plants, Like
the cochineal, the cicada spumaria exudes
a foam for its own warmth, and for pro-
tection during its transition state. The
word “cuckoo’’ in this case means
Spring or cuckoo-time.
Cu'cumber Time. The dull season
in the tailoring trade. The Germans call
it Die Saure Gurken Zeit (pickled gherkin
time). Hence the expression Tailors are
oegetarians, because they live on “cu-
cumber’’ when without work, and on
“cabbage’’ when in full employ. (Notes
and Queries.) (See GHERKIN.)
Cuddy. An ass; a dolt. A gipsy
term, from the Persian gudda and the
Hindustanee ghºſtida (an ass).
“Hast got thy breakfast, brother cuddy ?”
D. Wingate.
Cudgel One's Brains (To). To
make a painful effort to remember or
understand something. The idea is from
taking a stick to beat a dull boy under
the notion that dulness is the result of
temper or inattention.
“Cudgelthy brains no more about it ; for your
dull ass will not mend his pace with beating.”—
Shakespeare: Hamlet, V. l.
Cudgels. To take up the cudgels. To
maintain an argument or position. To
fight, as with a cudgel, for one’s own
way.
“For some reason he did not feel as hot to take
up the cudgels for Almira with his nother.”—M.
JE. Wilkins : A Modern, D1'(tgom.
Cue (1 syl.). The tail of a sentence
(French, queue), the catch-word which
indicates when another actor is to speak;
a hint ; the state of a person’s temper,
as “So-and-so is in a good cue (or) bad
cue.”
“When my cue comes, call me, and I will
answer.” — Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's
Dredºm", iW. I.
To give the cue. To give the hint.
(See above.)
Cuffy. A negro; both a generic word
and proper name.
“Sambo and Cuffey expand under every sky.”—
Mº’s. Beecher Stowe : Uncle Tom’s Cabin.
Cui bono 2 Who is benefited thereby ?
To whom is it a gain P. The more usual
meaning attached to the words is, What
good will it do?. For what good pur-
pose P. It was the question of Judge
Cassius. (See Cicero ; Pro Milone, 12,
sec. 32.)
“Cato, that great and grave philosopher, did
commonly demand, when any new project was
propounded unto liim, cui , bomo, what good will
ensue in case the same is effected 2"–Fuller:
Worthies (The Design, i.).
Cuirass. Sir Arthur's cuirass was
“carved of one emerald, centred in a
Cuishes
316
Curlobelin's
sun of silver rays, that lightened as he
breathed.” (Tennyson : Elaine.)
Cuish'es or Cuisses (2 syl.). Armour
for the thighs. (French, cuisse, the
thigh.)
“Soon o'er his thighs he placed the cuishes
bright.” Jerusalém Delivered, book xi.
“His cuisses on his thighs, gallantly armed.”
- Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., iv. 1,
Cul de Sac (French). A blind alley,
or alley blocked up at one end like a
sack. Figuratively, an argument, etc.,
that leads to nothing.
Culdees. A religious order of Ireland
and Scotland, said to have been founded
in the sixth century by St. Columba, So
called from the Gaelic cylle-dee (a house
of cells) or ceilede (servants of God, ceile,
a servant). Giraldus Cambrensis, going
to the Latin for its etymology, according
to a custom unhappily not yet extinct,
derives it from colo-detts (to worship
God).
Cullis. A very fine and strong broth,
well strained, and much used for in-
valids. (French, coulis, from couler, to
strain.)
Cully. A fop, a fool, a dupe. A con-
tracted form of Cullion, a despicable crea-
ture (Italian, coglione). Shakespeare uses
the word two or three times, as “Away,
base cullions!” (2 Henry VI., i. 3),
and again in Taming of the Shrew, iv. 2
—“And makes a god of such a cul-
lion.” (Compare GULL.)
“You base cullion, you.”
Ben Jomsom, : Every Man in his Humour, iii. 2.
Cul’minate (3 Syl.). Come to a
crisis. The passage of a celestial body
over the meridian at the upper transit is
called its culmination. (Latin, culmen,
the top.)
Culross Girdles. The thin plate of
iron used in Scotland for the manufac-
ture of oaten cakes is called a “girdle,”
for which Culross was long celebrated.
“Ilocks and bars, plough-graith and harrow-
teeth ! and Why not grates and fireprongs, and
Culross girdles 2"—Scott : Fair Maid of Perth,
chap. ii.
Culver. Pigeon. (Old English, col-
wer; Latin, columba , hence culver-house,
a dove-cote.) -
. “On liquid wing,
The Sounding culver shoots.”
Thomson : Spring 452.
Culverin properly means a serpent
(Latin, colubriºus, the colºuber), T but
is applied to a long, slender piece of
artillery employed in the sixteenth cen-
tury to carry balls to a great distance.
Queen Elizabeth’s “Pocket Pistol ’’ in
Dover Castle is a culverin.
Culverkeys. The keys or flowers .
of the culver or columba, i.e. colum-
bine. (Anglo-Saxon culfre, a dove.)
Cum Grano Salis. With its grain
of salt ; there is a grain of wheat in the
bushel of chaff, and we must make the
proper abatement.
Cum Hoc, Propter Hoc. Because
two or more events occur consecutively
or simultaneously, one is not necessarily
the outcome of the other. Sequence of
events is not always the result of cause
and effect. The swallows come to
England in the spring, but do not bring
the Spring.
“[Free trade and revival of trade] says Lord
Penzance, came simultaneously, but, he adds,
‘There is no more dangerous form of reasoning
than the cum hoc, propter hoc.’”—Nimeteenth Cent-
tury, April, 1886.; z -2 . - 2' -
Cumberland Poet (The). William
Wordsworth, born at Cockermouth.
(1770-1850.)
Cummer. A gammer, gudewife, old
woman. A variety of gammer which is
grande-mêre (our grandmother), as gaffer
is grand-pêre or grandfather. It occurs
scores of times in Scott’s novels.
Cunctator [the delayer]. Quintus
IFa'bius Maximus, the Roman general
who baffled Hannibal by avoiding direct
engagements, and wearing him out by
marches, countermarches, and skirmishes
from a distance. This was the policy
by which Duguesclin forced the English
to abandon their possessions in France
in the reign of Charles W. (le Sage).
(See FABIAN.)
Cuneiform Letters. Letters like
wedges (Latin, cºvetts, a wedge). These
sort of letters occur in old Persian and
Babylonian inscriptions. They are some-
times called Arrow-headed characters,
and those found at Babylon are called
mail-headed. This species of writing is
the most ancient of which we have any
knowledge; and was first really deci-
phered by Grotefend in 1802.
Cunning Man or Woman. A for-
tune-teller, one who professes to dis-
cover stolen goods. (Anglo-Saxon,
curºnaºſ, to know.)
Cu'no. The ranger, father of Agatha,
in Weber’s opera of Der Freischütz.
Cunobelin's Gold Mines. Caverns
in the chalk beds of Little Thurrock,
Essex; so called from the tradition that
IQing Cunobelin hid in them his gold.
They are sometimes called Dane-holes,
because they were used as lurking-places
by the Norsemen. -
Cunstance
317
Cupboard Tuove
Cunstance. A model of Resigna-
tion, daughter of the Emperor of Rome.
The Sultan of Syria, in order to have
her for his wife, renounced his religion
and turned Christian ; but the Sultan’s
mother murdered him, and turned
Cunstance adrift on a raft. After a
time the raft stranded on a rock near
Northumberland, and the constable
rescued Cunstance, and took her home,
where she converted his wife, Herme-
gild. A young lord fell in love with
her ; but, his suit being rejected, he
murdered Hermegild, and laid the
charge of murder against Cunstance.
Eing Ella adjudged the cause, and
Cunstance being proved innocent, he
married her. While Ella was in Scot-
land, Cunstance was confined with a
boy, named Maurice ; and Ella's mother,
angry with Cunstance for the introduc-
tion of the Christian religion, put her On
a raft adrift with her baby boy. They
were accidentally found by a Senator,
and taken to Rome. Ella, having dis-
covered that his mother had turned his
wife and child adrift, put her to death,
and went to Rome in pilgrimage to atone
for his crime. Here he fell in with his
wife and son. Maurice succeeded his
grandfather as Emperor of Rome, and at
the death of Ella, Cunstance returned to
her native land. (Chaucer : The Man of
Lawes Tale.)
Cuntur. A bird worshipped by the
ancient Peruvians. It is generally called
the “condor,” and by the Arabians the
‘‘roc.”
Cup. -
A deadly cup. Referring to the
ancient practice of putting persons to
death by poison, as Socrates was put to
death by the Athenians.
“In the hand of the Lord there is a cul) [a.
deadly cup], the dregs thereof all the wicked of the
earth Shall Wring them out and drink them.”—
Psalm likxy. 8.
Let this cup pass from me. Det this
trouble or affliction be taken away, that
I may not be compelled to undergo it.
The allusion is to the Jewish practice of
assigning to guests a certain portion of
wine —as, indeed, was the custom in
Tºngland at the close of the eighteenth
century and the first quarter of the
nineteenth. This cup is “full of the
wine of God’s fury,” let me not be com-
pelled to drink it.
Many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip.
(See ANCEUS.)
My [or his] cup runs over. , My bless-
ings overflow. Here cup signifies portion
or blessing.
“My cup runneth over . . . goodness and mercy
follow me all the days of my life.”—Psalm xxiii.
2
We must drink the cup. We must
bear the burden awarded to us, the
sorrow which falls to our lot. The
allusion is to the words of our Lord in
the garden of Gethsem’ané (Matt. xxvi.
39; also xx. 22). One way of putting
criminals to death in ancient times was
by poison; Socratēs had hemlock to
drink. In allusion to this it is said that
Jesus Christ tasted death for every man
(Heb. ii. 9).
Cup, in the university of Cambridge,
means a mixture of strong ale with
spice and a lemon, served up hot in a
silver cup. Sometimes a roasted Orange
takes the place of a lemon. If wine is
added, the cup is called bishop; if brandy
is added, the beverage is called cardinal.
(See BISHOP.)
A juggler (French,
joueur de gobelet). The old symbol for
a juggler was a goblet. The phrase and
symbol are derived from the practice of
jugglers who toss in the air, twist on a
stick, and play all sorts of tricks with
goblets or cups.
Cup of Vows (The). It used to be
customary at feasts to drink from cups
of mead, and vow to perform some great
deed worthy of the song of a skald.
There were four cups: one to Odin, for
victory; one to Frey, for a good year;
one to Niórd, for peace; and one to
Bragi, for celebration of the dead in
poetry.
Cup Tosser.
Cups. He was in his cºps. Intoxicated.
(Latin, interpocula, inter vina.) (Horace:
3 Odes, vi. 20.)
Cupar. He that will to Cupar mauſ,
to Cupar. He that will have his own
way, must have it even to his injury.
The reference is to the Cistercian monas-
tery, founded here by Malcolm IV.
Cupar Justice. Same as “Jedburgh
Justice,” hang first and try afterwards.
Abingdon Law is another phrase. It is
said that Major-General Brown, of
Abingdon, in the Commonwealth, first
hanged his prisoners and then tried
them.
Cupboard Love. Tove from in-
terested motives. The allusion is to the
love of children to some indulgent per-
son who gives them something nice from
her cupboard.
“Cupboard loye is Seldom true.”—Poor Robin,
Cupid
Cupid. The god of love, and son of
Venus. According to fable he wets with
blood the grindstone on which he sharp-
ems his arrows.
“Ferus et Cupido,
Semper ardentes acuens Sagittas.”.
Horace: 2 Odes, Wiii. 14, 15.
* The best statues of this little god
are “Cupid Sleeping,” in Albano
(Rome); “Cupid playing with a Swan,”
in the Capitol; “Cupid mounted on a
Tiger,” (Negroni); and “Cupid string-
ing his Bow,” in the Louvre (Paris).
Baphael’s painting of Cupid is in the
IFarnesina (Rome).
Cupid and Psyche. An exquisite
episode in the Golden Ass of Apuleius.
It is an allegory representing the pro-
gress of the soul to perfection. Mrs.
Tighe has a poem on the same subject ;
and Molière a drama entitled Psyche.
(See Morris, Earthly Paradise [May].)
Cupid's Golden Arrow. Virtuous
love. “Cupid’s leaden arrow,” sensual
passlon.
“Deque Sagittifera promsit duo tela pharetra
Diversorum operum ; fugat hoc, facit illud
amorem. *
uod facit auratum est, et cuspide fulget acuta,
uod fugat obtusum est, et habet Sul) arundine
plumbum.” -
Ovid : Tale of Apollo and Daphné.
“I swear to thee by Cupid's strongest bow;
By his best arrow with the golden head . . .
. By that which knitteth Souls and prospers ióve.”
ShalceSpeare: Midsummer Night's DTeam.
Cupidon (Le jeune). Count d’Orsay
was so called by Lord Byron (1798-1852).
The Count's father was styled Le beau
d'Orsay.
Cur. A fawning, mean-spirited fel-
low ; a crop-tailed dog (Latin, curtus,
crop-tailed; French, court ; our curt).
According to forest laws, a man who
had no right to the privilege of the
chase was obliged to cut off the tail of
his dog. Hence, a degenerate dog or
man is called a cur.
“What would you have, you curs,
That like nor peace nor war?' ->
Shakespeare: Coriolamus, i. 1.
(See CLERICAL TITLES.)
Curé de Meudon—i.e. Rabelais,
who was first a monk, then a leech,
then prebend of St. Maur, and lastly
curé of Meudon. (1483–1553.)
Cure'tes (3 syl.). A mythical people
of Crete, to whom the infant Zeus or
Jupiter was entrusted by his mother
Rhea. By clashing their shields they
drowned the cries of the infant, to
prevent its father (Cronos) from finding
the place where the babe was hid,
Curate.
3.18
Curse of Scotland
Curfew Bell. The bell rung in the
reigns of William I. and II. at sunset,
to give notice to their subjects that they
were to put out their fires and candles
(French, couvre feu, cover-fire). The
Rlokans in Abo, even to the present
day, traverse the towns crying the “go-
to-bed time.” Those abroad are told
to “make haste home,” and those at
home to “put out their fires.” Abol-
ished, as a police regulation, by Henry I.
“The curfew tolls the knell of parting day.”
Gray: Elegy.
Curnud'geon (3 Syl.). A grasping,
miserly churl. Dr. Johnson gives the
derivation of this word thus, “coºr ame-
chant, unknown correspondent.” Dr.
Ash, in his dictionary, Says, “coºr, un-
known ; mechant, correspondent,” a
blunder only paralleled by the schoolboy
translation of the Greek, ºne genoito, by
pil (God) yévouro (forbid) (Luke XX. 6).
Currant. A corruption of Corinth,
hence called by Ju’venal Corinthi'aca
2/?)(3.
Current. The drift of the current
is the rate per hour at which the current
TUIIlS.
The setting of the current is that point
of the compass towards which the waters
of the current run.
Currente Cal'amo (Latin). Offhand;
without premeditation ; written off at
once, without making a rough copy first.
Currer Bell. The mom de plume of
Charlotte Brontë.
Curry Favour. The French courir,
to hunt after, to seek, as courir ºne
charge, courir un bénéfice, to sue for a
living ; courir les tables, to go a spunging.
Similarly, courir les faveurs, to sue for,
court, or seek favours.
Curse or Cuss. Not worth a curse.
I don't care a curse (or cuss). Here
‘‘curse” is a corruption of Cerse or
kerse. Similarly, the Latin Mihil [??ihi-
lum] is me hilum, not [worth] the black
eye of a bean. Other phrases are “not
a straw,” “not a pin,” “not a rap,”
“not a dam,” “not a bit,” “not a jot,”
“not a pin’s point,” “not a button.”
(Anglo-Saxon, cerse, Cress; German,
hirsche, a cherry.)
“Wisdom and witt nowe is not worthe a kerse.”
Robert Langelaººd : Piers Ploughtman.
Curse of Scotland. The nine of
diamonds. The two most plausible
suggestions are these : (1) The nine of
diamonds in the game of Pope Joan is
called the Pope, the Antichrist of the
Curses
319
Curule Chair
Scotch reformers. (2) In the game of
comette, introduced by Queen Mary, it is
the great winning card, and the game
was the curse of Scotland because it was
the ruin of so many families.
Other suggestions are these. (3) The
word “curse’’ is a corruption of cross,
and the nine of diamonds is so arranged
as to form a St. Andrew’s Cross; but as
the nine of hearts would do as well, this
explanation must be abandoned. (4)
Some say it was the card on which the
“Butcher Duke ’’ wrote his cruel order
after the Battle of Cullod'en ; but the
term must have been in vogue at the
period, as the ladies nicknamed Justice-
Clerk Ormistone “The Nine of Dia-
monds” (1715). (5) Similarly, we must
reject the suggestion that it refers to
the arms of Dalrymple, Earl of Stair—
viz. Or, on a saltire azure, nine lozenges
of the first. The earl was justly held in
abhorrence for the massacre of Glencoe ;
so also was Colonel Packer, who attended
Charles I. on the scaffold, and had for
his arms “gules a cross lozengy Or.”
Grose says of the nine of diamonds: “Diamonds
l
. . . imply royalty . . . . and every ninth King of
Scotland has leen observed for many ageS to be a,
tyrant and a curse to the country.”—'I'ou?' Thro'
Scotland, 1789. . . -
‘. It is a pity, that Grose does not give the
names of these kings. Malcolm III. was assas-
sinated in 1046 by Macbeth, William was taken
prisoner by Henry II. (died 1214), James I. was
aSSassinated in 1437.
Curses. Curses, like chickens, come
home to roost. Curses fall on the head
of the curser, as chickens which stray
during the day return to their roost at
night.
Cursing by Bell, Book, and Candle,
is reading the anathema in the church,
then closing the Bible, tolling the bell,
and extinguishing all the candles, saying
“Fiat, fiat 1 Do-to (close) the Book,
quench the candles, ring the bell.
Amen, amen.”
Cursitor (Latin, clericus de cursº).
Formerly a clerk of the course ; a chari-
cery clerk, who made out original writs
for the beat, course, or part of the county
allotted him. . A Newgate solicitor was
. a cursitor in depreciation of his
OTILC6.
Curst. Curst cows have curt horns.
Angry men cannot do all the mischief
they wish. Curst means “angry” or
“fierce,” and curt is “short,” as curt-
mantle, curt-hose. The Latin proverb
is, “Dat Deus immi’t corºnata curta
boyº.”
“You are called plain Kate,
And bonny Kate, and sometimes Kate thé curst.”
Shakespeare : Tamimg of the Shrew, ii, 1.
Curtail. To cut short. (French,
court tailler, to short cut, whence the
old French courtault.)
Curtain (The). In fortification, the
line of rampart which joins together the
flanks of two “bastions” (q.v.).
Curtain. To ring down the curtain.
To bring a matter to an end. A theatri-
cal term. When the act or play is over,
the bell rings and the green curtain
comes down.
“A few more matters of routine will be a CCOm-
plished, and then the curtain will be rung down
on the Session of 1891.”—Newspaper Paragraph,
July 27th, 1891. -
Curtain Lecture. The nagging of a
wife after her husband is in bed. The
lectures of Mrs. Caudle in Punch are
first-rate caricatures of these “small
cattle.”
“Besides what endless brawls by wives are bred,
The curtain lecture makes a mournful bed.”
D7'yden.
Curtal Friar. A friar who served
as an attendant at the gate of a monas-
tery court. As a curtal dog was not
privileged to hunt or course, so a curtal
friar virtually meant a worldly-minded
OIlê.
“Some do call me the curtal Friar of Fountain
Dale ; others again call me in jest the Abbot of
Fountain Abbey ; others still again, call me
simply Friar. Tuck.”—Howard Pyle: The Merry
Adventures of Robin Hood, ii. p. 141.
Curta'na. The Sword of Edward
the Confessor, which, having no point,
was the emblem of mercy. The royal
Sword of England was so called to the
reign of Henry III.
“But when Curtana will not do the deed,
You lay the pointless clergy-weapon by,
And to the laws, your sword of justice, fly.”
Dryden: Hind and Panther, part ii. 419-21.
Curthose (2 syl.). Robert II., Duc
de Normandie (1087-1134). .
Curtis'e (2 syl.). The little hound
in the tale of Reynard the Foac, by
Heinrich von Alkman (1498). (High
German, kºrz, French, courte, short or
Small.)
Curtmantle. The surname of Henry
II. He introduced the Anjou mantle,
which was shorter than the robe worn
by his predecessors.
(See CARACALLA.)
Curule Chair. Properly a chariot
chair, an Ornamental camp-stool made
of ivory placed by the Romans in a
chariot for the chief magistrate when he
went to attend the council. As dicta-
tors, consuls, praetors, censors, and the
chief ediles occupied such a chair, they
were termed curule magistrates or
(1133, 1154-1189.)
Curzon Street
320
Cut Blocks
curu’lés. Horace calls the chair citrule
ebur (1 Epist., vi. 53).
Curzon Street (London). Named
after the ground landlord, George
August Curzon, third Wiscount Howe.
Cussedness. Ungainliness; perver-
sity; an evil temper; malice prepense.
Halliwell gives cuss = Surly.
“The turkey-cock is just as likely as not to
trample on the young, turkeys and Smash them,
or to split their skulls by a Savage dig of his
powerful beak. Whether this is ‘cussedness’
pure and simple . . . ; has not been Satisfactorily
determined.”—Daily News, December 22nd, 1885.
Custard. A slap on the hand with
a ferula. The word should be custid,
unless a play is meant. (Latin, custis, a
club or stick.)
Custard Coffin. (See CoFFIN.)
Customer. A man or acquaintance.
A rººm customer is one better left alone,
as he is likely to show fight if interfered
with. A shop term. (See CARD.)
“Here be many of her old customers.”
Shakespeare: Measure for Measure, iv. 3.
Custos Rotulo'rum (keeper of the
rolls). The chief civil officer of a county,
to whose custody are committed the
records or rolls of the sessions.
Cut. To renounce acquaintance. There
are four sorts of cut—
(1) The cut direct is to stare an ac-
quaintance in the face and pretend not
to know him.
(2) The cut indirect, to look another
way, and pretend not to see him.
(3) The cut sublime, to admire the top
of some tall edifice or the clouds of
heaven till the person cut has passed by.
(4) The cut infernal, to stoop and
adjust your boots till the party has gone
past. -
There is a very remarkable Scripture
illustration of the word cut, meaning to
renounce : “Jehovah took a staff and
cut it asunder, in token that He would
break His covenant with His people ; and
IHe cut another staff asunder, in token
that He would break the brotherhood
between Judah and Israel” (Zech. xi.
Cut.
Cut and come again. Take a cut from
#. joint, and come for another if you
€.
To cut the ground from under one (or
jrom under his feet). To leave an ad-
versary no ground to stand on, by
disproving all his arguments.
e has cut his eye-teeth. He is wide
awake, he is a knowing one. The eye-
teeth are the canine teeth, just under
razor.”
the eyes, and the phrase means he can
bite as well as bark. Of course, the
play is on the word “eye,” and those
who have cut their eye-teeth are wide
awake.
Cut your wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth
are those at the extreme end of the
jaws, which do not make their appear-
ance till persons have come to years of
discretion. When persons say or do
silly things, the remark is made to them
that “they have not yet cut their
wisdom teeth,” or reached the years of
discretion.
Cut the knot. Break through an
obstacle. The reference is to the Gor-
dian knot (q.v.) shown to Alexander,
with the assurance that whoever loosed
it would be made ruler of all Asia ;
whereupon the Macedonian cut it in two
with his sword, and claimed to have
fulfilled the prophecy.
I must cut my stick—i.e. leave. The
Irish usually cut a shillelah before they
start on an expedition. Punch gives the
following witty derivation :- “Pilgrims
on leaving the Holy Land used to cut a
palm - stick, to prove that they had
really been to the Holy Sepulchre. So
brother Francis would say to brother
Paul, ‘Where is brother Benedict P’
“Oh (says Paul), he has cut his stick | ?
—i.e. he is on his way home.”
I’ll cut your ...} for you. Take
your conceit down. The allusion is to
the practice of cutting the combs of
Capons.
IHe'll cut up well. He is rich, and his
property will cut into good slices.
Cut Blocks with a Razor (To). To
do something astounding by insignificant
means; to do something more eccentric
than inexpedient. According to Dean
Swift, to “make pincushions of Sun-
beams.” The tale is that Accius, or
Attus Navius, a Roman augur, opposed
the king Tarquin the Elder, who wished
to double the number of senators. Tar-
quin, to throw ridicule on the augur,
sneered at his pretensions of augury, and
asked him if he could do what was then
in his thoughts. “Undoubtedly,” re-
plied Navius; and Tarquin with a laugh,
said, “Why, I was thinking whether I
could cut through this whetstone with a
“Cut boldly,” cried Navius,
and the whetstone was cleft in two.
This story forms the subject of one of .
Bon Gaultier's ballads, and Goldsmith
refers to it in his Retaliation :
“In short, 'twas his [Burke's] fate, unemployed or
in place, Sir, - *
To eat mutton cold, and cut blocks with a razor.”
Cut
*—-------→ ==
Cut neither Nails nor Hair at Sea.
Betronius says, “Non licere cuiquam
Anortaliaſm in nave neque ungºtes neque
capillos depomere, nisi cum pelago ventus
ãrascitur.” The cuttings of the nails
and hair were votive offerings to Pro-
serpine, and it would excite the jealousy
of Neptune to make offerings to another
in his own special kingdom.
Cut Off with a Shilling. Disin-
herited. Blackstone tells us that the
Romans set aside those testaments which
passed by the natural heirs unnoticed;
but if any legacy was left, no matter
how small, it proved the testator's in-
tention. English law has no such
provision, but the notion at one time
prevailed that the name of the heir
should appear in the will ; and if he was
bequeathed “a shilling,” that the tes-
tator had not forgotten him, but disin-
herited him intentionally. -
Cut out. Left in the lurch; super-
seded. In cards, when there are too
many for a game (say whist), it is cus-
tomary for the players to cut out after
a [rubber], in order that another player
may have a turn. This is done by the
players cutting the cards on the table,
and the lowest turn-up gives place to
the new hand, who “supersedes” him,
or takes his place.
* It does not refer to cutting out a
ship from an enemy's port.
IHe is cut out for a sailor. His na-
tural propensities are suited for the
vocation. The allusion is to cutting out
cloth, etc., for specific purposes.
Cut your Coat according to your
Cloth. Stretch your arm no farther
than your sleeve will reach.
“Little barks must keep near shore,
Larger Ones may Venture more.”
I’rench : “Selon ta, bourse nourris ta.
bouche.” “Selon le pain il faut le
couteau.”. “Fou est, qui plus dépense
que sa, rente ne vaut.”
Italian : “Noi facciamo la spese se-
condo l’entrata.”
Latin “Ex quovis ligno non fit
Mercurius.” “Parvum parva decent''
§§ “Messe tenus propria vive ’’
Persius). “Cui multum est piperis,
etiam oleribus immiscet.” “Sumptus
censum ne superat” (Plautus). “Si
non, possis quod velis, velis id quod
possis.” “Ne te quaesiveris extra ''
(Horace).
Cut a Dash. Make a show. Cut is
the French couper, better seen in the
321 Cuthbert
noun coup, as a grand coºp, a coºp de
onaitre (a masterly stroke), so “to cut ’’
means to make a masterly coup, to do
something to be looked at and talked
about. Dashing means striking—i.e.
showy, as a “dashing fellow,” a “dash-
ing equipage.” To cut a dash is to
get one’s self looked at and talked about
for a showy or striking appearance.
Cut and Dry. Already prepared.
“He had a speech all cut and dry.”
The allusion is to timber cut, dry, and
fit for use.
“Sets of phrases, cut and dry, -
EYermore thy tongue supply.” Swift.
Cut and Run. Be off as quickly as
possible. A sea phrase, meaning cut
your cable and run before the wind.
Cut Away. Be off at once. This is
a French phrase, couper (cut away)--i.e.
to break through the enemy’s ranks by
cutting them down with your swords.
Cut Capers (To).
usual manner.
“The quietest fellows are forced to ſight for
their status quo, and sometimes to cut Capers like
the rest.”—Le Fathw. The House inv the Church-
Q/07'd, p. 143.
To cut capers (in dancing) is to spring
upwards, and rapidly interlace one foot
with the other.
Cut your capers 1 Be off-with you !
I’ll make him cut his capers, i.e. rue
his conduct.
Cut it Short.
Cut of his Jib. The contour or ex-
pression of his face. This is a sailor’s
phrase. The cut of a jib or foresail of
a ship indicates her character. Thus, a
sailor says of a suspicious vessel, he
“does not like the cut of her jib.”
Cut Short is to shorten. “Cut short
all intermission” (Macbeth, iv. 3). To
cut it short means to bring to an end
what you are doing or saying.
IHis life was cut short. He died pre-
maturely. The allusion is to Atropos,
one of the three Parcae, cutting the
thread of life spun by her sister Clotho.
Cut up Rough (To). To be disagree-
able or quarrelsome about anything.
Cuthbert. St. Cuthbert’s beads. Joints
of the articulated stems of encrimites,
used for rosaries. St. Cuthbert was a
Scotch monk of the sixth century, and
may be termed the St. Patrick of Great
Britain. He is said to sit at night on a
rock in Holy Island, and to use the op-
posite rock as his anvil while he forges
To act in an un-
(See AUDLEY.)
21
Cuthbert Bede
322 Cyclopean Masonry
the en'trochites (en'-tro-kites). (See
BEAD.)
“On a rock of Lindisfarn .
St. Cuthbert sits, and toils to frame
The Sea-born beads that bear his name.”
Scott: Maº'nvio).
St. Cuthbert's Stone. A granite rock
in Cumberland.
St. Cuthbert’s Well. A spring of water
close by St. Cuthbert's Stone.
Cuthbert Bede. A 770m de plume
of the Rev. Edward Bradley, author of
JWerdant Green. (1827-1889.)
Cutler's Poetry. Mere jingles or
rhymes. Knives had, at One time, a
distich inscribed on the blade by means
of aqua fortis.
“Whose posy was
For all the wºrld like cutler's poetry
Upon a knife.
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, v. 1.
Cutpurse. Now called “pickpocket.”
The two words are of historical value.
When purses were worn suspended from
a girdle, thieves cut the string by which
the purse was attached ; but when
pockets were adopted, and purses were
no longer hung on the girdle, the thief
was no longer a cutpurse, but became a
pickpocket.
“To have an open ear, a quick eye, and a nimble
land, is necessary for a cutpurse.”—Shakespeare:
Winter’s Tale, iv. 3.
Cutter's Law. Not to see a fellow
want while we have cash in our purse.
Cutter's law means the law of purse-
cutters, robbers, brigands, and highway-
Iſlell.
“I must put you in cash with Some of your
old uncle's broad-pieces. This is cutter's law ;
we must not see a pretty fellow want, if we have
cash ourselves.”—Sir W. Scott : Old Mortality,
Chap. ix.
Cuttle. Captain? Cuttle. . An eccen-
tric, kind-hearted sailor, simple as a
child, credulous of every tale, and gen-
erous as the sun. He is immortalised by
the motto selected by Notes and Queries,
“When found make a note of.” (Dick-
ens: Dombey and Son.)
“ Unfortunately, I neglected Captain Cºlº;
advice, and am now unable to find it.”—W.
Husk: Notes and Queries.
Cutty.
pipe, cutty Sark. (A diminutive of curt.)
Cutty Pipe. A short clay pipe.
Scotch, cºtty (short), as cutty spoons,
cutty Sark, a cutty (little girl), etc., a
cutty gun (a pop-gun). te
Cutty Stool. A small stool on which
offenders were placed in the Scotch
church when they were about to receive
a public rebuke.
Scotch for short, as a cutty
Cwt. is C wit.—i.e. C. centum, wit.
weight, meaning hundred-weight. (See
DWT.) - -
Cyan'ean Rocks (The). The Sym-
ple'gadès at the entrance of the Euxine
Sea. Said to close together when a ves-
sel attempted to sail between them, and
thus crush it to pieces. Cyanéan means
dark, and Symplegådés means dashers
together.
. “Here are those hard rocks of trap, of a green-
ish-blue, coloured with copper, and hence called
the Cyanean.”—Olivier.
Cy'cle. A period or series of events
or numbers which recur everlastingly in
precisely the same order.
Cycle of the moon, called “Meton’s
Cycle,” from Meton, who discovered it,
is a period of nineteen years, at the
expiration of which time the phases of
the moon repeat themselves on the same
days as they did nineteen years pre-
viously. (See CALLIPIC PERIOD.)
Cycle of the sum. A period of twenty-
eight years, at the expiration of which
time the Sunday letters recur and pro-
ceed in the same order as they did
twenty-eight years previously. In other
words, the days of the month fall again
on the same days of the week.
The Platonic cycle or great year is
that space of time which elapses before
all the stars and constellations return
to any given state. Tycho Brahé cal-
culated this period at 25,816 years, and
Riccio'li at 25,920.
Cyc'lic Poets. Inferior epic poets.
On the death of Homer a host of min-
strels caught the contagion of his poems,
and wrote continuations, illustrations,
or additions thereto. These poets were
called cyclic because they confined them-
selves to the cycle of the Trojan war.
The chief were Ag'ías, Arctiºnos, Euga-
mon, Les'chés, and Strasinos.
“Besides the Homeric poems, the Greeks of this
age possessed those of the looets named Cyclic, as
they sang a traditional cycle of events . . . .”—
Reightley : Greece, part i. Chap. Xi V. p. 150.
Cyclopae'dia. The living cyclopædia.
Longinus, so called for his extensive
information. (213-273.)
Cyclopean. , Huge, massive, like the
Cyclops of classic mythology.
Cyclopean Masonry. The old Pe-
lasgic ruins of Greece, Asia Minor, and
Italy, such as the Gallery of Tiryns, the
Gate of Lyons, the Treasury of Athens,
and the Tombs of Phoró'neus (3 syl.) and
Dan'aos. They are said to have been
the work of the Cyclops. They are huge
Cyclops
blocks fitted together without mortar,
with marvellous nicety.
Cyclops. One of a group of giants
with only one eye, and that in the
centre of their forehead, whose business
it was to forge iron for Vulcan. They
were probably Pelasgians, who worked
in quarries, and attached a lantern to
their forehead to give them light under-
ground. The lantern was their one eye
as big as the full moon. (Greek, “circu-
lar-eye.”) (See ARIMASPIANS.)
“ltoused with the sound, the mighty family
Of one-eyed brotherS hasten to the Shore,
And gather round the bellowing Polypheme.”
Addison : Milton Invitated.
Cyllaros, according to Virgil, was
the celebrated horse of Pollux (Geor., iii.
90), but, according to Ovid, it was Cas-
tor’s steed (Met., xii. 408).
“He, O Castor, was a courser worthy thee . . .
Coal-black his colour, but like jet it shone :
His legs and flowing tail were white alone.”
Dryden : Ovid's Metamorphose, Xii.
Cymbeline. (See IMOGEN, ZINEURA.)
Cymoch'ies. A man of prodigious
might, brother of Pyroch'lés, son of
Malice (Acraſtēs) and Despite, and hus-
band of Acraſsia, the enchantress. He
sets out to encounter Sir Guyon, but is
ferried over the idle lake by Wanton-
ness (Phaedria), and forgets himself; he
is slain by King Arthur (canto viii.).
The word means, “one who seeks glory
in troubles.” (Spenser: Faërie Queene,
ii. 5.)
Cymodoce (4 syl.). A Sea nymph
and companion of Venus. (Virgil :
Georgic, iv. 338; and again, AEmeid, v.
826.) The word means “wave-receiv-
ing.”
The Garden of Cymodoce. Sark, one
of the Channel islands. It is the title of
a poem by Swinburne, 1880.
Cynaegiros. It is said that when the
Persians were pushing off from shore
after the battle of Marathon, Cynaegi-
ros, the brother of Æschylos, the poet,
seized one of their ships with his right
hand, which was instantly lopped off ;
he then grasped it with his left, which
was cut off also ; lastly, he seized hold
of it with his teeth and lost his head.
(See BENBow.)
Cynic. A Snarling, churlish person,
like a cynic. The Cynics were so called
because Antis'thenès held his school in
the gymnasium called Cynosargès, set
apart for those who were not of pure
Athenian blood. Cynosargés means
white dog, and was so called because a
white dog once carried away part of a
tonic philosophy; the
323 Cypress
—ºi.
victim which Diome'os was offering to
Herculés. The sect was often called the
Dog-sect; and the effigy over Diogénés'
pillar was a dog, with this inscription :
“Say, dog, I pray, what guard you in that tomb?”
** A. dº His name 2 ”—“Diogéliès.”—“From
ar?”
“Sino'Iſè.”—“What I who made a tub his home 7"
“The Salme ; now dead, amongst the stars a
Stall’.” JE. O. B
Cynic Tub (The). The tub from
which Diogenês lectured. Similarly we
speak of the “Porch,” that is, the
Porch Poecilé, meaning Stoic philosophy;
the “Garden,” meaning Epicuréan phi-
losophy; the “Academy,” meaning Pla-
“Colonnade,”
meaning Aristotelian philosophy.
“[They] fetch their doctrines from the Cynic tub.”
Milton : Comus, line 70S.
Cynics. The chief were Antis'thenès
of Athens (the founder), Diogënës,
Onesic'ritos, Monimos, Craſtēs and his
wife Hippar'chia, Metroclés, Menip'pos,
and Menede'mos the madman.
Cy'nosure (3 syl.). The polar star;
the observed of all observers. Greek
for dog’s tail, and applied to the con-
stellation called Ursa Mºor. As seamen
guide their ships by the north star, and
observe it well, the word “cynosure '’
is used for whatever attracts attention,
as “The cynosure of neighbouring
eyes” (Milton), especially for guidance
in some doubtful matter, as–
“Richmond was the cynosure on which all
Northern eyes were fixed [in the American War].”
—The Times.
Cynthia. The moon ; a surname of
Artemis or Diana. The Roman Diana,
who represented the moon, was called
Cynthia from Mount Cynthus, where she
was born.
“And from embattled clouds emerging slow,
Cynthia came riding on her Silver car.” . .
Beattie : Minstrel.
Cynthia. Pope, speaking of the in-
constant character of woman, “matter
too soft a lasting mark to bear,” says—
“Come, then, the colours and the ground prepare :
Dip in the rainbow, trick her off in air :
Choose a firm cloud, before it fall, and in it
Catch, ere she change, the Cynthia. of the
Iminute.” Epistle ii. 17-20.
Cypress (The) is a funeral tree, and
was dedicated by the Romans to Pluto,
|because when once cut it never grows
again.
“Cypresse garlands are of great account at
funerall's amongst the gentiler Sort, but I'QSelmary
and bayes are used by the commonS, both at
funeralls and weddings. They are plantS Which
fade not a good while after they are gathered
... and intinate that the remembrance of the
present solemnify might not dye presently.”—
Coles: Introduction to the Knowledge of Plants.
Cyprian Brass 324 Daffodil
The magic cypress branch. In the “Hab Dab’’ means Halbert Dobson;
opera of Roberto il Diavolo, after the
“dance of love,” in which Helena
seduces the duke, he removes the cypress
branch, which has the power of impart-
ing to him whatever he wishes. With
this he enters the palace of Isabella,
princess of Sicily, and transfixes the
princess and her attendants in a magic
sleep, but afterwards relenting, he breaks
the branch, and is dragged away by the
guards. -
Cyprian Brass, or “aes Cyprium,”
copper. Pliny (book xxxiv. c. ii.) says,
‘‘ i)? Cypro enim prima deris inventio
fuit.”
Cypriote. A native of Cyprus; the
dialect spoken on the island; pertaining
or special to Cyprus.
ID
D. This letter is the outline of a rude
archway or door. It is called in Hebrew
daleth (a door). In Egyptian hiero-
glyphics it is a man’s hand.
D or d, indicating a penny or pence,
is the initial letter of the Latin de/za','ºts,
a silver coin equal to 8:#d. during the
commonwealth of Rome, but in the
Middle Ages about equivalent to our
penny. The word was used by the
Romans for money in general.
D. stands for 500, which is half as , a
form of o or M, which stands for mille.
i stands for 5,000.
D.O.M. Deo Optimo Maasimo. Datu,'
om'nibus inori (It is allotted to all to
die).
D.T. A contraction of delirium tremens.
“They get a look, after a touch of D.T., which
nothing else that I know of can give them.”—
Indian Tatle.
Da Capo or D.C. . From the begin-
ning—that is, finish with a repetition of
the first strain. A term in music.
(Italian.)
Dab. Clever, skilled ; as “a dab-
hand at it ’’; a corrupt contraction of
the Latin adeptets (an adept). “Dab-
ster’’ is another form. Apt is a related
word. *
“An Eton stripling, training for the law,
A dunce at learning, but a dab at taw [marbles].”
w Amon. : Logic ; 07", The Bite!’ Bit,
Dab, Din, etc.
“Hab Dab and David Din
Ding the deil o'er Dabson's Linn,”
“David Din '' means David Dun; and
“Dabson’s Linn,” or Dob’s Linn, is a
waterfall near the head of Moffat Water.
. Dobson and Dun were two Cameronians who
lived for security in a cave in the ravine. Here,
as they said, they saw the devil, in the form of a
pack of dried hides, and after fighting the “foul
fiend” for some time, they dinged him into the
Waterfall.
Daba'ira. An idol of the savages of
Pan'ama', to whose honour slaves are
burnt to death. (American Anythology.)
Dabºbat [the Beast]. The Beast of
the Apocalypse, which the Mahometans
say will appear with Antichrist, called by
them dag'gial. (Rev. xix. 19 ; xx. 10.)
Dabble. To dabble in the funds ; to
dabble in politics—i.e. to do something in
them in a small way. (Dutch, dabbelen,
our dip and tap.)
Dab'chick. The lesser grebe. Tab
is a corruption of dap, the old participle
of dip, and chick (any young or small
fowl), literally the dipping or diving
chick.
Dactyl (Will). The “smallest of
pedants.” (Steele : The Tatler.)
Dactyls (The). Mythic beings to
whom is ascribed the discovery of iron.
Their number was originally three—the
Smelter, the Hammer, and the Anvil;
but was afterwards increased to five
males and five females, whence their
name Dactyls or Fingers.
Dad or Daddy. Father. The person
who acts as father at a wedding ; a
stage-manager. The Superintendent of
a casual ward is termed by the inmates
“Old Daddy.” (A Night in a JForſ:-
house, by an Amateº Castal [J. Green-
wood].)
In the Fortunes of Nigel, by Sir W.
Scott, Steenie, Duke of Buckingham,
calls King James “My dear dad and
gossip.” (Welsh, tad : , Irish, daid,
father; Sanskrit, tada ; Hindu, dada.)
Daddy Long-legs. A crane-fly ;
sometimes applied to the long-legged
spiders called “harvestmen.”
Dae'dalos. A Greek who formed the
Cretan labyrinth, and made for himself
wings, by means of which he flew from
Crete across the Archipelago. He is
said to have invented the saw, the axe,
the gimlet, etc.
Daffodil (The), or “Lent Lily,” was
once white; but Persephēnē, daughter
of Demetér (Cerés), delighted to wander
Tag
325
T)ahak
about the flowery meadows of Sicily.
One spring-tide she tripped over the
meadows, wreathed her head with wild
lilies, and, throwing herself on the grass,
fell asleep. The god of the Infernal
Regions, called by the Romans Pluto,
fell in love with the beautiful maid, and
carried her off for his bride. His touch
turned the white flowers to a golden
yellow, and some of them fell in Acheron,
where they grew luxuriantly; and ever
since the flower has been planted on
graves. Theophilus and Pliny tell us
that the ghosts delight in the flower,
called by them the Asphodel. It was
once called the Affodil. (French, aspho-
dèle ; Latin, asphodilus ; Greek, aspho-
dilos.)
“Flour of daffodil is a cure for madness.”—
Med. MS. Lincoln Cathédral, f. 282.
Dag (day). Son of Natt or night.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Dagger or Long Cross (f), used for
reference to a note after the asterisk (*),
is a Roman Catholic character, Originally
employed in church books, prayers of
exorcism, at benedictions, and so on, to
remind the priest where to make the
sign of the cross. This sign is sometimes
called an obelisk—that is, “a spit.”
(Greek, ob'elos, a spit.)
Jagger, in the City arms of London,
commemorates Sir William Walworth’s
dagger, with which he slew Wat Tyler
in 1381. Before this time the cogni-
sance of the City was the sword of St.
Paul.
“Brave Walworth, knight, lord mayor, that slew
Rebellious Tyler in his alarmes; .
The king, therefore, did give him in licu
The dagger to the city armes.’
I'ourth year of Richard II. (1381),
Fish??omgcº's' Hall.
Dagger Ale is the ale of the
Dagger, a celebrated ordinary in
|Holborn.
“My lawyer's clerk I lighted on last night
In Holborn, at the Daſſgen'.” -
- Ben Jomson: The Alchemist, i. 1.
Dagger-scene in the House of
Commons. Edmund Burke, during
the French Revolution, tried a bit of
bunkum by throwing down a dagger on
the floor of the House, exclaiming as he
did so, “There's French fraternity for
you ! Such is the weapon which French
Jacobins would plunge into the heart of
our beloved king.” Sheridan spoilt the
dramatic effect, and set the House in a
roar by his remark, “The gentleman, I
see, has brought his knife with him, but
where is his fork?” (See Coup DE
THEATRE.)
Daggers. To speak daggers, To look
daggers. To speak or look So as to wound
the sensibilities.
“I will speak daggers to her ; but will use
none.”—Shakespeare: Iſaamlet, iii. 2.
Daggers Drawn (At). At great
enmity, as if with daggers drawn and
ready to rush on each other.
Daggie - tail or Draggle-tail. A
slovenly woman, the bottom of whose
dress trails in the dirt. Daff (Saxon)
means loose ends, mire or dirt ; whence
day-locks, the Soiled locks of a sheep’s
fleece, and daff-wool, refuse wool. (Com-
pare TAG.)
Dagobert. Iſing Dagobert and St.
Floi. There is a French song very
popular with this title. , St. Eloi tells
the king his coat has a hole in it, and
the king replies, “C”est wrai, le tien est
bon préte-le moi.” Next the Saint com-
plains of the king’s stockings, and
Dagobert makes the same answer. Then
of his wig and cloak, to which the same
answer is returned. After seventeen
complaints St. Eloi said, “My king,
death is at hand, and it is time to con-
fess,” when the king replied, “Why
º you confess, and die instead of
me P’’
Da'gon (Hebrew, daff On, the fish
On). The idol of the Philistines; half
woman and half fish. (See ATERGATA.)
“Dagon lais name ; sea-monster, upward man
And downward fish ; yet had his temple high
Real'Q in Azotus, dreaded through the coast
Of Palestine, in Gath and AS/calon,
And Accaron and Gaza's frontier bounds.”
Miltom. I’d Tadise Lost, book i. 462.
Dag"onet (Sir). In the romance J.a.
Mort d’Arthure he is called the fool of
King Arthur, and was knighted by the
king himself.
“I remember at Mile-End Green, when I lay at
Clement's Inn, I was then Sir Dagonct in Arthur's
show.”—2 Henry IV., iii. 2. (Justice Shallow).
* “I)agonet” is the pen-name of
Mr. G. R. Sims.
Daguer'reotype (4 Syl.). A photo-
graphic process. So named from M.
Daguerre, who greatly improved it in
1839. (See TALBOTYPE.)
Daſgun. A god worshipped in Pegu.
When Kiak'iak destroyed the world,
Dagun reconstructed it. (Indian mytho-
logy.)
Dahak. The Satan of Persia. AC-
cording to Persian mythology, the ages
of the world are divided into periods of
1,000 years. When the cycle of “chil-
iasms” (1,000-year periods) is complete,
the reign of Ormuzd will begin, and men
IDahlia,
326
I)algetty
will be all good and all happy; but this
event will be preceded by the loosing of
Dahak, who will break his chain and
fall upon the world, and bring on man
the most dreadful calamities. Two
prophets will appear to cheer the
oppressed, and announce the advent of
Ormuzd.
Dahlia. A flower. So called from
Andrew Dahl, the Swedish botanist.
Dahomey is not derived from Daho,
the founder of the palace so called, but
is a corruption of Danh-homen, “Danh’s
IBelly.” The story is as follows: Ardrah
divided his kingdom at death between
his three sons, and Daho, one of the
sons, received the , northern portion.
Being an enterprising and ambitious
man, he coveted the country of his
neighbour Danh, King of Gedavin, and
first applied to him for a plot of land to
'build a house on. This being granted,
Däho made other requests in quick
succession, and Danh’s patience being
exhausted, he exclaimed, “ Must I open
my belly for you to build on ?” On
hearing this, Daho declared himself in-
sulted, made war on Danh, and slew him.
He then built his palace where Danh
fell, and called it Danh-homen. (Nine-
teenth Century, October, 1890, pp. 605-6.)
Dai both (3 syl.). A Japanese idol of
colossal size. Each of her hands is full
of hands. (Japanese mythology.)
Dailroku (4 syl.). The god invoked
specially by the artisans of Japan. He
sits on a ball of rice, holding a hammer
in his hand, with which he beats a sack;
and every time he does so the Sack be-
comes full of silver, rice, cloth, and other
useful articles. (Japanese mythology.)
Dairi (3 syl.). The royal residence
in Japan; the court of the mikado, used
by metonomy for the sovereign or chief
pontiff himself.
Dairy. A corrupt form of “dey-ery,”
Middle English deterie and deſ/yerye,
from deye, a dairymaid.
“The dey or farm-woman entered with her
pitchers, to deliver the milk for the family.”—
Scott: Fair Maid of Perth, chap. xxxii.
Da'is. The raised floor at the head
of a dining-room, designed for guests of
distinction (French, dais, a canopy). So
called because it used to be decorated
with a canopy. The proverb “Sous le
dais” means “in the midst of grandeur.”
Daisies. Slang for boots, Explained
Alſºde, CHIVY, - -
Daiſsy. , Ophelia gives the queen a
daisy to signify “that her light and
fickle love ought not to expect constancy
in her husband.” So the daisy is ex-
plained by Greene to mean a Quip for
an upstart courtier. (Anglo-Saxon dages
edge, day’s eye.)
The word is Day’s eye, and the flower
is so called because it closes its pinky
lashes and goes to sleep when the sun
sets, but in the morning it expands its
petals to the light. (See WIOLET.)
“That well by reason men calle it maie,
The daisie, or clºse the eie of the daie.”
Chaucer.
Daisy (Solomon). Parish clerk of
Chigwell. He had little, round, black,
shiny eyes like beads; wore rusty black
breeches, a rusty black coat, and a long-
flapped waistcoat with queer little
buttons. Solomon Daisy, with Phil
Parkes, the ranger of Epping Forest,
Tom Cobb, the chandler and post-office
keeper, and John Willet, mine host,
formed a quadrilateral or village club,
which used to meet night after night at
the Maypole, on the borders of the
forest. Daisy’s famous tale was the
murder of Mr. Reuben Haredale, and the
conviction that the murderer would be
found out on the 19th of March, the
anniversary of the murder. (Dickens.:
Barnaby Rudge, chap. i., etc.)
Daisy-cutter (A). In cricket, a ball
that is bowled all along the ground.
Daisy-roots, like dwarf-elder berries,
are said to stunt the growth ; hence the
fairy Milkah fed her royal foster-child
on this food, that his standard might not
exceed that of a pigmy. This Super-
stition arose from the notion that every-
thing had the property of bestowing its
own speciality on others. (See FERN
SEED.)
“She robbed dwarf-elders of their fragrant fruit,
And fed him early with the daisy root
* } • s
Whence through his veins the powerful juices
Andºmed the beauteous miniature of man.”
Tickell ; Iſensington, Gardents.
Dala’i-Lama [grand lama]. Chief of
the two Tartar priests—a sort of incarnate
deity. The other lama is called the
“Tesho-lama.”
Dal'dah. Mahomet's favourite white
mule.
Dalgar'no (Lord). A heartless profli-
gate in Scott's Fortunes of Nigel.
Dalgetty (Dugald). Jeffrey calls
him “a compound of Captain Fluellen
and Bob'adil,” but this is scarcely just.
Without doubt, he has all the pedantry
Dalkey 327
Ijamon and Pythias
and conceit of the former, and all the
vulgar assurance of the latter; but,
unlike Bobadil, he is a man of real
courage, and wholly trustworthy to those
who pay him for the service of his sword,
which, like a thrifty mercenary, he lets
out to the highest bidder. (Scott: Legend
of Montrose.)
“Neither Schiller, Strada, Thuanus, Monroe,
nor Dugald Dalgetty makes any mention Of it.”—
Carlyle.
Dalkey (King of). A kind of
“Mayor of Garrat’” (q.v.) at Kings-
town, in Ireland. A full description is
given of this mock mayor, etc., in a
book entitled Ireland Ninety Years Ago.
Dalle (French), Čcu de six francs (5s.).
Money generally.
“Quiconque parleroit de paix . . . . payeroit à
la bourse de l’Union certaine quantité de dales,
pour l'entretenement des docteurs.” – Satyré
Menippee, 1824, p. 163.
Dalmatica or Dalmat'ic. A robe,
Open in front, reaching to the knees;
worn at one time by deacons over the
alb or stole, when the Eucharist was ad-
ministered. It is in imitation of the
regal vest of Dalmatia, and was im-
ported into Rome by the Emperor
Com'modus. A similar robe was worn
by kings, in the Middle Ages, at corona-
tions and other great solemnities, to
remind them of their duty of bountiful-
ness to the poor. The right sleeve was
plain and full, but the left was fringed
and tasselled. Teacons had broader
sleeves than sub-deacons, to indicate
their duty to larger generosity; for a
similar reason the sleeves of a bishop
are larger than those of a priest. The
two stripes before and behind were to
show that the wearer should exercise his
charity to all.
Dam. An Indian copper coin, the
fortieth part of a rupee. Hence the ex-
pression “Not worth a dam ”; similarly
“not worth a farthing,” “not worth a
rap ’’ (q.v.); “not worth a sou,” “not
worth a stiver,” etc.
Damage. What’s the damage 2 What
have I to pay
The allusion is to the law assessing
damages in remuneration to the plaintiff.
Dam'ask Linen. So called from
Damascus, where it was originally manu-
factured. -
Damaskeen'ing. Producing upon
steel a blue tinge and ornamental figures,
sometimes inlaid with gold and silver,
as in Damascus blades; SO called from
P how much is the bill? .
Damascus, which was celebrated in the
Middle Ages for this class of ornamental
art.
Dambe'a, or Dembé'a. A lake in
Gojam, Abyssinia, the source of the
Blue Nile. Captain Speke traced the
White Nile to Lake Victoria N'yanza,
which, no doubt, is fed by the Mountains
of the Moon.
“He [the Nile] thro' the lucid lake
Of fair Dalmbea rolls his infant strealm.”
Thomson : Summer, 807-8.
Dame du Lac. A fay, named
Vivienne, who plunged with the infant
Lancelot into a lake. This lake was a
kind of mirage, concealing the demesnes
of the lady “eſe la marche de la petite
JBretaigne.” (See VIVIENNE.) -
“Ence lieu . . . . avoit la damo moult de helles
maisons et moult riches; et au plain dessoubs
elle avoit une gente petite rivière.”
Damiens' Bed of Steel. R. F.
Damiens, in 1757, attempted the life of
Louis XV. He was taken to the Con-
ciergerie; an iron bed, which likewise
served as a chair, was prepared for him,
and to this he was fastened with chains.
He was then tortured, and ultimately
torn to pieces by wild horses. (Smollet:
JHistory of Eng/a/20, v. 12, p. 39.)
“The uplifted axe, the agonising wheel
fluke's iron crown, and famieńs' bed of steel.”
Goldsmith : The Traveller (1768).
Damn with Faint Praise. To
praise with such a voice and in Such
measured terms as to show plainly Secret
disapproval.
“Damn with faint praise, assent with civil leer,
And, without Sneering, teach the rest to sneer.”
Pope : Epistle to Arbuthnot.
Damocles' Sword. Evil foreboded
or dreaded. T)am'oclés, the sycophant
of Dionysius the elder, of Syracuse, was
invited by the tyrant to try the felicity
he so much envied. Accordingly he
was set down to a sumptuous banquet,
but overhead was a sword suspended by
a hair. Tamoclés was afraid to stir,
and the banquet was a tantalising tor-
ment to him. (Cicero.)
“These fears hang like Damocles' sword, over
every feast, and make enjoyment impossible.”
— Chambers's Cyclopædia.
Da/mon and Musido'ra. Two lovers
in Thomson’s Summer. One day Damon
caught Musidora bathing, and his deli-
cacy so won upon her that she promised
to be his bride.
Daſmon and Pyth'ias. Inseparable
friends. They were two Syracu'sian
youths. Damon, being condemned to
death by Dionysius the tyrant, obtained
leave to go home to arrange his affairs
Tamper
328
T)ance
if Pythias became his security. Damon
|being delayed, Pythias was led to exe-
cution, but his friend arrived in time to
save him. Dionysius was so struck with
this honourable friendship that he par-
doned both of them.
Damper (A). A snap before dinner,
which damps or takes off the edge of
appetite. “That’s a damper’’ also
means a wet-blanket influence, a rebuff
which damps or cools one’s courage.
Also a large thin cake of flour and
water baked in hot ashes. The mute
of a stringed instrument to deaden the
sound is also called a “ damper.” -
Dam'sel. (See DOMISELLUS.)
Dam’son. A corruption of Damas-
cène, a fruit from Damascus.
Damyan (3 syl.). A “silke squyer,”
whose illicit love was accepted by May,
the youthful bride of January, a Lom-
bard knight, sixty years old. (Chaucer:
The Marchaundes Tale.)
Dan. A title of honour, common with
the old poets, as Dan Phoebus, Dan
Cupid, Dan Neptune, Dan Chaucer, etc.
. (Spanish, don.)
“Dan Chaucer, well of Englisl., undefiled,
On Fame's eternal beadroll worthy to be filed.”
Spense, . Faërie Queene, book iv. Canto ii. 32.
Jºroſ), Daº to Beer'sheba. From one
end of the kingdom to the other; all
over the world; everywhere. The
phrase is Scriptural, Dan being the most
northern and Beersheba, the most south-
ern city of the Holy Land. We have a
similar expression, “From John o'
Groats to the Land’s End.”
Dan Tucker. Out o’ de way, old
Dam, Thacker. The first Governor of Ber-
mu'da, was Mr. Moore, who was suc-
ceeded by Captain Daniel Tucker. These
islands were colonised from Virginia.
Dan'ace (3 syl.). A coin placed by
the Greeks in the mouth of the dead to
pay their passage across the ferry of the
Lower World.
Dan'aé. An Argive princess whom
Zeus (Jupiter) seduced under the form
of a shower of gold, while she was con-
fined in an inaccessible tower. She thus
became the mother of Perseus (2 Syl.).
Dana'ides (4 syl.). Daughters of
Dan'aos (King of Argos). They were
fifty in number, and married the fifty
sons of AEgyptos. They all but one
murdered their husbands on their wed-
ding-night, and were punished in the
infernal regions by having to draw
wº everlastingly in sieves from a deep
well.
This is an allegory. The followers of
Dan'aos taught the Argives to dig wells,
and irrigate their fields in the Egyptian
manner. As the soil of Argos was very
dry and porous, it was like a sieve.
The names of the fifty Danaidés and
their respective husbands are as follows:
Actaea. . . wife of Per’iphas.
Adianta . . e e ,, Daliph'ron.
Adyta . . * * ?? Menal/céS.
Aga'We . . e ºn 33 Lycos.
Amymon'ê .. , Encel/ados.
Anaxibºia, e , Archela/OS.
Antod'ica & ºt 39 Clytos.
Aster’ia. . . & e , ChoetOS.
Autho'Jea. tº gº , Cisseus.
Autom’ata. . . 33 Archite/los.
Auton’Oé g as 7 3 Euryl/OchoS.
Brycea. . . * , 35 Chthon’ios.
Callid/ice a * * * Pandi’on.
Cele'no . . . . , Hyxoſpios.
Chrysip'pě . . . 33 Chrysip/pos.
Chrysoth’emis 39 As/teris.
Cheodo'ra. tº s , Li XOS.
Cleopat'ra & & 5 § Age/nor.
CEiſ º - tº º } % Aster'ías.
Critome/dia. . . , Antipaph’oš.
Damo'né & e , Almyn’t Ol'.
Dioxip'pë tº gº 3 * AEgyptos.
Electra, , . . tº tº 3 * PeriS' thenčS.
Er'at;0 . . g ºt , Broſmios.
Euphe'no & E. }} Hyper/bios.
Eurydice & © 3 : Drya.S.
Evip'pě .. e ge 35 Imbros.
Glauca. . . * * 3 * Alcis.
Glaucip’pa. g & 3 y POt,'annon.
Gorga. . . e e ,, Hyppoth’00.u.
Gºftºphon * - ,, . Proſteus.
Hel/cita . . . . . , , (a.SSOS.
Hippodami'a. . . }} Ister.
Hippod'ica. . . . . 33 I dra.S.
Hippomedu'sé 3) Alcme'non.
Hyperip'pa, . . ,, . Hippocoris’tés.
Hypermnes' tra. , Lynceus.*
Iphimedu/Sa. . . 3 y Euche'nor.
neStl’a, e 3 * Egi'os.
Qgyp’eté , Lampos.
Oi!/nné sº t; * } tº e
Phal'té . . , Euryd'amas.
Pilar'ga. . . * 3? Idmon.
Pire/ne .. , Agaptole/mos.
Podar/ca, * 33 CE/neus.
hoda. . . 73 Hippol’ytos.
Rho’dia, . tº º , Chalce'don.
Sthen/ela, e ſº , Sthen/elos.
Stygna. . . tº & 33 Polyc'tor.
Thea'no .. gº º 3? Phanthès.
* Lynceus (2 syl.), the one saved by
his wife, is marked with an asterisk (*).
Dan'aos. According to the Roman de
JRose, Denmark means the country of
Dan'aos, who settled here with a colony
after the siege of Troy, as Brutus is said
by the same sort of name-legend to
have settled in Britain. Saxo-German'-
icus, with equal absurdity, makes Dan,
the son of Humble, the first king, to
account for the name of the country.
Danaw. The Danube (German).
“To pass
Rhone or the Dana.W.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, book i. 353.
Dance. The Spanish danza was a
grave and stately court dance. Those
of the seventeenth century were called
T)ance
*--—
the Turdion, Paba'na, Madama Orleans,
J’iedel/iba'o, El Rey Don Alonzo, and E!
Caballe'ro. Most of the names are taken
from the ballad-music to which they
were danced. sº
The light dances were called Bayle
(q.v.). -
Dance (Pyrphic). (See PYRRHIC).
St. Vitus’s Dance. (See VITUS).
Dance of Death. A series of wood-
cuts, said to be by Hans Holbein (1538),
representing Death dancing , after all
sorts of persons, beginning with Adam
and Eve. He is beside the judge on his
bench, the priest in the pulpit, the nun
in her cell, the doctor in his study, the
bride and the beggar, the king and the
infant; but is “swallowed up at
last.” *
This is often called the Dance Maca'bre,
from a German who wrote verses on the
Subject.
On the north side of Old St. Paul’s
was a cloister, on the walls of which was
painted, at the cost of John Carpenter,
town clerk of London (15th century), a
“Dance of Death,” or “Death leading
all the estate, with speeches of Death,
and answers, by John Lydgate” (Stow).
The Death-Dance in the Dominican
Convent of Basle was retouched by
Holbein.
*|| PHRASES.
I’ll lead you a pretty dance, i.e. I’ll
T
*
bother or put you to trouble. he
Trench say, Donner le bal & quelqu'un.
The reference is to the complicated
dances of former times, when all followed
the leader.
To dance attendance. To wait obse-
quiously, to be at the beck and call of
another. The allusion is to the ancient
custom of weddings, where the bride on
the wedding-night had to dance with
every guest, and play the amiable,
though greatly annoyed.
“Then must the poore bryde kepe foote With a
dauncer, and refuse none, how scabbed, foule,
droncken, rude, and Shameless Soever he be.”—
Christem : State of Matrimony, 1543.
“I had thought
They had parted so much honesty among them
(At least, good manners) as not thus to suffer
A man of his place, and so near our favour,
To dance attendance on their lordships' plea-
lures.” Shakespeare: Henry VIII., v. 2.
To dance upon nothing. To be hanged.
Dances (National Dances) :
EOhelmian : the Tedo/wa.
English : the hornpipe and lancers. -
French : the contredamse (country dance), cotillom,
and quatºrille.
German : the gallopade and waltz,
Irish : the jig.
Neapolitan : the taram/tella.
Polish : the mazurkſ, and lºrakowieck,
329
T)ancing-water
IRussian : the coSS&c.
Scotch : the reel.
Spanislu : the bule/ro and famdamgo."
* When Handel was asked to point
out the peculiar taste of the different
nations of Europe in dancing, he ascribed
the minuet to the French, the Sar'aband
to the Spaniard, the arietta to the Italian,
and the hornpipe and the morris-dance
to the English.
Dances (Religious Dances):
Astronomical damces, invented by the Egyptians,
designed (like oui orreries) to represent the
movements of the heavenly bodies. -
The Bacchic dances Were of three SOrtS : gra. We
(like our minuet), gay (like our gavotte), and
mixed (like our minuet and gavotte combined).
The damce Champêtre, invented by Pan, quick and
lively. The dancers (in the Open air) Wore
Wreaths of Oak and garlands of flowers.
Children's dances, in Lacedemonia, in honour of
Diana. he children were nude ; and their
movements were grave, modest, and graceful.
Corybantic dances, in honour of Bacchus,
accompanied with timbrels, fifes, flutes, and a
tumultuous noise produced by the clashing of
Swords and Spears against brazen bucklers.
Funereal damces, in Athens, slow, solemn dances
in which the priests took part. The performers
wore long , white robes, and carried cypress
slips in their hands.
IIymenčiul damces were lively and joyous. The
dancers being crowned with flowers.
Of the Lapithae, invented by Pirithūus. These
were exhibited after some famous victory, and
were designed to imitate the combats of the
Centaurs and Lapſthas. These danceS Were
both difficult and dangerous.
May-day damces at Rome. At daybreak lads and
Jasses went out to gather “May ’’ and other
flowers for themselves and their elders; and
the day was spent in dances and festivities.
Military dances. The oldest of all dances, exe-
cuted with swords, javelins, , and, bucklers.
Said to be invented by Minerya to celebrate the
victory of the gods over the Titans, .
Nuptial dances... A Roman pantomimic perfor-
mance resembling the dances of our harlequin
and Columbine. **
Sacred dances (among the Jews). David danced
in certain religious processions (2 Salm. Vi. 14).
The people sang and danced before the golden
calf (Exod. xxxii.19). And in the book of Psalms
(cl. 4) we read, “Let [the people] praise [the
Lord] with timbrel and dance. Miriam, the
sister of Moses, after the passage of the Red
Sea, was followed by all the women with
timbrels and dances (Exod. xv. 20). sº g 8 º'
Salic dances, instituted by Nunna, Pompilius in
honour of Mars. They were executed by twelye
priests selected from the highest of the
nobility, and the dances were performed in the
temple while sacrifices were being made and
hymnS Sung to the god.
* The Dancing Dervishes celebrate
their religious rites with dances, which
consist chiefly of spinning round and
round a little allotted space, not in
couples, but each one alone.
In ancient times the Gauls, the
Germans, the Spaniards, and the English
too had their sacred dances. In fact,
in all religious ceremonies the dance
was an essential part of divine worship.
In India dancing is a part of religious
worship in which the priests join.
See DANSE.
Dancing-water (The), which beau-
tifies ladies, makes them young again,
T)andelion
330 T)ante
and enriches them. It fell in a cascade
in the Burning Forest, and could only
be reached by an underground passage.
Prince Chery fetched a bottle of this
water for his beloved Fair-star, but was
aided by a dove. (Fairy Tales, by the
Comtesse d’Aulnoy.) (See YELLOW
WATER.)
Dandeli'on. A flower. The word is
a corruption of the French dent de lion
(lion’s tooth). Also called Leon'todon
(lion-tooth, Greek), from a supposed
resemblance between its leaves and the
teeth of lions.
Dander. Is your dander ºp or 7'iz 2
Is your angry passion up P. This is
generally considered to be an American-
ism ; but Halliwell gives, in his Archaic
Dictionary, both dander (anger) and
dandy (distracted), the former common
to several counties, and the latter pecu-
liar to Somersetshire.
Dandie Dinmont. A jovial, true-
hearted store-farmer, in Sir Walter
Scott's Guy Mannering. Also a hardy
hairy short-legged terrier. -
“From this dog descended Dayidson of Hynd-
lee's breed, the original Dandie-Dinmont.”—T.
L7'0707. : Our Dogs, p. 104.
Dandin (French). A ninny, a snob.
IFrom Molière's comedy of George Dan-
dim. (See GANDIN.)
Dandin (George). A French cit, who
marries a sprig of nobility, and lives
with his wife’s parents. Madame appeals
on all occasions to her father and mother,
who, of course, take her part against her
husband. Poor George is in a sad plight,
and is for ever lamenting his fate with
the expression, Vous l'avez woulu, George
J)andin ('Tis your own fault, George
I)andin). George Dandin stands for
anyone who marries above his sphere,
and is pecked by his wife and mother-
in-law. The word means “a ninny.”
(Molière’s comedy so called.)
Perrin Dandin. A sort of Lynch
judge in Rabelais, who seated himself
on the trunk of the first tree he came to,
and there decided the causes submitted
to him.
Dan'diprat or Dandéprat, according
to Camden, is a small coin issued in the
reign of Henry VII. Applied to a little
fellow, it is about equal to our modern
expression, alittle “twopenny-ha'penny”
fellow.
Dando (A). One who frequents
hotels, eating-houses, and Other such
places, satisfies his appetite, and decamps
without payment. -
Dandy. A coxcomb; a fop. The
feminine of “dandy” is either dandilly
or dandizett. Egan says the word was
first used in 1813, but examples of the
Word occur at least one hundred years
before that date. (French, dandin, a
ninny, a vain, conceited fellow.)
Dandy-horse. (See VELOCIPEDE.)
Dandyism. . The manners, etc., of a
dandy; like a dandy.
IDame's Skin (A). A freckled skin.
IRed hair and a freckled skin are the
tº ional characteristics of Danish
OOCl.
Dangle. A theatrical amateur in
Sheridan's Critic. It was designed for
Thomas Waughan, a playwright.
Daniel Lambert weighed 739 lbs.
In 1841 eleven young men stood within
his waistcoat buttoned. (1770-1809.)
Danism. Lending money on usury.
(Greek, dameisma, a loan.)
Dan'nebrog or Danebrog. The old
flag of Denmark. The tradition is that
Waldemar II. of Denmark saw in the
heavens a fiery cross which betokened
his victory over the Estho'nians (1219).
This story is very similar to that of
Constantine (q.v.), and of St. Andrew’s
Cross. (See ANDREW, St.)
The order of Danebrog. The second of
the Danish orders. Brog means “cloth.”
or banner.
Dan'nocks. Hedging - gloves. A
corruption of Tournay, where they were
originally manufactured.
Danse. Da danse commence lº-bas,
fighting has broken out yonder. -
“MOn Capºral, there is great news : La damse
commence la-bas.”—Ouida. Under Two Flags, chap.
XXY.
A la danse. On the march.
“The regiment was ordered out à la damse
There was fresh war in the interior.”—Outida.:
Under Two Flags, chap. XXV. (See DANCE.)
Dans'ker. A Dane. Tenmark used
to be called Danské. Hence Polo'nius
says to Reynaldo, “Inquire me first
what Danskers are in Paris.” (Hamlet,
ii. 1.)
Dante and Be'atri'ce—i.e. Beatrice
IPortina'ri, who was only eight years old
when the poet first saw her. His abiding
love for her was chaste as Snow and
pure as it was tender, Beatrice married
T)antesque 331
Darius
a nobleman named Simo'ne de Bardi,
and died young, in 1290. Dante married
Gemma, of the powerful house of Do-
nati. In the JDiviſma Commedia the
poet is conducted first by Virgil (who
represents human reason) through hell
and purgatory; then by the spirit of
Beatrice (who represents the wisdom
of faith); and finally by St. Bernard
(who represents the wisdom from on
high).
Dantes'que (2 syl.). Dante-like—
that is, a minute life-like representa-
tion of the infernal horrors, whether
by words, as in the poet, or in visible
form, as in Doré's illustrations of the
Inferno.
Daphna'ida. An elegy on Douglas
Howard, daughter and heiress of Lord
Howard. (Sponser, 1591.) -
Daphne. Daughter of a river-god,
loved by Apollo. She fled from the
amorous god, and escaped by being
changed into a laurel, thenceforth the
favourite tree of the sun-god.
“Nay, lady, sit. If I but wave this wand,
Your nerves are all chain'd up in alabaster,
And you a Statue, or, as Daphné Was,
Toot-bound, that fied Apollo.”
Milton : Comus, 678-681.
Daph'nis. A Sicilian shepherd who
invented pastoral poetry.
JDaph'nis. The lover of Chloe in the
exquisite Greek pastoral romance of
Longos, in the fourth century. Daphnis
was the model of Allan Ramsay’s Gentle
Shepherd, and the tale is the basis of
St. Pierre's Paul and Wirginia.
Dapper. . A little, nimble, spruce
young clerk in Ben Jonson’s Alchemist.
Dapple. The name of Sancho Panza’s
donkey in Cervantes’ romance of Don
Quizote. Bailey derives dapple from
the Teutonic dapper (streaked or spotted
like a pippin). A dapple-ffrey horse
is one of a light grey shaded with a
deeper hue ; a dapple-bay is a light bay
spotted with bay of a deeper colour.
(Icelandic, depill, a spot.)
Darbies (2 syl.). Handcuffs. This
is derived from “Darby and Joan,” be-
cause Originally two prisoners were
linked together as Darby and Joan.
“Hark ye I. Jem Clink will fetch you the dar-
bies.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the Peak.
* Johnny Darbies, policemen, is a
perversion of the French gensdarmes,
in conjunction with the above.
Darby and Joan. A loving, old-
fashioned, virtuous couple. The names
belong to a ballad written by Henry
Woodfall, and the characters are those
of John Darby, of Bartholomew Close,
who died 1730, and his wife, “As chaste
as a picture cut in alabaster. You
might sooner move a Scythian rock
than shoot fire into her bosom.” Wood-
fall served his apprenticeship to John
Darby. -
- “Perhaps some day or other we may be Darly
and Joan.”—L07'd Lytton.
* The French equivalent is C'est St.
Ičoch et son chien.
Dar'byites (3 syl.). The Plymouth
Brethren are so called on the Continent
from Mr. Darby, a barrister, who aban-
doned himself to the work, and was for
years the “organ ” of the sect.
Darics (or) State’res Dari'ei. Cele-
brated Persian coins. So called from
Darius. They bear on one side the head
of the king, and on the other a chariot
drawn by mules. Their value is about
twenty-five shillings.
Dariolet, Dariolette (French). An
intriguant, a confidant, a go-between, a
pander. Originally a da)'iole meant a
little sweetmeat or cake rayed with little
bands of paste.
“Dariolette, employé comme un des nomlyreux
Synonymies de Soubrette, a eu d'abord la mission
particulière de designer les Suiyantes de rolman.”
—Roland de Villarceania. * -
“Mdlle. Vitry, confidente dé Mülle. de Guise,
était la dariolette.”—Tallemant, Vol. i. p. 125.
Dariºus. A classic way of spelling
JDarawesh (king), a Persian title of
royalty. Gushtasp or Kishtasp assumed
the title of darawesh on ascending the
throne, and is the person generally
called Darius the Great.
JDarius. Seven princes of Persia,
agreed that he should be king whose
horse neighed first ; as the horse of
Darius was the first to neigh, Darius
was proclaimed king.
Dari'ºts, conquered by Alexander, was
Dara, surnamed kitchek (the younger).
When Alexander succeeded to the throne,
Dara sent to him for the tribute of golden
eggs, but the Macedonian returned for
answer, “The bird which laid them is
flown to the other world, where Dara
must seek them.” The Persian king
then sent him a bat and ball, in ridicule
of his youth ; but Alexander told the
messengers, with the bat he would beat
the ball of power from their master’s
hand. Lastly, Dara sent him a bitter
melon, as emblem of the grief in store
for him ; but the Macedonian declared
that he would make the Shah eat his
Qwn fruit,
T)ark 332
C–
Dark. To keep dark. To lie perdu; to
lurk in concealment. (Ang.-Sax. deore.)
“We'd get away to some of the far-out stations
. . . . Where we could keep in the dark.”—Bold re-
wood: Iºobbery Under Arms, xvi.
Reep it in the dark. Keep it a dead
Secret ; don’t enlighten anyone about
the matter.
Dark Ages. The era between the
death of Charlemagne and the close of
the Carlovingian dynasty.
Dark Continent (The). Africa, the
land of the dark race or darkies.
Dark Horse (A). A racing term for
a horse of good pretensions, but of which
nothing is positively known by the ge-
neral public. Its merits are kept dark
from betters and book-makers.
“At last a Liberal candidate has entered the
field at Croydon. The Conservatives have kept
their candidate back, as a dark horse.”—News-
Tº per patrºſſratph, January, 1886.
Darkest Hour is that before the
Dawn (The). When Fortune’s wheel
is lowest, it must turn up again. When
things have come to their worst, they
must mend. In Latin, Post nubilä,
JPhaebus.
Darky. A negro.
Darley Arabians. A breed of
English racers, from an Arab stallion
introduced by Mr. Darley. This stallion
was the sire of the Flying Childers, and
great-grandsire of Eclipse.
Daron, Daronne (French). The
sobriquet given, at the present day, by
workmen to shopkeepers and cobblers.
“Il étoit maitre de tout, jusqu'à nanier l'argent
de la daronne.”—Histoire de Guillaume, cocher.
Daronne. The confidant of Elisenne,
mother of Amadis, and wife of Perion
des Gaules. (Amadis de Gaule.)
Dart. (See ABARIS.)
Darwin'ian Theory. Charles
Darwin, grandson of the poet, published
in 1859 a work entitled Origin of Species,
to prove that the numerous species now
existing on the earth sprang Originally
from one or at most a few primal forms;
and that the present diversity is due to
Special development and natural selec-
tion. Those plants and creatures which
are best suited to the conditions of their
existence survive and become fruitful ;
certain organs called into play by pe-
culiar conditions of life grow with their
growth, and strengthen with their
strength, till they become so much a part
and parcel of their frames as to be
transmitted to their offspring. The
conditions of life being very diverse,
Taverport
cause a great diversity of organic de-
Velopment, and, of course, every such
diversity which has become radical is
the parent of a new species. (See Evo-
LUTION.)
Dash, in printer’s copy. One dash
under a word in MS. means that the part
so dashed must be printed in italics; two
dashes means Small capitals; three
dashes, large capitals.
Cut a dash. (See CUT.)
Dash my Wig. Dash my Buttons.
Dash is a euphemism for a common
oath ; and wig, buttons, etc., are relics
of a common fashion at one time adopted
in comedies and by “mashers” of
Swearing without using profane lan-
guage.
Date. Not quite up to date. Said of
books somewhat in arrears of the most
recent information.
Daughter. Greek, thugater, con-
tracted into thug"ter ; Dutch, dogter,
German, tochter ; Persian, dochtar;
Sanskrit, duhiter, Saxon, dohter; etc.
Daughter of Peneus (The). The
bay-tree is so called because it grows in
greatest perfection on the banks of the
river Penéus (3 syl.).
Daughter of the Horseleech. One
very exigeant ; one for ever sponging on
another. (Prov. xxx. 15.) -
“Such and many such like were the morning
attendants of the Duke of Buckingham — a fl
genuine descendants of the daughter of the horse-
leech, whose cry is ‘Give, give.’”—Sir W. Scott:
Peveril of the Peak, chap. xxviii. -
Dauphin. The heir of the French
crown under the Valois and Bourbon
dynasties. Guy VIII., Count of Vienne,
was the first so styled, because he wore
a dolphin as his cognisance. The title
descended in the family till 1349, when
Humbert II., de la totô de Pisa, sold his
seigneurie, called the Dauphiné, to King
Philippe VI. (de Valois), on condition
that the heir of France assumed the
title of le dauphin. The first French
prince so called was Jean, who suc-
ceeded Philippe ; and the last was the
Duc d’Angoulême, son of Charles IX.,
who renounced the title in 1830.
Grand Dauphin. Louis, Duc de Bour-
gogne, eldest son of Louis XIV., for
whose use was published the Latin
classics entitled Ad Usún Delphi'ni.
(1661-1711.)
Second or Little Dauphin. Louis, son
of the Grand Dauphin. (1682–1712.)
Davenport. A kind of small writing-
desk with drawers each side, named
after the maker,
Lavenport
Davenport (The Brothers), from
America. Two impostors, who professed
that spirits would untie them when
bound with cords, and even that Spirits
played all sorts of instruments in a
dark cabinet. The imposition was ex-
posed in 1865.
David, in Dryden’s satire called
Absalom and Achitophel, represents
Charles II. ; Absalom, his beautiful but
rebellious son, represents the Duke of
Monmouth; Achitophel, the traitorous
counsellor, is the Earl of Shaftesbury;
Barzillai, the faithful old man who pro-
vided the king sustenance, was the Duke
of Ormond; Hushai, who defeated the
counsel of Achitophel, was Hyde, Duke
of Rochester; Zadok the priest was
Sancroft, Archbishop of Canterbury ;
Shimeſ, who cursed the king in his .
flight, was Bethel, the lord mayor; etc.
etc. (2 Sam. xvii.-xix.)
“Once more the godlike David was restored
Āmū wiiſing nations knew their lawfijiord.”
Lyyden : Absalom (tºld Achitophel, part i.
I)avid (St.) or Dewid, was son of
Xantus, Prince of Cereticu, now called
Cardiganshire ; he was brought up a
priest, became an ascetic in the Isle of
Wight, preached to the Britons, con-
futed Pelagius, and was preferred to the
see of Caerleon, since called St. David’s.
He died 544. (See TAFFY.)
St. JDavid’s (Wales) was originally
called Mene/via (i.e. main, aw, narrow
water or frith). Here St. David received
his early education, and when Dywrig,
Archbishop of Caerleon, resigned to him
his see, St. David removed the archi-
episcopal residence to Mene'via, which
was henceforth called by his name.
I)avid and Jonathan. -
friends. Similar examples of friendship
were Pyladés and Orestés (q.v.); Damon
and Pythias (q.v.); etc.
“I am distressed for thee, my lyrother Jonathan.
Very pleasant hast thou been to me. Thy love to
me was wonderful, passing the love of women.”
—2 Salml. i. 26.
Davide is. An epic poem in four
books, describing the troubles of King
David. (Abraham Cowley [1618-1667].)
There is another Sacred poem SO called, by
Thomas Elwood (1712).
Davus. Davus sum, non (Edipus (I
am a plain, simple fellow, and no solver
of riddles, like CEdipus). The words are
from Terence’s An' dria, i. 2, 23.
Moſt te credas Dawatºm ludere. Don’t
imagine you are deluding Davus. “Do
you see any white in my eye P” I am
not such a fool as you think me to be.
Inseparable
333 Day
Davy... I'll take my davy of it. I’ll
take my “affidavit ’’ it is true.
Davy (Snuffy). David Wilson. (See
Sir Walter Scott, The Antiquary, chap.
iii. and note.)
Davy Jones's Locker. He’s gone to
Davy Jones’s locker, i.e. he is dead.
Jones is a corruption of Jonah, the pro-
phet, who was thrown into the sea.
Locker, in Seaman's phrase, means any
receptacle for private stores; and duffy
is a ghost or spirit among the West
Indian negroes. So the whole phrase is,
“He is gone to the place of safe keep-
ing, where duffy Jonah was sent to.”
“This same Davy Jones, according to the
mythology of Sailors, is the fiend that presides
over all the eyil spirits of the deep, and is seen
in Various Shapes . . . . Warning the devoted
wretch of death and Woe.”—Smollett: Peregrine
Pickle, Xiii.
Davy's Sow. Drunk as Davy's sow.
Grose says: One David Lloyd, a Welsh-
man, who kept an ale-house at Hereford,
had a sow with six legs, which was an
object of great curiosity. One day
David’s wife, having indulged too freely,
lay down in the sty to sleep, and a com-
pany coming to see the sow, David led
them to the sty, Saying, as usual, “There
is a sow for you ! I)id you ever see the
like P” . One of the visitors replied,
“Well, it is the drunkenest sow I ever
beheld.” Whence the woman was ever
after called “Davy's sow.” (Classical
Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue.)
Dawson (Bully). A noted Tondon
sharper, who Swaggered and led a most
abandoned life about Blackfriars, in the
reign of Charles II. (See JEMMY DAW-
SON.)
“Bully Dawson kicked by half the town, and
half the town kicked by Bully Dawson.”—Charles
L(tºmb.
Day. When it begins. (1) With
stºre-set. The Jews in their “sacred
year,” and the Church—hence the eve
of feast-days; the ancient Britons “mon
die'retſ), ºne?’ſm, at 770s, Sed 7206'tiºn?
com'putant,” says Tacitus—hence “se’n-
night” and “fort'night;” the Athenians,
Chinese, Mahometans, etc., Italians,
Austrians, and Bohemians. (2) With
sun-rise : The Babylonians, Syrians,
Persians, and modern Greeks. (3) With
72007): The ancient Egyptians and modern
astronomers. (4) With midnight : The
English, French, Dutch, Germans, Spa-
nish, Portuguese, Americans, etc.
A day after the fair. Too late; the
fair you came to see is over.
Day in, day out. All day long.
“Sewing as she did, day in, day out.”—W. E.
Wilkins : The HomeSt S0ttl. -
M
T)ay
Every dog has its day. (See under
OG.
I have had my day. My prime of life
is over ; I have been a man of light and
leading, but am now “out of the swim.”
“Old Joe, Sir . . . was a bit of a favourite . . .
Once; but he has had lais day.”—Dickens.
I have lost a day (Per'didi diem) was
the exclamation of Titus, the Roman em-
peror, when on one occasion he could
call to mind nothing done during the
past day for the benefit of his subjects.
To-day a maj7, to-morrow a mouse. In
French, “Aujourd’hui roi, demain rien.”
Fortune is so fickle that one day we
may be at the top of the wheel, and the
next day at the bottom.
Tay of the Barricades.
BARRICADES.)
Day of the Dupes, in French his-
tory, was November 11th, 1630, when
Marie de Me'dicis and Gaston Duc
d’Orléans extorted from Louis XIII. a.
promise that he would dismiss his
Minister, the Cardinal Richelieu. The
cardinal went in all speed to Versailles,
the king repented, and Richelieu became
more powerful than ever. Marie de
Me'dicis and Gaston were the dupes
who had to pay dearly for their short
triumph.
Day-dream. A dream of the imagi-
nation when the eyes are awake.
Daylight, in drinking bumpers, means
that the wine-glass is not full to the
brim; between the wine and the rim of
the wine-glass light may be seen. Toast-
masters used to cry out, “Gentlemen,
no daylights, nor heeltaps ?”—the heel-
tap being a little wine left at the bottom
of the glass. The glass must be filled to
the brim, and every drop of it must be
drunk.
Daylights. The eyes, which let day-
light into the sensorium.
To darken one's daylights. To give
one such a blow on the eyes with the
fist as to prevent seeing. (Pugilistic
Slang.)
I)ays set apart as Sabbaths.
Sunday by Christians; Monday by the
Greeks; Tuesday by the Persians; Wed-
mesday by the Assyrians; Thursday by
the Egyptians; Friday by the Turks;
Saturday by the Jews.
Christians worship God on Sunday
Greciam Zealots hallow Monday,
Tuesday Persians slend in prayer,
Assyrians Wednesday revere
Fº
IEgyptians Tluºrsday, B 'riday'Turks,
On Satwyday no Hebrew works, E. C. B
334
(See
De Rigueur
Daysman. ... An umpire, judge, or
intercessor. The word is dais-man (a
man who sits on the daïs); a sort of lit
de justice. Hence Piers Ploughman—
“And at the day of doom
At the height Dey's Sit.”
Dayspring. The dawn: the com-
mencement of the Messiah’s reign.
“The dayspring from on high hath visited us.”
—Luke i. 78.
Daystar (The). The morning star.
Eſence the emblem of hope or better
prospects.
“Again o'er the vine-covered regions of France,
See the day-Star of Liberty rise.”
Wilson : Noctes (Jan., 1831, Vol. iv. D. 831).
De Bonne Grâce (French). Wil-
lingly ; with good grace.
De Die in Diem. From day to day
continuously, till the business is com-
pleted.
“The Ministry have elected to go on de die in
diem.”—Newspaper paragraph, December, 1885.
De Facto. Actually, in reality; in
opposition to de jure, lawfully or right-
fully. Thus John was de facto king, but
Arthur was so de jure.
De Haut en Bas. Superciliously.
“She used to treat him a little de hawt en lyas.”
—C. Reſtcle.
* But Du haut eye bas.
'bottom.
De Jure (Latin). By right, right-
fully, lawfully, according to the law of
the land. Thus a legal axiom says:
“JDe jure Judices, de facto Juratores, re-
spondent ’’ (Judges look to the law,
juries to the facts).
From top to
De Lunatico Inquirendo (Latin).
A writ issued to inquire into the state of
a person’s mind, whether it is sound or
not. If not of sound mind, the person is
called 1707, compos, and is committed to
proper guardians.
De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bonum. Of
the dead speak kindly or not at all.
De Nihilo Nihil Fit (Latin). You
cannot make anything out of nothing.
De Novo (Latin). Afresh ;
again from the beginning.
De Profundis [Out of the depths].
The 130th Psalm is so called from the
first two words in the Latin version. It
is sung by Roman Catholics when the
dead are committed to the grave.
De Rigueur. Strictly speaking,
quite comme il faut, in the height of
fashion,
OVer

The Trop
De Trop (French). Supererogatory,
more than enough. Rien de trop, let
nothing be in excess. Preserve in all
things the golden mean. Also “one
too many,” in the way; when a person's
presence is not wished for, that person
is de trop,
Lead. Dead as a door-mail. The door-
nail is the plate or knob on which the
knocker or hammer strikes. As this mail
is knocked on the head several times a
day, it cannot pe Supposed to have much
life left in it.
“Come thou and thy five men, and if I do not
leave you all as dead as a door-mail, I pray God I
may never eat grass, more."—Shakespeare : 2
EIenry VI., iv. 10. (Jack Cade.)
“Falstaff. What is the old king dead?
Pistol. As nail in door.”
ShalceSpeare: 2 Hemºry IV., V. 3.
J)ead as a herring. (See HERRING...)
Dead. He is dead. “Gone to the
world of light.” “Joined the majority.”
The wind is dead against us. Directly
opposed to our direction. Instead of
making the ship more lively, its tendency
is quite the contrary. It makes a “dead
set ’’ at our progress.
Dead. Let the dead bury the dead.
Let bygones be bygones. Don’t rake up
old and dead grievances.
“Let me entreat, you to let the dead bury the
dead, to cast behind you every recollection of
by gone evils, and to cherish, to love, to sustain
one another through all the vicissitudes of human
affairs in the times that are to come.”—Gladstone:
FIome Rule Bill (February 13th, 1893).
Dead Drunk. So intoxicated as to
be wholly powerless.
“Pythagoras has finely observed that a man is
not to be considered dead drunk till he lies on
the floor and stretches out his arms and legs to
prevent his going lower.”—S. Warrem.
Dead-eye, in nautical phrase, is a
block of wood with three holes through
it, for the lanyards of rigging to reeve
through, without sheaves, and with a
groove round it for an iron strap. (Dana :
Seama??’s Manital, p. 92.)
* The holes are eyes, but they are
dead eyes. .
Dead-flat (A), in ship architecture,
one of the bends amidship. (Dana.)
Dead Freight. That part of a cargo
which does not belong to the freight.
Dead freight is not counted in the
freight, and when the cargo is delivered
is not to be reckoned.
Dead Hand (A). A first-rate. One
that would dead-beat. (See MORTMAIN.)
“First-rate work it was too ; he was always a
dead hand at Splitting.”—Bold rewood : Idobbery
. Under Arms, XV,
.33
*
£)
T]ead Men.
Dead-heads, in theatrical language,
means those admitted by orders without
payment. They count for nothing. In
the United States, persons who receive
Something of value for which the tax-
payer has to pay.
* In 42&lºcal language, a log floating
so low in the water that only a small
part of it is visible.
Dead Heat. A race to be run again
between two horses that have “tied.”
A heat is that part of a race run without
stopping. One, two, or more heats make
a race. A dead heat is a heat which
goes for nothing.
Dead Horse. Flogging a dead horse.
Attempting to revive a question already
settled. John Bright used the phrase in
the House of Commons.
Working for a dead horse. Working
for wages already paid.
Dead Languages.
longer spoken.
Dead Letter. A written document
of no value ; a law no longer acted upon.
Also a letter which lies buried in the
post-Office because the address is in-
correct, or the person addressed cannot
be found.
Dead-letter Office (The). A de-
partment in the post-office where un-
claimed letters are kept. (See above.)
Dead Lift. T am at a dead lift. In
a strait or difficulty where I greatly
need help ; a hopeless exigency. A
dead lift is the lifting of a dead or in-
active body, which must be done by
sheer force.
Dead Lights. Strong wooden shut-
ters to close the cabin windows of a ship;
they deaden or kill the daylight.
To ship the dead lights. To draw the
shutter over the cabin window ; to keep
out the Sea when a gale is expected.
Dead Lock. A lock which has no
spring catch. Metaphorically, a state of
things so entangled that there seems to
be no practical solution.
“Things are at a dead-lock.”—The Times.
Dead Men. Empty bottles. Down
among the dead men let me lie. Let me
get so intoxicated as to slip from my
chair, and lie under the table with the
empty bottles. The expression is a wit-
ticism on the word spirit. Spirit means
life, and also alcohol (the spirit of full
bottles); when the spirit is out the man
is dead, and when the bottle is empty its
spirit is departed. Also, a loaf of bread
Smuggled into the basket for the private
Languages no .
Dead Men's Shoes
336 T}eal
use of the person who carries the bread
out is called a “dead man.”
Dead Men's Shoes. Waiting for
dead men’s shoes. Looking out for lega-
cies; looking to stand in the place of
Some moneyed man when he is dead and
lburied.
Dead Pan (The). A poem founded
on the tradition that at the crucifixion a
Cry swept across the ocean in the hearing
of many, “Great Pan is I)ead,” and that
at the same time the responses of the
Oracles ceased for ever. Elizabeth
Barrett Browning has a poem so called
(1844).
Dead Reckoning. A calculation of
the ship's place without any observation
of the heavenly bodies. A guess made
by consulting the log, the time, the
direction, the wind, and so on. Such a
calculation may suffice for many prac-
tical purposes, but must not be fully
relied on.
Dead Ropes. Those which are fixed
or do not run on blocks; so called
because they have no activity or life in
them.
Dead Sea. So the Romans called
the “Salt Sea.” Josephus says that
the vale of Siddim was changed into the
Dead Sea at the destruction of Sodom
(Aºtiq. i. 8, 3, etc.). The water is of a
dull green colour. Few fish are found
therein, but it is not true that birds
which venture near its vapours fall
down dead. The shores are almost
barren, but hyenas and other wild beasts
lurk there. Called the “Salt Sea, ’’
because of its Saltness. The percentage
of Salt in the Ocean generally is about
three or four, but of the Salt Sea, it is
twenty-six or more.
Dead-Sea. Fruit. Fair to the eye,
but nauseous to the taste; full of pro-
mise, but without reality. (See APPLES
OF SODOM.)
Dead Set. He made a dead set at her.
A pointed or decided determination to
bring matters to a crisis. The allusion
is to a setter dog that has discovered
game, and makes a dead set at it.
To be at a dead Set is to be set fast, so
as not to be able to move. The allusion
is to machinery.
To make a dead set upon someone is to
attack him resolutely, to set upon him ;
the allusion being to dogs, bulls, etc.,
set on each other to fight.
Dead Shares. In theatrical sharing
companies three or more Supernumerary
shares are so called. The manager has
One or more of these shares for his
expenses; a star will have another ; and
Sometimes a share, or part of a share, is
given to an actor who has brought down
the house, or made a hit.
Dead Water. The eddy-water
closing in with the ship's stern, as she
passes through the water. It shifts its
place, but is like taking money from one
pocket and putting it into another.
Dead Weight. The weight of some-
thing without life; a burden that does
nothing towards easing its own weight;
a person who encumbers us and renders
no assistance. (See DEAD LIFT.)
Dead Wind (4). A wind directly
opposed to a ship's course; a wind dead
ahead.
Dead Wood, in shipbuilding. Blocks
of timber laid on the ship's keel. This
is no part of the ship, but it serves to
make the keel more rigid.
Dead Works, in theology. Such
works as do not earn Salvation, or even
assist in obtaining it. For such a
purpose their value is nil. (Heb. ix. 14.)
IDeaf.
Deaf as an adder. (See below, DEAF
ADDER.)
Deaf as a post. Quite deaf; or so
inattentive as not to hear what is said.
One might as well speak to a gate-post
or log of wood. -
Deaf as a white cat. It is said that
white cats are deaf and stupid.
None so deaf as those who won't hea).
The French have the same locution :
“Il n'y a de pire sourd que celui qui me
veut pas entendre.”
IDeaf Adder. “The deaf adder
stoppeth her ears, and will not hearken
to the voice of the charmer, charm he
never, so wisely” (Psalm lyiii. 4, 5).
Captain Bruce says, “If a viper enters
the house, the charmer is sent for, who
entices the Serpent, and puts it into a
bag. I have seen poisonous vipers twist
round the bodies of these psylli in all
directions, without having their fangs
extracted.” According to tradition, the
asp stops its ears when the charmer
utters his incantation, by applying one
ear to the ground and twisting its tail
into the other. In the United States the
copperhead is so called.
Deal.
flour.”
A portion. “A tenth deal of
(Exodus xxix. 40.) (German,
T]eal-fish.
337
T)eath.
a-º.
thei!; Anglo-Saxon, dal, verb, dalan,
to share; Irish, dail; English, dole.)
To deal the cards is to give each his
dole or portion.
Deal-fish. So called because of some
fancied resemblance to a deal-board,
from its length and thinness.
Dean (the Latin Deca'nus). The chief
over ten prebends or canons.
The Dean (Il Piova'no). Arlotto, the
Italian humorist. (1395-1483.)
Jonathan Swift, Dean of St. Patrick.
(1667-1745.)
Deans (Effie), in Scott's Heart of
Midlothian, is Helen Walker. She is
abandoned by her lover, Geordie Robert-
son [Staunton], and condemned for
child-murder.
Jeannie Dedºs. Half-sister of Effie
Deans, who walks all the way to London
to plead for her sister. She is a model
of good sense, strong affection, and dis-
interested heroism. (See WALKER.)
“We follow Pilgrim through his progress with
an intorest, not inferiol' to that Witlı Which We
follow Elizabeth from Siberia to Moscow, and
Jeanie Deans from Edinburgh to Ilondon.”—Lord
Macaulay.
Dear. Oh, dear me ! Regarded, but
without evidence, as a corruption of the
Italian O Dio mio !
Dear Bought and Far Brought or
I}ear bought and far felt. A gentle
reproof for some extravagant purchase
of luxury.
Dearest. Most hateful, as dearest
foe. The word dear, meaning “beloved,”
is the Saxon deor (dear, rare); but dear,
“hateful,” is the Anglo-Saxon derian
(to hurt), Scotch dere (to annoy).
“Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven,
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 2.
Death, according to Milton, is twin-
keeper with Sin, of Hell-gate.
- - - “The other shape
(If shape it might be called that shape had none
Distinguishable in member, joint, or limb :
Ol' Sull)Stance Inight be called that shadow
Seemed ;) ... . . . -
The likeness of a kingly crown had on.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, ii. 666–673.
Death. (See BLACK DEATH.)
Death stands, like Mercuries, in every
way. (See MERCURY.)
Till death us do part.
Angel of Death.
AZRAEL.)
At death's door. On the point of
death; very dangerously ill.
I?? at the death. Present when the
fox was caught and killed.
(See DEPART.)
(See ABOU-JAHIA,
Death and Doctor Hornbook.
Doctor Hornbook was John Wilson the
apothecary, whom the poet met at the
Torbolton Masonic Lodge. (Burns.)
Death from Strange Causes.
A's'ohylus was killed by the fall of a
tortoise on his bald head from the claws
of an eagle in the air. (Valerius Mari-
mus, ix.12, and Pliny: History, vii. 7.)
Agath'ocles (4 Syl.), tyrant of Sicily,
was killed by a toothpick at the age of
ninety-five.
Anac'reon was choked by a grapestone.
(Pliny: History, vii. 7.)
JBassus (Quintºs Lucăneſs) died from
the prick of a needle in his left thumb.
Chalchas, the soothsayer, died of
laughter at the thought of having out-
lived the predicted hour of his death.
Charles VIII., of France, conducting
his queen into a tennis-court, struck
his head against the lintel, and it caused
his death.
J'ab'ius, the Roman praetor, was choked
by a single goat-hair in the milk which
he was drinking. (Pliny: History, vii.7.)
Frederick Lewis, Prince of Wales,
died from the blow of a cricket-ball.
Gallus (Cornelius), the praetor, and
Titus Haterius, a knight, each died
while kissing the hand of his wife.
Gabrielle (La belle), the mistress of
Henri IV., died from eating an orange.
Iładach died of thirst in the harvest-
field because (in observance of the rule
of St. Patrick) he refused to drink a
drop of anything.
Lep'idus (Quintus AEm/ilia(s), going
out of his house, struck his great toe
against the threshold and expired.
Louis VI. met with his death from a
pig running under his horse and causing
it to stumble.
Margutte died of laughter on seeing
a monkey trying to pull on a pair of
boots.
Otway, the poet, in a starving con-
dition, had a guinea given him, on which
he bought a loaf of bread, and died
while swallowing the first mouthful.
JPamphilius (Cºenus Babius), a man of
praetorian rank, died while asking a boy
what o’clock it was. -
Philom'enes (4 syl.) died of laughter
at seeing an ass eating the figs provided
for his own dessert. (Valerius Maazimus.)
Placut (Phillipot) dropped down dead
while in the act of paying a bill. (Baca-
berry the Elder.) - -
Quenelault, a Norman physician, of
Montpellier, died from a slight wound
made in his hand in extracting a splinter.
22
I)eath in the Pot
338
T)ecember
Saufeius (Appius) was choked to death
supping up the white of an under-boiled
egg. (Pliny: History, vii. 33.)
Torquatus (Aulus Manlius), a gentle-
man of consular rank, died in the act of
taking a cheesecake at dinner.
Valla (Lucius Tuscius), the physician,
died in the act of taking a draught of
medicine. w
William III. died from his horse
stumbling over a mole-hill.
Zeuzis, the great painter, died of
laughter at sight of a hag which he had
just depicted.
*: It will be observed that four of the
list died of laughter. No doubt the
reader will be able to add other ex-
amples.
Death in the Pot. During a dearth
in Gilgal, there was made for the sons
of the prophets a pottage of wild herbs,
some of which were poisonous. When
the sons of the prophets tasted the pot-
tage, they cried out, “There is death in
the pot.” Then Elisha put into it some
meal, and its poisomous qualities were
counteracted. (2 Kings iv. 40.)
Death under Shield. Death in
battle.
“Her imagination had been familiarised with
wild and bloody events . . . . and had been
trained up to consider an honourable death
under shield'. (as that in a field of battle was
termed) a desirable termination to the life of a
Warrior.”—Sir W. Scott : The Betrothed, chap. 6.
Death-bell. A tinkling in the ears,
supposed by the Scotch peasantry to
announce the death of a friend.
“O lady, 'tis dark, an' I heard the death-bell,
An' I darena gale yonder for gowd nor fee.”
James Hogg : Mountain, Bard.
Death-meal (A). A funeral banquet.
“Death-meals, as they were termed, were spread
in honour Of the deceased.”—Sin' W. Scott : The
Betrothed, chap. 7.
Death-watch. Any species of Ano-
'bium, a genus of wood-boring beetles
that make a clicking Sound, Once Sup-
posed to presage death.
Death's Head. Bawds and pro-
curesses used to wear a ring bearing the
impression of a death’s head in the time
of Queen Elizabeth. Allusions not un-
common in plays of the period.
“Sell Sonne Of Imy cloaths to ljuy thee a deatlı's-
head, and put [it] upon thy middle finger. Your
least considering bawds do so much.”—Messenger :
Old Laws, iv. l.
Death's Head on a Mopstick. A
thin, sickly person, a mere anatomy, is
so called. When practical jokes were
more common it was by no means un-
usual to mount on a mopstick a turnip
with holes for eyes, and a candle inside,
to Scare travellers at night time.
Deaths-man. An executioner ; a
person who kills another brutally but .
lawfully. - -
“Great Hector's deaths-man.” -
Heywood : Iron Age.
Debateable Land. A tract of land
between the Esk and Sark, claimed by
both England and Scotland, and for a
long time the subject of dispute. This
tract of land was the hotbed of thieves
and Vagabonds.
De' bon. One of the heroes who
accompanied Brute to Britain. Ac-
cording to British fable, Devonshire is
the county or share of Debon. (See
DEVONSHIRE.)
Debonair' [Le Débonnaire]. Louis I.
of France, sometimes called in English
The Meek, Son and successor of Charle-
magne : a man of courteous manners,
cheerful temper, but effeminate and de-
ficient in moral energy. (778, 814-840.)
Débris. The débris of an army. The
remnants of a routed army. Débris means
the fragments of a worn-down rock. It
is a geological term (débriser, to break
down).
Debt of Nature... To pay the debt of
Nature. To die. Life is a loan, not a
gift, and the debt is paid off by death.
“The slender debt to Nature's quickly paid.”
Quarles: Emblems.
Decameron. A volume of tales re-
lated in ten days (Greek, deka, hemera),
as the Decameron of Boccaccio, which
contains one hundred tales related in
ten days.
Decamp'. He decamped in the middle
of the might... Left without paying his
debts. A military term from the Latin
de-campus (from the field); French, dé-
camper, to march away.
Decaniller. To be off, to decamp,
to escape. A curious instance of argot.
Canille is old French for chemille, a pupa,
imago, or chrysalis. . These afterwards
become winged insects and take their
flight. So a visitor says in France, “12
faut me sauver,” or “Il faut decaniller.”
I must be off. .
December. (Latin, the tenth month.)
So it was when the year began in March
with the vernal equinox; but since
January and February have been in-
serted before it, the term is quite in-
correct.
IDeception : 339
Deer
Deception. -
“Doubtless the pleasure is as great
Of being cheated as to cheat ;
As lookers-on feel most delight s
That least perceive a juggler's sleight,
And still the less they understand,
The more they admire his sleight of hand.”
Butler : Hudibras, part ii. 3.
Decide (2 syl.) means “to knock
out.” Several things being set before a
person, he eliminates all but one, which
he selects as his choice. A decided man
is one who quickly eliminates every idea
but the one he intends to adhere to.
Decimo. A man in decimo—i.e. a
hobby-de-hoy. Jonson uses the phrase
in decimo-Sea:to.
Deck. A pack of cards, or that part
of the pack which is left after the hands
have been dealt.
*But whilst he thought to steal the single “ten,'
The ‘king' was slyly fingered from the deck.”
Shakespeare: 3 Henry VI., W. 1.
To sweep the deck. To clear off all the
stakes. (See above.)
To deck is to decorate or adorn.
(Anglo-Saxon, decan; Dutch, deſºken, to
cover.)
“I *ht thy bride-bed to have decked, sweet
Illal Oi,
And not have Strewed thy grave.”
Shakespeare : Hatºmlet, V. l.
Clear the decks—i.e. get out of the
way ; your room is better than your
company; I am going to be busy. A Sea.
term. Decks are cleared before action.
Declving Churches. Isaiah (lx. 13)
says: “The glory of Lebanon shall
come unto thee; the fir-tree, the pine-
tree, and the box together, to beautify
the place of my sanctuary.” The
“glory of Lebanon” is the cedar-tree.
These are not the evergreens mainly
used in church decorations. At Christ-
mas the holly is chiefly used, though those
mentioned by Isaiah abound.
Décolleté [da-coal-ta). . Nothing even
décolleté should be uttered before ladies—
Č.e. bearing the least semblance to a double
entendre. Décolleté is the French for a
“dress cut low about the bosom.”
Decoration Day. May 30th ; set
apart in the United States for decorating
the graves of those who fellin the “War
of the Union ” (1861-5). l
Decoy Duck. A bait or lure ; a
duck taught to allure others into a net,
and employed for this purpose.
Decrep'it. Unable to make a noise.
It refers rather to the mute voice and
silent footstep of old age than to its
broken strength, (Latin, de-crepo.)
Dec'uman Gate. The gate where
the 10th cohorts of the legions were
posted. - It was opposite the Praetorian
gate, and farthest from the enemy.
(Latin, decem, ten.)
Dedalian. Intricate ; variegated.
So called from Daedalos, who made the
Cretan labyrinth.
Dedlock (Sir Leicester). An honour-
able and truthful gentleman, but of such
fossilised ideas that no “tongue of man”
could shake his prejudices. (Charles
J)ickens : Bleak House.) *.
Dee—i.e. I) for a detective.
sharp 1 the dees are about.
Dee (Dr. John). A man of vast
knowledge, whose library, museum, and .
mathematical instruments were valued
at £2,000. On one occasion the populace
broke into his house and destroyed the
greater part of his valuable collection,
under the notion that Dee held inter-
course with the devil. He ultimately
died a pauper, at the advanced age of
eighty-one, and was buried at Mortlake.
He professed to be able to raise the dead,
and had a magic mirror, afterwards in
Borace Walpole's collection at Straw-
berry Hill (1527-1608).
Dee's speculum or mirror, in which
persons were told they could see their
friends in distant lands and how they
were occupied. It is a piece of solid
pink-tinted glass about the size of an
Look
orange. It is now in the British
Museum.
Dee Mills. If you had the rent of
JDee Mills, you would spend it all. Dee
Mills, in Cheshire, used to yield a very
large annual rent. (Cheshire proverb.)
“There was a jolly miller
Liyed on the river Dee ; * -
He worked and sung from morn to night—
No lark so blithe as he
And this the burden of his Song
For ever used to be—
I care for nobody, no, not I,
If nobody cares for me.’”
JBickerstaff: Love in a Village (1762).
Deer. Supposed by poets to shed
tears. The drops, however, which fall
from their eyes are not tears, but an
oily secretion from the so-called tear-pits.
* “A poor sequestered stag . . . .
Did come to languish . . . . and the big round
teal'S
Coursed one another down his innocent nose
In piteous chase.” * - -
Shakespeare: As You Like It, ii. 2.
Small deer. Any small animal; and
used metaphorically for any collection
of trifles or trifling matters.
“But mice and rats, and such small deer,
Have been Tom's food for seven long year.”
Shakespect?'6: Lear, iii. 4.
Teerslayer
Deerslayer. The hero of a novel so
called, by F. Cooper. He is the beau-
ideal of a man without cultivation—
honourable in sentiment, truthful, and
'brave as a lion ; pure of heart, and with-
out reproach in conduct. The character
appears, under different names, in five
novels—The Deerslayer, The Pathfinder,
The Last of the Mo'hicans, The Pioneers,
and The Prairie. (See NATTY BUMPO.)
Dees (The). (See above DEE.)
Deev-Binder. Tamnuras, King of
Persia, who defeated the Deew king and
the fierce Demrush, but was slain by
Houndkonz, another powerful Deev.
Default. . Judgment by default is
when the defendant does not appear in
court on the day appointed. The judge
gives sentence in favour of the plaintiff,
not because the plaintiff is right, but
from the default of the defendant.
Defeat. “What though the field be
lost? all is not lost.” (Milton : Paradise
Lost, i. line 105-6.)
“All is lost but honour” (Tout est
perdºt, madame, fors l’honneur) is what
François I. is said to have written to
his mother, after the Battle of Pavia
in 1525.
Defeat. There is a somewhat strange
connection between de-feat and de-
feature. Defeat is the French de-fait,
un-made or un-done ; Latin, de-factus
(defectus, our “defect”); and feature is
the Norman faiture, Latin factu'ra, the
make-up, frame, or form. Hence old
writers have used the word “defeat '’ to
mean disfigure or spoil the form.
“Defeat, thy favour [face]. with an usurped
beard.”—Shakespeare: Othello, i. 3.
I)efen’der of the Faith. A title
given by Pope Leo X. to Henry VIII. of
England, in 1521, for a Latin treatise
On the Seven Sacraments. Many pre-
vious kings, and even subjects, had
'been termed “defenders of the Catholic
faith,” “defenders of the Church,” and
so on, but no one had borne it as a title.
The sovereign of Spain is entitled Catho-
lie, and of France Most Christian.
{{ God, º: the king ! I mean the ‘faith's de-
God iºno harm in blessing the Pretender.
But who Pretender is, or who is king—
God bless us all ! that’s quite another thing.”
John Byrom, : Shorth&nd Writer.
* Richard II., in a writ to the
sheriffs, uses these words: “Ecclesia cºffus
mos defensor sumus,” and Henry VII., in
the Black Book, is called “Defender of
the Faith; ” but the pope gave the title
to Henry VIII., and from that time to
340
Deities
this it has been perpetuated. (See GRACE-
LESS FLORIN.)
De'ficit (Madame). Marie Antoinette.
So called because she was always de-
manding money of her ministers, and
never had any. According to the Revo-
lutionary Song:
“La Boulangère a des ecus,
Qui ne lui content guère.”
(See BAKER.).
Degenerate (4 syl.) is to be worse
than the parent stock. (Latin, de genºts.)
Dei Gratia. By God’s grace. Intro-
duced into English charters in 1106; as
much as to say, “dei ??072 homimum
gratia,” by divine right and not man’s
appointment. The archbishops of Can-
terbury from 676 to 1170 assumed the
same style.
* From the time of Offa, King of
Mercia (A.D. 780), we find occasionally
the same or some similar assumption as,
J)ei dono, Christo donante, etc. .The
Archbishop of Canterbury is now divina
providentia. -
(See
Dei Gºatia omitted on a florin.
GRACELESS FLORIN.)
Dei Judicium (Latin). The judg-
ment of God; so the judgment by
ordeals was called, because it was Sup-
posed that God would deal rightly with
the appellants.
Deſiani'ra. Wife of Hercules, and
the inadvertent cause of his death.
Nessos told her that anyone to whom
she gave a shirt steeped in his blood,
would love her with undying love; she
gave it to her husband, and it caused
him such agony that he burnt himself
to death on a funeral pile. Deianira
killed herself for grief.
Leiph'obus (4 syl.). One of the Sons
of Priam, and, next to Hector, the
bravest and boldest of all the Trojans.
On the death of his brother Paris, he
married Helen ; but Helen betrayed
him to her first husband, Menela'os, who
slew him. (Homer's Iliad and Virgil's
AEmeid.)
Deities.
Air: Ariel, Elves (singular, Elf).
h º, or Cave)'ms: Hill-people (Hög-folk, hēg =
elgllt).
Corn Ceres (2 syl.) (Greek, Deméter).
Domestic Life: Vesta.
Eloquence : Mercury (Greek, Hermès).
Evening : Vesper. *
Fates (The) : Three in number (Greek, Parcae,
Moirae, 2 syl., Këres). sº
Fire: Vulcan (Greek, Hephaistös, 3 sy].), Vesta,
IMu] Cſ) el'.
Fairies: (q.v.). .
Furies: Three in number (Greek, Eumenides,
4 Syl., Erinn'yes).
T)ejeuner
Gardens: Priàpus, Vertumnus with his wife
POmöna, * -
Graces (The): Three in number (Greek, Charf-
teS *.
Hills: Trolls. There are also Wood Trolls and
Water, Trolls. (See below Mountains.)
Hºme Spirits (q.v.) : Penātes (3 Syl.), Lares (2
Syl.).
Hunting: Diama (Greek, Artémis). .
Infernal Regions: Pluto, with his wife Proser-
ping, 3 Syl. (Greek, A'idés ànd Persephöné).
Jitstice: Themis, Astraea, Nemesis.
Love: Cupid (Greek, Eros).
Marriage: Hymen. .
Medicine : AESculāpius.
Mimes : Troll.S.
Morning : Aurora (Greek, Eös).
Mountains: Oréads or Oréades (4 Syl.), from the
reek, Öpos, a mountain; Trolls.
Oceam (The): Ocean'ides. -
Poetry and Music : Apollo, the nine Muses.
Rainbow (The) : Iris.
Riches : Plutus. Shakespeare speaks of “Plutus'
Imine.” (Julius Cæsar, iv. 3). . -
Rivers and Streams: Fluviàles, 4 Syl. (Greek,
Potanićides, 5 syl.). * -
Sea (The) : Neptune (Greek, Poseidon, 3 º:
son Triton, Necks, Mermaids, Nereids (3 Syl.).
(See Sea.) e
Shepherds and their Flocks: Pan, the Satyrs.
ºgs, Lakes, Brooks, etc. : Néreides or Naiads
•) w
* Sy e z º.
Time: Saturn (Greek, Chrönos).
War: Mars (Greek, Arés), Bellóna, Thor,
Water-myºmphs: Naiads (2 Syl.), Undine (2 Syl.).
Winds (The) : AEölus. -
Wine : Bacchus (Greek, Diony'sés).
Wisdom : Minerya (Greek, Pallas, Athéné, or
Pallas-Athéné). -- -
Woods: Dryads (A Hama-Dryad presides over
Some particular tree), Wood-Trolls.
’owth : Hébé.
* Of course this is not meant for a
complete list of heathen and pagan
deities. Such a list would require a
Volume.
Déjeuner a la Fourchette (French).
Breakfast with forks; a cold collation;
a breakfast in the middle of the day,
with meat and wine ; a lunch.
Delaware, U.S. America, was granted
by charter in 1701 to Lord De la Ware,
who first explored the bay into which
the river empties itself.
Delectable Mountains (The), in
Bunyan's Pilgrim’s Progress, are a range
of mountains from which the “Celestial
City” may be seen. They are in Im-
manuel's land, and are covered with
sheep, for which Immanuel had died.
Delf, or more correctly Delft. A
common sort of pottery made at Delft
in Holland, about 1310.
Delia, of Pope's line, “Slander or
poison dread from Delia's rage,” was
Lady Deloraine, who married W. Win-
dam of Carsham, and died 1744. The
person Said to have been poisoned was
Miº Mackenzie. (Satires and Epistles,
1. Čl.
Delia is not better known to our yard-
dog—i.e. the person is so intimaté and
well known that the yard-dog will not
341 T)ella Cruscans
bark at his approach. It is from Virgil,
who makes his shepherd Menalcas boast
“That his sweetheart is as well known
to his dog as Delia, the shepherdess.”
(Eclogues, iii. 67.)
Delias. The sacred vessel made by
Theseus (2 syl.) and sent annually from
Athens to Delos. This annual festival
lasted 30 days, during which no Athenian
could be put to death, and as Socrates
was condemned during this period his
death was deferred till the return of the
Sacred vessel. The ship had been so
often repaired that not a stick of the
original vessel remained at the time, yet
was it the identical ship. So the body
changes from infancy to old age, and
though no single particle remains con-
stant, yet the man 6 feet high is identical
with his infant body a span long. (Some-
times called Theoris.)
Delight is “to make light.” Hence
Shakespeare speaks of the disembodied
Soul as “the delighted spirit . . . .
blown with restless violence round about
the pendant world” (Measure for Mea-
Sºtº’e, iii. 1). So again he says of gifts,
“the more delayed, delighted ” (Cymbe-
line, v. 5), meaning the longer they are
delayed the “lighter” or less valuable
they are esteemed. Delighted, in the
sense of “pleased,” means light-hearted,
with buoyant spirits.
The delight of mankind. So Titus, the
Roman emperor, was entitled (40, 79-81).

Delir’ium. From the Latin lira (the
ridge left by the plough), hence the verb
de-lira're, to make an irregular ridge or
balk in ploughing. Deli"rus is one whose
mind is not properly tilled or cultivated,
a person of irregular intellect ; and de-
lirium is the state of a person whose
mental faculties are like a field full of
balks or irregularities. (See PREVARICA-
TION.)
Della Crus'cans or Della Crus'came
School. So called from Crusca, the
Florentine academy. The name is ap-
plied to a school of poetry started by
some young Englishmen at Florence in
the latter part of the eighteenth century.
These silly, sentimental affectations,
which appeared in the World and the
Oracle, created for a time quite a fºrare.
The whole affair was mercilessly gibbeted
in the Baviad and Macviad of Gifford.
(Academia della Crusca, literally means,
the Academy of Chaff, and its object
was to sift the chaff from the Italian lan-
guage, or to purify it.)
Delmonico . 342
TJermocritós
Delmon'ico. The great American
cuisinier, of New York.
“The table service is of heavy silver, French
Cut glasses, and handsome china ; and the meals
are worthy of Delmonico.”—The Oracle, August
28d, 1884, p. 495.
Delos. A floating island ultimately
made fast to the bottom of the sea by
Posei'don (Neptune). , Apollo having
'become possessor of it by exchange,
made it his favourite retreat. It is one
of the Cyclades.
Delphi or Delphos. A town of Pho'-
cis, famous for a temple of Apollo and
for an Oracle celebrated in every age and
country. So called from its twin peaks,
which the Greeks called brothers (a-
delpho?).
Delphin Classics. A set of Latin
classics edited in France by thirty-nine
scholars, under the superintendence of
Montausier, Bossuet, and Huet, for the
use of the son of Louis XIV., called the
Grand Dauphin. Their chief value
consists in their verbal indexes or con-
Cordances.
IDelta. The island formed at the
mouth of a river, which usually assumes
a triangular form, like the Greek letter
(A) called delta ; as the delta of the
Nile, the delta of the Danube, Rhine,
Ganges, Indus, Niger, Mississippi, Po,
and so on.
Deluge. After me the Deluge [“Après
anoi le Déluge']. When I am dead the
deluge may come for aught I care. Gener-
ally ascribed to Prince Metternich, but
the Prince borrowed it from Mme. Pom-
padour, who laughed off all the remon-
strances of ministers at her extravagance
by saying, “ Après mous le déluge ’’
(Ruin, if you like, when we are dead and
gone).
Deluges (3 syl.). The chief, besides
that recorded in the Bible, are the follow-
ing:—The deluge of Fohi, the Chinese ;
the Satyavra'ta, of the Indians ; the
Nisuth'rus, of the Assyrians; the Mexican
deluge; and the Greek deluges of Deu-
ca'lion and Og'ygës.
* The most celebrated painting of
Noah’s Flood is by Poussin, in Paris;
and that by Raphael is in the Vatican
(Rome).
Demerit has reversed its original
meaning (Latin, demereo, to merit, to
deserve). Hence Plautus, Demeritas
dare laudas (to accord due praise);
Ovid, Numina cutta demeruisse; Livy,
demeréri beneficia civitatem. The de- is
intensive, as in “de-mand,” “de-
scribe,” “de-claim,” etc.; not the pri-
vative deorsum, as in the word “de-
fame.”
“My demerits [deserts]
May Speak unbonneted.”
Shakespeare : Othello, i. 2.
Demijohn (A). A glass vessel with
a large body and small neck, enclosed in
wickerwork like a Florence flask, and
containing more than a bottle. (French,
dame-ſea/2006, “Madam Jane,” a corrup-
tion of Damaghan, a town in Persia
famous for its glass works.)
Demi-monde. Lorettes, courtezans.
Le beau monde means “fashionable so-
ciety,” and demi-monde the Society only
half acknowledged.
“Demi-monde implies not only recognition and
a Status, but a certain Social Standing.”—Saturday
IReview.
Demi-rep. A woman whose charac-
ter has been blown upon. Contraction
of demi-reputatioſ.
Dem'iurge (3 syl.), in the language
of Platonists, means that mysterious
agent which made the world and all that
it contains. The Logos or Word spoken
of by St. John, in the first chapter of his
gospel, is the Demiurgus of Platonising
Christians. In the Gnostic systems,
Jehovah (as an eon or emanation of the
Supreme Being) is the Demiurge.
“The power is not that of an absolute cause,
but only a world-maker, a demiurge ; and this
does not answer to the human idea of deity.”—
Winchell: Science and Religion, chap. X. p. 295.
Demobilisation of troops. The
disorganisation of them, the disarming
of them. This is a French military term.
To “mobilise” troops is to render them
liable to be moved on service out of their
quarters; to “demobilise” them is to
send them home, so that they cannot be
moved from their quarters against any-
one. To change from a war to a peace
footing.
Democracy. A Republican form of
government, a commonwealth. (Greek,
demos-Kratia, the rule of the people.)
Democ'ritos. The laughing philo-
sopher of Abdera. He should rather be
termed the deriding philosopher, because
he derided or laughed at people's folly or
vanity. It is said that he put out his
eyes that he might think more deeply.
“Democritus, dear droll, revisit earth, .
And with our follies glut thy heightened
Imirth.” P7°30')".
J)emoc'ritus Junior. Robert Burton,
author of The Anatomy of Melancholy
(1576-1640).
Temodocos
Demod'ocos. A minstrel who, ac-
Cording to Homer, sang the amours of
Mars and Venus in the court of Alcinoës
while Ulysses was a guest there.
Demogorgon. A terrible deity,
whose very name was capable of pro-
ducing the most horrible effects. Hence
Milton speaks of “the dreaded name of
Demogorgon’’ (Paradise Lost, ii. 965).
This tyrant king of the elves and fays
lived on the Himalayas, and once in five
years summoned all his subjects before
him to give an account of their steward-
ship. Spenser (book iv. 2) says, “He
dwells in the deep abyss where the three
fatal sisters dwell.” (Greek daimon,
demon ; gorgos, terrible.)
“Must I call your master to my aid,
At whose dread name the trembling furies quake,
Hell stands abashed, and earth's foundations
Slmake 2'' Rowe : Lucan's Pharsalia, Wi.
“When the morn arises none are found,
lºor cruel Demogorgon walks his round,
And if he finds a fairy lag in light, -
FHe º the Wretch before, and lashes into
Inight.
Drydé?? : The Flower and the Leaf, 492-5.
Demon of Matrimonial Unhappi-
ness. Asmodeus, who slew the seven
husbands of Sara. (Tobit.) (See ASMo-
DAFUS.)
Prince of Demons. Asmodeus. (Tal-
Amud.)
Demos (King). The electorate; the
proletariat. Not the mob, but those
who choose and elect our senators, and
are therefore the virtual rulers of the ,
nation.
Demos' thenes' Lantern. A cho-
ragic monument erected by Lysic'ratēs
in Athens, originally surmounted by the
tripod won by Lysicratēs. A “tripod’”
was awarded to everyone in Athens who
produced the best drama or choral piece
of his tribe. The street in which De-
mosthenès’ Lantern stood was full of
these tripods.
Demurrage. An allowance made to
the master or owners of a ship by the
freighters for detaining her in port longer
than the time agreed upon. (Latin, de-
2007'ari, to delay.) -
“The extra days beyond the lay days . . . . are
called days of demurrage.”—Kent : Connºmentaries,
Vol. iii. part V. lecture xlvii. p. 159.
Demy'. A size of paper between royal
and crown. Its size is 20 in. by 15 in.
It is from the French word demi (half),
and means demi-royal (a small royal),
royal being 24 in. by 19 in. The old
watermark is a fleur-de-lis.
A Demy' of Magdalen College, Oxford,
is a “superior” sort of scholar, half a
Fellow. -
343
f Teo Gratias
Den. Evening. God ye good den ſ—
?.e. God (give) ye good evening. This is
the final d of good joined to the “en,” a
contraction of evening. -
Denarius. A Roman silver coiu,
equal in value to ten ases (demi-ases).
The word was used in France and Eng-
land for the inferior coins, whether
silver or copper, and for ready money
generally. Now d (dendrius) stands for
money less than a shilling, as £ s. d.
“The denarius . . . . shown to our Lord . . . .
WaS the tribute-money payable by the Jews to the
Roman emperor, and must not be confounded with
the tribute paid to the Temple.”—F. H. Madden,
Jewish Coimage, chap. xi. p. 247.
Denarius Dei [God’s penny]. An
earnest of a bargain, which was given to
the church or poor.
Denarii St. Petri [Peter’s pence]. One
penny from each family, given to the
Pope.
Denariºts tertiºts comita/tºs. One-third
of the pence of the county, which was
paid to the earl. The other two-thirds
belonged to the Crown. (See D.)
Denizen. A made citizen——i.e. an
alien who has been naturalised by letters
patent. (Old French deinzein, Latin
de-intus, from within.)
“A denizen is a kind of middle state, between
an alien and a natural-born Subject, and partakes
of both.” — Blackstome : Commentaries, book i.
... Chal). X. p. 374.
Dennis (John), called the “best
abused man in England.” Swift and
Fope both satirised him. He is called
Zoilus. -
Dénouement (3 Syl.). The untying
of a plot ; the winding-up of a novel or
play. (French dénouer, to untie.)
Denys (St.), according to tradition,
carried his head, after martyrdom, for
six miles, and then deliberately laid it
down on the spot where stands the
present cathedral bearing his name.
This absurd tale took its rise from an
ancient painting, in which the artist,
to represent the martyrdom of the
bishop, drew a headless body ; but, in
order that the trunk might be recognised,
placed the head in front, between the
martyr's hands.
Sir Denys Brand, in Crabbe's Borough,
is a country magnate who apes humility.
He rides on a sorry brown pony “not
worth £5,” but mounts his lackey. On a
racehorse, “twice victor for a plate.”
Sir Denys Brand is the type of a charac-
ter by no means uncommon.
Deo Gratias (Latin).
God.
Thanks to
T)eo Juvarnte
344 Terwent water
Deo Juvante (Latin). With God’s
help.
Deo, non Fortunā (Latin). From
God, not from mere luck; [I attribute
it] to God and not to blind chance.
Deo Volente, contracted into D. W.
(Latin). God being willing; by God’s
Will. -
Deodarad means something “given
to God” (deo-dandum). This was the
case when a man met with his death
through injuries inflicted by Some chat-
tel, as by the fall of a ladder, the toss of
a bull, or the kick of a horse. In such
cases the cause of death was sold, and
the proceeds given to the Church. The
custom was based on the doctrine of
purgatory. As the person was sent to
his account without the Sacrament of
extreme unction, the money thus raised
served to pay for masses for his repose.
Teodands were abolished September 1st,
1846.
Depart. To part thoroughly ; to
separate effectually. The marriage Ser-
vice in the ancient prayer-books had
“till death us depart,” or “till alimony
or death us departs,” a sentence which
has been corrupted into “till death us
do part.”
“Before they settle hands and hearts,
Till alimony or death departs.” • - - -
Butler: Hudibras, iii. 3.
Departſment. France is divided
into departments, as Great Britain and
Ireland are divided into counties or
shires. From 1768 it was divided into
governments, , of which thirty-two were
grand and eight petit. In 1790, by a
decree of the Constituent Assembly, it
was mapped out de 72000 into eighty-
three departments. In 1804 the number
of departments was increased to 107, and
in 1812 to 130. In 1815 the territory
was reduced to eighty-six departments,
and continued so till 1860, when Savoy
and Nice were added. The present
number is eighty-seven.
Dependence.
(A term used among Swordsmen.)
“Let us pause . . . until I give you my opinion
On this dependence . . . for if We coolly examine
the state of our dependence, we may the better
apprehend whether the sisters three have doomed
one of us to expiate the Same with our blood.”—
Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chap. XXi.
Deſpinges (2 Syl.) or Deep'ings. A
breadth of netting to be sewed on a
hoddy (net) to make it sufficiently large.
Sometimes the breadth is called a depth,
and the act of sewing one depth on
another is called deepeſting the net. In
1574 the Dutch settlers at Yarmouth
**
An existing quarrel.
were required “to provide themselves
with twine and depinges in foreign
places.”
Deputations. The year of deputa-
tions. The eighth of the Hedj'rah,
after Mahomet's victory over the Arabs
near Taif, when deputations from all
parts flocked to do him homage.
Depute (2 syl.). To depute means
to prune or cut off a part; deputation
is the part cut off. A deputation is a
slip cut off to represent the whole.
(Latin, depºt to.)
Derbend [iron]. A town on the
Caspian, commanding the coast road.
D'Herbelot says: “Les Turcs appellent
cette ville ‘Demir Capi” (porte de fer);
ce sont les Caspiae Porta des anciens.”
“Beyond the Caspian’s iron gates.”
Moore: Fire Worshippers.
Derby Stakes. Started by Edward
Smith Stanley, the twelfth Earl of Derby,
in 1780, the year after his establishment
of the Oaks stakes (q.v.).
The Derby Day is the day when the
Derby stakes are run for ; it is the second
Wednesday of the great Epsom Spring
Meeting, in May.
The Derby Day.
* The Derby, the Oaks, and the St.
Teger are called “The Classic Races.”
The Oaks is the classic race for fillies
only, three years’ old (£1,000); the
Derby (Darby) for colts and fillies three
years’ old; the St. Leger for colts and
fillies, those which have run in the Oaks
or Derby being eligible.
Derive (2 syl.) means “back to its
channel or source ’’ (Latin, de rivo).
The Latin rivus (a river) does not mean
the stream or current, but the source
whence it flows, or the channel through
which it runs. As Ulpian says, “Fons
sive locus per longitºt/diment depressus, gºſo
aqua decurrat.”
Dernier Ressort (French). A last
I'êSOUlrCé.
Der'rick. A hangman ; a temporary
crane to remove goods from the hold of
a vessel. So called from Derrick, the
Tyburn hangman early in the seven-
teenth century, who for more than a
hundred years gave his name to gibbets.
(See HANGMAN.)
“He rides circuit with the devil, and Derrick
must be his host, and Tyborne the inn at which
he Will light.”—Bellman of L07vdom, 1616,
Der'went waſter. Lord Derwent-
water’s lights. The Aurora, borea'lis;
so called from James, Earl of Derwent-
water, beheaded for rebellion February
T)esdemona.
345
T)evil
~s
24th, 1716. It is said that the northern
lights were unusually brilliant on that
night.
Desdemo'na (in Shakespeare's
Othello). Daughter of Brabantio. . She
fell in love with Othello, and eloped
with him. Iago, acting on the jealous
temper of the Moor, made him believe
that his wife had an intrigue with Cassio,
and in confirmation of this statement
told the Moor that she had given Cassio
a pocket-handkerchief, the fact being
that Iago's wife, to gratify her husband,
had purloined it.
bride for it, but she was unable to find
it ; whereupon the Moor murdered her
and then stabbed himself.
“She . . . was ready to listen and weep, like
Desdemona, at the stories of his dangers and
Calmpaigns.”—Thack'87 (ty.
Desmas. (See DYSMAS.)
Despair. The Giant Despair, in
Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, lived in
“Doubting Castle.”
Dessert' means simply the cloth re-
moved (French, desservir, to clear the
cloth); and dessert is that which comes
after the cloth is removed.
Destruction. Prince of Destruction.
Tamerlane or Timour the Tartar (1335,
1360-1405.)
Destructives (The), as a political
term, arose in 1832.
“The Times newspaper, hithertſ, the most effec-
five advocate of the [Reform] bill, has been ob-
liged to designate those whom it formerly glo-
rified as Radicals, by the more appropriate and
emphatic title of the Destructives.”—Quarterly
Review (Dec., 1832, p. 545.)
Des'ultory. Those who rode two or
more horses in the circus of Rome, and
used to leap from one to the other, were
called desulto'res ; hence desultor came in
Latin to mean one inconstant, or who
went from one thing to another; and
desultory means after the manner of a
desultor.
Detest' is simply to witness against.
(Latin, de-testor.) -
Deucalion, after the Deluge, was
ordered to cast behind him the bones of
his mother (i.e. the stones of mother
earth). Those thrown by Deucalion be-
came men, and those thrown by his wife,
IPyrrha, became women. For the inter-
change between Aa3s (people), and A&as
(a stone), see Pindar : Olympic Games,
IX. OO.
Deucalion's flood. According to Greek
mythology, Deucalion was a king of
TheSSaly, in whose reign the whole
Othello asked his.
world was covered with a deluge in Con-
sequence of the great impiety of man.
(See DELUGES.)
Deuce. The Kelts called wood-demons
dus. (Compare the Latin delts.)
“In the popular mythology both of the Kelts
and Teutons there were certain hairy Wood-
demons, called by the former dus, and by the
latter scrat (? scratz). Qur common names of
* Deuce” and “Old Scratch' are plainly derived
from these.”—Lowell: Among my Dooles (Witch-
craft), p. 109. -
It played the deuce with me. It made
me very ill; it disagreed with me; it
almost ruined me.
The deuce is in you.
demon.
JDeuce take you.
annoy me.
What the deuce is the matter 2 What
in the world is a miss P
Deuce-ace. A throw of two dice,
one showing one spot and the other
showing two spots.
Deuce of Cards (The). The two
(French, deua). The three is called
“Tray” (French, trois ; Latin, tres).
“A gentleman being punched by a butcher's
tray, exclaimed, ‘Deuce take the tray.’ ‘Well,'
said the boy, ‘I don’t know how the deuce is to
take the tray.’”—JeSt Book.
You are a very
Get away ! you
Deus (2 syl.). Deus ea ma'ohima. The
intervention of a god, or some unlikely
event, in order to extricate from diffi-
culties in which a clumsy author has
involved himself; any forced incident,
such as the arrival of a rich uncle from
the Indies to help a young couple in
their pecuniary embarrassments. Liter-
ally, it means “a god (let down upon
the stage or flying in the air) by ma-
chinery.”
De’va's Vale. The valley of the
river Dee or Deva, in Cheshire, cele-
brated for its pastures and dairy pro-
duce.
“He chose a farm in Deva's vale,
Where his long alleys peeped upon the main.”
Thomsom, : Castle of Indolence, canto ii.
Development. (See EVOLUTION.)
Devil. Represented with a cloven
foot, because by the Rabbinical writers
he is called Seirissim (a goat). As the
goat is a type of uncleanness, the prince
of unclean spirits is aptly represented
under this emblem.
Devil among the Tailors (The). On
Dowton’s benefit at the Haymarket,
some 7,000 journeymen tailors congre-
gated in and around the theatre to pre-
vent a burlesque called The Tailors: a
Tragedy for Warm Weather, which they
T)evil
considered insulting to the trade. Fair-
burn’s edition of this play is headed
The Devil among the , Tailors, and
contains an account of this fracas. (See
also Biographia Dramatica, article TAI-
LORs.) There is a Scotch reel so called.
Devil and Bag o' Nails (The). The
public-house by Buckingham Gate was
so called, but the sign was The Blacka-
anoor's Head and the Woolpack. (Remark-
able Trials, ii. p. 14; 1765.)
Devil and Dr. Faustus (The). Faust
was the first printer of Bibles, and
issued a large number in imitation of
those sold as manuscripts. These he
passed off in Paris as genuine, and sold
for sixty crowns apiece, the usual price
'being five hundred crowns. The uni-
formity of the books, their rapid supply,
and their unusual cheapness excited
astonishment. Information was laid
against him for magic, and, in Searching
his lodgings, the brilliant red ink with
which his copies were adorned was de-
clared to be his blood. He was charged
with dealings with the Devil, and con-
demned to be burnt alive. To save him-
self, he revealed his secret to the Paris
Barlement, and his invention became the
admiration of the world. N.B.—This
tradition is not to be accepted as history.
Devil and his Dam (The). Either
the Devil and his mother, or the Devil
and his wife. Numerous quotations may
be adduced in support of either of these
interpretations. Shakespeare uses the
phrase six times, and in King John (ii. 1)
dam evidently means mother; thus Con-
stance says that her son Arthur is as like
his father as the Devil is like his dam
(mother); and in Titus Andronicus Ta-
mora is called the “dam ” of a black
child. We also read of the Devil’s
daughter and the Devil’s son.
In many mythologies the Devil is sup-
posed to be an animal: Thus in Cazotte's
Diable Amouretta; he is a camel ; the Irish
and others call him a black cat ; the Jews
speak of him as a dragon (which idea is
carried out in our George and the Dra-
gon); the Santons of Japan call him a
species of foa: ; others say he is a goat ;
and Dante associates him with dragons,
swine, and dogs. In all which cases dam
for mother is not inappropriate.
On the other hand, dam for leman or
wife has good support. . We are told that
Iilith was the wife of Adam, but was
such a vixenthat Adam could not live with
her, and she became the Devil's dam.
We also read that Belphegor “came to
earth to seek him out a dam.”
346
Levil
* . As women when they go wrong
are for the most part worse than the
other sex, the phrase at the head of this
article means the Devil and something
WOTSé.
Devil and the Deep Sea (Between
the). Between Scylla and Charybdis;
between two evils, each equally hazard-
ous. The allusion seems to be to the
herd of swine and the devils called
Legion.
“In the matter of passing from one part of the
yessel to another when she was rolling, we were
indeed between the devil and the deep Sea.”—
Nineteenth Century, April, 1891, p. 66%.
Devil and Tom Walker (The). An
American proverb, used as a caution
to usurers. Tom Walker was a poor,
miserly man, born at Massachusetts in
1727, and it is said that he sold himself
to the Devil for wealth. Be this as it
may, Tom Suddenly became very rich,
and opened a counting-house at Boston
during the money panic which pre-
vailed in the time of Governor Belcher.
By usury he grew richer and richer;
but one day, as he was foreclosing a
mortgage with a poor land-jobber, a
black man on a black horse knocked at
the office door. Tom went to open it,
and was never seen again. Of course
the good people of Boston searched his
office, but all his coffers were found
empty; and during the night his house
caught fire and was burnt to the ground.
gºver Irving : Tales of a Travel-
(??".
Devil catch the Hindmost (The).
In Scotland (? Salamanca) it is said when
a class of students have made a certain
progress in their mystic studies, they are
obliged to run through a subterranean
hall, and the last man is seized by the
devil, and becomes his imp.
Devil in Dublin City. (The). The
Scandinavian form of Dublin was Divel-
**ſa], and the Latin Dublinia. (See
Notes and Queries, April 9th, 1881.
p. 296, for another explanation.)
“Is just as true's the deil's in hell
Or Dublin city.”
Burns : Death, and Dr. Hornbook.
Devil looking Over Lincoln (The).
Sir W. Scott in his Kenilworth has,
“Like the Devil looking over Lincoln.”
A correspondent of Notes and Queries,
September 10th, 1892, says–
“The famous devil that used to overlook
Ilincoln College, in Oxford, was taken down
(Wednesday, September 15th, 1731), having about
tWO years Since [previously] lost his head in a
Storm.”—Gentleman's Magazine, 1831, p. 402.
* We have other similar phrases, as
“The devil looking over Durham.”
T)evil
-º-º-º-º:
Devil loves Holy Water (As the).
That is, not at all. The Roman Catholics
teach that holy water drives away the
Devil. The Latin proverb is, “Sicut sits
amaricinum amat” (as swine love mar-
joram). Tucretius, vi. 974, says “amari-
cinum fugitat sus.”
Devil-may-care (A).
fellow.
Devil must be Striking (The)
(German). Said when it thunders.
The old Norse Donar means Thor, equal
to Jupiter, the god of thunder, and
do????er is the German for thunder or
Devil, as may be seen in the expression,
“The runaway goose is gone to the
Devil” (donner). &
Devil on the Neck (A). An instru-
ment of torture used by persecuting
papists. It was an iron winch which
forced a man’s neck and legs together.
Devil rides on a Fiddlestick (The).
. Much ado about nothing. Beaumont
and Fletcher, Shakespeare, and others,
use the phrase. “Fiddlesticks ''' as an
exclamation, means rubbish nonsense !
When the prince and his merry com-
panions are at the Boar’s Head, first
Bardolph rushes in to warn them that
the sheriff's officers are at hand, and anon
enters the hostess to put her guests on
their guard. But the prince says,
“EIere’s a devil of a row to make about
a trifle '' (or “The devil rides on a fiddle-
stick”) (1 Henry IV., ii. 2), and
hiding Some of his companions, he
stoutly faces the sheriff's officers and
browbeats them.
Devil Sick would be a Monk (The).
“Daemon languebat, momachus bonus ºsse 'Uolebat;
A reckless
Sed cum comvaluit, mamet wt a'nte fuit.
“When the Devil was sick, the devil a monk
would be ;
whº #he Devil got well, the devil a monk was
16. -
Said of those persons who in times
of sickness or danger make pious resolu-
tions, but forget them when danger is
past and health recovered.
Devil to Pay and no Pitch Hot
(The). The “devil” is a seam between
the garboard-strake and the keel, and
to “pay” is to cover with pitch. In
former times, when vessels were often
careened for repairs, it was difficult to
calk and pay this seam before the tide
turned. Hence the locution, the ship is
careened, the devil is exposed, but there
is no pitch hot ready, and the tide will
turn before the work can be done.
(French, payer, from paia, po’ia, pitch.)
34
M
** T)evil
* The Devil to Pay is the name of a
farce by Jobson and Nelly.
IIere’s the very devil to pay. Is used
in quite another sense, meaning : Here’s
a pretty kettle of fish. I’m in a pretty
mess; this is confusion worse confounded.
PROVERBIAL PHRASES.
Cheating the devil. Mincing an oath;
doing evil for gain, and giving part of
the profits to the Church, etc. It is by
no means unusual in monkish traditions.
Thus the “Devil’s Bridge ’’ is a single
arch over a cataract. It is said that
his Satanic Majesty had knocked down
several bridges, but promised the abbot,
Giraldus of Einsiedel, to let this one
stand, provided the abbot would con-
sign to him the first living thing that
crossed it. When the bridge was finished,
the abbot threw across it a loaf of bread,
which a hungry dog ran after, and “the
rocks re-echoed with peals of laughter
to see the Devil thus defeated.” (Long-
fellow : Golden Legend, V.) `N
* The bridge referred to by Long-
fellow is that over the Fall of the Reuss,
in the canton of the Uri, Switzerland.
Rabelais says that a farmer Once bar-
gained with the Devil for each to have
on alternate years what grew under and
over the soil. The canny farmer Sowed
carrots and turnips when it was his turn
to have the under-soil share, and wheat
and barley the year following. (Panta-
gruel, book iv. chap. xlvi.) -
Give the devil his date. Give even a
'bad man or one hated like the devil the
credit he deserves.
Gone to the devil. To ruin. The
IDevil and St. Dunstan was the sign
of a public house, No. 2, Fleet Street, at
one time much frequented by lawyers.
“Into the Devil Tayern three booted troopers
Strode.”
Pull devil, pull baker. Tie, cheat,
and wrangle away, for one is as bad as
the other. (In this proverb baker is not
a proper name, but the trade.)
“Like Punch and the Deevil rugging about the
Baker at the fair.”—Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality,
chap. XXX Viii.
Talk of the devil and he's sure to come.
Said of a person who has been the sub-
ject of conversation, and who unex-
pectedly makes his appearance. An
older proverb still is, “Talk of the Dule
and he’ll put out his horns; ” but the
modern euphemism is, “Talk of an
angel and you’ll see its wings.” If
‘‘ from the fulness of the heart the
mouth speaketh,” their hearts must be
full of the evil one who talk about him,
T)evil 348
T)evil’s
and if the heart is full of the devil he
cannot be far off.
“Forthwith the devil did appear,
For name him, and he's always near.”
Prior : Hans Carvel.
To hold a candle to the devil is to
abet an evildoer out of fawning fear.
The allusion is to the story of an old
woman who set one wax taper before the
image of St. Michael, and another before
the Devil whom he was trampling under
foot. Being reproved for paying such
honour to Satan, she naïvely replied:
“Ye see, your honour, it is quite un-
certain which place I shall go to at last,
and sure you will not blame a poor
woman for securing a friend in each.”
To kindle a fire for the devil is to offer
sacrifice, to do what is really sinful,
under the delusion that you are doing
God service.
To play the very devil with [the
Żmatter]. To so muddle and mar it as to
spoil it utterly.
When the devil is blind. Never. Re-
ferring to the utter absence of all dis-
loyalty and evil.
“Ay, Tib, that will be [i.e. all will be true and
loyal] when the deil is Blind ; and his een's no
Sair yet.”—Siº. W. Scott : Guy Mannering (Dandie
Dinmont to Tib Mumps), chap. xxii.
Devil (A), in legal parlance, is a
leader's fag who gets up the facts of a
brief, with the laws bearing on it, and
arranges everything for the pleader in
methodical order.
These juniors have surplus briefs
handed to them by their seniors. A
good fag is a good devil and is sure to
get on. *
The Attorney-General’s devils are the
Counsel of the Treasury, who not un-
frequently get promoted to the bench.
A printer’s devil. Formerly, the boy
who took the printed sheets from the
tympan of the press. Old Moxon says:
“They do commonly so black and be-
daub themselves that the workmen do
jocosely call them devils.” The errand-
boy is now so called. The black slave
employed by Aldo Manuzio, Venetian
printer, was thought to be an imp. Hence
the following proclamation:
“I, Aldo Manuziq, printer to the Doge, have
this day made public exposure of the printer's
devil. All Who, think he is not flesh and blood
may come ... and pinch lim.”—Proclamation of
Aldo Ma'muzio, 1490.
(See
JRobert the Devil, of Normandy.
TOBERT LE DIABLE.)
The French Devil. Jean Bart, an in-
trepid French sailor, born at Dunkirk.
(1650-1702.) .
Son of the Devil. Ezzeli'no, chief of the
Gibelins, and Governor of Vicenza, was
-****
So called for his infamous cruelties.
(1215-1259.)
“Fierce Ezelin, that most inhuman lord,
Who Shall be deemed by men the child of hell.”
Ičose : Orlando Furioso, iii. 32.
The White Devil of Walla/chia. George
Castriota was so called by the Turks.
(1404-1467.) -
Devil's Advocate (The). In the
Catholic Church when a name is sug-
gested for canonisation, some person is
appointed to oppose the proposition, and
is expected to give reasons why it
should not take place. This person is
technically called Advocêtus Diaboli.
Having said his say, the conclave decides
the question.
Devil's Apple.
Devil's Arrows (Yorkshire). Three
remarkable “Druid '’ stones near
Boroughbridge, like Harold's Stones, and
probably marking some boundary.
Devil's Bird. (The). The yellow
bunting ; is so called from its note, deil.
Devil's Bones. Dice, which are
The mandrake.
made of bones and lead to ruin.
Devil's Books. Playing cards. A
Presbyterian phrase, used in reproof of
the term King’s Books, applied to a
pack of cards, from the French livre des
quatre rois (the book of the four kings).
Also called the Devil’s Bible.
Devil's Cabinet (The). Belphego, the
Tevil’s ambassador in France; Hutgin,
in Italy; Belial, in Turkey; Tharung,
in Spain; and Martinet, in Switzerland.
Pſis grand almoner is Dagon ; chief of
the eunuchs is Succor Benoth; banker
is Asmodéus ; theatrical manager is
JKobal; master of ceremonies, Verdelet ;
court fool is Nybbas. (Victor Hugo :
Toilers of the Sea.) *
Devil's Candle. So the Arabs call
the mandrake, from its shining appear-
ance at night. (Richards077.)
“Those hellish fires that light
The mandrake's charnel leaves at night.”
T. Moore: Fire Worshippers.
Devil's Current (The). Part of the
current of the Bosphorus is so called, from
its great rapidity.
Devil's Daughter's Portion (The).
The saying is—
“Deal, Doyer, and Harwich,
The devil gave with his daughter in marriage,”
because of the scandalous impositions
practised in these seaports on Sailors and
occasional visitors. (Grose: Classical
Dictionary, etc.)
T)evil's T)en.
349
T)ew-beaters
Devil's Den. A cromlech in a valley,
near Marlborough. It now consists of
two large uprights and an impost. The
third upright has fallen. Some of the
farm labourers, a few years ago, fastened
a team of horses to the impost, and tried,
|but without effect, to drag it down.
Devil's Dust. Old rags torn up by
a machine called the “devil,” and made
into shoddy by gum and pressure. Mr.
Ferrand brought the subject before Par-
liament, March 4th, 1842. It is so called
from the dishonesty and falsehood which
it covers. (Latimer’s Sermons.)
Devil's Dyke (The). A ravine in the
South Downs, Brighton. The legend is,
that St. Cuthman, walking on the downs,
plumed himself on having Christianised
the surrounding country, and having
built a nunnery where the dyke-house
now stands. Presently the Devil appears
and tells him all his labour is vain, for
he would swamp the whole country
before morning. St. Cuthman went
to the nunnery and told the abbess to
keep the sisters in prayer till after mid-
night, and then illuminate the windows.
The Devil came at sunset with mattock
and spade, and began cutting a dyke
into the sea, but was seized with rheu-
matic pains all over the body. He flung
down his mattock and spade, and the
cocks, mistaking the illuminated win-
dows for sunrise, began to crow ; where-
upon the Devil fled in alarm, leaving his
work not half done.
Devil's Four-Poster (The). A hand
at whist with four clubs. It is said that
such a hand is never a winning one.
Devil's Frying-pan (The). A Corn-
ish tin-mine worked by the Romans.
Devil's Livery (The). Black and
yellow. Black for death, yellow for
quarantine.
Devil's Luck (The). Astounding
good luck. Persons always lucky were
thought at one time to have compounded
with the Devil.
“You won't bave to pay his annuity very long ;
you have the Devil's luck in bargains, always.”—
L)ickens.
Devil's Mass (The).
everybody and everything.
“Whin a bad egg is slut av the army, he says
the devil's mass . . . . an’ manes syeariñº at ivry-
thing, from the command her-in-chief down to the
room-corp'ril.”—Soldiers Three, p. 95.
Devil's Nostrils (The). Two vast
caverns separated by a huge pillar of
natural rock in the mainland of the
Zetland Islands. (See The Pirate, chap.
Xxii.)
Swearing at
Devil's Own. (CONNAUGHT BOYS.)
The 88th Foot. So called by General
Picton from their bravery in the Penin-
sular War, 1809-1814.
Applied also to the Inns of Court
Volunteers, the members of which are
lawyers.
Devil's Paternoster (To say the).
To grumble ; to rail at providence.
Devil's Snuff-box (The). A puff-
ball; a fungus full of dust; one of the
genus Lycoperdon.
Devil's Tattoo (The). Tapping on
the table with one’s finger a wearisome
number of times; tapping on the floor
with one’s foot in a similar manner;
repeating any sound with wearisome
pertinacity, giving those who hear the
“blue devils’’ or the “fidgets.”
Devil's Throat (The). Cromer Bay.
So called from its danger to navigation.
Devils (in Dante’s Divine Comedy):
Aliclvino. (The allurer.) .
JBarbariccia. (The malicious.)
Calcobrina. (The grace-Scorner.)
Caymazzo. (The Snarler.)
Ciria to Samniºtto. (The tusked boar.)
Dragºnigmazzo. (The fell dragon.)
Farfarello. (The scandalulonger.)
Grafficane. (The doggish.)
Libicocco. (The ill-tempered.)
Iłubicamte. (The red with rage.)
Scan’migliome. (The loaneful.) -
The blue Devils. . The fidgets or megrilliS.
Devonshire, according to English
mythology, is a corruption of Debon’s-
share. This Debon was one of the
heroes who came with Brute from Troy.
One of the giants that he slew in the
south coasts of England was Coulin,
whom he chased to a vast pit eight
leagues across. The monster trying to
leap this pit, fell backwards, and lost his
life in the chasm. When Brutus allotted
out the island, this portion became
TJebon’s-share.
“And eke that ample pit, yet far renowned
For the large leap which Debon did compell
Coulin to make, being eight lugs of grownd,
Into the which retourning back he fell . . .
In Imede of these great Conquests by them got
COri'neuS had that province utill lost west . . .
And Debon's share was that is Devonshire.”
SpenSer: Fatérie Queene, book ii. Canto x. 11, 12.
Devonshire Poet. O. Jones, a
journeyman wool-comber, who lived at
the close of the 18th century. Edward
Capern, called “The rural Postman of
Bideford” (born 1819), and John Gay,
author of the Beggar’s Opera, etc. (1688-
1732), of Barnstaple (Devonshire).
Dew-beaters. The feet ; shoes to
resist the wet. -
“Hold out your dew-beaters till I take off the
ºes [iron shoes or fetters].”—Peveril of the
Č(t/6.
Dew-bit
350
TXiamond Jousts
Dew-bit (A). A snack before break-
fast.
Dew-drink. A draught before break-
fast. In harvest the men are allowed, in
some counties, a drink of beer before
they begin work.
Dexterity means right-handed skill
(Latin, deater, the right hand). “Awk-
ward” (q.v.) means left-handed ; gauche
is the French, and sinister the Latin for
the left hand. Certainly the German
left-handed marriages are sinister Ones.
Dgellabae'an. The Persian era.
Dgella. Eddin, son of Togrul Beg, ap-
pointed eight astronomers to reform the
calendar. The era began A.D. 1075, and
is followed to this day. -
Dhul’dul. (See Horse.)
Diable (Le). Olivier Ledain, the
tool of Louis XI., and once the king’s
Darber. So called because he was as
much feared as his Satanic Majesty, and
even more disliked. (Hanged 1484.)
I?obert le Diable. Meyerbeer's grand
opera. (See ROBERT.) -
Diadem meant, originally, a fillet
wound round the head. The diadem of
Bacchus was a broad band, which might
be unfolded so as to make a veil. Hier-
onymus, king of Syracuse (B.C. 216-215),
wore a diadem. Constantine the Great
(306–337) was the first of the Roman
emperors who wore a diadem. After
his time it was set with rows of pearls
and precious stones. (Greek, dia-deo,
to bind entirely.)
Dialectics. Metaphysics; the art
of disputation ; that strictly logical dis-
cussion which leads to reliable results.
The product or result is ideas, which,
being classified, produce knowledge; but
all knowledge being of the divine types,
must conduce more or less to practical
results and good morals. (Greek, dia-
lego, to speak thoroughly.)
* Kant used the word to signify the
theory of fallacies, and Hegel for that
concept which of necessity develops its
opposite.
The following questions from John
of Salisbury are fair specimens of the
Middle-age subjects of discussion:—
(1) When a person buys a whole cloak, does the
cowl belong to his purchase ?
(2) When a hog is driven to market with a rope
round its neck, does the man or the role take
?
him
Diamond. A corruption of ada-
mant. So called because the diamond,
which cuts other substances, can be cut
or polished with no substance but itself.
(Greek, a damao, what cannot be sub-
dued. Latin, adamas, gen, adamant-is;
French, diamant.) -
IJi'amond (3 syl.). Son of Ag'apé, a
fairy. He was very strong, and fought
either on foot or horse with a battle-axe.
He was slain in single combat by Cam'-
balo. (See TRIAMOND.) (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book iv.) -
A diamond of the first water. A man
of the highest merit. The colour or
lustre of a pearl or diamond is called its
“Water.” One of the “first water ’’ is
one of the best colour and most brilliant
lustre. We say also, “A man of the
first Water.”
A rough diamond. An uncultivated
genius; a person of excellent parts, but
without society manners.
“As for Warrington, that rough diamond bad
not had the polish Of a dancing–Tha Ster, and lie
did not know how to Waltz.”—Thackeray.
Diamond cºſt diamond. Cunning out-
witting cunning ; a hard bargain over-
reached. A diamond is so hard, that it
can only be ground by diamond dust, or
by rubbing one against another.
Diamond (Newton’s favourite little
dog). One winter’s morning, while at-
tending early service in Trinity College,
Newton inadvertently left Diamond shut
up in his room. On returning from
chapel he found that the little fellow
had upset a candle on his desk, by which
several papers containing minutes of
many years’ experiments, were destroyed.
On perceiving this irreparable loss, he
exclaimed, “Oh, Diamond, Diamond,
thou little knowest the mischief thou
hast done !” (Diffusion of Useful Know-
ledge: Life of Newton, p. 25, col. 2.)
... Huygens, 1694, referring to this accident says:
“Newtonuni incidisse in phrenitin ahhinc anno ac
sex mensibus. An ex nimia, studii assiduitate, an
dolore infortunii, quod in incendio laboratorium
chemicum et scripta quaedalm almiserat.”
Diamond Hammer (A). A hammer
or pick for “whetting” millstones. The
diamond hammer is provided with
several sharp-pointed teeth to give a
uniform roughness to the surface of the
stone. Also to a steel pick with diamond-
shaped point at each extremity to recut
grooves in Stone.
Diamond Jousts (The). Jousts insti-
tuted by King Arthur, “who by that
name had named them, since a diamond
was the prize.” Ere he was king, he
came by accident to a glen in Lyonnesse,
where two brothers had met in combat.
Each was slain ; but one had worn a
Liamond Necklace
351 I)iaper
erown of diamonds, which Arthur picked
up, and when he became king offered
the nine diamonds as the prize of nine
several jousts, “one every year, a joust
for one.” Lancelot had won eight, and
intended to present them all to the
queen “when all were won.” When
the knight laid them before the queen,
Guinevere, in a fit of jealousy, flung
them out of the palace window into the
river which ran below. (Idylls of the
I(ing ; Elaine.)
Diamond Necklace (The) (1785).
A necklace presented, through Mme.
de Lamotte, by Cardinal de Rohan (as
he supposed) to Marie Antoinette. The
cardinal, a profligate churchman, enter-
tained a sort of love passion for the
queen; and the Countess de Lamotte
induced him to purchase for the queen,
for £85,000, a diamond necklace, made
for Mme. Dubarry. The cardinal handed
the necklace to the countess, who sold it
to an English jeweller and kept the
money. When the time of payment ar-
rived Boehmer, the jeweller, sent his bill
in to the queen, who denied all know-
ledge of the matter. A trial ensued,
which lasted nine months, and created
immense scandal.
Diamond Sculls (The), or “The
Diamond Challenge Sculls” of the Hen-
ley Royal Regatta, are a pair of crossed
silver sculls not quite a foot in length,
surmounted by an imitation wreath of
laurel, and having a pendant of diamonds.
They lie in a box lined with velvet, which
contains also the names of all the win-
ners. The prize is rowed for every year,
and the Sculls pass from winner to win-
ner ; but each winner receives a silver
cup, which becomes his own absolute
property. Established 1844 by the Royal
Regatta Committee.
Jimmonds. (See BLACK DIAMONDs.)
Dian'a (3 Syl.). The temple of Diana
at Eph'esus, built by Dinochārēs, was
set on fire by Heros’tratos, for the sake
of perpetuating his name. The Ionians
decreed that any one who mentioned
his name should be put to death, but
this very decree gave it immortality.
The temple was discovered in 1872 by
Mr. Wood.
Diana of Ephesus. This statue,
we are told, fell from heaven. If so, it
was an aerolite ; but Minucius says he
saw it, and that it was a wooden statue
(second century, A.D.). Pliny, a con-
temporary of Minucius, tells us it was
made of ebony. Probably the real
“image” was a meteorite, and in the
course of time a wooden or ebony image
was substituted. -
* The palladium of Troy, the sacred
shield of the Romans, the shrine of our
Lady of Loretto, and other similar
religious, objects of veneration, were
said to have been sent from heaven.
The statue of Cybèle (3 syl.) “fell
from heaven”; and Elagabálas, of Syro-
Phoenicia, was a great conical stone
which fell from heaven.
Great is Diana of the Ephesians. No-
thing like leather ; self-interest blinds
the eyes. Demetrios was a silversmith
of Eph'esus, who made gold and silver
shrines for the temple of Diana. When
Christianity was preached in the city,
and there was danger of substituting the
simplicity of the Gospel for the grandeur
of idolatry, the silversmiths, headed by
Demetrios, stirred the people to a riot,
and they cried out with one voice for
the space of two hours, “Great is Diana,
of the Ephesians !” (Acts xix. 24-28.)
Dian's Worshippers. Midnight
revellers. So called because they return
home by moonlight. Dian means the
II].OOIl.
Diano'ra, was the wife of Gilberto of
Friuli, but was passionately beloved by
Ansaldo. In order to get rid of his
importunity, she told him she would
never grant his suit and prove untrue
till he made her garden at midwinter as
full of flowers and odours as if it were
midsummer. By the aid of a magician,
Ansaldo accomplished this, and claimed
his reward. Diano'ra, went to meet him,
and told him she had obeyed the com-
mand of her husband in so doing. An-
saldo, not to be outdone in courtesy,
released her ; and Gilberto became the
firm friend of Ansaldo from that day to
the end of his life. (Boccaccio : Deca-
Aneron, day x. 5.) (See DORIGEN.)
Diapa’son. Dryden says—
“From harmony, from heavenly harmony
he universal frame began ;
From harmony to harmony w
Thro' all the compass of the notes it ran,
The diapason closing full in man.”
Song for St. Cecilia's Day.
According to the Pythagore'an system,
the world is a piece of harmony, and
man the full chord,
Diaper. A sort of cloth, a corrup-
tion of D’Ypres, where it is largely
manufactured. Similarly we have calico
from Calicut ; nankeen from Nankin ;
worsted from Worsted, in Norfolk; and
half a score other similar words. The
French diapré, variegated, seems far
Tiavolo
352
T)iólo
more likely to be the source of this word,
for diaper is cloth variegated with
flowers, etc., like damask.
Diavolo (Fra). Michele Pozza, an
insurgent of Calabria (1760 - 1806).
Scribe wrote a libretto on this hero for
Auber. -
Dibs or Dibbs. Money. (Compare
tips, gifts to schoolboys'; and diobolus.
Compare also dot with tot, jot, and yod.)
The huckle-bones of sheep used for
gambling purposes are called dibbs; and
Locke speaks of stones used for the same
game, which he calls dibstones.
Dicers’ Oaths. False as dicers’ oaths.
Worthless or untrustworthy, as when a
gambler swears never to touch dice
again. (Shakespeare : Hamlet, iii. 4.)
Dicilla (in Orlando Furioso). One
of Logistilla's handmaids, famous for
her chastity. - -
Dick. That happened in the reign of
Queen Dick—i.e. never; there never was
a Queen Richard.
Dick's Hatband. (Richard Crom-
well, 1626-1712.)
(1) Dick's hatband, which was made of
sand. His regal honours were “a rope
of sand.”
(2) As fine as Dick's hatband. The
crown of England would be a very fine
thing for anyone to get.
(3) As queer as Dick's hatband. Few
things have been more ridiculous than
the exaltation and abdication of the
Protector’s son.
(4) As tight as Dick's hatband. The
hatband of Richard Cromwell was the
crown, which was too tight for him to
wear with safety.
Dick = Richard. The diminutive
“Dicky” is also common.
“Jockey of Norfolk [Lord Howard], be not too
1jold, -
For Dicky [or Dickon], thy master, is bought
and Sold.” *
Shakespeare : Bichard III., v. 3.
(Dicky or Dickon is Richard III.)
Liclzens. (See BOZ.)
Dickens is a perverted oath corrupted
from “Nick.” Mrs. Page says—
“I cannot tell what the dickens, his name is.”—
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 2.
* The three poets who express a
conflagration are “Dickens! How-itt,
Burns ! ”
Dickey or Dicky. A donkey; an-
ciently called a Dick-ass, now termed
Jack-ass. It is a term of endearment,
as we call a pet bird a dicky-bird. The
ass is called Dick-y (little Richard),
Cuddy (little Cuthbert), Neddy (little
Edward), Jack-ass, Moke or Mike, etc.
JDickey. The rumble behind a carriage;
also a leather apron, a child’s bib, and
a false shirt or front. All these are
from the same root. (Dutch, dekken ;
German, decken, Anglo-Saxon, theean ;
Latin, tego, to cover.)
Dicky (A), in George III.'s time,
meant a flannel petticoat. It was after-
wards applied to what were called false
shirts—i.e. a shirt front worn over a
dirty shirt, or in lieu of a shirt. These
half-shirts were first called Tommies.
“A hundred instances I soon could pick ye—
Without a cap we view the fair,
The bosom heaving alto bare, -
The hips ashamed, forsooth, to wear a dicky.”
Peter Pindar : Lord Auckland's Triumph,
So again:—
“And sister Peg, and sister Joan,
With scarce a flannel dicky on . . . .”
- - Middlesea: Election, letter iv.
(Hair, whalebone, or metal vestments, called
dress-improvers, are hung on Women's backs, as a
“dicky' is hung on a coach behind.)
Dicky Sam. A native-born inhabi-
tant of Liverpool, as Tim Bobbin is a
native of Lancashire.
Dictator of Letters. François
Marie Arouet de Voltaire, called the
Great Pan. (1694–1778.)
Didactic Poetry is poetry that
teaches some moral lesson, as Pope’s
Essay, on Man. (Greek, didasko, I
teach.)
Diddie (To). To cheat in a small
way, as “I diddled him out of . . . .”
Edgar Allan Poe has an article on the
art of “Diddling.” Rhyming slang is
very common. (See CHIVY.) Fiddle and
diddle rhyme. “Fiddle * is slang for
a sharper, and “diddle '' is the act of a
sharper. The suggestive rhyme was
“Hi diddle diddle
The cat and the fiddle.”
“A certain portion of the human race
Has certainly a taste for being diddled.”
IIood : A Black, Job, Stanza, 1.
Diddler (Jeremy). An artful swind-
ler; a clever, seedy vagabond, borrow-
ing money or obtaining credit by his wit
and wits. From Kenny’s farce called
Jęaising the Wind.
Diderick. (See DIETRICH.)
Dido. It was Porson who said he
could rhyme on any subject; and being
asked to rhyme upon the three Latin
gerunds, gave this couplet—
“When Dido found AEneas would not come,
She mourned in Silence, and Was Di-do dum(b).”
*: In the old Eton Latin grammar
the three gerunds are called -di, -do,
TXie
353
Difference
-dum. In modern School primers they
are -dum, -di, -do.
When Dido saw AEneas needs must go,
She wept in Silence, and was dum(b) ##"h
*: Dido was queen of Carthage, who
fell in love with AEnéas, driven by a
storm to her shores. After abiding a-
while at Carthage, he was compelled by
Mercury to leave the hospitable queen.
Dido, in grief, burnt herself to death on
a funeral pile. (Virgil : from Ančid, i.
494 to iii. 650.)
Die. The die is cast. The step is
taken, and I cannot draw back. So
said Julius Caesar when he crossed the
Rubicon.
“I have set my life upon the cast, *
And I will stand the hazal’d Of the die.”
Shakespeare: Richard III., v. 4.
HDie.
Whom the gods love die young. This
is from Menander's fragments (Hon hoi
theo; philousin apothºëskei neos). TXe-
mosthenes has a similar apophthegm.
Plautus has the line, “Quem Di diligunt
adolescens moritºr.” (See Byron : Don
Jºan, canto iv. 12.) Those who die
young are “taken out of the miseries of
this sinful life” into a happy immor-
tality.
Die-hards. The 57th Foot. Their
colonel (Inglis) in the battle of Albuera
(1811), addressing his men, said, “I)ie
hard, my lads; die hard l’” And they
did die hard, for their banner was pierced
with thirty bullets. Only one officer out
of twenty-four survived, and only 168
men out of 584. This fine regiment is
now called the West Middlesex; the
IEast Middlesex (the Duke of Cambridge's
own) is the old 77th.
Diego (San). A corruption of Sant-
iago (St. James), champion of the red
cross, and patron Saint of Spain.
Diés Alliensis. (See ALLIENSIs.)
Diès Irae. A famous mediaeval hymn
on the last judgment, probably the
composition of Thomas of Celaſno, a
native of Abruzzi, who died in 1255.
Sir Walter Scott has introduced the
former part of it into his Lay of the Last
Mºstreſ.
“Dies irae, dies illa,
Solyet Saqlum in ſavilla,
Testě David cum Sibylla.”
Qn that day, that wrathful day,
David and thé Sibyl say,
Heaven and earth Shall melt, *gº,
Diós Non. A non-business day. A
law phrase, meaning a day when the
courts do not sit, as on Sundays; the
Purification, in Hilary term ; the Ascen-
Sion, in Easter term ; St. John the Bap-
tist, in Trinity term ; and All Saints, with
All Souls, in Michaelmas term. A con-
tracted form of “Dies non juridicus,” a
non-judicial day.
Diès San'guinis. The 24th March,
called Bello'na’s Day, when the Roman
votaries of the war-goddess cut them-
selves and drank the sacrificial blood to
propitiate the deity.
Dietrich (2 syl.), of Berne or Vero'na,
a name given by the German minne-
sängers (minstrels) to Theod'oric the
Great, king of the Ostrogoths. One of
the liegemen of King Etzel. In the
terrible broil stirred up by Queen Kriem-
hild in the banquet-hall of the Hunnish
king, after the slaughter of Sir Rudiger,
his friend Dietrich interfered, and suc-
ceeded in taking prisoners the only two
surviving Burgundians, kings Gunther
and Hagan, whom he handed over to
Kriemhild, praying that she would set
them free, but the angry queen cut off
both their heads with her own hands.
(The Nibelungen-Lied.)
Dieu. Dieu et mom droit (God and
my right). The parole of Richard T. at
the battle of Gisors (1198), meaning
that he was no vassal of France, but
owed his royalty to God alone. As the
French were signally beaten, the battle-
word was adopted as the royal motto of
England.
Lifference. Ophelia, says to the
queen, “You may wear your rue with a
difference.” In heraldry differences or
marks of cadency indicate the various
branches of a family.
(1) The eldest son, during the life-
time of his father, bears a label (or
lambel), i.e. a piece of silk, stuff, or
linen, with three pendants, broader at
the bottom than at the top.
2) The second son bears a crescent.
(3) The third, a mullet (or star with
five points).
(4) The fourth, a martlet.
(5) The fifth, an annulet.
(6) The sixth, a fleur-de-lis.
(7) The seventh, a rose. -
(8) The eighth, a cross-moline.
(9) The ninth, a double quatre foil.
Ophelia says both she and the Queen are
to wear rue : the one as the affianced of
PIamlet, eldest son of the late king ; the
other as the wife of Claudius his brother,
and the cadet branch. The latter was to
23
I)igest
354
Diriah
have a “ difference,” to signify it was a
cadet branch. “I [says Ophelia] shall
wear the rue, but you [the Queen] must
now wear it with a “ difference.’”
Digest (The). The collection of all
the laws of Rome compiled by Tribonian
and sixteen assistants, by Order of
Justinian. It amounted to 2,000
volumes, and was finished in three years
(A.D. 533). (See PANDECT.S.)
Diggings. Come to my diggings. To
my rooms, residence, office, Sanctum. A
word imported from California and its
gold diggings. -
“My friend here wants to take diggings; and as
you were complaining that you would get some-
one to go laalves with you, I thought I had better
bring you together.”—A. O. Doyle : A Study in
Sc(t)'let, chap. i.
Diggory. A barn labourer, taken
on grand occasions for butler and foot-
man to Mr. and Mrs. Hardcastle. He
laughs and talks while serving, and is
as gauche as possible. (Goldsmith : She
Stoops to Conquer.)
Digit. The first nine numerals; so
called from the habit of counting as far
as ten on the fingers. (Latin, digitats,
a finger.)
Dignitary (A). A clergyman who
holds preferment to which jurisdiction is
annexed, as bishops, deans, archdeacons,
Canons, etc.
Dignus Vinºdice No'dus (Latin).
A knot or difficulty worthy of such
hands to untie. Literally, a knotty
point worthy to be made a civil action.
The person who brought a civil action
was called in Roman law a véndez, and
the action was called a vindicòtio. If
the rightful possessor was a matter of
dispute, the question became a Zis vindi-
ciáriſm, and was referred to the praetor
to determine. A knotty point referred
to the praetor was a “ dignus windice
*Odeſs.”
Dii Penatés (Tatin). Household
gods; now used for such articles of
furniture or decoration as the lady of
the house especially prizes.
Dilemma. The horns of a dilemma.
“Lemma, ' means a thing
granted (Greek, Zam'bano, to take).
“Dilemma,” is a double lemma, a two-
edged Sword which strikes both ways, or
a bull which will toss you whichever
horn you lay hold of. A young rhetori-
cian Said to an old Sophist, “Teach me
to plead, and I will pay you when I
gain a cause.” The master sued for
payment, and the scholar pleaded, “If
taken for
I gain the cause I shall not pay you,
because the judge will Say I am not to
pay; and if I lose my cause I shall not
be required to pay, according to the
terms of our agreement.” To this the
master replied, “Not so ; if you gain
your cause you must pay me according
to the terms of our agreement; and if
you lose your cause the judge will
condemn you to pay me.”
Dilettan'té (Italian). An amateur
of the fine arts, in opposition to a pro-
fessor. Plural, dilettanţi.
“These gentlemen are to be judged, not as
dilettanti, but as professors.”—Athenæum.
Diligence is that energy and in-
dustry which we show when we do what
we like (Latin, diligo, I like); but
indolence is that listless manner with
which we do what thoroughly vexes us.
(Latin, in, intensive; doleo, to grieve.)
Diligence. . A four-wheeled stage-
coach, drawn by four or more horses.
Common in France before the intro-
duction of railroads. The pun is well
known.
Si vis placere magistro, utére diligentia (i.e. his
diligence).
Dilly (plural, Dillies). Stage-coaches.
They first began to run in 1779. An
abbreviation of the French word dili-
gence (q.v.). “Derby dilly.”
Dim and Distant Future (The).
In November, 1885, Mr. W. E. Gla.
stone said that the disestablishment and
disendowment of the Anglican Church
were questions in “the dim and distant
future.”
Diman'che (Monsieur). A dun. The
term is from Molière's Don Juan, and
would be, in English, Mr. Sunday. The
word dimanche is a corruption and con-
traction of dies Domin'ica (the Lord’s
day).
Dimetae. The ancient Latin name
for the inhabitants of Carmarthenshire,
Pembrokeshire, and Cardiganshire.
Dim'issory. A letter dimissory is a
letter from the bishop of one diocese to
Some other bishop, giving leave for the
bearer to be Ordained by him. (Latin,
di-mitto, to send away.)
Dim'ity. A cloth said to be so called
from Damietta, in Egypt, but really
from the Greek di-mitos (double-thread).
(See SAMIT.E.)
Di'nah (Aunt), in Sterne's Trisłray,
Shandy. She leaves Mr. Walter Shandy
T)inde
355
T)iOne
£1,000, which he fancies will enable him
to carry out all the wild schemes that
enter into his head.
Dinde (1 syl.). The French for a
turkey is poulet d’Inde (an Indian fowl).
This is an error, as the bird comes from
America ; unless, indeed, the whole
Western continent, with all its con-
tiguous islands, be called by the name
of West Indies. Our word “turkey’” is
no better, if indeed it means a native of
Turkey.
Dine (To).
Qui don't dºne. The seven sleepers
and others required no food till they
woke from their long sleep. The same
may be said of all hibernating animals.
To diſme with Democrát0s. To be
cheated out of one’s dinner. Democritos
was the derider, or philosopher who
laughed at men’s folly.
To dine with Sir Thomas Gresham.
To go without one’s dinner; to be
dinnerless. Sir Thomas Gresham founded
the Royal Exchange, which was a fa-
vourite lounge for those who could not
afford to provide themselves with a
dinner.
To dine with Duke Humphrey. (See
HUMPHREY.)
To dine with Mahomet. To die, and
dine in paradise.
To dine with the cross-legged knights.
(See meant column, DINNERLESS.)
Dine Out (To). To be dinnerless; to
go without a dinner.
Ding (A). A blow. To ding it in
one’s ears. To repeat a subject over and
Over again ; to teach by repetition.
To ding. To strike. (Anglo-Saxon,
deneg[an], to knock, strike, beat.) Hence
“ding-dong,” as “They were at it
ding-dong.”
“The butcher's axe, like great Achilles' bat,
Dings deadly dowme ten-thousand-thousand
flat.” Taylor : Works (1630).
10ing-dong. They went at it ding-
dong. Fighting in good earnest. To
ding is to beat or bruise (Saxon, denogan);
dong is a responsive word. One gives a
ding and the other a dong.
* Din is the Anglo-Saxon dyn-ian, to
make a din; dinºſºg, a dinning noise.
Dingley Dell. The home of Mr.
Wardle and his family, and the scene of
Tupman’s love adventure with Miss
Bachel. (Dickens : Pickwick Papers.)
Dinner (Waiting for). The “mauvais
quart d'heure,”
Dinnerless. Their hosts are the
cross-legged knights. That is, the stone
effigies of the Round Church. In this
church at one time lawyers met their
clients, and here a host of vagabonds
used to loiter about all day, under the
hope of being hired as witnesses. Dining
with the cross-legged knights meant
much the same thing as dining with
duke Humphrey (q.v.).
Di'nos. (See HoRSE.)
Dint. By dint of war; by dint of
argument ; by dint of hard work. Dint
means a blow or striking (Anglo-Saxon,
dynt); whence perseverance, power ex-
erted, force ; it also means the indenta-
tion made by a blow.
Diocle'tian. The Roman Emperor,
noted for his fierce persecution of the
Christians, 303. The Emperor Con-
stantine, on the other hand, was the
“nursing father ” of the Church.
“To make the Church's glory shine,
Should Diocletian reign, not Constantine.”
Crabbe : Borough.
Diocletian was the king, and Eras-
tus the prince, his son, in the Italian
version of the Seven Wise Masters (q.v.).
Diog'enes (4 Syl., g =j). The cynic
philosopher is said to have lived in a tub.
“The whole world was not half so wide
To Alexander, when he cried
Because he had but one to Sul)/due,
As was a Daltry narrow tub to ... -
Diogenes.” Dutler : Hudibras, i. 3.
JDiog'enes. Romanus IV., emperor of
the East (1067-1071).
IXi'omed’s Horses.
ful) and Lampon (bright-eyed).
HORSE.)
Diom'ede'an Swop. An exchange
in which all the benefit is on One side.
This proverbial expression is founded on
an incident related by Homer in the
Iliad. Glaucus recognises Diomed on
the battle-field, and the friends change
3.TI]]|Olll’.
“For Diomed's brass arms, of mean device,"
For which mine oxen paid (a, Yulgar price), .
He [Glaucus] gave his own, of gold divinely
Wrought, - -
An hundred beeves the Shining purchase
bought.” Pope : Ilićtd, Vi.
Diome'dés or Diomèd. King of
AEtolia, in Greece, brave and obedient
to authority. He survived the siege of
Troy; but on his return home found his
wife living in adultery, and saved his
life by living an exile in Italy. (Homer:
Iliad.)
Dio'ne (3 Syl.).
Dinos (dread-
(See
Venus, who sprang
| from the froth of the sea, after the
Lionysius ... 356
- Tiptych
- A
mutilated body of Uranus (the sky) had
been thrown there by Saturn. -
“So young Dioné, nursed beneath the waves,
And rocked by Nereids in their coral caves. . . .
Ilisped her sweet tones, and tried her tender
Similes.” Darwin : Economy of Vegetation, ii.
Tionys'ius (the younger), being
banished a second time from Syracuse,
retired to Corinth, where he turned
schoolmaster for a living.
called him a tyrant. Byron, in his Ode
to Napoleon, alludes to these facts in the
following lines :—
“Corinth's pedagogue hath now
Transferred his byword to thy brow.”
That is, Napoleon is now called tyrant,
like Dionysius.
IDiony'sos.
Bacchus (q.v.).
Father: Zeus (Jupiter). &
Feasts of Bacchus in Rome, Bromalia or Brum-
alia, in March and September.
Mother: Semêlé, daughter of Cadmus
Nurse : Brisa. -
Qels were his aversion.
Patmihei's drew his chariot. *
Rams were the most general sacriſices offered
to him. &
Wife: Ariad/ne.
The most famous statue of this god
was by Praxitélès.
Attalus gave above £18,000 sterling
for a painting of the god by Aristidés.
The Greek name of
Diophan'tine Anal'ysis. Finding
commensurate values of squares, cubes,
triangles, etc. ; or the sum of a given
number of squares which is itself a
square ; or a certain number of Squares,
etc., which are in arithmetical progres-
sion. The following examples will give
some idea of the theory: -
1. To find two whole numbers, the
sum of whose squares is a square ;
2. To find three square numbers which
are in arithmetical progression ;
3. To find a number from which two
given squares being severally subtracted,
each of the remainders is a square.
*: Diophantus was an Alexandrian
Greek (5th cent. A.D.)
Dioscu'ri. Castor and Pollux.
(Greek, Dios kontros, young men of Zeus;
dios is gen. Of Zeus.)
The horses of the Dioscuri. Cyllaros
and Har'pagos. (See HoRSE.)
Diotrephes. One who loves to have
the pre-eminence among others. (3
John 9.)
“Neither a desperate Judas, like, the prelate
Sharpe [archbishop of St. Andrew’s, who was
murdered], that’s gone to his place ; nor a sanc-
tuary – breaking Holofernès, like ... the bloody-
minded Claverhouse ; nor an ambitious Diotre-
lohés, like the lad [Lord] Eyandale . . . . shall
resist the arrows that are whetted and the bow
that is bent against you.”—Sir W. Scott: Old Mor-
tºtlity, Chap. xiv.
Posterity
Dip (A). A tallow-chandler, one
who makes or sells candles or “dips.”
These candles are made by dipping into
melted tallow the cotton which forms
the wick. (Anglo-Saxon dippan, to dip.)
Diph'thera. The skin of the goat
Amalthea, on which Jove wrote the
destiny of man. Diphtheria is an infec-
tious disease of the throat; so called from
its tendency to form a false membrane.
Diplo’ma literally means something
folded (Greek). Diplomas used to be
written on parchment, folded, and
sealed. The word is applied to licences
given to graduates to assume a degree,
to clergymen, to physicians, agents, and
SO OIl. -
Diplom'acy. The tact, negotiations,
privileges, etc., of a diplomatist, or one
who carries a diploma to a foreign court
to authorise him to represent the Govern-
ment which sends him out.
Diplomatic Cold (A). An excuse
to get over a disagreeable engagement.
Mr. Healy, M.P. (1885), said that Lord
Hartington and Mr. Gladstone had
“ diplomatic colds,” when they pleaded
indisposition as an excuse for not giving
addresses at public meetings in which
they were advertised to speak. The day
after the meetings both gentlemen were
‘‘ much better.”
Diplomatics. The science of palaeo-
graphy—that is, deciphering old charters,
diplomas, titles ; investigating their
authenticity and genuineness, and so on.
Papebröch, the Bollandist, originated
the study in 1675; but Mabillon, another
Bollandist, reduced it to a science in his
work entitled De Are Diplomatica, 1681.
Toustain and Tassin further developed
it in their treatise entitled Woltvealſ,
Traité de Diplomatique, 1750-1760.
Diptych [dip'tik). A register folded
into two leaves, opening like our books,
and not like the ancient scrolls. The
Romans kept in a book of this sort the
names of their magistrates, and . the
Roman Catholics employed the word for
the registers in which were written the
names of those bishops, Saints, and
martyrs who were to be specially com-
memorated when oblations were made
for the dead. (Greek, diptuchos, folded
in two.)
“The Greeks executed Small works of great
elegance, as may be seen in the diptychs, or ivory
covers to consular records, or Sacred volumes used
in the church service.”—T. Flaacmam . Lectures on!
Sculpture, iii. p. 98. -
T)ircaean Swan
357
T)iscuss
Dircaeſan Swan. Pindar; so called
from Dircé, a fountain in the neighbour-
hood of Thebes, the poet’s birthplace
(B.C. 518-442).
Direct Tax is one collected directly
from the owner of property subject to
the tax, as when the tax-gatherer goes
direct to the owner of a house and de-
mands five, ten, or twenty pounds, as it
may be, for Government uses. Indirect
taaves are taxes upon marketable com-
modities, such as tea and sugar, the
tax on which is added to the article
taxed, and is paid by the purchasers in-
directly.
Direc'tory. The French constitution
of 1795, when the executive was vested
in five persons called directors, one of
whom retired every year. After a sickly
existence of four years, it was quashed
by Napoleon Bonaparte. An alphabet-
ical list of the inhabitants, etc., of a given
locality, as a “London Directory.”
Dirleton. Doubting with Dirleton,
and resolving those doubts with Stewart.
Doubting and answering those doubts,
but doubting still. It applies to law,
science, religion, morals, etc. Sir John
Nisbett of Dirleton’s Doubts on points
of law, and Sir James Stewart's Doubts
lèesolved, are works of established repu-
tation in Scotland, but the Doubts hold a
higher place than the Solutions.
Dir'los (Count). A Paladin, the beau-
ideal of valour, generosity, and truth.
The story says he was sent by Charle-
magne into the East, where he con-
quered Aliar'dé, a great Moorish prince.
On his return he found his young wife,
who thought he was dead, betrothed to
Celi'nos, another of Charlemagne’s peers.
The matter being set right, the king
gave a grand banquet. Dirlos is D’Yrlos.
Dirt is matter in the wrong place.
(Lord Palmerston.) This is not true: a
diamond or sovereign lost on a road is
matter in a wrong place, but certainly is
not dirt.
Throw plenty of dirt and some will be
sure to stick. Scandal always leaves a
trail behind.
Dirt cheap. Very low-priced. Tirt is
so cheap that persons pay others to take
it away.
To eat dirt is to put up with insults
and mortification. An Eastern method
of punishment. -
* “If (lirt were trumps what a capital hand you
Would hold !”—Charles Lamb to Martin Burmey.
Dirty Half-Hundred. The 50th
Foot, so called from the men wiping
their faces with their black cuffs. Now
called “The Queen’s Own.”
Dirty Lane. Now called Abingdon
Street, Westminster.
Dirty Shirts (The). The 101st Foot,
which fought at Delhi in their shirt-
sleeves (1857). Now called “The Royal
Bengal Fusileers.”
Dis. Pluto.
“Proser/pine gathering flowers,
Herself a fairer flower, by gloomy Dis
Was gathered.” -
Milton.: Paradise Lost, iv. 270.
Disas'ter is being under an evil star
(Greek, dus-aster, evil star). An astro-
logical word.
“The stars in their courses fought against
Sisera.”—Judges V. 30.
Disastrous Peace (La Paia: Mal-
heureuse). It followed the battle of
Gravelines (2 syl.), and was signed at
Cateau - Cambre'sis. By this treaty
Henri II. renounced all claim to Gen'oa,
Naples, Milan, and Cor'sica (1559).
Disbar (To). To deprive a barrister
of his right to plead. The bar is the
part barred off in courts of law and
equity for barristers or pleaders.
Discard. To throw out of one’s
hands such cards as are useless.
Discharge Bible (The), 1806. “I
discharge [charge] thee before God.”
(1 Tim. v. 21.)
Discipline (A). A scourge used by
Roman Catholics for penitential pur-
poses. -
“Before the cross and altar, a lamp was still
burning, . . . . and on the floor lay a small disci-
pline or penitential Scourge of small cord and
wire, the lashes of which were stained with
recent blood.”—Sir W. Scott: The Talisman,
Cllal). iV.
Dis'cord means severance of hearts
(Latin, discorda). It is the opposite of
concord, the coming together of hearts.
In music it means disagreement of
sounds, as when a note is followed by
another which is disagreeable to a
musical ear. (See APPLE.)
Discount. At a discount. Not in
demand; little valued ; less esteemed
than formerly; less than their nominal
value. (Latin dis-computo, to depreciate.)
Discuss. To discuss a bottle. To
drink one with a friend. Same as
“crush ’’ or “crack a bottle.” (Discuss
is the Latin dis-quatio , French, casser.
The Latin quassa'ré vasa is to break a
drinking-vessel.)
“We all . . . . . drew round the table, an austore
silence prevailing, while we discussed ºur meal.”
—E, Brontë. Hºwthering Heights, chap. ii.
T)isease
858
T)istraction
Disease, meaning discomfort, want
of ease, mal aise, as
“In the world ye shall have disease.”—Wyclif:
John xvi. 33.
Dished (1 Syl.). I was dished out of
it. Cheated out of it ; or rather, some
One else contrived to obtain it. A con-
traction of disherit. The heir is dish’t
Out of his inheritance when his father
marries again and leaves his property to
the widow and widow’s family. .
“Where's IBrummel ? Dished 1 ''
ISyrom : Dom Juan.
Dish-washer (A).
Dismal. Taniel Finch, second earl
of Nottingham,
“No sooner was Dismal among, the Whigs . . .
but Lady, Chaºſlot]te is taken knitting in St.
James’s Chapel [i.e. Lady Charlotte Finch, his
daughter].”—Ba'amimer, April 20–24th, 1713, No. 44.
Dismas (St.). The penitent thief.
[DYSMAS.]
Disney Professor. The Professor
of Archaeology in the University of Cam-
'bridge. This chair was founded in 1851
by John Disney, Esq., of the Hyde,
Ingatestone.
A Scullery-maid.
Disor'der, says Franklin, “break-
fasts with Plenty, dines with Poverty,
Sups with Misery, and sleeps with
Death.”
Dispensa'tion. The system which
God chooses to dispense or establish be-
tween Himself and man. The dispensa-
tion of Adam was that between Adam
and God; the dispensation of Abraham,
and that of Moses, were those imparted
to these holy men ; the Gospel dispensa-
tion is that explained in the Gospels.
(Latin, dis-penso, to spread forth, unroll,
explain, reveal.)
A dispensation from the Pope. Per-
mission to dispense with something en-
joined ; a licence to do what is forbidden,
or to omit what is commanded by the
law of the Church, as distinct from the
moral law. -
“A dispensation was obtained to enable Dr.
Barrow to marry.”—Ward.
Dispute (2 syl.) means, literally, to
“lop down” (Latin, dis-puto); debate
means to “knock down” (French, dé-
battre); discuss means to “shake down”
(Latin, dis-quatio); object' is to “cast
against '’ (Latin, ob-jacio); contend is to
“pull against '' (Latin, contendo); quar-
rel is to throw darts at each other
(Welsh, evarel, a dart); and wrangle is
to strain by twisting (Swedish, wrânga;
Anglo-Saxon, wringam).
Dis'solute is one that runs loose, not
restrained by laws or any other bonds.
(Latin, dissolvo, like horses unharnessed.)
Disſtaff. A woman. Properly the
staff from which the flax was drawn in
Spinning. The allusion is to the ancient
custom of women, who spun from morn-
ing to night. (See SPINSTER.)
“The Crown of France never falls to the distaff.”
—Kersey.
To have tow on the distaff. To have
work in hand. Froissart says, “IZ aura
er, bréf temps autres estoupes en sa que-
7207/ille.”
“He haddé more tow on his distaf
Than Gerveys knew.”
Chaucer : Canterbury Tales, 3,772.
St. Distaff’s Day. The 7th of January.
So called because the Christmas festival
terminated on Twelfth Day, and on the
day following the women returned to
their distaffs or daily occupations. It is
also called Rock Day, a distaff being
called a rock. “In old times they used
to spin with rocks.” (Aubrey: Wilts.)
“Give St. Distaff all the right,
Then give Christmas sport good night,
And next morrow every one
To his own vocatión.”. (1657.)
“What I shall a woman with a rock drive thee
away 2
Fye on thee, traitor 1" g
Digby: Mysteries, p. 11.
Distaffi'na. To whom Bombastēs
Eurio'so makes love. (Thomas Baynes
Rhodes: Bombastes Furioso.)
Distem' per means an undue mixture.
In medicine a distemper arises from the
redundancy of certain secretions or mor-
bid humours. The distemper in dogs is
an undue quantity of secretions mani-
fested by a running from the eyes and
nose. (Latin, dis-temp'ero, to mix amiss.) .
Applied to painting, the word is from
another source, the French détremper (to
Soak in water), because the paints, in-
stead of being mixed with oil, are mixed
with a vehicle (as yolk of eggs or glue)
soluble in water.
Distinguished Member of the
Humane Society. The name of this
dog was Paul Pry. Landseer says,
“Mr. Newman Smith was rather dis-
appointed when his dog appeared in
character rather than ‘the property of
Newman Smith, Esq., of Croydon
Lodge.’” (Notes and Queries, March
21st, 1885, p. 225.) -
Distraction. An excellent example
of how greatly the meaning of words
may change. To “distract” means now,
to harass, to perplex; and “distraction *
confusion of mind from a great multi-
plicity of duties; but in French to
Distrait
“distract” means to divert the mind,
and “distraction ” means recreation or
amusement (Latin, dis - traho). (See
SLAVE.)
Distrait (French). Absent-minded.
Dithyram'bic. The father of dithy-
7'ambic poetry. Ari'on of Lesbos.
Dit’t any. When Godfrey was
wounded with an arrow, an “odorifer-
ous pan'acy” distilled from dittany was
applied to the wound; whereupon the
arrow-head fell out, and the wound
healed immediately. (Tasso: Jerusalem
Delivered, book xi.)
Ditto. (See Do.)
Dittoes (A suit of). Coat, waistcoat,
and trousers all alike, or all ditto (the
Same).
Divan' (Arabic and Persian, divan)
means a register kept on a white table
exactly similar to our board. ... Among
the Orientals the word is applied to a
council-chamber or court of justice; but
in England we mean a coffee-house
where smoking is the chief attraction.
Divers Colours [in garments]. We
are told, in 2 Sam. xiii. 18, that kings'
daughters were arrayed in a garment
of divers colours, and Dr. Shaw informs
us that only virgins wore drawers of
needle-work; so that when the mother
of Sisera (Judges v. 30) says, “Have
they not sped P. Have they not divided
the spoil? To Sisera, a prey of divers
colours, of divers colours of needle-
work?” she means—is not the king's
daughter allotted to Sisera as a portion
of his spoil? (See CoAT OF MANY
COLOURS.)
Divert. To turn aside. Business is
the regular walk or current of our life,
but pleasure is a diversion or turning
aside for a time from the straight line.
What we call diversion is called in
French distraction, drawing aside. (Latin,
di-verto, to turn aside; dis-traho, to draw
aside.)
Dives (1 syl.), Divs or Deews. Demons
of Persian mythology. According to
the Koran, they are ferocious and gigan-
tic spirits under the sovereignty of Eblis.
“At Lahore, in the Mogul's palace, are pictures
of DeWS and Dives with ſong horns, staring eyes,
Shaggy hair, great fangs, ligly, paws, long tails,
and such horrible deformity, that I wonder the
10or Women are not frightened.”—William Finch :
Purchas' Pilgrims, yol. i.
Divés (2 Syl.). The name popularly
given to the rich man in our Lord’s
parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus
359
Divine Pagan
(Luke xvi.). The Latin would be Divés
et Lazarus.
Divide (2 syl.). When the members
in the House of Commons interrupt a
speaker by crying out divide, they mean,
bring the debate to an end and put the
motion to the vote—i.e. let the ayes
divide from the noes, one going into
One room or lobby, and the others into
another.
Divide and Govern. T)ivide a
Ination into parties, or set your enemies
at loggerheads, and you can have your
own way. A maxim of Machiavelli, a
º political writer of Florence (1469–
527).
“Every city or house divided against itself
Shall not Stand.”—Matthew xii. 25.
Divination. There are numerous
species of divination referred to in the
Bible. The Hebrew word is added in
italics.
JUDICIAL ASTROLOGY (MeO7.077).
AUGURY (Menachesch).
WITCHCRAFT (Mecascheph).
ENCFIANTMENT (Ithoberom).
CASTING LOTS (Indeoni). -
By INTERROGATING SPIRITs.
By NECROMANCY (1 Sam. xxviii. 12).
By R HABDOMANCY (Hosea, iv. 12).
By TERAPHIM or household idols. -
By HEPAToscopy or inspecting the liver of
animals. - - - -
By DREAMS and their interpretations.
Divination by fire, air, and water; thunder,
lightning, and meteors ; etc. s
The Urim and Thwmºnin was a prophetic
breastplate worn by the High Priest. ..
(Consult: Gen. xxxvii. 5–11 ; Xl. xli.; 1 Sam.
xxyiii. 12; 2 Chron, xxxiii. 6; Prov. xvi. 33; Ezek.
XXi, 21 ; Hosea, iii. 4, 5, etc
Divine. The divine right of kings.
The notion that kings reign by divine
right, quite independent of the people's
will. This notion arose from the Old
Testament Scriptures, where kings are
called “God’s anointed,” because they
were God’s vicars on earth, when the
Jews changed their theocracy for a
monarchy.
“The right divine of kings to govern Wrong.”
Pope.
Divine (The). Ferdinand de Her-
re'ra, a Spanish poet (1516-1595).
Raphael, the painter, il Divi'no (1483-
1520).
Luis Mora'lès, Spanish painter, el
Divi'no (1509-1586).
Divine Doctor. Jean de Ruysbroek,
the mystic (1294-1381).
Divine Pagan (The). Hypaſtia, who
presided over the Neoplaton'ic School at
Alexandria. She was infamously torn
to pieces (A.D. 415) by a Christian mob,
not without the concurrence of the Arch-
bishop Cyril. -
T)ivine Plant
360
T).O
Divine Plant (The). Vervain, called
by the Romans Herba Sacra (q.v.).
Divine Speaker (The). So Aristotle
called Tyr'tamos, who therefore adopted
the name of Theophrastos (B.C. 370-
287).
Divi'ning Rod. A forked branch
of hazel, suspended by the two prongs
between the balls of the thumbs. The
inclination of the rod indicates the pre-
sence of water-Springs, precious metal,
and anything else that simpletons will
pay for. (See DOUSTERSWIVEL.)
Divinity in Odd Numbers. Fal-
staff tells us (in the Merry Wives of
Windsor, v. 1) that this divinity affects
“nativity, chance, and death.” A
Trinity is by no means confined to the
Christian creed. The Brahmins repre-
sent their god with three heads; the
Greeks and Romans had three Graces,
three Fates, three Furies, and a three-
fold Hecate. Jupiter had his three
thunderbolts, Neptune his trident, and
Pluto his three-headed dog. The Muses
were three times three. Pythagoras
says God is threefold—“the beginning,
middle, and end of all things.” Then,
again, there are five features, five parts
to the body, five vowels, five lines in
music, five acts to a play, etc.; seven
strings to a harp, seven planets (an-
ciently, at any rate), seven musical
notes, etc.
Chance. There’s luck in odd numbers
“Numero Deus impère gaudet ’’ (Virgil:
I'elogue viii. 75). The seventh son of a
seventh son was always held notable.
Baalam would have seven altars, and
sacrificed on them seven bullocks and
seven rams. Naaman was commanded
to dip seven times in Jordan, and Elijah
sent his servant seven times to look out
for rain. Climacteric years are Seven
and nine with their multiples by Odd
mumbers.
J)eath. The great climacteric year of
life is 63 (i.e. 7 x 9), and Saturn pre-
sides over all climacteric years.
Divi'no Lodovi'co. Ariosto, author
of Orlando Furioso, an epic poem in
twenty-four books. (1474-1533.)
Division. The sign + for division
was invented by John Pell of Cambridge
in 1668. -
Divorcement. A writing, or bill of
divorcement. “Whosoever shall put
away his wife, let him give her a writ-
ing of divorcement’’ (Matt. W. 31).
Adalet tells in the Nineteenth century
(July, 1892, p. 137):
“A woman [in Turkey] divorced , from her
busband is not treated with contumely . . . and
often marries again. . . . A man Simply States to
his wife that he has divorced her, on which she
will go away ; and the man, having repeated the
Same to the caldi, will receive an act of divorce
written, which he will send to her. If it is the
first or Second time that this has occurred, he
may take her lyack again without any formalify
ensuing, but, after a third divorce, she will be
lost to him for ever. Seeing the ease with which
this may be dome, it is not surprising if men
abuse the licence, and sometimes divorce their
wives for [a very Small] fault . . . as a badly-
cooked dinner, or a button unsewed, knowing
Very Well that if he repents of it he can have her
back before evening. I know a lady who has
been divorced § fiye husbands, and is now
living With a Sixth.'
Divus in Latin, attached to a proper
name, does not mean divine, but simply
deceased or canonised; excellently trans-
lated in Notes and Queries (May 21st,
1892, p. 421), “ of blessed memory.”
Thus, Divus Augustus means Augustus
of blessed memory, not divine Augustus.
Of course, the moun “divus” opposite to
a proper noun = a god, as in Horace,
3 Odes v. 2, ‘‘ Praesens divus habebitatºr Ant-
gustus.” While living, Augustus will
be accounted a god. Virgil (Ecl. i. 6)
says, “Jews nobis hac otia fecit.; ” the
“deus” was Augustus.
Dix'ie Land. Nigger land. Mason
and Dixon drew a line which was to be
the northern limit of slavery. In the
third quarter of the 19th century the
southern part of this line was called
T)ixie or nigger land.
HDizzy. A nickname of Denjamin
Disraeli (Lord Beaconsfield) (1805-1881).
Djin'nestan'. Therealm of the djinns
or genii of Oriental mythology.
Do. A contraction of ditto, which is
the Italian détto (said), Latin dictats.
Iłow do you do? i.e. How do you
fare P It should be, How do you du ?
(Anglo-Saxon, dug-an = valøre); in
Latin, Quomodo vales.
Well to do. This, again, is not the
transitive verb (facére) but the intransi-
tive verb (valére), and means “well to
fare.” (Anglo-Saxon, dug-an= valère.)
To do him, i.e. cheat or trick a person
out of something.
I have done the Jew, i.e. over-reached
him. The same as outdo = excel.
Do (to rhyme with go). The first or
tonic note of the Solfeggio system of
music.
JDo, re, mi, fa, Sol, la, Italian ; ºtt, re,
mi, fa, Sol, la, French. The latter are bor-
rowed from a hymn by Paulus Piaconus,
addressed to St. John, which Guido, in
I)O for -
361
T)r. TXiafoirus
the eleventh century, used in teaching
SInglrig:
“ Ut queant laxis, Re-Somare fibris,
Mi-ra gestorum Fa-muli tu Oruin,
Sol-ye pollutis La-biis reaturn.” & 4
Sanct& Joaºlés.
Ut-tered be thy wondrous story,
Re-prehensiye though I be,
Me make mindful of thy glory,
Fa-mous son of Zacharee ;
Sol-ace to º: *
Ja-bouring thy lyraise to Sing.
c E. C. B.
(See WEIZIUS in Heortologio, p. 263.) Ie
Maire added si (seventeenth century).
(See ARETINIAN SYLLABLES.)
Do for. I’ll do for him. Ruin him ;
literally, provide for him in a bad sense.
“Taken in and done for,” is taken in
and provided for ; , but, jocosely, it
means “cheated and fleeced.”
Do up (To). To set in order; to
make tidy. “Dup the door.” (See
DUP.)
Doab (Indian). A tract of land be-
tween two rivers. (Pronounce du'-ab.)
Dobbin. A steady old horse, a
child’s horse. Dobby, a silly old man.
JDobbies, house-elves similar to brownies.
All these are one and the same word.
The dobbies lived in the house, were
very thin and shaggy, very kind to Ser-
vants and children, and did many a
little service when people had their hands
full.
“Sober Dobbin lifts his clumsy heel.”
Bloomfield : Farmer's Boy. (Winter, Stanza 9.)
Dobbins (Humphrey). The valet-de-
chambre and factotum of Sir Robert
|Bramble, of Blackbury Hall, in the
county of Kent. A blunt, rough-spoken
old retainer, full of the milk of human
kindness, and most devoted to his master.
(G. Colman : The Poor Gentleman.)
Dobby's Walk. The goblin’s haunt
or beat. Dobby is an archaic word for
a goblin or brownie. (See Washington
Irving’s Bracebridge Hall, ii. 183-6.)
Dobby also means an imbecile old man.
“The Dobby's walk, was within the inhabited
domains of the Hall.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of
the I’ettle, chap. x.
Doce'tes (3 syl.). An early heretical
Sect, which maintained that Jesus Christ
was only God, and that His visible form
was merely a phantom ; that the cruci-
fixion and resurrection were illusions.
(The word is Greek, and means phan-
tomists.)
Dock-Alfar. The dark Alfs whose
abode is underground. They are in
appearance blacker than pitch. (Scan-
dinavian mythology.)
Dock-side Lumper (A). One en-
gaged in delivering and loading ships’
Cargoes.
“Judging of my histrionic powers by my out-
ward man, he probably thought me more fit for a
dock-side lumper than an actor.”—C. Thomson :
Autobiography, p. 191.
Dock Warrant (A). An order au-
thorising the removal of goods ware-
housed in the dock.
Doctor. A seventh son used to be so
dubbed from the notion of his being
intuitively skilled in the cure of agues,
the king’s evil, and other diseases.
“Plusieurs groyent qu'en France les septiennes
gargons, mez de legitimes mariages (sans (ſue la
Suitte des sept ait, esté interrompue par la nais-
sance d’aucune fille) peuvent aussi guerir des
ſievres tierces, des fieyres quartes, et mesme des
ecrouelles, après avoir jefine trois ou neuf jours
ayant que de toucher les malades.”—Jean Baptiste
Thiers : Traité des Superstitions, etc., i. p. 436.
Doctor (The). The cook on board
ship, who “doctors” the food. Any
adulterated or doctored beverage ; hence
the mixture of milk, water, nutmeg, and
a little rum, is called Doctor ; the two
former ingredients being “doctored'’
by the two latter.
Doctor (The). Brown sherry, so
called because it is concocted from a
harsh, thin wine, by the addition of old
boiled mosto stock. Mosto is made by
heating unfermented juice in earthen
vessels, till it becomes as thick and
sweet as treacle. This syrup being
added to fresh “must '' ferments, and
the luscious produce is used for doctor-
ing very inferior qualities of wine.
(Shaw : On Wine.)
To doctor the wine. To drug it, or
strengthen it with brandy. The fermen-
tation of cheap wines is increased by fer-
mentable sugar. As such wines fail in
aroma, connoisseurs smell at their wine.
To doctor wine is to make weak wine
stronger, and “sick” wine more palat-
able.
Doctored Dice. Loaded dice.
To doctor the accounts. To falsify
them. They are ill (so far as you are
concerned) and you falsify them to make
them look better. The allusion is to
drugging wine, beer, etc., and to adulte-
ration generally.
Dr. Diafoirus in Molière’s Malade
Imaginaire. A man of fossilised ideas,
who, like the monk, refused to change
his time - honoured mumpsºmets (q.v.),
for the new-fangled Sumpsimus. T)r.
Diafoirus used to say, what was good
enough for his forefathers was good
enough for their posterity, and he had
no patience with the modern fads about
T}r. T)Ove
362
T}Octour
the rotundity of the earth, its motion
round the Sun, the circulation of the
blood, and all such stuff.
IDF, The hero of Southey’s
Doctor.
Dr. FeII. I do not like thee, Dr. Fell.
A correspondent of Notes and Queries
says the author was Tom Brown, who
wrote Dialogues of the Dead, and the
person referred to was Dr. Fell, Dean of
Christchurch (1625–1686), who expelled
him, but said he would remit the sen-
tence if he translated the thirty-third
Hºpigram of Martial:
“Non amo te, Zabidi, nec possum dicere quare;
Hoc tantum possum dicere, non almo te.”
‘I do not like thee, Dr. Fell,
The reaSOn Why I cannot tell;
#ut this iſ know, I know fuſſ well,
I do not like thee, Dr. Fell.” T. Brown.
Mirabilis.
Dove.
Doctor Roger Bacon
(1214-1292).
Doctor My-Book. TXr. John Aber-
ne'thy, so called because he used to say
to his patients, “Read my book ''—on
Surgical Observations. (1765-1830.)
Dr. Rez'io or Pedro Rezio of Ague'ro.
The doctor of Barata'ria, who forbade
Sancho Panza to taste any of the meats
set before him. Roasted partridge was
forbidden by Hippocratēs; podri'da was
the most pernicious food in the world;
rabbits are a sharp-haired diet; veal is
prejudicial to health ; but the governor
might eat a “few wafers, and a thin
slice or two of quince.” (Don Quiacote,
part ii. book iii. chap. 10.)
Dr. Sangra'do, of Wall'adolid', a tall,
meagre, pale man, of very solemn
appearance, who weighed every word he
uttered, and gave an emphasis to his
sage dicta. “His reasoning was geo-
metrical, and his opinions angular.”
He said to the licentiate Sedillo, who
was sick, “If you had drunk nothing
else but pure water all your life, and
eaten only such simple food as boiled
apples, you would not now be tormented
with gout.” He then took from him six
porringers of blood to begin with ; in
three hours he repeated the operation;
and again the next day, saying: “It is
a gross error to suppose that blood is
necessary for life.” With this depletion,
the patient was to drink two or three
pints of hot water every two hours.
The result of this treatment was death
“from obstinacy.” (Gil Blas, chap. ii.)
Doctor Slop. An enthusiast, who
thinks the World hinges on getting Uncle
Toby to understand the action of a new
medical instrument. (Sterne: Thistrain
Shandy.)
A nickname given by William Hone
to Sir John Stoddart, editor of the New
Times. (1773-1856.)
Doctor Squintum. George White-
field, so called by Foote in his farce
entitled The Minor. (1714-1770.)
Theodore Hook applied the same so-
briquet to the Rev. Edward Irving, who
º, * obliquity of the eyes. (1792–
Doctor Syntax. A simple-minded,
pious henpecked clergyman, very simple-
minded, but of excellent taste and
Scholarship, who left home in search of
the picturesque. His adventures are
told in eight-syllable verse in The Tour
of Dr. Syntax, by William Combe. (See
DUKE COMBE.)
JDr. Syntaac’s horse. Grizzle, all skin
and bone. (See HORSE.)
Doctors. False dice, which are
doctored, or made to turn up winning
numbers.
“‘The whole antechamber is full, my lord—
knights and Squires, dogtors and dicers.
“‘The dicers with their doctors in their pockets,
I presume.’”—Scott : Peveril of the Peak, chap.
XXVIII.
“Or chaired at White's, amidst the doctors sit.”
Dwmciad, book i. 203.
Doctors. The three best doctors are
IJr. Quiet, Dr. Diet, and Dr. Merryman.
“Si tibi deficiant medici, medici tibi fiant ...
Haec tria : Mens-laeta, Requies, Moderata-Diaota.”
Doctors' Commons. A locality
near St. Paul’s, where the ecclesiastical
courts were formerly held, and wills
preserved. To “common " means to
dine together ; a term still used at our
universities. TJoctors’ Commons was so
called because the doctors of civil law
had to dine together four days in each
term. This was called eating their terms.
Doctors Disagree. Who Shall de-
cide when doctors disagree. When
authorities differ, the question Sub judice
must be left undecided. (Pope : Moral
I’ssays, epistle iii. line 1.)
Doctor's Stuff. Medicine; stuff sent
from the doctor. -
Doctored Wine. (See To DOCTOR.)
Doctour of Phisikes Tale, in
Chaucer, is the Roman story of Virgi-
nius, given by Livy. There is a version
of this tale in the Roman de la Rose, Vol.
ii. p. 74; and another, by Gower, in his
Confessio Amantis, book vii.
T}octrinists 363
*-**—–
Doctrinists or Doctrinaires. A poli-
tical party which has existed in France
since 1815. They maintain that true
liberty is compatible with a monarchical
Government; and are so called because
they advocate what is only a doctrine or
dream. M. Guizot was one of this party.
Dodge (1 Syl.). An artful device to
evade, deceive, or bilk Some One. (Anglo-
Saxon, deogian, to conceal or colour.)
The religious dodge. Seeking alms by
trading on religion.
The tidy dodge. To dress up a family
clean and tidy so as to excite sympathy,
and make passers-by suppose you have
by misfortune fallen from a respectable
state in Society.
Dodge About (To), in School phrase,
is to skip about and not go straight on
through a lesson. A boy learns a verb,
and the master does not hear him con-
jugate it straight through, but dodges
him about. Also in class not to call
each in order, but to pick a boy here and
there.
Dodger. A “knowing fellow.” One
who knows all the tricks and ways of
London life, and profits by such know-
ledge.
Dodger. The Artful Dodger. John
Dawkins, a young thief, up to every
artifice, and a perfect adept in villainy.
A sobriquet given by Dickens to such a
rascal, in his Oliver Twist, chap. viii.
Dodington, whom Thomson invokes
in his Summer, was George Bubb Dod-
ington, Lord Melcomb-Regis, a British
statesman, who associated much with
the wits of the time. Churchill and Pope
ridiculed him, while Hogarth introduced
him in his wig into his picture called
the Orders of Periwigs.
Dod'ipoll. As wise as Dr. Dodipoll
(or) Doddipole—i.e. not wise at all; a
dunce. (Doddy in dodi-poll and doddy-
pate is probably a variant of totty, small,
puny. Doddy-poll, one of puny in-
tellect.) -
Dodman or Doddiman. A snail. A
word still common in Norfolk; but
Fairfax, in his Bulk and Selwedge (1674),
speaks of “a Snayl or dodman.”
“Doddiman, doddiman, put out your horn,
Here Comes a thief to steal your corn.”
Norfolk rhyme.
Dodo'na. A famous oracle in Epiros,
and the most ancient of Greece. It was
dedicated to Zeus (Jupiter), and situate
in the village of Dodôna.
* The tale is, that Jupiter presented
I)oeg
his daughter Thebé with two black
pigeons which had the gift of human
speech. Lemprière tells us that the
Greek word peleiai (pigeons) means, in
the dialect of the Epirots, old women; so
that the two black doves with human
voice were two black or African women.
One went to Libya, in Africa, and
founded the Oracle of Jupiter Ammon ;
the other went to Epirus and founded
the Oracle of Dodôna. We are also told
that plates of brass were suspended on
the oak trees of Dodona, which being
struck by thongs when the wind blew,
gave various sounds from which the re-
Sponses were concocted. It appears that
this suggested to the Greeks the phrase
Halkos Dodônés (brass of Dodona), mean-
ing a babbler, or one who talks an infi-
nite deal of nothing.
Dods (Meg). The old landlady in
Scott's novel called St. Rona??’s Well.
An excellent character, made up of con-
sistent inconsistencies ; a mosaic of
oddities, all fitting together, and form-
ing an admirable whole. She was so
good a housewife that a cookery book of
great repute bears her name.
Dodson and Fogg. The lawyers
employed by the plaintiff in the famous
case of “Bardell v. Pickwick,” in the
Jºckwick Papers, by Charles Dickens.
Doe (1 syl.). John Doe and Richard
Ičoe. Any plaintiff and defendant in an
action of ejectment. They were sham
names used at One time to save certain
“niceties of law ; ” but the clumsy
device was abolished in 1852. Any
mere imaginary persons, or men of
straw. John Doe, Richard Roe, John o'
Noakes, and Tom Styles are the four
sons of “Mrs. Harris,” all bound ap-
prentices to the legal profession.
Doeg (2 syl.), in the satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for Elka'nah Settle, a poet who
wrote satires upon T}ryden, but was no
match for his great rival. Doeg was
Saul’s herdsman, who had charge of his
mules and asses. He told Saul that the
priests of Nob had provided David with
food; whereupon Saul sent him to put
them to death, and eighty-five were
ruthlessly massacred. (1 Sam. xxi. 7;
xxii. 18.)
“Dočg, though without knowing how or why,
Made Still a blundering kind Of melody . . . .
Let him rail on ; let his invective Muse
Have four-and-twenty letters to abuse,
Which if he jumbles to one line of Sense,
Indict him of a Capital Offence.” • *
Absalom and 4.Chitophel, part ii.
*
T)off
364
Dog
Doff is do-off, as “Doff your hat.”
So Don is do-on, as “Don your clothes.”
JDup is do-up, as “Dup the door” (q.v.).
“DOff thy harness, youth . . .
And tempt not yet the lyrushes Of the war.”
Shakespeare : Troilus and Cressida, Y. 3.
Dog. This long article is Subdivided
into eleven parts: 3.
Dogs of note.
. Dogs of noted perSons. .
. Dogs models of their species,
4, Dogs in phrases.
5. Dogs used metaphorically, etc.
. Dogs in Scripture language.
. I)ogs in art.
. Dogs in proverbs and fables
9. Dogs in superstitions.
T). Dogs the male of animals.
II. Dogs inferior plan (S.
(1) Dogs of Note:
JBarry. The famous mastiff of Great
St. Bernard’s, in the early part of the
present century instrumental in Saving
forty human beings. His most memor-
able achievement was rescuing a little
boy whose mother had been destroyed
by an avalanche. The dog carried the
boy on his back to the hospice. The
stuffed skin of this noble animal is kept
in the museum of Berne.
Gelert (q.v.).
Tonton. The dog which was enclosed
in an a COrn.
Th'ay—i.e. Trag = runner, or else from
the Spanish traér, to fetch. -
(2) Dogs of noted persons:
Aetason’s fifty dogs. Alcé (strength),
Amaryn'thos (from Amary'thia, in Ent-
boa), Asºbolos (soot - colour), Ban’os,
Bor'eas, Can'aché (ringwood), Chediae-
tros, Cisseta, Coran (cºopped, crop-eared),
Cyllo (halt), Cyllop'otēs (zig-zag runner),
Cyprios (the Cyprian), Draco (the dra-
goń), Drom'as (the courser), Dromios
(seize-'em), Ech'nobas, Eu'dromos (good-
;
:
runner), Har'palé (voracious), Harpie'a
(tear-'em), Ichnobaté (track-follower),
Laſbros . (furious), Lacana (ſioness),
Lach'né (glossy-coated), Lacon (Spartan),
Laſdon (from Ladon, in Area'dia), Lae-
laps (hºtºricane), Lampos §º:
Leu'cos (grey), Lycisca, Tynce'a, Ma-
ch'imos (boarer), Melampē (black), Melan-
cheſté (black-coat), Melan'ea (black),
Menele'a, Molossos (from Molossos),
Napa (begotten by a wolf), Nebroph'onos
(fawn-killer), Oc'ydroma (swift-runner),
Ör'esitrophos (mountain-bred), Oribasós
(mountain - ranger), Pachy'tos (thick-
skinned), Pam'phagos (ravenous), Poe'-
menis (leader), Pter'elas (winged), Stricta
(spot), Therid'amas (beast-tamer or sub-
duer), The'ron (savage - faced), Thoös
(swift), U'ranis (heavenly-One).
* Several modern names of dogs are
of Spanish origin, as Ponto (pointer),
Tray (fetch), etc.
Iſing Arthur's favourite hound. Ca-
vall.
Aubry’s dog. Aubry of Montdid'ier
was murdered, in 1371, in the forest of
Bondy. His dog, Dragon, showed a
most unusual hatred to a man named
Richard of Macaire, always snarling and
ready to fly at his throat whenever he
appeared. Suspicion was excited, and
Richard of Macaire was condemned to a
judicial combat with the dog. He was
killed, and in his dying moments con-
fessed the crime.
Belgrade, the
Clumsy.
Browning’s (Mrs.) little dog Flush, on
which she wrote a poem.
Lord Byron’s favourite dog. Boat-
Swain, buried in the garden of Newstead
Abbey.
Catherine de Medici's favourite lap-
dog was named Phoebé.
( * hound was named Luath
Q.º. ).
T}ouglas's hound was named Luffra or
Lufra (q.v.).
Elizabeth of Bohemia’s dog was named
Apollon.
Fingal’s dog was named Bran.
“‘Mar e Bran, is e a blathair' (If it be not Bran,
it is Bran's brother) was the proverbial reply of
Maccombich.”—Waverley, chap. xlv.
Erederick of Wales had a dog given
him by Alexander Pope, and on the
collar were these words
“I am his Highness' dog at Rew ;
Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you ? "
Geryon’s dogs. Gargittios and Orthos.
The latter was the brother of Cer'beros,
but had one head less. Herculês killed
both these monsters.
Icarios's dog. Maera (the glistene)).
Icarios was slain by some drunken peas-
camp-sutler’s dog :

ants, who buried the body under a tree.
His daughter Erigoné, searching for her
father, was directed to the spot by the
howling of Maera, and when she dis-
covered the body she hung herself for
grief. Icarios became the constellation
Iłojtës, Erigone the constellation Virgo,
and Maera, the star P'o'cyon, which rises
in July, a little before the Dog-star.
(Greek, pro-kuon.) -
Renneth's (Sir) famous hound was
called Roswal. (Sir W. Scott : The
Talisman.) -
Lamb’s (Charles) dog was named
Dash. -
Landor's (Savage) dog was named
Giallo.
Landseer's greyhound was named
Brutus. “The Invader of the Larder.”
T}og 36
d - T}og
Llewellyn's greyhound was named
Gelert (q.v.). -
Ludlam's dog. (See LAZY.)
Lurgan’s (Lord) greyhound was named
Master M’Grath, from an orphan boy
who reared it. It won three Waterloo
Cups, and was presented at Court by the
express desire of Queen Victoria, the
very year it died (1866-1871).
Meville's dog. It ran away whenever
it was called. In the corresponding
Italian proverb the dog is called that of
the Vicar Arlotto. (See CHIEN.)
Mauthe dog. (See MAUTHE.)
Sir Isaac Newton’s, Diamond (q.v.).
JDog of Montargis. The same as
Aubry’s dog. A picture of the combat
was for many years preserved in the
castle of Montargis. (See AUBRY's DOG.)
Ori'on's dogs were Arctoph'onos (bear-
killer), and Ptooph'agos (Ptoon-glutton.)
(Ptoon is in Boeotia.)
. Pope’s dog was named Bounce.
Bunch’s dog is Toby.
Richard II.’s greyhound was named
Mathe. It deserted the king and at-
tached itself to Bolingbroke.
Roderick the Goth's dog was named
Theron.
Rupert's (Prince) dog, killed at Mar-
ston Moor, was named Boy.
Scott's (Sir Walter) dogs: his favourite
deerhound was named Maida ; his jet-
black greyhound was called Hamlet.
Pſe also had two Dandy Dinmont
terriers. -
Seven Sleepers (Dog of the). This
famous dog, admitted by Mahomet to
heaven, was named Katmir. The seven
noble youths that fell asleep for 309
years had a dog, which accompanied
them to the cavern in which they were
walled up. It remained standing for
the whole time, and neither moved from
the Spot, ate, drank, nor slept. (Sale’s
Iſoran, xviii., notes.)
Tristran’s dog was named Leon or
Lion.
Ulysses’ dog, Argos, recognised him
after his return from Troy, and died of
JOy.
(3) DOGS, models of their species :
Argoss (a Russian terrier); Baroness
Gardiff (a Newfoundland); Black
JPrince (a mastiff) ; Bow-wow (a schip-
perke); Corney (a bull-terrier); Countess
of Warwick (a great Dame); Dan O'Con-
nor (an Irish water-spaniel); Dude (a
pug); Fascination (a black cocker -
spaniel); Fritz (a French poodle); Judith
(a bloodhound); Iſilcree (a Scotch ter-
rier); King Lud (a bulldog); King of
the Heather (a dandie-dimmont); Mikado
(a Japanese Spaniel); Olga (a deerhound);
Romeo (a King Charles spaniel); Royal
Iſrºteger (a beagle); Scottish Leader (a
Smooth-coated St. Bernard); Sensation
(a pointer); Sir Bedivere (a rough -
Coated St. Bernard); Spinaway (a grey-
hound); Toledo Blade (an English set-
ter); Woodmansterne Trºfoil (a collie).
(4) DOG in phrases:
A dog tº a doublet. A bold, resolute
fellow. In Germany and Flanders the
boldest dogs were employed for hunting
the wild boar, and these dogs were
dressed in a kind of buff doublet but-
toned to their bodies. Rubens and
Sneyders have represented several in
their pictures. A false friend is called a
dog in one’s doublet.
Between dog and wolf. The hour of
dusk. “JEntre chien et loup.”
St. Rock and his dog. Two insepar-
ables. “Toby and his dog.” One is
never seen without the other.
They lead a cat and dog life. Always
quarrelling.
To lead the life of a dog. To live a
wretched life, or a life of debauchery.
(5) DOG, ºſsed metaphorically or symbo-
lically :
The dog. Tiogénēs, the Cynic (B.C.
412-323). When Alexander went to see
him, the young King of Macedonia
introduced himself with these words:
“I am Alexander, surnamed the Great,”
to which the philosopher replied: “And
I am Diogenès, surnamed the Dog.”
The Athenians raised to his memory a
pillar of Parian marble, surmounted by
a dog. (See CYNIC.)
Dog of God. So the Laplanders call
the bear. The Norwegians say it “has
the strength of ten men and the wit of
twelve.” They never presume to speak
of it by its proper appellation, guouztija,
lest it should revenge the insult on
their flocks and herds, but they call it
Möddaaigja (the old man with a fur
cloak).
A dead dog. Something utterly worth-
less. A phrase used two or three times
in the Bible. (See (6).)
A dirty dog. In the East the dog is
still held in abhorrence, as the scavenger
of the streets. “Him that dieth in the
city shall the dogs eat” (1 Kings xiv.
11). The French say, Crotté comme ºn
barbet (muddy or dirty as a poodle),
whose hair, being very long, becomes
filthy with mud and dirt. Generally
speaking, “a dirty dog” is one morally
filthy, and is applied to those who talk
and act nastily. Mere skin dirt is quite
Tog
366
Tog
another matter, and those who are SO
defiled we call dirty pigs.
A surly dog. A human being of a
surly temper, like a Surly dog.
Is thy servant a dog, that he should do
this thing 2 (2 Kings viii. 12, 13)
Hazael means, “Am I Such a brute as to
set on fire the strongholds of Israel, slay
the young men with the Sword, and
dash their children to the ground, as
thou, Elijah, Sayest I shall do when I
am king?”
Sydney Smith being asked if it was
true that he was about to sit to Landseer,
the animal painter, for his portrait,
replied, in the words of Hazael, “What!
is thy servant a dog, that he should do
this thing P”
The Thracian dog. Zoilus.
“I,ike curs, our critics haunt the poet's feast,
And feed on scraps refused by every guest :
From the Old Thracian dog they learned the
: , Way -
To Smar] in want, and grumble o'er their prey.”
Pitt : To Mr. Spence.
Dogs of war. The horrors of war,
especially famine, Sword, and fire.
“And Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge,
With Até by his side, come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines, with a monarch's yoice,
Cry 'Havoc," and let slip the dogs of war.”
Shakespectºre : Julius Cæsar, iii. 1.
(6) DoG (in Scripture language), whether
dead or living, is a most degrading ex-
pression : “After whom is the King of
Israel come out P After a dead dog?”
(1 Sam. xxiv. 14.) “Beware of dogs”
(Phil. iii. 2), i.e. sordid, noisy professors.
Again, “Without are dogs” (Rev. xxii.
15), i.e. false teachers and sinners, who
sin and, return to their sins (2 Peter
ii. 21).
There is no expression in the Bible
of the fidelity, love, and watchful care
of the dog, so highly honoured by our-
selves.
% DOG 772 art.
off, in mediaeval art,
fidelity.
A dog is represented as lying at the
feet of St. Bernard, St. Benignus, and
St. Wendelin; as licking the wounds of
St. Roch ; as carrying a lighted torch in
representations of St. Dominic.
Dogs in monuments. The dog is placed
at the feet of women in monuments to
symbolise affection and fidelity, as a
Zion is placed at the feet of men to
signify courage and magnanimity. Many
of the Crusaders are represented with
their feet on a dog, to show that they
followed the standard of the Lord as
faithfully as a dog follows the footsteps
of his master, -
symbolises
(8) DoG in proverbs, fables, and pro-
verbial phrases :
Barking dogs seldom bite.
ING.
Dog don't eat dog. Ecclesia ecclesiam
non decimat; government letters are
not taxed; church lands pay no tithes
to the church.
A black dog has walked over him. Said
of a sullen person. Horace tells us
that the sight of a black dog with its
pupS * an unlucky Omen. (See BLACK
DOG.
A dog in the manger. . A churlish
fellow, who will not use what is wanted
by another, nor yet let the other have it
to use. The allusion is to the well-known
fable of a dog that fixed his place in a
manger, and would not allow an ox to
come near the hay.
I'very dog has his day. In Latin,
“EIodie mihi, cras tibi.” “Nunc mihi,
nume tibi, benigma’’ [fortuna]. In Ger-
man, “ Heute mir, morgen dir.” You
may crow over me to-day, but my turn
will come by-and-by. The Latin pro-
verb, “ Hodie mihi,” etc., means, “I
died to-day, your turn will come in
time.” The other Latin proverb means,
fortune visits every man once. She
favours me now, but she will favour
you in your turn.
“Thus every dog at last will have his day—
He who this morning Smiled, at night may
Theºday's a, butterfly to-morrow.”
eter Pindar: Odes of Condolence,
Give a dog a bad name and hang him.
If you want to do anyone a wrong,
throw dirt on him or rail against him.
Gone to the dogs. Gone to utter ruin;
impoverished.
IHe has not a dog to lick a dish. He
has quite cleared out. He has taken
away everything.
He who has a mind to beat his dog will
easily find a stick. In Latin, “Qui vult
capdere canem facile invenit fustem.” If
you want to abuse a person, you will
easily find something to blame. Dean
Swift says, “If you want to throw a
(See BARK-
stone, every lane will furnish one.”
“To him who wills, ways will not be
wanting.” “Where there’s a will there's
a way.”
JHungry dogs will eat dirty pudding.
Those really hungry are not particular
about what they eat, and are by no
means dainty. When Darius in his
flight from Greece drank from a ditch
defiled with dead carcases, he declared
he had never drunk so pleasantly before. .
It was the story of the dog and the
shadow—i, e, of one who throws good
T}og
367
T}og-whipper
money after bad; of one, who gives
certa pro incertis. The allusion is to
the well-known fable.
“Illudit species, ac den'tibus aéra mordit.”
(Down sank the meat in the Stream for the
fishes to hoard it.)
Love ºne love my dog. “Qui m'aime
aime mon chien,” or “Qui aime Bertrand
aime son chien.” #
Old dogs will not learn ſlew tricks.
People in old age do not readily conform
to new ways.
To call off the dogs. To break up
a disagreeable conversation. In the
chase, if the dogs are on the Wrong
track, the huntsman calls them off.
(French, rompre les chiens.) gº
Throni, it to the dogs. Throw it away,
it is useless and worthless.
What ſ keep a dog and bark ºyself!
Must Ikeep servants and myself do their
Work? -
You are like Neville's dog, which rººms
away when it is called. (See CHIEN.)
(9) Dog, Dogs, in Superstitions :
Dogs, howl at death. A wide-spread
superstition.
“In the rabbinical book it saith
The dogs howl when, with icy breath,
Great Sammaël, the angel of death,
Takes thro’ the town his flight.” . ...
Longfellow : Golden Legend, iii.
The hair of the dog that bit you. When
a man has had a debauch, he is advised
to take next morning “a hair of the
same dog,” in allusion, to an ancient
notion that the burnt hair of a dog is an
antidote to its bite.
(10) Dog, to express the male of animals,
as dog-ape, dog-fox, dog-Otter.
(11) Dog, applied to inferior plants :
dog-brier, dog-berry, dog-cabbage, dog-
daisy, dog-fennel, dog-leek, dog-lichen,
dog-mercury, dog-parsley, dog-violets
(which have no perfume), dog-wheat.
(See below, DOG-GRASS, DOG-ROSE.
Dog and Duck. A public-house sign,
to announce that ducks were hunted by
dogs within. The sport was to see the
duck dive, and the dog after it. At
Lambeth there was a famous pleasure-
resort so called, on the spot where Beth-
lehem. Hospital now stands.
Dog-cheap. A perversion of the
old English god-chepe (a good bargain).
French, bon marché (good-cheap or bar-
gain).
“The sack . . . . would haye bºught me light;
as good-cheap at the dearest chandler's in Europe.”
—Shakespeare: 1 IIemºry IV., iii. 3.
Dog-days. T)ays of great heat. The
Romans called the six or eight hottest
weeks of the Summer canicula'rés diēs.
According to their theory, the dog-star or
Sirius, rising with the sun, added to its
heat, and the dog-days bore the com-
bined heat of the dog-star and the sun,
(July 3rd to August 11th.)
Dog-fall (in wrestling), when both
wrestlers fall together.
Dog-grass (triticiſm repens). Grass
eaten by dogs when they have lost their
appetite; it acts as an emetic and pur-
gative.
Dog-head (in machinery).
which bites or holds the gun-flint.
Dog-headed Tribes of India. Men-
tioned in the Italian romance of Gueri'ºo
Meschi'770.
Dog-Latin. Pretended or mongrel
Latin. An excellent example is Stevens'
definition of a kitchen :
As the law classically expresses it, a kitchen is
“camera, necessaria pro usus cookare ; cum Sauce-
pannis, Stew pannis, Scullero, dressero, goal bolo,
stovis, Smoak-jacko; pro roastandum, boilandum,
fryandum, et lolum-pudding-mixandum. . . .”—A
Law Report (Daniel v. Dish clout).
Dog-leech (A). A dog - doctor.
Formerly applied to a medical practi-
tioner; it expresses great contempt.
That
Dog-rose. Botanical name, Cynor-
rhodos—i.e. Greek kuno-rodon, dog-rose ;
so called because it was supposed to cure
the bite of a mad dog (Rosa, Carºa,
wild brier).
“A morsu vero [i.e. of a mad dog] unicum re-
medium oraculo quodam nuper repertum, radix
Sylvestris rosæ, quae cynorrhodoS appellatur.”—
Plimy : Natural History, viii. 63; xxv. 6.
Dog-sick. Sick as a dog. We also
say “Sick as a cat.” The Bible speaks
of dogs “ returning to their vomit
again?’ (Prov. xxvi. 11; 2 Pet. ii. 22).
Dog-sleep (A). A pretended sleep.
Dogs seem to sleep with “one eye open.”
Dog-star. The brightest star in the
firmament. (See DoG-DAYS.)
Dog-vane (A). A cockade.
“Dog-vane is a term familiarly applied to a
cockade.”—Smyth. : Sailors' Word-bools.
Dog-watch. A corruption of dodge-
watch : two short watches, one from four
to six, and the other from six to eight in
the evening, introduced to dodge the
routine, or prevent the same men always
keeping watch at the same time. (See
WATCH.)
Dog-whipper (A). A beadle who
whips all dogs from the precincts of a
church. At one time there was a church
officer so called. Even so recently as
1856 Mr. John Pickard was appointed
Dog-whipping
368
T}ogmatic Facts
“dog-whipper” in Exeter Cathedral,
“in the room of Mr. Charles Reynolds,
deceased.” (Exeter Gazette.)
Tºog-whipping Day. October 18th
(St. Luke’s Day). It is said that a dog
once swallowed the consecrated wafer
in York Minster on this day.
Dogs (a military term). The 17th
Lancers or Duke of Cambridge's Own
Lancers. The crest of this famous
cavalry regiment is a Death’s Head and
Cross-bones, OR GLORY, whence the
acrostic Death Or Glory (D.O.G.).
The Spartan injunction, when the young Soldier
was presented with his shield, was, “With this,
or On this,” Which meant the same thing.
Dogs, in Stock-Exchange phraseology,
means Newfoundland Telegraph shares
—that is, Newfoundland dogs. (See
STOCK-ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Dogs. Isle of Dogs. When Green-
wich was a place of royal residence, the
kennel for the monarch’s hounds was on
the opposite side of the river, hence
called the “Isle of Dogs.”
Dogs (Green). Extinct like the Dodo.
Brederode said to Count Louis, “I
would the whole race of bishops and
cardinals were extinct, like that of
green dogs.” (Motley : Dutch Republic,
part ii. 5.)
Dogs’-ears. The corners of leaves
crumpled and folded down.
Dogs’-eared. Leaves so crumpled and
turned up. The ears of many dogs turn
down and seem quite limp.
Dogs'-meat. Food unfit for con-
sumption by human beings.
I)ogs'-meat and cats'-meat. Food cheap
and nasty.
Dog's-nose. Gin and beer.
“‘ Dog's-nose, which is, I believe, a mixture of
gin and beer.' .
“’ So it is,” said an old lady.”—Pickwick Papers.
Dogged. He dogged me, i.e. followed
me about like a dog ; shadowed me.
Dogged (2 Syl.). Sullen, Snappish,
like a dog.
Do'gares'sa (? = j).
doge.
Dogberry. An ignorant, self-satis-
fied, overbearing, but good - natured
night-constable in Shakespeare’s Much
Ado about Nothing.
Toge (1 syl., g = 7). The chief magis-
trate in Venice while it was a Republic.
The first duke or doge was Anafesto
Paoluccio, created 697. The chief
magistrate of Gen’oa was called a doge
The wife of a
down to 1797, when the Republican
form of Government was abolished by
the French. (Latin, dua, a “duke” or
“ leader.”
“For six hundred years . . . . her [Venice's]
government was an elective monarchy, her . . . .
doge possessing, in early times at least, as much
independent authority, as any other European
ºsmºnum Stomes of Venice, vol. i. chap.
Joſe. The ceremony of wedding the
Adriatic was instituted in 1174 by Pope
Alexander III., who gave the doge a gold
ring from off his own finger in token of
the victory achieved by the Venetian
fleet at Istria over Frederick Barbarossa,
in defence of the Pope's quarrel. When
his Holiness gave the ring he desired the
doge to throw a similar one into the sea,
every year on Ascension Day, in com-
memoration of the event. (See BUCEN-
TAUR.)
JDirty dog. (See under Dog, No. 5.)
This alludes more to the animal called
a dog, but implies the idea of badness.
Dogget. , Doſ/ſ/et’s coat and badge.
The first prize in the Thames rowing-
match, given on the 1st of August every
year. So called from Thomas Dogget,
an actor of Drury Lane, who signalised
the accession of George I. to the throne
by giving a waterman’s coat and badge
to the winner of the race. The Fish-
mongers’ Company add a guinea to the
prize. The race is from the “Swan ’’
at London Bridge to the “Swan ’’ at
Chelsea.
Doggerel.
rhymes.
Dogma (Greek). A religious doc-
trine formally stated. It now means a
statement resting on the ipse diacit of
the speaker. Dogmatic teaching used to
mean the teaching of religious doctrines,
but now dogmatic means overbearing
and dictatorial. (Greek dogma, gen.
dogmátos, a matter of opinion ; verb
dokeo, to think, whence dogmatizo.)
Inferior sort of verse in
T}ogmatic Facts.
(1) The supreme authority of the Pope
of Rome over all churches.
(2) His right to decide arbitrarily all
controversies.
ğ) Pſis right to convoke councils at
WIII.
(4) His right to revise, repeal, or con-
firm decrees.
(5) His right to issue decrees bearing
On discipline, morals and doctrine.
(6) The Pope is the centre of com-
munion, and separation from him is
excommunication. -
}
Dogmatic School
(7) He has ultimate authority to ap-
point all bishops.
(8) He has power to depose any eccle-
siastic.
(9) He has power to judge every
question of doctrine, and pronounce in-
fallibly what the Church shall or shall
not accept. -
Dogmatic School of Medicine.
Founded by Hippocratēs, and so called
because it set out certain dogmas Or
theoretical principles which it made the
basis of practice.
Dogmatic Theology is that which
treats of the dog'mata (doctrines) of
religion.
Doiley. (See Doyſ.E.Y.)
Doit (1 syl.). Not a doit. The doit
was a Scotch silver coin – one-third of
a farthing. In England the doit was a
base coin of Small value prohibited by
3 Henry V. c. 1.
“When they will not give a doit to relieve a
lame beggar, they will lay out ten to See a dead
Indian.”—Shakespeare : The Tempest, ii. 2.
Dola"bra. A Roman axe.
JDolābra fossória. The pickaxe used
'by miners and excavators.
Dolābra pontificălis. The priest's
hatchet for slaughtering animals.
Dolce far Niente (Italian). De-
lightful idleness. Pliny has “Jucundum
tamen nihil agere” (Ep. viii. 9).
Doldrums (The). The name given
to that region of the ocean near the equa-
tor noted for calms, squalls, and baffling
winds, between the N.E. and S.E. trade-
winds.
“But from the bluff-head, wl ere I Watched to-day,
. I Saw her in the doldrums. - -
Byrom, : The Island, can to ii. Stanza 21.
In the doldrums. In the dumps.
Dole, lamentation, from the Latin
doleo, to grieve. -
“He [the dwarf] found the dead bodies, where-
fore he made great dole.”—S. Lamier : King Arthur,
book i. Chap. xiv.
Dole, a portion allotted, is the Anglo-
Saxon dà!, a portion.
“Heaven has in store a precious dole.” .
Reble: Christian Year (4th Sunday after Trinity).
IIappy man be his dole. May his share
Orlot be that of a happy or fortunate man.
“Wherein, happy man be his dole, I trust that I
Shall not Speed Worst, and that very quickly.”
Damon (tºmd Pythias, i. 177.
Dole-fish. The share of fish allotted
to each one of a company of fishermen
in a catch. Dole = the part dealt to
anyone. (Anglo-Saxon, ddl or dael, from
the verb dael-an, to divide into parts.)
369
T}olorous
—a-
Doll Money. A lady of Duxfords
left a sum of money to be given away
annuz ºr in the parish, and to be called
Doll Moº-ºº. . Doll is a corruption of
dole, Saxon dàl (a share distributed).
Dollar. Marked thus $, either Scºttºn
or 8, a dollar being a “piece of eight.”
[reals]. The two lines indicate a con-
traction, as in Tb.
The word is a variant of thaler
(Low German, dahler; Danish, daler),
and means “a valley,” our dale. The
counts of Schlick, at the close of the
fifteenth century, extracted from the
mines at Joachim’s thal (Joachim’svalley)
silver which they coined into ounce-
pieces. These pieces, called Joachim’s-
thaley's, gained such high repute that
they became a standard coin. Other
coins being made like them were called
thalers only. The American dollar equals
100 cents, in English money a little more
than four shillings.
Dolly Murrey. A character in
Crabbe's Borough, who died playing
cards.
“‘A vole a vole she cried, “’tis fairly won.' ..
This Said she, gently, with a single Sigh,
Died as one taught and practised how to die.”
Crabbe : Borough.
Dolly Shop. A shop where rags and
refuse are bought and sold. So called
from the black doll suspended over it as
a sign. Dolly shops are, in reality, no
better than unlicensed pawnshops. A
black doll used to be the sign hung out
to denote the sale of silks and muslins
which were fabricated by Indians.
Dolmen. A name given in France
to what we term “cromlechs.” These
ancient remains are often called by the
rural population devils’ tables, fairies’
tables, and so on. (Celtic, stone tables.)
It consists of a slab resting on unhewn
upright stones. Plural dolmens (dol, a
table ; ºneſ?, a stone).
“The Indian dolmens . . . may be said to be
identical with those of Western Europe.”—J. Lub-
bock: Prehistoric Times, chap. V. p. 129.
Dolopa’tos. A French metrical ver-
sion of San‘dabar’s Parables, written by
Iſebers or Herbers or Prince Philippe,
afterwards called Philippe le Hardi.
T}olopa’tos is the Sicilian king, and
Virgil the tutor of his son Lucinien.
(See SEVEN WISE MASTERS.)
Dolorous Dettie (The). John Skel-
ton wrote an elegy on Henry Percy,
fourth Earl of Northumberland, who
fell a victim to the awarice of Henry
VII. (1489). This elegy he entitled
thus: “Upon the Dolorous Dettie and
24
Tolphin.
370
f}ominicans
Much Lamentable Chaunce of the Most
Płonorable Earl of Northumberland.”
Dolphin. Called a sea-goose (oie de
'mer) from the form of its snout, termed
in French bec d'oie (a goose's beak). The
dolphin is noted for its changes of colour
when taken out of the water.
... " ... - - - “Parting day
Ilies like the dolphin, whom each pang imbues
With a new colour as it gasps away,
The last still 10 yeliest.” -
Byrom, : Childe Harold, canto iv. stanza. 29.
Dolphin (The), in mediaeval art,
symbolises social love.
Dom. A title applied in the Middle
Ages to the Pope, and at a somewhat
later period to other Church dignitaries.
It is now restricted to priests and choir
monks among the Benedictines, and some
few other monastic orders, as Dom Ma-
billon, Dom Calmet. The Spanish don,
Bortuguese dom, German von, and French
de, are pretty well equivalent to it.
(Latin, dom'iºus.)
Dombey (Florence). A motherless
child, hungering and thirsting to be
loved, but regarded with frigid indiffer-
ence by her father, who thinks that
sons alone are worthy of his regard.
(Dickens : Dombey and Son.)
Mr. Dombey. A self-sufficient, purse-
proud, frigid merchant, who feels satis-
fied there is but one Dombey in the
world, and that is himself. (Dickens :
Dombey and Son.) -
Dom-Daniel. The abode of evil
spirits, gnomes, and enchanters, some-
where “under the roots of the ocean,”
but not far from Babylon. (Continuation
of the Arabian Tales.)
“In the T)Omdaniel caverns
IJnder the roots of the ocean.” Southey.
Domesday Book consists of two
volumes, one a large folio, and the other
a quarto, the material of each being
vellum. It was formerly kept in the
Exchequer, under three different locks
and keys, but is now kept in the Record
Office. The date of the survey is 1086.
Northumberland, Cumberland, West-
moreland, and Durham are not included
in the survey, though parts of Westmore-
land and Cumberland are taken.
The value of , all estates is given,
firstly, as in the time of the Confessor;
secondly, when bestowed by the Con-
queror; and, thirdly, at the time of the
survey. It is also called The King’s
Book, and The Winchester Roll because
it was kept there. Printed in facsimile
in 1783 and 1816.
Stow says the book was so called
because it was deposited in a part of
Winchester Cathedral called Domus-dei,
and that the word is a contraction of
Domus-dei book; more likely it is con-
nected with the previous surveys made
by the Saxon kings, and called dom-bocs
(libri judicia'lés), because every case of
dispute was decided by an appeal to
these registers.
“Then Seyde Gamelyn to the Justice. . .
Thou hast given domes that bin evil dight,
I will sitten in thy Sete, and dressen him
aright. -
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales (The Cookes Tale).
Domestic. England’s domestic poet.
William Cowper, author of The Task.
(1731-1800.) -
Domestic Poultry, in Dryden’s Hind
and Panther, means the Roman Catholic
clergy. So called from an establishment
of priests in the private chapel at White-
hall. The nuns are termed “sister
partlet with her hooded head.”
Domiciliary visit (A). An official
visit to search the house,
Dominic (St.). (1170-1221.) A Span-
ish priest who founded the Inquisition,
and the order called the Dominicans or
Preaching Friars. He was called by the
IPope “Inquisitor - General,” and was
canonised by Gregory IX.
* Some say the Inquisition existed in
1184, when Dominic was under fourteen
years of age. ... "
He is represented with a sparrow at his
side, and a dog carrying in its mouth a
burning torch. The devil, it is said, ap-
peared to the saint in the form of a
sparrow, and the dog refers to a dream
which his mother had during pregnancy.
She dreamt that she had given birth to
a dog, spotted with black and white
spots, which lighted the world with a
burning torch.
He is also represented Solmetimes with a city in
his hand and a star either on his forehead or on
his breast ; sometimes also with a sword in his
hand and a pile of books burning beside him, to
denote his severity with heretics.
Domin'ical Letters. The letters
which denote the Sundays or diès do-
Amin'ica. The first seven letters of the
alphabet are employed; so that if A
stands for the first Sunday in the year,
the other six letters will stand for the
other days of the week, and the octave
Sunday will come round to A again. In
this case A will be the Sunday or Do-
minical Letter for the whole year.
Domin'icans. Preaching friars
founded by Dominic de Guzman, at
Toulouse, in 1215. Formerly called in
---, .
Tominie
England Black Friars, from their black
dress, and in France Jac'obins, because
their mother-establishment in Paris was
in the Rue St. Jacques.
Dom'inie Sampson. A village
schoolmaster and scholar, poor as a
church mouse, and modest as a girl.
He cites Latin like a porcus litera'rum,
and exclaims “Prodigious !” (Scott :
Guy Mannering.) (See STILLING...)
Dominions. One of the Orders of
angels, symbolised in Christian art by an
ensign.
Domino (A).
Canons; a mask. '.
“Ce nom, qu'on donnait.autrefois, par allusion
à quelque passage de la liturgie, au gamgil dont
les prêtresse couvrent la tête et les épaules pen-
dant l'hiver, ne designe aujourd’hui qu'un habit
de déguisenment pour les bals masqués.”—Bowillet:
Dictionnaire des Sciences, etc.
Dom'inoes (3 syl.). The teeth; also
called ivories. Dominoes are made of
Ivory.
Domisel'lus. The son of a king,
prince, knight, or lord before he has
entered on the order of knighthood.
Also an attendant on some abbot or
nobleman. The person domiciled in your
house. Hence the king’s body-guards
were called his damoiseanta, or damsels.
Eroissart styles Richard II. le jeune
damoisel Richart. Similarly Louis VII.
(Le Jeune) was called the royal damsel.
“Damoisel, ou Damoiseau designait, autrefois
les fils de chevaliers, de barons, et toutes les
jeunes. gentilshommeš qui m'etaient pas encore
chevaliers. On le donnait aussiaux fils des rois
(ſui n'etaient pas encore en etat de Dorter les
al’lmes.”—Bouillet : Dict. Universel.
Domisellus and domisella are diminu-
tives of domineſs, a lord. In old French
we find damoiseau and damoiselle. The
word Ma-demoiselle is ma domisella or
damoiselle.
Don is do-on, as “Don your bonnet.”
(See DOFF, DUP.)
“Then up he rose, and donned his clothes,
And dupp'd the chamber door.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, iv. 5.
Don. A man of mark, an aristocrat,
At the universities the masters, fellows,
and noblemen are termed dons. (Spanish.)
Don Giovan'ni. Mozart's best opera.
(See DON JUAN.)
Don Ju'an. A native of Seville, son
of Don José and Donna Inez, a blue-
stocking. When Juan was sixteen years
old he got into trouble with Donna julia,
and was sent by his mother, then a widow,
On his travels. His adventures form the
story of the poem, which is incomplete.
(Byron : Don Juan.)
A hood worn by
371
1)onda.sch.
A Don Juan. A libertine of the aris-
tocratic class. The original of this cha-
racter was Don Juan Tenorio of Seville,
who lived in the fourteenth century.
The traditions concerning him have
been dramatised by Tirso de Molina;
thence passed into Italy and France.
Glück has a musical ballet of Don Juan,
and Mozart has immortalised the cha-
racterin his opera of Don Giovanni (1787).
Don Quixote (2 syl.). A gaunt
Country gentleman of La Mancha, gentle
and dignified, affectionate and simple-
minded, but so crazed by reading books
of knight-errantry that he believes him-
Self called upon to redress the wrongs of
the whole world, and actually goes forth
to avenge the oppressed and run a tilt
with their oppressors. The word Quixote
means The cuish-armed. (See QUIxoTIC.)
A Don Quiacote. A dreamy, unprac-
tical man, with a “bee in his bonnet.”
Donation of Pepin (The). When
Pepin conquered Ataulf the ex-archate
of Ravenna fell into his hands. Pepin
gave both the ex-archate and the Re-
public of Rome to the Pope, and this
munificent gift is the famous “Dona-
tion ” on which rested the whole fabric
of the temporal power of the Popes of
Rome (A.D. 755).
Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy, dis-
possessed the Pope of his temporal
dominions, and added the Papal States
to the united kingdom of Italy (1870).
Don'atists. Followers of Donaſtus,
a Numidian bishop who opposed Ceci-
lia'nus. . Their chief dogma is that the
outward church is nothing, “for the
letter killeth, it is the spirit that giveth
life.” (Founded 314.)
Doncaster. Sigebert, monk of Gem-
|blours, in 1100, derived this word from
Thong-ceaster, the “Castle of the
thong,” and says that Hengist and
Horsa purchased of the British king as
much land as he could encompass with a
leather thong. The thong was cut into
Strips, and encompassed the land occu-
pied by the city of Doncaster. -
This is the old tale of Dido and the
hide, and so is the Russian Yakutsks.
(See BURSA.)
* Of course it means the “City on the
river Don.” (Celtic, Don, that which
spreads.)
Dondasch'. An Oriental giant con-
temporary with Seth, to whose service
he was attached. He needed no weapons,
as he could destroy anything by the mere
force of his arms.
T)One BrOWrm.
372 Toomsday
Done Brown. He was done brown.
Completely bamboozled or made a fool
of. This is a variety of the many ex-
pressions of a similar meaning con-
nected with cooking, such as “I gave
him a roasting,” “I cooked his goose,”
“I cut him into mince-meat,” “I put
him into a pretty stew,” “I settled his
hash,” “He was dished up,” “He was
well dressed” [drubbed], “He was
served out,” etc. (See COOKING...)
Bone For or /ćegularly done for.
TJtterly ruined. This “for” is the
adverb = thoroughly, very common as a
prefix.
Done Up. Thoroughly tired and
wearied out. Up means ended, com-
pleted, as the “game is up ’’ (over,
finished), and adverbially it means
“completely,” hence to be “done up ’’
is to be exhausted completely.
Don'egild (3 Syl.). The wicked
mother of Alla, King of Northumber-
land. Hating Cunstance because she
was a Christian, she put her on a raft
with her infant son, and turned her
adrift. When Alla returned from Scot-
land and discovered this cruelty of his
mother, he put her to death. (Chaucer :
Man of Lawes Tale.)
* The tradition of St. Mungo re-
sembles the Man of Lawes Tale in many
respects.
Donkey. An ass. It was made to
rhyme with “monkey,” but is never now
so pronounced. The word means a little
tawny or dun-coloured animal.
JDonkey. The cross of the donkey’s
pack is popularly attributed to the
honour conferred on the beast by our
Lord, who rode on an ass in “His tri-
umphant entry’’ into Jerusalem on Palm
Sunday. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
The donkey means one thing and the
driver another. Different people see from
different standpoints, their own interest
in every case directing their judgment.
The allusion is to a fable in Phaedrus,
where a donkey-driver exhorts his don-
key to flee, as the enemy is at hand. The
donkey asks if the enemy will load him
with double pack-saddles. “No,” says
the man. “Then,” replies the donkey,
“what care I whether you are my mas-
ter or someone else?”
To ride the black donkey. To be pig-
headed, obstinate like a donkey. Black
is added, not so much to designate the
Colour, as to express what is bad.
Two more, and up goes the donkey—
3.0, two pennies more, and the donkey
shall be balanced on the top of the pole
or ladder. It is said to a braggart, and
means—what you have said is wonderful,
but if we admit it without gainsaying
we shall soon be treated with something
still more astounding.
Who ate the donkey 2. When the French
were in their flight from Spain, after the
battle of Vittoria, some stragglers entered
a village, and demanded rations. The
villagers killed a donkey, and served it
to their hated foes. Next day they con- .
tinued their flight, and were waylaid by
the villagers, who assaulted them most
murderously, jeering them as they did
i. with the shout, “Who ate the don-
€ f 22
Who stole the donkey 2 This was for
many years a jeer against policemen.
When the force was first established a
donkey was stolen, but the police failed
to discover the thief, and this failure
gave rise to the laugh against them.
Who stole the donkey & Answer: “The
man with the white hat.” It was said,
in the middle of the nineteenth century,
that white hats were made of the skins
of donkeys, and that many donkeys
were stolen and sold to hatters.
Donkey Engine (A). A Small engine
of from two to four horse-power.
Dony. Florimel's dwarf. (Spenser:
Paërie Queene, book iii. Canto 5.)
Don'zel (Italian). A squire or young
man of good birth.
“He is esquire to a knight-errant, donzel to the
damsels.”—Battle?' - Chan'acters.
Doolin of Mayence. . The hero, of a
French romance of chivalry, and the
father of Ogier the Dame. .
Doolin’s Sword. Merveilleuse (won-
derful). (See SWORD.)
IRoom. The crack of doom. The signal
for the final judgment.
Doom Book (dom-bot) is the book of
dooms or judgments compiled by King
Alfred. (See DOMESDAY BOOK.)
Doom-rings, or Circles of Judgment.
An Icelandic term for circles of Stones
resembling Stonehenge and Avebury.
Doomsday Sedgwick. William Sedg-
wick, a fanatical prophet and preacher
during the Commonwealth. . He pre-
tended to have had it revealed to him in
as vision that doomsday was at hand;
and, going to the house of Sir Francis
Russell, in Cambridgeshire, he called
upon a party of gentlemen playing at
bowls to leave off and prepare for the
approaching dissolution. -
Doormsteadi
373
T)origen
Doomstead. The horse of the Scan-
dinavian Nornes or Fates. (See HORSE.)
Door. (Greek, thºra; Anglo-Saxon,
dora.) **
The door must be either shut or open.
It must be one way or the other. This
is from a French comedy called Le Gron-
deltr, where the master scolds his servant
for leaving the door open. The servant
says that he was scolded the last time
for shutting it, and adds: “Do you
wish it shut?”—“No.”—“Do you wish
it open?”—“No.”—“Why,” says the
man, “it must be either shut or open.”
JHe laid the charge at my door. He
accused me of doing it.
JYeact door to it.
next door to it, i.e. very like it, next-
door neighbour to it.
Sin lieth at the door (Gen. iv. 7). The
'blame of sin lies at the door of the
wrong-doer, and he must take the con-
Sequences.
Door Nail. (See DEAD.) Scrooge's
partner is “dead as a door-nail.” (Dick-
ens : Christmas Carol, chap. i.)
Door-opener (The). So Cratās, the
Theban, was called, because every morn-
ing he used to go round Athens and
rebuke the people for their late rising.
Door-tree (A). The wooden bar of
a door to secure it at night from in-
truders. Also a door-post.
Doors [house]. As, come indoors,
go indoors. So Virgil: “ Tum foribus
divae . . [Didol ... resedit.” (Then Dido
seated herself in the house or temple
of the goddess.) (AEmeid, i. 505.)
Out of doors. Outside the house ; in
the open air.
Doorm. An earl called “the Bull,”
who tried to make Enid his handmaid;
but, when she would neither eat, drink,
nor array herself in bravery at his bid-
ding, “he smote her on the cheek; ”
whereupon her lord and husband, Count
Geraint, starting up, slew the “russet-
bearded earl” in his own hall. (Tenny-
son : Idylls of the King ; Enid.)
Dora. The first wife of David Cop-
perfield; she was a child-wife, but no
help-meet. She could do nothing of
practical use, but looked on her husband
with idolatrous love. Tennyson has a
poem entitled Dora. * . ºf
Dorado (El). (See EL DoRADo.)
Doºrax. A Portuguese renegade, in
Dryden's Don Sebastian—by far the best
of all his characters.
As, if not so, it was
Dor'cas Society. A society for sup-
plying the poor with clothing. So called
from Dorcas, mentioned in Acts ix. 39.
Dor'chester. As big as a Dorchester
butt. Very corpulent, like the butts of
Dorchester. Of Toby Filpot it is said:
“His breath-doors of life on a sudden were shut,
And he died full as big as a Dorchester butt.”
- O'Keefe : I’oor Soldier.
Do'ric. The oldest, strongest, and
simplest of the Grecian orders of archi-
tecture. So called from Doris, in Greece,
or the Dorians who employed it. The
Greek Doric is simpler than the Roman
imitation. The former stands on the
pavement without fillet or other orna-
ment, and the flutes are not scalloped.
The Roman column is placed on a plinth,
has fillets, and the flutings, both top and
bottom, are Scalloped.
Doric Dialect. The dialect spoken
by the natives of Doris, in Greece. It was
broad and hard. Hence, any broad dia-
lect.
Doric Land. Greece, Doris being a
part of Greece.
“Thro
Of Doric land.” .
Milton : Paradise Lost, book i. 510.
Do'ric Reed. Pastoral poetry. Every-
thing Doric was very plain, but cheerful,
chaste, and Solid. The Dorians were the
pastoral people of Greece, and their dia-
lect was that of the country rustics.
Our own Bloomfield and Robert Burns
are examples of British Doric.
“The Doric reed once more
Well pleased, I tune.” -
- Thomsom, : Autumn, 3–4.
Dor'icourt. A sort of Tremaine of
the eighteenth century, who, having
over-refined his taste by the “grand
tour,” considers English beauties in-
sipid. He falls in love with Letitia,
Hardy at a masquerade, after feeling
aversion to her in her assumed character
of a hoyden. (Mrs. Cowley: The Belle’s
Stratagem.)
Dor'igen. . A lady of high family,
who married Arvir’agus out of pity for
his love and meekness. She was greatly
beloved by Aurelius, to whom she had
been long known. Aurelius, during the
absence of Arviragus, tried to win the
heart of the young wife; but Dorigen
made answer that she would never listen
ugh all the bounds
, to him till the rocks that beset the coast
of Britain are removed ‘‘ and there n’is
no stone ySeen.” . Aurelius, by the aid.
of a young magician of Orleans, caused
all the rocks to disappear, and claimed
his reward, Dorigen was very sad, but
Dorimant
374, Douay Bible
her husband insisted that she should keep
her word, and she went to meet Aure-
lius. When Aurelius saw how sad she
was, and heard what Arviragus had
counselled, he said he would rather die
than injure so true a wife and noble a
gentleman. So she returned to her
husband happy and untainted. (See
DIANORA.) (Chaucer : Franklines Tale.)
* Dor’imant. Trawn from the Earl
of Rochester; a witty, aristocratic liber-
tine, in Etherege's Man of Mode.
Dorinda, in the verses of the Earl of
Dorset, is Catherine Sedley, Countess of
Dorchester, mistress of James II.
INormer Window. The window of
an attic standing out from the slope of
the roof. (O. French, dorméor=a sleep-
ing room formerly fitted with windows
of this kind.)
“Thatched were theroofs, with dormer windows.”
l,07tſ/fellow: Evangélimé, part i. Stanza 1.
Dornock. Stout figured linen for
tablecloths; so called from a town in
Scotland, where it was originally made.
Dorothea (St.), represented with a
rose-branch in her hand, a wreath of
roses on her head, and roses with fruit
|by her side; sometimes with an angel
carrying a basket with three apples and
three roses. The legend is that Theo-
philus, the judge’s secretary, scoffingly
said to her, as she was going to execu-
tion, “Send me some fruit and roses,
Dorothea, when you get to Paradise.”
Immediately after her execution, while
Theophilus was at dinner with a party
of companions, a young angel brought
to him a basket of apples and roses,
saying, “From Dorothea, in Paradise,”
and wanished. Theophilus, of course,
was a convert from that moment.
Dorset. Once the seat of albritish tribe,
calling themselves Dwr-trigs (water-
dwellers). The Romans colonised the
settlement, and Latinised Dwy-trigs into
JDuro-trigès. Lastly came the Saxons,
and translated the original words into
their own tongue, dor-Satta (water-
dwellers).
Dorsetian Downs. The Downs of
T}orsetshire.
- “Spread the pure Dorsetian downs
In boundleSS prospect.”
r - Thomson. Azttºm??.
Dosith'eans. A religious sect which
sprang up in the first century; SO called
because they believed that Dositheus
had a divine mission superior to that of
prophets and apostles, -
Do’son. A promise-maker and a
promise-breaker. Antig'onos, grandson
of Demetrios the besieger, was so called.
Doss. A hassock stuffed with straw;
a bed—properly, a straw bed; whence
the cant word for a lodging-house is
a dossingken. Dossel is an old word for
a bundle of hay or Straw, and dosse,' for a
straw basket. These words were common
in Elizabeth’s reign. The French dossier
means a “bundle.” - -
Doss-house (A). A cheap lodging-
house where the poorer classes sleep on
bundles of straw. (See above.)
In the New Review (Aug., 1894) there is an article
entitled “In a Woman's Doss-house,”, which
throws much light on the condition of the poor
in London.
Dosser. One who sleeps in a low or
cheap hired dormitory. The verb doss
=to sleep.
Do-the-Boys' Hall. A school where
'boys were taken in and done for by a
Mr. Squeers, a puffing, ignorant, over-
bearing brute, who starved them and
taught them nothing. (Dickens: Nicholas
Nickleby.) -
* It is said that Mr. Squeers is a
caricature of Mr. Shaw, a Yorkshire
schoolmaster; but Mr. Shaw was a kind-
hearted man, and his boys were well fed,
happy, and notill-taught. Like Squeers
he had only one eye, and like Squeers
he had a daughter. It is said that his
school was ruined by Dickens's carica-
ture.
Dot and go One (A). An infant
just beginning to toddle ; one who
limps in walking ; a person who has one
leg longer than the other.
Dot’terel or Dottrel. A doting old
fool; an old man easily cajoled. The
bird thus called, a species of plover, is
said to be so fond of imitation that any
one who excites its curiosity by strange
antics may catch it. -
To dor the dotterel. Dor is an archaic
word meaning to trick or cheat. Whence
the phrase to “dor the dotterel” means
to cheat the simpleton.
Dou’ay Bible. The English trans-
lation of the Bible sanctioned by the
Roman Catholic Church. The Old Tes-
tament was published by the English
college at Douay, in France, in 1609;
but the New Testament was published
at Rheims in 1582. The English college
at Douay was founded by William
Allen (afterwards cardinal) in 1568. The
Douay Bible translates such words as
Tepentance by the word penance, etc., and
T)ouble
37
º
{)
T}ouglas
the whole contains notes by Roman
Catholic divines. -
Double (To). To pass or sail round,
as “to double the cape.” The Cape (or
point) is twice between the ship and the
Iand. (French, doubler; Latin, duo-
plico.) .
“What capes he doubled, and what continent,
The gulfs and straits that Strangely he had past.”
Dryden Ideas, Stanza 1.
Double Dealing. Professing one
thing and doing another inconsistent
with that promise. -
“[She] was quite above all double-dealing. She
had no mental reservation.”—Maria, I'dgeworth.
Double Dutch. Gibberish, jargon,
or a foreign tongue not understood by
the hearer. TXutch is a synonym for
foreign; and double is simply excessive,
in a twofold degree.
Double-edged Sword. Literally,
a sword which cuts either way; meta-
phorically, an argument which makes
both for and against the person employ-
ing it, or which has a double meaning.
“‘Your Delphic sword,' the panther then replied,
‘IS double-edged, and Cuts on either side.’”
Dryden: Hind (thd I’anther, part iii. 191—2.
Double Entendre (English-French
for Un mot d double entente, or 6 deua,
ententes). Words which secretly express
a rude or coarse covert meaning, gener-
ally of a licentious character. “En-
tendre” is the infinitive mood of a verb,
and is never used as a noun.
Double First (A). In the first class
lboth of the classical and mathematical
final examination in the Oxford Univer-
sity; or of the classical and mathematical
triposes of the University of Cambridge.
Double-headed Eagle (The). The
German eagle has its head turned to our
left hand, and the Roman eagle to our
right hand. When Charlemagne was
made “Raiser of the Holy Roman Em-
pire,” he joined the two heads together,
one looking east and the other west.
Double-tongued. One who makes
contrary declarations on the same sub-
ject at different times; deceitful.
“Be grave, not double-tongued.”—1 Tim. iii. 8.
Double up (To). To fold together.
“To double up the fist” is to fold the
fingers together so as to make the hand
into a fist.
I doubled him up. I struck him in the
wind, so as to make him double up with
pain, or so as to leave him “all of a
heap.”
Double X, (See XX.)
\
Double or Quits. The winner stakes
his stake, and the loser promises to pay
twice the stake if he loses again ; but if
he wins the second throw he pays no-
thing, and neither player loses or wins
anything. This is often done when the
stake is 3d., and the parties have no
copper : if the loser loses again, he pays
;: # not the winner does not claim
is 3d.
Doubles or Double-walkers. Those
aerial duplicates of men or women who
represent them so minutely as to deceive
those who know them. We apply the
word to such persons as the Dromio
brothers, the Corsican brothers, and the
brothers Antiph'olus. The “head centre
Stephens” is said to have had a double,
who was perpetually leading astray those
set to hunt him down. -
Doubting Castle. The castle of the
giant Despair, in which Christian and
Hopeful were incarcerated, but from
which they escaped by means of the key
called “Promise.” (Bunyan : Pilgrim's
Progress.)
Douceur'. (French.) . A gratuity for
Service rendered or promised.
Doug'las. The tutelary saint of the
house of Douglas is St. Bridget. Ac-
cording to tradition, a Scottish king in
770, whose ranks had been broken by
the fierce onset of the Lord of the Isles,
saw the tide of battle turned in his
favour by an unknown chief. After the
battle the king asked who was the
“Du-glass” chieftain, his deliverer, and
received for answer Sholto Dut-glass
(Behold the dark-grey man you inquired
for). The king then rewarded him with
the Clydesdale valley for his services.
“‘Let him not cross or thwart me,’ said the
page; ‘for I will not yield him an inch of Way,
had be in his body the soul of every Douglas that
has lived since the time of the Dark Gray Man.’”—
Scott : The Abbot, chap. xxviii.
Black Douglas, introduced by Sir
Walter Scott in Castle Dangerous, is
James, eighth Lord Douglas, who twice
took Douglas Castle from the English by
stratagem. The first time he partly
burnt it, and the second time he utterly
razed it to the ground. The castle, says
Godscroft, was nicknamed the hazardous
or dangerous, because every one who
attempted to keep it from the “gud
schyr James'' was in constant jeopardy
by his wiles.
“The º Sir James, the dreadful blacke
That'. ñºyes So wise and worthie Was,
Wha here and on the inſidels of Spain,
Such honour, praise, and triumphs did ###"
T}ouglas
376
T)ovetail
* The person generally called “Black
Douglas’’ is William Douglas, lord of
Nithsdale, who died in 1390. It was of
this Douglas that Sir W. Scott said—
“The name of this indefatigable chief has be-
come so formidable, that Women used, in the
northern counties, to still their froWard children
by threatening them with the Black Douglas.”—
IIistory of Scotland, chap. Xi.
Douglas Tragedy (The). A ballad
in Scott’s Border Minstrelsy. Lord
William steals away Lady Margaret
Douglas, but is pursued by her father
and two brothers. Being overtaken, a
fight ensues, in which the father and his
two sons are sore wounded. Lord Wil-
liam, wounded, creeps to his mother’s
house, and there dies; the lady before
Sunrise next morning dies also.
Douse the Glim. Put out the
light; also knock out a man's eye. To
douse is to lower in haste, as “Douse
the top-sail” Glim, gleam, glimmer, are
variants of the same word.
“‘And so you would turn honest, Captain Goffe,
agrazing, would ye,’ said an old weather-beaten
pirate who had but one eye ; ‘what though he
. . . . made my eye dowse the glim . . . . he is an
honest man' . . . .”—The Pirate, chap. XXXiii.
Dousterswivel. A German swind-
ler, who obtains money under the promise
of finding buried wealth by a divining-
rod. (Scott : Antiquary.)
Dout. A contraction of do-0?tt, as
don is of do-on, doff of do-off, and dup of
do-ºp.
In Devonshire and other southern
counties they still say Dout the candle
and Dout the fire. In some counties ex-
tinguishers are called douters.
“The dram of base
Doth all the noble substance dout.” .
Shalcespeare : Hamlet, i. 4.
Dove—i.e. the diver-bird; perhaps so
called from its habit of ducking the
head. So also columba (the Latin for
dove) is the Greek kolumbis (a diver).
Dove (The). The dove, in Christian
art, symbolises the Holy Ghost. In
church windows the seven rays proceed-
ing from the dove signify the seven gifts
of the Holy Ghost. It also symbolises
the human soul, and as such is repre-
sented coming out of the mouth of Saints
at death.
A dove with six wings is emblematic
of the Church of Christ.
The seven gifts of the Holy Ghost are : (1)
counsel, (2) the fear of the Lord, (3) fortitude, (4)
piety, (5) understanding, (6) wisdom, and (7)
knowledge.
Doves or pigeons not eaten as food in
Bussia. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Doves or pigeons. The clergy of the
Church of England are allegorised
under this term in Dryden's Hind and
Panther, part iii. 947, 998-1002.
“A sort of doves were housed too near the
hall . . . [i.e. the private chapel at Whitehall]
Qur pampered pigeons, with malignant eyes,
Beheld these inmates [the Roman Catholic
Clel'gy].
Tho’īārū their fare, at evening and at morn,
A cruse of water and an ear of corn,
Yet still they grudged that modiculin.”
Soiled doves. Women of the demi-
monde.
Doves' Dung. In 2 Kings vi. 25,
during the siege of Samaria, ‘‘there was
a great famine . . . . and . . all
ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces
of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of
dove's dung ſhariyomim] for five pieces
of silver.” This “hariyonim'' was a
plant called chickpea, a common article
of food still sold to pilgrims on their
way to Mecca.
“In Damascus there are many tradesmen whose
Sole Occupation is preparing [hariyonim] for sale.
They have always been esteemed as provision
meet for a lengthy journey, and are a necessary
part of the outfit of all who trayel in the remote
* of Syria and Asia Minor.”—Bible Flowers,
Dover (A). A réchauffé or cooked
food, done over again. In the profes-
sional slang of English cooks a resurree-
tion dish is still called a dover (do over
again).
Dover.
—i.e. never.
A jack of Dover. A “jack” is a
small drinking vessel made of waxed
leather, and a “jack of Dover” is a
bottle of wine made up of fragments of
opened bottles. It is customary to pour
the refuse into a bottle, cork it up, and
sell it as a fresh bottle. This is called
dovering, a corruption of do-over, be-
cause the cork is done over with wax or
resin. -
“Many a jack of Dover hast thou sold.”
Chaucer: Coke's Prologue. '
Dovers (Stock Exchange term). The
South-Eastern railway shares. The
line runs to Dover. (See CLARAS ;
STOCK ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Dovercot or Dovercourt. A con-
fused gabble; a Babel. According to
legend, Dover Court church, in Essex,
once possessed a cross that spoke ; and
Foxe says the crowd to the church was
so great “that no man could shut the
door.” The confusion of this daily
throng gave rise to the term.
“And now the rood of Dovercot did speak,
Confirming his opinions to be true.”
Collier of Ch'oydom.
Dovetail. Metaphorically, to fit on
or fit in micely; to correspond. It is a
When? Dove,’ &/2d Calais meet
Lowgate Ward
37
Doyleys
word in carpentry, and means the fitting
one board into another by a tenon in
the shape of a dove's tail, or wedge re-
versed.
Dowgate Ward (London). Some
derive it from Dour (water), it being
next to the Thames, at the foot of the
hill; others say it is “Down-gate,”
the gate of the down, dune, or hill, as
Brighton Downs (hills), South-downs,
etc.
Dowlas (Mr.). A generic name for
a linendraper, who sells dowlas, a coarse
linen cloth, so called from Doulens in
Picardy, where it is manufactured.
Dowling (Captain). A character in
Crabbe's Borough, a great drunkard,
who died in his cups.
“‘Come, fill my glass.’ He took it and he went ’’
(i.e. died). - Letter XVi.
Down. He is quite down in the mouth.
Out of spirits; disheartened. When
persons are very sad and low-spirited,
the corners of the mouth are drawn
down. “Down in the jib '' is a nau-
tical phrase of the same meaning.
Down in the Dumps. Low-spirited.
Down on Him (To be). I was down
0% him i72 a frºzette. I pounced on him
directly; I detected his trick imme-
diately. Also to treat harshly. The
allusion is to birds of prey.
Down on his Luck. In ill-luck.
“‘I guess, stranger, yºu'll find me an ex-presi-
dent down on his luck.’”—A. Egmont Halce: Paris
Originals (Professors Of Languages).
Down to the Ground. Thał Sztiás
one down to the ground. Entirely,
Down - hearted. Without spirit;
the heart prostrated.
Down Town. I am going dowſ, town,
i.e. to the business part of the town.
Down the country properly means
down the slope of the land, or as the
rivers run.
* We say “I am going up to town’”
when we mean out of the country into
the chief city. -
Down-trod. Despised, as one trod-
den under foot.
. “I will lift
The down-trod Mortimer as high i' the air
As this ungrateful king.”
Shakespeare: I Hemºry IV., i. 3.
Downfall (A). A heavy shower of
rain; a loss of social position.
Downing Professor. The Pro-
fessor of the Laws of England in the
University of Cambridge. This chair
was founded in 1800 by Sir George
T}owning, Bart. • ,
Downing Street (London). Named
after Sir George Downing, who died
1684. He was elected M.P. for Morpeth
in 1661.
Downpour (A). . A very heavy
shower of rain. “A regular down-
pour.” - -
Downright. Thoroughly, as “down-
right homest,” “downright mad”; out-
spoken ; utter, as a “ downright shame.”
The word means from top to bottom,
throughout. -
Downright Dunstable. Very blunt,
plain speaking. The present town of
Dunstable is at the foot of the Chiltern
Hills, in Bedfordshire. There was some-
where about the same site a Roman
station called Magionium or Magintum,
utterly destroyed by the Danes, and
afterwards overgrown by trees. Henry I.
founded the present town, and built
there a palace and priory. -
“If this is not plain speaking, there is no such
place as downright Dunstable.”—Sir W. Scott:
Itedgattºutlet, chap. X Wii.
Downstairs. Stairs leading from a
higher to a lower floor; on the lowest
floor, as “I am downstairs.”
Downy (The). Bed. Gone to the
downy, gone to bed. Bed being stuffed
with down.
Downy Cove (A). A knowing fel-
low, up to every dodge. On the “lucus
a non lucendo ’’ principle, contraries are
often substituted in slang and facetious
phrases. (See LUCUSA NON LUCENDO.)
Dow'sabell. Daughter of Cassamen,
a knight of Arden, who fell in love with
a shepherd. The two make love with
Arcadian simplicity, and vow eternal
fidelity.
“With that she bent her snow-white knee,
Down by the shepherd kneeléd she,
And him. She Sweetly kiSt. *
With that the shepherd whooped for joy.
Quoth he, “There's never Shepherd boy
That ever was SO_blist.’”
-
Drayton : D0708abell (a ballad).
Dowse on the Chops (A). A ding
or blow on the face. “A dowse on the
blubber-chops of my friend the baronet ’’
means a setting down, a Snubbing.
Doxy. A baby ; a plaything ; a
paramour. In the West of England
babies are called doſcies.
Doyleys. Now means a small cloth
used to cover dessert plates; but Origin-
ally it had a much wider meaning. Thus
Dryden speaks of “doyley petticoats; ”
Tozen 378 Dragon
and Steele, in No. 102 of the Tatler, Dragoman (plural, Dragomans). A
speaks of his “doiley suit.” he ciceroné ; a guide or interpreter to
Doyleys were linen-drapers, No. 346, foreigners. (Arabic targumam, an inter-
east corner of Upper Wellington Street,
Strand, from the time of Queen Anne
to the year 1850. -
- Dozen. (See BAKER'S Dozen.)
D. P. or Dom. Proc. The House of
Lords. (Latin, Domus Procérººm.) .
Drac. A sort of fairy in human
form, whose abode is the caverns of
rivers. Sometimes these dracs will float
like golden cups along a stream to entice
women and children bathing, and when
they attempt to catch, the prize drag
them under water. (South of France
-
Anythology.)
Fare le drae, same as “Faire le
diable.” Irish, “Play the Puck; ”
English, “Play the deuce.”
“Belomen qu'yeu, faré le Drac
Se jamay, trebi dins un Sac
Cinc Ó SiéS milante pistol OS
IEspessos como de redolos.”
- Goudelin; Castle en l'Ayre,
Dra'chenfels (Dragon-rocks)....So
called from the legendary dragon killed
there by Siegfried, the hero of the Nibe-
lungen-Lied. - -
“The castled crag of Drachenfels. -
Frowns o'er the wide and Winding Rhine,
Whose breast of waters broadly swells
Between the banks which bear the vine.”
Byron : Childe Harold, iii. 55.
Draco'nian Code. One very severe.
Draco was an Athenian law-maker. As
every violation of a law was made in
this code a capital offence, TJema'dés the
orator said “that Draco’s code was
written in human blood.”
Draft. The Druids borrowed money
on promises of repayment after death
(Patricius). Purchas tells us of some
priests of Pekin, who barter with the
people in bills of exchange, to be paid
in heaven a hundredfold.
Draft on Aldgate (A), or A draft on
Aldgate pump. A worthless note of
hand; a fraudulent draft or money
order. The pun is between draft or
draught of drink, and draft a money
order on a bank.
Drag in, Neck and Crop, or To drag
???, head and shoulders. To introduce a
subject or remark abruptly. (See A
PROPOS DE BOTTES.)
Draggle-tail. A slut ; a woman
who allows her petticoats to trail in the
dirt. The word should be “daggle-
tail” (q.v.), from the Scotch dag (dew on
the grass), daggle (wet with the grass-
deW), like the Latin colliſ't ſlo irro'ro,
4-
preter; whence targum.)
“My dragoman had me completely in his power,
and I resolved to become independent of all in-
terpreters.”—Balcer. Albert Nyanza, chap, i. p. 3.
Dragon. The Greek word drakön
comes from a verb meaning “to see,” to
“look at,” and more remotely “to
watch '' and “to flash.” ... . . .
The animal called a dragon is a winged
crocodile with a serpent’s tail; whence
the words Serpent and dragon are some-
times interchangeable. .
From the meaning a watcher we get
the notion of one that watches; and
from the meaning “to flash,” we connect
the word with meteors.
“Swift, swift, ye dragons of the night !—that
aWnlng
May bare the l'aven's eye.”
Shakespeare: Cymbeline, ii. 2.
Drago?”. This word is used by eccle-
siastics of the Middle Ages as the symbol
of sin in general and paganism in par-
ticular. The metaphor is derived from
Bev. xii. 9, where Satan is termed “the
great dragon.” In Ps, xci. 13 it is said
that the Saints “shall trample the dragon
under their feet.” In the story of the
IFall, Satan appeared to Eve in the
semblance of a serpent, and the promise
was made that in the fulness of time
the seed of the woman should bruise the
serpent’s head.
Another source of dragon legends is
the Celtic use of the word for “a chief.”
Hence pen-dragon (summus rex), a sort
of dictator, created in times of danger.
Those knights who slew a chief in battle
slew a dragon, and the military title
soon got confounded with the fabulous
monster. Tragon, meaning “quick-
sighted,” is a very suitable word for a
general. -
Some great in?!??dations have also been
termed serpents or dragons. Hence
Apollo (the sun) is said to have des-
troyed the serpent Python (i.e. dried up
the overflow). Similarly, St. Roma'nus
delivered the city of Rouen from a
dragon, named Gaºgouille (waterspout),
which lived in the river Seine.
From the-idea of watching, we have a
dragon placed in the garden of the
Hesperides; and a duenna is poetically
called a dragon:
“In England the garden of beauty is kept
By a dragon of prudery placed within call;
IBut SO Oft the unamiable dragon hath slept,
That the gården's. but, Carelessly Watched
after all
T. Moore: Irish, Melodies, No. 2 (“We may roam
through this world,” etc.),
Dragon
379
> *
I)ragon's Teeth
* A spiteful, violent, tyrannical
woman is called a dragoness.
The blind dragon, the third party who
plays propriety in flirtations. -
“This state of affairs was hailed with undis-
guised thankfulness by the rector, Whose feeling
for harmony had been rudely jarred by the
necessity of his acting the blind dragon.”—J. O.
IIobbes: Some Emotions and a Moral, chap. iv.
Dragon in Christian art symbolises
Satan or sin. In the pictures of St.
Michael and St. Margaret it typifies
their conquest over sin. Similarly,
when represented at the feet of Christ
and the Virgin Mary. The conquest of
St. George and St. Silvester over a
dragon means their triumph Over pagan-
ism. In the pictures of St. Martha, it
means the inundation of the Rhone,
spreading pestilence and death ; simi-
larly, St. Romanus delivered Rouen
from the inundation of the Seine, and
Apollo's conquest of the python means
the same thing. St. John the Evangelist
is sometimes represented holding a
chalice, from which a winged dragon is
issuing.
Ladies guarded by dragons. The walls
of feudal castles ran winding round the
building, and the ladies were kept in the
securest part. As adventurers had to
scale the walls to gain access to the
ladies, the authors of romance said they
overcame the serpent-like defence, or
the dragon that guarded them. Some-
times there were two walls, and then
the bold invader overcame two dragons
in his attempt to liberate the captive
damsel. (See ENCHANTED CASTLES.)
A flying dragon. A meteor.
The Chinese dragon. In China, the
drawing of a five-clawed dragon is not
only introduced into pictures, but is also
embroidered on state dresses and royal
robes. This representation is regarded
as an amulet.
The Green I)ragon. A public-house
sign in compliment to St. George.
The Red Dragon. A public-house
sign in compliment to Henry VII., who
adopted this, device for his standard at
Bosworth Field. It was the ensign of
Cadwallader, the last of the British
kings, from whom the Tudors descended. .
Dragon Slayers. -
(1) St. Philip the Apostle is said to
have destroyed a huge dragon at Hiera-
polis, in Phrygia. -
(2) St. Martha killed the terrible
dragon called Tarasque at Aix (la
Chapelle).
(3) St. Florent killed a dragon which
haunted the Loire, **
(4) St. Cado, St. Maudet, and St.
Paul did similar feats in Brittany.
(5) St. Keyne of Cornwall slew a
dragon. - .
(6) St. Michael, St. George, St. Mar-
garet, Pope Sylvester, St. Samson (Arch-
bishop of Dol), Don'atus (fourth cen-
tury), St. Clement of Metz, and many
others, killed dragons.
(7) St. Romain of Rouen destroyed the
huge dragon called La Gargouille, which
ravaged the Seine. -
Dragon of Wantley (i.e. Warncliff,
in Yorkshiré). A monster slain by
More, of More Hall, who procured a suit
of armour studded with spikes; and, pro-
ceeding to the well where the dragon had
his lair, kicked it in the mouth, where
alone it was vulnerable. Dr. Percy says
this dragon was an overgrown, rascally
attorney, who cheated some children of
their estate, but was made to disgorge
by a gentleman named More, who went
against him, “armed with the spikes
of the law,” after which the dragon
attorney died of vexation. (Reliques.)
Dragon's Hill (Berkshire) is where
the legend says St. George killed the
dragon. A bare place is shown on the
hill, where nothing will grow, and there
the blood of the dragon ran out. .
In Saxon annals we are told that
Cedric, founder of the West Saxon
kingdom, slew there Naud, the pen-
dragon, with 5,000 men. This Naud is
called Natan-leod, a corruption of Nazad-
aſ ludh (Naud, the people’s refuge).
Dragon's Teeth. Subjects of civil
strife; whatever rouses citizens to rise
in arms. The allusion is to the dragon
that guarded the well of A'rés. Cadmus
slew it, and sowed some of the teeth,
from which sprang up the men called
Spartans, who all killed each other
except five, who were the ancestors of
the Thebans. Those teeth which Cadmus
did not sow came to the possession of
AEe’tés, King of Colchis; and one of the
tasks he enjoined Jason was to sow these
teeth and slay the armed warriors that
rose therefrom.
“Citizens rising from the soil, richly sown with
dragon's teeth, for the rights of their several
States.”—The TimeS. -
To sow dragons' teeth. To foment
contentions; to stir up strife or war.
The reference is to the classical story of
Jason or that of Cadmus, both of whom
sowed the teeth of a dragon which he
had slain, and from these teeth sprang
up armies of fighting men, who attacked
| each other in fierce fight. Of course,
T}ragonades
380 T)rawback
the figure means that quarrels often
arise out of a contention supposed to
have been allayed (or slain). The
Philistines sowed dragons’ teeth when
they took Samson, bound him, and put
out his eyes. The ancient Britons sowed
dragons' teeth when they massacred the
Danes on St. Bryce's Day.
Drag'onades (3 Syl.). A series of
religious persecutions by Louis XIV.,
which drove many thousand Protestants
out of France. Their object was to
root out “heresy; ” and a bishop, with
certain ecclesiastics, was sent to see if
the heretics would recant; if not, they
were left to the tender mercies of the
dragoons who followed these “ministers
of peace and goodwill to man.”
“France was drifting toward the fatal atrocities
of the dragonade.”—F. Parkman : The Old Régime,
chap. ix. p. 167.
Dragoons. So called because they
used to be armed with dragons, i.e. short
muskets, which spouted out fire like the
fabulous beast so named. The head of
a dragon was wrought on the muzzle of
these muskets.
Drake means the “duck-king.” The
old English word end means a duck, and
end-ric becomes 'dric, drake. Similarly
the German tauber-rich is a male dove,
and ganse-rich, a male goose, or gander.
Drama. Father of the French drama.
Etienne Jodelle (1532-1573).
Father of the Greek drama.
Thespis
(sixth century B.C.).
Father of the Spanish drama. Lopé
de We'ga (1562-1635).
Drama of Exile (A). A poem by
Elizabeth Barret Browning (1844). The
exile is Eve, driven out of Paradise into
the wilderness. Lucifer, Gabriel, and
Christ are introduced into the poem, as
well as Adam and Eve.
IDramatic Unities (The three). One
catastrophe, one locality, one day. These
are Aristotle's rules for tragedy, and the
French plays strictly follow them.
The French have added a fourth, one style.
Hence comedy must not be mixed with tragedy.
Addison's Cºtto is a good exal)\ple. Unity of Style
is called the Unity of Uniformity. Shakespeare
disregards all these can OilS.
Dram’atis Perso'nae. The charac-
ters of a drama, novel, or actual trans-
action.
“The dramatis personae were nobles, country
gentlemen, justices of the quorum, and custo'des
Fotulo'runi [keepers of the rolls].”—The Times.
Drap. One of Queen Mab’s maids of
honour. (Drayton.)
Draſpier's Letters. A series of
letters written by Dean Swift to the peo-
ple of Ireland, advising them not to take
the copper money coined by William
Wood, by patent granted by George I.
These letters crushed the infamous job,
and the patent was cancelled.
Dean Swift signed himself M. B. Dra-
pier in these letters.
Drat 'em! A variant of Od rot 'em 1
The first word is a minced form of the
word God, as in “Od’s blood!” “Od
zounds !”= God’s wounds, “Od's bodi-
kins,” etc. (See OD’s.) A correspondent
in Notes and Queries suggests “[May]
God out-root them : " but we have the
words drattle and throttle (to choke)
which would better account for the a and
the o, and which are also imprecations.
Draught of Thor (The). The ebb
of the Sea. When Asa, Thor visited
Jötunheim he was set to drain a bowl of
liquor. He took three draughts, but
only succeeded in slightly reducing the
quantity. On leaving Jötunheim, the
king, Giant Skrymir, told him he need not
be ashamed of himself, and showed him
the sea at low ebb, saying that he had
drunk all the rest in his three draughts.
We are told it was a quarter of a mile
of sea-water that he drank.
Draupnir. Odin’s magic ring, from
which every ninth night dropped eight
rings equal in size and beauty to itself.
Draw.
To draw a miss. To follow scent in
the wrong direction. Fox-hunting term,
where to draw means to follow scent.
To draw a furrow. To plough or draw
a plough through a field so as to make
a furrow.
To draw a person out. To entice a
person to speak on any subject, often
with the intention of ridiculing his utter-
all CéS.
Draw it Mild (To). We talk of
remarks being highly flavoured, of strong
language, of piquant remarks, of Spicy
words; so that to “draw it mild’’ refers
to liquor; let it be mild, not too highly-
flavoured, not too Spicy and strong.
Draw the Long Bow (To). To
exaggerate. Some wonderful tales are
told of Robin Hood and other foresters
practised in the long bow. (See Bow.)
Drawback. Something to set against
the profits or advantages of a concern.
In commerce, it is duty charged on goods
Trawcansir 381
Trinke and welcome
paid back again when the goods are
exported.
“It is only on goods into which dutiable com:
modities have entered in large lyroportion and
obvious ways that drawbacks are alloyed.”—11.
George : Protection 07 Free Trade 3 clap ix. 1). 92.
Draw'cansir. A burlesque tyrant
in The Rehearsal, by G. Villiers, Duke
of Buckingham (1672). He kills every
one, “sparing neither friend nor foe.”
The name stands for a blustering brag-
gart, and the farce is said to have been
a satire on Dryden’s inflated tragedies.
(See BAYES, BOBADIL.)
“[He] frights his mistress, snubs up kings,
baffles armies, and does what he will, without
regard to humbers, good Sense, Ol' justice.”—
Bayes : The IRehearsal.
Drawing-room. A room to which
ladies withdraw or retire after dinner.
Also a levée where ladies are presented
to the sovereign.
Drawing the Cork. Giving one a
'bloody nose. (See CLARET.)
Drawing the King's (or Queen's)
Picture. Coining false money.
Drawing the Nail, i.e. absolving
oneself of a vow. In Cheshire, two or
more persons would agree to do some-
thing, or to abstain from something, say
drinking beer; and they would go into
a wood, and register their vow by driving
a nail into a tree, Swearing to keep their
vow as long as that nail remained in the
tree.
some or all of the party went and drew
out the nail, whereupon the vow was
cancelled.
Draw latches. Thieves, robbers,
wasters, and roberdsmen (5 Edward III.
c. 14). About equal to door-openers
and shop-lifters.
Drawn. Hanged, drawn, and quar-
tered, or Drawſ, hanged, and quartered.
The question turns on the meaning of
drawn. The evidence seems to be that
traitors were drawn to the place of
execution, then hanged, then “drawn ''
or disembowelled, and then quartered.
Thus the sentence on Sir William Wal-
lace was that he should be drawn (detra-
hałł0) from the Palace of Westminster
to the Tower, etc., then hanged (suspen-
datur), then disembowelled or drawn
(devalettº), then beheaded and quar-
tered (decolletúr et decapitetur). (See
Notes and Queries, August 15th, 1891.)
* If by “drawn '' is meant conveyed
to the place of execution, the phrase
should be “Drawn, hanged, and quar-
tered; ” but if the word is used as a
synonym of disembowelled, the phrase
If they repented of their vow,
should be “Hanged, drawn, and quar-
tered.”
“LOrd Ellenborough used to say to those con-
demned, ‘You are drawn on hurdles to the place
of execution, where you are to be hanged, but not
till you are dead; for, while still living, your
l)0dy is to be taken down, your bowels torn out
and burnt before your face; your head is then
cut off, and your body divided into four quarters.”
—Gentleman's Magazine, 1803, part i. pp. 177, 275.
Drawn Battle. A battle in which
the troops on both sides are drawſ off,
neither combatants claiming the victory.
Dreadnought. The Seaman’s Hos-
pital Society ; a floating hospital.
Dream Authorship. It is said that
Coleridge wrote his Kubla Khan, a poem,
in a dream.
Coleridge may have dreamt these lines,
but without doubt Purchas's Pilgrimage
haunted his dreams, for the resemblance
is indubitable.
Dream’er. The Immortal Dreamer.
John Bunyan (1628–1688).
Dreng. A servant boy, similar to
the French garçon and Latin pºte)'. A
Danish word, which occurs in Domes-
day Book.
Dress your Jacket (or hide). I’ll
dress your jacket for you. I’ll give you
a beating. I’ll give you a dressing, or a
good dressing. To dress a horse is to
curry it, rub it, and comb it. To dress
ore is to break it up, crush it, and pow-
der it in the stamping mill. The original
idea of dressing is preserved, but the
method employed in dressing horses, ore,
etc., is the prevailing idea in the phrases
referred to. -
Dresser. A kitchen dresser, the
French dressoir, a sideboard, verb dres-
Ser, to raise, set up.
“The pewter plates on the dresser,” .
L07tſ/fellow : Evalºſſeline, i. 2.
Drink. Anacharsis said: “The first
Cup for thirst, the second for pleasure,
the third for intemperance, and the rest
for madness.”
Drink Deep. T)rink a deep draught.
The allusion is to the peg tankards.
Those who drank deep, drank to the
lower pegs. (See PEG.)
“We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart.”
–Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 2.
Drinke and Welcome. One of the
numerous publications of John Taylor,
the Water Poet (1637). The subject is
thus set forth : “The famous Historie of
the most parts of Drinks in use now in
the Kingdomes of G. Britaine and Ire-
land ; with an especiall declaration of
Trink
the potency, vertue, and operation of
our English Ale. With a description of
all sorts of Waters, from the Ocean-sea,
to the Teares of a Woman. As also the
causes of all sorts of weather, faire or
foule, sleet, raine, haile, frost, Snow,
fogges, mists, vapours, clouds, stormes,
windes, thunder, and lightning. Com-
piled first in High Dutch Tongue by the
painefull and industrious Huldricke van
Speagle, a grammatical brewer of
Lubeck; and now most learnedly en-
larged, amplified, and translated into
English verse and prose, by John Taylor,
the Water Poet.”
Drink like a Fish (To). To drink
abundantly. Many fish swim with their
mouths open.
Drinking Healths was a Roman
custom. Thus, in Plautus, we read of a
man drinking to his mistress with these
words : “J3eme vos, bene mos, bene te, bene
one, bene ºostrum etian Stepha'nium ”
(Here’s to you, here’s to us all, here's
to thee, here's to me, here's to our dear
——). (Stich. v. 4.) Persius (v. 1, 20)
has a similar verse: “ Bene mihi, bene
vobis, bene ami'ede nostra’’ (Here’s to
myself, here's to you, and here's to I
shan’t say who). Martial, Ovid, Horace,
etc., refer to the same custom.
The ancient Greeks drank healths.
Thus, when Theraménês was condemned
by the Thirty Tyrants to drink hemlock,
he said: “Iſoe pulcro Critide ‘’—the man
who condemned him to death.
The ancient Saxons followed the same
habit, and Geoffrey of Monmouth Says
that Hengist invited King Vortigern to
a banquet to see his new levies. After
the meats were removed, Rowe'ria, the
'beautiful daughter of Hengist, entered
with a golden cup full of wine, and,
making obeisance, said, “Latterd kiwiłłg,
wacht hei!” (Lord King, your health).
The king then drank and replied, “Drine
heil” (Here's to you). (Geoffrey of
Monmouth, book vi. 12.) Robert de
T}runne refers to this custom :
“This is ther custom and hey gest
When they are at the ale or fest:
Ilk man that levis gware him drink
Salle say ‘Wosseillé' to him drink ;
He that biddis sall say ‘Wassaile,'.
The tother Salle Say again ‘Drinkaille.’
That says ‘Woisseille’ drinks of the cup,
Kiss and his felaw he gives it up.”
Robert de Bººme.
* In drinking healths we hold our
hands up towards the person toasted
and say, “Your health . . . .” The
Greeks handed the cup to the person
toasted and said, “This to thee,” “Graeci.
in epitlis pocłliſm alicitè traditºri, ettº
382
Trivelling
nominare solent.” Our holding out the
wine-glass is a relic of this Greek
custom.
Drinking Song. The oldest in the
language is in the second act of Gammer
Gurton’s Needle, by John Still, called
The Jolly Bishop. It begins:
“I cannot eat but little meat,
My Stomach is not good.”
Drinking at Freeman's Quay,
that is, drinking gratis. At one time, all
porters and carmen calling at Freeman’s
Quay, near London Bridge, had a pot of
beer given them gratis.
Drive. (Anglo-Saxon drif-an.)
To drive a good bargain. To exact more
than is quite equable.
“Heayen, would no bargain for its blessings
drive.” .Dryden: Astraca Redua, i 137.
To drive a roaring trade. To be doing
a brisk business. The allusion is to
a coachman who drives so fast that his
horses pant and roar for breath.
To drive the swine through the hank
of yarn. To spoil what has been pain-
fully done; to squander, thrift. . In
'Scotland, the yarn wrought in the winter
ºld the gude-wife's thrift) is laid
own by the burn-side to bleach, and
is peculiarly exposed to damage from
passing animals. Sometimes, a herd of
pigs driven along the road will run over
the hanks, and sometimes they will stray
over them from some neighbouring farm-
yard and do a vast amount of harm.
Drive at (To). What are you driving
at 2 What do you want to prove? What
do you want me to infer? We say the
“wind drove against the sails,” i.e.
rushed or moved violently against them.
Falstaff tells us of “four rogues in
'buckram [who] let drive at him,” where
at means against or towards. “What
are you driving at P” is, against or to-
wards what object are you driving or
moving P
Drive Off. To defer, to procrasti-
nate. The idea is, running away or
drawing off from something that ought
to be done, with the promise of coming
to it at a future time.
Driv'eller. An idiot, an imbecile,
whose saliva drivels out of his mouth.
“And Swift expires a driveller and a ShoW.”
Drivelling Dotage. In weak old
age saliva drops unconsciously from the
mouth.
“This exhibition of drivelling dotage was at:
tended with many other incoherent expressions.”
- º Remmedy : The Swallow Barn, clap. xlvii,
|). 463,
Triver of Éurope
Driver of Europe (Le Cocher de
7' Europe). So the Empress of Russia
used to call the Duc de Choiseul, minis-
ter of Louis XV., because he had spies
all over Europe, and thus ruled its
political cabals.
Drivers, in the Irish uprising about
1843, were persons engaged by land-
lords to drive all the live stock of de-
faulting tenants and lodge them in a
pound [like that at Carrickmacross].
They were resisted by the Molly Ma-
guires.
Drives fat Oxen (Who). Brook, in
his Gustavus Vasa, says: “Who rules
o’er freemen should himself be free,”
which Dr. Johnson parodied thus: “Who
drives fat oxen should himself be fat.”
(Boswell’s Life, year 1784.)
Driving for Rent, in Ireland, was a
summary way of recovering rent by
driving cattle to a pound, and keeping
them till the rent was paid, or selling
them by auction. -
“It was determined that, I and the bailiffs
should go out in a body and “drive for rent.”
Trench : Realities of Irish Life, Chal). W.
Driving Pigs. He is driving pigs,
or driving pigs to market—i.e. snoring
like pigs, whose grunt resembles the
snore of a sleeper.
Droit d'Aubaine. In France the
king was entitled, at the death of
foreign residents (except Swiss and
Scots), to all their movable estates; the
law was only abolished in 1819. Alt-
bain means “alien,” and droit d’aubaine
the “right over an alien’s property.”
“Had I died that night of an indigestion, the
whole world could not have Suspended the effects
of the droits d'aubaine : my shirts and black pair
of breeches, Dortmanteau and all, must have gone
to the king.of France.”—Sterme: Sentimental Jour-
776/ (Introduction).
Drôle. “C'est ºn dróle,” or “C”est
am dróle d’homme” (he is a rum cus-
tomer). “Un joyeuz dróle’’ means a
'boon companion. “Une drôle de chose ’’
means a queer thing ; something one
can make neither head nor tail of.
Dro'mio. The brothers Dronio. Two
'brothers exactly alike, who serve two
|brothers exactly alike, and the mistakes
of masters and men form the fun of
Shakespeare's Comedy of Errors, based
on the Menach'ºni, of Plautus.
Drone (1 syl.). The largest tube of
a bagpipe; so called because it sounds
Only one continuous note. (German,
drohne, verb, drohnen, to groan or drone.)
A drome. An idle person who lives on
the means of another, as drones on the
3.
383
Trowned
honey collected by bees; a sluggard.
(Anglo-Saxon dræn, a male bee.) -
Drop. To take a drop. A. euphemism
for taking what the drinker chooses to
call by that term. It may be anything
from a sip to a Dutchman’s draught.
A drop of the cratºr. In Ireland
means a drink of whisky, or “creature-
comfort.”
To take a drop too much. To be in-
toxicated. If it is the “last feather which
breaks the camel's back,” it is the drop
too much which produces intoxication.
To take one’s drops. To drink spirits
in private.
Drop (To). To drop an acquaintance
is quietly to cease visiting and inviting
an acquaintance. The opposite of pick-
ing up or taking up an acquaintance.
Drop in (To). To make a casual
call, not invited ; to pay an informal
visit. The allusion is to fruit and other
things falling down suddenly, unex-
pectedly, or accidentally. It is the in-
transitive verb, not the transitive, which
means to “let fall.”
Drop off (To). “Friends drop off,”
fall away gradually. “To drop off to
sleep,” to fall asleep (especially in
weariness or sickness).
Drop Serene (gutta Sere'na). An
old name for amauro'sis. It was at one
time thought that a transparent, watery
humour, distilling on the optic nerve,
would produce blindness without chang-
ing the appearance of the eye.
“So thick a “drop serene' hath quenched these
Orbs.” Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 25.
Drown the Miller (To). To put
too much water into grog or tea. The
idea is that the supply of water is so
great that even the miller, who uses a
water wheel, is drowned with it.
Drowned Rat. As wet as a drowned
Yat-i.e. soaking wet. Drowned rats
certainly look deplorably wet, but so
also do drowned mice, drowned cats, and
drowned dogs, etc.
Drowned in a Butt of Malmsey.
George, Duke of Clarence, being allowed
to choose by what death he would die,
chose drowning in malmsey wine (1477).
See the continuation of Monstrelet, 196;
JFulgosus, ix. 12; Martin du Bellais's
Memoirs (year 1514).
Admitting this legend to be an his-
toric fact, it is not unique : Michael
Harslob, of Berlin, wished to meet
death in a similar way in 1571, if we
T}rowning Men
384 Trunkenness
may credit the inscription on his
tomb :— -
“. In cyatho vini pleno cum musca periret,
Sic, ait Oeneus, sponte perire Yelim.”
“When in a cup of wine a fly was drowned,
So, Said Winarius, may my days be crowned.”
Drowning Men. Drowning men
catch at straws. Persons in desperate
circumstances cling in hope to trifles
wholly inadequate to rescue or even help
them.
Drows or Throws. A sort of fairy
race, residing in hills and caverns. They
are curious artificers in iron and precious
metals.” (Zetland Superstition.)
“I hung about thy neck that gifted chain,
which all in our isles know was wrought by no
earthly artist, but by the Drows in the secret
recessés of their caverns.”—Scott "The Pirate,
Chap. X.
Drub, Drubbing. To flog, a flog-
ging. Compare Greek tribo, to rub,
'bruise ; Anglo-Saxon, drépan, to beat.
Drug. It is a mere drug in the may-
ket. Something not called for, which
no one will buy. French drogue = rub-
'bish, as Ce º'est que de la drogue; hence
droguet (drugget), inferior carpet-cloth
made of rubbish or inferior wool, etc.
Druid. A chief priest (Celtic, der,
superior ; wydd, priest or instructor). In
Taliesin we read, Búm gwydd yngwarth
an (at length. I became a priest or wydd).
It was after this period that the wydds
were divided into two classes, the Der-
wydds and the Go-wydds (D’ruids and
Ovidds). Every chief had his druid, and
every chief druid was allowed a guard of
thirty men (Strabo). The order was very
wealthy. (Not derived from the Greek
dreſs, an oak.)
* Patricius tells us that the Druids
were wont to borrow money to be re-
paid in the life to come. His words are,
“Druidae pecuniam mutuo accipiebant
in posteriore vita reddituri.”
4. Fº money by the Druids lºwed,
n tº other world to be restoréd.”.
Lºutley'. Hudibras, lyart iii. Canto 1.
Drum. A crowded evening party,
a contraction of “drawing - room *
(dr’-’oom). Cominges, the French am-
bassador, writing to Louis XIV., calls
these assemblies drerººns and drivromes.
(See ROUT, HURRICANE.)
“The Comte de Broglie . . . goes sometimes to
the drerums, and sonietimes to the drivy rolme of
the Princess of ales.”— Nineteenth Century :
Comte de Continuges; Sept., 1891, p. 461.
“It is impossible to live in a drum.”—Lady M.
W. Momitagw. .
John Drum’s entertainment.
Turning
an unwelcome guest out of doors.
The
allusion is to drumming a soldier out of
a regiment.
Drum Ecclesiastic. The pulpit
cushion, often vigorously thumped by
what are termed “rousing preachers.”
“When Gospel trumpeter, surrounded
With long-eared rout, to battle sounded ;
And pullpit, drum ecclesiastic, -
Was beat with ſist instead of a stick.”
Butler. Hudibras, 1)art i. Canto 1.
Drum-head Court-martial. One
held in haste; like a court-martial sum-
moned on the field round the big drum
to deal summarily with an offender.
Drummers. So commercial travel-
lers are called in America, because their
vocation is to drum up recruits or cus-
tomers.
Drum’mond Light. The limelight.
So named from Captain Thomas Drum-
mond, R.E.
“Wisdom thinks, and makes a solar Drummond
Light of a point of dull lime.”—Geikie: Entering
on Life (Reading, p. 211).
Drumsticks. ... Tegs. The leg of a
cooked fowl is called a drumstick.
Drunk. (Anglo-Saxon drine-an.)
J)runk as a fiddler. The reference is to
the fiddler at wakes, fairs, and on board
ship, who used to be paid in liquor for
playing to rustic dancers.
Drunk as a lord. Before the great
temperance movement set in, in the
latter half of the nineteenth century,
those who could afford to drink thought
it quite comme il faſt to drink two, three,
or even more bottles of port wine for
dinner, and few dinners ended with-
out placing the guests under the table
in a hopeless state of intoxication. The
temperate habits of the last quarter
of the nineteenth century renders this
phrase now almost unintelligible.
ID,'ttººk as blazes. “Blazes” of course
means the devil.
Drunk as Chloe. Chloe, or rather
Cloe (2 syl.), is the cobbler's wife of
Linden Grove, to whom Prior, the poet,
was attached. She was notorious for
her drinking habits.
Drunk as David’s sow.
Sow.)
Drunkard's Cloak (A). ... A tub
with holes for the arms to pass through.
At one time used for drunkards and
scolds by way of punishment.
Drunken Deddington. One dead
drunk. The proper name is a play On
the word dead.
Drunkenness. . The Seven . degrees :
(1) Ape drunk; (2) Lion drunk; (3)
(See DAVY’s
… Trunkenness
385
TXualism.
Swine drunk; (4) Sheep drunk ; (5)
Martin drunk; (6) Goat drunk; (7) Fox
drunk. (Nash.)
Drunkenness. It is said that if
children eat owl's eggs, they will never
be addicted to strong drinks.
“Tous les oiseaux lui [i.e. to Bacchus] §taient
agréable, excepté la chouette don't les Qeufs
avaient la vertu de rendre, les enfans, qui les
mangeaientennemis du vin.”—Noel : Dictionnaire
de la Fable, Vol. i. p. 206.
Drupner [the dripper]. A gold ring
given to Odin ; every ninth night other
rings dropped from it of equal value to
itself. (The Edda.)
Drury Lane (London) takes its name
from the habitation of the great Drury
family. Sir William Drury, K.G., was
a most able commander in the Irish
wars. Drury House stood on the site of
the present Olympic theatre.
Dru'ses (2 syl.). A people of Syria.
governed by emirs. Their faith is a
mixture of the Pentateuch, the Gospel,
the Koran, and Sufism. They offer up
their devotions both in mosques and
churches, worship the images of saints,
and yet observe the fast of Ram'adan.
Their language is pure Arabic. (Hakem,
the incarnate spirit, was assisted by
Darási in propounding his religion to
these Syrians; and the word Druse is
said to be derived from Darasi, shortened
into D’rasi.)
Dry. Thirsty. Hence to drink is to
“wet your whistle '' (i.e. throat); and
malt liquor is called “heavy wet.”
(Anglo-Saxon dryg, dry.)
Dry Blow (A). A blow which does
not bring blood.
Dry Goods (in merchandise), such as
cloths, stuffs, silks, laces, and drapery
in general, as opposed to groceries.
Dry Lodgings. Sleeping accommo-
dation without board. Gentlemen who
take their meals at clubs live in dry
lodgings.
“Dry Lodginge of seven weeks, £0.4s. 1d.”—Sir
W. Scott: Old Mortality (Intr. Rob. Patterson
deb. to Margaret Chrystale).
Dry-nurse. When a superior officer
does not know his duty, and is in-
structed in it by an inferior officer, he is
said to be dry-nursed. The inferior
nurses the Superior, as a dry-nurse rears
an infant.
Dry Rot. The spontaneous rot of
timber or wall-paper, not unfrequently
produced by certain fungi attaching
themselves thereto. It is called dry rot
because the wood is not purposely
exposed to wet, although, without doubt,
damp from defective ventilation is
Iargely present, and the greenness of
wood employed contributes greatly to
the decay.
Dry Sea (A). A sandy desert. The
camel is the ship of the desert. We read
of the Persian sea of sand.
“The see that men slepen the gravely see, that
is alle gravelle and Sond with outen ony drope of
Watre.”—Maïvdeville : Travels.
Dry Shave (A). A shave without
soaping the face ; to scrape the face with
a piece of iron hoop ; to scratch the face;
to box it and bruise it. Sometimes it
means to beat and bruise generally ; ill
usage.
“The fellow will get a dry shave.” --
Peter Pindar: Great Cry and Little Wool, Ep. 1.
“I’ll Shave her, like a punished Soldier, dry.”
Peter Pindar: The Louisiad, canto ii.
Dry Style (of writing). Without
pathos, without light and shade ; dull
level, and unamusing.
Dry Wine. Opposed to sweet or
fruity wine. In sweet wine some of the
Sugar is not yet decomposed; in dry
wine all the sugar has been converted
into alcohol. The doctoring of wine to
improve its quality is called dosage.
“Upon the nature and amount of the dosage,
the character of the wine (whether it be dry of
sweet, light or ;}} very much depends.”—
Vizetelly: Facts (tb01ſt Champttgºme, chap. W. p. 59.
Dry'ads. Nymphs of the trees.
(Greek, drus, any forest tree.) They
were supposed to live in the trees and
die when the trees died. Eurydicë, the
wife of Orpheus (2 syl.) the poet, was a
dryad. -
Dry'asdust (Rev. Dr.). A heavy,
plodding author, very prosy, very dull,
and very learned ; an antiquary. Sir
Walter Scott employs the name to bring
out the prefatory matter of some of his
novels.
“The Prussian Dryasdust . . . excels all other
“Dryasdusts' yet known.”—Carlyle.
Du'alism. A system of philosophy
which refers all things that exist to two
ultimate principles. It is eminently a
Persian doctrine. The Orphic poets
made the ultimate principles of all
things to be Water and Night, or Time
and Necessity. In theology the Mani-
che'an doctrine is dualistic. In modern
philosophy it is opposed to monism (q.v.),
and insists that the creator and creation,
mind and body, are distinct entities.
That creation is not deity, and that
mind is not an offspring of matter. (See
MONISM.) -
25
TYub
386
Ludgeon
Dub. To make a knight by giving
him a blow. Dr. Tusler says, “The an-
cient method of knighting was by a box
on the ear, implying that it would be
the last he would receive, as he would
henceforth be free to maintain his own
honour.” The present ceremony is to
tap the shoulder with a sword. (Anglo-
Saxon, dubban, to strike with a blow.)
Dub Up : Pay down the money. A
dub is an Anglo-Indian coin, hence
“down with your dubs,” money down.
A “doubloon” is a double pistole.
IXublin (the Irish dubh-linn, the
“black pool”). The chief part of the
city stands on land reclaimed from the
river Liffey or the sea.
Th'ue as the De'il is in Dublin city.
(Burns : Death and Dr. Hornbook.)
Brobably Burns refers to the Scandi-
Imavian name Divelin, which suggested
first Dive! and then Devil or Deil.
Dubs in “marbles '' is a contraction
of double or doublets. Thus, if a player
knocks two marbles out of the ring, he
cries dubs, before the adversary cries
“Ino dubs,” and claims them both.
Duc'at. A piece of money ; so called
from the legend on the early Sicilian
pieces: Sit tibi, Christe, datus, quem tº
ºregis, istè ducătuş (May this duchy
[dicat-us] which you rule be devoted to
you, O Christ).
Duchesne (2 syl.). Le père Duchésne.
Jacques Réné Hébert, chief of the Cor-
delier Club in the French Revolution,
the members of which were called
Hébertists. He was called “Father
Duchésne,” from the name of his vile
journal. (1755-1794.)
Duchess. The wife or widow of a
duke; but an old womanis often jocosely
termed an old duchess or a regular old
duchess. The longevity of the peers and
peeresses is certainly very striking.
Duck. A lame duck. A stock-jobber
who will not, or cannot, pay his losses.
He has to “waddle out of the alley like
a lame duck.” -
Like a dying duck in a thunderstorm.
Quite chop-fallen.
To get a duck. A contraction of duck’s
egg or 0, in cricket. A player who gets
no run off his bat is marked down 0.
T)uck Lane. A row for old and
Second-hand books which stood formerly
near, Smithfield, but has given way to
city improvements. It might be called
the Holywell Street of Queen Anne's
reign. -
“Scotists and Thomists now in peace remain
Amidst their kindred cobwebs in Duck Lane.”
Pope : Essay 07, Criticism.
Duck's Egg. Broke his duck’s egg.
Took his first school prize. In cricket
a “ duck’s egg’’ or 0 in a score is broken
by a run.
“What a proud and happy day it was to Iucy
when little Herbert, in public-school pariancé,
“broke his duck's egg —otherwise, took his first
prize.”—A Fellow of Trinity, chap. i.,
Duck's-foot Lane [City.] A cor-
ruption of Duke’s Foot Lane ; so called
from the Dukes of Suffolk, whose manor-
house was there.
Ducks and Drakes. The ricochet-
ing or rebounding of a stone thrown
from the hand to skim along the surface
of a pond or river.
To make ducks and drakes of one’s
money. To throw it away as stones with
which “ducks and drakes '' are made
on water. The allusion is to the sport
of throwing stones to skim over water
for the sake of Seeing them ricocheting
or rebounding.
“What figured slates are best to mak
On Watery Surface duck and drake.”
JButler : IIudibras, ii. 3.
“Mr. Locke Harper found out, a month after
his marriage, that somebody had made ducks and
drakes of liis wife's money.”—Dinah M. Crails:
Agatha's Husband, chap. XXiii.
Duckie. Timinutive of “ duck,” a
term of endearment = darling or beloved
one. (Norwegian and Danish, duk/se, a
doll, a baby.) -
Ducking (A). A drenching.
man, ducken, to dive under water.)
Duckweed. A weed which floats on
the surface of stagnant water and forms
a harbour for insects which ducks feed
on. Its Latin name is “Lemma; ” Greek,
limmé (a stagnant pool).
Dude. A masher. One who renders
himself conspicuous by affectation of
(Ger-
dress, manners, and speech. The word
was first familiarised in London in 1881,
and is a revival of the old word dudes
(clothes). We have several derivations, as
dudder, one who sells dress-pieces; dud-
dery, a rag-shop ; duddle, to wrap up
warmly (Halliwell), etc. It is not of
American Origin.
“I should just as soon expect to see, Mercutio
smoke a cigarette, as to find him ambling about
tlle stage with the mincing manners of a dude.”—
Jefferson: Century Magazine, January, 1890, p. 383.
Dudeism (3 syl.). The tomfoolery
of a dude (2 syl.). -
Dudgeon (The). The handle of a
dagger, at one time made of box-wood
T)udnman
387
I)uke
root, called “dudgeon-wood; ” a dagger
with such a handle. Shakespeare does not
Say, “and on the blade o’ the dudgeon
gouts of blood,” but “on the blade and
dudgeon . . ,” both blade and handle.
Dudſman and Ramhead. When
IJudman and Ramhead meet. Never.
Dudman and Ramhead (now spelt Rame-
head) are two forelands on the Cornish
coast, about twenty miles asunder. (See
NEVER.)
“Make yourself scarce depart vanish 1 or
we’ll have you summoned before the mayor of
Ha!'gaver, and that before Dudman and Ramhead
Inect.”—Scott : Kenilworth, iW.
Duds. Old clothes, tattered gar-
ments (Gaelic, dud, a rag ; Tyutch, tod;
Italian, tozzi). A dudder or dudsman is
a scarecrow, or man of straw dressed in
cast off garments to fray birds; also a
pedlar who sells duds or gown-pieces.
Compare the Greek duo, to put on
[clothes] ; Latin, in-duo, to clothe.)
Dudu. A pensive maiden of seven-
teen, “who never thought about herself
at all.” (Byron : Don Juan, vi. vii.)
Duen'de (3 syl.). A Spanish goblin
or house-spirit. Cal’deron has a comedy
called La Dama. Duenda. (See FAIRY.)
Duen’na [Lady]. The female of
don. The Spanish don is derived from
the Latin domintºs = a lord, a master.
A duenna is the chief lady-in-waiting
on the Queen of Spain; but in common
parlance it means a lady who is half
companion and half governess, in charge
of the younger female members of a
nobleman’s or gentleman’s family in
Portugal or Spain.
“There is no duenna, so rigidly prudent and in-
exorably decorous as a Superanlıuated Coquette.”
—W. Irving : Sketch-Book (Spectre Bridegroom).
Duer'gar (2 syl.). Dwarfs who dwell
in rocks and hills; noted for their
strength, subtilty, magical powers, and
skill in metallurgy. They are the per-
Sonification of the subterranean powers
of nature. According to the Gotho-
German myth, the duergar were first
Imaggots in Ymir's flesh, but afterwards
assumed the likeness of men. The first
duergar was Modsogn'er, the next Dyrin.
N.B.-The Giant Ymir is Chaos. (See
JHELDENBUCH.)
Dues'sa (Double-mind or False-faith).
Daughter of Falsehood and Shame, who
assumes divers disguises to beguile the
Red Cross Knight. At one time shé
takes the name of Fidessa, and entices
the knight into the Palace of Pride
(Lucifera). The knight having left the
palace, is overtaken by Duessa, and
drinks of an enchanted fountain, which
paralyses him, in which state he is taken
captive by the giant Orgoglio. Prince
Arthur slays the giant and rescues the
knight; Duessa, being stripped of her
gorgeous disguise, is found to be a
hideous hag, and flees into the wilder-
ness for concealment. She appears again
in book ii. (Spenseſ. Faërie Queene,
book i. 2-7; v. 9.)
Dufarge. Jacques and Madame Du-
farge are the presiding genii of the
Faubourg St. Antoine, and chief insti-
gators of many of the crimes committed
by the Red Republicans in Dickens's
Tale of Two Cities.
Duffer (A) now means a person easily
bamboozled, one of slow wit ; but
originally it meant one who cheated or
bamboozled. To duff – to cheat. Per-
sons who sell inferior goods as “great
bargains,” under the pretence of their
being smuggled, are duffers; SO are
hawkers generally. At the close of the
eighteenth century passers of bad money
were so called. Now the word is applied
to persons taken in, and by artists to
inferior pictures.
“Itobinson a thorough duffer is.”
Ale.cander Smith : Swimmer Idyll.
Duglas, the scene of four Arthurian
|battles. It is a river which falls into
the Ribble. Mr. Whittaker says, “six
cwt. of horse-shoes were taken up from
a space of ground near the spot during
the formation of a canal.”
Duke. The Great Duke. The Duke
of Wellington, called “the Iron Duke.”
(1769-1852.)
Duke Coombe. William Coombe,
author of Dr. Syntax, The Devil upon
Two Sticks, etc., who in the days of his
prosperity was noted for the splendour
of his dress, the profusion of his table,
and the magnificence of his deportment.
Having spent all his money he turned
author, but passed the last fifteen years
of his life in the King's Bench. (1743-
1823.
Duke Ernest. (See ERNEST.)
Duke Humphrey. (See HUMPHREY.)
Duke Street (Strand), so named
from George Williers, Duke of Bucking-
ham.
Duke and Duchess in Don Quixote,
who play so many tricks on the Knight
of the Woeful Countenance, were Don
Carlos de Borja, Count of Ficallo, who
married Donna Maria of Aragon,
Duchess of Willaher'mora, in whose right
T).uke
388
Dulia
the count had extensive estates on the
banks of the Ebro ; among others he had
a country seat called Buenavia, which
was the place Cervantes referred to.
Duke of Exeter's Daughter (The).
A rack in the Tower of London, so
called from a minister of Henry VI.,
who sought to introduce it into England.
Duke or IParling. Heads or tails ;
pitch and toss. When the scandals
about the Duke of York and Mrs.
Clarke were the common talk of the
town, the street boys, instead of crying
JHeads or tails, used to say Duke or Dar-
ling. (Lord Colchester : Diary, 1861.)
Duke's. A fashionable theatre in
the reign of Charles II. It was situate
in Portugal Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields.
It was named from its great patron,
James, Duke of York, afterwards James
II. The modern Duke’s theatre.
Duke's Walk. To meet one in the
IJuke's Walk. An invitation to fight a
duel. . In the vicinity of Holyrood
House is a place called the Duke's Walk,
from being the favourite promenade of
the Duke of York, afterwards James II.,
during his residence in Scotland. This
walk was the common rendezvous for
settling affairs of honour, as the site of
the British Museum was in England.
“If a gentleman shall ask me the same question,
I shall, regard the incivility as equivalent to an
invitation to meet him in the Duke's Walk.”—
Scott : Bride of Lammermoor, chap. XXXiV.
Dukeries. A district in Nottingham-
shire, so called from the number of ducal
residences in the vicinity, including Wel-
beck Abbey, Thoresby, Clumber, Work-
sop, Kiveton Hall, etc.
Dulcar'non. The horns of a dilemma.
(or Syllogismum cornu'tum); at my wits'
end ; a puzzling question. Dulcar'nein
is the Arabic dhu'lkarſtein (double-
horned, having two horns). Hence the
47th proposition of the First Book; of
Euclid is called the Dulcarnon, as 'the
5th is the poms asinorum. Alexander the
Great is called Iscander Dulcarnein, and
the Macedonian aera, the aera of Dulcar-
Alein. Chaucer uses the word in Troylus
and Cryseyde, book iii. 126, 127.
*: The horns of the 47th proposition
are the two squares which contain the
right angle.
To be in Dulcarnon. To be in a quan-
dary, or on the horns of a dilemma.
To send one to Dulcarnon. To daze
with puzzles.
Dulce Domum.
of Winchester school.
The holiday Song
Mr. Brandon
Says it was composed by a boy of St.
Mary’s College, Winchester, who was
confined for misconduct during the
Whitsun holidays, “as report says, tied
to a pillar.” On the evening preceding
the Whitsun holidays, “the master,
Scholars, and choristers of the above
college walk in procession round the
‘pillar,’ chanting the six stanzas of the
Song.” In the March number of the
Gentleman’s Magazine, 1796, a transla-
tion, signed “J. R.,” was given of the
Song; and Dr. Milner thinks the original
is not more than a century old. It is
rather remarkable that the author has
made “domum ” a neuter noun. (See
ADESTE FIDELES.) - T -
, CHORUS:
“Domum, domum, dulce domum !
Domulm, domulm, dulce domun, ;
Dulce, dulce, dulce domunn
Dulce dOlnunn, resone’mus.”
Home, home, joyous home !
Home, home, joyous home !
Joyous, joyous, joyous home !
Hurrah for joyous home D. C. B.
Dulce est Desipere in Loco. It
is delightful to play the fool occa-
sionally ; it is nice to throw aside one's
dignity and relax at the proper time.
(Horace : 4 Odes, xii. 28.)
Dulce et Decorum est pro Patria,
Mori (Latin). It is sweet and becoming
to die on our country’s behalf, or to die
for one’s country.
Dul'cimer (Italian dolcimello), ac-
cording to Bishop (Musical Dictionary,
p. 45), is “a triangular chest strung with
wires, which are struck with a little rod
held in each hand; ” but the word
“symphonia,” translated dulcimer in
Daniel iii. 5, was a species of bagpipe.
Fürst deduces it from the Hebrew
Smpſ? (a pipe).
“The Sound of cornet, flute, harp, Sackbut,
psaltery, [Symphony] or dulcimer, and all kinds of
music.”—Dan. iii. 5.
Dulcin'ea. A lady - love. Taken
from Don Quixote’s amic du ca’at). Her
real name was Aldonza Lorenzo, but the
knight dubbed her Dulcinea del Tobo'so.
“I must ever have some Dulcinea, in Imy head—
it harmonises the Soul.”—Sterme,
Dul’cinists. Heretics who followed
the teaching of Dulcin, who lived in the
fourteenth century. He said that God
reigned from the beginning to the com-
ing of Messiah; and that Christ reigned
from His ascension to the fourteenth
century, when He gave up His dominion
to the Holy Ghost. Dulcin was burnt by
order of Pope Clement IV.
Duli'a. An inferior degree of wor-
ship or veneration, such as that paid by
Tull
389. - T)urn mies
Toman Catholics to Saints and angels;
JHyper-duli'a is a superior sort of vene-
ration reserved for the Virgin; but that
worship which is paid to God alone is
called latri'a. “Dulia, ’’ means that sort
of veneration which slaves pay to their
lords (Greek, doulos, a slave); “Latria ''
means that sort of veneration which
mortals pay to the gods (Greek, latrett'0,
to worship the gods).
Dull as a Fro. A frow or fro is a
kind of wedge for splitting wood. It is
not a sharp-edged instrument like a
chisel, but a blunt or dull One.
Dull as Ditch-water. Uninterest-
ing ; ditch-water is stagnant and has no
go in it.
Dulness. Iſing of dulness. Colley
Cibber, poet laureate after Eusden.
“‘God Save king Cibber mounts in every
110te . . . .
sº - When Joye's block descended from On
ll tºll .
Loui thunder to the bottom shook the bog, .
And the hoarse nation croaked, “God save king
Ilog ' ' " Pope : Dunciad, book i.
Dum Sola (Latin). While single or
unmarried.
Dum Spiro, Spero. While I live, I
hope ; or, While there's life, there's
hope.
Hope while you live, for who would care to
CC)l)e
With life's three foes, unpanoplied with hope 2
Hope against hope, while fed with vital breath,
HOpe be your anchor in the hour Of deg; B
W. C.
Dum Vivinus, Vivanmus (Latin).
While we live, let us enjoy life. The
motto of Dr. Doddridge's coat of arms,
which he converted into the subjoined
epigram—
“‘ I.ive, while you live,' the epicure would say,
‘And seize the pleasures of the present day.”
‘Live, while you live, the sacred preacher cries,
‘And give to God each moment as it flies.’
Lord, in my views let each united be ;
I live in pleasure, when I live to thee.”
Du'machus. The impenitent thief,
called Dysmus in the apocryphal Gospel
of Nicodemus. In Longfellow’s Golden
Legend Dumachus and Titus were two
of a band of robbers who attacked Joseph
in his flight into Egypt. Titus said, “Let
these good people go in peace,” but
Dumachus replied, “First let them pay
for their release.” Upon this Titus gave
his fellow-robber forty groats, and the
infant Jesus said—
“When thirty years shall have gone by,
I at Jerusalem Shall die . . . .
On the accurséd tree.
Then on my right and my left side,
These thieves shall both be crucified ;
And Titus thenceforth shall abide
In Paradise With me.”
The Miracle Play, iii.
Dumb-barge (A). A barge without
Sails, used for a pier, and not for convey-
ing merchandise up and down a river.
Dumb-bell Nebula (The). A still
condensing mass; so called from being
of the shape of a dumb-bell.
Dumb-bells. A corruption of Dum-
pels or Dumples, the same word as Dum-
plings, and meaning heavy (weights).
(German and Danish, dumm, heavy,
dull, insipid ; dºmpling, a heavy, insipid
pudding ; dumps, heavy, stupid morose-
ness.) (See DUMP.)
Dumb-bells. In New College, Ox-
ford, there still is an apparatus for
developing the muscles similar to that
which sets church-bells in motion. It
consists of a fly-wheel with a weight
attached, and the gymnast is carried by
it up and down to bring his muscles into
play. The present apparatus was sub-
stituted for it, and answers a similar
purpose, though the name is greatly
obscured.
Dumb-bidding. A sale by auction
effected thus: The owner fixes an upset-
price on an article, writes it on a slip of
paper, and covers the slip up. The
article is then offered to the bidders, and
withdrawn unless some bid reaches the
upset price.
Dumb-cow (To). To brow-beat; to
cow. (Anglo-Indian.)
Dumb Crambo. (See CRAMBO.)
Dumb Dog (A). One who remains
silent when he ought to speak.
Dumb Ox of Cologne (The). Thomas
Aquinas (1224-1274), known afterwards
as “the Angelic Doctor’’ or “Angel of
the Schools.” Albertus Magnus, the
tutor of the “dumb ox,” said of him :
“The dumb ox will one day fill the
world with his lowing.” He was born
at Naples, but was a student in the
monastery of Cologne.
Dumb-waiter. A piece of dining-
room furniture, fitted with shelves, to
hold glasses, dishes, and plate. So
called because it answers all the pur-
poses of a waiter, and is not possessed
of an insolent tongue; a lift for carry-
ing food from a kitchen to the dining-
room, etc.
Dum’my. In three-handed whist the
exposed hand is called dummy.
Dum'mies (2 syl.). Empty bottles
or drawers in a druggist's shop ; wooden
heads in a hairdresser's shop; lay figures
Dunmp
390
Tunciad
in a tailor’s shop; persons on the stage
who appear before the lights, but have
nothing to say. These all are dumb,
actually or figuratively.
Dump. A Brazilian copper coin,
worth about 2%d. ; also a round flat
lump of lead used on board ship for
playing quoits and chuck-penny. Hence
dumpy or dumpty (squat or Small). An
egg is called a humpty-dumpty in the
nursery verses beginning with “Humpty
Dumpty sat on a wall,” etc.
“Death saw two players playing cards,
- But the game was not Worth a dump.”
Hood : Death's IRatmble, stanza 14.
Dumps. To be in the dumps. Out
of spirits; in the “sullens.” According
to etymological fable, it is derived from
Dumops, King of Egypt, who built a
pyramid and died of melancholy. Gay's
Third Pastoral is Wednesday, or the
Dumps. (German, dumm, stupid, dull.)
“Why, how mow, daughter Katharine P in your
flºps ?”—ShalceSpeatre : Tatºming of the Shº'ew,
Dun. One who importunes for pay-
ment of a bill (Anglo-Saxon, dunan, to
din or clamour). The tradition is that
it refers to Joe Dun, a famous bailiff of
Lincoln in the reign of Henry VII. The
JBritish Apollo says he was so active
and dexterous in collecting bad debts
that when anyone became “slow to
pay ” the neighbours used to say to the
creditors, “Dun him '' (send Dun after
him).
“An Universitie dunne . . . . is an inferior
creditor of some ten shillings or downewards,
contracted for horse-hire, or perchance drinke,
too weake to be put in Suite.”—Bishop Earle:
Microcosmographia (1601-1695).
Squire Dun. The hangman between
Richard Brandin and Jack Ketch.
“And presently a halter got,
Made of the best strong hempen teer;
And, ere a cat could lick his ear,
Had tied him up with as much art
As Dun himself could do for 's heart.”
Cottom : Virgil Travestied, book iy.
Dun Cow. The dun cow of Duns-
more heath was a savage beast slain by
Sir Guy, Earl of Warwick. A huge
tusk, probably that of an elephant, is
still shown at Harwich Castle as one of
the horns of the dun-cow. (See GUY.)
The fable is that this cow belonged to
a giant, and was kept on Mitchell Fold
(middle fold), Shropshire. Its milk was
inexhaustible; but one day an old woman
who had filled her pail, wanted to fill
her sieve also. This so enraged the cow,
that she broke loose from the fold and
wandered to T)unsmore heath, where she
was slain by Guy of Warwick.
* Isaac Taylor, in his Words and
Places (p. 269), says the dun cow is a
corruption of the Dema Gaº or Danish
settlement in the neighbourhood of
Warwick. Gau, in German, means
region, country. If this explanation is
correct, the great achievement of Guy
was a victory over the Danes, and
taking from them their settlement near
Warwick.
Dun in the Mire. To draw Dun onſt
of the mire. To lend a helping hand
to one in distress. The allusion is to
an English game, explained by Mr.
Gifford in his edition of Ben Jonson,
vii. 283. A log of wood is brought into
a room. The log, called Dun, is sup-
posed to have fallen into the mire, and
the players are to pull him out. Every
player does all he can to obstruct the
others, and as often as possible the log
is made to fall on someone's toes. Con-
stant allusion is made to this game.
“Sires, what ? Dun is in the mire.”—Chauce) ;
Prologue to Maumciples Tale,
“If thou art dun, we'll draw thee from the mire.”
- Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, i. 4.
“Well done, my masters, lend 's your hands;
Draw Dun out of the ditch.
Draw, pull, helpe all. So, so ; well (lone.”
Dutchesse of Suffolke (1631).
Dunce. A dolt ; a stupid person.
The word is taken from Duns Scotus,
the learned schoolman and great Sup-
porter of the immaculate conception.
His followers were called Dumsers. Tyn-
dal says, when they saw that their hair-
splitting divinity was giving way to
modern theology, “the old barking curs
raged in every pulpit ’’ against the
classics and new notions, so that the
name indicated an opponent to progress,
to learning, and hence a dunce. -
“He knew what's what, and that's as high
As metaphysic wit can fly . . . .
A Second Thomas, Ol' at Once
To name them all, another Dunse.”
Butler : Hudibras, i. 1.
Dunce. (See ABDERITAN, ARCADIAN,
BOEOTIAN.)
Dun'ciad. The dunce-epic, a satire
By Alexander Pope. Eusden, the poet
laureate, being dead, the goddess of
Dulness elects Colley Cibber to be his
successor. The installation is celebrated
by games, the most important being the
proposal to read, without sleeping, two
voluminous works—one in verse and the
other in prose; as everyone falls asleep,
the games come to an end. King Cibber
is now taken to the temple of Dulness,
and is lulled to sleep on the lap of the
goddess; and, during his slumber, sees in
a vision the past, present, and future
triumphs of the empire. Finally, the
I under ea-
391
+. ills vall
goddess, having destroyed order and
science, establishes her kingdom on a
firm basis; and, having given directions
to her several agents to prevent thought
and keep people to foolish and trifling
pursuits, Night and Chaos are restored,
and the poem ends. (See DENNIS.)
Dun'derhead. A blockhead, or,
rather, a muddle-headed person. Dun-
der is the lees or dregs of wine, etc.;
more correctly, the overflow of fer-
mented liquors (yeast). (Spanish, re-
dunday, to overflow or froth over.)
“The use of Dunder in the making of rum
answers the purpose of yeast in the fermentation
of fiour.”—Edwards: West Indies.
Dundrea'ry (Lord) (3 syl.). The
impersonation of a good-natured, indo-
lent, blundering, empty-headed Swell.
The chief character in Tom Taylor's
dramatic piece called Our American
Col(size. Mr. Sothern created the cha-
racter of Lord Dundreary by the power
of his conception and the genius of his
acting. (See BROTHER SAM.)
Dungaree. A coarse blue cloth worn
by sailors; coarse and vulgar. Tun-
garee is the Wapping of Bombay. .
Dunghill! Coward | Willain This
is a cockpit phrase ; all cocks, except
gamecocks, being called dunghills.
“Out, dunghill dar'st thou brave a nobleman 2''
- Shakespeare : ICing Johm, iv. 3.
That is, Dare you, a dunghill cock, brave
a thoroughbred gamecock?
Dunghill. Thou hast it, ad dunghill,
at thy fingers' ends. To this Holofernes
replies : “Oh, smell false Latin ;
‘dunghill' for ‘ unguem.’” (Shake-
speare: Love’s Labour’s Lost, v. 1.)
Bunkers. (See TUNKERS.)
Dunmow. To eat Dunmow bacon.
To live in conjugal amity, without even
wishing the marriage knot to be less
firmly tied. The allusion is to the in-
stitution of Robert Fitzwalter. Be-
tween 1244 and 1772 eight claimants
have been admitted to eat the flitch.
Their names merit immortality:
1445. Richard Wright, labourer, Bau-
burgh, near Norwich.
1467. Steven Samuel, of Little Ays-
ton, Essex.
1510. Thomas Ley, fuller, Coggeshall,
|Fssex.
1701. William and Jane Parsley,
butcher, Much-Easton, Essex. Same
year, John and Ann Reynolds, Hatfield
Regis.
1751. Thomas Shakeshaft,
comber, Weathersfield, Essex.
wool-
1763. Waynes 707/8/2007, 1 J e
1772. John and Susan Gilder, Tar-
ling, Essex.
The attempt to revive this “premium
for humbug” is a mere “get-up ’’ for
the benefit of the town.
“Ah, madam cease to be mistaken ;
Tew married fowl peck Dunnjoy bacon.”
Prior : Turtle and Sparrow, 233.
Dunmow Flitch. The oath adminis-
tered was in the doggerel subjoined :
“You shall swear, by the custom of our confession,
That you never made any nuptial transgrešsion
Since you were married man and wife,
By household brawls or contentious strife :
Or, since the parish clerk Said “Amen,”
Wishëd yourselves unmarried again ;
Or, in a twelvemonth and a day,
IRepented not in thought any way.
If to these terms, without all fear,
Of your own accord you will freely swear,
A gammon of bacon you shall receive,
And bear it hence with Our good leave.
For this is our custom at Dunmow well known—-
The sport is ours, but the bacon your own.”
Duns Scotus. A schoolman, called
Duns from Dunce in Berwickshire.
(1265–1308.) Not John Scotus, Erigéna,
the schoolman, who died A.D. 875.
Dun'stable. Bailey, as if he actu-
ally believed it, gives the etymology of
this word Duns’ stable ; adding Duns or
“Dunus was a robber in the reign of
Henry I., who made it dangerous for
travellers to pass that way.” (Dunes or
dums tavell, our table—i.e. the table-land
or flat of the hills.)
Downright Dunstable.
RIGHT.)
JPlain as the road to Dunstable ; or, as
Shakespeare says, “Plain as way to
parish church.” The road leading to
Dunstable is the confluence of many
leading to London, but the play is on
the word dunce.
Dun'stan (St.). Patron saint of gold-
Smiths, being himself a noted worker in
gold. He is represented generally in
pontifical robes, but carrying a pair of
pincers in his right hand. The pon-
tificals refer to his office as Archbishop
of Canterbury, and the pincers to the
legend of his holding the Devil by the
nose till he promised never to tempt
him again. -
St. Dunstan and the devil. Tunstan
was a painter, jeweller, and blackSmith.
Being expelled from court, he built a
cell near Glastonbury church, and there
he worked at his handicrafts. It was in
this cell that tradition, says the Devil
had a gossip with the Saint through the
lattice window. Dunstan went on talk-
ing till his tongs were red hot, when he
turned round suddenly and caught his
Satanic Majesty by the nose. One can
(See Down-
IXuodecimo
392
T)ust
trace in this legend the notion that all
knowledge belonged to the Black Art ;
that the “saints” are always more than
conquerors over the spirits of evil; and
the singular cunning which our fore-
fathers so delighted to honour.
Duodec'imo. A book whose sheets
are folded into twelve leaves each. This
word, which differs from both the Italian
and French, is from the Latin duodecim
(twelve). It is now called twelvemo,
from the contraction -12mo. The term
is still applied to books that are the same
size as the old duodecimo, irrespective of
the number of leaves into which the
sheet is folded.
A man in duodec'imo is a dwarf. (See
IXECIMO.)
Duomo (The). The cathedral.
“The supreme executive of Florence suspended
Sayonarola, from preaching in the “Duomo.”—
Symonds : Renaissance in Italy.
Dup is do up. Thus Ophelia, says, in
one of her snatches, he “dupt the
chamber door,” i.e. did up or pushed
up the latch, in order to open the door,
that he might “let in the maid” (Ham-
let, iv. 1). A portcullis and some other
doors were lifted up or dupped.
“Iche weene the porters are drunk. Will they
not dup the gate to-day.”—Edwards: Damon and
Pithias (1571).
Dupes. (See DAY OF THE DUPES.)
I)uranda'na, or Durin'dama. Or-
lando's sword, given him by his cousin
Malagigi. It once belonged to Hector,
and was made by the fairies. It could
cleave the Pyrenees at a blow. N.B.-
In French romance Orlando is called
JRoland, Malagigi Maugis, and the Sword
durandal or durin'dal. (See SworD.)
“Nor plaited shield, nor tempered casque defends,
Where Durindana's trenchant edge descends.”
Ełoole : Orlando I'wrioso, book V.
Du'randar'té. A knight who fell at
Roncesvalles, cousin to Montesinos. The
tale says he loved Belerma, whom he
served seven years, at the expiration of
which time he was slain. In his last
breath he told Montesi'nos to take his
heart and give it to Belerma. He is
described by Lewis as
“Sweet in manners, fair in favour,
Mild in temper, fierce in fight.”
I}urante.
Durante bene placito (Latin).
pleasure.
Durante minore detate (Latin). During
minority.
During
Jurante widºtitate (Latin). Turing
widowhood.
Durante vita (Latin). For life.
Durbar (Indian word). A levée.
“Durbars which might rival in splendour of
colour and jewelled, bravery, the glories of the
court of Byzantium.”—McCarthy: England under
Gladstome, chap. iv. p. 60. - -
Dur’den (Dame). A notable house-
wife. Dame Durden, of the famous
English song, kept five serving girls to
carry the milking pails, and also kept
five serving men to use the spade and
flail. The five men loved the five maids.
“’Twas Moll and Bet, and Doll and Kate, and
Orothy Draggletail ;
And John and Dick, and Joe and Jack, and
Humphrey with his flail.” 71,077.
Dürer (Albert), of Nürnberg, called
by his countrymen “the prince of
artists,” and by many the “Chaucer of
painting.” (1471-1528.)
* Dürer's portraits of Charlemagne
and other emperors are unrivalled ; but
Lucas Kranach’s (1472–1553) portraits
of Luther and other reformers are said
to run them very close in merit.
Duresley. You are a man of Dures-
ley, i.e. a great liar and cheat. Dures-
ley is a market-town in Gloucestershire,
famous for its broadcloth manufactory.
Now called Dursley. See Fulle” .
Worthies.) The word “cabbage,” con-
nected with tailors, seems to confirm
the notion that our forefathers had no
very high opinion of their honesty.
Dur'ham Book. By Eadfrid, Bishop
of Lindisfarne, who died in 721, one of
the most splendid examples of illumina-
tion in the world.
Durham Mustard. So called from
the residence of Mrs. Clements, who first
conceived the idea of grinding mustard
in a mill, instead of pounding it in a
mortar. George I. stamped it with his
approval, hence the pots labelled “Dur-
ham mustard ” bear the royal initials
in a medallion.
Dus or Deuce. The chief god of the
Brigan'tés, one of whose altars, bearing
an inscription, was discovered at Gret-
land. (Camden : Britannia.)
Du'siens. The name given by the
Gauls to those demons that produce
nightmares.
“Damones quos duscios’ Galli nuncupant.”—
I
St. Augustime : De Civitate Dei, chap. xxiii.
Dust. Money; so called because it
is made of gold-dust. It is said that Dean
Swift took for the text of a charity ser-
mon, “He who giveth to the poor, lend-
eth to the Lord.” Having thrice repeated .
his text, he added, “Now, brethren, if
you like the security, down with your
dust.” That ended his sermon.
Dustman
393 T)utch School
I)ust. The wild Irish peasantry believe
that dust is raised on roads by fairies on
a journey, and raise their hats to it,
saying, “God speed you, gentlemen.”
The Arabs think the whirlwind and
waterspout are caused by evil jinns.
I’ll dust your jacket for yout. Give you
a good beating. The allusion is to
dusting carpets, etc., by beating them
with a stick. -
To raise a dust, To kick up a dust. To
make a commotion or disturbance.
To throw dust in one’s eyes. To mislead.
The allusion is to a Mahometan practice
of casting dust into the air for the sake
of “confounding ” the enemies of the
faith. This was done by Mahomet on
two or three occasions, as in the battle
of Honein ; and the Koran refers to it
when it says, “Neither didst thou, O
Mahomet, cast dust into their eyes; but
it was God who confounded them.” But
the following incident will suffice : One
day the Koreishites surrounded the house
of Mahomét, resolved to murder him.
They peeped through the crevice of his
chamber-door, and saw him lying asleep.
Just at this moment his son-in-law Ali
opened the door silently and threw into
the air a handful of dust. Immediately
the conspirators were confounded. They
mistook Ali for Mahomet, and Mahomet
for Ali; allowed the prophet to walk
through their midst uninjured, and laid
hands on Ali. No sooner was Mahomet
safe, than their eyes were opened, and
they saw their mistake.
“When the English king pursued the Imaum
who had stolen the daughter of Allah, Allah threw
dust in his eyes to check his pursuit.”—Legend at
Gori (respecting the beauty, of the Georgians),
Dustman has arrived (The), or
“The sandman is about.” It is bed-
time, for the children rub their eyes, as
if dust or sand was in them. •
Dusty. Well, it is none so dusty, or
Not so dusty. I don’t call it bad; rather
Smart. Here dºtsty is the opposite of
22eat, and neat = spruce. “None so
dusty” or “Not so dusty'’ means
therefore, Not so unspruce, or rather
S1110.7°t.
Dusty-foot. (See PIE POUDR.E.)
Dutch. The Dutch have taken Hol-
land. A quiz when anyone tells what
is well known as a piece of wonderful
news. Similar to Queen Bess (or Queen
Anne) is dead; the Ark rested on Mount
Ararat ; etc.
Dutch Auction. An “antction ” in
which the bidders decrease their bids till
they come to the minimum price. Dutch
gold is no gold at all ; Dutch courage is
no real courage; Dutch concert is no
music at all, but mere hubbub ; and
Lutch auction is no auction, or increase
of bets, but quite the contrary.
Dutch Clocks, i.e. German clocks,
chiefly made in the Black Forest. As
many as 180,000 are exported annually
from Friburg. (German, Deutsch, Ger-
man.)
“A woman, that is like a German clock,
Still a-repairing, ever out of frame,
And never going aright.”
Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost, iii. 1.
Dutch Comfort. 'Tis a comfort it
was no worse. The comfort derivable
from the consideration that how bad
soever the evil which has befallen you,
a worse evil is at least conceivable.
Dutch Concert. A great noise and
uproar, like that made by a party of
T)utchmen in Sundry stages of intoxica-
tion, some singing, others quarrelling,
Speechifying, wrangling, and so on.
Dutch Courage. The courage ex-
cited by drink; pot valour.
“In the Dutch wars (in the time of Charles II.),
. . . . the captain of the Hollander man-of-war,
When about to engage With our ships, usually set
. . . . a hogshead of brandy abroach before the
mast, and bid the men drink . . . . and our men
felt the force of the brandy to their cost.”—Notes
(tºld Queries (Oct. 15, 1892, p. 304).
Gleek is
Dutch Gleek. Tippling.
a game, and the phrase means the game
loved by Dutchmen is drinking.
“Nor could be partaker of any of the good
cheer except it were the liquid part of it, which
they Call ‘Dutch Gleek.’”—Gayton.
Dutch Gold. Teutsche or German
gold. An alloy of copper and zinc, in-
vented by Prince Rupert of Bavaria.
Dutch Nightingales. Frogs. Simi-
larly, Cambridgeshire nightingales;
Liège nightingales, etc.
Dutch School of painting is a sort
of “pre-Raphaelite ” exactness of detail
without selection. It is, in fact, photo-
graphing exactly what appears before
the artist, as faithfully as his art will
allow. The subjects are generally the
lower classes of social life, as pothouse
scenes, drunken orgies, street groups,
Dutch boors, etc., with landscapes and
still-life. The greatest of the Dutch
masters are : for portraits, Rembrandt,
Bol, Flinck, Hals, and Vanderhelst; for
conversation pieces, Gerhard Douw, Ter-
burg, Metzu, Mieris, and Netscher; for
low life, Ostade, Brower, and Jan Steen ;
for landscapes, Ruysdael, Hobbema,
Cuyp, Wanderneer, Berchem, and A.
Both ; for battle Scenes, Wouvermans
- T) atch. I'93 :
394
Dwarfs'
and Huchtenburg; for marine pieces,
Wandevelde and Bakhuizen ; for still-
life and ſlowers, Kalf, A. Van Utrecht,
Van Huysum, and De Heem.
Dutch Toys, chiefly made in Mein-
ingen, part of the duchy of Coburg-
Gotha. (Dutch, i.e. Deutsch, German.)
Dutch Uncle. I will talk to you like
a Dutch uncle. Will reprove you
Smartly. Uncle is the Latin notion of
pat”ults, “an uncle,” “severe guar.
dian,” or “stern castigator.” Hence
Horace, 3 Od. xii. 3, “Metalentes patrude
werbera linguæ” (dreading the castigations
of an uncle's tongue); and 2 Sat. iii. 88,
“Me sis patruus mihi " (Don't come the
uncle over me). -
Dutchman. I’m a Dutchman if I
do. A strong refusal. During the rivalry
between England and Holland, the word
Dutch was synonymous with all that
was false and hateful, and when a man
Said, “I would rather be a Dutchman
than do what you ask me,” he used the
strongest term of refusal that words
could express.
If not, I’m a Dutchman, means, I will
do it or I will call myself a Dutchman.
Well, I’m a Dutchina), J An exclama-
tion of strong incredulity.
Duty means what is due or owing, a
debt which should be paid. Thus obe-
dience is the debt of citizens to rulers
for protection, and service is the debt of
persons employed for wages received.
“Strictly considered, all duty is owed originally
to God only ; but . . . duties to God may be dis-
tributed . . . into duties towards self, towards
manhood, and towards (#Od.”—Gregory: Christian,
Dºthics, loart ii. divisioni. p. 172.
Duum'virs (3 syl.) or Duumviri.
Certain Roman officers who were ap-
pointed in pairs, like our Tondon sheriffs.
The chief were the two officers who had
charge of the Sibylline books, the two
who had the Supervision of the muni-
cipal cities, and the two who were
charged with naval matters. -
Dwarf (The). Richard Gibson,
painter (1615-1690), a page of the back-
stairs in the court of Charles I. He
married Anne Shepherd, a dwarf also,
and the King honoured the wedding
with his presence. Each measured
three feet ten inches.
“Design or chance makes others Wiyé,
But Nature did this match contriye.”
Walley".
The Black Dwarf. A fairy of the
most malignant character; a genuine
northern Duergar, and once held by the
dalesmen of the border as the author of
all the mischief that befell their flocks
and herds. Sir Walter Scott has a novel
so called, in which the “black dwarf 22.
is introduced under the aliases of Sir
Edward Mauley; Elshander, the re-
cluse ; Cannie Elshie; and the Wise
Wight of Mucklestane Moor. .
Dwarf Alberich (in the Nibelungen
Lied) is the guardian of the famous
“ hoard” won by Siegfried from the
Nibelungs. The dwarf is twice van-
quished by the hero, who gets possession
of his Tarn-kappé (cloak of invisibility).
(See ELBERICH.) -
Dwarf Peter (das Peter Manchen).
An allegorical romance by Ludwig Tieck.
The dwarf is a castle spectre that ad-
vises and aids the family; but all his
advice turns out evil, and all his aid
productive of trouble. The dwarf re-
presents that corrupt part of human
nature called by St. Paul the “law in
our members which wars against the law
of our minds, and brings us into cap-
tivity to the law of sin.” *
Dwarfs (under three feet in height).
ANDROM'EDA, 2 ft. 4 in. One of Julia's free
maids. (See below, CONOPAS.)
ARISTRATOS, the poet, was So small that
Athenaeos. Says, “no one could see him.”
BEBE, or Nicholas Ferry, 2 ft. 9 in. A natiyo of
France (1714–1737). He had a brother and sister,
both dwarfs. . . . . - - ,
BORUWLASKI (Count Joseph), 2 ft. 4 in. at the age
of twenty. (1730–1837.)
BUCKINGER (Matthew), a German, born 1674. He
was born without hands, legs, or feet. Fac-
§es Of his Writing are almongst the Harleian
CHE-MAH (a Chinese), 2 ft. 1 in., weight 52 lbs.
Exhibited in London in 1880. - º
Co Lo’BRI (Prince) of Sleswig, 2 ft. 1 in., weight
25 lbs. at the age of 25 (1851). -
CoNOPAs, 2 ft. 4 in. One of the dwarfs of Julia,
niece of Augustus. (See above, ANDROM EDA.)
Coppº RNIN, the dwarf of the Princess of Wales,
mother of George III. The last court dwarf in
England. +
CRAGH/AM1 (Caroline). Born at Palermo; 1 ft.
8 in, at death. (1814–24.) Exhibited in Bond
Street, London, 1824. e . . .
DECKER or DUCKER (Johm), 2 ft. 6 in. An English-
man (1610). - º
FAIRY QUEEN (The), 1 ft. 4 in., weight 4 lbs. Ex-
hibited in Regent Street, London, 1850. Her
feet were less than two inches. . º &
GIBSON (Richard), a good portrait painter. His
wife's maiden mäme was Anne Shepherd. Each
measured 3 ft. 10 in. Waller sang their praises.
(In the reign of Charles I.)
Hudsox (Sir Jeffrey). Born at Oakham, Rutland-
shire; 1 ft. 6 in. at the age of thirty (1619–78).
JAR.VIS (John), 2 ft. Page of honour to Queen
Mary (1508–56). . . .
Loºk Es (Wybrand), 2 ft. 3 in., weight 57 lbs. Ex-
hibited at Astley's in 1790.
LU/CLUs, 2 ft., weight 17 lbs. The dwarf of the
Emperor Augustus. . . g
MARINE (Lizzie), 2 ft. 9 in., weight 45 lbs. . .
MIDGETs, THE. Lucia Zárate, the eldest sister,
lift. 8 in., weight 43 lbs. at the age of eighteen.
FIer sister was a little taller. Exhibited in
London, 1881. * * * - *
MILLER (Miss), of Virginia, 2 ft. 2 in.
MITE (General), 1 ft. 9 in. (weight 9 lbs.) at the age
of seventeen. Exhibited in London, 1881. ..
Pº, (Simon), A Dutch dwarf, 2 ft. 4 in., Weight
27 lbs, -
T) Wile
395
TXying Sayings
PHILE”TAs, a poet, contemporary with Hippo-
cratēs. So thin," that he wore leaden shoes lest
tlle wind should blow him a Way.” (Died B.C.
*)
280.
SAWYER (A. L.), 2 ft. 6; in., weight 39 lbs. Editor
in 1883, etc., of the Democrat, a paper of con-
sideraljle repute in Florida. -
STOBERIN (C. H.), of Nuremberg, 2 ft. 11 in. at the
age of twenty. * -- * º
STOCKER (Nammette), 2 ft. 9 in. Exhibited in
London in 1815. - -
STRAssº, DAVIT Family. Man, 1 ft. 8 in.; woman,
1 tt. 6 in...; child, at age of Seventeen, only 6 in.
Embalmed in the chemical library of Rastadt.
TERESIA (Madame). A Corsican, 2 ft. 10 in.,
Weight 27 lbs. Exhibited in London 1773.
TOM THUMIB (Gemeral), whose name was Charles
S. Stl’atton, born at Bridgeport in Connecticut,
.S., 2 ft. 1 in., Weight 25 lbs. at the age of
twenty-five. (1838-83.) Exhibited first in London
in 1844. In 1863 lie married Betsy Bump (Layima.
Warren). e
TOM THUMP, a Dutch dwarf, 2 ft. 4 in. at the age
of eighteen.
WANMER. (Lucy), 2 ft. 6 in., weiglit 45 lbs. Ex-
hil)ited in London, 1801, at the age of forty-five.
WA. It RTEN (Latviantt.), nuarried to General Tom
Thunul) in 1863, was also a dwarf, and in 1885 she
Juarried another dwarf, Count l’rimo Magri,
who was 2 ft. 8 in. - -
WORM BERG (John), 2 ft. 7 in. at the age of thirty-
eight (Hanoverian lyeriod).
X L'I Was the dwarf Of Edward VI.
ZARATE (Lucia), 1 ft. 3 in... An excellent linguist
of Shigaken Osara (b. 1851).
‘. Nicéphorus Galistus tells us of an Egyptian
dwarf not bigger than a partridge.
The names of Several infants are known whose
heads have not exceeded in size an ordinary
billiard all. The son of D. C. Miller, of Cande-
laria, born Octolyer 27th, 1882, weighed only 8% oz.
silver dollar Would entirely hide its face, and
its mouth WaS too Small to admit an ordinary
lead pencil.
The head of the son of Mrs. Charles Tracy, of
Kingsbridge, N.Y., was not bigger than a horse-
chestnut, and the mouth Would hardly grasp a
goose-quill. The Imother's Wedding ring Would
slip easily up its legs and thighs.
The head of Mr. Marion Poe's child was not So
hig as a billiard ball, and the mother's ring would
slip up the arm as ligh as the shoulder. Mr. Poe
Stands over six feet in height.
I have a list of several other babies of similar
dimensions.
Dwile, or Dwyel. A house-flannel
for cleaning floors, common in Norfolk,
and called in the piece “dwyeling.”
(Dutch, dweil, a clout or swab.)
Dwt. is, TX-wt., i.e. denarius-weight
(penny-weight). (See CWT.)
Dyed Beards. The dyeing of beards
is mentioned by Strabo, and Bottom the
Weaver satirises the custom when he
undertakes to play Pyramus, and asks,
“what beard were I best to play it in P”
“I will discharge it in either your straw-
colour beard, your orange-tawny beard, your
1)lli'Dle-in-grain , beard, or your French-ÖröWn-
Colour beard (your perfect yellow).”—Shake-
Speare: Midsummer Night's Dream, i. 2.
‘. The , French couronne = twenty-five francs,
WàS a gold piece, and therefore the French-crown
colour Was a golden yellow; but the word French-
Crown also means baldness brought on by licen-
tiousness. Hence the retort “some of your
‘French-crowns' lave no hair at all.”
Dyeing Scarlet. Drinking deep.
Drinking dyes the face scarlet.
“They call drinking deep, dyeing scarlet.”—
Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV, ii. 4.
Dying Sayings (real or traditional):
ADAMS (President): “Independence for ever.”
AI)AMS (John Q.): “It is the last of earth. I am
CO]ntent.” -
ADDISON: “See how a Christian dies,” or “See in
What peace a Christian can die.” (See BERRY.)
ALBERT (Prince Consort): “I have such sweet
thoughts.”
ALEXANDER.I. (of Russia) : “Que vous devezëtre
fatiguée" (to his wife Elizabeth).
ALEXANDER II. (of Russia); “I am sweeping
#º the gates, Washed in the blood of the
al]] }).”
ALEXANDER III. (of Russia): “This box was
presented to me by the Emperor [sic] of Prus-
Slä.
AL FIERI: “Clasp my hand, dear friend, I am
dying.”
A NAXAG'ORAS (the philosopher, who maintained
himself by keeping a school, being asked if lie
Wished for anything, replied) : “Give the boys
a lioliday.”
ANGELO (Michael) : “My soul I resign to God,
Imy body to the earth, my worldly goods to luy
next, a.kill.”
ANNE BOLEYN (on the scaffold): “It [my neck]
is very small, very Small.”
ANTOINETTE. (See below, MARIE.)
ANTONY (of Padua): “I see my God. He calls
Iſle to Hill).”
A RCHIME/DES (being ordered by a Roman soldier
to follow lilm, replied) : “Wait till I have fili-
islled my problem.” (See LAVO ISI ER.)
ARRIA : “My Paetus, it is not painful.”
Au GUSTUS (having asked how he had played lis
part, and lºeing, of course, commended, said):
“Wos lolaudſte.”
BACON (Francis): “My name and memory I leave
to men's Claritable speeches, to foreign nations
and to the next age.”
BAILLEY : “Yes it is very cold.” (This he said
on his Way to the guillotine, when one said to
him, “Why, how you shake.”)
DEAU FORT (Cardinal Henry): “I pray you all
pray for me.”
BEAUMONT (Catº
caping death P’
BECKET (Thomas d): “I confide my soul and the
cause of the Claurch to God, to the Virgin Mary,
to the patron Saints of the Church, and to St.
Dennis.” . (This was said as he went to the
altar in Canterbury Cathedral, where he was
a.SSaSSinated.)
BEDE (The ſemerable): “Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.”
BEETHOVEN (Who Was deaf): “I shall hear in
hea,Ven.”
BERRY (Madame de): “Is not this dying with
Courage and true greatness 2'' (See A DDESON.)
BOLLEAU : “It is a great consolation to a poet on
the point of death that he has never written a
line injurious to good morals.”
BRONTÉ (father of the authoresses) : “While
there is life there is will.” (Like Louis XVIII.,
Vespasian, Siward, and others, he died stand:
ing.)
BROUGHTON. (Bishop) : “Let the earth he filled
with His glory.”
BUIRNS : “ Dºn't let the awkward Squad fire over
y grave.”
BYRON : “I must sleep now.”
CAESAR (Julius) : “Et tu, Brute?” . (This he said
to Brutus, his most intimate friend, when he
Stabbed him.)
CAMERON (Colonel James): “Scots, follow me !”
‘dinal): “What! is there no eS-
(He was killed at Bull-Run, 21st July 1861.)
CASTLEREAGH : “ Bankhead, let me faii into your
al’ll].S.
head.)
CATES BY (one Of the conspirators in the Gun-
199W der l’Hot) : “Stand by me, Tom, and we will
die together.” -
CHARLEMAGNE.: “Lord, into Thy hand I com-
mend, my Sl)irit.” (See CoI,UMBUs and TAsso.)
CHARLES I, (of England, just before he laid his
head on the block, said to Juxon, Archbishop of
Canterioury): “Remember.”
CHARLES II. (of England): “I)on’t forget poor
Nell,” or “Don’t let poor Nell starve " " (mean-
Ing Neij Gwynne). -
CHARLES W.: “Ah ! Jesus.” .
t is all Over.” (Said to Dr. Bank-
Tying Sayings
396
T).ying Sayings
CHARLES VIII. (of France): “I hope never again
to commit a mortal sin, nor even a venial one,
if I can help it.” (With these words in his
Thouth, Says Conninges, he gave up the ghost.)
CHARLES IX. (of France, in whose reign occurred
the Bartholomew slaughter): “Nurse, nurse,
What murder what blood Oh I have done
Wrong : God pardon me.”
CHARLOTTE (The Princess): “You make me drunk.
Pray leave me quiet. I feel it affects my head.”
CHESTERFIELD (Lord): “Give Dayrolles a chair.”
CHRIST (Jesus): “It is finished ' " (John xix. 30.)
CHRYSOSTOM ; “Glory to God for all things.
Almen.”
CICERO (to his assassins): “Strike . " *
COLLGNY : “Honour these grey hairs, young
łº, (Said to the German who assassinated
ll]]].
COLUMBUS : “I lord, into Thy hands I commend
my Spirit.” (See CHARLEMAGNE and TAsso.)
CONDE (IDuc d'Enghiem) : “I die for my king and
# grance." (Shot by Order of Napoleon I. in
804
COPER/NICUs : “Now, O Lord, set thy servant
free.” (See Luke ii. 29.)
CORDAY (Charlotte): “One man have I slain to
Save a hundred thousand.”
CRANMER (Archbishop of Canterbury): “That un-
Worthy hand l. That unworthy hand . " (This
he said, according to a popular tradition, as he
held in the flames his right hand which had
signed his apostasy.)
Clton'ſ BE (John); “O Hobbema, Hobbema, how I
do love thee : ” e
CIROMWELL : “My design is to make what haste
I can to be gone.”
CUVIER (to the nurse who was applying leeches):
“Nurse, it was I who discovered that leeches
have red blood.”
DANTON (to the executioner): “Be sure you show
the mob my head. lt will be a long time ere
they see its like.”
DEMO’NAX (the philosopher) : “You may go home,
the show is Oyer” (Lucian). (See RABF, LA1S.)
DER BY (Earl of): “I)ouglas, I would give all my
lands to save thee.”
IJICKENS (said in reply to mis sister-in-law, who
urged him to lie down): “Yes, on the ground.”
DIDEROT: “The first step towards philosophy is
incredulity.”
DIOGENES (requested that his body should be
buried, and when his friends said that his body
would be torn to pieces he replied) : “Quid milli
nocebunt, ferăruh) dentes nihil Sentienti.”
Doug LAS (Earl) : “Fight on, my merry men.”
EDWARDS (Jonatham) : “Trust in God, and you
Ineed not fear.”
12.I.DON (Lord): “It matters not where I am going
Whether the Weather be cold Or hot.”
ELIZABETH (Queen): “All my possessions for a
In Olment of time.” &
ELIZABETH (sister of Louis XVI., on her way to
the guillotine, when her kerchief fell from her
neck); “I pray you, gentlemen, in the name of
modesty, suffer me to cover my bosom.”
ELPHEGE (Archbishop of Canterbury) : “You urge
Ille in vain. I am not the man to provide Chris-
tian flesh for Pagan teeth, by robling my flock
to enrich their enemy.”
EPAMINONDAs (wounded ; on being told that the
Thebans were victorious): “Then I die happy.”
(See WOIFE.)
FTTY : “Wonderful ? Wolnderful this death !”
EULER : “I am dying.”
FARR (M.D.) : “Ilord, receive Imy Spirit.”
FELTON (John): “I am the man " (i.e. who shot
the Duke of Buckingham).
FOXTENELLE: “I suffer nothing, but I feel a sort
of difficulty of living longer.”
FRANKLIN : “A dying man can do nothing easily.”
FREDERICK. W. (of Denmark) : “There is not a
drop of lolood on my hands.” (See PERICLEs.)
GAINSBOROUGH : “We are all going to heaven,
and Vandyke is of the company.” (See CROME.)
GARRICK : “Oh, dear!”
GASTON DE, FOIX (called “Phoebus.” for his
beauty): “I am a dead man Lord, have
mercy upon me !”
GEORGE IV.: “Watty, what is this 2 It is death,
my boy, They have deceived me.” (Said to his
page, Sir Wathen Waller.
GIBBON: “Mon Dieu ! Mon Dieu !”
GGETHE : “More light.” * * *
GoLDSMITH : “No, it is not.” (Said in reply to
Dr. Turton, who asked him if his mind was at
ea, e.)
GRANT (Gemeral): “I want nobody distressed on
Imy account.” & 2 ºf
GREGoRY WII. : “I have loved justice and hated
iniquity, therefore I die in exile.” (He had
embroiled himself with Heinriëh IV., the
Kaiser, and had retired to Salerno.)
GREY (Lady Jame).: “Lord, into Tlly hands I
commend my Spirit.” (See CHARI.EMAGNE.)
Glto TIUS : “Be serious.”
GUSTAVUS ADOLPH.Us : “My God ‘’
HALLER : “My friend, the pulse has ceased to
beat.” (This was said to his medical attendant.)
HANNIBAI, : “Let us now relieve the Romans of
their fears by tile death of a feeble old man.”
HARRISON (JW. H.) : “I wish you to understand
the true principles of government. I wish
them carried out, and ask nothing more.” -
HAYDN died singing “God preserve the emperor l’”
HAZLITT : “I have led a happy life.”
HENRY II. (of England): “Now let the world go
as it will ; I care for nothing more.” (This he
said when he was told that his favourite son
John Was One of those who were conspiring
against him. (Shakespeare makes Macbeth say:
“I gin to be aweary of the sun,
Anº th” estate O' the World Were now un-
One.”)
HENRY III. : “I am Harry of Winchester.”
(These can hardly be called his dying words,
})ut Only the last recorded. They were Spoken
On the field of battle when a man was about
to slay him. The lyattle of Evesham was fought
#"; 4th, 1265, but Henry III. died November .
6tlı, 1272.)
HENIRY VII. : “We heartily desire our executors
to consider how beloofful it is to be prayed for.”
HENRY VIII. : “All is lost Monks, monks,
In honkS ‘’
HENIRY (Prince): “Tie a rope round my body,
Dull me out of bed, and lay me in ashes, that I
jmay die With repentant prayers to an offended
Hºt (George): “Now, Lord, receive my
S()lll.”
|HORIBES : “Now I am about º take my last
Voyage—a great leap in the dark. -
Ho FER (Andreas): , “I will not kneel. Fire "
§en to the soldiers commissioned to shoot
ll I’ll.
BIOOD : “Dying, dying.” e e
Hoo PER : “I, ord, receive my spirit.”
HUM BOLDT : “How grand these rays . They seem
to beckon earth to heaven.’
HUNTER (Dr. William) : “If I had strength to
hold a pen, I would write down how easy and
pleasant a thing it is to die.”
Iº. (Edward): “If I die, I die unto the Lord.
lmen.”
JACKSON (surnamed “Stonewall"): “Send Hill
to the front.”
JAAir's V. (of Scotland): “It [the crown of Scot-
land] came with a lass and will go With a lass.”
(This he said when told that the queen had
given birth to a daughter—the future Mary
Queen of Scots.) . - * *
JEFFERSON (of America): “I resign my spirit to
God, my daughter to my country.”
JEROME (of Prague): “Thou knowest, Lord, that
I have loved the truth.”
JESUS (See CHRIST).
JOAN OF ARC : “Jesus ! Jesus ! Jesus ! Blessed
be God.” .
JOHNSON (I)r.) : “God bless you, my dear ’’ (to
Miss Morris). -
Josſºp HINE (the divorced wife of Napoleon I.) :
“L'ile d'Elbe Napoleon “ - - - -
JULIAN, (called the “Apostate") : “Wicisti, O
Galileč.” -
KEATs : “I feel the flowers growing over me.”
KEN (Bishop) : “God’s will be done.”
KNOX : “Now it is comme.”
LAMB (Charles): “My bed-fellows are cramp and
cough—we three all in one bed.” *
LAMBERT (the Martyr) : “None but Christ : . None
but Christ “ (This he said as he was pitched
into the flames.) s
LAVOISIER, being condemned to die, asked for a
respite of two weeks that he lmight complote
Tying Sayings
397
I)ying Sayings
some experiments in which he was engaged. He
was told that the Republic was in no need of
experiments. (See above, ARCHIME/DES.) - ..
LAWRENCI, (St.). Said to have been broiſéd alive
on a gridiron, A.D. 2
58.
* This side enough is toasted, so turn me, tyrant,
€3.5
And sée whether raw or roasted I make the
better linea,t.” Foace : Book of Martyrs;
LAWRENCE (Com. James): “Don’t give up the
ship.” (Mortally wounded on the Chesapeake.)
LEIgEsq.ER (Earl of): “By the arm of St. James,
it is time to die.” - -
LEoPo LD I. (the Kaiser): “Let me die to the
sound of sweet music.” (See MIRA BEAU.)
LISLE (Sir George) : . “Ay but I have been
nearer to you, my friends, many a time, and you
have missed me.” *
LoCKE (John) : “Oh the depth of the riches of
the goodness and knowledge of God. Cease
1) OW.” his was said to Lady Masham, who
was reading to him some of the Psalms.)
ours I. : “JHuz 1 huz . " (Bouquet says, “He
turned his face to the wall, twice cried hu2 l
huz 1 [out ; out !] and then died.)
LOUIS IX. : “I will enter now into the house of
the Lord.”
Louis XI. : “Notre dame d'Embrun, ma bonne
maitresse, aidez moi.” g $º
Louis XIV. : “Why weep you ? Did you think I
should live for ever ? I thought dying had
been harder.”
Louis XVI. (on the scaffold) : “Frenchmen, I
die guiltless of the crimes imputed, to line.
Pray God my blood fall not on France 1 °
LOUIS XVIII. : “A king should die Standing.”
(See WESPASIAN and SIWARD.) . s
Māº (James): “I always talk better lying
OWn.”
MAHomſ ET or MoHAMMED : “O Allah be it so
ºforth almong the glorious host of Para-
BS6.
MALESHERBEs (to the priest): ... “Hold your
tongue your wretched chatter disgusts nie.”
MARAT (stabbed in his bath by Charlotte Corday):
“Help help me, my dear ! ” (To his house-
keeper.) sºr" * *
MARGARET. (of Scotland, wife of Louis XI. of
France) : “Fi de la yie'ſ qu'on ne m'en parle
plus,”
MARIE ANToINETTE : “Farewell, my children,
for ever. I am going to your father.”
MARTIN (St.) : “What dost thou here, thou cruel
beast 2 " (Said to the devil). (St. Sulpicius:
Epistle to Bassula.) -
MARTINUzzl (Cardinal), the Wolsey of Hungary.
#. was assassinated uttering the words, “Jesu,
alia, ” -
MARY Øſeen of England) : “You will find the
word Calais written on my heart.”
MASANIELLO : “Ungrateful traitors : " (To his
assassins.) -
MATHEWS (Charles): “I am ready.”
MAXIMILLAN (Emperor of Mexico): “Poor Car-
lotta " (Referring to his wife.) .
MELANGTHON (in reply to the question, “Do you
want anything 2 "): “Nothing but heaven.”
MIRA.BEAU : “Let me fall asleep to the sound of
delicious music.” (See LEOPOLD.) *
MONICA (St.) : “In peace I will sleep with Him
and take my rest.” (St. Augustin . Confessions.)
MOQ DY (the agtor) : . . . .
* Reason thus with life : s
If I do lose thee, I do lose a thing
That none but fools would keep.”
(The same is said of Paterson, an actor in the
Norwich Company.)
MooRE (Hammah): “Patty, Joy.”
MooRE (Sir John) : “I hope my country will do
Ime justice.”
MoRE (Sir Thomas) : “For my coming down,
let me shift for myself.” -
MOZART : “You spoke of a refreshment, Emilie ;
take my last notes, and let me bear once more
my solace and jº. -
MgRAT (King of Naples): “Soldiers, saye my
face ; aim at my heart. Farewell.” (Said to
the men appointed to shoot him.).
NA Po LION I. : “Mon Dieu La nation Française.
Tête d'armée ’’
NApo LEON III. : “Were you at Sedan 2" (To Dr.
Conneau.)
NEI.sos : “I thank God I have done my duty.
Kiss me, Hardy.”. tº -
NERO : “ Qualis artifex perio.” . - -
PALMER. (the actor): “There is another and a
better world.” (This he said on the stage...It
is a line in the part he was performing— The
Strangen”.) -
PASCAL : “My God, forsake me not.”
PER/ICLEs (of Athens): “I have never caused
any citizen to put on mourning on my account.”
(See FREDERICK. W.)
PITT (William) : “Alas, my country !”
PIZARRO : “Jesu ! ” -
Posſp.ADourº (Mdme, de) : “Stay a little longer, M.
le Curé, and we will go together.” &
PosLATowski (after the bridge over the Pliesse
was blown up): “Gentlemen, it behoves us now
to die with honour.” * *
PopF : “Friendship itself is but a part of Yirtue.”
RABELAIS : “I let down the curtain, the farce is
over.” (See DEMO’NAX. g
RALEIGH : “It matters little how the head lies.”
(Said on the scaffold where he was belieaded.)
ItFRAN : “We perish, we disappear, but the march
of time goes on for ever.”
RighARD I., (of England) : “Youth, I., forgive
thee : " (This was said to Bertrand de Gourdon,
who shot him with an arrow at Chalus.) Then
to his attendants he added, “Take off his chains,
give him 100 shillings, and let hill, g().”
RICHARD III. (of Iºngland): “Treason treason."
(At Bosworth, where his best men deserted him
and joined the army of IRichmond, after Wards
Henry VII. -
IRoBEs PIERRE (taunted with the death of Dan-
ton) : “Cowards ! . Why did you not defend
him 2" (This must have been before his jaw
was broken by the shot of the gendarme the
day before he was guillotined.)
Roch EJAQUELEIN (the Vendean hero): “We go
to meet the foe. If I advance, follow mie ; if I
retreat, slay me; if I fall, avenge me.” -
Roi,AND (Madamé): “O liberty What crimes
are committed in thy name " * * *
SALADIN : “When I am buried, carry my winding-
sheet on the point of a speal", and Say these
words: Behold the spoils which Saladin carries
with him . Of all his victories, realms, and
riches, nothing remains to him but this.” (See
SEVERU.S.) *
SAND (George): “Iaissez la verdure.” (That is,
leave the plot green, and do not cover the grave
with bricks or stone.)
SCARRON : “ All, my children, you cannot cry fol'
me So much as I have made you laugh.” -
SCHILLEB : “Many things are growing plain and
clear to my understanding.”
Scott (Sir Walter); “God bless you all. I feel
myself again.” (To his family.)
SERVI/TUS (at the stake): “Clarist, Son of the
eternal God, have mercy upon me.” (Calvin in-
sisted on his saying, “the eternal Son of God,”
but he would not, and was burnt to death.)
SEyB' Rus: “I have been everything, and eyery-
thing is nothing. A little urn will contain all
that remains of one for whom the whole world
was too little.” (See SALADIN.)
SEYMoUR (Jame): “No, my head never committed
any treason ; but, if you want it, you can take
it.”, (As Jane Seymour died within a fortnight
of the birth of her son Edward—the cause of
unbounded delight to the king—I cannot believe
that this traditionary speech is correct.)
SHARPE (Archbishop): “I shall be happy.”
SHERIDAN : “I am absolutely undone.”
SIDNEY (Algermom) : “I know that my Redeemer
liveth. I die for the good old cause.” . (He was
condemned to death by Judge Jeffries as an
accomplice in the Rye House plot.).
SIDNEY (Sir Philip): “I would not change my
joy for the empire of the world.”
Siwarp (the Dane): “Lift me up that I may die
standing, not lying down like a cow.” (See
Louis XVIII, and VESPASIAN.)
SOCRATES : “Crito, we owe a cock to AEsculapios.”
STAEL (Madame de): “I have loved God, my
father, and liberty.”
STEPHEN (the first Christian martyr) : “Lord,
into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
Swºp ENBorg: “What o'clock is it 2" (After
being told, he added) “Thank you, and God
bless you.”
Lymphna,
398
Flagle
TALMA : “The worst is, I cannot see.” (But his
last word was) “Voltaire.”
TAsso: “Lord, into Thy hands I commend my
Spirit.” (See CHARLEMAGNI, and COLUMBUs.)
TAYLOR (General Zachary): “I have tried to do
my duty, and am not afraid to die. I am ready.”
TENTERDEN (Lord Chief Justice): “Gentlemen of
the jury, you may retire.” *
THER AMENES (the Athenian, condemned by Cri-
tias to drink hemlock, said as he drank the
poison): “This to the fair Critias.”
THIEF (The Penitent): “I, ord, remember Ime
when Thou comest into Thy Kingdom.” -
THURI ow (Lord): “I’ll be shot if I don’t believe
'm dying.
TYLER (Wat): “Because they are all under my
cºmmand, they are sworn to do what I bid
IIT *
t •
VANE (Sir Harry): “It is a bad cause which
cannot bear the words of a dying man.”
VESPASIAN : “A king should die standing " (See
Louis XVIII, and SIWARD); but his last words
were, “Ut puto, deus fio" (referring to the fact
that he was the first of the Roman emperors
who died a natural death, if, indeed, Augustus
WaS poisoned, a S many Suppose).
VICARS (Hedley): “Cover my face.”
VoITAIRE: “Do let me die in peace.”
WASHINGTON : “It is well. I die hard, but am
not afraid to go.” - • *
WESLEY: “The best of all is, God is with us.”
WILBERFORCE (His father said to him, “$9. He
giveth His beloyed sleep” ; to which Wilber-
force replied): “Yes, and sweet indeed is the
rest which Christ, givetla.” (Saying this, he
never Spoke again.) -
WILLIAM. I. : “To my Lady, the Holy Mary, I
commend myself; that she, by her prayers,
may reconcile her beloved Son to me.”
WILLIAM II. : “Sh99t, Walter, in the devil's
name !” (Walter Tyrrell did shoot, but killed
the king.) w
WILLIAM III. : “Call this last long 2" (To his
º;iºn. |He Suffered frolll a broken collar-
)()]] e.
WILLIAM (of Nassau) : “O God, have mercy upon
me, and upon this, poor nation.” (Tllis was
just before he was shot by Balthasar Gerard.)
Wit.Sox (the 9rnithologist) : “Bury me where
the birds will sing over my grave.”
WoLFE (General): “What I do they run already ?
Then I die happy.” (See EPAMINON DAS.)
Wol,SEY (Cardinal) : “Had I but served lily, God
with half the zeal that I have served my king,
He would not have left me in my grey hairs.”
WorldsworkTH: “God bless you ! Is that you,
Ol'a, 2 °."
WYATT (Thomas): “What I then said [about the
treason of Princess Elizabeth] I unsay, now ;
and what I now say is the truth.” (This was
Said to the priest Who Waited On him on the
Scaffold.) * -
ZISKA (Johm) : “Make my skin into drum-heads
for the Bolhelmiah Cause.” -
Many of these sayings, like all other
history, belong to the region of Phrase
and Fable, but the collection is inter-
esting and fairly exhaustive.
Dymphºna. The tutelar Saint of
those stricken in spirit. She was a
native of Britain, and a woman Öf high
rank. It is said that she was murdered,
at Geel, in Belgium, by her own father,
loecause she resisted his incestuous pas-
sion. Geel, or Gheel, has long been a
famous colony for the insane, who are
sent thither from all parts of Europe,
and are boarded with the peasantry.
Dynamite (3 Syl.). An explosive
compound consisting of Some absorbent
(asinfusorial earth) Saturated with nitro-
glycerine. (Greek, diſm&mis, power.)
the French aigre.
Dynamite Saturday. January 24th,
1885, when great damage was done to the
FIouses of Parliament and the Tower of
London by explosions of dynamite. The
Law-Courts and some other public build-
ings were to have been attacked by
the dynamiters, but happily were well
guarded. (See CIAN-NA-GAEL.)
Dyot Street, Bloomsbury Square,
London; now called George Street, St.
Giles. Made familiar by a well-known
Song in Bombastes Furioso :
“My lodging is in heather lane,
A 1)arlour that’s next to the sky . . .”
Ithodes.
Dyser. The deities who conduct the
souls of the deceased to the palace of
Odin. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Dy'vour. The debtor's badge in
Scotland (French, devoir, to own).
Bankrupts were compelled to wear an
upper garment, half yellow and half
brown, with a parti-coloured cap.
This law was abolished in the reign of
William IV.
Dyz'emas Day...Tithe day. (Por-
tuguese, diz'imas, tithes; Law Latin,
decima.)
Iº.
E. This letter represents a window;
in Hebrew it is called he (a window).
E.G. or e.g. (Latin for evenpliſ/ra' lia).
By way of example ; for instance.
E Pluribus Unum (Latin). One
unity composed of many parts. The
motto of the United States of America,
Eager or eagre, Sharp, keen, acid ;
(Latin, Crude form,
acrº- “acer,” sharp.)
“It (loth posset
And curd, like eager droppings into milk.”
Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 5.
“Wex him with eager words.”
Shakespeare : Henry VI., ii. 4.
Eagle (in royal banners). It was the
ensign of the ancient kings of Babylon
and Persia, of the Ptolemies and Se-
leu'cidés. The Romans adopted it in con-
junction with other devices, but Ma'rius
made it the ensign of the legion, and
confined the other devices to the cohorts.
The French under the Empire assumed
the same device.
Eagle (in Christian art) is emblematic
of St. John the Evangelist, because, like
the eagle, he looked on “the sun of
glory”; the eagle was one of the four
Fº which made up the cherub (Ezek,
i. 10).
Eagle
399 - Ear
Eagle (in funerals). The Romans
used to let an eagle fly from the funeral
pile of a deceased emperor. Dryden
alludes to this custom in his stanzas on
Oliver Cromwell after his funeral, when
he says, “Officious haste did let too soon
th sacred eagle fly.”
Eagle (in heraldry) signifies forti-
tude.
Eagle (for lecterns in churches). The
eagle is the natural enemy of the serpent.
The two Testaments are the two out-
Spread wings of the eagle.
* Pliny in his Natural History (book
X. chap. 3) enumerates six kinds of
eagles: (1) Melaenactos, (2) Pygargus,
(3) Morphnos, which Homer (Iliad,
xxiv. 316) calls perknos, (4) Percnop-
terus, (5) Gnesios, the royal eagle, and
(6) Haliasetos, the osprey.
Eagle (in phrases).
Thy youth is renewed like the eagle's
(Ps. ciii. 5). This refers to the super-
stition feigned by poets that every ten
years the eagle soars into the “fiery
region,” and plunges thence into the
Sea, where, moulting its feathers, it
acquires new life. -
“She saw where he upstarted lyrave
Out Of the well. . . .
As eagle fresh out of the ocealm wave,
Where he hath lefte his plumes all lory gray,
And decks himself with fethers youthly gay.”
SpenSer: Faërie Queene, i. 11, 3i.
Eagle, a public-house sign, is in
honour of Queen Mary, whose badge it
was. She put it on the dexter side of
the shield, and the sun on the sinister—
a conjugal compliment which gave great
offence to her subjects.
The Golden Eagle and the Spread Eagle
are commemorative of the crusades;
they were the devices of the emperors of
the East.
Eagle. The spread eagle. A device
of the old Roman or Eastern Empire,
brought over by the crusaders.
Eagle of the doctors of France. Pierre
d'Ailly, a French cardinal and great
astrologer, who calculated the horoscope
of Our Lord, and maintained that the
º: foretold the great deluge. (1350-
25.
Bagle of Brittany. Bertrand Dugues-
clin, Constable of France. (1320-iā80.)
...Eagle of Meaux [mol. Jacques Bé-
nigne BoSSuet, Bishop of Meaux, the
grandest and most sublime of the pulpit
orators of France. (1627-1704.)
Eagle. The two-headed eagle. Austria,
Prussia (representing Germany), and
Russia have two-headed eagles, one
facing to the right and the other to the
left. The one facing to the west indi-
cates direct succession from Charle-
magne, crowned the sixty-ninth em-
peror of the Romans from Augustus.
In Russia, it was Ivan Basilovitz who
first assumed the two-headed eagle,
when, in 1472, he married Sophia,
daughter of Thomas Palaeologus, and
niece of Constantine XIV., the last
Bmperor of Byzantium. The two heads
symbolise the Eastern or Byzantine
Empire and the Western or Roman
Empire.
Eagle-stones or Aetites (&etirms).
Yellow clay ironstones supposed to have
Sanative and magical virtues. They are
so called because they are found in
eagles' nests. Epiphanius says, “In the
interior of Scythia there is a valley inac-
cessible to man, down which slaughtered
lambs are thrown. The Small stones at
the bottom of the valley adhere to these
pieces of flesh, and eagles, when they
carry away the flesh to their nests, carry
the stones with it.” The story of Sindbad
in the Valley of Diamonds will occur to
the readers of this article (Epiphaniºts :
De duodecim gemmis, etc., p. 30; 1743).
It is said that without these stones
eagles cannot hatch their eggs.
Ear. (Anglo-Saxon, edre.)
A deaf ear. One that refuses to listen;
as if it heard not.
Bow down. Thine car. Condescend to
hear or listen. (Ps. xxxi. 2.)
Iły ear. To sing or play by ear means
to sing or play without knowledge of mu-
sical notes, depending on the ear only. .
Give ear to . . . Listen to ; give at-
tention to.
I am all ear. All attention.
* I was all eal'
And took in Strains that might create a soul
Linder the rij}s of deatlı.”
--- Milton : Commits, 574.
I’ll send you off with a fled in your car.
With a cuff or box of the ear. The allu-
sion is to domestic animals, who are
sometimes greatly annoyed with these
“ tiny torments.” There seems also to
be a pun implied—ſea and flee.
* The French equivalent is “Mełłre
la puce & l’oreille,” to give one a good
jobation.
In at one ear, and out at the other.
IForgotten as soon as heard.
Aſo ear. A bad ear for musical in-
tonations; “ear-blind ’’ or “sound-
blind.”
J)ionysius's Ear. A bell-shaped cham-
ber connected by an underground passage
with the king’s palace. Its object was
YEar
400
IEarth.
that the tyrant of Syracuse might over-
hear whatever was passing in the prison.
Ear-finger. The little finger, which
is thrust into the ear if anything tickles it.
Ear-marked. Marked so as to be
recognised. The allusion is to marking
cattle and sheep on the ear, by which
they may be readily recognised.
“The increase [of these wild cattle] were duly
lyranded and ear-marked each year.”—Nimeteenth.
Century (May, 1893), p. 789
“The late president [Balmaceda] took on board
a large quantity of silver, which had been ear-
marked for a particular purpose.”—Newspaper
paragraph, Sept. 4, 1891.
Ear-shot. Within ear-shot. Within
hearing. The allusion is palpable.
|Ears.
About one's ears. Causing trouble.
The allusion is to a house falling on one,
or a hornet's nest buzzing about one's
head.
Bring the house about your ears. Set
the whole family against you.
* If your ears burn, people say some
one is talking of you. This is very old, for
Pliny, says, “When our ears do glow
and tingle, some do talk of us in our
absence.” Shakespeare, in Mitch Ado
About Wothing (iii. 1), makes Beatrice
say, when Ur'sula and Hero had been
talking of her, “What fire is in mine
ears P” Sir Thomas Browne ascribes this
conceit to the superstition of guardian
angels, who touch the right ear if the
talk is favourable, and the left if other-
wise. This is done to cheer or warm.
“One ear tingles ; some there be
That are Snarling now at me.”
IIerrick: Hesperides.
Little pitchers have large ears. (See
BITCHERs.)
Mine ears hast thou bored. Thou hast
accepted me as thy bond-slave for life.
If a Hebrew servant declined to go free
after six years’ service, the master was
to bring him to the doorpost, and bore
his ear through with an awl, in token
of his voluntary servitude. (Exod. xxi.
Over head and ears (in love, in debt,
etc.). Wholly, desperately.
“He is over head and ears in love with the
maid. He loves her better than his own life.”—
Terence in English.
To give’s one’s ears [to obtain an
object]. To make a considerable sacri-
fice for the purpose. The allusion is to
the ancient practice of cutting off the
ears of those who loved their own of-
fensive opinions better than their ears.
To have itching ears. Loving to hear
news or current gossip. (2 Tim. iv. 3.)
To prick up one's ears. To listen
attentively to something not expected,
as horses prick up their ears at a sudden
sound.
“At Y. like unbacked colts, they pricked
their ears. -
Shakespeare: The Tempest, iv. I.
To set people together by the ears. To
create ill-will among them; to set them
quarrelling and pulling each other’s
€a,I’S.
“When civil dudgeon ſirst grew high,
And men fell out, they knew not why ;
When hard words, jealousies, and fears,
Set folks togetherly the earš.”
* Butley'; Hudibras (The opening).
To tickle the ears. To gratify the ear
either by pleasing Sounds or flattering
words.
Walls have ears. Things uttered in
secret get rumoured abroad. Chaucer
says, “That field hath eyen, and the
wood hath ears.” (Canterbury Tales,
v. 1,524.)
Ears to ear Bible (The). (1810.)
“Who hath ears to ear, let him hear.”
(Matt. xiii. 43.) (See BIBLE.)
Earing. Ploughing. (Anglo-Saxon,
erian, to plough ; Latin, aro.)
“And yet there are five years, in the which
there shall neither be earing nor harvest.”—
Genesis xly. 6. . . -
“In earing time and in harvest thou shalt
rest.”—EXOdus XXXiy. 21.
Earl (Anglo-Saxon, eor!, a man of
position, in opposition to ceorl, a churl,
or freeman of the lowest rank; Danish,
jarl). William the Conqueror tried to
introduce the word Count, but did not
succeed, although the wife of an earl is
still called a cottºtess.
“The sheriff is called in Latin vice-comès, as
being the deputy of the earl or comés, to whom
the custody of the shire is said to have been com-
mitted.” — Blackstome: Commentaries, book i.
clap. ix. D. 339.
Earl of Mar's Grey Breeks. The
21st Foot are so called because they
wore grey breeches when the Earl of Mar
was their colonel. (1678–1686.)
The 21st Foot is now called the
“Royal Scots Fusiliers.”
Early to Bed. “Early to bed and
early to rise, makes a man healthy,
wealthy, and wise.”
“Lever a cinq, diner a neuf,
Souper ă cing, coucher a neuf,
Font vivre d’ans nonante neuf.”
(The older of the two.)
“Lever a six, diner a dix,
Super a six, coucher a dix, ..
Fait, Vivre l'homme dix fois dix.”
Earth. To gather strength from the
earth. The reference is to Antaeos, son
of Posei'don and Ge, a giant and
wrestler of Lib'ya (Africa). So long as
he touched the earth his strength was
farthmen
401
Easter. Eggs
irresistible. Herculés, knowing this,
lifted him into the air and crushed him
to death. Near the town of Tingis, in
Maurita'nia, is a hill in the shape of a
man, and called The hill of Antaeos.
Tradition says it is the wrestler's tomb.
(See MALEGEA.)
Earthmen (The). Gnomes and fairies
of the mines: a solemn race, who never-
theless can laugh most heartily and
dance most merrily.
“We [earthmen] work at the mines for men ;
we put, the ore in readiness for the miners.”—
Besamt and IRice : Titania's Farewell.
Earthquakes. According to Indian
mythology, the world rests on the head
of a great elephant, and when, for the
sake of rest, the huge monster refreshes
itself by moving its head, an earthquake
is produced. The elephant is called
“Muha-pudma.”
“Having penetrated to the south, they saw the
great elephant Muha-lyudma,” equal to a huge
mountain, sustaining the earth With its head.”—
The Itaúmaywna (Section X x Xiii.).
* The Lamas say that the earth is
placed on the back of a gigantic frog,
and when the frog stretches its limbs or
moves its head, it shakes the earth.
Other Eastern mythologists place the
earth on the back of a tortoise.
Greek and Roman mythologists ascribe
earthquakes to the restlessness of the
giants which Jupiter buried under high
mountains. Thus Virgil (Ænéid, iii. 578)
ascribes the eruption of Etna to the giant
Enceládus.
Earwig. A corruption of the Saxon
ear-wiega (ear-insect); so called because
the hind wings resemble in shape the
human ear. The word has engendered
the notion that these insects are apt to
get into our ears.
An earwig, metaphorically, is one who
whispers into our ears all the news and
scandal going, in order to curry favour;
a flatterer.
“Court earwigs banish from your ears.”
Political Ballads.
Ease. (Anglo-Saxon, eath ; Latin,
Oti-atm.)
At ease. Without pain or anxiety.
Ill at ease. Uneasy, not comfortable,
alſ). XIOUIS.
Stand at ease / A command given to
soldiers to rest for a time. The “gentle-
men stood at ease ’’ means in an in-
formal manner.
To ease one of his money or purse. To
steal it. (See LITTLE EASE.)
Ease (Chapel of). (See CHAPEL.)
Ease Her . A command given on a
steamer to reduce speed. The next
order is generally “Stop her l’’—i.e. the
Steamboat. +
East. The custom of turning to the
east when the creed is repeated is to ex-
press the belief that Christ is the Day-
spring and Sun of Righteousness. The
altar is placed at the east end of the
church to remind us of Christ, the “Day-
spring” and “Resurrection’’; and per-
sons are buried with their feet to the east
to signify that they died in the hope of
the Resurrection.
The ancient Greeks always buried their
dead with the face upwards, looking to-
wards heaven; and the feet turned to the
east or the rising Sun, to indicate that
the deceased was on his way to Elysium,
and not to the region of night or the
inferno. (Diogenés Laertius : Life of
Solon, in Greek.)
East Indies.
(1) He came safe from the East Indies,
and was drowned inz the Thames. He
encountered many dangers of great
magnitude, but was at last killed where
he thought himself secure.
(2) To send to the East Indies for
JCentish pippins. To go round about
to accomplish a very simple thing. To
crush a fly on a wheel. To send to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer for a penny
postage-stamp.
Easter. April was called Ostermo-
nath—the month of the Ost-end wind
(wind from the east). Easter is there-
fore the April feast, which lasted eight
days. Our Easter Sunday must be be-
tween March 21st and April 25th. It is
regulated by the paschal moon, or first
full moon between the vernal equinox
and fourteen days afterwards. (Teu-
tonic, 08tara ; Anglo-Saxon, eastre.)
Jºaster. The Saxon goddess of the
east, whose festival was held in the
Spring.
Easter-day Sun. It was formerly a
common belief that the sun danced on
Easter Day. Sir Thomas Browne com-
bats the notion in his Pulgar Errors.
“But Oh, she dances such a Way,
No Sun upon an Iºaster day
IS half 80 fine a sight.”
Sir John Sucklimg.
Easter Eggs, or Pasch effgs, are sym-
bolical of creation, or the re-creation of
spring. The practice of presenting eggs
to our friends at Easter is Magian or
Persian, and bears allusion to the mun-
dane egg, for which Ormuzd and Ahri-
man were to contend till the consumma-
tion of all things. It prevailed not only
26
flat 402
with the Persians, but also among the
Jews, Egyptians, and Hindus, Chris-
tians adopted the custom to symbolise
the resurrection, and they colour the
eggs red in allusion to the blood of their
redemption. There is a tradition, also,
that the world was ‘‘ hatched” or created
at Easter-tide.
“Bless, Lord, we beseech thee, this Thy creature
of eggs, that it may become a wholesome suste-
nance to Thy faithful servants, eating it in thank-
fulness to Thee, on account of the resurrection of
Our Lord.”—Pope Paul V. : Ititutºll.
Eat. To eat humble pie. (See HUMBLE
IPIE.)
To eat one out of house and home. To
eat so much that one will have to part
with house and home in Order to pay
for it.
To eat one's words. To retract in a
humiliating manner ; to unsay what you
have said; to eat your own lick.
To eat the mad cow. A French
phrase, implying that a person is re-
duced to the very last extremity, and is
willing to eat even a cow that has died
of madness; glad to eat cat’s meat.
“Il mangea de cette close inex primal)le qu'on
appelle dela Yache enragée.”—Victor Hugo : Les
Misch'(tbles.
To eat the leek. (See LEEK.)
Tºo eat well. To have a good appetite.
But “It eats well’’ means that what is
eaten is agreeable or flavorous. To
“eat badly ’’ is to eat without appetite
or too little ; not pleasant to the taste,
Eaſt not the Brain. This is the
31st Symbol in the Protreptics of Iam-
blichus; and the prohibition is very
similar to that of Moses forbidding the
Jews to eat the blood, because the blood
is the life. The brain is the seat of reason
and the ruler of the body. It was also
esteemed the Divine part—at least, of
IIla,T1.
Eat not the Heart. This is the
30th Symbol in the Protreptics of Tam-
blichus. Pythagoras forbade judges
and priests to eat animal food at all,
because it was taking away life. Other
persons he did not wholly forbid this
food, but he restricted them from eating
the brain (the seat of wisdom) and the
heart (the seat of life).
Eat One's Heart Out (To). To fret
or worry unreasonably; to allow one
grief or one vexation to predominate
over the mind, tincture all one’s ideas,
and absorb all other emotions.
Eats his Head Off (The horse).
Eats more than he is worth, or the work
done does not pay for the cost of keeping.
Tºbionites
-4.
A horse which stands in the stable un-
employed eats his head off.
Eating One's Terms. To be study-
ing for the bar. Students are required
to dine in the Hall of the Inns of Court
at least three times in each of the twelve
terms before they are “called ” [to the
bar]. (See DoCTORs’ CoMMONs.)
Eating Together. To eat together
in the East was at one time a sure pledge
of protection. A Persian nobleman was
Once sitting in his garden, when a man
prostrated himself before him, and im-
plored protection from the rabble. The
nobleman gave him the remainder of a
peach which he was eating, and when
the incensed multitude arrived, and de-
clared that the man had slain the only
son of the nobleman, the heart-broken
father replied, “We have eaten together;
go in peace,” and would not allow the
murderer to be punished.
Eau de Cologne. A perfumed spirit,
prepared at Cologne. The most famous
maker was Jean Maria Fari'na.
Eau de Vie. Brandy. A French
translation of the Latin aqua vitae (water
of life). This is a curious perversion of
the Spanish acqua di vite (water or juice
of the vine), rendered by the monks
into aqua vitae instead of aqua vités, and
confounding the juice of the grape with
the alchemists’ elixir of life. The same
error is perpetuated in the Italian acqua
wite ; the Scotch whisky, which is the
Celtic uisc-lyſf; and the Irish usque-
baugh, which is the Gaelic and Irish
wisgaº-beatha. (See AQUA VITAE.)
Eaves-dropper. One who listens
stealthily to conversation. The deriva-
tion of the term is not usually under-
stood. The owners of private estates in
Saxon times were not allowed to culti-
vate to the extremity of their possessions,
but were obliged to leave a space for
eaves. This space was called the ºffes-
drype (eaves-drip). An eaves-dropper
is one who places himself in the eaves-
drip to overhear what is said in the
adjacent house or field.
“ Under our tents I'll play the eaves-dropper,
To hear if any mean to shrink from Ime.”
Shakespeare: Richard III., Y. 3.
Eb’ionism. The doctrine that the
poor only shall be saved. Ebion, plural
abiomim (poor).
“At the end of the second century the Ebionites
were treated as heretics, and a pretended leader
(Ebion) was invented by Tertulliam to explain the
name.”—Reman: Life of Jesus, chap. xi.
Ebionites (4 syl.). A religious sect
of the first and second centuries, Who
TÉblis
403
T}Cho
maintained that Jesus Christ was merely
an inspired messenger, the greatest of all
prophets, but yet a man and a man only,
without any existence before His birth
in Bethlehem. (See above.)
Eb'lis or Ibleis. A jinn, and the
ruler of the evil genii, or fallen angels.
Before his fall he was called Azaz'el or
Hha'ris. When Adam was created, God
commanded all the angelstoworship him;
but Eblis replied, “Me thou hast created
of Smokeless fire, and shall I reverence
a creature made of dust P” God was
very angry at this insolent answer, and
turned the disobedient fay into a Shey-
tän (devil), and he became the father of
devils.
“His majesty was a hundred feet in height ;
his skin, Striped, with red, was coyered with
Slmall Scales, which made it glisten like armour;
his hair was so long and curly a snake might
have lost its way in it ; his flat nose was pierced
with a ring of admirable workmanship ; his Small
eyes assumed all the prismatic colours; his ears,
Which resembled those of an elephant, flapped on
his shoulders ; and his tail, sixty feet long, ter-
minated in a hooked claw.”—Croquemitaine, ii. 10.
“When, he said unto the angels, ‘Wörship
Adam, all worshipped him except Eblis.”—Al
I(0)'an, ii.
Eb'ony. God’s image done in ebony.
Negroes. Thomas Fuller gave birth to
this expression.
Ebu'dae. The Heb'rides. (Ariosto :
Orlando Furioso.)
Ecce Homo. A painting by Cor-
reggio of our Lord crowned with thorns
and bound with ropes, as He was shown
to the people by Pilate, who said to
them, “Eccé homo " '' (Behold the man!)
(John xix. 5.)
Other conceptions of this subject,
either painted or engraved, are by Al-
bert. Durer (1471-1528), Titian (1477–
#}. Cigoli (1559–1613), Guido (1574-
1642), Albani (1578–1660), Vandyck
(1599-1641), Rembrandt (1608-1669),
IPoussin (1613-1675), and some others.
Ecce Signum. See it, in proof;
Behold the proof
“I am eight times thrust through the doublet,
four through the lose ; my buckler cut through
and througll ; my sword hacked like a handsaw—
ecce Signum ! ”—Shakespeare : l Henry IV., ii. 4.
Eccentric means deviating from the
centre ; hence irregular, not according
to rule. Originally applied to those
planets which wander round the earth,
like comets, the earth not being in the
centre of their orbit. (Latin, ea centrum.)
Eccentric Sensation. The sensa-
tions of the brain transferred to objects
without. For example: we see a tree;
this tree is a reflection of the tree on the
—n
retina transferred to the brain; but the
tree seen is the tree without, not the tree
in the brain. This transferred percep-
tion is called an “Eccentric Sensation.”
Eccentric Theory (The) in astro-
nomy. A theory which uses an eccen-
tric instead of an epicycle in accounting
for the Sun's motion.
Ecclesias'tes (5 syl.). One of the
books in the Old Testament, arranged
next to Proverbs, generally ascribed to
Solomon, because it says (verse 1), “The
words of the Preacher, the son of David,
king in Jerusalem.” This seems, so far,
to confirm the authorship to Solomon;
but verse 12 says, “I, the Preacher, was
king over Israel, in Jerusalem,” which
seems to intimate that he was once a
king, but was so no longer. If so, it
could not be Solomon, who died king of
the twelve tribes. “Son of David ''
often means a descendant of David,
Christ himself being so called.
Ecclesiastical. The father of eccle-
siastical history. Eusebius of Caesare'a
(264-340).
Ecclesiasticus is so called, not
because the writer was a priest, but
because the book (in the opinion of the
fathers) was the chief of the apocryphal
books, designated by them Ecclesias’ tici
Jibri (books to be read in churches), to
distinguish them from the canonical
Scriptures.
Echidna (E-kid'-na). Half-woman,
half-serpent. She was mother of the
Chimaera, the many-headed dog Orthos,
the hundred - headed dragon of the
IHesperides, the Col’chian dragon, the
Sphinx, Cer’beros, Scylla, the Gorgons,
the Lernaean hydra, the vulture that
gnawed away the liver of Prometheus,
and the Nem'ean lion. (Hesiod.)
“[She] Seemed a woman to the waist, and fair
But ended foul in many a scaly fold,
Volulminous and Vašt.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, book ii. 650–2.
Echo. The Romans say that Echo
was a nymph in love with Narcissus, but
her love not being returned, she pined
away till only her voice remained. We
use the word to imply similarity of
sentiment: as You echo any ideas, That
ãs dº echo to my opinion.
“Sweet Echo, yº,ºuph, that liv'St llllSeen
Within thy airy shell,
By slow Meänder's margent green. . . .
Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pair
That likest thy Narcissus are ?” -
Milton : Comus, 230, etc.
Echo. (Gr., áko ; verb, 3%eo, to sound.)
To applaud to the echo. To applaud
so loudly as to produce an echo.
JEckhardt 404
Economy
Eck/hardt. A faithful Eckhardt,
who warneth everyone (German). Eck-
hardt, in German legends, appears on
the evening of Maundy Thursday to
warn all persons to go home, that they
may not be injured by the headless
bodies and two-legged horses whic
traverse the streets on that night. -
Eclectics. Ancient philosophers, who
selected what they thought best in all
other systems, and made a patchwork
therefrom. There is the eclectic school
of painters, of which Paul Delaroche
was the founder and best exponent; the
eclectic school of modern philosophy,
founded by Victor Cousin; the eclectic
school of architecture; and so on.
(Greek, ek-lego, to pick out.)
Felectics or Modern Platoºnists. A
Christian sect which arose in the second
century. They professed to make truth
their sole object of inquiry, and adopted
from existing systems whatever, in their
opinion, was true. They were called
Blatonists because they adopted Plato's
notions about God and the human soul.
Eclipses were considered by the
ancient Greeks and Romans as bad
Omens. Nicías, the Athenian general,
was so terrified by an eclipse of the
moon, that he durst not defend himself
from the Syracusans; in consequence of
which his whole army was cut to pieces,
and he himself was put to death.
The Romans would never hold a public
assembly, during an eclipse. Some of
their poets feign that an eclipse of the
moon is because she is gone on a visit to
Endymion.
A very general notion was and still is
among barbarians that the sun or moon
has been devoured by some monster, and
hence the custom of beating drums and
|brass kettles to scare away the monster.
The Chinese, Laps, Persians, and some
others call the evil beast a dragon. The
East Indians say it is a black griffin.
The notion of the ancient Mexicans
was that eclipses were caused by sun
and moon quarrels, in which one of the
litigants is beaten black and blue.
Eclipſtic. The path apparently de-
scribed by the Sun in his annual course
through the heavens. Eclipses happen
only when the moon is in or near the
same plane.
Eclogue (2 syl.). Pastoral poetry
not expressed in rustic speech, but in
the most refined and elegant of which the
language is capable. (Greek, meaning
“elegant extracts,” “select poetry.”)
Ecne'phia. A sort of hurricane,
similar to the Typhon.
“The circling Typhon, whirled from point to
Andº Eénephia reign.”
* , Thomson : Summer.
Ecole des Femmes. Molière bor-
rowed the plot of this comedy from the
novelletti of Ser Giovanni, composed in
the fourteenth century.
Econºomy means the rules or plans
adopted in managing one’s own house.
As we generally prevent extravagant
waste, and make the most of our means
in our own homes, so the careful expen-
diture of money in general is termed
house-management. The word is ap-
plied to time and several other things,
as well as money. (Greek, oikos nomos,
house-law.)
Animal economy. The system, laws,
and management whereby the greatest
amount of good accrues to the animal
kingdom.
“Animal : . . economy, according to which
animal affairs are regulated and disposed.”—
Shaftesbury: Chan'acteristics.
Political economy. The principles
whereby the revenues and resources of
a nation are made the most of. Thus:
Is Free Trade good or bad economy P
Articles are cheaper, and therefore the
buying value of money is increased ;
but, on the other hand, competition is in-
creased, and therefore wages are lowered.
Pegetable economy. The system, laws,
and management, whereby the greatest
amount of good is to be derived by the
vegetable kingdom.
The Christian Economy. The religious
system based on the New Testament.
That is, what is the best economy of
man, taking into account the life that
now is, and that which is to come P The
answer is thus summed up by Christ :
“What is a man profited though he gain
the whole world and lose his own soul?
For what should a man give in exchange
for his soul ?”
The Mosaic economy. The religious
system taught by God: that is, the sys-
tem whereby man obtains the greatest
amount of value for his conduct, whether
by serving God or living for this life
only. Also called “The Jewish Eco-
nomy.”
Economy is a great income. “No
alchemy like frugality.” “Ever save,
ever have.” The following also are to
a similar effect: “A pin a day is a groat
a year.” “Take care of the pence, and
the pounds will take care of themselves.”
“Many a little makes a mickle.” “Erae
Saving, comes having.” “A penny
Economy of Nature
405
Bidge
saved is a penny gained.” “Little and
often fills the purse.”
Jatin : “Non intelligunt homines
quam magnum vectigal sit parsimonia’’
(Cicero). “Sera in fundo est parsi-
monia'' (Seneca).
French : “Plusieurs Peu font un Beau-
coup.” “Denier sur denier bâtit la
maison.”
German : “I)ie sparsamkeit ist ein
grosser zyll” (Parsimony is a great
income).
Economy of Nature (The). The
laws of nature, whereby the greatest
amount of good is obtained; or the laws
by which the affairs of nature are regu-
lated and disposed.
Ecorcheurs. Freebooters of the
twelfth century, in France; SO called
because they stripped their victims of
everything, even their clothes. (French,
&corcher, to flay.)
Ec'stasy (Greek ék-a-Taaws, from
éé-to-rmut, to stand out of [the body or
mind]). To stand out of one’s mind is
to lose one’s wits, to be beside oneself.
To stand out of one’s body is to be dis-
embodied. St. Paul refers to this when
he says he was caught up to the third
heaven and heard unutterable words,
“whether in the body, or out of the
body, I cannot tell” (2 Cor. xii. 2-4).
St. John also says he was “in the
spirit”—i.e. in an ecstasy—when he saw
the apocalyptic vision (i. 10). The
belief that the soul left the body at
times was very general in former ages,
and is still the belief of many. (See
IECSTATICI.) -
Ecstatic Doctor (The). Jean de
Buysbrock, the mystic (1294-1381).
Ecstatici (The). A class of diviners
among the ancient Greeks, who used to
lie in trances, and when they came to
themselves gave strange accounts of
what they had seen while they were “out
of the body.” (Greek, ex-iste’mi.)
Ector (Sir). The foster-father of
Ring Arthur.
Edda. There are two religious codes,
So called, containing the ancient Scandi-
Inavian mythology. One is in verse, com-
posed in Iceland in the eleventh cen-
tury by Sæmund Sigfusson, the Sage;
and the other in prose, compiled a gen-
tury later by Snorri Sturleson, who
wrote a commentary on the first edda.
The poetical edda contains an account
of creation, the history of Odin, Thor,
Freyr, Balder, etc., etc. The prose one
contains the exploits of such conquerors
as Voelsung, Sigurd, Attle, etc., and is
divided into several parts. The first
part contains historical and mythological
traditions; the second a long poetical
vocabulary; and the third Scandinavian
prosody, or the modes of composition
adopted by the ancient Skalds. The
poetical compilation is generally called
Saemund's Edda, and the prose one
Snorri’s Edda.
Eden. Paradise, the country and
garden in which Adam and Eve were
placed by God (Gen. ii. 15). The word
means delight, pleasure.
Eden Hall. The luck of Eden Hall.
An old painted drinking-glass, supposed
to be sacred. The tale is that the butler
Once went to draw water from St. Cuth-
bert's Well, in Eden Hall garden, Cum-
berland, when the fairies left their drink-
ing-glass on the well to enjoy a little fun.
The butler seized the glass, and ran off
with it. The goblet is preserved in the
family of Sir Christopher Musgrave.
Longfellow wrote a poem on the subject.
The superstition is—
“If that glass either Dreak or fall,
Farewell the luck Of Eden Hall.”
* Readers of the Golden Butterfly, by
Besant and Rice, will remember how the
luck of Gilead P. Beck was associated
with a golden butterfly.
Edenburgh, i.e. Edwin’s burgh. The
fort built by Edwin, king of Northum-
bria (616-633). Dun Eden or Dunedin,
is a Saxon form; Edina, a poetical One.
IEdgar or Edgar'do. Master of
Ravenswood, in love with Lucy Ashton
(Lucia di Lammermoor). While absent
in France on an important embassy, the
lady is led to believe that her lover has
proved faithless to her, and in the tor-
rent of her indignation consents to marry
the laird of Bucklaw, but stabs him on
the wedding-night, goes mad, and dies.
In the opera Edgardo stabs himself
also ; but in the novel he is lost in the
quicksands at Kelpies-Flow, in accord-
ance with an ancient prophecy. (Domić-
zetti's opera of “Lucia di Lammer-
moor”; Sir Walter Scott’s “Bride of
Lammermoor.”
Edge. (Anglo-Saxon, ecſ.)
Not to put too fine an edge upon it. Not
to mince the matter; to speak plainly.
“He is, not to put too fine an edge upon it, a
thorough Scoundrel.”—Lowell.
To be on edge. To be very eager or
imyº
Y
o set one's teeth on edge. To give one
Edge Away
406
Edyrn
the horrors; to induce a tingling or grat-
ing sensation in one's teeth, as from acids
or harsh noises.
“I had rather hear a brazen can stick turned,
OT a dry wheel grate on the axle-tree ;
And that would set my teeth nothing on edge,
Nothing so much as mincing poetry.” ...
Shakespeare : 1 IIenry IV., iii. 1.
" Edge Away (To).
very gradually, as a ship moves from the
edge of the shore. Often called egg.
(Anglo-Saxon, ecy, an edge ; ecſ/-clif, is
a sea cliff.) -
Edge-bone. (See AITCH-BONE.)
Edge on. (See EGG ON.)
Edge of the Sword.
To fall by the edge of the sword. By
a cut from the sword; in battle.
Edgewise. One cannot get in a word
edgewise. The [conversation is so en-
grossed by others] that there is no getting
in a word.
Edged Tools. It is dangerous to
play with edged tools. It is dangerous to
tamper with mischief or anything that
may bring you into trouble.
Edhilingi. The aristocratic class
among the Anglo-Saxons; the second
rank were termed the Friling; ; and the
third the Lazzi. (Anglo-Saxon, adele
or edele, noble ; free-ling, free-born.
Bicardo says of the third class, they
were the “unwilling to work, the dull’”
—quos hodie lazie diſcimus.)
Edict of Mii'an. Proclaimed by
Constantine, after the conquest of Italy
(313), to secure to Christians the resti-
tution of their civil and religious rights.
Edict of Nantes. An edict pub-
lished by Henri IV. of France, granting
toleration to his Protestant subjects. It
was published from Nantes in 1598,
but repealed in 1685 by Louis XIV.
- Edie Ochiltree. In Scott's A12ti-
g?(a)?/. -
“Charles II. would be as sceptical as Edie
Ochiltree albout the existence of circles and
avenues, altar-Stones and cromlechs.”— ſmight:
Old England. -
Ed'ify is to build a house (Latin,
ades-facio); morally, to build instruction
in the mind methodically, like an archi-
tect. The Scripture word edification
means the building-up of “believers”
in grace and holiness. St. Paul says,
“Ye are God’s building,” and elsewhere
he carries out the figure more fully,
Saying—
“All the building [or body of Christians], fitly
framed together, groweth unto a holy temple in
the Lord.”—Eph. ii. 21.
To move away
E'diles (2 syl.). Roman officers who
had charge of the streets, bridges, aque-
ducts, temples, and city buildings gene-
rally. We call our surveyors city ediles
Sometimes. (Latin, dºdes, a house.)
Edith, called the Maid of Lorn
(Argyleshire), was about to be married
to Lord Ronald, when Robert, Edward,
and Isabel Bruce, tempest-tossed, sought
shelter at the castle. Edith’s brother
recognised the Bruce, and being in the
English interest, a quarrel ensued, in
the course of which the abbot arrived,
but refused to marry the bridal pair
amidst such discord. Edith fled, and,
assuming the character of a page, passed
through divers adventures. At length
Robert Bruce won the battle of Bān-
Inockburn, and when peace was restored
Bonald married the “Maid of Lorn.”
(Scott : Lord of the Isles.)
Ednam, in Roxburghshire, near the
Tweed, where Thomson, the author of
The Seasons, was born.
“The Tweed, pure parent-stream,
Whose pastoral banks first heard my Doric reed.”
Attt'lúmº (888-9).
Edo'be (2 syl.). Edobe cottages are
those made of Sun-dried bricks, like
the buildings of ancient Egypt. (IV.
IHepworth Divo), New America, i. 16.)
* The present and proper form of
this word is Adobe (Spanish, adobar,
plaster).
“They make "adoles, or sun-dried bricks, by
mixing ashes and earth with water, which is then
moulded into large blocks and dried in the Sun.”
—Bancroft : Native Ifaces, Yol. i. p. 535.
Edward. Edward the Confessor’s
sword. Curta'na. (the cutter), a blunt
sword of state, emblematical of mercy.
The Chevalier Prince Charles Edward.
The Young Pretender. Introduced by
Sir Walter Scott in Redgauntlet, first as
“Father Buonaventura,” and afterwards
as Pretender to the Crown. Again in
Waverley.
Edwidge. Wife of William Tell.
(Rossini’s opera of Guglielmo Zell.)
Edwin. The hero of Beattie’s Min-
strel. -
“And yet poor Edwin was no vulgar boy;
Deep thought oft seemed to fixiisinfant eye,
Dainties he heeded not, nor gaud, nor toy,
Save one short pipe of rudest millstrelsy ;
Silent when glad ; affectionate, though Shy.
And now his look was most demurely Sad :
And hºw lue laughed aloud, yet none knew
Why. -
The neighbours stared and sighed, yet blessed
the ladi :
SOlme deemed him wondrous wise, and . Some
believed hilm Imad.” Canto i. 16.
Son of Nudd; called the
Ed'yrn.
He ousted the Earl
“Sparrowhawk.”
Eel
407
Egg
of Yn'iol from his earldom, and tried to
win Enid, the earl’s daughter, but fail-
ing in this, became the evil genius of
the gentle earl. Being overthrown in
a tournament by Prince Geraint', he
was sent to the court of King Arthur,
where his whole nature was completely
changed, and “subdued to that gentle-
ness which, when it weds with manhood,
makes a man.” (Idylls of the ſing ;
JEnid.)
Eel.
lander.
“The eels of New England and the corn-
crackers of Virginia.”— II aliburtolt . Clockºulakol'.
Eel. A salt eel. A rope's end, used
for Scourging. t one time eelskins
were used for whips.
“With my salt eele, went down in the Jarler
and there got my boy and did beat hill].”—Pepys
Diary (April 24th).
Eel. (Anglo-Saxon, al.)
Iſolding the ecl of science by the tail.
That is, to have an ephemeral Smattering
of a subject, which slips from the memory
as an eel would wriggle out of one's
fingers if held by the tail.
“Cauda, tenes anguillalm, in eds alyte dicetur,
quilius res est cuni hominibus lubrica fide, per-
fiidisque, aut qui rem fugitivam atque incertain
aliquam hal)ent, quan) tueri diu non possint.”—
JEritsmalls: Adagiſt, p. 324. (1629.) -
To get used to it, as a Skinned eel, i.e.
as an eel is used to being skinned. It
may be unpleasant at first, but habit
will get the better of such annoyance.
“It ain't always pleasant to turn out for morn-
ing challel, is it, Gig-lamps? But it's just like the
eels with their skinning : it goes against the
grain at first, but you soon get used to it.”—
Cuthbert Bede [Bradley] : Verdant Green, chap. vii.
To skin an eel by the tail is to do things
the wrong way.
Eelkhance Tables. The celebrated
calculation of Nazir' u Dien, the Persian
astronomer, grandson of Zenghis Khan,
brought out in the middle of the thir-
teenth century.
Effen'di. A Turkish title, about equal
to our “Squire,” given to emirs, men of
learning, and the high priests of mosques.
The title is added after the name, as Ali
effendi (Ali Esquire).
Effigy. To burn or hang one in effigy.
To burn Or hang the representation of a
person, instead of the person himself,
in order to show popular hatred, dislike,
or contempt. The custom comes from
France, where the public executioner
used to hang the effigy of the criminal
when the criminal himself could not be
found,
A nickname for a New Eng-
*
*
Effrontery. Out-facing, rude per-
sistence, and overbearing impudence.
(Latin, ef-frons, i.e. e.v-frons, out-face.)
Egalité. Philippe, Duc d'Orléans,
father of Louis-Philippe, King of the
IFrench, was so called because he sided
with the revolutionary party, whose
motto was “Liberty,’ fraternity, and
equality.” Philippe Egalité was guillo-
tined in 1793.
Ege'ria. The nymph who instructed
Numa in his wise legislation. Numa
used to meet her in a grove near Aric'ia.
Egg. Eggs. (Anglo-Saxon, dºg.)
A bad eſ/ſ/. A bad speculation; a man
who promises, but whose promises are
pie-crust.
A duck’s egg, in cricket. (See DUCK.)
Golden eggs. Great profits. (See
GoosB.)
“I doubt the lird is flown that laid the golden
eggs.”—Scott : The Amtiquat','!y.
The mundame egg. The Phoenicians,
and from them the Egyptians, Hindus,
Japanese, and many other ancient
nations, maintained that the world was
hatched from an egg made by the
Creator. Orpheus speaks of this egg.
Jºggs of Nuremberg. (See NUREMBERG.)
JPasch eggs. (See EASTER EGGS.)
The serpent’s egg of the JDruids. This
wonderful egg was hatched by the joint
labour of several serpents, and was
buoyed into the air by their hissing.
The person who caught it had to ride off
at full speed, to avoid being stung to
death ; but the possessor was sure to
prevail in every contest or combat, and
to be courted by those in power. Pliny
says he had seen one of these eggs, and
that it was about as large as a moderate-
sized apple.
PHRASES AND PROVERBS:
IJon’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Don't venture all you have in one specu-
lation ; don’t put all your property in
one bank. The allusion is obvious.
Jºrom the egg to the apples. (Latin,
“ab ovo usque ad mala.”) From first to
last. The Romans began their “ dinner”
with eggs, and ended with fruits called
‘‘ mala.”
I have eggs on the Spit. I am very
busy, and cannot attend to anything
else. The reference is to roasting eggs
on a spit. They were first boiled, then
the yolk was taken out, braided up with
spices, and put back again; the eggs
were then drawn on a “spit,” and
roasted. As this required both despatch
and constant attention, the person in
Egg
408
Ego
charge could not leave them. It must
be remembered that the word “spit” had
at one time a much wider meaning than
it has now. Thus toasting-forks and
the hooks of a Dutch oven were termed
Spits.
“I forgot to tell you, I write short journals
now ; I have eggs on the Spit.”—Swift.
I got eggs for my money means I gave
valuable money, and received instead
such worthless things as eggs. When
Wolsey accused the Earl of Kildare for
not taking Desmond prisoner, the Earl
replied, “He is no more to blame than
his brother Ossory, who (notwith-
standing his high promises) is glad to
take eggs for his money,” i.e. is willing
to be imposed on. (Campion : History
of Ireland, 1633.)
Like as two eggs. Exactly alike.
“They say we are almost as like as eggs.”—
Shakespeare : }}"inter's Tale, i. 2.
Sure as eggs is eggs. Professor de Mor-
gan suggests that this is a corruption of
the logician’s formula, “a is ac.” (Notes
and Queries.)
Teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
Attempting to teach your elders and
superiors. The French say, “The gos-
lings want to drive the geese to pasture"
(Les oisons veulent meſter, les ois paitre).
There is reason in roasting eggs. Even
the most trivial thing has a reason for
being done in one way rather than in
some other. When wood fires were
usual, it was more common to roast eggs
than to boil them, and some care was
required to prevent their being “ill-
roasted, all on one side,” as Touchstone
says (As You Like It, iii. 2).
“One likes the loheasant’s wing, and one the leg ;
The Yulgar boil, the learnéd roast an egg.”
Pope : Epistles, ii.
To tread ºupon eggs. To walk gingerly,
as if walking over eggs, which are easily
broken.
Will you take eggs for your money 2
“Will you allow yourself to be imposed
upon P. Will you take kicks for half-
pence P” This saying was in vogue
when eggs were plentiful as black-
berries.
“My honest friend, will you take eggs for
money P”—Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, i. 2.
Egg Feast. In Oxford the Saturday
preceding Shrove Tuesday is so called;
it is also called Egg-Saturday, because
pasch eggs are provided for the students
On that day.
Egg-flip, Egg-hot, Egg-nog. Drinks
composed of warm spiced ale, with sugar,
spirit and eggs; or eggs beaten up with
wine, sweetened and flavoured, etc.
Egg-on or Edge-on. A corruption
of the Saxon eggian (to incite). The
Anglo-Saxon ecſ, and Scandinavian eſſ,
means a “sharp point ’’—hence edge-hoff
(hedgehog), a hog with sharp points,
called in , Tanish pin-swim (thorny
Swine), and in French pore-épic, where
épic is the Latin spic'ula (spikes).
Egg Saturday (See above, Egg-
FEAST.) -
Egg-trot. A cautious, jog-trot pace,
like that of a good housewife riding to
market with eggs in her panniers.
Egil. Brother of Weland, the Vulcan
of Northern mythology. Egil was a
great archer, and a tale is told of him
the exact counterpart of the famous
story about William Tell : . One day
Ring Nidung commanded Egil to shoot
an apple off the head of his son. Egil
took two well-selected arrows from his
quiver, and when asked by the king
why he took two, replied (as the Swiss
peasant to Gessler), “To shoot thee, O
tyrant, with the second, if I fail.”
Egis. (See AEGIS.)
Eg'lantine (3 Syl.). T)aughter of
King Pepin, and bride of her cousin
Valentine, the brother of Orson. She
soon died. (Valentine and Orson.)
Madame Eglantine. The prioress in
Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. Good-
natured, wholly ignorant of the world,
vain of her courtly manners, and noted
for her partiality to lap-dogs, her deli-
cate oath, “by Seint Eloy,” her entum-
ing the service swetely in her nose,” and
her speaking French “after the scole of
Stratford atte Bowe.”
Ego and Non-Ego. “Ego” means
I myself; “Non-ego” means the objec-
tive world. They are terms used by
Richté (1762-1814) to explain his Ideal-
ism. According to this philosopher, the
Ego posits or embraces the Non-ego.
Take an example: A tree is an object
out of my personality, and therefore a
part of the Non-ego. I see a tree; the
tree of my brain is a subjective tree, the
tree itself is an objective tree. Before
I can see it, the objective tree and the
subjective tree must be like the two
clocks of a telegraphic apparatus; the
sender and reader must be in connection,
the reader must “posit,” or take in the
message sent. The message, . Or non-
ego, must be engrafted into the ego.
Applying this rule generally, all objects
Rnown, seen, heard, etc., by me become
part of me, or the ego posits the non-ego
by subjective objectivity.
Egoism
409
Elagabalus
Egoism. The theory in Ethics which
places man’s summum bonum in self. The
correlative of altruism, or the theory
which places our own greatest happiness
in making others happy. Egoism is
selfishness pure, altruism is selfish bene-
volence. “Fgoist,” a disciple of egoism.
“To say that each, individual shall real) the
l)2nefits brought to him lºy his own powers . . . .
is to enunciate egoism as an ultimate Principle of
conduct.”—Spencer: Data of Ethics, p. 189. -
Eg'otism. The too frequent use of
the word I; the habit of talking about
oneself, or of palading one's own doings.
“Egotist,” one addicted to egotism.
E'gypt, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, means France.
“Egypt and Tyrus [Holland] intercept your trade,
And Jebusites [Papists] your Sacred rites in-
Wade.” Part i. 705-6.
Egyptian Crown (The). That of
TJpper Egypt was a high conical white
cap, terminating in a knob. That of
Lower Egypt was red. If a king gov-
erned both countries he wore both
crowns (that of Lower Egypt outside the
other). This double crown was called a
pSchent.
Egyptian Days. The last Monday in
April, the second Monday of August, and
the third Monday of December. So
called , because Egyptian astrologers
marked them out.
“Three days there are in the year which we call
IEgyptian Days.”—Saa.on. MS. (British Museum).
Egyptian Festivals (The). The six
great festivals of the ancient Egyptians
Wel'é—-
1. That of Bubastis (= Diana, or the
moon);
2. That of Busiris, in honour of Isis ;
3. That of Sais (= Minerva, Hermès,
or Wisdom);
4. That of Heliopolis, in honour of the
Sun ;
5. That of Butis, or Buto, the goddess
of night: and
6. That of Paprémis (= Mars or Arès,
the god of War).
Eider - down. The down of the
eider duck. This duck is common in
Greenland, Iceland, and the Islands
north and west of Scotland. It is
about the size of a goose, and receives
its distinctive name from the river Eider,
in Denmark.
Eikon Basil'iké [Portraiture of the
Aſimº). A book attributed to Charles I.,
but claimed by John Gauden, Bishop of
Exeter. “The Elkov is wholly and only
my invention.” (Gauden ; Letter to
the Lord Chancellor.)
Eisell. Wormwood wine. Hamlet
says to Laertes, Woul't drink up eisell—
i.e. drink wormwood wine to show your
love to the dead Ophelia In the Troy
Book of Ludgate we have the line “Of
bitter eysell and of eager [sour] wine.”
And in Shakespeare’s Sonnets:
“I Will drink
Potions of eysell, gainst my strong infection ;
No bittermess that I will bitter think, ..
Nor double penance to correct correction.” .
Sonnet CXi.
Eisteddfod. The meetings of the
Welsh bards and others, now held an-
nually, for the encouragement of Welsh
literature and music. (Welsh, “a ses-
Sions,” from eistedd, to sit.)
Either. (Greek, hekater'; Irish, ceaeh-
tar ; Saxon, dºg ther. Ceach”, our “each,”
and degther, our “either.”)
Ejus/dem Farinae (Latin).
same kidney ; of the same sort.
“Lord Hartington, Lord Derby, Mr. Childers,
and others ejusdent Jun'inute.”—Newspaper para-
graph, November, 1885.
El Dora'do. Golden illusion ; a
land or means of unbounded wealth.
Orella'na, lieutenant of Pizarro, pre-
tended he had discovered a land of gold
(el dorado) between the rivers Orino'co
and Amazon, in South America. Sir
Walter Raleigh twice visited Guia'na.
as the spot indicated, and published a
highly-coloured account of its enormous
wealth. Figuratively, a source of wit,
wealth, or abundance of any kind. -
The real “land of gold” is California,
and not Guiana. (See BALNIBARBI.)
“The whole comedy is a sort of El Dorado of
Wit.”—T. Moore.
* El Dorado (masculine), “the gilt
one,” can hardly refer to a country;
it seems more likely to refer to some
prince; and we are told of a prince in
South America, who was every day
powdered with gold-dust blown through
a reed. If this is admitted, no wonder
those who sought a golden country were
disappointed.
El Infante de Antequera is the
Regent Fernando, who took the city of
Anteque/ra from the Moors in 1419.
El Islam. The religion of the Mos-
lems. The words mean “the resigning
one’s-self to God.”
El Khi'dr. One of the good angels,
according to the Koran.
Elagab'alus. A Syro-Phoenician Sun-
god, represented under the form of a
huge conical stone. The Roman emperor,
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, was so called
because in childhood he was priest of the
Of the
Iſlaine
410
IElector
Sun-god. Of all the Roman emperors
Inone exceeded him in debauchery and
sin. He reigned about four years (B.C.
218-222), and died at the age of eighteen.
This madman invited the principal men
of Rome to a banquet, and Smothered
them in a shower of roses.
Ela’ine (2 syl.). The “lily maid of
Astolat” (Guildford, in Surrey), who
loved Sir Lancelot “with that love
which was her doom.” Sir Lancelot,
'being sworn to celibacy, could not have
married her, even if he had been willing;
and, unhappily, what little love he had
was bestowed on the queen. Elaine felt
that her love was a vain thing, and died.
According to her last request, the bed on
which she died was placed on a barge,
and on it was laid her dead body, ar-
rayed in white, a lily in her right hand,
and a letter avowing her love in the left.
An old dumb servitor steered and rowed
the barge up the river, and when it
stopped at the palace staith, King
Arthur ordered the body to be brought
in. The letter being read, Arthur di-
rected that the maiden should be buried
like a queen, with her sad story blazoned
on her tomb. The tale is taken from
Sir T. Malory's History of Prince Arthur,
part iii. Tennyson turned it into blank
verse. (Idylls of the Iſing ; Elaine.)
Elas'motherium (Greek, the metal-
plate beast). An extinct animal, between
the horse and the rhinoceros.
E1berich. The most famous dwarf
of German romance. He aided the
Emperor Otnit (who ruled over Lom-
bardy) to gain for wife the Soldan's
daughter. (The Heldenbuch.)
Elbow. (Anglo-Saxon, el-boga, el-
an ell, boga = a bow.)
A knight of the elbow. A gambler.
At one’s elbow. Close at hand.
To elbow one’s way in. To push one's
way through a crowd; to get a place by
hook or crook.
To elbow out ; to be elbowed out. To
º ; to be ousted by a rival.
'p to one’s elbow [in work]. Very
busy, or full of work. Work piled up to
one’s elbows. - -
Elbow Grease. Perspiration ex-
cited by hard manual labour. They say
“JElbow grease is the best furniture oil.”
Elbow Room. Sufficient space for
the work in hand.
Elbows. Out at elbows. Shabbily
dressed (applied to men only); meta-
phorically, short of money; hackneyed;
stale ; thus, we say of a play which has
been acted too often that it is worn out
at elbows. It is like a coat which is
no longer presentable, being out at the
elbows.
Elden Hole. Elden Hole needs filling.
A reproof given to great braggarts.
Elden Hole is a deep pit in Derbyshire
Peak, said to be fathomless. (See Sir
W. Scott : Peveril of the Peak, ch. iii.)
Elder Brethren. (See TRINITY
House.)
Elder-tree. Sir John Maundeville,
speaking of the Pool of Sil’oe, says,
“Fast by is the elder-tree on which
Judas hanged himself. . . . when he sold
and betrayed our Lord.” Shakespeare,
in Love's Labour’s lost, v. 2, says,
“Judas was hanged on an elder.” (See
FIG-TREE.)
“Judas he japed
With Jewish siller,
And sitben on an elder tree
IIanged himsel.”
Piers Plowml (tº : Tision.
Eleanor Crosses. (See CHARING
CROSS.)
Eleatic Philosophy. Founded by
Xenoph'anes of Elſea about B.C. 530,
The Ionic school believed there was but
one element; the Eleatics said there
were four or six, as heat and cold,
moisture and dryness, odd and even,
from the antagonisms of which visible
objects sprang: Thus, Fire is heat act-
ing on dryness; Air is heat acting
on moisture; JFater is cold acting on
moisture ; and Earth is cold acting on
dryness. (See below.)
The New Eleatic School was founded
by Teucippos of El'ea, a disciple of Zeno.
He wholly discarded the phantasmagoric
theory, and confined his attention to
the physical properties of the visible
world. He was the father of the Atomic
System, in which the agency of chance
was again revived. -
Elecampane and Amrida. Sweet-
meats which confer immortality (Latin,
hélemium campána or intla campána).
Pliny tells us the plant so called sprang
from Helen’s tears. The sweetmeat so
called is a coarse sugar-candy. There
was also an electuary so called, said to
cure wounds given in fight.
“Here, take this essence of elecampane;
Rise up, Sir George, and fight again.”
Miracle Play of St. George.
Elector. A prince who had a vote
in the election of the Emperor of Ger-
many. Napoleon broke up the old Ger-
man empire, and the college of electors
fell asunder,
Electricity 411
Elephant
The Great Electoº'. Frederick William
of Brandenburg (1620-1688).
Electricity (from the Greek, elek-
tron, amber). Thalës (B.C. , 600) ob-
served that amber when rubbed attracted
light substances, and this observation
followed out has led to the present
science of electricity.
* Bright amber shines on his electric throne.”
Darwin. : Economy of Nature, i. 2.
Negative and positive electricity. Two
opposite conditions of the electric state
of bodies. At one time electricity was
considered a fluid, as heat was thought
to be caloric. Everybody was thought
to have a certain quantity. If a body
contained more than its normal quan-
tity it was said to be positive, if less, it
was said to be negative in this respect.
Another theory was that there were two
different electric fluids, which neutralised
each other when they came in contact.
Electricity is now supposed to be a mere
condition, like heat and motion ; but its
energy is set in action by some molecular
disturbance, such as friction, rupture,
and chemical action. The old terms are
still retained.
Electro-Biology. The science of
electricity as it is connected with the
phenomena of living beings. Also the
effect of ‘‘animal magnetism '’ on living
creatures, said to produce sleep, stupor,
anesthésia, etc.
Electro-Chemistry. That branch
of chemistry which treats of electricity
as an energy affecting chemical changes.
Elec’tuary. Something to be licked
up ; a medicine made “thick and slab,”
which cannot be imbibed like a liquid
nor bolted like a pill, but which must be
licked up like honey. (Greek, ek-leicho.)
Eleemos'ynam. Eleemos'/nam se-
pulcri patris tui (Alms on your father’s
grave). (See MEAT.)
Elegant Extracts. The 85th Foot,
remodelled in 1813, after the numerous
court - martials which then occurred.
The officers of the regiment were re-
moved, and officers drafted from other
regiments were substituted in their
places. The 85th is now called the
“Second Battalion of the Shropshire
Light Infantry.” The first battalion is
the old 23rd.
* At the University of Cambridge, in
the good old times, some few men were
too good to be plucked and not good
enough for the poll : a line was drawn
below the poll-list, and these lucky
unfortunates, allowed to pass, were nick-
named the Elegant Eartracts. There was
a similar limbo in the honour-list, called
the Gulf, in allusion to a Scripture pas-
Sage well known and thus parodied,
“Between them [in the poll) and us [iſ?
the honour-lists] there is a great gulf
fixed,” etc.
Elegiacs.
PENTAMETERs.)
Elements, according to Aristotle.
Aristotle maintained that there are four
elements—fire, air, water, and earth ;
and this assertion has been the subject
of very unwise ridicule. Modern chemists
maintain the same fact, but have selected
four new words for the four old ones,
and instead of the term “element,” use
“material forms.” We say that matter
exists under four forms: the imponder-
able (caloric), the gaseous (air), the liquid
(water), and the solid (earth), and this
is all the ancient philosophers meant by
their four elements or elemental forms.
It was Emped'oclés of Sicily who first
maintained that fire, air, earth, and
water are the four elements; but he
called them Zeus, Hera, Goea, and Po-
sei'don. (Latin, eleo for oleo. Vossius
says: aſ ant, eleo pro oleo, i.e. cresco,
quod Omnia Crescant ac nascantur.”
Latin, elementum. to grow out of.)
t{ Lº; º the great philosopher [Aristotle] at-
Hiºkinents, Earth, Water, Air, and Fire ‘; & a ſº
Tell why these simple elements are four ;
Why just so many ; why not less or more ?”
Islackmore : Creation, Y.
(See HEXAMETERS and
* The first of these forms — viz.
“‘Caloric,” or the imponderable matter
of heat, is now attributed to a mere con-
dition of matter, like motion.
Elephant. The elephant which sup-
ports the world is called “Muha-pudma,”
and the the tortoise which supports the
elephant is called “Chukwa.” In some
of the Eastern mythologies we are told
that the world stands on the backs of
eight elephants, called “Achtequed-
jams.”
Elephant (The).
ance, etermity, and Sovereignty.
WHITE ELEPHANT.)
_* L'eternité est désignée Sur une imédaille de
l'empereur Philippe, parun elephant sur lettuel est,
lmonté un petit garçon armé de fléches.”—Noel :
Diction?vaire de la Fabia, Vol. i. p. 506, -
Elephant. . (See WHITE ELEPHANT.)
Only an elephant can bear an elephant’s
load. An Indian proverb: Only a great
man can do the work of a great man;
also, the burden is more than I can bear;
it is a load fit for an elephant,
Symbol of temper-
(See
Elephant Paper
412
Elf-arrows
Elephant Paper. A large - sized
drawing-paper, measuring 20 inches by
23. There is also a “double elephant
paper,” measuring 40 inches by 26;.
Elephant and Castle. A public-
house sign at Newington, said to derive
its name from the skeleton of an ele-
phant dug up near Battle Bridge in
1714. A flint-headed spear lay by the
remains, whence it is conjectured that
the creature was killed by the British in
a fight with the Romans... (The Times.)
There is another public-house with
the same sign in St. Pancras, probably
intended to represent an elephant with a
howdah.
Elephan'ta, in Bombay, is so called
from a stone elephant, which carried a
tiger on its back, and formerly stood
near the landing-place on the south side
of the island. It has now nearly dis-
appeared. The natives call it Gahra-
pooree (cave town), from its cave, 130
feet long. (Chow-chow.)
Elephantine (4 Syl.). Heavy and
ungainly, like an elephant. In Rome,
the registers of the Senate, magistrates,
generals, and emperors were called ele-
phantine books, because they were made
of ivory. In geology, the elephantine
period was that noted for its numerous
Iarge thick-skinned animals. The dis-
ease called elephanti’asis is when the
limbs swell and look like those of an
elephant more than those of a human
being.
Eleusin'ian Mysteries. The re-
ligious rites in honour of Demeter or
Cerés, performed at Eleu'sis, in Attica.
Elevation of the Host (The). The
eelebrant lifting up the “consecrated
wafers ” above his head, that the people
may see the paten and adore “the Host.”
while his back is turned to the congre-
gation.
Eleven (Anglo-Saxon, andlefene,
aend = aim, lefene = lef, left). One left
or one more after counting ten (the
fingers of the two hands). Twelve is
Twa lef (two left); all the other teens
up to 20 represent 3, 4, 5, etc. -- ten.
It would seem that at one time persons
did not count higher than twelve, but
in a more advanced state they required
higher numbers, and introduced the
“ teen '’ series, omitting eleven and
twelve, which would be enteen and twa-
tee/2.
Eleven Thousand Virgins. Ur'sula.
being asked in marriage by a pagan
prince, fled towards Rome with her
eleven thousand virgins. At Cologne
they were all massacred by a party of
Huns, and even to the present hour
‘‘their bones’’ are exhibited to visitors
through windows in the wall. Maury
says that Ursula’s handmaid was named
Undecimella, and that the legend of her
eleven thousand virgins rose out of this
name. (Légendes Pieuses.)
Eleventh Hour (At the).
time (Matt. xx. 1).
Elf (plural, Elves, Anglo-Saxon, olf).
Properly, a mountain fay, but more
loosely applied to those airy creatures
that dance on the grass or sit in the
leaves of trees and delight in the full
moon. They have fair golden hair,
Sweet musical voices, and magic harps.
They have a king and queen, marry and
are given in marriage. They imper-
Sonate the shimmering of the air, the
felt but indefinable melody of Nature,
and all the little prettinesses which a
lover of the country sees, or thinks he
Sees, in hill and dale, copse and meadow,
grass and tree, river and moonlight.
Spenser says that Prome'theus called the
man he made “IElfe,” who found a maid
in the garden of Ado'nis, whom he called
“Fay,” of “whom all Fayres spring.”
“Of these a mighty people shortly grew,
And puissant kings, Which all the World War-
Just in
Andºhemse Yes all nations (lid Sul) due.”
Faërie Queene, ii. 9, Stanza 70, etc.
Elf and Goblin, as derived from Guelf
and Ghibelline, is mentioned in Johnson
(article GoBLIN), though the words
existed long before those factions arose.
Heylin (in his Cosmography, p. 130) tells
us that some supported that opinion in
1670. Skinner gives the same etymology.
Red Elf. In Iceland, a person gaily
dressed is called a red elf (raud &lf), in
allusion to a superstition that dwarfs
wear scarlet or red clothes. (Nial's
Sagas.) Black elves are evil spirits;
white elves, good Ones.
Elf-arrows. Arrow-heads of the
neolithic period. The shafts of these
arrows were reeds, and the heads were
pieces of flint, carefully sharpened, and
so adjusted as to detach themselves from
the shaft and remain in the wounded
body. At one time they were supposed
to be shot by elves at people and cattle
out of malice or revenge.
“There every herd by sad experience knows
How, winged with fate, their elf-shot arrows
y; -
When the sick eve her summer food forgoes,
Or stretched on earth the learf-smit, leifers
lie.” Collins : I’opular Superstitions.
Flf-fire
413 IElissa,
Elf-fire. The ignis - fatuus. The
name of this elf is Will o’ the Wisp,
Jack o’ lanthorn, Peg-a-lantern, or Kit
o' the canstick (candlestick).
Elf-land. The realm ruled over by
Oberon, King of Faëry. King James
says: “I think it is liker Virgilis Campi
Llysii nor anything that ought to be be-
lieved by Christians.”(Daºmonology, iii.5.)
Elf-locks. Tangled hair. It is said
that one of the favourite amusements of
Queen Mab is to tie people's hair in
knots. When Edgar impersonates a
madman, “he elfs all his hair in knots.”
(Lear, ii. 3.)
“This is that very Mab
That plats the manes of horses in the night, ...
And hakes [? cakes] the elf-locks in foul sluttish
}l:lil'S.”
Shakespeatre: Romeo and Juliet, i. 4.
Elf-marked. Those born with a
natural defect, according to the ancient
Scottish superstition, are marked by the
elves for mischief. Queen Margaret
called Richard III.-
“Thou elſish-marked, abortive, rooting hog "-
Shakespeare: Richard III., i. 3.
Elf-shot. Afflicted with some un-
known disease, and Supposed to have
been wounded by an elfin arrow. The
rinderpest would, in the Middle Ages,
have been ascribed to elf-shots. (See
ELF-ARROWS.)
Elfin. The first fairy king. He ruled
over India and America.
I?omance.)
Elgin Marbles. A collection of
ancient bas-reliefs and statues made by
Lord Elgin, and sent to England in 1812.
They are chiefly fragments of the Par'-
thenon at Athens, and were purchased
by the British Government for £35,000,
to be placed in the British Museum (1816).
(Elgin pronounced ‘gin,” as in begin.)
Elia. A 770m de plume adopted by
Charles Lamb. (Essays of Elia.)
“The adoption of this signature was purely
accidental. Ilamb’s first contribution to the
Londom Magazine Was a description of the old
South-Sea House, where he had passed a few
months’ movitiate as a clerk, . . . and remember-
ing the name of a gay, light-hearted foreigner,
who fluttered there at the time, substituted his
name for his OWn.”—Talfontral.
Eli'ab, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for Henry Bennet, Earl of Ar-
lington. Eliab was one of the chiefs of
the Gadites who joined David at Ziklag.
(1 Chron. xii. 9.)
- “Hard the task to do Eliab right;
Long with the royal Wanderer [Charles II.] he
l'OW
(Middle Age
And firm in all the turns of fortune proved.”
- - Absalom and Achitophel, part ii. 986-8,
Eliakim. Jehoiakim, King of Judah.
(B.C. 635, 610-598.)
E1'idure (3 syl.). A legendary king
of Britain, advanced to the throne in
place of his elder brother, Arthgallo,
supposed by him to be dead. Arthgallo,
after a long exile, returned to his
country, and Elidure resigned to him
the throne. Wordsworth has a poem on
the subject. -
Eligibles and Detrimentals. Sons
which are socially good and bad parties,
to be introduced to daughters with a
view of matrimony.
“The County Families of the United Kingdom
is useful to all who are concerned with questions
of precedence, and especially useful to mothers
Who desire to distinguish between ‘ eligibles’ and
‘detrimentals.’”—Notes and Queries, February 1st,
1886, p. 119. **
Elijah's Melons.
Mount Carmel are so called.
ley, Sinai and Palestine.)
* Similar formations are those called
“The Virgin Mary’s Peas” (q.v.). Com-
pare also the Bible story of Lot's wife.
The story is that the owner of the land refused
to supply the wants of the prophet, and conse-
quently his melons Were transformed into stones.
Elim'inate (4 syl.). To turn out of
doors; to turn out of an equation every-
thing not essential to its conditions.
(Latin, e limine, out of doors.)
Eliot (George). A nom de plume of
Marian Evans (Mrs. Cross), author of
Adam Bede, etc. (1820-1880).
Eliott's Tailors. The 15th Hussars,
now the 15th [King's] Hussars, previously
called the 15th, or king's own royal light
dragoon guards. In 1759 Lieutenant-
Colonel Eliott enlisted a large number of
tailors on strike into a cavalry regiment
modelled after the Prussian hussars.
This regiment so highly distinguished
themselves, that George III. granted
them the honour of being called “the
king's royal.”
Elissa. Dido, Queen of Carthage. A
Phoenician name signifying heroic, brave.
“Nec Inhe melminisse pigebit Elisste.”
Virgil : AE neid, iv. 335.
* Dido was the niece of the Bible
Jezebel. Ithobal I., king of Tyre (1
ICings xvi. 13), had for children Belus,
Margènus, and Jezebel. Of these Belus
was the father of Pygmalion and Dido.
Hence Jezebel was Dido’s aunt.
Elis'sa (deficiency or parsimony;
Greek, ellipsis). Step-sister of Medi'na.
and Peris'sa, but they could never agree
upon any subject. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book ii.)
Certain stones on
(See Stan-
Elivager 414
Elohistic
Elivā'ger (4 syl.). A cold venomous
stream which issued from Niflheim, and
in the abyss called the Ginnunga Gap,
hardening into layer upon layer of ice.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Elixir of Life. A ruby, supposed by
the alchemists to prolong life indefinitely.
The tincture for transmuting metals was
also called an elixir. (Arabic, el or al
iksir, the iksir (? coction).) (See AM-
RITA.)
“He that has once the Flower of the Sun,
The perfect ruby which we call Elixir. . . .
Cam confer honour, love, respect, long life,
Give safety, Yºº and Victory
TO whom he will. In eight-and-twen ty (layS
I'll make an old man of fourScore a child.
Bem. Jomsom, : The Alchemist, ii. 1.
Elizabeth had pet names for all her
favourite courtiers; q.e. :
The mother of Sir John Norris she
called “My own Crow.”
Burghley was her “Spirit.”
Mountjoy she termed her “JCitchen-
maid in Ireland.”
Elizabeth has given more variants
than any other Christian name: Eliza,
Isa, Isabel, Lizzy, Elizabeth, Elisabetta,
Betty, Bettina, Bess, Bessy, etc.
Elizabeth of Hungary (St.). Patron
saint of queens, being herself a queen.
(1207–1231.)
Elizabe'than. After the style of
things in the reign of Queen Elizabeth.
Elizabethan architecture is a mixture of
Gothic and Italian, prevalent in the
reigns of Elizabeth and James I.
Ell (Anglo-Saxon eln, an ell). It is
said that the English ell was the length
of Henry I.’s arm, but the ordinary
length of a man’s arm is about a yard.
Give him an inch, and he'll take an ell.
Give him a little licence, and he will take
great liberties, or make great encroach-
ments. The ell was no definite length.
The English ell was 45 inches, the Scotch
ell only 37 inches, while the Flemish ell
was three-quarters of a yard. and alſ’rench
ell a yard and a half. This indefinite
measure expresses the uncertainty of the
length to which persons will go to whom
you give the inch of liberty. Some will
go the French ell; while others of more
modesty or more limited desires will be
Satisfied with the shorter measures.
Eil-wand (The King's). The group
of stars called “Orion’s Belt.”
“The King’s Ellwand, now foolishly termed the
“Belt of Orion.’”—Hogg : Tales, etc.
Ella, or Alla. King of Northumber-
land, who married Cumstance. (Chaucer:
Man of Lawes Tale.) (See CUNSTANCE.)
Elliot. In the Black Dwarf, by Sir
Walter Scott, are seven of that name,
viz. Halbert or Hobbie Elliot, of the
Heugh-foot (a farmer); Mrs. Elliot, his
grandmother ; John and Harry, his
brothers; and Lilias, Jean, and Arnot,
his sisters.
Ellyl'lon. The souls of the ancient
Druids, which, being too good for hell,
and not good enough for heaven, are
permitted to wander upon earth till the
judgment day, when they will be ad-
mitted to a higher state of being. (Welsh
Anythology.) -
Elmo's Fire (St.). Comazants, or elec-
tric lights occasionally seen on the masts
of ships before and after a storm; so
called by the Spaniards because St. Elmo
is with them the patron Saint of Sailors.
(See CASTOR AND POLLUX.)
“Sudden, breaking on their raptured sight,
Appeared the splendour of St. Elmo's light.”
FIoole : Orlando Furioso, book ix.
Elohim. The genus of which ghosts,
ChemOsh, Dagon, Baal, Jahveh, etc.,
were species. . The ghost or spectre
which appeared to Saul (1 Sam. xxviii.
14-20) is called Elohim. “I see Elohim
coming up out of the earth,” said the
witch; and Saul asked, “What is HE
like?” (Huayley: Nineteenth Century,
March, 1886.)
“The word Elöhim is often applied in the Bible
to the gods of the Gentiles.”—Lenormant: Begin-
quinqs of IIistory, chap. Wii.
* In theology, Elöhim (the plural of
Elöah) means the “Lord of Hosts,” or
Lord of all power and might. Jehövah
signifies rather the God of mercy and
forgiveness. Hence, Elohim is used to
express the God of creation, but Je-
hovah the God of the covenant of
mercy.
“Elohim designates the fulness of I)ivine
power.”—Religious Encyclopædia.
Elohistic and Jehovis'tic Scrip-
tures. The Pentateuch is supposed by
Bishop Colenso and many others to have
been written at two widely different
periods, because God is invariably called
Eloſhim in some paragraphs, while in
others He is no less invariably called
Jehovah. The Elohistic paragraphs,
being more simple, more primitive, more
narrative, and more pastoral, are said to
be the older ; while the Jehovistic para-
graphs indicate a knowledge of geo-
graphy and history, seem to exalt the
priestly office, and are altogether of a
more elaborate character. Those who
maintain this theory think that some
late transcriber has compiled the two
Scriptures and combined them into one,
Eloi
* *
O Elysium,
--
much the same as if the four Gospels
were collated and welded together into
a single one. To give one or two ex-
amples:— Gen. i. 27, it is said, “So
God (Elohim) created man in His own
image, (both) male and female ‘’’;
whereas, in the next chapter (21-24), it
is said that God (Jehovah) caused a deep
sleep to fall on Adam, and that He then
took from the sleeping man a rib and
made it a woman ; and therefore (says
the writer) a man shall cleave unto his
wife, and the two be considered one
flesh. Again (Gen. vi. 19) Elohim tells
Noah, “Two of every sort shalt thou
bring into the ark, a male and a
female '' ; and (vii. 9) “There went in
two and two unto Noah into the ark,
the male and the female, as God (Elohim)
commanded Noah.” In Gen. vii. 2
Jehovah tells Noah he is to make a
distinction between clean and unclean
beasts, and that he is to admit flhe
former by sevens and the latter by twos.
In the first example, the priestly cha-
racter is indicated by the moral, and in
the latter by the distinction made
between clean and unclean animals. We
pass no opinion on this theory, but state
it as fairly as we can in a few lines.
Eloi (St.). Patron saint of artists
and Smiths. He was a famous worker in
gold and silver, and was made Bishop
of Noyon in the reign of Dagobert.
Brobably the St. Eloi of Chaucer's Prior-
ess was St. Louis (St. Loy).
“Ther was also a nonne, a prioresse,
That of hire Smylyng was ful symple and
Hire grettest ooth was but by Şey nt Iloy.
Chautcer : Canterbury Tales, Prol. 18–20.
* We find reference to “Seynt Loy”
again in verse 7143.
coy
* *
IEloquent. The old man eloquent.
Isocratés, the Greek Orator. When he
heard that Grecian liberty was extin-
guished by the battle of Chaerone'a, he
died of grief.
“That dishonest victory
At Chaeronea, fatal to liberty,
Rilled With report that old man eloquent.”
Milton : Sommels (To Lady Margaret Ley).
The eloquent doctor. Peter Aureolus,
Archbishop of Aix, a schoolman.
Elshender or Cannie Elshie. The
Black Dwarf, alias Sir Edward Mauley,
tliſts the Recluse, alias the Wise Wight
of Mucklestane Moor. (Sir Walter Scott:
The Black Dway.)
Elsie. The daughter of Gottlieb, a
farm tenant of Prince Henry of Hohe-
neck. The prince was suffering severely .
from Some malady, and was told that he
would be cured if any maiden would
give her life as a substitute. Elsie
vowed to do so, and accompanied the
prince from Germany to Salerno. Here
Elsie surrendered herself to Lucifer,
but was rescued by the prince, who
married her. His health was perfectly
re-established by the pilgrimage. (Tong-
fellow : The Golden Legend.)
Elves. (See under ELF.)
Elvidma. The hall of the goddess
Hel (q.v.).
Elvi'no. A rich farmer, in love with
Ami'na, the somnambulist. The fact of
Ami'na, being found in the bed of Count
Rodolpho the day before the wedding,
induces Elvino to reject her hand and
promise marriage to Liza ; but he is
Soon undeceived—Ami'na is found to be
innocent, and Liza to have been the
paramour of another ; SO Ami'na, and
Elvi'no are wedded under the happiest
auspices. (Belli'ni’s opera, La Sonnam-
bula.) (See LIZA.)
Elvi'ra (Domna). A lady deceived
by Don Giovanni, who deluded her into
a liaison with his valet, Leporello.
(Mozart’s opera, Don Giovanni.)
Jºlvira. A lady who loved Erna'ni,
the robber-captain, and head of a league
against Don Carlos, afterwards Charles
V. of Spain. She was betrothed to Don
Ruy Gomez de Silva, an old Spanish
grandee, whom she detested, and Ernani
resolved to rescue her ; but it so hap-
pened that the king himself fell in love
with her, and tried to win her. When
Silva learned this, he joined the league;
but the king, overhearing the plot in
concealment, arrested the conspirators.
Llvira interceded for them, and the king
granted them a free pardon. When
Ernani was on the point of wedding
Elvira, Ernani, being summoned to
death by Silva, stabbed himself. (Perdi’s
opera of Ernani.)
El'vish or Elfish. Irritable, peevish,
spiteful; full of little mischievous ways,
like the elves. Our superstitious fore-
fathers thought such persons were actu-
ally “possessed” by elves; and elvish-
marked is marked by elves or fairies.
“Thou elvish-marked, abortive, rooting hog.”
Shakespeare: Richard III., i. 3.
Ely'sium. Elysian Fields. The Para-
dise or Happy Land of the Greek poets.
Elysian (the adjective) means happy,
delightful.
“O'er which were shadowy cast Elysian gleams."
Thomson : Castle of Indolemce, i. 44.
“Wºuld take the prisºned soul,
And lap it in Elysium.
Milton : Comets, 261-2,
Elzevir
E1'zevir. An edition of a classic
author, published and printed by the
family of Elzevir, and said to be im-
maculate. Virgil, one of the master-
pieces, is certainly incorrect in Some
places. (1592–1626.)
Em. The unit of measure in printing.
The standard is a pica M ; and the width
of a line is measured by the number of
such M’s that would stand side by side
in the “stick.” This dictionary is in
double columns; each column equals 11
pica M’s in width, and one M is allowed
for the space between. Some work is
made up to 10%, 20%, etc., ems; and for
the half-em printers employ the letter N,
which is in width half a letter M. As
no letter is wider than the M, and all
narrower letters are fractions of it, this
letter forms a very convenient standard
for printing purposes.
Embargo. To lay an embargo on him
or it is to impose certain conditions
before you give your consent. It is a
Portuguese and Spanish word, meaning
an order issued by authority to prevent
ships leaving port for a fixed period.
Embarras de Richesse. More
matter than can be used ; overcrowded
with facts or material. A publisher or
editor who is overwhelmed with MSS.,
or contributions; an author who has
more incidents or illustrations in support
of his theory than he can produce, etc.,
have an embarras de richesse.
Ember Days are the Wednesday,
Friday, and Saturday of Ember Weeks
(7.0.).
Ember Weeks. A corruption of
quat'uor tem'pora, through the Dutch
quatemper and German quatember. The
four times are after Quadragesima.
Sunday, Whit Sunday, Holyrood Day
ſº and St. Lucia's Day (Decem-
er). The supposition that persons sat
in embers (or ashes) on these days is
without foundation.
Emblem is a picture with a hidden
meaning; the meaning is “cast into ”
or “inserted in ’’ the visible device.
Thus, a balance is an emblem of justice,
white of purity, a sceptre of sovereignty.
(Greek, en-ballo, which gives the Greek
embléma.) (See APOSTLES, PATRON
SAINTS.)
Some of the most common and simple
emblems of the Christian Church are—
A chalice. The eucharist.
The circle inscribed in an equilateral
triangle. To denote the co-equality and
co-eternity of the Trinity.
416
Emergency
—ºº
*
A cross. The Christian’s life and con-
flict; the death of Christ for man’s re-
demption.
A crown. The reward of the perse-
Verance of the saints.
A dove. The Holy Ghost.
A hand from the clouds.
God the Father.
A lamb, fish, pelican, etc., etc.
Lord Jesus Christ.
A phonia. The resurrection.
Emblems of the Jewish Temple.
(See Exod. xxv. 30–32; Rev. i. 12-20.)
Golden camdlestick. The Church. Its seven lights,
the Seyen Spirits of God. (IRev. iv. 6.)
The shewbread. The twelve loaves the twelve
tribes of Israel. Represented in the Gospel
by the twelve apostles.
The incense of Sweet spices. Prayer, which rises
to heaven as incense. (Rey. viii. 3, 4.)
The Holy of Holies. The nation of the Jews as
God's lºcculiar people. When the veil which
Separated it from the temple was “rent in
twain,” it signified that thenceforth Jews and
Gentiles all formed one people of God.
Em"bryo means that which swells
inside something (Greek, en-brać'o, which
gives the Greek embraton); hence the
child in the womb ; the rudiment in a
plant before it shows itself in a bud;
an idea not developed, etc.
Em'elye. The sister-in-law of “Duke
Theseus,” beloved by the two knights,
Pal’amon and Ar’cyte, the former of
whom had her to wife. It is of this lady
the poet says, “Up roos the sun, and
up roos Emelye ’’ (v. 2275).
“This passeth yeer by yeer, and day and day,
Till it fel 90nés in a morne of May,
That Emelie, that fairer was to scene
Than is the lilie on hire Stalkés grene,
And fresscher than the May with flourès
newe . . . .
Erit was day, as sche Was Wont to do,
Sche Was arisen.
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales (The Knighte's Tale).
Em'erald Isle. Ireland. This term
was first used by Dr. Drennan (1754-
1820), in the poem called Erin. Of
course, it refers to the bright green ver-
dure of the island.
“An emerald set in the ring of the sea.”
Catsh laº), a ch?’eg.
“Not one feeling of Vengeance presume to defile
The cause or the men of the Emerald Isle.”
JE. J. Dº'emnan : Erin.
Em'eralds. According to tradition,
if a serpent fixes its eyes upon an emerald
it becomes blind. (Ahmed ben Abdalaziz :
Treatise on Jewels.)
Emer'gency. A sudden emergency
is something which starts suddenly into
view, or which rises suddenly out of the
current of events. (Latin, e-mergo, to
rise out of “the water.”)
Emergency Man (An). One engaged
for some special service, as in Irish evic-
tions.
To denote
The
W.
w
Tºmeute 417
--
Emeute (French). A seditious rising
or small riot. Literally, a moving-out.
(Latin, e-mov'é0.)
Emile (2 syl.). The French form of
Emilius. The hero of Jean Jacques
Rousseau's novel of the same name, and
his ideal of a perfectly educated young
IIlāl).
Emilia (in Shakespeare's Othello).
Wife of Iago. She is induced by her
husband to purloin Desdemona's hand-
kerchief, which Iago conveys to Cassio’s
chamber, and tells the Moor that Desde-
mo'na had given it to the lieutenant as a
love-token. At the death of Desdemona,
Emilia (who, till then, never suspected
the real state of the case) reveals the
fact, and Iago kills her.
Jºnilia. The sweetheart of Peregrine
JPickle, in Smollett's novel.
Emilie (The divine), to whom Voltaire
wrote verses, was Madame Châtelet, with
whom he lived at Circy for ten years.
Emmet contracted into Ant : thus,
J'm’t, ent, ant (Anglo-Saxon, dºmeče).
“A bracelet made of emmets' eyes.”
Drayton : Court of Fairies.
Emme. Your emne Christem (Bos-
worth), i.e. your even or fellow Christian.
Shakespeare (Hamlet, v. 1) has “your
even Christian.” (Anglo-Saxon, Emne-
cristen, fellow-Christian.)
Emolument. Literally, that which
comes out of the mill. (Latin, e-mola.)
It originally meant toll on what was
ground. (See GRIST.)
Emotion. Literally, the movement
of the mind brought out by something
which affects it. The idea, is this: The
mind, like electricity, is passive till some-
thing occurs to affect it, when it becomes
roused ; the active state thus produced is
its emotion, and the result thereof is pas-
sion or affection. (Latin, e-moveo.)
Empan'el or Impanel is to write the
names of a jury on a panel, or piece of
parchment. (French, panneau, i.e. pan
de péanſ, piece of skin.)
Empannel, To put the pack-saddle
on a beast of burden. -
“Saddle Rozinante, and cm pannel thine ass.”—
J)07, Quia:0te, ii. 326.
Empedocles (4 syl.) of Sicily. A
disciple of Pythag'oras. According to
Lu'cian, he threw himself into the crater
of Etna, that persons might suppose he
was returned to the gods; but Etna
threw out his Sandal, and destroyed the
Empty
illusion. (Horace :
(See CLEOMBROTOS.)
“He who, to be deemed
A god, leaped fondly into AEtna flames,
Impedoclés.”. - - -
Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 471. .
Emperor. Emperor, not for myself,
but for my people. The maxim of Ha'-
drian, the Roman emperor (117-138).
Ars Poetica, 404.)
Emperor of Believers. Omar I.,
father-in-law of Mahomet, and second
caliph of the Mussulmans (581-644).
Emperor of the Mountains, king of
the woods, and lord of the highways from
Florence to Naples. A title assumed by
Peter the Calabrian, a famous bandit-
chief (1812). -
Empire City (The). New York, the
great commercial city of the United
States.
Empire of Reason; the Empire of
Truth, etc., i.e. reason or truth as the
governing principle. Empire is the Latin
$ºmpe)"??ſm, a jurisdiction, and an emperor
is one who holds command.
Empirics. Quacks. A school of
medicine founded by Serapion of Alex-
andria, who contended that it is not
necessary to obtain a knowledge of the
nature and functions of the body in
Order to treat diseases, but that expe-
rience is the Surest and best guide.
They were opposed to the Dogmatics
(q.v.). (Greek, peirao, to try, which
gives the Greek empeiria, experience.)
- - “We must not
So stain our judgment, or corrupt our hope,
TO prostitute Our past-cul'(3 malady
To empirics.”
Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well, ii. 1.
Employé. (French). One in our em-
ploy: such as clerks, shopmen, servants,
etc. Employée, a female employed by
a master. Employee, either Sex.
“In Italy, all railroad employés are Sul).jected to
rigorous examination.”—Harlan. EyeSight, v. 64.
“All these employées should be women of cha-
racter.”—Malcºnvillatºv’s Magazine (July, 1862, p. 257).
Empson. The favourite flageolet-
player of Charles II., introduced into
Scott's Peveril of the Peak.
“Julian could only bow obedience, and follow
Empson, Who Was the Salme person that played
So rarely on the flageolet.”—Chap. XXX.
Empty as Air. (Ang.-Sax., antig.)
“Dead men's cries to fill the enlpty air.”
- Shakespeare : 2 Henry VI., Y. 2.
Empty Champagne Bottles. Fel-
low-commoners at Cambridge used to
be so called, their academical dress
being a gaudy purple and silver gown,
resembling the silver foil round the neck
27
Tºmpty Chance
4.18
Frid
of a champagne bottle. Very few of
these wealthy magnates took honours.
-- The nobleman's gown Was silk.
Empty Chance. A chance not
worth calculating on. The ace of dice
was, by the Greeks and Romans, left
empty, because the number of dice was
equal to the number of aces thrown. As
ace is the lowest chance, the empty
chance was the least likely to win.
Empyre'an. According to Ptolemy,
there are five heavens, the last of which
is pure elemental fire and the seat of
deity ; this fifth heaven is called the
empyrean (from the Greek en-pur, in
fire). (See HEAVEN.)
“Now had the Almighty Father from above,
From the pure empyrean where He sits
High throned above all height, bent down his
eye.” Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 56-58.
And again, book vi. 833:
“The Steadfast empyréan Shook without.”
En Evidence (French). To the
fore. -
“Mr. has been much en evidence of
late in the lobby. ; but as he has no seat, lis
chance of being in the ministry is very proble-
lmatical.”—Newspaper paragraph, lº'ebruary, 1886.
En Garçon. As a bachelor. “To
take me en garçon,” without ceremony,
as a bachelor fares in Ordinary life.
En Masse. The whole lot just as it
stands; the whole.
En Rapport. In harmony with ; in
sympathetic lines with.
En Route. On the way; on the road
Or journey
Enal/io-saurians (Greek, Sea-lizards).
A group of fossil saurians, including the
Ich'thyosaur, Ple'siosaur, Sauropter'ygy,
etc., etc. -
Encellados. The most powerful of
the giants that conspired against Zeus
(Jupiter). The king of gods and men
cast him down, and threw Mount Etna,
over him. The poets say that the flames
of this volcano arise from the breath of
this giant. The battle-field of his con-
test was Phlegra, in Macedonia.
“So ſierce Enceladus in Phlogra stood.”
- Hoole: Jerusalem Delivered.
“I tell you, younglings, not lºncelados,
With all his threat’lling balld of
brood . . . . *
Shall seize this prey out of his father's hands.”
y
Shakespeare: Titus Amdronicus, iv. 2.
Enchanted Castles. De Saint Foix
says that women and girls were subject
to violence whenever they passed by an
abbey quite as much as when they ap-
proached a feudal castle. When these
victims were sought for and demanded
Typhon's
back, the monks would sustain a siege
rather than relinquish them ; and, if
close pressed, would bring to the walls
some sacred relic, which so awed the
assailants that they would desist rather
than incur the risk of violating Such holy
articles. This, he says, is the origin of en-
chanters, enchantments, and enchanted
castles. (Historical Essays.)
Enchanter is one who sings incanta-
tions. (Latin, in-canto, to sing over or
against Some one.)
Encomium. The Greek kömos is a
revel in honour of [Bacchus], in which
the procession marches from kömi to
kömé: i.e. village to village. En-könion
is the hymn sung in these processions
in honour of Bacchus; hence, praise,
eulogy.
Encore (French). Our use of this
word is unknown to the French, who
use the word bis (twice) if they wish a
thing to be repeated. The French, how-
ever, say encore atm tasse (another cup),
encore une fois (still once more). It is
strange how we have perverted almost
every French word that we have natu-
ralised. (See ENGLISTI FRENCII.)
Encratſites (4 syl.). A sect of the
second century, who condemned mar-
riage, forbade eating flesh or drinking
wine, and rejected all the luxuries and
comforts of life as “things sinful.”
The sect was founded by Taſtian, a
heretic of the third century, who com-
piled from four other books what he
called a Diatessaro27—an heretical gospel.
(See Eusebius, book iv., chap. xxix.)
(Greek, egorates, self-mastery.)
* This heretic must not be confounded
with Tatian the philosopher, a disciple
of Justin Martyr, who lived in the
second century.
Encroach means literally to put on
a hook, or to hook on. Those who hook
on a little here and a little there.
(French, en croc, on a hook.)
End. (Ang.-Sax. ende, verb endian.)
At my wits' end. At a standstill how
to proceed farther; at a non-plus.
He is no end of a fellow. A capital
chap ; a most agreeable companion; an
A 1 [A one] (q.v.). He is an “all round”
man, and therefore has no end.
To be [one's] end. The cause or agent
of [his] death.
“This apoplexie will lie his end.” .
Shakespeare: 2 IIemºry IV., iv. 4.
To begin at the wrong end. To attempt
to do something unmethodically. This
Frid-irons
is often done in education, where chil-
dren are taught grammar before they are
taught words. No one on earth would
teach his child to talk in such a manner.
Tirst talk anyhow, and when words are
familiar, teach the grammar of sentences.
The allusion may be to thread wound
on a card or bobbin; if anyone attempts
to unwind it at the wrong end, he will
entangle the thread and be unable to
unwind it.
To come to the end of one’s tether. To
do all that one has ability or liberty to
do. The allusion is to an animal tied
to a rope; he can graze only So far as
his tether can be carried out.
To have it at my finger’s end. To be
perfectly at fait; to remember perfectly,
and with ease; tang?tain ºtºgºtis Seire.
The allusion is to work done with the
fingers (such as knitting), which needs
no thought after it has become familiar.
To have it on [or at the tip of my
tongue. (See TIP OF MY TONGUE.)
A rope’s end. A short length of rope
bound at the end with thread, and used
for punishing the refractory. -
A shoemaker’s end. A length of thread
pointed with a bristle, and used by shoe-
makers.
My latter end. At the close of life.
“At the latter end,” towards the close.
“At the latter end of a dinner.”
Shakespeare: All's Well, etc., ii. 5.
On end. Erect.
To put an end to.
cause to terminate.
JP'est end, East end, etc. The quarter
or part of a town east or west of the
central or middle part.
To terminate or
End-irons. Two movable iron cheeks
or plates, still used in cooking-stoves to
enlarge or contract the grate at plea-
sure. The term explains itself, but must
not be mistaken for and irons or “dogs.”
End Paper. The blank fly-leaves of
a book. -
End of the World (The). According
to rabbinical mythology, the world is to
last six thousand years. The reasons
assigned are (1) because the name Jehova,
contains six letters; (2) because the
Hebrew letter m occurs six times in the
book of Genesis; (3) because the patri-
arch Enoch, who was taken to heaven
without dying, was the sixth generation
from Adam (Seth, Enos, Caiman, Mahala-
leel, Jared, Enoch); (4) because God
created the world in six days; (5) because
six contains three binaries—the first 2000
years were for the law of nature, the
419 fºrgland
*-i
next 2000 years the written law, and the
last 2000 the law of grace.
Seven would suit this fancy quite as well : there
are seven days in a week ; Jehovah contains seven
letters; and Enoch was the seventh generation of
the race of man ; and the ſirst two lyinaries Were
hot equal periods.
Ends.
To batº the candie at both ends. To be
like a man on double business bound,
who both neglects. Of course, no candle
could burn at both ends, unless held hori-
Zontally, as the lower end would be ex-
tinguished by the melted wax or tallow.
To make two or both ends meet. To
make one’s income cover expenses; to
keep out of debt. The allusion is to a
belt somewhat too tight. The French
Say joindre les delta, bouts.
Endemic. Pertaining to a locality.
An endemic disease is one common to a
particular district, from which it shows
no tendency to spread. Thus intermit-
tent fevers are endemic in marshy places.
Endorse. I endorse that statement.
I accept it; I fully accord with it. The
allusion is to the commercial practice of
writing your name on the back of a bill
of exchange or promissory note if you
choose to make yourself responsible for
it. (Latin, in-dorsum, on the back.)
Endymion, in Greek mythology,
is the setting sun with which the moon is
in love. Endymion was condemned to
endless sleep and everlasting youth, and
Sele'ne kisses him every night on the
Latmian hills.
“The moon sleep; with Endymion,
And WOulti not be a Wilked.”
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, v. 1.
Enemy. How goes the enemy 2 or
JPhat says the enemy 2 What o'clock
is it? Time is the enemy of man, espe-
cially of those who are behind time.
Enfant Terrible (An) [lit., a terrible
child]. A moral or social nuisance.
Enfield Riſie. So called from the
factory at Enfield where it is made.
Enfilade (French) means literally to
spin out; to put thread in [a needle],
as enfiler time aiguille ; to string beads
by putting them on a thread, as enfiler
des perles. Soldiers being compared to
thread, we get the following metaphors:
to go through a place as thread through
a needle—to string artillery by placing
it in a line and directing it against an
enemy; hence, to scour or rake with
shot.
England. Verstegan quaintly says
that Egbert was “chiefly moved ” to
call his kingdom England “in respect of
Frigland. Expects
420
Ensign
Pope Gregory’s changing the name of
JEngelisce into Angellyke.” And this
“may have moved our kings upon their
best, gold coins to set the image of an
angel.” (Restitution of Decayed Intelli-
gence in Antiquities concerning . . . the
Jºnglish Nation, p. 147.)
* The Angles migrated from the east
of the Elbe to Schleswig (between the
Jutes and the Saxons), They passed over
in great numbers to Britain during the
5th century, and in time established the
kingdoms of the heptarchy.
Lºngland Expects that Every Man
will do his Duty. The parole signalled
by Horatio Nelson to his fleet before the
battle of Trafalgar.
England's Darling. Hereward the
Wake, in the time of William the Con-
queror. The “Camp of Refuge ’’ was
established in the Isle of Ely, and the
Earl of Morcar joined it in 1071. It was
blockaded for three months by William,
and Hereward (3 syl.) with some of his
followers escaped.
Englentyne (3 syl.). The Nonne or
Prioress of Chaucer’s pilgrims. An ad-
mirable character sketch. (Canterbury
Tales ; Prologue, 118-164.) (See ELOI.)
English French. A kind of per-
versity seems to pervade many of the
words which we have borrowed from the
French. Thus curate (French vicaire);
Vicar (French curé).
IEncore (French bis).
Epergne (French surtout); Surtout
(French pardessus).
, Screw (French vis), whereas the French
écrout we call a nut ; and our vice is 6taw
in French.
Some still say a l’Outrance (French &
outrance).
We say double entendre, the French
& delta ententes.
* The reader will easily call to mind
other examples.
Englishman. The national nick-
name of an Englishman is “a John
Bull.” The nation, taken in the aggre-
gate, is nicknamed “John Bull.” The
French nickname for an Englishman is
“Godam’.” (See BULL.)
Englishman's Castle. His house
is so called, because so long as a man
shuts himself up in his own house, no
bailiff can break through the door to
arrest him or seize his goods. It is not
so in Scotland.
Enid. The daughter and only child
of Yn'iol, and wife of Prince Geraint',
one of the Knights of the Round Table,
Ladies called her “Enid the Fair,” but
the people named her “Enid the Good.”
(Idylls of the King ; Geraint and Enid.)
Enlightened Doctor (The). Ray-
mond Lully, of Palma, one of the most
distinguished men of the thirteenth cen-
tury. (1234-1315.) -
Enniskillens. The 6th Dragoons;
instituted 1689, on account of their
brave defence of the town of Ennis-
killen, in favour of William III.
* This cavalry regiment must not be
confounded with the Inniskillings or
Old 27th Foot, now called the “Ist
battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusi-
liers,” which is a foot regiment.
Enſnius. The Chaucer or father of
Roman poets. (B.C. 239-169.)
The English Ennitts. Layamon, who
wrote a translation in Saxon of Wace’s
J3)7tte.
The French Ennius. Guillaume di
Lorris (1235-65), author of the Romance
of the Rose, called the Iliad of France.
Sometimes Jehan de Meung (1260-1320),
who wrote the continuation of the same
romance, is so called.
The Spanish Ennius. Juan de Mena,
born at Cor'dova. (1412–56.)
Enough. (Anglo-Saxon, genoh or
geºlog.) Iºnough Stop 11ow, you have
said all that is needful. -
JEnough is as good as a feast.
Latizz. “Illud Satius est, quod satis
est.”
French : “On est assez riche, quand
on a le nécessaire.”
* At one time Enow was used for
numbers reckoned by tale, as : There are
chairs enow, nails enow, men enow, etc.;
but now enough does duty for both
words, and enow is archaic.
Ensconſce (2 syl.). To hide ; to put
under cover. Literally, to cover with a
sconce, or fort. (German, Schance, a fort ;
Danish, Schans; Swedish, Skans ; Latin,
abscondo, to hide.)
The tout ensemble. The
the effect when the
(French.) -
Ensign. (French, enseigner.)
Of ancient Athens. An owl.
America. The Stars and Stripes.
The British Navy. The Union Jack
(q.v.). The achite ensign (Royal Navy)
is the banner of St. George with the Jack
cantoned in the first quarter. The red
ensign is that of the merchant service,
IEnsemble.
general effect;
whole is regarded.
Ensilage
421
Bºpact
The blue ensign is that of the navy
TeSeTVe.
China. A dragon.
Ancient Corintſ. A flying horse—i.e.
IPeg'asos.
Ancient Danes. A raven.
Ancient Egypt. A bull, a crocodile, a
vulture. -
Jºngland (in the Tudor era). St.
George's cross.
Ancient France. The cape of St.
Martin ; then the orifiamme.
The Franks (Ripuarian).
with the point upwards.
The Franks (Salian). A bull’s head.
The Gauls. A wolf, bear, bull, cock.
The ancient Lacedemonians. The Greek
capital letter L (lambda A).
The ancient Messe'nians. The Greek
letter mu (M).
The ancient Persians. A golden eagle
with outstretched wings on a white field;
a dove; the sun.
The Paisdadian dynasty of Persia. A
blackSmith’s apron. (See STANDARD.)
The ancient /ēomans. An eagle for the
legion; a wolf, a horse, a boar, etc.
Rom'ulus. A handful of hay or fern
(manip'ulus).
The ancient Saarons. A trotting horse.
The ancient Thebans. A sphinx.
The Tht)'/.S. Horses’ tails,
The ancient IP'elsh. A dragon.
Ensilage. A method of preserving
green fodder by storing it in mass under
pressure in deep trenches cut in a dry soil.
Entail'. An entail is an estate cut
from the power of a testator. The tes-
tator cannot bequeath it; it must go to
the legal heirs. (French, on-tailler.)
Entangle. The Anglo-Saxon tan
means a twig, and twigs Smeared with
birdlime were used for catching small
A sword
birds, who were “en-tangled ” or
twigged.
Ente'le'chy. The kingdom of Queen
Quintessence in the famous satirical
romance of Rabelais called the History
of Gargan'tua and Pantagruel". Panta-
gruel and his companions went thither .
in search of the Holy Bottle. It may
be called the city of speculative science.
* The word is used to express the
realisation of a beatſ ideal. Lovers have
preconceived notions of human perfec-
tions, and imagine that they see the
realities in the person beloved, who is
the entelechy of their beau ideal.
“O lllllliere enl’jollie
D'un feu divin, qui m'ard si vivement,
Pour line doll her l'etre et le movemenſ,
|Etes-YouS ] as ma Seul entelechie.”
JROnsard ; Sonnet 68 (1524–85).
Enter a House right Foot fore-
most (Petronius). It was thought
unlucky to enter a house or to leave
one’s chamber left foot foremost. Au-
gustus was very superstitious on this
point. Pythagoras taught that it is
necessary to put the shoe on the right
foot first. “When stretching forth
your feet to have your sandals put on,
first extend your right foot ” (Protrep-
ties of Iamblichus, symbol xii.). Iam-
blichus tells us this symbolised that
man’s first duty is reverence to the gods.
Entering Short. When bills are
paid into a banker’s hands to receive the
amount when due, it is called “entering
them short.” In this case, if the bankor
fails, the assignees must give them up.
Bills in the hands of factors may be so
entered.
Enthu'siast is one who believes that
he himself is in God, or that God is in
him (Greek, en theos). Our word in-
spired is very similar, being the Latin
in Spiritu (in the spirit).
Entire. Ale, in contradistinction to
“cooper,” which is half ale and half
porter. As Calvert’s entire, etc.
Entre Nous (French).
and me ; in confidence.
N.B.-One of the most common vul-
garisms of the better class is “Between
you and I.” -
Entrée (To have the). To be eligible
for invitations to State balls and concerts.
Entremets [arm-tre-may]. Sweet
foods or kickshaws served at table
between the main dishes, courses, or
removes; literally, entre-mets (French),
things put between. We now use two
words, entrées and entremets, the former
being subordinate animal foods handed
round between the main dishes, and the
latter being Sweet made dishes.
Eolian. An Eolian harp. A box
fitted with strings, like a fiddle. The
strings, however, are not sounded by a
bow, but by a current of air or wind
passing Over them.
“Awake, Eolian harp, awake, - -
And give to rapture all thy trembling strings.”
Gray: I’rogress of Poetry, lines 1, 2.
Between you
Eolus. God of the winds. (Roman
Anythology.) .
Epact. The excess of the solar over
the lunar year, the former consisting of
365 days, and the latter of 354, or eleven
days fewer. The epact of any year is
the number of days from the last new
moon of the old year to the 1st of the
Epergrie 422
Episemon
following January. . . (Greek, epactos,
feminine epacté, adscititious.)
Eper'gne (2 syl.). A large orna-
mental stand placed in the middle of a
dining-table. It is generally said to be
a French word, but the French call such
an ornamental stand a stºrtout, strangely
adopted by us to signify a frock-coat,
which the French call a pardessets. The
nearest French word is 6pargne, Saving,
as caisse d’éparſ/ne, a savings bank; verb
6pargner, to spare or Save. (See ENG-
LISH ERENCH.)
Ephe"bi. Youths between the age
of eighteen and twenty were so called at
Athens. (Greek, arrived at puberty.)
Ephesian. A jovial companion ; a
thief; a roysterer. A pun on the verb
to pheese—A-pheeze-ian. Pheeze is to
flatter.
“It is thine host, thine Epliesian, calls.”
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of kindsor, iV. 5.
Ephesian Letters. Magic charac-
ters. The Ephesians were greatly ad-
dicted to magic. Magic characters were
marked on the crown, cincture, and feet
of Diana ; and, at the preaching of Paul,
many which used curious [magical]
books burnt them. (Acts xix. 19.)
The Ephesian poet. Hippo'nax, born
at Ephesus in the sixth century B.C.
Eph'ial/tes (4 syl.). A giant who
was deprived of his left eye by Apollo,
and of his right eye by Herculés.
Ephialtes (4 syl.). The nightmare.
(Greek, ephialtés, an incubus; from epi-
hallomai, to leap upon.)
“Feverish symptoms all, with which those who
are haunted by the night-hag, whom the learned
call I. phia ités, ‘ure but too Well acquainted.”—
Sir JV. Scott : The Amtiquary, chal). X.
Epa'ori or Ephors. Spartan magis-
trates, five in number, annually elected
from the ruling caste. They exercised
control even over the kings and Senate.
Epic. Father of epic poetry. Homer
(about 950 B.C.), author of the Iliad and
Odyssey.
•. Celebrated epics are the Iliad,0tly SScy, AEmeid,
Paradise LOSt.
The great Puritan epic. Milton’s
JParadise Lost. -
“Speaking of M. Doré's performances, as an
illustrator of the great Puritan epic.” – The
TimeS.
Epſicure (3 Syl.). A sensualist ; one
addicted to good eating and drinking.
So called from Epicu'ros (q.v.).
Sir Jºpicure. A worldly sensualist in
The Alchemist, by Ben Jonson. His
Surname is “Mammon,”
Epicure'an. Carnal; Sensual; per-
taining to good eating and drinking.
(See EPICUROS.)
T. Moore has a prose romance entitled
The Epicurean.
“IEpicurean cooks
Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite.”
Shatkespeatre : 47ttomy and Cleopatrú, ii. 1.
Epicuºros. (Latin form, Epicurus.)
The Greek philosopher who founded the
Epicure'an School. His axiom was that
“happiness or enjoyment is the summum
bonum of life.” His disciples corrupted
his doctrine into “Good living is the
object we should all seek,” or, according
to the drinking song, “‘Who leads a good
life is sure to live well.”
“Blest be the day I 'scaped the wrangling crew,
From Pyrrho’s [q v.] haze and lºllicurus' sty.”
Bettllie : Minstrel.
The Epicurits of China. Tao-tse, who
commenced the search for the “elixir of
life.” Several of the Chinese emperors
lost their lives by drinking his “potion
of immortality '' (B.C. 540).
Epi-demºic is from the two Greek
words epi-demos (upon the people), a
disease that attacks a mumber of people
at once, either from bad air, bad drain-
age, or other similar cause.
Epigram. A short pointed or anti-
thetical poem ; or any short composition
happily or antithetically expressed.
Ep'ilepsy was called by the Romans
the Comitial or Congress sickness (mor-
bus comitialis), because the polling for
the comitia centuria'ta was mull and void
if any voter was seized with epilepsy
while the votes were being taken.
Epimenſides (5 Syl.). A philosopher
of Crete, who fell asleep in a cave when
a boy, and did not wake again for fifty-
seven years, when he found himself
endowed with miraculous wisdom.
(Pliny : Natural History.) (See RIP
WAN WINKLE.)
“Like Epimenides, I have been sleeping in a
cave; and, waking, see those wholm I left, children
are bearded men.”—Bulutcr Lytton (Lord Lytton).
Epiphany. The time of appearance,
meaning the period when the star ap-
peared to the wise men of the East. The
6th January is the Feast of the Epiphany.
* The word is not special to Chris-
tianity. One of the names of Zeus was
Epiphanes (the manifest One), and fes-
tivals in his honour were called “Epiph-
anies.” (Greek, epi-phaimo, to shine
upon, to be manifest [in creation].)
Epise'rmon, in Greek numerals, is a
sign standing for a numeral. Thus,
étuonuov 8at, generally called Fait,
Fpisode 423
IEra,
JEpisémon, stands for 6, and iota-episemon
for 16. There are two other symbols—
viz. koppa for 90, and Sampi [San-pi]
for 900. The reason is this : The
Greek letters were used for numerals,
and were ranged in three columns of
nine figures each ; but 24 letters will not
divide by 9, so the 3 symbols, episémon,
koppa, and Sampi were added to make
up 3 x 9. Col. 1, from 1 to 20; col. 2,
from 20 to 100; col. 3, from 100 to 1,000.
Bau and Fau are identical, the B or F being the
dijamma. Thus oivos (Wine) was pronounced
Foimos, called in Latin Vinum, and Öov (an egg)
Was pronounced Ofon, in Latin Ovum.
A dash under a letter multiplied it a
hundredfold. Thus, a = 1, but g = 1000.
Eor intermediate figures between full
tens a mark was made above the unit.
Thus v (iota) = 10; but të = 10 + 1 = 11,
tfl = 10 + 2 = 12; tº = 10 + 3 = 13, and
SO Oll.
IEp'isode (3 syl.) is the Greek epi-
eis-odos (coming in besides—i.e. adven-
titious), meaning an adventitious tale
introduced into the main story.
In music, an intermediate passage in
a fugue, whereby the subject is for a
time suspended.
“In ordinary fugues . . . it is usual to allow a
certain number of bal's to intervene from time to
time, after which the subject is resumed. The
intervening bars . . . are called Episodes.”—Ouse-
ley : Counterpoint, xxii. 169. ,
Fpis'tle is something sent to another.
A letter sent by messenger or post.
(Greek, epi-stello.)
Epi-zootic is epi-2007 (upon the herds
and flocks). Zoology is used to signify
a treatise on animals, but we generally
except man ; SO epi-zootic is used, demos
(man) not being included.
Epoch means that which bounds in
or holds in hand. The starting-point of
a sequence of events harnessed together
like a team of horses ; also the whole
period of time from one epoch to
another. Our present epoch is the Birth
of Christ; previous to this epoch it was
the Creation of the World. In this
latter sense the word is synonymous
with era. (Greek, epi-echo.)
“The incarnation of Christ is the greatest moral
epoch in the universe of God.”—Stevens: Payables
Unfolded (“The Lost Sheep,” p. 104).
Epode (2 syl.). In the Greek epode
the chorus returned to their places and
remained stationary. It followed the
strophe (2 syl.).
Father of choral epode. Stesichoros of
Sicily (B.C. 632–552).
Ep'som Races. Horse races held in
May, and lasting four days. They are
held on Epsom Downs, and were insti-
tuted by Charles I. The second day
(Wednesday) is the great Derby day, so
called from Lord Derby, who instituted
the stakes in 1780. The fourth day
(Friday) is called the Oaks, so called
from “Lambert’s Oaks.” The “Oaks
Estate” passed into the Derby family,
and the twelfth Earl of Derby estab-
lished the stakes.
* The Derby, the Oaks, and the St.
Leger (held at Doncaster) are called the
Three Classic Races. N.B.-There are
other races held at Epsom besides the
great four-day races mentioned above—
for instance, the City Suburban and
the Great Metropolitan (both handicap
races).
Epsom Salts. A Salt formerly ob-
tained by boiling down the mineral water
in the vicinity of Epsom, but now chemi-
cally prepared. It is the Sulphate of
magneSla.
Equal - to, in mathematics. The
symbol (=), two little parallel lines, was
lººted by Robert Recorde, who died
1558.
liº hc Said, nothing is more equal than parallel
Equation of Time. The difference
between Imean and apparent time—i.e.
the difference between the time as shown
by a good clock and that indicated by
a sundial. The greatest difference is in
November, at the beginning of which
month the Sun is somewhat more than
sixteen minutes too slow. There are
days in December, April, June, and
September when the Sun and the clocks
agree. --
Eques Aura’tus. A knight bachelor,
called attra'ūts because he was allowed
to gild his armour—a privilege confined
to knights.
Equipage (3 Syl.). Tea equipage.
A complete tea-service. To equipmeans
to arm or furnish, and equipage is the
furniture of a military man or body of
troops. Hence camp equipage (all things
necessary for an encampment); field
equipage (all things necessary for the
field of battle); a prince's equipage, and
SO Oil.
Equity. (See ASTRAEA.)
Era. A series of years beginning
from Some epoch or starting-point, as:
IB.C.
The Era of the Greek Olympiads .. 776
the Foundation of ROn;e 753
ſ
2x
3 * Nabona SSal' . . . . . . . . 747
23 Alexander the Gl’eat. .. 324
: 2 the Seleucidae . . . . . . 312
; : Julian lºra . . . . . . . . 45
Braclius
424
Bºrnnine Street,
* THE MUNDANE ERA, or the number
of years between the Creation and the
Nativity:
According to the modern Greek Calendar 13:
33 osephus 1,383
5 § Scaliger . . . . . . . . . . 5,829
* , the ancient Greek Church 5,508
\ } } Professor Hales . . . . . . . . 5,411
2 3 I,’art de Vérifier les Dates 4,968
* † Archbishop USSher . . . . 4,004
33 Callmet, . . . . . . . . . . 4,000
33 ille Jews . . . . . . . . . , 3,700
* OTHER ERAS :
The Era of Abraham starts from Oct. 1, B.C. 2016.
33 Actium starts from Jan. 1, B.C. 30.
• 3 Alexander, or of the Lagłdae, starts
from Nov. 12, B.C. 324.
33 Amºan Independence, July 4, A.D.
{ \}s
3) Augustus, B.C. 27.
3 * Diocletian, Aug. 20. A.D. 284.
23 Tyre, Oct. 19, B.C. 125.
33 the Chinese, B.C. 2697.
33 the French Republic, Sept. 22, A.D.
I792.
33 the Heg'ira, July 16, A.D. 622.
(The flight of Mahomet from Mecca.)
35 the Maccabees, B.C. 166.
33 the Martyrs, Feb. 23, A.D. 313.
* The Christian Era begins from the
'birth of Christ.
Eraclius, the emperor, condemned a
Knight to death because the companion
who went out with him returned not.
“Thou hast slain thy fellow,” said the
emperor, ‘‘and must die. Go,” con-
tinued he, to another knight, ‘‘ and lead
him to death.” On their way they met
the knight supposed to be dead, and
returned to Eraclius, who, instead of
revoking his sentence, ordered all three
to be put to death—the first because he
had already condemned him to death ;
the second because he had disobeyed his
orders; and the third because he was
the real cause of the death of the other
two. Chaucer tells this anecdote in his
Somynoures Tale. It is told of Cornelius
Piso by Seneca in his De Ira, lib. i. 16;
'but in the Gesta Roman?0'rithm, it is ascribed
to Eraclius.
Eras'tians. The followers of Thomas
Lieber, Latinised into Erastus, a Ger-
man “heretic ’’ of the sixteenth cen-
tury. (1524-1583.)
Eras'tianism. State supremacy or
interference in ecclesiastical affairs.
Thus the Church of England is some-
times called “Erastian,” because the
two Houses of Parliament can interfere
in its ritual and temporalities, and the
sovereign, as the “head' of it, appoints
bishops and other dignitaries thereof.
E'rebus. Darkness. The gloomy
cavern underground through which the
Shades had to walk in their passage to
Hadès.
death.”
“Not Erebus itself were dim enough
To hide thee from prevention.”
Shakespectºre.: Julius Caesa)", ii.1.
Eret'rian. The Eretrian bull. Mene-
de'mos of Eretria, in Euboea ; a Greek
philosopher of the fourth century B.C.,
and founder of the Eretrian school,
which was a branch of the Socrat'ic.
He was called a ‘‘ bull” from the bull-
like gravity of his face.
Frigena. John Scotus, called “Sco-
tus the Wise,” who died 886. He must
not be confounded with Duns Scottus
the schoolman, who lived some four
centuries after him (1265-1308).
Erin. Ireland (q.v.).
“A valley of the shadow of
Erin'nys or Erin'ys. The goddess of
vengeance, one of the Furies. (Greek
Amythology.)
Eriph'ila. The personification of
avarice, who guards the path that leads
to pleasure, in Orlando Furioso, vi. 61.
Erix, son of Goliah (sic) and grand-
son of Atlas. He invented legerdemain.
(Duchat. CEuvres de Rabelais ; 1711.)
Erl-king. King of the elves, who
prepares mischief for children, and even
deceives men with his seductions. He is
said to haunt the Black Forest.
Er'meline (Dame). Reynard's wife,
in the tale of Reynard the Fox.
Ermie'nes (4 Syl.). A renegade
Christian, whose name was Clement.
He was entrusted with the command of
the caliph’s “regal host,” and was slain
by Godfrey. (Tasso : Jerusalem De-
livered.)
Er'mine or Hermine. Littré de-
rives the word from Armenia, and says
it is the “Pontic rat' mentioned by
Bliny; if so, the better spelling would
be “Armine.” Prof. Skeat derives the
word from the French hermine, through
harmo, the ermine, stoat, or weazel. The
ermine is technically called the Mustela
ermined.
Er'mine Street. One of the four
great public ways made in England by
the Romans. The other three are Wat-
ling Street, Ikenild Street, and the Fosse.
German'icus derives Ermin from Hermès,
whence Irminstall (a column of Mercury),
because Mercury presided over public
roads. This is not correct ; Irminsul, or
rather Ermensul, is the Scandinavian
Odin, not a “Column of Mercury” at
Erminia,
42
5
Fiscapade
all; and Erming Street really means
Odin’s Street.
“Fair weyes many on ther ben in Englond,
But four most of all ben Zundel'Stond , . .
Fram the South into the nortly takit Enºming-
Fraßeast into the west goeth Il:emeld-strete ;
Fram south-est [east] to North-West (that is
Sulm del grete)
Frºm ºr [Dover] into ClueStre go'th Watling-
Thd' #: is most Of all that tills from Totè-
Fraîłie one end of Cornwall allon to Catenays
[Caithness]—
Frail the south to North-est into Englondes end
Fosse men callith thisk voix.” -
Robert of Gloucester.
Ermin'ia. The heroine of Jerusalem
Jelivered. When her father, the King
of Antioch, was slain at the siege of
Antioch, and Erminia fell captive into
the crusader’s hands, Tancred gave her
her liberty, and restored to her all her
father’s treasures. This generous con-
duct quite captivated her heart, and she
fell in love with the Christian prince.
Al'adine, King of Jerusalem, took charge
of her. When the Christian army be-
sieged Jerusalem, she dressed herself in
Clorinda’s armour to go to Tancred, but,
being discovered, fled, and lived awhile
with some shepherds on the banks of the
Jordan. Meeting with Wafri'no, sent as
a secret spy by the crusaders, she re-
vealed to him the design against the life
of Godfrey, and, returning with him
to the Christian camp, found Tancred
wounded. She cured his wounds, so
that he was able to take part in the last
great day of the siege. We are not told
the ultimate fate of this fair Syrian.
|Erna'ni. The bandit-captain, Duke
of Segor'bia and Cardo'na, Lord of Ar’a-
gon, and Count of Ernani, in love with
Elvi'ra, who is betrothed to Don Ruy
Gomez de Silva, an old Spanish grandee,
whom she detests, Charles V. of Spain
also loves her, and tries to win her.
Silva, finding that the king has been
tampering with his betrothed, joins the
league of Ernani against the king. The
King in concealment overhears the plot-
ters, and, at a given signal, they are
arrested by his guards, but, at the inter-
cession of Elvira, are pardoned and set
free. Erma'ni is on the point of marry-
ing Elvira, when a horn is heard. This
horn Ernani had given to Silva, when he
joined the league, saying, “Sound but
this horn, and at that moment Ernani
will cease to live.” Silva, insists on the
fulfilment of the compact, and Ernani
stabs himself. (Perdi’s opera of Ernani.)
Ernest (Duke). A poetical romance
by Henry of Weldig (Waldeck), con-
temporary with Frederick Barbarossa.
Duke Ernest is son-in-law of Kaiser
Ronrad II. Having murdered his feudal
lord, he went on a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land to expiate his crime, and the poem
describes his adventures on the way. It
is a mixture of Homeric and Oriental
myths, and the tales of crusaders. Duke
Ernest fulfilled his pilgrimage, returned
to Germany, and received absolution.
Eros, the Greek equivalent to Cupid.
Eros.'tratus. The man who set fire
to the temple of Diana in Ephesus, on
the day Alexander the Great was born.
This he did to make his name immortal.
In order to defeat his vainglory, the
Ephesians forbade his name to be men-
tioned, but such a prohibition would be
sure to defeat its object.
Erra-Pater. An almanack. William
Lilly, the almanack-maker and astro-
loger, is so called by Butler. It is said
to have been the “name '’ of an eminent
Jewish astrologer. (Halliwell: Archaic
JDictionary.)
“In mathematics he was greater
Than Tycho Brahe or Erra, Pater.”
J3tttler: Hudibrats, i. 1.
Erse (1 syl.). The native language of
the West Highlanders of Scotland, who
are of Irish origin. It is a variant of
Irish. Applied by the Scotch Low-
landers to the Highland dialect of
Gaelic. In the eighteenth century Scotch
was often called Erse, without distinc-
tion of Highland and Lowland; and
Irish was spoken of as Irish Gaelic. The
practice now is to limit the word Erse to
Irish, and Gaelic to Scotch Highlanders.
Er’udite. Most erudite of the Romans.
Marcus Terentius Varro, a man of vast
and varied erudition in almost every de-
partment of literature. (B.C. 116-27.)
Erythre'os. (See HORSE.)
Erythymus. Have no doings with the
Erythymus. This is the , thirty-third
Symbol of the Protreptics of Iamblichus.
The Erythymus is a fish called by Pliny
(ix. 77) erythrinus, a red fish with a
white belly. Pythagoras used this fish
as a symbol of a braggadocio, which has
a lily liver. Have no doings with those
who are tongue-doughty, but have white
stomachs (where stomach means true
courage).
Escapa'de (3 syl.). French. Means
literally an escape [from restraint];
hence a spree, lark, or prank. (Spanish,
escapar, escapada.),
“His second escapade was made for the purpose
of visiting the field of Itullion Green.”—Scott :
Guy Mamering, XXXYi. -
Esclandre 426 Essex Stile
Esclandre. An event which gives Esplan'dian. Son of Amadis and
rise to scandal. “By the famous Bou- | Oria'na. ... He is the hero of Montalvo's
logne esclandre.”
“Since the last “esclandre he had held little or
no connmunication With her.” — Lady Herbert :
Iºdith, 18.
Escu'age (3 syl.) means “shield
service,” and is applied to that obliga-
tion which bound a vassal to follow his
lord to war at his own private charge.
(French, escu, Čelſ, a shield.)
Escula'pios (Latin, Esculapius). A
disciple of Esculapius Imeans a medical
student. Jºsettla/pian, medical. Escu-
la'pios, in Homer, is a “blameless phy-
sician,” whose sons were the medical
attendants of the Greek army. Subse-
quently, he was held to be the “god of
the medical art.”
Escu'rial. The palace of the Spanish
sovereigns, about fifteen miles north-
west of Madrid. It is one of the most
superb structures in Europe, but is built
among rocks, as the name signifies.
Escutcheon of Pretence (An).
That of a wife, either heiress or co-
heiress, placed in the centre of her hus-
band’s shield.
Esin'gae. A title given to the kings
of Kent, from Esé, their first king,
sometimes called Ochta.
Esmond (Henry). A chivalrous
cavalier in the reign of Queen Anne.
The hero of Thackeray's novel entitled
I’smond.
Esoter'ie (Greek, those within).
Exoter'ic, those without. The term ori-
ginated with Pythag'oras, who stood
'behind a curtain when he gave his loc-
tures. Those who were allowed to
attend the lectures, but not to see his
face, he called his eacoteric disciples ; but
those who were allowed to enter the veil,
his esoteric.
Aristotle adopted the same terms,
though he did not lecture behind a cur-
tain. He called those who attended his
evening lectures, which were of a popu-
lar character, his eacoterics : and those
who attended his more abstruse morning
lectures, his esoterics.
Espiet (Es-pe-a). Nephew of Oriande
la Fée. . A dwarf, not more than three
feet high, with yellow hair as fine as
gold, and though above a hundred years
old, a seeming child of seven. He was
one of the falsest knaves in the world,
and knew every kind of enchantment.
(Romance of Mangis d’Ayſ/remont et de
Wiviason frère.)
continuation of Amadis, called The Fifth
I300%.
Esprit de Corps. . . Fellow-feeling
for the society with which you are asso-
ciated. A military term—every soldier
will stand up for his own corps.
Esprit Follet. A bogle which de-
lights in misleading and tormenting
mortals.
Bºsquire. One who carried the escu,
or shield of a knight. (Latin, Scºtt'iger,
a shield-bearer.)
Copy of a letter from C. H. ATHILL, ESQ.,
‘‘I’īchīnold Herald'':—
“Herald's College, E.C., January 26th, 1893.
“The following persons are legally “Esquires':-
“The sons of peers, the sons of baronets, the
sons of knights, the eldest sons of the younger
sons of peers, and their eldest Sons in perpetuity
the eldest son of the eldest Son of a knight, an
his eldest son in perpetuity, the kings Of arms,
the heralds of arms, officers of the Army or Navy
of the rank of captain and upwards, sheriffs of
counties for life, J.P.'s of counties whilst in com-
mission, serjeants-at-law, Queen's counsel, Ser-
jeants-at-arms, Companigns of the Orders of
Knighthood, certain principal, officers in the
ueen's household, deputy lieutenants, commis-
sioners of the Court of Bankruptcy, masters of
the Supreme Court, those whom the Queen, in any
commission or warrant, Styles esquire, and any
person who, in virtue of his office, takes preced-
ence of esquires.”
* Add to these, graduates of the uni-
versities not in holy orders.
Essays. Lord Bacon’s essays were
the first in English that bore the name.
“To write just treatises requiretll leisure in the
writer and leisure in the reader . . . which is the
cause which hath made me choose to write certain
brief notes . . . which I have called essays.”—
Dedication to Primce Henry.
Esse'nes (2 syl.). A sect among the
Jews in the time of our Saviour. They
were communists who abjured every sort
of fleshly indulgence. They ate no ani-
mal food, and drank only water. Their
sacrifices to God were only fruits of the
earth. They kept the Sabbath so strictly
that they would not even wash a plate or
rinse a cup on that day. They always
dressed in white, took no part in public
matters, but devoted themselves to con-
templative studies. They held the Jew-
ish Scriptures in great reverence, but
interpreted them allegorically.
Essex. East Seaw8 (the territory of
the East Saxons).
Essex Lions.
county is famous,
Taliant as an Essex lion (ironical).
Iºssex Stile. A ditch. As Essex is
very marshy, it abounds in ditches, and
has very few stiles.
Calves, for which the
**
Est-il-possible 4
7 Ethnic Plot;
Est-il-possible. A nickname of
Prince George of Denmark, given him
by James II. The story, goes that
James, speaking of those who had de-
serted his standard, concluded the cata-
logue with these words, “And who do
you think besides? Why, little Est-il-
possible, my worthy son-in-law.” James
applied this cognomen to the prince
because, when George was told of his
father-in-law's abdication, all he did
was to exclaim, “Est-il-possible P” and
when told, further, of the several noble-
men who had fallen away from him,
“Est-il-possible?” exhausted his in-
dignation.
Estafette (French ; Spanish, esta-
fe'éa). Military couriers sent, express.
Their duty is to deliver the dispatches
consigned to them to the postillions ap-
pointed to receive them.
Estates. Estates of the realin. The
powers that have the administration of
affairs in their hands. The three estates
of our own realm are the Lords Spiritual,
the Lords Temporal, and the Commons;
popularly speaking, the public press is
termed the fourth estate. It is a great
mistake to call the three estates of Eng-
land the Sovereign, the Lords, and the
Commons, as many do. The word means
that on which the realm stands. (Tatin,
sto, to stand.) (See FOURTH ESTATE.)
“Herod . . . made a Supper to his . . . chief
estates.”—Mark Vi. 21.
“The king and the three estates of the realm
aşşenabled in parliament.”—Collect for Nov. 5.
Este. The house of Este had for their
armorial bearing a white eagle on an
azure shield. Rinaldo, in Jerusalem De-
livered, adopted this device; and Ariosto,
in his Orlando Furioso, gives it both to
Mandricardo and Roge'ro, adding that it
was borne by Trojan Hector. As the
T)ukes of Brunswick are a branch of the
house of Este, our Queen is a descend-
ant of the same noble family.
D'Este was the surname adopted by
the children of the Duke of Sussex and
Lady Augusta Murray.
Estot'iland. An imaginary tract of
land near the Arctic Circle in North
America, said to have been discovered
by John Scalvé, a Pole.
“The snow
From cold, Estotiland.” ..
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 685.
Estramagon (French). A blow or
cut with a sword, hence also “estra-
maçonner,” to play at backsword. Sir
Walter Scott uses the word in the sense
of a feint or pretended cut. Hence Sir
Jeffrey Hudson, the dwarf, says: —
“I tripped a hasty morris . . . upon the dining-
table, now offering my sword, [to the Duke of
Buckingham]], and now recovering it, I made . . .
a sort of estramaçon at his nose, the dexterity of
which consists ifi coming mightily, near to the
object without touching it.”—Peve, il of the Peak,
Clia]). XXXiV.
Estrich Wool is the soft down of
the estrich, called in French, duvet d’
attriche. It lies immediately under the
feathers of the ostrich.
Estrildis or Estrild. Daughter of a
German king, and handmaid to the
mythical King Humber. When Humber
was drowned in the river that bears his
name, King Locrin fell in love with
Estrildis, and would have married her,
had he not been betrothed already to
Guendoloe'na ; however, he kept Es-
trildis for seven years in a palace under-
ground, and had by her a daughter
named Sabri'na. After the death of
Locrin, Guendaloe'na threw both Es-
trildis and Sabri'na, into the Severn. '
(Geoffrey : British IIistory, ii. ch. ii.-v.)
Estuary. Jiterally, the boiling
place; the mouth of a river is so called
because the water there seems to seethe
and boil. (Latin, a stato, to boil.)
Eter'nal City (The). Tome. Virgil
Imakes Jupiter tell Venus he would give
to the Romans imperium siné ſiné (an
eternal empire). (Lºzeid, i. 79.)
Eternal Fitness of Things. The
congruity between an action and the
agent.
“Can any man have a higher notion of the rule
of right, and the etch'nal fitness of things 2'"—
Fielding : Tom Jones, book iy, chap, iv.
Eternal Tables. A white pearl,
extending from east to west, and from
heaven to earth, on which, according to
Mahomet, God has recorded every event,
past, present, and to come.
Etesian Wind (An). “Etesia ſlabra
Aquilorium,” says Lucretius (v. 741). A
wind which rises annually about the
dog-days, and blows forty days together
in the same direction. It is a gentle and
mild wind. (Greek, Štiavos, annual.)
“Deem not, good Porteus, that in this my song
I mean to harrow up thy humiie mini,
And stay that yoice in London known so long ;
For palm and Softness, an Etesian wind.”
Petey Pinuda) : Nil Adºniq'ah'o.
Ethnic Plot. The Popish plot. In
Dryden’s satire of Absalom and Achito-
phel, Charles II. is called David, the
royalists are called the Jews, and the
Papists Gentiles or Ethnoi, whence
Ethnophrones
428
Eulen-Spiegel
“Ethnic plot ” means the Gentile or
Popish plot.
“Saw with disdain an Ethnic plot begun . . .
'Gainst form and order they their power employ,
Nothing to build, and all things to destroy.”
Part i. 518, 532-3.
Ethnoph'ronès (4 syl.). A sect of
heretics of the seventeenth century, who
practised the observances of the ancient
Pagans. (Greek, ethnoS-phrēn, heathen-
minded.)
E’thon. The eagle or vulture that
gnawed the liver of Prome'theus.
Et'iquette (3 syl.). The usages of
polite society. The word means a ticket
or card, and refers to the ancient custom
of delivering a card of directions and
regulations to be observed by all those
who attended court. The original use
was a soldier's billet. (French, etiquette ;
Spanish, etiqueta, a book of court cere-
monies.)
“JEtiquette . . . had its original application to
those ceremonial and formal observances braic-
tised at Court. . . . The tel’m calme afterwards
. . . to signify certain formal methods used in the
transactions between Sovereign States.”—Burke:
Works, Vol. Yiii. p. 329.
Etna. Virgil ascribes its eruption to
the restlessness of Encelàdus, a hundred-
headed giant, who lies buried under the
mountain. (Aºn. iii. 578, etc.) In Etna
the Greek and Latin poets place the
forges of Vulcan and the Smithy of the
Cyclops.
Etrenn'es (2 syl.). New-year’s gifts
are so called in France. Stren'ia, the
IRoman goddess, had the superintendence
of new-year's gifts, which the Romans
called strena. Taſtius entered Rome on
New-year's Day, and received from
some augurs palms cut from the sacred
grove, dedicated to the goddess Strenia.
Having succeeded, he ordained that the
1st of January should be celebrated by
gifts to be called Strendº, consisting of
figs, dates, and honey; and that no word
of ill omen should be uttered on that
day.
Ettrick Shepherd. James Hogg,
the Scotch poet, who was born in the
forest of Ettrick, Selkirkshire. (1772–
1835.)
“The Ettrick Shepherd was my guido.”
Yo?'dsworth.
Etzel—i.e. Attila. King of the Huns,
a monarch ruling over three kingdoms
and more than thirty principalities;
being a widower, he married Kriemhild,
the widow of Siegfried. In the Nibelun-
gen-Lied, where he is introduced (part
ii.), he is made very insignificant, and
Sees his liegemen, and even his son and
heir, struck down without any effort to
save them, or avenge their destruction.
He is as unlike the Attila of history as
possible.
Eucharis, in Fénelon's Télémaque,
is meant to represent Mdlle. de Fon-
tanges.
Eucharist literally means a thank-
offeling. Our Lord said, “Do this in
remembrance of me”—i.e. out of gra-
titude to me. The elements of bread
and wine in the Lord's supper. (Greek,
eat-charistia.)
Eu'clio. A penurious old hunks in
one of the comedies of Plautus (Aulu-
la/ria).
Eucrates (3 syl.). More shifts than
Jºu'crafés, Eucratēs, the miller, was one
Of the archons of Athens, noted for his
shifts and excuses for neglecting the
duties of the office.
Eudoxians. Heretics, whose founder
was Eudoxius, patriarch of Antioch in
the fourth century. They maintained
that the Son had a will independent of
the Father, and that sometimes their
wills were at variance.
Euge'nius. This was John Hall
Stephenson, author of Crazy Tales, a
relative of Sterne. In Sterne’s Trista'an),
Shandy, Eugénius is made the friend
and wise counsellor of Yorick.
IEugubine Tables. Seven bronze
tables found near Eugu'bium (Gubbio)
in Italy, in 1444. Of the inscriptions, five
are Umbrian and Etruscan, and two are
Latin.
“The Umbrian, the tongue of north-eastern
Italy, is yet more fully represented to us by the
Iºugubine tablets . . . Supposed to be as old as the
- r
third and fourth centuries before our era.”— W.
D. Whitney : Study of Languages, lecture Yi. p. 2:0.
Eulalie (St.). Eu'lalom is one of the
names of Apollo; but in the calendar
there is a virgin martyr called Eulalie,
born at Mer’ida, in Estramadu'ra. When
she was only twelve years old, the great
persecution of Diocle'tian was set on
foot, whereupon the young girl left her
maternal home, and, in the presence of
the Roman judge, cast down the idols
he had set up. She was martyred by
torture, February 12th, 308.
Longfellow calls Evangeline the “Sun-
shine of St. Eulàlie.”
Eulen-spie'gel (Thyl) or Tyll Owl-
glass. The hero of a German tale, which
relates the pranks and drolleries, the
ups and downs, the freaks and fun of a
wandering cottager of Brunswick, The
fºundaeoS
author is said to have been TJr. Thomas
Murner (1475-1530).
Eumaeos or Eumaeus. A swineherd.
So called from the slave and Swineherd
of Ulysses.
“This second Eumaeus strode hastily down, the
forest glade, driving before him . . . the whole
herd of his inharmonious charge.”—Sir Walter
Scott.
Eumen'ides [the good-tempered god-
desses]. A name given by the Greeks to
the Furies, as it would have been omi-
Inous and bad policy to call them by their
right name, Erin'ſtyés.
Eumnestes [Memory], who, being
very old, keeps a little boy named
Anamnestés [Research], to fetch books
from the shelves. (Spense) . Faërie
Queene, book ii. 9.) -
Euno/mians. Heretics, the disci-
ples of Euno'mius, Bishop of Cyzicum
in the fourth century. They maintained
that the Father was of a different nature
to the Son, and that the Son did not in
reality unite Himself to human nature.
Eupat'ridae. The oligarchy of Attica.
These lords of creation were subse-
quently set aside, and a democratic form
of government established.
Euphemisms. Words or phrases
Substituted, to soften down offensive
expressions.
Place never mentioned to ears polite.
In the reign of Charles II., a worthy
divine of Whitehall thus concluded his
sermon : “If you don’t live up to the
precepts of the Gospel . . . you must
expect to receive your reward in a cer-
tain place which 'tis not good manners
to mention here '' (Laconics). Pope tells
us this worthy divine was a dean –
“To rest the cushion and soft dean invite,
Who never mentioned hell to ears polite.”
i Moral Essays, epist. iv. 49, 50.
“His Satanic majesty;” “light-fin-
gered gentry;” “a gentleman on his
travels” (one transported); “she has
met with an accident’’ (has had a child
before majºridge); “help * or “employé''
(a servant); “not quite correct ’’ (a false-
hood); “an obliquity of vision” (a
84%tint); “an innocent ’’ (a fool), “bel-
dam. ” (an ugly woman), and hundreds
of others. -
, Eureka, or rather Heure'ſſa (I have
found it out). The exclamation of
Archime'dés, the Syracusan philosopher,
When he discovered how to test the
purity of Hi'ero’s crown. The tale is,
that Hiero delivered a certain weight of
gold to a workman, to be made into a
9 Eustathiaris
votive crown, but suspecting that the
workman had alloyed the gold with an
inferior metal, asked Archimedes to test
the crown. The philosopher went to
bathe, and, in stepping into the bath,
which was quite full, observed that some
of the water ran over. It immediately
struck him that a body must remove its
own bulk of water when it is immersed,
and putting his idea to the test, found
his surmise to be correct. Now then, for
the crown. Silver is lighter than gold,
therefore a pound-weight of silver will
be more bulky than a pound-weight of
gold, and being of greater bulk will
remove more water. Vitru'vius says:
“When the idea flashed across his mind,
the philosopher jumped out of the bath
exclaiming, ‘FIeure'ka heure'ka, l’ and,
without waiting to dress himself, ran
home to try the experiment.” Dryden
has mistaken the quantity in the lines—-
“The deſst thinks he stands on firmer ground,
Crºes ‘Eu'reka, ' ' the mighty secret's found.”
Ičeligio Laici, 42,43,
But Byron has preserved the right quan-
tity—
“Now we clap
Our hands and cry ‘IEureka ' "
Childe II (trold, iv. St. 81.
* The omission of the initial JI finds
a parallel in our word *talometer for
“hudometer,” emerods for “ hemor-
rhoids,” eſpetology for “herpetology ";
on the other hand, we write humble-pie
for “umble-pie.”
Eu'rus (2 syl.). The east wind. So
called, says Buttmann, from eós, the
east. Probably it is eos enº'o, drawn
from the east. Ovid confirms this ety-
mology: “ Pires capit Euraſs ab Orthſ.”
Breman says it is a corruption of éopos.
“While southern gales or western oceans roll,
And Eurus steals his ice-winds from the polé.”
Lat?"will. Economy of Vegetation, can to Yi.
Eurydice (4 syl.). Wife of Orpheus,
killed by a serpent on her wedding night.
Orpheus went down to the infernal
regions to seek her, and was promised
she should return on condition that he
looked not back till she had reached the
upper world. When the poet got to the
confines of his journey, he turned his
head to see if Eurydice were following,
and she was instantly caught back again
into Hadès.
“Restore, restore Eurydice to life ;
Oh, take the husband or return the wife.”
--> Pope : Ode on St. Cecilia's Day.
Eusta'thians. A denomination so
called from Eusta'thius, a monk of the
fourth century, excommunicated by the
council of Gangra. -
Tāutychians
430
Fivery Man
Eutych'ians. Heretics of the fifth
century, violently opposed to the Nes-
torians. They maintained that Jesus
Christ was entirely God previous to the
incarnation, and entirely man during His
sojourn on earth. The founder was
Eutychés, an abbot of Constantinople,
excommunicated in 448.
Euxine Sea (The)—i.e. the hospit-
able sea. It was formerly called Avine
(inhospitable). So the “Cape of Good
Hope” was called the Cape of Despair.
“Beneventum ” was originally called
Maleventum, and “Dyrrachium ” was
called Epidamnus, which the Romans
thought was too much like damnum to
be lucky.
Evangelic Doctor (The). John
Wycliffe, “the morning star of the
Reformation.” (1324–1384.)
Evan'geline. (4 syl.). The heroine
of Longfellow’s poem so called. The
subject of the tale is the expulsion of
the inhabitants of Aca'dia (Nova Scotia)
from their homes by order of George II.
Evan'gelist, in Bunyan's Pilgrim’s
Progress, represents the effectual preacher
of the Gospel, who opens the gate of life
to Christian. (See WYOMING.)
Evangelists. Symbols of the
four :-
Matthew. A man with a pen in his
hand, and a scroll before him, looking
over his left shoulder at an angel. This
Gospel was the first, and the angel
represents the Being who dictated it.
Matthew a man, because he begins his
gospel with the descent of Jesus from
the man David. -
Mark. A man seated writing, and by
his side a couchant winged lion. Mark
begins his gospel with the sojourn of
Jesus in the wilderness, amidst wild
beasts, and the temptation of Satan,
“the roaring lion.” (See LION.)
Lºtke. A man with a pen, looking in
deep thought over a scroll, and near him
a cow or ox chewing the cud. The latter
part refers to the eclectic character of
St. Luke's Gospel.
Joh!?. A young man of great delicacy,
with an eagle in the background to
denote sublimity.
The more ancient symbols were—for
. Matthew, a man’s face ; for Mark, a
lion ; for Luke, an or ; and for John, a
flying eagle; in allusion to the four
living creatures before the throne of
God, described in the Book of Revela-
tion : “The first . . . . was like a lion,
and the Second . . . . like a calf, and
the third . . . . had a face as a man,
and the fourth . . . . was like a flying
eagle '' (iv. 7). Irenaeus says: “The .
lion signifies the royalty of Christ; the
calf His sacerdotal office; the man’s face
His incarnation ; and the eagle the grace
of the Holy Ghost.”
Evans (Sir Hugh). A pedantic Welsh
parson and Schoolmaster of wondrous
simplicity and shrewdness. (Shakespeare:
Merry Pives of JPindsor.)
Evans (William). The giant porter
of Charles I., who carried about in his
pocket Sir Geoffrey Hudson, the king's
dwarf. He was nearly eight feet high.
(Died 1632.) Fuller speaks of him in
his JP'orthies, and Sir Walter Scott in-
troduces him in Peveril of the Peak.
“As tall a man as is in London, always except-
ing the king's porter, Master Evans, that carried
you allout in his pocket, Sir Geoffrey, as all the
World has heard tell.”—Chap. xxxiii.
Evaporate (4 syl.).
into thin air.
“Bob and Jonathan, with similar meekness,
took their leave and eval)O1ated.”—Diclºchus : Our
Mutual Friend, lyart i. 6.
Events. At all events. In any case;
be the issue what it may ; “iticumque
Cecide?'it.”
In the event, as “In the event of his
being elected,” means in case, or provided
he is elected ; if the result is that he is
elected.
Ever and Anon.
time. (See ANON.)
Ever sworded (The). The 29th
Regiment of Foot, now called the
“Worcestershire Regiment.” In 1746
a part of this regiment, then at St.
John's Island, was surprised by the
French and massacred, when a command
was issued that henceforth every officer,
even at meals, should wear his Sword.
In 1842-1859 the regiment was in the East
Indies, and the Order was relaxed, re-
quiring only the captain and subaltern
of the day to dine with their swords on.
Ever - Victorious Army (The).
Ward’s army, raised in 1861, and placed
under the charge of General Gordon.
By 1864 it had stamped out the Tačping
rebellion, which broke out in 1851. (See
CHINESE GORDON.)
Be off; vanish
Trom time to
Everlasting staircase (The). The
treadmill.
Every Main Jack of Them. Every-
one. The older form of everyone was
everichon, often divided into every chone,
corrupted first into every-john, then
TEvidence
431
Evolution
into every Jack, then perverted into
every man Jack of 'em.
“I shall them Soon Yanquish every clone.”
Shepherd's JValentler.
“To have hadde they m . . . . Šlayne everye
Chone.”—More : On the Passion Weeks.
Evidence (In). Before the eyes of
the people ; , to the front ; actually
present (Latin). Evidence, meaning
testimony in proof of something, has a
large number of varieties, as–
Circumstantial evidence. That based ox cor-
roborative incidents.
J)emonstrative evidence. That which can he
proved without leaving a doubt.
Direct evidence. That of an eye-witness., .
External evidence. That derived from history
Ol' th'a (litiſ) n.
Intern(tl evidence. That derived from Con-
formity With What is known. -
Material evidence. That which is CŞsential in
Order to carry proof. -
Moral evidence, That which accords with gen-
Cral experience.
1’,‘esumptive evidence.
probable. -
Prima facie evidence. That which seems likely,
unless it can lye Q X plained away.
Queen's or King's evidence. That of an accessory
against his accomplices, under the lyrolmise Of
pardon.
Secondary evidence. Such as is produced When
Drinary ey idence is not to be obtained.
Self evidence. That derived from the Senses;
manifest and indubital) le. '
That Wllicli is highly
Evil Communications, etc. He
who touches pitch must expect to be
defiled. A rotten apple will injure its
companions. One scabby sheep will
infect a whole flock.
Jºench : Il ne faut qu'une brébis
galeuse pour gāter tout un troupeau.
Latin . Mala vicini pecoris contagia
ladent (Pirgil). Tunc tua res agitur,
paries cum proximus ardet. Mala con-
sortio bonos mores inquinat. Malorum
commercio reddimur deteriores. Hic
niger est, hunc tu, Romane, caveto
(Horace). Uva conspecta livorem ducit
ab uva.
To the same effect is the locution, “ C'est une
brébis galeuse,” and the idea implicuſ is, he must
be separated from the fiock, or else he will con-
taminate Others.
Evil Eye. It was anciently believed
that the eyes of some persons darted
noxious rays on objects which they glared
upon. The first morning glance of such
eyes Was certain destruction to man or
east, but the destruction was not un-
frequently the result of emaciation.
Virgil speaks of an evil eye making
cattle lean.
“Nes’cio quis ten'eros oc'ulus milli fascinat
agnos.” 'cl. iii. 103.
Evil May Day (1517). So called
because of the riots made on that day
by the Tondon apprentices, who fell on
the French residents. The ringleaders,
with fifteen others, were hanged; and
(See MASCOTTE, JETTATOR.).
four hundred more of the rioters were
carried to Westminster with halters
round their necks, but were pardoned
by “Bluff Harry the King.” The
Constable of the Tower discharged his
cannon on the mob assembled in tumult
in Cheapside Way.
Evil Principle.
ARIMANES, ASALOR.)
Evils. “Of two evils, I have chosen
the least” (Prior).
Evolution (Darwinian). Darwin's
theory is that different forms of animal
and vegetable life are due to small vari-
ations, and that natural selection is a main
agent in bringing them about. If favour-
able, these variations are perpetuated, if
not they die off.
Spencer’s theory is that the present
multitude of objects have all sprung from
separate atoms originally homogeneous.
“Evolution is the integration of matter and
concolnitant dissilpation of 1110tion, during which .
the Matter lyasses froll all indefinite, incoherent,
honogeneity to a defillite collcrent heterogeneity ;
and during which the retained 1notion undergoes
a parallel transformation.”—Spencer: First 1” in-
ciples, lart ii. Cllal). X Wii. 1). 396.
Evolution, its process, according to
biologists.
IPart i.
ASSunning the Cxistence of Sohne Clell lent, call
it protyle (2 Syl.), in tillne we get matter, and notion.
Froll inlattel' and 1110tion lyroceetl cohesion and
Tepulsion, and from collesion and repulsion We
get Crystals. r
Next conneS chemical (tction in to play, from
which Springs primordial protoplasma, or the
protoplasmic clot of purely chemical origin.
By further development the chlorophyll cell is
formed, with its power to assimilate, and this
Will account for air, water, and inlinerals.
By parasitism next Colmes the lyroto-bacillus or
fungus, living on the green cells.
And then Will follow the Tºrotozoijm, the ſirst
example of animal life.
IPart ii.
(1) The Amaebſt is the lowest of known animals,
a mollusc, with the sole power of locomotion.
(2) The Sun-am ſella is multicellular, with an
Organism adapted for sensation, digestion, and
the power of reproduction.
(3) Then will come the Gastrula, an organised
})eing, With an external mouth.
. (4) Next the Hydra or Polyp, which has local-
ised SellSe-Organs and instincts.
(5) Then the Medusa, with nerves, muscles, and
nerve functions.
(6) Next come worms, which have special sense-
Ol'gan S ; and
(7). Then the Himateſ/ſt, or Sack-worm, which has
a rudimentary spinal cord.
Part iii. From the Sack-wo)')), to JIan.
(1) The larvae of Ascidians.
2) I lowly-Organised fish, like the Lancelet.
(3) The Lepidosirem, and other ſish.
(4) The Amphibians.
(5) Birds and Reptiles, -
(6) Momotremata, Which connect reptiles With
Im:unhlhals.
(7) Marsupials.
(8) Placemtetl Matºn (tls.
(9) The Lennºt?'idae.
(10) The Simiſtdae. . * > →
(11) The Monkey tribe, consisting of the New
(See AHRIMAN,
Twe-lamb
432
JExcelsior
World monkey (called Platyrhines), and the Old
World monkeys (called Catarhimes, 3 syl.).
(12) The Missing Link between the catarhine
monkey and man, The Alali is thought by some
to Supply this link. It is one of the monkey tribe
Which approaches nearer to the human species
than any other yet discovered.
* This is no place to criticise the
theory of evolution, but merely to state
it as briefly and plainly as possible.
Ewe-lamb (A). A single possession
greatly prized. (2 Sam. xii. 1-14.)
Ex Cathe'dra (Latin). With au-
thority. The Pope, speaking ea cathedra,
is said to speak with an infallible voice
—to speak as the successor and repre-
sentative of St. Peter, and in his ponti-
fical character. The words are Latin,
and mean ‘‘ from the chair "-i.e. the
throne of the pontiff. The phrase is
applied to all dicta uttered by authority,
and ironically to self-sufficient, dog-
matical assertions.
Ex Hypoth'esi, according to what is
Supposed or assumed.
“The justification of the charge [i.e. the tax for
betterment] lies ea; hypothesi in an enhanced value
Qf the property, in the Betterment area.”—The
I”0perty Protection objection against section 37 of
the Bette‘ment clause of the Tower Bridge Southern,
Approach Bill (1894).
Ex Luce Lucellum. To make a
gain out of light; to make a cheese-
paring from lucifer-matches. When
Robert Lowe proposed to tax lucifer-
matches, he suggested that the boxes
should be labelled Ea, ſuce lucellum. (Pay-
liamentary Reports, 1871.)
“Lucifer aggrediens ex luce haurire lucellum
Incidit in tenébras ; lex nova fumus erat.”
Ex Officio (Latin, by virtue of his
office). As, the Lord Mayor for the time
being shall be ea officio one of the trus-
tees.
Ex Parte (Latin, proceeding only from
0% of the parties). An ex-parte state-
ment is a one-sided statement, a partial
statement, a statement made by one of
the litigants without being modified by
the counter-statement.
Ex Ped'e Her'culem. From this
Sample you can judge of the whole.
Plutarch says that Pythag'oras ingeni-
ously calculated the height of Hercules
by comparing the length of various
stadia in Greece. A stadium was 600
feet in length, but Hercules’ stadium at
Olympia was much longer. Now, says
the philosopher, as the stadium of Olym-
pia is longer than an ordinary stadium,
so the foot of Hercules was longer than
an ordinary foot; and as the foot bears
a certain ratio to the height, so the
height of Hercules can be easily ascer-
tained. (Varia Scripta.)
Ex Post Facto (Latin). An ea: post
facto law. A law made to meet and
punish a crime after the offence has been
committed.
Ex Professo (Latin). Avowedly;
expressly. -
. “I have never written ea: professo on the sub-
ject.”—Gladstome: Nineteenth Century, Nov., 1885.
Ex Uno Omnes means from the one
instance deduced you may infer the
nature of the rest. A general infer-
ence from a particular example. If
one oak-tree bears acorns, all other oak-
trees will grow similar fruit.
Exalta'tion. In old astrology, a
planet was said to be in its “exaltation ”
when it was in that sign of the zodiac
in which it was supposed to exercise its
strongest influence. Thus the exaltation
of Venus is in Pisces, and her “dejec-
tion ” in Virgo. -
“And thus, God wot, Merc'ry! is desolate/
In Pisces, wher Venus is exaltate’.”
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 6,285.
In chemistry, the refining or subtilising
of bodies, or of their qualities, virtues,
or strength.
Exaltation of the Cross. A feast
held in the Roman Catholic Church, on
September 14th, to commemorate the
restoration of the cross to Calvary in
628. It had been carried away by
Rhosroes the Persian.
Examination. Tºxamen is Latin for
the needle indicator of a balance. To
examine is to watch the indicator, so as
to adjust the balance.
Examiners (Public). The examiners
at the universities, and at the examina-
tions for the military, naval, and civil
services, etc.
Excalibur (Ea: cal ſce] liber [atus]),
Tiberated from the stone. The sword
which Arthur drew out of the stone,
whereby he proved himself to be the
king. (See SworD.) -
“No sword on earth, were it the Excalibur of
Ring Arthur, can cut that Which opposes n()
steady resistance to the blow.”—Sir Walter Scott.
Ex/cellency (His). A title given to
colonial and provincial governors, am-
bassadors, and the Lord-Lieutenant of
Ireland. (Compare Luke i. 3.)
Excel'sior. Aim at higher things
still. It is the motto of the United
States, and has been made popular by
Longfellow’s poem so named. Used also
as the synonym of Super-excellent,
Exception
433
Exeter
Exception. To take exception. To
feel offended; to find fault with.
“Her manner was so . . . respectful, that, I
could not take exception to this 1'C1)100f.”—
Farjoon.
Excep'tions prove the Rule. They
prove there is a rule, or there could be
no exceptions; the very fact of excep-
tions proves there must be a rule.
“Exceptio probat regulan).”—Columella.
Exchequer. Court of Exchequer. In
the subdivision of the court in the reign
of Edward I., the Exchequer acquired a
separate and independent position. Its
special duty was to order the revenues
of the Crown and recover the king’s
debts. It was denominated Scacca'riºtin,
from Scaccum (a chess-board), and was
so called because a chequered cloth was
laid on the table of the court. (Madow :
IHistory of the Exchequer.)
* Foss, in his Lives of the Judges,
gives a slightly different explanation.
He says: “All round the table was
a standing ledge four fingers broad,
covered with a cloth bought in the
Easter Term, and this cloth was ‘black
rowed with strekes about a span, like a
chess-board. On the spaces of this cloth
counters were arranged, marked for
checking computations.’”
Excise (2 syl.) means literally, a
coupon, or piece cut off (Latin, e.vci/do).
It is a toll or duty levied on articles of
home consumption—a slice cut off from
these things for the national purse.
“Taxes, on commodities are citber on produc-
tion within the country, or on importation into it,
or on conveyance or sale within it and are classed
respectively as excise, custons, or tolls.”—Mill ;
Political Economy, book V. chill). iii. p. 562.
Exclu'sion. Bill of Eveliſsion. A
pill to exclude the Duke of York from
the throne, on account of his being a
Papist. Passed by the Commons, but
rejected by the Lords, in 1679; revived
in 1681.
Excommunication. (1) The greater
is exclusion of an individual from the
seven Sacraments, from every legiti-
mate act, and from all intercourse with
the faithful. (2) The lesser excommu-
nication is sequestration from the ser-
vices of the Church only. The first
Napoleon was excommunicated by Pope
Pius VII. ; and the kings of Italy were
placed under an amathema by Pius IX.
for adding the Papal dominions to the
TJnited Kingdom of Italy. * *
“The person excommunicated ; Os, orđre, vale,
communio, mensdº, ºne(ſatur (The person, excom-
Imunicated is to be boycotted by the faithful in
0S (conversation), Orăre (prayer), communio (com-
Imunion), mensd (boardjº. Professor T. P. Gwry :
IRomish Moral Theology (3rd ed., 1863).
I'voommunication by Bell, Book, and
Candle. (See CURSING, etc.)
Jºacommunication by the ancient Jews.
This was of three sorts—(1) Nidºti
(separation), called in the New Testa-
ment “casting out of the synagogue’’
(John ix. 22); (2) Cherem, called by St.
Paul “delivering over to Satan’” (1 Cor.
v. 5); (3) Amathema Marana'ſha (1 Cor.
xvi. 22), delivered over to the Lord, who
is at hand, to take vengeance. The Sad-
ducees had an interdict called Tetra-
grain/meton, which was cursing the of-
fender by Jehovah, by the Decalogue,
by the inferior courts, and with all the
curses of the superior courts.
Excru'ciate (4 Syl.). To give one
as much pain as crucifying him would
do. (Latin, ev crita', where e.v is in-
tensitive.)
Excuse. “Qui s'excuse, s'accuse,”
or “Tel s'excuse qui s'accuse.”
Ex'eat (Latin, he may go out). Per-
mission granted by a bishop to a priest
to leave his diocese. In the universities,
it is permission to a student to leave
college before end of term. Sometimes
permission is granted to leave college
after the gates are closed.
Ex'ecrate (3 syl.). To many Roman
laws this tag was appended, “If any
one breaks this law, sacer esto,” i.e. let
his body, his family, and his goods be
consecrated to the gods. When a man
was declared Sacer, anyone might kill
him with impunity. Anyone who hurt
a tribune was held a Sacer to the goddess
Cerés. E.g. in this word is intensitive.
“J f anyone hurt a tribune in word or deed, he
was held accursed [sacer], and his goods were gon-
fiscated.”— Livy, iii. 55; see also Dionysius, vi. S9,
and Viii. 17.
Exeguatur. An official recognition
of a person in the character of consul or
commercial agent, authorising him to
exercise his power. The word is. Latin,
and means, “he may exercise ’’ [the
function to which he has been ap-
pointed].
“The Northern Patriotic League (Oporto) has
decided to petition the Government to withdraw
the IEXequatºur from the British Consul here."—
Reuter's Telegram, Tuesday, Feb. 11th, 1890.
Exercises. Week-day sermons were
so called by the Puritans. Hence the
title of Morning Evercises, week-day ser-
mons preached in the morning.
Exeter. The Duke of Exeter’s daugh-
ter was a sort of rack invented by the
28
Fºxeter Controversy
434
Bºxpose
Duke of Exeter during the reign of
Henry VI. ( Blackstone.)
“I was the lad that would not confess one word
. . . . though they threatened to make me httg
the Duke of Exeter's daughter.”—Scott : l'ortunes
of Nigel, XXV.
Exeter Controversy. A contro-
versy raised upon a tract entitled Plain
Th'uth, by the Rev. John Agate, of
Exeter, an Episcopalian ; replied to by
several dissenting ministers, as Withers,
Trosse, Pierce, etc. (1707-1715.)
Ex'eter Domesday. A record con-
taining a description of Wilts, Dorset,
Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall; pub-
lished by Sir Henry Ellis (in 1816) as a
Supplement to the Great Domesday-
Book (q.v.). Called “Exon,” either
because it was at one time kept among
the muniments of the Dean and Chapter
of Exeter, or because the Bishop of
Exeter was commissioned to make the
survey.
Exhibition. , My Son has got an ea:-
hibition at Oxford. An allowance of
meat and drink; a benefaction for main-
tenance. (Latin, exhibitio, an allow-
ance of food and other necessaries,
“alimentis exhibëre aliquem.”)
“They have founded six exhibitions of £15
eagll per annum, to continue for two years and a
half.”—Taylor: IIistory of the University of Dublin,
Chal). V. p. 198.
“I crave fit disposition for my wife,
Due reference of place, and exhibition.”
Shalcespeare : Othello, i. 3.
Exhibition (The Great) was held in
Hyde Park, London, and lasted from
May 1 to October 15, 1851.
Exies Or Aaces.
fits; any paroxysm.
“Jenny Titherout has taen the exies, and done
naething but laugh and greet. . . . for t Wa day S
Successively.”—Sir W. Scott : The Amtiquatºry, chal).
XXX \'.
Exile. The Neapolitan Exile. Baron
Poe'rio. One of the kings of Naples
promised the people a constitution, but
broke his word ; whereupon a revolu-
tion broke out, and the baron, with
many others, was imprisoned for many
years in a dreadful dungeon near Naples.
He was at length liberated and exiled to
America, but compelled the captain to
steer for Ireland, and landed at Cork,
where he was well received.
Hysterics; ague
Exit (Latin, he goes out). A theatri-
cal term placed at the point when an
actor is to leave the stage. We also say
of an actor, Eacit So-and-So–that is, So-
and-so leaves the stage at this point of
the drama.
IIe made his evit. He left, or died :
as, “He made his exit of this life in
peace with all the world.” Except in
the drama, we say, “made or makes his
exit.” (See above.)
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
?
Tlley have their exits and their entrances.’
* - Shakespectre: As You Like It, ii. 7.
Ex'odus. The Evodits of Israel. The
departure of the Israelites from Egypt
under the guidance of Moses. We now
Speak of the Earodits of Ireland—i.e. the
departure of the Irish in large numbers
for America; the Eaodus of the Aca'-
dians—i.e. the expulsion of these colo-
nists from Nova Scotia in the reign of
George II. ; etc. (Greek, ca. Odos, a
journey out.)
Ex'on, Ewon of the Guards. Any one
of the three certain officers of the day
in command of the yeomen of the royal
guard; the acting officer who resides at
the court; an exempt. Capitaines ex-
empts des gardes du corps. (French,
eacoime, ca. Soºn, exempt from duty or
care.)
Exor'bitant means literally out of
the rut (Latin, ea 07'bita, out of the
wheel-rut); out of the track; extrava-
gant (eact?'a-vaſſant).
Exoteric. (See ESOTERIC.)
Expectation Week. Between the
Ascension and Whit Sunday, when the
apostles continued praying “in earnest
expectation of the Comforter.”
Experimental Philosophy. Science
founded on experiments or data, in
contradistinction to moral and mathe-
matical Sciences. Experimental philo-
sophy is also called ſtatural philosophy,
and by the French physics.
Experimentum Cru'cis (Latin). A
decisive experiment. (See CRUCIAL.)
Experto Crede. Believe one who
has had experience in the matter.
Expio'sion means literally, driven
out by clapping the hands (Latin, ea:-
plo'do—i.e. ex:-plaudo); hence the noise
made by clapping the hands, a report
made by ignited gunpowder, etc.
Expo'nent. One who explains or
sets forth the views of another. Thus,
a clergyman should be the exponent
of the Bible and Thirty-nine Articles.
(Latin, ea, pomo, to expose or set forth.)
Exposé (French). An exposing of
something which should have been kept
out of sight. Thus we say a man made
Express Train
43
j
Q Tye-soré
a dreadful eaſposé—i.e. told or did some-
thing which should have been kept con-
cealed.
Express Train. A fast train between
two large towns, with few or no stop-
pages at intermediate stations.
Expressed Oils are those which
are obtained by pressure. Unlike animal
and essential oils, they are pressed out
of the bodies which contain them.
Expression. A geographical ea pres-
'sion. A term applied to a tract of
country with no recognised nationality.
“This territory is to a very great extent oc-
cupied by one race . . . and yet to the present
day Germany is little mole than a geographical
expression.”—Daily Telegraph (before 1871).
Ex'quisite (3 syl.). One sought out;
a coxcomb, a dandy, one who thinks
himself superlatively well dressed, and
of most unexceptionable deportment.
“Exquisites are out of place in the pulpit ;
they should be set up in a tailor's window,”—
Spurgeom, : Lectures to my Students. (Lecture Yiii.)
Exten'sive (3 syl.).
sive, that. Rather fast.
nym for a swell.
Rather eacteº-
A Slang Syno-
Exter. That’s Eacter, as the old woman
said when she saw JCerton. This is a
Devonshire saying, meaning, I thought
my work was done, but I find much still
remains before it is completed. “Exter”
is the popular pronunciation of Exeter,
and “‘FCerton ’’ is Crediton. The tradi-
tion is that the woman in question was
going for the first time to Exeter, and
Seeing the grand old church of Kerton
(Crediton), supposed it to be Exeter Ca-
thedral. “That's Exter,” she said,
“ and my journey is over; ” but alas !
she had still eight miles to walk before
she reached her destination.
Extinct Species [since the time of
man]. The dodo, great auk, quagga,
Sea-cow, and white rhinoceros.
Getting very rare : the bison, the
Carolina paraket, the giraffe, and the
passenger pigeon Once common enough.
Extravagantes Constitutio'nes, or
I'vtrap'agants. The papal constitutions
of John XXII., and some few of his
successors, supplemental to the “Corpus
Juris Canon'ici.” So called because they
were not ranged in order with the other
papal Constitutions, but were left “out-
wanderers” from the general code.
Extreme Unction. One of the seven
Sacraments of the Catholic Church,
founded on St. James v. 14, “Is any
sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the Church; and let them pray
Over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord.” -
Extremes Meet. In French : ‘‘Les
eartrémes Se touchent.”
Extricate. Tatin, ev, out of, and
trica, fetters. “Tricae’’ are the hairs,
etc., tied round the feet of birds to
prevent their wandering. To extricate
is to “get out of these trica or meshes.”
Exult' (Latin). To leap out. Thus
we say, “I am ready to leap out of my
skin; ” to jump for joy. .
Eye. Latin, oc'ulus ; Italian, occhio ;
Spanish, offo : Russian, oko; Dutch, oog;
Saxon, edge (where g is pronounced like
3/); French, acil.
In my mind’s eye. In my perceptive
thought. The eye sees in two ways:
(1) from without ; and (2) from within.
When we look at anything without, the
object is reflected on the retina, as on a
mirror; but in deep contemplation the
inward thought “informs the eye.” It
was thus Macbeth saw the dagger; and
Hamlet tells Horatio that he saw his
deceased father “in his mind’s eye.”
In the wind’s eye. Directly opposed
to the wind.
In the twinkling of an eye. Immedi-
ately, very soon. “All Anoindre clim
d’aeil.” Similar phrases are: “In a
brace of shakes,” “In the twinkling of
a bed-post.” (See BED-POST.)
My eye 1 or Oh, my eye 1 an exclama-
tion of astonishment. (See ALT, MY EYE.)
On 2 might see that with half an eye.
Easily ; at a mere glance.
The king’s eyes. His chief officers.
An Eastern expression.
“One of the Seven
Who in God’s presence, nearest to the flirome
Stand ready at command, and are his eyes
That run thro' all the leavens, or down to eartlı
Bear his Swift errands.”
Milton : I’d radise Lost, iii. 652.
To have an eye on. To keep strict
watch on the person or thing referred to.
To have an eye to the main chance. To
keep constantly in view the profit to
arise ; to act from motives of policy.
(See MAIN CHANCE.)
To see eye to eye. To be of precisely
the same opinion ; to think both alike.
Eye - service. Superficial service.
“Service qu'on rend Sotts les yeux did
Amaitre.”
“Servants, he obedient to them that are your
masters . . . . ; not with eye-service, as men
pleasers; but as the servants of Christ.”—Eph.
Yi. 5, 6,
Eye-sore. Something that is offen-
sive to the sight. Sore is the Anglo-Saxon
Bye-teeth . 436
$f
Sar (painful), or swar (grievous). It is
painful or grievous to the eye.
“Mordecai was an eye-sore to Hannan.”—D'Es-
trange. dº
Eye-teeth. The canine teeth are so
called because their fangs extend up-
wards nearly to the orbits of the eyes.
To draw one’s eye-teeth. To take the
conceit out of a person ; to fleece one
without mercy; to make one suffer loss
without seeing the manoeuvre by which
it was effected.
“I guess these Yanks will get their eye-teeth
drawn if they don’t look sharp.”— W. Hepworth
Diazom, : New America, Vol. i.
Eye of a Needle. , Lady Duff Gor-
don, writing from Cairo, says: ‘‘Yes-
terday I saw a camel go through the
eye of a needle—i.e. a low arched door
of an enclosure. He must kneel and
bow his head to go through, and thus
the rich man must humble himself”
(Wood : Bible Animals, p. 243). Lord
Nugent, in his Travels, informs us that
when at Hebron, he was directed to go
out by the Needle's Eye, or small gate
of the city.
Eye of Greece (The). Athens.
“Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts.”
Miltom. Paradise Regained, book iv. 240.
Eye of the Baltic (The). Gottland,
in the Baltic.
Eye of the Storm. An opening
between the storm clouds. (See BUIL’s
EYE.) -
Eyes. g
The Almond Eyes. The Chinese.
“He will not receive a yery warm welcome
from the Almond Eyes.”—I'. Millar. On the Central
Saints' IRøst (1891).
JEyes to the blind. A staff. So called
in allusion to the staff given to Tire'sias
by Athena, to serve him for the eyes
of which she had deprived him. (See
TIRESIAS.)
To cast sheep’s eyes at one. To look
askant with shyness or diffidence.
To make eyes at 072e. To look wan-
tonly at a person; to look lovingly at
another.
To rent the eyes with paint (Jer. iv. 30).
The ladies of the East tinge the edge of
their eyelids with the powder of lead-
ore. They dip into the powder a small
wooden bodkin, which they draw"through
the eyelids over the ball of the eye.”
Jezebel is said “to have adjusted her
eyes with kohol’’ (a powder of lead-
ore), 2 Kings ix. 30. N.B.-The word
“face ’’ in our translation should in both
these cases be rendered “eyes.” (Shaw.
Travels.) -
Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.
You fancied you could eat more, but
found your appetite satisfied with less
than you expected. “Oculi plus devorā-
bant quam capit venter.”
One-eyed people. (See ARIMASPIANs,
CYCLOPS.)
Eyre. Justices in Eyre. A corrup-
tion of “Justices in itin'ere.” At first
they made the circuit of the kingdom
every seven years, but Magna Charta
provided that it should be done annu-
ally.
Eyre (Jane). The heroine of Char-
lotte Brontë's novel so called. Jane
Eyre is a governess, who stoutly copes
with adverse circumstances, and ulti-
mately wins the love of a man of for-
tune. (‘Eyre' pronounce air.)
Ezour Veda or Yajūr Veda. The
second of the sacred books of the Hindús.
The four are :—
(1) The Rig Veda (prayers and hymns
in verse);
(2) The Ezou,'
prose);
(3) The Sama (prayers to be chanted);
Veda (prayers in
and
(4) The Atharvan Veda (formulas of
consecration, imprecation, expiation,
etc.).
Ezzelin (3 Syl.). Sir Ezzelin recog-
mised count Lara at the table of Lord
Otho, and charged him with being Con-
rad the corsair. A duel was arranged,
and Ezzelin was never heard of more.
A serf used to tell how one evening he
saw a horseman cast a dead body into
the river which divided the lands of
Otho and Lara, and that there was a
star of knighthood on the breast of the
dead body. (Byron : Lara.) (See
CONRAD.)
F
F. F is written on his face. “Rogue”
is written on his face. The letter Fused
to be branded near the nose, on the left
cheek of felons, on their being admitted
to “benefit of clergy.” The same was
used for brawling in church. The custom
was not abolished by law till 1822.
F Sharp. A flea. The pun is F,
the initial letter, and sharp because the
bite is acute. (See B FLATS,)
ff. A corrupt way of making a capital
jF in Old English, and used as low down
T.E.R.T.
as 1750; as france for France, ffarring-
ton for Farrington, etc.
F. E. R. T. The letters of the Sar-
dinian motto.
IEither Fortitu'do Ejus Rhodiſm Temºtić,
in allusion to the succour rendered to
Rhodes by the house of Savoy, 1310;
Or, Faediºre et Religiöne Tenémºſy, on
the gold doubloon of Victor Amadeus I. ;
Or, Fortitu'do Ejus Rempublicam Tenet.
F. O. B. Free on board ; meaning
that the shipper, from the time of ship-
ment, is free from all risk.
F's. The three f*s. Fixed tenure, Fair
rent, Free sale. The platform of the
Irish League in 1880.
Fa' (Scotch). To get ; to get a share
of ; to lay a claim to.
“Where is the laird or belted knight
Tll:ut, best, deserves to fa’ that, 2 °’ e
JBurms: Whom Will Ye Semd, stanza, i.
Fabian Society. An association of
socialists.
“The Fabian Society aims at the reorganisation
of Society by the emancipation of land and in-
dustrial capital from individual and class owner-
silip ; and the Yesting of them in the community
for the general benefit.”—H. G. Wilshire : Fabian
Essays Om Socialism, June, 1891, p. 91.
* The name of the society is derived
from Quintus Fabius, the Roman general,
who won his way against Hannibal by
wariness, not by violence, by caution,
not by defiance.
“Fabian tactics lie in stealing, inches, not in
grasping leagues.” — Liberty Iłeview, May 19th,
1894, p. 395, Col. 1.
Fabian Soldiers. A complimentary
phrase for Roman soldiers, the bravest
of the brave.
“Quem [hand of trained soldiers] quidem sic
omni disciplina militari [I phicrátēs] erudivit, ut
quemadnič.lum quondam ‘Fabiáni miſſtes' Ro-
mani appellati sunt, sic. ‘Iphicratenses apud
Græcos in summa laude fuérint.”—Nepos : Iphi-
crates, ii.
Fa'bian Tactics or Policy—i.e. de-
lay. “Win like Fabius, by delay.”
The Roman general Fabius wearied out
Hannibal by marches, counter-marches,
ambuscades, and skirmishes, without ever
coming to an open engagement. Fabius
died B.C. 203.
“Met by the Fabian tactics, which proved fatal
to its predeceS501'.”—-The T'iques,
Fabianism. The system called Col-
lectivism. (See CoILECTIVISTs.)
“It must he evident that the Fabian Society
has a really gigantic task before it, the diſficulties
of which Will not be lightened when the working
classes come to understand that small ownership
. . . and Small sayings . . . . are just as strongly
condemned by Collectivists as large estates and
colossal fortunes.”—Nineteenth Century (Novem-
ber, 1892, p. 686).
Fab'ila's sad Fate. The king Don
Fab'ila was a man of very obstinate
honesty.
437 Tabricius
purpose and fond of the chase. One day
he encountered a boar, and commanded
those who rode with him to remain quiet
and not interfere; but the boar overthrew
him and killed him. (Chronica Antiqua
de España, p. 121.)
Fa'bius. The American, Fabiºts.
Washington (1732-1799), whose military
policy was similar to that of Fabius.
He wearied out the English troops by
harassing them, without coming to a
pitched battle. Duguesclin pursued the
same policy in France, by the advice of
Charles W., whereby all the conquests of
Edward and the Black Prince were re-
trieved.
Fa'bius of the French. Anne, Duc de
Montmorency, grandconstable of France;
so called from his success in almost an-
nihilating the imperial army which had
invaded Provence, by laying the country
waste and prolonging the campaign.
(1493-1567.)
Fables.
fables are—
Pilpay, among the Hindus.
Tokman, among the Arabs.
AEsop and Babrios, among the Greeks.
Phaedrus and Aria'nus, among the
IRomans.
Faerne, Abstemius, and Casti, among
the Italians. The last wrote The Talk-
àng Animals. .
La Fontaine and Florian, among the
Jºench.
John Gay and Edward Moore, among
our own countrymen. The former is
sometimes called “The English Æsop.”
Lessing and Pfeffel, among the Ger-
7)?(()?.S.
IGrilof, among the ſºussians.
(See AESOP.)
Fab'1iaux. The metrical fables of
the Trouvères, or early poets north of
the Loire, in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries. The word fable, in this case,
is used very widely, for it includes not
only such tales as Reynard the Fox, but
all sorts of familiar incidents of knavery
and intrigue, all sorts of legends and
family traditions. The fabliau of Ant-
eassin and Nicolette is full of interesting
incidents, and contains much true pathos
and beautiful poetry.
The most famous writers of
Fabricius. A Roman hero, repre-
sentative of inflexible purity and
The ancient writers love to
tell of the frugal way in which he lived
on his hereditary farm ; how he refused
the rich presents offered him by the
Samnite ambassadors; and how at death
Tabulinus
438
Faction
he left. no portion for his daughters,
whom the Senate provided for.
^ st Fabricius, scorner of all-conquering gold.”
- Thomson : Seasons (Winter).
Fabuli'nus. The god who taught
Roman children to utter their first word.
It was the god Vagitan-us (q.v.) who
taught them to utter their first cry.
I'rom fari, to speak (Varro).
Fabulous Isles. (See atnder ISLANDS.)
Face. (Latin, facies.)
A bražen face. A bold, defiant look.
A brazen-faced person means one with
an impudent, audacious look, especially
in a bad cause. Brass metaphorically is
generally used in a bad or deprecatory
sense, as “You have plenty of brass”
[impudence], “I admire your brass.”
A rebee face (French, visage de rebec).
An ugly, grotesque face, like that which
used to be cut on the upper part of a
rebec or three-stringed fiddle.
“Dead is the noble Badébec,
Who had a face like a rebec.” . .
I?abelais : Pantagruel, book ii. 4.
* Badebec was the mother of Gar-
gantua, and died in childbirth.
A wry face. The features drawn awry,
expressive of distaste.
To draw a long face. To look dis-
Satisfied or sorrowful, in which case the
mouth is drawn down at the corners,
the eyes are dejected, and the face elon-
gated.
“Of course, it is all right ; if you had not drawn
such a long face I should never have doubted.”—
l)r. Cupid.
To fly in the face of . . . . To oppose
violently and unreasonably: to set at
defiance rashly.
To put a good face on the matter. To
make the best of a bad matter ; to
bear up under something disagreeable ;
“vultu, Amaliſm dissimuláre ; ” “ iſz ad-
versis vultum Secunda fortuna gerðre.”
To set one’s face against [something].
To oppose it; to resist its being done.
The expression of the face shows the
state of the inclination of a person’s
mind.
Face to Face. In the immediate
presence of each other; two or more
persons facing each other. To accuse
another “face to face ’’ means not
“behind his back’’ or in his absence,
but while present.
Faces.
To keep two faces under one hood. To
'be double-faced; to pretend to be
very religious, and yet live an evil life,
“We never troubled the Church . . . We knew
we were doing what we Qught not to do, and
scorned to look pious, and keep two faces under
one hood.”—Bold rewood: I'obbery Under Arms,
Chap. ii. -
To make faces. To make grimaces
with the face.
Face. To face it out. To persist in
an assertion which is not true. To main-
tain without changing colour or hanging
down the head.
To face down. To withstand with
boldness and effrontery.
Faced. With a facing, lining of the
cuffs, etc.; also the preterite of the verb
“ to face.”
Faced.
Bare-faced. Impudence unconcealed.
A ‘‘bare-faced lie ’’ is a lie told shame-
lessly and without prevarication.
Shame-faced. Having shame expressed
in the face.
Eaced with [silk, etc.]. An inferior
article bearing the surface of a superior
One, as when cotton-velvet has a silk
surface; the “facings” (as the lining
of coat-cuffs, etc.) made of silk, etc.
Face-card or Faced-card. A court
card, a card with a face on it.
Facilé Princeps. By far the best ;
admittedly first.
“But the facilé princeps of all gypsologists is
Professor Pott, of Halle.”—Chambers's Cyclo-
paedict.
Facings. To put one through his
facings. To examine; to ascertain if
what appears on the surface is superficial
only.
“The Greek looks were again had out, an
º d
Grace . . . . Was put througll ller facings.” – A.
Trollope.
Façon de Parler. Idiomatic or
usual form of speech, not meant to be
offensive. I once told a waiter in
Norway that the meat he brought me
for breakfast was not sufficiently cooked,
and he bluntly told me it was not true
(det er ikke sandt), but he did not intend
to be rude. It was the Norwegian
“façon de parler.”
Faction. The Romans divided the
combatants in the circus into classes,
called factions, each class being distin-
guished by its special colour, like the
crews of a boat-race. The four original
factions were the leek-green (pras'ina),
the sea-blue (ven'eta), the white (alba),
and the rose-red (rosea). Two other
factions were added by Domitian, the
colours being golden-yellow (aura'ta) and
purple. As these combatants strove
against each other, and entertained a
Tſ'aotor
439
Fag
strong esprit de corps, the word Was
easily applied to political partisans.
*: In the faction riots of Constanti-
nople, A.D. 532, above 30,000 persons
were killed. (Latin, factio.) .
Fac'tor. An agent; a substitute in
mercantile affairs; a commission mer-
chant. (Latin, facio, to do, whence the
French facteur, one who does something
for an employer.)
“Asleep and naked 13 an Indian lay,
An honest factor stole a geim away.”
1°ope : Moral lºssays, lºl). iii. 361.
Thomas Pitt, ancestor of the Earl of
Chatham, was appointed by Queen Anne
Governor of Fort St. George, in the
East Indies, and in 1702 purchased there,
for £20,400, a diamond weighing 127
carats, which he sold to the King of
France. This gem is still called the
IPitt diamond. Pope insinuates that
Pitt stole the diamond. This is not
exactly true. He obtained it for a price
much below its value, and threatened
the thief with exposure if he made a
fuss about the matter.
Facto"tum. One who does for his
employer all sorts of services. Some-
times called a Johan'ſ les Facto' tum. Our
“Jack-of-all-trades '' does not mean a
factotum, but one who does odd jobs
for anyone who will pay him. (Tatin,
faceye totum, to do everything required.)
Fad (A). A hobby, a temporary
fancy, a whim. A contraction of faddle
in “fiddle-faddle.”
“Among the fads that Charley had taken up for
a time . . . was that of collecting old prints.”—
lºgglesion : I’ttith Doctor, chap. iii.
Fada. A fée or kobold of the south
of France, sometimes called “Hada.”
These house-spirits, of which, strictly
speaking, there are but three, bring
good luck in their right hand and ill
luck in their left. -
Fadda. Mahomet's white mule.
Fadge (1 syl.). To suit or fit to-
gether, as, It won’t fadge ; we cannot
fadge together ; he does not fadge with
Ayle. (Anglo-Saxon, fage), to fit to-
gether ; Welsh, fag, what tends to unite.)
“How will this fadge 2"
Shakespeare : Twelfth Night, ii. 2.
Fadge. A farthing. A corrupt con-
traction of fardingal, i.e. farthingale.
(See CHIVY.) -
Fa'dha (Al). Mahomet's silver cui-
rass, confiscated from the Jews on their
expulsion from Medi'na.
Fad'ladeen'. The great Nazir', or
chamberlain of Aurungzebè’s harem,
in Lalla Rooſh. The criticism of this
self-conceited courtier upon the several
tales which make up the romance are
very racy and full of humour ; and his
crest-fallen conceit when he finds out
that the poet was the Prince in disguise
is well conceived.
." He was a judge of eyerything—from the pen-
cilling of a Circassiam’s eyelids to the deepest
questions of science and literature ; from the
mixture of a conserve of rose-leayes to the com-
position of an epic poem . . . all the Cooks and
, Doets of Delhi stood in awe of him.”—T. Moore,
Faërie or Feerie. The land of the
fays or faeries. The chief fay realms
are Av'alon, an island somewhere in the
ocean; O'berou’s dominions, situate “in
wilderness among the holtis hairy ; ''
and a realm somewhere in the middle
of the earth, where was Pari Banou's
palace. -
“For learnöd Colin [Spenser] lays lais pipes to gage,
And is to l'aéry gone a lilgrimage.”
Lºrwyton. Eclogué, iii.
Faërie Queene. A metrical romance
in six books, by Edmund Spenser (in-
complete). It details the adventures of
various knights, who impersonate dif-
ferent virtues, and belong to the court
of Gloria'na, Queen of faërie land.
The first book contains the legend of
the Red Cross Kuight (the spirit of
Christianity); and is by far the best.
The chief subject is the victory of Holi-
ness over Error. It contains twelve
cantos.
The second book is the legend of Sir
Guyon (the golden mean), in twelve
Cantos.
The third book is the legend of
Britomartis (love without lust), in twelve
cantos. Britomartis is Diana, Or Queen
Elizabeth the Britoness.
The fourth book is the legend of
Cambel and Tri'amond (fidelity), in
twelve cantos.
The fifth book is the legend of Ar"te-
gal (justice), in twelve cantos.
The sixth book is the legend of Sir
Cal'idore (courtesy), in twelve cantos.
There are parts of a seventh book—
viz. cantos 6 and 7, and two stanzas of
canto three. The subject is Mutability.
The plan of the Faërie Queene is bor-
rowed from the Orlando Furioso, but
the creative power of Spenser is more
Original, and his imagery more striking,
than Ariosto's. Thomson says of him—
“[He] like a copious river, poured his song
O'er all the mazes of enchanted ground.”
The Seasons (Slth????67), 1574-5.
Fag. One who does, and perseveres
in doing. In public schools, it means
a little boy who waits upon a bigger
Tag-end
one. Probably a contracted form of
factor, factotum ; Latin, fac-àre, to do.
JFag. Servant of Captain Absolute, who
apes his master in all things. (Sherida)? :
The Rivals.)
“Even the mendacious Mr. Fag assures us,
though he never scruples to tell a lie at lis
master’s command, yet it hurts his conscience
to be fouln'd out.”—Sir Walte?' Scott.
Fag-end (A). The selvedge or coarse
end of a piece of cloth. This also is
from facio, factum, meaning the part
added after the piece is finished.
fag-end of a session means the last few
days before dissolution.
Fagged Out. Wearied with hard
work. Fatigued contracted into fa’g’ed.
Fa'gin. An infamous Jew, who
teaches boys and girls to rob with dex-
terity. (Dickens : Oliver Twist.)
Fagot. A badge worn in mediaeval
times by those who had recanted their
“heretical” opinions. It was designed
to show what they merited, but had
narrowly escaped. (See FAGOTS.)
I/ ?/ a fagots et fagots. There are
divers sorts of fagots; every alike is
not the same. . . The expression is in
Molière's Le Médecin analgré lui, where
Sganarelle wants to show that his fagots
are better than those of other persons;
“Ay, but those fagots are not so good
as my fagots.” (Welsh, fag, that
which unites; Anglo-Saxon, fagan, to
unite.)
Sentire les fagots. To be heretical ; to
smack of the fagots. In allusion to the
custom of burning heretics by Surround-
ing them with blazing fagots.
Fagot Votes. Votes obtained by the
nominal transfer of property to a person
whose income was not otherwise suffi-
cient to qualify him for being a voter.
The “fagot ” was a bundle of property
divided into small lots for the purpose
stated above. Abolished.
“The object was to prevent the creation of
fagot votes.”—The Times.
Fagots. Cakes made of the ‘‘insides”
of pigs, with thyme, scraps of pork,
sage, onions, and other herbs, fried
together in grease, and eaten with pota-
toes. (Greek, phago, to eat.)
Fah'fah. One of the rivers of Para-
dise in Mahometan mythology.
Fa'ids.
Fai'ence (2 syl.). Majolica. So called
from Faen'za, where, in 1299, it was first
manufactured. It is termed majolica
|because the first specimens the Italians
The second class of Druids.
The
440 Fair Maid
saw came from Majorca. In France it
now means a fine ware not equal to
porcelain.
Fain'eant. Les Rois Fainéants (the
cipher or puppet kings). Clovis II. and
his ten successors were the puppet kings
of the Palace Mayors. Louis W. (last of
the Carlovingian dynasty) received the
Same designation.
“‘My signet you shall command with all my
heart, madan),' said Earl Philip. . . . " I am, you
know, a complete IRoy Fainéant, and never once
interfered with my Maire du Palais in her pro-
ceedings.’ ”—Sir JJ alter Scott : 1 everil of the Peak,
Chill), XV.
Faint.
lady.
“The bold a way will find or make.”
J&ing : Orpheus (tºwd Eurydice.
Faint harts faire ladies neuer win.” (1569.)
I’llilobibliom Society's Publications (1827, 1). 22).
Paint heart ne'er won fair
Faint Hearted. Easily discouraged;
afraid to venture.
Fair (The).
Charles IV., King of France, le Bel
(1294, 1322-1328).
Philippe IV. of France, le Bel (1268,
1285-1314).
J'air as Lady Dome. A great Cheshire
family that has long occupied a mansion
at Utkinton. (Cheshire eayression.)
J'air Geraldine. (See GERALDIN.E.)
JFair Rosamond. (See ROSAMOND.)
To bid fair, as “he bids fair to be a
good . . . .” To give good promise of
being . . . ; to indicate future success
or excellence ; one de quo bene speráre
licet.
JFair as a lily. (See SIMILES.)
Fair. (Latin fºride, holidays.)
A day after the fair. Too late for the
fun. “Sero sapiunt Phryges.” The
Fhrygians were noted for their obsti-
macy; hence, Phrya: verberatus Amelio)'.
They were thrice conquered: by Her-
cules, the Greeks, and the Latins, and
were wise “after the events.”
Fair (Sloe). (See SLOE-FAIR.)
Fair (Statute). (See Mop.)
Fair City. Perth ; so called from
the beauty of its situation.
Fair Game. A worthy subject of
banter; one who exposes himself to
ridicule.
“Bourrienne is fair game ; but the whole of his
statements are not Wortlı less."—The Spectator,
Feb. 18th, 1888.
Fair Maid (The).
Fair Maid of Anjou. Lady Edith
Plantagenet, who married David, Prince
Royal of Scotland.
T'air-star 441
Fairies
Fair Maid of February. The snow-
drop, which blossoms in February.
Fair Maid of Kent. Joan, Countess of
Salisbury, wife of the Black Prince, and
only daughter of Edmond Plantagenet,
Earl of Kent. She had been twice mar-
ried ere she gave her hand to the prince.
Pain' Maid of Norway. Margaret,
daughter of Eric II. of Norway, and
granddaughter of Alexander III. of
Scotland. Being recognised by the
states of Scotland as successor to the
throne, she set out for her new king-
dom, but died on her passage from Sea-
sickness. (1290.)
Fair Maid of Perth. Katie Glover,
the most beautiful young woman of
IPerth. Heroine of Scott’s novel of the
S&nle Ila,Ine.
Fair-star. The Princess Fair-star,
in love with Prince Chery, whom she
sets to obtain for her “the dancing
water,” “the singing apple,” and “the
green bird” (q.v.). This tale is bor-
rowed from the fairy tales of Straparo'la
the Milanese. (1550.) Chery and Fair-
Star, by the Countess d’Aulnoy.
Fair Trade. Smuggling.
“Neither Dirk Hatterajck nor any of his sailors,
all well known inen in the fair trade, were again
Seen upon that coast.”—Sir Walter Scolt : Guy
Jí (twinering, ch:up. x.
‘... Latterly the phrase llas been introduced into
politics to signify reciprocity of protection
ol' free-trade. That is, free-trade to those nations
that grant free-trade to us, and vice versa.
Fair Way. In a fair way. On the
right tack. The “fair way” is the proper
track through a channel.
Fair and Square. Honestly, justly,
with straightforwardness.
Fair fall you. Good befall you.
Fair Play is a Jewel. As a jewel
is an Ornament of beauty and value,
So fair play is an honourable thing and
a “jewel in the crown’’ of the player.
Fairies, good and bad.
AFREET or E FREET, one of the Jinn tribe, of
Which there are five. (See Story of the Second
Catle), da?".)
A PPARITION. A ghost.
A RIEL. (See A R.I.E. [...)
BANSHIEl; or, BENS HEE, an Irish fairy attached
to a house. (See: BANSH EE.)
Bºggatt. (Scotcla.) A local holygoblin or
S]); "lt.
BOG LE Ol' BOG I,E, a buglear (Scotch form of
buſſ). (See Bo (; IE.)
BROWNIR, a Scotch domestic fairy ; the ser-
vants' friend if well treated. (See BRów NIE.)
UG or BUC BEAR, any imaginary thing that
frightens a persºn. (Welsh, biºg.) (See BUG.)
CAUT, D LAD (The), the Brownie of Hilton Hall.
(See CAUI,D IAD.
DJINN, JIN, or GINN (Arabian). (See JINN.)
DUENDE (3 Syl.), a Spanish house-spirit. (See
DUENDE.) e ---
DWARF, a diminutive being, human or super-
human. (Anglo-Saxon, dwearſ.)
1) W ERGER, DWERGUGH, or DUERGAR, Gotho-
German dwarfs, dwelling in rocks and lills.
(A nglo-Saxon, dit:eorgh.) - e
I. I.F (plu. ELV lºs), fairies of diminutive size,
Supposed to be fond of practical jokes. (Anglo-
Siu xon, aºlf.) (See E.I., F.)
lº I, I, F-MALD or lê LLE-WOMAN, IELLE-FOLK, of
Scandinavia.
ESP1& IT FOLLET, the house-spirit of France.
FAIRY or FAERIE (plu. FAIlt LES), a Super-
natural being, fond of pranks, but generally
pleasing. (German and French, fee.)
FAM LLIAR (A), an evil spirit attendant on
Witches, etc. (See FAMILLAR.)
FATA, an Italian fay, or white lady,’
l'ATES, the three spirits (Clotho, Ilachésis, and
Atröl)0s) which preside over the destiny of every
individual. (Latin, fitta.)
FAY (plu. FAYS), same as Fairy (q.v.).
F EAR DEARG (The), i.e. Red Man. A house-
Slpirit of Munster.
G EN II (plu.). The sing. genie and geminis.
Eastern spirits, whether good or bad, who presid
over a man or nation. “He is my evil [or good]
genius.” (Latin, genius.) (See GENIUS.)
(+TIOST, the immaterial loody or noumenon of
a human being. Supposed to be free to visit the
eart in at night-time, but obliged to return to its
Halºg 3 ºut the fil'St. (lit. Wil. -
Gilo UL, a demon that feeds on the dead. (Per-
Slºlll .
GNOME (1 Syl.), the guardian of mines, quarries,
etc. (Greek, yucokim, a Cabalistic being.) (See
GNOM ISS.)
GO BI, LN or HO BG OBLIN, a phantom spirit.
(French, gobelin ; (+erman, kobold.)
Good Foi,K (The). The Brownies or house-
Spirits.
GUARDIAN-ANG EI, an angelic spirit which pre-
sides over the destiny of each individual.
H A 13 UN DIA, queen of the White Ladies.
HAG (A), a fellhale fury. Milton (Comus 445)
Speaks of “blue meagre hags.”
FIA MAI) RYAF), a Wood-ny naph. Each tree has its
OW in Wood-nymph, Who dies when the tree dies.
II.9 HGO BLIN. (See above, Go BLIN.) Hob is Robin,
as Hodge is Roger.
Ho RNs or Holt NIE, the Devil. (See HoRNIE.)
& º puny demon or Spirit of mischief. (Welsh,
7.7)?)). ) . -
JACK-A-LANTERN, a bog or marsh spirit Who
delights to mislead
J LNN or GINN. (See JINN.) These Arabian spirits
Were formed of “Smokeless fire.” -
KEI, PIE , t2 Syl.). . In Scotland, an imaginary
spirit of the Waters in the form of a horse. (See
IX ET, PIE.)
KO RO LI), a German household go))lin, also fre-
quenting mines. (German, leobold.). (See Ko Bo I, D.)
J.A.M.'ſ A (1)lll. I, A M'LA2), a hag or demon. Keats's
Iºnia is a serpent, which had assumed the form
of a beautiful Woman, beloved by a young man,
and gets a Soul. (Latin, Lºtºniſt.) (See LAMIA.)
H.A.M LES, Africall Spectres, having the head of a
woman and tail of a serpent. (See LAMIES.)
I. A R (plu. IARIS) (2 Syl.), Latin household
deities. (See LARES.)
I.F. PRTCHAUN, a fairy shoemaker.
MIA B, the faries' midwife. Sometimes incor-
rectly called queen of the fairies. (Welsh, mab.)
(See MA B.)
MAN I) R.A.K.E. (See MAN DRAKE.)
MERMALD, a Sea-Sl)irit, the upper part a woman
all (l the 10Wer half a fish.
MERROWS, both male and female, are spirits of
the Sea, of human shape from the waist upwards,
but from the Waist downwards are like a fish. The
females are attractive, but the males have green
teeth, green hair, pig's eyes, and red noses. Fish-
ermon dread to meet, them.
MI9 NACLELLO or LITTLE MONK, a luouse-spirit
of Naples.
NAIAD (plu. NAIADES [3 Syl.] or NAIADs [2 syl.]),
Watel'-hy mphs. (Ilatin.) (See NAIA D.S.)
NIS Ol' N ISSE (2 Syl.), a Kobold or Brownie. A
Scandinavian fairy friendly to farmlıouses. (Con-
traction of Nicolaus.)
N IX (female, NLXIE), a water-spirit. The miſc
has green teeth, and wears a green hat ; the mixie
is very beautiful.
O BERON, king of the fairies,
T'airies 442
T'airy Rings
OGRE [pronounce off'r], an inhabitant of fairy-
land Said to feed on infant cluildren.- (French.)
ORIENDS, mountain nymphs. (Greek, 07:0s.)
OU PHE (2 Syl.), a fairy or goblin,
PERI, a Persian fairy. Evil peris are called
* Dee W. S.”
PIG WIDGEoN, a fairy of very diminutive
Sł Ze.
PIXY or PIXIE (also pisgy, pisgie), a Devon-
shire fairy, Same as Puck.
POUKE (1 syl.), same as Puck. (See POUK.E.)
PUCK, a merry little fairy spirit, full of fun and
harmless mischief. (Icelandic and Swedish, pulce.)
(See PUCK.)
Ito BIN-GOOD FELLOW, another name for PUCK.)
(See ROBIN . . . .
SALAMANDER, a spirit which lives in fire.
(Latin and Greek, salutamandra.) (See SALA-
MAN DRA.)
SHADES, ghostS.
SPECTRE, a ghost.
Spoo R (in Theosophy), an elemental.
SPRITE, a Spirit. e & a t < *
STROM KARI, a Norwegian musical Spirit, like
Neck. (See STROM KARI,...)
SYLPH, a spirit of the air ; so named by the
Rosicrucians and Cal)alists. (Greek, Silphe,
French, sylphide.) (See SY LPHS.)
TRITON, a “sea deity, who dwells with Father
Neptune in a golden palace at the botton) Of the
Sea. The chief employment of tritons is to blow
a conch to Smooth the Sea, when it is ruffled.
TROLL, a hill-spirit. Hence Trolls are called
Hill-people or Hill-folk, supposed to be immensely
rich, and especially dislike noise. (See TRO LLS.)
US/DINE (2 syl.), a Water-nymph. (Latin, unda.)
(See UNDINE.)
URCHIN properly means a hedgehog, and is
applied to mischievous children and Small folk
generally. (See URCHEN.)
WAMPIRE (2 syl.), the spirit of a dead man that
haunts a house and sucks the blood of the living.
A Hungarian superstition. (See WAMPIRE.)
WERE-WOLE (Anglo-Saxon, ºver-wulf, man-
Wolf), a human being, sometimes in one form and
Sometimes in another. (See WERE-WOI, R.)
WHITE I, ADIES OF; NORMANDY. (See WHITE
LA DIISS.)
WHITE IADY (The) of the royal family of
Prussia. A “Spirit,” said to appear before the
death of one of the family. (See W H ITE IADY.)
WHITE LADY OF AVENEL (2 Syl.), a tutelary
Spirit.
WHITE IADY OF IRE LAND (The), the banshee Or
domestic spirit of a family.
W IIITE MER LE (The), of the old. Basques. A
white fairy bird, which, by its singing, restored
sight to the blind. -
W IG HT, any human creature, as a “Highland
Wight.” Dwarfs and all other fairy creatures.
W II,I,-O'-THE-WISP, a spirit of the bogs, whose
delight is to mislead belated travellers.
WitAITH (Scotch), the ghost of a person shortly
about to die or just dead, which appears to Sull-
vivors, sometimes at a great distance off. (See
WRAITH, HOUSEHOLD SPIRITS.)
Fairies are the dispossessed spirits
which once inhabited human bodies, but
are not yet meet to dwell with the
“saints in light.”
“All those airy shapes you now behold -
Were human bodies once, and clothed with
earthly mould ; -
Qur Souls, not yet prepared for upper light,
Till doomsday wander in the shades of night.”
Dryden : The Flower and the Leaf.
Fairing (A). A present from a fair,
The ing is a patronymic = a descendant
of, come from, belonging to.
“Fairings come thus plentifully in.”
Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost, Y. 2.
Fair'Timb. The sister of Bitelas and
daughter of Rukenaw, the ape; in the
tale of Reynard the Fox.
Fairservice (Andrew). A shrewd
Scotch gardener at Osbaldis' tone Hall.
(Sir Walter Scott : Rob Roy.)
Fairy of nursery mythology is the
personification of Providence. The good
ones are called fairies, elves, elle-folks,
and fays ; the evil ones are urchins,
ouphes, ell-maids, and ell-women.
“Fairies, black, grey, green, and white,
You moonshine revellers, and shades 6f night
You ouphen-heirs of fixáči destiny, sc v 3
Attend your office.”
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, v. 5.
The dress of the fairies. They wear a
red conical cap ; a mantle of green
cloth, inlaid with wild flowers; green
pantaloons, buttoned with bobs of silk;
and silver shoon. They carry quivers
of adder-slough, and bows made of the
ribs of a man buried where “three
lairds’ lands meet ; ” their arrows are
made of bog-reed, tipped with white
flints, and dipped in the dew of hemlock;
they ride on steeds whose hoofs would
not ‘‘ dash the dew from the cup of a
harebell.” (Cromek.)
“Fairies small, two foot tall,
With Caps l'ed on their head.”
Dodsley's Old Plays : Fuimus Troés, i. 5.
Fairy Darts. Flint arrow-heads,
Supposed at One time to have been
thrown by fairies in their pranks.
Fairy Hillocks. Tittle knolls of
grass, like mole-hills, said in the “good
old times '' to be the homes of fairies.
Fairy Ladies or Mage, such as
Urganda, the guardian of Amadi'gi ; the
fair Oria'na. ; Silva'na, the guardian of
Alido'ro ; Luci'na, the protectress of
Alido'ro and his lady-love, the maiden-
warrior, Mirinda, ; Eufros'ina, the sister
of Luci'na. ; Argea, the protectress of
Eloridante; and Filide'a, sister of Ardea;
all in Tasso's Amadi'gi.
Fairy Land. The land where fairies
are supposed to dwell; dreamland; a
place of great delight and happiness.
“The fairest of fairy lands—the land of home.”
Jettm Ingelow: The Leiter, l'art, i. stanza, 31.
Fairy Loaves or Fairy Stones.
Fossil sea-urchins (echi'ni), said to be
made by the fairies.
Fairy Money. Found money. Said
to be placed by Some good fairy at the
spot where it was picked up. “Fairy
money” is apt to be transformed into
leaves.
Fairy Rings. Circles of rank or
withered grass, often seen in lawns,
meadows, and grass-plots. Said to be
produced by the fairies dancing on the
spot. In Sober truth, these rings are
Fairy Sparks
*-*.
simply an ag'aric or fungus below the
surface, which has seeded in a circular
range, as many plants do. Where the
ring is brown and almost bare, the
“spawn '' is of a greyish-white colour.
The grass dies because the spawn en-
velops the roots so as to prevent their
absorbing moisture; but where the grass
is rank the “spawn '' is dead, and
serves as manure to the young grass.
“You demi-puppets, that
By moonshine do the green;sour ringlets make,
Whereof the ewe not bites.”
Shakespeare: Tempest, Y. 1.
Fairy Sparks. The phosphoric light
from decaying wood, fish, and other
substances. Thought at one time to be
lights prepared for the fairies at their
revels.
Fairy of the Mine. A malevolent
being supposed to live in mines, busying
itself with cutting ore, turning the wind-
lass, etc., and yet effecting nothing. (See
GNOME.)
“No goblin, or swart fairy of the mine,
Hath hurtful power o'er true virginity.”
* Milton : Comus, 447-8.
Fait Accompli (French). A scheme
which has been already carried out with
SUICCéSS.
“The subjection of the South is as much a fait
gccompli is the declaration of independence
itself.”—The Times.
Faith. Defender of the Faith. (See
T}EFENDER.)
In good faith. “Boná ſide; ” “de bonne
foi ; ” with no ulterior motive.
Faithful, in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Pro-
gress, is seized at Vanity Fair, burnt to
death, and taken to heaven in a chariot
of fire. A Puritan used to be called
Brother Faithful. The abiding disciples
of any cult are called the faithful.
Jacob Faithful. The hero of Captain
Marryat's novel so called.
| Father of the faithful.
(Rom. iv.; Gal. iii. 6-9).
Falkâr (Dhu’l). The scimitar of
Mahomet, which fell to his share when
the spoil was divided after the battle of
Bekr. This term means “The Tren-
chant.”
Fake (1 syl.). Fake away. Cut
away, make off (Latin, fae, do, make).
It also means to do—i.e. to cheat or
swindle.
IFake. A single fold of a coiled cable.
(Scotch, faik, a fold; Swedish, vika, to
involve ; Saxon, fagan, to unite.)
Fakenham Ghost. A ballad by
Robert Bloomfield, author of The Far-
Amer’s Boy. The ghost was a donkey.
Abraham
443
T'all
Fakir’ (Indian). . A poor man, a
mendicant, a religious beggar. The
Pakirs are the lowest in the priesthood of
Yesidis. They wear coarse black or
brown dresses, and a black turban over
which a red handkerchief is tied. Fakirs
perform all menial offices connected with
burials. They clean the Sacred building,
trim and light the lamps, and so on.
Falcon and Falconet. Pieces of
light artillery, the names of which are
borrowed from hawks. (See SAKER.)
Falcon Gentle (A). A goshawk.
Falcon Peregrine or Pel'erin. La
Seconde lignie est faitcoms que hom apele
‘‘pelerins,” par ce que mits me troutre son
71; ; aims est pris attres; come en pelerin-
age, et est mult legiers a norrir, et mult
cortis, et vaillans, et de bone maniere.
(Tresor de Brunst Latin : JDes Faucon.s.)
“A faukoun peregryn than Semêd sche
Of fremdé [foreign] land.”
Chaucer: Camterbury Tºtles (10,742).
Fald-stool. A small desk at which
the Litany is sung or said. The place
at the south side of the altar at which
sovereigns kneel at their coronation.
(Barbarous Latin, falda, a thing which
folds or shuts up.)
Faldistory. The episcopal seat in a
chancel, which used to fold or lift up.
Falernian, the second best wine in
Italy, was so called by the ancient
Romans because it was made of grapes
from Falernus. There were three sorts
—the rough, the Sweet, and the dry.
Falkland. In Godwin’s novel called
Caleb JVilliams. He commits murder,
and keeps a narrative of the transaction
in an iron chest. Williams, a lad in his
employ, opens the chest, and is caught
in the act by Falkland. The lad runs
away, but is hunted down. This tale,
dramatised by Colman, is entitled The
Iron Chest.
Fal-lais. Nick-nacks; ornaments of
small value. (Greek, phalara, metal
ornaments for horses, etc.)
“Our god-child passed in review all her gowns
fichus, tags, bobbins, laces, Silk Stockings, and
fallals.”—Thackeray : Vamily Fair, chal). Vi. p. 38.
Fall. In the fall. In the autumn, at
the fall of the leaf. (An American
Tevival.)
“What crowds of patients the town doctor kills,
Or how, last fall, he raised the weekly bills.”
Dryden : Juvenal.
To try a fall. To wrestle, when each
tries to “fall” or throw the other.
“I am given, sir, . . . . to understand that your
younger brother, Orlando, hath a disposition to
come in disguised against me to try a fall.”—As
You Like It, i. 1.
T'all Away
444
Tſ'alse .
Fall Away (To). To lose flesh ; to
degenerate ; to quit a party, as “his
adherents fell away gradually [one by
one], or rapidly.”
Fall Flat (To). To lie prostrate or
procumbent ; to fail to interest, as “the
last act fell flat.”
Fall Foul. To fall foul of one is to
make an assault on someone.
term. A rope is said to be foºt! when it
is entangled; and one ship falls foul of
another when it runs against her and
prevents her free progress. Hence to
run up against, to assault.
Fall From (To). To violate, as “to
fall from his word; ” to tumble or slip
off, as “to fall from a horse ; ” to
abandon or go away from, as “to fall
from grace.”
Fall In (To). To take one’s place
with others; to concur with, as “he
fell in with my views”—that is, his
views or ideas fell into the lot of my
views or ideas. (See FALL OUT.)
Fall Off (To). To detach themselves;
to be thrown off [a horse]; to leave.
The Latin decido.
Fall Out (To). To quarrel; to hap-
pen. (Latin, accido.) (See FALL IN.)
“Three children sliding on the ice
Upon a Sulminner's day :
As it fell out they all fell in,
The rest they ran away.”
Po?'Son, Mother' ('00Se.
“See ye fall not out lºy the Way.”—Genesis Xly.
24
Fall sick (To). To be unwell. A
Latin phrase, “In morbum incidére.”
Fall Through (To). To tumble
through [an insecure place] ; to fail
of being carried out or accomplished.
Fall to (To). To begin ſeating, fight-
ing, etc.].
“They sat down . . . . and without Waiting
. . . fell to like commoners after grace.”—Kante :
Tctic Ecplorations, Vol. i. chap. XXX. p. 419.
Fall Under (To). To incur, as, “to
be under the reproach of carelessness; ”
to be submitted to, as, “to fall under
consideration,” a Latinism, “In deliber-
ałoſzem cadére.”
Fall Upon (To). To attack, as “to
fall upon the rear,” a Latin phrase, “ulti-
mis incidéré , ” to throw oneself on, as,
“he fell on his sword,” “Anantſ sua.
cadére; ” to happen on, as, “On what
day will the games fall?”
Fall in With (To). To meet acci-
dentally ; to come across. This is a
Latin phrase, in aliquam casu incidéré.”
A
Sé8,
Fall into a Snare (To), or “To fall
into an ambuscade.” To stumble acci-
dentally into a snare. This is a Latin
phrase, “insidias incidéré.” Similarly,
to fall into disgrace is the Latin “mi
offensionem cadère.”
Fall of Man (The). The degeneracy
of the human race in consequence of
the “fall” [or disobedience] of Adam,
man’s federal head. Adam fell, or
ceased to stand his ground, under temp-
tation.
Fall of the Drop (The), in thea-
trical parlance, means the fall of the
drop-curtain at the end of the act or
play. -
Fall Out of (To). To tumble or slip
from, as, “The weapons fell out of my
hands.” This is a Latin phrase, “JOe
1nanibus Aneis arma cecidérunet.”
Fall Short of (T6). To be deficient
of a supply. This is the Latin eacădo,
to fail. To fall short of the mark is a
figure taken from archery, quoits, etc.,
where the missile falls to the ground
before reaching the mark.
Fall Together by the Ears (To).
To fight and scratch each other; to con-
tend in strife. “To fall together by the
ears” is “$77ter se certãre ; ” but “to set
together by the ears” is “discordium
concitare.”
Fall Upon One's Feet (To). To
escape a threatened injury; to light
upon one's feet.
Falling Bands. Neck-bands which
fall on the chest, common in the seven-
teenth century.
Falling Sickness. Epilepsy, in which
the patient falls suddenly to the ground.
“ Brutus.--IIe [i.e. Caesar] hath the falling-Sick-
"ºssius–No. Caesar hath it not : but you, and T,
And honest Casca, we have the falling-sickness.”
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, i. 2.
Falling Stars are said by Mahome-
tans to be firebrands flung by good angels
against evil spirits when they approach
too near the gates of heaven.
Fallow Land. Land ploughed, but
not sown ; so called from its brown or
tawny colour. (German, fahl, tawny,
Anglo-Saxon, falº or fealo, pale-red;
hence, fallow deer, red deer.)
“Break up the fallow land.”—Jer. iv. 3.
False (The Rule of). A method of
solving certain mathematical questions
generally done by equations. Suppose
the question is this: “What number is
that whose half exceeds its third by 12?”
False Ceiling
445
Farnfaronade
Assume any number you like as the
supposed answer—say 96. Then, by the
question, 96 + 2 86 + 3 + 12, or
45 = 32 + 12, i.e. 54, but 45 does not
equal 54, the latter is 16 too much.
Well, now state by rule of proportion
thus, 16: 12 :: 96 to the answer, which
is 72, the number required.
False Ceiling. The space between
the garret-ceiling and the roof.
Fal'staff. A fat, sensual, boastful,
and mendacious knight; full of wit and
humour; he was the boon companion of
Henry, Prince of Wales. (1 and 2 Henry
J. P., and Ilſey'ry JVives of Windsor.)
Falutin (High). Oratorical bombast;
affected pomposity; “Ereles veill.” (See
IIIFALUTEN.)
None of your high falutin airs with me.
None of your swell ways with me.
(Dutch, verlooten.)
Familiar. A cat, dog, raven, or other
dumb creature, petted by a “witch,”
and supposed to be her demon in dis-
guise. (See below.)
Familiar. Spirits. Spirit slaves.
From the Latin, fam'ulus (an attendant).
“Away with him he has a familiar under his
tongue.”—Shalcespectre: 211enry VI., iv. 7.
Familiarity. Too much familiarity
breeds contempt.
Latin : Nimia familiaritas contempt-
um parit.
French : La familiarité engendre le
mépris.
Italian : La famigliarità fa dispregi-
amento.
“I trilous optimis rel)us tres bessima oriuntºur :
e veritate otlilull ;... e fahliliaritate contein ptus ;
e felicitate invidia.”—Plutarch (translated).
Familists. Members of the “Family
of Love,” a fanatical sect founded by
David George, of Delft, in 1556. They
maintained that all men are of one
family, and should love each other as
brothers and sisters. Their system is
called Familism.
Family. A person of family. One
of aristocratic birth. The Latin gems.
“Family...will take a person, anywhere.”—
Warner : Little Journey in the World, chap. iv.
Fan. I could brain him with his
lady's fan (1 Henry IV., ii. 3)—i.e.
knock his brains out with a fan handle.
The ancient fans had long handles, so
that ladies used their fans for walking-
sticks, and it was by no means unusual
for very testy damnes to chastise unruly
*k-
children by beating them with their fan-
sticks.
“Wer"t, not better
Your head were lyroken with the handle of a fan 2"
Deſturmout and Fletcher: Wit al. Several Weapons, v.
Fan-light (A), placed over a door, is
a semicircular window with radiating
bars, like the ribs of an open fan.
Fanatic. Those transported with
religious or temple madness. Among
the Romans there were certain persons
who attended the temples and fell into
strange fits, in which they pretended
to see spectres, and uttered what were
termed predictions. (Latin, fa'num, a
temple.)
“That wild energy which leads
The enthusiast to fanatic deeds.”
II 67/1(t)\8 : Tatle of the Secret 'I','ibunal.
Fancy. Love—i.e. the passion of
the fantasy or imagination. A fancy-
man is a man (not your husband) whom
you fancy or select for chaperon.
“Tell me where is fancy bred,
Or in the heart or in the head,” ...
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, iii. 2.
The fancy. Pugilists. So called because
boxing is the chief of sports, and fancy
means Sports, pets, or fancies. Hence
“dog-fanciers,” “pigeon-fanciers,” etc.
Fancy-free. Not in love.
“In maiden meditation fancy-free.”
Sluttleespeare: Midsummer Night's Dreau, ii. 2.
Fancy Man (A). A cavalier servant
or cicisbeo ; one selected by a married
lady to escort her to theatres, etc., to
ride about with her, and to amuse her.
The man she “fancies '' or likes.
Fancy-sick. Love-sick.
“All fancy-sick she is, and pale of cliecr.”
Shakespectre : Midstºnºmer Night's Dream, iii. 2.
Fane'sii. A Scandinavian tribe far
north, whose ears were so long that they
would cover their whole body. (Pliny.)
Fanfar’on. A swaggering bully ;
a cowardly boaster who blows his own
trumpet. Sir Walter Scott uses the
word for finery, especially for the gold
chains worn by military men, common
in Spain amongst the conquerors of the
New World. (Spanish, fanfar','on, a
bully ; French, fanfare, a flourish of
trumpets, or short piece of military
music performed by brass instruments
and kettledrums.)
“‘Marry; hang thee, with thy fanfarona about
thy neck 'said the falconer.”—Scott: The Abbot,
CXVII.
Fanfar’onade (4 Syl.). Swaggering ;
vain boasting; Ostentatious display.
(See above.)
“The bishop copied this proceeding from the
fallfaronade of M. Boufflers.”—Sucift.
IT'ang
446
Farmer George
Fang. A sheriff's officer in Shake-
speare’s 2 Henry IV.
Fangs. I fell into his fangs. Into
his power, his clutches. (Anglo-Saxon,
fally, a grasp.)
“To seize,
Traitors, that vice-like fang thc hand ye lick.”
JBailey : Festus (4 Village Fettst), Sec. 9.
Fangled. A new-fangled 700tion is
one just started or entertained. (Saxon,
fengan, to begin.)
Fanny Fern. A 770m de plume of
Mrs. Sarah Payson Parton, sister of Mr.
N. P. Willis, the American poet. (Born
1811, died 1872.)
Fanti'gue (2 syl.). A function; a
fussy anxiety; that restless, nervous
commotion which persons have who are
phantom-struck. -
Fantocci'ni [fanto-che'ny]. A dra-
matic performance by puppets. (Italian,
Jantoccio, a puppet.)
Fantom-corn.
corn, having been bewitched.
jantôme, a ghost.)
Fantom-fellow. A person who is
light-headed, and under the ban of some
hobgoblin. (See above.)
Fantom-flesh. Flesh that hangs
loose and flabby—Supposed to be under
the evil influence of some spectre. (See
above.) º
Far and Away. “Nullits provimits
aut Secundus ; ” as, “far and away the
best ; ” some person or thing beyond all
comparison or rivalry.
Far Cry from. It is a far cry from
. . . to . . . ; as, it is a far cry from
Moses to Moses Montefiore, and from
David to Disraeli, but they all were
Jews, and had certain features in
common. Sir Walter Scott several
times uses the phrase “It’s a far cry to
Lochow [Lochawe].” It is a far cry
from O’Connell to Kossuth.
Far fetched. Not closely connected ;
a remote conceit ; as, “a far-fetched
simile,” a “far-fetched allusion.” Also,
obtained from a foreign or distant
country, “quod rarum est, carum est.”
“The passion for long, involved sentences . . .
and far-fetched conceit.S . . . passed away, and a
clearer and less ornate Style became popular.”—
Lecky : English in the Eighteenth Century, vol. i.
Chap, i. p. 91.
Far Gone. Deeply affected : as, “far
gone in love.”
Far Niente (3 Syl.). Italian phrase.
The Latin otium. Dolce far miente is the
Sweet enjoyment of having nothing to
do, i.e. of a holiday. (See DOLCE.)
The mere ghost of
(French,
Farce (1 syl.). Stuffing. Dramatic
pieces of no solid worth, but stuffed full
of ludicrous incidents and expressions.
They bear the same analogy to the regu-
lar drama as force-meat does to a solid
joint. (French, farce; Latin, farcio, to
stuff.)
Farceur (The).
acts farces.
Farcy or Farcin (Latin, farcimen, a
Sausage, any stuffed meat). A disease
in horses, which consists of a swelling of
the ganglions and lymphatic vessels. It
shows itself in little knots; glanders.
One who writes or
Fare, meaning the expense of a
journey or passage across water, is the
Anglo-Saxon fare or fabr, a journey;
verb, faran, to travel. (Archaic, feriage,
the fare for crossing a ferry.)
Fare Well (To). You cannot fare
well but you must cry out 7'oast meat.
Don’t blazon your good fortune on the
house-top. “Sorea, suo perit indicio.”
Terence has the same idea : “JEffoneţ
Ameo indicio miser, quasi sorea, hodie
perii.” (Eunuchus, v. 7, 23.)
Ijusdem farinae. Other
rubbish of the same sort. Literally,
“Other loaves of the same batch.” Our
more usual expressions are, “Others of
the same kidney,” “others of the same
feather,” “others tarred with the same
brush.”
Far'ina'ta or Farinata Degli Uberti.
A nobleman of Florence, chief of the
Ghibelline faction, placed by Dante, in
his Inferno, in a red-hot coffin, the lid
of which is suspended over him till the
day of judgment. He is represented as
faithless and an epicure. (Thirteenth
century.)
Farleu or Farley. A duty of 6d.
paid to the lord of the manor of West
Slapton, in Devonshire. (Bailey.) Money
given by a tenant instead of his best
beast (heriot).
Farm means food ; so called because
anciently the tenant was required to pro-
vide the landlord with food by way of
rent. . (Anglo-Saxon, fearme, food.)
To farm taxes is the French affermer
(to let or lease), from ferme, a letting for
the supply of food.
Farmer George. George III. ; so
called from his farmer-like manners,
taste, dress, and amusements. (1738,
1760-1820.)
“A lyetter farmer ne'er brushed clow from lawn.”
By; Vision of Judgment.
Fari'na.
E'armers
447
IFasting
Farmers. A farmer Ought to make
four rents in order to live : one for rent,
one for labour, one for stock, and one
for himself.
Farnese Bull [Far-na'-ze]. A name
given to a colossal group attributed to
Apollo'nius and Tauriscus of Trallés, in
Asia, Minor. They belonged to the
Thodian school, and lived about B.C.
300. The group represents Dirce bound
to the horns of a bull by Zethus and
Amphi'on, for ill-using their mother. It
was restored by Bian'chi in 1546, and
placed in the Farnese palace, in Italy.
Farnese Hercules [Far-na'-ze Her-
cº-lees]. A name given to Glykon's copy
of the famous statue of Lysippos, the
Greek sculptor in the time of Alexander
the Great. It represents the hero leaning
on his club, with one hand on his back,
as if he had just got possession of the
apple of the Hesperidès. Farneſse, is
the name of a celebrated family in Italy,
which became extinct in 1731.
“It struck me that an ironclad is to a wooden
yessel what the lº'armese Hercules is to the Apollo
Belvidere. The Hercules is not without a beauty
of its own.”—The Times (Paris correspondent).
Faroese (3 Syl.). Belonging to the
Earoe Islands; a native of the islands.
Farra'go. A farrago of monSense.
A confused heap of nonsense. Farrago
is properly a mixture of far (meal) with
other ingredients for the use of cattle.
“Anquetil was derided . . , for laving suffered
a farrago of monSense to be palmed off upon him
by his Parsi teachers as the works of the Sage
Zoroaster.”—Whitney : Oriental Studies (Avesta),
chal). Vi. p. 184. -
Farringdon Ward (London). The
aldermanry, etc., granted by John le
Feure to William Farendon, citizen and
goldsmith of London, in consideration
of twenty marks given beforehand as a
gersum to the said John le Feure.
(1279.)
Far'thing. A fourth part. Penny
pieces used to be divided into four
parts, thus, GB . One of these quarters
was a feor- thung or farthing, and
two a halfpenny. (Anglo-Saxon, feor-
thung.)
I don't care for it a brass farthing.
James II. debased all the coinage, and
issued, amongst other worthless coins,
brass pence, halfpence, and farthings.
* The feorthung was the fourth part
of other coins. Thus, we read in the
Graſſfriar's Chronicle :-
“This yere the kynge made a newe quyne, as
the nobylle, half-nobylle, and ferdyng-nóbylle.”
Far'thingale (3 syl.). A sort of
Crinoline petticoat. The word means a
“guard for modesty.” (French, vertu-
garde, corrupted into verdingade, and
then into farthingale.)
Faryndon Inn. Serjeants' Inn,
Chancery Lane, used to be so called.
Fascina'tion means “slain or over-
come by the eyes.” The allusion is to
the ancient notion of bewitching by the
power of the eye. (Greek, baskatºo, i.e.
phaësi kaino, to kill with the eyes. See
Valpy : Etymology of Greek Words, p. 23,
col. 1; Latin, fas'cino.) (See Evil, EYE.)
“None of the affections have been, noted to
fascinate and be Witch, but love and envy.”—
I}(tcom.
Fashion [fash'-un.] In a fashion or
after a fashion. “In a sort of a way; ”
as, “he spoke French in a fashion ” (i.e.
very badly). (“French of Stratford
atte Bowe.”)
Fashion of Speech (A). “Façon de
parler” (q.v.); ‘‘ Ratio loquendi l’’
Fast Girl or Young Lady (A) is one
who talks slang, assumes the airs of a
knowing one, and has no respect for
female delicacy and retirement. She is
the ape of the fast young man.
Fast Man (A) is one who lives a
continual round of “pleasure ?' so fast
that he wears himself out.
Fast and Loose (To play). To run
with the hare and hold with the hounds;
to blow both hot and cold; to say one
thing and do another. The allusion is
to a cheating game practised at fairs.
A belt is folded, and the player is asked
to prick it with a skewer, so as to pin it
fast to the table; having so done, the
adversary takes the two ends, and looses
it or draws it away, showing that it has
not been pierced at all.
“He forced his neck into a noose,
To show his play at fast and loose ;
And When he changed tº;cape, mistook,
For art and subtlety, his luck.’
Butler: Hudibras, iii. 2.
Fasti. Working days ; when, in
Home, the law-courts were open. Holy
days (dies mon), when the law-courts
were not open, were, by the Romans,
called me—fast.
Fasting. The most ingenious method
of fasting I know of is that recorded in
the Mappemonde Papistique, p. 82. A
Venetian saint had certain boxes made
like mass-books, and these book-boxes
were filled, some with Malmsey wine,
and some with the fleshiest parts of
capons and partridges. These were
supposed to be books of devotion, and
#. Saint lived long and grew fat on
€Iſl. -
Fastrade
448
IFather
Fastra'de (2 syl.). T)aughter of the
Saxon count Rodolph and Luitgarde the
German. One of the nine wives of
Charlemagne. *.
“Those same soft bells at eventide
IRang in the ears of Charlemagne,
As, seated by Fastra/da's side
At Ingelhein), in all his pride,
He heard their sound with secret pain.
Longfellow : Golden Legend, vi.
Fat. All the fat is in the fire. The
allusion is to the process of frying. If
the grease is spilt into the fire, the coals
smoke and blaze so as to Spoil the food.
The proverb signifies that something has
been let out inadvertently which will
cause a “regular flare up.”
The Fat :-
Alfonzo II. of Portugal. (1212-1223.)
Charles II. of France, le Gros. (832,
881-888.)
Louis VI. of France, le Gros. (1078,
1108–1137.)
Fat Men.
Edward Bright, of Essex, weighed
44 stone, or 616 pounds, at death. H
was 5 feet 9 inches high, 5 feet round
the chest, and 6 feet 11 inches round the
paunch. He died 1750, aged thirty.
Daniel Lambert, born at St. Marga
ret's Leicester, weighed 739 pounds.
He was 3 yards 4 inches round the waist,
1 yard 1 inch round the leg. (1770-1809.)
Fat as a Porpoise. The skin of the
porpoise is nearly an inch thick, and
under it is a layer of fat somewhat
thicker, and yielding oil of the finest
quality.
Fata. Women introduced in medi-
aeval romance not unlike witches, and
under the sway of Demogorgon. In
Orlando Innamora' to we meet with the
“Fata Morga'na. ; ” in Bojardo, with
the “Fata, Silvanella.” The Fates Nera,
and Bianca, the protectresses of Gui-
do'ne and Aquilante ; the “Fata della,
Fonti,” from whom Mainricardo obtains
the arms of Hector; and “Alci'na,”
sister of Morga'na, who carries off
Astolfo. In Tasso we have the three
daughters of Morga'na, whose names
are Morganetta, Nivetta, and Carvilia ;
we have also Dragonti'na, Monta'na,
Argea (called the queen of the Fates),
protectress of Floridante), Filidea (sister
of Argea), and several others. In the
Ado'ſze of Mari'ni we have the Fata.
named “Falsire'na.”
Fa'ta Morga'na. A sort of mirage
occasionally seen in the Straits of
Messina. Fata is Italian for a “fairy,”
and the fairy Morgana was the sister of
Arthur and pupil of Merlin. She lived
at the bottom of a lake, and dispensed
her treasures to whom she liked. She is
first introduced in the Orlando In-
namora' to as “Lady Fortune,” but sub-
sequently assumes her witch-like at-
tributes. In Tasso her three daughters
are introduced.
Fatal Gifts. Collar of Arsinoe, col-
lar and veil of Eriph'ylé, gold of the
Nibelungen, gold of Tolosa, necklace of
Cadmos, Harmonia's necklace and robe,
opal of Alphonso XII., the Trojan horse,
the shirt of Nessus, etc. (See these
subjects.)
Fate = something destined or suitable,
is not the Latin fatum, but the French
fait = share, one's own, that which suits
one; as “voila moſt fait,” that is the
man for me.
“Pour moi, ma sieur, a dit la cadette, j'aime lo
Solide, je veux un holmlue riche, et le gros don
Blanco sera mon fait.”—Le Sage: Diable Boiteut.c.
Faſtes (1 syl.). The cruel fates. The
Greeks and Romans supposed there were
three Parcae or Fates, who arbitrarily
controlled the birth, events, and death
of every man. They are called cruel
because they pay no regard to the
wishes and requirements of anyone.
* The three Fates were Clotho (who
held the distaff), Lachésis (who spun
the thread of life), and Atrôpos (who
cut it off when life was ended).
Faſther. A friar in holy orders. (See
IBROTHER.)
A father suckled by his daughter. Eu-
phraſsia, the Grecian daughter, so pre-
served the life of Evan'der, her aged
father.
Xantip'pe so preserved the life of her
father Cimo'nos in prison. The guard,
marvelling the old man held out so long,
set a watch and discovered the fact.
Byron alludes to these stories in his
Childe Harold.
“There is a dungeon, in whose dim, drear light
What do I gaze on ? . . . •
An old man, and a female young and fair,
Fresh as a nursing mother, in whose vein
The blood is lectal'. . . . .
Here youth offers to old age the food, .
The milk of his own gift :--it is her sire
To whom she renders back the debt of blood....
Drink, drink and live, old man heaven's realm
Inolds no Such tide. -
Byrom : Childe Harold, iv. St. 148, 150.
Without father, without mother, with-
out descent, having neither beginning of
days nor end of life—i.e. Melchisedec
(Heb. vii. 3). He was not the son of a
priest, either on his father's or mother’s
side ; his pedigree could not be traced
in the priestly line, like that of the
ordinary high priests, which can be
traced to Aaron ; nor did he serve in
Father Mathew
449 IFatima,
courses like the Levites, who begin and
end their official duties at stated times.
ºf Jesus was a “priest after the Order
of Melchisedec.” Neither His reputed
father, Joseph, nor His mother, Mary,
was of the priestly line. As priest,
therefore, He was “ without father,
without mother,” without , genealogy.
And, like Melchisedec, He is a “priest
for ever.”
He fathers it on me. He imputes it to
me; he says it is my bantling.
Father Mathew. (See MATHEW.)
Father Neptune. The ocean.
Father Norbert. Pierre Parisot,
the French missionary (1697–1769).
Father Paul. Pietro Sarpi, father
of the order of Servites in Venice, who
changed his Christian name when he
assumed the religious habit. (1552-1623.)
Father Prout. Francis Mahoney,
a humorous writer in Fraser’s Maga-
zine and the Globe newspaper. (1805–
1866.)
Father Thames, or Old Father
Thames. The Thames, so far as it
belongs to London.
“Say, Father Thames, for thou hast seen
Full many a sprightly race
Disporting on thy Inlargent green,
The patlis of pleasure trace.”
Gray: Distant Prospect of Eton College.
The epithet is not uncommonly ap-
plied to other great rivers, especially
those on which cities are built. The
river is the father of the city, or the
reason why the site was selected by the
first settlers there.
“O Tiber, Father Tiber,
To Wholm the Romans pray.”
Macaulay : Laty of Horatius.
Father Thoughtful. Nicholas Cat'-
inat, a marshal of France ; so called by
his soldiers for his cautious and thought-
ful policy. (1637-1712.)
Father of Waters. The Irawaddy,
in Burmah, and the Mississippi, in North
America. The Nile is so called by Dr.
Johnson in his Itasselas. (See FATHER
THAMES.)
Father of his Country.
Cicero was so entitled by the Roman
senate. They offered the same title to
Ma'rius, but he refused to accept it.
Several of the Caesars were so called—
Julius, after quelling the insurrection of
Spain; Augustus, etc.
Cosmo de' Med'ici (1389–1464).
G. Washington, the defender and pa-
ternal counseller of the American States.
(1732-1799.)
Andrea Do'rea (1468-1560). Inscribed
on the base of his statue by his country-
men of Gen'oa.
Androni'cus Palaeol'ogus II. assumed
the title (1260-1332).
(See also 1 Chron. iv. 14.)
Father of the People.
Louis XII. of France (1462, 1498–
1515). Henri IV. was also termed “the
father and friend of the people” (1553,
1589-1610). -
Christian III. of Denmark (1502,
1534–1559). -
Gabriel du Pineau, the French lawyer
(1573-1644).
Fathers of the Church. The early
advocates of Christianity, who may be
thus classified:—
(1) Five apostolic fathers, who were
contemporary with the apostles—viz.
Clement of Rome, Bar'nabas, Hermas,
Ignaſtius, and Pol’ycarp.
(2) The primitive fathers. Those ad-
vocates of Christianity who lived in the
first three centuries. They consisted of
the five apostolic fathers (q.v.), together
with the nine following:—Justin, Theo-
ph'ilus of Antioch, Irenae'us, Clement
of Alexandria, Cyp’rian of Carthage,
Or'igen, Gregory Thaumatur'gus, Dio-
nysius of Alexandria, and Tertullian.
(3) The fathers, or those of the fourth
and fifth century, who were of two
groups, those of the Greek and those of
the Latin Church. (See below.)
Fathers of the Greek Church.
Eusebius, Athana'sius, Basil the Great,
Gregory Nazianze'nus, Gregory of Nys-
sa, Cyr'il of Jerusalem, Chrys'ostom,
Epipha'nius, Cyril of Alexandria, and
Ephraim, deacon of Edessa.
Fathers of the Latin Church.
Lactantius, Hil'ary, Ambrose of Mil’an,
Jer'ome, Augustin of Hippo, and St.
Bernard.
The last of the fathers. St. Bernard
(1091–1153). The schoolmen who fol-
lowed treated their subjects systematic-
allv.
ounder of the fathers of Christian
doctrine. Caesar de Bus (1544-1607).
Fath’om (Count). A villain in Smol-
let’s novel so called. After robbing his
benefactors, and fleecing all who trusted
him, he is at last forgiven.
Fat'ima. The last of Bluebeard’s
wives, who was saved from death by
the timely arrival of her brother with a
party of friends. Mahomet's favourite
daughter was called Fatima,
29
IT'atted Calf
450
Fear Fortress
Fatted Calf. To kill the fatted calf.
To welcome with the best of everything.
The phrase is taken from the parable
in the third gospel of the prodigal son.
(Luke xv. 30.)
Fat'ua, Mu'lier. A law term for a
courtesan. Fatuus with jurisconsults
means One not in a right mind, incor-
rigibly foolish.
Fault. At fault. Not on the right
track; doubtful whether right or wrong.
Iſounds are at fault when the scent is
broken because the fox has jumped upon
a wall, crossed a river, cut through a
flock of sheep, or doubled like a hare.
* In Geology, the break or displace-
ment of a stratum of rock is called a
fault.
Fault.
to fail.)
For fault of a better (Shakespeare:
Merry Wives, i. 4). Having no better.
“I am the youngest of that name, for fault of
a Worse.”—Shakespeare : Routeo (thud Julict, ii. 4.
In fault. To blame.
“Is Antony Or we in fault for this 2 ”
Shakespeare : Amtony ſtud Cleopatra, iii. 13.
To a fault. In excess; as, kind to a
fault. Excess of every good is more or
less evil.
To find fault. To blame; to express
disapprobation.
Faults. -
No one is without his faults, i.e. is
faultless. “Vitiis memo sine nascitur.”
Fau'na (2 Syl.). The animals of a
country at any given geological period ;
so called from the mythological fauns,
who were the patrons of wild animals.
“Nor less the place of curious plant he knows—
He looth his Flora, and bis Fauna shows.”
Crabbe: Borough.
Faust (1 syl.). The grandest of all
Goethe’s dramas. Faust makes a com-
pact with Mephistoph'elēs, who on one
occasion provides him with a cloak, by
means of which he is wafted through
the air whithersoever he chooses. “All
that is weird, mysterious, and magical
groups round this story.” An English
dramatic version has been made by Bayle
Bernard.
Dr. Faustus, a tragedy by Marlow;
JFaust and Marguerite, by Boucicault;
ºt e Margherito, an opera by Gounod,
€1,0.
Faux-jour (French). A false or
contrary light ; meaning that a picture
is hung so that the light falls on it in
the opposite direction to what it ought.
The artist has made his light fall in one
(French, faute, Latin, fallo,
- Faye.” – Rabelais :
direction, but it is so hung that the light
falls the other way.
Faux Pas. A “false step”; a breach
of manners or moral conduct. (French.)
Favo'nius. The zephyr or west
wind. It means the wind favourable to
vegetation.
Fa'vours. Ribbons made into a
bow; so called from being the favours
bestowed by ladies on the successful
champions of tournaments. (See TRUE-
LovE KNOT ; CURRY Fº
“Here, Fluellen ; wear thou this favour for me,
and stick it in thy cal).”—Shakespeare : Homun'y W.,
1 W. 7.
Favourite. One to whom a lady
gives a “favour’’ or token. The horse
which betting men suppose is most
likely to come off the winner of a par-
ticular race.
Favourites. False curls on the
temples; a curl of hair on the temples
plastered with some cosmetic ; whiskers
made to meet the mouth.
“Yet tell Inne, sire, don't you as nice appear
With your false Cal Ves, j)ardash; and fav'rites
ere 2 ° Mrs. Centlivre.
Fay. (See FAIRY.)
Faye (1_syl.). The way to Faye
(French, “Faie-la-vineuse”). A winding
or zigzag manner, like “Crooked Lane
at Eastcheap.” A person who tries to
do something indirectly goes by the
pathway to Faye. ... Faye is a little
village in France, built on an eminence
so steep that there is no getting to it
except by a very zigzag path.
“They go in to Paradise . . . as the way is to
- Gargamtua, and Pantagruel,
book i. 27. .
Faz'io. A native of Florence, who
first tried to make his fortune by al-
chemy; but being present whenlbartoldo,
an old miser, died, he buried the body
secretly, and stole his money - bags.
Being now rich, he became acquainted
with the Marchioness Aldabella, with
whom he passed his time in licentious
pleasure. His wife Bianca, out of
jealousy, accused him to the duke of
being privy to the death of Bartoldo ;
and Fazio was condemned to death for
murder. Bianca, now tried to undo the
mischief she had done, but it was too
late; she went mad with grief, and
died of a broken heart. (Dean. Mälman :
fazio.) -
Fear Fortress. An hypothetical
castle in a forest near Saragossa.
represents that terrible obstacle which
fear conjures up, but which vanishes
into thin air as it is approached by a
Fearless
451
- Feather
stout heart and clear conscience. The
allegory forms the third part of the
legend of Croquemitaine.
“If a child disappeared, or any cattle were
carried off, the trembling peasants Said, ‘The
lord of Fear-fortress has taken them.” If a fire
broke out anywhere, it was the lord. Qf Fear-
fortress who must have lit it. The origin of all
accidents, mishaps, and disasters. Was traced, to
the mysterious owner of this invisible castle.”—
Croquemitaimé, iii. 1.
“It sunk before my earnest face,
It Vanished quite a Way,
And left no shadow on the place,
Between me and the day.
Such castles rise to Strike uS dum]) ;
But, weak in every part,
They melt, before the strong man's eyes
And fly the true of heart.’
C. Mackay : The Giant (slightly altered).
Fearless [Sans peur]. Jean, Duke of
Burgundy (1371–1419). (See BAYARD.)
Feast of Reason. -
“There St. John [Sin-jn] mingles with the
friendly bowl
The feast of reason and the flow of soul.”
Pope : Imitations of Horace, ii. 1.
Feasts. Anniversary days of joy.
They are either immovable or movable.
The chief immovable feasts are the four
rent-days — viz. the Annunciation or
Lady-Day (March 25th), the Nativity
of John the Baptist (June 24th), Mi-
chaelmas Day (September 29th), and
Christmas Day (December 25th). The
Circumcision (New Year's Day, January
1st), Epiphany (January 6th), All
Saints' (November 1st), All Souls' (No-
vember 2nd), and the several Apostles'
days.
The chief movable feasts depend upon
Baster Sunday. They are—
Palm Sunday. The Sunday next before
Easter Sunday. -
Good Friday. The Friday next before
Easter Sunday.
Ash Wednesday. The first day of
Lent.
Sexagesima Sunday. Sixty days before
Easter Sunday.
Ascension Day or Holy Thursday.
Fortieth day after Easter Sunday.
Pentecost or Whit - Sunday. The
seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday.
Trinity Sunday. The Sunday next
after Pentecost, etc. etc.
Feather. Meaning species or kind.
From the proverb, “Birds of a feather ”
—i.e. of the same plumage, and therefore
of the same sort.
“I am not of that feather to shake off
My friend; when he must need me.” .
'. Shakespeare: Timon of Athens, i. 1.
Feather.
A light, volatile person.
“A wit’s a feather, and a chief a rod ;
An honest man's the noblest work of God.”
Pope : E8Say on Man, 247-8.
A broken feather. (See BROKEN . . )
An oiled feather. Kindness of manner
and speech. An oiled feather will do
more to ease a stubborn lock than great
force. (See Power’s Tract called The
Oiled Feather.)
Birds of a feather flock together.
Latin : Similes similibus gaudent.
Pares cum paribus facile congregantur.
Cicero says, “Deos novimus ornatu et
vestitu.”
Jºrench : Qui se ressemble, s'assemble.
In full feather. Flush of money. In
allusion to birds not on the moult.
In grand feather. Dressed to the
Ill IlêS.
In high feather. In exuberant spirits,
joyous. When birds are moulting they
mope about, but as soon as they regain
their feathers their spirits revive.
Tickled with a feather. Easily moved
to laughter. “Pleased with a feather,
tickled with a straw,” is more usual;
Ičire de la močndre bagatelle.
Also annoyed by trifles, worried by
little annoyances.
“From day to day some silly things
Upset you altogether ; e •
There's nought so soon convulsion brings
As tickling with a feather.
'Gainst minor eyils let him pray
Who Fortune's favour curries;
For One that big misfortunes slay,

Ten die of little worries.”. - -
Sims: Ballads of Babylon (Little Worries).
Cut a feather. A ship going fast is
said to cut a feather, in allusion to the
ripple which she throws off from her
bows. Metaphorically, “to cut a dash.”
“Jack could never cut a feather.”—Sir W. Scott:
The Pirate, xxxiv.
To show a (See
WHITE . . . .)
Feather in Your Cap. That’s a
feather in your cap. An honour to you.
The allusion is to the very general
custom in Asia and among the American
Indians of adding a new feather to their
head-gear for every enemy slain. The
Caufirs of Cabul stick a feather in their
turban for every Mussulman slain by
them. The Incas and Caciques, the
Meunitarris and Mandans (of America),
the Abyssinians and Tur'comans, etc.,
etc., follow the same custom. So did
the ancient Lycians, and many others.
In Scotland and Wales it is still cus-
tomary for the sportsman who kills the
first woodcock to pluck out a feather
and stick it in his cap. In fact, the
custom, in one form or another, seems to
be almost universal.
* When “Chinese ’’ Gordon quelled
the Taiping rebellion he was honoured
by the Chinese Government with the
“yellow jacket and peacock's feather.”
white feather.
Feather 4
2 Feeble
In Hungary, at one time, none might
wear a feather but he who had slain a
Turk. (Lansdowne M.S. 775, folio 149.)
Feather One's Nest.
He has feathered his nest well. He has
made lots of money; has married a rich
woman. The allusion is to birds, which
line their nests with feathers to make
them soft and warm.
Feather One's Oar (To).
To feather an oar is to turn the blade
parallel with the surface of the water
as the hands are moved forward for a
fresh stroke. (The Greek pteron means
both “an oar ’’ and “a feather; ” and
the verb pteroã, to “furnish with oars”
or “with feathers.”) The oar throws
off the water in a feathery spray.
** He fea, ºed his oars with such skill and dex-
y.”
terity. Jolly Young Waterman.
Feather Stone. A federal stone or
stone table at which the ancient courts
baron were held in the open air, and at
which covenants were made. (Latin,
jºdets, a treaty.)
Feathers (The). A public-house sign
in compliment to Henry VI., whose cog-
nizance it was.
Fine feathers make fine birds. (Latin,
“Vestis virum facit,” dress makes the
man). The French proverb is “La
belle plume fait le beloiseau.”
The Prince of Wales’ feathers. The
tradition is, that the Black Prince, hav-
ing slain John of Luxemburg, King of
JBohemia, in the Battle of Cressy, as-
sumed his crest and motto. The crest
consisted of three ostrich feathers, and
the motto was “Ich diem” (I serve).
John of Arden discovered a contempo-
rary MS., in which it is expressly said
that this was the case ; but much con-
troversy has arisen on the question.
Dr. Bell affirms that the crest is a rebus
of Queen Philippa’s hereditary title—
viz. Countess of Ostre-vant (ostrich-
feather). Randall Holmes claims an
old British origin; and the Rev. H.
Longueville asserts that the arms of
Roderick Mawe, prior to the division of
Wales into principalities, was thus bla-
zoned :—“Argent, three lions passant
regardant, with their tails passing be-
tween their legs and curling over their
backs in a feathery form.”
Feature means the “make.” Spenser
speaks of God’s “secret understanding
of our feature '’—i.e. make or structure.
It now means that part which is most
conspicuous or important. Thus we
Speak of the chief feature of a painting,
a garden, a book, etc., etc.
faiture; Latin, factura.)
February. The month of purifi-
cation amongst the ancient Romans.
(Latin, feb'ruo, to purify by sacrifice.)
The 2nd of Feb'ruary (Candlemas Day).
It is said, if the weather is fine and
(Norman,
frosty at the close of January and be-
ginning of February, we may look for
more winter to come than we have seen
up to that time.
“Si Sol splendescat Mari'a Purificantë,
Major erit glaciès post festum quam fuit ante.”
Sir T. Browne : Vulgar Errors.
“If Candlemas Day be dry and fair,
he half O' Winter's come and mair ;
If Candlemas Day be wet and foul,
The lalf o' winter was game at Youl.”
Scotch, Proverb.
“The badger peeps out of his hole on Candle-
maS Day, and, if he finds Snow, walks abroad; but
if he sees the Sun Shining he draws back into his
hole.”—German Proverb.
Fe'cit (Latin, he did it). A word in-
scribed after the name of an artist,
sculptor, etc., as David fecit, Goujon
fecit, i.e. David painted it, Goujon
sculptured it, etc.
Fec'ula means sediment. Starch is
a fecula, being the sediment of flour
steeped in water. (Latin, faces, dregs.)
Fed'eral States. In the late Ame-
rican war the Unionists were so called—
i.e. those northern states which combined
to resist the eleven southern or Con-
federate states (q.v.).
Fee. Anglo-Saxon feoh, cattle, goods,
money. So in Latin, pecunia, from ſpecus,
cattle. Capital is , capāta, heads [of
cattle], and chattels is a mere variant.
Fee-farm-rent is where an estate is
granted, subject to a rent in fee of at
least one-fourth its value. It is rent
paid on lands let to farm, and not let in
recompense of Service at a greatly re-
duced value.
Fee-penny. A fine for money over-
due. Sir Thomas Gresham often wrote
for money “in order to save the fee-
penny.”
Fee Simple. An estate free from
condition or limitation. If restricted
by conditions, the inheritance is called a
* Conditional Fee.”
Fee-tail (A). An estate limited to a
person and his lawful heirs.
Feeble. Most forcible Feeble. A writer
whose language is very “loud,” but
whose ideas are very jejune. Feeble is
a “woman's tailor,” brought to Sir John
Ealstaff as a recruit. He tells Sir John
“he will do his good will,” and the
Teed of Corn
knight replies, “Well said, courageous
Feeble ! Thou wilt be as valiant as
the wrathful dove, or most magnani-
mous mouse . . . most forcible Feeble.”
(Shakespeare : 2 Henry IV., iii. 2.)
Feed of Corn. A quartern of oats,
the quantity given a horse on a journey
when the ostler is told to give him a feed.
Feet. How are your poor feet 2 This
was the popular street mot in the year of
the Great Exhibition of London in 1862.
The immense labour of walking over
the exhibition broke down all but the
strongest athletes.
Fehm-gericht or Vehmgericht (3 syl.).
The secret tribunals of Westphalia, for
the preservation of public peace, Sup-
pression of crime, and maintenance of
the “Catholic '' religion. The judges
were enveloped in profound mystery;
they had their secret spies through all
Germany; their judgments were cer-
tain, but no one could discover the
executioner. These tribunals rose in the
twelfth century, and disappeared in the
sixteenth. Sir Walter Scott, in Anne
of Gierstein, has given an account of
the Westphalian Fehmgericht. (Old
German, fehmen, to condemn; Gericht,
a tribunal.)
“This Vigilance Committee [of Denver city] is a
modern reproduction Of the famous Wehmger-
icht.”—The Times.
Felician (Father). The priest and
schoolmaster of Grand Pré, who accom-
panied Evangeline in her wanderings
to find Gabriel, her affianced husband.
(Longfellow : Evangeline.)
Felix, a monk who listens to the
singing of a milk-white bird for a
thousand years, which seemed to him
“but a single hour,” so enchanted was
he by the song. (Longfellow : The Golden
Legend.)
Felixmar'te (4 syl.). The hero of
a Spanish romance of chivalry by Mel-
chior de Or'teza, Caballe'ro de Ubāda
(1566). The curate in Don Quiacote con-
demned this work to the flames.
Fell (Dr.). (See DoCTOR FELL.)
Fellow Commoner. A wealthy or
married undergraduate of Cambridge,
who pays extra to “common '' (i.e. dine)
at the fellows’ table. In Oxford, these
demi-dons are termed Gentlemen Com-
4)2O72,67°S.
Pellow commoner or gentleman com-
*707te)'. An empty bottle ; so called
because these sort of students are, as
a class, empty-headed.
4
lº
Q
3
Fenella
Felo de Se. The act of a suicide
when he commits self-murder. Murder
is felony, and a man who murders him-
self commits this felony—felo de Sé.
“A felo-de-se, therefore, is he that deliberately
puts an end to his own existence.”—BlackStonue:
Commentaries, book iv. chap. xiv. p. 189.
Feme-covert. A married woman.
This does not mean a woman coverte by
her husband, but a woman whose head
is covered, not usual with maidens or
unmarried women. In Rome unmarried
women wore on their heads only a corolla
(i.e. a wreath of flowers). In Greece they
wore an anadéma, or fillet. The Hun-
garian spinster is called hajadon (bare-
headed). Married women, as a general
rule, have always covered their head with
a cap, turban, or something of the same
sort, the head being covered as a badge of
subjection. Hence Rebekah (Gen. xxiv.
65), being told that the man she saw
was her espoused husband, took a veil
and covered her head. Servants wear
caps, and private soldiers in the presence
of their officers cover their heads for the
same reason. (See Eph. v. 22, 23.)
* Women do not, like men, uncover
their heads even in saluting, but bend
their knee, in token of subjection. (See
SALUTATIONS.)

Feme-sole. A single woman. Feme-
sole anerchant. A woman who carries on
a trade on her own account.
Femme de Chambre.
chambermaid.
Fem'ynye (3 syl.). A mediaeval name
for the kingdom of the Am'azons. Gower
terms Penthesile'a, “ queen of Feminee.”
“He [Thessus] conquered al the regne of Fem-
y hye.” Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 868.
Fen Nightingale. A frog, which
sings at night in the fens, as nightin-
gales sing in the groves. (See ARCADIAN
NIGHTINGALE.)
Fence Month. The close time of
deer, from fifteen days before Midsum-
mer to fifteen days after it. This being
fawning time, deer-hunting is forbidden.
Fenchurch Street (London). The
church in the fens or marshy ground by
the “Langbourne’’ side.
Fencible Regiments. A kind of
militia raised in 1759, again in 1778-9,
and again in 1794, when a force of
15,000 was raised. The force was dis-
|banded in 1802.
Fenel'la. A pretended deaf and dumb
sylph-like attendant on the Countess of
Derby, in Scott's Pev'eril of the Peak.
(French.) A
Tenians
4
Tern
Fe'nians. An anti-British associa-
tion of disaffected Irishmen, called the
Fenian Brotherhood, after the ancient
Eenians of Ireland; formed in New York,
in 1857, to overthrow the domination
of England in Ireland, and make Ire-
land a republic. The word means a
hunter—Gaelic, fianna, from feadhach
(pronounced fee-agh), a hunt. Before
the Germanic invasion, a Celtic race
so called occupied not only parts of
Ireland and Scotland, but also the
north of Germany and the Scandi-
navian shores. Oisin (Ossian) refers to
them, and one passage is thus rendered
in The Antiquary: “I)o you compare
your psalms to the tales of the bare-
armed Fenians?” Oisin was the grand-
son of Fionn, the “fair-haired righ
(chief) of the Fenians,” and all the
high officers of this volunteer associa-
tion were men of rank. It appears that
the Fenians of Ireland (Eirin), Scotland
(Alba), England (Soering), and Scandi-
navia, had a great civil battle at Gabhra,
in Ireland, and extirpated each other.
Oisin alone escaped, and he had slain
“twice fifty men with his own hand.”
In the great Fenian outbreak of Ireland
in 1865, etc., the leaders were termed
“head centres,” and their subordinates
“centres.” (See CIAN-NA-GAEL.)
Fennel. Said to restore lost vision
and to give courage.
“Above the lowly plants it towers,
The fennel with its yellow flowers,
And in an earlier age than ours,
Was gifted with the wondrous powers
Lost vision to restore ;
It gave new strength and fearless mood,
And gladiators fierce and rude
Mingled it in their daily food ;
And he who battled and Subdued
The Wreath. Of fen hel WOre.”
Longfellow: The Goblet of Life, Stanza 6.
Fenrir or Fenris. The wolf of sin
[i.e. of Loki], meaning the goading of a
guilty conscience. The “wolf” was the
brother of Hel (q.v.). When he gapes,
one jaw touches earth and the other
heaven. In the Ragnarok he swallows
the sun and conquers Odin ; but being
conquered by Vidar, he was cast into
Niflheim, where Loki was confined.
Fenton. One who seeks to mend his
fortune by marriage. He is the suitor of
Anne Page. Her father objects to him,
he says, because
“I am too great of birth ;
And that, my state being gall'd with iny expense,
i seek to healit only jºy is wealth.” * * *
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 4.
Ferae Naturae. Applied in law to
animals living in a wild state, as distin-
guished from animals which are domes-
ticated.
Fer'amorz. The young Cashmerian
poet, who relates poetical tales to Lalla
Rookh, in her journey from Delhi to
Lesser Buchar'ia. Lalla Rookh is going
to be married to the young Sultan, but
falls in love with the poet. On the wed-
ding morn she is led to her future hus-
band, and finds that the poet is the
Sultan himself, who had gallantly taken
this course to win the heart of his bride
and beguile her journey. (T. Moore.)
Fer'dinand. Son of the King of
Naples, and suitor of Miranda, daughter
of Prospero, the banished Duke of
Milan. (Shakespeare : Tempest.)
In Love’s Labour’s Lost, the same
name is given to the King of Navarre.
Ferdinan'do. A brave soldier who
obtained a complete victory over the
Ring of Morocco and Grena'da, near
Tari'fa, in 1340. Being in love with
Leono'ra de Guzman, Alfonso XI., whose
life he had saved in the battle, created
him Count of Zamo'ra and Marquis of
Montreal, and gave him the hand of
Leonora in marriage. No sooner was
this done, than Ferdinando discovered
that Leonora was the king’s mistress;
so he restored his ranks and honours to
the king, repudiated his bride, and re-
tired to the monastery of St. James of
Compostella. Leonora entered the same
monastery as a novice, obtained the
forgiveness of Ferdinando, and died.
(Donizetti's opera of La Favori'ta.)
Ferdo'si. A Persian poet, famous
for the copious flow of his diction. He
wrote in verse the Shah-Nămeh, or
history of the Persian kings, which took
thirty years, and contains 120,000 verses.
Ferguson. It’s all very fine, Fer-
guson ; but you don’t lodge here. Capt.
Ferguson was the companion of the
Marquis of Waterford, when that young
nobleman made himself notorious for
his practical jokes in the middle of the
nineteenth century. In one of their
sprees the two companions got separated,
and the marquis found his way home to
the house of his uncle, the Archbishop
of Armagh, Charles Street, St. James's
Square. The marquis had gone to bed,
when a thundering knock came at the
door. The marquis, suspecting who it
was that knocked, threw up the window
and said, “It is all very fine, Ferguson,
but you don’t lodge here; ” and for
many years the saying was popular. (See
Notes and Queries, Jan. 16, 1886, p. 46.)
Fern. (See FANNY FERN.)
B'ern Seed 45
5 Tetch.
Fern Seed. We have the receipt of
fern seed, we walk invisible (1 Henry
IV., act iv. 4). The seed of certain
species of fern is so small as to be in-
visible to the naked eye, and hence the
plant was believed to confer invisibility
on those who carried it about their
person. It was at one time believed
that plants have the power of imparting
their own speciality to their wearer.
Thus, the herb-dragon was said to cure
the poison of serpents; the yellow celan-
dine the jaundice; wood-sorrel, which
has a heart-shaped leaf, to cheer the
heart; liverwort to be good for the
liver, and so on.
“Why did you, think that you had Gygës' ring,
Or the llerb that gives invisibility ?”
Peaumont and Fletcher: l'air Maid of the Inn, i. 1.
“The seeds of fern, which, by prolific heat
Cheered and unfolded, form a plant so great,
Are less a thousand times than what the cye
Can una,SSisted by the tube descry.”
JBlack???0)'e: Creatio??.
Fernando Florestan. A state
prisoner of Seville, married to Leonora,
who, in man’s disguise, and under the
name of Fide'lio, became the servant of
Bocco, the jailor. Pizarro, governor of
the prison, conceived a hatred to Fer-
nando, and resolved to murder him.
Rocco and Leonora, were sent to dig his
grave, and when Pizarro entered the
dungeon, Leonora intercepted his pur-
pose. At this juncture the minister of
State arrived, and ordered the prisoner’s
release. (Beethoven : Fidelio.)
Ferney. The patriarch of Ferney.
Voltaire ; so called because he retired to
Ferney, a small sequestered village near
Gene’va, from which obscure retreat he
poured forth his invectives against the
French Government, the Church, nobles,
nuns, priests, and indeed all classes.
“There are in Paris five or six statues Of the
patriarch of Ferney.”—The Times.
Fero'hers. The guardian angels of
Persian mythology. They are countless
in number, and their chief tasks are for
the well-being of man.
Fer'racute [sharp iron]. A giant in
Turpin's Chronicle of Charlemagne. He
had the strength of forty men, and was
thirty-six feet high. Though no lance
could pierce his hide, Orlando slew him
by Divine interposition. (See FERRAU.)
Fer'ragus. The giant of Portugal,
who took Bellisant under his care after
she had been divorced by Alexander,
Emperor of Constantinople. (Walentine
and Orson.)
The great “Brazen Head,” that told
those who consulted it whatever they
, required to know, was kept in the castle
of this giant.
(See FERRAU.)
Ferra'ra. An Andrew Ferrara. A
broadsword or claymore of the best
quality, bearing the name of Andrea,
Ferra'ra, one of the Italian family whose
swords were famous in the sixteenth
and seventeenth centuries. Genuine
“Andrea, Ferraras '? have a crown
marked on the blade.
* My father had an Andrea Ferrara,
which had been in the family about a
century. It had a basket-hilt, and the
name was distinctly stamped on the
'blade.
“We'll put in bail, boy; Old Andrew Ferrara.
Shall lodge his Security.”—Scott: Waverley, chap. 1.
Ferrau (in Orlando Furioso). Fer-
:aute, Fer'racute, or Fer'ragus, a Sara-
cen, son of Lanfu'sa. He dropped his
helmet in the river, and vowed he would
never wear another till he had won that
worn by Orlando. Orlando slew him
with a wound in the navel, his only
vulnerable part.
Ferrex and Porrex. Two sons
of Gorboduc, a mythical British king.
Porrex drove his brother from Britain,
and when Ferrex returned with an army
he was slain, but Porrex was shortly
after put to death by his mother. One
of the first, if not the very first, historical
play in the English language was Ferrea:
and Porrea, by Thomas Norton and
Thomas Sackville.
Ferumbras. (See FIERABRAs.)
Fescennine Verses. Tampoons;
so called from Fescennia in Tuscany,
where performers at merry-makings
used to extemporise Scurrilous jests of
a personal nature to amuse the audience.
Fess (Latin, fascia, a band or covering
for the thighs). In heraldry, the fess is
a band drawn horizontally
across the shield, of which it
occupies one - third. It re-
presents the band which was
worn by knights low down
across the hips.
Fest. A pledge. Festing-man, a Surety
to another. Festizºg-penny, a penny
given in earnest to secure a bargain.
(Anglo-Saxon, festing, an act of con-
fidence, an entrusting.)
Fetch. A wraith—the disembodied
ghost of a living person. (See FETICHE.)
“I'etches . . ; most commonly appear to distant
friends and relations, at the Yery instant pre-
ceding the death of those, they represent.”—
Brand: Popular Antiquities (Death OmenS). -
(Valentine and Orson.)

FESS
Tetches
456
Fiacre
Fetches.
(Saxon.)
“Deny to speak with me 2
are weary -
They have travelled all the night 2 Mere fetches.”
Shakespeare : King Leur, ii. 4.
Fet'iche or Fet'ish. The African idol,
the same as the American Man'itou. The
worship of this idol is called Fet'ichism
or Fetishism. (Portuguese, fetisso, ma-
gician, fairy, Oracle.)
‘.' Almost anything will serve for a fetiche: a fly,
a bird, a lion, a fish, a Serpent, a stone, a tree
struck by lighining, a bit of metal, a shell; but the
lmost potent of all fetiches iS the l’OCk Tabra.
The fetiehe or fetish of the bottle. The
imp drunkenness, or drunkenness itself.
Excuses, tricks, artifices.
They are sick 2 they
Fetter Lane is probably feuterer-lane.
A feuterer is a keeper of dogs, and the
lane has always been famous for dog-
fanciers. Howel, with less probability,
says it is Fewtor Lane, i.e. the lane of
fewtors or worthless fellows who were
for ever loitering about the lane on
their way to the gardens. Faitour is an
archaic word for a worthless fellow, a
lazy vagabond, from the Norman-French.
Fettle, as a verb, means to repair ;
to smoothe, as an adjective, it means
well-knit, all right and tight. It is
connected with our word feat, the French
..faire, the Latin facere.
JFettled ale, in Lancashire, means ale
warmed and Spiced.
Feu de Joie (French). A running
fire of guns on an occasion of rejoicing.
Feud, meaning “hatred,” is the Saxon
.fahth (hatred); but feud, a “fief,” is
the Teutonic fee-odh (trust-land). ' (See
below.)
Feudal or Feodal (2 syl.). In Gothic
odh means “property,” hence odh-all
(entire property); Flemish, udal. By
transposition we get all-ohd, whence
our allodium (absolute property claimed
by the holders of fiefs); and by com-
bining the words fee and odh we get fee-
odh, feodh, or feod (property given by
way of fee for services conferred).
(Pontoppidan.)
Feudal System (The). A system
founded on the tenure of feuds or fiefs,
given in compensation for military Ser-
vice to the lord of the tenants.
Feuillants. A reformed Cistercian
order instituted by Jean de la Barrière
in 1586. So called from the convent of
Reuillans, in Languedoc, where they
were established in 1577.
The club of the Feuillants, in the French
Revolution, composed of moderate Jaco-
bins. So called because the convent of
the Feuillants, near the Tuileries, was
their original club-room (1791-2).
Feuilleton [felt-yé-ton]. A fly-sheet.
Applied to the bottom part of French
newspapers, generally devoted to a tale
or some other light literature.
“The daily [French] newspapers all had feuille-
tons, with continued...stories in them.”—Hale:
Ten-times One, chap, Yiii. p. 125.
Fever-lurdan or Fever-lurgan. A
fit of idleness. Lurden means a block-
head. (French, lourd, heavy, dull, thick,
headed ; lourdand, a blockhead.)
Fever-lurk. A corruption of Fever-
lurg, as “Fever-lurgan ” is of Fever-
lurdan. The disease of laziness.
º “Fever-lurk,
Neither play nor work.”
Fey. Predestined to early death.
When a person suddenly changes his
wonted manner of life, as when a miser
becomes liberal, or a churl good-hu-
moured, he is said in Scotch to be fey,
and near the point of death.
“She must be fey (said Triptolennus), and in
that case has not long to live.”—Sir W. Scott: The
Pirate, chap. V.
Fe'zon. Daughter of Savary, T)uke
of Aquitaine, demanded in marriage by
a pagan, called the Green Jūnight; but
Orson, having overthrown the pagan,
was accepted by the lady instead.
(Palentine and Orson.) -
Fi or Fie! An exclamation indicating
that what is reproved is dirty or indecent.
The dung of many animals, as the boar,
wolf, fox, marten, and badger, is called
fiants, and the “orificium ana'le '' is
called a ji, a word still used in Lincoln-
shire. (Anglo-Norman, fay, to clean out;
Saxon, afylan, to foul; our deſtle or file,
to make foul; filth, etc.)
The old words, fie-corn (dross corn),
Ji-lands (unenclosed lands), Ji-mashings
(the dung of any wild beast), etc., are
compounds of the same word.
“I had another process against the dung-
fºer, Master Fifi.”—Rabelais : Pant(tgruel, book
Fi. Fa. A contraction of the two
Latin words, fi'eri facias (cause it to be
done). A judicial writ for one who has
recovered damages in the Queen’s courts,
being a command to the sheriff to see
the judgment of the court duly carried
Out.
Fiacre. A French cab or hackney
coach. So called from the Hotel de St.
Fiacre, Paris, where the first station of
fºlian 457 Fiddler's Money
these coaches was established by M. Fiddle (Latin, fidis or ſides). He was
Sauvage, about 1650. - first fiddle. Chief man, the most dis-
* According to Alban Butler, Fiacre
was the son of an Irish king, born in
600, to whose tomb pilgrimages were
made in the month of August. His day
is August 30th, (Lives of the Saints,
vol. ii. p. 379.)
Fian (John), a schoolmaster at Salt-
pans, near Edinburgh, tortured to death
and then burnt at the stake on the Castle
Hill of Edinburgh, Saturday, January,
1591, because he refused to acknowledge
that he had raised a storm at Sea, to
wreck James I. on his voyage to Den-
mark to visit his future queen. First,
his head was crushed in upon his brain
by means of a rope twisted tighter and
tighter; then his two legs were jammed
to a jelly in the wooden boots; then his
nails were pulled out and pins inserted
in the raw finger tips; as he still re-
mained silent, he was strangled, and his
dead body burnt to ashes.
Fiars. Striking the fiars. Taking
the average price of corn. Fiars is a
Gothic word, still current in Ireland.
(Scotch law.)
Fiasco. A failure, a mull. In Italy
they cry Qld, old, fiasco / to an unpopular
singer. This word, common in France
and Germany, is employed as the opposite
of furore.
* The history of the word is as fol-
lows:–In making Venetian glass, if the
slightest flaw is detected, the glass-
blower turns the article into a fiasco—
that is, a common flask.
A gentleman from North America (G. Tox,
“ the Modern Bathylus ''), furnishes me with the
following anecdote : “There was once a glever
harlequin of Florence named Dominico Bianco-
Jelli, noted for his comic harangues. He was
wont to improvise upon whatever article he held
in his hand. One night he appeared holding a
flask (fiasco); but failing to extract any humour
Whatsoever from his subject, he said, ‘It is thy
fault, flasco, and dashed the flask on the ground.
After that a failure was commonly called in
Florence a ‘fiasco.’”. To me it appears incredible
that a clever improvisator could draw no matter
from an empty bottle, apparently a subject rife
With matter.
Fiat. I give my fiat to that proposal.
I consent to it. A fiat in law is an
order of the court directing that some-
thing stated be done. (Latin, fiat, let
it be done.)
Fib. An attendant on Queen Mab in
Trayton's Wymphidia. Fib, meaning a
falsehood, is the Latin fabula, a fable.
Fi'co. (See FIG.)
* Fico for the phrase.”
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3.
“I See contempt marching forth, giving me
the fico with his thombe in his mouth.” — Wit's
Miserie (1596),
tinguished of the company.
To play second fiddle. To take a sub-
ordinate part. The allusion is to the
leader of concerts, who leads with a
fiddle.
The Scotch fiddle or Caledonian Cre-
möna. The itch. As fiddlers scratch
with a bow the strings of a fiddle, so
persons suffering from skin-irritation
keep scratching the part irritated.
Fiddle About (To). To fiddle about
a thing means to ‘‘play ” business. To
fiddle with one’s fingers is to move them
about as a fiddler moves his fingers up
and down the fiddle-strings.
“Mere trifling, or unprofitable fiddling allout
nothing.”—Bath','ow : Sermons, Vol. i. Scrimon 7.
Fiddle a de - dee . An exclamation
signifying what you say is nonsense or
moonshine. Fiddle-de-dee is meant to
express the sound of a fiddle-string
vocalised. Hence “sound signifying
nothing.”
Fiddle-faddle. It is all fiddle-faddle.
Rubbishy nonsense ; talk not worth
attention. A ricochet word, of which
we have a vast number, as “flim-flam,”
“helter-skelter,” “wishy-washy,” etc.
To fiddle is to waste time in playing on
the fiddle, and hence fiddle means a
trifle, and fiddle-faddle is silly trifle or
silly nonsense.
“Pitiful fool that I was to stand fiddle-faddling
in that Way.” . . -
Clough : Aºnours de Voyage, Canto iv. Stanza 3.
Fiddleback. The name of Oliver
Goldsmith’s poor unfortunate pony, on
which he made his country excursions.
Fiddler. Drunk as a fiddler. Fidd-
lers at wakes and fairs were allowed
meat and drink to their heart’s content,
and seldom left a merry-making sober.
Oliver’s Fiddler. Sir Roger L’Es-
trange (1616-1704). So called because
he, at one time, was playing a fiddle or
viole with others in the house of John
Hingston when Cromwell was one of
the guests.
* Fiddler is a slang word for sixpence.
Fiddler's Fare or Fiddler's Pay.
Meat, drink, and money.
Fiddler's Green. The land of the
leal or “ Dixie Land ” of sailors ;
where there is perpetual mirth, a fiddle
that never ceases to untiring dancers,
plenty of grog, and unlimited tobacco.
Fiddler's Money. A silver penny.
The fee given to a fiddler at a wake by
each dancer.
ITiCldler's News
Fiddler's News. Stale news carried
about by wandering fiddlers.
Fiddlestick. In the Great German
epic called The Nibelungen: Lied, this
word is used six or eight times for a
broadsword.
“His fiddlestick he grasped, 'twas massy, broad,
and long,
As sharp as any razor.” Stanza, 1,841.
“My fiddlestick's no feather ; on whom I let it
If he has friends that love laim, 'twill Set them
Weeping all.” - Stanza, 1,880.
“His fiddlestick, sharp-cutting, can hardest steel
C} 1 \"
And at a stroke can shiver the morion's beamy
pride.” Stanza 2,078.
Fiddlesticks : An exclamation sig-
nifying what you say is not worth atten-
tion. To fiddle about is to waste time,
fiddling. A fiddlestick is the instrument
used in fiddling, hence the fiddlestick is
even less than the fiddle.
Fidele (3 syl.). The name assumed
by Imogen in Shakespeare’s Cymbeline.
Collins has a beautiful elegy on Fidele.
Fide'lio. Beethoven’s only opera.
(See LEONORA.)
Fides. The goddess of Faith, etc.
Fides (2 syl.). Mother of John of
Teyden. Not knowing that her son was
the “prophet” and ruler of Westphalia,
'but thinking that the prophet had caused
his death, she went to Munster to curse
the new-crowned monarch. The moment
she saw him she recognised him, but
the “prophet-king,” surrounded by his
courtiers, pretended not to know her.
Fides, to save her son annoyance, de-
clared she had made a mistake, and was
confined in the dungeon of the palace at
Munster, where John visited her and
was forgiven. When her son set fire
to his palace, Fides frushed into the
flames and perished with him. (Meyer-
beer's opera of Le Prophète.)
Fides Carbona'rii. Blind faith,
faith of a child. A carbona'ro being
asked what he believed, replied, “What
the Church believes; ” and, being asked
again what the Church believes, made
answer, “What I believe.” (See CAR-
BONARI.) (Roua: ; Dictionnaire Comique.)
Field. (Anglo-Saxon, feld.)
In agricultural parlance, a field is a
portion of land belonging to a farm.
In huntsman’s language, it means all
the riders.
In heraldry, it means the entire Surface
of the shield.
In military language, it means a
battle; the place where a battle is
458
IField
º
fought, or is about to be fought ; a
campaign.
In sportsmen’s language it means all
the horses of any one race.
Against the field. In horse-racing, to
'bet against the field means to back a
particular horse against all the rest
entered for the race. -
In the field. A competitor for a prize.
A term in horse-races, as, so-and-so was
in the field. Also in war, as, the Frênch
were in the field already.
Master of the field. In military par-
lance, means the conqueror in a battle.
To keep back the field, is to keep back
the riders.
To take the field. To move the army
preparatory to battle.
To win the field. To win the battle.
Field-day. Day of business. Thus,
a clergyman jocosely calls a “kept fes-
tival” his field-day. A military term,
meaning a day when a regiment is taken
to the fields for practice,
Field Marshal. A general officer of
the highest rank, who commands an
army, Or, at any rate, more than one
Corps.
Field Officer. Any officer between
captain and a general officer. A major
or a lieutenant-colonel may be a field
officer, being qualified to command whole
battalions, or a “field.”
Field Pieces. Small cannon carried
into the field with an army.
Field Works. Works thrown up by
an army in besieging or defending a
fortress, or in strengthening its position.
“Earth-forts, and especially fleld works, will
hereafter play an important part in wars.”—W. T.
Sherman : Memoirs, vol. ii. chap. xxiv. p. 398.
Field of Blood. , Acel'dama, the
piece of land bought by the chief
priests with the money which Judas
threw down in the temple; so called
because it was bought with blood-
money. (Matt. xxvii. 5; Acts i. 19.)
* The battle-field of Cannae (B.C. 216)
is so called because it was especially
Sangulnary.
Field of Ice. A large body of float-
ing ice.
Field of Vision Or Field of View.
The space in a telescope, microscope,
stereoscope, etc., within which the ob-
ject is visible. If the object is not
distinctly visible, it must be brought into
the field by adjustment.
Field of the Cloth of Gold. The
plain, near Guisnes, where Henry VIII.
T'ield
459
Eifth-Monarchy Men
had his interview with François I. in
1520; so called from the splendour and
magnificence displayed there on the
occasion.
©
Field of the Forty Footsteps.
At the back of the British Museum,
once called Southampton Fields. The
tradition is that two, brothers, in the
Duke of Monmouth's rebellion, took
different sides and engaged each other
in fight. Both were killed, and forty
impressions of their feet remained on
the field for many years, where no grass
would grow. The encounter took place
at the extreme north-east of Upper
Montague "Street. The Misses Porter
wrote a novel on the subject, and the
Messrs. Mayhew a melodrama.
Fielding. The Fielding of the drama.
George Farquhar, author of the Beaua.”
Stratagem, etc. (1678-1707.)
Fierabras (Sir), of Alexandria, son
of Balan, King of Spain. The greatest
giant that ever walked the earth. For
height of stature, breadth of shoulder,
and hardness of muscle he never had an
equal. He possessed all Babylon, even
to the Red Sea ; was seigneur of Russia,
TIOrd of Cologne, master of Jerusalem,
and even of the Holy Sepulchre. He
carried away the crown of thorns, and
the balsam which embalmed the body of
Our Lord, one drop of which would cure
any sickness, or heal any wound in a |
moment. One of his chief exploits was
to slay the “fearful huge giant that
guarded the bridge Mantible,” famous
for its thirty arches of black marble.
IHis pride was laid low by Olivier, one
of Charlemagne’s paladins. The giant
then became a child of God, and ended
his days in the odour of sanctity, “meek
as a lamb and humble as a chidden
slave.” Sir Fierabras, or Ferumbras,
figures in several mediaeval romances,
and is an allegory of Sin overcome by
the Cross. (See BALAN.)
Fifteen decisive Battles (The), ac-
cording to Sir E. S. Creasy, were:
1. The battle of MARATHON (Sept.,
490 B.C.), when Miltiadès, with 10,000
Greeks, defeated 100,000 Persians under
Datis and Artaphernës.
2. The naval battle at SyFACUSE (Sep.,
413 B.C.), when the Athenians under
Nicias and Demosthenês were defeated
with a loss of 40,000 killed and wounded,
and their entire fleet.
3. The battle of ARBE'LA (Oct.,
331 B.C.), when Alexander the Great
overthrew Darius Codomanus for the
third time.
4. The battle of METAURUS (207 B.C.),
when the consuls Livius and Nero cut to
pieces Hasdrubal's army, sent to rein-
force Hannibal.
5. In A.D. 9 Arminius and the Gauls
utterly overthrew the Romans under
Varus, and thus established the inde-
pendence of Gaul.
6. The battle of CHALONS (A.D. 451),
when Aetius and Theodoric utterly de-
feated Attila, and saved Europe fro
devastation. -
7. The battle of Tours (Oct.,732 A.D.),
when Charles Martel overthrew the Sa-
racens under Abderahmen, and thus
broke the Moslem yoke from Europe.
8. The battle of HASTINGS (Oct., 1066),
when William of Normandy slew Harold
II., and obtained the crown of England.
9. The battle of ORLEANS in 1429, when
Joan of Arc secured the independence of
France.
10. The defeat of the Spanish ARMADA
in 1588, which destroyed the hopes of the
Pope respecting England.
11. The battle of BLENHEIM (13 Aug.,
1704), when Marlborough and Prince
Eugene defeated Tallard, and thus pre-
vented Louis XIV. from carrying out
his schemes.
12. The battle of PULTOWA (July,
1709), when Czar Peter utterly defeated
Charles XII. of Sweden, and thus estab-
lished the Muscovite power.
13. The battle of SARATOGA (Oct.,
1777), when General Gates defeated the
British under General Burgoyne, and
thus secured for the United States the
alliance of France.
14. The battle of VALMY (Sep., 1792),
when the French Marshal Kellerman de-
feated the Duke of Brunswick, and thus
established for atime the French republic.
15. The battle of WATERLoo (18 June,
1815), when Napoleon the Great was
defeated by the Duke of Wellington, and
Europe was restored to its normal con-
dition.
The battle of GTTTYSBURG, in Pennsylvania.
(3 July, 1863), when the Confederates, ull (101 the
command of General Lee, were defeated by the
Northern army, Was certainly one Of the most im-
portant, if not the most important, of the Ameri-
can Civil War.
The battle of SEDAN (Sep., 1870), when Napoleon
gave up his sword to William, King of Prussia,
which put an end to the empire of France.
Fifth-Monarchy Men. A sect of
English famatics in the days of the Puri-
tans, who maintained that Jesus Christ
was about to come a second time to
the earth, and establish the fifth uni-
versal monarchy. The four preceding
Fig
460 Fighting Prelate
monarchies were the Assyrian, the Per-
sian, the Macedonian, and the Roman.
In politics, the Fifth-Monarchy Men
were arrant Radicals and levellers.
Fig. Full fig. Full dress. A cor-
ruption of the Italian in fioc'chi (in gala
costume). It was derived from the tas-
sels with which horses were ornamented
in state processions. Thus we read in
Miss Knight's Autobiography, “The
Pope's throne was set out for mass, and
the whole building was in perfect fiocchi”
(in full fig). Another etymology has
been suggested by a correspondent in
JVotes and Queries, that it is taken from
the word full fig. (figure) in fashion
books.
“The Speaker sits at one end all in full fig, with
a clerk at the table below.”—'I'rollope: West
Indies, chap. ix. p. 101.
Fig or Figo. I don’t care a fig for
4/07/ ; ??ot worth a ſig. Anything at all.
Here fig is fico—a fillip or snap of the
fingers. Thus we say, “I don’t care
that for you,” Snapping the fingers at
the same time. (Italian, far le fiche,
to snap the fingers; French, faire la
figue ; German, dieſeigen weisen ; Dutch,
de vyghe setten, etc.) (See FICO.)
“A fig for Peter.” º
Shakespeare : 2 Henry VI., ii. 9.
“The figo for thy friendship.” ...
Shakespeatre: Henry V., iii. 6.
Fig Sunday. Palm Sunday is so
called from the custom of eating figs on
that day. The practice arose from the
Bible story of Zaccheus, who climbed
up into a fig-tree to see Jesus.
* Many other festivals have their
special foods; as, Michaelmas goose,
Christmas, plum-pudding, Shrove Tues-
day, pancake day; Ash Wednesday, Salt
cod; Good Friday, hot cross-buns;
pasch-eggs, roast-chestnuts, etc., have
their special days.
Fig-tree. It is
hanged himself on a fig-tree.
ELDER-TREE.)
“Quæret aliquis quá exarſboré Judasse suspen'-
derit P Arbor ficus fuisse diſcitur.”—Barradius.
Figs. I shan’t buy my Attic figs in
future, but grow them. Don’t count
your chickens before they are hatched.
said that Judas
(See
It was Xerxes who boasted that he did.
not intend any longer to buy his figs,
|because he meant to conquer Attica and
add it to his own empire; but Xerxes
met a signal defeat at Salſamis, and
“never loosed his sandal till he reached
Abde/ra.”
“In the name of the Prophet, Figs I’”
A burlesque of the solemn language
employed in eastern countries in the
common business of life. The line
occurs in the imitation of Dr. Johnson’s
pompous style, in Réjected Addresses, by
James and Horace Smith.
Figged out. (See FIG, Full Fig.)
Fig'aro. A type of cunning dex-
terity, and intrigue. The character is
in the Barbier de Séville and Mariage de
Pigaro, by Beaumarchais. In the former
he is a barber, and in the latter a valet;
but in both he outwits every one. There
are several operas founded on these
dramas, as Mozart's Nozze di Figaro,
Paisiello's Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and
Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia.
Fight. (See Hudibras, Pt. iii. c. 3.)
“He that fights and runs away -
May live to fight another day :
But he that is in battle slain
Can never rise to fight again.”
Sir John Memmes: Musarwm Delictae. (1656.)
Demos' theněs, being reproached for
running away from Philip of Macedon,
at Chaerone'a, replied, “A man that
runs away may fight again ('Avhp & bevyov
kai rāAvv waxigera).” (See Aulus Gel-
lius, xvii. 21.)
Fight Shy (To). To avoid. A shy
person is unwilling to come forward,
and to fight is to resist, to struggle in a
contest. To “fight shy,” therefore, is
to resist being brought into contest or
conflict. -
Fighting-cocks. To live like fighting-
cocks. To have a profusion of the best
food. Fighting-cocks used to be high
fed in order to aggravate their pug-
nacity and increase their powers of en-
durance. -
Fighting Fifth (The). The 5th
Foot. This sobriquet was given to the
regiment during the Peninsular War.
The “Old and Bold Fifth,” the Duke
of Wellington's Body-guard, is now
called the “Northumberland Fusiliers.”
What a terrible vexation must the
abolition of the time-honoured names of
our old regiments have been to our army
Fighting Kings [Chen-kuo). Cer-
tain feudatories of China incessantly
contending for mastery over each other.
(B.C. 770-320.)
Fighting Prelate. Henry Spencer,
Bishop of Norwich, who greatly distin-
guished himself in the rebellion of Wat
Tyler. He met the rebels in the field,
with the temporal sword, then absolved
them, and sent them to the gibbet.
“The Bishop of Norwich, the famous ‘fighting
prelate,' had led an army into Flanders.”—Lord
Campbell. ---.
Fighting the Tiger
461
Filomena
Fighting the Tiger. Gaming is so
called in the United States of America.
“After seeing ‘fighting the tiger, as gaming
is styled in the United States, I have arrived, at
the conclusion that gaming is more fairly Carried
on in the Monte Carſo casińo than in any Ameri-
can gaming-house.” — The Nineteenth Century,
Feb., 1890, 1). 249.
Fighting with Gloves on. Sparring
without showing animosity ; fighting
with weapons or words with coloured
friendliness. Fighting, like boxers, with
boxing gloves. Tories and Whigs in the
two Houses of Parliament fight with
gloves on, so long as they preserve all
the outward amenities of debate, and
conceal their hostility to each other by
seeming friendliness.
Figure. To cut a figure. This phrase
seems applicable more especially to dress
and outward bearing. To make a figure
is rather to make a name or reputation,
but the distinction is not sharply ob-
served.
To make a figure. To be a notability.
Faire quelque figure dams le monde. “He
makes no figure at court; ” Il me fait
aucume figure à la cour.
, Figure. What's the figure ?
price; what am I to pay? what “figure’”
or sum does my debt amount to ?
Figure-head. A figure on the head
or projecting cutwater of a ship.
Figure of Fun (A). A droll appear-
ance, whether from untidiness, quaint-
ness, or other peculiarity. “A precious
figure of fun,' is a rather stronger
expression. ... These are chiefly applied
to young children.
Figures. A corruption of fingers, that
is, “digits” (Latin, digiti, fingers). So
called from the primitive method of
marking the monades by the fingers.
Thus the first four were simply i, ii, iii,
iiii; five was the outline of the hand
simplified into a v ; the next four figures
were the two combined, thus, vi, vii,
viii, viiii; and ten was a double v, thus,
x. At a later period iiii and viiii were
expressed by one less than five (i-v) and
one less than ten (i-x). Nineteen was
ten-plus-nine (x + ix), etc.—a most
clumsy and unphilosophical device.
Filch. To steal or purloin. A filch
is a staff with a hook at the end, for
plucking clothes from hedges and
abstracting articles from shop windows.
Probably it is a corruption of pilfer.
(Welsh, yspeilio and yspeiliwr.; Spanish,
The
pellizear: French, piller and peler. Filch
and pilfer are variants of the same word.
“With cunning hast thou filched my daughter's
r 2
àI’t.
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, i. 2.
File. To cheat. The allusion is to
filing money for the sake of the dust
which can be used or sold. A file is a
cheat. Hence “a jolly file,” etc.
“SOrful becom that fals ſile.”
Cum’sor Mumdi, MS.
In single file. Single row ; one behind
another. (French, file, a row.)
Bank and file. Common soldiers.
Thus we say, “Ten officers and three
hundred rank and file fell in the action.”
Jęank refers to men standing abreast,
file to men standing behind each other.
“It was only on the faith of some grand expe-
dition that the credulous rank and file of the
Brotherhood subscribed their dollars.” — The
TimeS.
Fi'lia, Doloro'sa. The Duchesse
d’Angoulême, daughter of Louis XVI.,
also called the modern Antig'one. (1778-
1851.) º
Filibuster. A piratical adventurer.
The most notorious was William Walker,
who was shot in 1855. (French, fibusticr,
a corruption of our “freebooter ; ” Ger-
man, freibewter ; Spanish, filibustero ;
Dutch, wrijbueter.) (See BUCCANEER.)
Filioque Controversy (The) long
disturbed the Eastern and Western
Churches. The point was this: Did the
Holy Ghost proceed from the Father
and the Son (Filio-que), or from the
Father only P. The Western Church
maintained the former, and the Eastern
Church the latter dogma. The ſilio-que
was added in the Council of Toledo 589.
Amongst others, Pope Leo III. was
averse to the change. (Nicene Creed.)
The gist of the argument is this: If the Son is
One with the Father, whatever proceeds from the
Father must proceed from the Son also. This is
Hºlly called “The Procession of the Holy
OSt.”
Fill-dyke. The month of February,
when the rain and melted snow fills the
ditches to overflowing.
Fillet. A narrow band round the
head for binding the hair, or simply
for ornament. Aure'lian was the first
Itoman emperor that wore a royal fillet
or diadem in public. In the time of
Constantine the fillet was adorned with
precious stones.
Filome'na. Longfellow calls Florence
Nightingale St. Filomena, not only be-
cause Filomena resembles the Latin word
for a nightingale, but also because this
B'ilter
462
Finger
saint, in Sabatelli’s picture, is repre-
sented as hovering over a group of sick
and maimed, healed by her intercession.
(See THAUMATURGUS.)
Filter. To run through felt, as jelly
is strained through flannel. The Ro-
mans strained the juice of their grapes
through felt into the wine-vat, after
which it was put into the casks. (Latin,
feltrum, felt, filtrum, a strainer.)
Fin. The hand. A contraction of
finger. Thus we say, “Give us your
fin'”— i.e. shake hands. The derivation
from a fish's fin is good only for a joke.
Finality John. Earl Russell, who
maintained that the IReform Bill of 1832
was a finality, yet in 1854, 1860, and
1866 brought forth other Reform Bills. :
Finance (French). Bevenue derived
from fines or subsidies. In feudal times
finance was money paid to a lord for a
privilege. In the plural we use the word
to signify available money resources.
Thus we say, “My finances are ex-
hausted,” meaning I have no more funds
or available money.
Finch Lane (London). So called
from a family of consideration by the
name of Finch or Finke. There was
once a church in the lane called St.
Benet Finke. There is an Irish saint
named Finc, in Latin Fincayºa, whose
day is October 13th.
Find. You know what you leave behind,
but not what you will find. And this it
is that “makes us rather bear the ills we
have, than fly to others that we know
not Of.”
Fin'don Haddocks. Haddocks
smoked with green wood. (See Sir W.
Scott : The Antiquary, xxvi.) Findon
or Finnon is a village some six miles
south of Aberdeen, where haddocks are
cured.
Findy. Plump, full. (Saxon, findig.)
“A cold May and a windy
Make barns fat and findy.”
Old Proverb.
Fine Arts. Those arts which chiefly
depend on a delicate or fine imagina-
tion, as music, painting, poetry, and
Sculpture.
Fine as Five pence. The ancient
Saxon shilling was a coin worth 5d. “To
dress fine as fivepence ’’ is to dress very
smartly. The Saxon shilling was a far
better coin than those made of tin, lead,
and other inferior metals.
Fine-ear. One of Fortu'nio's Ser-
vants, who could hear the grass grow
and, the mole work underground.
(Grimm’s Goblins : Fortunio.)
Fin'etor. A necromancer, father of
º: Enchantress-Damsel, in Amſadis of
Paul.
Fingal—i.e. Fin-mac-Coul. (See Sir
W. Scott : The Antiquary, chap. xxii.)
Fingal's Cave. The basaltic cavern
of Staffa. So called from Fion na Gael
(Fingal), the great Gaelic hero, whose
achievements have been made familiar
by the Fingal of Macpherson.
Finger. (Anglo-Saxon, finger).
The ear ſinger, digitus auricularis—i.e.
the little finger. The four fingers are
the index finger, the middle finger, the
ring finger, and the ear finger. In
Trench, le doigt attriculaire. The little
finger is so called because it can, from
its diminutive size, be most easily intro-
duced into the conduit of the ear. -
“. Le doigt auriculaire est le petit doight, ainsi
nommé parge qu'a cause de sa petitesse, ii peut,
facilement étre introduit dans le conduit auditif
CX tel'ne.”—Dict. des Sciences, etc.
The indea: finger. The first finger; so
called "because it is used as a pointer.
The medical finger. The ring finger
(q.v.).
“At last he put on her medical finger a pretty,
handsome gold ring, whereinto was enchased a
precious toadstone of Beausse.”—Rabelais : Pan-
tatſ/?'ttel, iii. 17.
The ring finger. The finger between
the long and little finger was used by
the Romans as a ring-finger, from the
belief that a nerve ran through it to the
heart. Hence the Greeks and Romans
used to call it the medical finger, and
used it for stirring mixtures, under the
notion that nothing noxious could touch
it without its giving instant warning to
the heart. It is still a very general
notion in England that it is bad to rub
on salve or scratch the skin with any but
the ring finger. The fact that there was
no such intimacy between the finger and
the heart was not discovered till after
the notion was deeply rooted. Pliny
calls this digitus annuláris.
With a wet ſinger. Easily. (See WET
FINGER.)
My little finger told me that. The
same as “A little bird told me that,”
meaning, I know it, though you did not
expect it. The former expression is
from Molière’s Malade Imaginaire. (See
BIRD.)
“By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.”
Shakespeare: Macbeth, iv. 1.
Ury, baby, cry; put your finger in 4/07/r
eye, etc. This nursery rhyme seems to
Finger and Glove
463
Fire
be referred to by Shakespeare in his
Comedy of Errors, ii. 2:—
“No longer will I be fool,
To put the finger in the eye and weep.”
To hold up a finger (in an auction
room) by way of a bid, was a Roman
custom, “digitum tollère’’ (Cicero ; In
Verrem, Actio i. 54). Horace confirms
this.
To turn up the little finger. (See
TURN.)
Finger and Glove. To be ſinger and
glove with another means to be most
intimate. -
Finger in the Pie. To have a finger
in the pie. To assist or mix oneself
officiously in any matter. Esse rei par-
ticeps. In French, Mettre la main à la
páče.
Finger Benediction. In the Greek
and Roman Church the thumb and first
two fingers represent the Trinity. The
thumb, being strong, represents the
Pather; the long or second finger, Jesus
Christ ; and the first finger, the Holy
Ghost, which proceedeth from the Father
and the Son. (See BLESSING...)
Some bishops of the Anglican Church
use this gesture while pronouncing the
benediction.
Finger-stall. A hutkin, a cover for
a sore finger. The Germans call a
thimble a finger-hut, where hut is evi-
dently the word hut or huth (a tending,
keeping, or guarding), from the verb
hºſten (to keep watch over). Our hutkin
is simply a little cap for guarding a sore
finger. Stall is the Saxon stal (a place),
whence our stall, a place for horses.
Fingers. The old names for the
fingers are:—
Thumb (Anglo-Saxon thuma). .
Towcher (the finger that touches), fore-
man, or pointer. This was called by
the Anglo-Saxons the Scite-finger, i.e.
the shooting finger.
Long-man or long finger.
Tech-man or ring-finger. The former
means “medical finger,” and the latter
is a Roman expression, “digitus annu-
Zá'ris.” Called by the Anglo-Saxons
the gold-finger. -
Little-man or little finger. Called by
the Anglo-Saxons the edrºfinger.
Fingers. Ben Jonson says—
“The thumb, in chiromancy, we give to Venus;
The fore-finger to Joye ; the midst to Saturn ;
The ring to Šoi ; the least to Mercury.” -
Alchemist, i. 2.
His fingers are all thumbs. Said of a
person awkward in the use of his hands.
Ce Sont les detta, doigts de la main,
Fingers before Forks.
“This Vulcan was a Smith, they tell us,
That first invented tongs and bellows ;
For breath and fingers did their works
(We'd fingers long before we'd forks).”
Ring : Art of Love.
Fingers' Ends. I have it at my
fingers’ ends. I am quite familiar with it
and can do it readily. It is a Latin pro-
verb (Scire tanquam un'gues dig’īţosq.),
where the allusion is to the statuary,
who knows every item of his subject by
the touch. (See UNGUEM.)
“Costard: Go to ; thou hast it ad dunghill, at
the fingers' ends, as they say. -
Holofermes': O, I Smell false Latin: dunghill
tº, unguem.”—Shakespeatre : Love's Labour's Lost,
V. l.
Fingered.
The light-fingered gentry. Priggers,
qui ungues hamatos et uncos habent.
Fingle-fangle (A). A ricochet word
meaning a fanciful trifle. A “new
fangle '' is a novel contrivance. “New
fangled,” etc.
Finished to the Finger-nail, or
“ad unguem,” in allusion to statuaries
running their finger-tips over a statue
to detect if any roughness or imperfec-
tion of surface remains.
Finny Tribe. Fish ; so called be-
cause they are furnished with fins.
Finsbury (London). A corruption
of Fens-bury, the town in the fens.
Fion, son of Comnal, an enormous
giant, who could place his feet on two
mountains, and then stoop and drink
from a stream in the valley between.
(Gaelic legend.)
Fir-cone on the Thyrsus. The juice
of the fir-tree (turpentine) used to be
mixed by the Greeks with new wine
to make it keep ; hence it was adopted
as one of the symbols of Bacchus.
Fir-tree (The). Atys was metamor-
phosed into a fir-tree by Cybelé, as he
was about to lay violent hands on him-
self. (Ovid. Metamorphoses, x. fable 2.)
Fire. (Anglo-Saxon, fyr; Greek, pur.)
St. Antony's fire. Erysipelas. “J.e
felt St. Antoine.” (See ANTHON.Y.)
St. Helen's fire. “Ignissancta Helènae.”
“Few St. Helme.” (See CASTOR and
POLLUx; and ELMo.) -
JHermes's fire. Same as St. Helen’s
fire (q.v.). -
I have myself passed through the fire;
I have smelt the smell of fire. I have had
experience in trouble. The allusion is
to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego,
who were cast into the fiery furnace by
Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. iii.).
IFire
464
Eirst-class
If you will enjoy the fire you must put
wp with the Smoke. (Latin, “Commod’-
itas quaevis Sºta fert incommöda secum.”)
Every convenience has its inconveni-
ence.
More fire in the bed-straw. More mis-
chief brewing. Alluding to the times
when straw was used for carpets and
beds.
No fire without smoke. (French, “Nul
few sans fumée.”) No good without its
mixture of evil.
No Smoke without fire. To every scan-
dal there is some foundation.
Where there is smoke there is fire.
Every effect is the result of some cause.
Fire. The Great Fire of London
(1666) broke out at Master Farryner's,
the king’s baker, in Pudding Lane, and
after three nights and three days was
arrested at Pie Corner. St. Paul’s
Cathedral, eighty-nine other churches,
and 13,200 houses were burnt down.
Fire Away! Say on ; say what you
have to say. The allusion to firing a
gun ; as, You are primed up to the
muzzle with something you want to say;
fire away and discharge your thoughts.
“‘Foster, I have Something I Want you and
Miss Caryll to understand.’ ‘Fire away !' ex-
claimed lºoster.”—Watson: The Web of a Spider,
chal). XV.
Pire away, Flan'affan. A taunt to a
boaster. A man threatening you, says
he will do this, that, and the other; you
reply, “Fire away, Flanagan.” Crom-
well marched against a castle defended
by Flanagan, who threatened to open
his cannon on the Parliamentarians unless
they withdrew. . Cromwell wrote on the
corner of the missive sent to him, “Fire
away, Flanagan,” and the doughty cham-
pion took to his heels immediately.
Fire First. Now?, Monsieur, mous me
tirons jamais les premiers. According
to tradition, this was said by the Count
D’Auteroches to Lord Charles Hay at
the battle of Fontenoy, 30th April,
1745 (old style).
“On, c'était de tradition dans l'armée : on
laissait toujours par courtoisie, l’avantage du
premier feu a l'ennemi.” (See Notes and Queries,
29th October, 1892, p. 345.)
Fire-balloon. A balloon whose as-
censional power is derived from hot air
rising from a fire beneath its open mouth.
Montgolfier used such a balloon.
Fire-brand. An incendiary ; one
who incites to rebellion; like a blazing
brand which sets on fire all it touches.
“Our fire-brand brother, Paris, burns us all.”
Shakespeare: Troilus and CreSSida, ii. 2.
Fire-drake or Fire-dragon. A fiery
serpent, an ignis-fatuus of large propor-
tions, superstitiously believed to be a
flying dragon keeping guard over hid
treasures.
“There is a fellow somewhat near the door, he
should be a brazier by his face, for, o' my gon-
Science, twenty of the dog-days now reign in 's
nose. . . ...That fire-drake did I bit three times on
the head.”—Shakespeare : Henry VIII., v. 3.
Fire-eaters. Persons ready to quar-
rel for anything. The allusion is to the
jugglers who “eat” flaming tow, pour
melted lead down their throats, and
hold red-hot metal between their teeth.
Richardson, in the seventeenth century
—Signora, Josephine Girardelli (the ori-
ginal Salamander), in the early part of
the nineteenth century—and Chaubert,
a Frenchman, of the present century,
were the most noted of these exhibitors.
“The great fire-eater lay unconscious upon the
floor (ºf the house.”—N (tshville Banner. .
Fire-new. Spick and span new (q.v.).
“You should have accosted her ; and with some
excellent, jests fire-new from the mint.”—Shake-
speare: Twelfth Night, iii. 2.
Fire-ship. A ship filled with com-
bustibles to be sent against adverse
vessels in order to set them on fire.
Fire Up (To). To become indig-
3.
nantly angry. The Latin, “irá eacardes-
cère,” “Inflammer de colºre.”
Fire Worship was introduced into
Persia by Phoe'dima, widow of Smerdis,
and wife of Gushtasp darawesh, usually
called Hystaspes (B.C. 521-485). It is
not the sun that is worshipped, but God,
who is supposed to reside in it; at the
same time they reverence the sun, not as
a deity but as the throne of deity. (See
PARSEES.)
Fire and Sword. Letters of fire and
sword. If a criminal resisted the law
and refused to answer his citation, it
was accounted treason in the Scottish
courts; and “ letters of fire and sword ”
were sent to the sheriff, authorising him
to use either or both these instruments
to apprehend the contumacious party.
Fire and Water. I will go through
fire and water to serve you. The refer-
ence is the ordeals of fire and water
which might be transferred to substi-
tutes. Paul seems to refer to substitu-
tional death in Rom. v. 7: “Scarcely
for a righteous man will one die; yet
for a good man some would even dare to
die.”
Firm as a Rock. (See SIMILES.)
First-class Hard Labour. Under
this sentence, the prisoner sleeps On a
Tirst-fruits
plank bed without a mattress, and
spends six or eight hours a day turning
a hard crank, or treading a wheel. (See
SECOND-CLASS HARD LABOUR.)
First-fruits. The first profitable
results of labour. In husbandry, the
first corn that is cut at harvest. We
also use the word in an evil sense; as,
the first-fruits of sin, the first-fruits of
repentance.
First Water. A diamond of the first
water. (See DIAMOND.)
First Gentleman of Europe. A
nickname given to George IV., who
certainly was first in rank, but it would
be sad indeed to think he was ever the
most gentlemanly man in feeling, man-
ners, and deportment. Louis d'Artois
was so called also.
First Grenadier of France. A
title given by Napoleon to Latour d’Au-
vergne (1743-1800).
First Stroke is Half the Battle.
“Well begun is half done.” “A good
lather is half the shave.”
Latim : “Incipe: dimidium facti est coepisse,”
(Ausonius.) .
“Dinidium facti, qui coºpit, liabet.”
Hoj'atcc.)
French : “Bºll'he bien Savonnée est à moitié faite.
Heureux continencement est la moitié
de l'Oeuvre.
C' n'est que le premier Das qui coſite.”
Fish. The French have a remarkable
locution respecting fish as a food :
“ Après poisson, lait est pois0n ;
Après poisson, le yin est bon ; -
Après poisson, noix est contre-Doison.”
Fish. The reason why fish are em-
ployed as card-counters is from a mis-
apprehension of the French word fiche
(a five-sou piece). The two points
allowed for the “rub '' are called in
French la fiche de consolation. The
Spanish word pez has also a double
meaning—a “winning,” or a “fish ; ”
pez is the Welsh pysg, Latin pisc', Eng-
lish fish.
A loose fish. One of loose or dissolute
habits. Fish implying a human being
is derogatory, but bird is a loving term,
as my “bonny bird,” etc. Beast is
most reproachful, as “You are a
beast.”
A pretty kettle of fish. (See KITTLE.)
A queer fish. An eccentric person.
(See above, LOOSE FISH.)
All is fish that comes to my net. “Auri
bonus est odor ea; re qualibet.” I am
willing to deal in anything out of which
I can make a profit. I turn everything
to some use.
“Al is fishe that cometh to the net,”—G. Gas-
coigne: The Steele Glas (died 1577),
465
Tish -
IIe eats no fish ; he is not a papist ; he
is an honest man, and one to be trusted.
In the reign of Elizabeth papists were
opposed to the Government, and Pro-
testants, to show their loyalty, refused
to eat fish on Fridays to show they were
not papists.
“I do profess . . . . to serve him truly . . . .
and to eat no fish.”—Shakespeare: I, img Lear, i. 4.
I have other fish to fry; “J’ai bien
d'autres affaires en tête ; ” “Aliud mihi
est agendum ; ” I am busy and cannot
attend to [that] now ; I have other
matters to attend to.
Mute as a fish. Fish have no language
like birds, beasts, and insects. Their
utmost power of sound is a feeble cry of
pain, the result of intestinal respiration.
The French also say “mute comme un
poisson.”
The best fish smell when they are three
days old, “ l’hôte et le poisson puent
passé trois jours.” “Withdraw thy
foot from thy neighbour's house, lest he
get weary of thee, and so hate thee '’
(Prov. xxv. 17). “I)on’t outstay your
welcome.”
The best fish swim near the bottom.
“Le meilleur poisson mage près du fond.”
What is most commercially valuable is
not to be found on the surface of the
earth, nor is anything else really valu-
able to be obtained without trouble.
“Il faut casser le zoyant pour en avoir
l'amande,” for “Nil sine magno vita
labore dedit Amortalibus.”
Fish. It is neither fish, flesh, nor fowl;
or Neither fish, flesh, 770, good red her-
oring. Not fish (food for the monk), not
flesh (food for the people generally),
nor yet red herring (food for paupers).
Suitable to no class of people; fit for
neither one thing nor another.
* Fish comes first because in the
Middle Ages the clergy took precedence
of the laity.
“She would be a betwixt-and-between . .
neither fish nor fowl.”—Mrs. Lynn Lintom.
Fish-day (A) [jour maigre]. . A day
in the Roman Catholic Church when
persons, without ecclesiastical permis-
sion, are forbidden to eat meat.
Fish-wife (A). A woman who hawks
fish about the streets.
Fish and Flesh. You must 270t make
fish of one and flesh of the other. You
must treat both alike. Fish is an in-
ferior sort of animal food to flesh. The
alliteration has much to do with the
phrase.
Fish in Troubled Water (To). In
French, “Pécher en eau troublé.” To
30 **
Fish it. Out
scramble for personal advantage in
times of rebellion, revolution, or national
Calamity.
Fish it Out (To).
expisco)".
Fish out of Water. Out of place;
without one’s usual occupation; restless
from lack of employment.
Fisher of Souls (The great). The
devil.
“I trust, young man, that neither idleness nor
licentious pleasure . . . . the chief baits with
which the great Fisher of Souls, conceals his
hooks, fire the causes of your declining the career
to which I would incite you."—Sir W. Scott: The
Monastery, chap. Xi.
This is the Latin
Fisherman. The fisherman who was
father of three kings. Abu Shujah al
Bouyah was a Persian fisherman in the
province of Delém', whose three sons,
Imad, Ruken, and Moez, all rose to
sovereign power.
Fishing. Fishing for compliments.
Laying a bait for praise.
Fisk (in Hudibras) was Nicholas
Tisk, a physician and astrologer, who
used to say that a physician never de-
served his bread till he had no teeth to
eat it. In his old age he was almost a
beggar.
Fitz (Norman). Son of ; as Fitz-
Herbert, Fitz-William, Fitz-Peter, etc.
It is sometimes applied to illegitimate
children, as Fitz-Clarence, Fitz-roy,
etc. -
Fitz-Fulke (Hebé). “A gracious,
graceful, graceless grace; ” “fat, fair,
and forty.” (Byron : Don Juan, canto
xvi.)
Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge
TJniversity). So called from Earl Fitz-
william, who left £100,000, with books,
paintings, etc., to form the nucleus of a
museum for the benefit of the university.
Five, or the pentad, the great mystic
number, being the sum of 2 + 3, the
first even and first odd compound. Unity
is God alone, i.e. without creation. Two
is diversity, and three (being 1 + 2) is
the compound of unity and diversity, or
the two principles in operation since
creation, and representing all the powers
of nature.
Five-minute Clause. A provision
sometimes inserted in deeds of separa-
tion, whereby it is stipulated that the
deed is null and void if the husband and
wife remain together five minutes after
the separation is enjoined.
466
* *
Fixt;
Five Nations (The). The five con-
federated Indian tribes, viz. the Mohawks,
Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Se-
necas. Known as the Iroquois Confede-
7'acy.
Five Points (The). (See CALVINISM.)
Five Wits. (1) Common sense, (2)
imagination, (3) fantasy, (4) estimation,
and (5) memory. Common sense is the
outcome of the five senses; imagination
is the “wit” of the mind; fantasy is
imagination united with judgment ;
estimation estimates the absolute, such
as time, Space, locality, and so on ; and
memory is the “wit” of recalling past
events. (See SEVEN WITs.)
“Four of his five wits went halting off.”
Shakespeare : Much Ado, etc., i. 1.
“These are the five witts removyng inwardly :
Frºmmon Witte,’ and then ‘Ymagin-
{ Faº and “Estimation' truely,
And “Meln Ory.’”
Stephen Hawes : The Passe-tyme of Pleswºre (1515).
‘.' Notwithstanding this quotation, probably the
Five Wits mean the Wits of the flye senses.
Fiver (A). A five-pound note. A
“tenner” is a ten-pound note.
Fives. A game similar to court-ten-
nis; the hand, however, is used instead of
a racket. Said to be so called because
the game is three fives (15).
“He forgot that cricket and fives are capital
training for tennis."—T. Hughes: Tom Brown at
O.cford, chap. ii.
A bunch of fives. The fist, in which
the five fingers are bound in a bunch.
Fix. I’m in a fia. A predicament.
The allusion is to machinery which will
not move. The Northumberland was in
a terrible fix at the launch, when it
refused to leave the dock. (1866.)
Fixed Air. Carbonic dioxide gas. Dr.
Black gave it this name, because car-
bonate of magnesia evolved by heat
carbonic acid, that is, MgO, CO2 evolved
CO2, thereby proving that CO2 (carbonic
acid) is a “fixed air.”
Fixed Oils. Oils obtained by simple
pressure. These oils do not readily dry
or volatilise, but remain fixed in their
oily character.
Fixed Stars. Stars whose relative
position to other stars is fixed or always
the same. Planets are always shifting
their relative positions.
Fixt (The). That is, the Firmament.
According to the Ptolemaic System, the
earth is surrounded by nine spheres.
These spheres are surrounded by the
Primum Mobile (or First Moved); and the
Flaccus
467
Flame
Premium Mobile is enveloped by the
empyrëan, or abode of deity.
“They pass the planets seven, and pass the ſixt,
And that crystalline sphere whose balance weighs
The trepidation talked, and that first moved.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 481–3.
Flaccus. Horace, the Roman poet,
whose full name was Quintus Horaſtius
Flaccus.
Flag. (Danish, flag.)
A black flag is the emblem of piracy or
of no quarter. (See BLACK FLAGS.)
To unfurl the black flag. To declare
war. The curtain which used to hang
before the door of Ayeshah, Mahomet's
favourite wife, was taken for a national
flag, and is regarded by Mussulmans as
the most precious of relics. It is black,
and is never unfolded except as a declar-
ation of war.
A red flag. To display a red flag is to
defy or dare to battle. Redis the emblem
of blood. The Roman signal for battle.
A yellow flag signals contagious disease
on board ship.
To get one's flag. To become an
admiral. Formerly the captain of a flag-
ship was called a “flag-officer.”
“I do not believe that the bullet is cast that is
to deprive you of life, Jack ; you'll get your flag,
as I hope to get mine.”—Kingston : The Three Ad-
7\virtuls, Xiii.
To hang the flag half-mast high is in
token of mourning or distress. .
To hang out the white flag. To sue for
quarter; to give in. -
To lower one’s flag ; to eat humble pie:
to eat the leek; to confess oneself in the
Wrong; to eat one’s own words.
“The . . . Association . . . after systematically
opposing the Views of the . . . National Congress,
had to lower the flag and pass a résolution in
favour of simultaneous examinations.” — Nime-
teenth Century (April, 1894, page 670).
To strike the flag. To lower it or pull
it down upon the cap, in token of re-
spect or submission. In naval warfare
it means to surrender,
Flag, Flags.
R(tºwners of Saints. . Flags Smaller than stand-
ards, and not slit at the extremity.
Royal Banners contain the royal arms,
Standards, much larger and longer than banners,
and Slit at the extremity. A standard has no
armorial bearings.
... Burgee. A small flag with the loose end cleft
like a <.
Pennant. A small triangular flag.
I’ennons, much smaller than standards ; rounded
at the extremity, and charged with arms.
Bummerols, banners of great width, representing
alliances and descentS.
Pensils, Small flags shaped like the vanes on
lyinnacles.
Flag Lieutenant (A). An admiral's
aide-de-camp.
Flag-officer. Either an admiral,
vice-admiral, rear-admiral, or commo-
dore. These officers alone are privileged
to carry a flag denoting rank. Admirals
carry their flag at the main, vice-admi-
rals at the fore, and rear-admirals at the
mizen. (See ADMIRAL.)
Flag-ship. A ship carrying a flag
officer. (See ADMIRAL.)
Flag Signals (on railroads).
“White is all right ; Red is all wrong ;
Green is go cautiously bowling along.”
Flag's Down (The). Indicative of
distress. When the face is pale the
“flag is down.” Alluding to the am-
cient custom of taking down the flag of
theatres during Lent, when the theatres
were closed.
“'Tis Lent in your cheeks, the flag's down.”—
Dodsley's Old Plays (Vol. W. p. 314, article, “Mad
World.”) -
Flag of Distress. A card at one's
window announcing “lodgings ’’ or
“board and lodgings.” The allusion is
evident. A flag reversed, hoisted with
the union downwards.
Flagel'lants. A sect of enthusiasts
in the middle of the thirteenth century,
who went in procession about the streets
inflicting on themselves daily flagel-
lations, in order to merit thereby the
favour of God. They were put down
soon after their appearance, but revived
in the fourteenth century. Also called
“Brothers of the Cross.”
Flam. Flattery for an object ; blar-
ney; humbug. (Irish, ſlim, Anglo-Saxon,
Jiaºm, flight.)
“They told me what a fine thing it was to be an
Englishman, and all out liberty and lyroperty . . .
I find it was a flam.”—Godwin : Caleb Williams,
Vol. ii. Chap. V. p. 57.
FIamberge or FIoberge. The sword
which Maugis took from Anthénor, the
Saracen admiral, when he came to attack
the castle of Oriande la Fee. It was
made by Weyland, the Vulcan of the
Northern Olympus. #. of Mau:
gis d’Aygremont et de Vivian S07. Frère.)
“Mais si une fois je luy fais essayer ceste-cy
plus tranchante que “Joyeuse, Durandel, Haute-
claire, ou Flamberge,' je le fendray jusques à
l'estomach.”—Pierre de l'Arivey : Le Jalottac, V. 6.
Flamboyant Architecture. A florid
style which prevailed in France in the
15th and 16th centuries. So called from
its flame-like tracery.
“The great tower [of Antwerp cathedral] . . .
most florid and flamboyant . . . is One Of the few
rivals of the peerless steeple of Strasbourg.”—
James : Sketches (Belgium), p. 394.
Flame. A sweetheart. “An old
flame,” a quondam Sweetheart. In
Latin, flamma is used for love, and so is
few in French. Ardeo, to burn like fire,
is also applied to the passion of love;
hence, Virgil (Eel. ii. 4), “Corydon
Flaming
468
Flay a Fox
ardebat Alea’im ; ” and Horace (Epoch
xiii. 9), “Arsit Anacreon Bathyllo.”
Flaming. Superb, captivating, at-
tractive. The French flambant. This
word was originally applied to those
persons who dressed themselves in rich
dresses “flaming ”with gold and silver
thread. We now speak of a “flaming
advertisement,” etc.
“Le Velour, trop commun en France,
Sous toy reprend Son Vieil honneur,
Tellement que ta remontrance
Nous a fait voir la différence
Du Yalet et de Son Seigneur,
Et, du muguet chargé de Sºye
Qui à tes princes s'esgaloit, .
Et riche en draps de Soye, alloit
Faisant flamber toute layoye.
I?0msay'd : A\t Roy Hemiri II. (1546.)
FIa'ming Swords. Swords with a
wavy or flamboyant edge, generally used
for state purposes. The Dukes of Bur-
gundy carried swords of this sort, and
they were worn in our country till the
accession of William III.
FIamin'ian Way. The great north-
ern road of ancient Italy, constructed
by C. Flamin'ius, and beginning at the
Flaminian gate of Rome, and leading to
Ariminium (Rimini).
Flanders (Moll). The chief character
of De Foe's novel of the same name.
She runs through the whole career of
female profligacy, then turns religious.
Flanders' Babies. The wooden
jointed dolls common in the early part
of the nineteenth century, and now
almost entirely superseded by “wax
dolls.”
Flanders' Mare (The).
VIII. called Anne of Cleves.
at Chelsea in 1557.
Flaneur (French). A lounger, gos-
siper. From flamer, to Saunter about.
1 *
So Henry
She died
Flap-dragons. Small combustible
bodies blazing at one end and floating
in a glass of liquor. The liquor was
stirred about with a candle-end to pro-
mote combustion. A skilful toper would
swallow them blazing, as we swallow
the blazing raisins of Snap-dragons.
“He drinks off candles' ends for flap-dragons.”
—Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., ii. 4.
Flare-up. A sudden outburst of
anger; a gas-jet or other ignitible body
jº up when lighted with a sudden
blaze.
Flare-up (A). A rumpus or row.
Also a banquet or jovial treat. The
first meaning is simply the substantive
of the verb. The second meaning refers
to dazzle and “splendour'' displayed.
Flash. A mere flash in the pan. All
sound and fury, signifying nothing ; like
the attempt to discharge a gun that ends
with a flash in the lock-pan, the gun
itself “‘hanging fire.”
Flash Men and Flash Notes. Be-
tween Buxton, Leek, and Macclesfield
is a wild country called the Flash, from
a chapel of that name. Here used to
live a set of pedlars, who hawked about
buttons, ribbons, and other articles made
at Leek, together with handkerchiefs
and small wares from Manchester. They
were known on the road as Flash-men,
and frequented fairs and farmhouses.
They paid, at first, ready-money; but
when they had established a credit, paid
in promissory notes, which were rarely
honoured. They were ultimately put
down by the magistracy.
Flat. One who is not sharp; a suite
of rooms on one floor.
“Oh, Messrs. . . . what flats you are 1 "-The
Times.
“He said he was going to have a flat to let on the
top floor.” – Howells : Hazards of New Fortunes.
Vol. i. part i. p. 123.
I’lat as a flounder.
down flat as a flounder.
one of the flat-fish.
IFlat as a pancake. Quite flat. A pan-
cake is a thin flat cake, fried in a pan.
Flat-fish. He is a regular flat-fish.
A dull, stupid fellow, not up to any-
thing. The play is upon flat (stupid),
and such fish as plaice, dabs, and soles.
Flat Milk. Skimmed milk, that is,
milk “ fletted ” (Anglo-Saxon, flet,
Cream ; Latin, flos lactis.) -
Flat Race (A). A race on the flat
or level ground without obstacles.
Flat Simplicity. “The flat simplicity
of that reply was admirable.” (Colley
Cibber : The Crooked Husband, i. 1.)
Flatterer. Vitellius, the Roman sy-
nonym of flatterer. (Tacitus, Ann. vi. 32.)
Flatterers. TWhen flatterers meet, the
devil goes to dinner. Flattery is so permi-
cious, so fills the heart with pride and
conceit, so perverts the judgment and
disturbs the balance of the mind, that
Satan himself could do no greater mis-
chief. He may go to dinner and leave
the leaven of wickedness to operate its
own mischief.
“Porteus, there is a proverb thou shouldst read :
“When flatterers meet, the devil goes to dinner.””
Peter Pindan': Nil Admiq'ari.
Flay a Fox (To). To vomit.
“At the time of the paroxysm he used to flay a
#º Way of antidote.”—Rabelais : Puntagruel,
1W, tº * -
I knocked him
A flounder is
Flea
469
Tlemish School
Flea. When the Princess Badoura
was placed on Prince Camaral’zaman's
bed, in order to compare their claims
to beauty, the fairy Maimouné changed
herself into a flea, and bit the prince on
the neck in order to awake him. Next,
the genius Danhasch changed himself
into a flea and bit the princess on the
lip, that she might open her eyes and see
the prince. (Arabian Nights, Cama-
Talzaman and Badottra.)
Flea as a parasite.
“Hobbes clearly proves that every creature
Lives in a state of war by nature ;
SO naturalistS Observe a flea,
Has smaller fleas that on him prey,
And these have Smaller Still to bite 'em,
And so proceed (td infinitum.”
Swift : Poetry; a Rhapsody.
Sent off with a flea in his ear. Peremp-
torily. A dog which has a flea in the
ear is very restless, and runs off in
terror and distress. In French: Mettre
* quelqu'un puce & l’oreille. Probabl
6
our change of word implies a pun.
Flea-bite. It is a mere flea-bite. A
thing of no moment. Thus, a merchant
who has suffered loss by speculation or
failure might say that the loss is a mere
flea-bite to him. A soldier might call
a wound a mere flea-bite. A passing
inconvenience which annoys but leaves
no permanent injury. Mr. Disraeli
spoke of the national debt as a mere
flea-bite.
Flea's Jump. Aristoph'anés, in the
Clouds, says that Socratēs and Chae'-
rephon tried to measure how many times
its own length a flea jumped. They took
in wax the size of a flea's foot ; then, On
the principle of ea pede Herculem, calcu-
lated the length of its body. Having
found this, and measured the distance of
the flea's jump from the hand of Socrates
to Chaerephon, the knotty problem was
resolved by simple multiplication.
Fie'ance (2 syl.). Son of Banquo.
(Shakespeare : Macbeth.)
Flèche. Faire flèche de tout bois. To
turn every event into a cause of censure.
Te make whatever wood falls in your
path an arrow to discharge at your
adversary.
Flecknoe (Richard). An Irish priest,
who printed a host of poems, letters, and
travels. As a poet, his name, like the
names of Mavius and Bavius among the
Romans, is proverbial for vileness. Dry-
den says he—
“Reigned without dispute
Through all the realms of nonsense absolute.”
-- Dryden: MacFleckmoé.
Fledgeby (2 syl.). An over-reaching,
cowardly sneak, who conceals his dirty
bill-broking under the trade name of
Pubsey & Co. He is soundly thrashed
by Alfred Lammle, and quietly pockets
the affront. (Dickens : Mutual Friend.)
Flee the Falcon (To). To let fly
the small cannon.
“‘I’ll flee the falcon' (so the small cannon was
called) : I’ll flee the falcon . . ; my certie, she'll
ruffle their feathers for them.’” [i.e. the insur-
gents].-Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality, chap. XX Y.
Fleeced (1 syl.). Cheated of one’s
money; sheared like a sheep. -
Fleet Book Evidence. No evidence
at all. The books of the Old Fleet
prison are not admissible as evidence
to prove a marriage. (Wharton : Law
Lictionary.)
Fleet Marriages. Clandestine mar-
riages, at one time performed without
banns or licence by needy chaplains, in
Fleet Prison, London. As many as thirty
marriages a day were sometimes cele-
brated in this disgraceful manner ; and
Malcolm tells us that 2,954 were regis-
tered in the four months ending with
Eebruary 12th, 1705. Suppressed by the
Marriage Act in 1754. (See Chaplain of
the Fleet, by Besant and Rice.)
Fleet Street (London). For 200
years after the Conquest London was
watered on the west by “the river of
Wells,” afterwards called “Fleet dyke,
because (Stowe says) it runneth past the
Fleete.” In the middle of the city and
falling into the Thames was Wellbrooke;
on the east side, Langbourne; and in
the western suburbs, Oldbourne. Along
the Fleete and Oldbourne “ships ''
used to ply with merchandise. These
four, together with the Roding, the
Lea, the Ravensbourne, and the Wandle,
now serve as sewers to the great me-
tropolis.
Fleet of the Desert. A caravan.
Flemish Account. A sum less than
that expected. ... In Antwerp accounts
were kept in livres, sols, and pence ;
but the livre or pound was only 12s.
In Notes and Queries we have an example
of a Flemish account, where £373 Flem-
ish becomes £213 2s. 10d. English.
Flemish School. A school of paint-
ing established by the brothers Van
Eyck, in the fifteenth century. The
chief early masters were Memling,
Weyden, Matsys, Mabus, and Moro. Of
the second period, Rubens and Vandyck,
Snyders, Jordaens, Gaspar de Crayer,
and the younger Teniers.
Flesh and Blood
470
IF]irls
Flesh and Blood. Human nature;
as “Flesh and blood cannot stand it.”
Flesh-pots. Sighing for the flesh-pots
of Egypt. Hankering for good things
Il O º at your command. The chil-
dren of Israel said they wished they had
died “when they sat by the flesh-pots
of Egypt” (Exodus xvi. 3)—i.e. when
they sat watching the boilers which
contained the meat they were to have
for dinner. The expression also means
abundance of appetising food.
Fleshed. He fleshed his sword. Used
it for the first time.
cruelty—i.e. initiated or used to it. A
sportsman’s expression. When a sports-
man wishes to encourage a young dog or
hawk, he will allow it to have the first
game it catches for its own eating. This
“flesh” is the first it has tasted, and
fleshing its tooth thus gives the creature
a craving for similar food. Hence, also,
to eat with avidity.
- “The wild dog
Slıall flesh his tooth on every innocent.”
: Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., iv. 5.
Fleshly School (The). A class of
“realistic” British poets, such as Swin-
burne, Rossetti, Morris, etc. So called
by Thomas Maitland [R. Buchanan] in
the Contemporary Review.
FIe/ta. An excellent treatise on the
common law of England, written in
the fourteenth century by an unknown
writer while a prisoner in the Fleet.
Fleur-de-Luce. A cor-
ruption of Fleur-de-Lis. (See
FLAG.) In Italian the white
iris is called fiordilisa. Made |\
thus. .*
“They may give the dozen white luces in their
Coat.”—Shakespeare: Merry Wives, i. 1.
Fleurs-de-Lys. In the reign of Louis
VII. (1137-1180) the national standard
was thickly charged with flowers. In
1365 the number was reduced by
Charles VI. to three (the mystical church
number). Guillim, in his Display of
JHeraldrie, 1611, says the device is
“Three toads erect, Saltant ; ”
in allusion to which Nostrada'-
(ſ mus, in the sixteenth century,
calls Frenchmen crapauds
* (toads). Recently it has been
thought that the device is really a “bee
flying,” because certain ornaments re-
sembling bees were found in the tomb
of Childeric, father of Clovis, when it
was opened in 1653. These bees are
now generally believed to be the fleurons
of horse-trappings, and quite independent
of the emblem,
JMen fleshed in
The fleur-de-lys or lily-flower was
chosen by Flavio Gio'ja to mark the
north point of the compass, out of com-
pliment to the King of Naples, who was
of French descent (1302).
FIibbertigibbet. One of the five
fiends that possessed “poor Tom.”
Shakespeare got it from Bishop Harsnet's
account of the Spanish invasion, where
we are told of forty fiends which the
Jesuits cast out, and among the number
was Fliberdigibet. Shakespeare says he
“is the fiend of mopping and mowing,
who possesses chambermaids and waiting
women’’ (King Lear, iv. 2). And,
again, that he “begins at curfew and
walks till the first cock,” giving men
pins and needles, squint eyes, hare-lips,
and so on. (Shakespeare : Lear, iii. 4.)
Flic (French). A policeman or ser-
geant de ville. “Une allusion & l'épée
des Sergents de ville, ou plutót aux flèches
des archers primitifs '' (Raille). Hence
“flic-flacs,” thumps and thwacks.
Flick. To strike with a quick jerk.
To “flick a whip in one's face ’’ is to
strike the face with the lash and draw
the whip suddenly back again. (Anglo-
Saxon, fliccerian ; Scotch, ſlicker ; Da-
nish, flikkerem, to twinkle, etc.)
Flies. (See FLY.)
Fling. -
I must have a fling at . . . Throw a
stone at something. To attack with
words, especially sarcastically. TO
make a haphazard venture. Allusion is
to hurling stones from slings.
To have his ſling. To live on the loose
for a time. To fling about his time and
money like “ducks and drakes.”
“If he is young, he desires to have ...
‘fling' before he is connpelled to settle ăşă"
Nimeteenth Century (February, 1892, p. 208).
Fling Herself at my Head (To).
To make desperate love to a man; to
angle obviously to catch a certain indi-
vidual for a husband.
“‘Coxcomb 2. Said Lance ; ‘why, 'twas but last
night the whole family saw her . . . . fling her-
self at my head.’”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the
Peak, chap. vii.
Flins [a stone]. An idol of the an-
cient Wandals settled in Lusace. It was
a huge stone, draped, wearing a lion’s
skin over its shoulders, and designed to
represent death.. Mr. Lower says that
the town of Flint in North Wales is
named in honour of this stone deity, and
gives Alwin Flint in Suffolk as another
example. (Pat. Brit.)
The Welsh call Flint Flint Teg-eing!
(Flin’s beautiful band or girdle).
Bºlint,
471
I'lora's Dial
Flint. To skin a flint. To act
meanly, and exact the uttermostfarthing.
Flint Im/plements. Arrow-heads,
axe-heads, lance-heads, and knives, made
of granite, jade, serpentine, jasper, ba-
salt, and other hard stones. The first
were discovered on the banks of the
Somme, near Amiens and Abbeville, but
others have been discovered in Belgium,
Germany, Italy, etc. They were the
rude instruments of men before the use
of metal was known.
Flint Jack. Edward Simpson, an
occasional servant of Dr. Young, of
Whitby. So called because he used to
tramp the kingdom vending spurious
fossils, flint arrow-heads, stone celts, and
other imitation antiquities. Professor
Tennant charged him with forging these
wares, and in 1867 he was sent to prison
for theft.
Flipper. Tip us your flipper. Give
me your hand. A flipper is the paddle
of a turtle.
Flirt. A coquette. The word is
from the verb flirt, as, “to flirt a
fan.” The fan being used for coquet-
ting, those who coquetted were called
fan-flirts. Lady Frances Shirley, the
favourite of Lord Chesterfield, intro-
duced the word. Flirt is allied to
flutter, flit, jerk, etc.
Flittermouse. A bat. South calls
the bat a flinder-mouse. (German, fleder-
Amaus.)
Flo (Old French). A crowd. (Latin,
fluctus.)
“Puis lor tramist par buiz ouverz
Grand flo d'Anglois defer couverz.”
Guillaume Gwiart, verse 1692.
Floated (Stock Exchange term).
Brought out (said of a loan or company),
as the Turkish ’69 Loan was floated by
the Cohens. The French 6 per cent.
was floated by the Morgans.
Floaters (Stock Exchange term).
Exchequer bills and other unfunded
stock. (See STOCK ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Floating Academy (The). The
hulks.
Flogging the Dead Horse. Trying
to revive an interest in a subject out
of date. Bright said that Earl Russell's
“Reform Bill” was a “dead horse,”
and every attempt to create any enthu-
siasm in its favour was like “flogging
the dead horse.”
Flogged by Deputy. When Henri
IV, of France abjured Protestantism and
was received into the Catholic Church,
in 1595, two ambassadors were sent to
Rome who knelt in the portico of St.
Beter, and sang the Miserére. At each
verse a blow with a switch was given on
their shoulders.
‘. Strange as this may seem, yet numerous ex-
amples occur in the Scriptures; thus, for David’s
Sin thousands of his Subjects were “flogged to
death by deputy ;” and what else is meant by the
words “by his stripes we are healed” 2
Flood. The almost universal tradition
of the East respecting this catastrophe is
that the waters were boiling hot. (See
the Talmud, the Targums, the Koran,
etc.)
Floor. I floored him. Knocked him
down on the floor; hence, to overcome,
beat or surpass. Thus, we say at the
university, “I floored that paper,” i.e.
answered every question on it. “I
floored that problem ’’—did it perfectly,
or made myself master of it. .
Floorer. That was a floorer. That
blow knocked the man down on the
floor. In the university we say, “That
paper or question was a floorer;” mean-
ing it was too hard to be mastered. (See
above.)
Flora. Flowers; all the vegetable
productions of a country or of a geo-
logical period, as the flora of England,
the flora of the coal period. Flora was
the Roman goddess of flowers.
“Another Flora, there, of bolder hues, -
And richer Sweets beyond our garden's pride.”
- Thomson : Summer.
The animals of a period or country
are called the Fauna ; hence, the phrase
the Flora and the Fauna of . . . .
signifies all its vegetable and animal
productions.
Metropolis of Flora. , Aranjuez, in
Spain, is so called, from its many beau-
tiful gardens.
Flora's Dial. A dial formed by
flowers which open or close at stated
hours.
I. Dial of flowers which open—
(a) The first twelve hours.
g OPENS.
(Scandinavian Sowthistle closes.)
. Yellow Goat's-beard.
Common Ox-tongue. tº sº
Hawkweed ; Late-flowering Dandelion ; and
Wild Succory.
White Water-lily ; Naked-stalked Poppy ; ,
and Smooth SOW thistle. - .
Shrubby Hawkweed and Spotted Cat's-ears.
White Water-lily ; Garden Lettuce ; and
African Marigold. -
8. Scarlet Pimpernel ; Mouse-ear Hawkweed ;
and Proliferous Pink.
9. Field Marigold.
10. Ited Sandwort.
1. Star of Bethlehem.
NO0m. Ice Plant,
A
i
.
ITIOrence
472
I'lorizel
(b) The second twelve hours.
, Mſ. O PIENS.
1. COImmon PurSlane.
2. (Purple Sandwort closes.)
(Damdeliom closes.)
(White Spiderwort closes.)
;
J Ullà.p.
6. Dark Crane's-bill.
(Naked-stalked Poppy closes.)
(Orange Day-lily closes.)
9. Cactus QPuntia.
10. Purple bindweed.
II., Night-blooming Catch-fly. .
Midnight. (Late-flowering Dandelion closes.)
II. Dial of closing flowers—
(a) The first twelve hours.
A.M. - CLOSES.
Scandinavian SOwthistle.
Yellow Goat's-beard ope?.S.)
(Common Oaxton'ſſue openS).
(Wild Succory opens.)
(Several Sout:thistles ope?".)
(Spotted Cat's-ear opens.)
Night-flowering Catch-fly.
Evening Primrose.
|Purple Bindweed.
10. Yellow GOat's-l)eard.
II. Bethlehem Star (la dame d’onze heures).
Noon. Field SOW thistle.
(b) The second twelve hours.
T. M. CI.QSES.
. Red or Proliferous Pink.
Purple Sandwort, •
Dandelion or Field Marigºld...
White Spadewort and Field Bindwort.
Common Cat's-ears.
White Water-lily.
Naked-stalked Poppy....
Orange Day-lily and Wild Succory.
Convolvulus Linnae/uš and Cllick Weed.
0. Common Nipple-wort. - -
11. Smooth Sow thistle. - e
Midnight. Creeping Mallow and Late Dandelium.
§
i
.
T
;
Florence (The German). Dresden.
Florentine Diamond (The). The
fourth in size of cut diamonds. It weighs
139; carats, belonged to Charles, Duke
of Burgundy ; was picked up by a
peasant and sold for half-a-crown.
Floren'tius. A knight who bound
himself to marry a “foul and ugly
witch,” if she would teach him the solu-
tion of a riddle on which his life depended.
(Gower: Confessio Amantis.)
Flor'ian (St.). Patron saint of mer-
cers, being himself of the same craft.
FIoria'ni. A sect of heretics of the
second century who maintained that
God is the author of evil, and taught
the Grostic doctrine of two principles.
Ploria'nus was their founder.
Florid Architecture. The latter
division of the perpendicular style, often
called the Tudor, remarkable for its
florid character or profusion of orna-
ment.
Florida (U. S. America). In 1712
Ponce de Leon sailed from France to the
West in search of “the Fountain of
Youth.” He first saw land on Easter
Day, and on account of the richness and
quantity of flowers, called the new pos-
session “Florida.”
Flor’imel [honey-flower]. A damsel
of great beauty, but so timid that she
feared the “Smallest monstrous mouse
that creeps on floor,” and was abused by
everyone. Her form was simulated by
a witch out of wax, but the wax image
melted, leaving nothing behind except
the girdle that was round the waist.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, book iii. 4, 8;
iv. 11, 12.)
“Florimel loved Mar’inel, but Proteus cast her
into a dungeon, from which, being released by
the order of Neptune, she married the man of her
choice.”—Spenser: Faërie Queene, book iv.
“St. Amand had long since in bitterness re-
pented of a transient infatuation, had long since
distinguished the true Florinnel from the false.”
—Sir E. B. Lyttom, : Pilgrims of the Rhime, iii.
Florimel's Girdle gave to those who
could wear it “the virtue of chaste love
and wifehood true: ” but if any woman
not chaste and faithful put it on, it
“loosed or tore asunder.” It was once
the cestus of Venus, made by her hus-
band Vulcan ; but when she wantoned
with Mars it fell off, and was left on the
“Acida'lian mount.” (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book iv. 11, 12.)
Florin. An English coin representing
2s., or the tenth of a sovereign, issued
in 1849. Camden informs us that Ed-
ward III. issued gold florins worth 6s.,
in 1337. The word is generally sup-
posed to be derived from Florence; but
as it had a lily on one side, probably it
is connected with the Latin flos, a flower.
(See GRACELESS FLORIN.) -
Florisan'do. One of the knights in
the Spanish version of Am'adis of Gaul,
whose exploits and adventures are re-
counted in the 6th and following books.
This part of the romance was added by
Paez de Ribe'ra.
Flor'isel of Nice'a. A knight whose
exploits and adventures form a supple-
mental part of the Spanish version of
Ann'adis of Gaul. This part was added
by Felicia'no de Silva.
Flor'ismart. One of Charlemagne's
paladins, and the bosomfriend of Roland.
Flor'izel. Prince of Bohemia, in love
with Per'dita. (Shakespeare: Winter’s
Tale.) -
Florizel. George the Fourth, when
prince, corresponded under this name
with Mrs. Robinson, actress and poet,
generally known as Perdita, that being
the character in which she first attracted
the prince's attention, .
H'lotsam and JetSOrl
473
IFlowered Robes
Prince Florizel, in Lord Beaconsfield's
novel of Endymion (1880), is meant for
Napoleon III.
Flotsam and Jetson. Waifs found
in the sea or on the shore. “Flotsam,”
goods found floating on the sea after a
a wreck. “Jetson,” or Jetsam, things
thrown out of a ship to lighten it. (An-
glo-Saxon, flotan, to float ; French, jeter,
to throw out.) (See LIGAN.)
Flower Games. Fétes held at
Toulouse, Barcelona, Treviso, and other
places, where the prizes given consisted
of flowers.
Flower Sermon. A sermon preached
on Whit Monday in St. Catherine Cree,
when all the congregation wear flowers.
Flower sermons are now (1894)
preached very generally once a year,
especially in country churches. Every
person is supposed to bring a bunch of
flowers to the altar, and the flowers next
day are sent to some hospital.
Flower of Chivalry.
given to several cavaliers : e.g.
William Douglas, Lord of Liddesdale,
in the fourteenth century.
Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586).
Chevalier de Bayard (le chevalier sans
peur et sans reproche) (1476-1524).
Flower of Kings. Arthur
called by John of Exeter.
tury.)
Flower of Paradise. The Ipomoea.
or Camala'ta, called by Sir W. Jones
“Love's creeper.” It symbolises that
mythological plant which fulfils all
desire.
Flower of the Lev'ant. Zante,
noted for its beauty and fertility. “Zan-
té ! Zanté, flos di Levanti.”
Flowers and Trees.
(1) Dedicated to heathen gods:
The Cornel cherry-tree to Apollo
A name
is so
(Sixth cen-
,, Cypress , Pluto.
, Dittany ,, The Moon.
, Laurel ;: A pollo.
,, Juily ,, Juno.
, Maiden's-hair , Pluto.
, Myrtle , Venus.
,, Narcissus , Cerés.
, Qak ,, Jupiter.
, Olive , Minerva,
,, Poppy , Cel'és.
, Vine , Bacchus,
(2) Dedicated to saints;
Canterl)ury Bells to St.Augustine of England.
CrocuS , St. Valentine.
3.
Crown Imperial , Edward the Confessor.
Daisy - , St. Margaret.
Herb Christophe , St. Christopher.
Ilady's-Smock , The Virgin Mary.
{}S
St. John's-wort. . , St. -
St. Barnaby's Thistle in St. Barnabas.
2
.
Mary Magdalene.
St. JOl
(3) National emblems:
Lee embien). Of Wales.
Lily (Fleur-de-lys) 13
Fra, Ilce.
, (Giglio blam.co) , Florence. ...
,, white ; : the Ghibelline badge.
3, , l'é * } badge of the Guelphs.
Ilinden } % Prussia.
Mignonette : ; Saxony.
Pomegranate 35 Spain.
ROSe . . ) England.
, red, Lancastrians'; white, Yorkists.
Shamrock emblem Of Ireland.
Thistle 33 Scotland.
Violet, * } Athens and Napoleo
Sugar Maple }} Canada.
(4) Symbols:
BOX is a symbol of the resurrection.
Cedal'S 33 the faithful. -
COTIn-eal'S 23 the Holy (30mlnlunion.
Dates 3 * the faithful.
GrapeS * * this is my blood.
Holly 71 the resurrection.
Vy 5 * the resurrection,
Lily 23 purity
Olive 3 * peace.
Orange-bloSSOm , , Virginity.
Palm 3 * yictory. . .
ROSe 3 * Incorruption.
Vine 33 Christ our Life.
eVW }} death.
N.B.-The laurel, oak, Olive, myrtle, rosemary,
cy press, and almaranth are all funereal plants.
Flowers and Trees with Christian
Traditions. -
The Aspen leaf is said to tremble
because the cross was made of Aspen-
wood.
Ah tremlole, tremble, Aspen-tree,
We need not ask thee why thou slakest,
For if, as holy legend Saith,
On thee the Saviour bled to death,
No wonder, Aspen, that thout quakest ;
And, till in judgiment all assemble,
Thy leaves accursed Shall Wail and tººlſ,
The dwarf elder is called in Wales
“the plant of the Blood of Man.”
* The wallflower is known in Palestine
as the “Blood-drops of Christ.”
The following are also said to owe
their stained blossoms to the blood which
trickled from the cross:—
The red anemome; the drum ; the purple
orchis ; the crimson-spotted leaves
of the roodselken (a French tradi-
tion); the spotted persicaria, Snake-
weed. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Flowers at Funerals. The Greeks
crowned the dead body with flowers, and
placed flowers on the tomb also. The
Romans decked the funeral couch with
leaves and flowers, and spread flowers,
wreaths, and fillets on the tomb of
friends. When Sulla was buried as
many as 2,000 wreaths were sent in his
honour. Most of our funeral customs
are derived from the Romans; as dressing
in black, walking in procession, carrying
insignia on the bier, raising a mound
over the grave, called tumulus, whence
our tomb.
Flowered Robes. In ancient Greece
to say “a woman wore flowered robes’’
Flowing
474
Fly
was to imply that she was a fille publique.
Solon made it a law that virtuous women
should appear in simple and modest
apparel, but that harlots should always
dress in flashy or flowered robes.
“As fugitive Slaves are known by their stig-
mata, so flowered garments indicate one of the
ºrmonde ſpouxáAtôaj.”—Clemens of Alexan-
J" (!. -
Flowing Philosophers. The fol-
lowers of Heraclitos, referred to by Plato
as toos fléovtas (Theatetus, 181 A). Hera-
clitos denied the permanency of every-
thing in nature except change. Tenny-
son has a poem entitled "Ow fiéovres.
FIuellen. A Welsh captain and
great pedant, who, amongst other learned
quiddities, attempted to draw a parallel
between Henry W. and Alexander the
Great ; but when he had said that one
was born at Monmouth and the other at
Macedon, both beginning with the same
letter, and that there was a river in both
cities, he had exhausted his best paral-
lelisms. (Henry V., iv. 7.)
“His parallel is, in all essential circumstances,
as incorrect, as that which Fluellen drew between
Macedon and Monmouth.”—Lord Matcawlay.
Fluke. Hap-hazard. In billiards it
means playing for one thing and getting
another. Hence an advantage gained
by luck more than by skill or judgment.
(German, glück, chance, our luck.)
“We seem to have discovered, as it were by a
fluke, a most excellent rule for all future Calxinet
arrangement.8.”—The Times.
Flummery. Flattering nonsense,
palaver. In Wales it is a food made of
oatmeal steeped in water and kept till it
has become sour. In Cheshire and
Lancashire it is the prepared skin of
oatmeal mixed with honey, ale, or
milk ; pap ; blanc - mange. (Welsh,
llymry, wash-brew, from llym, sour or
sharp.)
“You came . . . with your red coats and flashing
buttons . . . and her head got turned with your
flummery.”—Simms : The Partizáns, chap. xxix.
Flummux (To). To bamboozle ; to
deceive ; to be in a quandary. “I am
regularly flummuxed”—i.e., perplexed.
The first syllable is probably a variant
of flam, humbug, deception, and the
word seems to be compounded on the
model of the word “perplex.”
“For the privates, the sergeants, and 'spectors,
Šhe ium mixed them aii to a coon.”
Sims: Dagonet Ballads (Moll Jarvis).
Flummuxed. The mark G) set on a
street, gatepost, house, etc., as a warn-
ing to fellow-vagabonds not to go near,
for fear of being given in charge.
Flunkey. A livery servant.
(Old
French, flanquier, a henchman.)
Flur. The bride of Cas'sivelaun,
“for whose love the Roman Caesar first
invaded Britain.” (Tennyson : Enid.)
Flush (A), in cards, means a whole
hand of one suit, as a “flush of clubs,”
a “flush of hearts,” etc. (See below.)
Flush of Money. Full of money.
Similarly A flush of water means a
sudden and full flow of water. (Latin,
jitſa.-7ts.)
“Strut was not very flush in [the] ready.”—Dr.
A?'buth??0t.
Flute. The Magic Flute, an opera by
Mozart (Die Zauberflöte). The “flute”
was bestowed by the powers of dark-
ness, and had the power of inspiring
love. Unless purified the love was only
lust, but, being purified by the Powers
of Light, it subserved the holiest pur-
poses. Tamino and Pamina are guided
by it through all worldly dangers to the
knowledge of Divine Truth.
Flutter. A very weak specimen of a
fop, in the Belle’s Stratagem, by Mrs.
Cowley.
Flutter the Dovecotes (To). To
disturb the equanimity of a society. The
phrase occurs in Coriolanus.
“The important movement in favour of a gene-
ral School of law fluttered the dovecotes of the
Inns of Court.”—Nimeteenth Century (Nov., 1892,
p. 779).
Fly (plural flys). A hackney coach,
a cab. A contraction of Fly-by-night,
as sedan chairs on wheels used to be
called in the regency. These “Fly-by-
nights,” patronised greatly by George,
Prince of Wales, and his boon com-
panions, during their wild night pranks
at Brighton, were invented 1809 by John
Butcher, a carpenter of Jew Street.
“In the morning we took a fly, an English term
for an exceedingly Sluggish vehicle, and drove up
to the Minister’s.” – Hawthorne : Our Old IIowse
(Pilgrimage to Old Boston, p. 171).
Fly (plural flies). An insect. All flies
shall perish except one, and that is the
bee-fly. (Koran.)
A Fly has three eyes and two com-
pound eyes, each of which has 4,000
facets.
The god of flies. In the temple of
Actium the Greeks used to sacrifice an-
nually an ox to the god of flies. Pliny
tells us that at Rome sacrifice was offered
to flies in the temple of Hercules Victor.
The Syrians undoubtedly offered sacri-
fice to the same tiny tormentors. It is
said that no fly was ever seen in Solo-
mon’s temple.
AcHoſt, god of the Cyrenians, to whom, according
to Pliny, they offered Sacrifice,
Fly-boy
475 IB'O-hi
APOMYIos, a surname given by the Cyrenians to
Zeus, for delivering Herakles [Hercules] from
flies during sacrifice. Sacrifices were yearly
offered to Zeus Apomyios. (Greek, ſtpo-myiſt,
from flies.) * * *
BELZEBUB, or BEELzEBUTH (Prince of Flies), was
one of the principal Syrian gods, to whom
Sacriſico was Offered on all fe?'id:lia. & #
BUCLopUs, in Roman mythology. . (Rhod. XXii. 3.)
MYAGROS (the fly-chaser), one of the deities of the
Arcadians and Eleans. . (Pliny, X. 28.) , (Greek,
myia, a fly.; agra, taken in hunting or chasing.)
Flies in amber. (See under AMBER.)
To crush a fly on a wheel. , Making a
mountain of a mole-hill. Taking a wheel
used for torturing criminals and heretics
for killing a fly, which one might destroy
with a flapper. . . .
Ply on the coach-wheel (A). One who
fancies himself of mighty importance,
but who is in reality of none at all. The
allusion is to the fable of a fly sitting on
a chariot-wheel and saying, “See what
a dust we make l’”
Not a fly with him. Domitian, the
Roman emperor, was fond of catching
flies, and one of his slaves, being asked
if the emperor was alone, wittily replied,
“Not a fly with him.”
| To rise to the fly. To be taken in by
a hoax, as a fish rises to a false fly and
is caught.
. “He [the professor] rose to the fly with a charm-
ing simplicity.”—Grant Allen : The Mysterious Oc-
currence in Piccadilly, part ii.
Fly-boy. The boy in a printing-office
who lifts the printed sheets off the press.
He is called the fly-boy because he
catches the sheets as they fly from the
tympan (q.v.) immediately the frisket
(q.v.) is opened. This is now generally
performed by the pressmen.
Fly a Kite (To). To send a begging
letter to persons of a charitable reputa-
tion, or in easy circumstances, to solicit
pecuniary aid, urging poverty, losses, or
sickness as an excuse. (See KITE-FLY-
ING...)
Fly-by-night (A). One who defrauds
his creditors by decamping at night-
time. (See FLY.)
Fly in One's Face (To). To get
into a passion with a person; to insult:
as a hawk, when irritated, flies in the
face of its master.
Fly in the Face of Danger (To).
To run in a foolhardy manner into
danger, as a hen flies in the face of a
dog or cat.
Fly in the Face of Providence
(To). To act rashly, and throw away
good opportunities; to court danger.
Fly Open (To). To open suddenly,
as, “the doors flew open,” “les portes
s'ouvrirent,” as they do sometimes by
the force of the wind.
Fly Out at (To). To burst or break
into a passion. The Latin, involo in . . .
“Poor choleric Sir Brian would fly out at his
coachman, his butler, or his gamekeeper, and use
language . . . . which . . . . from any other master
Would have brought about a prompt resignation.’
—Good Words, 1887.
Flying Colours (To come off with).
In triumph ; with the flags unfurled
and flying.
Flying Dutchman. A spectral ship,
seen in stormy weather off the Cape of
Good Hope, and considered ominous of
ill-luck. Sir Walter Scott says she was
originally a vessel laden with precious
metal, but a horrible murder having
been committed on board, the plague
broke out among the crew, and no port
would allow the vessel to enter. The
ill-fated ship still wanders about like a
ghost, doomed to be sea-tossed, but
never more to enjoy rest. Captain
Marryat has a novel called The Phantom
Ship.
Flying without Wings (No). No-
thing can be done without the proper
Iſleå,11S.
“Sine pennis Yola're haud facile est.”—Plautus.
Flyman's Plot (The). In theatrical
language, means a list of all the articles
required by the flyman in the play pro-
duced. The flyman is the scene-shifter,
or the “man in the flies.”
Fog-eater. A white bow in the
clouds during foggy weather is so called.
Such a bow was seen in England dur-
ing January, 1888. A week preceding,
the weather had been clear, sunshiny,
and genial, then followed several days
of thick fog, during which the white
bow appeared. The bow was followed
by several days of brilliant mild weather.
Fogie or Fogey. An old foſſey. Pro-
perly an old military pensioner. This
term is derived from the old pensioners
of Edinburgh Castle, whose chief occu-
pation was to fire the guns, or assist in
quelling street riots. (Allied to fogat,
phogot, voget, foged, fogde, etc.)
“What has the world come to [said Thackeray]
. . when two broken-nosed old fogies like you
and me sit talking about love to each other.”—
Trollope: W. M. Thackeray, chap. i. p. 61. -
Fo-hi or Foé. One of the chief deities
of the Chinese. His mother, Moyé, was
walking one day along a river bank,
when she became suddenly encircled by
a rainbow, and at the end of twelve
years was the mother of a son. Turing
IFOil
476
IFOnCl
gestation she dreamed that she was preg-
nant with a white elephant, and hence
the honours paid to this beast. (Asiatic
JResearches.)
Foil. That which sets off something
to advantage. The allusion is to the
metallic leaf used by jewellers to set off
precious stones. (French, feuille ; Latin,
folium ; Greek, phullom, a leaf.)
“Hector, as a foil to set him off.” Broome.
“I’ll he your foil, Laertes. In mine ignorange
Your skill shall, like a star i' the darkest night,
Stick fiery off indeed.”
Shakespeare : Hamlet, v. 2.
JHe foiled me. He outwitted me.
“If I be foiled, there is but one ashamed who
*. WaS gracious.”—Shakespeare: As You Like
To run a foil. To puzzle; to lead
astray. The track of game is called its
joi! ; and an animal hunted will some-
times run back over the same foil in
order to mislead its pursuers.
Folio. A book of the largest size,
formed by folding the paper only once,
so that each sheet makes two leaves. It
is from the Italian, ºn libro in foglio,
through the French, in-folio. Fol. is
the contraction for folio.
Folio (so-and-so), in mercantile books,
means page so-and-So, and sometimes
the two pages which lie exposed at the
same time, one containing the credit and
the other the debit of one and the same
account. So called because ledgers, etc.,
are made in folio. The paging is called
the folio also. Printers call a page of
MS. or printed matter a folio regardless
of size.
Folio. In conveyances seventy-two
words, and in Parliamentary proceed-
ings ninety words, make a folio.
Folk. Latin, vºtly’ (the common
people); German, volk : Dutch, volch. :
Saxon, folc; Danish, folk. Folk and
vulgar are variants of the same word.
Folk. Fairies, also called “people,”
“neighbours,” “wights.” The Germans
have their kleine volk (little folk), the
Swiss their hill people and earth people.
“The little folk,
So happy and so gay, amuse themselves
Sometimes with singing .
Sometimes with dancing,
... Spring • * - - -
Like the soun; skipping kids in the Alp-grass.”
Wyss : Idyll of Gertrude and IRosy.
“In the hinder end of haryest, at All-hallow e'en,
When our good neighbours ride, if I read
when they jump and
1°19′ llt,
Somebückied on been wand, and some on a been.”
Montgomery : Flyting against Polwart.
“I crouché thee from the elyës, and from wights.”
- Chauce" . The Millen'6's T'atle,
Folk-lore. Whatever pertains to a
knowledge of the antiquities, super-
Stitions, mythology, legends, customs,
traditions, and proverbs of a people.
A ‘‘folklorist'' is one who is more or
less acquainted with these matters.
Folk-mote [a folk meeting]. A word
used in England before the Conquest for
what we now call a county or even a
parish meeting.
Follets. Goblins of the north of
France, who live in the houses of simple
rustics, and can be expelled neither by
water nor exorcism. They can be heard
but are never seen. In the singular
number, “esprit follet.”
Follow. Follow your nose, go straight
on. He followed his nose—he went on
and on without any discretion or thought
of consequences.
JHe who follows truth too closely will
have dirt kicked in his face. Be not too
strict to pry into abuse, for “odium
veritas parit,” “Summum jus suprema
est injuria.”
Follower. A male sweetheart who
follows the object of his affections. A
word very common among servants.
Mistresses say to female servants, “I
allow no followers”—i.e. I do not allow
men to come into my house to see you.
Also a disciple, a partisan.
“The pretty meat servant-lmaids had their choice
of desirable followers.”—E. C. Gaskell: Cramford,
clap. iii. p. 53.
Folly. Father of Folly (Abu Jahl),
an aged chief, who led a hundred horse
and seven hundred camels against Ma-
homet and fell at the battle of Bedr.
His own people called him Father of
Wisdom (Abu’ Lhoem).
Polly. A fantastic or foolishly ex-
travagant country seat, built for amuse-
ment or vainglory. (French, folie.)
“We have in? this country a word. (namely,
Folly) which has a technical appropriation to the
case of fantastic buildingS.”—De Quincey : ESSays
on the Poets (Keats, p. 90).
Pisher's Folly. A large and beautiful
house in Bishopsgate, with pleasure-gar-
dens, bowling-green, and hot-houses,
built by Jasper Fisher, one of the six
clerks of Chancery and a Justice of the
Peace. Queen Elizabeth lodged there.
“ Kirby's castle, and Fisher's folly,
Spinola's pleasure, and Megse's glory.”
Stowe: Suº'?"ey.
Fond. A foolish, fond parent. Here
fond does not mean affectionate, but
silly. Chaucer uses the word fonne for
a simpleton, and the Scotch fort is to
play the fool. Shakespeare has “fond
desire,” “fond love,” “fond shekels of
Tons et Origo
477
f'ools
gold,” “fond wretch,” “fond mad-
woman,” etc. “Fondling ” means an
idiot, or one fond.
“See how simple and how fond I am.”.
Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, iii. 2.
“Fonder than ignorance.” -
Shakespeare: Troilus and Cressida, i. 1.
Fons et Origo (Latin). The prim-
ary cause. Faa, et focus, the instigator,
as Juno was the fav et focus of the
Trojan war. -
Font, in printing, sometimes called
I'ount, a complete set of type of any
one size, with all the usual points and
accents; a font consists of about 100,000
characters. The word is French, fonte,
from fondre (to melt or cast). When a
letter of a different type to the rest gets
into a page it is called a “wrong font,”
and is signified in the margin by the two
letters wif. (See TYPE.)
Taken to the font. Baptised. The
font is a vessel employed for baptism.
Fontara/bia. Now called Fuenter-
rabia (in Latin, Fons rap'idus), near the
Gulf of Gascony. Here, according to
Maria'na and other Spanish historians,
Charlemagne and all his chivalry fell
by the sword of the Spanish Saracens.
Mez'eray and the French writers say
that, the rear of the king's army being
cut to pieces, Charlemagne returned and
revenged their death by a complete
victory. -
* When ºlºgne With all his peerage fell
By Fontarabia -
Milton : Pat?‘adise Lost, book i. 587.
Food. Sir Walter Scott remarks that
live cattle go by Saxon names, and slain
meat by Norman-French, a standing
evidence that the Normans were the
lords who ate the meat, and the Saxons
the serfs who tended the cattle. Exam-
ples: -
Sheep Ox , Calf Hog Pig (Saacom).
Mutton Beef Veal Bacon l’Ork (Non-man-French).
Food of the gods. (See AMBROSIA,
NECTAR.)
Food for Powder.
levied in times of war.
Foods and Wines.
curiosities.
Raw recruits
Gastronomic
Foods.
Sterlets from the Volga.
Eels fron] the Tiber.
(, rouse from Scotland.
BuStards from Sweden.
Beal’s’ feet from the Black Forest.
Bison humps from America.
IFillet of beef & la Chateaubriand.
Ortolans dº la Lucullus.
- Winnes.
Old Madeira, with the soup. . •
Château-Filhot '58 with the side dishes. .
Johºerger and Pichon-Longueville With the
7'elevés.
Château-Lafitte '48 with the entrées.
Sparkling Moselle With the roast.
Fool. In chess, the French call the
“bishop’’ fou, and used to represent the
piece in a fool’s dress; hence, Regnier
says, “Jes fous sont atta: čchecs les plus
proches des Rois” (14 Sat.). Fou is a
corruption of the Eastern word Fol (an
elephant), as Thomas Hyde remarks in
his Ludis Orientalibus (i. 4), and on old
boards the places occupied by our
“bishops” were occupied by elephants.
A Zom Fool. A person who makes
himself ridiculous. (See TOM.)
“The ancient and noble family of Tom Fool.”
—Quarterly Review.
Fool [a food], as gooseberry fool,
raspberry fool, means gooseberries or
raspberries pressed. (French, fouler, to
press.)
Fool. Thinks. As the fool thinks, so
the bell clinks (Latin, “Quod valde voi'-
imus facile cre'dimus”). A foolish person
believes what he desires.
Fool in his Sleeve. Every man
hath a fool in his sleeve. No one is
always wise. The allusion is to the
tricks of jugglers.
The wisest fool in Christendom. James I.
was so called by Henri IV., but he
learnt the phrase of Sully.
Fool or Physician at Forty. Plu-
tarch tells us that Tiberius said “Every
man is a fool or his own physician at
forty.” (Threatise on the Preservation of
Health.)
Fools. (French, fol, Latin, follis.)
(1) The most celebrated court fools :
(a) Dag'onet, jester of King Arthur;
Rayère, of Henry I. ; Scogan, of Ed-
ward IV. ; Thomas Killigrew, called
“Ring Charles's jester” (1611-1682);
Archie Armstrong, jester in the court
of James I. (died 1672).
(b) Thomas Derrie, jester in the court
of James I.
(c) James Geddes, jester to Mary
Queen of Scots. His predecessor was
Jenny Colquhoun.
(d) Patch, the court fool of Elizabeth,
wife of Henry VII.
(e) Will Somers, Henry VIII.'s jester.
He died 1560.
(f) W. F. Wallet, jester in the court
of Queen Elizabeth.
(g) Trib'oulet, jester of Louis XII.
and François I. (1487-1536); Brusquet,
of whom Brantôme says “he never had
his equal in repartee” (1512-1563);
Chicot, jester of Henri III., and IV.
(1553-1591); Longely, of Louis XIII. ;
and An'geli, of Louis XIV., last of the
titled fools of France.
ſ
t
IFool's Bolt
*-
478
Toot;
(7) Klaus Narr, jester of Frederick the
Wise, elector of Prussia.
(i) Yorick, in the Court of Denmark,
referred to by Shakespeare in Hamlet,
v. 1.
(2) Not attached to the court :
(a) Patrick Bonny, jester of the regent
Morton; John Heywood, in the reign
of Henry VII., dramatist, died 1505;
Dickie Pearce, fool of the Earl of Suf-
folk, whose epitaph Swift wrote.
(b) Kunz von der Rosen, private jester
to the Emperor Maximilian I.
(c) Gonnella, the Italian (q.v.).
(d) Le Glorieux, the jester of Charles
le Hardi, of Burgundy.
(e) Patche, Cardinal Wolsey’s jester,
whom he transferred to Henry VIII. as
a most acceptable gift.
(f) Patison, licensed jester to Sir
Thomas More. Introduced by Hans
Holbein in his picture of the chancellor.
(3) Men worthy of the motley :
(a) Andrew Borde, physician to Henry
VIII., usually called Merry Andrew
(1500-1549).
(b) Gen. Kyaw, a Saxon officer,
famous for his blunt jests.
(c) Jacob Paul, Baron Gundling, who
was laden with titles in ridicule by
Erederick William I. of Prussia.
(d) Seigni Jean (Old John), so called
to distinguish him from Johan “fol de
Madame,” of whom Marot speaks in
his epitaphs. Seigni Jean lived about a
century before Caillette.
(e) Richard Tarlton, a famous clown
in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. He
died 1588.
(f) Caillette “flourished” about 1494.
In the frontispiece of the “Ship of
Fools,” printed 1497, there is a picture
both of Seigni Jean and also of Caillette.
Feast of Fools. A kind of Saturnalia,
popular in the Middle Ages. Its chief
object was to honour the ass on which
our Lord made His triumphant entry
into Jerusalem. This ridiculous mum-
mery was held on the day of circum-
cision (January 1). The office of the
day was first chanted in travesty; then,
a procession being formed, all sorts
of absurdities, both of dress, manner,
and instrumentation, were indulged in. .
An ass formed an essential feature, and
from time to time the whole procession
imitated the braying of this animal, es-
pecially in the place of “Amen.”
Fool's Bolt. A fool's bolt is soon
shot (Henry V., iii. 7). Simpletons
cannot wait for the fit and proper time,
but waste their resources in random
endeavours; a fool and his money are
Soon parted. The allusion is to the
Britishbowmeninbattle; the good soldier
shot with a purpose, but the foolish
soldier at random. (See Prov. xxix. 11.)
Fool's Paradise. Unlawful pleasure,
illicit love, vain hopes. Thus, in Romeo
and Juliet, the Nurse says to Romeo,
“If ye should lead her [Juliet] into a
fool's paradise, it were a gross . . . .
behaviour.” The old schoolmen said
there were three places where persons
not good enough for paradise were ad-
mitted : (1) The limbus patrum, for
those good men who had died before the
death of the Redeemer; (2) The limbus
??fantum or paradise of unbaptised
infants; and (3) The limbus fatuo'rum
or paradise of idiots and others who were
700m compos mentis. (See LIMBO.)
Foolscap. A corruption of the
Italian foglio-capo (folio-sized sheet).
The error must have been very ancient,
as the water-mark of this sort of paper
from the thirteenth to the seventeenth
ºny was a fool’s head, with cap and
bells.
Foot. (Greek, pod"; Latin, ped’;
French, pied; Dutch, voet, Saxon, fot.
I'oot and pedal are variants of the same
word.) -
Best foot foremost. Use all possible
dispatch, To “set on foot” is to set
agoing. If you have various powers of
motion, set your best foremost.
“Nay, but make haste ; the better foot before.”
Shakespearé : Kimg Jolim, iv. 2.
I have not yet got any foot in. I am
not yet familiar and easy with the
work. The allusion is to the preliminary
exercises in the great Roman foot-race.
While the signal was waited for, the
candidates made essays of jumping, run-
ning, and posturing, to excite a suitable
warmth and make their limbs supple.
This was “getting their foot in ’’ for
the race. (See HAND.)
I have the measure or length of his foot.
I know the exact calibre of his mind.
The allusion is to the Pythagore'an ad-
measurement of Hercules by the length
of his foot. (See ExPEDE.)
To light on one’s feet. To escape a
threatened danger. It is said that cats
thrown from a height always light on
their feet. -
To put down your foot on [a matter].
Peremptorily to forbid it.
To show the cloven foot. To betray an
evil intention. The devil is represented
with a cloven foot.
foot-breadth 479
15'ordelis
Turn away thy foot from the Sabbath
(Isa. lviii. 13). Abstain from working
and doing your own pleasure on that
day. The allusion is to the law which
prohibited a Jew from walking on a
Sabbath more than a mile.
turn away his foot from the road and
street.
Withdraw thy foot from thy neigh-
bour’s house, lest he get weary of thee,
and so hate thee. Never Outstay your
welcome.
With one foot in the grave.
dying state.
You have put your foot in it micely.
You have got yourself into a pretty
mess. (In French, volts are: mis le pied
detans.) When porridge is burnt, or
meat over-roasted, we say, “The bishop
hath put his foot in.” (See BISHOP.)
Afoot. On the way, in progress. (See
GAME’s AFOOT, MATTER AFOOT.)
“Mischief, thou art afoot,
Take thou what course thou Wilt.”
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iii. 2.
Foot-breadth or Quern-liter. The
sword of Thoralf. Skolinson the Strong,
a companion of Hako I. of Norway.
(See SworDS.)
Foot-lights. To appear before the
foot-lights. On the stage, where a row
of lights is placed in front along the
floor to lighten it up.
Foot Monsters. In the Italian
romance of Gueri'mo Meschi'no Indians
are spoken of with feet so large that
they carry them over their heads like
umbrellas.
In a
Foot-notes. Notes placed at the
bottom of a page.
“A trifiing sum of misery
Now added to the foot of thy account.”
Dryden.
Foot-pound. The unit of result
in estimating work done by machinery.
Thus, if we take 1 lb. as the unit of
weight and 1 foot as the unit of dis-
tance, a foot-pound would be 1 lb. weight
raised 1 foot.
Foot of a Page. The bottom of it,
meaning the notes at the bottom of a
page.
Footing. He is on good footing with
the world. He stands well with the
world. This is a French phrase, Etre
sur un grand pied dans le monde. “Grand
pied’’ means “large foot,” and the allu-
sion is to the time of Henry VIII., when
the rank of a man was designated by
the size of his shoe—the higher the rank
Eſe was to
the larger the shoe. The proverb would
be more correctly rendered, “He has a
large foot in society.”
To pay your footing. To give money
for drink when you first enter on a
trade. Entry money for being allowed
to put your foot in the premises occu-
pied by fellow-craftsmen. This word
is called foot-ale by ancient writers.
(See GARNISH.)
Footman's Wand(A). (SeeBUNNING
FootMEN.)
Footmen. (See RUNNING FOOTMEN.)
Fop's Alley. The passage between
the tiers of benches, right and left, in
the Opera-house, frequented by mashers
and other exquisites.
Foppington (Lord). An empty cox-
comb in Vanbrugh's Relapse, of which
Sheridan's Trip to Scarborough is a
modified version. -
“The shoemaker in the Relapse tells Lord Fop-
pington that his lordship is mistaken in supposing
that his shoe pinches.”— Lord Macaulay.
Forbears. Ancestors, predecessors—
i.e. those born before the present genera
tion. (Anglo-Saxon, fºr-béran.)
“My name is Graeme, so please, you;-Roland
Graeme, whose forbears were designated o
Heathergill, in the Del)ateable Land.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Abbot, chap. xviii.
Forbès, referred to by Thomson in
his Seasons, was Duncan Forbes, of
Cullo'den, lord president of the Court
of Session. For many years he ruled the
destinies and greatly contributed to the
prosperity of Scotland. He was on
friendly terms with Pope, Swift, Ar-
buthnot, etc. The word is now gene-
rally pronounced as a monosyllable.
“Thee, Forbës, too, whom every worth attends....
Thy country feels thro’ her reviving arts,
Planned by thy wisdom, by thy soul informed.”
Thomsom, : Atttum7).
Forbidden Fruit (The), Mahometan
doctors aver, was the banana or Indian
fig, because fig-leaves were employed to
cover the disobedient pair when they
felt shame as the result of sin. Called
“Paradisaica.” Metaphorically, un-
lawful = forbidden indulgence.
Forcible Feeble School. (See
TEEBLE.)
Ford. Mr. and Mrs. Ford are cha-
racters in The Merry Wives of Windsor.
Mrs. Ford pretends to accept Sir John
Falstaff's protestations of love, in order
to punish him by her devices.
For delis (in Orlando Furioso). Wife
of Bran'dimart, Orlando's intimate
friend. When Brandimart was slain,
* =
B'Ore
she dwelt for a time in his mausoleum
in Sicily, and died broken-hearted.
(Book xii.)
Fore. . To the fore. In the front
rank; eminent.
To come to the fore. To stand out
prominently ; to distinguish oneself; to
stand forth.
Fore-and-Aft. Lengthwise, in oppo-
sition to “athwart-ships” (or across the
line of the keel). (Dana : Seaman’s Man-
*tal, p. 96.)
“A slight Spar-deck fore - and -aft.”—Sir W.
Raleigh.
Forecastle. Ancient ships had a
castle, as may be seen in the tapestry of
the House of Lords, representing the
Spanish Arma'da. The term forecastle
means before the castle. The Romans
called the castled ships navés turri'tae.
“That part of the upper deck forward of the
foremast . . . In merchant ships, the forward
part of the Vessel, under the deck, where the
Sailors live.”—Dama : Seamam's Mamwal, p. 96.
Foreclose. To put an end to. A
legal term, meaning to close before the
time specified ; e.g. suppose I held the
mortgage of a man called A, and A fails
to fulfil his part of the agreement, I can
insist upon the mortgage being cancelled,
foreclosing thus our agreement.
“The enhalgo With Spain foreclosed this
trade.”—Carew.
Fore-shortened. Not viewed late-
rally, but more or less obliquely. Thus,
a man’s leg lying on the ground, with
the sole of the foot nearer the artist than
the rest of the body, would be perspec-
tively shortened.
“He forbids the fore-shortenings, because they
Imake the parts appear little.”—Dryden.
Forfar. Do as the cow o' Forfar did,
tak” a stannin' drink. A cow, in passing
a door in Forfar, where a tub of ale had
been placed to cool, drank the whole of
it. The owner of the ale prosecuted the
owner of the cow, but a learned baillie,
in giving his decision, said, “As the ale
was drunk by the cow while standing at
the door, it must be considered deoch an
doritis (stirrup-cup), to make a charge
for which would be to outrage Scotch
hospitality.” (Sir W. Scott : Waverley.)
Forget-me-nots of the Angels.
The stars are so called by Longfellow.
The similitude between a little light-
blue flower and the yellow stars is very
remote. Stars are more like buttercups
than forget-me-nots.
“Silently, one by one, in the infinite meadows of
hea, Ven
Blossom the loyely stars, the forget-me-nots of
the angels.” JEvatºlgeline.
480
Fortiter in Re
Forgive, blest Shade. This very
celebrated epitaph is in Brading church-
yard, Isle of Wight, and is attributed to
Mrs. Anne Steele (Theodosia), daughter
of a Baptist minister of Bristol, but was
touched up by the Rev. John Gill, curate
of Newchurch. Set to music in three
parts by J. W. Callcott (1795).
Forgiveness. (Ang.-Sax., forgi fenes.)
“Forgiveness to the injured doth belong,
But they ne'er loardon Who have done the
wrong.” • * sº
I)7'yden. : Comquest of Granada, part ii. act i. 2.
“Proprium humäni generis, Odisse quem lace-
ris."—Tacitus. .
Fork Out. Hand over; pay down;
stand treat. Fingers are called forks,
and this may suffice to explain the
phrase; if not, we have the Anglo-
Saxon verb fecean (to draw out, to take),
and “fork out ’’ would be “fec out.”
Forks. The gallows. (Latin, furca.)
Cicero (de Divinitäte, i. 26) says, “ Ferens
furcam duetus est,” often quoted in proof
that criminals condemned to the cross
were obliged to carry their own cross to
the place of execution. But the ordinary
meaning of furca is a kind of yoke to
which the hands of criminals were
fastened. The punishment was of three
degrees of severity : (1) The furca
ignominiosa ; , (2) the furca paen àlis ;
and (3) the furca capitälis. The first
was for slight offences, and consisted in
carrying the furca on the shoulders,
more or less weighted. The second
consisted in carrying the furca and being
scourged. The third was being scourged
to death. The word furcifer meant what
we call a gallows-bad or vile fellow.
Forked Cap (A).
is so called by John Skelton.
or forked.
Forlorn Hope. Cromwell says, “Our
forlorn of horse marched within a mile
of the enemy,” i.e. our horse picket sent
forward to reconnoitreapproached within
a mile of the enemy’s camp. (German,
werloren.)
Forlot or Firlot. The fourth part of
a boll. From feower (four), h!ot (part).
Forma Pau/peris (Latin, Under plea
of poverty). To sue in formá pattpéris.
When a person has just cause of a suit,
but is so poor that he cannot raise £5,
the judge will assign him lawyers and
counsel without the usual fees.
For’titer in Re (Latin). Firmness
in doing what is to be done ; an un-
flinching resolution to persevere to the
A bishop’s mitre
It is cleft
Forturiate Islands
481
FOScari
end.
(7.0.).
Fortunate Islands.
Cana'ries.
Fortuna/tus. You have found For-
tunatus’s purse. Are in luck's way.
The nursery tale of Fortuna'tus records
that he had an inexhaustible purse. It
is from the Italian fairy tales of Strapa-
ro'la, called Nights. Translated into
French in 1585. (See WISHING CUP.)
Fortune. Fortune favours the brave.
(“Fortes fortu'na adjuvat.”) (Terence:
Phon"mio, i. 4.)
Fortu'nio. The assumed name of a
damsel, youngest of three sisters, who
dressed herself as a cavalier to save her
aged father, who was summoned to the
army. Fortunio. On the way engaged
seven servants: Strong-back, who could
carry on his back enough liquor to fill a
river; Lightfoot, who could traverse any
distance in no time ; Marksman, who
could hit an object at any distance; Fine-
ear, who could hear anything, no matter
where uttered ; Boisterer, who could do
any amount of cudgelling ; Gourmand,
who could eat any amount of food; and
Tippler, who could drink a river dry and
thirst again. Fortunio, having rendered
invaluable services to King Alfourite, by
the aid of her seven servants, at last
married him. (Grimm’s Goblins : For-
tunio. Countess D'Aulnoy: Fawry Tales.)
For ty. A superstitious number,
arising from the Scripture use. Thus
Moses was forty days in the mount ;
Elijah was forty days fed by ravens;
the rain of the flood fell forty days, and
another forty days expired before Noah
opened the window of the ark; forty
days was the period of embalming;
Nineveh had forty days to repent ; our
Ilord fasted forty days; He was seen
forty days after His resurrection ; etc.
St. Swithin betokens forty days’ rain
or dry weather ; a quarantine extends to
forty days; forty days, in the Old English
law, was the limit for the payment of
the fine for manslaughter ; the privilege
of sanctuary was for forty days; the
widow was allowed to remain in her
husband’s house for forty days after his
decease ; a knight enjoined forty days’
service of his tenant; a stranger, at the
expiration of forty days was compelled
to be enrolled in some tithing; members
of Parliament were protected from arrest
forty days after the prorogation of the
House, and forty days before the House
was convened; a new-made burgess had
Coupled with Suaviter in modo
Now called the
to forfeit forty pence unless he built a
house within forty days; etc., etc.
The ancient physicians ascribe many
strange changes to the period of forty;
the alchemists looked on forty days as
the charmed period when the philo-
sopher's stone and elixir of life were to
appear.
JFool or physician at forty. (See under
FooI.)
Forty Stripes save One. The Jews
were forbidden by the Mosaic law to
inflict more than forty stripes on an
offender, and for fear of breaking the
law they stopped short of the number.
If the scourge contained three lashes,
thirteen strokes would equal “forty save
one.”
JForty stripes save one. The thirty-
nine articles of the Anglican Church.
Forty Thieves. In the tale of Ali
Baba'. (Arabian Nights’ Entertain-
'ments.) &
Forty Winks. A short nap. Forty
is an indefinite number, meaning a few.
Thus, we say, “A, B, C, and forty
more.” Coriola'nus says, “I could beat
forty of them ’’ (iii. 1). (See FoETY.)
“The slave had forty thousand lives.”
Shakespeare: Othello, iii. 1.
“I loved Ophelia ; forty, thousand brothers
Could not, with all their quantity of love,
Make up my Sum.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, v. 1.
Forty-five. No. 45. The celebrated
number of Wilkes's North Britain, in
which the Cabinet Ministers are accused
of putting a lie into the king’s mouth.
Forwards (Marshal). G. L. von Blü-
cher was called Marschall Worwarts, from
his constant exhortation to his hussars in
the campaigns preceding the great battle
of Waterloo. Vorwärts / always Voy-
wärts 1 (1742-1819.)
Fos/cari (Francis). Doge of Venice.
He occupied the office for thirty-five
years, added Brescia, Bergamo, Crema,
and Ravenna to the Republic, greatly
improved the city, and raised Venice to
the pinnacle of its glory. Of his four
sons only one, named Jacopo, Survived ;
he was thrice tortured. Before his final
banishment, the old doge, then eighty-
four years of age, hobbled on crutches to
the gaol where his son was confined, but
would not mitigate the sentence of “The
Ten.” His son, being banished to Candia,
died, and Francis was deposed. As he
descended the Giant Staircase he heard
the bell toll for the election of his suc-
cessor, and dropped down dead. (Byron:
The Two Foscari.)
31
... Foss
482
Fourierism
Jacopo Fos'cari. Denounced by the
Council of Ten for taking bribes of
foreign powers. He was tried before his
own father, confessed his guilt, and was
banished. During his banishment a
Venetian senator was murdered, and
Jacopo, being suspected of complicity
in the crime, was again tortured and
banished. He returned to Venice, was
once more brought before the council,
subjected to torture, and banished to
Candia, where in a few days he died.
“Nothing can sympathise with Foscari–
Not e'en a FOScari.”
Byron : The Two Foscari,
Foss (Corporal). An attendant on
Lieutenant Worthington. A similar
character to Trim in Sterne’s Tristraam
Shandy. (G. Colman : The Poor Gentle-
Wha??.)
Foss-way. One of the four princi-
pal highways made by the Romans in
Jöngland, leading from Cornwall to Lin-
coln. It had a foss or ditch on each
side of it. (See ERMINE STREET.)
Fossa et Furca [pit and gallows].
An ancient privilege granted by the
Crown to its vassals, to cast female
felons into a ditch, and hang male ones
on a gallows.
According to Wharton (Law Diction-
ary), this furca is not the Latin word,
but the Hebrew farkah, to divide.
Hence also the servile tenure called
Jºhtream et Flagellum.
Fossils. Things dug up, animal and
vegetable remains dug out of the earth.
(Latin, fodio, to dig up.)
“Many other bodies, which, because, we dis-
cover them by digging into the bowels of the
earth, are called by one common name—fossils,
under which are comprehended metals and mine-
rals.” [Not now.]—Locke.
Foster Brother or Sister. One
brought up by the same nurse.
A foster-child is one brought up by
those who are not its real parents. (Saxon,
fostrian, Danish fostrer, to nurse.)
Fou Drunk. “Wilbraham has fou-
drunk ’’—i.e. is despicably drunk, dead
drunk, French, fou, “mad,” as fou-
enragé; or simply fit’, i.e. “full,” “in-
tensive,” as in full-off, “full-well ye
reject the commandment of God” (Mark
vii. 9).
, Foul Proof. A proof is a rough
impression of a manuscript set up in
type, or of a drawing engraved, for the
author’s correction. The proof with
many faults is a foul proof, but the
“pull,” after the errors are corrected, is
termed a clean proof. These impressions
are called proofs because they must be
approved of by author and reader before
they are finally printed,
Foul-weather Jack. Commodore
Byron, said to be as notorious for foul
weather as Queen Victoria is for fine.
(1723-1786.)
lºmiral Sir John Norris, who died
Fountain of Death. In Jerusalem
Delivered, the hermit tells Charles and
Ubald of a fountain, the sight of which
excites thirst, but those who taste its
water die with laughter.
Pomponius Meſla speaks of a fountain
in the Fortunate Islands, “Qui potavére
A'isu solveſ/ºtºty' iſ? Anortem.” Petrarch al-
Iudes to the same. -
These fountains, symbolise the plea-
Sures of sin.
Fountain of Youth. A fountain
supposed to possess the power of restor-
ing youth. . It was thought to be in one
of the Baha'ma Islands.
Four Kings. The History of the
JFour Kings (Livre des Quatre Rois). A
pack of cards. In a French pack the
four kings are Charlemagne, David,
Alexander, and Caesar, representatives
of the Franco-German, Jewish or
Christian, Macedonian, and Roman
monarchies.
Four Letters, containing the name
of God, and called by Rabbins “tetra-
grammaton.” Thus, in Hebrew, JHWH
(JeBIoWaBI); in Greek, ®eos, in Latin,
Deus; in French, Dieu, in Assyrian,
Adat ; Dutch, God: ; German, Gott,
Danish, Godh, Swedish, Goth ; Persian,
Soru ; Arabic, Alla ; Cabalistic, Agla ;
Egyptian, ©ov6; Sanskrit, Deva, Spanish,
Dios; Italian, Idio, Scandinavian, Odin,
etc.
* This probably is a mere coincidence,
but it is worthy of note. -
Four Masters. Michael and Cu-
coirighe O'Clerighe, Maurice and Fear-
feafa Conry, authors of the Annals of
Donegal. 9
Fou'rierism. A communistic sys-
tem, so called from Charles Fourier, of
Besançon. According to Fourier, all the
world was to be cantoned into groups,
called phalansteries, consisting each of
400 families or 1,800 individuals, who
were to live in a common edifice, fur-
nished with workshops, studios, and
all sources of amusement. The several
groups were at the same time to be
associated together under a unitary
Tourierists
483
Fox-fire
--
government, like the Cantons of Switzer-
land or the States of America. Only one
language was to be admitted; all the
gains of each phalanstery were to belong
to the common purse; and though talent
and industry were to be rewarded, no
one was to be suffered to remain indi-
gent, or without the enjoyment of cer-
tain luxuries and public amusement
(1772-1837).
Fou'rierists. French communists, so
called from Charles Fourier. (See above.)
Fourteen, in its connection with
Henri IV. and Louis XIV. The follow-
ing are curious and strange coincidences:
FIENRI IW. . . -
lf letters in the naille Henri-de-Bourbon. He was
the 14th king of France and Navarre on flie
extinction of the family of Navarre, . He was
born on Dec. 14, 1553, the sum of which year
amounts to 14; he was assassinated on May 14,
1610; and lived 4 times 14 years, 14 weeks, and
4 times 14 days. * - - -
14 May, 1552, was born Marguerite de Valois, his
first Wife. - - - -
14 May, 1588, the Parisians rose in revolt against
him, because he was a “heretic.”
14 Marchiæð, he won the great battle of Ivry.
14 May, 1590, was organised a grand ecclesiastical
and military demonstration against him, which
drove him from the faubourgs of Paris. -
14 Nov., 1590, the . Sixteen took an oath to die
rather than submit to a “heretic” king. . .
It Was Gregory XIV. who issued a Bull excluding
Henri from the throne. -
14 Nov., 1592, the Paris parlement registered the
papal Bull, *
14 P; 1599, the Duke of Savoy was reconciled to
Gill’ſ 1 W.
14 Sept., 1606, was baptised the dauphin (after-
wards Louis XIII.), son of Henri IV. -
14 May, 1610, Henry was assassinated by Ravaillac.
For the dates see Histoire de France, by Bordier
and Churton (1859).
LOUIS XIV.
14th of the name. He mounted the throne 1643,
the sum of which figures equals 14. He died
1715, the sum of which figures also equals 14.
He reigned 77 years, the sum of which two
figures equals 14. He was born 1638, died 1715,
‘which added together equals 3353, the Sulm Of
which figures comes to 14. Such a strange
combination is lyrobably Without pal’allel.
Fourteen Hundred (A Stock Ex-
change warning). It is to give notice
that a stranger has entered 'Change.
The term was in use in Defoe's time.
Fourth Estate of the Realm (The).
The daily press. The most powerful of
all. Burke, referring to the Reporters’
Gallery, said, “Yonder sits the Fourth
Estate, more important than them all.”
Fourth of July (The). The great
national holiday of the United States of
America. The Declaration of Indepen-
dence was July 4, 1776.
Fowler (Henry the Fowler). Hein-
rich I., King of Germany, was so called,
because when the deputies announced to
him his election to the throne, they
found him fowling with a hawk on his
fist (876, 919–936).
* This tradition is not mentioned by
any historian before the eleventh cen-
tury; but since that period numerous
writers have repeated the story. He
was called in Latin, Henricus Auceps.
Fox (The old). Marshal Soult was so
nicknamed, from his strategic talents
and fertility of resources. (1769–1851.)
(See REYNA.R.D.) -
Fox. Antipathy to foales. Speaking
of natural antipathies, Shakespeare
makes Shylock say:
“Some men there be love not a gaping pig,
Some that are mad if they behold a cat.”
Tycho Brahé would faint at sight of a
foa, Marshal d'Albret at sight of a pig,
Henri III. at sight of a cat. (See
ANTIPATHY.)
A wise foa, will never rob his neigh-
bottº’s herº-roost, because it would soon
be found out. He goes farther from
home where he is not known.
Jºvery for must pay his skin to the
jurrier. The crafty shall be taken in
their own wiliness.
“Tutte le Volpi si trovano in pellicaria.”—Italian,
Proverb,
To set a foa to keep the geese. (Latin,
“Ovem lupo committere.”) He entrusted
his money to sharpers.
Foa. (That). So our Lord called Herod
Antipas, whose crafty policy was thus
pointed at, “Go ye, and tell that fox,
Behold, I cast out devils” (St. Luke xiii.
32). (B.C. 4–A.D. 39.)
* Herod Agrippa I. (A.D. 41-44.)
Herod Agrippa II. (A.D. 52-100.)
Fox. An Old English broadsword.
* A correspondent of Notes and Que-
yies (May 2nd, 1891, p. 356) says: “The
swords were manufactured by Julian
del Rei of Tolédo, whose trade-mark
was a little dog, mistaken for a fox.”
The usual derivation is the Latin fala,
French fauchon, our falchion.
“O signieur Dew, thou diest on point of fox,
Except, O signieur, thou do give to me
Egregious ranSom.” -
Shakespeare: Henry V., iv. 4.
“I had a sword, ay, the flower of Smithfield for
a sword, a right fox i' faith.”—Two Amgry Women.
of Abington (lā99).
Fox (To). To steal or cheat; to
fub; also “to shadow ’’ a suspect; to
watch without seeming so to do. A dog,
a fox, and a weasel sleep, as they say,
“with one eye open.”
Fox-fire—i.e. fause or “false fire,”
the phosphoric light, without heat,
which plays round decaying matter.
Tox-tail
Fox-tail. I gave him a flap with a
foac-tail. I cajoled him ; made a fool of
Thim. The fox-tail was one of the badges
of the motley, and to flap with a fox-tail
is to treat one like a fool.
Fox's Sleep (A). A sleep with one
eye on the qui vive. Assumed indiffer-
ence to what is going on. (See above.)
Foxed. A book stained with reddish-
brown marks is said to be foxed. Of
course, the stain is so called because it is
of the colour of a fox.
Foxglove, called by the Welsh
Pairy’s glove and by the Irish Fairy-bells,
is either a corruption of Folk’s glove—
à.e. the glove of the good folks or fairies,
or else of the Saxon foa:[es] glofa, red or
fox-coloured glove. (French, gants de
Motre Dame.)
Foxites (2 syl.). The Quakers. . So
called from George Fox, who organised
the sect (1624-1690). -
“His muzzle, formed of opposition stuff,
Eirm as a Foxite, would not lose its ruff.”
I)". Wolcott [Peter Pindar) : The Razor Sellen'.
Foxy. Strong-Smelling, or red-haired;
like a fox.
Fra Diavolo (Michele Pozza). A
celebrated brigand and renegade monk,
who evaded pursuit for many years
amidst the mountains of Calabria. (1760-
1806.) Auber has made him the subject
of an Opera.
Fracassus. Father of Ferrågus, the
giant, and son of Morganté.
“Primus erat quidan) Fracassus prole gigantis,
Çujus stirps olim Morganto venit al) illo,
Qui bacchioconem campana ferre solel)at,
Cltim quo mille hominum coll)OS fracasset in
tl]] () -
Merlin Cocaius (i.e. Théophile Folemgo):
FIistoire Macaronique (1606).
Fradu'bio . [Brother Doubt), says
Spenser, wooed and won Duessa (False-
faith); but one day, while she was
bathing, discovered her to be a “filthy
old hag,” and resolved to leave her.
Palse - faith instantly metamorphosed
him into a tree, and he will never be
relieved till “he can be bathed from
the well of living water.” (Faërie
Queene, book i. 2.) -
Frame of Mind. Disposition. A
printer’s frame is a stand on which the
type is disposed; a founder’s frame is a
mould into which molten metal is dis-
posed or poured ; a weaven’s frame is a
loom where the silk or thread is dis-
posed or stretched for quilting, etc.; a
picture frame is an ornamental edging
within which the picture is disposed; a
*mental frame, therefore, is the boundary
484
Frangipani
within which the feelings of the mind
are disposed. (Anglo-Saxon, fremm-an.)
France. The heraldic device of the
city of Paris is a ship. As Sauval says,
“L’ile de la cité est faite comme ºn grand
7tavire emfoncé dans la vase, et échoué and
fil de l’eau, vers le milieu de la Seine.”
This form of a ship struck the heraldic
scribes, who in the latter part of the
Middle Ages, emblazoned a ship on the
shield of Paris.
Francesca. A Venetian maiden,
daughter of Minotti, governor of Corinth.
She loved Alp, and tried to restore him
to his country and faith ; but, as he re-
fused to recant, gave him up, and died
broken-hearted. (Byron : Siege of Co-
rinth.)
Francesca da Rimini. Daughter
of Guido da Polenta, Lord of Ravenna.
Her story is told in Dante's Inferno
(cantov.). She was married to Lanciotto
Malatesta, Lord df Rimini, but com-
mitted adultery with Paolo, her hus-
band's brother. Both were put to death
by him in 1389. Leigh Hunt has a
poem, and Silvio Pellico a tragedy, on
the subject,
Francis's Distemper (St.). Impe-
cuniosity ; being moneyless. Those of
the Order of St. Francis were not allowed
to carry any money about them.
“I saw another case of gentlemen of St. Fran-
cis's distemper.”—Rabelais : Pantagruel, Y. 21.
Franciscans, or Min'orites (3 syl.).
Founded in 1208 by St. Francis of Assisi,
who called poverty “ his bride.” Poverty
was the ruling principle of the order.
Duns Scotus, Roger Bacon, Cardinal
|Ximenès, Ganganelli, etc., were of this
order.
Called Franciscams, from the name of their
foundel'. - - -
Minorites, from their professed humility.
Grey Friars, from the colour of their
Outer garment.
Mendicants, because they were one of
the Begging or mendicant order.
25 Observants, because they strictly
Served the rule of poverty.
* The Franciscan Sisters were known
as Clares, or Poor Clares, Minoresses,
Mendicants, and Urbanites.
Ol)-
Frangipa'ni. A powerful Roman
family. So called from their benevolent
distribution of bread during a famine.
JFrangipani. A delicious perfume,
made of spices, orris-root, and musk,
in imitation of real Frangipani. Mutio
Frangipani, the famous Italian botanist,
visited the West Indies in 1493. The
sailors perceived a delicious fragrance
as they neared Antigua, and Mutio
Frangipani
Q
Tree Bench
told them it proceeded from the Plu-
Ane'ria Alba. The plant was re-named
Frangipani, and the distilled essence
received the same name.
Frangipani Pudding is pudding
made of broken bread. (Frangere, to
break; panis, bread.)
Frank. A name given by the Turks,
Greeks, and Arabs to any of the inhabi-
tants of the western parts of Europe, as
the English, Italians, Germans, Spani-
ards, French, etc. -
Frank Pledge. Neighbours bound
for each other’s good conduct. Hallam
says every ten men in a village were
answerable for each other, and if one of
them committed an offence the other
nine were bound to make reparation.
The word means the security given by
Franklins or free-men.
Frankeleynes Tale, in Chaucer,
resembles one in Boccaccio (Decameron,
Day x. No. 5), and one in the fifth book
of his Philocope. (See DORIGEN.)
Frank'enstein (3 Syl.). A young
student, who made a soulless monster
out of fragments of men picked up from
churchyards and dissecting-rooms, and
endued it with life by galvanism. The
tale, written by Mrs. Shelley, shows how
the creature longed for sympathy, but
was shunned by everyone. It was only
animal life, a parody on the Creature
man, powerful for evil, and the instru-
ment of dreadful retribution on the
student, who usurped the prerogative of
the Creator. , -
“The Southern Confederacy will be the soulless
monster of Frankenstein.”—Charles Sumn?ler.
* Mrs. Shelley, unfortunately, has
given no name to her monster, and
therefore he is not unfrequently called
“Frankenstein'” when alluded to. This,
of course, is an error, but Frankenstein’s
monster is a clumsy Substitute.
“I believe it would be impossible to control the
Franken Stein we should have Ourselves Created.”
—Sir John Lubbock, (a speech, 1886).
Frankforters. People of Frankfort.
Franklin. The Polish Fra/2%l:72.
Thaddeus Czacki (1765-1813).
Frankum's Night. A night in June
destructive to apple- and pear-trees.
The tale is that one Frankum offered
sacrifice in his orchard for an extra fine
crop, but a blight ensued, and his trees
were unproductive. .
Frantic, Brain-struck (Greek, phrēn,
the heart as the seat of reason), madness
being a disorder of the understanding.
“Cebel's frantic rites have made them mad.”
Spense?".
Fraserian. One of the eighty-one
, celebrated literary characters of the 19th
century published in Fraser's Magazine
(1830-1838). Amongst them are Harrison
Ainsworth, the countess of Blessington,
Brewster, Brougham, Bulwer, Campbell,
Carlyle, Cobbett, Coleridge, Cruikshank,
Allan Cunningham, T)’Israeli (both Isaac
and Benjamin), Faraday, Gleig, Mrs.
S. C. Hall, Hobhouse, Hogg (the Ettrick
shepherd), Theodore Hook, Leigh Hunt,
Washington Irving, Knowles, Charles
Lamb, Miss Landon, Dr. Lardner,
Lockhart, Harriet Martineau, Dr.
Moir, Molesworth, Robert Montgomery,
Thomas Moore, Jane Porter, Sir Walter
Scott, Sydney Smith, Talfourd, Talley-
rand, Alaric Watts, Wordsworth, and
others to the number of eighty-one.
Fraserian Group (The) consists of
twenty-seven persons: Maginn. On his
ºright hand, Washington Irving, Mahony,
Gleig, Sir E. Brydges, Carlyle, and
Count d'Orsay. On his left hand, Barry
Cornwall, Southey, Perceval Banks,
Thackeray, Churchill, Serjeant Murphy,
Macnish, and Harrison Ainsworth. Op-
posite are Coleridge, Hogg, Galt, Dun-
lop, Jerdan, Fraser, Croker, Lockhart,
Theodore Hook, Brewster, and Moir.

Fr a ter. An Abram-man (q.v.).
(Latin, frater, a brother, One of the
same community or Society.)
Frat'eret/to. A fiend mentioned by
Edgar in the tragedy of ſing Lear.
“Frateretto calls me, and tells me Nero is an
angler in the lake of darkness. Pray, innocent,
and beware of the foul fiend.”—Act, iii. 6.
Frat'ery. The refectory of a monas-
tery, or chief room of a frater-house.
A frater is a member of a fraternity or
society of monks. (Latin, frater, a bro-
ther.)
Fratice1/iians [Little Brethren]. A
sect of the Middle Ages, who claimed to
be the only true Church, and threw off
all subjection to the Pope, whom they
denounced as an apostate. They wholly
disappeared in the fifteenth century.
Fre'a. The Anglo-Saxon form of
Frigga, wife of Odin. Our Friday is
Prea's daeg.
Free. A free and easy. A social
gathering where persons meet together
without formality to chat and Smoke.
Free Bench (francus bancus). The
widow’s right to a copyhold. It is not
I'ree Coup 486
IFrench Cream.
a dower or gift, but a free right inde-
pendent of the will of the husband.
Called bench because, upon acceding to
the estate, she becomes a tenant of the
manor, and one of the benchers, i.e.
persons who sit on the bench occupied
by the parés citride.
Free Coup (in Scotland) means a
piece of waste land where rubbish may
be deposited free of charge.
Free Lances. Rowing companies of
knights, etc., who wandered from place
to place, after the Crusades, selling their
services to anyone who would pay for
them. In Italy they were termed Con-
dottie'ri.
Free Lances of Life (The). The
Aspasias of fashion. The fair frail
demi-monde.
Free Spirit. Brethren of the Free
Spirit. A fanatical sect, between the
thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, diffused
through Italy, France, and Germany.
They claimed “freedom of spirit,” and
based their claims on Romans viii. 2-14,
“The law of the Spirit hath made me
free from the law of sin and death.”
Free Trade. The Apostle of Free
Trade. Richard Cobden (1804-65).
Freebooter means a free rover.
(Dutch, buiten, to rove, whence wrij-
buiter; German, freibelſter, etc.)
“His forces consisted mostly of base people
and freel)ooters.”—Bacon.
Freeholds. Estates which owe no
duty or service to any lord but the sove-
reign. (See COPYHOLD.)
Freeman (Mrs.). A name assumed
by the Duchess of Marlborough in her
correspondence with Queen Anne. The
queen called herself Mrs. Morley.
Freeman of Bucks. A cuckold.
The allusion is to the buck's horn. (See
HoRNS.)
Freeman's Quay. Drinking at
Freeman's Quay. (See DRINKING...)
Freemasons. In the Middle Ages
a guild of masons specially employed in
building churches. Called “free” be-
cause exempted by several papal bulls
from the laws which bore upon common
craftsmen, and exempt from the burdens
thrown on the working classes.
ºf St. Paul’s, London, in 604, and St.
IPeter's, Westminster, in 605, were built
by Freemasons. Gundulph (bishop of
Rochester), who built the White Tower,
was a “Grand Master; ” so was Peter
of Colechurch, architect of Old London
Bridge. Henry VII.’s chapel, West-
minster, was the work of a Master
Mason; so were Sir Thomas Gresham
(who planned the Royal Exchange),
Inigo Jones, and Sir Christopher Wren.
Covent Garden theatre was founded in
1808 by the Prince of Wales in his
capacity of “Grand Master.”
“Before the beginning of the 13th century the
corporation of freemasons was not sufficiently
organised to have had much influence on art.”—
J. Fergusson : Historic Archaeology, vol. i. part ii.
chap. Viii. p. 527.
The lady Freemason was the Hon.
Miss Elizabeth St. Leger, daughter of
Lord Domeraile, who (says the tale) hid
herself in an empty clock-case when the
lodge was held in her father’s house,
and witnessed the proceedings. She was
discovered, and compelled to submit to
initiation as a member of the craft.
Freeport (Sir Andrew). A London
merchant, industrious, generous, and of
great good sense. He was one of the
members of the hypothetical club under
whose auspices the Spectator was pub-
lished.
Freestone is Portland stone, which
cuts freely in any direction.
Fre ethinker. One who thinks
unbiassed by revelation or ecclesiastical
canons, as deists and atheists.
“Atheist is an old-fashioned word. I am a
freethinker.”—Addison. -
Freezing - point. We generally
mean by this expression that degree of
Fahrenheit’s thermometer which indi-
cates the temperature of frozen water—
viz. 32° above zero. If we mean any
other liquid we add the name, as the
freezing-point of milk, Sulphuric ether,
quicksilver, and so on. In Centigrade
and Réaumur's instruments zero marks
the freezing-point.
Freischütz (pronounce fry-shoots),
the free-shooter, a legendary German
archer in league with the Devil, who
gave him seven balls, six of which were
to hit infallibly whatever the marksman
aimed at, and the seventh was to be
directed according to the will of his co-
partner. F. Kind made the libretto,
and Weber set to music, the opera based
on the legend, called Der Freischütz.
ºld and Geri. The two wolves of
1Il.
French Cream. Brandy. In France
it is extremely general to drink after
dinner a cup of coffee with a glass of
brandy in it instead of cream. This
“patent digester” is called a Gloria,
IFrench I leave
487
IFriar Donninic
French Leave. To take French
leave. To take without asking leave or
giving any equivalent. The allusion is
to the French soldiers, who in their
invasions take what they require, and
never wait to ask permission of the
owners or pay any price for what they
take.
The French retort this courtesy by
calling a creditor an Englishman (70%
Anglais), a term in vogue in the six-
teenth century, and used by Clement
Marot. Even to the present hour, when
a man excuses himself from entering a
café or theatre, because he is in debt, he
says: “ Nom, men! je suis Anglé” (“I am
cleared out”).
“Et aujourd’huy je faictz Soliciter
Tous me angloys.”
Guillaume Cretoll (1520).
Prench leave. Leaving a party, house,
or neighbourhood without bidding good-
bye to anyone ; to slip away unnoticed.
French of Stratford atte Bowe.
English-French.
“And French, she [the nun] spak ful, faire and
Attºcole of Stratford atte Bowe,
For Frencil of Parys was to hire unknowe.”
Chaucer: Câmterbury Tales (The Prologite),
Frenchman. Done like & Frenchman,
turn and turn affair? (1 FIenry P.I., iii.
4). The French are usually satirised by
mediaeval English authors as a fickle,
wavering nation. Dr. Johnson Says he
once read a treatise the object of which
was to show that a weathercock is a
satire on the word Gallus (a Gaul or
cock).
Jºen.ch/maj). The nickname of a
Frenchman is “Crapaud '' (q.v.),
“Johnny ” or “Jean,” “Mossoo,”
“Robert Macaire’” (q.v.); but of a
Barisian “Grenouille’’ (Frog). (See
BRISSOTINS.) -
They stand erect, they dance whene'er they
Monº in action, parroquets in talk.”
Gay : Epistle III.
Prench Canadian, “Jean Baptiste.”
Prench Peasantry, “Jacques Bon-
homme.”
Jºrench Reformers, “Brissotins” (q.v.).
Fres’co-painting means fresh-paint-
ing, or rather paint applied to walls
while the plaster is fresh and damp.
Only so much plaster must be spread as
the artist can finish painting before he
retires for the day. There are three
chambers in the Pope's palace at Rome
done in fresco by Raphael Urbino and
Julio Roma'no ; at Fontainebleau there
is a famous one, containing the travels
of Ulysses in sixty pieces, the work of
several artists, as Bollame'o, Martin
IRouse, and others.
“A fading frescoe here demands a sigh.”
Pope
Freshman, at college, is a man not
salted. It was anciently a custom in the
different colleges to play practical jokes
on the new-comers. One of the most
common was to assemble them in a room
and make them deliver a speech. Those
who acquitted themselves well had a
cup of Caudle; those who passed muster
had a caudle with salt water ; the rest
had the salt water only. Without scan-
ning so deeply, “fresh - man” may
simply mean a fresh or new student.
(See BEJAN.)
Freston. An enchanter introduced
into the romance of Don Delia'nis of
Greece.
“Truly I can't tell whether it was Freston or
Friston; but Sure I am that his name ended in
‘ton.’”—Don Quiacote.
Frey. Son of Niórd, the Wan. He
was the Scandinavian god of fertility
and peace, and the dispenser of rain.
Frey was the patron god of Sweden and
Iceland, he rode on the boar Gullin-
bursti, and his sword was self-acting.
(See GERDA.) -
Niðrd was not of the AEsir. He, with his son
and daughter, presided over the sea, the clouds,
the air, and water generally. They belonged to
the Vanir.
Freyja. Daughter of Niórd, goddess
of love. She was the wife of Odin, who
deserted her because she loved finery
better than she loved her husband. Her
chariot was drawn by two cats, and not
by doves like the car of Venus. (Sean-
dinavia?? mythology.)
Friar. A curtal Friar. (See CUR-
TAL.)
Friar, in printing. . A part of the
sheet which has failed to receive the
ink, and is therefore left blank. As
Caxton, set up his printing-press in
Westminster Abbey, it is but natural to
suppose that monks and friars should
give foundation to some of the printers’
slang. (See MONK.)
Friar Bungay is an historical cha-
racter overlaid with legends. It is said
that he “raised mists and vapours which
pefriended Edward IV. at the battle of
Barnet.” -
“[Friar Bungay is] the personification, of the
charlatan of Science in the 15th century.”—Lord,
Lytton [Bulwer Lytton]: The Last of the Baroms.
Friar Dom'inic, in Dryden’s Spanish
JFriar, designed to ridicule the vices of
the priesthood. -
IFriar Gerund.
488
IFriar's Tale .
Friar Ger’und. Designed to ridi-
cule the pulpit oratory of Spain in the
eighteenth century; full of quips and
cranks, tricks and startling monstrosi-
ties. (Joseph Isla : Life of Friar Gerund,
1714-1783.)
Friar John. A tall, lean, wide-
mouthed, long-nosed friar of Seville,
who dispatched his matins with wonder-
ful celerity, and ran through his vigils
quicker than any of his fraternity. He
swore lustily, and was a Trojan to fight.
When the army from Lerne pillaged the
convent vineyard, Friar John seized the
staff of a cross and pummelled the
rogues most lustily. He beat out the
brains of some, crushed the arms of
others, battered their legs, cracked their
ribs, gashed their faces, broke their
thighs, tore their jaws, dashed in their
teeth, dislocated their joints, that never
corn was so mauled by the thresher’s
flail as were these pillagers by the
“baton of the cross.” (Rabelais : Gar-
gantua and Pantagruel, book i. 27.)
“If a joke more than usually profane is to be
uttered, Friar John is the spokesman. . . . A mass
of lewdness, debauchery, profanity, and Valour.”
—Foreign, Quarterly Review.
JFriar Laurence, in Shakespeare's
lèomeo and Juliet.
Friar Rush. A house-spirit, sent
from the infernal regions in the seven-
teenth century to keep the monks and
friars in the same state of wickedness
they were then in. The legends of this
roysterer are of German origin. (Bruder
Jèausch, brother Tipple.)
Friar Tuck.
of Robin Hood. Introduced by Sir
Walter Scott in Ivanhoe. He is a
pudgy, paunchy, humorous, Self-indul-
gent, and combative clerical Falstaff.
His costume consisted of a russet habit
of the Franciscan order, a red corded
girdle with gold tassel, red stockings,
and a wallet. A friar was nicknamed
tuck, because his dress was tucked by a
girdle at the waist. Thus, Chaucer
says, “Tucked he was, as is a frere
about.”
“In this our spacious isle I think there is not one
By §§ hath heard Some talk of Hood and Little
t) ill) ;
Of .# the merry friar, which many a sermon
TT13, (te
In praise of Robin Hood, his outlaws, and their
trade.” raytom º Polyolbio22, s. 26.
Friar's Heel. The outstanuing up-
right stone at Stonehenge is so called.
Geoffrey of Monmouth says the devil
hought the stones of an old woman in
Ireland, wrapped them up in a wyth, and
Chaplain and steward -
brought them to Salisbury plain. Just
before he got to Mount Ambre the wyth
broke, and one of the stones fell into the
Avon, the rest were carried to the plain.
After the fiend had fixed them in the
ground, he cried out, “No man will ever
find out how these stones came here.” A.
friar replied, “That’s more than thee
Canst tell,” whereupon the foul fiend
threw one of the stones at him and
struck him. On the heel. The stone stuck
in the ground, and remains so to the
present hour.
Friar's Lanthorn. Sir W. Scott calls
Jack o’ Lantern Friar Rush. This is an
error, as Rush was a domestic spirit, and
not a field esprit follet. He got admit-
tance into monasteries, and played the
monks sad pranks, but is never called
‘‘Jack.” Sir Walter Scott seems to have
considered Friar Rush the same as “Friar
with the Rush (light),” and, therefore,
Friar with the Lantern or Will o’ the
Wisp..
“Better we had through mire and bush
Been lanthorn-led by Friar Rush.
Sir Walter Scott : Maº'ymion.
* Milton also (in his L’Allegro) calls
Willo’ the Wisp a friar, probably mean-
ing Friar Rush:
“She was pinched, and pulled, §he Said ;
And he by Friar's lantern led.”
|but “Rush’’ in this name has nothing
to do with the verb rush [about] or rush
[light]. It is the German Brüder Rausch,
called by the Scandinavians Broder Ruus.
(Scandinavian, ratus, intoxication, in
German rattsch, which shows us at once
that Friar Rush was the spirit of ineb-
riety. (See ROBIN GOODFELLOw.)
Friars [brothers]. Applied to the four
great religious orders — Dominicans,
Franciscans, Augustinians, and Carme-
lites. Tater, a fifth order was added—
that of the Trinitarians. The first two
were called Black and Grey friars, the
Carmelites were called White friars, and
the Trinitarians Crutched friars (q.v.).
Friars. (See BLACK.)
Friars Major (Fratrès majo'ºs).
The Domin'icans.
Friars Minor (Fratrás mino'rés).
The Francis' cans.
Friar's Tale. A certain archdeacon
had a sumpnour, who acted as his secret
spy, to bring before him all offenders.
One day as he was riding forth on his
business he met the devil disguised as a
yeoman, Swore eternal friendship, and
promised to “go snacks” with him.
They first met a carter whose cart stuck
I'ribble 489
Trierid
in the road, and he cried in his anger,
“The devil take it, both horse and cart
and hay !” Soon the horse drew it out
of the slough, and the man cried, “God
bless you, my brave boy | * “There,”
said the devil, “is my own true brother,
the churl spake one thing but he thought
another.” They next came to an old
screw, and the sumpnour declared he
would squeeze twelve pence out of her
for sin, “though of her he knew no
wrong; ” so he knocked at her door
and summoned her “for cursing ” to
the archdeacon’s court, but said he
would overlook the matter for twelve
pence, but she pleaded poverty and im-
plored mercy. “The foul fiend fetch me
if I excuse thee,” said the sumpnour,
whereat the devil replied that he would
fetch him that very night, and, seizing
him round the body, made off with him.
(Chaucer : Canterbury Tales.)
Fribble.
weak nerves, in Garrick’s farce of Miss
in her Teens.
Friday is the Mahometan Sabbath.
It was the day on which Adam was
created and our Lord was crucified.
The Sabe'ans consecrate it to Venus or
Astarte. (See FREA.)
* Friday is Frig-daeg = dies P'engris,
called in French Vendredi, which means
the same thing. It was regarded by the
Scandinavians as the luckiest day of the
week. (See below, FRIDAY, Unlucky.)
Priday. Fairies and all the tribes of
elves of every description, according to
mediaeval romance, are converted into
hideous animals on Friday, and remain
so till Monday. (See the romance of
Gueri'no Meschi'no, and others.)
JBlack Friday. (See BLACK.)
Long Friday, Good Friday, long being
a synonym of great. Thus Mrs. Quickly
says, “’Tis a long loan for a poor lone
woman to bear ” (2 Henry IV. ii. 1), and
the Scotch proverb, “Between you and
the long day”—i.e., the great or judg-
ment day. Good Friday in Danish is
Langfiedag, and in Swedish Långfreday.
Friday. A man Friday. A faithful
and submissive attendant, ready to turn
his hand to anything.
My man Friday. The young Savage
found by Robinson Crusoe on a Friday,
and kept as his servant and companion
on the desert island.
Friday Street (London). The street
of fishmongers who served Friday mar-
kets. (Stow.) -
An effeminate coxcomb of
Friday and Columbus.
Friday, August 3rd, 1492, Columbus started on his
yoyage of discovery.
Friday, Qctober 12th, 1492, he first sighted land.
Friday, January 4th, 1493, 'he started on his return
. Journey. -
Friday, March 12th, 1493, he safely arrived at Palos.
Friday, November 32nd, 1493, he reached Hispa-
, niola in his second expedition. -
Friday, June 13th, 1494, he discovered the conti-
nent Of Anherica.
Friday and the United States.
Friday, June #. 1775, Was fought the battle of
l
*
. Bunker's Hill.
Friday, July 17th, 1776, the motion, was made ly
olin Adams that the United States are and
... ought to be independent,
Friday, Qctober 17th, 1777, Saratoga surrendered.
Friday, September 22nd, 1780, the treason of Ar-
In Old WaS exposed.
* To these Fridays should be added:
Friday, July 13th, 1866, the Great JCasterm, sailed
from Valentia, and on Friday, July 27th, 1866,
landed safely with the cable at Heart's Ease,
Newfoundland.
Friday a Lucky Day. Sir Wil-
liam Churchill says, “Friday is my lucky
day. I was born, christened, married,
and knighted on that day; and all my
best accidents have befallen me on a
Friday.”
*: In Scotland Friday is a choice day
for weddings. Not so in England.
Pſe who laughs on Friday will weep on
Sunday. Sorrow follows in the wake
of joy. The line is taken from Racine's
comedy of Les Plaideurs.
Friday, an Unlucky Day. Because
it was the day of our Lord’s crucifixion ;
it is accordingly a fast-day in the Roman
Catholic Church. Soames says, “Adam
and Eve ate the forbidden fruit on a
Friday, and died on a Friday.” (Anglo-
Saacon Church, p. 255.)
“But once ºn a Friday ('tis ever they say),
A day When misfortune is aptest to fall.”
Saace : Good Dog of Bretté, stanza 3.
*: In Spain, Friday is held to be an
unlucky, day. So, is it esteemed by
Buddhists and Brahmins. The Old Ro-
mans called it nefastus, from the utter
overthrow of their army at Gallia Nar-
bonensis. And in England the proverb is
that a Friday moon brings foul weather.
Friend (A). The second in a duel,
as “ Name your friend,” “Captain B.
acted as his friend.”
“Mr. Baillie was to have acted as Disraeli's
friend, if there had been a duel between that
Statesman and Daniel O'Connell.”— Newspaper
paragraph (December, 1885).
J3etter kinde frend than fremd kinde
(motto of the Waterton family) means
“better kind friend (i.e. neighbour) than
a kinsman who dwells in foreign parts.”
Probably it is Prov. xxvii. 10, “Better
is a neighbour that is near, than a
Friend at Court;
490
I'rithiof
brother far off.” In which case fremd
would be = stranger. Better a kind
friend than a kinsman who is a stranger.
Friend at Court properly means a
friend in a court of law who watches the
trial, and tells the judge if he can nose
out an error; but the term is more
generally applied to a friend in the
royal court, who will whisper a good
word for you to the sovereign at the
proper place and season. (See AMICUS
CURIZE.)
Friend in Need (A). A friend in
need is a friend indeed. “Amicus certus
??? Ye incerta cerjºitur.”
Friend of Man. Marquis de Mira-
beau. So called from one of his works,
L'Anni des Hommes (5 vols.). This was
the father of the great Mirabeau, called
by Barnave “the Shakespeare of elo-
quence.” (1715-1789.)
Friends . . . Enemies. Our friends
the enemy. When, on April 1, 1814, the
allied armies entered Paris, Sir George
Jackson tells us he heard a viva pass
along the streets, and the shout “nos
-amis, 770s ennémis.”
Friendly Suit (A). A suit brought
by a creditor against an executor, to
compel all the creditors to accept an
equal distribution of the assets.
Friendship (Evamples of):
Achilles and Patroclos, Greeks.
Amys and Amylion (q.v.), Feudal History. -
Baccio (Fra Bartholomew) and Mariotto, artists.
Basil and Gregory.
Burke and Dr. Johnson. - -
Christ, ind the “Beloved disciple,” New Testa-
7776??t.
Damon and Pythias, Shiracusams.
David and Jonathan, Old Testament.
Diomèdès and Sthenālos, Greeks.
Epaminondas and Pelopidas, Greeks.
Goethe and Schiller. (See Carlyle : Schillen', p. 108.)
Hadrian and Antinčus.
Harmodfos and Aristogiton, Greeles.
Hercules [Heraklēs] and Iolā0s, Greeles.
Idomâneus (4 Syl.) and Merſon, Greeks.
Maurice (F. D.), and C. Kingsley...
Montaigne and Etienne de la Boëtie, French.
Nisus and Euryālus, Trojans.
I’yládés and Orestés, Greeks.
Sacharissa and Amöret, Syracusans.
Septilmios and Alcantler, Greeles.
Theseus (2 syl.) and Pyrithèqs, Greeks.
William of Orange and Bentinck. (See Macaulay :
BIistory, i. 1). 411.)
Friendships Broken (Eng. Hist.):
Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex.
Henry II. and Thomas Becket.
Henry VIII, and Cardinal Wolsey,
Newman (J. H.) and Whately.
Wesley and Whitefield.
* Other examples in other histories
might be added; as .
Brutus and Caesar.
Innocent, III, and Qtho IV. (See Milman : Latin
Christianity, Yol, Y. p. 234.)
Frigga, in the genealogy of Æsir,
is the supreme goddess, wife of Odin,
and daughter of the giant Fiórgwyn.
She presides over marriages, and may
be called the Juno of Asgard. (Scandi-
7tavian mythology.)
Frilingi. The second rank of people
among the ancient Saxons. (See EDHI-
LINGI.)
Fringe. The Jews wore fringes to
their garments. These fringes on the
garments of the priests were accounted
sacred, and were touched by the common
people as a charm. Hence the desire of
the woman who had the issue of blood
to touch the fringe of our Lord’s gar-
ment. (Matt. ix. 20-22.)
Frippery. Rubbish of a tawdry cha-
racter; worthless finery; foolish levity.
A friperer or fripperer is one who deals
in frippery, either to sell or clean old
clothes. (French, friperie, old clothes
and cast-off furniture.)
“We know what belongs to a frippery.”
Shakespeare: Tempest iv. 1.
“Old clothes, cast dresses, tattered rags,
whose works are e'en the fril)pery of wit.”
Ben Jomsom,
Frippery properly means rags and all
sorts of odds and ends. French, fripe
(a rag), friperie (old clotlies and furni-
ture), fripier (a broker of old clothes,
etc.). Applied to pastry. Eugène
Grandet says, “ Bº Anjou, la ‘frippe’
eaſprime l'accompagnement du pain, deputis
le beurre plus distinguée des frippes.”
Frisket. The light frame of the
printing-press, which folds down upon
the tympan (q.v.) over the sheet of paper
to be printed. Its object is two-fold—
to hold the sheet in its place and to keep
the margins clean. It is called frisket
because it frisks or skips up and down
very rapidly—i.e. the pressman opens
it and shuts it over with great alacrity,
the movement being called “flying the
frisket.”
Frith. By frith and fell. By wold
and wild, wood and common. Frith is
the Welsh frith or friz, and means a
“woody place.” Fell is the German
fels (rock), and means barren or stony
places, a common.
Frithiof (pron. Frit-yoff), means
“peace-maker.” In the Icelandic myths
he married Ingéborg (In-ge-boy'-e), the
daughter of a petty king of Norway, and
widow of Hring, to whose dominions he
succeeded. His adventures are recorded
in the Saga, which bears his name, and
Frithiof's Sword
491
IFrozen Words
which was written at the close of the
thirteenth century.
Frithiof's Sword. Angurva'del
(stream of anguish). (See SWORD.)
Fritz (Old Fritz). Frederick II. the
Great, King of Prussia (1712, 1740-
1786). -
Frog. A frog and mouse agreed to
settle by single combat their claims to a
marsh ; but, while they fought, a kite
carried them both off. (AEsop : Fables,
clxviii.)
“Old AEsop's fable, where he told
What fate unto the mouse and frog befel.”
- Catry : Damte, CNXiii.
Nic Frog is the Dutchman (not French-
man) in Arbuthnot's History of John
Pull. Frogs are called “Dutch night-
ingales.” - :
Frog's March. Carrying an obstrep-
erous prisoner, face downwards, by his
four limbs.
Frogs. Frenchmen, properly Paris-
ãans. So called from their ancient heraldic
device, which was three frogs or three
toads. “Qu'en disent les grenouilles 2 ”
—What will the frogs (people of Paris)
say?—was in 1791 a common court
phrase at Versailles. There was a point
in the pleasantry when Paris was a
quagmire, called Lºtte'ſſia (mud-land)
because, like frogs or toads, they lived
in mud, but now it is quite an anomaly.
(See CRAPAUD.) . . . .
JFrogs. . The Lycian shepherds were
changed into frogs for mocking Lato'na.
(Ovid : Metamorphoses, vi. 4.)
“As when those hinds that were transformed to
Raič. Latona's twin-born progeny.”
Milton: Sonnet, vii.
It may be all fun to you, but it is death
to the frogs. The allusion is to the fable
of a boy stoning frogs for his amusement.
Frollo (Archdeacon Claude). A priest
who has a great reputation for sanctity,
but falls in love with a gipsy girl, and
pursues her with relentless persecution
because she will not yield to him. (Pictor
JHugo : Notre Dame de Paris.)
Fronde (1 Syl.). A political squabble
during the ministry of Cardinal Maz'-
arin, in the minority of Louis XIV.
(1648- 1653). The malcontents were
called Frondeurs, from a witty illustra-
tion of a councillor, who said that they
were “like schoolboys who sling stones
about the streets. When no eye is upon
them they are bold as bullies ; but
the moment a “policeman’ approaches,
away they scamper to the ditches for
*=º
concealment” (Montglat). The French
for a sling is fronde, and for slingers,
frondeurs.
“It was already true that the French govern-
ment was a despotism . . . and as Speeches and
lampoons were launched by persons who tried to
hide after they had shot their dart, some one
compared them to children With a Sling (fronde),
who let fly a stone and run away.”—C. M. Yonge:
History of France, chap. viii. p. 136,
Frondeur. A backbiter; one who
throws stones at another. -
“‘And what albout Diel itsch 2' begain another
fromdew!".”—Vera, ly, 200. i
Fronti'no. (See HoRSE.)
Frost. Jack Frost. The personifica-
tion of frost.
“Jack Frost looked forth one still, clear might,
And he said, ‘Now I shall be out of sight ;
So over the valley and over the height
In Silence I’ll take my Way.’”
Miss Gould
Frost Saints. (See ICE SAINTs.)
Froth (Master). “A foolish gentle-
man '' in Measure for Measure.
Lord Froth. A pompous coxcomb in
The Double Dealer, by Congreve.
Froude's Cat. This cat wanted to
know what was good for life, and every-
one gave her queer answers. The owl
said, “Meditate, O cat; ” and so she
tried to think which could have come
first, the fowl or the egg. (Short Studies
on Great Subjects.)
“If I were to ask, like Froude's cat, “What is my
duty 2,” you would answer, I suppose, like the
sagacious animal in the parable, “Get your own
dinner . . . . that is my duty, I suppose.'”—Edua,
Lyall. Domvowſºn, chal). ix.
Frozen Music.
called by F. Schlegel.
Frozen Words appears to have been
a household joke with the ancient
Greeks, for Antiph'anés applies it to the
discourses of Plato : “As the cold of
certain cities is so intense that it freezes
the very words we utter, which remain
congealed till the heat of summer thaws
them, so the mind of youth is so
thoughtless that the wisdom of Plato
lies there frozen, as it were, till it is
thawed by the ripened judgment of
mature age.” (Plutarch's Morals.)
“The moment their backs were turned, littie
Jacob thawed, and renewed his crying from the
point where Quilp had frozen him.” – Dickens :
Old Curiosity Shop.
“Truth in person doth appear
Like words congealed in northern air.”
Butler : Hudibras, pt. i. 1, lines 147-8.
Everyone knows the incident of the
“frozen horn” related by Munchausen.
tº Pantagruel and his companions, on
the confines of the Frozen Sea, heard the
uproar of a battle, which had been frozen
the preceding winter, released by a thaw.
(Rabelais : Pantagruel, bookiv, chap. 56.)
Architecture. So
Frumentius
492 E'ulsonne
Frumen'tius (St.). Apostle of Ethi-
opia and the Abyssinians in the fourth
century.
Fry. Children (a word of contempt).
Get away, you young fry. It means pro-
perly a crowd of young fishes, and its
application to children should be limited
to those that obstruct your path, crowd
about you, or stand in your way.
(French, frai, spawn.)
Nothing to fry with (French). No-
thing to eat; nothing to live on. (See
WIDE-NOSTRILs.)
Frying-pan. Out of the frying-pan
into the fire. In trying to extricate
yourself from one evil, you fell into a
greater. The Greeks used to say, “Out
of the smoke into the flame; ” and the
French say, “Tombre de la poèle dans la
braise.”
Fub. To steal, to prig. (French,
fourbi, “a Jew who conceals a trap ; ”
fourber, “to cheat; ” four, “a false
pocket for concealing stolen goods.”)
Fuchs [a foal. A freshman of the
first year in the German University. In
the second year he is called a Bursch.
Fudge. Not true, stuff, make-up.
(Gaelic, fug, deception ; Welsh, jug,
pretence; whence fugiwr, a pretender
or deceiver.) A word of contempt be-
stowed on one who says what is absurd
or untrue. A favourite expression of
Mr. Burchell in the Vicar of Wakefield.
Fudge Family. A series of metri-
cal epistles by Thomas Moore, purport-
ing to be written by a family on a visit
to Paris. Sequel, The Fudge Family in
JEngland.
Fuel. Adding fuel to fire. Saying or
doing something to increase the anger
of a person already angry. The French
say, ‘‘pouring oil on fire.”
Fuga ad Salices (A). An affecta-
tion or pretence of denial ; as, when
Caesar thrice refused the crown in the
Lu'percal. A “nolo episcopäri.” The
allusion is to—
“Malo me Galatéa petit, lasciva puella,. . .
Et fugit ad Salfces, et se cupit ante vidéri.”
Virgil: Eclºga, iii. 64, 65.
“Cranmer was not prepared for so great and
Sudden an elevation. . Under pretence that the
king's affairs still required his presence abroad,
he tarried six months longer, in the hope that
Henry might consign the crosier to some other
hand...There was no affectation in this—no fuga
ad salices. . Ambition is made of sterner stuff
than the spirit of Cranmer.”—Blunt: Reformation
in England, 123.
Fuggers. German merchants, pro-
verbial for their great wealth. “Rich
as a Fugger” is common in Old English
dramatists. Charles W. introduced some
of the family into Spain, where they
superintended the mines.
“I am neither an Indian merchant, nor yet a
Fugger, but a poor boy like yourself.”—Gusmaº,
d'Alfarache.
Fugleman means properly wingman,
but is applied to a soldier who stands in
front of men at drill to show them what
to do. Their proper and original post
was in front of the right wing. (German,
Plügel, a wing.)
Fulhams, or Fullams. Loaded dice;
So called from the suburb where the
Bishop of London resides, which, in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, was the most
notorious place for blacklegs in all
England. Dice made with a cavity
were called “gourds.” Those made to
throw the high numbers (from five to
twelve) were called “high fullams”
or “gourds,” and those made to throw
the low numbers (from ace to four) were
termed “low fullams” or “gourds.”
- “For gourd and fullam holds
And ‘high ' and “low” beguile the rich and poor.”
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3.
J'ulhams. Make-believes ; so called
from false or loaded dice. (See above.)
“Fulhams of poetic fiction.”
Putler: Hudibras, pt. ii. 1.
“Have their ful hams at command
Brought up to do their feats at hand.”
- Butler: Upon Gaming.
Full Cry. When all the hounds have
caught the scent, and give tongue in
chorus.
Full Dress. The dress worn on
occasions of ceremony. If a man has
no special costume, his “full dress '' is
a suit of black, open waiscoat, swallow-
tailed coat, white neckcloth, and patent-
leather boots or half-boots. Academicals
are worn in the Universities and on offi-
cial occasions; and full military dress is
worn when an officer is on duty, at
court, and at official fêtes, but other-
wise, “evening dress” suffices.
Full Fig (In). “En grande tenue.”
Probably “fig’’ is the contraction of
figure in books and journals of fashion,
and full fig. would mean the height of
fashion. It is outrageous to refer the
phrase to the fig-leaves used by Adam
and Eve, by way of aprons. (See FIG.)
Full Swing (In). Fully at work;
very busy; in full operation.
Fulsome. “Ful,” is the Anglo-
Saxon fººl (foulness), not ful (full);
“some'' is the affix meaning united with,
the basis of gomething; as, gladSome.
fºund
mettlesome, gamesome, lightSome,
frolicsome, etc., etc.
“No adulation was too ful some for her [Eliza-
beth], no flattery of her beauty too great.”-
§: Short History of England, chap. Wiii. Sec. 3,
1). 376.
Fum, or Fung hwang. One of the
four symbolical animals supposed to
preside over the destinies of the Chinese
Empire. It originated from the element
of fire, was born in the Hill of the Sun’s
Halo, and has its body inscribed with
the five cardinal virtues. It has the
forepart of a goose, the hind-quarters of
a stag, the neck of a snake, the tail of a
fish, the forehead of a fowl, the down of
a duck, the marks of a dragon, the back
of a tortoise, the face of a swallow, the
beak of a cock, is about six cubits high,
and perches only on the woo-tung tree.
It is this curious creature that is em-
broidered on the dresses of certain man-
darims.
Fum the Fourth. George IV.
“And where is Fum the Fourth, our royal bird.”
Byrom . Dom Jºtaº, Xi. 78.
Fu'mage (2 syl.). A tax for having
a fire, mentioned in Domesday Book,
and abolished by William III. (Latin,
jumus, Smoke.)
Fume. In a flane. In ill-temper,
especially from impatience. The French
Say, “Jºhlmer Sans tabac ; Fumer sans
pipe” (to put oneself into a rage).
Smoking with rage, or rather with the
ineffectual vapour of anger.
“A Rignot, il est courageulx
POur un homime a Yanturell lx
Et terrible quant il Se fume.”
L'Aventure?tla: (a farce).
Fun. To make fun of. To make a
butt of ; to ridicule; to play pranks on
One. (Compare Irish fonn, delight.)
Like fun. Thoroughly, energetically,
with delight.
“On'y look at the dimmercrats, see what they’ve
- One, -
Jest simply by stickin' together like fun.”
Lowell ; Biglow Papers (First series iv. stanza 5).
Fund. The sinking fund is money
set aside by the Government for paying
off a part of the national debt." This
money is “sunk,” or withdrawn from
circulation, for the bonds purchased by
it are destroyed.
Funds or Public Funds. Money lent
at interest to Government on Govern-
ment Security. It means the national
stock, which is the foundation of its
Operations.
A full in the funds is when the quo-
tation is lower than when it was last
quoted. -
'493 Furbelow
-- *- :------,
A rise in the funds is when the quota-
tion is higher than it was before.
To be interested in the funds is to have
money in the public funds.
To be out of funds, out of money.
Funeral means a torchlight proces-
Sion (from the Latin, funis, a torch),
because funerals among the Romans
took place at night by torchlight, that
magistrates and priests might not be
violated by seeing a corpse, and so be
prevented from performing their sacred
duties.
“Funus [a funeral], from fumes or fumalia
[torches] . . . . . Originally made of ropes.”—
Adams : Roman Antiquities (Funerals).
Funeral Banquet. The custom
of giving a feast at funerals came to
us from the Romans, who not only
feasted the friends of the deceased, but
also distributed meat to the persons em-
ployed.
“Thrift, thrift, Horatio ! the funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 2.
Funeral Games. Public games were
held both in Greece and Rome in
honour of the honoured dead. Examples
of this custom are numerous: as at the
death of Azan (son of Arcas, father of
the Arcadians); the games instituted by
Hercules at the death of Pelops; those
held at the death of GEdipus; the games
held by Achilles in honour of his friend
Patroclos (Homer : Iliad, book xxiii.);
those held by Ænéas in honour of his
father Anchis'es (Pirgil: Aºnáid, book
v.); the games held in honour of Mil-
tiãdès (Herodotos); those in honour of
Brasídas (Thucydidés); and those in
honour of Timoléon mentioned by Plu-
tarch. The spectators at these games
generally dressed in white.
Fungo'so. A character in Every
Man in His Humour, by Ben Jonson.
“ Unlucky as Fungoso in the play.”
Pope : Essay on Criticism (328).
Funk. To be in a funk may be the
Walloon “In de fonk zin,” literally to
“be in the smoke.” Colloquially to
be in a state of trepidation from un-
certainty or apprehension of evil.
Funny Bone. A pun on the word
hu'merus. It is the inner condyle of
the humerus; or, to speak untechnically,
the knob, or enlarged end of the bone
terminating where the ulnar nerve is
exposed at the elbow; the crazy bone.
A knock on this bone at the elbow pro-
duces a painful sensation. -
Fur'below. A corruption of falbala,
Turca,
à, word in French, Italian, and Spanish
to signify a sort of flounce.
“Flounced and furbelowed from head to foot.”
—Addison.
Furca. (See FOSSA and FoEKs.)
Furcam et Flagellum (gallows and
whip). The meanest of all servile
tenures, the bondman being at the lord’s
mercy, both life and limb. (See FORKS.)
Furies (The Three). Tisiphöne (Goel,
or Avenger of blood), Alecto (Im-
placable), and Megaera (Disputatious).
The best paintings of these divinities
are those by Il Giottino (Thomas di
Stefano) of Florence (1324-1356), Giulio
IRomano (1492–1546), Pietro da Cortöna.
(1596-1669), and Titian (1477-1576).
Furies of the Guillotine (The).
The tricoteuses—that is, Frenchwomen
who attended the Convention knitting,
and encouraged the Commune in all
their most bloodthirsty excesses. Never
in any age or any country did women so
disgrace their sex.
Furor. Son of Occasion, an old hag,
who was quite bald behind. Sir Guyon
bound him “with a hundred iron chains
and a hundred knots.” (Spenser. Faërie
‘Queene, bookii.)
Fusber'ta. Rinaldo's sword is so
called in Orlando Furioso. (See SWORD.)
“This awful sword was as dear to him as Durin-
day nil, or Fushertà to their respective masters.”
—Sir W. Scott.
Fusilier's. Foot-soldiers that used
to be armed with a fusil or light musket.
The word is now a misnomer, as the six
British and two Indian regiments so
called carry rifles like those of the rest
of the infantry. -
Fuss. Much ado about
(Anglo-Saxon, fits, eager.)
“So full of figure, so full of fuss
Šàe seemed to be nothing but bustle.”
Hood: Miss Kilmansegg, part iii. stanza 12.
Fustian. Stuff, bombast, preten-
tious words. Properly, a sort of cotton
velvet. (French, fittaine ; Spanish, fus-
tam, from Fustat in Egypt, where the
cloth was first made.) (See BOMBAST ;
CAMELOT.)
“Discourse fustian with one's own shadow.” —
Shakespeare: Othello, ii. 3.
“Some scurvy quaint collection of fustian
phrases, and uplandish words.”—Heywood : Faire
Maide of the Ecchange, ii. 2.
Fustian Words. Isaac Taylor
thinks this phrase means toper's words,
and derives fustian from fuste, Old
Erench for a cask, whence “fusty''
(tasting of the cask). It may be so, but
we have numerous phrases derived from
nothing.
494
hold together; inconsistent.
Gabel', Gabelle (g hard).
* Gabel
*
materials of dress applied to speech, as
velvet, Satin, silken, etc. The mother
of Artaxerxes said, “Those who address
kings must use silken words.” In
French, “faire patte de velour º’ means
to fatten with velvet words in order to
Seduce or win over.
Futile (2 syl.) is that which will not
- A futile
scheme is a design conceived in the mind
which will not hold good in practice.
(Latin, futio, to run off like water,
whence futilis.) (See SCHEME.)
G.
G. This letter is the outline of a
camel's head and neck. It is called in
Hebrew gime! (a camel). -
G.C.B. (See BATH.)
G.H.V.L. on the coin of William III.
of the Netherlands is Groot Hertog Pan
Latvemburg (grand duke of Luxembourg).
G.O.M. The initial letters of Grand
Old Man; so Mr. Gladstone was called
during his premiership 1881-1885. Lord
Rosebery first used the expression 26th
April, 1882, and the Right Hon. Sir
William Harcourt repeated it, 18th
October, the same year; since then it
has become quite a synonym for the
proper name.
Gab (g hard). The gift of the gab.
Eluency of speech; or, rather, the gift of
boasting. (French, gaber, to gasconade;
Danish and Scotch, gab, the mouth ;
Gaelic, gob ; Irish, cab; whence our gap
and gape, gabble and gobble. The gable
of a house is its beak.) -
“There was a good man named Job
Who lived in the land of Uz,
He had a good gift Of the gol),
The same thing happened us.”
- Book of Job, by Zach. Boyd.
“Thou art one of the knights of France, who
hold it for glee and pastime to gal), as they term
it, of...exploits that, are beyond lauluan power.”—
Sir W. Scott: The Talism (tºl, chap. ii.
Gabardine' (3 Syl.). A Jewish
coarse cloak. (Spanish, ſavardina, a
long coarse cloak.)
“You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog,
And spit upola my Jewish gabardine.” .
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, i. 3.
A salt-
tax. A word applied in French history
to the monopoly of salt. All the Salt
made in France had to be brought to the
royal warehouses, and was there sold at
a price fixed by the Government. The
iniquity was that some provinces had to
Gaberlunzie
495
Gadshill
pay twice as much as others. Edward
III. jokingly called this monopoly “Ring
Philippe's Salie law.” It was abolished
in 1789. (German, gabe, a tax.)
Gaberlunzie, or A gaberlunzie man
(g hard). A memdicant ; or, more strictly
speaking, one of the king's bedesmen,
who were licensed beggars. The word
gaban is French for “a cloak with tight
sleeves and a hood.” Lunzie is a dimi-
nutive of laine (wool); so that gaber-
lunzie means “coarse woollen gown.”
These bedesmen were also called blue-
gowns (q.v.), from the colour of their
cloaks. (See above, GABARDINE.)
Gabriel (g hard), in Jewish mytho-
logy, is the angel of death to the favoured
people of God, the prince of fire and
thunder, and the only angel that can
speak Syriac and Chaldee. The Maho-
metans call him the chief of the four
favoured angels, and the spirit of truth.
In mediaeval romance he is the second of
the seven spirits that stand before the
throne of God, and, as God’s messenger,
carries to heaven the prayers of men.
(Jerusalem Delivered, book i.) The
word means “power of God.” Milton
makes him chief of the angelic guards
placed over Paradise.
“Betwixt these rocky pillars Gabriel sat,
Chief of the angelic guards.” -
Paradise Lost, iv. 549-550.
Tongfellow, in his Golden Legend,
makes him the angel of the moon, and
says he brings to man the gift of hope.
“I am the angel of the moon . . .
Nearest the earth, it is my ray -
&
That best illumines the midnight way.
I bring the gift of hope.”
The Miracle Play, iii.
* It was Gabriel who (we are told in
the Koran) took Mahomet to heaven on
Al-borak (q.v.), and revealed to him his
“prophetic lore.” In the Old Testament
Gabriel is said to have explained to
I)aniel certain visions; and in the New
Testament it was Gabriel who announced
to Zacharias the future birth of John
the Baptist, and that afterwards ap-
peared to Mary, the mother of Jesus.
(Luke i. 26, etc.)
Gabriel’s horse. Haizum.
Gabriel’s hounds, called also Gabble
Ratchet. Wild geese. The noise of the
bean-goose (amser segétum) in flight is
like that of a pack of hounds in full cry.
The legend is that they are the souls of
unbaptised children wandering through
the air till the Day of Judgment.
Gab'riell'e (3 syl.; g hard). La Belle
Gabrielle. Daughter of Antoine d’Es-
trées, grand-master of artillery, and
governor of the Ile de France. Henri
IV., towards the close of 1590, happened
to Sojourn for a night at the Château
de Coeuvres, and fell in love with
Gabrielle, then nineteen years of age.
To throw a flimsy veil over his intrigue,
he married her to Damerval de Lian-
court, created her Duchess de Beaufort,
and took her to live with him at court.
“Charmante Gabrielle,
Percé de mille dards,
Quand la gloire m'appelle
A la Suite de Mars.” He???'i TV’.
Gabri'na, in Orlando Furioso, is a
sort of Potiphar’s wife. (See under
ARGEO.) When Philander had un-
wittingly killed her husband, Gabrina,
threatened to deliver him up to the law
unless he married her ; an alternative
that Philander accepted, but ere long
she tired of and poisoned him. The
whole affair being brought to light,
Gabrina was shut up in prison, but,
effecting her escape, wandered about
the country as an old hag. Knight after
knight had to defend her; but at last
she was committed to the charge of
Odorico, who, to get rid of her, hung
her on an old elm. (See ODORICO.)
Ga/briolet'ta (g hard). Governess
of Brittany, rescued by Am'adis of Gaul
from the hands of Balan, “the bravest
and strongest of all the giants.” (Ama-
dis of Gaul, bk. iv. ch. 129.)
Gad (g hard). Gadding from place to
place. Wandering from pillar to post
without any profitable purpose.
“Give water no passage, neither a wicked
Wolman liberty to gad a lyroad.”—Ecclesiasticus
YXY. 25.
Gad-about (A). A person who spends
day after day in frivolous visits, gadding
from house to house.
Gad-fly is not the roving but the
goading fly. (Anglo-Saxon, gad, a goad.)
Gad-steel. Flemish steel. So called
because it is wrought in gads, or small
bars. (Anglo-Saxon, gad, a small bar or
goad; Icelandic, gaddr, a spike or goad.)
“I will go get a leaf of brass,
And with a gad of steel will write these words.”
- Shakespeſtre : Titus Andromicits, iv. 1.
Gadshill, in Kent, near Rochester.
Famous for the attack of Sir John Fal-
staff and three of his knavish com-
panions on a party of four travellers,
whom they robbed of their purses.
While the robbers were dividing the
spoil, Poins and the Prince of Wales
set upon them, and “outfaced them
from their prize; ” and as for the “Her-
cules of flesh,” he ran and “roared for
mercy, and still ran and roared,” says
Gaels
the prince, “as ever I heard a bull-
calf.” Gadshill is also the name of one
of the thievish companions of Sir John.
(Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., ii. 4.)
* Charles Dickens lived at Gadshill.
Gaels. A contraction of Gaid-heals
(hidden rovers). The inhabitants of Scot-
land who maintained their ground in the
Highlands against the Celts.
Gaff (g hard). Crooked as a gaff. . A
gaff is an iron hook at the end of a
short pole, used for landing Salmon, etc.
The metal spurs of fighting-cocks. In
nautical language, a spar to which the
head of a fore-and-aft sail is bent.
(Dana : Seaman’s Manual, p. 97.) (Irish,
gaf; Spanish and Portuguese, gafa.)
Gaffer (g hard). A title of address,
as “Gaffer Grey,” “Good-day, Gaffer.”
About equal to “mate.” (Anglo-Saxon,
gefera, a comrade.) Many think the
word is “grandfather.” (See GAMMER.)
“If I had but a thousand a year, Gaſter Green,
If I had but a thousand a year.
Gaffey Green and Itobim I?ough,
Gags, in theatrical parlance, are in-
terpolations. When Hamlet directs the
players to say no more “than is set
down,” he cautions them against in-
dulgence in gags. (Hamlet, iii. 2.)
(Dutch, gaggelen, to cackle. Compare
Anglo-Saxon, geagl, the jaw.)
Gala Day (g hard). A festive day;
a day when people put on their best
attire. (Spanish, gala, court dress;
Italian, gala, finery ; French, gala,
pomp.)
Galactic Circle (The) is to sidereal
astronomy what the ecliptic is to planet-
ary astronomy. The Galaxy being the
sidereal equator, the Galactic circle is
inclined to it at an angle of 63”.
Galahad, or Sir Galaad (g hard).
Son of Sir Launcelot and Elaine, one of
the Knights of the Round Table, so
pure in life that he was successful in his
search for the Sangrail. Tennyson has
a poem on the subject, called The Holy
Grail.
“There Galaad Sat, with manly grace,
t Yet maiden meekness in his face.”
$ Sir W. Scott : Bridal of Trierºnaim, ii. 13.
Gal'a or (Don). Brother of Am'adis
of Gaul, a gay libertine, whose adven-
tures form a strong contrast to those of
the more serious hero.
Galate'a. A sea-nymph, beloved by
Polypheme, but herself in love with
Acis. Acis was crushed under a huge
496
Galère
rock by the jealous giant, and Galatea
threw herself into the sea, where she
joined her sister nymphs. Carlo Mar-
atti (1625–1713) depicted Galatea in
the sea and Polypheme sitting on a rock.
Handel has an opera entitled Acis and
Galatea.
Galathe (3 syl.). Hector's horse.
“There is a thousand Hectors in the field ;
Now here he fights on Galatlıö llis horse,
And there lacks Work.” -
Shakespectre: Troilus and Cressida, V. 5.
Galaxy (The). The “Milky Way.”
A long white luminous track of stars
which seems to encompass the heavens
like a girdle. According to classic fable,
it is the path to the palace of Zeus (1 syl.)
Or Jupiter. (Greek, gala, milk, genitive,
galaktos.)
A galaay of beauty. A cluster, as-
Sembly, or coterie of handsome women.
Gale's Compound. Powdered glass
mixed with gunpowder to render it non-
explosive. Dr. Gale is the patentee.
Galen (g hard). Galen says “ Nay,”
and Hippocratés “ Yea.” The doctors
disagree, and who is to decide P. Galen
was a physician of Asia Minor in the
second Christian century. Hippocratēs
—a native of Cos, born B.C. 460—was
the most celebrated physician of an-
tiquity.
Galen. A generic name for an apothe-
cary. , Galenists prefer drugs (called
Galenical medicines), Paracelsians use
mineral medicines.
Galeot’ti (Martists). Douis XI.'s
Italian astrologer. Being asked by the
king if he knew the day of his own
death, he craftily replied that he could
not name the exact day, but he knew
this much : it would be twenty-four
hours before the decease of his majesty.
Thrasullus, the soothsayer of Tiberius,
Emperor of Rome, made verbally the
same answer to the same question.
“‘Can thy pretended skill ascertain the hour of
thine own defith ?'
“‘Only by referring to the fate of another,’ said
Galeotti. -
“‘I understand not thine answer,’ said Louis.
“‘Know then, O king,” said Martius, ‘ that this
only I can tell with certainty concerning mine
OWn death, that it shall take place exactly twenty-
four hours before your majesty’s.’”
*
Sir W. Scott: Quentin. Durward, clap. xxix.
Galera'na. (g hard), according to
Ariosto, was wife of Charlemagne.
(Orlando Furioso, bk. xxi.) (See CHARLE-
MAGNE.)
Galère (2 syl.). Que diable allait-il
faire dans cette galère 2 (What business
had he to be on that galley P). This is
from Molière's comedy of Les Fourberies
Galesus
497.
Gallicism
de Scapin. Scapin wants to bamboozle
Géronte out of his money, and tells him
that his master (Géronte's son) is de-
tained prisoner on a Turkish galley,
where he went out of curiosity. He
adds, that unless the old man will
ransom him, he will be taken to Algiers
as a slave. Géronte replies to all that
Scapin urges, “What business had he to
go on board the galley P” The retort is
given to those who beg money to help
them out of difficulties which they have
brought on themselves. “I grant you
are in trouble, but what right had you
to go on the galley P”
(See Wogul...)
Vogue la Galère.
Gale'sus (ff hard). A river of Puglia,
not far from Tarentum. The sheep that
fed on the meadows of Gale'sus were
noted for their fine wool. (Horace :
2 Carminum Liber, vi. 10.)
Galian'a (g hard). A Moorish prin-
cess. Her father, King Gadalfe of
Tole'do, built for her a palace on the
Tagus so splendid that the phrase “a
palace of Galiana, ’’ became proverbial
in Spain.
Galimau'frey or Gallimau'frey (g
hard). A medley ; any confused jumble
of things; but strictly speaking, a hotch-
potch made up of all the scraps of the
larder. (French, galimáfrée, Spanish,
gallofa, “broken meat,” gallofero, a
eggar.)
“He woos both high and low, both rich and poor,
, Both young and old, one with another, Ford ;
He loves thy gaily-lmawfry [all sorts].”
Shakespeare : Merry Wives, ii. I.
Gall and Wormwood. Extremely
disagreeable and annoying.
“It was so much gall and, wormwood to the
family.”—Mrs. E. Lymm Linton.
Gall of Bitterness (The). The
bitterest grief; extreme affliction. The
ancients taught that grief and joy were
subject to the gall, affection to the heart,
knowledge to the kidneys, anger to the
bile (one of the four humours of the
body), and courage or timidity to the
liver. The gall of bitterness, like the
heart of hearts, means the bitter centre
of bitterness, as the heart of hearts
means the innermost recesses of the
heart or affections. In the Acts it is
used to signify “the sinfulness of sin,”
which leads to the bitterest grief.
“I ljerceive thou art in the gall of bitterness,
and in the bond of iniquity.”—Acts viii. 23.
Gall of Pigeons. The story goes
that pigeons have no gall, because the
dove sent from the ark by Noah burst
its gall out of grief, and none of the
pigeon family have had a gall ever since.
“For sin’ the Flood Of Noah
he dow. She had maega’.”
JamieSom: Popular Ballads (Lord of Iłorlim's
L) (tughter).
Gall's Bell (St.). A four-sided bell,
which was certainly in existence in the
seventh century, and is still shown in
the monastery of St. Gall, Switzerland.
Gallant' (g hard). Brave, polite,
Courteous, etc. (French, galant.)
Gallery. To play with one eye on the
gallery. To work for popularity. As
an actor who sacrifices his author for
popular applause, or a stump political
orator “orates’’ to catch votes. -
“The instant we begin to think about success
and the effect of our work—to play with one eye
on the gallery—we lose power, and touch, and
everything else.”—Iºudyard Kipling : 'I'lue Light
that Failed.
Galley (g hard). A printer’s frame
into which type from the stick (q.v.) is
emptied. In the galley the type appears
only in columns; it is subsequently di-
vided into pages, and transferred to the
“chase ’’ (q.v.). (French, galée.)
Galley Pence. Genoese coin brought
over by merchants (“galleymen ''), who
used the Galley Wharf, Thames Street.
These pence, or rather halfpence, were
larger than our own.
Gal'lia (g hard). France. -
“Inn pending hangs o'er Gallia's humbled coast.”
Thomson : Summer.
Gall'ia Bracca'ta [trousered Gaul].
Gallia, Narbonen'sis was so called from
the “bracca ’’ or trousers which the
natives wore in common with the Scy-
thians and Persians.
Gall'ia Coma'ta. That part of Gaul
which belonged to the Roman emperor,
and was governed by leg'ates (legati),
was so called from the long hair (coma)
worn by the inhabitants flowing over
their shoulders.
Gallice'nae. The nine virgin priest-
esses of the Gallic oracle. By their
charms they could raise the wind and
waves, turn themselves into any animal
form they liked, cure wounds and
diseases, and predict future events.
(Gallic mythology.)
Gall'icism (g hard). A phrase or
sentence constructed after the French
idiom ; as, “when you shall have re-
turned home you will find a letter on
your table.” Government documents
are especially guilty of this fault. In
St. Matt. xv. 32 is a Gallicism : “I have
compassion on the multitude, because
32
Gallicum.
*
they continue with me now three days,
and have nothing to eat.” (Compare
St. Mark viii. 2.)
Gallicum Merleburgae. French
of “Stratford atte Bowe.”
“There is a spring which (so they, say), if any-
one tastes, he murders his French [Gallice barba-
rizat] ; so that when any one Speaks that language
ill, we say he speaks the French of Marlborough
[Gallicum Merleburgae].”—Walter Map.
Galligantus. A giant who lived
with Hocus-Pocus in an enchanted
castle. By his magic he changed men
and women into dumb animals, amongst
which was a duke's daughter, changed
into a roe. Jack the Giant Killer, ar-
rayed in his cap, which rendered him
invisible, went to the castle and read the
inscription: “Whoever can this trumpet
blow, will cause the giant's overthrow.”
He seized the trumpet, blew a loud
blast, the castle fell down, Jack slew
the giant, and was married soon after
to the duke’s daughter, whom he had
rescued from the giant’s castle. (Jack
the Giant Killer.)
Gallimaufry. (See GALIMAUFREY.)
Galli'pot (g hard) means a glazed
pot, as galletyles (3 Syl.) means glazed
tiles. (Dutch, gleipot, glazed pot.) In
farce and jest it forms a by-name for an
apothecary.
Gallo-Bel'gicus. An annual register
in Latin for European circulation, first
published in 1598.
“It is believed,
And told for news with as muclı diligence
As if 'twere writ in Gallo-Belgicus.”
Thomas May : The Hein', (1615.)
Galloon. (See CADDICE.)
Gall'oway (g hard). A horse less
than fifteen hands high, of the breed
which originally came from Galloway in
Scotland.
“Thrust him downstairs : Know we not Gallo-
way mags 2"–Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., ii. 4.
“The ºi; and esquires are well mounted on
large bay horses, the common people on little
Galloways.”—S. Lanier: Boy's Froissart, book i.
chal). Xi V. p. 25. - -
Gallowglass. An armed servitor (or
foot-soldier) of an ancient Irish chief.
Gallus Numidicus (A). A turkey
cock. Our common turkey comes
neither from Turkey nor Numidia, but
from North America.
“And bedecked in borrowed plumage, liestruts
oyer his pages as solemnly, as any Qld Gallus
Numidicus over the farmyard.”—Fra. Ollie (1885).
Galor'e (2 Syl., g hard). A sailor’s
term, meaning “in abundance.” (Irish,
go leor, in abundance.)
For his Poll he llad trinkets and gold galore,
Besides of prize-money quite a store.”.
Jack, Irobinsom.
498
Gamalheu g
Galvanism (g hard). So called from
Louis Galva’ni, of Bologna. Signora
Galvani in 1790 had frog-soup pre-
scribed for her diet, and one day some
skinned frogs which happened to be
placed near an electric machine in motion
exhibited signs of vitality. This strange
phenomenon excited the curiosity of
the experimenter, who subsequently
noticed that similar convulsive effects
were produced when the copper hooks
on which the frogs were strung were
suspended on the iron hook of the
larder. Experiments being carefully
conducted, soon led to the discovery of
this important science.
Galway Jury. An enlightened,
independent jury. The expression has
its birth in certain trials held in Ireland
in 1635 upon the right of the king to
the counties of Ireland. Leitrim, ROS-
common, Sligo and Mayo, gave judg-
ment in favour of the Crown, but Galway
opposed it; whereupon the sheriff was
fined £1,000, and each of the jurors
£4,000.
Gam. (See GANELON.)
Gaſma (g hard). Vasco da Gama,
the Portuguese, was the first European
navigator who doubled the Cape of Good
IHope. .
“With such mad seas the daring Gama fought ...
InceSSant labouring round the stormy Cape.”
Thomson : Suºmºle?'.
Pasco da Gama. The hero of
Camoëns’ Lusiad. He is represented as
sagacious, intrepid, tender-hearted,
pious, fond of his country, and holding
his temper in full command. He is also
the hero of Meyerbeer's posthumous
opera, L'Africaine.
“(tama, captain of the venturous land,
Öfijd emprise, and horn for high command,
Whose martial fires, with prudence close allied,
Ensured the Smiles of fortune on his side.
Camoëns : Lusiad, bk. i.
Gamaheu, a natural cameo, or intag-
lio. These stones (chiefly agate) contain
natural representations of plants, land-
scapes, or animals. Pliny tells us that
the “Agate of ‘Pyrrhus.’” contained a
representation of the nine Muses, with
Apollo in the midst. Paracelsus calls
them natural talismans. Albertus Mag-
nus makes mention of them, and Gaffa-
ret, in his Curiosités inoiſies, attributes to
them magical powers. (French, camaſſetſ,
from the oriental gamahuia, camehuiſ, or
camebowia.) - -
* When magicwas ranked as a science,
certain conjunctions were called “Ga-
mahaean unions.”
Garmaliel
499
Gammut
Gamaliel. In the Talmud is rather
a good story about this pundit. Caesar
asked Gamaliel how it was that God
robbed Adam in order to make Eve.
Gamaliel's daughter instantly replied,
the robbery was substituting a golden
vessel for an earthen One.
Gambo'ge (2 syl., first g hard, Second
g soft). So called from Cambo'dia or
Camboja, whence it was first brought.
Game includes hares, pheasants,
partridges, grouse, heath-game, or moor-
game, black-game, and bustards. (Game
Act, 1, 2, Will. IV.). (See SPORTING
SEASON.)
Game.
l
Two can play at that game. . If you
claw me I can claw you ; if you throw
stones at me I can do the same to you.
The Duke of Buckingham led a mob to
break the windows of the Scotch
Puritans who came over with James I.,
but the Puritans broke the windows of
the duke's house, and when he com-
plained to the king, the British Solomon
quoted to him the proverb, “Those who
live in glass houses shouldn’t throw
stones.” .
You are making game of me. You are
cha me. (Anglo-Saxon, game”,
jest, scoffing.) -
Game-leg. A bad or lame leg.
(Welsh, can Irish, gain, bad, Crooked.)
Game for a Spree. Are you game
for a spree ? Are you inclined to join
in a bit of fun ? The allusion is to
game-cocks, which never show the white
feather, but are always ready for a fight.
Game is not worth the Candle
(The). The effort is not worth making ;
the result will not pay for the trouble.
(See CANDLE.)
Game's Afoot (The). The hare has
started; the enterprise has begun.
“I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the Start. The game's afoot
Follow your Spirit And upon this charge
Cry ‘God for Harry! England and St. George.'”
Shakespeare: Henry V., iii. 1.
Gam'elyn (3 syl., g hard). The
youngest of the three sons of Sir Johan
de Boundys. On his death-bed the old
knight left “five plowes of land” to
each of his two elder Sons, and the rest
of his property to Gamelyn. The eldest
took charge of the boy, but entreated
him shamefully; and when Gamelyn, in
his manhood, demanded of him his
heritage, the elder brother exclaimed,
“Stand still, gadelyng, and hold thy
peace l’” “I am I...o gadelyng,” retorted
the proud young spirit; “but the lawful
son of a lady and true knight.” At this
the elder brother sent his servants to
chastise the youngling, but Gamelyn
drove them off with “a pestel.” At a
wrestling-match held in the neighbour-
hood, young Gamelyn threw the cham-
pion, and carried off the prize ram ; but
on reaching home found the door shut
against him. He at Once kicked down
the door, and threw the porter into a
well. The elder brother, by a manoeuvre,
contrived to bind the young scapegrace
to a tree, and left him two days without
food; but Adam, the Spencer, unloosed
him, and Gamelyn fell upon a party of
ecclesiastics who had come to dine with
his brother, “sprinkling holy water on
the guests with his stout oaken cudgel.”
The sheriff now sent to take Gamelyn
and Adam into custody; but they fled
into the woods and came upon a party
of foresters sitting at meat. The captain
gave them welcome, and in time Game-
lyn rose to be “king of the outlaws.”
His brother, being now sheriff, would
have put him to death, but Gamelyn
constituted himself a lynch judge, and
hanged his brother. After this the king
appointed him chief ranger, and he
married. This tale is the foundation of
Lodge's novel, called Euphºle's Golden
Legacy, and the novel furnished Shake-
speare with the plot of As You Like It.
Gammer (g hard). A corruption of
grandmother, with an intermediate form
“granmer.” (See Halliwell, sub voce.)
Gammer Gurton's Needle. The
earliest comedy but one in the English
language. It was “Made by Mr. S.,
Master of Arts.” The author is said to
have been Bishop Still of Bath and
Wells (1543-1607). -
Gam'mon (g hard). A corruption
of gameme. Stuff to impose upon one's
credulity; chaff. (Anglo-Saxon, gamen,
scoffing; our game, as “You are making
game of me.”)
Gammon (g hard) means the leg, not
the buttock). (French, jambon, the leg,
jambe 5 Italian, gamba.)
Gam'mut, or Gamut (g hard). It is
gamma ut, “ut ’’ being the first word in
the Guido-von-Arrezzo scale of 24t, re,
mi, fa, Sol, la. In the eleventh century
the ancient scale was extended a note
below the Greek proslamban’omy note
(our A), the first space of the bass staff.
The new note was termed y (gamma),
and when “ut ’’ was substituted by Ar-
rezzo the “supernumerary” note was
called gamma or ºtt, or shortly gamm' ut
Gamp
500 Gangway
-i.e. “Gut.” The gammut, therefore,
properly, means the diatonic scale be-
ginning in the bass clef with “G.”
Gamp (Mrs.), or Sarah Gamp (g
hard). A monthly nurse, famous for her
bulky umbrella and perpetual refer-
ence to Mrs. Harris, a purely imaginary
person, whose opinions always confirmed
her own. (Dickens : Martin Chuzzle-
wit.)
“Mrs. Harris, I says to her, if I could afford to
lay out all my fellow creeturs for nothink, I would
gladly do it. Such is the love I bear ‘em.”
Punch caricatures the Standard as
“Mrs. Sarah Gamp,” a little woman
with an enormous bonnet and her cha-
racteristic umbrella.
A Sarah Gamp, or Mrs. Gamp. A
big, pawky umbrella, so called from
Sarah Gamp. , (See above.)
In France it is called 202 Robinson,
from Robinson Crusoe’s umbrella. (De-
joe.)
Gamps and Harrises.
nurses, real or supposititious.
GAMP.) -
“Mr. Gathorne Hardy is to look after the Gamps
and Harrises of Lambeth and the Strand.”—The
l)aily Telegraph.
Gan'abim. The island of thieves and
plagiarists. So called from the Hebrew
ganab (a thief). (Rabelais : Pantagruel,
iv. 66.)
Workhouse
(See
Gander (g hard). What’s, Sauce for
the goose is sauce for the gamder. . Both
must be treated exactly alike. Apple-
sauce is just as good for one as the
other. (Anglo-Saxon gés, related to gons
and gans. The d and 7- of gay?-a are
merely euphonic ; the a being the mas-
culine suffix. Thus han-a was the mas-
culine of hem. Latin, anser.)
Gander-cleugh. Folly cliff ; that
mysterious land where anyone who
makes a “goose of himself” takes up
his temporary residence. The hypo-
thetical Jedediah Cleishbotham, who
edited the Tales of My Landlord, lived
there, as Sir Walter Scott assures us.
Gander-month. Those four weeks
when the “monthly nurse ’’ rules the
house with despotic sway, and the master
is made a goose of.
Ganſelon (g hard). Count of May-
ence, one of Charlemagne's paladins, the
“Judas’’ of knights. His castle was
built on the Blocksberg, the loftiest
peak of the Hartz mountains. Jealousy
of Roland made him a traitor ; and in
order to destroy his rival, he planned
with Marsillus, the Moorish king, the
attack of ROncesvallés. He was six and
a-half feet high, with glaring eyes and
fiery hair ; he loved solitude, was very
taciturn, disbelieved in the existence of
moral good, and never had a friend. His
name is a by-word for a traitor of the
basest sort.
“Have you not held me at such a distance from
your counsels, as if I were the most faithless spy
Since the days of Ganelon 2"—Sir Walter Scott:
The Abbot, chap. xxiv.
“You would have thought him [Ganelon] one
of Attila's Huns, rather than one of the palādins
of Charlemagne's court.”—Croquemitaine, iii.
Ganem (g hard), having incurred
the displeasure of Caliph Haroun-al-
Raschid, effected his escape by taking
the place of a slave, who was carrying
on his head dishes from his own table.
(Arabian Nights’ Entertainments.)
Ganſesa (g hard). Son of Siva and
Parbutta; also called Gunputty, the
elephant god. The god of wisdom, fore-
thought, and prudence.
of the Hindus.
“Camdeo bright and Ganeśa, Sublime
Shall bless with joy their own propitious clime.”
Caºmpbell: Pleasures of Hope, i.
Gang a-gley (To).
(Scotch.)
“The best-laid schemes of mice and º -
Gang aft agley.”. 'lú)")\S.
The Mercury
To go wrong.
Gang-board, or Gang-way (g hard).
The board or way made for the rowers
to pass from stem to stern, and where
the mast was laid when it was unshipped.
Now it means the board with cleats or
bars of wood by which passengers walk
into or out of a ship or steamboat. A
gang is an alley or avenue.
“As we were putting off the boat they laid bold
of the gangboard and unhooked it...Off the boat's
Stern.”—Cools: Second Voyage, bk. iii. chap. iv.
Gang-day (g hard). The day in Ro-
gation week when boys with the clergy
and wardens used to gang round the
parish to beat its bounds.
Gangway (g hard). Below the gang-
way. In the House of Commons there
is a sort of bar extending across the
House, which separates the Ministry and
the Opposition from the rest of the mem-
bers. To sit “below the gangway ” is
to sit amongst the general members,
neither among the Ministers nor with
the Opposition. -
Clear the gangway. Make room for
the passengers from the boat, clear the
passage. (See GANG-BOARD.) -
Ganges
Ganges (The) is so named from gang,
the earth. Often called Gunga or
Ganga.
“Those who, through the curse, have fallen
from heaven, haying performed ablution in this
stream, become free from sin ; cleansed from sin
by this water, and restored to happiness, they
shall enter heaven and return again to the gods.
After having performed ablution in this living
water, they become free from all iniquity.”—The
Itamayuma (Section XXXV.).
Ganna. A Celtic prophetess, who
succeeded Welle'da. She went to Rome,
and was received by Domitian with great
honours. (Tacitus : Annals, 55.)
Ganor (g hard), Gineura (g soft), or
Guinever. Arthur’s wife.
Ganymede (3 syl. ; g hard). Jove's
cup-bearer ; the most beautiful boy ever
born. He succeeded Hebè in office.
- “When Ganymede above
His Service ministers to mighty Joye.”
FIoole's Ariosto.
Ga’ora. A tract of land inhabited
by a people without heads. Their eyes
are in their shoulders, and their mouth
in their breast. (Hakluyt's Voyages.)
(See BLEMMYES.)
Gape (g hard). Looking for gape-
Seed. Gaping about and doing nothing.
A corruption of “Looking a-gapesing; ”
gapesing is staring about with one's
mouth open. A-gapesing and a-trapes-
ing are still used in Norfolk.
Seeking a gape's nest. (Devonshire.) A
gape's nest is a sight which people stare
at with wide-open mouth. The word
“nest '’ was used in a much wider sense
formerly than it is now. Thus we read
of a “nest of shelves,” a “nest of
thieves,” a “cosy nest.” A gape's nest
is the nest or place where anything
stared at is to be found. (See MARE's
NEST.) -
Gar'agan'tua (g hard). The giant
that swallowed five pilgrims with their
staves and all in a salad. From a book
entitled The History of Garagantua,
1594. Laneham, however, mentions the
book of Garagantua in 1575. The giant
in Rabelais is called Gargantua (q.v.).
“You must borrow me Gargantua's mouth
first [before I can utter so long a word] ; 'tis a
Word 500 great for any mouth of this age's size.”
—Shakespeare: As You Like It, iii. 2.
Garagantuan. Threatening, bully-
ing. (See preceding.) -
Garble (ſy hard) properly means to
sift out the refuse. Thus, by the statute
of 1 James I. 19, a penalty is imposed
on the sale of drugs not garbled. We
now use the word to express a mutilated
extract, in which the sense of the author
is perverted by what is omitted. (French,
501
Gardening
garber, to make
lar.)
“A garbled quotation may be the most effectual
per version of an author's meaning.”—McCosh :
Divine Government, p. 14.
* One of the best garbled quotations
is this: , TXavid said (Psalm xiv. 1),
“There is no God” (omitting the pre-
ceding words, “The fool hath said in his
heart.”)
Garci'as (g hard). The soul of Pedro
Garcias. Money. It is said that two
Scholars of Salamanca discovered a
tombstone with this inscription :-‘‘Here
lies the soul of the licentiate Pedro
Garci'as ; ” and on searching for this
“soul” found a purse with a hundred
golden ducats. (Gil Blas, Preface.)
Gar'darike (4 Syl., g hard).
Bussia is called in the Eddas.
Garden (g hard). The garden of
Joseph of Arimathe'a is said to be the
spot where the rotunda of the Holy
Sepulchre now stands.
The Garden2 or Garden Sect. . The
disciples of Epicu'rus, who taught in his
own private garden.
“Epicurus in his garden was languid; the birds
of the air have more enjoyment of their food.”—
Jºcce Homo.
Garden of England. Worcestershire
and Kent are both so called.
Garden of Europe. Italy.
Garden of France. Amboise, in the
department of Indre-et-Loire.
Garden of India. Oude.
Garden of Ireland. Carlow.
Garden of Italy. The island of Sicily.
Garden of South Wales. The southern
division of Glamorganshire.
Garden of Spain. Andalusia.
Garden of the Sun. The East Indian
(or Malayan) archipelago.
Garden of the West. Illinois; Kansas
is also so called.
Garden of the World. The region of
the Mississippi.
Gardener (g hard). Get on, gar-
dener I Get on, you slow and clumsy
coachman. The allusion is to a man who
is both gardener and coachman. -
Gardener. Adam is so called by
Tennyson.
“From yon blue sky above us bent, .
The grand old gardener and his wife [Adam
and Eye] . . -
Smile at the claims of long descent.”
Lady Clara, Were de Vere
“Thou, old Adam's likeness,
Get to dress this garden.” # * *
Shakespeare : 18ichard II., iii. 4.
Gardening (g hard). (See ADAM's
PROFESSION.)
clean; Spanish, garbil-
So
Gargamelle
502
Gargantuan
Father of landscape gardening. Lenotre
(1613-1700).
Gargamelle (3 Syl., g hard) was the
wife of Grangousier, and daughter of the
lºing of the Parpaillons (butterflies). On
the day that she gave birth to Gargantua.
she ate sixteen quarters, two bushels,
three pecks, and a pipkin of dirt, the
mere remains left in the tripe which
she had for supper; for, as the proverb
says—
“Scrape tripe as clean as eler you can,
A tithe of filth will still remain.”
Gargamelle. Said to be meant for
Anne of Brittany. She was the mother
of Gargantua, in the Satirical romance
of Gargantua and Pantagruel", by Ra-
belais. Motteux, who makes “Panta-
gruel” to be Anthony de Bourbon, and
* Gargantua,” to be Henri d'Albret,
says “Gargamelle’’ is designed for
Catherine de Foix, Queen of Navarre.
(Rabelais, i. 4.)
Gargan'tua (g hard), according to
Tabelais, was son of Grangousier and
Gargamelle. Immediately he was born
he cried out “Drink, drink I’’ so lustily
that the words were heard in Beauce
and Bibarois ; whereupon his royal
father exclaimed, “Que grand tet as / ?”
which, being the first words he uttered
after the birth of the child, were ac-
cepted as its name ; so it was called
“Gah-gran’-tu-as,” corrupted into Gar-
g’an-tu-a. It needed 17,913 cows to
supply the babe with milk. When he
went to Paris to finish his education he
rode on a mare as big as six elephants,
and took the bells of Notre Dame to
hang on his mare's neck as jingles. At
the prayer of the Parisians he restored
the bells, and they consented to feed his
mare for nothing. On his way home
He was fired at from the castle at Wede
Ford, and on reaching home combed
his hair with a comb 900 feet long, when
at every “rake’’ seven bullet-balls fell
from his hair. Being desirous of a salad
for dinner, he went to cut some lettuces
as big as walnut-trees, and ate up six
pilgrims from Sebastian, who had hidden
themselves among them out of fear.
Picrochole, having committed certain
offences, was attacked by Gargantua in
the rock Clermond, and utterly de-
feated; and Gargantua, in remembrance
of this victory, founded and endowed
the abbey of Theleme [Te-lame]. (Rabe-
lais : Gargantºſa, i. 7.)
Gargantua is said to be a satire on
François I., but this cannot be correct,
as he was born in the kingdom of the
butterflies, was sent to Paris to finish
his education, and left it again to
succour his own country. Motteux,
perceiving these difficulties, thinks it is
meant for Henri d'Albret, King of
Navarre.
Gargantua’s mare. Those who make
Gargantua to be François I, make his
“great mare '’ to be Mme. d’Estampes.
Motteux, who looks upon the romance
as a Satire on the Reform party, is at a
loss how to apply this word, and merely
says, “It is some lady.” Rabelais says,
“She was as big as six elephants, and
had her feet cloven into fingers. She
was of a burnt-sorrel hue, with a little
mixture of dapple-grey; but, above all,
she had a terrible tail, for it was every
whit as great as the steeple pillar of
St. Mark.” When the beast got to
Orléans, and the wasps assaulted her,
she switched about her tail so furiously
that she knocked down all the trees that
grew in the vicinity, and Gargantua,
delighted, exclaimed, “Je trouve beat
ce 1 '' wherefore the locality has been
called “Beauce ’’ ever since. The satire
shows the wilfulness and extravagance
of court mistresses. (Rabelais : Gar-
gantata and Pantagruel, book i. 16.)
Gargamtºta’s shepherds, according to
Motteux, mean Lutheran preachers; but
those who look upon the romance as a
political satire, think the Crown ministers
and advisers are intended.
Gargantua's thirst. Motteux says
the “great thirst '’ of Gargantua, and
“mighty drought” at Pantagruel’s birth,
refer to the withholding the cup from
the laity, and the clamour raised by the
Beform party for the wine as well as the
bread in the eucharist.
Gargan’tuan. Enormous, inordi-
nate, great beyond all limits. It needed
900 ells of Châtelleraut linen to make
the body of his shirt, and 200 more for
the gussets; for his shoes 406 ells of blue
and crimson velvet were required, and
1,100 cow-hides for the soles. He could
play 207 different games, picked his teeth
with an elephant's tusk, and did every-
thing in the same “large way.”
“It sounded like a Gargantuan order for a
dram.”—The Standard.
A Gargamtuan course of studies. A
course including all languages, as well
ancient as modern, all the sciences, all
the -ologies and -onomies, together with
calisthenics and athletic sports. ... Gar-
gantua, wrote to his son Pantagruel, com-
manding him to learn Greek, Latin,
- Chaldaic, Arabic; all history, geometry,
Gargittios
503 Garrote
*** **-
arithmetic, and music; astronomy and
natural philosophy, so that “there be
not a river in all the world thou dost
not know the name of, and nature of all
its fishes ; all the fowls of the air ; all the
several kinds of shrubs and herbs; all
the metals hid in the bowels of the
earth; with all gems and precious stones.
I would furthermore have thee study the
Talmudists and Cabalists, and get a
perfect knowledge of man. In brief, I
would have thee a bottomless pit of all
knowledge.” (Itabelais : Pantagruel,
book ii. 8.)
Gargit’tios. One of the dogs that
guarded the herds and flocks of Ger’yon,
and which Hercules killed. The other
was the two-headed dog, named Orthos,
or Orthros.
Garg Guille, or Gargoil (g hard). A
water-spout in church architecture.
Sometimes also spelt Gurgoyle. They are
usually carved into some fantastic shape,
such as a dragon’s head, through which
the water flows. Gargouille was the
great dragon that lived in the Seine,
ravaged IRouen, and was slain by St.
Romanus, Bishop of Rouen, in the
Seventh century. (See DRAGON.)
Garibaldi’s Red Shirt. The red
shirt is the habitual upper garment of
American sailors. Any Liverpudlian will
tell you that some fifteen years ago a
British tar might be discerned by his
blue shirt, and a Yankee “salt” by his
red. Garibaldi first adopted the Ameri-
can shirt, when he took the command of
the merchantman in Baltimore.
Garland (g hard).
“A chaplet should be composed of four roses
. and a garland Should be formed of laurel or
Jº
oãk leaves, interspersed with acorns.”—J. E.
CusStums: Ilandbook of Heraldry, chap. vii. 1). 105.
Garland. A collection of ballads in
Thºſe Lovers’ Garland, etc.
Nuptial garlands are as old as the
hills. The ancient Jews used them,
according to Selden (Uvor Heb., iii. 655);
the Greek and Roman brides did the
Same (Vaughan, Golden Grove); so did
the Anglo-Saxons and Gauls.
“Thre ornamentys prymcipaly to a wyfe : A
rynge on hir, fynger, a lyroch on hir brest, and a
garlond on hir hede. The rynge betokenethe true
love; the broch clennesse in herte and chastitye;
the garlond . . . . gladness and the dignity of the
Sacrement. Of Wedlock.” – Leland : Dives and
Pawper (1493).
Garlick is said to destroy the mag-
netic power of the loadstone. This
notidn, though proved to be erroneous,
has the sanction of Pliny, Solinus,
Ptolemy, Plutarch, Albertus, Mathiolas,
Rueus, Rulandus, Renodacus, Langius,
and others. Sir Thomas Browne places
it among Pulgar Errors (bookii. chap. 3.)
, “ Martin. Rulandus saith that Onions and Gar-
lick . . . hinder the attractive power [of the
magnet] and rob it of its virtue of drawing iron,
to Which Renodacus agrees ; but this is all lies.”—
W. Sulmon : The Complete English Physician, etc.,
Chap. XXV. D. 182. -
Garnish (ff hard). Entrance-money,
to be spent in drink, demanded by jail-
birds of new-comers. In prison slang
garnish means fetters, and garnish-
money is money given for the “honour”
of wearing fetters. The custom became
obsolete with the reform of prisons.
(French, garnissage, trimming, verb gar-
mir, to decorate or adorn.) (See Field-
ing's and Smollett's novels.)
Garratt (g hard). The Mayor of
Garratt. Garratt is between Wands-
worth and Tooting ; the first mayor of
this village was elected towards the close
of the eighteenth century; and his elec-
tion came about thus: Garratt Common
had been often encroached on, and in
1780 the inhabitants associated them-
selves together to defend their rights.
The chairman of this association was
entitled Mayor, and as it happened to be
the time of a general election, the Society
made it a law that a new “mayor’’
should be chosen at every general elec-
tion. The addresses of these mayors,
written by Foote, Garrick, Wilkes, and
others, are satires on the corruption of
electors and political squibs. The first
Mayor of Garratt was . “Sir” John
Harper, a retailer of brickdust in Lon-
don; and the last was “Sir” Harry
Dimsdale, muffin-seller, in 1796. Foote
has a farce entitled The Mayor of Gar-
7'att.
Garraway's, i.e. Garraway’s coffee-
house, in Exchange Alley. It existed
for 216 years, and here tea was sold, in
1657, for 16s. up to 50s, a pound. The
house no longer exists.
Garrot'e or Garotte (2 syl., g hard)
is the Spanish garrote (a stick). The ori-
ginal way of garrotting in Spain was to
place the victim on a chair with a cord
round his neck, then to twist the cord
with a stick till strangulation ensued. In
1851 General Lopez was garrotted by the
Spanish authorities for attempting to
gain possession of Cuba; since which
time the thieves of London, etc., have
adopted the method of strangling their
victim by throwing their arms round
his throat, while an accomplice rifles his
pockets. . . . . -
Garter
504 Gaunt
Garter (g hard). Knights of the
Garter. The popular legend is that
Joan, Countess of Salisbury, accidentally
slipped her garter at a court ball. It
was picked up by her royal partner,
Edward III., who gallantly diverted the
attention of the guests from the lady by
|binding the blue band round his own
knee, saying as he did so, “ HoniSoit qui
onal y pense” (1348).
Wearing the garters of a pretty
maiden either on the hat or knee was a
common custom with our forefathers.
Brides usually wore on their legs a host
of gay ribbons, to be distributed after
the marriage ceremony amongst the
bridegroom's friends; and the piper at
the wedding dance never failed to tie a
piece of the bride's garter round his pipe.
If there is any truth in the legend given
above, the impression on the guests
would be wholly different to what such
an accident would produce in our days;
but perhaps the “Order of the Garter,”
after all, may be about tantamount to
“The Order of the Ladies’ Champions,”
or “The Order of the Ladies' Favour-
ites.”
Gar'vies (2 syl., g soft). Sprats. So
called from Inch Garvie, an isle in the
Frith of Forth, near which they are
caught. -
Gascona'de (3 syl., g hard). Talk
like that of a Gascon—absurd boasting,
vainglorious braggadocio. It is said that
a Gascon being asked what he thought
of the Louvre in Paris, replied, “Pretty
well; it reminds me of the back part of
my father's stables.” The vainglory of
this answer is more palpable when it is
|borne in mind that the Gascons were
proverbially poor. The Dictionary of the
French Academy gives us the following
specimen: “A Gascon, in proof of his
ancient nobility, asserted that they used
in his father’s house no other fuel than
the batons of the family marshals.”
Gaston (g hard). Lord of Claros,
one of Charlemagne’s paladins.
Gastrol/ators. People whose god
is their belly. (Rabelais : Pantagruel,
iv. 58.)
Gat-tooth (g hard). Goat-tooth.
(Anglo-Saxon, gat.) Goat-toothed is
having a lickerish tooth. Chaucer makes
the wife of Bath say, “Gat-toothed I
was, and that became me wele.”
Gate Money. Money paid at the
gate for admission to the grounds where
some contest is to be seen.
Gate-posts. The post on which the
gate hangs and Swings is called the
“hanging-post '', that against which it
shuts is called the “banging post.”
Gate of Italy. That part of the
Valley of the Adige which is in the
vicinity of Trent and Rovere'do. A
narrow gorge between two mountain
ridges.
Gate of Tears [Babelmandeb). The
passage into the Red Sea. So called by
the Arabs from the number of shipwrecks
that took place there.
“Like Some ill-destined bark that steers
In Silence through the Gate of Tears.”
T. Moore: Fire Worshippers.
Gath (g hard), in Dryden’s satire of
Absaloºn and Achitophel, means Brus-
sels, where Charles II, long resided while
he was in exile.
“Had thus old David [Charles II.] . . .
Not dared, when fortune called him, to be king,
At Gath an exile he might still remain.”
Tell it not in Gath. Don’t let your
enemies hear it. Gath was famous as
being the birthplace of the giant Goliath.
“Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets
of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines
rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised
triumph.”—2 Salm. i. 20. -
Gathered = dead. The Bible phrase,
“He was gathered to his fathers.”
“He was (for he is gathered) a little man with
a colopery complexion.”—Dr. Geist, p. 25.
Gathers (g hard). Out of gathers.
In distress; in a very impoverished con-
dition. The allusion is to a woman’s
gown, which certainly looks very seedy
when “out of gathers”—i.e. when the
cotton that kept the “pleats” together
has given way. (Anglo-Saxon, gader-ian,
to gather, or pleat.)
Gauche (French, the left hand). Awk-
ward. Awk, the left hand. (See ADROIT.)
Gauch'erie (3 Syl., g hard). Things
not comme il faut ; behaviour not accord-
ing to the received forms of society;
awkward and untoward ways. (See
above.) A
Gau'difer (g hard). A champion,
celebrated in the romance of Alea’amden'.
Not unlike the Scotch Bruce.
Gaudy-day (A). A holiday, a feast-
day. (Latin gaudéo, to rejoice.)
Gaul (g hard). France.
“Insulting Gaul has roused the world to war.”
Thom1807? - Aºttºml?!.
“Shall haughty Gaul invasion threat P”—Bu?"m3.
Gaunt (g hard). John of Gaúzt.
The third son of Edward III. ; so called
Gauritgrim
**-
from Ghent, in Flanders, the place of
his birth.
Gauntgrim (g hard). The wolf.
“‘For my part (said he], I don't wonder at my
cousin's refusing Bruin the bear and Gauntgrim
the Wolf. . . . Bruin is always in the Sulks, and
Gauntgrim always in a passion.’”—E. B. Lytton :
Pilgrims of the Rhime, chap. xii.
Gauntlet (g hard). To run the gant-
let. To be hounded on all sides. Cor-
ruption of gantlope, the passage between
two files of soldiers. (German, gang-
laufen or gassenlandfen.) The reference
is to a punishment common among
Sailors. If a companion had disgraced
himself, the crew, provided with gaunt-
lets or ropes’ ends, were drawn up in
two rows facing each other, and the
delinquent had to run between them,
while every man dealt him, in passing,
as severe a chastisement as he could.
* The custom exists among the North
American Indians. (See Fenimore Cooper
and Mayne Reid.)
To throw down the gauntlet. To chal-
lenge. The custom in the Middle Ages,
when one knight challenged another,
was for the challenger to throw his
gauntlet on the ground, and if the chal-
lenge was accepted the person to whom
it was thrown picked it up.
“It is not for Spain, reduced as she is to the
lowest degree of social inanition, to throw the
gauntlet to the right and left.”—The Times.
Gautama (g hard). The chief deity
of Burmah, whose favourite offering is a
paper umbrella.
The four sublime verities of Gautama
are as follows:
(1) Pain exists.
(2) The cause of pain is “birth sin.”
The Buddhist supposes that man has
passed through many previous exist-
ences, and all the heaped-up sins accu-
mulated in these previous states consti-
tute man’s ‘‘ birth sin.”
(3) Pain is ended only by Nirvana.
(4) The way that leads to Nirvana is
—right faith, right judgment, right
language, right purpose, right practice,
right obedience, right memory, and
right meditation (eight in all).
Gautier and Garguille (French).
All the world and his wife.
Se mocquer de Gautier et de Garguille
(to make fun of everyone). Gautier-
Garguille was a clown of the seventeenth
century, who gave himself unbounded
licence, and provoked against himself a
storm of angry feeling.
Gau'vaine or Gaſwain = Gau-wain
(2 Syl., g hard). Sir Gauvaine the
Coºrteous. One of Arthur's knights,
505 Gaze
and his nephew. He challenged the
Green Knight, and struck off his head;
but the headless knight picked up his
poll again and walked off, telling Sir
Gauvaine to meet him twelve months
hence. Sir Gauvaine kept his appoint-
ment, and was hospitably entertained;
but, taking possession of the girdle be-
longing to the lady of the house, was
chastised by the Green Knight, confessed
his fault, and was forgiven.
“The gentle Gawain's courteous lore,
Hector de Mares and Pellinore,
And Lancelot that evermore
Looked stol'nwise on the queen.”
Sir W. Scott: Bridal of Triermaim, ii. 13.
Gav'elkind (g hard). A tenure in
Wales, Kent, and Northumberland,
whereby land descended from the father
to all his sons in equal proportions. The
youngest had the homestead, and the
eldest the horse and arms.
‘." Coke (1 Institutes, 340 a) says the word is gif
eal cyn (give all the kin); but Lambarde suggests
the Anglo-Saxon gaſol or gavel, rent ; and says it
means “land, which yields rent" gavel cym, rent
for the family derived from land. ...There is a
Similar Irish Word, gabhailcine, a family tenure.
Gawain (g hard). (See GAUVAINE.)
Gawrey (g hard). One of the race of
flying women who appeared to Peter
Wilkins in his solitary cave. (Robert
Pultock : Peter Wilkins.) *
Gay (g hard). Gay as the king’s
candle. A French phrase, alluding to an
ancient custom observed on the 6th of
January, called the “Eve or Vigil of the
Rings,” when a candle of divers colours
was burnt. The expression is used to
denote a woman who is more showily
dressed than is consistent with good
taste.
Gay Deceiver (A).
(q.v.); a libertine.
“I immediately quitted the precincts of the
castle, and posted myself on the high road, where
the gay deceiver was Sure to be intercepted on
his return.”—Le Sage : Adventures of Gil Blas
(Smollett's translation). (1749.)
Gay Girl. A woman of light or
extravagant habits. Lady Anne Berke-
ley, dissatisfied with the conduct of her
daughter-in-law (Lady Catherine How-
ard), exclaimed, “By the blessed sacra-
ment, this gay girl will beggar my son
Henry.” (See above.)
“What eyleth you ? Some gay gurl, God it wot,
Hath brought you thus upon the very trot” (i.e.
put you on your high horse, or into a pas-
sion). Chaucer i Canterbury Tales, 3,767.
Gaze (1 syl, g hard). To stand at
gaze. To stand in doubt what to do.
A term in forestry. When a stag first
hears the hounds it stands dazed, look-
ing all round, and in doubt what to do.
A Lothario
Gaze-hournd 506
Geese
*—-
Heralds call a stag which is represented
full-faced, a “stag at gaze.”
“The American army in the central states re-
mained Wholly at gaze.”—Lord Mahon : History.
“As the poor frighted deer, that stands at gaze,
Wildly determining which Way to fly. -
Shakespeare: Rupe of Lucrece, 1149–50.
Gaze-hound. (See LYME-HOUND.)
Gazette (2 syl., g hard). A news-
paper. The first newspapers were issued
in Venice by the Government, and came
out in manuscript once a month, during
the war of 1563 between the Venetians
and Turks. The intelligence was read
publicly in certain places, and the fee
for hearing it read was one gazetta (a
Venetian coin, somewhat less than a
farthing in value).
...' The first official English newspaper, called
The Oxford Gazette, was published in 1642, at Ox-
ford, Where the Court was held. On the removal
of the Court to London, the name was changed to
The London Gazette. The name was revived in 1665,
during the Great Fire. Now the official Gazette,
published every Tuesday and Friday, contains an-
nouncements of pensions, promotions, bankrupt-
cies, dissolutions of partnerships, etc. (See NEWS-
PAPERS.) -
Gazetted (g hard). Published in
the London Gazette, an official news-
paper.
Gaznivides (3 Syl.). A dynasty of
Persia, which gave four kings and lasted
fifty years (999-1049), founded by Mah-
moud Gazni, whoreigned from the Ganges
to the Caspian Sea.
Gear (g hard) properly means “dress.”
In machinery, the bands and wheels that
communicate motion to the working part
are called the gearing. (Saxon, gearwa,
clothing.) -
In good gear. To be in good working
order.
Out of gear. Not in working condi-
tion, when the “gearing” does not act
properly; out of health.
Gee-up ! and Gee-woo ! addressed to
horses both mean “Horse, get on.”
Gee = horse. In Notts and many other
counties nurses say to young children,
“Come and see the gee-gees.” There
is not the least likelihood that Gee-woo
is the Italian gio, because gio will not fit
in with any of the other terms, and it is
absurd to suppose our peasants would go
to Italy for such a word. Woal or Woo !
(q.v.), meaning stop, or halt, is quite
another word. We subjoin the follow-
ing quotation, although we differ from
it. (See CoME ATHER, Woo's H.)
“Et cum sic glorial'étur, et cogitäres cum
quanta gloria duceretur ad illum virum super
equum, dicendo Gio / Gio / cepit pede percutére
terralm quasi pungeret equum calcaribus,”—Dia-
logus Creatwran"wm (1480). -
cuique sponsa, mihi meas.
Geese (g hard). (See GANDER,Goos B.)
Geese save the capitol. The tradition is
that when the Gauls invaded Rome a
detachment in single file clambered up
the hill of the capitol so silently that the
foremost man reached the top without
being challenged; but while he was
striding over the rampart, some sacred
geese, disturbed by the noise, began to
cackle, and awoke the garrison. Marcus
Man/lius rushed to the wall and hurled
the fellow over the precipice. To com-
memorate this event, the Romans carried
a golden goose in procession to the capitol
every year (B.C. 390).
“Those consecrated geese in orders,
That to the capitol were warders,
And being then upon patriyl,
With noise alone beat off the Gaul.”.
Butler. IIudibras, ii. 3.
All his swans are geese, or All his swams
are turned to geese. All his expectations
end in nothing ; all his boasting ends in
smoke. Like a person who fancies he
sees a swan on a river, but finds it to be
only a goose.
The phrase is sometimes reversed
thus, “All his geese are swans.”
Commonly applied to people who think
too much of the beauty and talent of
their children.
I'very man thinks his own geese swans.
Everyone is prejudiced by Self-love.
Every crow thinks its own nestling the
fairest. Every child is beautiful in its
mother's eyes. (See AEsop's fable, The
Eagle and the Owl.)
Jatin : Suum cuique pulchrum. Sua
Sua cuique.
res est carissima. Asinus asino, Sus suo
pulcher. - .
German : Eine giite mutter halt ihre
kinder vor die schönsten.
French : A chaque oiseau son nid
parait beau. .
Italian : A ogni grolla paion’ belli i
Suoi grollatini. Ad Ogni uccello, Suo
nido & bello.
The more geese the more lovers. The
French newspaper called L’Europe, De-
cember, 1865, repeats this proverb, and
says:—“It is customary in England for
every gentleman admitted into society
to send a fat goose at Christmas to the
lady of the house he is in the habit of
visiting. Beautiful women receive a
whole magazine . . . . and are thus
enabled to tell the number of their lovers
by the number of fat geese sent to
them.” (The Times, December 27th, 1865.)
Truly the Frenchman knows much
more about us than we ever “dreamt of
in our philosophy.” -
Geese. (See GoosE, CAG MAG.)
Gehenna
507 Gender-words
Gehen'na. (Hebrew, g hard). The
place of eternal torment. Strictly speak-
ing, it means simply the Valley of Hin-
nom (Ge-Hinnom), where sacrifices to
Moloch were offered and where refuse
of all sorts was subsequently cast, for
the consumption of which fires were kept
constantly burning.
- “And made his grove
The pleasant valley of Hinnom, Tophet thence
And black Gehenna called, the type of hell.”
- Miltom : Paradise Lost, book i. 403-5.
Gelſert (g hard). The name of
Llewellyn's dog. One day a wolf entered
the room where the infant son of the
Welsh prince was asleep; Gelert flew at
it and killed it ; but when Llewellyn re-
turned home and saw his dog’s mouth
bloody, he hastily concluded that it had
killed his child, and thrust it through
with his sword. The howl of the dog
awoke the child, and the prince saw too
late his fatal rashness. Beth-gelert is
the name of the place where the dog was
buried. (See BETH-GELERT, DOG.)
'. A similar story is told of Czar Piras of
Russia. In the Gesta Romanorum, the Story is
told of Folliculus, a knight, but instead of a
serpent the dog is said to have killed a Wolf.
The story occurs again in the Seven Wise Masters.
In the Sanskrit version the dog is called an ich-
neumon and the wolf a “black Snake.” In the
Hitopadesa, (iv. 3) the dog is an otter ; in the
Arabic a weasel ; in the Mongolian a pole-cat; in
the Persian a Cat, etc.
Gellatley (Davie). The idiot Ser-
vant of the Baron of Bradwardine.
(Sir IV. Scott : Waverley.)
GELLATLY.
Gema'ra (g hard), which means
“complement,” is applied to the second
part of the Talmud, which consists of
annotations, discussions, and amplifica-
tions of the Jewish Mishna. There is
the Babylonian Gema'ra and the Jeru-
salem Gema','a. The former, which is
the more complete, is by the academies
of Babylon; the latter by those of
Palestine.
“Scribes and Pharisees . . . set little value on
the Study of the Law itself, but much on that of
the commentaries of the rabbis, now embodied
in the Mishna and Gemara.”—Geikie : Life of
Christ, Vol. ii. ch. xxxvi. p. 64,
Gemmagog. Son of the giant Oro-
mêdon, and inventor of the Poulan
shoes—i.e. shoes with a spur behind,
and turned-up toes fastened to the
knees. These shoes were forbidden by
Charles W. of France in 1365, but the
fashion revived again. (Duchat : Ouvres
de Rabelais.)
* According to the same authority,
giants were great inventors: Erix in-
vented legerdemain ; Gabbara, drinking
healths ; Gemmagog, Poulan shoes;
Also spelt.
Hapmouche, drying and smoking neats'
tongues ; etc. etc.
Gems. (See JEWELS.)
Gendarmes. “Men at arms,” the
armed police of France. The term was
first applied to those who marched in
the train of knights; subsequently to
the cavalry; in the time of Louis XIV.
to a body of horse charged with the
preservation of order ; after the revolu-
tion to a military police chosen from ol
soldiers of good character; now it is
applied to the ordinary police, whose
costume is half civil and half military.
Gender-words: Billy, nanny ; boar,
Sow ; buck, doe; bull, cow; cock, hen;
dog, bitch ; ewe, tup ; groom = man ;
he, she ; Jack, Jenny ; male, female;
man, maid ; man, woman ; master, mis-
tress; Tom ; tup, dam ; and several
“Christian names; as in the following
examples:—
Ape : Dog ape, bitch ape.
Ass: Jack ass and Jenny ; he ass, she ass.
Bean': He bear, she bear.
Bird: Male bird, female bird ; cock bird, hen
JII (1.
I}lackcock (grouse); moorcock and hen (red
grouse). &
Bridegroom, bride. It
Calf: Bull calf, cow calf. -
Cat : Toln cat, lady cat, he and she cat. Gib
Cat (q.v.).
Chairwoman. - -
Child: Male child, female child ; man child,
woman child (child is either male or female, ex-
celpt when sex is referred to).
Devil : He and she devil (if sex is referred to).
Donkey : Male and female donkey. (See ASS.)
JElephant : Bull and cow elephant ; male and
female elephant. - - -
Foa: ; Dog and bitch fox ; the bitch is also called
8, V1N (21).
Game cock. -
Gentleman, gentlewoman or lady.
Goat: Billy and Nanny goat ; he and she goat ;
})uck goat.
Han'e : Buck and doe hare.
Heir : Heir male, heir female.
Kinsman, kinswoman.
Lttºmb : eve lam]); tup lamb.
Mankind, womankinä.
Merman, mermaid.
Milkman, milkmaid or milk-woman.
Moorcock, moorhen.
Otter: Dog and bitch otter.
Partridge : Cock and hen partridge.
Peacock, peahen.
Pheasant: Cock and hen pheasant,
Pig : Boar and Sow pig.
IRabbit : Buck and doe ra]).])it.
Ital : A Jack rat.
Schoolmaster, Schoolmistress.
Seal: Bull and cow. The bull of fur seals
under six years of age is called a “Bachelor.”
Servant: Male and female servant ; man and
maid Servant. * *
inger, Songstress ; man and woman singer.
Sir [John], Lady [Mary].
Sparrow : Cock and hen sparrow.
Swan : A cob Or cock SWan, 1)en-Swan.
Turkey cock and hen.
"Wash or washer-woman.
Whale : Bull or Unicorn, and cow.
Wren : Jenny cock Robin, ; Tom tit ; etc.
Wolf: Dog wolf, bitch or she-wolf,
* Generally the name of the animal
stands last; in the following instances,
|
General Funk
508 Geneva, Print
however, it stands before the gender-
word:—
Blackcock ; bridegroom ; charwoman ; game-
cock ; gentleman and gentlewoman ; heir male
and female ; kinsman and woman ; mankind,
Womankind ; milkman, milkmaid or -Woman ;
moorcock and hen ; peacock and hen ; Servant
man and maid ; turkéy cock and hen ; Wash or
WaSher-WOman.
* . In a few instances the gender-word does
not express gender, as jackdaw, jack pike, roe-
buck, etc.
(2) The following require no gender-
word:—
Bachelor, Spinster or maid.
Beau, belle. .
Boar, Sow (pig)., .
Boy, girl (both child).
Brother, Sister.
Euck, doe (Stag or deer).
Eull, COW (black cattle).
Cock, hen (barndoor fowls).
Cockerel, pullet.
Colt, filly (both foal).
Dad, father, º
Dog, bitch (both dog, if sex is not referred to).
Drake, duck (both duck, if sex is not referred
Drone, bee.
Earl, counteSS.
Father, mother (both parents).
Friar, nun.
Gafler, gammer.
Gander, goose (both geese, if sex is not referred
to).
Gentleman, lady (both gentlefolk).
Hart, roe (both deer).
Husband, wife. -
Kipper, shedder or baggit (spent salmon).
King, queen (both monarch or Sovereign).
Lad, la SS. . -
Mallard, wild-duck (both wild fowl).
Man, maid.
Man, woman.
Master, mistress.
Milter, spawner (fish).
Monk, nun,
Nephew, niece.
Papa, mamma.
Ram, ewe (sheep).
Ruff, reeve. -
Sir, ma'am.
Sir [John], Lady [Mary].
Sire, dam.
Sloven, Slut.
Son, daughter. * -
Stag, hind (both stag, if sex is not referred to).
Stallion, mare (both horse).
Steer, heifer.
Tup, dam (sheep).
Uncle, aunt.
Widow, widower.
Wizard, witch.
...The females of other animals are made by
adding a suffix to the male (-ess, -ina, -ine, -ix, -a,
-ee, etc.); as, lion, lioness; czar, czarina ; hero,
heroine ; testator, testatrix, etc.
General Funk. A panic.
“The influence of ‘General Funk' was, at one
time, far too prevalent among both the colonists
and the younger soldiers.” – Montague: Cam-
patigming in South Africa, chal). Yi. (1880).
General Issue is pleading “Not
guilty” to a criminal charge ; “Never
indebted ” to a charge of debt; the issue
formed by a general denial of the
plaintiff’s charge.
Generalis'simo (g soft). Called
Tagus among the ancient Thessalians,
Brennus among the ancient Gauls, Pen-
dragon among the ancient Welsh or Celts.
Gen'erous (g soft). Generous as
IHatim. An Arabian expression. Hatim
was a Bedouin chief famous for his war-
like deeds and boundless generosity.
His son was contemporary with Ma-
homet.
Geneu'ra (g soft). Daughter of the
Ring of Scotland. Lurca'nio carried
her off captive, and confined her in his
father's castle. She loved Ariodantès,
who being told that she was false, con-
demned her to die for incontinence,
unless she found a champion to defend
her. Ariodantès himself became her
champion, and, having vindicated her
innocence, married her. This is a satire
on Arthur, whose wife intrigued with
Sir Launcelot. (Orlando Furioso, bk. 1.)
Gene'va (g soft), contracted into
Gim. Originally made from malt and
juniper-berries. (French, genièvre, a juni-
per berry.)
Gene'va Bible. The English ver-
sion in use prior to the present one ; so
called because it was originally printed
at Geneva (in 1560).
Geneva Bible (The). The wine cup
or beer pot. The pun is on Geneva,
which is the synonym of gin. (Tatin,
bibo, I drink [gin].)
“Eh bien, Gudyil, lui dit le vieux major, quelle
diable de discipline 2 Yousavez déjà lit la Bible
de Genève ce matin.”—Les Puritains d'Ecosse,
Dart iii. chap. 2. , -
Gene'va Bull. Stephen Marshall,
a preacher who roared like a bull of
Bashan. Called Geneva, because he was
a disciple of John Calvin.
Geneva Courage. Pot valour; the
braggadocio which is the effect of having
drunk too much gin. Gin is a corrupt
contraction of Geneva, or, rather, of
genièvre. The juniper-berry at one time
used to flavour the extract of malt in
the manufacture of gin. It may be used
still in some qualities of gin. (See DUTCH
CouTAGE.)
Gene’va, Doctrines. Calvinism.
Calvin, in 1541, was invited to take up
his residence in Geneva as the public
teacher of theology. From this period
Geneva was for many years the centre
of education for the Protestant youths
of Europe.
Geneva Print (Reading). T)rinking
gin or whisky. -
“‘Why, John,' said the veteran, ‘what a disci-
pline is this you have been keeping 2 You have
been reading Geneya print this morning already."
‘I have been reading the Litany,’ said John.
shaking his head, with a look of drunken gray-
ity.”—Sir W. Scott : Old Mortality, chap. xi.
Geneviève
500 Gentle
Geneviève (St.). The sainted patron-
ess of the city of Paris. (422-512.)
Genii King. Ring Solomon is sup-
posed to preside over the whole race of
genii. (D’IHerbelot. Notes to the Koran,
c. 2.)
Genſitive Case means the genus
case, the case which shows the genus;
thus, a bird of the air, of the sea, of the
Amarshes, etc. The part in italics shows
to what genus the bird belongs. Our 's
is the adjective sign, the same as the
Sanskrit syá, as udaka (water), udaka-
Rya (of water, or aquatic). So in
Greek, demos (people), demo-sios (be-
longing to the people), or genitive demo-
Sio, softened into demo-'io. In Chaucer,
etc., the genitive is written in full, as
The Clerkes Tale, The Cokes Tale, The
Júnightes Tale, The Milleres Tale, etc.
Ge'nius, Genii (Roman mythology)
were attendant spirits. Everyone had
two of these tutelaries from his cradle
to his grave. -
differ in many respects from the Eastern.
The Persian and Indian genii had a cor-
poreal form, which they could change at
pleasure. They were not guardian or
attendant spirits, but fallen angels,
dwelling in Ginnistan, under the do-
minion of Eblis. . They were naturally
hostile to man, though compelled
sometimes to serve them as slaves. The
I&oman genii were tutelary spirits, very
Similar to the guardian angels spoken of
in Scripture (St. Matt. xviii. 10). (The
word is the old Latin geno, to be born,
from the notion that birth and life were
due to these dii genita'les.) -
Genius (birth-wit) is innate talent;
hence propensity, nature, inner man.
“Cras genium mero citra'bis” (to-mor-
row you shall indulge your inner man
with wine), Horace, 3 Odes, xvii. 14. “In-
dulg'ere genio '' (to give loose to one's
propensity), Persius, v. , 151. “ De-
frauda're genium suum ” (to stint one's
appetite, to deny one’s self), Terence:
JPhormio, i. 1. (See above.)
Genius. Tom Moore says that Common
Sense went out one moonlight night with
Genius on his rambles; Common Sense
went on many wise things saying, but
Genius went gazing at the stars, and fell
into a river. This is told of Thalës by
Plato, and Chaucer bas introduced it
into his Milleres Tale,
“So ferde another clerk with astronomye :
He walkéd in the feeldés for to prye
[[pon the sterrës, what ther sºuld befall,
Till he was in a marlè pit i-fall.”
Canterbury Tales, 3,457.
But the Roman genii
My evil genius (my ill-luck). The
Romans maintained that two genii at-
tended every man from birth to death— .
one good and the other evil. Good luck
was brought about by the agency of
“his good genius,” and ill luck by that
of his “evil genius.”
Genius Loci (Latin).
deity of a place.
“In the midst of this wreck of ancient books and
utensils, with a grayity equal to [that of] Marius
almong the ruins of Carthage, sat a large black
cat, which, to a Superstitious eye, º ha. We
presented the gemius loci, the tutelar demon of
the apartment.”—Sir W. Scott : The Antiquary,
chap. iii.
Gen'oa, from the Latin, gent (the
knee); so called from the bend made
there by the Adriatic. . The whole of
Italy is called a man’s leg, and this is
his knee.
Genove'fa (g soft). Wife of Count
Palatine Siegfried, of Brabant, in the
time of Charles Martel. Being suspected
of infidelity, she was driven into the
forest of Ardennes, where she gave birth
to a son, who was nourished by a white
doe. In time, Siegfried discovered his
error, and restored his wife and child to
their proper home.
Genre Painter (genre 1 syl.). A
painter of domestic, rural, or village
scenes, such as A Village Wedding, The
Young Recruit, Blind Man's Buff. The
Village Politician, etc. It is a French
term, and means, “ Man: his customs,
habits, and ways of life.” Wilkie, Ostade,
Gerard Dow, etc., belonged to this class.
In the drama, Victor Hugo introduced
the genre system in lieu of the stilted,
unnatural style of Louis XIV.’s era.
* We call those ‘genre' canvases, whereon are
painted idyls of the fireside, the roadside, and the
farm ; pictures of real life.”—E. C. Stedman, ; Poets
of America, chap. iv. p. 98.
Gens Braccata. Trousered people.
The Romans wore no trousers like the
Gauls, Scythians, and Persians. The
Gauls wore “bracca?” and were called
Gems braccāta.
Gens Togata. The nation which
wore the toga. The Greeks wore the
“pallium ” and were called Gons pal-
liáta.
Gentle (g soft) means having the
manners of genteel persons—i.e. persons
of family, called gems in Latin.
“We must be gentle, now we are gentlemen.”—
Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, v. 2.
The gentle craft. The gentleman’s
trade, so called from the romance of
Prince Crispin, who is said to have made
shoes. It is rather remarkable that the
The tutelary
Gentle Shepherd 5
10 George ,
“gentle craft’” should be closely con-
nected with our Snob (q.v.).
“Here Hans Sachs, the cobbler poet, laureate
. Of the gentle craft, .. -
Wisest of the Twelve Wise Masters, in huge
folios Sang and laughed.”
Longfellow : Nuremberg, stanza. 19.
The gentle craft. Angling. The pun
is on gentle, a maggot or grub used for
baiting the hook in angling.
Gentle Shepherd (The). , George
Grenville, the statesman, a nickname
derived from a line applied to him by
Pitt, afterwards Earl of Chatham. Gren-
ville, in the course of one of his speeches,
addressed the House interrogatively,
‘‘Tell me where P tell me where : ”
Pitt hummed a line of a song then
very popular, “Gentle shepherd, tell me
where P’’ and the House burst into
laughter (1712-1720).
Gentleman (g soft). A translation
of the French gentilhomme, one who
belongs to the gems or stock. According
to the Roman law, gens-men, or gentle-
men, were those only who had a family
name, were born of free parents, had no
slave in their ancestral line, and had
never been degraded to a lower rank.
A gentleman of the four outs. A vulgar
upstart, with-out manners, with-out wit,
with-out money, and with-out credit.
Gentlemen of Paper and Wax.
The first of a new line ennobled with
knighthood or other dignity, to whom
are given titles and coat-armour. They
are made “gentlemen’’ by patent and a
Seal.
Geoffrey Crayon. The hypothetical
author of the Sketch Book. Washing-
ton Irving, of New York (1783-1859).
Geology (g soft). The father of
geology. William Smith (1769-1840).
Geomancy (g soft). Tivining by the
earth. So termed because these diviners
in the sixteenth century drew on the
earth their magic circles, figures, and
lines. (Greek, ge, the earth; mantei'a,
prophecy.)
Geometry (g soft) means land-mea-
suring. The first geometrician was a
ploughman pacing out his field. (Greek,
ge, the earth ; metro12, a measure.)
George II. was nicknamed “Prince
Titi.” (See TITI.)
George III. was nicknamed “Farmer
eorge,” or “The Farmer King.” (See
FARMER.) -
George IV. was nicknamed “The
First Gentleman of Europe,” “Fum
the Fourth,” “Prince Florizel,” “The
Adonis of fifty,” and “The Fat Adonis
of fifty.” (See each of these nicknames.)
George, Mark, John (S.S.). Nos.
tradamus wrote in 1566 :
“Quand Georges Dieu crucifera,
Que Marc le ressucitera,
Et que St. Jean le pºlitera;
La fin du Inonde arrivera.”
In 1886 St. George's day fell on Good
Friday, St. Mark’s day on Easter Sun-
day, and St. John's day on Corpus
Christi—but “the end of the world” did
not then arrive. .
George (St.) (g soft). Gibbon, in his
Decline and Fall, ii. 323, asserts that the
patron saint of England was George
of Cappadocia, the turbulent Arian
Bishop of Alexandria, torn to pieces by
the populace in 360, and revered as a
Saint by the opponents of Athanasius;
but this assertion has been fully dis-
proved by the Jesuit Papebroch, Milner,
and others.
That St. George is a veritable charac-
ter is beyond all reasonable doubt, and
there seems no reason to deny that he
was born in Armorica, and was be-
headed in Diocletian’s persecution by
order of Datianus, April 23rd, 303. St.
Jerome (331-420) mentions him in one
of his martyrologies; in the next cen-
tury there were many churches to his
honour. St. Gregory (540-604) has in
his Sacramentary a “Preface for St.
Geºrge's Day; ” and the Venerable Bede
(672-735), in his martyrology, says, “At
last St. George truly finished his martyr-
dom by decapitation, although the gests
of his passion are numbered among the
apocryphal writings.”
In regard to his connection with Eng-
land, Ashmole, in his History of the
Order of the Garter, says that King
Arthur, in the sixth century, placed the
picture of St. George on his banners;
and Selden tells us he was patron saint
of England in the Saxon times. It is
quite certain that the Council of Oxford
in 1222 commanded his festival to be ob-
served in England as a holiday of lesser
rank; and on the establishment of the
Order of the Garter by Edward III. St.
George was adopted as the patron Saint.
The dragon slain by St. George is
simply a common allegory to express the
triumph of the Christian hero over evil,
which John “the Divine ‘’ beheld under
the image of a dragon. Similarly, St.
Michael, St. Margaret, St. Silvester, and
St. Martha are all depicted as slaying
dragons; the Saviour and the Virgin as
treading them under their feet; and
St. John the Evangelist as charming a
George, 511
George Sand
winged dragon from a poisoned chalice
given him to drink. Even John Bunyan
avails himself of the same figure, when
he makes Christian encounter Apollyon
and prevail against him.
George (St.), the Red Cross Knight (in
Spenser's Faërie Queene, bk. i.), repre-
sents “Piety.” He starts with Una
(Truth) in his adventures, and is driven
into Wandering Wood, where he en-
counters Error, and passes the night
with Una in Hypocrisy’s cell. Being
visited by a false vision, the knight
abandons Una, and goes with Duessa
(False-faith) to the palace of Pride.
He leaves this palace clandestinely, but
|being overtaken by Duessa is persuaded
to drink of an enchanted fountain, when
he becomes paralysed, and is taken cap-
tive by Orgoglio. Una informs Arthur
of the sad event, and the prince goes to
the rescue. He slays Orgoglio, and the
Red Cross Knight, being set free, is
taken by Una to the house of Holiness
to be healed. On leaving Holiness, both
Una and the knight journey towards
Eden. As they draw near, the dragon
porter flies at the knight, and St. George
has to do battle with it for three whole
days before he succeeds in slaying it.
The dragon being slain, the two enter
Eden, and the Red Cross Knight is
united to Una in marriage.
St. George and the Dragon. According
to the ballad given in Percy's Reliques,
St. George was the son of Lord Albert
of Coventry. His mother died in giving
him birth, and the new-born babe was
stolen away by the weird lady of the
woods, who brought him up to deeds of
arms. His body had three marks; a
dragon on the breast, a garter round one
of the legs, and a blood-red cross on the
arm. When he grew to manhood he
first fought against the Saracens, and
then went to Sylené, a city of Libya,
where was a stagnant lake infested by
a huge dragon, whose poisonous breath
“had many a city slain,” and whose
hide “no spear nor sword could pierce.”
Every day a virgin was sacrificed to it,
and at length it came to the lot of Sabra,
the king’s daughter, to become its victim.
She was tied to the stake and left to be
devoured, when St. George came up, and
vowed to take her cause in hand. On
came the dragon, and St. George, thrust-
ing his lance into its mouth, killed it on
the spot. The king of Morocco and the
king of Egypt, unwilling that Sabra,
should marry a Christian, sent St. George
to Persia, and directed the “sophy’ to
kill him. He was accordingly thrust
by Mrs. Trafford [Riddell].
into a dungeon, but making good his
escape, carried off Sabra to England,
where she became his wife, and they
lived happily at Coventry together till
their death. -
* A very similar tale is told of
Hesioné, daughter of Laomédon. (See
HESIONE, SEA MoRSTERS.)
St. George he was for England, St.
Denis was for France. This refers to
the war-cries of the two nations—that
of England was “St. George l’’ that of
France, “Montjoye St. Denis' "
“Our ancient word of courage, fair ‘St. George,'
lmsl)ire us with the spleen of fiery dragons.”
Shakespeare: Iticli (tral I I I., W. 3.
IPhen St. George goes on horseback St.
Yves goes on foot. In times of war
lawyers have nothing to do. St. George
is the patron of soldiers, and St. Ives of
lawyers. -
St. George's Arm. The Hellespont is
so called by the Catholic Church in
honour of St. George, the patron Saint of
England. (Papebroch Actes des Saints.)
St. George's Channel. An arm of the
Atlantic, separating Ireland from Great
Britain ; so called in honour of St.
George, referred to above.
St. George's Cross. Redon a white field.
St. George's Day (April 23rd). A day
of deception and oppression. It was
the day when new leases and contracts
used to be made.
George a' Green. As good as George
a’ Green. Resolute-minded ; one who
will do his duty come what may. George
a’ Green was the famous pinder or
pound-keeper of Wakefield, who re-
sisted Robin Hood, Will Scarlett, and
Little John single-handed when they
attempted to commit a trespass in Wake-
field.
“Were ye bold as George-a-Green,
I shall make bold to turn again...' ..
Samvatel J3 wiler : Hudibras.
George Eliot. The literary name
of Marian Evans [Lewes], authoress of
Adam Bede, Mill on the Floss, Felia:
JHolt, etc. - -
George Geith. The hero of a novel
He is one
who will work as long as he has breath
to draw, and would die in harness. He
would fight against all opposing cir-
cumstances while he had a drop of blood
left in his veins, and may be called the
model of untiring industry and indomit-
able moral courage. -
George Sand. The pen-name of
Mme. Dudevant, born at Paris 1804.
Her maiden name was T)upin. * ...?
George Street
tº
O
12
Gerst–Monat
George Street (Strand, London)
commences the precinct of an ancient
mansion which originally belonged to
the bishops of Norwich. After passing
successively into the possession of
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, the
archbishops of York, and the Crown,
it came to George Williers, Duke of
Buckingham. The second Duke of
Buckingham pulled down the mansion
and built the streets and alley called re-
spectively “George” (street), “Williers”
(street), “Duke” (street), “Of '' (alley),
and “Buckingham ” (street).
Geraint' (g hard). Tributary Prince
of Devon, and one of the knights of the
Round Table. Overhearing part of
E'nid's words, he fancied she was faith-
less to him, and treated her for a time
very harshly ; but Enid nursed him so
carefully when he was wounded that
he saw his error, “nor did he doubt her
more, but rested in her fealty, till he
crowned a happy life with a fair death.”
(Tennyson. Idylls of the King ; Enid.)
Geraldine (3 syl., g soft). The Fair
Geraldime, , Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald
is so called in the Earl of Surrey's poems.
Gera'nium (g soft). The Turks say
this was a common mallow changed by
the touch of Mahomet's garment.
The word is from the Greek gerðnos
(a crane); and the plant is called
“Crane’s Bill,” from the resemblance
of the fruit to the bill of a crane.
Gerda (g hard). Wife of Frey, and
daughter of the frost giant Gymer. She
is so beautiful that the brightness of her
naked arms illuminates both air and sea.
IFrey (the genial spring) married Gerda,
(the frozen earth), and Gerda became
the mother of children. (Scandinavian
Anythology.)
German or Germaine (g soft). Per-
taining to, related to, as cousins-german
(first cousins), german to the subject
(bearing on or pertinent to the subject).
This word has no connection with
German (the nation), but comes from
the Latin germa'nus (of the same germ
or stock). First cousins have a grand-
father or grandmother in common.
“Those that are germaine to him, though re-
moved fifty times, shall all, come under the
hangman.”—Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, iv. 3.
German. Jehan de Maire says,
“Germany is so called from Caesar's
sister Germäna, wife of Salvius Brabon.”
Geoffrey of Monmouth says that
Ebrancus, a mythological descendant
of Brute, King of Britain, had twenty
sons and thirty daughters. All the
sons, except the eldest, settled in Ger-
many, which was therefore, called the
land of the Germans or brothers. (See
above.)
* & [Ebravk.] An happy man in his first days he was,
And happy father of fair progeny ;
For all so many weeks as the year has
So many children he did multiply .
Of which were twenty sons, which did apply
Their minds to praise and chivalrous desire.
These germans did subdue all Germany,
Of Whom it hight. . . .” *
- SpenSer: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.
".' Probably the name is Ger-man, meaning “war-
man.” The Germans call themselyes Deutsch-gn,
which is the same as Teut-on, with the initial
letter flattened into D, and “Teut " means a mul-
titude. The Romans called the people Germans
at least 200 years before the Christian era, for in
1547, a tablet (dated B.C. 222) was discovered, re-
cording the victories of the Consul Marcellus
over Veridomar, “General of the Gauls and
Germans.”
father of German literature. Gott-
hold Ephraim Lessing. (1729-1781.)
German Comb. The four fingers
and thumb. , “ Se pygmoit du pygme
d'Almaing” (Rabelais), He combed his
hair with his fingers. Oudin, in his Dic-
tionnaire, explains pygme d’Aleman by
“los dedos et la dita.” The Germans
were the last to adopt periwigs, and
while the French were never seen with-
out a comb in one hand, the Germans
adjusted their hair by running their
fingers through it.
“He apparelled himself according to the season,
and afterwards combed his head With an Allman
§. — Rabelais : Gargamtua, and Pantagruel,
OOK i. 21.
German Silver is not silver at all,
but white copper, or copper, zinc, and
nickel mixed together. It was first made
in Europe at Hildberg-hausen, in Ger-
many, but had been used by the Chinese
time out of mind.

Gerryman'der (g hard). So to
divide a county or nation into repre-
sentative districts as to give one special
political party undue advantage over
others. The word is derived from
Elbridge Gerry, who adopted the scheme
in Massachusetts when he was governor.
Gilbert Stuart, the artist, looking at the
map of the new distribution, with a
little invention converted it into a sala-
mander. “No, no l’” said Russell, when
shown it, “nota. Sala-mander, Stuart ;
call it a Gerry-mander.”
* To gerrymander is so to hocus-
pocus figures, etc., as to affect the
balance.
Gerst-Monat. Barley-month. The
Anglo-Saxon name for September; SO
called because it was the time of barley-
beer making.
Gertrude 513.
-º-
Gerºtrude (2 syl., g hard). Hamlet’s
mother, who married Claudius, the
murderer of her late husband. She in-
advertently poisoned herself by drink-
ing a potion prepared for her son.
(Shakespeare : Hamlet.)
Gertrude (St.), in Christian art, is
Sometimes represented as surrounded
with rats and mice; and sometimes as
spinning, the rats and mice running
about her distaff.
Gertrude of Wyo'ming.
of one of Campbell’s poems.
Gervais (St.). The French St.
Swithin, June 19th. (See SwitHIN.)
In 1725, Bulliot, a French banker, made a bet
that, as it rained on St. Gervais's Day, it would
rain more or less for forty days afterwards. The
bet was taken by so many people that the entire
property Of Bulliot Was pledged. The lyet, Was
lost, and the banker Was utterly ruined.
Ger’yon (g hard). A human monster
with three bodies and three heads,
whose oxen ate human flesh, and were
guarded by a two-headed dog. Herculês
slew both Geryon and the dog. This
fable means simply that Geryon reigned
over three kingdoms, and was defended
by an ally, who was at the head of two
tribes.
Geryon'eo. A giant with three
bodies; that is, Philip II. of Spain,
master of three kingdoms. (Spenser ;
IFaërie Queene, v. 11.)
Ges'mas (g hard). (See Desmas.)
Gessler (g hard). The Austrian
governor of the three Forest Cantons
of Switzerland. A man of most brutal
nature and tyrannical disposition. He
attempted to carry off the daughter of
Leuthold, a Swiss herdsman ; but Leut-
hold slew the ruffian sent to seize her,
and fled. This act of injustice roused
the people to rebellion, and Gessler,
having put to death Melch'tal, the patri-
arch of the Forest Cantons, insulted the
people by commanding them to bow
down to his cap, hoisted on a high pole.
Tell refusing so to do, was arrested with
his son, and Gessler, in the refinement
of cruelty, imposed on him the task of
shooting with his bow and arrow an
apple from the head of his own son.
Tell succeeded in this dangerous skill-
trial, but in his agitation dropped an
arrow from his robe. The governor
insolently demanded what the second
arrow was for, and Tell fearlessly re-
plied, “To shoot you with, had I failed
in the task imposed upon me.” Gessler
now ordered him to be carried in chains
across the lake, and cast into Kusmacht
The name
Gewgaw
castle, a prey “to the reptiles that lodged
there.” He was, however, rescued by
the peasantry, and, having shot Gessler,
freed his country from the Austrian
yoke.
Gesta Romano'rum (g soft), com-
piled by Pierre Bercheur, prior of the
Benedictine convent of St. Eloi, Paris,
published by the Roxburgh Society.
Edited by Sir F. Madden, and afterwards
by S. J. Herrtage.
Geste or Gest (g soft).
romance, achievement.
gesta (exploits).
“The scene of these gestes being laid in Ordinary
life.”—Cyclopædia, Britam. (Romance).
Get (To).
obtain.
“Get wealth and place, if possible with grace ;
If not, by ally lueans get Wealth and lylace.”
Horace (Satires) says:—“Rem facis,
recte si possis; si non, rem facis.”
Get, Got. (Anglo-Saxon, git-an.)
“I got on horseback within ten minutes after I
got your letter. When I got to Canterbury I got
a chaise for town ; but I got wet through, and
have got Such a cold that I shall not get rid of in
a hurry. I got to the Trea Sūry about no Oh, but
first of all got Shaved and dressed. I SOOn got,
into the secret of getting a memorial before the
JBoard, but I could not get an answer their ; lioW-
ever, I got intelligence from a lnessenger that I
should get one next morning. As soon as I got
lack to my inn, I got my supper, and then got to
bed. When I got up next morning, I got my
breakfast, and, having got dressed, I got out in .
time to get an answer to Imy memorial. AS SOOll
as I got it, I got into a chaise, and got back to
Canterbury by three, and got home for tea. I
have got nothing for you, and So adieu.”—Dr.
With 67's.
Get by Heart (To). To commit to
memory. In French, “Apprendra ume
chose par captºr.”
Get One's Back Up (To). To show
irritation, as cats set up their backs
when angry.
Get-up (A). A style of dress, as
“His get-up was excellent,” meaning his
style of dress exactly suited the part he
professed to enact.
Get up (To).
To rise from one’s bed.
To learn, as “I must get up my
IEuclid.”
To organise and arrange, as ‘‘We
will get up a bazaar.”
A story,
From the Latin
To gain; to procure ; to
Gethsemane. The Orchis maculata,
supposed in legendary story to be spotted .
by the blood of Christ.
Gew'gaw (g hard). A showy trifle.
(Saxon, ge-gaſ, a trifle ; French, foºtjolſ,
a toy.)
33
Ghebers
514
Gbe'bers or Gue'bres. The original
natives of Iran (Persia), who adhered to
the religion of Zoroaster, and (after the
conquest of their country.by the Arabs)
became waifs and outlaws. The term is
now applied to fire-worshippers generally.
Hanway says that the ancient Ghebers
wore a cushee or belt, which they never
laid aside.
Ghibelline (ſ/ hard), or rather Waib-
lingen. The war-cry of Conrad's fol-
lowers in the battle of Weinsberg (1140).
Conrad, Duke of Suabia, was opposed
to Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony,
whose slogan was Guelph or Welfe, his
family name.
Ghost. To give up the ghost. . To
die. The idea is that life is independent
of the body, and is due to the habitation
of the ghost or spirit in the material
body. At death the ghost or spirit
leaves this tabernacle of clay, and either
returns to God or abides in the region of
spirits till the general resurrection.
Thus in Ecc. xii. 7 it is said, “Then
shall the dust return to the earth as it
was: and the spirit shall return unto
God who gave it.”
“Man dieth, and wasteth away : yea, man giveth
up the ghost, and where is he º’’-Jol) xiv. 10.
The ghost of a chance. The least like-
lihood. “He has not the ghost of a
chance of being elected,” not the shadow
of a probability,
Ghoul. (See FAIRY.)
Giaffir (Djaf.fr). Pacha of Aby'dos,
and father of Zuleika. He tells her he
intends to marry her to Kara Osman
Ogloo, governor of Magne'sia ; but Zu-
leika, has betrothed herself to her cousin
Selim. The lovers flee, Giaffir shoots
Selim, Zuleika dies of grief, and the
pacha lives on, a heart-broken old man,
ever calling to the winds, “Where is
my daughter P’’’ and echo answers,
“Where P” (Byron : Bride of Abydos.)
Giall. The infernal river of Scandi-
navian mythology.
Giallar Bridge. The bridge of
death, over which all must pass to get to
IHelheim. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Giallar Horn (The). Heimdall’s
horn, which went out into all worlds
whenever he chose to blow it. (Scandi-
Alavia?? mythology.)
Gian ben Gian (g soft). King of
the Ginns or Genii, and founder of the
Pyramids. He was overthrown by Aza'-
zil or Lucifer. (Arab superstitions.)
Giants
Giant of Literature (The). Tr.
Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1783). Also
called “the great moralist.”
Giants (g soft).
(1) Of Greek mythology, sons of Tar'-
taros and Ge. When they attempted to
storm heaven, they were hurled to earth
by the aid of Hercules, and buried under
Mount Etna.
(2) Of Scandinavian mythology, were
evil genii, dwelling in Jötunheim (giant-
land), who had the power of reducing or
extending their stature at will.
(3) Of 77°0'sery mythology, are canni-
bals of vast stature and immense mus-
cular power, but as stupid as they are
violent and treacherous. The best
known are Blunderbore (q.v.), Cormo-
ran' (q.v.), Galliantus (q.v.), Gombo
(q.v.), Megadore and Bellygan.
4) In the romance of Gargan’tua and
Pantagruel", by Rabelais, giants mean
p???ces.
(5) Giants of Mythology.
AC/AMAS, One of the Cyclops. (Greele fable.)
ADAM AS/TOR (q.v.).
AEGAE’ON, the hundred-handed. One of the Titans.
(Greek fable.) -
AG'RIOS. One of the Titans. He was killed by
the Parcae, (Greek, fable.)
ALCYONEUS [Al/-Si-O-muce], or AL/CION. Julyiter
Sent Herculês against him for stealing some of
the Sun's oxen. But Herculê.5 could not do
anything, for immediately the giant touched
the earth he received fresh strength. (See
below, ANTAEQs.) At length Pallas carried
him beyond the moon. His seven daughters
were metamorphosed into halcyons. (Argon-
autic Earpedition, i. 6.) . *
AL/GEBAR’. The giant Oriſon is so called by the
Al'abs.
AT,IRAN' FARON or AT,IPHAR/NON (q.v.).
ALO/IEOS. Son of Poseidon ('anicë, Each of his
two Sons was 27 cubits high. (Greek fable.)
AM’ERANT. A cruel giant slain by Guy of War-
wick. (Percy: Reliques.)
ANGOU LAFFRE (q.v.). (See below, 21 feet.)
ANTAE’OS (q.v.; see above, ALCYONE US). (See
below, 105 feet.)
ARGES (2 Syl.). One of the CyclopS. (Greek, fable.)
AS/CAPART (q.v.).
ATLAS (q.v.).
BALAN (q.v.).
BELLE (1 Syl.) (q.v.).
BELLE'RUS (q.v.).
BLUNDERBORE (3 Syl.) (q.v.).
BRIAR’EOS or BRI/AREUS (3 Syl.) (q.v.).
BROBDINGNAG (q.v.).
BRONTES (2 syl.) (q.v.).
BURLOND (q.v.).
CA'COS or CACUS (q.v.).
CALIG'ORANT (q.v.). e
CAR/ACULIAM'Bo. The giant, that Don Quixote
intended Should kneel at the feet Of Dulcinºea,
(Cervantes : Don Quiacote.)
CARUS. In the Seven Champions. *
CHALBROTH. The stem of all the giant race,
(Rabelais : Pantaghºtel).
CHRISTOPH'ERU.S. (See CHRISTOPHER, St.)
CLYT/IOS (q.v.).
CCEOS, Son Of Heaven and Earth. He married
}}º and Was the father of Latóna. (Greek:
(tº) tº. -
COLBRAND. (See COLIBRONDE.)
CORFLAM'BO (q.v.).
CORMORAN (q.v.) . -
CORMORANT, . A giant discomfited by Sir Brian.
(Spense”. Faërie Queene, Yi. 4.)
Giants
GOTTAS (q.v.).
CO U (, IN (q.v.).
CYCLOPs (The) (q.v.).
DESPAIR (q.v.).
DONDASCH (q.v.).
ENCEL/ADOS (q.v.).
EPHIALTES (4 Syl.) (q.v.).
ERIX (q.v.). - e
ISU/RY’ſos. One of the giants that made war with
the gods. Bacchus killed lim With luis thyr-
sus, (Greek fable.) - - -
FERREGUs, slain by Orgando, was 28 feet in
height.
FER/RACUTE (3 Syl.) (q.v.).
FER/RAGUS (q.v.).
FIERABRAS [Fe-ſt-1'ſ-brall.] (q.v.).
I'ION (q.v.). - - º
l'IOR/GWYN, the father of Frigga (Scandinavian
"mythology).
FRACASSUS (q.v.). - e
GAI./B.A.R.A. TFather of Goliah of Secondille
(3 Syl.), and inventor of the custom of drink-
ing health.S. (Dutch(it: CEuvres de Rabelais.
1711.)
GALAPAS. The giant slain by King Arthur. (Sir
T. Malory : History of Prince Arthur.)
GAI, LIGANTUS (q.v.).
ARAGANTUA (q.v.).
HARGANTUA (q.v.).
ARIAN. In the Seven Champions.
HEMMAGOG (q.v.).
#ERYON’EO (q.v.).
GIIRALDA (q.v.).
(+ODMIER (q.v.).
GOEMOT or GoFMAGoT (q.v.).
GOG/MAGQG. King of the giant race of Albion ;
Slain })y Col'i'neuS.
GRANGOUSIER. The giant king of Utopia, father
Of Gargantua. (Rabelais : Garga utukt,)
GRANTORTO (q.v.).
(; RIM (q.v.).
(+RUM BO (q.v.).
GUY OF WAR WICK (q.v.).
GłYGES (2 Syl.). One of the Titans. He had fifty
heads and a hundred lands. (Greek fable.)
IIAP’ MOUGHE (2 syl.) (q.v.).
{
G
§
HIPPQ.'YTOs. One of the giants who made war
With the gods. He was killed by Hermès.
(Greek, fable.)
FIRASVELG (q.v.).
HRIMTHURSAR (q.v.).
HURTALI (q.v.).
INDIACIT/TRAN (q.v.).
IRUS (q.v.). º
JOTUN. The giant of Jötunheim or Giant-land.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
JULIANCE. A giant of Arthurian romance.
JUNNER (q.v.).
KIFRI. The giant of atheism and infidelity.
ISOTTOS, One of the Titans. He had a hundred
hands. (See BRIAREos.) (Greek fable.)
MALAMBRU’NO (q.v.).
MARGUTTE (q.v.),
MAU GYS (q.v.)
MAUI, (q.v.).
MONT-ROGNON (q.v.).
MORGANTE (3 Syſ.) (q.v.).
MUGILLO. A giant famous for his mace with six
ballS.
QFF/ERUs (q.v.).
OGIAS (q.v.).
ORGOG LIO (q.v.).
QRI'OX (q.v.). (See below, 80% feet.)
OTOS (q.v.).
PALLAS (q.v.).
PANTAG'ſ UEI, (q.v.
PHIDON. In the Séven Champions.
POLYBO'TES (4 sy].) (q.v.).
POL'YPHE/AIU's or Poi, YPHEME (3 sy1.) (q.v.).
PORPHYR/ION (q.v.).
PYRAC/MON. One of the Cyclops. (Greek fable.)
RAPHSARUS. In the Seven Champions.
RITHO (q.v.). . .
RITHO. The giant who commanded King Arthur
to Send him his leard to complete the lining
Of a robe. In the Arthurian romance.
SKRY MIR. (See DRAUGHT OF THor, p. 380)
SLAY-GOOD (q.v.). -
STER’QPES (3 Syl.). One of the Cyclops. (Greek
fable.
TARTARO, The Cyclops of Basque mythology,
Giants
TEUTOBogH/Us (King). (See below, 30 feet.)
THAON. One of the giants who made war with
}; gºds. He was killed by the Parcae, (Greek:
(tOlć.
TITANS (The) (q.v.).
TIT'YOS (q.v.).
TREYEAGLE (q.v.).
TYPHOEUS (q.v.).
TYPHON (q.v.).
WIDENOSTRLLS
OHAK. The
Babylon.
Of these giants the following are note-
worthy:
19 feet in height: A Skeleton discovered at Lu-
cerne in 1577. Dr. Plater is our authority for
this measurement.
21 feet in height: Angoulaffre of the Broken
Teeth, was 12 cubits in height. (A cubit was
21 inches.)
30 feet in height: Teutobochus, whose remains
were discovered near the Rhône in 1613. They
occupied a tomb 30 feet long. The bones of
another gigantic skeleton were exposed by
the action of the Rhone in 1456. If this was a
human Skeleton, the height of the living man
must have been 30 feet. º -
80% feet in height : Orion, according to Pliny, was
46 cubits in height, - . -
105 feet in height: Antaeos is said by Plutarch to
have been 60 cubits in height. He further-
lm Ore adds that the gra, V.G. Of the giant was
opened by Serbonios.
300 foet in height : The “monster Polypheme.”
It is said that his skeleton was discovered at
Trapa/ni, in Sicily, in the fourteenth century.
If this skeleton was that of a man, he must
have been 300 feet in height.
(6) Giants of Real Life.
ANAK (of Bible history), father of the Anakim.
The Hebrew spies said they were mere grass-
loppers in comparison with these giants
§ XV, 14 ; Judges i. 20; and Numbers
Xiii. 33. -
ANAK. (See BRICE.) - -
ANDRONI'CUS II. was 10 feet, in height. He was
grandson of Alexius Comnénus. Nicétas
asserts that he had seen him.
BAM RORD (Edward) was 7 feet 4 inches. He died
in 1768, and Was buried in St. Dunstan's
Churchyal’d. -
BATES (Captain) was 7 feet 11% inches. He was a
native of Kentucky, and was exhibited in
Ilondon in 1871. His Wife (Anna Swann) was
the same height. e -
BLACKER (Henry) was 7 feet 4 inches, and most
Symmetrica]... He was born, at Cuckfield, in
jº, in 1724, and was called “The British
#iant.
BRApſ, EY (William) was 7 feet 9 inches in height.
He was born in 1787, and died 1820. His birth
is duly 1.egistered in the parish ghurch of
Market Weighton, in Yorkshire, and his right
hand is preserved in the museum of the
College of Surgeons.
BRICE (M. J.) exhibited under the name of Anak,
was 7 feet 8 inches in height at the age of 26.
He was born in 1840 at Ramonchamp, in the
Vosges, and yisited England 1862-5. His arms
had a stretch of 953 inches, and were there-
fore 3}, inches too long for symmetry. .
BRUSTED (Von) was 8 feet in height. This Nor-
way giant was exhibited in London in 1880.
BUSBY (Johm) was 7 feet 9 inches in height, and
his brother was about the same. They were
natives of Darfleld, in Yorkshire. . .
CHANG, the Chinese giant, was 8 feet, 2 inches in
height. The entire name of this Chinese giant
was Chang-Woo-Goo. . He was exhibited in
Ilondon in 1865-1866, and again in 1880. Iſe Was
a native Of Fycholl. - -
CHARLEMAGNE was nearly 8 feet in height, and
was so strong he could Squeeze together three
horseshoes with his hands., . - -
CoTTER (Patrick) was 8 feet 73, inches in height.
This Irish giant, died at Clifton, Bristol, in
1802. A cast of his hand iS 1) reserved in the
museum of the College of Surgeons, ---.
(q.v.). -
giant guardian Of the caves of
(Southey : Thalaba, book V.)
Giants
DANIEL, the porter of Oliver Cromwell, was a
man of gigantic Stature. -
ELEA/ZER was 7 cubits (nearly 14 feet). Vitellius
sent this giant to Rome ; and he is mentioned
by Josephus. N.B.—The height of Goliath was
6 CubitS and a Sl)an.
Nothing can be a greater proof that the cubit
was not 21 inches, for no recorded height Of any
giant known has reached 10 feet. The nearest
approach to it was Gabara, the Arabian giant
(9 feet 9 inches) mentioned by Pliny, and Middle-
ton of Lancashire (9 feet 3 inches) mentioned by
Dr. Plott. Probably a cubit, Was about 18 inches.
ELErzEGUE (Joachtm). Was 7 feet 10 inches in
height. He was a Spaniard, and Cxhibited in
the Cosmol’alma, Regent Street, LOndon.
Eva NS (William) was 8 feet at death.
porter of Charles I., and died in 1632.
FRANK (Big). , Was 7 feet 8 inclues in height. He
was an Irishlman whose name was Francis
Sheridan, and died in 1870.
FRENz (Louis) was 7 feet 4 inches in height. He
was called “the French giant.”
FUNNUM (court giant of Eugene II.) was 11 feet
6 in ChéS.
GABA1:A, the Arabian giant, was 9 feet 9 inches.
This Arabian giant is mentioned by Pliny, who
says he was the tallest man seen in the days of
Claudius.
GILLY was 8 feet. This Swedish giant was ex-
hibited in the early part Of the nineteenth
century.
GOLl’ATH was 6 cubits, and a Span (11 feet
9 inches, if the cubit = 21 inches, and the
Spain = 9 inches).
See note to the giant ELEAZER. If the cubit
was 18 inches, then Goliath was the Same height
as the Arabian giant Gabara.
GoRDON (Alice) was 7 feet in height. She was a
ºye of ESSex, and died in 1737, at the age
Of 19.
HALE (IRobert) was 7 feet 6 inches in height. He
was born at Somerton, in Norfolk, and was
called “the Norfolk giant ’’ (1820-1862).
HAR/DRADA (IIarold) was nearly 8 feet in height
(“5 ells of Norway ”), and was called “the
Norway giant.” Snorro Sturleson Says he was
“about 8 feet in heiglit.” •
HOLMES (Benjamin) was 7 feet 6 inches in height.
He was a Northumberland Iman, and was made
sword-bearer of the Corporation of Worces-
ter. He died in 1892. -
Johs FREDERICK, Duke of Brunswick, was 8 feet
6 inches in heigll 6.
IXINTO LOCHUS REX was 15 feet 6 inches in
eight (!), 5 feet through the chest to the
spine (!), and 10 feet across the shoulders (!).
This, of course, is quite incredible,
I.A. PIERRE was 7 feet 1 inch in height. He was
born at Stratgard, in Denmark.
Louis was 7 feet 4 inches in height. Called “the
IFrench giant.” His left hand is preserved in
the museum of the College of Surgeons.
LOUISHIKIN was 8 feet 5 inches in height. This
Russian giant WaS drum-lmajor Of the Ilm-
perial Guards. -
McDoSALD (James) was 7 feet 6 inclues in height.
He was born in Cork, Ireland, and died in
1760.
MCDONALD (Samuel) was 6 feet 10 inches in
height. This Scotchman Was usually called
“Big Sam.” He was the Prince of Wales's
footman, and died in 1802. • -
MAGRATH (Cormelius) was 7 feet 10 inclies in
height at the age of 16. He was an orphan
reared by Bishop Berkeley, and died at the age
of twenty (1740–1760). - *
MAXIMI/NUS. was 8 feet 6 inches in height. The
Roman emperor, from 235 to :38. e e
MELLON (Edmund) was 7 feet 6 inches in height
$tl - He was j)Orn at POl't
Leicester, in Ireland (1740-1760).
the age Of nineteen.
MIDDLETON (John) was 9 feet 3 inches in height.
“His hand was 17 inches long and 8% broad.”
He was born at Hale, Lancashire, in the reign
of James I. (See above Čºr A.Ş (Dr. Plott:
Natural History of §affordshire, l). 295.) •
MILLER (Maasimilian Christopher) was 8 feet, in
height. His hand measured 12 inches, and his
forefinger was 9 inches long. This Saxon giant
died in London at the age of Sixty (1674–1734).
HC Wa.S a .
516
Giant's Theap
—a
MURPHY was 8 feet 10 inches in height. This
Irish giant was contemporary with O'Brien
(see below), and died at Marseilles. -
O’BRIEN, or CHARLES BYRNE, was 8 feet 4 inches
in height. The skeleton of this Irish giant is
preserved in the College of Surgeons. He
died in Cockspur Street, London, and Was
contemporary with Murphy (1761–1783).
O'BRIEN (Patrick) was 8 feet 7 inches in height.
He died August 3, 1804, aged thirty-nine,
OG, King of Basham. According to tradition, be
lived 3,000 years, and walked beside the Ark
during the Flood. One of his bones formed a
bridge over a river. His bed (Deuteronomy
iii. 11) was 9 cul)its by 4 cubits.
If the cubit was really 21 inches, this would
make the bed. 153 feet by 10}. The great bed of
Wºº. Here, is lz feet by 12. (See above, ELEAZAR
—llOt,C.
OSEN (Heinrich) was 7 feet 6 inches in height at
the age of 27, and weighed above 37 stone. He
was born in Norway. . (See allove, HAR1) RADA.)
Portus was “5 cubits in height.” (7 feet 6 inches).
He Was all Indian king Who fought against
Alexander the Great near the river Hydaspés.
(Quintus Curtius : De l'ébus gestis Alexandri
Magmi.) - -
Whatever the Jewish cubit was, the Roman
Cubit Was not 1m0re than 18 inches. -
RIECHART (J. H.), was 8 feet 4 inches in height.
He was a native of Friedberg, and both his
father and mother were of gigantic stature,
SALMERON (Martin) was 7 feet 4 inclues in height.
He was called “The Mexican Giant.”
SAM (Big). (See MACDONAI, D.)
SHERIDAN. (See above, FRANK.)
SWANN (Annie Hanem) was 7 feet 11% inclics in
height. She was a native of Nova Scotia.
TOLLER (James) was 8 feet at the age of 24. He
died in February, 1819.
Josephus speaks of a Jew 10 feet 2 inches.
Becanus assertS that lie had seen a man lnearly
I0 feet high, and a woman fully. 10 feet.
Gasper Bauhin Speaks of a Swiss 8 feet in height.
Del Rio tells us he himself, saw a l’iedmontese
in 1572 more than 9 feet in height.
C. F. S. Warren, M.A. (in Notes and Queries,
August 14th, 1875), tells us that llis father knew a
lady 9 feet in height, and adds “her head touched
the ceiling of a good-sized room.”
Wanderbrook Says he saw at Congo a black man
9 feet high. - - -
In the museum of Trinity College, Dublin, is a
human skeleton 8 feet 6 inches in height.
Thomas Hall, of Willingham, was 3 feet 9 inches
at the age of 3. -
A giant was exhibited at Rouen in the early part
of the eighteenth century 17 feet 10 inclues (!) in
height. -
Gorapus, the surgeon, tells us of a Swedish
giantess, who, at the age of 9, Was over 10 feet in
height.
†er, the naturalist, tells us he saw in Brazil
a giant 12 feet in height..
M. Thevet published, in 1575, an account Of a
South American giant, the Skeleton of Wllich lie
measured. It was 11 feet 5 inclies.
A.
Giant's Causeway, in Ireland.
basaltic mole, said to be the commence-
ment of a road to be constructed by the
giants across the channel, reaching from
Ireland to Scotland.
Giants' Dance (The). Stonehenge,
which Geoffrey of Monmouth says was
removed from Killaraus, a mountain in
Ireland, by the magical skill of Merlin.
“If you [Aurelius] are desirous to honour the
burying-place of these men [who routed Hengist]
with an everlasting . monument, Send for the
Giants' Dance, which is in Killaraus, a mountain
in Ireland.”-Geoffrey of Monmiowth : British His-
tory, book viii. chap. 10.
Giant's Leap (The). Lam-Goemagog.
The legend is that Corineus (3 syl.), in
Giants' War
his encounter with Goemagog, or Gog-
magog, slung him on his shoulders, car-
ried him to the top of a neighbouring
cliff, and heaved him into the Sea. Ever
since then the cliff has been called Lam-
Goemagog. (Thomas Boreman : Gigan-
tick History; 1741.)
Giants' War with Jove (The).
The War of the Giants and the War of
the Titans should be kept distinct. The
latter was after Jove or Zeus was god
of heaven and earth, the former was
before that time. Kronos, a Titan, had
been exalted by his brothers to the Su-
premacy, but Zeus made war on Kronos
with the view of dethroning him. After
ten years' contest he succeeded, and
hurled the Titans into hell. The other
war was a revolt by the giants against
Zeus, which was readily put down by
the help of the other gods and the aid
of Hercules. +
Gia.our (jow'-er). An unbeliever, one
who disbelieves the Mahometan faith.
A corruption of the Arabic Iſiſ fir. It
has now become so common that it
scarcely implies insult, but has about
the force of the word “Gentile,” mean-
ing “not a Jew.” . Byron has a poetical
tale so called, but he has not given the
gia.our a name.
“The city won for Allah from the Giaour, .
The Giaour from Othman’s lace again lhay
- "ß. Childe Harold, canto ii. Stanza 77.
J Gib (g soft). The cut of his gib. (See
IIB.
To hang one’s gib. To be angry, to
pout. The lower lip of a horse is called
its gib, and so is the beak of a male
Salmon.
Gib Cat. A tom-cat. The male
cat used to be called Gilbert. Nares
says that Tibert or Tybalt is the French
form of Gilbert, and hence Chaucer in
his Romance of the Rose, renders “Thi-
bert le Cas” by “Gibbe, our Cat” (v.
6204). Generally used for a castrated
cat. (See TYBALT.)
. “I am as melancholy as a gib cat or a lugged
bear.”—Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., i. 2.
Gib/berish (g hard). Geber, the
Arabian, was by far the greatest alche-
mist of the eleventh century, and wrote
several treatises on “the art of making
gold '' in the usual mystical jargon, be-
cause the ecclesiastics would have put to
death any one who had openly written
on the subject. Friar Bacon, in 1282,
furnishes a specimen of this gibberish.
17 Gift-horse
-º-º-º-º-mº
He is giving the prescription for making
gunpowder, and says—
“Sed talmen Salis-petrae
LURU MONE CAP URBE
Et sulphuris.”
The second line is merely an anagram of
Carbonum pulvere (pulverised charcoal).
* “Gibberish,” compare jabber, and
gabble. -
Gibbet (g soft). A foot-pad, who
“piqued himself on being the best-be-
haved man on the road.” (George Far-
quhar : Beaua' Stratagem.)
To gibbet the bread (Lincolnshire).
When bread turns out ropy and is sup-
posed to be bewitched, the good dame
runs a stick through it and hangs it in
the cupboard. It is gibbeted in terrored)?
to other batches. -
Gibelins or Ghib'ellines (g hard).
(See GUELPHS.)
Gibeonite (4 syl., g hard). A slave's
slave, a workman’s labourer, a farmer's
understrapper, or Jack-of-all-work.
The Gibeonites were made “hewers of
wood and drawers of water ’’ to the
Israelites. (Josh. ix. 27.)
* And º must trudge, whoever gives com-
A Gºite, that serves them all by turn.”
B,00m field: Farmen's Boy.
Giblets (The Duke of). A very fat
man. In Yorkshire a fat man is still
nicknamed “giblets.”
Gibraltar (g soft). A contraction of
Gibel al Tari (Gib' al Tar), “mountain
of Tari.” This Tari ben Zeyad was an
Arabian general who, under the Orders
of Mousa, landed at Calpê in 710, and
utterly defeated Roderick, the Gothic
Ring of Spain. Cape Tari'fa, is named
from the same general. .
Gibraltar of Greece. A precipitous
rock 700 feet above the sea, in Nauplia
(Greece).
Gibraltar of the New World. Cape
Diamond, in the province of Quebec.
Gif Gaff. Give and take ; good turn
for good turn.
“I have pledged my word for your safety, and
you must, give me yours to be lºrivate in the
matter—giff gaff, you know.”—Sir W. Scott: Red-
gauntlet, chap. xii.
Gift-horse. Don’t look a gift-horse in
the mouth. When a present is made, do
not inquire too minutely into its in-
trinsic value. .
Latin : “Noli equi dentes inspicere
donati.” “Si quis det mannos ne
quaere in dentibus annos” (Monkish).
Italian : “A cavallao daio non guar-
dar in bocca,” -
Gig 518
Giles Overreach
-
JFrench : “A cheval donné il ne faut
pas regarder aux dents.”
Spanish : “A cavall dato no le mirem
el dićnte.”
Gig (g hard). A whipping top, made
like a V.
“Thou disputest like an infant. Go, whip thy
gig.”—Shakespeare : Love's Labour's Lost, V. 1.
Gig-lamps. Spectacles.
are the “spectacles” of a gig.
VERDANT GREEN.)
Gig - manity. Respectability. A
word invented by Carlyle. A witness
in the trial of John Thurtell said, “I
always thought him [Thurtell] a re-
spectable man.” And being asked by
the judge what he meant, replied, “He
[Thurtell] kept a gig.”
“A princess of the blood, yet whose father had
SQld his inexpressibles ..... in a word, Gigmanity
disgigged.”— Carlyle: The Dictimond Necklace,
Chal). W.
Giggle (g hard). Have you found a
giggle's 7test ? A question asked in
Norfolk when anyone laughs immoder-
ately and senselessly. The meaning is,
“Have you found a nest of romping
girls that you laugh so P” Giglet is still
in common use in the West of England
for a giddy, romping, Tom-boy girl, and
in Salop a flighty person is called a
“giggle.” (See GAPE’s-NEST.)
Gil Blas (g soft). The hero of Le
Sage's novel of the same name. Timid,
but audacious ; well-disposed, but easily
led astray; shrewd, but easily gulled by
practising on his vanity; good-natured,
but without moral principle. The tale,
according to one account, is based on
Matteo Aleman’s Spanish romance, called
the Life of Guzman ; others maintain
that the original was the comic romance
entitled Jºelaciones de la J’ida del Escºt-
dero Marcos de Obregon.
Gil'bertines (3 syl., g hard). A re-
ligious order founded in the twelfth
century by St. Gilbert of Lincolnshire.
Gild the Pill (To). To do some-
thing to make a disagreeable task less
offensive, as a pill is gilded to make it less
offensive to the sight and taste. Child-
ren’s powders are hidden in jam, and
authors are ‘‘damned with faint praise.”
Gilded Chamber (The). The House
of Lords.
“Mr. Rowland Winn is now Lord St. Oswald,
and after years spent in the Lower House he has
retired to the calm of the gilded clamber.”—
Néwspaper paragraph, June 26th, 1885.
Gilderoy' (3 syl.3 g hard). . A famous
robber, who robbed Cardinal Richelieu
Gig-lamps
º (See
and Oliver Cromwell. There was a
Sgotch robber of the same name in the
reign of Queen Mary. Both were noted
for their handsome persons, and both
were hanged.
Gilderoy's Kite. Higher than Gil-
deroy's kite. To be hung higher than
Gilderoy’s kite is to be punished more
severely than the very worst criminal.
The greater the crime, the higher the
gallows, was at one time a practical
legal axiom. Haman, it will be remem-
bered, was hanged on avery highgallows.
The gallows of Montrose was 30 feet
high. The ballad says:—
“Of Gilderoy sae fraid they were
They bound him nickle strong,
Till Edenburrow they led hill, thair
And on a gallows long ;
They hong lilm high abome the rest,
-
He was SO trim a boy . .
He was “hong abone the rest” of the criminals
because lais crimes were deemed to Joe more liein-
ous. So ligh he hung he looked like “a kite ”
ill the ClOllds.
Gildippe (in Jerusalem Delivered).
Wife of Edward, an English baron. She
accompanied, her husband to the Holy
War, and performed prodigies of valour
(book ix.). Both she and her husband
were slain by Solyman (book xx.).
Giles (1 syl., g soft). The “farmer's
boy '' in Bloomfield’s poem so called.
Giles (St.). Patron Saint of cripples,
The tradition is that the king of France,
hunting in the desert, accidentally
wounded the hermit in the knee ; and
the hermit, that he might the better
mortify the flesh, refusing to be cured,
remained a cripple for life.
The symbol of this Saint is a hind, in
allusion to the ‘‘heaven-directed hind ’’
which went daily to his cave near the
mouth of the Rhone to give him milk.
He is sometimes represented as an old
man with an arrow in his knee and a
hind by his side.
St. Giles’s parish. Generally situated
in the outskirts of a city, and originally
without the walls, cripples and beggars
not being permitted to pass the gates.
JHopping or Hobbling Giles. A lame
person; so called from St. Giles, the
tutelar Saint of Cripples. (See CRIPPLE-
GATE.) --
Lame as St. Giles’, Cripplegate. (See
above.) -
Giles Overreach (Sir). A New
Way to Pay Old Debts, by Massinger.
The “Academy figure” of this charac-
ter was Sir Giles Mompesson, a notorious
usurer, banished the kingdom for his
misdeeds,
Giles
519
Gingerbread
Giles of Antwerp (g soft). Giles
Coignet, the painter (1530-1600).
Gill (g soft) or Jill. A generic name
for a lass, a sweetheart. (A contraction
of Gillian = Juliana, Júlia.)
“Jack and Jill went up the hill . . . .”
Nºtrée.7 y Rhymes.
“IEvery Jack has got his Jill (i.e. Ilka laddic
has his lassie).”—Burns.
Gill (Harry). A farmer struck with
the curse of ever shivering with cold,
because he would not allow old Goody
Blake to keep a few stray sticks which
she had picked up to warm herself by.
“Oh,' what's the matter P what's the matter 2
What is't that ails young Harry Gill,
That evernmore lais teeth they chatter,
Chatter, chatter, chatter, Still ? .
No word to any man he utters,
...A-bed or up, to young or old ;
But ever to himself he mutters-
“Poor Harry Gill is very cold.”
JWordsworth : Goody Blake and IIan'ry Gill.
Gills (g hard). Wipe your gills (your
mouth). The gills of fishes, like the
mouth of man, are the Organs of respi-
ration.
Gillie (g hard). A servant or at-
tendant ; the man who leads a pony
about when a child is riding, A gallie-
wet-foot is a barefooted Highland lad.
“These gillie-wet-foots, as they were called,
were destined to beat, the bushes.”—Sir JJ'alter
Scott : ')'averley, chap. xiii.
Gillies’ Hill. In the battle of Ban-
nockburn (1314) King Robert Bruce
ordered all the servants, drivers of carts,
and camp followers to go behind a height.
When the battle seemed to favour the
Scotch, these servants, or gillies, desirous
of sharing in the plunder, rushed from
their concealment with such arms as
they could lay hands on ; and the Eng-
lish, thinking them to be a new army,
fled in panic. The height in honour
was ever after called The Gillies’ Hill.
(Sir Walter Scott : Tales of a Grand-
father, x.)
Gillyflower (g soft) is not the July-
flower, but the French giroſlée, from
giroſle (a clove), called by Chaucer “gi-
lofre.” The common stock, the wall-
flower, the rocket, the clove pink, and
several other plants are so called. (Greek
AEarltophullcm Latin, caryophyllum, the
clove gillyflower.)
“The fairest flowers o' the season
Are Our carnations and streaked gillyfiowers.”
Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, iv. 2.
Gilpin (John), of Cowper's famous
ballad, is a caricature of Mr. Beyer, an
eminent linendraper at the end of Pater-
noster Row, where it joins Cheapside.
He died 1791, at the age of 98. It was
Lady Austin who told the adventure to
y
!,
our domestic poet, to divert him from
his melancholy. The marriage adventure
of Commodore Trunnion in Peregrime
Pickle is very similar to the wedding-
day adventure of John Gilpin.
“John Gilpin was a citizen
Of credit and renown ; -
A train band captain eke was he
Of fallmous London town.”
Cowper: John Gilpim.
* Some insist that the “trainband
captain'' was one Jonathan Gilpin,
who died at Bath in 1770, leaving his
daughter a legacy of £20,000.
Gilt (g hard). To take the gilt off the
gingerbread. To destroy the illusion.
The reference is to gingerbread watches,
men, and other gilded toys, Sold at fairs.
These eatables were common even in the
reign of Henry IV., but were then made
of honey instead of treacle.
Gilt-edge Investments. A phrase
introduced in the last quarter of the
19th century (when so many investments
proved worthless), for investments in
which no risks are incurred, such as
debentures, preference shares, first mort-
gages, and shares in first-rate companies.
Giltspur Street (West Smithfield).
The route taken by the gilt-spurs, or
knights, on their way to Smithfield,
where tournaments were held.
Gimlet Eye (g hard). A squint-
eye ; strictly speaking, “an eye that
wanders obliquely,” jocosely called a
“ piercer.” (Welsh, cºwim, a movement
round ; cwimlaw, to twist or move in a
Serpentine direction; Celtic, guimble.)
Gimmer (g soft), or Jimmer, a jointed
hinge. In Somersetshire, gimmace. We
have also gemeſ. A gimmal is a double
ring; hence gimmal-bit. (Shakespeare :
IIenry P., iv. 2.)
Gin Sling. A drink made of gin
and water, sweetened and flavoured.
“Sling’’ = Collins, the inventor, con-
tracted into c'lims, and perverted into
slings.
Ginevra (g soft). The young Italian
bride who hid in a trunk with a spring-
lock. The lid fell upon her, and she
was not discovered till the body had
become a skeleton. (Rogers : Italy.)
“Be the cause what it might, from his offer she
Shrunk, º e
And Ginevra-like, shut herself up in a trunk.”
- - Lott'ell.
Gingerbread. The best used to
be made at Grantham, and Grantham
gingerbread was as much a locution as
Everton toffy, or tuffy as we used to
Gingerbread
520 Gipsy
call it in the first half of the nineteenth
century. -
To get the gilt off the gingerbread. To
appropriate all the fun or profit and
leave the caput mortuum behind. In the
first half of the nineteenth century
gingerbread cakes were profusely deco-
rated with gold-leaf or Dutch-leaf,
which looked like gold.
Gingerbread (g soft). Brummagem
wares, showy but worthless. . The allu-
sion is to the gilt gingerbread toys Sold
at fairs. - -
Gingerbread Husbands. Ginger-
bread cakes fashioned like men and
gilt, commonly sold at fairs up to the
middle of the nineteenth century.
Gingerly. Cautiously, with faltering
steps. The Scotch phrase, “gang that
gate,” and the Anglo-Saxon gangende
(going), applied to an army looking out
for ambuscades, would furnish the ad-
verb gangendelic ; Swedish, gingla, to
go gently.
“Gingerly, as if treading upon eggs, Cuddie
began to ascend the Well-known lyass.”— Scott:
Old Mortality, châl). XXV.
Gingham. So called from Guingamp,
a town in Brittany, where it was origin-
ally manufactured (Littré). ... A common
playful equivalent of umbrella.
Ginnunga Gap. The abyss between
Niflheim (the region of fog) and Mus-
pelheim (the region of heat). It existed
|before either land or sea, heaven or
earth. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Gi'ona (g soft). A leader of the Ana-
baptists, once a servant of Comte d’O'ber-
thal, but discharged from his service for
theft. In the rebellion headed by the
Anabaptists, Giona took the Count pri-
soner, but John of Leyden set him free
again. Giona, with the rest of the con-
spirators, betrayed their prophet king as
soon as the Emperor arrived with his
army. They entered the banquet room
to arrest him, but perished in the flaming
palace. (Meyerbeer: Le Prophète, an
opera.)
Giotto. Rottma' as Giotto’s O. An
Italian proverb applied to a dull, stupid
fellow. The Pope, wishing to obtain
some art decorations, sent a messenger
to obtain specimens of the chief artists
of Italy. The messenger came to Giotto
and delivered his message, whereupon
the artist simply drew a circle with red
paint. The messenger, in amazement,
asked Giotto if that were all. Giotto
replied, “Send it, and we shall see if
his Holiness understands the hint,” A.
Specimen of genius about equal to a
brick as a specimen of an edifice.
Giovan'ni (Don). A Spanish liber-
time. (See JUAN.) His valet, Leporello,
says his master had “in Italy 700 mis-
tresses, in Germany 800, in Turkey and
France 91, in Spain 1,003.” When “the
measure of his iniquity was full,” the
ghost of the commandant whom he had
slain came with a legion of “foul
fiends,” and carried him off to a “dread-
ful gulf that opened to devour him.”
(Mozart : Don Giovanni, Libretto by
Lorenzo da Ponte.)
Gipsy (g soft). Said to be a corrup-
tion of Egyptian, and so called because
in 1418 a band of them appeared in
Europe, commanded by a leader named
Duke Michael of “Little Egypt.” Other
appellations are:
(2) Bohemians. So called by the
IFrench, because the first that ever ar-
rived in their country came from Bo-
hemia in 1427, and presented themselves
before the gates of Paris. They were
not allowed to enter the city, but were
lodged at La Chapelle, St. Denis. The
French nickname for gip'sies is cagotta,
(unsociables).
(3) Ciga'nos. So called by the Portu-
guese, a corruption of Zinga'ně. (See
TOHINGA'NI.)
(4) Gita'nos. So called by the Span-
iards, a corruption of Zinga'nè. (See
TOHINGA'NI.)
(5) Heidens (heathens). So called by
the Dutch, because they are heathens.
(6) Pharaoh-mepek (Pharaoh’s people).
So called in Hungary, from the notion
that they came from Egypt.
(7) Simte. So called by themselves,
because they assert that they came from
Sind, i.e. Ind (Hindustan). (See TOHIN-
GA'NI.)
(8) Tatar. So called by the Danes
and Swedes, from the notion that they
came from Tartary.
(9) Tahinga'ni or Tshingani. So called
by the Turks, from a tribe still existing
at the mouth of the Indus (TShin-calo,
black Indian).
(10) Wala/chians. So called by the
Italians, from the notion that they came
from Walachia.
(11) Zigeu'ner (wanderers). So called
by the Germans.
(12) Zinca'li or Zinga'ni. Said to be
so called by the Turks, because in 1517
they were led by Zinga'neus to revolt
from Sultan Selim ; but more likely a
mere variety of Tchingani (q.v.).
* Their language, called “Romány,”
Gipsy
521
Girl
contains about 5,000 words, the chief of.
which are corrupt Sanskrit.
*: There is a legend that these people
are waifs and strays on the earth, because
they refused to shelter the Virgin, and
her child in their flight to Egypt. ...(4ven-
timus, Annáles Boiorum, chap. viii.)
Gipsy (The). Anthony de Sola'rio,
the painter and illuminator, Il Zingaro
(1382-1455).
Giral'da (g soft). The giantess; a
statue of victory on the top of an old
Moorish tower in Seville.
Gird. To gird with the sword. To
raise to a peerage. It was the Saxon
method of investiture to an earldom,
continued after the Conquest. Thus,
Richard I. “girded with the sword ”
Hugh de Pudsey, the aged Bishop of
Durham, making (as he said) “a young
earl of an old prelate.”
Gird up the Loins (To). To pre-
pare for hard work or a journey. The
Jews wore a girdle only when at work
or on a journey. Evento the present day,
Bastern people, who wear loose dresses,
gird them about the loins.
“The loose tunic was an inconvenient walking
dress; therefore, when persons went from home,
they tied a girdle round it (2 Kings iv. 2; ix. I ;
Isaiah v. 27 ; Jeremiah i. 17.3. John XXi, 7 ; Acts
xii. 8).”—Jalum : Archeologia Biblica (section 121).
Girder (A). A cooper. Hoops are
girders. John Girder=John, the cooper,
a character in The Bride of Lammermoor,
by Sir Walter Scott.
Girdle (g hard). A good name is
better than a golden girdle. A good name
is better than money. It used to be
customary to carry money in the girdle,
and a girdle of gold meant a “purse of
gold.” The French proverb, “J3onne
Wenommée vaut mietta, qile ceintitre dorée,”
refers rather to the custom of wearing
girdles of gold tissue, forbidden, in 1420,
to women of bad character.
Children under the girdle. Not yet
born.
“All children under the girdle at the time of
marriage are held to be legitimate.”—Notes and
Queries.
If he be angry, he knows how to turn
his girdle (Much Ado about Nothing,
y: 1). If he is angry, let him preparé
himself to fight, if he likes. Before
wrestlers, in ancient times, engaged in
combat, they turned the buckle of their
girdle behind them. Thus, Sir Ralph
Winwood writes to Secretary Cecil:
“I said. “What I spake was not to make him
angry.’ He replied, ‘If I were angry, I might turn
the buckle of my girdle behind nie,’”—Dec. 17,
Rſ)*) - -
- ?
IHe has a large mouth but Small girdle.
Great expenses but small means. The
girdle is the purse or purse-pocket. (See
above.) -
JHe has undone her girdle. Taken her
for his wedded wife. The Roman bride
wore a chaplet of flowers on her head,
and a girdle of sheep’s wool about her
waist. A part of the marriage ceremony
was for the bridegroom to loose this
girdle. (Vaughan : Golden Grove.)
The Persian regulation-girdle. In Per-
sia, a new sort of “Procrustēs Bed” is
adopted, according to Kemper. One of
the officers of the king is styled the
“chief holder of the girdle,” and his
business is to measure the ladies of the
harem by a sort of regulation-girdle.
If any lady has outgrown the standard,
she is reduced, like a jockey, by spare
diet; but, if she falls short thereof, she
is fatted up, like a Strasburg goose, to
regulation size. (See PROCRUSTES.)
To put a girdle round the earth. To
travel or go round it. Puck says, “I’ll
put a girdle round about the earth, in
forty minutes.” (Midsummer Night's
Dream, ii. 2.)
Girdle (Florimel’s). The prize of a
grand tournament in which Sir Satyrane
and several others took part. It was
dropped by Florimel, picked up by Sir
Satyrane, and employed by him to bind
the monster, sent in her pursuit; but it
came again into the hands of the knight,
who kept it in a golden casket. It was
a “gorgeous girdle made by Vulcan for
Venus, embossed with pearls and precious
Stones; ” but its chief virtue was
“It gave the virtue of chaste love, ..
And wifehood true to all that it did bear ;
But whosoever contrary doth prove
Might not the same about her middle wear,
But it would loose, or else asunder tear.”
Spenser: Faërie Qweene, book iii. Canto vii. 31.
* King Arthur's Drinking Horn, and
the Court Mantel in Orlando Furioso,
possessed similar virtues.
Girdle (St. Colman’s) would meet
only round the chaste.
“In Ireland it yet remains to be proved whether
St. Colman's girdle has not lost its virtue " [the
reference is to Charles S. Parnell].-Nineteenth,
Century, Feb., 1891, p. 206.
Girdle of Venus.
Girl. This word has given rise to a
host of guesses:–
Bailey suggests garrula, a chatterbox.
Minshew Ventures the Italian girella, a weather-
(See CESTUs.)
COCK.
inner goes in for the Anglo-Saxon ceorl, a
C1} lll" [.
..Why not girdle, as young women before mar-
riage wore a girdle [gir’le]; and part of a Tºoman
marriage ceremony was for the bridegrooms to
100Se the ZOne,
Girondists
52
©
*
Glasgow Arms
As for guessing, the word gºl, may put in a
claim (1... Hewry. iv. 1); so may the Greek kouré,
a girl, With a diminutive Suffix lºotty.0-lat, whence
gourla, gourl, gwrl, girl.
(The Latin gerula means a maid that attends on
a child. Chaucer spells the word gurl.)
Probably the word is a variation of darling,
Anglo-Saxon, deorbing,
Giron'dists (g soft). French, Giron-
dins, moderate republicans in the first
|French Revolution. So called from the
department of Gironde, which chose for
the Legislative Assembly five men who
greatly distinguished themselves for
their oratory, and formed a political
party. They were Subsequently joined
by Brissot, Condorcet, and the adherents
of Roland. The party is called The
Gironde. (1791-93.)
“The new assembly, called the Legislative As-
sembly, met October 1, 1791. Its more moderate
members formed the party called the Girondists.”
—C. M. Yonge: France, chap. ix. p. 158.
Gir'ouet’te (3 Syl., g soft). A turn-
coat, a weathercock (French). The Dic-
tionnaire des Girouettes contains the
names of the most noted turncoats, with
their political veerings.
Gis (ff Soft) i.e. Jesus. A corruption
of Jesus or J. H. S. Ophelia says “By
Gis and by St. Charity.” (Hamlet, iv. 5.)
Gita'nos. (See GIPSY.)
Give and Take (policy). One of
mutual forbearance and accommodation.
“[His] wife jogged along with him very com-
fortably with a give and take policy for lhany
years.”—Hugh Conway.
Give it Him (To). To scold or
thrash a person. As “I gave it him
right and left.” “I’ll give it you when
I catch you.”. An elliptical phrase, dare
paenam. “Give it him well.”
Give the Boys a Holiday. Anaxag'-
oras, On his death-bed, being asked what
honour should be conferred upon him,
replied, “Give the boys a holiday.”
Give the Devil his Due. Though |
bad, I allow, yet not so bad as you make
him out. To not lay more to the charge
of a person than he deserves. The
French say, “Il me faut pas faire le diable
plus noir qu'il n'est.” The Italians have
the same proverb, “Non bisognd fare il
diablo più mero che non è.”
The devil is not so black as he is painted.
Every black has its white, as well as
every sweet its sour.
Gizzard. Don't fret your gizzard.
Don’t be so anxious; don’t worry your-
Self. The Latin stomachus means
temper, etc., as well as stomach or
* 3. 5 2 *
6 & gizzard.” (French, gésier.)
That stuck in his gizzard. Annoyed
him, was more than he could digest.
Gjallar. Heimdall's horn, which he
blows to give the gods notice when any
one is approaching the bridge Bifröst
(q.v.). (Scandinavian mythology.)
Glacis. The sloping mass on the
outer edge of the covered way infortifica-
tion. Immediately without the ‘‘ditches”
of the place fortified, there is a road of
communication all round the fortress
(about thirty feet wide), having on its
exterior edge a covered mass of earth
eight feet high, sloping off gently to-
wards the open country. The road is
technically called the covered way, and
the sloping mass the glacis.
Gladsheim [Home of joy]. The
largest and most magnificent mansion of
the Scandinavian AEsir. It contains
twelve seats besides the throne of Al-
fader. The great hall of Gladsheim was
Called “Walhalla.”
Gladstone Bag (A). A black leather
bag of various sizes, all convenient to be ,
hand-carried. These bags have two
handles, and are made so as not to touch
the ground, like the older carpet bags.
Called Gladstone in compliment to W. E.
Gladstone, many years leader of the
Liberal party.
Glamorgan. Geoffrey of Monmouth
says that Cundah' and Morgan, the sons
of Gonorill and Regan, usurped the
crown at the death of Cordeilla. The
former resolved to reign alone, chased
Morgan into Wales, and slew him at the
foot of a hill, hence called Gla-Morgan
or Glyn-Morgan, valley of Morgan.
(See Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.) *-
Glasgow Arms. An oak tree, a bell
hanging on one of the branches, a bird
at the top of the tree, and a salmon with
a ring in its mouth at the base.
St. Kentigern, in the seventh century,
took up his abode on the banks of a little
stream which falls into the Clyde, the
site of the present city of Glasgow.
Upon an oak in the clearing he hung a
bell to summon the Savages to worship,
hence the oak and the bell. Now for
the other two emblems: A queen having
formed an illicit attachment to a soldier,
gave him a precious ring which the king
had given her. The king, aware of the
fact, stole upon the soldier in sleep,
abstracted the ring, threw it into the
Clyde, and then asked the queen for it.
The queen, in alarm, applied to St.
kentigern, who knew the whole affair;
G1asgow
523 Glasse
and the saint went to the Clyde, caught
a salmon with the ring in its mouth,
handed it to the queen, and was thus the
means of restoring peace to the royal
couple, and of reforming the repentant
Queen.
* The queen’s name was Langoureth,
the king’s name Rederech, and the Clyde
was then called the Clud.
“The tree that never grew,
The lyird that never flew,
The fish that never swani,
The bell that never rang.”
* A similar legend is told of Dame
Rebecca Berry, wife of Thomas Elton,
of Stratford Bow, and relict of Sir John
Berry (1696). Rebecca Berry is the
heroine of the ballad called The Chºtel
Jönight, and the story says that a knight
passing by a cottage, heard the cries
of a woman in labour, and knew by
his occult science that the child was
doomed to be his wife. He tried hard
to elude his fate, and when the child
was grown up, took her one day to the
Seaside, intending to drown her, but re-
‘lented. At the same time he threw a
ring into the Sea, and commanded her
never again to enter his presence till she
brought him that ring. Rebecca, dress-
ing a cod for dinner, found the ring in
the fish, presented it to Sir John, and
became his wife. The Berry arms show
a fish, and on the dexter chief point a
ring or annulet.
Glasgow Magistrate (A). A salt
herring. When George IV. visited Glas-
gow some wag placed a salt herring on
the iron guard of the carriage of a
well-known magistrate who formed one
of the deputation to receive him. I
remember a similar joke played on a
magistrate, because he said, during a
time of great scarcity, he wondered why
the poor did not eat salt herrings, which
he himself found very appetising.
Glass is from the Celtic glas (bluish-
green), the colour produced by the woad
employed by the ancient Britons in
dyeing their bodies. Pliny calls it glas-
trum, and Caesar vitrum.
Glass Breaker (A). A wine-bibber.
To crack a bottle is to drink up its con-
tents and throw away the empty bottle.
A glass breaker is one who drinks what
is in the glass, and flings the glass under
the table. In the early part of the nine-
teenth century it was by no means un-
usual with topers to break off the stand
of their wineglass, so that they might
not be able to set it down, but were
compelled to drink it clean off, without
heel-taps. -
“Troth, ye're mae glass-breaker; and neither am
I, unless it be a screed wi' the neighbours, or
when I'm on a ramble.”—Sir W. Scott: Guy Man-
7tering, chal). 45.
“Wg never were glass-breakers in this house,
Mr. Lovel.”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquary, clap. ix.
Glass-eye. A blind eye, not an eye
made of glass, but the IDanish glas-oie
(wall-eye).
Glass Houses. Those who live in
glass houses should not throw stones.
When, on the union of the two crowns,
London was inundated with, Scotchmen,
Buckingham was a chief instigator of
the movement against them, and parties
used nightly to go about breaking their
windows. In retaliation, a party of
Scotchmen smashed the windows of the
Duke's mansion, which stood in St.
Martin’s Fields, and had so many win-
dows that it went by the name of the
“Glass-house.” The court favourite
appealed to the king, and the British
Solomon replied, “Steenie, Steenie, those
wha live in glass housen should be care-
fu? how they fling stanes.”
* This was not an original remark of
the IEnglish Solomon, but only the appli-
cation of an existing proverb: “El que
tiene tejados de vidro, no tire piedras al
de su vezino.” (Natºez de Guzman :
Yoverbios.) (See also Chaucer’s Troylus,
ii.)
“Qui a sa maison de verre,
Sur le Voisin ne jette pierre.”
I’roverbes em. Itimes (1664).
Glass Slipper (of Cinderella). A
curious blunder of the translator, who
has mistaken vain" (sable) for ve)','e
(glass). Sable was worn only by kings
and princes, so the fairy gave royal
slippers to her favourite. Hamlet says
he shall discard his mourning and re-
sume “his suit of sables” (iii. 2).
Glasse (Mrs. Hannah), a name im-
mortalised by the reputed saying in a
cookery book, “First catch your hare,”
then cook it according to the directions
given. This, like many other smart
sayings, evidently grew. The word in
the cookery-book is “cast” (i.e. flay).
“Take your hare, and when it is cast”
(or cased), do so and so. (See CASE,
CATCH YOUR HARE.)
“We'll make yºu some sport, with the fox, ere
we case him.”—Shakespeare: All's Well, etc., iii. 6.
* , “Some of them knew me,
Else had they cased me like a cony.” ..
Beaumont and Fletcher : Love's Pilgrimage, ii. 3.
* First Scotch your hare (though not
in Mrs. Glasse) is the East Anglian
word Scatch (flay), and might suggest the
Glassite
4.
Glencoe
play of words. Mrs. Glasse is the pseu-
donym which Dr. John Hill appended to
his Cook’s Oracle.
Glassite (A). A Sandemanian ; a
follower of John Glass (eighteenth cen-
tury). Members of this Scotch sect are
admitted by a “holy kiss,” and abstain
from all animal food which has not been
well drained of blood. John Glass con-
demned all national establishments of
religion, and maintained the Congrega-
tional system. Robert Sandeman was
one of his disciples.
Glastonbury, in Arthurian legend,
was where king Arthur was buried.
Selden, in his Illustrations of Drayton,
says the tomb was “betwixt two pillars,”
and he adds, “Henry II. gave command
to Henry de Blois, the abbot, to make
great search for the body, which was
found in a wooden coffin some sixteen
foote deepe; and afterwards was found
a stone on whose lower side was fixt a
leaden cross with the name inscribed.”
The authority of Selden no doubt is very
great, but it is too great a tax on our
credulity to credit this statement.
Glaswegian. Belonging to Glas-
gow.
Glauber Salts. So called from
Johann Rudolph Glauber, a German al-
chemist, who discovered it in 1658 in his
researches after the philosopher's stone.
It is the sulphate of soda.
Glaucus (of Boeotia). A fisherman
who instructed Apollo in soothsaying.
He jumped into the sea, and became a
marine god. Milton alludes to him in
his Comus (line 895):
“[By] old soothsaying Glaucus' spell.”
Glaucus (Another). In Iatin, Glaucus
alter. One who ruins himself by horses.
The tale is that Glaucus, son of Sisyphus,
would not allow his horses to breed, and
the goddess of Love so infuriated them
that they killed him.
Glaucus' Swop (A). A one-sided
bargain. Alluding to the exchange of
armour between Glaucos and Diome'des.
As the armour of the Lycian was of
gold, and that of the Greek of brass, it
was like bartering precious stones for
French paste. Moses, in Goldsmith's
Vicar of Wakefield, made “a Glaucus'
Swop '’ with the spectacle-seller.
Glaymore or Claymore (2 syl.). The
Scottish great sword. It used to be a
large two-handed sword, but was subse-
quently applied to the broadsword with
the basket-hilt. (Gaelic, claidhamh, a
Sword ; more, great.)
Glazier. Is your father a glazier 2
Does he make windows, for you stand in
my light and expect me to see through
you?
Gleek. A game at cards, sometimes
called cleek. Thus, in Epsom Wells,
Dorothy says to Mrs. Bisket, “I’ll make
one at eleek, that’s better than any two-
handed game.” Ben Jonson, in the Al-
chemist, speaks of gleek and prim'ero
as “the best games for the gallantest
company.” -
Gleek is played by three persons.
Every deuce and trois is thrown out of
the pack. Twelve cards are then dealt
to each player, and eight are left for
stock, which is offered in rotation to the
players for purchase. The trumps are
called Tiddy, Tumbler, Tib, Tom, and
Towser. Gleek is the German gleich
(like), intimating the point on which
the game turns, gleek being three cards
all alike, as three aces, three kings, etc.
Gleichen (The Count de). A German
knight married to a lady of his own
country. He joined a crusade, and,
being wounded, was attended so dili-
gently by a Saracen princess that he
married her also.
Gleipnir. The chain made by the
fairies, by which the wolf Fenrir or
I'enris was securely chained. It was
extremely light, and made of such things
as “the roots of stones, the noise made
by the footfalls of a cat, the beards of
women, the spittle of birds, and such
like articles.”
Glenco'e (2 syl.). The massacre of
Glencoe. The Edinburgh authorities ex-
horted the Jacobites to submit to Wil-
liam and Mary, and offered pardon to all
who submitted on or before the 31st of
December, 1691. Mac-Tan, chief of the
Macdonalds of Glencoe, was unable to
do so before the 6th of January, and his
excuse was sent to the Council at Edin-
burgh. The Master of Stair (Sir John
Dalrymple) resolved to make an example
of Mac-Ian, and obtained the king's
permission “to extirpate the set of
thieves.” Accordingly, on the 1st of
February, 120 soldiers, led by a Captain
Campbell, marched to Glencoe, told the
clan they were come as friends, and lived
peaceably among them for twelve days;
but on the morning of the 13th, the glen-
men, to the number of thirty-eight,
were scandalously murdered, their huts
set on fire, and their flocks and herds
Glendoveer 52
'driven off as plunder. . . Campbell has
written a poem, and Talfourd a play on
the subject.
Glendoveer', in Hindu mythology,
is a kind of sylph, the most lovely of the
good spirits.
Kehama.)
“I am a blesséd Glendoveer,
'Tis mine to speak and yours to heal'.”
I?ejected Addresses (Imitations of Southey).
Glendower (Owen). A Welsh chief,
one of the most active and formidable
enemies of Henry IV. He was descended
from Llewellyn, the last of the Welsh
princes. Sir Edmund Mortimer married
one of his daughters, and the husband
of Mortimer's sister was Earl Percy,
generally called “Hotspur,” who took
Douglas prisoner at Homildon Hill.
Glendower, Hotspur, Douglas, and others
conspired to dethrone Henry, but the
coalition was ruined in the fatal battle
of Shrewsbury. Shakespeare makes the
Welsh nobleman a wizard of great di-
versity of talent, but especially conceited
of the prodigies that “announced ' his
birth. (Shakespeare : 1 Henry IP.)
Glim. (See DousB THE GLIM.)
Globe of Glass (Reynard’s). To con-
sult Reynard's globe of glass. To seek
into futurity by magical or other de-
vices. This globe of glass would reveal
what was being done, no matter how
far off, and would afford information on
any subject that the person consulting
it wished to know. The globe was set
in a wooden frame which no worm
would attack. Reynard said he had
sent this invaluable treasure to her
majesty the queen as a present; but it
never came to hand, inasmuch as it had
no existence except in the imagination
of the fox. (H. von Alkmar : Reynard
the Fow.)
Your gift was like the globe of glass of
Master Reynard. Vox et praetered nihil.
A great promise, but no performance.
(See above.)
Worthy to be set in the frame of Rey-
mard's globe of glass. Worthy of being
imperishable; worthy of being preserved
for ever.
Gloria. A cup of coffee with brandy
in it instead of milk. Sweetened to
taste.
Gloria in Excelsis. The latter
portion of this doxology is ascribed to
Telesphorus, A.D. 139. (See GLORY.)
Gloria'na. (Queen Elizabeth con-
sidered as a sovereign.) Spenser Says
in his Faërie Queene that she kept an
(See Southey's Curse of
Glossifi
5
*
annual feast for twelve days, during
which time adventurers appeared before
her to undertake whatever task she chose
to impose upon them. On one occasion
twelve knights presented themselves
before her, and their exploits form the
scheme of Spenser's allegory. The poet
intended to give a separate book to each
knight, but only six and a half books
remain.
Glorious John.
poet (1631-1701).
Glorious First of June. June 1st,
1794, when Lord Howe, who commanded
the Channel fleet, gained a decisive vic-
tory over the French.
Glorious Uncertainty of the Law
(The), 1756. The toast of Mr. Wilbra-
ham at a dinner given to the judges and
counsel in Serjeant's Hall. This dinner
was given soon after Lord Mansfield had
overruled several ancient legal decisions
and had introduced many innovations in
the practice.
Glory. Meaning ... speech, or the
tongue, so called by the Psalmist be-
cause speech is man's speciality. . Other
animals see, hear, Smell, and feel quite
as well and often better than man, but
rational speech is man’s glory, or that
which distinguishes the race from other
animals.
“I will sing and give praise even with my
glory.”—Psalm cviii. 1.
“That my glory may sing praise to Thee, and
not be silent.”—Psalm xxx. 12.
“Awake up my glory, awake psaltery and harp.”
—PSalm lyii. S.
Glory Demon (The). War.
“Fresh troops had each year to be sent off to
glut the maw of the ‘Glory Dennon.’”—C. Thom-
Som. • Azttobiography, 32.
Glory Hand. In folk lore, a dead
man’s hand, supposed to possess certain
magical properties. -
“De hand of glory is hand cut off from a dead
man as haye been hanged for murther, and dried
very nice in de shrmoke of juniper wood.”—Sir W.
Scott: The Antiquary (Dousterswivel).
Glory be to the Father, etc. The
first verse of this doxology is said to be
by St. Basil. During the Arian con-
troversy it ran thus: “Glory be to the
Father, by the Son, and in the Holy
Ghost.” (See GLORIA.)
Glossin (Lawyer) purchases Ellan-
gowan estate, and is found by Counsel-
lor Pleydell to be implicated in carrying
off Henry Bertrand, the heir of the
estate. Both Glossin and Dirk Hatter-
John Dryden, the
aick, his accomplice, are sent to prison,
and in the night the lawyer contrives to
Gloucester
526
Gloves . . --
enter the Smuggler’s cell, when a quarrel
ensues, in which Hatteraick strangles
him, and then hangs himself.” (Sir W.
Scott : Guy Mannering.) -
Glouces/ter (2 syl.). The ancient
Britons called the town Caer Glott
(bright city). The Romans Latinised
Glou or Glove in Glev-um, and added
colonia (the Roman colony of Glev-um).
The Saxons restored the old British word
Glou, and added ceaster, to signify it had
been a Roman camp. Hence the word
means “Glou, the camp city.” Geoffrey
of Monmouth says, when Arvir’agus
married Genuissa, daughter of Claudius
Caesar, he induced the emperor to build
a city on the spot where the nuptials
were solemnised; this city was called
'aer-Claw', a contraction of Caer-Claud,
corrupted into Caer-glou, converted by
the Romans into Glou-caster, and by the
Saxons into Glou-ceaster or Glou-cester.
“Some,” continues the same “philolo-
gist,” “derive the name from the Duke
Gloius, a son of Claudius, born in Britain
on the very spot.”
*
Glove. In the days of chivalry it was
customary for knights to wear a lady’s
glove in their helmets, and to defend it
with their life.
“One ware on his headpiece his ladies sleve,
and another bare on hys helme the glove of his
dearlynge.”—Hall: Chronicle, Hem?'y IV.
Glove. A bribe. (See GLOVE MONEY.)
IHand and glove. Sworn friends; on
most intimate terms; close companions,
like glove and hand.
“And prate and preach about what others prove,
As if the World and they were hand and glove.”
Cowper.
IIe bit his glove. He resolved on
mortal revenge. On the “Border,” to
bite the glove was considered a pledge of
deadly vengeance.
“$tern Rutherford right little said, , ,
But bit his glove and shook his head.”
Sir Walter Scott : Lay of the Last Ministrel.
IHere I throw down my glove. I chal-
lenge you. In allusion to an ancient
custom of a challenger throwing his
glove or gauntlet at the feet of the
person challenged, and bidding him to
pick it up. If he did so the two fought,
and the vanquisher was considered to be
adjudged by God to be in the right. To
take tºp the glove means, therefore, to
accept the challenge. -
“I will throw my glove to Death itself, that
there's no maculation in thy heart.”—Shakespeare:
Troilus and Cressida, iv. 4.
To take up the glove... To accept the
challenge made by casting a glove or
gauntlet on the ground.
fragable faith.
Ičight as my glove. The phrase, says
Sir Walter Scott, comes from the custom
of pledging a glove as the signal of irre-
(The Antiquary.)
Glove Money. A bribe, a perquisite;
so called from the ancient custom of
presenting a pair of gloves to a person
who undertook a cause for you. Mrs.
Croaker presented Sir Thomas More,
the Lord Chancellor, with a pair of gloves
lined with forty pounds in “angels,”
as a “token.” Sir Thomas kept the
gloves, but returned the lining. (See
above.)
Gloves are not worn in the presence
of royalty, because we are to stand un-
armed, with the helmet off the head and
gauntlets off the hands, to show we have
no hostile intention. (See SALUTATIONS.)
Gloves used to be worn by the clergy
to indicate that their hands are clean
and not open to bribes. They are no
longer officially worn by the parochial
clergy.
Gloves given to a judge in a maiden
assize. In an assize without a criminal,
the sheriff presents the judge with a pair
of white gloves. Chambers says, an-
ciently judges were not allowed to wear
gloves on the bench (Cyclopaedia). To
give a judge a pair of gloves, therefore,
symbolised that he need not come to the
bench, but might wear gloves.
You owe ºne a pair of gloves. A small
present. The gift of a pair of gloves
was at One time a perquisite of those
who performed Small services, such as
pleading your cause, arbitrating your
quarrel, or showing you some favour
which could not be charged for. As the
services became more important, the
glove was lined with money, or made
to contain Some coin called glove money
(q.v.). Relics of this ancient custom
were common till the last quarter of a
century in the presentation of gloves to
those who attended weddings and fune-
rals. There also existed at one time the
claim of a pair of gloves by a lady who
chose to salute a gentleman caught
mapping in her company. In The Fair
Maid of Perth, by Sir Walter Scott,
Catherine steals from her chamber on
St. Valentine's morn, and, catching
Henry Smith asleep, gives him a kiss.
The glover Says to him :
“Come into the booth with me, my son, and I
will furnish thee with a ſitting theme. Thou
knowest, the maiden who ventures to kiSS a Sleep-
ing man wins of him a pair of gloves.”—Chap. v.
In the next chapter Henry presents the
gloves, and Catherine accepts them. -
G1ubdubdrib 527 Go it;
A round with gloves. A friendly con- Gnostics. The knowers, opposed to
test; a fight with gloves,
“Will you point out how this is going to be a
genteel round with gloves 2"—Watson : The Web of
the Spider, chap. ix.
Glubăub'drib. The land of sorcerers
and magicians visited by Gulliver in his
Travels. (Swift.)
Gluckist and Picci'nists. A foolish
rivalry excited in Paris (1774-1780) be-
tween the admirers of Glück and those
of Picci'ni—the former a German musical
composer, and the latter an Italian.
Marie Antoinette was a Glückist, and
consequently Young France favoured the
rival claimant. In the streets, coffee-
houses, private houses, and even Schools,
the merits of Glück and Piccinini were
canvassed; and all Paris was ranged on
one side or the other. This was, in fact,
a contention between the relative merits
of the German and Italian school of .
music. (See BACBUC.)
Glum had a sword and cloak given
him by his grandfather, which brought
good luck to their possessors. After this
present everything prospered with him.
FIe gave the spear to Asgrim and cloak
to Gizur the White, after which every-
thing went wrong with him. Old and
blind, he retained his cunning long after
he had lost his luck. (The Nials Saga.)
To look glum. To look dull or moody.
(Scotch, gloum, a frown; Dutch, loom,
heavy, dull; Anglo-Saxon, glöm, our
gloom, gloaming, etc.)
Giumdal'clitch. A girl, nine years
old, and only forty feet high, who had
charge of Gulliver in Brobdingmag.
(Swift : Gulliver’s Travels.)
“Soon as Glumdal clitch missed her pleasing care,
She wept, she blubbered, and she tore heº"
Glutton (The). Vitelius, the Roman
emperor (15-69), reigned from January 4
to December 22, A.D. 69.
Gluttony. (See APICIUs, etc.)
Gna'tho. A vain, boastful parasite in
the Eunuch of Terence (Greek, gnathon,
jaw, meaning “tongue-doughty”).
Gnomes (1 syl.), according to the
Rosicrucian system, are the elemental
spirits of earth, and the guardians of
mines and quarries. (Greek, gnoma,
knowledge, meaning the knowing ones,
the wise Ones.) (See FAIRY, SALAMAN-
DERS.)
“The four elements are inlalbited by spirits
Called Sylphs, gnomes, nymphs, and salamanders.
The gnomes, or demons of the earth, delight in
misclief; but the sylphs, whose habitation is in
air, are the best conditioned creatures imagin-
able.”—Pope: Pref. Letter to the Rape of the Lock.
believers, various sects in the first ages
of Christianity, who tried to accommo-
date Scripture to the speculations of
Pythagoras, Plato, and other ancient
philosophers. They taught that know-
ledge, rather than mere faith, is the true
key of salvation. In the Gnostic creed
Christ is esteemed merely as an eon, or
divine attribute personified, like Mind,
Truth, Logos, Church, etc., the whole
of which eons made up this divine ple-
röma or fulness. Paul, in several of his
epistles, speaks of this “ Fulness (ple-
roma) of God.” (Greek, Gnos' ticos.)
(See AGNOSTICS.)
Go. (Anglo-Saxon, gān, ic gå, I go.)
FHere’s a go or Here’s a pretty go.
Here’s a mess or awkward state of
affairs.
It is no go. It is not workable. “Ca
ira,” in the French Revolution (it will
go), is a similar phrase.
(See GREAT Go, and LITTLE GO.)
Go (The). All the go. Quite the
fashion; very popular ; la vogue.
Go along with You. In French,
Tirez de long, said to dogs, meaning
Scamper off, run away. Anº long et and
large, i.e. entirely, go off the whole
length and breadth of the way from me
to infinite space.
* “To go along with some one,” with
the lower classes, means to take a walk
with someone of the opposite sex, with
a view of matrimony if both parties
think fit.
Go-between (A). An interposer;
One who interposes between two parties.
Go-by. To give one the go-by. To
pass without notice, to leave in the
lurch.
Go it Blind. I)on't stop to deliber-
ate. In the game called “Poker,” if
a player chooses to “go it blind,” he
doubles the ante before looking at his
cards. If the other players refuse to
see his blind, he wins the ante.
Go it, Warwick . . A street cry
during the Peninsular War, meaning,
“Go it, ye cripples ' ' The Warwick-
shire militia, stationed at Hull, were
more than ordinarily licentious and
disorderly.
Go it, you Cripples: Fight on,
you simpletons; scold, away, you silly
or quarrelsome ones. A cripple is slang
for a dullard or awkward person.
G.C) Of Gin
*E---
Go of Gin. A quartern. In the
Queen’s Head, Covent Garden, spirits
used to be served in quarterns, neat—
water ad libitum. (Compare STIRRUP
CUP.)
Go on all Fours. Perfect in all
points. We say of a pun or riddle, “It
does not go on all fours,” it will not
hold good in every way. Lord Macau-
lay says, “It is not easy to make a
simile go on all fours.” Sir Edward
Coke says, ‘‘Nullum sim’ile quat'uo)"
pedibus currit.” . The metaphor is taken
from a horse, which is lame if only one
of its legs is injured. All four must be
Sound in Order that it may go.
Go Out (To). To rise in rebellion;
the Irish say, “To be up.”
with the forces of Charles Edward. To
be out with Roger More and Sir Phelim
O’Neil, in 1641.
“I thocht my best chance for payment was
ºn to gae Qut myself.”—Sir W. Scott : }; averley,
Go through Fire and Water to
serve you. Do anything even at per-
sonal cost and inconvenience. The re-
ference is to the ancient ordeals by fire
and water. Those condemned to these
ordeals might employ a substitute.
Go to . A curtailed oath. “Go to
the devil ” or some such phrase.
“Cassius: I ſam] abler than yourself
TO limake conditions. -
Brutus : Go to You are not, Cassius.”
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar, iv. 3.
GO TO BANFF, and bottle skate.
Go To BATH, and get your head shaved.
GO TO BUNGAY, and get your breeches mended.
GO TO CovKNTRY., Make yourself scarce.
GO TO HEXHAM. . A kind of Alsatia or Sanctuary
in the reign of Henry VIII.
GO TO JERICHO. Out of the way. (See JERICHo.)
And many other similar phrases. ... "
Go to the Wall (To). To be pushed
on one side, laid on the shelf, passed by.
Business men, and those in a hurry,
leave the wall-side of a pavement to
women, children, and loungers.
Go without Saying (To). Cela wa
sans dire. To be a self-evident fact ;
well understood or indisputable.
Goat. Usually placed under seats
in church stalls, etc., as a mark of dis-
honour and abhorrence, especially to
ecclesiastics who are bound by the law of
continence.
The seven little goats. So the Pleiades
are vulgarly called in Spain.
Goat and Compasses. A public-
house sign in the Commonwealth ; a cor-
ruption of “God en-compasses [us].”
ºf Some say it is the carpenters' arms
— three goats and a chevron. The
$28
To go out.
God
------>====--"
chevron being mistaken for a pair of
CompaSSes.
Goats. (Anglo-Saxon, gāţ.)
The three goats. A public-house sign
at Lincoln, is a corruption of the Three
Gowts, that is, drains or sluices, which
at one time conducted the waters of a
large lake into the river Witham. The
name of the inn is now the Black
Goats.
Gobbler (A).
called from its cry.
Gob'bo (Launcelot). A clown in
Shakespeare’s Merchant of Penice.
A turkey-cock is so
Gob'elin Tapestry. So called from
Giles Gob'elin, a French dyer in the
reign of François I., who discovered the
Gobelin scarlet. His house in the
suburbs of St. Marcel, in Paris, is still
called the Gobelins.
Goblin. A familiar demon. Accord-
ing to popular belief goblins dwelt in
private houses and chinks of trees. As a
specimen of forced etymology, it may be
mentioned that Elf and Goblin have
been derived from Guelph and Ghibelline.
(French, gobelin, a lubber-fiend; Armoric
gobyli,” German kobold, the demon of
mines; Greek, kobalos ; Russian, colfy,
Welsh coblyn, a “knocker; ” whence the
woodpecker is called in Welsh “coblyn
y coed.”) (See FAIRY.)
Goblin Cave. In Celtic called “Coir
Alan Uriskin '' (cove of the satyrs), in
Benvenue, Scotland.
“After landing on the skirts of Benvenue, We
reach the cave Or cove of the goblins by a Steep
and narrow defile of one hundred yards in length.
It is a deep circular amphitheatre of at least six
hundred yards' extent in its upper dialy) eter, gra-
dually narrowing towards the base, hemmed in
all round by Steep and to Wering rocks, and ren-
dered impenetrable to the rays of the sun by a
close covert of luxuriant, trees. On the South
and west it is lounded , by the precipitous
shoulder of Benvenue, to the height of at least
500 feet ; towards the east the rock alppears at
some former period to have tumbled down, strew-
ing the white course of its fall with immense
fragments, which now serve only to give shelter
to foxes, wild cats, and badgers.”—Dr. Graham.
Goblins. In Cardiganshire the miners
attribute those strange noises heard in
mines to spirits called “ICnockers”
(goblins). (See above.)
God. , Gothic, goth (god); German,
gott. (See ALLA, ADONIST, ELOHISTIC,
etc.
i. was Hiero, Tyrant of Syracuse, who
asked Simonidés the poet, “What is
God?” Simonidés asked to have a day
to consider the question. Being asked
the same question the next day, he
G-Od 5
9 Gods \
desired two more days for reflection.
Every time he appeared before Hiero he
doubled the length of time for the con-
sideration of his answer. Hiero, greatly
astonished, asked the philosopher Why
he did so, and Simonidès made answer,
“The longer I think on the subject, the
farther I seem from making it out.”
It was Voltaire who said, “Si Dietſ
m'evistait pas, il faudrait l'inventer.”
God and the saints. “Il valſº mietta;
s'adresser & Dieu qu’à ses Saints.” “I/
vaut Amienta: Se temir and trome qu'aua,
branches.” Better go to the master
than to his steward or foreman.
God bless the Duke of Argyle. It is
said that the Duke of Argyle erected a
row of posts to mark his property, and
these posts were used by the cattle to rub
against. . (Hotten : Sſang Dicţionary.)
God helps those who help themselves. In
French, “Aide-toi, le ciel tº aidera.” “A
toile ourdie Dieu donne left!” (You make
the warp and God will make the woof).
God inade the country, and majº made
the town. Cowper in The Task (The
Sofa). Varro says in his De Jºe Rustica,
“ Divina Natüra agros dedit, Ars hu-
mana acdificavit urbes.”
“God save the king.” It is said by
some that both the words and music of
this anthem were composed by TJr. John
Bull (1563-1622), organist at Antwerp
cathedral, where the original MS. is still
preserved. Others attribute, them to
Henry Carey, author of Sally in our
Alley. The words, “Send him vic-
torious,” etc., look like a Jacobin Song,
and Sir John Sinclair tells us he saw
that verse cut in an old glass tankard,
the property of P. Murray Threipland,
of Fingask Castle, whose predecessors
were staunch Jacobites.
No doubt the words of the anthem
have often been altered. The air and
words were probably first suggested to
John Bull by the Domine Salvatºm of the
Catholic Church. In 1605 the lines,
“Frustrate their knavish tricks,” etc.,
were added in reference to Gunpowder
Plot. In 1715 some Jacobin added the
words, “Send him [the Pretender] vic-
torious,” etc. And in 1740 Henry Carey
reset both words and music for the
Mercers’ Company on the birthday of
George II.
God sides with the strongest. Julius
Civiles. Napoleon I. Said, “J.e bon Dieu,
est toujours du cóté des gros bataillons.”
God helps those that help themselves.
The fable of Hercules and the Carter.
God tempers the wind to the shorn
lamb. Sterne (Maria, in the Sentimental
Journey). In French, “A brebis tondue
Dietſ left ºnese/re le verzá ’’ ‘‘Diez, ºnese/re
le froid d la brebis tondue.” “Dieu
donné le froid Selon la robbe.” Sheep
are shorn when the cold north-east
winds have given way to milder
weather.
J'ull of the god—inspired, manadic.
(Latin, Dei plenus.)
Gods.
BRITONS. The gods of the ancient
JBritons. Taramis (the father of the
gods and master of thunder), Teutates
(patron of commerce and inventor of
letters), Esus (god of war), Belinus
(= Apollo), Ardena (goddess of forests),
Belisarma (the queen of heaven and the
moon).
CARTHAGINIAN GODS. Urania, and
Moloch. The former was implored
when rain was required.
“Ista ipsa, Virgo [Urania] coelestis pluviarum
pollicitatrix.”—Tertulliam.
* Moloch was the Latin Saturn, to
whom human sacrifices were offered.
Hence Saturn was said to devour his own
children.
CHALDEANS. The seven gods of
the Chaldeans. The gods of the seven
planets called in the Latin language
Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Apollo [i.e. the
Sun], Mercury, Venus, and Diana [i.e.
the Moon].
JEGYPTIAN GODS. The two chief
deities were Osiris and Isis (supposed to
be sun and moon). Of inferior gods,
storks, apes, cats, the hawk, and some
20,000 other things had their temples,
or at least received religious honours.
Thebes worshipped a ram, Memphis the
Ox [Apis], Bubastis a cat, Momemphis
a cow, the Mendesians a he-goat, the
Hermopolitans a fish called “Latus,”
the Paprimas the hippopotamus, the
Lycopolitans the wolf. The ibis was
deified because it fed on serpents, the
crocodile out of terror, the ichneumon
because it fed on crocodiles' eggs.
ETRUSCANS. Their mine gods.
Juno, Minerva, and Tin'ia (the three
chief); to which add Vulcan, Mars,
Saturn, Hercules, Summa'nus, and Ve-
dius. (See AESIR.)
“Lal's POTSèna, Of Clusium,
By the nine gods he swore .
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.
By the nine gods he swore it,
And named a try Sting day.”
Macaulay : Hord tilts, Stall Za. 1. .
GAUL. The gods of the Gauls were
IEsus and Teutates (called in Latin Mars
and Mercury). Lucan adds a third
named Taranés (Jupiter). Caesar Says
34
Gods
530
Godfrey's Cordial
they worshipped Mercury, Apollo, Mars,
Jupiter, and Minerva. The last was the
inventor of all the arts, and presided
Over roads and commerce.
GREEK AND ROMAN GODS were di-
vided into Dii Majörés and Dii Mindrés.
The Dii Majorés were twelve in number,
thus summed by Ennius—
Juno, Vesta, Minerya, Cerás, Dianº, Venus, Mars,
Mercurius, Jövſ, Neptunus, Vulcanus, Apollo.
Their blood was ichor, their food was ambrosia,
their drink mectar. They married and had chil4
dren, lived on Olympus in Thessaly, in brazen
houses built by Vulcan, and wore golden sloes
Which enabled them to tread on air or Water.
The twelve great deities, according to
Jºints were (sia: male and six female) :
LATIN. GREEK.
JUPITER (King) ZEUS (1 Syl.).
A pollo (the sum) Apollèn.
Mars (war) Arè3.
Mercury (messenger) Hernes.
Neptune (oceam) Poseidon (3 syl.).
Vulcan (Smith.) Hephaistos (3 sy’
JUNO (Queen) HERA. I.
Ceres (tillage) IDennéter.
Diana (moom, hunting) Altémis.
Minerva (wisdom). théngl.
Venus (love amd beauty) Aphroditë.
Vesta (home-life) HeStía.
'." Juno was the wife of Jupiter, Hera of Zous ;
Venus was the wife of Vulcan, Aphrodité of
|HelphaistOS.
JFour other deities are often referred to :
Bacchus (wine) Dionysos.
Cupid (the lad Love) Eros.
Pluto (of the Inferno) Pluto;).
Saturn (time) Kronoš.
'...' Of these, Proserpine (Latin) and Persephēnē
(Greek) was the wife of Pluto, Cybèlé was the
wife of Saturn, and Rhea of Krónos.
*: In Hesiod's time the number of
gods was thirty thousand, and that none
might be omitted the Greeks observed
a feast called 6eogévva, or Feast of the
Unknown Gods. We have an All Saints’
day.
Tpis yap ºptot eigiv čTú X60 uí TovXvgorsipm
'A6&vatov Zmvös, ÖVAakes pepôtrov av6ptóTow.
IIesiod, i. 250.
“Some thirty thousand gods on earth we find
Subjects of Zeus, and guardians of mankind.”
PERSIAN GODS. The chief god was
Mithra. Inferior to him were the two
gods Oromasdés and Tremanius. The
former was supposed to be the author of
all the evils of the earth.
SAxON GODS. Odin or Woden (the
father of the gods), to whom Wednes-
day is consecrated; Frea (the mother
of the gods), to whom Fri-day is con-
secrated ; Hertha (the earth); Tuesco,
to whom Tues-day is consecrated; Thor,
to whom Thurs-day is consecrated.
SCANDINAVIAN GODS. The Supreme gods
of the Scandinavians were the Mysteri-
ous Three, called HAR (the mighty), the
LIKE MIGHTY, and the THIRD PERSON,
who sat on three thrones above the
Rainbow. Then came the AEsir, of
shown in Paphos.
which Odin was the chief, who lived
in Asgard, on the heavenly hills, between
the Earth and the Rainbow. Next came
the Vanir', or genii of water, air, and
clouds, of which Niðrd was chief.
GODS AND GODDESSES. (See DEITIES,
FAIRIES.)
Gods.
Among the gods. In the uppermost
gallery of a theatre, which is near the
ceiling, generally painted to resemble
the sky. . The French call this celestial
region paradis.
JDead gods.
is in Candia.
with an arrow.
The Sepulchre of Jupiter
Esculapius was killed
The ashes of Venus are
Hercules was burnt
to death. (Ignatius.)
Triple gods. (See TRINITY.)
God's Acre. A churchyard or ceme-
tery.
“I like that ancient Saxon phrase, which calls
The burial ground God's Acre.”—Longfellow.
Gods' Secretaries (The). The three
Parcae. One dictates the decrees of the
gods; another writes them down; and
the third sees that they are carried out.
(Martianus Capella. 5th century.)
God-child. One for whom a person
stands sponsor in baptism, A godson or
a goddaughter.
Goddess Mothers (The). What the
French call “bom/nes dames '' or “Jes
dames blanches,” the prototype of the
fays ; generally represented as nursing
infants on their laps. Some of these
statues made by the Gauls or Gallo-
Romans are called “Black Virgins.”
Godfather. To stand godfather. To
pay the reckoning, godfathers being
generally chosen for the sake of the
present they are expected to make the
child at the christening or in their wills.
Godfathers. Jurymen, who are the
sponsors of the criminal.
“In christening time thou shalt have two god-
fathers. Had I been judge, thou shouldst have
had ten more to bring thee to the gallows, not to
the font.”—Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, iv. 1.
God'frey. The Agamemnon of
Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered, chosen by
God as chief of the Crusaders. He is
represented as calm, circumspect, and
prudent; a despiser of “worldly empire,
wealth, and fame.”
Godfrey's Cordial. A patent medi-
cine given to children troubled with
colic. Gray says it was used by the
lower orders to “prevent the crying of
children in pain” when in want of
Godiva,
31 Gojam.
proper nourishment. It consists of sas-
safras, opium in some form, brandy or
rectified spirit, caraway seed, and treacle.
There are seven or eight different pre-
parations. Named after Thomas Godfrey
of Hunsdon, in Hertfordshire, in the
first quarter of the eighteenth century.
Godi'va (Lady). Patroness of Coven-
try. In 1040, Leofric, Earl of Mercia
and Lord of Coventry, imposed certain
exactions on his tenants, which his lady.
besought him to remove. To escape
her importunity, he said he would do so
if she would ride naked through the
town. Lady Godiva took him at his
word, and the Earl faithfully kept his
promise.
The legend asserts that every inhabit-
ant of Coventry kept indoors at the
time, but a certain tailor peeped through
his window to see the lady pass. Some
say he was struck blind, others that his
eyes were put out by the indignant
townsfolk, and some that he was put to
death. Be this as it may, he has ever
since been called “Peeping Tom of
Coventry.” Tennyson has a poem on
the subject. -
* The privilege of cutting wood in
the Herduoles, by the parishioners of St.
JBriavel's Castle, in Gloucestershire, is
said to have been granted by the Earl of
Hereford (lord of Dean Forest) on pre-
cisely the same terms as those accepted
by Lady Godiva.
“Peeping Tom '' is an interpolation
not anterior to the reign of Charles II.,
if we may place any faith in the figure
in Smithfield Street, which represents
him in a flowing wig and Stuart cravat.
Godless Florin (The). Also called
“The Graceless Florin.” In 1849 were
issued florins in Great Britain, with no
legend except “Victoria Regina.” Both
F.D. (Defender of the Faith) and D.G.
(by God’s Grace) were omitted for want
of room. From the omission of “Fidèi
Defensor’’ they were called Godless
florins, and from the omission of “Dei
Gratia '' they were called Graceless
florins.
, *. These florins (2s.) were issued by
Sheil, Master of the Mint, and as he was
a Catholic, so great an outcry was made
against them that they were called in
the same year.
Godliness. Cleanliness neart to god-
liness, “as Matthew Henry says.”
Whether Matthew Henry used the pro-
verb as well known, or invented it, de-
ponent Sayeth not. -
Godmer. A British giant, son of
Albion, slain by Canu'bus, one of the
companions of Brute.
... “Those three monstrous stones. . . .
Which that huge son of hideous Albion,
Great Godmer, threw in fierce contentitjin
At bold Canutus: but of him was slain.”
SpenSer: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.
Goël. The avenger of blood, so called
by the Jews.
Goe'mot or Goém'agot. The giant
who dominated over the western horn
of England, slain by Corin'eus, one of
the companions of Brute. (Geoffrey :
Chronicles, i. 16.) (See CoRINEUs.)
Gog and Magog. The Emperor
Diocletian had thirty-three infamous
daughters, who murdered their husbands;
and, being set adrift in a ship, reached
Albion, where they fell in with a num-
ber of demons. The offspring of this
unnatural alliance was a race of giants,
afterwards extirpated by Brute and his
companions, refugees from Troy. Gog
and Magog, the last two of the giant
race, were brought in chains to London,
then called Troy-novant, and, being
chained to the palace of Brute, which
stood on the site of our Guildhall, did
duty as porters. We cannot pledge our-
selves to the truth of Old Caxton’s narra-
tive ; but we are quite certain that Gog
and Magog had their effigies at Guild-
hall in the reign of Henry V. The old
giants were destroyed in the Great Fire,
and the present ones, fourteen feet
high, were carved in 1708 by Richard
Saunders. -
Children used to be told (as a very mild joke)
that When these giants hear St. Paul's clock
Strike twelve, they descend from their pedestals
and go into the Hall for dinner.
Gog'gles. A corruption of offles, eye-
shades. (Danish, 007, an eye; Spanish,
ojo , or from the Welsh, gogeliſ, to
shelter.)
Gogmagog Hill (The). The higher
of two hills, some three miles south-east
of Cambridge. The legend is that Gog-
magog was a huge giant who fell in love
with the nymph Granta, but the saucy
lady would have nothing to say to the
big bulk, afterwards metamorphosed
into the hill which bears his name.
(Drayton : Polyolbion, xxi.)
Go'jam. A province of Abyssinia.
(Africa). Captain Speke traced it to
Lake Victoria, Nyanza, near the Moun-
tains of the Moon (1861).
“The Swelling Nile.
From his two springs in Gojam's Sunny realm,
Pure-welling out.” Thomson : Summer.
Golconda,
532
Golden ASS
Golcon'da, in Hindustan, famous for
its diamond mines.
Gold. By the ancient alchemists,
gold represented the Sun, and silver the
moon. In heraldry, gold is expressed
by dots.
All he touches turns to gold. It is said
of Midas that whatever he touched
turned to gold. (See RAINBOW.)
“In manu illius plumbum aurum fiebat.”—Petro-
7???!.S.
Gold. All that glitters is not gold.
(Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, ii. 7.)
“All thing which, that Schineth as the gold
IS Inought gold.
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 12,890.
“NOIn teneas aurulm totum quod Splendet llt
Néºhrum Domum quodlibet esse bonum.”
Ala/nus de I’m'Sulis : Parab'olae.
JHe has got the gold of Tolo'sa. His ill
gains will never prosper. Caepio, the
Boman consul, in his march to Gallia
Narbonensis, stole from Tolo'sa (Tou-
louse) the gold and silver consecrated
by the Cimbrian Druids to their gods.
When he encountered the Cimbrians
|both he and Mallius, his brother-consul,
were defeated, and 112,000 of their
men were left upon the field (B.C. 106).
The gold of Nibelungen. Brought ill-
luck to every one who possessed it.
(Icelandic Edda.) (See FATAL GIFTS.)
Mannheim gold. A sort of pinch-
beck, made of copper and zinc, invented
at Mannheim, in Germany.
Mosa'ic gold is “altrum must'vum,” a
bi-sulphuret of tin used by the ancients
in tesselating. (French, mosaique.)
Gold Purse of Spain. Andalusia.
is so called because it is the city from
which Spain derives its chief wealth.
Golden. The Golden (“Aura’tus”).
So Jean Dorat, one of the Pleiad poets
of France, was called by a pun on his
name. This pun may perhaps pass
muster; not so the preposterous title
given to him of “The French Pindar.”
(1507-1588.)
Golden-tongued (Greek, Chrysol'ogos).
So St. Peter, Bishop of Ravenna, was
called. (433-450.) -
The golden section of a line. Its divi-
sion into two such parts that the rect-
angle contained by the Smaller segment
and the whole line equals the square on
the larger segment. (Euclid, ii. 11.)
Golden Age. The best age; as the
golden age of innocence, the golden cage
of literature. Chronologers divide the
time between Creation and the birth of
Christ into ages; Hesiod describes five,
and Lord Byron adds a sixth, “The Age
of Bronze.” (See AGE, AUGUSTAN.)
‘i. The Golden Age of Ancient Nations :
(1) NEw ASSYRIAN EMPIRE. From
the reign of Esar-haddon or Assur Adon
(Assyria’s prince), third son of Sennach'-
érib, to the end of Sarac's reign (B.C.
691-606).
(2) CHAIDAEO - BABYLONIAN EMPIRE.
From the reign of Nabopolassar or Nebo-
pul-Assur (Nebo the great Assyrian) to
that of Belshazzar or Bel-shah-Assur
(Bel king-of Assyria) (B.C. 606–538).
(3) CHINA. The Tăng dynasty (626-
684), and especially the reign of Tae-
tsong (618-626).
(4) EGYPT. The reigns of Sethos I.
and Ram'eses II. (B.C. 1336-1224).
(5) MEDIA. The reign of Cyax'ares
or Kai-ax-Arès (the-king son-of “Mars”)
(B.C. 634–594).
(6) PERSIA. The reigns of Khosru I.,
and II. (531-628).
ii. The Golden Age of Modern Nations.
(1) ENGLAND. Thereign of Elizabeth
(1558-1603).
(2) FRANCE. Part of the reigns of
Louis XIV. and XV. (1640-1740).
3) GERMANY. The reign of Charles
W. (1519-1558).
(4) PoETUGAL. From John I. to the
close of Sebastian’s reign (1383-1578).
In 1580 the crown was seized by Felipe
II. of Spain.
(5) PRUSSIA. The reign of Frederick
the Great (1740-1786).
6) RUSSIA. The reign of Czar Peter
the Great (1672–1725). -
(7) SPAIN. The reign of Ferdinand
and Isabella, when the crowns of Castile
and Aragon were united (1474-1516).
(8) Swed BN. From Gustavus Vasa to
the close of the reign of Gustavus Adol-
phus (1523-1632).
Golden Apple. “JWhat female heart
can gold despise?” (Gray). In allusion to
the fable of Atalanta, the Swiftest of all
mortals. She vowed to marry Only that
man who could outstrip her in a race.
Milan’ion threw down three golden
apples, and Atalanta, stopping to pick
them up, lost the race. -
Golden Ass. The romance of Apu-
le'ius, written in the second century,
and called the golden because of its ex-
cellency. It contains the adventures of
Lucian, a young man who, being acci-
dentally metamorphosed into an ass
while sojourning in Thessaly, fell into
the hands of robbers, eunuchs, magis-
trates, and so on, by whom he was ill-
treated; but ultimately he recovered his
Golden Ball
533
Golden House
human form. Boccaccio has borrowed
largely from this admirable romance;
and the incidents of the robbers’ cave-in
Gil Blas are taken from it.
Golden Ball (The). Ball Hughes,
one of the dandies in the days of the
Regency. He paid some fabulous prices
for his dressing cases (flourished 1820-
1830). Ball married a Spanish dancer.
He shirked a duel, and this probably popularised
the pun Golden Ball, Leaden Ball, Hughes Ball.
The three golden balls. (See BALLS.)
Golden Bay. The Bay of Kieselarke
is so called because the sands shine like
gold or fire. (Hans Struys, 17th cent.)
Golden Bonds. Aurelian allowed
the captive queen Zenobia to have a
slave to hold up her golden fetters.
Golden Bowl is Broken (The).
Death has supervened.
“Or ever, the silver cord be loosed, or the
golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken
at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cis-
term. Then shall the dust return to the earth as
it was: and the Spirit shall return unto God who
gave it.”—Ecclesiastes xii. 6, 7.
“Remember ºthy Creator": -
before the silver cord of health is loosed by
Sickness;
before the golden bowl of manly strength has
been broken up;
before the lyitcher or body, which contains the
| spirit, has been broken up;
before the wheel of life has run its course,
and the spirit has returned to God, who gave it.
Golden Bull. An edict by the Em-
peror Charles IV., issued at the Diet of
Nuremberg in 1356, for the purpose of
fixing how the German emperors were
to be elected. (See BULL.)
Golden Calf. We all worship the
golden calf, i.e. money. The reference
is to the golden calf made by Aaron
when Moses was absent on Mount Sinai.
(Exod. xxxii.) According to a common
local tradition, Aaron’s golden calf is
buried in Rook’s Hill, Lavant, near
Chichester.
Golden Cave. Contained a cistern
guarded by two giants and two centaurs;
the waters of the cistern were good for
quenching the fire of the cave; and when
this fire was quenched the inhabitants of
Scobellum would return to their native
forms. (The Seven Champions, iii. 10.)
Golden Chain. “Faith is the golden
chaim to link the penitent sinner unto
God” (Jeremy Taylor). The allusion is
to a passage in Homer's Iliad (i. 19-30),
where Zeus says, If a golden chain were
let down from heaven, and all the gods
and goddesses pulled at one end, they
would not be able to pull him down to
earth ; whereas he could lift with ease
all the deities and all created things
besides with his single might.
Golden Fleece. Ino persuaded her
husband, Ath'amas, that his son Phryxos
was the cause of a famine which deso-
lated the land, and the old dotard
ordered him to be sacrificed to the angry
gods. Phryxos being apprised of this
Order, made his escape over sea, on a
Tam which had a golden fleece. When he
arrived at Colchis, he sacrificed the ram
to Zeus, and gave the fleece to King
AEe’tés, who hung it on a sacred oak.
It was afterwards stolen by Jason in his
celebrated Argonautic expedition. (See
ARGO.) .
“This rising Greece with indignation viewed,
And youthful Jason an attempt conceived
Lofty and bold : along Peneſus' banks,
Around Olympus’ brows, the Muses’ haunts,
He roused the brave to re-demand the fleece.”
Dyer : The Fleece, ii.
Golden fleece of the north. The fur
and peltry of Siberia is so called.
* Australia, has been called “The
Land of the Golden Fleece,” because of
the quantity of wool produced there.
Golden Fleece. An order of knight-
hood by this title was instituted by
Philip III., Duke of Burgundy, in 1429.
The selection of the fleece as a badge is
perhaps best explained by the fact that
the manufacture of wool had long been
the staple industry of the Low Countries,
then a part of the Burgundian posses-
S1OI).S.
Golden Fountain. The property of
a wealthy Jew of Jerusalem. “In
twenty-four hours it would convert any
metal into refined gold; stony flints into
pure silver; and any kind of earth into
excellent metal.” (The Seven Cham-
pions of Christendom, ii. 4.),
Golden Girdle. Louis VIII. made
an edict that no courtesan should be
allowed to wear a golden girdle, under
very severe penalty. , Hence the pro-
verb, Bonne renommé vault mietta que
ceinture dorée. (See GIRDLE.)
Golden Horn. The inlet of the
Bosphorus on which Constantinople is
situated. So called from its curved
shape and great beauty.
Golden House. This was a palace
erected by Nero in Rome. It was roofed
with golden tiles, and the inside walls,
which were profusely gilt, were em-
bellished with mother-of-pearl and pre-
cious stones; the ceilings were inlaid
with ivory and gold. The banquet-hall
had a rotatory motion, and its vaulted
Golden Tiegend
534
Golden Town
ceiling showered flowers and perfumes
on the guests. The Farne'se popes and
princes used the materials of Nero's
house for their palaces and villas.
Golden Legend. A collection of
hagiology (lives of saints) made by
Jaques de Voragine in the thirteenth
century; valuable for the picture it
gives of mediaeval manners, customs,
and thought. Jortin says that the
young students of religious houses, for
the exercise of their talents, were set to
accommodate the narratives of heathen
writers to Christian saints. It was a
collection of these “lives” that Voragine
made, and thought deserving to be
called “Legends worth their Weight in
Gold.” Longfellow has a dramatic
poem entitled The Golden Legend.
Golden Mean. Keep the golden
anean. The wise saw of Cleobu'los, King
of Rhodes (B.C. 630-559).
“Distant alike from each, to neither lean,
I3ut ever keep the happy Golden Mean.”
- I’owe : The Golden, Voyses.
Golden-mouthed. Chrysostom; so
called for his great eloquence (A.D. 347-
407).
Golden Qintment. Eye salve. In
allusion to the ancient practice of rub-
bing “stynas of the eye” with a gold
ring to cure them.
“I have a sty here, Chilax,
I have no gold to cure it.”
Beaumont and Fletcher: Mad Love)'8.
Golden opinions. “I have bought
golden opinions of all sorts of people.”
(Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 7.)
Golden Palace.
IHous E.)
Golden Rose. A cluster of roses
and rosebuds growing on one thorny
stem, all of the purest gold, chiselled
with exquisite workmanship. In its
cup, among its petals, the Pope, at every
'benediction he pronounces upon it,
inserts a few particles of amber and
musk. It is blessed on the fourth Sun-
day in Lent, and bestowed during the
ecclesiastical year on the royal lady
whose zeal for the Church has most
shown itself by pious deeds or pious
intentions. The prince who has best
deserved of the Holy See has the blessed
sword and cap (lo stocco e il beretto) sent
him. If no one merits the gift it is laid
up in the Vatican. In the spring of
1868 the Pope gave the golden rose to
Isabella of Spain, in reward of “her
faith, justice, and charity,” and to “fore-
token the protection of God to his
(See GoLDEN
well - beloved daughter, whose high
virtues make her a shining light amongst
women.” The Empress Eugénie of
France also received it.
Golden Rule.
In morals—T)o unto others as you
would be done by. Or Matt. vii. 12.
I?? arithmetic—The Rule of Three.
Golden Shoe (A). A pot of money.
“The want of a golden shoe '' is the
want of ready cash. It seems to be a
superlative of a “silver slipper,” or good
luck generally, as he “walks in silver
slippers.” .
Golden Shower or Shower of gold.
A bribe, money. The allusion is to the
classic tale of Jupiter and Dan'aé. Ac-
ris'ios, Ring of Argos, being told that
his daughter’s son would put him to
death, resolved that Dan'aé should never
marry, and accordingly locked her up in
a brazen tower. Jupiter, who was in
love with the princess, foiled the king
by changing himself into a shower of
gold, under which guise hereadily found
access to the fair prisoner.
Golden Slipper (The), in Negro
melodies, like “golden streets,” etc.,
symbolises the joys of the land of the
leal; and to wear the golden slipper
means to enter into the joys of Paradise.
The golden shoes or slippers of Para-
dise, according to Scandinavian mytho-
logy, enable the wearer to walk on air or
Water.
Golden State. California ; so called
from its gold “diggins.”
Golden Stream. Joannes T)amas-
ce'nus, author of Dogmatic Theology
(died 756). .
Golden ‘Thigh. Pythagoras is said
to have had a golden thigh, which he
showed to Abāris, the Hyperborean
priest, and exhibited in the Olympic
games. Pelops, we are told, had an
ivory shoulder. Nuad had a silver hand
#: swº IHAND), but this was arti-
Cl8l.
Golden Tooth. A Silesian child, in
1593, we are told, in his second set of
teeth, cut “one great tooth of pure
gold;” but Libavius, chemist of Coburg,
recommended that the tooth should be
seen by a goldsmith ; and the goldsmith
pronounced it to be “an ordinary tooth
cleverly covered with gold leaf.”
Golden Town (The). So Mainz or
Mayence was called in Carlovingian
times.
Golden Valley -
Golden Valley (The). The eastern
portion of Limerick is so called, from
its great natural fertility.
Golden Verses. So called because
they are “good as gold.” They are by
some attributed to Epicar'mos, and by
others to Emped'oclés, but always go
under the name of Pythagoras, and seem
quite in accordance with the excellent
precepts of that philosopher. They are
as follows:—
Ne'er Suffer sleep thine eyes to close
Before thy mind hath run
O'er every act, and thought, and Word,
From dawn to set of Sun ;
For Wrong take Shame, but grateful feel
If just thy course hath been;
Such effort day by day renewed
Will ward thy soul from sin. E. O. B.
Goldy. The pet name given by Dr.
Johnson to Oliver Goldsmith. Garrick
said of him, “He wrote like an angel
and talked like poor Poll.” (Born Nov.
29, 1728; died April 4, 1774.)
Gol'gotha, signifies a Skull, and cor-
responds to the French word chantmont.
Brobably it designated a bare hill or
rising ground, having Some fanciful re-
semblance to the form of a bald skull.
“Golgotha seems not entirely unconnected with
the hill of Garel), and the locality of Goath, men-
tioned in Jeremiah xxxi, 39, on the north-west of
the city. I am inclined to fix the place where
Jesus was crucified . . . . on the mounds which
command the Valley Of Hinnom, above Birket-
Mamila.”—Remain : Life of Jesus, chap. XXV. 1
Golgotha, at the University church,
Cambridge, was the gallery in which the
“heads of the houses” sat ; so called
because it was the place of skulls or
heads. It has been more wittily than
truly said that Golgotha was the place
of empty skulls.
Goliath. The Philistine giant, slain
|by the stripling David with a small stone
hurled from a sling. (1 Sam. xvii. 23-
54.) (See GIANTS.)
Golosh'. It is said that Henry VI.
wore half-boots laced at the side, and
about the same time was introduced the
shoe or clog called the “galage” or
“gologe,” meaning simply a covering;
to which is attributed the origin of our
word golosh. This cannot be correct,
as Chaucer, who died twenty years be-
fore Henry VI. was born, uses the word.
The word comes to us from the Spanish
galocha (wooden shoes); German,
galosche.
“Ne were worthy to unhocle his galoche.”
Chantcer.: Squire's Tale.
Go'marists. Opponents of Ar-
minius. . So called from Francis Gomar,
their leader (1563-1641).
i
535
Gormfanorm.
*-**
Gombeen Man (The). A tallyman;
a village usurer; a money-lender. The
word is of Irish extraction.
“They suppose that the tenants can have no
Other Supply of capital than from the gombeen
man.”—Egmont Hake: Free Trade in Capital, p.
75.
Gombo. Pigeon French, or French
as it is spoken by the coloured popula-
tion of Louisiana, the French West
Indies, Bourbon, and Mauritius. (Con-
nected with jumbo.)
“Creole is almost pure French, not much more
mispronounced than in Søme parts of France; but
Gombo is a mere phonetic burlesque of French,
interlarded With African Words, and other words
Which are neither African nor French, but prob-
ably belong to , the aboriginal language of the
Various countries to which the slaves were
brought from Africa.”—The Nineteenth Century,
October, 1891, p. 576,
Gondola. A Venetian boat.
“Venice, in her purple prime . . . . when the
famous law Was passed making all gondolas black,
that the nobles Should not Squander fortunes
upon them.”—Curtis : Potipha^' Papers, i. p. 31.
Gone 'Coon (A). (See 'COON.)
Gone to the Devil. (See atnder
DEVIL) -
Gone Up. ... Put out of the way,
hanged, or otherwise got rid of. In
Denver (America) unruly citizens are
Summarily hung on a cottom tree, and
when any question is asked about them
the answer is briefly given, “Gone up ''
—i.e. gone up the Cotton tree, or sus-
pended from One of its branches. (See
New America, by W. Hepworth Dixon,
i. 11.)
Gon'eril. One of Lear’s three daugh-
ters. Having received her moiety of
Lear’s kingdom, the unnatural daughter
first abridged the old man’s retinue,
then gave him to understand that his
company was troublesome. (Shake-
speare : King Lear.)
Gon' falon or Gonfamon. . An ensign
or standard. A gonfalonier is a magis-
trate that has a gonfalon. (Italian,
gonfalo'ne ; French, gonfalon , Saxon,
getthºfana, war-flag.) Chaucer uses the
word gonfamon; Milton prefers gonfalon.
Thus he says:—
“Ten thousand thousand ensigns high advanced,
Standards and gonfalons, 'twixt van and rear
Stream in the air, and for distillction Serve
Of hierarchies [3 Syl.], of orders, and degrees.”
- Paradise Lost, V. 589.
Gonfanon. The consecrated banner
of the Normans. When William in-
vaded England, his gonfamon was pre-
sented to him by the Pope. It was
made of purple silk, divided at the end
like the banner attached to the “Cross
of the Resurrection.” When Harold
Gorin
536
Good Samaritan
was wounded in the eye, he was borne
to the foot of this sacred standard, and
the English rallied round him ; but his
death gave victory to the invaders. The
high altar of Battle Abbey marked the
spot where the gonfanon stood, but the
only traces now left are a few stones,
recently uncovered, to show the site of
this memorable place.
Gonin. C'est tº Małtre Gonim. He
is a sly dog. Maitre Gonin was a
famous clown in the sixteenth century.
“ Un toºt) de Maître Gonin '' means a
cunning or Scurvy trick. (See ALI-
BORON.)
Gonnella's Horse. Gonnella, the
domestic jester of the Duke of Ferra'ra,
rode on a horse all skin and bone. The
jests of Gonnella are in print.
“His horse was as lean as Gonnella's, which (as
the Duke Said) ‘O3So atque pellis totus erat '
(Plautus).”—Cervantes : Dom Quicote.
Gonsal'ez [Go??-zalley]. Fernan
Gonsalez was a Spanish hero of the
tenth century, whose life was twice
saved by his wife Sancha, daughter of
Garcias, King of Navarre. The adven-
tures of Gonsal'ez have given birth to a
host of ballads.
Gonville College (Cambridge). The
same as Caius College, founded in 1348
by Edmond Gonville, son of Sir Nicholas
Gonville, rector of Terrington, Norfolk.
(See CAIUS COLLEGE.)
Good. The Good.
Alfonso VIII. (or IX.) of Leon, “The
Noble and Good.” (1158-1214.)
Douglas (The good Sir James), Bruce's
friend, died 1330.
Jean II, of France, le Bon. (1319,
1350-1364.)
Jean III., Duc de Bourgogne. (1286,
1312-1341.)
Jean of Brittany, “The Good and
Wise.” (1287, 1389–1442.)
Philippe III., Duc de Bourgogne.
(1396, 1419–1467.)
Réné, called The Good ſing Réné,
titular King of Naples. (1439-1452.)
Richard II., Duc de Normandie. (996-
1026.)
Richard de Beauchamp, twelfth Earl
of Wºwº, Begent of France. (Died
1439.
Good-bye. A contraction of God be
with you. Similar to the French adieu,
which is d Dieu (I commend you to God).
* Some object to the substitution of
“God” in this phrase, reminding us of
our common phrases good day, good
night, good morning, good evening ;
—,
“Good be with ye” would mean may
you fare well, or good abide [with you],
Good-Cheap. The French bon marché,
a good bargain. “Cheap ’’ here means
market or bargain. (Anglo-Saxon, ceap.)
Good Duke Humphrey. Hum-
phrey Plantagenet, Duke of Gloucester,
youngest son of Henry IV., said to have
been murdered by Suffolk and Cardinal
Beaufort. (Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI.,
iii. 2.)
* Called “Good,” not for his philan-
thropy, but from his devotion to the
Church. He was an out-and-out Catholic.
Good Folk (Scotch guid fol/) are like
the Shetland land-Trows, who inhabit
the interior of green hills. (See TRows.)
Good Form, Bad Form. Comme il
faut, borº toº mauvais ton, comme il ne
faut pas. Form means fashion, like the
Latin forma.
Good Friday. The anniversary of
the Crucifixion. “Good" means holy.
Probably good = God, as in the phrase
“Good-bye.” (q.v.).
Iłorn on Good Friday. According to
ancient Superstition, those , born on
Christmas Day or Good Friday have the
power of Seeing and commanding spirits.
Good Graces (To get into one’s). To
be in favour with.
“Having continued to get into the good graces
of the buxom widow.”—Dickens: Pickwick, chap.
XIV. *
Good Hater (A). I love a good hater.
I like a man to be with me or against
me, either to be hot or cold. IXr. John-
son called Bathurst the physician a
“good hater,” because he hated a fool,
and he hated a rogue, and he hated a
Whig ; “he,” said the Doctor, “was a
very good hater.”
Good Lady (The). The mistress of
the house. “Your good lady,” your
wife. (See GOODMAN.)
*: “My good woman” is a depreca-
tory address to an inferior; but “Is
your good woman at home?” is quite
respectful, meaning your wife (of the
lower grade of Society).
Good Neighbours.
call the Norse drows.
Good Regent. James Stewart, Earl
of Murray, appointed Regent of Scot-
land after the imprisonment of Queen
Mary. -
Good Samaritan. One who suc-
cours the distressed. The character is
So the Scotch
Good Time 537
..º.
Goody
from our Lord’s Parable of the man
who fell among thieves (St. Luke X.
30-37). -
Good Time. There is a good time
coming. This has been for a long, long
time a familiar saying in Scotland, and
is introduced by Sir Walter Scott in his
Rob Roy. Charles Mackay has written
a song so called, set to music by Henry
Russell.
Good Turn (To do a).
ness to any one.
Good and All (For). Not tenta-
tively, not in pretence, nor yet tem-
porally, but bond fide, really, and alto-
gether. (See ALL.)
“The good woman never died after this, till she
Cahue to die for good and all.”—L'Estrange: Fables.
Good as Gold. Thoroughly good. .
To do a kind-
Good for Anything. Ripe for any
sort of work.
“After a man has had a year or two at this sort
of work, he is good . . . . for anything.”—Boldre-
*tood : Robbery under Arms, chap. xi.
Not good for anything. Utterly worth-
less; used up or worn down.
Good Wine needs no Bush. It was
customary to hang out ivy, boughs of
trees, flowers, etc., at public houses to
notify to travellers that “good cheer”
might be had within.
“Some ale-houses upon the road I saw,
And sºng, with bushes showing they wine did
l'ºl\V Poor Robim's Perambulations (1678).
Goods. I carry all my goods with me
(Omnia mea meet/m porto). Said by Bias,
one of the seven Sages, when Prie'né was
besieged and the inhabitants were pre-
paring for flight.
Goodfellow (Robin).
called Puck, son of Oberon, a domestic
; the constant attendant on the
£nglish fairy-court; full of tricks and
fond of practical jokes.
“That shrewd and knayish sprite}
Called Robin (#OOdfellow.”
Shakespeatre : Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.
Goodluck's Close (Norfolk). A
corruption of Guthlac’s Close, so called
from a chapel founded by Allen, son of .
Godfrey de Swaffham, in the reign of
Henry II., and dedicated to St. Guthlac.
Goodman. A husband or master is
the Saxon gºûnd or goma (a man), which
in the inflected cases becomes guman or
goman. In St. Matt. xxiv. 43, “If the
goodman of the house had known in
what watch the thief would come, he
would have watched.” Gomman and
Sometimes
gommer, for the master and mistress of
a house, are by no means uncommon.
The phrase is also used of the devil.
“There's nae luck about"the house
When our gudeman's awa.” Mickle.
Goodman, or St. Gutman. Patron
Saint of tailors, being himself of the
same craft.
Goodman of Bal'lengeich. The
assumed name of James W. of Scotland
when he made his disguised visits
through the country districts around
Edinburgh and Stirling, after the fashion
of Haroun-al-Raschid, Louis XI., etc.
Goodman's Croft. A strip of ground
or corner of a field formerly left untilled,
in Scotland, in the belief that unless
some such place were left, the spirit of
evil would damage the crop.
* Scotchmen still living remember the corner of
a field being left for the goodman's croft.”—Tylor:
Primitive Culture, ii. 370.
Goodman's Fields, Whitechapel.
Fields belonging to a farmer named
Goodman.
“At the Which farm I myself in my youth have
fetched many a halfpenny-worth of milk, and
never had less than three ale-pints for a halfpenny
in Summer, nor less than one ale-pint in winter,
always hot from the kine . . . and strained. . One
Trolop, and afterwards Goodman, were the farm-
ers there, and had thirty or forty kine to the pail.”
—Stow.
Goodwin Sands consisted at one
time of about 4,000 acres of low land
fenced from the sea by a wall, belonging
to Earl Goodwin or Godwin. William
the Conqueror bestowed them on the
abbey of St. Augustine, at Canterbury,
and the abbot allowed the sea-wall to
fall into a dilapidated state, so that the
sea broke through in 1100 and inundated
the whole. (See TENTERDEN STEEPLE.)
Goodwood Races. So called from
the park in which they are held. They
begin the last Tuesday of July, and last
four days ; but the principal one is
Thursday, called the “Cup Day.”
These races, being held in a private
park, are very select, and admirably
conducted. Goodwood Park, the pro-
perty of the Duke of Richmond, was
purchased by Charles, the first Duke, of
the Compton family, then resident in
East Law'ant, a village two miles north
of Chichester.
Goody. A depreciative, meaning
weakly moral and religious. In French,
b0), homme is used in a similar way.
“No doubt, if a Caesar or a Napoleon comes be-
fore some man of weak Will . . . .especially if he
be a goody man, [he] will quail.”—J. Cook: Com-
Science, lecture iv, p. 49,
Goody 538
Goose
Goody is good-wife, Chaucer's good-
lefe ; as, Goody Dobson. Good-woman
means the mistress of the house, con-
tracted Sometimes into gommer, as good-
man is into gomman. (See GOODMAN.)
Goody Blake. A poor old woman
who was detected by Harry Gill, the
farmer, picking up sticks for a wee-bit
fire to warm herself by. The farmer
compelled her to leave them on the field,
and Goody Blake invoked on him the
curse that he might never more be warm.
From that moment neither blazing fire
nor accumulated clothing ever made
Harry Gill warm again. Do what he
would, “his teeth went chatter, chatter,
still.” (IFordsworth : Goody Blake and
IIarry Gill.)
Goody Two-Shoes. This tale first
appeared in 1765. It was written for
Newbery, as it is said, by Oliver Gold-
Smith.
Goody-goody. Very religious or
moral, but with no strength of mind or
independence of spirit.
Goose. A tailor’s Smoothing-iron ; so
called because its handle resembles the
neck of a goose.
“Come in, tailor ; here you may roast your
goose.”—Shakespeare: Macbeth, ii. 3.
Ferrara geese. Celebrated for the
size of their livers. The French páte
de foie gras, for which Strasbourg is
so noted, is not a French invention, but
a mere imitation of a well-known dish
of classic times.
“I wish, gentlemen, it was one of the geose of
Ferrara, So much celebrated among the ancient.8
for the magnitude of their livers, one of which is
Said to have Weighed upwards of two pounds.
With this food, exquisite as it was, did Heliog-
ab'alus regale his hounds.”—Smollett: Peregrine
IPichºle.
IFayz Goose. (See WAYZ.)
I’ll cook your goose for you. I’ll pay
you out. Eric, King of Sweden, coming
to a certain town with very few soldiers,
the enemy, in mockery, hung out a goose
for him to shoot at. Finding, however,
that the king meant business, and that
it would be no laughing matter for them,
they sent heralds to ask him what he
wanted. “To cook your goose for you,”
he facetiously replied. *
JHe killed the goose to get the eggs. He
grasped at what was more than his due,
and lost an excellent customer. The
Greek fable says a countryman had a
goose that laid golden eggs; thinking to
make himself rich, he killed the goose
to get the whole stock of eggs at once,
but lost everything.
Pſe steals a goose, and gives the giblets
in alms. He amasses wealth by over-
reaching, and salves his conscience by
giving small sums in charity.
The older the goose the harder to pluck.
Old men are unwilling to part with their
money. The reference is to the custom
of plucking live geese for the sake of
their quills. Steel pens have put an end
to this barbarous custom.
To get the goose. To get hissed on the
stage. (Theatrical.)
What a goose you are. In the Egyptian
hieroglyphics the emblem of a vain silly
fellow is a goose.
Goose and Gridiron. A public-
house sign, properly the coat of arms of
the Company of Musicians—viz. a swan
with expanded wings, within a double
tressure [the gridiron], counter, flory,
argent. Perverted into a goose striking
the bars of a gridiron with its foot, and
called “The Swan and Harp,” or
‘‘ Goose and Gridiron.”
This famous lodge of the Treemasons, of which
Wren was Master (in London Homse Yard), was
doon led in 1894.
Goose at Michaelmas. One legend
says that St. Martin was tormented by
a goose which he killed and ate. As he
died from the repast, good Christians
have ever since sacrificed the goose on
the day of the saint.
The popular tradition is that Queen
Elizabeth, on her way to Tilbury Fort
(September 29th, 1588), dined at the
ancient seat of Sir Neville Umfreyville,
where, among other things, two fine
geese were provided for dinner. The
queen, having eaten heartily, called for
a bumper of Burgundy, and gave as a
toast, “Destruction to the Spanish
Armada | ?? Scarcely had she spoken
when a messenger announced the de-
struction of the fleet by a storm. The
queen demanded a second bumper, and
said, “Henceforth shall a goose com-
memorate this great victory.” This tale
is marred by the awkward circumstance
that the thanksgiving sermon for the
victory was preached at St. Paul’s on the
20th August, and the fleet was dispersed
by the winds in July. Gascoigne,
who died 1577, refers to the custom
of goose-eating at Michaelmas as com-
IIlOIl.
“At Christmas a capon, at Michaelmas a goose,
And somewhat else at New Yere's tide, for feare
the lease flies 100Se.”
* At Michaelmas time stubble-geese
are in perfection, and tenants formerly
Gooseberry
539
Gorgibus
presented their landlords with one to
keep in their good graces.
Although geese were served at table in Michael-
mas time, before the destruction of the Armada,
still they commemorate that event. So there
were doubtless rainbows before the Flood, yet
God Imade the rainbow the token of His bromise
not to send another Flood upon the World.
Gooseberry. Fox Talbot says this
is St. John's berry, being ripe about St.
John's Day. [This must be John the
Baptist, at the end of August, not John
the Evangelist, at the beginning of
May.] Hence, he says, it is called in
Holland Jansbeeren. Jams'-beeren, he
continues, has been corrupted into Gans-
beeren, and Gans is the German for
goose. This is very ingenious, but ſ/orse
(furze) offers a simpler derivation.
Gorse-berry (the prickly berry) would
|be like the German stachel-beere (the
“prickly berry”), and , kraus - beere
(the rough gooseberry), from krauen
(to scratch). IGrausbeere, Gorse-berry,
Gooseberry. In Scotland it is called
grosser. (See BEAR’s GARLICK.)
To play gooseberry is to go with two
lovers for appearance' sake. The person
“who plays propriety” is expected to
hear, see, and say nothing. (See GOOSE-
BERRY PICKER.)
IHe played up old gooseberry with me.
IIe took great liberties with my property,
and greatly abused it ; in fact, he made
gooseberry fool of it. (See below.)
Gooseberry Fool. A corruption of
gooseberry foulé, milled, mashed,
pressed. The French have foulé de
pommes ; foºtlé de l'aisins ; foulé de
groseilles, our “gooseberry fool.”
* Gooseberry fool is a compound made
of gooseberries scalded and pounded
with cream.
Gooseberry Picleer (A). One who
has all the toil and trouble of picking a
troublesome fruit for the delectation of
others. (See TAPISSERIE.)
Goosebridge. Go to Goosebridge.
“Rule a wife and have a wife.” Boc-
caccio (ix. 9) tells us that a man who
had married a shrew asked Solomon
what he should do to make her more
submissive ; and the wise king answered,
“Go to Goosebridge.” Returning home,
deeply perplexed, he came to a bridge
where a muleteer was trying to induce
a mule to pass over it. The mule re-
sisted, but the stronger will of the mule-
teer at length prevailed. The man
asked the name of the bridge, and was
told it was “Goosebridge.” Petruchio
tamed Katharine by the power of a
stronger will.
Goose Dubbs, of Glasgow. A sort
of Seven Dials, or Scottish Alsa’tia.
The Scotch use dubbs for a filthy puddle.
(Welsh, dwb, mortar; Irish, doib, plas-
ter.)
“The Guse-dubs o' Glasgow : O sirs, what a
huddle o’ houses, . . . the green middens o' baith
liquid and Solid matter, 8.001) lin' Wi’ dead cats and
auld shoon.”—Voctes Ambrosianae.
Goose Gibbie. A half-witted lad,
who first “ kept the turkeys, and was
afterwards advanced to the more im-
portant office of minding the cows.”
(Sir Walter Scott : Old Mortality.)
Gopher-wood (nE), of which the
ark was made. -
It was acacia, Says the Religious Tract Society.
It Was borºuood, says the Arabian commentators.
It was bulrushes, daubed over with slime, says
DaVSOh.
It Was ceda?", Says the Targum of Onkelos,
It was cypress, says Fuller, and Kvirap is not
unlike gopher.
It was ebony-wood, says Bockart.
It was deal or fir-wood, Say Some.
lt was juniper-cood, says Castellus.
It was pime, Say Asenarius, Munster, Persie,
Taylor, etc. ſ
It was wicken-wood, says Geddes.
Gordian Knot. A great difficulty.
Gordius, a peasant, being chosen king
of Phrygia, dedicated his waggon to
Jupiter, and fastened the yoke to a
beam with a rope of bark so ingeniously
that no one could untie it. Alexander
was told that “whoever undid the knot
would reign over the whole East.”
“Well them,” said the conqueror, “it
is thus I perform the task,” and, so
saying, he cut the knot in twain with
his sword.
To cut the knot is to evade a difficulty,
or get out of it in a Summary manner.
“Such praise the Macedonian got
IFor having rudely cut the Gordian knot.”
TWaller : To the King.
“Turn him to any cause of policy,
The Gordian knot of it he will unloose,
Familiar as his garter.”
Shakespeare: Henry V. i. 1.
Gordon Riots. Riots in 1780,
headed by Lord George Gordon, to com-
pel the House of Commons to repeal the
bill passed in 1778 for the relief of
IRoman Catholics. Gordon was undoubt-
edly of unsound mind, and he died in
1793, a proselyte to Judaism. Dickens
has given a very vivid description of the
Gordon riots in Barnaby Rudge.
Gor'gibus. An honest, simple-minded
burgess, brought into all sorts of troubles
by the love of finery and the gingerbread
gentility of his niece and his daughter.
(Molière: Les Précieuses Ridicules.)
Gorgon 540
Goth .
Gorgon. Anything unusually hide-
ous. There were three Gorgons, with
Serpents on their heads instead of hair ;
Medu'sa was the chief of the three, and
the only one that was mortal; but so
hideous was her face that whoever set
eyes On it was instantly turned into
stone. She was slain by Perseus, and
her head placed on the shield of Minerva.
“Ilest Gorgon rising from the infernal lakes
With horrors armed, and curls of hissing snakes,
Should fix me, stiffened at the monstrous Sight,
A Stony image in eternal night.' -
Odyssey, xi.
“What was that snaky-headed Gorgon shield.
That wise Minerya wore , unconquered virgin,
Where with she freezed her foes to congealed
- 2
T}ut #á'íooks of chaste austerity,
And noble grace, that dashed brute violence
With Sudden adoration and blank awe.”
Milton : Convºts, 458–463.
Gorham Controversy. This arose
out of the refusal of the bishop of Exe-
ter to institute the Rev. Cornelius Gor-
ham to the vicarage of Brampford Speke,
‘‘ because he held unsound views on the
doctrine of baptism.” Mr. Gorham
maintained that “spiritual regeneration
is not conferred on children by baptism.”
After two years’ controversy, the Privy
Council decided in favour of Mr. Gor-
ham (1851).
Gorlois, Duke of Cornwall, husband
of Igerna, who was the mother of King
Arthur by an adulterous connection with
|Uther, pendragon of the Britons.
Gosling. A term applied to a silly
fellow, a simpleton.
“Surprised at all they meet, the gosling pair,
With awkward gait, stretched neck, and silly
Discº huge cathedrals.”
Cowper : I’rogress of Error, 379–81.
Goslings. The catkins of nut-trees,
pines, etc. Halliwell says they are so
called from their yellow colour and
fluffy texture.
Gospel. A panacea; a scheme to
bring about some promised reform ; a
beau ideal. Of course the theological
word is the Anglo-Saxon godspell, i.e.
God and spel (a story), a translation of
the Greek evangelion, the good story.
“Mr. Carnegie's gospel is the very thing for the
transition period from Social heathendom to
Social Christianity.”—Nimeteenth Century (March,
1891, p. 380).
Gospel according to . . . The
chief teaching of [so-and-so]. “The
Gospel according to Mammon '' is the
making and collecting of money. “The
Gospel according to Sir Pertinax Mac
Sycophant,” is bowing and cringing to
those who are in a position to lend you
a helping hand. -
*º-
Gospel of Nicodemus (The). Some-
times called “The Acts of Pilate ” (Acta
J’ilāti), was the main source of the
“Mysteries” and “Miracle Plays” of
the Middle Ages; and although now
deemed apocryphal, seems for many ages
to have been accepted as genuine." -
Gospel of Wealth (The). The hy-
pothesis that wealth is the great end and
aim of man, the one thing needful.
“The Gospel of Wealth advocates leaving free
tlle Operation of laws of accumulation.”—Car-
quegie: Advantages of Poverty.
Gospellers. Followers of Wycliffe,
called the “Gospel Doctor;” any one
who believes that the New Testament
has in part, at least, Superseded the Old.
JHot Gospellers. A nickname applied
to the Puritans after the Restoration.
Gossamer. According to legend,
this delicate thread is the ravelling of the
Virgin Mary’s winding-sheet, which fell
to earth on her ascension to heaven. It
is said to be God’s seam, i.e. God’s
thread. Philologically it is the Latin
gossipin-ºts, cotton.
Gossip. A tattler; a sponsor at bap-
tism, a corruption of gossib, which is God-
sib, a kinsman in the Lord. (Sib, gesib,
Anglo-Saxon, kinsman, whence sibman,
he is our sib, still used.)
“'Tis not a maid, for she hath had gossips [spon.
sors for her child]; yet ’tis a maid, for she is her
master's servant, and Seryes for wages.”— Shake-
speare: Two Gentlemen of Verona, iii. 1.
Gossip. A father confessor, of a good,
easy, jovial frame.
“Here, Andrew, carry this to my gossip, jolly
father Boniface, the monk of St. Martin’s.”—Sir
Walter Scott : Quentim Dwyward.
Gossyp'ia.
sonified.
“The nymph Gossypia heads the velvet sod,
And warms with rosy Smiles the watery god.”
Larwin. : Loves of the Plants, canto ii.
Got the Mitten. Jilted; got his
dismissal. The word is from the Latin
mitto, to dismiss.
“There is a young lady I have set my heart on;
though whether she is agoin' to give me hern, or
give me the Imitten, I ain’t quite Satisfied.”—Satºv
Slick: Human Nature, p. 90.
The cotton-plant per-
Gotch. A large stone jug with a
handle (Norfolk). Fetch the gotch, mor
—i.e. fetch the great water-jug, lassie.
“A gotch of milk I’ve been to fill.”
I3100m field : Richard and Kate.
Goth. Icelandic, got (a horseman);
whence Woden—i.e. Gothen.
“The Goths were divided by the Dnieper into
Fast Goths (Ostrogoths), and West Goths (Visi-
goths), and were the most cultured of the German
peoples.”—Baring-Gould : Story of Germany, p. 37.
Gotham.
541
Goutte de Sang
Last of the Goths. Roderick, the
thirty-fourth of the Visigothic line of
kings (414-711). (See RODERICK.)
Gotham. Wise Men of Gotham—
fools. Many tales of folly have been
fathered on the Gothamites, one of which
is their joining hands round a thorn-
bush to shut in a cuckoo. The “bush.”
is still shown to visitors.
It is said that King John intended to
make a progress through this town with
the view of purchasing a castle and
grounds. The townsmen had no desire
to be saddled with this expense, and
therefore when the royal messengers
appeared, wherever they went they saw
the people occupied in Some idiotic
pursuit. The king being told of it,
abandoned his intention, and the “wise
men '' of the village cunningly remarked,
“We ween there are more fools pass
through Gotham than remain in it.”
Andrew Boyde, a native of Gotham,
wrote The Meyrie Tales of the Wise Men
of Gotham, founded on a commission
signed by Henry VIII. to the magistrates
of that town to prevent poaching.
All nations have fixed upon
some locality as their limbus of fools;
thus we have Phrygia as the fools' home
of Asia Minor, Abdera of the Thracians,
IBoeo'tia of the Greeks, Nazareth of the
ancient Jews, Swabia of the modern
Germans, and so on. (See COGGESHALL.)
Gothamites (3 syl.). American
cockneys. New York is called satirically
Gotham.
“Such things as would strike . . . a stranger in
our beloyed, Gotham, and places to , which our
regular Gothamites (American cockneys) are
Wont to repair.”—Fraser's Magazine: Sketches of
A?)lerica), Society.
Gothic Architecture has nothing
to do with the Goths, but is a term of
contempt bestowed by the architects of
the Renaissance period on mediaeval
architecture, which they termed Gothic
or clumsy, fit for barbarians.
“St. Louis . . . built the Ste. Chapelle of Paris,
. . . the most precious piece of Gothic in North-
ern Europe.”—Ruskim : Fors Clavigera, vol. i.
‘. Napoleon III, magnificently restored and laid
Open this exquisite church.
Goulx or Gowlr. In the Teutonic the
word gauch means fool; whence the
Anglo-Saxon geae, a cuckoo, and the
Scotch goke or goalk.
JHunting the gowſ: [fool], is making
one an April fool. (See APRIL.)
A gowk storm is a term applied to a
storm consisting of several days of
tempestuous weather, believed by the
peasantry to take place periodically about
the beginning of April, at the time that
the gowk or cuckoo visits this country.
“That being done, he hoped that this was but a
gowk-Storm.”—Sir G. Mackenzie: Memoirs, p. 70.
Gourd. Used in the Middle Ages for
corks (Orlando Furioso, x. 106); used also
for a cup or bottle. (French, gourde ;
Latin, cucurbita.)
Jonah’s gourd [kikiven], the Palma
Christi, called in Egypt käki. Niebuhr
speaks of a specimen which he himself
saw near a rivulet, which in October
“rose eight feet in five months’ time.”
And Volney says, “Wherever plants
have water the rapidity of their growth
is prodigious. In Cairo,” he adds, “there
is a species of gourd which in twenty-
four hours will send out shoots four
inches long.” (Travels, Vol. i. p. 71.)
Gourds. Dice with a secret cavity.
Those loaded with lead were called
Fulhams (7.7).).
“Gourds and fullam holds,
And high and low beguile the rich and poor.”
Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor, i. 3.
Gourmand and Gourmet (French).
The gourmand is one whose chief pleasure
is eating ; but a gourmet is a connoisseur
of food and wines. In England the
difference is this: a gourmand regards
quantity more than quality, a goat)"met
quality more than quantity. (Welsh,
go?', excess; gorm, a fulness; gourmod,
too much ; gormant; etc.) (See APICIUS.)
“In former tin:es [in France] gourmamd meant a
judge of eating, and gourmet a judge of Wine . . .
Gourmet is now universally understood to refer
to eating, and not to drinking.” – Hamerton :
l'ºench and English, part V. chal). iv. p. 249.
Gourmand's Prayer (The). “O
Philoxenos, Philoxenos, why were you
not Prometheus P” Prometheus was
the mythological creator of man, and
Philoxenos was a great epicure, whose
great and constant wish was to have the
neck of a crane, that he might enjoy the
taste of his food longer before it was
swallowed into his stomach. (Aristotle :
JEthics, iii. 10.)
Gourre (1 syl.). A debauched wo-
man. The citizens of Paris bestowed
the name on Isabella of Bavaria.
“We have Ilere . . . a lunan . . . who to his
Second wife espoused La grande GOurre.”—Rabe-
lais : Pantag’ruel, iii. 21.
Gout, from the French goutte, a drop,
because it was once thought to proceed
from a “drop of acrid matter in the
joints.”
Goutte de Sang. The Adonis flower
or pheasant's eye, said to be stained by
GOvern.
w
{)
42
Grace Darling
the blood of Adonis, who was gored by
a boar.
“O fleur, sichère à Cytherée
Ta corolle fut, en naissant,
Du Sang d'Adonis colorée.”
Goven. St. Gowen's Bell. (See INCH-
CAPE.) -
Government Men. Convicts.
“[He] had always been a hard-working man....
good at most things, and, like a lot more of the
Government men, as the convicts were called,
... had saved somé money.”—Bold rewood: Iłobbery
under Arms, clap. i.
Gowan. A daisy; a perennial plant
or flower. º
The ewe-gowan is the common daisy,
apparently denominated from the ewe,
as being frequently in pastures fed on
by sheep.
“Some bit wasfu' love story, enough to mak
the links an' the ewe-gowans blush to the very
lip.”—Brownie of Bodsbeck, i. 215.
Gower, called by Chaucer “The moral
Gower.”
, “O moral Gower, this book I direct
To thee, and to the philosophical Strood,
To youchsauf there need is to correct
Of your benignities and Zealés good.”
JhalºtC6?'.
Gowk. (See GOUK.)
Gowlr-thrapple (Maister). A pulpit-
drumming “chosen vessel” in Scott's
Waverley. -
Gowlee (Indian). A “cow-herd.”
One of the Hindu castes is so called.
Gown. Gow), and tow?? Yow. A
scrimmage between the students of
Fºr
i
r
different colleges, on one side, and the
townsmen, on the other. These feuds go
back to the reign of King John, when
3,000 students left Oxford for Reading,
owing to a quarrel with the men of the
town. What little now remains of this
“ancient tenure ?? is confined, as far as
the town is concerned, to the bargees
and their “tails.”
Gownsman. A student at one of
the universities; so called because he
wears an academical gown.
Graal. (See GRAIL.)
Grab. To clutch or seize. I grabbed
it ; he grabbed him, i.e. the bailiff caught
him. (Swedish, grabba, to grasp ; Danish,
griber; our grip, gripe, grope, grapple.)
A land grabber. A very common ex-
pression in Ireland during the last two
decades of the nineteenth century, to
signify one who takes the farm or land
of an evicted tenant.
Grace. The sister Graces. The Ro-
mans said there were three sister Graces,
bosom friends of the Muses. They are
represented as embracing each other,
to show that where one is the other is
welcome. . Their names are Agloea,
Thalía, and Euphrosyně.
Grace’s Card Or Grace-card. The
six of hearts is so called in Kilkenny.
At the Revolution in 1688, one of the
family of Grace, of Courtstown, in Ire-
land, equipped at his own expense a
regiment of foot and troop of horse, in
the service of King James. William of
Orange promised him high honours if he
would join the new party, but the in-
dignant baron wrote on a card, “Tell .
your master I despise his offer.” The
card was the six of hearts, and hence the
Ila, Iſle.
* It was a common practice till quite
modern times to utilise playing-cards
for directions, orders, and addresses.
Grace Cup or Loving Cup. The larger
tankard passed round the table after
grace. It is still seen at the Lord
Mayor’s feasts, at college, and occasion-
ally in private banquets.
* The proper way of drinking the
cup observed at the Lord Mayor’s ban-
quet or City companies’ is to have a
silver bowl with two handles and a
napkin. Two persons stand up, one to
drink and the other to defend the
drinker. Having taken his draught, he
wipes the cup with the napkin, and
passes it to his “defender,” when the
next person rises to defend the inew
drinker. And so on to the end. -
Grace Darling, daughter of William
Darling, lighthouse-keeper on Longstone,
one of the Farne Islands. On the morn-
ing of the 7th September, 1838, Grace
and her father saved nine of the crew of
the Forfarshire steamer, wrecked among
the Farne Isles, opposite Bamborough
Castle (1815-1842). Wordsworth has a
poem on the subject.
The Grace Darling of America. Ida
Lewis (afterwards Mrs. W. H. Wilson,
of Black Rock, Connecticut). Her
father kept the Limerock lighthouse in
Newport harbour. At the age of
eighteen she saved four young men whose
boat had upset in the harbour. A little
later she saved the life of a drunken
sailor whose boat had sunk. In 1867
she rescued three men ; and in 1868 a.
small boy who had clung to the mast of
a sailboat from midnight till morning,
In 1869 she and her brother Hosea,
rescued two sailors whose boat had
capsized in a squall. Soon after this
she married, and her career at the light-
house ended. (Born 1841.)
Grace Days
543
Grain
Grace Days or Days of Grace. The
three days over and above the time stated
in a commercial bill. Thus, if a bill is
drawn on the 20th June, and is payable
in one month, it ought to be due on the
20th of July, but three days of grace are
to be added, bringing the date to the
23rd of July.
Gracechurch (London) is Graes-
church, or Grass-church, the church
built on the site of the old grass-market.
Grass at one time included all sorts of
herbs.
Graceless Florin. The first issue
of the English florins, so called because
the letters D.G. (“by God’s grace”) were
omitted for want of room. It happened
that Richard Lalor Sheil, the master of
the Mint, was a Catholic, and a scandal
was raised that the omission was made
on religious grounds. The florins were
called in and re-cast. (See GODLESS
FLORIN.) -
* Mr. Sheil was appointed by the Whig
ministry Master of the Mint in 1846; he
issued the florin in 1849; was removed
in 1850, and died at Florence in 1851,
aged nearly 57.
Gracio'sa. A princess beloved by
Percinet, who thwarts the malicious
schemes of Grognon, her stepmother.
(A fairy tale.)
Gracio'so. The interlocutor in the
Spanish drame romantique. He thrusts
himself forward on all occasions, ever
and anon directing his gibes to the
audience. -
Gradas’so. A bully ; so called from
Gradasso, King of Serica'na, called by
Ariosto “the bravest of the Pagan
knights.” He went against Charlemagne
with 100,000 vassals in his train, all
“discrowned kings,”
dressed him but on their knees. (Orlando
JFurioso and Orlando Innamorato.)
Gradely. A north of England term
meaning thoroughly ; regularly ; as Be-
have yourself gradely. A gradely fine day.
“Sammy 'll fettle him graidely.”—Mrs. H. Bur-
nett: That Lass o' Lowrie's, chap. ii.
Grad'grind (Thomas). A man who
measures everything with rule and
compass, allows nothing for the weak-
ness of human nature, and deals with
men and women as a mathematician
with his figures. He shows that summum
jus is suprema injuria. (Dickens : Hard
Times.)
“The gradgrinds undervalue and disparage it.”
—Church, Review,
who never ad- .
Graemes (The). A class of free-
booters, who inhabited the debatable
land, and were transported to Ireland
at the beginning of the seventeenth cen-
tury.
Graham. A charlatan who gave
indecent and blasphemous addresses in
the “Great Apollo Room,” Adelphi. He
Sometimes made mesmerism a medium
of pandering to the prurient taste of his
audience. -
Grahame's Dyke. The Roman wall
between the friths of the Clyde and
Forth, so called from the first person
who leaped over it after the Romans
left Britain.
“This wall defended the Britons for a time, but
the Scots and Picts assembled themselves in
great numbers, and climbed over it. . . . . A man
halmed Grahame is said to have been the first
Soldier who got over, alıd the common people
still call the remains of the wall ‘ Grahame's
Dike.’”—Sir Walter Scott : Tales of a Grand-
Jatthew'.
Grail (The Holy). In French, Sºn
Graal. This must not be confounded
with the san-greal or sang-real, for the
two are totally distinct. The “Grail”
is either the paten or dish which held
the paschal lamb eaten by Christ and
His apostles at the last supper, or the
cup which He said contained the blood
of the New Testament. Joseph of
Arimathasa, according to legend, pre-
served this cup, and received into it
some of the blood of Jesus at the
crucifixion. He brought it to England,
but it disappeared. The quest of the
Holy Grail is the fertile source of
the adventures of the Knights of the
found Table. In some of the tales it is -
evidently the cup, in others it is the
paten or dish (French, grasal, the Sacra-
mental cup). Sir Galahad discovered it
and died; but each of the 150 knights
of King Arthur caught sight of it ; but,
unless pure of heart and holy in con-
duct, the grail, though seen, suddenly
disappeared. (See GREAL and GALAHAD.)
Grain. A knave in grain. A knave,
though a rich man, or magnate. Grain
means Scarlet (Latin, granum, the coccus,
or scarlet dye).
“A military vest of purple flowed
Livelier than Melibe'an [Thessalian], or the
Of śa [Tyre] worn by kings and heroes old.
In time of truce.”
Pat) (talise Lost, Xi. 241-244.
Rogue in grain. A punning application
of the above phrase to millers.
To go against the grain. Against one's
inclination. The allusion is to wood,
which cannot be easily planed the wrong
way of the grain.
Gramercy
544 Grandisor - -
With a grain of salt. Latim, “Cum
grano salis,” with great reservation.
The French phrase has another meaning
—thus, “Il le mangerait avec un grain de
sel ” means, he could double up such a
little whipper-Snapper as easily as one
could swallow a grain of Salt. In the
Latin phrase cum does not mean “with ”
or “together with,” but it adverbialises
the noun, as cum ſide, faithfully, city?
silentio, silently, cum latitia, joyfully,
cum grano, minutely (“cum grano Salis,”
in the minute manner that one takes
Salt).
Gramercy. Thank you much (the
French grand merci). Thus Shakespeare,
“Be it so, Titus, and gramercy too '’
(Titus Andronicus, i. 2). Again, “Gra-
mercies, Tranio, well dost thou advise’’
(Taming of the Shrew, i. 1). When
Gobbo says to Bassanio, “God bless
your worship !” he replies, “Gramercy.
Wouldst thou aught with me?” (Mer-
chant of Venice, ii. 2.) -
Grammar. Zenod'otos invented the
terms singular, plural, and dual.
The scholars of Alexandria and of the
rival academy of Per'gamos were the
first to distinguish language into parts .
of speech, and to give technical terms to
the various functions of words.
The first Greek grammar was by
Dionysios Thrax, and it is still extant.
IHe was a pupil of Aristarchos.
Julius Caesar was the inventor of the
term ablative case.
English grammar is the most philo-
sophical ever devised ; and if the first
and third personal pronouns, the rela-
tive pronoun, the 3rd person singular of
the present indicative of verbs, and the
verb “to be '’ could be reformed, it
would be as near perfection as possible.
* It was Kaiser Sigismund who
stumbled into a wrong gender, and when
told of it replied, “ Effo sum Imperator
Bomanorum, et Supra gººm))laticam. ”
(1520, 1548–1572).
Grammarians. Prince of Gram-
ºnarians. Apollo'nios of Alexandria,
called by Priscian Grammatico'rum prin-
ceps (second century B.C.).
Grammont. The Count de Gram-
amont’s short memory. When the Count
left England he was followed by the
brothers of La Belle Hamilton, who, with
drawn swords, asked him if he had not
forgotten something. “True, true,”
said the Count; “I promised to marry
your sister,” and instantly went back to
repair the lapse by making the young
lady Countess of Grammont.
Granary of Europe. So Sicily used
to be called.
Granby. The Marquis of Granby. A
public-house sign in honour of John
Manners, Marquis of Granby, a popular
Tºnglish general (1721-1770).
The Times says the old marquis owes
his sign-board notoriety “partly to his
personal bravery and partly to the
baldness of his head. He still presides
over eighteen public-houses in London
alone.”
Old Weller, in Pickwick, married the
hostess of the “Marquis of Granby’’ at
Dorking.
Grand (French).
Je Grand Corneille.
French dramatist (1606-1
Le Grand Dauph'in.
Louis XIV. (1661-1711).
La Grande Mademoiselle. The Duchesse
de Montpensier, daughter of Gaston, Duc
d'Orléans, and cousin of Louis XIV.
Le Grand Momarque. Louis XIV.,
also called “The Baboon’” (1638, 1643-
1715).
Le Grand Pan. Voltaire (1696–1778).
Monsient) le Grand. The Grand
Equerry of France in the reign of Louis
XIV., etc.
Grandee. In Spain, a nobleman of
the highest rank, who has the privilege of
remaining covered in the king's presence.
Grand Alliance. Signed May 12th,
1689, between England, Germany, and
the States General, subsequently also by
-Spain and Savoy, to prevent the union
of France and Spain.
Grand Lama. The object of wor-
ship in Thibet and Mongolia. The word
lama in the Tangutanese dialect means
“mother of souls.” It is the repre-
sentative of the Shigemooni, the highest
god.
Grande Passion (The). Love.
“This is scarcely sufficient . . . . to supply the
element . . . . so indispensable to the existence
of a grande passion.”—Nimeteenth Century (I'el)-
ruary, 1892, p. 210).
Grandison (Sir Charles). The union
of a Christian and a gentleman. Richard-
son’s novel so called. Sir Walter Scott
calls Sir Charles “the faultless monster
that the world ne'er saw.” Robert
Nelson, reputed author of the Whole
Duty of Man, was the prototype. -
Grandison Cromwell Lafayette.
Grandison Cromwell was the witty
Corneille, the
684).
Louis, son of
Grandmother
545
Gra,SS
nickname given by Mirabeau to Lafay-
ette, meaning thereby that he had all the
ambition of a Cromwell in his heart, but
wanted to appear before men as a Sir
Charles Grandison.
Grandmother. My grandmother’s
review, the British Review. Lord Byron
said, in a sort of jest, “I bribed my
grandmother’s review.” . The editor of
the British called him to account, and
this gave the poet a fine opportunity of
pointing the battery of his satire against
the periodical. (Don Juan.)
Granë (1 syl.). To strangle, throttle
(Anglo-Saxon, ſ/r/n).
Grange. Properly the granum (gra-
nary) or farm of a monastery, where
the corn was kept in store. In Lincoln-
shire and other northern counties any
lone farm is so called.
Mariana, of the Moated Grange, is the
title of a poem by Tennyson, suggested
by the character of Mariana in Shake-
speare's Measure for Measure. -
* Houses attached to monasteries
where rent was paid in grain were also
called granges.
“Till thou return, the Court I will exclange
For some poor cottage, or some country grange.”
Drayton : Lady Geraldime to Earl of Surrey.
Grangerise. Having obtained a copy
of the poet’s works, he proceeded at once
to Grangerise them. Grangerisation is
the addition of all sorts of things directly
and indirectly bearing on the book in
question, illustrating it, connected with
it or its author, or even the author's
family and correspondents. It includes
autograph letters, caricatures, prints,
broadsheets, biographical sketches, anec-
dotes, scandals, press notices, parallel
passages, and any other sort of matter
which can be got together as an olla.
podrida for the matter in hand. ... The
word is from the Rev. J. Granger (1710-
1776). Pronounce Grain-jer-ise. (See
BowdTERISE.) There are also Granger-
ist, Grangerism, Grangerisation, etc.
Grangousier (4 sy].). King of Uto'-
pia, who married, in “the vigour of his
old age,” Gargamelle, daughter of the
king of the Parpaillons, and became the
father of Gargantua, the giant. He is
described as a man in his dotage, whose
delight was to draw scratches on the
hearth with a burnt stick while watch-,
ing the broiling of his chestnuts. When
told of the invasion of Picrochole, King
of Lerné, he exclaimed, “Alas! alas !
do I dream P. Can it be true?” and
began calling on all the Saints of the
calendar. He then sent to expostulate
with Picrochole, and, seeing this would
not do, tried what bribes by way of
reparation would effect. In the mean-
time he sent to Paris for his son, who
Soon came to his rescue, utterly defeated
Picrochole, and put his army to full
rout. Some say he is meant for Louis
XII., but this is most improbable, not
only because there is very little re-
Semblance between the two, but because
he was king of Utopia, some consider-
able distance from Paris. Motteux
thinks the academy figure of this old
Priam was John d'Albret, King of Na-
varre. He certainly was no true Catho-
lic, for he says in chap. xlv. they called
him a heretic for declaiming against the
Saints. (Rabelais : Gargantua, i. 3.)
Grani (2 syl.). Siegfried's horse,
whose Swiftness exceeded that of the
winds. (See HoRSE.)
Granite City (The). Aberdeen.
Granite Redoubt (The). The gren-
adiers of the Consular Guard were so
called at the battle of Marengo in 1800,
because when the French had given way .
they formed into a square, stood like
flints against the Austrians, and stopped
all further advance. &
Granite State (The). New Hamp-
shire is so called, because the mountain
parts are chiefly granite.
Grantorto. A giant who withheld
the inheritance of Irena (Ireland). He
is meant for the genius of the Irish re-
bellion of 1580, slain by Sir Art'egal.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, v.) (See GIANTS.)
Grapes. The grapes are 8070'. You
disparage it because it is beyond your
reach. The allusion is to the well-known
fable of the fox, which tried in vain to
get at some grapes, but when he found
they were beyond his reach went away
saying, “I see they are sour.”
Wild grapes. What has been trans-
lated “wild grapes” (Isaiah v. 2-4) the
Arabs call “wolf-grapes.” It is the
fruit of the deadly nightshade, which is
black and shining. This plant is very
common in the vineyards of Palestine.
Grass. Gone to grass. TJead. The
allusion is to the grass which grows over
the dead. Also, “Gone to rusticate,”
the allusion being to a horse which is
sent to grass when unfit for work.
Not to let the grass grow under one’s
feet. To be very active and energetic.
“Captain Cuttle held on at a great page, and
allowed no grass to grow under his feet,”—-
Dickens: Dombey and Son, -
35
Grass Widow
546
Grave
To give grass.
vanquished.
To be knocked down in a pugilistic
encounter is to “go to grass; ” to have
the sack is also to go to grass, as a cow
which is no longer fit for milking is sent
to pasture.
A grass-hand is a compositor who fills
a temporary vacancy.
Grass Widow was anciently an un-
married woman who has had a child,
'but now the word is used for a wife
temporarily parted from her husband.
The word means a grace widow, a widow
'by courtesy. (In French, veuve de grace;
in Latin, viduca de gratia ; a woman
divorced or separated from her husband
lby a dispensation of the Pope, and not
by death ; hence, a woman temporally
separated from her husband.)
“Grace-widow (“grass-widow’) is a term for
one who becomes a widow by grace or favour,
Inot of necessity, as by death. The term origin-
ated in the earlier ages of European civilisation,
when divorces were granted [on]y] lºy authority
§§" Catholic Church.”—11udiantopolis News
876).
To confess yourself
* The subjoined explanation of the
term may be added in a book of “Phrase
and Fable.”
During the gold mania in California.
a man would not unfrequently put his
wife and children to board with some
family while he went to the “diggins.”
This he called “putting his wife to
grass,” as we put a horse to grass when
not wanted or unfit for work.
Grasshopper, as the sign of a grocer,
is the crest of Sir Thomas Gresham, the
merchant grocer. The Royal Gresham
Exchange used to be profusely deco-
rated with grasshoppers, and the brass
one on the eastern part of the present
edifice is the one which escaped the fires
Of 1666 and 1838.
* There is a tale that Sir Thomas was
a foundling, and that a woman, attracted
'by the chirping of a grasshopper, dis-
covered the outcast and brought him up.
Except as a tale, this solution of the
combination is worthless. Gres = grass
(Anglo-Saxon, grass), and no doubt
grasshopper is an heraldic rebus on the
name. Puns and rebuses were at one
time common enough in heraldry, and
often very far-fetched.
Grasshopper (The).
of seven animals.
hoppa.).
“It has the head of a horse, the neck of an ox,
the wings of a dragon, the feet of a camel, the
tail of a Serpent, the horns of a stag, and the body
Qf a Scorpion.”—Caylus: Oriental Tales (The Four
Talismans). -- - --
A compound
(Anglo-Saxon, grass-
Grassmarket. At one time the
place of execution in Edinburgh.
“I like mane O' your Sermons that Cnd in a
psalm at the GraSSmarket.”— Sir Walter Scott :
Old Mortality, chap. XXXV.
Grassum or Gersome. A fine in
money paid by a lessee either on taking
possession of his lease or on renewing it.
(Anglo-Saxon, gaºrsum, a treasure.)
Gratia'no. Brother of the Vene-
tian senator, Brabantio. (Shakespeare:
Othello.) -
Also a character in The Merchant
of Venice, who “talks an infinite deal
of nothing, more than any man in all
Venice.” He is one of Bassanio's friends,
and when the latter marries Portia, Gra-
tiano marries Nerissa, Portia’s maid.
Grave. To carry away the meal from
the grave. The Greeks and Persians
used to make feasts at certain seasons
(when the dead were supposed to return
to their graves), and leave the fragments
of their banquets on the tombs (Elee-
Amos'/mam Sepul"cri patris).
With one foot in the grave. At the
very verge of death. . The expression
was used by Julian, who said he would
“learn something even if he had one
foot in the grave.” The parallel Greek
phrase is, “With one foot in the ferry-
boat,” meaning Charon’s.
Grave. Solemn, sedate, and serious
in look and manner. This is the Latin
gravis, grave ; but “grave,” a place of
interment, is the Anglo-Saxon graf, a
pit ; verb, graf-an, to dig.
More grave than wise, “Tertius e calo
cecădăţ Cato.”
Grave-diggers (Hamlet). “If the
water come to the man . . . .” The legal
case referred to by Shakespeare oc-
curred in the fifth year of Queen Eliza-
beth’s reign, called Hales v. Petit, stated
at length in Notes and Queries, vol. viii.
p. 123 (first series).
Grave Maurice. A public-house
sign. The head of the [Graf Moritz],
Prince of Orange, and Captain-General
of the United Provinces (1567–1625).
(Hotten : Book of Signs.)
Grave Searchers. Monkir and
Nakir, so called by the Mahometans.
. (Ockley, vol. ii.) (See MONKIR.)
Grave as a Judge. Sedate and
serious in look and manner.
Grave as an Owl. Having an aspect
of solemnity and wisdom. -
« . . ."
Gravelled
i.
‘ Gravelled. I’m regularly gravelled.
Non-plussed, like a ship run aground
and unable to move. -
“When you were gravelled for lack of matter.”
—Shakespeare : As You Like It, iW. 1.
Gray. The authoress of Auld Robin
Gray was Lady Anne Lindsay, after-
wards Lady Barnard (1750-1825).
Gray Cloak. An alderman above
the chair; so called because his proper
costume is a cloak furred with gray amis.
(Hutton : New View of London, intro.)
Gray Man's Path. A singular
fissure in the greenstone precipice near
Ballycastle, in Ireland.
Gray's Inn (London) was the inn or
mansion of the Lords Gray.
Grayham's. (See GRAHAME's DYK.E.)
Graysteel. The Sword of Kol, fatal
to the owner. It passed to several hands,
but always brought ill-luck. (Icelandic
JEdda.) (See FATAL GIFTS; SworDS.)
Greal (San).
sang-real, the real blood of Christ, or
the wine used in the last Supper, which
Christ said was ‘‘ His blood of the New
Testament, shed for the remission of
sin.” According to tradition, a part of
this wine-blood was preserved by Joseph
of Arimathasa, in the cup called the Saint
Graal. When Merlin made the Round
Table, he left a place for the Holy Graal.
(Latin, Sangſuis] Réâl[is].) (See GRAAL.)
Grease One's Fist or Palm (To).
To give a bribe.
“Grease my fist with a tester or two, and ye
shall find it in your pennyworths.”—Quarles: The
Virgin. Widow, iv. 1. p. 40.
“S. You must Oyl it first.
C. I. understand you—
Greaze him i' the fist.”
Cartwright: Ordinary (1651).
Greasy Sunday. Dominica Carmelevale
—i.e. Quinquagesima Sunday. (See Du
Cange, Vol. iii. p. 196, Col. 2.)
Great (The).
ABBAs I., Shah of Persia. (1557, I585–1628.)
ºnatus MAGNUS, the Schoolman. (1193–
280.
sºs" III., King of Asturiaš and Leon. (848,
Afried, of England. (S49, 871-901.)
ALEXANDER, Qf Macedon. (B.C. 356, 340-323.)
ST. BASIL, Bishop of Caesare/a. (329-379.)
º UTE, of England and Denmark. (995, 1014-
CASIMIR III., of Poland. (1309, 1333–1370.)
CHARLES I., Emperor of Germany, called
Charlemagºle. (742, 764–814.)
§Amºs III. (Or II.), Duke of Lorraine. (1543-
1608.
iºnºs BMIMANUEL I., Duke of Savoy. (1562–
ČóNSTANTINE I., Emperor of Rome. (272, 306-
337.
COUPERIN, (Francis), the French musical Com-
poser. (1668-1733.) -
Broperly divided, it is
547 Great Harry
also called Bell-the-Cºtt [g.º.
FERDINAND I., of Castile and Leon. (Reigned
1034–1065.) -
FREDERICK WILLIAM, Elector of Brandenburg,
surnamed The Great Elector. (1620, 1640-1688.)
FREDERICK II., of Prussia. (1712, 1740–1786.)
GREGORY I., Pope. (544, 590-604.)
HENRI IV., of France, (1553, 1589–1610.)
HEROD AGRIPPA I., Tetrarch of Abile/né, who
beheaded James (Acts xii.). (Died A.D. 44.)
HLAO-WHN-TEE, the sovereign of the Hān dy-
nasty of China. He forbade the use of gold, and
silver vessels in the palace, and appropriated the
money which they fetched to the aged DOOT. (B.C.
206, 179-J57.)
JOHN II., of Portugal. (1455, 1481-1495.)
JUSTINIAN I. (483, 527–565.)
LEWIS I., of Hungary. (1326, 1349–1381.) -
Lou Is Iſ., Prince of Condé, Duc d'Enghien.
(1621–1686.)
Louis XIV., called Le Grand Momarque. (1638,
1643–1714.)
Mºnower II., Sultan of the Turks. (1430, 1451-
481.
MAXIMILIAN, Duke of Bavaria, Victor of
I’rague. (1573–1651.)
COSMO Di' MEDLCL, first Grand Duke of Tuscany.
(1519, 1537–1574.)
GONZALES PEDRO DE MENDOZA, greatl Cardinal
of Spain, statesman and scholar. (1503-1575.)
NICHOLAS I., Pope (was Pope from 858–867).
OTHO I., Emperor of Gormany. (012, 936-973.)
PETER. I., of Russia. (1672, 1689-1725.)
PIERRE III., of Aragon. (1239, 1976-1985.)
sº (Giacomo), the Italian general. (1869–
1424. .
SAPort or SHAH-Pou R, the ninth king of the
Sassan'idés (q.v.). (240, 307-379.)
SIGISMUND, King of Poland. (1466, 1506-1548.)
THEO'DoRIC, King of the Ostrogoths. (454, 475-
26. -
THEODO's IU's I., Emperor. (346, 378-395.)
Mºrrºo Viscoši, iord of Milan. "Čš0, 1995-
I322.
VI, ADIMIR, Grand Duke of Iłussia. (973-1014.)
WALDEMAR. I., of Denmark. (I.131, 1157–1181.)
Great Bullet-head. George Cadou-
dal, leader of the Chouans, born at
Brech, in Morbihan. (1769-1804.)
Great Captain. (See CAPTAIN.)
Great Cham of Literature. So
Smollett calls Dr. Johnson. (1709-1784.)
Great Commoner (The). William
Pitt (1759-1806). -
Great Cry and Little Wool. Much
ado about nothing. (See CRY.)
Great Dauphin. (See GRAND.)
Great Elector (The). Frederick
William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620,
1640-1688). -
Great Go. A familiar term for a uni-
versity examination for degrees: the
“previous examination ” being the
‘‘Tittle G.O.”
“Great Go” is usually shortened into
“Greats.”
“Since I have been reading . . . for my greats,
I have had to go into all sorts of deep books.”—
Grant Allem : The Backslider, part iii.
Great Harry (The)... A man-of-war
built by Henry VII., the first of any
size constructed in England. It was
burnt in 1553. (See HENRY GRACE DE
DIEU.) -
DOUGLAS, (Archibald, the great. Earl of Angus,
J), (Died 1514.)
Great Head
- 548
Grecian
Great Head. Malcolm III., of Scot-
land; also called Canmore, which means
the same thing. (Reigned 1057-1093.)
“Malcolm III., called Canmore or Great Head.”
—Sir W. Scott : Tales of a Grandfather, i. 4. .
Great Men (Social status of).
AESOP, a manumitted Slave.
ARKwikiGHT (Sir Richard), a barber.
BEACONSFIELD (Lord), a Solicitor's clerk.
BLOOMFIELD, a cobbler, Son of a tailor.
PUNYAN, a travelling tinker.
BURNS, a gauger, Son of a ploughman.
CAEDMON, a cowherd. -
CERVANTES, a common Soldier.
CLAIRE, a ploughman, S.On of a farm la))Ourer.
CLAUDE LORRAINE, a pastry Cook.
COLUMBU.S. Son of a Weaver.
COOK (Captain), son of a llusbandman.
CROMWELL, Son of a brewer,
CUNNINGHAM (Allam), a StonemaSOn, Son of a
peasant.
DEFOE, a hosier, Son Of a butcher.
DEMOSTHENES, SOn Of a Cutler.
DICKENS, a newspaper reporter ; father the
Saille.
ELDON (Lord), Son of a coal-broker.
FARADAY (Michael), a bookbinder.
FERGUSON (James), the astronomer, Son of a
day-labourer. e
RANKLIN, a journeyman printCl’, Son of a
tallow-chandler.
HARGIREAVES, the machinist, a poor weaver.
Hogg, a shepherd, Son of a Scotch peasant. . . .
HOMER, a farmer's Son (Said to llave begged his
bread). º
HORACE, Son of a manumitted slave. .
HOWARD (Johm), a grocer's alpprentice, SOn Of
a tradeShalm.
KEAN. (Edmºtind), Son of a Stage-Carpenter in a
minor theatre,
JONSON (Bem), a bricklayer.
LATIMER, Bishop of Worcester, son of a small
fal'Inner.
LUCIAN, a sculptor. Son of a poor tradesman.
MONIK §. a Volunteer. *
ºrs (Johm), Son of a poor Carpenter in Corn-
Wºl, l ; .
PAINE (Thomas), a stay-maker, son of a Quaker.
PORSON (Richard), son of a parish clerk in
Norfolk. . .
. RICHARDSON, a bookseller and printer, Son of a
Jolner.
SHAKESPEARE, Son of a wool-stapler.
STEPHENSON (George), son of a fireman at a
colliery.
VIRGIL, SOn Of a porter. ->
WATT (James), improver of the steam engine,
SOn Of a block-maker.
WASHINGTON, a farmer.
WOLSEY, Son of a butcher.
"." And hundreds more.
Great Men (Wives of).
WIVEs.)
Great Mogul. The title of the chief
of the Mogul Empire, which came to an
end in 1806.
Great Mother. The earth. When
Junius Brutus and the sons of Tarquin
asked the Delphic. Oracle who was to
succeed Superbus on the throne of
IRome, they received for answer, “He
who shall first kiss his mother.” While
the two princes hastened home to fulfil
what they thought was meant, Brutus
fell to the earth, and exclaimed, “Thus
kiss I thee, O earth, the great mother
of us all.”
(See under
Great Perhaps (The). So Rabelais
(1485-1553) described a future state.
Great Scott or Scot . A mitigated
form of Oath. The initial letter of the
German Gott is changed into Sc.
“‘Great Scott . . . Beg pardon l' ejaculated
Silas, astounded.”—A. C. Gumter : Baron Montez,
book iv. chap. Xix.
Great Sea (The). So the Mediter-
ranean Sea was called by the ancient
Greeks and Romans.
Great Unknown (The). Sir Walter
Scott, who published the Waverley Novels
anonymously. (1771-1832.)
Great Unwashed (The). The artisan
class. Burke first used the compound,
but Sir Walter Scott popularised it.
Great Wits Jump. Think alike :
tally. Thus Shakespeare says, “ It
ſº with my humour.” (1 Henry IV.,
iv. 2.
Great Wits to Madness nearly
are Allied. (Pope.) Seneca Says,
“Nullum magnum ingenium absque mix-
tú'a dementia est.” .
Greatest. The greatest happiness of
the greatest number. - Jeremy Bentham’s
political axiom. (Liberty of the People.)
(1821.)
Greatheart (Mr.). The guide of
Christiana and her family to the Celestial
City. (Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress, ii.)
Greaves (Sir Launcelot). A sort of
Don Quixote, who, in the reign of George
II., wandered over England to redress
wrongs, discourage moral evils not re-
cognisable by law, degrade immodesty,
punish ingratitude, and reform Society.
His Sancho Panza was an old sea captain.
(Smollett : Adventures of Sir Launcelot
Greaves.)
Grebenski Cossacks. So called
from the word greben (a comb). This
title was conferred upon them by
Czar Ivan I., because, in his campaign
against the Tartars of the Caucasus, they
scaled a mountain fortified with sharp
spurs, sloping down from its summit,
and projecting horizontally, like a comb.
(Duncan : Russia.)
Grecian Bend (The). An affecta-
tion in walking assumed by English
ladies in 1875. The silliness spread to
America and other countries which
affect passing oddities of fashion.
Grecian Coffee-house, in Devereux
Court, the oldest in London, was origin-
ally opened by Pasqua, a Greek slave,
brought to England in 1652 by Daniel
Grecian 549
Edwards, a Turkey merchant. This
Greek was the first to teach the method
of roasting coffee, to introduce the drink
into the island, and to call himself a
‘‘coffee-man.”
Grecian Stairs. A corruption of
greesing stairs. Greesings (steps) still
survives in the architectural word grees,
and in the compound word de-grees.
There is still on the hill at Lincoln a
flight of stone steps called “Grecian
stairs.”
“Paul stood on the greezen [i.e. Stairs].”—
Wicliffe : Acts xxi. 40.
Greedy (Justice). In A New Way to
Pay Old Debts, by Massinger.
Greegrees. Charms. (African St/-
perstition.) •
A gree-gree man. One who sells
charms.
Greek (The). Manuel Alva'rez (el
Griego), the Spanish sculptor (1727-
9.
797).
All Greek to me. Quite unintelligible;
an unknown tongue or language. Casca
says, “For mine own part, it was all
Greek to me.” (Shakespeare: Julius
Caesar, i. 2.) “C”est dit"Gree pour moi.”
Last of the Greeks. Philopoe'men, of
Megalop'olis, whose great object was to
infuse into the Achaeans a military spirit,
and establish their independence (B.C.
252-183).
To play the Greek (Latin, gracari). To
indulge in one’s cups. The Greeks have
always been considered a luxurious race,
fond of creature-comforts. Thus Cicero,
in his oration against “Werres,” says:
“ Discum"bitatºr, fit sermo inter eos et
£nvita'tio, ºtt Graeco more bibere’tur :
hospes horta’tur, poseunt majoribus
poc'ulis ; celebra' tat, omnium sermo'ne
'latitiaque conviv'ium.” The law in Greek
'banquets was E. pithi e apithi (Quaff,
or be off ') (Cut in, or cut off (). In
Th’oilets and Cressida Shakespeare makes
Pan'darus, bantering Helen for her
love to Tro'ilus, say, “I think Helen
loves him better than Paris; ” to which
Cressida, whose wit is to parry and per-
vert, replies, “Then she's a merry Greek
indeed,” insinuating that she was a
“woman of pleasure.” (Troilus and
Cressida, i. 2.)
Un Grec (French). A cheat. Towards
the close of the reign of Louis XIV., a
Knight of Greek origin, named Apoulos,
was caught in the very act of cheating at
play, even in the palace of the grand
Anomarque. He was sent to the galleys,
and the nation which gave him birth
Greek
became from that time a byword for
Swindler and blackleg. -
Un potage à la Grecque. Insipid soup;
Spartan broth.
When Greek joins Greek, then is the tug
of war. When two men or armies of
undoubted courage fight, the contest will
be very severe. The line is from a verse
in the drama of Aleaxander the Great,
slightly altered, and the reference is to
the obstimate resistance of the Greek
cities to Philip and Alexander, the Mace-
donian kings.
“When Greeks joined Greeks, then was the tug
of War.” Nath (tºniel JLee.
In French the word “Grec ’’ some-
times means wisdom, as—
Il est Grec enz cela.
He has great
talent that way.
Il n'est pas grand Gree. He is no
great conjurer.
Greek Calends. Never. To defer
anything to the Greek Calends is to defer
it sine die. There were no calends in the
Greek months. The Romans used to pay
rents, taxes, bills, etc., on the calends,
and to defer paying them to the “Greek
Calends'' was virtually to repudiate
them. (See NEVER.)
“Will you speak of your paltry prose doings in
my presence, whose great historical poem, in
twenty books, with notes in proportion, has been
postponed ‘ad Graecas Kalendas' 2"—Sir W. Scott :
The Betrothed (Introduction).
Greek Church includes the church
within the Ottoman Empire subject to
the patriarch of Constantinople, the
church in the kingdom of Greece, and
the Russo-Greek Church. The Roman
and Greek Churches formally separated
in 1054. The Greek Church dissents
from the doctrine that the Holy Ghost
proceeds from the Father and the Son
(Filioque), rejects the Papal claim to
supremacy, and administers the eucharist
in both kinds to the laity; but the
two churches agree in their belief of
seven sacraments, transubstantiation,
the adoration of the Host, confession,
absolution, penance, prayers for the
dead, etc.
Greek Commentator. Fernan Nu-
nen de Guzman, the great promoter of
Greek literature in Spain. (1470–1553.)
Greek Cross. Same shape as St.
George's cross (+). The Latin cross
has the upright one-third longer than
the cross-beam (+).
St. George's Cross is seen on our
'banners, where the crosses of St. An-
drew and St. Patrick are combined with
it. (See UNION JACK.)
Greek Fire
Greek Fire. A composition of nitre,
Sulphur, and naphtha. Tow steeped in
the mixture was hurled in a blazing
state through tubes, or tied to arrows.
The invention is ascribed to Callini'cos,
of Heliopolis, A.D. 668.
A very similar projectile was used by
the Federals in the great American con-
test, especially at the seige of Charleston.
Greek Gift (A). A treacherous gift.
The reference is to the Wooden Horse
said to be a gift or offering to the gods
for a safe return from Troy, but in
reality a ruse for the destruction of the
city. (See FATAL GIFTS.)
“TimeO Dana.OS et dona, ferentes.”
Virgil: Aºneid, ii. 49.
Greel: Life. A sound mind in a sound
body. “Mens sana in corpore Sano.”
“This healthy life, which was the Greek life,
came from keeping the body in good tune.”—
Daily Telegraph.
Greek Trust. No trust at all.
“Graeca fides’’ was with the Romans no
faith at all. A Greek, in English slang,
means a cheat or sharper, and Greek
º are sadly in character with Graca
ſides.
Greeks in the New Testament mean
IHellenists, or naturalised Jews in foreign
countries; those not naturalised were
called Aramasan Jews in Syria, Meso-
potamia, and Palestine.
“I will praise God that our family has ever
remained Aramaean ; not one among us has ever
gone oyer to the Hellenists.”—Eldad the Pilgriml,
chap. ii.
Green. Young, fresh, as green cheese,
6.é. Cream cheese, which is eaten fresh ;
ſ/?'éé?? 700se, a young or midsummer
goOSe.
“If you would fat green geese, shut them up
When they are about a month old.”—Mortimer:
Husbandry.
Immature in age or judgment, inex-
perienced, young.
“The text is old, the orator too green.”
Shakespeare : Venus and Adonis, 806.
Simple, raw, easily imposed upon ; a
greenhorn (q.v.).
“‘He is sojolly green,” said Charley.”—Dickens:
Oliver T'wist, chap. ix.
Green. The imperial green of France
was the old Merovin'gian colour re-
stored, and the golden bees are the
ornaments found on the tomb of Chil-
deric, the father of Clovis, in 1653. The
imperial colour of the Aztecs was green ;
the national banner of Ireland is green ;
the field of many American flags is
green, as their Union Jack, and the
flags of the admiral, vice-admiral, rear-
admiral, and commodore ; and that of
the Chinese militia is green.
550
Green Goose
Green is held unlucky to particular
clans and counties of Scotland. The
Caithness men look on it as fatal,
because their bands were clad in green
at the battle of Flodden. It is disliked
by all who bear the name of Ogilvy, and
is especially unlucky to the Grahame
clan. One day, an aged man of that
name was thrown from his horse in a
fox chase, and he accounted for the
accident from his having a green lash to
his riding whip. (See KENDAL GREEN.)
* For its symbolism, etc., see under
COLOURS.
N.B. There are 106 different shades
of green. (See KENDAL GREEN.)
Green Bag. What’s in the greeſ?
bag 2 What charge is about to be pre-
ferred against me? The allusion is to
the “Green Bag Inquiry” (q.v.).
Green Bird (The) told everything a
person wished to know, and talked like
an oracle. (Countess D'Aulnoy: Fair
Star and Prince Chery.)
Green Cloth. The Board of Green
Cloth. A board connected with the
royal household, having power to cor-
rect offenders within the verge of the
palace and two hundred yards beyond
the gates. A warrant from the board
must be obtained before a servant of the
palace can be arrested for debt. So
called “ because the committee sit with
the steward of the household at a board
covered with a green cloth in the count-
ing-house, as recorders and witnesses to
the truth.” It existed in the reign of
Henry I., and probably at a still earlier
period. -.
Green Dogs. Any extinct race, like
that of the Dodo. Brederode said to
Count Louis : “I would the whole race
of bishops and cardinals was extinct,
like that of green dogs.” (Motley:
Dutch Republic, part ii. 5.)
Green Dragoons (The). The 13th
T)ragoons (whose regimental facings were
green). Now called the 13th Hussars,
and the regimental facings have been
white since 1861.
Green Glasses. To look through
green glasses. To feel jealous of one ;
to be envious of another's success.
“If we had an average of theatrical talent, we
had also our quantum of stage jealousies; for who
looks through his green glasses more peevishly
than an actor when his brother Thespian brings
down the house With applause.”—C. ThomsOn :
Autobiography, p. 197.
Green Goose (A).
not fully grown.
A young goose
Green Gowri 551
Green-eyed
Green Gown (A). A tousel in the
new-mown hay. To “give One a green
gown' sometimes means to go beyond
the bounds of innocent playfulness.
“Had any dared to give her [Narcissa] a green
Théºad petrified him with a frown. . . .
Pure as the simow was she, and cold as ice.”
- Péter Piºnday". Old SimO77.
Green Hands (a nautical phrase).
Inferior sailors, also called boys. A crew
is divided into (1) Able seamen ; (2)
Ordinary seamen ; and (3) Green hands
or boys. The term “boys’ has no re-
ference to age, but merely skill and
knowledge in seamanship. Here “green”
means not ripe, not mature.
Green Horse (The). The 5th Dra-
goom Guards; so called because they are
a horse regiment, and have greeſ? for
their regimental facings. . . Now called
“The Princess Charlotte of Wales’s Dra-
goon Guards.”
Tarleton’s green horse. That is, the
horse of General Tarleton covered with
green ribbons and housings, the elec-
tioneering colours of the member for
Liverpool, which he represented in 1790,
1796, 1802, 1807. His Christian name
was Banastre.
Green Howards (The). The 19th
Foot, named from the Hon. Charles
Howard, colonel from 1738 to 1748.
Green was the colour of their regimental
facings, now white, and the regiment is
Called “The Princess Of Wales’s Own.”
Green Isle, or The Finerald Isle.
Ireland; so called from the brilliant
green hue of its grass.
Green Knight (The). A Pagan,
who demanded Fezon in marriage; but,
overcome by Orson, resigned his claim.
(Palentine and Orson.)
Green Labour. The lowest-paid
labour in the tailoring trade. Such
garments are sold to African gold-
diggers and agricultural labourers. Soap
and shoddy do more for these garments
than cottom or cloth. (See GREENER.)
Green Linnets. The 39th Foot, so
called from the colour of their facings.
Now the Dorsetshire, and the facings
are white. -
Green Man. This public-house sign
represents the gamekeeper, who used at
one time to be dressed in green.
“But the “Green Man shall I pass by unsung,
Whiº. mine OWil James upon his sign-post
lung 2
His sign, his image—for he once was seen
A Squire's attendant, clad in keeper's green.”
Crabbe : Borough.
The men who let off fireworks were
called Green-men in the reign of James I.
“Have you any squilds, any green-man in your
shows 2"–The Seven Champions of Christendom.
Green Room (The). The common
waiting-room in a theatre for the per-
formers ; so called because at one time
the walls were coloured green to relieve
the eyes affected by the glare of the
stage lights.
Green Sea. The Persian Gulf ; so
called from a remarkable strip of water
of a green colour along the Arabian
coast. -
* Between 1690 and 1742 the 2nd
Tife Guards were facetiously called
“The Green Sea '.' from their sea-green
facings, in compliment to Queen Catha-
rine, whose favourite colour it was.
The facings of this regiment are now
blue.
Green Thursday, Maundy Thurs-
day, the great day of absolution in the
Lutheran Church. (German, Gräng-don-
7267 staff ; in Latin, dies viridium, Luke
xxiii. 31.)
Green Tree. If they do these things
??? the green tree, what shall be done in the
dry 3 (Luke xxiii. 31.) If the right-
eous can find no justice in man, what
must not the unrighteous expect P If
innocent men are condemned to death,
what hope can the guilty have 2 If
green wood burns so readily, dry wood
would burn more freely still.
Green Wax. Estreats delivered to
a sheriff out of the Exchequer, under
the seal of the court, which is impressed
upon green wax, to be levied (7IIenry IV.
c. 3). (Wharton : Law Leavicon.) -
Green as Grass. Applied to those
easily gulled, and quite unacquainted
with the ways of the world. “Verdant
Greens.”
Green Bag Inquiry. Certain papers
of a seditious character packed in a
green bag during the Regency. The
contents were laid before Parliament,
and the committee advised the suspen-
sion of the Habeas Corpus Act (1817).
Green Baize Road (Gentlemen of
the). Whist players. “Gentlemen of
the Green Cloth Road,” billiard players.
(See Bleak House, chap. xxvi. par. 1.)
Probably the idea of sharpers is in-
cluded, as “Gentlemen of the Road ''
means highwaymen.
Green-Eyed Jealousy or Green-
eyed Monster. Expressions used by
Green 5
Shakespeare (Merchant of Venice, iii. 2;
Othello, iii. 3). As cats, lions, tigers,
and all the green-eyed tribe “mock the
meat they feed on,” so jealousy mocks
its victim by loving and loathing it at
the same time.
Green in my Eye. Do you See any
green in the white of my eye (or eyes) 3
T]o I look credulous and easy to be bam-
|boozledº Do I look like a greenhorn ?
Credulity and wonderment are most pro-
Inounced in the eye.
Green Man and Still. This public-
house sign refers to the distillation of
spirits from green herbs, such as pepper-
mint cordial, and so on. The green man
is the herbalist, or the greengrocer of
herbs, and the still is the apparatus for
distillation.
Green Ribbon Day in Ireland is
March 18th, St. Patrick’s Day, when
the shamrock and green ribbon are worn
as the national badge.
Green Sleeves and Pudding Pies.
This, like Maggie Lauder, is a scurrilous
song, in the time of the Reformation, on
the doctrines of the Catholic Church and
the Catholic clergy. (See “John Ander-
son, my Jo.”)
Greens of Constantinople (The).
A political party opposed to the Blues
in the reign of Justinian.
Greenbacks. Bank notes issued
by the Government of the United States
in 1862, during the Civil War; so called
because the back is printed in green.
In March, 1878, the amount of green-
|backs for permanent circulation was
fixed at 346,681,016 dollars; in rough
numbers, about 70 millions sterling.
Greener. A slang term for a foreigner
who begins to learn tailoring or shoe-
making on his arrival in England.
Greengage. Introduced into Eng-
land by the Rev. John Gage from the
Chartreuse Monastery, near Paris. Called
'by the French “Reine Claude,” out of
compliment to the daughter of Anne
de Bretagne and Louis XII., generally
called la bonne reine (1499-1524).
Greenhorn (A). A simpleton, a
youngster. French, Cornichon (a cor-
nicle or little horn), also a simpleton, a
calf.
“Panurge Je veau cocquart, cornichon, escorné
. . ...viens ici, nous ayders grand. Veau plourart,”
etc.”—Rabelais, book iV, Chap, XXi,
A.
£)
2
Gregorian
Greenlander. A native of Green-
land. Facetiously applied to a green-
horn, that is, one from the verdant
country called the land of green ones.
Greenlandman's Galley. The
lowest type of profanity and vulgarity.
“In my seafaring days the Greenland Sailors
were notorious for daring and their disrespect of
speech, prefacing or ending every sentence with
an oath, Ol' Some indecent expression. Even in
those days [the first quarter of the nineteenth
century] a ‘Greenlandman's Galley' was proverhi-
ally the lowest in the scale of Vulgarity.”—C.
Thomson : Autobiography, D, 118,
Too low for even a Green/andman’s
Galley. One whose ideas of decency
were degraded below even that of a
Greenland crew.
Greenwich is the Saxon Grené-wic
(greenvillage), formerly called Grenawic,
and in old Latin authors “Grenoviam
wiridis.” Some think it is a compound
of grian-wic (the Sun city).
Greenwich Barbers. Retailers of
sand ; so called because the inhabitants
of Greenwich “shave the pits '' in the
neighbourhood to supply London with
Sand.
Greg'arines (3 syl.). In 1867 the
women of Europe and America, from the
thrones to the maid-servants, adopted
the fashion of wearing a pad made of
false hair behind their head, utterly
destroying its natural proportions. The
microscope showed that the hair em-
ployed for these “uglies” abounded in
a pedic'ulous insect called a greg'arine
(or little herding animal), from the Latin
grea. (a herd). The nests on the fila-
ments of hair resemble those of spiders
and silkworms, and the “object” used
to form one of the exhibits in micro-
scopical Soirées.
Grego'rian Calendar. One which
shows the new and full moon, with the
time of Easter and the movable feasts
depending thereon. The reformed calen-
dar of the Church of Rome, introduced
by Pope Gregory XIII. in 1582, corrected
the error of the civil year, according to
the Julian calendar.
Gregorian Chant. So called be-
cause it was introduced into the church
service by Gregory the Great (600).
Grego'rian Epoch. The epoch or
day on which the Gregorian calendar
commenced—March, 1582.
Gregorian Telescope. The first
form of the reflecting telescope, invented
Gregorian 5
3 . Grève
by James Gregory, professor of mathe-
matics in the university of St. Andrews.
(1663.)
Grego'rian Tree. The gallows; so
named from three successive hangmen—
Gregory, Sen., Gregory, jun.,and Gregory
randon. Sir William Segar, Garter
Enight of Arms, granted a coat of arms
to Gregory Brandon. (See HANGMEN.)
“...This trembles under the black rod, and he
Doth fear his fate from the Gregorian tree.”
Mercutius Pragmaticus (1641).
Grego/rian Water or Gringorian
Water. Holy water ; so called because
Gregory I. was a most strenuous recom-
rmender of it.
“In case they should lappen to encounter With
devils, by virtue of the Gringoriene water, they
might, make them disappear.”—Rubelais : Ganganu-
tuta, book i. 43.
Grego'rian Year. The civil year,
according to the correction introduced
by Pope Gregory XIII. in 1582. The
equinox which occurred on the 25th of
March, in the time of Julius Caesar, fell
on the 11th of March in the year 1582.
This was because the Julian calculation
of 365+ days to a year was 11 min. 10 sec.
too much. Gregory suppressed ten days,
so as to make the equinox fall on the
21st of March, as it did at the Council
of Nice, and, by some simple arrange-
ments, prevented the recurrence in
future of a similar error.
Greg'ories (3 Syl.). Hangmen. (See
GREGORIAN TREE.)
Gregory (A). A school-feast, so
called from being held on St. Gregory's
Day (March 12th). On this day the
pupils at one time brought the master
all sorts of eatables, and of course it was
a dies mom, and the master shut his eyes
to all sorts of licences. Gregories were
not limited to any one country, but were
common to all Europe.
Gregory (St.). The last Pope who
has been canonised. Usually represented
with the tiara, pastoral staff, his book of
homilies, and a dove. The last is his
peculiar attribute.
Gregory Knights or St. Gregory’s
I(nights. Harmless blusterers. In Hun-
gary the pupils at their Gregories
played at Soldiers, marched through the
town with flying colours, some on pony
back and some on foot; as they went
they clattered their toy swords, but of
course hurt no one.
Grenade (2 syl.). An explosive shell,
weighing from two to six pounds, to be
thrown by the hand.
-*,-—
Grenadier’ (3 syl.). Originally a
Soldier employed to throw hand-grenades.
Grenadier Guards. The first regi-
ment of Foot Guards. Noted for their
size and height.
Grendel. . A superhuman monster
slain by Beowulf, in the Anglo-Saxon
romance of that title. (See Turner’s
abridgement.)
Gresham College (London).
Founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in
1575.
Gresham and the Grasshopper.
(See GRASSHOPPER.)
Gresham and the Pearl. When
Queen Elizabeth visited the Exchange,
Sir Thomas Gresham, it is said, pledged
her health in a cup of wine containing a
precious stone crushed to atoms, and
worth £15,000. If this tale is true, it
was an exceedingly foolish imitation of
Cleopatra (q.v.).
“Here fifteen thousand pounds at one clap goes
Instead of Sugar ; Gresham drinks the pearl
Unto his queen and mistress. Pledge it, lords.”
Heywood : If You Know Not Me You IQuow Nobody.
To dine or sup with Sir Thomas
Gresham. (See under DINE.)
Greta Hall. The poet of Greta Hall.
Southey, who lived at Greta Hall, in
the Vale of Keswick. (1774-1843.)
Gretchen. A pet German diminu-
tive of Margaret.
Greth'el (Gammer). The hypotheti-
cal narrator of the Nursery Tales edited
by the brothers Grimm.
Gretna Green Marriages. Run-
away matches. In Scotland, all that is
required of contracting parties is a
mutual declaration before witnesses of
their willingness to marry, so that elopers
reaching the parish of Graitney, or vil-
lage of Springfield, could get legally
married without either licence, banns,
or priest. The declaration was generally
made to a blacksmith.
Crabbe has a metrical tale called
Gretna Green, in which young Belwood
elopes with Clara, the daughter of Dr.
Sidmere, and gets married; but Belwood
was a “screw,” and Clara, a silly, extra-
vagant hussy, so they soon hated each
other and parted. (Tales of the Hall,
book XV.)
Grève (1 syl.). Place de Grève. The
Tyburn of ancient Paris. The present
IHôtel de Ville occupies part of the site.
The word grève means the strand of a
| river or the shore of the sea, and is so
Grey
554 Grievance-rmonger
called from gravier (gravek or sand).
The Place de Grève was on the bank of
the Seine.
{ % Wh9 has e'er been to Paris must needs know the
The ºiretreat of th' unfortunate lyrave,
whº honour and justice most oddly contri-
To ease Hero's pains by a halter or gil)bet.”
Prior : The Thief and the Cordelier.
Grey Friars. Franciscan friars, so
called from their grey habit. Black
friars are Dominicans, and White friars
Carmelites.
Grey Hen (A). A stone bottle for
holding liquor. Large and Small pewter
pots mixed together are called “hen and
chickens.”
“A dirty leather wallet lay near the sleeper,
. . . also a grey-hen which had contained some
Sort of strong, liquor.”—Miss Robinsom. White-
fi'i(lº's, clap. Wiii. -
Grey Mare. The Grey Mare is the
better horse. The woman is paramount.
It is said that a man wished to buy a
horse, but his wife took a fancy to a grey
mare, and so pertinaciously insisted that
the grey mare was the better horse, that
the man was obliged to yield the point.
* Macaulay says: “I suspect [the
proverb] originated in the preference
generally given to the grey mares of
Elanders over the finest coach-horses of
England.”
The French say, when the woman is
paramount, C'est le mariage d’epervier
('Tis a hawk's marriage), because the
female hawk is both larger and stronger
than the male bird.
“As long as we haye eyes, or hands, or breath,
We'll look, or Write, or talk you all to death.
Yield, or She-Pegasus will gain her course,
And the grey mare will prove the better horse.”
I’rior : Epilogue to Mº’s. Manley's Lucius.
Grey Wethers. These are huge
boulders, either embedded or not, very
common in the “Valley of Stones” near
Avebury, Wilts. When split or broken
up they are called Sarsens or Sarsdens.
Grey-coat Parson (A). An impro-
priator; a tenant who farms the tithes.
Grey from Grief.
Ludovico Sforza became grey in a
single night.
Charles I. grew grey while he was on
his trial.
Marie Antoinette grew grey from grief
during her imprisonment. (See GRAY.)
Grey Goose Wing (The). “The
grey goose wing was the death of him,”
the arrow which is winged with grey
goose feathers.
Grey Mare's Tail. A cataract that
is made by the stream which issues from
Lochskene, in Scotland, so called from
its appearance.
Grey Washer by the Ford (The).
An Irish wraith which seems to be wash-
ing clothes in a river, but when the
“doomed man '' approaches she holds
up what she seemed to be washing, and
it is the phantom of himself with his
death wounds from which he is about to
suffer. (Hon. Emily Lawlett : Essea, in
Ireland, p. 245-6.)
Greybeard (A). An earthen pot
for holding spirits; a large stone jar.
Also an old man. (cf. BELLARMINE.)
“We will give a cup of distilled waters . .
unto the next 'pilgrim that Colmes Over; and ye
h;ay keel) for the purpose the grundS Of the last
greybeard.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chap.
1 X.
Greycoats. Russian soldiers of the
line, who wear grey coats.
“You might think of him thus calm and col-
lected charging his rifle for one more shot at the
advancing grey coats.” – Bes(t)\t and Iºice: . By
Celia's Arbowl', chap. xlv.
Greyhound. “A greyhounde shoulde
be heded like a snake, And neked like a
Drake; Foted like a Kat, Tayled like a
Bat ; Syded like a Teme, Chyned like a
Beme.” (Dame Berner.)
“Syded like a teme,” probably means both sides
alike; a plough-team being meant.
Greyhound. A public-house sign,
in honour of Henry VII., whose badge
it was. -
Greys. The Scotch Greys. The 2nd
(Royal North British) Dragoons, so
called because they are mounted on grey
horses.
Grid'iron. Emblematic of St. Lau-
rence, because in his martyrdom he was
broiled to death on a gridiron. In allu-
sion thereto the church of St. Laurence
Jewry, near Guildhall, has a gilt grid-
iron for a vane. The gridiron is also an
attribute of St. Faith, who was martyred
like St. Laurence; and St. Vincent, who
was partially roasted on a gridiron
covered with spikes, A.D. 258. (See
ESCURIAL.)
It is Said that St. Laurence uttered the follow-
ing doggerel during his martyrdom :
“This side enough is roasted, turn me, tyrant, eat,
And see if raw or roasted I make the better
Inheat.”
Grief. To come to grief. To be
ruined; to fail in business. As lots of
money is the fulness of joy, so the want
of it is the grief of griefs. The Ameri-
cans call the dollar “almighty.”
Grievance - monger. One who is
always raking up or talking about his
own or his party's grievances, public or
private,
Griffer. Horse
555
. Grind
Griffen Horse (The) belonged to
Atlantès, the magician, but was made
use of by Roge'ro, Astolpho, and others.
It flew through the air at the bidding of
the rider, and landed him where he
listed. (Ariosto: Orlando Furioso.)
Griffin. A cadet newly arrived in
India, half English and half Indian.
Griffins, the residue of a contract
feast, taken away by the contractor, half
the buyer's and half the seller's.
Griffon, Griffen, or Griffin. Off-
spring of the lion and eagle. Its legs
and all from the shoulder to the head are
like an eagle, the rest of the body is that
of a lion. This creature was sacred to
the sun, and kept guard Over hidden
treasures. Sir Thomas Browne says the
Griffon is emblematical of watchfulness,
courage, perseverance, and rapidity of
execution (Vulgar Errors, iii. 2.) (See
ARIMASPIANS.)
Grig. Merry as a ſyrig. A grig is the
sand-eel, and a cricket. There was also
a class of vagabond dancers and tumblers
who visited ale-houses so called. Hence
Levi Solomon, alias Cockleput, who lived
in Sweet Apple Court, being asked in
his examination how he obtained his
living, replied that “he went a-grigging.”
Many think the expression should be
Amerry as a Greek, and have Shakespeare
to back them: “Then she’s a merry
Greek; ” and again, “Cressid 'mongst
the merry Greeks” (Troilus and Cressida,
i. 2; iv. 4). Patrick Gordon also says,
“No people in the world are so jovial
and |
and merry, so given to singing
dancing, as the Greeks.”
Grim (Giant), in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s
Progress, part ii. He was one who
tried to stop pilgrims on their way to the
Celestial City, but was slain by Mr.
Greatheart. (See GIANTS.)
Grima'ce (2 syl.). Cotgrave says
this word is from Grima'cier, who was a
celebrated carver of fantastic heads in
Gothic architecture. This may be so, but
Our Word comes direct from the French
ſº ; grimacier, one who makes wry
8,06S.
Grimal kin or Graymalicin (French,
gºs Anglkiº). Shakespeare makes the
Witch in Macbeth say, “I come, Gray-
malkin,” Malkin being the name of a
foul fiend. The cat, supposed to be a
Witch and the companion of witches, is
called by the same name.
Grimes (Peter). This son of a steady
fisherman was a drunkard and a thief,
He had a boy whom he killed by ill-
usage. Two others he made away with,
but was not convicted for want of evi-
dence. As no one would live with him,
he dwelt alone, became mad, and was
lodged in the parish poor-house, confessed
his crime in his delirium, and died.
(Crabbe: Borough, letter xxii.)
Grimm's Law. A law discovered
by Jacob L. Grimm, the German philolo-
gist, to show how the mute consonants
interchange as corresponding words oc-
cur in different branches of the A'ryan
family of languages. Thus, what is p in
Greek, Latin, or Sanskrit becomes f in
Gothic, and b or f in the Old High Ger-
man; what is t in Greek, Latin, or San-
skrit becomes th in Gothic, and d in Old
High German ; etc. Thus changing p
into f, and t into th, “pater” becomes
‘‘ father.”
Grimsby (Lincolnshire). Grim was a
fisherman who rescued from a drifting
boat an infant named Habloc, whom he
adopted and brought up. This infant
turned out to be the son of the king of
Denmark, and when the boy was restored
to his royal sire Grim was laden with
gifts. He now returned to Lincolnshire
and built the town which he called after
his own name. The ancient seal of the
town contains the names of Gryme and
Habloc. This is the foundation of the
mediaeval tales about Havelock; the
Dame.
Grim's Dyke or Devil's Dyke (Anglo-
Saxon, grºa, a goblin or demon).
Grimwig. A choleric old gentleman
fond of contradiction, generally ending
with the words “ or I’ll eat my head.”
He is the friend of Brownlow. (Dickens :
Oliver Twist.)
Grin and Bear. It (You mºst), or
You must grin and bide it, for resist-
ance is hopeless. You may make up
a face, if you like, but you cannot help
yourself. .
Grind. To work up for an examina-
tion ; to grind up the subjects set, and
to grind into the memory the necessary
cram. The allusion is to a mill, and the
analogy evident. :-
To grind one down. To reduce the
price asked ; to lower wages. A knife,
etc., is gradually reduced by grinding.
To take a grind is to take a constitu-
tional walk; to cram into the smallest
space, the greatest amount of physical
exercise. This is the physical grind.
The literary grindis a turn at hard study.
Grinders
556
Groaf
To take a grinder is to insult another
by applying the left thumb to the nose
and revolving the right hand round it,
as if working a hand-organ or coffee-
mill. This insulting retort is given
when someone has tried to practise on
your credulity, or to impose upon your
good faith.
Grinders. The double teeth which
grind the food put into the mouth. The
Preacher speaks of old age as the time
when “the grinders cease because they
are few '' (Ecc. xii. 3). (See ALMOND
TREE.)
Grisaille. A style of painting in gray
tints, resembling solid bodies in relief,
such as ornaments of cornices, etc.
Grise. A step. (See GRECIAN STAIRS.)
* Which as a grise or step may help these lovers
Into your favour.”
~~ Shakespeare : Othello, i. 3.
Grisilda or Griselda. The model of
enduring patience and conjugal obe-
dience. She was the daughter of Janic'-
ola, a poor charcoal-burner, but became
the wife of Walter, Marquis of Saluzzo.
The marquis put her humility and obe-
dience to three severe trials, but she
submitted to them all without a murmur:
(1) Her infant daughter was taken from
her, and secretly conveyed to the Queen
of Paſvia to bring up, while Grisilda was
made to believe that it had been mur-
dered. , (2) Four years later she had a
son, who was also taken from her, and
sent to be brought up with her sister.
When the little girl was twelve years old,
the marquis told Grisilda, he intended to
divorce her and marry another; so she
was stripped of all her fine clothes and
sent back to her father's cottage. On
the “wedding day” the much-abused
Grisilda, was sent for to receive “her
rival” and prepare her for the ceremony.
"When her lord saw in her no spark of
jealousy, he told her the “bride ’’ was
her own daughter. The moral of the
tale is this: If Grisilda submitted with-
out a murmur to these trials of her
husband, how much more ought we to
submit without repining to the trials
sent us by God.
This tale is the last of Boccaccio's De-
eam'eron : it was rendered by Petrarch
into a Latin romance entitled De Obe-
dientia et Fide Uaco','ia Mythologia, and
forms The Clerkès Tale in Chaucer’s
Canterbury Tales. Miss Edgeworth has
a novel entitled The Moder?” Griselda.
Grist. All grist that comes to my
Anill. All is appropriated that comes to
me; all is made use of that comes in my
way. Grist is all that quantity of corn
which is to be ground or crushed at one
time. The phrase means, all that is
brought—good, bad, and indifferent
corn, with all refuse and waste—is put
into the mill and ground together. (See
EMOLUMENT.)
To bring grist to the mill.
To supply
customers or furnish supplies.
Griz'el or Grissel. Octavia, wife of
Marc Antony and sister of Augustus
Caesar, is called the ‘‘patient Grizel” of
Roman story. (See GRISIIDA.)
“For patience she will prove a second Grissel.”
Shakespeare: Tanning of the Shrew, ii. 1.
Groaning Calze. A cake prepared
for those who called at the house of a
woman in confinement “to see the
baby.”
Groaning Chair. The chair used
by women after confinement when they
received visitors.
Groaning Malt. A strong ale brewed
for the gossips who attend at the birth
of a child, and for those who come to
offer to a husband congratulations at
the auspicious event. A cheese, called
the Ken-no, or “groaning cheese,” was
also made for the occasion. (See KEN-NO.)
“Meg Merrilies descended to the kitchen to
secure her share of the groaning malt.”—Sir W.
Scott : Guy Mammering, clap. iii.
Groat. From John o' Groat’s house
to the Land’s End. From Dan to Beer-
sheba, from one end of Great Britain to
the other. John o' Groat was a Dutch-
man, who settled in the most northerly
point of Scotland in the reign of James
IV., and immortalised himself by the
way he settled a dispute respecting
precedency. (See JOHN O’ GROAT.)
Blocal without groats is nothing (north
of England), meaning “family without
fortune is worthless.” The allusion is to
black-pudding, which consists chiefly of
blood and groats formed into a sausage.
Not worth a groat. Of no value. A
groat is a silver fourpence. The Dutch
had a coin called a grote, a contraction of
grote-schware (great Schware), so called
because it was equal in value to five little
schware. So the coin of Edward III. was
the groat or great silver penny, equal to
four penny pieces. The modern groat
was first issued in 1835, and were with-
drawn from circulation in 1887. (French,
gros, great.) Groats are no longer in
circulation.
“He that spends a groat a day idly, Spends
idly above six pounds a year,”—Franklin : Neces-
Satry Hints, p. 131,
Grog
Grog. Rum and water, cold without.
Admiral Vernon was called Old Gºog by
his sailors because he was accustomed
to walk the deck in rough weather in a
grogram cloak. As he was the first to
serve water in the rum on board ship,
the mixture went by the name of grog.
Siac-water grog is one part rum to six,
arts of water. Grog, in common par-
ance, is any mixture of spirits and
water, either hot or cold.
Grog Blossoms. Blotches on the
face that are produced by over-indulg-
ence of grog.
Gro'gram. A coarse kind of taffety,
stiffened with gum. A corruption of the
French gros-grain.
“Gossilps in grief and grograms clad.”
Praed: 'I'he Troubadour, canto i. Stanza 5.
Groined Ceiling. One in which
the arches are divided or intersected.
(Swedish, grena, to divide.)
Grommet, Gromet, Grumet, or
Grummet. A younker on board ship.
In Smith’s Sea Grammar we are told that
‘‘younkers are the young men whose
duty it is to take in the topsails, or top
the yard for furling the sails or slinging
the yards. . . .” “Sailors,” he says,
“are the elder men.” Gromet is the
Flemish grom (a boy), with the dimi-
nutive. It appears in bride-groom, etc.
Also a ring of rope made by laying a
single strand. (Dana : Seaman’s Manital,
p. 98.) Also a powder-wad.
Grongar Hill, in South Wales, has
been rendered famous by Dyer’s poem
called Grongar Hill.
Groom of the Stole. Keeper of the
stole or state-robe. His duty, originally,
was to invest the king in his state-robe,
but he had also to hand him his shirt
when he dressed. The office, when a
queen reigns, is termed Mistress of the
Itobes, but Queen Anne had her “Groom
of the Stole.” (Greek, stolé, a garment.)
(See BRIDEGROOM.)
Gross. (See ADvowson.)
Grosted or Robert Grosseteste, Bishop
of Lincoln, in the reign of Henry III.,
the author of some two hundred works.
He was accused of dealings in the black
arts, and the Pope ordered a letter to be
written to the King of England, enjoin-
ing him to disinter the bones of the too-
wise bishop and burn them to powder.
(Died 1253.)
“N9ne a ſleeper knowledge boasted,
Since Hodgé, Bacon, and Bob Grosted.”
Butler; Hudibras, ii. 3,
5
57
Ground Arms
-*... **
Grotes'que (2 syl.) means in “Grotto
style.” Classical ornaments so called
were found in the 13th century in
grottoes, that is, excavations made in
the baths of Titus and in other Roman
buildings. These ornaments abound in
fanciful combinations, and hence any-
thing outré is termed grotesque.
Grotta del Cane (Naples). The
JDog’s Cave, so called from the practice
of sending dogs into it to show visitors
how the carbonic acid gas near the floor
of the cave kills them.
Grotto. Pray remember the grotto.
July 25 new style, and August 5 old style,
is the day dedicated to St. James the
Greater ; and the correct thing to do in
days of yore was to stick a shell in your
hat or coat, and pay a visit on that day
to the shrine of St. James of Compos-
tella. Shell grottoes with an image of
the saint were erected for the behoof
of those who could not afford such pil-
grimage, and the keeper of it reminded
the passer-by to remember it was St.
James's Day, and not to forget their
offering to the Saint.
Grotto of Ephesus (The). The test
of chastity. E. Bulwer-Lytton, in his
Tales of Milātus (iii.), tells us that near
the statue of Diana, is a grotto, and if,
when a woman enters it, she is not
chaste, discordant sounds are heard and
the woman is never seen more ; if,
however, musical sounds are heard, the
woman is a pure virgin and comes forth
from the grotto unharmed.
Ground. (Anglo-Saxon, grºund.)
It would suit ºne down to the ground.
Wholly and entirely.
To break ground. To be the first to
commence a project, etc.; to take the
first step in an undertaking.
To gain ground. To make progress;
to be improving one's position or pro-
spects of success.
To hold one's ground. To maintain
one’s authority; not to budge from
one’s position ; to retain one’s popu-
larity.
To lose ground. To become less popu-
lar or less successful; to be drifting
away from the object aimed at.
To stand one's ground. Not to yield
or give way; to stick to one’s colours;
to have the courage of one’s opinion.
Ground Arms (To). To pile or stack
military arms, such as guns, On the
ground (in drill).
Groundlings
558 - Guards
Groundlings. Those who stood in
the pit, which was the ground in ancient
theatres.
“To split the cars of the groundlings.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, iii. 2,
Grove. The “grove’’ for which the
Jewish women wove hangings, and
which the Jews were commanded to cut
down and burn, was the wooden Ash'-
era, a sort of idol symbolising the gener-
ative power of Nature.
Growlers and Crawlers. The four-
wheel cabs; called “growlers” from
the Surly and discontented manners of
their drivers, and “Crawlers” from
their slow pace. .
“Taken as a whole, the average drivers of
llansom Cabs . . . are Smart, intelligent men, sober,
honest, and hardworking. . . . They have little . . .
in . Common with the obtrusive, surly, besotted
drivers of the “growlers’ alld ‘crawlers.’ ”—Ning-
teenth Century, March, 1893, p. 473.
Grub Street. Since 1830 called
Milton Street, near Moorfields, London,
once famous for literary hacks and in-
ferior literary productions. The word
is the Gothic graban (to dig), whence
Saxon grab (a grave) and groep (a ditch).
(See Dunciad, i. 38, etc.)
Gruel. To give him his gruel. To
kill him. The allusion is to the very
common practice in France, in the six-
teenth century, of giving poisoned pos-
sets—an art brought to perfection by
Catherine de Medicis and her Italian
advisers.
Grumbo. A giant in the tale of Tom
Thumb. A raven picked up Tom, think-
ing him to be a grain of corn, and
dropped him on the flat roof of the
giant’s castle. Old Grumbo came to
walk on the roof terrace, and Tom crept
up his sleeve. The giant, annoyed,
shook his sleeve, and Tom fell into the
sea, where a fish swallowed him ; and
the fish, having been caught and brought
to Arthur’s table, was the means of intro-
ducing Tom to the British king, by
whom he was knighted. (Nursery Tale:
Tom Thumb.)
Grundy. What will Mrs. Grundy
say 2 What will our rivals or neigh-
bours say? The phrase is from Tom
Morton’s Speed the Plough. In the first
scene Mrs. Ashfield shows herself very
jealous of neighbour Grundy, and farmer
Ashfield says to her, “Be quiet, wullye?
Always ding, dinging Dame Grundy into
my ears. What will Mrs. Grundy zay?
What will Mrs. Grundy think? . . .”
Grunth. The Sacred book of the
Sikhs. -
Gruyère. A town in Switzerland
which gives its name to a kind of cheese
made there.
Gryll. Let Gryll be Gryll, and keep
his hoſ/ſ/ish mind. Don’t attempt to
wash a blackamoor white; the leopard
will never change his spots. Gryll is
from the Greek ſyru (the grunting of a
hog). When Sir Guyon disenchanted
the forms in the Bower of Bliss some
were exceedingly angry, and one in par-
ticular, named Gryll, who had been
metamorphosed by Acra'sia into a hog,
abused him most roundly. “Come,”
says the palmer to Sir Guyon, -
“Let Gryll be Gryll, and have his hoggish mind,
IBut let us hence depart while weather serves,
and Wind.”
Spenser . Faërie Queene, book ii. 12.
Gryphon (in Orlando Furioso), Son
of Olivero and Sigismunda, brother of
Aquilant, in love with Origilla, who
plays him false. He was called White
from his armour, and his brother Black.
He overthrew the eight champions of
T)amascus in the tournament given to
celebrate the king’s wedding-day. While
asleep Marta'no steals his armour, and
goes to the King Norandi'no to receive
the meed of high deeds. In the mean-
time Gryphon awakes, finds his armour
gone, is obliged to put on Marta'no's,
and, being mistaken for the coward,
is hooted and hustled by the crowd.
He lays about him stoutly, and kills
many. The king comes up, finds out
the mistake, and offers his hand, which
Gryphon, like a true knight, receives.
He joined the army of Charlemagne.
Gryphons. (See GRIFFON.)
Guadia'na. The Squire of Duran-
darté. Mourning the fall of his master
at Roncesvallés, he was turned into the
river which bears the same name. (Dorº
Quiacote, ii. 23.)
Guaff. Victor Emmanuel was So
called from his nose.
Gua'no is the Peruvian word htta'no
(dung), and consists of the droppings of
sea-fowls.
Guarantee. An engagement on the
part of a third person to See an agree-
ment fulfilled.
Guard. To be off one’s guard. To be
careless or heedless. e
• A guardroom is the place where mili-
tary offenders are detained; and a guard-
ship is a ship stationed in a port Or
harbour for its defence.
Guards of the Pole. The two stars
g and y in the Great Bear. Shakespeare,
Guarinos
559
Guerndolen
in Othello, ii. 1, refers to them where he
says, the surge seems “to quench the
guards of the ever-fixed pole.”
“How to knowe the houre of the night by the
[Polar] Gards, by knowing. Qn what point of the
compass they shall be at midnight CVery fifteenth
day throughout the whole year.”—Norman : Stºſe-
g(t)'d of Sailors (1587).
Guari'nos (Admiral). One of Char-
lemagne’s paladins, taken captive at the
battle of Roncesvalles. He fell to the
lot of Marlo'tes, a Moslem, who offered
him his daughter in marriage if he would
become a disciple of Mahomet. Guari'-
nos refused, and was cast into a dungeon,
where he lay captive for seven years.
A joust was then held, and Admiral
Guari'nos was allowed to try his hand
at a target. He knelt before the
Moor, stabbed him to the heart, and then
vaulted on his grey horse Treb'ozond',
and escaped to France.
Gubbings. Anabaptists near Brent,
in Devonshire. They had no ecclesiasti-
cal order or authority, “but lived in
holes, like swine; had all things in com-
mon; and multiplied without marriage.
Their language was vulgar Devonian. . .
They lived by pilfering sheep; were
fleet as horses; held together like bees;
and revenged every wrong. One of the
Society was always elected chief, and
called King of the Gubbings.” (Fuller.)
N.B. Their name is from glºbbings, the
offal of fish (Devonshire).
Gudgeon. Gaping for gudgeons.
Looking out for things extremely im-
probable. As a gudgeon is a bait to
deceive fish, it means a lie, a deception.
To swallow a gudgeon. To be bam-
boozled with a most palpable lie, as silly
fish are caught by gudgeons. (French,
goatſon, whence the phrase faire avaler
de goºdſon, to humbug.)
“Make fools believe in their foreseeing
| Of things before they are in being;
To Swallow gudgeons ere they’re catched,
And COunt, their chickens ere they’re hatched.”
Butler: Hudibras, ii. 3.
Gudrun. A model of heroic forti-
tude and pious resignation. She was a
princess betrothed to Herwig, but the
IQing of Norway carried her off captive.
As she would not marry him, he put her
to all sorts of menial work, such as
washing the dirty linen. One day her
brother and lover appeared on the scene,
and at the end she married Herwig,
pardoned the “naughty '’ king, and all
went merry as a marriage bell. (A
JNorth-Saa.on poem.)
Gudule (2 Syl.) or St. Gudu'la, patron
Saint of Brussels, was daughter of Count
Witger, died 172. She is represented
with a lantern, from a tradition that
she was one day going to the church
of St. Morgelle with a lantern, which
went out, but the holy virgin lighted it
again with her prayers.
St. Gudule in Christian art is repre-
sented carrying a lantern which a demon
tries to put out. The legend is a repeti-
tion of that of St. Geneviève, as Brussels
is Paris in miniature. -
Gue'bres or Ghebers [Fire-TFor-
Shippers]. Followers of the ancient
Persian religion, reformed by Zoroaster.
Called in Persian gabr, in the Talmud
Cheber, and by Origen Kabir, a corrup-
tion of the Arabic Iſaſir (a non-Ma-
hometan or infidel), a term bestowed
upon them by their Arabian conquerors.
Guelder Rose is the Rose de Guel-
dre, i.e. of the ancient province of
Guelder or Guelderland, in Holland.
But Smith, in his English Flora, says
it is a corruption of Elder Rose, that is,
the Rose Elder, the tree being considered
a species of Elder, and hence called the
“Water Elder.”
Guelpho (3 Syl.), Son of Actius IV.,
Marquis d’Este and of Cunigunda, a
German, Ring of Carynth'ia. He led
an army of 5,000 men from Germany,
but two-thirds were slain by the Persians.
He was noted for his broad shoulders
and ample chest. Guelpho was Rinaldo’s
uncle, and next in command to Godfrey.
(Tasso : Jerusalem Delivered, iii.)
Guelphs and Ghibellines. Two
great, parties whose conflicts make up
the history of Italy and Germany in the
twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth cen-
turies. Guelph is the Italian form of
Welfe, and , Ghibelline of Waiblingen,
and the origin of these two words is this:
At the battle of Weinsburg, in Suabia
(1140), Conrad, Duke of Franconia,
rallied his followers with the war-cry
Hie Waiblingen (his family estate), while
Henry the Lion, Duke of Saxony, used
the cry of Hie Welfé (the family name).
The Ghibellines supported in Italy the
side of the German emperors; the
Guelphs opposed it, and supported the
cause of the Pope.
Guen'dolen (3 syl.). A fairy whose
mother was a human being. One day
King Arthur wandered into the valley
of St. John, when a fairy palace rose to
view, and a train of ladies conducted
him to their queen. King Arthur and
Guendolen fell in love with each other,
and the fruit of their illicit love was a
daughter named Gyneth. After the
Guerndoloena,
560
Guides

lapse of three months Arthur left Guen’-
dolen, and the deserted fair one offered
him a parting cup. As Arthur raised
the cup a drop of the contents fell on
his horse, and so burnt it that the horse
leaped twenty feet high, and then ran
in mad career up the hills till it was
exhausted. Arthur dashed the cup on
the ground, the contents burnt up every-
thing they touched, the fairy palace
vanished, and Guen'dolen was inever
more seen. This tale is told by Sir
Walter Scott in The Bridal of Triermain.
It is called Lyulph's Tale, from canto i.
10 to canto ii. 28. (See GYNETH.)
- “Her mother was of human birth,
Her sire a Genie of the earth,
In days of old deemed to preside
O'er lover's wiles and beauty's pride.”
Bridal of Triermaim, ii. 3.
Guendoloe'na, daughter of Corin'eus
and wife of Locrin, son of Brute, the
legendary king of Britain. She was
divorced, and Locrin married Estrildis,
by whom he already had a daughter
named Sabri'na. Guendoloe'na, greatly
indignant, got together a large army,
and near the river Stour a battle was
fought, in which Locrin was slain.
Guendoloena, now assumed the govern-
ment, and one of her first acts was to
throw both Estrildis and Sabri'na, into
the river Severn. (Geoffrey : Brit. Hist.,
ii. Chaps. 4, 5.)
Guenever. (See GUINEVER.)
Gueril'la, improperly Guerilla wars,
means a petty war, a partisan conflict;
and the parties are called Guerillas or
Guerilla, chiefs. Spanish, gate)"ra, war.
The word is applied to the armed bands
of peasants who carry on irregular war
on their own account, especially at such
time as their Government is contending
with invading armies.
“The town was wholly without defenders, and
the guerillas Imurdered people and destroyed
property without hindrance.”—Lessing : L'United
States, chap. xviii. p. 676.
Gueri'no Meschi'no [the Wretched].
An Italian romance, half chivalric and
half spiritual, first printed in Padua in
1473. Guerin was the son of Millon,
Ring of Alba'nia. On the day of his
birth his father was dethroned, and the
child was rescued by a Greek slave, and
called Meschino. When he grew up he
t,
fell in love with the Princess Elize'na,
jºwhich carries the guidon, a standard
sister of the Greek Emperor, at Con-
stantinople.
Guess (I). A peculiarity of the
natives of New England, U.S. America.
Guest. The Ungrateful Guest was
the brand fixed by Philip of Macedon on
-*..
a Macedonian soldier who had been
kindly entertained by a villager, and,
being asked by the king what he could
give him, requested the farm and cottage
of his entertainer.
Gueux. Les Guetta. The ragamuf-
fins. A nickname assumed by the first
revolutionists of Holland in 1665. It arose
thus: When the Duchess of Parma, made
inquiry about them of Count Berlaymont,
he told her they were “the scum and
offscouring of the people” (les gueux).
This being made public, the party took
the name in defiance, and from that
moment dressed like beggars, substi-
tuted a fox’s tail in lieu of a feather,
and a wooden platter instead of a brooch.
They met at a public-house which had
for its sign a cock crowing these words,
Vive les Guetta: par tout le monde 1 (See
Motley : Dutch Republic, ii. 6.)
* The word ſuetta, was, of course, not
invented by Berlaymont, but only ap-
plied by him to the deputation referred
to. In Spain, long before, those who
opposed the Inquisition were so called.
B. The revolters of Guienne as-
sumed the name of Eate?’s ; those of
Normandy Barefoot; those of Beausse
and Soulogne Wooden-pattens ; and in
the French Revolution the most violent
were termed Sansculottes.
A spear made by the dwarf
It never failed
(The Edda.)
The mistle-
Gugner.
Eitri and given to Odin.
to hit and slay in battle.
Gui. Le Gui (French).
toe or Druid’s plant.
Guide'rius. The elder son of Cym-
beline, a legendary king of Britain
during the reign of Augustus Caesar.
Both Guiderius and his brother Arvir'-
agus were stolen in infancy by Belarius, .
a banished nobleman, out of revenge,
and were brought up by him in a cave.
When grown to man’s estate, the Romans
invaded Britain, and the two young men
so distinguished themselves that they
were introduced to the king, and Belarius
related their history. Geoffrey of Mon-
mouth says that Guiderius succeeded
his father, and was slain by Hamo.
(Shakespeare : Cymbeline.)
Guides (pron. gheed). Contraction of
guidons. A corps of French cavalry
borne by light horse-soldiers, broad at
one end and nearly pointed at the other.
The corps des Guides was organised in
1796 by Napoleon as a personal body-
guard; in 1848 several squadrons were
created, but Napoleon III. made the
Guido
corps a part of the Imperial Guard.
Great care must be taken not to confound
the Guides with the Gardes, as they are
totally distinct terms.
Guido, surnamed the Savage (in Or-
lando Furioso), son of Constantia and
Amon, therefore younger brother of
Rinaldo. He was also Astolpho's kins-
man. Being wrecked on the coast of the
Amazons, he was doomed to fight their
ten male champions. He slew them all,
and was then compelled to marry ten of
the Amazons. He made his escape with
Ale’ria, his favourite wife, and joined the
army of Charlemagne.
Guido Francischini. A reduced
nobleman, who tried to repair his for-
tune by marrying Pompilia, the putative
child of Pietro and Violante. When
the marriage was consummated and the
money secure, Guido ill-treated Pietro
and Violante ; whereupon Violante, at
confession, asserted that Pompilia was
not her child, but one she had brought
up, the offspring of a Roman wanton,
and she applied to the law-courts to
recover her money. When Guido heard
this he was furious, and so ill-treated
his wife that she ran away under the
protection of a young canon. Guido
pursued the fugitives, overtook them,
and had them arrested; whereupon the
canon was suspended for three years,
and Pompilia sent to a convent. Here
her health gave way, and as the birth of
a child was expected, she was permitted
to leave the convent and live with her
putative parents. Guido went to the
house, murdered all three, and was
executed. (Browning : The Ring and
the Book.)
Guildhall. The hall of the city
guilds. Here aré the Court of Common
Council, the Côurt of Aldermen, the
Chamberlain's Court, the police court
presided over by an alderman, etc. The
ancient guilds were friendly trade socie-
ties, in which each member paid a certain
fee, called a guild, from the Saxon gildan
(to pay). There was a separate guild
for each craft of importance.
“Gild. [guild], signified among the Saxons a
fraternity. Derived from the Verb gyld-am (to
pay), because every man paid his share.”—Black-
§ Comvºnentaries, book i. chap. xviii. p. 474
720t.0),
Guillotine (3 syl.). So named from
Joseph Ignace Guillotin, a French phy-
sician, who proposed its adoption to pre-
vent unnecessary pain (1738-1814).
* It was facetiously called “Mdlle.
Guillotin’” or “Guillotin's daughter.”
It was introduced April 25th, 1792, and
561
Guineapig
is still used in France. A previous in-
strument invented by Dr. Antoine Louis
was called a Louisette (3 syl.).
The MAIDEN (q.v.), introduced into
Scotland (1566) by the Regent Morton,
when the laird of Pennicuick was to be
beheaded, was a similar instrument.
Discontinued in 1681.
“It was but this very day that the daughter of
M. de Guillotin was recognised by her father in
the National Assembly, and it should properly be
Called “Mademoiselle Guillotin.'”—Dumas : The
Countess de Charmy, chap. xvii.
Guinea. Sir Robert Holmes, in 1666,
captured in Schelling Bay 160 Dutch
Sail, containing bullion and gold-dust
from Cape Coast Castle in Guinea. This
rich prize was coined into gold pieces,
stamped with an elephant, and called
Guineas to memorialise the valuable
capture. (See Dryden : Aºnus Miya-
bilis.)
Guinea. The legend is M. B. F. et H.
|Rex. F. D. B. L. D. S. R. I. A. T. et E.
—Magna Britanniae, Franciae, et Hiber-
niae Rex; Fidei Defensor; Brunswicensis,
Lunenburgensis Dux ; Sacri Romani Im-
perii Archi Thesaurarius et Elector.
‘... Guinea-pieces = 21s. were first coined in 1663,
and discontinued in 1817. The Soyereign coined
by Henry VII. in 1489 was displaced by the guinea,
but recoined in 1815, soon after which it displaced
the guinea. Of course, 20s. is a better decimal
Coin than 21S.
Guinea-dropper. A cheat. The
term is about equal to thimble-rig, and
alludes to an ancient cheating dodge of
dropping counterfeit guineas.
Guinea, Fowl. So called because it
was brought to us from the coast of
Guinea, where it is very common.
“Notwithstanding their harsh, cry.. . . I like
the Guinea-fowl. They are excellent layers. and
enormous devourers of insects.”—D. G. Mitchell:
My Farm of Edgewood, chap. iii. p. 192.
Guinea-hen. A courtesan who is
won by money.
“Ere . . . . I would drown myself for the love
Of a Guinea-lmen, I would change my humanity
With a baboon.”—Shakespeare : Othello, i. 3.
Guineapig (Stock Exchange term).
A gentleman of sufficient name to form
a bait who allows himself to be put on
a directors' list for the guinea and lunch
provided for the board. (See FLOATERs.)
Guineapig (A). A midshipman. A
guineapig is neither a pig nor a native
of Guinea; so a middy is neither a sailor
nor an officer.
“He had a letter from the captain of the
Indiaman, offering you a berth on board as
guinea pig, or midshipman.”—Captain Marryat:
Poor Jack, chap. xxxi.
* A special juryman who is paid a
guinea, a case ; also a military officer
36
Guineapig
562
Gulf Stream.
assigned to some special duty, for which
he receives a guinea, a day, are sometimes
so called.
Guinea pig (A), in the Anglican
Church, is a clergyman without cure,
who takes occasional duty for a guinea
a Sermon, besides his travelling expenses
(second class) and his board, if required.
Guin'ever, or rather Guanhuma'ra
(4 syl.). Daughter of Leodograunce of
Cam'elyard, the most beautiful of women,
and wife of King Arthur. She enter-
tained a guilty passion for Sir Launcelot
of the Lake, one of the knights of the
Round Table, but during the absence of
Ring Arthur in his expedition against
Leo, King of the Romans, she “married”
Modred, her husband’s nephew, whom
he had left in charge of the kingdom.
Soon as Arthur heard thereof, he has-
tened back, Guinever fled from York and
took the veil in the nunnery of Julius
the Martyr, and Modred set his forces in
array at Cam'bula, in Cornwall. Here a
desperate battle was fought, in which
Modred was slain and Arthur mortally
wounded. Guinever is generally called
the “grey-eyed; ” she was buried at
Meigle, in Strathmore, and her name
has become the synonym of a wanton
or adulteress. (Geoffrey: Prit. Hist.,
x. 13.)
“That was a woman when Queen Guinever of
F3ritain Was a little Wencil.”—Sh (thespectre : Love's
1.(tbour's Lost, iv. 1.
Guin'evere (3 Syl.). Tennyson's
Idyll represents her as loving Sir Tance-
lot ; but one day, when they were
bidding farewell, Modred tracked them,
“and brought his creatures to the base-
ment of the tower for testimony.” Sir
Lancelot hurled the fellow to the ground
and got to horse, and the queen fled to
a nunnery at Almesbury. (See GUIN-
EVER.)
Guingelot. The boat of Wato or
Wade, the father of Weland, and son of
Wilkinr, in which he crossed over the
nine-ell deep, called Groenasund, with
his son upon his shoulders. (Sea??d:-
77 avia?? mythology.)
Guisan'do. The Bulls of Guisando.
Five monster statues of antiquity, to
mark the scene of Caesar's victory over
the younger Pompey.
Guise's Motto: “A chacun son tour,”
on the standards of the Duc de Guise,
who put himself at the head of the Ca-
tholic League in the sixteenth century,
meant, “My turn will come.”
Guitar (Greek, kithara ; Latin, ci-
thara ; Italian, chițarra ; French, gui-
tare. The Greek kitha, is the Hindu
cha-tar (six-strings).
Guitar. The best players on this
instrument have been Guilia’ni, Sor,
Zoechi, Stoll, and Horetzsky.
Gules [red]. An heraldic term. The
most honourable heraldic colour, sig-
nifying Valour, justice, and veneration.
Hence it was given to kings and princes.
The royal livery of England is gules or
Scarlet. . In heraldry expressed by per-
pendicular parallel lines. (Persian, ghul,
rose ; French, guentles, the mouth and
throat, or the red colour thereof; Latin,
gula, the throat.)
“With man's blood paint the ground, gules,
gules.”
Shakespeare: Timom of Ath, m3, iv. 3.
“And threw Warm gules on Madeline's fail.
}}rea,St.” lºcats: Eve of St. Agnes.
Gules of August (The). The 1st of
August (from Latin, gulá, the throat),
the entrance into, or first day of that
month. (Whartoº : Law Levieon, p. 332.)
tº August 1 is Lammas Day, a quarter-
day in Scotland, and half-quarter-day
in England.
“‘Gula Augusti’ initium mensis Augusti. Te
Gule d’August, in statuo Edw. I I I., a. 31 c. 14, av-
eragintºn (estivale fieri delet inter Hokedai et gulam
#ºtiº-Ducamue : Gloss(trium Manuale, Vol. iii.
I). S66.
(“Hokeday est dies. Martis, qui quindenam
Pašchoe expletium proxiiiie excipit.”—Vol. iv. p. 65
col. 1.]
Gulf. A man that goes in for honour
at Cambridge—i.e. a mathematical de-
gree—is sometimes too bad to be classed
with the lowest of the three classes, and
yet has shown sufficient merit to pass.
When the list is made out a line is drawn
after the classes, and one or two names
are appended. These names are in the
gulf, and those so honoured are gulfed.
In the good old times these men were
not qualified to stand for the classical
tripos.
“The ranks of our curatehood are supplied by
youths whom, at the very best, merciful, exami-
ners have raised from the yery gates of ‘pluck’
to the comparative paradise of the ‘Gulf.’”—
Saturday Review.
A great gulf faced. An impassable
separation or divergence. From the
parable of Dives and Lazarus, in the
third Gospel. (Luke xvi. 26.)
Gulf Stream. The stream which
issues from the Gulf of Mexico, and
extends over a range of 3,000 miles,
raising the temperature of the water
through which it passes, and of the lands
against which it flows. It washes the
Gulistan.
563
Gun Room.
shores of the British Isles, and runs up
the coast of Norway.
“It is found that the amount of heat transferred
by the Gulf Stream from equatorial regions into
the North Atlantig . . . amounts to no less than
one-fifth part of the entire heat possessed by the
North Atlantic.”— T. Croll. Climate (tºld Time,
chap. i. p. 15.
Gu'listan [garden of roses]. The
famous recueil of moral Sentences by
Saadi, the poet of Shiraz, who died 1291.
(Persian, ghul, a rose, and tam, a region.)
Gull (rhymes with dull). A dupe,
one easily cheated. (See BEJAN.)
“The Thost notorious geck and gull
That e'er invention played on.
Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, W. 1.
Gulliver (Lemuel). The hero of
the famous Travels into Several Remote
Nations of the World, by Lemuel Gulliver,
Jirst a Surgeon, and then a Captain of
several Ships, i.e. to Lilliput, Brobding-
nag, Tapu'ta, and the Houyhnhnms
(Whin-nims), written by Dr. Swift,
Dean of St. Patrick’s, Ireland.
Gulna're (2 syl.), afterwards called
Raled, queen of the harem, and fairest
of all the slaves of Seyd [Seed]. She
was rescued from the flaming palace by
Lord Conrad, the corsair, and when the
corsair was imprisoned released him
and murdered the Sultan. The two
escaped to the Pirate’s Isle; but when
Conrad found that Medora, his be-
trothed, was dead, he and Gulnare left
the island secretly, and none of the
pirates ever knew where they went to.
The rest of the tale of Gulnare is under
the new name, Kaled (q.v.).
The Corsair.)
Gummed (I syl.). He fºets liſte
gummed velvet or ſummed taffety. Velvet
and taffeta were sometimes stiffened
with gum to make them “sit better,”
but, being very stiff, they fretted out
quickly.
Gumption. Wit to turn things to
account, capacity. In Yorkshire we
hear the phrase, “I canna gaum it?”
(understand it, make it out), and gaum-
tion is the capacity of understanding,
etc. (Irish, goºmsh, sense, cuteness.)
“Though his eyes were dazzled with the splen-
dollr of the place, faith he had goºmsh enough not
to let go his hold.”—Dublin and London Magazime,
1825 (Loughleagh).
Gumption. A nostrum much in request
by painters in search of the supposed
“lost medium ” of the old masters, and
to which their unapproachable excellence
is ascribed. The medium is made of
gum mastic and linseed-oil.
Gun. (Welsh gwn, a gun.)
(Byron :
CANNONS AND RIFLES.
Armstrong gun. A wrought-iron can-
non, usually breech-loading, having an
iron-hooped steel inner tube. Designed
by Sir William Armstrong in 1854, and
officially tested in 1861.
Enfield rifles. Invented by Pritchett
at the Enfield factory, adopted in the
English army 1852, and converted into
Snider breech-loaders in 1866.
Gatling gun. A machine gun with
parallel barrels about a central axis, each
having its own lock. Capable of being
loaded and of discharging 1,000 shots a
minute by turning a crank. Named from
the inventor, Dr. R. J. Gatling.
Iſrupp gun. A cannon of ingot steel,
made at Krupp’s works, at Essen, in
Prussia.
Lancaster gun. A cannon having a
slightly elliptical twisted bore, and a
conoid (2 syſ.) projectile. Named from
the inventor.
Minié rifle. Invented in 1849, and
adopted in the English army in 1851.
Named after Claude Minié, a French
officer. (1810-1879.)
Snider rifle. Invented by Jacob
Snider. A breech-loader adopted by the
British Government in 1866.
JP'hitworth gun. An English rifled
firearm of hexagonal bore, and very
rapid twist. Constructed in 1857. Its
competitive trial with the Armstrong
gun in 1864. Named after Sir Joseph
Whitworth, the inventor (1803-1887).
JWoolwich infant (The). A British
35-ton rifled muzzle-loading cannon,
having a steel tube hooped with wrought-
iron coils. Constructed in 1870. (See
BROWN BESS, MITRAILLEUSE, etc.)
Gun. A breech-loading gun. . A gun
loaded at the breech, which is then
closed by a screw or wedge-block.
Jºvening or sunset gun. A gun fired
at Sunset, or about 9 o'clock p.m.
Gun Cotton. A highly explosive
compound, prepared by Saturating cotton
with nitric and sulphuric acids.
Gun Money. Money issued in Ire-
land by James II., made of old brass
Càll]].OI)S.
Gun Room. A room in the after-
part of a lower gun-deck for the accom-
modation of junior officers.
GUN PHIRASES.
IHe’s a great gun. A man of note.
Son of a gun. A jovial fellow.
Sure as a gun. Quite certain. It is
as certain to happen as a gun to go off if
the trigger is pulled.
Guns
564 Gütter Tiane
Guns. To blow great guns. To be
very boisterous and windy. Noisy and
boisterous as the reports of great guns.
To run away from their own guns. To
eat their own words; desert what is
laid down as a principle. The allusion
is obvious.
“The Government could not, Of colll'Se I'lln
away from their guns.”—Nimeteenth Century, Feb.,
1893, p. 193.
Gunga [pronounce Gun-jah]. The
goddess of the Ganges. Bishop Heber
calls the river by this name.
Gunner. Kissing the gunner's daugh-
ter. Being flogged on board ship. At
one time boys in the Royal Navy who
were to be flogged were first tied to the
breech of a cannon.
Gunpowder Plot. The project of a
few Roman Catholics to destroy James
I. with the Lords and Commons as-
sembled in the Houses of Parliament, on
the 5th of November, 1605. It was to
be done by means of gunpowder when
the king went in person to open Parlia-
ment. Robert Catesby originated the
plot, and Guy Fawkes undertook to fire
the gunpowder. (See DYNAMITE SATUR-
DAY.)
Gunter's Chain, for land surveying,
is so named from Edmund Gunter, its
inventor (1581–1626). It is sixty-six
feet long, and divided into one hundred
links. As ten Square chains make an
acre, it follows that an acre contains
100,000 square links.
According to Gunter. According to
measurement by Gunter’s chain.
Günther. Ring of Burgundy and
'brother of Kriem'hild. He resolved to
wed Brunhild, the martial queen of Iss-
land, who had made a vow that none
should win her who could not surpass
her in three trials of skill and strength.
The first was hurling a spear, the second
throwing a stone, and the third was
jumping. The spear could scarcely be
lifted by three men. The queen hurled
it towards Günther, when Siegfried, in
his invisible cloak, reversed it, hurled it
back again, and the queen was knocked
down. The stone took twelve brawny
champions to carry, but Brunhild lifted
it on high, flung it twelve fathoms, and
jumped beyond it. , Again the unseen
Siegfried came to his friend’s rescue,
flung the stone still farther, and, as he
leaped, bore Günther with him. The
queen, overmastered, exclaimed to her
subjects, “I am no more your mis-
tress; you are Günther's liegemen
now ’’ (Lied, vii.). After the marriage
the masculine maid behaved so obstre-
perously that Günther had again to avail
himself of his friend’s aid. Siegfried
entered the chamber in his cloud-cloak,
and wrestled with the bride till all her
strength was gone ; then he drew a ring
from her finger, and took away her
girdle. After which he left her, and she
became a submissive wife. Günther,
with unpardonable ingratitude, was
privy to the murder of his friend and
brother-in-law, and was himself slain
in the dungeon of Etzel’s palace by his
sister Kriemhild. In history this Bur-
gundian king is called Gün'tacher. (The
Nibelungen-Lied.)
Gurgoils. (See GARGOUILLE.)
Gurme (2 syl.). The Celtic Cer'be-
rus. While the world lasts it is fastened
at the mouth of a vast cave; but at the
end of the world it will be let loose,
when it will attack Tyr, the war-god,
and kill him.
Gurney Light. (See BUDE.)
Guth'lac (St.), of Crowland, Lincoln-
shire, is represented in Christian art as a
hermit punishing demons with a scourge,
or consoled by angels while demons
torment him.
Guthrum. Silver of Guthrum, or
silver of Guthrum's Lane. Fine silver
was at one time so called, because the
chief gold and silver Smiths of London
resided there in the thirteenth and
fourteenth centuries. The hall of the
Goldsmiths’ Company is still in the same
locality. (Riley : Munimenta Gildhallae.)
Gutta percha. The juice of the
percha-tree (Isonandra percha) of the
family called Sapotacaº. The percha
trees grow to a great height, and abound
in all the Malacca Islands. The juice is
obtained by cutting the bark. Gutta-
percha was brought over by Dr. William
Montgomerie in 1843, but articles made
of this resin were known in Europe Some
time before. (Latin, gºtta, a drop.)
Gutter. Out of the gutter. Of low
birth ; of the street-Arab class one of
the submerged.
Gutter Children. Street Arabs.
Gutter Lane (London). A corrup-
tion of . Guthurun Lane, from a Mr.
Guthurun, Goderoune, or Guthrum,
who, as Stow informs us, “possessed
the chief property therein.” (See
GUTHRUM.)
All goes down Gutter Lane. He spends
Guy.
565
Gyneth
everything on his stomach. The play is
between Gutter Lane, London, and
guttur (the throat), preserved in our
word guttural (a throat letter).
Guy. The Guiser or Guisard was the
ancient Scotch mummer, who played
before Yule ; hence our Words gttise,
disguise, gºty, etc. .
* Guy (Thomas). Miser, and philan-
thropist. He amassed an immense for-
tune in 1720 by speculations in the
South Sea Stock, and gave £238,292 to
found and endow Guy’s Hospital.
Guy Fawkes, or Guido Fawkes, went
under the name of John Johnstone, the
servant of Mr. Percy.
Guy, Earl of Warwick. An Anglo-
Danish hero of wonderful puissance.
He was in love with fair Phelis or Felice,
who refused to listen to his suit till he
had distinguished himself by knightly
deeds. First, he rescued the daughter
of the Emperor of Germany “from
many a valiant knight; ” then he went
to Greece to fight against the Saracens,
and slew the doughty Coldran, Elmaye
Ring of Tyre, and the soldan himself.
Then returned he to England and
wedded Phelis; but in forty days he
returned to the Holy Land, where he
redeemed Earl Jonas out of prison, slew
the giant Am'arant, and many others.
He again returned to England, and
slew at Winchester, in single combat,
Colbronde or Colbrand, the Danish
giant, and thus redeemed England from
Danish tribute. At Windsor he slew a
boar of “passing might and strength.”
On Dunsmore Heath he slew the “Dum-
cow of Dunsmore, a monstrous wyld
and cruell beast.” In Northumberland
he slew a dragon “black as any cole,”
with lion's paws, wings, and a hide
which no sword could pierce. Having
achieved all this, he became a hermit in
Warwick, and hewed himself a cave a
mile from the town. Daily he went to
his own castle, where he was not known,
and begged bread of his own wife
Phelis. On his death-bed he sent Phelis
a ring, by which she recognised her
lord, and went to close his dying eyes.
(890-958.) . His combat with Colbrand
is very elaborately told by Drayton
(1563-1631) in his Polyolbion.
“I am not Sampson, nor Sir Guy, nor Colbrand,
to now them down before ille.”—Shakespeare:
JHenry VIII., Y. 3.
Guy-ropes. Guide, or guiding-ropes,
to steady heavy goods while a-hoisting.
(Spanish and Portuguese gºtia, from
guiar, to guide.) - -
Guyon (Sir). The impersonation of
Temperance or Self-government. He
destroyed the witch Acraſsia, and her
bower, called the “Bower of Bliss.”
His companion was Prudence. (Spense”.
JFaërie Queene, book ii.)
The word Guyon is the Spanish guiar
(to guide), and the word temperance is
the Latin tempero (to guide).
Gwynn (Nell). An actress, and One
of the courtesans of Charles II. of Eng-
land (died 1687). Sir Walter Scott
speaks of her twice in I’everil of the
Peak ; in chap. xi. he speaks of “the
smart humour of Mrs. Nelly ; ” and in
chap. xl. Lord Chaffinch says of “Mrs.
Nelly, wit she has ; let her keep herself
warm with it in worse company, for the
cant of strollers is not language for a
prince's chamber.”
Gygës' Ring rendered the wearer
invisible. Gygës, the Lydian, is the
person to whom Candau'lès showed his
wife naked. According to Plato, Gygès
descended into a chasm of the earth,
where he found a brazen horse; opening
the sides of the animal, he found the
carcase of a man, from whose finger he
drew off a brazen ring which rendered
him invisible, and by means of this ring
he entered into the king’s chamber and
murdered him. - -
“Why, did you think that you had Gygës rin
Or the herb that gives invisibility [fern-seed '?”
Beaumont and I'letcher: Fair Maid of the Inn, i. 1.
The wealth of Gygës. , Gygës was a
Lydian king, who married Nyssia, the
young widow of Candaulēs, and reigned
thirty-eight years. He amassed such
wealth that his name became proverbial.
(Reigned B.C. 716-678.)
Gymnas'tics. Athletic games. The
word is from gymna'sium, a public place
set apart in Greece for athletic sports,
the actors in which were naked. (Greek,
gummos, naked.) *
Gymnos'ophists. A sect of Indian
philosophers who went about with naked
feet and almost without clothing. They
lived in woods, subsisted on roots, and
never married. They believed in the
transmigration of souls. Strabo divides
them into Brahmins and Samans. (Greek,
gºmn0s, naked; Sophistés, Sages.)

Gy'neth. Natural daughter of Guen'-
dolen and King Arthur. Arthur swore
to Guendolen that if she brought forth a
boy, he should be his heir, and if a girl,
he would give her in marriage to the
bravest knight of his kingdom. One
Gyp
566 Habeas Corpus
Tentecost a beautiful damsel presented
herself to King Arthur, and claimed the
promise made to Guendolen. Accord-
ingly, a tournament was proclaimed, and
the warder given to Gyneth. The king
prayed her to drop the warder before the
combat turned to earnest warfare, but
Gyneth haughtily refused, and twenty
knights of the Round Table fell in the
tournament, amongst whom was young
Vanoc, son of Merlin. Immediately Vanoc
fell, the form of Merlin rose, put a stop
to the fight, and caused Gyneth to fall
into a trance in the Valley of St. John,
from which she was never to awake till
some knight came forward for her hand
as brave as those which were slain in
the tournay. Tive hundred years passed
away before the spell was broken, and
then T)e Vaux undertook the adven-
ture of breaking it. He overcame four
temptations—fear, avarice, pleasure, and
ambition—when Gyneth awoke, the en-
chantment was dissolved, and Gyneth
Thecame the bride of the bold warrior.
(Sir Walter Scott : Bridal of Triermain,
chap. ii.)
Gyp. A college servant, whose office
is that of a gentleman's Valet, waiting
on two or more collegians in the Univer-
sity of Cambridge. He differs from a
'bed-maker, inasmuch as he does not
make beds; but he runs on errands,
waits at table, wakes men for morning
chapel, brushes their clothes, and so on.
FIis perquisites are innumerable, and he
is called a gyp (vulture, Greek) because
he preys upon his employer like a vul-
ture. At Oxford they are called Scouts.
Gypsy. (See GIPSY.)
Gyrfalcon, Gerfalcon, or Jefalcon.
A native of Iceland and Norway, highest
in the list of hawks for falconry. “Gyr,”
or “Ger,” is, I think, the Dutch gier, a
vulture. It is called the “vulture-
falcon '' because, like the vulture, its
beak is not toothed. The common ety-
mology from hieros, Sacred, “ because
the Egyptians held the hawk to be
sacred,” is utterly worthless. Besides
Ger-falcons, we have Gier-eagles, Lam-
mer-geiers, etc. (See HAWK.)
Gyromancy. A kind of divination
performed by walking round in a circle
Or ring.
Gytrash. A north-of-England Spirit,
which, in the form of horse, mule, or
large dog, haunts solitary ways, and
sometimes comes upon belated travellers.
“I remembered certain of Bessie's tales, wherein
figured a . . .'sspirit galled a Gytrash.”—Charlotte
JBronté. Jane Eyre, xii, *
H.
H. This letter represents a style or
hedge. It is called in Hebrew heth or
cheth (a hedge).
H.B. (Mr. Doyle, father of Mr.
Richard Doyle, connected with Punch).
This political caricaturist died 1868.
H.M.S. His or Her Majesty's service
or ship, as H.M.S. Wellington.
H. U. Hard up.
Habeas Corpus. The “ Habeas
Corpus Act” was passed in the reign of
Charles II., and defined a provision of
similar character in Magna Charta, to
which also it added certain details. The
Act provides (1) That any man taken
to prison can insist that the person who
charges him with crime shall bring him
bodily before a judge, and state the why
and wherefore of his detention. As soon
as this is done, the judge is to decide
whether or not the accused is to be ad-
mitted to bail. [No one, therefore, can
be imprisoned on mere suspicion, and
no one can be left in prison any inde-
finite time at the Caprice of the powers
that be. Imprisonment, in fact, must be
either for punishment after conviction,
or for safe custody till the time of trial.]
(2) It provides that every person ac-
cused of crime shall have the question
of his guilt decided by a jury of twelve
men, and not by a Government agent or
nominee.
(3) No prisoner can be tried a second
time on the same charge. -
(4) Every prisoner may insist on being
examined within twenty days of his
arrest, and tried by jury the next ses-
S1011.
(5) No defendant is to be sent to prison
beyond the seas, either within or without
the British dominions.
The exact meaning of the words Ha-
beas Corpus is this: “You are to pro-
duce the body.” . That is, You, the
accuser, are to bring before the judge
the body of the accused, that he may be
tried and receive the award of the court,
and you (the accused) are to abide by
the award of the judge.
Suspension of Habeas Corpus. When
the Habeas Corpus Act is suspended, the
Crown can imprison persons on suspicion,
without giving any reason for so doing ;
the person so arrested cannot insist on
being brought before a judge to decide
whether or not he can be admitted to
bail; it is not needful to try the prisoner
Haberdasher
567
Hadj
at the following assize; and the prisoner
may be confined in any prison the Crown
chooses to select for the purpose.
Haberdasher, from hapertas, a cloth
the width of which was settled by Magna
Charta. A “hapertas-er” is the Seller
of hapertas-erie.
“To match this Saint there was another,
As busy and per Verše a brother,
An hajjerdasher of small wares
In politics and State affairs.” & a
Butler : IIudibras, iii. 2.
Habit is Second Nature. The wise
saw of Diogénēs, the cynic. (B.C. 412-
323.)
Shakespeare : “TJse almost can change
the stamp of nature'' (Hamlet, iii. 4).
Jºyeneſ, “L’habitude est une seconde
nature.”
Jatin : “Usus est optimus magister”
(Columella).
Italia/2 .
natura.”
“L’abito & una, seconda,
H a b s burg is a contraction of
Habichts - burg (Hawk's Tower); so
called from the castle on the right bank
of the Aar, built in the eleventh century
by Werner, Bishop of Strasburg, whose
nephew (Werner II.) was the first to
assume the title of “Count of Habs-
burg.” His great-grandson, Albrecht
II., assumed the title of “Landgraf of
Sundgau.” His grandson, Albrecht IV.,
in the thirteenth century, laid the
foundation of the greatness of the House
of Habsburg, of which the imperial
family of Austria are the representatives.
Hackell's Coit. A vast stone near
Stantin Drew, in Somersetshire ; so
called from a tradition that it was a coić
thrown by Sir John Hautville. In
Wiltshire three huge stones near Kennet
are called the Devil’s coits.
Hackney Horses. Not thorough-
pred, but nearly so. They make the
best roadsters, hunters, and carriage
horses; their action is showy, and their
pace good. A first-class roadster will
trot a mile in 2% minutes. Some Ameri-
can trotters will even exceed this record.
The best hackneys are produced from
thorough-bred sires mated with half-
bred mares. (French, haſºſenée , the
Romance word hague–the Latin equits;
Spanish, hacamáa.)
, *: In ordinary parlance, a hackney,
hackney-horse, or hack, means a horse
“hacked out ’’ for hire. These horses
are sometimes vicious private horses sold
for “hacks,” or worn-out coach-horses,
and cheap animals with broken wind,
broken knees, or some other defect. -
“The knights are well horsed, and the common
people and others on litell hallcemeys and
geldynges.”—Froissatrú.
Hackum (Captain). A thick-headed
bully of Alsa'tia, impudent but cowardly.
He was once a sergeant in Flanders, but
ran from his colours, and took refuge in
Alsatia, where he was dubbed captain.
(Shadwell ; Squire of Alsatia.)
Haco I. His sword was called Quern-
Biter [foot-breadth). (See SWORD.)
Haddock. According to tradition, it
was a haddock in whose mouth St. Peter
found the stater (or piece of money),
and the two marks on the fish's neck are
said to be the impressions of the apostle's
finger and thumb. It is a pity that the
person who invented this pretty story
forgot that salt-water haddocks cannot
live in the fresh water of the Lake Gen-
nesaret. (See JoEIN DORY and CHRISTIAN
TRADITIONS.) -
“O Superstitious dainty, Peter's fish,
How colm'st thou here to make so goodly dish 2 °
Metellus : Dialog lies (1693).
Hadès (2 syl.). The places of the
departed spirit till the resurrection. It
may be either Paradise or “Tartarus.”
*: It is a great pity that it has been
translated “hell” nine or ten times in
the common version of the New Testa-
ment, as “hell” in theology means the
inferno. The Hebrew Sheol is about
equal to the Greek haidés, that is, a,
privative, and idein, to see.
Ha'dith [a legend]. The traditions
about the prophet Mahomet’s sayings
and doings. This compilation forms a
supplement to the Koran, as the Talmud
to the Jewish Scriptures. Like the
Jewish Gema'ra, the Ha'dith was not
allowed Originally to be committed to
writing, but the danger of the traditions
being perverted or forgotten led to their
being placed on record.
Hadj. The pilgrimage to Kaa'ba,
(temple of Mecca), which every Ma-
hometan feels bound to make once at
least before death. Those who neglect
to do so “might as well die Jews or
Christians.” These pilgrimages are made
by caravans well supplied with water,
and escorted by 1,400 armed men for
defence against brigands. (Hebrew, hag,
the festival of Jewish pilgrimages to
Jerusalem.)
“The green turban of the Mussulman distin-
guishes the devout hadji who has been to Mecca,”
—Stephens: Egypt, Vol. i. Chap. xvii. p. 240, -
Hadji 568
Hagring
Hadji. A pilgrim, a Mahometan who
has made the Hadj or pilgrimage to the
Prophet's tomb at Mecca. Every Hadji
is entitled to wear a green turban.
Haemony. Milton, in his Comets, says
haemony is of “sovereign use 'gainst all
enchantments, mildew, blast, or damp.”
Coleridge says the word is hama-oinos
(blood-wine), and refers to the blood of
Jesus Christ, which destroys all evil.
The leaf, says Milton, “had prickles on
it,” but “it bore a bright golden
flower.” The prickles are the crown of
thorns, the flower the fruits of salvation.
This interpretation is so in accordance
with the spirit of Milton, that it is far
preferable to the suggestions that the
plantag’rimony or alyssum was intended,
for why should Milton have changed the
name? (Greek, haima, blood.) (See
Comus, 648-668.)
Dioscor'ides ascribes similar powers to
the herb alyssum, which, as he says,
“keepeth man and beast from enchant-
ments and witching.”
Haemos. A range of mountains
separating Thrace and Moe'sia, called by
the classic writers Cold Haemos. (Greek,
cheimon, winter; Latin, hiems, Sanskrit,
hima.)
“Q'er high Pier'ía, thence her course she bore,
O'er fair Emath/ia's ever-pleasing shore :
O'er Haemus' hills with snows eternal crown'd,
Nor Once her flying foot approached , the
ground * Pope: Homer's Iliad, xiv.
Hafed. A Gheber or Fire-worshipper,
in love with Hinda, the Arabian emir’s
daughter, whom he first saw when he
entered the palace under the hope of
being able to slay her father, the tyrant
usurper of Persia. He was the leader of
a band sworn to free their country or die,
and his name was a terror to the Arab,
who looked upon him as Superhuman.
His rendezvous was betrayed by a traitor
comrade, but when the Moslem army
came to take him he threw himself into
the sacred fire, and was burnt to death.
(Thomas Moore.)
Hafiz. The great Persian lyrist,
called the “Persian Anacreon’’ (four-
teenth century). His odes are called
ghazels, and are both sweet and graceful.
The word haftz (retainer) is a degree
given to those who know by heart the
Roran and Hadith (traditions).
Hag. A witch or sorceress.
Saxon, haſtesse, a witch or hag.)
“How now, you secret, black, and midnight
hags 2 ” Shakespeare : Macbeth, iv. 1.
Hagan of Trony or Haco of Norway,
Son of Aldrian, liegeman of Günther,
(Anglo-
King of Burgundy. Günther invited
Siegfried to a hunt of wild beasts, but
while the king of Netherland stooped
to drink from a brook, Hagan stabbed
him between the shoulders, the only
vulnerable point in his whole body. He
then deposited the dead body at the
door of Kriemhild’s chamber, that she
might stumble on it when she went to
matins, and suppose that he had been
murdered by assassins. When Kriem-
hild sent to Worms for the “Nibelung
Hoard,” Hagan seized it, and buried it
secretly somewhere beneath the Rhine,
intending himself to enjoy it. Kriem-
hild, with a view of vengeance, married
Etzel, King of the Huns, and after the
lapse of seven years, invited the king of
Burgundy, with Hagan and many
others, to the court of her husband, but
the invitation was a mere snare. A
terrible broil was stirred up in the
banquet hall, which ended in the
slaughter of all the Burgundians but
two (Günther and Hagan), who were
taken prisoners and given to Kriemhild,
who cut off both their heads. Hagan
lost an eye when he fell upon Walter of
Spain. He was dining on the chine of
a wild boar when Walter pelted him with
the bones, one of which struck him in
the eye. Hagan's person is thus described
in the great German epic:— -
“Well-grown and well-compacted was that re-
doubted guest ;
Long were his legs and sinewy, and deep and
broad his chest";
His hair, that once was sable, with grey was
dashed of late ;
MOSt. terrible his visage, and lordly was his
gait. The Nibelungen-Licq, Stanza 1789.
Hagarenes (3 syl.). The Moors are
so called, being the supposed descend-
ants of Hagar, Abraham's bondwoman.
“San Diego . . . . hath often been seen con-
quering . . . . . the Hagarene Squadrons.”—Cer-
wantes : Dom Quiacote, part ii. book iv. 6.
Hagga'dah (plur. hagga'doth). The
free rabbinical interpretation of Scrip-
ture. (Hebrew, hagged, to relate.) (See
Farray: Life of Christ, vol. ii. chap.
lviii. p. 333.)
(See HADJ.)
Hag-knots. Tangles in the manes
of wild ponies, supposed to be used by
witches for stirrups. The term is com-
mon in the New Forest. Seamen use the
word hag's-teeth to express those parts of
a matting, etc., which spoil its general
uniformity.
Hagi.
H. a gring. The Fata Morgana,
(Scandinavian.)
FIa-ha,
569
Hair
Ha-ha (A). A ditch serving , the
purpose of a hedge without breaking
the prospect. (Anglo-Saxon, hoºk, a
hole.) -
Hahnemann (Samuel). A German
physician, who set forth in his Orgáà0%
of Medicine the system which he called
“homoeopathy ’’ the principles of which
are these: (1) that diseases are cured by
those medicines which would produce
the disease in healthy bodies; (2) that
medicines are to be simple and not com-
pounded ; (3) that doses are to be ex-
ceedingly minute. (1755-1843.)
Haidee (2 syl.). A beautiful Greek
girl, who found Don Juan when he was
cast ashore, and restored him to anima-
tion. “Her hair was auburn, and her
eyes were black as death.” Her mother,
a Moorish woman from Fez, was dead,
and her father, Lambro, a rich Greek
pirate, was living on one of the Cyc'-
iaiºs.” She and juan fell in love with
each other during the absence of Lam-
loro from the island. On his return Juan
was arrested, placed in a galliot, and
sent from the island. Haidee went
mad and, after a lingering illness, died.
(Byron : Don Juan, cantos ii. iii. iv.)
Hail. Health, an exclamation of
welcome, like the Latin Salvé (Anglo-
Saxon, hēl, health; but hail = frozen
rain is the Anglo-Saxon haegl.)
“All hail, Macbeth J. Hail to thee, thane of
Gla/mis.” Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 3.
Hail. To call to.
To hail a ship or an omnibus. To call
to those on board. -
Hail-fellow-well-met (A). One on
easy, familiar terms. (See JocKEY.)
“Hail fellow well met, all dirty and wet;
Find out, if you can, Who's master, who's man.”
Swift : My Lady's Laºmentation.
Hair. One single tuft is left on the
shaven crown of a Mussulman, for Ma-
homet to grasp hold of when drawing
the deceased to Paradise.
“And each Scalp had a single long tuft of hair.”
- Byron : Siege of Corinth.
The scalp-lock of the North American
Indians, left on the otherwise bald head,
is for a conquering enemy to seize when
he tears off the scalp.
Hair (Absalom's) (2 Sam. xiv. 25).
Absalom used to cut his hair once a year,
and the clippings “weighed 200 shekels
after the king’s weight,” i.e. 100 oz.
avoirdupois. It would be a fine head
of hair which weighed five ounces, but
the mere clippings of Absalom's hair
weighed 43,800 grains (more than 100
oz.). Paul says (1 Cor. xi. 14), “Doth
not even nature itself teach you, that if
a man have long hair, it is a shame unto
him P” -
Mrs. Astley, the actress, could stand
upright and cover her feet with her
flaxen hair. -
Hair, Hairs. (Anglo-Saxon, har.)
The greatest events are often drawn by
hairs. Events of great pith and moment
are often brought about by causes of
apparently no importance.
Sir John Hawkins's History of Music, a work of
sixteen years labour, was plunged into long obli-
ViOn by a pun. a -
The magnificent, discovery of gravitation by
Newton is ascribed to the fall of an apple from
a tree under which he was musing. -
The dog Diamond, upsetting a lamp, destroyed
the papers of Sir Isaac Newton, which had been
the foil of his life. (See page 350.)
A Spark from a candle falling on a cottage floor
Was the Cause of the Great Fire of London.
A ballad chanted by a fille-de-chambre under-
mined the colossal power of Alberoni,
A jest of the French king was the death of
William the Conqueror.
The destruction of Athens was brought about
by a jest on Sulla. Some witty, Athenian, struck
with his, pimply face, called him a “mulberry
pudding.”
Rome Was Saved from capture by the Gauls
by the cackling of Some sacred geese.
Benson, in his Sketches of Corsica, says that,
Napoleon's love for war was planted in his boy-
hood by the present of a small brass cannon.
The life of Napoleon was saved from the “In-
fernal Machine” because General Rapp detained
Josephine a minute or two to arrange her Shawl
after the manner of Egyptian Wºmen. e
The famous “Rye-house Plot” miscarried from
the Imerest, accident. The house in which
Charles II. was staying happened to catch fire,
and the king was obliged to leave for New-
lmarket a little SOOmer than he had intended.
Lafitte, the great banker, was a pauper, ºnd he
always ascribed his rise in life to his picking up
a pin in the streets of Paris.
A single line of Frederick II., reflecting, not on
politics, but on the poetry of a French minister,
junged France into the Seven Years' War.
The invention of glass is ascribed to some
PhOenician merchants lighting a fire On the sands
Of the Sea ShOre.
The three hairs. When Reynard
wanted to get talked about, he told Miss
Magpie, under the promise of secrecy,
that “the lion king had given him three
hairs from the fifth leg of the a'moron-
thol'ogos'phorus, . . . a beast that lives
on the other side of the river Cylinx; it
has five legs, and on the fifth leg there
are three hairs, and whoever has these
three hairs will be young and beautiful
for ever.” They had effect only on the
fair sex, and could be given only to the
lady whom the donor married. (Sir E.
JB. Lytton : Pilgrims of the Rhine, xii.)
To a hair or To the turn of a hair.
To a nicety. A hairbreadth is the forty-
eighth part of an inch.
To comb one’s hair the wrong way. To
cross or vex one by running counter to
one’s prejudices, opinions, or habits,
IHair-brained.
#70 FIalberjects
Without turning a hair. Without in-
dicating any sign of fatigue or distress.
A horse will run a certain distance at a
given rate without turning a hair.
Against the hair. Against the grain,
contrary to its nature.
“If you should fight, you go against the hair of
your professions.”—Shakespeare: Merry Wives of
Windsor, ii. 3. -
Hair-brained. (See AIR-BRAINED.)
Hair-breadth 'Scape. A very nar-
row escape from some evil. In measure-
ment the forty-eighth part of an inch is
called a “hair-breadth.”
“Wherein I spake of most disastrous chances,
Qf moving accidents by flood and field,
Of hair-breadth 'scapes i' th' imminent deadly
t brea. Ch.” Shakespeare : Othello, i. 3.
Hair Eels. These filiform worms
'belong to the species Gordius aquaticus,
found in stagnant pools. Their resem-
blance to wriggling hairs has given rise
to the not uncommon belief that a hair,
if left in water for nine days, will turn
into an eel.
Hair - Splitting. Cavilling about
very minute differences. (See HAIR-
HREADTH.)
“Nothing is more fatal to eloquence than
attention to fine hair-splitting distinctions.”—
Mathews: Oratory and Orators, chap. ii. p. 36.
Hair Stane (Celtic) means boun-
dary stone; a monolith sometimes, but
erroneously, termed a Druidical stone.
(Scotland.)
Hair by Hair. Hair by hair you
will pull out the horse’s tail. Plutarch
says that Serto'rius, in order to teach
his soldiers that perseverance and wit
are better than brute force, had two
horses brought before them, and set two
men to pull out their tails. One of the
men was a burly Herculés, who tugged
and tugged, but all to no purpose; the
other was a sharp, weasen-faced tailor,
who plucked one hair at a time, amidst
roars of laughter, and soon left the tail
quite bare.
Hair devoted to Proserpine. Till
a lock of hair is devoted to Proserpine,
she refuses to release the soul from the
dying body. When Dido mounted the
funeral pile, she lingered in suffering till
Juno sent Iris to cut off a lock of her
hair. Thanàtos did the same for Alcestis,
when she gave her life for her husband.
And in all sacrifices a forelock was first
cut off from the head of the victim as an
offering to the black queen. -
“‘Hunc ego Diti
Sacrum jussa fero, teque isto corpore Solvo.'
Sic ait, et, dextra crinem Secat ... .
. . . atque in Yentos Yita recessit.”
- Virgil: AEmeid, iv. 702–5,
Hair of a Dissembling Colour.
IRed hair is so-called, from the notion
that Judas had red hair.
“Rosalind. His Yery hair is of the dissembling
Colour [red]. - --
Celia. Somewhat browner... than Judas’s.” –
Shakespeare: As You Like It, iii. 4.
Hair of the Dog that Bit You
(A). Similia similibus curantur. In
Scotland it is a popular belief that a few
hairs of the dog that bit you applied to
the wound will prevent evil conse-
quences. Applied to drinks, it means,
if overnight you have indulged too freely,
take a glass of the same wine next
morning to soothe the nerves. “If this
dog do you bite, soon as out of your bed,
take a hair of the tail in the morning.”
“Take the hair, it's well written,
Of the dog by which you're bitten;
Work off one wine by his brother,
And One labour with anothel. . . . .
Book with cook, and strife with strife;
Business witli business, wife with wife.”
- Athematus (ascribed to Aristoph (tiles).
“There was a man, and he was W1Se,
Who fell into a branble-bush
And scratched out both his eyes;
And when his eyes were out, he tllón
Jumped into the branable-bush;
And scratched them in again.”
Hair stand on End. Indicative
of intense mental distress and astonish-
ment. Dr. Andrews, of Beresford
chapel, Walworth, who attended Pro-
bert under sentence of death, says:
“When the executioner put the cords
on his wrists, his hair, though long and
lanky, of a weak iron-grey, rose gradu-
ally and stood perfectly upright, and so
remained for some time, and then fell
gradually down again.”
“Fear came upon me and trembling, . . . [and]
the hair of my flesh stood up.”—Job iv. 14, 15.
Hake. We lose in hake, but gain? in
herring. Tose one way, but gain in
another. Herrings are persecuted by the
hakes, which are therefore driven away
from a herring fishery.
Hal. A familiar contraction of Harry
(for Henry). Similarly, Do! is a con-
traction of Dorothy ; Mol, of Mary, etc.
* The substitution of P for M as the
initial letter of proper names is seen in
such examples as Polly for Molly, Patty
for Martha, Peggy for Margy (i.e. Mar-
garet), etc. (See ELIZABETH.)
Halacha [rule]. The Jewish oral
law. (See GEMA'RA, MISHNA.)
“The halachah , . . had even greater authority
than the Scriptures of the Old Testament, since
it explained and applied them.”— Edersheim :
Lºfa of Jesus the Messiah, Vol. i. book i. Chal’, i.
- Halberjects or Haubergets. A
coarse thick cloth used for the habits of
monks. Thomson says it is the German
FIalcyon Days 57.1
FIalifax
al-bergen (cover-all) or Hals-bergen (neck-
cover). (Essay on Magna Charta.)
Halcyon Days. A time of happi-
ness and prosperity. Halcyon is the
Greek for a kingfisher, compounded of
hals (the sea), and kºto (to brood on).
The ancient Sicilians believed that the
kingfisher laid its eggs and incubated
for fourteen days, before the winter
solstice, on the surface of the sea, during
which time the waves of the sea were
always unruffled.
“Amidst our arms as quiet you shall lye
As halcyon brooding on a winter's sea.”
I)?’ſden.
“The peaceful kingfishers are met together
About the deck, and prophesie calm weather.”
Wild : Item'. Borealé.
Half. Half is more than the whole.
(IIAéow juvov travrös). This is what Hesiod
said to his brother Perseus, when he
wished him to settle a dispute without
going to law. He meant “half of the
estate without the expense of law will
be better than the whole after the
lawyers have had their pickings.” The
remark, however, has a very wide signi-
fication. Thus an embarras de richesse is
far less profitable than a sufficiency. A
large estate to one who cannot manage
it is impoverishing. A man of small
income will be poorer with a large house
and garden to keep up than if he lived
in a smaller tenement. Increase of
wealth, if expenditure is more in pro-
portion, tendeth to poverty.
“ Unhappy they to whom God has not revealed;
By a strong light which must their sense contiſol,
That half a great estate's more than the whole.”
Cowley: Essays in Perse and Prose, No. iv.
Half. My better half. (See BETTER.)
Half-baked. He is only half-baked.
He is a soft, a noodle. The allusion is to
'bread, piecrust, etc., only half-cooked.
Half-deck. The sanctum of the second
mate, carpenters, coopers, boatswain,
and all secondary officers. Quarter-deck,
the Sanctum of the captain and superior
officers. In a gun-decked ship, it is the
deck below the spar-deck, extending
from the mainmast to the cabin bulk-
heads.
Half-done. Half-dome, as Elgin was
burnt. In the wars between James II.
of Scotland and the Douglases in 1452,
the Earl of Huntly burnt one-half of the
town of Elgin, being the side which
|belonged to the Douglases, but left the
other side standing because it belonged
to his own family. (Sir Walter Scott :
Tales of a Grandfather, xxi.)
Half-faced Groat (You). You worth-
less fellow. The debased groats issued
in the reign of Henry VIII. had the
king’s head in profile, but those in the
reign of Henry VII. had the king’s head
with the full face. (See Iſing John, i.
1 ; and 2 Henry IV., iii. 1.)
“Thou half-faced groat; ; Yoll thick-checked
chitty-face . "
Mumday: The Dortmfal of Itobert, Earle of
Huntingdom (1601).
Half-seas Over. Almost up with
one. Now applied to a person almost
dead drunk. The phrase seems to be a
corruption of the Dutch op-zee zober,
“over-sea beer,” a strong, heady bever-
age introduced into Holland from Eng-
land (Gifford). “Up-zee Freese ?? is
Friezeland beer. The Dutch, half
secumst’s over, more than half-sick. (C.
Jſ. Steerman.)
“I am half-seas o'er to death.”
Lryden.
“I do not like the dulness of your eye,
It hath a heavy cast, 'tis upsee Dutch.”
Bem, Jomson : Alchemist, iv. 2.
Halfpenny. I am come back again,
like a bad ha'penny. A facetious way of
saying “More free than welcome.” As a
bad ha'penny is returned to its owner,
so have I returned to you, and you
cannot get rid of me.
Halgaver. Summoned before the
Amayor of Halqaver. The mayor of Hal-
gaver is an imaginary person, and the
threat is given to those who have com-
mitted no offence against the laws, but
are simply untidy and slovenly. Hal-
gaver is a moor in Cornwall, near Bod-
min, famous for an annual carnival held
there in the middle of July. Charles II.
was so pleased with the diversions when
he passed through the place on his way
to Scilly that he became a member of
the “self-constituted” corporation. The
mayor of Garratt (q.v.) is a similar
“magnate.”
Halifax. That is, halig fax, or holy
hair. Its previous name was Horton.
The story is that a certain clerk of
Horton, being jilted, murdered his quon-
dam Sweetheart by cutting off her head,
which he hung in a yew-tree. The head
was looked on with reverence, and came
to be regarded as a holy relic. In time
it rotted away, leaving little filaments or
veins spreading out between the bark
and body of the tree like fine threads.
These filaments were regarded as the
fax or hair of the murdered maiden.
(See HULL, THREE H’s.)
Halifax (in Nova Scotia). So called
by the Hon. Edward Cornwallis, the
governor, in compliment to his patron,
the Earl of Halifax (1749).
IHalifax Tuaw
572
Hallel
Halifax Law. By this law, whoever
commits theft in the liberty of Halifax
is to be executed on the Halifax gibbet,
a kind of guillotine.
“At Hallifax the law so sharpe doth deale, -
That whoSO more than thirteen pence doth
Theyjº, a jym that wondrous quick and well
Sends thieves all headleSS into heaven Or hell.”
Taylor (the Water Poet): Works, ii. (1630).
Hall Mark. The mark on gold or
silver articles after they have been as-
sayed. Every article in gold is compared
with a given standard of pure gold. This
standard is supposed to be divided into
twenty-four parts called carats; gold
equal to the standard is said to be
twenty-four carats fine. Manufactured
articles are never made of pure gold,
but the quantity of alloy used is re-
stricted. Thus sovereigns and wedding-
rings contain two parts of alloy to every
twenty-two of gold, and are said to be
twenty-two carats fine. The best gold
watch-cases contain six parts of silver or
copper to eighteen of gold, and are
therefore eighteen carats fine. Other
gold watch cases and gold articles may
contain nine, twelve, or fifteen parts of
alloy, and only fifteen, twelve, or nine
of gold. The Mint price of standard
gold is £3 17s. 10%d. per ounce, or
£46 I4s. 6d. per pound.
Standard silver consists of thirty-seven
parts of pure silver and three of copper.
The Mint price is 5s. 6d. an ounce, but
silver to be melted or manufactured into
“plate ’’ varies in value according to
the silver market. To-day (Oct. 20th,
1894) it is 29%d. per ounce.
Suppose the article to be marked is
taken to the assay office for the hall
mark. It will receive a leopard’s head
for London; an anchor for Birmingham;
three wheat sheaves or a dagger for Ches-
ter; a castle with two wings for Exeter;
five lions and a cross for York; a crown
for Sheffield; three castles for Newcastle-
on-Tyne; a thistle or castle and lion for
IEdinburgh ; a tree and a Salmon with a
wing in its mouth for Glasgow; a harp
or Hibernia for Dublin, etc. The specific
mark shows at Once where the article
was assayed.
Besides the hall mark, there is also
the standard mark, which for England
is a lion passant, for Edinburgh a thistle;
for Glasgow a lion rampant; and for
Ireland a crowned harp. If the article
stamped contains less pure metal than
the standard coin of the realm, the
number of carats is marked on it, as
eighteen,fifteen, twelve,or nine carats fine.
JBesides the hall mark, the standard
mark, and the figure, there is a letter
called the date mark. Only twenty
letters are used, beginning with A, omit-
ting J, and ending with V; one year
they are in Roman characters, another
year in Italian, another in Gothic, an-
other in Old English; sometimes they
are all capitals, sometimes all small
letters; so, by seeing the letter and
referring to a table, the exact year of
the mark can be discovered. t
Lastly, the head of the
Sovereign completes the marks.
Hall’. Sunday. The Sunday pre-
ceding Shrove Tuesday; the next day
is called Hall’ Monday, and Shrove
Tuesday eve is called Hall' Night. The
Tuesday is also called Pancake Day, and
the day preceding Callop Monday, from
the special foods popularly prepared for
those days. Il three were days of
merrymaking. Hall’ or Halle is a con-
traction of Hallow or Haloghe, meaning
holy or festival.
Hall of Odin. The rocks, such as
Balleberg and Hunneberg, from which
the Hyperboreans, when tired of life,
used to cast themselves into the sea ; so
called because they were the vestibule
of the Scandinavian Elysium.
Hallam's Greek. Byron, in his
JEnglish Bards, etc., speaks of “classic
Hallam, much renowned for Greek,”
referring to “Hallam's severe critique
on Payne Knight's Taste, in which were
some Greek verses most mercilessly
lashed. The verses, however, turned
out to be a quotation from Pindar.”
It appears that Dr. Allen, not Hallam,
was the luckless critic. (See Crabb
Robinson : Diary, i. 277.)
Hallel. There were two series of
psalms so called. Jahn tells us in the
Feast of Tabernacles the series consisted
of Psalms cziii. to cxviii. both included
(Archaeologica Biblica, p. 416). Psalm
cxxxvi. was called the Great Hallel.
And sometimes the songs of degrees
sung standing on the fifteen steps of the
inner court seem to be so called (i.e.
cxx. to cxxxvii. both included).
“Along this [path] Jesus advanced, preceded
and followed by multitudes with loud cries of
rejoicing, as at the Feast of Tabernacles, when
the Great Hallel was daily sung in their pro-
ºns"—Geikie. Life of Chºist, Vol. ii. chap. 55,
p. 397.
In the following quotation the Songs
of Degrees are called the Great Hallel.
“Eldad would gladly have joined in praying the
Great Hallel, as they call the series of Psalms
from the cKx. to the Cxxxvii., after which it was
customary to send round the ſpaschal] cup a fifth
time, but midnight was already too near,”—Eldad
the Pilgrim, chap, ix,
reigning
Hallelujah
573 Hammer
Hallelujah is the Hebrew Halelu-Jah,
“Praise ye Jehovah.”
Hallelujah Lass (A). A young
woman who wanders about with what is
called “The Salvation Army.”
Hallelujah Victory. A victory
gained by some newly-baptised Bretons,
led by Germa'nus, Bishop of Auxerre
(A.D. 429). The conquerors commenced
the battle with loud shouts of “ Halle-
lujah!”
Halloo when out of the Wood,
or Never halloo till you are out of the
wood. Never think you are safe from
the attacks of robbers till you are out of
the forest. “Call no man happy till he
is dead.” “Many a slip 'twixt the cup
and the lip.”
Hallowe'en (October 31st), according
to Scotch superstition, is the time when
witches, devils, fairies, and other imps
of earth and air hold annual holiday.
(See Hallowe'en, a poem by Robert
Burns.)
Halter. A Bridport dagger (q.v.).
St. Johnstone's tippet.
Halter, or rather Halster. A rope
for the neck or halse, as a horse's halter.
(Anglo-Saxon, hals, the neck; but there
is also the word halfter, a halter.)
“A thievisher knave is not on live, more filching,
no more false;
Many a truer man than he has hanged up by the
halse [neck].” Gal?mºney Guyton.
Haltios. In Taplandic mythology,
the guardian spirits of Mount Nie’mi.
“From this height [Nie’mi, in Lapland] we had
opportunity several times to see those vapours
rise from the lake, which the people of the coun-
try call Haltios, and which they deem to be the
guardian Sl)iritS Of the nountain.”—M. de Matt-
l,'e','tlliS. -
Ham and Heyd. Storm demons or
weather-sprites. (Scandinavian mytho-
logy.)
“Though valour never slıould be scorned,
Yet now the storm rules wide;
By now again to live returned
I'll Wager Hann and Heyd.” -
Frithiof Saga, lay Xi.
Ham'adryads. Nymphs of trees
Supposed to live in forest-trees, and die
when the tree dies. (Greek, hama,
together with drits, a forest-tree.)
* The nymphs of fruit-trees were
called “Mélidès'? Or “Hamamélids.”
Hameh. . In Arabian mythology, a
bird formed from the blood near the
brains of a murdered man. This bird
cries “Iskoo'nee l’’ (Give me drink 1),
meaning drink of the murderer's blood ;
and this it cries incessantly till the death
is avenged, when it flies away.
Hamet. The Cid Hamet Benenge'li.
The hypothetical Moorish chronicler
from whom Cervantès professes to derive
his adventures of Don Quixote.
“Of the two bad cassocks I am Worth . . . I
would have given the latter of them as freely as
even Cid Halmet Offered lais . . . to have Stood
by.”—Sterme,
Hamilton. The week of Mr. Patrick
Płamilton has infected as many as it did
blow upon, i.e. Patrick Hamilton was
burnt to death by Cardinal Beaton, and
the horror of the deed contributed not a
little to the Reformation. As the blood
of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,
so the smoke or reek of Hamilton’s fire
diffused the principles for which he
suffered (1504-1528).
"." Latimer, at the stake, said: “We shall this
day light up such a candle in England as Shall
never be lyut Out.”
Hamilto'nian System. A method
of teaching foreign languages by inter-
linear translations, suggested by James
Hamilton, a merchant (1769-1831).
Hamlet. A daft person (Icelandic,
amlod’), one who is irresolute, and can
do nothing fully. Shakespeare's play is
based on the Danish story of Amleth’
recorded in Saxo-Grammaticus.
Hammel (Scotch). A cattle-shed, a
hovel. (Hame = home, with a diminu-
tive affix. Anglo-Saxon, häm, home.
Compare hamlet.)
Hammer. (Anglo-Saxon, Jamer.)
(1) Pierre d'Ailly, Le Marteau des
JHérétiques, president of the council that
condemned John Huss. (1350-1425.)
(2) Judas ASmonaus, surnamed Mac-
cabaeus, “the hammer.” (B.C. 166-136.)
(3) St. Augustine is called by Hake-
well “That renowned pillar of truth
and hammer of heresies.” (B.C. 395-430.)
(4) John Faber, surnamed Malleus
IIeretico','ºtºn, from the title of one of his
works. (1470–1541.)
(5) St. Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers,
Malleus Ariano'rum. (350-367.)
(6) Charles Martel. (689-741.)
“On prêtend qu'on lui donna, le 'Sul'nom de
Martel, parcequ'il avait “crasé comme avec un
in arteau les Sarrasins, qui, Sous la conduite d'Ab-
dérame, avaient envalhi la France.”—Bouillet:
l)ictionnaire Universel, etc.
Hammer.
PHRASES AND PROVERBS.
Gone to the hammer. Applied to goods
sent to a sale by auction ; the auctioneer
giving a rap with a small hammer when
Hammer N - 574
FIand
*
a lot is sold, to intimate that there is an
end to the bidding.
They live hammer and tongs. Are
always quarrelling. They beat each
other like hammers, and are as “cross
as the tongs.” -
“Both parties went at it hammer and tongs ;
and hit one another anywhere and with any-
thing.”—James Pay?v.
To sell under the hammer. To sell by
auction. (See above.)
Hammer of the Scotch. Edward I.
On his tomb in Westminster Abbey is
the inscription “Bdwardus longus Sco-
torum Malleus hio est” (Here is long
Fdward, the hammer of the Scots).
Hammer cloth. The cloth that
covers the coach-box, in which hammer,
nails, bolts, etc., used to be carried in
case of accident. Another etymology is
from the Icelandic hamr (a skin), skin
being used for the purpose. A third
suggestion is that the word hammer
is a corruption of “hammock,” the
seat which the cloth covers being formed
of straps or webbing stretched between
two crutches like a sailor’s hammock.
Still another conjecture is that the word
is a corruption of “hamper cloth,” the
hamper being used for Sundry articles
required, and forming the coachman’s
box. The word boa, seems to favour
this suggestion.
Hampton Court Conference. A
conference held at Hampton Court in
January, 1604, to settle the disputes
between the Church party and the Puri-
tans. It lasted three days, and its result
was a few slight alterations in the Book
of Common Prayer.
. Hamshackle. To hamshackle a horse
is to tie his head to one of his fore-legs.
Hamstring. To disable by severing
the tendons of the ham. .
Han. Sons of Hán. The Chinese
are so called from Hân the founder of
the twenty-sixth dynasty, with which
modern history commences. (206-220.)
Hanap. A costly goblet used at one
time on state occasions. Sometimes the
cup used by Our Lord at the Last Supper
is so called. (Old High German, hymapp,
a Cup.) -
“He had, indeed, four silver hanaps of his own,
Which had been left him by his grandmother.”
—Sir W. Scott: Quentiºn. Durward, chap. iv. p. 71.
Han'aper. Exchequer. “Hanaper
office,” an office where all writs relating
to the public were formerly kept in a
hamper (in handper’io). Hanaper is
a cover for a hanap.
Hand. A measure of length = four
inches. Horses are measured up the fore
leg to the shoulder, and are called 14, 15,
16 (as it may be), hands high. -
i. Hand (A). . A symbol of fortitude
in Egypt, of fidelity in Rome. Two
hands symbolise concord; and a hand laid
on the head of a person indicates the
right of property. Thus if a person laid
claim to a slave, he laid his hand upon
him in the presence of the prator. (Aulus
Gellius, xx. 19.) By a closed hand Zeno
represented dialectics, and by an open
hand eloquence.
* Previous to the twelfth century
the Supreme Being was represented
by a hand extended from the clouds;
sometimes the hand is open, with rays
issuing from the fingers, but generally
it is in the act of benediction, i.e. with
two fingers raised.
ii. Hand. (The final word.)
BEAR A HAND. Come and help. Bend
to your work immediately.
CAP IN HAND. Suppliantly, humbly;
as, “To come cap in hand.” .
T) EAD MAN'S HAND. It is said that
carrying a dead man’s hand will produce
a dead sleep. Another superstition is
that a lighted candle placed in the hand
of a dead man gives no light to anyone
but him who carries the hand. Hence
burglars, even to the present day in some
parts of Ireland, employ this method of
concealment.
EMPTY HAND. An empty hand is no
lure for a hawk. You must not expect
to receive anything without giving a
return. The Germans say, Werschmiert
der föhrt. The Latin proverb is Da, si
wis accipëre, or Pro nihilo, nihil fit.
HEAVY HAND, as “To rule with a
heavy hand,” severely, with oppression.
OLD HAND (An). One experienced.
Poor HAND (A). An unskilful one.
“He is but a poor hand at it,” i.e. he
is not skilful at the work.
RED HAND, or bloody hand, in coat
armour is generally connected with some
traditional tale of blood, and the badge
was never to be expunged till the bearer
had passed, by way of penance, seven
years in a cave, without companion,
without shaving, and without uttering
a single word. **
In Aston church, near Birmingham,
is a coat-armorial of the Holts, the
“bloody hand” of which is thus ac-
counted for :—It is said that Sir Thomas
TH and
Holt, some two hundred years ago,
murdered his cook in a cellar with a
spit, and, when pardoned for the offence,
the king enjoined him, by way of pen-
alty, to wear ever after a “bloody
hand” in his family coat.
In the church of Stoke d’Abernon,
Surrey, there is a red hand, upon a
monument, the legend of which is, that
a gentleman shooting with a friend was
so mortified at meeting with no game
that he swore he would shoot the first
live thing he met. A miller was the
victim of this rash vow, and the “bloody
hand” was placed in his family coat to
keep up a perpetual memorial of the
crime.
Similar legends are told of the red
hand in Wateringbury church, Kent;
of the red hand on a table in the hall of
Church-Gresly, in Derbyshire; and of
many others.
The open red hand, forming part of the
arms of the province of Ulster, com-
memoratos the daring of O’Neile, a bold
adventurer, who vowed to be first to
touch the shore of Ireland. Finding the
boat in which he was rowed outstripped
by others, he cut off his hand and flung
it to the shore, to touch it before those
in advance could land.
The open º'ed hand in the armorial
coat of baronets arose thus : —James I.
in 1611 created two hundred baronets on
the payment of £1,000 each, Ostensibly
“for the amelioration of Ulster,” and
from this connection with Ulster they
were allowed to place on their coat
armour the “open red hand,” up to that
time borne by the O’Neiles. The O’Neile
whose estates were made forfeit by King
James was surnamed Lamb-derig Eirin
(red-hand of Erin).
RIGHT HAND. He is any right hand.
In France, C'est mom bras droit, my best
II].8,11.
SECOND-HAND. (See SECOND.)
TJPPER HAND. To get the upper hand.
To obtain the mastery.
YoUNG HAND (A).
A young and in-
experienced workman.
iii. Hand. (Phrases beginning with
“To. ”) -
COME TO HAND. To arrive; to have
been delivered. -
To come to one’s hand. It is easy to do.
GET ONE'S HAND IN. To become fa-
miliar with the work in hand.
HAVE A ND IN THE MATTER. To
have a finger in the pie. In French,
“Mettre la main & quelque chose,”
RISS THE HAND (Job xxxi. 27). To
37
£)
IHands
worship false gods. Cicero (In Perrem,
lib. iv. 43) speaks of a statue of
Herculés, the chin and lips of which
were considerably worn by the kisses of
his worshippers. Hosea (xiii. 2) says,
‘‘Tiet the men that sacrifice kiss the
calves.” (See ADOR.E.)
“I have left me Seven thousand in Israel . . .
which have not bowed unto Baal, and . . . which
[have] not kissed [their hand to] him.”—l Kings.
XiX. 18. -
LEND A HAND. To help. In French,
“JP)'étez 7,70% la mai/?.”
LIVE FROM HAND TO MoUTH. To live
without any provision for the morrow.
TAKE IN HAND. To undertake to do
something; to take the charge of.
iv. Hand (preceded by a preposition).
AT HAND. Conveniently near. “Near
at hand,” quite close by. In French,
‘‘ A la maj77.”
BEFOREHAND. Sooner, before it hap-
pened.
IBEHINDHAND. Not in time, not up to
date. -
BY THE HAND OF GOD. ‘‘ Accădăţ
divinitats.” -
FROM HAND TO HAND. Prom one
person to another.
IN HAND. Under control, in posses-
sion; under progress, as “Avoir la
Amain d l’aºuvre.”
“Keep him well in hand.”
“I have some in hand, and more in exp gtation.”
“I have a nGW book or l)icture in hand.
A bird in the hand. (See BIRD.)
OFF HAND. At once ; without stop-
ping.
Off one’s hands. No longer under
one's responsibilities; able to maintain
oneself.
OUT OF HAND. At once, over.
“We will proclaim you out of hand,” .
Shakespeare : 3 Henry VI., iv. 7.
“And, were these inward wars once out of hand,
We would, dear lords, unto the Holy Land.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV., iii. 1.
WITH A HIGH HAND. Imperiously,
arrogantly. In French, “Faire quelque
chose haut la main.”
v. Hand. (Miscellaneous articles.)
LAYING ON OF HANDs. The laying on
of a bishop’s hands in confirmation or
ordination.
PUTTING THE HAND UNDER THE
THIGH. An ancient ceremony used in
Swearing.
“And Abraham Said unto his eldest Servant . . .
Put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh : and I
will make thee Swear . ... that thou shalt, not
take a wife unto my Son of the daughters of the
Canaanites.”—Genesis xxiv. 2, 3.
Hands. Persons employed in a fac-
tory. We Say So many head of cattle :
Hands
horse-dealers count moses. Races are
won by the nose, and factory work by
the hand, but cattle have the place of
honour. -
Hands. .
ALL. It is believed on all hands. It
is generally (or universally) believed.
CHANGE. To change hands. To pass
from a possessor to someone else.
CLEAN. He has clean hands. In
French, “Il a les mains nettes.” That
is, he is incorruptible, or he has never
taken a bribe. §
FULL. My hands are full. I am fully
occupied ; I have as much work to do as I
can manage. A “handful” has the
plural “handfuls,” as “two handfuls,”
same as “two barrow-loads,” “two
cart-loads,” etc.
GooD. I have it from very good hands.
I have received my information on good
authority.
LAY. To lay hands on. To appre-
hend ; to lay hold of. (See No. v.)
“Lay hands on the villain.”
Shakespeare : Tamimg of the Shrew, v. 1.
LONG. Kings have long hands. In
French, “Les rois ont les mains longues.”
That is, it is hard to escape from the
vengeance of a king, for his hands or
agents extend over the whole of his
Kingdom.
SHAKE. To shake hands. To salute
by giving a hand received into your own
a shake.
To strike hands (Prov. xvii. 18). To
make a contract, to become surety for
another. (See also Prov. vii. 1 and xxii.
26.) The English custom of shaking hands
in confirmation of a bargain has been
common to all nations and all ages. In
feudal times the vassal put his hands in
the hands of his overlord on taking the
oath of fidelity and homage.
SHOP ‘‘JIands,” etc. Men and women
employed in a shop.
TAKE OFF. To take off one’s hands.
To relieve one of something troublesome,
as “Will no one take this [task] off my
hands P’’
WASH. To wash one’s hands of a thing.
In French, “Se lever les mains d’une
chose ’’ or “Je m'en lave les Anaims.” I
will have nothing to do with it; I will
abandon it entirely. The allusion is
to Pilate’s washing his hands at the
trial of Jesus.
“When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing,
lout that rather a tunnult was made, he took Water,
and washed his hands before the multitude, Say-
ing, I am innocent, of the blood of this just
ljerson : See ye to it.”—Matt. xxvii. 24.
Hand - book. Spelman says that
Fing Alfred used to carry in his bosom
576 Hand over Hand
memorandum leaves, in which he made
observations, and took So much pleasure
therein that he called it his hand-book,
because it was always in his hand.
Hand-gallop. A slow and easy gallop,
in which the horse is kept well in hand.
Hand Paper. A particular sort of
tº * paper well known in the Record
Office, and so called from its
water-mark, which goes back to the fif-
teenth century.
Hand-post (A). A direction-post to
direct travellers the way to different
places.
Hand Round (To). To pass from one
person to another in a regular series.
Hand and Glove (They are). In-
separable companions, of like tastes and
like affections. They fit each other like
hand and glove. *
Hand and Seal. . When writing was
limited to a few clerks, documents were
authenticated by the impression of the
hand dipped in ink, and then the seal
was duly appended. As dipping the
hand in ink was dirty, the impression of
the thumb was substituted. We are
informed that “scores of old English
and French deeds still exist in which
such ‘signatures’ appear.” Subsequently
the name was written, and this writing
was called “the hand.”
{{. Hºſt: Here is your hand and Seal for what I
(
l(1.
Jºing John Oh, when the last account 'twixt,
hea, Yen and earth
Is to be made, then shall this hand and Seal
Witness against us to damnation.”
Shakespeare : King Johm, iv. 2. '
Hand-in-Hand. In a familiar or
kindly manner, as when persons go
hand-in-hand.
“Now We haun totter down, J ohn,
But hand in hand we'll go.
John Andersom, my Jo,
The whole deal of
The
Hand of Cards.
cards given to a single player.
cards which he holds in his hand.
“A jºi in heaven would grieve to See Such
* hand '
Cut up by One Who Will not understand.”
Crabbe: Borough.
Hand of Justice. The allusion is
to the sceptre or bâton anciently used
by kings, which had an ivory hand at
the top of it.
Hand over Hand. To go or to come
up hand over hand, is to travel with
great rapidity, as climbing a rope or a
ladder, or as one vessel overtakes another.
Sailors in hauling a rope put one hand
Tand the
over the other alternately as fast as they
can. In French, “Main sur main.”
“Commandment fait aux matelots qui halent
sur une manoeuvre pour qu'ils passent alterna-
tivement une main sur l'autre, Sans interruption,
et pour que le travail se fasse plus promptement.”
—Royal Dictionmaire.
Hand the Sail, i.e. furl it.
Hand Down to Posterity (To). To
leave for future generations.
Handfasting. A sort of marriage.
A fair was at one time held in Dum-
friesshire, at which a young man was
allowed to pick out a female companion
to live with him. They lived together
for twelve months, and if they both
liked the arrangement were man and
wife. This was called hand-fasting or
hand-fastening.
This sort of contract was common
among the Romans and Jews, and is not
unusual in the East even now.
“' Knowest thou not that rite, holy man 2' said
Avenel . . . . ; ‘then I will tell thee. We border-
men . . . . take Our Wives for a year and a day ;
that Space gone by, each may choose another
mate, or, at their pleasure, [they] may call the
}.} to marry them for life, and this we call
andfasting.’” — Sir W. Scott: The Monastery,
chap. XXV.
Handicap. A game at cards not
unlike loo, but with this difference—the
winner of one trick has to put in a double
stake, the winner of two tricks a triple
stake, and so on. Thus: if six persons
are playing, and the general stake is 1s.,
and A. gains three tricks, he gains 6s.,
and has to “hand i' the cap ’’ or pool
3s. for the next deal. Suppose A gains
two tricks and B one, then A gains 4s.
and B 2s., and A has to stake 3s. and
2s. for the next deal. -
“To the ‘Mitre Tavern' in Wood Street, a house
of the greatest note in London. Here some of us
fell to handicap, a sport I never knew before,
which was very good.”—Pepys: His Diary, Sept.
18th, 1680.
Bandicap, in racing, is the adjudging
of various weights to horses differing in
age, power, or speed, in order to place
them all, as far as possible, on an
equality. If two unequal players chal-
lenge each other at chess, the superior
gives up a piece, and this is his handi-
cap. So called from the ancient game
referred to by Pepys. (See SweFP-
STAKES, PLATE-RACE, etc.) - -
The Winner’s Handicap. The winning
horses of previous races being pitted
together in a race royal are first handi-
capped according to their ... respective
merits : the horse that has won three
races has to carry a greater weight than
the horse that has won only two, and
writing
577 Hang Out
this latter more than its competitor who
is winner of a single race only.
Handkerchief. “The committee was
at a loss to know whom neart to throw the
handkerchief to ” (The Times). The
meaning is that the committee did not
know whom they were to ask next to
make a speech for them ; and the allu-
sion is to the game called in Norfolk
“Stir up the dumplings,” and by girls
“Riss in the ring.” .
Handkerchief and Sword. With
handkerchief in one hand and sword
ân the other. Pretending to be sorry
at a calamity, but prepared to make
capital out of it.
“Abbé George . . . . mentions in [a letter], that
‘Maria. Theresa stands with the handkerchief in
one hand, weeping for the woes of Poland, but
with the sword in the other hand, ready to cut
Poland in Sections, and take her share.’ ”—
Carlyle: The Diamond Necklace, chap. iv.
Handle. He has a handle to his name.
Some title, as “lord,” “sir,” “doctor.” .
The French say Monsieur sans queue, a
man without a tail (handle to his name).
To give a handle to . . . . To give
grounds for suspicion; as, “He certainly
gave a handle to the rumour.”
“He gave a handle to his enemies, and threw
stumbling-blocks in the way of his friends.”—
Hazlitt: Spirit of the Age (James Macintosh), p. 139.
Handsome = liberal. To do the thing
that is handsome ; to act handsomely; to
do handsome towards one. .
Handwriting on the Wall (The).
An announcement of . Some coming
Calamity. The allusion is to the hand-
on Belshazzar’s palace-wall
announcing the loss of his kingdom.
(Dan. v. 5-31.)
Handycuffs. Cuffs or blows given
by the hand. “Fisticuffs’’ is now more
COIII]]1Oil,
Hang Back (To). To hesitate to
proceed.
Hang Fire (To). To fail in an ex-
pected result. The allusion is to a gun
or pistol which fails to go off.
Hang On (To). To cling to ; to
persevere ; to be dependent on.
Hang Out. Where do you hang out 2
Where are you living, or lodging P , The
allusion is to the custom, now restricted
to public-houses, but once very general,
of hanging before one’s shop a sign
indicating the nature of the business
carried on within. Druggists often still
place coloured bottles in their windows,
and Some tobacconists place near their
37
‘THangdog.
578
THan gmen
shop door the statue of a Scotchman.
(See, Dickens : Pickwick Papers, chap.
xxx.) -
Hangdog Look (A).
shamefaced look.
“Ilook a little brisk
like.”—Dickens.
Hang by a Thread (To). To be in
a very precarious position. The allusion
A guilty,
Cr, man, and not SO hangdog-
is to the sword of Damóclés. (See
DAMOCLES’ SworD.)
Hang in the Bell Ropes (To). To
be asked at church, and then defer the
marriage so that the bells hang fire.
Hanged or Strangled. Examples
from the ancient classic writers:—
(1) AC’ HIUS, King of Lydia, endeavoured to
raise a new tribute from his subjects, and was
hanged by the enraged populace, who threw the
dead body into the river Pacto’lus.
(2) AMA/TA, wife of King Lati'nus, promised
her daughter Lavin'ia to King Turnus ; when,
however, she was given in marriage to AEmeſas,
Alma/ta hanged herself that she might not see the
hated Stranger. (Virgil: AEmeid, vii.) - -
(3) ARACH'NE, the most skilful of needle-
Women, hanged herself because she was outdone
in a trial of skill by Minerva. (Ovid : Metamor-
phoses, Vi. fab. 1.)
(4) A UTOL'YCA, mother of Ulysses, hanged her-
self in despair on receiving false news of her
Son's death.
(5) BONO’SUS, a Spaniard by birth, was strangled
by the Emperor Probus for assuming the imperial
purple in Gaul. (A. p. 280.)
(6) IPHIS, a beautiful youth of Salamis, of mean
-birth, hanged himself because his addresses were
rejected by Anaxar'eté, a girl of Salamis of simi-
lar rank in life. (Ovid : Metamorphoses, xiv. 708,
t
€t C.
(7) LATI’NUs, wife of. (See AMATA, above.)
(8) LYCAM/BEs, father of Neobu'la, who be-,
trothed her to Archil’ochos, the poet. He broke
his promise, and gave her in marriage to a
wealthier man. Archil’ochos so scourged them
by his Satires that both father and daughter
hanged themselves. -
(9) NEOBU’LA. . (See above.)
(10) PHYLLIs, Queen of Thrace, the accepted of
Demoph'oùn, who Stopped. On her coasts on his
return from Troy. Demophoön was called away
to Athens, and promised to return ; but, failing So
to do, Phyllis hanged herself.
º prawn. and Quartered.
662 L)|RAWN.
Hanger (A). Properly the fringed
loop or strap hung to the girdle by which
the dagger was suspended, but applied
by a common figure of speech to the
sword or dagger itself.
“Men's swords, in hangers hang fast by their
side.”—J. Taylor (1630). -
Hanging. Hanging and wiving go
by destiny. “If a man is doomed to be
hanged, he will never be drowned.” And
“marriages are made in heaven,” we
are told.
“If matrimony and hanging go
By dest’ny, why not whipping too 2
TVWhat med'cine else can cure the fits
Of lovers when they lose their wits 2
Love is a boy, by poets styled. • * ,
Then spare the rod and spoil the child.”
JBwłler Hudibras, part ii, canto i. 839-844,
and the Duke of Monmouth, .
Hanging Gale (The). The custom
of taking six months’ grace in the
payment of rent which prevailed in
Ireland.
“We went to collect the rents due the 25th
March, but which, owing to the custom which
prevails in Ireland known as ‘the hanging gale,'
are never demanded till the 29th September.”—
The Times, November, 1885,
Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Four acres of garden raised on a base
Supported by pillars, and towering in
terraces one above another 300 feet in
height. At a distance they looked like a
vast pyramid covered with trees. This
mound was constructed by Nebuchad-
nezzar to gratify his wife Am'ytis, who
felt weary of the flat plains of Babylon,
and longed for something to remind her
of her native Me'dian hills. One of the
“seven wonders of the world.”
Hangman’s Acre, Gains, and
Gain's Alley (London), in the liberty
of St. Catherine. Strype says it is a
corruption of “ Hammes and Guynes,”
So called because refugees from those
places were allowed to lodge there in
the reign of Queen Mary after the loss
of Calais. (See also Stow : IIistory,
vol. ii.; list of streets.) -
Hangman's Wages. 13} The
fee given to the executioner at Tyburn,
with 1%d. for the rope. This was the
value of a Scotch merk, and therefore
points to the reign of James, who decreed
that “the coin of silver called the mark-
piece shall be current within the king-
dom at the value of 13%d.” Noblemen
who were to be beheaded were expected
to give the executioner from £7 to £10
for cutting off their head.
“For half of thirteen-pence ha'penny wages
I would have cleared all the town cages,
And you should have been rid of all the Stages
I and my gallows groan.”
The IIamgºmam's Last Will ama. Testament.
(Iºwmp Songe.)
* The present price (1894) is about
#40. Calcraft's charge was £33. 14s.,
plus assistant £5.5s., other fees £1 1s.,
to which he added “expenses for erect-
ing the scaffold.”
Hangmen and Executioners. - -
(1) BULL is the earliest hangman whose name
survives (about 1593). r -
(2) Jock SUTHERLAND... , * - . . p
l (3) DERRICK, Who cut off the lead of ESSex in
601 - ... • *
(3) GREgony. Father and son, mentioned by
Sir Walter Scott (1647).
# * x
(5) GREGORY BRANDON (about 1648). ~ *
ecuted
(6) RICHARD BRANDON, his son, Who ex
Charles I. * ... • -- - - - -
... (7) sourº DUN, mentioned by Hudibras (part
1. C. 2). ' * : * ' ' ". . . . . . . . ., "... . - • . . . <!"
(8).JAGK KETCH (1678) executed Lord Russell
Hankey Pankey
... (9) ROSE, the butcher (1686); but Jack Ketch
was restored to office the same year. -
(10) Epw ARD DENNIS (1780), introduced as a
character in Dickens's Barnaby Rudge. -
(11) THOMAS CHESHIRE, nicknamed “Old
23
*Čižj jobs CALCRAFT ; MARwood ; BERRY:
: GC..
(13) Of foreign executioners, the most cele-
hrated are I little John ; Capeluche, headsman Of
Paris during the terrible days of the Armagnacs
and Burgundians ; and the two brotherS Sarason,
who were executioners during the first French
Revolution.
ºf Hudibras, under the name of Dun,
“ personates” Sir Arthur Hazelrig, “the
activest” of the five members impeached
by King Charles I. The other four were
Monk, Walton, Morley, and Alured.
Hankey Pankey. Jugglery; fraud.
Hanoverian Shield. This escut-
cheon used to be added to the arms of
England; it was placed in the centre of
the shield to show that the House of
IHanover came to the crown by election,
and not by conquest. Conquerors strike
out arms of a conquered country, and
place their own in lieu.
Hans von Rippach [Yip-pak). Jack
of Rippach, a Monsieur Nong-tong-pas
—i.e. someone asked for who does not
exist. A gay German spark calls at a
house and asks for Herr Hans von Rip-
pach. Rippach is a village near Leipsic.
Hansards. . The printed records of
Bills before Parliament, the reports of
committees, parliamentary debates, and
some of the national accounts. Till the
business was made into a company the
reports commanded a good respect, but
in 1892 the company was wound up.
Luke Hansard, the founder of the busi-
ness came from Norwich, and was born
in 1752. -
º Other parliamentary business was
printed by other firms. 3'
Hanse Towns. The maritime cities
of Germany, which belonged to the Han-
seatic League (q.v.). < *,
“The Hanse towns of Lübeck, Bremen, and
Hamburg are commonwealths even now (1877).”
—Freemam : Generatl Sketch, chap. x. p. 174.
Hanseat'ic League. The first trade
union ; it was established in the twelfth
century by certain cities of Northern
Germany for their mutual prosperity
and protection. The diet which used to
be held every three years was called
the Hansa, and the members of it Han-
sards. The league in its prosperity
comprised eighty-five towns; it declined
rapidly in the Thirty Years' War; in
1669 only six cities were represented;
and the last three members of the league
579 Happy Valley
(Hamburg, Lübeck, and Bremen) joined
the German Customs Unions’ in 1889.
(German, am-see, on the sea ; and the
league was originally called the Am-see-
staaten, free cities on the Sea.) *
Hansel. A gift or bribe, the first
money received in a day. Hence Hansel
Monday, the first Monday of the year.
To “hansel our swords '' is to use them
for the first time. In Norfolk we hear of
hanselling a coat—i.e. wearing it for
the first time. Demon tells us that
Superstitious people will spit on the first
money taken at market for luck, and
Misson says, “I’ls le baisent en le rece-
Want, craschent dessus, et le mettent dans
time poche apart.” (Travels in England,
p. 192. … * -
Hansel Monday. The Monday after
New-Year's Day, when “hansels,” or
free gifts, were given in Scotland to serv-
ants and children. Our boxing-day is the
first weekday after Christmas Day.
(Anglo-Saxon, handseler, hand and sel-
lan, to give.)
Hansom (A). A light two-wheeled
cab, in which the driver sits behind the
vehicle, and communicates with the
passenger through a trap-door in the
roof. Invented by Aloysius Hansom of
York (1803-1882). Hansom was by
trade an architect at Birmingham and
at Hinckley in Leicestershire. ... "
Hapmouche (2 syl.). The giant fly-
catcher. He invented the art of drying
and Smoking neats' tongues. (Duchat :
(Euvres de Rabelais.)
Happy Arabia. . A mistranslation
of the Latin Arabia feliac, which means
simply on the right hand—i.e. to the
right hand of Al-Shan (Syria). It was
Ptolemy, who was the author of the
threefold division Arabia Petraea, mis-
called “Stony Arabia,” but really so
called from its chief city Petra; Arabia.
JFeliac (or Yemen), the south-west coast;
and as for Arabia deserta (meaning the
interior) probably he referred to Nedjaz.
Happy Expression (A). A well-
turned phrase ; a word or phrase pecu-
liarly apt. The French also say “Une
heureuse expression,” and “S’ea primer
heureusement.”
Happy-go-lucky (A). One indif-
ferent to his interests; one who looks
to good luck to befriend him.
Happy Valley, in Dr. Johnson’s
tale of Rasselas, is placed in the king-
dom of Amhara, and was inaccessible
Happy
..fºr *
except in one spot through a cave in a
rock. It was a Garden of Paradise
where resided the princes of Abyssinia.
Happy as a Clam at High . Tide.
The clam is a bivalve mollusc, dug from
its bed of sand only at low tide ; at high
tide it is quite safe from molestation.
(See CLOSE As A CLAM.) • ,
Happy as a King. This idea of
happiness is wealth, position, freedom,
and luxurious living ; but Richard II.
says a king is “Woe's slave” (iii. 2).
* On the happiness of kings, see
Shakespeare : Henry V., iv. 1.
Happy the People whose Annals
are Tiresome. (Montesquieu.) Of
course, wars, rebellions, troubles, make
up the most exciting parts of history.
Hapsburg. (See HABSBURG.)
Har. The first person of the Scandi-
navian Trinity, which consists of Har
(the Mighty), the Like Mighty, and
the Third Person. This Trinity is called
“The Mysterious Three,” and they sit
on three thrones above the Rainbow.
The next in order are the AEsir (q.v.), of
which Odin, the chief, lives in Asgard,
on the heavenly hills between Earth and
the Rainbow. The third order. is the
Vanir (see VAN)--the gods of the ocean,
air, and clouds—of which Van Niðrd is
the chief. Har has already passed his
ninth incarnation ; in his tenth he will
take the forms first of a peacock, and
then of a horse, when all the followers
of Mahomet will be destroyed. -
Har, in Indian mythology, is the
second person of the Trinity.
Haſram or Harem, means in Arabic
forbidden, or not to be violated; a name
given by Mahometans to those apart-
ments which are appropriated exclu-
sively to the female members of a family.
Har'apha. A descendant of Og and
Anak, a giant of Gath, who went to
mock Samson in prison, but durst not
venture within his reach. The word
means the giant. (Milton : Samson
Agonistés.) . *
Har'binger. One who looks out for
lodgings, etc.; a courier; hence, a fore-
runner, a messenger. (Anglo-Saxon,
here, an army; bergan, to lodge.)
‘. “I’ll be myself the harbinger, and make joyful
The hearing of my wife with your approach.”
s Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 4.
Harcourt's Round Table. A pri-
vate conference in the house of Sir Wil-
liam Harcourt, January 14, 1887, with
580
fiard
the view of reuniting, if possible, the
Liberal party, broken up by Mr. Glad-
stone's Irish policy. -
. The phrase “Round Table” is American, mean-
ing what the French call a cercle, or club meetings
held at each Other's houses.
Hard, meaning difficult, is like the
French dur; as, “hard of hearing,”
“qui a l’oreille dure; ” “a hard word,”
“un terme dur; ” “’tis a hard case,”
“c’est ume chose bien dure ; ” “hard
times,” “les temps sont durs; ” so also
“hardly earned,” “qu'on gagne bien
durement ; ” “hard - featured,” “don’t
les traits sont durs ; ” “hard-hearted,”
“qui a le coeur dur,” and many other
phrases. -
Hard By. Near. Hard means close,
pressed close together ; hence firm or
solid, in close proximity to. -
“Hard by a sheltering wood.”
David Mallet : Edwin and Emma.
Hard Lines. Hard terms; “rather
rough treatment;” exacting. Lines mean
lot or allotment (measured out by a line
measure), as, “The lines have fallen to
me in pleasant places; yea, I have a
goodly heritage,” i.e. my allotment is
excellent. Hard lines = an unfavour-
able allotment (or task).
“That was hard lines upon me, after I had given
up everything.”—G. Eliot.
Hard Up. Short of money.. “N'avoir
pas de quibus.” “Up ’’ often = out, as,
“used up,” “worn out,” “done up,”
etc. “Hard up ^ = nearly out [of
cash]. In these, and all similar ex-
amples, “Up ’’ is the Old English of r,
over ; Latin, s-uper ; Greek, itép.
Hard as Nails. Stern, hard-hearted,
unsympathetic; able to stand hard blows
like nails. Religious bigotry, strait-
lacedness, rigid puritanical pharisaism,
make men and women “hard as nails.”
“I know I’m as hard as nails already ; I don't
want to get more so.”—Edna Lyall : Donovan,
chal). XXiii. -
Hard as a Stone, “hard as iron,”
“hard as brawn,” “hard as ice,” “hard
as adamant,” etc. (See SIMILES.)
Hard, as the Nether Millstone.
Unfeeling, obdurate. The lower or
“nether ” of the two millstones is
firmly fixed and very hard ; the upper
stone revolves round it on a shaft, and
the corn, running down a tube inserted
in the upper stone, is ground by the
motion of the upper stone round the
lower one. Of course, the upper wheel
is made to revolve by some power acting
on it, as wind, water, or some other
mechanical force.
Hardouin
581 Hare
Hardouin (2 syl). Een Hardouin
would not object. Said in apology of an
historical or chronological incident in-
troduced into a treatise against which
some captious persons take exception.
Jean Hardouin, the learned Jesuit, was
librarian to Louis le Grand. He was so
fastidious that he doubted the truth of
all received history, denied the authen-
ticity of the AEneid of Virgil, the Odes
of Horace, etc.; placed no faith in
medals and coins, regarded all councils
before that of Trent as chimerical,
and looked on Descartes, Malebranche,
Bascal, and all Jansenists as infidels.
(1646-1729.)
“IEven Père Hardouin would not enter his pro-
test against such a collection.”—Dr. A. Clarke:
lºssay. -
Hardy (Letitia). Heroine of the
Belle’s Stratagem, by Mrs. Cowley. She
is a young lady of fortune destined to
marry Doricourt. She first assumes
the air of a raw country hoyden and
disgusts the fastidious man of fashion;
then she appears at a masquerade and
wins him. The marriage is performed
at midnight, and Doricourt does not
know that the masquerader and hoyden
are the same Miss Hardy till after the
ceremony is over. * * -
HARDY (The), i.e. brave ordaring, hence
the phrase, “hardi comme un lion.”
(1) William Douglas, defender of Ber-
wick (died 1302). - - - -
(2) Philippe III. of France, le Hardi
(1245, 1270-1285). -
(3) Philippe II., Duc de Bourgogne,
le Hardi (1342, 1363-1382).
Hare. It is unlucky for a hare to
cross your path, because witches were
said to transform themselves into hares.
“Nor did we meet, with nimble feet,
One little fearful lepus; . .
That certain sign, as some divine,
Of fortune Dad to keep us.”
Ellison : Trip to Benwell, Ix.
*: In the Flamborough Village and
Headland, we are told, “if a fisherman
on his way to the boats happens to meet
a woman, parson, or hare, he will turn
back, being convinced that he will have
no luck that day.”
Antipathy to hares. Tycho Brahe
(2 syl.) would faint at the sight of a
hare ; the Duc d'Epernon at the sight
of a leveret; Marshal de Brézé at sight
of a rabbit; and Henri III., the Duke of
Schomberg, and the chamberlain of the
emperor Ferdinand, at the sight of a cat.
(See ANTIPATHY.)
First catch your hare. (See CATCH.)
IIold with the hare and run with the
hounds, “To play a double and deceitful
game, to be a traitor in the camp. To
run with the hounds as if intent to catch
the hare, but all the while being the
secret friend of poor Wat. In the
American war these double-dealers were
called Copperheads (q.v.).
Mad as a March hare. Hares are un-
usually shy and wild in March, which is
their rutting season. -
* Erasmus says “Mad as a marsh
hare,” and adds, “hares are wilder in
marshes from the absence of hedges and
cover.” (Aphorisms, p. 266; 1542.)
Melancholy as a hare (Shakespeare :
1 Henry IV., i. 2). According to me-
diaeval quackery, the flesh of hare was
supposed to generate melancholy ; and
all foods imparted their own speciality.
The quaking hare, in Dryden’s Hind.
and Panther, means the Quakers.
“Among the timorous kind, the quaking hare
Professed neutrality, but would not Swear.”
Part i. 37, 38.
Hare - brained, or Hair - brained.
Mad as a March hare, giddy, foolhardy.
“Let's leave this town; for they [the English]
...’ are hair-brained slaves, - -
And hunger will enforce them to be more
. eager.” - Shakespeare : 1 Hemº'y VI., i. 2.
* Harefoot. Swift of foot as a hare.
The surname given to Harold I.,
youngest son of Canute (1035-1040).
To kiss the hare’s foot. To be too late
for anything, to be a day after the fair.
The hare has gone by, and left its foot-
print for
phrase is To kiss the post. . .
" Hare-lip. A cleft lip; so called from “
its resemblance to the upper lip of a hare.
It was said to be the mischievous act of
an elf or malicious fairy. &
“This is the foul fiend Flibbertigibbet. He
begins at curfew, and walks till the first cock.
e... . . . squints the eye and makes the hare-lip.”
—Shakespeare: King Lear, iii. 4. .
º Hare-stone = Hour-stone. Bound-
ary stone in the parish of Sancred (Corn-
wall), with a heap of stones round it. It
is thought that these stones were set up
for a similar purpose as the column set up
by Laban (Genesis xxxi. 51, 52). “Be-
hold this heap, and behold this pillar,”
said Laban to Jacob, “which I have cast
betwixt me and thee. This heap be
witness, and this pillar be witness, that
I will not pass over this heap to thee,
and that thou shalt not pass over this
heap unto me, for harm.” (Anglo-
Saxon, hora, or horu stan.) (See
HAROLD'S STONES.) -
Hare and the Tortoise (The).
Everyone knows the fable of the race
between the hare and the tortoise, won
by the latter; and the moral, “Slow and .
you to Salute. . . A similar ...
E[ares
82 THarriess
steady, wins the race.” . The French
equivalent is “Pas d pas le boºf prend
le lièvre.” -
Hares shift their Sex. It was
once thought that hares are sexless, or
that they change their sex every year.
“Lepores omnes utrumque sexum habent.”
Matºštej'ttS.
“Snakes that cast their coats for new,
Cameleons that altel' hue
fares that yearly sexes change.” . ...
g Fletcher : Faithful Shepherd, iii. 1.
Har'icot Mutton. A ragoût made
with hashed mutton and turnips. In old
Prench harigot, harligot, and haligote are
found meaning a “morsel,” a “piece.”
“Et li chevalier tuit monté,
Detaillie et dehaligoté.”
Chauvemci : Les Tournois, p. 138.
Harilriri. [Happy despatch..] A
method of enforcing suicide by disem-
bowelling among Japanese officials when
government considered them worthy of
death. -
Hark Back (To). To return to the
subject. “I’evenoms & nos moutons’’
(?..w.). A call to the dogs in fox-hunt-
ing, when they have overrun the scent,
“Hark [dogs] come back”; so “Hark
for’ards !” “Hark away!” etc.
IIarlequin means a species of drama
in two parts, the introduction and the
harlequinade, acted in dumb show. The
prototype is the Roman atellände, but our
Christmas pantomime or harlequinade is
essentially a British entertainment, first
introduced by Mr. Weaver, a dancing-
master of Shrewsbury, in 1702. (See
below.) -
“What Momus was of old to Jove,
The Salne a harlequin is now.
The former was buffoon above,
The latter is a Punch lyelow.”
- Swift: The Puppet Show.
* The Roman mime did not at all
correspond with our harlequinade. The
Roman mimus is described as having
a shorn head, a sooty face, flat unshod
feet, and a patched parti-coloured cloak.
IIarlequin, in the British pantomime,
is a sprite supposed to be invisible to all
eyes but those of his faithful Columbine.
His office is to dance through the world
and frustrate all the knavish tricks of
the Clown, who is supposed to be in love
with Columbine. In Armoric, Harlequin
means “a juggler,” and Harlequin
metamorphoses everything he touches
with his magic wand. - . - - ,
* The prince of Harlequins was John
Rich (1681-1761). -
Harlequin. So Charles Quint was
called by François I. of France,
Harlot is said to be derived from
Harlotta, the mother of William the
the Trojan horse.
Conqueror, but it is more likely to be a
corruption of horlet (a little hireling),
“hore ” being the past participle of
hyran (to hire). It was once applied to
males as well as females. Hence Chaucer
speaks of “a sturdy harlot ... . . that
was her hostes man.” The word varlet
is another form of it. ... •
“He was gentil harlot, and a kinde ;
A bettle felaw Shulde Iman no Wher finde.”
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, prol. 649.
“The harlot king is quite beyond mine arm."
Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, ii. 3.
* Proverbial names for a harlot are:
Aholibah and Aholah (Ezek. xxiii. 4),
probably symbolic characters; Petrowna.
(of Russia), and Messalina (of Rome).
Harlowe (Clarissa). The heroine of
Bichardson’s novel of that name. In
Order to avoid a marriage urged upon
her by her parents, she casts herself on
the protection of a lover, who grossly
abuses the confidence thus reposed in.
him. He subsequently proposes to marry
her, but Clarissa rejects the offer, and
retires from the world to cover her shame
and die.
Harm. IIarm set, harm get. Those
who lay traps for others get caught
themselves. Haman was hanged on his
own gallows. Our Lord says, “They
that take the sword shall perish with the
sword” (Matt. xxvi. 52). -
Harmless as a Dove. (Matt. x. 16.)
Harmo'nia's Necklace. An unlucky
possession, something that brings evil to
all who possess it. Harmonia was the
daughter of Mars and Venus. On the
day of her marriage with King Cadmos,
she received a necklace which proved
fatal to all who possessed it.
* The collar given by Alphesibëa (or
Arsinoë) to her husband Alcmaeon was a
like fatal gift. So were the collar and
veil of Eriphylé, wife of Amphiaráos, and
(See FATAL GIFTS.)
Harmo'nia's Robe. On the mar-
riage of Harmonia, Vulcan, to avenge
the infidelity of her mother, made the
bride a present of a robe dyed in all sorts
of crimes, which infused wickedness and
impiety into all her offspring. Both
Harmonia, and Cadmos, after having
suffered many misfortunes, and seen
their children a sorrow to them, were
changed into serpents. (Puttsanias, 9,
10.) (See NESSUs.) - *
* Medea, in a fit of jealousy, sent
Creüsa, a wedding robe, which burnt her
to death. (Euripidés : Medea.)
Harness. To die in harness. To
continue in one's work or occupation till
Barness Cask 583
Earpocrates
death. The allusion is to Soldiers in
armour or harness.
“At least we'll dic with harness on Our back.”
Shakespeare: Macbeth, V. 5.
Harness Cask. A large cask or tub
with a rim cover, containing a supply of
salt meat for immediate use. Nautical
term. • . -
Harness Prize (University of Cam-
bridge), founded by the Rev. William
Harness for the best essay connected
with Shakespearian literature. Awarded
every third year.
Haro. To cry out haro to anyone.
To denounce his misdeeds, to follow him
with hue and cry. “Ha rou’’ was the
ancient Norman hue-and-cry, and the
exclamation made by those who wanted
assistance, their person or property
being in danger. It is similar to our cry
of “Police 7” Probably our halloo is
the same word.
*: In the Channel Isles, Ha 1 ho l &
l'aide, mon prince 1 is a protest still in
vogue when one’s property is endangered,
or at least was so when I lived in Jersey.
It is supposed to be an appeal to Rollo,
king of Normandy, to come to the aid
of him suffering wrongfully.
Harold the Dauntless. Son of
Witikind, the Dane. “He was rocked
on a buckler, and fed from a blade.”
BHe became a Christian, like his father,
and married Eivir, a Danish maid, who
had been his page. (Sir W. Scott :
Harold the Dauntless.)
Harold's Stones at Trelech (Mon-
mouthshire). Three stones, one of which
is fourteen feet above the ground, evi-
dently, no part of a circle. Probably
boundary stones. . (See HARE-STONE.)
Haroot and Maroot. Two angels
who, in consequence of their want of
compassion to man, are susceptible of
human passions, and are sent upon earth
to be tempted. They were at one time
kings of Babel, and are still the teachers
of magic and the black arts.
Haroun al Raschid. Calif of the
East, of the Abbasside race. (765-809.)
His adventures form a part of the
Arabian Nights' Entertainments.
Harp. The arms of Ireland. Ac-
cording to tradition, one of the early
kings of Ireland was named David, and
this king took for' arms the harp of
Israel's sweet Psalmist.... Probably the
harpº is altogether a blunder, arising
from the triangle invented in the reign
of John to distinguish his Irish coins
from the English: The reason why a
triangle was chosen may have been in
allusion to St. Patrick’s explanation of
the Trinity, or more likely to signify that
he was king of England, Ireland, and
France. Henry VIII. was the first to
assume the harp positive as the Irish
device, and James I. to place it in the
third quarter of the royal achievement
of Great Britain.
To harp for ever on the same string.
To be for ever teasing one about the
same subject. There is a Latin proverb,
JEarzdem cantilânam recimére. I once
heard a man with a clarionet play the
first half of “In my cottage near a
wood” for more than an hour, without
cessation or change. It was in a crowded
market-place, and the annoyance became
at last so unbearable that he collected a
rich harvest to move on.
“Still harping on my daughter.”—Shakespeare:
Hamlet, ii. 1.
Har'pagon (A). A miser. Harpa-
gon is the name of the miser in Molière's
comedy called L’Aware.
Harpal'ice (4 syl.). A Thracian
virago, who liberated her father Har-
pal'icos when he was taken prisoner by
the Getae.
“With such array Harpalicé bestrode
Her Thracian courser.” Dryden.
Harpe (2 syl.). The cutlass with
which Mercury killed Argus; and with
which Perseus subsequently cut off the
head of Medu'sa.
Harpies (2 syl.). Vultures with the
head and breasts of a woman, very fierce
and loathsome, living in an atmosphere
of filth and stench, and contaminating
everything which they came near. Homer
mentions but one harpy. He'siod gives
two, and later writers three. The names
indicate that these monsters were per-
sonifications of whirlwinds and storms.
Their names were Ocyp’eta (rapid),
Cele'no (blackness), and Aëll'o (storm).
(Greek harpatiai, verb harpázo, to seize ;
Latin harpyia. See Virgil: L'Éneid, iii.
219, etc.).
He is a regular harpy. One who wants
to appropriate everything; one who
sponges on another without mercy.
“I will . . . . do you any embaSSage . . .
rather than hold three words conference with
this harpy.” — Shakespeare : Much Ado About
Nothing, ii. 1.
Harpoc/rates (4 syl.). The Greek
form of the Egyptian god Har-pi-kruti
(Horus the Child), made by the Greeks
and Romans the god of silence. This
arose from a pure misapprehension. It
is an Egyptian god, and was represented
with its “finger on its mouth,” to
EIarridan .
584
IHarvest Goose
indicate youth, but the Greeks thought
it was a symbol of silence.
“I assured my mistress she might make herself
perfectly easy on that score [his mentioning a
certain matter to anyone], for I was the Harpo-
crates of trusty Yalets.”—Gil Blas, iW. 2 (1715).
Har'ridan. A haggard old beldame.
So called from the French haridelle, a
worn-out jade of a horse.
Har'rier (3 syl). A dog for hare-
hunting, whence the name.
Harrington. A farthing. So called
from Lord Harrington, to whom James I.
granted a patent for making them of
brass. Drunken Barnaby Says—
“Thence to Harrington be it spoken,
For name-sake I gave a token
To a beggar that did crave it.”
Drumleen Barnaby's Journal.
“I will not bate a Harrington of the Sum.”
- Ben Jomsom, : The Devil is an Ass, ii. 1.
Harris. Mrs. Harris. An hypo-
thetical lady, to whom Sarah Gamp
referred for the corroboration of all her
statements, and the bank on which she
might draw to any extent for self-praise.
(Dickens : Martin Chuzzlewit.) (See
BROOKS OF SHEFFIELD.)
“Not Mrs. Harris in the immortal narrative was
more quoted and more mythical.”—Lord Lytton.
Harry (To) = to harass. Facetiously
said to be derived from Harry VIII. of
England, who no doubt played up old
Harry with church property. Of course,
the real derivation is the Anglo-Saxon
herian, to plunder, from hare (2 syl.),
an army.
Harry. Old Harry. Old Scratch.
To harry (Saxon) is to tear in pieces,
whence our harrow. There is an ancient
pamphlet entitled The Harrowing of
IHell. I do not think it is a corruption
of “Old Hairy,” although the Hebrew
Seirim (hairy ones) is translated devils
in Lev. xvii. 7, and no doubt alludes to
the he-goat, an object of worship with
the Egyptians. Moses says the children
of . Israel are no longer to sacrifice to
devils (Seirim), as they did in Egypt.
ºre is a Scandinavian Hari = Baal or
el. .
Harry Soph. A student at Cam-
bridge who has “declared ” for Law or
Physic, and wears a full-sleeve gown.
The word is a corruption of the Greek
Heri-Sophos (more than a Soph or com-
mon second-year student). (Cambridge
Calendar.) . t -
The tale goes that at the destruction
of the monasteries, in the reign of Henry
VIII., certain students waited to see
how matters would turn out before they
Committed themselves by taking a clerical
degree, and that these men were thence
called Sophista Henriciani, or “Henry
Sophisters.”
Hart. In Christian art, the emblem
of solitude and purity of life. It was the
attribute of St. Hubert, St. Julian, and
St. Eustace. It was also the type of piety
and religious aspiration. (Psalm xlii. 1.)
See HIND.) + --
The White Hart, or hind, with a golden
chain, in public-house signs, is the badge
of Richard II., which was worn by all his
courtiers and adherents. It was adopted
from his mother, whose cognisance was
a white hind.
Hart Royal. A male red deer, when
the crown of the antler has made its
appearance, and the creature has been
hunted by a king.
Hart of Grease (A). A hunter’s
phrase for a fat venison ; a stag full of
the pasture, called by Jaques “a fat
and greasy citizen.” (As You Like It,
i. 1.) (See HEART OF GRACE.) . . . -
“It is a hart of grease, too, in full season, with
three inches of fat on the brisket.”—Sir W. Scott:
The Monastery, chap. XYii.
Harts. There are four harts in the
tree Yggdrasil', an eagle and a squirrel;
and a serpent gnaws its root.
Hartnet. The daughter of Rukenaw
º: ape's wife) in the tale of Reynard the
ow. The word in old German means
hard or strong strife. -
... Harum Scarum. A hare-brained
person who scares quiet folk. Some
derive it from the French clamentºr de
Haro (hue and cry), as if the madcap
was one against whom the hue-and-cry
is raised; but probably it is simply a
jingle word having allusion to the
“madness of a March hare,” and the .
proprieties. .
“scaring” of honest folks from their
“Who's there 2 I s' pose young harum-scarum." * , -
t Cambridge Facetiae : Collegian and Porter. . . .
º Haruspex (pl. harus'pices). Persons ...
who interpreted the will of the gods by
inspecting the entrails of animals offered .
in sacrifice (old Latin, haruga, a victim ; , .
specio, I inspect). Cato Said, “I wonder
how one haruspex can keep from laugh- *
ing when he sees another.” . . . .
Harvard College, in the United
§
States, endowed by the Rey. John
Harvard in 1639. Founded 1636.
Harvest Goose. A corruption of * -
Arvyst Gos (a stubble goose).
WAYZ-GOOSE.) . . .
- “A young wife and an arvyst
- ySt goS,, ... . . . .
Moche gagil [clatter] with both.”. .
Iteliquide Antiquae, ii. 113,
(See
FIarvest Moon
585 Hat
Harvest Moon. The full moon
nearest the autumnal equinox. The
peculiarity of this moon is that it rises
for several days nearly at Sunset, and
about the same time.
Hash (A). A mess, a muddle ; as,
“a pretty hash he made of it.” A hash
is a mess, and a mess is a muddle.
I’ll soon settle his hash for him. I
will soon smash him up ; ruin his
schemes; “give him his gruel ”; “ cook
his goose ’’; “put my finger in his pie ’’;
“make mince - meat of him.” (See
COOKING...)
Hassan. Caliph of the Ottoman
empire ; noted for his hospitality and
splendour. His palace was daily thronged
with guests, and in his seraglio was a
beautiful young slave named Leila (2
Syl.), who had formed an unfortunate
attachment to a Christian called the
Giao'ur. Leila is put to death by an
emir, and Hassan is slain by the Giaour
near Mount Parnassus. (Byron : The
Giaoztr.)
Al Hassan. The Arabian emir' of
Persia, father of Hinda, in Moore's Fire-
JWorshippers. He was victorious at the
battle of Cadessia, and thus became
master of Persia.
Hassan-Ben-Sabah. The Old Man
of the Mountain, founder of the sect of
the Assassins. In Rymer’s Foedera are
two letters by this sheik. --
Hassock. A doss or footstool made
of hèsg (sedge or rushes).
“Hassocks should be gotten in the fens, and
laid at the foot of the said bank . . . . where need
required.”—Dugdale: Imbanking, p. 322. .
“The knees and hassocks are well-nigh divorced."
Cowper.
Hat. How Lord Kingsale acquired
the right of wearing his hat in the royal
presence is this: King John and Philippe
II. of France agreed to settle a dispute
respecting the duchy of Normandy by
single combat. John de Courcy, Earl of
Ulster, was the English champion, and
no sooner put in his appearance than the
French champion put spurs to his horse
and fled. The king asked the earl what
reward should be given him, and he
replied, “Titles and lands I want not, of
these I have enough; but in remembrance
of this day I beg the boon, for myself and
successors, to remain covered in the
presence of your highness and all future
sovereigns of the realm.” -
Lord Forester, it is said, possessed the
same right, which was confirmed by
Henry VIII, -
as a regular guy.
*: The Somerset Herald wholly denies
the right in regard to Lord Kingsale ;
and probably that of Lord Forester
is without foundation. (See Notes and
Queries, Dec. 19th, 1885, p. 504.) -
On the other hand, the privilege seems
at one time to have been not unusual,
for Motley informs us that “all the
Spanish grandees had the privilege of
being covered in the presence of the
reigning monarch. Hence, when the
Duke of Alva presented himself before
Margaret, Duchess of Parma, she bade
him to be covered.” (Dutch Republic.)
A cockle hat. A pilgrim’s hat. So
called from the custom of putting cockle-
shells upon their hats, to indicate their
intention or performance of a pilgrimage.
“How Should I your true love know
From another one 2
By his cockle-hat and staff,
And his Sandal Shoon.” e
• * Shakespeare : Hamlet, iv. 5.
A BROWN HAT. Never wear a brown,
hat in Friesland. When at Rome do as
Rome does. ... If people have a very
strong prejudice, do not run counter
to it. Friesland is a province of the
Netherlands, where the inhabitants cut
their hair short, and cover the head
first with a knitted cap, then a high silk .
skull-cap, then a metal turban, and
lastly a huge flaunting bonnet. Four
or five dresses always constitute the
ordinary head gear. A traveller once
passed through the province with .a.
common brown chimney-hat or wide-
awake, but was hustled by the work-
men, jeered at by the women, pelted by
the boys, and sneered at by the magnates
If you would pass. .
quietly through this “enlightened."
province never wear there a brown hat. .
A STEEPLE-CROWNED HAT. You are
only fit to wear a steeple-crowned hat.'
To be burnt as a heretic. The victims
of the Autos-da-Fé of the “Holy ” In-"
quisition were always decorated with
such a head-gear.
A white hat. A white hat used to be
emblematical of radical proclivities, be-,
cause Orator Hunt, the great dema-
gogue, used to wear, one during the
Wellington and Peel administration.
* The street arabs of Nottingham-
shire used to accost a person wearing a
white hat with the question, “Who stole
the donkey P” and a companion used to
answer, “Him wi' the white hat on.”
Pass round the hat. Gather subscrip-
tions into a hat. . . . *
To eat one’s hat. “Hattes are made
of eggs, veal, dates, Saffron, Salt, and so
forth.” (Robina Napier: Boke of €ookry.)
Hat Money
586 IHatto
* The Scotch have the word hattit-
kit or hatted-kit, a dish made chiefly of
sour cream, new milk, or butter-milk.
To hang up one’s hat in a house. To
make oneself at home ; to become
master of a house. Visitors, making a
call, carry their hats in their hands.
Hat Money. A small gratuity given
to the master of a ship, by passengers, for
his care and trouble, originally collected
in a hat at the end of a good voyage.
Hats and Caps. Two political fac-
tions of Sweden in the eighteenth cen-
tury, the former favourable to France,
and the latter to Russia. Carlyle says
the latter were called caps, meaning
night-caps, because they were averse to
action and war; but the fact is that the
French partisans wore a French chapeau
as their badge, and the Russian partisans
wore a Russian cap.
Hatches. Put on the hatches,
Eiguratively, shut the door. (Anglo-
Saxon, hae, a gate. Compare haca, a
bar or bolt.)
Under hatches. TJead and buried.
The hatches of a ship are the coverings
over the hatchways (or openings in the
deck of a vessel) to allow of cargo, etc.,
being easily discharged. -
“And though his soul has gone aloft,
• His body's under hatches.”
Hatchet. [Greek azimé, Latin ascia,
Italian accetta, French hachette, our
hatchet and awe.)
To bury the hatchet. (See BURY.) .
To throw the hatchet. To tell false-
hoods. In allusion to an ancient game
where hatchets were thrown at a mark,
like quoits. It means the same as draw-
ing the long-bow (q.v.). -
Hatchway (Lieutenant Jack). A re-
tired naval officer, the companion of
Commodore. Trunnion,
Peregrine Pickle. -
Hatef [the deadly]. One of Ma-
homet's swords, confiscated from the
Jews when they were exiled from
Medi'na. (See SworDS.)
Hattemists. An ecclesiastical sect
in Holland; so called from Pontin von
Hattem, of Zealand (seventeenth cen-
tury). They denied the expiatory sac-
rifice of Christ, and the corruption of
human nature. . . . . * * * : * -
Hatteraick (Dirk). Also called “Jans
Janson.” A Dutch smuggler imprisoned
with lawyer Glossin for kidnapping
Henry Bertrand. During the night
in - Smollett's
Glossin contrived to enter the smuggler’s
cell, when a quarrel ensued. Hat-
teraick strangled Glossin, and then
hanged himself. (Sir Walter Scott :
Guy Mannering.)
Hatto. Archbishop of Mainz, ac-
cording to tradition, was devoured by
mice. The story says that in 970 there
was a great famine in Germany, and
Hatto, that there might be better store
for the rich, assembled the poor in a
barn, and burnt them to death, saying,
“They are like mice, only good to
devour the corn.” By and by an army
of mice came against the archbishop, and
the abbot, to escape the plague, removed
to a tower on the Rhine, but hither
came the mouse-army by hundreds and
thousands, and ate the bishop up. The
tower is still called Mouse - tower.
Southey has a ballad on the subject, but
makes the invaders an army of rats.
(See MoUSE ToweR ; PIED PIPER.) .
“And in at the windows, and in at the door,
And through the walls by thousands they pour,
And down through the ceiling, and up through
the floor,
From the right and the left, from behind and
Frº jºin and without, from above and
And'iº once to the bishop they go. -
They have wetted their teeth against the
Stones,
And now they are picking the bishop's hones;
They gnawed the flesh from every limb,
For they Were Sent to do judgment on him.”
Southey : Bishop Hatto.
A very similar legend is told of Count
Graaf, a wicked and powerful chief, who
raised a tower in the midst of the Rhine
for the purpose of exacting tolls. If
any boat or barge attempted to evade
the exaction, the warders of the tower.
shot the crew with cross-bows. Amongst
other ways of making himself rich was
buying up corn. One year a sad famine
prevailed, and the count made a harvest
of the distress; but an army of rats,
pressed by hunger, invaded his tower,
and falling on the old baron, worried
him to death, and then devoured him.
(Legends of the Rhine.) -
Widerolf, bishop of Strasburg (in 997),
was devoured by mice in the seventeenth
year of his episcopate, because he sup-
pressed the convent of Seltzen, on the
Rhine. * • .
Bishop Adolf of Cologne was devoured
by mice or rats in 1112. . . . -
Freiherr von Güttengen collected the
poor in a great barn, and burnt them to
death ; and being invaded by rats and
mice, ran to his castle of Güttingen.
The vermin, however, pursued him and
ate him clean to the bones, after which
Hatton
587 Faversack
his castle sank to the bottom of the lake,
“where it may still be seen.”
A similar tale is recorded in the
chronicles of William of Mulsburg,
book ii. p. 313 (Bone's edition).
* Mice or rats. Giraldus Cambrensis
says: The larger sort of mice are called
rati. (Itinerary, book xi. 2.) On the
other hand, many rats are called mice,
as mustēla Alpina, the mºts Indicus, the
amus aquaticus, the mus Pharaónis, etc.
Hatton. The dancing chancellor. Sir
Christopher Hatton was brought up to
the law, but became a courtier, and at-
tracted the attention of Queen Elizabeth
by his very graceful dancing at a
masque. The queen took him into
favour, and soon made him both chan-
cellor and knight of the garter. (He
died in 1591.)
“His bushy beard, and shoestrings green,
His high-crowned hat and Satin doublet,
Moyed the stout heart of England's queen, -
Though Pope and Spaniard could not trouble
it.” Gray.
Hatton Garden (London). The
residence of Sir Christopher Hatton, the
dancing chancellor. (See above.)
Haul over the Coals. Take to task.
Jamieson thinks it refers to the ordeal
by fire, a suggestion which is favoured
by the French corresponding phrase,
Anettre sur la Sellette (to put on the
culprit's stool).
Hauss'manniza'tion. The pulling
down and building up anew of streets
and cities, as Baron Haussmann re-
modelled Paris. In 1868 he had saddled
Paris with a debt of about twenty-eight
millions.
Hautboy (pron. Ho'-boy). A straw-
berry; so called either from the haut
bois (high woods) of Bohemia, whence it
was: imported, or from its haut-bois
(long-stalk). The latter is the more
probable, and furnishes the etymology
of the musical instrument also, which
has a long mouth-reed.
Haute Claire. The sword of Oliver
the Dane. (See Sword.) *
Hautyille Coit, at Stanton Drew, in
the manor of Keynsham. The tradition
is that this coit was thrown there by the
champion giant, Sir John Hautville,
from Mary’s I&nolle Hill, about a mile
off, the place of his abode. The stone
on the top of the hill, once thirty tons'
weight, is said to have been the clearing
of the giant's spade.
* The same is said of the Gog'magog
of Cambridge. - -
Have a Care 1 “JPrenez garde l’”
Shakespeare has the expression “Have
mind upon your health !” (Julius
Casar, iv. 3.)
Have a Mind for it (To). To desire
to possess it ; to wish for it. Mind =
desire, intention, is by no means un-
common : “I mind to tell him plainly
what I think.” (2 Henry VI., act iv.
1.) “I shortly mind to leave you.”
(2 Henry VI., act iv. 1.)
Have at You. To be about to aim
a blow at another ; to attack another.
“Have at thee with a downright blow.”
Shakespeare.
Have it Out (To). To settle the
dispute by blows or arguments.
Hav'elok (3 syl.), the orphan son of
|Birkabegn, King of Denmark, was ex-
posed at sea through the treachery of
his guardians, and the raft drifted to the
coast of Lincolnshire. Here a fisherman
named Grim found the young Prince,
and brought him up as his own son. In
time it so happened that an English
princess stood in the way of certain am-
bitious nobles, who resolved to degrade
her by uniting her to a peasant, and
selected the young foundling for the
purpose; but Havelok, having learnt
the story of his birth, obtained the aid
of the king his father to recover his
wife's possessions, and became in due
time King of Denmark and part of .
England. (“Haveloc the Dane,” by tha.
Trouveurs.) ... . . . . .
Haver-Calzes. Oaten cakes (Scan-
dinavian, hafre ; German, hafer; Latin,
avéna, oats). . . .
Haveril (3 syl.). A simpleton, April-
fool. (French, poisson d'Avril; Icelandic,
gifº, foolish talk; Scotch, haver, to talk
nonsense.) -
Havering (Essex). The legend says
that while Edward the Confessor was
dwelling in this locality, an old pilgrim
asked alms, and the king replied, “I
have no money, but I have a ring,” and,
drawing it from his fore-finger, gave it
to the beggar. Some time after, certain
Lnglish pilgrims in Jewry met the same
man, who drew the ring from his finger
and said, “Give this to your king, and
say within six months he shall die.”
The request was complied with, and
the prediction fulfilled. The shrine of
Edward the Confessor in Westminster
Abbey gives colour to this legend.
Haversack, Strictly speaking is a bag
to carry oats in. (See HAVER-CAKES.)
Havock
588
EIawkubites
It now means a soldier's ration-bag
slung from the shoulder; a gunner's
leather-case for carrying charges.
Havock. A military cry to general
massacre, without quarter. This cry was
forbidden in the ninth year of Richard II.
on pain of death. Probably it was ori-
ginally used in hunting wild beasts, such
as wolves, lions, etc., that fell on sheep-
folds, and Shakespeare favours this Sug-
gestion in his Julius Caesar, where he
says Até shall “cry havock and let slip
the dogs of war.” (Welsh, hafog, de-
vastation ; Irish, arvach ; compare
Anglo-Saxon havoc, a hawk.)
Havre (France). A contraction of
Le havre de notre daine de grace.
(1) Different parts of a hawk:
Arms. The legs from the thigh to the foot.
Bettle. The upper and Crooked part of the bill.
Beatºns. The long featbers of the wings.
Clap. The nether part of the bill.
Feathers Sum?med. Feather's full grown and com-
\lete. . -
Feathers armsummed. Feathers not yet full grown.
Flags. The next to the longest feathers or prin-
C1 pa IS.
Glut. The slimy substance in the pannel.
(orge. The crow or crop. - .
If a gluºrs. The Spots on the featlhers.
Mails. The breast feathers. . .
war; The tWO little holes on the top of the
Dež K. - - -
I?ammel. The pipe next to the fundament.
Pendent featthers. Those loehind the toes. .
I’etty singles. . The toes.
Pounces. The claws. - -
Principal feathers. The two longest.
Sails. The wings. -
Sear ol' sere. ić yellow part under the eyes.
Train. The tail.
(2) Different sorts of hawk:
Gerfalcom. A Tercell of a Gerfalcon is for a king.
Falcon gentle and a Tercel gentle. For a prince.
JFulcom of the rock. For a duke.
Falcon, peregrine. For an earl. - . . . . . . . . ~~
Bastard hawk. For a baron. -
Sacre and a Sacrit. For a knight.
Ilamare and Latmºrell. For a Squire.
Merlyn. For a lady.
Hoby. For a young man.
Goshawk. For a yeoman.
Tercel. For a poor man.
Sparehawk. For a priest. -
Murkyte. For a holy-water clerk.
Resterel. For a knave or servant.
- Dame Juliana Barmes.
The “Sore-hawk” is a hawk of the first year ;
S6) fººd from the French, sor or sawre, brownish-
yellow. - - - - -
The “Spar" or “Sparrow" hawk is a small,
ignoble hawk (Saxon, speltra ; Goth, sparwa, ; our
spare, smar, spur, jº spire, sparing, sparse, etc.;
Latin, sparsus; all referring to minuteness).
(3) The dress of a hawk:
Bewits. . The leathers, with bells, buttoned to a
hawk's legs. The bell itself is called a hawk-
bell. - -
Creanse. A packthread or thin twine fastened to
the leash in disciplining a hawk. --
Hood. A cover for the head, to keep the hawk in
... the dark. ...A ruſter hood is a wide one, open
behind. . To hood is to lout on the hood. To
aumhood is to take it off. To unstrike the hood
is to draw the Strings So that the hood may be
in readiness to be pulled off,
Jesses. The little straps by which the leash is
fastened to the legs. There is the singular
jeSS. s
Leash. The leather thong for holding the hawk.
(4) Terms used in falconry:
Casting. Something given to a hawk to cleanse
lier gorge. . . .
Cawking. Treading. • ‘’ *
Cowering. . When young hawks, in obedience to
their elders, quiver and shake their wings. . .
Crabbing. Fighting with each other when they
Stand t,00 near. • - •
IIack. The place where a hawk's meat is laid.
Imping. Placing a feather in a law k's wing. -
Imlje ()r Ink. The breast, and neck of a hird that a
hawk preys on. . . - ... •
Intermewing. The time of changing the coat.
- A figure of a fowl made of leather and
featherS. - z
Malce. An old staunch hawk that sets an example
to young ones; . T •
Mamtling. Stretching first one wing and then
the other over the legs.
Mew.
Muting. The dung of hawks. -
Pelf or pill. What a hawk leaves of her prey.
Pelt. The dead body of a fowl killed by a hawk. .
1’erch. The resting-place of a hawk when off the
falconer’s Wrist.
Plotºmage.
make her cast. s
Quarry. The fowl or game that a hawk flies at.
Rangle. Gravel given to a hawk to bring down
her Stomach.
Sharp set. Hungry. &
Tiring. Giving a hawk a leg or wing of a fowl to
Dull at. - *
. . The peregrine when full grown is
called a blue-hawk.
The hawk was the av'atar of Ra, or
IHorus, the sun-god of the Egyptians.
See BIRDs (protected by superstitions.)
Hawk and Handsaw. I know a
hawk from a handsaw. Handsaw is a
corruption of hernshaw (a heron). I
know a hawk from a heron, the bird of
prey from the game flown at. The
proverb means, I know one thing from
another. (See Hamlet, ii. 2.)
Hawk nor Buzzard (Neither). Of
doubtful social position—too good for
the kitchen, and not good enough for
the family. Private governesses and
pauperised gentlefolk often hold this
unhappy position.
synonymous with dunce or ; plebeian.
In French, “N’étre mi chair mi-poisson,”
“Neither flesh, fowl, nor good red
herring.” - ... }
-*::::::, … “Bº, N.J...”
Hawker’ News of Piper's News.
News known to all the world. “Ie
secret de polichinelle.” (German hôker,
a higgler or hawker.)
Hawkubites (3 syl.). Street bullies
in the reign of Queen Anne. It was
their delight to molest and ill-treat the
old watchmen, women, children, and
feeble old men who chanced to be in
the streets after Sunset, The Succession
The place where hawks sit when moulting.
Small feathers given to a hawk to
They are not hawks
to be fondled and petted—the “tasselled
gentlemen” of the days of falconry— '.
nor yet buzzards—a dull kind of falcon
TIawse-hole
of these London pests after the Restora-
tion was in the following order: The
Muns, the Tityré Tüs, the Hectors, the
Scourers, the Nickers, then the Hawku-
bites (1711-1714), and then the Mohocks
—most dreaded of all. (Hawkubite is
the name of an Indian tribe of Savages.)
“From Mohock and from Hawkubite,
Good Lord deliver me, e
Who wander through the Streets at nigh
Committing cruelty.
They slash our Sons with bloody knives,
And on our daughters fall ;
And, if they murder not our wives,
We have good luck withal.”
Hawse-hole. He has crept through
the hawse-hole, or He has come in at the
hawse-hole. That is, he entered the
service in the lowest grade; he rose
from the ranks. A naval phrase. The
hawse-hole of a ship is that through
which the cable of the anchor runs.
Hawthorn, in florology, means “Good
Hope,” because it shows the winter is
over and spring is at hand. The Athe-
nian girls used to crown themselves
with hawthorn flowers at weddings, and
the marriage-torch was made of haw-
thorn. The Romans considered it a
charm against Sorcery, and placed leaves
of it on the cradles of new-born infants.
* The hawthorn was chosen by
Henry VII. for his device, because the
crown of Richard III. was discovered in
a hawthorn bush at Bosworth. “
Hay, Hagh, or Haugh. A royal
park in “which no man commons”; rich
pasture-land; as Bilhagh (Billa-haugh),
Beskwood- or Bestwood-hay, Lindéby-
hay, Welley-hay or Wel-hay. . These
five hays were “special reserves” of game
for royalty alone. -
• A bottle of hay. (See BoITLE.)
Between hay and grass. Too late for
One and too soon for the other.
Neither hay nor grass. That hobby-
de-hoy state when a youth is neither boy
Il OI! II.18, Il.
Make hay while the sun shines...
Strike while the iron is hot.
Take time by the forelock.
One to-day is worth two to-morrows.
(Franklin.) - . .
: Hayston (Frank). The laird of
Bucklaw, afterwards laird of Girning-
ton. (Sir Walter Scott: Bride of Lain-
wnermoor.)
Hayward. A keeper of the cattle
or common herd of a village or parish.
The word hay means “hedge,” and this
herdsman was so called because he had
‘ward” of the “hedges” also. (Anglo-
Saxon, hēg, bay; hege, a hedge.)
589
£Teači
Hazazel. The Scape-goat (q.v.).
Hazel. (See DIVINING ROD.)
Hazel-nut. (Anglo-Saxon, hasel-
hºut, from háčSel, a hat or cap, the cap-
nut or the nut enclosed in a cap.)
Head. (Latin, captat ; Saxon, heáfod,
Scotch, hafet; contracted into head.)
Better be the head of an ass than the tail
of a horse. Better be foremost amongst
commoners than the lowest of the aris-
tocracy; better be the head of the yeo-
manry than the tail of the gentry. The
Italians say, “JE meglio esser testa di
luccio che coda di statriome.”
FIe has a head on his shoulders. He is
up to snuff (q.v.); he is a clever fellow,
with brains in his head.
He has quite lost his head. He is in a
quandary or quite confused.
I can make neither head nor tail of it.
I cannot understandit at all. A gambling
phrase. - t * - -
Men with heads beneath the shoulders.
(See CAORA.)
Men without heads. (See BLEMMYES.)
Off one's head. Deranged ; delirious;
extremely excited. Here “head ''
means intelligence, understanding, etc.
His intelligence or understanding has
gone away.
To bundle one old head and heels.
“Sans cérémonie,” altogether. The
allusion is to a custom at one time far
too frequent in cottages, for a whole
family to sleep together in one bed head
to heels or pedham'ené, as it was termed
in Cornwall; to bundle the whole lot
out of bed was to turn them out head
and heels. " -
To head off. . To intercept. -
To hit the mail on the head. You have
guessed aright ; you have done the right
thing. The allusion is obvious. The
French say, “Pous avez frappé au but ’’
(You have hit the mark); the Italians
have the phrase, “ Havete dato in
brocca’’ (You have hit the pitcher), al-
luding to a game where a pitcher stood
in the place of Aunt Sally (q.v.). The
Latin, “Rem actſ tetigist; ” (You have
touched the thing with a needle), refers
to the custom of probing Sores.
To keep one's head above water. ' To
avoid bankruptcy. The allusion is to a
i. immersed in water ; so long as
is head is above water his life remains,
but bad swimmers find it hard to keep
their heads above water. . . • *
... To lose ame's head. To be confused and
mnddle-minded. - -
To make head. To get on,
Eſead
590
IHeart
Head Shaved (Get your). You are
a dotard. Go and get your head shaved
like other lunatics. (See BATH.)
“Thou thinkst that monarchs never can act ill,
Get thy head Shayed, poor fool, or think so
Still.” I’eter Pinda) : Qale Upon Ode.
Head and Ears. Over head and ears
[in debt, in love, etc.], completely ; en-
tirely. The allusion is to a person
immersed in water. The French phrase
is “Avoir des dettes pardessus la tête.”
Head and Shoulders. A phrase of
Sull shades of meaning. Thus “head
and shoulders taller” means consider-
ably tall; to turn one out head and
shoulders means to drive one out forcibly
and without ceremony.
Head of Cattle. Cattle are counted
by the head; manufacturing labourers
by hands, as “Bow many hands do you
employ P” horses by the nose (See
NOSE); guests at dinner by the cover,
as “Covers for ten,” etc. (See NUM-
BERS, HAND.)
* In contracting for meals the con-
tractor takes the job at so much “a
head’—i.e. for each person.
Head over Heels (To turn). To
place the hands upon the ground and
throw the legs upwards so as to de-
scribe half a circle. -
... Heads or Tails. Guess whether the
coin tossed up will come down with head-
side uppermost or not. The side not
bearing the head has various devices,
sometimes Britannia, sometimes George
and the Dragon, sometimes a harp, some-
times the royal arms, sometimes an in-
scription, etc. These devices are all in-
cluded in the word tail, meaning opposite
to the head. . The ancient Romans used
to play this game, but said, “Heads or
ships.” . - -
“Cum pueri denarios in sublime jactantes,
* capita aut navia, lusu teste Vetustatis excla-
&
mant.”—Macrobius Saturmalia, i. 7. . .
. Neither head nor tail. Nothing con-
sistent.
tail of what you say,” i.e. I cannot bolt
the matter to the bran.
Heads I Win, Tails you Lose. In
tossing up a coin, with such an arrange-
ment, the person who makes the bargain
must of necessity win, and the person
who accepts it must inevitably lose.
Heady, wilful; affecting the head, as
“The wine or beer is heady.” (German,
heftig, ardent, strong, self-willed.)
Healing Gold. Gold given to a king
for “healing ” the king’s evil, which
was done by a touch.
“I can make neither head nor.
Health. Your health. The story is
that Vortigern was invited to dine at
the house of Hengist, when Rowe'na,
the host’s daughter, brought a cup of
wine which she presented to their royal
guest, saying, “Has ha'l, hlaford cyn-
ing ” (Your health, lord king). (See
WASSAIL.)
William of Malmesbury says the cus-
tom took its rise from the death of young
Ring Edward the Martyr, who was
traitorously stabbed in the back while
drinking a cup of wine presented to him
by his mother Elfrida. S
IJrinking healths. The Romans adopted
a curious fashion of drinking the health
of their lady-loves, and that was to drink
a bumper to each letter of her name.
Hudibras satirises this custom, which he
calls “spelling names with beer-glasses.”
(part ii., chap. 1).
“Naevia sex cyathis, Septem Justina bibatur
Quinque Lycas, Lyde quatuor, Ida tribus.”
Martial, i. 72.
Three cups to Amy, four to Kate he given, .
To Susan five, six Rachel, Bridget *}. B.
Heap. Struck all of a heap. To be
struck with astonishment. “Etº'e ahitº.”
The idea is that of confusion, having
the wits bundled together in a heap.
Hear. To hear as a hog in harvest. In
at one ear and out at the other ; hear
without paying attention. Giles Firmin
says, “If you call hogs out of the har-
vest stubble, they will just lift up their
heads to listen, and fall to their shack
again.” (Real Christian, 1670.) . .
Hearse (1syl.) means simply a harrow.
Those harrows used in Roman Catholic
churches (or frames with spikes) for
holding candles are called in France
herses. These frames at a later period
were covered with a canopy, and lastly
were mounted on wheels. - .
Heart. A variety of the word core.
(Latin, cord’, the heart; Greek, kard’;
Sanskrit, herd'; Anglo-Saxon, hearte.)
Heart (in Christian art), the attribute
of St. There'sa. -
The flaming heart (in Christian art),
the symbol of charity. An attribute of
St. Augustine, denoting the fervency of
his devotion. The heart of the Saviour
is frequently so represented. . . . . .
Heart.
PHRASES, PROVERBS, ETC.,
A bloody heart. Since the time of Good
Lord James the Douglases have carried
upon their shields a bloody heart with a
crown upon it, in memory of the expedi-
tion of Lord James to Spaint with the
... º.º. 4 ºr * *
FIeart .
591 THeart of
heart of King Robert Bruce. King
Robert commissioned his friend to carry
his heart to the Holy Land, and Lord
James had it enclosed in a silver casket,
which he wore round his neck. On his
way to the Holy Land, he stopped to
aid Alphonso of Castile against Osmyn
the Moor, and was slain. Sir Simon
Lockhard of Lee was commissioned to
carry the heart back to Scotland. (Tales
of a Grandfather, xi.)
After my own heart. Just what I
like; in accordance with my liking or
wish ; the heart being the Supposed
seat of the affections. .
Be of good heart. Cheer up. In Latin,
“Fae, bono animosis ; ” the heart being
the seat of moral courage.
Out of heart. Despondent; without
sanguine hope. In Latin, “Animiſm
despondere.” In French, “ Perdre
courage.” .
Set your heart at rest. Be quite easy
about the matter. In French, “Mettez
votre coeºty tº l’aise.” The heart is the
supposed organ of the sensibilities (in-
cluding the affections, etc.).
To break one’s heart. To waste away
or die of disappointment. “Broken-
hearted,” hopelessly distressed. In
Erench, “Cela me fend le coeur.” The
heart is the organ of life.
To learn by heart. To learn memo-
riter; to commit to memory. In French,
“Par cour” or “ Apprendre par cour.”
(See LEARN.) .
To set one’s heart upon. Earnestly to
desire it. “Je l’aime de tout mom coettº', ''
the heart being the supposed seat of the
affections.
Take heart. Be of good courage.
Moral courage at one time was supposed
to reside in the heart, physical courage
in the stomach, wisdom in the head,
affection in the reins or kidneys, melan-
choly in the bile, spirit in the blood, etc.
In French, “prendre courage.”
To take to heart. To feel deeply
pained [at something which has oc-
curred]. In Latin, “ Percussit mihi
animatm; ” “iniquo animo ferre.” In
Erench, “Prendre une affaire & coeur; ”
the heart being the supposed seat of the
affections. .
To wear one’s heart upon one’s sleeve.
To expose one's secret intentions to
general notice; the reference being to
the custom of tying your lady's favour
to your sleeve, and thus exposing the
secret of the heart. Iago says, “When
my outward action shows my secret
heart, I will wear my heart upon my
'sleeve, as one does a lady’s favour, for
daws [? dows, pigeons] to peck at.”
Dows = fools, or simpletons to laugh at
or quiz. (Othello, i. 1.)
With all my heart. “De tout mon
coeur ; ” most willing. The heart, as
the seat of the affections and sensibilities,
is also the seat of the will.
Heart-breaker (A). A flirt. Also
a particular kind of curl. Called in
Erench Accroche-coºtty. At one time
loose ringlets worn over the shoulders
were called heart-breakers. At another
time a curl worn over the temples was
called an Accroche-coeur, crève cattr.
Heart-rending. Very pathetic. “Qui
déchire le cour; ” the heart as the seat
of the affections.
Heart-whole. Not in love ; the
affections not given to another.
“I in love 2 . . . I give you my word I am heart-
whole.”—Sir W. Scott : Redgatuntlet (letter 13).
Heart and Soul. With my whole
heart and soul. With all the energy and
enthusiasm of which I am capable. In
French, “S'y porter de tout son coeur.”
Mark xii. 33 says, “Love [God] with
all thy heart [affection], all thy soul ſor
glow of spiritual life], all thy strength
[or physical powers], and all thy under-
standing [that is, let thy love be also a
reasonable service, and not mere enthu-
siasm].” -
Heart in his Boots. His heart fell
into his hose or sank into his boots. In
Latin, “Cor illi in genua decidit.” In
French, “Avoir la peur at ventre.” The
two last phrases are very expressive :
Fear makes the knees shake, and it
gives one a stomach-ache; but the
English phrase, if it means anything,
must mean that it induces the person to
run away.
Heart in his Mouth. His heart
was in his mouth. That choky feeling
in the throat which arises from fear,
conscious guilt, shyness, etc.
“The young lover tried to look at his case, . . .
but his heart was in his mouth.”—Miss Thackeray:
Mrs. Dymond, p. 156. - -
Heart of Grace (To take). To pluck
up courage; not to be disheartened or
down-hearted. This expression is based
on the promise, “My grace is sufficient
for thee” (2 Cor. xii. 9); by this grace
St. Paul says, “When I am weak then
am I strong.” Take grace into your
heart, rely on God’s grace for strength,
with grace in your heart your feeble
knees will be strengthened. (See HART
OF GRBASE.) . - -
TTeart of
Heart of Hearts (In one’s). In
one’s inmost conviction. The heart is
often referred to as a second self.
Shakespeare speaks of the “neck of the
heart” (Merchant of Venice, ii. 2); “the
middle of the heart” (Cymbeline, i. 7).
. heart of the heart is to the same
effect.
Heart of Midlothian. The old
jail, the Tolbooth of Edinburgh, taken
down in 1817. Sir Walter Scott has a
novel so called. -
Heart's Ease. The viola tric5!or.
It has a host of fancy names; as, the
“Butterfly flower,” “Kiss me quick,”
a “ Kiss behind the garden gate,”
“Love in idleness,” “Pansy,” “Three
faces under one hood,” the ‘‘Variegated
violet,” “Herba Trinitatis.” The quo-
tation annexed will explain the popular
tradition of the flower :-
“Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell :
It fell upon a little western flower,
Before milk-white, now purple with love's
wound, e • -
And maidens call it love-in-idleness. . . .
The juice of it on sleeping eyelids laid
Will make a man or woman madly doat
TJ pon the next live Creature that it sees.”
Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.
Hearth Money. (See CHIMNEY
MoMEY.) - ... . . . .
Heat. One course in a race; activity,
action.
“Feigned Zeal, you Saw, set out with speedier
pace,
But the last heat Plain Dealing won the race.”
Tydem.
Heathen. A dweller on a heath or
common. Christian doctrines would not :
reach these remote people till long after
they had been accepted in towns, and
even villages. (Anglo-Saxon, haethen,
hath. (See PAGAN.) -
Heaven. (Anglo-Saxon, heafon, from
heofen, elevated, vaulted.) -
THE THREE HEAVENs. (According to
the Jewish system.) The word heaven
in the Bible denotes (1) the air, thus
we read of “the fowls of heaven,” “the
dew of heaven,” and “the clouds of
heaven”; (2) the starry firmament, as,
“Let there be lights in the firmament
of heaven” (Gen. i. 14); (3) the palace
of Jehovah ; thus we read that “heaven
is My throne '' (Isa. lxvi. 1, and Matt.
v. 34). -
* Loosely, the word is used in Scrip-
ture sometimes simply to express a great
“The cities are walled up to
heaven’’ (Deut. i. 28). So the builders
on Shinar designed to raise a tower
whose top should “reach unto heaven”
height.
(Gen. xi. 4).
592
THeaven
THE FIVE HEAVENS. (According to
the Ptolemaic system.) (1) The planet-
ary heaven; (2) the sphere of the fixed
stars; (3) the crystalline, which vibrates;
(4) the primum mo'bilé, which communi-
cates motion to the lower spheres; (5)
the empyre'an or seat of deity and
angels. (See above.) -
{{ Somºs She deemed that Mars had from
fl. 1) () V6
Left his fifth heaven, the powers of men to
}l'OWe."
Hoole: Orlando Furioso, book xiii.
THE SEVEN HEAVENS.
the Mahometan system.)
The first heaven, says Mahomet, is of
pure silver, and here the stars are hung
out like lamps on golden chains. Each
star has an angel for warder. In this
hºn “the prophet” found Adam and
We. * - -
The second heaven, says Mahomet, is
of polished steel and dazzling splendour.
Here “the prophet” found Noah.
The third heaven, says Mahomet, is
studded with precious stones too bril-
liant for the eye of man. Here Az'rael,
the angel of death, is stationed, and is
for ever writing in a large book or
blotting words out. The former are the
names of persons born, the latter those
of the newly dead. (See below, Heaven
of heavens.) . . . . .
The fourth heaven, he says, is of the
finest silver. Here dwells the Angel of
Tears, whose height is “500 days’ jour-
ney,” and he sheds ceaseless tears for
the sins of man. * -
The fifth heaven is of purest gold, and
here dwells the Avenging Angel, who
presides over elemental fire. Here “the
prophet” met Aaron. (See below.)
The sixth heaven is composed of Has'-
ala, a sort of carbuncle. Here dwells
the Guardian Angel of heaven and
earth, half-snow and half-fire. It was
here that Mahomet saw Moses, who
wept with envy. . . - -
The seventh heaven, says the same
veritable authority, is formed of divine
light beyond the power of tongue to
describe. Each inhabitant is bigger
than the whole earth, and has 70,000
heads, each head 70,000 mouths, each
mouth 70,000 tongues, and each tongue
speaks 70,000 languages, all for ever
employed in chanting the praises of the
Most High. Here he met Abraham.
(See below). - -
To be in the seventh heaven. Su-
premely happy. The Cabbalists main-
tained that there are seven heavens, each
rising in happiness above the other, the
(According to
Heavies
593
Hecatomb
seventh being the abode of God and the
highest class of angels. (See above.)
THE NINE HEAVENS. The term
heaven was used anciently to denote the
orb or sphere in which a celestial body
was supposed to move, hence the number
of heavens varied. According to one
system, the first heaven was that of the
Moon, the second that of Venus, the
third that of Mercury, the fourth that
of the Sun, the fifth that of Mars, the
sixth that of Jupiter, the seventh that
of Saturn, the eighth that of the “fixt”
or firmament, and the ninth that of the
Crystalline. (See NINE SPHERES.)
HEAVEN (in modern phraseology)
means: (1) a great but indefinite height,
(2) the sky or the vault of the clouds,
(3) the special abode of God, (4) the
place of supreme felicity, (5) supposed
residence of the celestial gods, etc.
The heaven of heavens. A Hebrewism
to express the highest of the heavens,
the special residence of Jehovah. Simi-
lar superlatives are “the Lord of lords,”
“ the God of gods,” “the Song of
songs.” (Compare our Very very much,
etc.) - -
“Behold, the heuwen * the hea, VCI) Of hCavens
X. -
(See
is the Lord’s.”—Deut.
Animals admitted into heaven.
nºnder PARADISE.)
Heavies (The), means the heavy cav-
alry, which consists of men of greater
build and height than Lancers and
IIussars. (See LIGHT TROOPS.)
Heavy Man (The), in theatrical par-
lance, means an actor who plays foil to
the hero, such as the king in Hamlet, the
mere foil to the prince ; Iago is another
“heavy man’s ” part as foil to Othello ;
the “tiger” in the Ticket of Leave Man
is another part for the “heavy man.”
Such parts preserve a degree of im-
portance, but never rise into passion.
Heavy-armed Artillery (The). The
garrison artillery. The “light-armed
artillery” are Royal Horse Artillery.
Ele'be (2 syl.). Goddess of youth,
and cup-bearer to the celestial gods.
She had the power of restoring the aged
to youth and beauty. (Greek mythology.)
* Wreathéd Smiles
Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,
And love to live in diml)le sleek.”
Milton : L'Allegro.
JHebe vases. Small vases like a coty-
liscos. So termed because Hebé is re-
presented as bearing One containing
nectar for the gods.
Hebertists (3 syl.). The partisans
of the vile demagogue, Jacques Réné
Hébert, chief of the Cordeliers, a revo-
lutionary club which boasted of such
names as Anacharsis Clootz, Ronsin,
Vincent, and Momoro, in the great
French Revolution. -
Heb'ron, in the satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, in the first part stands
for Holland, but in the second part for
Scotland. Heb'ronite (3 syl.), a native
of Holland or Scotland.
Hecate (3 syl. in Greek, 2 in Eng.).
A triple deity, called Phoebe or the Moon
in heaven, Diana, on the earth, and He-
cate or Proserpine in hell. She is de-
scribed as having three heads—one of a
horse, one of a dog, and one of a lion.
Her offerings consisted of dogs, honey,
and black lambs. She was sometimes
called “Trivia,” because offerings were
presented to her at cross-roads. Shake-
speare refers to the triple character of
this goddess: -
‘And we fairies that do rum
By the triple Hecate's team.”
Midsummer Night's Dream, v. 2.
IIecate, daughter of Persés the Titan,
is a very different person to the “Triple
Hecate,” who, according to Hesiod, was
daughter of Zeus and a benevolent
goddess. Hecate, daughter of Persés,
was a magician, poisoned her father,
raised a temple to Diana in which she
immolated strangers, and was mother
of Medea and Circé. She presided over
magic and enchantments, taught Sorcery
and witchcraft. She is represented .
with a lighted torch and a sword, and
is attended by two black dogs.
* Shakespeare, in his Macbeth, alludes
to both these Hecates. Thus in act ii.
1 he speaks of “pale Hecate,” i.e. the
mother of Medea and Circé, goddess of
magicians, whom they invoked, and to
whom they made offerings. . . . . . . .
“Now . . . [at might] witchcraft celebrates
Bale Hecate's offerings.”
But in act iii. 2 he speaks of “black
Hecate,” meaning night, and says be- .
fore the night is over and day dawns,
there - - -
* Shall be done - - -
A deed of dreadful note; ” i.e. the murder of
Duncan. - -
N.B. Without doubt, Sometimes thes -
two Hecates are confounded. -
Hecatomb. It is said that Pytha-
goras offered up 100 oxen to the gods
when he discovered that the square of
the hypothénuse of a right-angled-
triangle equals both the Squares of the
other two sides. This is the 47th of
book i. of “Euclid,” called the dul-
'carnein (q.v.). But Pythagoras never
38
IFIector -
594.
Hegemony
sacrificed animals, and would not suffer
his disciples to do so.
“He sacrificed to the gods millet and honey-
comb, but not animals. [Again] He forbade his
disciples to sacrifice oxen.”—Iamblichus : Life of
Pythagoras, xviii. pp. 108-9. -
Hector. Eldest son of Priam, the
noblest and most magnanimous of all
the chieftains in Homer's Iliad (a Greek
epic). After holding out for ten years,
he was slain by Achilles, who lashed
him to his chariot, and dragged the
dead body in triumph thrice round the
walls of Troy. The Iliad concludes
with the funeral obsequies of Hector
and Patroc'los.
The Hector of Germany. Joachim II.,
IElector of Brandenburg (1514-1571).
You wear Hector’s cloak. You are
aid off for trying to deceive another.
ou are paid in your own coin. When
Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland,
in 1569, was routed, he hid himself in
the House of Hector Armstrong, of Har-
law. This villain betrayed him for the
reward offered, but never after did any-
thing go well with him ; he went down,
down, down, till at last he died a beggar
in rags on the roadside.
Hector (A). A leader ; so called
from the son of Priam and generalis-
simo of the Trojans.
Hector (To). To Swagger, or play the
bully. It is hard to conceive how the
brave, modest, noble-minded patriot
came to be made the synonym of a
braggart and blusterer like Ajax.
Hectors. Street bullies and brawlers
who delighted in being as rude as pos-
sible, especially to women. Robbery
was not their object, but simply to get
talked about. (See HAWKUBITES.) .
Hec'uba. Second wife of Priam, and
mother of nineteen children. When Troy
was taken by the Greeks she fell to the
lot of Ulysses. . She was afterwards
metamorphosed into a dog, and threw
herself into the sea. The place where
she perished was afterwards called the
Dog’s - grave (cynos-Sema). (Homer :
Iliad, etc.) -
On to Hecuba. To the point or main
incident. The story of Hecuba has
furnished a host of Greek tragedies.
Hedge (1 syl.). To hedge, in betting,
is to defend oneself from loss by cross-
bets. As a hedge is a defence, so Cross-
betting is hedging. (E. Hunt : The
Town, ix.)
“He [Godolphin] began to think . . . that he
had betted too deep . . . . and that it was time to
hedge.”—Macaulay : England, Vol. iv. Chap. XWii.
p. 46. -
Hedge Lane (London) includes that
whole line of streets (Dorset, Whitcomb, ,
Prince’s, and Wardour) stretching from
Pall Mall East to Oxford Street. ..
Hedge Priest. A poor or vagabond
parson. The use of hedge for vagabond,
or very inferior, is common ; as hedge-
mustard, hedge-writer (a Grubb Street
author), hedge-marriage (a clandestine
one), etc. Shakespeare uses the phrase,
‘‘hedge-born Swain’’ as the very oppo-
tº: “gentle blood.” (1 Henry VI.,
lV. l.
. Hedge School (A). . A school kept
in the open air, near a hedge. At one
time common in Ireland. -
“These irregular or ‘hedge schools are tole-
rated only in villages where no regular school
exists within a convenient distance.”—Barmard :
•Joztrºval of Education, December, 1862, p. 574.
Hedonism. The doctrine of Aristip-
pus, that pleasure or happiness is the
chief good and chief end of man (Greek,
hedāné, pleasure).
Heel, Heels. (Anglo-Saxon hål.)
Achilles' heel. (See under ACHILLES.)
I showed him a fair pair of heels. I
ran away and outran them.
* Two Of then, Saw Imo When I went out of
doors, and chased me, but I showed them a fair
pair of heels.”—Sir W. Scott: I’everil of the Peak,
chap. XXiV.
Out at heels. In a sad plight, in de-
cayed circumstances, like a beggar whose
stockings are worn out at the heels.
“A good man's fortune may grow out at heels.”
Shakespeare: I, img L6ar, ii. 2.
To show a light pair of heels. To
abscond.
To take to owne’s heels.
“In pedes nos conjicere.”
Heel-tap. Bumpers all round, and
mo heel-taps—i.e. the bumpers are to be
drained to the bottom of the glass. Also,
one of the thicknesses of the heel of a
shoe.
Heenan. In Heeman style. “By
apostolic blows and knocks.” Heenan,
the Benicia boy of North America, dis-
uted for the champion's belt against
ayers, the British champion. His build
and muscle were the admiration of the
ring. . . .
Heep (Uri'ah). An abject toady,
malignant as he is base ; always boasting
of his 'umble birth, 'umble position, 'ſmble
To run off.
abode, and 'umble calling. (Dickens :
David Copperfield.) -
Hegemony (g hard). The hegemony
of nations. The leadership. (Greek, hege-
mon'ia, from ago, to lead.)
s” -
Begira,
595
IHeliCOrn
Heg'ira. The epoch of the flight of
Mahomet from Mecca, when he was
expelled by the magistrates, July 16th,
622. . Mahometans date from this event.
(Arabic, hejira, departure.)
Heimdall (2 syl.). In Scandinavian
mythology, son of the nine virgins, all
sisters. He is called the god with the
golden tooth or with golden teeth. Heim-
dall was not an Asa (q.v.), but a Van
(q.v.), who lived in the celestial fort Him-
insbiorg under the farther extremity
of the bridge Bifrost (q.v.), and kept
the keys of heaven. He is the watch-
man or sentinel of Asgard (q.v.), sleeps
less than a bird, sees even in sleep, can
hear the grass grow, and even the wool
on a lamb’s back. Heimdall, at the end
of the world, will wake the gods with
his trumpet, when the sons of Muspell
will go against them, with Loki, the wolf
Penrir,and the greatserpent Jormungand.
Heimdall’s Horn. The sound of
this horn went through all the world.
Heimdaller. The learned humbugs
in the court of King Dinu'be of Hisis-
burg. (Grimm’s Goblins.)
Heims-kringia. . (The). A prose
legend found in the Snorra Edda.
Heir - apparent. ... The person who
will succeed as heir if he survives. At
the death of his predecessor the heir-
apparent becomes heir-at-law.
Heir-presumptive. One who will
be heir if no one is born having a prior
claim. “ Thus the Princess Rowal was
heir-presumptive till the Prince of
Wales was born ; and if the Prince of
Wales had been king before any family
had been born to him, his brother,
Prince . Alfred, would have been heir-
presumptive. -
Hel or Hela (in Scandinavian myth-
ology), queen of the dead, is goddess of
the ninth earth or nether world. She
dwelt beneath the roots of the sacred
ash (yggdrasil), and was the daughter of
Loki. The All-father sent her into
Helheim, where she was given dominion
over nine worlds, and to one or other of
these nine worlds she sends all who die
of sickness or old age. Her dwelling is
Elvid’nir (dark clouds), her dish Hungr
(hunger), her knife Sullt (starvation),
her servants Ganglaſti (tardy-feet), her
bed Kör (sickness), and her bed-curtains
Blikian'daböl (splendid misery). Half
her body was blue.
“ Down the yawning steep he rode
That led to Hela's drear abode.”
Gray : Descent of Odin.
Hel Keplein. A mantle of invisi-
bility belonging to the dwarf-king Laurin.
(German, he/elen, to conceal.) (The
JHeldenbuch.)
Heldenbuch (Book of Heroes). A
German compilation of all the romances
pertaining to Diderick and his cham-
pions, by Wolfram von Eschenbach.
Helen. . The type of female beauty,
more especially in those who have reached
womanhood. Daughter of Zeus and Leda,
and wife of Menela'os, King of Sparta.
“She moves a goddess and she looks a queen.”
1°ope: Homer's Iliad, iii.
The Helen of Spain. Cava or Florinda,
daughter of Count Julian. (See CAVA.)
St. Helen's fire (feu d'Hélène); also
called Few St. Helme (St. Helme's or St.
Elmo's fire); and by the Italians “the
fires of St. Peter and St. Nicholas.”
Meteoric fires seen occasionally on the
masts of ships, etc. the flame is
single, foul weather is said to be at hand;
but if two or more flames appear, the
weather will improve. (See CASTOR.)
Helen of One's Troy (The). The
ambition of one’s life; the subject for
which we would live and die. The
allusion, of course, is to that Helen who
eloped with Paris, and thus brought
about the siege and destruction of Troy.
“For which men all the life they here enjoy
Still fight, as for the Helens of their Troy.”
Lord Brooke : Treatie of Humane Lea)”ving.
Helena. The type of a lovely
woman, patient and hopeful, strong in
feeling, and sustained through trials by
her enduring and heroic faith. (Shake-
speare : All’s Well that Ends Well.)
Helena (St.). Mother of Constantine
the Great. She is represented in royal
robes, wearing animperial crown, because
she was empress. Sometimes she carries in
her hand a model of the Holy Sepulchre,
an edifice raised by her in the East;
sometimes she bears a large cross,
typical of her alleged discovery of that
upon which the Saviour was crucified ;
sometimes she also bears the three nails
by which He was affixed to the cross.
Helenos. The prophet, the only
son of Priam that survived the fall of
Troy. He fell to the share of Pyrrhos
when the captives were awarded; and
because he saved the life of the young
Grecian was allowed to marry Androm'-
achū, his brother Hector's widow. (Wir-
gil : A'neid.)
Helicon. The Muses’ Mount. It is
part of the Parnassos, a mountain range
in Greece.
Heligh-monat 596
Helicom’s harmonious stream is the
stream which flowed from Helicon to the
fountains of the Muses, called Aganippe
and Hippocrene (3 syl.). , *.
Heligh-monat (Holy-month). The
name given by the Anglo-Saxons to
T]ecember, in allusion to Christmas Day.
Heliopolis, the City of the Sun, a
Greek form of (1) Baalbek, in Syria ;
and (2) of On, in ancient Egypt, noted for
its temple of Actis, called Beth Shemesh
or Temple of the Sun, in Jer. xliii. 13.
Helios. The Greek Sun-god, who
rode to his palace in Colchis every night
in a golden boat furnished with wings.
Heliostat. An instrument by which
the rays of the Sun can be flashed to great
distances. Used in signalling.
Heliotrope (4 syl.). Apollo loved
Clyt'ie, but forsook her for her sister
Leucoth’oe. On discovering this, Clytie
pined away ; and Apollo changed her at
death to a flower, which, always turning
towards the Sun, is . called heliotrope.
(Greek, “turn-to-sun.”) -
* According to the poets, heliotrope
renders the bearer invisible. Boccaccio
calls it a stone, but Solinus says it is the
herb. “Ut herbſ, ºftusdem nominis miaºta
et praecantationibus legitimis consecrata,
cºln, a gºtocºque gestabitºr, subtrahat
visibits obviorum.” (Georgie, xi.)
“No hope had they of crevice where to hide,
Or heliotrol)e to charin then out of view.”
- w Damte: Inferno, xxiv.
“The other stone is heliotrope, which renders
those who have it invisible.” — Boccaccio : The
Decameron, Novel iii., Eighth day.
Hell. According to Mohammedan
faith, there are seven hells—
(1) Jahammam, for wicked Mohammedans, all
of whom will be sooner or later taken to para-
1se ;
(2) The Flamer (Lahá), for Christians;
(3) The Smasher (Hutamah), for Jews :
(4) The Blazer (S&ir), for Sabians ;
(5) The Scorcher (Saka"), for Magians ;
(6) The Burner (Jah?m), for idolaters.; and
(7) The Abyss (Hawiyah), for hypocrites.
Hell or Arka of the Jewish Cabal-
ists, divided into seven lodges, one under
another (Joseph ben Abraham Gika-
tilla)—
(I) Gehennom
Hell Broth
At
In the Buddhist system there are
136 places of punishment after death,
where the dead are sent according to their
degree of demerit. (See EUPHEMISMS.)
Hell. This word occurs eighteen
times in the New Testament. In nine
instances the Greek word is Hadès ; in
eight instances it is Gehenna ; and in
one it is Tartarus. -
IHades : Matt. xi. 23, xvi. 18; Luke
xvi. 23; Acts ii. 31; 1 Cor. xv. 55; Rev.
i. 18, vi. 8, xx. 13, 14. (See HADEs.)
Gehenna : Matt. v. 22, 29, x. 28, xiii.
15, xviii. 9, xxiii. 15, 33; James iii. 6.
(See GEHENNA.) - -
Tartarus : 2 Peter ii. 4. (See TAR-
TAROS.) - - -
Descended into hell (Creed) means the
place of the dead. (Anglo-Saxon, helan,
to cover or conceal, like the Greek
“Ha'dés,” the abode of the dead. from
the verb a-eido, not to see. In
both cases it means “the unseen
world '' or “the world concealed from
sight.” The god of this nether world
was called “Hadès.” by the Greeks, and
“Hel” or “Hela.” by the Scandin-
avians. In some counties of England
to cover in with a roof is “to hell the
building,” and thatchers or tilers are
termed “helliers.” -
(See APE.)
Lead apes in hell.
Hell (Rivers of). Classic authors tell
us that the Inferno is encompassed by
five rivers: Achéron, Cocytus, Styx,
Phlegéthon, and Lethè. Acheron from
the Greek achos-reo, grief-flowing ; Co-
cytus, from the Greek kökuo, to weep,
supposed to be a flood of tears; Styx,
from the Greek stugèo, to loathe; Phlege-
thon, from the Greek phlègo, to burn;
and Lethé, from the Greek lethâ, ob-
livion.
Fiye hateful rivers round Inferno run,
Grief comes the first, and then the Flood of tears,
Next loathsome Styx, then liquid Flame appears,
Létlé Colmes last, Or blank Oblivion. E. C. B.
Hell Broth. A magical mixture pre-
pared for evil purposes. The witches in
JMacbeth made it. (See activ. 1.) “.
The heat 60 times that of fir
- it “Snows fire
Presiding Angel.”
e. (Here Absalom and Israelites Kushiel
') - -
who break the LaW
(2) The Gates of Death , 60 times hotter than No. 1 Doeg Ilahatiel
(3) The Shadow of Death , 60 times hotter than No. 2 Korāh Shaftiel
(4) The Pit of Corruption , 60 times hotter than No. 3 Jeroboam Maccathiel
(5) The Mire of Clay ,, 60 times hotter than No. 4 Ahab Chu triel
(6) Ahaddon , 60 times hotter than No. 5 Micah Pasiel
(7) Sheol y 60 times hotter than No. 6, Blisha, son of Abuya, Dalkie
or 4:0 times hotter than firé
Sabbath - breakers,
idolators, and un-
circumcised
* All these presidents are under Duma, the Angel of Silence, who keeps the three keys of the
* --- three gates of hell, . . . -
Hell Gate
Hell Gate. A dangerous passage
between Great Barn Island and Tuong
Island, North America. The Dutch
settlers of New York called it Hoell-
gat (whirling-gut) corrupted into Hell-
gate. Flood Rock, its most dangerous
reef, has been blown up by U.S. en-
gineers.
Hell Gates, according to Milton, are
nine-fold—three of brass, three of iron,
and three of adamant; the keepers are
Sin and Death. This allegory is one of
the most celebrated passages of Paradise
Lost. (See book ii. 643-676.)
Hell Kettles. Cavities three miles
long, at Oxen-le-Field, Durham. A, B,
C communicate with each other, dia-
meter, about 38 yards. The diameter
of D, a separate cave, is about 28 yards.
A is 19 feet 6 inches in depth.
B is 14 feet in depth.
C is 17 feet in depth.
I) is 5 feet 6 inches in depth.
(See Notes and Queries, August 21, 1875.)
Hell Shoon. In Icelandic mythology,
indispensable for the journey to Valhalla.
as the obolus for crossing the Styx.
Hell or Connaught (To). This
phrase, usually attributed to Cromwell,
and common to the whole of Ireland,
rose thus: When the settlers designed
for Ireland asked the officers of James
I. where they were to go, they were
answered “to Hell or Connaught,” go
where you like or where you may, but
don’t bother me about the matter.
Hellanod'icae. Umpires of the public
games in Greece. They might chastise
with a stick anyone who created a dis-
turbance. Lichas, a Spartan nobleman,
was so punished by them.
. Helle'nes (3 syl.). “This word had
in Palestine three several meanings:
Sometimes it designated the pagans;
sometimes the Jews, speaking Greek, and
dwelling among the pagans; and some-
times proselytes of the gate, that is, men
of pagan origin converted to Judaism, but
not circumcised ” (John vii. 35, xii. 20;
Acts xiv. 1, xvii. 4, xviii. 4, xxi. 28).
(Réma?: Life of Jesús, xiv.)
N.B. The present Greeks call them-
selves, “Helle'nès,” and the king is
termed “King of the Helle'nās.” The
ancient Greeks called their country
“IHellas ; ” it was the Romans who
misnamed it “Graecia.”
... The first and truest Hellas, the mother-land of
all Hellenes, was the land which we caii Greece,
With the islands round about it. There alone the
Whglº land was Greek, and none but Hellenes lived
in it.”—Freeman: General Sketch, chap, ii. p. 21,
597
the wearer inyisible.
Helmets
Helle'nic. The common dialect of
the Greek writers after the age of Alex-
ander. It was based on the Attic.
Hellenistic. The dialect of the
Greek language used by the Jews. It was
full of Oriental idioms and metaphors.
Heil/enists. Those Jews who used
the Greek or Helle'nic language. (All
these four words are derived from Hellas,
in Thessaly, the cradle of the race.)
Hellespont (3 syl.), now called the
Dardanelles, means the “sea of Hellé,”
and was so called because Hellé, the
sister of Phryxos, was drowned there.
She was fleeing with her brother through
the air to Colchis on the golden ram to
escape from Ino, her mother-in-law, who
most cruelly oppressed her, but turning
giddy, she fell into the Sea.
Helmet, in heraldry, resting on the
chief of the shield, and bearing the crest,
indicates rank. ... • -
Gold, with six bars, or with the visor raised (in full
face) for royalty . . -
Steel, with gold bars, varying in number (in profile)
for a nobleman ; -
Steel, without bars, and with visor open (in Irofile)
for a knight or baronet ;
Steel, with visor closed (in profile), for a squire or
gentlelman. * .
'. “The pointed helmet in the bas-reliefs from
the earliest palace of Nimroud, appears to haye
been the most ancient.... . . . Several were dis-
covered in the ruins. They were iron, and the
rings which ornamented the lower part . . . were
inlaid, with , cºpper.” – Layard: Nineveh and its
Itemſtims, Vol. ii. part ii. Chal). iV. p. 262.
Helmets. Those of Saragossa were
most in repute in the days of chivalry.
Close helmet. The complete head-piece,
having in front, two movable parts,
which could be lifted up or let down at
pleasure. - -
Visor. One of the movable parts; it
was to look through. -
JBever, or drinking-piece. One of the
movable parts, which was lifted up when
the wearer ate or drank. It comes from
the Italian verb beveró (to drink). -
Morion. A low iron cap, worn only
by infantry. * . .
Mahomet’s helmet. Mahomet wore a
double helmet ; the exterior one was
called al mawashah (the wreathed gar-
land).
The helmet of Perseus (2 syl.) rendered
º This was the
“helmet of Haſdês,” which, with the
winged sandals and magic wallet, he
took from certain nymphs who held
them in possession ; but after he had
slain Medusa, he restored them again,
and presented the Gorgon’s head to
Athena [Minerval, who placed it in the
middle of her aegis.
f{e1Orl
598 Henricans
He'lon, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for the Earl of Feversham.
Helot. A slave in ancient Sparta.
Hence, a slave or serf.
Help. (American.) A hired servant.
Heiter-skelter. Higgledy-piggledy;
in hurry and confusion. . The Latin
hilariter-celeriter comes tolerably near
the meaning of post-haste, as Shake-
speare uses the expression (2 Henry
IV., v. 3):—
“Sir John, I am thy Pistol and thy friend,
And helter-skelter have I rode to tilee,
And tidings do I bring.”
Helve. To throw the helve after the
/atchet. To be reckless, to throw away
what remains because your losses have
been so great. The allusion is to the
fable of the wood-cutter who lost the
head of his axe in a river and threw the
handle in after it.
Helvetia. , Switzerland. So called
from the Helvetii, a powerful Celtic
people who dwelt thereabouts.
“See from the ashes of Helvetia's pºle .
The Whitened skull of old Serve’tuS }.
+ O(??? &S.
Hemp. To have some hemp in your
pocket. To have luck on your side in
the most adverse circumstances. The
phrase is French (Avoir de la corde-de-
pendu dans sa poche), referring to the
popular motion that hemp brings good
luck.
Hempe (1 syl.). When hempe is spºn
lºngland is done.
heard the prophecy when he was a child,
and he interpreted it thus: Hempe is
composed of the initial letters of Henry,
JEdward, Mary, Philip, and Elizabeth.
At the close of the last reign “England
was done,” for the sovereign no longer
styled himself “Ring of England,” but
“King of Great Britain and Ireland.”
(See NoTARICA.)
Hempen Caudle.
rope.
“Ye shall have a hempen caudle thon, and, the
, 7.
help of a hatchet.”—Shakespeare : 2 Hen. VI., iv
Hempen Collar (A). The hang-
Iman's rope. In French: “La cravate de
chamwºre.”
Hempen Fever. Teath on the
gallows, the rope being made of hemp.
Hempen Widow. The widow of a
man who has been hanged. (See above.)
“Of a hempen widow the kid forlorn.”
Ainsworth : Jack. Sheppard.
He'mus or Haemus. . A chain of
mountains in Thrace. According to
A hangman’s
Lord Bacon says he
mythology, Haemos, son of Bo'reas, was
changed into a mountain for aspiring to
divine honours.
Hen-pecked. A man who submits
to be snubbed by his wife.
Hen and Chickens (in Christian
art), emblematical of God's providence.
(See St. Matthew xxiii. 37.)
A whistling maid and crowing hem is
neither fit for God nor men. A whistling
maid means a witch, who whistles like
the Lapland witches to call up the winds;
they were supposed to be in league with
the devil. The crowing of a hen was
supposed to forbode a death. The usual
interpretation is that masculine qualities
in females are undesirable.
1Hen with one Chick.
a her with one chick. Over-anxious
about small matters; over-particular
and fussy. A hen with one chick is for
ever clucking it, and never leaves it in
independence a single moment.
Henchman. Henchboy. The Anglo-
Saxon hime is a servant or page ; or
perhaps henges-man, a horse-man ; henges
or hengst, a horse.
“I do but beg a little changeling boy
To be my henchman.”
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.
Hengist and Horsa. German, hengst
(a stallion), and Horsa is connected with
our Anglo-Saxon word hors (horse). If
the names of two brothers, probably
they were given them from the devices
borne on their arms.
According to tradition, they landed in
Pegwell Bay, Kent.
Henna. The Persian ladies tinge the
tips of their fingers with henna to make
them a reddish-yellow.
... “The leaf of the henna-plant resembles that of
the myrtle. The lilossom has a powerful frag-
rance ; it grows like a feather, about 18 inclues
Iong, forming a cluster of Small yellow flowers.”
— Batker: Nile Tribes, Abyssimia, chap. i. p. 3.
Henneberg (Countess). One day a beg-
gar woman asked alms of the Countess,
who twitted the beggar for carrying
twins. The woman, furious with pas-
sion, cursed the Countess with the assur-
ance that she should become the mother
of 365 children. The tradition is that
the Countess had this number all at one
parturition. All the boys were named
John and all the girls Elizabeth. The
story says they all died on the day of
their birth, and were buried at Hague.
Hen’ricans or Henricians. A reli-
gious sect; so called from Henri'cus, its
founder, an Italian monk, who, in the
twelfth century, undertook to reform
As fussy as
IHenriette
599
Herba Sacra
the vices of the clergy. He rejected
infant baptism, festivals, and ceremonies.
Henricus was imprisoned by Pope Eu-
ge'nius III. in 1148.
Henriette (3 syl.), in the French lan-
guage, means “a perfect woman.” The
character is from Molière's Femmes Sa-
@d/?téS.
Henry (Poor), a touching tale in
poetry by Hartmann von der Aur [Our],
one of the minnesingers (12th century).
Henry, prince of Hoheneck, in Bavaria,
being struck with leprosy, was told that
he never would be healed till a spotless
maiden volunteered to die on his behalf.
Brince Henry, never expecting to meet
with such a victim, sold most of his
possessions, and went to live in the cot-
tage of a small tenant farmer. Here
Elsie, the farmer's daughter, waited on
him ; and, hearing the condition of his
cure, offered herself, and went to Salerno
to complete the sacrifice. Prince Henry
accompanied her, was cured, and married
Elsie, who thus became Lady Alicia,
wife of Prince Henry of Hoheneck.
Henry Grace de Dieu. The largest
ship built by Henry VIII. It carried 72
guns, 700 men, and was 1,000 tons bur-
then. (See GREAT HARRY.)
Hephaes'tos. The Greek Vulcan.
Heptarchy (Greek for seven govern-
*ments). The Savon Heptarchy is the
division of England into seven parts,
each of which had a separate ruler :
as Kent, Sussex, Wessex, Essex, East
Anglia, Mercia, and Northumbria. -
He'ra. The Greek Juno, the wife of
Zeus. (The word means “chosen one,”
haireo.)
Heraclei'dae (4 syl.). The descend-
ants of Heraclés (Latin, IIercules).
Heralds. (Anglo-Saxon here (2
Syl.), an army, and ealdor, a governor or
Official.
The coat of arms represents the knight
himself from whom the bearer is de-
scended.
The shield represents his body, and the
helmet his head.
The flourish is his mantle.
The motto is the ground or moral pre-
tension on which he stands.
The supporters are the pages, desig-
nated by the emblems of bears, lions,
and so on.
Herald's College consists of three
kings-of-arms, six heralds, and four
pursuivants. The head of the college
is called the Earl Marshal of England.
The three kings-of-arms are Garter
(blue), Clarencieux and Norroy (purple).
The six heralds are styled Somerset,
Richmond, Lancaster, Windsor, Chester,
and York.
The four pursuivants are Rouge Dragon,
Blue Mantle, Portcullis, and Rouge Croix.
GARTER KING-OF-ARMS is so called
from his special duty to attend at the
Soiemnities of election, investiture, and
installation of Knights of the Garter.
CLARENCIEUX RING – OF - ARMS. So
called from the Duke of Clarence,
brother of Edward IV. His duty is to
marshal and dispose the funerals of
knights on the south side of the Trent.
NORROY KING-OF-ARMS has similar
jurisdiction to Clarencieux, only on the
north side of the Trent.
: “There, is a supplementary herald, called “Bath
King of Arms,' who has no seat in the college.
His duty is to attend at the election of a knight
Of the Bath.”
* In Scotland the heraldic college con-
sists of LYON KING-OF-ARMS, six heralds,
and five pursuivants.
* In Ireland it consists of ULSTER
RING-OF-ARMS, two heralds, and two
pursuivants. -
Heraldic Colours. (See JEWELS.)
Herb. . Many herbs are used for cura-
tive purposes simply because of their
form or marks: thus, wood-sorrel, being
shaped like a heart, is used as a cordial;
liver-wort for the liver; the celandine,
which has yellow juice, for the jaundice;
herb-dragon, which is speckled like a
dragon, to counteract the poison of
serpents, etc. - -
Herb of Grace. Rue is so called
because of its use in exorcism, and
hence the Roman Catholics sprinkle
holy water with a bunch of rue. It
was for centuries supposed to prevent
contagion. Rue is the German raute ;
Greek, ruté, Latin, ruta, meaning the
“preserver,” being a preservative of
health (Greek, rito, to preserve). Ophelia
calls it the “Herb of Grace o' Sundays.”
Herb Trinity. The botanical name
is Piòla tricólor. The word tricolor
explains why it is called the Herb
Trinity. It also explains the pet name
of “Three-faces-under-a-hood ; ” but
the very markings of the pansy resemble
the name. (See HEART's EASE and
PAN.SY.)
Herba Sacra. The “divine weed,”
vervain, said by the old Romans to cure
the bites of all rabid animals, to arrest
-- Hercules
fl.ºz.:-
the progress of venom, to cure the plague,
to avert Sorcery and witchcraft, to re-
concile enemies, etc. So highly esteemed
was it that feasts called Verbenălia were
annually held in its honour. Heralds
wore a wreath of vervain when they
declared war; and the Druids held ver-
vain in similar veneration.
“Lift your boughs of veryain blue,
Dipt in cold September dew ;
§ And dash the midisture, chaste and clear,
, Q'er the ground, and through the air.
* : Now the place is purged and pure.”
| - Mason.
Hercules (3 Syl.), in astronomy, a
large northern constellation.
“Those stars in the neighbourhood of Hercules
are mostly found to be approaching the earth,
and those which lie in the opposite direction to
be receding from it.”—Newcomb: Popular Astro-
7\omy, part iW. Chap. i. p. 458.
Her'cules (3 syl.). A Grecian hero,
possessed of the utmost amount of
hysical strength and vigour that the
luman frame is capable of. He is re-
presented as brawny, muscular, short-
necked, and of huge proportions. The
Bythian told him if he would serve
Eurys'theus for twelve years he should
'become immortal; accordingly he bound
himself to the Argive king, who imposed
upon him twelve tasks of great difficulty
and danger: -
(1) To slay the Nem'ean lion.
. (2) To kill the Ler'nean hydra.
(3) To catch and retain the Arcadian
stag.. . -
(4) To destroy the Eryman'thian boar.
(5) To cleanse the stables of King
Au'geas.
(6) To destroy the cannibal birds of
the Lake Stymphalis.
(7) To take captive the Cretan bull.
(8). To catch the horses of the Thra-
cian Diome'dés.
(9) To get possession of the girdie of
Hippolyte, Queen of the Amazons.
(10) To take captive the oxen of the
monster Ger’yön.
, (11) To get possession of the apples of
the Hesper'idés. - •
(12) To bring up from the infernal
regions the three-headed dog Cerberos.
The Nem'ean lion first he killed, then Lerné's
hydra slew ;
Th’. Arca/dian staff and monster boar before
Eurys'theus drew ; -
Cleansed Au'geas' stalls, and made the birds
from Lake Stympha/lis fiee ; -
The Cretan bull, and Thracian mares, first seized
and then set free ; --
Took prize, the Amazoſnian belt, brought Ger’—
yon's ſcime from Gädés ; *
Fetched apples from the Hesperidés and Cer'-
beros from Hådés. . - J. C. B. . .
The Attie Hereuſes. Theseus (2 syl.),
who went about like Herculés, his great
600 Eſercules Secturidus
contemporary, destroying robbers and
achieving wondrous exploits.
The Egyptian Herculés.
(Flourished B.C. 1500.)
The Farme'sé Hercuſés. A celebrated
work of art, copied by Glykon from an
original by Lysippos. It exhibits the
hero, exhausted by toil, leaning upon his
club ; his left hand rests upon his back,
and grasps one of the apples of the Hes-
periºdés. A copy of this famous statue
stands in the gardens of the Tuileries,
Paris; but Glykon's statue is in the
Farnese Palace at Rome. A beautiful
description of this statue is given by
Thomson (Liberty, iv.).
The Jewish Hercules. Samson. (Died
B.C. 1113.)
Hercules' Choice. Immortality the
reward of toil in preference to pleasure.
Xenophon tells us when Hercules was a
youth, he was accosted by two women—
—Virtue and Pleasure—and asked to
choose between them. Pleasure pro-
mised him all carnal delights, but Virtue
promised immortality. Hercules gave
his hand to the latter, and, after a life
of toil, was received amongst the gods.
Hercules’ Club. A stick of unusual
size and formidable appearance.
Hercules' Horse. Ari'on, given him
by Adras'tos. It had the power of speech,
and its feet on the right side were those
of a man. (See HoRSE.) .
Hercules' Labour or The labour of
an Hercules. Very great toil. Hercules
was appointed by Eurystheus (3 syl.)
to perform twelve labours requiring
enormous strength or dexterity.
“It was more than the labour of an Hercules
could effect to make any tolerable way through
your town."—Guttmberland : I'll & West Invdian.
Hercules' Pillars. Calpé and Ab'yla,
One at Gibraltar and one at Ceuta, torn
asunder by Hercules that the waters of
the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea,
might communicate with each other.
Macro'bius ascribes these pillars to Ses-
ostris (the Egyptian Hercules), and
Lucan follows the same tradition.
I will follow you even to the pillars of
Pſercules. To the end of the world.
The ancients supposed that these rocks
marked the utmost limits of the habit-
able globe. (See above, HERCULES’
PILLARS.)
Hercules Secundus. Com/modus,
the Roman Emperor, gavé himself this.
title. He was a gigantic idiot, of whom
it is said that he killed 100 lions in the
amphitheatre, and gave none of them
Sesostris.
TTercules
tº: 3-- ~~
more than one blow. He also overthrew
1,000 gladiators. (161, 180-192.)
Hercules of Music (The).
topher Glück (1714-1787).
Herculean Knot. A Snaky com-
Chris-
plication on the rod or caduceus of Mer-
cury, adopted by the Grecian brides as
the fastening of their woollen girdles,
which only the bridegroom was allowed
to untie when the bride retired for the
night. As he did so he invoked Juno
to render his marriage as fecund as that
of Herculés, whose numerous wives all
had families, amongst them being the
fifty daughters of Thestius, each of whom
conceived in one night. (See KNOT.)
Hereford (3 Syl.). (Anglo-Saxon
heré-ford, army ford.) 3
Herefordshire Kindness. A good
turn rendered for a good turn received.
Latin proverbs, “ Fricantem refri’ca ”
“Manus manum lavat.” Fuller says the
people of Herefordshire “drink back to
him who drinks to them.”
Heretic means “one who chooses,”
and heresy means simply “a choice.” A.
heretic is one who chooses his own creed,
and does not adopt the creed authorised
|by the national church. (Greek, hairésis,
choice.) -
HERETICS OF THE FIRST CENTURY were
the Simo'nians (so called from Simon
Magus), Cerin'thians (Cerinthus), Jºb’ion-
ites (Eb’ion), and Nicola'itans (Nicholas,
deacon of Antioch).
SECOND CENTURY : The Basilidians
(Basil'ides), Carpocratians (Carpoc'ra-
tes), Valentin'ians (Valenti'nus), Gnostics
(Knowing Ones), Nazarenes, Millena'-
*ians, Cain'ites (Cain), Seth'ians (Seth),
Quartodecimans (who kept Easter on the
fourteenth day of the first month), Cer-
donians(Cerdon), Marcionites(Mar'cion),
Monta'mists (Monta'nus), Tatianists (Ta'-
tian), Alogians (who denied the “Word”),
Artoty'rites (q.v.), and Angelics (who
Worshipped angels).
* Tatianists belong to the third or
fourth century. The Tatian of the
second century was a Platonic philo-
sopher who wrote Discourses in good
Greek ; Tatian the heretic lived in
the third or fourth century, and wrote
very bad Greek. The two men were
widely different in every respect, and
the authority of the heretic for “four
gospels” is of no worth. -
THIRD CENTURY: The Patri-passians,
Arab'agi, Aqua'rians, Nora'tians, O'igen-
ësts (followers of Origen), Melchisedeeſ'-
£arts (who believed Melchisedec was the
601
Eiermaphrodite
Messiah), Sabellians (from Sabel'lius),
and Maniche'ams (followers of Mani).
FOURTH CENTURY : The A'rians (from
Arius), Colluth'ians (Collu’ thus), Mace-
do'nians, Agne'tae, Apollina'rians (Apol-
lina'ris), Timo'theans (Timothy, the
apostle), Collyridians (who offered cakes
to the Virgin Mary), Selen'cians (Seleu'-
cius), Priscilliams (Priscillian), Anthropo-
morphites (who ascribed to God a human
form), Jovin'ianists (Jovin'ian), Messa'-
liams, and Bono'sians (Bono'sus).
FIFTH CENTURY: The Pelagians (Pe-
la'gius), Nesto'rians (Nesto'rius), Eutych'-
ians (Eu’tychus), Theo-paschites (who
said all the three persons of the Trinity
suffered on the cross). -
SIXTH CENTURY: The Predestina'a'iams,
Incorrup' tibilists (who maintained that
the body of Christ was incorruptible),
the new Agmoetae (who maintained that
Christ did not know when the day of
judgment would take place), and the
Monoth'elites (who maintained that
Christ had but one will).
Her’iot. A right of the lord of a
manor to the best jewel, beast, or chattel
of a deceased copyhold tenant. The word
is compounded of the Saxon here (army),
gettit (grant), because originally it was
military furniture, such as armour, arms,
and horses paid to the lord of the fee.
(Canute, c. 69.)
Hermae. Busts of the god Hermès
affixed to a quadrangular stone pillar,
diminishing towards the base, and be-
tween five and six feet in height. They
were set up to mark the boundaries of
lands, at the junction of roads, at the
corners of streets, and so on. The Romans
used them also for garden decorations.
In later times the block was more or
less chiselled into legs and arms.
Hermaphºrodite (4 Syl.). A human
body having both sexes; a vehicle com-
bining the structure of a wagon and
cart ; a flower containing both the male
and female organs of reproduction. The
word is derived from the fable of Her-
maph'rodi’tus, son of Hermès and Aph'-
roditë. The nymph Sal'macis became
enamoured of him, and prayed that she
might be so closely united that “the
twain might become one flesh.” Her
prayer being heard, the nymph and boy
became one body. (Ovid : Metamor-
phoses, iv. 347.)
* The Romans believed that there
were human beings combining in one
body both sexes. The Jewish Talmud
contains several references to them. An
old French law allowed them great
FIermegyld
602
THIero
latitude. The English law recognises
them. The ancient Athenians com-
manded that they should be put to
death. The Hindús and Chinese enact
that every hermaphrodite should choose
one sex and keep to it.
fable, all persons who bathed in the
fountain Salmācis, in Caría, became
hermaphrodites.
Some think by comparing Gen. i. 27 with Gen. ii.
-20–24 that Adam at first combined in himself both
SGXG.S.
Hermegyid or Hermyngyld. The
wife of the constable of Northumberland,
who was converted to Christianity by
Cunstance, by whose bidding she restored.
sight to a blind Briton.
of Lawes Tale.)
Her/mensul or Ermeyºsul. A Saxon
deity, worshipped in Westpha'lia. Char-
lemagne broke the idol, and converted
its temple into a Christian church. The
statue stood on a column, holding a
standard in one hand, and a balance in
the other. On its breast was the figure
of a bear, and on its shield a lion. Prob-
ably it was a war-god.
Her’mes (2 syl.). The Greek Mer-
cury; either the god or the metal.
“So when we see the liquid metal fall
Which chemists by the name of Hermes call.”
Hoole : Ariosto, book viii.
Milton (Paradise Lost, iii. 603) calls
quicksilver “Volatil Hermes.”
Hermetic Art. The art or science
of alchemy; so called from the Chaldean
philosopher, Hermès Trismegis’tus, its
hypothetical founder.
Hermet'ic Books. Egyptian books
written under the dictation of Thoth
(the Egyptian Hermès), the scribe of the
gods. Iamblichus gives their number
(Chaucer: Man
as 20,000, but Man'etho raises it to
36,525. These books state that the
world was made out of fluid ; that the
soul is the union of light and life ; that
nothing is destructible; that the soul
transmigrates; and that suffering is the
result of motion.-
Hermet'ie Philosophy. A system
which acknowledges only three chemical
principles—viz. Salt, sulphur, and mer-
cury—from which it explains every
phenomenon of nature. (See HERMES.)
Hermetic Powder. The sympa-
thetic powder, supposed to possess a
healing influence from a distance. The
mediaeval philosophers were very fond of
calling books, drugs, etc., connected
with alchemy and astrology by the term
hermetic, out of compliment to Hermès
According to
Trismegistus. (Sir Kenelm Digby ; Dis-
course Concerning the Cure of IFounds by
Sympathy.) -
“For by his side a pouch he wore
Replete with strange hermetic powler,
That wounds nine miles point-blank would
Solder.” Butler: IIutdibras, i. 2.
Hermet'ically Sealed. Closed
Securely. Thus we say, “My lips are
hermetically sealed,” meaning so as not
to utter a word of what has been im-
parted. The French say close-fitting
doors and windows “shut hermetically.”
When chemists want to preserve any-
thing from the air, they heat the neck
of the vessel till it is soft, and then
twist it till the aperture is closed up.
This is called sealing the vessel her-
metically, or like a chemist. (From
Hermès, called Trismegistus, or thrice-
great, the supposed inventor of che-
mistry.)
Her’mia. Daughter of Egöus, who
betrothed her to Deme' trius; but she
refused to marry him, as she was in love
with Lysander. (Shakespeare: Mid-
summer Night's Dream.)
Hermi'one (4 syl.). Wife of Leontës,
Ring of Silicia. Being suspected of
infidelity, she was thrown into jail,
Swooned, and was reported to be dead.
She was kept concealed till her infant
Per'dita was of marriageable age, when
Leontés discovered his mistake, and was
reconciled to his wife. (Shakespeare:
Winter's Tale.)
Hermit (The English). Roger Crab.
He subsisted at the expense of three
farthings a week, or 3s. 3d. per annum.
His food consisted of bran, herbs, roots,
dock-leaves, mallows, and grass. Crab
died in 1680.
Hermit. Peter the Hermit. Preacher
of the first crusade. (1050-1115.)
Hermite (2 syl.). Tristrem l’Hermite
or Sir Tristan l'Ermite. Provost-
marshal of Louis XI. He was the main
instrument in carrying into effect the
nefarious schemes of his wily master,
who used to call him his gossip. (1405–
1493.) Sir Walter Scott introduces him
in Anne of Gierstein, and again in
Quentin Durward. - -
Hermoth or Hermod (2 syl.). The
deity, who, with Bragi, receives and
welcomes to Walhalla all heroes who fall
in battle. (Scandinavian mythology.)
He'ro. Taughter of Leona'to, gov-
ernor of Messi'na. Her attachment to
THIero
603
Eerring-pond
Beatrice is very beautiful, and she serves
as a foil to show off the more brilliant
qualities of her cousin. (Shakespeare :
Iſſueh Ado about Nothing.)
He'ro and Lean'der. The tale is
that Hero, a priestess of Venus, fell in
love with Leander, who swam across the
Hellespont every night to visit her. One
night he was drowned, and heart-broken
Hero drowned herself in the same sea.
Hero Children. Children of whom
legend relates, that being deserted by
their parents, they were suckled by wild
beasts, brought up by herdsmen, and
became national heroes. -
• Heroes scratched off Church-
doors. Militia officers were so called
by Sheridan. The Militia Act enjoined
that a list of all persons between eighteen
and forty-five years of age must be
affixed to the church door of the parish
in which they reside three days before
the day of appeal, Sunday being one.
Commission officers who had served four
years in the militia being exempt, their
names “were scratched off.”
Hero'ic Age. That age of a nation
which comes between the purely mythical
period and the historic. This is the age
when the sons of the gods take unto
themselves the daughters of men, and
the offspring partake of the twofold
character.
Heroic Medicines.
either kill or cure.
Heroic Size in sculpture denotes a
stature superior to ordinary life, but not
colossal.
Heroic Verse. That verse in which
epic poetry is generally written. In
Greek and Latin it is hearameter verse, in
English it is ten-syllable iambic verse,
either in rhymes or not; in Italian it is
the Ottawa Yima. So called because it is
employed to celebrate heroic exploits.
Her’od. A child-killer; from Herod
the Great, who ordered the massacre of
the babes in Bethlehem. (Matt. ii. 16.)
To out-herod Herod. To out-do in
wickedness, violence, or rant, the worst
of tyrants. Herod, who destroyed the
babes of Bethlehem, was made (in the
ancient mysteries) a ranting, roaring
tyrant ; the extravagance of his rant
being the measure of his bloody-minded-
ness. (See PILATE.)
“Oh, it offends me to the soul to hear, a ro-
bustious, periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to
tatters, to Very rags, to split the ears of the
groundlings . . ... it out-herods Herod.”—Shake-
Spéſtºre: Hamlet, iii, 2 -
Those which
Herod's Death (Acts xii. 23). The
following died of a similar disease
[phthiriásis] : L. Sylla ; Pherecydés the
Syrian (the preceptor of Pythagöras);
the Greek poet Alcm3°on, and Philip II.
of Spain.
Phthiri'asis is an affection of the skin
in which parasites are engendered so
numerously as to cover the whole surface
of the body. The vermin lay their eggs
in the skin and multiply most rapidly.
Herodotus of old London (The).
John Stow, author of the Survey of
London (1525–1605).
Her’on-crests. The Uzbeg Tartars
Wear a plume of white heron feathers in
their turbans. -
Heros’tratos or Erostratos. An
Ephesian who set fire to the temple of
Ephesus in order that his name might
be perpetuated. The Ephesians made
it penal to mention the name, but this
law defeated its object (B.C. 356).
Herring. Dead as a shotten herring.
The shotten herring is one that has shot
off or ejected its spawn. This fish dies
the very moment it quits the water,
from want of air. Indeed, all the
herring tribe die very soon after they
are taken from their native element.
(See BATTLE.) -
“By garde herring is no dead so as I vill kill
him.”—Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 2.
Neither barrel the better herring. Much
of a muchness; not a pin to choose
between you ; six of one and half a
dozen of the other. The herrings of
both barrels are so much alike that there
is no choice whatever. In Spanish:
“Qual mas qual menos, toda la lana es
pelos.”
“Two feloes being like flagicious, and neither
barell better herring, accused either other, the
ky ng Philippus . . . . sitting in iudgement vpon
them . . . . . . condemned both the one and the
other with banishmente.” – Erasmus : Apoph-
thejºnes.
Herring-bone (in building). Courses
of stone laid angularly, thus: é–4–4–4.
Also applied to strutting placed between
thin joists to increase their strength.
Also a peculiar stitch in needlework,
chiefly used in working flannel.
Herring-pond (The). The British
Channel; the Atlantic, which separates
America from the British Isles; the sea.
between Australasia, and the United
Ringdom, are all so called.
“He'll plague you now he's come over the
herring-pond.” — Sir W. Scott : Guy Mannering,
chap. XXXi Y. -
Hertford
Hertford. (Anglo-Saxon, heort-ford,
the hart's ford). The arms of the city
are “a hart couchant in water.”
Hertford, invoked by Thomson in his
Spring, was Frances Thynne, who mar-
ried Algernon Seymour, Earl of Hert-
ford, afterwards Duke of Somerset.
Hertha. Mother earth. Worshipped
by all the Scandinavian tribes with
orgies and mysterious rites, celebrated
in the dark. Her veiled statue was
transported from district to district by
cows which no hand but the priest’s was
allowed to touch. Tacitus calls this
goddess Cyb'elé.
Hesione (4 syl.). Daughter of
Laom/edon, King of Troy, exposed to a
sea-monster, but rescued by Herculés.
(See ANDROMEDA.)
Hesper'ia. Italy was so called by
the Greeks, because it was to them the
“Western Land; ” and afterwards the
Romans, for a similar reason, transferred
the name to Spain.
Hesper'ides (4 syl.). Three sisters
who guarded the golden apples which
He'ra (Juno) received as a marriage
gift. They were assisted by the dragon
La'don. Many English poets call the
place where these golden apples grew
the “garden of the Hesperidés.”
Shakespeare (Love's Labour's Lost, iv.
3) speaks of climbing trees in the
Hesperidès.” (See Comus, lines 402-406.)
“Show thee the tree, leafed with reflněd gold,
Whereon the fearful dragon held his Seat,
That Watched the garden called, Hesperidó.3.”
Ičobert Greme: Friar Bacon (tºld
Frian Bumgay. (1508.)
Hes' perus. The evening star.
“Ere twice in murk and occidental damp,
Mois, Hesperus hath quenched his Sleepy
slºpeare: All's Well that Ends Well, ii. 1.
He'sychasts (pron. He'-Se-kasts).
The “Quietists” of the East in the
fourteenth century. They placed per-
fection in contemplation. (Greek,
hesu'chia, quiet.). (See Gibbon, Roman
Empire, lxiii.) Milton well expresses
their belief in his Comus –
“Till oft converse with heavenly habitants
Begin to cast a beam on the outward Shalje,
And turns it by degrees to the Soul's essence,
Till all be made immortal.” (470-474.)
Hetaerism (3 syl.). Prostitution.
The Greek hetaira (a concubine). Ac-
cording to Plato, “ Meretria, specioso
nomine rem odiosam denotante.” (Plut.
et Athen.)
Hetman. The chief of the Cossacks
of the Don used to be so called. He was
elected by the people, and the mode of
604
fiexameter
choice was thus: The voters threw their
fur caps at the candidate they voted for,
and he who had the largest number of
caps at his feet was the successful can-
didate. The last Hetman was Count
Platoff (1812-1814).
A general or commander-in-chief.
(German, hauptmann, chief man.)
“After the peace, all Europe hailed their het-
man, Platoff, as the llero of the War.”—J. S.
Mosby: }}'ar IReminiscences, chap. xi. p. 146.
Heu-monat' or Heg-monath. Hay-
month, the Anglo-Saxon name for July.
Hewson. Old Hewson the cobbler.
Colonel John Hewson, who (as Hume
says) “rose from the profession of a
cobbler to a high rank in Cromwell's
army.”
Hexameron (The). The six days of
creation; any six days taken as one
continuous period. -
“‘Every winged fowl" was produced on the
fourth day of the Hexameron.”— kV. E. Glaudstone :
Nineteenth Century, January, 1866.
Hexameter and Pentameter. An
alternate metre ; often called elegiac
verse. Hexameter as described below.
Bentameter verse is divided into two
parts, each of which ends with an extra
long syllable. The former half consists
of two metres, dactyls or spondees; the
latter half must be two dactyls. The
following is a rhyming specimen in
English :
Would you be happy an liour, dine well; for a
day, tend a Wedding ; - -
If for a week, buy a house ; if for a month,
Weſl a Spouse ; - -
Would you be happy six months, buy a horse ;
if for twelve, start a carriage ;
Happiness long as you live, only contentinent
Call 51W C. J. C. B.
This metre might be introduced, and
would suit epigrams and short poems.
Hexameter Verse. A line of poetry
consisting of six measures, the fifth
being a dactyl and the sixth either a
spondee or a trochee. The other four
may be either dactyls or spondees.
Homer's two epic poems and Virgil’s
|AEmeid are written in hexameters. The
latter begins thus:
Arms and the mali I | sing, who | driven from |
Troy by ill- fortune - ‘.
First into Italy | came, as far as tlie | Shores
of La- vina.
Much was he harassed by land, niuch tossed on
tlle lºitiless ocean, . .
All by the force of the gods, and relent lešS
anger of Juno. L. C. B.
Or rhyming with the Latin,
“Arma Yirumque cano Trojae qui primus aly oris.”
Arms and the man I sing who first from the
Phrygian shore is.
“Italiam Fato profugus, Tavinaque venit. . . .'
Tossed to the land of Lavina, although Jºye's
queen didn’t 11:eall it. E. C. B.
; :
Hexapla.
605
Eigh-born
* Longfellow’s Evangeline is in Eng-
lish hexameters. .
Hex'apla. A book containing the
text of the Bible in Hebrew and Greek,
with four translations, viz. the Sep’tua-
gint, with those of Aquila, Theodo'tion,
and Symmachus. The whole is printed
in six columns on the page. This was
the work of Origen, who also added
marginal notes.
Hext. When bale is heat, boot is neart.
When things come to the worst they
must soon mend. Bale means misery,
hurt, misfortune; heast is highest, as
Tewt is nighest; boot means help, profit.
Heyday of Youth. The prime of
youth. (Anglo-Saxon, he/h-day, high-
day or mid-day of youth.) -
Hiawath'a. Son of Mudjekee' wis
(the west wind) and Wenonah. His
mother died in his infancy, and Hia-
watha was brought up by his grand-
mother, Nokomis, daughter of the Moon.
He represents the progress of civilisation
among the American Indians. He first
wrestled with Monda/min (Indian maize),
whom he subdued, and gave to man
bread-corn. He then taught man navi-
gation ; then he subdued the Mishe-
Nahma or sturgeon, and told the people
to “bring all their pots and kettles and
make oil for winter.” His next ad-
venture was against Megissog'won, the
magician, “who sent the fiery fever
on man ; sent the white fog from the
fen-lands; sent disease and death among
us; ” he slew the terrible monster, and
taught man the science of medicine, He
next married “Laughing Water,” setting
the people an example to follow. Lastly,
he taught the people picture-writing.
When the white man landed and taught
the Indians the faith of Jesus, Hia-
watha exhorted them to receive the
words of wisdom, to reverence the mis-
sionaries who had come so far to see
them, and departed “to the kingdom of
Bone'mah, the land of the Hereafter.”
Longfellow’s song of Hiawath'a may
be termed the “Edda, ’’ of the North
American Indians.
JHiawatha’s mittens. “Magic mittens
made of deer-skin ; when upon his hands
he wore them, he could smite the rocks
asunder.” (Longfellow : Hiawatha, iv.)
Hiawatha’s moc'easins. Enchanted
shoes made of deer-skin. “When he
bound them round his ankles, at each
stride a mile he measured.”
fellow : Hiawatha, iv.)
(Long-
Hiber'nia. A variety of Ierné (Ire-
land). Pliny says the Irish mothers
feed their babes with swords instead of
Spoons. .
“While in Hibernia's fields the labouring swain,
Shall pass the plough o'er skulls of warriors
Slain, -
And turn up bones and broken spears. .
Amazed, he'll show his fellows of the plain
The relics of Victorious years, &
And tell how swift thy arms that kingdom did
regain.” II lighes : House of Nassau.
£ic Jacets. Tombstones, so called
from the first two words of their inscrip-
tions; “EIere lies . . .”
“By the cold Hic Jacets of the dead.”
Tennyson : Idylls of the King (Vivien).
Hick'athrift (Tom or Jack). A poor
labourer in the time of the Conquest, of
such enormous strength that, armed with
an axletree and cartwheel only, he killed
a giant who dwelt in a marsh at Tilney,
Norfolk. He was knighted and made
governor of Thanet. He is sometimes
called Hickafric. -
Hickory. Old Hickory. General
Andrew Jackson. Parton says he was
first called “Tough,” from his pedestrian
powers; then “Tough as hickory;” and
lastly, “Old Hickory.” - - - - -
Jºidal'go. The title in Spain of the
lower nobility. (According to Bishop St.
Vincent, the word is compounded of
hijo del Goto, son of a Goth ; but more
probably it is º and dalgo. Hija =
child or son, and dalgo = respect, as in
the phrase, “Facer mucho dalgo,” to re-
ceive with great respect. In Portuguese
it is Fidalgo. -
Hide of Land (A). No fixed number
of “acres,” but such a quantity as was
valued at a stated geld or tax. A hide
of good arable land was smaller than a
hide of inferior quality. .
Hieroclean Legacy. . The legacy
of jokes. Hiëroclés, in the fifth Christian .
century, was the first person who hunted
up and compiled jokes. After a life-long
labour he mustered together as many as
twenty-eight, which he has left to the
world as his legacy.
Higgledy-piggledy. In great con-
fusion; at sixes and sevens. A higgler
is a pedlar whose stores are all huddled
together. Higgledy means after the
fashion of a higgler’s basket; and pig-
gledy is a ricochet word suggested by
litter ; as, a pig’s litter.
High-born. Of aristocratic birth;
“D’une haute naissance ; ” “Summo loco
7%atus.” *
Bigh Church
606
Highland Mary
High Church. Those who believe
the Church [of England] the only true
Church ; that its baptism is regeneration :
and that its priests have the delegated
power of absolution (on confession and
promise of repentance).
High Days = festivals. On high
days and holidays. Here “high '’ =
grand or great ; as, “ºth grand jour.”
High Faiu'tin or Hifaluten. Tall
talk. (Dutch, verlooten, high - flown,
stilted.) . -
... “The genius of lifaluten, as the Americans call
it . . . has received many mortal wounds lately
from the hands of satirists. . . . . A quizzical
Jenkins lately described the dress of a New York
belle by stating that ‘she wore an exquisite hy-
phaluten on her head, while her train was com-
posed of transparent fol-de-rol, and her petticoat
of crambambuli flounced with Brussels three-ply
of A No. 1.’”—Hingston: Introduction to Josh
Lillings. - . . .
High Hand. With a high hand.
Arrogantly. To carry things with a high
hand in French would be: “J'aire zºne
chose haut la main.”
High Heels and Low Heels. The
High and Low Church party. The
names of two factions in Swift's tale of
Lilliput. (Gulliver's Travels.)
High Horse. To be on the high horse
or To ride the high horse. To be over-
bearing and arrogant. (For explanation
See HORSE,
horse.”) - - - - - - * *
#igh. Jinks: - . He is at high jinks.
The present use of the phrase expresses
the idea of uproarious fun and jollity.
... “The frolicsome company had begun to prac-
tise the ancient and now forgotten pastime of
High Jinks. The game was played in. Several
different ways. . Most frequently the dice were
thrown by the company, and those upon whom
the lot fell were obliged to assume, and main-
tain for a time a certain fictitious character, or
to repeat a certain number of fescennine verses
in a particular order. -If they departed from the
characters assigned . . . they incurred forfeits,
which were compounded for by Swallowing an
additional bumper.”—Sir W. Scott: Guy Mammer-
$709, XXXVI.
High Life. People of high life. The
upper ten, the “haltt monde.”
High Places, in Scripture language,
means elevated spots where sacrifices
were offered. ... Idolatrous worship was
much carried on in high places. Some
were evidently artificial mounds, for the
faithful are frequently ordered to re-
move or destroy, them. Hezekiah re-
moved the high places (2 Kings xviii. 4),
so did Asa (2 Chronicles xiv. 3), Je-
hoshaphat (2 Chronicles xvii. 6), Josiah,
and others. On the other hand, Jeho-
ram and Ahaz made high places for
idolatrous worship.
“To get upon your high.
High Ropes. To be on the high
popes. To be very grand and mighty in
demeanour.
High Seas. All the sea which is not
the property of a particular country.
The sea three miles out belongs to the
adjacent coast, and is called mare clait-
stem. High-seas, like high-ways, means.
for the public use. In both cases the
word high means “chief,” “principal.”
(Latin, altºn, “the main sea; ” altus,
& 4 high.”)
High Tea (A). The meal called
tea served with cold meats, vegetables,
and pastry, in substitution of dinner.
“A well-understood “high tea, ' should have
cold roast beef at the top of the table, a cºld
Yorkshire pie at the bottom, a mighty ham in the
middle. . The side dishes will comirise soused
mackerel, pickled salmon (in due season), Sºus-
ages and potatoes, etc., etc. Riverg (tº tea, coffee,
and ale, with dry and buttered toast, Sally-lumns,
scones, muffins, and crumpets, jams and marma-
lade.”—The Daily Telegraph, May 9th, 1893.
High Words. Angry words.
Highgate has its name from a gate
set up there about 400 years ago, to
receive tolls for the bishop of London,
when the old miry road from Gray’s Inn
Lane to Barnet was turned through the
bishop's park. The village being in a
high or elevated situation explains the
first part of the name. - -
Sworn at Highgate. A custom an-
ciently prevailed at the public-houses in
Highgate to administe a ludicrous oath
to all travellers who stopped there. The
party was sworn on a pair of horns
fastened to a stick— . .
(1) Never to kiss the maid when he
can kiss the mistress.
(2) Never to eat brown bread when he
can get white.
(3) Never to drink smallbeer when he
can get strong—unless he prefers it.
Highland Bail. Fists and cuffs; to
escape the constable by knocking him
down with the aid of a companion.
“The mute eloquence of the miller and smith,
which was vested in their clenched ſists, was
prepared to give highland bail for their arbiter
[Edie Ochiltree].”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquary,
chap. XXiX. -
Highland Mary. A name immor-
talised by Burns, generally thought to
be Mary Campbell, but more probably
Mary Morison. In 1792 we have three
songs to Mary: , “Will ye go to the
Indies, my Mary P” “Highland Mary”
(“Ye banks and braes of bonnie Doon.”),
and “To Mary in Heaven” (“Thou
lingering star,” etc.). These were all
written some time after the consumma-
tion of his marriage with Jean Armour
- Highlands
607
FIimiltrude
(1788), from the recollection of “one of
he most interesting passages of his
youthful days.” Four months after he
had sent to Mr. Thomson the song called
“Highland Mary” he sent that entitled
“Mary Morison,” which he calls “one
of his juvenile works.”
four songs refer to some youthful pas-
sion, and three of them at least were
sent in letters addressed to Mr. Thom-
son, so that little doubt can exist that
the Mary of all the four is one and the
same person, called by the author Mary
Morison. .
“How blythe]y wad I bide the stoure,
A weary slave frae sun to sun,
Could I the rich reward secure-
- The lovely Mary Morison.”
Highlands of Scotland (The) in-
clude all the country on the northern
side of a line drawn from the Moray
Frith to the river Clyde, or (which is
about the same thing) from Nairn to
Glasgow. -
High'Ianders of Attica. The
operative class, who had their dwellings
on the hills (Diacrii).
High'ness. The Khedive of Egypt is
styled “Your Highness,” or “His High-
ness; ”
The children of kings and queens,
“Your Royal Highness,” or “His Royal
Highness; ”
The children of emperors, “Your
Imperial Highness,” or “His Imperial
FIighness.”
Till the reign of Henry VIII. the kings
of England were styled “Your High-
ness,” “Your Grace,” “Your Excellent
Grace,” etc., or “His . . . . .” etc.
Highwaymen. The four most cele-
brated are:—
Claude Duval, who died 1670.
James Whitney, who died 1694, at the
age of 34.
Jonathan Wild, of Wolverhampton
(1682-1725).
1 Jack Sheppard, of Spitalfields (1701-
724). - -
Hil'ary Term, in the Law Courts,
begins on Plough Monday (q.v.) and
ends the Wednesday before Easter. It
is so called in honour of St. Hilary,
whose day is January 14.
Hil'debrand (Meister). The Nestor
of German romance. Like Maugis among
the heroes of Charlemagne, he was a
magician as well as champion.
Hildebrand. Pope Gregory VII. (1013,
1073-1085).
A Hildebrand. One resembling Pope
Gregory VII., noted for subjugating the
Thus all the
power of the German emperors; and
specially detested by the early re-
formers for his ultra-pontifical views.
Hildebrod (Duke). President of the
Alsa’tian club. (Sir W. Scott : Fortunes
of Nigel.) -
Hildesheim. A monk of Hildes-
heim doubting how with God a thou-
sand years could be as one day, listened
to the singing of a bird in a wood, as he
thought for three minutes, but found
the time had been three hundred years.
Longfellow has borrowed this tale and
introduced it in his Golden Legend. (See
FELIX.) -
Hill (Sir John), M.D., botanist (1716-
1775). He wrote some farces, which
called forth from Garrick the following
couplet:
“For physic and farces his equal there scarce is,
His farces are physic, his physic a farce is.”
Hill-folk. The Cameronian Scotch
Covenanters, who met clandestinely
among the hills. Sometimes the Cove-
nanters generally are so called. Sir W.
Scott used the words as a synonym of
Cameronians.
Hill-people or Hill-folk. A class
of beings in Scandinavian tradition
between the elves and the human race.
They are supposed to dwell in caves and
small hills, and are bent on receiving
the benefits of man’s redemption.
IHill Tribes. The barbarous tribes
dwelling in remote parts of the Deccan
or plateau of Central India.
Hills. Prayers were offered on the
tops of high hills, and temples built on
“high places,” from the notion that the
gods could better hear prayers on such
places, as they were nearer heaven.
As Lucian says, 6tt Töv evKokéov &yxó6ev
ëraiovav of 9eoi. And Tacitus says,
“maxime coelo appropinquare, precesque
mortalium a Deo nusquam propius
audire.” It will be remembered that
Balak(Numbers xxiii. xxiv.) took Balaam
to the top of Peor and other high places
when Balaam wished to consult God.
We often read of “idols on every high
hill.” (Ezek. vi. 13.) - -
* The Greek gods dwelt on Mount
Olympus. -
Himiltrude (3 syl.). Wife of Charle-
magne, who surpassed all other women
in nobleness of mien.
“Her neck was tinged with a delicate rose, like
that of a Roman matron in former ages. ©!"
lockS were bound about her temples with gold
and purple bands. Her dress was looped up with
ruby clasps. Her coronet, and her purple robes
gaye her an air of Surpassing majesty.”—Croque-
7mitatiºne, iii.
EI.inc 608 Eippocampus
Hinc illae Lacrymae. This was the Hinzelmann. The most famous
real offence ; this was the true secret of
the annoyance; this, entre mous, was the
veal source of the vexation.
“Perchance 'tis Mara's song that gives offence—
IIimc illaº lacrymge—I fear
The song that once could charm the royal sense,
Delights, alas ! no more the royal ear.”
Peter Pindan" : Ode upon, Ode.
Hind. Emblematic of St. Giles,
because “a heaven-directed hind went
daily to give him milk in the desert,
near the mouth of the Rhone.” (See
IHART.)
The hind of Sertorius. Serto'rius was
invited by the Lusita'nians to defend
them against the Romans. He had a
tame white hind, which he taught to
follow him, and from which he pre-
tended to receive the instructions of
Dian'a. By this artifice, says Plutarch,
he imposed on the Superstition of the
people.
“H (, feigned a demon (in a hind concealed)
To luim the counsels of the gods revealed.”
, , Catºn.00ms : Lºtsiad, i.
The milk-white hind, in Dryden’s
poem, The Hind and the Panther, means
the Roman Catholic Church, milk-white
because “infallible.” The panther,
full of the spots of error, is the Church
of England.
“Without unspotted, innocent within,
Sl:e feared no danger, for she knew no sin.”
- - Part i, lines 3, 4.
Hin'da. Daughter of Al Hassan, the
Arabian ameer of Persia. Her lover,
Hafed, was a Gheber or Fire-worshipper,
the sworn enemy of Al Hassan and all
his race. Al Hassan sent her away for
safety, but she was taken captive by
Hafed's party, and when her lover
(betrayed to Al Hassan) burnt himself
to death in the sacred fire, Hinda, cast
herself headlong into the sea. (T. Moore :
The Fire-Worshippers.)
Hin'der is to hold one behind ;
whereas pre-vent is to go before (Anglo-
Saxon hinder, behind, verb hindrian).
Hindustan. The country of the
Hindús. (Hind [Persic] and Sind [San-
skrit) means “black,” and tan = terri-
fory is very common, as Afghanistan,
Beloochistan, Farsistan, Frangistan,
Roordistan [the country of the Koords],
FCohistan [the high-country], Kafiristan
[the infidel country], etc.)
Hindustan Regiment. The 76th ;
so called because it first distinguished
itself in Hindustan. It is also called the
Seven and Siapennies, from its number.
Now the 2nd battalion of the West .
Riding, the 1st being the old No. 33.
house-spirit or kobold of German legend.
He lived four years in the old castle of
Hudemihlen, where he had a room set
apart for him. At the end of the fourth
year (1588) he went away of his own
accord, and never again returned. -
Hip (To). A hip means a hyp-ochon-
driac. To hip means to make melan-
choly ; to fret ; to make one dismal or
gloomy with forebodings. Hipped means
melancholy, in low spirits. -
“I'or () he short, moment let us coase
To mourn the loss Of Imany ships—
IForget how tax and rates increase,
And all that now the nation hips.”
Sims: The Dagomet Ballads (A Set-off).
Hip and Thigh. To Smite hip and
thigh. To slay with great carnage. A
Hebrew phrase. (German, Arm ºnd
bein.) - . .
* Perhaps there may be some refer-
ence to the superstition about the os
Sacrum (q.v.).
“And he smote them hip and thigh with great
Slaughter.”—Judges xv. 8. -
Hip ! Hip ! Hurrah! Hip is said to
be a notarica, composed of the initial
letters of Hierosolyma Est Per'dita.
Henri van Laun Says, in Notes and
Queries, that whenever the German
knights headed a Jew - hunt in the
Middle Ages, they ran shouting “Hip !
Hip !” as much as to say “Jerusalem
is destroyed.” (See NoTARICA.).
Timbs derives Hurrah from the Scla-
vonic hit-raj (to Paradise), so that Hip !
hip ! hurrah I would mean “Jerusalem
is lost to the infidel, and we are on the
road to Paradise.” These etymons may
be taken for what they are worth. The
word hurrah J is a German exclama-
tion also. -
“Now, infidel, I have thee on the hip’’
(Merchant of Penice); and again, “I’ll
have our Michael Cassio on the hip ’’
(Othello), to have the whip hand of one.
The term is derived from wrestlers, who
seize the adversary by the hip and throw
him. - ... --
“In fine he doth apply one speciall drift,
Which was to get the pagan on the hip, .
And having caught him right, he doth him lift
By nimble sleight, and in Such wise doth trip,
That down he threw him.” Sir J. Ilarington.
Hipper - switches. Coarse willow
withes. A hipper is a coarse osier used
in basket-making, and an Osier field is
a hipper-holin. -
Hippo. Bishop of Hippo. A title by
which St. Augustine is sometimes desig-
ated. (354–430.) -
Hippocampus (4 Syl.). A seahorse,
having the head and fore-quarters of a
*º-
Bippocras
horse, with the tail and hind-quarters
of a fish or dolphin. (Greek, hºppos, a
horse; kampos, a sea monster.)
Hippocras. A cordial made of Lis-
bon and Canary wines, bruised spices,
and sugar ; so called from the strainer
through which it is passed, called by
apothecaries Hippoc'ratés' sleeve. Hippo-
cratēs in the Middle Ages was called
“Yypocras” or “Hippocras.” Thus:”
“Well knew he the old Esculapius,
And Deiscorides, and eek Rufus,
Old Yypocras, Haly, and Galien.”
Chaucer: Cwmterbury Tales (Prologue,431). '
Hippocrat'ean School. A school
of medicine, so called from Hippocratēs.
(See DOGMATIC.)
Hippocºrates’ Sleeve. A woollen
bag of a square piece of flannel, having
the opposite corners joined, so as to
make it triangular. Used, by chemists
for straining syrups, decoètions, etc.
Hippocrene (3 syl.). The fountain
of the Muses, produced by a stroke of
the hoof of Pegasos (Greek, hippos,
horse; kréné, fountain).
Hippogriff. The winged horse, whose
father was a griffin and mother a filly
(Greek, hippos, a horse, and gryphos, a
griffin). A symbol of love. (Ariosto :
Orlando Furioso, iv. 18, 19.)
“So saying, he caught him up, and without wing
Qf hippogrif, bore through the air sublime,
Over the wilderness and o'er the plain.” .
Milton : Paradise Regatinued, iv. 541-3.
(See SIMURGH.)
Hippolyta. Queen of the Am’azons,
and daughter of Mars. Shakespeare has
introduced the character in his Mid-
summer Night’s Dream, where he be-
troths her to Theseus, Duke of Athens.
In classic fable it is her sister Antiopé
who married Theseus, although some
writers justify Shakespeare’s account.
Hippolyta was famous for a girdle given
her by her father, and it was one of the
twelve labours of Herculês to possess
himself of this prize.
Hippolytos. Son of Theseus (2 Syl.),
|King of Athens. He was dragged to
death by wild horses, and restored to
life by Escula/pios. -
Hippolytus, the cardinal to whom
Ariosto dedicated his Orlando Furioso.
Hippom/enes (4 syl.). A Grecian
prince, who ran a race with Atalanta
for her hand in marriage. He had three
golden apples, which he dropped one by
one, and which the lady stopped to pick
up. By this delay she lost the race.
(309
Hit
Hippothadee. The theologian con-
Sulted by Panurge (2 syl.) on the all-
important question, “S'il doit semarier?”
(Rabelais : Pantagruel, book iii.)
Hired Grief. Mutes and other under-
takers’ employees at funerals. The Under-
sheriff Layton, in his will, desired that
he might be “buried without hired
grief ?” (1885).
Hiren. A strumpet. From ºpeele's
play, The Turkish Mahomet and Hyreſ,
the Fair Greek. (See 2 Henry IV., ii. 4.)
Hispa'nia. Spain. So called from
the Punic word Span (a rabbit), on
account of the vast number of rabbits
which the Carthaginians found in the
peninsula. Others derive it from the
Basque Eaſpaña (a border).
Historicus. The mom de plume in
the Times of Sir W. Vernon Harcourt,
now (1895) Chancellor of the Exchequer.
History. Our oldest historian is the
Venerable Bede, who wrote in Latin an
JEcclesiastical History of very great merit
(672–735). Of secular historians, Wil-
liam of Poitiers, who wrote in Latin The
Gests or Deeds of William, Duke of Nor-
mandy and King of the English (1020-
1088). His contemporary was Ingulphus,
who wrote a history of Croyland Abbey
(1030-1109). The oldest prose work in
Darly English is Sir John Mandeville's
account of his Eastern travels in 1356.
The Father of History. Herod'otos,
the Greek historian (B.C. 484-408). So
called by Cicero. -
The Father of Ecclesiastical History.
Eusebius of Caesarèa (264-340).
Iºather of French IIistory. André
Duchesne (1584-1640).
JFather of Historic Painting. Polygno'-
tos of Thaës (flourished B.C. 463-435).
History of Croyland Abbey, by
Ingulphus, and its continuation to 1118
by Peter of Blois, were proved to be
literary impositions by Sir F. Palgrave in
the Quarterly Review, vol. xxxiv., No. 67.
Histrionic is from the Etruscan
word hister (a dancer), histrio'nes (ballet-
dancers). Hence, histrio in Latin means
a stage-player, and our word histrionie,
pertaining to the drama. History is
quite another word, being, the , Greek
historia, histor, a judge, allied to his-
tamai, to know.
Hit. A great hit. A piece of good
luck. From the game hit and miss, or
the game of backgammon, where “two
hits equal a gammon.” - t
39
EI it
610 IHobgoblin
Hit it off (To). To describe a thing
tersely and epigrammatically ; to make
a sketch truthfully and quickly. . The
Erench say, “Ce peintre volts saisit la
resemblance en tº clim d’oeil.”
To hit it off together. To agree to-
gether, or suit each other.
Hit the Nail on the Head (To).
(See HEAD.)
Hiſſah. There is some hitch. Some
impediment. A horse is said to have
a hitch in his gait when he is lame.
(Welsh, hecian, to halt or limp.)
To hiteh. To get on smoothly; to fit
in consistently: as, “You and I hitch
on well together; ” “These two ac-
counts do not hitch in with each other.”
A lame horse goes about jumping, and
to jump together is to be in accord. So
the two meanings apparently contra-
dictory hitch together. Compare pre-
went, meaning to aid and to resist.
Hivites (2 syl.). The students of St.
Bee's College, Cumberland. (Bee-hives.)
Hoàng. The ancient title of the
Chinese kings, meaning “sovereign
‘lord.” (See KING...)
. Hoare (37, Fleet Street, London).
The golden bottle over the fanlight is
said to contain the half-crown with
which James Hoare started in business.
Hoarstone. A landmark. A stone
marking out the boundary of an estate.
Hoax. (See CANARD.)
Hob of a grate. . From the Anglo-
Saxon verb habban (to hold). The
chimney-corner, where at one time a
settle stood on each side, was also called
“the hob.”
Hob and Nob together. To drink as
cronies, to clink glasses, to drink tēte-à-
tête. In the old English houses there
was a hob at each corner of the hearth
for heating the beer, or holding what
one wished to keep hot. This was from
the verb habban (to hold). The little
round table set at the elbow was called
a 7706, hence to hob-nob was to drink
Snugly and cosily in the chimney-corner,
with the beer hobbed, and a little nob-
table set in the Snuggery. (See Hob
NoH.) .
Hob'bema. - .
The English Hobbema. John Crome,
the elder (of Norwich), whose last words
were, “O Hobbema, Hobbema, how I
do love thee ''
that possessed “poor Tom.”
The Scotch Hobbema. P. Nasmyth, a
Scotch landscape painter (born 1831).
Hob'bididance (4 Syl.). The prince
of dumbness, and one of the five fiends
(Shake-
speare: King Lear, iv. 1.)
Hobbino1. The shepherd (Gabriel
Harvey, the poet, 1545-1630) who re-
lates a song in praise of Eliza, queen of
shepherds (Queen Elizabeth). (Spensº
Shepherd's Calendar.) -
Hob'bism. The principles of Thomas
Hobbes, author of Leviathan (1588-
1670). He taught that religion is a
mere engine of state, and that man acts
wholly on a consideration of self; even
his benevolent acts spring from the
pleasure he experiences in doing acts of
kindness. A follower of Hobbes is
called a Hobbist.
Hobblerº"Clopinel. Jean de Meung,
the poet, who wrote the sequel to the
JRomance of the Rose (1260-1320).
Tyrtaeus, the Greek elegiac poet, was
called Hobble, because he introduced the
alternate pentameter verse, which is one
foot short of the old heroic metre.
Hobby. A favourite pursuit. The
hobby is a falcon trained to fly at pigeons
and partridges. As hawks were uni-
versal pets in the days of falconry, and
hawking the favourite pursuit, it is
quite evident how the word hobby got
its present meaning. Hobby-horse is a
corruption of Hobby-hause (hawk-toss-
ing), or throwing off the hawk from the
wrist. Hobby is applied to a little pet
riding-horse by the same natural trans-
position as a mews for hawks is now a
place for horses. (French, hobereau, a
hawk, a hobby.)
Hobby-horse. A child’s plaything,
so called from the hobby-horse of the
ancient morris-dance ; a light frame of
wicker-work, appropriately draped, in
which someone was placed, who per-
formed ridiculous gambols.
“The hobby-horse doth hither prance,
Maid Marrian and the Morris dance. )
Hob'edy-hoig, sometimes written
Bob'bledehoy and hobidy-hoy, between a
man and a boy ; neither hay nor grass.
Tusser says the third age of seven years
(15 to 21) is to be kept “under Sir
Hobbard de Hoy.” -
Hobgoblin. Puck or Robin Good-
fellow. Keightley thinks it a corrup-
tion of Rob-Goblin — i.e. the goblin
Robin, just as Hodge is the nickname of
*** *
FIobino1,
611 IHocking
Roger, which seems to agree with the
subjoined quotation:
“Those that Hobgoblin call you, and Sweet Puck,
You do their work, and they shall have good
luck.
, Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 1.
* Hob is certainly sometimes used
for a sprite or fairy, as a hob-lantern—
i.e. an ignis fatuits or fairy-Jantern, but
this may mean a “Puck-lantern '' or
“Robin Goodfellow-lantern.”
Hob'inoi. (See HoPBINOL.)
Hob'lers or Hovellers. Men who
keep a light mag that they may give in-
stant information of threatened invasion,
or ugly customers at Sea. (Old French,
hober, to move up and down ; our hobby,
q.v.) In mediaeval times hoblers were
like the German athlands. Their duties
were to reconnoitre, to carry intelligence,
to harass stragglers, to act as Spies, to
intercept convoys, and to pursue fugi-
tives. Spelman derives the word from
hobby. -
“Hobblers were anotlier description of cavalry
more lightly armed, and taken from the class of .
men rated at 15 pounds and ul)Wards.”—Lingard :
IIistory of England, Vol. iv. Chap. ii. p. 116.
“Sentinels who kept Watch at beacons in the
Isle of Wight, and ran to the governor when
they had any intelligence to coluluunicate, were
called hoblers.”—MS. Latinsd. (1033).
, Hobnail. When the London shëriff
is sworn in, the tenants of a manor in
Shropshire are directed to come forth
and do service, whereupon the senior
alderman below the chair steps forward
and chops a stick, in token that the
tenants of this county supplied their
feudal lord with fuel. ... • -
The owners of a forge in St. Clements
are then called forth to do suit and
service, when an officer of the court
produces six horse-shoes and sixty-one
hobnails, which he used to count before
the cursitor baron till that office was
abolished in 1857. . . ---
* Hob Nob. A corruption of hab mab,
meaning “have or not have,” hence hit or
miss, at random ; and, secondarily, give
or take, whence also an open defiance.
A similar construction to willy milly.
(Anglo-Saxon, habban, to have ; mabban,
inot to have.)
“The citizens in their rage shot habhe or nabbe
[hit or miss] at random.”—IIolinshed: History of
. Irelatild. * * * . . " .
“He writes of the weather hab nab [at random],
and as the toy [fancy]...takes him, chequers the
year with foul and fair.”—Quack. A strologer-(1673).
... “He is a devil, in private lyrawls . . . . hob nob
is his word, give 't or take 't.”—Shakespeare :
Twelfth Night; iii. 4.
“Not of Jack Straw, with his rebellious crew,
That set king, realm, and laws at hab or nab
[defiance].” Sir J. Harington: Epigram, iv.
%
Hob's Pound. To be in Hob’s pound
is to be under difficulties, in great em-
barrassment. Hob is a clownish rustic,
and hoberd is a fool or ne'er-do-well.
To be in Hob's pound is to be in the
pound of a hob or hoberd—i.e. paying
for one's folly.
Hobson's Choice. This or none.
Tobi'as Hobson was a carrier and inn-
keeper at Cambridge, who erected the
handsome conduit there, and settled
“seven lays '' of pasture ground towards
its maintenance. “He kept a stable of
forty good cattle, always ready and fit
for travelling; but when a man came
for a horse he was led into the stable,
where there was great choice, but was
obliged to take the horse which stood
nearest to the stable-door; so that
every customer was alike well served,
according to his chance, and every horse
ridden with the same justice.” (Spec-
tator, No. 509.) - .
Milton wrote two quibbling epitaphs
upon this eccentric character.
“Why is the greatest of free communities re-
duced to Hobson’s choice 2''—The Times.
Hock. So called from Hockheim, on
the Maine, where the best is supposed
to be made. It used to be called hocka-
more (3 Syl.). . . " . &
“As unfit to bottle as old hockamore.”—Moy-
timer.
Hock Cart. The high cart, the last
cart-load of harvest.
“The harvest, Swains and wenches bound
For joy, to see the hock-cart crowned.”
Herrick : Hesperides, p. 114.
Hock-day or Hoeir Tuesday. The
day when the English surprised and
slew the Danes, who had annoyed them
for 255 years. This Tuesday was long
held as a festival in England, and land-
lords received an annual tribute called
JHock-money, for allowing their tenants
and serfs to commemorate Hock-day,
which was the second Tuesday after
Easter-day. (See Kenilworth, chap.
xxxix.) - • . .
‘.' Hock-tide was the time of paying church
dues
“Hoke Monday was for the men, and Hock
Tuesday for the women. On both days the men
and women alternately, with great "...i
obstructed the public road with ropes, and pulle
passengers to them, from whom they exacted.
money to be laid out in pious uses.”—Braud :
Amtiquities (Hoke day), Vol. i. 1). 187.
Hockey. . A game in which each
player has a hooked stick or bandy with
which to strike the ball. Hockey is
simply the diminutive of hook. Called
Shinty in Scotland. •. *
Hocking. Stopping the highways
with ropes, and demanding a gratuity
Hockley
612 Hogmanay
from passengers before they were al-
lowed to
pass. (See quotation from
Brand under HocK-DAY.) -
Hockley-i'-the-Hole. Public gar-
dens near Clerkenwell Green, famous
for bear- and bull-baiting, dog- and
cock-fights, etc. The earliest record of
this garden is a little subsequent to the
Bestoration.
Ho'cus Po'cus. The words uttered
'by a conjuror when he performs a trick,
to cheat or take surreptitiously. The
Welsh, hocea purca (a goblin’s trick, our
hoax) is a probable etymology. But
generally supposed to be Hoc est corpus.
ºf Ochus Bochus was the name of a
famous magician of the North invoked
by jugglers. He is mentioned in the
French Royal Dictionary.
Ho'cussed. Hoaxed, cheated, tam-
pered with ; as, “This wine is hocussed.”
“Was ever man S() hocussed ?”
Art of Wheedling, p. 322.
Hod'eiren (3 syl.) means Little-hat,
a German goblin or domestic fairy; so
called because he always wore a little
felt hat over his face. Our hudkin.
Hodge. A generic name for a farm-
labourer or peasant. (Said to be an
abbreviated form of Roger, as Hob is of
Rob or Robin.)
“Promises held out, in order to gain the votes
of the agricultural labourers ; promises given
simply to obtain the vote of “ Hodge, who will
soon find out that his vote was all that was
wanted.”—Newspaper paragraph, TJec., 1885. -
Hodge-podge (2 syl.). A medley.
A corruption of hotch-pot, i.e. various
fragments mixed together in the “pot-
au-feu.” (See HOTCH-POT.)
Ho'dur. Balder’s twin brother; the
God of Darkness; the blind god who
killed Balder, at the instigation of Loki,
with an arrow made of mistletoe. Hödur
typifies might, as Balder typifies day.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
“And Balder's lile of the glowing Sun
A symbol true blazed forth ;
But soon its splendour sinketh down
When Höder rules the earth.”
A Frithiof-Saga: Balder's Bale-Fire.
Hog, meaning a piece of money, is
any silver coin–sixpence, shilling, or
five-shilling. It is probably derived
from the largess given on New Year's
Eve called hog-manay, pronounced hog-
77.0706/.
*: In the Bermudas the early coins
bore the image of a hog.
Hog seems to refer to age more than
to any specific animal. Thus, boars of
the second year, sheep between the time
of their being weaned and shorn, colts,
and bullocks a year old, are all called
hogs or hoggets. A boar three years old
is a “hog-steer.”
* Some say a hogget is a sheep after
its first shearing, but a “hogget-fleece’”
is the first shearing.
To go the whole hog. An American
expression meaning unmixed democrati-
cal principles. It is used in England to
signify a “thorough goer” of any kind.
In Virginia the dealer asks the retail
butcher if “he means to go the whole
hog, or to take only certain joints, and
he regulates his price accordingly.”
(Men and Manners of America.)
* Mahomet forbade his followers to
eat one part of the pig, but did not par-
ticularise what part he intended. Hence,
strict Mahometans abstain from pork
altogether, but those less scrupulous eat
any part they fancy. Cowper refers to
this in the lines:
“With sophistry their sauce they sweeten,
Till quite from tail to Snout 'tis eaten.”
Love of the World Reproved.
Another explanation is this: A hog in
Ireland is slang for “a shilling,” and to
go the whole hog means to spend the
whole shilling. (See Hog.)
You have brought your hogs to a fine
market. You have made a pretty kettle
of fish. -
“You have brought your hogs to a fine market.”
—IIowell (1659).
Hogs-Norton. A village in Oxford-
shire, now called Hook Norton. I think
you were born at Hogs-Norton. A re-
proof to an ill-mannered person.
“I think thou wast born at Hoggs-Norton,
where piggs play upon the organs.”—IIowell ;
lºnglish, I’roverls, p. 16.
Hog in Armour. A person of
awkward manners dressed so fine that
he cannot move easily. A corruption of
“Hodge in armour.” -
Hogg. (See under the word BREWER.)
Hogarth (William), called the “Ju-
venal of Painters” (1695-1764). The
Scottish Hogarth, David Allan (1744.
1796). -
Ho'gen Mo'gen. Holland_or the
Netherlands; so called from Hoogé en
Mogendé (high and mighty), the Dutch
style of addressing the States-General.
“But I have sent him for a token
To your Low-country Hogen-Mogen.” -
. Butler: Hudibras.
Hogmanay', Hogmena', or Hag-
men'a. Holy month. •
New Year's Eve is called hoſ/manay'-
night or hogg-night, and it is still the
Hogshead
custom in parts of Scotland for persons
to go from door to door on that night
asking in rude rhymes for cakes or
money. (See HOG.) -
In Galloway the chief features are
“taking the cream off the water,” won-
derful luck being attached to a draught
thereof; and “the first foot,” or giving
something to drink to the first person
who enters the house. A grand bonfire
and a procession, in which all persons
are masked and in bizarre costume.
Ring Haco, of Norway, fixed the feast
of Yole on Christmas Day, the eve of
which used to be called hogg-night,
which in the old style is New Year's
Eve. -
Hogshead, a large cask = }-pipe
or butt, is a curious instance of the
misuse of h. The word is from the
Danish Ove-hud (ox-hide), the larger
skins in contradistinction to the Smaller
goat skins. An oxe-hud contained 240
Danish quarts.
Hoi Polloi (The). The poll-men in
our Universities, that is, those who take
their degrees without “honours.” The
proletariat. (Greek, meaning “ the
many,” “the general.”)
Hoist. Hoist with his own petard.
Beaten with his own weapons, caught
in his own trap. The petard was
a thick iron engine, filled with gun-
powder, and fastened to gates, barri-
cades, and so on, to blow them up.
The danger was lest the engineer who
fired the petard should be blown up in
the explosion.
“I,et it work ;
For 'tis the Sport to have the engineer
Hoist with his own petard ; and it shall go hard
But I will delve one yard below their mines,
And blow them at the moon.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, iii. 4.
Hoity-toity.
(1) Hoity-toity spirits means high
spirits, extremely elated and flighty.
Selden, in his Table Talk, says: “In
Queen Elizabeth's time gravity and state
were kept up . . . but in King Charles's
time there was nothing but Frenchmore
[French manners] . . . tolly-polly, and
hoët-comme-toit,” where hoit comme toit
means flightiness.
(2) As an exclamation of reproof it
means, Your imagination or spirits are
running out of all bounds; hoit-a-toit !
hity-tity “Hoity-toity | What have
I to do with dreams?” (Congreve.) -
We have the verb “to hoit ’’ = to
assume; to be elated in spirits, and
perhaps hoity-toity is only one of those
words with which our language abounds;
618
Hold Tri
as, harum-Scarum, titty-totty, namby-
pamby, hugger-mugger, fiddle-faddle,
and scores of others. .
Hoky or Hockey Calce. Harvest
cake. The cake given out to the har-
vesters when the hock cart reached
home. (See HocK CART.)
Holborn is not a corruption of Old
Bourne, as Stowe asserts, but of Hole-
burne, the burne or stream in the hole or
hollow. It is spelt Holeburne in Domes-
day Book, i. 127a; and in documents
connected with the nunnery of St.
Mary, Clerkenwell (during the reign of
Richard II.), it is eight times spelt in
the same way. (The Times ; J. G.
Waller.)
IIe rode backwards up Holborn Hill.
Eſe went to be hanged. . The way to
Tyburn from Newgate was up Holborn
Hill, and criminals in ancient times sat
with their backs to the horse, when
drawn to the place of execution.
Hold of a ship is between the lowest
deck and the keel. In merchant vessels
it holds the main part of the cargo. In
men of war it holds the provisions, water
for drinking, etc., stores, and berths.
The after hold is aft the main-mast; the
main hold is before the same ; and the
fore hold is about the fore hatches.
Hold. (Anglo-Saxon, heald-an, to
hold.) . -
He is not fit to hold the candle to him.
He is very inferior. The allusion is to
link-boys who held candles in theatres
and other places of night amusement.
“Others say that Mr. Handel
To Bonocini can’t hold a candle." Swift.
To cry hold. Stop. The allusion is
to the old military tournaments; when
the umpires wished to stop the contest
they cried out “Hold!”
“Iay on Macduff,
And damn'd be him that first cries, ‘Hold,
enough ''' Shakespeare : Macbeth, V.'8.
Hold Forth (To). To speak in public;
to harangue; to declaim. An author
holds forth certain opinions or ideas in
his book, i.e. exhibits them or holds them
out to view. A speaker does the same in
an oratorical display. -
Hold Hard. Keep a firm hold, seat,
or footing, as there is danger else of
being overthrown. A caution given
when a sudden change of vis inertide is
about to occur. .
Hold. In (To). To restrain. The allu-
sion is to horses reined up tightly when
running too fast.
Hold Off
Hold Off! Keep at a distance. In
French, “Tenez-vous d distance I’”
Hold On. Cling fast; to persist. The
idea is clinging firmly to something to
prevent falling or being overset.
Hold Out. Not to succumb to. “Temir
ferme, ’’ “Cette place ne saurait temir.”
Hold Water (To). To bear close
inspection ; to endure a trial. A vessel
that will hold water is safe and sound.
Hold One Guilty (To). To adjudge
or regard as guilty. The French tenir.
Hold One in Hand (To). To amuse
in order to get some advantage. The
allusion is to horsés held in hand or
under command of the driver.
Hold One's Own (To). To main-
tain one's own opinion, position, way,
etc. Maintain means to hold with the
hand. (Latin, manus tené0.)
Hold the Fort. Immortalised as
a phrase from its use by General Sher-
man, who signalled it to General Corse
from the top of Kenesaw in 1864.
Holdfast. Brag is a good dog, but
IHoldfast is a better. Promises are all
very good, but acts are far better.
“Holdfast is the only dog, my duck.” ..
- Shakespeare : Hemry W., ii. 3.
Holdfast. A means by which some-
thing is clamped to another; a support.
Hole. Pick a hole in his coat. To
find out some cause of blame. The allu-
sion is to the Roman custom of dressing
criminals in rags (Livy, ii. 61). Hence,
a holey coat is a synonym for guilt.
“Hear, Land o' cakes and brither Scots
Frae Maidenkirk to Johnny Groat's
If there's a hole in a your coats
I rede you tent it ; e
A chield's amang, you taking notes,
And, faith, he'll prent it.”
Burms: On the late Capt. Grose, stanza 1.
. Hole and Corner (business). Under-
hand and secret. - -
Holiday Speeches or Words. Fine
or well-turned speeches or phrases; com-
plimentary speeches. We have also
“holiday manners,” “holiday clothes,”
meaning the best we have.
“Aye, aye, sir. I know your worship loves no
holiday. Speeches.”—Sir W. Scott : Redgauntlet,
chap. iii.
“With many holiday and lady terms
IHe questioned me.”
Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., i. 3 (Hotspur's defence).
Holipher'nes (4 syl.), called English
Henry (in Jerusalem Delivered). One
of the Christian knights in the first
crusade, slain by Dragu'tés (book ix.).
614 Holy City
IHolland. The country of paradoxes.
The “houses are built on the sand; ”
the sea is higher than the shore; the
keels of the ships are above the chim-
ney-tops of the houses; and the cow's
tail does not “grow downward,” but is
tied up to a ring in the roof of the stable.
Butler calls it:
“A land that rides at anchor and is moored,
In Which they do not live, but go aboard.”
Description of Holland.
(See also Don Juan, canto x. 63.)
IHolland. A particular kind of cloth ;
so called because it used to be sent to
Holland to be bleached. Lawn is cloth
bleached on a lawn; and grass-lawn is
lawn bleached on a grass-plat. - - -
Bleaching is now performed by arti-
ficial processes. “A
Hollow. I beat him hollow. A cor-
ruption of “I beat him wholly.”
Holly used to be employed by the
early Christiains at Rome to decorate
churches and dwellings at Christmas; it
had been previously used in the great
festival of the Saturnălia, which occurred
at the same season of the year. The
pagan Romans used to send to their
friends holly-sprigs, during the Satur-
malia, with wishes for their health and
well-being. *
Hollyhock is the Anglo-Saxon, holi-
höc, the marsh-mallow. It is a mistake
to derive it from Holy-oak.
Holman (Lieutenant James).
blind traveller (1787-1857).
Holopher'nes (4 syl.). Master Tubal
JHolophernes. The great sophister-doctor,
who, in the course of five years and three
months, taught Gargantua to say his
A B C backward. (Rabelais : Gargantua,
book i. 14.) - • *
IHolofernes, in Love's Labour's Lost.
Shakespeare satirises in this character
the literary affectations of the Lyly
school. An anagram of Joh'nes Florio.
Holy Alliance. A league formed
by Russia, Austria, and Prussia to regu-
late the affairs of Europe “by the prin-
ciples of Christian charity,”—meaning
that each of the contracting parties was
to keep all that the league assigned
them (1816). -
Holy City. That city which the
religious consider most especially con-
nected with their religious faith, thus:
Allahabad' is the Holy City of the
Indian Mahometans.
Bena/res (3 syl.) of the Hindus,
Cuzco of the ancient Incas.
The
JHoly Coat
615,
Holy Writ
Fez of the Western Arabs.
Jerusalem of the Jews and Christians,
Kairwan, near Tunis. It contains the
Okbar Mosque, in which is the tomb of
the prophet's barber. g
Rief, the Jerusalem of Russia, the
cradle of Christianity in that country.
Mecca and Medi'na of the Mahometans.
Moscow and Kief of the Russians.
Solovetsk, in the Frozen Sea, is a holy
Island much visited by pilgrims.
Holy Coat of Treves, said to be the
seamless coat of our Saviour. Deposited
at Treves by the Empress Helena, who
discovered it in the fourth century.
Holy Communion (The). The fel-
lowship of Christians manifested by
their mutual partaking of the eucharist.
The eucharist itself is, by a figure of
speech, so called.
Holy Family. The infant Saviour
and his attendants, as Joseph, Mary,
Elizabeth, Anna, and John the Baptist.
All the five figures are not always
introduced in pictures of the “Holy
Eamily.” -
Holy Isle. Lindisfarne, in the Ger-
man Ocean, about eight miles from Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed. It was once the see
of the famous St. Cuthbert, but now the
|bishopric is that of Durham. The ruins
of the old cathedral are still visible.
Ireland used to be called the Holy
Island on account of its numerous
“Saints.”
Guernsey was so called in the tenth
century in consequence of the great
number of monks residing there.
Rugen was so called by the Slavonic
Warini.
Scattery, to which St. Senanus re-
tired, and swore that no female should
set foot there, is the one referred to by
Thomas Moore in his Irish Melodies,
No. ii. 2.
“Oh haste and leave this sacred isle
ar; . . . For on thy deck, though dark it be,
A fellmale follm I See.”
Holy Land (The). .
(1) Christians call Palestine the Holy
Tand, because it was the site of Christ’s
birth, ministry, and death.
(2) Mahometans call Mecca the Holy
Land, because Mahomet was born there.
(3) The Chinese Buddhists call India.
the Holy Land, because it was the
º land of Sakya-muni, the Buddha
(4) The Greek considered Elis as Holy
Land, from the temple of Olympian Zeus
and the sacred festival held there every
four years.
(5) In America cach of the strange
politico-religious sects calls its own settle-
ment pretty much the same thing. (See
Holy CITY.)
Holy League (The). A combination
formed by Pope Julius II. with Louis
XII. of France, Maximilian of Germany,
Ferdinand III. of Spain, and various
Italian princes, against the republic of
Venice in 1508.
There was another league so called in
the reign of Henri III. of France, in
1576, under the auspices of Henri de
Guise, “for the defence of the Holy
Catholic Church against the encroach-
ments of the reformers.” The Pope gave
it his sanction, but its true strength lay
in Felipe II. of Spain. -
Holy Orders, in the English Church,
are those of priest and deacon. In the
Toman Church the term includes the
sub-diaconate. (See MINOR ORDERs.)
Holy Places. Places in which the
chief events of our Saviour's life oc-
curred, such as the Sepulchre, Geth-
semane, the Supper-room, the Church of
the Ascension, the tomb of the Virgin,
and so on.
Holy Thursday. The day of out
Lord’s ascension.
Holy Saturday. The Saturday before
Iºaster Sunday.
Holy Wars are to extirpate “heresy,”
or to extend what the state supposes to
be the one true religion. The Crusades,
the Thirty-Years' War, the wars against
the Albigenses, etc., were so called.
Holy Water. Water blessed by a
priest or bishop for holy uses. -
As the devil loves holy water ; i.e. not
at all. This proverb arose from the em-
ployment of holy water in exorcisms in
the Holy Church.
“I love him as the devil loves holy water.”
Holy Week. The last seven days of
Passion Week or the Great Week. It
begins on Palm Sunday, and ends with
Holy Saturday (q.v.). The fourth day is
called “Spy Wednesday; ” the fifth is
“Maundy Thursday; ” the sixth is
“Good Friday; ” and the last “Holy
Saturday ” or the “Great Sabbath.”
EIoly Week has been called IIebdom.ada. Muta,
(Silent Week) ; Hebdomada. Passionis; Hebdomada,
Inc [ficiosa (Vacant Week) ; Hebdomada, Penitem-
tialis; IIebdomada Indulgentia: ; Hebdomada Luc-
tuosit, Hebdomada, Nigra ; and IIebdomada, Ul-
timót. *
Holy Writ. The Bible.
£foly Maid 616
Holy Maid of Kent (The). Eliza-
'beth Barton, who incited the Roman
Catholics to resist the progress of the
Reformation, and pretended to act under
direct inspiration. She was hanged at
Tyburn in 1534.
Holy of Holies (The). The inner-
most apartment of the Jewish temple,
in which the ark of the covenant was
kept, and into which only the High
Priest was allowed to enter, and that
but once a year—the day of atonement.
Holy Water Sprinkler. A military
club set with spikes. So called facetiously
because it makes the blood to flow as
water Sprinkled by an aspergillum.
Holywell Street (London). Fitz-
stephens, in his description of London
in the reign of Henry II., speaks of
“the excellent springs at a small dis-
tance from the city,” whose waters are
most sweet, Salubrious, and clear, and
whose runnels murmur over the shining
stones. “Among these are Holywell,
Clerkenwell, and St. Clement's well.”
IIolystone. A soft sandstone used
for scrubbing the decks of vessels.
IIome (1 Syl.). (Anglo-Saxon, häm.)
Our long home, the grave.
Who goes home 2 When the House
of Commons breaks up at night the
door-keeper asks this question of the
members. In bygone days all members
going in the direction of the Speaker’s
residence went in a body to see him safe
home. The question is still asked, but
is a mere relic of antiquity.
Home, Sweet Home. Words by
John Howard Payne (an American), in-
troduced in the melodrama called The
Maid of Milan.
Homer.
Called Melesigenês (q.v.); the Man of
Chios (see CHIOs); the Blind Old Man;
Maeon'idés, (q.v.), or Maeonius, either
from his father Maeon, or because he
was a native of Maeonia (Lydia). He is
spoken of as Maeonius semea, and his
poems as Masoniae chartae or Maconia
ca?'mºa. -
The Casket Homer. An edition cor-
rected by Aristotle, which Alexander
the Great always carried about with
him, and laid under his pillow at night
with his sword. After the battle of
Arbe'la, a golden casket richly studded
with gems was found in the tent of
Tarius; and Alexander being asked to
what purpose it should be assigned, re-
plied, “There is but one thing in the
world worthy of so, costly a depository,”
Biomer's Critics
saying which he placed therein his
edition of Homer.
The British Homer. Milton (1608-74).
The Celtic Homer. Ossian, Son of
Fingal, King of Morven.
The Homer of dramatic poets. Shake-
speare is so called by Dryden. (1564-
1616.)
“Shakespeare was the Homer of our dramatic
poets; Jonson was the Virgil. I admire rare Ben,
but I love Shakespeare.”—Dryden.
IIomer of Ferra'ra. Ariosto is so
called by Tasso (1474-1533).
Homer of the Franks. Charlemagne
called Angilbert his Homer (died 814).
The Oriental Homer. Firdusi, the
Persian poet, who wrote the Cháh
Námeh (or history of the Persian kings).
It contains 120,000 verses, and was the
work of thirty years (940-1020).
The Homer of philosophers. Plato
(B.C. 429-347).
The prose Homer of human nature.
Henry Fielding; so called by Byron.
(1707-1768.)
The Scottish Homer. William Wilkie,
author of The Epigoniad (1721-1772).
Homer a Cure for the Ague. It
was an old superstition that if the fourth
book of the Iliad was laid under the
head of a patient suffering from quartan
ague it would cure him at . Once.
Serénus Sammonicus, preceptor of Gor-
dian and a noted physician, vouches for
this remedy.
* Maeoniae Iliados quartum suppone timenti.”
—Praecepta de Medicina, 50. -
* The subject of this book is as
follows: While Agamemnon adjudges
that Meneläos is the winner, and that
the Trojans were bound to yield, ac-
cording to their compact, Pandāros
draws his bow, wounds Menelaos, and
the battle becomes general. The reason
why this book was selected is because
it contains the cure of MenelâOS by
Machãon, “a son of Æsculapius.”
Homer in a Nutshell. Cicero Says
that he himself saw Homer’s Iliad
enclosed in a nutshell. -
Homer Sometimes Nods.
“Quando/que bonus dormitat Home'rus.”,
Horace : Ars Poetica (359)
Homer's Critics.
Dorotheus spent his whole life trying
to elucidate one single word of Homer.
Zoilos (3 syl.), the grammarian, was
called “Homer's Scourge ’’ (Homéro-
mastia), because he assailed the Iliad
and Odyssey with merciless severity.
As some deny that Shakespeare is the
author of the plays which are generally
Homeric
ascribed to him, so Wolf, a German
critic (1759-1824), in his Prolegomena ad
Homāruin, denies that Homer was the
author of the Iliad and Odyssey.
Homer'ic Verse. Hexameter verse;
so called because Homer adopted it in
his two great epics. (See HEXAMETER
VERSE.) -
Homoeop'athy (5 syl.). The plan of
curing a disease by very minute doses
of a medicine which would in healthy
persons produce the very same disease.
The principle of vaccination is a sort of
homoeopathy, only it is producing in
a healthy person a mitigated form of
the disease guarded against. You im-
part a mild form of small-pox to prevent
the patient from taking the virulent
disease. (Greek, homoios pathos, like
disease.) (See HAHNEMANN.) -
“Tut, man One fire burns Out another's burn-
one in is lessened by another's anguish . . . .
Take thou Some new infection to the eye,
And the rank poison of the old will die.”
Shakespeare : I'07meo and Juliet, i. 2.
Hon'est (h silent). Homest Jack Ban-
wister.
six years. (1760-1836.)
“After his retirement he was once accosted by
Sir George Rose, When Honest Jack, being on the
other side of the street, cried out, “Stop a monient,
Sir George, and I will come over to you.’ ‘No, no,'
replied his friend, ‘I never yet made you cross,
and will not begin now.”—Grimsted : Irelics of
Genius.
Honest George. General Monk
(1608–1670).
Honest Lawyer (An). The oldest
allusion to this strange expression is the
epigram on St. Ives (1251-1303), of
whom Dom Lobineau says: “Il distri-
buait avec line sainte profusion anta:
pauvres les revents de son bénéfice et ceux:
de S07, patrimonie, qui etaient de £60 de
Tente, alors ºne somme très notable, par-
ticulièrement en Basse Bretagne.” (Lives
of the Saints of Great Britain.) -
- “Sanctus Yvo erat Brito,
Advocatus, et non latro,
Res miranda populo.”
St. Ives was of the land of beef,
An advocate, and not a thief ;
F. C. B.
A Stretch. On popular belief.
The phrase was facetiously applied by
some wag to Sir John Strange, Master
of the Rolls, who died, at the age of
fifty-eight, in 1754.
“Here lies an honest lawyer, that is Strange.”
*: Of course this line forms no part of
the inscription in Leyton churchyard,
Fssex, where Sir John was buried.
Honey Madness. There is a rho-
dodendron about Trebizond, the flowers
of which the bees are fond of, but if
617,
An actor in London for thirty-
Honeymoori
anyone eats the honey he becomes mad.
(Tourneford.) •.
Honey Soap contains no portion of
honey. Some is made from the finest
yellow soap; and some is a mixture of
palm-oil soap, olive-soap, and curd-
soap. It is scented with oil of verbena,
rose-geranium, ginger-grass, bergamot,
etc.
Honey better than Vinegar. “On
prend plus de mouches avec du miel,
qu’avec du vinaigre.” “Plus fait dottcentr
we violence.” “Il faut avoir mauvaise
âte pay doucettº.”
It is better to be preserved in vinegar
than to rot in honey. It is better to
suffer affliction if thereby the heart is
brought to God, than to lose body and
soul by worldly indulgences.
Honeycomb. The hexagonal shape
of the bees’ cells is generally ascribed to
the instinctive skill of the bee, but is
simply the ordinary result of mechanical
laws. Solitary bees always make circular
cells ; and without doubt those of hive
bees are made cylindrical, but acquire
their hexagonal form by mechanical
pressure. Tr. Wollaston says all cylin-
ders made of soft pliable materials
become hexagonal under such circum-
stances. The cells of trees are circular
towards the extremity, but hexagonal in
the centre of the substance; and the
cellular membranes of all vegetables are
hexagonal also. (See ANT.)
Will Honeycomb. A fine gentleman.
One of the members of the imaginary
club from which the Spectator issued.
Honeydew. A sweet substance
found on lime-trees and some other
plants. Bees and ants are fond of it.
It is a curious misnomer, as it is the
excretion of the aphis or vine-fretter.
The way it is excreted is this: the ant
beats with its antennae the abdomen of
the aphis, which lifts up the part beaten,
and excretes a limpid drop of sweet
juice called honeydew.
Honeymoon. The month after
marriage, or so much of it as is spent
away from home ; so called from the
practice of the ancient Teutons of drink-
ing honey-wine (hydromel) for thirty
days after marriage. Attila, the Hun,
indulged so freely in hydromel at his
wedding-feast that he died.
“It was the custom of the higher order of the
Teutons . . . to drink mead or metheglin (a
beverage mºde from honey) for thirty days after
every wedding. From this comes the expression
‘to spend the honeymoon.’”—W. I wileyn: Ety-
'mological Compendium, $ 9, p. 142, -
Honeywood
618
BIOrmours
Honeywood. A yea-nay type, illus-
trative of what Dr. Young says:
“What is mere good nature but a fool?”
(Goldsmith : The Good-natured Man.)
Hong Merchants. Those merchants
who were alone permitted by the govern-
ment of China to trade with China, till
the restriction was . abolished in 1842.
The Chinese applied the word hong to
the foreign factories situated at Canton.
Hon'i. Honi soit qui mal y pense (Evil
be [to him] who thinks evil of this).
The tradition is that Edward III. gave
a grand court ball, and one of the ladies
present was the beautiful Countess of
Salisbury, whose garter of blue ribbon
accidentally fell off. The king saw a
significant Smile among the guests, and
gallantly came to the rescue. “Homi
soit - qui mal y pense”. (Shame to him
who thinks shame of this accident), cried
the monarch. Then, binding the ribbon
round his own knee, he added, “I will
bring it about that the proudest noble
in the realm shall think it an honour to
wear this band.” The incident deter-
mined him to abandon his plan of
forming an order of the Round Table,
and he formed instead the Order of the
“Garter.” (Tighe and Davis : Annals
of Windsor.) -
H on our (h silent).
manors depend by the performance of
customary services.
An affair of honour. A dispute to be
settled by a duel. Duels were generally
provoked by offences against the arbi-
trary rules of etiquette, courtesy, or
feeling, called the “laws of honour; ”
and, as these offences were not recog-
nisable in the law courts, they were
settled by private combat.
Debts of honour. Debts contracted by
betting, gambling, or verbal promise.
As these debts cannot be enforced by
law, but depend solely on good faith,
they are called debts of honour.
Laws of honour. Certain arbitrary
rules which the fashionable world tacitly
admits; they wholly regard deport-
ment, and have nothing to do with
moral offences. Breaches of this code
are punished by duels, expulsion from
society, or suspension called “Sending
to Coventry” (q.v.).
Joint of honour. An obligation which
is binding because its violation would
offend some conscientious scruple or
notion of self-respect.
Word of honour. . . A gage , which
cannot be violated without placing the
A superior
seigniory, on which other lordships or
breaker of it beyond the pale of respect-
ability and good Society. -
Honour and Glory Griffiths. Capt.
Griffiths (in the reign of William IV.)
was so called, because all his despatches
were addressed “To their Honours and
Glories at the Admiralty.” -
Honour paid to Learning. Diony-
sius, King of Syracuse, wishing to see
Plato, sent the finest galley in his king-
dom royally equipped, and stored with
every conceivable luxury to fetch him ;
and, on landing, the philosopher found
the royal state carriage waiting to
convey him to the palace.
Ben Jonson, in 1619, made a journey
from London to Scotland expressly to
see William Drummond, the Scotch poet.
Honours (h silent). Crushed by his
honours. The allusion is to the Roman
damsel who agreed to open the gates of
Bome to King Taſtius, provided his sol-
diers would give her the ornaments
which they wore on their arms. As they
entered they threw their shields on her
and crushed her, saying as they did so,
“These are the ornaments worn by
Sabines on their arms.” Roman story
says the maid was named Tarpe'ia, and
that she was the daughter of Tarpeius,
the governor of the citadel.
I)raco, the Athenian legislator, was
crushed to death in the theatre of
AEgi'na, by the number of caps and
cloaks showered on him by the audience,
s a mark of their high appreciation of
is merits. -
Elagab'alus, the Roman Emperor, in-
vited the leading men of IRome to a
banquet, and, under the pretence of
showing them honour, rained roses upon
them. But the shower continued till
they were all buried and Smothered by
the flowers.
Two or four by honours. A term in
whist. If two “partners” hold three
court cards, they score two points; if
they hold four court cards, they score
four points. These are honour points,
or points not won by the merit of play,
but by courtesy and laws of honour.
The phrases mean, “I score or claim two
points by right of honours,” and “I
score or claim four points by right of
four court or honour cards.”
Honours of War. The privilege
allowed to an honoured enemy, on
capitulation, of , being permitted to
retain their offensive arms. This is the
highest honour a victor can pay a
vanquished foe. Sometimes the soldiers
Hood
so honoured are required to pile arms;
in other cases they are allowed to march
with all their arms, drums beating, and
colours flying. . -
Hood. 'Tis not the hood that makes
the monk (Cucul'lus non facit mom'achum).
We must not be deceived by appearances,
or take for granted that things and per-
sons are what they seem to be. . .
“They should be good men ; their affairs are
righteous ; ::
Eut all loods make not monkS.” --
. Shakespeare: Henry VIII., iii. 1.
Hood (Robin). Introduced by Sir
Walter Scott in Ivanhoe. (See ROBIN.)
Hoods (Anglo-Saxon hód).
BLACK silk without lining:—M.A. Cam-
bridge, non Regius (abolished 1858);
B.D. Cambridge, Oxford, Dublin.
Black stuff, with broad white fur
trimming :-B.A. or LL.B. Cam-
bridge. - -
Dlack corded silk, with narrow white
fur trimming:—B.A. Oxford.
Black silk hood, with lining :—With
white silk liming, M.A. Cambridge ;
with dark red silk lining, M.A.
Oxford; with dark blue silk lining,
Dublin; with russet-brown lining,
M.A. London.
DLUE silk hood, with white fur trim-
ming, B.C.L. Oxford. -
BROWN (silk or stuff) hood, edged wit
russet-brown, B.A. London.
SCARLET cloth hood:—Lined with crim-
son silk, D.C.L. Oxford ; lined with
pink silk, D.C.L. Dublin ; lined
with pink silk, D.D. Cambridge;
lined with black silk, D.D. Oxford;
linéd with light cherry-coloured
silk, LL.D. Cambridge.
Scarlet cash mere hood :—Lined with silk,
D.D. Dublin. :-Lined with white
silk, D.C.L. Durham.
VIOLET hoods are St. Andrew's.
* The longer the hood the higher the
degree ; thus, a bachelor’s hood only
reaches to the thighs, but a doctor’s
hood reaches to the heels.
Hoodlum (American slang). A
Californian rough. -
Hoodman Blind. Now called
** Blindman’s Buff.”
“What devil was’t
That thus hath cozened you at hoodman blind 2 °
Shwkespeare: LIamlet, iii. 4.
Hook, Hooks. He is off the hooks.
Done for, laid on the shelf, superseded,
dead. The bent pieces of iron on which
the hinges of a gate rest and turn are
called hooks; if a gate is off the hooks it
is in a bad way, and cannot readily be
opened and shut.
a hook and crook to get wood.
619 Hooped Pots
On one’s own hook. On one’s own
responsibility or account. An angler's
phrase. - -
To fish with a golden hook. To give
bribes.” “Jºcher avec un hamecon d'or.”
Risk a sprat to catch a mackerel. To buy
fish, and pretend to have caught it.
JWith a hook at the end. My assent
is given with a hook at the end means
not intended to be kept. In some parts
of Germany, even to the present day,
when a witness swears falsely, he crooks
one finger into a sort of hook, and this
is supposed sufficient to avert the sin of
perjury. It is a crooked oath, or an
oath “ with a hook at the end.” (See
OvIR THE LEFT.) ..
N.B. Ringing the bells backwards,
and repeating the Lord's Prayer back-
wards belong to the same class of super-
stitions. *
Hook it ! Take your hook ; Sling your
hook. Be off Be off about your
business . This expression amongst
woodmen, reapers, etc., is equivalent
to the military one, “Pack up your
tatters and follow the drum.” -
Hook or Crook (By). Either right-
fully or wrongfully ; in one way or
another. Formerly the poor of a manor
were allowed to go into the forests with
What,
they could not reach they might pull
down with their crook. The French
equivalent is “A droit ou dº tort,” or “De
bric et de broc.” Either with the thief's
hook or the bishop’s crook. Mrs. S. C.
Hall, in her Ireland (vol. ii. p. 149 m.),
states, as the origin of this phrase, that
when the ships of Strongbow were en-
tering Waterford harbour he noticed a
tower on One side and a church on the
other. Inquiring their names, he was
told it was the “Tower of Hook’’ and
the “Church of Crook.” Then said he,
“We must take the town by Hook and
by Crook.” There is no such person as
St. Crook mentioned by the Bollandists.
“Dynmure Wood was ever Open and common to
..he . . . inhabitants of Bodmin . . . to bear away
upon their backs a burden of lop, crop, hook,
crook, and bag wood.”—Bodmin Iregister (1525).
“The which his sire had scrapt by hooke or
Cl’()Oke.” - - -
Spenser: Faërie Queene, book V. ii. line 29.
Hookey Walker. (See WALKER.)
Hooped Pots. Drinking pots at one
time were made with hoops, that when
two or more drank from the same
tankard no one of them should take
more than his share. Jack Cade pro-
mises his followers that “Seven half-
penny loaves shall be sold for a penny;
Hoopoe,
the three-hooped pot shall have ten
hoops; and I will make it felony to
drinksmall beer.” (Shakespeare: 2 Henry
VI., iv. 2.) -
Hoopoe (Upupa Epops). A small
crested bird revered by all the ancient
Egyptians, and placed on the sceptre
of Horus, to symbolise joy and filial
affection. (Latin ºtpatpa, the hoopoe.)
Hop. The plant, called by Tusser
“Robin Hop.” (Danish hop.) To hop
on One leg is the Anglo-Saxon hopetan
or hoppian.
“Get into thy hopyard, for now it is time
To teach Robin Hop on his pole how to climb.”
Five Hundred Points of Good IIusbandry, xli. 17.
Thick as hops. Very numerous; very
compact.
“And thousand other things as thicke as hops.”
Taylor the Water Poet (1630).
Hop-o'-my-Thumb. A nix, the same
as the German daumling, the French le
petit pouce, and the Scotch Tom-a-lin
(or Tamlane). Tom Thumb in the well-
known nursery tale is quite another
character. He was the son of peasants,
knighted by King Arthur, and killed by
a spider. -
ºf Several dwarfs have assumed the
name of Tom Thumb. (See Dwarfs.)
“You Stump-o'-the-Gutter, you Hop-o'-my-
Thunib,
Your husband must from I,illiput come."
Rame O'Haq'at : Midas.
“Plaine friend. Hop-o'-my-Thumb, know you
Who We are 2 ”—Tamimg of the Slurew (1594).
To hop the twig. To run away from
one’s creditors, as a bird eludes a fowler,
“hopping from spray to spray.”
* Also to die. The same idea as that
above. There are numerous phrases to
express the cessation of life; for ex-
ample, “To kick the bucket” (q.v.);
“To lay down one's knife and fork; ”
“Pegging out ’’ (from the game of
cribbage); “To be snuffed out ’’ (like a
candle); “He has given in ; ” “To
throw up the sponge” (q.v.); “To fall
asleep; ” “To enter Charon's boat”
(See CHARON); “To join the majority;”
“To cave in ; ” a common Scripture
phrase is “To give up the ghost.”
Hope. Before Alexander set out for
Asia, he divided his kingdom among his
friends. “My lord,” said Perdiccas,
“what have you left for yourself?”
“Hope,” replied Alexander. Whereupon
Perdiccas rejoined, “If hope is enough
for Alexander, it is enough for Perdic-
cas,” and declined to accept any bounty
from the king.
The Bard of Hope. Thomas Camp-
bell (1777-1844), the author of The
. 620, forace
Pleasures of Hope. The entire profits on
this poem were £900.
The Cape of Good Hope.
Hopeful.
tian after the death of Faithful.
Ayan : Pilgrim’s Progress.)
Hope-on-High Bomby. A puri-
tanical character drawn by Beaumont
and Fletcher.
“‘Well, said Wildrake, ‘I think I can make a
“Hope-on-High Bomby’’ as well as thou canst.’ ”
—Sir Walter Scott : Woodstock, c. vii.
Hopkins (Matthew), of Manningtree,
Essex, the witch-finder of the associated
counties of Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and
Huntingdonshire. In one year he hanged
sixty reputed witches in Essex alone.
Dr. Z. Grey says that between three
and four thousand persons suffered death
for witchcraft between 1643 and 1661.
Micholas Hopkins. A Carthusian friar,
confessor of the Duke of Buckingham,
who prophesied “that neither the king
(Henry VIII.), nor his heirs should
prosper, but that the Duke of Bucking-
ham should govern England.
* I Gent. That devil-monk
Hopkins that made this mischief.
2 Gent. hat was he
That fed him with his prophecies.”
Shakespectre: Hem?'y VIII., ii. 1. w
Hopkins'ians. . Those who adopt
the theological opinions of Dr. Samuel
Hopkins, of Connecticut. These sec-
tarians hold most of the Calvinistic doc-
trines, but entirely reject the doctrines
of imputed sin and imputed righteous-
ness. The speciality of the system is
that true holiness consists in disinter-
ested benevolence, and that all sin is
Selfishness. -
Hopping Giles. A lame person ; so
called from St. Giles, the tutelar saint of
cripples, who was himself lame.
Hopton. When in doubt, kill Hopton.
Sir Ralph Hopton was a Royalist general.
T]uring the Civil Wars we read that
Hopton was killed over and over again ;
thus, in Diurnal Occurrences, Dec. 5th,
1642, we read, “It was likewise this day
reported that Sir Ralph Hopton is either
dead or daugerously sicke.” Five
months later we read in Special Passages,
May 6th, 1643, of Hopton’s death after
a fight on Roborough Down, in Devon-
shire. And again, May 15th, 1643, we
read of his death in A True Relation of
the Proceedings of the Cornish Forces.
Hor'ace. The Roman lyric poet.
IHoraces of England. George, Duke
of Buckingham, preposterously declared
Cowley to be the Pindar, Horace, and
(See STORMs.)
The companion of Chris-
(Bum-
BIoratian 621
Horn-book
Virgil of England (1618-1667). Ben
Jonson is invariably called Horace by
JDekker.
Horaces of France. Jean Macrinus or
Salmon (1490-1557); Pierre Jean de
IBeranger, the French Burns (1780-
1857). .
IHoraces of Spain. The brothers Ar-
gen'sola, whose Christian names were
Lupercio and Bartolme.
Horatian Metre (An). Book i.
Ode iv. In alternate lines, one of
seventeen syllables and the other of
eleven, thus:
^-2 — * - - *-* - * * | *-* ~ *
Below is a translation of the first four
lines in this Horatian metre (rhyming):
Now, that the winter is past, blithe spring to
the balmy fields inviteth, - -
And lo! from the dry sands men their keels
are hau 11 ng ; * -
Cattle no longer their stalls affect, nor the hind
his hearth delighteth, .
Nor deadly Frost spreads over meads her
l'alling. E. C. B.
* See ALCAIC, ASCLEPIADIC, CHORI-
AMBIC, SAPPHIC, etc. (See also HEXA-
METERS, and HEXAMETERS AND JPENTA-
METERS.)
Hora'tio. Hamlet’s intimate friend.
(Shakespeare : Hamlet.)
Horn. Logistilla gave Astolpho at
parting a horn that had the virtue to
appal and put to flight the boldest
knight or most savage beast. (Ariosto :
Orlando Furioso, book viii.)
Astolpho's horn. (See above.)
Cape Horn. So named by Schouten,
a Dutch mariner, who first doubled it.
JHe was a native of Hoorn, in north
IHolland, and named the cape after his
native place.
Jrinking horn. Drinking cups used
to be made of the rhinoceros’s horn, from
an Oriental belief that “it sweats at the
approach of poison.” (Calmet : Biblical
JDictionary.)
Júng Horn. The hero of a French
metrical romance, and the original of
our Horne Childe, generally called
The Geste of Kyng Horn. The nominal
author of the French romance is Mestre
Thomas. Dr. Percy ascribes the
English romance of King Horne to the
twelfth century, but this is probably a
century too early. (See Ritson's
Ancient Romances.)
Horn, Horns.
PHRASES.
My horn hath He evalted (1 Sam. ii. 10;
Ps. lxxxix. 24, etc.). Mr. Buckingham
says of a Tyrian lady, “She wore on her
head a hollow silver horn, rearing itself
upwards obliquely from the forehead.
It was some four inches in diameter at
the root, and pointed at its extremity.
This peculiarity reminded me forcibly
of the expression of the Psalmist, “Lift
not up your horn on high : speak not
with a stiff neck. All the horns of the
wicked also will I cut off; but the horns
of the righteous shall be exalted’ (Ps.
lxxv. 5, 10).” Bruce found in Abys-
sinia, the silver horns of warriors and
distinguished men. In the reign of
Henry W. the “horned head-gear” was
introduced into England, and from the
effigy of Beatrice, Countess of Arundel,
at Arundel church, who is represented
with two horns outspread to a great
extent, we may infer that the length of
the head-horn, like the length of the
shoe-point in the reign of Henry VI.,
etc., marked the degree of rank. “To
cut off '” such horns would be to de-
grade; and to exalt or extend such
horns would be to add honour and dig-
nity to the wearer.
To draw in one’s horns. To retract,
or mitigate, a pronounced opinion ; to
restrain pride. In French, “ ſeentrer les
cormes.” The allusion is to the snail.
To put to the horn. To denounce as
a rebel, or pronounce a person an out-
law, for not answering to a summons.
In Scotland the messenger-at-arms goes
to the Cross of Edinburgh and gives
three blasts with a horn before he
heralds the judgment of outlawry.
“A king's messenger must give three blasts
with his horn, by which the person is understood
to be proclaimed rebel to the king for contempt
of his authority.”—Erskime: Institutes, hook ii. 5.
To wear the horns. To be a cuckold.
In the rutting season, the stags associate
with the fawns: one stag selects several
females, who constitute his harem, till
another stag comes who contests the
prize with him. If beaten in the
combat, he yields up his harem to the
victor, and is without associates till he
finds a stag feebler than himself, who is
made to submit to similar terms. As
stags are horned, and made cuckolds of
by their fellows, the application is
palpable. (See CORNETTE.)
Horn-book. The alphabet – book,
which was a thin board of oak about nine
inches long and five or six wide, on which
was printed the alphabet, the nine
digits, and sometimes the Lord’s Prayer.
It had a handle, and was covered in
front with a sheet of thin horn to
prevent its being soiled ; , the back-
board was ornamented with a rude
TTorn-gate
622,
THorns
sketch of St. George and the Dragon.
The board and its horn cover were held
together by a narrow frame or border of
brass. (See CRISSCROSS ROW.)
“Thee will I sing, in comely wainscoat bound,
And golden verge inclosing thee around ;
The faithful horn before, from age to age
Preserying thy invulnerable page ; , .
Behind, thy patron Saint in armour Shines,
with sword and lance to guard the Sacred
IlléS . . .
Th’ instructive handle's at the bottom fixed,
Lest wrangling critics should per vert the text.”
T'ickell ; The HOT”). Book.
“Their books of stature small they took in hand
Which with pellucid horn Securéd are,
To save from finger wet the letters fair.”
Shenstome: Schoolmistress.
Horn-gate.
of “Dreams; ” the other is of ivory.
Visions which issue from the former
come true. This whim depends upon
two Greek puns; the Greek for horn is
keras, and the verb krano or karanoo
means “to bring to an issue,” “to
fulfil ; so again elephas is ivory, and the
verb elephairo means “to cheat,” “to
deceive.” The verb kraino, however,
is derived from kra, “the head,” and
means “to bring to a head; ” and the
verb elephairo is akin to elčchus,
“Small.”
Anchi'ses dismisses Æne'as through
the ivory gate, on quitting the infernal
regions, to indicate the unreality of his
vision.
“Sunt geminae Somni portaº, quarum altera,
fertull'
Cornea, qua veris facilis datur exſtus umbris ;
\ Altera, candenti perfecta, nitens elephanto :
Sed falsa ad coelum mittunt insomnia. Manès.”
- .* Virgil: AEmeid, vi. 894, etc.
Horn of Fidelity. , Morgan la Faye
sent a horn to King Arthur, which had
the following “virtue’’:—No lady could
drink out of it who was not “to her hus-
band true; ” all others who attempted to
drink were sure to spill what it contained.
This horn was carried to King Marke,
‘and “his queene with a hundred ladies
‘more ” tried the experiment, but only
‘four managed to “drinke cleane.” Ari-
osto's enchanted cººp possessed a similar
spell. (See CHASTITY.)
Horn of Plenty [Cornu-copia].
JEmblem of plenty. . .
Ce'rés is drawn with a ram's horn in
her left arm, filled with fruits and flowers.
Sometimes they are being poured on the
earth from “the full horn,” and some-
times they are held in it as in a basket.
Diodo'rus (iii. 68) says the horn is one
from the head of the goat by which
Jupiter was suckled. He explains the
fable thus: “In Libya,” he says, “there
is a strip of land shaped like a horn,
One of the two gates,
axiom.
bestowed by King Ammon on his bride
Amalthaea, who nursed Jupiter with
goat’s milk. -
“When Almal the 'a's horn
O'er lill and dale the rose-crowned Flora pours,
And scatters corn and wine, and fruits and
flowers.” Cit?moens: Lusiad, book ii.
Horn of Power. When Tam'ugin
assumed the title of Ghengis Khan, he
commanded that a white horn should
be thenceforward the standard of his
troops. So the great Mogul “lifted up
his horn on high,” and was exalted to
great power.
Horn of the Son of Oil (The) (Isa.
v. 1). The son of oil means Syria,
famous for its olives and its olive oil,
and the horn of Syria means the strip of
land called Syria, which has the sea.
bounding it on the west and the desert
on the east.
Horn with Horn Or Horn tinder
Horn. The promiscuous feeding of
bulls and cows, or, in fact, all horned
beasts' that are allowed to run together
on the same common. -
Horns of a Dilemma. A difficulty
of such a nature that whatever way
you attack it you encounter an equal
amount of disagreeables. Macbeth,
after the murder of Duncan, was in a
strait between two evils. If he allowed
Banquo to live, he had reason to believe
that Banquo would supplant him; if,
on the other hand, he resolved to keep
the crown for which “he had 'filed his
hands,” he must “step further in
blood,” and cut Banquo off.
Lemma is something that has been
proved, and being so is assumed as an
It is from the Greek word
laan'bano (I assume or take for granted),
Di-lemma is a double ... lemma, or two-
edged sword which strikes either way.
The horns of a dilemma is a figure of
speech taken from a bull, which tosses
with either of his horns. -
“Teach me to plead,” said a young
rhetorician to a sophist, ‘‘and I will pay
you when I gain a cause.” The master
sued for payment at once, and the scholar
pleaded, “If I gain my cause you must
pay me, and if I lose it I am not bound
to pay you by the terms of our contract.”
The master pleaded, “If you gain you
must pay me by the terms of the agree-
ment, and if you lose the court will com-
pel you to pay me.” -
Horns of Moses' Face. This is a
mere blunder. The Hebrew karaj?
means “to shoot out beams of light,”
but has by mistake been translated in
THIOrns
623
IHorse
some versions “to wear horns.” Thus
Moses is conventionally represented with
horns. “Moses wist not that the skin
of his face shone’’ (Exod. xxxiv. 29);
compare 2 Cor. iii. 7-13: “The children
of Israel could not stedfastly behold
the face of Moses for the glory of his
countenance.”
Horns of the Altar (To the). Usque
ad ſtras amicus. Your friend even to the
horns of the altar—i.e. through thick
and thin. In Swearing, the ancient
Roºmans held the horns of the altar, and
one who did so in testimony of friend-
ship could not break his oath without
calling on himself the vengeance of the
angry gods.
Horne. I’ll chance it, as old IIorne
did his neck. The reference is to Horne,
a clergyman of Notts, who committed
murder, but contrived to escape to the
Continent. After several years of ab-
sence, he returned to England, and when
told of the risk he ran, he replied, “I’ll
chance it.” He did chance it; but being
apprehended, he was tried, condemned,
and executed. (The Newgate Calendar.)
Horner. One who blows the hunting-
horn ; a huntsman or master of the
hounds. Little Jack Horiier was master
of the Abbot of Glastonbury’s hounds.
Hornets (Josh. xxiv. 12). “And I
sent the hornet before you, which drave
them out from before you, even the two
kings of the Amorites.” The Egyptian
standard was a hornet, and in this
passage, “I sent the hornet before you,”
the word hornet must be taken to mean
the Egyptian army.
Hornet's Nest. To ſpoke your head
into a hornet’s mes'. To bring a hornet’s
quest about your ears. To get into trouble
by meddling and making. The bear is
very fond of honey, and often gets stung
by poking its snout by mistake into a
hornet’s nest in search of its favourite
dainty. -
Hor'nie (2 syl.). Auld Hornie. The
devil, so called in Scotland. The allu-
sion is to the horns with which Satan is
generally represented. (See FAIRY.)
Horm'pipe (2 syl.). The dance is so
called because it used to be danced in the
west of England to the pib-corn or horn-
pipe, an instrument consisting of a pipe
each end of which was made of horn.
Horology. The art of measuring
time; or constructing instruments to
indicate time, i.e. clocks and watches,
Hor'oscope (3 syl.). The scheme of
the twelve houses by which astrologers
tell your fortune. The word means the
“hour-scrutinised,” because it is the
hour of birth only which is examined in
these star-maps. (Hora-Skopé0, Greek.)
Horrors (The). Delirium tremens.
Hors de Combat (French). Out of
battle. Incapable of taking any further
part in the fight. - -
“I Horse. Notabilia.
The fifteen points of a good horse :
“A good horse sholde have three propy rices
of a man, three of a woman, three of a foxe, three
of a hadre, and three of an asse.
“Of a man. Bolde, prowde, and hardye.
“Of a womam. Fayre-breasted, faire of heere,
and easy to move.
“Of a ſoare. A fair taylle, short cers, with a
good trotte.
“Of (t haſtre. A grate cyc, a dry head, and well
renny h9.e. -
“Of an asse. A bygge chynn, a flat logge, and a
good hoof.”—Wymlyn de Worde (1496).
Horse. Creator of the horse. Accord-
ing to classical mythology, Poseidon
[Neptune] created the horse. When the
goddess of Wisdom disputed with the
Sea-god which of them should give
name to Athens, the gods decided that
it should be called by the name of that
deity which bestowed on man the most
useful boon. Athéné (the goddess of
Wisdom) created the olive tree, but
IPoseidon or Neptune created the horse.
The vote was given in favour of the
olive-tree, and the city called Athens.
* It was a remarkable judgment, but
it must be remembered that an olive
branch was the symbol of peace, and was
also the highest prize of the victor in
the Olympic games. The horse, on the
other hand, was the symbol of war, and
peace is certainly to be preferred to war.
IIorses (four-in-hand). The first
person that drove a four-in-hand was
Erichthon'ius, according to Virgil:
“Primus Erichthonius currus et quatuor ausus
Jungere equos.” (Reorg. iii. 113.
(Erichthon was the first who dared command
A chariot yoked with horses four in hand.)
A horse wins a kingdom. On the
death of Smerdis, the several competi-
tors for the throne of Persia agreed that
he should be king whose horse neighed
first when they met on the day follow-
ing. The groom of Darius showed his
horse a mare on the place appointed,
and immediately it arrived at the spot
on the following day the horse began to
neigh, and won the crown for its master.
*| Horse (in the Catacombs). Emblem
of the swiftness of life. Sometimes a
palm-wreath is placed above its head to
denote that “the race is not to the
swift,”
FIOrse
624
THorse
Horse (in Christian art). Emblem of
courage and generosity. The attribute
of St. Martin, St. Maurice, St. George,
and St. Victor, all of whom are repre-
sented on horseback. St. Léon is repre-
sented on horseback, in pontifical robes,
blessing the people.
JBrazen horse. (See CAMBUSCAN ; see also
IBARBED STEED, DOBBIN.)
§ Flesh-eating horses. The horses of
Diomed, Tyrant of Thrace (not Diomede,
son of Tydeus); he fed his horses on the
strangers who visited his kingdom. Her-
culês vanquished the tyrant, and gave
the carcase to the horses to eat.
Ilike to the Thracian tyrant who, they say,
Unto his horses gave his guests for meat,
Till he himself was made their greedy prey,
And torn to pieces by Alcidés great.”
Spemsey • Faërie Queene, book V., canto 8.
Wooden horse. (See WooDEN.)
"I Horse, in the British Army :
Jºlliott's Light IIorse. The 15th Hus-
sars of the British Army; so called from
Colonel Elliott. They are now called
the “Ring’s Hussars.”
Taget’s Irregular Horse. The 4th
Hussars; so called from their loose drill,
after their return from India in 1839.
Now called “The Queen’s Hussars.”
The Black Horse. The 7th Dragoon
Guards, or Princess Royal's Dragoon
Guards; called “black” from its facings.
The Blue Horse. The 4th Dragoon
Guards; called “blue ** from their
facings.
The Green? Horse or “The Green Dra-
goon Guards.” The 5th Dragoon Guards;
called “green” from their facings. “The
Drincess Charlotte of Wales's Dragoon
Guards.”
The Royal Horse Guards (called, in
1690, Oaford Blues from their blue
facings) are the three heavy cavalry
regiments of the Household Brigade,
first raised in 1661.
The White Horse. The old 8th Foot;
now called “The King’s” (Liverpool
IRegiment); called the “White Horse”
from one of the badges—a white horse
within the garter.
Horse. The public-house sign.
(1) The White Horse. The standard
of the Saxons, and therefore impressed
on hop pockets and bags as the ensign
of Kent. On Uffington Hill, Berks,
there is formed in the chalk an enor-
mous white horse, supposed to have been
cut there after the battle in which Ethel-
red and Alfred defeated the Danes (871).
This rude ensign is about 374 feet long,
and 1,000 feet above the sea-level. #
may be seen twelve miles off.
(2) The galloping achite horse is the
device of the house of Hanover.
(3) The rampant white horse. The
device of the house of Savoy, descended
from the Saxons.
HORSES FAMOUS IN
IFABLE : -
Abakur (Celtic). One of the horses
of Sunna. The word means the “hot
one.” (Scandinavian mythology.)
Abas'ter (Greek). One of the horses
of Pluto. The word means “away from
º stars” or “deprived of the light of
ay.”
Ab'atos (Greek). One of the horses of
Pluto. The word means “inaccessible,”
and refers to the infernal realm.
Abraajas (Greek). One of the horses
of Auro'ra. The letters of this word in
Greek make up 365, the number of days
in the year. -
Actae'on (Greek, “effulgence”). One
of the horses of the Sun.
A-thon (Greek, “fiery red”). One
of the horses of the Sun.
A'eton. One of the horses of Pluto.
Greek, “swift as an eagle.”
Agnes. (See below, Black Agnes.)
Alborak. (See Borak.)
Alfa'na. Gradasso's horse. The word
means “a mare.” (Orlando Furioso.)
Alige'ro Clavile'no. The “wooden-pin
wing-horse’’ which Don Quixote and
his Squire mounted to achieve the de-
liverance of Dolori'da, and her com-
panions.
Alsvi/duº'. One of the horses of Sunna.
The word means “all scorching.” (Scan-
dinavian mythology.)
Amethe'a (Greek). One of the horses
of the Sun. The word means “no
loiterer.”
Aq'uiline (3 syl.). Raymond’s steed,
bred on the banks of the Tagus. The
word means “like an eagle.” (Tasso :
Jerusalem Delivered.)
Ari'077 (Greek). Hercules’ horse, given
to Adrastos. The horse of Neptune,
brought out of the earth by striking it
with his trident; its right feet were
those of a human creature, it spoke with
a human voice, and ran with incredible
swiftness. The word means “martial,”
?.e. “ war-horse.”
Ar"Indel. The horse of Bevis . Of
Southampton. The word means “swift
as a swallow.” (French, hirondelle, “a
swallow.”) -
Arva'kur. One of the horses of Sunna.
The word means “splendid.” (Scandi-
navian, mythology.) .
Aslo. One of the horses of Sunna,
(Scandinavian mythology.). -
FIISTORY AND
Babie'ea (Spanish, “a simpleton ’’).
The Cid's horse. . He survived his master
two years and a half, during which time
11o one was allowed to mount him ; and
when he died he was buried before the
gate of the monastery at Valencia, and
two elms were planted to mark the site.
The horse was so called because, when
Rodrigo in his youth was given the
choice of a horse, he passed by the most
esteemed ones and selected a rough colt ;
whereupon his godfather called the lad
babiéca (a 'dolt), and Rodrigo transferred
the appellation to his horse.
JBajaj'do. Rinaldo's horse, of a bright
bay colour, once the property of Am'adis
of Gaul. It was found by Malagi'gi, the
wizard, in a cave guarded by a dragon,
which the wizard slew. According to
tradition, it is still alive, but flees at the
approach of man, so that no one can ever,
hope to catch him. The word means of
a “bay colour.” (Orlando Furioso.)
Balºios (Greek, “swift”).
horses given by Neptune to Peleus. It
afterwards belonged to Achilles. Like
Xanthos, its sire was the West-wind,
and its dam Swift-foot the harpy.
Bayard. . The horse of the four sons
of Aymon, which grew larger or smaller
as one or more of the four sons mounted
it. According to tradition, one of the
foot-prints may still be seen in the forest
of Soignes, and another on a rock near
T)inant. The word means “bright bay
colour.” . . . . .
Also the horse of FitzJames.
“Stand, Bayard, stand . . The steed obeyed
With arching neck, and hended head,
And glaring eye, and quivering eaf,
As if he loved his lord to hear.” - - - -
'' . Sir W. Scott: J.ady of the Lake, xviii.
JBarbary. (See Roan Barbary.)
JBe'vis. The horse of Lord Mar’mion.
The word is Norse, and means “swift.”
(Sir W. Scott.)
Black Agnes. The palfrey of Mary
Queen of Scots, given her by her brother
Moray, and named after Agnes of Dun-
bar, a countess in her own right.
I}lack Bess. The famous mare ridden
by the highwayman Dick Turpin, which,
tradition says, carried him from London
to York.
JBlack Saladi/?. Warwick’s famous
horse, which was coal-black. . Its sire
was Malech, and, according to tradition,
when the race of Malech failed, the
race of Warwick would fail also. And
it was so. - ..
}orº(A). The “horse” which con-
veyed Mahomet from earth to the seventh
heaven. It was milk-white, had the
Wings of an eagle, and a human face,
fiorse 625
bridle.”
One of the
Cut.
florse.
with horse's cheeks. Every pace she
took was equal to the farthest range of
human sight. The word is Arabic for
“the lightning.” -
Brig'adore (3 syl.) or Brigliadore
[Bril-yar-dore]. Sir Guyon's horse,
which had a distinguishing black spot
in its mouth, like a horse-shoe in shape.
(Spense, Faërie Queene, v. 2.)
, Brigliado'ro [Bril-ya-do'ro]. Orlan-
do’s famous charger, second only to
Bayardo in swiftness and wonderful
powers. The word means “golden-
(Orlando Furioso, etc.)
J3ronte (2 syl.). One of the horses of
the Sun. The word means “thunder.”
JBronzomarte (3 syl.). The horse of Sir
Launcelot Greaves. The word means.
“a mettlesome sorrel.” -
J3rown Hal. A model pacing stallion.
Duceph'alos (Greek). The celebrated
charger of Alexander the Great. Alex-
ander was the only person who could
mount him, and he always knelt down
to take up his master. He was thirty
years old at death, and Alexander built
a city for his mausoleum, which he
called Buceph'ala. The word means
“ ox-head.” -
Capilet (Grey). The horse of Sir
Andrew Aguedheek. (Shakespeare :
Twelfth Night, iii. 4.) A capilet; or
capulet is a small wen on the horse's.
hock. “ - -- -
Cayman. The Chevalier Bayard’s
horse, given him by the Duke of Lor-
rain. It was a Persian horse from
Rerman or Carmen (Laristan). -
Ce'ler. The horse of the Roman
Tºmperor We'rus. It was fed on almonds
and raisins, covered with royal purple,
and stalled in the imperial palace.
(Latin for “swift.”) . . s
Celºts. The horse of Adrastos, swifter
than the wind (Pausanias). The word
means “fit.” .
Cesar. . A model Percheron stallion.
Clavilăno. (See Aligero.)
Comrade (2 syl.). Fortunio's fairy
horse. " -
Copenha'gen. Wellington's charger
at Waterloo. It died in 1835 at the age
of twenty-seven. Napoleon’s horse was .
Marengo. - -
Curial (Bay). The horse of Lord La-
feu. (Shakespeare : All's Well that
Ends Well, ii. 3.) The word means '
“cropped.” * - - - -
The carrier's horse. (Shake-
speare : 1 FIenry IV., act ii. 1.) A
familiar name of a horse. The word
may be taken to mean either “cas-
trated” or “croppéd.”
40
Horse
626 - Horse
Cy!"laros (Greek). Named from Cylla,
in Troas, a celebrated horse of Castor
or of Pollux. -
Dapple. Sancho Panza’s ass (in the
IIistory of Don Quiacote de la Mancha;
by Cervantes). So called from its colour.
Dw'nos (Greek). Diomed’s horse.
The word means “the marvel.”
Jhuldul. The famous horse of Ali,
son-in-law of Mahomet.
Doomstead. . The horse of the Norns
or Fates. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Eöos (Greek, “dawn'). One of the
horses of Aurora.
Eryth'reos (Greek, “red-producer’”).
One of the horses of the Sun.
Ethon (Greek, “fiery''). One of the
horses of Hector.
Fadda. Mahomet’s white mule.
Perrant d’Espagne. The horse of
Oliver. The word means “the Spanish
traveller.”
JFiddle-back. Oliver Goldsmith’s un-
fortunate pony.
JFrontaletto. Sacripant's charger. The
word means “little head.” (Ariosto :
Orlando Furioso.) .
Fronti'no or Frontin. Once called
“Balisarda.” Roge'ro's or Rugiero's
horse. The word means “little head.”
(Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, etc.)
Galathé (3 syl.). One of Hector's
horses. The word means “cream-
coloured.”
Giblas. A model German coach stallion.
Grané (2 syl.). Siegfried's horse, of
marvellous swiftness. The word means
“grey-coloured.”
Grey Capilet. (See Capilet.)
Grizzle. Dr. Syntax's horse, all skin
and bone. The word means “grey-
coloured.”
Białz'um. The horse of the archangel
Gabriel. (Koran.)
IIar'pagos (Greek, “one that carries
off rapidly.”) One of the horses of
Castor and Pollux.
Hip'pocam'pës (4 syl.). One of Nep-
tune’s horses. It had only two legs,
the hinder quarter being that of a
dragon’s tail or fish.
ſºme Tom. A model shire stallion,
105.
Hrimfaſci. The horse of Night, from
whose bit fall the “rime-drops” which
every night bedev the earth [i.e. frost-
mane]. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Ilderim. A model Arabian stallion.
Incita’tus. The horse of the Roman
Emperor Calig’ula, made priest and con-
sul. It had an ivory manger, and drank
wine out of a golden pail. The word
means “spurred-on.”
Jenny Geddes (1 syl.). Robert Burns's
IIla,I'ê. . .
JKan'taka. The white horse of Prince
Gautama of India (Budda). . .
I(elpy or Kelpie. The water-horse of
fairy mythology. The word means “of
the colour of kelp or sea-weed.” . .
JCervela. A model French coach stal-
lion, 1342. . . "
Lampon (Greek, “the bright one '').
One of the horses of Diomed. .
Lampos (Greek, “shining like a
lamp ’’). One of the steeds of the Sun
at noon. - .
Lamri. King Arthur's mare. The
word means “the curveter.” 4.
Leiston. A model Suffolk stallion,
15. -
Leonatus. A model thorough-bred
stallion.
Marengo. The white stallion which
Napoleon rode at Waterloo. Its remains.
are now in the Museum of the United
Services, London. It is represented in
Vernet's picture of Napoleon Crossing
the Alps. Wellington's horse was
called Copenhagen. - w
Matchless of Londesborough. A model
(See Black Saladin.)
hackney stallion. .
JMalech. * -
Marocco. Banks’s famous horse. Its.
shoes were of silver, and one of its
exploits was to mount the steeple of St.
Paul's. -
Molly. Sir Charles Napier’s mare.
It died at the age of 35.
'obbs. The steed of Dr. Dove of
Doncaster. (Southey.)
'onios. One of the horses of Pluto.
Ore'lia. The charger of Roderick, last
of the Goths, noted for its speed and
symmetry. (Southey.)
Pale Horse (The) on which Death rides.
(Rev. vi. 8.
JPalo º A model trotting stallion.
Passe Brewell. Sir Tristram's charger.
(Hist. of Prince Arthur, ii. 68.) '
Jºeg'asos. The winged horse of Apollo
and the Muses. (Greek, “born near
the pège or source of the ocean.”) Per-
seus rode him when he rescued An-
dromeda.
Phaeton (Greek, “the shining one '').
One of the steeds of Auro'ra. .
Phallas. The horse of Herac'lios. ,
The word means “stallion.” -
Phleg'on (Greek, “the burning or .
blazing one’”). One of the horses of
the Noon-day Sun.
Phºe'nicos. The horse of Hiero, of e
Syracuse, that won the Olympic prize
för single horses in the seventy-third
Olympiad. It means “intelligent.”
Horse
627
THorse
Podar'ge (3 syl.). One of the horses
of Hector. The word means “swift-
foot.”
Prince Royal. A model Belgian stallion.
Pu'roeis [pu'-rö-ice]. One of the
horses of the Noon-day Sun. (Greek,
“fiery hot.”)
Rabica'no or Rab'ican. Argali'a's horse
in Orlando Innamorato, and Astolpho's
horse in Orlando Furioso. Its dam was
Fire, its sire Wind; it fed on unearthly
food. The word means a horse with a
“dark tail but with some white hairs.”
“Rabicano (adj.), que se applica al caballoque
tiene algunas cerdà's blancas in la cola.”—Salvat :
Spanish Dictionary.
Reksh. Rustem’s horse.
Rimfawi. (See Hrimfaſci.)
Boan Barbary. The favourite horse
of King Richard II. -
“When Bolingbroke rode on Roan Barbary
That horse that thou SO Often blast best rid.”
Shakespeare: Richard II., Y. 5.
Jºonald. Tord Cardigan's thorough-
bred chestnut, with white stockings on
the near hind and fore feet. It carried
him through the Balaclava Charge. -
Ros'abelle (3 syl.). The favourite
palfrey of Mary Queen of Scots. t
Rosinan'te (4 syl.). Don Quixote’s
horse, all skin and bone. The word
means “formerly a hack.”
Itos'signol. The palfrey of Madame
Châtelet of Cirey, the lady with whom
Woltaire resided for ten years.
Itoyalty. A model Cleveland bay
stallion.
Saladin. (See Black Saladin.)
Savoy. The favourite black horse of
Charles VIII. of France; so called from
the Duke of Savoy who gave it him. It
had but one eye, and “was mean in
stature.”
Shib'diz. The Persian Bucephalos,
fleeter than the wind. It was the
charger of Chosroes II. of Persia.
Skinfari. The steed which draws the
car of day. The word means “shin-
ing mane.” (Scandinavian mythology.)
Sleipnir (Slipe'neer). Odin’s grey horse,
which had eight legs and could traverse
either land or sea. The horse typifies
the wind which blows over land and
water from eight principal points.
Sorrel. The horse of William III.,
which stumbled by catching his foot in
a mole-heap. This accident ultimately
caused the king's death. Sorrel, like
Savoy, was blind of one eye, and
“mean of stature.”
Spumador. King Arthur's horse. The
word means “the foaming one.”
Strymon. The horse immolated by
Xerxes before he invaded Greece,
Named from the river Strymon, in
Thrace, from which vicinity it came.
Suleiman. The favourite charger of
the Earl of Essex. ..
Tachebrune (q.v.). The horse of Ogier
the Dane.
Trebizond. The grey horse of Ad-
miral Guarinos, one of the French
knights taken at Roncesvallés. -
Veglianti'no [Vail-yan-te-no]. The
famous steed of Orlando, called in French
romance Veillantif, Orlando being called
Roland. The word means “the little
vigilant one.” y
White Surrey. The favourite horse of
Ring Richard III.
“Saddle White Surrey for the field to-morrow.”
Shakespeare: Itichard III., W. 3.
Wzinakh. A model Orloff stallion.
Wooden Horse. (See WOODEN.) -
Xanthos. One of the horses of Achilles,
who announced to the hero his approach-
ing death when unjustly chidden by him.
Its sire was Zephyros, and dam Podargé.
(q.v.). The word means “chestnut-
coloured.”
(See HUNTERS AND RUNNERS.) ->
* O’Donohue's white horse. Those
waves which come on a windy day,
crested with foam. The spirit of the
hero reappears every May-day, and is seen.
gliding, to sweet but unearthly music,
over the lakes of Killarney, on his
favourite white horse. It is preceded
by groups of young men and maidens,
who fling spring-flowers in his path.
(Derrick's Letters.) -
T. Moore has a poem on the subject
in his Irish Melodies, No. vi. ; it is
entitled O’Donohue's Mistress, and
refers to a tradition that a young and
beautiful girl became enamoured of the
visionary chieftain, and threw herself
into the lake that he might Carry her off
for his bride. -:
*| Horse.
IN PHRASE AND PROVERB.
A dark horse. A horse whose merits
as a racer are not known to the general
public.
Flogging the dead horse. (See FLOG-
GING...) t .
Riding the wooden horse. A military
punishment now discontinued.
a flogging-stool.
I will win the horse or lose the Saddle.
Neck or nothing; double or quits. Milton
makes Satan say, “Better to reign in
hell than serve in heaven.” -
Latin : “Aut ter sex, aut tres tes-
serae.” (See TER SEx.)
“Au Caesar, aut nullus.”
It was
fiorse
French : “Tout ou rien.”
“Je veux risquer le tout pour
le tout.” . - -
They cannot draw (or set) horses to-
gether. They cannot agree together.
The French say, “Nos chiems ne chassent
pas ensemble.” -
* 'Tis a Trojan horse (Latin proverb).
A deception, a concealed danger. Thus
Cicero says, “Jºtus, intus, inequam, est
equus Troja'mus” (Pro Murăna, 78). It
was Epêos who made the Trojan horse.
*I 'Tis a good horse that never, stumbles.
Everyone has his faults. Every black
has its white, and every sweet its sour.
Latim : “Quandoque bonus dormitat Homérus.”
Płorace : Ars Poetica, 359.
“Humanum est errãre.” - * -
French: “Il n'y a bon cheval qui ne bronche,” or
“Il n'est si bon cheval qui ne bronche.”
To get upon one’s high horse. To give
oneself airs. (See HIGH HORSE.) -
To set the cart before the horse. (See
CART. w -
When the horse (or steed) is stolen,
lock the stable door. The French say:
“Après la mort, le medicine.” Some-
what similar is: “After beef, mustard.”
Working on the dead horse. (See
WoRKING...)
Horse. Coarse, acrid or pungent, in-
ferior of its kind, rough. “Hoarse’’ is
the Anglo-Saxon häs.
Horse-bean. The bean usually given
to horses for food. -
Horse-chestnut. If a slip is cut off
obliquely close to a joint, it will present
a perfect miniature of a horse’s hock
and foot, shoe and nails. I have cut off
numerous specimens. Probably this has
iven the name horse to the tree. (See
ORSE-VETCH.) -
Horse-faced. Having a long, coarse
face. -
Horse Latitudes. A region of calms
between 30° and 35° North; so called
because ships laden with horses bound
to America, or the West Indies were
often obliged to lighten their freight by
casting the horses overboard when calm-
bound in these latitudes.
“Nothing could have been more delightful
than Qur', run into the horse latitudes. Gales
and dead, calms, terrible, thunderstorms and
breezes, fair, one hour and foul the next, are the
characteristics of these parallels. Numbers of
horses were exported from the mother country,
and it was reckoned that more of the animals
died in these . . . latitudes than in all the rest of
the passage.”—Clark Russell: Lady Mawd, vol. i.
chap. vii. p. 186. -
Horse-laugh. A coarse, vulgar laugh.
“He plays rough pranks , . . and has a big.
horse-laugh in him when, there is a fop to be
roasted.”—Carlyle: Frederick the Great, vol. i.
book i V. chap. ii. p. 305,
62
8
Horse-shoes
*-*.
Horse Marines (The). There is no
such force. The Royal Marines are
either artillery or infantry; there are no
cavalry marines. To belong to the
“Horse Marines” is a joke, meaning
an awkward lubberly recruit.
Horse-milliner. Properly, one who
makes up and Supplies decorations for
horses. -
A horse-soldier more fit for the toilet
than the battle-field. The expression
was first used by Rowley in his Ballads of
Charitie, but Sir Walter Scott revived it.
“One comes in foreign trashery
Of tinkling chain and spur,
A Walking haberdashery
Of feathers, lace, and fur;
In Rowley's antiquated phrase,
Horse milliner of modern days.” . .
Bridal of Triermaim, ii. 3.
Horse-mint. The pungent mint.
Horse-play. Rough play.
Similarly hoarse, having a rough voice
from inflammation of the throat; gorse,
a rough, prickly plant ; goose-berry, a
rough berry; goose-grass, the grass whose
leaves are rough with hair, etc. .
Horse-power. A measure of force.
Watt estimated the “force’’ of a London
dray-horse, working eight hours a day,
at 33,000 foot-pounds (q.v.) per minute.
In calculating the horse-power of a
steam-engine the following is the for-
mula:—
P & A_X U × N deduct 1 for friction.
33,000 I () . . .
P, pressure (in libs.) per sq.inch on the piston.
A, area (in inches) of the piston.
L, length (in feet) of the stroke.
N, number of Strokes per minute.
Horse Protestant. As good a Pro-
testant as Oliver Cromwell's horse. This
expression arises in a comparison made
by Cromwell respecting some person
who had less discernment than his horse
in the moot points of the Protestant
controversy.
Horse-radish. The pungent root.
Horse-shoes were at one time nailed
up over doors as a protection against
witches. Aubrey says, “Most houses
at the west-end of London have a horse-
shoe on the threshold.” In Monmouth
Street there were seventeen in 1813, and
seven so late as 1855.
“Straws laid across my path retard; º
The horse-Shoes nailed, each , threshold's .
guard.”. Gay : Fable xxiii. part 1.
It is lucky to pick up a horse-shoe.
This is from the notion that a horse-shoe
was a protection against witches. . For
the same reason our superstitious fore- . .
fathers loved to mail a horse-shoe on
Horse-vetch
629
IBIOSt.
their house-door. Lord Nelson had one
nailed to the mast of the ship Victory.
* There is a legend that the devil
one day asked St. Dunstan, who was
noted for his skill in shoeing horses, to
shoe his “single hoof.” TXunstan,
knowing who his customer was, tied him
tightly to the wall and proceeded with
his job, but purposely put the devil to
so much pain that he roared for mercy.
Dunstan at last consented to release
his captive on condition that he would
never enter a place where he saw a
horse-shoe displayed.
Horse-vetch. The vetch which has
pods shaped like a horse-shoe ; some-
times called the “ horse-shoe vetch.”
(See HoRSE CHESTNUT.)
Horse and his Rider. One of
AEsop's fables, to show that nations
crave the assistance of others when they
are aggrieved, but become the tools, or
slaves of those who rendered them assist-
ance. Thus the Celtic Britons asked aid
of the Saxons, and the Danish Duchies
of the Germans, but in both cases the
rider made the horse a mere tool.
Horse-shoes and Nails (forrent). In
.1251 WalterleBrun, farrier, in the Strand,
London, was to have a piece of land in
the parish of St. Clements, to place there
a forge, for which he was to pay the
parish six horse-shoes, which rent was
paid to the Exchequer every year, and
is still rendered to the Exchequer by the
Lord Mayor and citizens of London, to
whom subsequently the piece of ground
was granted. - . . . . .
- “In the reign of King Edward I. Walter Mares-
cullus paid at the crucem lapideam six horse-Shoes
with nails, for a certain building which he held
of the king im capite Opposite the St One CrOSS,”—
JBlowºut : Ancient Te?!?!?'éS. , - * ... -
* Horsemen.
Light horsemen.
Those who live by
plundering ships. º
• Heavy horsemen. Those who go aboard
to clear ships. - :-
Horsey Man (A). ... One who affects
the manners and style of a jockey or
horse-dealer. . - . . ..
Hortus Siccus. (Latin, “a dry
y
garden.”) A collection of plants dried
and arranged in a book.
Horus. The Egyptian day - god,
represented in hieroglyphics by a
sparrow-hawk, which bird was sacred to
him. He was son of Osiris and Isis,
but his birth being premature he was
weak in the lower limbs. As a child he
is seen carried in his mother's arms,
wearing the pschent or atí, and seated
on a lotus-flower with his finger on his
lips. As an adult he is represented
hawk-headed. (Egyptian, har or hor,
“the day” or “sun’s path.”) Strictly
speaking, Horus is the rising Sun, Ra,
the noonday Sun, and Osiris the setting
Sun. (Whence Greek and Latin hora,
and our hour.) -
Hose. Stockings, or stockings and
breeches both in one. French, chausses.
There were the haut de chausses and the
bas de chausses. - -
“Their points being broken, down fell their
hose.”—Shakespeare: I Henry IV., ii. 4.
Hospital. From the Latin hospes (a.
guest), being Originally an inn or house
of entertainment for pilgrims; hence our
words host (one who entertains), hospi-
tality (the entertainment given), and
hospitaller (the keeper of the house). In
process of time these receptacles were
resorted to by the sick and infirm only,
and the house of entertainment became
an asylum for the sick and wounded.
In 1399 Katherine de la Court held a
“hospital” at the bottom of the court
called Robert de Paris; after the lapse
of four years her landlord died, and the
tavern or hospital fell to his heirs Jehan
de Chevreuse and William Cholet.
Hospital (The), in Post-office phrase-
ology, is the department where loose
packages are set to rights. -
Hos'pitallers. First applied to those
whose duty it was to provide hospitätſm
(lodging and entertainment) for pilgrims.
The most noted institution of the kind
was at Jerusalem, which gave its name
to an order called the Knights Hospital-
lers. This order was first called that of
the Knights of St. John at Jerusalém,
which still exists; afterwards they were
styled the Knights of Rhodes, and then
Enights of Malta, because Rhodes and
Malta were conferred on them by differ-
ent monarchs. --
“The first crusade ... led to the establishment
of the Christian kingdom of Jerusalem, in 1099.
The chief strength of the kingdom lay in the two
orders of military monks—the Templars and the
Iſospitallers or Knights of St. John.”—Freeman :
General Sketch, chap. xi. - - : ; ; ;
Host. A victim. The consecrated
bread of the Eucharist is so called in the
Latin Church because it is believed to be
a real victim consisting of flesh, blood,
and spirit, offered up in sacrifice. (Latin,
hostia.) At the service known as the
Benediction it is set up for adoration,
and with it the blessing is given in a
transparent vessel calleda “monstrance,”
(Latin, monstrăre, to show.)
BIostage 630
IHOurnd
Host. An army. At the breaking up
of the Roman Empire the first duty of
every subject was to follow his lord into
the field, and the proclamation was
banni're in hostem (to order out against
the foe), which soon came to signify “to
order out for military service,” and
hostem facere came to mean “to perform
military service.” Hostis (military
Service) next came to mean the army
that went against the foe, whence our
word host.
“Dike the leaves of the forest, when summer is
Thai"; with their banners at sunset was
Like i. leaves Of the forest, when autumn has
That, º: .9n the morrow lay withered and
tº: Destruction of Semnacherib, stanza 2.
To reckon without your host. To reckon
from your own standpoint only. Guests
who calculate what their expenses at an
hotel will come to always leave out cer-
stain items which the landlord adds in.
“Found in few minutes, to his cost,
- PHe did but count without his host.”
IButler: Hudibras, pt. i. Canto iii. lines 22-3.
Hos’tage (2 syl.) is connected with
‘the Latin obses, through the Mid. Latin
hostagium, French 6tage or ostage, Italian
-ostaggio.
Hos’tler is properly the keeper of
an hostelry or inn.
Hot. I’ll make the place too hot to
hold him. (See TALUs.)
* I’ll give it him hot and strong. I'll
rate him most soundly and severely.
Liquor very hot and strong takes one's
'breath away, and is apt to choke one,
Hot Cockles. A Christmas game.
One blindfolded knelt down, and being
struck had to guess who gave the blow.
“Thus poets passing time away,
Like children at hot-cockles play.” (1653.)
Hot Cross Buns. Fosbroke says
these buns were made of the dough
kneaded for the host, and were marked
with the cross accordingly. As the
Good Friday buns are said to keep for
twelve months without turning mouldy,
some persons still hang up one or more
in their house as a “charm against evil.”
(See CROSS.) •
* The round bun represents the full
moon, and the cross represents the four
quarters of the moon. They were made
in honour of Diana by the ancient
Roman priests, somewhere about the
vermal equinox. Phoenicians, Carthag-
inians, Egyptians, as well as the Greeks
and Romans, worshipped the moon.
Hot-foot. With speed; fast.
“And the Blackfoot who courted each foeman's
. approach, -
Faith, 'tis hotfoot he'd fly from the stout Father
oach.” Lover.
N.B. The Blackfoot was an Irish
faction, similar to the Terry Alts in the
early part of the nineteenth century.
Hot Water (In). In a state of
trouble, or of anxiety. The reference is
to the ordeal by hot water (q.v.).
Hotch-pot. Blackstone says hotch-
pot is a pudding made of several things
mixed together. Lands given in frank-
marriage or descending in fee-simple
are to be mixed, like the ingredients
of a pudding, and then cut up in equal
slices among all the daughters. (Book
ii.,12.
As to personality: Hotch-pot may be
explained thus: Suppose a father has
advanced money to one child, at the de-
cease of the father this child receives
a sum in addition enough to make his
share equal to the rest of the family.
If not content, he must bring into
hotch-pot the money that was advanced,
and the whole is then divided amongst
all the children according to the terms
of the will, - -
French, hochepot, from hocher, to shake
or jumble together; or from the German
hoch-pot, the huge pot or family caldron.
Wharton says it is haché en poche.
Hotch-potch. A confused mixture
or jumble ; a thick broth containing
meat and vegetables.
“A sort of soup, or lyroth, or brew,
Or hotchpotch of all sorts of fishes.”
Thackeray : Ballad of Bouillabſtisse, Stanza 2.
Hot'spur. A fiery person who has
no control over his temper. Harry Percy
was so called. Lord Derby was some-
times called the “ Hotspur of debate.”
Lytton, in New Timon, calls him, “frank
haughty, bold, the Rupert of debate.”
(See Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV.)
Hottentot. Rude, uncultured, a boor.
As “You are a perfect Hottentot.”
Hou'goumont is said to be a cor-
ruption of Château Goumont; but Victor
Hugo says it is Hugo-mons, and thak the
house was built by Hugo, Sire de Som-
meril, the same person that endowed the
sixth chapelry of the abbey of Villers.
Hound. To hound a person is to
persecute him, or rather to set on per-
sons to annoy him, as hounds are let
from the slips at a hare or stag.
“As he who only lets loose a greyhound out of
the slip is said to hound him at the hare."—
Bramhall. -
Bouqua,
631 BIOuse
Hou'qua. A superior quality of tea ;
so called from Hoque, the celebrated
Hong-Kong tea merchant; died 1846.
Hour. (Greek and Latin, hora.)
At the eleventh hour. Just in time
not to be too late; only just in time to
obtain some benefit. The allusion is to
the parable of labourers hired for the
vineyard (Matt. xx.).
My hour is not yet come. The time of
º death is not yet fully come. The
allusion is to the belief that the hour of
Qur birth and death is appointed and
fixed.
“When Jesus knew that His hour was colme...”
—John Xiii. 1. -
In aſ evil hour. Acting under an
unfortunate impulse. In astrology we
have our lucky and unlucky hours.
In the small hours of the morning.
One, two, and three, after midnight.
To keep good hours. To return home
early every night; to go to bed betimes.
“Se retirer la nuit de bonne heure.” In
Latin, “Tempestive se domum recipëre.”
Hou'ri (pl. Houris). The large black-
eyed damsels of Paradise, possessed of
perpetual youth and beauty, whose vir-
ginity is renewable at pleasure. Every
believer will have seventy-two of these
houris in Paradise, and his intercourse
with them will be fruitful or otherwise,
according to his wish. If an offspring is
desired, it will grow to full estate in an
hour. (Persian, huri ; Arabic, hiriya,
nymphs of paradise. Compare ahivar,
black-eyed.) (The Koran.)
House (1 Syl.). In astrology the
whole heaven is divided into twelve
portions, called “houses,” through
which the heavenly bodies pass every
twenty-four hours. In casting a man’s
fortune by the stars, the whole host is
divided into two parts (beginning from
the east), six above and six below the
horizon. The eastern ones are called
the ascendant, because they are about to
rise ; the other six are the descendant,
because they have already passed the
zenith. The twelve houses are thus
awarded :—
(1) House of life; (2) House offortune
and riches; (3) House of brethren; (4)
House of relatives; (5) House of chil-
'dren'; (6) House of health.
(7) House of marriage ; (8) House of
death (the upper portal); (9), House of
religion; (10) House of dignities; (11)
ouse of friends, and benefactors; §
House of enemies. - . .
"I House. A dwelling.
Like a house afire. Very rapidly.
“He is getting on like a house afire *
means he is getting on excellently.
To bring down the house (in a theatre,
etc.) is to receive unusual and rapturous
applause. -
To keep house. To maintain a separate
establishment. “To go into house-
keeping ” is to start a private establish-
ment. - r
To keep a good house. To supply a
bountiful table. • '.
To keep open house. To give free
entertainment to all who choose to
come. “Omnes benigme mensá occipáre.”
In French, “Tenir table ouverte.”
To throw the house out of the windows.
To throw all things into confusion from
exuberance of spirit (6 des exces de joie).
“Coelum terrae, terram colo miscère ; ” or
“Omnia confundére.” In French, “Jeter
le maison par le fenêtres.”
* House. Race or lineage; as, “the
House of Hanover,” “the House of
Austria.”
House-bote. A sufficient allowance
of wood to repair the dwelling and to
Supply fuel.
House-flag (A). The distinguishing
flag of a company of shipowners or of a
single ship-owner, as, for instance, that
of the Cunard Company. . “
House-leek [Jove's beard]. Grown
on house-roofs, from the Inotion that it
warded off lightning. Charlemagne
made an edict that every one of his
subjects should have house-leek on his
house-roof. The words are, “Et habet
uisque ..supra domum suum Jovis bar-
am.” It was thought to ward off all
evil spirits. Fevers as well as lightning
were at one time supposed to be due to
evil spirits.
“If the herb house-leek or syngreen do grow
on the house-top, the Sanne house is never Stricken
with lightning or thunder.”—Thomas Hill ;
Natural and A rif. Comclusion.
House Spirits. -
Of DENMARK, Nis or Nisse (2 Syl.).
Qf ENGLAND, Puck or Robin Goodfellow.
Of FAROE Isi,ANDS, Niagruisar.
Of FINLAND, Para.
Öf FRAX&R, Esprit Follet.
Of GERMANY, Kobold. -
Qf MUNSTER, Fear Dearg or Red Man.
Of NAPLES, Monaciello or Little Monk,
Of Noit WAY, same as Denmark.
Of SCOTLAND, Brownie.
Of SPAIN, Duende (3 Syl.).
Qf SwitzERLAND, Jack of the Bowl.

Of WAUDOIS, Servant.
. . .” Others of particular houses.
- House-top
632 .
Howard -
. House-top. To cry from the house-
top. To proclaim [it] from the house-top.
To announce Something in the most
public manner possible. Jewish houses
had flat roofs, which were paved. Here
the ancient Jews used to assemble for
gossip ; here, too, not unfrequently,
they slept ; and here some of their fes-
tivals were held. From the house-tops
the rising of the sun was proclaimed,
and other public announcements were
made. * • . "
“That which ye have spoken [whispered] in the
€al' . . . shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
—Luke xii. 3.
House and Home. He hath eaten
Myle out of house and home (Shakespeare :
2 Henry IV., ii. 1). It is the complaint
of hostess Quickly to the Lord Chief
Justice when he asks for “what sum ”
she had arrested Sir John Falstaff. She
explains the phrase by “he hath put all
imy substance into that fat belly of his; ”
“I am undone by his going.”
House of Correction. A gaol
governed by a keeper. Originally it
was a place where vagrants were made
to work, and small offenders were kept
in ward for the correction of their
offences. - - -
House of God (The). Not solely a
church, or a temple made with hands,
but any place sanctified by God's pre-
sence. Thus, Jacob in the wilderness,
where he saw the ladder set up leading
from earth to heaven, said, “This is none
other but the house of God, and this is
the gate of heaven (Gen. xxviii. 17).
House that Jack Built (The). There
are numerous similar glomerations. . For
example the Hebrew parable of The Two
Zuzim. The summation runs thus:–
, 10. This is Yavah who vanquished
. 9. Death which killed .
8. The butcher which slew
The ox which drank. %. - . . .
The water which quenched
The fire which burnt,
The stick which beat
The dog which worried
The cat which, killed -
The kid which, my father bought for two
ZllZll]].
(A zuzim was about = a farthing.)
Household Gods. Domestic pets,
and all those things which help to endear
home. The Romans had household gods
called pe-na'-tes, who were supposed to
preside over their private dwellings. Of
these pe—na'-tes some were called la'res,
the special genii or angels of the family.
One was West'a, whose office was to pre-
serve domestic unity. Jupiter and Juno
were also among the pe-na'-tes, The
modern use of the term is a playful
adaptation. . . - * .
“Bearing a nation with all its household gods
into exile.” L0710ſellow : Evangeline.
Household Troops. Those troops
whose special duty it is to attend the
sovereign and guard the metropolis.
They consist of the 1st and 2nd Tife-
guards, the Royal Horseguards, and
the three regiments of Footguards
called the Grenadier, Coldstream, and
Scots Fusilier Guards. - -
Housel. To give or receive the Eu.
charist. . (Anglo-Saxon, huslian, to give
the hu'sel or host.) . . . .
“Children were christened, and men houseled
and a SSoyled through all the land, except such
aS Were in the lill of excommunication by name
expressed.”—Holimshed : Chronicle. *
Houssain (Prince). Brother of Prince
Ahmed. He possessed a piece of carpet
or tapestry of such wonderful power
that anyone had only to sit upon it, and
it would transport him in a moment to
any place to which he desired to go.
“If Prince Houssain's flying tapestry or Astol-
pho's hippogriff had been shown, he would have
judged them Joy the ordinary rules, and preferred
a well-hung chariot.”—Sir Walter Scott. -
Houyhnhnms (whin'hims). A race
of horses endowed with reason, who bear
rule over a race of men. Gulliver, in
his Travels, tells us what he “saw "
among them. (Swift.)
“Nay, would kind Jove my organ so dispose
To hymn harmonious Houyhnhnms through the
1) OSé, - -
I’d call thee Houbinhnm, that high-sounding
name ; - - ... .
Thy children's noses all should twang the same.”
- - - ... I’ope.
How Do You Do? (See Do.)
How'ard. A philanthropist. John
Howard is immortalised by his efforts to
improve the condition of prisoners. “He
visited all Europe,” says Burke, “not to
survey the sumptuousness of palaces or
the stateliness of temples; not to make
accurate measurements of the remains of
ancient grandeur, nor to form a scale of
the curiosity of modern art; not to col-
lect manuscripts—but to dive into the
depths of dungeons; to plunge into the
infection of hospitals; to survey the
mansions of sorrow and pain; to take
the dimensions of misery, depression,
and contempt; to remember the for-
gotten ; to attend to the neglected; to
visit the forsaken, and to compare the
distress of all men in all countries.” His
plan is original, and it is as full of genius
as it is of humanity: “It was a voyage
of discovery ; aft-circumnavigation of
éharity.” (John Howard; 1726-1790.)
“The radiant path that Howard trod to Heaven."
JBloomfield: Fºrmºr's Bay,
, under gold umbrellas.”—J. W.
Howdah 63
IHudson
The female Howard. Mrs. Elizabeth
Fry (1780-1844).
All the blood of all the Howards. All
the nobility of our best aristocracy. The
ducal house of Norfolk stands at the
head of the English , peerage, and is
interwoven in all our history.
“What could ennoble sots, or slaves, or cowards?
Alas! not all the blood of all the Howards.”
& Pope:-Issay on Mam, Ep. iv. line 216.
* What will “all the blood of all the
Howards” say to Mr. Walter Rye who,
in his History of Norfolk (1885), tells us
that “Howard is from hog-ward,” and
that the original Howards were so called
from their avocation, which was to tend
the pigs.
FIoward. Mr. Bug, late of Epsom
(Surrey), then of Wakefield (Yorkshire),
landlord of the Swan Tavern, changed
his name (June, 1862) to Norfolk Howard.
Howdah. . A canopy, or seat fixed on
the back of an elephant.
“Leading the array, three stately elephants
marched, bearing the Woons in gilded howdahs
* ". Patline,' . Up (tºld
Down the Irrawaddi, chal). xx. p. 169.
How'die (2 syl.). A midwife.
Howitzers are guns used to fire build-
ings, to reach troops behind hills or
parapets, to bound their shells along
lines and against cavalry, to breach mud
walls by exploding their shells in them,
etc. They project common shells, com-
mon and spherical case-shot, carcasses,
and, if necessary, round shot. In a mor-
tar the trunnions are at the end ; in how-
itzers they are in the middle. -
“The howitzer was taken to pieces, and carried
by the men to its destination.”—Grant : I’ersonal
Memoirs, chap. xi. p. 158.
Howieglass (2 syl.). A clever rascal,
the hero of an old German romance
by Thomas Murner, popular in the
eighteenth century. -
Hrimfax'i. (See Horse.)
: Hub. The nave of a wheel; a boss;
also a skid. (Welsh, hob, a swelling, a
protuberance; compare also a hwb.)
The Americans call Boston, Massa-
chusetts, “The hub [boss] of the solar
system.” -
“Boston State-house is the hub of the Solar
System.” – Holmes : Awtocrat of the Breakfast
Table, chap. Yi. p. 143.
“Calcutta Śwaggers as if it were the hub of
the universe.”—Daily News, 1886.
Hu'bal. An Arab idol brought from
Bulka, in Syria, by Amir Ibn-Lohei,
who asserted that it would procure rain
when wanted. It was the statue of a
man in red agate; one hand being lost,
a golden one was supplied, He held in
his hand seven arrows without wings or
feathers, such as the Arabians use in
divination. This idol was destroyed in
the eighth year of “the flight.”
Hubbard (Old Mother). The famous
dame of nursery mythology, who went
to the cupboard to fetch her poor dog a
bone ; but when she got there the cup-
board was bare, so the poor dog had
IlOIl62. -
Hubert (h silent), in Shakespeare's
Júng John, is Hubert de Burgh, Justice .
of England, created Earl of Kent. He
died 1243. - . .
St. JHubert. Patron saint of hunts-
men. He was son of Bertrand, Duc
d’Acquitaine, and cousin of King Pepin.
FIubert was so fond of the chase that he
neglected his religious duties for his
favourite amusement, till one day a stag
bearing a crucifix menaced him with
etermal perdition unless he reformed.
TJpon this the merry huntsman entered
a cloister, became in time Bishop of
Liège, and the apostle of Ardennes and
Brabant. Those who were descended of
his race were supposed to possess the
power of curing the bite of mad dogs.
St. Hubert in Christian art is repre-
sented sometimes as a bishop with a
miniature stag resting on the book in his
hand, and sometimes as a noble huntsman
kneeling to the miraculous crucifix borne
by the stag.
Hu'dibras. Said to be a caricature
of Sir Samuel Luke, a patron of Samuel
Butler. The Grub Street Journal (1731)
maintains it was Colonel Rolle, of
I)evonshire, with whom the poet lodged
for some time, and adds that the name
is derived from Hugh de Bras, the
patron saint of the county. He repre-
sents the Presbyterian party, and his
squire the Independents.
“'Tis sung there is a valiant Mameluke,
In foreign land ycleped [Sir Samuel Luke].”
Butler: Hudibras, i. 1.
Sir Hudibras. The cavalier of Elissa,
of Parsimony. (Spenser: Faërie Queene,
book. ii.) -
Hudibrastic Verse. A doggerel
eight-syllable rhyming verse, after the
style of Butler's Hudibras. -
Hudson (Sir Jeffrey). The famous
dwarf, at one time page to Queen Henri-
etta, Maria. Sir Walter Scott has intro-
duced him in his Peveril of the Peak,
chap. xxxiv. Vandyke has immortalised
him by his brush ; and his clothes are
said to be preserved in Sir Hans Sloane’s
museum, (1619-1678.)
BIue and Cry
634
IEIull
* The person slain in a duel by this
dwarf was the Hon. Mr. Crofts.
“We fought on horseback–breaking ground
and advancing by signal ; and, as I meyer miss
aim, ſ had the misfortune to kill [my adversary]
at the first shot.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the
Peak, chap. xxxiv. - .
. Hue and Cry. A phrase used in
English law to describe a body of
persons joining in pursuit of a felon
..or suspected thief. (French, httée, verb
huer, to hoot or shout after ; Anglo-
Saxon, hui, ho!)
Hug the Shore (To). In the case of
a ship, to keep as close to the shore as
is compatible with the vessel’s Safety,
..when at Sea. “Sey're, la terre.”
Hug the Wind (To). To keep a
ship close hauled. “Serrer le vent.”
Hugger - mugger. The primary
meaning is clandestinely. The secondary
meaning is disorderly, in a slovenly
manner. To hugger is to lie in ambush,
from the Danish hug, huger, huggring,
to squat on the ground ; mugger is the
Danish smug, clandestinely, whence our
word smuggle. # º
... The king in Hamlet says of Polo'-
nius: “We have done but greenly in
hugger-mugger to inter him '’—i.e. to
Smuggle him into the grave clandestinely
and without ceremony.
Sir T. North, in his Plutarch, says:
“Antonius thought that his body should
be honourably buried, and not in hugger-
mugger’’ (clandestinely).
Ralph says:—
“while I, in hugger-mugger hid,
# Have noted all they said and did.”
• * - Lattler : Hudibras, iii. 3.
Under the secondary idea we have the
following expressions:—He lives in a
hugger-ſnugger sort of way; the rooms
'were all hugger-mugger (disorderly).
Huggins and Muggins. Mr. and
Mrs. Vulgarity, of Pretension Hall.
Hugh Lloyd's Pulpit (Merioneth-
shire). A natural production of stone.
One pile resembles the Kilmarth Rocks.
There is a platform stone with a back in
stone. (Hugh pron. You.)
Hugh Perry. An English perver-
sion of “Euper'ion,” a predecessor of
lucifer matches invented by Heurtner,
who opened a shop in the Strand, and
advertised his invention thus—
“To save your knuckles time and trouble,
TJse Heurter's Euperſion.”
(See PROMETHEANs, VESUVLANs.)
Hugh of Lincoln. It is said that
the Jews in 1255 stole a boy named
was buried in state.
France, leader of the Franks.
Hugh, whom they tortured for ten days
and then crucified. Eighteen of the
richest Jews of Lincoln were hanged for
taking part in this affair, and the boy
This is the subject
of The Prioress’s Tale of Chaucer,
which Wordsworth has modernised. In
Bymer’s Foedera are several documents
relating to this event.
Hugin and Mun'in [mind and
memory]. The two ravens that sit on the
shoulders of Odin or Alfader.
“Perhaps the nursery saying, ‘A little bird told
me that,' is a corruption of Hugo and Munin, and
so we have the old Northern superstition linger-
ing among us without our being aware of it.”—
Julia Goddard: Joyce Dormer's Story, ii. 11. (See
Hu'go, in Jerusalem Delivered, Count .
of Vermandois, brother of Philippe I. of
He died
before Godfrey was appointed leader of
the united armies (book i.), but his
spirit was seen by Godfrey amongst the
angels who came to aid in taking Jeru-
salem (book xviii.).
Hugo, natural son of Azo, Marquis
of Esté, who fell in love with Parisi'na,
his father’s young wife. Azo discovered
the intrigue, and condemned Hugo to be
loeheaded. (Byron : Parisima.) , .
Hu'gon (King). The great hobgoblin
of France. - . . .
Huguenot (U-gite-mo). Tirst applied
to the Reformed Church party in the
Amboise Plot (1560). From the German
eidgemossen (confederates). . . .
Huguenot Pope (La pape des. Hugue-
nots). Philippe de Mornay, the great
supporter of the French Protestants.
(1549-1623.) r
Hul'da, [the Benigmant]. Goddess of
marriage and fecundity, who sent bride-
grooms to maidens and children to the
married. (German.) (See BERCHTA.)
Hulda is making her bed. It Snows.
(See above.) • * > . *
Hulk. An old ship unfit for service.
(Anglo-Saxon, httle, from Mid. Latin
hulea, connected with Greek 6Akás = a
ship which is towed, a merchant ship.)
Hulking. A great hulking fellow.
A great overgrown one. ... A hulk is a
big, lubberly fellow, applied to Falstaff
by Shakespeare. It means the body of
an old ship. (See above.)
The monster sausage brought in on Christmas
day was called a haulkin or hawkin. . . . . .
Hull.
“From Hull, Hell, and Halifax
Good Lord, deliver us.”
This occurs in Taylor, the water poet.
Hull is not the town so called, but a
THull Cheese 63
Eurme
furious river in Kingston, very dam-
gerous. In regard to Halifax, the
allusion is to the law that the theft of
goods to the value of 13d. shall subject
the thief to execution “by a jyn.”
Hull Cheese. Strong ale, or rather
& intoxicating cake, like “tipsy cake,”
thus described by Taylor, the water-
poet: “It is much like a loafe out of a
brewer’s basket; it is composed of two
simples—mault and water, . . . . . and
..is cousin-germane to the mightiest ale
in England. (See vol. ii. of Taylor’s
Works.)
Hull'abaloo. Uproar. Irish pulla-
lue, a coronach or crying together at
funerals. (See HURLY-BURLY.)
“All this the poor ould creathure set up such a
pullalue, that she brought the seven l arishes
, about her.”—Dublin amd Londom Magazine (Lough-
leagh), 1825. -
Hul'sean Lectures. Instituted by
the Rev. John Hulse, of Cheshire, in
1777. Every year some four or six ser-
mons are preached at Great St. Mary’s,
Cambridge, by what is now called the
Hulsean Lecturer, who, till 1860, was
entitled the Christian Advocate. Ori-
ginally twenty sermons a year were
preached and afterwards printed under
this benefaction.
Hum and Haw (To). To hesitate to
give a positive plain answer; to hesitate
in making a speech. To introduce hum
and haw between words which ought to
follow each other freely.
Hum’a (The). A fabulous Oriental
bird which never alights, but is always
on the wing. It is said that every head
which it overshadows will wear a crown
(Richardson). The splendid little bird
suspended over the throne of Tippoo
Saib at Seringapatam represented this
poetical fancy.
In the first chapter of the Autocrat of the Break-
fast Table a certain popular lecturer is made to
describe himself, in allusion to his many wander-
ings, to this bird: “Yes, I am like the Huma, the
bird that never lights; being always in the cars,
as the Huma is always on the Wing.”
Hu'man Race (h soft). Father of
the human race. Adam.
Human Sacrifice. A custom still
subsisting seems to prove that the Egyp-
tians formerly sacrificed a young virgin
to the god of the Nile, for they now make
a statue of clay in shape of a girl, which
they call the “betrothed bride,” and
throw it into the river. (Savary.)
Humanita'rians. Those who be-
lieve that Jesus Christ was only man.
The disciples of St. Simon are so called
also, because they maintain the perfec-
tibility of human nature without the
aid of grace.
Human'ities or Humanity Studies.
Grammar, rhetoric, and poetry, with
Greek and Latin (litera: humaniores); in
contradistinction to divinity (litera
divina).
“The humanities . . . is used to designate those
Stüdes which are considered the most specially
adapted for training . . . true humanity in every
man.”—Trench : On the Study of Words, Lecture
ill. I). 69.
Humber. Chief of the Huns, de-
feated by Locrin, Ring of England, and
drowned in the river Abus, ever since
called the Humber. (Geoffrey of Mon-
mouth : Chronicles.)
“Their chieftain Humber namód was aright
Unto the mighty Streame him to betake,
Where he an end of battalland of life did make.”
Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.
Humble Bee. A corruption of the
German hummel bee, the buzzing bee.
Sometimes called the Dumble-dor. Also
Bumble-bee, from its booming drone.
Humble Cow (A).
horns.
“‘That,” said John with a lyroad grin, was
Grizzel chasing the humble cow out of the close.”
—Sir W. Scott: Guy Manmering, chap. ix.
Humble Pie. To eat humble pie. To
come down from a position you have
assumed, to be obliged to take “a lower
room.” “Umbles” are the heart, liver,
and entrails of the deer, the huntsman’s
perquisites. When the lord and his
household dined the venison pasty was
served on the dais, but the umbles were
made into a pie for the huntsman and
his fellows. -
N.B. Pie and patty are both diminu-
tives of pasty. Pasty and patty are
limited to venison, veal, and some few
other meats; pie is of far wider signifi-
cation, including fruit, mince, etc.
Hum/bug. A correspondent in Notes
and Queries (March 5th, 1892) suggests
as the fons et origo of this word the
Italian Uomo buffiardo, a lying man.
* To hum used to signify “to ap-
plaud,” “to pretend admiration,” hence
“to flatter,” “to cajole for an end,”
“to deceive.” -
“He threatened, but behold 'twas all a hum.”
- Peter Pindar, i. 436.
“‘Gentlemen, this humming [expression of
applause] is not at all becoming the gravity of
this court.”—State Th’ials (1660).
Hume (David), the historian, takes
the lead among modern philosophical
sceptics. His great argument is this:
A cow without
It is more likely that testimony should
Humming Ale
636 Hundred-handed
be false than that miracles should be
true. (1711-1776.)
Humming Ale. Strong liquor that
froths well, and causes a humming in
the head of the drinker.
Hummums (in Covent Garden). So
called from_the Persian humoum (a
sweating or Turkish bath).
Hu'mour. As good humour, ill or bad
humour, etc. According to an ancient
theory, there are four principal humours
in the body: phlegm, blood, choler, and
black bile. ... As any one of these pre-
dominates it determines the temper of
themind and body; hence the expressions
Sanguine, choleric, phlegmatic, and mel-
ancholic humours. A just balancemade a
good compound called “good humour; ”
a preponderance of any one of the four
made a bad compound called an ill or
evil humour. (See Ben Jomson : Every
Man Out of His Humour (Prologue).
Humpback (The). -
Gero'nimo Amelunghi, Il Gobo di Pisa
(sixteenth century). -
Andre'a, Sola'ri, the Italian painter,
Del Gobbo (1470-1527).
Humphrey (Master). The imaginary
collector of the tales in Master Hum-
phrey’s Clock, by Charles Dickens.
The good Duke Humphrey. (See GooD
DUKE HUMPHREY.) *.
To dine with Duke Humphrey. To
have no dinner to go to. Humphrey,
Duke of Gloucester, son of Henry IV.,
was renowned for his hospitality. At
death it was reported that a monument
would be erected to him in St. Paul's,
but his body was interred at St. Albans.
When the promenaders left for dinner,
the poor stay-behinds who had no dinner
used to say to the gay sparks who asked
if they were going, that they would
stay a little longer and look for the
monument of the “good duke.” -
To dine with Duke Humphrey in Powl's Walk.
* A similar locution is To sup with
Sir Thomas Gresham. The Exchange built
by Sir Thomas being a common lounge.
“Though little coin thy purseless pocket line,
Yet with great company thou art taken up; "
For often with Duke Humphrey thou dost dine,
And often with Sir Thomas Gresham Sup,”
Haymam : Quodlibet (Epigram. On a Loafer), 1628.
Humpty Dumpty. An egg, a little
deformed dwarf. Dumpty is a corrup-
tion of dumpy (short and thick). A
dump is a piece of lead used in chuck-
farthing. Humpty is having a hump or
hunch. The two mean short, thick, and
round-shouldered,
Hunchback. . Styled My Lord.
Grose says this was done in the reign of
Richard III., when many deformed men
were made peers; but probably the word
is the Greek lordos (crooked).
Hundred. Hero of the hundred fights
or battles. . -
Lord Nelson (1758-1805).
Conn, a celebrated Irish hero, is so
called by O'Gmive, the bard of O’Niel:
“Conn, of the hundred fights, sleeps in
thy grass-grown tomb.” -
Hundred. A county division men-
tioned in Domesday Book; and supposed
to embrace ten tithings for military and
constabulary purposes. If a crime was
committed (such as robbery, maiming
cattle, stack-burning, etc.), these sure-
ties were bound to make it good, or bring
the offender to justice. ,
Northumberland, Cumberland, West-
moreland, and Durham are divided into
“wards” (q.v.).
Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Notts,
into “wapentakes '' (q.v.). , Yorkshire
has also a special division, called
“ridings” (q.v.)
ICent is divided into five lathes, with
subordinate hundreds. (See LATHES.)
Sussex is divided into six rapes (1 syl.),
with subordinate hundreds. (See RAFEs.)
Hundred Days. The days between
March 20, 1815, when Napoleon reached
the Tuileries, after his escape from Elba,
and June 28, the date of the second re-
storation of Louis XVIII. These hun-
dred days were noted for five things:
The additional Act to the constitutions of the
empire, April 22;
The Coalition; ... . -
The Champ de Mai, June 1 ;
The battle of Waterloo, June 18; wº
The second abdication of Napoleon in favour of
his son, June 22.
He left Elba February 26; landed at
Cannes March 1, and at the Tuileries
March 20. He signed his abdication
June 22, and abdicated June 28.
The address of the Count de Chambord, the
prefect, begins thus: “A hundred days, sire,
have elapsed since the fatal moment when your
Majesty was forced to quit your capital in the
midst of tears.” This is the origin of the phrase.
Hundred-eyed . (The). Argus, in
Greek and Latin fable. Juno appointed
him guardian of Io [the cow], but
Jupiter caused him to be put to death;
whereupon Juno transplanted his eyes
into the tail of her peacock. * *
Hundred-handed (The). Three of
the sons of Urānus were so called, viz.
AEgaeonor Briareus [Bri'-a-ruce], Kottos,
and Gygës or Gyès, Called in Greek
Hundred Miles
637
THunter
Hekatogcheiros [ſhek'-ka - ton - ki’ros].
After the war between Zeus and the
Titans, when the latter were overcome
and hurled into Tartarus, the Hundred-
handed ones were set to keep watch and
ward over them. . (See GIANTS.)
* Sometimes the three-headed Cer-
berus is so called, because the necks were
covered with snakes instead of hair.
Hundred Miles (A). Not a hundred
miles off. An indirect way of Saying in
this very neighbourhood, or very spot.
The phrase is employed when it would
be indiscreet or dangerous to refer more
directly to the person or place hinted at ;
as, “Not a hundred miles off, there
is . . .” -
Hundred Years' War (The). The
struggle between France and England,
beginning in the reign of Edward III.,
1337, and ending in that of Henry VI.,
1453. . .
“Sous les régnès de Philippe VI. (de Valois), de
Jean II., de Charles V., V.I., et VI I., en France.”—
Bouillet: Diction?lative d'Histoire, p. 337, Col. 2.
Hungarian. One half-starved; in-
tended as a pun on the word hunger (a.
dinnerless fop).
Hun'gary Water. Made of rose-
mary, sage, and spices; so called because
the receipt was given by a hermit to the
Queen of Hungary.
Hunger geasons Food,
JEnglish :- .
“Hunger is the best sauce.”
“Hunger is good kitchen meat.”
Prench :-- . . . - “. . . .
“Il n'y a sauce que d'appétit.”
“L’appétit assaisonne tout.”
Jatin — -
“Optimum condimentum fames.”
(Socrates.) - - -
“Optimum tibi condimentum est
fames, potionis sitis.” (Cicero.)
“Manet hodieque vulgo tritum pro-
verbium : Famem efficere ut crudae
etiam fabæ Saccharium sapiant.”
(Erasmus.)
Italian :-
“La fame e il miglior intingolo.”
“Appetito non vuol Salsa.” .
The contrary : — .
“The full soul loatheth_a, honey-
comb.” (Prov. xxvii. 7.)
“It must be a delicate dish to tempt
the o'ergorged appetite.” .
(Southey.)
“He who is not hungry is a fastidious
eater.” (Spanish.)
“Plenty makes dainty.”
Hungr (hunger). The dish out of
which the goddess Hel (q.v.) was wont
to feed. -
Hungry.
IIungry as a dog. In Latin, “IRabidus
fame, cent canis.”
IHungry as a hawk.
Hungry as a hunter.
IHungry as a kite. In Tatin, Milvinam
appententiam halère.” (Plautus.) -
. Hungry as a wolf. In French, “Avoir
atme faim de loup.” Another French
phrase is “Avoir un faim de diable.”
Hungry Dogs.
eat dirty puddings.
“To the hungry soul every bitter
thing is sweet.” (Prov. xxvii. 7.)
“When bread is wanting oaten cakes
are excellent.” *
Latin — .
“Jejunus raro stomachus vulgaria
temnit.” (Horace.)
JFrench :- -
“A la faim il n'y a point de mauvais
pain.” -
“A ventre affamè tout est bon.”
“Wentre affamé n'a point d’Oreilles.”
Italian :- - -
“L’asino chi a fame mangia d'ogni
- strame.” -
German –
“Wem kase und brod nicht Schmeckt,
der ist nicht hungrig.” -
IIungry dogs will
Hunia'des, Hunniades, or Huny-
ady (4 Syl.). One of the greatest captains
of the fourteenth century. The Turks
so much feared him that they used his
name for scaring children. (1400-1456,)
(See BogIE.) -
“The Turks employed this name to frighton
their perverse children. He was corruptly de-
nominated. Jamcus, Lain.”-Gibbon: Decliué and
Fall of the Roman Empire, xii. 166.
Hunks. An old hºtn/cs. A screw, a
hard, selfish, mean fellow. (Icelandic,
humskur, sordid.)
Hunt. Like II unt’s dog, he would
Aleither go to church nor stay at home.
One Hunt, a labouring man in Shrop-
shire, kept a mastiff, which, on being
shut up while his master went to church,
howled and barked so terribly as to
disturb the whole congregation ; where-
upon Hunt thought he would take his
Lycisca with him the next Sunday, but
On reaching the churchyard the dog
positively refused to enter. The proverb
is applied to a tricky, self-willed person,
who will neither be led or driven. *
Hunter. Mr. and Mrs. Leo Hunter.
Two lion hunters, or persons who hunt
Hunter's TMoon
68s
-
Hurlo-Thrumbo
up all the celebrities of London to grace
their parties. (Dickens : Pickwick
Fapers.)
The nighty hunter. Nimrod is so called
(Gen. x.9). The meaning seems to be
a conqueror. Jeremiah says, “I [the
Lord] will send for many hunters [war-
#; and they shall hunt [chase] them
[the Jews] from every mountain . . . and
out of the holes of the rocks” (xvi. 16).
“Proud Nimrod first the bloody chase began—
A mighty hunter, and his lyrey was man.”
- Pope: 'Windsor.
Hunter's Moon (The). The month
or moon following the “harvest moon’’
(q.v.). Hunting does not begin until
after harvest.
Hunters and Runners of classic
Ten OWI) :
AgASTOs, who took part in the famous Calydonian
hunt (a Wild boar). - - - - s
ACTALON, the famous huntsman who was trans-
formed by Diana into a stag, because he chanced
to see her bathing. - -
ADQNIs, beloved by Venus, slain by a wild boar
While hunting. . . -
A DFAs'Tos, who was saved at the siege of Thelpes
by the Speed of his horse Arion, given him by
Hercules. -
ATALANTA, who promised to marry the man who
could outstrip her in running.
CAM II, LA; the Swiftest-footed of all the compa-
nion S ()f Diana. -
IADAS, the Swiftest-footed of all the runners of
Alexander the Great, -
MELEA/GIR, who took part in the great Calydo-
Ilian boar-hunt. . - -
ORIZON, the great and famous hunter, changed
into the Constellation, so conspicuous in No-
Yelī) bel'.
PHEIDIPPIDES, who ran 135 miles in two days.
Hunting of the Hare. A comic
romance, published in Weber’s collection.
A yeoman informs the inhabitants of a
village that he has seen a hare, and invites
them to join him in hunting it. They
attend with their curs and mastiffs, pugs
and house-dogs, and the fun turns on the
truly unsportsmanlike manner of giving
puss the chase.
Hunting the Gowk. (See APRIL
FooL.) -
Hunting the Snark. A child’s tale
by “Lewis Carroll,” a pseudonym
adopted by C. Lutwidge Dodgson,
author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonder-
(and, with its continuation, Through the
Looking-glass, etc. (See SNARK.)
Hunting two Hares. He who hºſts
two hares leaves one and loses the other.
No one can do well or properly two
things at once. “No man can serve
two masters.”
Prench :-
“Poursuis deux lièvres, et les man-
ques” (La Fontaine).
“On ne peut tirer ä deux cibles.”
Latin – - •,
“Duos qui sequitur lepores, neutrum
capit.”
“Simul sorbere ac flare non possum.”
“Like a man to double business bound, -
I stand in pause where I shall ſlrst begin,
And both neglect.” a.
Shakespeare: Hamiet, iii. 3.
Hunt'ingdon (called by the Saxons
Pluntantun, and in Doomsday Hunter’s
dune) appears to have derived its namé
from its situation in a tract of country
which was anciently an extensive foreš
abounding with deer, and well suited for
*
the purposes of the chase. y
Huntingdon Sturgeon (A). An
ass’s foal. Pepys, in his Diary, tells us
that during a high flood between the
meadows of Huntingdon and Godman-
chester something was seen floating on
the water, which the Huntingdonians
insisted was a sturgeon, but, being res-
cued, it proved to be a young donkey.
Huon de Bordeaux encounters in
Syria an old follower of the family named
Gerasmes (2 syl.), whom he asks the way
to Babylon. Gerasmes told him the
shortest and best way was through a
wood sixteen leagues long, and full of
fairies; that few could go that way.
because King O’beron was sure to en-
counter them, and whoever spoke to this
fay was lost for ever. If a traveller, on
the other hand, refused to answer him,
he raised a most horrible storm of wind
and rain, and made the forest seem one
great river. “But,” says the vassal, “the
river is a mere delusion, through which
anyone can wade without wetting the
soles of his shoes.” Huon for a time
followed the advice of Gerasmes, but
afterwards addressed Oberon, who told
him the history of his birth. They became
great friends, and when Oberon went to
Paradise he left Huon his successor as
lord and king of Mommur. He married
Esclairmond, and was crowned ‘‘King
of all Faerie.” (Huon de Bordeaux, a
romance). -
Hurdle Race (A). A race in which
the runners have to leap over three or
more hurdles, fixed in the ground at
unequal distances.
Hurdy-gurdy. A stringed instru-
ment of music, like a rude violin ; the
notes of which are produced by the fric-
tion of a wheel.
Hurlo-Thrumbo. A ridiculous bur-
lesque, which in 1730 had an extra-
ordinary run at the Haymarket theatre.
So great was its popularity that a club
TTurly-burly
called “The Hurlo-Thrumbo Society”
was formed. The author was Samuel
Johnson, a half-mad dancing master,
who put this motto on the title-page
when the burlesque was printed:—
“Ye sons of fire, read my Hurlo-Thrumbo,
Turn it betwixt your finger and your thumbo,
And being quite undone, be quite Struck
dullnn)) O.” . .
Hurly-burly. Uproar, tumult, es-
ecially of battle. A reduplication of
hurly. Hurlit-berlu is the French equi-
valent, evidently connected with hºrler,
to howl or yell. (See HULLABALOO.)
*: In the Garden of Eloquence (1577)
the word is given as a specimen of
Onom'atopoeia. ,- - -
“When the hurly-burly's done,
When the battle's lost and won.”
The Witches, in Macbeth i. 1.
Hurrah', the Hebrew ºn T. Our
“Old Hundredth Psalm ’’ begins with
“Shout joyfully [hurrah] to Jehovah ''
The word is also of not uncommon
occurrence in other psalms. See Yotes
and Queries, October 16th, 1880. (Nor-
wegian and Danish, hurra !) (See
HUZZ.A.) :
* The Norman battle-cry was “Ha
Rollo!” or “Ha Rou !” (French, hºtgzer,
to shout aloud; Russian, hoera and
hoezee.) . . . . -
“The Saxon cry of “Out Out, Holy Crosse I'
rose high above the Norman sound of ‘Ha Itou !
Ha Rou, Notre Dame !’”—Lord Lytton : IIarold,
book Xii, chap. 8.
* Wace (Chronicle) tells us that Tity
aie (Thor aid) was the battle cry of the
Northmen.
Hurricane (3 Syl.). A large private
party or rout ; so called from its hurry,
bustle and noise. (See DRUM.)
Hurry. The Mahouts 'cheer on their
elephants by repeating ur-ré, the Arabs
their camelsby shouting ar-ré, the French
their hounds by shouts of hare, the Ger-
mans their horses by the word hurs, the
herdsmen of Ireland their cattle by shout-
ing hurrish. -
Armenian, haura, to hasten ; Latin,
cºro, to run ; etc.) -
Don’t hurry, Hopkins. A satirical re-
proof, to those who are not prompt in
their payments. It is said that one
Hopkins, of Kentucky, gave his creditor
a promissory note on which was this
memorandum, “The said Hopkins is not
to be hurried in paying the above.”
Hurry - skurry. Another ricochet
word with which our language abounds.
It means a confused haste, or rather,
haste without waiting for the dué
ordering of things; pell-mell.
639
(Welsh, gyruſ, to drive;
. Hussites
Hus"band is the house farmer. Bonde
is Norwegian for a “farmer,” hence
bondé-by (a village where farmers dwell);
and hus means “house.” Hus-band-man
is the man-of-the-house farmer. The
husband, therefore, is the master farmer,
and the husband-man the servant or
labourer, “Husbandry'' is the occu-
pation of a farmer or husband; and a
bondman or bondslave has no connection
with bond = fetters, or the verb to bind.
It means simply a cultivator of the soil.
(See WILLEIN.) Old Tusser was in error
when he derived the word from “house-
band,” as in the following distich :-
“The name of the husband, what is it to say 2
Of wife and of house-hold the band and the
*. IIundred Points of Good Husbandry.
Husband's Boat (The). The boat,
which leaves London on Saturday, and
takes to Margate those fathers of fami-
lies, who live in that neighbourhood
during the summer months.
“I shall never forget the evening when we
went down to the jetty to see the Hushands' boat'
come in.”—The Mistletoe Bough.
Husband's Tea. Very weak tea.
Hush-money. Money given to a
person who knows a secret to keep him.
from mentioning it. A bribe for silence
or “hushing” a matter up. -
Hugh'ai (2 syl.), in Dryden’s satire.
of Absalom and Achitophel, is Hyde,
JEarl of Rochester. Hushai was David’s.
friend, who counteracted the counsels of
Achitophel, and caused the plot of Absa.--
lom to miscarry ; so Rochester defeated:
the schemes of Shaftesbury, and brought
to nought the rebellion of the Duke of .
Monmouth. . .*
N.B. This was not John Wilmot,
Earl of Rochester, the wit.
Hussars. Matthias Corvinus com-
pelled every twenty families to provide
him with one horse-soldier free of all.
charge. This was in 1458, and in con-
firmation of this story we are told that.
huss is an Hungarian word meaning
“twenty,” and that ar means “pay.” T.
* When Matthias Corvinus succeeded
to the crown of Hungary (1458), Mo-.
hammed III. and Frederick III. con-
spired to dethrone “the boy king”;
but Matthias enrolled an army of Hus-
sars, and was able to defy his enemies. . .
“Item_si contigerit ut aliqui predones aut
huzarii Hungari aliquam rapinam . . . . intule-
rint . . . .”—A clause in a truce between the Turks
and George Brankovich, May 21st, 1449. *
Hussites (2 syl). Followers of John.
Huss, the Bohemian reformer, in the
Hussy .
fourteenth century. (See BETHLEM-
ENITES.) - - * * -
Hussy. A little hussy. A word of
slight contempt, though in some counties
it seems to mean simply girl, as “Come
hither, hussy.” Of course, the word is
a corruption of housewife or hussif. In
Swedish hustral means woman in general.
It is rather remarkable that mother in
Norfolk has given rise to a similar sort
of word, morther, as “Come hither,
morther”—i.e. girl. Neither hussy nor
morther is applied to married women.
In Norfolk they also say inor for a
female, and bor for the other sex. Moer
is Dutch for woman in general, and boer
for peasant, whence our boor.
Husſterloe. A wood in Flanders,
where Reynard declared his vast trea-
sures were concealed. (Reynard the
JFoa.) - .
IIustings. House - things or city
courts. London has still its court of
JHustings in Guildhall, in which are
elected the lord mayor, the aldermen,
and city members. The hustings of
elections are so called because, like the
court of Hustings, they are the places
of elective assemblies. (Anglo-Saxon,
hºsting, a place of council.) -
1Hutchinso'nians. Followers of
Anne Hutchinson, who retired to Rhode
Island. Anne and fifteen of her chil-
dren were subsequently murdered by
the Indians (died 1643).
Hu'tin. Louis le Hutin. Touis X.
Mazerai says he received the name
because he was tongue-doughty. The
hutinet was a mallet used by coopers
which made great noise, but did not
give severe blows ; as we should say,
the barker or barking dog. It is my
'belief that he was so named because
he was sent by his father against the
“Hutins,” a seditious people of Navarre
and Lyons. (1289, 1314-1316.) ! .
Hutkin. A cover for a sore finger,
made by cutting off the finger of an old
glove. The word hut in this instance is
from the German hºtten (to guard or pro-
tect). It is employed in the German
noun finger-hul (a thimble to protect the
finger), and in the word huth or hºtt.
(See HopBKEN.) -
Huzza 1 (Old French, huzzer, “to
shout aloud; ” German, hussah / (See
HURRAH.)
Huzzy. (See Hussy.)
Hvergelmer. A boild
640
tº ing cauldron
in Niflheim, "Y, hence issues twelve
Fryksos
: . .33;ºs º-
poisonous springs, which generate ice,
snow, wind, and rain. (Scandinavian
7mythology.) . . . . .
Hy'acinth, according to Grecian
fable, was the son of Amyclas, a Spartan
king. The lad was beloved by Apolló,
and Zephyr, and as he preferred thq
Sun-god, Zephyr drove Apollo's quoit at
his head, and killed him. The blood
became a flower, and the petals are
inscribed with the boy’s name. (Virgil :
JEclogues, iii. 106.) - y
“The hyacinth bewrays the doleful “A I,’
And culls the tribute of Apollo's sigh.
Still on its bloom the mournful flower retains
The lovely blue that dyed the Stripling's veins.”
Carnoems: Lusiad, ix. ..
Hy’ades (3 Syl.). Seven nympha
placed among the stars, in the constella-
tion Taurus, which threaten rain when
they rise with the sun. The fable is
that they wept the death of their brother.
IIyas so bitterly, that Zeus (1 syl.), out
of compassion, took them to heaven,
and placed them in the constellation
Taurus. (Greek, huein, to rain.) -
Hybla. Amountain in Sicily, famous
for its honey. (See HYMETTUS.)
Hy/dra. A monster of the Ler'nean
marshes, in Ar'golis. It had nine heads,
and Hercules was sent to kill it. . As soon
as he struck off one of its heads, two shot
up in its place. . . . .
JHydra-headed. Having as many heads
as the hydra (q.v.); a difficulty which
goes on increasing as it is combated.
II/dra-headed multitude. The rabble,
which not only is many-headed numeri-.
cally, but seems to grow more numerous
the more it is attacked and resisted. . . . .
Hyenas were worshipped by the an-
cient Egyptians. Pliny says that a certain
stone, called the “hyaenia,” found in the
eye of the creature, being placed under
the tongue, imparts the gift of prophecy
(xxxvii. 60).
Hygeia (3 syl.). Goddess of health.
and the daughter of AEsculapios. Her
symbol was a serpent drinking from a
eup in her hand. --
Hyksos. A tribe of Cuthites (2 syl.),
driven out of Assyria by Ara'lius and the
Shemites. They founded in Egypt a
dynasty called Hyksos (shepherd kings),
a title assumed by all the Cuthite chiefs. .
This dynasty, which gave Egypt, six or .
eight kings, lasted 259 years, when the
whole horde was driven from Egypt,
and retired to Palestine. - It is from
these refugees that the lords of the
The ‘word is com-
Philistines arose: wº -
pounded of hyk (king) and sôs (shepherd).
Hylas
641,
Bypocrites’ Isle
Hylſas. A boy beloved by Hercules,
carried off by the nymphs while drawing
water from a fountain in Mys'ia.
Hylech (in Astrology). That planet,
or point of the sky, which dominates at
man's birth, and influences his whole
life.
Hymen. God of marriage, a sort of
overgrown Cupid. His symbols are a
bridal-torch and veil in his hand.
Hymer. The giant in Celtic mytho-
logy who took Thor in his boat when
that god went to kill the serpent ; for
which service he was flung by the ears
into the sea. (See GIANTS.)
Hymettus. A mountain in Attica,
famous for its honey. (See HYBLA.)
Hyman Tunes.
“The Heavens are Telling.” (From
IIaydn's Creation.) -
“Marching to Glory.” The tune of
Marching to Georgia. -
“Onward, Christian Soldiers.” One
of Haydn’s Symphonies. -
‘‘IO ! He comes with clouds descend-
ing.” The tune of a hornpipe danced
at Saddler's Wells in the eighteenth
century. (Helmsley.)
“There is a Happy Land.” An Indian
(!!)".
“The Land of the Leal.”
Jae wi”, Wallace bled. -
“Brightest and best of the Sons of the
Morning.” Mendelssohn's Lieder No. 9.
“Sweet the Moments.” The first
sixteen bars of Beethoven's Piano Sonata,
Op. 26 - -
Hymnus Eucharis’ticus. Sung as
the clock strikes 5 a.m. by Magdalen
choir on the summit of Wolsey’s Tower
(Oxford) on May morning to greet the
rising Sun. Some say the custom dates
from the reign of Henry VIII. ; if this
overshoots the mark, no one knows for
certainty a more exact period.
“Te Deum Patrem colymus,
Te laudibus prosequimur ;
Qui Corpus ciborificis,
Coeleşti mentem gratia.”
Scots wha
- *
- Llºymnus Euchctristicus.
Hyperbo'reans (5 syl.). The most
northern people, who dwellbeyond Bo'reas
(the Seat of the north wind), placed by
Virgil under the North Pole. They are
said to be the oldest of the human race,
the most virtuous, and the most happy;
to dwell for some thousand years under
a cloudless sky, in fields yielding double
harvests, and in the enjoyment of per-
petual spring. When sated of life they
crown their heads with flowers, and
plunge headlong from the mountain
Tunneberg or Halleberg into the sea,
and enter at once the paradise of Odin.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
The Hyperbo'reams, it is said, have not
an atmosphere like our own, but one
consisting wholly of feathers. ... Both
Herod'otos and Pliny mention this fic-
tion, which they say was suggestěd by
the quantity of snow observed to fall in
those regions. (Herodotos, iv. 31.)
Hyper'ion. Properly, the father of
the Sun and Moon, but by poets made a
surname of the Sun. Shakespeare makes
it a synonym of Apollo. The proper
pronunciation is Hyperi'on. Thus
Ovid— - -
“Placat equo Persis radiis Hyperiêne cinctum.”
- & - J'asti, i. 385.
“So excellent a king, that was to this
Hyper'ion to a Satyr.” -
- - Shakespeare : II aimlet, i. 9.
Hypermnestra'. Wife of Lynceus
(2 syl.), and the only one of the fifty
daughters of Damãos who did not murder
her husband on their bridal night.
Hypnotism. The art of producing
trance-sleep, or hypno'sis; or the state
of being hypnotised. (Greek, hºſp??0s,
sleep.) - -
“The method, discovered by Mr. Braid, of pro-
ducing this state . . . appropriately designat 'd
... . hypnotism, consists in the maintenance of a
fixed gaze for several minutes . . . on a bright
object placed somewhat above [the line of sight],
at 80 short a distance [as to produce pain].”-
Carpenter: Principles of Mental Physiology, book
ii. Chall). i. p. 65.
Hypochon'dria (Greek, hypo chon-
dros, under the cartilage)—i.e. the spaces
On each side of the epigastric region,
..". to be the seat of melancholy as
al, Cl].S6&LS63.
Hypocrisy. I'hypocrisie est tº
hommage que le vice rend à la vertºt.
(Rochefoucauld.)
Hypocrite (3 syl.). Prince of hypo-
crites. Tibe'rius Caesar was so called,
because he affected a great regard for
decency, but indulged in the most detest-
able lust and cruelty (B.C. 42, 14 to A.D.
37). -
Abdallah Ibn Obba and his partisans
were called The Hypocrites by Mahomet,
because they feigned to be friends, but
were in reality disguised foes.
. Hypſo crites’ Isle, called by Rabe-
lais Chaneph, which is the Hebrew for
“hypocrisy.” Rabelais says it is wholly
inhabited by sham Saints, spiritual come-
dians, bead-tumblers, mumblers of ave-
mari'as, and such like Sorry rogues, who
lived on the alms of passengers, like the
41 *
EIypostatic
642 Iapetos
hermit of LOrmont. (Pantagruel, iv.
63.
Hyposta'tic Union. The union of
two or more persons into one undivided
unity, as, for example, the three persons
of the eternal Godhead. The Greek
hypostasis corresponds to the Latin per-
so'na. The three persons of the God and
three hypostases of the Godhead mean one
and the same thing.
“We do not find, indeed, that the hypostatic
pre-existence of Christ was an article of their
creed [i.e., of the Nazarenes].”—Fisher: Super-
watural Origin of Christianity, eSSay V. p. 319.
Hypped [hipt]. Melancholy, low-
º: Hyp, is a contraction of hypo-
chondria.
Hy’son. One of the varieties of green
tea. “Ains; nommé d'un mot chinois
qui veut dire printemps, parce que c’est
all commencement de cette saison qu'on le
cueille.” (M. N. Bouillet.) -
Hyssop. David Says (Ps. li. 7):
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be
clean.” The reference is to the custom
of someone who was ceremoniously
“clean '’ sprinkling the unclean (when
they came to present themselves in the
Temple) with a bunch of hyssop dipped
in water, in which had been mixed the
ashes of a red heifer. This was done
as they left the Court of the Gentiles
to enter the Court of the women
(Numbers xix. 17).
Hysteron Prot'eron (Greek).
cart before the horse.
The
I
I. This letter represents a finger, and
is called in Hebrew yod or jod (a hand).
I per se [I by itself], i.e. without com-
peer, pre-eminently so. . .
“If then your I [yes] agreement want,
I to your. I [yes] must answer, “No."
Therefore leave off yo. 11. spelling plea,
And let your I [yes] be I per se.'
à.e. let your yes be yes decidedly.
- - * * -- }} its 11tterpreter, p. 116.
* Many other letters are similarly
(See A-PER-SE.).
used; as, A per se.
Thus in Restituta Eliza is called “The
E per se of all that ere hath been.” So
again, “O,” signifies a crier, from “O
yes! O yes!”
covered by . . . the help of a new crier,
called O per se [i.e. superior to his pre-
decessors].” 1666.
Shakespeare, in Troilus and Crossida,
i.2, even uses the phrase “a very man
per se’’=A 1. . . . . -...- ... • ----- - - - - - - - - - -
We have “Villanies des-
I.H.S.—i.e. the Greek IHx, meaning
IHSoiás (Jesus), the long e (H) being
mistaken for a capital H, and the dash
perverted . into a cross. The letters
being thus obtained, St. Bernardine of
Siena, in 1347, hit upon the Latin ana-
gram, Jesus Hom'izzum Salvator. In
Greek, Imaove “Huetepos Sotmp. In Ger-
man, Jesus Heiland Seligmacher. In
English, Jesus Heavenly Saviour.
I. H. S. A notarica of Japheth, Ham,
Seth, the three sons of Noah, by whom
the world was peopled after the Flood.
+-
I.H.S. “If, had salus ”—i.e. “ Hate
Crºtce.” -
I.O.U. The memorandum of a debt
given by the borrower to the lender. It
must not contain a promise to pay. The
letters mean, “I owe You.”
An I.O.U. requires no stamp, unless it
Specifies a day of payment, when it
becomes a bill, and must have a stamp.
I.R.B. Irish Republican Brotherhood,
meaning the Fenian conspiracy.
Iach'imo...[Yak-e-mo). An Italian
libertine in Shakespeare's Cymbeline.
Iago [Ya'go or E-a'-go]. Othello's
ensign or ancient. He hated the Moor
both because Cassio, a Florentine, was
preferred to the lieutenancy instead of
himself, and also from a suspicion that.
the Moor had tampered with his wife ;
but he concealed his hatred so well that
Othello wholly trusted him. Iago per-
suaded Othellothat Desdemo'naintrigued
with Cassio, and urged him on till he
murdered his bride. His chief argument'
was that Desdemona had given Cassio a
pocket-handkerchief, the fact being that
Iago had set on his wife to purloin it.
After the death of Desdemona, Emilia.
(Iago's wife) revealed the fact, and Iago
was arrested. . . . . . . . . . -
: Shakespeare generally makes three
syllables of the name, as – .
“Let it not gall your ratience, good I-a-go. l; I
1... l.
Left in the conduct of the hold I-a-go.
* Tis one I-a-go, ancient to the general.”
Iambic. Father of Iambie verse.
Archil'ochos of Paros (B.C. 714-676).
Ian'the (3 syl.), to whom Lord Byron
dedicated his Childe Harolde, was Lady
Charlotte Harley, born 1809, and only.
eleven years old at the time.
Iap'etos. The father of Atlas and
ancestor of the human race, called geºts
Iäp'eti, the progeny of Iapetus (Greek
and Latin mythology). By many con-
sidered the same as Japheth, one of the
sons of Noah. --
Iberia, . 643
gº
wº-
Iberia. Spain; the country of the
Ibe'rus or Ebro. (See Rowe. On the
Late Glorious Successes.)
Ibe'ria's Pilot. Christopher Colum-
bus. Spain is called “Ibéria,’’ and the
Spaniards the “Ibèri.” The river Ebro
is a corrupt form of the Latin Ibérats.
“ Launched with Ilyeria's pilot from the Steel),
To worlds unknown, and isles beyond the deep.”
Campbell : The Piccºsures of Hope, il.
Ibid. A contraction of ibident (Lat.),
in the same place. -
Ibis or Nile-bird. The Egyptians
call the sacred Ibis Father John. It is
the avatar' of the god Thoth, who in the
guise of an Ibis escaped the pursuit of
Typhon. The Egyptians say its white
plumage symbolises the light of the Sun,
and its black neck the shadow of the
moon, its body a heart, and its legs, a
triangle. It was said to drink only the
purest of water, and its feathers to Scare
or even kill the crocodile. It is also said
that the bird is so fond of Egypt that
it would pine to death if transported else-
where. It appears at the rise of the
Nile, but disappears at its inundation.
If, indeed, it devours crocodiles' eggs,
scares away the crocodiles themselves,
devours serpents and all sorts of noxious
reptiles and insects, no wonder it should
be held in veneration, and that it is
made a crime to kill it. (See BIRDS.)
Ibis. The Nile-bird, says Solinus,
“rummages in the mud of the Nile for
serpents' eggs, her most favourite food.”
Iblis or Jºblis. The Lucifer of Mozlem
theology. Once called Azazel (prince of
the apostate angels). (See EBLIS.) He
has five sons:—
. (1) Tºr, author of fatal accidents; (2)
Atta), the demon of lubricity ; (3)
J)üsim, author of discord; (4) Stºt,
father of lies; and (5) Zalambúr, author
of mercantile dishonesty.
Ibraham. The Abraham of the
IGoran. -
Icar'ian. Soaring, adventurous. (See
* }
ICAROS.) Also a follower of . Cabet, the
Communist, a native of Icaria (last half
of the nineteenth century). º
Icaros. Son of Dae'dalos, who flew
with his father from Crete ; but the sun
melted the wax with which his wings
were fastened on, and he fell into the
sea, hence called the Icarian. (See
Shakespeare : 3 Henry VI., v. 6.)
Ice (1 syl.). To break the ice. To
broach a disagreeable subject; to open
the way. In allusion to breaking ice for
bathers. (Iatin, sci/?'de, e. glaciem :
flection on the clouds.
Ich. Dier.
Italian, romper il giaccio.) (Anglo-
Saxon, is.) -
W 114 not so graceless he, to be ingrate.”
hakespeare: T'ctiming of the Shrew, i. 2.
Ice-blink (The). An indication of
pack-ice or of a frozen surface by its re-
If the sky is dark
or brown, the navigator may be sure
that there is water ; if it is white, rosy,
or orange-coloured, he may be certain
there is ice, for these tints are reflected
from the sun’s rays, or of light. The
former is called a “water sky,” the
latter an “ice sky.” -
Ice-brook. A sword of ice-brook
emper. Of the very best quality. The
Spaniards used to plunge their swords
and other weapons, while hot from the
forge, into the brook Salo [Xalon], near
Bilbilis, in Celtiberia, to harden them.
The water of this brook is very cold.
“It is a sword of Spain, the ice-brook temper.”
- Sivakespºttre : Othelio, V, 2.
“Stevo Bilbilin op/tinian) nietallo
Et, ferro Plai/ealm Suo Sollante; in
Quam fluctu tenui sod inquie/Lo
Arino'rukh Salo tempera/Öor ambit.”
Mºt?'tial.
Ice Saints or Frost Saints. Those
saints whose days fall in what is called
“ the black-thorn winter ’’—that is, the
second week in May (between 11 and
14). Some give only three days, but
whether 11, 12, 13 or 12, 13, 14 is not
agreed. May 11th is the day of St.
Mamertus, May 12th of St. Pancratius,
May 13th of St. Servatius, and May 14th
of St. Boniface. - -
“Ces saincts passent pour saincts groslears,
geleul's, et gateurs du bourgeon.”—Ribclais.
Iceberg. A hill of ice, either floating
in the ocean, or aground. The magni-
tude of some icebergs is very great. One
seen off the Cape of Good Hope was two
miles in circumference, and a hundred
and fifty feet high. For every cubic
foot above water there must be at least
eight feet below. - J
* Iceland Dogs. Shaggy white dogs,
once great favourites with ladies. Shake-
speare mentions them (Henry P., ii. 1).
* Use and custome hath intatained . . . Iceland
dogges curled and rough all over, which, by
reason of the length of their heire make showe
neither of face nor of body.” — Fleming : Of
Bºnglish DoggeS (1576). -
Ich Dien. According to a Welsh tra-
dition, Edward I. promised to provide
Wales with a prince “who could speak
no word of English,” and when his son
Edward of Carnarvon was born he pre-
sented him to the assembly, saying ini
Welsh Eich dyn (behold the man). . . . .
Ichneumon
64 Idle wheel
The more general belief is that it was
the motto under the plume of John, King
of Bohemia, slain by the Black Prince at
Cressy in 1346, and that the Black Prince
who slew the Bohemian assumed it out
of modesty, to indicate that “he served
under the king his father.” e
Ichneu'mon. An animal resembling
a weasel, and well worthy of being de-
fended by priest and prince in Egypt, as
it feeds on serpents, mice, and other
vermin, and is especially fond of croco-
diles' eggs, which it scratches out of the
Sand. According' to legend, it steals
into the mouths of crocodiles when they
gape, and eats out their bowels. The
ichneumon is called “Pharaoh’s rat.”
Ichor (I-Kor). The colourless blood
of the heathen deities. (Greek, ichor,
juice.) . . . - -
Ichthus for Ie'sous, CHristos, THeou
Uios, Soter. This notarica is found on
many seals, rings, urns, and tombstones,
belonging to the early times of Chris-
tianity, and was supposed to be a
“charm' of mystical efficacy.
Icon Basil’ike (4 syl.).
of King Charles I.
“The eikov, or Portraiture of hys Majesty in
hys Solitudes and sufferings . . . was wholly and
only my invention.”—Gauden. : Letter to Clarendon.
Portraiture
Icon'oclasts (Greek, “image break-
ers ”). Reformers, who rose in the
eighth century, especially averse to the
employment of pictures, statues, em-
blems, and all visible representations of
sacred objects. The crusade against
these things began in 726 with the
Emperor Leo III., and continued for
one hundred and twenty years. (Greek,
£kon, an image; klao, I break.) -
“The eighth century, the age of the Iconoclasts,
had not been favourai, ie to literature.”—Isaac
1 aylor: The Alphabet, Vol. ii. chap. viii. p. 159.
Idaean Mother. Cyb'ele, who had
a temple on Mount Ida, in Asia Minor.
Idealism. The doctrines taught by
Idealists. - - -
Subjective idealism, taught by Fechte
(2 syl.), supposes the object (say a tree)
and the image of it on the mind is all
one. Or rather, that there is no object
outside the mental idea. * = .
Objective idealism, taught by Schelling,
supposes that the tree and the image
thereof on the mind are distinct from
each other. . . . - .
Absolute, idealism, taught by Hegel,
supposes there is no such thing as phe-
nomena; that mind, through the senses,
creates its own world. In fact, that
there is no real, but all is mere ideal.
These are three German philosophers:
Hegel (1770–1831).
Schelling (1770-1854).
Fechte (1762-1814).
Idealists. Those who believe in
idealism. They may be divided into
two distinct sections—
(1) Those who follow Plato, who
taught that before creation there existed
certain types or ideal models, of which
ideas created objects are the visible
images. . Malebranche, Kant, Schelling,
Hegel, etc., were of this school.
(2) Those who maintain that all phe-
nomena are only subjective—that is,
mental cognisances only within our-
selves, and what we see and what we
hear are only brain impressions. Of this
school were Berkeley, Hume, Fichte,
and many others.
I'de:3 (1 Syl.). In the Roman calendar
the 15th of March, May, July, and
October, and the 13th of all the other
months. (Latin and Etruscan, idiſſire,
to divide. The middle of the month.
Always eight days after the Nones.)
“Remember March ; the ides of March Tennem-
lyer.” Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iv. 3.
Idiom. A mode of expression peculiar
to a language, as a Latin idiom, a
French idiom. (Greek, id'ios, peculiar
to oneself.) . &
Id'iosyncrasy. . A crotchet or pe-
culiar one-sided view of a subject, a
monomania. Properly a peculiar effect
produced ; by medicines or foods; as
when coffee acts as an aperient; the
electrical current as an émetic, as it does
upon me.” (Greek, idios Sun krasis, some-
thing peculiar to a person’s tempera-
ment.) -
Id'iot meant originally a private per-
son, one not engaged in any public office.
IHence Jeremy Taylor says, “Humility
is a duty in great ones, as well as in
idiots” (private persons). The Greeks
have the expressions, “a priest or an
idiot” (layman), “a poet or an idiot”
(prose-writer). As idiots were not emi-
ployed in public offices, the term became
synonymous with incompetency to fulfil
the duties thereof. (Greek, idio’tés.) (See
BARON.) . .
I'dle Lake. The lake on which
Phaedria or Wantonness cruised in her
gondola. It led to Wandering Island.
(Spense, Faërie Queene, book ii.).
Idle wheel. The middle of three
wheels, which simply conveys the motion
.*
rºle-
Idle Worms 64
of one outside wheel to the other out-
side wheel.
. Suppose A, B, C to be three wheels, B being the
idle or gear wheel. B sinnply conveys the motion
Of A to C, Ol' Of C to A.
I'dle Worms. It was once supposed
that little worms were bred in the fingers
of idle servants. To this Shakespeare
alludes—
º ** A round 1 title worm
Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid.”
Shakespeare : It Jºmeo and Juliet, i. 4.
Idleness. The Lake of Idleness.
Spenser says whoever drank of this lake
grew “instantly faint and weary.” The
Bed Cross Knight drank of it, and was
made captive by Orgoglio. (Spense”.
JFaërie Queene, book i.) -
Idol Shepherd (The), Zech. ii. 17.
“Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth
his flock.” Idol shepherd means self-
seeking, counterfeit, pseudo ; the shep-
herd that sets up himself to be worshipped
by his people instead of God.
Idom'eneus (4 syl.). ICing of Crete,
and ally of the Greeks in the siege of
Troy. After the city was burnt he made
a vow to sacrifice whatever he first en-
countered, if the gods granted him a
safe return to his kingdom. It was
his own son that he first met, and when,
he offered him up to fulfil his vow he
was banished from Crete as a murderer.
(Homer : Iliad.) - .."
Compare the story of Jephthah in
Judges xi. - -
Idun'a, or Idun'.
dwarf Svald, and wife of Bragi.
T)aughter of the
She
kept in a box the golden apples which
the gods tasted as often as they wished
to renew their youth. Loki on one
occasion stole the box and hid it in a
wood; but the gods compelled him to
restore it. (Scandinavian mythology.)
* . Idlina, seems to personify the year
between March and September, when
the sun is north of the equator.
apples indicate fruits generally. Loki
carries her off to Giant-Land, when the
Sun descends below the equator, and he
steals her apples. In time, Iduna, makes
her escape, in the form of a sparrow,
when the Sun again, in March, rises
above the equator; and both gods and
men rejoice in her return.
Ifa'kins. . A corruption of In good
faith. I’ fa’ kin, where kin is equivalent
to dear or good. -
Ifreet or Afreet or Afrit. A powerful
evil jin or spirit of Arabian mythology.
(See AFRIET.) . . . . . . .
FIer
Ignis Fatuus
If"urin. The Hadès of the ancient
Gauls. A dark region infested by ser-
pents and Savage beasts. Here the
wicked are chained in loathsome
caverns, plunged into the lairs of dra-
gons, or subjected to a ceaseless distilla-
tion of poison. (Celtic mythology.)
Iger'na, Igerne, or Igrayne. Wife
of Gorlois, Duke of Tintag'el, in Corn-
wall, and mother of King Arthur. His
father was Uther, pendragon of the
Britons, who married Igerna thirteen
days after her husband was slain. -
Igna'ro. Foster-father of Orgoglio.
Whatever question Arthur asked, the
old dotard answered, “He could not
tell.” Spenser says this old man walks
one way and looks another, because
ignorance is always “wrong-headed.”
(Spenser. Faërie Queene, book i.)
* (See NoN MI RECORDO.)
Ignatius (St.) is represented in
Christian art accompanied by lions, or
chained and exposed to them, in allusion
to his martyrdom. The legend is that
he was brought before the Emperor
Trajan, who condemned him to be made
the food of lions and other wild beasts
for the delectation of the people. Ac-
cording to tradition, St. Ignatius was the
little child whom our Saviour set in the
midst of His disciples for their example.
(About 29-115.) - … - *
I}rother Ignatius. The Rev. James
Leycester Lyne, for some time head of
the English Benedictines at the Norwich
Protestant monastery. Now at Llan-
thony. - * - -
Father Ignatius. The Hon. and Rev.
Geo. Spencer, formerly a clergyman
of the Church of England, who joined
the Roman communion, and became
Superior of the order of Passionists.
(1799–1864.)
Ignatius Loy'ola, founder of the
order of Jesuits, is depicted in art some-
times with the sacred monogram T.H.S.
on his breast, and sometimes as contem-
plating it, surrounded by glory in the
skies, in allusion to his boast that he
had a miraculous knowledge of the
mystery of the Trinity vouchsafed to
him. He is so represented in Rubens',
famous picture in Warwick Castle.
* Igneous Rocks. Those which have
been produced by the agency of fire, as
the granitic, the trappean, and the vol-
canic. (Latin, ignis, fire.)
Ignis Fat'uus means strictly a
fatuous fire; it is also called “Jack o'
* Ignoramus
G46 3-
Iliad .
Lantern,” “Spunkie,” “Walking Fire,”
“Will o' the Wisp,” and “Fair Maid
of Ireland.” Milton calls it Friar's Lam-
thern, and Sir Walter Scott Friar Rush
with a lantern. Morally speaking, a
Uto'pian scheme, no more reducible to
practice than the meteor so called can be
turned to any useful end. (Plural,
Ignes fatiii.) (See FRIAR’s LANTHORN.)
“When thou rannest up Gadshill in the night to
catch my borse, if I did not think thou lladst been
an igm is fatww.s or a ball of wildfire, there's no
purchase in nºoney.”—Shakespeare: 1. Henry I W.,
iii. 3.
* According to a Russian superstition,
.o th g -
these wandering fires are the spirits of
still-born children which flit between
heaven and the Inferno.
Ignora'mus. One who ignores the
knowledge of something ; one really un-
acquainted with it. It is an ancient law
term. The grand jury used to write
Ignoramus on the back of indictments
‘‘ not found ’’ or not to be sent into court.
Hence ignore. The present custom is to
Write “No true bill.”
Ignoramus Jury (An). The Grand
Jury, (See above.)
Ignorantines (4 syl.). A religious
association founded by the Abbé de la
Salie in 1724, for educating gratuitously
the children of the poor.
Igrayne. (See IGERNA.)
Ihram. The white cotton dress
worn by Mohammedan pilgrims to
Mecca, For men, two scarfs, without
seams or ornament of any kind, of any
material except silk : one scarf is folded
round the loins, and the other is thrown
over the neck and shoulders, leaving the
right arm free ; the head is uncovered.
For women, an ample cloak, enveloping
the whole person.
Il Pastor Fido [the Faithful Swain].
This standard of elegant pastoral compo-
sition is by Giovanni Battista, Guari'ni,
of Ferrara (1537-1612). -
II’iad (3 syl.). The tale of the siege
of Troy, an epic poem by Homer, in
twenty-four books. Men'ela'os, King
of Sparta, received as his guest Paris,
a son of Priam (King of Troy), who
ran away with Helen, his hostess.
Men'ela'os induced the Greeks to lay
siege to Troy to avenge the perfidy,
and the siege lasted ten years. The
poem begins in the tenth year with a
quarrel between Agamemnon, com-
mander-in-chief of the allied Greeks,
and Achilles, the hero who retired from
the army in ill-temper. The Trojans
now prevail, and Achilles sends his
friend Patroc'los to oppose them, but
Batroclos is slain. Achilles, in a des-
perate rage, rushes into the battle, and
slays Hector, the commander of the
Trojan army. The poem ends with the
funeral rites of Hector. (Greek, Itias,
genitive, Iliadſos], the land of Ilium.
It is an adjective, and the word means,
“a poem about the land of Ilium.”)
* Probably “AEmeid” is the genitive
of AEnéas, AEnéados, and means a poem
about AEhéas. (See AENEID for another
derivation.) -
Wolf, Herne, and our own Grote, believed the
Iliad to be the work of several poets. R. W.
Browne Says :—
“No doubt was ever entertained by the ancients'
respecting the personality of Homer. Pindar,
Plato, Aristotle, and others, all assumed this fact;
nor did they even doubt that the I littd and Odyssey
were the work of one mind.”—Historical Classical,
Literature, book i. chap. iv. p. 59. -
The “Iliad” in a nutshell. Pliny (vii.
21) tells us that the Iliad was copied in
so small a hand that the whole work.
could lie in a walnut-shell. Pliny's
authority is Cicero (Apud Gellium, ix.
421). Huet, Bishop of Avranches,
demonstrated the possibility of this
achievement by writing eighty verses of
the Iliad on a single line of a page
similar to this “Dictionary.” This
would be 19,000 verses to the page, or
2,000 more than the Iliad contains.
*: In the Harleian MSS. (530) we have
an account of Peter Bales, an English-
man, clerk of the Court of Chancery in
the reign of Queen Elizabeth, under
date of 1590, who wrote out the whole
Bible so small that he inclosed it in a
walnut shell of English growth. (See
NUTSHELL.) .
“Whilst they (as Homer's Iliad in a nut)
A world of wonders in One closet shut.”
On the Moºn unemtal Stone of the T'radesc(tnts
in Latinubeih, Church yet?‘d.
The French Iliad. The Romance of
the Rose, begun by Guillaume di Lorris
in the latter half of the thirteenth cen-
tury, and continued by Jean de Meung
in the early part of the fourteenth. The
poem is supposed to be a dream. The
poet in his dream is accosted by Dame
Idleness, who conducts him to the Palace
of Pleasure, where he meets Love, accom-
panied by Sweet-looks, Riches, Jollity,
Courtesy, Liberality, and Youth, who
spend their time in dancing, singing,
and other amusements. By this retinue
the poet is conducted to a bed of roses,
where he singles out one and attempts
to pluck it, when an arrow from Cupid’s
bow stretches him fainting on the ground,
and he is carried far away from the flower
of his choice. As soon as he recovers,
Iliad
G47,
Illinois
he finds himself alone, and resolves to
return to his rose. Welcome goes with
him ; but Danger, Shame-face, Fear,
and Slander obstruct him at every turn.
Reason advises him to abandon the pur-
suit, but this he will not do; whereupon
Pity and Liberality aid him in reaching
the rose of his choice, and Venus permits
him to touch it with his lips. Meanwhile,
Slander rouses up Jealousy, who seizes
Welcome, whom he casts into a strong
castle, and gives the key of the castle
door to an old hag. Here the poet is
left to mourn over his fate, and the ori-
ginal poem ends. Meung added 18,000
lines as a sequel.
The German Iliad. The Wibelungen-
lied, put into its present form in 1210.
by a wandering minstrel of Austria. It
consists of twenty parts. (See NIBE-
LUNG.)
The Portuguese Iliad. The Latsiad
(7. v.), by Camoens.
The Scotch Iliad. The Epigo'niad,
by William Wilkie, called The Scottish
Homer (1721-1772). The Epigo'niad is
the tale of the Epig'oni, or seven Grecian
heroes who laid siege to Thebes. When
CE'dipos abdicated, his two sons agreed
to reign alternate years ; but at the ex-
piration of the first year, the elder son,
named Eté'oclés, refused to give up
the throne, whereupon Polynikës, the
younger brother, induced six chiefs to
espouse his cause. The allied army laid
siege to Thebes, but without success.
Subsequently, seven sons of the chiefs
resolved to avenge their fathers’ deaths,
marched against the city, took it, and
placed Terpander, one of their number,
on the throne. The Greek tragic poets
AE'schylus and Eurip'idés have drama-
tised this subject.
Il’iad of IIIs (An). I'ias malo'rum
(Cicero: Ad Atticum, viii. 11). A number
of evils falling simultaneously; there is
Scarce a calamity in the whole catalogue
of human ills that finds not mention in
the Iliad, hence the Homeric poem was
the fountain of classic tragedy.
Ilk. The surname of the person
Spoken of is the same as the name of
his estate. It is quite a mistake to use
the phrase “All that ilk” to signify all
of that name or sort. Bethune of that ilk
means “Bethune of Bethune.” (Gaelic,
ilk, clan; Anglo-Saxon, ile, the same.)
Ill-got, Ill-spent. Treasures of
wickedness profit nothing. (Prov. x. 2.)
Ill May-day. The 1st of May, 1517,
when the London apprentices rose up
against the resident foreigners, and did
great mischief. More commonly known
as Evil May-day (q.v.).
Iil Omens averted.
Leotych'idés II., of Sparta, was told
by his augurs that his projected expedi-
tion would fail, because a viper had got
entangled in the handle of the city key.
“Not so,” he replied. “The key
caught the viper.” -
When Julius Caesar landed at Adrume’.
tum, in Africa, he happened to trip and
fall on his face. This would have been
considered a fatal omen by his army :
but, with admirable presence of mind,
he exclaimed, “Thus I take possession
of thee, O Africa '' Told of Scipio
also.
When William the Conqueror leaped
upon the shore at Bulverhythe he fell
on his face, and a great cry went forth
that it was an ill-omen ; but the duke
exclaimed, “I have taken seisin of this
land with both my hands.” -
When the Duke was arming for the
battle, his squire by accident handed
him the back piece before the breast-
plate, an evil Omen, signifying flight.
But the Duke, with ready wit, said,
“Yes, the last shall be first '’—i.e. the
duke shall be king.
Napoleon III. did a graceful thing to
avert an ill omen. Captain Jean Coeur-
preux, in a ball given at the Tuileries,
tripped and fell ; but Napoleon held
out his hand to help him up, saying
as he did so, “Monsieur le Command-
ant, this is the second time I have seen
you fall. The first time was by my side
in the field of Magenta.” Then, turn-
ing to the lady, he added, “Henceforth
Captain Coeurpreux is commandant of
my Guides.”
III-starred. Unlucky; fated to be
unfortunate. Othello says of Desde-
mona, “O ill-starred wench l’’ Of
course, the allusion is to the astrological
dogma that the stars influence the for-
tunes of mankind.
“Where'er that ill-starred home may lie.”
Moore: Fire Worshippers.
III Wind. 'Tis an ill wind that blows
nobody any good. Someone profits by
every loss ; someone is benefited by
every misfortune. , º -
“Except wind stands as never it stood,
It is an ill-wind turns none to good.”
Tussel' : Five Hund" ed. Points of Good -
Husbandry, xiii. .
Illinois, U.S. America. The Dela-
ware Indian word illini (real men) with
the French termination -ois.
Tlluminated
Illumina'ted Doctor. Raymond
Lully (1235–1315). -
John Tauler, the German mystic
(1294–1361). -
Illumina/ti. The baptised were at
one time so called, because a lighted
candle was given them to hold as a
symbol that they were illuminated by
the Holy Ghost.
JFour religious societies have been so
called, viz.: -
(1) The Hesychasts in the fourteenth
century.
(2) The Alombra'dos of Spain in the
sixteenth century.
(3) The Guerinets of France in the
seventeenth century. -
(4) The Mystics of Belgium in the
eighteenth century. .
Add to these the Rosicrucians (q.v.).
The Order of the Illuminati. A re-
publican society, founded at Ingold-
stadt in Bavaria, 1776; having for its
object the establishment of a religion
consistent with “sound reason.”
Illuminations. Characteristics of
Anglo-Saxon illuminations from the
eighth to the eleventh century. Ex-
treme intricacy of pattern.
Interlacings of knots in a diagonal or
square form, sometimes interwoven with
animals and terminating with heads of
serpents or birds. (Sir F. Madden.)
The Durham Book, the work of
Eadfrid, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who
died 721, is a most splendid specimen
of illumination. -
The Benedictional of St. Ethelwold,
an illuminated MS. by Godemann, in
the Duke of TJevonshire's library, is
worthy of Raphael or Michael Angelo.
It was executed between 963 and 984,
and is full of miniatures and designs in
the highest style of art. Beautiful en-
gravings of it may be seen in the
Archabologia.
Illuminator. Gregory, the apostle
of Christianity among the Armenians
(257-331).
Illustrious (The).
Albert W., Duke and second Emperor
of Austria (1398-1439).
Nicome'des II. Epiph'amés (149-191).
Ptolemy W. Epiph'ančs (210, 205-
181 B.C.). . -
Jam-sheid (Jam the , Illustrious),
nephew of Tah Omurs, fifth king of
the Paisdadian dynasty of Persia (B.C.
840-800). . . . . . - *
Riemºjong, fourth of the Manchool
dynasty of China (1736-1796). .
648
Immolate
* Image of God. Wear not the image
of God in a ring. This is the twenty-
fourth symbolic saying in the Protreptics
of Iamblichus, and is tantamount to the
commandment “Thou shalt not take
the name of God in vain.” Pythagoras
meants to teach his disciples by this
restriction that God was far too holy a
being to be used as a mere ornamental
device, and engraved on a ring worn on
a man’s finger, which might be used for
any ordinary purpose. . .
“In annulo Dei figurann ne gestato.”
Images which fell from Heaven.
Tiana of Ephesus (Acts xix. 35). The
same is said of the image of Cybèle
(3 syl.), set up in the temple of Victory
at Rome. * . . .
Im'aum (2 syl.) or Imam. One of
the Ule'ma or priestly body of the Ma-
hometans. He recites the prayers and
leads the devotions of the congregation.
Im'aums wear a high turban. The
Sultan as ‘‘head of the Moslems” is an
Imaum. The word means teacher or
guide.
Ima/us (3 syl.). The Him'alay'a.
The word means snow hills (hima, Snow).
“The huge incumbrance of horrific woods
From Asian Taurus, from Inhaus Stretched
Athwart the roying Tartar's Bullen bounds.”
Thom SO?v : Autumn.
Im"becile (3 syl.). One mentally
weak. Literally, one who leans “on a
stick.” (Latin, imbecillis, from in-
bacillum.)
Imbroca'do (Spanish). Cloth of gold
or silver. - .
Imbroca'ta, in fencing, is a thrust
over the arm. (Italian.)
“If your enemie hee ºn; and skilfull,
never stand about giving any foine or imbro-
cata, but this thrust or stoccata alone, neither it
also ſneyer attempt], unlesse you he sure to hit
him.”—Saviolo : Practise of the Ducllo (1595).
Imbro'glio (Italian). A complicated
plot; a misunderstanding between na-
tions and persons of a complicated
nature.
Immaculate Conception. The
dogma that the Virgin Mary was con-
ceived without Original sin. This
dogma was first broached by St. Bern-
ard, and was stoutly maintained by
Duns Scotus and his disciples, but was
not received by the Roman Catholic
Church as an article of faith till 1854.
Im’molate (3 Syl.). To Sacrifice;
literally, “put meal on one.” The re-
ference is to the ancient custom of
sprinkling meal and salt on the head of
Immortal 649
- it
a victim to be offered in
(Latin, in-molo.) . --
“In the picture of the immolation of Isaac, or
Abralian sacriſleing his son, Isaac is described
as a little boy.”—Brown. -
Immortal. (The). , Yông-Tching,
third of the Manchoo dynasty of China,
assumed the title. (1723-1736.)
Immortal Four of Italy (The).
Dante (1265–1321). -
Petrarch (1301-1374).
Ariosto (1474-1533), and
Tasso (1544-1595).
“The poets read he o'er and o'er,
A nd most of all the illumrortal four
Of Italy.” Longfellow : The Wayside Imm.
Immortal Three (The). Homer,
Dante, and Milton.
“Three poets, in three distant ages lorn,
Greece, Italy, and England did adorn ;
The first in loftiness of thought surpassed,
The next in majesty; in both the last :
The force of nature could no farther go,
To make a third, she joined the other two.”
I}ryden : A Tablet to the Memory of John Milton
(St. Mary-le-Bow, Cleapside). -
‘." It Was originally in the church of All Hal-
10WS, Bread Street. -
(The). John
sacrifice.
Immortal Tinker
Bunyan, a tinker by trade. (1628–1688.)
Immortals. A regiment of 10,000
choice foot-soldiers, which constituted
the body-guard of the Persian kings.
There was also an army so named at
Constantinople, according to Ducange,
first embodied by Major Ducas.
: The 76th Foot were called “The
Immortals,” because so many were
wounded, but not killed, in Hindústan
(1788–1806). This regiment, with the
old 33rd, now form the two battalions
of the West Riding. -
Immortality. Poseidon (Neptune)
bestowed immortality on Taphian, and
confined the gift in a golden lock of
hair. His daughter cut off the lock,
and the gift was lost. This seems very
like the Bible tale of Samson and
Delilah. (See ELECAMPANE.) --
Immu'ring (Latin). , Burying in a
wall. The Vestal virgins among the
Romans,
Roman Catholics,
vows of chastity, were buried in a
niché sufficiently large to contain their
body with a small pittance of bread and
water. The sentence of immuring was
Wade in pace, or more correctly, Pade in
pacem (Go into peace—i.e. eternal rest).
Some years ago a skeleton, believed to
be the remains, of an immured nun,
was discovered in the walls of Colding-
ham Abbey, • * : * ~ *, *
and the nuns among the .
who broke their
Imponderables
The immuring of Constance, a nun
who had broken her vows, forms a
leading incident in Scott's poem of
Mayºmion.
Im’ogen. Daughter of Cymbeline,
the “most tender and artless of all
Shakespeare's characters.” (Cymbeline.)
Imogine. The lady who broke her
vow and was carried off by the ghost
of her former lover, in the ballad of
Alonzo the Brave, by Matthew Gregory
Lewis, generally called Monk Lewis.
“Alonzo the brave was the name of the knight,
And the maiden's the fair Imogine.”
Imp (Anglo-Saxon). A graft; whence
also a child; as, “You little imp.” In
hawking, “to imp a feather” is to
engraft or add a new feather for a
broken one. The needles employed for
the purpose were called “imping
needles.” Lord Cromwell; writing to
Henry VIII., speaks of “that noble
imp your Son.” -
“Let us pray for . . . the king's most excellent
majesty and for . . . his beloyed son Edward,
our prince, that most angelic imp.”—Pathway to
Pratyer. -
Imp of Darkness (An). Milton
calls the serpent “fittest imp of fraud.”
(Paradise Lost, ix. 89.) - --
Impana'tion. The dogma of Luther
that the body and soul of Christ are:
infused into the eucharistic elements
after consecration; and that the bread
and wine are united with the body and
soul of Christ in much the same way as
the body and soul of man are united.
The word means putting into the bread.
. Impanna'ta. The Madon/2a del
Impanylata, by Raphael, takes its dis-
tinctive name from the oiled paper
window in the background. (Italian,
impanmata, oiled paper.)
Impar Congressus Achilli. No
match for Achillès ; the combatants
were not equally matched. Said of .
Troilus. (Pirgil : AEméid, i. 475.)
. Imperial (An). A tuft of hair on
the chin, all the rest of the beard and
all the whiskers being shaved off. So
called from the Emperor Napoleon III.,
who set the fashion.
. Imperium in Imperio. A govern-
ment independent of the general author-
ised government. . . -
Impertinence (4 syl.). A legal term
meaning matter introduced into an affi-
*
davit, etc., not pertinent to the case. .
Impon'derables (Latin, things with-
out weight). Heat, light, electricity,
- Imposition
650
Trl for . It
and magnetism were, it was at one
time Supposed, the phenomena of im-
ponderable substances; that of heat
was called caloric. This theory is now
exploded, but the hypothetical ether is
without appreciable weight.
Imposition. . . A task given as a
punishment, Of course the word is
taken from the verb impose, as the task
is imposed. The term is common in
schools, colleges, and universities. In
the sense of a deception it means to
“put a trick on a person,” hence, the
expressions “to put on one,” “to lay it
on thick,” etc. -
Imposition of Hands. The bishop,
laying his hand on persons confirmed or
Ordained. (Acts vi., viii., xix.)
Impossibilities.
Aſºth' 5.)em (le-all:#:e.
A re. 1:ls a fire.
Latérem la väre.
Pumi e aridius.
In a sino lanan.
English phrases:
Gathering grapes from thistleg.
'6,
Fetching water in a siev
Washing a blackamoor white.
Catching wind in cabbage nets.
Flaying eels by the tail.
Making cheese of chalk.
Squaring the circle.
Turning base metal into gold.
The elixir of life.
Making a silk purse of a Sow's ear.
(And hundréds more.)
Impropria'tion. Profits of eccle-
siastical property in the hands of a lay-
man. Appropriation is when the profits
of a benefice are in the hands of a college.
Latin phrases:
Impro/priator. A layman who has
church lands or ecclesiastical preferment.
(Latin, in-propriºts, belonging to.)
Improve the Occasion (To). To draw
a moral lesson from Some event which
has occurred. In French, “Profitons de
l'occasion.”
Improvis'ators. Persons who utter
We]"SeS lº The art was in-
troduced by Petrarch, and is still a
favourite amusement of
The most celebrated are :
ACCO LTI (Bernardo), of Arezzo, called the “Unico
Areti'no' (1465-1535).
ANTONIANO (Silvio). Eighteenth century.
AQUILANO (Serafi'no), of Aquila (1466–1500).
BANDETTIN i. (See IMPROVISATRIX.)
BERONICIUS (P. J.), Who could convert extem-
pore, into Greek, or Latin verse, a Dutch
newspaper or anything else (died 1676). e
CHRISTOFORO, Surnamed Altissimo, an Italian
the Italians.
(1514). -
CorII, L.A. (See IMPROVISATRIX.) -
GIANNI (Francis). An Italian, made imperial poet
by Napoleon, whose Victories he celejorated in
W’él"Sé) { 1759–1824). -
JFHAN (Nzér). (See IMPROVISATRIX.)
KARSCHIN (A7171& Louisa). (See IMPROVISATRIX.)
MARONE (Andreas). An Italian (1474-1527).
METASTASIO (I’. A. D. B.), of Assisi, who de-
veloped, at the age of ten, a great talent for
•)
extemporising in verse (1698–1782) -
PERFETTI (Bernardino), of Sienna, who received
a laurel crown in the capital, ap honour con-
ferred only on, Petrarch and Tasso (1681-1747).
§ºo (Camillo). An Italian (1470–1528).
to SSI. Beheaded at Naples in 1799.
SERA FINo. (See above, A QUILANo.) .
SESTINI (Bartolomeo). An Italian (died 1822). . .
SG RICCI. (Tomºnaso), of Tuscany, (1788-1832. His
Death of Charles I., Death of Ma y Quteam of
Scots, and Fall of Missolonghi, are very cele-
}) rated. -
TADDRI (Rosa). (See IMPROVISATRIX.)
ZUCCo (Marco Antonio, of Verona (died 1764).
‘." To these add Ciccioni, Pindocci, the brothers
Clerc of Holland, Wolf of Altötla, Langen-
Schwarz of Germany, Eugène dº Pradel of
France, and our own Tholhas Hood (1798-1845".
Improvis'atrix or Emprovisatrice.
The most famous improvisatrices or
female improvisators are:
MARIA MAG DALE’NA MoRFI.I.I FERNANDFZ, sur-
named the Olympic Corilla, crowned at Renie
for improvisation (1740–1800). *
TERE's A BANDETTI’NI (1763-").
ROSATA DIDFI (1801-”). -
SIGNORA. MAZZEI, the most talented of all.
NUR JEHAN, of Bengal (d. 1645). She was the
in Yentor of the Otto of RoseS. -
ANNA LOUISA KARCHIN, a German (1722-1791.)
In Caena Dom'ini. A papal bull,
containing a collection of extracts from
different constitutions of the popes, with
anathemas against those who violate
them ; so called from the words with
which it commences.
In Commen'dam (Latin). The hold-
ing of church preferment for a time, on
the recommendation of the Crown, till
a suitable person can be provided. Thus
a clergyman who has been elevated to
the bench retains for a time his “living ”
in commendam.
In Esse (Latin). In actual exist-
ence. Thus a child living is “in esse,”
but before birth is only “in posse.”
In Extenso (Latin). At full length,
word for word, without abridgment.
In Extremis. At the very point of
death. “In articiilo mortis.”
In Fi’eri. In the course of accom-
plishment; on the way.
In Flagrante Delicto. Red-handed;
in the very fact. “Il a été pris en
flagrant délit,” i.e. “Sur le fait.”
In for a Penny in for a Pound.
I may as well “be hung for a sheep as a
lamb.” If the punishment is the same,
then it is worth the risk to commit the
offence which brings the greatest profit.
En for It. About “to catch it; ” On
the point of being in trouble. -
“You are in for it, I can tell you; I would not :
stand in your shoºs for Something.”, . - -
-
Tri Forma (3
Tnch
In Forma, Pau/peris. A person
who will swear he is not worth £5 has
Writs, etc., gratis, and is supplied gra-
tuitously with attorney and counsel
(Henry VII., c. 12).
In Gremio Legis.
tection of the law.
In Lim'ine (Latin). At the outset,
at the threshold.
. In Lcco Parentis. One who stands
in a parent’s place.
In Medias Res. In the middle of
the subject. In novels and epic poetry,
the author generally begins with some
catastrophe, which is explained as the
tale unfolds. In history, on the other
hand, the author begins ab ovo.
In Mormoriano.
In Nubibus. In the clouds; not in
actual existence; in contemplation.
In Partibus [Infidelium]. In a
non-Christian country. A “bishop in
partibus ”... means a bishop in any
country, Christian or otherwise, whose
title is from some old see which has
fallen away from the Catholic faith.
Thus, in England, the Bishop of Cisa-
mus, the Bishop of Emmaus, the Bishop
of Amycla, are bishops in partibus. Dr.
Wiseman was Bishop of Melipotamus
before he was Archbishop of West-
ºminster. A bishop in partibus does not
mean a bishop in a land of infidels; he
* iáy be so, but this would not make him
a'bishop in partibus.
In Perpetuam (Latin).
petuity, for ever.
In Petto (Italian). Held in reserve,
kept back, something done privately,
and not announced to the general public.
(In pectore [Latin], in the breast.)
Cardinals in petto. Cardinals about
to be elected, but not yet publicly an-
nounced. Their names are in pect'ſ re
(of the Pope).
In Posse (Latin). What may be
considered probable, but has not yet any
real existence.
In Propria Persona (Latin). Per-
Sonally, and Lot by deputy or agents.
In Prospect'u (Latin). What is
intended or in contemplation to be done
at some future time. - -
In Re (Latin). In the matter of ; on
the subject of ; as In re Jones v. Robin-
son. But in rem, against the property
or thing referred to.
Tinder the pro-
In memory of.
In per-
In Siſtu (Latin). In its original
place.
In Stat'u Quo or In stat'll quo ante
(Latin). In the condition things were
before the change took place. Thus,
two nations arming for war may agree
to lay down, arms on condition that all
things be restored to the same state as
they were before they took up arms.
In Terro'rem (Latin). As a warn-
ing, to deter others by terrifying them.
In Toto (Latin). Intirely, alto-
gether. -
In Vae'uo (Latin). In a vacuum—
?.e. in a space from which, nominally
altogether, and really almost, all the
air has been taken away.
In-and-In. A game with four dice,
once extremely common, and frequently
alluded to. “In '' is a throw of doubles,
“in-and-in' a throw of double doubles,
which sweeps the board. -
“I have seen three persons sit down at twelve-
penny in-and-in, and each draw 405, a-piece."—
Nicker Nicked. -
Ins and Outs of the Matter (The).
All the details, both direct and indirect.
“If you want to know the ins and outs of the
Yankees . . . . I know all their points, Shape,
make, and breed.”—Haliburton.
* Sometimes the “Ins” means those
in office, and the “Outs” those out of
office, or in Opposition.
Inau'gurate (4 Syl.) means to be led
in by augurs. The Roman augurs met
at their college doors the high officials
about to be invested, and led them up to
the altar; hence to install.
Inca. A king or royal prince of the
ancient Peruvians. The empire of the
Incas was founded by Manco Capac.
“The Inca was a war-chief, elected by the
Council to carry out its decision.”-Brintom . The
A merican Race (§ owth American Tribes), part i.
chap. ii. p. 211.
Encantaſtion. A singing against,
that is, singing a set form of words in
order to bring Divine wrath upon persons
or nations. -
Incarnadine (To). To make red.
(Latin, incarnótus color, carnation).
“No, this my hand will father
The multitudinous Bea, incarnaúine,
Making the green—one red.’ - -
- Shakespeare : Macbeth, ii. 8.
Inch of Candle (Sold by). A sale by
auction. Instead of the hammer of the
auctioneer concluding the bids, the
purchaser was the last bidder before the
candle went out. Another plan is to
Inchcape
stick a pin in a candle, and when the
pin drops down, the sale of the article
is concluded. . . -
“I)own were tumbled miracle and martyr,
l’ut up in lots, and Sold by inch of candle.”
I'éter Pimdar : Lyric Odes, xiii.
Inchcape Rock. Twelve miles
from land, in the German Sea. It is
dangerous for navigators, and therefore
the abbot of Aberbrothok fixed a bell on
a float, which gave notice to sailors of
its whereabouts. Ralph the Rover, a sea
pirate, cut the bell from the float, and
was wrecked on his return home on the
very rock. Southey has a ballad on the
subject.
Precisely the same tale is told of St.
Goven’s bell, in Pembrokeshire. In the
chapel was a silver bell, which was stolen
one summer evening by pirates, but no
sooner had the boat put to sea than all
the crew was wrecked. The silver bell
was carried by sea-nymphs to the brink
of a well, and whenever the stone of
that well is struck the bell is heard to
IſlO3. Il.
N.B. Inch or Innis means island.
In cog.—i.e. Incog'nito (Italian).
|Under an assumed name or title. When
a royal person travels, and does not wish
to be treated with royal ceremony, he
assumes some inferior title for the nonce,
and travels incog.
Incorruptible (Thé). Robespierre
(1754-1794). Robert Walpole says that
William Shippen was the only man he
knew who was proof against a bribe.
“Even the ‘Incorruptible' himself fell from his
original ideal.”—Nineteenth Century, August, 1893,
). 272. -
In'cubus. A nightmare, anything
that weighs heavily on the mind. At
one time supposed to consort with women
in their sleep. (Latin, in cubo, to lie on.)
“Merlin was the son of no mortal father, but of
an Incubus ; one of a class of beings not absolutely
wicked, but, far from good, who inhabit the
regions of the air.”—Bulfinch : Age of Chivalry,
part i. chap. iii. 1). 50.
Indenture. A written contract; SO
called because the skin on which it was
written in duplicate was divided with
an indented edge, to fit into each other.
Independence. The Declaration of
Independence. A declaration made July
4th, 1776, by the American States, de-
claring the colonies free and indepen-
dent, absolved from all allegiance to
Great Britain. r
Independence. Day (July 4th). So
called in the United States of America.
(See above.) -" - 3 - e. - - . . . . .
652,
•,
Thdiari
Indepen'dents. Certain Dissenters
are so called, whose fundamental prin-
ciple is that every congregation is an
independent church, and has a right to
choose its own minister and make its
own laws. -
Index (The). The “Roman Index”
contains both the Indea: Librörum Pro-
habitórum and the Index: Earpurgatórius.
The former contains a list of such books
as are absolutely forbidden to be read
by faithful Catholics. The latter con-
tains such books as are forbidden till
certain parts are omitted or amended.
The lists are made out by a board of
cardinals called the “Congregation of
the Index.” Of course, it is wholly
impossible to keep pace with the present
issue of books; but, besides the Pro-
testant Bibles, and the works of such
heretics as Arius and Calvin, we find in
the lists the following well-known
Ilä.II 19 S : —
Of English authors : Addison, Bacon,
Gibbon, Goldsmith, Hallam, Locke, J
S. Mill, Milton, Robertson, Archbishop
Whately, etc., and even some children's
tales.
Of French authors : Arnauld, Calvin,
Descartes, Fénelon, l’Abbé Fleury, Male-
branche, Voltaire, etc.
Of Italian authors : Dante, Guicciar-
dini, Sismondi, etc.
Of German authors : Kant, Luther,
etc.
“Under the auspices of Cardinal. Carafſa ( part
iv.), the Inquisition was introduced into Italy.
(1542), and exerted the utmost vigilance and sc-
yerity in crushing out the new faith, and , the
index of -prohibited books was established.”—
Fisher: Universal IIistory, part iii. period ii, chal),
i V. p. 414 -
India, Ink or Chinese ink. So called
because it was first brought from China.
It is now made at home of lampblack
and glue.
India, Paper. A printing - paper
made in China and Japan from veget-
able fibre, and used for taking off the
finest proofs of engraved plates. Pro-
nounce Indi’ paper.
India. Proof. The proof of an en-
graving on India paper, before lettering.
Indian Arrowroot. The root which
the Indians apply to arrow-wounds to
neutralise the venom of the arrow.
They mash the meal, and apply it as a
poultice. (Miller.) -
* Indian Drug (The). Tobacco.
“His breath compounded of strong English beere,
And th’ Indian drug, would suffer none Come
Ineere,
Taylor, the Water Poet (1630).
Indian
Indian File (In). One by one. The
American Indians, when they go on an
expedition, march one by One. The One
behind carefully steps in the footprints
of the one before, and the last man of
the file obliterates the footprints. Thus,
neither the track nor the number of in-
vaders can be traced. . -
... “Each man followed his leader in Indian file.”
—Captain Burnaby : On IIorseback; through A&ia.
Mimor. * -
Indian Red. Red haematite (per-
oxide of iron), found abundantly in the
Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.
of a deep, lakey. hue, used for flesh
tints. -
The Persian Red, which is of a darker
hue with a sparkling lustre, is imported
from the island of Ormuz in the Persian
Gulf. -
The Romans obtained this pigment
from the island of Elba. “Insulam
exhaustis chalybum generosa metallis.”
(Ovid.)
Indian Summer (The). The au-
tumnal summer; generally the finest
and mildest part of the whole year,
especially in North America.
“The gilding of the Indian summer mellowed
the pastures far and wide. e TuS Set, WOO(1S
stood ripe to be stript, but were yet full of leaf.
The purple of heath-bloom, ... faded , but not
withered, tinged the hills. . . Fieldhead gardens
bore the Seal of gentle decay ; . . . its time of
flowers and even of fruit was over.”—0, Bronté:
Shirley, chap. XX Wii.
Indians. American Indians. When
Columbus landed at Cat Island, he
thought that he had landed on one of
the Indian islands, and in this belief
gave the natives the name of Indians.
India proper is so named from Indus
(the river), in Sanskrit Sindhu, in Persic
JHind, whence the Greek Hindus. Hin-
dustan is the tan or “country’’ of the
river Hindus. . -
Indiarubber. A substancé made
from the sap of various tropical plants,
and used for erasing pencil marks, and
º other purposes. Pronounce Indi’-
7%006.7°. - - -*
, “He was a man with an indiarubber coat on,
indiarub her shoes, an indiarubber cap, and in
his pocket an india rubber purse, and not a cent “
in it.”—Cyclopædia of American Biography (Charles
Goodyear), vol. ii. p. 684. §
Individualists. . Individualists hold
that as little as possible should be done
for its subjects by the State, as much as
possible being left to free individual
initiative. . . . .
Socialism tends to treat the individual
as merely a part of the State, holding
his possessions (if any) simply by its
permission, while Individualism regards
653
It is .
Infant
~
the state as a collection of separate
units, with rights of life and property
independently, which the State does not
confer but merely guarantees.
Extreme individualists hold that all
government is an evil, though it may be
a necessary evil, and the “anarchists”
profess the extremest form of . , the
creed. . •
“Individualism rests on the principle that a
man Shall be his own master.”—Draper : Conflict
between IReligion and Science, chap. xi. p. 295.
Indoors. In the house. Virgil makes
Dido sit “in forbus divae.” (AEMáid, i.
505.) - -
Induc'tion (Latin, the act of leading
$n). When a clergyman is inducted to
a living he is led to the church door,
and the ring which forms the handle is
placed in his hand. The door being
opened, he is next led into the church,
and the fact is announced to the parish
by tolling the bell.
Indul'gence (3 syl.), in the Roman
Catholic Church, is the entire or partial
remission of punishment due to sin
either in this world or in purgatory.
It is supposed that the Church is the
bank of the infinite merits of Christ, and
can give such indulgences like cheques
on a bank. (Latin, indulgentia.)
Inertia. That want of power in
matter to change its state either from
rest to motion, or from motion to rest.
ICepler calls it Vis, inertia. (Ars in
Latin is the Greek ar'eté, power or in-
herent force; In-ars is the absence of
this power.)
Inexorable Logic of Facts (The).
This was Mazzini's happy expression :
“Mella genesi dei fatti la logica & in-
esarabile.” - -
Infallibility (of the Church of Rome)
is the doctrine that the Church of Rome
cannot at any time cease to be orthodox
in her doctrine, and that what she de-
clares ex cathedrá is substantially true.
The doctrine is based on the Divine pro-
mise to the disciples, “Howbeit when
the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide
you into all truth '' (John xvi.13).
* The dogma of the “Infallibility of
the Pope’’ was decreed by the Vatican
Council in 1870.
In’famous means not allowed to
speak or give witness in a court of
justice. (Latin, in, negative fari,"to
speak; Greek, phēmi or phāmi.)
... Infant. Used as a synonym of
“childe,” meaning a knight or squire;
Infant
as, “Childe Harold.” King Arthur is
so called. , (See also Speiser ; Faërie
Queene, book ii. Canto viii. 56.)
Infant of Lubeck. Christian Henry
Heinecken (1721-1725). At one year
old he knew the chief events of the
Pentateuch; at thirteen months he knew
the history of the Old Testament; at
fourteen months he knew the history of
the New Testament ; at two and a half
years he could answer any Ordinary ques-
tion of history or geography; at three
years he knew well both French and
Tatin. At least, so says Schöneich, his
preceptor.
_." Another of these pitiahle prodigies was John
Philipp Baratier, of Schwaback, near Nürnberg,
born the same year as the Lubeck prodigy (1721-
1740 ... At the age of five he knew Greek, Latin,
find French, besides his native German. At nine
he knew Hebrew and Chaldee, and could convert
German into Latin. At thirteen he could trans-
late Hebrew into French or French into Hebrew.
His life was written by . Formey, and his name
'appears in most biographical dictionaries.”
Infanta. Any princess of the blood
royal, except an heiress of the crown, is
so called in Spain and Portugal.
Infante (3 syl.). All the sons of the
sovereigns of Spain and Portugal bear
this title, except the crown prince, who
is called in Spain the Prince of Astu'rias.
In the Middle Ages the word “childe’’
was used as a title of honour in England,
France, and Germany ; hence Childe
Harold, Childe-ric, Childe-bert, etc.
Infantry. Foot soldiers. Said to be
first º to a body of men collected
by the Infante or heir-apparent of Spain
for the purpose of rescuing his father.
from the Moors. The success of the
attempt rendered the corps popular.
(Spanish, infanteria ; Italian, fanteria;
fante means a servant.)
Infernal Column. So the corps
of Latour d'Auvergne was called, from
its terrible charges with the bayonet.
(1743-1800.)
Inferno. We have Dante's notion
of the infernal regions in his Inferno ;
Homer's in the Odyssey, book xi.; Vir:
gil’s in the AEmeid, book vi. ; Spenser’s
in the Faërie Queene, book ii. Canto 7 ;
Ariosto’s in the Orlando Furio’so, book
xvii.; Tasso's in Jerusalem Delivered,
|book iv.; Milton's in Paradise Lost ;
Fénelon's in Télémaque, book xviii.; and
Beckford's in his romance of Wathek,
Infra Dig, i.e. Dignita'tem. Not
in accordance with one's position and
character. (Latin.) • ? -
654
Ink-pot
Infralapsarians. Those who be-
lieve that election and predestination
are subsequent to the Fall. The “Supra-
lapsarian * believes that election and
predestination were in the eternal
counsels of God even before the creation
of Adam. (Infra, after ; lapsts, the
fall; supra, before; lapsus, the fall.)
Ingle (The). The recess with benches
in old-fashioned fireplaces, the fire.
“Sit thee hy the ingle when
The sear faggot blazes bright.”
I(gats : Fancy, stanza I.
Ingoldsby. The Rev. Richard Harris
Barham, author of Ingoldsby Legends
(1788-1845.)
Ingrain Colours. Colours dyed in
the wool or raw material before manu-
facture. In French, tendre en laine.
Such colours are the most durable. We
speak of “a rogue ingrain,” meaning
one hopelessly bad. (In the grain, that
is, in the texture.)
“'Tis ingrain, Sir ; twill endure wind and
weather.”—Shakespeare : Twelfth Night, i. 5.
Ingulph’s “Croyland Chronicle.”
Proved to be a forgery by IH. J. Riley in
the Archaeological Journal, 1862. He
dates the forgery between 1393 and
1415, and attributes it to Prior Richard
of Croyland and Sergeant William
Ludyngton. .
Injunction. A writ forbidding a
person to encroach on another’s privi-
leges; as, to sell a book which is only
a colourable copy of another author's
book; or to violate a patent; or to
perform a play based on a novel with-
out permission of the novelist; or to
publish a book the rights of which are
reserved. Injunctions are of two sorts
temporary and perpetual. The first is
limited “till the coming on of the de-
fendant’s answer”; the latter is based
on the merits of the case, and is of per-
petual force.
Inlº. . . Pancirollus says the emperors
used a fluid for writing called encants:
tum. (Italian, inchiostro ; French, Cºlcre ;
Dutch, inkt.). - . . . . . . - - -
; , , ;"
Inkhorn Terms. This phrase, once
common, might be revived to signify
pedantic expressions which Smell of the
lamp. ;
* Shakespeare uses the phrase, an
“Inkhorn mate ’” (1 Henry P.I., iii. 1).
Ink-pot. Sons and daughters ºf the
ink-pot. Those who maintain them-
selves by writing for the press. (Zhe
Silver Domino.) *... . .
Inkle
655
- Instinct
Inixie and Yar'ico. The hero and
heroine of a drama, so called by George
Colman. The story is from the Spec-
tutor, No. 11. Inkle is a young English-
man who is lost in the Spanish main;
he falls in love with Yaričo, an Indian
maiden, whom he lives with as his wife;
but no sooner does he find a vessel to
take him to Barbadoes than he sells her
for a slave.
Inland Navigation. Francis Eger-
ton, Duke of Bridgewater, is called
the Father of British Inland Navigation.
(1729-1803.) A title certainly due to
James Brindley (1716-1772).
Inn (Anglo-Saxon). Chamber ; ori-
ginally applied to a mansion, like the
french hätel. Hence Clifford's Inn, once
the mansion of De Clifford ; Lincoln’s
Inn, the mansion of the Earls of Lin-
coln; Gray’s Inn, that of the Lords
Gray, etc. -
“Now, whenas Phoebus, with his fiery waine,
Unto his in he began to draw a pace.”
Spenser: Fatérie Queene, vi. 3.
Inns of Court. The four voluntary
societies which have the exclusive right
of calling to the bar. They are the
Inner Temple, the Middle Temple,
Lincoln's Inn, and Gray’s Inn. Each
is governed by a board of benchers.
Innings, in cricket, is the turn of the
team to be bowled to by their oppo-
ments. The persons who “bat '' are
having their “innings given them ’’;
and the innings of an individual is the
time he holds the bat.
A good innings. One in which the
batsman has made several runs. Figura-
tively, a run of luck or business.
He has had a long innings. A good
long run of luck. A term in cricket
for the time that the eleven are in, or
not out as Scouts.
Innis Fodhla. [Island of Destiny], an
old name of Ireland.
: “Long before the western districts of Innis
Fodhla had any settled name . . . a powerful king
reigned Øver this part of the sacre, island. [The
king referred to was Connedºla, who gavč his
nāmé tº the proyinge of Connacht].”— W. B. Yeats:
Fairy 4'ales and Folk-Lore, pp. 306,318. --- - -
. Innocent (An). An idiot or borii
fool. (See BENET.) -
, “An idiot, or one otherwiso deficient in intellect,
iš caliel an innocent.”—Trench : On the Study of
H'ords, lecture iii. 1). 97.
Innocents. Fºast of the Holy Inno-
cents. The 28th December, to commemo-
rate Herod's butchery of the children of
Bethlehem under two years old, with
the design of cutting off the infant Jesus
(Matt. ii. 16.) . . . . .----. . . . . -
Innuen'do. An implied or covert
hint of blame. It is a law term, meaning
the person nodded to or indirectly re-
ferred to (Latin, in-nuo).
“Implying or suggesting, instead of stating
plainly, often increases the effect of what is in-
tended to give pain or pleasure. This is ‘innu-
*:::: ”—Bain : Composition, 6tc. (Innuendo), part i.
Inoc'ulate (4 Syl.) is to put in an
eye (Latin, in oculus). The allusion is
to a plan adopted by gardeners who
insert the “eye ’’ or small bud of a supe-
rior plant into the stock of an inferior
one, in order to produce flowers or fruits
of better quality.
In’ogene or Ig'noge (3 syl.). Wife
of Brute, the mythological king of
Britain.
“Thus Brute this realme unto his rule subdew.l.,
And raignèd long in great felicity. -
Loved of his friends, and of his foes eschowd,
He left three sons, his famous progeny,
Born of fayre Inogene of Italy.”
Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. 10.
Inquisition. A court instituted to
inquire into offences against the Roman
Catholic religion. Fully established by
Pope Gregory IX. in 1235. It was most
active in Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
Those found guilty were handed over to
the secular arm to be dealt with accord-
ing to the secular laws of the land.
Suppressed in France in 1772, and not
finally in Spain till, 1834. (Latin, in-
quisitio, a searching into.) -
Insane Root (The). Hemlock. It
is said that those who eat hemlock can
see subjective things as objects. Thus,
when Banquo had encountered the
witches, who vanished as mysteriously
as they appeared, he said to Macbeth,
“Were such things [really] hite, . . . .
or have we eaten the insane root, that
takes the reason prisoner,” so that our
eyes see things that are not. (Macbeth,
i. 3.) -
ºf Other plants “take the reason
prisoner,” as the Pruna insana, the
“Indian nut,” “Hoary nightshade.”
Inscription of a Coin. . .(See
LEGEND.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insolence. (Latin, in-soleo.) Un-
usual conduct, that is, not according to
the common courtesies of Social life.
Inspired Idiot (The). Oliver Gold-
sºmith was so called by Walpole.
Instinct. Something pricked or
punctured into one. Distinguish is of
the same root, and means tº prick or
puncture separately. Evtinguish means'
to prick or puncture out. In all cases:
Institutes
656
Triterdict
the allusion is to marking by a puncture.
At college the “markers” at the chapel
doors still hold a pin in one hand, and
prick with it the name of each “man”
who enters. The word is used to ex-
press a natural impulse to do something;
an inherent habit. -
... “Although reason may . . . be blended with
instinct, the distinction between the two is suffi-
ciently precise. . Reason only acts upon a definite
and often lahoriously acquired knowledge of the
relation between means and ends.”—Romanes :
Jºncyclopædia, Britat?!?vict!, Vol. Xiii. p. 157 (mimth,
Cólition).
In'stitutes (3 syl.). Elementary law
treatises, as the Institutes of Gaius
and those of Florentius, Callistrātus,
Paulus, Ulpian, and Marcian. The
Institutes of Justinian were com-
piled by Antoninus Pius, and for the
most part are mere rechauffées of the
preceding ones, giving the words and
opinions of the respective authors.
Instructions to the Committee.
A Parliamentary dodge for empowering
a Committee of the House to do what a
Committee would not otherwise be em-
powered to do. - -
An “Instruction ” must be supple-
mentary and auxiliary to the Bill under
consideration. - -
It must fall within the general scope
and framework of the Bill in question.
It must not form the substance of a
distinct measure.
Insu'bri. The district of Lombardy
which contained Milan, Como, Paſvia,
Lodi, Nova'ra, and Vercelli. -
Insult. To leap on the prostrate
body of a foe. To treat with contumely.
Insulter. One who leaps upon you
or against you. Thus Terence says,
“Insulta're fores calcibus ”(Euniichus, ii.
2, 54). It will be remembered that the
priests of Baal, to show their indigna-
tion against their gods, “leaped upon
the altar which they had made ’’ (1
Rings xviii. 26). Zephaniah (i. 9) says
that God will punish all those that leap
on the threshold.” (See DESULTORY.)
* Intag'lio (Italian).' . A design cut in
a gem, like a crest or initials in a stamp.
The design does not stand out in relief,
as in cam'eos, but is hollowed in.
Intellect. The power of reading
mentally ; hence the power of under-
standing and quickly grasping what re-
quires intelligence and thought. (Latin,
intus lego, I read within me.)
Intendance Militaire. Corps
chargé de tout ce qui, concerne l'adminis-
tration et la compatibilité de la guerre,
The Intendants Militaire control the
accounts, payments, food, dress, en-
campments, transport, hospitals, mar-
ches, etc., of the army.
Intentions. Hell is paved with good
intentions. In Spanish : “JEl infierno es
bleno de buenas intenciones.” Good in-
tentions without corresponding deeds
are self-accusers. . .
Inter Alia (Latin).
things or matters.
Inter Caesa et Porrecta. Out of
hand. . Many things may occur between
the cup and lip. (See Cicero: Ad Atticum,
v. 18.) Literally, between the slaughter
(causa) of the sacrificial victim and its
being laid (porrecta) on the altar. It was
not permitted to speak while the priest
struck the animal, nor yet while the
sacrifice was being consumed by fire;
but between these intervals persons were
allowed to talk. • . .
Inter Canem et Lupum. Between
two difficulties or dangers equally for-
midable. . . Between Scylla and Cha-
ryb'dis. Literally, “between dog and
WOlf.” - .
Inter Nos, or in French Entre mous.
Confidentially, between ourselves.
Inter Pocula. During a drinking
bout. - -
Inter Rex (Latin). A person ap-
pointed to hold the office of king during
a temporary vacancy. -
Intercal/ary (Latin). Inserted be-
tween or amongst others. Thus, an
intercalary day is a day foisted in be-
tween two others, as the 29th February
in leap-year. (See CALENDS.)
“It was the custom with Greeks, to add, or, as
it was termed, intercalate, a month every other
year.”—Priestley : On History, xiv.
Interdict and Eccommunicate. The
Pope or some ecclesiastic interdicts
a kingdom, province, county, or ‘town,
but excommunicates an individual. This
sentence excludes the place or individual
Among other
from partaking in certain Sacraments,
public worship, and the burial service.
The most remarkable instances are:—
- 586. The Bishop of Bayeux laid an
interdict on all the churches of Rouen,
in consequence of the murder of the
Bishop Prétextat. . . . . . . . . .
1081. Poland was laid under an inter-
dict by Pope Gregory VII., because
Boleslas II. had murdered Stanislaus at
the altar. . . • t * * : . -
1180. Scotland was put under a similar
ban by Pope Alexander III, ' ' ... . . .
Tnterest
g **
1200. France was interdicted by In-
nocent III., because Philippe Auguste
refused to marry Ingelburge, who had
been betrothed to him.
1209. England was laid under similar
sentence by Innocent III., in the reign
of King John, and the interdict lasted
for six years. --- e -º º
In France, Robert the Pious, Philippe
I., Louis VII., Philippe Auguste, Philippe
IV., and Napoleon I., have all been
subjected to the Papal thunder... In
England, Henry II. and John. Victor
Emmanuel of Italy was excommunicated
by Pius IX. for despoiling the Papacy of
a large portion of its temporal dominions.
In'terest (Latin). Something that
is between the parties concerned. The
interest of money is the sum which the
borrower agrees to pay the lender for its
use. To take an interest in anything is
to feel there is something between it and
you which may affect your pleasure.
Interest for money. In the Tudor
dynasty it was 10 per cent. (37. Henry
VIII. chap. 9). In the reign of James
it was reduced to 8 per cent. ; in Queen
Anne's reign to 5 per cent. ; in the last
quarter of the nineteenth century it was
reduced to 2% per cent.
Interim of Augsburg (The). A
Concordat drawn up by Charles Quint in
1548 to allay the religious turmoil of
Germany. It was a provisional arrange-
ment to be in force till some definite
decision could be pronounced by the
General Council to be held at Trent.
The authors of this instrument were
J. Pflug (Bishop of Naumburg), Michael
Helding (titular Bishop of Sidon), and
John Agricola (a priest of Brandenburg).
Interlard (French). To put lard
or fat between layers of meat. , Meta-
phorically, to mix what is the solid part
of a discourse withfulsome and irrelevant
matter. Thus we say, “To interlard
with oaths,” to “interlard with com-
pliments,” etc.
“They interlard ther native drinks with choice
Of strongest brandy.” vilips : Cider, ii.
Interlo'per. One who runs between
traders. One who sets up business, and
by so doing interferes with the actual
or supposed rights of others. (Dutch,
loopen, to run, to leap.)
Inter'polate (4 syl.). For two or
more persons to polish up something
between them. Metaphorically, to in-
sert spurious matter in a book or docu-
ment; to gag. (Latin, inter polio, to
polish.)
37
} Trventors
Interpreter (Mr.). The Holy Spirit
personified, in Bunyan's Pilgrim’s Pro-
gress. He is lord of a house a little way
beyond the Wicket Gate. Here Christian
was kindly entertained and shown many
wonderful sights of an allegorical cha-
racter. Christiana and her party stopped
here, and were similarly entertained.
Into'ne (2 syl.). To thunder out;
intonation, the thundering of the voice.
(Latin, tomo, to thunder.) The Romans
said that Cicero and Demosthenes
“thundered out their orations.” To
recite in a musical monotone.
Intoxication. Pliny (xvi. 20) tells us
this word is derived from taala, a species
of bay-tree used for poisoning arrows.
Hence the Greek towon (a bow and
arrows), and towicon (rank poison).
Intrigue (2 syl.), comes from the
Greek thria, hair, whence the Latin
tricte, trifles or hairs, and the verb intrico,
to entangle ; the Germans have the verb
trugen, to deceive.
Inure (2 syl.) to habituate or harden
by use. Ure is an archaic word meaning
use. (Latin opus, work. French attºre,
old French, entre.)
Invalido (French). A four-sou piece,
so called because it was debased to the
value of three sous and a-half.
“Tien, I rens cet invalide, à ma Santé va boire.”
Letta: Arlequins (1691).
Invei'gle (3 syl.). To lead blind-
fold; to entice by misrepresentation.
(Norman French, enveogler; French,
aveugler, Italian, invogliare.)
Invention of the Cross [discovery
of the cross]. A festival held on May 3rd,
in commemoration of the “discovery of
the cross'' by the agents of St. Hel'ena,
mother of Constantine the Emperor
(316). (Latin, inven'io, to discover.)
Inventors Punished by their own
inventions. - -
BASTILLE. Hugues Aubriot, Provost
of Paris, who built the Bastile, was the
first person confined therein. The charge
against him was heresy.
JBRAZEN BULL. Perillos, who invented
the Brazen Bull for Phalāris, Tyrant of
Agrigentum, was the first person baked
to death in the horrible monster.
CAPTAIN. Cowper Coles, inventor of
the turret-ship, perished in the Captain
off Finisterre September 7th, 1870.
CATHERINE WHEEL. The inventor of
St. Catherine's Wheel, a diabolical ma-
chine consisting of four wheels turning
different ways, and each wheel armed
42
Tnventors
6
sº
{)
S
Invisibility s -
with saws, knives, and teeth, was killed
by his own machine; for when St.
Catherine was bound on the wheel, she
fell off, and the machine flew to pieces.
One of the pieces struck the inventor,
and other pieces struck several of the
men employed to work it, all of whom
were killed. (Metaphºrastes.)
GUILLOTINE. J. B. V. Guillotin,
M.D., of Lyons, was guillotined, but it
is an error to credit him with the inven-
tion of the instrument. The inventor
was Dr. Joseph Agnace Guillotin.
IIAMAN, son of Hammeda'tha, the
Amalekite, of the race of Agag, devised
a gallows fifty cubits high on which to
hang Mordecai, by way of commencing
the extirpation of the Jews; but the fa-
vourite of Ahasuerus was himself hanged
on his gigantic gallows. In modern his-
tory we have a repetition of this incident
in the case of Enguerrand de Marigni,
Minister of Finance to Philippe the Fair,
who was hung on the gibbet which he
had caused to be erected at Montfaucon
for the execution of certain felons; and
four of his successors in office underwent
the same fate.
HoPRINs (Matthew), the witch-finder,
was himself tried by his own tests, and
put to death as a wizard.
IRON CAGE. The Bishop of Verdun,
who invented the Iron Cages, too small
to allow the person confined in them to
stand upright or lie at full length, was
the first to be shut up in one; and Car-
dinal La Balue, who recommended them
to Louis XI., was himself confined in
one for ten years.
IRON SHROUD. Ludovi'co Sforza, who
invented the Iron Shroud, was the first
to suffer death by this horrible torture.
MAIDEN. The Regent Morton of Scot-
land, who invented the Maiden, a sort
of guillotine, was the first to be beheaded
thereby. ... This was in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth.
OSTRACISM. Clisthénés introduced the
custom of Ostracism, and was the first
to be banished thereby.
The PERRIERE was an instrument for
throwing stones of 3,000 lbs. in weight;
and the inventor fell a victim to his own
invention by the accidental discharge of
a perrière against a wall.
PoETA A FAENZA. Filippo Strozzi
counselled the Duke Alessandro de'
Medici to construct the Porta, a Faenza.
to intimidate the Florentines, and here
he was himself murdered.
SATISBURY (the Earl of) was the first
to use cannon, and was the first English-
man killed by a cannon ball.
TJTROP'IUS induced the Emperor Ar-
cadius to abolish the benefit of sanc-
tuary; but a few days afterwards he com-
mitted some offence and fled for safety
to the nearest church, St. Chrysostom
told him he had fallen into his own net,
and he was put to death. (Life of St.
Chrysostom.)
WINSTANLEY (Mr.) erected the first
Eddystone lighthouse. It was a wooden
polygon, 100 feet high, on a stone base;
but it was washed away by a storm in
1703, and the architect himself perished'
in his own edifice.
Inventors Punished. A curious
instance of the sin of invention is men-
tioned in the Bridge of Allan Reporter,
February, 1803:— -
“It is told of Mr. Ferguson's grandfather, that
he invented a pair of fanners for cleaning grain,
and for this proof of superior ingenuity he was
summoned before the Kirk Session, and reprove 1
for trying to place the handiwork of man above
the time-honoured practice of cleaning the grain
on windy days, when the current was blowing
briskly through the open doors of the barn.”
Inves’titure. (Latin, clothing in or
putting on canonicals.) The admission
to office is generally made by investi-
ture; thus, a pair of gloves is given to a
Freemason in France ; a cap is given to
a graduate ; a crown, etc., to a sove-
reign, etc. A crosier and ring used to
be given to a church dignitary ; but
are now simply placed in his hands
on his induction into office. In the
eleventh and twelfth centurios the kings
of Europe and the pope were perpetually
at variance about the right of investi-
ture ; the question was, should the
sovereigns or should the pope invest
clergymen or appoint them to their
livings and dignities? (Latin, vestis,
a garment; investio. (See INDUCTION.)
Invin'cible Doctor. William of
Occam or Ockham (a village in Surrey),
also called Doctor Singula'ris. (1270-
1347.)
Invisibility, according to fable, may
be obtained in a multitude of ways.
For example:—
Albric's cloak, called Tarnkappe (3
syl.), which Siegfried got possession of,
rendered him invisible. (Nibelunge),
Lied.)
A chamelon carried in the breast will
render a person invisible. .
A capon stone, called “Alectoria,”
will render any person invisible who
carries it about his person. (See MIRROR
OF STONES.)
A dead hand. It is believed that a
candle placed in a dead man's hand
Invisibles
659
Iphicles. Oxen
gives no light to any but those who
use it. (See HAND.)
Fern-seed, mentioned by Shakespeare,
and by Beaumont and Fletcher, pos-
sesses the same charm.
Gyges’ ring, taken from the flanks of
a brazen horse, made the wearer in-
visible, provided he turned the ring
inwards. -
Fiel’iotrope, mentioned by Boccaccio
in his Decaméron (Day viii. 3), is a green
stone, which renders a person invisible.
So does the herb called heliotrope, ac-
cording to Solinus, who says, “ Herba
eliam éjusdem nominis . . . eum, a quo-
entingue gestabłtur, subtrahit visibus ob-
tiãrum.” (Georgie, xl.)
The helmet of Perseus (2 syl.) and
the helmet of Pluto (called Orei Galàa),
both rendered the wearer invisible.
(Classic story.)
The helmet which Pluto gave to the
Cyclops made them invisible whenever it
W&S WOTI).
Jack the Giant-killer had a cloak of
invisibility as well as a cap of know-
ledge.
Ičeplein's mantle. The mantle of
Hel Keplein, which belonged to the
dwarf-king Laurin, rendered the wearer
invisible. (The Heldenbuch ; thirteenth
century.)
... The Moros Musphoron was a girdle of
invisibility. (Mrs. Centlivre: A Bold
Stroke for a Wife.) -
Olnit’s ring. The ring of Otnit, King
of Lombardy, according to the Helden-
bitch, possessed a similar charm. -
Reynard’s wonderful ring had three
colours, one of which (the green) caused
the wearer to become invisible. (Rey-
quard the Fox, 1498.)
Invisibles. (1) The Rosicrucians
were so called, because they never dared
to appear in public.
(2) The disciples of Osiander, Flaccius,
Illiricus, etc., who denied the perpetual
visibility of the Church. (Sixteenth
century.) -
Invarinerability.
Stones taken from the cassan plant,
which grows in Panter, renders the
possessor invulnerable. (Odoricus in
JHakluyt.) -
A dip in the river Styx rendered
Achillès invulnerable. (Greek fable.)
Medea rendered Jason, with whom
she had fallen in love, proof against
wounds and fire by anointing him with
the Promethe'an unguent. (Greek fable.)
Siegfried (2 syl.) was rendered in- .
vulnerable by anointing his body with
dragon’s blood. (Nibelungen Lied.)
Iol (pron. Fol). The Danish word for
Christmas; the same as Yule. -
“The savage Dane -
At Iol more deep the mead did drain.”
Sir W. Scott : Marmion. '
Io'nian Mode. A species of church
music in the key of C major, in imitation
of the ancient Greek mode so called.
Ionic Accomplishments. Gesture
and dress. -
Ion'ic Architecture. So called from
Io'nia, where it took its rise. The
capitals are decorated with volutes, and
the cornice with dentils. The shaft is
fluted ; the entablature either plain or
embellished.
“The people of Ionia formed their order of
architecture on the model of a young woman
dressed in her hair, and of an easy, elegant shape;
Whereas the Doric had been formed on the model
of a robust, Strong man.”—Pitruvius.
Ion'ic School or Ionic Philoso-
phers. Thalës, Anaximander, Anaxi-
me'nés, Heraclitos, and Anaxagoras
were all natives of Ionia, and were the
earliest of the Greek philosophers. They
tried to prove that all created things
spring from one principle; Thalës said
it was water, Anaximenès thought it.
was air or gas, Anaxagoras that, it was
atoms, Heraclitos maintained that it
was fire or caloric, while Anaximander
insisted that the elements of all things
are eternal, for ex nihilo nihil fit.
Iormungan'dur. The serpent that
encompasses the whole earth, according
to Scandinavian mythology.
Io'ta or Joë. A very little, the least
quantity possible. The ióta. [...] is the
smallest letter of the Greek alphabet,
called the Lacedemonian letter. (He-
brew, Yod [x], the Smallest Hebrew.
letter.)
“This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood.”
- Shakespeatre : Merchamt of Venice, iv. l.
Iphicles'. Oxen. Quid hoc ad Iphieli
boves 2 What has that to do with the
subject in hand? So, in L'Avocat the
judge had to pull up the shepherd every
minute with the question, “ Mais, mon
ami, revenom dº nos moutons.” Iphiclos
or Iphiclés was the possessor of large
herds of oxen, and Neleus (2 syl.) pro-
mised to give his daughter in marriage
to Bias if he would bring him the oxen.
of Iphiclés, which were guarded by a
very fierce dog. Melampos contrived to
obtain the oxen for his brother, but.
being caught in the act, he was cast
Tphicratensians
into prison. Melampos afterwards told
• Astyocha, wife of Iphiclés, how to be-
come the mother of children, whereupon
Iphiclés gave him the coveted herd,
and his brother married the daughter of
Neleus. The secret told by Melampos
to Astyocha was “to steep the rust of
iron in wine for ten days, and drink it.”
This she did, and became the mother
of eight sons. (Odyssey, xi.; Iliad,
xiii. 23; Apollodoros, i. 9 ; ; Pausanias,
iv. 36.)
* When Tressilian wanted Dominie
IHoliday to tell him of a smith who
could shoe his horse, the pedagogue
kept starting from the point, and Tres-
silian says to him :—
“Permit me to ask, in your own learned phrase,
Quid hoc ad Iphycli bovés, what has that to do
with my poor mag P”—Sir W. Scott: ICenilworth,
chap. ix.
* Another similar phrase is “Quidad
Mercurium ?” Ti iſpás Tov ‘Eppmv :
Another is “ To Hecuba 2° What has
that to do with Hecuba, P
Iphicraten'sians. The best trained
and bravest of the Greek soldiers were
so called from Iphicrátēs, an Athenian
general. (See FABIAN SOLDIERs.)
Iphigenia. Taughter of Agamem-
non and Clytemnestra. Her father hav-
ing offended Artémis (Diana) by killing
her favourite stag, vowed to sacrifice to
the angry ſgoddess the most beautiful
thing that came into his possession in the
next twelve months ; this was an infant
daughter. The father deferred , the
sacrifice till the fleet of the combined
Greeks reached Aulis and Iphigenia
had grown to womanhood. Then
Calchas told him that the fleet would
be wind-bound till he had fulfilled his
vow ; accordingly the king prepared to
sacrifice his daughter, but Artémis at
the last moment Snatched her from the
altar and carried her to heaven, substi-
tuting a hind in her place.
The similarity of this legend to the
Scripture stories of Jephthah’s vow, and
Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac, is
noticeable. (See IDOMENEUS.)
Ipse Dixit (Latin). A mere assertion,
wholly unsupported. We say it is
“your ipse dia.it,” “his ipse dia.it,”
“their ipse diavit,” and so on.
Ipso Facto. Irrespective of all ex-
ternal considerations of right or wrong;
absolutely; by the very deed itself. It
sometimes means the act itself carries
the consequences (as excommunication
660
Trenå.
without sentence of excommunication
being directly pronounced).
“Whatever, the captain does is right, ipso facto
[i.e. because it is done by the captain], and any
opposition to it is wrong, on board Ship.”—R. H.
(t?? (?.
By burning the Pope's bull, Luther ipso facto
[by the very deed itself] denied the Pope's Suprem-
acy. Heresy carries excommunication ipso facto.
Ipswich. A corruption of Gypes-wick,
the town on the river “Gyppen,” now
called the Orwell. - -
Iram'. The pilgrim's garb is so called
by the Arabs.
Iran. The empire of Persia.
e “Avenge the shame
His race bath brought on Iran's name.”
Thomas Moore : Fire Worshippers.
Ireland or Erin is Celtic ; from Eri
or Jar (western). Lloyd (State TVorthies,
article “Grandison’’), with a gravity
which cannot but excite laughter, says
the island is called the land of 17 e
because of the broils there, which have
extended over four hundred years.
Wormius derives the word from the
Runic Ya’, a bow. (See below.)
Ireland.
Called by the natives “Erin,” i.e.
JEri-innis, or Iar-innis (west island).
By the Welsh “Yver-den’’ (west
valley).
By Apuleius, “Hiber'mia,” which is
Jernia, a corruption of Iar-immi-a.
By Juvenal (ii. 260) “Juverna” or
“Juberna,” the same as Ierºna or Iernia.
By Claudian “Ouernia,” the same.
By moderns “Ireland,” which is Iar-
en-land (land of the west).
"I The three great saints of Ireland
are St. Patrick, St. Columba, and St.
Bridget. gº
The fair maid of Ireland. Ignis fatuus
(q.v.).
“He had read in former times of a Going Fire,
called “Ignis Fatuus, the fire of destiny; by Some,
‘Will with the Wisp,' or ‘Jack with the Lan-
term ; " and likewise, . by some simple country
people, ‘The Fair Maid of Ireland,’ which used
to lead wandering travellers out of their Way.”—
The Sevem. Champions of Christendom, i. 7.
The three tragic stories of the Irish.
(1) The death of the children of Touran;
(2) the death of the children of Lir;
(3) the death of the children of USnach.
(O'Flanagan : Transactions of the Gaelic
Society of Dublin, vol. i.)
Jean Ireland's scholarships. Four
scholarships of £30 a year in the Uni-
versity of Oxford, founded by Dr. John
Ireland, Dean of Westminster, in 1825,
for Latin and Greek. They are tenable
for four years. -
‘.' The same person founded an “Exegetical
Professorship” of £800 a year.
Irena. The impersonation of Ireland.
Iris
66] Iron Mask
whose inheritance was withheld by the
tyrant Grantorto. Sir Artegal (Justice)
is sent by the Faërie Queene to Succour
the distressed lady. Grantorto, or the
rebellion of 1580, being slain, she is
restored to her throne and reigns in
peace. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, v.)
I'ris. Goddess of the rainbow, or the
rainbow itself. In classic mythology
she is called the messenger of the gods
when they intended discord, and the
rainbow is the bridge or road let down
from heaven for her accommodation.
When the gods meant peace they sent
Mercury. (Greek and Latin, iris.)
“I’ll havo an Iris that shall find thee Out.”
! Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., iii. 2.
Irish Agita/tor. Daniel O’Connell
(1775-1847). *
Irish Apricots. Potatoes.
Irish Stew. A dish of food made
by stewing together meat, onions, and
potatoes. Called “Irish ’’ from the
predominance of potatoes. -
Irish Wedding. When a person has
a black eye we sometimes say to him,
“You have been to an Irish wedding, I
see,” because the Irish are more famous
for giving their guests on these occasions
black eyes than white favours.
Iron. The hieroglyphic for iron is
6, which denotes “gold at the bottom’”
(O), only its upper part is too sharp,
volatile, and half corrosive (?); this
being taken away, iron would become
gold. Iron is called Mars. .
Strike while the iron is hot. “JRattre
, le fer pendant qu'il est chaud.” Make
hay while the sun shines.
To have many irons in the fire. To
have many affairs in hand.
If you have too many irons in the fire,
Some will burn. If you have more affairs
in hand than you can properly attend to,
some of them will be neglected and turn
out badly. Both these locutions refer
to the “heaters” or irons employed in
laundries. If the “heater ’’ is too hot,
it will scorch the linen.
To rule with a rod of iron.
tyrannically.
de fer.”
Iron. (See PIG. IRON.)
Iron Age. The era between the
death of Charlemagne and the close of
the Carlovingian dynasty is so called
from its almost ceaseless wars. It is
sometimes called the leaden age for its
worthlessness, and the dark age for its
barrenneSS of learned men,
To rule
“Gouverner avec uneverge
Iron Age. The age of cruelty and
hard-heartedness. When Hubert tells
Brince Arthur he must burn his eyes
Out, the young prince replies, “Ah,
none but in this iron age would do it,”
(Shakespeare: King John, iv. 1.)
Iron-arm. Francis de Lanoue, the
Huguenot soldier, Bras de Fer (1531-
1591. - (See FIERABRAS.)
Iron Duke (The). The Tuke of Wel-
lington was so called from his iron will.
(1769-1852.)
Iron-hand or the . Iron-hander.
Goetz von , Berlichingen (Godfrey of
Berlichingen), who lost his right hand
at the siege of Landshut, and had one
made of iron to supply its place. (1480–
1562.) (See SILVER-HAND.) -
Iron Horse (The).
locomotive.
“We can now drive the iron horse from India,
down the valley of the Irrawaddy, and (viā Moul-
mein) to the Yery gates of China, without any
political impediment.”—Mº'. Hallet, Dec., 1885.
Iron Mask. The man in the iron
Anask (called Lestang) was Count Er'-
colo Anto'nio Matthio'li, a senator of
Mantua, and private agent of Ferdinand
Charles, Duke of Mantua. He suffered
imprisonment of twenty-four years for
having deceived Louis XIV. in a secret
treaty for the purchase of the fortress of
Casale, the key of Italy. The agents of
Spain and Austria bribed him by out-
bidding the Grande Monarque. The
secrecy observed by all parties was in-
violate, because the infamy of the
transaction would not bear daylight.
(H. G. A. Ellis : True History of the
Iron Mask.)
* M. Loiseleur utterly denies that
Matthioli (sometimes called Giacomo)
was the real homme du masque de fer
(See Temple Bar, May, 1872, pp. 182-
184); but Marius Topin, in The Man in
the Iron Mask, maintains it as an in-
dubitable fact. There is an English
translation of Topin's book by Vizetelli,
published by Smith and Elder.
There are several others “identified ”
as the veritable Iron Mask, e.g.—
(1) Louis, Duc de Vermandois, natural
son of Louis XIV. by De la Vallière,
who was imprisoned for life because he
gave the Dauphin a box on the ears.
(Mémoires Secrets pour servir à l’Histoire
de Perse.) This cannot be, as the duke
died in camp, 1683.
(2) A young foreign nobleman, cham-
|berlain of Queen Anne, and real father
of Louis XIV. (A Dutch story.)
(3) Duc de Beaufort, King of the
The railway
Iron Tooth.
662
Iroquois
---
Markets. (Legrange-Chancel : L'Année
Littéraire, 1759.) This supposition is
worthless, as the duke was slain by the
Turks at the siege of Candia (1669).
. (4) An elder brother of Louis XIV.,
sóme say by the Duke of Buckingham,
others by Cardinal Mazarin. (See Wol-
taire: Dictionnaire Philosophique [Anna],
and Linguet : Bastile Dévoilée.)
(5) Abbé Soulavie asserts it was a
twin brother of Louis XIV., Maréchal
JRichelieve. This tale forms the basis of
Zschokke's German tragedy, and Four-
nier’s drama.
(6) Some maintain that it was Fouquet,
the disgraced Minister of Finance to
Iouis XIV.
(7) Some that it was the Arminian
I’atriarch, Avedik.
(8) Some that it was the Duke of
Monmouth ; but he was executed on
Tower Hill in 1685. -
(9) In the Western Morning News
(Plymouth, October 21st, 1893) we are
told that Le Commandant Bazeries has
deciphered a letter in cipher written by
Louvois, Minister of War, to Catinat
(Lieutenant-General in command of the
army at Piedmont), desiring him to
arrest M. de Bulonde for raising the
siege of Conti; and to send him to the
citadel of Pignerol.
“He was to be allowed to walk on the ramparts
Wearing a mask.”
Whatever the real name of this myste-
rious prisoner, he was interred in 1703
under the name of Marchiali, aged about
forty-five. And the name is so registered
in St. Paul’s register, Paris; witnessed
by M. de Rosarge (mayor of the Bastile)
and M. Reilh (surgeon).
“The mask Was made of black Velvet Oln Steel
Springs.” -
Iron-tooth [Dent de Fer]. Frederick
II., Elector of Brandenburg. (1657, 1688-
1713.)
Iron Crown of Lombardy is so
called from a narrow band of iron within
it, said to be beaten out of one of the
mails used at the Crucifixion. This band
is about three-eighths of an inch broad,
and one-tenth of an inch in thickness.
According to tradition, the nail was first
given to Constantine by his mother, who
discovered the cross. The outer circlet
of the crown is of beaten gold, and set
with precious stones. The crown is pre-
served with great care at Monza, near
Milan; and Napoleon, like his predeces-
Sor Charlemagne, was crowned with it.
. After the war between Austria and
Italy, the Iron Crown was delivered by
the former power to Victor Immanuel,
Iron entered into his Soul (The).
The anguish or annoyance is felt most
keenly. The allusion is to the ancient
custom of torturing the flesh with in-
struments of iron.
“I saw the iron enter into his soul, and felt
what sort of pain it was that ariseth from hole
deferred.”—Stenºme : Semtimental Journey.
Iron Maiden of Nuremberg (The).
An instrument of torture for “heretics,”
traitors, parricides, etc. It was a box
big enough to admit a man, with folding-
doors, the whole studded with sharp
iron spikes. When the doors were
pressed-to these spikes were forced into
the body of the victim, who was left
there to die in horrible torture. (German,
JEiserne Jungfrau.)
* One of these diabolical machines
was exhibited in 1892 in the Free Trade
Hall, Manchester, and in London.
Irons (In). In fetters. “Mettre lºs
fers atta, pieds d [quelqu'unj.”
Ironclad (An). A ship having the
hull sheathed wholly or in part with
plates of iron, to resist projectiles.
Ironclad Oath (The), 1866. Au
Act passed in North America excluding
voters in the States lately in rebellion
from the franchise; practically disfran-
chising all Southerners over twenty-five
years of age.
Ironside. Edmund II., King of the
Anglo-Saxons, was so called, from his
iron armour. (989, 1016-1017.)
Nestor Ironside. Sir Richard Steele,
who assumed the name in The Guardian.
(1671-1729.)
Ironsides. The soldiers that served
under Cromwell were so called, especially
after the battle of Marston Moor, where
they displayed an iron resolution. -
Irony. A dissembling. (Greek, cirom,
a dissembler, eiromeia.)
“So grave a body upon So Solemn an occasion
should not deal in irony, or explain their meaning
by contraries.”—Swift.
Irony of Fate (The). A strange
fatality which has brought about some-
thing quite the reverse of what might
have been expected.
“By the irony of fate the Ten Hours' Bill was
carried in the very session when Lord Ashley,
haying clanged his views on the Corn Laws, felt
it his duty to resign his seat in Parliam:ent.”—
The Leisure Howr, 1887.
Iroquois (An). Anyone of the five
(now six) confederate tribes, viz. the
Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayu-
gas, Senecas, and sixth the Tuscaroras,
added in 1712, now forming “The Six
Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy.”
Irrefragable
663
Isabelle
{
Irrefragable Doctor. Alexander
Hales, an English friar, founder of the
scholastic theology (thirteenth century).
Irrel'evant is not to relieve, not to
lighten. Irrelevant matter is that which
does not help to bear the burden or
make it lighter; something not perti-
nent or not material to the point in
question. (Latin levis, light.)
Irresis'tible. Alexander the Great
went to consult the Delphic Oracle before
he started on his expedition against
Persia. He chanced, however, to arrive
on a day when no responses were made.
Nothing daunted, he went in search of
the Pythia, and when she refused to
attend, took her to the temple by force.
“Son,” said the priestess, “ thou art
irresistible.” “Enough,” cried Alex-
ander; “I accept your words as my
response.”
Irritable Genug (The) or the “Genits
irritabile ” (Horace : Epistles, ii. 2, 102).
Poets, and authors generally.
“It [publishers'] is a wrathful trade, and the
irritalie genus comprehends the bookselling as
well as the book-writing species.”—Sir W. Scott :
The Monastery (Int.).
Irspilles Felles.
bristly hair like that of goats. (Hirci-
pilus—i.e. “goat’s hair.” (Festus.) A
fell is Anglo-Saxon for “skin,” like the
Latin pel/-is, English peel. Thus we
say still a “wool-fell.” Shakespeare
speaks of “a fell of hair '' (Macbeth, v.
5). Fellmonger, a dealer in skins.
Irtish Ferry. To cross the In'tish
ferry is to be laid on the shelf. The
ferry of the Irtish is crossed by those
who are exiled to Siberia. It is regarded
in Russia as the ferry of political death.
Skins having
Irus. The beggar of gigantic stature,
who kept watch over the suitors of
Penel'ope. His real name was Ar"neos,
but the suitors nicknamed him Iros
because he carried their messages for
them. Ulysses, on his return, felled
him to the ground with a single blow,
and flung him out of doors.
Poorer than Trus. A Greek proverb,
adopted by the Romans (see Ovid), and
existing in the French language (“Plus
pauvre gºt’Iraſs”), alluding to the beggar
referred to above.
Ir'vingites (3 Syl.). The self-styled
Catholic Apostolic Church, founded by
the Rev. Edward Irving in 1829; they
believed in the gift of tongues.
. Isaac. A hedge-Sparrow, a cor-
ruption of Chaucer's word, heisuagge.
(Anglo-Saxon, heag, hedge; Stegga, the
Sugga bird.)
Isaac of York. The Jew in Ivanhoe,
and father of Rebecca. (Sir JWalter
Scott.)
Isabel, called She-wolf of France.
The adulterous queen of Edward II.,
daughter of Philippe IV. (le Bel) of
France. According to tradition, she
murdered her royal husband by thrust-
ing a hot iron into his bowels.
“Mark the year and mark the night. .
hen. Severn shall re-echo with affright
The shrieks of death through Berkley's roofs that
l"! !] &.
shrieks of an agonising king.
She-wolf of France, with unrelenting fangs,
That tear'st the bowels of thy mangled mate ‘’
Gray : The Burd.
Isabel. The Spanish form of Eliza-
beth. The French form is Isabelle.
Isabella, Princess of Sicily, in love
with Robert le Diable, but promised in
marriage to the prince of Grana'da, who
challenged Robert to mortal combat.
Robert was allured from the combat by
his fiend-father, but when Alice told
him that Isabella, “the princess is wait-
ing for him at the altar,” a struggle
took place between Bertram and Alice,
the one trying to drag the duke to the
infernal regions, and the other trying to
win him to the ways of virtue. Alice
prevailed, but the audience is not in-
formed whether Robert married Isabella,
or not. (Meyerbeer's opera, Robert iſ
JDiavolo.)
Isabella, daughter of Hercules, Duke of
Ferra'ré, sister of Alfonso and Ippol’ito,
and wife of Francisco Gonza'go, lord of
Mantua.
Isabella. (See Pot of BASIL.)
Isabelle or Isabella (in Orlando
Furioso). Daughter of the king of Gali-
cia, in love with Zerbi'no ; but, being a
pagan, Zerbino could not marry her.
Zerbino induces her to quit her native
land, and gives Odori'co charge of her.
She is wrecked, and Odorico escapes with
her to Rochelle. Here Odorico assails
her virtue, but is alarmed by a vessel
which he sees approaching, and flees.
She is kept captive by the crew for nine
months, but Orlando slays or hangs all
the crew, and Isabella being free, ac-
companies her rescuer. Her lament at
the death of Zerbino is one of the best
parts of the poem (book xii.). She
retires to a chapel to bury Zerbino, and
is there slain by Rod'omont.
Isabelle. The colorſ, so called is the
yellow of Soiled calico, Ayellow-dun horse
Tsaf !
664 Tsinglass *
is called in France un cheval isabelle. The
tale is attached to Isabel of Austria,
and Isabel of Castile. It is said that
Isabel of Austria, daughter of Philip II.,
at the siege of Ostend vowed not to
change her linen till the place was taken.
As the siege lasted three years, we may
well suppose that it was somewhat
soiled by three years’ wear.
“His colour was isabel, a name given in allu-
Sion to the Whimsical vow of Isabella Clara,
Eugenia, Governess of the Netherlands, at the
memorable siege of Ostend, which lasted from
1601 till 1604.”—Dillom : Travels in Spain (1781).
Isabel of Castile, we are told, made a
vow to the Virgin not to change her
linen till Grana'da fell into her hands;
but this siege lasted longer than ladies
are wont to wear their body-linen.
“Bright-Sun was mounted on a black, lyorse,
that of Felix was a grey, Chery's was white as
milk, and the lyrincess's an is abelle.”— Countess
d'Almois: Fair-stay and Prince Chery.
Isaf. An Arabian idol in the form of
a man, brought from Syria, and placed
in Es-Safa, near the temple of Mecca.
Some say Isaf was a man converted into
stone for impiety, and that Mahomet
suffered this one “idol’ to remain as a
warning to his disciples.
Isenbras or Sir Isumbras. A hero
of mediaeval romance, first proud and
presumptuous, when he was visited by all
sorts of punishments; afterwards peni-
tent and humble, when his afflictions
were turned into blessings. It was in
this latter stage that he one day carried
on his horse two children of a poor
woodman across a ford. (See YSAM-
BRAS.) -
“I warne you first at the hegynninge
That I will make no vain carpinge [talk]
Of deeds Of al’nly S ne ()f almours, -
As duS mynstrellés and jestours,
That maky's Carl)inge in many a place
Of Octoriane and Iseºlºrase.”
William of Nassington.
I'sengrin or Sir Isgrim, the wolf,
afterwards created Earl of Pitwood, in
the beast-epic of Reynard the Foa.
Isengrin typifies the barons, and Reynard
the church; and the gist of the tale is to
show how Reynard bamboozles his uncle
Wolf. (German, Isegrimm, a wolf, a
surly fellow.)
Iseult. (See YSONDE.)
Ishban, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is Sir
Robert Clayton, who’d “e’en turn loyal
to be made a peer’’ (part ii.).
Ish'bosheth, in Dryden’s satire of
Absalom and Achitophel, is meant for
Richard Cromwell. His father, Oliver,
is called Saul, At the death of Saul,
Ishbosheth was acknowledged king by a
party, and reigned two years, when he
was assassinated. (Part i. 57, 58.) .
“ They who, when Saul was dead, without a blow,
Made foolish Ishbosheth the crown forego.”
Ish'monie'. The petrified city in
|Upper Egypt, full of men and women
turned to stone. (Perry : View of the
Levant.) - -
Marryat has borrowed the idea in his
JPacha of Many Tales. -
I'siac Tablet. A spurious Egyptian
monument sold by a soldier to Cardinal
Bembo in 1527, and preserved at Turin.
It is of copper, and on it are represented
most of the Egyptian deities in the
mysteries of Isis. It was said to have
been found at the siege of Rome in 1525.
The word Isiac is an adjective formed
from Isis.
Isido'rian Decre' tals. Also called
I’seudo or False Decretals. A spurious
compilation of fifty-nine decretals by
Mentz, who lived in the ninth century,
and fraudulently ascribed them to I'sidore
of Seville, who died in the sixth century.
Prior to the ninth century the only
authentic collection of decretals or letters
of the popes in reply to questions pro-
posed to them by bishops, ecclesiastical
judges, and others, was that of Dionysius
the Little [Exig'uus], a Roman monk,
who lived in the middle of the sixth
century. He commences with Pope
Siricius (fourth century). The Isidorian
decretals contain fifty-nine letters as-
cribed to persons living between Cle-
ment and Siricius, and forty others not
contained in the Dionysian collection.
The object of these forged letters is
either to exalt the Papacy or enforce
some law assuming the existence of such
exaltation. Amongst these spurious
letters are the decretal of St. Anacle’tus,
the decretal of St. Alexander, the letter
of Julius to the Easterns, the synodical
letter of St. Athana'sius, the decretal of
St. Fabian instituting the rite of the
chrism, and so on.
“Ila réforme pseudo-Isidorienne, adoptée par
S. Nicholas, en 865, par le huitième concile occu-
menique en'870, confirmé par le concile de Trent
en 1564, elle est depuis neuf siècles le droit.com-
mun dans l'église catholique . . . . ce qu'il est
impossible de justifier et même d'excuser, c'est
le moyen employé pºur le pseudo-Isidore pour
ºliver à ses fins.”—Études Religieuses, No. 47, p.
I'singlass. A corruption of the
Dutch huyzenblas (an air-bladder), being
prepared from the bladders and sounds
of sturgeon. (German, huyen, a stur-
geon.)
Isis:
|
Isrnaelians
I'sis. Sister-wife of Osi'ris. The
cow was sacred to her ; and she is re-
presented with two long horns from one
stem at the top of her head. She is
Said to have invented spinning and
weaving. (Egyptian mythology.)
“Inventress of the woof, fair Lina [flax] flings
The flying shuttle thro' the dancing strings. . .
Taught by her labours, from the fertile Soil
Immortal Isis clothed the banks of Nile.”
Darwin : L0vés of the Platºnts, c. ii.
Milton, in Paradise Lost, names Osiris,
Isis, and Orus amongst the fallen angels
(book i. 478).
Isis, Herodotos thinks, is Deme/ter
(Cerés).
Diodo'ros confounds her
Moon, Demeter, and Juno.
Plutarch confounds her with Athe'na.
(Minerva), Perseph'oné (Proserpine), the
Moon, and Teſthys.
Apuleius calls her the mother of the
gods Minerva, Venus, Diana, Proser-
pine, Cerés, Juno, Bello'na, Hecate, and
Rhamnu'sia [Nem'esis].
Lockyer says, “Isis represents the
idea of rising or becoming visible, Osiris
of disappearing.” Thus the rising moon,
a rising planet, the coming dawn, etc.,
is Isis; but the setting sun, the waning
moon, a setting planet, evening, etc., is
Osiris.
“Now the bright moonbeams kissed the water,
. and now the Inountain and Valley, river
and plain, were flooded with white light, for
lmother Isis was arisen.”—Rider Haggard: Cleo-
1/(ttra, clap. iii.
* Isis was the mother of Horus (the
rising Sun), and is represented as nursing
him.
Isis. Some maintain that Isis was at
one time the protectress of Paris, and
that the word Paris is a contraction of
the Greek Para Isidos (near the temple
of Isis), the temple referred to being the
Panthéon or church of St. Geneviève.
We are told, moreover, that a statue of
Isis was for a long time preserved in the
church of St. Germain des Prés, but was
broken to pieces by Cardinal Briçonnet
because he saw certain women offering
candles to it as to the Virgin.
The Young Isis. Cleopatra (69-30 B.C.).
Islam or Islamism. The true faith,
according to the Mahometan notion.
The Moslems say every child is born in
Islam, and would continue in the true
faith, if not led astray into Magism,
Judaism, or Christianity. . The word
means resignation or 87tbmission to the
will of God.
Islam consists of five duties:— .
(1) Bearing witness that there is but one God.
(2) IReciting daily prayers.
(3) Giving the appointed and legal alms.
(4) Observing the IRamaZan (a month's fast).
with the
. (5), Making a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once
in a lifetime. -
‘." Moslem and Musulman are from the same
l'OOt, -
Islamite (3 syl:). A follower of
Mahomet or believer in Islam.
Island of Saints. So Ireland was
called in the Middle Ages.
Island of St. Brandan. The flying
island, the supposed retreat of King
Rodri'go. So called from St. Brandan,
who went in search of the Islands of
Paradise in the sixth century. -
Island of the Seven Cities. A
kind of Dixie land, where seven bishops,
who quitted Spain during the dominion
of the Moors, founded seven cities. The
legend says that many have visited the
island, but no one has ever quitted it.
Islands of the Blessed, called by
the Greeks “Happy Islands,” and by
the Romans “Fortunate Islands.”
Imaginary islands somewhere in the
west, where the favourites of the gods
are conveyed at death, and dwell in
everlasting joy.
“Their place of birtlı alone is mute
T() Sounds that, ech () farther Wost
Than your Sire's Islands of the Blost.”
- Byrom.
Isle of Dogs. So called from being
the receptacle of the greyhounds of
Edward III. Some say it is a corrup-
tion of the Isle of Ducks, and that it is
so called in ancient records from the
number of wild fowl inhabiting the
marshes.
Isle of Lanterns (The), or Lan-
term-land. An imaginary country in-
habited by pretenders to knowledge.
In French, Lanternois. (Rabelais : Pan-
tagruel, v. 32, 33.
* Lucian has a similar conceit, called
the City of Lanterns ; and Dean Swift,
in his Gulliver’s Travels, makes his hero
visit Laputa, the empire of quacks, false
projectors, and pretenders to science.
Isle of Mist (The). The Isle of Skye,
whose high hills are almost always
shrouded in mist.
“Nor sleep thy hand by thy si
of Mist.” Ossian : Fingal, i.
Islington (The Marquis of). One of
the skilful companions of Barlow, the
famous archer, was so christened by
IHenry VIII. (See SHOREDITCH, The
Duke of.)
Ismael’ians (4 Syl.). A Mahometan
sect, which maintained that Isma'el, and
not Moussa, ought to be Imaum'. In
the tenth century they formed a secret
Society, from which sprang the Assassins,
de, chief of the Isle
ISImene
666 Italic
Isme'ne (3 syl.) Daughter of CE'di-
pus and Jocasta. Antig'one was buried
alive by the order of King Creon, for
burying her brother Polynicés, slain in
combat by his brother Ete'oclés. Is-
me'né declared that she had aided her
“sister, and requested to be allowed to
share the same punishment.
Isme')?é.
in the erotic romance of Eustathius or
Eumathius entitled Ismene and Ismenias
(twelfth century). Translated by God-
frey of Viterbo. Especially noteworthy
from its being reproduced in the Con-
fessio Amantis of Gower, and forming
the plot of Shakespeare's Pericles.
Isme'nias.
whom Ath'eas, King of the Scyth'ians,
declared, “I liked the music of Ismenias
better than the braying of an ass.”
(Plutarch.)
Isme'no (in Jerusalem Delivered). A
magician who could ‘‘ call spirits from
the vasty deep.” He was once a Chris-
tian, but became Mahometan. Ismeno
was killed by a stone hurled at him by
all engine (book xviii.).
Isobars. Lines on a map connecting
| laces which have the same mean baro-
metric pressure. The closer the isobars
are the stronger the wind, the farther
the lighter. (Greek, baros, weight.)
Isocratēs. The French Isocrates.
Pléchier, Bishop of Nismes (1632-1710).
Is'olde (2 syl.). Wife of King Mark,
of Cornwall, who had an illicit affection
for Sir Tristram, Mark's nephew. Isolde
the IWhite, Sir Tristram's wife.
I’sother'mal Lines. Lines laid down
in maps to show the places which have
the same mean temperature.
isos thermos, equal heat.)
Israel, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, stands for England.
Israfil’.
possessed the most melodious voice of all
God’s creatures. This is the angel who
is to sound the Resurrection Trump, and
will ravish the ears of the saints in para-
dise. Israfil, Gabriel, and Michael were
the three angels that warned Abraham
of Sodom's destruction. (Sale: Ioran.)
“A, winged band, commanded by Israſil, the
angel of the resurrection, came to meet Roland.”
—Croquelmitatine, ii. 9.
Issa. Jesus.
Issachar, in Dryden's satire of Ab-
Salom and Achitophel, means Thomas
Thynne, of Longleate Hall, a friend of
the Duke of Monmouth. Thynne was
The lady-love of Isme'nias,
A Theban musician of
(Greek,
The angel of music, who
two succeeding ones.
assassinated in his carriage, in Pall Mall,
by ruffians hired by Count Koningsmark.
The cause of the murder was jealousy.
Both Mr. Thynne and the count were
in love with Lady Elizabeth Percy, the
widow of the Earl of Ogle. Her friends
contracted her to the rich commoner,
but before the match was consummated
Mr. Thynne was murdered. Within
three months the lady married the Duke
of Somerset. (See MoHUN.)
Issachar’s ears. Ass's ears. The allu-
sion is to Gen. xlix. 14: “Issachar is a
strong ass crouching down between two
burdens.”
“Is t possible that you, whose cars
Are of the tribe of Issachar’s . . .
Should yet he deaf against a no Se
So roaring as the public voice 2 ”
S. Butler: Hudibras to Sidropnel.
Issland. The kingdom of Brunhild
is identified by Von der Hagen with Ice-
land, but Wackernagel says it means
Amazonian land, and derives it from
the Old German itis (a woman). (The
Nubelungen Lied.) -
Issue. The point of law in debate or
in question. “At issue,” under dispute.
To join issue. To take opposite views
of a question, or opposite sides in a suit.
To join issues. To leave a suit to the
decision of the court because the parties
interested cannot agree.
Isthmian Games. Epsom races
were styled “Our Isthmian Games ‘’
by Lord Palmerston, in allusion to the
famous games consisting of chariot
races, running, wrestling, boxing, etc.,
held by the Greeks in the Isthmus of
Corinth every alternate spring, the first
and third of each Olympiad.
Isthmus of Suez. The covered
bridge of St. John's College, Cambridge,
is so called, because it connects the col-
lege with the grounds on the other side
of the river. Suez here is a pun on the
word 8tts (a hog), the Johnians being
nicknamed hogs in University slang.
Italian Architecture. The Roman
architecture revived in the fifteenth cen-
tury, and in vogue during that and the
It is divided into
three Schools—the Florentine, Roman,
and Venetian.
Italian of Asia (The). Persian is so
called. ... Noted for its harmony, and its
adaptation to verse and the lighter class
of music.
Italic School of Philosophy. The
Pythagore'an, so called because Pythag-
Oras taught in Italy.
Italic 667
Italic Version. A version of the
Bible from the Septuagint, which pre-
ceded the Vulgate, or the version by St.
Jerome.
Italics. The type first used by Aldo
Manu'zio in printing the Aldine classics.
It was called by him “Cursive ’’ letters
(a running hand; from Latin, cutºro,
to run). Virgil was the first author
printed in this type (1501). Francesco
of Bologna cast it.
The words italicised in the Bible have
no corresponding words in the original.
The translators supplied these words to
render the sense of the passage more
full and clear.
Italy. The champion of Italy was
St. Anthony. (Seven
Christendom, part i. 6.)
Itch. My fingers itch to be at him.
This is a French locution, “Les poings
Ana démandent de le battre.”
An itch for gold. A longing desire.
(Anglo-Saxon, giecan, to itch.)
Itching Ears (To have). To have a
longing desire to hear news, or some
novelty. -
“The time will come when thcy will not endure
the sound doctrine ; but, having itching ears, will
lical) to themselves teachel's after º Own lustS
[or longings].”—2 Timothy iv. 3 (R.V
Itching Palm (An). A love of
money. If the palm of your right hand
itches, it betokens that you are going to
receive money. So Melton tells us in
his Astroloffaster, p. 23.
“ Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condemned to have an itching palm.”
Shakespectre : Julius Caesar, iv. 4.
Itching of the Eye. If the right
eye itches it betokens laughter at hand;
if the left eye, it betokens grief; but
Shakespeare does not observe this dis-
tinction.
“My right eye itches now, so I shall see
My love.” - 3'heocritus, i. 37.
“Mine eyes do itch;
DOth that forebode weeping 2 ” -
Shakespeare : Othello, iv. 3.
Itching of the Lips indicates you
are about to receive a kiss, or else kiss
somebody. -
" If your lips itch, you shall kisse somebody.”
–Melton : A Strologaster, p. 32.
Itching of the Nose indicates that
you are going to see a stranger.
“We’shall ha' guests to-day
. . . My Inose itcheth SO.”
- Delcker : Homest Whore.
Itching of the Thumb, according to
Shakespeare, betokens the approach of
evil.
“By the lyricking of my thumbs,
Something evil this way comes.” . .
- . Macbeth, iv. i.
Champions of
Italian,
Ivan
** v-------~~~
Ithacen'sian Suitors (The). The
suitors of Penelópé (4 syl.), wife of
Dlysses, King of Ithaca. While Ulysses
was absent, many suitors presented
themselves to Penelöpé, affirming that
TJlysses was certainly dead. Penelöpé
ut them off, saying she would give a
definite answer when she had finished
the robe she was weaving for Laertés;
but at night she unravelled all she had
woven during the day. At last Ulysses
returned and slew the suitors.
“All the ladies, each and each,
Like the Ithacensian suitors in old time,
Stared with great eyes, and laughed with alien
lips.” Temimyson : The Princess, iv.
Ithu'riel. One of the angels com-
missioned by Gabriel to search for Satan,
who had effected his entrance into Para-
dise. The other angel who accompanied
him was Zephon. (Ithuriel means “the
discovery of God.”)
“I thuriel and Zephon, with winged speed
Search through this garden; leave unsearched
no nook;
But, chiefly Where those two fair creatures
Now . perhaps asleep, secure of harm.”
Milton : I'd radise Lo t, book iv. 788-791.
Ithu'riel's Spear. The spear of the
the angel Ithuriel, the slightest touch of
which exposed deceit. Hence, when
Satan squatted like a toad “close to the
ear of Eve,” Ithuriel only touched the
creature with his spear, and it resumed
the form of Satan.
“ Hill) [i.e.Satan], thus intent Ithuriel with his
Toutº lightly for no falsehood can endure
Touch of celestial temper, but returns
Of force to its own likeness.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, iv. 810-813.
Itin'erary (An). The notification
of the route followed by a traveller.
The Itinerary of Antoninus marks out
all the main roads of the Roman Empire,
and the stations of the Roman army.
The Itinerary of Peutinger (Tabula
Peutingeriana) is also an invaluable
document of ancient geography, exe-
cuted A.D. 393, in the reign of Theodosius
the Great, and hence called sometimes
the Theodosian Table.
Its did not come into use till the
seventeenth century. Dean Trench.
points out that Chatterton betrayed his
forgeries by the line “Iife and its goods
I scorn,” but the word its was not in
use till several centuries after the death
of the monk to whom the words are
ascribed. In 1548 it was used for its.
“The loue and deuotion towardes God also hath
it infancie, and hath it conymyng forward in
growth of age.” (1548.) -
I'van. The Russian form of John,
called Juan in Spain, Giovanni in
Ivanhoe \
Ivan the Terrible. Ivan IV. of Russia,
infamous for his cruelties, but a man of
great energy. He first adopted the title
of czar. (1529, 1533-1584.)
I'vanhoe (3 syl.). Sir Wilfred, knight
of Ivanhoe, is the disinherited son of
Cedric of Rotherwood. He is first intro-
duced as a pilgrim, in which guise he
enters his father’s hall, where he meets
Rowe'na. He next appears as Des-
dichado, the “Disinherited Knight,”
in the grand tournament where he van-
quishes all opponents. At the inter-
cession of King Richard he is reconciled
to his father, and ultimately marries
Rowena, his father’s ward. Rebecca,
the Jew’s daughter, to whom he had
shown many acts of kindness, was in
love with him.
Sir Walter Scott took the name from
the village of Ivanhoe, or Ivinghoe, in
Pucks, a line in a old rhymed proverb
—“Tring, King, and Ivanhoe”—having
attracted his attention.
Ivanovitch. A lazy, good-natured
person, the national impersonation of
the Russians as a people, as John Bull is
of the English, Brother Jonathan of the
Americans, Jean Ch'apaud of the French,
and Cousin Michael of the Germans.
Ivories. Teeth ; dice.
To show one’s ivories. To display one's
teeth.
To wash one’s ivories.
mouth ; to drink.
Ivory Gate of Dreams (The).
Dreams which delude pass through this
gate, those which come true pass through
the Gate of Horn. This fancy depends
upon two puns: ivory in Greek is elé-
phas, and the verb elephairo means “to
cheat with empty hopes; ” the Greek
for horn is keras, and the verb karamoč
means “to accomplish.”
“Sunt geminas somni porta: ; quarum altera fertur
Cornea, qual veris facilis datur exitus unlbris;
Altera candenti perfecta nitens elephanto ;
Sed falsa ad coelum mittunt insomnia manes.”
Virgil: Almeid, Wi. 894-897.
Ivory Palaces are not unfrequently
mentioned in the Old Testament. Thus
(Psalm xlv. 8), “All thy garments
smell of myrrh, aloes, and cassia, out of
the ivory palaces; ” in 1 Kings xxii. 39
we read that Ahab built “an ivory
house; ” and in Amos iii. 15 we read,
“I will Smite the winter-house with the
summer-house, and the houses of ivory.”
Lady Mary Wortley Montague, in her
Letters, speaks of the ivory fittings of
the harem of the Kahya's palace at
Adrianople. She says, ‘‘Its Winter
To rinse the
668,
superseded by a
J. J.,
apartments are wainscotted with inlaid
work of mother-of-pearl and ivory of
different colours” (vol. ii. p. 161-162).
“The ceilings of the Eastern houses are of
mosaic work, and for the most part of ivory,
like those Superb Talaar of Persia.”—St. John;
Churdim.
Ivory Shoulder. Deméter ate the
shoulder of Pelops, served up by Tan-
tàlos ; So when the gods restored the
body to life, Deméter supplied the
lacking shoulder with one of ivory.
“Not Pelops' shoulder whiter than her hands.”
W. Browne : Britannia's Pastorals, ii. 3.
Ivy (Old English, ifig). Dedicated to
Bacchus from the notion that it is a
preventive of drunkenness. But whether
the Dionysian ivy is the same plant as
that which we call ivy is doubtful, as it
was famous for its golden berries, and
was termed chryso-carp0s. -
Ivy (in Christian art). Symbol of
everlasting life, from its remaining con-
tinually green. An ivy wreath was the
prize of the Isth’mian games, till it was
pine garland. The
plant was sacred to Bacchus and Osi'ris.
Ivy Bush. Like an owl in an ivy-
bush. Having a sapient, vacant look, as
Some persons have when in their cups;
having a stupid vacant stare. Owls are
proverbial for their judge-like solemnity,
and ivy is the favourite plant of Bacchus.
Gray, in his Elegy, refers to the Owl
and the Ivy.
“From yonder ivy-mantled tower
The moping owl doth to the moon complain
Of such as, wandering near her secret bower,
Molest her ancient Solitary reign.” • f
- Stanzil, 3.
Ivy Lane (London). So called from
the houses of the prebendaries of St.
Paul, overgrown with ivy, which once
stood there.
Ixion. A king of the Lapithae,
bound to a revolving wheel of fire in
the Infernal regions, for his impious
presumption in trying to imitate the
thunder of heaven. (Greek mythology.)
*: The treadmill is sometimes called
‘‘Ixion’s Wheel.”
J
J. (In Punch). The signature of
Douglas Jerrold, who first contribute
to No. 9 of the series.
J. J. (In Hogarth’s Gin Lane, writ-
ten on a gibbet), is intended for Sir
Joseph Jekyll, obnoxious for his bill for
increasing the duty on gin,
Jaafer
Jaafer. At the battle of Muta, Jaafer
carried the sacred banner of “the Pro-
phet.” One hand being lopped off, he
held it with the other; the other being
struck off, he embraced it with his two
stumps; his head being cleft in twain,
he flung himself on the banner staff, and
the banner was detained thus till Ab-
dallah seized it and handed it to Khaled.
A similar tale is told of Cynaegiros (q.v.).
Ja'chin. The parish clerk in Crabbe's
I}orough. He appropriated the Sacra-
mental money, and died disgraced.
Jachin. (See BOAZ.)
Jack.
I. APPLIED TO MEN, but always de-
preciatingly. (See TOM.)
(1) Jack Adams. A fool,
(2) Jack-a-dandy (q.v.).
(3) Jack-a-dreams. A man of inaction,
a mere dreamer.
(4) Jack-a-drognes. A good-natured,
lazy fool. (Dutch, dritilen, to be listless;
our drawl.)
(5) Jack-a-Lent. A half-starved, sheep-
ish booby. Shakespeare says: “You
little Jack-a-lent, have you been true to
us?” (Merry Wives of Windsor, iii. 3.)
A kind of Aunt Sally which was
thrown at in Lent. (See Cleveland’s
Poems [1660], p. 64.)
(6) Jack-a-mapes (q.v.).
(7) Jack-at-a-pinch. One who lends
a hand in an emergency; an itinerant
clergyman who has no cure, but offici-
ates for a fee in any church where his
assistance is required.
(8) Jack Brag. (See BRAG.)
(9) Jack Fool. More generally, Tom
Tool (q.v.).
(10) Jack Ketch (q.v.).
(11) Jack-pudding (q.v.).
(12) Jack-sauce. An insolent sauce-
|box, “the worst Jack of the pack.”
Fluellen says one who challenges another
and refuses to fight is a “Jack-sauce.”
(Henry V., iv. 7.)
(13) Jack-snip. A botching tailor.
(14) Jack-slave. “Every Jack-slave
hath his belly full of fighting.” (Shake-
speare : Cymbeline, ii. 1.)
(15) Jack-Sprat (q.v.).
(16) Jack-straw. A peasant rebel.
(17) Jack-tar (q.v.). T.
(18) Jack-in-office. A conceited official,
Or upstart, who presumes on his official
appointment to give himself airs.
(19) Jack-in-the-green. A chimney-
sweep boy in the midst of boughs, on
May Day.
(20) Jack-in-the-water. An attendant
at the Waterman's stairs, etc., willing to
665
Jack-rat, Jack-shark,
Jack
wet his feet, if needs be, for a “few
coppers.” - -
(21), Jack-of-all-trades. One who can
turn his hand to anything, but excels in
nothing.
(22) Jack-of-both-sides. One who tries
to favour two antagonistic parties, either
from fear or for profit.
(23) Jack-out-of-office. “But long I
will not be Jack-out-of-office.” (Shake-
speare : 1 Henry P.I., i. 1.)
(24) Cheap Jack. (See CHEAP.)
(25) Jack will never be a gentleman.
A mere parvenu will never be like a
well-bred gentleman.
(26) Every man-Jack of them. All
without exception, even the most in-
significant. -
(27) Remember poor Jack. Throw a
copper to the boys paddling about the
jetty or pier, or performing tricks under
the hope of getting a Small bounty.
II. APPLIED TO BOYS WHO ACT THE
IPART OF MEN.
(1) Jack Frost.
a mischievous boy.
(2) Jack Sprat. Who bears the same
relation to a man as a sprat does to a
mackerel or herring.
(3) Jack and Jill (nursery rhyme).
Jill or Gill is a contraction of Julienne
or Gillian, a common Norman name.
(See JACK, VII.)
(4) Jack and the Bean-stalk (q.v.).
(5) Jack and the Fiddler (q.v.).
(6) Jack of cards. The Knave or boy
of the king and queen of the same suit.
(7) Jack the Giant-killer (q.v.).
(8) Glyn Jack. A link boy who carries
a glym. (German, glimmen.) (See GLIM.)
(9) Little Jack Horney. (See JACK
HORNER.
(10) The house that Jack built (nursery
tale).
III. APPLIED TO THE MALES OR IN-
FERIOR ANIMALS : a S-
Jack-ass, Jack-baker (a kind of owl),
Jack or dog fox, Jack-hare, Jack-hern,
Jack-snipe ; a
young pike is called a Jack, so also were
the male birds used in falconry.
IV. APPLIED TO INSTRUMENTS which
supply the place of or represent inferior
men or boys:— -
(1) A jack. Used instead of a turn-
spit boy, generally called Jack.
(2) A jack. Used for lifting heavy
weights.
(3) Jack. The figure outside old
public clocks made to strike the bell.
. “Strike like Jack o' the clock-house, never but
in season.”—Strode: Floating Island, ; :
Frost personified as
Jack
670
Jack
(4) Jack-roll. The cylinder round
which the rope of a well coils.
(5) Jack-in-the-basket. The cap or
basket on the top of a pole to indicate
the place of a sandbank at sea, etc.
(6) Jack-in-the-bor. A toy consisting
of a box out of which, when the lid is
raised, a figure springs.
(7) Boot-jack. An instrument for
drawing off boots, which used to be
done by inferior servants.
(8) Bottle-jack. A machine for turn-
ing the roast instead of a turnspit.
(9) Lifting-jack. A machine for lift-
ing the axle-tree of a carriage when the
wheels are cleaned.
(10) Roasting-jack. (See Bottle-jack, 8.)
(11) Smoke-jack. An apparatus in a
chimney-flue for turning a spit. It is
made to revolve by the upward current
of Smoke and air.
(12) Jack-chain. A small chain for
turning the spit of a smoke-jack.
W. APPLIED TO INFERIOR ARTICLFS
which bear the same relation to the
thing imitated as Jack does to a gentle-
Iſlál Il.
(1) Jack. A rough stool or wooden
horse for sawing timber on.
(2) Jack. A small drinking vessel
made of waxed leather.
“Body of me, I am ūry still ; give me the jack,
boy.”—Beſtumont (tnd Fletcher: Bloody Brother, ii. 2,
(3) Jack. Inferior kind of armour.
(See JACK, No. VIII.)
(4) A Jack and a half-jack. Counters
resembling a sovereign and a half-
sovereign. Used at gaming-tables to
make up a show of wealth.
(5) Jack-block. A block attached to
the topgallant-tie of a ship.
(6) Jack-boots. Cumbrous boots of
tough, thick leather worn by fishermen.
Jacks or armour for the legs.
(7) Jack-pan. A vessel used by bar-
bers for heating water for their cus-
tomers.
(8) Jack-plane. A menial plane to do
the rough work for finer instruments.
(9) Jack-rafter. A rafter in a hipped
roof, shorter than a full-sized one.
(10) Jack-rib. An inferior rib in an
arch, being shorter than the rest.
(11) Jack-screw. A large screw rotat-
ing in a threaded socket, used for lifting
heavy weights.
(12) Jack-timbers. Timbers in a build-
ing shorter than the rest.
(13) Jack-towel. A coarse, long towel
hung on a roller, for the servants’ use.
(14) Jack of Dover (q.v.).
(15) Jacket (q.v.).
(16) Black jack. A huge drinking
vessel. A Frenchman speaking of it.
says, “The English drink out of their
boots.” (Heywood.)
VI. A TERM OF CONTEMPT. -
(1) Jack-a-lantern or Jack-o'-lantern,
the fool fire (ignis fatuus).
(2) Jack-ass. An unmitigated fool.
(3) Jack-at-bowls. The butt of all
the players. -
(4) Jack-daw. A prating nuisance.
(5) Jack Drum’s entertainment (q.v.).
(6) Jackey. A monkey.
(7) Skip-jack. A toy, an upstart.
(8) The blackjack. The turnip-fly.
(9) The yellowjack, The yellow fever.
VII. USED IN PROVERBIAL PHIPASES.
* A good Jack makes a good Jill. A
good husband makes a good wife, a good
master makes a good servant. Jack, a
generic name for man, husband, or
master; and Gill, or Jill, his wife or .
female servant. -
JEvery Jack shall have his Jill. Every
man may find a wife if he likes ; or .
rather, every country rustic shall find a
lass to be his mate.
“Jack shall have his Jill,
Nought shall go ill ;
Th; Nº shall have his hare again, and all sliall
Shºcare : Midsummºnier Night's LA'eſtºn, iii. 2.
To play the Jack. To play the rogue
or knave ; to deceive or lead astray like?
Jack-o'-lantern, or ign is fatuits.
§ { your fairy, which you say is a harmless
fairy, has done #3 better than played the Jack
With us.”—Shakespectre : Tempest, iv, I.
To be upon their jacks. To have the
advantage over one. The reference is
to the coat of mail quilted with stout
leather, more recently called a jerkin.
VIII. Jack. Armour consisting of a
leather surcoat worn over the hauberk,
from the fourteenth to the seventeenth .
century, both inclusive. . It was formed
by overlapping pieces of steel fastened
by one edge upon canvas, coated over
with cloth or velvet. In short, it was
a surcoat padded with metal to make it
sword-proof. These jazerines were
worn by the peasantry of the English
borders when they journeyed from
place to place, and in their skirmishes
with moss-troopers.
“Jackes quilted and covered over with leather,
fustian, or canvas, over thickellates of iron that
are Sowed to the Same.”—Lily: Euphtles. -
*I Colonel Jack. The hero of Defoe's"
novel so called. He is a thief who goes.
to Virginia, and becomes the owner of
vast plantations and a family of slaves.
Jack-a-Dandy 671
Jack o' the Bowl
Jack-a-Dandy. A term of endear-
ment for a smart, bright little fellow ; a
Jemmy Jessamy.
“Smart she is, and handy, Ol
Sweet as Sugar-candy, O ! . . . .
And I'm her Jack-a-dandy, O !”
Jack - a - dandy. Slang for brandy.
Dandy rhymes with brandy. (See CHIVY.)
*: In Ireland “dandy '’ means
whisky , but whisky = eau de vie; and
eau de vie is brandy.
“I)imidium cyathi Vero apud Methropolitänos
Herbernicos (licitur Dandy.”—Blºtc/cwood's Muſſº-
zine, May, 1838 (Father T'um (tºld th9 Pope).
Jack-a-Lantern (A). A Will-o'-
the-wisp, an iſ/m is fittituts.
Jack-a-napes or Jackanapes =
Jack of apes. An impertinent, vulgar
prig. (See JEANNOT.)
More likely, it is Jack and ape,
formed on the model of Jack-ass, a
stupid fool.
“I will toach a scurvy jackan:upe priest to
ne, Idle or make.”— Shakespectre: Merry Wives of
Windsor, i. 4. "v.
Jack-Amend-All. One of the nick-
names given to Jack Cade the rebel,
who promised to remedy all abuses.
Jack Brag. (See BRAG.)
Jack Drum's Entertainment. A
beating. (See JOHN DRUM's, etc.)
Jack Horner.
Notes and Queries, xvi. 156; xvii. 83.
In Latin alcaics, thus:
“Sedens Johannes loarvus in angulo
Hornérus edit crustula Christlinica ;
Et dixit, ut lyruna extrahel)at -
Pollice, * Quan, Sum ego suavis infans '''”
The Lincolm Herald, Jan. 13, 1832.
Jack Ketch. Although this looks
very much like a Sobriquet, there seems
no sufficient evidence to believe it to be
otherwise than a real proper name. We
are told that the name Jack was applied
to hangmen from Richard Jaquett, to
whom the manor of Tyburn once be-
longed. (See HANGMEN.)
Jack Pudding. A buffoon who per-
forms pudding tricks, such as swallow-
ing a certain number of yards of black-
pudling. S. Bishop observes that each
country names its stage buffoon from its
favourite viands: The Dutchman calls
him Pickel-herºinſ/ē; the Germans, Hans
IFurst (John Sausage); the Frenchman,
Jean Potage : the Italian, Macaro'ni ;
and the English, Jack Pudding.
Jack Robinson. Before you can say
Jack Robinson. Immediately. Grose
says that the saying had its birth from
a very volatile gentleman of that name,
For solution see .
who used to pay flying visits to his
neighbours, and was no sooner an-
nounced than he was off again ; but the
following couplet does not confirm this
derivation :- -
“A warke-it ys as easie to be done
As ty's to Saye Jacke & Toby 8 on.’ -
An old Play, cited by Ilalliwell ; Arch. Dict.
Jack Sprat. A dwarf ; as if Sprats
were dwarf mackerels. Children, by a
similar metaphor, are called small fry.
Jack Tar. A common sailor, whose
hands and clothes are tarred by the ship
tackling.
Jack and the Bean Stalk. A
nursery tale of German invention. The
giant is All-Father, whose three
treasures are (l) a harp–i.e. the wind ;
(2) bags full of treasures—i.e. the rain ;
and (3) the red hen which laid golden
eggs—that is, the genial sun. Man
avails himself of these treasures and
becomes rich.
Jack of all Trades is Master of
None. In French, “ Tout Savoir est me .
*ie), Savoin'.”
Jack o’ both Sides. A supernu- .
merary who plays on both sides to make
up a party; one who for profit or policy
is quite colourless.
Jack o' the Clock. The figure .
which comes out to strike the hours on
the bell of a clock. A contraction of
Jaquemart (q.v.). -
“Jſing Iēichard. Well, but what's O'clock 2
Buckingham. Upon the stroke of ten.
K. R. - • Well, let it strike.
I: Why let it strike?, .
A. R. Because that, like a jack, thou keep'st the
Stl’()Ke -
JBetwixt thy begging and my meditation.”
Shakespeare : Iticlvan'd III., iv. 2.
Jack of Dover. A stockfish, “hake
salted and dried.” The Latin for a .
hake is merlucius, and lucius is a jack or
pike. Mer, of course, means the sea, .
and Dover, the chief Cinque Port, is
used as a synonym. Also refuse wine
collected into a bottle and sold for fresh .
wine. “To do-over again.” (See DovER.).
“Many a Jack of Dover hastow sold -
That hath been twytis hot and twyūs cold.”
Chaucer : Canterbury Tales.
Jack of Newbury. John Winch-
comb, the greatest clothier of the world,
in the reign of Henry VIII. He kept.
100 looms in his own house at Newbury,
and equipped at his own expense 100 of .
his men to aid the king against the
Scotch in Flodden Field.
Jack o’ the Bowl. The most fa-
mous brownie or house-spirit of Switzer-
land; SO called from the custom of placing
Jack Out of Office
for him every night on the roof of the
Cow-house a bowl of fresh sweet cream.
The contents of this bowl are sure to
disappear before morning.
Jack Out of Office.
in office.
“I am left out ; for me nothing remains.
But long I will not be Jack-out-of-office.”
Shakespeare : 1 (16mry VI., i. 1.
Jack the Giant-killer owed much
of his success to his four marvellous
possessions—an invisible coat, a cap of
wisdom, shoes of Swiftness, and a resist-
less sword. When he put on his coat no
eye could see him ; when he had his
shoes on no one could overtake him ; his
sword would cut through everything;
and when his cap was on he knew every-
thing he required to know. Yonge says
the story is based on the Scandinavian
tale of Thor and Loki, while Masson
maintains it to be a nursery version of
the feats of Corin'eus in Geoffrey of
Monmouth's marvellous history. I ap-
prehend that neither of these sugges-
tions will find many supporters. -
* Military success depends (1) on an
invisible coat, or secrecy, not letting the
foe know your plans; (2) a cap of
One no longer
wisdom, or wise counsel; (3) shoes of
swiftness, or attacking the foe before he
is prepared; and (4) a resistless sword,
or dauntless courage.
Jack the Ripper. An unknown
person who so called himself, and com-
mitted a series of murders in the East
End of London on common prostitutes.
The first was April 2nd, 1888; the next was
August 7th ; the third , was August 31st ; the
fourth was September 8th ; the fifth was Septem-
ber 30th, when two women were murdered ; the
sixth was November 9th ; the seventh was De-
cember 20th, in a builder's yard ; the eighth was
July 17th, 1889, at Whitechapel ; the ninth was
September 17th.
Jack and James. Jewish, Jacob :
French, Jacques, our “Jack,” and
Jacquemes, our “James.” Jacques used
to be the commonest name of France,
hence the insurrection of the common
people was termed the insurrection of
the Jacques, or the Jacquerie ; and a
rustic used to be called a Jacques borº
homme. The Scotch call Jack Jock.
Jackal. A toady. One who does
the dirty work of another. It was once
thought that the jackals hunted in
troops to provide the lion with prey,
hence they were called the “lion’s pro-
viders.” No doubt the lion will at times
avail himself of the jackal's assistance
|by appropriating prey started by these
“hunters,” but it would be folly to
672
Jacobins
--.
suppose that the jackal acted on the
principle of vos 770m wobis. (See HoNEY-
COMB.) .
Jacket. The French jaquette, “little
jack,” a translation of the German
IHanseline, a slop cut short.
Jacket. The skin of a potato. Pota-
toes brought to table unpeeled are said
to be “with their jackets on.”
To dust one's jacket. (See DUST.)
Jackson. (See STONEWALL.)
Jackso'nian Professor. The pro-
fessor of natural and experimental phi-
losophy in the University of Cambridge.
This professorship was founded in 1783
by the Rev. Richard Jackson. -
Jacob the Scourge of Grammar.
Giles Jacob, master of Romsey, in
Hampshire, brought up for an attorney.
A poetaster in the time of Pope. (See
Dunciad, iii.)
Jacob's Ladder. A ladder seen by
the patriarch Jacob in a vision. It was
set on the earth, and reached to heaven,
and angels seemed to be ascending and
descending on, it (Gen. xxviii. 12).
Jacob is, on this account, a cant name
for a ladder. There is a pretty blue
flower so called.
Jacob's Staff. An instrument for
taking heights and distances.
“Reach then a soaring quill, that I may write
As with a Jacol)'s Staff to take her height.”
Clevela.ºld : The Hecatomb to his Mistress.
The Apostle James is usually repre-
sented with a staff.
“As he had travelled many a summer's day
Through boiling sands of Arabie and Ynd ;
And in his hand a Jacob's staff to stay
His weary limbs upon.” . .
Spenser: Faërie Queenue, book i. Canto vi. 32–35.
Jacob's Stone. The stone inclosed
in the coronation chair of Great Britain,
brought from Scone by Edward I., and
said to be the stone on which the patri-
arch Jacob laid his head when he dreamt
about the ladder referred to above.
This stone was originally used in
Ireland as a coronation stone. It was
called “Innisfail,” or Stone of Destiny.
(See CORONATION CHAIR.)
Jacobins. The Dominicans were so
called in France from the “Rue St.
Jacques,” Paris, where they first esta-
blished themselves in 1219. -
Jacobins. A political club, originally
called the Club Breton, formed at Ver-
sailles in 1789. On their removal to
Paris, they met in the hall of an ex-
convent of Jacobins (see above), in the
Rue St. Honoré.
Jacobites
r −. Tº
Jacobites (3 syl.). The partisans of
James II. (when William III. Superseded
him), his son, and grandson.
Jacobites, nicknamed Warming-pans.
It is said that Mary d'Este, the wife of
James II., never had a living child, but
that on one occasion a child, introduced
to her bedroom in a warming-pan, was
substituted for her dead infant. This
“warming-pan child” was the Pre-
tender. Such is the tale, the truth is
quite another matter.
Jacobites. An Oriental sect of
Monoph’ysites, so called from Jaco'bus
Baradasus (Jacoub Al-Baradei), Bishop
of Edessa, in Syria, in the sixth century.
Jacobus. A gold coin of the value
of 25s., struck in the reign of James I.
Jacquard Loom. So called from
Jos, Marie Jacquard, of Lyons, who in-
vented this ingenious device for weaving
figures upon silks and muslims. (1752-
1834.) -
Jacqueline (of Paris). A bell
weighing 15,000 lbs., cast in 1400.
Jacquerie (La). An insurrection
of the peasantry of France in 1358, ex-
cited by the oppressions of the privileged
classes and Charles the Bad of Navarre,
while King Jean was a prisoner in Eng-
land. When the peasants complained,
and asked who was to redress their
rievances, they were told in , scorn
acques Bonhomme (Johnny Goodman),
i.e. no one. At length a leader appeared,
called himself Jacques Bonhomme, and
declared war to the death against every
gentleman in France. . In six weeks
some 12,000 of these insurgents were
cut down, and amongst their number
was the leader himself. (See JACK,
JACQUES.) - s
Jacques. A generic name for the
poor artisan class in France. Jaques is
a sort of cotton waistcoat without sleeves.
“Jacques, il me faut troubler ton somme ;
Dans le village, un gros huissier
Röde et court, suivi du messier :
C'est Dour l'impôt, las ! mon pauvre homme.
* Leye-toi, Jacques, lève-toi,
Voici Venir l’huissier du roi.”
Beranger (1831),
Pauvre Jacques. Said to a maiden
when she is lackadaisical (French).
Marie Antoinette had at the Little
Trianon an artificial Swiss village, which
she called her “ Petite Suisse,” and
actually sent to Switzerland for a
peasant girl to assist in milking the
cows. The Swiss maiden was one day
overheard sighing for “Pauvre Jacques,”
and the queen sent for the distant
Swain, and had the lovers married. To
673
of pardon to all the conspirators.
Jamambuxes
finish this absurd romance, the Mar-
chioness de Travanet wrote an ode on
the event, which was for a time wonder-
fully popular.
“Pauvre Jacques, quand j'etais prés de toi,
Je ne sentais pas ma misère : • ‘
Mais à présent que tu vis loin de moi,
Je manque de tout Sur la terre.”
Marquise de Travanet.
Jacques Bonhomme. A sort of
fairy good-luck, who is to redress all
wrongs, and make all the poor wealthy.
The French peasants are so called some-
times, and then the phrase is like our
term of sneering pity, “my good fellow,”
or “my fine fellow.” (See JACQUES.)
Jactitation of Marriage. A false
assertion by a person of being married
to another. This is actionable.
Jade or The Divine Stone. Worn by
the Indians as an amulet to preserve
them from the bite of venomous animals,
and to cure the gravel, epilepsy, etc.
(Hill.)
.* The conversation was interspersed by con-
tinual cups of tea drunk out of the most beauti-
ful Chinese-ware, while the Ambal's cup was of
a green jade.”—Domvulot: Across Thibet, chal). X.
1), 252.
Jade. A worthless horse. An old
woman (used in contempt). A young
woman (not necessarily contemptuous).
Jaf'fier (3 syl.), in Venice Preserved,
a tragedy by Otway. He joins the con-
spiracy of Pierre against the Venetian
state, but communicates the secret to
his wife Belvidera. Belvidera, being
the daughter of a senator, is naturally
anxious to save the life of Priu'li, her
father, and accordingly induces her hus-
band to disclose the plot, under promise
The
plot being revealed, the Senate con-
demned the conspirators to death ;
whereupon Jaffier stabbed Pierre to
prevent his being broken on the wheel,
and then stabbed himself.
Jagger. A gentleman; a SportSman.
(German, jager, a Sportsman.)
Jail-bird (A). One who has been in
jail as a prisoner.
“At this late period of Christianity We aro
brought up to abhor jail-birds as we do toads.”—
Beechen'. The Plymouth Pulpit, August 30th, 1874,
Vol. ii. 557.
Jamambuxes [Soldiers of the roºd
valleys]. Certain fanatics of Japan, who
roam about and pretend to hold converse
with the Devil. . They scourge them-
selves, severely, and sometimes refrain
from sleeping for several days, in Order
to obtain the odour of Sanctity. They
are employed by the people for the dis-
covery of articles stolen or lost.
43
Jambon
4 Jane
Jambon. A gun, so called from its
fanciful resemblance to a “betterave '’
or jambon. The botanical name of the
root is melochia. - -
“What would you do to me, brigand 2 . . . Give
ImC fifty lolows of a hiatriuque, as your officer gave
yº)ll last Week for Stealing h.s jambon 2''—Ouida :
Under T'wo F lays, cliap. xvi.
Jambuscha [Jam-bats-cah]. Adam’s
preceptor, according to the pre-Adam-
ites. Sometimes called Boan, and some-
time Zagtith. -
James. A Sovereign; a jacöbus. A
gold coin circulated in the reign of
James I. Worth about 25s.
James (St.). Patron Saint of Spain.
At Padron, near Compostella, they used
to show a huge stone as the veritable
boat in which the apostle sailed from
Talestine. His body was discovered in
840 by divine revelation to Bishop Theo-
domi'rus, and King Alfonso built a
church at Compostella for its shrine.
According to another legend, it was the
Telies of St. James that were miraculously
conveyed to Spain in a ship of marble
from Jerusalem, where he was bishop.
A knight saw the ship sailing into port,
his horse took fright, and plunged with
its rider into the sea. The knight
saved himself by “boarding the marble
vessel,” but his clothes were found to be
entirely covered with scallop shells.
* In the Acta Sanctorum (xi. 37, etc.)
we are told, that in Clavigium scarcely
a stone is found which does not bear the
form of a shell ; and if these stones are
broken up, the broken bits have also the
forms of shells. - -
In Christian art this saint has some-
times the sword by which he was be-
headed, and sometimes he is attired as
a pilgrim, with his cloak covered with
shells. (See above.) .
St. James (the Less). His attribute is
a fuller’s club, in allusion to the instru-
ment by , which he was put to death,
after having been precipitated from the
summit of the temple. +.
St. James’s College.
James I., who granted a charter to a
college founded at Chelsea by Dr. Sut-
cliffe, Dean of Exeter, to maintain
priests to answer all adversaries of re-
ligion. Laud nicknamed it “Contro-
versy College.” The college was a
failure, and Charles II. gave the site to
the Royal Society, who sold it for the
purpose of erecting the Royal Hospital
for Old Soldiers, which now exists.
St. James’s Day. July 25th, the day
of his martyrdom.
So called from
…?
The Court of St. James or St. James's.
The British court. Queen Victoria holds
her drawing-rooms and levées in St.
James’s Palace, Pall Mall; but Queen
Anne, the four Georges, and William IV.
resided in this palace.
Jamie or Jemmie Duffs. Weepers.
So called from a noted Scotchman of
the 18th century, who lived at Edin-
burgh. . . His great passion, like that
of “Old Q.,” was to follow funerals
in mourning costume, with orthodox
weepers. .I myself know a gentleman
of a similar morbid passion. (Ray:
Original Portraits, i. 7, and ii. 9, 17, 95.)
Jamshid'. King of the Genii, famous
for a golden cup full of the elixir of life.
This cup, hidden by the genii, was dis-
covered while digging the foundations
of Persepolis. -
“I know too where the genii lid *
The jewelled cup of their king Jamshid,
With life's elixir sparkling ligh.”
Thoma (ts Moore: I’d radise and the Pe)'i.
Jane. A Genoese halfpenny, a cor-
ruption of Januensis or Genoensis.
* Because I could not give her many a jane.”
Spense,' ... Faërie Queene, book iii, canto vii. 58. '
Jame. A most ill-starred name for
rulers. To give a few examples: Lady
Jane Grey, beheaded by Mary for
treason ; Jane Seymour; Jane or Joan
Deaufort, wife of James I. of Scotland,
who was infamously and savagely mur-
dered ; Jane of Burgundy, wife of
Philippe le Long, who imprisoned her
for adultery in 1314; Jane of Flanders,
who was in ceaseless war with Jane of
Penthièvre after the captivity of their
husbands. This contest is known in
history as “the wars of the two
Janes'' (fourteenth century). Jane of
Prance (de Valois), wife of Louis XII.,
who repudiated her for being ugly; Jane
d’Albret, mother of Henri IV. of France.
IBeing invited to Paris to attend the
espousals of her son with Margaret de
Valo'is, she was poisoned by Catharine
de' Medicis (1572); Jane, Countess of
IIainault, daughter of Baldwin, and
wife of Fernand of Portugal, who was
made prisoner at the battle of Bouvines
in 1214. She refused to ransom him,
and is thought to have poisoned her
father; Jane Henriquez, wife of John II.
of Navarre, stirred up war between her
husband and his son Carlos by a former
marriage, and ultimately made away
with the young prince, a proceeding
which caused a revolt of the Cata-
lonians (1462); Jane the Imbecile of
Castile, who lost her reason from grief
at the neglect of her husband, Philip the
Jane Eyre
IHandsome, Archduke of Austria; Jane I.
of Naples married Andrew of Hungary,
whom she caused to be murdered, and
then married the assassin. Her reign
was most disastrous. La Harpe has a
tragedy entitled Jeanne de Naples ;
Jane II. of Naples, a woman of most
scandalous character, guilty of every
sort of wantonness. She married James,
Count of March, who put to death her
lovers and imprisoned Jane for two years.
At her release James fled to France,
when Jane had a liaison with Caraccioli,
whom she murdered. Joan, the pope,
if indeed such a person ever existed.
Jeanne la Pucelle [Joan of Arc] cannot
be called a ruler, but her lot was not
more happy; etc. etc. (See JOHN Two.)
Jane Eyre. The heroine in a novel
of the same name, by Currer Bell (q.v.).
Jan'issaries or Jan'izaries, a cele-
lorated militia of the Ottoman Empire,
raised by Orchan in 1326, and called the
Fengi-tseheri (new corps). It was blessed
by Hadji Bektash, a Saint, who cut off
a sleeve of his fur mantle and gave it to
the captain. . The captain put the sleeve
on his head, and from this circumstance
arose the fur cap worn by these foot-
guards. In 1826, having become too for-
midable to the state, they were abolished.
“There were two classes of Janizaries, one re-
gularly organised ... ... and the other composing
an irregular militia.”—Chambers : Encyclopaediat,
Yol. vi. p. 270
Jan'nes and Jam"bres. The two
magicians of Pharaoh, who imitated
some of the miracles of Moses.
Jannes and Jambres who “withstood
Mosés,” mentioned by St. Paul (2 Tim.
iii. 8, 9), are supposed to be the same.
The paraphrast Jonathan says they were
the sons of Balaam.
Janſsenists. A sect of Christians,
who held the doctrines of Cornelius
Jansen, Bishop of Ypres, in France.
Jansen professed to have formulated the
teaching of Augustine, A.D. 1640, which
resembled Calvinism in many respects.
He taught the doctrines of “irresistible
grace,” “original sin,” and the “utter
helplessness of the natural man to turn
to God.” Louis XIV. took part against
them, and they were put down by Pope
Clement XI., in 1705, in the famous bull
called Unigen'itus (7.7'.). -
Janua'rius (St.). A martyr in 305.
Two vials of his blood are preserved in
the cathedral at Naples, and every year
on September 19 (the day of his martyr-
dom) the blood liquefies. . . . .
Order of St. Januarius (patron saint
The
67
5
Jarnac
of Naples), instituted in 1738 by Infanté
don Carlos.
January. The month dedicated by
the Romans to Janus (q.v.). Janus had
two faces, and January could look back
to the year past, and forwards to the
current year.
Ja'nus. The temple of peace, in
Rome. The doors were thrown open in
times of war and closed in times of
peace. Some think the two faces of this
mythical deity allegorise Noah and his
sons, who look back on the world before
the Flood, and forwards on the world
after the deluge had abated. This idea
will do very well in poetry.
“Slavery was the hinge on which the gates of
the temple of Janus turned ’’ (ill the Aluerican
War).-The Times.
Japanese (3 syl.). The language of
Japan, a native of Japan, anything per-
taining thereto.
Japheth’s Stone. According to tra-
dition, Noah gave Japheth a stone
which the Turks call giudětasch and
sen/jedö. Whoever possesses this stone
has the power of bringing rain from
heaven at will. It was for a long time
preserved by the Moguls.
Japhet'idie. The supposed posterity
of Japheth, son of Noah. The Aryan
family is said to belong to this race.
“The Indo-European family of languages as
known by various designations. Some style it
Japhetic, as if it appertained to the descendants
of the patriarch Japheth; as the Semitic tongues
[appertain] to the descendants of Šhem.”—Khit-
oney : L(t1ag tatges, etc., lecture V. p. 192. - -
Jaquemart. The automaton of a
clock, consisting of a man and woman
who strike the hours on a bell. So called
from Jean Jaquemart of Dijon, a clock-
maker, who devised this piece of me-
chanism.
Jaques (1 Syl.). A morose cynical
moraliser in Shakespeare’s As Yor. Like
It. It is much disputed whether the
word is a monosyllable or not. Charles
Lamb makes it a dissyllable—“Where
Jaqués fed in solitary vein; ” but Sir
Walter Scott uses it as a monosyllable—
“Whom humorous Jaques with envy
viewed.”
Jarkman. An Abram-man (q.v.).
Jark means a seal, whence also a safe-
conduct. Abram-men were licensed
beggars, who had the “seal" or licence
of the Bethlehem Hospital to beg.
Jarnac. Coup de Jarmac. A peculiar
stroke of the sword by which the oppo-
nent is ham-strung. The allusion is to
Jarndyce
the duel between Jarnac and La Chá-
teigneraie, on July 10th, 1547, in the
presence of Henri II., when Jarnac dealt
his adversary such a blow, from which
he died.
Jarndyce T. Jarndyce. An in-
terminable Chancery suit in Dickens's
Bleak House. The character of Jarn-
dyce is that of a kind-hearted, easy
fellow, who is half ashamed that his left
hand should know what his right hand
gives.
Jarvey. A hackney-coach driver.
Said to be a contraction of Geoffrey;
and the reason why this name was
selected was because coachmen say to
their horses gee-0, and Ge-O’ is a con-
traction of Geoffrey. Ballantine says,
that one Jarvis, a noted hackney-coach-
man who was hanged, was the original
Jarvey.
A Jarvey’s benjamin. A coachman’s
great-coat. (See BENJAMIN.)
Jarvie (Baillie Nicol). A Glasgow
magistrate in Scott's Jeob Roy. He is
petulant, conceited, purse-proud, with-
out tact, and intensely prejudiced, but
sincere and kind-hearted.
Jaun'dice (2 syl.). A jaundiced eye.
A prejudiced eye which sees “faults that
are not.” It was a popular belief among
the Romans that to the eye of a person
who had the jaundice everything looked
of a yellow tinge. (French, jaune, yel-
low.) -
“All seems infected that th' infected spy,
As all seems yellow to the jaundiced eye.
Pope : Essay on Criticism.
* }
Javan [clay]. Son of Japheth. In
most Eastern languages it is the collec-
tive name of the Greeks, and is to be so
understood in Isa. lxvi. 19, and Ezek.
xxvii. 13. ** .
In the World Before the Flood, by
James Montgomery, Javan is the hero.
On the day of his birth his father died,
and Javan remained in the “patriarch's
glen?” under his mother's care, till she
also died. Then he resolved to see the
world, and sojourned for ten years
with the race of Cain, where he became
the disciple of Jubal, noted for his
musical talents. At the expiration of
that time he returned, penitent, to the
patriarch's glen, where Zillah, daughter
of Enoch, “won the heart to Heaven
denied.” The giants invaded the glen,
and carried off the little band captives.
Enoch reproved the giants, who would
have slain him in their fury, but they |
could not find him, “for he walked with
6
6 Jeames
&= -s. -->:<ºxº
God.” . As he ascended through the air
his mantle fell on Javan, who, “Smiting
with it as he moved along,” brought the
captives safely back to the glen again.
A tempest broke forth of so fearful a
nature that the giant army fled in a
panic, and their king was slain by Some
treacherous blow given by some un-
known hand.
Jav'anese (3 Syl.). A native of Java,
anything pertaining to Java.
Javert. An officer of police, the.
impersonation of inexorable law in Les
Misérables, by Victor Hugo.
Jaw. Words of complaint ; wrang-
ling, abuse, jabber. “To jaw,” to
annoy with words, to jabber, wrangle,
or abuse. The French guettle and gueuler
are used in the same manner.
IHold your jaw. Hold your tongue or
jabber. 3 :
What are you jawing about 2 What
are you jabbering or wrangling about 8
A break-jaw word. A very long word,
or one hard to pronounce.
Jā-wäb. The refusal of an offer of
marriage. Thus when one lady says
to another that “Mr. A. B. has got his
jawab,” she means that he made her
an offer of marriage, but was refused.
(Calcutta Slang.)
Jawbone (2 syl.). Credit, promises.
(Jaw, words or talk; bom, good.)
Jay (A). A wanton. . - &
“This jay of Italy . . . . hath betrayed
Shakespectre : Othello, W. 2. - -
Jay. A plunger; one who spends his
money recklessly; a simpleton. This is
simply the letter J, the initial letter of
Juggins, who, in 1887, made a fool of
himself by losses on the turf.
Ja'zey. A wig ; a corruption of Jer-
sey, and so called because they are made
of Jersey flax and fine wool.
Je Maintiendrai (I will maintain).
The motto of the House of Nassau. When
William III. came to England he re-
tained the motto, but added to it, “I
will maintain the liberties of England and
the Protestant religion.”
Je ne Sais Quoi. An indescribable
something; as “There was a je me $gis
quoi about him which made us dislike
him at first sight.”
Jeannes (1 syl.). Any flunkey. Some-
times the Morning Post is so called.
Thackeray wrote Jeames’s Diary (pub-
lished in Pinch), of which Jeames de la
Pluche was the hero.
him.”—
... ºº
Jean Crapaud
677
Jemmie Duffs,
Jean Crapaud. A Frenchman. A
Frenchman is called both a toad and a
frog. (See CRAPAUD.) -
Jean Farine [Jack Flour]. A sort
of Scaramouch, generally very tall, and
representing a loutish boy dressed all in
white, the hair, face, and hands being
covered with flour.
“Jean Farine s'en for Vient (du manteau d'un
gentilhomme (#scon) un bonnet ; et à le voir
blanchastre, il semble qu'il Soit desja, enfariné.”
—LCS Jetta; de l’Incommut (1645).
Jean de Lettre (Mr. Jenkins).
“Qui pour l'ordinaire, dit Tallemant,
est un animal mal idoine d toute autre
chose.” (Mme. Deshoulières : Histori-
ettes, ix. 209, x. 82.) -
Jean de la Suie (French). A
Savoyard.
Jean de la Vigne (French). A
crucifix. (See next article.) -
Jean des Vignes (French). So
the jonglers call the poupée to which
they address themselves. The French
Protestants in the sixteenth century
called ‘‘the host '’ Jean, and the word
is pretty well synonymous with buffoon.
Jean des Vignes was a drunken mari-
onette performer of considerable ability;
“Jean '' was his name, “des Wignes”
his sobriquet. Hence when a person
does a bad action, the French say, “Il
fait comme Jean des Wignes; ” an illicit
marriage is called “le mariage de Jean
des Vignes,” and a bad fellow is “un
Jean des Wignes.” Hence Assoucy says,
“ Moi, pattvre 80t, plus sot que Jean des
Pigmes 1’’ " . -
“Jean.' que dire sur Jean 2 cost un terrible nom,
Quijalmais n'accompagne une épithete lionnéte
Jean des,Vignes, Jean ligne. Ou vais-je ?
Trouvès bon
Qu'en si beau chemin je m'arrête.”
- - Virgile Travesti, vii. (Jumo to Æneas).
Jeannot (French). One who is mi-
nutely great; one who exercises his
talents and ingenuity on trifles; one
who after great preparation at table to
produce some mighty effect, brings forth
only a ridiculous mouse. - - " ..
Jeb'usites (3 syl.), in Dryden’s satire
of Absalom and Achitophel, stands for
the Roman Catholics; so called because
England was, Roman Catholic before
the Reformation, and Jerusalem was
called Jebus before the time of David.”
* In this poem, the Jebusites are the
Catholics, and the Levites the dissenting
clergy.
“Succeeding times did equal folly call,
Believing nothing, or believing all.
The Egyptian rites the Jebusifes embraced,
When gods were recommended by their taste.”
- [Transubstantiation.] . .
pryden: Absalom and Achitophel, Part i. 117-123.
Jedwood Justice. Putting an ob-
noxious person to death first, and trying
him afterwards. This sort of justice was
dealt to moss-troopers. Same as Jed-
burgh justice, Jeddart justice. We have
also “Cupar justice ’’ and “Abingdon
law.” Of the last we are told that
Major-General Brown, in the Common-
wealth, hanged a man first and tried
him afterwards.
“Jedwood justice—hang in haste and try at
lcisure.”—Scott: I’air Maid of Perth, chap. xxxii.
Jehen'nam. The Gehenna or Inferno
of the Arabs. It consists of seven stages,
one below the other. The first is allotted
to atheists; the second to Manicheans
(q.v.); the third to the Brahmins of
India ; the fourth to the Jews; the fifth
to Christians; the sixth to the Magians
or Ghebers of Persia ; and the seventh
to hypocrites. (The Iſoran.) -
Jehovis'tic. (See ELOHISTIC.)
Jehu. A coachman, especially one
who drives at a rattling pace.
“The watchman told, saying; . . . . The driving
is like the driving of Jehu the son of Ninishi;
for he driveth furiously.”–2 Kings ix. 20.
Jejune (2 syl.). A jejune warrative.
A dry, tedious one. (Latin, jºjº'neſs,
dry, spiritless.) -
“Till farce itself, most mournfully jejune,
Calls for the kind assistance of a tune.”
- Sowper: Retirememt, 711.
Jekyll. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The two phases of one man, “the law
of his members warring against the law
of his mind.” Jekyll is the “would do
good,” Hyde is “the evil thatis present.”
(Stevenson : Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.)
Jelly Pardons. When Thomas
Cromwell was a clerk in the English
factory at Antwerp, two of his fellow-
countrymen from Boston (Lincolnshire)
consulted with him as to the best means
of getting the pardons renewed for the
repair of Boston harbour. Cromwell,
knowing that Pope Julius was very fond
of dainties, provided for him some ex-
quisite jelly, and told his Holiness that
only royalty ever ate it in England. The
Pope was so pleased with the delicacy
that he signed the pardons, on condition
of having the recipe of the jelly. -
Jel'Eyby (Mrs.). A philanthropist
who would spend and be spent to help
the poor fan-makers and flower-girls of
Borrioboolah Gha, but would bundle into
the street a poor beggar dying of star-
vation on her own doorstep. (Dickens :
J}leak House.)
Jemmie Duffs. (See JAMIE DUFFs.)
* *
Jemmy. 678
Jericho
*—
Jemmy, a name found in engravings
of the eighteenth century, was James
Worsdale, the painter and dramatic
writer (died 1767).
A housebreaker’s crowbar. A variant
of Jimmy, Jenny, Jinnie, and a diminu-
tive of en-gine. Similarly a “spinning-
jinnie'' is a small engine for spinning.
These crowbars generally take to pieces
that they may be slipped into the pocket.
Jemmy. The head of a slaughtered
sheep. There are “boiled jemmies,”
“baked jemmies,” and “sanguinary
jemmies” (raw sheep’s heads). The
tradition is that James IV. of Scotland
breakfasted on a sheep’s head just before
the battle of Flodden Field (Sep. 9, 1513).
“Mr. Sikes made many pleasant, witticisms on
jemmies, a cant name for sheep's heads, and also
for an ingenious implement much used in his pro-
fession.”—Dickens : Oliver Twist.
Jemmy. A great-coat. So called
from the Scotch cloth called jemmy.
Jemmy. Spruce, fine. A diminutive
of gim, spruce or Smart (Anglo-Saxon
genet). Gimcrack means an ornamental
toy, a pretty ornament of no solidity.
(See below, JEMMY JESSAMY.)
Jemmy Dawson was one of the
Manchester rebels, who was hanged,
drawn, and quartered on Kennington
Common, Surrey, July 30th, 1746. A
lady of gentle blood was in love with the
gallant young rebel, and died of a broken
heart on the day of his execution.
(Percy’s Reliques, series 2, book iii. 26.)
Shenstone has a ballad on it, beginning,
“Come, listen to my mournful tale.”
Jemmy Jessamy (A). A Jack-a-
dandy ; a lady's fondling, “sweet as
sugar-candy.”
Jenkinson (Ephraim). A swindling
rascal, who makes a tool of Dr. Prim-
I’OSé.
Jennet. A small Spanish horse.
Jenny. The spinning jenny means
the little spinning engine. The word is
a corrupt diminutive, ’ginie. It is an
error to derive the word from the in-
ventor's wife or daughter, seeing his
wife’s name was Elizabeth, and he had
no daughter.
Jenny I’Ouvrière. A generic name
for a hard-working, poor, but contented
needlewoman. The name was devised
by Émile Barateau, and rendered popu-
lar by his song so called.
“Entendez-vous unoiseau familier 2
C'est le chanteur de Jenny l’Ouvrière.
All coeur content, Content, (le pell
Elle pourrait étre riche, et préfère
Ce qui Yient de Dieu.” (1847.)
(Goldsmith : Picar of IWakefield.)
Jenny Wren, the sweetheart of Robin
Redbreast.
“. Robin promised Jenny, if she would be his
wife, she should “feed on cherry-pie and drink
Currant-Wine ; and he says:–
* I'll dress you like a goldfinch,
Or any peacock gay :
So, dearest Jen, if you’il be mine,
Let us appoint the day."
Jenny replies :—
“Cherry-pie is very nice,
And so is currant wine :
But I must wear my plain brown gown,
And never go too ſine.’”
Jeofail, i.e. J'ai failli (Lapsus sum :
I have failed), an omission or oversight
in a law proceeding. There are several
statutes of Jeofail for the remedy of slips
or mistakes.
Jeop'ardy (3 syl.). Hazard, danger.
Tyrwhitt says it is the French jeu parti,
and Froissart uses the phrase, “Si mous
(es voyons & jeu parti ’’ (vol. i. c. 234).
Jeu parti is a game where the chances
#. exactly balanced, hence a critical
State.
Jereed. A javelin with which the
Easterns exercise. (Turkish and Arabic.)
Jeremi'ad (4 syl.). A pitiful tale,
a tale of woe to produce compassion ; so
called from the “Lamentations '' of the
prophet Jeremiah. -
Jeremiah, derived from “Cucum-
ber.” The joke is this: King Jeremiah
= Jere’-king, contracted in Jer’-kin', or
gher-kin, and gherkin is a young
cucumber.
The British Jeremiah. Gibbon so
calls Gildas, author of Lamentations
over the Destruction of Britain (516-
570). -
Jeremy Diddler. An adept at rais-
ing money on false pretences. From
Renny’s farce called lèaising the IFind.
Jeremy Twitcher. A cunning,
treacherous highwayman, in Gay's
Beggar’s Opera. Lord Sandwich, a
member of the New Kit Kat Club, was
so called in 1765. 4.
Jer'icho. Gone to Jericho. No one
knows where. The manor of Black-
more, near Chelmsford, was called
Jericho, and was one of the houses of
pleasure of Henry VIII. When this
lascivious prince had a mind to be lost
in the embraces of his courtesans, the
cant phrase among his courtiers was
“He is gone to Jericho.” Henice, a
place of concealment.
Go to Jericho with you. I wish he
had been at Jericho. A. euphemistic turn
of phrase for “Go and hang yourself.”
or something more offensive still, This
Jerked 6.79
Jerusalem Pony
saying is derived from 2 Sam. x. 5 and
1 Chron. xix. 5.
“And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your
beards be grown.'
I wish you were at Jericho. Anywhere
out of my way. (See above.)
Jerked [beef], a corruption of the
Peruvian word charqui, meat cut info
strips and dried in the sun to preserve it.
(See Mayne Reid's novels.)
Jerkin. A short coat or jacket ; a
close waistcoat.
“Mistress line, is not this my jerkin 7 Now is the
jºin under the line.”—Shakespeare : The Tempest,
Jeroboam of Rum or Claret (A).
Eight bottles; but of whisky three pints.
Probably a perversion of “joram.”
(See TAPPIT-HEN and REHOBOAM.)
“Some “jeroboams' of very old rum went at
65s. each ; several ‘tappit-liens, of rum fetched
34s. ; and some ‘magnums,’ 17s. each.”— Truth,
31st March, 1887. -
A magnum=2 quart bottles; a tap-
pithen = 2 magnums; a jeroboam = 2
tappit-hens; and a rehoboam = 2 jero-
boams or 16 quart bottles.
Jerome (St.). Generally represented
as an aged man in a cardinal's dress,
writing or studying, with a lion seated
beside him. The best painting of this
saint is The Communion of St. Jerome,
by Domenichi'no, in the Vatican. It
is placed opposite Raphael's Trans-
figuration.
Jeron'imo. The chief character in
the Spanish Tragedy by Thomas Kyd.
On finding his application to the
king ill-timed, he says to himself, “Go
by, Jeronimo,” which tickled the fancy
of the audience so that it became for a
time the current street jest.
Jerry-built, unsubstantial. A “jerry-
builder” is a speculative builder who
runs up cheap, unsubstantial houses,
using materials of the commonest kind.
(See JURY MAST.)
Jerry-shop, or a Tom and Jerry
Shop. A low-class beer-house. Probably
the Tom and Jerry was a public-house
sign when Pierce Egan's Life in London
was popular.
Jerry Sineak. A henpecked hus-
loand, from a celebrated character in
Foote's farce of the Mayor of Garratt.
Jerrymander. (See GERRYMANDER.)
Jersey is Caesar’s-ey—i.e. Caesar's
island, so called in honour of Julius
Caesar. -
Jeru'salem, in Dryden's satire of
Absalom and Achitophel, means London.
(Part is verse 86, etc.) ... - - -
Jerusalem Articholze. A corrup-
tion of Girasolº articiocco. Girasole is
the sunflower, which this vegetable re-
sembles both in leaf and stem.
Jerusalem Chamber. The Chap-
ter-house of Westminster Abbey. Henry
IV. died there, March 20, 1413.
“It hatlı been prophesied to me many years,
I should not, die but in Jerusalem.”
Sh, thespeare: 2 IIemry IV., iv. 5.
* Pope Silvester II. was told the
same thing, and he died as he was saying
mass in a church so called. (Bacon :
Tusculum.)
The Lower House of Convocation
now meets in the Jerusalem Chamber.
The Upper House meets at Mr. Hodg-
son’s, in Dean’s Yard, Westminster.
Jerusalem Delivered. An epic in
tº books, by Torquato Tasso (1544-
395) }. -
The crusaders, encamped on the plains
of Torto'sa, chose Godfrey for their
chief, and Alandine, King of Jerusalem,
made preparations of defence. The
overtures of Argantes to Godfrey being
declined, he declared war in the name of
the king of Egypt. The Christian army
having reached Jerusalem, the king of
Tamascus sent Armi'da, to beguile the
Christians; she told an artful tale by
which she drew off several of the most
puissant. It was found that Jerusalem
could never be taken without the aid of
Rinaldo ; but Rinaldo had withdrawn
from the army, because Godfrey had
cited him to answer for the death of
Girnando, slain in a duel. Godfrey,
being informed that the hero was dally-
ing with Armi'da, in the enchanted is-
land, sent to invite him back to the
army; he returned, and Jerusalem was
taken in a night attack. As for Ar-
mi'da, after setting fire to her palace,
she fled into Egypt, and offered to
marry any knight who slew Rinald ;
but when she found the Christian army
was successful she fled from the field.
The love of Rinaldo returned ; he pur-
sued her and she relented. The poem
concludes with the triumphant entry of
the Christian army into the Holy City,
and their devotions at the tomb of the
Redeemer. The two chief episodes are
the loves of Olindo (q.v.) and Sophro'nia,
and of Tancred (q.v.) and Corinda.
Jerusalem Pony. A needy clergy-
man or minister, who renders temporary
aid to his brother ministers for hire;
so called in humorsome discourtesy.
The Jerusalem pony is a large species of
donkey. -
JeSS 680
Jew
Jess (pl. Jesses). A short strap of
leather tied about the legs of a hawk to
hold it on the fist. Hence a bond of
affection, etc.
“If I prove her haggard,
Though that her jesses were my dear heart-
raśnor off."
Shakespeare: Othello, iii. 3.
Jessamy Bride is Mary Horneck,
with whom Oliver Goldsmith fell in love
in 1769.
Jesse Tree. In Christian art, a vine
tracing the genealogy of Christ, called
a “rod out of the stem of Jesse’’ (Isa.
xi. 1). Jesse is generally represented in
a recumbent position, and the vine is
made to rise out of his loins.
Jesse Window (A). A stained-glass
window representing Jesse recumbent,
and a tree shooting from him containing
the pedigree of Jesus.
Jes'sica. The Jew’s daughter in the
Merchant of Venice, by Shakespeare.
Jesters. (See FOOLS.)
Jes’uit (3 syl.). When Ignatius de
Loyola was asked what name he would
give his order, he replied, “We are a
little battalion of Jesus; ” so it was
called the “Society of Jesus,” vulgar-
ised into Jesuits. The society was
noted for its learning, political influence,
and “pious frauds.” The order was
driven from France in 1594, from
England in 1604, from Venice in 1606,
from Spain in 1767, from Naples in
1768; and in 1773 was suppressed by
Tope Clement XIV. ; but it revived
again, and still exists. The word is
used by controversialists to express one
who “ lies like truth,” or palters with
us in a double sense, that “keeps the
word of promise to our ear, and breaks
it to our hope.”
Jesus Paper. Paper of very large
size, chiefly used for engravings. Ori-
ginally it was stamped with the initials
I.H.S. (q.v.). ... " - -
Jet. So called from the River Gages,
in Asia Minor, on the banks of which it
was collected by the ancients. It was
originally called gagates, corrupted into
gaffat, jet.
Jet d’Eau (French). A spout or jet
of water thrown up into the air, gener-
ally from an artificial fountain. The
great jet at Versailles rises to a height
of 100 feet; that at Chatsworth, the
highest in existence, to 267 feet. (French,
from the Latin factus, thrown; jacio, to
throw.) .
-*
Jetsam or Jetson. Goods cast into
the sea to lighten a ship. (French, jeter,
to cast out.) (See FLOTSAM and LIGAN.)
Jettator. One with an evil eye, who
always brings ill-luck. The opposite
of the Mascotte (q.v.), who with a “good
eye” always brings good fortune.
The opera called La Mascotte. (1893,
by Duree and Chivot.)
Jettatura. The evil-eye.
“Their glance, if you meet it, is the jettatura,
Ol' evil-eye.”—Mrs. Gaskell: Am Accursed IRace.
Jeu d'Esprit (French). A witti-
CISIſl. *-
Jeu de Mot.
some word or phrase. (French.)
Jeunesse Dorée. The “gilded
youth '' of a nation; that is, the rich
and fashionable young unmarried men.
“There were three of the jeunesse dorée, and, $1.8
such, were pretty well known, to the ladies who
promenade the grand circle.”—T. Terrel: Lady
Delmar, ix.
Jew. The Wandering Jew.
(1) Said to be KHARTAPH'ILos, Pilate's
porter. When the officers were dragging
Jesus out of the hall, Kartaph'ilos struck
Him with his fist in the back, saying,
“Go quicker, Man ; go quicker ''
Whereupon Jesus replied, “I indeed go
quickly; but thou shalt tarry till I
come again.” This man afterwards
became a Christian, and was baptised
under the name of Joseph. Every 100
years he falls into an ecstasy, out of
which he rises again at the age of
thirty.
The earliest account of the “Wandering Jew"
is in the Book of the Chronicles of the Abbey of St.
Albans. This tradition was continued by Matthew
Paris in 1228. In 1242 Philip Mouskes, afterwards
Bishop of Tournay, wrote the Rhymed thronicle.
(2) AHASUE'RUS, a cobbler, who dragged
Jesus before Pilate. As the Man of
Sorrows was going to Calvary, weighed
down with His cross, He stayed to rest
on a stone near the man's door, when
Ahasuerus, pushed Him away, saying,
“Away with you; here you shall not
rest.” The gentle Jesus replied, “I
truly go away, and go to rest; but thou
shalt walk, and never rest till I come.”
This is the legend given by Paul von Eitzen,
Bishop of Schleswig (1547). (See Greve: Memoirs
of Paul von Eitzen (1744).
(3) In German legend, the “Wander-
ing Jew.” is associated with , JoHN
BUTTADAEUS, seen at Antwerp in the
thirteenth century; again, in the fif-
teenth ; and again, in the sixteenth
century. His last appearance was in
1774, at Brussels.
Teonard Doldius, of Nürnberg, in his Praxis
Alchymiſe (1604), says that Ahasuérus is $omº-
times called Buttadacuš, - - *
A pun ; a play on
Jew's Eye
681
Jib
(4) The French call “The Wandering
Jew.” ISAAC LAKE'DION or LAQUEDEM.
(Mitternacht : Dissertatio in Johannem,
xxi. 19.)
(5) Dr. Croly, in his novel, calls
the “Wandering Jew’’ SALATHIEL BEN
SADI, who (he says) appeared towards
the close of the sixteenth century at
Venice.
º: The legend of the Wild Hunts-
man, called by Shakespeare “Herne,
the Hunter,” and by Father Mathieu
“St. Hubert,” is said to be a Jew who
would not suffer Jesus to drink from a
horse-trough, but pointed out to Him
some water in a hoof-print, and bade
Him go there and drink. (Kuhn won
Schwarz : Mordd. Sagen, 499.)
Jew’s-eye. Worth a Jew’s-eye. Ac-
cording to fable, this expression arose
from the custom of torturing Jews to
extort money from them. The ex-
pedient of King John is well known :
He demanded 10,000 marks of a rich
Jew of Bristol; the Hebrew resisted
the atrocious exaction, but the tyrant
ordered him to be brought before him,
and that one of his teeth should be
tugged out every day till the money
was forthcoming. This went on for
seven days, when the sufferer gave in,
and John jestingly observed, “A Jew’s
eye may be a quick ransom, but Jew’s
teeth give the richer harvest.”
Launcelot, in the Merchant of Penice,
ii. 5, puns upon this phrase when he says
to Jessica :—
* Thore Will come a Christian h
Will be Worth a Jewess' eye.”
Jew's-harp, called by Bacon jeu-
trompe, by Beaumont and Fletcher,
jew-trump, by Hakluyt, jew’s-harp.
The best players on this instrument
have been Koch, a Prussian soldier under
Frederick the Great; Kunert, Amstein,
and some others.
Jew’s Myrtle.
y -
y
So called from the
popular notion that it formed the crown
of thorns placed
Saviour's head.
Jews, in Dryden's satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, those English who were
loyal to Charles II., called David.
“The Jews, a headstrong, moody, murmuring
*:l, Cé
by the Jews on the
(: od's pampered people, Whom, debauched with
ease,
No king could govern, nor no god could please.”
- Part i. Yerses 45-48.
Jews born with tails. (See RABOIN.)
Jews' Sabbath. In the Monasticon,
de Melsa, ii. pp. 134, 137, we read that a
Jew at Tewkesbury fell into a cesspool,
and Richard, Earl of Gloucester, passing
by, offered to pull him out, but the Jew
refused, saying— -
“Sabbato nostra colo :
De Stercore Surgére nolo.”
Next day, as the Earl was passing again,
the Jew cried to him for help, when
Gloucester replied—
“Sabbata nostra quidem,
Solomon, celebra.pis ibidem.” *
The Rolls Series.
Jewels in heraldry.
The topaz represents “or” (gold), or
the planet Sol.
The pearl or crystal represents “ar-
gent'' (silver), or the planet Luna.
The ruby represents “gules” (red), or
the planet Mars. wº
The Sapphire represents “azure ?'
(blue), or the planet Jupiter.
The diamond represents “sable '’
(black), or the planet Saturn.
The emerald represents
(green), or the planet Venus.
The amethyst represents “purpure *
(purple), or the planet Mercury.
Jewels for the MONTHS. Each month
is supposed to be under the influence
of some precious stone—
January : Garnet. Constancy.
Pebruary: Amethyst. Sincerity.
March : Bloodstone. Courage.
April: Diamond. Innocence.
May: Emerald. Success in love.
June : Agate. Health and long life.
July: Cornelian. Content.
August: Sardonyx. Conjugal fidelity.
September: Chrysolite. Antidote to
Amadness.
October: Opal. Hope.
November : Topaz. Fidelity.
December : Turquoise. Prosperity.
Jewels for SIGNS of the ZODIAC–
Aries: Ruby.
Taurus: Topaz.
Gemini: Carbuncle.
Cancer : Emerald.
Teo : Sapphire.
Virgo; Diamond.
Libra : Jacinth.
Scorpio : Agate. .
Sagittarius: Amethyst.
Capricornus: Beryl.
Aquarius: Onyx.
Pisces: Jasper. -
Jez'ebel. A painted Jezebel. . A
flaunting woman of bold spirit, but loose
morals; so called from Queen Jezebel,
the wife of Ahab.
Jib. A triangular sail borne in front
of the foremast. It has the bowsprit for
a base in Small vessels, and the jib-boom
& & vert 2 3
Jib
682 Joachim
in larger ones, and exerts an important
effect, when the windisabeam, in throw-
ing the ship's head to leeward.
Jib. The under-lip. A sailor’s ex-
pression ; the under-lip indicating the
temper, as the jib indicates the character
of a ship. -
The cut of his jib. A sailor's phrase,
meaning the expression of a person's
face. Sailors recognise vessels at sea by
the cut of the jibs.
To hang the jib. The jib means the
lower lip. To hang the lower lip is to
look ill-tempered, or annoyed.
Jib (To). To start aside ; a “jibbing
horse ’’ is one that is easily startled. It
is a sea term, to jib being to shift the
boomsail from one side of the mast to
the other. - -
Jib-boom. An extension of the
bowsprit by the addition of a spar pro-
jecting beyond it. Sometimes the boom
is further extended by another spar
called the flying jib-boom.
Jib-door. A door flush with the
outside wall, and intended to be con-
cealed ; forming thus part of the jib or
face of the house. (See above, line 8.)
Jib-stay (A). The stay on which a
jib is set. -
Jib Topsail (A). A light sail flying
from the extreme forward end of the
flying-jib boom, and set about half-way
etween the mast and the boom.
Jiffy. In a jiffy. In a minute; in a
brace of shakes ; before you can say
“Jack Robinson.” (French, vif, wife.)
Jig, from ſigºte. A short piece of
music much in vogue in olden times, of
a very lively character, either six-eight
or twelve-eight time, and used for dance-
tunes. It consists of two parts, each of
eight bars. Also a comic song.
“You jig, you annble, and you lisp.” — Shake-
Speºtre : Hamlet, iii. 1. - -
Jilt (To). (See under BASKET.) To
give the basket. - -
Jim Crow. Brought out at the
Adelphi in 1836. The character of Jim
Crow played by T. D. Rice, as the ori-
ginal of the “nigger minstrels” since
so popular. A renegade or turncoat is
Čalled a Jim Crow, from the burden of
the song, Wheel about and turn about.
Jingo. By Jin?o or By the Living
Jing 9. Basque “Jainko,” the Supreme
Being. In corroboration of this deriva-
tion it may be stated that Edward I.
had Basque mountaineers conveyed to
England to take part in the conquest of
Wales, and the Plantagenets held the
Basque provinces in possession. The
word was certainly used as a juron long
before the Criméan War.
“Hey, Jingo What the de'il's the matter 2'
DQ mermaids swim in Dartford water 2 º'
Swift : Actaeon (or The Original Horn Tair)
‘... Dr. Mºrris; in his Historic Outlines (p. 210 note),
Says it is St. Gingulph, and Professor Skeat (Notes
and Quériés, August 25th, 1894, p. 149) is of the
Sºme Opinion. According to The Times, June 25th,
1877, p. 6, Col. 1), it is the Persian jang = war, and
the jūroll'. By St. Jingo” is about equal to "By
Mars."...But the word had originally no connec-
tion. With our jingoism. . It was common enough
in the early part of the nineteenth century. Query.
A corruption of Jesus, Son of God, thus, je-ºn-go".
Jingoes (The). The war party in
1877. They were Russophobists, who
felt convinced that the Czar intended to
take possession of Constantinople, which
would give him command of the Black
Sea, and might endanger our Indian
possessions. This has nothing to do
with the word “jingo” used by Dean
Swift; but was wholly connected with
the Imusic-hall song mentioned in the
next article. -
Jingoism. . The British war brag-
gadocio; called Chauvinism in French :
Spread-eagleism in the United States of
North America. During the Russo-
Turkish War in 1877-1878 England was
On the point of interfering, and at the
music-halls a song became popular con-
taining the following refrain :-
“We don't want to fight : but, by Jingo, if we do,
We've got the ships, we've got the men, and got
the money too.”
Jinn. A sort of fairies in Arabian
mythology, the offspring of fire. They
propagate their species like human
beings, and are governed by a race of
kings named Suleyman, one of whom
“built the pyramids.” Their chief
abode is the mountain Käf, and they
appear to men under the forms of ser-
pents, dogs, cats, monsters, or even
human beings, and become invisible at
pleasure. The evil jinn are hideously
ugly, but the good are exquisitely beau-
tiful. According to fable, they were
created from fire two thousand years
before Adam was made of earth. The
singular of jinn is jinnee. (See FAIRY.)
Jin'nistan. The country of the
Jinn, or Fairy Land; the chief province
of which is The Country of Delight, and
the capital The City of Jewels.
Jo'achim (St.). The father of the
Virgin Mary. Generally represented as
an old man carrying in a basket two
turtle-doves, in allusion to the offering
made for the purification of his daughter.
His wife was St. Anne, or St. Anna,
Joan
683
Job
Joan (Pope). A supposed female
“pope” between Leo IV. and Benedict
III. She is said to have been born in
England and educated at Cologne, pass-
ing under the name of Joannes An'glicus
(John of England). Blondel, a Calvinist,
wrote a book in 1640 to prove that no
such person ever occupied the papal
chair; but at least a hundred and fifty
authors between the thirteenth and
seventeenth centuries repeat the tale as
an historic fact. The last person who
critically examined the question was
Döllinger, in 1868. (See Historic Note
Pook, 701-2, for authorities pro and con.)
Joan Cromwell. Joan Cromwell's
kitchen-stºff tºth. A tub of kitchen per-
quisites. The filchings of servants sold
for “market pennies.” The Royalists
used to call the Protector’s wife, whose
name was Elizabeth, Joan Ch'once!", and
declared that she exchanged the kitchen-
stuff of the palace for tallow candles.
Joan of Arc or Jeanne la Pucelle.
M. Octave Delepierre has published a
pamphlet, called Dotte Historique, to
deny the tradition that Joan of Arc was
burnt at Rouen for sorcery. He cites a
document discovered by Father Vignier
in the seventeenth century, in the
archives of Metz, to prove that she
became the wife of Sieur des Armoise,
with whom she resided at Metz, and
became the mother of a family. Wignier
subsequently found in the family muni-
ment-chest the contract of marriage be-
tween “Robert des Armoise, knight, and
Jeanne D'Arcy, surnamed the Maid of
Orleans.” In 1740 there were found in
the archives of the Maison de Ville
(Orléans) records of several payments
to certain messengers from Joan to her
brother John, bearing the dates 1435,
1436. There is also the entry of a pre-
sentation from the council of the city to
the Maid, for her services at the siege
(dated 1439). M. Delepierre has brought
forward a host of other documents to
corroborate the same fact, and show that
the tale of her martyrdom was invented
to throw odium on the English. A
sermon is preached annually in France
towards the beatification of the Maid,
who will eventually become the patron
saint of that nation, and Shakespeare will
prove a true prophet in the words——
“No longer on St. Denis will we cry,
But Joan la Pucelle shall be France's saint.”
Joannes Hagustaldensis is John,
Prior of Hexham, author of an old Eng-
lish Chronicle, and Lives of the Bishops
of Hexham, in two books.
Job (o long). The personification of
poverty and patience. “Patient as Job,”
in allusion to the patriarch whose his-
tory is given in the Bible.
Poor as Job. Referring to the patriarch
when he was by Satan deprived of all
his worldly possessions.
“I am as poor as Joh, my lord, but not so
patient.”—Shakespeare : 2 Henry IV., i. 2.
Job's Comforter. One who pre-
tends to sympathise in your grief, but
says that you brought it on yourself;
thus in reality adding weight to your
sorrow. (See above.)
Job’s wife. Some call her Rahmat,
daughter of Ephraim, son of Joseph ;
and others call her Makhir, daughter of
Manasses. (Sale : Iſorán xxi., note.)
She is also called by some Sitis; and
a tradition exists that Job, at the com-
mand of God, struck the earth with his
foot from the dunghill, where he lay,
and instantly there welled up a spring
of water with which his wife washed
his sores, and they were miraculously
healed. (Korán, xxxvi. 41.)
Job's Pound. Bridewell ; prison.
Job (o short) A job is a piece of
chance work; a public work or office
not for the public benefit, but for the
profit of the person employed; a sudden
blow or “dig ’’ into One.
A bad job. An unsuccessful work;
one that brings loss instead of profit; a
bad speculation.
To do the job for one. To kill him.
Job (o short). A ministerial job.
Sheridan says:–“Whenever any emolu-
ment, profit, salary, or honour is con-
ferred on any person not deserving it—
that is a job; if from private friendship,
personal attachment, or any view except
the interest of the public, anyone is
appointed to any public office . . . that
is a job.”
“No cheek is known to blush, or heart to throb,
Save when they lose a question or a jol).”
Pope : Essay on Criticism, i. 104.
Job Lot (A). A lot of miscellaneous
goods to be sold a bargain. -
Jobs. A printer’s phrase to designate
all kinds of work not included in the term
“book-work.” The French call such
work ontºrage de ville.
* Allied to the Latin, op[its]; Spanish,
obſºra); French, ouv[rage]; the occurs
in the genitive case, oper[is].
Job (To). To strike. To give one a
“job in the eye ’’ is to give one a blow
in the eye; and to “job one in the
ribs” is to strike one in the ribs, to stab
Jobation
684
John
one in the ribs. Job and probe seem to
be very nearly allied. Halliwell gives
the word “stop,” to poke or thrust,
which is allied to stab. -
Jobaſtion. A scolding;
from the patriarch Job.
“Jobation . . . . means a long, dreary homily,
and has reference to the tedious rebukes inflicted
on the patriarch Job by his too obliging friends.”
—G. A. Satla : (Echoes), Sept. 6, 1884.
so called
Jobber. One who does small jobs;
one who buys from merchants to sell to
retailers; a middle-man. A “stock-
jobber’’ is one who buys and sells
public funds, but is not a sworn stock-
broker. -
Jobbing Carpenter. One who is
ready to do odd jobs (piece-work) in his
own line. (See JOB.)
Jocelin de Brakelonda, de Rebus
gestis Samsomºis, etc., published by the
Camden Society. This record of the
acts of Abbot Samson of Edmondsbury
contains much contemporary history,
and gives a good account of English life
and society between 1173 and 1202.
Jockey is a little Jack (boy). So in
Scotch, “Ilka Jeanie has her Jockie.”
(See JACK.) -
All fellows, Jockey and the laird (man
and master). (Scotch proverb.)
Jockey (To). To deceive in trade;
to cheat; to indulge in sharp practice.
Jockey of Norfolk. Sir John How-
ard, a firm adherent of Richard III. On
the night before the battle of Bosworth
he found in his tent the warning
couplet: - -
“Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold, .
For Dickon, thy master, is bought and sold.”
Joe or a Joe Miller. A stale joke ;
so called from the compilation of jokes
under that mom de plume. (See MILLER.),
Joey. A groat; SO called from Joseph
IIume, M.P.,
mended the coinage for the sake of
paying short cab-fares, etc. (Hawkins :
IIistory of the Silver Coinage of England.)
Jog. Jog away; jog off; fog on. Get
away; be off; keep moving. Shakespeare
uses the word Shog' in the same sense —
as, “Will you shog off?” (Henry P.,
ii. 1); and again in the same play,
“Shall we shog?” (ii. 3). Beaumont
and Fletcher use the same expression in
The Cowcomb—“Come, prithee, let us
shog off P” and again, in Pasquill and
JCatharine—“Thus, it shogges” [goes].
In the Morte d’Arthur we have another
¥3riety—“He shokkes in sharpely ”
who strongly recom-
[rushes in]. The words seem to be con-
nected with the Dutch schokken, to jolt,
and the Anglo-Saxon Seacan, to depart,
to flee. - -
“Jog on a little faster, pri"thee,
I'll take a nap and then be wi' thee.”
Iz. Lloyd: The II are and the Tortoise.
To jog his memory, or Give his memory.
a jog. ...To remind one of something ap-
parently forgotten. Jog is to shake or
stir up. (Welsh, gogi, to shake; French,
choquer; our shock, shake, etc.) .
Jog-trot. A slow but regular pace.
Joggis or Jogges. The pillory. Jamie-
son, says, “They punish delinquents,
making them stand in ‘joggés,’ as
they call their pillories.” (The word
is Yoke. Latin, jugum ; , French, joug;
Anglo-Saxon, geoe; our jug, a jail.)
“Staune anc wholl Sahothe daye in ye joggis.”
—Glem : IIistory of Dumbat?'tom. -
John. A contraction of Johannes
(Joh’n). The French contract it differ-
ently, Jean—i.e., Jehan or Jehann; in
Italian, Giovanni.
JPopes.
Joh N I. died wretchedly in jail.
JOHN II. and III. Were nonentities.
JOHN IV. was accused of heresy.
Jo H.N. V., V.I., VII., were nonentities. . . . . ."
Joh N VIII. was imprisoned by Lambert, Duke.
of Spoleſto ; at a subsequent period he was diressed.’
in female attire out of mockery, and was at last .
poisoned. -
Jon N IX. had SERGIU's III. for a rival Pope.
JOHN X. was overthrown by Gui, Duke of Tus-
cany, and died in prison.
Jo HN XI, was imprisoned with his mother by
Alberic, and died there. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
oh N XII. was deposed for sacrilege, and was
at last assassinated. - -
JOHN XIII. Was imprisoned by his nobles and
deposed. , - . . . . . . . . . .
Joh.N XIV. was deposed, and died imprisoned in
the Castle of St. Angelo. . . . . . . -
JOHN XV. was a nonçntity, . . . . - - -
JoHN XVI. was driven from Rome by Cres-
centius. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . -
Joh N XVII. (antipope) was expelled by Otto
III., and harbarously treated by Gregory.
FIX XVI I I. abdicated. . . . . . . . . . .
Joh N XIX, was deposed, and expelled by
Konrad. . . . * - * . . . . . . . .
JOHN XX. was a nonentity. . . . . ." •
Joh N XXI. was crushed to death by the falling
in of his palace at Viterbo. . . . . . . .
Joh N XXII, was charged with heresy.
Joh N XXIII. fied in disguise, was arrested, and
cast into prison for three years. .
Certainly a disastrous list of Popes.
John. A proverbially unhappy name
with royalty, insomuch that when John
Stuart ascended the throne of Scotland
he changed his name to Robert ; but
misfortune never deserted him, and
after an evil reign he died overwhelmed
with calamities and infirmity. John
Baliol was the mere tool of Edward I. ;
John of England, a most disastrous
reign. John I. of France reigned only a
few days; John II., having lost the
battle of Poitiers, died in captivity in
Johri.
London ; to France his reign was a
tissue of evils. John of Bohemia was
slain at Cressy. John I. of Aragon was
at ceaseless war with his subjects, by
whom he was execrated; John II. was
at ceaseless war with his son, Don Carlos.
John I. of Constantinople was poisoned
by Basil, his eunuch : John IV. had his
eyes put out; John W. was emperor in
name only, and was most unhappy;
John VI., harassed with troubles, ab-
dicated, and died in a monastery.
& John I. of Sweden was unhappy
in his expeditions, and died child-
less; John II. had his wife driven out
of the kingdom by his angry subjects.
Jean sans Peur of Burgundy engaged
in the most horrible massacres and was
murdered. John of Suabia, called the
Parricide, because he murdered his
father Albert, after which he was a
fugitive and a vagabond on the face of
the earth, etc., etc. . • -
N.B. John of Portugal was a signal
exception.
Ivan IV. of Russia, surnamed the
“Terrible '' (1529–1584). He murdered
with his own hand his eldest son;
Ivanº V. (1666–1696) was dumb and
nearly blind; Ivan VI. (1737–1762) was
dethroned, imprisoned, and put to death.
(See JANE.) : . . . * , = , = * >
Iſing John and the Abbot of Canter-
bury. John, being jealous of the state
kept by the abbot, declared he should
be put to death unless he answered three
questions. The first question was, how
much the king was worth ; the second,
how long it would take to ride round
the world; and the third, what the king
was thinking of. The king gave the
abbot three weeks’ grace for his answers.
A shepherd undertook to answer the
three questions, so with crozier, mitre,
rochet, and cope, he presented himself
before the king. “What am I worth P”
asked John. “Well,” was the reply,
“the Saviour was sold for thirty pence,
and your majesty is a penny worse than
He.” The king laughed, and demanded
what he had to say to the next question,
and the man replied, “If you rise with
the sun and ride with the sun, you will
get round the world in a day.” Again
the king was satisfied, and demanded
that the respondent should tell him his
thoughts. “You think I am the abbot
of Canterbury, but I am only a poor
shepherd who am come to ask your
majesty's pardon for him and me.”
The king was so pleased with the jest,
that he would have made the shepherd
abbot of Canterbury ; but the man
--~~~~~ (.-. . . $4. ** -º-; *...* * *.x * **
68
5
in the interior of Asia.
John-a-Nokes
--~~~~&ºerº,
pleaded that he could neither write nor
read, whereupon the king dismissed him,
and gave him a pension of four nobles
* (Percy. Reliques, series 2, bk.
111. O. )
Mess-John or Mass-John. A priest.
Prester John. The supposed Christian
king and priest of a mediaeval kingdom
This Prester
John was the Khan Ung who was de-
feated and slain by Genghis Khan in
1202, said to have been converted by
the Nestorian Christians. He figures in
Ariosto, and has furnished materials for
a host of mediaeval legends.
“I will fetch you a tooth-picker now from the
farthest inch of Asia, ; bring you the length of
Prester John's foot; fetch you a hair off the
great Cham’s beard . . . .”
Shakespeare : Much Ado about Nothing, ii. 1.
The three Johns—an alehouse picture
in Little Park Street, Westminster, and
in White Lion Street, Pentonville—is
John Wilkes between the Rev. John
Horne Tooke and Sir John Glynn (ser-
jeant-at-law). (Hotten : History of
Signboards). -
St. John the Evangelist is represented
writing his gospel ; or bearing a chalice,
from which a serpent issues, in allusion
to his driving the poison from a cup
presented to him to drink. He is some-
times represented in a cauldron of boil-
ing oil, in allusion to the tradition of
his being plunged into such a cauldron
before his banishment to the isle of
Patmos. -
St. John. The usual war-cry of the
English of the North in their encounters
with the Scotch. The person referred
to is St. John of Beverley, in Yorkshire,
who died 721. .
John-a-Dreams. A stupid, dreamy
fellow, always in a brown study and half
asleep.
“Yet, I,
A dull and muddy-mettled rascal, peak,
Like John-a-dreams, unpregnant of my cause,
And can say nothing.” - - -
Shakespeare: II(tmlet, ii. 2.
John-a-Droynes. A foolish cha-
racter in Whetstone’s Promos and
Cassandra (1578). Being seized by in-
formers, he stands dazed, and suffers
himself to be quietly cheated out of his
money.
John-a-Nokes
A simpleton.
“John-a-Nokes was driving a cart toward Croy. .
don, and by the way fell asleepe therein. Meane
time a good fellow came by and stole away his two
horses. . [John] awakening and missing . them,
Said, “ Fither I am John-a-Nokes or I alm not John-
a-Nokes. If I am John-a-Nokes, then I have lost
two horses: and if I am not John-a-Nokes, then
[or Noakes (1 syl.)].
I have found a cart, ”—Copley: Wits, I'its, and
Famcies (1614). -
John Anderson
*—
John Anderson, my Jo. This song,
like “Green Sleeves and Pudding Pies,”
“Maggy Lauder ’’ and some others,
were invectives against the Catholic
clergy about the time of the Reforma-
tion. The first verse refers to their
luxurious habits:— -
“John Ande"son, my Jo, aim in as ze gae bye,
And Ze Sall get a sheip's heid Weel bakell in a
lºy G. ; * * *
Weel laken in a pye, and the haggig in a pat.
John Anderson, my Jo, culm in, and ze's get
that.” * -
Another verse refers to the seven sacra-
ments or “Seven bairns of Mother
Church.”
John Audley. Is John Audley
there 2 Get done as soon as possible,
for there are persons sufficient for
another audience. John Audley was a
noted showman and actor ; when his
platform was full, he taught the ticket
collector to poke his head behind the
green curtain, and cry out : “Is John
Audley there?” This was a signal to
the actors to draw their piece to a close,
and clear the house as quickly as pos-
sible. Audley taught this trick to
Ičichardson. ,
John Bull. The national nickname
for an Englishman, represented as a
bluff, kindhearted, bull-headed farmer.
The character is from a satire by Dr.
Arbuthnot. In this satire the French-
man is termed Lewis Baboon, the Dutch-
man Nicholas Frog, etc.
John Batll. A comedy by George Col-
man. Job Thornberry is the chief
character. - -
John Chinaman.
or the Chinese as a people.
John Company. Colonel Harold
Malet, in Notes and Queries, August 6th,
1892, p. 116, says that “John ” is a
perversion of “ Hon.,” and John Com-
pany is the Hon. Company. No doubt
PIon., like Hans, may be equal to John,
but probably John Company is allied to
the familiar John Bull. The Company
was abolished in 1857, in consequence of
the Indian Mutiny.
“In old times ‘John Company '..employed four
thousand men in its warehouses."—Old and New
L07?dom, ii. 185.
John Doe. At one time used in law
pleadings for an hypothetical plaintiff;
the supposititious defendant being “Rich-
ard Roe.” These fictions are not now
used.
John Dory is technically called Zeus
.ſaber, common in the Mediterranean Sea
and round the south-western coasts of
686
Either &l, Chinese -
J. ohn o' Groat
England. A corruption of jaune adorée=
the adorable or sacred yellow fish.
The only interest of this creature in a
work like , the Dictionary of Phrase
and Fable is the tradition that it was
the fish from which St. Peter took the
stater. Hence it is called in French le
poisson de St. Pierre, and in Gäscon, the
golden or sacred cock, meaning St.Peter's
cock. Like the haddock, it has a remark-
able oval black spot on each side, said to
be the finger-marks of St. Peter, when he
held the fish to extract the coin. As
neither the haddock nor dory can live
in fresh water, of course this tradition is
only an idle tale.
John Dory. A piratical French cap-
tain, conquered by Nicholl, a Cornish-
IIla, Il.
“John Dory bought him an ambling nag,
€-8.
T() Paris for to ride-
Corbett: A Journey to France, p. 1:9.
John Long. To wait for John Long,
the earrier. To wait a long time; to
wait for John, who keeps us a long time.
John Roberts (A). An enormous
tankard holding enough drink for any
ordinary drinker to lastthrough Saturday
and Sunday. This measure was intro-
duced into Wales in 1886 to compensate
topers for the Sunday closing, and de-
rived its name from John Roberts, M.P.,
author of the Sunday Closing Act.
(Standard, March 11th, 1886.)
John Thomas. A generic name for
a flunkey; or footman with large calves
and bushy whiskers. -
John Drum’s Entertainment.
Hauling a man by his ears and thrusting
him out by the shoulders. The allusion
is to “drumming ” a man out of the
army. There is a comedy so called,
published 1601. : - +
“When your lordship sees the bottom of his
success in 't . . . if you give him not John Drum’s
entertainment, your inclining, cannot be re-
moved.”—Shakespeare: All's Well that Ends Well,
iii. 6. -
John in the Wad. A Will-o'-Wisp.
A wad is a wisp, and John or Jack is a
name for any inferior person unknown.
(See JACK.) - - - * *
John of Bruges (1 syl.). John van
Eyck, the Flemish painter (1370–1441).
John o' Groat, with his two brothers
Malcolm and Gavin, came from Hol-
land in the reign of James IV. of Scot-
land, and purchased the lands of Warse
and Dungisbay. In process of time
their families increased, and there came
to be eight families of the same name.
-4---- ~~~~ * --> x- - - - - ***
John of Bexham --
They lived together amicably, and met
oncé a year in the original house ; but
on one occasion a question of precedency
arose, who was to go out first, and Who
was to take the head of the table. John
o' Groat promised them the next time
they came he would contrive to satisfy
them all. Accordingly he built an eight-
sided room, with a door and window in
each side, and placed a round oak table
in the room. This building went ever
after with the name of John o' Groat’s
JHouse. The site of this house is the
Rerubium of Ptolemy, in the vicinity of
Duncansby Head.
“Hear, land o'cakes and brither Scots,
Frae Maidenkirk to Johnny Groat's . . .
A chield's amang you takin' notes.
And, faith, he'll prent it.”
- Burns: Catptain GroSé.
John of Hexham. An English his-
torical writer, twelfth century.
John of Leyden (the prophet), be-
ing about to marry Bertha, met with
three Anabaptists who observed a strong
likeness in him to a picture of David in
Munster cathedral. They entered into
conversation with him, and finding him.
apt for their purpose, induced him to
join their rebellion. The rebels took
the city of Munster, and John was
crowned “ruler of Westphalia.” His
mother met him in the street, and John
disclaimed all knowledge of her; but
subsequently visited her in prison, and
obtained her forgiveness. When the
emperor arrived with his army, John's
Anabaptist friends deserted him, and
“the prophet,” setting fire to the ban-
Quet-room of his palace, perished with
his mother in the flames. (Ä/eyerbeer :
Le Prophète [an opera]).
ºf His real name was John Bockhold.
John the Almoner. Chrysostom
was so called, because he bestowed so
large a portion of his revenues on hos-
pitals and other charities. (347-407.)
John the Baptist. Patron saint of
missionaries. He was sent “to prepare
the way of the Lord.”
In Christian art he is represented in a
coat of sheepskins, in allusion to his life
in the desert; either holding a rude
wooden cross, with a pennon bearing
the words, Ecce Agnus Dei, or with
a book on which a lamb is seated; or
holding in his right hand a lamb sur-
rounded by a halo, and bearing a cross
on the right foot.
John Tamson's Man, a henpecked
husband; one ordered here, and ordered
687 Joint
- - - º
there, and ordered everywhere. Tame-
son—i.e. spiritless, the slave even of a
Tame-son.
“'The deil's in the wife said Cuddie. ‘D’ye
think I am to be John Tamson's man, and mais-
tered by a woman a' the days o' my life 2'-Sir
W. Scott : Old Mortality, chal’. XXXiX.
John with the Leaden Sword.
The Duke of Bedford, who acted as re-
gent for Henry VI. in France, was so
called by Earl Douglas. -
Johnnies. British bourgeois. Dyron,
February 23rd, 1824, writes to Murray
his publisher respecting an earthquake:
“If you had but seen the Emſilish Johnnies, whº
had nover been out of a cockney Workshop before
. . . [running away . . . ].” -
Johnny Crapaud. A Frenchman,
so called by the English sailors in the
long Napoleon contest. The ancient
Elemings used to call the French “Cra-
paud Franchos.” In allusion to the toads
borne originally in the arms of France.
Johnny Raw. A Verdant Green ; a
newly-enlisted soldier; an adult appren-
tice in the ship-trade.
“The impulse given to ship-building by the
continental war, induced employers to take rer-
sons as apprentices who had already passed their
majority." This class of men-apprentices, generally
from remote towns, were called 'Johnny Raws’
yºne fraternity.”—C. Thomson : A utobiography,
}}. 73.
Johnson (Dr. Samuel) lived in Fleet
Street—first in Fetter Lane, then in
Boswell Court, then in Gough Square,
then in the Inner Temple Lane for seven
years, then in J hnson’s Court (No. 7)
for ten years; and lastly in Bolt Court
(No. 8), where he died eight years after.
The coffee-house he most frequented was
the Mitre tavern in Fleet Street, and
not that which has assumed the name
of “I)r. Johnson’s Coffee-house.” The
church he frequented was St. Clement
Danes in the Strand. -
Johnstone. The crest of this family.
is a winged spur, or spur between two
wings, leathered, with the motto, “Nºn-
quam non parā'tus.” When King Edward
I. was meditating treachery in favour of
Balliol, Johnstone sent to Bruce (then
in England) a spur with a feather tied
to it. Bruce took the hint and fled,
and when he became king conferred the
crest on the Johnstone family.
Johnstone's Tippet (St.). A halter.
Join the Majority. (See MAJORITY.)
Joint. The times are out of joinf.
The times are disquiet and unruly. If
the body is out of joint it cannot move
easily, and so is it with the body cor-
porate. -
Jolly
Jolly. A sailor's nickname for a
marine, who, in his opinion, bears the
same relation to a “regular ’’ as a jolly-
boat or yawl does to a ship. (Danish,
jollé, a yawl.)
Jolly Dog (A). A bon vivant.
“jolly” means jovial.
Jolly God (The). Bacchus. The
Bible speaks of wine which “maketh
glad the heart of man.” Here “jolly ”
means jovial. -
Jolly Good Fellow (A). A very social
and popular person. (French, joli.)
“Ali was jolly quiet at Ephesus before St. Paul
came thither.”—John Trapp : Commentary (1656).
“For he's a jolly good fellow [three times].
And so say all of us,
With a hip, hip, hip, hoora !”
Jolly Green. Very simple ; easily
imposed upon, from being without
worldly wisdom.
Jolly Roger (The). (See RogFR.)
Jollyboat. A small boat usually
hoisted at the stern of a ship. (Danish,
jollè; Dutch, jol; Swedish, jullé, a yawl.
Jonah and the Whale. Mr.
Colbert, Professor of Astronomy in
Chicago, in a chapter on “Star Group-
ing,” tells us that the whale referred to
is the star-group “Cetus,” and that
Jonah is the “Moon passing through it
in three days and nights.”
Jo’mas, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is meant for Sir William
Jones, Attorney-General, who conducted
the prosecution of the Popish Plot (June
25th, 1674); not the great Oriental
scholar, who lived 1746-1794. The
attorney-general was called in the satire
Jonas by a palpable pun.
“Not bull-faced Jonas, who could statutes draw
To mean rebellion and make treason law.”
Dryden : Absalom and Achitophel, part i. 520,521.
Jonathan. Brother Jonathan. In the
revolutionary war, Washington, being
in great want of supplies for the army,
and having unbounded confidence in
his friend, Jonathan Trumbull, governor
of Connecticut, said, “We must consult
hrother Jonathan.” Brother Jonathan
was consulted on all occasions by the
American liberator, and the phrase be-
coming popular was accepted as the na-
tional name of the Americans as a people.
Jonathan and David. In 1 Sam.
xviii. 4 we read that Jonathan (the
king's son) “stripped himself of his robe
and gave it to David, with his sword,
bow, and girdle.” This was a mark of
honour, as princes and sovereigns now-
adays strip themselves of a chain or
PIere
688
Jormungandar
a ring, which they give to one they
delight to honour. In 1519 the Sultan
Selim, desirous of showing honour to
an imaum of Constantinople, threw his
royal robe over him.
Jonathan's. A noted coffee-house in
Change Alley, described in the Tatley as
the general mart of stock-jobbers. . -
* What is now called the Stock Ex-
change was called Jonathan’s. -
- “Yesterday the brokers and others . . . came to
a resolution that [the new building] instead of
being called ‘New Jonathan's,’ should be called
‘The Stock Exchange.' . . . . The brokers then
collected six lence each, and christened the house
§ puncil.”—Newspaper paragraph (J uly 15,
& J J.
Jonathan's Arrows. They were
shot to give warning, and not to hurt,
(1 Sam. xx. 36.)
“If the husband would reprove his wife, it
should be in such a mood as if he did claide him-
self ; and his words, like Jonathan's arrows,
should be shot, not to hurt, but only to give
Warning.”—Le Famw: The House in the Church-
Jard, chap. xcix. - .
Jonc (French). A wedding-ring ; so
called because those who were married
by compulsion at Ste. Marine wore rings
of jonc or straw. - - • *
“(;'est dans l'église de Ste. Marine que l'on
marie ceux que l'on condamne à stepouser. A n-
ciennement on les mariait avec un anneau de
paille ; etait-ce Tºur marquer au mari que la
vertu de celle qu'il épousait était bien fragile 2"
—Dºllature. - '
Jones. Etre, sur le jones (to be on
the straw)—i.e. in prison. -
“Plantezaux hurmes vos picons
Da Yaoul' les bisans si tres-durs
Lt. aussi d’estre sur les joncz,
Ellnhanchez on coffre et groS mul's.”
Willom, : Jargom ct Jobelim, ballade 1.
Jordan Passed. Death over.
Jordan is the Styx of Christian myth-
ology, because it was the river which
separated the wilderness [of this world]
from the promised land. -
“If I still hold closely to Him,
hat hath. He at last 2
Sorrow vanquished, labour ended,
Jordan passed.”
John Mason Neale, D.D. (Stephen the Sabaite). -
Jordeloo (3 Syl.). Notice given to
passengers when dirty water was thrown
from chamber windows into the street.
Either “Gare de l’eau,” or else “Jorda’
lo!” the mutula being usually called
the “Jordan.”
“At ten q’clock at night the whole cargo is
flung out of a back window that looks into some
street or lane, and the maid calls Gardy, loo" to
the passengers.”—Smollett: Humphrey Clinker.
“The lass had made the Gardy loo out of the
wrong window.”—Sir W. Scott : Heart of Mid-
lothiam.
Jor'mungan'dar or Midgardsormen
(i.e. earth’s monster). The great serpent,
brother of Hela and . Fenrir (q.v.),
and son of Loki, the spirit of evil. It
Josaphat
689
Jouvence
used to lie at the root of the celestial
ash till All-Fader cast it into the ocean ;
it then grew so large that in time it en-
compassed the whole world, and was for
ever biting its own tail.
Jos'aphat. An Indian prince Con-
verted by the hermit Bar'laam, in the
Greek religious pastoral entitled Josa-
phat and Barlaam, generally ascribed to
St. John of Damascus (eighth century).
Joseph (A). One not to be seduced
from his continency by the severest
temptation. The reference is to Joseph
in Potiphar’s house. (Gen. xxxix.) (See
BELLEROPHON.) - -
A joseph. A great coat, so called
after Joseph, who wore a garment or
coat of many colours. .
“At length, Mrs. TRuby herself made her appear-
ance; her venerable person, endued with what
was then called a joseph, an ample, garment,
which had once been green, but now, betwixt
Stains and matches, had become like the vesture
of the patriarch whose name it bore—a garment
of divers colours.”—Sir W. Scott: The Pirate,
Chai). Xi.
Joseph (St.). Patron Saint of car-
penters, because he was of the same craft.
This is Joseph, husband of Mary, and
the reputed father of Jesus.
In Christian art Joseph is represented
as an aged man with a budding staff in
his hand. -
Joseph Andrews. The hero of ā
novel written by Fielding to ridicule
Richardson’s Pam'ela, whose brother
Joseph is supposed to be.
Joseph of A'rimathe'a brought
to Listenise the sanctgraal and also the
spear with which Longi'nus wounded
the crucified Saviour. When Sir Balin
entered this chamber, which was in the
palace of King Pellam, he found it
‘‘marvellously well dight and richly ;
the bed was arrayed with cloth of gold,
the richest that might be thought, and
thereby stood a table of clean gold, with
four pillars of silver, and upon the table
stood the spear strangely wrought.”
(The History of Prince Arthur, part i.
chap. 40.)
Joseph's Coat. (See under CoAT.)
Joss. The house-god of the Chinese ;
every family has its joss. A temple is
called a joss-house. . . . . - - -
Josse.
Josse (You are a jeweller, Mr. Josse).
Nothing like leather ; great is Diana of
the Ephesians; your advice is not dis-
interested. In Molière's comedy of
L'Amour Médecin, a silversmith, by the
name of Josse, being asked the best way
Pous étes onfevre, Monsieur.
of curing a lady pining from love,
recommends a handsome present of
jewellery. The father replies, “You
advise me like a jeweller, Mr. Josse.”
Jot. Not a jot. “Jot ” is a contrac-
tion of iota, called the Lacedemonian
letter, and the smallest in the alphabet ;
or the Hebrew yod.
Jotham, in Dryden’s satire of Ab-
Salom and Achitophel, means Saville,
Marquis of Halifax. Jotham was the
person who uttered the parable of The
Trees Choosing a King when the men
of Shechem made Abimelech king.
(Judges ix.)
Jotunheim (pron. Utum-hime). Giant
land. The home or region of the Scan-
dinavian giants or joten.
Jour Maigre (French). A day of
abstinence, when meat is forbidden to
be eaten. (See BANIAN DAYS.)
Jourdain (Monsieur), in Molière's
comedy of Le Bozºrgeois Genti/homime.
He represents a bourgeois placed by
wealth in the ranks of gentlemen, and
making himself extremely ridiculous by
his endeavours to acquire their accom-
plishments.
Journal. (Latin, diurnum, a daily
thing ; Welsh, divºrnod : Italian, giorno;
French, journal, journal, jour, a day.)
Applied to newspapers, the word
strictly means a daily paper; but the
extension of the term to weekly papers
is sanctioned by custom.
Journey. A Sabbath-day’s journey.
The distance between the farthest tents
in the wilderness and the tabernacle of
Moses, a radius of about a mile ; this
would make the entire encampment to
cover a circumference of six miles.
Journey-weight. The weight of
certain parcels of gold in the mint. A
journey of gold is fifteen pounds Troy,
which is coined into 701 sovereigns, or
double that number of half-sovereigns.
A journey of silver is sixty pounds Troy,
which is coined into 3,960 shillings, or
double that number of sixpences, half
that number of florins, etc. So called
because this weight of coin was at one
time esteemed a day’s mintage. (French,
journée.) . . . • .
Jouvence (2 syl.). You have been to
the fountain of Jouvence—i.e. You have
grown young again. This is a French
phrase. Jouvence is a town of France
in the department of Saône-et-Loire,
and has a fountain called la fontainé de
44
Jove
690 Judas Kiss
Jouvence ; but Jouvence means also
youth, and la fontaine de jourence may be
rendered “the fountain of youth.” The
play on the word gave rise to the tradition
that whoever drank of this fountain
would become young again.
Jove (1 syl.). (See JUPITER.) The
Titans made war against Jove, and tried
to dethrone him.
“Not stronger were of old the giant crew,
Who sought to pull high Jove from regal State.”
- Thomsom, : Castle of Imdolence, canto 1.
Milton, in Paradise Lost, makes Jove
one of the fallen angels (i. 512).
Jo’vial. Merry and sociable, like
those born under the planet Jupiter,
which astrologers considered the happiest
of the natal stars.
“Our jovial star reigned at his birth.”
* - Shakespeare: Cymbeline, v. 4.
Joy. The seven joys of the Pirgin :
(1) The annunciation ; (2) the visitation ;
(3) the nativity; (4) the adoration of the
three kings; (5) the presentation in the
temple ; (6) the discovery of her youthful
Son in the temple in the midst of the
doctors; (7) her assumption and corona-
tion. (See SoFRow.)
Joyeuse (2 syl.). Charlemagne's
sword, which bore the inscription Decem
praecepto"rººm custos Car'oliſs, the sword
of Guillaume au Court-Nez: anyone's
sword. It was buried with Charle-
magne. (See Swords.)
Joyeuse Garde or Garde-Joyeuse.
The estate given by King Arthur to
Sir Launcelot of the Lake for defending
the Queen’s honour against Sir Mador.
Juan Fernandez. A rocky island
in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of
Chili. Here Alexander Selkirk, a buc-
caneer, resided in solitude for four years,
and his history is commonly supposed
to be the basis of Defoe's Robinson
Crºſsoe.
Sailors commonly believe that this
island is the scene of Crusoe’s adventures:
but Defoe distinctly indicates an island
on the east coast of South America, some-
where near Dutch Guiana.
Jubal [a trumpet]. The son of
Lamech and Adah. He is called the
inventor of the lyre and flute (Gen. iv.
19-21).
* * Tº when he [Javan] heard the voice of Jubal's
Iºietive genius caught the ethereal fire.”
Montgomery: The World. Before the Food, c. 1.
Ju'bilee (Jewish). The year of jubilee.
Every fiftieth year, when land that had
passed out of the possession of those to
whom it originally belonged was restored
to them ; all who had been reduced to
poverty, and were obliged to let them-
selves out for hire, were released from
bondage; and all debts were cancelled.
The word is from jobil (a ram’s horn), so
called because it was proclaimed with
trumpets of rams’ horns. (See Leviticus
xxv. 11-34, 39-54; and xxvii. 16-24.)
Jubilee (in the Catholic Church). Every
twenty-fifth year, for the purpose of
granting indulgences. Boniface VIII.
instituted it in 1300, and ordered it to be
observed every hundred years. Clement
VI. reduced the interval to fifty years,
Urban IV. to thirty, and Sixtus IV. to
twenty-five. -
Protestant Jubilee, celebrated in Ger-
many in 1617, the centenary of the
Reformation.
Shakespeare Jubilee, held at Stratford-
on-Avon, September 6th, 1769. .
Jubilee to commemorate the commence-
ment of the fiftieth year of the reign of
George III., October 25th, 1809.
Jubilee to celebrate the close of the
Revolutionary War, August 1st, 1814.
1887. The Jubilee to commemorate
the fiftieth year of the reign of Queen
Victoria.
Ju'daise (3 syl.). To convert or
conform to the doctrines, rites, or man-
ners of the Jews. A Judaising spirit is
a desire to convert others to the Jewish
religion.
Ju'daism (3 syl.). The religion of
the Jews, or anything else which is spe-
cial to that people. -
Ju'das, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tafe, was
meant for Mr. Furgueson, a Noncon-
formist. He was ejected in 1662 from
his living of Godmersham, in Kent, and
afterwards distinguished himself by
his political intrigues. He joined the
Duke of Monmouth, whom he after-
wards betrayed.
Le point de Judas (French). The
number thirteen. The Messiah and His
twelve disciples made thirteen. And as
Judas was the first to die, he was the
thirteenth. At the death of the Saviour,
the number being reduced to eleven, a
twelfth (Matthias) was elected by lot
to fill the place of the traitor.
Judas Kiss (A). A deceitful act of
courtesy. Judas betrayed his Master
with a kiss.
“So Judas kissed his Master,
And cried, “All hail ' ' whenas he meant all
Ji (tºll.” Shakespeare : 3 Henry VI., W., 7.
Judas Slits 691
Juggernaut
Judas Slits or Judas Holes. The
peep-holes in a prison-door, through
which the guard looks into the cell to
See if all is right ; when not in use, the
holes are covered up.
“It was the faint click made by the cover of the
“Judas' as it falls back into the place over the
Slit. Where the eyes have been.”—The Century:
‘I’ussian Political I’risons, February, 1888, p. 524.
Judas Tree. A translation of the
Latin arbor Judae. The name has given
rise to a Greek tradition that it was upon
One of these trees that Judas Iscariot
hanged himself. -
Judas-coloured Hair. Fiery-red.
Cain is represented with red hair.
“His very hair is of the dissembling colour,
Something browner than Judas’s.”—Shakespeare:
As You Like It, iii. 4.
Jude (St.), in Christian art, is repre-
Sented with a club or staff, and a car-
penter's square, in allusion to his trade.
Judée. La petite Judée (French).
The prefecture of police ; so called
because the bureau is in the Rue de Jéru-
Salem, and those taken there for offences
look on the police as their betrayers.
Judge's Black Cap. The judge puts
on his black cap (now a three-cornered
piece of black silk) when he condemns
to death, in sign of mourning. This
sign is very ancient. “Haman hasted
to his house mourning, having his head
covered” (Esther vi. 12). David wept
“and had his head covered '' (2 Samuel
xv. 30). Demosthenès went home with
his head covered when insulted by the
populace. Darius covered his head on
learning the death of his queen. Malcolm
says to Macduff in his deep sorrow,
“What, man!, ne'er pull your hat upon
your brows” (Macbeth, iv. 3). And the
'ancient English, says Fosbroke, ‘‘ drew
their hoods forward over their heads at
funerals.” -
Judges’ Robes. In the criminal
courts, where the judges represent the
sovereign, they appear in full court
dress, and wear a scarlet robe; but in
Nisi Prius Courts the judge sits merely
to balance the law between civilians,
and therefore appears in his judicial
undress, or violet gown.
Ju'dica (Latin). The fifth Sunday
after Lent ; so called from the first word
of the service for the day, Judica me,
J)0m'ine (Judge me. O Lord). (Psalm
xliii.) s"--
Judicium orée. was stretching out
the arms before a cross, till one of the
party could hº Out no longer, and lost
his cause. The bishop of Paris and
abbot of St. Denis appealed to this
judgment in a dispute they had about
the patronage of a monastery ; each of
the disputants selected a man to repre-
sent his cause, and the man selected by
the bishop gave in, so that the award
was given in favour of the abbot.
Judicium Dei (Latin). The trial
of guilt by direct appeal to God, under
the notion that He would defend the
right even by miracle. There were nu-
merous methods of appeal, as by single
combat, ordeal by water or fire, eating
a crust of bread, standing with arms ex-
tended, consulting the Bible, etc., etc.
Ju'dith. The Jewish heroine of
Bethu'lia, who perilled her life in the
tent of Holofernès, the general of Nebu-
chadnezzar, in order to save her native
town. The bold adventurer cut off the
head of the Assyrian, and her townsmen,
rushing on the invaders, defeated them
with great slaughter. (The Book of
Judith.)
Jug (A) or a Stojić jug.
(See Joggis.)
Juge de Paix (French). A cudgel.
“AlDert Mangºn, condamné à mort le 7 floreal
an. ii. ayant dit que les jacobins étaient tou de...;
scélérats et des coquilis, et montrant, un gros
bâton qu'il tenait à la main : Voilà un ‘J tige (ie
paix ' qui me servira, à l'eill' casser la harre du
cou.”—L. P. Prudhomme : Dict. des Individus Con-
dammes, etc. -
Jugged Hare. The hare being cut
up is put into a jug or pipkin, and the
pipkin is set in a pan of water. This
}. marie prevents the contents of the
pipkin from being burnt.
Juggernaut or Jaggernaut. A
Hindu god. The word is a corruption
of the Sanscrit jagannātha (lord of the
world). The temple of this god is in a
town of the same name in Orissa. King
Ayeen Akbery sent a learned Brahman
to look out a site for a temple. The
IBrahman wandered about for many
days, and then saw a crow dive into the
water, and having washed, made obeis-
ance to the element. This was selected
as the site of the temple. While the
temple was a-building the rajah had a
prophetic dream, telling him that the
true form of Vishnu should be revealed
to him in the morning. When the rajah
went to see the temple he beheld a log
of wood in the water, and this log he
accepted as the realisation of his dream,
enshrined it in the temple, and called it
Jagannāth.
“The idol Jaggernat is in shape lik2 a serpent,
with seven heads ; and on each cheek it hath
the form of a wing, and the Wings open, and Shut,
and flap as it is carried in a stately chariot,”—
Brutom. Churchill's Collection,
A prison.
Ju ggler
692
Jumper
The car of Juggernaut. An enormous
wooden machine adorned with all sorts
of figures, and mounted on sixteen
wheels. Fifty men drag it annually to
the temple, and it is said to contain a
loride for the god. Formerly many were
crushed to death by the car; some being
pushed down by the enol mous crowd;
some throwing themselves under the
wheels, as persons in England under a
railway train; some perhaps as devotees.
JBy British police arrangements, such
immolation is practically abolished.
Juggler means a player. (Latin,
joculator.) These jugglers accompanied
the minstrels and troubadours, to assist
them, and added to their musical talents
sleight-of-hand, antics, and feats of
prowess, to amuse the company assem-
bled. In time the music was dropped as
the least attractive, and tricks became
the staple of these wandering performers.
(Latin, joculátor, focus, a joke or trick.)
Juggs or Jougs. The name given in
Scotland to a sort of pillory, consisting
of an iron ring or collar fastened by a
short chain to a wall, as the “juggs ’’ of
Duddingston, Edinburgh. (See JOGGIS.)
Ju'lian, the Roman emperor, boasted
that he would rebuild Jerusalem, but
was mortally wounded by an arrow
before the foundation was laid. Much
has been made of this by early Christian
writers, who dwell on the prohibition
and curse pronounced against those who
should attempt to rebuild the city, and
the fate of Julian is pointed out as an
example of Divine wrath against the
impious disregarder of the threat.
“Well pleased they look for Sion's coming state,
Nor think of Julian's boast and Julian's fate.”
- Crabbe : Borough.
St. Julian. Patron saint of travellers
and of hospitality. Represented as ac-
companied by a stag in allusion to his
early career as a hunter; and either re-
ceiving the poor and afflicted, or ferrying
travellers across a river.
“An househaldere, and that a gret, was he
Seynt Julian he was in his countré,
H.s breed, his ale, Was alway after oon [one
pattern] ;
A bettre envyned man was nowhere noon.”
Chaucer. The Franzkeleym, Introduction to
Canterbury Tales.
St. Julian was he deemed. A great
epicure. St. Julian was the epicurean
of Saints. (See above.) -
Julian Epoch or Era. That of the
reformed calendar by Julius Caesar,
which began forty-six years before
Christ.
Julian Period is produced by mul-
Solar cycle, and the Roman indiction.
The first year of the Christian era cor-
responded to the year 4713 of the Julian,
and therefore to reduce our B.C. dates to
the Julian, we must subtract them from
4713, but our A.D. dates we must add to
that number. So named from Julius
Scaliger, the deviser of it.
Jºelian period. . Multiply 28 by 19 and by 15,
Which will give 7,980, the time when the solar and
lunar periods agree.
Julian Year. The year regulated
by Julius Caesar, which continued to be
observed till it was corrected by Pope
Gregory XIII. in 1582.
Julienne Soup. Clear meat soup,
containing chopped vegetables, especially
carrots; so called after Julien, a French
cook, of Boston.
Juliet. Daughter of Lady Capulet,
and “sweet Sweeting ” of Romeo, in
Shakespeare’s tragedy of Romeo and
Juliet. She has become a household
word for a lady-love.
Ju'lium Si'dus. The comet which
appeared at the death of Julius Caesar,
and which in court flattery was called
the apotheosis of the murdered man.
July'. The seventh month, named
|by Mark Antony, in honour of Julius
Caesar, who was born in it.
Ju'mala. The supreme idol of the
ancient Finns and Lapps. The word is
Sometimes used by the Scandinavian
poets for the Almighty.
- “On a lonely cliff -
An ancient shrine he found, of Jumala the seat,
For many a year gone by closed up and desolate.”
Frithiof-Saga: The Reconciliation.
Jump. To jump or to fit or unite with
like a graft; as, both our inventions meet
and jump in one. Hence the adverb
exactly, precisely.
“Good advice is easily followed when it jumps
with our own . . . inclinations.”—Jockhart. Six"
Walter Scott, chap. x. p. 241.
* The Scotch use jimp, as, “When
she had been married jimp four months.”
(The Antiquary.)
Jump at an Offer (To). To accept
eagerly. -
Jump Over the Broomstick (To).
To marry in an informal way.
‘‘ brom '' is the bit of a bridle ; to
“jump the brom" is to skip over, the
marriage restraint, and “broomstick”
is a mere corruption.
“A Romish wedding is surely better than
jumping over a broomstick.”—G. A. Sala.
Jumper. The longest jumper on
tiplying together the lunar cycle, the record was Phayllos, who is accredited
June
&-- * ~ * *~~~~~
with jumping 55 feet. Half that length
would be an enormous jump.
A counter jumper. A draper’s appren-
tice or employé, who is accustomed to
jump over the shop counter to save the
trouble and time of going round.
June (1 syl.). The sixth month. Ovid
says, “Junius a juvénum nomine dictus.”
(Fasti, v. 78.)
June Marriages Lucky. “Good
to the man and happy to the maid.”
This is an old Roman superstition. The
festival of Juno monéta was held on the
calends of June, and Juno was the great
guardian of the female sex from birth
to death.
Ju'nior Optime. A Cambridge
University term, meaning a third-class
“honour” man—i.e. in the mathemati-
cal “honour” examination.
Ju'nior Soph. A man of the second
year's standing is so called in the Uni-
versity of Cambridge. (See SOPH.)
Ju'nius. Jetters of Junius. In 1871
was published a book entitled The Hand-
writing of Junius Professionally Investi-
gated by Mr. Charles Chabot, expert.
The object of this book is to prove that
Sir Philip Francis was the author of
these letters. On the 22nd May, 1871,
appeared an article in the Times to show
that the case is “not proven” by Mr.
Chabot. Mr. Pitt told Lord Aberdeen
that he knew who wrote the Junius
Letters, and that it was not Francis.
Lady Grenville sent a letter to the
editor of Diaries of a Lady of Quality to
the same effect.
Junk, Latin, funcus, from jungo, to
join ; used for binding, making baskets,
mats. The juncus maritimus is useful in
binding together the loose sands of the
sea-shore, and obstructing the incur-
sions of the sea. The juncus conglomer-
ôtus is used in Holland for giving
stability to river-banks and canals. (See
RUSH.)
Junk. Salt meat supplied to vessels
for long voyages; so called because it is
hard and tough as old rope-ends so called.
Ropes are called junks because they were
Once made of bulrushes. Junk is often
called salt horse. (See HARNESS CASK.)
Jun'iret. . Curded cream with spice,
etc.; any dainty. The word is the
Italian giuncata (curd or cream cheese),
so called because carried on junk or bul-
rushes (givánco). -
“You know there wants no junkets at the feast.”
- Shakespectre : Tamimg of the Shrew, iii. 2,
693
Juñāssić focks
Junner. A giant in Scandinavian
mythology, said in the Edda to represent
the “eternal principle.” Its skull forms
the heavens; its eyes the Sun and moon ;
its shoulders the mountains; its bones'
the rocks, etc. ; hence the poets call
heaven “Junner's skull ; ” the sun,
“Junner's right eye;” the moon, “Jun-
ner's left eye; ” the rivers, “the ichor
of old Junner.” (See GIANTS.)
Ju'no. The “venerable ox-eyed ”
wife of Jupiter, and queen of heaven.
(Roman mythology.)
* The famous marble statue of the
Campana Juno is in the Vatican. -
Juno'nian Bird. The peacock, dedi-
cated to the goddess-queen.
Junto. Afaction consisting of Russell,
Lord-Keeper Somers, Charles Montague,
and several other men of mark, who
ruled the Whigs in the reign of Wil-
liam III. for nearly twenty years, and
exercised a very great influence over the
nation. The word is a corruption of
the Spanish junta (an administrative
assembly), but is in English a term of .
CenSUlre.
Jupiter is the Latin form of Zeus
trathp. Verospi's statue of Jupiter is in
the Vatican ; but one of the seven won-
ders of the world was the statue of
Olympian Jove, by Phidias, destroyed
by fire in Constantinople A.D. 475.
This gigantic statue was nearly sixty feet
high, though seated on a throne. The statue was
made of ivory ; the throne of cedar-wood, adorned
with ivory, ebony, gold, and precious stones. The
god holds in his right hand a golden statue of
Victory, and his left hand rested on a long sceptre
Surmounted with an eagle. The robe of the god
Was Of gold, and SO was the foot Stool supported
by golden lions. This wonderful work of art was
removed to Constantinople hy. Theodosius I. -
Jupiter. With the ancient alchemists
designated tin.
Jupiter Scapin. A nickname of
Napoleon Bonaparte, given him by the
Abbé de Pradt. Scapin is a valet famous'
for his knavishtricks, in Molière's comedy
of Les Fourberies de Seapin.
Jupiter's Beard. House-leek. Sup-
posed to be a charm against evil spirits
and lightning. Hence grown at one
time very generally on the thatch of
houses. -
“Et habet quisque Supra domum Suum Joviš
barbam.”—Charlemagne's Edict. -
Jurassic Rocks. Limestone rocks;
so called from the Jura ; the Jurassic
period is the geological period when
these rocks were formed. Our Oolitic
series pretty nearly corresponds with
the Jurassic,
Jurisprudence - 694
Kabibonokka
Jurisprudence. The Father of Juris-
prudence. Glanville, who wrote Trac-
ta’tus de Legibus et Consuetudinibus
Angliae in 1181 (died 1190).
Jury Leg (A). . A wooden leg, or
leg for the nonce. (See JURY MAST.)
“I took the leg off with my saw ... Seared the
stump . . . and made a jury leg that he shambles
about with as well as ever he did.”—Sir W. Scott :
The Pirate, chal). XXXi V.
Jury Mast. A corruption of joury
mast—i.e. a mast for the day, a tem-
porary mast, being a spar used for the
nonce when the mast has been carried
away. (French, jour, a day.)
Jus Civile. Civil law.
Jus Divi'num.
Jus Gentium (Latin). International
law.
Jus Mariºti (Latin). The right of
the husband to the wife's property.
Jus de Réglisse (liquorice). French
slang for a negro.
Jus et Norma Loquendi. The right
method of speaking and pronouncing
established by the custom of each par-
ticular nation. The whole phrase is
“Consuetúdo, jus et morma loquendi.”
(Horace.)
Just (The).
Aristi’dès,
468).
Ba/haram, styled Shah Endeb (the Just
I(ing), fifth of the Sassan'idae (q.v.)
(276-296).
Casimir II., King of Poland (1117,
1177–1194).
Ferdinand I., King of Aragon (1373,
1412-1416).
Haroun al Raschid (The Just). The
most renowned of the Abbasside Califs,
and the hero of several of the Arabia??
Nights stories (765, 786-808).
James II., King of Aragon (1261-1327).
Rhosru or Chosroes, called by the
Arabs Molk al Adel (the Just King).
Moran the Just, councillor of Fere-
dach, King of Ireland.
Pedro I. of Portugal (1320, 1857, 1367).
Juste Milieu (French).
IIlêall.
Divine law.
the Athenian (died B.C.
The golden
Justices in Eyre... (pron. ire). A
contraction and corruption of Itine'ere—
3.6. On circuit.
Justing of Watson and Barbour.
A description of a ludicrous tilt between
Watson and Barbour; in Scotch verse, by
Sir David Lindsay. *
Justin/ian. The English Justinian.
Edward I. (1239, 1272-1307).
Ju'venal (Latin, from juvenis). A
youth ; common in Shakespeare, thus—
“The juvenal, the prince your master, whose
chin is not yet fiedged.”—2 IIemry I | ".., i. 2.
Juvenal. - -
The English Juvenal. John Oldham
(1653-1683).
The Juvenal of Painters.
Hogarth (1697-1764).
Juveniles (3 syl.), in theatrical par-
lance, means those actors who play
young men’s parts, whether in tragedy,
melodrama, or light comedy. Thus a .
manager scoring a play would write
against Hamlet, not the name of the
actor, but “the leading Juvenile.”
William
Iš.
K. To be branded with a]{ (kalumnia).
So, according to the Lea Memmia, false
accusers were branded in the forehead.
K. The three bad Î's. The Greeks
so called the Ra'rians, Kre'tans, and
Išilik'ians. The Romans retained the . .
same expression, though they spelt the
three nations with C instead of K.
K.C.B. Knight Commander of the
Bath.
K.G. Knight of the Garter.
K.K. is the German Raiserliché
ICönigliche. The Emperor of Austria
is styled K.K. Majestät (His Imperial"
Royal Majesty).
K.O.B. (i.e. the King's Own Bor-
derers). The 25th Foot, so called in
1805.
Ra Me, Ka Thee. One good turn
deserves another ; do me a service, and
I will give you a helping hand when you
require one. (Latin, Fricantem frica, or
Muli mutuo scabunt.)
“Ra me, ka, thee, is a proverb all over the
World.”—Sir W. Scott : Ienilworth, chal). Y.
Ka'aba (Arabic, ka'bah, a Square
house). A shrine of Mecca, said to have
been built by Abraham on the spot where
Adam first worshipped after his expul-
sion from Paradise. In the north-east
corner is a stone seven inches long, said
to be a ruby sent down from heaven. It
is now black, from being kissed so often
by sinful man. (See ADAM’s PEAK.)
Kab'ibonokka (North - Amerieſ”
Indian). Son of Mudjekee' wis, and the
£adris
69.5
ICami
Indian Boreas, who dwelt in Wabasso
(the North). He paints the autumn leaves
scarlet and yellow, sends the snow, binds
the rivers in ice, and drives away the
sea-gull, cormorant, and heron. (See
SHING/EBIs.)
Kadris. Mohammedan dervishes who
lacerate themselves with Scourges.
Kaffir (Arabic, Käfir, an infidel).
A name given to the Hottentots, who
reject the Moslem faith. Kaſtristan, in
Central Asia, means “the country of the
infidels.”
“The affinity of the Kafir tribes . . . including
the Kafir's proper and the reople of Congo, is based
upon the various idioms spoken by them, the di-
rect representatives of a common, but now ex-
tinct, mother tongue. This aggregate of languages
is now conveniently known as . . . . . the Bantul
linguistic system.”—K. Johnstom Africa, p. 447.
Kai-Omurs (the mighty Omurs), Sur-
named Ghil-shah (earth's king). Son of
I)u'lavčd, founder of the city Balk, and
first of the Kai-Omurs or Paishdad'ian
dynasty of Persia (B.C. 940-920). (See
PAISDADIAN.)
Kai-anians. . The sixth Persian
dynasty. The semi-historic period (B.C.
660-331). So called because they took
for their affix the term kai (mighty),
called by the Greeks Ku (Kuros), and
by the Romans Cy (Cyrus).
Kail’yal (2 syl.). The heroine of
Southey's Curse of Keháma.
Kain Hens. Hens that a tenant
pays to his landlord, as a sort of rent in
kind (ill-fed hens). (Guy Mannering, V.)
Kaiser. The German Emperor.
He receives the title from Dalmatia,
Croatia, and the line of the Danube,
which, by the arrangement of Diocletian,
was governed by a prince entitled Caesar
of the Holy Roman Empire, as successor
of the emperor of the old Roman empire.
It was Albert II., Duke of Austria, who
added the Holy Roman Empire to the
imperial throne in 1438; and William I.,
king of Prussia, on being crowned Ger-
man emperor in 1871, took the title.
Kajak. An Esquimaux boat, used by
the men only. Eighteen feet long,
eighteen inches broad in the middle, the
ends tapering, and one foot deep.
Ka'led is Gulnare (2 syl.) in the dis-
guise of a page in the service of Lara.
After Lara was shot, she haunted thespot
of his death as a crazy woman, and died
of a broken heart. (Byrom . Lara.)
Kaleda (Sclavonic mythology). The
god of peace, somewhat similar to the
Latin Janus. His feast was celebrated
on the 24th of December.
Kali. A Hindu goddess after whom
Calcutta receives its name, Kali-Kutta
(Kali’s village).
Kaliyu'ga. The last of the four
Hindu periods contained in the great
Yuga, equal to the Iron Age of classic
mythology. It consisted of 432,000
solar-sidereal years, and began 3,102
years before the Christian era. The
bull, representing truth and right, has
but one foot in this period, because all
the world delights in wickedness. (See
ICRITA.)
Kalmar'. The Union of Kalmar. A
treaty made on July 12th, 1397, to settle
the succession of Norway, Sweden, and
Denmark on Queen Margaret and her
heirs for ever. This treaty lasted only
till the death of Margaret.
Kalmucks — i.e. Iſhalmitiſºt (apos-
tates) from Buddhism. A race of west-
ern Monguls, extending from western
China to the valley of the Volga river.
Kalpa. A day and night of Brahmā,
a period of 4,320,000,000 solar-sidereal
years. Some say there are an infinity
of Kalpas, others limit the number to
thirty. A Great Kalpa is a life of
Brahmā ; the whole duration of time
from the creation to the destruction of
the world. -
Kalpa-Tarou. A tree in Indian
mythology from which might be gathered
whatever a person desired. This tree is
“the tree of the imagination.”
Kalyb. The “Lady of the Woods,”
who stole St. George from his nurse,
brought him up as her own child, and
endowed him with gifts, St. George
enclosed her in a rock, where she was
torn to pieces by spirits. (Seven Cham-
picns of Christendom, part i.)
Kam. Crooked. (Erse kaam, squint-
eyed.) Clean Kam, perverted into Kim
Júam, means wholly awry, clean from the
purpose.
“This is claan kam—merely awry.”
Shakespectre : Coriol tºnus, iii. 1.
Kåma. The Hindu god of love. His
wife is Rati (voluptuousness), and he is
represented as riding on a sparrow,
holding in his hand a bow of flowers and
five arrows (i.e. the five senses).
Ka'mi. The celestial gods of the
first mythical dynasty of Japan, the
demi-gods of the second dynasty, the
spiritual princes, anyone sainted of
Ramsin
deified; and now about equal to our
lord, a title of respect paid to princes,
nobles, ministers, and governors.
Kamsin. A simoom or samiel, a hot,
dry, southerly wind, which prevails in
Egypt and the deserts of Africa.
Kansas, U.S. America. So named
from the Konsos, an Indian tribe of the
locality.
Kansas. Bleeding Iſansas. So called
|because it was the place where that
sanguinary strife commenced which
was the prelude of the Civil War of
America. According to the Missouri
Compromise made in 1820, slavery was
never to be introduced into any western
region lying beyond 36° 30' north lati-
tude. In 1851, the slave-holders of
Missouri, by a local act, pushed their
west frontier to the river-bank, and
slave lords, with their slaves, took
possession of the Kansas hunting
grounds, declaring that they would
“lynch, hang, tar and feather any white-
livered abolitionist who presumed to
pollute the soil.” In 1854, thirty New
England free-soilers crossed the river
in open boats; they were soon joined
by others, and dared the slavers to carry
out their threats. Many a fierce battle
was fought, but in 1861 Bleeding
Ransas was admitted into the Union
as a free state. (IV. Hepworth Diaon .
New America, vol. i. chap. 2.)
Karaites [Scripturists]. A Jewish
sect that adhered to the letter of the
Scriptures, rejecting all oral traditions.
They abhorred the Talmud, and observed
the Sabbath with more rigour than even
the rabbinists.
Karma. The Buddhist’s judgment,
which determines at death the future
state of the deceased. It is also their
fiat on actions, pronouncing them to be
meritorious or otherwise.
*: In Theosophy, it means the un-
broken sequence of cause and effect;
each effect being, in its turn, the cause
of a subsequent effect. It is a Sanscrit
word, meaning “action ” or “se-
quence.”
“The laws which determine the physical attri-
bution, condition of life, intellectual capacities,
and so forth, of the new body, to which the Ego
is drawn by affinities . . . are . . . in Buddhism
ſº Karma.”—Nimeteenth Century, June, 1893,
Karma'thians. A Mohammedan sect
which rose in Irak in the ninth
Christian century. Its founder was
Ahmad, a poor labourer who assumed
the name of Karmat, and professed to
be a prophet. -
696
T{ay.
Karoon or Korah. . . The riches of
Iſaroon (Arabic proverb). Korah, ac-
cording to the commentators of the
Roran, was the most wealthy and most
beautiful of all the Israelites. It is said
that he built a large palace, which he
overlaid with gold, and that the doors
of his palace were solid gold (Sale :
I(oran). He was the Croesus of the
Mahometans, and guarded his wealth in
a labyrinth. -
Karrows. A set of gamblers in
Ireland, who played away even the
clothes on their backs. - -
“The karrows plaie awaie mantle and all to the
bare skin, and then trusse themselves in straw
or leayes. They wait for passengers in the high-
waie, invite them to gan:e upon the greene and
aSke no lmore but companions to make them
Sport. For default, of other stuffe they pawne
their glibs, the nailes of their fingers and toes,
their dimissaries which they leefe or redeeme at
the Collrtesy of the Winner.”—Stamihurst.
Kaswa (Al). Mahomet's favourite
Camel, which fell on its knees in adora-
tion when “the prophet” delivered the
last clause of the Koran to the as-
sembled multitude at Mecca. This is
one of the dumb creatures admitted into
the Moslem paradise. (See PARADISE.)
Katerfelto. A generic name for a
quack or charlatan. Raterfelto was a
celebrated quack or influenza doctor.
He was a tall man, who dressed in a
long black gown and square cap. In
1782 he exhibited in London his solar
microscope, and created immense ex-
citement by showing the infusoria, of
[muddy] water. The doctor used to aver
that he was the greatest philosopher
since the time of Sir Isaac Newton.
“And Katerfelto with his hair on end,
At lºis own wonders wondering for his bread.”
Cowper : The Task; The Winter Evening (1782),
Katharine or Kathari'na. Daughter
of Baptista, a rich gentleman of Padua.
She was very beautiful, but a shrew.
Petruchio of Vero'na, married her, and
so subdued her imperious temper by his
indomitable will, that she became the
model of a “submissive wife,” and
gave Bianca, her sister, most excellent
advice respecting the duty of submission.
(Shakespeare; Taming of the Shrew.)
The Katherine de' Medici of China.
Woochee, widow of King Tae-tsäng.
Kathay'. China.
Katmir. (See KETMIR.)
Kay or Sir Key. Son of Sir Ector,
and foster-brother of King Arthur. In
Arthurian romance, this seneschal of
England is represented as a rude and
boastful knight, the first to attempt any
achievement, but very rarely successful.
f{ayward
it *-****
Kayward. The hare, in the tale of
Jºeynard the Foºc. (The word means
“Country-guardian.”)
Keber'. A Persian sect (generally
rich merchants), distinguished by their
beards and dress. When one of them
dies, a cock is driven out of the poultry
yard; if a fox seizes it, it is a proof that
the soul of the deceased is saved. If
this experiment does not answer, they
prop the dead body against a wall, and
if the birds peck out the right eye first,
the Keber is gone to heaven ; if the left
eye, the carcase is flung into the ditch,
for the Keber was a reprobate.
Kebla. The point of adoration ; i.e.
the quarter or point of the compass to-
wards which persons turn when they
worship. The Persian fire-worshippers
turn to the east, the place of the rising
sun : the Jews to Jerusalem, the city of
the King of kings; the Mahometans to
Mecca ; the early Christians turned to
the “east,” and the “communion table”
even of the “Reformed Church '' is
placed at the east end of the building,
whenever this arrangement is practic-
able. Any object of passionate desire.
Kebla-Noma. The pocket compass
carried by Mussulmans to direct them
which way to turn when they pray. (See
above.)
Kedar's Tents. This world. ICedar
was Arabia. Deserta, and the phrase
FCedar’s tents means houses in the wilder-
ness of this world.
* Ah me ! ah me ! that I
In Kedar's tents here stay :
No place like that on high :
Lord, thither guide my Way.”
Crossman.
Ke’derli. The St. George of Ma-
‘hometan mythology. He slew a mon-
strous dragon to save a damsel exposed
to its fury, and, having drunk of the
water of life, rode about the world to
aid those warriors who invoked him.
This tradition is exactly parallel to that
of St. George, and explains the reason
why the one is the field-word with the
Turks, and the latter with the ancient
English.
Ked'jeree'. A stew of rice, vege-
tables, eggs, butter, etc. A corruption
of the Indian word Iſhiehri (a medley or
hotch-potch). The word has been con-
founded with a place so called, forty
miles south-west of Calcutta, on the
Hooghly river.
Keel-hauling or -haling. A long,
troublesome, and vexatious examination
Or repetition of annoyances from a
697. £eep Company
§º
landlord or government official. In the
Dutch and many other navies, delin-
quents were, at one time, tied to a
yard-arm with weights on their feet,
and dragged by a rope under the keel
of a ship, in at one side and out at
the other. The result was often fatal.
Keelman (A). A bargeman. (See
Old Mortality [Introduction], the bill
of Margaret Chrystale : “To three
chappins of yell with Sandy the keel-
man, 9d.”) -
Keelson or Kelson. A beam running
lengthwise above the keel of a ship, and
bolted to the middle of the floor-frames,
in order to stiffen the vessel. The word
Son is the Swedish svin, and Norwegian
8will, a sill.)
Keening. A weird lamentation for
the dead, common in Galway. The
coffin is carried to the burying place,
and while it is carried three times round,
the mourners go to the graves of their
nearest kinsfolk and begin keening,
after which they smoke. -
Keep Down (To). To prevent an-
other from rising to , an independent
position ; to keep in subjection.
Keep House (To). To maintain a
Separate establishment ; to act as house-
keeper.
To keep open house. To admit all
comers to hospitable entertainment.
Keep Touch. To keep faith; the
exact performance of an agreement, as,
“To keep touch with my promise ’’
(More). The idea, seems to be embodied
in the proverb, “Seeing is believing, but
feeling is naked truth.”
“And trust me on my truth,
If thou keep touch with me,
My dearest friend, as my own heart,
Thou shalt right welcome he.”
Songs of the London 1'rentices, p. 37.
Keep Up (To). To continue, as,
“to keep up a discussion; ” to main-
tain, as, “to keep up one's courage; ”
to continue part passet, as “Keep up
With the rest.” -
Keep at Arm's Length (To). To
prevent another from being too familiar.
Keep Body and Soul Together
(To). To struggle to maintain life; to
continue life. Thus we say, “It is as
much as I can do to keep body and soul
together ; ” and “To keep body and
soul together’’ we did so and so.
Keep Company with (To). To as-
sociate with someone of another sex
with a view of marriage. The phrase
ICeep Good Hours
69S PCennel
is almost confined to household servants
and persons of a similar status.
Keep Good Hours (To). To retire
to bed somewhat early. To keep bad
hours is to sit up late at night.
Keop it Dark. Keep it as a secret ;
hide it from public sight or know-
ledge; do not talk about it.
Keep One's Countenance (To). To
refrain from laughing; to preserve one's
gravity.
Keep One's Own Counsel (To). To
be reticent of one’s own affairs or plans.
Keep your Breath to Cool your
Porridge. Look after your own affairs,
and do not put your spoke in another
person’s wheel. Husband your strength
to keep your own state safe and well,
and do not waste it on matters in which
you have really no concern. Don’t scold
or rail at me, but look at home.
Keep your Powder Dry. Keep
prepared for action; keep your courage
up.
“Go forth and conquer, Strephon mine,
This kiss upon your lips retaining ;
A precept that is also thine -
Forbids the teardrop hot and Straining.
We're Mars and Venus, you and I,
And both must keep ºur powder dry.'"
Sims : Dagomet Ballºtils (In Love &nd War).
Keepers. A staff of men employed
by Irish landlords in 1843, etc., to watch
the crops and prevent their being smug-
gled off during the night. They were
resisted by the Molly Maguires.
Reha'ma. A Hindu rajah who ob-
tains and sports with supernatural
powers. (Southey : Curse of Kehama.)
Kelpie or Kelpy. A spirit of the
waters in the form of a horse, in Scot-
tish mythology. Not unlike the Irish
Phooka. (See FAIRY.)
“Every lake has its Kelpie or Water-horse,
often se ºn by the shepherd sitting upon the brow
of a rock, dashing along the surface of the deel),
(ºr browsing upon the pasture on its verge."—
Gºruh wºn : Sketches of Perthshire.
Kelso Convoy (A). A step and a
half over the door-stone or threshold.
“It's no expected your honour suld leave the
land ; it's just a Kelso convoy, a step and a half
OW'er the door Sºane.”—Sin' W. Scott : The A177t:-
guary, chal), XXX. -
Ke'rma. The books containing the
secrets of the genii, who, infatuated
with love, revealed the marvels of
nature to men, and were banished out
of heaven. According to some etymolo-
gists, the word chemistry is derived from
this word. (Zozime Panopolite.)
Kermp'fer-Hau'sen. The mom de
plume of IRobert Pearce Gillies, one of
the speakers in the Noctès Ambrosia'na".
(Blackwood's Magazine.)
Kempis. The authorship of the work
entitled De Imitatio'ne Christi, has af-
forded as much controversy as the author
of Letters of Junius. In 1604, a Spanish
Jesuit discovered a manuscript copy by
the Abbot John Gersen or Gesen; and
since then three competitors have had
angry and wordy defenders, viz. Thomas
à Kempis, J. Charlier de Gerson, Chan-
cellor of the University of Paris, and
the Abbot Gersen. M. Malou gives his
verdict in favour of the first.
Ken or Kium. An Egyptian goddess
similar to the Roman Venus. She is
represented as standing on a lion, and
holding two serpents in one hand and a
flower in the other. (See Amos v. 26.)
Kendal Green. Green cloth for
foresters; so called from Kendal, West-
moreland, famous at one time for this
manufacture. Kendal green was the
livery of Robin Hood and his followers.
In Rymer’s Faedera (ii. 83) is a letter of
rotection, dated 1331, and granted by
dward III. to John Kempe of Flanders,
who established cloth-weaving in the
borough. Lincoln was also famous at
one time for dyeing green. -
“How couldst thou know these men in Kendal
green, when it was so dark thou couldst, not see.
thy hand 2 ”—Shalcespeare : 1 IIenry I l'., ii. 4.
Ken elm (St.) was murdered at.
Clente-in-Cowbage, near Winchelcumb,
in Gloucestershire. The murder, says
Roger of Wendover, was miraculously
notified at Rome by a white dove,
which alighted on the altar of St.
Peter's, bearing in its beak a Scroll
With these words:
“In Clent cow pasture. under a thorn,
Of head bereft, lies Kenelm king-born.”
Kenna. (See KENSINGTON.)
Kenna, Quhair [I know not ºthere].
Scotch for terra incog'nita.
Kenne. A stone said to be formed
in the eye of a stag, and used as an
antidote to poison.
Kennedy. A poker, or to kill with
a poker; so called from a man of that
name who was killed by a poker. (Dic-
tionary of Modern Slang.)
Kennel. A dog's house; from the
Latin canis (a dog), Italian cantle ; but
kennel (a gutter), from the Latin canna
(a cane, whence canalis), our canal,
channel, etc. - - . .
FCenno
69%) Eepler's Fairy
Ken'no. This was a large rich cheese,
made by the women of the family
with a great affectation of secrecy, and
was intended for the refreshment of
the gossips who were in the house at
the “canny minute” of the birth of a
child.
was supposed to know of its existence—
certainly no male being, not excepting
the master of the house. After all had
eaten their fill on the auspicious occa-
sion, the rest was divided among the
gossips and taken home. The Kenno is
supposed to be a relic of the secret rites
of the Bona Dea.
Hen'sington. O’beron, king of the
fairies, held his royal seat in these
gardens, which were fenced round with
spells “interdicted to human touch ; ”
but not unfrequently his thievish elves
would rob the human mother of her babe,
and leave in its stead a sickly changeling
of the elfin race. Once on a time it so
fell out that one of the infants fostered
in these gardens was Albion, the son of
“Albion's royal blood; ” it was stolen
by a fairy named Milkah. When the
boy was nineteen, he fell in love with
Kenna, daughter of King Oberon, and
Renna vowed that none but Albion
should ever be her chosen husband.
Oberon heard her when she made this
vow, and instantly drove the prince out
of the garden, and married the fairy
maid to Azu'riel, a fairy of great beauty
and large possessions, to whom Holland
Park belonged. In the meantime, Albion
prayed to Neptune for revenge, and the
sea-god commanded the fairy O'riel,
whose dominion lay along the banks of
the Thames, to espouse the cause of his
lineal offspring. Albion was slain in the
battle by Azuriel, and Neptune in re-
venge crushed the whole empire of
Oberon. Being immortal, the fairies
could not be destroyed, but they fled
from the angry sea-god, some to the
hills and some to the dales, some to the
caves and others to river-banks.
alone remained, and tried to revive her
lover by means of the herb moly. No
sooner did the juice of this wondrous
herb touch the body than it turned into
a snow-drop. When Wise laid out the
grounds for the Prince of Orange, Kenna
planned it “in a morning dream,” and
gave her name to the town and garden.
(Tickell: Kensington Gardens.)
Kent (Latin, Can'tium), the territory
of the Kantii or Cantii; Old British,
Iſant, a corner or headland). In the
reign of Queen Elizabeth Kent was so
Called Iſen-770 because no one
Renna,
notorious for highway robbery, that the
word signified a “nest of thieves.”
“Some bookes are arrogant and impudent :
SO are most thieves in Christendome and Kent.”
Taylor, the Water Poet (1630),
A man of ſent. One born east of the
Medway. These men went out with
green boughs to meet the Conqueror,
and, obtained in consequence a con-
firmation of their ancient privileges
from the new king. They call them-
selves the invieti. The hops of East
ICent are liked best. -
A Kentish man. A resident of West
Rent.
Holy Maid of Iſent. Flizabeth Barton,
who pretended to the gift of prophecy
and power of miracles. Having de-
nounced the doom and speedy death of
Henry VIII. for his marriage with
Anne Boleyn, she was executed. Sir
Walter Scott (Abbot, xiii.) calls her.
“The Nun of Kent.” (See FAIR [Maid,
of Kent]).
Kent's Hole. A large cave in the
limestone rock near Torquay, Devon.
HKent Street Ejectment. Taking
away the street-door : a method devised
by the landlords of Kent Street, South-
wark, when their tenants were more
than a fortnight in arrears.
Kentish Fire. Rapturous applause,
or three times three and one more. The
expression originated with Lord Win-
chelsea, who proposed the health of the
Barl of Roden, on August 15th, 1834,
and added, “Let it be given with the
“Rentish Fire.’” In proposing another
toast he asked permission to bring his
“Rentish Artillery” again into action.
Chambers, in his Encyclopædia, says it
arose from the protracted cheers given
in Kent to the No-Popery orators in
1828-1829.
Kentish Moll. Mary Carlton, nick-
named The German Princess. She was
transported to Jamaica in 1671 ; but,
returning without leave, she was hanged
at Tyburn, January 22nd, 1673.
Kentishmen's Tails. (See TAII.S.)
Kentucky (U.S. America), so called
in 1782, from its principal river. It was
admitted into the union in 1792. The
nickname of the inhabitants is Corn-
crackers. Indian Shawnoese Kentuckee
= “head or long river.”
Kepler's Fairy. The fairy which
guides the planets. Kepler said that
each planet was guided in its elliptical
orbit by a resident angel. -
Kepler's flaws
Kepler's Laws (Johann Kepler, 1571-
30) :
(1) That the planets describe ellipses,
and that the centre of the sun is in one
of the foci.
(2) That every planet so moves that
the line drawn from it to the sun de-
scribes equal areas in equal times.
(3) That the squares of the times of
the planetary revolutions are as the
cubes of their mean distances from the
SUIIl. '
Kerchief of Plesaunce. An em-
broidered cloth presented by a lady to
her knight to wear for her sake. The
knight was bound to place it in his helmet.
Kerna. A kind of trumpet used by
Tamerlane, the blast of which might be
heard for miles.
Kernel (Anglo-Saxon, cyrmel, a dimi-
nutive of corn; seed in general), whence
acorn (the ac or Oak corn).
Kersey. A coarse cloth, usually
ribbed, and woven from long wool ; said
to be so named from Kersey, in Suffolk,
where it was originally made.
Kerseymere. A corruption of Casi-
mir, a man’s name. A twilled woollen
cloth made in Abbeville, Amiens, Elbeuf,
Louviers, Rheims, Sedan, and the West
of England. (French casimir, Spanish
casimiro or casimiras.)
Ker'zereh or Kerzrah. A flower
which grows in Persia. It is said, if
anyone in June or July inhales the hot
south wind which has blown over this
flower he will die.
Keso'ra. The female idol adored in
the temple of Juggernaut. Its head
and body are of sandal-wood ; its eyes
two diamonds, and a third diamond is
suspended round its neck; its hands are
made entirely of small pearls, called
perles à l'once; its bracelets are of pearls
and rubies, and its robe is cloth of gold.
Kestrel. A hawk of a base breed,
hence a worthless fellow. Also used as
an adjective.
“No thought of honour ever did assay
. His baser breşt, ; but in his kestrell Kynd,
A pleasant yeine of glory, he did find . ...
Spenser: Faërie Queene, book ii. canto iii. 3.
Ketch. (See JACK KETCH.)
Ketch. A kind of two-masted vessel.
Bomb-ketches were much used in the
last century wars.
Ketchup. A corruption of the Ja-
panese Kitjap, a condiment sometimes
sold as soy, but not equal to it.
700.
Ixex
–7.
Ketmir or Katmir. The dog of the
Seven Sleepers. Sometimes called Al
Rakim. (Sale's Koran, xviii. n.)
Kettle (A), a watch. A tin, kittle is
a silver watch. A red kittle is a gold
watch. “Rettle,” or rather kittle, in
Slang language is a corrupt rendering of
the words to-tick read backwards. (Com-
pare Anglo-Saxon cetel, a kettle, with
citel-ian, to tickle.)
Thor's great kettle. The god Thor
wanted to brew some beer, but not
having a vessel suited for the purpose in
Valhalla, stole the kettle of the giant
Hymer. (Scandinavian mythology.) -
Kettle of Fish. A fºte-champêtre
in which salmon is the chief dish pro-
vided. In these pic-nics, a large cald-
ron being provided, the party select a
place near a salmon river. Having
thickened some water with salt to the
consistency of brine, the salmon is put
therein and boiled ; and when fit for
eating, the company partake thereof in
gipsy fashion. Some think the dis-
comfort of this sort of pic-nic gave rise
to the phrase “A pretty kettle of fish.”
(See KITTLE OF FISH.)
“The whole company go to the waterside to-
day to eat a kettle of fish.”—Sir Walter Scott : St.
Itoman's Well, xii.
Kettledrum. A large social party,
originally applied to a military party in
India, where drum-heads served for
tables. On Tweedside it signifies a
“social party,” met together to take tea
from the same tea-kettle. (See DRUM,
HURRICANE.)
Iſettledrum, a drum in the shape of a
kiddle or fish-basket.
Kettledrummie (Gabriel.) A Cove-
nanter preacher in Sir Walter Scott's
Old Mortality.
Kev'in (St.), like St. Sena'nus (q.v.),
retired to an island where he vowed no
woman should ever land. Kathleen
loved the saint, and tracked him to his
retirement, but the saint hurled her
from a rock. Kathleen died, but her
ghost rose smiling from the tide, and
never left the place while the saint lived.
A bed in the rock at Glendalough
(Wicklow) is shown as the bed of St.
ICevin. Thomas Moore has a poem on
this tradition. (Irish Melodies, iv.)
Kex, hemlock. Tennyson says in The
Princess, “Though the rough kex break
the starred mosaic,” though weeds break
the pavement. Nothing breaks a pave-
ment like the growth of grass Or lichen
ICey 701
Keys
through it. ... (Welsh, eeeys, hemlock;
French, ciguë ; Latin, ciclºta.)
Key. (See KAY.)
Key-cold. Deadly cold, lifeless. A
Jºey, on account of its coldness, is still
sometimes employed to stop bleeding at
the nose.
“Poor key-cold figure of a holy king !
Pale ashes of the louse of Lancaster
Thou bloodless remnant of that royal blood . "
Shakespeatre: Richard III., i. 2.
Key-stone. The Key-Stone State.
Pennsylva'nia; so called from its posi-
tion and importance.
Key and the Bible (A). Employed
by discover whether plaintiff or defend-
ant is guilty. The Bible is opened either
at Ruth, chap. i., or at the 51st Psalm ;
and a door-key is so placed inside the
Bible, that the handle projects beyond
the book. The Bible, being tied with a
piece of string, is then held by the fourth
fingers of the accuser and defendant,
who must repeat the words touched by
the wards of the key. It is said, as the
words are repeated, that the key will
turn towards the guilty person, and the
IBible fall to the ground.
Key of a Cipher or of a romance.
That which explains the secret or lays it
open (“La clef d'un chiffre” or “La
clef d'un romance ’’). -
Key of the Mediterranean. The
fortress of Gibraltar ; so called because
it commands the entrance thereof.
Key of Russia.
Dnieper.
Key of Spain. Ciudad Rodrigo,
taken by the Duke of Wellington, who
defeated the French there in 1812.
Keys. (See ST. SITHA.)
Keys of stables and cowhouses have
not unfrequently, even at the present
day, a stone with a hole through it and
a piece of horn attached to the handle.
This is a relic of an ancient superstition.
The hag, halig, or holy stone was looked
upon as a talisman which kept off the
fiendish Mara, or night-mare ; and the
horn was supposed to ensure the pro-
tection of the god of cattle, called by the
IRomans Pan. -
Key as an emblem. (Anglo-Saxon, coeg.)
St. Peter is always represented in
Christian art with two keys in his hand;
they are consequently the insignia of the
Papacy, and are borne Saltire-wise, one
of gold and the other of silver. -
They are the emblems also of St. Ser-
vaſtius, St. Hippolytus, St. Geneviève,
Smolensk, on the
St. Petronilla, St. Osyth, St. Martha,
and St. Germa'nus of Paris.
The Bishop of Winchester bears two
keys and sword in saltire.
The bishops of St. Asaph, Gloucester,
Exeter, and Peterborough bear two keys
in saltire.
The Cross Keys. A public-house sign;
the arms of the Archbishop of York.
The key shall be upon his shoulder. He
shall have the dominion. The ancient
keys were instruments about a yard
long, made of wood or metal. On public
occasions the steward slung his key over
his shoulder, as our mace-bearers carry
their mace. Hence, to have the key
upon one’s shoulder means to be in
authority, to have the keeping of some-
thing. It is said of Eliakim, that God
would lay upon his shoulder the key
of the house of David (Isa. xxii. 22);
and of our Lord that “the government
should be upon His shoulder” (Isa. ix. 6).
The chamberlain of the court used to
bear a key as his insignia.
The power of the keys—i.e. the Supreme
authority vested in the pope as successor
of St. Peter. The phrase is derived
from St. Matt. xvi. 19. (Latin, Potestas
clavium.) -
To throw the keys into the pit. To
disclaim a debt; to refuse to pay the
debts of a deceased husband. This
refers to an ancient French custom. If
a deceased husband did not leave his
widow enough for her aliment and the
payment of his debts, the widow was to
throw the bunch of house-keys which
she carried at her girdle into the grave,
and this answered the purpose of a
public renunciation of all further ties.
No one after this could come on her
for any of her late husband's debts.
Keys (The House of). One of the
three estates of the Isle of Man. The
Crown in council, the governor and his
council, and the House of Keys, consti-
tute what is termed “the court of Tyn-
wald.” The House of Keys consists of
twenty-four representatives selected by
their own body, vacancies are filled up
by the House presenting to the governor
“two of the eldest and worthiest men of
the isle,” one of which the governor
nominates. To them an appeal may be
made against the verdicts of juries, and
from their decision there is no appeal,
except to the Crown in council. (Manx,
ſciare-as-feed, four-and-twenty.)
... The governor and his council consists of the
governor, the bishop, the attorney-general, two
deemsters (or judges), the clerk of the rolls, the
water bailiff, the archdeacon, and the Vicar-
general.
Reyne
.70
Q
•º
Išick Up a Row
The House of Keys. The board of
landed proprietors referred to above,
or the house in which they hold their
sessions.
Keyne (St.). The well of St. Keyne,
Cornwall, has a strange superstition
attached to it, which is this: “If the
bridegroom drinks therefrom before the
bride, he will be master of his house;
but if the bride gets the first draught,
the grey mare will be the better horse.”
Southey has a ballad on this tradition,
and says the man left his wife at the
church porch, and ran to the well to get:
the first draught ; but when he returned
his wife told him his labour had been
in vain, for she had taken with her a
“bottle of the water to church.”
Khedive d'Egypte. An old regal
title revived by the sultan in 1867, who
granted it to Ismael I., who succeeded
as Pasha of Egypt in 1863. The title is
higher than viceroy, but not so high as
sultan. (Turkish, khidiv : Persian, khi-
diw, king; and khidéºtºi, viceroy.) Pro-
nounce ke-dive, in 2 syl.
Khorassan [Region of the Sum]. A
province of Persia, anciently called
Aria'na. . l
The Feiled Prophet of Khorassam. Mo-
kanna, a prophet chief, who, being ter-
ribly deformed, wore a veil under pre-
tence of shading the dazzling light of his
countenance.
“Terror seized her lest the love-light, which
encircled him should fade away, and leave him
like the veiled prophet of Khorassan, a sin-
stained thing of clay.”—Lady Hardy : A Cusual
Acquatinºtatºcé.
Ki. A Chinese word, signifying age
or period, generally applied to the ten
periods preceding the first Imperial
dynasty, founded B.C. 2205. It extended
over some 300,000 years. The first was
founded by Puon-ku (highest etermity),
and the last by Fo-hi, surnamed T'ien-
Tse (son of heaven). -
Riak-Kiak (god of gods). An idol
worshipped in Pegu. This god is to
sleep 6,000 years, and when he wakes
the end of the world will come.
Rick (A). Sixpence. “Two-and-a-
kick ’’ = two. shillings and sixpence.
(Anglo-Saxon, cicel, a bit. In Jamaica
a “bit ’’ = sixpence, and generally it
means the smallest silver coin in circu-
lation ; thus, in America, a “bit ’’ is
fourpence. We speak of a “threepenny
bit.”)
“It is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks’’ (Acts ix. 5; and xxvi. 14.) The
proverb occurs in Pindar (2 Pythian,
*-***
Pictories, v. 173), in AEschylos (Agam-
emnon, 1,624), in Eurip'idés, (Baccha,
791), in Terence (Phormio, i. ii. 27),
in Ovid (Tristia, book ii. 15), etc.;
but whether the reference is to an ox
kicking when goaded, or a horse when
pricked with the rowels of a spur, is not
certain. The plural kentra seems to refer
to more than one, and pros kentra can-
not refer to a repetition of goad thrusts.
Altogether, the rowels of a spur suit the
phrase better than the single point of
an Ox-goad.
N.B. The Greek pros with an accus-
ative is not = the Latin adversits, such a
meaning would require a genitive case;
it means in answer to, i.e. to kick when
spurred or goaded. - -
More kicks than ha'pence. More abuse
than profit. Called “monkey’s allow-
ance ’’ in allusion to monkeys led about
to collect ha'pence by exhibiting “ their
parts.” The poor brutes get the kicks if
they do their parts in an unsatisfactory
manner, but the master gets the ha'pence
collected.
Quite the kick. Quite a dandy. Tº
Italians call a dandy a chic. The French
chic means knack, as avoir le chic, to
have the knack of doing a thing smartly.
“I cocked my hat and twirled my stick,
And the girls they called me quite the kick.”
George Colm (17, the You?...er.
Kick Over the Traces (To). Not to
follow the dicta of a party leader, but to
act independently: as a horse refusing
to run in harness kicks over the traces.
." If the new member shows any inclination to
kićk over the traces, he will not be their member
º
long."—Newspaper l aragraph, Feb., 1893.
Kick the Beam (To). To be of
light weight; to be of inferior conse-
quence. When one pan of a pair of
scales is lighter than the other, it flies
upwards and is said to “kick the beam”
[of the scales].
“The evil has eclipsed, the good, and the scale,
which befºre rested sºlidly on the ground, now
kicks the beam.”—Gladstone.
Rick the Bucket (To). A bucket
is a pulley, and in Norfolk a beam.
When pigs are killed, they are hung by
their hind-legs on a bucket or beam, with
their heads downwards, and oxen are
hauled up by a pulley. To kick the
bucket is to be hung on the balk or bucket
by the heels.
Kick Up a Row (To). To create a
disturbance. “A pretty kick up' is a
great disturbance. The phrase “To
kick up the dust” explains the other
phrases.
fy
…
*
Eickshaws
Kickshaws. Made dishes, odds and
ends, formerly written “kickshose.”
(French, quelque chose.)
Kicksy-wicksy. A horse that kicks
and winces in impatience ; figuratively,
a wife (grey mare). Taylor, the water
poet, calls it kicksie-winsie, but Shake-
speare spells it kicky-wicky.
" He well's his honour in a box unS6&n
That hugs his kicky-wicky here at home,
Snºnding his manly marrow in her arms,
Which should sustain the bound and high
Of *nºr, Steed.”
All's Iſell that Emds Iſcll, ii. 3 (Globe ed.),
Kid (A). A faggot or bundle of fire-
wood. To kid is to bind up faggots. In
the parish register of Kneelsal church
there is the following item : “Leading
kids to church, 2s. 6d.,” that is, cart-
ing faggots to church. (Welsh, cid/s,
faggots.)
Kid (A). A young child. A face-
tious formation from the Anglo-Saxon
ciſ/]d, a child. The l is often silent, as
in calm, half, golf, etc. At one time
fault was pronomnced fait'é.
“‘Are those your own kids 7' I inquirel pro-
Santly. ' Yes, two of them : have six. you
know.’”—II. A. IBeers : Century Magazime, June,
1883, p. 282.
Kiddermins' cr Poetry. Coarse dog-
gerel verse, like the coarse woollen manu-
facture of Kidderminster. The term was
first used by Shenstone, who applied it
to a Mr. C., of Kidderminster.
“Thy verses, friend, are Kidderminster stuff :
And I must own you’ve measured out enough.”
Ridnapper (A). One who ſtabs or
steals “kids” or young children.
“Swarms of kidnap“ors were busy in every
northern town.”— T. B. McMuster: People of the
United States, vol. ii, chap. x. p. 357.
Kidney. Men of another kidney or of
the same kidney. The reims or kidneys
were even by the Jews supposed to be
the seat of the affections.
Kilda (St.). The farthest of the
western isles of Scotland.
Kilda're (2 swl.) is the Irish Iſill
dara, church of the oaks.
. Hildare's Holy Fane. Famous for
the “Fire of St. Bridget,” which was
in extinguishable, because the nuns never
allowed it to go out. Every twentieth
night St. Bridget returned to tend the
fire. Part of the chapel of SH. Bridget
still remains, and is called “The Fire-
house.” -
“Apud Kildariam occurrit ignis Sanctæ Brigidae
quehn inextinguebilenn YoCatht.”—Girclldws Catin-
brensis : Hibernia, ii. 34.
Kilken'ny is the Gaelic Kill Kenny,
church of St. Kenny or Can'icé.
703
August, 1886.
alive.
Killed by Inches
Kilkenny Cats. (See CAT.)
Hill (A). The slaying of some ani-
mal, generally a bullock, tied up by
hunters in a jungle, to allure to the spot
and attract the attention of some wild
beast (such as a lion, tiger, or panther)
preparatory to a hunting party being
arranged. As a tiger-kill, a panther-
kill.
“A shikaric brought us the welcome tidings of
a tiger-kill only a mile and a half from the camp.
The next day there was no hunt, as the ground
round the panther-kill was too unfavourable to
permit of any hunting.”—Nimeteenth Century,
Kill. Two Birds with One Stone
(To). To effect some subsidiary work
at the same time as the main object is
being effected.
Killed by Inches. In allusion to
divers ways of prolonging capital punish-
ments in olden times; e.g.: (1) The
“iron coffin of Lissa.” The prisoner
was laid in the coffin, and saw the iron
lid creep slowly down with almost im-
perceptible movement—slowly, silently,
but surely ; on, on it came with relent-
less march, till, after lingering days and
nights in suspense, the prisoner was at
last as slowly crushed by the iron lid
pressing on him. (2) The “baiser de la
Vierge ’’ of Baden-Baden. The pri-
soner, blindfolded and fastened to a
chain, was lowered by a windlass down
a deep shaft from the top of the castle
into the very heart of the rock on which
it stands. Here he remained till he was
conducted to the torture-chamber, and
commanded “to kiss” the brazen statue
of the “Virgin’” which stood at the end
of a passage ; but immediately he raised
his lips to give the kiss, down he fell
through a trap-door on a wheel with
spikes, which was set in motion by the
fall. (3) The “iron cages of Louis XI.”
were so contrived that the victims might
linger out for years; but whether they
sat, stood, or lay down, the position was
equally uncomfortable. (4) The “cham-
bre à crucer’’ was a heavy chest, short,
shallow, and lined with sharp stones, in
which the sufferer was packed and buried
(5) The ‘‘bernicles” consisted
of a mattress on which the victim was
fastened by the neck, while his legs
were crushed between two logs of wood,
on the uppermost of which the torturer
took his seat. This process continued
for several days, till the sufferer died
with the lingering torment. Many other
modes of stretching out the torment of
death might easily be added. (See IRON
MAIDEN.)
Eilled by Kindness
704
Ring Estmere 4
Killed by Kindness. It is said that
Draco, the Athenian legislator, met with
his death from his popularity, being
smothered in the theatre of Ægi'na by
the number of caps and cloaks showered
on him by the spectators (B.C. 590).
Killing. Irresistible, overpowering,
fascinating, , or, bewitching; so as to
compel admiration and notice.
“Those eyes were made so killing.”
I’ope : Itape of the Lock, v. 64.
A killing pace. Too hot or strong to
last ; exceptionally great ; exhausting.
Killing-stone, in Louth. A stone
probably used for human sacrifice.
Killing no Murder, . A tract writ-
ten by Sexby, who was living in Hol-
land at the time of its publication.
Probably Sexby was paid for fathering it,
and the real author was William Allan.
Kilmansegg (Miss). An heiress of
great expectations with an artificial leg
of solid gold. (Thomas Hood: A Golden
Jeffered.)
Kilmarnock Cowls. Nightcaps. The
Kilmarnock nightcaps were once cele-
brated all over Scotland.
Kilmarth Rocks (Scotland). A pile
of stones towering 28 feet in height,
and overhanging more than 12 feet, like
the tower of Pisa. (Italy). (See CHEESE-
WRING...)
Kilwinning, in the county of Ayr,
Scotland, the scene of the renowned
tournament held in 1839 by the Earl of
Rglinton. It was also the cradle of
Preemasonry in Scotland.
Kin, Kind.
“Kimg. Bºlt, now, my cousin Hamlet, and my son—
Hamt. A little more than kin, and less than kind.”
- . Shalcespeare : Hamlet, i. 2.
Kin or kinsman is a relative by mar-
riage or blood more distant than father
and son. -
JKind means of the same sort of genus,
as man-kind or man-genus. - -
Hamlet says he is more than ſkin to
Claudius (as he was step-son), but still
he is not of the same kind, the same
class. He is not a bird of the same
feather as the king.
Kindhart. A jocular name for a
tooth-drawer; so called from a dentist
of the name in the reign of Queen Eliza-
beth. Kindhart, the dentist, is men-
tioned by Rowland in , his Letting of
JTumours - Blood in the Head-vaine.
(1600); and in Rowley’s New Wonder.
“Mistake me not, Kindhart ...
He calls you tooth-drawer,” º Act i. 1. .
King. The Anglo-Saxon cyng, cyn-
ing, from cym a nation or people, and
the termination—ing, meaning “of,” as
“son of,” “chief of,” etc. In Anglo-
Saxon times the king was elected on
the Wi'tena-gemüt, and was therefore
the choice of the nation. -
* The factory king. Richard Oastler,
of Bradford, the successful advocate of
the “Ten Hours' Bill" (1789-1861).
Ré Galantitomo (the gallant king), Vic-
tor Emmanuel of Italy (1820-1878).
King.
A king should die standing. So said
Louis XVIII. Of France, in imitation of
Vespasian, Emperor of Rome. (See
DYING SAYINGS: Louis XPTIII.)
Like a king. When Porus, the Indian
prince, was taken prisoner, Alexander
asked him how he expected to be treated.
“Like a king,” he replied ; and Alex-
ander made him his friend. -
Pray aid of the king. When some-
one, under the belief that he has a right
to the land, claims rent of the king's
tenants, they appeal to the Sovereign, or
“pray aid of the king.” .
King Ban. Father of Sir Launcelot
du Lac. He died of grief when his
castle was taken and burnt through the
treachery of his seneschal. (Launcelot
du Lac, 1494.) -
King Cash, what the Americans call
the “Almighty Dollar.”
“Now birth and rank and breeding,
Hardly saved from utter smash,
Have been ousted, rather roughly, -
By the onslaught of King Cash.”
Truth (Ch. , istmas Nunnber, 1892, p. 19.).
King Cole. (See COLE.)
King Cotton. Cotton, the staple of
the Southern States of America, and the
chief article of manufacture in England.
The expression was first used by James
H. Hammond in the Senate of the
United States, in 1858. The great cot-
ton manufacturers are called “cotton
lords.”
King Estmere (2 syl.) of England
was induced by his brother Adler to go
to King Adland, and request permission
to pay suit to his daughter, King. Ad-
land replied that Bremor, King of Spain,
had already proposed to her and been
rejected; but when the lady was intro:
duced to the English king she accepted
him. King Estmere and his brother re-
turned home to prepare for the wedding,
but had not proceeded a mile when the
king of Spain returned to press his suit,
and threatened vengeance if it were not
** * King Franconi 70
Išing of Misrule
accepted. A page was instantly de-
spatched to inform King Estmere, and
request him to return. The two brothers
in the guise of harpers rode into the hall
of King Adland, when Bremor rebuked
them, and bade them leave their steeds
in the stable. A quarrel ensued, in
which Adler slew “the sowdan,” and
the two brothers put the retainers to
flight. (Percy’s Jºeliques, etc., series i.
bk. i. 6.)
King Franco'ni. Joachim Murat;
so called because he was once a mounte-
bank like Franconi. (1767-1815.)
Ring Horn or Childe Horn. The
hero of a metrical romance by Mestre
Thomas.
King Log. A roi fainéant, a king
that rules in peace and quietness, but
never makes his power felt. The allu-
sion is to the fable of The Progs desiring
a ſing. (See LOG.) -
King-maker. Richard Neville, Earl
of Warwick; so called because, when he
sided with Henry
king; but when he sided with Edward
IV., Henry was deposed and Edward
was king. He was killed at the battle
of Barnet. (1420-1471.)
Ixing Mob. The “ignobile vulgus.”
King Pétaud. The court of King
J'étaud. A kind of Alsatia, where all
are talkers with no hearers, all are
kings with no subjects, all are masters
and none servants. There was once a
society of beggars in France, the chief
of whom called himself King Pétaud.
(Latin, peto, to beg.)
King Ryence, of North Wales, sent
a dwarf to King Arthur to say “he had
overcome eleven kings, all of which paid
him homage in this sort—viz. they gave
him their beards to purfell his mantle.
He now required King Arthur to do
likewise.” King Arthur returned an-
swer, “My beard is full young yet for
a purfell, but before it is long enough
for such a purpose, King Ryence shall
do me homage on both his knees.” (See
Jerey’s Reliques, etc., series iii. book 1.)
Spenser says that Lady Bria'na. loved
a knight named Crudor, who refused to
marry her till she sent him a mantle
lined with the beards of knights and
locks of ladies. To accomplish this, she
appointed Mal’effort, her seneschal, to
divest every lady that drew near the
castle of her locks, and every knight of
his beard. (Faërie Queene, book vi.
Canto 1.) -
VI., Henry was
King Stork. A tyrant that devours
his subjects, and makes them submissive
with fear and trembling. The allusion
is to the fable of The Frogs desiring
a King. (See LOG.)
King-of-Arms. An officer whose
duty it is to direct the heralds, preside
at chapters, and have the jurisdiction of
armoury. There are three kings-of-
arms in England—viz. Garter, Claren-
cieux, and Norroy; one in Scotland—
viz. Tyon; and one in Ireland, called
Ulster.
Bath ſing-of-Arms is no member of
the college, but takes precedence next
after Garter. The office was created in
1725 for the service of the Order of the
Bath. (See HERALDs.)
King of Bark. Christopher III. of
Scandinavia, who, in a time of great
scarcity, , had the bark of birchwood
mixed with meal for food. (Fifteenth
century.)
King of Bath. Richard Nash, gene-
rally called Beau Nash, who was leader
of fashion and master of the ceremonies
at that city for some fifty-six years. He
was ultimately ruined by gambling.
(1674-1761.)
King of Beasts. The lion.
Xing of . Dalkey. A burlesque
officer, like the Mayor of Garratt, the
Mayor of the Pig Market, and the
Mayor of the Bull-ring (q.v.). -
* Dalkey is a small island in St.
George's Channel, near the coast of
Ireland, a little to the south of Dublin
Bay.
King of Khorassan. So Anva'ri,
the Persian poet of the twelfth century,
is called.
King of Metals. Gold, which is not
only the most valuable of metals, but
also is without its peer in freedom from
alloy. It is got without smelting ;
wherever it exists it is visible to the eye ;
and it consorts with little else than pure
silver. Even with this precious alloy,
the pure metal ranges from sixty to
ninety-nine per cent.
King of Misrule. Sometimes called
TORD, and sometimes ABBOT, etc. At
Oxford and Cambridge one of the
Masters of Arts superintended both the
Christmas and Candlemas sports, for
which he was allowed a fee of 40s.
These diversions continued till the .
Reformation. Polydore Vergil says of
the feast of Misrule that it was “derived
from the Roman Saturnalia,” held in
45
Ring of Painters
706
Ring's Cave
December for five days (17th to 22nd).
The Feast of Misrule lasted twelve days.
* “If we compare our Bacchanalian Christmases
and New Year-tides with these Saturnalia and
Feasts of Janus, we shall finde such near affinitye
between them both in regard of time . . . and in
their manner of solemnising . . . that wee must
needs conclude the one to be the very ape or
issue of the other.” — Prynne: Histºrio-Mastiaº.
King of Painters. A title assumed
by Parrhas'ios, the painter, a contem-
porary of Zeuxis. Plutarch says he
wore a purple robe and a golden crown.
(Flourished 400 B.C.)
Ring of Preachers. Louis Bour-
daloue, a French clergyman (1632-1704).
King of Rome. A title conferred by
Napoleon I. on his son on the day of his
birth. More generally called the Duke
of Reichstadt (1811-1832).
King of Shreds and Patches. In
the old mysteries Vice used to be dressed
as a mimic king in a parti-coloured suit.
(Shakespeare : Hamlet, iii. 4) The
phrase is metaphorically applied to cer-
tain literary operatives who compile
books for publishers, but supply no
originality of thought or matter.
King of Spain's Trumpeter (The).
A donkey. A pun on the word do?!, a
Spanish magnate.
King of Terrors. Death.
King of Waters. The river Am'-
azon, in South America.
King of Yvetot (pron. Ev-to). A
man of mighty pretensions but small
merits. Yvetot is near Rouen, and was
once a seigneurie, the possessors of which
were entitled kings—a title given them
in 534 by Clotaire I., and continued far
into the fourteenth century.
“I1 &tait un roi d'Yvetot,
Teu connu dans l'histoire ;
Selevant tard, se couchant tot,
IDormant fort hien sans gloire ;
Iºt couronne par Jeanneton
D'un simple bonnet de cotton,
it. On :
Qh oh oh!, oh Ah! all ah! ah!
Quel bon petite roi c'était ; la : la la . "
A king there was, ‘roi d'Yvetot' clept,
But little known in story,
Went soon to bed, till daylight slept,
And soundly without glory ;
His royal brow in cotton cap .
Would Janet, when he took his nap,
Enwrap.
Oh oh oh olı Ah ah ah all !
- A famous king he La la la : E. C. B.
King of the Bean (roi de la fêve).
The Twelfth-night king; so called be-
cause he was chosen by distributing
slices of Twelfth-cake to the children
present, and the child who had the slice
with the bean in it was king of the
company for the night. This sport was
indulged in till the Reformation, even
at the two universities,
King of the Beggars or Gipsies.
Bamfylde Moore Carew, a noted En-
glish vagabond (1693-1770).
King of the Forest. The oak,
which not only braves the storm, but
fosters, the growth of tender parasites
under its arms.
King of the Herrings (The). The
Chimaera, or sea-ape, a cartilaginous fish
which accompanies a shoal of herrings
in their migrations.
King of the Jungle (The). A tiger.
King of the Peak (The). Sir George
Vernon.
King of the Sea (The). The herring.
“The head of an average-sized whale is from
fifteen to sixteen feet [about one-third the
length], and the lips open some six or eight feet ;
yet to such a mouth there is scarcely any throat,
not sufficiently large to allow a herring to pass
down it. This little scaly fellow [the berring],
some fourteen inches in length, would choke a
monster whale, and is hence called ‘the king of
the sea.’”—C. Thomsom, : Autobiography, p. 132.
King of the Teign. Baldrick of
South Devon, son of Eri, who long de-
fended his territory against Algar, a
lawless chief.
King of the World (Shah-Jehan).
The title assumed by Khorrum Shah
third son of Selim Jehan-Ghir, and fifth
of the Mogul emperors of Delhi.
King of the World. So the Cale-
donians, in Ossian’s time, called the
Roman emperor.
Išing Chosen by the Neighing of
a Horse (A). l'arius. (See HORSE:
A horse wins a kingdom.)
Ring Over the Water (The). The
Young Pretender, or Chevalier Charles
Edward.
“My father so far compromised his loyalty as
to announce merely “The king, as his first tºast
after dinner, instead of the emphatic ‘ King
George.' . . . Our guest made a motion with his
glass, so as to pass it, over the water-decanter
which stood heside him, and added, “O yer the
water.’”—Sir W. Scott : I?edgauntlet, letter Y.
King’s [or Queen’s] Bench. This
was originally the Azila Regia, which
followed the king in all his travels, and
in which he occupied the lit de justice.
In the absence of the sovereign the
judges were supreme. Of course there
is no lit de justice or bench for the
sovereign in any of our law courts now.
King's Cave. Opposite to Camp-
belton; so called because it was here
that King Robert Bruce and his retinue
Ring's Chair 707
JKings
lodged when they landed on the main-
iani from theisié of Arran. (Statistical
Account of Scotland, v. p. 167, article
“Arran.”)
King's Chair. A seat made by two
bearers with their hands. On Candle-
mas Day the children of Scotland used
to bring their schoolmaster a present
in money, and the boy who brought the
largest sum was king for the nonce.
When school was dismissed, the “king”
was carried on a seat of hands in pro-
cession, and the seat was called the
“king's chair.”
King's Crag. Fife, in Scotland.
Called “king ” because Alexander III.
of Scotland was killed there.
“As he was riding in the dusk of the evening
along the sea-coast of Fife, betwixt Burnt-island
and, King-horn, he approached too near the brink
Of the precipicó, and his horse, starting or stum-
bling, he was thrown over the rock ànd killed
on the spot. . . The people of the country still
point out the very Spot where it happened, and
which is called ‘The King's Crag.’”—Sir ſalter
Scott : Tales of a Gramudfather, vi.
King's Cross. Up to the accession
of George IV. this locality in London
was called “Battle Bridge,” and had an
infamous notoriety. In 1821 some specu-
lators built there a number of houses,
and, at the suggestion of Mr. Bray,
changed the name.
c
King’s Evil. Scrofula ; so called
from a notion which prevailed from the
reign of Edward the Confessor to that
of Queen Anne that it could be cured by
the royal touch. The Jacobites con-
sidered that the power did not descend
to William III. and Anne because the
“divine” hereditary right was not fully
possessed by them, but the office re-
mained in our Prayer-Book till 1719.
Prince Charles Edward, when he claimed
to be Prince of Wales, touched a female
child for the disease in 1745; but the
last person touched in England was Dr.
Johnson, in 1712, when only thirty months
old, by Queen Anne. The French kings
laid claim to the same divine power even
from the time of Anne of Clovis, A.D. 481,
and on Easter Sunday, 1686, Louis XIV.
touched 1,600 persons, using these words:
“Le roy te touche, Dieu te guerisse.” The
practice was introduced by Henry VII.
of presenting the person “touched” with
a small gold or silver coin, called a touch-
piece. The one presented to Dr. Johnson
has St. George and the Dragon on one
side and a ship on the other; the legend
of the former is Soli deo gloria, and of
the latter Anna D: G. M. B.R. F. ET. H.
REG. (Anne, by the Grace of God, of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland
Queen.)
We are told that Charles II. touched 92,107 per-
Sons. The smallest number in one year was 2,983,
in 1669; and the largest number was in 1684, when
many were trampled to death. (See Macaulay's
History of England, chap. xiv.) John Brown, a
royal Surgeon, had to superintend the ceremony.
(See Macbeth, iv. 3.)
King's Keys. The crow-bars, hatchets,
and hammers used by sheriffs' officers to
force doors and locks. (Law phrase.)
“The door, framed to withstand attacks from
exciseman, constables, and other personages, con-
sidered to use the king's keys. . . . set his efforts
at defiance.”—Sir W. Scott : Bedgatumtlet, chap. xix.
King's Men. The 78th Foot ; so
called from their motto, “Cuidich’r
Ithi ’’ (Help the king).
It was raised by Kenneth Mackenzie, Earl of
Seaforth, in 1777, and called the Seaforth High-
landers. In 1783 it became the 72nd Foot. From
1830, to 1881 it was called the “Duke of Albany's
Highlanders”; and in 1881 it was made the 2nd
Battalion of the “Seaforth Highlanders (Itoss-
Shire Buffs), the Duke of Albany’s.”
King's Mess (The). An extra mess of
rice boiled with milk—or of almonds,
peas, or other pulse—given to the monks
of Melrose Abbey by Robert [Bruce],
the feast to be held on January 10th,
and £100 being set aside for the purpose;
but the monks were bound to feed on
the same day fifteen poor men, and give
to each four ells of broad cloth or six
ells of narrow cloth, with a pair of shoes
or sandals.
King's Oak (The). The oak under
which Henry VIII. Sat, in Epping Forest,
while Anne (Boleyn) was being exe-
cuted.
King's Picture. Money; so called
because coin is stamped with “the
image '’ of the reigning sovereign.
King's Quhair. King's book (James
I.). “Cahier’’ is a copybook.
King's Cheese goes halfin Paring.
A king's income is half consumed by the
numerous calls on his purse.
King's Hanoverian White Horse
(The). The 8th Foot; called the “King's
Hanoverian '' for their service against
the Pretender in 1715, and called the
“White Horse” from their badge; now
called the “Liverpool Regiment.”
King's Own Scottish Borderers
(The). Raised by Leven when Claver-
house rode out of Edinburgh.
Kings. Of the 2,550 sovereigns who
have hitherto reigned,
300 have been overthrown.
134 have been assassinated.
123 have been taken captive in war.
108 have been executed.
Rings
708 Kings
100 have been slain in battle.
64 have been forced to abdicate.
28 have committed suicide.
25 have been tortured to death.
23 have become mad or imbecile.
Kings, etc., of England. Much
foolish superstition has of late been cir-
culated respecting certain days supposed
to be “fatal’’ to the crowned heads of
Great Britain. The following list may
help to discriminate truth from fiction:
[From means the regnal year commenced from :
To is the day of death.] t
WILLIAM. I., from Monday, December
25th, 1066, to Thursday, September 9th,
1087; WILLIAM II., from Sunday, Sep-
tember .26th, 1087, to Thursday, August
2nd, 1100; HENRY I., from Sunday,
August 5th, 1100, to Sunday, December
1st, 1135 ; STEPHEN, from Thursday,
December 26th, 1135, to Monday, Octo-
ber 25th, 1154. .
BIENRY II., from Sunday, December
19th, 1154, to Thursday, July 6th, 1189;
BICHARD I., from Sunday, September
3rd, 1189, to Tuesday, April 6th, 1199 ;
John, from Thursday, May 27th, 1199, to
Wednesday, October 19th, 1216; HENRY
III., from Saturday, October 28th, 1216,
to Wednesday, November 16th, 1272;
EDWARD I., from Sºday, November
20th, 1272, to Friday, July 7th, 1307;
EDWARD II., from Saturday, July 8th,
1307, to Tuesday, January 20th, 1327;
EDWARD III., from Sunday, January
25th, 1327 (N.S.), to Sunday, June 21st,
1377; RICHARD II., from Monday, June
22nd, 1377, to Monday, September 29th,
1399; HENRY IV., from Tuesday, Sep-
tember 30th, 1399, to Monday, March
20th, 1413; HENRY V., from Tuesday,
March 21st, 1413, to Monday, August
31st, 1422; HENRY VI., from Tuesday,
September 1st, 1422, to Wednesday,
March 4th, 1461 ; EDWARD IV., from
Wednesday, March 4th, 1461, to Wednes-
day, April 9th, 1483; EDWARD V., from
Wednesday, April 9th, 1483, to Sunday,
June 22nd, 1483; RICHARD III., from
Thursday, June 26, 1483, to Monday,
August 22nd, 1485.
HENRY VII., from Monday, August
22nd, 1485, to Saturday, April 21st, 1509;
HENRY VIII., from Sunday, April 22nd,
1509, to Friday, January 28th, 1547;
EDwARD VI., from Friday, January 28th,
1547, to Thursday, July 6th, 1553;
MARY, from Thursday, July 6th, 1553, to
Thursday, November 17th, 1558; ELIZA-
BETH, from Thursday, November 17th,
1558, to Thursday, March 24th, 1603.
JAMES I., from Thörsday, March 24th,
1603, to Sunday, March 27, 1625;
CHARLES I., from Sunday, March 27th,
1625, to Tuesday, January 30th, 1649;
[Commonwealth—CROMWELL, died Fri-
day, September 3-13, 1658;] CHARLES II.,
restored Tuesday, May 29th, 1660, died
JFriday, February 6th, 1685; JAMES II.,
from Tuesday, February 6th, 1685, to
Saturday, December 11th, 1688; WIL-
ILAM III., from Wednesday, February
13th, 1689, to Monday, March 8th, 1702;
ANNE, from Monday, March 8th, 1702,
to Sunday, August 1st, 1714. (Both O.S.)
GEORGE from Sunday, August
1st, 1714, to Saturday, June 11th,
1727 O.S., 1721 N.S.; GEORGE II., from
Saturday, June 11th, 1727, to Saturday,
October 25th, 1760, N.S. ; GEORGE III.,
from Saturday, October 25th, 1760, to
Saturday, January 29th, 1820; GEORGE
IV., from Saturday, January 29th, 1820,
to Saturday, June 26th, 1830; WILLIAM
IV., from Saturday, June 26th, 1830, to
Tuesday, June 20th, 1837; VICTORIA,
from Tuesday, June 20th, 1837 * *
(See Two.)
IIence five have terminated their reign
on a Sunday, sia, on a Monday, four on a
Tuesday, four on a JWednesday, six on a
Thursday, four on a Friday, and six on a
Saturday. Nine have begun and ended
their reign on the same day; Henry I.
and Edward III. on a Sunday; Richard
II. on a Monday, Edward I. V., Anne,
and George I. on a JWednesday : Mary on
a Thursday; George III. and George
IV. on a Saturday. - -
Iſings, etc., of England. -
William I. styled himself Jºing of the
JEnglish, Normans, and Cinomantians;
Henry I., King of the English and Duke
of the Normans ; Stephen, King of the
JEnglish ; Henry II., King of England,
Duke of Normandy and Aquitania, and
Count of Anjou, John, King of England,
Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy
and Aquitamia, and Count of Anjou ;
FIenry III., in 1259, dropped the titles
of “Duke of Normandy’’ and “Count
of Anjou; ” Edward I., ſing of England,
Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitania ;
Edward II. made his son “Duke of
Aquitania’’ in the nineteenth year of
his reign, and styled himself Iſing of
JEngland and Lord of Ireland; Edward
III., from 1337, adopted the style of
Júng of France and England, and Lord
of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitania ;.
Richard II., Júng of England and
France, and Lord of Ireland; Edward
VI., Of England, France, and Ireland;
King, Defender of the Faith—this last
title was given to Henry VIII, in the
Kings
thirty-fifth year of his reign ; Mary, Of
Jºngland, France, and Ireland, Queen,
Defender of the Faith, and Supreme Head
of the Anglican and Hibernian Church ;
Charles I., Of Great Britain, France,
and Ireland, King, Defender of the
Faith, etc.; Commonwealth, The Keepers
of the Liberties of England, by the
authority of Parliament, and Cromwell
was styled His Highness ; Charles II.
and James II. as Charles I. ; William
and Mary, Of England, Scotland, France,
and Ireland, King and Queen, Defenders
of the Faith, etc.; Anne, Of Great
Britain, France, and Ireland, Queen, De-
fender of the Faith, etc.; George III., in
1801, abandoned the words “Ring of
France,” which had been retained for 432
years, and his style was “George III., by
the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom
of Great Britain and Ireland, King, De-
fender of the Faith.”
Kings have Long Hands. Do not
quarrel with a king, as his power and
authority reach to the end of his do-
minions. The Latin proverb is, “An
*escis longas regibus esse manus ; ” and
the German, “ Mit grossen herrerº es ist
nicht gut kirschen zu essen '' (“It is not
good to eat cherries with great men, as
they throw the stones in your eyes”).
“There's such divinity doth hedge a king,
That treason can but peep to what it would.”
Shakespeare: King in Iłamlet, iv. 5.
The books of the four kings. A pack
of cards.
“After Supper were brought in the books of the
four kings.”—Rabelais : Gargantua and Pumta-
gruel, i. 22.
The three kings of Cologne. . The repre-
sentatives of the three magi who came
from the East to offer gifts to the infant
Jesus. Tradition makes them three
Eastern kings, and at Cologne the names
ascribed to them are Kaspar, Melchior,
and Balthazar.
Kings may override Graymºmar.
(See GRAMMAR.)
Kingly Titles.
Abgarus (The Grand). So the kings
of Edessa were styled.
Abim'elech (my father the king). The
chief ruler of the ancient Philistines.
Agag (lord). The chief ruler of the
Amal'ekites (4 syl.).
Akbar Khan (very-great chieftain).
Bindustan.
Anac. The chief ruler of the ancient
Greek kingdoms. Anavandrón was the
over-king.
Archon (The). The chief of the nine
magistrates of Athens. The next in rank
was called Basileus (3 syl.); and the
709
Kingly Titles
third Polémarch (3 syl.), or Field-
Marshal.
Asser, or Assyr (blessed one). The
Bersia, 1118.
chief ruler of ancient Assyria.
Attabeg (father prince).
Augustus. The title of the reigning
Emperor of Rome, when the heir pre-
sumptive was styled “Caesar.” (See
AUGUSTUS.) --
Autocrat (self-potentate). One whose
power is absolute; Russia.
Beglerbeg. (See Bey.)
Ben-Hadad (son of the sun or Hadad).
The chief ruler of ancient Damascus.
Bey of Tunis. In Turkey, a bey is
the governor of a banner, and the chief
Over the seven banners is the beglar-bey.
Brenn or Brenhin (war-chief) of the
ancient Gauls. A dictator appointed by
the Druids in times of danger.
Bretwalda (wielder of Britain). Chief
king of the heptarchy.
Casar. Proper name adopted by the
Roman emperors. (See KAISER.) , , sº
Calif (successor). Successors of Maho-
met ; now the Grand Signior of Turkey,
and Sophi of Persia.
Canda'ce. Proper name adopted by
the queens of Ethiopia.
Cazique (Ca-Zeek'). American In-
dians; native princes of the ancient
Peruvians, Cubans, Mexicans, etc.
Chagan. The chief of the Avars.
Cham. (See Khan.)
Cral. The despot of ancient Servia.
Cyrus (mighty). Ancient Persia. (See
CYRUS.) &
Czar (Caesar). Russia. Assumed by
Ivan III., who married a princess of the
Byzantine line, in 1472. He also intro-
duced the double-headed black eagle of
Byzantium as the national symbol.
Dari'us, Latin form of Darawesh
(king). Ancient Persia.
Dey. In Algiers, before it was an-
nexed to France in 1830. (Turkish, dài,
uncle.)
Dicta' tor. A military autocrat, ap-
pointed by the Romans in times of
danger.
Domnu (lord).
Emperor. (See IMPERATOR ) -
Empress. A female emperor, or the
wife of an emperor.
Esin'ga (q.v.). Kings of Kent.
Hos'podar. Moldavia, and Wallachia;
now borne by the Emperor of Russia.
Impera'tor (ruler or commander). The
Latin form of emperor.
Inca. Ancient Peru.
Judge. Ancient Jews (Shophet).
Raiser (same as Caesar, q.v.). The
German Emperor. . . . . . . -
Roumania.
ICingdom Come
710
ICirke-grim
Khan (chieftain) or Ghengis-Khan.
Tartary. . In Persia, the governor of a
province is called a Khan.
Khedive (q.v.). Modern Egypt.
I(ing or Queen. Great Britain, etc.
(Anglo-Saxon cyn, the people or nation,
and -ing (a patronymic) = the man of,
the choice of, etc.)
Lama or Dalai Lama (great mother-
of-souls). Thibet,
Meleeh (king). Ancient Jews.
Mogul" or Great Mogul". Mongolia.
Nejus or Néjushee (lord protector).
Abyssinia.
Nizam' (ruler). Hyderabad.
Padishah (fatherly king). The Sul-
tan’s title. -
Pendrag'on (chief of the dragons, or
“stammus rev '’). A dictator, created
by the ancient Celts in times of danger.
Pha'raoh (light of the world).
cient Egypt.
President. Republics of America,
France, etc.
Ptolemy (proper name adopted).
Egypt after the death of Alexander.
Queen. (Anglo-Saxon, curén ; Greek,
glūzé, a woman.)
Ičaj'ah or Maha-rajah (great king).
Hindustan.
Jeev (ruler). A Latin word equivalent
to our king.
Scherif (lord). Mecca and Medina.
Shah (protector). Persia.
Sheik (patriarch). Arabia.
Shop'hetim. So the Jewish “judges.”
were styled.
A title of the Shah of
Sophi (holy).
Persia.
Stadtholder (city-holder).
chief magistrate of Holland.
Suffetes (dictators). Ancient Carthage.
Stiltan or Soldan (ruler). Turkey.
Paytode or Waywode (2 syl.) of
Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia.
Fladika (ruler). Montenegro.
Also, Aga, ameer or emir, archduke,
count, doge, duke, effendi, elector, evarch,
herzog (= duke), imaum, infanta, land-
ammam, landgrave, mandarin, margrave,
or margravime, nabob, pacha or bashaw,
prince, Sachem, Satrap, seigneur or grand-
seigneur, Sirdar, Subahdar, suzerain, tet-
ºrarch, viceroy, etc., in some cases are chief
independent rulers, in some cases depen-
dent rulers or governors subject to an
over-lord, and in others simply titles of
honour without separate dominion.
Formerly
Kingdom Come.
execution. -
“And forty pounds be theirs, a pretty sum, .
For sending such a rogue to kingdom come.”
Peter Pindar; Subjects for Painters,
Death, the grave,
An-
ology.)
-sms
Kingsale. Wearing a hat in the pre-
sence of Royalty. -
Kingsley's Stand, the 20th Foot.
Called “ Kingsley’s ” from their colonel
(1756-1769); and called “Stand ” from
their “stand” at Minden in 1759. Now
called the “Lancashire Fusiliers.”
Kingston Bridge. A card bent, so
that when the pack is cut, it is cut at
this card. “ Faire le Pont ?’ is thus de-
scribed in Fleming and Tibbins's Grand
Dictionnaire : “Action de courber quel-
ques-unes des eartes, et de les arranger de
telle sorte que celui qui doit couper me
puisse gºtēre coºper qu’à l'endroit qu'on
weſzz.”
Kingston - on - Thames. Named
Ring's-Stone from a large, square block of
stone near the town hall, on which the
early Anglo-Saxon monarchs knelt when
they were anointed to the kingly office : .
Edward the Elder, Athelstan, Edmund,
Ethelred, Edred, Edwy, and Edward
the Martyr received on this stone the
royal unction. The stone is now enclosed
with railings.
Kingstown (Ireland), formerly called
Dunleary. The name was changed in
1821 out of compliment to George IV.,
who visited Ireland that year, and left
Dunleary harbour for his return home
on September 5th.
Kingswood Lions. Donkeys; Kings-
wood being at one time famous for the
number of asses kept by the colliers who
lived thereabout.
Kinless Loons. The judges whom
Cromwell sent into Scotland were so
termed, because they condemned and
acquitted those brought before them
wholly irrespective of party, and solely
on the merits of the charge with which
they were accused. -
Kiosk’. A Turkish summer-house
or alcove supported by pillars. (Turkish,
Żushk; Persian, kushk, a palace; French,
kiosque.) The name is also given to news-
paper stands in France and Belgium.
Kirk of Skulls. Gamrie church in
Banffshire; so called because the skulls
and other bones of the Norsemen who .
fell in the neighbouring field, called the
Bloody Pots, were built into its walls.
Kirke-grim. The nix who looks to
order in churches, punishes those who
misbehave themselves there, and the per-
sons employed to keep it tidy if they
fail in their duty. (Scandinavian myth-
T{irke's Tuambs
71 |
1&iss
Kirke's Lambs. The Queen’s Royal
West Surrey. Called “Kirke” from
Piercy Kirke, their colonel, 1682-1691;
and “Lambs’’ from their badge, the
Paschal Lamb, the crest of the house of
Braganza, in compliment to Queen Catha-
rine, to whom they were a guard of
honour in her progress to London.
Kirkrap'ine (3 Syl.). While Una
was in the hut of Corcóca, Kirkrapine
forced his way in ; but the lion, spring-
ing on him, tore him to pieces. The
meaning is that Romanism was increased
by rapine, but the English lion at the
Reformation put an end to the rapacity
of monks. (Spenser ; Faërie Queen,bk. i.)
Kismet. The fulfilment of destiny.
(Turkish, gismet, a lot.)
“The word kismet, which he scarcely compre-
bended before, seems now to be fraught with . . .
ſmeaning]. This is kismet ; this is the fulfil-
ment of destiny ; this is to love,”—Nineteenth
Century, February, 1892, p. 209.
Kiss, as a mode of Salutation, comes
from its use to express reverence or
worship. Thus to adore idols and to
kiss idols mean the same thing. Indeed,
the word adore signifies simply to carry
the hand to the mouth, that is, to kiss it
to the idol. We still kiss the hand in
salutation. Various parts of the body
are kissed to distinguish the character of
the adoration paid. Thus, to kiss the
lips is to adore the living breath of the
person saluted; to kiss the feet or ground
is to humble oneself in adoration; to
kiss the garments is to express venera-
tion to whatever belongs to or touches
the person who wears them. “I(iss the
Son, lest He be angry” (Ps. ii. 12), means
Worship the Son of God. Pharaoh tells
Joseph, “Thou shalt be over my house,
and upon thy mouth shall all my people
Kiss,” meaning they shall reverence the
commands of Joseph by kissing the roll
on which his commands would be written.
“Samuel poured oil on Saul, and kissed
him,” to acknowledge subjection to
God’s anointed (1 Sam. x. 1). In the
Hebrew state, this mode of expressing
reverence arose from the form of govern-
ment established, whether under the
patriarchal or matrimonial figure.
A Judas kiss. An act of treachery.
The allusion is to the apostle Judas, who
betrayed his Master with a kiss.
Riss Hands (To). To kiss the hand
of the Sovereign either on accepting or
retiring from a high government office.
(See KISS.)
“Kissing the hand to the statue of a god was a
Roman form of adoration.”—Spencer: Principies
of Sociology, Vol. ii. part iv, chap, 6, p. 123,
~~sº
*
Kiss the Book. After taking a legal.
Oath, we are commanded to kiss the
book, which in our English courts is the
New Testament, except when Jews “are
sworn in.” This is the kiss of con-
firmation or promise to act in accord-
ance with the words of the oath (Mora-
vians and Quakers are not required to
take legal oaths). The kiss, in this case,
is a public acknowledgment that you
adore the deity whose book you kiss, as
a worshipper.
It is now permitted to affirm, if persons like to
do so. Mr. Bradlaugh refused to take an oath,
and after SOme years Of contention the law was
altered.
Kiss the Dust. To die, or to be
slain. In Psalm lxxii. 9 it is said, “his
enemies shall lick the dust.”
Kiss the Hare's Foot (To). To be
late or too late for dinner. The hare
'has run away, and you are only in time
to “kiss” the print of his foot. A com-
mon proverb. -
“You must kiss the hare's foot ; post festum
ventisti.”—Cole : Diction (tº'y. -
Kigs the Mistress (To). To make
a good hit, to shoot right into the eye of
the target. In bowls, what we now call
the Jack used to be called the “mis-
tress,” and when One ball just touches
another it is said “to kiss it.” To kiss
the Mistress or Jack is to graze another
bowl with your own.
“Rub on; and kiss the mistress.”—Shakespeare:
Troilus and Cressida, iii. 2.
Kiss the Rod (7%). To submit to
punishment or misfortune meekly and
without murmuring.
Kiss behind the Garden Gate (A).
A pansy. A practical way of saying
‘‘ Pensez de moi,” the flower-language of
the pansy.
Kiss given to a Poet. Margaret,
daughter of James I. of Scotland and
wife of Louis XI. (when only dauphin),
kissed the mouth of Alain Chartier “for
uttering so many fine things.” Chartier,
however, was a decidedly ugly man,
and, of course, was asleep at the time.
The tale is sometimes erroneously told of
Ronsard the poet.
Kiss the Gunner's Daughter (To).
To be flogged on board ship, being tied
to the breech of a cannon. :
“I was made to kiss the wench that never
Speaks, but when she scolds, and that's the gun-
ner's daughter, . Yes, the minister's son . . .
has the cat's scratch on his back.”—Sir W. Scott :
Redgattittlet, chap. xiv.
Kiss the Place to make it WeII.
A relic of a very common custom all
Yissing
712
Kit-cat Club
over the world of sucking poison from
wounds. St. Martin of Tours, when
he was at Paris, observed at the city
gates a leper full of Sores; and, going
up to him, he kissed the sores, where-
upon the leper was instantly made whole
(Sulpiciºus Sevérus : Dialogues). Again,
when St. Mayeul had committed some
grave offence, he was sent, by way of
penance, to kiss a leper who was begging
alms at the monastery. St. Mayeul
went up to the man, kissed his wounds,
and the leprosy left him. Half a score
similar examples may be found in the
Bollandistes, without much searching.
“Who ran to help me when I fell,
And kissed the place to make it well ?”
- Kissing-comfit. The candied root of
the Sea-eryngium maritimum prepared
as a lozenge, to perfume the breath.
The crust where
of bread kisses the
In French, baisure de pain.
Kissing-crust.
the lower lump
upper.
Kissing the Hand. Either kissing
the Sovereign’s hand at a public intro-
duction, or kissing one's own hand to
bid farewell to a friend, and kissing the
tips of our fingers and then moving the
hand in a sort of salutation to imply
great Satisfaction at some beautiful ob-
ject, thought, or other charm, are rem-
nants of pagan worship. If the idol
was conveniently low enough, the de-
votee kissed its hand; if not, the devotees
kissed their own hands and waved them
to the image. God said. He had in Israel
Seven thousand persons who had not
bowed unto Baal, “every mouth which
hath not kissed him.” (See KISS.)
“Many . . . whom the fame of this excellent
Vision had gathered thither, confounded by that
matchless beauty, could, but kiss the finger-tips
of their right hands at sight of her, as in adora-
tion to the goddess Venus herSélf.” – Pater:
Marius the Epicuream, chap. v.
Kissing the Pope's Toe. Matthew
of Westminster says, it was customary
formerly to kiss the hand of his Holiness;
but that a certain woman, in the eighth
century," not only kissed the Pope’s
hand, but ‘‘squeezed it.” The Church
magnate, seeing the danger to which
he was exposed, cut off his hand, and
was compelled in future to offer his
foot, a custom which has continued to
the present hour.
Kissing under the Mistletoe.
Balder, the Apollo of Scandinavian my-
thology, was killed by a mistletoe arrow
given to the blind Höder, by Loki, the
god of mischief and potentate of our
earth. Balder was restored to life, but
the mistletoe was placed in future under
the care of Friga, and was never again
to be an instrument of evil till it touched
the earth, the empire of Loki. It is
always suspended from ceilings, and
when persons of opposite sexes pass
under it, they give each other the kiss
of peace and love in the full assurance
that the epiphyte is no longer an in-
strument of mischief.
A correspondent in Notes and Queries
suggests that the Romans dedicated the
holly to Saturn, whose festival was in
December, and that the early Christians
decked their houses with the Saturnian
emblems to deceive the Romans and
escape persecution.
Kist-vaen (The). A rude stone
sepulchre or mausoleum, like a chest
with a flat stone for a cover.
“At length they reached a grassy mound, on the
top of which was placed one of those receptacles
for the dead of the ancient Britisll chiefs of dis-
tinction, called Kist-vaen, which are composed of
upright fragments Of granite, SO 1)laced as to
form a stone coffin. . . .”—Sir Walter Scott: The
Petrothed, chal), XXix.
Kist of Whistles (A). A church-
Organ (Scotch). Cist, a box or chest.
Kist'nerap'pan. The Indian water-
god. Persons at the point of death are
sometimes carried into the Ganges, and
sometimes to its banks, that Kistnerap-
pan may purify them from all defilement
before they die. Others have a little
water poured into the palms of their
hands with the same object.
ICit. (Anglo-Saxon, kette, a cist or
box [of tools].) Hence that which con-
tains the necessaries, tools, etc., of a
workman.
A soldier’s kit. His Outfit.
The whole kit of them. The whole lot.
(See above.) Used contemptuously.
Kit. A three-stringed fiddle. (Anglo-
Saxon, cytere; Latin, eithôra.)
Kit-cat Club. A club formed in
1688 by the leading Whigs of the day,
and held in Shire Lane (now Lower
Serle's Place) in the house of Christo-
pher Cat, a pastry-cook, who supplied
the mutton pies, and after whom the club
was named. Sir Godfrey Kneller painted
forty-two portraits of the club members
for Jacob Tonson, the secretary, whose
villa was at Barn Elms, and where
latterly the club was held. In order
to accommodate the paintings to the
height of the club-room, he was obliged
to make them three-quarter lengths:
hence a three-quarter portrait is still
called a kit-cat, ... . . . .
1&it Cats
Strictly speaking, a kit-cat canvas is
twenty-eight inches by thirty-six.
“Steele, Addison, Congreye, Garth, Vanbrugh,
Manwaririg, Stepney, Walpole, and, Pulteney
were of it so was Lord Dorset and the present
Duke. Mainwaring . . . was the ruling man in all
conversation. . . . I lord Stanhope and the Earl of
Essex were also members. . . . Each member gave
his [picture].”—Pope to Spence.
* Cowley the poet lived at Barn Elms
Willas.
Kit Cats. Mutton pies ; so called
from Christopher Cat, the pastrycook,
who excelled in these pasties. (See
above.)
Kit's Coty House, on the road be-
tween Rochester and Maidstone, a well-
known cromlech, is Katigern's or ICiti-
gern's coty house—that is, the house or
tomb of Kitigern, made of coits or huge
flat stones. (See HACKELL’s COIT and
DEVIL's CoIT.)
ICatigern was the brother of Vortimer,
and leader of the Britons, who was slain
in the battle of Aylesford or Epsford,
fighting against Hengist and Horsa.
Lambarde calls it Citscotehouse (1570).
The structure consists of two upright
side-stones, one standing in the middle
as a support or tenon, and a fourth im-
posed as a roof. Numberless stones lie
scattered in the vicinity. Often spelt
“Ritt's Cotty House.” §
Kitchen. Any relish eaten with dry
bread, as cheese, bacon, dried fish, etc.
“A hungry heart wad scarce seek better kitchen
to a barley Scone.”—Sir W. Scott : The Pirate,
chap. xi.
Kitchenmaid (Mrs.). So Queen
Elizabeth called Lord Mountjoy, her
Iord-deputy in Ireland. In one of her
letters to Lord Mountjoy she writes:—
“With your frying-pan and other kitchen-stuff
you have brought to their last lionle more rebels
than those that promised more and did less.”
Kite (A), in legal phraseology, is a
junior counsel who is allotted at an
assize court to advocate the cause of a
prisoner who is without other defence.
Eor this service he receives a guinea
as his honorarium. A kite on Stock
Exchange means a worthless bill. An
honorarium given to a barrister is in
reality a mere kite. (See below, KITE-
FLYING...)
Kite-flying. To fly the ſite is to
“raise the wind,” or obtain money on
bills, whether good or bad. It is a
Stock Exchange phrase, and means, as
a kite flutters in the air by reason of its
lightness, and is a mere toy, so these
'bills fly about, but are light and worth-
less. (See STOCK EXCHANGE SLANG.)
713
Jºneph.
Kitely (2 syl.). A jealous city mer-
chant in Ben Jonson’s Every Man in
his Humour.
Kittle of Fish. A pretty kittle of
fish. A pretty muddle, a bad job. Cor-
ruption of “kiddle of fish.” A kiddle
is a basket set in the opening of a weir
for catching fish. Perhaps the Welsh
hidl or hidyl, a strainer. (See KETTLE.)
Klaus (Peter). The prototype of Rip
Van Winkle, whose sleep lasted twenty
years. Pronounce Klows. (See SANTA
ICLAUS.)
Klephts (The) etymologically means
wobbers, but came to be a title of dis-
tinction in modern Greece. Those
Greeks who rejected all overtures of
their Turkish conquerors, betook them-
selves to the mountains, where they kept
up for several years a desultory warfare,
supporting themselves by raids on
Turkish settlers. Aristotelès Valaoritis
(born 1824) is the great “poet of the
Rlephts.” (See Nineteenth Century,
July, 1891, p. 130.)
Rnack. Skill in handiwork. The de-
rivation of this word is a great puzzle.
Minshew suggests that it is a mere vari-
ant of knock. Cotgrave thinks it a
variant of snap. Others give the German
knacken (to sound).
Knave. A lad, a garçon, a servant.
(Anglo-Saxon, endfa ; German, knabe.)
The knave of clubs, etc., is the son or
servant of the king and queen thereof.
In an old version of the Bible we read:
“Paul, a knave of Jesus Christ, called
to be an apostle,” etc. (Rom. i. 1).
This version, we are told, is in the Harleian
Ilibrary, but is generally supposed to be a forgery.
But, without doulot, Wycliff (Rev. xii. 5, 13) used
the compound “ Knave-child,” and Chaucer uses
the Same in the Mam of Lawe's Tule, line 5130.
Knave of Hearts (A). A flirt.
Knave of Sologne (A). More knave
than fool. The French say “Un miais de
Sologne.” Sologne is a part of the de-
partments of Loiret et Loire-et-Cher.
Knee. Greek, go???!, Tatin, gent ;
French, genou ; Sanskrit, jant, Saxon,
cmeow ; German, knie ; English, knee.
Knee Tribute. Adoration or reve-
rence, by prostration or bending the knee.
“Coming to receive from us .
Knee-tribute yet unpaid, prostration vile.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, V. 782.
Kneph. The ram-headed god of
ancient Egypt, called also Amen-ra, and
by the Greeks, Ammon.
Rnickerbocker
71.4
Rnights Baronets
Knickerbocker (Die'drich). The
imaginary author of a facetious History
of New York, by Washington Irving.
Knic kerb o c kers. Loose knee-
breeches, worn by boys, cyclists, sports-
men, tourists, etc. So named from
George Cruikshank’s illustrations of
Washington Irving’s book referred to
above. In these illustrations the Dutch
worthies are drawn with wery loose
knee-breeches.
Knife is the emblem borne by St.
Ag'atha, St. Albert, and St. Christi'na.
The flaying knife is the emblem of
St. Bartholomew, because he was flayed.
A sacrificing knife is borne in Christian
art by St. Zadkiel, the angel.
The knife of academic knots.
pos, so called because he was the keenest
disputant of his age (B.C. 280–207).
JP'ar to the knife. Deadly strife.
Knife = sword or dagger.
“Till my keen knife see not the wound it makes.”
Shalcespect?'e : Macbeth, i. 5.
Knife and Fork. He is a capital
Mºntfe-and-fork, a good trencherman.
“He did due honour to the repast ; he ate and
drank, and proved a capital knife-and-fork even
at the risk of dying the same night of an in-
digestion.”—Gaboriau : Promise of Marriage, Wi.
Knifeboard. One of the seats for
passengers running along the roof of an
omnibus. Now almost obsolete.
Knight means simply a boy. (Saxon,
cniht.) As boys (like the Latin puer
and French gargon) were used as ser-
vants, so cºiht came to mean a servant.
Those who served the feudal kings bore
arms, and persons admitted to this privi-
lege were the king’s knights; as this
distinction was limited to men of family,
the word became a title of honour next
to the nobility. In modern Latin, a
knight is termed attra’tus (golden), from
the gilt spurs which he used to wear.
Last of the knights. Maximilian I. of
Germany (1459, 1493-1519).
Knight Rider Street (London). So
named from the processions of knights
from the Tower to Smithfield, where
tournaments were held. Leigh Hunt
says the name originated in a sign or
some reference to the Heralds’ College
in the vicinity.
Knight of La Mancha. Don Quixote
de la Mancha, the hero of Cervantes’
novel, called Don Quixote.
Knight of the Bleeding Heart.
The Bleeding Heart was one of the
many semi-religious orders instituted
Chrysip'-
in the Middle Ages in honour of the
Virgin Mary, whose “heart was pierced
with many sorrows.”
“When he was at Holyrood who would have
Said that the young, Sprightly George, Douglas
would haye been content to play the locksman
here in Lochleven, with no gayer amusement
than that of turning the key on two or three help-
less women 2 A strange office for a Knight of the
Bleeding Heart.”—Sir W. Scott: The Abbot, xxiii.
Knight of the Cloak (The). Sir
Walter Raleigh. So called from his
throwing his cloak into a prºddle for
Queen Elizabeth to step on as she was
about to enter her barge. (See Iſenil-
worth, chap. xv.)
“Your lordship , meaneth that Raleigh, the
Devonshire youth,' said Warney, “the fight Of
the Cloak, as they call him at Court.”— Ditto,
Chap. XYi.
Elizabeth, in the same novel, addresses
him as Sir Squire of the Soiled Cassock,
Knight of the Couching Leopard
(The). Sir Kenneth, or rather the Earl
of Huntingdon, Prince IRoyal of Scot-
land, who followed, incognito, Richard I.
to the Crusade, and is the chief char-
acter of the Talisman, a novel by Sir
Walter Scott.
Knight of the Order of John-
William (A). In French : “Chevalier
de l'ordre de Jean? Guillaume,” a man
hanged. (See JoHN-WILLIAM.)
Knight of the Post. A man in the
pillory, or that has been tied to a whip-
ping-post, is jestingly so called.
Knight of the Rueful Counte-
nance. Don Quixote.
Knight's Fee. A portion of land
held by custom, sufficient to maintain a
knight to do service as such for the
king. William the Conqueror created
60,000 such fees when he came to Eng-
land. All who had £20 a year in lands
or income were compelled to be knights.
Knight's Ward (The). A superior
compartment in Newgate for those whe
paid three pieces by way of “garnish.”.
No longer in existence.
Knights. (See CROSS-LEGGED. . . .)
Knights Bachelors. Persons who
are simply knights, but belong to no
order. (French, bas-chevaliers.)
Knights Bannerets. Knights Cre-
ated on the field of battle. The king Or.
general cut off the point of their flag,
and made it square, so as to resemble a
banner. Hence knights bannerets are
called Knights of the Square Flag.
Rnights Baronets. Inferior barons,
an order of hereditary rank, created by
Rnights Errant
**-
James I. in 1611. The title was sold for
money, and the funds went nominally
towards the plantation of Ulster. These
knights bear the arms of Ulster, viz. a
field argent, a sinister hand couped at
the wrist gules. (See HAND.)
Knights Errant. In France, from
768 to 987, the land was encumbered
with fortified castles; in England this
was not the case till the reign of Stephen.
The lords of these castles used to carry
off females and commit rapine, so that a
class of men sprang up, at least in the
pages of romance, who roamed about in
full armour to protect the defenceless
and aid the oppressed.
“‘Prox^nia quædue metit glad’io' is the perfect
account of a knight errant.”—Dryden : Dedication
of the AEue’ is.
Knights of Carpetry or Carpet
Jūnights, are not military but civil
knights, such as mayors, lawyers, and
so on ; so called because they receive
their knighthood kneeling on a carpet,
and not on the battle-field. -
Knights of Industry. Sharpers.
Rnights of Labour. Members of a
trades union organised in 1834, in the
|United States of America, to regulate
the amount of wages to be demanded
by workmen, the degree of skill to be
exacted from them, and the length of a
day’s work. This league enjoins when
a strike is to be made, and when work-
men of the union may resume work.
Ičnights of Malta or Hospitallers of
St. John of Jerusalem. Some time after
the first crusade (1042), some Neapolitan
merchants built at Jerusalem a hospital
for sick pilgrims and a church which
they dedicated to St. John ; these they
committed to the charge of certain
knights, called Hospitallers of St. John.
In 1310 these Hospitallers took Rhode
Island, and changed their title into
J(nights of Rhodes. In 1523 they were
expelled from Rhodes by the Turks,
and took up their residence in the Isle
of Malta. -
Knights of St. Crispin. Shoe-
makers. Crispin Crispian was a shoe
maker. (See Henry P., iv. 3.)
Knights of St. Patrick. Instituted
in 1783, in honour of the patron saint of
Ireland.
Knights of the Bag. Bagmen who
travel for mercantile orders.
Knights of the Bath. (See BATH.)
Knights of the Blade. Bullies who
715
£nights of
were for ever appealing to their swords
to browbeat the timid.
Knights of the Chamber or Cham-
ber Knights, are knights bachelors made
in times of peace in the presence chamber,
and Ilot in the camp. Being military
men, they differ from “carpet knights,”
who are always civilians.
Knights of the Cieaver.
Knights of the Garter.
GARTER.)
Butchers.
(See
Knights of the Green Cloth.
Same as CARPET KNIGHTS (q.v.).
Knights of the Handcuffs. Con-
stables, policemen, etc., who carry
handcuffs for refractory or suspicious
prisoners taken up by them.
Knights of the Hare. An order of
twelve knights created by Edward III.
in France, upon the following occasion: –
A great shouting was raised by the
French army, and Edward thought the
shout was the onset of battle; but found
afterwards it was occasioned by a hare
running between the two armies.
Knights of the Holy Sepulchre.
An Order of military knights founded by
Godfrey of Bouillon, in 1099, to guard
the “Holy Sepulchre.”
IKnights of the Order of the Golden
Fleece. Lawyers. -
Knights of the Pencil.
in races; so called because they always
keep a pencil in hand to mark down
their bets.
Knights of the Pestle or Knights
of the Pestle and Mortar. Apothe-
caries or druggists, whose chief instru–
ment is the pestle and mortar, used in
compounding medicines.
Knights o' the Post. Persons who
haunted the purlieus of the courts, ready
to be hired for a bribe to swear anything ;
so called from their being always found
waiting at the posts which the sheriffs .
set up outside their doors for posting
proclamations on.
“There are knights of the post and booby -
cheats enough to swear the truth of the broadest
contradictions.”—South. -
“‘A knight of the post,’ quoth he, “for so Tam
termed ; a fellow that will sweare you anything
for twelve pence.’”—Nash : Pierce Penilesse (1592.)
Hºnights of the Rainbow.
The betters
Flun-
keys; so called from their gorgeous
liveries.
“The servants who attended them contradicted .
the inferences to be drawn from the garb of their .
masters; and, according to the custom of the
knights of the rainbow, gave many hints that
they were not people to serve any but men of
first-rate consequence,”—Sir W. Scott: Redgaunt- "
, let, chap. 20 - ** - -
* *
*
T{nights of
Knights of the Road. Footpads.
(See KNIGHTS OF THE POST.)
Knights of the Round Table.
Eing Arthur's knights, so called from
the large circular table round which they
sat. The table was circular to prevent
any heart-sore about precedency. The
number of these knights is variously
given. The popular notion is that they
were twelve ; several authorities say
there were forty; but the History of
I’riance Arthur states that the table
was made to accommodate 150. King
Leodegraunce, who gave Arthur the
table on his wedding-day, sent him also
100 knights, Merlin furnished twenty-
eight, Arthur himself added two, and
twenty “sieges” were left to reward
merit (chaps. xlv., xlvi.). These knights
went forth into all countries in quest of
adventures. The most noted are—
Sir Acolon, Ballamore, Beau'maris,
J3eleobus, Belvontre, Bersunt, Boys, Ector,
Eric, Ewain, Floll, Ga'heris, Gal'ahad,
Gal'ohalt, Gareth, Gau'riel, Gawai” or
Ywain, Grislet, Iſay, Lamerock, Launce-
lot du Lac, Lionell, Marhaus, Palamide,
Paquinet, Pel'leas, Per'edur or Per'ceval,
Sagris, Superab'ilis, Tor, Tristam or
Tristan de Le'onnais, Turquine, Wig'alots,
Wig'amur, etc., etc.
‘... A list of the knights and a description of
their armour is given in the Theatre of Honour by
Andrew Fairne (1622). According to this list, the
number was 151; but in Lancelot of the Lake (vol.
ii. p. 81), they are Said to have amounted to 250,
Knights of the Shears. Tailors.
The word shear is a play on the word
shire or county.
Knights of the Shell. The Argo-
nauts of St. Nicholas, a military order,
instituted in the 14th century by
Carlo III., King of Naples. Their
insignia was a “collar of shells.”
Knights of the Shire. Now called
County Members; that is, members of
Parliament elected by counties, in con-
tradistinction to Borough members.
Knights of the Spigot. Landlords
of hotels, etc.; mine host is a “knight
of the spigot.”
“When an old song comes across us merry old
knights of the Spigot, it runs away with our
discretion.”—Sir W. Scott : Kenilworth, chap. viii.
Knights of the Swan. An order
of the House of Cleve.
Knights of the Stick. Compositors.
. The stick is the printer’s “composing
stick,” which he holds in his left hand
while with his right hand he fills it with
letters from his “case.” It holds just
enough type not to fatigue the hand of
716
f{not
-º-º:
the compositor, and when full, the type
is transferred to the “galley.”
Knights of the Thistle. Said to
have been established in 809 by Achaicus,
Ring of the Scots, and revived in 1540
by James W. of Scotland. Queen Anne
placed the order on a permanent footing.
These knights are sometimes called
I(nights of St. Andrew.
Knights of the Whip. Coachmen.
Knighten Guild, now called Port-
soken Ward. King Edgar gave it to
thirteen knights on the following con-
ditions:—(1) Each knight was to be
victorious in three combats—one above-
ground, one underground, and one in
the water ; and (2) each knight was, on a
given day, to run with spears against all
comers in East Smithfield. William the
Conqueror confirmed the same unto the
heirs of these knights. Henry I. gave
it to the canons of Holy Trinity, and
acquitted it “ of all service.” -
Knipperdollings. A set of German
heretics about the time of the Reforma-
tion, disciples of a man named Bernard
Knipperdolling. (Blount : Glossogra-
phia, 1681.) -
Knock Under (To). Johnson says
this expression arose from a custom once
common of knocking under the table
when any guest wished to acknowledge
himself beaten in argument. Another
derivation is knuckle under — i.e. to
knuckle or bend the knuckle or knee in
proof of submission. Bellenden Kerr
says it is Te md’ck ander, which he in-
terprets “I am forced to yield.”
IKnocked into a Cocked Hat.
Thoroughly beaten; altered beyond re-
cognition ; hors de combat. A cocked-
hat, folded into a chapeau bras, is
crushed out of all shape.
Knockers. Goblins who dwell in
mines, and point out rich veins of lead
and silver. In Cardiganshire the
miners attribute the strange noises so
frequently heard in mines to these
spirits, which are sometimes called
coblyns (German, kobolds).
Knot. (Latin modus, French moeud,
Danish knude, Dutch knot, Anglo-Saxon
cnotta, allied to knit.)
He has tied a knot with his tongue he
cannot untie with his teeth. He has got
married. He has tied the marriage knot
by saying, “I take thee for my wedded
wife,” etc., but the knot is not to be
untied so easily.
Ynot and Bridle
717 TCOchlani
The Gordian knot. (See GORDIAN.)
The marriage knot. (See MARRIAGE.)
The ship went sia, or seven knots an
honºr. Miles. The log-line is divided
into lengths by knots, each length is the
same proportion of a nautical mile as
half a minute is of an hour. The log-
line being cast over, note is taken of the
number of knots run out in half a
minute, and this number shows the rate
per hour.
‘... The length of a knot is 47°33 feet when used
with a 28-second glass, lyut 50-75 feet. When the
glass runs 30 Seconds.
Thºſe lovers’ knot. Sir Thomas Browne
thinks the knot owes its origin to the
modus Hercula'nus, a Snaky complication
in the cadu'ceus or rod of Mercury, in
which form the woollen girdle of the
Greek brides was fastened.
To seek for a knot in a rush. . Seeking
for something that does not exist. Not
a very wise phrase, seeing there are
jointed rushes, probably not known when
the proverb was first current. The
Juncus acutiflorus, the Juncus lampo-
carpus, the Juncus obtusiflorus, and the
Juncus polycephalus, are all jointed
rushes. -
Knot and Bridle (A). A mob-cap.
“Upon her head a small mob-cap she placed.
Of lawn so stiff, with large flowered ribbon
graced, - •
Yglépt a knot and bridle,"in a bow,
Of Scarlet ſituming, her long chin helow.”
Peter Pindar : I’ortfolio (Dimah).
Knots of May. The children’s game.
“Here we go gathering nuts of May ’’
is a perversion of “ Here we go gather-
ing knots of May,” referring to the old
custom of gathering knots of flowers on
May-day, or, to use the ordinary phrase,
“to go a-Maying.” Of course, there
are no nuts to be gathered in May.
Knotted Stick is Planed (The).
The house of Orleans is worsted by that
of Burgundy. The house of Orleans
bore for its badge a baton monteua, the
house of Burgundy a plane ; hence the
French saying, “Le baton mouetta, est
plané.”
Knotgrass. Supposed, if taken in
an infusion, to stop growth.
“Get you gone, you dwarf ;
You minimus, of hindering knotgrass made.”
Shakespeare: Midswºmmer Night's Dream, iii. 2.
Knout (1 Syl.) is a knotted bunch of
thongs made of hide. It is a Tartar
invention, but was introduced info
Russia. (Iſnout, Tartar for knot.)
. Know Thyself. The wise saw of
Solon, the Athenian lawgiver (B.C. 638-
Know the Fitting Moment. The
favourite maxim of Pittacos, one of the
“seven wise men.”
Know Your Own Mind. By
Murphy; borrowed from Destouches,
the French dramatist. -
Know-Nothings. A secret political
party of the United States, which arose
in 1853, who replied to every question
asked about their society, “I know.
nothing about it.” Their object was to
accomplish the repeal of the naturalisa-
tion laws, and of the law which excluded
all but natives from holding office. The
party split on the slavery question and
died out.
The chief principle of the party was that no
one who had not been 21 years in the United States
should be permitted to have any part in the
government.
Knows which Side his Bread is
Buttered (He). He is alive to his own
interest. In Latin, “Seit uti foro.”
Knowledge-box (Your). Your head,
the brain being the seat of all human
knowledge. -
Knox's Croft, in Gifford Gate, Had-
dington ; so called because it was the
birthplace of John Knox.
Knuckle-duster. A metal instru-
ment which is fitted to a man’s fist, and
may be readily used in self-defence by
striking a blow. Sometimes these in-
struments are armed with spikes. It
was an American invention, and was
used in England in defence against the
infamous attacks of Spring-heel Jack.
We have the phrase “To dust your
jacket for you,” meaning to “beat
you,” as men dust carpets by beating
them.
Knuckle Under (To). To kneel for
pardon. Knuckle here means the knee,
and we still say a “knuckle of veal or
mutton,” meaning the thin end of the
leg near the joint. Dr. Ogilvie tells us
there was an old custom of striking the
under side of a table with the knuckles
when defeated in an argument ; and
Dr. Johnson, following Bailey, says the
Same thing.
Kobold. A house-spirit in German
superstition ; the same as our Robin
Goodfellow, and the Scotch brownie
(q.v.). (See FAIRY HINZELMANN.)
Kochlani. Arabian horses of royal
stock, of which genealogies have been
preserved for more than 2,000 years. It
is said that they are the offspring of
| Solomon's stud, (Niebuhr.)
FCoh-i-Năr
718 FCremlin.
Koh-i-Nūr [Mountain of light]. A
large diamond in the possession of the
Queen of England. It was found on the
banks of the Godavery (Deccan), 1550,
and belonged to Shah Jehan and Aurung-
zebe the Great (Mogul kings). In 1739 it
passed into the hands of Nadir Shah, who
called it the Koh-i-nēr. It next went to
the monarchs of Afghanistan, and when
Shah Sujah was depossessed he gave it
to Runjeet Singh, of the Punjaub, as
the price of his assistance towards the
recovery of the throne of Cabul'. It
next went to Dhuleep Singh, but when
the Punjaub was annexed to the British
crown in 1849, this noble diamond was
surrendered to Great Britain. It is
valued at £120,664, some say £140,000.
Its present weight is 1067's carats. -*.
Kohol or Kohl. Russell says, “The
Persian women blacken the inside of
their eyelids with a powder made of
black Kohol.” -
“And others mix the Kohol's jetty dye
To give that long, dark languish to the eye.”
Thomas Moore : Lalla Rookh, part i.
Koli or the Kolis. The 51st Foot, so
called in 1821 from the initial letters of
the regimental title, King's Own Light
Infantry. Subsequently called the
“Second Yorkshire ( West Riding),”
and now called the “1st Battalion of
the South Yorkshire Regiment.”
Konx Ompax. The words of dis-
missal in the Eleusinian Mysteries. A
correspondent in Notes and Queries says
“konx’’ or “kogx” is the Sanscrit
Canscha (the object of your desire);
“ompax'' is om (amen), pacsha (all is
over). If this is correct, the words would
mean, God bless you, Amen, The cere-
monies are concluded. When a judge
gave sentence by dropping his pebble
into the urn of mercy or death, he said
“Pacsha " (I have done it). The noise
made by the stone in falling was called
pacsha (fate), and so was the dripping
noise of the clepsydra, which limited the
pleader's quota of time. •
Koppa. A Greek numeral = 90. (See.
BPISEMON.)
Korān, or, with the article, Al-Korán .
[the Reading]. . The religious, social,
civil, commercial, military, and legal
code of Islam. It is rather remarkable
that we call our Bible the writing (Scrip-
ture), but the Arabs call their Bible the
reading (Korān). We are told to believe
that portions of this book were com-
municated to the prophet at Mecca and
Medi'na by the angel Gabriel, with the
Sound of bells. .
Kor'rigans or Corrigan. Nine fays
of Brittany, of wonderful powers. They
can predict future events, assume any
shape they like, move quick as thought
from place to place, and cure diseases or
wounds. They are not more than two
feet high, have long flowing hair, which
they are fond of combing, dress only
with a white veil, are excellent singers,
and their favourite haunt is beside some
fountain. They flee at the sound of a
bell or benediction. Their breath is
most deadly. (Breton mythology.)
Koumiss or Kumiss. Fermented
mare's milk used as a beverage by the
Tartar tribes of Central Asia. A slightly
alcoholic drink of a similar kind is made
with great ceremony in Siberia. It
consists of slightly sour cow's milk,
Sugar, and yeast. (Russian, kumuistſ.)
“Kumiss is still prepared from mare's milk by
the Calmucks and Nogais, who, during the pro-
cess of making it, keep the milk in constant
ſºon"-Rawlinson: Herodotus, vol. iii. book
* The ceremony of making it is de-
scribed at full length by Noel, in the
I)ictionnaire de la Fable, vol. i. 833-834.
Kraal. A South African village,
being a collection of huts in a circular
form. (From corral.)
Kraken. A supposed sea-monster of
vast size, said to have been seen off the
coast of Norway and on the North
Arherican coasts. It was first described
(1750) by Pontoppidan. Pliny speaks of
a sea-monster in the Straits of Gibraltar,
which blocked the entrance of ships.
Kratin. The dog of the Seven
Sleepers. More correctly called Katmir
or Ketmir (q.v.).
Kremlin (The). A gigantic pile of
buildings in Moscow of every style of
architecture: Arabesque palaces, Gothic
forts, Greek temples, Italian steeples,
Chinese pavilions, and Cyclopean walls.
It contains palaces and cathedrals, mu-
seums and barracks, arcades and shops,
the Russian treasury, government offices,
the ancient palace of the patriarch, a
throne-room, churches, convents, etc.
Built by two Italians, Marco and Pietro
Antonio, for Ivan III, in 1485. There
had been previously a wooden fortress
on the spot. (Russian krem, a fortress.)
“Towers of every form round, square, and with
pointed roofs, belfries, donjons, turrets, Spires,
sentry-boxes fixed on minarets, steeples of every
height, style, and colour: palaces, domes, watch-
towers, walls embattlemented and pierced with
loop-holes, ramparts, fortifications of every de-
scription. chiosks, by the side of cathedrals :
monuménts of pride and caprice, voluptuousness,
glory, and piety.”—De Custime : Russia, chap. xxii.
Krems White
719 Ryle
* Every city in Russia has its krem-
lin (citadel); but that of Moscow is the
most important.
Krems White takes its name from
Krems in Austria, the city where it is
manufactured.
Kreuzer (pron. Kroit-zer). A small
copper coin in Southern Germany, Once
marked with a cross. (German, kreuz, a
cross; Latin, cruſa.)
Kriem'hild (2 syl.). A beautiful
Burgundian lady, daughter of Dancrat
and Uta, and sister of Gunther, Gernot,
and Giselher. She first married Sieg-
fried, King of the Netherlanders, and
next Etzel, King of the Huns. Hagan,
the Dane, slew her first husband, and
seized all her treasures; and to revenge .
these wrongs she invited her brothers
and Hagan to visit her in Hungary. In
the first part of the Nibelungenlied,
Eriemhild brings ruin on herself by a
tattling tongue:—(1) She tells Brune-
hild, Queen of Burgundy, that it is
Siegfried who has taken her ring and
girdle, which so incenses the queen that
she prevails on Hagan to murder the
Netherlander; (2) she tells Hagan that
the only vulnerable part in Siegfried is
between his shoulders, a hint Hagan
acts on. In the second part of the
great epic she is represented as bent
on vengeance, and in executing her
purpose, after a most terrible slaughter
both of friends and foes, she is killed by
Hildebrand. (See BRUNEHILD, HAGAN.)
Krishna (the black one). The eighth
avătara or incarnation of Vishnu. Kansa,
demon-king of Mathura', having com-
mitted great ravages, Brahman com-
plained to Vishnu, and prayed him to
relieve the world of its distress; where-
upon Vishnu plucked off two hairs, one
white and the other black, and promised
they should revenge the wrongs of the
demon-king. The black hair became
ICrishna. (Hindu mythology.)
Kriss Kringle. A sort of St. Nic-
holas (q.v.). On Christmas Eve Kriss
Kringle, arrayed in a fur cap and strange
apparel, goes to the bedroom of all good
children, where he finds a stocking or
sock hung up in expectation of his visit,
in which depository he leaves a present
for the young wearer. The word means
Christ-child, and the eve is called
“Kriss - Kringle Eve.” (See: SANTA
CLAUS.)
Kri'ta. The first of the four Hindu
periods contained in the great Yuga,
when the genius of Truth and Right, in
the form of a bull, stood firm on his
four feet, and man gained nothing by
iniquity. (See KALIYUGA.)
Krupp Gun. (See GUN.)
Krupp Steel. Steel from the works
of Herr Krupp, of Essen, in Prussia.
Ku-Klux-Klan (The). (1864-1876.)
A secret society in the Southern States
of America against the negro class, to
intimidate, flog, mutilate, or murder
those who opposed the laws of the
society. In Tennessee one murder a day
was committed, and if anyone attempted
to bring the murderers to justice he
was a marked man, and sure to be
mutilated or killed. In fact, the ICu-
Rlux-Klan was formed on the model of
the “Molly Maguires” and “Moon-
lighters” of Ireland. Between Novem-
ber, 1864, and March, 1865, the number
of cases of personal violence was 400.
(Greek, Kuklos, a circle.)
Ku'dos. Praise, glory. (Greek.)
Ku’fic. Ancient Arabic letters: so
called from Eufa, a town in the pashalic
of Bagdad, noted for expert copyists of
the ancient Arabic MSS.
Kufic Coins. Mahometan coins with
FCufic or ancient Arabic characters. The
first were struck in the eighteenth year
of the Heg'ira (A.D. 638).
Kumara [youthful]. The Hindu
war-god, the same as Kārttikeya (q.v.).
One of the most celebrated Hindu poems
is the legendary history of this god.
R. T. H. Griffith has translated seven
cantos of it into English verse. -
Kurd. A native of Kurdistan.
Kursaal. Public room at German
watering-place for use of visitors.
Kuru. A noted legendary hero of
India, the contests of whose descendants
form the subject of two Indian epics.
Ky'anise (3 syl.). To apply corrosive
sublimate to timber in order to prevent
the dry-rot ; so called from Dr. Kyan,
who invented the process in 1832. (See
PAYNISING.)
Kyle, Carrick, and Cunningham.
Ayrshire is divided into three parts:
Ryle, a strong corn-growing soil; Car-
rick, a wild hilly portion, only fit for
feeding cattle ; and Cunningham, a rich
dairy land. Hence the saying—
“, Kyle for a man, Carrick for a coo [cow],
Cºlºm for butter, Galloway for Woo'
1Cyrie Eleison 720
Tuabourer
Kyrie Elei’son [Ki-ri-e E-li-s'm].
“Lord, have mercy.” The first move-
ment of the Catholic mass. Both the
music and the words are so called. In
the Anglican Church, after each com-
mandment, the response is, “Lord, have
mercy upon us, and incline our hearts
to keep this law.”
Kyrie Society (The). Founded 1878,
for decorating the walls of hospitals,
school-rooms, mission-rooms, cottages,
etc.; for the cultivation of small open
spaces, window-gardening, the love of
flowers, etc.; and improving the artistic
taste of the poorer classes.
L.
L. This letter represents an ox-goad,
and is called in Hebrew lamed (an ox-
goad). -
I, for fifty is half C (centum, a
hundred).
L, for a pound sterling, is the Latin
libra, a pound. With a line drawn
above the letter, it stands for 50,000.
L. E. L. Letitia Elizabeth Landon
(afterwards Mrs. Maclean), a poetess of
the “Tara,” and “Corsair'’ school
(1802-1839).
LL.D. Doctor of Laws—i.e. both
civil and canon. The double L is the
plural; thus MSS. is the plural of MS.
(manuscript); pp., pages.
L. L. Whisky. Lord-Lieutenant
whisky. Mr. Kinahan being requested
to preserve a certain cask of whisky
highly approved of by his Excellency the
Duke of Richmond, marked it with the
initials L.L., and ever after called this
particular quality L.L., whisky. The
Duke of Richmond was Lord-Lieutenant
from 1807 to 1813.
L.S. Locus sigilli, that is, the place
for the seal. .
L. S. D. Tatin, libra (a pound);
solidus (a shilling); and denarius (a.
penny); through the Italian lire (2 syl.),
soldi, demari. If farthings are expressed
the letter q (quadrans) is employed. In-
troduced by the Lombard merchants,
from whom also we have Cº. (creditor),
Dr. (debtor), bankrupt, do or ditto, etc.
La-de-da. A yea-nay sort of a fel-
low, with no backbone. “Da,” in
French, means both otſi and herº??, as
Oui-da' (ay marry), Nenni-da (no for-
sooth).
“I wish that French brother of his, the Parisian
la-de-da, was more like him, more of an Ameri-
can.”—A. G. Gumter : Baron Montez, book iii. 8.
La Garde Meurt ne se Rend pas.
The words falsely ascribed to General
Cambronne, at the battle of Waterloo;
inscribed on his monument at Nantes.
La Joyeuse. The sword of Charle-
magne. (See SWORD.)
La Muette de Portici. Auber’s
best opera. Also known as Masaniello.
La Roche (1 Syl.). A Protestant
clergyman, whose story is told in The
Mirror, by Henry Mackenzie.
Lab'a dists. A religious sect of the
seventeenth century, so called from Jean
Labadie, of Bourg in Guyenne. They
were Protestant ascetics, who sought
reform of morals more than reform of
doctrine. They rejected the observance
of all holy days, and held certain mystic
notions. The sect fell to pieces early in
the eighteenth century. -
Lab'arum. The standard borne be-
fore the Roman emperors. It consisted
of a gilded spear, with an eagle on the top,
while from a cross-staff hung a splendid
purple streamer, with a gold fringe,
adorned with precious stones. Constan-
time substituted a crown for the eagle,
and inscribed in the midst the mysterious
monogram. (See CONSTANTINE’s CROSS.)
Rich (Antiquities, p. 361) says “pro-
bably from the Gaulish lab, to raise; for
Constantine was educated in Gaul.”
The Greek laba is a staff. (See Gibbon :
Decline and Fall, etc. chap. xx.)
Laſbe (Queen). The Circe of the
Arabians, who, by her enchantments,
transformed men into horses and other
brute beasts. She is introduced into
the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments,
where Beder, Prince of Persia, marries
her, defeats her plots against him, and
turns her into a mare. Being restored
to her proper shape by her mother, she
turns Beder into an owl; but the prince
ultimately regains his own proper form.
Labour of Love (A). Work under-
taken for the love of the thing, without
regard to pay.
Labourer is Worthy of his Hire.
In Latin: “Digma canis pabulo.” “The
dog must be bad indeed that is not worth
a bone.” Hence the Mosaic law, “Thou
shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out
, the corn.”
Tabourer's
Labourers. (The Statute of). An
attempt made in 1349 to fix the rate of
wages at which labourers should be
compelled to work.
Lab'yrinth. A mass of buildings or
garden - walks, so complicated as to
puzzle strangers to extricate themselves.
Said to be so called from Lab'yris, an
Egyptian monarch of the 12th dynasty.
The chief labyrinths are:—
(1) The Egyptian, by Petesu'chis or
Tithoes, near the Lake Moeris. It had
3,000 apartments, half of which were
underground. (B.C. 1800.) Pliny, xxxvi.
13; and Pomponius Mela, i. 9.
(2) The Cretan, by Daedalos, for im-
prisoning the Mi'notaur. The only
means of finding a way out of it was by
help of a skein of thread. (See Virgil:
-Mºnéid, v.)
(3) The Cretan conduit, which had
1,000 branches or turnings.
(4) The Lem'nian, by the architects
Zmilus, Rholus, and Theodórus. It
had 150 columns, so nicely adjusted that
a child could turn them. Vestiges of
this labyrinth were still in existence in
the time of Pliny.
(5) The labyrinth of Clu'sium, made
by Lars Por'sena, King of Etruria, for
his tomb.
(6) The Samian, by Theodo'rus (B.C.
540). Referred to by Pliny; by Herod-
otos, ii. 145 ; by Strabo, x. ; and by
Diodórus Sicillus, i.
(7) The labyrinth at Woodstock, by
Henry II., for the Fair Rosamond.
(8). Of mazes formed by hedges. The
best known is that of Hampton Court.
Lac of Rupees. The nominal value
of the Indian rupee is 2s., and a lac
means 100,000. At this estimate, a lac of
rupees=200,000s. or £10,000. Its present
value varies according to the market
value of silver. In 1891 between 13
and 14 pence.
Lace. I'll lace your jacket for you,
beat you. (French, laisse, a lash ; Ger-
man, laschen, to strike; our lash.)
Laced. Tea or coffee laced with spirits,
a cup of tea, or coffee qualified with
brandy or whisky.
“I) eacon Beal'cliff .
teacup . . . laced with
W. Scott : Guy Mammering, chap. xi.
“Dandie . . . . . partook of a cup of tea, with
Mrs. Allan, just laced with two teaspoonfuls of
cogniac.”—Ditto, chap, lii.
Lacedaemonian Letter (The). The
Greek v (iota), the smallest of all letters.
Laconic brevity. (See LACONIC.)
. had his pipe, and his
a little spirits.”—Sir
721
Tiady
Lacedaemonians (The). The Duke
of Cornwall’s Light Infantry. So called
because in 1777 their colonel, made a
long harangue, under heavy fire, on the
Spartan discipline and military system.
(See RED FEATHERS.)
Lachesis [Lak'-à-sis]. The Fate who
spins life’s thread, working into the
woof the sundry events destined to
occur. Clotho held the distaff, and
Atrópos cut off the thread when life
was to be ended. (Greek, klótho, to
draw thread from a distaff; Lachesis
from lagehäno, to assign by lot; and
Atropos = inflexible.)
Lackadaisical. Affected, pensive,
Sentimental, artificially tender.
Laconic. Very concise and pithy.
A Spartan was called a Lacon from La-
co'nia, the land in which he dwelt. The
Spartans were noted for their brusque
and sententious speech. When Philip
of Macedon wrote to the Spartan magis-
trates, “If I enter Laco'nia, I will level
Lacedæmon to the ground,” the ephors
wrote word back the single word, “If.”
(See above LACEDAEMONIAN LETTER.)
*: In 1490 O’Neil wrote to O’Donnel :
“Send me the tribute, or else—.” To
which O'Donnel replied: “I owe none,
or else —.”
Lacus' trine Deposits. T)eposits
formed at the bottom of fresh-water
pools and lakes. (Latin, lacus, a lake.)
Lacus' trine THabitations. The re-
mains of human dwellings of great
antiquity, constructed on certain lakes
in Ireland, Switzerland, etc. They seem
to have been villages built on piles in
the middle of a lake.
Lad o' Wax. A little boy, a doll of
a man. In Romeo and Juliet the Nurse
calls Paris “a man of wax,” meaning a
very “proper man.” Horace speaks of
the “waxen arms of Tel'ephus,” mean-
ing well modelled.
La'das. Alexander's messenger, noted
for his swiftness of foot, mentioned by
Catullus, Martial, and others. "Lord
Rosebery’s horse Ladas won the Derby
in 1894.
Ladies. (See after LADY.)
La'don. One of the dogs of Actaeon.
Ladon. The dragon which guarded
the apples of the Hesper'idés.
Ladrones. The island of thieves ;
so called, in 1519, by Magellan.
Lady. A woman of wealth, of station,
or of rank. Werstegan says, “It was
46
Tiadybird
anciently written Hleafdian [?hlaefdige],
contracted first into Lafdy, and then
into Lady. Laf or Hldf (loaf) means
food in general or bread in particular,
and dig-ian or dug-an, to help, serve, or
care for ; whence lady means the “bread-
server.” The lord (or loaf-ward) sup-
plied the food, and the lady saw that
it was properly served, for the ladies
used to carve and distribute the food to
the guests.” ..' .
Another etymology is Hlāf-weſtralie and loaf-
wardie, where ie stands for a female suffix like -ina.
-ine ; as Carolus, female Carol-ima, or Carol-ine;
Joseph, Joseph-ima, or Joseph-ime; Czar, Czar-inſt,
et C. et C.
Ladies retire to the drawing-room
after dinner, and leave the gentlemen
behind. This custom was brought in
by the Norsemen. The Vikings always
dismissed all women from their drinking
parties. (S. Bºnbury.)
Ladybird, Ladyfly, Ladycow, or
May-bug. The Bishop Barnaby, called
in German, Unser herrin huhn (our
Lady-fowl), Marien-huhm (Mary-fowl),
and Marien Käfer (Mary’s beetle).
“Cushcow Lady,” as it is called in
Yorkshire, is also the German Marien-
kalb (Lady-calf), in French, bété d Dieu.
Thus the cockchafer is called the May-
bug, where the German käfer is rendered
bug; and several of the scarabaei are
called bugs, as the rose-bug, etc.
JBISHOP.)
Lady Bountiful. The benevolent
lady of a village. The character of Lady
Bountiful is from the Beaua.” Stratagem,
by Farquhar.
Lady Chapel. The Small chapel
east of the altar, or behind the screen of
the high altar; dedicated to the Virgin
Mary. . -
Lady Day. The 25th of March, to
commemorate the Annunciation of Our
Lady, the Virgin Mary. There is a tra-
dition that Adam was created on this
day. Of course, this rests on Jesus be-
ing “the Second Adam,” or “federal
head.” - -
Lady Isabella, the beloved daughter
of a noble lord, accompanied her father
and mother on a chase one day, when
her step-mother requested her to return
and tell the master-cook to prepare
“ the milk-white doe for dinner.” Lady
Isabella did as she was told, and the
master-cook replied, “Thou art the doe
that I must dress.”
exclaimed, “O save the lady’s life, and
make thy pies of me; ” but the master-
Cook heeded him not. When the lord
(See
722
The scullion-boy
Tiady of the Broom
returned he called for his daughter, the
fair Isabelle, and the scullion-boy said,
“If now you will your daughter see,
my lord, cut up that pie.” When the
fond father comprehended the awful
tragedy, he adjudged the cruel step-
dame to be burnt alive, and the mastºr-
cook “in boiling lead to stand ; ” but
the scullion-boy he made his heir.
(Percy: Reliques, etc., series iii., bk. 2.)
Lady Magistrate. Lady Berkley
was made by Queen Mary a justice of
the peace for Gloucestershire and ap-
pointed to the quorum of Suffolk. Lady
Berkley sat on the bench at assizes and
sessions, girt with a sword. Tony Lump-
kin says of Mr. Hardcastle— ſº
* He'll rersuade you that his mother was an
alderman and his aunt a justice of the peace."--
Goldsmith : She Stoops to Comque)".
Lady Margaret Professor of Di-
vinity, founded in 1502 by the mother
of Henry VII. The year following she
founded a preachership. Both in the
University of Cambridge.
Lady in the Sacque. The appa-
rition of this hag forms the story of
the Tapestried Chamber, by Sir Walter
Scott. -
An old woman, whose dress Was an Old-
fashioned gown, which ladies call a sacque; that
is, a sort of robe completely loose in the body,
!-ut gathered into broad plaits upon the neck and
Shouldel'S.
Lady of England. Maud, daughter
of Henry I. The title of “I)om'ina An-
glorum ” was conferred upon her by the
Council of Winchester, held April 7th,
1141. (Rymer. Faedera, i.)
Lady of Mercy (Our). An order
of knighthood in Spain, instituted in
1218 by James I. of Aragon, for the de-
liverance of Christian captives amongst
the Moors. Within the first six years,
as many as 400 captives were rescued by
these knights.
Lady of Shallott'. A maiden who
fell in love with Sir Lancelot of the
Lake, and died because her love was not
returned. Tennyson has a poem on the
subject; and the story of Elaine, “ the
lily maid of Astolat,” in the Idylls of
the King, is substantially the same. (See
LLAIN.E.) .
Lady of the Bleeding Heart.
Ellen Douglas; so called from the cog-
nisance of the family. (Sir JP alter Scott :
Lady of the Lake, ii. 10.)
Lady of the Broom (The). A
housemaid. -
“Highly disgusted at a farthing candle,
Left by the Lady of the Broom,
Nanned Susan . . .” sº &
Peter Pinday: The Diamond Pim,
Tiady
723
Tiaissez Faire
Lady of the Haystack made her
appearance in 1776 at Bourton, near
Bristol. She was young and beautiful,
graceful, and evidently accustomed to
good society. She lived for four years
in a haystack; but was ultimately kept
by Mrs. Hannah More in an asylum, and
died suddenly in December, 1801. Mrs.
More called her Louisa ; but she was
probably a Mademoiselle Ta Frülen,
natural daughter of Francis Joseph I.,
Emperor of Austria.
JVonders, p. 134.)
Lady of the Lake. Vivien, mistress
of Merlin, the enchanter, who lived in
the midst of an imaginary lake, sur-
rounded by knights and damsels. Ten-
nyson, in the Idylls of the Iſing, tells
the story of Vivien and Merlin. (See
LANCELOT.)
Lady of the Lake. Ellen I)ouglas,
who lived with her father near Loch
I(atrine. (Sir Walter Scott: The Lady
of the Lake.)
Lady of the Rock (Our). A miracu-
lous image of the Virgin found by the
wayside between Salamanca and Ciudad
Rodrigo in 1409.
Ladies' Mile (The). That part of
Hyde Park which is most frequented by
ladies on horseback or in carriages.
Ladies' Plate (The), in races, is not a
race for a prize subscribed for by ladies,
but a race run for by women.
“On the Monday succeeding St. Wilfred's Sun-
day, there were for many years at Roper's Com-
Imon [a race] called the Lady'S Plate, of £15 value,
for horses, etc., ridden by Women.”—Sporting
Magazine, Vol. xx, New Series, p. 287.
Ladies' Smocks. Garden Cress,
botanically called Cardamine, a diminu-
tive of the Greek kardamom, called in
Latin masturtium, sometimes called
Nose-smart (Kara-damón, head-afflict-
ing); so masturtium is Wasi-tortium
(nose-twisting), called so in consequence
of its pungency.
“When ladies' Snlocks of Silver White
Do paint the meadows with delight.”
Called Ladies’ Smocks because the
flowers resemble linen exposed to whiten
On the grass—“when maidens bleach
their summer smocks.” There is, how-
ever, a purple tint which mars its perfect
whiteness. Another name of the plant
is “Cuckoo-flower,” because it comes
into flower when the cuckoo sings.
Ladies and Gentlemen. Till 1808
public speakers began their addresses
with “gentlemen and ladies; ” but since
then the Order has been reversed.
(See World of
Laeding. The strongest chain that
had hitherto been made. It was forged
by Asa Thor to bind the wolf Fenrir
with ; but the wolf Snapped it as if it
had been made of tow. Fenrir was then
bound with the chain Dromi, much
stronger than Laeding, but the beast
snapped it instantly with equal ease.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Laelaps. A very powerful dog given
by Diana to Procris; Procris gave it to
Ceph'alos. While pursuing a wild boar
it was metamorphosed into a stone. (See
DOGS, Actacom’s fifty dogs.)
Laertes (3 syl.). Son of Polo'nius
and brother of Ophelia. He kills Hamlet
with a poisoned rapier, and dies himself
from a wound by the same foil. (Shake-
speare: Hamlet.) -
Laeta're Sunday. The fourth Sun-
day in Lent is so called from the first
word of the Introit, which is from Isa.
lxvi. 10: “I’éjoice ye with Jerusalem,
and be glad with her all ye that love
her.” It is on this day that the pope
blesses the Golden Rose.
Lag'ado. Capital of Balnibarbi, cele-
brated for its grand academy of pro-
jectors, where the scholars spend their
time in such useful projects as making
pincushions from softened rocks, ex-
tracting sunbeams from cucumbers, and
converting ice into gunpowder. (Swift :
Gulliver's Thravels, Voyage to Japu'ta.)
Lager Beer. A strong German Tbeer.
Lager means a “storehouse,” and lager
beer means strong beer made (in March)
for keeping.
Laird (Scotch).
prietor.
Laird of Cockpen (The).
Duke of Buccleuch.
Lais. A courtesan or Greek Hetaira.
There were two of the name; the elder
was the most beautiful woman of Corinth,
and lived at the time of the Peloponne'-
sian War. The beauty of the latter ex-
cited the jealousy of the Thessalonian
women, who pricked her to death with
their bodkins. She was contemporary
with Phryne (2 syl.), her rival, and sat
to Apelles as a model.
Laissez Faire, Laissez Passer.
Lord John Russell said: “Colbert, with
the intention of fostering the manufac-
tures of France, established regulations
limiting the webs woven in looms to a
particular size. He also prohibited the
introduction of foreign manufactures.
A landed pro-
The
flake School 7
24
Tambért's Day
Then the French vine-growers, finding
they could no longer get rid of their
wine, began to grumble. When Colbert
asked a merchant what relief he could
give, he received for answer, ‘Laissez
faire, laissez passer ; ” that is to say,
Don’t interfere with our mode of manu-
factures, and don’t stop the introduction
of foreign imports.”
The laissez-faire system. The let-alone
system.
Lake School (The). The school of
poetry introduced by the Lake poets
Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Southey,
who resided in the Lake district of Cum-
berland, and Westmoreland, and sought
inspiration in the simplicity of nature.
The name was first applied in derision by
the Edinburgh Review to the class of
poets who followed the above-named trio.
N.B. Charles Lamb, Lloyd, and Pro-
fessor William (Christopher North) are
sometimes placed among the “Lakers.”
Laked’ion or Laquedem (Isaac).
The name given in France, in the four-
teenth century, to the Wandering Jew.
Laſkin. By’r Lakin. An oath, mean-
ing “By our Lady-kin,” or Little Lady,
where little does not refer to size, but is
equivalent to dear.
“By’r Lakin, a parlous [perilous] fear.”—SItalºg-
speare : A MidSºlºmºney Night's Dream, iii. I.
.Laks'mi or Lakshmi. One of the
consorts of Vishnu; she is goddess of
beauty, wealth, and pleasure. (Hindú
anythology.)
Talla TRookh [tulip cheek] is the
supposed daughter of Au-rung-ze'-be,
Emperor of Delhi, betrothed to Al'iris,
Sultan of Lesser Buchar'ia. On her
journey from Delhi to the valley of
Cashmere, she is entertained by a young
Persian poet named Fer'amorz, who is
supposed to relate the four poetical tales
of the romance, and with whom she
falls in love. (Thomas Moore: Lalla
Rookh.) (See FERAMORZ.)
Laſma, among the Mongols, means
the priestly order. Hence the religion
of the Mongols and Calmucs is termed
Tamaism. The Grand Lamas wear
Ayellow caps, the subordinate Lamas Ted
caps. (See GRAND LAMA.)
La'maism [Tibetan, Blama, spiritual
teacher]. The religion of Tibet and
Mongolia, which is Buddhism corrupted
by Sivaism and spirit-worship.
Lamb. In Christian art, an emblem
of the Redeemer, called the “Lamb of
God.” It is also the attribute of St.
Agnes, St. Geneviève, St. Catherine, and
St. Regi'na. John the Baptist either
carries a lamb or is accompanied by
one. It is also introduced symbolic-
ally to represent any of the “types” of
Christ; as Abraham, Moses, and so on.
Lamb (The Pegetable) or Tartarian
lamb; technically called Polypodium
Barometz. It is a Chinese fern with a
decumbent root, covered with a soft,
dense yellow wool. Sir Hans Sloane,
who calls it the Tartarian lamb, has
given a print of it; and Dr. Hunter has
given a print which makes its resem-
blance to a lamb still more striking.
The down is used in India for staunch-
ing ha-morrhage.
“Rooted in earth each cloven hoof descends,
And round and round her flexile neck. She
bends ;
Crops the grey coral moss, and hoary thyme,
Or laps with rosy tongue the melting rime ;
Eyes with mute tenderness her distant dam,
And seems to bleat, a Vegetable Lamb.” º
Dah'uyin : Loves of the Plants, 283, etc.
Lamb. , Cold lamb. A schoolboy's
joke. Setting a boy on a cold marble or
stone hearth. Horace (Sat. i. 5, 22) has
“Dotăre lumbos,” which may have sug-
gested the pun.
Lamb-pie. A flogging. Tamb is a
pun on the Latin verb lambo (to lick),
and the word “lick” has been perverted
to mean flog (see LICK); or it may be the
old Norse lam (the hand), meaning hand-
or slap-pie. (See LAMMING...)
Lamb's Conduit Street (London).
Stow says, “One William Lamb, citizen
and clothworker, born at Sutton Valence,
ICent, did found near unto Oldbourne a
faire conduit and standard ; from this
conduit, water clear as crystal was con-
veyed in pipes to a conduit on Snow
Hill ” (26th March, 1577). The conduit
was taken down in 1746.
Lamb's Wool. A beverage consist-
ing of the juice of apples roasted over
spiced ale. A great day for this drink
was the feast of the apple-gathering,
called in Irish la mas ºtbhal, pronounced
“lammas ool,” and corrupted into
“lamb’s WOOl.”
“The pulpe of the rosted apples, in number
foure or five . . . mixed in a wine quart of faire
water, laboured together untill it come to be as
apples and ale, which we call lambes wool.”—
Joh?vson's Gerard, p. 1460.
Lambert's Day (St.), September 17th.
St. Landebert or Lambert, a native of
Maestricht, lived in the seventh century.
“Be ready, as your lives shall answer it,
At Coventry, upon St. Lambert's day.”, .
* **** Shakespeare : Itichard II., i. i.
- *
and brother of Sir Percival.
Tambro 725
Lambro was the father of Haidée.
Major Lambro, the prototype, was head
of the Russian piratical squadron in
1791. He contrived to escape when the
rest were seized by the Algerines on the
island of Zia. (Byron : Don Juan, iii. 26.)
Lame Duck (A), in Stock Exchange
parlance, means a member of the Stock
Exchange who waddles off on settle-
ment day without settling his account.
All such defaulters are black-boarded
and struck off the list. Sometimes it is
used for one who cannot pay his debts,
one who trades without money.
“Pitt, . . . gambled and lost :
But who must answer for the cost 2
Not he, indeed . A duck confounded lame
Not unattended waddling . . .” *
Peter Pindar: Proh Impudentia/m.
Lame King. A Grecian Oracle had
told Sparta to “Beware of a lame king.”
Agesila'os was lame, and during his
reign Sparta lost her Supremacy.
Lame Vicegerent (in Hudibras).
Tichard Cromwell.
Lam’erock (Sir), of Wales. A knight
of the Round Table, son of Sir Pellinore,
He had an
amour with his own aunt, the wife of
Ying Lote. Strange that of all the famous
knights of the Round Table, Sir Caradoc
and Sir Galahad were the only ones
who were continent.
Lam’ia. A female phantom, whose
name was used by the Greeks and
Tomans as a bugbear to children. She
was a Lib'yan queen beloved by Jupiter,
but robbed of her offspring by the
jealous Juno ; and in consequence she
vowed vengeance against all children,
whom she delighted to entice and mur-
der. (See FAIRY.)
“Keats has a poem So called. His Lamia, is a
Serpent Who assumed the form of a beautiful
Woman, was beloved by a young man and got a
soul...The tale was drawn from Philostratus.”—
De Vita Apollomii, book iv., introduced by Burton
in his Amatomy of Melancholy.
Lammas. At latter Lammas—i.e.
never. (See NEVER.)
Lammas Day (August 1st) means the
loaf-mass day. The day of first-fruit
offerings, when a loaf was given to the
priests in lieu of the first-fruits. (Saxon,
hlam-mosse, for hiaf-masse dag.)
August I Old Style, August 12 New Style.
Lammas-tide. Lammas time, or the
season when lammas occurs.
Lammer Beads. Amber beads, once
used as charms. (French, l’ambre ; Teu-
tonic, lamertyn-Stein.)
Lammermoor, (See EDGAR, LUCIA.)
Tiamps
Lamming (A). A beating. (See
LAMB-PIE.)
Lamminin, Lamkin, Linkin, Or
Bold Rakim. A Scottish ogre, repre-
sented in the ballad as a bloodthirsty
mason; the terror of the Scotch nursery.
Lam'ourette's Kiss. On July 7th,
1792, the Abbé Lamourette induced the
different factions of the Legislative As-
sembly of France to lay aside their
differences; so the deputies of the
Royalists, Constitutionalists, Girondists,
Jacobins, and Orleanists rushed into
each other’s arms, and the king was sent
for to see “how these Christians loved
one another; ” but the reconciliation
was hollow and unsound. The term is
now used for a reconciliation of policy
without abatement of rancour.
Lamp. To smell of the lamp. To
bear the marks of great study, but not
enough laboured to conceal the marks
of labour. The phrase was first applied
to the orations of Demosthenes, written
by lamp-light with enormous care.
Lamp of Heaven (The). The moon,
Milton calls the stars “lamps.”
“Why shouldst thou . . .
In thy dark lantern thus close up the stars,
Tº: Nature hung in heaven, and ſilled their
alm])S
With everlasting oil, to give due light
To the misled and lonely traveller ?”
Comus, 200–204.
Lamp of Phoebus (The). The sun.
Phoebus is the mythological personi-
fication of the Sun.
Lamp of the Law (The). Irnerius
the German was so called, who first
lectured on the Pandects of Justinian
after their discovery at Amalphi in 1137.
Lamps. The Seven lamps of sleep.
In the mansion of the Knight of the
Black Castle were seven lamps, which
could be quenched only with water from
an enchanted fountain. So long as
these lamps kept burning, everyone
within the room fell into a deep sleep,
from which nothing could rouse them
till the lamps were extinguished. (See
Rosa NA.) (The Seven Champions of
Christendom, ii. 8.) 4
Sepulchral lamps. The Romans are
said to have preserved lamps in some of
their sepulchres for centuries. In the
papacy of Paul III. One of these lamps
was found in the tomb of Tullia (Cicero’s
daughter), which had been shut up for
1,550 years. At the dissolution of the
monasteries a lamp was found which is
said to have been burning 1,200 years.
Two are preserved in Leyden museum,
Tampadion
726
Larncelot
Lampad'ion. The received name of
a lively, petulant courtesan, in the later
Greek comedy.
Lampoon. Sir Walter Scott says,
“These personal and scandalous libels,
carried to excess in the reign of Charles
II., acquired the name of lampoons from
the burden sung to them : “Lampone,
lampone, camerada lampone’—Guzzler,
guzzler, my fellow guzzler.” (French,
lamper, to guzzle.) Sir Walter obtained
his information from Trevoux.
Lampos and Phaſeton. The two
steeds of Aurora. One of Actaeon’s
dogs was called Lampos.
Lancashire Lads or “The Lanca-
shire.” The 47th Foot. Now called
the First Battalion of the North Lan-
cashire Regiment.
Iancaster. The camp-town on the
river Lune.
Lancaster Gun. A species of rifled
cannon with elliptical bore ; so called
from Mr. Lancaster, its inventor.
Lancaster'ian (A). One who pur-
sues the system of Joseph Lancaster
(1778-1838) in schools. By this system
the higher classes taught the lower.
Lancastrian (A). An adherent of
the Lancastrian line of kings, as opposed
to the Yorkists. One of the Lancastrian
kings (Henry IV., V., VI.).
Lance (1 Syl.), in Christian art, is an
attribute of St. Matthew and St. Thomas,
the apostles; also of St. Longi'nus, St.
George, St. Adalbert, St. Oswin, St.
Barbara, St. Michael, St. Dome' trius,
and several others.
Astolpho had a lance of gold that with
enchanted force dismounted everyone it
touched. (Orlando Furioso, bk. ix.)
A free-lance. One who acts on his
own judgment, and not from party
motives. The reference is to the Free
Companies of the Middle Ages, called in
Italy condottieri, and in France Com-
pagmies Grandes, which were free to act
as they liked, and were not servants of
the Crown or of any other potentate. It
must be confessed, however, that they
were willing to sell themselves to any
master and any cause, good or bad.
Lance-Corporal and Lance-Ser-
geant. One from the ranks temporarily
acting as corporal or sergeant. In the
Middle Ages a lance meant a soldier.
Lance#Knight. A foot-soldier; a
corruption of lasquénet or lanceguenet,
a German foot-soldier, -
Lance of the Ladies. At the ter-
mination of every joust a course was
run “poetr les dames,” and called the
“Lance of the Ladies.”
Lan'celot (Sir). “The chief of
knights” and “darling of the court.”
Elaine, the lily of Astolat, fell in love
with him, but he returned not her love,
and she died. (See ELAIN.E.) (Tennyson :
Idylls of the King ; Elaine.)
Lancelot or Launcelot Gobbo.
Shylock’s servant, famous for his solilo-
quy whether or not he should run away
from his master. (Shakespeare: Mer-
chant of Venice.)
Lan'celot du Lac. One of the ear-
liest romances of the “Round Table '’
(1494). Sir Lancelot was the son of
Ring Ban of Benwicke, but was stolen
in infancy by Vivienne, called “J.a
Dame du Lac,” who dwelt “en la marche
de la petite Bretaigne : ” she plunged
with the babe into the lake, and when
her protégé was grown into man's estate,
presented him to King Arthur. The
lake referred to was a sort of enchanted
delusion to conceal her demesnes. Hence
the cognomen of du Jae given to the
knight. Sir Lancelot goes in search
of the Grail or holy cup brought to
Britain by Joseph of Arimathe'a, and
twice caught sight of it. (See GRAAL.)
Though always represented in the
Arthurian romances as the model of
chivalry, Sir Lancelot was the adul-
terous lover of Guinevere, wife of King
Arthur, his friend. At the close of his
life the adulterous knight became a
hermit, and died in the odour of sanctity.
Sir Lancelot is meant for a model of fidelity,
bravery, frailty in love, and repentance ; Sir
Galahad of chastity ; Sir Gawain of courtesy ;
Sir Kay of a rude, boastful knight ; and Sir
Modred of treachery.
Sir Lancelot du Lae and Tarquin. Sir
Lancelot, seeking some adventure, met
a lady who requested him to deliver
certain Knights of the TRound Table
from the power of Tarquin. Coming to
a river, he saw a copper basin suspended
to a tree, and struck at it so hard that
the basin broke. This brought out
Tarquin, when a furious encounter took
place, in which Tarquin was slain, and
Sir Lancelot liberated from durance
“threescore knights and four, all of the
Table Round.” (Percy: Reliques, etc.,
bk. ii. series 1.)
Lancelot of the Laik. A Scottish me-
trical romance, taken from the French
roman called Lancelot du Lac. Galiot,
a neighbouring king, invades Arthur's
TuancerS
727
*
Tuane
territory, and captures the castle of Lady
Melyhalt among others. Sir Lancelot
goes to chastise Galiot, sees Queen Gui-
nevere and falls in love with her. Sir
Gawayne is wounded in the war, and
Sir Lancelot taken prisoner. In the
French romance, Sir Lancelot makes
Galiot submit to Arthur, but the Scotch
romance terminates with the capture of
the knight.
Lancers (The). The dance so called
was introduced into Paris in 1836. It is
in imitation of a military dance in which
men used lances.
Land. See how the layed lies. See
what we have to do; see in what state
matters are. See in what state the land
is that we have to travel or pass over, or
in what direction we must go. Joshua
sent spies (ii. 1) “to view the land ”
before he attempted to pass the Jordan.
“Put your blankets down there, boys, and turn
in. You’ll see how the land lies in the morning.”
—Boldrewood : Itobbery wºnder Arms, ch. xi.
Land-damn. A corruption of landan
(to rate or reprove severely). According
to T)ean Milles the word is still used in
Gloucestershire.
“You are abused . . . would I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him.”—Shakespeare: Winter's
Tale, ii. l.
Land-loupers. Persons who fly the
country for crime or debt. Louper,
loper, loafer, and luffer are varieties of
the German läufer, a vagrant, a runner.
Land-lubber. An awkward or inex-
pert sailor on board ship. (Lubber, the
Welsh llob, a dunce.)
Land of Beulah (Isa. lxii. 4).
In Pilgrim’s Progress it is that land
of heavenly joy where the pilgrims tarry
till they are summoned to enter the
Celestial City; the Paradise before the
resurrection.
Land of Bondage. Egypt was so
called by the Jews, who were bondsmen
there to the Pharaohs “who knew not
Joseph.” -
Land of Calkes.
for its oatmeal cakes.
Land of Myrrh. Azab or Saba.
Land of Nod (The). To go to the
land of Nod is to go to bed. There are
many similar puns, and more in French
than in English. Of course, the refer-
ence is to Gen. iv. 16, ‘‘Cain went . . .
and dwelt in the land of Nod; ” but
where the land of Nod is or was nobody
knows. In fact, “Nod” means a
Scotland, famous
vagrant or vagabond, and when Cain
was driven out he lived “a vagrant life,”
with no fixed abode, till he built his
“city.” (See NEEDHAM.)
Land of Promise. Canaan, the land
which God promised to give to Abraham
for his obedience.
Land of Shadows (Gone to the).
Fallen asleep. Shadows = dreams, or
shadows of realities.
Land of Stars and Stripes (The).
The United States of America. The
reference is to their national flag.
Land o' the Leal (The). The Scotch
Dixey Land (q.v.). An hypothetical land
of happiness, loyalty, and virtue. Caro-
line Oliphant, Baroness Nairne, meant
heaven in her exquisite song so called,
and this is now its accepted meaning.
(Leal = faithful, and “Land of the
Leal” means the Land of the faithful.)
Landau'. A four-wheeled carriage, .
the top of which may be thrown back;
invented at Landau, in Germany.
Landey'da. (See RAVEN.)
Landière (French, 3 Syl.). A booth
in a fair; so called from Le Landit, a
famous fair at one time held at St. Denis.
Landit means a small present such as
one receives from a fair.
“Il gambadoit, il faisoit le bad in ;
Oncu'on ne vit ung plus parfait landin.”.
Bowrdigmé : Légende, c. iii.
“Mercure a vec d'avides mains . . .
Met impost et taxes nouvelles'. . .
Sur les landis, sur les estrennes.”
L. Chamhoudry : Le Voyage de Mercure,
bk. iii., p. 51 (1653).
Landscape (A) is a land picture.
(Anglo-Saxon landscipe, verb scap-am,
to shape, to give a form or picture of.)
Father of landscape gardening. A.
Lenotre (1613-1700).
Lane. No evil thing that walks by
night, blue meagre hag, or stubborn un-
laid ghost, no goblin, or smart fairy of
the mine, has power to cross a lane ; once
in a lane, the spirit of evil is in a fix.
The reason is obvious: a lane is a spur
from a main road, and therefore forms
with it a sort of T, quite near enough to
the shape of a cross to arrest such simple
folk of the unseen world as care to
trouble the peaceful inmates of the
world we live in.
Lane. 'Tis a long lame that has no
turning. Every calamity has an ending.
The darkest day, stop till to-morrow, will
have passed away.
* Hope peeps from a cloud on our squad,
Whose beams have been long in deep mourning ;
'Tis a lane, let me tell you, my lad,
Very long that has never a turning.”
Peter Pindar; Great Cry and Little Wool, epist. 1,
Lane
728 Lantern J 8, WS
Lane (The) and The Garden. A
short way of saying “Drury Lane” and
“Covent Garden,” which are two
theatres in London.
Lane, of King's Bromley Manor,
Staffordshire, bears in a canton “the
- Arms of England.” This honour was
granted to Colonel John Lane, for
conducting Charles II. to his father’s
seat after the battle of Worcester. (See
next paragraph.) -
Jane Lane, daughter of Thomas and
sister of Colonel John. To save the
King after the battle of Worcester, she
rode behind him from Bentley, in
Staffordshire, the ancient seat of the
Lanes, to the house of her cousin, Mrs.
Norton, near Bristol. For this act of
loyalty the king granted the family to
have the following crest: A strawberry-
roan horse saliant (couped at the flank),
bridled, bitted, and garnished, support-
ing between its feet a royal crown
proper; motto, Garde le Roy.
Lanfu'sa's Son. (See FERRAU.)
Lang Syne (Scotch, long since). In
the olden time, in days gone by.
“There was muckle fighting about the place
lang-Syne.”—Scott: Guy Mammering, chap. X1,
The song called Auld Lang Syne, usu-
ally attributed to Robert Burns, was not
composed by him, for he says expressly
in a letter to Thomson, “It is the old
song of the olden times, which has never
been in print. I took it down
from an old man’s singing.” In another
letter he says, “Light be the turf on the
heaven-inspired poet who composed this
glorious fragment.” Nothing whatever
is known of the author of the words ;
the composer is wholly unknown.
Langbourn Ward (London). So
called from the long bourn or rivulet of
sweet water which formerly broke out
of a spring near Magpye. Alley. This
bourn gives its name to Sharebourne or
Southbourne Lane.
Langstaff (Launcelot). The name
under which Salmagundi was pub-
lished, the real authors being Washing-
ton Irving, William Irving, and J. K.
Paulding.
Language. The primeval language.
Psammetichos, an Egyptian king, en-
trusted two new-born infants to a
shepherd, with strict charge that they
were never to hear any one utter a word.
These children were afterwards brought
before the king and uttered the word
bekos (baked bread). The same experi-
ment was tried by Frederick II. of
Sweden, James IV. of Scotland, and one
of the Mogul emperors of India.
. James, IV., in the 15th century, shut up two
infant children in the Isle of Inchkeith, with a
dumb attendant to Wait on them.
The three primitive languages. The
Persians say that Arabic, Persian, and
Turkish are three primitive languages.
The Serpent that seduced Eve spoke
Arabic, the most Suasive language in the
world; Adam and Eve spoke Persian,
the most poetic of all languages; and
the angel Gabriel spoke Turkish, the
most menacing of all languages.
(Chardin.) -
“Language given to men to conceal their
thoughts,” is by Montrond, but is gener-
ally fathered on Talleyrand.
Characteristics of European languages :
L’Italien se parle aux dames.
Le Français se parle aux hommes.
L'Anglais se parle aux oiseaux.
L'Allemand se parle aux chevaux.
L’Espagnol se parle à Dieux.
* English, according to the French
notion, is both singsong and sibilant.
Charles Quint used to say, “I speak German to
my horses, Spanish to my God, French to my
friends, and Italian to my mistresses.”
Langue d'Oc. The Provençal branch
of the Gallo-Romaic idiom ; so called
from their oc (yes).
Langue d’Oil. Walloon or German-
ised Gallo-Romaic; so called from their
pronouncing our yes as oil (O-e). These
Gauls lived north of the Loire; the Pro-
vençals dwelt south of that river.
Languish (Lydia). A young lady
of romantic motions in The Itivals, a
play by Sheridan. - .
Lantern. In Christian art, the attri-
bute of St. Gudule and St. Hugh,
The feast of lanterns. Tradition says
that the daughter of a famous mandarin,
walking alone by a lake one evening,
fell in. The father called together his
neighbours, and all went with lanterns
to look for her, and happily she was
rescued. In commemoration thereof an
annual festival was held on the spot,
and grew in time, to the celebrated
“feast of lanterns.” (Present State of
China.)
A la lanterne. Hang him with the
lantern or lamp ropes. A cry and custom
introduced in the French revolution.
Lantern Jaws. Cheeks so thin that
one may see daylight through them, as
light shows through the horn of a
lantern. In French, “un visagé si maggre
que si on metfaitune bougie alluinée dağ8
Lantern-Land
729
Lar. Familiaris
la bouche, la lumière paraitait au travers
des joues.” . -
Lantern-jawed. Having lantern-jaws.
Lantern-Land. The land of literary
Charlatans, whose inhabitants are gra-
duates in arts, doctors, professors, pre-
lates, and so on. (Rabelais : Pantagruel,
v. 33.) (See CITY OF LANTERN.S.)
Lanterns. Authors, literary men,
and other inmates of Lantern-land (q.v.).
Rabelais so calls the prelates and divines
*
of the Council of Trent, who wasted the
time in great displays of learning, to
little profit; hence “lanternise ’’ (q.v.).
Lanternise. Spending one's time in
learned trifles ; darkening counsel by
words; mystifying the more by attempt-
ing to unravel mysteries; putting truths
into a lantern through which, at best,
we see but darkly. When monks bring
their hoods over their faces “to medi-
tate,” they are said by the French to
lanternise, because they look like the tops
of lanterns ; but the result of their
meditations is that of a “brown study,”
or “fog of sleepy thought.” (See above.)
Laocoon [La-ok'-0-0)2]. A son of
Priam, famous for the tragic fate of him-
self and his two sons, who were crushed
to death by serpents. The group repre-
senting these three in their death agony,
now in the Vatican, was discovered in
1506, on the Esquiline Hill (Rome). It
is a single block of marble, and was the
work of Agesander of Rhodes and two
other sculptors. Thomson has described
the group in his Liberty, pt. iv. (Virgil :
Aºneid, ii. 40 etc., 212 etc.)
* “The miserable sire,
Wrapped with his sons in Fate's severest grasp."
Laodami'a. The wife of Protesila'os,
who was slain before Troy. She begged
to be allowed to converse with her dead
husband for only three hours, and her
request was granted; when the respite
was over, she accompanied the dead hero
to the shades of death. Wordsworth
has a poem on the subject.
Laodice'an. One indifferent to re-
ligion, caring little or nothing about the
matter, like the Christians of that church,
mentioned in the Book of Revelation
(chapter iii. 14-18).
Lapet (Mons.). The beau-ideal of
poltroonery. He would think the world
out of joint if no one gave him a tweak
of the nose or lug of the ear. (Beant-
mont and Fletcher. Nice Valor, or the
I’assionate Madman.)
Mons. Lapet was the author of a book on the
punctilios of duelling, -
Lap'ithae. . A people of Thessaly,
noted for their defeat of the Centaurs.
The subject of this contest was repre-
sented on the Parthénon, the Theseum
at Athens, the Temple of Apollo at
Basso, and on numberless vases. Raphael
painted a picture of the same subject.
(Classic mythology.) -
Lapping Water. When Gideon’s
army was too numerous, the men were
taken to a stream to drink, and 300 of
them lapped water with their tongue ;
all the rest supped it up (Judg. vii. 4-7).
All carnivorous animals lap water like
dogs, all herbivorous animals, suck it up
like horses. The presumption is that
the lappers of water partook of the
carnivorous character, and were more
fit for military exploits. No doubt those
who fell on their knees to drink exposed
themselves to danger far more than those
who stood on their feet and lapped water
from their hands.
Laprel. The rabbit, in the tale
of Reynard the Foa. (French, lapin,
rabbit.) -
Lapsus Linguae (Latin). A slip of
the tongue, a mistake in uttering a
word, an imprudent word inadvertently
spoken.
We have also adopted the Latin plurases latpsus
calami (a Slip of the pen), and lapsus menturite (a
slip Of the me:hory).
Laputa. The flying island inhabitel
by scientific quacks, and visited by Gul-
liver in his “travels.” These dreamy
philosophers were so absorbed in their
speculations that they employed atten-
dants called “flappers,” to flap them on
the mouth and ears with a blown bladder
when their attention was to be called off
from “high things” to vulgar mundane
matters. (Swift.)
“Realising in a manner the dreams of Laputa,
and endeavouring to extract Sunbeams from cu-
cumbers.”—De Quincy.
Lapwing (The). Shakespeare refers
to two peculiarities of this bird ; (1) to
allure persons from its nest, it flies away
and cries loudest when farthest from its
nest; and (2) the young birds run from
their shells with part thereof still sticking
to their head. *
“Far from hor nest the lapwing cries away.”
Comedy of Errors, iv. 2.
“This lapwing runs away with the shell on
his head.”—Hamlet, V. 2, - -
Lar Familia'ris (plu. Lares famili-
ares). The familiar lar was the spirit of
the founder of the house, which never
left it, but accompanied his descendants
in all their changes, (See LARES.)
* *--
‘Tiara,
730
Tuarks
La'ra. The name assumed by Lord
Conrad, the Corsair, after the death of
Medo'ra. He returned to his native
land, and was one day recognised by Sir
Ezzelin at the table of Lord Otho.
Ezzelin charged him home, and a duel
was arranged for the day following ; but
Ezzelin was never heard of more. In time
Lara headed a rebellion, and was shot by
Lord Otho, the leader of the other party.
(Byron : Lara.) (See CoNRAD.)
The seven infants of Lara. Gonzales
Gustios de Salas de Lara, a Castilian hero
of the eleventh century, had seven sons.
His brother, Rodri'go Velasquez, married
a Moorish lady, and these seven nephews
were invited to the feast. A fray took
place in which one of the seven slew
a Moor, and the bride demanded ven-
geance. Rodri'go, to please his bride,
waylaid his brother Gonzales, and kept
him in durance in a dungeon of Cor'-
dova, and the seven boys were betrayed
into a ravine, where they were cruelly
murdered. W
Zaida, daughter of the Moorish king,
fell in love with Gonzales, and became
the mother of Mudarra, who avenged
the death of Lara’s seven sons by slay-
ing Rodri'go.
Larboard, now called port (q.v.).
(Starboard is from Anglo-Saxon steora-
bord, the steer-board, or right side of a
ship.) Larboard is the French bábord, the
left-hand side of a ship looking towards
the prow ; Anglo-Saxon base-bord.
“She gave a heel, and then a lurch to port,
And going down head foremost—sunk in short.”
Byrom : Don Juan (The Shipwreck).
*: “To give a heel” is to sway over
on one side. Here it means a heel to
the starboard side. - -
Larceny. Petty theft, means really
the peculations and thefts of a mercen-
ary. (Greek latron, hire [latris, a hire-
ling] ; Latin latro, a mercenary, whence
latrocinium ; French, larcin.) -
Larder. A place for keeping lard or
bacon. This shows that swine were the
chief animals salted and preserved in
olden times. (Latin, lardum, lard.)
The Douglas Larder. The English
garrison and all its provisions in Douglas
castle massed together by good Lord
James Douglas, in 1307.
“He caused all the barrels containing flour,
meat, wheat, and malt to be knocked in pieces,
and their contents mixed on the floor ; then he
staved the great hogsheads of wine and ale, and
mixed the liquor with the stores; and last of all,
he killed the prisoners, and flung the dead bodies
among this disgusting heap, which his men called,
in derision of the English, “The Douglas Larder.”
—Sir Walter Scott; Tales of a Grandfather, ix.
While in the dungeon,
Wallace's Larder is very similar. It
consisted of the dead bodies of the gar-
rison of Ardrossan, in Ayrshire, cast
into the dungeon keep. The castle was
surprised by Wallace in the reign of
Edward I. .
Larés. The Etruscan lar (lord or
hero). Among the Romans larés were
either domestic or public. Domestic
lares were the souls of virtuous ancestors
exalted to the rank of protectors. Public
lares were the protectors of roads and
streets. Domestic lares were images,
like dogs, set behind the “hall” door, or
in the lara'rium or shrine. Wicked souls
became lem'urès or ghosts that made
night hideous. Pena’tés were the natural
powers personified, and their office was
to bring wealth and plenty, rather than
to protect and avert danger. (See FAIRY.)
Large. To sail large is to sail on a
large wind—i.e. with the wind not
straight astern, but what sailors call
“abaft the beam.” *.
Set at large, i.e. at liberty. It is a
French phrase; prendre le large is to
stand out at Sea, or occupy the main
Ocean, so as to be free to move. Simi-
larly, to be set at large is to be placed
free in the wide world. -
Lar'igot. Boire à tire larigot. To
tope, to bouse. Larigot is a corruption
of “ l’arigot ” (a limb), and boire a tire
l'arigot means simply “to drink with all
your might,” as jouer de l'arigot means
“to play your best *-i.e. “with all
your power.” It is absurd to derive the
word larigot from “la Rigaud,” ac-
cording to Noel Taillepied, who says
(Rotten, , xlv.) : “Au xiii. siècle,
I’archevêque Eudes Rigaud fit présent à
la ville de Rouen d’une cloche à laquelle
resta son nom. Cette cloche était d'une
grandeur et d’une grosseur, telles que
ceux quila mettaient en mouvement ne
manquaient pas de boire abondamment
pour reprendre des forces. I)e là l'habi-
tude de comparer ceux qui buwaient
beaucoup aux sonneurs chargés de tirer
la Rigaud,” i.e. the bell so called.
Lark. A spree : a corruption of the
Anglo-Saxon lde (play, fun). (See SKY-
LARK.) -
Larks. When the sky falls we shall
catch larks. A way of stating to a per-
son that his scheme or proposal is absurd
or ridiculous. r
French : “Si le ciel tombait, il y aurajt bien des
alouettes.” . . . & o * * º
Latim : “Quid, si redio ad illos, qui aiunt, quid
si nunc coelum ruat 2." sº
Terence : Heautomtimoroumenos, iv. 3 ; Verse 41
Tuarry
731
Thath
Larry Dugan's Eye-water. Black-
ing ; so called from Larry Dugan, a
noted shoeblack of Dublin, whose face
was always smudged with his blacking.
Lars. The overking of the ancient
Etruscans, like the Welsh “pendragon.”
A satrap, or under-king, was a luciſm.0.
Thus the king of Prussia is the German
lars, and the king of Bavaria is a
lucumo.
There be thirty chosen prophets,
The wiseSt. Of the land,
Who always by Lars Por/Sena,
Both Innorn and evening Stand.
Macaulay : Lays of Ancient Rome,
(Horatius, ix.)
Larvae. Mischievous spectres. The
larva or ghost of Caligula was often seen
(according to Suetonius) in his palace.
Lascar. A native East Indian sailor
in the British service. The natives of
the East Indies call camp-followers
lascars. (Hindu, lash-kar, a soldier.)
Last. (Anglo-Saxon last, a footstep,
a shoemaker’s last.) The cobbler shotgld
stick to his last (“ Ne Sutor ultra crep'-
idam”). Apelles having executed a
famous painting, exposed it to public
3 *
view, when a cobbler found fault be-
cause the painter had made too few
latchets to the goloshes. Apelles
amended the fault, and set out his
picture again. Next day the cobbler
complained of the legs, when Apelles
retorted, “Keep to the shop, friend, but
do not attempt to criticise what you do
not understand.” (See WIGS.)
Last Man (The). Charles I. was so
called by the Parliamentarians, meaning
that he would be the last king of Great
Britain. His son, Charles II., was called
The Son of the Last Man.
Last Man. A weirdly grotesque
poem by Thomas Hood.
“So there he hung, and there I stood,
The last Inlan left alive.”
Last Words. (See DYING SAYINGS.)
Last of the Fathers. St. Bernard,
Abbot of Clairvaux. (1091-1153.)
Last of the Goths. Roderick, who
reigned in Spain from 414 to 711.
Southey has an historic tale in blank
verse on this subject.
Last of the Greeks. , Philopoemen
of Arcadia. (B.C. 253-183.)
Last of the Knights.
RNIGHTS.)
(See
Last of the Mo'hicans. The Indian
chief, Uncas, is so called by Cooper, in
his novel of that title,
or four “hundreds” apiece.
Last of the Romans.
Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the
murderers of Caesar. (B.C. 85-42.)
Caius Cassius Longinus, so called by
Brutus. (Died B.C. 42.)
Stilicho, the Roman general under
Theodosius. (The Nineteenth Century,
Sepember, 1892.)
Aëtius, a general who defended the
Gauls against the Franks and other
barbarians, and defeated Attila in the
Champs Catalaumques, near Châlons, in
451. So called by Proco'pius.
François Joseph Terasse Desbillons; so
called from the elegance and purity of
his Latin. (1751-1789.)
Pope calls Congreve Ultimus Roman-
orum. (1670–1729.) (See ULTIMUs.)
Last of the Tribunes (The). Cola
di Rienzi (1314 - 1354). Lord Lytton
has a novel so called.
Last of the Troubadours. Jacques
Jasmin, of Gascony (1798-1864).
Lat (El). A female idol made of
stone, and said to be inspired with life ;
the chief object of adoration by the
Arabs before their conversion.
Láč, at Somanat in India, was a single
stone fifty fathoms high, placed in the
midst of a temple supported by fifty-six
pillars of massive gold. This idol was
broken in pieces by Mahmood Ibn-
Sabuktigeen, who conquered that part
of India. The granite Lat, facing a
Jain temple at Mudubidery, near Man-
galore, in India, is fifty-two feet high.
“The granite lā, of Mudubidery, in India, is
fifty-two feet high.'
Lateran. The ancient palace of the
Latera’ni, given by the Emperor Con-
stantine to the popes. Lateran, from
late0, to hide, and rama, a frog. It is
said that Nero . . On one occasion
vomited a frog covered with blood, which
he believed to be his own progeny, and
had it hidden in a vault. The palace
which was built on the site of this vault
was called the “Lateran,” or the palace
of the hidden frog. (Buckle : History of
Civilisation.)
The locality in Rome so called contains the
Lateran palace, the Piazza, and the Basilica of
St. John Lateran. The Basilica, is the Pope’s
cathedral church. The palace (once a residence
of the popes) is now a museum.
Lath or Lathe. A division of a
county. Sometimes it was an interme-
diate division between a hundred and a
shire, as the lathes of Kent and rapes of
Sussex, each of which contained three
In Ireland
the arrangement was different, The
Tuather
732
Taugh
officer over a lath was called a lathreeve.
(Anglo-Saxon lath, a canton.)
“If all that tything failed, then all that lath
was charged for that tytlying ; and if the lath
failed, then all that hundred was demanded for
them [i.e. turbulent fellows], and if the hundred,
then the shire.—SpenSer: Ireland. .
Lather. A good lather is half a shave.
This is the French proverb, “Parbe bien
savonné est & ſnoitié faite.”
Latin. The language spoken by the
people of Latium, in Italy. The Latins
are called aborigines of Italy. Alba.
Longa was head of the Latin League,
and, as Rome was a colony of Alba.
Longa, it is plain to see how the Roman
tongue was Latin.
“The earliest extant, Specimen of the Latin lan-
guage is a fragment of the hymn of the Fratres
Arvāles (3 Syl.), a priestly brotherhood, which of
fered, every 10th of May, a public sacrifice for the
fertility of the flº-Sellar : IRoman Poets of the
IRepublic, chap. ii. p. 34.
Classical Latinº. The Latin of the best
authors about the time of Augustus, as
Livy,Tacitus, and Cicero (prose), Horace,
Virgil, and Ovid (poets).
Late Latin. The period which fol-
lowed the Augustan age. This period
contains the Church Fathers.
Low Latim. Mediaeval Latin, mainly
bastard German, French, Italian, Spanish,
and so on.
Middle Latim. Latin from the sixth
to the sixteenth century A.D., both in-
clusive. In this Latin, prepositions fre-
quently supply the cases of nouns.
New Latin. That which followed the
revival of letters in the sixteenth cen-
tury.
“Latium. The tale is that this word is from
lateo, to lie hid, and was so called because Saturn
lay hid there, when he was driven out of heaven
by the gods.”
The Latinº Church. The Western
Church, in contradistinction to the
Greek or Eastern Church.
The Latin cross. Formed thus: +
* The Greek cross has four equal
arms, thus:
Latin Learning, properly so called,
terminated with Boethius, but continued
to be used in literary compositions and
in the services of the church.
Latinus. King of the Laurentians,
a people of Latium. According to Virgil,
Latinus opposed AEneas on his first land-
ing, but subsequently formed an alliance
with him, and gave him.Lavin'ia in mar-
riage. Turnus, King of the Ru’tuli, de-
clared that Lavinia had been betrothed
to him, and prepared to support his
claim by arms. It was agreed to decide
the rival claims by single combat, and
AEme'as being victor, obtained Lavinia.
for his wife.
Lati'nus (in Jerusalem Delivered), an
Italian, went with his five sons to the
Holy War. His eldest son was slain by
Solyman ; Aramantès, going to his bro-
ther's aid, was also slain; then Sabi'nus;
and lastly, Picus and Laurentès, twins.
The father now rushed on the soldan,
and was slain also. In one hour the
father and his five sons were all slain.
Latitudina'rians. A sect of divines
in the time of Charles II., opposed both
to the High Church party and to the
Puritans. The term is now applied to
those persons who hold very loose views
of Divine inspiration and what are called
orthodox doctrines.
Lato'na. Mother of Apollo and
Diana. When she knelt by a fountain
in Delos (infants in arms) to quench her
thirst at a small lake, some Lycian clowns
insulted her and were turned into frogs.
{ % A: when those hinds that were transformed to
Ričar Latona's twin-born progeny,
Which after held the Sun and moon in fee.”
Milton, SO????ets.
Latri'a and Dulia. Greek words
adopted by the Roman Catholics; the
former to express that Supreme reverence
and adoration which is offered to God
alone; and the latter, that secondary
reverence and adoration which is offered
to saints. (Latria is the reverence of a
latris, or hired servant, who receives
wages; dulia is the reverence of a
doulos or slave.) -
Lattice or Chequers. A public-
house sign, the arms of Fitzwarren, the
head of which house, in the days of the
Henrys, was invested with the power of
licensing the establishments of vintners
and publicans. Houses licensed notified
the same by displaying the Fitzwarren
arms. (The Times, April 29, 1869.)
The Fitzwarren arms were chequy or
and gules, hence public-houses and their
signs are still frequently called the “Red
Lattices.”
“A” calls me e'en now, my lord, through a red
lattice.”—Shakespeare : 2 Henry IV., ii. 2.
Laugh in One's Sleeve (To). The
French is: “I’ire sous cape,” or “Rire
sous son bonnet.” The German is: “Ins
faistchen lachen.” The Latin is: “In
stomacho ridère.” These expressions
indicate secret derision ; laughing at One,
not with one. But such phrases as “In
sinu gaudère’’ mean to feel Secret joy, to
rejoice in one's heart of hearts, &.
- Taugh
Laugh on the Other Side of "Your
Mouth. To make a person laugh on
the other side of his mouth is to make
him cry, or to cause him annoyance. To
“laugh on the wrong side of one’s face”
is to be humiliated, or to lament from
annoyance.
“Thou laughest there : by-and-by thou wilt
laugh on the wrong side of thy face.”—Carlyle :
The Diamond Necklace, chap. iii.
Laughing Philosopher. Democ'ritos
of Abde'ra, who viewed with supreme
contempt the feeble powers of man.
(B, C, 460-357.) (See WEEPING PHILo-
SOPHER.)
Laughing-stock. A butt for jokes.
Laughter. We are told that Jupiter,
after his birth, laughed incessantly for
seven days.
Calchas, the Homeric soothsayer, died
of laughter. The tale is that a fellow in
rags told him he would never drink of
the grapes growing in his vineyard, and
added, if his words did not come true he
would be the soothsayer’s slave. When
the wine was made, Calchas, at a great
feast, sent for the fellow, and laughed
so incessantly at the non-fulfilment of
the prophecy that he died. (E. Bulwer
Lytton : Tales of Miletus, iv.)
* (See ANCAEUS and DEATH FROM
STRANGE CAUSES.)
Launce. The clownish serving-man
of Proteus, famous for his soliloquies to
his dog Crab. (Shakespeare: Two Gentle-
men of Verona.)
Launcelet. (See LANCELOT.)
Launched into Eternity. Hanged.
“He ate. Several, oranges on his passage, in-
quired if his lordship was ready, and then, as old
RQWe used to Say, ‘ was launched into eternity."—
Gillºſ Williams to Lord Harrington). (This iman
Was his lordship's servant, hanged for robbery.)
Launfal (Sir). Steward of King
Arthur. He so greatly disliked Queen
Gwennere, daughter of Ryon, King of
Ireland, that he feigned illness and
retired to Carlyoun, where he lived in
great poverty. , Having obtained the
loan of a horse, he rode into a forest, and
while he rested himself on the grass two
damsels came to him, who invited him
to rest in their lady's bower hard by.
Sir Launfal accepted the invitation, and
fell in love with the lady, whose name
was . Tryamour. Tryamour gave the
knight an unfailing purse, and when he
left told him if he ever wished to see her
all he had to do was to retire into a
private room, and she would instantly
be with him. Sir Launfal now returned
to court, and excited much attention by
733
of a superior.
Taurel
his great wealth; but having told Gwen-
mere, who solicited his love, that she was
not worthy to kiss the feet of his lady-
love, the queen accused him to Arthur of
insulting her person. Thereupon Arthur
told him, unless he made good his word
by producing this paragon of women, he
should be burned alive. On the day
appointed, Tryamour arrived; Launfal
was set at liberty and accompanied his
mistress to the isle of Ole'ron, and no
man ever saw him more. (Thomas
Chester: Sir Launfal, a metrical ro-
ſmance of Henry VI.'s time.)
Laura, the name immortalised by
Petrarch, was either the wife of Hugues
de Sade, of Avignon, or a fictitious name
used by him on which to hang incidents
of his life and love. If the former, her
maiden name was Laura de Noves.
Jaura. Beppo's wife. (See BEPPo.)
Lauras. (Greek, laura.) An aggre-
gation of separate cells under the control
In monasteries the monks
live under one roof; in lauras they live
each in his own cell apart ; but on certain
occasions they assemble and meet to-
gether, sometimes for a meal, and some-
times for a religious service.
Laureate. Poets so called from an
ancient custom in our universities of
presenting a laurel wreath to graduates
in rhetoric and poetry. Young aspirants
were wreathed with laurels in berry (orné
de baies de laterieſ). Authors are still so
“crowned ”... in France. The poets
* of the two last centuries have
€6]]—
Ben Jonson, 1615, appointed by King James.
Sir William Davenant, 1637.
John Dryden, 1670.
Thomas Shadwell, 1688,
Nahum Tate, 1692.
Nicholas Rowe, 1715.
Taurence EuSden, 1718.
Colley Cibber, 1730.
William Whitehead, 1757
Thomas Warton, 1783.
Henry James Pye, 1790.
Robert Southey, 1813.
William Wordsworth, 1844.
Alfred Tennyson, 1850,
Six or seven of these are almost unknown, and
their productions are never read by anyone ex-
Cept, perhaps, from curiosity.
Laurel. The Greeks gave a wreath
of laurels to the victor in the Pythian
games, but the victor in the Olympic
games had a wreath of wild olives, the
victor in the Neme'an games a wreath of
green parsley, and the victor in the
Isthmian games a wreath of dry parsley
or green pine-leaves. (See CRowN.)
Laurel. The ancients believed that
laurel communicated the spirit of pro-
phecy and poetry. Hence the custom
Taurence
of crowning the pythoness and poets, and
of putting laurel leaves under one's pillow
to acquire inspiration. Another super-
stition was that the bay laurel was
antagonistic to the stroke of lightning;
but Sir Thomas Browne, in his Vulgar
Errors, tells us that Wicomereatus proves
from personal knowledge that this is by
no means true.
Laurel, in modern times, is a symbol
of victory and peace. St. Gudule, in
Christian art, carries a laurel crown.
Laurence (Friar). The Franciscan
friar who undertakes to marry Romeo
and Juliet. To save Juliet from a second
marriage he gives her a sleeping draught,
and she is carried to the family vault as
dead. Romeo finds her there, and be-
lieving her sleep to be the sleep of death,
kills himself. On waking, Juliet dis-
covers Romeo dead at her side, and kills
herself also. (Shakespeare : Romeo and
Juliet.) (See LAWRENCE.)
Lavaine', Sir (2 syl.). Brother of
Elaine', and son of the lord of Astolat.
Pſe accompanied Sir Lancelot when he
went, incognito, to tilt for the ninth
diamond. Lavaine is described as young,
brave, and a true knight. (Tennyson .
Idylls of the King ; Elaine.)
Lavalette (Marquis de), a French
statesman who was condemned to death
for sending secret despatches to Napo-
leon, was set at liberty by his wife, who
took his place in the prison.
Lord Nithsdale escaped in a similar
way from the Tower of London. His
wife disguised him as her maid, and
with her he passed the sentries and
made good his escape.
Lavender. From the Spanish lavan-
dera (a laundress), the plant used by
laundresses for scenting linen. The
botanical name is Lavandula, from the
Latin lawo, to wash. It is a token of
affection.
“He from his lass him javender hath sent,
Showing his love, and doth requital crave ;
Him rosemary his sweetheart, whose intent
Is that he should her in remembrance have.”
Drayton : Eclogue, ix.
Laid up in lavender—i.e. taken great
Care of, laid away, as women put things
away in lavender to keep off moths.
Persons who are in hiding are said to be
in lavender. The French have the
phrase “Flever dams du coton,” referring
to the custom of wrapping up things
precious in cotton wool.
“Je yeux que tu Sois chez moi, comme dans du
º
Coton.”—La Muscotte, i. 2,
734
flaw
In lavender. In pawn. In Latin,
pigmöri opponéré.
“The poor gentleman paies so deare for the
lavender it is laid up in, that if it lies long at the
broker's house he seems to buy his apparel twice.”
—Greene: Imp. Har. Misc., v. 405.
Lavin'ia. Daughter of Lati'nus, be-
trothed to Turnus, King of the Rutuli.
When Ænèas landed in Italy, Latinus
made an alliance with the Trojan hero,
and promised to give him Lavin'ia to
wife. This brought on a war between
Turnus and Ænéas, which was decided
by single combat, in which Ænéas was
victor. (Virgil: AEmeid.)
Lavinia. The daughter of Titus An-
dron'icus, bride of Bassia'nus, brother
of the Emperor of Rome. Being grossly
abused by Chiron and Demetrius, sons
of Tam'ora, Queen of the Goths, the
savage wantons cut off her hands and
pluck out her tongue, that she may not
reveal their names. Lavinia, guiding a
stick with her stumps, makes her tale
known to her father and brothers;
whereupon Titus murders the two Moor-
ish princes and serves their heads in a
pasty to their mother, whom he after-
wards slays, together with the Emperor
Saturninus her husband. (Titus An-
dron'icus, a play published with those of
Shakespeare.)
* In the play the word is accented Andron'icus
not Androni’cus.
Tavinia. Italy; so called from
Lavinia, daughter of Lati'nus and wife
of AEneas. AEnéas built a town which
he called Tavin'ium, capital of Latium.
“From the rich Lavinian Shore
I your market come to Store.” -
- A well-lemown Glee,
Lavin'ia and Pale'mon. A free
poetical version of Ruth and Boaz, by
Thomson in his Autumn.
Lavolt or Lavolta. (French, la
wolte.) A lively dance, in which was a
good deal of jumping or capering, whence
its name. Troilus says, “I cannot sing,
nor heel the high lavolt'' (iv. 4). It is
thus described:— -
“A lofty jumping or a leaping round, &
Where arm in arm two dancers are entwined,
And whirl themselves with Strict embrace-
ments bound,
And still their feet an anapest do sound.”
Sir John Davies.
Law. To give one law. A sporting
term, meaning the chance of Saving one-
self. Thus a hare or a stag is allowed
“law'”—i.e. a certain start before any
hound is permitted to attack it; and a
tradesman allowed law is one to whom
time is given to “find his legs.” .
Quips of the law, called “devices of
Cépola,” from Bartholemew Cépola,
^.
Tuaw Tuatin
*—
whose law-quirks, teaching how to elude
the most express law, and to perpetuate
lawsuits ad infini’tum, have been fre-
quently reprinted — once in octavo,
in black letter, by John Petit, in
1503
This story is found in Gower, who pro-
bably took it from the French chronicle
of Nicholas Trivet. A similar story
forms the plot of Em’are, a romance
printed in Ritson's collection. The
treason of the knight who murders Her-
mengilde resembles an incident in the
French I?oman de la Violette, the English
metrical romance of Le bone Florence of
Rome (in Ritson), and a tale in the Gesta
Romanorum, c. 69 (Madden's edition).
(See CoNSTANCE.)
Law Latin. (See TOG TATIN.)
Law's Bubble. The famous Mis-
sissippi scheme, devised by John Law,
for paying off the national debt of France
(1716-1720). By this “ French South-
Sea Bubble’’ the nation was almost
ruined. It was called Mississippi be-
cause the company was granted the
‘‘ exclusive trade of Louisia'na, on the
banks of the Mississippi.” -
Laws of the Medes and Persians.
Unalterable laws. -
“Now, O king, . . . sign the writing, that it be
not changed, according to the law of the Medes
and Persians Which altereth not.”—Dalliel Yi. 8.
The Laws of Howel Dha, who reigned
in South Wales in the tenth century,
printed with a Latin translation by
Wotton, in his Leges Wallicae (1841).
Lawing. (Scots.) A tavern reckoning.
Lawsuits. Miles d’Illiers, Bishop of
Chartres (1459–1493), was so litigious, that
when Louis XI. gave him a pension to
clear off old scores, and told him in
future to live in peace and goodwill with
his neighbours, the bishop earnestly en-
treated the king to leave him some three
or four to keep his mind in good exer-
cise. Similarly Panurge entreated Pan-
tag'ruel not to pay off all his debts, but to
leave some centimes at least, that he
might not feel altogether a stranger to
his own self. (Rabelais : Pantagruel,
iii. 5.) (See LILBURN.)
Lawn. Fine, thin cambric bleached
on a lawn, instead of the ordinary
bleaching grounds. It is used for the
sleeves of bishops, and sometimes for
ladies' handkerchiefs.
73
The Man of Lawes Tale, by Chaucer.
$3
9
Tuay Out
- - - --
Lawn-market (The). To go up the
Lawn-market, in Scotch parlance, means
to go to be hanged.
“Up the Lawn-market, down the West Bow,
TJ p the lang ladder, down the short low.”
Schoolboy Rhyme (Scotland). "
“They [the stolen clothes] may serve him to
gang up the Lawn-market in, the scoundrel.”—Sir
W. Scott: Guy Mammering, chap. xxxii.
Lawrence (St.). Patron Saint of
curriers, because his skin was broiled on
a gridiron. In the pontificate of Sextus I.
he was charged with the care of the
poor, the orphans, and the widows. In
the persecution of Wale’rian, being sum-
moned to deliver up the treasures of the
church, he produced the poor, etc., under
his charge, and said to the praetor,
“These are the church’s treasures.” In
Christian art he is generally represented
as holding a gridiron in his hand. He
is the subject of one of the principal
hymns of Prudentius. (See LAURENCE.)
St. Lawrence's tears or The fiery tears
of St. Lawrence. Meteoric or shooting
stars, which generally make a great dis-
play on the anniversary of this saint
(August 10th).
* The great periods of shooting stars
are between the 9th and 14th of August,
from the 12th to the 14th of November,
and from 6th to 12th December.
Tom Lawrence, alias “Tyburn Tom ''
or “Tuck.” A highwayman. (Sir Walter
Scott : Heart of Mid-Lothian.)
Lawyer's Bags. Some red, some
blue. In the Common Law, red bags
are reserved for Q.C.’s and Sergeants;
but a stuff-gownsman may carry one
“if presented with it by a silk.” Only
Ted bags may be taken into Common Law
Courts, blue must be carried no farther
than the robing-room. In Chancery
Courts the etiquette is not so strict.
Lay Brothers. Men not in orders
received into the convents and bound by
vows. (Greek, lads, people.)
Lay Figures. Wooden figures with
free joints, used by artists chiefly for
the study of drapery. This is a meta-
phorical use of lay. As divines divide
the world into two parties, the ecclesi-
astics and the laity, so artists divide their
models into two classes, the living and
the lay.
Lay Out (To). (a) To disburse: Il
dépensa de grandes sommes d'argent.
(b) To display goods: Mettre des may-
chandises en montre. To place in con-
venient order what is required for wear:
Préparer ses beaua habits.
(e) To prepare a corpse for the coffin,
Tay About - 736
by placing the limbs in order, and dress-
ing the body in its grave-clothes.
Lay about One (To).
all sides.
“. He'll lay about him to-day.”—Shakespeare :
Trolius and Cressida, i. 2.
Lay by the Heels (To). To render
powerless. The allusion is to the stocks,
in which vagrants and other petty
offenders were confined by the ankles,
locked in what was called the stocks,
common, at one time, to well-nigh every
village in the land.
To strike on
Lay of the Last Minstrel. (For
plot see MARGARET.)
Lay to One's Charge (To). To at-
tribute an offence to a person.
“And he [Stephen] kneeled down, and cried with
a loud voice, Lord lay not this sin to their
charge.”—Acts yii. 60. The phrase occurs again in
the Bible, e.g. Deut. xxi. 8 ; Rom. Wiii. 33, etc.
Lay'amon, who wrote a translation
in Saxon of the Brut of Wace, in the
twelfth century, is called The English
Ennius. (See ENNIUS.)
Layers-over for Meddlers. No-
thing that concerns you. A reproof to
inquisitive children who want to know
what a person is doing or making, when
the person so engaged does not think
proper to inform them. A “layer-
over” is a whip or slap. And a “layer-
over for meddlers” is a whip or chastise-
for those who meddle with what does
not concern them.
Lazar House or Lazaretto. A house
for poor persons affected with contagious
diseases. So called from the beggar
Lazarus (q.v.).
Laz'arists. A body of missionaries
founded by St. Vincent de Paul in 1624,
and so termed from the priory of St.
Lazare, at Paris, which was their head-
quarters from 1632 to 1792.
Lazarillo de Tormés (1553). A
comic romance, something in the Gil
Blas style, the object being to satirise
all classes of society. Lazarillo, a light,
jovial, audacious man-servant, sees his
masters in their undress, and exposes
their foibles. This work was written by
Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, general
and statesman of Spain, author of War
against the Moors. *
Lazaro'ne (3 Syl.); Italian Lazzaro,
plu. Lazzaróni. The mob. Originally
applied to all those people of Naples
who lived in the streets, not having
any habitation of their own. So called
from the hospital of St. Lazarus, which
The Roi 1e Véut
*—s
served as a refuge for the destitute of
that city. Every year they elected a
chief, called the Capo Lazzaro. Ma-
saniello, in 1647, with these vagabonds
accomplished the revolution of Naples.
In 1798 Michele Sforza, at the head of the
Lazzaroni, successfully resisted Etienne
Championnet, the French general.
Lazarus. Any poor beggar ; so called
from the Lazarus of the parable, who
was laid daily at the rich man's gate
(St. Luke xvi.).
Laſzy.
Lazy as David Lawrence's dog.
Here Lawrence is a corruption of
Iarrence, an imaginary being supposed
by Scottish peasantry to preside over the
lazy and indolent. Laziness is called
“Larrence.” (See and compare DAVY
Jon Es.)
Lazy as Joe, the marine, who laid down
his musket to sneeze. (Sailor’s proverb.)
Lazy as Ludlam's doff, which leaned
his head against the wall to bark. This
Dudlam was the famous sorceress of
Surrey, who lived in a cave near Farn-
ham, called “Ludlam's Cave.” She
kept a dog, noted for its laziness, so that
when the rustics came to consult the
witch, it would hardly condescend to
give notice of their approach, even with
the ghost of a bark. (Ray: Proverbs.)
Lazy Lawrence of Lubberland.
The hero of a popular tale. He served
the schoolmaster, the squire's cook, the
farmer, and his own wife, which war,
accounted high treason in Lubberland.
One of Miss Edgeworth's tales, in the
Parents’ Assistant, is called Lazy
Lawrence.
Lazy Lobkin (A).
Halliwell) is “the last person in a race.
(Somersetshire). (Welsh llob, a dolt, our
** lubber.”
“A lazy lobkin, like an idle loute.”
Breton : Olde Madcappes, etc. (1602).
Lazy Man's Load. One too heavy
to be carried ; so called because lazy
people, to save themselves the trouble
of coming a second time, are apt to over-
load themselves.
Lazyland (Gone to).
indolence and idleness.
Lazzaro'ni. (See LAZARONE.)
L'État c'est Moi (I am the State).
The saying and belief of Louis XIV. On
this principle he acted with tolerable
consistency.
Le Roi le Veut (French, The king
willsit.) The form of royal assent made
A lob (says
y 2
Given up to
Tea,
by the clerk of parliament to bills sub-
mitted to the Crown. The dissent is
expressed by Le roi s'avisera (the king
will give it his consideration). -
Le'a. One of the “daughters of
men,” beloved by one of the “Sons of
God.” The angel who loved her ranked
with the least of the spirits of light,
whose post around the throne was in the
uttermost circle. Sent to earth on a
message, he saw Lea bathing and fell in
love with her ; but Lea was so heavenly-
minded that her only wish was to “dwell
in purity, and serve God in singleness of
heart.” Her angel lover, in the mad-
ness of his passion, told Tea, the spell-
word that gave him admittance into
heaven. The moment Tea, uttered that
word her body became spiritual, rose
through the air, and vanished from his
sight. On the other hand, the angel
lost his ethereal nature, and became
altogether earthy, like a child of clay.”
(Moore : Loves of the Angels, story 1.)
Lea'ba na Feine [Beds of the Feine].
The name of several large piles of stones
in Ireland. The ancient Irish warriors
were called Fe'-i-ne, which some mistake
for Phoeni (Carthaginians), but which
means hºters.
Leach, Leachcraft. A leach is one
skilled in medicine, and “ leach-craft'”
is the profession of a medical man.
(Anglo-Saxon, lace, one who relieves
pain, lacecraft.)
“And straightway sent, with carefull diligence,
To fetch a leach the which had great insiglit
In that disease.”
Spenser: Faërie Queene, book i. canto x. line 23.
Lead (pronounced led), the metal,
was, by the ancient alchemists, called
Saturn. (Anglo-Saxon, ledd.)
To strike lead. To make a good hit.
“That, after the failure of the king, he should
‘strike lead "...in his own house seemed . . . an in-
evitable law.”—Bret Harte : Fool of Five Forks.
Lead (pronounce leed). (Anglo-Saxon
lad-an.) .
To lead apes in hell. (See APES.)
To lead by the nose. (See under
NoSE.)
To lead one a pretty dance.
DANCE.) e
Leaden Hail (Showers of). That of
artillery in the battlefield.
Leaden Hall (pronounce leden), so
named from the ancient manor of Sir
Hugh Neville, whose mansion or hall was
roofed with lead, a notable thing in
his days. “Leadenhall Street” and
“Leadenhall Market,” London, are on
the site of Sir Hugh’s manor.
47 ******-*.
(See under
f - Teagué
Leader (A) or a leading article.
A newspaper article in large type, by
the editor or one of the editorial staff. So
called because it takes the lead or chief
place in the summary of current topics,
or because it is meant to lead public
Opinion. -
* The first fiddle of an orchestra, and
the first cornet-a-piston of a military
band is called the leader.
Leading Case (A). A lawsuit to
settle others of a similar kind.
Leading Note in music. The shari
seventh of the diatonic scale, which leads
to the octave, only half a tone higher.
Leading Question. A question so
worded as to suggest an answer. “Was
he dressed in a black coat P” leads to the
answer “Yes.” In cross-examining a
witness, leading questions are permitted,
because the chief object of a cross-ex-
amination is to obtain contradictions.
Leading Strings. To be in leading-
strings is to be under the control of
another. Treading-strings are those
strings used for holding up infants just
learning to walk. -
Leaf. Before the invention of paper
one of the substances employed for
writing was the leaves of certain plants.
In the British Museum are some writings
on leaves from the Malabar coast, and
several copies of the Bible written on
palm-leaves. The reverse and obverse
pages of a book are still called leaves;
and the double page of a ledger is termed
a “folio,” from folium (a leaf).
Leaf. (Anglo-Saxon leãf.)
To take a leaf out of [my] book. To
imitate me; to do as I do. The allusion
is to literary plagiarisms.
To turn over a new leaf. To amend
one's ways. The French equivalent is:
“Je lui ferai chanter une autre chanson.”
But in English, “To make a person
sing another tune,” means to make him
eat his words, or change his note for one
he will not like so well.
League. w
The Grey League [ſia grischaj, 15th.
century. So called from the grey home-
spun dress adopted by the leaguers.
The Holy League. Several leagues are
so denominated. The three following are.
the most important: 1511, by Pope Julius
II. : Ferdinand the Catholic, Henry.
VIII., the Venetians, and the Swiss
against Louis XII. ; and that of 1576,
founded at Péronne for the maintenance
Teak Out
738
Tuearn
of the Catholic faith and the exclusion
of Protestant princes from the throne of
France. This league was organised by
the Guises to keep Henri IV. from the
throne.
Leak Out (To). To come clandes-
timely to public knowledge. As a liquid
leaks out of an unsound vessel, so the
secret oozes out unawares.
Leal. Loyal, trusty, law-abiding.
Norman-French, leyale, modern French,
loyale ; Latin, legålis.)
Land of the leal. (See LAND . . .)
Lean’der (3 syl.) A young man of
Aby'dos, who swam nightly across the
Hellespont to visit his lady-love, Hero,
a priestess of Sestos. One night he was
drowned in his attempt, and Hero leaped
into the Hellespont also. This story is
told in one of the poems of Musæus,
entitled Hero and Leander. (See Mar-
lowe's poem.) (See HERO.)
* Lord Byron and Lieutenant Eken-
head repeated the experiment of Leander
and accomplished it in 1 hour 10 minutes.
The distance, allowing for drifting, would
be about four miles. A young man of
St. Croix, in 1817, swam over the Sound
from Cronenburgh, in 2 hours 40 minutes,
the distance being six miles.
Leaning Tower. The one at Pisa,
in Italy, is 178 feet in height, and leans
about 14 feet. At Caerphilly, in Glamor-
ganshire, there is a tower which leans
eleven feet in eighty. -
“The Leaning Tower of Pisa continues to stand
* because the vertical line drawn through its gentre
of gravity passes within its base.” — Gamot :
Physics.
Leap Year. Every year divisible by
four. Such years occur every fourth
year. In ordinary years the day of the
month which falls on Monday this year,
will fall on Tuesday next year, and
Wednesday the year after ; but the
fourth year will leap over Thursday to
Friday. This is because a day is added
to February, which, of course, affects
every subsequent day of the year. (See
BISSExTILE.) .*
The ladies propose, and, if not accepted,
claim a silk gown. St. Patrick, having
“driven the frogs out of the bogs,”
was walking along the shores of Lough
Neagh, when he was accosted by St.
Bridget in tears, and was told that a
mutiny had broken out in the nunnery
over which she presided, the ladies claim-
ing the right of “popping the question.”
St. Patrick said he would concede them
the right every seventh year, when St.
Bridget threw her arms round his neck,
he taught himself Greek.
---
and exclaimed, “Arrah, Pathrick, jewel,
I daurn’t go back to the girls wid such a
proposal. Make it one year in four.”
St. Patrick replied, “Bridget, acushla,
Squeeze me that way agin, an’ I’ll give
ye leap-year, the longest of the lot.”
St. Bridget, upon this, popped the ques-
tion to St. Patrick himself, who, of
course, could not marry ; so he patched
up the difficulty as best he could with a
kiss and a silk gown.
* The story told above is of no his-
toric value, for an Act of the Scottish
Parliament, passed in the year 1228, has
been unearthed which runs thus:–
“Ordonit that during ye reign of her maist
blessed maiestie, Margaret, ilka maiden, ladee of
baith high and lowe estait, shall hae libertie to
speak ye man she likes, Gif he refuses to tak hir
to bee his wyf, he shale be mulct in the sum of
ane hundridty pundes, or less, as his estait may
bee, except and alwais gif he can make-it appeare
that he is betrothit to anither woman, then he
Schal be free.” - -
N.B. The year 1228 was, of course, a
leap-year. - -
Leap in the Dark (A). Thomas
Hobbes is reported to have said on his
death-bed, “Now am I about to take
my last voyage—a great leap in the
dark.” Rabelais, in his last moments,
said, “I am going to the Great Perhaps.”
Lord Derby, in 1868, applied the words,
“We are about to take a leap in the
dark,” to the Reform Bill. .
Lear (King). A legendary king of
Britain, who in his old age divided his
kingdom between Goneril and Regan,
two of his daughters, who professed great
love for him. These two daughters drove
the old man mad by their unnatural
conduct. (Shakespeare : King Lear.)
Percy, in his Reliques of Ancient Eng-
lish Poetry, has a ballad about ſing
Leir and his Three Daughters (series i.
book 2). - * . -
Camden tells a similar story of Ina,
Ring of the West Saxons (see Remains,
p. 306, edition 1674). The story of King
Lear is given by Geoffrey of Monmouth
in his Chronicles, whence Holinshed
transcribed it. Spenser has introduced
the same story into his Faërie Queene,
book ii. canto 10.
Learn (1 syl.). Live and learn.
Cato, the censor, was an old man when
Michael Angelo, at seventy years of
age, said, “I am still learning.”
John Kemble wrote out Hamlet thirty
times, and said, on quitting the stage,
“I am now beginning to understand
my art.” - º,
*** --
Mrs. Siddons, after she left the stage,
was found studying Lady Macbeth, and
said, “I am amazed to discover some
new points in the character which I
never found out while acting it.”
Milton, in his blindness, when past
fifty, sat down to complete his Pura-
dise Lost. -
Scott, at fifty-five, took up his pen to
redeem an enormous liability. - -
Richardson was above fifty when he
published his first novel, Pam'ela.
Denjamin West was sixty-four when
he commenced his series of paintings,
one of which is Christ IIealing the Sick.
Learn by Heart (To). The heart is
the seat of understanding ; thus the
Scripture speaks of men “wise in heart; ”
and “slow of heart” means dull of un-
derstanding. To learn by heart is to
learn and understand ; to learn by rote
is to learn so as to be able to repeat; to
learn by memory is to commit to memory
without reference to understanding what
is so learnt. However, we employ the
phrase commonly as a synonym for
committing to memory.
Tiearned (2 syl.). Coloman, king of
Hungary, was called The Learned
(1095-1114). (See BEAUCLERC.)
The Learned Blacksmith.
time a blacksmith (1811-1879).
The Learned Painter. Charles Lebrun,
so called from the great accuracy of his
costumes (1619-1690). . . . .
The Learned Tailor. Henry Wild, of
Norwich, who mastered, while he worked
at his trade, the Greek, Latin, Hebrew,
languages (1684-1734). -
Least Said the soonest Mended
Chaldaic, Syriac, Persian, and Arabic
(The) or The Less Said . . . Explana-
tions and apologies are quite useless, and
only make bad worse.
Leather. Nothing like leather. My
interest is the best nostrum. A town, in
danger of a siege; called together a
council of the chief inhabitants to know
what defence they recommended. A
mason suggested a strong wall, a ship-
builder advised “wooden walls,” and
when others had spoken, a currier arose
and said, “There's nothing like leather.”
In Botallack, Cornwall, a standing
toast is Tin and Pilchards, the staples of
the town. - *
‘. Another version is, “Nothing like leather to
administer a thrashing.” - -
"Leather or Prunella. It is all
leather or prºnella. Nothing of any
Tlearn by Heart 739
Elihu
Burritt, the linguist, who was at one
Lee
moment, all rubbish. Prunella is a
woollen stuff, used for the uppers of
ladies’ boots and shoes. (See SALT.)
“Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow;
The rest is all lyut leather or prunella.” -
- Pope: Essay on Man.
Leathering. To give one a leathering
is to beat him with a leather belt, such
as policemen wear, and boys used to
wear. (The Welsh lathen is a rod.)
Leatherstocking (Natty). The
nickname of Natty Bumpo (7.7).), in
Cooper’s novel, called The Pioneers.
A half-savage and half-Christian hero
of American wild life.
Leave in the Lurch (To).
LEFT IN THE LURCH.)
Leave out in the Cold (To). To
slight, to take little or no interest in a
person; to pass by unnoticed. The
allusion is to a person calling at a house
with a friend and the friend not being
asked to come in.
Leave some for Manners. In
Tºcclesiasticus it is written:
“Leave off first for manners' sake; and he not
uns:itiałyle, lest thou offend.”—Chap. xxxi. 17.
Leaves without Figs. Show of
promise without fulfilment. Words
without deeds. Keeping the promise to
the ear, and breaking it to the sense. Of
course, the allusion is to the barren fig-
tree referred to in Luke xiii. -
Led Captain (A). An obsequious
person, who dances attendance on the
master and mistress of a house, for
which service he has a knife and fork at
the dinner table. He is led like a dog,
and always graced with the title of
captain.
Le'da, and the Swan. This has
been a favourite subject with artists.
In the Orléans gallery is the chef-d'-
aeuvre of Paul Veronese. Correggio and
Michael Angelo have both left paintings
of the same subject.
Ledger (A). A book “laid up '' in
the counting-house, and containing the
debits and credits of the merchant or
tradesman, arranged under “heads.”
(Dutch legen, to lay ; whence legger.)
Ledger-lines, in music, are lines
which lie above or below the staff.
(Dutch, legger, to lie.)
Lee. Under the lee of the land. Under
the shelter of the cliffs which break the
force of the winds. (Anglo-Saxon, h!eo,
a shelter.) - • -
Under the lee of a ship. On the side
(See
+?
Tee Hatch
opposite to the wind, so that the ship
shelters or wards it off.
To lay a ship by the lee, or, in modern
nautical phraseology, to heave-to, is to
arrange the sails of a ship so that they
may lie flat against the masts and
shrouds, that the wind may strike the
vessel broadside so that she will make
little or no headway.
Lee Hatch. Take care of the lee
hatch. Take care, helmsman, that the
ship goes not to the leeward of her
course—i.e. the part towards which the
wind blows.
Lee Shore is the shore under the lee
of a ship, or that towards which the
wind blows. (See LEE.)
Lee-side and Weather-side.
LEEWARD.)
Lee Tide, or Leeward Tide, is a tide
running in the same direction as the
wind blows. A tide in the opposite
direction is called a tide zºnder the lee.
( See
Leeds (a Stock Exchange term). Lan-
cashire and Yorkshire Railway Ordinary
Stock. It is the Leeds line. -
The Austrian Leeds. Brünn, in Mo-
ravia, Inoted for its woollen cloth. So it
was called in the palmy days of Austria.
Leelc. Wearing the leek on St. David's
day. Mr. Brady says St. David caused
the Britons under King Cadwallader to
distinguish themselves by a leek in their
caps. They conquered the Saxons, and
recall their victory by adopting the
leek on every anniversary (March 1st).
(Clavis Calendaria.) Wearing the leek
is obsolete. (Anglo-Saxon lede.)
Shakespeare makes out that the Welsh
wore leeks at the battle of Poitiers, for
Fluellen says: —
“If your majesties is remembered of it, the
Welsh men did g od service in a garden where
leeks did grow, wearinº leeks in their Monmouth
calls, which, your majesty know, to this hour is
an honourable badge of the Service ; and I do
loelieve your majesty takes no scorn to wear the
leek upon St. Tavy's Day.”—IIenry V., iv. 7.
To eat the leek. To be compelled to
eat your own words, or retract what
you have said. Fluellen (in Shake-
speare's Henry V.) is taunted by Pistol
for wearing a leek in his hat. “Hence,”
says Pistol, “I am qualmish at the smell
of leek.” Fluellen replies, “I peseech
ou . . . at my desire . . . to eat this
eek.” The ancient answers, “Not for
Cadwallader and all his goats.” Then
the peppery Welshman beats him, nor
desists till Pistol has swallowed the
entire abhorrence.
740
fleft
---, -º,
Lees. There are legs to every wine.
The best things have some defect. A
French proverb.
“Doubt is the lees of thought.” .
Boker: Doubt, Ctc., i. 11.
Settling on the lees. Making the best
of a bad job ; settling down on what is
left, after having squandered the main
part of one’s fortune.
Leet (A). A manor-court for petty
offences; the day on which such a court
was held. (Anglo-Saxon, lethe, a law-
court superior to the wapentake.)
“Who has a breast so pure,
But some uncleanly apprehensions .
Keep leets and law-days and in Session sit
With meditations lawful ?” * * *
Shakespeare: Othello, iii. 3.
Leeward and Windward. Tee-
ward is toward the lee, or that part
towards which the wind blows ; wind-
ward is in the opposite direction, viz.
in the teeth of the wind. “Leeward,”
pronounced leu'-erd. (See LEE.)
Lefevre. The poor lieutenant whose
story is so touchingly told in Sterne's
Th’istram Shandy book vi. chap. 6).
Left, unlucky ; Jºight lucky. The
augur among the Romans having taken
his stand on the Capitoline Hill, and
marked out with his wand the space of
the heavens to be the field of observa-
tion, divided the space into two from
top to bottom. If the birds appeared on
the left side of the division, the augury
was unlucky, but if the birds appeared
on the right side the augury was pro-
nounced to be favourable.
“‘Hail, gentle bird, turn thy wings and fly on
my right hand ' ' but the loird flew on the left
side. Then the cat grew Very heavy, for he knew
the omen to be unlucky.”—Reynard the Poa, iii.
The Left, in the Legislative Assembly
of France, meant the Girondists ; it was
famous for its orators. In the House of
Commons the Opposition occupies the
left-hand side of the Speaker. In the .
Austrian Assembly the democratic party
is called The Left.
Over the left. A way of expressing
disbelief, incredulity, or a negative.
The allusion is to morganatic marriages
(q.v.). When a woman so married
claimed to be a wedded wife, she was
told that such was the case “over the
left.” (See below.)
. Sinister (the left hand), meaning not
straightforward, dishonest, is far older
than morganatic marriages.
The an- .
cient Greek augurs considered all signs
seen by them over the left shoulder to .
be unlucky, and foreboding evil to
come. Plutarch, following Plato and
Left-handed
--
Aristotle, gives as the reason, that the
west (or left side of the augur) was
towards the setting or departing Sun.
Left-handed Compliment (A). A
compliment which insinuates a reproach.
(See below.) •
Left-handed Marriage. A mor-
ganatic marriage (q.v.). In these mar-
riages the husband gives his left hand to
the bride, instead of the right, when he
says, “I take thee for my wedded wife.”
Géorge William, Duke of Zell, married
TEleanora d’Esmiers in this way, and the
lady took the name and title of Lady of
Harburg ; her daughter was Sophia
Dorothe'a, the wife of George I.
Left-handed Oath (A). An oath
not intended to be binding. (See above.)
Left in the Lurch. Left to face a
great perplexity. In cribbage a lurch is
when a player has scored only thirty
holes, while his opponent has made
sixty-one, and thus won a double.
Leg (A), that is, a blackleg (q.v.).
To make a leg, is to make a bow.
“The pursuivant smiled at their simplicitye,
And making many leggs, tooke their reward.”
The Kimg and Miller of Mansfield.
Leg-bail. A runaway. To give leg-
bail, to cut and run.
Leg-bye (A), in cricket, is a run
scored from a ball which has glanced off
any part of a batsman's person except
his hand.
Leg of Mutton School (The). So
Eckhart called those authors who lauded
their patrons in prose or verse, under
the hope of gaining a commission, a
living, or, at the very least, a dinner for
their pains.
Legs. On his legs. Mr. So-and-So
is on his legs, has risen to make a speech.
On its last legs. Moribund ; obsolete;
ready to fall out of cognisance.
To set on his legs. So to provide for
one that he is able to earn his living
without further help. -
To stand on one’s own legs. To be in-
dependent: to be earning one’s own
living. Of course, the allusion is to
being nursed, and standing “alone.”
(See BoITOM.)
Legal Tender (A). The circulating
medium of a nation, according to a
standard fixed by the government of
that nation. It may be in metal, in
paper, or anything else that the govern-
ment may choose to sanction. In Eng-
land, at present (1895), the standard is
741.
Leger
-jº-
a gold sovereign, guaranteed of a fixed
purity. In some countries it is silver,
and in some countries the two precious
metals are made to bear a relative value,
say twenty silver shillings (or their
equivalents) shall equal in commercial
value a gold sovereign. In Germany,
before 1872, a very base silver was a
legal tender, and in Ireland James II.
made a farthing the legal tender repre-
sented by an English shilling, so that
5d. was really a legal tender for a
sovereign. Of course, export and im-
port trade would not be possible under
such conditions.
Legem Pone. Money paid down
on the mail; ready money. The first of
the psalms appointed to be read on the
twenty-fifth morning of the month is
entitled Legem pome, and March 25th is
the great pay-day ; in this way the
phrase “Legem pome” became associated
with cash down. -
“In this there is nothing to be abated: all their
speech is legem pome.” — Minshall : Essayes in
Prison, p. 26. -
“They were all in our Service for the legem pome.”
- Ozell: Rabelais.
Legend means simply “something to
be read" as part of the divine service.
The narratives of the lives of saints and
martyrs were so termed from their being
read, especially at matins, and after
dinner in the refectories. Exaggeration
and a love for the wonderful so pre-
dominated in these readings, that the
word came to signify the untrue, or
rather, an event based on tradition.
“A m/fh is a pure and absolute imagination ; a -
lettend has a basis of fact, but amplifies, a bridges,
or modifies that basis at pleasure.”—Rantlinson :
JIistoric Evidences, lecture i. p. 231, note 2.
Legend of a Coin is that which is
written round the face of a coin. Thus,
on a shilling, the legend is round the
head of the reigning sovereign : as,
‘‘VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITT :
REGINAF: D: ” (or “BRITANNIAR .
REG : F : D :). The words “ONE
SHILLING 7” On the other side of the
coin, written across it, we denominate
the “inscription.”
Legen'da, Au’rea, by Jacques de Vora-
gine. A collection of monkish legends
in Latin. (1230-1298.) . -
The Golden Legend, of Longfellow, is
a semi-dramatic poem taken from an
old German tale by Hartmann von der
Aur, called Poor Henry. (Twelfth
century.) •
Leger. St. Leger Stakes (Doncaster) 5.
so called from Colonel Anthony St.
Leger, who founded them in 1776, The .
Tueger-de-Main
colonel was governor of St. Lucia, and
cousin of the Hon. Elizabeth St. Leger
(the lady Freemason).
The St. Leger Stakes are for both
colts and mares. Those which have
run in the Derby or Oaks are eligible.
Leger-de-Main. Sleight of hand;
conjuring which depends chiefly on
lightness of hand, or dexterity.
Legion. “My name is Legion : for we
are many ” (St. Mark v. 9). A proverbial
expression somewhat similar to hydra-
headed. Thus, speaking of the houseless
poor we should say, “Their name is
Legion ; ” so also we should say of the
diseases arising from want of cleanliness,
the evils of ignorance, and so on.
The Thundering Legion. The Roman
legion that discomfited the Marcomanni
in 179 is so called, because (as the legend
informs us) a thunderstorm was sent in
answer to the prayers of certain Chris-
tians ; this storm relieved the thirst of
the legion. In like manner a hail-storm
was sent to the aid of Joshua, at the
time when he commanded the sun to .
stay its course, and assisted the Israelites :
to their victory. (Dion Cassius, lxxi. 8.
(See Joshua x. 10-12.)
Legion of Honour. An order of
merit instituted by the First Consul in
1802, for either military or civil merit.
In 1843 there were 49,417 members, but
in 1851 one new member was elected for
every two extinct ones, so that the
honour was no longer a mere farce.
Napoleon III. added a lower order of
this Legion, called the Médaille Militaire,
the ribbon of which was yellow, not red.
The old Legion consisted of Grand
Cross, Grand Officers, Commanders,
Officers, and Chevaliers, and the ribbon
of the order was red.
“The Legion of Honour gives pensions to its
ymilitary members, and free education to some
four hundred of the daughters, sisters, and nieces
. Of its nembers.”
Legislatcror Solon of Parnassus.
Boileau was so called by Voltaire, be-,
cause of his Art of Poetry, a production
unequalled in the whole range of
didactic poetry. (1636-1711.)
Leglin-girth. To cast a leglin-girth.
To have “a screw loose ; ” to have made
a fanta: pas to have one’s reputation :
A leglin-girth is the
lowest hoop of a leglin or milk-pail.
(See Sir Walter Scott : Fortunes of
blown upon.
Nigel, chap. xxii.) .
Legree. A slave-dealer in Uncle
Tom's Cabin, by Mrs, Beecher Stowe,
742
1716).
Tiernnian Deed
Leibnitz-ism or Leibnitzian-ism.
The doctrines taught by G. W. von
Leibnitz, the German philosopher (1646.
The opposite of Spinosa-ism.
Spinosa taught that whatever is, is God
manifested by phenomena. The light
and warmth of the sun, the refreshing
breeze, space, and every visible object,
is only deity in detail. That God, in
fact, is one and all.
Leibnitz, on the other hand, taught
that phenomena are separate from deity,
as body is from soul; but although
separate, that there is between them a
pre-established harmony. The electri-
city which runs along a telegraph wire
is not the message, but it gives birth to
the message by pre-established harmony.
So all things obey God’s will, not be-
cause they are identical, but on account
of this pre-established harmony.
Leicester (pron. Les' ter) is the camp-
town on the river Leire, which is now
called the Soar.
Leicester Square (London). So
called from a family mansion of the
Sydneys, Earls of Leicester, which stood
on the north-east side.
“The Earl of Leicester, father of Algernon
Sidney the patriot . . . built for himself a stately
house at the north-east corner of a square plot
of “Lammas Land,' helonging to the parish of St.
Martin's, which plot henceforth became known to
Iondoners as Leicester Fields. A square gradu-
ally grew up on the spot, and was completed in
1671.”—Cassell's Magazime, London Legends, x.
* Leigh (Amtrora) (pron. Jee). The
heroine of Mrs. Browning's poem so
called, designed to show the noble aim
of true art.
Leilah [Li-Wah]. A beautiful young
slave, the concubine of Hassan, Caliph
of the Ottoman Empire. She falls in
love with the Gia.our, flees from the
seraglio, is overtaken by an emir, and
cast into the sea. (Byron : The Giaotº.)
Lely (Sir Peter), the painter, was the
Son of Wander Waas or Faes, of West-
phalia, whose house had a lily for its
sign. Both father and son went by the
nickname of Le-lys (the Lily), a sobri-
quet which Peter afterwards adopted
as his cognomen.
Le'man (Lake).
Geneva ; called in
Latin Lemannus. -i. - -
“I lake Leiman woos me with its crystal face.”
Lord Byrom Childe Harold, iii. 68.
Lemnian Deed (A). One of unusual
barbarity and cruelty. The phrase arose
from two horrible massacres perpetrated
by the Lemnians: the first was the
murder of all the men and male children
Tuennian Earth
On the island by the women; and the
other was the murder by the men
of all the children born in the island of
Athenian parents.
Lem'nian Earth. A species of earth
of a yellowish-grey colour, found in
the island of Lemnos, said to cure the
bites of serpents and other wounds.
It was called terra sigilla'ta, because it
was sealed by the priest before being
vended. Philocte’tés was left at Lemnos
when wounded in the foot by Herculés.
Lemnian Women (The). A some-
what similar story is told of these women
to that of the Danaidés (q.v.). When
they found that their husbands liked the
Thracian women better than themselves,
they agreed together to murder every
man in the island. Hypsiph'ylé saved
her father, and was sold to some pirates
as a slave.
Lemnos. The island where Vulcan
fell when Jupiter flung him out of
heaven. Probably it was at one time
volcanic, though not so now.
Lemon Soles, which abound on the
South coast of England and about Mar-
seilles. Lemon is a corruption of the
French limande, a dab or flat-fish. The
“flounder-sole.” There are several
varieties. (Latin lima, mud.)
Lemster Ore. Fine wool, of which
Leominster carpets are made.
“A. bank of moss,
Spongy and swelling, and far more
Soft, than the finest Ilemster ore.”
Hey’rick: : Oberon's Palace.
Lem'ures (3 syl.). The spirits of
the dead. Good lem'ures were called
Lares, but bad ones Larvae, spectres
who wandered about at night-time to
terrify the living. (Ovid : Fasti, v.)
“The lars, and lemures moan with midnight
plaint.” Milton : Ode on the Nativity.
Lend a Hand. (See HAND.)
Length (A). Forty-two lines. This
is a theatrical term ; an actor says he
has one, two, or more lengths in his
part, and, if written out for him, the
scribe is paid by the length.
Length-month. . (See LENT.)
Lens (Latin, a lentil or bean). Glasses
used in mathematical instruments are so
called because the double convex one,
which may be termed the perfect lens,
is of a bean shape.
Lenson.
Jill to Pilsen pin , i.e. not at all. Lenson
hill and Pilsen pin are two high hills in
A-w
{
As match akin as Lenson
43
Leonine Contract
Dorsetshire, called by sailors the Cow
and Calf. Out at Sea, they look like one
elevation, though in reality several hills
separate them.
Lent (Anglo-Saxon, lencien). Lemelen-
tid (spring-tide) was the Saxon name
for March, because in this month there
is a manifest lengthening of the days.
As the chief part of the great fast falls
in March, this period of fast received
the name of the Leneten-fºstem, or Lent.
It is from Ash Wednesday to Easter.
* The Fast of thirty-six days was
introduced in the fourth century. Felix
III. added four more days in 487, to
make it correspond with our Lord’s fast
in the wilderness.
Galeazzo’s Lent. A form of torture
devised by Galeazzo Visconti, calculated
to prolong the unfortunate victim’s life
for forty days.
Lent Lily (The).
blooms in Lent.
The daffodil, which
Lenten. Frugal, stinted, as food in
Lent. Shakespeare has “lenten enter-
tainment ’’ (Hamlet, ii. 2); “a lenten
answer '' (Twelfth Night, i. 5); “a
lenten pye ’’ (Romeo and Juliet, ii. 4).
“And with a lenten salad cooled her blood.”
Dryden : Hind and Panther, iii. 27.
Leod'ogrance, of Camiliard, the father
of Guinevere, wife of King Arthur.
Le'on (in Orlando Furioso), son of
Constantine, the Greek emperor, is pro-
mised Bradamant in marriage by her
parents, Amon and Beatrice; but Brad-
amant loves . Roge'ro. By-and-by a
friendship Springs up between Ileon and
Rogero, and when the prince learns that
Bradamant and Roge'ro are betrothed to
each other, he nobly withdraws his suit,
and Rogero marries Bradamant.
Leonard. A real scholar, forced for
daily bread to keep a common school,
(Crabbe : Borough, letter xxiv.)
St. Leonard is usually represented in
a deacon’s dress, and holding chains or
broken fetters in his hand, in allusion to
his untiring zeal in releasing prisoners.
Contemporary with Clovis.
Leon'idas of Modern Greece.
Marco Bozzaris, who with 1,200 men
put to rout 4,000 Turco-Albanians, at
ICerpenisi, but was killed in the attack
(1823). He was buried at Missolonghi.
Le'omine Contract. A one-sided
agreement ; so called in allusion to the
fable of The Lion and his Fellow-
JHunters. (See GLAUGUS.)
Leonine Verses.
44
Tierra,
Le'onine Verses, properly speaking,
are either hexameter verses, or alternate
hexameter and pentameter verses, rhym-
ing at the middle and end of each re-
spective line. These fancies were common
in the 12th century, and were so called
from Leoninus, a canon of the Church
of St. Victor, in Paris, the inventor.
In English verse, any metre which
rhymes middle and end is called a
Leonine verse. One of the most noted
specimens celebrates the tale of a
Jew, who fell into a pit on Saturday and
refused to be helped out because it was
his Sabbath. His comrade, being a
Christian, refused to aid him the day
following, because it was Sunday:—
“Tende manus, Salom,071, ego te do Stercore
Cº???.
Sabbata nostra colo, de stercore surgere molo,
Sabhata, nostra, quidem Salomon celebral)is
(ibideºm,”
Hexameters and pentameters.
‘. IIelp for you out of this mire ; here, give me
your hand, Hezekiah.”.
“No 1 'tis the Sabbath, a time labour's accounted
3, CI’ll]? 6. - -
If on the morrow you’ve leisure, your aid I'll
accept with much pleasure.” -
“That will be my Sabbath, so, here I will leave
you and go.” Jº. C. B.
Leonnoys, Leonnesse, or Lyon-
nesse. A mythical country, contiguous
to Cornwall.
Leono'ra, wife of Fernando Flores-
tan, a state prisoner in Seville. (Beeth-
oven : Fidelio, an opera.) (See FER-
NANDO.)
Leonora. A princess who fell in love
with Manri'co, the supposed son of
Azucen'a, the gipsy. The Conte di Luna
was in love with her, and, happening to
get Manrico and his reputed mother
into his power, condemned them to
death. Leonora interceded for Manrico,
and promised the count if he would
spare his life to “give herself to him.”
The count consented, and went to the
prison to fulfil his promise, when
Leonora, fell dead from the effect of
poison which she had sucked from a
ring. Manrico, perceiving this, died
also. (Verdi : Il Trovatorê, an opera.)
Leono'ra de Guzman. The mistress or
‘‘favourite ” Of Alfonso XI. Of Castile.
Ferdinando, not knowing who she was,
fell in love with her; and Alfonso, to
save himself from excommunication and
reward Ferdinando for services, gave
them in marriage to each other. No
. Sooner was this done than the bride-
groom, hearing who his bride was,
indignantly rejected her, and became a
monk. Leonora, entered the same mon-
astery as a novice, made herself known
to Ferdinando, obtained his forgiveness,
and died. (Donizetti : La Favorita, an
opera.)
Leon'tes (3 syl.), King of Sicilia,
invited his friend Polix'emés, King of
Bohemia, to pay him a visit, and being
seized with jealousy, ordered Camillo to
poison him. Camillo told Polixenes of
the king’s jealousy, and fled with him
to Bohemia. The flight of Polixenes
increased the anger of Leontes against
Bermi'one, his virtuous queen, whom he
sent to prison, where she was confined
of a daughter (Per'dita), and it was
reported that she had died in giving
birth to the child. Per'dita, by order
of the jealous king, was put away that
she might be no more heard of as his;
but, being abandoned in Bohemia, she
was discovered by a shepherd, who
brought her up as his own child.
time, Florizel, the son and heir of
Polixenes, under the assumed name of
Doriclés, fell in love with Perdita; but
Polixenes, hearing of this attachment,
sternly forbade the match. The two
lovers, under the charge of Camillo, fled
to Sicily, where the mystery was cleared
up, Leontes and Hermione re-united, and
all “went merry as a marriage bell.”
(Shakespeare : Winter's Tale.)
Leopard, in Christian art, is em-
ployed to represent that beast spoken of
in the Apocalypse with seven heads and
ten horns; six of the horns bear a nimbus,
but the seventh, being “wounded to
death" lost its power, and consequently
has no nimbus.
Leopard, in heraldry, represents those
brave and generous warriors who have
performed some bold enterprise with
force, courage, promptitude, and ac-
tivity. -
Leopards. So the French designate
the English, because their heralds
describe our device as "a lion leopardé.
Bertrand du Guesclin, the famous
Breton, declared that men “devoyent
bien honore” la noble, Fleur-de-lis, plus
qu'ils me faisaient le fêlon Liépard.”
Lepracaun. The fairy shoemaker.
(Irish leith-bhrogan, from leith-brog,
one-shoe maker, so called because he is
always seen working at a single shoe.)
“JDo you not catch the tiny clamour,
Rusy click of an elfin hammer, *
Voice of the Lepracaun singing shrill,
As he merrily plies his trade?
W. B. Yeats : Fairy and Folk T ales, D. 82.
Lerna. A Lerna of ills (malo'rum
Lerna). A very great evil, Lake Lerna,
Tues Anguilles
745 Tuetter
is where Hercules destroyed the hydra
which did incalculable evil to Argos.
“Spain was a Lerna of ills to all Europe While
it asijired to universal monarchy.”—P. Motted tº :
Preface to Itabelais.
Les Anguilles de Melun. Crying
out before you are hurt. When the
Jſystery of St. Bartholomew was per-
formed at Melun, one Languille took
the character of the saint, but when the
executioner came to “flay him alive,”
got nervous and began to shriek in
earnest. The audience were in hysterics
at the fun, and shouted out, Langtaille
crie avant qu-on l'écorche,” and “Les
anguilles de Melun ?” passed into a French
proverb. -
Les'bian Poets (The). Terpan'der,
Alcaeus, Ari'on, and the poetess Sappho,
all of Lesbos. -
Lesbian Rule (The). A post facto
law. Making an act the precedent for
a rule of conduct, instead of squaring
conduct according to law. -
Lese Majesty. (See LEZE MAJESTY.)
Les'sian Diet. Great abstinence ; so
called from Lessius, a physician who
prescribed very stringent rules for diet.
(See BANTING...) -
Les' trigons. A race of giants who
lived in Sicily. Ulysses sent two of his
men to request that he and his crew
might land, but the king of the place ate
one for dinner and the other fled. The
Lestrigons assembled on the coast and
threw stones against Ulysses and his
crew. Ulysses fled with all speed, but
lost many of his men. There is con-
siderable resemblance between this tale
and that of Polypheme, who ate one of
TJlysses’ companions, and on the flight
of the rest assembled with other giants
on the shore, and threw stones at the
retreating crew, whereby several were
killed. -
Let, to permit, is the Anglo-Saxon
lded-an, to suffer or permit ; but let (to
hinder) is the verb lett-an. It is a pity
we have dropped the second t in the
latter word.
“Oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, but
Wils Lllave been] let hitlerto.”—Romans i. 18.
Let IDrive §: To attack; to fall
foul of. A Gallicism. “Se laisser aller
d . . .”—i.e. to go without restraint.
“Thou knowest my old ward ; here I [Falstaff]
lay, and thus I, bore my point. l'our rogues in
buckram let drive at me... . . . . These four came
all a-front, and mainly thrust at me.” – Shake-
spectre: l Henry IV., ii. 4.
Let us Eat and Drink; for to-
morrow we shall Die (Isaiah xxii, 13).
incursions).
The Egyptians in their banquets ex-
hibited a skeleton to the guests, to
remind them of the brevity of human
life, saying as they did so, “Let us eat
and drink, for to-morrow we die.”
Leth'e (2 syl.), in Greek mythology,
is one of the rivers of Hadès, which
the souls of all the dead are obliged to
taste, that they may forget everything
Said and done in the earth on which
they lived. (Greek letho, lathéo, lanthóno,
to cause persons not to know.)
Lethe'an Dew. Dreamy forgetful-
ness; a brown study. Lethe, in my-
thology, is the river of forgetfulness.
Sometimes incorrectly called Lethean.
“The soul with tender luxury you º, ſill,
Alld O'er the Senses Lethean dews distil
Falcomer & The Shipwreck, iii. 4.
Letter-Gae. The precentor is called
by Allen Ramsay “The Letter-gae of
haly rhyme.” “Holy rhyme" means
hymns or chants.
“There were no saemony hairs on the warlock's
face as there's on Letter-gae'sain at this moment.”
—Sir W. Scott : Guy Mººnering, chap. xi.
... Letter-lock. A lock that cannot be
opened unless certain chosen letters are
arranged in a certain order.
“A strange lock that opens with A M EN.”
Bettwmv.07ut (tºld Fletchcr: Noble Gentlematºm.
Letter of Credit. A letter written
by a merchant or banker to another, re-
questing him to credit the bearer with
certain sums of money. Circular Notes
are letters of credit carried by gentlemen
when they travel.
Letter of Licence (A). An instru-
ment in writing made by a creditor,
allowing a debtor longer time for the
payment of his debt.
Letter of Marque. A commission
authorising a privateer to make reprisals
on a hostile nation till satisfaction for
injury has been duly made. Here
“marque '’ means march, or marca, a
border-land (whence our “marquis,”
the lords appointed to prevent border-
A letter of marque or mart
was permission given for reprisals after
a border-incursion. Called jus marchium.
Letter of Orders (A). A certificate
that the person named in the letter has
been admitted into holy orders.
Letter of Pythagoras (The). The
Greek upsilon, y -
“They placed themselves in the order and figure
of Nº, the letter of Pythagoras, as cranes do in
their flight.”—-Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 33.
Letter of Safe Conduct. A writ
under the Great Seal, guaranteeing
safety to and fro to the person named
in the passport, - - -
Tuetter
746 --~~
Tuetters
Letter of Uriah (2 Sam. xi. 14). A
treacherous letter of friendship, but in
reality a death-warrant. (See BELLER-
OPHON.)
“However, sir, here is a guarantee. Look at its
contents ;... I do not again carry, the letters of
Uriah.”—Sir W. Scott: Redgawmtlet, chap. xvi.
Letters. Their proportionate use is
as follows:–
E ... I,000 II .. 540 F ... f.36 K .. 88
T .. 770 R. .. 528 || W . Is () || J e 55
A .. 728 D .. 392 || Y . . 184 || Q 50
I .. 704 || L ... 36! | P ... 16S | X 46
S .. 680 | U .. 29 || 4 ... 16S | Z 22
O 672 || C . . 28. B J58
§ ... §o M .. 2: | V .. iſ
Consonants, 5,977. Vowels, 3,400.
As initial letters the order is very
different, the proportion being :–
S ... 1,194 | M .. 439 W .. 272 | Q . . 58
C ... 937 | F ... 388 G. . . 266 || K . . 47
P - e. 8()4 I e - 377 U * * - 228 Y - «» 23
A . . 574 | E . . 340 | O . :06 || Z . . IS
T .. 571 | H ... 308 V .. 172 | X. . . 4
l) .. 505 || L ... :98 || N . 153
B 463 || R. . . .91 || J . 6.
"." E is the most common letter (except in ini-
tials), and r, S, t, d, are the most common final
le; a are the only single letters which make
words. Perhaps o, as a sign of the vocative case,
should be added. Of tWo letters, am, at, and om.
are the most common, and Of three letters the and
and. (See LONG WORDS.) -
Letters. Philo affirms that letters
were invented by Abraham.
Many attribute the invention to Bada-
manth, the Assyrian.
Blair says they were invented by
Memnon, the Egyptian, B.C. 1822.
The same authority says that Menés
invented hieroglyphics, and wrote in
them a history of Egypt, B.C. 2122.
Josephus asserts that he had seen in-
scriptions by Seth, Son of Adam.
Lucan says:—
“Phoeni'cès primi, famae si creditur, ausi . .
Mansu/ralm ru'dibus vocenn signa/re figu'ris.”
Pharsalia, iii. 220.
Sir Richard Philips says—“Thoth, the
Egyptian who invented current writing,
lived between B.C. 2806 and 3000.”
. Many maintain that Jehovah taught
men written characters when He in-
scribed on stone the ten commandments.
Of course, all these assertions have a
similar value to mythology and fable.
Cadmos, the Phoenician, introduced
sixteen of the Greek letters.
"Simon'idés introduced m, 0, § ; and
Epicarmos introduced 6, X.
says Aristotle. (See LACEDEMONIAN
LETTER, and LETTER OF PYTHAGORAS.)
Father of Letters (Père des Lettres).
François I. of France (1494, 1515-1547).
... Lorenzo de’ Medici, the Mugnificent
(1448-1492). -
At least, so
A man of letters. A man of learning,
of erudition.
Letters expletive, and marks on
letters.
In French there are two letters expletive—l and
t. The former, called ‘l ephelcystic,” is placed
before on if the preceding word, ends with a
yowel, as Si-l-om. The latter is called “t euphon-
istic,” and is used in interrogative sentences he-
tween the third person singular of verbs ending
With a YOWel, and a pronoun beginning with a
Vowel, as gelle-t-il 2 a-t-elle? -
The chief accents are the grave ('), acute ( )
and circumflex (T).
Two dots over the latter of two vowels (called
diſeresis), signify that each vowel is to be sounded,
as Aél/ius (4 Syl.).
A hyphem between two or more nouns or syl-
lables denotes that they form a compound word,
as mother-in-law. The hyphen in French is called
a “trait d'union,” as irai-je.
In French, the mark (, ), under the letter c is
called a cedilla, and signifies that the c (which
Would otherWise be = k) is to be pronounced like
s, as Ça (Sah), and gargom (garson).
A small, comma (‘). Over an a, o, or ºl, in Scan-
dinavian languages, is galled an ºtºmlaw, and a
vowel so marked is called an umlaute (3 Syl.).
(1 or *) over the vowel o in German, is called a
zweipunct (2 Syl.), and gives the vowel the Sound
of a French eu, as in peu, etc.; but over the vowel
w it gives it the Sound of the French at in düt.
Letters Missive. An order from the
Lord Chancellor to a peer to put in an
appearance to a bill filed in chancery.
Letters Overt.
patent (q.v.).
Letters Patent. So denominated
because they are written upon open
The same as letters
, sheets of parchment, with the seal of
the sovereign or party by whom they
were issued pendent at the bottom.
Close letters are folded up and sealed
on the outside. (Sir Thomas Duffus
Hardy.)
Letters at the Foot of a Page.
Printers affix a letter to the first page of
each sheet; these letters are called sig-
7tatures. They begin with B, and some-
times, but not always, omit J, v, w.
A is reserved for the title and preface.
After Z, the alphabet is used double—
thus, A A or 2A—and then trebled, quad-
rupled, etc., as necessity demands.
Sometimes figures, 1, 2, 3, etc., are used
instead of letters. (See SHEET.) -
Letters of Administration. The
legal instrument granted by the Probate
Court to a person appointed adminis-
trator to one who has died intestate.

Letters of Beller'ophon.
DELLEROPHON.)
Letters of Horning.
HoRN, HORNS.)
Letters of Junius. (See JUNIUS.)
Letters of the Sepulchre. The
laws made by Godfrey and the Patriarchs
(See
(See under
Lettre de Cachet
'47. Tuevellers
of-the court of Jerusalem. There were
two codes, one respecting the privileges.
of the nobles, and the other respecting
the rights and duties of the burghers.
They were kept in a coffer laid up in the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Lettre de Cachet (French). An
arbitrary warrant of imprisonment; a
letter folded and sealed with the king's
cachet or little seal. These were secret
instructions to the person addressed to
proceed against someone named in the
letter. The lieutenant-general of police
kept an unlimited number of these in-
struments, and anyone, for a considera-
tion, could obtain one, either to conceal
a "criminal or to incarcerate someone
obnoxious. This power was abolished
in the Revolution. - . . . . .
Lettre de Jérusalem. A letter
written to extort money. (See Widocq :
Les ſoleurs, i. 240-253.) -
Leuca'dia or Leucas. The promon-
tory from which desponding lovers threw
themselves into the sea. Sappho threw
herself from this rock when she found
her love for Phaon was in vain.
“. Thence injured lovers, leaping from above,
Their fian.es extinguish, and forget to love.”
. . Pope : Sappho to Phatom. .
Leucippus (Greek, Lenſkippos).
Founder of the Atomistic School of
Greek philosophy (about B.C. 428).
Leucothea [Iſhite Goddess]. So
Ino was called after she became a sea-
nymph. Her son Palaemon, called by
the Romans Portu'nus, or Portumnus,
was the protecting genius of harbours.
“By Leucothea's lovely hands,
And her SOn Who rules the Stl’;unds !”
- Milton : Comus, 896-7.
Leuh. The register of the Recording
Angel, in which he enters all the acts of
the member of the human race.
cording to the Koran.)
Levant and Couchant. Applied to
cattle which have strayed into another's
field, and have been there long enough
to lie down and sleep. The owner of
the field can demand compensation for
such, intrusion. ... (Latiu, º levantes et
eubantes,” rising up and going to bed.)
Lev'ant and Ponent Winds. The
east wind is the Lev'ant, and the west
The former is from
levo, to rise (sunrise), and the latter from
wind the Ponent.
pono, to set (sunset).
“Forth rush the Levant and the Ponent winds.” .
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 704.
. Levant, the region, strictly speaking, means the
cºastern shore of the Mediterranean; but is often
applied to the whole East,
(Ac-
Levant'. He has levan'ted—i.e. made
off, decamped. A levan'ter is one who
makes a bet, and runs away without
paying his bet if he loses. (Spanish “le-
vanta, el campo, la casa,” to break up
the camp or house ; our leave.
In the Slang Dictionary, p. 214, we
are told that “it was formerly the
custom, when a person was in pecuniary
difficulties, to give out that he was gone
to the Levant.” Hence, when one lost a
bet and could not or would not pay, he
was said toº have levanted—i.e. gone to
: the Levant. Of no historic value.
Levee. Levée en masse (French). A
patriotić rising of , a whole nation to
defend their country from invasion.
The Queen's Levée. It was customary
“for “the queens of France to receive at
the hour of their levée – i.e. while
making their toilet—the visits of certain
noblemen. This custom was afterwards
demanded as a right by the court physi-
cians, , messengers from the king, the
queen's Secretary, and some few other
gentlemen, so that ten or more persons
were often in the dressing-room, while
the queen was making her toilet and
sipping her coffee. The word is now
used to express that concourse of gentle-
men who wait on the queen on mornings
appointed. No ladies except those
attached to the court are present on
these occasions.
* Kings and some nobles have their
levées sometimes of an evening.
“When I was very young (said, Lord Eldon, to
Mrs. Forster) Lord Mansfield used to hold levées
Qh Sunday evenings.”—Twiss : Lord Eldon, vol. i.
Châp. v. lº. 68. -
Level Best. To do one's level best.
To exert oneself to the utmost Ant gré
de nos portvoirs. In 1877 Mr. Hale pub-
lished a book entitled His Level Best.
Level Down. To bring society, taxes,
wages, etc.; to an equality by reducing
all to the lowest standard.
Level Up (70). To raise the lower
f
strata of society, or standard of wages,
etc., to the level of the higher.
Levellers. (April, 1649). A body of
men that first appeared in Surrey, and
went about pulling down park palings
and levelling hedges, especially those on
crown lands. Colonel Tilburne was
lodged in prison for favouring the Level-
'lers. (See LILBURNE.)
... Levellers. Radicals in the time of
Charles I. and the Commonwealth, who
wanted all men to be placed on a level
with respect to their eligibility to office,
Trevellers
Levellers (in Irish History), 1740.
Agrarian agitators, afterwards called
Whiteboys (q.v.). Their first offences
were levelling the hedges of enclosed
commons; but their programme deve-
loped into a demand for the general
redress of all agrarian grievances.
Lever de Rideau. A light and short
dramatic sketch placed on the stage while
the manager is preparing to introduce
his drama for the night, or “draw up
the curtain'' on the real business.
“An attempt to pack a romantic tragedy into
the space filled by an ordinary lever de rideau."—
Nineteenth Century, Dec., 1892, p. 904.
Lev'eret. A young hare. The Duke
d'Epernon always swooned at the sight
of a leveret, though he was not affected
if" he saw a hare. (See Fox.)
Levi'athan. The crocodile, or some
extinct sea, monster, described in the
IBook of Job (chap. xii.). It sometimes
in Scripture designates Pharaoh, King of
Egypt, as in Psa. lxxiv. 14, Isa. xxvii. 1,
and Ezek. xxix. 3, etc., where the word
is translated “dragon.”
The Leviathan of Literature. Dr.
Johnson (1709-1784).
Lev'ites (2 syl.). In Dryden’s Absa-
loan and Achitophel, means the Dissent-
ing clergy who were expelled by the Act
of Conformity. .
Levit'ical. Belonging to the Levites
or priestly tribe of Levi; pertaining to
the Jewish priesthood, as the Levitical
law, Levitical rites.
Lewd (Anglo-Saxon, ledde) simply
means folk in general, verb leod-ſtm. The
present meaning refers to the celibacy of
the clergy.
“All that a lewd man hath need to knawe for
hole of SOwl.”—Caatom. Society's l’ublications.
Lewis (Monk). (See MONK.)
Lewis Baboon. Louis XIV. of
IFrance is so called in Arbuthnot's His-
tory of John Bull. Of course, there is
a play upon the word Bourbon.
Lewkner's Lane. Now called
“Charles Street,” Drury Lane, London,
always noted for ladies of the pavement.
“The nymphs of chaste Diana's train,
The same with those of Lewkner's Lane.”
JButler: Hudibras, part iii. Canto 1.
Lex non Scripta. The common law,
as distinguished from the statute or
written law. Common law does not
derive its force from being recorded, and
though its several provisions have been
compiled and printed, the compilations
are not statutes, but simply remem-
brancers,
skies.
libellus).
748 I libel
*f;
Lex Talionis (Latin). Tit for tat;
the law of retaliation.
Leyden, Jar or Phial. A glass
vessel partly coated, inside and out, with
lead-foil, and used in electrical experi.
ments to receive accumulated electricity;
invented by Wanleigh, of Leyden.
Leze Majesty. High treason ; i.e.
“Crimen lacsae Majestatis.” -
Li-Flambe. ... The banner of Clovis
miraculously displayed to him in the
(See ToADs.) -
Lia-fail (of Ireland). The Fatalá
Marmor or Stone of Destiny. On this
stone the ancient Irish kings sat at their
coronation, and according to tradition,
wherever that stone might be the people
there would be dominant. It was re-
moved to Scone; and Edward removed
it from Scone Abbey to London. It is
kept in Westminster Abbey under the
royal throne, on which the English
sovereigns sit at their coronation. (See
CoRONATION CHAIR, SCONE.)
Liak'ura (3 syl.). Parnassus.
“But where is he that hath beheld
The peak of Liakura unveiled.”
I'yrom, : The Giaoqū’.
Liar (The). Al Aswad, who set him-
self up as a prophet against Mahomef.
He was called the Weathercock because he
changed his creed so often, the Impostor,
and the Liar. - -
Moseilma, another contemporary, who
affirmed that the “belly is the seat of
the soul.” He wrote to Mahomet, and
began his letter: “From Mosellma,
prophet of Allah, to Mahomet, prophet
of Allah,” and received for answer a
letter beginning thus: “From Mahomet
the prophet of God, to Mosellma, the
Liar.” (Anglo-Saxon, leåg-an, to tell a
falsehood; but to be recumbent is lieg-an
or lig-aº.)
Prince of Liars. Ferdinand Mendez
Pinto, a Portuguese traveller, whose
narrative is so much after Munchausen’s
style, that Cervantesdubbed him “Prince
of Liars.” The Tatler called him a man
‘‘ of infinite adventure and unbounded
imagination.”
Libel means a little book (Latin,
A lampoon, a satire, or any
defamatory writings. Originally it meant
a plaintiff's statement of his case, which
usually “defames’’ the defendant.
The greater the truth, the greater the
libel. The dictum of William Murray,
Earl of Mansfield (1704-1793).
“Dost not know that old Mansfield, Who Writes
like the Bible, ... & ? & 3.
Says: ‘The more 'tis a truth, Sir, the "#. tis
y f” - - - - - - -
a libel !!?"Il S,
Tiber Albus
r” ”
Li’ber Albus contains the laws and
customs of the city of London, compiled
in 1419, by John Carpenter, town clerk.
Liber. Niger or The Black Book of
the Earchequer, compiled by Gervase of
Tilbury, in the reign of Henry II. It is
a roll of the military tenants.
Liberal Arts. Book-learning (Latin,
liber); viz., Grammar, Rhetoric, Philo-
sophy, Arithmetic, Geometry, Astron-
omy, and Music.
Liberal Unionists or Tory Demo-
crats. Those Conservatives or Tories
who have a strong bias towards demo-
cratic measures.
Liberal Unionists. Those Whigs
and Radicals who united, in 1886, with
Lord Salisbury and the Conservative
party to oppose Home Rule for Ireland.
Mr. Gladstone had brought in a Bill to
give the Irish Home Rule. Lord Hart-
ington was chief of the Whigs, and Mr.
Chamberlain chief of the Radicals, who
seceded from Mr. Gladstone's party.
Lib'erals. A political term first em-
ployed in 1815, when Lord Byron and
his friends set on foot the periodical
called The Liberal, to represent their
views in politics, religion, and literature.
The word, however, did not come into
general use till about 1831, when the
Reform Bill, in Lord Grey’s Ministry,
gave it prominence.
“Influenced in a great degree by the philosophy
and the politics of the Continent, they [the Whigs]
endeavoured to substitute cosmopolitan for
national lyrinciples, and they baptised the new
scheme of politics with the plausible name of
° Liberalism.’”—Disraeli, June 24, 1872. #ºia
Liberator (The). The Peruvians so
call Simon Bolivar, who established the
independence of Peru. . (1785-1831.)
Daniel O’Connell was so called, because
he tried to sever Ireland from England.
(1775-1847.)
of the world. So Dr.
Liberator
Franklin has been called. (1706-1790.)
Liberia. . An independent republic of
western Africa settled by free negroes.
Lib’ertines. A sect of heretics in
Holland, led by Quinton a factor, and
Copin. They maintained that nothing
is sinful but to those who think it sinful,
and that perfect innocence is to live
without doubt. • -
* By a “libertine’’, is now generally
meant a profligate, or one who puts no
restraint on his personal indulgence.
“A libertine, in earlier use, was a speculative
free-thinker in matters ()f religion and in the
theory of morals . . . but [it has come] to signify
a profligate.”—Trench : Om the Study of Words,
lecture iii. p. 90.
749
e g e
Tuibitina.
Liberty means “to do what one
likes.” (Latin, liber, free.)
Civil Liberty. The liberty of a subject to con-
duct his own affairs as he thinks proper, provided
he neither infringes on the equal liberty of
others, nor offends against the good morals or
laws under which he is living. -
Moral Liberty. Such freedom as is essential to
render a person responsible for what he does, or
What he Omits to do,
National Liberty. The liberty of a nation to
make its own law8, and elect its own executive.
Natural Liberty. Unrestricted freedom to exer-
cise all natural functions in their proper places.
Personal Liberty. Liberty to go out of one's house
or nation, and to return again without restraint,
except deprived thereof by way of punishment.
Political Liberty. The right to participate in
political elections and civil offices; and to have a
voice in the administration ºf the laws under
which you live as a citizen and subject. . .
I?eligious Liberty. Freedom in religious opinions,
and in both private and public worship, 1 rovided
such freedom in no wise interferes With the Cºlual
liberty of others.
Cap of Liberty. The Goddess of Liberty.
in the Aventine Mount, was represented
as holding in her hand a cap, the symbol
of freedom. In France, the Jacobins
wore a red cap. In England, a blue cap
with a white border is the symbol of
liberty, and Britannia is sometimes re-
presented as holding such a cap on the
point of her spear. (See CAP OF LIBERTY.)
Liberty. The Goddess of Liberty.
On December 10th, 1793, Mlle. Malliard,
an actress, was selected to personify the
“Goddess of Liberty.” Being brought
to Notre Dame, Paris, she was seated on
the altar, and lighted a large candle to
signify that Liberty was the “light of
the world.” (See Louis Blanc : History,
ii. 365-367.) -
* The statue of Liberty, placed over
the entrance of the Palais Royal, was
modelled from Mme. Tallien.
The Goddess of Reason. (Aug. 10, 1793.)
The Goddess of Reason was enthroned by
the French Convention at the suggestion
of Chaumette; and the cathedral of
Notre Dame de Paris was desecrated for
the purpose. The wife of Momoro the
printer was the best of these goddesses.
The procession was attended by the
municipal officers and national guards,
while troops of ballet girls carried torches
of truth. Incredible as it may seem,
Gobet (the Archbishop of Paris), and
nearly all the clergy stripped themselves
of their canonicals, and, wearing red
nightcaps, joined in this blasphemous
mockery. So did Julien of Toulouse, a
Calvinistic minister.
“Mrs. Momoro, it is admitted. made one of the
best goddesses of Reason, though her teeth were
a little defective.”—Carlyle: French Revolution,
YOl. iii. book W. 4.
Libitina. The goddess who, at Rome,
presided over funerals. -
“Qmnis moriar ; nullaque pars mei vitabit
Libitinam.”
Tibra. 750 Tick into Shape
Libra, [the balance]. One of the The Vienna, about 500,000 books and
twelve signs of the Zodiac (September 20,000 manuscripts. . .
22 to October 22), when day and night The Vatican, about 200,000 books and
being weighed would be found equal. 40,000 manuscripts.
Li'brary. One of the most approved
materials for writing on, before the in-
vention of paper, was the thin rind be-
tween the solid wood and the outside
bark of certain trees. This substance is
in Latin called liber, which came in time
to signify also a “book.” Hence our
library, the place for books; librarian,
the keeper of books; and the French
livre, a book. -
... Some interesting facts concerning books and
Literature. -
A circulating library. A library from
which the books may be borrowed and
taken by readers to their homes under
certain restrictions. - -
A living or walking library. Longi'nus,
the philosopher and rhetorician, was s
called. (213-273.) - .
Public Libraries.
* Ancient. The first public library
known was founded at Athens (B.C. 540)
by Pisistråtos. That of Alexandria,
founded (B.C. 47) by the Ptolemies, con-
tained 400,000 books. It was burnt by
order of the Calif Omar, A.D. 641.
The first public library of Rome was
founded by Asinus Pollio; the second,
called the Palatine, by Augustus.
The royal library of the Fatimites of
JEgypt contained 100,000 manuscripts,
splendidly bound. (Gibbon.)
The library of the Ommiades of Spain
contained 600,000 volumes, 44 of which
were catalogues. (Gibbon.)
There were seventy public libraries in
the kingdom of Andalu'sia. . (Gibbon.) '
When the monastery of Croydon was
burnt, in 1091, its library consisted of
900 volumes, 300 of which were very
large. (Ingulphus.) - . . . .
* Modern. The British Museum library
contains above 32 miles of book-shelves,
1,250,000 volumes, and 89,000 MSS.
Some 40,000 additions are made yearly.
The Bibliothèque Nationale of Paris,
founded by Louis XIV., is the largest
library in the world. It contains above
1,400,000 volumes, 500,000 pamphlets,
175,000, manuscripts, 300,000 maps and
charts, 150,000 coins and medals, 1,400,000
engravings, contained in 10,000 volumes,
and 100,000 portraits.
The Impériale, France, contains about
600,000 books, 500,000 pamphlets, and -
85,000 manuscripts.
The Munich Library contains about
600,000 books and 10,000 manuscripts.
libraries will be found in Disraeli's Curiosities of
The Imperial Library of Russia, about
650,000 books and 21,000 manuscripts. .
The Copenhagen Library, about
500,000 books and 15,000 manuscripts.
Lib'ya. Africa, or all the north of
Africa between Egypt and the Atlantic
Ocean. It was the Greek, name for
Africa in general. The Romans used
the word sometimes as synonymous with
Africa, and sometimes for the fringe
containing Carthage. - . . .
Licen'tiate (4 Syl.) One who has a
licence to practise some art or faculty,
as a licentiate of medicine. ...
Lich. A dead body. (Anglo-Saxon,
lic ; German, leiche.) ..
Lich-field, in Staffordshire. The field
of the dead, i.e. of the martyred Chris-
tians. . . . -
Lich-fowls. Birds thatfeed on carrion,
as night-ravens, etc. . .
Lich-gate. The shed or covered place
at the entrance of churchyards, intended
to afford shelter to the coffin and mourn-
ers, while they wait for the clergyman
to conduct the cortège into the church.
Lich-owl. The screech-owl, supersti-
tiously supposed to foretell death.
Lich-wake or Lyke-wake. The funeral
feast or the waking of a corpse, i.e.
watching it all night. . . . . . . . . . .
Lich-way. The path by which a
funeral is conveyed to church, which not
unfrequently deviates from the ordinary
road. It was long supposed that wher-
ever a dead body passed became a public
thoroughfare. - . .
Lichten. Belonging to the lich-
ground or cemetery. In Chichester, just
outside the city walls on the east, are
what the common people call the lightnen
or liten schools, a corruption of lichten
schools, so termed because they stand on
a part of the ancient Saxon lich-acre.
The spelling usually adopted for these
schools is “litten.” - ..."
Lick, as I licked him. I flogged or
beat him. (Welsh, llach, a slap, verb
llachian ; Anglo-Saxon, slic-an, to
strike, or slick.) . . .
Lick into Shape (To).
According
to tradition the cubs of bears are cast
shapeless, and remain so till the dam has
licked them into proper form. . .
“So watchful Bruin forms, with plastic ºre,
: Each growing lump, andlºrings it to a hear.
I'ope: Dunciad, i.jøl.
Lick the Dust
7
ºw
Q
1. Liebenstein
Lick the Dust (To).
Battle.
“His enemies shall lick the dust.”— Psalm
lxxii, 9.
Licks the Butter. The very dogs re-
fused to lick the butter from his forehead.
Defore the dead body of a Parsee is re-
moved from the house, the forehead is
smeared with clarified butter or ghee,
and the dogs of the house are admitted.
If the dog or dogs lick the butter, it is a
good omen; if not, it signifies perdition.
Lickspittle (A). A servile toady.
“His heart too great, though fortune little,
To lick a rascal Statesman's Spittle.” Swift.
Lictors. Binders (Latin, ligo, to bind
or tie). These Roman officers were so
called because they bound the hands and
feet of criminals before they executed
the sentence of the law. (Aulus Gellints.)
“The lictors at that Word, tall yeon.on all and
Strong. . .
ICach With his axe and
down into the throng.
Macaulay : J'irginia.
Lid. Anglo-Saxon, hlid, Dutch and
i)anish, lid. “Close ’’ is the Latin
supine clus-um.
Lidskial'fa, [the terror of nations].
The throne of Alfader, whence he can
view the whole universe. (Scandinavian
Anythology.)
Lie. (Anglo-Saxon, lige, a falsehood.)
Pather of lies. Satan (John viii. 44).
The greatest lie. The four P's (a
Palmer, a Pardoner, a Poticary, and a
Redlar) disputed as to which could tell
the greatest lie. The Palmer said he had
never seen a woman out of patience;
whereupon the other three P's threw up
the sponge, saying such a falsehood
could not possibly be outdone. (Hey-
wood : The Four P’s.)
JWhite lies. (See WHITE.)
Lie Circumstantial (The) or The lie
with circumstance. Sir, if you said so, it
was a lie. As Touchstone says, this in-
sult is voidable by this means—“If you
said so, I said it was a lie,” but the word
“if”, makes the insult hypothetical.
To fall in
sheaf of twigs, went
This is the lie direct in the second degree
or once removed. (See CounterCHECK.)
Lie Direct (The). Sir, that’s a lie.
You are a liar. This is an offence no
gentleman can take.
“One day as I was walking, with my customary
Swagger,
Says a fellow to me, ‘Pistol, you're a coward,
though a bragger.'.
Now, this was an indignity no gentleman could
take, Sir ;
So I told him flat
- and plump, “You lie—(under
a mistake, Sir).”
Lie Quarrelsome (The). To tell
one flat and plump “You lie.” Touch-
stone calls this “ the countercheck
quarrelsome.” -
“If again [the fifth time] it was not well cut, he
would say I lied : this is called the countercheck
quarrelsome.’”—Shakespeare: As You Like It, Y. 4.
Lie hath no Feet (A). Because it
cannot stand alone. In fact, a lie wants
twenty others to support it, and even
then is in constant danger of tripping.
Lie. (Anglo-Saxon, liegan, to 'bide or
rest; but lie, to deceive, is the Anglo-
Saxon verb leåg-an.)
“Lie heavy on him, earth, for he
Laid many a heavy load on thee.
This is part of Dr. Evans's epitaph on
Sir John Vanbrugh, the comic poet,
herald, and architect. The ‘‘heavy
loads” referred to were Blenheim, Green-
wich Hospital (which he finished), Castle
Howard in Yorkshire, and other massive
buildings. (1666–1726.)
Lie Low (To). To conceal oneself
or one’s intentions.
“All this While Brer Rabbit lay low.”— Uncle
!????tS.
Iče
Lie Over (To). To be deferred ; as,
this question must lie over till next
sessions.
Lie-to (To). To stop the progress of
a vessel at sea by reducing the sails and
counterbracing the yards; to cease from
doing something. A nautical phrase.
“We nºw ran plump into a fog, and were obliged
to lie-to.”—Lord Dufferin. -
Lie Up (To). To refrain from work;
to rest. -
Lie at the Catch (To). Thus Talka-
tive says to Faithful, “You lie at the
catch, I perceive.” To which Faithful
replies, “No, not I; I am only for
setting things right.” “To lie at the
catch,” or lie on the catch, is to lie in
wait or to lay a trap to catch one.
Lie in State (To). “Etre couché sur
wn lit de parade.” . A dead body dis-
played to the general public. -
Lie on Hand (To). To remain un-
sold. “Rester depuis longtemps en main.”
Lie to One's Work (To). To work
energetically. -
Lie with One's Fathers (To). To
be buried in one’s native place. “I'eposer
avec ses pères.”
“I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt
carry me Out Of Egypt.”—Genesis Xlvii. 30. -
Liebenstein and Sternfels. Two
ruined castles of the Rhine. According
to tradition, Ileoline, the orphan, was
Tiege
--
the sole surviving child of the lord of
Liebenstein ; and two brothers, named
Warbeck and Otho, were the surviving
children of the lord of Sternfels. Both
the brothers fell in love with Leoline ;
but, as Leoline gave the preference to
Otho, Warbeck joined the Crusades. A
Templar in time persuaded Otho to do
the same ; but, the war being over, Otho
stayed at Constantinople, where he fell
in love with a Greek, whom he brought
home for his bride. Leoline retired to
the adjacent convent of Bornhofen.
Warbeck defied his brother to single
combat for this insult to his betrothed ;
but Leoline with the nuns interposed to
prevent the fight. The Greek wife, in
time, eloped with one of the inmates of
Sternfels, and Otho died childless. A
band of robbers broke into the convent ;
|but Warbeck armed in its defence. He
repelled the robbers, but received his
death-wound, and died in the lap of
Leoline; thus passed away the last lord
of Liebenstein. (Traditions of the Rhine.)
Liege. The word means one bound,
a bondsman (Latin, ligo, to bind); hence,
vassals were called liege-mem—i.e. men
bound to serve their lord. The lord was
called the liege-lord, being bound to
protect the vassals. -
“Unarmed and bareheaded, on his knees, and
with his hands placed between those of his lord,
he [the military tenant] repeated these words:
* Hear, my lord, I have become your liegeman of
life and limb, and earthly worship ; and faith and
truth I will bear to you to live and die.”—Lim-
gard : History of England, Vol. ii. Clap. i. p. 27.
Li'en. A bond. (Latin, liga'men).
Legally, a bond on goods for a debt; a
right to retain goods in a creditor’s
hands till he has satisfied a legal claim
for debt. -
Liesse (2 syl.). Abbé de Liesse or
Abbas Jetitia. The French term for the
“Boy Bishop,” or “Abbot of Unrea-
son.” (See ABBOT.)
Lieutenant (pronounce lef-ten'-unt)
is the Latin locum-temens, through the
French. A Lieutenant-Colonel is the
Colonel's deputy. The Lord-Lieutenant
of Ireland is a viceroy who represents
the crown in that country.
Life. (Anglo-Saxon, lif.)
Draw” from life. Drawn or described
from some existing person or object.
For life. As long as life continues.
For the life of me. True as I am alive.
Even if my life depended on it. A strong
asSeveration.
“Nor could I, for the life of me, see how the
creation of the world had anything to do with
what I was talking about,”—Goldsmith : Vicar of
Wakefield.
^.
752
Tift up
Is life worth living 3 Schopenhauer
decides in the negative. In the “fune-
ral service” we are taught to thank God
for delivering the deceased “out of the
miseries of this sinful life.” On the
other hand, we are told that Jesus called
Lazarus from the grave, not by way of
punishment, but quite the contrary,
. “On days like this, one feels that Schopenl’arrr
is wrong after, all, and that life is sºmet himg
really worth living for.”—Grant Allem : The ('unate
of Chº?'72Side.
Large as life. Of the same size as the
object represented.
On my life. I will answer for it ly
my life; as, “Il le fera j'en répondes stºr
Ama vie.”
To bear a charmed life. To cscape
accidents in a marvellous manner.
To know life. In French, “Savoir pirre”
—that is, “Savoir ce que e'est ſºle de
vivre.” “Not to know life,” is the
contrary—‘‘Ne Savoir pas ce que cºest
que de vivre.”
To the life. In exact imitation.
“Done to the life.” “Faire le portra, t
de quelqu'un all nature!” (or) “ d'après
%ature.”
Life-boat (A). A boat rendered
especially buoyant for the purpose of
saving those who are in peril of their
life at sea.
Life-buoy (A). A float to sustain
two or more persons in danger of being
drowned at sea.
Life-Guards. Two senior regiments
of the mounted body-guard, comprising
878 men, all six feet high ; hence, a fine,
tall, manly fellow is called “a regular
Life-guardsman.” -
Life Policy (A). An assurance to be
paid after the death of the person.
Life Preserver (A). A buoyant
jacket, belt, or other appliance, to sup-
ort the human body in water ; also a
oaded staff or knuckle-duster for self-
defence.
Lift. To have one at a lift is to have
one in your power. When a wrestler
has his antagonist in his hands and lifts
him from the ground, he has him “at a
lift,” or in his power.
“‘Sirra, says he, “I have you at a lift.
Now you are come unto your latest shift.’”
... " I’ercy : Ireliques; Guy and Amarant.
Lift not up your Horn on High.
(Psalm lxxv, 5.) Do not behave scorn-
fully, maliciously, or arrogantly. (See
under HoRN.)
Lift up the Heel against Me (To).
To kick me (physically or morally); to
I ſift; up 7
3 Light
treat with contumely or contempt: to
oppose, to become an enemy. As an
unruly horse kicks the master who trusts
and feeds him. -
“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I
trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted
his heel against me.”—Psalm Xli. 9.
Lift up the Voice (To). To shout or
cry aloud; to utter a cry of joy or
of sorrow.
“Saul lifted up his voice and wept.”—l Sam.
X Xi V. 16. -
Lifted up. Put to death; to raise on
a cross or gibbet.
“When ye have lifted up the Son of Man, then
shall ye know that I am He.”—John Wiii. 28.
Lifter. A thief. We still call one
who plunders shops a “shop-lifter.”
“Is he so young a man, and so old a lifter 2''
Shakespeare : Troilus and Cressida, i. 2.
Lifting (The). In Scotland means
lifting the coffin on the shoulders of the
bearers. Certain ceremonies preceded
the funeral. -
“When at the funeral of an ordinary husband-
man, one o'clock was named as the hour for ‘lift-
ing,", the party began to assemble two hours
previously.”—Saladim : Agnostic Journal, Jan. 14,
1893, p. 27.
At the first service were offered meat
and ale; at the second, shortbread and
whisky; at the third, seed-cake and
wine; at the fourth, currant-bun and
rum ; at the last, Sugar-biscuits and
brandy.
Lifting, or Lifting the Little Fin-
ger. Tippling. In holding a beaker or
glass, most persons stick out or lift up
the little finger. “Lifting ” is a con-
tracted form of the full phrase.
Ligan. Goods thrown overboard,
but tied to a cork or buoy in order to be
found again.
hind.)
* Flotsam. The débris of a wreck
which floats on the surface of the sea,
and is often washed ashore. (Latin
flotare, to float.) .
Jetson or jetsam. Goods thrown over-
board in a storm to lighten the vessel.
(Latin jacére, to cast forth, through the
French jeter.) *
Light. Life. Othello says, “Put out
the light and then put out the light.”
In May, 1886, Abraham Harper, a mar-
ket-gardener, of Oxford, hit his wife in
the face, and threatened to “put her
light out,” for which he was fined 5s.
and costs. (Truth, May 20th, 1886.)
Light. Graces, *
“the candle of the Lord,” the “lamp of
(Latin ligāre, to tie or
holiness. Called
God,” as, “The spirit of man is the
lamp of the Lord.” (Prov. xx. 27.)
“Let your light so shine before men that they
may see your good works.”—Matt. V. 16.
To stand in one's own light. To act in
such a way as to hinder advancement.
“He stands in his own light through nervous
fear.”—The Leisure Hour, 1886.
Light Comedian (A), in theatrical
parlance, is one who performs in what
is called legitimate comedy, but is very
different to the “low comedian,” who is
a farceur. Orlando, in As You Like It,
might be taken by a “light comedian,”
but not by a “low comedian.” Tony
Lumpkin and Paul Pry are parts for a
“low comedian,” but not for a “light
comedian.”
Light Horsemen. Those who live
by plunder by night. Those who live
by plunder in the daytime are Heavy
Pſorsemen. These horsemen take what
they can crib aboard ship, such as coffee-
beans, which they call pease ; sugar,
which they call sand ; rum, which they
called vinegar, and so on. The broker
who buys these stolen goods and asks no
questions is called a fence. (See Captain
Marryat : Poor Jack, chap. xviii.)
Light Troops, i.e. light cavalry,
meaning Lancers and Hussars, who are
neither such large men as the “Heavies,”
nor yet so tall. (See LIGHT-ARMED
ARTILLERY.) .
Light-armed Artillery. The Royal
Horse Artillery. The heavy artillery
are the garrison artillery. . . .
Light as a Feather. (See SIMILES.)
Light-fingered Gentry (The). Pick-
pockets and shop-lifters. -
Light Gains make a heavy Purse.
Small profits and a quick return, is the
best way of gaining wealth. French,
“Le petit gain remplit la bourse; ”
Italian, “I getadagni mediocri empiono (a
boysa.”
Light of One's Countenance (The).
The blight smile of approbation and
love. . ,
“Lift up the light of Thy countenance on us.”—
Psakhl iv. 6. - * , -, * *
Light of the Age. Maimon'idés or
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, of Cor'dova.
(1135-1204). . -
Light of the Harem. The Sultana,
Nourmahal', afterwards called Nour-
jehan (Light of the World). She was
the bride of Selim. (Thomas Moore :
Lalla Rookh.)
48
Tighthouse
7
w
C)
4
* T ilis
Lighthouse. The most celebrated of
antiquity was the one erected by Ptolemy
Soter in the island of Pharos, opposite
Alexandria. Josephus says it could be
seen at the distance of 42 miles. It was
one of the “seven wonders” of the
ancient world.
Of modern lighthouses the most famous
are the Eddystone, 14 miles S.W. of Ply-
mouth Sound ; the Tour de Corduan, at
the entrance of the Gironde, in France ;
and the Bell Rock, which is opposite the
Trith of Tay. .
The largest lighthouses are:—(1) The
lighthouse at Hell Gate in New York,
250 feet high, with 9 electric lamps of
6,000 candle-power each. (2) The Bar-
tholdi Statue of Liberty, in New York
harbour, 220 feet high. (3) One in
SGenoa, Italy, 210 feet in height. (4)
Cape Hatteras Light, which is 189 feet
high. (5) Eddystone Lighthouse is 85
feet high, and lights a radius of 17 miles.
Lightning [Parcaj. Hamilcar of
Carthage was called “Barca,” both on
account of the rapidity of his march and
also for the severity of his attacks. (B.C.
247–228.)
Chain lightning. Two or more flashes of light-
ning repeated without intermission.
Porked lightning. Zig-zag lightning
Giobilia; iightning. A meteoric hail [of fire],
which sometimes falls on the earth and flies off
with an explosion.
Lightning Conductor. A metal rod
raised above a building with one end in
the earth, to carry off the lightning and
prevent its injuring the building. -
'. It must be pointed at the top extremity to
ensure a quiet discharge. -
Lightning Preservers. The most
approved classical preservatives against
lightning were the eagle, the sea-calf,
and the laurel. Jupiter chose the first,
Augustus Caesar the second, and Tiberius
the third. (Columella, x. ; Sueton. in
Wit. Aug., xc, ; ditto in Vit. Tib., lxix.)
(See HousB-LEEK.) - -
* Bodies scathed and persons struck
dead by lightning were said to be incor-
ruptible; and anyone so distinguished
was held by the ancients in great honour.
(J. C. Bullenger : De Terrae Motu, etc.,
v. 11.)
Lightning Proof. A building pro-
tected by lightning conductors (one or
mere).
Lightning Rod (A).
NING CONDUCTOR.)
(See LIGHT-
Liguo'rians. A congregation of mis-
sionary priests called also Redemptorists,
founded in 1732, by St. Alphonsus
logy).
Liguo'ri. Their object is the religious
instruction of the people, and the reform
of public morality. :
Ligurian Arts. Deception, trickery.
Ligurian Republic (The). Venetia,
Genoa, and a part of Sardinia, tied up
in one bundle by Napoleon I. in 1797,
and bound with a constitution similar to
that of the French “Directory,” so called
from Ligu'ria, pretty well commensurate
with these districts. It no longer exists.
Ligurian Sage (The). Aulus Persius
Flaccus, born at Volaterræ, in Etruria,
according to ancient authors; and at
Lunae Portus, in Liguria, according to
some modern authorities. (A.D. 34-62.)
(See Satires, vi. 6.) -- -
Lilburn Shawl. The name of a
place in Wensleydale, Yorkshire. Shawl
is shaw, a hill; shaw” - shaw-hill. -
Lilburne. ... If no one else were alive,
John would quarrel with Lilburne. John
Lilburne was a contentious Leveller in
the Commonwealth; so rancorous against
rank that he could never satisfy himself
that any two persons were exactly on
the same level. (See LAWSUITs.)
“Is Jobn departed 2 and is Lilburne gone?
Farewell to both—to Lilburne and to John.
Yet, being gone, take this advice from me:
Let them not both in one grave buried be.
Here lay-ye John, lay Lillyurne thereabout :
För if they both sho
out.”
Lil'inau was wooed by a phantom
that lived in her father's pines. At
nightfall the phantom whispered love,
and won the fair Lilinau, who followed
uld méet, they would fall
JEpigranmmatic Epitaph.
his green waving plume through the
forest, and was never
seen again.
(American-Indian tradition.) -
Li'lis or Li'lith (Rabbinical mytho-
The Talmudists say that Adam
had a wife before Eve, whose name was
Lilis. Refusing to submit to Adam, she
left Paradise for a region of the air.
She still haunts the night as a spectre,
and is especially hostile to new-born
| infants.
Some superstitious Jews still
put in the chamber oceupied by their
wife four coins, with labels on which the
names of Adam and Eve are inscribed,
with the words, “Avaunt thee, Lilith !”
Goethe has introduced her in his Faust.
(See LAMIA.) -
“It was Lilith, the wife of Adam . . .
. . . Not a drop of her blood was human, ,
. But she was made like a soft Sweet woman.”
D. G. Rossetti: Eden Bower.
* The fable of Lilis or Lilith was in-
wented to reconcile Gen. i. with Gen. ii.
Genesis. i. represents the simultaneous
Lilli-Burlero
75
5
Tuimbo
- * * - - - - - -
creation of man and woman out of the
earth ; but Genesis ii. represents that
Adam was alone, and Eve was made out
of a rib, and was given to Adam as a
helpmeet for him. -
Lilli-Burie'ro or Lilli-Bulle'ro and
Bullen-a-lah. Said to have been the
words of distinction used by the Irish
Papists in their massacres of the Pro-
testants in 1641. A song with the re-
frain of “Lilli-burlero, bullen-a-la | ?”
was written by Lord Wharton, which
had a more powerful effect than the
philippics of either Demosthenès or
Cicero, and contributed not a little to
the great revolution of 1688. Burnet
says, “It made an impression on the
[king's] army that cannot be imagined.
. . . The whole army, and at last the
people, both in city and country, were
singing it perpetually . . . never had so
slight a thing so great an effect.” The
Song is in Percy's Reliques of Ancient
Jºnglish Poetry, series ii. bk. 3. (See
Sterne : Thristram Shandy, chap. ii.)
“Lilli bullero, lilli bullero bullen a la,
Lero Iero, lilli bullero, Jero lero bullen a la,
Lero lero, lilli bullero, lcro lero bullen a la.”
Mr. Chappell attributes the air to
Henry Purcell.
Lilliput. The country of pigmies
called “Lilliputians,” to whom Gulliver
was a giant. (Swift: Gulliver’s Travels.)
Lily (The). There is a tradition that
the lily sprang from the repentant tears
of Eve as she went forth from Paradise.
Lily in Christian art is an emblem of
chastify, innocence, and purity. In pic-
tures of the Annunciation, Gabriel is
sometimes represented as carrying a
lily-branch, while a vase containing a
lily stands before the Virgin, who is
kneeling in prayer. St. Joseph holds
a lily-branch in his hand, to show that
his wife Mary was always the virgin.
Lily. (Emblem of France.) Tasso,
in his Jerusalem Delivered, terms the
French Gigli d'oro (golden lilies). It is
said the people were commonly called
Liliarts, and the kingdom Lilium in the
time of Philippe le Bel, Charles VIII.,
and Louis XII. They were so called
from the fleur-de-lys, the emblem of
France. . . "
“I saw my country's lily torn.”
Bloomfield. (A Frenchman is speaking.)
“The burghers of Ghent were bound by solemn
oath not to make war upon the lilies.”—Milling-
$om : Heraldry, i. - -
Lily of France. The device of Clovis
was three black toads, but an aged her-
mit of Joye-en-valle saw a miraculous
light stream one night into his cell, and
an angel appeared to him holding a
shield of wonderful beauty; its colour
was azure, and on it were emblazoned
three gold lilies that shone like stars,
which the hermit was commanded to
give to Queen Clotilde. Scarcely had
the angel vanished when Clotilde entered,
and, receiving the celestial shield, gave
it to her royal husband, whose arms
were everywhere victorious. (See Les
Petits Bollandistes, vol. vi. p. 426.)
“Un hermite apporta, à la ditte royne Yn drap
d’azur à Trois Flev]'s de Lis d'or, que l'ange luy
auoit donnee et le deliura, la, ditte royne a son
mary le roy Clovis pour le porter commié ses armes
en lieu qu’il leg portoit d'or a trois crapa YZ de
Sable.”—Chifflet.
* The kings of France were called
“Lords of the Silver Lilies.”
* Florence is called “The City of
Lilies.”
Lily of the Valley. The Conval-
lăria majâlis (the May valley plant);
one of the species is Solomon’s seal.
It is by no means the case that the
Convallaria grow only in valleys, al-
though they prefer shady places.
This is not the lily (Matt. vi. 28) which is
said to excel “Solomon in all his glory.” The
Lilium Candidum is the flower alluded to by our
Lord ; a tall majestic plant, common in Palesting,
and known by its as the Garden Lily. It is hell-
shaped, with white petals, and gold.cn yellow
stamens. Jahn (Archaeologia Biblica, p. 125) tells
us that “at festivals the rich and powerful robed
themselves in white cotton, which WaS considered
the most splendid dress.’”
Lily Maid of Astolat. (See ELAIN.E.)
Lim Hay. Lick it up like Lim hay.
Lim, on the Mersey, is famous for its
excellent hay.
Limb. To tear limb from Warburton.
Lymm cum Warburton forms one rec-
tory in Cheshire. The play is on limb
and Lymm.
Limb of the Law (A).
a clerk articled to a lawyer.
A lawyer, or
The hands
are limbs of the body, and the lawyer's
clerks are his hands to copy out what the
head of the office directs.
Limberham. A tame, foolish keeper.
The character is in Dryden’s comedy of
Limberham, or the Kind Keeper, and is
supposed to satirise the Duke of Lau-
derdale.
Limbo. A waste-basket; a place
where things are stowed, too good to
destroy but not good enough to use. In
School theology unbaptised infants and
good heathens go to Limbo. (Latin,
limbus, the edge.) They cannot go to
heaven, because they are not baptised,
and they cannot go to the place of tor-
ment, because they have not committed
Limbus
756
Tincolnshire
sin at all, or because their good prepon-
derates. (See Milton : Paradise Lost,
bk. iii.) (See ARAF.)
In limbo. Go to limbo — that is,
prison.
Limbus, preceded by in or to becomes
limbo—as, in limbo, to limbo. Occa-
sionally, limbo stands for limbus.
Limbus Fatuo'rum. The Limbus
of Fools, or Fool’s Paradise. As fools
are not responsible for their works, they
are not punished in Purgatory, but can-
not be received into Heaven ; so they go
to a place called the Paradise of Fools.
“Then might you see
Cowls, hoods, and habits, with their wearers
toSSe(l w -
And fluttered into rags ; then relics, beads,
Indulgences, dispenses, pardons, bulls,
The sport of winds. All these, lipwhirled aloft,
Into a Limbo large and broad, since called
The Paradise Of Fools.” - - -
- Milton : Paradise Lost, book iii. 489-95.
* One cannot wonder that Milton’s
great poem was placed by the Catholics
in the Index of books forbidden.
Limbus Patrum. The half-way
house between earth and heaven, where
the patriarchs and prophets, after death,
await the coming of Messiah. Accord-
ing to the Roman Catholic notion, this
is the “hell,” or hadès, into which Jesus
Christ descended after He gave up the
ghost on the cross. Limbo, and some-
times Limbo patrum, is used for “quod,”
jail, confinement.
“I have some of them in limbo patrum, and
there they are like to dance these three days.”—
Shakespeare: Henry VIII., W. 4.
Limbus Puero/rum. The Child’s
Paradise, for children who die before
they are responsible for their actions.
Limbus of the Moon. In the limbo
of the moon. Ariosto (in his Orlando
JFurioso, xxxiv. 70) says, in the moon are
treasured up such stores as these : Time
misspent in play, all vain efforts, all
vows never paid, all intentions which
lead to nothing, the vanity of titles,
flattery, the promises of princes, death-
bed alms, and other like vanities.
“There heroes' wits are kept in ponderous vases,
And beaux’ in Snuff-boxes and tweezer-cases :
There broken WOWS and death-bed alms are
found, -
And lovers' hearts with ends of ribbon bound ;
The courtier's promises and sick man's prayers,
The smiles of harlots, and the tears of heirs.”
Pope : Rape of the Lock, 115-120.
Lime Street, London. The place
where, in former times, lime was sold in
public market. It gives its name to one
of the wards of London.
Limited Liability. The liability of
a shareholder in a company only for a
the shares he has subscribed for.
- artist.
fixed amount, generally the amount of
The
Limited Liability Act was passed 1855.
Limner. A drawer, a painter, an
A contraction of illuminator, or
rather lºtmemier (one who illuminates
manuscripts).
“The limner, or illuminer . . . throws us back
On a time When the illumination of MSS. was a
leading occupation of the painter.”—Trench : On
the Study of Words, lecture iv. p. 171.
Limp. Tormed of the initial letters
of Louis (XIV.), James, Mary, Prince
(of Wales). A Jacobite toast in the time
of William III. (See NoTARICA.)
Lina. The Goddess Flax.
“Inventress of the woof, fair Lina flings
The flying shuttle through the dancing strings.”
Darwin : Loves of the Plants, canto ii.
Lincoln. A contraction of Lindum-
colonia. Lindum was an old British
town, called Llyn-dune (the fen-town).
If we had not known the Latin name,
we should have given the etymology
Llyn-collyme (the fen-hill, or hill near the
pool), as the old city was on a hill.
The devil looks over Lincoln. (See
DEVIL)
Lincoln College (Oxford). Founded
by Richard Fleming in 1427), and com-
pleted by Rotherham, Bishop of Lin-
coln, in 1479.
Lincoln Green. Lincoln, at One
time, was noted for its green, Coventry
for its blue, and Yorkshire for its grey.
(See KENDAL GREEN.)
“And girls in Ilincoln green,”
I) rayton : Polyolbion, xxv.
Ralstaff speaks of Kendal Green
(Westmoreland), 1 Hen. IV., ii. 4.)
“Here be a sort of ragged knaves come in, (
Clothed all in Kendale green.” * *
- Plays of Robyn Hood. '
Lincoln's Inn. One of the fashion-
able theatres in the reign of Charles II.
Lincoln's Inn Fields, London.
Henry Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, built an
inn (mansion) here in the 14th century.
The ground belonged to the Black Friars,
but was granted by Edward I. to Lacy.
Later, one of the bishops of Chichester,
in thereign of Henry VII., granted leases
here to certain students of law. -
Lincolnshire Bagpipes. The croak-
ing of frogs in the Lincolnshire fens.
We have Cambridgeshire nightingales,
meaning frogs; fen nightingales, the
Liège nightingale. In a somewhat simi-
lar way asses are called “Arcadian
nightingales.”
“ Melancholy as , , , the drone of a Lincoln-
shire iagpipe.”—Shakespeare : 1 Ilem, I W., i. 2. '
Tindabrides
Lindab'rides. A heroine in The
Mirror of Knighthood, whose name at
one time was a synonym for a kept
mistress, in which sense it was used by
Scott, Kenilworth and Woodstock.
Linden Tree (A). Baucis was con-
verted into a linden tree. Philémon and
Baucis were poor cottagers of Phrygia,
who entertained Jupiter so hospitably
that he promised to grant them whatever
request they made. They asked that
both might die together, and it was so.
At death Philémon became an oak and
Baucis a linden tree. Their branches
intertwined at the top.
Lindor. A poetic swain of the Cor'y-
don type, a lover en bergère.
“I)o not, for hoaven's sake, bring down Corydon
and Lindor upon us.”—Sir Walter Scott.
Line. Trade, business.
What line are you in 2 What trade or
profession are you of P
line '’.—i.e. the book trade. This is a
Scripture phrase. “The lines have fallen
to me in pleasant places, yea, I have a
goodly heritage.” The allusion is to
drawing a line to mark out the lot of
each tribe, hence line became the syno-
nym of lot, and lot means position or
destiny; and hence a calling, trade, or
profession. Commercial travellers use
the word frequently to signify the sort.
of goods which they have to dispose of:
as, one travels “in the hardware line,”
another “in the drapery line,” or
“grocery line,” etc.
Line (The). The equator. (See
CROSSING THE LINE.)
The deep-sea line. A long line marked
at every five fathoms, for sounding the
depth of the sea.
The line. All regiments of infantry
except the foot-guards, the rifle brigade,
the marines, the militia, and the volun-
teers.
Line a Day (A). (“Nulla dies sine
Čižmeå.”) Apelles the artist said he never
passed a day without doing at least one
line, and to this steady industry he owed
his great success.
Line of Battle. The order of troops
drawn up so as to present a battle-front.
There are three lines—the van, the main
body, and the rear. A fleet drawn up
in line of battle is so arranged that the
ships are ahead and astern of each other
at stated distances.
All along the line, in every particular.
The reference is to line of soldiers.
“The accuracy of the Statement is contested
all along the line by perSons on the Spot,”—W. E.,
Gladstome (Newspaper report).
757
“In the book .
Iline upon Line
To break the enemy's line is to derange
their order of battle, and so put them to
confusion.
Line of Beauty, according to Ho-
garth, is a curve thus > 2 TN. Mengs
was of the same opinion, but thought it
should be more serpentine. Of course,
these fancies are not tenable, for the line
which may be beautiful for one objecs
would be hideous in another. What
would Hogarth have said to a nose or
mouth which followed his line of beauty P
Line of Communication, or rather
Lines of Communication, are trenches
made to continue and preserve a safe
correspondence between two forts, or
two approaches to a besieged city, or
between two parts of the same army,
in order that they may co-operate with
each other.
Line of Demarcation. The line
which divides the territories of different
proprietors. The space between two
opposite doctrines, opinions, rules of
conduct, etc. -
Line of Direction. The line in
which a body moves, a force acts, or
motion is communicated. In order that
a body may stand without falling, a line
let down from the centre of gravity
must fall within the base on which the
object stands. Thus the leaning tower
of Pisa does not fall, because this rule is
preserved.
Line of Life (The). In French, La
ligne de vie. So also, line of duty, La
ligne du devoir, etc. In palmistry, the
crease in the left hand beginning above
the web of the thumb, and running
towards or up to the wrist is so called.
The nearer it approaches the wrist the longer
will be the life, according to palm-lorists. If long
and deeply marked, it indicates long life with
very little trouble ; if, crossed or cut with other
marks, it indicates sickness.
Time of March. The ground from
point to point over which an army
InOWeS.
Line of Operation (The) in war.
The line between the base of opera-
tion (q.v.) and the object aimed at.
Thus, if a fleet is the base and the siege
of a city is the object aimed at, the line
of operation is that drawn from the fleet
to the city. If a well-fortified spot is
the base and a battle the object, the line
of operation is that which lies between
the fortified spot and the battle-field.
Line upon Line. Admonition or
instruction repeated little by little (a
line at a time). Apellès said “Mulla dies
Tines - ;
jº
{)
8 Tuinspe
sine lined.” A drawing is line upon
line, an edifice is brick upon brick or
stone upon stone. -
“Line upon line, line upon line, here a little and
there a little.”—ISaiah xxviii. 10.
Lines. The lines have fallen to me in
pleasant places. The part allotted to me
and measured off by a measuring line.
(Palms xvi. 6.) -
JHard lines. Harsh restrictions. Here
lines means an allotment measured out.
To read between the lines. To discern
the secret meaning. One method of
cryptography is to write in alternate
lines; if read line by line, the meaning
of the writer is reversed or wholly mis-
understood. Thus lines 2, 4, 6 of the
following cryptogram would convey the
warning to Lord Monteagle of the Gun-
powder Plot.
“My lord, having just returned from Paris,
(2) stay away from the house to-night
(4) and give me the pleasure of your company.
for God and man have concurred to punish
those who pay not regard to their health,
2,1\
(6) - the wickedness of the time
..." adds greatly to its Wear and tear.”
Linen Goods. In 1721 a statute was
passed imposing a penalty of £5 upon
the wearer, and £20 upon the seller of, a
piece of calico. Fifteen years later this
statute was so far modified that calicoes
manufactured in Great Britain were
allowed, “provided the warp thereof
was entirely of linen yarn.” In 1774 a
statute was passed allowing printed cot-
ton goods to be used on the payment of
threepence a yard duty; in 1806 the
duty was raised to threepence halfpenny.
This was done to prevent the use of
calicoes from interfering with the de-
mand for linen and woollen stuffs. The
law for burying in woollen was of a
similar character. The following ex-
tracts from a London news-letter, dated
August 2nd, 1768, are curious. [Note—
chintz is simply printed calico.]
* “Yesterday three tradesmen's wives of this city
were convicted before the Rt. Hon, the Lord
Mayor for Wearing chintz gowns on Sunday last,
and each of them was fined £5. These make eighty
who have been convicted of the alloye offence
within twelve months past . . . . There were
several ladies in St. James's Park on the same
day with chintz gowns on, but the persons who
gave informas of the above three were not able
to discover their names or plages of abode. . . . .
Yesterday a waggon loaded with £2,000 worth of
chintz was seized at Dartford in Kent by some
custom-house officers. Two post-chaises loaded
with the same commodity got off with their goods
by Swiftness of driving.”
Lingo. Talk, language. A corrup-
tion of lingua.
Lingua Franca. A species of cor-
rupt Italian spoken on the coasts of the
Mediterranean. The Franks' language
mixed with the Italian.
t
Lining of the Pocket. Money.
“My money is Spent : Can I he content
With pockets deprived of their lining 2*
The Lady's Decoy, or Mam Midwife's
Defence, 1738, p. 4.
When the great court tailor wished to
obtain the patronage of Beau Brummel,
he made him a present of a dress-coat
lined with bank-notes. Brummel wrote
a letter of thanks, stating that he quite
approved of the coat, and he especially
admired the lining.
Linnaean System. A system devised
by Linnaeus of Sweden, who arranged
his three kingdoms of animals, veget-
ables, and minerals into classes, orders,
genera, Species, and varieties, according
to certain characteristics.
Linne (The Heir of). The Lord of
Linne was a great spendthrift, “who
wasted his substance in riotous living.”
Having spent all, he sold his estates to
John o' the Scales, his steward, reserving
to himself only a “poor and lonesome
lodge in a lonely glen.” When he had
Squandered away the money received
for his estates, and found that no one
would lend or give him more, he retired
to the lodge in the glen, where he found
a rope with a running noose dangling
over his head. He put the rope round
his neck and sprang aloft, when lo! the
ceiling burst in twain, and he fell to the
ground. When he came to himself he
espied two chests of beaten gold, and a
third full of white money, and over
them was written, “Once more, my son,
I set thee clear; amend thy life, or a
rope at last must end it.” The heir of
Linne now returned to his old hall,
where he asked his quondam steward
for the loan of forty pence; this was
refused him. One of the guests proffered
the loan, and told John o' the Scales he
ought to have lent it, as he had bought
the estate cheap enough. “Cheap call
you it?” exclaimed John ; “why, he
shall have it back for 100 marks less.”
“Dome,” said the heir of Linne, and
counted out the money. He thus re-
covered his estates, and made the kind
guest his forester. (Percy. Reliques,
series ii. book 2.)
Linsey-woolsy Million (The). The
great unwashed. The artisan class, Sup-
posed to dress inlinsey-woolsy. “Broad-
cloth’’ being for the gentry.
“Truth needs not, John, the eloquence of oaths ;
Not more than a decent suit of clothes -
Requires of broad gold lace th' expensive glare,
That makes the linsey-Woolsy million stare.”
Peter Pinda?" - Silvanus Urba').
Linspe (French, 2 Syl.) means a
prince in slang or familiar usage. It
flion. 7
comes from the inspector or monitor of
the cathedral choir, called the Spé or the
Inspé (inspector), because he had to
superintend the rest of the boys.
Lion (as an agnomen).
ALP ARSLAN [the Valiant Lion], son of
Togrul Beg, the Perso-Turkish monarch.
(Reigned 1063-1072.) - -
Air was called The Lion of God for his
religious zeal and great courage. His
mother called him at birth Al Haïdara, .
the Rugged Lion. (A.D. 602, 655-661.)
ALI PASHA, called The Lion of Janina.
overthrown in 1822 by Ibrahim Pasha.
(1741, 1788-1822.)
ARíoch (fifth of the dynasty of Ninu,
the Assyrian), called Arioch Ellas'ar—
i.e. Arioch Melech al Asser, the Lion
Iſing of Assyria. (B.C. 1927-1897.)
DAMELOWIEZ, Prince of Haliez, who
founded Lemberg (Lion City) in 1259.
GUSTA'vus ADoIPHUS, called The Lion
of the Worth. (1594, 1611-1632.)
- HAMZA, called The Lion of God and of
IIis Prophet. So Gabriel told Mahomet
his uncle was enregistered in heaven.
HENRY, Duke of Bavaria and Saxony,
was called The Lion for his daring
courage. (1129-1195.) * ,
LOUIS VIII. Of France was called The
Lion because he was born under the sign
Leo. (1187, 1223–1226.) -
* RICHARD I. Coeur de Lion (Lion's
heart), so called for his bravery. (1157,
1189-1199.) - - -
WILLIAM of Scotland, so called because
he chose a red lion rampant for his cog-
nisance. (Reigned 1165-1214.) * -
* The Order of the Lion. A German
Order of civil merit, founded in 1815.
Lion (as an emblem). A lion is
emblem of the tribe of Judah ; Christ
is called “the lion of the tribe of Judah.”
“Judah is a lion's whelp : . . . he couched as a
lion, and as an old lion ; who shall rouse him
tl p?”—Genesis Xlix. 9. - -
A lion emblematic of St. Jerome. The
tale is, that while Jerome was lecturing
One day, a lion entered the schoolroom,
and lifted up one of its paws. All the
disciples fled; but Jerome, seeing that
the paw was wounded, drew out of
it a thorn and dressed the wound.
The lion, out of gratitude, showed a
wish to stay with its benefactor. Hence
Jerome is typified as a lion, or as accom-
panied by a lion. (Kenesman : Lives of
the Saints, p. 784.) . . . . .
“Androclus and the Lion.
a replica of the tale of ANDROC'LUs.
Androclus was a Roman slave, con-
demned to encounter a lion in the .
amphitheatre; but when the beast was
let loose it crouched at the feet of
This is
9. Lion
---
the slave and began licking them. The
circumstance naturally excited the cu-
riosity of the consul : and the slave,
being brought before him, told him the
following tale: “I was compelled by
cruel treatment to run away from your
service while in Africa, and one day I
took refuge in a cave from the heat of
the sun. While I was in the cave a lion
entered, limping, and evidently in great
pain. Seeing me, he held up his paw,
from which I extracted a large thorn.
We lived together in the cave for some
time, the lion catering for both of us.
At length I left the cave, was appre-
hended, brought to Rome, and con-
demned to encounter a lion in the
amphitheatre. My enemy was my old
friend, and he recognised me instantly.”
(A. Gellius: Noctes, v. 15.)
St. Gerasimus and the Lion. A
very similar tale is told of ST. GERAs-
IMUS (A.D. 475). One day, being on .
the banks of the Jordan, he saw a
lion coming to him, limping on three
feet. When it reached the saint, it held
up to him the right paw, from which
Gerasimus extracted a large thorn. The
grateful beast attached itself to the
saint, and followed him about as a dog. .
(Vies des Pères des Déserts d'Orient.)
Sir George Davis and the Lion. Sir
George Davis was English consul at
Florence at the beginning of the 19th
century. One day he went to see the
lions of the great Duke of Tuscany.
There was one which the keepers could
not tame; but no sooner did Sir George
appear than it manifested every symp-
tom of joy. Sir George entered its cage,
when the lion leaped on his shoulder,
licked his face, wagged its tail, and
fawned on him like a dog. Sir George
told the great duke that he had brought
up the creature ; but as it grew older it
became dangerous, and he sold it to a
Barbary captive. The duke said that he
had bought it of the very same man, and
the mystery was solved. -
Half a score of such tales are told by
the Bollandistes in the Acta Sanctôruan.
The lion an emblem of the resurrection.
According to tradition, the lion’s whelp
is born dead, and remains so for three
days, when the father breathes on it and
it receives life. Another tradition is
that the lion is the only animal of the
cat tribe born with its eyes open, and it
is said that it sleeps with its eyes open.
This is not strictly correct, but undoubt-
edly it sleeps watchfully and lightly. . . .
Mark the Evangelist is symbolised by
---------- Tuion.
a lion, because he begins his gospel with
the scenes of John the Baptist and Jesus
in the Wilderness. Matthew is sym-
bolised by a man, because he begins his
gospel with the humanity of Jesus, as a
descendant of David. Luke is symbol-
ised as a calf, because he begins his
gospel with the priest sacrificing in the
temple. John is symbolised by an eagle,
because he soars high, and begins his
gospel with the divinity of the Logos.
The four symbols are those of Ezekiel's
cherubim.
The American lion. The puma.
A Cotswold lion. A sheep.
Lion (grateful for kindness):—
ANDROC'LUS. (See under LION as an
emblem.)
SIR IWAIN DE GALLES was attended
by a lion, which, in gratitude to the
knight, who had delivered it from a
serpent with which it had been engaged
in deadly combat, ever after became his
faithful servant, approaching the knight
with tears, and rising on his hind-feet
like a dog.
SIR GEOFFREY DE LATOUR was aided
by a lion against the Saracens; but the
faithful brute was drowned in attempt-
ing to follow the vessel in which the
knight had embarked on his departure
from the Holy Land.
ST. GERASIMUS. (See under LION as an
emblem.)
ST. J.EROME.
emblem.)
Lion, in HERALDRY.
(1) Couchant. Lying down ; head
erect, and tail beneath him. Emblem-
atic of sovereignty.
(2) Coward or Coué. With tail hang-
ing between his legs.
(3) Dormant. Asleep, with head
resting on his fore-paws.
(See under T.ION as an
(4), Passant. Walking, three feet on
the ground ; in profile. Emblematic of
resolution.
(5) Passant Gardant. Three feet on
the ground ; full face. The “Lion of
England.” Resolution and Prudence.
(6) Passant Regardant. Three feet on
the ground ; side face turned backwards.
(7) Rampant. Erect on his hind legs;
in profile. Emblematic of magnanimity.
(8) Rampant Gardant. Erect on his
hind legs ; full face. Emblematic of
prudence.
(9), Rampant Regardant. Erect on
his hind legs; side face looking behind.
IEmblematic of circumspection.
(10) Regardant. Looking behind him ;
emblematic of circumspection. • *' &
760 Tion
(11) Saliant. In the act of springing
forward on its prey. Emblematic of
valour. -
(12) Sejant. Sitting, rising to prepare
for action ; face in profile, tail erect.
Emblematic of counsel.
(13) Sejant Affronté (as in the crest
of Scotland). + -
(14) Statant. Standing with four legs
on the ground.
(15) Lion of St. Mark. A winged
lion sejant, holding an open book with
the inscription “Paa, tibi Marce, Evan-
gelista Meets.” A sword-point rises
above the book on the dexter side, and
the whole is encircled by an aureola.
(16) Lion of Venice. The same as the
lion of St. Mark.
Then there are black, red, and white
lions, with many leonine monsters.
A lion at the feet of Knights and
ºnartyrs, in effigy, signifies that they died
for their magnanimity.
The lions in the arms of England. They
are three lions passant gardant, i.e.
walking and showing the full face. The
first lion was that of Rollo, Duke of
Normandy, and the second represented
the country of Maine, which was added
to Normandy. These were the two lions
borne by William the Conqueror and his
descendants. Henry II. added a third
lion to represent the Duchy of Aquitaine,
which came to him through his wife
Eleanor. The French heralds call the
lion passant a leopard ; accordingly
Napoleon said to his soldiers, “Let us
drive these leopards (the English) into
the Sea.”
* In heraldry any lion not rampant
is called a lion leopardé. -
The lion in the arms of Scotland is de-
rived from the arms of the ancient Earls
of Northumberland and Huntingdom,
from whom some of the Scotch monarchs
were descended. The tressure is referred
to the reign of King Acha'icus, who
made a league with Charlemagne, “who
did augment his arms with a double
trace formed with Floure-de-lyces,
signifying thereby that the lion hence-
forth should be defended by the ayde of
Frenchemen.” (Holinshed : Chronicles.)
Sir Walter Scott says the lion rampant
in the arms of Scotland was first assumed
by William of Scotland, and has been
continued ever since.
“William, King of Scotland, having chosen for
his armorial bearing a Red Lion rampamţ, ag-
quired the name of William the Lion ; and this
rampant lion still constitutes the arms of Scot-
land ; and the president of the heraldic court
. . . is called Lord Lion King-at-Arms."—Tales of
a Grandfather, iv. - - - * -
Tion. 761
.*
A marble lion was set up in honour of
Leonidas, who fell at Thermopylae, and
a Belgian lion stands on the field of
Waterloo.
"I Lions in classic muthology. CYB'ELE
(3 syl.) is represented as riding in a
chariot drawn by two tame lions.
PRACRITI, the goddess of nature
among the Hindus, is represented in a
similar manner. - -
HIPPOM'ENEs and ATALANTA (fond
lovers) were metamorphosed into lions
by Cybelé.
IHERCULES is said to have worn over
his shoulders the hide of the Nem'ean
lion, which he slew with his club. TER-
ROUR is also represented as arrayed in
a lion’s hide.
The Nem'ean lion, slain by Hercules.
The first of his twelve labours. As it
could not be wounded by any weapon,
Hercules Squeezed it to death.
Lion (a public-house sign).
Black lion comes from the Flemings.
“Au noir lyon la fleur-de-lis
Prist la terre de Gale Lys.”
Godefroy de Paris.
Blue, the badge of the Earl of Mor-
timer, also of Denmark.
º Blue seems frequently to represent
silver; thus we have the Blue Boar of
Richard III., the Blue Lion of the Earl
of Mortimer, the Blue Swan of Henry
IV., the Blue Dragon, etc.
Crowned, the badge of Henry VIII.
Golden, the badge of Henry I., and
also of Percy, Duke of Northumberland.
Passant gardant (walking and showing
a full face), the device of England.
Rampant, the device of Scotland.
Ičampant, with the tail between its
legs and turned over its back, the badge
of Edward IV. as Earl of March.
Red, of Scotland; also the badge of
John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who
assumed this badge as a token of his
claim to the throne of Castile.
Sleeping, the device of Richard I.
Statant gardant (i.e. standing and
showing a full face), the device of the
IDuke of Norfolk. -
. . White, the device of the Dukes of
Norfolk; also of the Earl of Surrey,
Earl of Mortimer, and the Fitz-Ham-
monds.
“For who, in field or foray slack,
Saw the blanche lion e'er fall back 2 [Duke of
Norfolk].”
Sir Walter Scott : Lay of the Last Minstrel.
The winged lion. The republic of
Venice. Its heraldic device.
White and Red Lions. Prester John,
in a letter to Manuel Comnenus, of
Tion and
Constantinople, 1165, says his land is
“the home of white and red lions.”
Lion-hunter (A). One who hunts
up a celebrity to adorn or give prestige
to a party. Mrs. Leo Hunter, in Pick-
wick, is a good satire on the name and
character of a lion-hunter.
Lion-killer (The). Jules Gerard
(1817-1864).
Lion Sermon (The). Preached in
St. Katharine Cree church, Leadenhall-
street, London, in October, to com-
memorate “the wonderful escape” of
Sir John Gayer, about 250 years ago,
from a lion which he met with on being
shipwrecked on the coast of Africa. Sir
John was Lord Mayor in 1647.
Sir John Gayer bequeathed £200 for the relief
of the poor on condition that a commemorative
sermon was preached annually at St. Katharine
("ree. It is said that Sir John was on his knees
in prayer when the lion came up, smelt about
lim, prowled round and round hill), and then
Stalked Off.
Lion-sick. Sick of love, like the lion
in the fable. (See Shakespeare : Troilus
and Cressida, ii. 3.) - -
Lion Tamer (The). Ellen Bright,
who exhibited at Wombwell's menagerie,
was so called. She was killed by a tiger
in 1880, at the age of seventeen.
Lion and Unicorn. The animosity
which existed between these beasts, re-
ferred to by Spenser in his Faërie Queene,
is allegorical of the animosity which
once existed between England and
Scotland.
“Like as a lyon, whose imperiall pow're
A prowd rebellious unicorn defyes.”
Book ii. Canto 5.
I,ion and Unicorn. Ever since 1603
the royal arms have been supported as
now by the English lion and Scottish
unicorn ; but prior to the accession of
James I. the sinister supporter was a
family badge. Edward III., with whom
supporters began, had a lion and eagle ;
Henry IV., an antelope and swan ;
Henry V., a lion and antelope ; Edward
IV., a lion and bull; Richard III., a
lion and boar; Henry VII., a lion and
dragon ; Elizabeth, Mary, and Henry
VIII., a lion and greyhound. The lion
is dexter—i.e. to the right hand of the
wearer or person behind the shield.
Lion and the True Prince (The).
The lion ºrill not touch the true primed
(1 IIenry IV., ii. 4). This is a religious
superstition ; the “true prince,” strictly
speaking, being the Messiah, who is
called “the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”
Loosely it is applied to any prince of
Tion of God
762
Tips.
blood royal, supposed at one time to be
hedged around with a sort of divinity.
“Fetch the Numidian lion I brought over ;
If she be sprung from royal blood, the lion
Will do her reverence, else he'll tear her.”
Beaumont and Fletcher: Thé Mad Lover.
Lion of God. Ali was so called, be-
cause of his zeal and his great courage.
(602, 655-661.) t
Lion of St. Mark.
heraldry.)
Lion of the Reformation (The).
Spenser says that while Una was seeking
St. George, she sat to rest herself, when
a lion rushed suddenly out of a thicket,
with gaping mouth and lashing tail; but
as he drew near he was awe-struck, and,
laying aside his fury, kissed her feet and
licked her hands; for, as the poet adds,
“beauty can master strength, and truth
subdue vengeance.” (The lion is the
emblem of England, which waits upon
Truth. When true faith was deserted by
all the world, England the lion came to
its rescue.) The lion then followed Una
as a dog, but when Una met Hypocrisy,
Sansloy came upon them and killed the
lion. That is, during the reigns of
Henry VIII. and Edward VI., England
the lion followed the footsteps of Truth,
but in the reign of Mary, Hypocrisy
came and False-faith killed the lion,
i.e. separated England from Truth by
fire and sword. -
Lion of the Zodiac. One of the
signs of the Zodiac (28th of July to the
23rd of August). ,
Lion's Claws. Commonly used as
ornaments to the legs of furniture, as
tables, chairs, etc.; emblematical of
strength and stability. The Greeks and
Romans employed, for the same pur-
pose, the hoofs of oxen. -
“Iles soutiens des tables et des trépieds [in
Greece and Rome] Se terminaient souvent en
forme de piedes de houf, pour exprimer la force
et la stabilité.”—Noel : Dictionmaire de la Fable,
Vol. i. p. 237, col. 2. " .. ". . - - -
Lion's Head. In fountains the water
generally is made to issue from the
mouth of a lion. This is a very ancient
custom. The Egyptians thus symbolised
the inundation of the Nile, which hap-
pens when the sun is in Leo. The
Greeks and Romans adopted the same
device for their fountains. º . . .
Lion's Mouth. To place one’s head
in the lion's month. To expose oneself
needlessly and foolhardily to danger.
Lion's Provider. A jackal ; a foil
to another man’s wit, a humble friend
who plays into your hand to show you
to best advantage. The jackal feeds on
(See under LION,
dog serves a sportsman.
prey.
- - - -----.
the lion’s leavings, and is supposed to
serve the lion in much the same way as a
The dog lifts
up its foot to indicate that game is at
hand, and the jackals yell to advertise
the lion that they have roused up his
(See JACKAL.)
“. . . . the poor jackals are less foul,
AS being the brave lion's keen providers.
Than human insects catering for spiders.”
Byrom : Dom Juan, ix. 27.
Lion's Share. The larger part: all
or nearly all. . In A-sop's Fables,
Several beasts joined the lion in a hunt :
but, when the spoil was divided, the lion
claimed one quarter in right of his pre-
rogative, one for his superior courage,
One for his dam and cubs, “and as for
the fourth, let who will dispute it with
me.” Awed by his frown, the other
beasts yielded and silently withdrew.
(See MoWTGOMERY.)
Lions (The). The lions of a place
are sights worth seeing, or the celebrities:
SO called from the ancient custom of
showing strangers, as chief of London
sights, the lions at the Tower.
Tower menagerie was abolished in 1834.
The
Lionise a Person (To) is either to,
show him the lions, or chief objects of
attraction; or to make a lion of him, by
féling him and making a fuss about him.
To be lionised is to be so treated.
Liosal far. The light Alfs who dwell
in the city Alf-heim. They are whiter
than the sun. (See DOCK-ALFAR.)
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Lip. (Anglo-Saxon, lippe, the lip.)
To curl the lip. To express contempt
or disgust with the mouth.
To }. the lip. To drop the under.
lip in sullenness or contempt. Thus,
Helen explains why her brother Troilus
is not abroad by saying, “He hangs.
the lip at something.” (Act iii. 1.) -
“A foolish hanging of thy nether lip."—Shake-
speare : 1 Henry IV., ii. 4. -
* To shoot out the lip. To show scorn.
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn. They
shoot out the lip ; they shake the head. . .
PS:blin X xii. 7.
Lip Homage. Homage rendered by
the lips only, that is, either by a kiss.
like that of Jºudas, or by words.
Lip Service. Verbal devotion. .
Honouring with the lips while the heart
takes no part nor lot in the matter. (See
Matt. xv. 8, Isa. xxix. 13.). . . .
Lips. The calves of our lips. (Hosea.
xiv. 2). The sacrifice of praise and
thanksgiving. . . *
Tiquor up
763 Tuittle-Endians
. The fruit of the lips. Thanksgivings.
“I,et us offer the sacrifice of praise to God con-
tinually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks
to His name.”—Heb. xiii. 15.
Liquor up. Take another dram.
Lir (King). Father of Fionmala.
On the death of Fingula, the mother of
his daughter, he married the wicked
Aoife, who, through spite, transformed
the children of Lir into Swans, doomed
to float on the water till they heard the
first mass-bell ring. Thomas Moore
has versified this legend.
“Silent, O Moyle, be the roar of thy water,
Break not, ye breezes, your chain of repose,
While murmuring mournfully, Lir's lovely
- daughter
Tells to the night-stars the tale of her woes.”
Irish Melodies, No. ii. 9.
Liris. A proud but lovely daughter
of the race of man, beloved by Rubi,
first of the angel host. Her passion was
the love of knowledge, and she was cap-
tivated by all her lover told her of heaven
and the works of God. At last she re-
quested Rubi to appear before her in all
his glory, and as she fell into his em-
brace was burnt to ashes by the rays
which issued from him. (Moore : Loves
of the Angels, story ii.)
Lisbo'a or Lisboa. Lisbon (q.v.)
“What beauties doth Lisboſa first unfold.”
Byrom : Childe Harold, i. 16.
“And thou, famed Lisſboa, whose embattled wall
litose by the hand that wrought proud Ilion's
fall.” Mickle : Latsiad.
Lisbon. A corruption of 'Ulyssippo
(Ulysses’ polis or city). Said by some
to have been founded by Lusus, who
visited Portugal with Ulysses, whence
“Lusitania, ’’ (q.v.); and by others to
have been founded by Ulysses himself
This is Camoens' version. (See above.)
Lismaha'go (Captain), in Smollett's
Iłumphry Clinker. Very conceited, fond
of disputation, jealous of honour, and
brim-full of national pride. This poor
but proud Scotch officer marries Miss
Tabitha Bramble. The romance of
Captain Lismaha'go among the Indians
is worthy of Cervantes.
Lisuar"te of Greece. One of the
knights whose adventures and exploits
are recounted in the latter part of the
Spanish version of Amadis of Gaul. This
part was added by Juan Diaz.
Lit de Justice. Properly the seat
occupied by the French king when he
attended the deliberations of his parle-
ment. The session itself. Amy arbitrary
edict. As the members of Parlement
derived their power from the king, when
the king himself was present their power
as Armor'ica.
returned to the fountain-head, and the
king was arbitrary. What the king
then proposed could not be contro-
verted, and, of course, had the force of
law. The last lit de justice was held
by Louis XVI. in 1787.
Little. Thomas Moore published a
volume of amatory poems in 1808, under
the name of Thomas Little.
“When first I came my proper name was Little—
In OW l’m Moon'é.” Hood : The Wee Mam.
Little. Little by little. Gradually ;
a little at a time.
Many a little makes a mickle. The
real Scotch proverb is: “A wheen o'
mickles mak’s a muckle,” where mickle
means little, and muckle much ; but the
Anglo-Saxon micel or mycel means
“much,” so that, if the Scotch proverb
is accepted, we must give a forced mean-
ing to the word “mickle.”
Little Britain or Brittany.
Also called Benwic.
Little Corporal (The). Napoleon
Bonaparte. So called after the battle of
Lodi, in 1796, from his low stature,
youthful age, and amazing courage. He
was barely 5 ft. 2 in. in height. .
Little Dauphin (The). The eldest
son of the Great Dauphin--i.e. the Duc
de Bourgogne, Son of Louis, and grand-
son of Louis XIV,
Little Ease. The name of a prison
cell too small to allow the prisoner to
stand upright, or to lie down, or to
assume any other position of ease. I
have seen such a cell at St. Cyr; and
according to Curiosity, or, The General
Library, p. 69 (1738), cells of this kind
Same
were used “at Guildhall for unruly
apprentices.”
Little-Endians. The two great
empires of Lilliput and Blefuscu waged
a destructive war against each other,
exhausted their treasures, and decimated
their subjects on their different views
of interpreting this vital direction con–
tained in the 54th chapter of the Blun'-
decral (Koran): “All true believers break
their eggs at the convenient end.” The
godfather of Calin Deffar Plune, the
reigning emperor of Lilliput, happened
to cut his finger while breaking his egg
at the big end, and very royally pub-
lished a decree commanding all his liege
and faithful subjects, on pains and penal-
ties of great severity, to break their eggs
in future at the small end. The Orthodox
Blefuscu'dians deemed it their duty to re-
sent this innovation, and declared a war
Tittle Englanders
of extermination against the heretical
Lilliputians. Many hundreds of large
treatises were published on both sides,
but those of a contrary opinion were
put in the Indea: eapurgato'rius of the
opposite empire. (Gulliver's Travels
Poyage to Dilliput, iv.)
“The quarrel between the Iittle-endians and
the Big-endians broke out on Thursday, like the
after-fire of a more serious conflagration."—The
Times,
Little Englanders. Those who up-
hold the doctrine that English people
should concern themselves with England
only : they are opposed to colonisation
and extension of the Empire.
Little-Go. The examination held in
the Cambridge University in the second
year of residence. Called also “the
previous examination,” because it pre-
cedes by a year the examination for a
degree. In Oxford the corresponding
examination is called The Smalls. (See
MoDs.)
Little Jack Horner. (See JACK.)
Little John. A big stalwart fellow,
named John Little (or John Nailor), who
encountered Robin Hood, and gave him
a sound thrashing, after which he was
rechristened, and Robin stood god-
father. Little John is introduced by
Sir Walter Scott in The Talisman.
“‘This infant was called John Little," quoth he ;
* Which name Shall be changed anon.
The words we'll transpose, so whereyer he goes,
E[is nalne shall he called Little John.”
Ičitsom, : I’obin Hood, xxi.
Tittle John was executed on Arbor
IHill, Dublin.
It will be remembered that Maria in
Twelfth Night, represented by Shake-
speare as a little woman, is by a similar
pleasantry called by Viola, “Olivia's
giant; ” and Sir Toby says to her,
“Good night, Penthesile'a, ’’—i.e. Ama-
ZOIl.
Little Masters. A name applied
to certain designers, who worked for en-
gravers, etc., in the sixteenth and seven-
teenth centuries. Called little because
their designs were on a small scale, fit
for copper or wood. The most famous
are Jost Amman, for the minuteness of
his work; Hans Burgmair, who made
drawings in wood illustrative of the
triumph of the Emperor Maximilian;
Hans Sebald Beham ; Albert Altdorfer,
and Henrich Aldegraver. Albert Dürer
and Lucas van Leyden made the art
renowned and popular.
Little Nell. A child of beautiful
purity of character, living in the midst
of selfishness, worldliness, and crime.
(Dickens : Old Curiosity Shop.)
764
Tivered
Little Ones (The). The small chil-
dren, and young children generally.
Little Paris. Brussels, the capital
of Belgium, and Milan, in Italy, are so
called, from their gaiety and resemblance
in miniature to the French capital.
Little Pedlington. The village of
quackery and cant, humbug, and ego-
tism, wherever that locality is. A satire
by John Poole.
Little Red Riding hood. This
nursery tale is, with slight alterations,
common to Sweden, Germany, and
Erance. It comes to us from the
French, called Le Petit Chaperon Rouge,
in Charles Perrault's Contes des Temps.
Little Gentleman in Velvet (The).
The mole. “To the little gentleman
in velvet ’’ was a favourite Jacobite toast
in the reign of Queen Anne. The refer-
ence was to the mole that raised the
mole-hill against which the horse of
William III. stumbled at Hampton
Court. By this accident the king broke
his collar-bone, a severe illness ensued,
and he died early in 1702.
Little Packs become a Little
Pedlar. “Little boats must keep near
shore, larger ones may venture more.”
“Mainwaring is a clever justice—
In him, my lord, our only trust is—
Burdett's a ratten meddler :
Volks shud turn round and see their backs,
And Imeend [mind] old proverbs: ‘I,ittle packs
Become a little pedlar.” *
Peter Pindan'. Middlesex: Election, letter i.
Liturgy originally meant public work,
such as arranging the dancing and sing-
ing on public festivals, the torch-races,
the equipping and manning of ships, etc.
In the Church of England it means the
religious forms prescribed in the Book of
Common Prayer. (Greek, litourgiã.)
Live. He lived like a knave, and died
like a fool. Said by Bishop Warburton
of Henry Rich, first Earl of Holland,
the turncoat. He went to the scaf-
fold dressed in white Satin, trimmed
with silver. .
Liver-vein (The). A love rhapsody.
The liver was anciently supposed to be
the seat of love. When Longaville reads
the verses, Biron says, in an aside,
“This is the liver-vein, which makes
flesh a deity.” (Shakespeare: Love's
Labour's Lost, iv. 3.)
Livered. As, white-livered, lily-
livered. Cowardly. In the auspices
taken by the Greeks and Romans be-
fore battle, if the liver of the animals
Tuiverpool
-- * *
765 Tuoathly I lady
sacrificed was healthy and blood-red,
the omen was favourable ; but if pale,
it augured defeat.
“Thou lily-livered boy.”
ShalceSpeare : Macbeth Y. 3.
I.iverpool. Said to be the “liver-
pool.” The liver is a mythic bird, some-
what like the heron. The arms of the
city contain two livers.
Liverpud'lian. A native of Liver-
pool.
Livery. What is delivered.
clothes of a man-servant delivered to
him by his master. The stables to
which your horse is delivered for keep.
During the Merovingian and Carlovin-
gian dynasties, splendid dresses were
given to all the members of the royal
household ; barons and knights gave
uniforms to their retainers, and even a
duke's son, serving as a page, was
clothed in the livery of the prince he
served. (French, livrer.)
“What livery is we know well enough ; it is
the allowance of horse-lmeate to keepe horses at
livery ; the which word, I guess, is derived of
delivering forth their nightly food.”—Sponser on
Irelatild.
Livery. The colours of a livery should
be those of the field and principal charge
of the armorial shield ; hence the
Queen’s livery is gules (scarlet) or scarlet
trimmed with gold. The Irish regi-
ments preserve the charge of their own
nation. Thus the Royal Irish Dragoon
Guards have scarlet uniform with blue
facings, and the Royal Irish Lancers have
blue uniform with scarlet facings.
Livery-men. The freemen of the
ninety-one guilds of London are so called,
because they are entitled to wear the
livery of their respective companies.
Livy of France (The). Juan de
Mariana (1537-1624).
Livy of Portugal (The). Joao de
Barros, the best of the Portuguese his-
torians. (1496-1570.)
Liza. An innkeeper's daughter in
love with Elvi'no, a rich farmer : but
Elvi'no loves Ami'na. Suspicious cir-
cumstances make the farmer renounce
the hand of Amina and promise marriage
to her rival ; but Liza is shown to be
the paramour of another, and Amina,
being proved innocent, is married to the
man who loves her. (Bellini: La Son-
nambula.) Or LISA. (See ELVINO.)
Lizard (The). Supposed, at one
time, to be venomous, and hence a
“lizard’s leg ’’ was an ingredient of the
witch's cauldron in Macbeth.
The
Lizard Islands. Fabulous islands
where damsels outcast from the rest of
the world are received. (Torquemada :
Garden of Flowers.)
Lizard Point (Cornwall). A cor-
ruption of “Lazars’ Point,” i.e. the
place of retirement for lazars or lepers.
Lloyd's. An association of under-
writers, for marine insurances. So called
because the society removed in 1716
from Cornhill to a coffee-house in Lom-
bard Street kept by a man named Lloyd.
Lloyd's Books. Two enormous
ledger-like volumes, raised on desks
at the entrance (right and left) of
Lloyd’s Rooms. These books give the
principal arrivals, and all losses by
wrecks, fire, or other accidents at sea.
The entries are written in a fine, bold
Roman hand, legible to all readers.
Lloyd's List. A London periodical,
in which the shipping news received at
Lloyd’s Rooms is regularly published.
Lloyd's Register. A register of
ships, British and foreign, published
yearly. -
Lloyd’s Rooms. The rooms where
Lloyd’s Books are kept, and the business
of the house is carried on. These rooms
were, in 1774, removed from Lombard
Street to the Royal Exchange, and are
under the management of a committee.
Loaf. Never turn a loaf in the pre-
sence of a Menteith. Sir John Stewart
de Menteith was the person who be-
trayed Sir William Wallace to King
Edward. His signal was, when he
turned a loaf set on the table, the guests
were to rush upon the patriot, and
secure him. (Sir JP alter Scott : Tales of
a Grandfather, vii.)
Loaf held in the Hand (A) is the
attribute of St. Philip the Apostle. St.
Osyth, St. Joanna, Nicholas, St. God-
frey, and of many other Saints noted for
their charity to the poor. -
Loafers. Tramps, thieves, and th
ne'er-do-well. Idle fellows who get
their living by expedients ; chevaliers
d’industrie. (German, lùſfer, a runner;
Dutch, looper.)
“Until the differentiation of the labourer from
the loafer takes place, the unemployed question
can never be properly dealt with.”—Nimeteenth,
Century, December, 1893, p. 855. -
Loathly Lady. A lady So hideous
that no one would marry her except Sir
Gaw'ain ; and immediately after the
marriage her ugliness—the effect of en-
chantment—disappeared, and she became
a model of beauty. Love beautifies,
Tuoaves. and Fishes
766
Lockman
Loaves and Fishes. With an eye to
the loaves and fishes ; for the sake of . . .
With a view to the material benefits to
be derived. The crowd followed Jesus
Christ, not for the spiritual doctrines
which He taught, but for the loaves and
fishes which He distributed amongst
them. --
“Jesus answered them and Sa'd, Verily, Verily,
I Say unto you, ye seek Me, not because ye saw the
lmiracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and
were filled.”—John Wi. 26.
Lob. A till. Hence lob-smg.ak, one who
robs the till ; and lob-smeaking, robbing
tills. (See next article.
Lob's Pound. A prison, the stocks,
or any other place of confinement.
(Welsh, Ilob, a dolt). The Irish call
it Pook's or Pouk’s fold, and Puck
is called by Shakespeare “the lob of
spirits,” and by Milton, “the lubber
fiend.” Our word lobby is where people
are confined till admission is granted
them into the audience chamber ; it is
also applied to that enclosed space near
farmyards where cattle are confined.
Lobby. The Bill will cross the lobbies.
Be sent from the House of Commons to
the House of Lords.
Loblolly, among seamen, is spoon-
victuals, or pap for lobs or dolts. (See
LOLLYPOPs.)
Loblolly Boy (A.) A surgeon’s mate
in the navy. Here lob is the Welsh llob,
a dolt, and loblolly boy is a dolt not yet
out of his spoon-meat or baby-pap.
“Loblolly-boy is a person on board a man-of-
war who attends, the surgeon and his mates, but
knows as much about the business of a seaman as
the author of this poem.”—The Patent (1776).
Lobster Sauce. Died for want of
lobster sauce. Died of mortification at
sometrifling disappointment. Died from
pique, or wounded vanity. At the grand
feast given by the great Condé to Louis
XIV., at Chantilly, Watel was told that
the lobsters for the turbot sauce had not
arrived, whereupon this chef of the
kitchen retired to his private room, and,
leaning on his sword, ran it through his
body, unable to survive such a dire dis-
grace as serving up turbot without
lobster sauce.
Lobsters and Tarpaulings. Soldiers
and sailors. Soldiers are now popularly
called lobsters, because they are turned
red when enlisted into the service. But
the term was originally applied to a
troop of horse soldiers in the Great Re-
bellion, clad in armour which covered
them as a shell. -
‘Sir William Waller received from London (in
1643) a fresh. regiment of 500 horse, undér the
command of Sir Arthur Haslerig, which were so
prodigiously armed that they were called by the
king's party, “the regiment of lobsters,’ hecause
of their bright iron shells with which they were
covered, being perfect cuirassiers, and were the
first seen, so armed on either side.”—Clarendon:
History of the Rebelliom, iii. 91.
Lochiel (2 syl.) of Thomas Campbell
is Sir Evan Cameron, lord of Lochiel,
surnamed The Black, and The Ulysses of
the Highlands. His grandson Donald
was called The Gentle Lochiel. Lochiel
is the title of the head of the clan
Cameron.
“And Cameron, in the shock of steel,
Die like the offspring of Lochiel.”
Sir W. Scott : The Field of Waterloo.
Lochinvar, being in love with a lady
at Netherby Hall, persuaded her to
dance one last dance. She was con-
demned to marry a “laggard in love and
a dastard in war,” but her young cheva-
lier swung her into his saddle and made
off with her, before the “bridegroom ''
and his servants could recover from their
astonishment. (Sir Walter Scott : May-
Aniom.)
Lock, Stock, and Barrel. The
whole of anything. The lock, stock,
and barrel of a gun is the complete in-
strument.
“The property of the Church of England, lock,
stock, and barrel, is claimed by the Liberation-
ists.”—Newspaper paragraph, 1885.
Lock the Stable Door. Lock; the
stable door when the steed is stolen. To
take “precautions” when the mischief
is done.
Lockhart. When the good Lord
James, on his way to the Holy Land
with the heart of King Robert Bruce,
was slain in Spain fighting against the
Moors, Sir Simon Locard, of Lee, was
commissioned to carry back to Scotland
the heart, which was interred in Melrose
Abbey. In consequence thereof he
changed his name to Lock-heart, and
adopted the device of a heart within a
fetterlock, with this motto: “Corda ser-
Tata pando’’ (Locked hearts I open). Of
course, this is romance. Lockhart is
Teutonic, “Strong Beguiler.”
“For this reason men changed Sir Simon's name
from Lockhard to Lockheart, and all who are (le-
scended from Sir Simon are called Lockhart to this
day.”—Sir Walter Scott : Tales of a Grandfather, xi.
Lockit. The jailer in Gay’s Beggar’s
Opera.
Lockitt's. A fashionable coffee-house
in the reign of Charles II.
Lockman. An executioner; so called
because one of his dues was a lock, (or
ladleful) of meal from every caskful.
Tlocksley
767
T iodona,
exposed for sale in the market. In the
Isle of Man the under-sheriff is so called.
... Locksley. So Robin Hood is some-
times called, from the village in which he
was born. (See Ivanhoe, Ch. xiii.)
Locksley Hall. Tennyson has a
poem so called. The lord of Locksley
Hall fell in love with his cousin Amy,
but Amy married a rich clown. The
lord of Locksley Hall, indignant at this,
declares he will marry
on reflection, adds: “Better fifty years
of Europe than a cycle of Cathay.”
Locksmith's Daughter. A key.
Loco Parentis (Latin). One acting
in the place of a parent, as a guardian or
schoolmaster.
Locofo'cos. Lucifer-matches; self-
lighting cigars were so called in North
America in 1834.
lieu of fire.)
. “In 1835 during an excited meeting of the party
in Tammany Hall, New York, when the candles
had been blown out to increase the confusion,
they were lightetl with matches then called
“locofocos.” – Gilman : The Americant People,
chap. xxi. *
Locofo'cos. Ultra-Radicals, so called
in America because, at a grand meeting
in Tammany Hall, New York, in 1835,
the chairman left his seat, and the lights
were suddenly extinguished, with the
hope of breaking up the turbulent as-
sembly; but those who were in favour of
extreme measures instantly drew from
their pockets their locofocos, and re-
lighted the gas. The meeting was con-
tinued, and the Radicals had their way.
(See Gilman : The American People,
chap. xxi.)
Locomotive, or Locomotive En-
gine. A steam-engine employed to move
Carriages from place to place. (Latin,
locus movéo, to move one’s place.) -
Locomotive Power. Power applied
to the transport of goods, in contradis-
tinction to stationary power. . . .
Locrin or Locrine (2 syl.). Father
of Sabri'na, and eldest son of the myth-
ical Brutus, King of ancient Britain.
On the death of his father he became
king of Loe'gria (q.v.). (Geoffrey: Brit.
IIist., ii. 5.) -
“Virgin daughter of Locrine,
Sprung from old Anchises' line,”
Milton : Comus, 942-3.
Locum Te'nens (Latin). One hold-
ing the place of another. A substitute,
a deputy ; one acting temporarily for
another; a lieutenant.
Locus Delicti. The place where a
crime was committed. - • ‘
(Latin, loco-foci, in
a Savage ; but,
Locus in quo (Latin). The place in
question, the spot mentioned.
Locus Poenitentiae. (Latin.) Place
for repentance —that is, the licence of
drawing back from a bargain, which can
be done before any act has been com-
mitted to confirm it.
In the interview
between Esau and his father Isaac, St.
Paul says that the former “found no
place for repentance, though he sought
it carefully with tears” (Heb. xii. 17)—
i.e. no means whereby Isaac could break
his bargain with Jacob. -
Jocus poenitentiae. Time to withdraw
from a bargain (in Scotch law).
Locus Sigilli or L. S. The place
where the seal is to be set.
Locus Standi (Latin), Recognised
position, acknowledged right or claim.
We say such-and-such a one has no locus
y
standi in Society.
Locust Bird. A native of Khoras-
san (Persia), so fond of the water of
the Bird Fountain, between Shiraz and
Ispahan, that it will follow wherever it
is carried.
Locusts. (For food.)
“The bushmen [says Captain Stockenston] con-
sider, locusts a great luxury, consuming great
quantities fresh, and drying abundance for future
elmergencies.” “They are eaten [says Thomas
Bayne] in like manner by the Arabs of the Desert,
and by Other nomadic tribes in the East.”
“Even the wasting locust-swarm,
Which mighty nations dread,
To me no terror brings, nor harm,
I make Of them my bread.”
African Sketches (1820).
Locusta. This woman has become a
byword for one who murders those she
professes to nurse, or those whom it is
her duty to take care of. She lived in
the early part of the Roman empire,
poisoned Claudius and Britan'nicus, and
attempted to destroy Nero ; but, being
found out, she was put to death.
Lode. The vein that leads or guides
to ore. A dead lode is one exhausted.
Lode. A ditch that guides or leads
water into a river or sewer.
Lodestar. The leading-starby which
mariners are guided; the pole-star.
“Your eyes are lodestars.”—Shakespeare: Mid-
Summer Night's Dream, i. 1.
Lodestone or Loadstone. The
magnet or stone that guides.
Lodo'na. The Lodden, an affluent of
the Thames in Windsor Forest. Pope,
in JFindsor Forest, says it was a nymph,
fond of the chase, like Diana. It chanced
One day that Pan saw her, and tried to
catch her; but Lodona fled from him,
Loegria
768 Logistilla,
imploring Cynthia to save her from her
ersecutor. No Sooner had she spoken
than she became “a silver stream which
ever keeps its virgin coolness.”
Loegria or Lo'gres. England is so
called by Geoffrey of Monmouth, from
Logrine, eldest son of the mythical King
Brute.
“His [Brute's] three sons divide the land by con-
- - - ; :
sent, 5 Ilocrine had the middle part, Loègra .
—Milton, IIistory of Englaºud, bk. i.
“Thus Camlyria, to her right, what would herself
restore, *
And rather than to lose Loegria, looks for
lmore.” . Drayton : Polyolbion, iv.
“Il est, ecrit qu'il est ume heure
Qu tout le royaume de Logres,
Qui jadis fut la terre es ogres,
Sera, detruit par cette lance.”
- Chrétien de Troyes.
Log. An instrument for measuring
the velocity of a ship. It is a flat piece
of wood, some six inches in radius, and
in the shape of a quadrant. A piece
of lead is nailed to the rim to make the
log float perpendicularly. To this log
a line is fastened, called the log-line
(q.v.). Other forms are also used.
A king Log. A roi fainéant. In allu-
sion to the fable of the frogs asking for
a king. Jupiter first threw them down a
log of wood, but they grumbled at so
spiritless a king. He then sent them a
stork, which devoured them eagerly.
Log-board. A couple of boards shut-
ting like a book, in which the “ logs.”
are entered. It may be termed the
waste-book, and the log-book the journal.
Log-book. The journal in which the
“ logs” are entered by the chief mate.
Besides the logs, this book contains all
general transactions pertaining to the
ship and its crew, such as the strength
and course of the winds, the conduct
and misconduct of the men, and, in
short, everything worthy of note.
Log-line. The line fastened to the
log (q.v.), and wound round a reel in
the ship's gallery. The whole line (ex-
cept some five fathoms next the log,
called stray line) is divided into equal
lengths called knots, each of which is
marked with a piece of coloured tape or
bunting. Suppose the captain wishes to
know the rate of his ship; one of the
sailors throws the log into the sea, and
the reel begins to unwind. The length
of line run off in half a minute shows the
rate of the ship's motion per hour.
Log-roller (A). One engaged in
log-rolling, that is (metaphorically) in
furthering another’s schemes or fads;
persons who laud a friend to promote
the sale of his books, etc. The allusion
is to neighbours who assist a new settler
to roll away the logs of his “clearing.”
“The members [of Congress] . . .. make a com-
pact by which each aids the other. This is log-
rolling.”—Bryce : Commonwealth, vol. ii. part iii.
chap. lxvii. page 125 (1889). x'
Log - rolling. The combination of
different interests, on the principle of
“Claw me, I’ll claw you.” Applied to
mutual admiration criticism. One frien l
praises the literary work of another
with the implied understanding of re-
ceiving from him in return as much as
he gives. The mutual admirers are
called “ log-rollers.”
* In the last decade of the nineteenth
century, it was used politically to signify
if A B will help C D to pass their measures
through the House, then CD will return
the same favour to A. B.
Of course, the term is American. If you help
me to make my clearance, I will help you to roll
a Way thc logs of yours. -
Log-rolling Criticism. The criti-
cism of literary mên who combine to
praise each other’s works in press or
otherwise.
Logan or Rocking Stones, for which
Cornwall is famous.
Pliny tells us of a rock near Harpäsa
which might be moved with a finger.
Ptolemy says the Gygonian rock might
be stirred with a stalk of asphodel.
Half a mile from St. David's is a
Logan stone, mounted on divers other
stones, which may be shaken with one
finger. .
At Golcar Hill (Yorkshire) is a rock-
ing stone, which has lost its power from
being hacked by workmen who wanted
to find out the secret of its rocking
mystery. - .
In Pembrokeshire is a rocking stone,
rendered immovable by the soldiers of
Cromwell, who held it to be an en-
couragement to Superstition.
The stone called Menamber in Sithney
(Cornwall) was also rendered immovable
by the soldiers, under the same motion.
There are very many others.
Loggerheads. Fall to loggerheads;
to squabbling and ſisticuffs. . -
Logget. A sweetmeat, 8, toffy cut
into small manchets ; a little log of toffy.
Common enough in Norfolk.
Logistilla (in Orlando Furioso). The
good fairy, and sister of Alci'na. , the
sorceress. She teaches Ruggie'ro to
manage the hippogriff, and gives. Astol-
pho a magic book and horn. The im-
personation of reason.
Tiogres 769
Logres. (See LOEGRIA.)
Lo'gria. England, so called by the
old romancers and fabulous historians.
Logris, Locris. Same as Locrin
or Locrine (q.v.). -
Loins. Gird up the loins, brace your-
self for vigorous action, or energetic
endurance. The Jews wore loose gar-
ments, which they girded about their
loins when they travelled or worked.
A.
“Gird up the loins of your mind.”—l Peter i. 13.
My little finger shall be thicker than
any father's loins (1 Kings xii. 10).
lightest tax shall be heavier than the
most oppressive tax of my predecessor.
The arrogant answer of Rehoboam to
the deputation which waited on him to
entreat an alleviation of “the yoke ’’
laid on them by Solomon. The reply
caused the revolt of all the tribes, ex-
cept those of Judah and Benjamin.
Loki. The god of strife and spirit of
evil. He artfully contrived the death
of Balder, when Odin had forbidden
everything that springs “from fire, air,
earth, and water ’’ to injure him. The
mistletoe not being included was made
into an arrow, given to the blind Höder,
and shot at random ; but it struck the
beautiful Balder and killed him. This
evil being was subsequently chained to
a rock with ten chains, and will so con-
tinue till the twilight of the gods ap-
pears, when he will break his bonds;
then will the heavens disappear, the
earth be swallowed up by the sea, fire
shall consume the elements, and even
Odin, with all his kindred deities, shall
perish. (See BALDER, KISSING...)
Lolri's Three Children were Jör-
mungand (a monstrous Serpent), Fenrir
(a wolf), and Hela (half corpse and half
queen). His wife was Siguna.
* Loki is the personification of sin.
Fenrir personifies the gnawings of a
guilty conscience. Both Loki and Fenrir
were chained by the AEsir, but not with
iron chains. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Lokmån. A fabulous personage, the
supposed author of a collection of Arabic
fables. Like AEsop, he is said to have
been a slave, noted for his ugliness.
Lollards. The early German re-
formers and the followers of Wickliffe
were so called. An ingenious derivation
is given by Bailey, who suggests the
Latin word lolittm (darmel), because these
reformers were deemed “tares in God’s
wheat-field.” I
Tuondon
* Gregory XI., in one of his bulls
against Wickliffe, urges the clergy to
extirpate this lolium.
“The name of Lollards was first given (in 1300)
to a charitable society at Antwerp, who lulled the
Sick by Singing to them.”—Dr. Blair : Chromology
(under the date 1300).
German lollen, to hum.
Lollop. To lounge or idle about.
Lollypops. Sweets made of treacle,
butter, and flour; any sweets which are
sucked. A “ lolly” is a small lump.
Lombard (A). A banker or money- .
lender, so called because the first bankers
were from Lombardy, and set up in
Lombard Street (London), in the Middle
Ages. The business of lending money
on pawns was carried on in England by
Italian merchants or bankers as early at
least as the reign of Richard I. By the
12 Edward I., a messuage was confirmed
to these traders where Lombard Street
now stands; but the trade was first re-
cognised in law by James I. The name
Lombard (according to Stow) is a con-
traction of Longobards. Among the
richest of these Longobard merchants
was the celebrated Medici family, from
whose armorial bearings the insignia of
three golden balls has been derived. The
Lombard bankers exercised a monopoly
in pawnbroking till the reign of Queen
Elizabeth. •.
Lombard Fever. Laziness. Pawn-
brokers are called Lombard brokers, be-
cause they retain the three golden balls
of the Lombard money-changers; and
lazy folk will pawn anything rather than
settle down to steady work.
Lombard Street to a China,
Orange. Long odds. Iombard Street,
London, is the centre of great banking
and mercantile transactions. To stake
the Bank of England against a common
orange is to stake what is of untold value
against a mere trifle.
“‘It is Tombard Street to a China orange,' quoth
IJncle Jack.”—Bulwer Lytton : The Caſctoms.
Lombardic. The debased Roman
style of architecture adopted in Lom-
bardy after the fall of Rome. .
London, says Francis Crossley, is
Luan-dun (Celtic), City of the Moon, and
tradition says there was once a temple
of Diana (the Moon) where St. Paul’s
now stands. Greenwich he derives from
Grian-wich (City of the Sun), also Celtic.
It would fill a page to give a list of
guesses made at the derivation of the
word London. The One given above is
49
in seven years.
Tuondon Bridge
770
Long Tail
about the best for fable and mythology.
(See AUGUSTA, BABYLON, and LUD's
Town.)
London Bridge built on Wool-
packs. In the reign of Henry II. the
new stone bridge over the Thames was
paid for by a tax on wool. .
* There was a bridge over the Thames
in the tenth century. There was a new
one of wood in 1014. The stone bridge
(1176-1209) was by Peter of Colechurch.
New London Bridge, constructed of
granite, was begun in 1824, and finished
It was designed by Sir
John Rennie, and cost £1,458,000. In
1894 was opened a new bridge, called the
Tower Bridge, to admit of easier traffic.
London Stone. The central millia-
rium (milestone) of Roman London, simi-
lar to that in the Forum of Rome. The
British high roads radiated from this
stone, and it was from this point they
were measured. Near London Stone
lived Fitz Alwyne, who was the first
mayor of London. -
* London Stone was removed for
security into the wall of St. Swithin's
church, facing Cannon Street station,
and secured from damage by an iron
railing.
There are two inscriptions, one in
Latin and one in English. The latter
runs thus:–
* London Stone.
towards the South-west, and afterwards built into
the wall of this church, was, for more carefyl pro-
tection and transmission to future ages, better
Secured by the churchwardens in the year of OVER
LORD MDCCCLXIX.”
Long Chalk (A) or Long Chalks. |
He beat ºne by a long chalk or by long
chalks. By a good deal: by many
marks. The allusion is to the game of
dominoes, where the notation is made by
chalk on a table.
Long Dozen (4) is 18. A long hun-
dred is 120.
Long-headed. Clever, sharp-witted. .
Those who believe in the shape and
bumps of the head think that a long head
indicates shrewdness.
Long Home. He has gone to his long
home. He is dead. The “long home '’
means the grave. The French equiva-
lent is “ Aller dans une maison of l'om
demeatrera toujours.” -
Long Lane. (See LANE.)
Long Meg of Westminster. A
noted virago in the reign of Henry VIII.
Commonly believed to be a
Roman work, long placed about xxxv feet, hence .
A.
Long Meg of Westminster.
ning the race.
Her name has been given to several
articles of unusual size. Thus, the large
blue-black marble in the south cloister
of Westminster Abbey, over the grave of
Gervasius de Blois, is called “Long Meg
of Westminster.” Fuller says the term
is applied to things “ of hop-pole height,
wanting breadth proportionable there-
unto,” and refers to a great gun in the
Tower so called, taken to Westminster
in troublous times.
* The large gun in Edinburgh Castle is
called Mons Meg, and the bomb forged
for the siege of Oudenarde, now in the
city of Ghent, is called Mad Meg.
In the Edinburgh Antiquarian Maga-
zine, September, 1769, we read of “Peter
Branan, aged 104, who was six feet six
inches high, and was commonly called
(See MEG.)
Long Meg and her daughters. In the
neighbourhood of Penrith, Cumberland,
is a circle of 67 (Camden says 77) stones,
some of them ten feet high, ranged in a
circle. Some seventeen paces off, on the
south side, is a single stone, fifteen feet
high, called Long Meg, the shorter ones
being called her daughters. (Greek,
Anegas, great.) - a '
“This, and the Röbrick stones in Oxfordshire,
are supposed to have been erected at the in vesti-
ture of some Danish kings, like the Kingstoler in
Denmark, and the Moresteen in Sweden.”—Cam-
den : Britannia.
Long Odds. The odds laid on a horse
which has apparently no chance of win-
Any similar bet.
Long Parliament. The parliament
which assembled November 3rd, 1640,
and was dissolved by Cromwell on April
20th, 1653; that is, 12% years. -
Long Peter. Peter Aartsen, the
Elemish painter; so called on account of
his extraordinary height. (1507-1573.)
Long Run. In the long rººm. Even-
tually. Here “long run '' is not the
correlative of a “short run,” but the
Latin adverb demºtin, ultimately; in
French, “A la longue.”
Long-Sword (Longue épée). William,
the * Duke of Normandy. (Died
943. - -
Long Tail. Cut and long tail. One
and another, all of every description.
The phrase had its origin in the practice
of cutting the tails of certain dogs and
horses, and leaving others in their natu-
ral state, so that cut and long tail horses
or dogs included all the species. Master
Slender says he will maintain Anne
- (The Three Hairs.)
(See Bailey's
radimensionality” is almost as long.
Tiong-tailed 7
*
{
l
Tongboat
Page like a gentlewoman. “Ah!”
says he— -
“That I will, come cut and long tail under the
degree of a Squire [i.e. as well as any man Can
who is not a squire].”—Shakespeare: Merry. Wives
of Windsor, iii. 4.
Long-tailed. How about the long-
tailed beggar 2 A reproof given to one
who is drawing the longbow too freely.
The tale is that a boy who had been a
short voyage pretended on his return to
have forgotten everything belonging to
his native home, and asked his mother
what she called that “ long-tailed beg-
gar,” meaning the cat. -
Long Tom Coffin. A sailor of noble
daring, in The Pilot, by Cooper.
Long Words.
Agathokakological.
Doctor.) -
Alcomiroziropoulopilousitounitapignac.
The giantess. (Croquemitaine, iii. 2.)
Amoronthologosphorus. (See HAIR.)
(Southey : The
Anantachaturdasivratakatha. (Sans-
krit work.) (See Tribner's Literary
Record.) .
Antipericatametanaparbeugedamphi-
cribrationes Toordicantium. One of the
books in the library of St. Victor. (Rabe-
lais : Pantagruel, ii. 7.)
Batrachomyomachia (battle of the
frogs and mice). A Greek mock heroic.
Cluninstaridysarchides. (Plautus.)
Deanthropomorphisation. -
Don Juan Nepomuceno de Burionago-
natotorecagageazcoecha. An employé in
the finance department of Madrid (1867).
Drimtaidhvrickhillichattan, in the Isle
of Mull, Argyleshire. -
Honorificabilitudinitatibus, called the
longest word in the (?) English lan-
guage. It frequently occursin old plays.
ictionary.) The “quad-
“Thou art not so long by the head as honorific-
abilitudinitatibus.”—Shakespeare: Love's Labour's
Lost, V. I. - -
Inanthropomorphisability of deity.
Jungefrauen Zimmerdurchschwind-
suchttoedtungs-gegenverein (German).
(See Notes and Queries, vol. v. p. 124,
first series.) -
Ragwadawwa.comègishearg. An In-
dian chief, who died in Wisconsin in
1866. . . -
Lepadotemachoselachogaleokranioleip-
sanodrimupotrimmatosilphioparaomelit-
okatakeclummemokichlepikossuphophat-
toperisteralektruonoptegkephalokigklop-
eleiolagoosiraiobaletraganopterugon.
is one of the longest words extant (179
It,
English and 169 Greek letters and con-
sisting of 78 syllables). , (Aristophames :
Ekklesiazousai, v. 1169.).
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn-
drobwllllandyssiliogogogoch. The name
of a Welsh village in Anglesea. In the
postal directory the first twenty letters
only are given as a sufficient address for
practical purposes, but the full name
contains 59 letters. The meaning is,
“The church of St. Mary in a hollow
of white hazel, near to the rapid whirl-
pool, and to St. Tisilio church, near to
a red cave.” -
“What, Mr. Manhound, was it not enough thus
to have morcrocastebezašteverestegrigeligoscop-
àpondrillated us all in our upper members with
your botched mittens, but you must also apply
such morderegrippiatabirofreluchamburdureca-
quelurintiimpaniments on our shin-bones with the
hard tops and extremities of your cobbled shoes.”
claration with
of After Beef,
- Sanka.shtacha.
—Itabelwis, illustrated by Gustave Dore, p. 438.
They morramborizeverzengirizequo-
quem orga sacbaquevezinemaffretiding
my poor eye. (Rabelais : Pantagruel,
IV. 15.) - - - - -
Nitrophenylenediamine.
intense red colour. - -
“Dinitroaniline, chloroxynaphthalic acid,which
may be used for colouring wool in intense red ;
aud nitrophenylenedianline of chromatic bril-
liancy.”—William Crookes : The Times, October
5th, 1868. - . . . . .
Polyphrasticontinomimegalondulaton.
. “Why not wind up the famous ministerial de-
Konx Ompax' or the mystic
‘Om, or that difficult expression ‘Polyphrasti-
A dye of an
continominegalondulaton 2'"—The Star.
M. N. Rostocostojambedanesse, author
Mustard. (Rabelais :
Pantagruel, ii. 7.) . . . . . . . . .
turthivratodyapana.

(Sanskrit work.) (See Trübner's Literary
lables.
Record.) Forster gives one of 152 syl-
fetiamethyldiamidohenzhydrols.
“The general depth of niodern researches in
structural chemistry must be explained, even to
those who are not interested in the mystery of
tryphénylmethans, the tetramethyldiamidobenz-
hydrolà, and other similarly terrific terms used by
chemists.”—Nimeteenth Century (Aug., 1893, p. 248).
“Miss Burney has furnished the longest com-
pound in the English tongue: “the sudden-at-the-
imoment - though - from -lingering-illness-often-
Pºiº y-expected death of Mr. Burney's wife.”
—D6 V6?'é.
Zürche rsalzverbrauchsbuchhaltungs-
verordnung. (Ausland.)
belonging to a shi
a great weight. f
“Conturbabantur Constantinopolitani,
In numerabilibus Sollicitudinibus.”
“Constantinopolitan maladministration
Superinduces denationalisation.”

Longboat. Formerly the largest boat
built so as to carry
long-boat is, often
from 30 to 40 feet long, having a beam
from 29 to 25 of its length. It has a
heavy flat floor, and is carvel built.
Tongbow 772
Longbow. To draw the longbow.
To exaggerate. The force of an arrow
in the longbow depends on the strength
of the arm that draws it, so the force of
a statement depends on the force of the
speaker's imagination. The longbow
was the favourite weapon of the English
from the reign of Edward II. till it was
superseded by fire-arms. The “ long-
bow ’’ was the hand-bow, as distin-
guished from the crossbow or bow
fitted on a stock.
Long champs. On Wednesday,
Thursday, and Friday of Passion Week,
the Parisians go in procession to Long-
champs, near the Bois de Boulogne.
This procession is made by private car-
riages and hired cabs, and is formed by
all the smartly-dressed men and women
who wish to display the spring fashions.
The origin of the custom is this: There
was once a famous nunnery at Long-
champs, noted for its singing. In Passion
Week all who could went to hear these
religious women sing the Ténèbres; the
custom grew into a fashion, and though
the house no longer exists, the proces-
sion is as fashionable as ever.
Longcrown. A deep fellow, long-
headed.
That caps Longcrown, and he capped
the devil. That is a greater falsehood
than the “father of lies'’ would tell.
Longevity. The oldest man of
modern times was Thomas Carn, if we
may rely on the parish register of St.
Leonard’s, Shoreditch, where it is re-
corded that he died in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth, aged 207. He was
born in 1381, in the reign of Richard II.,
lived in the reigns of ten sovereigns, and
died in 1588. Old Jenkins was only 160
when he died, and remembered going
(when he was a boy of twelve) with a
load of arrows, to be used in the battle
of Flodden Field. Parr died at the age
of 152. . William Wakley (according to
the register of St. Andrew’s church,
Shifnal, Salop) was at least 124 when he
died. He was baptised at Idsal 1590,
and buried at Adbaston, November 28,
1714, and he lived in the reigns of eight
sovereigns. Mary Yates, of Lizard
Common, Shifnal, married her third
husband at the age of 92, and died in
1776, at the age of 127.
Longius. The Roman soldier who
smote our Lord with his spear. In the
romance of King Arthur, this spear was
brought by Joseph of Arimathea to Lis-
tenise, when he visited King Pellam,
TuookerS-On
“who was nigh of Joseph’s kin.” Sir
Balim the Savage, being in want of a
weapon, seized this spear, with which he
wounded King Pellam. “Three whole
countries were destoyed” by that one
stroke, and Sir Balim saw “the people
thereof lying dead on all sides.” (His-
tory of Prince Arthur, vol. i. chap. 41.)
Generally called LONGINUS.
Longo Intervallo. Proacimits sed
longo intervallo. Next (it is true), but at
what a vast distance Generally quoted
“Longo intervallo.”
Looby. A simpleton.
a dolt.)
“The spendthrift and the pº loºby,
YY."
(Welsh, llob,
*
The nice Sir Courtly, and the booby.
IIudibra 8: Redivivus (1707).
Look Alive. Be more active and
energetic; look sharp.
Look Black gº and Black Looks.
(See BLACK . . .
Look Blue (To). To show signs of
disappointment, disgust, or displeasure.
“Squire Brown looked rather blue at having to
pay £2 10s. for the posting expenses from Oxford.”
—Hughes: Tom Brown at Oaford.
Look Daggers (To). To look very
angry, as if to annihilate you. Clytus
says to Alexander, “You cannot look
me dead.”
“You may look daggers, but use none.”
Look as Big as Bull Beef (To). To
look stout and hearty, as if fed on bull
beef. Bull beef was formerly recom-
mended for making men strong and
muscular.
Look before You Leap. Consider
well before you act. “Melius est earère
Semper, quain patiri Seinel.”
“And look before yout eve you leap,
Tol', as you sow, you're like to real).”
Butler. II utdibt (ts, cant () ii. part, ii. 50:'.
Look for a Needle in a Bottle of
Hay (To). (See BOTTLE.)
Look not a Gift Horse in the
Mouth. “Noli dontes equi inspice'e
donati.” T)o not examine a gift too
critically.
Look One Way and Row Another
(To). “Olera spectant, lardum tollunt.”
To aim apparently at one thing, but
really to be seeking something quite
different. -
Look through Blue Glasses or
Coloured Spectacles. To regard ac-
tions in a wrong light; to view things
distorted by prejudice. - -
Lookers-on. The man on the dyke
always hurls well. The man standing
Looking Back
773
TIOrd TiOvel
on the mound, and looking at those who
are playing at hurling, can see the faults
and criticise them. Umpires are lookers-
OIl.
Looking Back. Unlucky. This arose
from Lot's wife, who looked back towards
Sodom and was turned to a pillar of Salt
(Genesis xix. 26).
Looking-glass. It is ºnlucky to break
a looking-glass. The nature of the ill-
luck varies; thus, if a maiden, she will
mever marry; if a married woman, it
betokens a death, etc. This superstition
arose from the use made of mirrors in
former times by magicians. If in their
operations, the mirror used was broken,
the magician was obliged to give over
his operation, and the unlucky inquirer
could receive no answer.
Looking-glass of Jao reflected the mind
as well as the outward form. (Citizen of
the World, xlv.)
Loom means a utensil. (Anglo-Saxon,
loma). Thus “heir-loom '', means a
personal chattel or household implement
which goes by special custom to the heir.
The word was in familiar use in Prior’s
time (1664-1721), for he says “a thousand
maidens ply the purple loom.”
Loony or Luny. A simpleton; a
natural. Corruption of lunatic.
Loophole. A way of escape, an
evasion; a corruption of “louvre holes.”
(See LouvBE.)
Loose. Having a tile loose. Not quite
of sound mind. The head being the
roof of the temple called the body.
Out on the loose. Out on the spree;
out of moral bounds.
Iloose-coat Field. The battle of
Stamford in 1470. So called because the
men under Lord Wells, being attacked
by the Yorkists, threw off their coats
that they might flee the faster.
“‘Cast off their country's coats to haste their
Speed away :
Which ‘I,00se-coat Field' is called elem to
this day.” Drayton : Polyolbion, xxii.
Loose Fish (A). A dissipated man.
We also speak of a “queer fish,” and
the word “fishy’” means of very doubt-
ful character. A loose fish is one that
has made its way out of the net; and
applied to man it means one who has
thrown off moral restraint.
Loose-girt Boy (The). Julius Caesar
was so nicknamed.
Loose - strife. Botanically called
Lysimachia, a Greek compound mean-
ing the same thing. The author of
JFlora Domestica tells us that the Romans
put these flowers under the yokes of
oxen to keep them from quarrelling with
each other ; for (Says he) the plant keeps
off flies and gnats and thus relieves horses
and oxen from a great source of irrita-
tion. Similarly in Collins' Faithful
Shepherdess, we read—
“Yellow Lysimachus, to give Sweet rest,
To the faint shepherd, killing, where it comes,
All busy ghats, and CVery fly that hullis.”
(Pliny refers the name to one of Alex-
ander's generals, said to have discovered
its virtues.) -
Lorbrul'grud. The capital of Brob-
dingmag. The word , is humorously
said to mean “Pride of the Universe.”
(Swift : Gulliver's Travels.)
Lord. A nobleman.
The word lord is a contraction of h/df.
ord (Saxon for “loaf-author” or “bread-
earner”). Retainers were called hlaf-
atas, or “bread-eaters.” Verstegan
suggests hlafford, “bread-givers.” (See
LADY.)
We have in Anglo-Saxon hlāf-ord,
hlaford - gift (lordship), hlāford - less
(lordless), hlafordom (dominion), and
many more similar compounds.
* Lord, a hunchback (Greek, lord-os,
crooked). Generally “My lord.”
Lord. Drunk as a lord. (See DRUNK.)
Lord Burleigh. As significant as the
shake of Lord Burleigh's head. In The
Critic, by Sheridan, is introduced a
tragedy called the Spanish Armada.
Lord Burleigh is supposed to be too.
full of State affairs to utter a word; he
shakes his head, and Puff explains what
the shake means.
Lord Fanny. A nickname given to
Lord Hervey for his effeminate and
foppish manners. He painted his face,
and was as pretty in his ways as a
boarding-school miss. (In the reign of
George II.)
Lord Foppington. A coxcomb who
considers dress and fashion the end and
aim of nobility. (Vanbrugh : The Re-
lapse.)
Lord, Lady. When ontº' Lord falls in
our Lady’s lap. That is, when Good
Friday falls on the same date as Lady
Day. (March 25th.)
Lord Lovel. The bridegroom who
lost his bride on the wedding-day. She
was playing at hide-and-seek, and se-
lected an old oak chest for her hiding-
place. The chest closed with a spring
lock, and many years after her skeleton
I lord Mayor's I)ay
told the sad story of The Mistletoe Bough.
Samuel Rogers introduces this story in
his Italy (part i. 18). He says the
bride was Ginevra, only child of Orsini,
“an indulgent father.” The bridegroom
was Francesco Doria, “her playmate
from her birth, , and her first love.”
The chest in which she was buried
alive in her bridal dress was an
heirloom, “richly carved by Antony of
Trent, with Scripture stories from the
life of Christ.” It came from Venice,
and had “held the ducal robes of some
old ancestor.” Francesco, weary of his
life, flew to Venice and “flung his life
away in battle with the Turk.” Orsini
went mad, and spent the live-long day
“wandering as in quest of something,
something he could not find.” Fifty
years afterwards the chest was removed
by Strangers and the skeleton discovered.
Lord Mayor's Day, November 9th,
So called because the Lord Mayor of
London enters into office on that day,
and inaugurates his official dignity with
a street procession, followed by a grand
banquet at the Mansion House.
Lord Peter. The Pope is so called
in The History of John Bull, by Dr.
Arbuthnot.
Lord Strutt. Charles II. of Spain
is so called in The History of John Bull,
by Arbuthnot. --
Lord Thomas and the Fair Annet
or Elinor, had a lover’s quarrel, when
Lord.Thomas resolved to forsake Annet
for a nut-brown maid who had houses
and lands. On the wedding-day Annet,
in bridal bravery, went to the church,
when Lord Thomas repented of his folly,
and gave Annet a rose. Whereupon the
nut-brown maid killed her with a “long
bodkin from out her gay head-gear.”
Lord Thomas, seeing Annet fall dead,
plunged his dagger into the heart of the
murderess, and then stabbed himself.
Over the graves of Lord Thomas and
fair Annet grew a “bonny briar, and by
this ye may ken right well that they
were lovers dear.” In some ballads the
fair Annet is called the fair Elinor.
(Percy: Reliques, etc., series iii. bk. 3.)
Lord of Creation. Man.
“Replenish the earth, and subdue it; and haye
dominion over the fish of the Sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that
moveth upon the earth. . . . Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed . . . . and every
tree . . . .”—Gen, i. 28, 29. -
Lord of Misrule, called in Scotland
Abbot of Unreason, prohibited in 1555.
Stow says, “At the feast of Christmas,
in the king's court, there was always
appointed, on All-Hallow's eve, a master
of mirth and fun,” who remained in
office till the Feast of Purification. A
similar “lord” was appointed by the
lord mayor of London, the sheriffs, and
the chief nobility. - Stubbs tells us that
these mock dignitaries had from twenty
to sixty officers under them, and were
furnished with hobby-horses, dragons,
and musicians. They first went to church
with such a confused noise that no one
could hear his own voice.
Lord of the Isles. Donald of Islay,
who in 1346 reduced the Hebrides under
his sway. The title had been borne by
others for centuries before, and was also
borne by his successors. One of Sir
Walter Scott's metrical romances is so
called. This title is now borne by the
Prince of Wales.
Loreda'no (James). A Venetian pa-
trician, and one of the “Council of
Ten.” (Byron : The Two Foscari.)
Lorenzo (in Edward . Young's
Nights Thoughts). An atheist, whose
remorse ends in despair. . . -
Lorenzo. The suitor of the fair Jessica,
daughter of Shylock the Jew. (Shake-
speare : Merchant of Venice.) --
Loretto. The house of Loretto. The
Santa Casa, the reputed house of the
Virgin Mary at Nazareth. It was
“miraculously ’’ translated to Fiume in
Dalmatia in 1291, thence to Recanaſti in
1294, and finally to Macera'ta in Italy,
to a plot of land belonging to the Lady
Loretto. - -
“Our house may have travelled through the air,
like the house of Loretto, for aught I care."—
Goldsmith : The Good-mattered Man, iv. 1.
* There are other Lorettos: for in-
stance, the Loretto of Austria, Mariazel
(Mary in the Cell), in Styria. So called
from the miracle-working image of the
Virgin. The image, made of ebony, is
old and very ugly. Two pilgrimages
every year are made to it. -
The Loretto of Bavaria (Altötting)
near the river Inn, where there is a
shrine of the Black Virgin. º -
The Loretto of Switzerland. Einsied-
eln, a village containing a shrine of the
“Black Lady of Switzerland.” . The
church is of black marble and the image
of ebony. - - -
Lorreguer (Harry). The hero of a
novel so called, by Charles Lever,
Lose. “Tis not I who lose the Athe-
nians, but the Athenians who lose me,”
Lose Caste
said Anaxagoras, when he was driven
out of Athens. .
Lose Caste (To). (See CASTE.) .” -
Lose Heart (To). To be discouraged
or despondent. Heart = courage.
Lose not a Tide. Waste no time ;
set off at once on the business.
Lose the Day (To). To lose the
battle ; to be defeated. To win (or gain)
the day is to be victorious; to win the
battle, the prize, or any competition.
Lose the Horse or win the Saddle.
Everything or nothing. “Aut Caesar, aut
nullets.” A man made the bet of a
horse that another could not say the
Lord's Prayer without a wandering
thought. The bet was accepted, but
before half-way through the person who
accepted the bet looked up and said, “By-
the-bye, do you mean the saddle also?”
Losing a Ship for a Ha'porth o'
Tar. Suffering a great loss out of
stinginess. By mean Savings, or from
want of some necessary outlay, to lose the
entire article. For example, to save the
expense of a nail and lose the horse-shoe
as the first result, then to lame the horse,
and finally perhaps kill it. -
Loss. To be at a loss. To be unable
to decide. To be puzzled or embarrassed.
As : “I am at a loss for the proper
word.” “Je m'y perds,” or “Je suis
bien embarrassée de dire.” - -
Lost Island. Cephalo'nia, so called
because it was only by chance that even
those who had visited it could find it
again. It is sometimes called “The
Hidden Island.” . . -
Lothair. A novel by Benjamin Dis-
raeli (Lord Beaconsfield). The charac.
ters are supposed to represent the
following persons:-- - -
The Oxford Professor, Goldwin Smith.
Grandison, Cardinal Manning and
Wiseman. -
Lothair, Marquis of Bute. -
Catesby, Monseigneur Capel.
The Duke and Duchess, the Duke and
Duchess of Abércorn.
The Bishop, Bishop Wilberforce. . . .
Corisande, one of the Ladies Hamilton.
... Lotha'rio. , 4 gay Lothario. . A gay
libertine, a seducer of female modesty, a
debauchee. The character is from The
Fair Penitent, _by, Rowe, and Rowe's
tragedy is from Massinger's Fatal Dowry.
Lothian (Scotland). So named from
Ilew, the second son of Arthur, also
775
great church bell.
crusades.
Touisiana,
called Lothus. He was the father of
Modred, leader of the rebellious army
that fought at Camlan, A.D. 537. -
Arthur's eldest son was Urien, and his youngest
Was Arawn.
Lotus. The Egyptians pictured God
sitting on a lote-tree, above the watery
mud. Jamblichus says the leaves and
fruit of the lote-tree being round repre-
sent ‘‘the motion of intellect ; ” its
towering up through mud symbolises the
eminency of divine intellect over matter;
and the Deity sitting on the lote-tree
implies His intellectual sovereignty.
(Myster. Egypt., Sec. 7, cap. ii. p. 151.)
Lotus. Mahomet says that a lote-tree
stands in the seventh heaven, on the
right hand of the throne of God.
Dry'opé of CEeha'liq was one day
carrying her infant son, , when she
plucked a lotus flower for his amuse-
ment, and was instantaneously trans-
formed into a lotus.
Lotis, daughter of Neptune, fleeing
from Pria'pus, was metamorphosed into
a lotus. -
Lotus-eaters or Lotoph'agi, in Ho-
meric legend, are a people who ate of
the lotus-tree, the effect of which was to
make them forget their friends and
homes, and to lose all desire of return-
ing to their native land, their only wish
being to live in idleness in Lotus-land.
(Odyssey, xi.), -
A Lotus-eater. One living in ease and
luxury. Lord Tennyson has a poem
called The Lotus Eaters. -
* The drink is made from the Zizy-
phºts Lotus, which grows in Jerbah, an
island near Tunis.
Loud Patterns. Flashy, showy ones.
The analogy between sound and colour
is very striking. -
Loud as Tom of Lincoln. The
Louis (St.) is usually represented as
holding the Saviour's crown of thorns
and the cross; sometimes, however, he
is represented with a pilgrim’s staff, and
sometimes with the standard of the cross,
the allusion in all cases being to his
Louis Dix-huit was nicknamed Des
JHuátres, because he was a great gour-
mand, and especially fond of oysters.
Louisiana, U.S. America. So named
in compliment to Louis XIV. of France.
Qriginally applied to the French posses-
sions in the Mississippi Valley, . "
Tuoup
776
Ilovelace
Loup. “Le loºp Sait bien ce que male
béte pense” [male = méchant]. “U”
fripon reconnait un fripon and premier
coup d'oeil.” We judge others by, our-
selves. “Chacun mesure tout & Son
aume.” We measure others in our own
bushel. The wolf believes that every
beast entertains the same wolfish
thoughts and desires as it does itself.
Plautus expresses the same idea thus:
“Insan?re me aiunt ultro cum ipsi in-
saniumt , ” and Cicero says, “ Malum
conscientia suspiciosum facit.”
Louvre [Paris]. A corruption of
Lupara, as it is called in old title-
deeds.
Dagobert is said to have built here a
hunting-seat, the nucleus of the present
magnificent pile of buildings.
“He’ll make your Paris Louvre shake for it.”
Shakespeare : Henry V., ii. 4.
louvre. The tower or turret of a
'building like a belfry, originally designed
for a sort of chimney to let out the
smoke. (French, l'ouvert, the opening.)
Jontyre boards in churches. Before
chimneys were used, holes were left in
the roof, called loovers or leuver holes.
From the French l'ouvert (the open
boards).
Louvre of St. Petersburg (The).
The Hermitage, an imperial museum.
Love (God of). (Anglo-Saxon lºf.)
Cam'deo, in Hindu mythology.
Camade'va, in Persian mythology.
Cupid, in Roman mythology.
JEros, in Greek mythology.
JFreya, in Celtic mythology.
Aaina or Cama, in Indian mythology.
(See Bow YER, etc., etc.
* The family of love.
in the sixteenth century, holding tenets
not unlike those of the Anabaptists.
There is no love lost. Because the
persons referred to have no love for each
other. What does not exist cannot be
lost.
Love-lock. A Small curl gummed to
the temples, sometimes called a beatſ or
bow catcher. When men indulge in a
curl in front of their ears, the love-lock
is called a bell-rope—i.e. a rope to pull
the belles after them. At the latter end
of the sixteenth century the love-lock
was a long lock of hair hanging in front
of the shoulders, curled and decorated
with bows and ribbons.
Love-powders or Potions were
drugs to excite lust. Once these love-
charms were generally believed in ; thus,
Brabantio accuses Othello of having
Certain fanatics
bewitched Desdemona, with “drugs to
waken motion ; ” and Lady Grey was
accused of having bewitched Edward
IV. “by strange potions and amorous
charms.” (Fabian, p. 495.) -
Love and Lordship. Love and lord-
ship never like fellowship. French,
“Amour et seigneurie me veulent point de
campaigne ; ” German, “Liebe und he,”-
schaft leiden keine gesellschaft ; ” Italian,
“Amor e Seigºoria won vogliomo compag-
*ia. , (Neither lovers nor princes can
brook a rival.)
Love in a Cottage. A marriage for
love without sufficient means to main-
tain one’s social status. However,
“When poverty comes in at the door,
love flies out of the window.”
I, ove-in-Idleness. One of the
numerous names of the pansy or hearts-
ease. Originally white, but changed to
a purple colour by the fall of Cupid’s
bolt upon it.
“Yet marked I where the bolt of Cupid fell.
It fell upon a little Western flower,
Before, railk-white, now purple with love's
wound ; & -
The maidens call it Love-in-idleness.” tº sº.
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, ii. 2.
Love me, Love my Dog. St. Ber-
nard quotes this proverb in Latin, “Qui
me amat, amat et canem mean?, '' French,
“Qui aime Bertrand, aime son chien : ”
Spanish, “Quién bién quiérs & beliram,
bien quiére a su can.” (If you love anyone,
you will like all that belongs to him.)
Love's Girdle. (See CESTUS.)
Love's Labour's Lost (Shakespeare).
Eerdinand, King of Navarre, with the
three lords, Biron', Longaville, and
Dumain, make a vow to spend three
years in study, during which time they
bind themselves to look upon no woman.
Scarce is the vow made when the Prin-
cess of France, with Rosaline, Maria, and
Catherine are announced, bringing a
petition from the King of France. The
four gentlemen fall in love with the four
ladies, and send them verses; they also
visit them masked as Muscovites. The
ladies treat the whole matter as a jest,
and when the gentlemen declare their
intentions to be honourable impose upon
them a delay of twelve months, to be
spent in works of charity. If at the ex-
piration of that time they still wish to
marry, the ladies promise to lend a
favourable ear to their respective suits.
Lovel, the Dog. (See RAT, CAT, etc.)
Lovelace. The hero of Richardson’s
novel called Clarissa Harlowe. He is
TIOver’s Leap
777
Tuath
a selfish voluptuary, a man of fashion,
whose sole ambition is to ensnare female
modesty and virtue. Crabbe calls him
“rich, proud, and crafty ; handsome,
brave, and gay.” -
Lover's Leap. The promontory from
which Sappho threw herself into the
sea; now called Santa Maura. (See
LEUCADIA.)
Loving or Grace Cup. A large cup
passed round from guest to guest at
state banquets and city feasts. Miss
Strickland says that Margaret Atheling,
wife of Malcolm Kanmore, in order to
induce the Scotch to remain for grace,
devised the grace cup, which was filled
with the choicest wine, and of which
each guest was allowed to drink ad
libitum after grace had been said. (His-
toric Sketches.)
Loving Cup. On the introduction of
Christianity, the custom of wassailing
was not abolished, but it assumed a
religious aspect. The monks called the
wassail bowl the poc'ulum carita'tis
(loving cup), a term still retained in
the London companies, but in the
universities the term Grace Cup is
more general. Immediately after
grace the silver cup, filled with sack
(spiced wine) is passed round. The
master and wardens drink welcome to
their guests; the cup is then passed
{º to all the guests. (See GRACE
U.P.
* % loving or grace cup should always
have two handles, and some have as
many as four.
Loving Cup. This ceremony, of drink-
ing from one cup and passing it round,
was observed in the Jewish paschal sup-
per, and our Lord refers to the custom
in the words, “Drink ye all of it.”
“He [the master of the house] laid hold of the
yessel with both: hands, lifted it up, and said—
‘Blessed be Thou, O Lord our God, thou king of
the World, who hast given us the fruit of the
Wine; and the whole assembly said “Amen.' Then
drinking first himself from the cup, he passed it
round to the rest.”—Eldad the Pilgrim, chap.
I X.
Low-bell. Night-fowling, in which
birds are first roused from their slum-
ber by the tinkling of a bell, and then
dazzled by a light so as to be easily
caught. (Low, Scotch, lowe, a flame, as
a “lowe of fyre; ” and bell.)
“The sound of the low-bell makes the birds lie
close, so that they dare not stir whilst you are
pitching the net, for the sound thereof is dread-
ful to them ; but the sight of the flre, much more
terrible, makes them fly up, so that they become
instantly entangled in the net.”—Gent. Irecreation.
Low Church. The Times defines a
Low Churchman as one “who loves a
comedian.”
Jew and hates the Pope.” We now call
a Calvinistic episcopalian one of the Low
Church because he holds “church ritu-
als'' and the dogma of “apostolic suc-
cession ” in lower esteem than personal
grace and faith in the “blood of the
atonement.” -
Low Comedian (The), in theatrical
parlance, is the farceur, but must not
poach on the preserves of the “light
Paul Pry is a part for a
“low comedian,” Box and Cox are parts
for a “light comedian.”
Low Mass is a mass without singing.
It is called low “quia submissa voce
celebråtur.” “Missa alta ?? is performed
musically, and alta voce, in a loud voice.
Low Sunday. The Sunday next
after Easter; so called because it is at
the bottom of the Easter which it closes.
Low to High. From low St. James’s
up to high St. Paul’s (Pope : Satires).
In the Bangorian controversy, Bishop
Hoadly, a great favourite at St. James's,
was Low Church, but Dr. Hare, Dean
of St. Paul’s, was High Church.
Lower City (The). Acre, north of
Zion, was so called.
Lower Empire. The Roman or
Western, from removal of the seat of
empire to Constantinople to the extinc-
tion of that empire by the Turks in 1453.
Lower your Sail. In French, “Caler
la voile,” means to salute; to confess
yourself submissive or conquered ; to
humble oneself. - -
Lowlanders of Attica, were the
gentry, so called because they lived on
the plains. (Pedieis.) -
Lownde'an, Professor (Cambridge
TIniversity). A professor of astronomy
(and geometry); the chair founded by
Thomas Lowndes, Esq., in 1749.
Loy. A long, narrow spade used in
cultivating stony lands.
Loyal. Only one regiment of all the
British army is so called, and that is the
“Loyal North Lancashire,” in two bat-
talions, No. 47 and No. 81. It was so
called in 1793, and probably had some
allusion to the French revolutionists.
Loys [lo-is]. So Louis was written in
French till the time of Louis XIII. -
Luath (2 syl.). Cuthullin's dog in
Ossian's Fingal; also the name of the
'poor man’s dog representing the pea-
santry in The Twa Dogs, by Robert
Lubber 778
Lucifera,
Burns. The gentleman's dog is called
Caesar. Also Fingal's dog. (See DoG.)
Lubber (A). A dolt. Seamen call
an awkward sailors a land-lubber. A
variant of “looby” (Welsh, llob, with
a diminutive, ‘‘somewhat of a dunce
or dolt.”)
Lubber's Hole. . A lazy cowardly
way of doing what is appointed, or of
ēvading duty. A seaman’s expression.
Sailors call the vacant space between
the head of a lower-mast and the edge
of the top, the lubber's hole, because
timid boys get through this space to the
top, to avoid the danger and difficulties
of the “futtock shrouds.” . .
Lubberkin or Lu'brican. , (Irish,
Lobaircin or Lep'réchaun.) A fairy re-
sembling an old man, by-profession a
maker of brogues, who resorts to out-
of-the-way places, where he is discovered
by the noise of his hammer. He is rich,
and while anyone keeps his eye fixed
upon him cannot escape, but the moment
the eye is withdrawn he vanishes.
Lubins. A species of goblins in
Normandy that take the form of wolves,
and frequent churchyards. They are
very timorous, and take flight at the
slightest noise. . . . . . . . . .
“Il a peur de lubins”. (Afraid of
ghosts). Said of a chicken-hearted
person. -
Lucasian Professor.
of mathematics in the University of
Cambridge.
M.P. for the University. . . . -
Lucasta, to whom Richard Love-
lace sang, was Lucy Sacheverell, called
by him lua casta, i.e. Chaste Lucy.
Luce. Flower de Luce. A. corruption
of fleur-de-lis (q.v.), more anciently
written “floure delices,” a corruption of
fiordilisa, the white iris. The French
messenger says to the Regent Bedford—
“Cropped are the flower de luces in your arms;
! Of Eigländ's coat one-half is clit away.” . .
‘. . . . . . . ... Shakespeare: 1. Henry VI, i, 1.
referring of course to the loss of France. ,
"| The luce or 'lucy is a full-grown
pike. Thus Justiče Shallow says—“The
luce is the fresh fish, the salt fish is an
old coat ''-i.e. Lucy is a new name, the
old one was Charlecote. (Merry Wives
of IWindsor, i. 1.). (See FLEURS-DE-Lys.)
Luce the full-grown pike, is the Latin
luci-us, from the Greek lukos (a wolf),
meaning the wolf of fishes. . . . . .
A professor
This professorship was
founded in 1663 by Henry Lucas, Esq.,
a “lucifer.”
matches was also very deleterious, pro-
ducińg: “jaw disease.”
THEANs, SAFETY MACTHES.) : * ~ *
Lucifera [Pride) lived in a splendid
palace, only its foundation was of Sand.
| The door stood always open, and the
Lucia di Lammermoor. Called
Lucy Ashton by Sir Walter Scott, was
the sister of . Lord Henry Ashton of
Lammermoor, who, to retrieve the fallen
fortunes of the family, arranges a mar-
riage between his sister and Lord Arthur
Bucklaw (or Frank Hayston, laird of
Bucklaw). Unknown to Henry Ashton,
Edgardo (or Edgar), master of Ravens-
wood), whose family has long been in a
state of hostility with the Lammermoors,
is in love with Lucy, and his attachment
is reciprocated. While Edgar is absent
in France on an embassy, Lucy is made
to believe, by feigned letters, that Edgar
is unfaithful to her, and in her frenzy of
indignation consents to marry the laird
of Bucklaw ; but on the wedding night
she stabs, her husband, goes mad, and
dies. (Donizetti. Lucia di Lammermoor,
an opera ; and Sir Walter Scott : Bride
of Lammermoor.) : ... - .
Lu'cian. The impersonation of the
follies and vices of the age, metamor-
phosed into an ass. The chief character
in the Golden Ass of Apule'ius.
Lucifer. The morning star. Venus
is both an evening, and a morning star:
When she follows the sun, and is an even-
ing star, she is called, Hesperus ; when
she precedes the sun, and appears before
sunrise, she is called ‘Liteifer (the light-
bringer). - -
Proud as Lucifer. Very haughty and
overbearing. Lucifer is the name given
by Isaiah to Nebuchadnezzar, the proud
but ruined king of Babylon: “Take up
this proverb against the King of Baby-
lon, and say, , , . How art thou fallen,
from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morn-
ing !” (Isa. xiv. 4, 12). The poets feign
that Satan, before he was driven out of
heaven for his pride, was called Lucifer.
Milton, in his Paradise Lost, gives this
name to the demon of “Sinful Pride.”
Lucifers (1833). An improvement
on the Congreves and Prometheans.
Phosphorus was introduced into the
paste; but phosphorus made the matches
so sensitive that the whole box often
ignited, children were killed by sucking
the matches, and at Boulogne two sol-

dièrs and a woman were poisoned by
drinking coffee in which a child had put
The manufacture of these
(See PROME=
• . . * * - " -
Luciferians
{
*
79
*...*
Trucus
queen gave welcome to every comer.
Her six privy ministers are Idleness,
Gluttony, Lechery, Avarice, Envy, and
Revenge. These six, with Pride herself,
are the seven deadly sins. Her carriage
was drawn by six different animals—viz.
an ass, swine, goat, camel, wolf, and
lion, on each of which rode one of her
privy councillors, Satan himself being
coachman. While here the Red-Cross
Enight was attacked by Sansjoy, who
would have been slain if Duessa had not
rescued him. (Spenser . Faërie Queene,
bk. i. 4.) , ' ' ' ..
Lucifer’ians. A sect of the fourth
century, who refused to hold any com-
munion with the Arians, who had re-
nounced their ‘‘errors” and been re-
admitted into the Church. So called
from Lucifer, Bishop of Cagliari, in
Sardinia, their leader. - -
Lucin'ian. The young prince, Son
of Dolopatos, the Sicilian monarch, en-
trusted to the care of Virgil, the philo-
sopher. (See SEVEN WISE MASTERs,
and DoIOPATos.) . . . . .
Lucius. (See PUDENs.)
Luck. Accidental good fortune.
(Dutch, luk ; German, glück, verb
glitchen, to succeed, to prosper.)
Dontſi on one’s luck. Short of cash and
“Not in luck's way,” not un-
enriched, or other-
credit.
expectedly promoted,
wise benefited. 4.
Give a man luck and throw him into
the sea. Meaning that his luck will save
him even in the greatest extremity. Re-
ferring to Jonah and Ari'on, who were
cast into the sea, but carried safely to
land, the one by a whale and the other
by a dolphin. -
Luck for Fools. This is a French
proverb : “A fort fortune.” And again,
“Fortune est mourrice de folie.”
Luck in
ODD.) . . . . ... •
, Luck of Eden Hall (The). A drink-
ing cup, said to have been given to Miss
Zoe Musgrave on her marriage with Mr.
Farquharson, and still in Eden Hall,
Cumberland. The tale is, that it was
snatched surreptitiously from the fairies,
who attached this threat to it: -
“If that cup either break or fall,
- Farewell the luck of Eden Hali.”
(See EDEN HALL.) . . . . . . . . . . . .
Luck or Lucky Penny... A trifle re-
turned to a purchaser for good luck. A
penny with a hole in
ensure good luck.
odd Numbers. (See
it, supposed to
deeds of Lucrezia Borgia.
Lucky. To cut one’s lucky. To de-
camp or make off quickly: I must cut
my stick. As luck means chance, the
phrase may signify, “I must give u
my chance and be off. (See CUT. . .)
Lucky Stone (A). A stone with a
hole through it. (See LUCKY PENNY.),
Lucre'zia di Bor'gia, daughter of
Pope Alexander VI, was thrice married,
her last husband being Alfonso, Duke of
Ferra'ra. Before her marriage with the
duke she had a natural son named Gen-
na'ro, who was sent to be brought up by
a Neapolitan fisherman. When arrived
at man’s estate he received a letter in-
forming him that he was nobly born, and
offering him a commission in the army.
In the battle of Rim'ini he saved the
life of . Orsi’ni, and they became sworn
friends. In Venice he is introduced to
the young nobles, who tell him of the ill
Each of them
has had some relative put to death by
her agency. Gennaſro, in his indignation,
mutilates the duke’s escutcheon with his
dagger, knocking off the “B” of his
name, and changing Borgia into Orgia.
(orgies). Lucrezia, not knowing who
has offered the insult, requests the duke
that the perpetrator may be put to death,
'but when she discovers it to be her own
son gives him an antidote to neutralise
the poison he has drunk, and releases
him from his confinement, Scarcely is
he liberated when he and his companions
are invited by the Princess Negroni to
a banquet, where they are all poisoned,
Lucrezia tells Gennaro he is her son, and
dies herself as soon as her son expires.
(Donizetti's opera.)
Lucullus sups with Lucullus.
Said of a glutton who gormandises alone.
Lucullus was a rich Roman soldier,
noted for his magnificence and self-
indulgence. Sometimes above £1,700
was expended on a single meal, and
Horace tells us he had 5,000 rich purple
robes in his heuse. On one occasion a
very superb supper was prepared, and
when asked who were to be his guests
the “rich fool” replied, “Lucullus
will sup to-night with Lucullus.” (B.C.
110-57.) . . . . . . . .
Lucus a non Lucendo. An etymo-
logical contradiction. The Latin word
lucus means a “dark grove,” but is said
to be derived from the verb lucăo, to
shine. Similarly our word black (the
Anglo-Saxon blacc) is derived from the
verb blac-am, to bleach or whiten. . . .
Thucy 780
Beldam. An ugly hag. From the
French belle dame.
Bellum [war] quia min’ime bellum.
(Priscian.) Bellum, a beautiful thing.
Calid (hot) radically the same as the
Saxon cald, German kalt (cold).
Cleave, to part, also signifies to stick
together. (Saxon, clifan, to adhere.)
Curta'na (the instrument that shortens
by cutting off the head; French contri,
Italian corto) is the blunt Sword, emble-
matical of mercy, borne before our
sovereigns at their coronation. -
Devoted (attached to) is the Latin
devotus (cursed).
Eumenidés (the well-disposed); the
Furies.
Buonyma (good name); is poisonous.
Hiren, a sword, a bully. (Gk. iréné,
peace.) -
ICalo-Johannes, son of Alexius Com-
nënës. Called Kalos (handsome) because
he was exceedingly ugly and under-
sized. He was, however, an active and
heroic prince, and his son Manual (con-
temporary with Richard Coeur de Lion)
was even more heroic still.
Lambs were ruffians formerly em-
ployed at elections to use “physical
force ’’ to deter electors from voting for
the opposition.
Leucosphere, the inner and brighter
portion of the sun’s corona. It is neither
white nor spherical.
Lily-white, a chimney-sweep.
Religion, bond-service (re-ligo), is the
service of which Christ has made us
free.
Speaker of House of Commons. The
only member that never makes speeches.
Solomon, George III., so called by Dr.
Wolcott, because he was no Solomon.
In their marriage service the Jews
break a wine-glass ; the symbol being
“as this glass can never be rejoined, so
may our union be never broken.”
MISNOMER.)
Lucy (St.). Patron saint for those
afflicted in the eyes. It is said that a
nobleman wanted to marry her for the
beauty of her eyes; so she tore them out
and gave them to him saying, “Now let
me live to God.” The story says that
her eyesight was restored ; but the
rejected lover accused her of “faith in
Christ,” and she was martyred by a
sword thrust into her neck.
represented in art carrying a palm
branch, and bearing a platter with two
eyes on it.
Lucy and Colin.
Thomas Tickell, translated into Latin by
(See
t. Lucy is
A ballad by
Truddities
Vincent Bourne. Colin forsook Lucy of
Leinster for a bride “thrice as rich.”
Lucy felt that she was dying, and made
request that she might be taken to the
church at the time of Colin's wedding.
Her request was granted, and when
Colin saw Lucy's corpse, “the damps of
death bedeved his brow, and he died.”
Both were buried in one tomb, and to
their grave many a constant hind and
plighted maid resort to “deck it with
garlands and true-love knots.”
Lud. A mythical king of Britain.
General Lud. (See LUDDITEs.)
Lud's Bulwarlº. Ludgate prison.
(See above.) -
Lud's Town. London ; so called
from Lud, a mythical king of Britain.
Lºtſ!gate is, by a similar tradition, said
to be the gate where Lud was buried.
(See LONDON.)
“And on the gates of Ilud's town set your hoads.”
- Shakespeare: Cymbeline, iv. 2.
Ludgate. Stow says, “King Lud,
repairing the city, called it after his
name Lud’s town ; the strong gate which
he built in the west part he likewise
named Lud-gate. . In the year 1260 the
gate was beautified with images of Lud
and other kings. Those images, in the
reign of Edward VI., had their heads
Smitten off. . . . . Queen Mary did set
new heads upon their old bodies again.
The twenty-eighth of Queen Elizabeth
the gate was newly and beautifully
built, with images of Lud and others, as
before.” (Survey of London.) The more
probable etymon of Lud-gate is the
Anglo-Saxon leode (people), similar to
the Porto del populi of Rome.
“[Ludj Built that gate of which liis name is
night - --
By which he lies entomhéd solemnly.”
SpenSer: Fitérie Queene, ii. x. 46.
"." Ludgate was originally built by the barons,
who entered London, destroyed the Jews' houses,
and erected this gate with their ruins. It was
used, as a free prison in 1373, but soon lost that
privilege. A most romantic story is told of Sir
Stephen Forster, who was lord mayor in 1454. He
had been a prisoner at Ludgate, and begged
at the gate, where he was seen by a rich widow,
who bought his liberty, took him into her service,
and afterwards married him. To commemorate
this strange eventful history, Sir Stephen en-
larged the prison accommodation, and added a
chapel. The old gate was taken down and rebuilt
in 1586. The new-built gate was destroyed in the
Great Fire of London, and the next gate (used
also as a prison for del)tors) was pulled down in
1760, the prisoners having been removed to the
Iondon Workhouse, and afterwards to the Gilt-
Spur Street Compter.
Luddites (2 syl.). Riotous work-
men who went about the manufacturing
districts breaking machines, under the
notion that machinery threw men out of
Tuudlum - 781
Lumine Sicco
employ. Miss Martineau says that the
term arose from Ned Lud, of Leices-
tershire, an imbecile who was much
hounded by boys. One day he chased a
set of tormentors into a house, and broke
two stocking-frames, whence the leader
of these rioters was called General Lud,
his chief abettors Lud's wives, and his
followers Luddites. (1811-1816.)
Ludlum. (See LAZY.)
Luez. (See LUZ.)
Luff. The part towards the wind.
The luff of a vessel is the roundest part
of her bow. (Dutch, loef, a weather-
gauge.)
To luff is to turn the head of a ship
towards the wind.
Luff 1–i.e. Put the tiller on the lee-
side. This is done to make the ship Sail
nearer the wind.
Luff round ! Throw the ship's head
right into the wind.
Juff a-lee I Same as luff round.
A ship is said to spring her lºff when
she yields to the helm by sailing nearer
the wind.
Jſeep the luff. The wind side.
Lufra. Douglas's dog, “the fleetest
hound in all the North.” (Sir Walter
Scott : Lady of the Lake, v. 25.) (See
Dog.)
Luggie. The warlock who, when
storms prevented him from going to sea,
used to sit on “Luggie's Knoll,” and
fish up dressed food.
Luggnagg. An island mentioned in
Gulliver's Travels, where people live for
ever. Swift shows the evil of such a
destiny, unless accompanied with eternal
youth. (See STRULDBRUGS.)
Luke (St.). Patron saint of painters
and physicians. Tradition says he
painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary.
From Col. iv., 14 he is supposed to have
been a physician.
St. Luke, in Christian art, is usually
represented with an ox lying near him,
and generally with painting materials.
. Sometimes he seems engaged painting a
picture of the Virgin and infant Saviour,
his descriptions of the early life of the
Saviour being more minute than that
of the other envangelists. Metaphrastus
mentions the skill of St. Luke in paint-
ing; John of Damascus speaks of his
portrait of the Virgin (p. 631 : Paris,
1712). Many pictures still extant are
attributed to St. Luke : but the artist was
probably St. Luke, the Greek hermit;
for certainly these meagre Byzantine
productions were not the works of the
evangelist. (See Lanzi : Storia Pittorica
dell' Italia, ii. 10.) -
St. Luke's Club or The Virtuo'sis. An
artists’ club, established in England by
Sir Antonio Vandyke, and held at the
JRose Tavern Fleet Street. There was
an academy of St. Luke founded by
the Paris artists in 1391; one at Rome,
founded in 1593, but based on the
“Compagnia di San Luca ’’ of Florence,
founded in 1345; a similar one was
established at Sienna in 1355.
St. Luke's Summer, called by the
French l'été de S. Martin ; hence the
hrase “ L'été de la S. Denis & la S.
Martin,” from October 9th to November
11th, meaning generally the latter end
of autumn.
“. . . . St. Luke's short Summer lived these men,
Nearing the goal of threescore years and ten."
Morris : Earthly Paradise (March).
As light as St. Luke's bird (i.e. an ox).
Not light at all, but quite the contrary.
St. Luke is generally represented writ-
ing, while behind him is an ox, sym-
bolical of sacrifice. The whole tableau
means that Luke begins his gospel with
the priest sacrificing in the Temple.
Matthew is Symbolised by a man, because he
begins his gospel with the manhood of Jesus as a
descendant of David ; Mark, by a lion, because he
begins his gospel with the baptism in the Wilder-
ness; John, by an eagle, because he begins his
gospel by soaring into heaven, and describing the
pre-existing State of the LOgoS.
Luke's Iron Crown. George and
Luke Dosa, headed an unsuccessful
revolt against the Hungarian nobles in
the early part of the sixteenth century.
Luke (according to Goldsmith) under-
went the torture of the red-hot iron
crown, as a punishment for allowing
himself to be proclaimed king. History
says it was George, not Luke. (The
Traveller.)
Lullian Method. A mechanical aid
to the memory, by means of systematic
arrangements of ideas and subjects,
devised by Raymond Lully, in the
thirteenth century. -
Lumber (from Lombard). A pawn-
broker's shop. Thus Lady Murray
writes: “They put all the little plate
they had in the lumber, which is pawn-
ing it, till the ships came home.”
Lumine Sicco (In). Disinterestedly;
as a dry question to be resolved without
regard to other matters.
. “If physiological considerations have any mean-
ing, it will be always impossible for women to
View the subject [of women's suffrage] in lumime
sicco.”—The Nimeteenth Century (The Hon. Mrs.
Chapman, AIIril, 1886). -
Trump
782
Tjupus in Fabula,
Lump. If you don't like it, you may
lump it. Whether you like to do it or
not, no matter; it must be done. Here
“lump it” means “to gulp it down,”
or swallow unwillingly, to put up with it
unwillingly but of necessity. . Thus we
say of medicine, “lump, it down,” i.e.
gulp it down.
swallow.) - -
Lumpkin (Tony), in She Stoops to
Conquer, by Goldsmith. A sheepish,
mischievous, idle, cunning lout, “with
the vices of a man and the follies of a
boy; ” fond of low company, but giving
himself the airs of the young squire.
Lun. So John Rich called himself
when he performed harlequin (1681-
1761). - " …
“On the one Folly sits, hy, some called Fun,
And on the other his arch-patron Lun.”.
. . . - Churchill.
Luna. An ancient Seaport of Gën'oa,
whence the marble quarried in the
neighbourhood is called “marmo lun-
ense.” (Orlando Furioso.) . .
Conte di Luna. Garzia, brother of
Count Luna, had two sons. One day a
gipsy was found in their chamber, and
being-seized, was condemned to be burnt
alive. The daughter of the gipsy, out
of revenge, vowed vengeance, and stole
Manri'co, the infant son of Garzia. It
so fell out that the count and Manrico
both fell in love with the Princess Leo-
mora, who loved Manrico only. Luna
and Manrico both fall into the hands of
the count, and are condemned to death,
when Leonora promises to “give her-
self” to Luna, provided he liberates
The count accepts the terms,
Manrico.
and goes to the prison to fulfil his
promise, when Leonora, dies from poison
which she has sucked from a ring. Soon
as Manrico sees that Leonora is dead, he
also dies. (Verdi : Il Trovatore, an
opera.) .
Lunar Month. About four weeks
from new moon to new moon. -
Lunar Year. Twelve lunar months.
There are 13 lunar months in a year,
13 × 4 = 52 weeks. . . -
Lunatics. Moon-struck persons.
The Romans believed that the mind
was affected by the moon, and that
“lunatics” were more and morefrenzied
as the moon increased to its full. (See
AVERTIN.) . . . . . . .
“The various mental derangements . . . which
have been attributed to the influence of the moon,
have given to this day the name lungfics to per-
gons suffering from serious mental disorders.”—
Crozier: Popular Errors, chap, iv. p. 53.
(Danish, gulpen, to
over children.
Luncheon. (Welsh, lone or llwºo,
a gulp; llyncuſ, to Swallow at a gulp.)
The notion of its derivation from the
Spanish once, eleven, is borrowed from
. . * *--- .. - - - - - ºf -
the word nuncheon, i.e. nán-mete, a noon
repast. Hence Hudibras:
“When, laying by their swords and truncheons,"
They took their breakfasts, or their nuncheons."
- * . Dook i. 1. Hines 345, 346.
* In Letter Book G, folio iv. (27 Ed-
ward II.), donations of drink to work-
men are called nonechenche. (Riley:
Memorials of London.)
Lungs of London. The parks. In
a debate, June 30th, 1808, respecting
encroachments upon Hyde Park, Mr.
Windham said it was the “lungs of
London.” . -
Lunsford. A name used in terrorem
Sir Thomas Lunsford
was governor of the Tower ; a man of
most vindictive temper, and the dread of
everyone. -
“Make children with your tones to run for't,
A8 bad as Bloody bones Or Lunsford.”
- - - Butler: Hudibras, iii. 2,
Iu'percal (The), strictly speaking,
meant the place where Romulus and
Remus were suckled by the wolf (lupus).
A yearly festival was held on this spot
on Feb. 15, in honour of Lu'percus, the
god of fertility. On one of these festi-
vals Antony thrice offered to Julius
Caesar a kingly crown, but seeing the
people were only half-hearted, Caesar put
it aside, saying, “Jupiter alone is king of
Rome.” Shakespeare makes Antony
allude to this incident: .
“You all did see that on the Lupercal
I thrice presented him a kingly crown,
Which he did thrice refuse.” ". . , ,
- - - - Julius Caesar, iii. 2.
tº Shakespeare calls the Lupercalia
“the feast of Lupercal” (act i. 1,), and
probably he means the festival in An-
tony's speech, not the place where the
festival was held.
Lupine. He does not Know a libel from
a lupine. . In Latin : “Jømorat quid
distent dera litpinis,” “He does not know
good money from a counter, or a hawk
from a handsaw.” The Romans called
counters lupines or beans. A libel was
a small silver coin the tenth part of a
denarius = the as,
Lupus et Agnus. A mere pretence -
to found a quarrel on. The words are
the Latin title of the well-known fable
of The Wolf and the Lamb.
Lupus in Fabula. (See above.)
* Lupus in fabula,' answered, the abbot, scorn-
fully. "The wolf accused the sheep of muddying
the stream, when he drank in it above her.’”—Sir
, W. Scott: The Monastery, last chapter. ...~~
--Titurch " '
.* -
783 . . . . Trutin
Lurch. To leave in the lurch. To .
leave a person in a difficulty. In crib-
bage a person is left in the lurch when
his adversary has run out his score of
sixty-one holes, before he himself, has
turned the corner (or pegged his thirty-
first) hole. In cards it is a slam, that
is, when one of the players wins the
entire game before his adversary. has
scored a single point or won a trick.
Lush. Beer and other intoxicating
drinks; so called from Lushington the
brewer. . . . . . -
Lu'siad or The Lusiads. The ad-
ventures of the Lusians or Portuguese
under Vasquez da Gama in their “dis-
covery of India.” The fleet first sailed
to Mozambique, in Africa, but Bacchus
(the guardian power of the Mahometans)
raised a commotion against the Lusians,
and a battle ensued in which the Lusians
were victorious. The fleet was next
conducted by treachery to Quil'oa, a
harbour on the east coast of the same
continent ; but Venus or Divine love,
to save her favourites from danger,
drove them away by a tempest, and
Hermés bade Gama steer for Melinda,
At Melinda, the Trusians were
in Africa.
hospitably received, and the king of the
country not only vowed eternal friend-
ship, but also provided a pilot to conduct
the fleet to India. In the Indian Ocean
Bacchus tried to destroy the fleet, but
“the silver star of Divine love” calmed
the sea, and Gama arrived at India in
safety. Having accomplished his object,
Gama returned to Lisbon.
N.B. Gama sailed three times to
India :-(1) with four vessels, in 1497,
returning to Lisbon in two years and
two months; he was appointed admiral
of the Eastern seas. (2) In 1502, with
twenty ships, when he was attacked by
the Zamorin or king of Calicut, whom
he defeated, and returned to Lisbon the
year following ; and (3) when John III.
appointed him viceroy of India. He
established his government at Cochin,
where he died in 1525. It is the first of
these voyages which is the subject of
the Lusiad by Camoens. - -
Lusitania. Ancient name for Por-
tugal, said to be so called from Lusus.
(See LUSUs.)
Lusita'nian Prince. Don Henry,
third son of John I. “the Great,” King
of Portugal— .
- “Who, heaven-inspired, -
To love of useful glory roused mankind,
And in unbounded commerce mixed the world.”
Thomson : Swimme!’.
the Parisii.
Scandinavia.
Lustral Water. Water for aspersing
worshippers was kept in an aspersorium,
that those who entered or left the temple
might dip their fingers into the water or
be sprinkled by a priest. The same may
be said of Indian pagodas, and the cus-
tom prevailed in ancient Egypt; and
Etruria, with the Hebrews, and almost
all the nations of antiquity. In Rome
the priest used a small.olive or laurel
branch for sprinkling the people. Infants
were also sprinkled with lustral water.
Lustrum. A space of five years. The
word means a purification. These public
expiations were made at Rome by one of
the censors every fifth year, at the con-
clusion of the census. (Latin, lu'ere, to
purify.) - - :
Lus'us. The sons or race of Lusats.
Pliny (iii. 1) tells us that Lusus was the
companion of Bacchus in his travels, and
settled a colony in Portugal; whence
the country was termed Lusita'nia, and
the inhabitants Lusians. - -
Lusus Naturae. A freak of nature;
as a man with six toes, a sheep with
two heads, or a stone shaped like some
well-known object, etc.
Lutestring. A glossy silk; a cor-
ruption of the French word lustrine
(from lustre).
To speak in lutestring. Flash, highly-
polished oratory. The expression was
first used in Junius. Shakespeare has
“taffeta phrases and silken terms pre-
cise.” We callinflated speech “fustian”
(q.v.) or “bombast” (q.v.); say a man
talks stuff; term a book or speech made
up of other men’s brains, shoddy (q.v.);
sailors call telling a story “spinning a
yarn,” etc. etc. -
Lute'tia. Mud-hovels; the ancient
name of Paris. The Romans call it
Lºttetia Parisiórum, the mud-town of
The former word being
dropped, has left the present name Paris.
Luther's Hymn. “Great God, what
do I see and hear,” and “A safe strong-
hold,” etc. . . . .
Lutherans. T)r. Eck was the first
to call the followers of Martin Luther
by this name. It was used by way of
contempt. . ..
Lu'tin. A sort of goblin in the
mythology of Normandy, very similar
to the house-spirits of Germany and
Sometimes it assumes the
Tuuxembergers
784 Tyme-hourid
form of a horse ready equipped, and in
this shape is called Le Cheval Bayard.
To lutin is to twist hair into elf-
locks. Sometimes these mischievous
urchins so tangle the mane of a horse or
head of a child that the hair must be
cut off. -
Le Prince Lutin, by the Countess
D’Aulnoy.
Luxembergers. The people of
Luxemberg. Similarly we have Augs-
burgers, Carlsburgers, Edinburghers, Fri-
burgers, Hamburghers and many more.
The indestructible
Luz Or Luez.
bone; the nucleus of the resurrection.
body.
“‘How doth a man revive again in the world to
come 2 asked Hadrian ; and Joshua Ben Hana-
ni'ah made answer. “Fröm luz in the backbone.”
He then Went on to demonstrate this to him : He
took the bone luz, and put it into water, but the
Water had no action on it ; he put it in the fire,
but, the fire consumed, it not; he placed it in a
mill, but could not grind it 5 and laid it on an
ºil. but the hammer crushed it not.”—Light-
OOC.
“The learnéd rabbins of the Jews
Write there's a bone, which they call luez . . .”
- Butler: Hudibras, iii. 2.
Lybius (Sir). A very young knight
who undertook to rescue the lady of
Sinadone. After overcoming various
knights, giants, and enchanters, he en-
tered the palace of the lady. Presently
the whole edifice fell to pieces about his
ears, and a horrible serpent coiled round
his neck and kissed him. The spell
being broken, the serpent turned into
the lady of Sinadone, who married the
knight that so gallantly rescued her,
(Libeauta, a romance.)
Lycaonian Tables[Lycaonide mensae).
Execrable food. Lyca'on, desirous of.
testing the divine knowledge of Jove,
who had honoured him with a visit,
served up human flesh on his table ; for
which the god changed him into a wolf.
Lyc'idas. The name under which
Milton celebrates the untimely death of
Edward King, Fellow of Christ College,
Cambridge, who was drowned in his
passage from Chester to Ireland, August
10th, 1637. He was the son of Sir John
Ring, Secretary for Ireland.
Lycis'ca (half-wolf, half-dog). One
of the dogs of Actaeon. . In Latin it is
a common term for a shepherd's dog,
and is so used by Virgil (Eclogue iii. 18).
(See DoG.)
Lycopo'dium. Wolf's foot, from a
fanciful resemblance thereto.
Lydford Law is, Fº first and try
afterwards. Lydford, in the county of
Devon, was a fortified town, in which
was an ancient castle, where were held
the courts of the Duchy of Cornwall.
Offenders against the stannary laws
were confined before trial in a dungeon
so loathsome and dreary that it gave
rise to the proverb referred to. The
castle was destroyed by the Danes. (See
CUPAR JUSTICE, CowPER'S LAw.)
“I_oft have heard of Lydford law,
How in the morn they hang and draw,
And Sit in judgment later.”
A Devonshire Poet.
Lydia, daughter of the King of Lydia,
was sought in marriage by Alcestes, a
Thracian knight; his suit was refused,
and he repaired to the King of Armenia,
who gave him an army, with which he
laid siege to Lydia. He was persuaded
by Lydia to raise the siege. The King
of Armenia would not give up the pro-
ject, and Alcestes slew him. Lydia now
set him all sorts of dangerous tasks to
“prove the ardour of his love,” all of
which he surmounted. Lastly, she in-
duced him to kill all his allies, and
when she had thus cut off the claws of
this love-sick lion she mocked him.
Alcestes pined and died, and Lydia was
doomed to endless torment in hell, where
Astolpho saw her, to whom she told her
story. (Orlando Furioso, bk. xvii.)
Lydia Languish, in The Rivals, by
Sheridan. -
Lydian Poet (The). Alcman of
Lydia. (Flourished B.C. 670.)
Lying Traveller (The). So Sir John
Mandeville has been unjustly called.
(1300-1372.)
Lying by the Wall. Dead but not
buried. Anglo-Saxon, wal (death). He
is lying with the dead.
Lying for the Whetstone. Said of
a person who is grossly exaggerating
or falsifying a statement. One of the
Whitsun amusements of our forefathers
was the lie-wage or lie-match; he who
could tell the greatest lie was rewarded
with a whetstone to sharpen his wit.
The nature of these contests may be
illustrated by the following well-known
extravaganza: one of the combatants
declared he could see a fly on the top of
a church-steeple; the other replied,
“Oh yes, I saw him wink his eye.”
When Sir R. Digby, declared he had seen the
“ philosopher's stone,” Bacon, quizzically replied,
“perhaps it was a whetstone.”
Lyme-hound and Gaze-hound. The
stanch lyme-hound tracks the wounded
Tuy nceus
785 M.
buck over hill and dale. The fleet gaze-
hound kills the buck at view.
“Thou art the lyme-hound, I am the gaze-
hound. . . . Thou hast deep sagacity and unre-
lenting purpose, a steady, long-breathed malignify
of nature, that surpassés mine. But then, I am
tho holder, the more ready, both at action and
exped ent. . . . say . . . shall, we hunt in
couples 2 ”—Sir W. Scott : Kenilworth, chap. iv.
Lyn'ceus (2 syl.) was so sharp-sighted
he could see through the earth, and
distinguish objects nine miles off.
“That Ilynceus may be 1matched with Gautard's
Sight.” IIall: Satires, iv. 1.
“Non possis oculo quantum contendere Ilynceus.”
Horace : 1 Epistle, i. 28.
Lynch Law. Mob-law, law ad-
ministered by private persons. Ac-
cording to Webster, the word lynch
refers to a Mr. James Lynch, a farmer, of
Piedmont, in Virginia. The tale is that,
as Piedmont, on the frontier, was seven
miles from any law court, the neigh-
bours, in 1686, selected James Lynch, a
man of good judgment and great im-
partiality, to pass sentence on offenders
for the nonce. His judgments were so
judicious that he acquired the name of
Judge Lynch, and this sort of law went
by the name of Lynch law. In con-
firmation of this story, we are told there
was a James Lynch Fitz-Stephen, who
was warden of Galway in 1526 : and in
the capacity of warden he passed sen-
tence of death on his own son for
murder. (See BURLAw.)
“George was lynched, as he deserved.”—Emer-
son : English Traits, chap. ix. ---
Lynch-pin. (Anglo-Saxon, lynis, an
axle), whence club. (Qy. lynch-law.)
Lynchno"bians. Booksellers and
publishers. Rabelais says they inhabit
a little hamlet near Lantern-land, and
live by lanterns. (Pantaſ/ruel, v. 33.)
Lynx, proverbial for its piercing eye-
sight, is a fabulous beast, half dog and
half panther, but not like either in cha-
racter. The cat-like animal now called
a lynx is not remarkable for keen-sight-
edness. .
Lynx-eyed. Having as keen a sight
as a lynx. Some think the word lynx
is a perversion of Lynceus. (See above.)
Lyon King-of-Arms. Chief heraldic
officer for Scotland ; so called from the
lion rampan! in the Scottish regal es-
cutcheon.
Lyonnesse (3 syl.). “That sweet
land of Lyonnesse ’’—a tract between
the Land’s End and the Scilly Isles, now
submerged full “forty fathoms under
water.” Arthur came from this mythical
country.
Lyre (The). That of Terpander and
Olympus had only three strings; the
Scythian lyre had five ; that of Si-
monidés had eight: and that of Timo-
theus (3 syl.) had twelve. It was
played either with the fingers or with a
plectrum. The lyre is called by poets a
“shell,” because the cords of the lyre
used by Orpheus (2 syl.), Amphion, and
Apollo, were stretched on the shell of a
tortoise. Hercules used boxwood instead.
Amphi'on built Thebes with the music
of his lyre, for the very stones moved of
their own accord into walls and houses.
Ari'on charmed the dolphins by the
music of his lyre, and when the bard was
thrown overboard one of them carried
him safely to Taenarus.
Jłerentles was taught music by Linus.
One day, being reproved, the strong
man broke the head of his master with
his own lyre.
Orpheus charmed savage beasts, and
even the infernal gods, with the music
of his lyre.
Lysander and Rosicrucius, in the
romance called Bibliomania, are meant
for the author himself, Thomas Frog-
mall Dibdin, D.D., a bibliographer, well
known for his Classics—i.e. book on
the Rare and Paluable Editions of the
Greek and Latin Classics (1811).
Lyttelton, invoked by Thomson in
his Spring, was George, Lord Lyttelton,
of Hagley, Worcestershire, who procured
from the Prince of Wales a pension of
#100 a year for the poet. Lucinda was
Lucy Fortescue, daughter of Hugh For-
tescue, of Devonshire.
fºL
M. This letter represents the wavy
appearance of water, and is called in
Hebrew mem (water).
M. Dvery word in the Materia more
Magistralis begins with the letter m.
(See C and P.) -
M (initial of manslaughter). The
brand of a person convicted of that
offence, and admitted to the benefit of
clergy. It was burnt on the brawn of
the left thumb.
MI in numerals is the initial of mille,
a thousand.
“Whosoever prayeth for the soul of John
Gower he shall, so oft as he so doth, have a M and
a D days of pardon.”—Gower's Tablet.
M, to represent the human face. Add
two dots for the eyes, thus, ‘M’. These
50
IM -
786 . MacGregor
sº-º-º-º-
dots being equal to O’s, we get OMO
(homo) Latin for man. ,
“Who reads the name, , ,
For man upon his forehead, there the AI
Had traced most plainly.” - - -
. . Damte: Purgatory, xxiii.
M. The five M’s : Mansa, Matsya,
Madya, Maithuna, and Mudra (flesh,
fish, wine, women, and gesticulation).
The five forms of Hindu asceticism.
MI’, i.e. Mac. A Gaelic prefix mean-
ing son. (Gothic, magnts, a son ;
Sanskrit, mah, to grow ; Welsh, magu,
to breed.) The Welsh ap is Mac
changed to Map, and contracted into 'ap
or 'p, as Apadam ('Ap Adam), Prichard
('PIRichard).
M or N in the Catechism. M is a
contraction of NN (names); N is for
name. The respondent is required to
give his names if he has more than one,
or his name if only one.
In the marriage service, M stands for
mas (the man) or mari’tus (the bride-
groom), and N for mºtpta (the bride).
There are some who think M stands
for Metry, the patron Saint of girls, and
N for Nicholas, the patron Saint of boys.
M. B. Waistcoat. A clerical cassock
waistcoat was so called (about 1830)
when first introduced by the High
Church party. M. B. means “mark of
the beast,” -
“He smiled at the folly which stigmatised an
Nº. ‘waistcoat.’ ”—Mrs. Oliphant : Phoebe Juno,
M.D. "The first woman that obtained
this degree was Elizabeth Blackwell, of
the United States (1849).
M.P. Member of Parliament, but in
s'ang language Member of the Police.
MS., manuscript; MSS., manuscripts;
generally applied to literary works in
penmanship. (Latin Milanuscriptum, that
which is written by the hand.)
Mab. The “fairies' midwife '’—i.e.
employed by the fairies' as Inidwife of
dreams (to deliver man’s brain of
dreams). Thus when Romeo says, “I
dreamed a dream to-night,” Mercutio
replies, “Oh, then, I see Queen Mab hath
been with you.” Sir Walter Scott fol-
lows in the same track: “I have a friend
who is peculiarly favoured with the
visits of Queen Mab,” meaning with
dreams (The Antiquary). When Mab
is called “queen,” it does not mean
sovereign, for Titan'ia was Oberon's
wife, but simply female; both midwives
and monthly nurses were anciently called
queens or queans. Quén or évén in
Saxon means neither more nor less than
woman ; so “elf-queen,” and the Danish
ellequinde, mean female elf, and not
“queen of the elves.” Excellent de-
scriptions of “Mistress Mab '' are given
by Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet, i. 4),
by Ben Jonson, by Herrick, and by Dray-
ton in Nymphidea. (Mab, Welsh, a baby.)
MacAlpin. It is said that the founder
of this famous family was named Half-
penny, and lived in Dublin in the 18th
century. Having prospered in business,
he called himself Mr. Halpen. The
family, still prospering, dropped the H,
and added Mac (son of), making Mac
Alpen; and Kenny MacAlpen called
himself Kenneth MacAlpin, the “de-
scendant of a hundred kings.” True or
not, the metamorphose is ingenious.
MacFarlane's Geese. The proverb
is that “MacFarlane's geese like their
play better than their meat.” . The wild
geese of Inch-Tavoe (Loch Lomond) used
to be called MacFarlane’s Geese because
the MacFarlanes had a house and garden
on the island. It is said that these geese
never returned after the extinction of
that house. One day James VI. visited
the chieftain, and was highly amused by
the gambols of the geese, but the one
served at table was so tough that the
King exclaimed, “MacFarlane’s geese
like their play better than their meat.”
MacFleck'noe in Dryden’s famous
satire, is Thomas Shadwell, poet-laure-
ate, whose immortality rests on the not
very complimentary line, “Shadwell
never deviates into sense.” (1640-1692.)
N.B. Flecknoe was an Irish Roman
Catholic priest, doggerel Sorineteer, and
playwright. Shadwell, according to
Dryden, was his double. .
“The rºst to some slight meaning make pretence,
But, Shadwell nover de Via,tes into Sense.”
I) ryden : Match’lecknoc, 19, 20.
MacGirdie's Mare, used by degrees
to eat less and less, but just as he had
reduced her to a straw a day the poor
beast died. This is an old Greek joke,
which is well known to schoolboys who
have been taught the Analecta, Minóra.
(See JWaverley, p. 54.)
MacGregor. The motto of the
MacGregors is, “E’en do and spair
nocht,” said to have been given them in
the twelfth century by the king of Scot-
land. While the king was hunting he
was attacked by a wild boar, when Sir
Malcolm requested permission to encoun-
ter the creature. “E’en do,” said the
king, “ and spair nocht.” Whereupon
MacIntyre
787
Macaronic Latin
the strong baronet tore up an oak sap-
ling and despatched the enraged animal.
For this defence the king gave Sir Mal-
colm permission to use the said motto,
and, in place of a Scotch fir, to adopt
for crest an oak-tree eradicate, prope)".
* Another motto of the MacGregors
is—“Sriogal mo dhream.”
Rob Roy MacGregor or Robert Camp-
bell, the outlaw. A Highland freebooter,
the hero of Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy.
His wife's name is Helen, and their
eldest son Hamish. In the Two J), overs
MacGregor or MacCombich (Robin Oig)
is a Highland drover.
MacIntyre (Captain Hector). Brother
of Maria MacIntyre, the antiquary’s
niece, in Sir Walter Scott's Antiquary.
MacIver (Fergus). Chief of Glen-
maquoich, and brother of Flora MacIvor,
the heroine of JWaverley, by Sir W. Scott.
MacPherson. T)uring the reign of
David I. of Scotland, a younger brother
of the chief of the powerful clan Chattan
espoused the clerical life, and, in due
time became abbot of ICingussie. His
elder brother died childless, and the
chieftainship devolved on the abbot.
He procured the needful dispensation
from the Pope, married the daughter of
the thane of Calder, and a swarm of
little “Kingussies” was the result. The
good people of Inverness-shire called
them the Mac-phersons, i.e. the sons of
the parson.
MacTab. The Honourable Miss Liz-
cretia Mae Tab. A poor Scotch relative
of Emily Worthington “on her deceased
mother's side, and of the noble blood of
the MacTabs.” She lived on the Wor-
thingtons, always snubbing them for not
appreciating the honour of such a noble
hanger-on, and always committing the
most ludicrous mistakes from her extra-
vagant vanity and family pride. (George
Colman : The Poor Gentleman.)
MacTurk (Captain Mungo or Heritor).
“The man of peace” at the Spa Hotel,
and one of the managing committee.
(Sir JP'alter Scott : St. Roman’s TVell.)
Tiaca, ber. The dance macaber. The
T)ance of the dead (q.v.) (French, dance
Amacabre.) A dance over which Death
presides, supposed to be executed by the
dead of all ages and conditions.
allegory of the mortality of man, and
was a favourite subject of artists and
poets between the 13th and 15th centu-
ries. It was originally written in German,
then in Latin, and then in French. Some
think Macaber was the name of the
It is an
author, but others think the word is the
Arabic anakabir, a cemetery. The best
illustrations are those by Minden, Lu-
cerne, Lubeck, Dresden, and Basle.
Holbein’s painting is very celebrated.
“What are these paintings on the Wall around
uS 2 The dance macaber.”
- Longfellow : The Golden Legend.
Macad'amise (4 syl.). Using broken
stones for road metal, and making, the
road convex instead of concave; a method
introduced by Sir John L. Macadam
(1756-1836). -
Macaire (2 syl.). A favourite name
in French plays, insomuch that Robert
Macaire is sometimes used generically for
a Frenchman. It is said that Aubrey
de Montdidier was murdered in the forest
of Bondy in 1371. His dog conceived
such a hatred against Richard Macaire
that suspicion was aroused, and it was
resolved to pit the man and dog together.
The result was fatal to the man, who
died confessing his guilt. The story is
found in a chanson de geste of the 12th
century, called La Reine Sibile.
Mac'amut. Sultan of Cambaya, who
lived upon poison, with which he was so
saturated that his breath or touch carried
instant death. (Purchas.)
Macare (French). The impersona-
tion of good temper, in Voltaire's alle-
gory of Thelčme and Macare.
Macaro'ni. A coxcomb (Italian, un
maccheróne). The word is derived from
the Macaroni Club, instituted by a set of
flashy men who had travelled in Italy,
and introduced Italian maccheroni at
Almack's subscription table. The Maca-
ronies were the most exquisite fops that
ever disgraced the name of man : vicious,
insolent, fond of gambling, drinking, and
duelling, they were (about 1773) the
curse of Vauxhall Gardens.
“We are indebted to the Macaronies for only
two things: the one is the introduction of that
excellent dish . . . macaroni, and the other is
the invention of that useful Slang word ‘bore
(boar), which originally meant any opponent of
dandyism.”—Cassell's Magazine : London Legend:;.
* An American regiment raised in
Maryland during the War of Indepen-
dence, was called The Macaronies from
its showy uniform.
Macaron'ic Latin. Dog Latin, or
modern words with Latin endings. The
law pleadings of G. Steevens, as Danie!
v. JDīshclout and Bullum v. Boatum, are
excellent examples. (See DOG LATIN.)
* Macarojº'ic Latin is a mixture of
Latin and some modern language. In
Italy macheroni is a mixture of coarse
meal, eggs, and cheese,
TMacaronic Verse 788
Mackintosh
Macaro'nic Verse. Verses in which
foreign words are ludicrously distorted
and jumbled together, as in Porson's
lines on the threatened invasion of Eng-
land by Napoleon. (Lingo drawn for the
Militia.) So called by Teofilo Folengo,
a Mantuan monk of noble family, who
published a book entitled Liber Maca-
Yomico'rum, a poetical rhapsody made
up of words of different languages, and
treating of “pleasant matters ” in a
comical style (1520). Folengo is gene-
rally called Merlinus Coccaius, or Mer-
lino Coccajo. (See preceding.) The
Pigonce of Tossa was published in 1494.
The following Latin verse is an hexa-
meter :
“Trumpeter unus erat qui coatum scarlet
ha, bej)at.” -
‘. A. Cunningham published in 1801 a Delectus
'macaronicorum carminum, a history of lmacaronic
JJOctly.
Cane carmen SIXPENCE, pera plena rye,
De multis atris avibus coctis in a pie:
Simul haec apert'est, cantat omnis grex,
Nonne permirabile, quod widit ille rex
Dimidium rex esus, misit ad reginalm
Quod reliquit illa, sending back catinum.
Rex fuit in a rario, multo nummo tumens:
In culina Domina, bread and mel consumens;
Ancell' in horticulo, langing out the clothes,
Quum descendens cornix rapuit her º
Macbeth (Shakespeare). The story is
taken from Holinshed, who copied it
from the History of Scotland, by Hector
JBoece or Boyce, in seventeen volumes
(1527). The history, written in Latin,
was translated by John Bellenden (1531-
1535).
... “History states that Macbeth slew Duncan at
Rothgowan, near Elgin, in 1039, and not, as Shake-
speare says, at his castle of Inyerness ; the attack
was made because Duncan bad usurped the throne,
to which Macbeth had the better claim. As a
king Macbeth proved a very just and equitable
prince, but the partisans of Malcolm got head, and
succeeded in deposing Macbeth, who was slain in
1056, at Lumphanan. He was thane of Cromarty
[Glamis], and afterwards of Moray [Cawdor].--
Latrolney : Catbinet Cyclopaedict.
Lady Macbeth. The wife of Macbeth.
Ambition is her sin, and to gain the
object of her ambition she hesitates at
nothing. Her masterful mind sways the
weaker Macbeth to “the mood of what
she liked or loathed.” She is a Mede'a,
or Catherine de’ Medici, or Caesar
Bor'gia in female form. (Shakespeare :
Macbeth.)
‘. The real name of Lady Macbeth was Graoch,
and instead of being urged to the murder of Dun-
can through ambition, she was goaded by deadly
injuries. She was, in fact, the granddaughter of
Kenneth IV., killed in 1003, fighting against Mal-
collm II.--Lardner. Cabinet Cyclopædia, Vol. i. 17,
et C.
Macbriar (Ephraim). An enthusias-
tic preacher in Sir Walter Scott's Old
Mortality. .
This was the young preacher Maccaul
so hideously tortured in the reign of
Charles II. He died “in a rapture.”
(See Cassell’s History of England,
Charles II., vol. iii. p. 422.)
Maccabae'us. The Hammerer. A
surname given to Judas Asmonasus;
similar to “Martel,” the name given to
Charles, son of Pepin Heristel, who beat
down the Saracens as with a sledge-
hammer. Some think the name is a
notarica or acrostic: Mi Camokah Baelim
Jehovah (Who is like to thee among the
gods, O Lord?). (Exodus xv. 11.) (See
NOTARICA.)
Macdonald. JDord Macdonald’s breed.
Parasites. Lord Macdonald (son of the
Lord of the Isles) once made a raid on
the mainland. He and his followers,
with other plunder, fell on the clothes of
the enemy, and stripping off their own
rags, donned the smartest and best they
could lay hands on, with the result of
being overrun with parasites.
Macduff. The thane of Fife. A
Scotch nobleman whose castle of Kenno-
way was surprised by Macbeth, and his
wife and babes “savagely slaughtered.”
Macduff vowed vengeance and joined
the army of Siward, to dethrone the
tyrant. On reaching the royal castle of
Dunsinane, they fought, and Macbeth
was slain. (Shakespecre : Macbeth.)
‘. History states that Macbeth was defeated at
Dunsinane, but escaped from the battle and was
slain at Lumphanan in 1056–Lardner : Cabinet
Cyclopaedia, i. p. 17, etc.
Macheath (Captain). A highway-
man, hero of The Beggar’s Opera, by
Gay. A fine, gay, bold-faced ruffian,
game to the very last.
Mac'hiavelli. The Imperial Machia-
welli. Tiberius, the IRoman emperor.
(B.C. 42 to A.D. 37.)
His political axiom was—“He who
knows not how to dissemble knows not
how to reign.” It was also the axiom
of Louis XI. of France.
Machiavellism. Political cunning
and overreaching by diplomacy, accord-
ing to the pernicious political principles
of Niccolo del Machiavelli, of Florence,
set forth in his work called The Prince.
The general scope of this book is to show
that rulers may resort to any treachery
and artifice to uphold their arbitrary
power, and whatever dishonourable acts
princes may indulge in are fully set off
by the insubordination of their subjects.
(1469–1527.)
Mackintosh or Macintosh. Cloth
waterproofed with caoutchouc, patented
by Mr. Macintosh,
Macklin
789
Madge
Macklin. The real name of this
great actor was Charles M'Laughlin,
but he changed it on coming to England.
(1690-1797.)
Macmill'anites (4 syl.). A religious
sect of Scotland, who succeeded the
Covenanters; so named from John Mac-
millan, their leader. They called them-
selves the “Reformed Presbytery.”
Maesycophant (Sir Pertimaa). In
The Man of the World, by Charles
Macklin, Sir Pertinax “bowed, and
bowed, and bowed,” and cringed, and
fawned, to obtain the object of his
ambition.
Mace. Originally a club armed with
iron, and used in war. Both sword and
mace are ensigns of dignity, suited to
the times when men went about in
armour, and sovereigns needed cham-
pions to vindicate their rights.
Macedon is not Worthy of Thee,
is what Philip said to his son Alexander,
after his achievement with the horse
Buceph'alos, which he subdued to his
will, though only eighteen years of age.
Bdward III., after the battle of Crecy,
in which the Black Prince behaved very
valiantly, exclaimed, “My brave boy,
go on as you have begun, and you will
be worthy of England’s crown.”
Macedo'nian (The). Julius Polyae-
nus, author of Stratage’mata, in the
second century.
Macedonian Madman (The). (See
MADMAN.)
Macedo'nians. A religious sect, so
named from Macedo'nius, Patriarch of
Constantinople, in the fourth century.
They denied the divinity of the Holy
Ghost, and that the essence of the Son
is the same in kind with that of the
Father.
Macedon'icus. AEmilius Paulus,
conqueror of Perseus. (230-160 B.C.)
Mackerel Sky (A). A sky spotted
like a mackerel. (Mackerel from the
Latin, macula, a spot whence the French
Anaquereatſ, German ſnackrele, Welsh
macrell, etc.)
. Macon. Mahomet, Mahoun, or Ma-
hound.
“Praised (quoth he) lie Macon whom we serve.”
Fairfaac - T'asso, xii. 10.
Macon. A poetical and romance name
of Mecca, the birthplace of Mahomet.
Mac'reons. The island of the Mac-
Yeons. Great Britain. The word is
Greek, and means long-lived. Rabelais
describes the persecutions of the re-
formers as a terrible storm at sea, in
which Pantagruel and his fleet were
tempest-tossed, but contrived to enter
one of the harbours of Great Britain, an
island called “Long life,” because no
one was put to death there for his re-
ligious opinions. This island was full
of antique ruins, relics of decayed popery
and ancient superstitions.
Macrocosm (Greek, the great world),
in opposition to the microcosm (the little
world). The ancients looked upon the
universe as a living creature, and the
followers of Paracelsus considered man
a miniature representation of the uni-
verse. The one was termed the Macro-
cosm, the other the Microcosm (q.v.).
Mad as a March Hare. (See HARE.)
The French say, “Il est fou comme un
jeune chien.”
Mad Cavalier (The). Prince Rupert,
noted for his rash courage and impa-
tience of control. (1619-1682.)
Mad Parliament (The). The Parlia-
ment which assembled at Oxford in
1258, and broke out into, open rebellion
against Henry III. The king was de-
clared deposed, and the government
was vested in the hands of twenty-four
councillors, with Simon de Montfort at
their head.
Mad Poet (The). Nathaniel Lee, who
was confined for four years in Bedlam.
(1657-1690.) -
Mad as a Hatter. By some said to
be a corruption of “Mad as an atter’’
(adder); but evidence is wanting. The
word adder is atter in Saxon, matter in
German. -
Madame. So the wife of Philippe,
Duc d’Orléans was styled in the reign
of Louis XIV. other ladies were only
Madame This or That.
Madame la Dutchesse. Wife of Henri-
Jules de Bourbon, eldest son of Prince
de Condé. -
Madaine la Princesse. Wife of the
Prince de Condé, and natural daughter
of Louis XIV. (See MoWSIEUR.)
Mademoiselle (4 syl.). The daughter
of Philippe, Duc de Chartres, grandson
of Philippe, Duc d’Orléans, brother of
Louis XIV. . .
La Grande Mademoiselle. The Duchesse
de Montpensier, cousin to Louis XIV.,
and daughter of Gaston, Duc d’Orléans.
Madge. An owl.
Madge Wildfire
790
Magellan
Madge Wildfire. The nickname of
Margaret Murdochson, a beautiful but
giddy girl, whose brain was crazed by
seduction and the murder of her infant.
(Sir JWalter Scott : Heart of Midlothian.)
Madman. Macedonia’s madman.
Alexander the Great. (B.C. 356, 336-
323.)
The brilliant madman or Madman of
the Worth. Charles XII. of Sweden.
(1682, 1697-1718.)
“Heroes are much the Same, the point's agreed,
From Macedonia's madman to the Swede
[Charles XII.].” Pope : Essay on Man, iv.
Madness. In Perthshire there are
several wells and springs dedicated to
St. Fillan, which are still places of pil-
grimage. These wells are held to be
efficacious in cases of madness. Even
recently lunatics have been bound to the
holy stone at night, under the expecta-
tion that St. Fillan would release them
|before dawn, and send them home in
their right minds.
- Madoc. The youngest Son of Owain
Gwyneth, King of North Wales, who
died in 1169. According to tradition he
sailed away to America, and established
a colony on the southern branches of the
Missouri. About the same time the
Az'tecas forsook Aztlan, under the guid-
ance of Yuhid'thiton, and founded the
empire called Mexico, in honour of
Mexitli, their tutelary god. Southey
has a poem in two parts called Madoc,
in which these two events are made to
harmonise with each other.
Madonna. (Italian, my lady.) Spe-
cially applied to representations of the
Virgin Mary.
Maſdor (Sir). The Scotch knight
slain in single combat by Sir Launcelot
of the Lake, who volunteered to defend
the innocence of Queen Guinever.
Madras System of Education. A
system of mutual instruction, introduced
by Dr. Andrew Bell into the institution
at Madras for the education of the
orphan children of the European mili-
tary. Bell lived 1753-1832.
Maean/der. To wind like the river
Maeander, in Phrygia. The “Greek
pattern’’ of embroidery is so called.
Maece'nas. A patron of letters; so
called from C. Cilnius Maece'nas, a
Boman statesman in the reign of Augus-
tus, who kept open house for all men of
letters, and was the special friend and
patron of Horace and Virgil. Nicholas
Rowe so called the Earl of Halifax on
his installation to the Order of the
Garter (1714).
The last English Maccemas. Samuel
Rogers, poet and banker. (1763-1855.)
Maelström (Norwegian, whirling
stream). There are about fifty mael-
ströms off the coast of Norway, but the
one Englishmen delight to tremble at
is at the foot of the Lofo'ten Islands,
between the islands of Moskenés and
Mosken, where the water is pushed and
jostled a good deal, and when the wind
and tide are contrary it is not safe for
Small boats to venture near.
It was anciently thought that the
Maelström was a subterranean abyss,
penetrating the globe, and communicat-
ing with the Gulf of Bothnia.
Maeon'ides (4 syl.) or Maeonian
Poet. Homer, either because he was
the son of Maeon, or because he was
born in Maeonia (Asia Minor). (See
HoMER.) -
Maeviad. A merciless satire by Gif-
ford on the Della Cruscan school of
poetry. Published 1796. The word is in
Virgil’s Eclogue, iii. 90. (See BAVIAD.)
Mag. JPhat a mag you are 1 jabberer,
hence to chatter like a magpie. Mag is a
contraction of magpie. The French have
a famous word, “caquet-bom-bee.” We
call a prating man or woman “a mag.”
(See MAGPIE.)
Not a mag to bless myself with—not a
halfpenny.
Mag'a. Blackwood's Magazine. A
mere contraction of the word maga-zine."
Magalo'na. (See MAGUELONE.)
Magazine (3 Syl.). A place for stores.
(Arabic, ſnakhzan, gazana, a place where
articles are preserved.)
Mag'dalene (3 Syl.). An asylum for
the reclaiming of prostitutes; SO called
from Mary Magdalene or Mary of Mag'-
dala, “out of whom Jesus cast seven
devils.” A great profligate till she met
with the Lord and Saviour.
Magdeburg Centuries. The first
gréat work of Protestant divines on the
history of the Christian Church. . It was
begun at Magdeburg by Matthias Fla-
cius, in 1552; and, as each century
occupies a volume, the thirteen volumes
complete the history to 1300.
Magellan. Straits of Magellan. So
called after Magellan or Magalhaens,
the Portuguese navigator, who discovered
them in 1520, - - - - - -
Magenta - 791
Magician
Magenta. A brilliant red colour
derived from coal-tar, named in com-
memoration of the battle of Magenta,
which was fought in 1859. -
Maggot, Maggoty. Whimsical, full
of whims and fancies. Fancy tunes
used to be called maggots, hence we have
“Barker's maggots,” “Cary’s maggots,”
“Draper's maggots,” etc. (Dancing
Master, 1721.)
When the maggot bites. When the
fancy takes us. Swift tells us that it
was the opinion of certain virtuosi that
the brain is filled with little worms or
maggots, and that thought is produced
by these worms biting the nerves. “If
the bite is hexagonal it produces poetry;
if circular, eloquence; if conical, politics,
etc. (Mechanical Operation of the Spirit.)
Instead of maggots the Scotch say,
“His head is full of bees; ” the French,
“Iſ a des rats dams la tête ; ” and in
Holland, “He has a mouse's nest in his
head.” (See BEE.) - -
Ma'gi (The), according to one tra-
dition, were Mel'chior, Gaspar, and
Balthazar, three kings of the East. The
first offered gold, the emblem of royalty,
to the infant Jesus; the second, frank-
incense, in token of divinity ; and the
third, myrrh, in prophetic allusion to the
persecution unto death which awaited
the “Man of Sorrows.”
MELCIIIoR means “king of light.”
GASPAR, or CASPAR, means “the white one.”
BALTHAZAR means “the 10]"d of treasures.”
(Klopstock, in his Messiah, book V., gives these
five, names: Hadad, Selima, Zimri, Beled, and
Sunith.) -
JMagi, in Camoens' Lusiad, means
the Indian ‘‘ Brahmins.” Ammia'nus
Marcelli'nus says that the Persian magi
derived their knowledge from the Brah-
mins of India (i. 23); and Aria'nus ex-
pressly calls the Brahmins “magi” (i.7.).
Magic Garters. Made of the 'strips
of a young hare's skin saturated with
motherwort. Those who wear these
garters excel in speed.
“Were it not for my magic garters . . . .
I Should not continue the busines; long.”
, - Longfellow: The Golden Legend.
Magic Rings. This superstition
arose from the belief that magicians had
the power of imprisoning demons in
rings... The power was supposed to
prevail in Asia, and - subsequently in
Salamanca, Tolédo, and Italy. -
* Magic circles (like magic squares)
are mathematical puzzles. - -
Coreud’s ring. This magic ring was
composed of six metals, and insured the
wearer success in any undertaking in
turn.S
there, and I here.”
which he chose to embark. (Chinese
Tales ; Coreud and his Four Sons.)
Dame Lönés's ring, given by her to
Sir Gareth during a tournament. It
insured the wearer from losing blood
when wounded.
“‘This ring.” said Dame Ilionés, ‘increaseth my
beauty . . . . That which is green it turns red, and
that which is red it turns green. That which is
blue it turns white, and that which is white it
blue. hoever beareth this ring can
never lose blood, however wounded. ”—ilistory of
Prince Arthur, i. 146.
Fairy ring (A). Whoever lives in a
house built over a fairy ring will won-
drously prosper in everything. (Athen-
ian Oracle, i. 307.) .
Gyges’ ring. (See GYGES.)
Lºmed’s ring rendered the wearer in-
visible. , Luned or Lynet gave the ring
to Owain, one of King Arthur's knights.
“Take this ring, and put it on thy finger, with
the stone inside thy hand, and close thy hand
upon it. As long as thou concealest the Stone,
the stone will conceal thee.” — The Mabinogion
(Lady of the Fountainſ).
Reynard’s ring. The ring which
Reynard pretended he had sent to King
Lion. It had three gems : one red,
which gave light in darkness ; one
white, which cured all blains and
sprains ; and one green, which would
guard the wearer from all ills, both in
peace and war. (Henrik von Alkmaar :
Ičeynard the Foa.) -
The steel ring, made by Seidel-Beckit.
It enabled the wearer to read the secrets
of another’s heart. (Oriental Tales;
The Four Talismans.) - -
The talking ring given by Tartaro, the
Basque Cyclops, to a girl whom he
wished to marry. Immediately she put
it on, it kept incessantly saying “You
In order to get rid
of the nuisance, the girl cut off her
finger, and threw both finger and ring
into a pond. (Basque legends.) -
. This tale appears in Campbell's
Popular Tales of the West Highlands (i.
to iii.), and in Grimm's Tales (The Robber
and his Sons). - -
Magic Wand. -
In Jerusalem Delivered the Hermit
gives Charles the Dane and Ubaldo a
wand which, being shaken, infused
terror into all who saw it. -
In the Faërie Queene, the palmer who
accompanies Sir Guyon has a staff of
like virtue, made of the same wood as
Mercury’s caduceus. -
Magician. The Great Magician or
Wizard of the North. Professor Wilson
calls Sir Walter Scott the Great Magi-
cian, from the wonderful fascination of
his writings.
Magliabechi
792
Magpie
Magician of the North. The title as-
sumed by Johann Georg Hamann, of
Prussia (1730-1788).
Magliabechi. The greatest book-
worm that ever lived. He never forgot
what he had once read, and could even
turn at Once to the exact page of any
reference. He was the librarian Of the
Great Duke Cosmo III. (1633–1714).
Magna Charta. The Great Charter
of English liberty extorted from King
John, 1215; called by Spelman—
“Augustis'simum Anglica/rum, liberta. tum
diplo’ma et Sacra an/chora.”
Magnalia Christi. Cotton Mathers’s
book, mentioned in Longfellow’s May-
flower.
Magnanimous (The).
Alfonso V. of Aragon (1385, 1416–58).
Chosroës or Khosru, twenty-first of
the Sassan'idés, surnamed Noushir' wan
(the Magnanimous) (531-579).
Magna/no. One of the leaders of
the rabble that attacked Hudibras at a
bear-baiting. The character is a satire
on Simeon Wait, a tinker and Indepen-
dent preacher. (Hudibras, pt. i. 2.) He
calls Cromwell the “archangel who did
battle with the devil.”
Magnet. The loadstone ; so called
from Magne'sia, in Lydia, where the ore
was said to abound. The Greeks called
it magnes. Milton uses the adjective
for the substantive in the line “As the
magnetic hardest iron draws.”
Magzhet'ic Mountain. A mountain
which drew out all the nails of any
ship that approached within its magnetic
influence. The ship in which Prince
Agib sailed fell to pieces when wind-
driven towards it. (Arabian Nights :
The Third Calendar.)
Magneuse (French). An anonyma.
or fille de joie ; so called from the nun-
nery founded at Rheims in 1654, by
Jeanne Canart, daughter of Nicolas
Colbert, seigneur de Magneux. The
word is sometimes jocosely perverted
into Magni-magno. -
Magnificat. To sing the Magnificat
at matiºns. To do things at the wrong
time, or out of place. The Magnificat
does not belong to the morning service,
but to vespers. The Magnificat is Luke
i. 46-55 in Latin. ,
Magnificent (The).
Rhosru or Chosroës I. of Persia (*,
531-579). The golden period of Persian
history was 550-628. ~ : .
Lorenzo de Medici (1448-1492).
Robert, Duc de Normandie, also called
Le Diable (*, 1028-1035).
Soliman I., greatest of the Turkish
Sultans (1493, 1520-1566). -
Magnifique . . . Guerre. “C”est
Anagnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre.”
Admirable, but not according to rule.
The comment of Marshal Canrobert
on the charge of the Light Brigade at
Balaclava.
" It is because the clergy, as a class, are ani-
mated by a high ideal . . . that they, as a class
are incomparably better than , they need be ... .
Çest magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la guerre."—
Nineteenth Century, April, 1866.
Magnolia. A flower so called from
Pierre Magnol, professor of medicine at
Montpelier. (1638-1715.)
Magnum Opus. Chief or most im-
portant of a person’s works. A literary
man says of his most renowned book it
is his Anagnatºm opus.
Magnum of Port (A), or other wine,
a double bottle. -
Magnus Apollo (Mº), or Ments
Magnus Apollo. My leader, authority,
and oracle.
Mago the Carthaginian, says Aris-
totle, crossed the Great Desert twice
without having anything to drink.
Magophonia. A festival observed
by the Persians to commemorate the
massacre of the Magi. Smerdis usurped
the throne on the death of Camby'ses ;
but seven Persians, conspiring together,
slew Smerdis and his brother; where-
upon the people put all the Magi to the
sword, and elected Darius, son of Hys-
taspes, to the throne. (Greek, magos-
phomos, the magi-slaughter.)
Magot (French). Money, or rather
a mass of secreted money ; a corruption
of imago, the “image and Superscrip-
tion ” of coined money. -
“I,ä il vola de même, revint à Paris avec url bon
magot.”—Lt. Gazette Noire, 1784, p. 270.
Magpie. A contraction of magot-
pie, or mag'ata-pie. “Mag” is generally
thought to be a contraction of Margaret;
thus we have Robin red-breast, Tom-tit,
Philip—i.e. a sparrow, etc.
“Augurs and understood relations have
(By magotpies, and choughs, and rooks) brought
forth
The secret'st man of blood.” - - -
Shakespeare: Macbeth, iii. 4.
Magpie. Here is an old Scotch rhyme:
“One’s sorrow, two’s mirth, , .
Three's a wedding, four's a birth,
Five's a christening, six a dearth,
Seven's heaven, eight is hell,
And nine's the devil his ane Sel'.” .
Magricio
793 Mahomet
Magricio. The champion of Isabella
of Portugal, who refused to do homage
to France. The brave champion van-
quished the French chevalier, and thus
vindicated the liberty of his country.
Maguelo'ne or Mag'alo'na (the
fair). Heroine of the romance called
The History of the Fair Magaloma,
I)antghter of the King of Naples, etc.
Originally written in French. Cervantès
alludes to it in Don Quixote. (See PETER
OF PROVENCE.) -
Magus. (See SIMON.)
Mah-abade'an Dynasty (The). The
first dynasty of Persian mythological
history. Mah Abad (the great Abad) and
his wife were the only persons left on the
earth after the great cycle, and from
them the world was peopled. Azer
Abad, the fourteenth and last of this
dynasty, left the earth because “all flesh
had corrupted itself,” and a period of
anarchy ensued. -
Mahabharata. One of the two
great epic poems of ancient India. Its
story is the contests between descen-
dants of Kuru and Pandu. (See KURU.)
Ma’hadi or Hakem. The Kalif who
reigned about 400 years after Mahomet.
In one pilgrimage to Mecca, he expended
six million gold dinars.
Mahātmas. Initiates who have
proved their courage and purity by
passing through Sundry tests and trials.
It is a Hindu word applied to certain
Buddhists. They are also called “Mas-
ters.” According to Theosophists, man
has a physical, an intellectual, and a
spiritual nature, and a Mahātma is a
person who has reached perfection in
each of these three natures. As his
knowledge is perfect, he can produce
effects which, to the less learned, appear
miraculous. Thus, before the telegraph
and telephone were invented it would
have appeared miraculous to possess such
powers; no supernatural power, how-
ever, is required, but only a more ex-
tensive knowledge.
* Mahātma is a well-known Sanskrit word ap-
plied to men who have retired from the world,
who, by means of a long ascetic discipline, have
subdued the passions of the flesh, and gained a
reputation for Sanctity and knowledge. That
these men are able to perform most startling
feats, and to Suffer the most terrible tortures, is
perfectly true."—Max Muller: Nineteenth Century,
May, 1893, p. 775.
Mah'di (The). The supreme pontiff
of the Shiites (2 syl.) Only twelve of
these imaums have really appeared—viz.
Ali, Hassan, Hosein, and the nine lineal
descendants of Hosein. Mohammed, the
last Mahdi, we are told, is not really
dead, but sleeps in a cavern near Bagdad,
and will return to life in the fulness of
time to overthrow Dejal (anti-Christ).
The Mahdi which has of late been disturbing
Egypt is hated by the Persians, who are Sunnites
(2 Syl.); hut even the Turks and Persians are
looking out for a Mahdi Who Will Stamp out the
“infidels.” -
Mahmoud of Ghizni, the conqueror
of India in the 11th century, kept 400
greyhounds and bloodhounds, each of
which wore a jewelled collar taken from
the necks of captive Sultanas.
Mahmut. The name of the famous
Turkish spy (q.v.).
Mahomet or Mohammed, according
to Deutsch, means the Predicted Messiah.
(Hag. ii. 7.) It is the titular name taken
by Halabi, founder of Islam. (570–632.)
Angel of. When Mahomet was trans-
ported to heaven, he says: “I saw there
an angel, the most gigantic of all created
beings. It had 70,000 heads, each had
70,000 faces, each face had 70,000 mouths,
each mouth had 70,000 tongues, and each
tongue spoke 70,000 languages; all were
employed in singing God’s praises.”
...' This would make more than 31,000 trillion
languages, and nearly five billion mouths.
Banner of Sanjaksherif, kept in the
Eyab mosque, at Constantinople.
J3ible of. The Koran.
JBorn at Mecca, A.D. 570.
Bow. Catum (q.v.).
Camel (Swiftest). Adha (q.v.).
Cave. The cave in which Gabriel ap-
peared to Mahomet was Hoiá.
Coffin. It is said that Mahomet's
coffin, in the Had'gira of Medi'na, is
suspended in mid-air without any sup-
port. Many explanations have been
given of this phenomenon, the one
most generally received being that the
coffin is of iron, placed midway between
two magnets. Burckhardt visited the
sacred enclosure, and found the ingenuity
of science useless in this case, as the
coffin is not suspended at all. -
Cuirass. FADHA (q.v.).
Daughter (His favourite). Fatima.
JDied at Medina, Monday, June 8th.
632, age of seventy-two. The 10th of
the Hedj'rah. -
Dove. Mahomet had a dove which
he used to feed with wheat out of his
ear. When the dove was hungry it
used to light on the prophet's shoulder,
and thrust its bill into his ear to find
its meal. Mahomet thus induced the
Arabs to believe that he was inspired
by the Holy Ghost in the semblance of
Mahomet
794
Mahomet
Mahomet (continued).
a dove. (Sir Walter Raleigh : History.
of the World, bk. 1. pt. i. chap. vi. (See
also Prideaux. Life of Mahomet.)
“Was Mahomet inspired with a dove?” .
Shakespeare : 1 Henry VI., i. 2.
Father. Abdall, of the tribe of
T{oreish. He died a little before or
little after the birth of Mahomet. .
Father-in-law (father of Ayesha).
Abu-Bekr, He succeeded Mahomet and
was the first Calif.
Flight from Mecca (called the Hedj- -
rah), A.D. 622. He retired to Medi'na.
Grandfather (paternal). Abd-el-Mu-
tallib, who adopted the orphan boy, but
died in two years.
Pſedj'rah. (See above, Flight.)
Heir (adopted). Said or Zaid.
Horse. Al Borak [The Lightning]. It
conveyed the prophet to the seventh
heaven. (See BORAK.) .
“Borak was a fine-limbed, high-standing horse,
strong in frame, and with a coat as glossy as
marble. His colour was saffron, with one hair of
gold for every three of tawny ; his ears were rest-
less and pointed like a reed ; his eyes large and
full of fire ; his nostrils wide and steaming ; lie
had a white star on his forehead, a neck gracefully
arched, a mane Soft and silky, and a thick tail that
swept the ground.”—Croquemittime, ii. 9. -
Miracles. Chadin mentions several,
but some say he performed no miracle.
The miracle of the moon is best known.
Moon (The). Habib the Wise told
Mahomet to prove his mission by cleav-
ing the moon in two. Mahomet raised
his hands towards heaven, and in a loud
voice summoned the moon to do Habib’s
bidding. Accordingly, it descended to
the top of the Caaba (q.v.), made seven
circuits, and, coming to the ‘prophet,”
entered his right sleeve and came out of
the left. It then entered the collar of his
robe, and descended to the skirt, clove
itself into two plaits, one of which ap-
peared in the east of the skies and the
other in the west; and the two parts
ultimately reunited and resumed their
usual form. ‘. . -
Mother of Ami'na, of the tribe o
Roreish. She died when Mahomet was
six years old.
Mule. Fadda (q.v.). -
Pond. Just inside the gates of Para-
dise. It was white as milk, and he who
drank thereof would never thirst again.
(Al Iſoran.) ..
Revelation made when he was forty
years old by Gabriel, on Mount Hora,
in Mecca. - . . . .
Standard. Baj'ura.
Mahomet (continued). . .
Stepping-stone. The stone upon which
the prophet placed his foot when he
mounted the beast Al Borak on his
ascent to heaven. It rose as the beast
rose, but Mahomet, putting his hand
upon it, forbade it to follow him,
whereupon it remained suspended in
mid-air, where the true believer, if he
has faith enough, may still behold it.
Swords. Dhu’l Fakar (the trenchant),
Al Battar (the beater), Medham (the
heen), and Hatef. (the deadly). (See
Swor:Ds.) -
Successor. (See above, Father-in-law.)
Tribe. On both sides, the Koreish.
Uncle, who took charge of Mahomet at
the death of his grandfather, Abu Taleb'.
Wives. Ten in number, viz. (1)
Radidja, a rich widow of the tribe of
Koreish, who had been twice married
already, and was forty years of age.
For twenty-five years she was his only
wife, but at her death he married nine
others, all of whom survived him.
Mahomet loved Mary, a Coptic girl, and in
order to justify the amour, added a new chapter
to the Koran, which may be found in Gagnier's
Notes upon Abulfedtt, p. 151. - -
The nine wives. (1) Ayesha, daughter
of Abu Bekr, only nine years old on her
wedding-day, This was his youngest
and favourite wife. -
(2) Sauda, widow of Sokran, and
nurse to his daughter Fat'ima.
(3) Hafsa, a widow twenty-eight years
old, who also had a son. She was
daughter of Omeya.
(4) Zeinab, wife of Zaid, but divorced
in order that the prophet might take her
to wife. - . . .
(5), Barra, wife of a young Arab and
daughter of Al Hareth, chief of an Arab
tribe. Both father and husband were
slain in a battle with Mahomet. She
was a captive. ... :
(6) Rehana, daughter of Simeon, and
a Jewish captive. - . :
(7) Safi'ya, the espoused wife of
Kena'na. Kenana was put to death.
Safiya outlived the prophet forty years.
(8), Omm Habiba — i.e. mother of
Habiba ; the widow of Abu Sofian.
(9) Maimu'na, fifty-one years old,
and a widow, who survived all his other
wives. - -
Also ten or fifteen concubines, chief
of whom was Mariyeh, mother of Ibra-
him, the prophet's son, who died when
fifteen months old. . . . -
Year of Deputations.
A.D. 630, the
8th of the Hedj'rah. - -
7
Mahourn
Name of contempt
Mahoun' (2 syl.).
In
for Mahomet, a Moslem, a Moor.
Scotland it used to mean devil.
“There's the son of the renegade—spawn of
Mahoun (Són of the Moorish princeSS).”—Weyl-
geance of Mºttda?')'ét.
Mahound (2 syl.). Mahomet. (See
MACON.)
“Ofttimes by Termagant and Mahound swore.”
Spense) : Faërie Queene, Yii. 47.
Mahu. The fiend-prince that urges
to theft.
“Five fiends have been in poor Tom at once: of
lust, as Obidicut; Hobbididance, prince of dumb-
ness.; Mahu, of stealing ; Modo, of murder: Flib-
bertigibbet, of mopping and mowing.” — Shake-
spectre: Ring Lear, iv. 1. *
Maid Ma'rian. A morris dance, or
the boy in the morris dance, called Mad
Morion, from the “morion ” which he
wore on his head. (See MoRRIs DANCE.)
Maid Marian is a corruption first of the
words, and then of the sex. Having got
the words Maid Marian, etymologists
have puzzled out a suitable character in
Matilda, the daughter of Fitz-Walter,
baron of Bayard and Dunmow, who
eloped with Robert Fitz-Ooth, the out-
law, and lived with him in Sherwood
Forest. Some refine upon this tale, and
affirm that Matilda was married to the
outlaw (commonly called Robin Hood)
by Friar Tuck.
“A set of morrice dancers danced a maidmarian
with a tabor and pipe.”—Témple. ...,
- - “Next 'tis agreed
That fair Matilda henceforth change her name,
And while [she lives] in Shirewodde . . .
She by maid Marian's name he only called.”
Downfall of Robert, Earl of II untingdom.
Maid of Athens, immortalised by
Byron, was Theresa Macri. Some twenty-
four years after this poem was written
the maid was in dire poverty, without a
single vestige of beauty. She had a
large family, and lived in a hovel.
Maid of Norway. Margaret, daugh-
ter of Eric II. and Margaret of Norway.
On the death of Alexander III. She
was acknowledged Queen of Scotland,
and was betrothed to Edward, son of
Edward I. of England, but she died on
her passage to Scotland.
Maid of Orleans. Jeanne x&l’Arc
(1412-1431).
Maid of Perth (Fair). Catherine.
Glover, daughter;of Simon Glover, the
old, glover of Perth. She kisses Smith
while asleep on St. Valentine's morn-
ing, and ultimately marries him. (See
SMITH.) (Scott : Fair Maid of Perth.)
Maid of Saragossa. Augustina.
Zaragoza, distinguished for her heroism
when Saragossa was besieged in 1808
5
Maidenhair t
and 1809. Byron refers to her in his
Childe Harold. -
Maiden. A machine resembling the
guillotine for beheading criminals in the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries :
brought to Scotland by, the Regent
Morton from Halifax, in Yorkshire, for
the purpose of beheading the laird of
Pennycuick. It was also called “the
Widow.” -
Iſe who invented the maiden first han-
selled it. Referring to Regent Morton,
who introduced this sort of guillotine
into Scotland, erroneously said to have
been the first to suffer by it. Thomas
Scott, one of the murderers of Rizzio,
was beheaded by it in 1566, fifteen years
before Morton’s execution.
Maiden Assize (A). One in which
there is no person to be brought to trial.
We have also the expressions ºnaiden
tree, one never lopped; maiden fortress,
one never taken ; maiden speech ; etc.
In a maiden assize, the sheriff of the
county presents the judge with a pair of
white gloves. White gloves symbolise
innocence. Maiden primarily means
unspotted, unpolluted, innocent ; thus
Hubert says to the king—
“This hand of mine
Is yet a maiden and an innocent hand,
Not painted with the crimson spots of blood.”
- Shakespeare : King John, iv. 2.
Maiden King (The). Malcolm IV.
of Scotland. (1141, 1153-1165.)
“Malcolm . . . Son of the brave and generous
Prince Henry . . . was so kind and gentle in his
disposition, that he was usually called Malcolin
the Maiden.”—Scott : Tales of a Grandfather, iv.
Maiden Lane (London). So called
from an image of the Maiden or Virgin
Mary, which stood there before the Re-
formation.
Maiden Or Virgin Queen.
beth, Queen of England, who
married. (1533, 1558–1603.)
Maiden Town, i.e. a town never
taken by the enemy. Edinburgh. The
tradition is that the maiden daughters
of a Pictish king were sent there for
protection during an intestine war.
Maiden of the Mist. Anne of
Geierstein, in Sir Walter Scott's novel
called Anne of Geierstein.
Maidenhair (a fern, so-called from
its hair-like stalks) never takes wet or
moisture. -
“His skin is like the herb called true Maiden's
hair, which never takes wet or moisture, but still
keeps dry, though laid at the bottom of a river as
long as yºu please. For this reason it is called
Adiantos.”—Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 24.
*.
Eliza-
never
- Main-brace
796
Make the Toe
Main-brace. Splice the main-brace,
in sea language, means to take a draught
of strong drink to keep the spirits up,
and give strength for extra exertion.
The main-brace is the rope by which
the mainsail of a ship is set in position,
and to splice it, in a literal sense, when
the rope is broken or injured, is to join
the two ends together again.
Main Chance (The). Profit or money,
probably from the game called hazard.
To have an eye to the main chance,
means to keep in view the money to be
made out of an enterprise.
*: In the game of “hazard,” the
first throw of the dice is called the main,
which must be between four and nine,
the player then throws his chance, which
determines the main.
Mainote (2syl.). A
the coast of Attica.
“. . . Ilike hoat
Of island-lyirate or Mainote.”
Byron: The Giaottº".
Maintain is to hold in the hand;
hence, to keep ; hence, to clothe and feed.
(French, main tenir; Latin, manus teneo.)
Maitland Club (The) of literary
antiquities, instituted at Glasgow in
1828. It published a number of works.
Maize (1 syl.). According to Ame-
rican superstition, if a damsel finds a
blood-red ear of maize, she will have a
suitor before the year is over.
“Even the blood-red ear to Evangeline brought
not her lover.” Lomſ/fellow : Evangeline.
Majesty. Henry VIII. was the first
English sovereign who was styled “His
Majesty.” Henry IV. was “His Grace;”
Henry VI.; “His Excellent Grace; ”
Bdward IV., “High and Mighty Prince;”
Henry VII., “His Grace,” and “His
Highness; ” Henry VIII., in the earlier
part of his reign, was styled “His High-
ness.” “His Sacred Majesty” was a
title assumed by subsequent sovereigns,
but was afterwards changed to “Most
Excellent Majesty.”
Majesty, in heraldry. An eagle
crowned and holding a sceptre is “an
eagle in his majesty.”
pirate that infests
Majol'ica Ware. A pottery ori-
ginally made in the island of Majorca
or Majolica, and lately revived by Mr.
Minton. .
Majority. He has joined the majority.
IIe is dead. Blair says, in his Grave,
“”Tis long since Death had the ma-
jority.” “Abiit ad plures; ” “Quin
privas me ad plures penetravi' (Plautus :
The allusion is to the Israelites
Trinummus, line 14). “ Beatos eos fore,
quando cum pluribats habitarint.” (See
Polybius, viii. xxx. 7.)
Make.
What make you here 2 What do you
want? What are you come here for P
A French phrase: “Que faites-vous iei ?”
“Now, , sir, what make you here?"—Shake-
Speare : As You Like It, i. 1.
Make a hand of or on (To). To
slay, destroy, waste, or spoil.
“So when I came to myself again, I cried him
mercy. ; but he said, ‘I know not to show mercy :"
and With that knockt me down again. He had,
doubtless, made a hand of me, but that one came
by, and bid him forbear.”—Bunyan : Pilgrim's
Progress, p. 93 (first edition).
Make a Hit (To). To succeed un-
expectedly in an adventure or specula-
tion. (See HIT.) s *
Make a Virtue of Necessity (To).
See Chaucer's poem of the Knightes
Tale, line 3,044; also The Two Gentle-
anem of Verona and Dryden's poem of
Palčmon and Areite. --
Make away with (To). To squander;
to put out of the way; to murder. The
French verb défaire is used sometimes
in a similar way; as, “Il titcha de se
défaire secrètement de ses pariers.”
Make away with Oneself (To). To
commit suicide.
Make Bricks without Straw (To).
To attempt to do something without
having, the necessary material supplied.
II].
Egypt, who were commanded by their
taskmasters so to do. (Exodus v. 7.)
Make Eyes at (To). To flirt with
the eyes. “Oeitlis venári.” (See CAST.)
Make Mountains of Molehills
(To). To make a difficulty of trifles.
“Areem ea cloãcă facére.” The corre-
sponding French proverb is, “Faire d'un
mouche ºn éléphant.”
Make one’s Bread (To). To earn
one’s living.
Make the Door (To). To make it
fast by shutting and bolting it. We
still say, “Have you made my room P”
—i.e. made it tidy. Similarly, to “make
the bed” is to arrange it fit for use.
“Why at this time the doors are made against
you.” Shakespeare : Comedy of Errors, iii. 1.
“Make the door upon a woman's wit, and it will
º *he casement.”—Shakespeare: As You Like
Make the Ice (To). To near the
whale-fishing ground. To make for the
ice is to steer in that direction.
“About the end of April we neared the fishing-
ground, or, to be more technical, ‘made the ice.’”
C. Thomsºn : Autobiography, 17. 128.
device.
*
IMake-wage (
97
Male Sapphires
Make-wage. Wages supplemented
by grants or rates. Similarly, a make-
weight [loaf) is a small loaf added to
make up the proper weight.
Make-weight. A bit [of meat,
cheese, bread, or other article] thrown
into the scale to make the weight
correct.
Makeshift (A). A temporary ar-
rangement during an emergency ; a
(The Anglo-Saxon self: means
a division, hence a device.)
Malabar.
Malagi'gi (in Orlando Furioso). Son
of Buo'vo, and brother of Al'diger and
Vivian, of Clarmont's race ; a wizard
knight, cousin of Rinaldo. (See MAUGIS.)
Malagrowther (Malachi). The sig-
nature of Sir Walter Scott to a series
of letters in 1822 contributed to the
Edinburgh Review upon the lowest
limitation of paper money to £5. They
caused immense sensation," not inferior
to that produced by Drapier's Letters
(q.v.) in Ireland. No political tract,
since Burke's Reflections on the French
Jºevolution, ever excited such a stir in
Great Britain.
Mal'agrowther (Sir Jſungo). An
old courtier soured by misfortune, who
tries to make everyone as discontented
as himself. (Scott : Fortunes of Nigel.)
Mal'akoff (in the Crime'a). In 1831 a.
sailor and ropemaker, named Alexander
Ivanovitch Malakoff, celebrated for his
wit and conviviality, lived at Sebastopol.
He had many friends and admirers, but,
being engaged in a riot, was dismissed
the dockyards in which he had been em-
ployed. He then opened a liquor-shop
on the hill outside the town. His old
friends gathered round him, and his shop
was called the Malakoff. In time other
houses were built around, and the Mala-
koff became a town, which ultimately
was fortified. This was the origin of the
famous Malakoff Tower, which caused
so much trouble to the allied army in
the Criméan War. (Gazette de France.)
Malambru'no. The giant, first
cousin of Queen Magun'cia, of Canday'a,
who enchanted Antonomas'ia, and her
husband, and shut them up in the tomb
of the deceased queen. The infanta, he
transformed into a monkey of brass,
and the knight into a crocodile. Don
Quixote achieved their disenchantment
by mounting the wooden horse called
(See under VEUVE.)
Clavile'no. (Cervantes : Don Quixote,
part ii. book iii. chap. xlv.)
Malaprop (Mrs.), in The Rivals, by
Sheridan. (French, mal dº propos.)
Noted for her blunders in the use of
words. “As headstrong as an allegory
on the banks of the Nile ” is one of her
famous similes. (See PARTINGTON.)
Malbec'co. A “cankered, crabbed
earl,” very wealthy, but miserly and
mean. He seems to be the impersona-
tion of self-inflicted torments. ... He
married a young wife named Helenore,
who set fire to his house, and eloped
with Sir Pari del. Malbecco cast him-
self over a high rock, and all his flesh
vanished into thin air, leaving behind
nothing but his ghost, which was meta-
morphosed into Jealousy. (Spense,' .
Faërie Queene, book iii.)
Malbrouk or Marlbrough (Marl-
bro'), does not date from the battle of
Malplaquet (1709), but from the time
of the Crusades, 600 years before. Ac-
cording to a tradition discovered by M.
de Châteaubriand, the air came from
the Arabs, and the tale is a legend of
Mambron, a crusader. It was brought
into fashion during the Revolution by
Mme. Poitrine, who used to sing it to her
royal foster-child, the son of Louis XVI.
M. Ar'ago tells us that when M. Monge,
at Cairo, sang this air to an Egyptiall
audience, they all knew it, and joined
in it. Certainly the song has nothing to
do with the Duke of Marlborough, as it
is all about feudal castles and Eastern
wars. We are told also that the band
of Captain Cook, in 1770, was playing
the air one day on the east coast of
Australia, when the natives evidently
recognised it, and , seemed enchanted.
(Moniteur de l'Armée.)
“Mal brouk Sen Ya-t-en guerre,
Mironton, mironton, mirom fain ;
Mal brºuk s'en va-t-enguerre,
Nul Sait quand reviendra.
Il reviendra Z'a pâques—
Mironton. nyirouton, mirontaine . . .
Ou a la Trinité.”
* The name Malbrouk occurs in the
Chansons de Gestes, and also in the
Basque Pastorales.
Malcolm. Eldest son of Duncan,
Ring of Scotland. He was called Can-
More (Great-head), and succeeded Mac-
beth (1056).
(Shakespeare : Macbeth.)
Maldine (French). School. So called
because at school “on dine asség mal.”
Male. (See SEx.) '
Male Sapphires. Deep indigo-
coloured Sapphires. The pale blue are
Male suada, Fames
798 Malt
the female Sapphires. (Emmannel. Dia-
monds and Precious Stones [1867].)
Male suada, Fames. Hunger is a
bad counsellor. The French say, “Tilain
affamé, demi enragé.”
Malebol'ge (4 syl.). The eighth
circle of Dante's Inferno, which con-
tained in all ten bolgi or pits.
“There is a place within the depths of lyell
Called Malebolge.” Dante : 1 m ſermo, xviii.
Malecasta. The impersonation of
lust. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii. 1.)
Male'ger [wretchedly thin]. Captain
of the rabble rout which attack the
castle of Temperance. He was “thin
as a rake,” and cold as a serpent.
Prince Arthur attacks him and flings
lim to the ground, but Maleger springs
up with renewed vigour. Arthur now
stabs him through and through, but it is
like stabbing a shadow ; he then takes
him in his arms and squeezes him as in
a vice, but it is like Squeezing a piece of
sponge ; he then remembers that every
time the carl touches the earth his
strength is renewed, so he squeezes all
his breath out, and tosses the body into
a lake. (See ANTAEOS.) (Sponsor: Faërie
Queene, book ii. 11.)
Malengin [guile]. On his back he
carried a net “to catch fools.” . Being
attacked by Sir Artegal and his iron
man, he turned himself first into a fox,
then to a bush, then to a bird, then to a
hedgehog, then to a snake ; but Talus
was a match for all his deceits, and
killed him. (Spenser : Faërie Queene,
v. 9.)
Malepardus. The castle of Master
Reynard the Fox, in the tale so called.
Maiherbe's Canons of French
Poetry. -
(1) Poetry is to contain only such
words as are in common use by well-
educated Parisians.
(2) A word ending with a vowel must
in no case be followed by a word begin-
ning with a vowel.
(3) One line in no wise is to run into
another. -
(4) The casura, must always be most
strictly observed.
(5) Every alternate rhyme must be
feminine. -
Mal’iom. Mahomet is so called in
some of the old romances.
“Send five, send six against me. By Maliolm I
swear, I'll take them all.”—Fierſtbras,
Mallrin. The nickname of Mary,
now called Molly. Hence the Maid
Marian is so termed.
Malkin. A kitchen wench, now called
a Molly, is by Shakespeare termed “the
kitchen Malkin. (Coriolanus, ii. 1.)
Malkin. A scarecrow or figure
dressed like a scullion; hence, anything
made of rags, as a mop.
Malkin. A Moll or female cat, the
male being a “Tom.” When the cat
mews, the witch in Macbeth calls out,
“I come, Grimalkin’” (i. 1). * -
Mall, or Pall Mall (London). From
the Latin pellère malleo (to strike with
a ſmallet or bat); so called because it
was where the ancient game of pell-mall
used to be played. Cotgrave says: —
“Pale malle is a game wherein a round box-
ball is struck with a mallet through a high arch
of irºn. He that call do this most frequently
WV 11] S.
It was a fashionable game in the
reign of Charles II., and the walk called
the Mall was appropriated to it for the
king and his court.
Mall Supper (A). A harvest feast
(North of England). A mal is a feast,
our word meal (Anglo-Saxon, mal).
Mallows. Abstain from mallows.
This is the thirty-eighth symbol in the
Protreptics. Pythagoras tells us that
mallow was the first messenger sent by
the gods to earth to indicate to man
that they sympathised with them and
had pity on them. To make food of
mallows would be to dishonour the gods.
Mallows are cathartic. . . - . . . .
Malmesbury (JWilliam of). Eleventh
century: author of numerous chron-
icles. . His Gesta Regum, Anglorum is a
resumé of English history from the
arrival of the English in 440 to the
year 1120. His Historia Novella gives
a retrospect of the reign of Henry T.,
and terminates abruptly with the year
1143. His third work is called Gesta,
Pontificum. All the three are included
in the Scriptóres post Bedam.
Malmesbury Monastery. Founded
by Maildulf, Meildulf, or Meldun, an
Irishman.
Malmsey Wine is the wine of Mal-
va'sia, in Candia. -
“Thane spyces unsparyly thay spendy de thcre-
aftyre,
Malvesye and muskadelle, thase merwelvous
drynkes.” Mojte d'A 7th all'e.
(See DROWNED IN A BUTT OF . . .)
Malt. The Sermon on Malt was by
John Dod, rector of Fawsley, North-
ants, called the decalogist, from his
Malt . - A.
99 MarminOn.
famous exposition of the Ten Command:
ments. A Puritan divine. (1547–1645.)
... This was not Dr. William Dodd, Who Was
executed for forgery (1729-1777).
Mait . . . Meal. When the malt gets
aboon the meal. When persons, after
dinner, get more or less fuddled.
“when the malt begins to get aboon the meal,
they'll begin to speak about government in kirk.
and state."—Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality, chap. iv.
Maltese Cross. Made thus: { }
Maithu'sian (A). A disciple of
Malthus, whose political doctrines are
laid down in his Essay on the Principles
of Population. -
Malthu'sian Doctrine. That popu-
lation increases more than the means of
increasing subsistence does, so that in
time, if no check is put upon the increase
of population, many must starve or all
be ill-fed. Applied to individual nations,
like Britain, it intimated that something
must be done to check the increase of
population, as all the land would not
suffice to feed its inhabitants.
Malum, in Latin, means an apple :
and “malus, mala, maliſm '’ means evil.
Southey, in his Commonplace Book, quotes
a witty etymon given by Nicolson and
Burn, making the noun derived from
the adjective, in allusion, I suppose, to
the apple eaten by Eve. Of course,
má'um (an apple) is the Greek mélon or
, mā ſon (an apple-tree).
Malum in Se (Latin). What is of
itself wrong, and would be so even if no
law existed against its commission, as
lying, murder, theft.
Malum Prohib'itum (Latin). What
is wrong merely because it is forbidden,
as eating a particular fruit was wrong
in Adam and Eve, because they were
commanded not to do so. Doing secu-
lar work on the Sabbath.
Malvo'lio. Steward to Olivia, in
Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Mamamouchi. A mock honour.
Better be a country gentleman in Eng-
land than a foreign Mamamouchi. The
honour is conferred on M. Jourdain.
(JIolière : Bourgeois Gentilhomme.)
Mambrizio's Helmet was of pure
gold, and rendered the wearer invulner-
able. It was taken possession of by
Rinaldo (Orlando Furioso). Cervantes
tells us of a barber who was caught in a
shower, and to protect his hat clapped
his brazen basin on his head. Don
(Arabic, mamlue, a slåve).
Quixote insisted that this basin was the
enchanted helmet of the Moorish king.
Mam'elon (2 syl., French). A mound
in the shape of a woman’s breast. These
artificial mounds were common in the
siege of Sebastopol. (Latin, mamma, a
breast.) - -
Mamelukes (2 syl) or Mamalukes
: " " - b. -- A name
given in Egypt to the slaves of the beys
brought from the Caucasus, and formed
into a standing army. In 1254 these
military “slaves” raised one of their
body to the Supreme power ; and Nour-
eddin Ali, the founder of the Baharites,
gave twenty-three Sultans ; in 1832 the
dynasty of the Borjites, also Mamlucs,
succeeded, and was followed by twenty-
one successors. Selim I., Sultan of
Turkey, overthrew the Mamluc kingdom
in 1517, but allowed the twenty-four
beys to be elected from their body. In
1811, Mohammed Ali by a wholesale
massacre annihilated, the Mamelukes,
and became viceroy of Egypt. . “
Mamma, Mother. The former is
Norman-French, and the latter Anglo-
Saxon. (See PAPA.)
Mammet. A puppet, a favourite, an
idol. A corruption of Mahomet. Ma-
hometanism being the most prominent
form of false religion with which Chris-
tendom was acquainted before the Re-
formation, it became a generic word to
designate any false faith; even idolatry
is called mammetry.
Mammon. The god of this world.
The word in Syriac means riches. (See
Milton : Paradise Lost, bk. i. 678.) His
speech in the council is book ii. 229, etc.
Jſammon. In Spenser's Faërie Queene,
Mammon says if Sir Guyon will serve
him he shall be the richest man in the
world; but the knight says money has
no charm for him. Mammon then takes
him to his Smithy, and tells him he may
make what orders he likes, but Guyon
declines to make any. The god then
offers to give him Phil'otine to wife, but
Guyon will not accept the honour.
Lastly, he takes him to Froserpine’s
bower, and tells him to pluck the golden
fruit, and rest on the silver stool; Sir
Guyon again refuses, and after three
days’ sojourn in the infernal regions
is led back to earth. (ii. 7.)
Mammon of . Unrighteousness
(The). Money. A Scripture phrase
(Luke xvi. 9). Mammon was the Syrian
IMarminOn's Cave
800 1Man Of Brass
god of wealth, similar to Plutus of
Greek and Roman mythology.
Mammon's Cave. The abode of the
Money-god. Sir Guyon visited this
cave, and Spenser gives a very full de-
scription of it. (Faërie Queene, ii. 7.)
Sir Epicure Mammon. A worldly
sensualist. (Ben Jonson : Alchemist.)
Mammoth Cave (The). In Edmon-
son county, Kentucky, the largest in
the world.
Man (Isle of), called by the ancient
Britons main-ant (little island), Latinised
into Menav-ia. Caesar calls it Mona (i.e.
Mon-ah), the Scotch pronunciation of
Manau. Mona and Pliny’s Monabia are
varieties of “Menavia.”
Man. Emblematic of St. Matthew,
because he begins his gospel by tracing
the manhood of Jesus back to David.
Mark is symbolised by a lion, because he
begins his gospel with John the Baptist
and Jesus in the wilderness. Luke is
symbolised by a calf, because he begins
his gospel with the Temple sacrifices.
And John as a eagle, because he looks
right into heaven and begins his gospel
with Jesus the divine logos. The four
are indicated in Ezekiel's cherub (i. 10.)
Man. Average weight 150 lbs.; height,
69 inches; strength, 420 lbs.
Man Friday (A). A useful and
faithful servant, like the Man Friday in
Robinson Crusoe.
“Count von Rechberg . . . was Prince Bism:arck's
‘Man Friday.’”—Athenaeum, 1881.
Man-jack. Every man-jack of yotſ.
Everyone of you. (See under JACK.)
Man . . . Monkey. The Bedouins
affirm that the monkeys of Mount Kara
were once human beings, thus trans-
formed for disobedience to their pro-
phet. The Arabs have a similar tradi-
tion, that the monkey (Nasnás) and the
ape (IWabár) were once human beings.
Man-Mountain or Quinbuts Festrin.
So Gulliver was called Lilliput.
Man Proposes, but God disposes.
So we read in the Imitatio Christi ;
Herbert (Jacula Prudentum) has nearly
the same identical words.
Man Threefold. According to Diog'-
enès Laertius, the body was composed of
(1) a mortal part ; (2) a divine and
ethereal part, called the phrēn, and
(3) an aérial and vaporous part, called
the thatmos.
According to the Romans, man has a
threefold soul, which at the dissolution
of the body resolves itself into (1) the
Manes; (2) the An'ima or Spirit; (3)
the Umbra. The Manès went either to
Elysium or Tarºtarus; the Anima re-
turned to the gods; but the Umbra,
hovered about the body as unwilling to
quit it. -
According to the Jews, man consists
of body, Soul, and spirit.
Man in Black (The).
be Goldsmith's father. (Citizen of the
World.) Washington Irving has a tale
with the same title.
Supposed to
Man in the Iron Maslº (The). (See
IRON MASK.)
Man in the Mcon (The). Some say
it is a man leaning on a fork, on which
he is carrying a bundle of sticks picked
up on a Sunday. The origin of this
fable is from Num. xv. 32-36. Some
add a dog also ; thus the prologue in
Midsummer Night’s Dream says, “This
man with lantern, dog, and bush of
thorns, presenteth moonshine; ” Chaucer
says “he stole the bush ’’ (Test. of Cres-
seide). Another tradition says that the
man is Cain, with his dog and thorn-
bush ; the thorn-bush being emblema-
tical of the thorns and briars of the
fall, and the dog being the “foul fiend.”
Some poets make out the “man” to be
Endym'ion, taken to the moon by Diana.
Man in the moon. The nameless per-
son at one time employed in elections to
negotiate bribes. Thus the rumour was
set flying among the electors that “the
Man in the Moon had arrived.”
I know no more about it than the man
in the moon. I know nothing at all
about the matter.
Man of Belial. Any wicked man.
Shimei so called David (2 Sam. xvi. 7).
The ungodly are called “children of
Relial,” or “sons of Belial.” The word
Belial means worthlessness.
Man of Blood. David is so called
(2 Sam. xvi. 7). -
The Puritans applied the term to
Charles I., because he made war against
his Parliament. Any man of violence.
Man of Blood and Iron (The).
Otto von Bismarck (Prince Bismarck),
called “man of blood” from his great war
policy, and “iron’’ from his indomit-
able will. Many years Chancellor of
Prussia and Germany. (Born September
1st, 1815.)
Man of Brass (The). Talos, the
work of Hephæstos (Vulcan). He tra-
versed Crete to prevent strangers from
Man Of December
801
Manciple
setting foot on the island, and threw
rocks at the Argonauts to prevent their
landing. Talos used to make himself
red-hot, and hug intruders to death.
“That portentous Man of BraSS
Hephaestos made in days Of yore,
W110 Stalked about the Cretan Shore . . .
And threw stones at the Argonauts.”
Longfellow : The Wayside Imm.
Man of December. Napoleon III.
He was made President of the French
Republic December 11, 1848; made his
coup d'état December 2, 1851; and was
made Emperor December 2, 1852.
Man of Destiny (The). Napoleon I.
(1761, 1804-1814, died 1821). He looked
on himself as an instrument in the
hands of destiny.
“The Man of Destiny . . . had power for a time
to bind kings with chains, and molyles with fetters
Of iron.”—Sir Walter Scott.
Mazl of Feeling. The title of a
novel by Henry Mackenzie. His “man
of feeling ” is named Harley—a sensi-
tive, bashful, kind-hearted, sentimental
hero.
Man of Letters (A). An author.
Man of Remnants (A). A tailor.
Man of Ross. John Kyrle, of Ross,
in Herefordshire, immortalised by Pope
in his epistle On the Use of Riches.
Man of Salt. A man like AEneas,
always “melting into salt tears,” called
“drops of salt.”
“This would mako a man a man of salt,
To use his eyes for garden waterpots.”
Shakespectre: King Lear, iv. 6.
Man of Sedan. Napoleon III, was
so called, because he surrendered his
sword to William, Ring of Prussia, after
the battle of Sedan (September 2, 1870).
Man of Silenee (The). Napoleon
III. (1808, 1852–70, died 1873.)
“France 2 You must know better than I your
position with the Man of Silence.”—For Sceptre
and C7'0ttºn, chap. i.
Man of Sin (The) (2 Thess. ii. 3).
The Roman Catholics say the Man of
Sin is Antichrist. The Puritans applied
the term to the Pope of Rome; the
Iifth - Monarchy men to Cromwell;
many modern theologians apply it to
that “wicked one '' (identical with the
“last horn’’ of Dan. vii.) who is to
immediately precede the second advent.
Man of Straw (A). A person with-
out capital. It used to be customary
for a number of worthless fellows to
loiter about our law-courts to become
false witness or surety for anyone who
would buy their services; their badge
was a straw in their shoes.
51
\ &
Man of the Hill (The). A tedious
“hermit of the vale,” which encumbers
the story of Tom Jones, by Fielding. -
Man of the Sea. (See OLD, etc.).
Man of the Third Republic (The).
Napoleon III. (1802, reigned 1852–70,
died 1873). (M. Gambetta; 1838-1882.)
Man of the World (A). One
“knowing ” in world-craft; no green-
horn. Charles Macklin brought out a
comedy (1704), and Henry Mackenzie a
novel (1773) with the same title.
Man of Three Letters.
HoMo.)
Man-of-War (A). A line-of-battle
ship, or one carrying men armed for
battle. A contraction of the phrase “A
man-of-war ship.”
Man-of-war, or Portuguese man-of-
wa). The nautilus.
“Frank went to the captain and told him that
Tom had given lilm leave to have the man-of-war
if he could get it.”—Goulding : Adventures of the
Yontmg Maroomers, 17. -
Man of Wax. A model man ; like
one fashioned in wax. Horace speaks of
the “waxen arms of Telephus,” mean-
ing model arms, or of perfect shape and
colour; and the nurse says of Romeo,
“Why, he’s a man of wax'' (i. 3), which
she explains by saying, “Nay, he’s a
(See
flower, i' faith a very flower.”
Man of Whipcord (A). A coach-
man. The reference is to his whip.
“He would not have Suffered the coachinhall to
proceed while the horses were unfit for service.
. . . Yet, the inlan of whipco'd escaped Solme Severe
. . . reproach.”—Sir W. Scott : The Antiquatry, i.
Manche (French). Aimer mietta; la
manche que le bras. Cupboard love.
Manche is a slang word ; a gratuity
given to a cicerone, cabman, or porter.
It is the Italian Öztoma mancia.
Jeter le manche apres la cognée. To
throw the helve after the hatchet. To
abandon what may be useful, out of
caprice, because a part of what you
expected has not been realised. A horse
is stolen, and the man, in ill-temper,
throws away saddle and bridle. .
. Manchester. The first syllable is
the Friesic man (a common); and the
word means the Roman encampment on
the common. -
Manchester Poet.
(1803-1874). •
Man'ciple (A). A purveyor of food,
a clerk of the kitchen. Chaucer has a
“manciple” in his Canterbury Tales,
Charles Swain
(Latin manceps, mancipi S.)
Mandamus
SO2
IMarlfred
Manda'mus (Latin). A writ of
Ring’s Bench, commanding the person
named to do what the writ directs. The
first word is “Mandamus ” (We com-
mand. . . .). -
Manda'na. A stock name in heroic
romance, which generally represents the
fate of the world turning on the caprice
of some beautiful Mandana or Stati'ra.
Mandarin' is not a Chinese word,
but one given by the Portuguese colon-
ists at Maca’o to the officials called by the
natives Khiouping (3 syl.) It is from
the verb mandar (to command).
The mine ranks of mandarins are distin-
guished by the button in their cap:—
1, ruby ; 2, coral ; 3, Sapphire; 4, an
opaque blue stone; 5, crystal ; 6, an
opaque white shell; 7, wrought gold ;
8, plain gold ; and 9, silver.
“The whole body of Chinese mandarins consists
of twenty-seven members. They are appointed
for (1) imperial birth; (2) long service ; (3) illus-
trious deeds; (4) knowledge ; (5) ability; (5) zeal ;
(7) nobility ; and (8) aristocratic birth.”--Gutzlay.
Mandeville (Bernard de). A licen-
tious, Deistical writer, author of The
Virgin Užºmasked, and Free Thoughts of:
Religion, in the reign of George II.
Mandou'sians. Very short swords.
So called from a certain Spanish noble-
man of the house of Mendo'sa, who
brought them into use. (See SworDS.)
Man'drabul. From gold to nothing,
like Man'drabul's offering. Mandrabul,
having found a gold-mine in Samos,
offered to Juno a golden ram for the
discovery; next year he gave a silver
one, then a brazen one, and in the fourth
year nothing. The proverb “to bring a
Inoble to ninepence, and ninepence to
In othing,” carries the same meaning.
Mandrake. The root of the mandrag'-
ora often divides itself in two, and pre-
sents a rude appearance of a man. In
ancient times human figures were often
cut out of the root, and wonderful
virtues ascribed to them. It was used
to produce fecundity in women (Gen.
xxx. 14-16). Some mandrakes cannot
be pulled from the earth without pro-
ducing fatal effects, so a cord used to
be fixed to the root, and round a dog's
neck, and the dog being chased drew
out the mandrake and died. Another
superstition is that when the mandrake
is uprooted it utters a scream, in ex-
planation of which Thomas Newton, in
his Herball to the Bible, says, “It is
Supposed to be a creature having life,
engendered under the earth of the seed
of some dead person put to death for
murder.” -
“Shricks like mandrakes' torn out of the earth.”
Shakespeare: IRomeo (tnd Juliet, iv. 3.
Mandrakes called love-apples. From
the old notion that they excited amorous
inclinations; hence Venus is called Man-
dragori'tis, and the Emperor Julian, in
his epistles, tells Calix'enês that he drank
its juice nightly as a love-potion.
IIe has eaten mandrake. Said of a
very indolent and sleepy man, from the
narcotic and stupefying properties of the
plant, well known to the ancients.
“Give me to drink mandragora . . .
That I might sleep out this great gal) of time
My Antony is away.”
Shakespeare: Amtomy and Cleopatra, i. 5.
Mandrake. Another superstition con-
nected with this plant is that a small
dose makes a person vain of his beauty,
and conceited ; but that a large dose
makes him an idiot.
Mandricar'do. King of Tartary,
or Scythia, son of Ag'rican. He wore
Hector’s cuirass, married Dor’alis, and
was slain in single combat by Roge'ro.
(Orlando Innamorato, and Orlando
Furioso.)
Manduce (2 syl.). The idol Gluttony,
venerated by the Gastrol’aters, people
whose god was their belly.
“It is a monstrous . . . figure, ſit to frighten
little children ; its eyes are bigger than its belly,
and its lead larger than all the rest of its body,
. . . having a good]y pair of wide jaws, lined with
two rows of teeth, which, by the magic of a sma II
twine . . . are made to clash, chatter, and rattle
against the other, as the jaws of St. Clement's
dragon (called grantlli) on St. Mark's procession
at Metz.”—IBabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 59.
Manes. To appease his Mänes. To
do when a person is dead what would
have pleased him or was due to him
when alive. The spirit or ghost of the
dead was by the Romans called his
Manes, which never slept quietly in the
grave so long as survivors left its wishes
unfulfilled. The 19th February was the
day when all the living sacrificed to the
shades of dead relations and friends.
Mahes (? sy].) from the old word manis, i.e.
“bonus,” “ quodeos Yemerantes, manes Yocarent,
ut Graeci chréstows.” (See Lucretius, iii.52.) It can-
not come from mémeo, to remain (because this
part of man remains after the body is dead), be-
Cause the a, is long.
Th the Christian Church there is an
All Souls’ Day.
Manfred. Count Manfred, son of
Count Sig’ismund, sold himself to the
Prince of Darkness, and had seven
spirits bound to do his bidding, viz.
the spirits of “earth, ocean, air, night,
mountains, winds,” and the star of hi.
Manger
own destiny. He was wholly without
human sympathies, and lived in splendid
solitude among the Alpine mountains.
He once loved the Lady Astarte (2 syl.)
who died, but Manfred went to the hall
of Arima'nes to see and speak to her
phantom, and was told that he would
die the following day. The next day
the Spirit of his Destiny came to sum-
mon him ; the proud count scornfully
dismissed it, and died. (Byron : Man-
fired.)
Manger or Manger le Morceau. To
betray, to impeach, to turn king's evi-
dence. The allusion is to the words of
Jesus to the beloved disciple—he will
be the traitor “to whom I shall give a
sop when I have dipped it,” etc. (John
xiii. 26.)
Manheim, in Scandinavian myth-
ology, is the abode of man. Vanirheim
is the abode of the Vanir. Jötunheim
is the abode of the giants. Gladsheim is
the abode of Odin. Helheim is the
abode of Hela (goddess of death). Mus-
pellheim is the abode of elemental fire.
Niflheim is hell. Svartalheim is the
abode of the dwarfs.
Ma'ni. The son of Mundilfori; taken
to heaven by the gods to drive the moon-
car. He is followed by a wolf, which,
when time shall be no more, will devour
both Mani and his sister Sol. * ,
Mani, Manes, or Manichaeus. The
greatest Persian painter, who lived in
the reign of Shah-pour (Sapor' I.). It
is said his productions rivalled nature.
(226-274.) -
Manichaeans or Manichees. A
religious sect founded by Mani or Mani-
chaeus, the Persian painter. It was an
amalgamation of the Magian and Chris-
tian religions, interlarded with a little
Buddhism. . In order to enforce his re-
ligious system, Mani declared himself
to be the Paraclete or Comforter pro-
mised by Jesus Christ.
Man'itou. The American - Indian
fetish.
Maji'lian Orders.
verify. Manlius Torqua’tus, the Roman
consul, gave orders in the Latin war
that no Roman, on pain of death, should
engage in single combat; but one of the
Latins provoked young Manlius by re-
peated insults, and Manlius slew him.
When the young man took the spoils to
his father, Torqua’tus ordered him to be
put to death for violating the commands
of his superior officer,
- 803
ht. I'80's head at a blow.”—East waſ ral IIo
Overstrained se-
Manor
—-º
Manly, in the Plain Dealer, by Wy-
cherly. He is violent and uncouth, but
presents an excellent contrast to the
hypocritical Olivia (q.v.).
Mr. Manly, in The Provoked Husband,
by Vanbrugh and Cibber.
Manna (Exodus xvi. 15), popularly
said to be a corrupt form of man-hu
(What is this j . The marginal reading
gives—“When the children of Israel
saw it [the small round thing like hoar-
frost on the ground], they said to one
another, What is this? for they wist not
what it was.”
“And the house of Israel called the name
thereof manna. It was like coriander seed,
white ; and the taste of it was like wafers inlade
with honey.” (Verse 31.)
Manna, of St. Nicholas of Bari.
The name given to a colourless and
tasteless poison, sold in phials by a
woman of Italy named Tofani, who con-
fessed to having poisoned six hundred
persons by this liquid.
Man'nering. Colonel or Guy Man-
nering ; Mrs. Mannering, née Sophia
Wellwood, his wife ; Julia Mannering,
their daughter, who married Captain
Bertram ; Sir Paul Mannering, the
colonel's uncle. In Sir Walter Scott's
novel of Guy Mannering.
Mannington (George). A criminal
executed at Cambridge in 1476. It is
said that he could cut off a horse's head
at a single blow. .
“It is in imitation of Mannington's – he that
was hanged at Cambridge—that cut off the
f
Manningtree (Essex). Noted for its
Whitsun fair, where an ox was roasted
whole. Shakespeare makes Prince Henry
call Falstaff “a roasted Manningtree ox,
with the pudding in his belly.” (1 Henry
IV. ii. 4.)
“You shall , have a slave eat more at a meal,
than ten of the guard ; and drink more in two
(lays than all Manningtrec does at a Witsun-ale.”
Mano'a. The fabulous capital of El
Dora'do, the houses of which city were
said to be roofed with gold.
Manon Lescaut. A novel by the
Abbé Prevost. It is the history of a
young man possessed of many brilliant
and some estimable qualities, but, being
intoxicated by a fatal attachment, he is
hurried into the violation of every rule
of conduct, and finally prefers the life of
a wretched wanderer, with the worthless
object of his affection, to all the advan-
tages presented by nature and fortune.
Manor, Demesſee. “Demesne land ”
is that near the demesne or dwelling
IMansard Roof
804
Many
(domus) of the lord, and which he kept
for his own use. Manor land was all
that remained (maneo), which was let
to tenants for money or service.
in some manors there was common land also,
i.e. land belonging in common to two or more
l'èrsons, to the whole village, or to certain natives
of the village.
. Mansard Roof, also called the curb
roof. A roof in which the rafters, in-
stead of forming a /\, are broken on each
side into an elbow. It was devised by
François Mansard, the French architect,
to give height to attics. (1598-1666.)
Mansfield. The Miller of Mansfield.
Henry II. was One day hunting, and lost
his way. He met a miller, who took
him home to his cottage, and gave him
a bed with his son Richard. Next
morning the courtiers tracked the king
to the cottage, and the miller discovered
the rank of his guest. The king, in
merry mood, knighted his host, who
thus became Sir John Cockle. On St.
George's Day, Henry II. invited the
miller, his wife and son to a royal han-
quet, and after being amused with their
rustic ways, made Sir John “overseer of
Sherwood Forest, with a salary of £300
a year.” (Percy : Reliques.) -
Mansion. The Latin mansio was
simply a tent pitched for soldiers on
the march ; and, hence a “day’s jour-
ney’’ (Pliny, xii. 14). Subsequently the
word was applied to a roadside house
for the accommodation of strangers.
(Suetonius : Tit. 10).
Mantacci'ni. A charlatan who pro-
fessed to restore the dead to life.
Mantali'ni (Madame). A fashionable
milliner near Cavendish Square. Her hus-
band, noted for his white teeth, minced
oaths, and gorgeous morning gown, is
an exquisite man-milliner, who lives on
his wife’s earnings. (Dickens. Nicholas
Nickleby.)
Mantel-piece (A). A shelf over a
fire-place, originally used for drying
clothes.
“Around the spacious cupola, over the Italian
fire-places, is a ledge to which are affixed pegs, on
which postillions hung their wet clothes to dry.
We call the shelves over the fire-places mantel-
Jºieties,’ but we no longer hang our mantles on
thch) to try.”—Memoirs of Col. Macaromi.
Mantible (Bridge of) consisted of
thirty arches of black marble, and was
guarded by “a fearful huge giant,”
slain by Sir Fierabras.
Man'tiger. An heraldic monster,
having a tiger's body, and the head of
an old man with long spiral horns. -
Mantle of Fidelity (The). A little
boy one day presented himself before
King Arthur, and showed him a curious
mantle, “which would become no wife
that was not leal.” Queen Guinever
tried it, but it changed from green to
red, and red to black, and seemed rent
into shreds. Sir Kay's lady tried it, but
fared no better; others followed, but
only Sir Cradock's wife could wear it.
(Percy: Reliques.) (See CHASTITY.)
Mantra or Mintra (Persian myth-
ology). A spell, a talisman, by which a
person holds sway over the elements and
spirits of all denominations. (JPilford.)
Man'tuan Swain, Swan, or Bard
(The). Virgil, a native of Mantua, in
Italy. Besides his great Latin epic, he
wrote pastorals and Georgics. --
Ma'nucodia'ta (The). An old name
for a bird of paradise. It is a corrup-
tion of the Malay manute-dewata, the
bird of the gods.
“Less pure the footless fowl of heaven, that
Resºon earth, but on the wing for ever.
Hovering o'er flowers, their fragrant food
inlıale. -
I) rink the descending dew upon the way :
And sleep aloft while floating on the gale.”
Southey : Curse of Kehama, xxi. 6.
Man'umit. To set free ; properly
“to send from one's hand ” (e manuſ
Amittere). One of the Roman ways of
freeing a slave was to take him before
the chief magistrate and say, “I wish
this man to be free.” The lictor or
master then turned the slave round in a
circle, struck him with a rod across the
cheek, and let him go. • * *
Manure (2 syl.) means hand-work
(French, main-ſettvre), tillage by manual
labour. It now means the dressing ap-
plied to lands. Milton uses it in its
original sense in Paradise Lost, iv. 628:—
“Yon flowery arbours, . . . with branches over-
That º, our scant manuring.”
*: In book xi. 26 he says, the repent-
ant tears of Adam brought forth better
fruits than all the trees of Paradise that
his hands manured in the days of in-
nocence.
Many. (See Too MANY.)
Many a Mickle makes a Muckle,
or Many a little makes a mickle. Little
and often fills the purse. (See LITTLE.)
JFrench : “Les petits ruisseaux font
de grandes rivières; ” “Plusieurs peu
font un beaucoup.”
Greek: :
“El yáp kev kai opiukpóv émi opiukpº kato.6sio,
Kai 6apuã root’ \p&ots, táxa kev fueyo kai to
'yevouto.” Hesiod: Works and Days, 359, etc.
Many Meri
Many Men, Many Minds.
Latin : “Quot homines tot senten-
tiae '' (Terence).
Prench : “Autant d’hommes, autant
d’avis ; ” “Tant de gens, tant de
guises ; ” “Autant de testes, autant
d’opinions.”
Mao'ri (The). The indigenous in-
habitants of New Zealand. It is a New
Zealand word, meaning 7&atives. (Plur.,
Mao'ris.)
Ma'ra. A goblin that seized upon
men asleep in their beds, and took from
them all speech and motion.
Mar'abou Feathers. Feathers of
the bird so called, used by ladies for
head-gear. There are two species of
marabou stork, which have white
feathers beneath their wings and tail
especially prized. The word “marabou’”
means “devoted to God,” and the stork
is a sacred bird. (See MARABUTS.)
Mara'bout (in French). A big-
bellied kettle; a very large sail; an
ugly baboon of a man ; also a sort of
plume at one time worn by ladies. The
“marabout hat ” was a hat adorned
with a marabou feather.
Mara'buts. An Arab tribe which, in
1075, founded a dynasty, put an end to
by the Almohads. They form a priestly
order greatly venerated by the common
people. The Great Marabut ranks next
to the king. (Arabic, marabath, devoted
to God.)
Marana'tha (Syriac, the Lord will
come—i.e. to execute judgment). A.
form of anathematising among the Jews.
The Romans called a curse or impreca-
tion a devotion—i.e. given up to some
one of the gods.
Maravedi (4 Syl.). A very small
Spanish coin, less than a farthing.
Marbles. The Aritmāe'lianz Marbles.
Some thirty-seven statues and 128 busts
with inscriptions, collected by W. Petty,
in the reign of James I., in the island
of Paros, and purchased of him by Lord
Arundel, who gave them to the Univer-
sity of Oxford in 1627.
The Elgin marbles. A collection of
basso-relievos and fragments of statuary
from the Parthenon of Athens (built by
Phid'ias), collected by Thomas, Lord
Elgin, during his mission to the Ottoman
Porte in 1802. They were purchased
from him by the British Government, in
1816, for £35,000, and are now in the
805
Marching Watch
British Museum. (The gin of “Elgin'”
is like the -gin of “begin.” -
Money and marbles. Cash and furni
ture.
Marcassin (The Prince). From the
Italian fairy-tales by Straparola, called
Nights, translated into French in 1585.
Marcella. A fair shepherdess whose
story forms an episode in Don Quiacote.
Marcelli'na. The daughter of Rocco,
jailor of the state prison of Seville. She
falls in love with Fide'lio, her father's
servant, who turns out to be Leonora,
the wife of the state prisoner Fernando
Florestan. (Beethoven : Fidelio.)
Marcellus (in Dibdin's J3ibliomania,
a romance,) is meant for Edmund
Malone, the well-known editor of
Shakespeare's works (1811).
March. He may be a rogue, but he's
no fool on the march. (French, sur la
marche likewise.)
March borrows three days from April.
(See BoFROWED DAYS.)
March Dust. A bushel of March
dist is worth a king’s ransom. Accord-
ing to the Anglo-Saxon laws, the fine of
murder was a sliding scale proportioned
to the rank of the person killed. The
lowest was £10, and the highest £60;
the former was the ransom of a churl,
and the latter of a king.
March Hare. Mad as a March ha'e.
Hares in March are very wild; it is
their rutting time. (See HARE.) I
Marches (boundaries) is the Saxon
Aneare ; but marsh, a meadow, is the
Saxon merse, anciently written marash,
the French Andrais, and our morass.
The other march is the origin of our
marquis, the lord of the march. The
boundaries between England and Wales,
and between England and Scotland,
were called “marches.”
Jºiding the marches—i.e. beating the
bounds of the parish (Scotch).
Marchaundes Tale (in Chaucer) is
substantially the same as the first Latin
metrical tale of Adolfus, and is not
unlike a Latin prose tale given in the
appendix of T. Wright's edition of
AEsop’s Fables. (See January and May.)
Marching Watch. A splendid pa-
geant on Midsummer Eve, which
Henry VIII. took Jane Seymour to
Mercers' Hall to see. In 1547 Sir John
Gresham, the Lord Mayor, restored the
pageant, which had been discontinued
on account of the Sweating sickness.
Marchington
March in g to n (Staffordshire).
Famous for a crumbling short cake.
Fience the saying that a man or woman
of crusty temper is “as short as Mar-
chington wake-cake.” -
Marchioness (The). The half-
starved girl-of-all-work in The Old
Curiosity Shop, by Charles Dickens.
Marchpane. A confection of pis-
tachio-nuts, almonds, and sugar ; a
corruption of the French masse-pain.
(Italian, marzapan.)
Mar'cionites (3 syl.). An ascetic
Gnostic sect, founded by Marcion in the
second century.
Marck (JWilliam de la), or “The
Wild Boar of Ardennes,” A French
nobleman, called in French history
Sanglier des Ardennes, introduced by
Sir Walter Scott in Quentine Durward
(1446-1485).
Marcley Hili (Herefordshire), on
February 7th, 1571, at six o'clock in the
evening, “roused itself with a roar, and
by seven next morning had moved forty
paces.” It kept on the move for three
days, carrying with it sheep in their
cotes, hedge-rows, and trees; overthrew
Rinmaston chapel, and diverted two
high roads at least 200 yards from their
former route. The entire mass thus
moved consisted of twenty-six acres of
land, and the entire distance moved was
400 yards. (Speed: Herefordshire.)
Marcos de Obregon. The model of
Gil Blas, in the Spanish romance en-
titled Relaciones de la Pida del Escudero
Marcos de Obregon.
Marcos’ians. A branch of the
Gnostics ; so called from the Egyptian
Marcus. They are noted for their
apocryphal books and religious fables.
Mardi Gras. The last day of the
Lent carnival in France, when the prize
ox is paraded through the principal
streets of Paris, crowned with a fillet,
and accompanied with mock priests and
a band of tin instruments in imitation of
a Roman sacrificial procession.
“Tous les ans on Vient de la ville
Iles marchands dans no.3 Cantons,
Pour les, mener aux Tuileries,
Au Mardi-Gras, devant le roi, ,
. Et puit les vendre aux boucheries, . .
J'aime Jeanne ma femme, eh, ha!j'aimerais mieux
La vo.r mourir quevoir mourir mes boufs.”
1°ierre Dupont : Les Baeufs.
Mardle. To waste time in gossip.
(Anglo-Saxon, mathel-ian, to talk ;
methel, a discourse.) . . .
806
TMare's Nest
Mardonius (Captain), in A King or
No King, by Beaumont and Fletcher.
Mare. The Cromlech at Gorwell,
Dorsetshire, is called the White Mare ;
the barrows near Hambleton, the Grey
Mare.
Away the mare—i.e. Off with the blue
devils, good-bye to care. This mare is
the incubus called the nightmare.
To ery the mare (Herefordshire and
Shropshire). In harvesting, when the
in-gathering is complete, a few blades
of corn left for the purpose have their
tops tied together. The reapers then
place themselves at a certain distance,
and fling their sickles at the “mare.”
He who succeeds in cutting the knot
cries out “I have her | ?” “What have
you?” “A mare.” “Whose is she P”
The name of some farmer whose field
has been reaped is here mentioned.
“Where will you send her ?” The
name of some farmer whose corn is not
yet harvested is here given, and then all
the reapers give a final shout.
To win the mare or lose the halter—i.e.
to play double or quits, -
The grey mare is the better horse. (See
GREY MARE.)
The two-legged mare. The gallows.
Shanks’s mare. One's legs or shanks.
Money will make the mare to go.
“‘Will you lend me your mare to go a mile ? "
‘No, she is lame leaping over a stile.
“But if you will her to me spare,
You shall have money for your mare,"
‘Oh, ho say you So 2
Money will make the mare to go.'”
Old Glees at mal Catches.
Whose anare's dead 2 What’s the
matter? Thus, in 2 JIenry II., when
Sir John Falstaff sees Mistress Quickly
with the sheriff's officers, evidently in a
state of great discomposure, he cries,
“How now 2 Whose mare's dead 2 What's the
Thiatter 2'-Act ii. 1.
Mare's Nest. To find a mare's nest
is to make what you suppose to be a
great discovery, but which turns out to
be all moonshine. -
“Why dost thou laugh 2
What mare's nest hast thou found 2"
Beaumont and Fletcher: Bonduct, v.2.
“Are we to believe that the governor, executive
council, the , officers, and merchants have been
flnding mare's nests only 2"–The Times.
N.B. In some parts of Scotland they
use instead a skate’s nest. In Glouces-
tershire a long-winded tale is called a
IHorse-nest. In Cornwall they say Yott
have found a wee's nest, and are laughing .
over the eggs. In Devon, nonsense is
called a blind mare's nest. Holinshed
calls a gallows a foul's nest (iii.). In
French the corresponding phrase is
Mareotic fluxury
807
Margate
“ Nid de lapin ; Nid d'une souris dams
!’oreille d'un chat.” (See CHAT.)
Mareotic Luxury. The Arva Ma-
reotica mentioned by Ovid (Metamor-
phoses, ix. 73) produced the white grapes,
from which was made the favourite
beverage of Cleopatra, and mention of
which is made both by Horace (Odes, i.
37) and Virgil (Georgies, ii. 91). The
Arva Mareotica were the shores of Lake
Moeris, and “Mareotic luxury’’ is about
equal to “Sybaritic luxury.”
Marfi'sa. Name of an Indian queen
in Bojardo's Orlando Innamorato, and
in Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.
Marfo'rio. A pasquinade (q.v.).
Margan Monastery (Register of),
1066 to 1232, published in Gale, 1687.
Margaret, Queen of Denmark, Nor-
way, and Sweden, called the “Northern
Semiramis’’ (1353, 1387-1412).
Margaret. A simple, uncultured girl
of wonderful witchery, seduced, at the
age of fifteen, by Faust. She drowns
in a pool the infant of her shame, was
sent to prison, where she lost her reason,
and was ultimately condemned to death.
Faust (whom she calls Henry) visits her
in prison, and urges her to make her
escape with him ; but she refuses, dies,
and is taken to heaven; but Mephis-
topheles carried off Faust to the In-
ferno. (Goethe. Faust.)
Ladye Margaret. “The Flower of
Teviot,” daughter of the Duchess Mar-
garet and Lord Walter Scott, of Brank-
some Hall. She was beloved by Baron
Henry of Cranstown, whose family had
a deadly feud with that of Scott. One
day the elfin page of Lord Cranstown
inveigled the heir of Branksome Hall,
then a lad, into the woods, where he fell
into the hands of the Southerners;
whereupon 3,000 of the English marched
against the castle of the widowed
duchess; but, being told by a spy that
Douglas with 10,000 men was coming
to the rescue, they agreed to decide
by single combat whether the boy was
to become King Edward’s page, or be
delivered up to his mother. The cham-
pions to decide this question were to be
Sir Richard Musgrave on the side of the
English, and Sir William Deloraine on
the side of the Scotch. In the combat
the English champion was slain, and
the boy was delivered to the widow;
but it then appeared that the antagonist
was not William of Deloraine, but Lord
Cranstown, who claimed and received
N
º
the hand of fair Margaret as his re-
ward. (Scott : Lay of the Last Minstrel.)
Lady Margaret’s preacher. A preacher
who has to preach a Concio ad clerum
before the University, on the day pre-
ceding Easter Term. This preachership
was founded in 1503 by Lady Margaret,
mother of Henry VII.
Lady Margaret professor. A pro-
fessor of divinity in the University of
Cambridge. This professorship was
founded in 1502 by Lady Margaret,
mother of Henry VII. These lectures
are given for the “voluntary theo-
logical examination,” and treat upon
the Fathers, the Liturgy, and the
priestly duties. (See NORRISIAN.)
Margaret (St.). The chosen type of
female innocence and meekness.
In Christian art she is represented as
a young woman of great beauty, bearing
the martyr's palm and crown, or with
the dragon as an attribute. Sometimes
she is delineated as coming from the
dragon’s mouth, for the legend says
that the monster Swallowed her, but on
making the sign of the cross he suffered
her to quit his maw.
St. Margaret and the dragon. Olyb'ius,
Governor of Antioch, captivated by the
beauty of St. Margaret, wanted to marry
her, and, as she rejected him with scorn,
threw her into a dungeon, where the
devil came to her in the form of a
dragon. . Margaret held up the cross,
and the dragon fled.
St. Margaret is the patron saint of the
ancient borough of Lynn Regis, and on
the corporation seal she is represented
as standing on a dragon and wounding
it with the cross. The inscription of
the seal is “SVB MARGARETA TERITUR
DRACO STAT • CRUCE • LAETA.”
Margaret. A magpie.
Margaret or Marguerite (petite).
The daisy; so called from its pearly
whiteness, marguerite being the French
for a pearl. (See MARGUERITE.)
“The daise, a flour white and redde,
In French called “la helle Marguerite.'”
Margarine Substitute (A). A
mere imitation. Just as margarine is an
imitation and substitute of butter.
“Between a real etching and that margarine
Substitute a pen-and-ink drawing . . . the differ-
ence is this: the margarine substitute is essen-
tially flat . . . but true etching is in sensible
relief.”—Nimeteenth Century, May 1891, p. 780.
Margate (Kent), is the sea-gate or
opening. (Latin, mare; Anglo-Saxon,
Andºre, etc.)
Margherita
Margherit'a di Valois married
Henri the Béarnais, afterwards Henri
IV. of France. . During the wedding
solemnities, Catherine de Medicis devised
the massacre of the French Protestants,
and Margherita was at a ball during
the dreadful enactment of this device.
(Meyerbeer : Gli Ugonotti, an opera.)
Margin. In all our ancient English
books, the commentary is printed in the
margin. Hence Shakespeare:
“His face's Own margent did quote Such amazes.”
- Love's Labour's Lost, ii. 1.
“I knew you must be edified by the margent.”—
Hamlet, V. 2.
“She . . . could pick no meaning . . .
Writ in the glassy margents of Such books.”
ShatkéSpeatre : Rape of Lucrece, stanza, 15.
Margites. The first durice whose
name has been transmitted to fame. His
rivals are Codrus and Flecknoe.
“Margites was the name . . . whom Antiquity
recordeth to have been dunge the first.”—Pope :
Dumciad (Martimus Scriblerus).
Marguerite des Marguerites [the
pearl of pearls]. So François called his
sister (Marguerite de Valois), authoress
of the Heptameron. She married twice:
first, the Duc d’Alençon, and then Henri
d'Albret, king of Navarre, and was the
mother of Henry IV. of France. Henri
[IV.] married a Marguerite, but this
Marguerite was the daughter of Henri
II. and Catherine de Medicis. The
former befriended the Huguenots, the
latter was a rigid Catholic, like her
mother.
Margutte (3 Syl.). A giant ten feet
high, who died of laughter on seeing a
monkey pulling on his boots. (Pulci :
Morgante Maggiore.) (See DEATH FROM
STRANGE CAUSES.)
Mari'a. Heroine of Donizetti’s opera
La Figlia del Reggimento. She first
appears as a vivandière or French sutler-
girl, for Sulpizio (the sergeant of the 11th
regiment of Napoleon’s Grand Army)
had found her after a battle, and the
regiment adopted her as their daughter.
Tonio, a Tyrolese, saved her life and fell
in love with her, and the regiment
agreed to his marriage provided he
joined the regiment. Just at this jung-
ture the marchioness of Berkenfield
claims Maria as her daughter ; the claim
is allowed, and the vivandiere is obliged
to leave the regiment for the castle of
the marchioness. After a time the
French regiment takes possession of
Berkenfield Castle, and Tonio has risen
to the rank of field officer. He claims
Maria as his bride, but is told that her
mother has promised her hand to the son
808
Marines
of a duchess. Maria promises to obey
her mother, the marchioness relents, and
Tonio becomes the accepted suitor.
Maria. A fair, quick-witted, amiable
maiden, whose banns were forbidden by
the curate who published them ; in con-
Sequence of which she lost her reason,
and used to sit by the roadside near
Moulines, playing vesper hymns to the
Virgin all day long. She led by a ribbon
a little dog named Silvio, of which she
was very jealous, for she had first made
a goat her favourite, but the goat had
forsaken her. (Sterne : Sentimental
Journey.)
Maria. There'sa. Wife of Sancho
Panza. She is sometimes called Maria,
sometimes Teresa Panza. (Don Quiacote.)
Mariamites (4 Syl.). Worshippers
of Mary, the mother of Jesus. They
said the Trinity consisted of God the
Father, God the Son, and Mary the
mother of God.
Marian'a. One of the most lovable
of Shakespeare's characters. Her plead-
ing for Angelo is unrivalled. (Measure
for Measure.)
Tennyson has two Marianas among
his poems.
Mariana. Daughter of the king of
Sicily, beloved by Sir Alexander, one of
the three sons of St. George, the patron
saint of England. Sir Alexander married
her, and was crowned king of Thessaly.
(Seven Champions of Christendom, iii. 3.)
Marigold. So called in honour of
the Virgin Mary, and hence the intro-
duction of marigold windows in lady
chapels. (See MARYGOLD.)
“This riddle, Cuddy, if thou canst, explain . . .
What flower is that which bears the Virgin's
Tººhest metal added to the same "
Gay : Pastoral.
Wife of Jacopo Fos'cari,
(Byron : The Two
Marina.
son of the doge.
JFos' cari.)
* Marinda or Maridah. . The fair
mistress of Haroun-al-Raschid.
Marine (2 syl.). The female Marine.
Hannah Snell, of Worcester, who took
part in the attack on Pondicherry. She
ultimately left the service and opened a
public-house in Wapping (London), but
retained her male attire (born 1723).
*: Doubts exist respecting the fact
stated above. (See Notes and Queries,
Dec. 3, 1892.)
Marines (2 syl.). Empty bottles:
The marines were at one time looked
down upon by the regular seamen, who
Mariner's Compass
809
Mark Tapley
considered them useless, like empty
bottles. A marine officer was once din-
ing at a mess-table, when the Duke of
York said to the man in waiting, “IHere,
take away these marines.” The officer
demanded an explanation, when the
duke replied, “They have done their
duty, and are prepared to do it again.”
Tell that to the marines. Tell that to
greenhorns, and not to men who know
better. Marines are supposed by sailors
to be so green that they will swallow the
most extravagant story.
“Tell that to the marines, the Sailors won't he-
lieve it.”—Sir W. Scott: Redgatwintlet, chap. xiii.
Mariner's Compass. The fleur-de-lis
which ornaments the northern radius of
the mariner’s compass was adopted out
of compliment to Charles d’Anjou, whose
device it was. He was the reigning
king of Sicily when Flavio Gioja, the
Neapolitan, made his improvements in
this instrument.
Marino Falie'ro. The forty-ninth
doge or chief magistrate of the republic
of Venice, elected 1354. A patrician
named Michel Steno, having behaved
indecently to some of the women assem-
bled at the great civic banquet given by
the doge, was kicked off the solajo by
order of the Duke. In revenge he
wrote upon the duke’s chair a scurrilous
libel against the dogaressa. The insult
was referred to the Forty, and the
council condemned the young patrician
to a month’s imprisonment. The doge,
furious at this inadequate punishment,
joined a conspiracy to overthrow the
republic, º: the hope and promise of
being made a king. He was betrayed
by Bertram, one of the conspirators, and
was beheaded on the “Giant's Stair-
case,” the place where the doges were
wont to take the oath of fidelity to the
republic. (Byron : Marino Falie'ro.)
Mariotte's Law. At a given tem-
perature, the volume of a gas is inversely
as the pressure. So called from Ed.
Mariotte, a Frenchman, who died 1684.
Maritor'nes (Spanish, bad woman).
A vulgar, ugly, stunted servant-wench,
whom Don Quixote mistakes for a lord’s
daughter, and her “hair, rough as a
horse's tail,” his diseased imagination
fancies to be “silken threads of finest
gold.” (Cervantes : Don Quiacote.)
Marivaudage (4 syl.). An imitation
of the style of Marivaux (1688-1763).
He wrote several comedies and novels.
“Il tombe souvent dans ºne métaphysique
alambiquée [far-fetched, over-strained]
pour laquelle on a créé le nom de marivatt-
dage.” -
“Ce qui constitue le marivaudage, c'est un
recherche affectée, dans le style. une grande Sub-
tilité dans lessentiments, et une grande complica-
tion d'intrigues.”—Bouillet: Dict. Universel, etc.
Marjoram. As a pig loves majoram.
Not at all. Lucretius tells us (vi. 974),
“Amaricinum fugitat sits,” swine shun
marjoram. The proverb is applied in
somewhat this way: “How did you like
so-and-so P” Ans. : “Well, as a pig
loves marjoram.” t
Mark.
God bless the mark /
of contempt or scorn.
MARK.
“To be ruled by my conscience, I slıould stay
with the Jew liny master, who, God bless the
mark is a kind of devil.”—Shakespeatre : Merchant
of Ventice, ii. 2. -
To make one’s mark. To distinguish
oneself. He has written his name (or
made his mark) on the page of history.
Up to the mark. Generally used in
the negative ; as, “ Not quite up to the
mark,” not good enough, not up to the
standard fixed by the Assay office for
gold and silver articles; not quite well.
Mark (St.), in Christian art, is repre-
sented as being in the prime of life ;
sometimes habited as a bishop, and, as
the historian of the resurrectiou, accom-
panied by a winged lion (q.v.). He
holds in his right hand a pen, and in his
left the Gospel. (See LUKE.)
Mark (Sir). A mythical king of
Cornwall, Sir Tristram’s uncle. He
lived at Tintag'el Castle, and married
Is'olde the Fair, who was passionately
enamoured of his nephew, Sir Tristram.
The illicit loves of Isolde and Tristram
were proverbial in the Middle Ages.
Mark Banco. An hypothetical
quantity of fine silver, employed as a.
money-valuer in the old Bank at Ham-
burg, and used by the Hanseatic League.
Deposits in gold and silver coins were
credited in Marco Banco, and all bank-
ing accounts were carried on in Marco
Banco. The benefit was this : Marco
Banco was invariable, but exchange
varies every hour. The bank not only
credited deposits by this unvarying
standard, but paid withdrawals in the
same way; so that it was a matter of no
moment how exchange varied. I put
#1,000 into the bank; the money is not
entered to my credit as £1,000, but so
much Marco Banco. The same process
was adopted on withdrawals also.
Mark Tapley. Ever jolly, who re-
cognises nothing creditable unless it is
An ejaculation
(See SAVE THE
Mark Time
S10
Markham
overclouded by difficulties. (Charles
JDickens : Martin Chuzzlewit.)
Mark Time ! Move the feet alter-
nately as in marching, but without
advancing or retreating from the spot.
Mark of the Beast (The). To set
the “mark of the beast ’’ on an object
or pursuit is to denounce it, to run it
down as unorthodox. Thus, many
persons set the mark of the beast on
theatres, some on dancing, and others
on gambling, races, cards, dice, etc. The
allusion is to Revelation xvi. 2; xix. 23.
Mark's Eve (St.). On St. Mark's
Eve all persons fated to be married or
to die pass, in procession, the church
porch.
“‘'Tis now,' replied the village belle,
“St. Mark's mysterious eve. . . .
The ghosts of all whom Death shall doom
Within the coming year
In pale procession walk the gloom.” . . .”
J. Montgomery.
Marks in Grammar and Printing.
Printers' marks on the first page of a
sheet are called Signatures. (See
LETTERS AT Foot OF PAGE.)
Serifs are the strokes which finish off
Roman letters, top and bottom.
A, B, C, are “block” letters, or
“Sans serifs.”
over the second of two vowels, as
aërial, is called “ diaeresis,” and in
French, trema.
* An acute accent. In Greek it in-
dicates a rise in the voice. It was
not used till Greek became fami-
liar to the Romans.
\ A grave accent. In Greek it indi-
cates a fall of the voice. It was
not used till Greek became fami-
liar to the Romans.
” over a vowel, as Ö, ii, is called in
German zweipunct.
o over a vowel, as ä, is called in
Danish umlauf.
A circumflex over the letter 77 (as
Oñoro), in Spanish, is called a
tilde (2 syl.). A circumflex in
French indicates that a letter
has been abstracted, as étre for
‘‘ est)'a.”
t between two hyphens in French, as
parle-t-il 2 is called “t ephel-
cystie.” (See N.)
& The Tironian sign (q.v.). (See AND.)
- Hyphen, as horse-guards. º
- joining a pronoun to its verb in
French, as irai-je, donnait-on, is
called le trait d’union.
, under the letter c in French, is
called a cedilla, and indicates that
the letter = s. (See PRINTERs'
MARKS.)
§" A pilcrow, to call attention to a
statement.
* A blind P, marks a new paragraph
indirectly connected with pre-
ceding matter.
() Called parentheses, and
[ ] Called brackets, separate some ex-
planatory or collateral matter
from the real sequence.
, is a comma, ; ; is a semicolon ;
colon ; , is a point or full stop.
— or . . . . in the middle or at the end
of a sentence is a break, and shows
that something is suppressed.
Marks of Gold and Silver.
The date-mark on gold or silver articles
is some letter of the alphabet indicating
the year when the article was made.
Thus, in the Goldsmith's Company of
Iondon :- From 1716 to 1755 it was
Toman capitals, beginning from A and
following in succession year after year ;
from 1756 to 1775 it was Roman small
letters, a to u; from 1776 to 1796,
Boman black letters, small, a to u;
from 1796 to 1815, Roman capitals, A to
|U ; from 1816 to 1835, Roman small
letters; from 1836 to 1855, Old English
capitals; from 1856 to 1875, Old English,
small; 1876 to 1895, Roman capitals.
The duty-ſnark on gold and silver
articles is the head of the reigning
sovereign, and shows that the duty has
been paid. This mark is not now placed
on watch-cases, etc.
The Hall-mark, stamped upon gold
and silver articles, is a leopard’s head
crowned for London; three lions and a
cross for York; a castle with two wings
for Exeter; three wheat sheaves or a
dagger for Chester; three castles for
Newcastle ; an anchor for Birmingham ;
a crown for Sheffield; a castle and lion
for Edinburgh , a tree, salmon, and ring
for Glasgow; Hibernia for Dublin. (See
HALL MARK, SILVER.)
The Standard-mark of gold or silver
is a lion passant for England ; a thistle
for Edinburgh ; a lion rampant for
Glasgow ; and a harp crowned for
Ireland.
Market-penny (A). Money for re-
freshments given to those who go to
market. Now, however, it means a
toll surreptitiously exacted by servants
sent out to buy goods for their master.
Markham (Mrs.). A nom de plumſ,
of Elizabeth Cartwright, afterwards
Mrs. Penrose. *
: is a
Marl
Marl. Latin, argill’; German, mār-
gel ; Spanish and Italian, Anarga , Ar-
moric, marg ; Irish, marla ; Welsh, marl.
Marlborough. Statutes of Maº'l-
borough. Certain laws passed in the
reign of Henry III., by a parliament
held in Marlborough Castle. (See MAL-
BROUCK [S'en va-t’-en guerre].)
Marlborough Dog. (See BLENHEIM
Dog.)
Marlow. Both Sir Charles Marlow
and his son Young Marlow are char-
acters in She Stoops to Conq7ter, by
Goldsmith. Young Marlow is bashful
before ladies, but easy enough before
women of low degree.
Mar’mion. Ralph de Wilton, being
charged with treason, claimed to prove
his innocence by the ordeal of battle,
and, being overthrown by Lord Mar-
mion, was supposed to be dead, but was
picked up by a beadsman, who nursed
him carefully; and, being restored to
health, he went on a pilgrimage to
foreign lands. Now, Lord Marmion was
betrothed to Constance de Beverley;
and De Wilton to Lady Clare, daughter
of the Earl of Gloucester. When De
Wilton was supposed to be dead, Lord
Marmion proved faithless to Constance,
and proposed to Clare, having an eye
especially to her rich inheritance. Clare
rejected his suit, and took refuge in the
convent of St. Hilda, in Whitby: Con-
stance, on the other hand, took the veil
in the convent of St. Cuthbert, in Holy
Isle. In time, Constance eloped from
the convent, but, being overtaken, was
buried alive in the walls of a deep cell.
In the meantime Lord Marmion was
sent by Henry VIII. with a message to
James IV. of Scotland, and stopped at
the hall of Hugh de Heron for a night.
Sir Hugh, at his request, appointed him
a guide to conduct him to the king, and
the guide wore the dress of a palmer.
On his return, Lord Marmion hears
that Lady Clare is in Holy Isle, and
commands the abbess of Hilda to
release her, that she may be placed
under the charge of her kinsman,
Fitz Clare, of Tantallon Hall. Here
she meets De Wilton, the palmer-guide
of Lord Marmion, Lord Marmion being
killed at the battle of Flodden Field, De
Wilton married Lady Clare. (Sir Walter
Scott.)
Lord Maº'ymt.07%. The hero of Scott’s
poem so called is a purely fictitious char-
acter. There was, however, an historic
family so called, descendants of Robert,
811
Marphisa,
de Marmion, a follower of the Conqueror.
wko obtained the grant of Tamworth,
and the manor of Scrivelby, in Lincoln-
shire. IIe was the first royal champion,
and his male issue ceased with Philip
Marmion in the reign of Edward I. Sir
John Dymoke, who married Margery,
daughter of Joan, the only surviving
child of Philip, claimed the office and
manor in the reign of Richard II. ; they
have remained in his male line ever since.
Marmo Lunense. (See LUNA.)
Ma'ro. Virgil, whose name was
Publius Virgilius Maro, was born on the
banks of the river Mincio, at the village
of Andes, near Mantua. (B.C. 70-19.)
“Sweet Maro's muse, sun'; in inglorious rest,
Had silent slept amid the Mincian reeds.”
Thomsom, : Castle of Indolence.
Maron or Marron (French). A cat's-
paw (q.v.). “Se Servir de la patte du
chat pour tirer les marrons du felt ; ” in
Italian, “ Cavare i marroni dal fuoco colla
campa del gatto.”
“ (“est me se point commettre à faire de l'éclat,
Iºt, tirer les marrons de la latte du chat.”
L’Etowrdi, iii. 7.
Mar’onites (3 syl.). A Christian
tribe of Syria in the eighth century; so
called from the monastery of Maron, on
the slopes of Lebanon, their chief seat;
so called from John Maron, Patriarch of
Antioch, in the sixth century.
Maroon. A runaway slave sent to
the Calabouco, or place where such slaves
were punished, as the Maroons of Brazil.
Those of Jamaica are the offspring of
runaways from the old Jamaica planta-
tions or from Cuba, to whom, in 1738, the
British Government granted a tract of
land, on which they built two towns.
The word is from the verb “maroon,” to
set a person on an inhospitable shore and
leave him there (a practice common with
pirates and buccaneers). The word is a
corruption of Cimarºon, a word applied
by Spaniards to anything unruly, whether
man or beast. (See Scott : Pirate, xxii.)
Maroon (To). To set a man on a
desert island and abandon him there.
This marooning was often practised by
pirates and buccaneers. (See above.)
Maro'zia, daughter of Theodora.
The infamous offspring of an infamous
mother, of the ninth century. Her in-
trigues have rendered her name prover-
bial. By one she became the mother of
Pope John XI. (See MESSALINA.)
Marphi'sa (in Orlando Furioso).
Sister of Roge'ro, and a female knight
of amazing prowess. She was brought
Marplot 812
up by a magician, but, being stolen at the
age of seven, was sold to the king of
IPersia. The king assailed her virtue
when she was eighteen, but she slew him,
and seized the crown. She came to Gaul
to join the army of Ag'ramant, but
hearing that Agramant’s father had
murdered her mother Galacella, she en-
tered the camp of Charlemagne, and was
baptised.
Marplot. A silly, cowardly, in-
quisitive Paul Pry, in The Busybody, by
Mrs. Centlivre. H. Woodward’s great
part.
Marque. (See LETTERS OF . . . )
Marriage Knot (The). The bond
of marriage effected by the legal mar-
riage service. . The Latin phrase is modus
Herculºts, and part of the marriage ser-
vice was for the bridegroom to loosen
(solvéré) the bride’s girdle, not to tie it.
In the Hindu marriage ceremony the
brideg, Oom hangs a ribbon on the bride's
neck and ties it in a knot. Before the
knot is tied the bride's father may refuse
consent unless better terms are offered,
but immediately the knot is tied the
marriage is indissoluble. The Parsees
bind the hands of the bridegroom with
a sevenfold cord, seven being a sacred
Inumber. ... The ancient. Carthaginians
tied the thumbs of the betrothed with
leather lace. See Nineteenth Century,
Oct., 1893, p. 610. (A. Rogers.)
“Around her neck they leave
The marriage knot alone.”
- Southey : Curse of Kehama.
“When first the marriage knot was tied
Between my wife and me,
Her age did mine as much exceed
As three-times-three does three ;
But when ten years and half ten years
We man and wife had been,
Her age came then as near to mine
As eight is to sixteen.”
Ans. : 15 and .45 at marriage, 30 and 60 fifteen
years afterwards.
* The practice of throwing rice is also
Indian. -
“Hamilcar des’red to unite them immediately
by an indissoluble betrothal. l n Salambo's hands
was a lance, which she offered to Narr Havas.
Their thumbs were then tied together by a leather
lace, and corn was thrown over their heads.”—
Flaubert : Stulaimbo, chap. xi.
Marriage Plates. Sacred plates
with a circular well in the centre to hold
sweetmeats. ...They were painted for
bridal festivities by Maestro Georgio,
Orazio Fontane, and other artists of
Urbino and Gubbio, Pesaro and Pavia,
Castelli and Savona, Faenza and Ferrara,
and all the other art towns of Italy.
These plates were hung upon the walls,
and looked on with superstitious awe as
household gods. They were painted in
1Marrow-bornes
polychrome, and the chief design was
some scriptural subject, like Rebecca
and Isaac. ,”
Marriages. Carrier's republican
Amarriages. A device of wholesale
slaughter, adopted by Carrier, proconsul
of Nantes, in the first French Revolution.
It consisted in tying men and women
together by their hands and feet, and
casting them into the Loire. (1794.)
Marriages. Close times of marriages
in the Catholic Church. -
(1) Ab Adventu usque ad Epiphaniam
(from Advent to Epiphany). -
(2) A Septuagesima usque ad octavus
Pasche inclusive (from Septuagesima to
the eighth Easter). . . -
(3) A secunda feria in Togationibus
usque ad primam dominicam post Pen-
tacosten (from the second feast in Roga-
tion to the first Sunday after Pentecost
exclusive). -
(Liber Sacerdotalis . . . Secundum
Jęitum Sanctae ſtomande e! A postolicæ
Ecclesiae : 1537.)
Marriages are Made in Heaven.
This does not mean that persons in
heaven “marry and are given in mar-
riage,” but that the partners joined in
marriage on earth were foreordained to
be so united. As the French proverb
more definitely expresses the idea, “Les
Anariages se font at ciel et Se consomment
sur la terre.” And again, “Les Andriages
sont écrits dans le ciel.” E. Hall (1499-
1547) says, “Consider the old proverbe
to be true that saieth : Marriage is des-
tinie.” . Prov. xix. 14 says, “A prudent
wife is from the Lord.”
Marriages of Men of Genius. (See
WIVES OF. . . .)
Married Women take their hus-
|band’s surname. This was a Roman
custom. Thus Julia, Octavia, etc., mar-
ried to Pompey, Cicero, etc., would
be called Julia of Pompey, Octavia of
Cicero. Our married women are named
in the same way, omitting “of.”
Marrow (Scotch) a mate, companion,
friend. “Not marrow ’’—that is, not a
pair. The Latin word medulla (marrow)
is used in much the same way as “mihi
haeres in medullis’’ (Cicero); (very dear,
my best friend, etc.). -
“Busk ye, busk ye, my bonnie bonnie bride,
Busk ye, busk ye, my winsome marrow.”
The Braes of Yarrow.
“One glove [or shoe] is not marrow, to the other.”
Landsdowme MS.
Marrow-bones. Down on 3/07/7'
narrow-bones, i.e. knees. That marrow
Marrow Controversy
in this phrase is not a corruption of
“Mary,” meaning the Virgin, is palpable
from the analogous phrase, the narrow-
bone stage—walking. The leg-bone is the
marrow-bone of beef and mutton, and
the play is on Marylebone (London).
Marrow Controversy (The). A
memorable struggle in Scotland between
Buritanism and Presbyterianism ; so
called from a book entitled The Marrow
of Modern Divinity, condemned by the
General Assembly in 1720. Abelli,
Bishop of Rhodes, wrote the Medulla
Theologica.
Marrow-men. The twelve minis-
ters who signed the remonstrance to the
General Assembly for condemning the
evangelical doctrines of the “Marrow.”
(See MARRow CONTROVERSY.)
Marry : An oath, meaning by Mary,
the Virgin.
“Yea, marry you say true.”—Foace : Boole of
Martyrs.
Marry Come Up . An exclamation
of disapproval, about equal to “Draw
it mild !” May Mary come up to my
assistance, or to your discomfort
“Marry come up, you shucy jade : ”—Nineteenth,
Century, November, 1892, p. 707.
Mar's Year. The year 1715, noted
for the rebellion of the Earl of Mar.
“Auld uncle John whº wedlºck's joys,
Sin Mar's year did desire.”
IBurms: Halloween, 27.
Mars, with the ancient alchemists,
designated iron.
Mars. Under this planet “is borne
theves and robbers . . . nyght walkers
and quarell pykers, bosters, mockers,
and skoffers ; and these men of Mars
causeth warre, and murther, and
batayle. They wyll be gladly smythes
or workers of yron . . ... lyers, gret
swerers. . . . He is red and angry
. . . a great walker, and a maker of
swordes and knyves, and a sheder of
mannes blode . . . and good to be a
barboure and a blode letter, and to
drawe tethe.” (Compost of Ptholomeus.)
Mars, in Camoën's Latsiad, is “ divine
fortitude '’ personified. As Bacchus,
the evil demon, is the guardian power
of Mahometanism ; so Mars or divine
fortitude is the guardian power of
Christianity. - -
. The Mars of Portugal. Alfonso de
Albuquerque, Viceroy of India. (1452-
1515.)
Marseillaise (3 syl.). The grand
Song of the French Revolution. Claude
813
Heath, Norfolk.
Marsiglio
Joseph Rouget de Lisle, an artillery
officer in garrison at Strasboutrg, com-
posed both the words and the music
for Dietrich, mayor of the town. On
July 30th, 1792, the Marseillaise volun-
teers, invited by Barbaroux at the in-
stance of Madame Roland, marched to
Paris singing the favourite song; and
the Parisians, enchanted with it, called
it the Hymne des Marseillais. (Rouget
born 1760, died 1835.) • *
Marseilles' Good Bishop. In 1720
and 1722 the plague made dreadful
havoc at Marseilles. The Bishop, H. F.
Xavier de Belsunce, was indefatigable in
the pastoral office, and spent his whole
time visiting the sick. During the
plague of London, Sir John Lawrence,
the then Lord Mayor, was no less con-
spicuous in his benevolence. He sup-
ported 40,000 dismissed servants so long
as his fortune lasted, and, when he had
spent his own money, collected and
distributed the alms of the nation.
Darwin refers to these philanthropists
in his Loves of the Plants, ii, 433. (See
BORROMEO.)
Marsh [Le Marais]. The pit of the
National Convention, between Mountain
benches on one side, and those occupied
by the ministerial party and the opposi-
tion on the other. These middle men or
“flats” were “swamped,” or enforcés
dams un marais by those of more decided
politics. (See PLAIN.)
Marshal means an Ostler or groom.
His original duty was to feed, groom,
shoe, and physic his master’s horse.
(British, marc, a mare ; scale, a servant.)
Jſarshal Forward. Blucher; so called
for his dash and readiness in the cam- .
paign of 1813. -
Marshal of the Army of God, and of
Holy Church. The Baron Robert Fitz-
walter, appointed by his brother barons
to lead their forces in 1215 to obtain
from King John redress of grievances.
Magna Charta was the result.
Marsham (Men of). Those who
committed the offence of felling the
thorns, , etc., in 1646, upon Marsham
The inhabitants of
Marshall, and tenants of the manor
petitioned against the offenders.
Marsiglio or Marsil'ius. A Saracen
king who plotted the attack upon Ro-
land, under “the tree on which Judas
hanged himself.” With a force of
600,000 men, divided into three armies,
he attacked the paladin and overthrew
1Marsyas
814
1Martin
him, but was in turn overthrown by
Charlemagne, and hanged on the very
tree beneath which he had arranged the
attack. (Turpin : Chronicles.)
Marsyas. The Phrygian flute-player
who challenged Apollo to a contest of
skill, and, being beaten by the god, was
flayed alive for his presumption., From
his blood arose the river so called. The
flute on which Marsyas played was on:
Athena had thrown away, and, being
filled with the breath of the goddess,
discoursed most excellent music. The
interpretation of this fable is as follows:
A contest long existed between the
lutists and the flautists as to the superi-
ority of their respective instruments.
The Dorian mode, employed in the
worship of Apollo, was performed on
lutes ; and the Phrygian mode, employed
in the rites of Cyb'elé, was executed
by flutes, the recds of which grew on
the banks of the river Marsyas. As
the Dorian mode was preferred by the
Greeks, they said that Apollo beat the
flute-player. -
Martano (in Orlando Furioso), who
decoyed Origilla from Gryphon. He
was a great coward, and fled from the
tournament amidst the jeers of the
spectators. While Gryphon was asleep
he stole his armour, went to King
Norandi'no to receive the honours due
to Gryphon, and then quitted Damascus
with Origilla. A'quilant encountered
them, and brought them back to Dam-
ascus, when Marta'no was committed to
the hangman’s mercies (books viii., ix.)
Marteau des Heretiques. Pierre
d'Ailly, also called l’Aigle de la France.
(1350-1420.)
Martel. The surname given to
Charles, natural son of Pépin d'Héristal,
for his victory over the Saracens, who
had invaded France under Abd-el-Rah-
man in 732. It is said that Charles
“knocked down the foe, and crushed
them beneath his axe, as a martel or
hammer crushes what it strikes.”
Judas Asmonaeus for a similar reason
was called Jſaccabaeus (the Hammerer).
M. Collin de Plancy says that Charles,
the palace mayor, was not called
Martel because he martelé (hammered)
the Saracens, but because his patron
saint was Martellits (or Martin). (Iłib-
liothèque des Légendes.)
Avoir se mettre martel en tête. To
have a bee in one's bonnet, to be
crotchety. Martel is a corruption of
Martin, an ass, a hobby-horse. M.
Hilaire le Gai says, but gives no
authority, “Cette expression mous vient
des Italiens, car en Italien martello signifie
proprement “jalousie.’”
“Ils portent des martels, des capriches.”—
Brautonne : Des Datutes (; allotutes.
“Telle filles . . . pourroient bien donner de loons
martels á letti's pauvres Illary’s.”—Brotutonne : Des
Latºnes Gallutºutes. -
Martello Towers. Round towers
about forty feet in height, of great
strength, and situated on a beach or
river; so called from the Italian towers
built as a protection against pirates.
As the warning was given by striking a
bell with a martello, or hammer, the
towers were called Torri da Martello.
Some say that these towers were so
called from a tower at the entrance
of St. Fiorenzo, in Corsica. Similar
towers were common all along the
Mediterranean coast as a defence
against pirates. They were erected in
the low parts of Sussex and Kent in
consequence of the powerful defence
made (February 8th, 1794) by Le
Tellier at the tower of Mortella, with
only thirty-eight men, against a
simultaneous sea and land attack—the
former led by Lord Hood, and the latter
by Major-General Dundas.
Martext (Sir Oliver). The hedge-
priest in As You Like It (iii. 3).
Martha (St.), patron saint of good
housewives, is represented in Christian
art as clad in homely costume, bearing
at her girdle a bunch of keys, and
holding a ladle or pot of water in her
hand. Like St. Margaret, she is accom-
panied by a dragon bound, but has
not the palm and crown of martyrdom.
The dragon is given to St. Martha from
her having destroyed one that ravaged
the neighbourhood of Marseilles.
Martial. Pertaining to Mars, the
Roman god of war.
Martian Laws. Laws compiled by
Martia, wife of Guithelin, great-grand-
son of Mulmutius, who established in
England the Mulmutian Laws. Alfred
translated both these codes into Saxon-
English.
“Guynteline . . . whose queen, . . . to show her
upright mind,
To wise Malmutius' laws her Martian first ſiid
framme.” Draytom : Polyolbion, Yiii.
Martin. One of the swallow trihe.
Dies derives the word from St. Martin,
but St. Martin’s bird is the rate??. -
Martin. The ape, in the tale of
Reynard the Fow. • -
1Martin
815
1Martin’s Summer
.-T—
Martin. A jackass is so called from
its obstinacy. “Il y a plus d’ºth ahe qui
s'appelle Martin.”
“Martinus, qui suam acrius quam par est Qpin-
ionem tuetur; cujus modi fuit Martinus, juris
consultus celebris sub Friderico I., a quo (inquit
Baronius, A.D. 1150) in vulgare proverlyium Gjus
durities in hanc usque digm. pertransut, ut Mar-
tinum appellent, qui suae ipsius Sententue singll-
lari pertinaci studio, in haerescat. Fuit ºt
Martinus Grosia, legum professor in academia
Bonomiensi.”—Dut. Cwmge (Art. Martin its).
Martin. (See ALL MY EYE.)
Martin, in Dryden's allegory of the
II ind and Panther, means the Lutheran
party; so called by a pun on the name
of Martin Luther.
JParler d’awtre Martin. There are
more fools than one in the fair. This
phrase is very common. (See Bauduin
de Seboure: Romans, ch. viii. line 855;
Godefroid de Bouillon, p. 537; La branche
des royalta, lignage, line 11,419 ; Le Mys-
tère de S. Crespin et St. Crespimien [2nd
day], p.43; Reynard the Fow, vol. ii. p. 17,
line 10,096, vol. iii. p. 23, line 20,402, etc.)
* Another phrase is “Parler d'autre
Bernart,” from bernart—a jackass or
fool.
“Or vos metron el colla hart
I’uis parleron d'autre Bernart.”.
Ile IRoman du Remart, iii. p. 75.
, “Vous parlerés d'autre Martín.”
Ditto, p. 28.
For a hair Martin lost his ass. The
French say that Martin made a bet that
his ass was black ; the bet was lost be-
cause a white hair was found in its coat.
Girt like Martin of Cambray—in a very
ridiculous manner. Martin and Martine
are the two figures that strike with their
marteaux the hours on the clock of
Cambray. Martin is represented as a
peasant in a blouse girt very tight about
the waist.
St. Martiº. Patron of drunkards, to
save them from falling into danger. This
is a mere accident, arising thus: The
11th November (St. Martin’s Day) is the
Vina'lia, or feast of Bacchus. When
Bacchus was merged by Christians into
St. Martin, St. Martin had to bear the
ill-repute of his predecessor.
St. Martin's bird. A cock, whose blood
is shed “sacrificially ” on the 11th of
November, in honour of that saint.
St. Jſºrtázz's cloak. Martin was a mili-
tary tribune before conversion, and, while
stationed at Amiensin midwinter, divided
his military cloak with a naked beggar,
who craved alms of him before the city
gates of Amiens. At night, the story
says, Christ Himself appeared to the sol-
dier, arrayed in this very garment.
St. Martin’s goose. The 11th of No-
vember, St. Martin's Day, was at one
time the great goose feast of France.
The legend is that St. Martin was an-
noyed by a goose, which he ordered to be
killed and served up for dinner. As he
died from the repast, the goose has been
ever since “sacrificed” to him on the
anniversary. The goose is sometimes
called by the French St. Martin’s bird.
St. Martijt’s jewellery. Counterfeit
gems. Upon the site of the old collegiate
church of St. Martin’s le Grand, which
was demolished upon the dissolution of
the monasteries, a number of persons
established themselves and carried on a
considerable trade in artificial stones,
beads, and jewellery. These Brumma-
gem ornaments were called St. Martin’s
beads, St. Martin’s lace, or St. Martin’s
jewellery, as the case might be.
St. Martin's lace. A sort of copper
lace for which Blowbladder Street, St.
Martin's, was noted. (Stow.)
St. Martin's rings. Imitation gold
Ones. (See above.)
St. Martin's tree. St. Martin planted
a pilgrim’s staff somewhere near Utopia.
The staff grew into a large tree, which
Gargantua pulled up to serve for a mace
or club, with which he dislodged King
Picrochole from Clermont Rock. (Rabe-
lais : Gargantua and Pantag’ruel.)
Faire la St. Martime or Martiner. To
feast ; because the people used to begin
St. Martin's Day with feasting and
drinking.
Martin Drunk. Very intoxicated
indeed ; a drunken man “sobered ” by
drinking more. The feast of St. Martin
(November 11) used to be held as a day
of great debauch. Hence Baxter uses
the word Martin as a synonym of a
drunkard :—
“The language of Martin is there [in heaven] a
Stranger.”—Saint's Rest. -
Martin of Bullions (St.). The St.
Swithin of Scotland. His day is July 4,
and the Scotch say, if it rains then, rain
may be expected for forty days.
“By St. Martin of Bullion—'
‘And what häst, thou to do with St. Martin 2'
‘Nay, little enough, sir, unless when he sends
such trainy days that we cannot fly a bawk."
Scott : The Abbott, X \'.
Martin's Running Footman (St.).
The devil, assigned by legend to St.
Martin for a running footman on a cer-
tain occasion.
“Who can tell but St. Martin's running footman
rºy still be hatching us some further mischief.”
--ºwl, l is : 1 antagruel, iv. 23.
Martin's Summer (St.) (See under
SUMMER.)
IMartine
816
1Mary Anne
Martine. A sword. (Italian.)
* Quiconque aura affaire à moy, il faut qu'il ait
affaire a Martine que me voyla au coste (appel-
lant Son espee ‘Martine').”—Bramtome : Rodomom-
tade Espagmoles, Vol. ii. p. 16.
Martinet. A strict disciplinarian ;
, so called from the Marquis of Martinet,
a young colonel in the reign of Louis
XIV., who remodelled the infantry, and
was slain at the siege of Doesbourg, in
1672 (Voltaire, Louis XI P., c. 10). The
French still call a cat-o’-nine-tails a
“martinet.”
The French martinet was a whip with
twelve leather thongs.
Martinmas. The feast of St. Martin
is November 11. His Martinºmas will
come, as it does to every hog-i.e. all must
die.
* November was the great slaughter-
time of the Anglo-Saxons, when beeves,
sheep, and hogs, whose store of food
was exhausted, were killed and salted.
Martinmas, therefore, was the slaying
time, and the proverb intimates that
our slaying-time or day of death will
come as surely as that of a hog at St.
Martin’s-tide.
Martyr (Greek) simply means a wit-
ness, but is applied to one who witnesses
a good confession with his blood.
The marty,’ king. Charles I. of Eng-
land, beheaded January 30th, 1649. He
was buried at Windsor, and was called
“The White King.”
Martyr to science. Claude Louis,
Count Berthollet, who determined to test
in his own person the effects of carbolic
acid on the human frame, and died under
the experiment. (1748-1822.
Marvedie (A). A maravedi (q.v.),
a small obsolete Spanish copper coin of
less value than a farthing.
. “What a trifiing, foolish girl you are, Edith, to
Sond me by express a letter crannined with non-
sense about 1jooks and gowns, and to slide the
only thing I cared a mary edie about into the
postscript.”—Sir W. Scott: Old Mortality, chap. xi.
Marvellous. The marvello?ts boy.
Thomas Chatterton, the poet, author of
a volume of poetry entitled Rowley’s
Poems, professedly written by Rowley, a
monk. (1752-1770.)
Mary.
As the Pirgin, she is represented in
Christian art with flowing hair, emblem-
atical of her virginity.
As Mater I)olorosa, she is represented
as somewhat elderly, clad in mourning,
head draped, and weeping over the
dead body of Christ.
As Our Lady of Dolours, she is re-
presented as seated, her breast being
pierced with seven swords, emblematic
of her seven sorrows.
As Our Lady of Mercy, she is repre-
sented with arms extended, spreading
out her malitle, and gathering sinners
beneath it.
As The glorified Madonna, she is re-
presented as bearing a crown and
Sceptre, or a ball and cross, in rich robes
and surrounded by angels. . &
IIer seven joys. The Annunciation,
Visitation, Nativity, Adoration of the
Magi, Presentation in the Temple, Find-
ing Christ amongst the Doctors, and the
Assumption.
er seven sorrows. Simeon’s Prophecy,
the Flight into Egypt, Christ Missed,
the . Betrayal, the Crucifixion, the
Taking Down from the Cross, and the
Ascension, when she was left alone.
Mary, of Lord Byron's poetry, is
Miss Chaworth, who was older than his
lordship. Both Miss Chaworth and Lord
Byron were under the guardianship of
Mr. White, Miss Chaworth married
John Musters, generally called Jack
Musters; but the marriage was not a
happy one, and the parties soon separ-
ated. The Dream of Lord Byron refers
to this love affair of his youth.
Mary, of Robert Burns. (See HIGH-
LAND MARY.)
* It may be added to what is said
under Highland Mary that of Mary
Morison the poet wrote:–
“Those smiles and glances let me see.
That make the miser's treasure boor.”
And in Highland Mary we have—
“Still o'er those scenes my mem'ry wakes,
And fondly broods with muiser's care.”
A statue to her has been recently erected
in Edinburgh.
Marys. The four Marys. , Mary
Beaton (or Bethune), Mary Livingston
(or Leuson), Mary Fleming (or Flemyng),
and Mary Seaton (or Seyton); called the
“Queen’s Marys,” that is, the ladies of
the same age as Mary, afterwards Queen
of Scots, and her companions. Mary
Carmichael was not one of the four,
although introduced in the well-known.
ballad.
“Yestre'en the queen had four Mary's,
This night, she'll hae but three :
There was Mary Beaton, and Mary Seaton,
Mary Carmichael, and me.”
Mary Anne or Marianne. A slang
name for the guillotine. (See below.)
Mary Anne Associations. Secret
republican societies in France. The
name comes about thus: Ravaillac was
instigated to assassinate Henri IV, by
#
Mary Magdalene
reading the treatise De Rege et Regio
Institutione, by Mariana, and as Mariana
inspired Ravaillac “to deliver France,”
the republican party was called the
Mary-Anne. - ...
“The Mary Annes, which are essentially re-
publicans, are scattered about all the French
provinces.”—Disraeli : Lothair. ..
Mary Magdalene (St.). Patron
saint of penitents, being herself the
model penitent of Gospel history.
In Christian art she is represented (1)
as a patron saint, young and beautiful,
with a profusion of hair, and holding a
box of ointment ; (2) as a penitent, in a
sequestered place, reading before a cross
or skull.
Mary Queen of Scots. Shakespeare
being under the º of Queen
IElizabeth, and knowing her jealousy,
would not, of course, praise openly her
rival queen; but in the Midsummer
Night’s Dream, composed in 1592, that
is, five years after the execution of
Mary, he wrote these exquisite lines:—
- - - “Thou rememberest
Since once I sat upon a promontory,
And heard a mermaid (I) on a dolphim's lack (2)
Uttering such dulcet and harmonious breath,
That the rude sea (3) grew civil at her song ;
And certain stars (4) shot madly from their
spheres (5), - •
TO hear the Séa-maid's music.” Act ii. 1.
(1) Mermaid and sea-maid, that is, Mary ; (2) on
the dolphin's back, she married the Dolphin or
Dau ºhin of France; (3) the rude sea grew civil
the Scotch rebels; (4) certain stars, the Earl of
Northumberland, the Earl of Westmoreland, and
the Duke of Norfolk ; (5) shot madly from their
spheres, that is, revolted from Queen Elizabeth,
bewitched by the Sea-n:aid's sweetness.
Mary buds. . The flower of the mari-
gold (q.v.). Like many other flowers,
they open at daybreak and close at
sunset.
“And winking mary buds begin
To Ope their golden eyes ‘’
Shakespe tre: Cymbeline, ii. 3.
Marygold or Marigold. A million
sterling. A plum is £100,000. (See
MARIGOLD.)
Maryland (U.S. America) was so
11amed in compliment to Queen Henrietta
Maria. In the Latin charter it is called
Terra Mariae. - -
Marylebone (London) is not a cor-
ruption of Marie la bonne, but “Mary
on the bourne '' or river, as Holborn is
“Old Bourne.”
IMas (plural, Masse). Master, Mr.,
Messrs. ; as, Mas, John King, Masse
Eleming and Stebbing.
MI as a ni e II o.
Tom MASo ANIELLO, a Neapolitan
fisherman, who led the revolt of July,
A corruption of
817 Masher
1647. The great grievance was a new
tax upon fruit, and the immediate cause
of Masaniello's interference was the
seizure of his wife (or deaf and dumb
sister) for having in her possession some
contraband flour. Having surrounded
himself with 150,000 men, women, and
boys, he was elected chief of Naples,
and for nine days ruled with absolute
control. The Spanish viceroy flattered
him, and this so turned his head that he
acted, like a maniac. The people be-
trayed him, he was shot, and his body
flung into a ditch, but next day it was
interred with a pomp and ceremony
never equalled in Naples (1647).
Auber has an opera on this subject
called La Muette de Portiei (1828). -
Masche-croute [gnaw - crust]. A
hideous wooden statue carried about
Lyons during Carnival. The nurses of
Lyons frighten children by threatening
to throw them to Masche-croute.
Mascotte. One who brings good
luck, and possesses a “good eye.” The
contrary of Jettator, or one with an evil
eye, who always brings bad luck.
“Ces envoyés du paradis,
Sont des Mascottes, mes amis, , , . .
Heureux celui que le ciel dote d'une Mascotte.”
The opera called La Mascotte (1883).
“I tell you, she was a Mascotte of the first
water.”—The Ludgate Monthly, No. 1, vol. ii.;
Tippity witchet, Nov. 1891. - -
Masdeu (Catalan for God’s field).
The vineyard not far from Perpignan
was anciently so called.
Masetto. A rustic engaged to Zer-
li'na. ; but Don Giovanni intercepts them
in their wedding festivities, and induces
the foolish damsel to believe he meant
to make her his wife. (Mozart: Don
Giovanni, an opera.)
Mashack'ering and Misguggling.
Mauling and disfiguring. . . . .
“I humbly protest against mauling and dis-
flºuring this work ; against what the great
Walter Scott would, I think, have called mash-
agkéring and misguggling, after, the manner of
Nicol Muschat (in The Heart of Midlothian), when
he put an end to his wife Arlie at the spot after-
Wards called by his name.”—W. E. Gladstone :
Nineteenth Century, November, 1885.
Masher. A dude (q.v.); an ex-
quisite; a lardy-dardy swell who dresses
aesthetically, behaves killingly, and thinks
himself a Romeo. This sort of thing
used to be called “crushing ” or killing,
and, as mashing is crushing, the synonym
was substituted about 1880. A lady-
killer, a crusher, a masher, all mean the
Same thing. - -
“The prattle of the masher between the acts.”
Daily Telegraph, Oct. 10, 1883.
52
Mask a Fleet
818
Matamore
Mask a Fleet (To). To lock up an
enemy's fleet that it cannot put to sea.
Mason and Dixon's Line. The
southern boundary-line which separated
the free states of Pennsylvania from
what were at one time the slave states
of Maryland and Virginia. It lies in
39° 43' 26" north latitude, and was run
by Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon,
two English mathematicians, and sur-
veyors (between November 15th, 1763,
and December 26th, 1767).
Mass. *. * *
High Mass or “Grand Mass” is sung
by choristers, and celebrated with the
assistance of a deacon and sub-deacon.
Low Mass is simply read without sing-
ing ; there is one between these two
called the “chanted mass,” in which the
service is chanted by the priest. . . . .
Besides these there are a number of
special masses, as the mass of the Beatae,
mass of the Holy Ghost, mass of the dead,
anass of a saint, mass of scarcity, dry
'mass, votive mass, holiday mass, Ambro-
sian mass, Gallie mass, mass of the
presanctified for Good Friday, missa
Mosara'bum, etc. etc.
Mass (The).
“Pope Celestinus ordained the introit and the
glorict im, carcelsis. . . . . . .
* Pope Gregory the Great ordered the kyrie
eleison tº be repeated nine times, and introduced
the prayer. . . - - - .
* Pope Gelasius ordained the Epistle and Gospel.
Pope Damasus introduced the Cred
O. -
* Pope Alexander put into the canon the follow-
ing clause: “Qui pridic quam pateretur.
“Pope Sextus introduced the Sanctus.
* Pope Innocent the pair.
“Pope Leo the Orate, Fratres, and the words.in
the canon : “Sanctum Sacrificittml et intºmaculatiat?!?
Hostratºm.’” -
E. Kimesman : Lives of the Saints, p. 187 (1623).
Massachusetts was so named from
the bay massa [great],
[mountain], et [near]. The bay-near-
the-great-mountain. - -
Massacre of the Innocents. The
slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem
“from two years old and under,” when
Jesus was born. This was done at the
command of Herod the Great in order
to cut off “the babe?” who was destined
to become “King of the Jews.”
Micah v. 2 speaks of Bethlehem as a little
place, a small village, probably containing about
five hundred inhabitants. It will be easy to cal-
culate the probable number of infants under two
years of age in such a village. It would be about
Massacre of the Innocents (The),
in parliamentary phraseology, means the
withdrawal at the close of a session of
the bills which time has not rendered it
wadehuash
possible to consider and pass. The
phrase was so used in The Times, 1859.
“If the secretarial M.P. is to be condemned for
... voting against the Miner's Eight Hours Bill,
he is equally censurable if he . . . . does not sup-
port the numerous... reforms which get the sanc-
tion of the Congress during the Magsacre of the
Innocents at the close of the sitting.”—Nineteenth
Century, October, 1892, p. 619.
Mass'amore (3 Syl.) or Massy More.
The principal dungeon of a feudal castle.
A Moorish word. -
“Proximus ést carcer subterra’netis, sine ut
Mauri appellant ‘Mazmorra.’”—Old Latin Itin-
erary. . . . . . ... . -
Mast. (See BEFORE THE MAST.)
Master Humphrey, Narrator of
the story called The Old Curiosity Shop,
by Charles Dickens. -
Master Leonard. Grand-master of
the nocturnal orgies of the demons. He
is represented as a three-horned goat,
with black human face. He marked his
novitiates with one of his horns. (Mid-
dle Age demonology.) . . .
Master Magrath. The dog whic
won the Waterloo Cup for three suc-
cessive years, and was introduced to the
Queen. “Waterloo’’ is on the banks of
the Mersey, about three miles north of
Liverpool. . . - t. " -
Master of Sentences. Pierre Lom-
bard, author of a work called Sentences,
a compilation from the fathers of the
leading arguments, pro and con., bearing
on the hair-splitting theological ques-
tions of the Middle Ages. (1100-1164.)
Master of the Mint. A punning
term for a gardener. - -
Master of the Rolls.
term for a baker.
Mastic. A tonic which promotes
appetite, and therefore only increases
the misery of a hungry man. -
“Like the starved wretch that hungry mastic
pilºts himself and fosters his disease."
West: Triumphs of the Gowt (Lucian).
Matadore (3 Syl.). In the game of
Ombre, Spadille (the ace of spades),
Manille (the seven of trumps), and Basto
(the ace of clubs), are called “Mata-
dores.” - • *
“Now move to war her sable Matadore . . .
Spadillo first, unconquerable lord, -
Ledº wo captive trumps, and Swept the
3.1° - :
A. punning
As many more Manillo forced to yield,
And marched a victor from the Yerdant field.
Him Basto followed . . .” -
Pope; Itape of the Lock, canto iii.
Matamoras. Mexicans or Savages.
Mat'amore (3 Syl.). A poltroon, a
swaggerer, a Major Bobadil (q.v.). A
Mate
*
819
IMatthew
French term composed of two Spanish
words, matar-Moros (a slayer of Moors.)
“Your followers . . . must bandy and brawl in
my court . . . like so many. Matamoros.”—Sir W.
Scott : Kenilworth, chap. xvi.
Mate. A man does not get his hands
out of the tar by becoming second mate.
A second mate is expected to put his
hands into the tar bucket for tarring the
rigging, like the men below him. The
first mate is exempt from this dirty work.
The rigging is tarred by the hands, and
not by brushes.
Maté (2 syl.). Paraguay tea is so
called from maté, the vessel in which
the herb is in Paraguay infused. These
vessels are generally hollow gourds, and
the herb is called yerba de maté.
Mate'rialism. The doctrines of a
Materialist, who maintains that the soul
and spirit are effects of matter. The
orthodox doctrine is that the soul is dis-
tinct from the body, and is a portion of
the Divine essence breathed into the
body. A materialist, of course, does
not believe in a “spiritual deity” dis-
tinct from matter. Tertullian contended
that the Bible proves the soul to be
“material,” and he charges the “spir-
itual '’ view to the heretical doctrines of
the Platonic school.
Matfellon. Villa beatae Maride de
Matfellon. Whitechapel, dedicated to
Mary the Mother.
Mathew (Father), 1799-1856, called
The Apostle of Temperance. His success
was almost miraculous. .
Mathisen. One of the three Ana-
baptists who induced John of Leyden
to join their rebellion. (See, JoHN of
LEYDEN.) * - r
... Math'urin (St.). Patron, saint of
idiots and fools. A pun on his name.
(See below.) - -
The malady of St. Mathurin. Folly,
stupidity, A French expression.
Maturins, in French argot, , means
dice, and “maturin plat,” a domino.
“Ces deux objets doivent leur nom a leur res-
Semblance avec le costume des Trinitaires (vul-
gairement appeles, Matwrims), qui, cliez mous,
portalient une, Sontane de serge blanche sur
laquelle, quand ils Sortaient, ils jetaient un man-
teall noir.”—Francisque Michel.
Matilda. , I\aughter of Lord Robert
Fitzwalter, Michael Drayton has a poem
of some 670 lines so called.
. Matilda. Daughter of Rokeby, and
niece of Mortham. She was beloved by
Wilfrid, son of Oswald, but loved Red-
mond, her father’s page, who turns out
to be Mortham's son. (Scott : Rokeby.)
Matilda. Sister of Gessler; in love
with Arnold, a Swiss, who had saved her
life when threatened by the fall of ar.
avalanche. After the death of Gessler,
who was shot by William Tell, the mar-
riage of these lovers is consummated.
(Rossini : Guglielmo Tell, an opera.)
Rosa Matilda. (See Gifford's Baviad
and Maeviad.)
Matric'ulate means to enrol oneself
in a society. The University is called
our alma mater (propitious mother). The
students are her alumni (foster-children),
and become so by being enrolled in a
register after certain forms and examina-
tions. (Latin, matricula, a roll.)
Matter-of-fact. Unvarnished truth,
prosaic, unimaginative. Whyte Melville
speaks of a “matter-of-fact swain.”
Matter's afoot (The). Is in train, is
stirring. Il marche bien, it goes well;
£a ira.
“Now let it work. Mischief, thou alt afoot ;
Take thou What course thou Wilt.”
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar, iii. 2.
MI a t t er horn. The matrimožial
Matterhorn. The leap in the dark. The
Matterhorn is the German name for Mont
Cervin, a mountain of the Pennine Alps,
about 40 miles east-north-east of Mont.
Blanc. Above an unbroken glacier-line
of 11,000 feet high, it rises in an inacces-
sible obelisk of rock more than 3,000
feet higher. The total elevation of the
Matterhorn is 14,836 feet. Figuratively
any danger, or desperate situation
threatening destruction. ' ' , ,
Matthew (St.) in Christian art is re-
presented (1) as an evangelist—an old
man with long beard; an angel generally
stands near him dictating his Gospel.
(2) As an apostle, in which capacity he
'bears a purse, in reference to his calling
as a publican ; sometimes he carries a
spear, sometimes a carpenter’s rule or
square. (See LUKE.) - •
In the last of Matthew. At the last
gasp, on One's last legs. This is a German
expression, and arose thus: A Catholic
priest said in his sermon that Protestant-
ism was in the last of Matthew, and,
being asked what he meant, replied,
“The last five words of the Gospel of
St. Matthew are these : “The end of this
dispensation.’” Of course he quoted
the Latin version; ours is less correctly
translated “the end of the world.” .
Matthew Bramble, in Smollett's
Iſumphry Clinker, is Roderick Random
grown old, somewhat cynical by experi-
ence of the world, but vastly improved
Matthew 320
Maunds
in taste. Chambers says, “Smollett
took some of the incidents of the family
tour from Anstey's New Bath Guide.”
(English Literature, vol. ii.)
Matthew Parker's Bible, 1572.
The second edition of the “Great
Bible,” with corrections, etc., by Arch-
bishop Parker.
Matthews' Bible, 1537. A version
of the Bible in English, edited by John
Rogers, superintendent of the English
Church in Germany, and published by
him under the fictitious name of Thomas
Matthews.
Matthias (St.) in Christian art is
known by the axe or halbert in his right
hand, the symbol of his martyrdom.
Sometimes he is bearing a stone, in allu-
sion to the tradition of his having been
stoned before he was beheaded.
Maud lin. Stupidly sentimental.
IMaudlin drunk is the drunkenness which
is sentimental and inclined to tears.
Maudlin slip-slop is sentimental chit-
chat. The word is derived from Mary
Magdalen, who is drawn by ancient
painters with a lackadaisical face, and
eyes swollen with weeping.
Maugis. The Nestor of French
romance, like Hildebrand in German
legend. He was one of Charlemagne's
paladins, a magician and champion.
Maugis d’Aygrennont. Son of
Duke Bevis of Aygremont, stolen in in-
fancy by a female slave. As she rested
under a white-thorn a lion and a leopard
devoured her, and then killed each other
in disputing for the infant. The babe
cried Justily, and Oriande la Fée, who
lived at Rosefleur, hearing it, went to the
white-thorn and exclaimed, “By the
Powers above, this child is mal gist (badly
lapped); ” and ever after he was called
mau-gis’. Oriande took charge of him,
and was assisted by her brother Baudris,
who taught him magic and necromancy.
When grown a man Maugis achieved the
adventure of gaining the enchanted
horse Bayard, which understood like a
human being all that was said, and took
from Anthenor, the Săracen, the Sword
Elamberge or Floberge. Subsequently
he gave both the horse and sword to his
cousin Renaud. In the Italian romances
Maugis is called “Malagi'gi’’ (q.v.). ;
Renaud is called “Renaldo’’ (q.v.);
Bevis is called “Buo'vo; ” the horse is
called “Bayardo ; ” and the sword,
“Fusberta.” (Romance of . Maugis
d’Aygremont et de Vivian son frère.)
Maugrab'in (Heyraddin). Brother
of Zamet Maugrabin the Bohemian. He
appears disguised as Rouge Sanglier, and
pretends to be herald from Liege. (Sir
H/alter Scott : Quentin Durward.)
Mau'gys. A giant who keeps a bridge
leading to a castle by a riverside, in
which a beautiful lady is besieged. Sir
Lybius, one of Arthur's knights, does
battle with the giant; the contest lasts
a whole Summer's day, but terminates
with the death of the giant and libera-
tion of the lady. (Libeaua, a romance.)
Maul. To beat roughly, to batter.
The maul was a bludgeon with a leaden
head, carried by ancient soldiery. It is
generally called a “mall.” - -
Maul (The Giant). A giant who used
to spoil young pilgrims with sophistry.
He attacked Mr. Greatheart with a club,
and the combat between them lasted for
the space of an hour. At length Mr.
Greatheart pierced the giant under the
fifth rib, and then cut off his head.
(Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress, pt. ii.)
Maul of Monks (The). Thomas
Cromwell, visitor-general of English
monasteries, many of which he sum-
marily suppressed (1490-1540).
Maunciples Tale. A mediaevalver-
sion of Ovid’s tale about Coro'nis (Met.
ii. 543, etc.). Phoebus had a crow which
he taught to speak; it was downy white,
and as big as a Swan. He had also a
wife whom he dearly loved, but she was
faithless to him. One day when Phoebus
came home his bird 'gan sing “Cuckoo !
cuckoo ! cuckoo ! ” Phoebus asked what
he meant, and the crow told him of his
wife's infidelity. Phoebus was very
angry, and, seizing his bow, shot his wife
through the heart ; but no sooner did
she fall than he repented of his rashness
and cursed the bird. “Nevermore
shalt thou speak,” said he “henceforth
thy offspring shall be black.” Moral—
“Lordlings, by this ensample, take heed
what you say; be no tale-bearers, but—
‘Wher-50 thou comest amongst high or low,
IXeep wel thy tong, and think upon the Crow. "
Chaucer: Canterbury Titles.
Maunds (Royal). Gifts distributed
to the poor on Maundy Thursday (q.v.).
The number of doles corresponds to the
number of years the monarch has been
regnant, and the doles used to be dis-
tributed by the Lord High Almoner.
Since 1883 the doles have been money
payments distributed by the Clerk of the
Almonry Office. The custom began in
Mauridrel 8
*
1
Maximum
1368, in the reign of Edward III.
James I. distributed the doles personally.
“Entries of ‘al maner of things yerly yevin by
my lor, le of his Maundy, and my laidis, and his
lordshippis children.’"–Household Book, of the
Eurl of Northumberland, 1512.
Maundrel. A foolish, vapouring
gossip. The Scotch say, “Haud your
tongue, maundrel.” As a verb it means
to babble, to prate. In some parts of
Scotland the talk of persons in delirium,
in sleep, and in intoxication is called
andºndrel. The term is from Sir John
Mandeville, the traveller, who published
an account of his travels, full of idle
gossin and most improbable events.
ºf There is another verb, maunder (to
mutter, to vapour, or wander in one’s
talk). This verb is from maund (to beg).
(See MAUNDY THURSDAY.)
Maundy Thursday. The day before
Good Friday is so called from the Latin
dies manda'ti (the day of Christ’s great
mandate). After He had washed. His
disciples’ feet, He said, “A new com-
mandment give I unto you, that ye love
one another ” (St. John xiii. 34).
Spelman derives it from maund (a
basket), because on the day before the
great fast all religious houses and good
Catholics brought out their broken food
in maunds to distribute to the poor.
This custom in many places gave birth
to a fair, as the Tombland fair of
Norwich, held on the plain before the
Cathedral Close.
Mauri-gasima. An island near
Formo'sa, said to have been sunk in the
sea in consequence of the great crimes
of its inhabitants. (Kempfer.)
Maurita'nia. Morocco and Algiers,
the land of the ancient Mauri or Moors.
Mausole'um, . One of the seven
“wonders of the world ; ” so called from
Mauso'lus, King of Caria, to whom Arte-
mis'ia (his wife) erected at Halicarnassos
a splendid sepulchral monument B.C. 353.
IParts of this sepulchre are now in the
British Museum.
The chief mausoleums, besides the one
referred to above, are: the mausoleum of
Augustus; that of Ha'drian, now called
the castle of St. An'gelo, at Rome; that
erected in France to Henry II. by
Catherine de Medicis ; that of St. Peter
the Martyr in the church of St. Eusta-
tius, by G. Balduccio in the fourteenth
century; and that erected to the memory
of Louis XVI.
Maut gets abune the Meal (The).
malt liquor or drink gets more potent
*
t ...writº
than the food eaten—that is, when men
get heady or boosy.
“If the maut gets abune the meal with you, it
is time for me to take myself away ; and you will
come to my room, gentlemen, When you want a
cup of tea.”—Sir W. Scott : I'edgwuntlet. -
Mauthe Dog. A “spectre hound ’’
that for many years haunted the ancient
castle of Peel town, in the Isle of Man.
This black spaniel used to enter the
guard-room as soon as candles were
lighted, and leave it at day-break.
While this spectre-dog was present the
soldiers forebore all oaths and profane
talk. One day a drunker, trooper en-
tered the guard-house alone out of
bravado, but lost his speech and died in
three days. Scott refers to it in his Lay
of the Last Minstrel, vi. stanza 26.
* For the legend, see a long note at
the beginning of Scott's Peveril of the
Peak, chapter xv. .
Mauvais Ton (French). Badmanners.
Ill-breeding, vulgar ways.
Mauvaise Honte (French). Bad or
silly shame. Bashfulness, sheepishness.
Mauvaise Plaisanterie (A). A
rude or ill-mannered jest; a jest in bad
taste.
Mavournin. Irish for darling. Erin
mavournin = Ireland, my darling; Erin
go bragh = Ireland for ever !
“I and of my forefathers, Erin go bragh . . .
Iºrin mavournin, Erin go bragh ”
Campbell. Eacile of Erin.
Mawther. (See MoRTHER.)
Mawworm. A vulgar copy of Dr.
Cantwell, the hypocrite, in The Hypo-
crite, by Isaac Bickerstaff.
Max. A huntsman, and the best
marksman in Germany. He was be-
trothed to Ag'atha, who was to be his
bride if he obtained the prize in the
annual trial-shot. Having been unsuc-
cessful in his practice for several days,
Caspar induced him to go to the wolf’s
glen at midnight and obtain seven
charmed balls from Sa’miel the Black
Huntsman. On the day of contest, the
prince bade him shoot at a dove. Max
aimed at the bird, but killed Caspar, who
was concealed in a tree. The prince
abolished in consequence the annual féte
of the trial-shot. (IWeber: Der Freis-
chtitz, an opera.)
Max O'Rell. The pen name of M.
Blouet, author of John Bull and his
Island, etc.
Max'imum and Minimum. The
greatest and the least amount; as, the
Maximus 822
May-pole
maximum profits or exports, and the
minimum profits or exports ; the maxi-
mum and minimum price of corn during
the year. The terms are also employed
in mathematics. -
Max'imus or Maxime (2 syl.).
Officer of the prefect Alma'chius, and
his cornicular. Being ordered to put
Valir’ian and Tibur'cè to death because
they would not worship the image of
Jupiter, he took pity on his victims and
led them to his own house, where Cecilia,
was instrumental in his conversion ;
whereupon he and “all his ’’ house
were at once baptised. When Valir’ian
and Tibur'cè were put to death, Maximus
declared that he saw angels come and
carry them to heaven, whereupon Alma'-
chius caused him to be beaten with
whips of lead “til he his lif gan lete.”
(Chaucer: Secounde Nonnes Tale.) .
May. A lovely girl who married
January, an old Lombard baron, sixty
years of age. She had a liaison with a
young squire named Damyan, and was
detected by January; but she persuaded
the old fool that his eyes were to blame
and that he was labouring under a great
mistake, the effect of senseless jealousy.
January believed her words, and “who
is glad but he P” for what is better
than “a fruitful wife, and a confiding
spouse ?” (Chaucer : The Marchaundes
Tale. Pope : January and May,)
May (the month) is not derived from
Maia, the mother of Mercury, as the
word existed long before either Mercury
or Maia had been introduced. It is the
Latin Maius—i.e. Magius, from the
root mag, same as the Sanscrit mah, to
grow ; and means the growing or shoot-
ing month.
May unlucky fºr weddings. This is a
Roman superstition. Ovid says, “The
common people profess it is unlucky to
marry in the month of May.” In this
month were held the festivals of Bona,
Dea (the goddess of chastity), and the
feasts of the dead called Lemuralia.
“Neg viduaº tºodis eidem, nec virgynis apta - -
Tempóra ; quae nupsit, non diuturna fuit ;
Haec quoque de Causa, site proverbia tangunt,
Mente malum Maio nuběre vulgus ait.”
Ovid : Fasti, V. 496, etc.
Płere we go gathering nuts of May.
(See NUTS OF MAY.)
May-day. Polydore Virgil says that
the Roman youths used to go into the
fields and spend the calends of May in
dancing and singing in honour of Flora,
goddess of fruits and flowers. The early
English consecrated May-day to Robin
Hood and the Maid Marian, because the
favourite outlaw, died on that day.
Stow says the villagers used to set up
May-poles, and spend the day in archery,
morris-dancing, and other amusements.
Evil May-day (1517), when the
Tondon apprentices rose up against the
foreign residents, and did incalculable
mischief. The riot lasted till May 22nd.
May-duke Cherries. Medoc, a
district of France, whence the cherries
first came to us.
May Meetings. A title applied to
the annual gatherings, in May and June,
of the religious and charitable societies,
to hear the annual reports and appeals
for continued or increased support.
The chief meetings are the British
Asylum for Deaf and Dumb Females,
British and Foreign Bible Society, British
and Foreign Schools, Children's Refuge,
Church Home Mission, Church Mission-
ary Society,Church Pastoral Aid Society,
Clergy Orphan Society, Corporation of
the Sons of the Clergy, Destitute Sailors’
Asylum, Field Lane Refuge, Governesses'
Benevolent Institution, Home and Colo-
nial School Society, Irish Church Mis-
sionary Society, London City Mission,
Mendicity Society, National Temperance
League, Propagation of the Gospel
among the Jews, Ragged School Union,
Religious Tract Society, Royal Asylum
of St. Anne's, Sailors’ Home, Sunday
School Union, Thames Church Mis-
sionary Society, United Kingdom Band
of Hope, Wesleyan Missionary Society,
with many others of similar character.
May Molloch, or The Maid of the
IHairy Arms. An elf who condescends
to mingle in Ordinary sports, and even
to direct the master of the house how to
play dominoes, or draughts. Like the
White Lady of Avenel, May Molloch is
a sort of banshee.
May-pole, May-queen, etc. Dancing
round the May-pole on May-day, “going
a-Maying,” electing a May-queen, and
lighting bonfires, are all remnants of
Sun-worship, and may be traced to the
most ancient times. The chimney-
sweeps used to lead about a Jack-i'-the-
green, and the custom is not yet quite
extinct (1895).
May-pole (London). The races in
the Dunciad take place “where the tall
May-pole overlooked the Strand.” On
the spot now occupied by St. Mary-
le-Strand, anciently stood a cross. In
the place of this cross a May-pole was
set up by John Clarges, a blacksmith,
Mayeux
823 Mazeppa,
whose daughter Ann became the wife
of Monk, Duke of Albemarle. It was
taken down in 1713, and replaced by
a new one erected opposite Somerset
House. This second May-pole had two
gilt balls and a vane on its summit. Qu
holidays the pole was decorated with
flags and garlands. It was removed in
1718, and sent by Sir Isaac Newton to
Wanstead Park to support the largest
telescope in Europe. (See UNDERSHAFT.)
“Captain, Baily. . . . . employed four hackney
coachés, with drivers in liveries, to ply at the
Maypole in the Strand, fixing his own rates, about
the year 1634. Bailey's coaches seem to have
been the first of what are now called hackney
coaches.”—Note 1. The Tittler, iv. p. 415. w
May-pole. The Duchess of Kendal,
mistress of George I. ; so called because
she was thin and tall as a May-pole.
Mayeux. e
plays for a man deformed, vain and
licentious, brave and witty.
“Mayflower” (The). A ship of 180
tons, which, in December, 1620, started
from Plymouth, and conveyed to Massa-
chusetts, in North America, 102 Puritâns,
called the “Pilgrim Fathers.” They
called their settlement New Plymouth.
Mayonnaise. A sauce made with
pepper, salt, oil, vinegar, and the yolk of
an egg beaten up together. A “may ” in
French is a cullender or strainer, also a
“fort plancher sur leºtel on met les
raisins qu' on veut fouler.” -
Mayor. The chief magistrate of a
city, elected by the citizens, and holding
office for twelve months.
The chief magistrate of London is The Right
Hon. the Lord Mayor, one of the Priyy Council.
. Since 1389 the chief magistrate of York has been
a Lord Mayor, and in 1894 those of Liverpool and -
Manchester. •
... There are two Lord Mayors of Ireland, viz.
those of Dublin (1665) and of Belfast : and four
of Scotland—Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and
Dundec.
* At the Conquest the sovereign ap-
pointed the chief magistrates of cities.
That of London was called the Port-
Reeve, but Henry II. changed the word
to the Norman maire (our mayor). John
made the office annual ; and Edward III.
(in 1354) conferred the title of “The
Bight Hon. the Lord Mayor of London.”
ºf The first Lord Mayor's Show was
1458, when Sir John Norman went by
water in state, to be sworn in at West-
minster; and the cap and sword were
given by Richard II, to Sir William
Walworth, for killing Wat Tyler.
Mayor of Garratt. (See GARRATT.)
Mayor of the Bull-ring (Old
Dublin). This official and his sheriffs
The stock name in French.
were elected on May-day and St. Peter’s
Eve “to be captaine and gardian of the
batchelers and the unwedded youth of
the civitie.” For the year the Mayor of
the Bull-ring had authority to punish
those who frequented brothels and
houses of ill-fame. He was termed
Mayor of the Bull-ring from an iron
ring in the Corn Market, to which bulls
for bull-baiting were tied, and if any
bachelor happened to marry he was
conducted by the Mayor and his fol-
lowers to the market-place to kiss the
bull-ring.
Mayors of the Palace (Maire du
Palais). Superintendents of the king's
household, and stewards of the royal
leudes or companies of France before the
accession of the Carlovingian dynasty.
Mazarinades (4 syl.). Violent
publications issued against Mazarin, the
French minister (1650, etc.).
Mazarine Bible (The). The earliest
book printed in movable metal type. It
contains no date, but a copy in the
Bibliothèque Mazarine contains the
date of the illuminator Cremer (1456),
so that the book must have been printed
before that date. Called “Mazarine”
from Cardinal Mazarin, who founded
the library in 1688.
In 1873, at the Perkin's sale, Lord Ashburnham
gave £3,400 for a copy in wellum, and Mr. Quaritch,
bookseller, gave £2,690 for one on paper. At the
Thorold sale, in 1884, Mr. Quaritch gave £3,900 for
a copy. In 1887 he bought one for £2,600 ; and in
1889 he gave £2,000 for a copy Slightly damaged.
Mazeppa (Jan), historically, was
hetman of the Cossacks. Born of a noble
Polish family in Podolia, he became a
page in the court of Jan Casimir, King
of Poland. Here he intrigued with
There'sia, the young wife of a Podolian
count, who had the young page lashed to
a wild horse, and turned adrift. The
horse dropped down dead in the Ukraine,
where Mazeppa was released by a Cos-
sack family, who nursed him in their
own hut. He became secretary to the
hetman, and at the death of the prince
was appointed his successor. Peter I
admired him, and created him Prince of
the Ukraine, but in the wars with Sweden
Mazeppa deserted to Charles XII., and
fought against Russia at Pulto'wa. After
the loss of this battle, Mazeppa fled to
Valentia, and then to Bender. Some
say he died a natural death, and others
that he was put to death for treason by
the Czar. Lord Byron makes Mazeppa
tell his tale to Charles after the battle of
Pultowa. (1640-1709.)
Mazer 824
Measure
Mazer. A cup ; so called from the
British masaºn (maple) ; Dutch, maeser.
Like our copus-cups in Cambridge, and
the loving-cup of the London Corpora-
tion. -
“A mazer wrought of the maple ware.”
. . . . . . . . Spenser: Calendar (August).
“‘..Bring hither,’ he said, ‘the mazers four -
My noble fathers loved of yore.’” -
Sir Walter Scott: Lord of the Isles.
Maz'ikeen or Shedeem. A species
of beings in Jewish mythology exactly
resembling the Arabian Jinn or genii,
and said to be the agents of magic and
enchantment. . When Adam fell, says
the Talmud, he was excommunicated
for 130 years, during which time he
begat demons and spectres; for, it is
written, “Adam lived 130 years and
(i.e. before he) begat children in his
own image ’’ (Genesis v. 3). (Rabbi
Jeremiah ben Eliezar.) - . ... •
“And the Mazikeen shall not come nighthy
tents.”—Psalm xci. 5 (Chaldee version).
Swells out like the Mazikeen ass. The
allusion is to a Jewish tradition that a
servant, whose duty it was to rouse
the neighbourhood to midnight prayer,
found one night an ass in the street,
which he mounted. As he rode along
the ass grew bigger and bigger, till at
last it towered as high as the tallest
edifice, where it left the man, and where
next morning he was found.
Mazzi'ni-ism. The political system of
Giuseppe Mazzi'ni, who filled almost every
sovereign and government in Europe
with a panic-terror. His plan was to
establish secret societies all over Europe,
and organise the several governments
into federated republics. He was the
founder of what is called “Young Italy,”
whose watchwords were “Liberty,
Equality, and Humanity, ” whose
motto was “God and the People,”
and whose banner was a tricolour of
white, red, and green. (Born at Genoa,
1808.) . - - ‘. .
Meal or Malt (In). In meal or in
malt. Directly or indirectly ; some sort
of subsidy. If much money passes
through the hand, some profit will be
sure to accrue either “in meal or in
malt.” -
“When other interests in the country (as the
cotton trade, the iron trade, and the coal trade)
had been depressed, the Government had not been
galled upon for assistance in meal and malt.”—Sir
William Harcourt: On Agricultural Depression,
13th April, 1894.
He must pay either in meal or malt.
In one way or another. A certain
percentage of meal or malt is the miller's
perquisite. . . . . . . .
“If they [the Tories: wish to get the working-
class vote, they have got to pay for it either in
meal º, in malt.”—Nineteenth Century, August,
4. -
1892, p. 34
Meal-tub Plot. A plot by Danger-
field against James, Duke of York, in
1679 ; so called because the scheme was
kept in a meal-tub in the house of Mrs.
Cellier. Dangerfield subsequently con-
fessed the whole affair was a forgery,
and was both whipped and condemned
to stand in the pillory.
Meals. In the fourteenth century
breakfast hour was five ; dinner, nine;
supper, four. (Chaucer’s Works.)
In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries
the breakfast hour was seven ; dinner,
eleven ; supper, six. (JWright: Domestic
Ilſanners.) -
Towards the close of the sixteenth
century dinner advanced to noon.
In Ireland the gentry dimed at between
two or three in the early part of the
eighteenth century. (Swift : Country
Life.) - - .
Mealy-mouthed is the Greek meli-
Anºt thos (honey-speech), and means
velvet-tongued, afraid of giving offence.
Mean'der (3 syl.). To wind ; so
called from the Meander, a winding
river of Phrygia. The “Greek pattern '’
in embroidery is so called. -
Measure. Out of all measure. “Outre
mesure.” Beyond all reasonable degree,
“Praeter (or supra) modum.”
“Thus out of measure sad.”—Shakespeare : Much
Ado About Nothing, i. 3.
To take the measure of one’s foot. To
ascertain how far a person will venture;
to make a shrewd guess of another’s
character. The allusion is to “ Ba, pede
JHerculejm.” -
Measure Strength (To). To wrestle
together ; to fight, to contest.
Measure Swords (To). To fight a
duel with swords. In such cases the
seconds measure the swords to see that
both are of one length. • .
“So we measured swords and parted."—Shake.
speare : As You Like It, W. 4. - .
Measure for Measure (Shake-
speare). The story is taken from a tale
in G. Whetstone's Heptam'eron, entitled
Promos and Cassandra (1578). Promos is
called by Shakespeare, “Lord Angelo ; ”
and Cassandra is “Isabella.” Her
brother, called by Shakespeare “Clau-
dio,” is named Andru'gio in the story:
A similar story is given in Giovanni
Giraldi Cinthio’s third decade of stories,
Measure
825
Medicine
Measure One's Length on the
Ground (To). To fall flat on the
ground; to be knocked down.
“If you will measure your Julyber's length,
tarry.”--Shakespeare : Ring Lear, i. 4.
Measure Other People's Corn.
To measure other people's corn by one’s
own bushel. To judge of others by
oneself. In French, “ Mesºt?'er les autres
d son aune ; ” in Latin, “Alios Sato modulo
Anetiri.”
Meat, Bread. These words tell a
tale; both mean food in general. The
Italians and Asiatics eat little animal
food, and , with them the word bread
stands for food; so also with the poor,
whose chief diet it is ; but the English
consume meat very plentifully, and this
word, which simply means food, almost
exclusively implies animal food. In the
banquet given to Joseph’s brethren, the
viceroy commanded the servants “to
set on bread” (Genesis xliii. 31). In
Psalm civ. 27 it is said of fishes, creeping
things, and crocodiles, that God giveth
them their meat in due season.”
To carry off meat from the graves—i.e.
to be poor as a church mouse. The
Greeks and Romans used to make feasts
at certain seasons, when the dead were
supposed to return to their graves. In
these feasts the fragments were left
on the tombs for the use of the ghosts.
Mec (French). Slang for king, gover-
nor, master; méquard, a commander ;
méquer, to command. All these are de-
rived from the fourbesque word maggio,
which signifies God, king, pope, doctor,
seigneur, and so on, being the Latin
major. (There are the Hebrew words
melech and melehi also.)
Mecca's Three Idols. Lata, Alo'za,
and Menat, all of which Mahomet over-
threw.
Meche (French). “Il y a mêche,” the
same as “Il y a moyen :” so the negative
- - * e - gº
“ll n'y a pas mêche ’’ (there is no possi-
bility). The Dictionnaire du Bas-langage
says: . - .
“Dans le langage typographique, lorsque des
Ouvriers. Viennent proposer Jeurs services dans
quelque.ini primerie, ils demandent s'il ºf a mêche
-i.e. Sil’on peut les occuper. Iles compositeurs
demandent s'il y a mêche pour la casse,' et les
pressier; demandent ‘s'il y a n.éche pour la
presse.’”—Vol. ii. p. 122. -
“Soit mis dedans ceste caverne
De nul honneur il n'y a maiche."
Moralité de la Vemdition de Joseph.
Medam'othi (Greek, never in any
place). The island at which the fleet of
Pantagruel landed on the fourth day of
their voyage, and where they bought
many choice curiosities, such as the pic-
ture of a man’s voice, echo drawn to
life, Plato's ideas, the atoms of Epicu'ros,
a sample of Philomela's needlework, and
other objects of vertu which could be
obtained in no other portion of the globe.
(Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 3.)
Médard (St.). Master of the rain.
St. Médard was the founder of the rose-
prize of Salency in reward of merit.
The legend says, he was one day passing
over a large plain, when a sudden
shower fell, which wetted everyone to
the skin except himself. He remained
dry as a toast, for an eagle had
kindly spread his wings for an umbrella
over him, and ever after he was termed
anaitre de la pluie.
“S'il pleut le jour de S. Médard [8th June]
II pleut quaraute jours plus tard.”
Mede'a. A sorceress, daughter of
the King of Colchis. She married Jason,
the leader of the Argonauts, whom she
aided to obtain the golden fleece. t
Mede'a's Kettle or Caldron, to boil
the old into youth again. Medea, the
sorceress, cut an old ram to pieces, and,
throwing the pieces into her caldron,
the old ram came forth a young lamb.
The daughters of Pelias thought to
restore their father to youth in the same
way; but Medea refused to utter the
magic words, and the old man ceased to
live.
“Get thee Medea's kettle and be boiled anew.”
—Congreve. Love for Love, iW. -
Medham [the keen]. One of Maho-
met's swords, taken from the Jews when
they were exiled from Medi'na. (See
SworDS.)
Mediaeval or Middle Ages begin
with the Council of Chalcédon (451),
and end with the revival of literature in
the fifteenth century, according to the
Rev. J. G. Dowling. According to
Hallam, they begin from the downfall
of the Western Empire, in 476, to the
Italian expeditions of Charles VIII. of
France (1494-1496). -
Me'dian Apples. Pome-citrons.
Median Stone (The). Said to cure
blindness, and, if soaked in eve’s milk,
to cure the gout.
Medicine, in alchemy, was that agent
which brought about the transmutation
of metals, or renewed old age ; the philo-
sopher’s stone, and the elixir of life.
“How much unlike art thou, Mark Antony
Yeh, ºming from liim, that great medicine
l:11. Il
With his tinct gilded thee.” -
8hakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra, i. 5,
*
TMedicinal Days
826 Meissonier-like Exactness
JFather of Medicine. Aretaeos of Cap-
pado'cia, who lived at the close of the
first and beginning of the second century,
and Hippocratēs of Cos (B.C. 460-357)
are both so called. . . -
Medicinal Days. The sixth, eighth,
tenth, twelfth, sixteenth, eighteenth,
etc., of a disease; SO called because.
according to Hippocratēs, no “crisis”
occurs on these days, and medicine may
be safely administered. (See CRISIS.)
Medicinal Hours. . Hours proper
for taking medicine, viz. morning fast-
ing, an hour before dinner, four hours
after dinner, and bed-time. (Quincy.)
Medi'na. (Economy, Latin mediatºm,
the golden mean.) Step-sister of Elissa
and Perissa, but they could never agree
upon any subject. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book ii.) - .
Medina means in Arabic “city.” The
city so called is “Medinatal Nabi.” (city.
of the prophet). .
Mediterranean (Key of the). The
fortress of Gibraltar, which commands
the entrance.
Me'dium (A), in , the language of
spirit-rappers, etc., is some one pos-
sessed of “odylic force,” who puts the
question of the interrogator to the
“spirit” consulted. -
Medo'ra. The betrothed of th
Corsair. (Byron : The Corsair.) * . .
Medo'ro (in Orlando Furioso). A
Moorish youth of extraordinary beauty;
a friend of Dardinello, King of Zuma'ra.
After Dardinello was slain, Medoro is
wounded by some unknown spear. An-
gelica dresses his wounds, falls in love
with him, marries him, and they retire
to India, where he becomes King of
Cathay in right of his wife.
Medu'sa. Chief of the Gorgons.
Her head was cut off by Perseus (2 syl.),
and Minerva placed it in her agis.
Fveryone who looked on this head was
instantly changed into stone. ' ...
* The tale is that Medusa, famous for
her hair, presumed to set her beauty
above that of Minerva. , so the jealous
goddess converted her rival’s hair into
snakes, which changed to stone anyone
who looked thereon. * = .
The most famous painting of Medusa
is by Leonardo da Vinci; it is called his
chef d’auvre.
Meerschaum (2 syl., German, Sea-
froth.) This mineral, from having been
found on the sea-shore in rounded white
... English
attendants.
lumps, was ignorantly, supposed to be
sea-froth petrified; but it is a compound
of silica, magnesia, lime, water, and car-
bonic acid. When first dug it lathers
like soap, and is used as a Soap by the
Tartars.
Meg. Mons Meg. An old-fashioned
piece of artillery in the castle of Edin-
burgh, made at Mons, in Flanders. It
was considered a palladium by the
Scotch. (See LoNG MEG.) -
“Sent awa’ our crown, and our sword, and our
sceptre, and . Mons. Meg to he keepit by thae
... ... in the Tower of London [N.B. It was
restored in 1828].”—Scott: Rob Roy, chap. xxvii.
A roaring Meg. A cannon given by
the Fishmongers of London, and used in
1689. Burton says, “ Music is a roaring
Meg against melancholy. • ,
Meg Dods. An old landlady in
Scott’s novel called St. Jºonan’s Well.
Meg Merrilies (in Sir W. Scott's
Guy Mannering). This character was
based on that of Jean Gordon, an in-
habitant of the village of Kirk Yetholm,
in the Cheviot Hills, in the middle of
the eighteenth century. A sketch of
Jean Gordon's life will be found in
Blackwood’s Magazine, vol. i. p. 54.
She is a half-crazy Sibyl or gipsy.
Mega'rian School. A philosophical
school, founded by Euclid, a native of
Meg'ara, and disciple of Socratēs.
Mega'rians (The). A people of
Greece proverbial for their stupidity;
hence the proverb, “Wise as a Mega-
rian *-i.e. not wise at all ; yet sce
above. - 4 -
Megatherium (Greek, great-beast).
A gigantic extinct quadruped of the
sloth kind.
Me'grims. A corruption of the
Greek hemi-erania (half the skull),
through the French migraine. A neu-
ralgic affection generally confined to one
brow, or to one side of the forehead ;
whims, fancies.
Meigle (in Strathmore). The place
where Guinever, Arthur's queen, was
buried. . . . . . -
Meiny (2 syl.). A company of
(Norman, meignal and
mesnie, a household, our menital.) .
“With that the smiling Kriemhild forth sterned
a little space, - e
And Brunhild and her meiny greeted with
gentle grace.”. - e
Lettsom's Nibelungen Lied, stanza 604.
Meissonier-like Exactness. Jean
Louis Ernest Meissonier, R.A., a French
Meistersingers
827
TMelibeus
artist, born at Lyons, 1813, exhibited in
1836 a microscopic painting called Petit
Messager, and became proverbial for
the utmost possible precision. -
Meistersingers. . . Minstrel trades-
men of Germany, who attempted to
revive the national minstrelsy of the
minnesingers, which had fallen into
decay. Hans Sachs, the cobbler (1494-
1574), was by far the most celebrated of
these poets.
Mejnoun and Leilah. A Persian
love-tale, the Romeo and Juliet or Py-
7'amus and Thisbe of Eastern romance.
Melampode (3 syl). Black helle-
bore ; so called from Melampus, a
famous soothsayer and physician, who
cured with it the daughters of Praetus
(Pirgil: Georgies,
of their melancholy.
iii. 550.) . .
“My seely sheep, like well below,
. . . . They need not melanipode ; . . . . .
For they been hale enough I trow,
And liken their abode.” -
. . . . . - Spemser: Eclogue vii.
Mel’ancholy. Lowness of spirits,
supposed at One time to arise from a
redundance of blackbile. (Greek, melas
cholá.) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Mel'ancholy Jacques (1 syl.). So
Jean Jacques Rousseau was called for his
morbid sensibilities and unhappy spirit.
(1712-1777.) The expression, is from
Shakespeare, As You Like It, ii. 1.
Melanch'thon is merely the Greek
for Schwarzerde (black earth), the real
name of this amiable reformer. (1497-
1560.) Similarly, (Ecolampa'dius is the
Greek version of the German name
JHausschein, and Desiderius Erasmus is
one Latin and one Greek rendering of
the name Gheraerd Gheraerd.
Melan'tius. A brave, honest soldier,
who believes everyone to be true and
honest till convicted of crime, and then
is he a relentless punisher. (Beaumont
and Fletcher. The Maid's Tragedy.)
Melanuros. Abstain from the Me-
lanurus. This is the sixth symbol in the
Protreptics. Melan-uros means the
“black-tailed.” Pythagoras told his
disciples to abstain from that which has
a black tail, in other words, from such
pleasures and pursuits as end in sorrow,
or bring grief. The Melanuros is a fish
of the perch family, sacred to the ter-
restrial gods. . - -
Melchior, Kaspar, and Balthazar.
The three magi, according to Cologne.
tradition, who came from the East to
make offerings to the “Babe of Beth-
lehem, born King of the Jews.”
Melchisedec'ians. Certain heretics
in the early Christian Church, who en-
tertained strange notions about Mel-
chisedec. Some thought him superior
to Christ, some paid him adoration, and
some believed him to be Christ Himself
or the Holy Ghost.
Melea'ger. Distinguished for throw-
ing the javelin. He slew the Calydonian
boar. It was declared by the fates that
he would die as soon as a piece of wood
then on the fire was burnt up ; where-
upon his mother snatched the log from
the fire and extinguished it ; but after
Meleager had slain his maternal uncles,
his mother threw the brand on the fire
again, and Meleager died.
The death of Meleager was a favourite subject
in ancient reliefs. The famous picture of Charles
le Brun is in the Musée Imperiale of Paris.
Melesig'enes. So Homer is some-
times called, because one of the tradi-
tions fixes his birthplace on the banks of
the Melés, in Ionia. In a similar way
we call Shakespeare the “Bard of
Avon.” (See Homſ ER.)
. . . . . . “But higher sung
. . Blind Melesigenes—then Homer called.”
- Milton : Patradise Regained.
Mele'tians. The followers of Mele'-
tius, Bishop of Lycop'olis, in Egypt,
who is said to have sacrificed to idols in
order to avoid the persecutions of Dio-
cletian. A trimmer in religion.
Melia'dus (King). Father of Tristan;
he was drawn to a chase par mal engin et
negromance of a fay who was in love
with him, and from whose thraldom he
was ultimately released by the power of
the great enchanter Merlin. (Thristan
de Leonois, a romance ; 1489.)
Melibe'us or Melibe. A wealthy
young man, married to Prudens. One
day, when Melibeus “went into the
fields to play,” some of his enemies got
into his house, beat his wife, and
wounded his daughter Sophie with five
mortal wounds “in her feet, in her
hands, in her ears, in her nose, and in
her mouth,” left her for dead, and made
their escape. When Melibeus returned
home he resolved upon vengear.ce, but
his wife persuaded him to forgiveness,
and Melibeus, taking his wife's counsel,
called, together, his enemies, and tokl
them he forgave them “to this effect
and to this ende, that God of His endeles
mercy wole at the tyme of oure deyinge
forgive us oure giltes that we have
Meliboean IDye
828
Mélusines
trespased to Him in this wreeched
world.” (Chaucer: Canterbury Tales.)
N.B. - This prose tale of Melibeus is a
literal translation of a French story, of
which there are two copies in the British
Museum. (M.S. Reg. 19, c. vii.; and
JſS. Reg. 19, c. xi.)
Meliboe'an Dye. A rich purple.
Meliboea, in Thessaly, was famous for
the ostrum, a fish used in dyeing purple.
“A military vest of purple flowed, -
Lovelier than Meliboean.” **
Milton : Paradise Lost, xi. 242.
Melicer/tes (4 syl.). Son of Ino, a
sea deity. Ath'amas imagined his wife
to be a lioness, and her two sons to be
lion's cubs. In his frenzy he slew one of
the boys, and drove the other (named
Melicertès) with his mother into the sea.
The mother became a sea-goddess, and
the boy the god of harbours.
Melior. A lovely fairy, who carried
off Parthen’opex of Blois to her secret
island in her magic bark. (French romance
called Parthenopez de Blois, 12th cent.)
IMelisen'dra. Charlemagne's daugh-
ter, married to his nephew Don Gwyfe'-
ros. She was taken captive by the
Moors, and confined seven years in a
dungeon, when Gwyfe'ros rescued her.
(Don Quixote.)
Melis'sa (in Orlando Furioso). The
prophetess who lived in Merlin’s cave.
Brad'amant gave her the enchanted ring
to take to Rogero; so, assuming the form
of Atlantès, she went to Alci'na’s island,
and not only delivered Roge'ro, but dis-
enchanted all the forms metamorphosed
in the island. In book xix. She assumes
the form of Rodomont, and persuades
Agramant to break the league which
was to settle the contest by single com-
bat. A general battle ensues.
Mell Supper. Harvest supper; so
called from the French meler (to mix
together), because the master and ser-
vants sat promiscuously at the harvest
board.
Mellifluous Doctor (The). St. Ber-
nard, whose writings were called a
“river of Paradise.” (1091-1153.)
Mel'on. The Mahometans say that
the eating of a melon produces a thou-
sand good works.
Melos. . .
Etre ºn melon. To be stupid or dull
of comprehension.
or squash is soft and without heart,
hence “8tre 202 melo, '' is to be as soft
as a squash, So also “avoir ºn cour de
So named from
The melon-pumpkin
melon (or de citrouille)” means to have no
heart at all. Tertullian says of Marcion,
the heresiarch, “he has a pumpkin
[pep'onem] in the place of a heart [cordis
locol.” It will be remembered that
Thersités, the railer, calls the Greeks
“pumpkins” (pepſonés).
Melons (French). Children sent to
School for the first time; so called be-
cause they come from a “hot-bed,” and
are as delicate as exotics. At St. Cyr,
the new-comers are called in school-
slang “Les melons,” and the old stagers
“Jes anciems.”
Melons. There are certain stones on
Mount Carmel called Stone Melons.
The tradition is that Elijah saw a pea-
Sant carrying melons, and asked him for
one. The man said they were not melons
but stones, and Elijah instantly con-
verted them into stones.
A like story is told of St. Elizabeth of
Thuringia. She gave so bountifully to
the poor as to cripple her own house-
hold. One day her husband met her
with her lapful of something, and de-
manded of her what she was carrying.
“Only flowers, my lord,” said Elizabeth,
and to save the lie God converted the
loaves into flowers. (The Schönberg-
Cotta Family, p. 19.)
Melpom'ene (4 syl.). The muse of
tragedy. The best painting of this muse
is by Le Brun, at Versailles.
Melrose Abbey (Register of) from
735 to 1270, published in Fulman (1684).
Melus'ina. The most famous of the
fées of France. Having enclosed her
father in a high mountain for offending
her mother, she was condemned to be-
come every Saturday a serpent from her
waist downward. When she married
Raymond, Count of Lusignan, she made
her husband vow never to visit her on a
Saturday; but, the jealousy of the count
being excited, he hid himself on one of
the forbidden days, and saw his wife's
transformation. Melusina was now
obliged to quit her mortal husband, and
was destined to wander about as a
spectre till the day of doom. Some say
the count immured her in the dungeon
of his castle... (See UNDINE.)
Cri de Mélusine. • A sudden scream ;
in allusion to the scream of despair
uttered by the fairy when she discovered
the indiscreet visit of her beloved hus-
band. (See above.)
Mélusines (3 syl.). Gingerbread
cakes bearing the impress of a beautiful
Melyhalt 829
i----it-fºr-tra-ra-r
woman “bien coiffée,” with a serpent's
tail; made by confectioners for the May
fair in the neighbourhood of Lusignan,
near Poitiers. The allusion is to the
transformation of the fairy Melusi'na
every Saturday. (See above.)
Melyhalt (Lady). A powerful sub-
ject of King Arthur, whose domains
Galiot invaded. She chose Galiot as
her lover.
Memento Mori (A). Something to
put us in mind of the shortness and un-
certainty of life.
“I make as good use of it [Bardolph's face] as
many a man doth of a death's head or a memento
mori.”—Shakespeare : Henry I W., iii. 3.
Memnon. Prince of the Ethiopians,
who went to the assistance of his uncle
Priam, and was slain by Achilles. His
mother Eos was inconsolable for his
death, and wept for him every morning.
The Greeks used to call the statue of
Am'enoph'is III., in Thebes, that of
Memnon. This image, when first struck
by the rays of the rising sun, is said to
have produced a sound like the snap-
ping asunder of a chord. Poetically,
when Eos (morning) kisses her son at
daybreak, the hero acknowledges the
salutation with a musical murmur. The
word is the Egyptian nei-amun, beloved
of Ammon.
“Memnon bending o'er his broken lyre.”
Darwin : Economy of Vegetation, i. 3.
Memnon. One of Voltaire's novels,
designed to show the folly of aspiring to
too much wisdom.
Memnon’s sister.
by Dictys Cretensis.
“Black, but such as in esteem
Prince Memnon's sister might beseem.”
Milton : Il Penseroso.
The legend given by Dictys Cretensis
Himéra, mentioned
(book vi.) is that Himera, on hearing of
her brother’s death, set out to secure his
remains, and encountered at Paphos a
troop laden with booty, and carrying
Memnon’s ashes in an urn. Pallas, the
leader of the troop, offered to give her
either the urn or the booty, and she
chose the urn.
Probably all that is meant is this:
Black so delicate and beautiful that it
might beseem a sister of Memnon the
son of Aurora or the early day-dawn.
Mem'orable. The ever memorable.
John Hales, of Eton (1584-1656).
Mem'ory. Magliabechi, of Florence,
the book-lover, was called “the univer-
sal index and living cyclopædia.” (1633-
1714.) (See WooDFALL.) -
Bard of Memory. Samuel Rogers,
Menechmiahs
author of Pleasures of Memory. (1762–
1855.) -
Men in Buckram. Hypothetical
men existing only in the brain of the
imaginer. The allusion is to the vaunt-
ing tale of Falstaff to Prince Henry.
(Shakespeare: 1 IIenry IV., ii. 4.)
Men of Kent. (See KENT.)
Men of Lawn. Bishops of the Ang-
lican Church. (See MAN.)
Men are but Children of a Larger
Growth. (Dryden : All for Love, iv. 1.)
Me'nah. A large stone worshipped
by certain tribes of Arabia between
Mecca and Medi'na. This, stone, like
most other Arabian idols, was demolished
in the eighth year of “the flight.” The
“menah. ” is simply a rude large stone
brought from Mecca, the sacred city, by
certain colonists, who wished to carry
†. them some memento of the Holy
a Llol.
Menal'cas. Any shepherd or rustic.
The name figures in the Eclogues of Vir-
gil and the Idyls of Theocritos.
Me'nam. A river of Siam, on whose
banks swarms of fire-flies are seen.
Menam'ber. A rocking-stone in the
parish of Sithney (Cornwall) which a
little child could move. The soldiers of
Cromwell thought it fostered supersti-
tion, and rendered it immovable.
Mendicants. The four orders are
the Jacobins, Franciscans, Augustinians,
and Carmelites (3 Syl.).
Mendo'za (Daniel), the Jew. A
prize-fighter who held the belt at the
close of the last century, and in 1791
opened the Lyceum in the Strand to
#, “the noble art of boxing.” (1719-
1791.
“When Humphreys stood up to the Israelite's
thun]])S -
In kersey mere breeches and touch-ne-not
pulm])S.” Memdoza, the Jew.
* The Odiad (1798) is a mock heroic
on the battle between Mendoza, and
Humphreys. The Art of Boxing (1799)
was written by Mendoza. Memoirs of
the Life of Daniel Mendoza (1816). See
also Pugilistica, vol. i. (1880).
Menech'mians. Persons exactly like
each other, as the brothers Dromio. So
called from the Menaechani of Plautus.
In the Comedy of Errors, not only
the two Dromios are exactly like each
others, but also Antiphölus of Ephesus is
the facsimile of his brother, Antipholus
of Syracuse.
TMenecrates
830
Merchant of Venice
Menec'rates (4 Syl.). A physician
of Syracuse, of such unbounded vanity
that he called himself Jupiter. Philip
of Macedon invited him to a banquet,
but served him with incense only. -
“Such was Menecrates of little worth, - -
* Who Jove, the saviour, to be called pre-
Surned, - -
To whom of incense Philip made a feast.”
Lord Brooke : Inquisition upon Fame, etc.
Mene'via. St. David's (Wales). Its
old British name was Hememénew.
Meng-tse. The fourth of the sacred
|books of China ; SO called from its
author, Latinised into Mencius. It is
by far the best of all, and was written
in the fourth century B.C. Confucius
or Kong-foo-tse wrote the other three:
viz. Ta-heo (School of Adults), Chong-
yong (The Golden Mean), and Lun-yu
(or Book of Maxims).
Mother of Meng. A Chinese expres-
sion, meaning “an admirable teacher.”
Meng's father died soon after the birth
of the sage, and he was brought up by
his mother. (Died B.C. 317.)
Me'nie (2 syl.).
Marianne.
“And maun I still on Menie doat;
And bear the Scorn that's in her e'e P”
- , Bttºm S.
A contraction of
Menip'pos, the cynic, called by
Lucian “the greatest snarler and Snap-
per of all the old dogs ’’ (cynics). :
Varro wrote in Latin Satyrae Menip-
662. - -
The Menippean Satire is a political
pamphlet, partly in verse and partly in
prose, designed to expose the perfidious
intentions of Spain in regard to France,
and the criminal ambition of the Guise
family. The chief writers were Leroy ||
(who died 1593), Pithou (1544–1596),
Passerat (1534-1602), and Rapin, the
poet (1540-1609). . . . . -
Men'nonites (3 Syl.).
The followers
of Simons Menno, a native of Friesland,
who modified the fanatical views of the
Anabaptists. (1496-1561.)
Men'struum means a monthly dis-
solvent (Latin, mensis), from the notion
of the alchemists that it acted only at
the full of the moon. *
“All liquors are called menstruums which are
used as dissolvents, or to extract the virtues of
ingredients by infusion or decoction.”—Quincy.
Mental Hallucinations. The mind
informing the senses, instead of the
senses informing the mind. There can
be no doubt that the senses may be
excited by the mind (from within, as
Shakespeare. -
the Gesta Romano'rtm. The tale of the
bond is chapter xlviii., and that of the
well as from without). Macbeth saw
the dagger of his imagination as dis-
tinctly as the dagger which he held in
his hand. Malebranche declared that
he heard the voice of God. Descartes
thought he was followed by an invisible
person, telling him to pursue his search
for truth. Goethe says that, on one
| occasion, he met an exact counterpart
of himself. Sir Walter Scott was fully
persuaded that he had seen the ghost of
the deceased Byron. All such hallucina-
tions (due to mental disturbances) are
of such stuff as dreams are made of.
Mentor. A guide, a wise and faith-
ful counsellor; so called from Mentor, a
friend of Ulysses, whose form Minerva
assumed when she accompanied Telema-
chos in his, search for his father.
(Fénelon : Tálémaque.)
Menu. Son of Brahma, whose in-
stitutes are the great code of Indian
civil and religious law.
Meo Peric'ulo (Latin).
responsibility; I being bond.
{ { { I will youch for Edie. Ochiltree, meo periculo,
. . .” said Oldbuck.”—Sir W. Scott: The Antiquary,
chap. xxxviii.
On my
Mephib'osheth, in Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for Pordage, a poetaster (ii.403).
Mephistoph'eles, Mephistoph'ilis,
Mephostoph'ilus. A Sneering, jeering,
leering tempter. The character is that
of a devil in Goethe's Faust. He is
next in rank to Satan. , . . . . .
Mercador Aimante—the basis of our
comedy called The Curious Impertinent
—was by Gaspar de Avila, a Spaniard.
Mercator's Projection is Merca-
tor's chart or map for nautical purposes.
The meridian lines are at right angles to
the parallels of latitude. It is so called
because it was devised by Gerhard
Rauffmann, whose surname Latimised is
Mercator (Merchant). (1512-1594) -º
Merchant of venice. A drama by
A similar story occurs in
caskets is chapter xcix. Shakespeare,
without doubt, is also indebted for his
plot to the novelette Il Pecorone of Ser.
Giovanni. (Fourteenth century.) -
* Lóki made a wager with Brock and
lost. He wagered his head, but saved it.
on the plea that Brock could not take
his head without touching his neck.
(Simroch’s Edda, p. 305.) . . .
Mercia,
831
Merlo
Mer’cia. The eighth and last king-
dom of the Heptarchy, between the
Thames and the Humber. It was the
mere or boundary of the Anglo-Saxons
and free Britons of Wales. : tº ,
Mercurial. Light-hearted and gay,
like those born under the planet Mer-
cury. (Astrological motion.)
Mercurial
little finger. - . . . . . .”
“The thumb, in chiromancy, we give to Venus,
The forefinger to Joye, the midst to Saturn, .
Thé ring to Sol, the least to Mercury.” ". . . . .
- Ben Jomson: The Alchemist, i. 1.
* If pointed it denotes eloquence, if
square it denotes sound judgment.
Mercuriale (4 syl., French). An
harangue or rebuke ; so called from
Mercuriale, as the first Wednesday after
the great vacation of the Parliament
under the old French régime used to be
called. On this day the house discussed
grievances, and reprimanded members
for misconduct. -
Mer'cury. Images of Mercury, or
rather, shapeless posts with a marble
head of Mercury on them, used to be
erected by the Greeks and Romans
where two or more roads met, to point
out the way. (Juverial, viii. 53.) . .
‘....There are two famous statues of this god in
Paris: one in the garden of Versailles, ſy, Leram-
bert, and another in the Tuileries, by Melliuna. .
You cannot make a Mercury of every
log. Pythagoras said: “Nori ex: quotis
ligno Mercurius fit.” That is, “Not
every mind will answer equally well to
be trained into a scholar.” The proper
wood for a statue of Mercury was box-
wood—“vel quod hominis pultorem prae
se ferat, wel quod materies sit omnium
Anaxime atterna.” . (Erasmus.) -
Mercury, in astrology, “signifiéth
subtill men, ingenious, inconstant:
rymers, poets, advocates, Orators, phy-
losophers, arithmeticians, and busie
fellowes.” --
Mercury Fig. (In Latin Ficus ad
Mercurium). The first fig gathered off a
fig-tree was by the Romans devoted to
Mercury. The proverbial saying was
applied generally to all first fruits or first
works, as the “Guide to Science was m
Mercury fig.” -
Mercutio. A kind-hearted, witty
nobleman, kinsman to the Prince of
Vero'na, in Shakespeare's Romeo and
Juliet. Being mortally wounded by
Tybalt, he was asked if he were hurt,
and replied, “A scratch, a scratch;
marry, 'tis enough.” -
Finger (The). The -
The Mercutio of actors. Lewis, who
displayed in acting the combination of
the fop and real gentleman. (1748-1811.)
Mercy. A young pilgrim who ac-
companied Christiana in her pilgrimage
to Mount Zion. She married Matthew,
Christian's son. (Bunyan : Pilgrim's
Progress, part ii.) . . . .
Mercy. The seven works of mercy
are:– . . . . . º - . . .
(1) To tend the sick.
(2) To feed the hungry. . . .
(3) To give drink to the thirsty. * : «
(4) To clothe the naked. . . . . . . . . . . . . . ;
(5) To house the homeless. . . . . .
(6) To Yisit the fatherless and the afflicted. . . ...
(7) To bury the dead. ... • * *
Matt. XX Y. 35-40,
Meredith (Owen). The pseudonym
of Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton,
author of Chronicles and Characters, in
verse (1834). He became Lord Lytton
(1873-1891). - - º
Meridian (A). A noonday dram of
spirits. - , -
“He received from the band of the waiter the
meridian, which was placed, ready at the bar.”-
Sir Walter Scott: Redgauntlet, chap. i.
Meri'no Sheep. A Spanish breed of
sheep, very valuable for their wool.
Mer’ioneth (Wales) is maeronaeth (a.
dairy farm). . . . -
Merlan (French). A whiting, or a
hairdresser. Perruquiers are so called
because at one time they were covered
with flour like whiting prepared for the
frying-pan. . . .
“M'adressant à un merlan qui filait une perruque.
Sur un peigne de fer.”—Chateaubrict mal: Memoires
& Outre-Tombe. . . -
Merlin. Prince of Enchanters ; also
the name of a romance. He was the
son of a damsel seduced by a fiend, but
Blaise baptised the infant, and so rescued
it from the power of Satan. He died
spell-bound by his mistress Vivian in a
hawthorn-bush. (See Spenser's Faërie
Queene, Tennyson's Idylls of the King,
and Ellis's Specimens of Early English
Metrical Romances.) -
The English Merlin. Lilly, the astro-
loger, who published two tracts under
the assumed name of “Mer’linus An'-
glicus.” . . . º:
Merlin Chair (A). A three-wheeled
invalid chair, with a double tyre to the
two front wheels, the outer tyre being
somewhat smaller than that on which
the chair rests, so that by turning; it
with the hand the chair can be propelled:
Named after the inventor. . .
Merlo or Melo (Juan de). Born at
Castile in the 15th century. A dispute
Mermaids
having arisen at Esalo'na upon the
question whether Hector or Achilles was
the braver warrior, the Marques de
Wille'na called out in a voice of thunder,
“Let us see if the advocates of Achilles
can fight as well as prate.” Presently
there appeared in the midst of the as-
sembly a gigantic fire-breathing monster,
which repeated the same challenge.
Everyone shrank back except Juan de
Melo, who drew his sword and placed
himself before the king (Juan II.) to
protect him, for which exploit he was
appointed alcayde of Alcala la Real
(Granada). (Chronica de Don Alvaro
de Luna.)
Mermaids. Sir James Emerson
Tennent, speaking of the dugong,
a cetacean, says, “Its head has a rude
approach to the human outline, and
the mother while suckling her young
holds it to her breast with one flipper,
as a woman holds her infant in her arm.
If disturbed she suddenly dives under
water, and tosses up her fish-like tail.
It is this creature which has probably
given rise to the tales about mermaids.”
Mermaid. Mary Queen of Scots
(q.v.). - -
Mermaid's Glove [Chalina oculata),
the largest of British sponges, so called
because its branches resemble fingers.
Mermaids’ Purses. The empty
cases of fishes' eggs, frequently cast
up by the waves on the sea-beach.
Mer'opé. One of the Pleiads; dim-
mer than the rest, because she married
a mortal. + . . .
Merops' Son or A son of Merops.
One who thinks he can set the world to
rights, but can only set it on fire. Agita-
tors and stump Orators, demagogues
and Nihilists, are sons of Merops. The
allusion is to Phaeton, son of Merops,
who thought himself able to drive the
car of Phoebus, but, in the attempt,
nearly set the world on fire. -
Merovin'gian Dynasty. The dyn-
asty of Mero'vius, a Latin form of Mer-
wig (great warrior). Similarly Louis
is Clovis, and Clovis is Clot-wig (noted
warrior). -
Merrie England may probably mean
“illustrious,” from the old Teutonic
wner. (Anglo-Saxon, mara, famous.)
According to R. Ferguson, the word
appears in the names Marry, Merry,
Merick; the French Méra, Méreau,
Merey, Mériq, and numerous others.
832
Merry Dun
*-*.
§: Name-System, p. 368.) (See
elow MERRY.)
Merrow. A mermaid, believed by
Irish fishermen to forebode a coming
storm. There are male merrows, but no
word to designate them. (Irish, Muruadh
or Murrºghach, from muir, the sea, and
oigh, a maid.)
“. It was rather annoying to Jack that, though
living in a place where the merrows were as
plenty as lobsters, he never could get a right view
of one.”—W. B. Yeates: Fairy and Folk Tales, p. 63.
Merry. The original meaning is not
Amirthful, but active, famous ; hence gal-
lant soldiers were called “merry men;”
favourable weather, “merry weather;”
brisk wind, “a merry gale; ” London
was “merry London; ” England, “merry
England; ” Chaucer speaks of the
‘‘merry organ at the mass ; ” Jane
Shore is called by Pennant the “merry
concubine of Edward IV.” (Anglo-
Saxon, macra, illustrious, great, mighty,
etc.). (See MERRY-MEN. -
'Tis merry in hall, when beards wag
all (2 Henry IV., act v. 3). It is a sure
sign of mirth when the beards of the
guests shake with laughter.
Merry Andrew. So called from
Andrew Borde, physician to Henry VIII.,
etc. To vast learning he added great
eccentricity, and in order to instruct the
people used to address them at fairs and
other crowded places in a very ad cap-
tandum way. Those who imitated his
wit and drollery, though they possessed
not his genius, were called Merry An-
drews, a term now signifying a clown
or buffoon. Andrew Borde Latinised
his name into Andreas Perfora’tus. (1500-
1549.) Prior has a poem on “Merry
Andrew.”
. . The above is the usual explanation
given of this phrase; but Andrew is a
common name in old plays for a varlet
or manservant, as Abigail is for a wait-
ing gentlewoman. -
Merry Dancers. The northern lights,
so called from their undulatory motion.
The French also call them chevres dan-
Santes (dancing goats).
Merry Dun of Dover. A large
- mythical ship, which knocked down
Calais steeple in passing through the
Straits of Dover, and the pennant, at
the same time, swept a flock of sheep off
Dover cliffs into the sea. The masts
were so lofty that a boy who ascended
them would grow grey before he could
reach deck again. (Scandinavian myth-
ology.) -
Merry-Men
833 Metamorphic Words
Merry Men (My). A chief calls his
followers his merry men. (See above.)
Merry Men of Mey. An expanse of
Broken water which boils like a caldron
in the southern side of the Stroma
channel.
Merry Monarch.
1660-1685).
Merry-thought. The furcula or
wishing-bone in the breast of a fowl;
sometimes broken by two persons, and
the one who holds the larger portion has
his wish, as it is said.
Merry as a Cricket, or as a Lark,
or as a Grig. The French say, “Foºt
(or Folle) comme le branlegal,” and more
commonly “Gai comme tº pinson’’ (a
chaffinch). “Branlegai” is a dance,
|but the word is not in use now.
Merse. Berwickshire was so called
because it was the mere or frontier of
IEngland and Scotland.
Mersenne (2 syl.). The English
Mersenne. John Collins, mathematician
and physicist, so called from Marin
Mersenne, the French philosopher (1624-
1683).
Merton (Tommy). One of the chief
characters in the tale of Sandford and
Merton, by Thomas Day.
Merton College. Founded by Walter
de Merton, Bishop of Rochester, and
Lord High Chancellor in 1264.
Meru. A fabulous mountain in the
centre of the world, 80,000 leagues high,
the abode of Vishnu, and a perfect
paradise. It may be termed the Indian
Olympos.
Merveilleuse (3 syl., French). The
sword of Doolin of Mayence. It was so
sharp that when placed edge downwards
it would cut through a slab of wood
without the use of force. (See SworDs.)
* Also a term applied to the 18th
century French ladies’ dress.
Charles II. (1630,
Mes'merism. So called from Fried-
rich Anton Mesmer, of Mersburg, in
Suabia, who introduced the science into
Paris in 1778. (1734-1815.)
Mesopota'mia. The true “Mesopo-
ta'mia " ring (London Review)—i.e.
something high-sounding and pleasing,
but wholly past comprehension. The
allusion is to the story of an old woman
who told her pastor that she “found
great support in that comfortable word
Mesopotamia.”
Mess = 4. Nares says because “at
great dinners . . . the company was
usually arranged into fours.” . That
four made a mess is without doubt.
Lyly expressly says, “Foure makes a
messe, and we have a messe of masters ”
(Mother Bombie, ii. 1). Shakespeare
calls the four sons of Henry his “mess
of sons” (2 Henry PT., act i. 4); and
“Latine,” English, French, and Spanish
are called a “messe of tongues” (Vocabºt-
lary, 1617). Again, Shakespeare says
(Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 3), “You three
fools lacked me . . . to make up the
mess.” Though four made a mess, yet
it does not follow that the “officer’s
mess” is so called, as Nares says, be-
cause “the company was arranged into
fours,” for the Anglo-Saxon mese, like
the Latin memsa = table, ºnes Gothic =
dish, whence Benjamin’s mess, a mess of
pottage, etc.
* Mess, meaning confusion or litter,
is the German meischen, to mix ; our
word mash.
Messali'na. Wife of the Emperor
Claudius of Rome. Her name has be-
come a byword for lasciviousness and
incontinency. Catherine II. Of Russia.
is called The Modern Messali'na (1729-
1796). (See MAROZIA.)
Messali'na of Germany (The).
IBarbary of Cilley, second wife of Kaiser
Sigismund (15th century).
Metalo'gicus, by John of Salisbury,
the object of which is to expose the
absurdity and injurious effects of
‘‘wrangling,” or dialectics and meta-
physics. He says, “Prattling and
quibbling the masters call disputing or
wrangling, but I am no wiser for such
logic.”
Metals. The seven metals in alchemy.
Gold, Apollo or the sun.
Silver, Diana or the moon.
Quicksilver, Mercury.
Copper, Venus.
Iron, Mars.
Tin, Jupiter.
Lead, Saturn.
Metamorphic Rocks. Those rocks,
including gneiss, mica-Schist, clay-slate,
marble, and the like, which have become
more or less crystalline.
Metamorphic Words. Obsolete
words slightly altered, and made current
again—as “chestnut ’’ for castnut, from
Castana, in Thessaly; “court-cards”
for coat-cards; “currants” for corinths ;
“frontispiece ’’ for frontispice (Latin
53
Metaphysics
834
TMexit 1i
frontispicium); “Isinglass” for hausen
blase (the sturgeon's bladder, Ger.);
“shame-faced” for shamefast, as stead-
fast, etc.; “sweetheart” for sweethard,
as drunkard, dullard, dotard, niggard.
Metaphysics (Greek, after-physics),
The disciples of Aristotle thought that
matter or nature should be studied before
mind. The Greek for matter or nature
is physis, and the science of its causes
and effects physics. Meta-physics is the
Greek for “after-physics.” Sir James
Mackintosh takes a less intentional view
of the case, and says the word arose
from the mere accident of the compilers
who sorted the treatises of Aristotle, and
placed that upon mind and intelligence
after that upon matter and nature. The
Science of metaphysics is the considera-
tion of things in the abstract—that is,
divested of their accidents, relations,
and matter.
Metasta'sio. The real name of this
Italian poet was Trapassi (death). He
was brought up Gravina, who
Graecised the name, (1698–1782.)
Metathesis. A figure of speech in
which letters or syllables are transposed,
as “You occupew my pie [py],” instead
of “You occupy my pew ; ” daggle-trail
for “draggle-tail,” etc.
Methodical. Most methodºcal doctor.
John Bassol, a disciple of Duns Scotus.
(1347.)
Methodists. A name given (1729)
by a student of Christ Church to the
brothers Wesley and their friends, who
used to assemble on given evenings for
religious conversation.
* This word was in use many cen-
turies before the birth of Wesley and of
Whitfield. Gale (1678) speaks of a re-
ligious sect called “the New Methodists”
(Court of the Gentiles). John Spencer
uses the word as one familiarly known
in Cromwell’s time. Even before the
birth of Christ, Celsus tells us that those
physicians were called “Methodists”
(methodici) who followed medical rules
rather than experience. Modern Metho-
dism dates no farther back than 1729.
Primitive Methodists. Founded by
Hugh Bourne (1772-1852).
Meth'uen Treaty. A commercial
treaty between England and Portugal,
negotiated by Paul Methuen, in 1703,
whereby the Portuguese wines were
received at a lower duty than those of
* This treaty was abandoned in
36,
Metonic Cycle (The). A cycle of
nineteen years, at the end of which
period the new moons fall on the same
days of the year, and eclipses recur.
Discovered by Meton, B.C. 432.
Metra. Qu'en dit Metra (Louis XVI.)?
Metra was a noted news-vendor of Paris
before the Revolution—a notability with
a cocked hat, who went about with his
hands folded behind his back.
Metropol'itan (A). A prelate who
has suffragan bishops subject to him.
The two metropolitans of England are
the two archbishops, and the two of
Ireland the archbishops of Armagh and
Dublin. In the Roman Catholic Church
of Great Britain, the four archbishops
of Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam
are metropolitans. The word does not
mean the prelate of the metropolis in a
secular sense, but the prelate of a
“mother city” in an ecclesiastical sense
—i.e. a city which is the mother or ruler
of other cities. Thus, the Bishop of
London is the prelate of the metropolis;
but not a metropolitan. The Archbishop
of Canterbury is metropolita'nºts et primus
toti'ºs Anglia, and the Archbishop of
York primus et metropolita'nus Anglia.
Mettre de la Paille dans ses
Souliers, or Mettre du Foin dans ses
Bottes. To amass money, to grow rich,
especially by illicit gains. The reference
is to a practice, in the sixteenth century,
followed by beggars to extort alms.
“. . . Des quemands et belistres qui, pour abuser
lemonde, mettent de la paille en leul's Soulliers.”—
Supplément du Catholicon, ch, ix.
Me'um and Tu'um. That which
belongs to me and that which is another's.
Meum is Latin for “what is mine,” and
thttim is Latin for “what is thine.” If a
man is said not to know the difference
between meum and titum, it is a polite
way of saying he is a thief.
* Meum est propos'itum in taberna
Amori.” A famous drinking Song by
Walter Mapes, who died in 1210.
Mews. Stables, but properly a place
for hawks on the moult. The muette
was an edifice in a park where the officers
of venery lodged, and which was fitted up
with dog-kennels, stables, and hawkeries.
They were called muettes from mºte, the
slough of anything; the antlers shed by
stags were collected and kept in these
enclosures. (Lacombe : Dictionnaire
Portatif des Beaua-Arts.)
Mexit/li. Tutelary god of the Aztecs,
in honour of whom they named their
empire Mexico. (Southey.)
Mezentius
f*
{)
IMichel
Mezen'tius, king of the Tyrrhenians,
noted for his cruelties and impiety. He
was driven from his throne by his Sub-
jects, and fled to Turnus, King of the
Rutuli. When Ænéas arrived he fought
with Mezentius, and slew both him and
his son Lausus. Mezentius put his sub-
jects to death by tying a living man to
a dead one.
“He stretches out the arm of Mezentius, and
fetters the dead to the living.”—C. Bromté : Shir-
ley, chap. XXXi.
“This is like Mezentius in Virgil. . . . . Such
critics are like dead coals ; they may blacken, but
cannot burn.”—Broom, : Preface to Poems.
Mezzo Relie'vo. Moderate relief
(Italian). This is applied to figures
which project more than those of basso
relievo (q.v.), but less than those of alto
relievo (q.v.).
Mezzo Tinto (Italian, medium tint).
So engravings in imitation of Indian-ink
drawings are called.
Mezzora'mia. An earthly paradise
somewhere in Africa, but accessible by
only one narrow road. Gaudentio di
Lucca discovered this secret road, and
resided in this paradise for twenty-five
years. (Simon Berington : Gaudentio di
Lucca.)
Micah Rood's Apples. Apples with
a spot of red (like blood) in the heart.
Micah Rood was a prosperous farmer at
Franklin. In 1693 a pedlar with jewel-
lery called at his house, and next day
was found murdered under an apple-
tree in Rood’s orchard. The crime was
never brought home to the farmer, but
next autumn all the apples of the fatal
tree bore inside a red blood-spot, called
“Micah Rood's Curse,” and the farmer
died soon afterwards.
Micawber (Mr. Wilkins). A great
speechifier and letter-writer, projector of
bubble schemes sure to lead to fortune,
but always ending in grief. Notwith-
standing his ill success, he never de-
spaired, but felt certain that something
would “turn up '' to make his fortune.
Having failed in every adventure in the
old country, he emigrated to Australia,
where he became a magnate. (Dickens :
David Coppeºfield.)
Micawberism. Conduct similar to
that of Mr. Micawber's. (See above.)
Mi'chael. Prince of the celestial
armies, commanded by God to drive the
rebel angels out of heaven. Gabriel
was next to him in command. (See
SEVEN SPIRITs.)
Longfellow, in his Golden Legend, says
he is the presiding spirit of the planet
Mercury, and brings to man the gift of
prudence.
“The planet Mercury, whose place
IS nearest to the Sun in Space,
Is my allotted sphere ;
And With Celestial ardour Swift,
I bear upon my hands the gift
Of heavenly prudence here.” - -
The Miracle Play, iii.
St. Michael, in Christian art, is some-
times depicted as a beautiful young man
with severe countenance, winged, and
either clad in white or armour, bearing
a lance and shield, with which he com-
bats a dragon. In the final judgment
he is represented with scales, in which
he weighs the souls of the risen dead.
St. Michael’s chair. It is said that
any woman who has sat on St. Michael’s
chair, Cornwall, will rule the roost as
long as she lives.
Michael Angelo. The celebrated
painter, born 1474, died 1563. The
Michael-Angelo of battle-scenes. Michael-
Angelo Cerquozzi, a native of Rome,
famous for his battle-scenes and ship-
wrecks. (1600-1660.)
Michel-Ange des Bamboches. Peter
van Laar, the Dutch painter. (1613-
1673.)
Michael-Angelo of music. Johann
Christoph von Gluck, the German musi-
cal composer. (1714-1787.)
Michael-Angelo of sculptors. Pierre
Puget, the French sculptor (1623-1694).
Also Réné Michael Slodtz (1705-1764).
Michaelmas Day, September 29th,
One of the quarter-days when rents are
paid, and the day when magistrates are
elected. Michael the archangel is re-
presented in the Bible as the general of
the celestial host, and as such Milton
represents him. September 29th is dedi-
cated to Michael and All Angels, and
as magistrates were once considered
“angels” or their representatives, they
were chosen on the day of “All Angels.”
“I saw another sign in heaven -
angels [magistrates, or executors of God's judg-
ments], having the seven last plagues .
fijied with the writi of God.” (Rev. xv.i.5, Thosé
ministers of religion who, acted as magistrates
were also called angels. “There is no power but
Of God. The powers that be are Ordained of
God.”
Michal, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for Queen Catherine, wife of
Charles II. As Charles II. is called
David in the satire, and Michal was
David’s wife, the name is appropriate.
Michel or Cousin Michael. A Ger-
man. Michel means a dolt; thus the
French call a fool who allows himself to
Miching Malicho 836
TMidden
be taken in by thimble-rigs and card
tricks miſsel. In Old French the word
nice occurs, meaning a fool. (See
MICHON.)
“L’Anglais aime à étre représente comme um
John Bull ; pour nous. notre type est l’Allemand
Michel, qui regoit une tape par derrière et qui
demande encore ; ‘Qu’y a-t-il pour votre ser-
vice P’”—Dr. Weber: De l'Allemagne, etc.
Miching Malicho. Secret or under-
hand mischief; a veiled rebuke ; a bad
deed probed by disguised means. To
Anich or meech means to skulk or shrink
from sight. Michers are poachers or
secret pilferers. Malicho is a Spanish
word meaning an “evil action ; ” as a
personified name it means a malefactor.
(Hamlet, iii. 2.) -
The “quarto’’ reads munching mal-
lico; the “folio” has miching malicho.
Qy. The Spanish mu'eho malhe'cho (much
mischief) P
Michon, according to Cotgrave, is a
“block, dunce, dolt, jobbernol, dullard,
loggerhead.” Probably miehon, Mike
(an ass), mikel, and cousin Michel, are
all from the Italian miccio, an ass. (See
MIKE.)
Mickleton Jury (The). A corrup-
tion of mickle-tourn (magnets turnus).
The jury of court leets. These leets
were visited Easter and Michaelmas by
the county sheriffs in their tourns.
Microcosm. (Greek, little world.)
So man is called by Paracelsus. The
ancients considered the world as a living
being ; the Sun and moon being its two
eyes, the earth its body, the ether its
intellect, and the sky its wings. When
man was looked on as the world in
miniature, it was thought that the
movements of the world and of man
corresponded, and if one could be ascer-
tained, the other could be easily inferred;
hence arose the system of astrology,
which professed to interpret the events
of a man’s life by the corresponding
movements, etc., of the stars. (See
DIAPASON.)
Mid-Lent Sunday. The fourth
Sunday in Lent. It is called domin'ica
Tefectio’mis (refection Sunday), because
the first lesson is the banquet given by
Joseph to his brethren, and the gospel
of the day is the miraculous feeding of
the five thousand. In England it used
to be called Mothering Sunday, from the
custom of visiting the mother or cathe-
dral church on that day to make the
Easter offering.
Mi’das. Lake Midas, all he touches
turns to gold. Midas, King of Phrygia,
requested of the gods that everything he
touched might be turned to gold. His
request was granted, but as his food
became gold the moment he touched it,
he prayed the gods to take their favour
back. He was then ordered to bathe in
the Pacto'lus, and the river ever after
rolled over golden sands.
Midas-eared. Without discrimina-
tion or judgment. Midas, King of
Phrygia, was appointed to judge a
musical contest between Apollo and
Pan, and gave judgment in favour of
the Satyr; whereupon Apollo in con-
tempt gave the king a pair of ass’s ears.
Midas hid them under his Phrygian cap;
but his servant, who used to cut his hair,
discovered them, and was so tickled at
the “joke,” which he durst not men-
tion, that he dug a hole in the earth,
and relieved his mind by whispering in
it “Midas has ass’s ears.” Budaeus
gives a different version. He says that
Midas kept spies to tell him everything
that transpired throughout his kingdom,
and the proverb “that kings have long
arms ” was changed in his case to
“Midas has long ears.” “I’a, eo in pro-
Verbium venit, quod multos otacustas—i.e.
attricularios habebat.” (De Asse.) (See
Pope : Prologues to Satires.)
* Domenichino (1581-1661) has a
painting on the Judgment of Midas.
Midas has ass’s ears. An exact paral-
lel of this tale is told of Portzmach, king
of a part of Brittany. It is said Portz-
mach had all the barbers of his kingdom
put to death, lest they should announce to
the public that he had the ears of a horse.
An intimate friend was found willing to
shave him, after swearing profound
secrecy ; but not able to contain him-
self, he confided his secret to the sands
of a river bank. The reeds of this river
were used for pan-pipes and hautbois,
which repeated the words “Portzmach—
I(ing Portzmach has horse's ears.”
Midden. The kitcheſ. Amiddleſ. The
dust-bin. The farmer’s midden is the
dunghill. The word is Scotch. (Danish,
mödding ; Norwegian, mudder; Welsh,
anwydo (to wet), our mud and mire.)
Detter marry over the midden than over
the moor. Better seek a wife among
your neighbours whom you know than
among strangers of whom you know
nothing. The midden, in Scotland, is
the domestic rubbish heap.
Ilka cock craws loodest on its aim mid-
den. In English, “Every, cock, crows
loudest on his own dunghill.” A mid-
den is an ash-pit, a refuse-heap.
Middle Ages 837
Midsummer
Middle Ages. A term of no definite
period, but varying a little with almost
every nation. In France it was from
Clovis to Louis XI. (481 to 1461). In
IEngland, from the Heptarchy to the
accession of Henry VII. (409 to 1485).
In universal history it was from the
overthrow of the Roman Empire to the
revival of letters (the fifth to the fifteenth
century).
Middlesex. The Middle Saxons—
that is, between Essex, Sussex, and
Wessex.
Midgard. The abode of the first
pair, from whom sprang the human race.
It was made of the eyebrows of Ymer,
and was joined to Asgard by the rainbow
bridge called Bifrost. (Scandinavian
Anythology.)
Asgard is the abode of the celestials.
Utgard is the abode of the giants.
Midgard is between the two—better
than Utgard, but inferior to Asgard.
Midgard Sormen (earth’s monster).
The great serpent that lay in the abyss
at the root of the celestial ash. (Scandi-
navian mythology.) Child of Loki.
Midi. Chercher midi à quatorze heures.
To look for knots in a bulrush ; much
ado about nothing ; to explain prosily
what is perfectly obvious.
* There is a variant of this locution :
Chercher midi oit il n'est qu'onze heures,
to look for a needle in a bottle of hay :
to give oneself a vast lot of trouble for
nothing. At one time, hundreds of
persons looked for the millennium and
end of the world on fixed dates, and to
them the proverb would apply.
Midlo'thian. Sir Walter Scott’s
JTeart of Midlothian is a tale of the
Porteous riot, in which are introduced
the interesting incidents of Effie and
Jeanie Deans. Effie is seduced while in
the service of Mrs. Saddletree, and is
imprisoned for child-murder ; but her
sister Jeanie obtains her pardon through
the intercession of the queen, and
marries Reuben Butler.
Midnight Oil. Late hours.
Burning the midnight oil. Sitting up
late, especially when engaged on literary
work.
Smells of the midnight oil. Said of
literary work, which seems very elabor-
ate, and has not the art of concealing
art. (See LAMP.)
Midrash'im (sing. Midrash). Jewish
expositions of the Old Testament.
Midsummer Ale. The Midsummer
banquet. Brand mentions nine ale-
feasts: “Bride-ales, church-ales, clerk-
ales, give-ales, lamb-ales, leet-ales,
Midsummer-ales, Scot-ales, Whitsun-
ales, and several more.” Here “ale '’
does not mean the drink, but the feast
in which good stout ale was supplied.
The Cambridge phrase, “Will you wine
with me after hall?” means, “Will you
come to my rooms for dessert, when
wines, fruits, and cigars will be pre-
pared, with coffee to follow P”
Midsummer Madness. Olivia says
to Malvo'lio, “Why, this is very mid-
summer madness” (Twelfth Night, iii.
4). The reference is to the rabies of
dogs, which is generally brought on by
Midsummer heat.
Midsummer Men. The plants called
Orpine or Live-long, one of the Sedum
tribe. Stonecrop is another variety of
the same species of plants. Orpine is the
French word for stonecrop. Live-long,
so called because no plant lives longer
after it is cut. It will live for months
if sprinkled once a week with a little
water. Sedum means the plant sedens
ân rupibus (sitting or growing on stones).
It is called midsummer men because it
used to be set in pots or shells on mid-
Summer eve, and hung up in the house
to tell damsels whether their sweethearts
were true or not. If the leaves bent to
the right, it was a sign of fidelity; if to
the left, the “true-love’s heart was cold
and faithless.”
Midsummer-Moon Madness. 'Tis
Midsummer-moon with you. You are
stark mad. Madness is supposed to be
affected by the moon, and to be aggra-
vated by summer heat; so it naturally
follows that the full moon at mid-
summer is the time when madness is
most outrageous.
“What's this limidsummer moon 2
IS all the World gone a-madding 2 ” -
I}ryden : Amphitry07, iv. 1.
Midsummer Night's Dream. Some
of the most amusing incidents of this
comedy are borrowed from the Diana of
Montemayor, a Spanish writer of pas-
toral romance in the sixteenth century;
and probably the Knightes Tale in
Chaucer may have furnished hints to
the author.
Midsummer Night's Dream. Egéus
of Athens went to Theseus, the reigning
duke, to complain that his daughter
Her’mia, whom he had commanded to
marry Demetrius, refused to obey him,
Midwife
838 Milesian Fables
because she loved Lysander. Egeus de-
manded that Hermia should be put to
death for this disobedience, according to
the law. Hermia pleaded that Demetrius
loved Helena, and that his affection was
reciprocated. Theseus had no power to
alter, the law, and gave Hermia four
days’ respite to consider the matter, and
if then she refused the law was to take
its course. Lysander proposed flight, to
which Hermia agreed, and told Helena
her intention; Helena told Demetrius,
and Demetrius, of course, followed. The
fugitives met in a wood, the favourite
haunt of the fairies.
Tita'nia had had a quarrel about a
changeling boy, and Oberon, by way of
punishment, dropped on Titania’s eyes
during sleep some love-juice, the effect
of which is to make the sleeper fall in
love with the first thing seen when
waking. The first thing seen by Titania
was Bottom the weaver, wearing an
ass's head. In the meantime King
Oberon dispatched Puck to pour some
of the juice on the eyes of Demetrius,
that he might love Helena, who, Oberon.
thought refused to requite her love.
Puck, by mistake, anointed the eyes of
Lysander with the juice, and the first
thing he saw on waking was not Hermia
but Helena. Oberon, being told that
Puck had done his bidding, to make all
sure, dropped some of the love-juice on
the eyes of Demetrius, and the first
person he beheld on waking was Hermia
looking for Lysander. In due time the
eyes of all were disenchanted. Lysander
married Hermia, Demetrius married
Helena, and Titania gave the boy to her
lord, King Oberon.
Midwife (Anglo-Saxon, mid, with ;
wif, woman). The nurse who is with
the mother in her labour.
Midwife of men’s thoughts. So Soc'-
ratés termed himself ; and, as Mr.
Grote observes, “No other man ever
struck out of others so many sparks to
set light to original thought.” Out of
his intellectual school sprang Plato and
the Dialectic system ; Euclid and the
Megaric; Aristippos and the Cyrenaic ;
Antisthénés and the Cynic; and his in-
fluence on the mind was never equalled
by any teacher but One, of whom it was
said, “Never man spake like this man.”
Miggs (Miss). Mrs. Varden's maid,
and the impersonation of an old shrew.
(Dickens : Barnaby Rudge.)
Mignon. The young Italian girl
who fell in love with Wilhelm Meister's
apprentice, her protector. Her love not
thief), and michery (theft).
Now Oberon and
being returned, she became insane and
died. (Goethe. Wilhelm Meister.)
Mikado (Japan, mi, exalted; kado,
gate), is not a title of the emperor of
Japan, but simply means the person who
lives in the imperial palace.
Mike. To loiter. A corruption of
miehe (to skulk); whence, micher (a
(Old Norse,
Amak, leisure; Swedish, maka ; Saxon,
'mºgan, to creep.) (See MICHON.)
“Shall, the blessed sun of heaven prove a
higher [loiterer] 2 ”—Shakespeare: 1 Henry IV.,
ll. 4.
Mil'an Decree (The). A decree
made by Napoleon I., dated “Milan,
Dec. 27, 1807,” declaring “the whole
British Empire to be in a state of
blockade, and forbidding all countries
either from trading with Great Britain
or from even using an article of British
manufacture.”
This very absurd decrec was killing the goose
which laid the golden eggs, for England was the
best customer of the very countries thus re-
stricted from dealing with her.
Milſan Steel. Armed in Milan steel.
Milan was famous in the Middle Ages for
its armoury. (Froissart, iv. 597.)
Milane'se (3 syl.). A native of Milan
—i.e. mi-lano. (Old Italian for middle-
land, meaning in the middle of the
Lombardian plain.)
Milden'do. The metropolis of Lilli-
put, the wall of which was two feet and
a half in height, and at least eleven
inches thick. The city was an exact
square, and two main streets divided it
into four quarters. The emperor's
palace, called Belfab'orac, was in the
centre of the city. (Gulliver’s Travels :
Poyage to Lilliput, iv.)
Mildew has nothing to do with
either mills or dew. It is the Gaelic
mehl-thaw (injurious or destructive
blight).
Mile'sian Fables. - The romances
of Antonius Diog'enés, described by
Photius, but no longer extant. They
were greedily read by the luxurious
Sybarites, and appear to have been of a
very coarse amatory character. They
were compiled by Aristi'dès, and trans-
lated into Latin by Sisen'na, about the
time of the civil wars of Ma'rius and
Sylla. s
The tales of Parthenius Nice'nus were
borrowed from them. The name is from
the Milesians, a Greek colony, the first
to catch from the Persians their rage for
fiction. Parthenius taught Virgil Greek.
Milesian Story
83
1Milliner
Milesian Story or Tale (A). One
very wanton and ludicrous. So called
from the Milesiae Fab'ula, the immoral
tendency of which was notorious. (See
above.)
Mile'sians (The). The ancient Irish.
The legend is that Ireland was once
peopled by the Firbolgs, who were sub-
dued by the Milesians, called the “Gaels
of Ireland.”
“My family, by my father's side, are all the true
ould Milesians, and related, to the O'Flahertys,
and O'Shaughnesses, and the M'Lauchlins, the
O'Donnaghans, Öröäilagians, Q'Geogaglians, and
all the thick blood of the nation ; and I myself
am an O’Brallaghan, which is the Ouldest of them
all.”—Maclim : L0ve à la Mode,
Milk. To cry over spilt milk.
zºnder CRY.)
Mill; and Honey. A land of mil/
and honey. That is, abounding in all
good things, or of extraordinary fertility.
Joel iii. 18 speaks of “the mountains
flowing with milk and honey.” Figura-
tively used to denote all the blessings of
heaven.
“Jerusalem the golden,
With milk and honcy lolest.”
Milk and Water. Insipid, without
energy or character; baby-pap (litera-
ture, etc.).
Milk of Human Kindness (The).
Sympathy, compassion.
Milksop (A). An effeminate person ;
one without energy, one under petticoat
government. The allusion is to very
young children, who are fed on bread
and milk.
Milky Way (The). A great circle of
stars entirely surrounding the heavens.
They are so crowded together that they
appear to the naked eye like a “way”
or stream of faint “milky’’ light. The
Galaxy or Via Lactèa.
“A broad and ample road, whose dust is gold
And pavement Star's, as Stars to thee appear,
Seen in the galaxy—that, Milky Way,
Tllick, mightly, as a circling zone, thou seest
POW dered with Stal’s.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, vii. 577, etc.
Mill. To fight; not from the Latin
Anilés, a soldier, but from the noun mill.
Grinding was anciently performed by
pubverising with a stone or pounding
with the hand. To mill is to beat with
the fist, as persons used to beat corn with
a stone. -
The word is Gaelic, in which there are
numerous derivatives, meaning to ravage,
destroy, etc.
Mills of God grind slowly (The).
“Dii pedes lanatos habent’’ (Petronius).
(See
Vengeance may be delayed, but it will
come when least expected.
“The mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind
exceeding small ; - - - *
Though with patience He, Stands Waiting, with
exactness He grindS all.
L07tſ/fellow : Retribution.
Millen'nium means simply a thou-
sand years. (Latin, mille amnus.) In
Rev. xx. 2 it is said that an angel bound
Satan a thousand years, and in verse 4
we are told of certain martyrs who will
come to life again, and “reign with
Christ a thousand years.” “This,”
says St. John, “is the first resurrec-
tion; ” and this is what is meant by the
millennium.
Miller. To drown, the miller.
DROWN, etc.)
To give one the miller is to engage a
person in conversation till a sufficient
number of persons have gathered to-
gether to set upon the victim with
stones, dirt, garbage, and all the arms
which haste supplies a mob with. (See
MILL.)
More water glideth by the mill than
avots the miller of (Titus Andronicus, ii.
1). Many things are done in a house
which the master and mistress never
dream of.
Miller. A Joe Miller. A stale jest.
John Mottley compiled a book of facetiae
in the reign of James II., which he en-
titled Joe Miller's Jests, from a witty
actor of farce during the time that Con-
greve's plays were in vogue. A stale
jest is called a “Joe Miller,” implying
that it is stolen from Mottley's compila-
tion. (Joe Miller, 1684-1738.)
Miller's Eye (A). Lumps of un-
leavened flour in bread; so called because
they are little round lumps like an eye.
To put the miller’s eye out. To make
broth or pudding so thin that the miller’s
eye would be put out or puzzled to find
the flour.
Miller's Thumb (A). A small fish,
four or five inches long, so called from
its resemblance to a miller's thumb.
The fish is also called Bullhead, from its
large head. -
Milliner. A corruption of Mil'amer;
so called from Mil'an, in Italy, which at
One time gave the law to Europe in all
matters of taste, dress, and elegance.
* Milliner was originally applied to
(See
the male sex ; hence Ben Jonson, in
I'very Man in his Humour, i. 3, speaks
of a “milliner’s wife.” The French
have still une modişte and ºn modiste.
IMillstone
840 Mind your Eye
Millstone. To look (or see) through a
ſmillstone. To be wonderfully sharp-
sighted.
“Then . . . since your eies are so sharp that you
can not only looke through a milstone, but cleane
through the minde . . .”—Lilly : Euphºles, etc.
Millstone used for a Ferry (A).
The saint who crossed the Irish Sea on a
millstone was St. Piran, patron Saint of
tanners. -
Millstones. To weep millstoyees. Not
weep at all.
“Bid Glos' ter think on this, and he will weep—
Aye, millstones, as he lessoned us to WQep.”
Shakespeare: Richard III., i. 6.
Millstones of Montisci (The). They
produce flour of themselves, whence
the proverb, “Grace comes from God,
but millstones from Montisci.” (Boccac-
cio : Decameron, day viii. novel 3.
Millwood (Sarah). The courtesan
who enticed George Barnwell to robbery
and murder. (See BARNWELL.)
Milo. An athlete of Croto'na. It is
said that he carried through the stadium
at Olympia a heifer four years old, and
ate the whole of it afterwards. When
old he attempted to tear in two an oak-
tree, but the parts closed upon his
hands, and while held fast he was de-
voured by wolves. (See POLYDAMUs.)
Milton borrowed from St. Avi’tus his
description of Paradise (book i.), of
Satan (book ii.), and many other parts
of Paradise Lost. He also borrowed
very largely from Du Bartas (1544-1591),
who wrote an epic poem entitled The
Week of Creation, which was translated
into almost every European language.
St. Avitus wrote in Latin hexameters
The Creation, The Fall, and The Expul-
sion from Paradise. (460-525.)
Milton. “Milton,” says Dryden, in
the preface to his Fables, “ was the
poetical son of Spenser. . . . Milton has
acknowledged to me that Spenser was
his original.”
Milton of Germany. Friedrich G.
Klopstock, author of The Messiah.
(1724-1803.) Coleridge, says he is “a
very German Milton indeed.”
Mi’mer. The Scandinavian god of
wisdom, and most celebrated of the
giants. The Vanir, with whom he was
left as a hostage, cut off his head. Odin
embalmed it by his magic art, pro-
nounced over it mystic runes, and ever
after consulted it on critical occasions.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Miſmer's Well. A well in which all
wisdom lay concealed. It was at the
root of the celestial ash-tree. Mimer
drapk thereof from the horn Gjallar.
Odin gave one of his eyes to be per-
mitted to drink of its waters, and the
draught made him the wisest of the
gods. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Mimo'sa. Niebuhr says the Mimosa
“droops its branches whenever anyone
approaches it, seeming to salute those
who retire under its shade.”
Mince (French). A bank-note. The
assignats of the first republic were so
called, because the paper on which
they were printed was exceedingly thin.
(Dictionnaire du Bas-Langage, ii. 139.)
Mince Pies at Christmas time are
emblematical of the manger in which
our Saviour was laid. The paste over
the “ offering ” was made in form of a
cratch or hay-rack. (See PLUM PUDDING...)
Mince pies. Slang for “the eyes.”
(See CHIVY.)
Mince the Matter. Not to mince
the matter. To speak outright; not to
palliate or gloss over the matter. Ter-
ence has “Fem profer palam ” (Heaut-
timoroumenos, v. 2, 41). The French say,
“Je me le lui ai point méche.” About
the same is the phrase “Not to put too
fine a point on the matter.”
Mincemeat. To make mincemeat of.
Utterly to demolish; to shatter to pieces.
Mincemeat is meat cut up very fine.
Minch-house (A). A nunnery.
(Anglo-Saxon, minicem, a nun.) Some-
times it means an ale- or road-house.
Mincing Lane (London). A cor-
ruption of Mynchen Lane; so called
from the tenements held there by the
mynchens or nuns of St. Helen's, in
Bishopsgate Street. (Mirzicen, Anglo-
Saxon for a nun; minchery, a nunnery.)
Min'cio or Min'tio. The birthplace
of Virgil. The Clitumnus, a river of
Umbria, was the residence of Proper'-
tius; the Anio is where Horace had a
villa; the river Melés, in Ionia, is the
supposed birthplace of Homer. Little-
ton refers to all these in his Momody on
Miss Fortescue.
Mind your Eye. Be careful or
vigilant; keep a sharp look out ; keep
your eyes open to guard against mis-
chief. School-boy wit, Mens tººts ego.
“‘Perhaps it may be so ' (says I); ‘but mind
your eye, and take care you don't put your foot ill
it.’ ”— Haliburton.
“‘You must mind your eye, George; fl. good
many tents are robbed every week.’”–C. Reade,
Mind your Own Business 841
Minnesingers
Mind your own Business. “Seest
thou a man diligent in his business, he
shall stand before kings” (Prov. xxii.29).
“He who doeth his own business de-
fileth not his fingers” (Fielding's Pro-
verbs). Let every tub stand on its own
bottom. Never meddle with what does
not concern you.
* Bon homme, garde la . Vache. , Chacun Son
métier, et les vachies son bien gardées. Chacun
à ses affaires.” . . . • * *
“Quifa le fatti Suoi, non s'embratta le mani.”
“Tuá quod nihil refert ne cures. Suum cura
negotium. Tu ne quasiveris extra.”—Horace.
Minden Boys. The 20th Foot ; so
called from their noted bravery at Min-
den, in Prussia, August 1, 1759. Now
called “The Lancashire Fusiliers.”
Minerva (in Greek, Athé'né). The
most famous statue of this goddess was
by Phidias, the Greek sculptor. It was
wood encased with ivory; the drapery,
however, was of solid gold. It repre-
sented the goddess standing, clothed
with a tunic reaching to the ankles, a
spear in her left hand, and an image of
Victory (four cubits high = about six
feet) in her right. She is girded with the
aegis, has a helmet on her head, and her
shield rests by her side on the ground.
The entire height was nearly forty feet.
This statue was anciently one of the
“Seven Wonders of the World.” A.
superb statue of the goddess was found
at Welletri, but whether this was the
famous statue of Phidias is not known.
It is preserved in the Imperial Museum.
‘." The exquisite antique statue of Minerva,
Medica, is in the Vatican of Rome.
Minerva. Invita Minerva, without
sufficient ability ; against the grain.
Thus, Charles Kean acted comedy invita
Minerva, his forte lying another way.
Sir Philip Sidney attempted the Horatian
metres in English verse invita Minerva.
Minerva Press (The). A printing
establishment in Leadenhall Street,
London, famous about a century ago
for its trashy, ultra-sentimental novels.
These novels were remarkable for their
complicated plots, and especially for
the labyrinths of difficulties into which
the hero and heroine got involved before
they could get married to each other.
Mini’ature (3 syl.). Paintings by
the Miniato'ri, a set of monks noted for
painting with minium or red-lead. The
first miniatures were the initial letters
of rubrics, and as the head of the Virgin
or some other saint was usually intro-
duced into these illuminated letters, the
word came to express a Small likeness.
The best miniature-painters have been
Holbein, Nicholas Hilliard, Isaac Oliver
and his son Peter, Samuel Cooper and
his brother Alexander, etc. -
Minie Rifle. (See GUN.)
Minims (Latin, Fratres Min'im, least
of the brethren). A term of self-abase-
ment assumed by an order of monks
founded by St. Francis of Paula, in
1453. The order of St. Francis of Assisi
had already engrossed the “humble’”
title of Fratres Mino’res (inferior bro-
thers). The superior of the minims is
called corrector.
Minister means an inferior person,
in opposition to magister, a superior. One
is connected with the Latin minus, and
the other with magis. Our Lord says,
“Whosoever will be great among you,
let him be your minister,” where the anti-
thesis is well preserved. The minister of
a church is a man who serves the parish
or congregation; and the minister of the
Crown is the sovereign’s servant.
Minister. Florimond de Remond,
speaking of Albert Babinot, one of the
disciples of Calvin, says, “He was a
student of the Institutes, read at the
hall of the Equity school in Poitiers,
and was called la Ministerie.” Calvin,
in allusion thereto, used to call him “Mr.
Minister,” whence not only Babinot but
all the other clergy of the Calvinistic
church were called ministers.
Minna Troil. Eldest daughter of
Magnus Troil, the old Udaller of Zetland.
Captain Clement Cleveland (Vaughan)
the pirate loved her, and Minna recipro-
cated his affection, but Cleveland was
killed by the Spaniards in an encounter
on the Spanish main. (Sir Walter Scott :
The Pirate.)
Minnehaſha. [Laughing-water]. The
lovely daughter of the old arrow-maker
of the Daco'tahs, and wife of Hiawath'a.
She died of famine. Two guests came
uninvited into Hiawatha's wigwam, and
the foremost said, “Behold me ! I am
Famine ; ” and the other said, “Behold
me ! I am Fever; ” and Minnehaha
shuddered to look on them, and hid her
face, and lay trembling, freezing, burn-
ing, at the looks they cast upon her.
“Ah !” cried Laughing-water, “the
eyes of Pauguk [death] glare upon me,
I can feel his icy fingers clasping mine
amidst the darkness,” and she died
crying, “Hiawatha! Hiawatha!” (Long-
fellow : Hiawatha.)
Min'ne'singers. Minstrels. The
earliest lyric poets of Germany were so
Minories
842
Miramolin.
called, because the subject of their lyrics
was minne-Sang (love-ditty). These
poets lived in the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries.
Min'ories (3 syl.) (London). The
cloister of the Minims or, rather, Minor-
esses (nuns of St. Clare). The Minims
were certain reformed Franciscans,
founded by St. Francis de Paula in the
fifteenth century. They went bare-
footed, and wore a coarse, black woollen
stuff, fastened with a woollen girdle,
which they never put off, day or night.
The word is derived from the Latin
min/imus (the least), in allusion to the
text, “I am less than the least of all
saints” (Eph. iii. 8).
Mi'nos. A king and lawgiver of
Crete, made at death Supreme judge of
the lower world, before whom all the
dead appeared to give an account of
their stewardship, and to receive the
reward of their deeds.
Mi'notaur [Minos-bull]. The body
of a man and head of a bull. Theseus
slew this monster.
Minot'ti. Governor of Corinth, then
under the power of the doge. In 1715
the city was stormed by the Turks, and
during the siege one of the magazines in
the Turkish camp blew up, killing 600
men. Byron says it was Minotti himself
who fired the train, and leads us to
infer that he was one of those who
perished in the explosion. (Byron :
Siege of Corinth.)
Minstrel simply means a servant or
minister. Minstrels were kept in the
service of kings and princes for the en-
tertainment of guests. . James Beattie
has a poem in Spense'rian verse, called
The Minstrel, divided into two books.
The last minstrel of the English stage.
James Shirley, with whom the school of
Shakespeare expired. (1594-1666.)
Mint. So called from the nymph
Minthè, daughter of Cocy'tus, and a
favourite of Pluto. This nymph was
metamorphosed by Pluto's wife (Proser-
pine) out of jealousy, into the herb
called after her name. The fable is
quite obvious, and simply means that
mint is a capital medicine. Minthé was
a favourite of Pluto, or death, that is,
was sick and on the point of death; but
was changed into the herb mint, or was
cured thereby.
“Could Pluto's queen, with jealous fury stoian
And Minthé to a fragrant herb transtory in
ºlò.
Min'uit (2 syl.). “Enfants de la
ſnesse de minuit,” pickpockets. Cotgrave
gives “night-walking rakehells, such as
haunt these nightly rites only to rob
and play the knaves.”
Min'ute. Make a minute of that.
Take a note of it. A law term ; a rough
draft of a proceeding taken down in
animºte or small writing, to be after-
wards engrossed, or written larger.
Min'ute Gun. A signal of distress
at sea, or a gun fired at the death of a
distinguished individual; so called be-
cause a minute elapses between each
discharge.
Miol'nier (3 syl.) [the crusher]. The
magic hammer of Thor. It would never
fail to hit a Troll; would never miss to
hit whatever it was thrown at ; would
always return to the owner of its own
accord; and became so small when not
in use that it could be put into Thor's
pocket. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Mir'abel. A travelled, dissipated
fellow, who is proof against all the wiles
of the fair sex." (Beaumont and Fletcher:
JWildgoose Chase.)
Miracles (Latin, miraciálūn).
Vespasian, the Roman emperor, is said
to have cured a blind man and a Cripple
by his touch during his stay in Alex-
andria.
Mahomet’s miracles. He took a scroll
of the Koran from the horn of a bull;
a white dove came from heaven to
whisper in his ear a message from God;
he opened the earth and found two jars,
one of honey and one of milk, as em-
blems of abundance ; he brought the
moon from heaven, made it pass through
his sleeve, and return to its place in
heaven; he went to heaven on his horse
Al Borak, was taught the Koran by the
angel Gabriel, etc. ... And yet we are told
that he laid no pretensions to miracles.
The Abbé Paris, or more correctly
François de Paris, the deacon, buried at
the cemetery of St. Médard. The num-
berless cures performed at his tomb are
said by Paley to be the best authenticated
of any, except those of the Bible.
Edward the Confessor and all our
sovereigns up to the time of Queen Anne
are said to have cured scorbutic diseases
by their touch. (See THAUMATURGUS.)
Miram'olin. The title of the Em-
peror of Morocco. A miraman is a tem-
porary Turkish officer.
Miramont 843
*.
Miramont. An ignorant, testy old
man, an ultra - admirer of learning.
(Fletcher: The Elder Brother.)
Miran'da. Daughter of Prospero.
(Shakespeare : Tempest.)
Mirror of Human Salvation. An
extended “JBib'lia. Pau'perum ” (q.v.)
with the subject of the picture explained
in rhymes. Called in Latin “Spec'ulum
huma'nae salvatio” is.”
Mirror of King Ryence (The).
This mirror was made by Merlin, and
those who looked in it saw whatever
they wished to see. (Sponser: Faërie
Queene, bk. iii.)
Mirror of Knighthood (The). One
of the books in Don Quixote’s library, a
Spanish romance at one time very popu-
lar. Butler calls Hºldibras “the Mirror
of Knighthood” (book i. 15).
“The barber, taking another book, said, ‘This is
tle Mirror of Khvighthood.’”—Part I, look i. 6.]
Mirrors.
Alasman’s mi)','o','. The “touchstone
of virtue,” showed if the lady beloved
was chaste as well as beautiful. (Ara-
bian Nights : Prince Zeyn Alasnam.)
Cambuscan’s mirror. Sent to Cam-
buscan’ by the King of Araby and Ind;
it warned of the approach of ill-fortune,
and told if love was returned. (Chaucer .
Canterbury Tales ; The Squire's Tale.)
Lao’s mirror reflected the mind and
its thoughts, as an ordinary mirror re-
flects the outward seeming. (Goldsmith :
Citizen of the World, xlv.)
Merlin’s magic mirror, given by Mer-
lin to King Ryence. It informed the
king of treason, Secret plots, and pro-
jected invasions. (Spenser ; Faerie
Queene, iii. 2.)
Reynard’s wonderful mirror. This
mirror existed only in the brain of
Master Fox; he told the queen-lion that
whoever looked in it could see what was
done a mile off. The wood of the frame
was not subject to decay, being made of
the same block as King Crampart's
magic horse. (Reynard the Fox, ch. xii.)
Pºulean’s mirror showed the past, the
present, and the future. Sir John
Davies tells us that Cupid gave the
mirror to Antin'ous, and Antinous gave
it to Penelopé, who saw therein “the
court of Queen Elizabeth.”
Mirza. Emir Zadah [prince's son].
It is used in two ways by the Persians;
when prefixed to a surname it is simply
a title of honour; but when amneared to
the surname, it means a prince of the
blood royal.
Misers
Mis' creant (3 syl.) means a false be-
liever. (French, mis-créance.) A term
first applied to the Mahometans. The
Mahometans, in return, call Christians
infidels, and associate with the word all
that we mean by “miscreants.”
Mise-money. An honorarium given
by the people of Wales to a new “Prince
of Wales” on his entrance upon his
principality. . . At Chester a mise-book
is kept, in which every town and village
is rated to this honorarium.
Littleton (Dict.) says the usual Sulm is £500.
Bailey has the word in luis Dictionary.
Misers. The most renowned are:–
(1) Baron Aguilar or Ephraim Lopes
Pereira d’Aguilar, born at Vienna and
º, at Islington, worth £200,000. (1740-
1802.
(2) Daniel Dancer. His sister lived
with him, and was a similar character,
but died before him. (1716-1794.)
(3) Colonel O’Dogherty, though owner
of large estates, lived in a windowless
hut, which he entered by a ladder that
he pulled up after him. His horse was
mere skin and bone. He wore an old
night-cap for wig, and an old brimless.
hat. His clothes were made up of
patches, and his general appearance was
that of extreme destitution.
(4) Sir Harvey Elwes, who died worth
£250,000, but never spent more than
£110 a year.
His sister-in-law inherited £100,000,
but actually starved herself to death.
Her son John, M.P., an eminent
brewer in Southwark, never bought any
clothes, never suffered his shoes to be
cleaned, and grudged every penny spent
in food. (1714-1789.)
(5) Foscue, farmer-general of Langue-
doc, who hoarded his money in a secret
cellar, where he was found dead.
(6) Thomas Guy, founder of Guy’s
Hospital. (1644-1724.)
(7) Pulture Hopkins.
(8) Dick Jarrett died worth £10,000,
but his annual expenses never exceeded
#6. The beer brewed at his christening
was drunk at his funeral.
(9) Messrs. Jardin, of Cambridge.
(10). William Jennings, a neighbour
and friend of Elwes, died worth £200,000.
(1701-1797.)
11) The Rev. — Jonas, of Blewbury.
§ Joh?? Little left behind him
f40,000, 180-wigs, 173 pairs of breeches,
and an endless variety of other articles
of clothing. His physician ordered him
to drink a little wine for his health’s
sake, but he died in the act of drawing
the cork of a bottle,
Miserere 84.4
Misnomers
(13) Osterwald, the French banker, who
died of starvation in 1790, possessed of
£120,000.
(14) John Overs, a Southwark ferry-
Illół,1]. -
(15) The ſing of Patterdale, whose
income was £800 a year, but his ex-
penses never exceeded £30. He lived at
the head of Lake Ulleswater. His last
words were, “What a fortune a man
might make if he lived to the age of
Methuselah l’” He died at the age of
eighty-nine.
(16) Guy Wilcocks, a female miser.
(See EUCLIO, HARPAGON, etc.)
Misere're (4 syl.). Our fifty-first
psalm is so called. One of the evening
services of Lent is called mise)'e're, be-
cause this penitential psalm is sung, after
which a sermon is delivered. The under
side of a folding-seat in choir-stalls is
called a miseye're ; when turned up it
forms a ledge-seat sufficient to rest the
aged in a kneeling position.
“Misfortune will never Leave Me
till I Leave It,” was the expression of
Charles VII., Emperor of Germany.
(1742-1745.)
Mishna. Instruction. A word ap-
plied by the Jews to the oral law. It is
divided into six parts: (1) agriculture;
(2) Sabbaths, fasts, and festivals; (3)
marriage and divorce ; (4) civil and penal
laws ; (5) sacrifices; (6) holy persons and
things. The commentary of the Mishna
is called the Gema'ra. (Hebrew, Shanah,
to repeat.) -
Misnomers.
Absalom means a Father’s Peace, a
fatal name for David’s rebellious son.
Acid (Sour) applied in chemistry to a
class of bodies to which sourness is only
accidental and by no means a universal
character—thus, rock-crystal, quartz,
flint, etc., are chemical acids, though no
particle of acidity belongs to them.
America. So called from Amerigo
Vespucci, a naval astronomer of Flor-
ence. He wrote an account of his dis-
coveries, which were very popular in
Germany, but certainly he did not dis-
COver the New World.
Amt. Go to the dºt, thoºd sluggard.
(See ANTS, HoNEYCOMB.)
Antelope is a hopeless absurdity for
the Greek anthos-ops, beautiful eye.
Arabic figures were not invented by
the Arabs, but by the Indians.
Baffin's Bay is no bay at all.
Blacklead is a compound of carbon
and iron.
JBlind-worms are no more blind than
Anoles are ; they have very quick and
brilliant eyes, though somewhat small.
I}razilian grass does not come from
Brazil, or even grow in Brazil, nor is it a
grass at all. It consists of strips of a
palm-leaf (Chanderops argente'a), and is
chiefly imported from Cuba,
J3rideſ/room? has nothing to do with
groom. It is the old English guma, a
man, bryd-g?tma.
Jºglºdy pitch is not pitch, nor is it
manufactured or exported from Bur-
gundy. The best is a resinous substance
prepared from common frankincense, and
brought from Hamburg; but by far the
larger quantity is a mixture of rosin and
palm-oil.
Canopy, as if from Canopus (the star
in the southern hemisphere), is the Greek
Æonopeion (from komops, a gnat), and
means a cloth to keep off gnats.
Catſ/ut is not the gut of cats, but of
sheep.
Celandine should be chelidon, Greek
and Latin for a swallow ; so called be-
cause it was at one time supposed that
Swallows cured with it the blindness of
their young. (Pliny, xxv. 50.)
China, as a name for porcelain, gives
rise to the contradictory expressions
British china, Sèvres chima, Tresden
China, Dutch China, Chelsea china, etc.;
like wooden milestones, iron milestones,
brass shoe-horns, iron pens, etc.
Cinerary, for a cemetery, should be
“Cinery.” Cinerarius is a woman’s
tailor.
Cuttle-bone is not bone at all, but a
structure of pure chalk embedded loosely
in the Substance of a species of cuttle-
fish. It is enclosed in a membranous
sac, within the body of the “fish,” and
drops out when the sac is opened, but it
has no connection whatever with the sac
or the cuttlefish.
Cleopatra’s Needles were not erected by
Cleopatra, or in honour of that queen,
but by Thothmes III.
Crawfish for cravis (Latin carabus, a
lobster, French écrevisse).
Cullander, a strainer, should be
“colanter” (Latin colans, colantis,
straining).
Custard, the food, is from the Welsh
for curded milk; but “custard,” for a
slap on the hand, should be custid, from
the Latin custis, a club.
Down for adow” (the preposition) is
a strange instance of caprice, in which
the omission of the negative (a) utterly
perverts the meaning. The Saxon diſm
is an upland or hill, and 4-diº is its
Misnomers 845
Misnomers
opposite —i.e. a lowland or descent.
Going down stairs really means “going
upstairs,” of ascending; and for de-
scending we ought to say “going a-
down.”
Dutch clocks are not of Dutch but
German (Deutsch) manufacture.
Elements. Fire, air, earth, and water,
called the four elements, are not ele-
ments at all.
Fish, a counter, should be fiche (a five-
sou piece), used at one time in France
for card-counters.
“for the rub,” was called la fiche de
consolation. ..
Foxglove is not the glove of the fox,
but of the fays, called folk—the little
folk’s glove; or else from fosco, red.
Frontispiece. A vile corruption of
jºrontispice (Latin frontispicium, a view
on the front page). The “piece ’’ is
awful
specium. Frontispiece is an
hybrid.
Fusiliers. These foot-soldiers now
carry Enfield rifles, and not fusils.
Galvanised iron is not galvanised. It
, is simply iron coated with zinc, and this
is done by dipping it in a zinc bath con-
taining muriatic acid.
German silver is not silver at all, nor
was the metallic mixture invented by a
German, but has been in use in China.
time out of mind.
Gothic architecture is not the archi-
tecture of the Goths, but the ecclesias-
tical style employed in England and
Trance before the Renaissance.
Guineapig. A blunder for Guiana,
South America. Not a pig but a rodent.
IIoneydew is neither homey nor dew,
but an animal substance given off by
certain insects, especially when hunted
by ants.
JHoney soap contains no honey, nor is
honey in any way employed in its manu-
facture. It is a mixture of palm-oil
soap and olive Soap, each one part, with
three parts of curd soap or yellow soap,
scented.
Greyhound has no connection with the
colour grey. It is the grayhound, or
hound which hunts the gray or badger.
JHumble pie, for umbil pie. The um-
bils of venison were served to inferior
retainers and servants.
Bydrophobia (Greek, dread of water)
applied to mad dogs is incorrect, as they
will lap water and even swim in it.
Indians (American). A blunder of
geography on the part of the early dis-
coverers of the New World, who set their
faces westward from Europe to find
India, and believed they had done so
One of them, given
when they discovered Cat's Island, off
the south coast of America.
Irish stew. A dish that is unknown
in Ireland.
Iron-mask was made of velvet.
Japan lacquer contains no lac at all,
but is made from the resin of a kind of
nut-tree called Anacardiaceae.
Jerusalem artichoke has no connection
with Jerusalem, but with the sunflower,
girasole, which it resembles.
Iſensington Palace is not in Kensington
at all, but in the parish of St. Margaret,
Westminster.
Júd gloves are not kid at all, but are
made of lamb-skin or sheep-skin.
Laudanum should be ladamºm, origin-
ally made from the leaves of the lada.
(Pliny, xxvi. 47.)
Longitude and latitude, the great
dimension and little or broad dimension
of the earth. According to the ancient
notion, the world was bounded on the
west by the Atlantic, but extended an
indefinite length eastward. It was
similarly terminated on the south by the
Tropic of Cancer, whence it extended
northwards, but this extent being much
less than that east and west, was called
the breadth or latitude.
Louis de Bourbon, Bishop of Liège, is
made by Sir Walter Scott, in Quentin
JDurward, an “old man,” whereas he
was only eighteen, and a scholar at
Louvain. He made his entry into his
see in a scarlet jerkin and cap set jauntily
on one side. (A. Dumas : Charles the
JBold.) - -
Lunar catastic is not a substance from
the moon, but is simply nitrate of silver,
and silver is the astrological symbol of
the moon.
Lunatics are not affected by the
changes of the moon more than other
invalids. No doubt their disorder has
its periodicities, but it is not affected by
the moon.
Meerschaum. (See MEERSCHAUM.)
Mosaic gold has no connection with
Moses or the metal gold. It is an alloy .
of copper and zinc, used in the ancient
Antsiv.htm or tesselated work.
Mother of pearl is the inner layer of
several sorts of shell. It is not the
mother of pearls, as the name indicates,
but in some cases the matrix of the
pearl. -
Natives. Oysters raised in artificial
beds. Surely oysters in their own
natural beds ought to be called the
natives. -
Oaxygen means the generator of acids,
but there are acids of which it is not the
Misnomers 846
Misprision
base, as hydrochloric acid. Indeed,
chemists now restrict the term acid to
compounds into which hydrogen enters,
and oxy-acids are termed salts.
I’en means a feather. (Latin, penna,
a wing.) A steel pen is not a very choice
expression.
Philippe VI. of France was called “Le
bien fortuné,” but never was name more
inappropriate. He was defeated at Sluys
[S/w-iz], and again at Cressy; he lost
Calais; and a fourth of all his subjects
were carried off by the plague called the
“Black Death.”
Pompey’s Pillar, in Alexandria, was
erected neither by nor to Pompey. It
was set up by the Emperor Diocletian,
according to its inscription.
blue does not come from
Prussia, but is the precipitate of the salt
of protoxide of iron with red prussiate
of potass. -
JRice paper is not made from rice, but
from the pith of Tung-tsau, or hollow-
plant, so called because it is hollow when
the pith has been pushed out.
Salt is not salt at all, and has long
been wholly excluded from the class of
bodies denominated Salts. Table-salt is
‘‘chloride of sodium.”
Salt of lemon is in reality a binoxalate
i. potash, with a little of the quadroxa-
ate.
Salts. The substance of which junk
bottles, French mirrors, window-panes,
and opera-glasses are made is placed
among the salts, but is no Salt at all.
Sand-blind is a mere corruption of Sam
(half) blind.
Scuttle, to open a hole in a ship, means
really to bolt or bar. (See SCUTTLE.)
Sealing-wav is not wax at all, nor does
it contain a single particle of wax. It is
made of shellac, Venice turpentine, and
cinnabar.
Shrew-mouse is no mouse (m/s), but
belongs to the genus Sorea. .
Slave means noble, illustrious (slavi),
but is now applied to the most ignoble
and debased. (See BARON.)
Sovereign. The last syllable of this
word is incorrect. The word should be
soverał? (Latin, superáre ; French, soºty-
pain). It has no connection with
“reign' (Latin, regnóre).
Speran oil properly means “seed oil,”
from the notion that it was the spawn
or melt of a whale. It is chiefly taken
from the head, not the spawn, of the
“spermaceti” whale.
Titmouse (plur. titmice) is no mouse,
but a bird. (Anglo-Saxon, tite-mase,
little hedge-sparrow.)
Toadflaa has nothing at all to do with
toads. It is tod flax, i.e. flax with tods
or clusters.
Tonquin beans. A geographical blunder
for tonka beans, from Tonka, in Guinea,
not Tonquin, in Asia.
Turkeys do not come from Turkey,
but North America, through Spain, or
India. The French call them “dindon,”
fi.e. d’Inde or coq d'Inde, a term equally
incorrect.
Turkey rhubarb neither grows in
Turkey, nor is it imported from Turkey.
It grows in the great mountain chain
between Tartary and Siberia, and is a
Russian monopoly.
Thū%ish baths are not of Turkish
origin, nor are they baths, but hot-air
rooms or thermae.
Wallombro'sa. Milton says:—
“Thick as autumnal leaves that strew the brooks
In WallolubroSa.” I’aradise Lost, i. 302.
But the trees of Wallombrosa, being
pines, do not shed thickly in autumn,
and the brooks are not strewed with
their leaves. -
Pentriloquism is not voice from the
stomach at all, but from the mouth.
Well-beloved. Louis XIII. A most
inappropriate title for this most detest-
able and detested of all kings.
Whalebone is no bone at all, nor does
it possess any º: of bone. It is
a substance attached to the upper jaw
of the whale, and serves to strain the
water which the creature takes up in
large mouthfuls.
Wolf’s-bane. A strange corruption.
Bane is the Teutonic word for all poison-
ous herbs. The Greeks, mistaking banes
for beans, translated it katamos, as they
did hen-bane (hºtos - katamos). Now
wolf’s-bane is an aconite, with a pale-
yellow-flower, and therefore called
white-bane to distinguish it from the
blue aconite. The Greek for white is
leukos, hence “leukos-kuamos; ” but
lukos is the Greek for wolf, and by a
blunder leukos-kuamos (white-bean) got
muddled into lukos-kuamos (wolf-bean).
Botanists, seeing the absurdity of calling
aconite a bean, restored the Original
word “bane,” but retained the corrupt
word litkos (a wolf), and hence we get
the name wolf’s-bane for white aconite.
(H. Foa Talbot.) wº
Wormwood has nothing to do with
worms or wood; it is the Anglo-Saxon
wer mod, man-inspiriting, being a strong
tonic.
Mispris’ion. Concealment, neglect
of. (French, mépris.)
Miss
847
Mite
Misprision of clerks. Mistakes in
accounts arising from neglect.
Misprision of felony. Neglecting to
reveal a felony when known.
Misprision of treason. Neglecting to
disclose or purposely concealing a trea-
sonable design.
Miss, Mistress, Mrs. (masteress,
lady-master). Miss used to be written
Mis, and is the first syllable of Mistress;
Mrs. is the contraction of mistress, called
Mis'ess. Even in the reign of George II.
unmarried ladies used to be styled Mrs. ;
as, Mrs. Lepel, Mrs. Bellenden, Mrs.
Blount, all unmarried ladies. (See Pope's
Letters.)
Early in Charles II.'s reign, Evelyn
tells us that “ lewd women began to be
styled Misse; ” now Mistress is more
frequently applied to them. (See LAD.)
Miss is as Good as a Mile (A). A
failure is a failure be it ever so little,
and is no more be it ever so great; a
narrow escape is an escape, and a more
easy one is no more. If I miss the train
by one minute, I miss it as much as if it
had run a mile from the station; and if
I escape an evil by the skin of my teeth,
I escape, and he who escapes it easily
does no more.
Missing Link (The). According to
Darwin, the higher animals are de-
veloped from the lower ones. The
lowest form of animal life is proto-
plasm, which develops into amoebae
(cell life), and thence, successively, into
Synamoebae, gastrula, hydra, medusa,
worms, hematega, ascidians, fish, amphi-
bians, birds and reptiles, monotremata,
marsupials, placental mammals, lemu-
ridae, monkeys [missing link], man.
Mississip'pi Bubble. The French
“South-Sea Scheme,” and equally dis-
astrous. It was projected by John Law,
a Scotchman, and had for its object the
payment of the National Debt of France,
which amounted to 208 millions sterling,
On being granted the exclusive trade of
Louisia'na, on the banks of the Missis-
sippi. (1717-1720.) (See SouTH SEA.)
Mistletoe. Shakespeare calls it “the
baleful mistletoe '’ (Titus Andronients,
ii. 3), in allusion to the Scandinavian
story that it was with an arrow made
of mistletoe that Balder was slain. (See
I(ISSING UNDER THE MISTLETOE.)
The word mistletoe is a corruption of
Żytistel-ta, where mist is the German for
“dung,” or rather the “droppings of a
bird,” from the notion that the plant
was so propagated, especially by the
missel-thrush. Ta is for tan, Old Norse
tein, meaning “a plant ’’ or “shoot.”
Mistletoe Bough. The tale referred
to in this song, about Lord Lovel's
daughter, is related by Rogers in his
Italy, where the lady is called “Gi-
nevra.” A similar narrative is given
by Collet in his Relies of Literature, and
another is among the Causes Célèbres.
Marwell Old Hall, once the residence
of the Seymour, and afterwards of the
Dacre family, has a similar tradition
attached to it, and (according to the
Post Office Directory) “the very chest
became the property of the Rev. J.
Haygarth, a rector of Upham.”
Mistress Roper. The Marines, or
any one of them ; so called by the
regular sailors, because they handle the
ropes like girls, not being used to them.
Mistress of the Night (The). The
tuberose is so called because it emits its
strongest fragrance after Sunset. Some-
times, on a sultry evening, when the
atmosphere is highly electrified, the
fading flowers of the tuberose emit
sparks of lucid flame.
(In the language of flowers, the tube-
rose signifies “the pleasures of love.”)
Mistress of the World. Ancient
Bome was so called, because all the
known world gave it allegiance.
Mi’ta. Sister of Aude, surnamed
“the Little Knight of Pearls,” in love
with Sir Miton de Rennes, Roland’s
friend. Charlemagne greeted her after
a tournament with the Saracens at
FronSac, Saying, “Rise, Countess of
Rennes.” Mita, and Sir Miton were
the parents of Mitaine (q.v.). (Croque-
Anitaine, xv.)
Mitaine. Godchild of Charlemagne;
her parents were Mita and Miton, Count
and Countess of Rennes. She went in
search of Fear fortress, and found that
it only existed in the minds of the fear-
ful, vanishing into thin. air as it was
approached by a bold heart and clear
conscience. Charlemagne made her for
this achievement Roland's Squire, and
she followed him on her horse Paillant
to Spain, and fell in the attack at Ron-
cesvalles. (Croquemitaine, pt. iii.)
Mite. Sir Matthew Mite. A purse-
proud East Indian merchant, who gives
his servants the most costly exotics, and
overpowers everyone with the profusion
of his wealth. (S. Foote: The Nabob.)
Lady Oldham says: “He comes amongst us
preceded by all the pomp of Asia. Profusely
Scattering the Spoils of conquered provinces, cor-
rupting the Virtue, and alienating the affections
of all the old friends of the family.”
Mithra
848
Moat
Mith'ra or Mith'ras. The highest of
the twenty-eight second-class divinities
of the ancient Persians, and the ruler
of the universe. Sometimes used as a
synonym for the sun. The word means
friend, and this deity is so called because
he befriends man in this life, and pro-
tects him against evil spirits after death.
He is represented as a young man with
a Phrygian cap, a tunic, a mantle on his
left shoulder, and plunging a sword into
the neck of a bull. (Sanskrit, mitram,
a friend.) (See Thebais, i.)
Mith'ridate (3 syl.). A confection
said to be invented by Mithrida’tés, King
of Pontus and Bithyn'ia, as an antidote
to poison. It contains seventy-two in-
gredients.
“What brave Spirit could be content to sit in
his shop . . . . Selling Mithridatum and dragon's
water to infected houses 2°–Knight of the Burning
I’estle, (1635.)
Mitre. The episcopal mitre sym-
bolises the cloven tongues of fire which
descended on the apostles on the day of
Pentecost. (Acts ii. 1-12.) Greek and
Latin, mitra, a turban.
Mitre Tavern (The). A place of
resort in the time of Shakespeare ; it
was in Bread Street, Cheapside.
Mitten. The Pardomen’s mitten. Who-
ever put this mitten on would be sure to
thrive in all things.
“He that his hondé put in this metayn,
He shal have multiplying of his grayn,
Whan he hath SOWen, be it. Whete Or OteS,
So that ye offre 1)ans [pence] or ellés grootes.”
Chauce) : Prologue to The Pardomerés Tale.
To give one the mitten. To reject a
sweetheart ; to jilt. (Latin, mitto, to
send [about your business], whence dis-
missal; to get your dismissal.) Some
say, it is to get the mitten instead of
the hand. -
“There is a young lady I have set my heart on,
thougll whether she is going to give me hern, or
give me the mitten, I ain't quite Satisfied.”—Sam
Slick: ; Human Nature, p. 90.
“I don't believe but what that Hammond girl's
given him the mitten; else, he Wouldn't a come.
I wouldn’t play second fiddle for any fellow.”—
M. E. Willcims : A Tardy Thanksgiving (Almeri-
Cam).
Mit’timus (Latin). A command in
writing to a gaoler, to keep the person
named in safe custody. Also a writ for
removing a record from one court to
another. So called from the first word
of the writ, “Mittimus’’ (i.e. We
Send . . . . )
Mitton. The Chapter of Mitton. So
the battle of Mitton was called, because
so many priests took part therein. Hailes
says that “three hundred ecclesiastics
fell in this battle, which was fought
September 20th, 1319.”
“So many, priests took part in the fight that
the Scots called it the Chapter of Mitton—a meet-
ing of the clergymen belonging to a cathedral
being called a chapter.”—Sir Walter Scott: Tales
of a Grandfather, x.
Mixon. Iłetter wed over the Mia!on
than over the Moor. (See MIDDEN.)
Mizentop, maintop, foretop. To
serve in the mizentop is to be in the
lowest degree; to serve in the foretop
is to be coxswain ; captain's coxswain
or captain of the foretop is the highest
degree below an officer. -
* The mizenmast is the aftermost
mast of a ship ; the foremast is in the
forward part of a ship ; the mainmast
is between these two.
“He was put into the mizentop, and served
three years in the West Indies; theni he was
transferred to the maintop, and served five
years in the Mediterranean ; and then he was
Imade captain of the foretop, and served six
years in the East Indies ; alid at last he was
rated captain's coxswain in the Druid frigate."—
Capt. Man'7'yat: Poor Jack, chal), i.
Mjölnir (pron. you!-ner). Thor's
hammer. (See MIOLNER.)
Mnemos'yne (4 syl.). Goddess of
memory and mother of the nine Muses.
(Classical mythology.) The best repre-
sentation of this goddess is by A. R.
Mengs, the “Raphael of Germany ”
(1720-1779).
Moabite Stone (The). Presented to
the British Museum by the museum of
the Louvre. It was discovered by the
Rev. F. Klein at Dibhan in August,
1868, and is 3 feet 10 inches high, 2 feet
broad, and 14% inches thick. The Arabs
resented its removal, and splintered it
into fragments, but it has been restored.
The inscription, consisting of forty-four
lines, gives an account of the war of
Mesha, King of Moab, against Omri,
Ahab, and other kings of Israel. Mesha
sacrificed his eldest son on the city wall
in view of the invading Israelites. He
set up this stone at Kermost B.C. 900.
Moakltibat. A class of angels, ac-
cording to the Mahometan mythology.
Two angels of this class attend every
child of Adam from the cradle to the
grave. At sunset they fly up with the
record of the deeds done since sunrise.
Every good deed is entered ten times by
the recording angel on the credit Or
right side of his ledger, but when an
evil deed is reported the angel Waits
seven hours, “if haply in that time the
evil-doer may repent.” (The Kordſ.)
Moat. (See under BATTLE.)
IMIOb
849 Mohocks
Mob. A contraction of the Latin
ano'bile valgus (the fickle crowd). . The
term was first applied to the people by
the members of the Green-ribbon Club,
in the reign of Charles II. (Norther?
Jºramine), p. 574.)
Mob-cap (A). Is a plain cap, from
Dutch mob = a cap, Probably lºop is
another form of the same word, and
all come from the Latin ſnappa (a clout),
whence our word map (a drawing on
cloth), in contradistinction to a cartoo/*
(a drawing on paper).
Mobilise. To render soldiers liable
to be moved on service out of the town
where they live ; to call into active Ser-
vice men enrolled but not on the War
establishment. (Latin, mobilis.)
Mock-beggar Hall or Manor. A
grand, ostentatious house, where no
hospitality is afforded, neither is any
charity given.
“No times observed, nor charitable lawes,
The poor receive their answer from the (lawes,
Who, in their cawing language, call it plaine,
Mock-begger Mamour, for they conne in Väine.'
Taylor : Workes.
Mockery. “It will be a delusion, (t
mockery, and a snare.” Thomas, Tord
Denman, in his judgment on the case of
O’Connell v. The Queen.
Moda 1'ity, in scholastic philosophy,
means the mode in which anything exists.
Rant divides our judgment into three
modalities : (1) Problematic, touching
possible events; (2) Assertoric, touch-
ing real events; (3) Apodictic, touching
necessary events.
Modish (Lady Betty), in The Careless
IIusband, by Cibber. The name ex-
plains the character. This was Mrs.
Oldfield’s favourite character, and The
Tatley (No. 10) accordingly calls, this
charming actress “Lady Betty Modish.”
(See NARCISSA.)
Mo'do. The fiend that urges to mur-
der, and one of the five that possessed
“Poor Tom.” (See MAHU.) (Shake-
speare : King Lear, iv. 1.)
Mo'dred, in the romance of The
Round Table, is represented as the trea-
cherous knight. He revolted from his
Uncle Arthur, whose wife he seduced,
was mortally wounded in the battle of
Camlan, in Cornwall, and was buried in
the island of Avalon.
Sir Modred. The nephew of King
Arthur. He hated Sir Lancelot, sowed
discord amongst the Knights of the
Round Table, and tampered with the
“lords of the White Horse,” the brood
that Hengist left. When the king went
to chastise Sir Lancelot for tampering
with the queen, he left Sir Modred in
charge of the kingdom. Modred raised
a revolt, and the king was slain in his
attempt to quash it. (Tennyson : Idylls
of the King ; Guinevere.)
Mods. In Oxford a contracted form
of moderations. . The three necessary ex-
aminations in Oxford are the . Smalls,
the Mods, and the Greats. No one can
take a class till he has passed the Mods.
There are no Mods at Cambridge.
“While I was reading for Mods I was not so
unsettled in my mind.”—Grant Allen : The Back-
Slider, part iii.
Modus Operandi (Latin). The
mode of operation"; the way in which a
thing is done or should be done.
Modus Vivendi (A). A mutual ar-
rangement whereby persons not at the
time being on friendly terms can be
induced to live together in harmony.
This may apply to individuals, to socie-
ties, or to peoples (as the South Africans
and the Boers).
Mofus'sil (East Indies). The sub-
ordinate divisions of a district ; the seat
of government being called sudder. Pro-
vincial.
“To tell a luan that fatal, charges have been
laid against him, and refuse him an olyportunity
for explanation, this is not even Mofussil justice.”
—The Times.
Mogul Cards. The best playing-
cards were so called because the wrapper,
or “duty card” (when cards were sub-
ject to excise duty) contained the por-
trait of the Great Mogul. Those cards
which contained some mark, speck,
or other imperfection, were called
4 & Harrys.”
Moha'di [Mohammed]. The twelfth
Imaun, who is said to be living in con-
cealment till Antichrist appears, when he
will come again and overthrow the great
enemy.
Mohair. (Probably the Arabic muk-
hayyar, goat's-hair cloth.) It is the hair
of the Ango'ra goat, introduced into
Spain by the Moors, and thence brought
into Germany.
Mohalº'a bad’ (Al). Abu-Rihan,
the geographer and astronomer in the
eleventh century.
Mohocks. A class of ruffians who in
the 18th century infested the streets of
London. So called from the Indian Mo-
hawks. One of their “new inventions ‘’
was to roll persons down Snow Hill in a
54
Mohun
850
1Moloch
tub ; another was to overturn coaches on
rubbish-heaps. (See Gay : Trivia, iii.)
A vivid picture of the misdoings in the
streets of London by these and other
brawlers is given in The Spectator, No.
324.
“You sent your Mohocks next abroad,
With razors armed, and kniyes;
Who on night-Walkers made inroad,
And Scared our maids and Wives ;
They Scared the Watch, and windows broke . . .”
Plot upon Plot (about 1713).
Mohun. Captain Hill and Lord
Mohun made a dastardly attack on an
actor named Mountford, on his way to
Mrs. Bracegirdle's house in Howard
Street. Hill was jealous of the actor,
and induced the “noble lord” to join
him in this “valiant quarrel.” Mount-
ford died next day. Hill fled, and was
never heard of more ; Mohun was tried
for his life, but acquitted. (See ISSA-
CHAR.). (Howell: State Trials, vol. xii.
p. 947.)
Mohyronus (Edricius). Said to cure
wounds by sympathy. He did not apply
his powder to the wounds, but to a cloth
dipped in the blood.
Moiré Antique (French) is silk, etc.,
Anoiré (watered) in the antique style, or
to resemble the material worn in olden
times. The figuring of tin, like frost-
work or scales is called moiré métallique.
Mokan'na. [See KHORASSAN.]
Molière. The Italian Molière, Carlo
Goldoni (1707-1793).
The Spanish Molière. Leandro Fer-
nandez Moratin (1760-1828).
Molinism. The system of grace
and election taught by Louis Mo'lina, the
Spanish Jesuit (1535-1600).
“Those Jansenists, re-nicknamed Molinists.”
"'Owning : T'lue Ring and the Book.
Moll (Kentish). Mary Carlson, com-
monly known as the German Princess.
She was sentenced to transportation, but,
being found at large, was hanged at
Tyburn in 1672. -
Moll Cutpurse. Mary Frith, a
woman of masculine vigour, who not
unfrequently assumed man’s attire.
She was a notorious thief and cutpurse,
who once attacked General Fairfax on
Hounslow Heath, for which she was
sent to Newgate. She escaped by
bribery, and died at last of dropsy in the
seventy-fifth year of her age. (Time of
Charles I.)
Moll Flanders. A woman of extra-
ordinary beauty, born in the Old Bailey.
She was twelve years a courtesan, five
an advanced age.
times a wife, twelve years a thief, eight
years a transport in Virginia; but ulti-
mately grew rich, lived honestly, and died
a penitent. (Charles II.'s reign.) (See
Daniel Defoe's Moll Flanders.)
Moll Thomson's Mark. As “Take
away this bottle, it has Moll Thomson’s
mark on it.” Moll Thomson is M. T.
(empty). -
Molly. He’s a regular Molly. Said
of a man or big boy who betties or inter-
feres with women’s work, such as kitchen
business, dressmaking, personal decora-
tion, and so on.
Molly Coddle (A). A pampered
creature, afraid that the winds of heaven
should visit him too roughly; though a
male, a Molly ; not a valetudinarian, but
ever fearing lest he should be so.
Molly Maguires. An Irish secret
society organised in 1843. Stout, active
young Irishmen, dressed up in women’s
clothes, blackened faces, and otherwise
disguised, to surprise those employed to
enforce the payment of rents. Their
victims were ducked in bog-holes, and
many were beaten most unmercifully.
“The judge who tried the murderer was elected
by the Moily Maguires; the jurors who assisted
him were themselves Molly Maguires. A score of
Molly Maguires canie, forward to swear that the
assassin was sixty miles from the slºot on which
lie had been seen to fire at Willialu Dunn, . . . and
the jurors returned a verdict of Not Guilty.”—W.
IIepworth Divon: New America, ii. 28.
Molly Mog. This celebrated beauty
was an innkeeper’s daughter, at Oaking-
ham, Berks. She was the toast of all
the gay sparks, in the former half of the
eighteenth century, and died in 1766, at
Gay has a ballad on
this Fair Maid of the Inn.
Molly Mog died at the age of sixty-
seven, a spinster; Mr. Standen, of Ar-
borfield, the enamoured Swain alluded to
in the ballad, died 1730. It is said that
Molly's sister Sally was the greater
beauty. A portrait of Gay still hangs
in the inn.
Molmutius. A mythical king of
Britain, who promulgated the laws called
the Molmutine, and established the
privilege of sanctuary. He is alluded to
in Cymbeline, iii. 1 (Shakespeare).
Moloch. Any influence which de-
mands from us the sacrifice of what we
hold most dear. Thus, war is a Moloch,
%ing mob is a Moloch, the guillotine was
the Moloch of the French Revolution, etc.
The allusion is to the god of the Am-
|monites, to whom children were “made
*
Moly
851
Money
to pass through the fire” in sacrifice.
Milton says he was “worshipped in
Rabba, in Argob, and Basan, to the
stream of utmost Arnon.” (Paradise
Lost, book i. 392–398.) -
Mo/ly. Wild garlic, called Sorcerer's
garlic. There are many sorts, all of
which flower in May, except “the sweet
moly of Montpelier,” which blossoms in
September. The most noted are “the
great moly of Homer,” the Indian moly,
the moly of Hungary, Serpent’s moly,
the yellow moly, Spanish purple moly,
Spanish silver-capped moly, and Dios-
cor'ides's moly. Pope describes it and its
effects in one of his odes, and Milton
refers to it in his Comus. (Greek, molat.)
“That moly
That Hermès Once to Wise Ulysses gave.”
ilton : Comvus, 655-6.
Mome (French), says Cotgrave, is a
Momus, find-fault, carping fellow. So
called from Momus, the god of raillery.
“Or cessent dongues les momes,
De luordre les eScrits miens.”
J. du Bella y : A. P. de RomSard.
Mo'miers (French, men of mummery).
An Evangelical party of Switzerland,
somewhat resembling our Methodists.
They arose in 1818, and made way both
in Germany and France.
Mommur. The realm of O’beron.
(JIiddle Age romance.)
Mo'mus. One who carps at every-
thing. Momus, the sleepy god, was
always railing and carping.
Momus, being asked to pass judgment on the
relative merits of Neptune, Vulcan, and Minerva,
railed at them all. He said the horns of a bull
ought to have been placed in the shoulders, where
they would have been of much greater forge ; as
for man, he said Jupiter ought to have made him
with a window in liis breast, whereby his real
thoughts might be revealed. Hence. Dr. Gray
says that every unrea,Sona,ble carper is called a
“MolllllS.” . .
Momus's Lattice Or Window.
Momus blamed Vulcan because he did
not set a window or lattice in the human
breast for discerning secret thoughts.
“Were Momus' lattice in our breasts . . .”
Byrom : Weymer, iii. 1.
Mo'naciel'Io [little monk]. . . A sort
of incubus in the mythology bf Naples.
It is described as a thick little man,
dressed in a monk’s garment and broad-
brimmed hat. Those who will follow
when he beckons will be led to a spot
where treasure is concealed. Sometimes,
however, it is his pleasure to pull the
bed-clothes off, and sometimes to sit
perched on a sleeper.
Monarchi'ans. A theological party -
of the third century, who maintained
that God is one, immutable and primary.
Their opponents turned upon them, and
nicknamed them Patripassians (q.v.),
saying that according to such a doctrine
God the Father must have suffered on
the cross.
Monarchy. ... Fifth-monarchy men.
Those who believed that the second
coming of Christ was at hand, and that
at His second coming He would establish
the fifth universal monarchy. The five
are these: the Assyrian, the Persian,
the Macedonian, the Roman, and the
Millennium.
Monday Pops. A contraction of
“Monday Populars,” meaning popular
concerts for classical music, introduced
at St. James's Hall by Mr. Arthur
Chappell in 1858. There are Saturday
Pops also.
Money. Shortly after the Gallic in-
vasion, Lucius Furius built a temple to
Juno Moneta (the Monitress) on the spot
where the house of Manlius Capitolinus
stood. This spot of the Capitol was
selected because Manlius was the first
man alarmed by the gackling of the
sacred geese. This temple was subse-
quently converted into a mint, and the
“ases” there coined were called moneta.
* Juno is represented on medals with
instruments of coinage, as the hammer,
anvil, pincers, and die. (See Livy, vii.
28, and Cicero, De Divinitate, i. 15.)
The oldest coin of Greece bore the im-
press of an ox. Hence a bribe for silence
was said to be an “ox on the tongue.”
Subsequently each province had its own
Impress : -
Athens, an owl (the bird of wisdom).
Baeotia, Bagchus (the vineyard of Greece).
Delphos, a dolphin;
Macedonia, a buckler (from its love of war).
Rhodes, the disc of the Sun (the Colossus was an
ilhlage to the Sun).
Rome had a different impress for each
CO1I] .
For the As, the head of Janus on one side, and
the proy of a ship on the reverse. .
The Semi-as, the lead of Jupiter and the
letter S.
The Triens, the head of a woman (? Rome or
Minerva) and four points to denote four ounces,
The Quadrams, the head of Hercules and three
points to denote three ounces.
The Sea:tans, the head of Mercury, and two
points to denote two ounces.
Powed money. Bent coin, given as a
pledge of love.
“Taking forth a bowed groat, and an old penny
}}QWed lie gave it [sic] Ther.” — Coney-catching,
(Tilme, Elizabeth,)
Money makes the Mare to go.
(See MARE.)
Monimia. 8
2
IMonkey Spoons
Monim'ia, in Otway's tragedy of
The Orphan. Sir Walter Scott says,
“More tears have been shed for the
sorrows of Monimia, than for those of
Juliet and Desdemona.”
Monism. The doctrine of the oneness
of mind and matter, God and the uni-
verse. It ignores all that is supernatural,
and the dualism of mind and matter, God
and creation ; and, as this is the case,
of course, there can be no opposition
between God and the world, as unity
cannot be in opposition to itself. Monism
teaches that “all are but parts of one
stupendous whole, whose body nature is,
and God the soul; ” hence, whatever is,
only conforms to the cosmical laws of
the universal ALL.
Haeckel, of Jena, in 1866, revived this
theory, and explains it thus: “Monism
(the correlative of Dualism) denotes a
unitary conception, in opposition to a
supernatural one. Mind can never exist
without matter, nor matter without
mind.” As God is the same “yesterday,
to-day, and for ever,” creation must be
the same, or God would not be un-
changeable.
Monitor. So the Romans called the
nursery teacher. The Military Monitor
was an officer to tell young soldiers of
the faults committed against the service.
The House Monito) was a slave to call
the family of a morning, to announce
meal-times, and SO On.
Monitor. A warship resembling a raft,
with a movable turret.
Monk, in printing, is a black smear
or blotch made by leaving too much ink
On the part. Caxton set up his printing-
press in the scripto','ium of Westminster
Abbey ; and the associations of this
place gave rise to the slang expressions
Anon/; and friar for black and white
defects. (See FRIAR, CHAPEL.
Give a man a monk (French, “Lity
bailler le moyne).” To do one a mischief.
Rabelais says that Grangousier (after
the battle of Picrocho'le) asked “what
was become of Friar John ; ” to which
Gargantua replied, “No doubt the
enemy has the monk,” alluding to the
pugnacious feats of this wonderful
Churchman, who knocked men down
like ninepins. (Rabelais : Gargantua and
I’antagruel, book i. 45.
Monk Lewis. . Matthew Gregory
Lewis is so called from his novel en-
titled The Monk. (1773-1818.)
Monk listening to a Bird.
(See
FELIX, HILDESHEIM.)
Richard of
(Fourteenth
Monk of Westminster.
Cirencester, the historian.
century.)
Monkey (A). £500. (See MARYGOLD.)
Monkey = the Devil ; an imp of mis-
chief. Hence, a meddlesome child is
spoken to as “you little monkey; ”
and is called “a regular imp,” or “imp
of mischief.” The allusion is to the
old drawings of devils, with long tails
and monkey ugliness.
To get (or have), one's monkey up. To
be riled. Here the allusion is also to
the devil or evil spirit in man ; he will
be “in a devil of a temper.” Even
taken literally, monkeys are extremely
irritable and easily provoked.
Monkey, in Sailor language, is the
vessel which contains the full allowance
of grog. Halliwell (Archaic Dictionary)
has-
“Moncorn, “Beere corne, barley bygge, or mon-
COrne.’”—(1552.)
To suck the monkey. Sailors call the
vessel which contains their full allow-
ance of grog “a monkey.” Hence, to
‘‘suck the monkey’’ is surreptitiously
to suck liquor from a cask through a
Straw. Again, when the milk has been
taken from a cocoanut, and rum has
been substituted, “sucking the monkey”
means drinking this rum. Probably
“monkey ’’ in all such cases is a cor-
ruption of moſtcoºl (ale or beer). (See
lſarryat’s Peter Simple) (See MonkEY
SPOONS.)
Monkey Board. . The step behind
an omnibus on which the conductor
stands, or rather skips about like a
monkey.
Monkey Boat. A-long, narrow boat.
Monkey Jacket. A coat with no
more tail than a monkey, or, more strictly
speaking, an ape.
Monkey-puzzle.
to a Chilian.pine, whose twisted and
prickly branches puzzle even a monkey
to climb.
Monkey Spoons. Spoons at one
time given in Holland at marriages,
christenings, and funerals. They may
still be picked up occasionally at cu-
riosity shops. The spoon at weddings
was given to some immediate relative of
the bride, and just below the monkey on
the handle was a heart. At funerals
the spoon was given to the officiating
clergyman. Among the Dutch, drink-
ing is called “Sucking the monkey’”
The name given
Monkey
MOnSOOn
(zrtiſing de monky), and one fond of
drink was called “a monkey sucker.”
The Dutchman began the day with an
appetiser—i.e. rum, with a pinch of salt,
served in a monkey spoon (monky lápel);
and these appetisers were freely used at
weddings, christenings, and funerals.
Monkey with a Long Tail (A).
A mortgage. A monkey (q.v.) is slang
for £500.
Monkey's Allowance. More kicks
than halfpence. The allusion is to the
monkeys carried about for show ; they
pick up the halfpence, but carry them
to the master, who keeps kicking or
ill-treating the poor creatures to urge
them to incessant tricks.
Monkey's Money. I will pay yout in
monkey’s money (“en monnaie de singe’)
—in goods, in personal work, in mumb-
ling and grimace. The French had a
law that when a monkey passed the
Petit Pont, of Paris, if it was for sale it
was to pay four deniers (two-thirds of a
penny) for toll; but if it belonged to a
showman and was not for sale, it should
suffice if the monkey went through his
tricks. -
“It was an original by Master Charles Char-
mois, principal painter to King Megistus [of
France], paid for in court fashion with monkey's
lºgy."—Raleiais: Gargamtua and Palmtagruel,
Monſkir and Na'lzir, according to
Mahometan mythology, are two angels
who interrogate the dead immediately
they are buried. The first two questions
they ask are, “Who is your Lord?” and
“Who is your prophet 2'' Their voices
are like thunder, their aspects hideous,
and those not approved of they lash into
perdition with whips half-iron and half-
flame. (See MUNKAR.)
“Do you not see those spectres that are stirring
the burning coals 2 They are Monkir and Nakir.”
—Beckford : Vathele.
Monmouth.
of the Monnow.
Monmouth. The surname of Henry V.
of England, who was born there.
Monmouth Cap. A soldier's cap,
“The soldiers that the Monmouth wear,
3.
The town at the mouth
On castles' tops their ensigns rear.’
“The best caps were formerly made at Mon- -
mouth, where the cappers' chapel doth still re-
main.”—Fulley: Worthies of Wales, p. 50.
Monmouth Street (London) takes
its name from the unfortunate son of
Charles II., executed for rebellion in
1685. Now Dudley Street.
Monnaie de Basoche. Worth-
less coin; coin not current ; counters.
“Brummagem halfpennies.” Coins were
at one time made and circulated by the
lawyers of France, which had no cur-
rency beyond their own community.
(See BASOCHIANS.)
Mono'nia (3 syl.). Munster.
“IRemember the glories of Brien the lyraw
Though the days of the hero are o'er,
Though lost to Monomia, and cold in the grave,
He returns to Kinko'ra [his palace] no more.”
T. Moore : Irish Melodies, No. 1.
Monophagous. The eater of one
sort of food only. (Greek, monos pha-
gein.)
Monoph'ysites (4 syl.). A religious
sect in the Levant, who maintained that
Jesus Christ had only one nature, and
that divine and human were combined
in much the same way as the body and
soul in man. (Greek, monos phºtsis, one
lmature.)
Monoth'elism consisted in the doc-
trine that, although Christ has two dis-
tinct natures, He never had but one will,
His human will being merged in the
jº. (Greek, monos-thelema, one single
WI
Monroe Doctrine. “The American
States are never to entangle themselves
in the broils of Europe, nor to suffer the
powers of the Old World to interfere in
the affairs of the New ; and they...are to
account any attempt on the part of the
Old World to plant their systems of
government in any part of North Ame-
rica dangerous to American peace and
safety. James Monroe was twice pre-
sident of the United States. (1816 and
1820.) - -
Monsieur. Philippe, TXuc d’Orléans,
brother to Louis XIV., was called Moº-
sieur ; other gentlemen were only Mon-
sieur This or That. (1674-1723.)
Monsieur le Coadjuteur. Paul de Gondi,
afterwards Cardinal de Retz (Ress).
(1614-1679.)
Monsieur le Dutc. Henri-Jules de
Bourbon, eldest son of the Prince de
Condé. (1692-1740.) -
Monsieur le Grand. The Great Equerry
of France.
Monsient, le Prince. Prince de Condé
(1621-1686). (See MADAME.)
Monsieur de Paris. The public
executioner or Jack Ketch of France.
“Riccardo de Albertes was a personal friend of
all the ‘Messieurs de Paris,' who served the Re-
public. He attended all capital executions, and
possesses a curious library.”—Newspaper Patº (t-
graph, January 25th, 1893.
Monsoon is a corruption of the Malay
word m008éem (year or season). For six
Monster
854 - 1Montesinos
months it is a north-east trade-wind, and
for six months a South-west.
Monster (The). Renwick Williams,
a wretch who used to prowl about Lon-
don, wounding respectable women with
a double-edged knife. He was con-
victed of several offences in July, 1790.
The green-eyed monster. Jealousy; SO
called by Shakespeare in Othello.
“Beware of Jealousy
It is a green-eyed monster that doth mock
The meat it feeds On.” Act, iii. 3
Monsters. See each under its name,
as CoCKATRICE, CHICHIVACHE, CHIMAERA,
etc.
Mont, in chiromancy, is the technical
word for the eminences at the roots of
the fingers.
That at the root Of the
thumb is the Mont de Mars. º
ſimdea, finger is the Mont de Jupiter,
long finger is the Mont de Saturne.
ºring finger is the Mont de Soleil.
little finger is the Mont de Venus.
* There are two others: one between
the thumb and index finger, called the
Mont de Mercure, and one opposite
called the Mont de Lune. (See FINGER.)
Mont de Piété. A pawn depôt.
These depôts, called “monti di pietà ''
(charity loans), were first instituted
under Leo X., at Rome, by charitable
persons who wished to rescue the poor
and needy from usurious money-lenders.
They advanced small sums of money on
the security of pledges, at a rate of in-
terest barely sufficient to cover the
working expenses of the institution.
Both the name and system were intro-
duced into France and Spain. The
model Loan Fund of Ireland is formed
on the same system. Public granaries
for the sale of corn are called in Italian
Monti frumentariº. “Monte ” means a
public or State loan ; hence also a
‘‘ bank.”
Mont St. Michel, in Normandy,
formerly called Belen. ... Here nine
Druidesses sold to Sailors the arrows to
charm away storms. The arrows had to
be discharged by a young man twenty-
one years old.
Montagnards [the moºſºta??? party].
The extreme democratic politicians in
the French Revolution; so called be-
cause they occupied the highest tier of
benches in the hall of the National Con-
vention. The opposite party sat on the
level of the floor, called the “plain.”
Mon’tague (3 Syl.). The head of a
faction in Verona (Shakespeare: Romeo
and Juliet). The device of the family
is a mountain with sharply-peaked crest
(mont-agº or actſ).
Monta'nists. Heretics of the second
century; so called from Monta'nus, a
Bhrygian, who asserted that he had re-
ceived from the Holy Ghost special
knowledge that had not been vouchsafed
to the apostles.
Montanto. Signior Montanto. A
master of fence rather than a soldier; a
tongue-doughty knight. It is a word
of fence, and hence Ben Jonson says,
“Your pºnto, your reverso, your stoccata,
your imbrocata, your passada, your
montanto.” (Every Man in his Humour.)
Monteer Cap. So called from mon-
teros d’Espinoza (mountaineers), who
once formed the interior guard of the
palace of the Spanish king. The way
they came to be appointed is thus ac-
counted for :—Sanchica, wife of IJon
Sancho Garcia, Count of Castile, entered
into a plot to poison her husband, but
one of the mountaineers of Espinoza
revealed the plot and saved the count’s
life. Ever after the sovereigns of Castile
recruited their body-guards from men
of this estate.
Monteith'. A Scalloped basin to cool
and wash glasses in ; a sort of punch-
bowl, made of silver or pewter, with a
movable rim scalloped at the top ; so
called from its inventor.
“New things produce new names, and thus
MOn teith e .
Has by one vessel Saved his name from º”
A lºng.
Montem. A custom formerly ob-
served every three years by the boys of
Eton school, who proceeded on Whit
Tuesday ad montem (to a mound called
Salt Hill), near the Bath Road, and
exacted a gratuity called salt from all
who passed by. Sometimes as much as
£1,000 was thus collected. The custom
was abolished in 1847.
Monte'ro-cap (A) properly means a
huntsman’s cap; but Sir Walter Scott
tells us that Sir Jeffrey Hudson wore “a
large Montero hat,” meaning a Spanish
hat with a feather. (Peveril of the
Peak, chap. XXXV.)
Montesi'nos (The Cave of). Close
to the castle of Rochafrida, to which a
knight of the same name, who had re-
ceived some cause of offence at the
French court, retired. Tradition ascribes.
the river Guadia'na, to this cave as its
source, whence the river is sometimes
called Montesinos. .
Montezuma's Realm.
S;
5
§
Months
Montezu'ma's Realm. Mexico.
Montezuma, the last emperor, was seized
by Cortes, and compelled to acknowledge
himself a vassal of Spain (1519).
Montezu'ma's Watch. A curious
stone, weighing twenty-four tons, of
basaltic porphyry, in Mexico. This im-
mense stone is cut into figures denoting
the Mexican division of time, and may
be termed their calendar.
Montfaucon Watch (A). “Le guet
de Montfaucon.” A man hanged. Mont-
faucon is an eminence near Paris, once
used as the Tyburn or place of execu-
tion. At one time it was crowded with
gibbets, but at the Revolution they
were destroyed, and it became the dust-
|bin of the city, “Une voirie pour les
immondices de Paris et l'éscarrissage des
chewan/ac.” In 1841 this sink of corrup-
tion and infection was moved to “La
plaine des Pertus,” Surely a strange
satire on the word.
Montgomery, in North Wales; SO
called from Roger de Montgomery, Earl
of Shrewsbury, who won the castle of
Baldwyn, lieutenant of the marches to
William the Conqueror. Before this
time it was called “Tre Faldwyn.”
Montgomery’s division, all on one side.
This is a French proverb, and refers to
the Free Companies of the sixteenth
century, of which Montgomery was
a noted chief. The booty he took was
all given to his banditti, and nothing
was left to the victims.
SHARE.)
Month of Sundays (A). An inde-
finite long time; never. (See NEVER.)
“Such another chance might never turn up in
a month of . Sundays.”—Boldrew 000 : Robbery
Under Arms, chap. xl.
Month's Mind (A). An irresistible
longing (for something); a great desire.
“I see you have a month's mind for them.”—
Shakespeare : Two Gentlemen of Verona, i. 2.
Months. -
January. So called from “Janus,”
the Roman deity that kept the gates of
heaven. The image of Janus is repre-
sented with two faces looking opposite
ways. One face is old, and is emblema-
tical of time past ; the other is 4/07/ng, as
the emblem of time future. The Dutch
used to call this month Lantw-maand
(frosty-month); the Saxons, Wººf-mo-
nath, because wolves were very trouble-
some then from the great scarcity of
food. After the introduction of Chris-
tianity, the name was changed to Se
aftera geóla (the after-yule); it was also
(See LION’s
febrito (to purify).
Hyd-monath (boisterous-month).
called Forma-monath (first month). In
the French Republican calendar it was
called Nivöse (snow-month, December
20th to 20th January).
I'ebruary. So called from “Februa,”
a name of Juno, from the Sabine word
Juno was so called
because she presided over the purifica-
tion of women, which took place in
this month. The Dutch used to term
the month Sp0kkel-maand (vegetation-
month); the ancient Saxons, Sprote-cal
(from the sprouting of pot-wort or kele);
they changed it subsequently to Sol-
monath (from the returning sun). In
the French Republican calendar it was
called Pluviàse (rain-month, 20th January
to 20th February).
March. So called from “Mars,” the
Roman war-god and patron deity. The
old Dutch name for it was Lent-maand
(lengthening-month), because the days
sensibly lengthen ; the old Saxon name
was, Hrēth-monath (rough month, from
its boisterous winds); the name was
subsequently changed to Length-monath
(lengthening month); it was also called
In
the French Republican calendar it was
called Ventóse (windy-month, February
paschal-month).
20th to March 20th).
April. So called from the Latin
aperio (to open), in allusion to the
unfolding of the leaves. The old Dutch
name was Gras-maand (grass-month);
the old Saxon, Easter-monath (orient or
In the French Repub-
lican calendar it was called Germinal
(the time of budding, March 21st to the
19th of April).
May is the old Latin magius, softened
into maints, similar to the Sanskrit Anah
(to grow), that is, the growing-month.
The old Dutch name was bloºd-maand
(blossoming month); the Old Saxon, Tri-
Amilchi (three milch), because cows were
milked thrice a day in this month. In
the French Republican calendar the
month was called Floréal (the time of
flowers, April 20th to May 20th).
June. So called from the “juniores”
or soldiers of the state, not from Juno,
the queen-goddess. The old Dutch name
was Zomer-maand (summer-month); the
old Saxon, Sere-monath (dry-month), and
Lida-derra (joy-time). In the French
IRepublican calendar the month was
called Prairial (meadow-month, May
20th to June 18th). -
July. Mark Antony gave this month
the name of Julius, from Julius Caesar,
who was born in it. It had been pre-
viously called Quinti'lis (fifth-month).
IMOnths
The old Dutch name for it was Hooy-
maand (hay-month); the old Saxon,
Maed-monath (because the cattle were
turned into the meadows to feed), and
Lida aftewº (the Second mild or genial
month). In the French Republican
calendar it was called Messidor (harvest-
month, June 19th to July 18th).
August. So called in honour of Au-
gustus Caesar ; not because it was his
birth-month, but because it was the
month in which he entered upon his first
consulship, celebrated three triumphs,
received the oath of allegiance from the
legions which occupied the Janic'ulum,
reduced Egypt, and put an end to the
civil wars. He was born in September.
The old Dutch name for August was Oost-
maand (harvest-month); the old Saxon,
Weod-monath (weed-month, where weed
signifies vegetation in general. In the
Erench Republican calendarit was called
Ther-midor (hot-month, July 19th to
August 17th). .
September. The seventh month from
March, where the year used to com-
mence. The old Dutch name was Herst-
maand (autumn-month); the old Saxon,
Gerst-monath (barley-monath), or Haar-
fest-monath ; and after the introduction
of Christianity Halig - monath (holy-
month, the nativity of the Virgin Mary
being on the 8th, the exaltation of the
Cross on the 14th, Holy-Rood Day on
the 26th, and St. Michael’s Day on the
29th). In the French Republican cal-
endar it was called Fructidor (fruit-
month, August 18th to September 21st).
October. The eighth month of the
Alban calendar. The old Dutch name
was Wyn-maand; the Old Saxon, Win-
monath (wine-month, or the time of vin-
tage); it was also called Teo-monath
(tenth - month), and Winter - fylleth
(winter full-moon). In the French Re-
publican calendar it was called Pendé-
7niaire (time of vintage, September 22nd
to October 21st).
Movember. The ninth Alban month.
The old Dutch name was Slaght-maand
(slaughter-month, the time when the
beasts were slain and salted down for
winter use); the old Saxon, Wind-monath
(wind-month, when the fishermen drew
their boats ashore, and gave over fishing
till the next spring); it was also called
J3!ot-monath—the same as Slaght-maand.
In the French Republican calendar it
was called Brumaire (fog-month, Octo-
lber 22nd to November 21st). -
December. The tenth month of the old
Alban calendar. The old Dutch name
was Winter-maand (winter-month); the
856
Monumerital Effigies
–s
old Saxon, Mid-winter-monath (mid-
winter-month); whereas June was Mid-
sm/mor-monath. Christian Saxons called
December Se ura ge6la (the anti-yule).
In the French Republican calendar it
was called Frimaire (hoar-frost month,
from November 22nd to December 20th).
Monthawi (Al), [the destroyer]. One
of Mahomet’s lances, confiscated from
the Jews when they were exiled from
Medi'na.
Montjoie St. Denis. The war-cry
of the French. Montjoie is a corruption
of Mons Jovis, as the little mounds were
called which served as direction-posts in
ancient times; hence it was applied to
whatever showed or indicated the way,
as the banner of St. T)enis, called the
Oriflamme. The Burgundians had for
their war-cry, “Montjoie St. André; ”
the dukes of Bourbon, “Montjoie Notre
Dame; ” and the kings of England
used to have “Montjoie St. George.”
There seems no sufficient reason to
suppose that Montjoie St. Denis is a
corruption of “St. Denis mon joie ’’—
i.e. “St. Denis is my hope.”
Montjoie. The cry of the French
heralds in the ancient tournaments; and
the title of the French king-of-arms.
Montrognon (Baron of), Lord of
Bourglastie, Tortebesse, and elsewhere.
A huge mass of muscle, who existed
only to eat and drink. He was a de-
scendant of Esau on his father's side,
and of Gargantua, on his mother's. He
once performed a gigantic feat—he
killed six hundred Saracens who hap-
pened to get in his way as he was going
to dinner. He was bandy-legged, could
lift immense weights, had an elastic
stomach, and four rows of teeth. In
Croquemitaine he is made one of the
paladins of Charlemagne, and was one
of the four knights sent in Search of
Croquemitaine and Fear-fortress.
Montserrat'. The Catalonians aver
that this mountain was riven and shat-
tered at the Crucifixion. Every rift is
filled with evergreens. Similar legends
exist with regard to many other moun-
tains. (Latin, mons Serra'tats, the moun-
tain jagged like a saw.)
Monumental City. Baltimore, U.S.,
is so called because it abounds in monu-
ments : witness the obelisk, the 104
churches, etc.
Monumental Effigies. In the age
of chivalry the woman in monumental
brasses and effigies is placed on the
Monumental Figures S57
TMoon.
man's right hand; but when chivalry
declined she was placed on his left hand.
Monumental Figures. No. 1.
(1) Those in stone, with plain sloping
roofs, and without inscriptions, are the
oldest. & g -
(2) In 1160 these plain prismatic roofs
began to be ornamented.
(3) In the same century the sloping
roofs gave place to armorial bearings.
(4) In the thirteenth century we see
flat roofs, and figures carved on the lids.
(5) The next stage was an arch, built
over the monument to protect it.
(6) The sixth stage was a chapel an-
nexed to the church.
(7) The last stage was the head bound
and feet tied, with children at the base,
or cherubims at the feet.
Monumental Figures. No. 2.
Figures with their hands on their
breasts, and chalices, represent priests.
Figures with Crozier, mitre, and ponti-
ficals, represent prelates.
Figures with armour represent knights.
Figures with legs crossed represent
either crºſsade)'s or married me??.
Female figures with a mantle and large
ring represent mºths.
Monumental Figures. No. 3.
Those in scale armour are the most
ancient (time, Henry II.).
Those in chain armour or ring-mail
come next (time, Richard I. to Henry
III.)
tween the fourteenth and seventeenth
centuries.
Brasses are for the most part Subse-
quent to the thirteenth century.
Monumental Figures. No. 4.
Saints lie to the east of the altar, and
are elevated above the ground ; the
higher the elevation, the greater the
sanctity. Martyrs are much elevated.
IHoly men not canonised lie on a level
with the pavement.
JFounders of chapels, etc., lie with their
monument built into the wall.
Monumental Inscriptions.
Capital letters and Latin inscriptions
are of the first twelve centuries.
Lombardic capitals and French inscrip-
tions, of the thirteenth century,
German text, of the fourteenth cen-
tury.
Bnglish and Roman print, subsequent
to the fourteenth century.
Tablets against the wall came in with
the Reformation.
Those with children or cherubims, be-
Moohel. A Jew whose office it is to
circumcise the young Jewish boys.
Moon means “measurer’’ of time
(Anglo-Saxon, mána, maSc. gen.). It is
masculine in all the Teutonic languages;
in the Edda, the son of Mundilfori is
Măni (moon), and daughter Sól (sun);
so it is still with the Lithuanians and
Arabians, and so was it with the ancient
Mexicans, Slavi, Hindus, etc.; so that
it was a most unlucky dictum of Harris,
in his Hermes, that all mations ascribe to
the Sun a masculine, and to the Moon a
feminine gender. (Gothic, mena, masc.;
Sanskrit, mits, masc., from Amé, to mea-
sure.) The Sanskrit ºnátram is an in-
strument for measuring ; hence Greek
metron ; French, metre; English, meter.
The Germans have Frau Some (Mrs.
Sun) and Herº Mond (Mr. Moon).
Moon, represented in five different
phases: (1) new ; (2) full ; (3) crescent
or decrescent ; (4) half ; and (5) gibbous,
or more than half.
Moon, in pictures of the Assumption
of the Virgin, is represented as a crescent
under her feet ; in the Crucifixion it is
eclipsed, and placed on One side of the
cross, the sun being on the other; in the
Creation and Last Judgment it is also
introduced by artists.
Hecate. The moon before she has
risen and after she has set.
Astarte. The crescent moon, “the
moon with crescent horns.”
I)iana. The moon in the open vault
of heaven, who “ hunts the clouds.”
Cynthia. Same as Diana.
Selenë or Lúna. The moon personified,
properly the full moon, who loved the
sleeping Endymion.
Jºndymion. Moonlight on a bank,
field, or garden.
“How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this
bank 1" Shakespeare: Merchanit of Venice, V. l.
Phoebe. The moon as the sister of the
sun. (See ASTARTE, ASHTAROTH, etc.),
Moon. Astolpho found treasured in
the moon everything wasted on this
earth, such as misspent time and wealth,
'broken vows, unanswered prayers, fruit-
less tears, abortive attempts, unfulfilled
desires and intentions, etc. All bribes
were hung on gold and silver hooks;
prince's favours were kept in bellows;
wasted talent was kept in vases, each
marked with the proper name ; etc.
Orlando Furioso, bk. xviii. (See Rape of
the Dock, c. v.)
Moon. (See under MAHOMET.)
The moon is called “triform,” because
it presents itself to us either round, or
Moon-calf
858
Moots
waxing with horns towards the east, or
waning with horns towards the west.
Island of the moon. Madagascar is so
named by the natives. -
Minions of the moon. Thieves who
rob by night. (See 1 Henry IV., i. 2.)
Mountains of the Moon means simply
White Mountains. The Arabs call a
white horse “moon-coloured.” (Jackson.)
He cries for the moon. He graves to
have what is wholly beyond his reach.
The allusion is to foolish children who
want the moon for a plaything. The
French say “He wants to take the moon
between his teeth?” (“I/ weſt prendre la
lºne avec le dents”), alluding to the old
proverb about “the moon,” and a
“green cheese.”
To cast beyond the moon. To make ex-
travagant conjectures ; to cast your
thoughts or guesses beyond all reason.
To-level at the moon. To be very am-
bitious ; to aim in shooting at the moon.
You have found an elephant in the moon
—found a mare's nest. Sir Paul Neal, a
conceited virtuoso of the seventeenth
century, gave out that he had discovered .
“an elephant in the moon.” It turned
out that a mouse had crept into his
telescope, which had been mistaken for
an elephant in the moon. Samuel Butler
has a satirical poem on the subject called
The Elephant in the Moon.
You would have me believe, I suppose,
that the moon is a green cheese—i.e. the
most absurd thing possible. A green
cheese is a cream cheese which is eaten
green or fresh, and is not kept to mature
like other cheeses.
Man in the moon. (See MAN.)
Pſares sacred to the moon, not because
Diana was a great huntress, but because
the Hindus affirm that the outline of a
hare is distinctly visible on the moon.
Once in a blue moon. (See BLUE.)
Moon-calf is an inanimate, shape-
less mass (Pliny: Natural History, x. 64).
This abortion was supposed to be pro-
duced by the influence of the moon.
The primary meaning of calf is not the
young of a cow, but the issue arising
“from throwing out,” as a push, a pro-
tuberance ; hence the calves of the legs.
“A false conception, called mola, i.e. moon-calf
. . . a lump of flesh without shape or life.”—Hol-
land: Pliny, Vii. 15.
Moon-drop. In Latin, virus liſmåre,
a vaporous drop supposed to be shed by
the moon on certain herbs and other ob-
jects, when influenced by incantations.
“Upon the corner of the moon,
There hangs a vaporous drop profound ;
I’ll catch it ere it come to ground.” -
Shakespeare : Macbeth, iii. 5.
—n
Moon-maker [Sagendé Nah], a sur-
name given to the Veiled Prophet (q.v.),
who caused a moon to issue from a
deep well, so brilliant that the real moon
was eclipsed by it.
Moon-rakers. The people of Wilt-
shire are so called. In the “good old
times” they were noted smugglers, and
One day, seeing the coastguard on the
watch, they sunk in the sea some Smug-
gled whisky. When they supposed the
coast was clear they employed rakes to
get their goods in hand again, when lo
the coastguard reappeared and de-
manded of them what they were doing,
Pointing to the reflection of the moon
in the water, they replied, “We are
trying to rake out that cream-cheese
yonder.”
Moon's Men. Thieves and highway-
men who ply their trade by night.
“The fortune of us that are bult, Moon’s-Innen
doth ebb and flow like the Sea.”—Shakespeare:
1 Hemºry IV., i. 2.
Moonlight Flitting (A). A clan-
destine removal of one’s furniture dur-
ing the night, to avoid paying one’s rent
or having the furniture seized in payment
thereof.
Moonstone. A mineral so called on
account of the play of light which it
exhibits. Wilkie Collins has a novel
called The Moonstone.
“The moonstone contains bluisli-white spots,
which, when held to the light, present a . . . .
silvery play of colour not unlike that of the
moon,”—Ure: Chemical Dictionary.
Moor-slayer or Mata-moros. A
name given to St. James, the patron-
saint of Spain, because in almost all
encounters with the Moors he came on
his white horse to the aid of the Chris-
tians. So, at least, it is Said.
Moors. In the Middle Ages, the
Europeans called all Mahometans Moors,
in the same manner as the Eastern
nations called all inhabitants of Europe
Franks. Camoens, in the Lusiad, terms
the Indians “Moors.” (Bk. viii.)
Moore (Thomas), called “Anacreon
Moore,” because the character of his
poetry resembles that of Anacreon, the
Greek poet of love and wine. He also
translated Anacreon's Odes. (1779-1852.)
Moot Point (A). A doubtful or un-
settled question. The Anglo-Saxon motº
ian is “to debate,” and a moot point
is one subjudice, or under debate.
Moots were debates which formerly
took place in the halls and libraries of
Inns of Court. The benchers and the
Mop
859
Morgan le Fay
barristers, as well as the students, took an
active part in these moots. Sir Simonds
D'Ewes, in his Diary (1625-1629), says:
“I had lived mooted in law French before I
was called to the bar.”—Nimeteenth Century, No-
vember, 1892, p. 775.
Mop. In many places statute fairs
are held, where servants seek to be
hired. Carters fasten to their hats a
piece of whipcord; shepherds, a lock of
wool; grooms, a piece of Sponge, etc.
When hired they mount a cockade with
streamers. Some few days after the
statute fair, a second, called a Mop, is
held for the benefit of those not already
hired. This fair mops or wipes up the
refuse of the statute fair, carrying away
the dregs of the servants left.
Mop. One of Queen Mab’s attendants.
All mops and brooms. Intoxicated.
Mora-stone, near Upsa'la, where the
Swedes used anciently to elect their
kings. -
Moral. The moral Gower. John
Gower, the poet, is so called by Chaucer.
(1320-1402.)
Iºather of moral philosophy. Thomas
Aquinas (1227-1274).
Moralist. The great moralist of Fleet
Street. Dr. Johnson (1709-1784).
Moran's Collar which strangled the
wearer if he deviated from the strict
rules of equity. Moran was the wise
councillor of Feredach the Just, an
early king of Ireland, before the Chris-
tian era. Of course, the collar is an
allegory of obvious meaning.
Morasteen [great stone]. The an-
cient Danes selected their king from the
sacred line of royalty. The man chosen
was taken to the Landsthing, or local
court, and placed on the morasteen,
while the magnates ranged themselves
around on stones of inferior size.
was the Danish mode of installation.
Morat. Morat and Marathoſ, twin
mames shall stand (Childe Harold, iii.
64). Morat, in Switzerland, is famous
for the battle fought in 1476, in which
the Swiss defeated Charles le Téméraire
of Burgundy.
Moratorium. A legal permission to
defer for a stated time the payment of a
bond, debt, cheque, or other obligation.
This is done to enable the creditor to
pull himself round by borrowing money,
selling effects, or otherwise raising funds
to satisfy obligations. The device was
adopted in 1891 in the Argentine Repub-
lics during the money panic caused by
Mort de Dieu.
This .
the Baring Brothers’ “difficulty,” a de-
fault of some twenty millions sterling.
Mora'vians or Bohemian Brethrem.
A religious community tracing its origin
from John Huss, expelled by persecu-
tion from Bohemia, and Moravia, in the
eighteenth century. They are often
called The United Breth)'é)7.
Morbleu ! (French). A corruption of
(See VENTRE ST. GRIs.)
More. To be 770 more.
longer; to be dead.
“Cassius is no more.”
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar.
More Kicks than Ha'pence. Like
the monkey which plays tricks for his
master. The monkey gets the kicks and
the master the ha'pence.
More Last Words. When Richard
Baxter lost his wife, he published a
broadsheet, headed Last Words of Mrs.
JBaacter, which had an immense sale.
The printer, for his own profit, brought
out a spurious broadsheet, headed
More Last JP'ords ; but Baxter issued a
small handbill with this concise sen-
tence : “Mrs. Baxter did not say any-
thing else.”
More of More Hall. A legendary
hero who armed himself with an armour
of spikes; and, concealing himself in
the cave where the dragon of Wantley
dwelt, slew the monster by kicking it on
the mouth, where alone it was mortal.
More the Merrier (The). The author
of this phrase was Henry Parrot.
More one has, the More he Desires
(The). In French, Plus il en a, plus il en
wentt. In Latin, Quo plus habent, eo plus
capitºt. !
“My more having would be a source
T() make me hunger lymore.”
Shakespeare : Macbeth, iv. 3.
More'no (3 syl.). Don Antonio Mo-
rèno, a gentleman of Barcelo'na, who
entertained Don Quixote with mock-
heroic hospitality.
Morestone. Would you remove More-
stone 2 (See MORTSTONE.)
Morgan le Fay. (See below.) W.
Morris, in his Earthly Paradise (August),
makes Morgan the bride of Ogier the
Dane, after his earthly career was
ended.
Morgan le Fay, Morgaine la Fée,
or Morgana the Fairy. Daughter of
Queen Igrayne, and half-sister of King
Arthur, who revealed to him the in-
trigues of Sir Lancelot and Guinever.
To exist no
Morganatic
860
Morrmon
She gave him a cup containing a magic
draught, and Arthur had no sooner
drunk it than his eyes were opened to
the perfidy of his wife and friend.
Morganat'ic Marriage (A). A mar-
riage in which the wife does not take
the husband’s rank, because legally, or
according to court bye-laws, the mar-
riage is not recognised. This sort of
marriage is effected when a man of high
rank marries a woman of inferior posi-
tion. The children in this case do not
inherit the title or entails of the father.
The word is based on the Gothic amorg-
jan, “to curtail” or “limit; ” and the
marriage settlement was called morgen-
gabe or morſ/eºſ/made, whence the Low
Latin matrimonium ad legem morganat-
icam, in which the dowry is to be con-
sidered all the portion the wife will
receive, as the estates cannot pass to
her or to her children.
A morganatic marriage is called “ left-
handed,” because a man pledges his
troth with his left hand instead of his
right. The “hand-fasted’’ marriages
of Scotland and Ireland were mor-
gamatic, and the “hand-fasted” bride
could be put away for a fresh union.
Morgane (2 syl.). A fay to whose
charge Zephyr committed young Pas-
selyon and his cousin Bennuca. Pas-
selyon fell in love , with Morgane's
daughter, and the adventures of these
young lovers are related in the romance
of Perceforest, vol. iii. (See MORGAN.)
Morgans. A Stock Exchange term,
signifying the French 6 per cents., which
were floated by the Morgans.
Morgan'te. A ferocious giant, con-
verted by Orlando to Christianity. After
performing the most wonderful feats, he
died at last from the bite of a crab. (See
below.)
Morgante Maggio're. A serio-comic
romance in verse, by Pulci, of Florence
(1494). He was the inventor of this
species of poetry, called by the French
bernesq.7te, from Berni, who greatly ex-
celled in it. Translated by Byron.
Morgia'na. The clever, faithful,
female slave of Ali Baba, who pries into
the forty jars, and discovers that every
jar, but one, contains a man. She takes
oil from the only one containing it,
and, having made it boiling hot, pours
enough into each jar to kill the thief
concealed there. At last she kills the
captain of the gang, and marries her
master’s son. (Arabian Nights : Ali
Baba and the Forty Thieves.) -
Morglay. A sword (glave de la mort,
the sword of Sir Bevis of Southamp-
ton), a generic name for a sword. (See
SworD.) -
“Had I been accompanied with my Toledo or
Morglay.”—Every Woman in her Humour.
“Carrying their morg lays in their hands.”—
Beſtttºmont and Fletchel' : H 0776St Maq.
Morgue, a dead-house, is generally
associated with mors (death); but this is
a blunder, as the word means visaffe,
and was first applied to prison vestibules,
where new criminals were placed to be
scrutinised, that the prison officials
might become familiar with their faces
and general appearance.
“On me conduit done au petit chastelet, où du
guichet estant pass; dams la morgue, un homme
groš, court, et carré, Vint à moy.”—ASSoucy : L(t
I?)"isom, de M. Dassotch (1674), p. 35.
“Morgue. Endroit oil 1 on tient quelque temps
ceux que l'om ecrouc, afin que les_guiçhetiers
puissent les... reconnaitre ensuit.”—Fleming and
Tibbins, vol. ii. p. 688.
Morgue la Faye, who watched over
the birth of Ogier the Dane, and after he
had finished his earthly career, restored
him to perpetual youth, and took him
to live with her in everlasting love in
the isle and castle of Av'alon.
Moribund. Teclining; in a dying
state ; on its last legs. Turkey is called
a moribund state. Institutions on the
decline are called moribund. Applied
to institutions, commercial companies,
states, etc. (Latin, moribundits, ready
to die.)
Moriso'nianism. The religious
system of James Morison, the chief
peculiarities being the doctrines of uni-
versal atonement, and the ability of
man unaided to receive or reject the
Gospel. James Morison, in 1841, sepa-
rated from the “United Secession,” now
merged into the “United Presbyterian.”
The Morisonians call themselves the
“Evangelical Union.”
Morley (Mrs.). The name under
which Queen Anne corresponded with
Mrs. Freeman (the Duchess of Marl-
borough).
Morma, in Pepys's Diary, is Eliza-
beth, daughter of John Dickens, who
died October 22nd, 1662.
Mormon. The last of a pretended
line of Hebrew prophets, and the pre-
tended author of The Book of Mormon,
or Golden Bible, written on golden
plates. This work was in reality written
by the Rev. Solomon Spalding, but was
claimed by Joseph Smith as a direct
revelation to him by the angel Mormon.
Spalding died in 1816; Smith, 1844.
Mormon Creed
861
Morrice
Mormon Creed. (1) God is a person
with the form and flesh of man. (2) Man
is a part of the substance of God, and
will himself become a god. . (3) Man
was not created by God, but existed from
all eternity, and will never cease to exist.
(4) There is no such thing as original or
birth sin. (5) The earth is only one of
many inhabited spheres. (6) God is
president of men made gods, angels,
good men, and spirits waiting to receive
a tabernacle of flesh. (7) Man’s house-
hold of wives is his kingdom not for
earth only, but also in his future state.
(8) Mormonism is the kingdom of God
on earth. (HV. Hepworth Divo), . New
America, i. 24.)
Mormonism. The religious and
social system of the Latter-day Saints;
so called from their gospel, termed
The Book of Mormon. Joe Smith, the
founder of the system, was born in
Sharon, Windsor county, Vermont; his
partner was Rigdon. The manuscript,
which he declared to be written on gold
plates, was a novel written by Spalding.
He was cited thirty-nine times into
courts of law, and was at last assassi-
1mated by a gang of ruffians, who broke
into his prison at Carthage, and shot
him like a dog. His wife’s name was
Emma, ; he lived at Nauvoo, in Illinois;
his successor was Brigham Young, a car-
penter by trade, who led the “Saints.”
(as the Mormons are called), driven from
home by force, to the valley of the Salt
Lake, 1,500 miles distant, generally
called Utah, but by the Mormons them-
selves Deseret (Bee-country), the New
Jerusalem. Abraham is their model
man, and Sarai their model woman, and
English their language. Young’s house
was called the Bee-hive. Every man,
woman, and child capable of work has
work to do in the community.
Morning. The first glass of whisky
drunk by Scotch fishermen in salutation
to the dawn. Thus one fisherman will
say to another, “Hae ye had your
morning, Tam?” or “I haena had my
morning, yet, Jock.”
“Having declined Mrs. Flockhart's compliment
ºf a mºrning,' . . . he made his adieus.”—Sir W
Scott : Waverley, chap. x liv.
Morning Star of the Reformation.
John Wycliffe (1324–1384).
Morocco. The name of Banks's bay
horse. (See BANKS and HoRSE.)
Morocco. Strong ale made from burnt
malt, used in the annual feast at Seven-
halls, Westmoreland (the seat of the
Hon. Mary Howard), on the opening of
e
Milnthorpe Fair. This liquor is put into
a large glass of unique form, and the
person whose turn it is to drink is called
the “colt.” He is required to stand on
one leg, and say “Luck to Sevens as
long as Kent flows,” then drain the glass
to the bottom, or forfeit one shilling.
The act is termed “drinking the con-
stable.” The feast consists of radishes,
oaten cake, and butter.
Morocco Men (The). Public-house
and perambulating touts for lottery
insurances. Their rendezvous was a
tavern in Oxford Market, on the
Portland estate, at the close of the
eighteenth century. In 1796 the great
State lottery employed 7,500 Morocco
men to dispose of their tickets.
Moros. The fool in the play entitled
The Longer Thott Livest the More Foo!
Thou Art, by William Wager.
Morpheus (2 syl., the Sleeper). Son
of Sleep, and god of dreams: so called
because he gives these airy nothings
their form and fashion.
Morrel. One of the shepherds in the
Shepherd's Calendar, by Spenser.
Morrice (Gil or Child). The natural
son of an earl and the wife of Lord Bar-
nard or John Stewart, “brought forth
in her father's house wi' mickle sin and
shame,” and brought up “in the gude
grene wode.” One day he sent Willie to
the baron’s hall, requesting his mother
to come without delay to Greenwood,
and by way of token sent with him a
“gay mantel” made by herself. Willie
went into the dinner-hall, and blurted
out his message before all who were
present, adding, “ and there is the silken
Sarke your ain hand sewd the sleive.”
Lord Barnard, thinking the Child to
be a paramour of his wife, forbade her
to leave the hall, and, riding himself to
Greenwood, slew Morrice with a broad-
sword, and setting his head on a spear,
gave it to “the meanest man in a’ his
train'' to carry it to the lady. When
the baron returned Lady Barnard said
to him, “Wi’ that same spear, O pierce
my heart, and put me out o' pain ; ”
but the baron replied, “Bhouch of blood
by me’s bin spilt, Sair, sair I rew the
deid,” adding—
“I’ll ay lanent for Gil Morice,
AS gin he were mine aim ;
I’ll heir forget the dreiry day
On Which the youth Wäs slain.”
Ireliques of Amcient English Poetry, ser. iii. I.
Dr. Percy says this pathetic tale sug-
gested to Home the plot of Douglas (a
tragedy).
IMorris Dance
862
MOSCOW
Morris Dance, brought to England
in the reign of Edward III., when John
of Gaunt returned from Spain. In the
dance, bells were jingled, and staves or
swords clashed. It was a military dance
of the Moors or Moriscos, in which five
men and a boy engaged; the boy wore
a morione or head-piece, and was called
Mad Morion. (See MAID MARIAN.)
Morse Alphabet (The). An alpha-
bet used in telegraphic messages, in-
vented by Professor Samuel F. B. Morse,
of Massachusetts.
flection of the electric needle corresponds
to a dash, and the left-hand to a dot;
and by means of dashes and dots every
word may be spelt at length. Military
signalling is performed in England by
short and long flashes of a flag or some
other instrument ; the short flash corre-
sponds with the dot, and the long with
the dash. The following ten varieties
will show how these two symbols are
capable of endless combinations, | tº º
tº e e | tº dº º º g g — ”
— | — ' ' || etc.
Mort-safe. A wrought-iron frame
to prevent dead bodies from being ex-
humed by resurrectionists. (See Notes
and Queries, March 14th, 1891, p. 210.)
Mortal. I saw a mortal lot of people
—i.e. a vast number. Mortal is the
French & mort, as in the sentence, “Il y
await du monde à nort.” Legonidec
says, “Ce not [mort] me s'emploie.jamais
all propre, mais settlement at figuré, avec
Ža signification de multitude, grand mom-
bre, foule.”
Mortar-board. A college cap. A
corruption of the French mortier, the
cap worn by the ancient kings of France,
and still used officially by the chief
justice or president of the court of
justice. As a college cap has a Square
board on the top, the mortier-board was
soon transformed into mortar-board.
Mortars differ from guns, in having
their trunnions placed behind the vent.
They are short pieces, intended to pro-
ject shells at high angles (45°), and the
shells thus projected fall almost verti-
cally on the object struck, forcing in
the strongest buildings, and (bursting at
the same time) firing everything around.
Their splinters are very destructive.
Morte d'Arthur, compiled by Sir
Thomas Malory, from French originals;
edited by Southey, the poet-laureate. .
The compilation contains— .
The Prophecies of Merlin.
Mo)",
The right-hand de- .
The Quest of the St. Graal.
L % Itomance of Sir Lancelot of the
{{/J(?.
The History of Sir Tristram ; etc. etc.
Tennyson has a Morte d’Arthur
among his poems.
Mortgage.
Morther. Well, Mor, where have yout
been this long while 2 (Norfolk). I’sy,
come hither 1 (Norfolk). Mor
or Morther means a lass, a wench. It
is the Dutch moer (a woman). In Nor-
folk they call a lad a bor, from the
Dutch boer (a farmer), English boor.
“Well, bor l’’ and “Well, mor!” are
to be heard daily in every part of the
County.
“When once a giggling mortlier you,
And I a red-faced chu])}}y boy,
Sly tricks you played nie not a few,
For mischief was your greatest joy.”
Bloomfield : Richard (und Kate.
Mor/timer. So called from an an-
cestor in crusading times, noted for his
exploits on the shores of the Dead Sea.
(De Mortuo Mari.)
Mortlake Tapestry. The best Eng-
lish tapestry made at Mortlake (Middle-
sex), in the reign of James I.
“Why, lady, do you think me
Wrought in a loom, some Dutch-piece Weaved at
(See WELSH MoRTGAGE.)
Mortlake 2 ” - City Match.
Mortstone. He may remove Mort-
stone. A Devonshire proverb, said in-
credulously of husbands who pretend to
be masters of their wives. It also means,
“If you have done what you say, you
can accomplish anything.”
Morven. Fingal's realm ; probably
Argyllshire and its neighbourhood.
Mosa'ic Work is not connected with
the proper name Moses, but with the
Muses (Latin, opus musé'tūn, 112ttsiºn, or
musivum ; Greek, moºseion French,
mosaique; Italian, mosaico). Pliny says
it was so called because these tesselated
floors were first used in the grottoes
consecrated to the Muses (XXXV. 21,
s. 42). The most famous workman in
mosaic work was Sosus of Per'gamos,
who wrought the rich pavement in the
common-hall, called Asaroton Cegon.
(Pliny: Natural History, xxxvi. 4, 64.)
Moscow. So called from the river
Moscowa, on which it is built.
The monarch of Moscow. A large bell
weighing 193 tons, 21 feet high, and 21
feet in diameter.
[So-and-Sol was my Moscow. . The
turning-point of my good fortune, lead-
ing to future shoals and misery. The
Mosen
863 Mother Carey’s Chickens
reference is to Napoleon's disastrous
expedition, when his star hastened to its
setting.
“Juan, was, my Moscow [the ruin of 1ny repu-
tation].” I3J'rom : Don Jºtatº, Xi. 56.
Mosen (Spanish). A corruption of
Mio Señor, corresponding to the Casti-
lian Don.
Moses'. Horns. Exodus xxxiv. 30,
“All the children of Israel saw Moses,
and the skin of his face shone,’’ trans-
lated in the Vulgate, “Cornita esset facies
sua.” Rays of light were called horns.
Hence in Habakkuk (iii. 4) we read of
God, “His brightness was as the light,
and He had horns [rays of light] coming
out of His hand.” Michel Angelo de-
picted Moses with horns, following the
Vulgate.
The French translation of Habacuc, iii. 4 is:—
“Sat splendew," etait comúme la lumière meme, et des
rayoms SOrtaient de Sa maim.”
Moses’. Rod. So the divining-rod
was usually (called. The divining-rod
was employed to discover water or
mineral treasure. In Blackwood’s Maga-
zine (May, 1850) we are told that nobody
sinks a well in North Somersetshire
without consulting the jowser (as the
rod-diviner is called). The Abbé Richard
is stated in the Monde to be an extremely
expert diviner of water, and amongst
others discovered the “Christmas Foun-
tain '' on M. de Metternich's estate, in
1863. In the Quarterly Jºeview (No. 44)
we have an account of Lady Noel’s
divining skill. (See World of Wonders,
pt. ix. p. 283.)
Moses Slow of Speech. The ac-
count given in the Talmud (vi.) is as
follows:–Pharaoh was one day sit-
ting on his throne with Moses on his lap,
when the child took off the king’s crown
and put it on his own head. The “wise
men’’ tried to persuade the king that
this was treason, for which the child
ought to be put to death; but Jethro,
priest of Midian, replied, “It is the act
of a child who knows no better. Let two
plates” (he continued) “be set before
him, one containing gold and the other
red-hot coals, and you will readily see
he will prefer the latter to the former.”
The experiment being tried, the little
boy Snatched up the live coal, put it into
his mouth, and burnt his tongue so
severely that he was ever after “heavy
or slow of speech.”
Moses Primrose. Son of the Rev.
Dr. Primrose, very green, and with a
good opinion of himself. He is chiefly
known for his wonderful bargain with a
Jew at the neighbouring fair, when he
gave a good horse in exchange for a
gross of worthless green spectacles, with
copper rims and shagreen cases. (Gold-
smith : Vicar of Wakefield.)

Mos'lem or Moslemin. Plural of
Mussulman, sometimes written Mussul-
mans. The word is Turkish, and means
true believer.
Mosse. Napping, as Mosse took his
mare. Wilbraham says Mosse took his
mare mapping, because he could not
catch her when awake. -
“Till day come, catch him as Mosse his grey
mare, napping.”—Christmas Prince.
Mosstrooper. A robber, a bandit.
The marauders who infested the borders
of England and Scotland were so called
because they encamped on the mosses.
Mote and Beam (Matt. vii. 3-5). In
alio pediciálºm video, in te łºcłmum non
Wides (Petronius). Here pediculum means
a louse, and 7'icinum a tyke.
Moth. Page to Don Adriano de
Arma'do, all jest and playfulness, cun-
ning and versatile. (Shakespeare : Love's
Labour's Lost.)
Mother. Mother and Head of all
Churches. So is St. John Lateran of
Rome called. It occupies the site of the
splendid palace of Plantius Latera'nus,
which escheated to the Crown from
treason, and was given to the Church by
the Emperor Constantine. From the
balcony of this church the Pope blesses
the people of the whole world.
Mother Ann. Ann Lee, the “spiri-
tual mother” of the Shakers. (1735-
1784.)
Mother Bunch. (1) Mother Bunch
whose fairy tales are notorious. These
tales are in Pasquil's Jesús, with the
Merriments of Mother Bunch. (1653.)
(2) The other Mother Bunch is called
Mother Bunch's Closet newly Broke
Open, containing rare secrets of art
and nature, tried and experienced by
learned philosophers, and recommended
to all ingenious young men and maids,
teaching them how to get good wives
and husbands. (1760.)
Mother Carey's Chickens. Stormy
petrels. Mother Carey is Mater Card.
The French call these birds oiseaux de
Notre Dame or aves Sanctæ Mariae.
Chickens are the young of any fowl, or
any Small bird.
“They are called the ‘sailor’s’ friends, come to
War II tºllen. Of all approaching, Storm ; and it is
most unlucky to kill them. The legend is that
each bird contains the Soul of a dead sealman.”
Mother Country
864
Motion
(See Captain Marryat : , Poor Jack,
where the superstition is fully related.)
Mother Carey's Goose. The great Black
Detrel or Fulmar of the Pacific Ocean.
Mother Carey is plucking her goose. It
is Snowing. (See HULDA.)
Mother Country. One's native
country, but the term applies specially to
England, in relation to America, and the
Colonies. The inhabitants of North
America, Australia, etc., are for the
most part descendants of English parents,
and therefore England may be termed
the mother country. The Germans call
their native country Fatherland.
Mother Douglas. A noted pro-
curess, introduced in The Minor by
Eoote. She also figures in Hogarth’s
March to Finchley. Mother Douglas re-
sided at the north-east corner of Covent
Garden; her house was superbly fur-
nished and decorated. She grew very
fat, and with pious up-turned eyes used
to prayfor the safe return of her “babes”
from battle. She died 1761.
Mother Earth. When Junius Brutus
(after the death of Lucretia) formed one
of the deputation to Delphi to ask the
Oracle which of the three would succeed
Tarquin, the response was, “He who
should first kiss his mother.” Junius in-
stantly threw himself on the ground,
exclaiming, “Thus, then, I kiss thee,
Mother Earth,” and he was elected
Consul.
Mother Goose. A name associated
with nursery rhymes. She was born in
Boston, and her eldest daughter Eliza-
beth married Thomas Fleet, the printer.
Mrs. Goose used to sing the rhymes to
her grandson, and Thomas Fleet printed
the first edition in 1719.
Mother Hubbard. The old lady
whose whole time seems to have been
devoted to her dog, who always kept her
on the trot, and always made game of
her. Her temper was proof against this
wilfulness on the part of her dog, and
her politeness never forsook her, for
when she saw Master Doggie dressed in
his fine clothes—
“The dame made a curtsey, the dog made a bow ;
The dame Said, ‘Your servant,’ the dog Said,
“, BOW-WOW.’”
Mother Huddle's Oven. Where
folk are dried up so that they live for
ever. (Howard Pyle: Robin Hood, 211.)
Mother Shipton lived in the reign
of Henry VIII., and was famous for her
prophecies, in which she foretold the
death of Wolsey, Lord Percy, etc.,
and many wonderful events of future
times. All her “prophecies” are still
extant.
Mother-sick. Hysterical.
Mother-wit. Native wit, a ready
reply; the wit which “our mother gave
us.” In ancient authors the term is used
to express a ready reply, courteous but
not profound. Thus, when Louis XIV.
expressed some anxiety lest Polignac
should be inconvenienced by a shower of
falling rain, the mother-wit of the car-
dinal replied, “It is nothing, I assure
your Majesty; the rain of Marly never
makes us wet.”
Mother of Believers. Ay-e'-shah,
the second and favourite wife of Maho-
met ; so called because Mahomet being
the “Father of Believers,” his wife of
wives was Mother of Believers.
Mother of Books. Alexandria was
so called from its library, which was the
largest ever collected before the inven-
tion of printing.
Mother of Cities
Balkh is so called.
Mother of Pearl. The inner irides-
cent layers of the shells of many bivalve
molluscs, especially that of the pearl
oyster.
Mother of the Gracchi. A hard,
strong-minded, rigidwoman, without one
soft point or effeminate weakness. Al-
ways in the right, and maintaining her
right with the fortitude of a martyr.
Mother's Apron Strings.
TIED . . .)
Mothering Sunday is Sunday in
[Amu-al-Buludj.
(See
Mid-Lent, a great holiday, when the
Pope blesses the golden rose, and chil-
dren go home to their mothers to feast
on “mothering cakes.” It is said that
the day received its appellation from the
ancient custom of visiting their “mother
church,” and making offerings on the
altar on that day. Used by school-
children it means a holiday, when they
went home to spend the day with their
mother or parents.
Motion. The laws of motion, accord-
ing to Galileo and Newton.
(1) If no force acts on a body in
motion, it will continue to move uni-
formly in a straight line. .
(2) If force acts on a body, it will
produce a change of motion proportion-
ate to the force, and in the same direction
(as that in which the force acts).
Motley
(3) When one body exerts force on
another, that other body reacts on it with
equal force. -
Motley. Men of motley. Licensed
fools; so called because of their dress.
“Motley is the only wear.”
Shakespeare : As You Like It, ii. 7.
Motu Pro/prio. A law brought in
by Consal'vi, to abolish monopolies in
the Papal States (1757).
Mouch (To). To live as a vagrant.
Mouchard (French). A spy, “qui
fuit comme les mottches, qui votent si bien
sans en avoi) l’air.” At the close of the
seventeenth century, those petits-maitres
who frequented the Tuileries to see and
be seen were called montchards (fly-men).
(Dictionnaire Etymologique de Ménage.)
Moulds. In the
grave.
“After Sir John and her [the minister's wife]
Were . . . baitli in the Ill Oulds.”—Sir W. Scolt :
Itedgauntlet (Letter Xi.). -
Mound. The largest artificial mound
in Europe is Silbury Hill, near Avebury
(Wiltshire). It covers 5 acres, 34 perches,
and measures at the base 2,027 feet ; its
diameter at top is 120 feet ; its slope is
316 feet; perpendicular height, 107 feet;
and it is altogether one of the most
stupendous monuments of human labour
in the world.
Alyattes, in Asia Minor, described by
Herodotus, is somewhat larger than
Silbury Hill. -
Mount Zion. The Celestial City or
Heaven. (Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress.)
“I am come from the City of Destruction, and
am going to Mount Zion.” (Part i.)
Mountain (The) or Montagnards.
The extreme democratical party in the
first French Revolution ; so called be-
cause they seated themselves on the
highest benches of the hall in which the
National Convention met. Their leaders
were Danton and Robespierre, but under
them were Marat, Couthon, Thuriot, St.
André, Legendre, Camille-Desmoulins,
Carnot, St. Just, and Collot d’Herbois,
the men who introduced the “Reign of
Terror.” Extreme Radicals are still
called in France the “Mountain Party,”
Ol' ###". -
Old Man of the Mountain. Imaum
Hassan ben Sabbah el Homairi. The
Sheik Al Jebal was so called, because
his residence was in the mountain fast-
nesses of Syria. He was the prince of a
Mahometan sect called Assassins (q.v.),
and founder of a dynasty in Syria, put
an end to by the Moguls in the twelfth
In the moulds.
865
TMourntains
century. In Rymer’s Fodera (vol. i.)
two letters of this sheik are inserted. It
is not the province of this Book of Fables
to dispute their genuineness.
If the mountain will not come to Ma-
homet, Mahomet mºst go to the mountain.
If what I seek will not come to me
without my stir, I must exert myself to
obtain it ; if we cannot do as we wish,
we must do as we can. When Mahomet
first announced his system, the Arabs
demanded supernatural proofs of his
commission. “Moses and Jesus,” said
they, “wrought miracles in testimony
of their divine authority; and if thou
art indeed the prophet of God, do so
likewise.” To this Mahomet replied,
“It would be tempting God to do so,
and bring down His anger, as in the case
of Pharaoh.” Not satisfied with this
answer, he commanded Mount Safa to
come to him, and when it stirred not at
his bidding, exclaimed, “God is merciful.
Had it obeyed my words, it would have
fallen on us to our destruction. I will
therefore go to the mountain, and thank
God that He has had mercy on a stiff-
necked generation.”
The mountain in labozº”. A mighty
effort made for a small effect. The
allusion is to the celebrated line of
IHorace, “Partºtriunt montes, nasce' tº
a'idiculus mus,” which Creech translates,
“The travailing mountain yields a silly
mouse; ” and Boileau, “La montagne
en travail enfante ºne souris.”
Mountain Ash (The), or “Rowan-
tree,” botanically called Jºyrus auctt-
parid, which does not belong to the
same family of plants as the fravinus,
or Common Ash. The Mountain Ash is
icosandria, but the Common Ash is diam-
dria. The Mountain Ash is pentagynia,
but the Common Ash is monogynia. The
Mountain Ash is of the Natural Order
Tosacáza, but the common Ash is of the
Natural Order sepiaride ; yet the two
trees resemble each other in many re-
spects. The Rowan or Rown-tree is
called in Westmoreland the “Wiggen-
tree.” It was greatly venerated by the
Druids, and was called the “Witchen”
by the early Britons, because it was
supposed to ward off witches. -
“Their spells were vain. The hags returned )
To their queen in sorrowful mood,
Crying that witches have no power
Where thrives the ROWan-tree Wood.”
Laidley JJ’orm of Spindleston Heughs (a ballad).
Mountain-dew. Whisky.
Mountains of Mole-hills. ſo make
mountains of mole-hills. To ſhake a
55
.*
sorrow and hope.
leaves.
Mountebank
866
Moussa
great fuss about trifles. “Eac cločica
areen facére’’ (Cicero).
Mountebank. The bank or bench
was the counter on which shopkeepers
of yore displayed their goods. Street-
vendors used to mount on their lank to
patter to the public. The French word
is “saltim banque ; ” and the Italian
word “Cantambanco '' (i.e. canta in
Öanco, one who patters from his bank).
* In Italian, montambanco (a quack-
doctor) is also in use.
“. . . Se disant estre quelque trabe, ou quelque
Juif convert, il se feign oit, medecim du roi de
Perse, et comme tel il nion toit la banque. C'estoit
Jä qué, pour débiter Šeš drogues, il étourdissoit
de son babil toute l'assemblée.”—Histoire Generale
des La'ſ','oms, book i. chal), XXiX.
There were temporary Inlountebanks as Well as
more regular merchants. -
of Dolon and Susarion of Icaria are distinguished.
In France, Tabaria, Tabarin, Turlupin, Gauthier-
Garguille, Gros-Guillaume, Guillot-Gorju, Bo-
hêche, Galinjaufré, and Gringalet (a marvellous
number of G's). In England, Andrew Borde,
and some few others of inferior note.
Iſſouriſhing.
JBlack. To express the privation of
light and joy, the midnight gloom of
sorrow for the loss sustained. The
colour of mourning in Europe. It was
also the colour of mourning in ancient
Greece and in the Roman Empire.
J}lack and white striped. To express
The mourning of the
South-Sea Islanders.
Greyish brown. The colour of the
earth, to which the dead return. The
colour of mourning in Ethiopia.
I’ale brown. The colour of withered
The mourning of Persia.
Sky-blue. To express the assured
hope that the deceased has gone to
heaven. The colour of mourning in
Syria, Cappadocia, and Armenia.
Deep blue, in Bokha'ra, is the colour
of mourning (Hanway). The Romans
in the Republic wore dark blue for
mourning. -
Purple and violet. To express royalty,
“kings and priests to God.” . The
colour of mourning for cardinals and
the kings of France. The colour of
mourning in Turkey is violet.
JP hite, Emblem of “white-handed
hope.” The colour of mourning in
China. Henry VIII. wore white for
Anne Boleyn. The ladies of ancient
Rome and Sparta wore white for mourn-
ing. It was the colour of mourning in
Spain till 1498. In England it is still
customary in some of the provinces to
wear white silk hat-bands and white
gloves for the unmarried.
Yellow. The sear and yellow leaf.
The colour of mourning in Egypt and in
In Attiga, the names
Burmah, where also it is the colour of
the monastic order. In Brittany, widows'
caps among the paysannes are yellow.
Anne Boleyn wore yellow mourning for
Catherine of Aragon. Some say yellow
is in token of exaltation.
Mournival. Four cards, all alike, as
four aces, four kings, etc., in a game of
cards called Gleek. Gleek is three cards
| alike. -
“A mournival of aces, gleek of knaves,
Just nine a-Diece.” Albuqmazur, iii. 5.
Poole in his English Parnassets called
the four elements Nature’s first mourni-
tal.
Mouse. The soul or spirit was often
Supposed in olden times to assume a
Zoëmorphic form, and to make its way
at death through the mouth of man in a
visible form, sometimes as a pigeon,
Sometimes as a mouse or rat. A red
mouse indicated a pure soul ; a black
mouse, a soul blackened by pollution ;
a pigeon or dove, a saintly soul.
Exorcists used to drive out evil spirits
from the human body, and Harsnet
gives several instances of such expul-
sions in his Popular Impositions (1604).
‘... No doubt pigeons were at one time trained
to represent, the departing Soul, and also to , e-
Iſresent the Holy Ghost. -
Mouse, Mousie, terms of endear-
ment. Other terms of endearment from
animals are, bird or birdie (as “My
bonnie bird”); puss, pussy; lamb, lamb-
ſin; “You little monkey” is an endearing
reproof to a child. Dog and pig are
used in a bad sense, as “You dirty
dog; ” “You filthy pig.” Brave as a
lion, Surly as a bear, crafty as a fox,
proud as a peacock, fleet as a hare, and
several phrases of a like character are in
COIN).II) Oll UISG.
“‘God bless you, mouse, the bridegroom said,
And Snakt her on the lips.”
- W’armer : A lb. Emg., p. 17.
Mouse Tower (The), on the Rhine,
said to be so called because Bishop Hatto
(q.v.) was there devoured by mice. The
tower, however, was built by Bishop
Siegfried, two hundred years after the
death of Bishop Hatto, as a toll-house
for collecting the duties upon all goods
which passed by. The word mants or
mauth means “toll,” and the toll col-
lected on corn being very unpopular,
gave rise to the tradition, referred to.
The catastrophe was fixed on Bishop
Hatto, a noted statesman and councillor
of Otho the Great, proverbial for his
cunning perfidy. (See HATTO.)
Moussa. Moses.
Moussali
Moussali. A Persian musician.
Haroun al Raschid was going to divorce
his late favourite Mari'dah or Marinda,
but the poet Moussali sang some verses
to him which so touched his heart, that
he went in search of the lady and made
peace with her. (D'Herbelot.)
Mouth. Down in the mouth.
under Down.)
His mouth was inade, he was trained
or reduced to obedience, like a horse
trained to the bit.
“At first, of course, the fireworker showed
fight . . . . but in the end his mouth was made,’
his paces formed, and he became a very service-
able and willing animal.” — Le Famw: Howse in
the Churchyard, ch. Xcik.
Mouth Waters. That
amouth wate)'. “Cela fait venir l'eau d la
bouche.” . The fragrance of appetising
food excites the salivary glands. The
phrase means—that makes me long for
or desire it.
Moutons. Jeeve)?0778 d 720s moutons.
Teturn we to our subject. The phrase
is taken from an old French play, called
L’Alvocat, by Patelin, in which a woollen-
draper charges a shepherd with stealing
sheep. In telling his grievance he kept
for ever running away from his subject;
an l to throw discredit on the defendant’s
attorney, accused him of stealing a piece
of cloth. The judge had to pull him up
every moment with, “Mais, mo), ami,
revenons & nos moutons'' (What about
the sheep, tell me about the sheep, now
return to the story of the sheep).
Movable. The first movable. Sir
Thomas Browne (Religio Medici, p. 56,
27) uses the phrase, “Beyond the first
movable,” meaning outside the material
creation. According to Ptolemy the
“primum mobile” (the first movable and
first mover of all things) was the boun-
dary of creation, above which came the
empyrean heaven, or seat of God.
(See
Moving the Adjournment of the
House. This is the only method which
the rules of the house leave to a member
for bringing up suddenly, and without
notice, any business which is not on the
order paper.
Moving the Previous Question.
A parliamentary dodge for burking an
obnoxious bill. The method is as fol-
lows:–A. “question,” or bill, is before
the house, an objector does not wish to
commit himself by moving its rejection,
So he moves “the previous quéstion,”
and the Speaker moves, from the chair,
“that the question be not put "--that
867
Anakes any
Much Ado
is, that the house be not asked to come
to any decision on the main question,
but be invited to pass to the “orders of
the day.” In other words, that the sub-
ject be shelved or burked.
N.B. A motion for “the previous
question ” cannot be made on an amend-
ment, nor in a select committee, nor yet
in a committee of the whole house. The
phrase is simply a method of avoiding a
decision on the question before the
House.
Moving the World. Give ºne where
to stand, and I will move the world. So
said Archimedes of Syracuse ; and the
instrument he would have used is the
lever.
Mow, a heap, and Mow, to cut down,
are quite different words. Mow, a heap,
is the Anglo-Saxon mowe ; but mow, to
cut down, is the Anglo-Saxon andw-an.
* There is a third Mow (a wry face),
which is the French motte, as “ Faire la
moue d [guel qu'unj,” to make faces at
someone, and “Faire la motte,” to pout
or sulk. (Dutch, mowe.)
Mowis. The bridegroom of snow,
who (according to American Indian tra-
dition) wooed and won a beautiful bride;
but when morning dawned, Mowis left
the wigwam, and melted into the sun-
shine. The bride hunted for him night
and day in the forests, but never saw
him more.
Mozaide (2 syl.) or Monzaida. The
“Moor,” settled in Calicut, who be-
friended Vasco da Gama when he first
landed on the Indian continent.
“The Moor attends, Mozaide, whose zealous care,
To Gama's eyes revealed each treacherous
Shal'e.” Camboems : Latsiad, blº. ix.
Much or Mudge. The miller’s son,
in Robin Hood dances, whose great feat
was to bang with a bladder of peas the
heads of the gaping spectators. Repre-
sents the Fool.
Much Ado about Nothing. The
plot is from a novel of Belleforest, copied
from one by Bandello (18th vol., vi.).
There is a story resembling it in Ariosto's
Orlando Furioso, bk. v., another in the
Geneura of G. Turberville, and Spenser
has a similar one in the Faërie Queene,
book ii. Canto iv. •
Much Ado abou! Wołhing. After a war
in Messina, Claudio, Benedick, and some
other soldiers went to visit Teonato the
governor, when the former fell in love
with Hero, the governor's daughter; but
Benedick and Beatrice, being great
rattle-pates, fell to jesting, and each
Muciana, Cautio
positively disliked the other. By a
slight artifice their hatred was converted
into love, and Beatrice was betrothed to
the Paduan lord. In regard to Hero,
the day of her nuptials was fixed ; but
Don John, who hated Claudio and
Leonato, induced Margaret, the lady’s
maid, to dress up like her mistress, and
to talk familiarly with one Borachio, a
servant of Don John’s ; and while this
chit-chat was going on, the Don led
Claudio and Leonato to overhear it.
Each thought it to be Hero, and when
she appeared as a bride next morning at
church, they both denounced her as a
light woman. The friar, being per-
suaded that there was some mistake,
induced Hero to retire, and gave out
that she was dead. Leonato now chal-
lenged Claudio for being the cause of
IHero's death, and Benedick, urged on
by Beatrice, did the same. At this
crisis Borachio was arrested, and con-
fessed the trick ; Don John fled, the
mystery was duly cleared up, and the
two lords married the two ladies.
Mucia'na. Cautio. A law-quirk, so
called from Mu'cius Scas' vola, a IRoman
pontifex, and the most learned of jurists.
Muc'Irlebackit. Elspeth Muckle-
backit, mother of Saunders.
Little Jennie Mucklebackit. Child of
Saunders.
Maggie Mucklebackit. Wife of Saun-
ders.
Saunders Mucklebackit. The old fisher-
man at Musslecrag.
Steenie Mucklebackit. Eldest son of
Saunders (drowned). (Sir JP'alter Scott :
The Antiquary.)
Muc'klewrath. Habakkuk Muckle-
wrath. Afanatic preacher. (Sir IP alter
Scott : Old Mortality.)
Joh?? Mateklewrath. Smith at Cairn-
wreckan village. Dame Mucklewrath,
his wife, is a perfect virago. (Sir Walter
Scott : JWaverley.) -
Mud-honey. So Tennyson calls the
dirty pleasures of men-about-town.
(Maud.)
Mudar'ra. Son of a Moorish prin-
cess and Gonçalo Bustos de Salas de
Iara, who murdered his uncle Rodrigo,
while hunting, to avenge the death of
his sewen half-brothers. (See LARA,
The seven infants of Lara.)
Muff (A). A dull, stupid person. Sir
Henry Muff, one of the candidates in
Dudley’s interlude, called The Rival
Candidates (1774), is a stupid, blundering
868
sorice.”)
1Mugwurnp
º:* -º-
dolt. He is not only unsuccessful in his
election, but he finds that his daughter
has engaged herself during his absence.
Muffins and Crumpets. Muffins is
pain-moufflet. Du Cange describes the
panis mofletus as bread of a more delicate
nature than ordinary, for the use of pre-
bends, etc., and says it was made fresh
every day. Crumpets is crumple-ettes,
cakes with little crumples.
Muffled Cats catch no Mice... (In
Italian, “ Catta gatantata non piglia
Said of those who work in
gloves for fear of soiling their fingers.
Mufti. We went in mufti—out of
uniform, incoff.
The French say en pékin, and French
soldiers call civilians pékins. An officer
who had kept Talleyrand waiting, said
he had been detained by some pékins.
“What are they P2’ asked Talleyrand.
“Oh,” said the officer, “we call every-
body who is not military a pékin.” “And
we,” said Tallyrand, “call everybody
military that is not civil.” Mufti is an
Bastern word, signifying a judge.
Mug-house. An ale-house was so
called in the eighteenth century. Some
hundred persons assembled in a large
tap-room to drink, sing, and spout. One
of the number was made chairman. Ale
was served to the guests in their own
mugs, and the place where the mug was
to stand was chalked on the table.
Mugello. The giant slain by Aver-
ardo de Medici, a commander under
Charlemagne. The tale is interesting,
for it is said that the Medici took the
three balls of this giant's mace for their
device. Everyone knows that pawn-
brokers have adopted the three balls as
a symbol of their trade. (See under
BALLS for another account.)
Muggins. A Small borough magnate,
a village leader. To Antig is to drink,
and Mr. Muggins is Mr. Drinker.
Muggleto'nian. A follower of one
Lodovic Muggleton, a journeymantailor,
who, about 1651, set up for a prophet.
He was sentenced to stand in the pillory,
and was fined £500.
Mugwump (A). A word borrowed
from the Algonquin, meaning one who
acts and thinks independently. In
Eliot’s Indian Bible the word “cen-
turion ” in the Acts is rendered mºtg-
wump. Those who refuse to follow the
dictum of a caucus are called in the
TJnited States mugwumps, The chief of
Mugwump Press
869
IMultitudes
the Indians of Esopus is entitled the
Mugwump. Turncoats are mugwumps,
and all political Pharisees whose party
vote cannot be relied on.
“‘I suppose I am a political mugwump,' Said the
Englishman. “Not yet," replied Mr. Reed. “You
will be when you have returned to your allegi-
ance.’”—The Liverpool Echo, July 19th, 1886.
Mugwump Press (The). Those
newspapers which are not organs of
any special political party, but being
“neither hot nor cold,” are disliked by
all party men.”
“The Mugwump Press, whose function it is to
enlighten the feeble-minded. . . .”—The New York;
Tribune, 1892.
MIulat' to (Spanish). A mule, a mon-
grel; applied to the male offspring of a
negress by a white man. A female off-
spring is called a “Mulatta.” (See
CREOLE.)
Mulberry. The fruit was originally
white, and became blood-red from the
blood of Pyramus and Thisbé. The
tale is, that Thisbé was to meet her
lover at the white mulberry-tree near
the tomb of Ninus, in a suburb of
Dabylon. Being scared by a lion,
Thisbé fled, and, dropping her veil, it
was besmeared with blood. Pyramus,
thinking his lady-love had been de-
voured by a lion, slew himself, and
Thisbé, coming up soon afterwards,
stabbed herself also. The blood of the
lovers stained the white fruit of the
mulberry-tree into its present colour.
The botanical name is Morus, from the Greek
moros (a fool); so called, we are told in the Hortus
An Ilicus, because “it is reputed the wisest of all
flowers, as it never buds till the Cold Weather is
loast and gone.” - -
In the Seven Champions (pt. i. chap, iv.) we are
told that Eglantine, daughter of the King of
Thessaly, was transformed into a mulberry-tree.
Mulciber — i.e. Vulcan. It is said
that he took the part of Juno against
Jupiter, and Jupiter hurled him out of
heaven. He was three days in falling,
and at last was picked up, half-dead and
with one leg broken, by the fishermen
of the island of Lemnos. (See Milton :
Paradise Lost, book i., 740, etc.)
Mule. Mahomet’s favourite white
mule was Daldah. (See FADDA.)
To shoe one's mule. To appropriate
part of the money committed to one's
trust. This is a French locution—
“. Ferrer la mule—i.e. l'action d'un domestique
qui trolm De Son maitre Sur le prix réel des choses
qu'il a achetées en Son nom. Elle doit son origine
au pretexte, facile à employer, de la depense faite
pour ferrer la mule.”—Encyclopedie des Proverbes
I'rançais.
“He had the keeping and disposall of the
moneys, and yet shod not his own mule.”—History
of Francion (1655), --
Mull. To make a mull of a job is to
fail to do it properly. The failure of a
peg-top to spin is called a mull, hence
also any blunder or failure. (Scotch,
amull, dust, or a contraction of muddle.)
The people of Madras are called
“Mulls,” because they are in a less
advanced state of givilisation than the
other two presidencies, in consequence
of which they are held by them in low
estimation. (Anglo-Saxon, ºnyl, dust.)
Mulla. Awbeg, a tributary of the
Blackwater, in Ireland, which flowed
close by Spenser’s home. Spenser is
called by Shenstone “the bard of
Mulla's silver stream.”
MIul'mutine Laws. The code of
Dunvallo Mulmutius, sixteenth King of
the Britons (about B.C. 400). This code
was translated by Gildas from British
into Latin, and by Alfred into Anglo-
Saxon. These laws obtained in England
till the Conquest. (Holinshed: History
of England, iii. 1.)
“Mulmutius made our laws, ..
Who was the first of Britain which did put
His brows within a golden crown, and called
Himself a king.” - - -
- Shakespeare : Cymbeline, iii. 1.
‘.” Mulmutius was the son of Cloten, King of
Cornwall. (See Geoffrey of Monmouth, British
IIistol J, ii. 17.)
Mulread'y Envelope (The, 1840), is
an envelope resembling a half-sheet of
letter-paper, when folded. The space
left for the address formed the centre of
an ornamental design by Mulready, the
artist. When the penny postage en-
velopes were first introduced, these were
the stamped envelopes of the day, which,
however, remained in circulation only
one year, and were more fit for a comic
annual than anything else.
“A set of those odd-looking envelope-things,
Where Britannia (who seems to be crucified)
IngS
To her right and her left, funny people with
WingS
Amºs; elephants, Quakers, and Catabaw
KIng'S,-
And a failer and wax, and small Queen's-heads
in packs,
Which, when notes are too big you must stick
On their backs.” Imgoldsby : Legends.
Multipliers. Alchemists, who pre-
tended to multiply gold and silver. An
act was passed (2 Henry IV., c. iv.)
making the “art of multiplication ”
felony. In the Canterbury Tales, the
Chanoun Yeman says he was reduced to
poverty by alchemy, adding : “Lo, such
advantage is't to inultiply.” (Prologue
to Chanoumes Tale.)
Multitudes. Dame Juliana Berners,
in her Booke of St. Albans, says, in desig-
nating companies We must not use the
IMulturm in Parvo
876)
TWIUIndilfori
names of multitudes promiscuously,
and examples her remark thus:—
“We say a congregacyon of people, a hoost of
men, a felyshy/ppynge of jomen, and a bevy of
ladyes ; We must Speak of a herde of dere,
Swanny S, CranyS, Ol' Wrenys, a seſſe of herons or
by tourys, a muster of pecockes, a wittche of
nyghtyngales, a fllyghte of doves a clatery?uſe of
choughes, a pryde of lyons, a slew the of beeres, a
gagle of geys, a skulke of foxes, a Sculle of frery's,
a pontificalityé Of presty S, and a Superſluyte Of
nonnes.’”—Booke of St. Albans (1486).
She adds, that a strict regard to these
niceties better distinguishes “gentylmen
from ungentylmen,” than regard to the
rules of grammar, or even to the moral
law. (See NUMBERS.)
Multum in Parvo (Latin). Much
[information] condensed into few words
or into a small compass. *
Mum. A strong beer made in
Brunswick ; so called from Christian
Mummer, by whom it was first brewed.
Matín (a mask), hence mummer.
Mum's the word. Reep what is told you
a profound secret. (See MUMCHANCE.)
“Seal up your lips, and give no words but—mum.”
f -
Slákespeatre: 2 Henry VI., i. 2.
Mumbo Jumbo. A bogie or bug-
bear in the Mandingo towns of Africa.
As the Kaffirs have many wives, it not
unfrequently happens that the house
becomes quite unbearable. In such a
case, either the husband or an agent
dresses himself in disguise, and at dusk
approaches the unruly house with a
following, and makes the most hideous
noises possible. When the women have
been sufficiently scared, “ Mumbo”
seizes the chief offender, ties her to a
tree, and scourges her with Mumbo’s
rod, amidst the derision of all present.
Mumbo is not an idol, any more than
the American Lynch, but one disguised
to punish unruly wives. (See Mungo
Park : Travels in the Interior of Africa.)
Mumchance. Silence. Mumchance
was a game of chance with dice, in which
silence was indispensable. (Mum is con-
nected with mumble ; German, mumme,
a muffle ; Danish, mumle, to mumble.)
“And for ‘Inumcliance, howe'er the cehame may
You hist be mºlm for fear of spoiling all.”
Machiatvell's Dogſ.
Mummy is the Egyptian word mum,
wax; from the custom of anointing the
body with wax and wrapping it in cere-
cloth, (Persian, mornia, wax : Italian,
tnummia ; French, momie.) (See BEATEN.)
Mummy Wheat. Wheat said to
have been taken from some of the Egyp-
tian mummies, and Sown in British soil.
It is, however, a delusion to suppose that
seed would preserve its vitality for some
hundreds of years. No seed will do so,
and what is called mummy wheat is a
species of corn commonly grown on the
SCuthern shores of the Mediterranean.
Mumpers. Beggars. , Leland calls
it a gipsy word. In Norwich, Christmas
waits used to be called “Mumpers.”
In Lincolnshire, “Boxing-day ” is called
Mumping-day (q.v.). To mump is to
beg: . Beggars are called the “Mumping
Society.”
“A parcel of wretches, hopping about by the
assistance of their crutches, like so many Lin-
coln's Inn Fields mumpers, drawing into a body
to attack [infest Q1 beset] the coach of son e
charitable lord.”—Ned Ward : The London Spy,
l)art, V.
Mumping Day. St. Thomas's Day,
December 21. A day on which the poor
used to go about begging, or, as it was
called, “going a-gooding,” that is,
getting gifts to procure good things for
Christmas (m2/my, to beg).
* In Warwickshire the term used was
“going a-corning,” i.e. getting gifts of
corn. In Staffordshire the custom is
spoken of simply as “a-gooding.” (See
MUMPERS.)
Munchau'sen (Baron). The hero of
a volume of travels, who meets with the
most marvellous adventures. The in-
cidents have been compiled from various
sources, and the name is said to have
pointed to Hieronymus Karl Friedrich
von Münchhausen, a German officer in
the Russian army, noted for his marvel-
lous stories (1720-1797). It is a satire
either on Baron de Tott, or on Bruce,
whose Travels in Abyssinia were looked
upon as mythical when they first ap-
peared. The author is Rudolf Erich
Raspe, and the sources from which the
adventures were compiled, are Bebel's
JFacetide, Castiglione's Cortegiano, Bilder-
mann’s Utopia, and Some of the baron’s
own stories.
Mundane Egg (The). In the Phoe-
nician, Egyptian, Hindu, and Japanese
systems, it is represented that the world
was hatched from an egg. In some
mythologies a bird is represented as lay-
ing the mundane egg on the primordial
waters.
Mundilfo'ri. One of the giant race,
who had a son and daughter of such
surpassing beauty that their father called
them Mani and Sol (moon and stºn),
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Mundungus
871
Music
Mundun'gus. Bad tobacco.
‘. Mundungus, in Sterne's Semtimental Journey
(1768), is meant for Samuel Sharl), a surgeon, Who
published Letters from Italy. Tobias Smollett,
who published Travels through France and Italy
{
y
(1766), “one continual snarl,” was called “Snlel-
fungus.”
Mu'mera. The daughter of Pollente,
the Saracen, to whom he gave all the
spoilshe unjustly took from those who fell
into his power. Talus, the iron page of
Sir Artegal, chopped off her golden hands
and silver feet, and tossed her over the
castle wall into the moat. (Sponser:
Paërie Queene, bk. v. 2.)
Munlºar and Nakir. Two black
angels of appalling aspect, the inquisi-
tors of the dead. The Koran says that
during the inquisition the soul is united
to the body. If the scrutiny is satis-
factory, the soul is gently drawn forth
from the lips of the deceased, and the
body is left to repose in peace'; if not,
the body is beaten about the head with
iron clubs, and the soulis wrenched forth
by racking torments.
Munnin. Memory ; one of the two
ravens that sit perched on the shoulders
of Odin ; the other is Hugin (thought).
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Munta'bur [Mount Tabor]. The royal
residence of the soldan whose daughter
married Otnit, King of Lombardy.
Mu'rad. Son of Hadra'ma and Mar-
sillus, King of Portugal, Castile, Ara-
gon, Leon, and Valence, when those
countries were held by the Moors. He
was called “Lord of the Lion,” because
he always led about a lion in silken
fetters. When he carried defiance to
Charlemagne at Fronsac, the lion fell in
love with Aude the Fair; Murad chas-
tised it, and the lion tore him to pieces.
(Croquemitaine, vii.)
Mus'cadins of Paris. French dudes
or exquisites, who aped the London
mashers in the first French Revolution.
Their dress was top-boots with thick
soles, knee-breeches, a dress-coat with
long tails, and a high stiff collar, and a
thick cudgel called a constitution. It
was thought to be John Bullish to as-
sume a huskiness of voice, a discourtesy
of manners, and a Swaggering vulgarity
of speech and behaviour. Probably so
called from being ‘‘perfumed like a
popinjay.” -
“Cockneys of London, Muscadins of Paris.”
By?'072 : D07, Jºtatº, viii. 124.
Muscular Christianity. Healthy
or strong-minded religion, which braces
a man to fight the battle of life bravely
and manfully. This expression has been
erroneously attributed to Charles Kings-
ley. (See his Life, ii. 74, 75.)
Muses. Nine daughters of Jupiter
and Mnemosyne, goddesses of poetry,
history, and other arts and sciences.
The paintings of Herculaneum show all
nine in their respective attributes. In
the National-Museum of Paris is the
famous collection with which Pius VI.
enriched the Vatican. Lesueur left a
celebrated picture of the same subject.
Muse'um. The most celebrated are
the British Museum in London ; the
Louvre at Paris; the Vatican at Rome ;
the Museum of Florence ; that of St.
Petersburg; and those of Dresden,
Vienna, Munich, and Berlin.
A walking ºnuseum. So Longinus,
author of a work on The Sublime, was
called. (A.D. 213-273.)
Mushroom (an archaic form is
Anushrump). (French, mousseron, a white
mushroom ; Latin, muscus, moss.)
“Vocatur fungus linuscărunn, e() quod in lacte
tº jatus interficit muscas.”—Albertus Magnus,
Music. Father of music. Giovanni
IBattista, Pietro Aloisio da Palestrina.
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina was
“the prince of musicians.” (1529-1594.)
Jºather of Greek music. Terpander.
(Flourished B.C.,676.)
The prince of music. G. Pietro A. da
Palestrina (1529-1594).
Music hath charms, etc. , from Con-
greve's Mourning Bride, i. 1.
Music. Ilſen of genius averse to music.
The following men of genius were ac-
tually averse to music: Edmund Burke;
Byron had no ear for music, and neither
vocal nor instrumental music afforded
him the slightest pleasure. Charles
Fox, Hume, Dr. Johnson, Daniel O’Con-
nell, Robert Peel, William Pitt ; Pope
preferred a street organ to Handel's
oratorios; the poet Rogers felt actual
discomfort at the sounds of music; Sir
Walter Scott, the poet Southey, and
Tennyson. Seven of these twelve were
actually poets, and five were Orators.
The Princess Mathilde (Demidoff), an
excellent artist, with a veritable passion
for art, may be added to those who have
had a real antipathy to music.
Music of the Spheres. Pythagoras
was the first who suggested the notion so
beautifully expressed by Shakespeare—
“There's not the Smallest Orb which thou be-
hold’St. -
But in lis motion like an angel sings,
Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims.”
- Men'chant of "emice, Y. l.
Musical Notation
S72 Mutual Friends
Plato says that a siren sits on each
planet, who carols a most sweet song,
agreeing to the motion of her own par-
ticular planet, but harmonising with all
the others. Hence Milton speaks of
the “celestial syrens' harmony, that sit
upon the nine enfolded spheres.” (Ar-
cades.) (See NINE SPHEREs.)
Maximus Tyrius says that the mere
proper motion of the planets must create
sounds, and as the planets move at
regular intervals the sounds must har-
monise.
Musical Notation. (See Do.)
Musical Small - coal Man (The).
Thomas Britton (1654-1714).
Musicians. Father of musicians.
Jubal, “the father of all such as handle
the harp and organ” (Gen. iv. 21).
Musido'ra. (See DAMON.)
Mu'sits or Musets. Gaps in a
hedge; places through which a hare
makes his way to escape the hounds.
“The many musits through the which he goes
Are like a labyrint.ll to amaze his foes.”
Shakespeare : Venus (tºld Adomis.
The passing of the hare through these
gaps is termed musing. The word is
from musse (old French), a little hole.
Musicet is the Spanish mosquéte, a
musket. -
Muslin. So called from Mosul, in
Asia, where it was first manufactured.
(French, mousseline; Italian, mussolino.)
Musnud. Cushioned seats, reserved
in Persia for persons of distinction.
Muspel. A region of fire, whence
Surtur will collect flames to set fire to
the universe. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Muspelheim (3 Syl.). The abode of
fire which at the beginning of time
existed in the south. It was light,
warm, and radiant ; but was guarded
by Surt with a flaming sword. Sparks
were collected therefrom to make the
stars. (Scandinavian mythology.) (See
MANHEIM.)
“The Muspelheim is a noted Scandinavian poem
of the 4th century. Muspelbeim is the Scandina-
vian hell, and the subject of the poem is the Last
Judgment. The great Surt or Surtur is Anti-
christ, who at the end of the world will set fire to
all creation. The poem is in alternate verse, and
shows both imagination and poetic talent.”
Mustard. Connected with matst.
In 1382 Philip the Bold, Duke of
Burgundy, granted to the town of
Dijon, noted for its mustard, armorial
bearings with the motto MoULT ME
TARDE (Multum ardeo, I ardently de-
sire).
The arms and motto, engraved
on the principal gate, were adopted as a
trade-mark by the mustard merchants,
and got shortened into Moult-tarde (to
burn much). -
The masturtium is of the mustard family, in
Slºanish masturcio, and the Italian must(t)'da, is
111u Stal’d.
Mustard. After meat, mustard. I
have now no longer need of it. “C” est
de la ſnoutarde après diner.”
Musulman (plural, Musulmans or
Moslems)—that is, Moslemin, plural of
Moslem. A Mahometan ; so called from
the Arabic muslim, a believer.
Mutantur. “Omnia mutantur, mos et
mutamur in illis,” is by Nicholas Bor-
bonius, a Latin poet of the sixteenth
century. Dr. Sandys says that the Em-
peror Lothair, of the Holy Roman Em-
pire, had already said, “ Tempora
Anutantity, nos et muta'mur in illis.”
Mute as a Fish. Quite silent. Some
fish make noises, but these are me-
chanical, not organic.
Mutes at Funerals. This was a
Roman custom. The undertaker, at-
tended with lictors dressed in black,
marched with the corpse ; and the
undertaker, as master of the cere-
monies, assigned to each follower his
proper place in the procession.
Mutton (French, mouton). A gold
coin impressed with the image of a
lamb. -
Mutton-eating King (The). Charles
II. of England. The witty Earl of
Rochester wrote this mock epitaph on
his patron :-
“Here lies our mutton-eating king,
Whose word no man relies on ;
IIe never said a foolish thing,
• • y
And never did a wise One.'
Come and eat yout)' mutton ºrith me.
Come and dine with me.
Mutton-fist. A large, coarse, red fist.
Muttons. A Stock Exchange term
for the Turkish ’65 loan, partly Secured
by the sheep-tax. -
Ičeremons & 70s moutons. (See MOU-
TONS.)
Mutual Friends. Can two persons
be called mutual friends? Toes not the
word of necessity imply three or more
than three ? (See the controversy in
Notes and Queries, June 9, 1894, p. 451.)
“A mutual flame was quickly caught,
Was quickly, tot), revealed ;
For neither boson) lodged a thought
Which virtue keeps concealed.' .7
I'dutiºn (tild Enºma,
(Mutual = reciprocal.)
Muzzle
873
Mysterious Three
Muzzle. To muzzle the oa that
treadeth out the corn. Not to pay for
work done; to expect other persons will
work for nothing. The labourer is
worthy of his hire, and to withhold that
hire is to muzzle the ox that treadeth
out your corn.
My Eye (All). (See under ALL.)
Mynheer Closh. A Dutchman.
CJosh or Claus is an abbreviation of
Nicholaus, a common name in Holland.
Sandy, a contraction of Alexander, is a
similar nickname for a Scotchman.
My'nian Sails. The ship Argo; so
called because its crew were natives of
Mynia. -
“When his black whirlwinds o'er the ocean rolled
And rent the Mynian sails.” *
Camoems: Lusiad, bk. Vi.
Myr'midons of the Law. Bailiffs,
sheriffs' officers, and other law menials.
Any rough fellow employed to annoy
another is the employer’s myrmidon.
The Myrmidons were a people of
Thessaly who followed Achilles to the
siege of Troy, and were distinguished
for their savage brutality, rude be-
haviour, and thirst for rapine.
Myron. A Greek statuary and Sculp-
tor, born in Boeotia, B.C. 480. A fellow-
disciple of Polyclétus, and a younger
contemporary of Phidias.
works are in bronze. By far the most
celebrated of his statues were his Dis-
cobolus and his Cow. The cow is re-
presented lowing. (Discobolus is a quoit
or discus player.) It is said that the
cow was so true to nature that a bull
mistook it for a living animal.
... There are several similar legends. Thus it is
said “that Apelles painted Alexander's horse SQ
realistically that aliying horse mistook, it and
began to neigh. Velasquez painted a Spanish
admiral so true to life, that Felipe IV, mistook
the painting for the man and reproved it severely
for not being with the fleet. Zeuxis painted
some grapes so well that birds flew, at them to
Peck them. Quentin Matsy's painted a fly on a
man's leg so, inimitably that, Mandyn; the artist,
tried to brush it off with his handkerchief. Parr-
hasios, of Ephesus, painted a curtain so well that
Zeuxis was deceived by it, and told him to draw
it aside that he might see the picture behind it.
Myrra. An Ionian slave, the beloved
concubine of Sardanapalus, the Assyrian
king. She roused him from his indo-
lence to oppose Arba'cès the Mede, who
aspired to his throne, and when she
found that his cause was hopeless in-
duced him to place himself on a funeral
pile, which she fired with her own hand,
and springing into the flames, perished
with her beloved lord and master.
(Byron : Sardanapalus.)
His great
Myr'rophores (3 syl. ; the myrrh
bearers). The three Marys who went
to see the sepulchre, bearing myrrh and
spices. In Christian art they are re-
presented as carrying vases of myrrh in
their hands.
Myrtle (The). If you look at a leaf of
myrtle in a strong light, you will see
that it is pierced with innumerable little
punctures. According to fable, Phaedra,
wife of Theseus, fell in love with Hip-
polotus, her step-Son ; and when Hip-
polotus went to the arena to exercise
his horses, Phaedra, repaired to a myrtle-
tree in Troezen to await his return, and
beguiled the time by piercing the leaves
with a hair-pin. The punctures referred
to are an abiding memento of this
tradition.
In the Orlando Furioso Astolpho is
changed into a myrtle-tree by Acrisia.
Myrtle. The ancient Jews believed that
the eating of myrtle leaves conferred
the power of detecting witches; and it
was a superstition that if the leaves
crackled in the hands the person beloved
would prove faithful.
The myrtle which dropped blood. AEnéas
(book iii.) is represented as tearing up
the Myrtle which dropped blood. Poly-
dorus tells us that the barbarous in-
habitants of the country pierced the
Myrtle (then a living being) with spears
and arrows. The body of the Myrtle
took root and grew into the bleeding
tree.
Mysteries of Woods and Rivers.
The art of hunting and fishing.
Mystery. A kind of mediaeval drama,
the characters and events of which were
drawn from sacred history.
Mystery or Mysterium. Said to make
up the number 666 referred to in Rev.
xvii. 5. This would not be worthy
notice, except for the fact that the word
“mystery’’ was, till the time of the
Reformation, inscribed on the Pope's
mitre. -
* Almost any phrase or long name
can be twisted into this number. (See
NUMBER OF THE BEAST.)
Mysteries. The three greater mys-
teries (in Christianity). The Trinity,
Original Sin, and the Incarnation.
‘.' Surely the resurrection of the body should be
added.
Mysterious Three (The) of Scandi-
navian mythology were “Har” (the
Mighty), the “Like-Mighty,” and the
“Third Person,” who sat on three
thrones above the rainbow. Then came
- IN S74 Nadir
the “AEsir,” of which Odin was chief, Nab-man. A sheriff's officer. (See
who lived in Asgard (between the rain- NAB.)
bow and earth); next come the “Vanir,”
or gods of the ocean, air, and clouds, of
which deities Niðrd was chief.
N
N. This letter represents a wriggling
eel, and is called in Hebrew nun (a
fish).
N, in Spanish, has sometimes a mark
over it, thus—fi. This mark is called a
tilde, and alters the sense and pro-
nunciation of a word. Thus, “pena,”
means punishment, but “peña,” a rock.
(See MARKS IN GRAMMAR.)
N. (One whose name is not given.)
(See M or N.)
N, a numeral. Greek v = 50, but y =
50,000. N (Rom.) = 900, but N
900,000.
N added to Greek words ending in a
short vowel to lengthen it “by posi-
tion,” and “1” added to French words
beginning with a vowel, when they
follow a word ending with a vowel
(as si l’on for si on), is called N or L
“ephelcys' tic” (tagged-on); Greek,
epi helko. (See MARKS IN GRAMMAR.)
N. H. Bugs. The letters are the
initials of Norfolk Howard, in allusion
to a Mr. Bugg who, in 1863, changed
his name to Norfolk Howard.
nth, or nth plus One, in University
slang, means to the utmost degree.
Thus, Cut to the nth means wholly un-
noticed by a friend. The expression is
taken from the index of a mathematical
formula, where 7 stands for any num-
ber, and 77 –H 1, one more than any
number.
Nab. The fairy which offers Orpheus
for food in the infernal regions a roasted
ant, a flea's thigh, butterflies’ brains,
some sucking mites, a rainbow-tart, and
other delicacies of like nature, to be
washed down with dewdrops, beer made
from seven barleycorns, and the Super-
naculum of earth-born topers. (King :
Orpheus and Eurydice.)
Nab. To seize without warning. A
contraction of apprehend. (Norwegian,
7tappe, to catch at, map, snatch ; Swedish,
mappa.) Our nap (to filch or steal) is a
variety of the same word.
The keeper or catch of a latch or holt is called
the nd b,
. “Old Dornton has sent the nahman after him
r
at last.”—Sir W. Scott : Guy Maºumering (dral)):l-
tised by Terry, ii. 3).
Nabo or Nebo. One of the divinities
of the Assyrians, supposed to be the
moon. (See Isa. xlvi. 1.) Many of the
kings of Babylon assumed the name.
Nabomassar is Nabo-n-assar, Nabe-of-Asshur or
Assyria. -
Nabochadanasor is Nabo-chadon (or adon)-[n]-
aSSur, i.e. Nabo-king-of-Asshul or Assyria.
Nabopolassar is Nabo-[son of] pul-Assyrian.
, Nebochadnezzar is Nebo-chad (or adon)-n-assur,
i.e. Nabo or Neho-king-of-Asshur.
* Belchazzar is Baal-ch’-azzar, i.e.
|Baal-chadon-n-assar, or Baal-king-of
Asshur.
Nabob' (generally called Na'bob).
Corruption of the Hindu word mawah,
the plural of 77aib. An administrator of
a province and commander of the Indian
army under the Mogul Empire. These
men acquired great wealth and lived in
Eastern splendour, so that they gave
rise to the phrase, “IRich as the nawāb,”
corrupted into “Rich as a nabob.” In
England we apply the phrase to a mer-
chant who has attained great wealth in
the Indies, and has returned to live in
his native country.
Nabonassar or Nebo-aldon-Assur.
(Nebo, Prince of Assyria.) Founder of
the Babylonian and Chaldaean kingdom,
and first of the dynasty of Nabonassar.
Fra of Nabonassar began Wednesday,
February 26th, 747 B.C., the day of
Nabonassar’s accession. It was used by
Ptolemy, and by the Babylonians, in all
their astronomical calculations.
Naboth's Vineyard. The possession
of another coveted by one able to possess
himself of it. (1 Kings xxi. 1-10.)
“The little Manor House property had always
heon a Nalboth's Vineyard to his father.”—Good
Words, 1887. -
Nadab, in T) ryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is meant for Lord
Howard, of Esrick or Escriek, a pro-
fligate who laid claim to great piety.
Nadab offered incense with strange fire,
and was slain by the Lord (Lev. x. 2);
and Lord Howard, while imprisoned in
the Tower, is said to have mixed the
consecrated wafer with a compound of
roasted apples and Sugar, called lamb’s-
wool. -
“And canting Nadab let oblivion damn,
Who made new porridge of the Daschallaºb
Absalom and Achitophel, l art i. 538-9.
Na'dir. An Arabic word, signifying
that point in the heavens which is directly
opposite to the zenith.
From ženíth down to hadir, From the
Nadir Shah
87
sº
6
TNail
highest point of elevation to the lowest
depth. -
Nadir. A representation of the
planetary system.
“We them, lost (1091) a most beautiful table,
fabricated of different metals, ... ... Saturn was of
copper, Jupiter of gold, Mars of iron, the Sun of
latten, Mercury of amber, Venus of tin, and the
Moon of silver. . . . It was the most celebrated
madir in all England.”—Ingulphus.
Nadir Shah. Kouli Khan, a Persian
warrior. (1687-1747.)
Nag. A horse. This is an example
of m of the article joined to the follow-
ing noun, as in the word new t = an
ewt. (Danish and Norwegian, off
Anglo-Saxon, eoh or eh, Latin, eq[utts] :
Dutch, negge.) Taylor (1630) has nagſ/07,
a.S — .
“Wert thou George with thy naggon,
3 *
That fougll test. With the draggon.
* Shakespeare's nºtºnſ and nuncle are
mine-aunt and mine-uncle.
Nag, Nagging. Constant fault-
finding. (Anglo-Saxon, ſ/naff-an, to
gnaw, bite.) We call a slight but con-
stant pain, like a tooth-ache, a nagging
pain.
Nag's Head Consecration. . . On the
passing of the first Act of Uniformity
in Queen Elizabeth’s reign, fourteen
bishops vacated their sees, and all the
other sees, except Llandaff, were at the
time vacant. The question was how to
obtain consecration so as to preserve the
succession called “apostolic ’’ unbroken,
as Llandaff refused to officiate at
Parker’s consecration. In this dilemma
(the story runs) Scory, a deposed bishop,
was sent for, and officiated at the Naff’s
IHead tavern, in Cheapside, thus trans-
mitting the succession. -
* Such is the tale. Strype refutes
the story, and so does Dr. Hook. We
are told that it was not the consecration
which took place at the Nag's Head,
but only that those who took part in it
dined there subsequently. We are
furthermore told that the Bishops
Barlow, Scory, Coverdale, and Hodg-
kins, all officiated at the consecration.
Naga. Serpents; the king of them is
Sesha, the sacred serpent of Vishnu.
(Hindu mythology.) -
Naglfar. The giants’ ship, in which
they will embark on ‘‘the last day ” to
give battle to the gods. It is made of
the mails of the dead. (Old Norse, nagl,
a human nail, and fara, to make.)
(Scandinavian mythology.) Piloted by
Hrymer. - . . . -
Nahushtan. Trumpery bits of brass.
(2 Kings xviii. 4.)
Naiads.
tains, rivers, and streams.
mythology.) (See FAIRY.)
Nail.
JDown on the nail, Pay down on the
mail. In ready money. In Latin :
“Super unguem ; ” in French : “Sººr
l'ongle ; ” as, “ Boire la goutte sur
l'ongle '' (see SUPERNACULUM), “Payer
Yubis sity l’ongle,” where rubis means led
wine. The Latin ungulus (from unſ/ſis)
means a “shot ” or reckoning, hence
7027ttlum dare, to pay one’s reckoning.
“Quo quibus prisis, et cariagiis pleana fiat
Solucio Super unguem.”—.17. Indenture (lated
July 15th, 1326 (Scot's Act).
‘." O'Keefe says: “In the centre of Limerick
Exchange is a pillar with a circular lylate ºf
copper about , three feet in diameter, called The
Natil, on which the earnest of all stock-excluange
bal'gains ha§ to be paid.” (Recollections.)
A similar custom prevailed at Bristol, where
were four pillars, called mails, in front of the
Exchange for a similar purpose. In Liverpºol
Exchange there is a plate of copper called The
Nail, on which bargains are settled.
ITung on the mail. Up the spout, put
in pawn. The custom referred to is that
of hanging each pawn on a nail, with a
number attached, and giving the cus-
tomer a duplicate thereof. Very similar
to the custom of guarding hats, cloaks,
walking-sticks, and umbrellas, in public
exhibitions and assemblies.
To hit the mail 0), the head. To come
to a right conclusion. In Latin, “Rem
tenes.” The Germans have the exact
phrase, “Den Nagel attfden kopf traffen.”
Nail (For want of a). “For want of
a nail, the shoe is lost ; for want of a
shoe, the horse is lost ; and for want of
a horse, the rider is lost.” (Herbert :
Jacula Prudentum.) -
Nymphs of lakes, foun-
(Classical
Nail-money. Six crowns given to
the “roy des harnoys’’ for affixing the
arms of a knight to the pavilion. -
Nail fixed in the Temple (of
Jupiter). On September 13th a nail was
annually driven into the wall of the
temple of Jupiter. This was originally
done to tally the year, but subsequently
it lapsed into a religious ceremony for
warding off calamities from the city.
Originally the nail was driven in the
wall by the praetor maximus, subse-
quently by one of the consuls, and lastly
by the dictator. (See Livy, vii. 3.)
Nail in One's Coffin. To drive a mail
into one’s coffin. To shorten life by
anxiety, drink, etc. Topers call a dram
Nail
876
Name
“a mail in their coffin,” in jocular allu-
sion to the teetotal axiom.
. “Care to our coffin adds a nail, no doubt :
But every grin so merry draws one out.”
Peter I’imalar (John Wolcot) : Ecpostulatory
des, Ode XV.
Nail One's Colours to the Mast
(To). To refuse to surrender. When
the colours are nailed to the mast they
c unnot be lowered in proof of sub-
IIllSSłO]].
Nailed. Caught and secured in jail.
(See CLou.)
I mailed him (or it.) I hooked him,
I pinned him, meaning I secured him.
Isaiah (xxii. 23) says, “I will fasten
him as a nail in a sure place.” How-
ever, the idea may still be, I secured
him by making him pay down the
earnest on The Nail. (See Pay on the
Matil, second clause.)
Nails driven into Cottage Walls.
This was a Roman practice, under the
notion that it kept off the plague. L.
. Manlius was named dictator (A.U.C. 390)
“to drive the nail.”
Our cottagers still mail horseshoes to
thresholds to ward off evil spirits. Mr.
Coutts, the banker, had two rusty horse-
shoes fastened on the highest step out-
side Holly Lodge. -
Nails of the Cross. The nails with
achich our Lord was fastened to the cross
were, in the Middle Ages, objects of
great reverence. Sir John Maundeville
says, “He had two in his hondes, and
two in his feet ; and of on of theise the
emperour of Canstantynoble made a
brydille to his hors, to bere him in
bataylle ; and throghe vertue thereof he
overcam his enemyes '' (c. vii.). Fifteen
are shown as relics. (See IRON CROWN.)
Nain Rouge. A Lutin or goblin of
Normandy, kind to fishermen. There is
another called Le petit homme rouge.
Naivete (pron. Inah'-eve-ty). Ingen-
uous simplicity; the artless innocence
of one ignorant of the conventions of
society. The term is also applied to
poetry, painting, and sculpture. The
word is formed from the Latin 72&nts,
72%tura, etc., meaning nature without
art.
Naked Lady. Meadow saffron
(Colchicum Autumnale). Called naked
because, like the almond, peach, etc.,
the flowers come out before the leaves.
It is poetically called “the leafless orphan
of the year,” the flowers being orphaned
or destitute of foliage. Some call it
“Naked Boy,” and the “Naked Boy
Courts” of London were places where
meadow saffron was sold.
Naked Truth. The fable says that
Truth and Falsehood went bathing;
Falsehood came first out of the water,
and dressed herself in Truth’s garments.
Truth, unwilling to take those of False-
hood, went naked.
Nakeer. (See MUNKAR.)
Nala, a legendary king of India,
whose love for Damayanti and subse.
quent misfortunes have supplied subjects
for numerous poems. Dean Milman has
translated into English the episode from
the Mahābhārata, and W. Yates the
famous Sanskrit poem called Nalodaya.
Na'ma. A daughter of the race of
man, who was beloved by the angel
Zaraph. Her one wish was to love
purely, intensely, and holily; but she
fixed her love on a seraph, a creature,
more than on her Creator; therefore, in
punishment, she was condemned to abide
on earth, “unchanged in heart and
frame,” so long as the earth endureth ;
but when time is no more, both she and
her angel lover will be admitted into
those courts “where love never dies.”
(Moore: Loves of the Angels, story iii.)
Namby Pamby Philips. Ambrose
Philips (1671-1749). His nickname was
bestowed upon him by Harry Carey, the
dramatist, for his verses addressed to
Lord Carteret's children, and was
adopted by Pope. This was not John
Philips, author of the Splendid Shilling.
“Namby” is a baby way of pronouncing
Ambrose, and “Pamby” is a jingling
reduplication.
Macaulay says: “This sort of verse has been
called [Namby Palm by] after the name of its
author.”
Naºme.
“What's in a name 2 That which we call a rose,
By any other name would Smell as Sweet.”
Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet, ii. 2.
To take God’s name in vain. To use it
profanely, thoughtlessly, or irreverently.
“Thou shalt, not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain.”—Exod. XX. 7.
Name. Fairies are extremely averse
to having their names known, indeed
there seems to be a strange identity be-
tween personality and Iname. Thus we
are forbidden to take God’s “name in
vain,” and when Jacob wrestled with
the angel, he was anxious to know his
opponent's name. (Compare the Greek
onoma and the Latin anima.)
TName-son
Name-son. Name-sake; also name-
child, etc.
“ (: od for ever bless your honour, I am your
name-son, sure enough.”—Smollett : Adventtic?"es of
Sir Launcelot G1'eſtvés. -
Name the Day.
riage.
Naºmes.
To call a person names. To blackguard
a person by calling him nicknames.
Names of the Puritans.
Praise-God Barebones.
seller in Fleet Street.
If-Jesus-Christ-had-not-died-for-thee-
thou-hadst-been-damned Barebones. His
son ; usually called Damned Dr. Bare-
bones. -
Nancy. The sailor’s choice in Dib-
din's exquisite song beginning, ‘‘’Twas
post meridian half-past four.” At half-
past four he parted by signal from his
Nancy; at eight he bade her a long
adlieu ; next morn a Storm arose, and
four sailors were washed overboard,
‘‘ but love forbade the waves to Snatch
our tar from Nancy”; when the storm
ceased an enemy appeared, but when
the battle was hottest our gallant friend
“put up a prayer and thought on
Nancy.”
Miss Nancy. Mrs. Anna Oldfield, a
celebrated actress, buried in Westminster
Abbey. She died in 1730, and her re-
mains lay in state, attended by two
noblemen. She was buried in a very
fine Brussels lace head-dress, a holland
shift, with a tucker and double-ruffles
of the same lace, new kid gloves, etc.
“‘Odious ! ſm woollen 2 'Twould a Saint provoke tº
Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke.”
Pope : Morall I'ssays.
An effeminate young
Fix the day of mar-
A leather-
Miss Nancy.
Ill&Il. - -
Nancy of the Vale. A village
maiden who preferred Strephon to the
gay lordlings who sought her. (Shen-
stone.)
Nankeen. So called from Nankin,
in China. It is the natural colour of
Nankin cotton.
Nanna. Wife of Balder. When the
blind-god slew her husband, she threw
herself upon his funeral pile and was
burnt to death.
Nannie, to whom Burns has addressed
several of his songs, was Miss Fleming,
daughter of a farmer in the parish of
Tarbolton, Ayrshire,
Nantes (1 syl.). Edict of Nantes.
The decree of Henri IV. of France,
published from Nantes in 1598, securing
7
877
Napoleon III.
-—-
freedom of religion to all Protestants.
Louis XIV. repealed this edict in 1685.
Nap. To go map. To stake all the
winnings on the cards in hand; hence,
to risk all on one venture. Nap is a game
of cards; so called from Napoleon III.
Nap (A), a doze or short sleep, as
“To take a nap,” is the Anglo-Saxon
hºndeppian or happ-ian (to take a map ;
the map of cloth is the Anglo-Saxon
hnoppa.)
Naphtha. The drug used by Mede'a
for anointing the wedding robe of
Glaucă, daughter of King Cre'on,
whereby she was burnt to death on the
morning of her marriage with Jason.
Na/pier's Bones. A method in-
vented by Baron Napier, of Merchiston,
for shortening the labour of trigno-
metrical calculations. Certain figures
are arranged on little slips of paper or
ivory, and simply by shifting these slips
the result required is obtained. They
are called bones because the baron used
bone or ivory rods instead of cardboard.
Napoleon III. Few men have had
so many nicknames.
MAN OF DECEMBER, so called because his coup
d'état was December 2nd, and he was made emi-
peror December 2nd, 1852.
MAN OF SEDAN, and, by a pun, M. Sedantaire.
It was at Sedan he Surrendered his Sword to
William I., King of Prussia (1870).
MAN OF SILENCE, from his great facifurnity.
COMTE I). AREN EN 1; ERG, the nahne and title he
tiºned When he escaped froll the fort, e3S of
3.111.
BADINGUET, the name of the mason, who
changed clothes with him when he escaped from
Ham. The emper, ºr's partisans were called
Badingueua, those of the empress were Monti-
joyed ttac.
Boust'ſ APA is a compound of Bouſlogne],
Strasbourg], and Paſtis], the places of his noted
escapade.
RANTIPOLE = harulhl-Scaruhl, llalf-fool
h'ulf-madman. - -
W ERI[UEL. A patronymic, which cannot be h; re
explained.
* There are some very curious nu-
merical coincidences connected with
Napoleon III. and Eugénie. The last
complete year of their reign was 1869.
(In 1870 Napoleon was dethroned and
exiled.)
Now, if to the year of coronation
(1852), you add either the birth of Napo-
leon, or the birth of Eugénie, or the
capitulation of Paris, or the date of mar-
riage, the sum will always be 1869. For
example: -
and
Col'O-
lsº Ilº- 1852 1852 1852
tion. -
IY Birth I Birth 1Y D:l,°C I ) Capit-
8 Of 8 Of 8 of. 8 \ulaf'n
0 ( Napo- || 2 (Eugé- 5 ( mar- 7 ſ ()f
9 J leon. 6) lie, 3J riage. I J Paris,
1869 |1869 J1869 1863
TNapping 8
•-->
And if to the year of marriage (1853) -
these dates are added
the fatal year.
Napping. To catch one mapping. To
find a person unprepared or off his guard.
(Anglo-Saxon, hmapping, slumbering.)
Nappy Ale. Strong ale is so called
because it makes one nappy, or because
it contains a map or frothy head.
Nar'alta. The hell of the Hindus.
It has twenty-eight divisions, in some of
which the victims are mangled by ravens
and owls; in others they will be doomed
to swallow cakes boiling hot, or walk
over burning sands. Each division has
its name: Jºurava (fearful) is for liars
and false witnesses; Rodha (obstruction)
for those who plunder a town, kill a cow,
or strangle a man ; Sitkara (swine) for
drunkards and stealers of gold; etc. .
Narcissa, in the Night Thoughts,
was Elizabeth Lee, Dr. Young's step-
daughter. In Night iii. the poet says
she was clandestinely buried at Mont-
pelier, because, being a Protestant, she
was “denied the charity that dogs en-
joy.” (For Pope's Narcissa see NANCY.)
Narcissus (The). This charming
flower is named from the son of Cephisus.
This beautiful youth saw his reflection
in a fountain, and thought it the pre-
siding nymph of the place. He tried to
reach it, and jumped into the fountain,
where he died. The nymphs came to
take up the body that they might pay
it funeral honours, but found only a
flower, which they called Narcissus,
after the name of the son of Cephisus.
(Ovid's Metamorphoses, iii. 346, etc.)
Plutarch says the plant is called Narcissus from
the Greek marke (numbness), and that it is pro-
perly marcosis, meaning the plant which produces
numbness Ol' lyal Sy.
“Sweet Echo, Sweetest nymph that liv'st un-
Se
, they will give 1870,
CanSt. thou ilot tell me of a gentle pair,
That likest thy Narcissus are 2.
Milton : Conw8, 235, etc.
* Echo fell in love with Narcissus.
Nardac. The highest title of honour
in the realm of Lilliput. Gulliver re-
ceived this distinction for carrying off
the whole fleet of the Blefuscu'dians.
Swift : Gulliver's Travels, ſoyage to
illiput, v.)
Narrow House or Home. A coffin ;
, the grave. Gray calls the grave a
‘‘Inarrow cell.”
“Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude forefathers of the hamlet Sleep.”
- Elegy.
Narrowdale Noon (Till). To defer
a matter till Narrowdale noon is to defer
sº
8
TNathanieſ
it indefinitely. “Christmas is coming.”
Ans., “So is Narrowdale Noon.” Your
. . . was deferred or delayed, like
Narrowdale Noon. Narrowdale is in
Derbyshire. The Dovedale is a valley
about three miles long, and nowhere
more than a quarter of a mile broad.
It is approached from the north by a
“narrow dale,” in which dwell a few
cotters, who never see the sun all the
winter, and when its beams first pierce
the dale in the spring it is only for a
few minutes in the afternoon.
Narses (2 syl.). A Roman general
against the Goths; the terror of children.
(473-568.) (See BogIE.)
“The name of Narses was the formidable sound
with which the Assyrian mothers were accus-
tomed to terrify their infants.”—Gibbon : Decline
and Fall, Cte., Yiii. 219.
Narwhal. Drinking-cups made of
the bone of the narwhal used to be
greatly valued, from the supposition .
that they counteracted the fatal effects
of poison.
Naseby (Northamptonshire) is the
Saxon nafela (the navel). It is so called
because it was considered the navel or
centre of England. Similarly, Delphi
was called the “navel of the earth,” and
in this temple was a white stone kept
bound with a red ribbon, to represent
the navel and umbilical cord.
Nasi. The president of the Jewish
Sanhedrim.
Na’so. The “surname'' of Ovid, the
Roman poet, author of Metamorphoses.
Naso means “nose,” hence Holofernes’
pun: “And why Naso, but for smelling
out the odoriferous flowers of fancy.”
(Shakespeare : Love's Labour's Lost, iv.
Nasser. The Arabian merchant
whose fables are the delight of the Arabs.
D'Herbelot tells us that when Mahomet
read to them the history of the Old Tes-
tament, they cried out with one voice
that Nasser's tales were the best ; upon
which Mahomet gave his malediction on
Nasser, and all who read him.
Na'strond [dead-man's region]. The
worst marsh in the infernal regions,
where serpents pour forth Venom in-
cessantly from the high walls. Here
the murderer and the perjured will be
doomed to live for ever. (Old Norse,
776, a dead body, and strond, a strand.)
(Scandinavian anythology.) (See LIK-
STROND.)
Nathan'iel (Sir). Agrotesque curate
in Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost,
Nation
Nation of Gentlemen. So George
IV. called the Scotch when, in 1822, he
visited that country.
Nation of Shopkeepers. Napoleon
was not the first to call the English “a
nation of shopkeepers ” in contempt.
National Anthexm. Both the music
and words were composed by Dr. Henry
Carey in 1740. However, in Antwerp
cathedral is a MS. copy of it which
affirms that the words and music were by
Dr. John Bull ; adding that it was com-
posed on the occasion of the discovery
of Gunpowder Plot, to which the words
“frustrate their knavish tricks” espe-
cially allude.
National Anthems.
Of AUSTRIA. Haydn’s Hymn to the
Jºhnperor.
BELGIAN. The Brabançonne.
DENMARK. Song of Danebroſ, ſa flag
with a white cross, which fell from
heaven in the 13th century at the prayer
of Waldemar II.].
BNGLAND. Jºule Britannia, words by
Thomson, music by Handel, and God
Sare the ſing. (See above.)
ERANCE. Ancient, the Chanson de
Jºoland. Since the Revolution, the
Marseillaise and the Chant du Départ.
GERMANY. Arndt’s Des Deutschen
J aſſerland. “Heil Dir im Siegeskranz.”
HUNGARY. The Rakoczy March.
ITALY. Daghela Awanti un Passo [i.e.
Move a step onward], 1821. Garibaldi’s
warlike Hymn, and Godfredo Mameli’s
Italian Brethren, Italy has Awaked,
composed by Mercantimi.
BUSSIA: God Protect the Cza)".
SCOTLAND. Several Jacobite songs,
the most popular being The King shall
Jºnjoy his own Again, When the King
Comes o'er the Water, and Lilliburlero of
1688.
Mational Colours. (See CoIOURs.)
National Convention. The assem-
bly of deputies which assumed the
government of France on the overthrow
of the throne in 1792. It succeeded the
National Assembly.
National Debt. Monéy borrowed
by the Government, on the security of
the taxes, which are pledged to the
lenders for the payment of interest.
The National Debt in William III,’s
reign was £15,730,439.
At the commencement of the American
war, £128,583,635. -
At the close thereof, £249,851,628.
At the close of the French war,
£840,850,491.
879
Natural
Cancelled between 1817 and 1854,
£85,538,790.
Created by Crimean war, £68,623,199.
In 1866, £802,842,949.
In 1872 it was £792,740,000.
In 1875 it was £714,797,715.
In 1879 it was £702,430,594.
In 1892 it was £677,679,571.
In 1893 it was £671,042,842.
National Exhibition. So Douglas
Jerrold called a public execution at the
Old Bailey. These scandals were abol-
ished in 1868. Executions now tak
place in the prison yard. -
National Workshops.-The English
name of “Ateliers nationaux,” estab-
lished by the French provisional govern-
ment in February, 1848, and which were
abolished in three months, after a san-
guinary contest.
Native. In feudal times, one born a
serf. After the Conquest, the natives
were the serfs of the Normans. Wat
Tyler said to Richard II. :
“The firste peticion was that he scholde make
alle men fre thro Ynglonde and quiete, so that
therC Scholde not be eny native man after that
time.”—Higden : Polychronicom, viii. 457.
Nativity (The) means Christmas Day,
the anniversary of the birth of Jesus.
The Cave of the Nativity is under the
chancel of the “church of the Nativity.”
In the recess, a few feet above the
ground is a stone slab with a star cut in
it, to mark the spot where the Saviour
was born. Near it is a hollow scraped
out of the rock, said to be the place
where the infant Jesus Was laid.
To cast a man’s nativity is to construct
a plan or map out of the position, etc., of
the twelve houses which belong to him,
and to explain the Scheme.
Natty. Tidy, methodical, and neat.
(Italian netto, French met, Welsh mith.)
Natty Bumppo, called “Leather
Stocking.” He appears in five of
Fenimore Cooper’s novels: as the Deer-
slayer; the Pathfinder ; the Hawk-eye
(La Longue Carabine), in the Last of the
Mohicans; Natty Bumppo, in the
Pioneers ; and the Trapper in the
Prairie, in which he dies.
Natural (A). A born idiot; one on
whom education can make no im-
pression. As mature made him, so he
remains. -
A natural child. One not born in
lawful wedlock. The Romans called
the children of concubines natura'lús,
TNature
children according to nature, and not
according to law.
“Cui pater est populus, pater est sibi nullus
omnes;
Cui pater est populus not habet ille Patre).
Oui
Nature. In a state of nature. Nude
or naked.
Naught (not “nought"). Naught is
Ne (negative), aught (anything). Saxon
náht, which is me diht (not anything).
“A headless man had a letter [o] to write,
He who read it [manuſht] had lost his sight.
The dumb repeated it [maught] word for word,
And deaf was the Iman who listened and heard
[naught].” D?’. Whewell.
Naught, meaning bad.
“The water is naught.”—2 Kings, ii. 19.
Naughty Figs (Jeremiah xxiv. 2).
Worthless, wile (Anglo-Saxon maht, i.e. ºn
negative, aht aught). We still say
a “naughty boy,” a “naughty girl,”
and a “naughty child.”
“One basket had very good figs, even like the
figs that are first ripe. . . . The other basket, had
very naughty figs, Which could not be eaten.”
Navigation. Father of navigation.
Don Henrique, Duke of Wiseo, the great-
est man that Portugal ever produced.
(1394-1460.)
JFather of British inland navigation.
Francis Egerton, Duke of Bridgewater
(1736-1803).
Navvy. A contraction of navigator.
One employed to make railways.
“Canals were thought of as limes Of inland navi-
gation, and a tavern built by the side of a canal
was called a ‘Navigation Inn.’ Hence it hap) ened
that the men employed in excavating canals were
called ‘navigators, shortened into navvies.”—
Spencer: Primciples of Sociology, Vol. i. appendix C,
p. 834.
Nay-word. Pass-word. Slender, in
The Merry Wives of Windsor, says—
“We have a nay-word how to know each other.
I come to her in white and cry Mºm, she cries
Budweł, and by that We know one another.”—
Shalcespect?'é.
Nayres (1 syl.). The aristocratic
class of India. (See POLEAS.)
Nazaraeans or Nazarenes (3 Syl.).
A sect of Jewish Christians, who believed
Christ to be the Messiah, that He was
born of the Holy Ghost, and that He
possessed a Divine nature; but they
nevertheless conformed to the Mosaic
rites and ceremonies. (See below.)
Nazare'ne (3 syl.). A native of
Nazareth ; hence our Lord is so called
(John xviii. 5, 7; Acts xxiv. 5).
Nazareth. Caſe any good thºff come
out of Nazareth 2 (John i. 46). A
general insinuation against any family
or place of ill repute, Can any great
880
1Nebo
man come from such an insignificant
village as Nazareth P -
Nazarite (3 syl.). One separated or
set apart to the Lord by a vow. These
Nazarites were to refrain from strong
drinks, and to suffer their hair to grow.
ſhºw, mazar, to separate. Numb. vi.
1-2 e
Ne plus Ultra (Latin). The perfec-
tion or most perfect state to which a
thing can be brought. We have Ne-
plus-ultra corkscrews, and a multitude
of other things.
Ne Sutor, etc. (See CoBBLER.)
Neaera. Any sweetheart or lady-love.
She is mentioned by Horace, Virgil, and
Tibullus.
“To sport with Amaryllis in the shadº,
Or with the tangles of Neºra's hair.’
Miltom. : JA/cidats.
Neapolitan. A native of Naples;
pertaining to Naples.
Near, meaning mean, is rather a
curious play on the word close (close-
fisted). What is “close by ” is near.
Near Side and Off Side. Left side
and right side. “Near wheel” means
that to the coachman’s left hand ; and
“near horse’’ (in a pair) means that to
the left hand of the driver. In a four-
in-hand the two horses on the left side
of the coachman are the near wheeler
and the near leader. Those on the right
hand side of the coachman are “Off
horses.” This, which seems an anomaly,
arose when the driver walked beside his
team. The teamster always walks with
his right arm nearest the horse, and
therefore, in a pair of horses, the horse
on the left side is nearer than the
one on his right.
/N Thus, 2 is the near wheeler
| | } and 1 the near leader, 4
2 : 4 is the off wheeler and 3
Coachman. the off leader.
Neat as a Bandbox. A band-box
is a slight box for caps, hats, and other
similar articles.
Neat as a Pin, or Neat as a New
Pin. Very prim and tidy.
Neat as Wax. Certainly the waxen
cells of bees are the perfection of neat-
ness and good order.
Nebo, the god of science and litera-
ture, is said to have invented cuneiform
writing. His temple was at Borsippa,
but his worship was carried wherever
Babylonian letters penetrated. Thus we
Nebraska 881
had Mount Nebo in Moab, and the city
of Nebo in Judea.
Nebraska, U.S. A word of Indian
origin, meaning the “shallow river.’’
Nebuchadnezzar. A correspondent
of Notes and Queries (July 21, 1877) says
that the compound Russian word Ne-
boch-ad-ne-tzar means, “There is no god
but the czar.” Of course this is not the
meaning of the Babylonian proper name,
but the coincidence is curious. The
-222ar of Nebuchadnezzar means Assyria,
and appears in such words as Nabon-
assar, Bel-ch-azzar, Nebo-pol-assar,
Tiglath-Pil-eser, Esar-haden, and so on.
Nabomassar is Nebo-adan-Assur (Nebo
prince of Assyria); Nebuchadnezzar is
Nebo-chah-adun-Assar (Nebo, royal
prince-of Assyria). Nebo was probably
an Assyrian god, but it was no unusual
thing for kings to assume the names of
gods, as Bel-ch-azzar, where Bel = Baal
(Baal king-of Assyria.) (See NABO.)
Neb'uchadnez'zar. The
Daniel says that Nebuchadnezzar walked
in the palace of the kingdom of Babylon
and said, “Is not this great Babylon
that I have built . . . by the might of
my power, and for the honour of my
majesty P” And ‘‘the same hour . . .
he was driven from men, and did eat
grass as oxen, and his body was wet
with the dew of heaven, till his hairs
were grown like eagles’ feathers, and
his nails like birds' claws’’ (iv. 29–33).
Necessity. Make a virtue of necessity.
(Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Verona,
iv. 1
“Quintilian has laudem virtutis mecessitati
damus ; St. Jerome (epistle 54 section 6), Fag. de
77et'essitate vintuteyn. In the IRom (tº de lat lºose, line
1ſt SS, we find Sil me fait de mecessite virtu, and
Boccaccio has Si come sat via fattta della, necessitat.
Necessity the tyrant’s plea. (Milton :
Paradise Lost, book iv. verse 393.)
Neck. “Oh that the Roman people had
but one neck, that I might cut it off at a
blow 1 '' The words of Caligula, the
Roman emperor.
To break the neck of an enterprise. To
begin it successfully, and overcome the
first difficulties. Well begun is half
done. The allusion is to killing fowls
by breaking their necks.
Neck-verse (Psalm li. 1). “Have
mercy upon me, O God, according to
Thy lovingkindness: according unto the
multitude of Thy tender mercies blot
out my transgressions.” This verse was
so called because it was the trial-verse
of those who claimed benefit of clergy;
prophet
Necromancy
**
and if they could read it, the ordinary
of Newgate said, “Legit ut clericus,”
and the convict saved his neck, being
only burnt in the hand and set at
liberty.
“If a clerk had been taken
For Stealing Of bacon, -
For burglary, murder, or rape.
If he could but rehearse
(Well prompt) his neck-verse,
He never could fail to escape.”
British Apollo (1710).
Neck-weed. A slang term for hemp,
of which the hangman’s rope is made.
Neck and Crop. Entirely. The
crop is the gorge of a bird.
Neck and Heels. I bundled him out
Aneck and heels. There was a certain
punishment formerly in vogue which
consisted in bringing the chin and knees
of the culprit forcibly together, and then
thrusting the victim into a cage.
Neck and Neck. Very near to-
gether in merit; very close competitors.
A phrase used in horse races, when
two or more horses run each other very
closely.
Neck or Nothing. T)esperate. A
racing phrase ; to win by a neck or to be
nowhere—i.e. not counted at all because
unworthy of notice.
Necked. A stiff-necked people. Ob-
stinate and self-willed. In the Psalms
we read, “Speak not with a stiff neck ’’
(lxxv. 5); and in Jeremiah xvii. 23,
“They obeyed not, but made their necks
stiff; ” and Isaiah (xlviii. 4) says, “Thy
neck is an iron sinew.” The allusion is
to a wilful horse, ox, or ass, which will
not answer to the reins.
Necklace. A necklace of coral or
white bryony beads used to be worn
round the necks of children to aid their
teething. Necklaces of hyoscyamus or
henbane-root have been recommended
for the same purpose. In Italy coral
beloques are worn as a charm against
the “evil eye.”
The diamond necklace (1785). (See
DIAMOND NECKLACE.)
The fatal necklace. Cadmos received
on his wedding-day the present of a
necklace, which proved fatal to every-
one who possessed it. Some say that
Vulcan, and others that Europa, gave
the necklace to Cadmos. Harmonia’s
necklace (q.v.) was a similar fatal gift.
(See FATAL GIFTS.)
Nec'romancy means prophesying
by calling up the dead, as the witch of
IEndor called up Samuel. (Greek, nekros,
the dead; manteia, prophecy.)
56
TNectar
88
9
*
Nemean Lion.
Nectar. Wine conferring immor-
tality, and drunk by the gods. The
Yoram tells us “the righteous shall be
given to drink pure wine sealed with
musk.” The food of the gods is Am-
bro'sia. (Greek nektar.)
Neddy (a man’s name). A contrac-
tion and diminutive of Mine Edward—
Mine Eddy, My N'Eddy, Teddy is the
French tu, toi, form ; and Neddy the
nunation form. (Ed’, Ted, Ned.)
Neddy. A donkey; a low cart used in
Dublin; so called because its jolting keeps
the riders eternally nodding.
“The ‘Set-down was succeeded by the Noddy,
So called from its Oscillating motion backwards
and forwards.”—Sketches of Ireland (1847).
Neddy. A dunce ; a euphemism for
“an ass.”
Need Makes the old Wife Trot.
In German, “I)ie moth macht ein alte
weib traben ...” in Italian, “Pisogna fri
trotter! a vecchia ; ” in French, “ Besoi),
fait trotter la vieille ; ” the Scotch say,
“Need gars naked men run.”
Needs must when the Devil
Drives. The French say: “Il faut
Anarcher quand le diable estaua trousses; ”
and the Italians Say: “ Pisogna andare,
quando il diavolo è vella coda.” If I
must, I must.
“He must fleeds go that the Devil drives.”
Shakespectre : All's Well That Ends !!'ell, i. 3.
Needfire. Fire obtained by friction.
It has been supposed to defeat sorcery,
and cure diseases assigned to witchcraft.
(Danish, givide, to rub.)
Needful (The). Ready money, cash.
The one thing needful for this life.
Needham. You are on the high-road
to Needham—to ruin or poverty. The
pun is on the word need. Needham is
in Suffolk. (See LAND OF NoD.)
Needle. To hit the meedle. Hit the
right nail on the head, to make a perfect
hit. A term in archery, equal to hitting
the bull's-eye. - :
JEye of a needle. (See EYE.)
Negative Pregnant (A). A denial
which implies an affirmative, and is so
interpreted. A law term.
Ne'gro. Fuller says a negro is “God’s
image cut in ebony.”
Negro Ofíspring.
White father and negro mother. Off-
spring, mulatto, mulatta.
White father and mulatta mother.
Offspring, Cuarteron, -rona.
White father and cuarterona mother.
Offspring, quintero, quintera.
hite father and quintera m
Offspring, white.
Negro'ni. A princess, a friend of
Lucrezia di Bor'gia, Duchess of Ferra'ra.
She invited to a banquet the nobles who
had insulted her friend, and killed them
other.
with poisoned wine. (Donizetti. Lucrezia
di Borgia, an opera.)
Ne'gus. So called from Colonel
Francis Negus, who first concocted it,
in the time of George I.
Nehalle'nia. The Flemish deity
who presided over commerce and navi-
gation.
Nehushtan (2 Kings xviii. 4). Bits
of brass, worthless fragments. When
Hezekiah broke in pieces the brazen
Serpent, he called the broken pieces Ne-
hushtan. -
“Suclı matters to the agitators are Nehushtan.”
—Nimeteenth Century, Decemlyer, 1892, p. 998.
Neiges d'Antan (The). A thing of
the past. Literally, “last year's snows.”
“Where are the snows of yester-year 2 ”
Rossetti.
“Tlle whole llas melted away like the meijes
d'amtan.”—Nineteenth Century, June, 1891, p. 893.
Neken. (See NEC.)
Neksheb. The city of Transoxiana.
Nell's Point, in Barry Island. Fa-
mous for a well to which women resort
on Holy Thursday, and having washed
their eyes with the water of the well,
each woman drops into it a pin.
Nem. Con. Unanimously. A con-
traction of the Latin mem'ine contradi-
cen'te (no one opposing).
Nem. Diss. Without a dissentient
voice. (Latin, mem'ine dissent'iente.)
Nem'ean Games (The). One of the
four great national festivals of Greece,
celebrated at Nem'ea, in Ar'golis, every
alternate year, the first and third of each
Olympiad. The victor's reward was at
first a crown of olive-leaves, but subse-
quently a garland of ivy. Pindar has
eleven odes in honour of victors at these
games. - -
Nem'ean Lion (The). The first of
the labours of Herculês was to kill the
Nemean lion (of Ar’golis), which kept
the people in constant alarm. Its skin
was so tough that his club made no im-
pression on the beast, so Hercules caught
it in his arms and squeezed it to death.
He ever after wore the skin as a mantle.
“Ere Nemea's boast resigned his shaggy Spoils. '
Statitts, l:
Nermesis
883 TNero
Nemesis. Retribution, or rather
the righteous anger of God. A female
Greek deity, whose mother was Night.
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit. No One
injures me with impunity. The motto
of the Order of the Thistle. It was first
used on the coins of James VI. Of Scot-
land (James I. of England). A strange
motto for Puritans to adopt (Matt. xviii.
21, 22).
Neol'ogy. The Rationalistic inter-
pretation of Scripture. The word is
Greek, and means new-(theo)-logy.
Those who accept this system are called
Neologians.
Ne'optol’emos or Pyrrhos. Son of
Achilles; called Pyrrhos from his yellow
hair, and Neoptol’emos because he was a
new soldier, or one that came late to the
siege of Troy. According to Virgil, it
was this young man that slew the aged
Priam. On his return home he was
murdered by Orestes, at Delphi.
Nepen'the (3 Syl.) or Nepen'thés, a
drug to drive away care and superinduce
love. Polydamna, wife of Thonis (or
Thone, 1 Syl.), King of Egypt, gave
nepenthe to Helen (daughter of Jove and
Leda). Homer speaks of a magic potion
called nepenthé, which made persons
forget their woes. (Odyssey, iv. 228.)
“That nepenthes which the wife of Thone
In Egypt gave the Joye-born Helena.”
Milton. : Comus, 695, 696.
* The water of Ardenne had the
opposite effect.
Neper's Bones. (See NAPIER.)
Neph'elo-coccyg'ia. A town in the
clouds built by the cuckoos. It was
built to cut off from the gods the incense
offered by man, so as to compel them to
come to terms. (Aristophanes : The
Birds.)
“Without flying to Nephelo-coccygia, we can
lmeet with Sharpers and bullies.”—Macaulay. ,
Nephew (French nevelſ, Latin nepos).
Both in Latin and in archaic English the
word means a grandchild, or descendant.
Hence, in 1 Tim. v. 4, we read—“If a
woman have children or nephews [grand-
children].” Propertius has it, “Me inter
eros lattdābit Roma nepotes [posterity].”
. Niece (Latin meptis) also means a
granddaughter or female descendant.
(See NEPOTISM.)
Nepomuk. St. John Nepomuk, a
native of Bohemia, was the almoner of
Wenceslas IV., and refused to reveal to
the emperor the confession of the em-
press. After having heroically endured
of the ocean.
torture, he was taken from the rack and
cast into the Moldau. Nepomuk is the
French né, born, and Pomuk, the village
of his birth. A stone image of this
saint stands on the Carl Brücke over the
Moldau, in Prague. (1330-1383.)
Nep'otism. An unjust elevation of
our own kinsmen to places of wealth and
trust at our disposal. (Latin, nepos, a
nephew or kinsman.)
Nep'tune (2 syl.). The Sea. In
Boman mythology, the divine monarch
(See BEN.)
A Son of Neptune.
sailor.
Neptune's Horse.
A seaman or
Hippocampos ;
it had but two legs, the hinder part of
the body being that of a fish.
HoRSE.)
Neptu'nian or Nep'tunist. One who
follows the opinion of Werner, in the
helief that all the great rocks of the
earth were once held in solution in water,
and have been deposited as sediment.
The Vulcanists or Plutonians ascribe
them to the agency of fire.
Ne'reids (2 syl.). Sea-nymphs, daugh-
ter of Nereus (2 syl.), fifty in number.
Mereids or Nere'idés (4 syl.). Sea-
nymphs. Camoens, in his Lusiad, gives
the names of three—Doto, Nyse, and
Neri'ne ; but he has spiritualised their
office, and makes them the sea-guardians
of the virtuous. They went before the
fleet of Gaſma, and when the treacherous
pilot supplied by Zacoc'ia, King of Mo-
zam'bique, steered the ship of Vasco da
Gama towards a Sunken rock, these
guardian nymphs pressed against the
prow, lifting it from the water and turn-
ing it round. The pilot, looking to see
the cause of this strange occurrence, be-
held the rock which had nearly proved
the ruin of the whole fleet (bk. ii.)
Ne'reus (2 syl.) A sea-god, repre-
sented as a very old man, whose special
dominion was the Æge'an Sea.
(See
Neri'ne (3 syl.). One of the Nereids.
(See NYSE.) -
Neris'sa. Portia’s waiting-maid;
clever, self-confident, and coquettish.
(Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice.)
Ne'ro. Emperor of Rome. Some say
he set fire to Rome to see “how Troy
would look when it was in flames; ”
others say he forbade the flames to be
put out, and went to a high tower, where
he sang verses to his lute “Upon the
Burning of Old Troy.”
Nero
8S4
New Christians
A Nero. Any bloody-minded man,
relentless tyrant, or evil-doer of extra-
Ordinary Savagery.
Nero of the North. Christian II. of
Denmark (1480, 1534-1558, 1559).
Nero's Friend. After Nero's fall,
when his statues and monuments were
torn down by order of the Senate, and
every mark of dishonour was accorded
to his memory, some unknown hand
during the night went to his grave and
strewed it with violets.
Nesr.
It was in the form of a vulture, and was
worshipped by the tribe of Hemyer.
Nesrem. A statue some fifty cubits
high, in the form of an old woman. It
was hollow within for the sake of giving
secret Oracles. (Arabian mythology.)
Nessus. Shirt of Nessus. A source
of misfortume from which there is no es-
cape ; a fatal present ; anything that
wounds the susceptibilities. Thus Renan
has “the Nessus-shirt of ridicule.”
Herculês ordered Nessus (the centaur)
to carry his wife Dejani'ra across a river.
The centaur ill-treated the woman, and
Bercules shot him with a poisoned arrow.
Nessus, in revenge, gave Dejani'ra his
tunic, saying to whomsoever she gave it
would love her exclusively. Dejani'ra
gave it to her husband, who was de-
voured by poison as soon as he put it on ;
but, after enduring agony, the hero threw
himself on a funeral pile, and was con-
sumed. (See HARMONIA’s ROBE.)
* While to my limljs th’ envenomed mantle clings,
I)renched in the centaur's black, malignant
gore.”
to West : Triumphs of the Gowt (Luciam).
To feather one’s nest. (See
Nest.
FEATHER.)
Nest-egg (A). Some money laid by.
The allusion is to the custom of placing
an egg in a hen’s nest to induce her to
lay her eggs there. If a person has saved
a little money, it serves as an induce-
ment to him to increase his store.
Nestor. King of Pylos, in Greece;
the oldest and most experienced of the
chieftains who went to the siege of
Troy. A “Nestor” means the oldest
and wisest man of a class or company.
(Homer. Iliad.) -
Nestor of the chemical revolution. A
term applied by Lavoisier to Dr. Black.
(1728-1799.)
Nestor of Europe.
Belgium (1790, 1831-1865).
An idol of the ancient Arabs.
Leopold, King of
Nesto'rians. Followers of Nesto’.
rius, Patriarch of Constantinople in the
fifth century. He maintained that Christ
had two distinct natures, and that Mary
was the mother of His human nature,
which was the mere shell or husk of the
divine. -
Neth'inim. The hewers of wood
and drawers of water for the house of
God, an office which the Gibeonites were
condemned to by Joshua (Joshua ix.
27). The word means given to God.
Nettle. Camden says the Romans
brought over the seed of this plant, that
they might have nettles to chafe their
limbs with when they encountered the
cold of Britain.
Nettles. It is ill work plucking
7tettles with bare hands, or belling the
cat. It is ill work to interefere in
matters which cannot but prove dis-
agreeable or even worse. In French,
“Attacher le grelot.”
Nettoyer (French). “Nettoyer une
personne, c'est & dire luy gagner tout son
argent.” (Oudin : Curiositez Françoises.)
Our English phrase, “I cleaned him
out,” is precisely tantamount to it.
Never. There are numerous locutions
to express this idea ; as—
At the coming of the Coqueligruos (Rabellis :
I’d 77tag ratel). -
At the Latter Lalmlina S. (See LAMMA.S.)
On the Greek Calends (q.v.).
In the reign of Queen Dick. (See DLCK.)
On St. Tib's Eve. (See TIB's Evl.)
In a month of five Sundays. ..
(In) la semaine destrois jeudis.
When two Fridays come together.
When three Sundays come together.
When Dover and Calais meet. (See Dov ER.)
When Dudman and Ramehead meet. (See DU D-
MAN.)
When the world grows honest.
When the Yellow River runs clear.
Never Say Die. Never despair;
never give up.
Nevers. Il Conte di Nevers, the
husband of Valentina. Being asked by
the Governor of the Louvre to join in.
the massacre of the Protestants, he re-
plied that his family contained a long
list of warriors, but not one assassin.
He was one of the Catholics who fell in
the dreadful slaughter. (Meyerbeer :
Gli Ugonotti, an opera.)
New Brooms sweep Clean. New
servants work hard ; new masters keep
a sharp look out. (In French, “Il 7’est
7'ien tel-que balai neuf.”)
New Christians. Certain Jews of
Portugal, who yielded to , compulsion
and suffered themselves to be baptised,
#
New Jerusaden
but in secret observed the Mosaic cere-
monies. (Fifteenth century.)
New Jerusalem. The paradise of
Christians, in allusion to Rev. xxi.
New Man. The regenerated man.
In Scripture, phrase, the unregenerated
state is called the old man (q.v.).
New Style. The reformed or Gre-
gorian calendar, adopted in Dngland in
September, 1752.
New Testament. The oldest MSS.
extant are :—(1) The Codex Sinait'icus
(N), published at the expense of Alex-
ander II. of Russia, since the Crimean
war. This codex contains nearly the
whole of the Old and New Testaments,
and was discovered in the convent of St.
Catherine on Mount Sinai, by Constan-
tius Tischendorf. It is ascribed to the
fourth century. (2) The Codex Vatica'-
nus (B), in the Vatican Library. Written
on vellum in Egypt about the fourth
century. (3) The Codex Alexandrinus
(A), belonging to the fifth century. It
was presented to Charles I. in 1628 by
Cyrillus Lucaris, Patriarch of Alexan- -
dria, and is preserved in the British
Museum. It consists of four folio
volumes on parchment, and contains
the Old and New Testaments (except
the first twenty-four chapters of St.
Matthew) and the Epistle of Clement
to the Corinthians.
New World. America ; the Eastern
Hemisphere is called the Old World.
New Year's Day. January 1st.
The ancient Romans began their year
in March ; hence such words as Septem-
ber, October, November, December,
meaning the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th month,
had a rational meaning. Since the
introduction of the Christian era, Christ-
mas Day, Lady Day, Easter Day, and
March 1st have in turns been con-
sidered as New Year's Day; but since
the reform of the calendar in the six-
teenth century, January 1st has been
accepted as New Year’s Day, because it
was the eighth day after the Nativity,
when Jesus was circumcised (Luke ii.
21). (See NEW STYLE.)
; : The civil and legal year began
March 25th till after the alteration of
the style, in 1752, when it was fixed, like
the historic year, to January 1st. In
Scotland the legal year was changed to
January 1st as far back as 1600; the
proclamation was made Nov. 27, 1599.
New Year's Gifts. The Greeks
transmitted the custom to the Romans,
885.
Newgate
and the Romans to the early Britons.
The Roman presents were called strende,
whence the French term étrenne (a New
Year's gift). Our forefathers used to
bribe the magistrates with gifts on New
Year's Day—a custom abolished by law
in 1290, but even down to the reign of
James II. the monarchs received their
tokens.
N.B. Nonius Marcellus says that
Tatius, Ring of the Sabines, was pre-
sented with some branches of trees cut
from the forest sacred to the goddess
Strenia (strength), on New Year's Day,
and from this happy Omen established
the custom.
N
News. The letters *W used to be
prefixed to newspapers to show that
they obtained information from the
four quarters of the world, and the sup-
position that our word news is thence
derived is at least ingenious ; but the
old-fashioned way of spelling the word,
Amettes, is fatal to the conceit. The
French nontrelſes seems to be the real
source. (See NOTARICA.)
* News is conveyed ly letter, word, Or mouth,
And comes to us from North, East, West, and
South.” Witt's IRecreations. '
Newcastle (Northumberland) was
once called Moncaster, from the monks
who settled there in Anglo-Saxon times;
.it was called Newcastle from the castle
built there by Robert, son of the Con-
queror, in 1080, to defend the neigh-
bourhood from the Scots.
Newcastle (Staffordshire) is so called
from the new castle built to supply the
place of an older one which stood at
Chesterton-under-Line, about two miles
distant.
Carry coals to Newcastle. A work of
supererogation, Newcastle being the
great seat of coals. The Latins have
“Aquam mari infundére'' (“To pour
water into the sea '.');
addere’” (“To add stars to the sky’’);
‘‘ Si’de, a caeſo
“Noetúas Athenas’” (“To carry owls
to Athens,” which abounds in them).
Newcastle Programme. (See PEO-
PLE'S CHARTER.)
Newcome (Colonel). A character in
Thackeray's novel called The Newcomes.
Newcomes. Strangers newly ar-
rived. .
Newgate, . Before this was set up,
London had but three gates: Aldgate,
Aldersgate, and Ludgate. The new one
was added in the reign of Henry I. -
Newgate. Nash, in his Pierce Penilesse,
Newgate Fashion
886
TNibelungen-Lied
says that Newgate is “a common name
for all prisons, as homo is a common
name for a man or woman.”
Newgate Fashion. Two by two.
Prisoners used to be conveyed to New-
gate coupled together in twos.
“Must, We all march 2
Yes, two and two, Newgate fashion.”
Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., iii. 3.
Newgate Fringe. The hair worn
under the chin, or between the chin and .
the neck. So called because it occupies
the position of the rope when men are
about to be hanged.
Newgate Knocker (A). A lock of
hair twisted into a curl, usually-worn by
costermongers and other persons of simi-
lar stations in life. So called because it
resembles a knocker, and the wearers of
it are too often inmates of Newgate.
Newgate as a prison is abolished, but
many phrases referring to the prison
still remain.
Newland. An Abraham Newland.
A bank-note, so called from Abraham
Newland, one of the governors of the
Bank of England in the early part of
the nineteenth century, to whom the
notes were made payable.
“I’ve often heard Say
Sham Abr'an, yoti may,
But must not Sham Abraham Newland.”
- The Eaglet.
“Trees are notes issued from the bank of Nature,
and as current as those payable to Abraham New-
land.”—G. &olman; : The Poor Gentleman, i. 2.
Newton (Sir Isaac) discovered the
prismatic colours of light. (1642-1727.)
“Nature and Nature's laws lay hid in night, , , .
, God said, ‘Let Newton be, and all was light.”
I’ope.
The Newton of Harmony. Jean Philippe
Rameau was so called from his work en-
titled a Dissertation on the Principles of
JHarmony. (1683-1764.)
Newton'ian Philosophy. The as-
tronomical system at present received,
together with that of universal gravita-
tion. So called after Sir Isaac Newton,
who established the former and dis-
covered the latter. (See APPLE.)
Next Door to. . . . Very nearly ; as
“ next door to a fool.”
Next to Nothing. A very little. As,
“It will cost next to nothing,” “He
eats next to nothing.”
Niſbelung. A mythical king of Nor-
way, whose subjects are called Nibelun-
gers and territory the Nibelungenland.
There were two contemporary kings in
this realm, against whom Siegfried,
Prince of the Netherlands, fought. He
slew the twelve giants who formed their
paladins with 700 of their chiefs, and
made their country tributary (Lay iii.).
The word is from mebel (darkness), and
means the children of mist or darkness.
---
(See NIBELUNGEN-LIED.)
Nibelungen Hoard. A mythical
mass of gold and precious stones, which
Siegfried obtained from the Nibelungs,
and gave to his wife Kriemhild as her
marriage portion. It was guarded by
Albric the dwarf. After the murder of
Siegfried, his widow removed the hoard
to Worms; here Hagan seized it, and
buried it secretly beneath “the Rhine at
Lochham,” intending at a future time to
enjoy it, “but that was ne'er to be.”
Rriemhild married Etzel with the view
of avenging her wrongs. In time Gün-
ther, with Hagan and a host of Burgun-
dians, went to visit King Etzel, and
Rriemhild stirred up a great broil, at the
end of which a most terrible slaughter
ensued. (See KRIEMHILD.)
“’Twas much as twelve huge Waggons in four
whole nightS and days
Could carry from the mountain down to the
Salt Sea bay ;
Though to and fro each Waggon thrice journeyed
every day, -
“It was made up of nothing but precious stones
and gold ; -
were aii the world bought from it, and down
the value told,
Not a mark the less would there be left than
erst, there Was I Ween.”
& Nibelungen-Lied, xix.
Nibelungen-Lied. A famous Ger-
man epic of the thirteenth century, pro-
bably a compilation of different lays.
It is divided into two parts, one ending
with the death of Siegfried, and the
other with the death of Kriemhild, his
widow. (The first part contains the
marriage of Günther, King of Burgundy,
with Queen Brunhild; the marriage of
Siegfried with Kriemhild, his death by
Hagan, the removal of the “Nibelungen
hoard” to Burgundy, and its seizure by
Hagan, who buried it somewhere under
the Rhine. This part contains nineteen
lays, divided into 1,188 four-line stanzas.
The second part contains the marriage of
the widow Kriemhild with King Etzel,
the visit of the Burgundians to the court
of the Hunnish king, and the death of
all the principal characters, including
Hagan and Kriemhild. This part, some.
times called The Nibelungen-Not, from
the last three words, contains twenty-
lays, divided into 1,271 four-line stanzas.
The two parts contain thirty-nine lays,
2,459 stanzas, or 9,836 lines." The tale is
based on a legend in the Völsunga Saga.
1Nibelungen-Nôt
887
TNick
Nibelungen-N6t. The second part
of the famous German epic called the
Nibelungen-Lied (q.v.). - - -
Nibelungers. Whoever possessed
the “Nibelungen hoard” (q.v.). Thus at
one time certain people of Norway were
so called, but when Siegfried possessed
himself of the hoard he was called King
of the Nibelungers; and at the death of
Siegfried, when the hoard was removed
to Burgundy, the Burgundians were so
called. (See NIBELUNG.) -
'. In all these Teutonic names ie = e, and ei = i.
Nic Frog. (See FROG.)
Nice. The Council of Nice. The first
Oecumencial council of the Christian
Church, held under Constantine the
Great at Nice, or Nicaea, in Asia Minor,
to condemn the Arian heresy (325). The
seventh occumenical council was also
held at Nice (787).
Nice as Ninepence. A corruption
of “Nice as nine-pins.” In the game
of nine-pins, the “men” are set in three
rows with the utmost exactitude or
nicety. Nine-pence is an Irish shilling
of 1561. (See NINEPENCE.)
Nice'an Barks or Nycean Barks.
Elgar Poe, in his lyric To Helen, says—
“Helen, thy beauty is to me
Like those Nicean barks of yore,
That gently o'er a perfumed Sea.
The weary, way-worn wanderer bore
To his own native shore.”
The way-worn wanderer was Dionysos
or Bacchus, after his renowned con-
quests. His native shore was the
Western Horn, called the Amalthèan
Horn. And the Nicean barks were vessels
sent from the island Nysa, to which in
infancy Dionysos was conveyed to screen
him froxa Rhea. The perfumed sea was
the sea surrounding Nysa, a paradisal
island.
Nicene Creed. (See NICE, CouncIL
OF.)
Niche. A niche in the Temple of
Fame. The Temple of Fame was the
Pantheſon, converted (1791) into a re-
ceptacle for illustrious Frenchmen. A
niche in the temple is a place for a
monument recording your name and
deeds. r
Nicholas (St.). The patron saint of
boys, as St. Catherine is ºf girls. In
Germany, a person assembles the chil-
dren of a family or school on the 6th
December (the eve of St. Nicholas), and
distributes gilt nuts and sweetmeats;
but if any naughty child is present, he
receives the redoubtable punishment of
the klaubangf. The same as Santa Claus
and the Dutch Jºriss Kringle (q.v.).
(See SANTA KLAUs.) - ..'.
St. Nicholas. Patron saint of parish
clerks. This is because he was the
patron of Scholars, who used to be called
clerks.
St. Nicholas. Patron Saint of sailors,
because he allayed a storm on a voyage
to the Holy Land. r
St. Nicholas. The patron saint of
IRussia. -- •
St. Nicholas. The patron saint of
Aberdeen.
St. Nicholas, in Christian art, is repre-
sented in episcopal robes, and has either
three purses or golden balls, or three
children, as his distinctive symbols. The
three purses are in allusion to the three
purses given by him to three sisters to
enable them to marry. The three chil-
dren allude to the legend that an Asiatic
gentleman sent his three boys to school
at Athens, but told them to call on St.
Nicholas for his benediction ; they
stopped at Myra for the night, and the
innkeeper, to secure their jagº, Iſll II'-
dered them in bed, and put their mangled
bodies into a pickling-tub with some
pork, intending to sell the whole as
such. St. Nicholas had a vision of the
whole affair, and went to the inn, when
the man confessed the crime, and St.
Nicholas raised the murdered boys to
life again. (See Home’s Everyday Book,
vol. i. Col. 1556; Maitre Wace, Metrical
Life of St. Nicholas.)
Clerks or Knights of St. Nicholas.
Thieves ; so called because St. Nicholas
was their patron Saint; not that he aided
them in their wrong-doing, but because
on One occasion he induced some thieves
to restore their plunder. Probably St.
Nicholas is simply a pun for Nick, and
thieves may be called the devil’s clerks
or knights with much propriety.
“I think yonder come prancing down the hills
from J&ingston a couple of St. Nicholas's clerks.”
—I’owley : Match (tt Midnight (1633).
Nick, in Scandinavian mythology, is
a water-wraith or kelpie. There are
nicks in sea, lake, river, and waterfall.
Both Catholic and Protestant clergy
have laboured to stir up an aversion to
these beings. They are sometimes re-
presented as half-child, half-horse, the
hoofs being reversed, and sometimes as
old men sitting on rocks wringing the
water from their hair. This kelpie must
not be confounded with the niac (q.v.).
Old Nick is the Scandinavian Wraith
under the form and fashion of an old
Nicka-Nan Night
man. Butler says the word is derived
from Nicholas Machiavel, but this can
be only a poetical satire, as the term
existed many years before the birth of
that Florentine. -
“Nick Machiavel had ne'er a trick
(Though he gives name to our old Nick)
But was below the least of these.”
- Jiudibras, iii. 1.
Old Nick. Grimm says the word Nick
is Neken or Nikken, the evil spirit of the
North. In Scandinavia there is scarcely
a river without its Nikr or wraith. (See
NICKAR and NICOR. Anglo-Saxon nicor,
a monster.) g
He nicked it. Won, hit, accomplished
it. A nick is a winning throw of dice.
Hence Florio (p. 280) says: “To tye or
nicke a caste of dice.”
To nick the ºvick. To hit the exact
moment. Tallies used to be called
“ nicksticks.” Hence, to make a record
of anything is “to nick it down,” as
publicans nick a score on a tally.
In the nick of time. Just at the right
moment. The allusion is to tallies
marked with nicks or notches. Shake-
speare has, ‘‘’Tis now the prick of noon ’’
(ſêomeo and Juliet, ii. 4), in allusion to
the custom of pricking tallies with a
pin, as they do at Cambridge University
still. If a man enters chapel just before
the doors close, he would be just in time
to get nicked or pricked, and would be
at the nick or prick of time.
Nicka-Nan Night. The night pre-
ceding Shrove Tuesday is so called in
Cornwall, because boys play tricks and
practical jokes on that night.
Nickar or Hnickar. The name as-
sumed by Odin when he impersonates
the destroying principle. (Grimm :
JDeutsche Mythologie.)
Nickel Silver. A mixed metal of
copper, zinc, and nickel, containing more
nickel than what is called “German
silver.” From its hardness it is well
adapted for electroplating. (German,
quickel, which also means a strumpet.)
Nicker. One who nicks or hits a
mark exactly. Certain night-larkers,
whose game was to break windows with
halfpence, assumed this name in the
early part of the eighteenth century.
“His scattered pence the flying Nicker flings,
And with the copper shower the casement
rings.” Gay: Trivia, iii.
Nick'leby (Mrs.). An endless talker,
always introducing something quite
foreign to the matter in hand, and
pluming herself on her penetration.
(Dickens : Wicholas Wickleby.)
888
Nicotine
Nickname. “An eke name,” written
A 7.6%e name. An additional name, an
ag-nomen. The “eke ’’ of a beehive
is the piece added tº the bottom to en-
large the hive. (See Now-A-DAYS.)
Nicknames. 'ational Nicknames :
For an American of the United States,
“Brother Jonathan '' (q.v.).
For a Dutchman, “Nic Frog” (q.v.),
and “Mynheer Closh ’’ (q.v.).
For an Englishman, “John Bull.”
(See BULL.)
For a Frenchman, “Crapaud’’ (q.v.),
Johnny or Jean, Robert Macaire.
For French Canadians, “Jean Bap-
tiste.”
For French reformers, “Brissotins.”
For French peasantry, “Jacques Bon-
homme.” -
For a Glaswegian, “Glasgow Keelie.”
For a Germa”, “Cousin Michael’’
or “Michel” (q.v.).
Tor an Irishanam, “Paddy.”
For a Liverpudlian, “Dicky Sam.”
For a Londoner, “A Cockney’” (q.v.).
For a 78ussian, “A bear.”
For a Scot, “Sawney’’ (q.v.).
For a Swiss, “ Colin Tampon” (q.v.).
For a Turk, “Infidel.”
Nick'nev'en. A gigantic malignant
hag of Scotch superstition. Dunbar has
well described this spirit in his Flyting
of Dunbar and Kennedy.
Nicodemused into Nothing, that
is, the prospects of one’s life ruined by
a silly name ; according to the proverb,
“Give a dog a bad name and hang
him.” It is from Sterne's Th’istrain
Shandy (vol. i. 19), on the evil in-
fluence of a silly name on the mind of
the bearer of it.
“How many Caesars and Pompey's . . . by Imere
inspiration of the names have been rendered
worthy of them, ; and how many . . . Inight have
done . . . well in the World . ... had they not
been Nicodemused into nothing.”
This is, to call a man Nicodemus would be
enough to sink a na Vy.)
Nicola’itans. The followers of Ni-
colāus (second century). They were
Gnostics in doctrine and Epicureans in
practice. .
Nic'olas. (See NICHOLAS.)
Nicor (A). A sea-devil, in Scandi-
navian mythology, who eats sailors.
“My brother saw a nicor in the Northern Sea.
It was three fatholms long, With the body. Of a
bison-bull, and the head of a cat, the beard of a
man, and tusks an ell, long, lying down on Its
breast. It was watching for the fishermen.”—
Ičingsley : Hypatia, Chap. Xii.
Nicotine (3 syl.) is so named from
Jean Nicot, Lord of Willemain, who
Nidhögg
purchased some tobacco at Lisbon in
1560, introduced it into France, and had
the honour of fixing his name on the
plant. Our word tobacco is from
the Indian tabaco (the tube used by the
Indians for inhaling the Smoke).
Nidhögg. The monster Serpent, hid
in the pit Hvergelmer, which for ever
gnaws at the roots of the mundane ash-
tree Yggdrasil'. (Scandinavian myth-
ology.)
Niece... (See NEPHEw.)
Niflheim (2 syl., mist-home). The
region of endless cold and everlasting
night, ruled over by Hela. It consists
of nine worlds, to which are consigned
those who die of disease or old age.
This region existed “from the begin-
ning ” in the North, and in the middle
thereof was the well Hvergelmeer, from
which flowed twelve rivers. (Old Norse,
mifl, mist; and heim, home.) In the
South was the world called Muspelheim
(q.v.). (Scandinavian mythology.) (See
HVERGELMER MANHEIM.)
Night. The celebrated statue of
Night, in Florence, is the chef d'oeuvre of
Michael Angelo. In the gallery of the
Iuxembourg, Paris, is the famous pic-
ture of Night by Rubens; and at Wer-
sailles is the painting of Mignard.
Nightcap (A). . A glass of grog
before going to bed. Supposed to pro-
mote sleep.
“The nightcap is generally a little whisky left
in the decanter. To do it honour it is taken meat.
Then, all get up and wish good-night.’”—Mac
O'IRell: Friend Mac Domald, iii.
Nightingale. Tereus, King of
Thrace, fetched Philome'la, to visit his
wife ; but when he reached the “soli-
tudes of Heleas” he dishonoured her,
and cut out her tongue that she might
not reveal his conduct. Tereus told his
wife that Philomela was dead, but
Philomela made her story known by
weaving it into a peplus, which she sent
to her sister, the wife of Tereus, whose
name was Procné. Procné, out of re-
venge, cut up her own son and served it
to Tereus; but as soon as the king dis-
covered it he pursued his wife, who fled
to Philomela, her sister. To put an end
to the sad tale, the gods changed all
three into birds ; Tereus (2 syl.) became
the hawk, his wife the swallow, and
Philomela, the nightingale.
Arcadian mightingales. Asses.
Cumbridgeshire ºnightingales. Edible
frogs. Liège and Dutch “nightingales”
are edible.
889
TNimble
Nightmare (A). A sensation in
sleep as if something heavy were sitting
on our breast. (Anglo-Saxon, mara,
an incubus.) This sensation is called
in French cauchemar. Anciently it
was not unfrequently called the night-
hag, or the riding of the witch. Fu'seli
used to eat raw beef and pork chops for
Supper to produce nightmare, that he
might draw his horrible creations. (See
MARE's NEST.)
“I do believe that the witch we call Mara has
been dealing with you.”—Sir Walter Scott: The
Betrothed, chap. xv.
Nightmare of Europe. Napoleon Bona-
parte (1769, 1804-1814, 1821).
Nihilists. A radical society of the
maddest proclivities, which started into
existence in 1848, under the leadership
of Herzen and Bakunin. Their pro-
fessed object was to annihilate all laws
of social community, and reform the
world de novo. The following is their
code:–
(1) Annihilate the idea of a God, or there can be
no freedom.
§ Annihilate the idea of right, which is only
"#"Annihilate civilisation, property, marriage,
morality, and justice. .
(4) Let your own happiness be your only 1:lw.
Nihilo. Ea: nihilo nihil fit. From
nothing comes nothing—i.e. every effect
must have a cause. It was the dictum
of Xenophanés, founder of the Eleatic
school (sixth century), to prove the
eternity of matter. We now apply the
phrase as equivalent to “You cannot
get blood from a stone.” You cannot
expect clever work from one who has no
brains.
When all is said, “deity" is an exception.
Nil Admira'ri. To be stolidly in-
different. Neither to wonder at any-
thing, nor yet to admire anything.
Nil Desperandum.
never give up in despair.
Nile. The Egyptians used to say that
the swelling of the Nile was caused by
the tears of Isis. The feast of Isis was
celebrated at the anniversary of the death
of Osi'ris, when Isis was supposed to
mourn for her husband.
The hero ºf the Nile. Horatio, Lord
Nelson (1758-1805). -
Nil'ica or Sephal'ica. A plant in the
blossoms of which the bees sleep.
Nimble as a Cat on a hot Balce-
stone. . In a great hurry to get away.
The bake-stone in the north is a large
stone on which bread and oat-cakes are
baked.
Never say die ;
Nimble
890
1Nine
Nimble as Ninepence.
(See NINE-
PENCE.) -
Nimbus characterises authority and
power, not sanctity. The colour indi-
cates the character of the person so
invested:—The nimbus of the Trinity is
gold; of angels, apostles, and the Virgin
Mary, either red or white ; of ordinary
saints, violet; of Judas, black of Satan,
some very dark colour. The form is
generally a circle or half-circle, but that
of Deity is often triangular.
The nimbus was used by heathen nations long
before painters introduced it into sacred pictures
of saints, the Trinity, and the Virgin Mary. Pros-
erpine was represented with a nimbus ; , the
Roman emperors were also decorated in the same
manner, because they were divi,
Nim'ini Pim'ini. Affected simpli-
city. Lady Emily, in the Heiress, tells
Miss Alscrip the way to acquire the
paphian Mimp is to stand before a glass
and keep pronouncing mimini pimini.
“The lips cannot fail to take the right
plie.” (General Burgoyne, iii. 2.)
This conceit has been borrowed by
Charles Dickens in his Little Dorrit,
where Mrs. General tells Amy Dorrit—
“Papa gives a pretty form to the lips. Papa,
potatoes, powltry, prumes, and prism. . . You will
find it serviceable if you say to yourself on enter-
ing a room, Patp(t, potatoes, poultry, prunes, and
prism, pºw?ves and prism.” -
Nimrod. “A mighty hunter before
the Lord ” (Gen. x.9), which the Tar-
gum says means a “sinful hunting of
the sons of men.” Pope says of him,
he was “a mighty hunter, and his prey
was man ; ” so also Milton interprets
the phrase. (Paradise Lost, xii. 24, etc.)
The legend is that the tomb of Nimrod still
exists in Dalmascus, and that no dew ever “falls”
upon it, even though all its surroundings are
Saturated with it.
Nimrod. Any tyrant or devastating
warrior.
Nimrod, in the Quarterly Review, is
the nom-de-plume of Charles James Ap-
perley, of Denbighshire, who was pas-
sionately fond of hunting. Mr. Pittman,
the proprietor, kept for him a stud of
hunters. His best productions are The
Chase, the Turf, and the Road. (1777-
1843.)
Nincompoop. A poor thing of a
man. Said to be a corruption of the
Latin 770m compos [mentis], but of this
there is no evidence.
Nine. Nine, five, and three are mys-
tical numbers—the diapa’son, diapente,
and diatriſon of the Greeks. Nine con-
sists of a trinity of trinities. According
to the Pythagorean numbers, man is
a full chord, or eight notes, and deity
comes next. Three, being the trinity,
represents a perfect unity; twice three
is the perfect dual; and thrice three is
the perfect plural. This explains thé
use of nine as a mystical number, and
also as an exhaustive plural, and conse-
quently no definite number, but a simple
representative of plural perfection. (See
T)IAPASON.) -
(1) Nine indicating perfection or com-
ſpletion? — - -
Deucalion’s ark, made by the advice of
Prome'theus, was tossed about for nine
days, when it stranded on the top of
Mount Parnassus. . . .
Ičigged to the mines or Dressed up to
#: *imes. To perfection from head to
Oot. - -
There are nine earths. Hela is goddess
of the ninth. Milton speaks of “nine-
enfolded spheres.” (Arcades.)
There are nine worlds in Niflheim.
There are mine heavens. (See HEAVENS.)
Gods. Macaulay makes Porséna, swear
by the nine gods. (See NINE GODS.)
here are nine orders of angels. (See
ANGELS.) -
There are the Mine korrigan or fays of
Armorica.
There were mine muses.
There were nine Gallicenſe or virgin
priestesses of the ancient Gallic oracle.
The serpents or Nagas of Southern
Indian worship are nine in number. a
There are mine worthies (ff.v.); and
nine worthies of London. (SeeWoRTHIES.)
There were nine rivers of hell, accord-
ing to classic mythology. Milton says
the gates of hell are “thrice three-fold;
three folds are brass, three iron, three
of adamantine rock. They had nine
folds, nine plates, and nine linings.”
(Paradise Lost, ii. 645.)
JFallen angels. Milton says, when they
were cast out of heaven, “Nine days
they fell.” (Paradise Lost, vi. 871.)
Vulcan, when kicked out of heaven,
was nine days falling, and them lighted
on the island Lemnos. - .
Nice as ninepende. (See NICE.) º
(2) Examples of the use of nine as an
eachaustive plural – º
Nine tailors make a man does not
mean the number nine in the ordinary
acceptation, but simply the plural of
tailor without relation to number. As a
tailor is not so robust and powerful as
the ordinary run of men, it requires
more than one to match a man. (See
TAILORS.) , . . .
A nine days’ wonder is a wonder that
Hasts more than a day; here nine equals
“Several.”
Nine 891
Nine Days' Wonder
A cat has nine lives—i.e. a cat is popu-
larly supposed to be more tenacious of life
than animals in general. . -
Possession is nine points of the law — i.e.
several points, or every, advantage a
person can have short of right.
There are nine crowns recognised in
heraldry. (See CROWNS.) - - -
A fºe asked a Norman peasant to
change babes with her, but the peasant
replied, “No, not if your child were
mine times fairer than my own.” (Fairy
Mythology, p. 473.) - -
(3) Nime as a mystic number. Exam-
ples of its superstitious use:—
The Abracadabra was worn nine days,
and then flung into a river. -
Cadency. There are nine marks of
cadency.
Cat. The whip for punishing evil-
doers was a cat-o'-mine-tails, from the
superstitious notion that a flogging by
a “trinity of trinities” would be both
more sacred and more efficacious.
Diamonds. (See “Diamond Jousts,”
aunder the word DIAMOND.)
Pairies. In order to see the fairies, a
person is directed to put “nine grains of
wheat on a four-leaved clover.”
JHel has dominion over nine worlds.
IIydra. The hydra had nine heads.
(See HYDRA.)
Leases used to be granted for 999
years, that is three times three-three-
three. Even now they run for ninety-
nine years, the dual of a trinity of
trinities. Some leases run to 9,999 years.
At the Lemu'ria, held by the Romans
on the 9th, 11th, and 13th of May, per-
sons haunted threw black beans over
their heads, pronouncing nine times the
words: “Avaunt, ye spectres from this
house !” and the exorcism was complete.
(See Ovid's Fasti.)
Magpies. To see nine magpies is most
unlucky. (See MAGPIE.) -
Odin’s ring dropped eight other rings
every ninth might. . .
Ordeals. In the ordeal by fire, nine
hot ploughshares were laid lengthwise at
unequal distances.
Peas. If a servant finds nine green
peas in a peascod, she lays it on the
lintel of the kitchen door, and the first
man that enters in is to be her cavalier.
Seal. The people of Feroes say that
the seal casts off its skin every ninth
month, and assumes a human form to
sport about the land. (Thiele, iii. 51.)
Stya, encompassed the infernal regions
in nine circles.
Toast.
to those most highly honoured.
tives in Eastern estimation.
We drink a Three-times-three .
Witches. The weird sisters in Mac-
beth . Sang, as they danced round the
cauldron, “Thrice to thine, and thrice
to mine, and thrice again to make up
nine ; ” and then declared “the charm
wound up.” .
Wresting thread. Nine knots aro
made on black wool as a charm for a
sprained ankle.
(4) Promiscuous eacámples —
Niobe's children lay nine days in their
blood before they were buried. . .
Nine buttons of official rank in China.
. Nine of Diamonds (q.v.). The curse.
of Scotland. - -
There are nine mandarins (q.v.).
Planets. The nine are: (1) Mer-
cury, (2) Venus, (3) Earth, (4) Mars,
(5) the Planetoids, (6) Jupiter, (7)
Saturn, (8) Uránus, (9) Neptune.
According to the Ptolemaic system, there were
seven planets, the Firmament or the Fixt, and
the Crystalline. Above these nine came the
Primum Mobile or First Moved, and the Empy-
rean or abode Of Deity.
The followers of Jai'na, a heterodox
sect of the Hindus, believe all objects
are classed under nine categories. (See
JAINAS.) -
Shakespeare speaks of the “ninth part
of a hair.”
“I’ll cavil On the ninth part of a hair.”
1 Hem. IV., iii 1.
Nine. To look nine ways. To squint.
Nine. The superlative of superla-
It is by
nines that Eastern presents are given
when the donor wishes to extend his
bounty to the highest pitch of munifi-
CéElC6. -
“He [Dakianos] caused himself to be preceded
by nine superb camels. The first was loaded with
9 suits of gold adorned with jewels; the second
bore 9 Sabres, the hilts and scabbards of which
were adorned with diamonds; upon the third
camel were 9 suits of armour; the fourth had 9
suits of horse furniture ; the fifth had 9 cases full
of Sapphires ; the siath had 9 cases full of rubies ;
the seventh, 9 cases full of emeralds ; the eighth
had 9 cases full of amethysts ; and the ninth had
9 cases full of diamonds.”—Comte de Caylus:
Oriental Tales; Dalcianos and the Seven Sleepers.
Nine Crosses. Altar crosses, pro-
cessional crosses, roods on lofts, reliquary
crosses, consecration crosses, marking
crosses, pectoral crosses, spire crosses,
and crosses pendent over altars. (Pugin :
Glossary of Ecclesiastical Ornaments.)
Nine Crowns. (See CROWNS.)
Nine Days' Wonder (A). Something
that causes a great sensation for a few
days, and then passes into the limbo of
things forgotten. In Bohn's Handbook
of Proverbs we have “A wonder lasts
nine days, and then the puppy’s eyes are
open,” alluding to cats and dogs, which
TNine Gods
892 Nip-cheese
are born blind. As much as to say, the
eyes of the public are blind in astonish-
ment for nine days, but then their eyes
are open, and they see too much to
wonder any longer.
“King : You'd think it strange if I should marry
!"
} -
Gluster : That would be ten days’ wonder, at the
Kº: That's a (lay longer than a Wonder lasts.”
Shakespectre : 3 Henry VI., iii. 2.
Nine Gods (The). (1) Of the Etrus-
cans: Juno, Minerva, and Tin'ia (the three
chief) ; the other six were Vulcan, Mars,
and Saturn, Herculés, Summânus, and
Wedius.
“Lars Porséna of Clusium
By the nine gods he swore
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer Wrong no more.”
Macawlay : Lays of Ancient Rome (Horatius, i.).
(2) Of the Sabines (2 syl.). Herculés,
Romulus, Esculapius, Bacchus, AEměas,
Vesta, Santa, Fortuna, and Fidés.
Nine Points of the Law. Success
in a law-suit requires (1) a good deal
of money ; (2) a good deal of patience;
(3) a good cause ; (4) a good lawyer;
(5) a good counsel; (6) good witnesses;
(7) a good jury; (8) a good judge; and
(9) good luck. -
Nine Spheres (The). Milton, in his
Arcades, speaks of the “celestial syrens’
harmony that sit upon the nine enfolded
spheres.” The nine spheres are those
of the Moon, of Mercury, of Venus, of
the Sun, of Mars, of Jupiter, of Saturn,
of the Firmament, and of the Crystalline.
Above these nine heavens or spheres
come the Primum Mobile, and then the
Heaven of the heavens, or abode of
Deity and His angels.
The earth was supposed to be in the
centre of this system.
Nine Worthies. Joshua, David, and
Judas Maccabaeus; Hector, Alexander,
and Julius Caesar; Arthur, Charlemagne,
and Godfrey of Bouillon. .
“Nine worthies were they called, of different
tº Jews, three Dagans, and three Christian
knights.” --
- I) ryden : The Flower and the Leaf.
Wine worthies (privy councillors to
William III.) :–
JP'higs : Devonshire, Dorset, Mon-
mouth, and Edward Russell.
Tories : Caermarthen, Pembroke, Not-
tingham, Marlborough, and Lowther.
Nine worthies of London. (See WoR-
THIES.)
Ninepence. Nimble as ninepence.
Silver ninepences were common till the
year 1696, when all unmilled coin was
called in. These ninepences were very
pliable or nimble, and, being bent, were
given as love tokens, the usual formula
of presentation being To any love, from
my love. (See NICE As NINEPENCE.)
Ninian (St.). The apostle of the
Picts (fourth and fifth centuries).
Ninon de l'Enclos, noted for her
beauty, wit, and gaiety. She had two
natural sons, one of whom fell in love
with her, and blew out his brains when
he discovered the relationship. (1615-
1706.) -
Ni’nus. Son of Belus, husband of
Semir’amis, and the reputed builder of
Nineveh. -
Niobe (3 Syl.). The personification
of female sorrow. According to Grecian
fable, Niobe was the mother of twelve
children, and taunted Lato'na, because
she had only two—namely, Apollo and
Diana. Lato'na commanded her chil-
drem to avenge the insult, and they
caused all the sons and daughters of
Niobe to die. Niobe was inconsolable,
wept herself to death, and was changed
into a stone, from which ran water.
“Iike Niobe, all tears” (Hamlet.)
The group of Niobe and her children,
in Florence, was discovered at Rome in
1583, and was the work either of Scopas
or Praxit'eles. -
The Niobe of nations. So Lord Byron
styles Rome, the “lone mother of dead
empires,” with “broken thrones and
temples; ” a “chaos of ruins; ” a
“desert where we steer stumbling o'er
recollections.” (Childe Harold, cantoiv.
stanza, 79.)
Niord. The Scandinavian sea-god.
He was not one of the Æsir. Niórd’s
son was Frey (the fairy of the clouds),
and his daughter was Freyja. His home
was Noatun. Niðrd was not a sea-god,
like Neptune, but the Spirit of water
and air. The Scandinavian Neptune
was Ægir, whose wife was Skadi.
Nip (A). As a “mip of whisky,” a
“mip of brandy,” “just a nip.”
nipperkin was a small measure. (Dutch,
mippen, a sip.) -
Nip in the Bud. Destroy before it
has developed. “Nip sin in the bud,”
Latin, “Obsta principiis,”, “ Venienti
occurite morbo.” “Resist beginnings.”
Nip-cheese or Nip-farthing. A
miser, who nips or pinches closely his
cheese and farthings. (Dutch, hippen.)
Nipperkin 89
Noakes
Nipperkin (A). A small wine and
beer measure. Now called a “nip.”
“His hawk-economy won't thank him for t
Which stops his petty nipperkin of port.”
JPetey Pim duty : Haviº Policde)".
Nirva'na. Annihilation, or rather
the final deliverance of the soul from
transmigration (in Buddhism). Sanskrit,
wir, out ; vſina, blow. (See GAUTAMA.)
Nishapoor and Tous. Mountains
in Khorassan where turquoises are
found.
Nisi Prius. A Nisi Case, a cause to
be tried in the assize courts. Sittings at
Nisi Prints, sessions of Nisi Prius Courts,
which never try criminal cases. Trial
at Nisi, a trial before judges of assize.
An action at one time could be tried
only in the court where it was brought,'
but Magna Charta provided that certain
cases, instead of being tried at West-
minster in the superior courts, should be
tried in their proper counties before
judges of assize. The words “Nisi
Prius” are two words on which the
following clause attached to the writs
entirely hinges: —“We command you to
come before our justices at Westminster
on the morrow of All Souls”, NISI
PRIUS justiciarii dominiregis ad assisas
capiendas venerint—i.e. unless previously
the justices of our lord the king come
to hold their assizes at (the court of your
wn assize town).”
Nis'roch. An idol of the Ninevites
represented in their sculptures with a
hawk’s head. The word means Great
JEagle.
Nit.
Mab. -
Nitouche (St.) or Mie Touche (Touch-
me-not). A hypocrite, a demure-looking
pharisee. The French say, Faire la
Sainte Vitouche, to pretend to great
Sanctity, or look as if butter would not
melt in your mouth.
“It is certainly difficult to believe hard things
of a woman who looks like Ste. Nitouche in
Profile.”—J. O. IIobbes: Some Emotions and a Moral,
clap. iii.
Nix (mas.), Nixie (fem.). Kind busy-
body. Little creatures not unlike the
Scotch brownie and German kobold.
They wear a red cap, and are ever ready
to lend a helping hand to the industrious
and thrifty. (See NICK.)
“Another tribe of water-fairies are the Nixes,
Who frequently assume the appearance of beauti:
ful maidens.”—T. F. T. Dyer : Folk-lore of Plants,
chap. vii. p. 90,
Nixon. Red-faced.
“I like a red-faced Nixon.”—Pickwick,
One of the attendants of Queen
Nizam'. A title of sovereignty in
Hyderabad (India), derived from Nizam-
wl-mulk (regulator of the state), who ob-
tained possession of the Deccan at the
beginning of the 18th century. The name
Caesar was by the Romans used precisely
in the same manner, and has descended
to the present hour in the form of Kaiser
(of the German Empire).
Njörd. God of the winds and waves.
(Edda.)
No Man is a Hero to his own
Valet. Montaigne (1533-1592) said:
“Peu d'hommes ont esté admirés par leurs
domestiques.” Mad. Cornuel (who died
1694) wrote to the same effect: “Il n°y
a pas de grand homme pour son valet de
chambre.”
“A prophet is not without honour Save in . . . .
his own house.”—Matt. Xiii. 56.
No More Poles. Give over work.
The cry in hop-gardens when the pickers
are to cease working.
“When the sun set, the cry of “No more poles'
resoundled, and the work of the day was clone.”
—The Ludgate Monthly: Hops and Hop-pickers,
November, 1891.
No-Popery Riots. Those of Edin-
burgh and Glasgow, February 5th, 1779.
Those of London, occasioned by Lord
George Gordon, in 1780.
Noah's Ark (Genesis vi. 15) was
about as big as a medium-sized church,
that is, from 450 to 500 feet long, from
75 to 85 feet broad, and from 45 to 50
feet high, with one window in the roof.
Toy arks represent it with rows of
windows on each side, which is in-
correct.
Noah's Ark. . A white band spanning
the sky like a rainbow ; if east and west.
expect dry weather, if north and south
expect wet. -
Noah's Wife [Noraida], according
to legend, was unwilling to go into
the ark, and the quarrel between the
patriarch and his wife forms a very
prominent feature of Noah’s Flood, in
the Chester and Townley Mysteries,
“TIastow nought herd, quod Nicholas, also
The sorwe of Noć with his felaschippe -
That he had or he gat his wyf to Schipe?”
Cluttucer: Canterbury Totles, 3,534.
Noakes (John) or John o' Noakes.
A fictitious name, formerly made use of
by lawyers in actions of ejectment. His
name was generally coupled with that of
Tom Styles. Similarly, John Doe and
JRichard Roe were used. The Roman
names were Titius and Seius (Juv. Sat.
iv. 13). All these worthies are the
hopeful sons of Mrs. Harris.
NOb 894
Nolle Prosequi
Nob (The). The head. For knob.
Nob of the First Water (A). A
mighty boss;
q.v.). First water refers to diamonds.
(See DIAMONDs.) .
Nobs and Snobs. Nobles
pseudo-nobles. (See MOB, SNOB.)
Noble. An ancient coin, so called on
account of the superior excellency of its
gold. Nobles were originally disposed
of as a reward for good news, or im-
portant service done. Edward III. was
the first who coined rose nobles (q.v.),
and gave 100 of them to Gobin Agace of
Picardy, for showing him a ford across
the river Somme, when he wanted to
join his army.
The Noble. Charles III. of Navarre
(1361-1425). Soliman Tehelibi, Turkish
prince at Adrianople (died 1410).
Noble Soul. The surname given to
FChosrú I., the greatest monarch of the
Sassanian dynasty. ( * , 531-579.)
Noblesse oblige (French). Noble
birth imposes the obligation of high-
Íminded principles and noble actions.
Noctes Ambrosia'nae. While Lock-
hart was writing Pale’rius, he was in the
habit of taking walks with Professor
Wilson every morning, and of supping
with Blackwood at Ambrose's, a small
tavern in Edinburgh. One night Lock-
hart said, “What a pity there has not
been a short-hand writer here to take
down all the good things that have been
said ’’ and next day he produced a
paper from memory, and called it Noctes
Ambrosiana. That was the first of the
series. The part ascribed to Hogg, the
IEttrick Shepherd, is purely supposi-
titious. .
Noc'tuas Athe'nas Ferre. To carry
coals to Newcastle. Athens abounded
with owls, and Minerva was therefore
symbolised by an owl. To send owls to
Athens would be wasteful and extrava-
gant excess.
Nod. A nod is as good as a wink to
a blind horse. Whether you nod or
whether you wink, if a horse is blind he
knows it not; and a person who will
not see takes no notice of hints and
signs. The common use of the phrase,
however, is the contrary meaning, viz.
“I twig your meaning, though you speak
darkly of what you purpose ; but mum's
the word.” -
“A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse ;
and there are certain understandings, in public as
well as in private life, which it, is better for all
parties not to put into writing,”—The Nineteenth,
Century (July, 1893, p. 6).
and
a grand panjandrum
called JReynard the Fow.
-º-º-º-º:
Nod (The Land of).
NoD.)
Noddy. A Tom Noddy is a very
foolish , or half - witted person, “a
noodle.” The marine birds called
Noddies are so silly that anyone can go
up to them and knock them down with
a stick. A donkey is called a Neddy
Noddy.
* Minshew has a capital guess deriva-
tion, well fitted for a Dictionary of
Fable. He says, “Noddy, a fool, so
called because he mods his head when he
ought to speak.” Just as well derive
wise-man from why, because he wants
to know the why of everything.
Nodel.
(See LAND of
The lion in the beast-epic
Nodel re-
presents the regal element of Germany;
Isengrim, the wolf, represents the baro-
nial element; and Reynard represents
the church element.
Noël. Christmas day, or a Christ-
mas carol. A contraction of 17024velles
(tidings), written in old English, nowells.
“A child, this day, is born,
A child of high renown,
Most worthy of a sceptre,
A Sceptre and a crown.
Nowells, nowells, nowells
Sing all we may,
Because that Christ, the King,
Was born this lolessed day.”
Old Can'Uh.
Noko'mis. Daughter of the Moon.
Sporting one day with her maidens on a
swing made of vine canes, a rival cut the
swing, and Nokomis fell to earth, where
she gave birth to a daughter named
Weno'nah. -
Nolens Vo'lens. Whether willing
or not. Two Latin participles meaning
“being unwilling (or) willing.”
Noli me Tan'gere. Touch me not.
The words Christ used to Mary Mag-
dalene after His resurrection. It is the
motto of the Order of the Thistle. A
plant of the genus impatiens. The seed-
vessels consist of one cell in five divisions,
and when the seed is ripe each of these,
on being touched, suddenly folds itself
into a spiral form and leaps from the
stalk. (See Darwin : Loves of the Plants,
ii. 3.)
Noll. Old Noll. Oliver Cromwell
was so called by the Royalists. Noll is
a familiar contraction of Oliver—i.e. Ol
with an initial liquid. -
Nolle Pros'equi [Don't prosecute].
A petition from a plaintiff to stay a suit.
(See NoN PROS.) 3.
Nolo - Episcopari
895 NOnce
No'Io Episcopa'ri. [I am unwilling
to accept the office of bishop.] A very
general notion prevails that every bishop
at consecration uses these words. Mr.
Christian, in his notes to Blackstone,
says, “The origin of these words and of
this vulgar notion I have not been able
to discover ; the bishops certainly give
no such refusal at present, and I am
inclined to think they never did at any
time in this country.” When the see of
Bath and Wells was offered to Beve-
ridge, he certainly exclaimed, “’Nolo
episcopari : ” but it was the private
expression of his own heart, and not a
form of words, in his case. Chamber-
layne says in former times the person
about to be elected bishop modestly
refused the office twice, and if he did so
a third time his refusal was accepted.
(Present State of England.)
Nom. “ Nomº de guerre * is French
for a “war name,” but really means an
assumed name. It was customary at
one time for everyone who entered the
French army to assume a name ; this
was especially the case in the times of
chivalry, when knights went by the
device of their shields or some other
distinctive character in their armour,
as the “Red-cross Knight.”
“Nom de plume.” English-French for
the “pen name,” and meaning the name
assumed by a writer who does not choose
to give his own name to the public ; as
Peter Pindar, the nom de plume of Dr.
John Wolcot ; Peter Parley, of Mr.
Goodrich ; Currer J3ell, of Charlotte
Brontë ; Cuthbert Bede, of the Rev.
Edward Bradley, etc.
Nom'ads. Wanderers who live in
tents; pastoral tribes without fixed resi-
dence. (Greek, nomčdès from nómös,
a pasture.)
Nom'inalists. A sect founded by
Roscelin, Canon of Compiègne (1040–
1120). He maintained that if the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, they
cannot be three distinct persons, but
must be simply three names of the same
being ; just as father, son, and husband
are three distinct names of one and the
same man under different conditions.
Abélard, William Occam, Buridan,
Hobbes, . Locke, Bishop Berkeley, Con-
dillac, and Dugald Stewart are the most
celebrated disciples of Roscelin. (See
REALISTS.)
Non Angli sed. Angeli, si forent
Christiani. Words attributed to Gre-
gory (the Great) in 573 when some
British children reduced to slavery were
shown him at Rome. Gregory was at
the time about thirty-five years of age,
and was both abbot and cardinal-
deacon.
Non Bis in Idem (Latin). Not twice
for the same thing—i.e. no man can be
tried a second time on the same charge.
Non-Com. (A). A non-commissioned
officer in the army.
Non Compos Mentis or Non Com.
Not of sound mind; a lunatic, idiot,
drunkard, or one who has lost memory
and understanding by accident or dis-
€8,SG.
Non Con. (See NoNCONFORMIST.)
Non Est. A contraction of Non ast
ânventus (not to be found). They are
the words which the sheriff writes on a
writ when the defendant is not to be
found in his bailiwick.
Non mi Recordo, a shuffling way of
saying “I don’t choose to answer that
question.” It was the usual answer of
the Italian courier and other Italian
witnesses when on examination at the
trial of Queen Caroline, wife of George
IV., in 1820.
“The Italian witnesses often created an use-
ment, when under examination, by the frequent
answer, “Non mi recordo.’”—Cussell's IIistory of
England, Vol. Wii. iv. 16.
Non Plus (“no more ” can be said
on the subject). When a man is come to
a 700-plus in an argument, it means
that he is unable to deny or controvert
what is advanced against him. “To
non-plus ” a person is to put him into
such a fix.
Non Pros. for Non pros'equi (not to
prosecute). The judgment of Non pros.
is one for costs, when the plaintiff stays
a suit.
Non Sequitur (A). A conclusion
which does not follow from the premises
stated. -
“The name legan with B and ended with G.
Perhaps it was Waters.” — Dickens : Nicholas
Nickleby, p. 198.
Nonce. For the 770mce. A corruption
of for then ancs (for then once), mean-
ing for this once. “An apron ’’ for a
maperon is an example of 77 transferred
the other way. We have some half-
dozen similar examples in the language,
as “tother day ” — i.e. the other or
that other = the other. Nuncle used in
Júng Lear, which was originally nine-
*cle. . An arrant knave is a narrant
knave. (See NAG.)
Nonconformists
896
TNorrisian
Nonconformists. The 2,000 clergy-
men who, in 1662, left the Church of
England, rather than conform or Sub-
mit to the conditions of the Act of
Uniformity—i.e. “unfeigned assent to
all and everything contained in the Book
of Common Prayer.” The word is loosely
used for Dissenters generally.
da
On March the 7th, June, July,
October, too, the NONES you spy ;
|Except in these, those Nones appear
On the 5th day of all the year.-
If to the Nones you add an 8
Of every IDE you’ll find the date.
E. C. B.
Nonjurors. Those clergymen who
refused to take the oath of allegiance to
the new government after the Revolu-
tion. They were Archbishop Sancroft
with eight other bishops, and four hun-
dred clergymen, all of whom were
ejected from their livings. (1691.)
Nonne Prestes Tale. A thrifty
widow had a cock, “hight Chaunt'e-
clere,” who had his harem ; but “dam-
ysel Per’tilote ’’ was his favourite, who
perched beside him at night. Chaunte-
clere once dreamt that he saw a fox who
“tried to make arrest on his body,” but
Pertilote chided him for placing faith
in dreams. Next day a fox came into
the poultry-yard, but told Chaunteclere
he merely came to hear him sing, for
his voice was so ravishing he could not
deny himself that pleasure. The cock,
pleased with this flattery, shut his eyes
and began to crow most lustily, when
Dan Russell seized him by the throat
and ran off with him. When they got
to the wood, the cock said to the fox,
“I should advise you to eat me, and
that anon.” “It shall be done,” said
the fox, but as he loosed the cock's neck
to speak the word, Chaunteclere flew
from his back into a tree. Presently
came a hue and cry after the fox, who
escaped with difficulty, and Chaunteclere
returned to the poultry-yard wiser and
discreeter for his adventure. (Chaucer :
Canterbury Tales.) .
This tale is taken from the old French
‘‘ Roman de Renart.” The same story
forms also one of the fables of Marie of
France, “Jon Coe et Don JPerpil.”
Nor. The giant, father of Night.
He dwelt in Utgard. (Scandinavian
Anythology.)
Norfolk. The folk north of Kent,
Essex, and Suffolk.
Norfolk-Howards. Bugs. A man
Nones (1 syl.), in the Roman calen-
à l'.
*
named Bugg, in 1863, changed his name
into Norfolk-Howard.
Norfolk Street (Strand), with
Arundel, Surrey, and Howard Streets,
were the site of the house and grounds
of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, then
of the Lord High Admiral Seymour,
and afterwards of the Howards, Earls
of Arundel and Surrey, from whom it
came into the possession of the Earl of
Norfolk.
Norma. A vestal priestess who has
been seduced. She discovers her para-
mour in an attempt to seduce her friend,
also a vestal priestess, and in despair
contemplates the murder of her base-
born children. The libretto is a melo-
drama by Romani, music by Belli'ni
(1831.) (Norma, an opera.)
Normandy. The Poles are the win-
tagers in Normandy. The Norman vin-
tage consists of apples beaten down by
poles. The French say, “Jºn Normandie
!’on vendange avec la gaule,” where gaule
is a play on the word Gaul, but really
means a pole.
The Gem of Normandy. Emma,
daughter of Richard I. (*-1052.)
Norna. The well of Urda, where the
gods sit in judgment, and near which is
that “fair building ” whence proceed
the three maidens called Urda, Verdamdi,
and Skulda (Past, Present, and Future).
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Norna of the Fitful Head. A
character in Sir Walter Scott's 1'irate,
to illustrate that singular kind of in-
sanity which is ingenious in self-imposi-
tion, as those who fancy alumatic asylum
their own palace, the employés thereof
their retinue, and the porridge provided
a banquet fit for the gods. Norna's real
name was Ulla Troil, but after her amour
with Basil Mertoun (Vaughan), and the
birth of a son, named Clement Cleve-
land, she changed her name out of
shame. Towards the end of the novel
she gradually recovered her light mind.
Nornir or Norns. The three fates of
Scandinavian mythology, Past, Present,
and Future. They spin the events of
human life sitting under the ash-tree
Yggdrasil (Igg'-dra-sil’).
* Besides these three Norns, every
human creature has a personal Norn or
Fate. The home of the Norns is called
in Scandinavian mythology “Doom-
stead.”
Norrisian Professor. A Professor
of Divinity in Cambridge University.
Norroy
897
Nose
This professorship was founded in 1760
by John Norris, Esq., of Whitton in
Norfolk. The four divinity professors
are Lady Margaret’s Professor of Divin-
ity, Regius Professor of Divinity, Nor-
risian Professor, and Hulsean Professor.
Norroy. North-roy or king. The
third king-of-arms is so called, because
his office is on the north side of the river
Trent ; that of the south side is called
Clarencieux (q.v.).
Norte. Violent northern gales, which
visit the Gulf of Mexico from September
to March. In March they attain their
maximum force, and then immediately
cease. (Spanish, nérte, the north.)
North (Christopher). A nom-de-plume
of Professor Wilson, of Gloucester Place,
Edinburgh, one of the chief contributors
to Blackwood's Magazine.
North. He’s too far north for me.
Too canny, too cunning to be taken in ;
very hard in making a bargain. The
inhabitants of Yorkshire are supposed to
be very canny, especially in driving a
bargain.
North-east Passage (The). A way
to India from Europe round the north
extremit of Asia. It had been often
attempted even in the 16th century.
Hence Beaumont and Fletcher :
“That everlasting cassock, that has worn
As many servants out as the North-east Passage
HaS consulmed Sailors.”
The Tamer Tamed, ii. 2.
North Side of the Altar (The).
The side on which the Gospel is read.
The north is the dark part of the earth,
and the Gospel is the light of the world
which shineth in darkness—“illuminare
his qui in tenebris et in umbrá mortis
sedent.” Facing the altar from the body
of the church, the north side is on your
left.
North Side of a Churchyard. The
poor have a great objection to be buried
on the north side of a churchyard.
They seem to think only evil-doers
should be there interred. Probably the
chief reason is the want of sun. On the
north side of Glasgow cathedral is shown
the hangman’s burial place.
There is, however, an ecclesiastical
reason :-The east is God’s side, where
His throne is set; the west, man’s side,
the Galilee of the Gentiles; the south,
the side of the “spirits made just '' and
angels, where the sun shines in his
strength; the north, the devil's side,
where Satan and his legion lurk to catch
the unwary. Some churches have still
a “devil's door” in the north wall,
which is opened at baptisms and com .
munions to let the devil out.
“As men die, so shall they arise ; if in faith in
the Lord, towards, the South . . . and shall arisº
in glory ; if in unbelief .... towards, the north,
then are they past all hope.”—Coverdale: Praying
for the Dead.
Northamptonshire Poet. John
Clare, son of a farmer at Helpstone.
(1793-1864.)
Northern Bear. Russia.
Northern Gate of the Sun. The
sign of Cancer, or summer solstice; so
called because it marks the northern
tropic.
Northern Lights. The Auro'ra.
Boreñºlis, ascribed by the northern
Savages to the merriment of the ghosts.
(See AURORA.)
Northern Wagoner (The). Ursa,
Major, called “Charles's wain,” or
Wagon. The constellation contains seven
large stars. “ King Charles's Wain” is
absurd. “Charles’ Wain'” is a blunder
for the “Churls’ or Peasants’ Wain.”
* By this the northern wagoner has set
His sevenfold team behind the stedfast star [the
pole-Star].” Spenser: Fatérie Queene, i. 2.
Norval. An aged peasant and his
son in Home's tragedy of Douglas.
Norway (Maid of). Margaret, in-
fant queen of Scotland. She was the
daughter of Eric II, King of Norway,
and Margaret, daughter of Alexander
III. of Scotland. She never actually
reigned, as she died on her passage to
Scotland in 1290.
Nose. Bleeding of the nose. Sign of
love. .
“‘Did my nose ever bleed when I was in your
Company ?’ and, poor wretch, just as she spake
this, to show her true heart, her nose fell a-lileed-
ing.”—Bowlster: Lectures, p. 130. .
Bleeding of the nose. Grose says if it
bleeds one drop only it forebodes sickness,
if three drops the omen is still worse ;
but Melton, in his Astrologaster, says,
“If a man's nose bleeds one drop at the
left nostril it is a sign of good luck, and
oice versé.”
Led by the nose. Isaiah xxxvii. 29
says, “Because thyrage against Me . . .
is come up into Mine ears, therefore will
I put My hook in thy nose . . . and will
turn thee back. . . .” Horses, asses,
etc., led by bit and bridle, are led by the
nose. Hence Iago says of Othello, he
was “led by the nose as asses are '' (i. 3).
IBut buffaloes, camels, and bears are
actually led by a ring inserted into their
nostrils,
57
Nose.
S98
Nose
Golden nose. Tycho Brahe, the Danish
astronomer. Having lost his nose in a
duel with Passberg, he adopted a golden
one, which he attached to his face by a
cement which he carried about with him.
“That eminent man who had a golden nose,
Tycho Brahe.”—Marry at : Jutland and the Damish,
Isles, p. 305. -
* General Zelīslaus, having lost his
right hand in battle, had a golden one
given him by Boleslaus III.,
To count noses. To count the numbers
of a division. It is a horse-dealer’s term,
who counts horses by the nose, for the
sake of convenience. Thus the Times,
comparing the House of Commons to
Tattersall's, says, “Such is the counting
of noses upon a question which lies at
the basis of our constitution.”
To cut off your nose to spite your face,
or . . . to be revenged on your face. To
act out of pique in such a way as to in-
jure yourself: as to run away from home,
to marry out of pique, to throw up a
good situation in a fit of ill temper, etc.,
or any similar folly.
To keep one’s gºose to the grim’-stone.
To keep one hard at work. Tools, such
as Scythes, chisels, etc., are constantly
sharpened on a stone or with a grin'-
stone. The nose of a stair is the edge,
and “nose ’’ in numerous phrases stands
for the person's self. In French mez is
So used in some phrases.
. “From this . . . he kept Bill's nose to the grind-
ing-Stone.”—W. B. Yeats: Fairy Tales of the Irish
Peasaºtry, p. 237.
Paying through the nose. Grimm says
that Odin had a poll-tax which was called
in Sweden a nose-tax; it was a penny
per nose or poll. (Deutsche Rechis
Alterthümer.) (See NoSE TAx, RHINo.)
To sºap one's ºose off. To speak snap-
pishly. “Ready to snap one’s nose off.”
To “pull (or wring) the nose,” tirer or
&ºacher le Mez is to affront by an act of
indignity; to snap one's nose is to affront
by speech. Fighting dogs snap at each
Other’s noses. -
To wipe [one's] nose. To affront a
person; to give one a blow on the nose.
Similarly, to wipe a person’s eye; to fetch
one a wipe over the knuckles, etc., con-
nected with the Anglo-Saxon verb
hºteop-an, to whip, to strike (our whip).
‘. She, was so nose-wipt, slighted, and dis-
dained.”—Nares' Glossary, p. 619.
tº “To wipe off a score,” “to wipe a
person down,” meaning to cajole or
pacify; from the Anglo-Saxon wipian,
to wipe, cleanse. Hence to fleece oné
out of his money. Quite another verb
to that given above, --
To take pepper in the nose. To take
offence. - .
“A man is testy, and anger wrinkles his nose ;
such a man takes pepper in the nose.”—Optick
Glasse of Humors (1639).
To turn up one’s nose. To express con-
tempt. When a person sneers he turns
up the nose by curling the upper lip.
Under your [very] nose. This is
French also : “And mez et d. 7a barbe de
quelqu'un ?” (“Just before your face”).
Nose = face in numerous locutions, both
in French and English ; as, “ Montrer
son mez : ’’ ‘‘ Régarder quelqu'un sous le
nez ; ” “Mettre le mez & la fenêtre,” etc.
Nose-bag (A). A visitor to a house
of refreshment who brings his own
victuals and calls for a glass of water or
lemonade. The reference is to carrying
the feed of a horse in a nose-bag to save
expense.
Nose Literature.
“Knows he, that never took a pinch,
Nosey, the pleasure thence that flows :
ISnows he the titillating joy
Which my nose knows 3
O nose, I am as proud of thee
As any mountain of its snows ;
I gaze on thee, and feel that pride
A ROlman knows.”
F. C. Hſusembeth], translated from the
French Of O. Basselin.
Chapter on Noses, in Tristram Shandy,
by L. Sterne. .
On the Dignity, Gravity, and Authority
of Noses, by Taglicozzi or Tagliacozzo
(1597). -
De Virginitate (sec. 77). A chapter
in Kornmann. -
The Noses of Adam and Eve, by Mlle,
IBourignon. -
Pious Meditations on the Nose of the
Virgin Mary, by J. Petit.
Review of Noses (Louis Brevitatis), by
Théophile Raynaud. -
Sermon on Noses (La Diceria de' Nasi),
by Annibal Caro (1584).
Nose Tax (The). In the ninth cen-
tury the Danes imposed on Irish houses
a poll tax, historically called the “Nose
Tax,” because those who neglected to
pay the ounce of gold were punished by
having their nose slit.
Nose of Wax (A).
accommodating (faith).
may be twisted any way.
." Sed addunt etiam simile quoddam non aptis-
Simum ; Eas esse quoddammodo nasum cereum,
posse fingi, flectique, in omnes modos, et omnium
institutio inservire.”—Jwelli Apologia, Ecc. Angl.,
SeC. 6. -
Nose Out of Joint. To put one’s
170S6 out of joint is to supplant a person
in another's good graces. To put
another person's nose where yours is
Mutable and
A. WàixeII. In OSG
Nosey
899
*INotarica.
--—
now. There is a good French locution,
“Lui couper l'herbe sous le pied.” (In
Latin, “Aliquem de fºre sºlo déjice)'e.”)
Sometimes it means to humiliate a con-
ceited person.
“Fearing now least this wench which is
lyrought over hither should put your nose out the
joynt, comming betweene home and you."—
Terence in English (1614).
Nosey. The Duke of Wellington was
lowingly so called by the soldiery. His
“commander’s nose ’’ was a very dis-
tinguishing feature of the Iron Duke.
Nos' not-Bo'cai [Bo'-ky]. Prince of
Purgatory. Purgatory is the “realm
of Nosnot-Bocai.”
“Sir, I last night received command
To see you out of Fairy land,
Into the l’ealm Of NoSilot-Bocai ;
But Jet not fear or sulphur cloak-ye,
For he's a fiend of sense and wit.'
- Ring : Orpheus (und Eurydice.
Nostrada'mus (Michael). An astro-
loger who published an annual “Al-
manack,” very similar in character to
that of “Francis Moore,” and a Recueil
of Prophecies, in four-line stanzas, ex-
tending over seven centuries. (1503–
1563.)
The Nostradamus of Portugal. Gon-
çalo Annés Bandarra, a poet-cobbler,
whose lucubrations were stopped by the
Inquisition. (Died 1556.)
As good a prophet as Nostradamus—i.e.
so obscure that none can make out your
meaning. Nostrada'mus was a provincial
astrologer of the sixteenth century, who
has left a number of prophecies in verse,
but what they mean no one has yet been
able to discover. (French proverb.)
Nostrum means Our own. It is
applied to a quack medicine, the ingre-
dients of which are supposed to be a
secret of the compounders. (Latin.)
Not, in riding and driving.
“ Up a hill hurry not,
I)0W n a hill filurry not,
On level ground spare him not.”
On a MileStone in Yorkshire (nett?' I'ich mond).
Not at Home. Scipio Nasica was
intimate with the poet Ennius. One
day, calling. On the poet, the servant
said, “Ennius is not at home,” but
Nasica could see him plainly in the
house. Well, he simply walked away
without a word. A few days later
Ennius returned the visit, and Nasica
called out, ‘‘Not at home.” Ennius
instantly recognised the voice, and re-
monstrated. “You are a nice fellow ’’
(said Nasica); “why, I believed your
slave, and you won’t believe me.”
This tale is often attributed to Dean Swift, but,
if authentic, it was a borrowed mot,
Not Worth a Rap. (See RAP.)
Not worth a Rush. (See RUSH.)
Not Worth a straw. (See STRAw.)
Not Worth Your Salt. Not worth
your wages. The Romans served out
rations of salt and other necessaries to
their soldiers and civil servants. These
rations were called by the general name
of Salt (sal), and when money was sub-
stituted for these rations, the stipend
went by the name of sal-arium.
Notables (in French history). An
assembly of nobles or notable men,
selected by the king, of the House of
Valois, to form a parliament." They
were convened in 1626 by Richelieu, and
not again till 1787 (a hundred and sixty
years afterwards), when Louis XVI.
called them together with the view of
relieving the nation of some of its
pecuniary embarrassments. The last
time they ever assembled was November
6th, 1788.
Notarica.
A. E. I. O. U. Austria's Empire Is
Over all Universal. (See A. E. I.O.U.)
ºra. A. E.R. A–i.e. Anno ERat
Augusti. (See AERA.)
Cabal. Clifford, Ashley, Buckingham,
Arlington, Lauderdale. (See CABAI.)
Clio. Chelsea, London, Islington,
Office. (See CLIO.)
Hempe. “When hempe is spun,
England is done.” Henry, Jºdward,
Mary, Philip, Elizabeth. (See HEMPE.)
Hip ! hip ! hurrah ' Hierosolyma Est
Perdita. (See HIP.)
Ichthºds. Ie'sous CHristos THeou Uio;
Soter. (See ICHTHUs.)
I. T. N. O. T. G. A. O. T. U. (It-moº-
ga-otu)—i.e. In The Name Of The
Great Architect Of The Universe. A
Freemason's notarica.
IGoli. ſing's Own Light Infantry
(the 51st Foot).
Limp. Louis, Iames, Mary, Prince.
(See LIMP.)
Maccabees. Mi Camokah, Baelim Je-
hovah. (See MACCABAEUs.)
Mews. North, East,
(See NEws.)
Smectym'natus. Stephen Marshall, Ed-
mund Calamy, Thomas Young, Matthew
JPest, South.
Newcomen, Uwilliam Spurstow. (See
SMEC.)
Tory. True Old Itoyal Yeoman.
The following palindrome may be
added: E.T.L.N.L.T.E. Eat to live, Never
live to eat. In Latin thus: E.U.V.N.V.U.E.
I’das (ſt vivas, me vivas ºſt edas.
Notary IPublic
900
Noyades
Whig. We Hope. In God.
Wise. Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Eng-
land—i.e. Wales, Ireland, and Scotland
added to England.
Notary Public. A law officer whose
duty it is to attest deeds, to make au-
thentic copies of documents, to make
protests of bills, and to act as a legal
witness of any formal act of public
COIlC61. Il. -
Notation or Notes. (See Do.)
Notch. Out of all notch. Out of all
bounds. The allusion is to the practice
of fitting timber : the piece which is to
receive the other is notched upon ; the one
to fit into the notch is said to be notched
down.
Note of Hand (A). A promise to
pay made in writing and duly signed.
Nothing. “A tune played by the
picture of nobody.” (Shakespeare:
Tempest, iii. 2.)
Notori'ety. Depraved taste for moto-
oriety :-
Cleom'brotos, who leaped into the sea.
(See CLEOMBROTOS.)
Emped'ocles, who leaped into Etna.
(See EMPEDOCLES.)
Heros(tratos, who set fire to the tem-
ple of Diana. (See DIANA.)
William Lloyd, who broke in pieces
the Portland vase. (1845.)
Jonathan Martin, who set fire to York
Minster. (1829.)
Nottingham (Saxon, Smotingaham,
place of caves). So called from the
caverns in the soft Sandstone rock.
Montecute took King Edward III.
through these subterranean passages to
the hill castle, where he found the
“gentle Mortimer’’ and Isabella, the
dowager-queen. The former was slain,
and the latter imprisoned. The passage
is still called “Mortimer’s Hole.’’
Nottingham poet. Philip James
Bailey, author of Festus. Born at
Bashford-in-the-Burgh, Nottingham.
(1816.)
Nottingham Lambs. The roughs of .
Nottingham.
Nourmahal'. Sultana. The word
means Light of the Harem. She was
afterwards called Nourjehan (Light of
the World). In Lalla Rookh, the tale
called The Light of the Harem is this:
Nourmahal was estranged for a time
from the love of Selim, son of Acbar'.
By the advice of Namou'na, she pre-
pares a love-spell, and appears as a
lute-player at a banquet, given by “the
imperial Selim.” At the close of the
feast she tries the power of song, and
the young Sultan exclaims, “If Nour-
mahal had sung those strains I could
forgive her all; ” whereupon the sul-
tana threw off her mask, Selim
‘‘ caught her to his heart,” and, as
Nourmahal rested her head on Selim’s
arm, “she whispers him, with laughing
eyes, “Remember, love, the Feast of
Roses.’” (Thomas Moore.)
Nous (1 Syl.). Genius, natural acu-
men, quick perception, ready wit. The
Platonists used the word for mind, or
the first catse. (Greek, mous, contrac-
tion of 1700s. Pronounce nouce.)
Nous Avons Changé Tout, Cela.
A facetious reproof to a dogmatic prig
who wants to lay down the law upon
everything, and talks contemptuously
of old customs, old authors, old artists,
and old everything. The phrase is
taken from Molière's Médecin Malgré
Luč, act ii. sc. vi. (1666.)
“Géronte. Il, n'y a qu'. Seule chose qui m'a
chool ué : c’est l'endroit du foie et du coeur. Il me
semble quc YouS les lolacez autrement qu'ils he
sontº que ſe coeur est du côté gauche, et le foie
du Côté droit. • -
Sqamarelle. Oui ; cela Étoit autrefois ainsi ;
mais mous avons changé tout cela, et mous faisons
Thain tenant la médecine d'une inéthode toute
nouvelle. - -
Geronte. C'est ce que je ne Savois pas, et je
YouS demande pardon de limon ignorance.”
Nova’tians. Followers of Nova-
tia'nus, a presbyter of Rome in the third
century, who would never allow anyone
who had lapsed to be readmitted into
the church.
November 17. (See QUEEN’s DAY.)
Novum Or'ganum. The great work
of Lord Bacon.
Now-a-days. A corruption of In-
our-days, I’ motºr days. (See APRON,
NAG, NICKNAME, NUGGET, etc.)
Now-now. Old Anthony Now-mow.
An itinerant fiddler, meant for Anthony
Munday, the dramatist, who wrote City
Pageants. (Chettle: ſindhart's Dream,
1592.) -
Nowheres (2 Syl.). (See MEDA-
MOTHI.)
Noyades (2 syl.). A means of exe-
cution adopted by Carrier at Nantes, in
the first French Revolution, and called
Carrier’s Vertical Deportation. Some
150 persons being stowed in the hold of
a vessel in the Loire, the vessel was
scuttled, and the victims drowned.
| Nero, at the suggestion of Anicetus,
Nucta,
drowned his mother in this same manner.
(French, noyer, to drown.)
Nucta, or miraculous drop which falls
in Egypt on St. John's day (June), is
supposed to have the effect of stopping
the plague. ... Thomas Moore refers to it
in his Paradise and the Peri.
Nude. Rabelais wittily says that a
person without clothing is dressed in
“grey and cold" of a comical cut, being
“nothing before, nothing behind, and
sleeves of the same.” King Shrovetide,
monarch of Sneak Island, was so ar-
rayed. (Rabelais : Gargantua, iv. 29.)
The nude statues of Paris are said to
be draped in “cerulean blué.”
Nugget of Gold. Nugget, a di-
minutive of muſ/ or moſſ, as logget is of
loff. “A nog of sugar ” (Scotch) is a
lump, and a “nugget of gold’’ is a small
lump. So a “ log of wood’” is a billet
(Latin, lignum), and “ loggets '' (Nor–
folk) are sticks of toffy cut up into small
lumps.
A correspondent in Notes and Queries
says noff is a wooden ball used in the
game of shimney. Nig, in Essex, means
a “piece; ” and a noſ/ſ/in of bread means
a hunch.
Nulla Linea. (See TINE.)
INulli Secun'dus Club, The Cold-
stream Guards.
Nu'ma. The second king of Rome,
who reduced the infant state to order by
wise laws.
Numan'cia. A tragedy by Cervan-
tes, author of JDom Quixote, but never
published in his lifetime.
Number Nip. . The gnome king of
the Giant Mountains. (Musaeus : Popu-
lar Tales.)
“She was like one of those portly dowagers in
Number Nip's Society of metamorphose and tur.
nips.”—Le Fumu : The House in the Churchyard,
1). 132.
Number One. Oneself.
To take care of mitmber one, is to look
after oneself, to seek one’s own interest;
to be selfish.
Number of the Beast. “It is the
number of a man, and his number is Six
hundred threescore and six '' (Rev. xiii.
18). This number has been applied to
divers persons previously assumed to be
Antichrist; as Apostátēs, Benedictos,
Diocletian, Fvanthas, Julian (the Apos-
tate), Lampetis, Lateinos, Luther, Ma-
homet, Mysterium, Napoleon I., Ni-
kētēs, Paul W., Silvester II., Trajan,
*
901
Numbers
... -- E-3-º
and several others. Also to certain
phrases supposed to be descriptive of
the Man of Sin, as Vicar - General of
God, Arnoume (I remont??ce), Kakos
Ode'gos (bad guide), Abinu Kadescha
Papa (our holy father the pope), e.g. :-
M. a. () in e t l S
40, 1, 70, 40, 5, 300, 10, 200 = 666
L a. t € i Il () S
30, 1, 300, 5, 10, 50, 70, 200 = C63
I. u th 1 a. 1). () $
30, 400, 9, 100, 1, 50, 70, 6 = 666
The Nile is emblematic of the year.
N e i 1 () S
50, 5, 10, 30, 7, 200 = 365
Numbers (from 1 to 13), theological
symbols:—
(1) The Unity of God. . -
(2) The hypostatic union of Christ, both God
all (1 man. *
(3) The Trinity. -
(4) The number of the Evangelists.
(5) The wounds of the I&edeemer : two in the
hands, two in the feet, one in the side.
(6) The creative week. -
(7) The gifts of the Holy Ghost (Rev. i. 12).
Seven times Christ Spoke on the Cross.
(8) The number of the beatitudes (Matt. Y. 3-1}).
tº) The nine tyrders of angels (q.v.).
(10) The numl)er of the Commandiuent 3. -
(ll) The number of the alpostles who remained
faitli ful.
(12) The original college. e
pº The final number tufter the conversion of
&l,ll k.
Numbers.
Army of soldiers.
Assembly of people.
JBatch or Caste of bread.
J3ench of bishops, magistrates, etc.
Bevy of roes, quails, larks, pheasants,
ladies, etc. -
130ard of directors.
J}rood of chickens, etc.
Catch of fish taken in nets, etc.
Clump of trees.
Cluster of grapes, nuts, stars, etc.
Collection of pictures, curiosities, etc.
Company of soldiers.
Congregation of people at church, etc.
Covey of game birds.
Ch'ew of sailors.
Crowd of people.
I}rove of horses, ponies, beasts, etc.
JDrum, a crush of company.
Federation. A trade union.
Fell of hair.
JFleet of ships.
JFlight of bees, birds, stairs, etc.
JFlock of birds, sheep, geese, etc.
Jºorest of trees.
Galaay of beauties.
Gang of slaves, prisoners, thieves, etc.
Iłaul of fish caught in a net.
Head of cattle.
Herd of bucks, deer, harts, seals,
Swine, etc.
JHive of bees.
Jęegiment, etc.
Numbers
902 Nunc Timittis
IHost of men.
IIouse of senators.
Legion of “foul fiends.”
Library of books.
Litter of pigs, whelps, etc.
Menagerie of wild beasts.
Mob of roughs, wild cattle, etc.
Multitude of men. In law, more than
ten.
Muster of peacocks.
Mute of hounds.
Nest of rabbits, ants, etc.; shelves,
etc.
Nursery of trees, shrubs, etc.
Pack of hounds, playing cards, grouse,
etc.
Panel of jurymen.
Pencil of rays, etc.
Pile of books, wood stacked, etc.
Posse (a sheriff's). Posse (2 syl.).
Pride of lions. -
Jèabble of men ill-bred and ill-clad.
Jºegiment (A) of soldiers.
Rookery of rooks and seals, also of un-
healthy houses. -
Itouleant of money.
School of whales, etc.
Set of china, or articles assorted.
Shoal of mackerel.
Shock of hair, corn, etc.
Skeinº of ducks, thread, worsted.
Skulk of foxes.
Society (A). Persons associated for
some mutual object.
Stack of corn, hay, wood (piled to-
gether).
String of horses.
Stud of mares.
Suit of clothes.
Suite of rooms.
Swarm of bees, locusts, etc.
Take of fish.
Team of oxen, horses, etc.
Tribe of goats.
Numbers. Odd Numbers. “Numero
Deus impare gaudet ’’ (Pirgil : Jºelogues,
viii. 75). Three indicates the “begin-
ning, middle, and end.” The Godhead
has three persons; so in classic myth-
ology Hecate had threefold power ;
Jove's symbol was a triple thunderbolt,
Neptune’s a sea-trident, Pluto's a three-
headed dog; the Fates were three, the
Furies three, the Graces three, the Horae
three ; the Muses three - times - three.
There are seven notes, nine planets, nine
orders of angels, seven days a week,
thirteen lunar months, or 365 days a
year, etc.; five Senses, five fingers on
the hand and toes on the foot, five
vowels, five continents, etc. etc. A
volume might be filled with illustrations
--------
of the saying that “the gods delight in
odd numbers.” (See ODD, NINE.) -
Numbers. To consult the Book of
Nºtmbers is to call for a division of the
House, or to put a question to the vote.
(Parliamentary wit.)
Numbers. Pythagoras looked on
numbers as influential principles.
1 is Unity, and represents Deity,
which has no parts.
2 is Diversity, and therefore disorder.
The principle of strife and all evil.
3 is Perfect Harmony, or the union of
unity and diversity.
4 is Perfection.
(2 × 2 = 4).
5 is the prevailing number in Nature
and Art.
6 is Justice (Perfect Harmony being 3,
which multiplied by Trinity = 6).
is the climacteric number in all
diseases. Called the Medical Number
(2 Syl.).
2. The Romans dedicated the second month
to Pluto, and the Second day of the month to the
Manes. They believed it to be the host fatal
number of all. s -
... 4 and 6 are omitted, not being prime num-
º ; 4 is the multiple of 2, and 6 is the multiple
Of 3. -
It is the first square
Numerals. All our numerals and
ordinals up to a million (with one ex-
ception) are Anglo-Saxon. . The one
exception is the word Second, which is
French. The Anglo-Saxon word was
other, as First, Other, Third, etc. Mil-
lion is the Latin millio (-07?is).
* There are some other odd excep-
tions in the language : Spring, Summer,
and winter are native words, but autumn
is Latin. The days of the week are
native words, but the names of the months
are Latin. : We have daff, monath,
gear; but minute is Latin, and hour is
Latin through the French.
Numerals (Greek). (See EPISEMON.)
Numero. Homme de 777tmero—that
is “tº homme fin 672 affaires.” M.
Walckenaer says it is a shop phrase,
meaning that he knows all the numbers
of the different goods, or all the private
marks indicative of price and quality.
“Il n'étoit lors, de Paris jusqu’à It ome,
Galant qui silt, si bien le titl. 1 Cro.”
La Fontaine : IRich it?'t! Mimufolo.
Numidicus. Quintus Caecilius Me-
tellus, commander against Jugurtha,
of Numidia, about 100 B.C.
Nunation. Adding N to an initial
vowel, as Nol for Oliver], Nell for
Ellſen), Ned for Edſward].
Nunc Dimittis. . The canticle of
Simeon is so called, from the first two
Nuno Stans
words in the Latin version (Luke ii.
Nunc Stans. The everlasting Now.
“It exists in the mumc stans of the School men—
the eternal Now that represented the conscious;
ness of the Supreme Being in mediaeval thought.”
—Nineteenth Century, December, 1892, p. 953.
Nuncupative Will. A will or testa-
ment made by word of mouth. As a
general rule, no will is valid unless re-
duced to writing and signed; but soldiers
and sailors may simply declare their
wish by word of mouth. (Latin, nun-
cupo, to declare.)
Nunky pays for all. (See SAM.)
Nuremberg Eggs. Watches. Watches
were invented at Nuremberg about
1500, and were egg-shaped.
Nurr and Spell or Knor and Spill.
A game resembling trapball, and played
with a wooden ball called a nurr or
ſºnor. The ball is released by means of
a spring from a little brass cup at the
end of a tongue of steel called a spell or
spill. After the player has touched the
spring, the ball flies into the air, and is
struck with a bat. In scoring, the dis-
tances are reckoned by the score feet,
previously marked off by a Gunter’s
chain. The game is played frequently
in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
Nurse an Omnibus (To) is to try and
run it off the road. This is done by
sending a rival Omnibus close at its heels,
or, if necessary, one before and one be-
hind it, to pick up the passengers. As a
nurse follows a child about regardless of
its caprices, so these four-wheel nurses
follow their rival. -
Nurseries. In the language of horse-
racing, handicaps for two-year-old
horses. These horses can be run only
with horses of their own age, after the
1st September; and before the 1st July
must not run more than six furlongs in
length.
Nursery Tales. Well-known
On 6S :— .
ARABIAN NIGHTS: Aladdin's Lamp, The Forty
Thieves, Simbad the Sailor, and hundreds more.
CARROLL (Lewis): Alice in Wonderland, Hunting
the Smark, etc. -
D'AULNOY (Mºme.): Ring of the Peacocles, The
I}late Bird, and many others.
FouquE. De la Motte : Unding. . .
#OLDSMITH (Oliver) : Goody Twoshoes. 1765.
GRIMM : Goblin, Tales. *
JOIINSON (Richard):
Chºistendom. -
KNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN (Lord Brabourne):
Stories for Children, etc. -
SAGE : The Devil on Two Sticks.
PERRAULT, Charles (A Frenchman): Blue Beard,
Little Red Riding Hood, Puss im Boots, IRiquet with
the Tuft, Sleeping Beauty, etc. ...
RIDLEY (James): Tales of the Genii.
SCANDINAVIAN: Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack
the Giant-killer, and Some others.
The Seven Chatºm pions of
903
Nut-brown Maid
SouTHEY : The Three Bears.
STRAPAROLA (an Italian): Fortunatus.
SWIFT (Deam) : Gulliver's Travels.
VILLENEUV.E. (Mime.) : Beauty amd the Beast.
* It is said that the old nursery rhyme
about an old woman tossed in a blanket
was written as a satire against the French
expedition of Henry V., and the cob-
webs to be swept from the sky were the
points of contention between the King of
England and the King of France.
Nut. A hard ºut to crack. A diffi-
cult question to answer; a hard problem
to solve. (Anglo-Saxon, hºmºtt, a nut.)
JHe who would eat the nut must first
crack the shell. The gods give nothing
to man without great labour, or “ Nº.
sine magno vita labóre dedit mortalibus.”
“Qui nucleum esse vult, frangit mucem ’’
(Plautus). In French, “Il faut casser
le noyant pour en avoir l'amande.” It was
Heraclides who said, “Expect nothing
Without toil.”
If you would reap, you also must plough ;
for bread must be earned by the Sweat Óf the
|}l'OW. JE. C. B.
Nuts of May. Here we go gather-
ing ºuts of May. A corruption of
knots or sprigs of May. We still speak
of “love-knots,” and a bunch of flowers
is called a “knot.”
Nuts. Heads ; so called from their
resemblance to nuts. Probably “crack,”
applied to heads, is part of the same
figure of speech.
“To go off their nuts about ladies,
As dies for young fellars as fights.”
Sims: Dagomet Ballads (Polly).
It is time to lay our ºuts aside (Latin,
Jeelin'guere 77ttees). To leave off our
follies, to relinquish boyish pursuits.
The allusion is to an old Roman marriage
ceremony, in which the bridegroom, as
he led his bride home, scattered nuts to
the crowd, as if to symbolise to them
that he gave up his boyish sports.
That’s nuts to him. A great pleasure,
a fine treat. Nuts, among the Romans,
made a standing dish at dessert ; they
were also common toys for children;
hence, to put away childish things is, in
Latin, to put your nuts away.
Nut-brown Maid. Henry, Lord
Clifford, first Earl of Cumberland, and
Lady Margaret Percy, his wife, are the
originals of this ballad. Lord Clifford
had a miserly father and ill-natured step-
mother, so he left home and became the
head of a band of robbers. The ballad
was written in 1502, and says that the
“Not-browne Mayd” was wooed and won
by a knight who gave out that he was a
banished man. After describing the
Nutcrack Night 904
hardships she would have to undergo if
she married him, and finding her love
true to the test, he revealed himself to
be an earl’s son, with large hereditary
estates in Westmoreland. (Percy : Re-
ſiques, series ii.)
Nutcrack Night. All Hallows' Eve,
when it is customary in some places to
crack nuts in large quantities.
Nutcrackers. The 3rd Foot ; so
called because at Albuera, they cracked
the heads of the Polish Lancers, then
opened and retreated, but in a few
minutes came again into the field and
did most excellent service. Now called
“The East Rent.”
Nutshell. The Iliad iſ a ???/tshell.
Pliny tells us that Cicero asserts that
the whole Iliad was written on a piece
of parchment which might be put into
a nutshell. Lalanne describes, in his
Curiosités Bibliographiques, an edition
of Rochefoucault's Maazims, published
by Didot in 1829, on pages one inch
Square, each page containing 26 lines,
and each line 44 letters. Charles Toppan,
of New York, engraved on a plate one-
eighth of an inch square 12,000 letters.
The Iliad contains 501,930 letters, and
would therefore occupy 42 such plates
engraved on both sides. Huet has proved
by experiment that a parchment 27 by
21 centimètres would contain the entire
Iliad, and such a parchment would go,
into a common-sized nut; but Mr. Top-
pan’s engraving would get the whole
Iliad into half that size. George P.
Marsh says, in his Lectures, he has seen
the entire Arabic Koran in a parchment
roll four inches wide and half an inch in
diameter. (See ILIAD.)
To lie in a nutshell. To be explained
in a few words; to be capable of easy
solution.
Nym (Corporal). One of Falstaff's
followers, and an arrant rogue. eMim is
to steal. (Merry Wives of Windsor.)
Ny'se (2 syl.). One of the Nereids
q.v.).
“The Jovely Nysé and Neri'né spring,
With all the vehemence and speed of wing.”
Catºll Ochs; Litsiwd, blº. ii.
O -
O. This letter represents an eye, and
is called in Hebrew aim (an eye).
O. The fifteen O’s are fifteen prayers
|beginning with the letter O. (See Horde
Beatissimae Virginis Maria.)
Oak
The Christmas O's. For nine days
before Christmas (at 7 o'clock p, m.) are
seven antiphones (3 Syl.), each beginning
with O, as O Sapientia, O Radic, etc.
O'. An Irish patronymic. (Gaelic,
ogha ; Irish, oa, a descendant.)
O', in Scotch, means “of,” as “Tam-
o'-Shanter.”
O.H.M.S.
Service.
O.K. A telegraphic symbol for “All
right” (orl korrect, a Sir William
Curtis's or Artemus Ward's way of
spelling “all correct”).
O. P. Riot (Old Price Riot). When
the new Covent Garden theatre was
opened in 1809, the charges of admission
were increased ; but night after night
for three months a throng crowded the
pit, shouting “O. P.” (old prices); much
damage was done, and the manager was
obliged at last to give way.
On His [or Her] Majesty's
O tempora º O mores : Alas! how
the times have changed for the worse !
Alas! how the morals of the people are
degenerated |
O Yes'! O Yes! O Yes |
oyez (hear ye).
** Fame with lie!' loud'st O yes |
Cries, ‘This is he. -
Shakespeare : T', oilus and Cressida, iv. 5.
Oaf. A corruption of 01/ph (elf). A
foolish child or dolt is so called from the
notion that all idiots are changelings, left
by the fairies in the place of the stolen
OIléS. -
“This guiltless oaf his vacancy of sense,
Supplied, and amply too, by innocence.”
Byron.: Verses found in a Swimmer-house.
Oak. Worn on May 29th. May 29th
was the birthday of Charles II. It
was in the month of September that he
concealed himself in an oak at Boscobel.
The battle of Worcester was fought on
Wednesday, September 3rd, 1651, and
Charles arrived at Whiteladies, about
three-quarters of a mile from Boscobel
House, early the next morning. He re-
turned to England on his birthday, when
the Royalists displayed a branch of Oak
in allusion to his hiding in an oak-tree.
To sport one’s oak. To be “not at
home” to visitors. At the Universities
the “chambers ” have two doors, the
usual room-door and another made of
oak, outside it ; when the oak is shut or
“sported ” it indicates either that the
occupant of the room is out, or that he
does not wish to be disturbed by visitors.
French,
Oak and Ash Ö05
Oak and Ash. The tradition is, if
the oak gets into leaf before the ash we
may expect a fine and productive year;
if the ash precedes the oak in foliage,
we may anticipate a cold Summer and
unproductive autumn. In the years
1816, 1817, 1821, 1823, 1828, 1829, 1830,
1838, 1840, 1845, 1850, and 1859, the ash
was in leaf a full month before the oak,
and the autumns were unfavourable.
In 1831, 1833, 1839, 1853, 1860, the two
species of trees came into leaf about the
same time, and the years were not re-
markable either for plenty or the re-
verse; whereas in 1818, 1819, 1820, 1822,
1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1833, 1834, 1835,
1836, 1837, 1842, 1846, 1854, 1868, and
1869, the oak displayed its foliage
several weeks before the ash, and the
summers of those years were dry and
warm, and the harvests abundant.
Oak-tree. (See PHILEMON.)
The oak-tree was consecrated to the god
of thunder because oaks are said to be
more likely to be struck by lightning
than other trees. -
Oaks (The). One of the three great
classic races of England. The Derby
and Oaks are run at Epsom. and the St.
Leger at Doncaster. The Oaks, in the
parish of Woodmanstone, received its
name from Lambert’s Oaks, and an
inn, called the “Hunter’s Club,” was
rented of the Lambert family. It after-
wards became the residence of General
Burgoyne, from whom it passed to the
11th Earl of Derby. It was Edward
Smith Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby, who
originated the Oak Stakes, May 14, 1779.
On his death, in 1834, the estate was
sold to Sir Charles Guy, and was then
held by Joseph Smith. The Oaks Stakes
are for fillies three years old. (See
DERBY.)
Oaks Famous in Story.
(1) Owen Glendower’s Oak, at Shelton,
near Shrewsbury, was in full growth in
1403, for in this tree Owen Glendower
witnessed the great battle between
Henry IV. and Henry Percy. Six or
eight persons can stand in the hollow of
its trunk. Its girth is 40+ feet.
(2) Cowthorpe Oak, near Wetherby, in
Yorkshire, will hold seventy persons in
its hollow. Professor Burnet states its
age to be 1,600 years.
(3) Fairlop Oak, in Hainault Forest,
was 36 feet in circumference a yard
from the ground. It was blown down
in 1820.
(4) The Oak of the Partisans, in Parcy
the Vosges, is 107 feet in height.
Oaks
Forest, St. Ouen, in the department of
It is
700 years old. (1895.)
(5) The Bull Oak, Wedgenock Park,
was growing at the time of the Conquest.
(6) The Winfarthing Oak was 700
years old at the time of the Conquest.
(7) William the Conqueror's Oak, in
Windsor Great Park, is 38 feet in girth.
(8) Queen's Oak, Huntingfield, Suffolk,
is so named because near this tree
Queen Elizabeth shot a buck.
(9) Sir Philip Sidney’s Oak, near
Penshurst, was planted at his birth in
1554, and has been memorialised by Ben
Jonson and Waller.
(10) The Ellerslie Oak, near Paisley,
is reported to have sheltered Sir William
Wallace and 300 of his men.
(11) The Swilcar Oak, in Needwood
Forest, Staffordshire, is between 600 and
700 years old.
(12) The Abbot’s Oak, near Woburn
Abbey, is so called because the Woburn
abbot was hanged on one of its branches,
in 1537, by order of Henry VIII.
(13) The Major Oak, Sherwood Forest,
Edwinstowe, according to tradition, was
a full-grown tree in the reign of King
John. The hollow of the trunk will
hold 15 persons, but of late years a new
bark has considerably diminished the
opening. Its girth is 37 or 38 feet, and
the head covers a circumference of 240
feet.
, (14) The Parliament Oak, Clipston,
in Sherwood Forest, Notts, is the tree
under which Edward I., in 1282, held
his parliament. He was hunting in the
forest, when a messenger came to tell
him of the revolt of the Welsh. He
hastily "convened his nobles under the
Oak, and it was resolved to march at
Once against Llewellyn, who was slain.
The oak is still standing (1895), but is
Supported by props.
(15) Robin Hood's Larder is an oak in
that part of Sherwood Forest which
belongs to the Duke of Portland. The
tradition is that Robin Hood, the great
outlaw, used this oak, then hollow, as
his larder, to put the deer he had slain
out of sight. Not long ago Some school-
girls boiled their kettle in the hollow of
the oak, and burnt down a large part ;
but every effort has been made to pre-
serve what remains from destruction.
(16) The Reformation Oak, on Mouse-
hold Heath, near Norwich, is where the
the rebel Ket held his court in 1549, and
when the Rebellion was stamped out,
nine of the ringleaders were hanged on
this tree.
Oakum 906
Oberthal
Oakum. Untwisted rope; used for
Caulking the seams (i.e. spaces between
the planks) of a ship. It is forced in by
chisel and mallet. .
To pick oakum. To make oakum by
untwisting old ropes. A common em-
ployment in prisons and workhouses.
Oan'nes. The Chaldean sea-god. It
had a fish's head and body, and also a
human head ; a fish’s tail, and also feet
under the tail and fish’s head. In the
day-time he lived with men to instruct
them in the arts and sciences, but at
night retired to the ocean. Anedotēs or
Idotion was a similar deity, so was the
Dagon [dag-On, fish On) of the Philis-
times.
Oar. To put your oar into any boat.
To interfere with my affairs.
your own canoe, and don’t put your
oar into my boat.” “Bon homme,
garde tº vache.” “Never scald your
lips with another man's porridge '’
(Scotch). “Croyez moi chacun son metier,
et les vaches sont bien gardées.”
§ { I put my oar in no man's boat.”—Thackeray.
Oars. To rest on one's oars. To take
an interval of rest after hard work. A
boating phrase.
To toss the oars. To raise them ver-
tically, resting on the handles. It is a
form of salute. -
O'asis. A perfect o'asis. A fertile
spot in the midst of a desert country, a
little charmed plot of land. The refer-
ence is to those spots in the desert of
Africa, where wells of water or small
lakes are to be found, and vegetation is
pretty abundant. (Coptic word, called
by Herodotos auasis.) -
Oath. The sacred oath of the Persians
is By the Holy Grave—i.e. the Tomb of
Shah Besa'de, who is buried in Casbin.
(Strut.)
Oaths. Rhadamanthus imposed on
the Cretans the law that men should not
swear by the gods, but by the dog, ram,
goose, and plane-tree. Hence Socrates
would not swear by the gods, but by the
dog and goose. -
Oats. He has sown his wild oats. H
has left off his gay habits and is become
steady. The thick vapours which rise
on the earth's surface just before the
lands in the north burst into vegetation,
are called in Denmark J.0% ſeems havre
(Loki's wild oats). When the fine
weather succeeds, the Danes say, “Joki
has sowſ his wild oats.”
Ob. and Sol. Objection and solution.
“Paddle,
Contractions formerly used by students
in academical disputations. -
obadi'ah. A slang name for a
Quaker. -
Obadiah. One of the servants of Mr.
Shandy. (Sterne: Thristram Shandy.)
Obam’bou. The devil of the Camma
tribes of Africa. It is exorcised by noise
like bees in flight.
Ob'elisk. (See DAGGER.)
Ob'elus. A small brass coin (nearly
1d. in value) placed by the Greeks in
the mouth of the dead to pay Charon
for ferrying the body over the river
Styx. Same as obólos, an obol.
O'bermann. The impersonation of
high moral worth without talent, and the
tortures endured by the consciousness of
this defect. (Etienne Plvert de Se'nan-
cour: Obermann.) -
O'beron. King of the Fairies, whose
wife was Titan'ia. Shakespeare intro-
duces both O’beron and Titan'ia, in his
Midsummer Night's Dream. (Auberon,
anciently Alberon, German Alberich,
king of the elves.)
O'beron the Fay. A humpty dwarf
only three feet high, but of angelic face,
lord and king of Mommur. He told Sir
Huon his pedigree, which certainly is
very romantic. The lady of the Hidden
Isle (Cephalo'nia) married Neptane'bus,
JKing of Egypt, by whom she had a son
called Alexander the Great. Seven
hundred years later Julius Caesar, on his
way to Thessaly, stopped in Cephalonia,
and the same lady, falling in love with
him, had in time another son, and that
son was Oberon. At his birth the fairies
bestowed their gifts—one was insight
into men’s thoughts, and another was
the power of transporting himself to any
place instantaneously. He became a
friend to Huon (q.v.), whom he made
his successor in the kingdom of Mommur.
In the fulness of time, falling asleep in
death, legions of angels conveyed his
soul to Paradise. (Huon de Bordeaua,
a romance.)
Oberthal (Count). Iord of Dor-
drecht, near the Meuse. When Bertha,
one of his vassals, asked permission to.
marry John of Leyden, the count re-
fused, resolving to make her his mistress.
This drove John into rebellion, and he
joined the Anabaptists. The count was.
taken prisoner by Gio'na, a discarded.
servant, but liberated by John. When
John was crowned Prophet-king, the
count entered his banquet-hall to arrest
Obidah
907
Odd Numbers
him, and perished with John in the
flamps of the burning palace. (Meyer-
beer : Le Prophète, a romance.)
Obi'dah. An allegory in the Rambler,
designed to be a picture of human life.
It is the adventures and misfortunes
which a young man named Obi'dah met
with in a day's journey.
Obidicut. The fiend of lust, and one
of the five that possessed “poor Tom.”
(Shakespeare : Jīng Lear, iv. 1.)
O'biism. Serpent-worship.
Egyptian Ob (the sacred serpent). The
African sorceress is still called Obi. The
Greek ophis is of the same family.
Moses forbade the Israelites to inquire
of Ob, which we translate wizard.
Ob'iter dictum (Latin). An inci-
dental remark, an opinion expressed by
a judge, but not judiciously. An obiter
dictum has no authority beyond that of
deference to the wisdom, experience,
and honesty of the person who utters
it; but a judicial sentence is the verdict
of a judge bound under oath to pro-
nounce judgment only according to law
and evidence.
From
Object means forecast, or that on
which you employ forecast. (Latin, ob
jacio.) - -
Obſolus. Give an ob'olus to old Bell-
sa'rius. Tzetzes, a writer of the twelfth
century, says that Belisarius, stripped of
all his wealth and honours, was reduced
to beggary in his grey old age ; that he
lived in a mud hut, from the window of
which he hung an alms-bag, and that he
used to cry to the passers-by, “Give an
ob'olus to poor old Belisa'rius, who rose
by his merits and was cast down by
envy.”
Obsequies are the funeral honours,
or those which follow a person deceased.
(Latin, ob-seqtt0).)
Obstacle Race (An). A race over
obstacles such as gates, nets, sails laid
on the ground, through hoops or tubs,
etc.
Obstinate. The name of an inhab-
itant of the City of Destruction, who ad-
vised Christian to return to his family,
and not run on fools’ errands. (Bunyan :
Pilgrim’s Troff'ress, pt. i.)
Obverse (The). Of a coin or medal.
That side which contains the principal
device. Thus, the obverse of our money
coin is the side which contains the
sovereign's head. The other side is
called the “reverse.”
bald behind.
O'by. A river in Russia. The word
means Great River. Thomson the poet
says it is the ultima thulé of the habit-
able globe.
Occam (William of), surnamed Doctor
Singula'ris et Invincib'ilis. He was the
great advocate of Nominalism. (1270-
1347.)
Occam's Razor. Entia. Alojz shºt
multiplicanda (entities are not to be
multiplied). With this axiom Occam
dissected every question as with a
l'a,ZOI’.
Occasion. A famous old hag, quite
Sir Guyon seized her by
the forelock and threw her to the ground.
Still she railed and reviled, till Sir Guyon
gagged her with an iron lock; she then
began to use her hands, but Sir Guyon
bound them behind her.
* tº a (Spenser ;
Faërie Queene, book ii.)
Occult Sciences. Magic, alchemy,
and astrology; so called because they
were occult or mysteries (secrets).
Oce'ana. An ideal republic by James
Harrington, on the plan of Plato's At-
lantis. Also the title of one of James
Anthony Froude's books.
Oc'hiltree (Edie). A gaberlunzie
man or blue-coat beggar, in Sir Walter
Scott's Antiquary. The original of this
bedesman was Andrew Gemmelles.
Octa'vian. Chief character of The
Mountaineers, a drama by George Col-
man. He goes mad out of love for
T}onna Floranthe, whom he suspects of
loving another ; but Roque, a blunt old
attaché, seeks him, tells him Floranthe
is faithful, and induces him to return.
Octavo. A book where each sheet
of paper is folded into eight leaves;
contracted thus—8vo. (Italian, alm” ot-
tavo, French, in Octavo y Latin, octo,
eight.)
Oc'ypus, son of Podalir’ius and As-
ta'sia, was eminent for his strength,
agility, and beauty; but used to deride
those afflicted with the gout. This pro-
voked the anger of the goddess who
presided over that distemper, and she
sent it to plague the scoffer. (Liteian.)
Od. (See ODYLE.)
Odd Numbers. Luck in odd num-
bers. A major chord consists of a funda-
mental or tonic, its major third, and its
just fifth. According to the Pytha-
gore'an system, “all nature is a har-
mony,” man is a full chord ; and all
Odd
beyond is Deity, so that nine represents
deity. As the odd numbers are the funda-
mental notes of nature, the last being
deity, it will be easy to see how they
came to be considered the great or lucky
numbers. In China, odd numbers be-
long to heaven, and v.v. (See DIAPA-
SON, NUMBER.)
“Good luck, lies in odd numbers. . . They say,
there is divinity in odd numbers, either in nativ-
ity, chance, or (leath.”—Shakespeare : Merry ||'ires
of Windsor, V. I.
* No doubt the odd numbers 1, 3, 5,
7, 9, play a far more important partthan
the even numbers. One is Deity, three
the Trinity, five the chief division (see
TIVE), seven is the sacred number, and
nine is three times three, the great clim-
acteric.
Odd and Even. According to Pytha-
goras, by the number of syllables in a
man’s name, the side of his infirmity
may be predicted ; odd being left, even
being right.
Thus, to give only one or two examples:
Nelson, (even) lost, his right arm and right eye.
Rag'an (even) lost, his right arm at Waterloo.
"he fancy is quite worthless, but might afford
a.musement on a Winter's night.
Odd's or Od's, used in oaths; as-
Odd's bodikins / or Odsbody / means
“God’s body,” of course referring to
incarnate Deity. -
Od’s heart J. God’s heart.
Od’s pittikins ! God’s pity.
Od's plessed will 1 (Merry IV.ives of
Windsor, i. 1.)
Od rot 'em I (See DRAT.)
Od-zontnds ! God’s wounds.
Odds. By ſonſ, odds. By a great
difference; as, “He is the best man by
long odds.” A phrase used by betting
men. In horse-racing, odds are offered
in bets on favourite horses; so, in the
Cambridge and Oxford races, long odds
are laid on the boat which is expected
to win.
That makes no odds. No difference;
never mind ; that is no excuse. An
application of the betting phrase.
Ode. Prince of The Ode. Pierre de
Ronsard, a French lyrist. (1524-1585.)
Odhaerir.
of Kvasir's blood, kept in three jars.
The second of these jars is called Sohm,
and the Bohm. Probably the nectar is
the “spirit of poetry.” (Scandinavian
Anythology.)
Odin. Chief god of the Scandina-
Vlah S.
His real name was Siggū, son of Fri-
dulph, but he assumed the name of Odin
when he left the Tanais, because he had
{)08
The mead or nectar made
Odorico
been priest of Odin, supreme god of the
Scythians. He became the All-wise by
drinking from Mimer's fountain, but
purchased the distinction at the cost of
one eye. His one eye is the Sun.
The father of Odin was Bör.
His brothers are Vilë and We.
Iſis wife is Frigga.
His sons, Thor and Balder.
FIis mansion? is Gladsheim.
His seat, Walaskjalf.
His contrú as war-god, Walhalla.
His hall, Einherian.
His two black rarems are Hugin
(thought) and Munin (memory).
His steed, Sleipnir (q.v.). -
His ships, Skidbladnir and Naglfar.
Iſis spear, Gungner, which never fails
to hit the mark aimed at.
His ring, Draupner, which every ninth
night drops eight other rings of equal
value.
His throne is Hlidskjalf.
His wolves, Geri and Freki.
He will be ultimately swallowed up by
the wolf Fenris or Fenrir. (Scandinavian
mythology.)
The vow of Odin. A matrimonial or
other vow made before the “Stone of
Odin,” in the Orkneys. This is an oval
stone, with a hole in it large enough
to admit a man's hand. Anyone who
violated a vow made before this stone
was held infamous.
O'dium. Theolog’icum. The bitter
hatred of rival religionists. No wars so
sanguinary as holy wars; no persecutions
so relentless as religious persecutions;
no hatred so bitter as theological hatred.
O'Doherty (Sir Morgan). Papers
contributed to Blackwood’s Magazine by
William Maginn', LL.D., full of wit,
fun, irony, and eloquence. (1819-1842.)
Odor Lucri (Latin). The sweets of
gain; the delights of money-making.
“Every act of such a person is seasoned with the
odo?' I ſign'i.” — Sir Watter Scott : The Betrothed
(Introduction).
Odori'co (in Orlando Furio'so). A
Biscayan, to whom Zerbi'no commits
Isabella. He proves a traitor and tries
to ravish her, but, being interrupted by
a pirate crew, flies for safety to Al-
phonzo's court. Here Almo'nio defies
him, and overcomes him in single com-
bat. King Alphonzo gives the traitor
to the conqueror, and he is delivered
bound to Zerbino, who awards him as
a punishment to attend Gabri'na for One
year as her champion, and to defend
her against every foe. He accepts the
charge, but hangs Gabrina to an elm.
Odour
Almonio in turn hangs Odorico to an
elm.
Odour. In good odour; in bad odoº’.
In favour, out of favour; in good
repute, in bad repute. The phrases
refer to the “ odour of sanctity'' (q.v.).
Odour of Sanctity (In the). The
Catholics tell us that good persons die in
the “ odour of sanctity;” and there is
a certain truth in the phrase, for, when
one honoured by the Church dies, it is
not unusual to perfume the room with
incense, and sometimes to embalm the
body. Homer tells us (Iliad, xxiii.)
that Hector's body was washed with
rose - water. In Egypt the dead are
washed with rose-water and perfumed
with incense (Maillet : Letters, x. p. 88).
Herodótos says the same thing (History,
ii. 86-90). When the wicked and those
hated die, no such care is taken of them.
“In lºoth the Greek and Western Church in-
cense is used, and the aroma of these consecrated
oils follows the believer from birth to death.”—
Nineteenth Century, April, 1894, p. 584.
* The Catholic notion that priests
bear about with them an odour of
sanctity may be explained in a similar
manner: they are so constantly present
when the censers diffuse sweet odour,
that their clothes and skin smell of the
incense.
* Shakespeare has a strong passage
on the disodour of impiety. Antićchus
and his daughter, whose wickedness
abounded, were killed by lightning, and
the poet says: —
“A, fire from heaven came and shrivelled up
Their bodies, e'en to loathing ; for they so
Stull k
That all those eyes adored them ere their fall
Scorned now their hand slıould , give them
lyltrial.” Pericles, Prince of Tyre, ii. 4.
Odrysium Carmen. The poetry
of Orpheus, a native of Thrace, called
Odrysia tellus, because the Od'rys's
were its chief inhabitants. -
O'dur. Husband of Freyja, whom he
deserted. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Od'yle (2 syl.). That which emanates
from a medium to produce the several
phenomena connected with mesmerism,
spirit-rapping, table-turning, and so on.
The productions of these “manifesta-
tions” is . Sometimes called od'ylism.
Baron Reichenbach called it Od force, a
force which becomes manifest wherever
chemical action is going on.
Od'yssey. The poem of Homer which
records the adventures of Odyssents
(Ulysses) in his home-voyage from Troy.
The word is an adjective formed out of
909
Off-hand
-
the hero's name, and means the things
or adventures of Ulysses.
CE'dipus. I am no CEdipus. I cannot
guess what you mean. CEdipus guessed
the riddle of the Sphinx, and saved
Thebes from her ravages. (See SPHINX.)
CEil. A l'oeil. On credit, for nothing.
Corruption of the Italian a lºſſo (gratis).
In the French translation of Don Quiacote
is this passage:–
“Ma femme, disait Sancho Panga, ne m'a jamais
dit oui que quand il fallait dire nom. Or elles Sont
toutes de méme . . . Elles sont toutes Donnes à
pendre . . . passé cela, elles he Valellt pils ce qtlø
y -
j'ai dans l’Oeil.’
CEil de Boeuf (L’). A large recep-
tion-room (salle) in the palace of Ver-
sailles, lighted by round windows so
called. The ceiling, decorated by Van
der Meulen, contained likenesses of the
children of Louis XIV. (seventeenth and
eighteenth centuries).
Les Fastes de l'OEil de Boeuf. The
annals of the courtiers of the Grand
Monarque ; anecdotes of courtiers gener-
ally. The aeil de baºuf is the round
window seen in entresols, etc. The
ante-room where courtiers waited at the
royal chamber of Versailles had these
ox-eye windows, and hence they were
called by this name.
Off (Saxon, of; Latin, ab, from, away).
The house is a mile off—i.e. is “away”
or “from '' us a mile. The word pre-
ceding off defines its scope. To be
“well off '' is to be away or on the way
towards well-being ; to be badly off is to
be away or on the way to the bad. In
many cases “off” is part of a compound
verb, as to cut-off (away), to peel-off,
to march-off, to tear-off, to take-off, to
get-off, etc. The off-side of horses when
in pairs is that to the right hand of the
coachman, the horses on his left-hand
side are called the “near ” horses. This,
which seems rather anomalous, arises
from the fact that all teamsters walk
beside their teams on the left side, so
that the horses on the left side are near
him, and those on the right side are
farther off.
JHe is well off; he is badly off. He
is in good circumstances; he is strait-
ened in circumstances, 6tre bien [or
Anal] dans ses affaires. In these phrases
“off” means fares, “he fares well [or
ill] ; his affairs, go-off well [or ill].
(Anglo-Saxon, of faran.)
Off-hand. Without preparation ; im-
promptu. The phrase, “in hand,” as,
“It was long in hand,” means that it
was long in operation, or long a-doing;
^-
Off his Head
910
Ogygian Deluge
so that “off-hand” must mean it was
not “in hand.”
Off his Head. Delirious, deranged,
not able to use his head; so “off his
feed,” not able to eat or enjoy his food.
The latter phrase is applied to horses
which refuse to eat their food.
Off the Hooks. Indisposed and un-
able to work. A door or gate off the
hooks is unhinged, and does not work
properly. Also, dead.
Off with his Head Î So much for
Buckingham : (Colley Cibber : The
Thagical History of Richard III., altered
from Shakespeare.)
Offa's Dyke, which runs from Beach-
ley to Flintshire, was not the work of
Offa, King of Mercia, but was repaired
by him. It existed when the Romans
were in England, for five Roman roads
cross it. Offa availed himself of it as a
line of demarcation that was sufficiently
serviceable, though by no means tally-
ing with his territory either in extent
or position.
Og, King of Bashan, according to
Rabbinical mythology, was an antedilu-
vian giant, saved from the flood by
climbing on the roof of the ark. After
the passage of the Red Sea, Moses first
conquered Sihon, and then advanced
against the giant Og (whose bedstead,
made of iron, was above 15 feet long and
nearly 7 feet broad, Deut. iii. 11). The
Rabbins say that Og plucked up a
mountain to hurl at the Israelites, but
he got so entangled with his burden, that
Moses was able to kill him without much
difficulty.
Og, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
Thomas Shadwell, who succeeded Dry-
den as poet-laureate. Dryden called
him MacFlecknoe, and says “he never
deviates into sense.” He is called Og
because he was a very large and fat
man. (Part ii.)
Og'hams. The alphabet in use among
the ancient Irish and some other Celtic
Imations prior to the ninth century.
“The Oghams seem to have been hierely tree-
runes. The Irish regarded the oghams as a forest,
the individual characters being trees (feada),
while each cross-stroke is called a twig (theasg).”
—Isaac Taylor: 'I'lle Alphabet, Vol. ii. Chap. Yiii.
p. 226.
Oghris. The lion that followed Prince
Murad like a dog. (Croquemitaine.)
O'gier the Dane (2 syl.). One of
the paladins of King Charlemagne.
table.
Various fairies attended at his birth,
and bestowed upon him divers gifts.
Among them was Morgue, who when
the knight was a hundred years old
embarked him for the isle and castle of
Av'alon, “hard by the terrestrial para-
dise.” The vessel in which he sailed
was wrecked, and Ogier was in despair,
till he heard a voice that bade him
“fear nothing, but enter the castle
which I will show thee.” So he got to
the island and entered the castle, where
he found a horse sitting at a banquet-
The horse, whose name was
Papillon, and who had once been a
mighty prince, conducted him to Morgue
the Fay, who gave him (1) a ring which
removed all infirmities and restored him
to ripe manhood; (2) a Lethean crown
which made him forget his country and
past life; and (3) introduced him to
Ring Arthur. Two hundred years rolled
on, and France was invaded by the
Paynims. Morgue now removed the
crown from Ogier's head and sent him
to defend “ le bon pays de France.”
Pſaving routed the invaders, Morgue
took him back to Avalon, and he has
never reappeared on this earth of ours.
(Ogier le Danois ; a romance.)
O'gier the Dane. Represented as the
I(nave of Spades in the French pack.
He is introduced by Ariosto in his Or-
lando Furioso.
The swords of Oſſier the Dame.
ta'na. (the cutter), and Sauvagine.
Morris : Earthly Paradise, August.)
Ogleby (Lord). A Superannuated
nobleman who affects the gaiety and
graces of a young man. (Clandestime
Marriage, by Garrick and Colman the
Elder.)
O'gres of nursery mythology are
giants of very malignant dispositions,
who live on human flesh. It is an
Eastern invention, and the word is de-
rived from the Ogurs, a desperately
savage horde of Asia, who overran part
of Europe in the fifth century. Others
derived it from Orcus, the ugly, cruel
man-eating monster so familiar to readers
of Bojardo and Ariosto. The female is
Ogress.
O'Groat. (See JoHN O’ GROAT.)
Ogygian Deluge. A flood which
overrån a part of Greece while Ogygës
was king of Attica. There were two
floods so called—one in Bºeotia, when
the lake Copa'is overflowed its banks :
and another in Attica, when the whole
Cur-
(See
*--
Oi Polloi 91]
Old Dorminion
territory was laid waste for two hundred
years (B.C. 1764).
Varro tells us that the planet Venus u ºyeh;
a great change in the reign of Ogyges (3 Syl.). It
changed its diameter, its colour, its figure, and its
COlli'Sé.
* Ogyges Deluge occurred more than
200 years before Deucălion's Flood.
Oi Polloi, properly Hoi Polloi.
(Greek.) The commonalty, the many.
In University slang the “poll men,”
or those who take degrees without
“honours.”
Oignement de Bretaigne (French).
A sound drubbing. Oignement Is a
noun corruptly formed from hogner. In
Lyons boys called the little cuffs which
they gave each other hognes.
“Frère ElGuthere a trenchoisons,
Et j'ay orgement de Bretaigne;
Quí garist de roigne et de taigne.”
Le Marty,’c de S. Dehlis, CUC., p. 129.
Oignons d'Egypte. The flesh-pots
of Egypt. Hence “regretter les oignons
d'Egypte,” to sigh for the flesh-pots of
IEgypt, to long for luxuries lost and
gone.
Je plume oignons. I scold or grumble.
Also peler des oignons in the same sense.
A corruption of hoffner, to scold or
grumble.
* Grifon. Que fais-tu la 2
Braynardlf. Je plume ongnons.”
La Quarte Journé3 du Mistere de la Passion.
“Pas ne Savoit Ongnon; peler.”
illon : Lallade ii.
Oil. To strike oil. To make a happy
hit or valuable discovery. The phrase
refers to hitting upon or discovering a
bed of petroleum or mineral oil.
Oil of Palms. Money. Huile is
French slang for “money,” as will ap-
pear from the following quotation :-
“Il faudra que vostre bourse fasse les
frais de rostre curiosité; it frtut de la
pecune, il faitt de l’huile.” (La Fausse
Coquette, ii. 7; 1694.)
Oil on Troubled Waters. To pour
oil on troubled waters, as a figure of
speech, means to soothe the troubled
spirit. “A soft answer turneth away
wrath.” - .
As a physical fact, Professor Horsford,
by emptying a vial of oil upon the sea
in a stiff breeze, did actually still the
ruffled surface. Commodore Wilkes,
of the United States, saw the same
effect produced in a violent storm off
the Cape of Good Hope, by oil leaking
from a whale-ship.
Origin of the phrase: The phrase is
mentioned by the Venerable Bede in his
Beclesiastical IIistory, written in Latin,
1643-1715).
and completed in 735. Stapleton trans-
lated the book in 1565. St. Aidan, it
appears, gave his blessing to a young
priest who was to set out by land, but
return by water, to convoy a young
maiden destined for the bride of King
Oswin or Oswy. St. Aidan gave the
young man a Cruse of oil to pour on the
sea if the waves became stormy. A
storm did arise, and the young priest,
pouring oil on the waves, did actually
reduce them to a calm. Bede says he
had the story from “a most creditable
man in Holy Orders.”
* St. Aidan died in 694, and Bede
died in 735. There is no question in
archaeology so often asked to be ex-
plained as this.
Oil the Knocker (To). To fee the
porter. The expression is from Racine,
“On m'entre point chez lui sans graisser
le marteau ’” (“No one enters his house
without oiling the knocker’”).
Plaideurs.) -
Ointment. Money. From the fable
De la Vieille qui Oint la Palme at
(L&S
Chevalier (thirteenth century).
“Voloſhant autem praefa’ti clerici al’iquem
ha/beré lega(tum natio'né. Roma/num, que un-
guentis Anglicis, auro Scilicet et argento solent
ad quaelibet, inclina'ri."—Gervatis de Canterbury:
Chronicle; Scriptores decem ii., 1533.
Olaf or Olave (St.). The first Christian
king of Norway, slain in battle by his
pagan subjects in 1030. He is usually
represented in royal attire, bearing the
sword or halbert of his martyrdom, and
Sometimes carrying a loaf of bread, as a
rebus on his name, which in Latin is
IIoloftus or JWhole-loaf. (Born 995.)
Old Bags. John Scott, Lord Eldon ;
so called from his carrying home with
him in different bags the cases still pend-
ing his judgment. (1751-1838.)
Old Blade (An). “Un viewſ.v routier *
(an old stager), meaning one up to Snuff.
(See SNUFF.) .
Old Bona Fide. Louis XIV. (1638,
Old Boots. Jike old boots. Famously.
“Cheeky as old boots,” very saucy.
“He ran like old boots,” i.e. very fast.
The reference is to the nursery story of
the Seven-leagued J300ts, old being sim-
ply a word of fondness, as “Well, old
boy,” etc. The allusion, suitable enough
in many phrases, becomes, when used in
slang, very remotely applicable.
Old Dominion. Virginia. Every
Act of Parliament to the Declaration of
Old England
912
Old as Adam
Independence designated Virginia, “ the
Colony and Dominion of Virginia.” Cap-
tain John Smith, in his History of Jºr-
ginia (1629), calls this “colony and do-
minion ” Ould Virginia, in contradis-
tinction to New England, and other
British settlements.
Old England. This term was first
used in 1641, twenty-one years after our
American colony of New Virginia re-
ceived the name of New England.
Old Faith Men. (See PHILIPPINS.)
Old Fogs. The 87th Foot; so called
from the war-cry “Jºag-an-Bealach ''
(Clear the way), pronounced Faug-a-
bollagh. The 87th Foot is now called
“The Royal Irish Fusiliers.”
Old Fox. Marshal Soult ; so called
by the soldiers because of his strategic
abilities and never-failing resources.
(1769-1851.) (See Fox.)
Old Gentleman (The).
a cheating card.
Old Glory. The United States' Flag.
Sir Francis Burdett (1770-1844).
Old Gooseberry. To play [or play
7tp] old gooseberry. To be a third person;
to be de trop. Old Gooseberry is the name
given to a person accompanying an en-
gaged couple.
Old Grog. Admiral Edward Vernon ;
so called by British sailors from his
wearing a grogram cloak in foul weather.
(1684–1757.)
Old Hands, supernumeraries who
have been used to the work. “New
Hands'' are those new to the work.
O 1 d Harry. The devil.
IHARRY.)
Old Humphrey. The nom-de-plume
of George Mogridge, of London, author
of several interesting books for children.
(Died 1854.)
Old Mortality. The itinerant anti-
quary in Sir Walter Scott's novel of that
name. It is said to be a picture of
Robert Paterson, a Scotchman, who
busied himself in clearing the moss from
the tombstones of the Covenanters.
Old News.
(or piper's) news.
ch???elſe.”
A pinch for old ſtews. A schoolboy's
punishment to one of his mates for tell-
ing as news what is well known.
The devil;
(See
Stale news. Hawker’s
“Le secret de poli-
Old Noll. (See NoLL.)
old Noll's Fiddler. (See FIDDLER.)
Old Port School. Old-fashioned
clergymen, who stick to Church and
State, old port and “Orthodoxy.”
Old Reeky. (See AULD REEKIE.)
Old Rowley, Charles II. was so
called from his favourite racehorse. A
portion of the Newmarket racecourse is
still called Rowley Mile, from the sam
horse. - -
Old Salt (An).
Sailor.
Old Scratch. The devil ; so called
from Schratz or Skratti, a demon of
Scandinavian mythology. (See NICK.)
Old Song. JP'ent for an old song.
Was sold for a mere trifle, for a nominal
sum or price.
Old Style—New Style. Old Style
means computed according to the un-
reformed calendar. New Style means
computed according to the calendar re-
formed and corrected by Gregory XIII.
in 1582. The New Style was introduced
into England, in 1752, during thereign of
George II., when Wednesday, September
2nd, was followed by Thursday, Septem-
ber 14th. This has given rise to a double
computation, as Lady Day, March 25th,
Old Lady Day, April 6th ; Midsummer
Day, June 24th, Old Midsummer Day,
July 6th : Michaelmas Day, September
29th, Old Michaelmas Day, October
11th ; Christmas Day, December 25th,
Old Christmas Day, January 6th.
Old Tom. Cordial gin. Thomas
Norris, one of the men employed in
Messrs. Hodges' distillery, opened a gin
palace in Great Russell Street, Covent
Garden, and called the gin concocted by
Thomas Chamberlain, one of the firm of
Hodges, “Old Tom,” in compliment to
his former master.
Old Women, in theatrical parlance,
means actresses who take the part of
“old women.” In full companies
there are first and second “old women.”
The term Old Men is similarly used.
Old World. So Europe, Asia, and
Africa are called when compared with
North and South America (the New
World).
Old as Adam. Generally used as a
reproof for stating as news something
well known. “That's as old as Adam,”
or was known as far back as the days of
Adam, (See OLD AS METHUSELAH.)
An experienced
*
Old as Methuselah
{}13 Olindo
Old as Methuselah. Of great age.
Methuselah was the oldest man that
ever lived. (See above.)
Old as the Hills. “Old as Panton
Gates.” (See PANTON GATES.)
Old Age Restored to Youth. “La
fontaine de Jouvence fit rejovenir la gent.”
The broth of Medea, did the same.
Grinding old men young. Ogier’s Ring
(q.v.) restored the aged to youth again.
The Dancing Water restores the aged
woman to youth and beauty. (See
WATER.)
Old Dogs will not Learn New
Tricks. In Latin, “Senea; psittaerts
negligit fertilam ” (An old parrot does
not mind the stick). When persons are
old they do not readily fall into new
ways,
Old Lady of Threadneedle Street.
The Bank of England, situated in
Threadneedle Street. So called from a
caricature by Gilray, dated 22nd May,
1797, and entitled The Old Lady im,
Threadneedle Street in Danger. It re-
ferred to the temporary stopping of cash
payments 26th February, 1797, and one
pound bank-notes were issued 4th March
the same year.
Old Man Eloquent. Isocraſtēs so
called by Milton. When he heard of
the result of the battle of Chaerone'a,
which was fatal to Grecian liberty, he
died of grief.
“That dishonest victory
At Chaerome'a, fatal to lilyerſy,
Killed With report that Old Man Eloquent.”
Milton : Soutuets.
Old Man of the Moon (The). The
Chinese deity who links in wedlock pre-
destined couples. (See MAN IN THE
Moon.)
“The Chinese, have a ſirm belief in marriages
being made in heaven. . A certain deity, whom
they call the ‘Old Man of the Moon,' links with a
silken cord all predestined couples.”— J. N. Jor-
datu : Modern China (Nineteenth Century, July,
1886, p. 45).
Old Man of the Mountain. Hassan-
ben-Sabah, the sheik Al Jebal, and
founder of the sect called Assassins
(q.v.).
Old Man of the Sea. In the story
of Sinbad the Sailor, the Old Man of the
Sea, hoisted on the shoulders of Sinbad,
clung there and refused to dismount.
Sinbad released himself from his burden
by making the Old Man drunk. (Ara-
bian Nights.)
Oldbuck. An antiquary : from the
character of Jonathan Oldbuck, a
whimsical virtuoso in Sir Walter Scott's
Antiquary.
Oldcastle (Sir John), called the
Good Hord Cobham, the first Christian
martyr among the English nobility
(December 14th, 1417).
Old'enburg Horn. A horn long in
the possession of the reigning princes of
the House of Oldenburg, but now in the
collection of the King of Denmark. Ac-
cording to tradition, Count Otto of
Oldenburg, in 967, was offered drink in
this silver-gilt horn by a “wild woman,”
at the Osenborg. As he did not like
the look of the liquor, he threw it away,
and rode off with the horn.
Gldest Nation and most ancient of
all languages. Psammetichus of Egypt,
wishing to penetrate these secrets, com-
manded that two infants should be
brought up in such seclusion that they
should never hear a single word uttered.
When they had been thus secluded for
two years, the boys both cried out to
the keeper, “Becos ? Becos 1 ° a Phrygian
word for Bread, so Psammetichus de-
clared the Phrygian language to be
man's primitive speech. (See LAN-
GUAGE.)
O'leum. Adde Camino. To pour oil
on fire; to aggravate a wound under
pretence of healing it. (IIorace: Satires,
ii. 3, 321.)
Olib'rius (An). The wrong man in
the wrong place. Olib'rius was a Roman
senator, proclaimed emperor by surprise
in 472, but he was wholly unsuited for
the office.
Ol'ifaunt. Lord Nigel Olifaunt ºf
Glenwarloch, on going to court to present
a petition to King James I., aroused
the dislike of the Duke of Buckingham ;
Lord Dalgarno gave him the cut direct,
when Nigel struck him, and was obliged
to seek refuge in Alsatia. After various
adventureshe married Margaret Ramsay,
the watchmaker's daughter. (Sir JP alter
Scott : Fortunes of Nigel.)
Oligar'chy [olly-gar'-ky]. A govern-
ment in which the supreme power is
vested in a class. (Greek, oligos, the
few ; arché, rule.)
Olin'do. The Mahometan king of
Jerusalem, at the advice of his magician,
stole an image of the Virgin, and set it
up as a palladium in the chief mosque.
he image was stolen during the night,
and the king, unable to discover the
perpetrator, ordered all his Christian
53
Olio
subjects to be put to the sword. So-
fronia, to prevent this wholesale mas-
sacre, accused herself of the deed, and
Wa,S
Olindo, her lover, hearing of this, went
to the king and took on himself the
blame ; whereupon both were con-
demned to death, but were saved by the
intercession of Clorinda. (Jerusalem
Lelivered.) - -
, O'lio or Oglio. A mixture or medley
of any sort. (Spanish, olla, a pot for
boiling similar to what the French call
their pot au feat. The olio is the mixture
of bread, vegetables, spices, meat, etc.,
boiled in this pot.) - - :
Olive (2 syl.). Sacred to Pallas |
Athenê. (See OLIVE-TREE.)
EMBLEM of (1) Chastity. In Greece
the newly-married bride wore an olive-
garland; with us the orange-blossom is
more usual. .
(2) Fecundity. The fruit of the olive
is produced in vast profusion ; so that
olive-trees are valuable to their owners.
(See ORANGE-BLOSSOMS.)
(3) Merit. In ancient Greece a crown
of olive-twigs was the highest distinction
of a citizen who had deserved well of his
country. . - r
(4) Peace. An olive-branch was
anciently a symbol of peace. The van-
Quished who sued for peace carried olive-
branches in their hands. And an olive-
twig in the hands of a king (on medals),
as in the case of Numa, indicated a reign
of peace. -
"To hold Out the olive bº'clºch. To make Overtures
Of peace.
(5) Prosperity. David says, “I am
like a green olive-tree in the house of
God” (Psalm lii. 8).
(6) Victory. The highest prize in the
Olympic games was a crown of olive-
leaves. -
ORIGIN of the olive-tree. The tale is,
that Athéné (Minerva) and Poseidon
(Neptune) disputed the honour of giving
a name to a certain city of Greece,
and agreed to settle the question by a
trial of which could produce the best
gift for the new city. Athéné com-
manded the earth to bring forth the
olive-tree, Poseidon commanded the sea
to bring forth the war-horse. Athéné's
gift was adjudged the better, and the
city was called Athens,
Olſive Branches. Children of a
parent. It is a Scripture term : “Thy
wife shall be as a fruitful vine . . . thy
children like olive plants round about
thy table” (Psalm crxviii. 3). r
914
condemned to be burnt alive.
Ollapod
Oliver. Son and heir of Sir Tow.- .
land de Boys, who hated his youngest
brother Orlando, and persuaded him to
try a wrestling match with a professed
wrestler, hoping thus to kill his brother;
but when Orlando proved victorious,
Oliver swore to set fire to his chamber
when he was asleep. Orlando fled to
the forest of Arden, and Oliver pursued
him ; but one day, as he slept in the
forest, a Snake and a lioness lurked near
to make him their prey; Orlando hap-
pened to be passing, and slew the two
monsters. When Oliver discovered this
heroic deed he repented of his ill-
conduct, and his sorrow so interested
the Princess Celia that she fell in love
with him, and they were married.
(Shakespeare. As Yoº Jike It.)
O1'iver or Olivier. Charlemagne's
favourite paladin, who, with Roland,
rode by his side. He was Count of
Genes, and brother of the beautiful
Aude. His sword was called Hattite-
claire, and his horse Ferrant d'Espagne.
A Rowland for an Oliver. Tit for tat,
quid pro quo. Dr. J. N. Scott says that
this proverb is modern, and owes its rise
to the Cavaliers in the time of the Civil
wars in England. These Cavaliers, by
way of rebuff, gave the anti-monarchical
party a General Monk for their Oliver
Cromwell. As Monk’s Christian name
was George, it is hard to believe that the
doctor is correct. (See ROLAND.)
Oliv'etans. Brethren of “Our Lady
of Mount Ol’ivet,” an offshoot of the
Benedictine order. . . .
Olivia. Niece of Sir Toby Belch.
Malvo'lio is her steward, Maria her
woman, Fabian and a clown her male
servants. (Shakespeare: Twelfth Night.)
Olivia. A female Tartuffe (q.v.) in
Wycherley’s Plain Dealer. A con-
summate hypocrite, of most unblushing
effrontery. .
Olia, Podri'da. Odds and ends, a
mixture of scraps. In Spain it takes the
place of the French pot all feat, into
which every sort of eatable is thrown
and stewed. (See OLIO.) Used figura-
tively, the term means an incongruous
mixture, a miscellaneous collection of
any kind, a medley.
Ol' lapod. An apothecary, always
trying to say a witty thing, and looking
for wit in the conversation of others.
When he finds anything which he can
construe into “point” he says, “Thank
you, good sir; I owe you one.” He had
Olympia 915
Omorca,
a military taste, and was appointed
“cornet in the volunteer association of
cavalry” of his own town. (G. Colman :
The Poor Gentleman.) r -
Olym'pia (in Orlando Furioso). Coun-
tess of Holland, and wife of Bire'no.
Cymosco of Friza wanted to force her to
marry his son Arbantès, but Arbantès
was slain. This aroused the fury of
Cymosco, who seized Bireno, and would
have put him to death if Orlando had
not slain Cymosco. Bireno having de-
serted Olympia, she was bound naked
to a rock by pirates; but Orlando de-
livered her and took her to Ireland.
Here King Oberto espoused her cause,
slew Bireno, and married the young
widow. (Bks. iv., v.)
Olym’piad, among the ancient
Greeks, was a period of four years,
being the interval between the celebra-
tions of their Olympic Games.
Olympian Jove, or rather Zeus (1
Syl.) A statue by Phidias, and reckoned
one of the “Seven Wonders of the
World.” Pausanias (vii. 2) says when
the sculptor placed it in the temple at
Elis, he prayed the god to indicate
whether he was satisfied with it, and
immediately a thunderbolt fell on the
floor of the temple without doing the
slightest harm. - . . . .
* The statue was made of ivory and
gold, and though seated on a throne,
was 60 feet in height. The left hand
rested on a sceptre, and the right palm
held a statue of Victory in solid gold.
The robes were of gold, and so were the
four lions which supported the footstool.
The throne was of cedar, embellished
with ebony, ivory, gold, and precious
stones. (See MINERVA.) |
It was placed in the temple at Elis
B.C. 433, was removed to Constantinople,
and perished in the great fire of A.D. 475,
It was completed in 4 years, and of
course the materials were supplied by the
Government of Elis. -
. The “Homer of Sculptors” died in prison, have
ing been incarcerated on the trumpery charge of
having introduced, on a shield of one of his
Statues a portrait of himself.
Olympic Games. , Games held by
the Greeks at Olympia, in Elis, every
fourth year, in the month of July.
Olympus. On the confines of Mace-
donia and Thessaly, where the fabulous
court of Jupiter was supposed to be held.
It is used for any pantheon, as “Odin,
Thor, Balder, and the rest of , the
Northern Olympus.” The word means
all bright or clear. In Greek the word
is Olúmpos.
O'Lynn (Brian).
CHIvy.)
Om. A Sanscrit word, somewhat
similar to Amen. When the gods are
asked to rejoice in a sacrifice, the god
Savitri cries out Om (Be it so). When
Pravāhan is asked if his father has in-
structed him, he answers On (Verily).
Brahmans begin and end their lessons on
the Veda with the word Om, for “unless
Slang for gin. (See
Om precedes his lecture, it will be like
water on a rock, which cannot be
gathered up ; and unless it concludes
the lecture, it will bring forth no fruit.”
Om mani padém hiºm. These are the
first six syllables taught the children of
Tibet and Mongolia, and the last words
uttered by the dying in those lands. It
is met with everywhere as a charm.
The Persian Gulf.
Ombre. A Spanish game of cards
called the royal game of ombre. Prior
has an epigram on the subject. He
says he was playing ombre with two
ladies, and though he wished to lose,
won everything, for Fortune gave him
“success in every suit but hearts.”
Pope has immortalised the game in his
Rape of the Lock.
Omega. The alpha and omega. The
first and the last, the beginning and the
end. Alpha is the first and omega the
last letter of the Greek alphabet.
Omens. (See ILL OMENS.)
Omeyinger Saga.
tradition of Scandinavia.
Om'nibus. The French have a good
slang term for these conveyances. They
call an omnibus a “Four Banal” (parish
oven).
‘. Of course, omnibus (for all) is the oblique
case of Omnes (all). Yet Howitt, in his Visits to
Remarkable Places (1840), says “Cabs and cars and
omnibi and stages” (p. 200). The plural of omni-
bus is “omnibuses.”
Om'nium (Latin, of all). The par-
ticulars of all the items, or the as-
signment of all the securities, of a
government loan. -
Omºnium Gath'erum. Dog Latin
for a gathering or collection of all sorts
of persons and things; a miscellaneous
gathering together without regard to
suitability or order.
Omorca. The goddess who was
sovereign of the universe when it was
O'man's Sea.
An historical
first created. It was covered with water
Omphale 916
Open Air Mission
and darkness, but contained some few
animals of monster forms, representa-
tions of which may be seen in the Temple
of Bel. (Berosius.)
Om'phale (3 syl.). The masculine
but attractive Queen of Lydia, to whom
Herculês was bound a slave for three
years. He fell in love with her, and led
an effeminate life spinning wool, while
Omºphale wore the lion’s skin and was
lady paramount.
‘." The celebrated picture of Hercules spinning
in the presence of Omphale, by Annibal Carracci,
is in the Farnese Gallery.
On dit (French). A rumour, a re-
port; as, “There is an on dit on Ex-
change that Spain will pay up its back
dividends.”
On the Loose. Dissolute (which is
dis-solutus). “Living on the loose ’’ is
leading a dissolute life, or out on the
spree.
On the Shelf. Passé, no longer
popular, one of the “has-beens.” The
reference is not to pawns laid on the
shelf, but to books no longer read, and
clothes no longer worn, laid by on the
shelf.
One-horse System (A). A one-
sided view; looking at all things from
one standpoint; bigotry.
One - horse Universities.
local universities.
“The provincial University of Toronto was
thrown open to Nonconformists, unluckily not
before the practice of chartering sectarian in-
stitutions had been introduced, and Canada.
had been Saddled With ‘one-horse universities.'”
—Prof. Goldwin Smith : Nimeteenth Century, July,
1886, 1). 21. -
One Step from the Sublime to the
Ridiculous. Tom Paine said, “The
sublime and the ridiculous are often so
nearly related that it is difficult to class
them separately. One step above the
sublime makes the ridiculous, and one
step above the ridiculous makes the sub-
lime again.”
One too Many for Him (I was). I
outwitted him; or “One too much
for you.”
“You have lost, old fellow ; I was one too much
for you.”—Gaboria w : The Mystery of Orcival,
chap. X. -
One Touch of Nature Makes the
whole World Kin: , (Shakespeare :
Troilus and Cressida, iii. 3.)
Onion Pennies. Roman coins dug
up at Silchester; so called from one
Onion, a giant, who, the country people
say, inhabited the buried city. Sil-
chester used to be called by the British
Petty
vacy.
Ard-Oneon—i.e. Ardal Onion (the region
of Einion or Onion).
Only (The). Jean Paul Friedrich
Richter (1763-1825). Carlyle says, “In
the whole circle of literature we look
in vain for his parallel.” (German, Der
Finzigé.)
On'slow, invoked by Thomson in his
Autumn, was Arthur Onslow, the
Speaker of the House of Commons,
termed clarum ac venera'bile momen. It
was said of him that “his knowledge of
the Constitution was only equalled by
his attachment to it.”
Onus (Latin). The burden, the
blame, the responsibility ; as,
whole onus must rest on your own
shoulders.” -
O'nus Proban'di. The obligation of
proof; as, “The onus probandi rests
with the accuser.” -
Onyx is Greek for a finger-nail; so
called because the colour of an onyx
resembles that of the finger-nail.
O'pal. From the Greek ops (the eye).
Considered unlucky for the same reason
that peacocks’ feathers in a house are
said to be unlucky. A peacock’s feather,
being full of eyes, act as Spies in a house,
prying into one’s privacy. Similarly, it
is unlucky to introduce the eye-stone or
opal into a house, because it will inter-
fere with the sanctity of domestic pri-
(See CERAUNIUM).
“Not an opal
Wrapped in a bay-leaf in my left fist,
To charm their eyes with.” -
Bemu Jonson : New Inn, i. 6.
Opal of Alphonso XII. (of Spain)
seemed to be fatal. The king, on his
wedding day, presented an opal ring to
his wife (Mercedes, daughter of the Duke
of Montpensier), but her death occurred
soon afterwards. Before the funeral the
king gave the ring to his sister (Maria
del Pilar), who died a few days after-
wards. The king then presented the
ring to his sister-in-law (the Princess
Christina, youngest daughter of the Duke
of Montpensier), who died within three
months. Alphonso, astounded at these
fatalities, resolved to wear the ring him-
self, but died also within a very short
time. The Queen Regent then attached
the ring to a gold chain, which she sus-
pended on the neck of the Virgin of
Almudena of Madrid. (See FATAL
GIFTS.)
Open Air Mission. . A mission
founded in 1853. Its agents preach in
“Tho
Open Question 917
Oracle
the open air, especially at races, fairs,
and on occasions when large numbers of
people congregate.
Open Question (An). A statement,
proposal, doctrine, or supposed fact, re-
specting which each individual is allowed
to entertain his own private opinion.
In the House of Commons every member
may vote as he likes, regardless of party
politics, on an open question. In the
Anglican Church it is an open question
whether the Lord's Supper should be
taken fasting (before breakfast), or
whether it may be taken at noon, or in
the evening. Indubitably the institution
was founded by Christ “after supper; ”
but Catholics and the High Ritualistic
party insist on its being taken fasting.
Open Secret (An). A piece of in-
formation generally known, but not yet
formally announced.
“It was an open secret that almost every one
[of Lord Palmerston's ecclesiastical appoint-
ments] was virtually made by Lord Shaftesbury.”
—Leisure Howr, 1887.
Open, Ses'amé. The charm by which
the door of the robber's dungeon flew
open. The reference is to the tale of
The Forty Thieves, in the Arabian
Nights.
“These words were the only ‘open sesame' to
their feelings and Sympathies.”—E. Shelton.
“The spell, loses its power, and he who should
hope to conjure with it would find himself as
much mistaken as Cassim when he stood crying,
‘Open, Wheat,’ ‘ Open, Barley,' to the door which
obeyed no sound but ‘Open, Sesalme.’”
Open the Ball (To). To lead off the
first dance ; to begin anything which
others will assist in carrying out.
Ophelia. Daughter of Polo'nius the
chamberlain. Hamlet fell in love with
her, but after his interview with the
Ghost, found it incompatible with his
plans to marry her. Ophelia, thinking
his “strange conduct’’ the effect of
madness, becomes herself demented, and
in her attempt to gather flowers is
drowned. (Shakespeare : Hamlet.)
Opin'icus.
composed of dragon, camel, and lion,
used in heraldry. It forms the crest of
the Barber Surgeons of London.
O'pium-eater (The English) was
Thomas de Quincey, author of Confes-
sions. (1785-1850.)
Oppidan of Eton. A student not on
the foundation, but who boards in the
town. (Latin, oppidum.)
Optimē (plural, op-ti-més), in Cam-
bridge phraseology, is a graduate in
A fabulous monster,
honours below a wrangler. Of course,
the Latin optimus (a best man) is the fons
et origo of the term. Optimés are of two
grades: a man of the higher group is
termed a senior optimé, while one of the
inferior class is called a junior optimè.
Op'timism, in moral philosophy, is
the doctrine that “whatever is, is
right,” that everything which happens
is for the best.
O'pus Majus.
Roger Bacon.
Opus Op'eran'tis, in theology, means
that the personal piety of the person
who does the act, and not the act itself,
causes it to be an instrument of grace.
Thus, in the Eucharist, it is the faith
of the recipient which makes it efficient
for grace.
Opus Operatum, in theology, means
that the act conveys grace irrespectively
of the receiver. Thus baptism is said
by many to convey regeneration to an
infant in arms.
Or Ever.
before.)
“Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio.”
Shakespeare: Hamlet, i. 2.
“Dying or ere they sicken.”
Macbeth, iv. 3.
Oracle. The answer of a god or in-
spired priest to an inquiry respecting
the future ; the deity giving responses;
the place where the deity could be con-
sulted, etc.
Oracle. The following are famous
responses:—
(1) When Croesus consulted the Del-
phic oracle respecting a projected war,
he received for answer, “Craesús Halyn
penetrans magnum, pervertet opum vion ”
When Croesus passes over the river
Halys, he will overthrow the strength of
an empire). Croesus supposed the oracle
meant he would overthrow the enemy’s
empire, but it was his own that he
destroyed.
(2) Pyrrhus, being about to make war
against Rome, was told by the oracle:
“Aio te, AEacide, Roma'nos vin'cere posse”
(I say, Pyrrhus, that you the Romans
can conquer), which may mean either
You, Pyrrhus, can overthrow the Romans,
or Pyrrhus, the Romans can overthrow
The great work of
Ere ever. (Saxon, or,
(?/026.
$/ (3) Another prince, consulting the
oracle concerning a projected war, re-
ceived for answer, “Ibis redibis mun-
quam per bella peribis '' (You shall go
shall return never you shall perish by
the war). It will be seen that the whole
...rº
*
Oracle
91S
Orange Lilies
gist of this response depends on the
lace of the omitted comma; it may be
ou shall return, you shall never perish in
the war, or You shall return never, you
shall perish in the war, which latter was
the fact.
(4) Philip of Macedon sent to ask the
oracle of Delphi if his Persian expedition
would prove successful, and received for
3DSWeI’—
“The ready victim crowned for death
Before the altar Stands.”
Philip took it for granted that the
“ready victim’’ was the King of Persia,
but it was Philip himself.
(5) When the Greeks sent to Delphi
to know if they would succeed against
the Persians, they were told—-
“Seed-time and harvest, weeping sires shall tell
How thousands fought at Salamis and fell.”
IBut whether the Greeks or the Persians
were to be “the weeping sires,” depo-
nent stateth not, nor whether the thou-
sands “about to fall” were to be Greeks
or Persians. (See PUNCTUATION.)
(6) When Maxentius was about to en-
counter Constantine, he consulted the
guardians of the Sibylline Books as to
the fate of the battle, and the prophetess
told him, “I’llo die hostem Romanórum
esse periturum,” but whether Maxen-
tius or Constantine was “the enemy of
the Roman people '’ the Oracle left un-
decided.
(7) In the Bible we have a similar
equivoke : When Ahab, King of Israel,
was about to wage war on the king of
Syria, and asked Micaiah if Ramoth-
Gilead would fall into his hands, the
º replied, “Go, for the Lord will
eliver the city into the hands of the
king ” (1 Kings xxii. 15, 35). , Ahab
thought that he himself was the king re-
ferred to, but the city fell into the hands
of the king of Syria.
There are scores of punning prophecies
equally equivocal. . -
Oracle (Sir). A dogmatical person,
one not to be gainsaid. The ancient
oracles professed to be the responses of
the gods, from which there could be no
appeal.
p “I am Sir Oracle,
And when I ope my lips let no dog bark.”
Shakespeare : Merchant of Venice, i. 1.
To work the oracle. To induce another
to favour some plan or join in some
project.
... “They fetched a rattling price through Star-
light's working the oracle with those swells.”—
Bold rewood : Robbery under Arms, chap. xii.
Oracle of the Church (The). St.
Bernard. (1091-1153.)
Bacbuc is the Hebrew for a bottle.
Oracle of the Holy Bottle, Bac-
buc, near Cathay, in Upper Egypt.
Books iv., and v. of Rabelais are occu-
pied by the search for this oracle. The
Ostensible object was to obtain an
answer to a question which had been
put to sibyl and poet, monk and fool,
philosopher and witch, judge and
“sort,” viz. “whether Panurge should
marry or not P” The whole affair is a
disguised satire on the Church. The
celibacy of the clergy was for a long time
a moot point of great difficulty, and the
“Holy Bottle' or cup to the laity was
one of the moving causes of the “great
schisms” from the Roman Catholic
Church. The crew setting sail for the
Bottle refers to Anthony, Duke of Ven-
dôme, afterwards king of Navarre,
Setting out in search of religious truth.
The
anthem sung before the fleet set sail
was When Israel went out of bondage,
and all the emblems of the ships bore
upon the proverb “In vino veritas.”
Bacbuc is both the Bottle and the
priestess of the Bottle.
Oracle of Sieve and Shears (The).
This method of divination is mentioned
by Theoc'ritos. The modus operandi was
as follows:—The points of the shears
were stuck in the rim of a sieve, and
two persons supported them with their
finger-tips. Then a verse of the Bible
was read aloud, and St. Peter and St.
Paul were asked if it was A, B, or C
(naming the persons suspected). When
the right person was named, the sieve
would suddenly turn round.
“Searching for things lost , with a sieve and
sluears.”—Ben Jomson : Alchemist, i. 1.
Oracles were extremely numerous,
and very expensive to those who con-
sulted them. The most famous were
Dodona, Ammon (in Libya), Delphos,
Delos, that of Trophonius (in Boeotia),
and that of Venus in Paphos.
Oracle of Apollo, at Delphi, the priestess of
whº was called the Pythoness; at Delos, and at
öråcle of Diana, at Colchis ; of ESCU LAPIUS, at
s, and another in Rome.
f HERCULES, at Athens, and another at
Epidauru
Oracle O
Galdés. -
Oracle of JUPITER, at Dodona (the most noted);
another at Ammon, in Iibya ; another at Crete.
Oracle of MARs, in Thrace: MINERVA, in My-
cenſe ; PAN, in Arcadia.
Oracle of TRIPHO'NIUS, in Boeotia, where only
men made the responses.
Oracle of VENUS, at Paphos, another at Aphaca,
and many otherS.
In most of the temples women, sitting
on a tripod, made the responses.
Orange Lilies (The). The 35th Foot.
Called “orange” because their facings
Orange Todges 919
Ordeal
were orange till 1832; and “lilies” be-
cause they were given white plumes in
recognition of their gallantry in the
battle of Quebec in 1759, when they
routed the Royal Roussillon French
Grenadiers. The white plume was dis-
continued in 1800. The 35th Foot is
now called the “The Royal Sussex.”
William of Orange. William III. of
|Bngland (1650, 1689-1702). “Orange ’’
is a corruption of Arausio, in the depart-
ment of Vaucluse, some sixteen miles
from Avignon. The town was the capi-
tal of a principality from the eleventh
to the sixteenth century. The last
sovereign was Philibert de Châlons,
whose sister married William, Count of
Nassau. William’s grandson (William)
married Mary, eldest daughter of
Charles I., and their eldest son was our
William III., referred to in the text.
Orange Lodges or Clubs are referred
to in Hibernia Citriosa, published in
1769. Thirty years later the Orange-
men were a very powerful society,
having a “grand lodge” extending over
the entire province of Ulster, and rami-
fying through all the centres of Pro-
testantism in Ireland.” (See next
article, and ORANGEMAN.)
Orange Peel. A nickname given to
Sir Robert Peel when Chief Secretary
for Ireland (1812-1818), on account of
his strong anti - Catholic proclivities.
(See above, and ORANGEMAN.)
Orange-tawny. The ancient colour
appropriated to clerks and persons of
inferior condition. It was also the
colour worn by the Jews. Hence Lord
Bacon says, “ Usurers should have
orange-tawny bonnets, because they do
Judaise ’’ (Essay xli.). Bottom the
weaver asked Quince what coloured
beard he was to wear for the character
of Pyr'amus : “I will discharge it in
either your straw-coloured beard, your
orange-tawny beard, your purple-ingrain
beard, or your French crown-colour,
which is a perfect yellow.” (Midsummer
Night’s Dream, i. 2.)
Orange Blossoms Worn at Wed-
dings. The Saracen brides used to
wear orange blossoms as an emblem of
fecundity ; and occasionally the same
emblem may have been worn by Euro-
pean brides ever since the time of the
Crusades; but the general adoption of
wreaths of orange blossoms for brides is
comparatively a modern practice, due
especially to the recent taste for flower-
language. The subject of bridal de-
corations being made a study, and the
Orange flower being found suitable, from
the use made of it by the ancient Sara-
cens, it was introduced by modistes as
a fit ornament for brides. The notion
once planted, soon became a custom,
now very generally adopted by those
who study the conventions of society,
and follow the accepted fashions. (See
OLIVE.)
To gather orange blossoms. To look
for a wife. bride wears orange blos-
soms to indicate the hope of fruitfulness,
no tree being more prolific. An Orange
tree of moderate size will yield three or
four thousand Oranges in a year ; and
the blossom being white, is a symbol of
innocence and chastity. The Orange
was also used by Cardinal Wolsey as a
pomander. It is said that some sweet
oranges turn bitter by neglect.
Orangeman. A name given by
Roman Catholics to the Protestants of
Ireland, on account of their adhesion to
William III. of the House of Orange ;
they had been previously called “Peep-
of-Day Boys.” The Roman party were
Jac'obites. (See ORANGE LODGES.)
Orania. The lady-love of Am'adis
of Gaul.
Orator Henley. The Rev. John
Henley, who for about thirty years de-
livered lectures on theological, political,
and literary subjects. (1692-1756.)
Orbilſian Stick (The).
birch-rod.
Orbilius was the schoolmaster who
taught Horace, and Horace calls him
Plago'sus (the flogger). (Ep. ii. 71.)
Orc (in Orlando Furioso). A sea-
monster that devoured men and women.
He haunted the seas near Ireland. Or-
lando threw an anchor into his open
jaws, and then dragged the monster to
the Irish coast, where he died.
The Orkney Islands, or Or-
A cane or
Or'ca.
cades.
Or'chard properly means a kitchen
garden, a yard for herbs. (Saxon, ort-
geard—i.e. wort-yard.) Wort enters
into the names of numerous herbs, as
mug-wort, liver-wort, spleen-wort, etc.
“The hortyard entering [he] admires the fair
And pleasant fruits.” Satıldı/s.
Or'cus. The abode of the dead;
death. (Roman mythology.) :
Or'deal (Saxon, great judgment), in-
stituted long before the Conquest, and
not abolished till the reign of Henry III,
Ordeal
920 Ordinary
Ordeals were of several kinds, but the
most usual were by wager of battle, by
hot or cold water, and by fire. This
method of “trial” was introduced from
the notion that God would defend the
right, even by miracle if needful.
(1) Wager of battle, was when the ac-
cused person was obliged to fight any-
one who charged him with guilt. This
ordeal was allowed only to persons of
rank. .
(2) Of fire, was another ordeal for
persons of rank only. The accused had
to hold in his hand a piece of red-hot
iron, or had to walk blindfold and bare-
foot among nine red-hot plough-shares
laid at unequal distances. If he escaped
uninjured he was accounted innocent,
aliter mon. This might be performed by
deputy.
(3) Of hot water, was an ordeal for
the common people. The accused was
required to plunge his arm up to the
elbow in scalding hot water, and was
pronounced guilty if the skin was in-
jured in the experiment.
(4) Of cold water, was also for the
common people. The accused, being
bound, was tossed into a river ; if he
sank he was acquitted, but if he floated
he was accounted guilty.
(5) Of the bier, when a person
suspected of murder was required to
touch the corpse; if guilty the “blood
of the dead body would start forth
afresh.”
(6) Of the cross. Plaintiff and de-
fendant had to stand with their arms
crossed over their breasts, and he who
could endure the longest won the suit.
(7) Of the Eucharist. This was for
clergymen suspected of crime. . It was
supposed that the elements would choke
him, if taken by a guilty man.
(8) Of the corsned, or , consecrated
bread and cheese. Godwin, Earl of
ICent, is said to have been choked when
he submitted to this ordeal, being
accused of the murder of the king's
brother.
“This sort of ordeal was by no means unusual.
Thus in Ceylon, a man suspected of theft is re-
quired to bring what he holds dearest before a
judge, and placing a heavy stone on the head of
his substitute, says “May this stone crush thee to
death if I am guilty of this offence.”
In Tartary, an ostiack sets a wild bear and an
hatchet before the tribunal, saying, as he SWallows
a piece of bread, “May the bear devour me, and
the hatchet chop off my head, if I am guilty Of the
crime laid to my charge.”
(9) Of lot, two dice, one marked by a
cross, being thrown. .
Ordeal.
severe test,
Tt was a fiery ordeal. A
(See above, No. 2.)
Order . When members of the
House of Commons and other debaters
call out Order, they mean that the per-
son speaking is transgressing the rules
of the House.
Order of the Cockle. Created by
St. Louis in 1269, in memory of a dis-
astrous expedition made by sea for the
succour of Christians. Perrot says it
scarcely survived its foundation.
Order of the Day (The), in parlia-
mentary parlance, is applied to the
prearranged agenda of “Private Mem-
bers' Bills.” On Tuesdays these bills
always stand after “notices of motions.”
(See PREVIOUS QUESTION.)
To move for the Order of the Day is a
proposal to set aside a government
measure on a private members’ day
(Tuesday), and proceed to the pre-
arranged agenda. If the motion is
carried, the agenda must be proceeded
with, unless a motion “to adjourn '' is
carried.
Orders. In Orders or In Holy Orders.
Belonging to the clerical order or rank.
To take Orders. To become a clergy-
Iſla, Il.
* The word “ order ’’ means not
only a mandate, but also an official rank,
and in the Catholic Church, a “rule' of
life, as Ordo albus (white friars or Au-
gustines), Ordo miſſer (black friars or
Dominicans). In “Holy Orders” is in
the plural number, because in the Pro-
testant Church there are three ranks
of clergymen — deacons, priests, and
bishops. In the Catholic Church there
are four major Orders and four minor
ones. According to Du Cange, the
Ordinés majörés are Subdeaconátus,
Deaconátus, Presbyteråtus, and Episco-
pâlis (Subdeacon, Deacon, Priest, and
Bishop). gº
Orders of Architecture. These five
are the classic orders: Tuscan, Doric,
Ionic, Corinthian, and Composite.
The following was the usual practice:
Cont NTH AN, for temples of Venus, Flora, Pro-
serpine, and the Water Nymphs. -
DORLC, for temples of Minerva, Mars, and Her-
Iosº § temples of Juno, Diana, and Bacchus.
TUSCAN, for grottoes and all rural deities.
Ordigale. The otter in the tale of
Reynard the Foa (part iii.).
Or'dinary (An). One who has an
“ordinary or regular jurisdiction ” in his
own right, and not by deputation. Thus
a judge who has authority to take cog-
nisance of causes in his own right is
an ordinary. A bishop is an ordinary
Ordinary 921
Oriflamme
in his own diocese, because he has
authority to take cognisance of eccle-
siastical matters therein ; but an arch-
bishop is the ordinary of his province,
having authority in his own right to
receive appeals therein from inferior
jurisdictions. . The chaplain of Newgate
was also called the ordinary thereof.
Ordinary (An). A public dinner
where each guest pays his quota ; a table
d'hôte. -
“'Tis almost dinner; I know they stay for you at
the ordinary.”—Beaumont and Fletcher : Scornful
Lady, iv. 1.
Oread (plural, Oréads [3 Syl.] or
Oreſides [4 syl.]). Nymphs of , the
mountains. (Greek, 3pos, a mountain.)
Oreilles. Sir W. Scott (JP'averley,
x.) speaks of vinum prima notae thus:--
“C” est des deata: oreilles,” that is, it is
strong and induces sleep. It makes one
“ Doºmi, sº les delta: oreilles.” Littré,
however, says, “Though wine d'ºe
oreille is excellent, that of delta, Oreilles
is execrable.”
“Vin d'une oreille, le hon, vin, win de deux
oreilles le mauvais. Qū appelle, aimsi le bon win,
parce que le bon win fait pencher la tête de celui
qui le goûte d'un cóté seulement: et le mauvais
Yin, parce qu'on secoue la tête, et par consequent
le deux oreilles.” -
Orelio. The steed of Don Toderick,
the last of the Goths, noted for its speed
and symmetry. (See HORSE.)
Orella'na. The river Amazon in
America ; so called from Orellana, lieu-
tenant of Pizarro.
Orfeo and Heuro/dis. The tale of
Orpheus and Eurydicé, with the Gothic
machinery of elves or fairies.
Or'gies (2 syl.). Drunken revels,
riotous feasts; so called from the noc-
turnal festivals in honour of Bacchus.
(Greek, orgé, violent emotion.)
Orgoglio (pron. Or-gole'-yo). The
word is Italian, and means “Arrogant
Pride,” or The Man of Sin. A hideous
giant as tall as three men ; he was son
of Earth and Wind. Finding the Red
Cross Knight at the fountain of Idleness,
he beats him with a club and makes him
his slave. Una, hearing of these mis-
chances, tells King Arthur, and Arthur
liberates the knight and slays the giant.
Moral : The Man of Sin had power
given him to “make war with the Saints
and to overcome them ’’ for “forty and
two months '' (Rev. xiii. 5, 7), then the
“Ancient of Days came,” and overcame
him (Dan. vii. 21, 22). (Spenser. Faërie
Queene, book i.)
* Arthur first cut off Orgoglio's left
arm—i.e. Bohemia, was first cut off from
the Church of Rome. He then cut off
the giant's right leg—i.e. England ; and,
this being cut off, the giant fell to the
earth, and was afterwards dispatched.
Or'gon. Brother-in-law of Tartuffe.
His credulity is proverbial: he almost
disbelieved his senses, and saw everyone
and everything through the couleur de
rose of his own honest heart. (Molière :
Tartuffe.)
Oria'na. The beloved of Am'adis of
Gaul, who called himself Beltenebros
when he retired to the Poor Rock.
(Am'adis de Gaul, ii. 6.)
Queen Elizabeth is sometimes called
the “peerless Oriana,” especially in the
madrigals entitled the Triumphs of
Oria'na (1601).
Oria'na. The nurseling of a lioness,
with whom Esplandian, son of Oria'na.
and Amſadis of Gaul, fell in love, and
for whom he underwent all his perils
and exploits. She is represented as the
fairest, gentlest, and most faithful of
womankind.
Oriande [O'-re-ond]. A fay who
lived at Rosefieur, and brought up
Maugis d’Aygremont (q.v.). When her
protégé grew up she loved him “ d'un
si grand amour, qu’elle do?ſte fort qu'il me
se départe d’avecques elle.” (Romance de
Maugis d’Aygºremont et de Pivian son
Prêre.)
Oriel. A fairy whose empire lay
along the banks of the Thames, when
Ring Oberon held his court in Ken-
sington Gardens. (Tickell: ſensington
Gardens.)
Orientation. The placing of the
east window of a church due east, that
is, so that the rising sun may at noon
shine on the altar. Anciently, churches
were built with their axes pointing to
the rising sun on the Saint's day; SO that
a church dedicated to St. John was not
parallel to one dedicated to St. Peter.
The same practice prevailed both in
Bgypt and ancient Greece.
Modern churches are built as nearly due east
and west as circumstances Will allow, quite re-
gardless of the Saint's day.
Oriflamme (3 syl.). First used in
France as a national banner in 1119. It
consisted of a crimson flag mounted on
a gilt staff (un glaive tout doré oie est
attaché une bannière vermeille). The flag
was cut into three “vandykes '' to repre-
sent ‘‘tongues of fire,” and between
each was a silken tassel. This celebrated
standard was the banner of St. Denis;
Origemists
922
Orlando
but when the Counts of Vexin became
possessed of the abbey the banner passed
into their hands. In 1082 Philippe I.
united Vexin to the crown, and the
sacred Oriflamme belonged to the king.
It was carried to the field after the
battle of Agincourt, in 1415. The
romance writers say that “mescreans”
(infidels) were blinded by merely look-
ing on it. In the Roman de Gari” the
Saracens are represented as saying, “If
we only set eyes on it we are all dead
men '' (“Se’s attendons tuit sommes mon's
et pris”). Froissart says it was no
sooner unfurled at Rosbecq than the fog
cleared off, leaving the French in light,
while their enemies remained in misty
darkness still. (Or, gold, referring to
the staff; flamme, flame, referring to the
tongues of fire.)
* Or’igenists. An early Christian
sect who drew their opinions from the
writings of Origen. They maintained
Christ to be the Son of God only by
adoption, and denied the eternity of
future punishments.
Original Sin. That corruption
which is born with us, and is the in-
heritance of all the offspring of Adam.
As Adam was the federal head of his
race, when Adam fell the taint and
penalty of his disobedience passed to all
his posterity.
Oril'o or Orillo (in Orlando Furioso,
book viii.). A magician and robber who
lived at the mouth Of the Nile. He was
the son of an imp and fairy. When any
limb was lopped off he restored it by his
magic power, and when his head was
cut off he put it on his neck again.
Astolpho encountered him, cut off his
head, and fled with it. Orillo mounted
his horse and gave chase. Meanwhile
Astolpho with his sword cut the hair
from the head. Life was in one par-
ticular hair, and as soon as that was
severed the head died, and the magi-
cian’s body fell lifeless.
Orinda, called the “Incomparable,”
was Mrs. Katherine Philipps, who lived
in the reign of Charles II., and died of
small-pox. Her praises were sung by
Cowley, Dryden, and others. . (See
I}ryden’s Ode To the Memory of Mrs.
Anne Killigrew.)
Ori’on. A giant hunter, noted for
his beauty. He was blinded by OEno-
p’ion, but Vulcan sent Cedalion to be his
guide, and his sight was restored by ex-
posing his eyeballs to the sun. Being
slain by Diana, he was made one of the
constellations, and is supposed to be
attended with stormy weather. “Assº-
gems flucted nimbo'sus Orion.” (Pirgil.
Lºneid, i. 539.)
“As beautiful as Orion.” Homer Iliad, xviii.
Wife of Orion. Sidé.
Dogs of Orion. Arctoph'onos and
Ptoëph'agos.
Orkborne (Dr.). A learned student,
very dry and uncompanionable; very
particular over his books, and the tutor
of Eugenia, the niece of Sir Hugh. He
is a character in Camilla, the third novel
of Mme. D'Arblay. Eugenia was deformed
owing to an accident partly caused by
her uncle ; and Sir Hugh, to make the
best compensation in his power, ap-
pointed T)r. Orkborne to educaté her,
and also left her heiress to his estates.
“Mr. Oldbuck hated putting to rights as much
as Dr. Orkhorne, Or any other professed student.”
—Scott : A mtiquatºry. -
Orkneys. Either the Teutonic Ork-
77-eys (the water or islands of the whirl-
pool), in allusion to the two famous
whirlpools near the Isle of Swinna ; or
else the Norwegian Orkeſſar (northern
islands), the Hebrides being the Sudrey-
jar, or southern islands.
Orlando. The youngest son of Sir
Rowland de Boys. At a wrestling match
the banished duke's daughter, Rosalind,
who took a lively interest in Orlando,
gave him a chain, saying, “Gentleman,
wear this for me.” Orlando, flying be-
cause of his brother's hatred, met Rosa-
lind in the forest of Arden, disguised as
a country lad, seeking to join her father.
In time they become acquainted with
each other, and the duke assented to
their union. (Shakespeare : As You Like
It.) (See OLIVER:)
Orlando, called Rotolando or Roland,
and Rutlandus in the Latin chronicles
of the Middle Ages, the paladin, was lord
of Anglant, knight of Brava, son of Milo
d’Anglesis and Bertha, sister of Charle-
magne. Though married to Aldabella,
he fell in love with Angel'ica, daughter
of the infidel king of Cathay ; but An-
gelica married Medo'ro, a Moor, with
whom she fled to India. When Orlando
heard thereof he turned mad, or rather
his wits were taken from him for three
months by way of punishment, and de-
posited in the moon. Astolpho went
to the moon in Elijah’s chariot, and St.
John gave him an urn containing the
lost wits of Orlando. On reaching earth
again, Astolpho first bound the madman,
then holding the urn to his nose, the
errant wits returned, and Orlando, cured
Orlando Furioso
923 Orpheus
of his madness and love, recovered from
his temporary derangement. (Orlando
Purioso.) (See ANGELICA.)
Orlando or Roland was buried at
Blayes, in the church of St. Raymond;
but his body was removed afterwards to
Roncesvalles, in Spain.
Orlando’s horn or Roland’s horrº. An
ivory horn called Olivant, mentioned
frequently by Boiardo and Ariosto.
“Per acto bello, Rolandus ascendit in montem), et
rediit retro ad viam Runciavallis. Tunc insonilit
tuba sua eburnea ; et tantã virtute insonuit, quod
flatu omnis ejus tuba per medium scissa, et venæ
colli ejus et nervi rupti fuisse feruntur.”
Orlando’s sword. Durinda'na, which
once belonged to Hector.
Orlando Furioso. An epic poem
in forty-six cantos, by Ariosto (digested
by Hoole into twenty-four books, but
retained by Rose in the original form).
The subject is the siege of Paris by
Agramant the Moor, when the Saracens
were overthrown. In the pagan army
were two heroes—ROdo'mont, called the
Mars of Africa, and Roge'ro. The latter
became a Christian convert. The poem
ends with a combat between these two,
and the overthrow of Rodomont.
The anachronisms of this poem are
most marvellous. We have Charlemagne
and his paladins joined by King Edward
of England, Richard Earl of Warwick,
Henry Duke of Clarence, and the Dukes
of York and Gloucester (bk. vi.). We
have cannons employed by Cymosco,
Ring of Friza (bk. iv.), and also in the
siege of Paris (bk. vi.). We have the
Moors established in Spain, whereas they
were not invited over by the Saracens for
nearly 300 years after Charlemagne's
death. In book xvii. we have Prester
John, who died 1202; in the last three
Constantine the Great, who died 337.
Orlando Innamora’to (Roland the
paladin in love). A romantic epic in
three books, by the Count Boiardo of
Scandiano, in Italy (1495).
There is a burlesque in verse of the
same title by Berni of Tuscany (1538),
author of Burlesque Rhymes.
Orleans. Your ea:planation is like an
Orleans comment—i.e. Your comment or
explanation makes the matter more ob-
scure. The Orleans College was noted
for its wordy commentaries, which dark-
ened the text by overloading it with
words. (A French proverb.)
Or'mandine (3 syl.). The necro-
mancer who by his magic arts threw St.
David for seven years into an enchanted
sleep, from which he was redeemed by
St. George. . (The Seven Champions of
Christendom, i. 9.)
Or'mulum. A paraphrase of Scrip-
ture in Anglo-Saxon verse; so called
from the name of the author, Orm or
Ormin (13th cent.).
Ormusd or Ormuzd. The principle
or angel of light and good, and creator
of all things, according to the Magian
system. (See AHRIMAN.)
Oromas'des (4 syl.). The first of
the Zoroastrian trinity. The divine
goodness of Plato; the deviser of crea-
tion (the father). The second person is
Mithras, the eternal intellect, architect
of the world ; the third, Ahrim'amés
(Psyché), the mundame soul.
O'roonda’tés. Only son of a Scythian
king, whose love for Stati'ra (widow of
Alexander the Great, and daughter of
Dari'us) leads him into numerous dan-
gers and difficulties, which he surmounts.
(La Calprenède : Cassandra, a romance.)
Oro'sius (General History of), from
Creation to A.D. 417, in Latin by a
Spanish presbyter of the 5th century,
was translated into Anglo-Saxon by
Alfred the Great. s
Orotalt, according to the Greek
writers, was the Bacchus of the ancient
Arabs. This, however, is a mistake, for
the word is a corruption of Allah Taala
(God the Most High).
Orpheus (2 syl.). A Thracian poet
who could move even inanimate things
by his music. When his wife Eurydice
died he went into the infernal regions,
and so charmed King Pluto that Eurydice
was released from death on the condition
that Orpheus would not look back till he
reached the earth. He was just about
to place his foot on the earth when he
turned round, and Eurydice vanished
from him in an instant. Pope introduces
this tale in his St. Cecilia’s Ode.
The tale of Orpheus is thus explained:
Aédoneus, King of Thesprotia, was for
his cruelty called Pluto, and having
seized Eurydicé as she fled from Aristaos,
detained her captive. Orpheus obtained
her release on certain conditions, which
he violated, and lost her a second time.
There is rather a striking resemblance between
the fate of Eurydycé and that of Lot's wife. The
former was emerging from hell, the latter from
Sodom. Orpheus looked back and Eurydice was
Snatched away, Lot's wife looked back and was
converted into a pillar of Salt.
A Scandinavia)? Orpheus. “Odin was
so eminently skilled in music, and could
Orpheus
924
Osiris
sing airs so tender and melodious, that
the rocks would expand with delight,
while the spirits of the infernal regions
would stand motionless around him,
attracted by the sweetness of his strains.”
(Standinavia, by Crichton and Whea-
ton, vol. i. p. 81.)
Orpheus of Highwaymen. So
Gay has been called on account of his
Beggar’s Opera. (1688-1732.)
Orrery. An astronomical toy to show
the relative movements of the planets,
etc., invented by George Graham, who
sent his model to Rowley, an instrument
maker, to make one for Prince Eugène.
Towley made a copy of it for Charles
Boyle, third Earl of Orrery, and Sir
Bichard Steele named it an orrery out
of compliment to the earl. One of the
|best is Fulton’s, in Kelvin Grove Mu-
seum, West End Park, Glasgow.
Orsin. One of the leaders of the
rabble that attacked Hudibras at a bear-
baiting. He was “famous for wise
conduct and success in war.” Joshua
Gosling, who kept the bears at “Paris
Garden,” in Southwark, was the aca-
demy figure of this character.
Orsini (Maffio). A young Italian
nobleman, whose life was saved by
Genna'ro at the battle of Rimſini. Or-
si'ni became the staunch friend of Gen-
na'ro, but both were poisoned at a
banquet given by the Princess Negroni.
(Donizetti : Lucrezia di Borgia, an
opera.) This was the name of the con-
spirator who attempted the life of
Napoleon III.
Orson. Twin brother of Valentine,
and son of Bellisant, sister of King
Pepin and wife of Alexander, Emperor
of Constantinople. The twin brothers
were born in a wood near Orleans, and
Orson was carried off by a bear, which
suckled him with her cubs. When he
grew up he was the terror of France,
and was called the Wild Man of the
JForest. He was reclaimed by Valen-
time, overthrew the Green Knight, and
married Fezon, the daughter of Duke
Savary of Aquitaine. (French, ourson,
a little bear.) (Palentine and Orson.)
Orthodox Sunday, in the Eastern
Church, is the First Sunday in Lent, to
commemorate the restoration of images
in 843.
'. In the Church of England, on the first day in
Ilent, usually called “Ash Wednesday,” the clergy
are directed to read “the . . . sentences of God's
cursing against impenitent sinners.”
Orts. Crumbs; refuse. (Low Ger-
man, ort—i.e. what is left after eating.)
I shall not eat your Orts—i.e. your
leavings.
“Let him have time a beggar's orts to crave.”
Shakespeare : lettpe of Lucrece.
Ortus. “Ortus a querett, non a sal"-
ice.” Latin for “sprung from an oak,
and not from a willow ’’—i.e. stubborn
stuff; one that cannot bend to circum-
stances.
Ortwine (2 syl.). Knight of Metz,
sister's son of Sir Hagan of Trony, a
Burgundian in the Wibelungen Lied.
Orvie'tan (3 syl.) or Venice treacle,
once believed to be a sovereign remedy
against poison. From Orvieto, a city of
Italy, where it is said to have been first
used.
“With these drugs will I, this very day, com-
pound the true orviet:un.”—Sin Walter Scott: light-
ilworth, clap. xiii.
Os Sacrum. (See LUZ.) A trian-
gular bone situate at the lower part of
the vertebral column, of which it is a
continuation. Some say that this bone
was so called because it was in the part
used in sacrifice, or the Sacred part ;
Dr. Nash says it is so called “because it
is much bigger than any of the verte-
brae;” but the Jewish rabbins say the
bone is called sacred because it resists
decay, and will be the germ of the “new
body” at the resurrection. (Hudibras,
part iii. Canto 2.)
Osbaldistone. Nine of the charac-
ters in Sir Walter Scott's Rob Roy bear
this name. There are (1) the London
merchant and Sir Hildebrand, the heads
of two families ; (2) the son of the
merchant is Francis, the pretended of
Diana Vernon; (3) the “distinguished ”
offspring of the brother are Percival the
sot, Thorncliffe the bully, John the game-
Keeper, Richard the horsejockey, Wilfred
the fool, and Rashleigh the scholar, by
far the worst of all. This last worthy is
slain by Rob Roy, and dies cursing his
cousin Frank, whom he had injured in
every way he could contrive.
Oseway (Dame). The ewe in
the
tale of Reynard the Fox. -
Osiris (in Egyptian mythology).
Judge of the dead, and potentate of the
kingdom of the ghosts. This brother
and husband of Isis was worshipped
under the form of an ox. The word
means Many-eyed.
Osmand
Osiris is the moon, husband of Isis.
“We see Osiris represented by the moon, and
by an eye at the top of fourteen steps. These
s: eps symbolise the fourteen day 8 of the Waxing
moon.”—J. N. Lockyer, in the Nineteentth Century,
July, 1892, p. 31.
Osiris is used to designate any waning
luminary, as the setting Sun, as well as ..]"
->
2.
the waning moon or setting planet.
'.' Osiris is the setting Sun, but the rising sun is
Horus, and the moonday Sun Ra. -
Osmand. A necromancer, who by
his enchantments raised up an army to
resist the Christians. Six of the Cham-
pions of Christendom were enchanted by
Osmand, but St. George restored them.
Osmand tore off his hair in which lay his
spirit of enchantment, bit his tongue in
two, disembowelled himself, cut off his
arms, and then died. (The Seven Cham-
ſpions of Christendom, i. 19.)
Osnaburg. The Duke of York was
Dishop of Osnaburg. Not prelate, but
sovereign-bishop. By the treaty of
Westphalia, in 1648, it was decreed that
the ancient bishopric should be vested
alternately in a Catholic bishop and a
Protestant prince of the House of Lune-
burg. Frederick, Duke of York, was
the last sovereign-bishop of Osnaburg.
In 1803 the district was attached to
Hanover, and it now forms part of the
kingdom of Prussia,
Osnaburg. A kind of coarse linen made
of flax and tow, originally imported
from Osnaburg.
Osprey or Ospray (a corruption of
Latin ossifragus, the bone-breaker). The
fish-eagle, or fishing hawk (Pandion
haliaëtus).
Ossa. Heaping Pe'lion upon Ossa.
Adding difficulty to difficulty ; fruitless
efforts. The allusion is to the attempt
of the giants to scale heaven by piling
Mount Ossa, upon Mount Pelion.
“Ter Sunt confi'i imponére Pelio Ossam.”
Virgil: (#807'gics, i. 281.
Osse'o. Son of the Evening Star.
When “old and ugly, broken with age,
and weak with coughing,” he married
Oweenee, youngest of the ten daughters
of a North hunter. She loved him in
spite of his ugliness and decrepitude,
because “all was beautiful within him.”
One day, as he was walking with his
nine sisters-in-law and their husbands,
he leaped into the hollow of an oak-tree,
and came out “tall and straight and
strong and handsome ; ” but Oweenee
at the same moment was changed into a
weak old woman, “wasted, wrinkled,
old, and ugly;” but the love of Osseo
92
sº
O
Ostrich Eggs
was not weakened. The nine brothers
and sisters-in-law were all transformed
into birds for mocking Osseo and
Oweenee when they were ugly, and
Oweenee, recovering her beauty, had a
son, whose delight as he grew up was
...to shoot at his aunts and uncles, the
birds that mocked his father and mother.
(Longfellow : Hiawatha, xii.).
Ossian. The son of Fingal, a Scot-
tish warrior-bard who lived in the third
century. The poems, called Ossian's
Poems were first published by James
M“Pherson in 1760, and professed to be
translations from Erse manuscripts col-
lected in the Highlands. This is not
true. M'Pherson no doubt based the
poems on traditions, but not one of them
is a translation of an Erse manuscript ;
and so far as they are Ossianic at all,
they are Irish, and not Scotch.
Ostend’ Manifesto. A declaration
made in 1857 by the Ministers of the
United States in England, France, and .
Spain, “that Cuba must 2belong to the
|United States.”
Oster-Monath.
name of April.
The Anglo-Saxon
Ostler, jocosely said to be derived
from oat-stealey, but actually from the
French hostelier, an innkeeper.
Os' tracis'm. Oyster-shelling, black-
balling, or expelling. Clis’thenès gave
the people of Attica, the power of re-
moving from the state, without making
a definite charge, any leader of the
people likely to subvert the government.
Each citizen wrote his vote on an earthen-
ware table (ostracom), whence the term.
Ostrich. When hunted the ostrich is
said to run a certain distance and then
thrust its head into a bush, thinking,
because it cannot see, that it cannot be
seen by the hunters. (See CROCODILE.)
Ostrich Brains. It was Heliogab'-
alus who had battues of ostriches for the
sake of their brains. Smollett says “he
had six hundred ostriches compounded
in one mess.” (Peregrine Pickle.)
Ostrich Eggs in Churches. Ostrich
eggs are suspended in several Eastern
churches as symbols of God's watchful
care. It is said that the ostrich hatches
her eggs by gazing on them, and if she
suspends her gaze even for a minute or
so, the eggs are addled. Furthermore,
we are told that if an egg is bad the
Ostrich Stomachs 926
Out in the fifteen
ostrich will break it; so will God deal
with evil men.
“Oh I even with such a look, as fables say
The mother Ostrich fixes on her eggs,
Till that intense affection
Kindle its light of life.”
Southey : Thalaba.
Ostrich Stomachs. Strong stomachs
which will digest anything. The ostrich
Swallows large stones to aid its gizzard,
and when confined where it cannot ob-
tain them will swallow pieces of iron or
Copper, bricks, or glass. -
Ostringers, Sperviters, Falconers.
Ostringers are keepers of goshawks and
tercelles. Sperviters are those who keep
sparrowhawks or muskets. Falconers
are those who keep any other kind of
hawk, being long-winged. (Markham :
Gentleman’s Academie, or Booke of S.
Albans.)
Oswald's Well commemorates the
death of Oswald, Christian king of
Northumbria, who fell in battle before
Penda, pagan king of Mercia, in 642.
Othello (in Shakespeare's tragedy so
called). Moor, commander of the
Venetian army, who eloped with Desde-
mo'na. Brabantio accused him of nec-
romancy, but Desdemona, being sent
for, refuted the charge. The Moor,
being then sent to drive the Turks from
Cyprus, won a signal victory. On his
return, Iago played upon his jealousy,
and persuaded him that Desdemona
intrigued with Cassio. He therefore
murdered her, and then stabbed himself.
Othello the Moor. Shakespeare bor-
rowed this tale from the seventh of
Giovanni Giraldi Cinthio’s third decade
of stories. Cinthio died 1573.
Othello's Occupation's Gone
(Shakespeare). “Jam quadrigae mea
decucurrërunt’’ (Petronius). I am laid
on the shelf; I am no longer the ob-
served of observers.
Other Day (The). The day before
yesterday. The Old English other was
used for second, as in Latin, túvus, alter,
tertius ; or proacimus, alter, tertius.
Starting from to-day, and going back-
wards, yesterday was the proacimus ab
illo; the day before yesterday was the
altera ab illo, or the other day; and the
day preceding that was tertius ab illo, or
three days ago. Used to express “a
short time ago.”
Oth'man, Os'man, or Oth'Oman,
surnamed the Conqueror. Founder of
the Turkish power, from whom the
empire is called the Ottoman, and the
Turks are called Osmans, Othmans,
Osmanli, etc. Peter the Great, being
hemmed in by the Turks on the banks
of the Pruth, was rescued by his wife,
Catherine, who negotiated a peace with
the Grand Vizier.
O'tium cum Dig. [dignita'tel. Re- .
tirement after a person has given up
business and has saved enough to live
upon in comfort. The words are Latin,
and mean “retirement with honour.”
They are more frequently used in jest,
familiarity, and ridicule.
Otos. A giant, brother of Ephialtés
(q.v.). Both brothers grew nine inches
every month. According to Pliny, Otos
was forty-six cubits (sixty-six feet) in
height. (Greek fable.) (See GIANTs.)
O'Trigger (Sir Lucius) in The Rivals
(Sheridan).
Oui (French for “yes”). A contrac-
tion of Hoc illud. Thus, hoc-ill’, ho’-il,
o’il, oil, oi, Otti.
Out. Out of God’s blessing into the
warm sun. One of Ray’s proverbs,
meaning from good to less good. “Ab
equis ad asimos.” When the king says
to Hamlet ‘‘PIow is it that the clouds
still hang on you?” the prince answers,
“No, my lord, I am too much i' the
sun,” meaning, “I have lost God's
blessing, for too much of the sun. ”—
i.e. this far inferior state.
“Thou out of heaven's benediction comest
To the Warm Sun.”
Shakespeare: Kimg Lean', ii. 2.
To have it out. To contest either
physically or verbally with another to
the utmost of one’s ability; as, “I
mean to have it out with him one of
these days; ” “I had it out with him *
—i.e. “I spoke my mind freely and
without reserve.” The idea is that of
letting loose pent-up disapprobation.
Out-Herod Herod (To). To go
beyond even Herod in violence, brutal-
ity, or extravagant language. In the
old miracle plays Herod was the type of
tyranny and violence, both of speech
and of action. -
Out and Out. Incomparably, by far,
or beyond measure; as, “He was out
and out the best man.” “It is an out-
and-outer ’’ means nothing can exceed
it. It is the word utter, the Anglo-
Saxon ſtarre.
out in the Fifteen—i.e. in the rebel
army of the Pretender, in 1715
Out in the Forty-five
027
Owl
(George I.). (Howitt: History of Eng-
land, vol. iv. p. 347.) - f
Out in the Forty-five—i.e. in the
rebel army of the Young Pretender, in
1745 (George II.). (Howitt : History of
England, vol. iv. p. 506.)
Out of Harness. Not in practice,
retired. A horse out of harness is one
not at work.
Out of Pocket. To be out of pocket
by a transaction is to suffer loss of money
thereby. More went out of the pocket
than came into it.
Out of Sorts. Indisposed, in bad
Spirits. The French locution is rather
remarkable—Nepas àtre dans son assiette.
“To sort’” is to arrange in order, “a
sort” is one of the orders so sorted.”
Out of sorts. In printers’ language,
means not having sufficient of some par-
ticular letter, mark, or figure.
Gut of the Wood. “You are not
out of the wood yet,” not yet out of
danger. “Don’t shout till you are out
of the wood,” do not think yourself safe
till you are quite clear of the threatened
danger. When freebooters were masters
of the forests no traveller was safe till
he had got clear of their hunting ground.
Gū’tis (Greek, nobody). A name as-
sumed by Odysseus in the cave of Poly-
phēmos. When the monster roared with
pain from the loss of his eye, his brother
giants demanded from a distance who
was hurting him : “Nobody,” thundered
Out Polyphemos, and his companions
went their way. Odysseus in Latin is
|Ulysses.
Outrigger. The leader of a unicorn
team. The Earl of Malmesbury, in 1867,
so called the representative of the minor-
ity in the three-cornered constituency.
Outrun the Constable. (See under
CONSTABLE.) .
Outworlºs, in fortification. All the
works between the enceinte (q.v.) and
the covered way (q.v.).
Ou'zel. . The blackbird; sometimes
the thrush is so called. (Anglo-Saxon,
6:le, a blackbird.) Bottom speaks of
the “ousel cock, so black of hue with
orange tawny bill.” (Midsummer Night's
Dream.)
Ovation. A triumph ; a triumplial
reception or entry of the second order;
so called from ovis, a sheep, because
the Romans sacrificed a sheep to a vic-
torious general to whom an ovation was
accorded, but an ox to one who had ob-
tained a “triumph.”
Over. º hºſper; Latin, Super;
German, tiber; Anglo-Saxon, ofter.)
Over, in cricket, means that the
fielders are to go over to the other side.
This is done when five balls have been
delivered from one end. It used to be
four. The bowling is taken up at the
opposite wicket.
Over and Over Again. Very fre-
quently. (In Latin, Itártſm iteratºngue.)
Over Edom will I cast my Shoe
(Psalm lx. 8; cviii. 9). Will I march.
“Over Edom will I cast my shoe, over
Philistia will I triumph.”
“Every member of the Travellers' Club, who
could pretend to have cast his shoe over Edom,
was constituted a lawful critic.”—Sir W. Scott:
The Tatlistman (Introduction). -
Over the Left. (See LEFT.)
O'verdo (Justice), in Ben Jonson's
I}artholomew Fair.
Overreach (Sir Giles). The counter-
part of Sir Giles Mompesson, a noted
usurer outlawed for his misdeeds. He
is an unscrupulous, grasping, proud,
hard-hearted rascal in A New Way to
Pay Old Debts, by Massinger.
Overture. A piece of music for the
opening of a concert. . To “make an
overture to a person’’ is to be the first
to make an advance either towards a re-
conciliation or an acquaintance. (French,
ouverture, opening.)
Overy. , St. Mary Overy (Southwark).
John Overie was a ferryman, who used to
ferry passengers from Southwark to the
City, and accumulated a hoard of wealth
by penurious savings. His daughter
Mary, at his decease, became a nun, and
founded the church of St. Mary Overy
on the site of her father’s house.
Ovid. The French Ovid. Du Bellay,
one of the Pleiad poets; also called the
“father of grace and elegance.” (1524-
1560.)
Ow'ain (Sir). The Irish knight who
passed through St. Patrick’s purgatory
by way of penance. (Henry of Saltrey:
The Descent of Owain.)
Owen Meredith. Robert Bulwer
Lytton. -
Owl. I live too mean' a wood to be .
scared by an owl. I am too old to be
frightened by a bogie ; I am too old a
stager to be frightened by such a person
as you.
~
Owl
Owl, the emblem of Athens. Be-
cause owls abound there. As Athena,
(Minerva) and Athenae (Athens) are the
same word, the owl was given to Minerva
for her symbol also.
Owl-light. Dusk; the blind man’s
holiday. French, “ Entre chien et loup.”
Owl in an Ivy Bush (Like an).
Very ugly, a horrible fright [of a fellow].
Said of (or to) a person who has dressed
his head unbecomingly, or that has a
scared look, an untidy head of hair, or
that looks inamely wise. The ivy bush
was supposed to be the favourite haunt
of owls, and numerous allusions to this
supposition might be readily cited.
“Good ivy, say to us what birds last thou ?
None but the Owlet that cries “How, how !’”
C(t)'ol (time Henry VI.).
Owl was a Baker's Daughter
(The). According to legend, our Saviour
went into a baker’s shop to ask for some-
thing to eat. The mistress of the shop
instantly put a cake into the oven for
Him, but the daughter said it was too
large, and reduced it half. The dough,
however, swelled to an enormous size,
and the daughter cried out, “ Heugh
heugh heugh ” and was transformed
into an owl. Ophelia alludes to this
tradition in the line—
“Well, God field you ! They say the owl was a
baker's daughter.”—Shakespectre : IIctanlet. iv. 5.
Gwlery. A haunt or abode of owls.
Owlglass (German, Eulenspiegel).
Thyl, son of Klaus (Eulenspiegel) proto-
type of all the knavish fools of modern
times. He was a native of Brunswick,
and wandered about the world playing
all manner of tricks on the people he en-
countered. (Died 1350.)
Cºx. Emblematic of St. Luke. It is
one of the four figures which made up
Ezekiel’s cherub (i. 10). The ox is the
emblem of the priesthood, and has been
awarded to St. Luke because he begins
his gospel with the Jewish priest sacri-
ficing in the Temple. (See LUKE.)
The or is also the emblem of St.
Frideswide, St. Leonard, St. Sylvester,
St. Medard, St. Julietta, and St. Blan-
dina.
Iſe has an or on his tongue. (Latin,
Jºorem in ſinguſt habe're, to be bribed to
silence.) The Greeks had the same ex-
pression. The Athenian coin was stamped
with the figure of an ox. The French
say, “Il a zºn os dans a bouche,” referring
to a dog which is bribed by a bone.
The black oa hath trampled on you
(The Antiquary). Misfortune has come
{j28
Oxford Blues
to your house. You are henpecked. A
black ox was sacrificed to Pluto, the
infernal god, as a white one was to
Jupiter.
The black or never trod upon his foot
(common proverb). He never knew
sorrow. He is not married. (See above.)
The dºmb oac. St. Thomas Aqui'nas ;
So named by his fellow students at Co-
logne, on account of his dulness and
taciturnity. (1224-1274.)
Albertus said, “We call him the dumb
ox, but he will give one day such a
bellow as shall be heard from one end of
the world to the other.” (Alban Butler.)
Ox-eye. A cloudy speck which indi-
cates the approach of a storm. When
Elijah heard that a speck no bigger than
a “man’s hand” might be seen in the
sky, he told Ahab that a torrent of rain
would overtake him before he could
reach home (1 Kings xvii. 44, 45).
Thomson alludes to this storm signal in
his Summer.
Ox of the Deluge. The Irish name
for a great black deer, probably the
Megace'ros Hiber'micus, or Irish elk, now
extinct.
Oxford. The College Ribbons.
JBalliol, pink, white, blue, white, pink.
J3rasenose, black, and gold edges.
Christ Church, blue, with red cardi-
nal’s hat.
Corpus, red and blue stripe.
Jºaceter, black, and red edges.
Jesus, green, with white edges.
J.incoln, blue, with mitre.
Magdalen, black and white.
Merton, blue, and white edges, with
red cross. -
New College, three pink and two white
Stripes.
Oriel, blue and white.
J'embroke, pink, white, pink.
(Queen’s, red, white, blue, white, blue,
white, red.
St. John’s, yellow, black, red.
Trinity, blue, with double dragon’s
head, yellow and green, or blue, with
white edges. &
University, blue, and yellow edges.
JVadham, light blue.
JForcester, blue, white, pink, white, blue.
|HALI.S.
St. Alban's, blue, with arrow-head.
St. Edmond’s, red, and yellow edges.
St. Mary, white, black, white.
Maſdalen, black, and blue edges.
Oxford Blues. The Royal Horse
Guards were so called in 1690, because of
their blue facings.
Oxford Boat 929 f's and Q's
Oxford Boat Crew. Dark blue.
Cambridge boat crew, light blue. P
Oxford Movement.
For THE TIMEs.)
Oxford Stroke (in rowing). A long,
deep, high-feathered stroke, excellent
in very heavy water. The Cambridge
stroke is a clear, fine, deep sweep, with
a very low feather, excellent in smooth
water. The Cambridge pull is the best
for smooth water and a short reach, but
the Oxford for a “lumpy” river and a
four-mile course.
(See TRACTs
Oxgang, as a land measure, was no
certain quantity, but as much as an ox
could gang over or cultivate. Also
called a bovate. The Latin jugum was
a similar term, which Varro defines
“Quod juncti bowes uno die exaráre :
possunt.”
Eight oxgangs made a carucate. If an oxgang
WaS as much as one ox could cultivate, its average
Would be a jout fifteen acres.
O'yer and Ter'miner (Courts of) are
general gaol deliveries, held twice a year
in every county. Oyer is French for to
hear—i.e. hear in court or try; and ter-
Anime) is French for to conclude. The
words mean that the commissioners ap-
pointed are to hear and bring to an end
all the cases in the county.
Oyster. Fast as a Kentish oyster,
i.e. hermetically sealed. Kentish oys-
ters are proverbially good, and all good
oysters are fast closed.
Oyster. No more sense than an oyster.
This is French : “Il raisonme comme une
huitre.” Oysters have a mouth, but no
head.
Oyster Part (An).
appears, speaks, or acts only once.
an oyster, he opens but once.
Oyster and Huitre (French) are
variants of the same Iatin word, ostréa.
Old French tistre, witne, huitre.
An actor who
Like
Oysters. Who eats oysters on St.
James’s Day will never want. St.
James's Day is the first day of the oyster
season (August 5th), when oysters are
an expensive luxury eaten only by the
rich. By 6, 7 Vict., c. 79, the oyster
season begins September 1, and closes
April 30.
Oz. (for ounce). Z made with a tail
(3) resembles the old terminal mark 3,
indicating a contraction—as vià. a con-
traction of viſdelicet]; quibº, a contrac-
tion of quibus; S3, a contraction of sed
(but), and so on.
senate.
P. This letter is a rude outline of a
man’s mouth, the upright being the
neck. In Hebrew it is called pe (the
mouth).
P. The five P's. William Oxberry
was so called, because he was Printer,
Poet, Publisher, Publican, and Player.
(1784-1824.)
P[alliterative]. In 1548, Placentius,
a Dominican monk, wrote a poem of
253 hexameter verses (called Pugna Por-
cörum), every word of which begins with
the letter p. It opens thus:–
“Praise Paul's prize pig's prolific progeny.”
‘." In English heroics the letter A or 'I' would be
far more easy, as they would give us articles.
P.C. (patres conscripti). The Roman
The hundred senators appointed
by Romulus were called simply patres ; a
second hundred added by Tatius, upon
the union of the Sabines with the
Romans, were called patres mino'rum
gentium ; a third hundred subsequently
added by Tarquin'ius Priscus were
termed patres conscripti, an expression
applied to a fourth and fifth hundred
conscribed to the original patres or sena-
tors. Latterly the term was applied to
the whole body.
P., P.P., P.P.P. (in music). P =.
piano, pp = pianissimo, and ppp =
pianississimo. Sometimes pp means .
più piano (more softly). - -
* So f = forte, ff = fortissimo, and
fff = fortississimo.
P.P.C. (pour prendre congé). For
leave-taking ; sometimes written on the
address cards of persons about to leave a
locality when they pay their farewell
visits. In English, paid parting call.
P.S. (post-scriptum). Written after-
wards—i.e. after the letter or book was
finished. (Latin.)
P's and Q's. Mind your P's and Q’s.
Be very circumspect in your behaviour.
Several explanations have been sug-
gested, but none seems to be wholly
satisfactory. The following comes near-
est to the point of the caution :--In the
reign of Louis XIV., when wigs of un-
wieldy size were worn, and bows were
made with very great formality, two
things were specially required, a “step”
with the feet, and a low bend of the
body. In the latter the wig would be
very apt to get deranged, and even to
fall off. The caution, therefore, of .
59
Pabana,
930
Pagan
the French dancing-master to his pupils
was, “Mind your P's [i.e. pieds, feet]
and Q’s [i.e. q stettes, wigs].”
Paba'na. (The) or Peacock Dance.
grave and stately Spanish dance, so
called from the manner in which the
lady held up her skirt during the per-
formance. - * -
Pacific Ocean (The). So called by
Magellan, because he enjoyed calm
weather and a placid sea, when he sailed
across it. All the more striking after
the stormy and tempestuous passage of
the adjointing straits. - •
The Pacific. -
Amadeus VIII., Count of Savoy. (1383,
1391-1439; died 1451.) - - -
Frederick III., Emperor of Germany.
(1415, 1440-1493. . . . . . .
Olaus III. of Norway. (*, 1030-1093.)
Packing a Jury. Selecting persons
on a jury whose verdict may be relied
on from proclivity, far more than on
evidence.
Pac'olet. A dwarf in the service of
Lady Clerimond. He had a winged
horse, which carried off Valentine, Or-
son, and Clerimond from the dungeon of
Ferragus to the palace of King Pepin,
and afterwards carried Valentine to the
palace of Alexander, Emperor of Con-
stantinople, his father. (Valentine and
Orson.) -
It is a horse of Pacolet. (French.) A
very swift one, that will carry the rider
anywhere ; in allusion to the enchanted
flying horse of wood, belonging to the
dwarf Pac'olet. (See above.)
“I fear neither shot nor arrow, nor any horse
how Swift Soever he may be, not though he could
outstrip the Pegasus of Perseus or of Pacolet,
being assured that, I can make good my escape."
—Itabelais : Gargantu(t, lyk. ii. 24.
Pacto'lus. The golden sands of the
Pactolus. The gold found in the Pac-
to'lian sands was from the mines of
Mount Tmolus; but the supply ceased
at the commencement of the Christian
era. (See MIDAS.) Now called Ba-
gouly. - . . . .
Padding. The filling-up stuff of
serials. The padding of coats and gowns
is the wool, etc., put in to make the
figure of the wearer more shapely.
Figuratively, stuff in books or speeches
to spin them out.
Paddington Fair. A public exe-
cution. Tyburn, where executions for-
merly took place, is in the parish of
Paddington. Public executions were
abolished in 1868, , . . . . . . . . .
Paddle Your Own Canoe. Mind
your own business. The caution was
given by President Lincoln, of North
America. .
Paddock. Cold as a paddock. A
paddock is a toad or frog ; and we have
the corresponding phrases “cold as a
toad,” and “cold as a frog.” Both are
cold-blooded. “Paddock calls,” (Mae-
beth, i. 1.) . . . . . . .
Paddi-whack means an Irish wag,
wag being from the Saxon wag-ian.
Paddy. An Irishman. A corruption
of St. Patrick, Irish Padhrig.
Padua, was long supposed by the
Scotch to be the chief school of necro-
mancy; hence Sir Walter Scott says of
the Earl of Gowrie— . . . . .
“He learned the art that none may name . . .
In Padua, far beyond the sea.” -
- Lay of the Last Minstrel.
Paduasoy or Padèsoy. A silk stuff
originally made at Padua. -
Paean. The physician of the celestial
gods; the deliverer from any evil or
calamity.
cease.) *
Paean. A hymn to Apollo, and ap-
plied to the god himself. We are told
in Dr. Smith’s Classical Dictionary, that
this word is from Paean, the physician
of the Olympian gods; but surely it
could be no honour to the Sun-god to
be called by the name of his own vassal.
Iſermsterhuis suggests patto, to make to
cease, meaning to make diseases to cease ;
but why supply diseases rather than any
other noun? The more likely deriva-
tion, me judice, is the Greek verb paio,
to dart; Apollo being called the “far-
darter.” The hymn began with “Io
I’ean.” Homer applies it to a trium-
phal Song in general.
Pagan properly means “belonging to
a village '' (Latin, pagus). The Chris-
tian Church fixed itself first in cities, the
centres of intelligence. Long after it had
been established in towns, idolatrous
practices continued to be observed in
rural districts and villages, so pagan and
villager came to mean the same thing.
(See HEATHEN.) : 3. . .
Pagan Works of Art. In Rome
there are numerous works of art in-
tended for Pagan deities and Roman
emperors perverted into Christian nota-
bilities.
ANGELs, in St. Peter's of Rome, are old Pagan
(Greek, patto, to make to
statues of Cupids and winged genii, , .
GABRIEL, in St. Peter's of Rome, is an old Pagan
Statue of the god Mercury.
Page
-º-º:
Joh N THE BAPTIST, in St. Peter's of Rome, is
Inlade out of a statue of Herculês. *
ST. CATHE RIN 1, in St. Peter's of Rome, is made
Out of a statue of the goddess E'Ortútna. . .
. ST. GILEs (or EGIDIUs), in St. Peter's of Rome,
iS a Statue of Vulcan. - . . .
ST. PAUL. Sixtus V. perverted the original
Statue of Marcus Aurélius Antoninus into that of
St. Paul. This beautiful marble column, 170 feet
in height, contains a spiral of bas-reliefs of the
wars of the Roman emperor, wholly out of cha-
racter with the statue which surmounts iſ.
St. PETER. The same Pope (Sixtus V.) con-
verted the original statue of Trajan, on Trajan's
column, into a statue of St. Peter. this exquisitſ:
column, like that of Antoninus, contains a spiral
ºf bas-reliefs, representing the wars of Trajan.
Surmounted by St. Peter, the perversion is a b-
solutely ludicrous. In St. Peter's of IRome the
Statue of St. Peter was meant for the Old Roman
god Jupiter.
VIRGIN MARY. This statue, in St. Peter's of
Rome, is in reality a statue of Isis, standing On
the Crescent Moon. -
See Twentieth Century, 1892 : ROME.
Page. A boy attendant. (Russian,
paj, a boy; Greek, pais ; Italian, pag-
gio, Spanish, paſſe; Welsh, bachgen.
But page, the leaf of a book, is the Latin
pºſſing.) - -
Page (JIr, and Mrs.). Inhabitants
of Windsor. The lady joins with Mrs.
Ford to trick Sir John Falstaff.
Anne Page. Daughter of the above,
in love with Fenton. Slender, the son
of a country Squire, shy, awkward, and
a booby, greatly admires the lady, but
has too faint a heart to urge his suit
further than to sigh in audible whispers,
“Sweet Anne Page ' ' ' . .
William Page. A school-boy, the
brother of Anne. (Shakespeare : The
Merry Wives of JWindsor.)
Pago'da. A temple in China, Hin-
dustan, etc. (Hindustanee, boot-khuda,
abode of God; Persian, put-gada, idol-
house; Spanish, pagoda.)
Paint. The North American Indians
paint their faces only when they go to
war; hostilities over, they wash it off.
Paint the Lion (To), on board ship,
means to strip a person naked and then
smear the body all over with tar. (See
Notes and Queries, 6th August, 1892.)
Painter. The rope which binds a
ship's boat to the ship. (Latin, panthéra ;
Erench, paniere, a drag-net; panteur,
a stretcher.)
I'll cut your painter for you. I’ll send
you to the right about in double quick
time. If the painter is cut, of course
the boat drifts away.
Painter of the Graces. Andrea,
Appia'ni is so called. (1754-1817.)
Painter of Nature. Remi Belleau,
author of Loves and Transformations of
the Precious Stones, One of the Pleiad
931
Palace
poets is so called, and well deserves the
compliment. The Shepherd's Calenda,"
of Spenser is largely borrowed from
Belleau's Song on April. (1528-1577.)
Painters and Artists. Character-
isties of great artists. The brilliant
truth of a Watteau, the dead reality of
a Poussin, the touching grace of a
Reynolds. - - -
“The colouring of Titian, the expression of.
Rubens, the grace of Raphael, the purity of DJ-
meniçhino; the correggioscity of Correggio, the
learning of Poussin, the airs of Guido, the taste
; the Caracci, the grand contour of Angelo.”—
ASūt")”)? 6. - • .
“The April freshness of Giotto, the piety of Fra
Angelo, the virginal purity of the young Raphael,
the Sweet gravity of John Bellini, the philosophic
depth ºf Da Vinci, the sublime elevation ºf
Michael Angelo, the suavity of Fra Bartolonmeo,
the delicacy of the Della Robbia, the restrained
powerS Of ROScellini.”
J)efects of great artists.
In MICHAEL ANGELO the ankles are too na” row.
In TITIAN the palm of the thumb is too lºromi-
he nt. - • *
In RAPHAEL the ears are badly drawn.
In PLNTURICCHIO both ears and hands are badly
drawn. • - -
Prince of painters. Parrhasſios, the
Greek painter, so called himself. (Fifth
century B.C.) .
Apelles of Cos. (Fourth century B.C.)
Painting. It is said that Apelles,
being at a loss to delineate the foam of
Alexander's horse, dashed his brush at
the picture in despair, and did by acci-
dent what he could not accomplish by ärt.
Pair Off. When two members of
Parliament, or two opposing electors,
agree to absent themselves, and not to
vote, so that one neutralises the vote of
the other. The Whips generally find
the pairs for members.
Paishdad'ian Dynasty. The Kai-
Omurs dynasty of Persia was so called
from the third of the line (Houshung),
who was surnamed Paishdad, or the
just lawgiver (B.C. 910-870). (See KAI
OMURS.) .
Paix. La Paiac des Dames. The
treaty concluded at Cambray, in 1529,
between François I, and Charles V.
of Germany ; so called because it was
brought about by Louise of Savoy
(mother of the French king) and Mar-
garet, the emperor's aunt.
Pal (A). A gipsy-word, meaning a
brother, or companion. . . .
Palace originally meant a dwelling
on the Pal’atine Hill of Rome. This hill
was so called from Pa'lès, a pastoral
deity, whose festival was celebrated on
April 21st, the “birthday of Rome,” to
commemorate the day when Rom'ulus,
Paladim
the wolf-child, drew the first furrow at
the foot of the hill, and thus laid the
foundation of the “Roma, Quadraſta,”
the most ancient part of the city. On
this hill Augustus built his mansion, and
his example was followed by Tiberius
and Nero. Under the last-named em-
peror, all private houses on the hill had
to be pulled down to make room for
“The Golden House,” called the Pala'-
tium, the palace of palaces. It con-
tinued to be the residence of the Roman
emperors to the time of Alexander
Seve'rus. (See PALLACE.)
Pal’adin. An officer of the Palaſtium
or Byzantine palace, a high dignitary.
Paladins. The knights of King Charle-
magne. The most noted are Allory de
l’Estoc : Astolfo ; Basin de Genevois;
Fierambras or Ferumbras; Florismart:
Ganelon, the traitor ; Geoffroy, Seigneur
de Bordelois, and Geoffroy de Frises;
Guerin, Duc de Lorraine; Guillaume de
l’Estoc, brother of Allory; Guy de
Bourgogne ; Hoël, Comte de Nantes ;
Lambert, Prince de Bruxelles ; Mala-
gigi ; Nami or Nayme de Bavière ;
Ogier or Oger the Dane; Olivier, son of
Regnier, Comte de Gennes ; Orlando
(see Roland); Otuél ; Richard, Duc
de Normandie ; Rinaldo ; Riol du Mans:
Roland, Comte de Cenouta, son of
Milon and Dame Berthe, Charlemagne's
sister; Samson, Duc de Bourgogne :
and Thiry or Thiery d’Ardaine. Of
these, twelve at a time seemed to have
formed the coterie of the king. (Latin,
palatinus, one of the palace.)
“Who bear the bows were knights in Arthur's
Twº'nes, and twelve the peers of Charle-
main.” I), yden : The Flower and the Leaf.
Palae'mon, originally called Meli-
certés. Son of Ino ; called Palaemon
after he was made a sea-god. The
Roman Portu'nus, the protecting god of
harbours, is the same. (See PALEMON.)
Palais des Thermes. Once the
abode of the Roman government of
Gaul, as well as of the kings of the
first and second dynasties. Here Julius
fixed his residence when he was Caesar
of Gaul. It is in Paris, but the only
part now extant is a vast hall, formerly
the chamber of cold baths (frigida'-
rium), restored by Napoleon III.
Palame'dés of Lombardy joined
the squadron of adventurers with his
two brothers, Achilles and Sforza, in
the allied Christian army. He was shot
by Clorinda with an arrow. (Tasso :
Jerusalem Delivered, book iii. c. ii. 4.)
932
Fale Fäces
º:-
JHe is a Palamedes. A clever, in-
genious person. The allusion is to
the son of Nauplios, who invented
measures, scales, dice, etc. He also
detected that the madness of Ulysses
was only assumed. - *
Sir Palame'dés. A Saracen knight
overcome in single combat by Sir
Tristram. Both loved Isolde, the wife
of King Mark ; and after the lady was
given up by the Saracen, Sir Tristram
converted him to the Christian faith,
and stood his godfather at the font.
(Thomas the Rhymer.)
Pal’amon and Arcite (2 syl.). Two
young Theban knights who fell into the
hands of “Duke Theseus,” and were
shut up in a donjon at Athens. Both
fell in love with Emily, the duke's
sister-in-law. In time they obtained
their liberty, and the duke appointed a
tournament, promising Emily to the
victor. Arcite prayed to Mars to grant
him victory, Pal’amon prayed to Venus
to grant him Emily, and both obtained
their petition. Arcite won the victory,
but, being thrown from his horse, died;
Pal’amon, therefore, though not the
winner, won the prize for which he
fought. The story is borrowed from
Ile Teseide of Boccaccio. The Black
IIorse, a drama by John Fletcher, is the
same tale; SO called because it was a
black horse from which Arcite was
thrown. (Chaucer. The Knight’s Tale.)
Palat'inate (4 syl.). The province
of a palatine, as the Palatinate of the
Rhine, in Germany. A palatine is an
officer whose court is held in the royal
palace, also called a palace-greave or
pfalzgraf. There were three palatine
counties in England — viz. Chester,
Durham, and Lancaster, in which the
count exercised a royal authority, just
as supreme as though he had been the
regal tenant of the palace itself.
Pala’ver comes from the Portuguese
palavra (talk), which is palater, a coun-
cil of African chiefs.
“Comparisons are odºrous : palabras "words],
neighbour Verges.” – Shakespeure : Much Ado
atbout Nothing, iii. 4. .
Pale. Within the pale of my observé-
tion—i.e. the scope thereof. The do-
minion of King John and his successors
in Ireland was marked off, and the part
belonging to the English crown was . . .
called the pale, or the part paled off.
Pale Faces. So Indians call the
European settlers. - . . . . . . . .
* Palemon
933
IPall
Pale'mon. “The pride of Swains”
in Thomson's Autumn ; a poetical re-
presentation of Boaz, while the “lovely
young Lavinia, ’’ is Ruth.
Palemon, in love with the captain's
daughter, in Falconer's Shipwreck.
Palermo Razors. Razors of Su-
preme excellence, made in Palermo.
“It is a rayser, and that's a very good one,
It c.ume lately from Palermo." ..... . .
Damom, and Pithitts, i. 227.
Palés. The god of shepherds and
their flocks. (Roman mythology.)
Palestine Soup. Soup made of
Jerusalem artichokes. This is a good
example of blunder begetting blunder.
Jerusalem artichoke is a corruption of
the Italian Girasole articiocco — i.e. the
“Sunflower artichoke.” From girasole
we make Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem
artichokes we make Palestine Soup.
Pales' tra (3 syl.). Either the act of
wrestling, etc., or the place in which the
Grecian youths practised athletic exer-
cises. (Greek, palé, wrestling.)
Palestri'na, or Pelestrina. An
island nearly south of Venice, noted for
its glass-houses.
Giovanni Pierluigi da
called “The Prince of Music.”
1594.)
Paletot [pal'-e-to]. A corruption of
palla-toque, a cloak with a hood. Called
ły Piers Plowman a pallock. The hood
or toque has disappeared, but the word
remains the same.
Pa'limpsest. A parchment on which
the original writing has been effaced,
and something else has been written.
(Greek, palim, again ; psao, I rub or
efface.) When parchment was not
supplied in sufficient quantities, the
monks and others used to wash or rub
out the writing in a parchment and use
it again. As they did not wash or rub
it out entirely, many works have been
recovered by modern ingenuity. Thus
Cicero's De Republica has been restored;
it was partially erased to make room for
a commentary of St. Augustine on the
Bsalms. Of course St. Augustine's com:
mentary was first copied, then erased
from the parchment, and the original
MS. of Cicero made its appearance. .
“Central Asia is a palimpsest ; everywhere
actual barbarism overlays a bygone civilisation.”
—The Timles.
Pal’indrome (3 syl.). A word or
line which reads backwards and for-
wards alike, as Madam, also Roma tibi
Palestrina,
(1529-
subito motibus ibit amor. (Greek, palin
dromo, to run back again.) (See SoTADIC.)
* The following Greek palindrome is
very celebrated:—
NIyONANOMHMATAMHMONANO'ſ iN
(Wash my transgressions, not only my
face). The legend round the font at
St. Mary’s, Nottingham. Also on the
font in the basilica of St. Sophia, Con-
stantinople ; also on the font of St.
Stephen d’Egres, Paris; at St. Menin's
Abbey, Orléans; at Dulwich College;
and at the following churches: Wor-
lingsworth (Suffolk), Harlow (Essex),
Inapton (Norfolk), Melton Mowbray
(it has been removed to a neighbouring
hamlet), St. Martin’s, Ludgate (London),
and Hadleigh (Suffolk). (See Ingram :
Churches of London. vol. ii.; Malcolm :
Londinum Redivivum, vol. iv. p. 356;
Allen : London, vol. iii. p. 530.)
"." It is said that when Napoleon was asked
whether he could bave invadºd lºngland, lie
answered “Able Was I ere I Saw Ell)a.”
Pal'inode (3 syl.). A song or dis-
course recanting a previous one. A good
specimen of the palinode is Horace, book
i. ode 16, translated by Swift. Watts
has a palinode in which he retracts the
praise bestowed upon Queen Anne. In
the first part of her reign he wrote a
laudatory poem to the queen, but he
says that the latter part deluded his
hopes and proved him a false prophet.
Samuel Butler has also a palinode to
recant what he said in a previous poem
to the Hon. Edward Howard, who
wrote a poem called The British Princes.
(Greek, palin Odé, a song again.)
Pal’inurus (in English, Palinitrº).
Any pilot; so called from Palinurus, the
steersman of Æne'as.
“Oh think how to his [Pitt's] latest day,
When death, just hoyering, claimed his prey,
With Palinure’s unaltered inhood,
Firm at his dangerous post he stootl ;
Each call for needful rest repelled,
With dying hand the rudder held,
Till in his fall with fateful sway
The steerage of the realm gave way.”
Palissy Ware. Dishes and other
similar articles covered with models from
nature of fish, reptiles, shells, flowers,
and leaves, most carefully coloured and
in high relief, like the wares of Della
Robbia. Bernard Palissy was born at
Saintes. (1510-1590.) r
Pall, the covering thrown over a
coffin, is the Latin pallium, a square
piece of cloth used by the Romans to
throw over their shoulders, or to cover
them in bed; hence a coverlet.
Pall, the long sweeping robe, is the
Roman palla, worn only by princes and
Pall-bearers
934 Palm Tree
women of honest fame. This differed
greatly from the pallium, which was
worn by freemen and slaves, soldiers,
and philosophers. . -
“Sometimes let gorgeous Tragedy
In Sceptred pall come sweeping by.”
, Milton : Il Penseroso.
Pali-bearers. The custom of ap-
pointing men of mark for pall-bearers,
has come to us from the Romans. Julius
Caesar had magistrates for his pall-
bearers ; Augustus Caesar had senators;
Germanicus had tribunes and centurions;
AEmil’is L. Paulus had the chief men of
Macedonia who happened to be at Rome
at the time; but the poor were carried
Pall Mall. A game in which a palle
or iron ball is struck through an iron
ring with a mall or mallet. .
Pallace is by Phillips derived from
pallicia, pales or paled fences. In
Devonshire, a palace means a “store-
house ; ” in Totness, “a landing-place
enclosed but not roofed in.” (See PA-
LACE.) .
“All that cellar and the chambers over the same,
and the little pallace and landing-place adjoining
the River Dart.”—Lease granted by the Corporation
of Totness in 1703. . . . . . . .
“Out of the ivory palaces” (Psalm X] v. 8)—
i.e. store-places or cabinets made of ivory. For
“palaces” read pallaces. -
Palla'dium. Something that affords
effectual protection and safety. The
Palla'dium was a colossal wooden statue
of Pallas in the city of Troy, said to
have fallen from heaven. It was be-
lieved that so long as this statue re-
mained within the city, Troy would be
safo. but if removed, the city would fall
into the hands of the enemy. The
statue was carried away by the Greeks,
and the city burnt by them to the
ground. .
The Scotch had a similar tradition
attached to the great stone of Scone,
near Perth. Edward I. removed it to
Westminster, and it is still framed in
the Coronation Chair of England. (See
CoRoNATION, SCONE.)
Palladium of Rome. Anci'le (q.v.).
Palladium of Meg'ara. A golden hair
of King Nisus. (See SCYLLA, EDEN
HALL.) -
Pallas. A name of Minerva, some-
times called Pallas Minerva. . According
to fable, Pallas was one of the Titans, of
giant size, killed by Minerva, who flayed
him, and used his skin for armour ;
whence she was called Pallas Minerva.
More likely the word Pallas is from
pallo, to brandish ; and the compound
mity.
means Minerva who brandishes the
Spear. ... . -
Pallet. The painter in Smollett's
Peregrine Pickle. A man without one
jot of reverence for ancient customs or
modern etiquette. . ."
Pal/liate (3 syl.) means simply t
cloak. (Latin, pallium, a cloak.)
“That we should not dissemble nor cloke them
[our sins] . . . . . but confess them with a humble,
lowly, and obedient heart.” – Commc'n Prayer
Book.
Palm. An itching palm. A hand
ready to receive bribes. The old super-
stition is that if your palm itches you
are going to receive money.
“Let me tell you, Cassius, you yourself
Are much condémned to have an itching palm.”
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iv. 3.
To bear the palm. To be the best.
The allusion is to the Roman custom of
giving the victorious gladiator a branch
of the palm-tree.
Palm Off (To) wares, tricks, etc., upon
the unwary. The allusion is to jugglers,
who conceal in the palm of their hand
what they pretend to dispose of in some
other way. These jugglers were some-
times called palmers.
“You may palm upon us new for old.”
. - Dryden.
Palm Oil. Pribes, or rather money
for bribes, fees, etc.
“In Ireland the machinery of a political move-
ment will not work unless there is plenty of
palm-oil to prevent friction.”—Irish Seditions from
1792 to 1880, p. 39. - -.
“The rich may escape with whole skins, but
those without ‘palm-oil' have Scant mercy.”—
Nineteenth Century, Allg., 1892, 1), 3iž.
Palm Sunday. The Sunday next
before Easter. So called in memory of
Christ's triumphant entry into Jerusa-
lem, when the multitude strewed the
way with palm branches and leaves.
(John xii.)
Sad Palm Sunday. March 29, 1463,
the day of the battle of Towton, the
most fatal of all the battles in the do-
mestic war between the White and Red
Roses. Above 37,000 Englishmen were
slain.
“Whose banks received the blood of many thou-
Sand men, -
On ‘Sad Palm Sunday' slain, that Towton field
The iºdies: field betwixt the White Rose and
the Red.” - gº * ~ *
Drayton : Tolyolbion, XXV iii.
Palm Tree is said to grow faster for
being weighed down. Hence it is the
symbol of resolution overcoming alº-
It is believed by Orientals to
have sprung from the residue of the clay
of which Adam was formed. -
IPalmer
JParlacea.
... Palmer. A pilgrim privileged to
carry a palm-staff. In Fosbroke's Brit-
ish Monachism we read that “certain
prayers and psalms being said over the
pilgrims, as they lay prostrate before
the altar, they were sprinkled with holy
water, and received a consecrated palm-
staff. Palmers differed from pilgrims in
this respect: a pilgrim made his pil-
grimage and returned to public or private
life ; but a palmer spent all his days
in visiting holy shrines, and lived on
charity.
“His sandals were with travel tore,
Staff, budget, bottle, scrip he wore ;
The faded palm-branch in his hand
Showed pilgrim from the Holy Land.”
- | Sir Walter Scott: Marmion, i. 27.
Pal'merin of England. A romance
of chivalry, in which Palmerin is the
hero. There is another romance called
Palmerin de Oliva. (See Southey’s
J’almerin.) -
Palmy Days. Prosperous or happy
days, as those were to a victorious
gladiator when he went to receive the
palm. branch as the reward of his
prowess.
Palsy. The gentlemen's palsy, ruin
from gambling. (Elizabeth's reign.)
Paludamentum. A distinctive
mantle worn by a Roman general in the
time of war. This was the “scarlet
robe '’ in which Christ was invested.
(Matt. xxvii. 28.) -
“They flung on him an old scarlet paludamen-
tºllm—some cast-off war-cloak with its purple lati-
clay C. from the Prietorian WardrolyG.”—ſ'aº'ratº’ -
Life of Christ, chap. lx. p. 4:9.
Pam. The knave of clubs, short for
Pamphile, the French word for the
knave of clubs. * ,
.* Dr. Johnson's derivation of Pam from palm,
because ‘Pam' triumphs over other cards, is ex-
tremely comic. Of coul's(?, Palm is short for Patºir-
phile, the French name for the knave of clubs.”
—Notes and Queries (W. W. Skeat, 1 May, 1886),
p. 358. -
Pam'ela. The title of the finest of
Richardson's novels, which once enjoyed
a popularity almost equal to that of the
romances of Sir Walter Scott. -
Pamela. Lady Edward Fitzgerald
(died 1831).
-Pampas. Treeless plains, some 2,000
miles long and from 300 to 500 broad,
in South America. They cover an area
of 750,000 square miles. It is an Indian
word meaning flats or plains.
Pamper, according to Junius, is from
the Latin pant'pinus, French pampre
(vine-tendril). Hence Milton—
- “Where any row
Offiuit trees, over-woody, reached too far
Their pumpered boughs, and needed hands to
check - - -
Fruitless embraceS,” Paradise Lost, v. 214,
The Italian painbera'to (well-fed) is a
compound of pane (bread) and bere
(drink).
Pamphlet, said to be from Pamphila,
a Greek lady, whose chief work is a
commonplace book of anecdotes, epi-
tomes, notes, etc. Dr. Johnson suggests
par-un-filet (held “by a thread”)— i.e.
stitched, but not bound; another de-
rivation is pag' inde fila'tae (pages tacked
together). It was anciently written
panſletus, pamflete, and by Caxton pattn-
fle
Pamphyle (3 Syl.). A sorceress
who converted herself into an owl
(Apuleius). There was another Pam-
phylè, the daughter of Apollo, who first
taught women to embroider with silk.
“In one very remote village lives the sorceress
Pamplly iè, who turns her neighbours into various
animals. . . . Lucius, Deeping . . . thro' a chink
in the door, [saw] the old witch transform herself
into an owl,” — I’uter : Marius the Epicureum,
clap. v.
Pan. The personification of deity
displayed in creation and pervading all
things. As flocks and herds were the
chief property of the pastoral age, Pan
was called the god of flocks and herds.
He is also called the god of hylä, not the
“woods” only, but “all material sub-
stances.” The lower part was that of
a goat, because of the asperity of the
earth ; the upper part was that of a
man, because ether is the “hegemonic
of the world ; ” the lustful nature of the
god symbolised the spermatic principle
of the world; the libbard's skin was to
indicate the immense variety of created
things; and the character of “blameless
Pan” symbolised that wisdom which
governs the world. (Greek, pan, every-
thing.) (Phornutus : De Natura De-
orum, xxvii. 203.) - -
- “Universal Pan, .
Knit with the Graces and the Hours in dance,
Led on the eternal spring.’ •
Milton : Paradise Lost, iv. 263.
*: In the National Museum of Naples
is the celebrated marble of “Pan teach-
ing Apollo to play on the panpipe.”
The Great Pan. François Marie Arouet
de Voltaire, also called the Dictator of
Letters. (1694-1778.)
Panace'a. A universal cure. Pana-
cea was the daughter of Escula'pios (god
of medicine). The name is evidently
composed of two Greek words pan-
akeomai (all I cure). Of course the
medicine that cures is the daughter or
child of the healing art.
Panace'a. An Orkney proverb says
the well of Kildinguie and the dulse
(sea-weed) of Guiodin will cure every
Panama,
9
6 Panel
malady save Black Death. (Sir Walter
Scott : The Pirate, chap. xxix.) (See
AZOTH.)
Other famous panaceas.
Prince Ahmed’s apple, or apple of
Samarcand, cured all disorders. (See
under APPLE.)
The balsam of Fierabras (q.v.).
The Prome'thean unguent rendered
the body invulnerable.
Aladdin's ring (q.v.) was a preservative
against all the ills which flesh is heir to.
Sir Gilbert's sword. Sir T. Malory,
in his History of Prince Arthur (i. 116),
says:— -
“Sir Ilauncelot touched the wounds of Sir
Meliot, with Sir Gilbert's Sword, and wiped them
with the cerecloth, and anon a wholler man was
ié never in all his life.”
(See also ACHILLES’ SPEAR, MEDEA’s
KETLLE, REYNARD’s RING [see RING],
PAN'THERA, etc.)
Panama'. A word which, in 1892,
became synonymous with government
corruptions. M. de Lesseps undertook
to cut a sea passage through the Isthmus
of Panama, and in order to raise money
from the general public, bribed French
senators, deputies, and editors of jour-
nals to an enormous extent. An in-
vestigation was made into the matter in
1892, and the results were most damag-
ing. In the beginning of 1893 Germany
was charged with a similar misappro-
priation of money connected with the
Guelph Fund, in which Prince Ludwig
of Bavaria was involved.
“On the other side of the Vosges people will
exult that Germany has also her Panama.”—
Ičeuter's Telegram, Berlin, January 2nd, 1893.
Pancake (2 syl.) is a pudding or
“cake” made in a frying-pan. It was
originally to be eaten after dinner, to
stay the stomachs of those who went to
be shriven. The Shrove-bell was called
the Pancake Bell, and the day of shriving
“Pancake Tuesday.”
Pancaste (3 Syl.). An Athenian
hetaera, and her companion in sin,
Phryně, were the models of Penus Rising
from the Sea, by Apellés. (See PHRYNE.)
Pancras (St.). Patron saint of chil-
dren. He was a noble Roman youth,
martyred by Diocle’tian at the age of
fourteen (A.D. 304). (See NICHOLAs.)
St. Pancras, in Christian art, is repre-
sented as treading on a Saracen and
bearing either a stone and sword, or a
book and palm-branch. The allusions
are to his hatred of infidelity, and the
implements of his martyrdom. - -
Pan'darus. Leader of the Lycians
in the Trojan war, but represented as
a pimp in mediaeval romances. (See
JPANDER.)
Pandects of Justin'ian (The), found
at Amalfi (1137), gave a spur to the
... of civil law which changed the
whole literary and legal aspect of
Europe. The word means much the
same as “cyclopaedia.” (Greek, pan,
everything; dech'-omai, I receive.)
Pandemo'nium (A). A perfect pan-
demoniºm. A bear-garden for disorder
and licentiousness. In allusion to the
parliament of hell in Milton’s Paradise
Lost, book i. (Greek, pan daimon, every
demon.) (See CORDELIERS.)
Pander. To pander to one’s vices is
to act as an agent to them, and such an
agent is termed a pander, from Pan'-
dărus, who procures for Tro'ilus the love
and graces of Cressida. In Mugh Ado
about Nothing it is said that Troilus was
“the first employer of pandars ” (v. 2).
(Shakespeare : Throilus and Cressida ;
Chaucer : Troilus and Cresseide.)
“Let all pitiful goers-between be called to
the world's end after my name, call them all
* Pandars.' Let all constant men be ‘Troiluses,'
all false women lye ‘Cressids," and all brokers-
between, ... Pandars.' Say, Amen.”–Troilus and
Cressida, iii. 2. -
Pando'ra's Box (A). A present
which seems valuable, but which is in
reality a curse ; as when Midas was
permitted, according to his request, to
turn whatever he touched into gold, and
found his very food became gold, and
therefore uneatable. Prometheus made
an image and stole fire from heaven to
endow it with life. In revenge, Jupiter
told Vulcan to make a female statue,
and gave her a box which she was to
present to the man who married her.
Prometheus distrusted Jove and his
gifts, but Epimetheus, his brother,
married the beautiful Pando'ra, and
received the box. Immediately the
bridegroom opened the box all the evils
that flesh is heir to flew forth, and have
ever since continued to afflict the world.
The last thing that flew from the box
was Hope. -
Panel (A), means simply a piece of
rag or skin. (Latin, pamnus’; Greek,
pe”0s.) In law it means a piece of
parchment containing , the names of
jurors. To empanel a jury is to enter
their names on the panel or roll. The
panels of a room are the framed wains-
cot which supplies the place of tapestry,
and the panels of doors are the thin
boards like wainscot, . . . . .
drum.
pantables.
Pangloss
937 Bantagruelion. Herb
Pangloss (Dr.). A learned pedant,
very poor and very conceited, pluming
himself on the titles of LL.D. and A.S.S.
(Greek, “All-tongue.”) (Colman : Heir-
at-Law.)
Pan'ic. On one occasion Bacchus,
in his Indian expeditions, was encom-
passed with an army far superior to his
own ; one of his chief captains, named
Pan, advised him to command all his
men at the dead of night to raise a
simultaneous shout. The shout was
rolled from mountain to mountain by
innumerable echoes, and the Indians,
thinking they were surrounded on all
sides, took to sudden flight. From this
incident, all sudden fits of great terror
have been termed panics. (See Judges
vii. 18-21.)
Theon gives another derivation, and
says that the god Pan struck terror into
the hearts of the giants, when they
warred against heaven, by blowing into
a sea-shell.
Panjan'drum. The Grand Panjan-
A village boss, who imagines
himself the “Magnus Apollo” of his
neighbours. The word occurs in Foote's
farrago of nonsense which he composed
to test the memory of old Macklin, who
said he had brought his memory to such
perfection that he could remember any-
thing by reading it over once. :
'.' I myself knew a man at college who could do
the same. He would repeat accurately one hun-
dred lines of Greek by reading them twice over,
although he could not accurately translate them.
His memory Was Imar Vellous, but its uselessness
Was Still 1nore $0.
Pan'tables. To stand upon one’s
To stand upon one's dignity.
|Pantables are slippers, and the idea is
se tenir sur le haut bout—i.e. to remit
nothing.
“Hee standeth upon his pantables,and regardeth
greatly his reputation.”—Saker : Narbonus (1590).
Pantag’ruel". So called because he
was born during the drought which
lasted thirty and six months, three
weeks, four days, thirteen hours, and
a little more, in that year of grace
noted for having “three Thursdays in
one week.” His father was Gargantua,
the giant, who was four hundred four-
score and forty-four years old at the
time ; his mother, Badebec, died in
giving him birth; his grandfather was
Grangousier (q.v.). He was so strong
that he was chained in his cradle with
four great iron chains, like those used in
ships of the largest size ; being angry at
this, he stamped out the bottom of his
bassanet, which was made of weayers'
beams, and, when loosed by the ser-
vants, broke his bonds into five hundred
thousand pieces with one blow of his
infant fist. When he grew to manhood
he knew all languages, all sciences,
and all knowledge of every sort, out-
Solomoning Solomon in wisdom. Having
defeated Anarchus, King of the Dip-
sodes, all submitted except the Al-
mirods. Marching against these people,
a heavy rain fell, and Pantagruel covered
his whole army with his tongue. While
So doing, Alcofri’bas crawled into his
mouth, where he lived six months,
taking toll of every morsel that his lord
ate. His immortal achievement was his
voyage from Utopia in quest of the
“ oracle of the Holy Bottle '' (q.v.).
“Wouldst thou not issue forth . . .
To see the third part in this earthy cell
Of the brave acts of good Pantag’ruel’.”.
Iłabelais : To the Spirit of the Queen of Navarre.
* Pantagruel was the last of the race
of giants.
“My thirst with Pantagru el's Own Would rank.”
—Punch, June 15th, 1893, p. 17.
Pantag'ruel" (meant for Henri II., son
of François I.), in the satirical romance
of Rabelais, entitled History of Gar-
gantua and Pantagruel. t
Pantagruelion. The great Pantag'-
ºtelion law case (Lord Busqueue v. Lord
Suckfist). This case, having nonplussed
all the judges in Paris, was referred to
Lord Pantagruel for decision. The
writs, etc., were as much as four asses
could carry, but the arbiter determined
to hear the plaintiff and defendant state
their own cases. Lord Busqueue spoke
first, and pleaded such a rigmarole that
no one on earth could unravel its mean-
ing ; Lord Suckfist replied, and the
bench declared “We have not under-
stood one single circumstance of the
defence.” Then Pantagruel gave sen-
tence, but his judgment was as obscure
and unintelligible as the case itself. So,
as no one understood a single sentence
of the whole affair, all were perfectly
satisfied, a “thing unparalleled in the
annals of the law.” (Rabelais : Pantag-
77tel, book ii.) -
Pantag'ruel’ion Herb (The).
Hemp ; so called “because Pantagruel
was the inventor of a certain use which
it serves for, exceeding hateful to felons,
unto whom it is more hurtful than
strangle-weed to flax.”
“The figure and shape of the leaves are not
much different from those of the ash-tree or the
agrimony, the herb itself being so like the Eupa-
to'rio that many herbalists have called it the
Domestic Eupatorio,', and the Eupatorio the
...Wild Pantagruelion.’”—Rabelais; Pantagruel,
ill, 49,
Pantaloon
938
Panurge
Pantaloon. A feeble-minded old
man, the foil of the clown, whom he
aids and abets in all his knavery. The
word is derived from the dress he used
to wear, a loose suit down to the heels.
“That Licentio that comes a-wooing is my man
Tranio bearing my port, that we might beguile
the old pantaloon.”—Shakespeare: Twining of the
Shº'ew', i. i. 1.
Pantaloon. Lord Byron says the Ve-
netians were called the Planters of the
Lion—i.e. the Lion of St. Mark, the
standard of the republic; and further
tells us that the character of “panta-
loon,” being Venetian, was called Pian-
taleone (Planter of the Lion). (Childe
JHarold, bk. iv. stanza, 14, note 9.)
Playing Pantaloon. Playing second
fiddle; being the cat's-paw of another;
servilely imitating.
Pantechnicon. A place where all
sorts of manufactured articles are exposed
for sale ; a storehouse for furniture.
Panthe'a, wife of Abradatus, King of
Susa. Abradatus joined the Assyrians
against Cyrus, and his wife was taken
captive. Cyrus refused to visit her, that
he might not be tempted by her beauty
to outstep the bounds of modesty. Ab-
radatus was so charmed by this con-
tinence that he joined the party of
Cyrus, and, being slain in battle, his wife
put an end to her life, and fell on the
body of her husband.
“Here stands Lady Rachel Russell—there the
arch-vira.go old Bes; of Hardwicke. The one is
our English version of Panthé of Arvia ; the
other of Xantipré in a coif and peaked sto-
lmacher.”—Mrs. Lyniv Lintom . Nineteenth Century,
Oct., 1891, p. 605.
Panthe'a (Greek). Statues carrying
symbols of several deities, as in the
medal of Antoni'nus Pius, where Sera'pis
is represented by a modius, Apollo by
rays, Jupiter Ammon by ram’s horns,
Pluto by a large beard, and AEscula'pius
by a wand, around which a serpent is
twined.
Panthe'on. The finest is that erected
in Rome by Agrippa (son-in-law of
Augustus). It is circular, 150 feet in
diameter, and the same in height. It is
now a church, with statues of heathen
gods, and is called the Rotunda. In
Paris the Pantheon was the church of
St. Geneviève, built by Louis XV.,
finished 1790. Next year the Conven-
tion called it the Pantheon, and set it
apart as the shrine of those Frenchmen
whom their country wished to honour
(“aua, grands hommes la patrie reconnais-
sante ”). (Greek, pantes theoi, all the
gods.) -
Panther. The Spotted Panther in
Dryden’s Hind and Panther means the
Church of England full of the spots of
error; whereas the Church of Rome is
faultless as the milk-white hind.
“The panther, sure the noblest next the hind,
And fairest creature of the spotted kind ;
Oh, could her in born stains he washed away,
She were too good to be a beast of prey.” . .
- P:ll't, i.
Pan'thera. A hypothetical beast
which lived in the East. Reynard af-
firmed that he had sent her majesty the
queen a comb made of panthera bone,
“more lustrous than the rainbow, more
odoriferous than any perfume, a charm
against every ill, and a universal pana-
cea.” (H. von Alkmar : Reynard the
Poz.) (1498.) -
She wears a comb made of panthera bone.
She is all perfection. (See above.)
Pantile Shop. A meeting-house,
from the fact that dissenting chapels were
often roofed with pantiles. Hence pan-
tile was used in the sense of dissenting.
Mrs. Centlivre, in the Gortiam Election,
contrasts the pantile crew with a good
churchman. -
Pan'tomime (3 Syl.), according to
etymology, should be all dumb show,
but in modern practice it is partly dumb
show and partly grotesque speaking.
Harlequin and Columbine never speak,
but Clown and Pantaloon keep up a
constant fire of fun. Dr. Clarke says
that Harlequin is the god Mercury, with
his short sword called “herpé ; ” he is
supposed to be invisible, and to be able
to transport himself to the ends of the
earth as quick as thought. Columbine,
he says, is Psyche (the soul); the old
man is Charon ; and the Clown Momus
(the buffoon of heaven), whose large
gaping mouth is an imitation of the
ancient masks. (Thravels, iv. 459.) -
The best Roman pantomimists were
Bathylus (a freedman of Maecenas), Py-
ládés, and Hylas. - -
Panton Gates. Old as Panto? Gates.
A corruption of Pandon Gates at New-
castle-on-Tyne.
Pantry. (French, paneterie (2 Syl.);
Latin, panarium, from panis, bread.)
An archaic form is “panary.” The
keeper of a pantry was at one time
called a “panterer.” (French, pan-
terer.) -
Panurge (2 syl.). A companion of
Pantagruel’s, not unlike our Rochester
and Buckingham in the reign of the
mutton-eating king. Panurge Was a
Panyer Stone
939 Far
desperate rake, was always in debt, had
a dodge for every scheme, knew every-
thing and something more, was a boon
companion of the mirthfullest temper
and most licentious bias; but was timid
of danger, and a desperate coward. He
enters upon ten thousand adventures
for the solution of this knotty point.
“Whether or not he ought to marry?”
and although every response is in the
negative, disputes the ostensible mean-
ing, and stoutly maintains that no means.
yes. (Greek for factotum.) (Rabelais.)
Panitrøe, probably meant for Calvin,
though some think it is Cardinal Lor-
raine. He is a licentious, intemperate
libertime, a coward and knave. Of
course, the satire points to the celibacy
of the clergy. - -
“Sam Slick is the thoroughbred Yankee, bold,
clinning, and, abºve all, a merchant. In Short, he
is a sort of Republican Pan urge.”—Globe. -
... As Panurge asked if he shortlá marry.
Asking advice merely to contradict the
giver of it. Panurge asked Pantag'ruel'
whether, he advised him to marry,
‘Yes,” said Pantagruel. When Panurge
urged, someºstrong objection, “Then
don’t marry,” said Pantagruel; to which
the favourite replied, “His whole heart
was bent on so doing.” “Marry then,
by all means,” said the prince, but Pan-
urge again found some insuperable bar-
rier. And so they went on ; every time
Tantagruel said “Yea,” new reasons
were found against this advice; and
every time he said “Nay,” reasons no
less cogent were discovered for the
affirmative. (Rabelais : Gargantata and
Pandaffrute!, bk. iii. 9.)
tº Besides Pantag'ruel', Panurge con-
sulted lots, dreams, a sibyl, a deaf and
dumb man, the old poet Rominagrobis,
the chiromancer Herr Trippa, the theo-
logian Hippothadée, the physician Ron-
dib'ilis, the philosopher Trouillogan, the
court fool Triboulet, and, lastly, the
Oracle of the Holy Bottle.
Panyer Stone (The). A stone let
into the wall of a house in Pamyer Alley.
It is a rude representation of a boy
sitting on a pannier. (French, panier;
Latin, panarium, a bread-basket.) The
stone has the following inscription :-
“When you have sought the city round,
. Yet still this is the highest ground.
- August 27th, 1688.”
* This is not correct, for there are
higher spots both in Cornhill, and in
Cannon Street.
Pap. He gives pap with a hatchet.
He does or says a kind thing in a very
brusque and ungracious manner. The
Spartan children were fed by the point
of a sword, and the Teuton children
with hatchets, or instruments so called—
probably of the doll type. “Ursus,” in
Victor Hugo's novel of “L’Homme qui
Jèit,” gives “pap with a hatchet.”
Papa, Father. The former is Greek
pappas (father); Chaldee, abba. For
many centuries after the Conquest, the
“gentry” taught their children to use
the word “papa,” but this custom is
now almost gone out.
Papal Slippers (The) are wrought
with a cross of rubies over each instep.
Paper. So called from the papy'rus
or Egyptian reed used at one time for
the manufacture of a writing material,
Bryan Donkin, in 1803, perfected a
machine for making a sheet of paper to
any required length.
Paper a House (To), in theatrical
phraseology, means to fill a house with
“deadheads,” or non-paying spectators,
admitted by paper orders. The women
admitted thus, not being dressed so
smartly as the paying ones, used to
cover their shoulders with a “scarlet
opera cloak,” often lent or hired for the
occasion. .
Paper King. John Law, the pro-
jector of the Mississippi Scheme. (1671-
1729.) - .
Paper Marriages. Weddings of
dons, who pay their fees in bank-notes.
Paper-stainer (A).
small repute.
Paph'ian. Relating to Venus, or
rather to Paphos, a city of Cyprus, whero
Venus was worshipped; a Cyprian ; a
prostitute. -
Papinmany. The country of the
Papimans; the country subject to the
Pope, or any priest-ridden country, as
Spain. (Rabelais : Gargantua and Pantag'-
ruel, iv. 45.)
Papy'ra. The goddess of printing ;
so called from papy'rus, the Nile-reed,
from which at one time paper was made,
and from which it borrows its name.
‘‘Till to astonished realms Papyra, taught
To paint in mystic colours sound and thought,
With. Wisdom's voice to print the page sublime,
And mark in a damant, the Sfers of Time.”
I)arwin: Loves of the Plants, canto ii.
Papy'ri. Written scrolls made of
the Papy'rus, found in Egypt and Her-
cula/neum.
Par. (A). A newspaper paragraph.
(Press Slang.)
An author of
TPaſ:
Par (At). Stock at par means that
it is to be bought at the price it repre-
sents. Thus, £100 stock in the 2; per
cent, quoted at par would mean that it
would require £100 to invest in this
stock; if quoted at £105, it would be £5
above par ; if at £95, it would be £5
below par. (Latin, pay, equal.)
Paracel'sists. Disciples of Para-
celsus in medicine, physics, and mystic
sciences. A Swiss physician. (1493-1541.)
Paraclete. The advocate ; one called
to aid or support another. (The word
paraclete is from the Greek para-kaleo,
to call to ; and advocate is from the
Latin ad-voco, the same thing.)
Paradise. The Greeks used this
word to denote the extensive parks and
pleasure-grounds of the Persian kings.
(Persian, pardés, Greek, paradeisos.)
(See CALAYA.) . . .
“An old word, “paradise,” which the Hebrews .
had borrowed from , the Persians, and which at
first designated the ‘parks of the Achaemenidae,"
summed up the general dream.”—Renam. : Life of
Jesus, Xi. ... ."
Upper and Lower Paradise.
rabbins say there is an earthly or lower
paradise under the equator, divided
into seven dwellings, and twelve times
ten thousand miles square. A column
reaches from this paradise to the upper
or heavenly one, by which the souls
mount upwards after a short Sojourn on
the earthly one. r
The ten dumb animals admitted to the
Moslem’s paradise are :-
(1) The dog Kratim, which accom-
panied the Seven Sleepers.
(2) Balaam’s ass, which spoke with the
voice of a man to reprove the disobedient
prophet.
(3) Solomon’s ant, of which he said,
“Go to the ant, thou sluggard . . .”
(4) Jonah’s whale.
(5) The ram caught in the thicket, and
offered in sacrifice in lieu of Isaac.
(6) The calf of Abraham.
(7) The camel of Saleb.
(8) The cuckoo of Belkis.
(9) The ox of Moses.
(10) Mahomet's mare, called Borak.
Paradise Lost. Satan rouses the
panic-stricken host of fallen angels to
tell them about a rumour current in
ELeaven of a new world about to be
created. He calls a council to deliberate
what should be done, and they agree to
send Satan to search out for the new
world. Satan, passing the gulf between
FIell and Heaven and the limbo of
Vanity, enters the orb of the Sun (in
940
The subject is the Temptationi.
The
Baradise
the guise of an angel) to make in-
quiries as to the new planet's where-
abouts; and, having obtained the neces-
sary information, alights on Mount
Niphates, and goes to Paradise in the
form of a cormorant. Seating himself
On the Tree of Life, he overhears Adam
and Eve talking about the prohibition
made by God, and at once resolves upon
the nature of his attack. Gabriel sends
two angels to watch over the bower of
Paradise, and Satan flees. Raphael is
sent to warn Adam of his danger, and
tells him the story of Satan’s revolt and
expulsion out of Heaven, and why and
how this world was made. After a time
Satan returns to Paradise in the form
of a mist, and, entering the serpent,
induces Eve to eat of the forbidden
fruit. Adam eats “that he may perish
with the woman whom he loved.” Satan
returns to Hell to tell his triumph, and
Michael is sent to lead the guilty pair
out of the garden. . . . .
(Milton.) .
...Paradise Regained (in four books).
Eve
being tempted, fell, and fost Faradise;
Jesus, being tempted, resisted, and re-
gained Paradise. (Milton.)
Paradise Shoots. The lign aloe;
said to be the only plant descended to
us from the Garden of Eden. When
Adam left Paradise, it is said, he took
with him a shoot of this tree, which he
planted in the land where he settled,
and from which all other lign aloes have
been propagated. . -
Paradise of Fools. The Hindus,
Mahometans, Scandinavians, and Roman
Catholics have devised a place between
Paradise and “Purgatory” to get rid of
a theological difficulty. If there is no
sin without intention, then infants and
idiots cannot commit sin, and if they die
cannot be consigned to the purgatory of
evil-doers ; but, not being believers or
good-doers, they cannot be placed with
the Saints. The Roman Catholics place
them in the Paradise of Infants and the
Paradise of Fools.
Paradise and the Pe'ri. The second
tale in Moore’s poetical romance of
Jalla Rookh. The Peri laments her
expulsion from Heaven, and is told she
will be readmitted if she will bring to
the Gate of Heaven the “gift most dear
to the Almighty.” First she went to a
battle-field, where the tyrant Mahmoud,
having won a victory, promised life to
a young warrior, but the warrior struck
the tyrant with a dart, The wound,
*
Parallel
however, was not mortal, so “The tyrant
lived, the hero fell.” The Peri took to
Heaven's Gate the last drop of the
patriot's blood as her offering, but the
gates would not open to her. Newt she
flew to Egypt, where the plague was
raging, and saw a young man dying ;
presently his betrothed bride sought him
out, caught the disease, and both died.
The Peri took to Heaven’s Gate the last
sigh of that self-sacrificed damsel, but
the offering was not good enough to
open the gates to her. Lastly, she flew
to Syria, and there saw an innocent
child and guilty old man. The vesper
call sounded, and the child knelt down
to prayer. The old man wept with re-
pentance, and knelt to pray beside the
child. The Peri offered the Repentant
Tear, and the gates flew open to receive
the gift.
Parallel. None but himself can be
his parallel. Wholly without a peer;
“Quaeris Alcidae parem : ” “memo prov-
imus nee secundus.” There are many
similar sentences; for example:—
“Nemo est, nisi ipse.”—Seneca : Hercules Furens,
i. 8 1. (Seneca lived B.C. 58-32.)
“And but herself admits no parallel.”
Massinger : Duke of Millaime, iii. 4. (1662.)
“None but himself himself can parallel.”
Anagram on John Lilburn. (1658.)
“Is there a treachery like this in baseness . . .
None but itself can be its parallel.”
. Theobald : Double Falsehood, iii. 1. (1721.)
Paramatta. A fabric of wool and
cotton.” So called from a town in New
South Wales, where the wool was ori-
ginally bought. - -
Parapet. Fortification, the shot-
proof covering of a mass of earth on the
exterior edge of the ramparts. The
openings cut through the parapets to
permit guns to fire in the required direc-
tion are called embrasures : about 18
feet is allowed from one embrasure to
another, and the solid intervening part
is called the merlon. An indented para-
pet is a battlement. (Italian, parapetto,
breastwork.) - -
Paraphernalia means all that a
woman can claim at the death of her
husband beyond her jointure. In the
Roman law her paraphermalia included
the furniture of her chamber, her wear-
ing apparel, her jewels, etc. Hence
personal attire, fittings generally, any-
thing for show or decoration. (Greek,
parapherne, beyond dower.) .'
Parasite (Greek, para sitos, eating
at another's cost). plant or animal
that lives on another; hence a hanger-on,
941
Pardourlerºes
who fawns and flatters for the sake of
his food. :
Parc aux Cerfs [decr parks]. A
mansion fitted up in a remote corner of
| Versailles, whither girls were inveigled
for the licentious pleasure of Louis XV.
The rank of the person who visited
them was scrupulously kept concealed;
but one girl, more bold than the rest,
rifled the pockets of M. le Comte, and
found that he was no other than the
king. Madame de Pompadour did not
shrink from superintending the labours
of the royal valets to procure victims for
this infamous establishment. The term
is now used for an Alsa'tia, or haven of
shipwrecked characters. -
“Boulogne may be proud of being ‘parc ania:
cerfs' to those whom remorseless greed drives
from their island home.”—Saturday IRC view.
Parcae. The Fates. The three were
Clotho, Lach'esis, and Atropos. (Latin
mythology.) Parcae is from pars, a lot;
and the corresponding Moirae is from
meros, a lot. The Fates were so called
because they decided the lot of every
IIlā, Il.
Parchment. So called from Per'-
gamon in Lesser Asia, where it was used
for purposes of writing when Ptol'emy
prohibited the exportation of paper from
Egypt.
Pardon Bell. The Angélus bell. So
called because of the indulgence once
given for reciting certain prayers form-
ing the angelus. -
Par'douneres Tale, in Chaucer, is
Death and the Rioters. Three rioters
in a tavern agreed to hunt down Death
and kill him. As they went their way
they met an old man, who told them
that he had just left him sitting under a
tree in the lane close by. Off posted the
three rioters, but when they came to the
tree they found a great treasure, which
they agreed to divide equally. They
cast lots which was to carry it home,
and the lot fell to the youngest, who
was sent to the village to buy food and
wine. While he was gone the two who
were left agreed to kill him, and so in-
crease their share; but the third bought
poison to put into the wine, in order to
kill his two confrères. On his return
with his stores, the two set upon him:
and slew him, then sat down to drink
and be merry together ; but, the wine
being poisoned, all the three rioters
found Death under the tree as the old
man had Said. -
Pari Passu. 942
Parisina,
Pari Passu. At the same time ; in
equal degrees; two or more schemes
carried on at once and driven forward
with equal energy, are said to be carried
on pari passit, which is Latin for equal
strides or the equally measured pace of
persons marching together.
“The cooling effects of surrounding matter go
on nearly pari passal with the heating.”—Grove:
Correlation of Physical Forces, 1). 64.
Pa'rian Chronicle. A chronological
register of the chief events in the
mythology and history of ancient Greece
during a series of 1,318 years, beginning
with the reign of Cecrops, and ending
with the archonship of Diogne'tos. It is
engraved on Parian marble, and was
found in the island of Paros. It is one
of the Arunde'lian Marbles (q.v.).
Pa'rian Verse. Ill-natured satire ;
so called from Archil'ochos, a native of
Paros.
Pa'rias or Par’iahs. The lowest
class of the Hindu population, below the
four castes. Literally drummers, from
parai, a large drum. -
“Tº e lodgers overhead may perhaps be able to
take a more comi reliensive view of public ques-
tions : but they are political Helots, they are the
Pariahs of Our Constitutional Brahminism.”—The
Times, March 20, 1867. -
Paride1. A young gentleman that
travels about and seeks adventure, be-
cause he is young, rich, and at leisure.
(See below.)
“Thee, too, my Paridel, she marked thee there,
Stretched on the rack of a too-easy chair,
And heard thy everlasting yawn confess
The rains and penalties of idleness. .
Pope : Dumciad, iv. 341.
Sir Paride!. A male coquette, whose
delight was to win women's hearts, and
then desert them. The model was the
Earl of Westmoreland. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, bk. iii. cant. 10; bk. iv. c. 1.)
Paris or Alexander. Son of Priam,
and cause of the siege of Troy. He was
hospitably entertained by Menela'os,
Ring of Sparta; and eloped with Helen,
his host’s wife. This brought about the
siege. Post-Homeric tradition says that
IParis slew Achilles, and was himself
slain either by Pyrrhos or Philoctetēs.
(Homer : Iliad.) - .
Paris. Kinsman to the Prince of Ve-
ro'na, the unsuccessful suitor of Juliet.
(Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet.)
Paris, Rabelais says that Gargantua.
played on the Parisians who came to
stare at him a practical joke, and the
men said it was a sport “par ris” (to
be laughed at); wherefore the city was
called Par-'is. It was called before
Leuco'tia, from the “white skin of the
ladies.” (Greek, leukötes, whiteness.)
(Gargantua and Pantagruel, bk. i. 17.)
Paris, called by the Romans “Lutetia
Parisio'rum” (the mud-city of the
Parisii). The Parisii were the Gallie
tribe which dwelt in the “Ile du Palais.”
when the Romans invaded Gaul. (See
ISIS.) . . . . . . .
Mons. de Paris. The public execu-
tioner of Paris. . ."
J.ittle Paris. - .
The “Galleria Vittorio Emanuele’’ of
Milan is so called on account of its
brilliant shops, its numerous cafés, and
its general gay appearance.
Brussels, the capital of Belgium, situ-
ate on the Senne, is also called “Little
Paris.” -
Paris-Garden. A bear-garden ; a
noisy, disorderly place. In allusion to
the bear-garden so called on the Thames
bank-side, kept by Robert de Paris in
the reign of Richard II. -
“Do you take the court for a Paris-garden 2"—
Shakespectre : Henry VII J., Y. 3. . . . * *
Parish Registers. Bills of mor-
tality. George Crabbe, author of The
Dorough, has a poem in three parts, in
ten-syllable verse with rhymes, entitled
The Parish Register. . . .
Parisſian. Made at Paris; after the
mode of Paris; a native of Paris; like a
native of Paris. * -
Paris'ian Wedding (The). ... The
massacre of St. Bartholomew, part of
the wedding festivity at the marriage
of Henri of Navarre and Margaret of
France.
“Charles IX., although it was not possible for
him to recall to life the countleSS Victims of
the Parisian Wedding, was ready to explain those
imurders to every unprejudiced mind.”—Motley :
Dutch I?epublic, iii. 9. ` .
Parisienne (La). A celebrated song
by Casimir Delavigne, called the Mar-
seillaise of 1830. -
“Paris n'a plus qu'un cri de gloire: .
En avant march () In S, . . . "
Contre leul's canons. . . . .
A travel's le feu des battaillons,
Courons à la Victoil'C !” . .
Parisi'na, the beautiful young wife of
Azo. She falls in love with Hugo, her
stepson, and betrays herself to her
husband in a dream. Azo condemns
his son to be executed, but the fate
of Parisina, says Byron, is unknown.
(Parisina.) . . . . .
Frizzi, in his History of Ferrara, tells
us that Parisi'na. Malatesta was the
second wife of Niccolo, Marquis of Este;
that she fell in love with Ogo, her step-
son, and that the infidelity of Parisina
was revealed by a servant named Zoe'sé.
Barizade
943
Parliament
IHe says that both Ogo and Parisina
were beheaded, and that the marquis
commanded all the faithless wives he
knew to be beheaded to the Moloch of
his passion. - -
Pariza'de (4 syl.). A lady whose
adventures in search of the Talking Bird,
Singing Tree, and Yellow Water, are
related in the Story of the Sisters ºtho
I'm ried their Younger Sister, in the
Arabian Nights. This tale has been
closely imitated in Chery and FairStar
(7.p.).
Parkership. The office of pound-
keeper; from parcºts (a pound).
Parks. There are in England 334
parks stocked with deer ; red deer are
kept in 31 of them. The oldest is Eridge
Park, in Sussex, called in Domesday
Book Iteredfelle (Rotherfield). The
largest private deer park is Lord Eger-
ton's, Tatton, in Cheshire, which contains
2,500 acres. Blenheim Park contains
2,800 acres, but only 1,150 acres of it are
open to deer. Almost as extensive as
Tatton Park are Richmond Park, in Sur-
rey; Eastwell Park, in Kent; Grims-
thorpe Park, in Lincolnshire; Thoresby
Park, in Notts; and Knowesley Park, in
Lancashire. (E. P. Shirley: English
J)eer Parks.) Woburn Park is 3,500
à,Cl’éS. - . -
Parlance. In common parlance. In
the usual or vulgar phraseology. An
English-French word; the French have
parley, parlant, parlage, etc.—to speak,
speaking, talk—but not parlance.
Parlement (French). A crown court,
where, in the old régime, councillors
were allowed to plead, and where justice
was administered in the king’s name.
The Paris Parlement received appeals
from all inferior tribunals, but its own
judgments were final. It took cogni-
sance of all offences against the crown,
the peers, the bishops, the corporations,
and all high officers of state; and, though
it had no legislative power, had to re-
gister the royal edicts before they could
become law. Abolished by the Con-
stituent Assembly in 1790.
Parliament.
“My Lord Coke tells us Parliament is derived
from parler le ment' (to speak one's mind). He
might as honestly have taught us that firmitment
is ‘firma mentis' (a farm for the mind), or “funda-
linent' the bottom of the mind.”—lºymer: On
I?(t)'liaments. - .
The Addled Parliament (between April
5th, 1614, and June 7th, 1615); so called
because it remonstrated with the king
on his levying “benevolences,” but
passed no acts. -
The Barebone Parliament. The Parlia-
ment convened July 4th, 1653; over-
ridden by Praise-God Barebone.
The Black Parliament. Held by Henry
VIII. in Bridewell. -
The Club Parliament. (See PARLIA-
MENT OF BATS.) - - -
The Convention Parlia)we)7f. Two Par-
liaments were so called : one in 1661),
because it was not. held by the order of
the king, but was convened by General
Monk; the second was convened Janu-
ary 22nd, 1689, to confer the crown on
William and Mary. - -
The Devil’s Parliament. The Parlia-
ment convened at Coventry by Henry
VI., in 1459, which passed attainders on
the Duke of York and his supporters.
The Drunken Parliament. The Parlia-
ment assembled at Edinburgh, January
1st, 1661, of which Burnet says the
members “were almost perpetually
drunk.”
The Good Parliament (1376, in the
reign of Edward III., while the Black
Prince was still alive). So called from
the severity with which it pursued the
unpopular party of the Duke of Lan-
caster.
Grattan's Parliament (1782–1801). In
1782 Grattan moved the “Declaration
of Rights,” repudiating the right of
the British Parliament to interfere in
the government of Ireland. Pitt pro-
nounced the Parliament unworkable.
The Illiterate or Lack-learning Parlia-
ment. (See UNLEARNED PARLIAMENT.)
The Little Parliament. Same as “the
Barebone Parliament” (q.v.). i
The Long Parliament sat 12 years and
5 months, from November 2nd, 1640, to
April 20th, 1653, when it was dissolved by
Cromwell ; but a fragment of it, called
“The Rump,” continued till the Res-
toration, in 1660. - -
IIistorian of the Long Parliament.
Thomas May, buried in Westminster
Abbey. (1595-1650.)
The Mad Parliament, in the reign of
Henry III. (1258), was so called from its
opposition to the king. It insisted on his
confirming the Magna Charta, and even
appointed twenty-four of its own mem-
bers, with Simon de Montfort as presi-
dent, to administer the government.
The Merciless (or Unmereiful) Parlia-
ment (from February 3rd to June 3rd,
1388). A junto of fourteen tools of
Thomas, Duke of Gloucester, which
assumed royal prerogatives, and at-
tempted to depose Richard II.
Parliament
*-
The Mongrel Parliament (1681), held
at Oxford, consisting of Whigs and
Tories, by whom the Exclusion Bill was
8,SS62C1, -
|) The Pacific Parliament. A triennial
Parliament, dissolved August 8th, 1713.
It signed the treaty of peace at Utrecht,
after a war of eleven years.
The Pensioner (or Pensionary) Parlia-
ment (from May 8th, 1661, to January
24th, 1678 [i.e. 16 years and 260 days]).
It was convened by Charles II., and was
called “Pensionary '' from the many
pensions it granted to the adherents of
the king.
The Rump Parliament, in the Protec-
torate ; so called because it contained
the rump or fag-end of the Long Parlia-
ment (1659). It was this Parliament
that voted the trial of Charles I.
The Running Parliament. A Scotch
Parliament; so called from its constantly
being shifted from place to place.
The Unlearned or Lawless Parliament
(Parliamentum Indoctum) (1404). So
called by Sir E. Coke, because it con-
tained no lawyer.
The Ummerciful Parliament, in the
reign of Richard II. ; so called by the
people from its tyrannical proceedings.
The Useless Parliament. The Parlia-
ment convened by Charles I., on June
18th, 1625; adjourned to Oxford, August
1st ; and dissolved August 12th ; having
done nothing but offend the king.
The JP'ondermaking Parliament. The
same as “The Unmerciful Parliament; ”
convened February 3rd, 1388. By play-
ing into the hands of the Duke of
Gloucester it checkmated the king.
Parliament Soldiers. The soldiers
of General Monk, who restored Charles
II. to the throne.
“Ring a dºng-ding : ring a ding-ding !
The Parliament soldiers are gone for the king.
Some they did laugh, and some they did cry
To see the Parliament soldiers go by.
[To fetch back the king.]” w
Parliament of Bats (The), 1426,
during the regency in the reign of
Henry VI. . So called because the
members, being forbidden by the Duke
of Gloucester to wear swords, armed
themselves with clubs or bats.
Parliament of Dunces. Convened
by Henry IV. at Coventry, in 1404, and
so called because all lawyers were ex-
cluded from it. -
Parliamenta'rian (A). One who
favoured the Parliament in opposition
to Charles I.
944 farolles
-º-º:
Parlour (A). The reception room in
a religious house where the religious see
their friends. (French, parlour.)
Par"lous. A corruptform of perilous,
in slang = our modern use of “awful,”
amazing, wondrous.
“Ob ‘t’s a l'arlous lad.” -
Shakespeare : As You Like It, iii. 2.
Parme'nianists. A name given to
the Don'atists; so called from Parmeni-
a'nus, Bishop of Carthage, the great
antagonist of Augustine. -
Par’mesan'. A
Parma, in Italy.
Parnassos (Greek), Parnassus
(Latin). A mountain near Delphi, in
Greece. It has two summits, one of
which was consecrated to Apollo and
the Muses, the other to Bacchus. It
was anciently called Larnassos, from
larnaw, an ark, because Deucalion’s ark
stranded there after the flood. After
the oracle of Delphi was built at its
foot it received the name of Parnassos,
which Peucerus says is a corruption of
IIaº Nahas (hill of divination). The
Turks call it Lia/catra.
Parnassus. The region of poetry.
Properly a mountain of Phocis, in
Greece, sacred to Apollo and the Muses.
“Where lies your vein 2 Are you in-
clined to. Soar to the higher regions of
Parnassus or to flutter round the base
of the hill?” (The Antiquary)—i.e.
Are you going to attempt the higher
walks of poetry, such as epic and dra-
matic, or some more modest kind, as
simple song?
To climb Parnassus.
Parochial. Relating to a parish.
Hence, petty, narrow. (See LITTLE
IENGLANDERS.)
Parody. Father of Parody. Hippo'-
nax of Ephesus. The word parody
means an ode which perverts the mean-
ing of another ode. (Greek, para ödé.)
Parole (French). A verbal promise
given by a soldier or prisoner of war,
that he will not abuse his leave of ab-
sence; the watchword of the day.
Parol'les (3 syl.). A man of yain
words, who dubs himself “captain,”
pretends to knowledge which he has
not, and to sentiments he never feels.
(French, paroles, a creature of empty
words.) (Shakespeare: All's Well that
Ends Well.) n
“I know him a notorious liar,
Think him a great way fool, Solely a COWard ;
Yet these fixed evils sit S() fit on him -
Act i. 1,
7 *
cheese made at
To write poetry,
Parr 945
IParti
JHe was a mere Parolles in a pedagogue's
wig. A pretender, a man of words, and
a pedant. The allusion is to the brag-
ging, faithless, slandering villain men-
tioned above.
“Rust, sword ; cool, blushes; and, Parolles, live
Sarº, shame; being fooled, by fooling
There's place and means for every man alive.”
Shakespeare: All's Well that Ends Well, iv. 3.
Parr. Old Paº','. Thomas Parr lived
in the reigns of ten sovereigns; married
a second wife when he was 120 years
old, and had a child by her. He was a
husbandman, born at Salop in 1483, and
died 1635, aged 152 years. Mr. Thoms,
in his Records of Longevity, denies the
truth of Parr's great age.
Par'ricide (3 syl.). La Belle Parri-
eide. Beatrice Cenci (*-1599.)
Parrot-coal. A name given to an-
thracite because of the crackling or chat-
tering noise it makes when burnt.
Parsees or Ghebers. Fire-worship-
pers. We use the word for Persian
refugees driven out of their country by
the persecutions of the Mussulmans.
They now inhabit various parts of India.
(The word means People of Pars or Fars
—i.e. Persia.)
Parsley. He has need now of nothing
but a little parsley—i.e. he is dead. The
Greeks decked tombs with parsley, be-
cause it keeps green a long time.
8storðat orexivov, he needs parsley; that is, he
is dead, and should be strewed with parsley.
Parson, says Blackstone, is “perso'na
eccleside, one that hath full rights of
the parochial church.” (See CLERICAL
TITLES.)
“Among wyves and wodewes ich alm ywonod Suto
[wont to set]
Yparroked iſſed in puwes. The person hit
kh () Weth.” -
Robert Langland : Piers Plowmes Vision.
“God give you good morrow, master person "
(i.e. Sir Nathaniel, a parson).—Shakespeare: Love's
labortr's Lost, iv. 2. -
Parson Adams. A simple-minded
country clergyman of the eighteenth
century, in Fielding's Joseph Andrews.
Fielding says that Parson Adams at
the age of fifty was provided with a
handsome income of £23 a year (1740).
Timothy Burrell, Esq., in 1715, bé-
queathed to his nephew Timothy the
sum of £20 a year, to be paid during his
residence at the University, and to be
continued to him until he obtained some
preferment worth at least £30 a year.
(Sussea. Aréhaeological Collections, vol.
iii. p. 172.) (See PASSING RICH.)
| Paragraph, 1885,
Parson Bate. A stalwart, choleric,
sporting parson, editor of the Morning
Jºost in the latter half of the eighteenth
century. He was afterwards Sir Henry
Bate Dudley, Bart.
“When Sir Henry Bate Dudley was appointed
an Irish dean, a young lady of Dublin said, “Oh,
how I long to see our dane. They say he is a very
handsome man, and that he fights like an angel.”
—Cassell's Magazing : LGºldon Legends, iii.
Parson Trulliber, in . Fielding's
Joseph Andrews. A slothful, ignorant,
and self-willed bigot.
... Other, parsons famous in story are the Rev.
Micah Balwidder, the vicar of Bray, Brockle-
lurst, Dr. Primrose, the parson in Goldsmith's
J)eserted Willage, the pal'Son in Chaucer's Canter-
bury Tales, and Some otliel'S.
Parsons (IFalter), the giant porter
of King James, died in 1622. (Fuller's
Worthies.)
Part. The character assigned to an
actor in a play.
Part. A portion, piece, or fragment.
For my part. As far as concerns me.
For the most part. Generally, as a
rule.
In good part. Favourably.
Part and parcel. An essential part,
portion, or element.
Partant pour la Syrie. The na-
tional air of the French Empire. The
words were composed by M. de Laborde
in 1809; the music by Queen Hortense,
mother of Napoleon III. It is a ballad,
the subject of which is as follows:–
Young Dunois followed the count, his
lord, to Syria, and prayed the Virgin
“that he might prove the bravest
warrior, and love the fairest maiden.”
After the battle, the count said to
Dunois, “To thee we owe the victory,
and my daughter Igive to thee.” Moral:
“Amour d la plus belle ; honneur au plus
Taillant.”
Parthe'nia. Mistress of Ar'galus, in
the Arcadia, of Sir Philip Sydney.
Parthen'opé (4 syl.). Naples; so
called from Parthenopé, the siren, who
threw herself into the sea out of love
for Ulysses, and was cast up on the bay
of Naples.
Parthenope'an Republic. That of
Naples, from January 22, 1799, to the
June following.
Parti (A). An eligible person for a
big marriage.
. . Prince Frederick Leopold is a payti, as he has
inherited the bulk of his father's immense for-
tune [twenty-four millions sterling].”—Newspaper
60
Barticular Baptists
946 Parysatis

Particular Baptists. That branch
of the Baptist Dissenters who limit the
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper to those
who have been recipients of adult bap-
tism. Open Baptists admit any baptised
person to receive it.
Particularists. Those who hold
the doctrine of particular election and
reprobation.
Parting.
“Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say “Good Night ' till it be morrow.”
Shakespeare : Romé0 &nd Juliet, ii. 2.
Parting Cup (A), was, by the
ancient Romans, drunk in honour of
Mercury to insure sound sleep. (See
Ovid, Fasti, ii. 635.) (See STIRRUP
CUP.) *
Partington. A Mrs. Malaprop, or
Tabitha, Bramble, famous for her mis-
use of hard words. (B. P. Shillaber ;
an American author.)
I)ame Partington and her mop. A
taunt against those who try to with-
stand progress. The newspapers say
that a Mrs. Partington had a cottage at
Sidmouth, in Devonshire. In Novem-
ber, 1824, a heavy gale drove the sea-
waves into her house, and the old lady
laboured with a mop to sop the wet up,
till she was obliged to take refuge in
the upper part of the house. The Rev.
Sydney Smith, speaking on the Lords
rejection of the Reform Bill, October,
1831, compares them to Dame Parting-
ton with her mop, trying to push back
the Atlantic. “She was excellent,” he
says, “at a slop or puddle, but should
never have meddled with a tempest.”
Part'let. The hen in Chaucer’s
Mun’s Priest’s Tale, and in the tale of
Jºeynard the Foc (fourteenth century).
So called from the partlet or loose collar
of “the doublet,” referring to the frill-
like feathers round the neck of certain
hens. (A partlet was a ruff worn in
the 16th century by women.)
“In the barn the tenant cock . .
Close to partlet perched on high.”
Cuminigham.
Sister Partlet with her hooded head,
allegorises the cloistered community of
nuns in Dryden’s Hind and Panther,
where the Roman Catholic clergy are :
likened to barnyard fowls.
Partridge. The attendant of Jones,
half - barber and half - schoolmaster ;
shrewd, but simple as a child. His
simplicity, and his strong excitement at
the play-house, when he went to see
Garrick in Hamlet, are admirably por-
trayed. (Fielding : Tom Jones.)
Partridge's Day (St.), September 1,
the first day of partridge shooting.
Par'tula, according to Tertullian,
was the goddess of pregnancy, who de-
termined the time of gestation. (Aulus
Gellius, iii. c. 16.)
IParturiunt Montes. “Partetrieſ??
Anontes, mascătu, 7'idiculus mus.” The
Egyptian king Tachos sustained a long
war against Artaxerxes Ochus, and sent
to the Lacedemonians for aid. King
Agesilaos went with a contingent, but
when the Egyptians saw a little, ill-
dressed lame man, they said: “Pan-
turiebat mons ; formidabat Jupiter; ille
wero mºrem peperit.” (“The mountain
laboured, Jupiter stood aghast, and a
mouse ran out.”) Agesilaos replied,
“You call me a mouse, but I will soon
show you I am a lion.” -
Party. Person or persons under con-
sideration. “This is the next party,
your worship”—i.e. the next case to be
examined. “This is the party that stole
the things ’’—the person or persons ac-
cused. (French, partie, a person.)
“If an evil spirit trouble any, one must make a
Smoke . . . and the party shall be no lmore vexed.”
—Toljit Vi. 7.
Party Spirit. The animus or feeling
of a party man.
Par'venu' (French). An upstart ;
One who has risen from the ranks.
Parvis (London). The “place” or
court before the main entrance of a
cathedral. In the parvis of St. Paul’s
lawyers used to meet for consultation,
as brokers do in exchange. The word
is now applied to the room above the
church porch. (Paravisits, a Low Latin
corruption of paradisus, a church close.)
“A sergeant of lawe, war and ww.s,
That often haddé ben atté parvys.”
Chawcer: Canterbury Tales (Introduction).
Parviz' [Pictorious]. Surname of
Rhosru or Chosroes II., the grandson
of Khosru the Magnificent. The reigns
of Khosru I. and II. were the golden
period of Persian history. Parviz' kept
15,000 female musicians, 6,000 house-
hold officers, 20,500 saddle-mules, 960
elephants, 200 slaves to scatter perfumes
when he went abroad, 1,000 sekabers to
water the roads before him, and sat on
a pillared throne of almost inconceiv-
able splendour. -
The horse of Chosroes Parviz. Shibdiz,
the Persian Bucephalos. (See Horse.)
Parysatis. Wife of Darius Nothos.
(A corruption of Peri Zadehér [fairy.
Pascal's Thoughts
947
Passing Rich
bird-of-Paradise], sometimes called
Azad'ché) [bird-of-Paradise].)
Pascal's Thoughts. Pensées sur la
Ičeligion (1670). Fugitive reflections
and short sentences chiefly of a religious
character, by Blaise Pascal (1623-1662).
Pasch Eggs (pron. Pask). Easter
eggs, given as an emblem of the resur-
rection. They are generally coloured.
Not unfrequently a name written with
grease, which does not absorb the colour-
ing matter, causes a pasch egg to appear
with a name on it.
The day before Easter Sunday is
called Egg Saturday.
Donner un anſf, pour avoir un baºuf.
Giving a sprat to catch a mackerel. To
give an egg at Easter under the ex-
peetation of receiving a more substantial
present later on.
Pasha of Three Tails (A). There
are three grades of pashas distinguished
by the number of horse-tails on their
standard. In war the horse-tail stan-
dard is carried before the pasha, and
planted in front of his tent. The highest
rank of pashas are those of three tails;
the grand vizier is always ea officio
such a pasha. Pashas of two tails are
governors of provinces ; it is one of
these officers that we mean when we
speak of a pasha in a general way. A
pasha of one tail is a Sanjak or lowest of
provincial governors. (The word pasha
is the Persian pa, support of Shah, the
ruler.)
Pasque Eggs. (See PASCH Eggs.)
Pasquina'de (3 Syl.). A lampoon or
political squib, having ridicule for its
object ; so called from Pasqui'no, an
Italian tailor of the fifteenth century,
noted for his caustic wit. Some time
after his death a mutilated statue was
dug up, representing either Ajax Sup-
porting Menela'os, or Menela'Os carrying
the dead body of Patroc'los, or else a
gladiator, and was placed at the end of
the Braschi Palace near the Piazza,
Navo'ni. As it was not clear what the
statue represented, and as it stood op-
posite Pasquin's house, the Italians
called it “Pasquin.” The Romans
made this torso the depository of their
political, religious, and personal satires,
which were therefore called Pasquin-
songs or Pasquinades. In the Capitol is
a rival statue called Marforio, to which
are affixed replies to the Pasquinades.
Pass. A pass or A common pass.
An ordinary degree, without honours.
Where a person is allowed to pass up
the Senate-house to his degree without
being “plucked.” (See PLUCK.)
Well to pass. Well to do. Here
“pass '' is the synonym of fare (Saxon,
faran, to go or pass). Shakespeare has
the expression, “How goes it P”—i.e.
How fares it, how passes it?
Passe Brewell. Sir Tristram’s horse.
Sir Tristram was one of the round-table
knights. (History of Prince Arthur, ii.
68.)
Passe-partout. A sort of picture-
frame. The middle is cut out to the
size of the picture, and the border or
edge is embossed, so as to present a
raised margin. The passe-partoltt and
picture, being backed and faced with
a glass, are held together by an edging
of paper which shows on the glass face.
The word means something to “pass
Over all.”
A master-key is also called a passe-
partout (a pass through all the rooms).
Passelourdin (3 Syl.). A great rock
near Poitiers, where there is a very
narrow hole on the edge of a precipice,
through which the university freshmen
are made to pass, to “matriculate” them.
The same is done at Mantua, where the
freshmen are made to pass under the
arch of St. Longi'nus. Passe-lourdan
means “lubber-pass.”
Passelyon. A young foundling
brought up by Morgane la Fée. He was
detected in an intrigue with Morgane's
daughter, and the adventures of this
amorous youth are related in the ro-
mance called Perceforest, vol. iii.
Passing Bell (The). It now means
the bell tolled to announce the death of
one who has died in the parish ; but
originally it meant the bell which an-
nounced that the person was in extrémis,
or passing from time into eternity.
“When a person lies in agony, the hells of the
parish he belongs to are touched with the clan-
pers until either he dies or reçovers again.
soon as this sign is given, everybody in the Street,
as well as in the houses, falls on his knees, offer:
ing prayer for the sick person.” (See lxvii. of
the Canon Law.)—Diary of the Duke of Stettin's
Jou?”vey. -
Passing Fair. Admirably fair.
(Dutch, passen, to admire.) -
Passing Rich. Goldsmith tells us
in his Deserted Village, that the clergy-
man was “passing rich with £40 a.
year.” This is no covert satire, but a
sober fact. Equal to about £350.
“A man he was to all the country dear,
And passing rich with forty pounds 3 year.”
Goldsmith : Deserted Willage,’
Passion Flower
948
IPatelin
in Norway and Sweden the clergy are
paid from £20 to £40 a year, and in
France £40 a year is the usual stipend
of the working clergy. Of St. Yves it
was said (1251-1303):—
“Il distribuait, avec une Sainte profusion aux
pauvres, les revenus de son bénéfice et geux de
son patrimoine, qui étaient de £60 de rente, alors
une somme très notable, particulièrement ºn
Basse Bretagne.”—Dom Lobineau : Lives of the
Saints of Great Britain.
Passion Flower.
The leaf symbolises the spear.
The five cºnthers, the five wounds.
The tendrils, the cords or Whips.
The column of the ovaru. the pillar of the croSS.
The stain ens, the hammers. .
The three styles, the three nails.
. The fleshy threads within the flowers, the CrOWn
of thorns.
The calyx, the glory or nimbus.
The u:hite tint, purity.
The blue tint, heaven. e
It keeps open three days; symbolising the three
years' ministry. (Matt. xii. 40.)
(See PIKE's HEAD.)
Passionists. Certain priests of the
Boman Catholic Church, who mutually
agreed to preach “Jesus Christ, and
FHim crucified.” The founder of this
“congregation ” was Paul Francis, sur-
named Paul of the Cross. (1694-1775.)
Pass'over. A Jewish festival to
commemorate the deliverance of the
Israelites, when the angel of death (that
slew the first-born of the Egyptians)
passed over their houses, and spared all
who did as Moses commanded them.
Passy-measure or Passing-mea-
sure. A slow, stately dance ; a cor-
ruption of the Italian passamezzo (a
middle pace or step). It is called a
cinque measure, because it consists of
five measures — “two singles and a
double forward, with two singles side.”
(Collier.)
Passy-measure Pavin. A pavin is
a stately dance (see PAVAN); a passy-
measure pavin is a reeling dance or
motion, like that of a drunken man,
from side to side. Sir Toby Belch says
of Dick Surgeon—
“He’s a rogue and a passy-measure pavin. ... I
hate a drunken rogue.” — Shakespect)'6 : Twelfth
Night, V. l.
Pasteboard. A visiting card; so
called from the material of which it is
made.
Paston Letters. The first two
volumes appeared in 1787, entitled
Original Letters written during the Reigns
of Henry VI., Edward IV., and Richard
III. by various Persons of Rank edited
by Mr. (afterwards Sir John) Fenn.
‘They are called Paston because chiefly
written by or to members of the Paston
family in Norfolk. They passed from
the Earl of Yarmouth to Peter le Neve,
antiquary ; then to Mr. Martin, of
Palgrave, Suffolk ; were then bought
by Mr. Worth, of Diss; then passed to
the editor. Charles Knight calls them
“an invaluable record of the social
customs of the fifteenth century” (the
time of the Wars of the Roses), but of
late some doubt has been raised respect-
ing their authenticity. Three extra
volumes were subsequently added.
Pastorale of Pope Gregory, b
Alfred the Great. gory, by
Patavin'ity. A provincial idiom in
speech or writing ; so called from Pata-
vium (Padua), the birthplace of Livy.
(See PATOIs.)
Patch. A fool; so called from the
motley or patched dress worn by licensed
fools. .
“What a pied ninny’s this thou scurvy patch ! ”
Shakespeare: The Tempesi, iii. 2.
Cross-patch. An ill-tempered person.
(See above.)
Not a patch upon. Not to be com-
pared with ; as, “His horse is not a
patch upon mine,” “My patch is better
than his garment.”
Patch . (To). To express certain
political views. The allusion is to the
custom, in Queen Anne's reign, of
wearing on the face little black patches.
If the patch was on the right cheek, it
indicated that the wearer was a Whig ;
if on the left cheek, that she was a Tory;
if on the forehead between the eyes, or
on both cheeks, that she was of no
political bias. (See CourT PLASTER.)
“Whatever, might be her husband's politics,
she was at liberty to patch as she pleased.”—
Nineteenth Century, February, 1890, p. 58.
Patelin. The artful dodger. The
French say, Savoir son Patelin (to know
how to bamboozle you). Patelin is the
name of an artful cheat in a farce of the
fifteenth century so called. On one oc-
casion he wanted William Josseaume to
sell him cloth on credit, and artfully fell
on praising the father of the merchant,
winding up his laudation with this me
plus ultra: “He did sell on credit, or
even lend to those who wished to
borrow.” This farce was reproduced
in 1706 by Brueys, under the name of
L’Avocat Patelin.
“Consider, sir, I pray you, how the noble
Patelin, having a mind, to extol to the third
heaven the father of William Josseaume, said no
more than this: “And he did lend to, those who
were desirous to borrow of him.”—Rabelais;
Pantagruel, iii, 4. - -
Patelinage
Patelinage. Foolery, buffoonery :
acting like Patelin in the French farce.
“I never in my life laughed so much as at the
acting of that Patelinage.”—Rabelais : Pantag-
7'ttel, iii. 34.
Patent Rolls. Letters patent col-
lected-together-on parchment-rolls.
Each roll is a year, though in some
cases the roll is subdivided into two or
more parts. Each sheet of parchment
is numbered, and called a membrane:
for example, the 8th or any other sheet,
say of the 10th year of Henry III., is
cited thus: “Pat. 10, Hen. III., m. 8.”
If the document is on the back of the
roll it is called dorso, and “d ” is added
to the citation.
Pat'er Nos’ter. The Lord's Prayer;
so called from the first two words in the
Latin version. Every tenth bead of a
rosary is so called, because at that bead
the Lord's Prayer is repeated. Formerly
applied to the Rosary beads.
Pater Patrum. St. Gregory of
Nyssa was so entitled by the Nicaean
Council. (332–395.)
Paternoster Row (London) was so
named from the rosary or paternoster
makers. We read of “one Robert
Nikke, a paternoster maker and citizen,
in the reign of Henry IV.” . Some say it
was so called becausefuneral processions
on their way to St. Paul’s began their
pater noster at the beginning of the
Row, and went on repeating it till they
reached the church-gate.
Pathfinder. Major-General John
Charles Fremont, who conducted four
expeditions across the Rocky Mountains.
(1842.) *
Pathfinder, in Fenimore Cooper's five
novels, is Natty Bumppo, called the
Pathfinder, the Deerslayer, the Hawk-
eye, and the Trapper.
BUMPPo.)
Patience cry the Lepers. A pun-
ning proverbial phrase. Lepers seek
diligently the herb patience (lapathum)
to relieve them from their suffering.
Patient (The). Albert IV., Duke of
Austria, (1377-1404.) (See HELENA.)
Patient Grisſel, Grisil'des, Grisild,
Grisilde, or Grisildis, according to
Chaucer, was the wife of Wautier,
Marquis of Sal’uces (Clerkes Tale). Ac-
cording to Boccaccio, Griselda, a poor
country lass, became the wife of Gual-
tie're, Marquis of Saluzzo (Tenth Day,
novel x.). She is put upon by her hus-
band in the most wanton and gratuitous
949
(See NATTY.
IPatrician
manner, but bears it all, not only without
a murmur, but even without loss of
temper. She is the model of patience
under injuries. The allegory means
that God takes away our children and
goods, afflicts us in Sundry ways, and
tries us “so as with fire; ” but we
should always say, “The Lord gave,
and the Lord hath taken away; blessed
be the name of the Lord.”
Patin. Brother of the Emperor of
Rome, who fought with Am’adis of
sº and had his horse killed under
III].
Pat'ina. A beautiful surface deposit
or fine rust, with which, in time, buried
coins and bronzes become covered. It
is at once preservative and ornamental,
and may be seen to advantage in the
ancient bronzes of Pompeii. (Greek,
patamé, a paten.)
Patmos (My). My solitude, my
place of banishment from Society, my
out-of-the-way home. As “Good-bye,
I must go to my Patmos.” The allu-
sion, of course, is to the banishment of
St. John to the island of Patmos, in the
reign of Domitian.
Patois (2 syl.). Dialectic peculiarity,
provincialism, Asinius Pollio noticed
something of the kind in Livy, which
he called patavinitas, from Patavium,
Livy’s birth-town. -
Patri-Passians. One of the most
ancient sectaries of the Christian Church,
who maintained the oneness of the God-
head. The founder was Praxeas, of
Phrygia, in the second century. The
appellation was given to them by their
opponents, who affirmed that, according
to their theory, the Father must have
suffered on the cross. -
Patrician, properly speaking, is one
of the patres or fathers of Rome. These
patres were the senators, and their de-
scendants were the patricians. As they
held for many years all the honours of
the state, the word came to signify the
magnates or mobility of a nation.
N.B. In Rome the patrician class
was twice augmented : first by Tatius,
after the Sabine war, who added a whole
“century; ” and again by Tarquinius
Priscus, who added another. The Sa-
bine century went by the name of
patricians of the senior races (majo'rºm
gentium), and the Tarquinian patricians
were termed of the junior creation
(mino'rum gentium).
Patrick
950
Patrocios
Patrick. Chambers says, “We can
trace the footsteps of St. Patrick almost
from his cradle to his grave by the
names of places called after him.” Thus,
assuming the Scottish origin, he was
born at Kil-patrick (the cell of Patrick),
in Dumbartonshire; he resided for some
time at Dal-patrick (the district of Pat-
rick), in Lanarkshire; and visited Crag-
phadrig (the rock of Patrick), near
Inverness. He founded two churches,
Júrk - patrick in Kirkcudbright, and
ICirk-patrickinl)umfries; and ultimately
sailed from Port-patrick, leaving behind
him such an odour of sanctity that
among the most distinguished families
of the Scottish aristocracy Patrick has
been a favourite name down to the
present day. - -
Arriving in England, he preached at
Patter-dale (Patrick’s valley), in West-
moreland; and founded the church of
Jörk-patrick, in Durham. Visiting
Wales, he walked over Sarn-badrig
(causeway of Patrick), which now forms
a dangerous shoal in Carnarvon Bay :
and, departing for the Continent, sailed
from Llan-badrig (church of Patrick), in
the isle of Anglesea. Undertaking his
mission to convert the Irish, he first
landed at Innis-patrick (island of Pat-
rick), and next at Holm-patrick, on the
opposite shore of the mainland, in the
county of Dublin. Sailing northwards,
he touched at the Isle of Man, called
Innis-patrick, where he founded another
church of Kirk-patrick, near the town
of Peel. Again landing on the coast of
Ireland, in the county of Down, he
converted and baptised the chieftain
T)ichu on his own threshing-floor, an
event perpetuated in the word Saul—-i.e.
Sabbal-patrick (barn of Patrick). He
then proceeded to Temple-patrick, in
Antrim ; and from thence to a lofty
mountain in Mayo, ever since called
Croagh - patrick. In East Meath he
founded the abbey of Domnach-Padraig
(house of Patrick), and built a church
in Dublin on the spot where St. Patrick's
Cathedral now stands. In an island of
Lough Derg, in Donegal, there is St.
Patrick’s Purgatory; in Leinster, St.
I’atrick’s Wood; at Cashel, St. Patrick's
Rock. There are scores of St. Patrick’s
Iſells from which he drank; and he
died at Saul, March 17th, 493. (Book of
IDays.) - i , ,
... St. Patrick's real name was Succat, changed
first into Cothraige, then to Magonus, and after-
Wards (on his ordination) to Patricius. (See Dr.
Todd, in the Proceedings of the Royal Irish Acad-
emy, vol. vi.) .
Patrick's Cave (St.), throu gh which
was a descent to purgatory, for the be-
hoof of the living who wished to expiate
their evil deeds before death.
Patrick's Cross (St.). The same
shape as St. Andrew's Cross (X), only
different in colour, viz. red on a white
field. (See ANDREw.) . .
Patrick's Grave (St.), in the yard
of Downpatrick cathedral. The visitor
is shown a spot where some of the mould
has been removed, and is told that pil-
grims take away a few grains as a
charm, under the belief that the relic
will insure good health, and help to
atone for sin. . . .
Patrick's Monument (St.), in the
cemetery of Downpatrick cathedral.
Visitors are shown the spot where the
“Saint” was buried, but, on asking why
there is no memorial, is informed that
both Protestants and Catholics agreed
to erect a suitable one, but could not
agree upon the inscription. Whatever
the Protestants erected in the day the
Catholics pulled down at night, and vice
wersá. Tired of this toil of Penelopé, the
idea was abandoned, and the grave was
left unmarked by monumental stone.
Patrick's Purgatory (St.), Ireland,
described in the Italian romance called
Guerino Meschino. Here gourmands are
tantalised with delicious banquets which
elude their grasp, and are at the same
time troubled with colic. (See TANTALUs.)
Patrick and the Serpent (St.).
According to tradition, St. Patrick
cleared Ireland of its vermin; one old
serpent resisted him ; but St. Patrick
overcame it by cunning. He made a box,
and invited the serpent to enter it. The
serpent objected, saying it was too
small; but St. Patrick insisted it was
quite large enough to be comfortable.
After a long contention, the serpent got
in to prove it was too small, when St.
Patrick slammed down the lid, and threw.
the box into the sea. To complete this
wonderful tale, the legend says the
waves of the sea are made by the writh-
ings of this serpent, and the noise of the
sea is that of the serpent imploring the
Saint to release it.
Patrico or Pater-cove. Hedge
priests who for a fee married people
under a hedge, as Abraham-men (q.v.).
Patroc'los. The gentle and amiable.
friend of Achilles, in Homer's Iliad.
When Achilles refused to fight in order
to annoy Agamem'non, he sent his
*
IPatten
friend Patroc'los to battle, and he was
slain by Euphorbos.
Patten. Martha or Patty, says Gay,
was the daughter of a Lincolnshire
farmer, with whom the village black-
smith fell in love. To save her from
wet feet when she went to milk the
cows, the village Mulciber invented a
clog, mounted on iron, which he called
patty, after his mistress. This pretty
fable is of no literary value, as the word
is the French patin (a high-heeled shoe
or skate), from the Greek patein (to
walk).
“The patten now supports each frugal dame,
Which from the blue-eyed Patty takes its
hºlIlle.” Gay : Trivia, i.
Pattens - Money (Chapins de la
Reina). A subsidy levied in Spain on all
crown tenants at the time of a royal
marriage.
Patter. To chatter, to clack. Dr.
Pusey thinks it is derived from Pater-
hoster (the Lord's Prayer). The priest
recited it in a low, mumbling voice till
he came to the words, “ and lead us not
into temptation,” which he spoke aloud,
and the choir responded, “but deliver
us from evil.” In our reformed Prayer
Book, the priest is directed to say the
whole prayer “with a loud voice.”
Probably the “pattering of rain'”—i.e.
the rain coming with its pit-pat, is after
all the better derivation.
"." Gipsy talk is so called from the French patois.
(See PATAYINITY.)
Pattern. A corruption of patron.
As a patron is a guide, and ought to be
an example, so the word has come to
signify an artistic model. (French,
p-tºro). Latin, patrónits.)
Pattieson (Mr. Peter). Introduced
by Sir Walter Scott in the Introductions
of the Heart of Midlothian and Bride
of Lammermoor. He is represented as
‘‘ assistant ’’ at Gandercleugh, and
author of the Tales of My Landlord,
published posthumously by Jedidiah
Cleishbotham.
Paul (St.). Patron saint of preachers
and tentmakers. Originally called Saul.
The name was changed in honour of
Sergius Paulus, whom he converted,
His symbol are a sword and open
book, the forn.er the instrument of his
martyrdom, and the latter indicative of
the new law propagated by him as the
apostle of the Gentiles. He is repre-
sented of short stature, with bald head
and grey, bushy beard.
Born at Giscalis, a town of Judaea, from which
he removed, with his parents, to Tarsus, of
Cilicia. .
951
Baulicians
Tribe, that of Benjamin.
Tattght by Gamaliel.
Beheaded by a sword in the fourteenth year of
Nero. . On the Same day as Peter was crucified.
Buried in the Ostian Way.
(See Eusebius : Hieronymus.)
Paul Pry. An idle, meddlesome
fellow, who has no occupation of his
own, and is always interfering with
other folk’s business. (John Poole :
Paul Pry, a comedy.) The original was
Thomas Hill.
Paul and Virginia. A tale by Ber-
nardin de St. Pierre. At one time this
little romance was as popular as Uncle
Tom’s Cabin.
Paul the Hermit (St.) is represented
as an old man, clothed with palm-leaves,
and seated under a palm-tree, near which
are a river and loaf of bread.
Paul of the Cross.
founder of the Passionists. (1694-1775.)
Paul's Man (A). A braggart ; a
captain out of service, with a long
rapier ; so called because St. Paul's
Walk was at one time the haunt of stale
knights. Jonson called Bobadil (q.v.) a
Paul’s man.
Paul's Pigeons. .
Paul’s School, London.
Paul Francis,
The boys of St.
Paul's Walkers. Loungers who
frequented the middle of St. Paul’s,
which was the Bond Street of London
up to the time of the Commonwealth.
(See Ben Jonson's Every Man out of his
JTºtmont?', where are a variety of scenes
given in the interior of St. Paul's.
Harrison Ainsworth describes these
“walkers ” in his novel entitled Old
St. Paul's.) - -
“The young gallants . . . used to nºcet at the
central point, St. Paul's : and from this circum-
stance obtained the appellation of Paul's Walkers,
as we now Say, Bond Street Loungers.”—Moser ;
European Magazine, July, 1807.
Paul'ianists. A sect of heretics so
called from Paulia'nus Samosa'tanus
(Paul of Samosa'ta), elected Bishop of
Antioch in 262. He may be considered
the father of the Socinians.
Paulicians. A religious sect of the
Eastern Empire, an offshoot of the Mani-
chae'ans. It Originated in an Armenian
named Paul, who lived under Justinian
II. Neander says they were the fol-
lowers of Constantine of Mananalis, and
were called Paulicians because the
apostle Paul was their guide. He says
they rejected the worship of the Virgin
and of Saints, denied the doctrine of
transubstantiation, and maintained the
Baulina. 9
right of everyone to read the Scriptures
freely.
Pauli'na, wife of Antig'onus, a Si-
cilian nobleman, takes charge of Queen
Hermi'one, when unjustly sent to prison
by her jealous husband, and after a time
presents her again to Leontes as a
statue “by that rare Italian master,
Julio Romano.” (Shakespeare : Winter’s
Tale.)
Paulo. The cardinal, brother of
Count Guido Franceschi'ni, who advised
his scapegrace bankrupt brother to
marry an heiress, in order to repair his
fortune. _ (Robert Browning : The Ring
and the Book.)
Paſvan or Pavin.
its galliard (Spanish). Every sage has
his moments of folly. Every white
must have its black, and every sweet its
Sour. The pavan was a stately Spanish
dance, in which the ladies and gentle-
men stalked like peacocks (Latin,
pavo'nes), the gentlemen with their long
robes of office, and the ladies with
trains like peacocks' tails. The pavan,
like the minuet, ended with a quick
movement called the galliard, a sort of
gavot'te.
Pavilion of Prince Ahmed (The).
This pavilion was so small it could be
covered with the hand, and yet would
expand SO largely as to encamp a whole
army. (Arabian Nights : Ahmed and
Pari-Banon.) (See SoLOMON's CARPET.)
Pawnbroker. The three golden balls.
The Lombards were the first money-
lenders in England, and those who bor-
rowed money of them deposited some
security or pawn. The Medici family,
whose arms were three gilded pills, in
allusion to their profession of medicine,
were the richest merchants of Florence,
and greatest money-lenders. (See BALLs.)
* Roscoe, in his Life of Lorenzo de
Medici, gives a different solution. He
says that Averardo de' Medici, a com-
mander under Charlemagne, slew the
giant Mugello, whose club he bore as a
trophy. This club or mace had three
iron balls, which the family adopted as
their device. . -
Pawm is the Latin pigmſus] (a pawn or pledge).
Pawnee. Brandy pawnee. Brandy
grog. (Hindu, pa’ni, water.)
Pax. The “kiss of peace.” Also a
sacred utensil used when mass is cele-
brated by a high dignitary. It is some-
times a crucifix, sometimes a tablet,
and sometimes a reliquary. The pax
I'very pavam has
{)
2 Peace-makers
s--a-3: tº
is omitted on Maundy Thursday, from
horror at the kiss of Judas.
Pay (sea term). To cover with pitch.
(Latin, picare, to cover with pitch.)
Here’s the devil to pay, and no pitch
hot. (See under DEVIL.)
Pay (To). To discharge a debt.
(French, payer.)
Who’s to pay the piper ? Who is to
stand Sam P who is to pay the score?
The phrase comes from the tradition
about the Pied Piper of Hameln, who
agreed to cure the town of rats and
mice; when he had done so, the people
of Hameln refused to pay him, where-
upon he piped again, and led all the
children to Koppelberg Hill, which
closed over them.
* From the corresponding French
phrase, “payer les violons,” it would
seem to mean who is to pay the fiddler
or piper if we have a dance [on the
green] ; who is going to stand Sam P
Pay (To). To slacken a cable ; as,
“Pay away” [more cable] ; that is,
“discharge ’’ more cable. (French,
payer.)
Pay (To). To requite, to punish.
I’ll pay him out. I’ll be a match for
him, I’ll punish him.
“They with a foxe-take him soundly did paye.”
The King and A'ortherne Man (1640).
Pay off old Scores (To). To pay
off a debt, whether of money or revenge.
pay with the Roll of the Drum
(To). Not to pay at all. No soldier
can be arrested for debt when on the
march.
“How happy the soldier who lives on his pay,
And Spends half-a-(‘roW in Out Of six pence a,
day :
He cares not for justices, headles, or bum,
But rays all his debts with the roll ºf the
drun).” O' Reefe,
Paynising. A process of preserving
and hardening wood invented by Mr.
Payne. (See KYANISE.)
Pea-jacket (A). Dutch, pig or pile,
a coarse thick cloth or felt. A “pije
jacket.”
Peace. The Perpetual Peace. The
peace concluded January 24th, 1502,
between England and Scotland. But a
few years afterwards the battle of Flod-
den Field was fought.
Peace-makers (The). The nick-
name of the Bedfordshire regiment. So
called from having ho battles on the
colours. • . . . . -
12eace
-*=->=–º:
Peace of Antal'cidas (The), between
Artaxerxes and the states of Greece. It
was brought about by Antal'cidas, the
Spartan (B.C. 387).
Peace of God. In 1035 the clergy
interfered to prevent the constant feuds
between baron and baron; they com-
manded all men to lay down their arms
on pain of excommunication. The com-
mand and malediction were read daily
from the pulpits by the officiating priests
after the proper gospel:—“May they
who refuse to obey be accursed, and
have their portion with Cain, the first
murderer; with Judas, the arch-traitor;
and with Dathan and Abi'ram, who
went down alive into the pit. May
they be accursed in the life that now is ;
and in that which is to come may their
light be put out as a candle.” So say-
ing, all the candles were instantly ex-
tinguished, and the congregation had to
make its way in the dark out of church
as it best could.
Reace with Honour. The rallying
cry of the late Lord Beaconsfield; it
Originated with his speech after the Ber-
lin Conference (1878), when he stated
that he had brought back Peace with
Honour.
Peaceful (The). Kang-wang, third
of the Thow dynasty of China, in whose
reign no one was either put to death or
imprisoned. (1098-1152.)
Peach. To inform, to “split; ” a
contraction of impeach.
Peacock. Jet him keep peacock to
himself. Let him keep to himself his
eccentricities. When George III. had
partly recovered from one of his attacks,
his Ministers got him to read the King's
Speech, but he ended every sentence with
the word “peacock.” The Minister who
drilled him said that peacock was an
excellent word for ending a sentence,
only kings should not let subjects hear
it, but should whisper it softly. The
result was a perfect success: the pause
at the close of each sentence had an
excellent effect.
By the peacock! A common oath which
at one time was thought sacred. The
fabled incorruptibility of the peacock's
flesh caused the bird to be adopted as a
type of the resurrection.
Peacock's Feather Unlucky (A).
The peacock’s tail is emblem of an Evil
Eye, or an ever-vigilant traitor. The
tale is this: Argus was the chief Minister
of Osiris, King of Egypt. When the
953
12earl
king started on his Indian expedition,
he left his queen, Isis, regent, and Argus
was to be her chief adviser. Argus,
with one hundred spies (called eyes),
soon made himself so powerful and for-
midable that he shut up the queen-
regent in a strong castle, and proclaimed
himself king. Mercury marched against
him, took him prisoner, and cut off his
head : whereupon Juno metamorphosed
Argus into a peacock, and set his eyes in
its tale.
Peal: (The), Derbyshire. “The
Queen of Scots’ Pillar ’’ is a column in
the cave of the peak as clear as alabaster,
and so called because Mary Queen of .
Scots proceeded thus far, and then re-
turned.
Peal. To ring a peal is to ring 5,040
changes; any number of changes less
than that is technically called a touch or
flourish. Bells are first raised, and then
pealed. (Qy. Latin pello, to strike P)
“This society rung . . . . a true and complete
peal of 5,040 grandsire triples in three hours and
fourteen minutes.”—Imscription in Windsor Cur-
few Tower. -
Pearl (The). Dioscor'idés and Pliny
mention the belief that pearls are formed
by drops of rain falling into the oyster-
shells while open; the rain-drops thus
received being hardened into pearls by
some secretions of the animal.
According to Richardson, the Persians
say when drops of Spring-rain fall into
the pearl-Oyster they produce pearls.
“Precious the tear as that rain from the sky
Which turns into pearls as it falls on the sea.”
+. Thomas Moore.
“Pearls . . . are believed to be the result of an
abnormal secretory process caused by an irrita-
tion of the mollusk consequent on the intrusion
into the shell of some foreign body, as a grain of
Sand, an egg of the mollusk itself, or perhaps
some cercarian parasite.”—G. F. King : Gems, etc.,
Chal), Xii. p. 211.
* Cardan says that pearls are polished
by being pecked and played with by
doves. (De Rerum Parietate, vii. 34.)
Pearl. For Cleopatra melting her
pearl in honour of Antony, see CLEO-
PATRA. .
A similar act of vanity and folly is
told by Horace (2 Satire, iii. verse 239).
Clodius, son of AEsop the tragedian,
drew a pearl from his ear of great value,
melted it in a strong acid, and drank to
the health of Cecilia Metella. This story
is referred to by Valerius Maximus,
Macrobius, and Pliny. Horace says,
! {
- . e Qui Sanior, aersi
Illud idem in rapidum flumen jaceretve cloacam º'
Sir Thomas Gresham, it is said, when
Queen Elizabeth dined with him at the
IPearl
954
Bedlar's Acre
City banquet, melted a pearl worth
£15,000, and drank to her health.
“Here fifteen thousand pounds alone clap goes
Instead of sugar, Gresham drinks the pearl
|Unto his queen and mistress.”
Thomas Heywood.
Pearl of the East. Zenobia, Queen
of Palmyra (reigned 266-272).
Peasant Bard. Robert Burns, the
lyric poet of Scotland. (1759-1796.)
Peasant-boy Philosopher (The).
James Ferguson. (1710-1776.)
Peasants' War (The), between 1500
and 1525. It was a frequent rising of
the peasantry of Swabia, Franconia,
Saxony, and other German states, in
consequence of the tyranny and oppres-
sion of the nobles. In 1502 was the
rebellion called the Laced Shoe, from its
cognisance; in 1514, the League of Poor
Conrad; in 1523, the Latin War. The
insurgents were put down, and whereas
they had been whipped , before with
scourges, they were now chastised with
Scorpions.
Peascod. Father of Peasblossom,
if Bottom’s pedigree may be accepted.
“I pray you commend me to Mistress Squash
your mother, and to Master, Penscod your father,
good Master Peaslilossom.”—Shakespeare: Mid-
summer Night 8 D1647), iii. 1.
Winter for shoeing, peascod for woo-
ing. The allusion in the latter clause
is to the custom of placing a peascod
with nine peas in it on the door-lintel,
under the notion that the first man who
entered through the door would be the
husband of the person who did so.
Another custom is alluded to by
Browne-- --
“The peascod greene oft with no little toyle
Hee’d seeke for in the fattest, fertil'st soile,
And rend it from the stake to bring it to her,
And in her loosome for acceptance woo her.”
JBritanºvitt's Pastorals.
Pec. Eton slang for money. A con-
traction of the Latin peerſ')?ia.
Peceavi. To cry pecca'vi. To ac-
knowledge oneself in the wrong. It is
said that Sir Charles Napier, after the
battle of Hyderabad, in 1843, used this
word as a pun upon his victory —
“Peccavi ’’ (I have sinned, i.e. Sinde).
Peck (A). Some food. “To have
a peck,” is to have something to eat.
Peckish. Hungry, or desirous of some-
thing to eat. Of course “peck” refers
to fowls, etc., which peck their food.
“When shall, I feel reckish again.”—Disraeli :
Sybil, book Yi. chap. iii.
Pecker. Keep your pecker up. As
the mouth is in the head, peeker (the
mouth) means the head; and to “keep
your pecker up,” means to keep your
head up, or, more familiarly, “keep your
tail up; ” “never say die.”
Peckham. All holiday at Peckham.
—i.e. no appetite, not peckish ; a pun
on the word peck, as going to Bedford-
shire is a pun on the word bed.
Going to Peckham. Going to dinner.
Peck'sniff. A canting hypocrite,
who speaks homilies of morality, does
the most heartless things “as a duty
to society,” and forgives wrong-doing
in nobody but himself. (Dickens: Martin
Chuzzlewit.)
Peculiar. A parish or church exempt
from episcopal jurisdiction, as a royal
chapel, etc. -
Peculiars (The Court of). A branch
of the Court of Arches having juris-
diction over the “peculiars ” of the
archbishop of Canterbury. (See above.)
Pecu'lium. My own peculium. Pri-
vate and individual property or posses-
sion. The Roman slaves were allowed
to acquire property, over which their
masters had no right or control ; this
was called their pecu'lium.
Pecuniary. From peerts, cattle,
especially sheep. Varo says that sheep
were the ancient medium of barter and
standard of value. Ancient coin was
marked with the image of an ox or
sheep. We have the Gold Sheep (mou-
ton d'or) and Gold Lamb (agneau d'or)
of ancient France, so called from the
figure struck on them, and worth about
a shilling. (Latin, pecuniarius, pecunia.)
Ped'agogue (3 Syl.) means a boy-
leader. It was a slave whose duty it
was to attend the boy whenever he left
home. A schoolmaster “leads '’ his
boys, morally and otherwise. (Greek,
pais affo'ſſetts.)
Pedlar is not a tramp who goes on
his feet, as if from the Latin pedes
(feet), but a man who carries a ped or
hamper without a lid, in which are
stored fish or other articles to hawk
about the streets. In Norwich there is
a place called the Ped-market, where
women expose eggs, butter, cheese, etc.,
in Open hampers. . . .
Pedlar's Acre (Lambeth). Accord-
ing to tradition, a pedlar of this parish
left a sum of money, on condition that
his picture, with a dog, should be pre-
served for ever in glass in one of the
Pedlars’ French
955
Peers

*----
church-windows. In the south window
of the middle aisle, sure enough, such a
picture exists; but probably it is a rebus
on Chapman, the name of some bene-
factor. In Swaffham church there is a
portrait of one John Chapman, a great
penefactor, who is represented as a
pedlar with his pack; and in that town
a similar tradition exists.
Pedlars' French. The slang of the
Romany folk. Even Bracton uses the
word Frenchman as a synonym of
foreigner, and it is not long since that
everyone who could not speak English
was called a Frenchman. The Jews, with
a similar width, used the word Greek.
“Instead of Pedlars' French, gives him plain
language.” — Beautmont and Fletcher: Faithful
Friends, i. 2. -
Peebles. Poor Peter Peebles. The
pauper litigant in Redgauntlet, by Sir
Walter Scott.
Peel. A Peel district. A clerical
district (not a parish) devised by Sir
Robert Peel.
Peeler (A). Slang for a policeman;
so called from Sir Robert Peel, who
reconstructed the police system. Bobby,
being the nickname of Robert, is applied
to the same force. (See BOBBY.)
Peeler. It is an extraordinary circum-
stance that this word, now applied to a
policeman or thief-catcher, was in the
sixteenth century applied to robbers.
Holinshed, in his Scottish Chronicle
(1570), refers to Patrick Dunbar, who
“delivered the countrie of these
peelers.” Thomas Mortimer, in his
JBritish Plutarch ; Milton, in his Paradise
Jēegained (book iv.); and Dryden, all
use the word “peeler” as a plunderer
or robber. The old Border towers were
called “peels.” The two words are, of
course, quite distinct.
Peep. To look at. As a specimen of
the ingenuity of certain etymologists in
tracing our language to Latin and Greek
Sources, may be mentioned Mr. Casau-
bon’s derivation of peep from the Greek
opiptetto (to stare at). (Pe-pe-pe bo 1)
I’laying bo-peep or peep-bo.
skulking from creditors; in allusion to
the infant nursery game.
Peep-o'-Day Boys. The Irish in-
surgents of 1784; so called because they
used to visit the houses of their oppo-
ments (called defenders) at peep of day
searching for arms or plunder. -
Hiding or
Peeping Tom of Coventry. Leofric,
Earl of Mercia and Lord of Coventry,
imposed some very severe imposts on the
people of Coventry, which his countess,
Godi’va, tried to get mitigated. The
earl, thinking to silence her importunity,
| said he would comply when she had
ridden naked from one end of the town
to the other. Godiva took him at his
word, actually rode through the town
naked, and Leofric remitted the imposts.
Before Godi’va started, all the inhabi-
tants voluntarily confined themselves to
their houses, and resolved that anyone
who stirred abroad should be put to
death. A tailor thought to have a peep,
but was rewarded with the loss of his
eyes, and has ever since been called
Peeping Tom of Coventry. There is
still a figure in a house at Coventry
said to represent Peeping Tom.
* Matthew of Westminster (1307) is
the first to record the story of Lady
Godiva : the addition of Peeping Tom
dates from the reign of Charles II. In
Smithfield Wall is a grotesque figure of
the inquisitive tailor in “flowing wig and
Stuart cravat.”
In regard to the terms made by Leo-
f'ric, it may be mentioned that Rudder,
in his History of Gloucester, tells us that
“the privilege of cutting wood in the
Herduoles was granted to the parish-
ioners of St. Briavel’s Castle, in Glou-
cestershire, on precisely similar terms
by the Earl of Hereford, who was at
the time lord of Dean Forest.
Tennyson, in his Godiva, has repro-
duced the story. -
Peerage of the Apostles. In the
preamble of the statutes instituting the
Order of St. Michael, founded in 1469
by Louis XI., the archangel is styled
“my lord,” and is created a knight.
The apostles had been already ennobled
and knighted. We read of “the Earl
Peter,” “Count Paul,” “the Baron
Stephen,” and so on. Thus, in the
introduction of a sermon upon St.
Stephen's Day, we have these lines:—
“Contes yous vueille la patron
- De St. Estieul le haron.”
“The Apostles were gentlemen of bloude . . .
and Christ . . . Imight, if He had esteemed of the
Yayne glorye of this world, have borne coat
armour.”—The Blazom of Gentrie.
I myself was intimate with a rector who always
laid especial stress on the word Lord, applied to
JeSuS Christ.
Peers of the Realm. The five
orders of duke, marquis, earl, viscount,
and baron. The word peer is the Latin
parés (equals), and in feudal times all
great vassals were held equal in rank,
Peg
The following is well fitted to a dic-
tionary of Phrase and Fable :--
“It is well known that, although the English
aristocracy recruits itself from the sons of barbers,
as Lord Tenterden ; merchant tailors, as Count
Craven ; mercers, as the Counts of Coventry, etc.,
it, will never tolerate poverty within its ranks.
Th9 male representative of Simon de Montfort is
now a saddler in Tooley Street ; the great-grand-
Bon of Oliver Cromwell, a porter in Cork market ;
and Stephen James Penny, Verger of St. George's,
Hanover Square, is a direct descendant of the
fifth Son of Edward III.”—The Gaulois.
Peg Or Peggy, for Margaret, cor-
rupted into Meg or Meggy. Thus, Pat
or Patty for Martha ; Poll or Polly, for
Mary, corrupted into Moll or Molly; etc.
Peg too Low (A). Low-spirited,
moody. Our Saxon ancestors were
accustomed to use peg-tankards, or
tankards with a peg inserted at equal
intervals, that when two or more drank
from the same bowl, no one might
exceed his fair proportion. We are told
that St. Dunstan introduced the fashion
to prevent brawling.
I am a peg too low means, I want
another draught to cheer me up.
“Come, old fellow, drink down to your peg
But do not drink any farther, I beg.
Longfellow : Golden Legend, iv.
To take one down a peg. To take the
conceit out of a braggart or pretentious
person. The allusion here is not to peg-
tankards, but to a ship's colours, which
used to be raised and lowered by pegs;
the higher the colours are raised the
greater the honour, and to take them
down a peg would be to award less
honour. -
“Trepanned your party with intrigue,
And took your grandees down a peg.”
Butler : IIudibrats, ii. 2.
There are always more round pegs than
Tottºnd holes. Always more candidates
for office than places to dispose of.
Pegasos (Greek; Pegasus, Latin).
The inspiration of poetry, or, according
to Boiardo (Orlando Inamorato), the
horse of the Muses. A poet speaks of
his Pegasus, as “My Pegasus will not
go this morning,” meaning his brain will
not work. “I am mounting Pegasus ”
—i.e. going to write poetry. “I am
on my Pegasus,” i.e. engaged in writing
VērSeS.
Peg'asus or Peg'asos, according to
classic mythology, was the winged horse
on which Beller'ophon rode against the
Chimaera. When the Muses contended
with the daughters of Pieros, Helſicon
rose heavenward with delight ; but
Peg'asos gave it a kick, stopped its
ascent, and brought out of the mountain
the soul-inspiring waters of Hippocrene
[Hip'-po-creen].
6 Pelican
Pegg (Katharine). One of the mis-
tresses of Charles II., daughter of
Thomas Pegg, of Yeldersey, in Derby-
shire, Esquire. -
Pegging Away (Keep). Keep on
attacking, and you will assuredly pre-
vail. “But screw your courage to the
Sticking-place, and we’ll not fail”
(Macbeth). Patience and perseverance
will overcome mountains. It was
President Lincoln who gave this advice
to the Federals in the American civil
W8.I’.
Peine Forte et Dure. A species of
torture applied to contumacious felons.
In the reign of Henri IV, the accused
was pressed to death by weights; in
later reigns the practice prevailed of
tying the thumbs tightly together with
whipcord, to induce the accused to
plead. The following persons were
pressed to death by weights:—Juliana.
Quick, in 1442; Anthony Arrowsmith,
in 1598; Walter Calverly, in 1605;
Major Strangways, in 1657; and even
in 1741 a person was pressed to death
at the Cambridge assizes. Abolished
1772.
Pela'gianism. The system or doc-
trines taught by Pela'gius (q.v.). He
denied what is termed birth-sin or the
taint of Adam, and he maintained that
we have power of ourselves to receive or
reject the Gospel.
Pela'gius. A Latinised Greek form
of the name Morgan—the Welsh mór,
like the Greek pel'agos, meaning the sea.
Pelf. Filthy pelf. Money. The
word was anciently used for refuse or
rubbish. “Who steals my purse steals
trash.” Filthy means ungodly ; the
Scripture expression is “unrighteous
mammon.” It is certainly not connected
with pilfer, as it is usually given ; but it
may possibly be with the Anglo-Saxon
pila, a pile or heap.
* The old French word pe/fre means
Spoil.
Pe1/ias. The huge spear of Achilles,
which mone but the hero could wield;
so called because it was cut from an ash
growing on Mount Pel’ion, in Thes-
Saly.
Pel'ican, in Christian art, is a symbol
of charity. It is also an emblem of
Jesus Christ, by “whose blood we are
healed ” (Eucherius and Jerome). (See
below.) se
Pelican. A mystic emblem of Christ,
called by Dante moséro Pelicano. St.
IPelides
9
57
Benang Lawyers
Hieronymus gives the story of the peli-
can restoring its young ones destroyed
by serpents, and his salvation by the
blood of Christ. The Bestia'rium says
that Physiol’ogus tells us that the peli-
can is very fond of its brood, but when
the young ones begin to grow they rebel
against the male bird and provoke his
anger, so that he kills them ; the
mother returns to the nest in three
days, sits on the dead birds, pours her
blood over them, revives them, and they
feed on the blood. (Bibl. Nat. Belg.,
No. 10,074.)
“Than Sayd the Pellycane,
When my lyrdts be slayne e
With my bloude I them reuyue [revive].
Scrypture doth record,
The same dyed our Lord,
And roSC from deth to lyue.”
Skeltom, : Armoury of Birdts.
Pelicans. The notion that pelicans
feed their young with their blood arose
from the following habit :—They have a
large bag attached to their under bill.
When the parent bird is about to feed
its brood, it macerates small fish in this
bag or pouch, then pressing the bag
against its breast, transfers the mace-
rated food to the mouths of the young.
A pelican in her piety is the represen-
tation of a pelican feeding her young
with her blood. The Romans called
filial love piety, hence Virgil’s hero is
called pints Æneas, because he rescued
his father from the flames of Troy.
Peli'des. Son of Peleus (2 syl.)—that
is, Achilles, the hero of Homer's Iliad,
and chief of the Greek warriors that be-
sieged Troy.
“When, like Peliºdes, bold beyond control
Homer raised high to heaven the loud inipetuous
Song.” Beattie : Ministrel,
Pel’ion. Heaping Ossa upon Pelion.
Adding difficulty to difficulty, embar-
rassment to embarrassment, etc. When
the giants tried to scale heaven, they
placed Mount Ossa, upon Mount Pelion
for a scaling ladder.
“Ter sunt comâti imponére Pélio Ossam.”
Virgil : Georgics, i. 281.
* A noteworthy hexameter verse.
The i of “conati’” does not elide, nor
yet the o of “Pelio.”
Pell-mell. Headlong; in reckless
confusion. From the players of pall-
mall, who rush heedlessly to strike the
ball. The “pall” is the ball (Italian,
palla), and the “mall ” is the mallet or
bat (Italian, maglia ; Latin, mallé its).
Sometimes the game is called “pall
mall; ” and sometimes the ground set
apart for the game, as Pall Mall, Lon-
don.
skrit pat, to fly.
* It is not quite certain that pell-mell
is the same compound word as pall-mall.
Pelle'an Conqueror. Alexander the
Great, born at Pella, in Macedo'nia.
* Rennembor that Pellean conqueror.”
Milton : Paradise Regained, ii.
Pel'leas (Sir). One of the knights of
the Round Table. In the Faërie Queene
he goes after the “blatant beast ’’ when
it breaks the chain with which it had
been bound by Sir Calidore.
Pells. Clerk of the Pells. An officer
of the Exchequer, whose duty it was to
make entries on the pells or parchment
rolls. Abolished in 1834.
Pel'ops. Son of Tan'talos, cut to
pieces and served as food to the gods.
The More'a was called Peloponne'sos or
the “island of Pelops,” from this my-
thical king.
The ivory shoulder of the sons of Pelops.
The distinguishing or distinctive mark
of anyone. The tale is that Demeter
ate the shoulder of Pelops when it was
served up by Tan'talos, and when the
gods put the body back into the cauldron
to restore it to life, he came forth lack-
ing a shoulder. Demeter supplied an
ivory shoulder, and all his descendants
carried this mark in their bodies. (See
PYTHAGORAS.)
Pelo'rus. Cape di Faro, a promon-
tory of Sicily. (J’irgil : AEmeid, iii.
6, 7.)
* As when the force
Of subterranean wind transports a laill
Torn fron) Peł () ruls.” |
Milton : Paradise Lost, bk. i. 232.
Pelos [mud]. Father of Physigna'-
thos, king of the frogs. (Battle of the
Progs and Mice.)
Pelt, in printing.
skins used for printing-balls.
pelte ; Latin, pellis, a skin.)
Untanned sheep-
(French,
Pen Name, sometimes written mom-
de-plume. A ficts.ious name assumed by
an author who does not wish to reveal
his real name. (See NOM DE GUERRE.)
Pen and Feather are varieties of
the same word, the root being the San-
(We have the Sanskrit
pattra, a wing or instrument for flying ;
Latin, petºla or penna, pen ; Greek,
pteron ; Teutonic, phathra , Anglo-
Saxon, fether; our “feather.”)
* Analogous examples are TEAR and
TARYTE, NAG and EQUUS, WIG and
PERUKE, HEART and CoEUR, etc.
Penang Lawyers. Clubs., Penang
sticks come from Penang, or the Prince
of Wales Island, in the Malaccas.
|Penates
958 Perinals
Penates (3 syl.).
gods of the Romans.
Pencil of Rays. All the rays that
issue from one point, or that can be
focussed at one point (Latin, penicillus,
little tail, whence penicillum, a painter’s
brush made of the hair of a cow's tail);
so called because they are like the hairs
of a paint-brush, except at the point
where they aggregate.
Pendennis (Arthur). The hero of
Thackeray's novel, entitled The History
of Pendemnis, etc.
Major Pendennis. A tuft – hunter,
similar in character to Macklin’s cele-
brated Sir Pertinax M'Sycophant.
I’enden'te. Lite (Latin). Pending
the suit; while the suit is going on.
Fendrag'on. A title conferred on
several British chiefs in times of great
danger, when they were invested with
dictatorial power: thus Uter and Arthur
were each appointed to the office to
repel the Saxon invaders. Cassibelaun
was pendragon when Julius Caesar in-
vaded the island; and so on. The word
pen is British for head, and dragon for
leader, ruler, or chief. The word there-
fore means summus rea, (chief of the
kings).
So much for fact, and now for the
fable : . Geoffrey of Monmouth says,
when Aurelius, the British king, was
poisoned by Ambron, during the in-
vasion of Pascentius, son of Vortigern,
there “appeared a star at Winchester of
wonderful magnitude and brightness,
darting forth a ray, at the end of which
was a globe of fire in form of a dragon,
Out of whose mouth issued forth two
rays, one of which extended to Gaul
and the other to Ireland.” Uter ordered
two golden dragons to be made, one of
which he presented to Winchester, and
the other he carried with him as his
royal standard, whence he received the
name of Uter Pendragon. (Books viii.
xiv. xvii.)
Penel'ope (4 syl.). The IP'e' or
Shroud of Penelope. A work “never
ending, still beginning ; ” never done,
but ever in hand. Penelopé, according
to Homer, was pestered by suitors while
her husband, Ulysses, was absent at the
siege of Troy. To relieve herself of
their importunities, she promised to
make a choice of one as soon as she
had finished weaving a shroud for her
father-in-law. Every night she un-
ravelled what she had done in the day,
and so deferred making any choice till
The household
Ulysses returned, when the suitors were
sent to the right-about without cere-
Imony.
Penel'ophon. The beggar loved by
Ring Cophetua. (See COPHETUA...)
Penelºva. A knight whose adven-
tures and exploits form a supplemental
part of the Spanish romance entitled
Ami'adis of Gaul. The first four books
of the romance, and the part above re-
ferred to, were by Portuguese authors—
the former by Vasco de Lobeira, of
Oporto, who died 1403; the latter by an
unknown author. -
Penetra'lia. The private rooms of
a house ; the secrets of a family. That
part of a Roman temple into which the
priest alone had access; here were the
sacred images, here the responses of the
oracles were made, and here the sacred
mysteries were performed. The Holy
of Holies was the penetralia of the Jewish
Temple. (Latin plural of peneträlis.)
Penfeather (Lady Penelope). The
lady patroness of the Spa. (Sir JP alter
Scott : St. Roman’s Well.)
Peninsular War. The war carried
on, under the Duke of Wellington,
against the French in Portugal and
Spain, between 1808 and 1812.
Penitential Psalms. The seven
psalms expressive of contrition—viz. the
vi., xxxii., xxxviii., li., cii., CXXX., cyliii.,
of the Authorised Version, or vi.,
xxxi., xxxvii., l., ci., CXxix., CXlii., of
the Vulgate.
Pennanship.
The “Good King Rémé,” titular king
of Naples in the middle of the fifteenth
century, was noted for his initial letters.
St. Thecla, of Isauria, wrote the entire
Scriptures out without a blot or mis-
take.
St. Theodosius wrote the Gospels in
letters of gold without a single mistake
or blur. (See Longfellow’s Golden Legend,
iv.). (See ANGEL.)
Penmanship. Dickens says of John
Bell, of the Chancery, that he wrote
three hands: one which only he himself
could read, one which only his clerk
could read, and one which nobody could
read. Dean Stanley wrote about as bad
a hand as man could write. •.
Pennals [pen-cases]. "So, the Fresh-
men of the Protestant universities of
Germany were called, from the pennale
or inkhorn which they carried with them
when they attended lectures. --
Pennalism
959
Perryroyal
Pen’nalism. Fagging, bullying, petty
persecution. The pennals or freshmen
of the Protestant universities were the
fags of the elder students, called Schorists.
Abolished at the close of the seventeenth
century. (See above.)
Pennant. The common legend is,
that when Tromp, the Dutch admiral,
appeared on our coast, he hoisted a
broom on his ship, to signify his intention
of sweeping the ships of England from
the sea; and that the English admiral
hoisted a horsewhip to indicate his in-
tention of drubbing the Dutch. Ac-
cording to this legend, the pennant
symbolises a horsewhip, and it is not
unfrequently called “the whip.”
Penniless (The). The Italians called
Maximilian I. of Germany Pochi Damari.
(1459, 1493-1519.)
Penny (in the sense of pound). Six-
penny, eightpenny, and tenpenny nails
are nails of three sizes. A thousand of
the first will weigh six pounds; of the
second, eight pounds; of the third, ten
pounds.
Penny sometimes expresses the duo-
decimal part, as tenpenny and eleven-
penny silver—meaning silver 10-12ths
and 11-12ths fine.
“One was to be ten penny, another eleven, an-
other sterling silver.”—Weidenfeld: Secrets of the
A depts.
Penny (A) (Anglo-Saxon, pening or
penig). For many hundred years the unit
of money currency, hence pening-moneſ/re
(a money-changer). There were two
coins so named, one called the greater =
the fifth part of a shilling, and the other
called the less = the 12th part of a
shilling.
My penny of observation (Love's La-
borer’s Lost, iii. 1). My pennyworth of
wit: my natural observation or mother-
wit. Probably there is some pun
or confusion between penetration and
“ penny of observation ” or “penn'orth
Of Wit.”
A penny for your thoughts, See Hey-
wood's Dialogue, pt. ii. 4. (See PENNY-
worth.)
Penny-a-liner (A). A contributor
to the local newspapers, but not on the
staff. At one time these collectors of
news used to be paid a penny a line,
and it was to their interest to spin out
their réport as much as possible. The
word remains, but is now a misnomer.
Penny Dreadfuls. Penny sensa-
tional papers, which delight in horrors.
Penny - father (A). A miser, a
penurious person, who “ husbands' his
pence.
“Good old penny-father was glad of his liquor.”
Pasquil : Jests (1629).
Penny Gaff (A). A theatre the
admission to which is one penny.
Properly a gaff is a ring for cock-
fighting, a sensational amusement which
has been made to yield to sensational
dramas of the Richardson type. (Irish,
gaf, a hook.)
Penny Hop (A). A rustic dancing
club, in which each person pays a penny
to the fiddler. In towns, private dancing
parties were at one time not uncommon,
the admission money at the doors being
One penny.
Penny Lattice-house (A). A low
pothouse. Lattice shutters are a public-
house sign, being the arms of Fitz-
warren, which family, in the days of the
Henrys, had the monopoly of licensing
vintners and publicans.
Penny Pots. Pimples and spots on
the tippler's face, from the too great
indulgence in penny pots of beer.
Penny Readings. Parochial enter-
tainments, consisting of readings, music,
etc., for which one penny admission is
charged.
Penny Saved (A). A penny saved
*s twopence gained. In French, “ Un
centime épargné en vaut delta.”
Well, suppose a man asks two pence apiece for
his oranges, and a haggler obtains hundred at a
penny alpiece, would he Save 200 pence by his
bargain 2 . If so, let lim go on spending, and he
will Soon become a millionaire. Or suppose, in-
Stead of paying £1,000 for a bad bet, I had not
Wagered any money at all, Would this have been
worth £2,000 to me?
Penny Weddings. Wedding ban-
quets in Scotland, to which a number of
persons were invited, each of whom paid
a small sum of money not exceeding a
shilling. After defraying the expeuses
of the feast, the residue went to the
newly-married pair, to aid in furnishing
their house. Abolished in 1645.
“Vera true, vera, true. We’ll have a' to pay
. . a sort of penny-wedding it will prove, where
all men contribute to the young folks' main ten-
ance.”—Sir Walter Scott : Fortunes of Nigel, chap.
XXY 1 1.
Penny Wise. Unwise thrift. The
whole proverb is Penny wise and pound
foolish, like the man who lost his horse
from his penny wisdom in saving the
expense of shoeing it afresh when one of
its shoes was loose.
Pennyroyal. Flea-bane, the odour
being, as it is supposed, hateful to fleas.
Perryweight
960
JPentreath.
This is a real curiosity of blundering
derivation. The Latin word is pulécium,
the flea destroyer, from pulez, a flea,
softened into pulégium, and corrupted
into the English - Latin pule’-regium.
“Pule,” changed first into puny, then
into penny, gives us ‘‘penny-regium,”
whence “penny-royal.” The French
call the herb pouliot, from potſ (a louse
or flea).
Pennyweight. So called from being
the weight of an Anglo-Norman penny.
Dwt. is d = penny wt.
Pennyworth or Pen’oth. A small
quantity, as much as can be bought for
a penny. Butler says, “This was the
pen'oth of his thought” (Hudibras, ii.
3), meaning that its Scope or amount
was extremely small.
IIe has got his penjºyworth.
got due value for his money.
To turn an honest penny. To earn a
little money by working for it.
FIe has
Pen'sion is something weighed out.
Originally money was weighed, hence
our pound. When the Gauls were bribed
to leave Rome the ransom money was
weighed in scales, and then Brennus
threw his sword into the weight-pan.
(Latin, pendo, to weigh money.)
Pen'sioners at the Universities and
Inns of Court. So called from the French
pension (board), pensionnaire (a boarder,
one who pays a sum of money to dine
and lodge with someone else).
Pentacle. A five-sided head-dress
of fine linen, meant to represent the five
senses, and worn as a defence against
demons in the act of conjuration. It is
also called Solomon’s Seal (signum Sala-
mo'nis). A pentacle was extended by
the magician towards the spirits when
they proved contumacious.
“And on her head, lest spirits should invade,
A pentacle, for more assurance, laid.” ...
Rose: Orlando Furioso, iii. 21.
The Holy Pentacles numbered forty-four, of
whicl seven were consecrated to each of the
planets Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, and the Sun : five
to both Venus and Mercury : and six to the Moon.
The divers figures were enclosed in a double
circle, containing the name of God in Hebrew,
and other lily Stical Words.
Pentap'olin. An imaginary chief-
tain, but in reality the drover of a flock
of sheep. Don Quixote conceived him
to be the Christian King of the Gara-
mantians, surnamed the Naked Arm,
because he always entered the field with
his right arm bare. The driver of a flock
from the opposite direction was dubbed
by the Don the Emperor Alifanfaron
*.
of the isle of Taproba'na, a pagan. (Cer-
wantes : Don Quixote, pt. i. bk. iii. 4.)
Pentap'olis. (Greek, pente polis.)
(1) The five cities of the plain: Sodom,
Gomorrah, Admah, Zebo'im, and Zoar ;
four of which were consumed with fire,
and their site covered with the Lake
Asphaltités, or the Dead Sea.
(2) The five cities of Cyrenaica, in
Egypt : Bereni'cè, Arsin'oe, Ptolemaſis,
Cyre'né, and Apollo'nia. . . .
(3) The five cities of the Philistines:
Gaza, Gath, As'Calon, Ash'dod, and
Ekron. .
(4) The five cities of Italy in the
exarchate of Ravenna: Rim'ini, Pesaro,
Fano, Sinigaglia, and Anco'na. These
were given by Pepin to the Pope.
(5) The Dorian pentapolis: Cni'dos,
Cos, Lindos, Ialysos, and Cami'ros.
Pentateuch. The first five books
of the Old Testament, supposed to be
written by Moses. (Greek, pente, five ;
teuchos, a book.)
The Chinese Pentatemſeh. The five books
of Confucius:-(1) The Shoo-Aſing, or
Book of History; (2) The Lee-Ring, or
Book of Rites ; (3) The Book of Odes, or
Chinese Homer ; (4) The Yih-King, or
Book of Changes ; and (5) The Chun-
Ts'ent, or Spring and Autumn Annals.
The Samaritan Pentateuch. A version
of the Pentateuch in the Samaritan
character. It varies in some measure
from the Jewish version. Not earlier
than the fourth, nor later than the
seventh, century. (See Apocrypha :
2 Esdras xiv. 21-48.)
Pen'tecost (Greek, pentecosté, fiftieth).
The festival held by the Jews on the
fiftieth day after the Passover ; our
Whit-Sunday.
Penthesile'a. Queen of the Ama-
zons, slain by Achilles. Sir Toby Belch
says to Maria, in the service of Olivia —
“Good-night, Penthesilea [my fine woman].”—
Shakespeare : Twelfth Night, ii. 2.
Pent'house (2 syl.). A hat with a
broad brim. The allusion is to the hood
of a door, or coping of a roof. (Welsh,
penty ; Spanish, pentice ; French, ap-
pentice, also pente, a slope.)
Pentreath (Dolly). The last person
who spoke Cornish. Daines Barrington
went from London to the Land’s End to
visit her. She lived at Mousehole.
“Hail, Mousehole ; })irthplace of old Doll Pent-
I’ê8,
The jašt who jabbered Cornish, so says
Daines 3 *
S
Peter Pindar (Ode xxi., To Myself).
Peony 961
Perdita
Peony (The). So called, according
to fable, from Paeon, the physician who
cured the wounds received by the gods
in the Trojan war. The seeds were, at
one time, worn round the neck as a
charm against the powers of darkness. |
Virgil and Ovid speak of its sanative
virtues. Others tell us Paeon was a
chieftain who discovered the plant.
“Vetustissima inventu, paeonia est, nomengue
auctoris retinet, qualm quidam pentorobon appel-
lant, alii glycysiden.”—Pliny, XXV. 10.
People.
William Gordon,
(1801-1849.)
People's Charter (The). The six
points of the People's Charter, formu-
lated in 1848, are :—
Manhood Suffrage (now practically
established).
Annual Parliaments.
Vote by Ballot (established).
Abolition of Property.
Qualification for Members of Parlia-
ment (the Qualification Test is abolished).
Equal Electoral Districts.
Pepper. To pepper one well. To
give one a good basting or thrashing,
To take peppe,' ' the Mose. To take
offence. The French have a similar
locution, “La moºttarde lui monte au
4262.”
“Take you pepper in you? nose, you mar our
Sport.”—The Spanish Gipsy, iv. 190. Fº
Pepper Gate. When your daughter
is stolen close Pepper Gate. Pepper Gate
used to be on the east side of the city of
Chester. It is said that the daughter
of the mayor eloped, and the mayor
ordered the gate to be closed up. “Dock
the stable-door when the steed is stolen.”
(Albert Smith : Christopher Tadpole,
chap. i.)
Pepper - and - Salt. A light grey
colour, especially applied to cloth for
dresses.
Peppercorn Rent (A). A nominal
rent. A pepper-berry is of no appre-
ciable value, and given as rent is a
simple acknowledgment that the tene-
ment virtually belongs to the person to
whom the peppercorn is given.
Peppy Bap. A large erratic boulder,
east of Leith.
Per Saltun (Latin). By a leap. A
promotion or degree given without go-
ing over the ground usually prescribed.
Thus, a clergyman on being made a
bishop has the degree of D.D. given
him per Saltiſm—i.e. without taking the
the philanthropist.
The people’s friend. Dr.
B.D. degree, and waiting the usual five
years.
“They dare not attempt to examine for the
superior degree but elect per saltway.”—Nime-
teenth Century, January, 1893, p. 66.
Perce'forest—(King). —A-prose-ro-
mance, printed at Paris in 1528, and said
to have been discovered in a cabinet hid
in the massive wall of an ancient tower
on the banks of the Humber, named
Burtimer, from a king of that name
who built it. The MS. was said to be
in Greek, and was translated through
the Latin into French.
It is also used for Perceval, an Ar-
thurian knight, in many of the ancient
TOIYlälºh CGS.
Perceval (Sir), of Wales. A knight
of the Round Table, son of Sir Pelli-
more, and brother of Sir Lamerock. He
went in quest of the St. Graal (q.v.).
Chrétien de Troyes wrote the Roman
de Perceval. (1541-1596.) Menessier
wrote the same in verse.
Per'cinet. A fairy prince, who
thwarts the malicious designs of Grog-
non, the cruel stepmother of Gracio'sa.
(Fairy Tales.)
Percy [pierce-eye]. When Malcolm
III. of Scotland invaded England, and
reduced the castle of Alnwick, Robert
de Mowbray brought to him the keys of
the castle suspended on his lance; and,
handing them from the wall, thrust his
lance into the king's eye ; from which
circumstance, the tradition says, he re-
ceived the name of “Pierce-eye,” which
has ever since been borne by the Dukes
of Northumberland.
“This is all a fable. . The Percies are descended
from a great Norman baron, who came oyer with
William, and who took his name from his castle
and estate in Normandy.”—Sir Walter Scott : Tales
of a Grandfather, iv.
Per'dita. Taughter of Leontës and
Hermi'one of Sicily. She was born when
her mother was imprisoned by Teontes
out of causeless jealousy. Paulina, a
noble lady, hoping to soften the king’s
heart, took the infant and laid it at its
father’s feet; but Leontes Ordered it to
be put to sea, under the expectation that
it would drift to some desert island.
The vessel drifted to Bohemia, where
the infant was discovered by a shepherd,
who brought it up as his own daughter.
In time Florizel, the son and heir of the
Bohemian king Polixenes, fell in love
with the supposed shepherdess. The
match was forbidden by Polixenes, and
the young lovers fled, under the charge
of Camillo, to Sicily. Here the story is
cleared up, Polixenes and Leontes are
61
Perdrix:
962
Perillo Swords
reconciled, and the young lovers married.
(Shakespeare: Winter’s Tale.) Polixènes :
(4 syl.), Leontes (3 Syl.).
Perdrix, toujours Perdrix. Too
much of the same thing. Walpole tells
us that the confessor of one of the
French kings reproved him for conjugal
infidelity, and was asked by the king
what he liked best. “Partridge,” re-
plied the priest, and the king ordered
him to be served with partridge every
day, till he quite loathed the sight of his
favourite dish. After a time, the king
visited him, and hoped he had been well
served, when the confessor replied,
“Mais oui, perdria, toujours perdria.”
“Ah! ah. I’’ replied the amorous mon-
arch, “and one mistress is all very well,
but not “perdria, toujours perdria.’”
“Soup for dinner, soup for supper, and soup for
breakfast again.” — Farquhar: The Inconstant,
IV. 2.
Père Duchêne. Jacques Réné Hé-
'bert, one of the most profligate charac-
ters of the French Revolution. He was
editor of a vile newspaper so called, con-
taining the grossest insinuations against
Marie Antoinette. (1755-1794.)
Père la Chaise, the Parisian ceme-
tery, is the site of a great monastery
founded by Louis XIV., of which his
confessor, Père la Chaise, was made the
superior. After the Revolution, the
grounds were laid out for a public ceme-
tery; first used in May, 1804.
Peregrine (3 Syl.) ran away from
home, and obtained a loan of £10 from
Job Thornbury, with which he went
abroad and traded; he returned a
wealthy man, and arrived in London on
the very day Job Thornbury was made
a bankrupt. Having paid the creditors
out of the proceeds made from the
hardwareman’s loan, he married his
daughter. (George Colman the Younger:
John Bitli.)
Peregrine Falcon (A). The female
is larger than the male, as is the case
with most birds of prey. The female is
the falcon of falconers, and the male the
tercel. It is called peregrine from its
wandering habits.
Per'egrine Pic'kle. The hero of
Smollett's novel so called. A Savage,
ungrateful spendthrift; fond of practical
jokes to the annoyance of others, and
suffering with evil temper the misfor-
tunes brought on by his own wilfulness.
Perfectionists. A society founded
by Father Noyes in Oneida Creek. They
take St. Paul for their law-giver, but
read his epistles in a new light. They
reject all law, saying the guidance of
the Spirit is superior to all human codes.
If they would know how to act in
matters affecting others, they consult
“public opinion,” expressed by a com-
mittee; and the “law of sympathy” so
expressed is their law of action. In
material prosperity, this society is un-
matched by all the societies of North
America. (W. Hepworth Diacon : New
America, vii. 20, 21.)
Perfide Albion
words of Napoleon I
Per'fume (2 syl.) means simply
“from smoke ’’ (Latin, per fumum), the
first perfumes having been obtained by
the combustion of aromatic woods and
gums. Their original use was in Sacri-
fices, to counteract the offensive odours
of the burning flesh.
Perfumed Terms of the Time. So
Ben Jonson calls euphemisms.
Pe'ri (plur. PERIS). Peris are delicate,
gentle, fairy-like beings of Eastern my-
thology, begotten by fallen spirits. They
direct with a wand the pure in mind the
way to heaven. These lovely creatures,
according to the Koran, are under the
sovereignty of Eblis; and Mahomet was
sent for their conversion, as well as for
that of man.
“I.ike peris wands, when pointing oxt the road
For Some pure Spirit to the blest abode.”
Thomas Moore : L(tlla Roolch, pt. i.
Per'icles, Prince of Tyre (Shake-
speare). The story is from the Gesta
Jºonań0'rum, where Periclés is called
“Apollonius, Iſing of Tyre.”. The story
is also related by Gower in his Confessio
Amantis (bk. viii.).
Pericles' Boast. When Pericles,
Tyrant of Athens, was on his death-bed,
he overheard his friends recounting his
various merits, and told them they had
omitted the greatest of all, that no
Athenian through his whole administra-
tion had put on mourning through his
severity—i.e. he had caused no Athenian
to be put to death arbitrarily.
Peril'Io Swords. Perillo is a “little
stone,” a mark by which Julian del
Rey, a famous armourer of Tole'do and
Zaragoza, authenticated the Swords of
his manufacture. All perillo swords
were made of the steel produced from
the mines of Mondragon. The Swords
given by Katharine of Aragon to Henry
VIII. on his wedding-day were all
Perillo blades.
(French). The
|Perillos
963
Perseus
The most common inscription was,
“I)raw ºne not without reason, sheathe me
wºot without honour.”
Perilios and the Brazen Bull.
Perillos of Athens made a brazen bull
for Phalaris, Tyrant of Agrigentum,
intended for the execution of criminals,
They were shut up in the bull, and, fires
being lighted below the belly, the metal
was made “red hot.” The cries of the
victims, reverberating, sounded like the
lowing of the bull. Phalaris admired
the invention, but tested it on Perillos
himself. (See INVENTORS.)
Perilous Castle. The castle of Lord
T}ouglas was so called in the reign of
Edward I., because good Lord Douglas
destroyed several English garrisons sta-
tioned there, and vowed to be revenged
on anyone who should dare to take pos-
Session of it. Sir Walter Scott calls it
“Castle Dangerous.” (See Introduction
of Castle Dangerous.)
Per'ion. A fabulous king of Gaul,
father of “Amadis of Gaul.” His en-
counter with the lion is one of his best
exploits. It is said that he was hunting,
when his horse reared and smorted at
seeing a lion in the path. Perion leaped
to the ground and attacked the lion, but
the lion overthrew him ; whereupon the
king drove his sword into the belly of
the beast and killed him. (Amadis de
Gaul, chap. i.)
Peripatet'ies. Founder of the Peri-
patetics—Aristotle, who used to teach
his disciples in the covered walk of the
Lycéum. This colonnade was called the
perip'ſtºos, because it was a place for
walking about (per pateo).
Peris. (See PERI.)
Peris's a (excess or prodigality;
Greek, Perissos). Step-sister of Elissa
and Medi'na. These ladies could never
agree on any subject. (Spense, Faërie
Queene, bk. ii.)
Periwig.
Periwink'le. The bind-around plant.
(Anglo-Saxon, pinettimele ; French, per-
wenche, Latin, pervincio, to bind thor-
oughly.) In Italy it used to be wreathed
round dead infants, and hence its Italian
name, for di morto.
Perk. To perſ; oneself. To plume
oneself on anything. (Welsh, percu, to
smarten or plume feathers, pere, neat.)
Foºt begin to perk up a bit—i.e. to get
a little fatter and more plump after an
illness. (See above.)
(See PERURE.)
Perku'nos. God of the elements.
The Sclavonic Trinity was Perku'nos,
Bikollos, and Potrimpos. (Grimm :
Leutsche Mythologie.)
Perm'ian Strata. So called from
-Perm, in Russia, where they are most—
distinctly developed.
Pernelle (Madame). A scolding old
woman in Molière's Tartuffe.
Perpendiculars. Parties called
crushes, in which persons have to stand
almost stationary from the time of
entering the suite of rooms to the time
of leaving them.
“The night before I duly attended my mother
to three fashionable crowds, “1)erpendiculars'
is the best name for them, for there is seldom
more than standing room.”— Edna Lyall : Domvo-
'vaº, chap. ix.
Perpet'ual Motion. Restlessness;
fidgety or nervous disquiet ; also a
chimerical scheme wholly impracticable.
Many have tried to invent a machine
that shall move of itself, and never stop :
but, as all materials must suffer from
wear and tear, it is evident that such an
invention is impossible.
“It were better to be eaten to death with rust,
than to be scoured to nothing with perpetual
motion.”—Shakespect?‘e : 2 Henry IV., i. 2.
Pers. Persia; called Fars. (French,
Perse.)
Persecutions (The ten great). (1)
Under Nero, A.D. 64; (2) Domitian, 95;
(3) Trajan, 98 ; (4) Hadrian, 118; (5)
Pertinax, 202, chiefly in Egypt; (6)
Maximin, 236; (7) Decius, 249; (8)
Valerian, 257; (9) Aurelian, 272; (10)
Diocletian, 302.
“It would be well if these were the only reli-
giQuS persecutions ; but. alas ! those on the other
Side prove the truth of the Founder : “I came not
to send peace [on earth]... but a sword ” (Matt X.
34). Witness the long and relentless persecutions
Of the Waldenses and Albigenses, the six or seven
grusades, the wars of Charlemagne against the
Saxons, and the thirty years' war of Germany.
Witness, again, the persecution of the Guises, the
Bartholomew slaughter, the wars of Louis X
On the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, the
Dragonnades, and the wars against Holland.
Witness the bitter 1 ersecutions stirred up by
Luther, which spread to England and Scotland.
No Wars So lasting, so relentless, so bloody as re-
ligious wars. It has been no thin red line.
Persep'olis, called by the Persians
“The Throne of Jam-sheid,” by whom
it was founded. Jam-sheid removed
the seat of government from Balk to
Istakhar.
. Per'seus (2 Syl.). A bronze statue
in the Loggia dei Lanzi, at Florence.
The best work of Benvenuto Cellini
(1500-1562).
IPerSevere
964
IPeter
Perseus’ flying horse. A ship.
“Perseus conquered the head of Medu/sa, and
did make Peg'ase, the most swift ship, which he
always calls Perseus' flying horse.”—DeStruction
of Troy.
“The strong-ribbed hark through liquid moun-
tàill S Cut . . .
Like Perseus' horse.” -
Shakespeare : Troilets and Cressida, i. 3.
Perseve're (3 syl.). This word comes .
from an obsolete Latin verb, sevåro (to
stick rigidly); hence Sevérus (severe or
rigid). Asseverate is to stick rigidly to
what you say ; persevere is to stick
rigidly to what you undertake till you
have accomplished it. (Per-Sevéro.)
Persian Alexander (The). Sandjar
(1117-1158). (See ALEXANDER.)
Persian Bucepha/los (The). Sheb-
diz, the charger of Chosroes Parviz. (See
BUCEPHALOS.)
Person (Latin, persona, a mask ; per-
sona/tt08, one who wears a mask, an
actor). A “person’’ is one who imper-
sonates a character. Shakespeare says,
“All the world’s a stage, and all the
men and women merely players ” or per-
sons. When we speak of the ‘‘person
of the Deity '' we mean the same thing,
the character represented, as that of the
Eather, or that of the Son, or that of the
Holy Ghost. There is no more notion of
corporeality connected with the word
than there is any assumption of the body
of Hamlet when an actor impersonates
that character.
Persona Grata (Latin). An ac-
ceptable person ; One liked.
“The Count [Münster] is not a persona grata at
court, as the royal family did not relish the course
he took in Hanoverian affairs in 1866.”—Truth,
October 22nd, 1885.
Perth is Celtic for a bush. The
county of Perth is the county of bushes.
Fair Maid of Perth. Catherine Glover,
daughter of Simon Glover, glover, of
Perth. Her lover is Henry Gow, alias
Henry Smith, alias Gow Chrom, alias
Hal of the Wynd, the armourer, foster-
son of Dame Shoolbred. (Sir Walter
Scott : Fair Maid of Perth.)
The Five Articles of Perth were those
passed in 1618 by order of James VI.,
enjoining the attitude of kneeling to
receive the elements; the observance of
Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and
Pentecost; the right of confirmation,
etc. They were ratified August 4, 1621,
called Black Saturday, and condemned
in the General Assembly of Glasgow in
1638.
Peru. That’s Wºot JPerºſ,
something utterly worthless.
Said of
A French
expression, founded on the notion that
Peru is the El Dorado of the world.
Peru'vian Bark, called also Jesuit’s
JBark, because it was introduced into
Spain by the Jesuits. “Quinine,” from
the same tree, is called by the Indians
quinquina. (See CINCHONA.)
Peruke or Periwig. Menage in-
geniously derives these words from the
Latin pilºts (“‘hair”). Thus, pilus, pelus,
pelu'tats, pelu'ticus, pelutica, peru'a, per-
Yºgºte. The wigs are first mentioned in
the 16th century; in the next century
they became very large. The fashion
began to wane in the reign of George
III. Periwig is a corrupt form of the
French word perrugue.
Pescec'ola. The famous swimmer
drowned in the pool of Charybdis. The
tale says he dived once into the pool,
and was quite satisfied with its horrors
and wonders; but the King Frederick
then tossed in a golden Cup, which Pes-
cecola dived for, and was never seen
again. (See Schiller's Diver.)
Pess'imist. One who fancies every-
thing is as bad as possible. (Latin,
pess'imits, the worst.)
Petard'. Hoist on his own petard.
Caught in his own trap, involved in the
danger he meant for others. The petard
was a conical instrument of war em-
ployed at one time for blowing, open
gates with gunpowder. The engineers
used to carry the petard to the place
they intended to blow up, and fire it at
the small end by a fusee. Shakespeare
spells the word petar : “”Tis the sport to
have the engineer hoist with his own
petar.” (Hamlet, ii. 4.)
“Turning the muzzles of the guns Magdala-
wards, and getting a piece of lighted rope [the
party], blazed away as vigorously as possible ... .
and tried to hoist. Theodore On his Own petal’d.”—
Laily paper.
Petaud. 'Tis the court of King
Petaud, where everyone is master. There
is no order or discipline at all. This is
a French proverb. Petaud is a cor-
ruption of peto (I beg), , and King
Petaud means king of the beggars, in
whose court all are equal. (See AL-
SATIA.)
Peter. (See BLUE PETER.)
Great Peter. A bell in York Minster,
weighing 10% tons, and hung in 1845.
Lord Peter. The Pope in Swift's
Tale of a Tub.
Rob Peter to pay Paul. (See ROBBING...)
St. Peter. Patron saint of fishers and
fishmongers, being himself a fisher-
Iſlalle
Peter Botte Mountain
965
Petitio frincipii
St. Peter, in Christian art, is repre-
sented as an old man, bald, but with a
flowing beard; he is usually dressed in a
white mantle and blue tunic, and holds
in his hand a book or scroll. His pecu-
liar symbols are the keys, and a sword,
the instrument of his martyrdom.
He has got St. Peter’s fingers—i.e. the
fingers of a thief. The allusion is to the
fish caught by St. Peter with a piece of
money in its mouth. They say that a
thief has a fish-hook on every finger.
Peter Botte Mountain, in the is-
land of Mauritius ; so called from a
Dutchman who scaled its summit, but
lost his life in coming down. It is a
rugged cone, more than 2,800 feet in
height.
Peter Parley. The 770m de plume of
Samuel G. Goodrich, an American
(1793-1860).
Peter Peebles. Peter Peebles' Law-
suit. In Sir Walter Scott’s novel of
Redgauntlet. Peter is a litigious hard-
hearted drunkard, poor as a church-
mouse, and a liar to the backbone. His
“ganging plea" is Hogarthian comic,
as Carlyle says.
Peter-pence. An annual tribute of
one penny, paid at the feast of St. Peter
to the see of Rome. At one time it was
collected from every family, but after-
wards it was restricted to those “who
had the value of thirty pence in quick or
live stock.” This tax was collected in
England from 740 till it was abolished
by Henry VIII.
Peter Pindar. The nom de plume
of Dr. John Wolcot (JVool-emºt), of Dod-
brooke, Devonshire. (1738-1819.)
Peter Porcupine. William Cob-
bett, when he was a Tory. We have
Peter Porcupine’s Gazette and the Porcat-
pine Papers, in twelve volumes. (1762–
1835.)
Peter Wilkins was written by
Robert Pultock, of Clifford’s Inn, and
sold to Dodsley, the publisher, for £20.
Peter of Provence came into pos-
session of Merlin's wooden horse. There
is a French romance called Peter of
Provence and the Fair Magalo'na, the
chief incidents of which are connected
with this flying charger.
Peter the Great of Russia, built
St. Petersburg, and gave Russia a place
among the nations of Europe. He laid
aside his crown and Sceptre, came to
England, and worked as a common
labourer in our dockyards, that he might
teach his subjects how to build ships.
Peter the Hermit (in Tasso), “the
holy author of the crusade’’ (bk. i.).
It is said that six millions of persons
—assumed the cross at his preaching,
Peter the Wild Boy, found 1725 in
a wood near Hameln, in Hanover, at
the supposed age of thirteen.
1785.)
Peterboat. A boat made to go
either way, the stem and stern being
|both alike.
Peterborough (Northamptonshire).
So called from the monastery of St.
Peter, founded in 655. Tracts relating
to this monastery are published in
Sparke's collection.
Peterloo. The dispersal of a large
meeting in St. Peter's Field, Man-
chester, by an armed force, August 16th,
1819. The assemblage consisted of
operatives, and the question was par-
liamentary reform. The word, suggested
by Hunt, is a parody upon what he ab-
surdly called “the bloody butchers of
Waterloo.”
It is a most craggerated phrase. The massacre
consisted of six persons accidentally killed by
the rush of the crowd, when the military and
some 400 special constables appeared on the field.
Petit-Maitre, A fop ; a lad who
assumes the manners, dress, and affecta-
tions of a man. The term arose before
the Revolution, when a great dignitary
was styled a grand-maître, and a preten-
tious one a petit-maître.
Petit Serjeantry. Holding lands
of the Crown by the service of rendering
annually some Small implement of war,
as a bow, a sword, a lance, a flag, an
arrow, and the like. Thus the Duke
of Wellington holds his country seat
at Strathfieldsaye and Apsley House,
London, by presenting a flag annually
to the Crown on the al nºversary of the
battle of Waterloo. The flag is hung in
the guard-room of the state apartments
of Windsor Castle till the next anniver-
sary, when it becomes the perquisite of
the officer of the guard. The Duke of
Marlborough presents also a flag on the
anniversary of the battle of Blenheim.
for his estate at Blenheim. This also is
placed in the guard-room of Windsor
Castle.
Petitio Princip'ii (A). A begging
of the question, or assuming in the pre-
mises the question you undertake to
prove. Thus, if a person undertook to
(Died
Betitioners 966
prove the infallibility of the pope, and
were to take for his premises—(1) Jesus
Christ promised to keep the apostles and
their successors in all the truth ; (2) the
popes are the regular successors of the
apostles, and therefore the popes are
infallible—it would be a vicious syllo-
gism from a petitio principii.
Petitioners and Abhorrers. Two
political parties in the reign of Charles
II. When that monarch was first re-
stored he used to grant everything he
was asked for ; but after a time this be-
came a great evil, and Charles enjoined
his loving subjects to discontinue their
practice of “petitioning.” Those who
agreed with the king, and disapproved
of petitioning, were called Abhorrers ;
those who were favourable to the
objectionable practice were nicknamed
Petitioners.
Petrarch. The English Petrarch.
Sir Philip Sidney; so called by Sir
Walter Raleigh. Cowper styles him
“the warbler of poetic prose.” (1554-
1586.)
Pet’rel. The stormy petrel. So
named, according to tradition, from the
Italian Petrello (little Peter), in allusion
to St. Peter, who walked on the sea.
Our sailors call them “Mother Carey's
chickens.” They are called stormy be-
cause in a gale they surround a ship to
catch small animals which rise to the
surface of the rough sea; when the gale
ceases they are no longer Seen.
Petrified (3 syl.). The petrified city.
Ishmonie, in Upper Egypt, is so called
from the number of petrified bodies of
men, women, and children to be seen
there. (Latin, petra-fio, to become
rock.)
Petrobrus'sians or IPetrobrus'ians.
A religious sect, founded in 1110, and so
called from Peter Bruys, a Provençal.
He declaimed against churches, asserting
that a stable was as good as a cathedral
for worship, and a manger equal to an
altar. He also declaimed against the
use of crucifixes.
Pet'ronel. Sir Petronel Flash. A
braggadocio, a tongue-doughty Warrior.
“Give your scholler degrees and your lawyer
his fees, - -
And some dice for Sir Petronell Flash."
JBrit. Bibl.
Petru'chio. A gentleman of Verona
who undertakes to tame the haughty
Ratharine, called the Shrew. He marries
her, and without the least personal
chastisement brings her to lamb-like
12haeton
submission. (Shakespeare: Taming of
the Shrew.)
Petticoat. A woman.
“There's a petticoat will prove to be the cause
of this.”—Hawley Smart : Struck Down, chap. xi,
Petticoat Government. Female rule.
Petticoat and Gown. The dress.
When the gown was looped up, the
petticoat was an important item of dress.
The poppy is said to have a red petti-
coat and a green gown ; the daffodil, a
yellow petticoat and green gown ; a
candle, a white petticoat; and so on in
our common nursery rhymes— -
1 “The king's daughter is coming to town,
With a red pettigoat and a green gown.”
2 “Daffadown dilly is now come to town,
In a yellow petticoat and a green gown.”
Petto. In petto. In secrecy, in re-
serve (Italian, in the breast). The pope
creates cardinals in petto—i.e. in his own
mind—and keeps the appointment to
himself, till he thinks proper to an-
nounce it. - -
... “Belgium, a department of France in) petfo-i.e.
in the intention of the people.”—The Herald, 1837.
Petty Cu'ry (Cambridge) means “The
Street of Cooks.” It is called Parra
Coke'ria in a deed dated 13 Edward III.
Probably at One time it was part of the
Market Hall. It is a mistake to derive
Cury from Ecurie. Dr. Pegge derives it
from cºtra're, to cure or dress food.
Peutinge'rian Map. A map of
the roads of the ancient Roman world,
constructed in the time of Alexander
Seve'rus (A.D. 226), made known to us
by Conrad Peutinger, of Augsburg.
Peveril of the Peak. Sir Geoffrey
the Cavalier, and Lady Margaret his
wife; Julian Peveril, their son, in love
with Alice Bridgenorth, daughter of
Major Bridgenorth, a Roundhead; and
William Peveril, natural son of William
the Conqueror, ancestor of Sir Geoffrey.
(Sir IWalter Scott : Peveril of the Peak.)
Pewter. To Scott, the pewter. To do
one’s work.
“But if she neatly Scour her rewter,
Giye her the money that is due tº her.”
King : Orpheus (únd Eurydice.
Phaedria [wanton??ess]. Handmaid
of Acrasia the enchantress. She sails
about Idle Lake in a gondola. Seeing
Sir Guyon she ferries him across the lake
to the floating island, where Cymoch’les
attacks him. Phaedria interposes, the
combatants desist, and the little wanton
ferries the knight Temperance over the
lake again. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, ii.)
Pha'eton. The son of Phoebus, who
undertook to drive the chariot of the
Thalanx
sun, was upset, and caused great mis-
chief; Libya was parched into barren
sands, and all Africa was more or less
injured, the inhabitants blackened, and
vegetation nearly destroyed.
“ Gallop apace, you fiery-footed Steeds,
Töwards Phoebus' mansion ; such a Waggoner T
As Phaeton would whip you to the West,
And bring in cloudy night immediately."...
Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet, iii. 2.
Pha'eton. A sort of carriage ; SO called
from the sun-car driven by Phaeton.
(See above.)
Phaeton’s bird. The swan. Cyenus
was the friend of Phaeton, and lamented
his fate so grievously that Apollo
changed her into a Swan, and placed
her among the constellations.
Phalanx. The close order of battie
in which the heavy-armed troops of a
Grecian army were usually drawn up.
Hence, any number of people distin-
guished for firmness and solidity of union.
Phal'aris. The brazen bull of Phal'-
aris. Perillos, a brass-founder of Athens,
proposed to Phal'aris, Tyrant of Agri-
gentum, to invent for him a new species
of punishment ; accordingly, he cast a
brazen bull, with a door in the side. The
victim was shut up in the bull and
roasted to death, but the throat of the
engine was so contrived that the groans
of the sufferer resembled the bellowings
of a mad bull. Phal'aris commended
the invention, and ordered its merits to
'be tested by Perillos himself.
The epistles of Phal'aris. Certain let-
ters said to have been written by Phal'-
aris, Tyrant of Agrigen'tum, in Sicily.
Boyle maintained them to be genuine,
Bentley affirmed that they were forgeries.
No doubt Bentley is right.
Phaleg, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is Mr.
IForbes, a Scotchman.
Phantom Ship. (See CARMILHAN.)
“Qr of that phantom ship, whose form
Shoots like a meteor through the storm ;
When the dark Scud comes driving hard,
And lowered is every topsail yard . . .
And well the doomed spectators know
'Tis harbinger of wreck and woe.”
Sir Walter Scott: Bolceby, ii. 11.
Phaſon. A young man greatly ill-
treated by Furor, and rescued by Sir
Guyon. He loved Claribel, but Phile-
mon, his friend, persuaded him that
Claribel was unfaithful, and, to prove his
words, told him to watch in a given
place. He saw what he thought was
Claribel holding an assignation with
what seemed to be a groom, and, rushing
forth, met the true Claribel, whom he
Slew on the Spot. Being tried for the
967
Dharaoh
murder, it came out that the groom was
IPhilemon, and the supposed Claribel
only her lady's maid. He poisoned
Phil'emon, and would have murdered
the handmaid, but she escaped, and
while he pursued her he was attacked by
Furor. This tale is to expose the intem-
perance of revenge. (SpenSer: Faërie
Queene, ii. 4, 28.)
Phar’amond. King of the Franks
and a knight of the Round Table. He
is said to have been the first king of
France. This reputed son of Marcomir
and father of Clodion, is the hero of one
of Calprenède's novels.
Phaſraoh (2 syl.). The king. It is
the Coptic article P and the word ouro
(king). There are eleven of this title
mentioned in Holy Scripture: —
i. Before Solomon’s time.
(1) The Pharaoh contemporary with
Abraham (Gen. xii. 25).
(2) The good Pharaoh who advanced
Joseph (Gen. xli.).
3) The Pharaoh who
Joseph '' (Exod. i. 8).
(4) The Pharaoh who was drowned in
the Red Sea (Exod. xiv. 28); said to be
Menephthes or Meneptah, Son of Ramſ-
eses II.
(5) The Pharaoh that protected Hadad
(1 Kings xi. 19).
(6) The Pharaoh whose daughter
Solomon married (1 Kings iii. 1; ix.
16).
ii. After Solomon's time.
(7) Pharaoh Shishak, who warred
against Rehobo'am (1 Kings xiv. 25, 26).
(8) Pharaoh Shabakok, or “So,” with
whom Hoshea made an alliance (2 Kings
xvii. 4).
(9) The Pharaoh that made a league
with Hezekiah against Sennacherib,
called Tirhākah (2 Kings xviii. 21; xix.
9).
(10) Pharaoh Necho, who warred
against Josi'ah (2 Kings xxiii. 29, etc.).
(11) Pharaoh Hophra, the ally of
Zedeki'ah (Jer. xliv. 30); said to be
Apries, who was strangled B.C. 570.
(See KING...)
* After Solomon’s time the titular
word Pharaoh is joined to a proper
Il&IIł6.
iii. Other Pharaohs of historie note.
(1) Cheops or Suphis I. (Dynasty IV.),
who built the great pyramid.
(2) Cephrenes or Suphis II.,his brother,
who built the second pyramid.
(3) Mencheres, his successor, who
#. the most beautiful pyramid of the
I'662,
“knew not
Pharaoh
968 f’haros
4) Memnon or A-menophis III.
(Dynasty XVIII.), whose musical statue
is so celebrated.
(5) Sethos I.,the Great (Dynasty XIX.),
whose tomb was discovered by Belzoni.
(6) Sethos II., called Proteus (Dynasty
XIX.), who detained Helen and Paris in
Egypt:, . . * * e
(7) Phuôris or Thuóris, who sent aid
to Priam in the siege of Troy.
(8) Rampsinibus or Rameses Nâter,
the miser (Dynasty XX.), mentioned by
FIerodótos.
(9) Osorthon IV. or Osorkon (Dynasty
XXIII.), the Egyptian Hercules.
Pharaoh, in Dryden’s satire of Abst-
lon and Achitophel, means Louis XIV.
of France.
“If Pllaraoh's doubtful Succour lie [Charles II.]
Should tiše,
foreign aid would more incense the Jews
[English nation].”
Pharaoh who Knew not Joseph.
Supposed to be Menephtah, son of
Bameses the Great. Rider Haggard
adopts this hypothesis. After Rameses
the Great came a period of confusion in
IEgypt, and it is supposed the Pharaoh
who succeeded was a usurper. No trace
of the destruction of Pharaoh and his
host has been discovered by Egyptolo-
ists.
3. His wife was Asia, daughter of Moza-
hem. Pharaoh cruelly maltreated her
for believing in Moses. He fastened her
hands and feet to four stakes, and laid a
millstone on her as she lay exposed to
the scorching sun; but God took her,
without dying, into Paradise, (Sale: Al
Koran, lxvi. note.)
Among women, four have been per-
fect: Asia, wife of Pharaoh: Mary,
daughter of Imran; Khadijah, daughter
of Khowailed (Mahomet's first wife); and
Fatima, Mahomet's daughter. Attri-
buted to Mahomet.
Pharaoh who made Joseph his
Viceroy. Supposed to be Osertesen II.
There is a tablet in the sixth year of his
reign which is thought to represent
Jacob and his household.
Pharaoh's Chicken. The Egyptian
vulture, so called from its frequent re-
presentation in Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Pharaoh's Daughter, who brought
up Moses, Bathia.
“Bathia, the daughter of Pharaoh, came, at-
tended by her maidens, and entering the water
She chanced to see the box of bulrushes, and,
Ditying the infant, she rescued him from death.”
—'I'he Talmud.
Pharian Fields, Egypt.
So called.
from Pharos, an island on the coast;
noted for its lighthouse.
“And passed from Pharian fields to Canaan
land.” ilton : Psalm criy.
Ph arise e s means “separatists”
(Heb. parash, to separate), men who
looked upon themselves as holier than
other men, and therefore refused to hold
social intercourse with them. The Tal-
mud mentions the following classes:—
(1) The “Dashers,” or “Bandy-
legged” (Nikfi), who scarcely lifted
their feet from the ground in walking,
but “dashed them against the stones,”
that people might think them absorbed
in holy thought (Matt. xxi. 44).
(2) The “Mortars,” who wore a
“‘mortier,” or cap, which would not
allow them to see the passers-by, that
their meditations might not be disturbed.
“Having eyes, they saw not ” (Mark
viii. 18).
(3) The “Bleeders,” who inserted
thorns in the borders of their gaberdines
to prick their legs in walking.
(4) The “Cryers,” or “Inquirers,”
who went about crying out, “Let me
know my duty, and I will do it” (Matt.
xix. 16-22).
(5) The “Almsgivers,” who had a
trumpet Sounded before them to summon
the poor together (Matt. vi. 2).
(6) The “Stumblers,” or “Bloody-
browed ” (Kizai), who shut their eyes
when they went abroad that they might
see no women, being “blind leaders of
the blind” (Matt. xv. 14). Our Lord
calls them “blind Pharisees,” “fools
and blind.”
(7) The “Immovables,” who stood
like statues for hours together, “praying
in the market places” (Matt. vi. 5).
(8) The “Pestle Pharisees’’ (Medin-
ſcia), who kept themselves bent double
like the handle of a pestle.
(9) The “Strong-shouldered” (Shik-
mi), who walked with their back bent as
if carrying on their shoulders the whole
burden of the law.
(10) The “Dyed Pharisees,” called by
our Lord “Whited Sepulchres,” whose
externals of devotion cloaked hypocrisy
and moral uncleanness. (Talmud of
Jerusalem, Berakoth, ix; Sota, v. 7 ;
Talmud of Babylon, Sota, 22 b.)
Pha'ros. A lighthouse ; so called
from the lighthouse built by Sostratus
Cnidius in the island of Pharos, near the
port of Alexandria, in Egypt. It was
450 feet high, and could be seen at the
distance of 100 miles. Part was blown
down in 793. This Pharos was one of

the Seven Wonders of the World.
Pharsalia.
*--——
969
Tºhilisides
Pharsa’lia. An epic in Latin hex-
ameters by Lucan. The battle of Phar-
salia was between Pompey and Caesar.
Pompey had 45,000 legionaries, 7,000
cavalry, and a large number of auxili-
aries; Caesar had 22,000 legionaries and
1,000 cavalry. Pompey’s battle-cry was
“ Hercules invictets ; ” that of Caesar was
“Peºus victºriac.” On this occasion Caesar
won the battle.
Pheasant. So called from Phasis, a
stream of the Black Sea.
“There was formerly at the fort of Poti a pre-
serve of pheasants, which birds deriye their
lèuropean name from the river Phasis (the lyre-
sent Rion).”—Lieut.-General Monteith.
Phe"be (2 syl.). A shepherdess.
(Shakespeare : As You Like It.)
Phelis, called the Fair. The wife of
Sir Guy, Earl of Warwick. (See GUY.)
Phenom'enon (plural, phenom'end)
means simply what has appeared (Greek,
phainomai, to appear). It is used in
science to express the visible result of an
experiment. ... In popular language it
means a prodigy. (Greek, phaiºloménon.)
Phid'ias. The French Phidias. Jean
Goujon (1510-1572); also called the
Correggio of sculptors. (2) J. B. Pigalle
(1714-1785).
Phiga'lian Marbles. A Series of
twenty-three sculptures in alto-relievo,
discovered in 1812 at Phiga'lia, in Ar-
ca'dia, and in 1814 purchased for the
British Museum. They represent the
combat of the Centaurs and Lapithae,
and that of the Greeks and Am’azons.
They are part of the “Elgin Marbles”
(q.v.).
Philadelphia Stones, called Chris-
tian Bones. It is said that the walls of
Philadelphia, in Turkey, were built of
the bones of Christians killed in the Holy
Wars. This idle tale has gained credit
from the nature of the stones, full of
pores and very light, not unlike petrified
bones. Similar incrustations are found
at Knaresborough and elsewhere.
Philan'der (in Orlando Furioso).
sort of Joseph. (See GABRINA.)
Philan'dering. Coquetting with a
woman; paying court, and leading her
to think you love her, but never declar-
ing your preference. The word is coined
from Philander, the Dutch knight who
coquetted with Gabri'na (ſ.v.).
Philanthropist (The). John How-
ard, who spent much of his life in visiting
the prisons and hospitals of Europe.
(1726-1790.) (Greek, phil-anthrôpos.)
A.
Phile'mon and Baucis entertained
Jupiter and Mercury when everyone else
refused them hospitality. Being asked
to make a request, they begged that they
might both die at the same time. When
they were very old, Philemon was
changed into an oak, and Baucis into a
linden tree. (Ovid. Metamorphoses, iii.
631, etc.)
Philip. Philip, remember thout art
ſmortal. A sentence repeated to the
Macedonian king every time he gave an
audience.
Philip sober. When a woman who
asked Philip of Macedon to do her jus-
tice was snubbed by the petulant mon-
arch, she exclaimed, “Philip, I shall
appeal against this judgment.” “Ap-
peal l’” thundered the enraged king,
“ and to whom will you appeal?” “To
Bhilip sober,” was her reply.
St. Philip is usually represented bear-
ing a large cross, or a basket containing
loaves, in allusion to St. John vi. 5-7.
Philip Nye (in Hudibras). One of
the assembly of Dissenting ministers,
noted for his ugly beard.
Philip Quarl. A castaway sailor,
solaced on a desert island by a monkey.
Imitation of Robinson Crusoe. (1727.)
Philippe Égalité. Louis Philippe
Joseph, Duc d’Orléans (1747-1793).
Philip'pic. A severe scolding; an
invective. So called from the orations
of Demosthenes against Philip of Mace-
don, to rouse the Athenians to resist his
encroachments. The orations of Cicero
against Anthony are called “Philip-
pics.”
Philip'pins. A Russian sect; so
called from the founder, Philip Pusto-
swiát. They are called Old Faith Men,
because they cling with tenacity to the
old service books, old version of the
Bible, old hymn-book, old prayer-book,
and all customs previous to the reforms
of Nekon, in the 17th century.
Philips (John), author of The Splendid
Shilling, wrote a georgic on Cider in
blank verse—a serious poem modelled
upon Milton's epics.
“Philips, Pomona's hard, the second thou
Who nobly durst, in rhyme-unfettered verse.
With British freedom sing the British song.”
ThomlSO?? - Aºttum m.
Philisides (4 syl.). Philip Sidney
(Phili” Sid). Spenser uses the word in
the Pastoral Mºglogue on the Death of Sir
Philip.
“Philisides is dead.”
Tºhilistines
9
a y
{
0
Bhilosopher's Stone
Philistines, meaning the ill-behaved
and ignorant. The word so applied
arose in Germany from the Charlies or
Philisters, who were in everlasting colli-
sion with the students; and in these
“town and gown rows” identified them-
selves with the town, called in our uni-
versities “the snobs.” Matthew Arnold,
in the Cornhill Magazine, applied the
term Philistine to the middle class, which
he says is “ignorant, narrow-minded,
and deficient in great ideas,” insomuch
that the middle-class English are objects
of contempt in the eyes of foreigners.
Philis'tines (3 syl.). Earwigs and
other insect tormentors are so called in
Norfolk. Bailiffs, constables, etc. “The
Philistines are upon thee, Samson’’
(Judges xvi.).
Philis' tinism. A cynical indifference
and supercilious sneering at religion.
The allusion is to the Philistines of
Palestine.
Phillis. A play written in Spanish
by Lupercio Leonardo of Argensola.
(See Don Quiacote, vol. iii. p. 70.)
Philoc'lea, in Sidney’s Arcadia, is
Lady Penelope Devereux, with whom
he was in love; but the lady married
another, and Sir Philip transferred his
affections to Frances, eldest daughter of
Sir Francis Walsingham.
Philo c te’t es. The most famous
archer in the Trojan war, to whom
Hercules, at death, gave his arrows.
He joined the allied Greeks, with seven
ships, but in the island of Lemnos, his
foot being bitten by a serpent, ulcerated,
and became so offensive that the Greeks
left him behind. In the tenth year of
the siege Ulysses commanded that he
should be sent for, as an oracle had de-
clared that Troy could not be taken
without the arrows of Herculés. Phil-
octetés accordingly went to Troy, slew
Paris, and Troy fell.
* The Philoctetàs of Sophoclés is one
of the most famous Greek tragedies.
Laharpe wrote a French tragedy, and
Warren, in 1871, a metrical drama. On
the same subject.
Phil'ome1 or Philome'1a. (See
NIGHTINGALE.)
Philome'ius. The Druid bard that
accompanied Sir Industry to the Castle
of Indolence. (Thomson, canto ii. 34.)
Philopoemen, general of the Achaean
league, made Epaminondas his model.
He slew Mechan'idas, tyrant of Sparta,
and was himself killed by poison.
Philos'opher. The Sages of Greece
used to be called Sophoi (wise men), but
Pythag'oras thought the word too arro-
gant, and adopted the compound philo-
soph'oi (lover of wisdom), whence “philo-
sopher,” one who courts or loves
wisdom.
Philosopher. “There was never yet
philosopher who could endure the tooth-
ache patiently, however they have writ
the style of gods, and made a push at
chance and sufferance.” (Shakespeare:
Much Ado About Nothing, v. 1.) .
The Philosopher. Marcus Aure'lius
Antoni'nus is so called by Justin Martyr.
(121, 161-180.)
Leo VI., Emperor of the East. (866,
886–911.) -
Porphyry, the Antichristian. (233-
305.
The Philosopher of China. Confucius.
His mother called him Little Hillock,
from a knob on the top of his head.
(B.C. 551-479.)
The Philosopher of Ferney. Voltaire;
so called from his château of Ferney,
near Geneva. (1694-1778.)
The Philsopher of Malmesbury. Thomas
Hobbes, author of Leviathan. (1588–
1679.)
The Philosopher of Persia. Abou Ebn
Sina, of Shiraz. (Died 1037.)
The Philosopher of Samosa'ta. Lucan.
“Just such another feast, as was that of the
Lapſthaa, described by the philosopher of Sanio-
Sata.”—Rabelais : Pantagruel, book iv. 15.
The Philosopher of Sans-Souci'. Fred-
erick the Great (1712, 1740-1786).
The Philosopher of Wimbledon. John
Horne Took, author of Diversions of
Purley. (1736-1812.)
Philosopher with the Golden
Thigh. Pythagoras. General Zelislaus
had a golden hand, which was given
him by Bolislaus III. when he lost his
right hand in battle. , Nuad had an
artificial hand made of silver by Cred.
“Quite discard the symbol ºf the old philo-
sopher with the golden thigh.”—Rabelais : Pan-
tagruel (Prologue to book V.).
Philosopher's Egg (The). A pre-
servative against poison, and a cure for
the plague; a panacea. The shell of a
new egg being pricked, the white is
blown out, and the place filled with
saffron or a yolk of an egg mixed with
saffron,
Philosopher's Stone. The Way to
wealth. The ancient alchemists thought
there was a substance which would
Philosopher's Tree
971 Tºhilter
convert all baser metals into gold. This
substance they called the philosopher’s
stone. Here the word stone is about
equal to the word substratum, which is
compounded of the Latin sub and stratus
(spread-under), the latter being related
to the verb stand, stood, and meaning
something on which the experiment
stands. It was, in fact, a red powder or
amalgam to drive off the impurities of
baser metals. (Stone, Saxon, stan.)
I’hilosopher’s stone. According to
legend, Noah was commanded to hang
up the true and genuine philosopher's
stone in the ark, to give light to every
living creature therein.
Intentions discovered in searching for
the philosopher’s stone. It was in search-
ing for this treasure that Bötticher
stumbled on the invention of Dresden
porcelain manufacture ; Roger Bacon on
the composition of gunpowder ; Geber
on the properties of acids; Van Helmont
on the nature of gas; and Dr. Glauber
on the “salts'’ which bear his name.
Philosopher's Tree (The), or Diana’s
tree. An amalgam of crystallised silver,
obtained from mercury in a solution of
silver; so called by the alchemists, with
whom Diana stood for silver.
IPhilosophers.
The Seven Sages or Wise Men of Greece.
Thalès, Solon, Chilon, Pittacos, Bias,
Cleobu'los, Periander ; to which add
Sosi'adès, Anacharsis the Scythian, My-
son the Spartan, Epimen'idés the Cretan,
and Pherecy'des of Syros.
Philosophers of the Acade/mic sect.
Plato, Speusippos, Xenocratēs, Pole-
mon, Cratés, Crantor, Arcesila'os, Care'-
adès, Clitom'achos, Philo, and Anti-
Ochos.
Philosophers of the Cynic sect. Antis'-
thenès, Diog'enès of Sinopé, Mon’imos,
Onesic'ritos, Cratés, Metroc'lés, Hippar'-
chia, Menippos, and Menede'mos of
Lamps'acos.
Philosophers of the Cyrena'ic sect.
Aristippos, Hege'sías, Annic'eris, Theo-
do' ros, and Bion.
Philosophers of the Eleac or Eret"riae
sect. Phaedo, Plis'thenès, and Menede'-
mos of Eret'ria.
Philosophers of the Eleatie sect. Xen-
oph'anes, Parmen'idés, Melissos, Zeno of
Tarsos, Leucippos, Democ'ritos, Pro-
tagoras, and Anaxarchos. w
Philosophers of the Epicure'an séct.
Epicu'ros, and a host of disciples.
Philosophers of the Heraeli'tan sect.
Heraclitos; the names of his disciples
are unknown.
Philosophers of the Ionic sect. Anaxi-
mander, Anaxim'enés, Anaxagoras, and
Archela'os.
Philosophers of the Italic sect. Pythagſ-
oras, Emped'oclés, Epicharmos, Archy'-
tas, Alcmaeon, Hip'pasos, Philola'os, and
Eudoxos.
Philosophers of the Megar'ie sect.
Euclid, Eubu'lidès, Alex'inos, Euphantos,
Apollo'nios, Chron'os, Diodo'ros, Ich'-
thyas, Clinom'achos, and Stilpo.
Philosophers of the Peripatei'ic sect.
Aristotle, Theophrastos, Straton, Lyco,
Aristo, Critola'os, and Diodo'ros.
Philosophers of the Sceptic sect. Pyrrho
and Timon. -
Philosophers of the Socratic sect. Soc'-
ratés, Xen'ophon, Æs'chinës, Crito,
Simon, Glauco, Simmias, and Ce’bës.
I’hilosophers of the Stoic sect. Zeno,
Cleanthès, Chrysippos, Zeno the Less,
Diog'enes of Babylon, Antip’ater, Pante-
tios, and Posido'nios.
Philosophy. Father of Philosophy.
Albrecht von Haller, of Berne. (1708-
1777.)
Philot'imé. The word means lover of
honour. The presiding Queen of Hell,
and daughter of Mammon. (Spence,' .
I’aérie Queene, ii.)
“And fair Philotimé, the rightly hight,
The fairest Wight that wonneth under sky.”.
B()()k ii. Canto Wii.
Philox'enos of Cythera. A most
distinguished dithyrambic poet. He was
invited to the court of Dionysius of
Syracuse, who placed some poems in his
hand to correct. Philoxenos said the
only thing to do was to run a line
through them and put them in the fire.
For this frankness he was cast into
prison, but, being released, he retired
to Ephesus. The case of Voltaire and
Frederick II. the Great of Prussia is an
exact parallel.
“Bolder than Philoxenus,
IDOW. In the Veil of truth I to al’.”
A mat?d Charlemagne : les Grandes ſerités.
Philox'enos of Leucadia. A great
epicure, who wished he had the neck of
a crane, that he might enjoy the taste of
his food the longer. (Aristotle: Ethics,
iii. 10.)
Philt'er (A). A draught or charm to
incite in another the passion of love.
The Thessalian philters were the most
renowned, but both the Greeks and
Romans used these dangerous potions,
which sometimes produced insanity.
Lucre'tius is said to have been driven
mad by a love-potion, and Calig’ula's
death is attributed to some philters
Thirleus
administered to him by his wife, Cae-
so'nia. Brabantio says to Othello—
“Thou hast practised on lier [Desdemona] with
foul charms, - -
Abused her delicate youth with drugs or min-
el’a, IS
That weaken motion.” --
Shakespeare: Othello, i. 1.
: (“Philter,” Greek, philtron, philos,
loving )
Phi'neus (2 syl.). A blind king of
Thrace, who had the gift of prophecy.
Whenever he wanted to eat, the Harpies
came and took away or defiled his food.
“ Blind Than1/yris, and blind Moeonidés,
And Tire's;as, and Phi'neus, prophets old.”
Millom, : 1 (tradise Lost, iii. 34.
Phiz, the face, is a contraction of
physiognomy.
Phiz. Hablot K. Browne, who illus-
trated the Pickwick Papers, etc.
Phleg'ethon. A river of liquid fire
in Hadès. (Greek, phlego, to burn.)
“Fierce Plylegethon,
Whose Waves of torrent fire inflame with rage.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, ii.
Phleg'ra, in Macedonia, was where
the giants attacked the gods. Encel’ados
was the chief of the giants.
Phlogiston. The principle or ele-
ment of heat, according to Stahl. When
latent the effect is imperceptible, but
when operative it produces all the
effects of heat from warmth to com-
bustion. Of course, this theory has long
been exploded. (Greek, phlogis' tom, in-
flammable.)
Phocensian Despair. Desperation
which terminates in victory. In the
days of Philip, King of Macedon, the
men of Phocis had to defend themselves
single-handed against the united forces
of all their neighbours, because they
presumed to plough a sacred field
belonging to Delphi. The Phocensians
suggested that they should make a huge
pile, and that all the women and
children should join the men in one vast
human sacrifice. The pile was made,
and everything was ready, but the men
of Phocis, before mounting the pile,
rushed in desperation on the foe, and
obtained a signal victory.
Pho'cion, surnamed The Good, who
resisted all the bribes of Alexander and
his successor. It was this real patriot
who told Alexander to turn his arms
against Persia, their common enemy,
rather than against the states of Greece,
his natural allies.
“Phocion the Good, in public life severe,
To Virtue Still inexorably firm.” -
ThomsOn Winter.
As
9
Phoenix Period
Phoebe. The moon, sister of Phoebus.
Phoebus. The sun or sun-god.
In Greek mythology Apollo is called
Bhoebos (the sun-god), from the Greek
verb phao (to shine).
“The rays divine of Yernal Phoebus shine’’
Thomson : Spring.
Phoenix. Said to live a certain
number of years, when it makes in
Arabia, a nest of spices, sings a melo-
dious dirge, flaps his wings to set fire to
the pile, burns itself to ashes, and comes
forth with new life, to repeat the former
one. (See PHOENIX PERIOD.)
“The enchanted pile of that lonely bird,
Who, sings at the last his own death-lay,
And in music and perfume dies away.”
Thomas Moore : Paradise and the Peri.
Phoenia, as a sign over chemists’ shops,
was adopted from the association of this
fabulous bird with alchemy. Paracelsus
wrote about it, and several of the al-
chemists employed it to symbolise their
vocation.
A phonia, among women. A phoenic of
his kind. A paragon, unique ; because
there was but one phoenix at a time.
“If she be furnished with a mind so rare,
She is alone the Arabian bird.”
Shakespeare: Cymbeline, i. 7.
The Spanish Phoenix. Lope de Vega
is so called by G. H. Lewes.
“Insigne poeta, a cuyo Yerso Q prosa
Ninguno le a Ventaja ni aun Mega.”
Phoenix Alley (London). The alley
leading to the . Phoenix theatre, now
called Drury Lane.
Phoenix Park (Dublin). A corrup-
tion of the Gaelic Fion-uise (fair water),
so called from a spring at One time re-
sorted to as a chalybeate Spa.
Phoenix Period or Cycle, generally
supposed to be 500 years; Tacitus tells
us it was 250 years; R. Stuart Poole
that it was 1,460 Julian years, like the
Sothic Cycle ; and Lipsius that it was
1,500 years. Now, the phoenix is said
to have appeared in Egypt five times:
(1) in the reign of Sesostris; (2) in the
reign of Am-asis; (3) in the reign of
Ptolemy Philadelphos; (4) a year or two
prior to the death of Tiberius; and (5) in
A.D. 334, during the reign of Constantine.
These dates being accepted, a Phoenix
Cycle consists of 300 years: thus,
Sesostris, B.C. 866; Am-asis, B.C. 566;
Ptolemy, B.C. 266; Tiberius, A.D. 34;
Constantine, A.D. 334. In corroboration
of this suggestion it must be borne in
mind that Jesus Christ, who died A.D. 34,
is termed the Phoenia: by monastic writers.
Tacitus mentions the first three of these
appearances. (Annales, vi. 28.)
IPhoenix. Theatre
973
Tiarists
Phoenix Theatre. (See PHOENIX
ALLEY.)
Phoenix Tree. The palm. In
Greek, phoinia, means both phoenix and
palm-tree.
– "Now-T will helieve . . . that in Arabia.
There is one tree, the phoenix' throne–Onc
phoenix -
At this hour reigneth there.”. * * *
Shakespeare : The Tempest, iii. 3.
Phoo’ixa, or Pooka. A spirit of most
malignant disposition, who hurries people
to their destruction. He sometimes
comes in the form of an eagle, and some-
times in that of a horse, like the Scotch
kelpie (q.v.). (Irish Superstition.)
Phor'cos. “The old man of the
sea.” He was the father of the three
Graiae, who were grey from their birth,
and had but one eye and one tooth
common to the three. (Greek myth-
oloſſy.)
Phor'mio. A parasite who accom-
modates himself to the humour of every-
one. (Terence : Phormio.)
Phryg'ians. An early Christian sect,
so called from Phrygia, where they
abounded. They regarded Montanus as
their prophet, and laid claim to the spirit
of prophecy.
Phry'ne (2 syl.). A courtesan or
Athenian hetaera. She acquired so
much wealth by her beauty that she
offered to rebuild the walls of Thebes if
she might put on them this inscription:
“Alexander destroyed them, but Phryně
the hetaera rebuilt them.” The Cridian
Venus of Praxit'elès was taken from this
courtesan. Apelles' picture of Venus
Jęising from the Sea was partly from his
wife Campaspe, and partly from Phrynē,
who entered the sea, with dishevelled hair
as a model.
Phylac"tery. A charm or amulet.
The Jews wore on their wrist or forehead
a slip of parchment bearing a text of
Scripture. Strictly speaking, a phylac-
tery consisted of four pieces of parch-
ment, encloscd in two black leather cases,
and fastened to the forehead or wrist of
the left hand. One case contained Ex.
xiii. 1-10, 11-16; and the other case,
Deut. vi. 4-9, xi. 13–21. The idea
arose from the command of Moses,
“Therefore shall ye lay up these my
words in your heart . . . and bind them
for a sign upon your hand . . . as front-
lets between your eyes” (Deut. xi. 18).
(Greek, phylactérion, from the verb
phylasso, to watch.) -
Phyllis. A country girl. (Pirgil:
| Eclogues, iii. and V.)
“Country messes,
Which the neat-handed Phyllis dresses.”
Multon : L'Allegro.
Phyllis and Brunetta. Rival beauties
—who for a long time vied with each other
on equal terms. For a certain festival
Phyllis procured some marvellous fabric
of gold brocade to outshine her rival;
but Brunetta, dressed the slave who bore
her train in the same material, clothing
herself in simple black. Upon this
crushing mortification Phyllis went home
and died. (Spectator.)
Phyllising the Fair. Philandering
—making soft speeches and winning
faces at them. Garth says of Dr. Atter-
bury—
“He passed his easy hours, instead of prayer,
ln madrigals and phyllising the fair.”
The Dispensary, i.
Phymnod'deree [the Hairy-one]. A
Manx spirit, similar to the Scotch
“brownie,” and German “kobold.” He
is said to be an outlawed fairy, and the
offence was this : He absented himself
without leave from Fairy-court on the
great levée-day of the Harvest-moon,
being in the glen of Rushen, dancing
with a pretty Manx maid whom he was
courting.
Physician. The Belored Physician.
Lucius, supposed to be St. Luke, the
evangelist (Col. iv. 14).
The Prince of Physicians.
the Arabian (980-1037).
Physician or Fool. Plutarch, in his
treatise O), the Preservation of Iſealth,
tells us that Tiberius was wont to say,
“A man of thirty is his own physician or
a fool.”
Physician, heal Thyself. “First
cast out the beam from thine own eye,
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast
out the mote which is in thy brother’s
eye.”
Physigna'thos [one who swells the
cheeks]. King of the Frogs, and son of
Pelus [mud], slain by Troxartas, the
Mouse-king.
“Great Physignathos I, from Peleus' race,
Begot in fair Hydromede's embrace, * *
Where, by the nuptial bank that pºints his side,
The swift, Erid’anus delights to glide.
Parnell ; Battle of the Frogs, Đk, i.
Pi'arists, or Brethren of the Pious
School. A religious congregation founded
in the 16th century by Joseph of Cala-
Sanza, for the better instruction and
education of the middle and higher
classes. -
Avicenna,
Pic-nic
974.
IPickwick
Pic-nic. Dr. John Anthony derives
it from the Italian piccola nicchia (a small
task), each person being set a small
task towards the general entertainment.
(French, pique-nique.)
...' The modern custom dates from 1802, but pic-
nics, called ěránoi, where each person contributed
something, and one was appointed “master of the
feast,” are mentioned by Homer, in his Odyssey, i.
226,
Pic'ador (Spanish). A horseman;
he who in bull fights is armed with a
gilt spear (pica-dorada), with which he
pricks the bull to madden him for the
combat.
Picards. An immoral sect of fanatics
in the 15th century ; so called from
Picard of Flanders, their founder, who
called himself the New Adam, and tried
to introduce the custom of living nude,
like Adam in Paradise.
You are as hot-headed as a Picard. This
is a French expression, and is tantamount
to our “Peppery as a Welshman.”
Picaroon. A pirate ; one who plum-
ders wrecks. (French, picoreur, picorer,
to plunder ; Scotch, pikary, rapine ;
Spanish, picaro), a villain.)
Pic'atrix. The pseudonym of a
Spanish monk, author of a book on de-
monology, collected from the writings of
224 Arabic magicians. It was dedicated
to King Alfonso.
“At the time when I was a student in the Uni-
versity of Toulouse, that sanie reverend Picatrix,
rector of the Diabolical Faculty, was wont to tell
us that devils did naturally fear the bright glanc-
inºr of swords, as much as the splendour and light
of the Sun.”—Rabelais : I’antagruel, iii. 23.
Piccadil'Iy (London). So called from
Piccadilla Hall, the chief depôt of a cer-
tain sort of lace, much in vogue during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth. The lace
was called piccadilly lace, from its little
spear-points (a diminutive of pica, a pike
or spear). In the reign of James I. the
high ruff was called a piccadilly, though
divested of its lace edging. Barnaby
łice, speaking of the piccadillies, says—
“He that some forty years sithen should
have asked after a piccadilly, I wonder
who would have understood him, and
would have told him whether it was fish
or flesh ’’ (1614). Another derivation
is given in the Glossographia (1681).
Piccadilly, we are there told, was
named from Higgins’ famous ordinary
near St. James's, called Higgins's Picka-
dilly, “because he made his money by
selling piccadillies” (p. 495). (See also
FIone : Everyday Book, vol. ii. p. 381.)
...Where Sackville Street now stands was Picca-
difla Hall, where piccadillies or turnoyers were
gold, which gave name to Piccadilly.”—Pennant.
Picci'nists (1774-1780). A French
musico-political faction, who contended
that pure Italian music is higher art than
the mixed German school. In other
words, that music is the Alpha and
Omega of opera, and the dramatic part
is of very minor importance.
Niccolo, Piccino, of Naples (1728-1801), was the
rival of Christopher Glück, of Bohemia, and these
two musicians gave birth to a long paper war.
Those who sided with the Italian were called
Piccinists, those who sided with the German were
Called GlückistS.
Pick. To throw ; same as pitch.
The instrument that throws the shuttle
is called the picker. (Anglo-Saxon,
pyc-an, to throw, pull, or pick.)
“I’ll pick you o'er the pales.”
Shakespeare: Henry I’III., v. 3.
Pick Straws (To). To show fatigue
or weariness, as birds pick up Straws to
make their nests (or bed).
“Their eyelids did not once pick straws,
And wink, and sink away :
No, no ; they were as brisk as hees,
And loving things did say.”
I?cter Pindar: Orson amud Ellem, canto v.
Pick a Hole in his Coat (To). To
find fault with one ; to fix on some small
offence as censurable.
“And shall such mob as thou, not worth a groat,
Dare pick a hole in such a great man's cºat?”
I’éter I’imdar: Jºpistle to John Nichols.
Pickanin'ny. A young child. A
West Indian negro word. (Spanish,
pequéno, little ; mino, child.)
Pick'elher'ringe (5 syl.). A buffoon
is so called by the Dutch.
Pickers and Stealers. The hands.
In French argot hands are called harpes,
which is a contracted form of harpions ;
and harpion is the Italian ſtºpione, a
hook used by thieves to pick linen, etc.,
from hedges. A harpe d’ºth chien means
a dog's paw, and “Il mania frès bien scs
harpes” means he used his fingers very
dexterously. •
“I’osemºcramtz. My lord, you once did love me.
Hamlet. And do still, lly these pickers and
stealers.”—Shakespeare: LIttmlet, iii. 3. -
Pickle. A rod in pickle. One ready
to chastise with at any moment. Pickled
means preserved for use. (Danish,
pekel.) - ^.
I’m in a pretty pickle. In a sorry plight,
or state of disorder.
“How calm'st thou in this pickle 2"
Shakespectre : Tempest, V. I.
Pickwick (Mr. Samuel). The hero
of the Pickwick Papers, by Charles
Dickens. He is a simple-minded, bene-
volent old gentleman, who wears spec-
tacles, breeches, and short black gaiters,
has a bald head, and “good round belly.”
He founds a club, and travels with its
Pickwickian
975
Pie Corner
members over England, each member
being under his guardianship.
Pickwickian. In a Pickwickian
sense. An insult whitewashed. Mr.
Pickwick accused Mr. Blotton of acting
in “a vile and calumnious manner,”
whereupon Mr. Blotton retorted by call-
ing Mr. Pickwick “a humbug.” . It
finally was made to appear that both had
used the offensive words only in a Pick-
wickian sense, and that each had, in
fact, the highest regard and esteem for
the other. So the affront was adjusted,
and both were satisfied.
“Lawyers and politicians daily abuse each other
in a Pickwickian Sense,”--Bowditch. -
Pic/rochole, King of Lerné. A
Greek compound, meaning “bitter-
bile,” or choleric. The rustics of Utopia.
one day asked the cake-bakers of Lerné
to sell them some cakes, but received
only abuse ; whereupon a quarrel en-
sued. When Picrochole was informed
thereof, he marched with all his men
against Utopia. King Grangousier tried
to appease the choleric king, but all his
efforts were in vain. At length Gargan-
tila arrived, defeated Picrochole, and put
his army to the rout. (Rabelais : Gar-
gilnºſa, bk. i.) sº
Iſing Pierochole's statesman. One who
without his host reckons of mighty
achievements to be accomplished. The
Duke of Smalltrash, Earl of Swashbuck-
ler, and Captain Durtaille advised King
Picrochole to divide his army into two
parts: one was to be left to carry on the
war in hand, and the other to be sent
forth to make conquests. They were to
take England, France and Spain, Asia
Minor, the Greek Islands, and Turkey,
Germany, Norway, Sweden, Russia,
etc., and to divide the lands thus taken
among the conquerors. Echeph'ron,
an old soldier, replied—“A shoemaker
bought a ha'poth of milk; with this he
was going to make butter, the butter
was to buy a cow, the cow was to have a
calf, the calf was to be changed for a
colt, and the man was to become a nabob;
only he cracked his jug, spilt his milk,
and went supperless to bed.” (Rabelais :
Gargantita, bk. i. 33.)
* In 1870 the French emperor (Napo-
leon III.) was induced to declare war
against Germany. He was to make a
demonstration and march in triumph to
Berliń. Having taken Berlin, he was to
march to Italy to restore the Pope to his
dominions, and then torestore the Queen
of Spain to her throne; but he failed in
the first, lost his throne, and Paris fell
**-a.
into the hands of the allied Prussian
army. -
His uncle’s “Berlin Decree,” for the
Subjection of Great Britain, was a similar
miscalculation. This decree ordained
that no European state was to deal with
England; and, the trade of England.
being thus ruined, the kingdom must
perforce submit to Napoleon. But as
IEngland was the best customer of the
European states, the states of Europe
were so impoverished that they revolted
against the dictator, and the battle of
Waterloo was his utter downfall.
Picts. The inhabitants of Albin,
north-east of Scotland. The name is
usually said to be the Latin picti (painted
[or tattooed] with woad), but in the
Irish chronicles the Picts are called Pic-
tones, Pietores, Piccardaig, etc.
Picts' Houses. Those underground
buildings more accurately termed “earth
houses,” as the Pict's House at Kettle-
burn, in Caithness.
Picture. A model, or beau-ideal, as,
JHe is the picture of health ; A perfect
picture of a house. (Latin, pictºra.)
The Picture. Massinger has borrowed
the plot of this play from Bandello of
Piedmont, who wrote novelles or tales in
the fifteenth century.
Picture Bible. (See BIBLIA.)
Picture Galleries.
London is famous for its Constables,
Turners, Landseers, Gainsboroughs, etc.
Madrid for its Murillos, Van Dycks,
Da Vincis, Rubenses, etc.
Dresden for its Raphael, Titian, and
Correggio.
Amsterdam for its Dutch masters.
Ičome for its Italian masters.
Pictures. (See CABINET, CARTOONs,
etc.) -
Pie. Looking for a pie's nest (French).
Looking for something you are not likely
to find. (See below.)
He is in the pie's nest (French). In a
fix, in great doubt, in a quandary. The
pie places her nest out of reach, and for-
tifies it with thorny sticks, leaving only a
Small aperture just large enough to ad-
mit her body. She generally sits with
her, head towards the hole, watching
against intruders.
“Je m'en way chercher un grand Deut-estre, Il
est au mid de la pie.”—Rabelais.
Pie Corner (London). So named
from an eating-house—the [Magjpie.
Fie Poudre
976
Tig
Pie Poudre. A court formerly held
at a fair on St. Giles's Hill, near Win-
chester. It was originally authorised by
the Bishop of Winton from a grant of
Edward IV. Similar courts were held
elsewhere at wakes and fairs for the
rough-and-ready treatment of pedlars
and hawkers, to compel them and those
with whom they dealt to fulfil their con-
tracts. (French, pied poudrelſ.c, dusty
foot. A vagabond is called in French
pied pottdrewſ.p.)
“Have its proceedings disallowed or
Allowed, at fancy of pie-powder.”
Butler: IIudibrats, pt. ii. 2.
Piebald. Party-coloured. A corrup-
tion of pie-balled, speckled like a pie. The
words Ball, Dun, and Favelarefrequently
given as names to cows. “Ball” means
the cow with a mark on its face ; “Dun ?”
means the cow of a dun or brownish-
yellow colour; and “Favel” means the
bay cow. (Ball, in Gaelic, means a mark ;
ballach, speckled.)
Pied de la Lettre (Au).
literally.
“Of course, you will not take everything I have
Said quite attt pietl de la lettre.”—Frat. Olla: ; A
Philosophical Trilogy.
Pied Piper of Ham'elin. The Pied
Piper was promised a reward if he would
drive the rats and mice out of Hameln
(Westphalia). This he did, for he
gathered them together by his pipe, and
then drowned them in the Weser. As
the people refused to pay him, he next
led the children to Koppelberg Hill,
where 130 of them perished (July 22nd,
1376). (See HATTo.)
“To blow the pipe his lips he wrinkled,
And green and blue his sharp eyes twinkled . . .
And ere three notes his pipe had uttered . . .
Out of the houses rats came tunnlling—
Great rats, small rats, lean rats, brawny rats,
Brown rats, black rats, grey rats, tawny rats,
And step by step they followed him dancing,
Till they calme to the river Woser.”
I?obert Browning.
* Hameln, on the river Hamel, is
where the Rattenfänger played this
prank. It is said that the children did
not perish in the mountain, but were led
over it to Transylvania, where they
formed a German colony.
Pierre. A conspirator in Otway's
Tenice Preserved. He is described as a
patriot of the bluntest manners, and a
stoical heart.
Uglier than Pierre du Coignet (French).
Coignères was an advocate-general in
the reign of Philippe de Valois, who
stoutly opposed the encroachments of
the Church. The monks, in revenge,
called, by way of pun, those grotesque
monkey-like figures carved in stone,
Quite
used in church architecture, pierres dº
Coignet or pierres du Coignères. At
Notre Dame de Paris they used to ex-
tinguish their torches in the mouths and
nostrils of these figures, which thus
acquired a superadded ugliness. (See
Recherches de Pasquier, iii. chap. xxvii.)
“You may associate them with Master Peter du
Coignet . . . in the middle of the porch . . . to
perform the office of extinguishers, and with
their noses put out the lighted candles, torches,
tapers, and flambeaux.”—Rabelais.
Pierrot [pe'er-rol. A character in
French pantomime representing a man
in growth and a child in Imind and
manners. He is generally the tallest
and thinnest man that can be got, has
his face and hair covered with white
powder or flour, and wears a white
gown with very long sleeves, and a row
of big buttons down the front. The
word means Little Peter.
Piers. The shepherd who relates the
fable of the Jºid and her Dam, to show
the danger of bad company. (Spenser :
Shepherd's Calendar.)
Piers Plowman. The hero of a
satirical poem of the fourteenth century.
He falls asleep, like John Bunyan, on
the Malvern Hills, and has different
visions, which he describes, and in which
he exposes the corruptions of Society,
the dissoluteness of the clergy, and the
allurements to sin, with considerable
bitterness. The author is supposed to
be Robert or William Langland,
Pieta'. A representation of the Virgin
Mary embracing the dead body of her
Son. Filial or parental love was called
piety by the Tomans. (See PIOUS.)
Pi'etists. A sect of Lutherans in
the seventeenth century, who sought to
introduce a more moral life and a more
“evangelical” spirit of doctrine into the
reformed church. In Germany the word
J’ietist is about equal to our vulgar use
of Methodist.
Pie'tro (2 syl.). The putative father
of Pompil’ia, criminally assumed as his
child to prevent certain property from
passing to an heir not his own. (Robert
JBrowning : The Ring and the Book, ii.
580.) (See RING...)
Pig (The) was held sacred by the
ancient Cretans, because Jupiter was
suckled by a sow ; it was immolated in
the mysteries of Eleusis; was sacrificed
to Hercules, to Venus, the Lares (2 Syl.),
and all those who sought relief from
'bodily ailments. The Sow was sacrificed
to Ceres (2 syl.), “because it taught men
§ IPig
* --> Tº" -->
to turn up the earth; ” and in Egypt it
was slain on grand weddings on account
of its fecundity.
Pig. In the forefeet of pigs is a very
Smaſl hole, which may be seen when the
hair has been carefully removed. The
tradition is that the legion of devils
entered by these apertures. There are
also round it some six rings, the whole
together not larger than a small Spangle ;
they look as if burnt or branded into the
skin, and the tradition is that they are
the marks of the devil’s claws when he
entered the swine (Mark v. 11-15).
(See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Ičiding on a pig. It was Jane, after-
wards Duchess of Gordon, who, in 1770,
undertook for a wager to ride down the
High Street of Edinburgh, in broad day-
light, on the back of a pig, and she won
her bet.
Some men there are love not a gaping
pig (Merchant of Penice, iv. 1). Marshal
d’Albert always fainted at the sight of
a roast sucking pig. (See ANTIPATHY,
CAT.) -
The same is said of Vaugheim, the
renowned Hanoverian huntsman. Keller
used to faint at the sight of smoked
bacon.
Pig-back, Picka-back, or a-Pigger-
back, does not mean as a pig is carried
by a butcher, but as a piga or child is
carried. It should be written apigga-
back. A butcher carries a pig head
downwards, with its legs over his
shoulders ; but a child is carried with
its arms round your neck, and legs
under your arms.
“She carries the other a lyickapack upon her
shoulders.”—L’Est, ange.
Pig-eyes. , Very small black eyes,
like those of a pig. Southey says,
“Those eyes have taught the lover
flattery.” The ace of diamonds is called
“a pig's eye.”
Pig Hunt (A). A village sport, in
which a certain number of persons
blindfolded hunt a small pig confined by
hurdles within a limited space. The
winner, having caught the pig, tucks it
under his arm, and keeps it as his prize.
Pig-iron. This is a mere play upon
the word sow. When iron is melted it
runs off into a channel called a sow, the
lat'eral branches of which are called the
pigs; here the iron cools, and is called
pig-iron.
Pig and Tinderbox. The Elephant
and Castle.
Pig and Whistle. The bowl and
977
Pigskin
wassail, or the wassail-cup and wassail.
A piggem is a pail, especially a milk-pail;
and a pig is a small bowl, cup, or mug,
making “milk and wassail; ” similar to
the modern sign of Jug and Glass—
—i.e. beer and wine.-Thus a crockery-
dealer is called a pig-wife.
Pig in a Poke (A). A blind bar-
gain. The French say Acheter chat en
poche. The reference is to a common
trick in days gone by of substituting a
cat for a sucking-pig, and trying to
palm it off on greenhorns. If anyone
heedlessly bought the article without
examination he bought a “cat’’ for a
“pig; ” but if he opened the sack he
“let the cat out of the bag,” and the
trick was disclosed. The French chał ejº
poche refers to the fact, while our pro-
verb regards the trick. Pocket is dimi-
nutive of poke.
figs. (See BARTHOLOMEW PIGS.)
JHe has brought his pigs to a pretty
market. He has made a very bad bar-
gain ; he has managed his business in a
very bad way. Pigs were the chief
articles of sale with our Saxon herdsmen,
and till recently the village cottager
looked to pay his rent by the sale of his
19'S.
p #. follows me about like an Anthony
pig, or such and such a One is a Tantony
pig, meaning a beggar, a hanger-on.
Stow says that the officers of the market
used to slit the ears of pigs unfit for
food. One day one of the proctors of St.
Anthony’s Hospital tied a bell about a
pig whose ear was slit, and no one would
ever hurt it. The pig would follow like
a dog anyone who fed it.
Please the pigs. If the Virgin permits.
(Saxon, piga, a virgin.) In the
Danish New Testament “maiden” is
generally rendered pigen. “Pig Cross,”
dedicated to the Virgin Mary, is
Virgin Cross, or the Jady Cross. So
also “Pig's Hill,” “Pig’s Ditch,” in
some instances at least, are the field and
diggin' attached to the Lady’s Chapel,
though in others they are simply the hill
and ditch where pigs were offered for sale.
Another etymology is Please the pia’ies
(fairies), a saying still common in Devon-
shire.
It is somewhat remarkable that pige
should be Norse for maiden, and hoſ/ or
off Gaelic for young generally. Thus
ogan (a young man), and goie (a young
woman).
Pigskin (A). A gentleman’s saddle,
made of pigskin. “To throw a leg
across a pigskin '' is to mount a horse.
62
Pigtails
978
Pigsney
Pigtails (The). The Chinese ; so
called because the Tartar tonsure and
braided queue are very general.
“We laid away telling one another of the pig-
thils till we both dropped off to Sleep.”—Tales
atbout the Chimese.
Pigeon (To). To cheat, to gull one
of his money by almost self-evident
hoaxes. Pigeons are very easily gulled,
caught by snares, or scared by malkins.
One easily gulled is called a pigeon. The
French pigeon means a dupe.
“Je me deffieroy tantost que tu serois un de
ceux quine Se laissent si facilement pigeonner a
telles gens.”—Les Dialogues de Jacques T'uh wreau,
(1585).
Plying the pigeons. Stealing coals
from a cart or Sack between the coal-
dealer’s yard and the house of the
customer.
Plying the blue pigeon. Stealing the
lead from off the roofs of churches or
buildings of any kind.
To pigeon a person is to cheat him
clandestinely. A gullible person is called
a pigeon, and in the sporting world
sharps and flats are called “rooks and
pigeons.” The brigands of Spain used
to be called palomos (pigeons); and in
French argot a dupe is called pechon, or
peschoº de ruby ; where peehon or peschon
is the Italian piccione (a pigeon), and de
Tuby is a pun on dérobé, bamboozled.
To pluck a pigeon. To cheat a gullible
person of his money. To fleece a green-
horn. (See GREENHORN.)
“‘Here comes a nice pigeon to pluck," said one of
the thieves.”—C. Reade. .
Pigeon, Pigeons. Pitt says in
Mecca no one will kill the blue pigeons,
because they are held sacred.
The black pigeons of Dodo'na. Two
black pigeons, we are told, took their
flight from Thebes, in Egypt; one flew
to Libya, and the other to Dodo'na, in
Greece. On the spot where the former
alighted, the temple of Jupiter Ammon
was erected ; in the place where the other
settled, the oracle of Jupiter was estab-
lished, and there the responses were made
by the black pigeons that inhabited the
surrounding groves. This fable is
probably based on a pun upon the
word peleiai, which usually means “old
women,” but in the dialect of the Epi'rots
signifies pigeons or doves.
Mahomet’s pigeon. (See MAHOMET.)
In Russia pigeons are not served for
human food, because the Holy Ghost
assumed the likeness of a dove at the
baptism of Jesus; and part of the
marriage service consists in letting loose
two pigeons. (See The Sporting Maga-
zine, January, 1825, p. 307.)
Pigeon lays only two eggs. Hence the
Queen says of Hamlet, after his fit he
will be—
“As patient as the female dove ..
When that her golden couplets are disclosed [i.e.
hatched].” II (thlet, Y. 1.
He who is sprinkled with pigeon’s blood
will never die a natural death. A sculp-
tor carrying home a bust of Charles I.
stopped to rest on the way; at the
moment a pigeon overhead was struck
by a hawk, and the blood of the bird fell
on the neck of the bust. The sculptor
thought it ominous, and after the king
was beheaded the saying became
current.
JFlocks of wild pigeons presage the pesti-
lence, at least in Louisia'na. Longfellow
says they come with “naught in their
craws but an acorn.” (Evangeline.)
Pigeon-English or Pigeon-talk.
A corruption of business-talk. Thus:
business, bidginess, bidgin, pidgin,
pigeon. A mixture of English, Portu-
guese, and Chinese, used in business
transactions in “The Flowery Empire.”
“The traders care nothing for the Chinese lan-
guage, and are content to carry on their business
transactions in a hideous jargon called “pigeon
English.”—The Times.
Pigeon-hole (A). A Small compart-
ment for filing papers. In pigeon-
lockers a small hole is left for the
pigeons to walk in and out.
Pigeon-livered. Timid, easily-
frightened, like a pigeon. The bile rules
the temper, and the liver the bile.
Pigeon Pair. A boy and girl, twins.
It was once supposed that pigeons always
sit on two eggs which produce a male
and a female, and these twin birds live
together in love the rest of their lives.
Pigg.
Piggy-wiggy or Piggy-whidden.
A word of endearment ; a pet pig, which,
being the smallest of the litter, is called
by the diminutive Piggy, the wiggy
being merely alliterative.
Pightel or Pigh'tle.
of land enclosed with a hedge.
eastern counties called a pi'kle.
“Never had that novelty in manure Whitened
(See under the word BREWER.)
A small parcel
In the
the . . . pightels of Court Farm.”—Miss Milford :
Our Village, p. 68.
Pigmy. A dwarf. In fabulous his-
tory the pigmies were a nation of dwarfs
devoured by cranes. (See PYGMIES.)
Pigsney or Pigsnie. A word of
Bigwiggin
979
Pillar to Post,
endearment to a girl. (Diminutive of
the Anglo-Saxon piga, a little girl.)
Pigwiggin. An elf in love with
Queen Mab. He combats the jealous
O’beron with great fury. -(Drayton :
Nymphidia.)
Pike's Head (A). A pike's head has
all the parts of the crucifixion of Christ.
There are the cross, three nails, and a
sword distinctly recognisable. The Ger-
man tradition is that when Christ was
crucified all fishes dived under the waters
in terror, except the pike, which, out of
curiosity, lifted up its head and beheld
the whole scene. (See PASSION FLOWER.)
Pikestaff. Plain as a pikestaff.
Quite obvious and unmistakable. The
pikestaff was the staff carried by pil-
grims, which plainly and somewhat
ostentatiously announced their “devo-
tion.” It has been suggested that
“pikestaff’’ is a corruption of “pack-
staff,” meaning the staff on which a
pedlar carries his pack, but there is no
need for the change.
Pilate Voice. A loud ranting voice.
In the old mysteries all tyrants were
made to speak in a rough ranting man-
ner. Thus Bottom the Weaver, after a
rant “to show his quality,” exclaims,
“That’s ’Breles' vein, a tyrant's vein;”
and Hamlet describes a ranting actor as
“out-heroding Herod.”
“In Pilate voys he gan to cry,
And swor by armès, and by blood and lones.”
Chaucer: Cumterbury Tatles, 3]26.
Piłate's Wife, who warned Pilate to
have nothing to do with Jesus, is called
Procla. (E. Johnson : The Rise of
Christendom, p. 416.) w
Others call her Justitia, evidently an
assumed name.
Pila'tus (Mount) in Switzerland.
The similarity of the word with the name
of Pontius Pilate has given rise to the
tradition that the Roman Governor, be-
ing banished to Gaul by Tiberius, wan-
dered to this mount and threw himself
into a black lake on its summit. But
Mont Pileatus means the “hatted moun-
tain,” because it is frequently capped
with clouds.
* The story goes, that once a year
JPilate appears in his robes of office, and
whoever sees the ghost will die before
the year is out. In the sixteenth century
a law was passed forbidding anyone to
throw stones in the lake, for fear of
bringing a tempest on the country.
There is a town called Pºlate in the island of
Hispaniola, and a Mont Pilate in France.
Pilch. The flannel napkin of an
infant; a buff Orleather jerkin. (Anglo-
Saxon pylee, a pilch.)
Pilcher. A scabbard. (Anglo-Saxon,
pyloe; Latin, pellis, skin.)
“Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher ?”
—Sluakespeſtre : Romeo and Juliet, iii. 1.
Pilgarlic or Pill'd Garlic (A).
One whose hair has fallen off from
dissipation. Stow says of one getting
bald: “He will soon be a peeled garlic
like myself.” Generally a poor wretch
avoided and forsaken by his fellows.
The editor of Notes and Queries says
that garlic was a prime specific for
leprosy, so that garlic and leprosy be-
came inseparably associated. As lepers
had to pill their own garlic, they
were nicknamed Pil-garlies, and anyone
shunned like a leper was so called like-
wise. (To pill = to peel; see Gen. xxx.
* It must be borne in mind that at
One time garlic was much more com-
monly used in England than it is now.
“After this [feast] We jogged off to bed for the
night ; but never a bit cºià poor pilgarlic Sleep
one wink, for the everlasting jingle of bells.’
Ičabelais : Palmtagruel, v. 7.
Pilgrim Fathers (The). The 102
English, Scotch, and Dutch Puritans
who, in December, 1620, went to North
America in the ship called the Mayflowe)',
and colonised Maine, New Hampshire,
Vermont, Massachusetts, and Connec-
ticut.
Pilgrimage (3 syl.). The chief
places in the West were (1) Walsingham
and Canterbury (England); (2) Four-
vières, Puy, and St. Denis (France); (3)
Rome, Loretto, Genetsano, and Assisi
(Italy); (4) Compostella, Guadalupe,
and Montserrat (Spain); (5) Oetting,
Zell, Cologne, Trier, and Einsiedeln
(Germany). Chaucer has an admirable
account, chiefly in verse, of a pilgrim-
age to Becket's tomb in Canterbury
Cathedral. The pilgrims beguile the
weariness of the way by telling tales.
These Canterbury Tales were never com-
pleted.

Pillar Saints or Styli'tés. A class
of ascetics, chiefly of Syria, who took
up their abode on the top of a pillar,
from which they never descended. (See
STYLITES.)
Pillar to Post. Running from pillar
to post—from one thing to another with-
out any definite purpose. This is an
allusion to the manage. The pillar is
the centre of the riding ground, and
the posts are the columns at equal
Pillars
distances, placed two and two round
the circumference of the ring.
Pillars of Heaven (The). The
Atlas Mountains are so called by the
natives.
Pillars of Hercules (The). The
opposite rocks at the entrance of the
Mediterranean Sea, one in Spain and
the other on the African continent. The
tale is that they were bound together till
Hercules tore them asunder in order to
get to Gadès (Cadiz). The ancients
called them Calpê and Ab'yla; we call
them Gibraltar Rock and Mount Hacho,
On which stands the fortress of Ceu'ta
(Ku'tah).
Pillory. The following eminent men
have been put in the pillory for literary
offences:—Leighton, for tracts against
Charles I. ; Lilburn, for circulating the
tracts of Dr. Bastwick ; Bastwick, for at-
tacking the Church of England; Warton
the publisher; Prynne, for a satire on
the wife of Charles I. ; Daniel Defoe,
for a pamphlet entitled The Shortest
Way with Dissenters, etc.
Pilot, according to Scaliger, is from
an old French word, pile (a ship).
Pilot Balloon (A). . A political
feeler ; a hint thrown out to ascertain
public opinion on Some moot point.
“As this gentleman is in the confidence of
ministers, it is fair to assume that he was deputed
to Start, this Statement as a pilot balloon.”—News-
paper leader, 1885.
Pilot Fish. So called because it is
Supposed to pilot the shark to its prey.
Pilot that Weathered the Storm
(The). William Pitt, son of the first
Earl of Chatham. George Canning, in
1802, wrote a song so called in com-
pliment to William Pitt, who steered us
safely through the European storm
stirred up by Napoleon.
Pilpay' or Bidpay. The Indian
AEsop. His compilation was in Sanskrit,
and entitled Pantcha-Tantra. Khosru
(Chosroes) the Great, of Persia, ordered
them to be translated into Pehlvi, an
idiom of Medish, at that time the lan-
guage of Persia. This was in the middle
of the sixth century.
Pim'lico (London).
district of public gardens much fre-
quented on holidays. According to
tradition, it received its name from Ben
Pimlico, famous for his nut-brown ale.
His tea-gardens, however, were near
Hoxton, and the road to them was
termed Pimlico Path, so that what is
980
At one time a
pin
now called Pimlico was so named from
the popularity of the Hoxton resort.
“Have at thee, then, my merrie boyes, and beg
for old Ben Pimlico's nut-brown ale.”— Newes
from Hogsdom (1598).
Pimlico. To walk in Pimlico. To
promenade, handsomely dressed, along
JPimlico Path.
“Not far from this place were the Asparagus
Gardens and Pimlico Patlı, where were fine walks,
cool arbours, etc., mugh used by the citizens of
London and their families.”—Nat. Hist. Surrey, Y,
221.
Pin (A). A cask holding 4% gallons
of ale or beer. This is the smallest of
the casks. Two pins = a firkin or 9
gallons, and 2 firkins = a kilderkin or
18 gallons.
Pin. Not worth a pin. Wholly worth-
less. -
I don't care a piº, or a pin's point. In
the least.
The pin. The centre; as, “the pin of
the heart ’’ (Shakespeare : Romeo and
Juliet, ii. 4). The allusion is to the pin
which fastened the clout or white mark
on a target in archery.
Weak on his pins. Weak in his legs,
the legs being a man’s pegs or Sup-
porters. -
A merry pin. A roysterer.
We are told that St. T)unstan intro-
duced the plan of pegging tankards, to
check the intemperate habits of the
English in his time. Called “pin-tan-
kards.” -
In merry pin. In merry mood, in
good spirits. Pegge, in his A7107tymiana,
says that the old tankards were divided
into eight equal parts, and each part was
marked with a silver pin. The cups held
two quarts, consequently the quantity
from pin to pin was half a Winchester
pint. By the rules of “goodfellowship ’’
a drinker was supposed to stop drinking
only at a pin, and if he drank beyond it,
was to drink to the next one. As it was
very hard to stop exactly at the pin, the
vain efforts gave rise to much mirth, and
the drinker had generally to drain the
tankard. (See PEG.)
“No song, no laugh, no joyial (lin
Of drinking Wassail to the pin.”
L0mgfellow : Golden Legend.
I do not pin my faith upon your sleave.
I am not going to take your ipse dia'if
for gospel. In feudal times badges were
worn, and the partisans of a leader used
to wear his badge, which was pinned on
the sleeve. Sometimes these badges
were changed for specific purposes, and
persons learned to doubt. Hence the
phrase, “You wear the badge, but I do
Pin Money
981
Pink of Perfection.

not intend to pin my faith on your
sleeve.”
He tirled at the pin. Rattled at the
latch to give notice that he was about to
enter. The pin was not only the latch
of chamber-doors and cottages, but the
“rasp" of castles used instead of the
modern knocker. It was attached to a
ring, which produced a grating Sound to
give notice to the warder.
“Sae licht he jumpéd up the stair,
And tirlöd at the pin ;
And wha, Sae ready as hel'SC1' %.
To let the laddie in.”
- Charlie is my Darling.
Pin Money. A lady's allowance of
money for her own personal expenditure.
Long after the invention of pins, in the
fourteenth century, the maker was al-
lowed to sell them in open shop only on
January 1st and 2nd. It was then that
the court ladies and city dames flocked
to the depôts to buy them, having been
first provided with money by their hus-
bands. When pins became cheap and
common, the ladies spent their allow-
ances on other fancies, but the term pin
money remained in vogue.
It is quite an error to suppose that
pins were invented in the reign of
François I., and introduced into England
by Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of
Henry VIII. In 1347, just 200 years
before the death of François, 12,000 pins
were delivered from the royal wardrobe
for the use of the Princess Joan, and
in 1400 (more than a century before
François ascended the throne), the
T)uchess of Orleans purchased of Jehan
le Breconnier, espinglier, of Paris, sev-
eralthousand long and short pins, besides
500 de la façon d’Angleterre. So that pins
were not only manufactured in England,
but were of high repute even in the reign
of Henry IV. of England (1399-1413).
Pinabel'Io or Pin'abel (in Orlando
Furioso). Son of Anselmo, King of
Maganza. Marphi'sa, having over-
thrown him, and taken the steed of his
dame, Pinabello, at her instigation, de-
creed that nothing would wipe out the
disgrace except a thousand dames and a
thousand warriors unhorsed, and spoiled
of their arms, steed, and vest. He was
slain by Brad'amant.
Pinch'beck. So called from Chris-
topher Pinchbeck, a musical-clock
maker, of Fleet Street. (Died 1732.) The
word is used for Brummagem gold; and
the metal is a compound of copper, zinc,
and tin.
“Where, in these pinchbeck days, can we hope
to find the old agricultural virtue in all its
purity ?"—Anthony Trollope : Framley Parsonage.
Pindar. The French Piſºda)”. Jean
Dorat (1507-1588). Also Ponce Denis
Lebrun (1729-1807).
The Italian Pindar. Gabriello Chia-
|brera ; whence Chiabreresco is in Italian
fantamount to “Pindaric.” (1552-
1637.)
Pete): Pºzda)”. Dr.
(1738-1812).
Pindar of England. George, Duke of
Buckingham, most extravagantly de-
clared Cowley to be the Pindar, Horace,
and Virgil of England.
In Westminster Abbey, the last line
of Gray's tablet claims the honour of
º Pindar for the author of The
ard.
“She [Britain] felt a Homer's fire in Milton's
Strains, -
A Pindar's rapture in the lyre of Gray.”
Pindar and the Bees. (See PLATO.)
Pindar of Wakefield (George-a-
Green) has given his name to a celebrated
house on the west side of the Gray’s Inn
Road; and a house with that name stilſ
exists in St. Chad's Row, on the other
side of the street. (The Times.) (See
PINDER.)
Pinda'ric Verse. Irregular verse ;
a poem of various metres, but of lofty
style, in imitation of the odes of Pindar.
Alexander’s Feast, by Dryden, is the
best specimen in English.
John Wolcott
Pinder. One who impounds cattle,
or takes care of the cattle impounded;
thus George-a-Green was the “Pinder
of Wakefield,” and his encounter with
Robin Hood, Scarlet, and Little John
forms the subject of one of the Robin
IIood ballads. (Anglo-Saxon pºd, a
fold.)
Pindo'rus (in Jerusalem Delivered).
One of the two heralds; the other is
Arideus.
Pine-bender (The). Sinis, the Cor-
inthian robber; so called because he
used to fasten his victims to two pine-
trees bent towards the earth, and then
leave them to be rent asunder by the
rebound.
Pink (A). The flower is so called
because the edges of the petals are pinked
or notched. (See below.)
Pink of Perfection (The). The
acmé ; the beau-ideal. Shakespeare has
“the pink of courtsey”(Romeo and Juliet,
ii. 4); the pink of politeness. (Welsh,
pºwºc, a point, an acmé ; our pink, to
Stab ; pinking, cutting into points.)
w
#
Piony
982
Piraeus
- *-*.
Piſony or Peony. A flower; so
called from the chieftain Paion, who
discovered it. (Saxon Leechdoms, i.)
Piou-piou. An infantry soldier.
This is probably a corruption of pion, a
pawn or foot-soldier. Cotgrave, how-
ever, thinks the French foot-soldiers are
so called from their habit of pilfering
chickens, whose cry is pionſ piotſ. .
Fi'ous (2 syl.). The Romans called a
man who revered his father pitts , hence
Antoni'nus was called pints, because he
requested that his adopted father (Ha-
drian) might be ranked among the gods.
AEne'as was called pints because he res-
cued his father from the burning city of
Troy. The Italian word pietà (q.v.) has
a similar meaning.
The Pionts. Ernst I., founder of the
House of Gotha. (1601-1674.)
Robert, son of Hugues Capet. (971,
996-1031.)
Eric IX. of Sweden. (*, 1155-1161.)
Pip. The hero of Dickens's Great
JE.cpectations. He is first a poor boy,
and then a man of wealth.
Pipe. Anglo-Saxon pip, a pipe or
flute.
Pitt that into your pipe and smoke it.
Digest that, if you can. An expression
used by one who has given an adversary
a severe rebuke. The allusion is to the
pipes of peace and war Smoked by the
American Indians.
Put your pipe out. Spoil your piping
or singing; make you sing another tune,
or in another key. “Take your shine
out ’’ has a similar force.
As yozº pipe, I mºst dance. I must
accommodate myself to your wishes.
To pipe your eye. To Smivel; to cry.
Pipe Rolls or Great Rolls of the Pºpe.
The series of Great Rolls of the Ex-
chequer, beginning 2 Henry II., and
continued to 1834, when the Pipe Office
was abolished. These rolls are now in
the Public Record Office, Chancery Lane.
“Take, for instance the Pipe Rolls, that magni-
ficent Series of documentS On which, from the
Imiddle of the 12th century until weii on in tie
19th, we have a perfect account of the Crown
revenue, rendered by the sheriffs of the different
counties.”—Notes and Queries, June 3, 1893, p. 421.
Office of the Clerk of the Pipe. A very
ancient office in the Court of Exchequer,
where leases of Crown lands, sheriffs'
accounts, etc., were made out. It existed
in the reign of Henry II., and was
abolished in the reign of William IV.
Lord Bacon says, “The office is so called
because the whole receipt of the court is
finally conveyed into it by means of
divers Small pipes or quills, as water into
a cistern. -
Pipe of Peace. The North Ameri-
can Indians present a pipe to anyone
they wish to be on good terms with. To
receive the pipe and smoke together is
to promote friendship and goodwill, but
to refuse the offer is virtually a declara-
tion of hostility.
Pipeclay. Routine ; fossilised mili-
tary dogmas of no real worth. In govern-
ment Offices the term red-tape is used to
express the same idea. Pipeclay was at
One time largely used by soldiers for
making their gloves, accoutrements, and
clothes look clean and smart.
Pipelet. A concierge or French
door-porter; so called from a character
in Eugène Sue's Mysteries of Paris.
Piper. The Pied Piper. (See PIED.)
Who's to pay the piper ? (See PAY.)
Tom Piper. So the piper is called in
the morris dance.
* There is apparently another Tom
Piper, referred to by Drayton and others,
of whom nothing is now known. He
seems to have been a sort of Mother
Goose, or Taconteur of short tales.
“Tom Piper is gone out, and mirth bewailes,
He never Will come in to tell us tales.”
Piper that Played before Moses
(By the). Per tibicinem qui coram Mose
inodulatus est. This oath is from Tales
in Blackwood [Magazine, May, 1838]:
Father Tom and the Pope (name of the
tale). (Notes and Queries, April 2, 1887,
p. 276.
Piper's News or Hawker's News,
Jºiddler's News. News known to all the
world. “Le secret de polichinelle.”
Piping Hot. Hot as water which
pipes or sings.
Pippa Passes. A little leaven
leaveneth the whole lump. Some casual
influence has dropped good seed, which
has taken root and beareth fruit to per-
fection. The words are the title of a
dramatic poem by Robert Browning.
Pippa is a chaste-minded, light-hearted
peasant maiden, who resolves to enjoy
New Year's Day, her only holiday.
Various groups of persons overhear her
as she passes-by singing her innocent
ditties, and some of her stray words,
falling into their hearts, act with secret
but sure influence for good. (1842.)
Piraeus. Now called the port
Leo'né. -
IPirie's Chair
983
Pitri
Pirie's Chair. “The lowest seat o'
hell.” “If you do not mend your ways,
you will be sent to Pirie's chair, the
lowest seat of hell.”
“ In Piric's chair you’ll sit, I say,
The lowest seat o' hell ;
If ye do not amend your Ways,
It's there that ye must dwell.”
Child's English and Scottish Ballads:
The Courteous ſnight.
*: Pirrie or pyrrie means a sudden
storm at sea (Scotch pirr). “They were
driven back by storme of winde and
pyrries of the sea.” (North : Plutarch,
p. 355.)
Pirith'o6s. Ring of the Lapithae,
proverbial for his love of Theseus (2 syl.),
King of Athens.
Pis-aller (French). As a shift; for
want of a better; a dernier ressort ;
better than nothing.
“She contented herself with a pis-aller, and
ave her hand . . . in six months to the Son of
the baronet's steward.”—Sir W. Scott: JWaverley,
Chap. V.
Pisa'nio. A servant noted for his
attachment to Im’ogen. (Shakespeare :
Cymbeline.)
Piso's Justice. That is Piso's jus-
tice. Verbally right, but morally wrong.
Seneca tells us that Piso condemned a
man on circumstantial evidence for mur-
der; but when the suspect was at the
place of execution, the man supposed to
have been murdered exclaimed, “Hold,
hold ! I am the man supposed to have
been killed.” The centurion sent back
the prisoner to Piso, and explained the
case to him ; whereupon Piso condemned
all three to death, saying, “Fiat justitia.”
The man condemned is to be executed
because sentence of death has been passed
upon him, and flat justitia; the centurion
is to be executed because he has disobeyed
orders, and fiat justitia ; the man sup-
posed to have been murdered is to be
executed because he has been the cause
of death to two innocent men, and fiat
justitia etsi colum ruqt. -
Pistol. Falstaff’s lieutenant or an-
cient; a bully, but a coward, a rogue,
and always poor. (Shakespeare : 1 and
2 Henry IV. ; Merry Wives of Windsor.)
Pistols. So called from Pistoja, in
Tuscany, where they were invented in
1545. (Latin, pistorium.) , .
To discharge one’s pistol in the air.
To fight a man of straw ; to fight harm-
lessly in order to make up a foolish
quarrel.
“I)r. Réville has discharged his pistol in the
air [that is, he pretends to fight against me, but
discharges his shot against objections which I
never made].”—W. E. Gladstone : Nineteenth Cem-
tary, November, 1885. - -
Pistris, Pistrix, Pristis, or Pris-
trix. The sea-monster sent to devour
Androm'eda. In ancient art it is re-
presented with a dragon's head, the neck
and head of a beast, fins for the fore-
legs, and the body and tail of a fish.
In Christian art the pistris was usually
employed to represent the whale which
swallowed Jonah. (Aratus : Comment-
aries.) Aratus died A.D. 213.
Pit-a-pat. My heart goes pit-a-pat.
Throbs, palpitates. “Pat’ is a gentle
blow (Welsh, fat), and “pit” is a mere
ricochet expletive. We have a vast
number of such ricochet words, as
“fiddle - faddle,” “harum - scarum,”
“ding-dong,” etc.
“Anything like the sound of a rat
Makes my heart go pit-a-pat.”
Browning : Pied Piler of Hamelin,
Pitch. Touch pitch, and you will be
defiled. “The finger that touches rouge
will be red.” “Evil communications
corrupt good manners.” “A rotten
apple injures its companions.”
Pitch and Pay. Pitch down your
money and pay at once. There is a
suppressed pun in the phrase: “to pay
a ship ’’ is to pitch it.
“The Word is pitch and pay—trust none.”
- Shakespeare: Henry V., ii. 3.
Pitch into Him. Thrust or dart
your fists into him.
Pitcher. The pitcher went once too
often to the well. The dodge was tried
once too often, and utterly failed. The
same sentiment is proverbial in most
European languages. -
Pitch'ers. Little pitchers have long
ears. Little folk or children hear what
is said when you little think it. The
ear of a pitcher is the handle, made in
the shape of a man's ear. The handle
of a cream-ewer and of other small jugs
is quite out of proportion to the size of
the vessel, compared with the handles of
large jars.
Pithos. A large jar to keep wine or
oil in. Winckelmann has engraved a
copy of a curious bas-relief representing
Diogénês occupying a pithos and holding
conversation with Alexander the Great.
(Greek pithos, a large wine jar.)
Piſtri (plur. PITARAS). An order of
divine beings in Hindu mythology in-
habiting celestial regions of their own,
and receiving into their society the
spirits of those mortals whose funeral
rites have been duly performed.
Pitt Diamond
984
T'lanets
Pitt Diamond or The Regent. Called
Pitt diamond because it once belonged
to Mr. Pitt, grandfather of the famous
Earl of Chatham. Called the Regent
diamond from the Duke of Orleans, Re-
gent of France, who purchased it. This
famous diamond was worn in the sword-
hilt of Napoleon, and now belongs to
the King of Prussia.
Pitt's Mark. The printer's name
and place of business affixed to printed
books, according to William Pitt's Act,
39 Geo. III., c. 79.
Pitt's Pictures or Billy Pitt's Pic-
tures. Blind windows ; so called because
many windows were blocked up when
William Pitt augmented the Window
Tax in 1784, and again in 1797.
Pit’tacus (Greek, Pittakos). One of
the “Seven Sages '' of Greece. His
great sayings were : (1) “ Know the
right time ’” (“Gno'thi kairo), ''), and
(2) “”Tis a sore thing to be eminent''
(“Chalepon esthlon emmenai ’’).
Pit’tance. An allowance of victuals
over and above bread and wine. An-
thony du Pinet, in his translation of
Pliny, applies the term over and over
again to figs and beams. The word
originally comes from the people's piety
in giving to poor mendicants food for
their subsistence. (Probably connected
With pietas. Monkish Latin, pietancia ;
Spanish, pitär, to distribute a dole of
food; pitancero, one who distributes the
dole, or a begging friar who subsists by
charity.)
Pixies (2 syl.). The Devonshire
Robin Goodfellows ; said to be the
spirits of infants who have died before
baptism. The Pixy monarch holds his
court like Titania, and sends his subjects
on their several tasks. The word is a
diminutive of Pix, probably the same as
Puck. (Swedish, pyke, old English,
powk, blºg, bogie; Danish, poſſ and pokker.)
“Ne let the pouke nor other evil sprites . . .
Fray us with things that be not.”
Spenser: Jºpithalamion.
Pixy-led (Devonshire), Poalse-
ledden (Worcestershire). Misled into
bogs and ditches.
Place aux Dames. Make way for
the ladies; give place to the ladies; the
ladies first, if you please. Indirectly it
means women beat the men hollow in
every contest.
Place'bo. One of the brothers of
January, an old baron of Lombardy.
When January held a family council to
know whether he should marry, Placebo
very wisely told him to do as he liked,
for says he—
“A ful gret fool is eny counselour/
That servith any lord of high honour,”
That dar presume, or oonés [once] thenken it.
That his counseil' Schuld pass his lordès wit.”
Chaucer : The Marchaundes Tale, line 9,1-1, etc.
To sing Placébo. To seek to please; to
trim in order not to offend. The word
Placebo is often used to denote vespers
for the dead, from the fact that it is the
first word of the first Antiphon of that
Office.
Pla'giarist means strictly one who
kidnaps a slave. Martial applies the
word to the kidnappers of other men’s
brains. Literary theft unacknowledged
is called plagiarism. (Latin, plagia'rius.)
Plain (The). The Girondists were so
called in the National Convention, be-
cause they sat on the level floor or plain
of the hall. After the overthrow of the
Girondists this part of the House was
called the marsh or swamp (marais), and
included such members as were under
the control of the Mountain (q.v.).
Plain Dealer (The). Wycherly was
so called, from his celebrated comedy of
the same title. (1640-1715.)
“The Countess of Drogheda inquired for the
Plain, Dealer. ‘Madame,” Says Mr. Fairbeard,
“since you are for the “Plain Dealer,” there he is
for you,' pushing Mr. Wycherly towards her.”—
Cibbey : Lives of the Poets, iii. p. 252.
Plan of Campaign (The). Often
cited shortly as “The Plan,” promul-
gated by John Dillon in October, 1886.
It provided that Irish tenants on an
estate should band together, and deter-
mine what abatement of rent they con-
sidered to be called for. If the landlord
accepted the abatement, well and good ;
if not, the tenants were to pay into a
campaign fund the amount offered to
the landlord, and the money thus funded
should be used in fighting the landlord
if he went to law to recover his rents.
“The Plan of Campaign proposed to reduce
rents by an average of Some 30 per cent.”—Nine-
teenth Century, April, 1894, p. 566.
*: In 1885 the Land Commission re-
duced all the rents from 10 to 14 per
cent. ; so that 30 per cent. more would
equal from 40 to 45 per cent.
Planets.
i. In astrology there are
planets:—
A POLLO, the Sun, represents gold.
DIANA, the moon, represents silver,
MERCURY represents quickSilver,
VENUs represents copper.
MARS representS Iron:
JUPITER represent.S. tin.
SATURN represents lead,
Seven
E’lanet-Struck
985
IPlatform. -
ii. In heraldry the arms of royal per-
sonages used to be blazoned by the names
of planets, and those of noblemen by
precious stones,instead of the correspond-
ing colours.
SOL–topaz—or (gold)—bezants.
LUNA—pearl—argent (silver)—plates,
SATURN –diamond—sable (black)—pellets.
MARS–ruby-gules (red)—torteaux.
JU PITER—sapphire—azure (blue)—hurt.S.
VEN US—emerald—Vert (greeſt)—l)OnllmeS.
MERCURY—a methyst—purpure (violet)—golpes.
Inferior planets. Mercury and Venus;
so called because their orbits are within
the Orbit of the earth.
Superior planets. Mars, the Planet-
oids, Jupiter, Saturn, U'ranus, and Nep-
tune ; so called because their orbits are
outside the earth's orbit—i.e. farther
from the sun.
iii. Planets represented by symbols.
MERCURY, 3 ; VENUs, 92; EARTH, 6B ; MARS, 3 ;
the PLANETOIDS, in the Order of discovery—
(D, (2), (3), etc.; JUPITER, l ; SATURN, P; ; URA-
NUs, H ; NEPTUNE, ¥ ; the SUN, ; ; the Moos, ).
iv. The planets in Greece were sym-
bolised by seven letters:
JUPITER, w (w-psilon); MARS, o (0-micron); MER-
CURY, e (e-psilom) : THE MOON, o (alpha); SAT-
URN, o (o-mega); THE SUN, t (iota): VENUs, m
(etat).
To be born under a lucky [or unlucky]
planet. According to astrology, some
planet, at the birth of every individual,
presides over his destiny. Some of the
planets, like Jupiter, are lucky; and
others, like Saturn, are unlucky. In
casting a horoscope the heavens must be
divided into twelve parts or houses,
called (1) the House of Life ; (2) the
House of Fortune ; (3) the House of
Brethren ; (4) the House of Relations;
(5) the House of Children ; (6) the
IHouse of Health ; (7) the House of Mar-
riage; (8) the House of Death ; (9) the
Bouse of Religion; (10) the House of
Dignities; (11) the House of Friends
and Benefactors; (12) the House of
Enemies. Each house had one of the
heavenly bodies as its lord. (See STAR
IN TIIE ASCENDANT.)
Pianet-struck. A blighted tree is
said to be planet-struck. Epilepsy,
paralysis, lunacy, etc., are attributed to
the malignant aspects of the planets.
Horses are said to be planet-struck when
they seem stupefied, whether from want
of food, colic, or stoppage. The Latin
word is siderātus.
“Evidentissimum id fuit, quod quacumque equo
invectus est, ibi haud Secus quam pestifero sidere
icti pavé ant.”—Livy, Wiii. 9.
Plank (A). Any one principle of a
political platform, (See PIATFORM.)
Plank. To walk the plank. To be
about to die. Walking the plank was a
mode of disposing of prisoners at sea,
much in vogue among the South Sea.
pirates in the 17th century.
Plantagenet, from planta genista
(broom-plant), the family cognisance
first assumed by the Earl of Anjou, the
first of his race, during a pilgrimage to
the Holy Land, as a symbol of humility.
(Sir George Buck : Richard III.) Died
1622. ~.
Plaster of Paris. Gypsum, found
in large quantities in the quarries of
Montmartre, near Paris.
Plate (A). A race in which a prize is
given out of the race fund, or from some
other source, without any stakes being
made by the owners of the horses en-
gaged. Usually entrance money is re-
quired. (See SweFPSTAKES, HANDICAP,
PLATE, SELLING RACE, WEIGHT-FOR-AGE
RACE.) -
* Plate, meaning silver, is the Spanish
plata.
Plat'en, among printers, is the power
or weight which presses on the tympan
(q.v.), to cause the impression of the
letters to be given off and transferred to
the sheet. (French, plat, flat.)
*: In type-writing machines, the
platen is the feeding roller on which the
paper rests to receive the proper im-
pressions.
Plates or Plates of Meat. Slang
for feet. One of the chief sources of
slang is rhyme. Thus meat rhymes with
feet, and “warming my plates’’ is slang
for warming my feet. Similarly, “Rory
O'More ” is slang for door, and “there
came a knock at the Rory O’More ”
means there was a knock at the door.
A prescott is slang for waistcoat. (See
CHIvy.)
Platform, in the United States, is the
policy of a political or religious party.
Of course the meaning is the policy on
which the party stands. An American
revival. Each separate principle is a
plank of the platform.
Queen Elizabeth, in answer to the Supplication
of the Puritans (offered to the Parliament in
1506), said she “had examined the platform, and
account it most prejudicial to the religion estab-
lished, to her crown, her government, and her
subjects.” * - tº
Again, the Rev. John Norris writes, in 1687, that
Plato said, “God created tov Šutov pºetpa, imply-
ing that all things welle formed according to His
Special platforms, meaning the ideas formed in
the divine mind.”
The word, has been resuscitated in
North America, Lily, in 1581, says he
IPlato
986
Pleasure
“discovered the whole platform of the
conspiracie.” (Discovery of the New
World, p. 115.)
“Their declaration of principles—their ‘plat-
form,” to use the appropriate term—was Settled
and published to the world. Its distinctive ele-
ments, or ‘planks, are financial.”—The Times.
Plato. His original name was Aris'-
toclés, but he was called Platon from the
great breadth of his shoulders.
The German Plato. Friedrich Hein-
rich Jacobi (1743-1819).
The Jewish Plato.
Alexandrine philosopher.
20-40.
The Pºt?'ifa), Plato.
Nonconformist (1630-1706).
Plato and the Bees. When Plato
was an infant, some bees settled on his
lips when he was asleep, indicating that
he would become famous for his honeyed
words. The same is said of Sophôclés,
Pindar, St. Ambrose, St. Chrysostom,
and others.
“And as when Plato did i' the cradle thriye, .
Bees to his lips brought honey from their hive.”
g |W. Browne : Britanºvitt's I’d Storals, ii.
Plato's Year. A revolution of
25,000 years, in which period the stars
and constellations return to their former
places in respect to the equinoxes.
“Cut out more work than can be done
In 12lato's year, but finish none.”
Butler: Hudibrats, pt. iii. 1.
Platonic Bodies. The five regular
geometric solids described by Plato—
viz. the tetrahedron, hexahedron, octa-
hedron, dodecahedron, and icosahedron,
all of which are bounded by like, equal,
and regular planes.
Platonic Love. Spiritual love be-
tween persons of opposite sexes. It is
the friendship of man and woman, with-
out mixture of what is usually called
love. Plato strongly advocated this pure
affection, and hence its distinctive name.
Platonic Puritan (The). John
Howe, the Nonconformist divine, (1630-
1706.) *
Platonism. The philosophical sys-
tem of Plato ; dialectics. Locke main-
tains that the mind is by nature a sheet
of white paper, the five senses being the
doors of knowledge. Plato maintained
the opposite theory, drawing a strong
line of demarcation between the province
of thought and that of sensations in the
production of ideas. (See DIALECTICS.)
It is characterised by the doctrine of pre-exist-
ing eternal ideas, and teaches the immortality and
pre-existence of the Soul, the dependence of Vir-
tue upon discipline, and the trustworthiness of
COgn 1510ll,
(Flourished
Philo Judaeus, an
John Howe, the
In theology, he taught that there are
two eternal, primary, independent, and
incorruptible causes of material things
—God the maker, and Amatter the sub-
stance.
In psychology, he maintained the ulti-
mate unity and mutual dependence of
all knowledge.
In physics, he said that God is the
measure of all things, and that from
God, in whom reason and being are one,
proceed human reason and those “ideas”.
or laws which constitute all that can be
called real in nature.
Platter with Two Eyes (A). IEm-
blematical of St. Lucy, in allusion to her
sending her two eyes to a nobleman who
wanted to marry her for the exceeding
beauty of her eyes. (See LUCY.)
Play. “This may be play to you,
'tis death to us.” The allusion is to the
fable of the boys throwing stones at some
frogs. (Roger L’Estrange.)
As good as a play. So said King
Charles when he attended the discussion
of Lord ROSS’s “Divorce Bill.”
Play the Deuce. The Irish say,
Play the pooka. Pooka or Pouke is an
evil spirit in the form of a wild colt, who
does great hurt to benighted travellers.
Played Out. Out of date; no longer
in vogue; exhausted.
“Valentines, I suppose, are played out, said
Milton.”—Truth: Queer Story, Feb. 18, 1886.
Playing to the Gods. Degrading
one's vocation ad captandum vulgus.
The gods, in theatrical phrase, are the
spectators in the uppermost gallery, the
ignobile vulgus. The ceiling of Drury
Lane theatre was at one time painted
in imitation of the sky, with Cupids and
other deities here and there represented.
As the gallery referred to was near the
ceiling, the occupants were called the
gods. In French this gallery is nick-
named paradis.
Please the Pigs. (See under PIGS.)
Pleased as Punch. Greatly de-
lighted. Our old friend Punch is
always singing with self-satisfaction in
all his naughty ways, and his evident
“pleasure” is contagious to the be-
holders.
“You could skip over to Europe whenever you
liked ; mamma would be pleased as Punch.”—R.
Grant.
Pleasure. It was Xerxes who offered
a reward to anyone who could invent a
new pleasure. -
*
Blebeians
987
IPliny’s Doves
Plebeians. Common people; pro-
perly it means the free citizens of Rome,
who were neither patricians nor clients.
They were, however, free landowners,
and had their own “gentés.” (Latin,
plebes, 2 Syl.)
Pieb'iscite (3 syl.). A decree of
the people. In Roman history, a law
enacted by the “ comitia” or assembly
of tribes. In France, the resolutions
adopted in the Revolution by the voice of
the people, and the general votes given
during the Second Empire—such as the
general vote to elect Napoleon III.
emperor of the French.
Pledge. I pledge you in this wine—
à.é. I drink to your health or success.
* Drink to me only with thine eyes,
And I will pledge with nine.”
Ben Jomson (translated from Philostratus)
Second Century.
To pledge. To guarantee. Pledging
a drinker’s security arose in the tenth
century, when it was thought necessary
for one person to watch over the Safety
of a companion while in the act of
drinking. It was by no means unusual
with the fierce Danes to stab a person
under such circumstances. &
Wore a huge man, I should fear to armºneas.
Lest they should Spy my windpipe's dangerous
Greº ºn slıould drink with harness on their
throats.” Timmon of Athens, i. 2.
Pleiades (3 syl.) means the “Sailing
stars” (Greek, pëo, to sail), because the
Greeks considered navigation safe at the
return of the Pleiadès, and never at-
tempted it after those stars disappeared.
The PLEIADES were the seven daugh-
ters of Atlas and Pléioné (IIAntown).
They were transformed into stars, one
of which (Meröpé) is invisible out of
shame, because she alone married a
human being. Some call the invisible
star “Electra,” and say she hides her-
self from grief for the destruction of the
city and royal race of Troy.
i. The Pleiad of Alexandria. A
group of seven contemporary poets in
the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphos; so
called in reference to the cluster of
stars in the back of Taurus. Their
names are—Callim'achos, Apollo'nios of
Rhodes, Araſtos, Philiscos (called Homer
the Younger), Ly’cophron, Nicander, and
Theoc'ritos.
º: There are in reality eleven stars in
the Pleiades.
ii. The literary Pleiad of Charle-
Anagne. Alcuin (Albi'nºts), Angilbert
(Homer), Adelard (Augustine), Riculfe
(Damaetas), Charlemagne (David), War-
mefrid, and Eginhard,
iii. The first French Pleiad. Seven
contemporary poets in the sixteenth
century, in the reign of Henri III., who
wrote French poetry in the metres, style,
and verbiage of the ancient Greek and
Latin poetry. Of these, Ronsard was
by far the most talented; but much that
would be otherwise excellent is spoilt by
pedantry and Frenchified Latin. The
seven names are Ronsard, Dorat, Du
Bellay, Remi-Belleau, Jodelle, Baif, and
Thiard.
The second French Pleiad. Seven con-
temporary poets in the reign of Louis
XIII., very inferior to the “first Pleiad.”
Their names are Rapin, Commire, Larue,
Santeuil, Ménage, Dupérier, and Petit.
iv. The lost Pleiad. Electra, one
of the Pleiadès, wife of Dardanus, dis-
appeared a little before the Trojan war
(B.C. 1193), that she might be saved the
mortification of seeing the ruin of her
beloved city. She showed herself oc-
casionally to mortal eye, but always in
the guise of a comet. Mons. Fréret
says this tradition arose from the fact
that a comet does sometimes appear in
the vicinity of the Pleiadès, rushes in a
northerly direction, and passes out of
sight. (See Odyss. v. and Iliad, xviii.)
Letitia. Elizabeth Landon published, in 18:9, a
DOenn entitled The Lost Pleiad.
(See above, PLEIADES.)
Plét is a lash like a knout, but not
made of raw hides. (Russian, pleteſ, a
whip.)
Pleydell (Mr. Paulus). An advocate
in Edinburgh, formerly sheriff of Ellan-
gowan.
“Mr. Counsellor Pleydell was a lively, sharp-
looking gentleman, with a professional shrewd-
ness in his eye, and, generally Speaking, a profes-
sional formality in his manner; but this he could
slip off on a Saturday evening, when . . . . .he
joined in the ancient pastime of High Jinks.”—
Sir W. Scott: Guy Mamuering, xxxix.
Pliſable. One of Christian's neigh-
bours, who went with him as far as the
Slough of Despond, and then turned
back again. (Bºya)? : Pilgrim’s Pro-
gress, pt. i.)
Pliny. The German Pliny. Ronrad
von Gesner, of Zürich (1516-1565).
Pliny of the East. (See ZAKARIJA.)
Pliny's Doves. In one of the rooms
on the upper floor of the museum of the
Capitol at Rome are the celebrated
Doves of Pliny, one of the finest and
most perfectly preserved specimens of
ancient mosaic. It represents four doves
drinking, with a beautiful border sur-
rounding the composition. The mosaic
is formed of natural stones, so small
Plith
983
- IP1UC1z
that 160 pieces cover only a square inch.
It is supposed to be the work of Sosus,
and is described by Pliny as a proof of
the perfection to which that art had
arrived. He says:—
“At Pergamos is a wonderful specimen of a
dove drinking, and darkening the water with the
shadow of her head ; on the lip of the Wessel are
other doves pluming themselves.” -
This exquisite specimen of art was
found in Villa Adria'na, in 1737, by
Cardinal Furietti, from whom it was
purchased by Clement XIII.
Plith. A piece of iron made hot and
put into an iron box, to be held for
punishment by a criminal. (See PLET.)
PIon-plon. The sobriquet of Prince
Napoleon Joseph Charles Bonaparte,
Son of Jerome Bonaparte. He was nick-
named Craint-plon (Fear-bullet) in the
Criméan war (1854-1856), a nickname
afterwards perverted into Plon-plon.
(1822-1891.)
Plot, in a theatrical sense, does not
only mean the incidents which lead to
, the development of a play, but half a
dozen other things ; thus, the “scene
plot ” is a list of the various scenes to be
used; the “flyman’s plot'’ is a list of
the articles required by the flyman in the
“flies; ” there is also the “gasman’s
plot; ” the “property plot’” is a list of
all the properties required in the play,
for which the manager is responsible.
Plotcock. The old Scotch form of
the Roman Pluto, by which Satan is
meant. Chaucer calls. Plato the “king
of Faërie,” and Dunbar names him
“Pluto the elrich incubus.”
Plough, Fond, Fool, or . White
Plough. The plough dragged about a
village on Plough Monday. Called
white, because the mummers who drag
it about are dressed in white, gaudily
trimmed with flowers and ribbons,
Called fond or fool, because the proces-
sion is fond or foolish—not serious, or of
a business character.
Plough Monday. The first Monday
after Twelfth Day is so called because it
is the end of the Christmas holidays,
and the day when men return to their
plough or daily work. . It was customary
on this day for farm labourers to draw a
plough from door to door of the parish,
and solicit “ plough-money” to spend in
a frolic. The queen of the banqūet was
called Bessy. (See DISTAFF.)
Plover. To live like a plover, i.e. to
live on nothing, to live on air.
do not, however, live on air, but feed
Plovers'
largely on small insects. They also eat
worms, which they hunt for in newly-
ploughed fields.
Plowden. “ The case is altered,”
quoth Plowden. Plowden was a priest,
very unpopular, and in order to bring
him into trouble some men inveigled him
into attending mass performed by a lay-
man, and then impeached him for so do-
ing. Being brought before the tribunal,
the cunning priest asked the layman if it
was he who officiated. “Yes,” said the
man. “And are you a priest ?” said
Plowden. “No,” said the man. “Then,”
said Plowden, turning to the tribunal,
“ that alters the case, for it is an axiom
with the church, “No priest, no mass.’”
Plowman. The Vision of Piers
Plowman is a satirical poem by W. [or R.]
Langland, completed in 1362. The poet
supposes himself falling asleep on the
Malvern Hills, and in his dream sees
various visions of an allegorical charac-
ter, bearing on the vices of the times.
In one of the allegories, the Lady An'ima
(the soul) is placed in Castle Caro (flesh)
under the charge of Sir Constable In-
wit, and his sons See-well, Hear-well,
Work-well, and Go-well. The whole
poem consists of nearly 15,000 verses,
and is divided into twenty parts, each
part being called a passaſs, or separate
vision.
Pluck. To reject a candidate for
literary honours because he is not up to
the required mark. The rejected candi-
date is said to be plucked.
When degrees are conferred the name
of each person is read out before he is
presented to the Vice-Chancellor. The
proctor used at one time to walk once
up and down the room, and anyone who
objected to the degree being conferred
might signify his dissent by plucking or
twitching the proctor's gown. This was
occasionally done by tradesmen to whom
the candidate was in debt ; but now all
persons likely to be objected to, either by
tradesmen or examiners, know it before-
hand, and keep away. They are virtually
plucked, but not really so.
A case of pluck. An instance of one
who has been plucked : as “Tom Jones
is a case of pluck,” i.e. is a plucked man.
A man of pluck. Of courage or spirit.
The pluck is the heart, liver, and what-
ever else is “plucked” away from the
chest of a sheep or hog. We also use
the expressions bold heart, lily-livered, a
man of another kidney, bowels of mercy,
a vein of fun, it raised his bile, etc. (See
LIVER) -
Pluck his Goose
Pluck his Goose. I’ll pluck his
goose for him. That is: I’ll cut his crest,
I’ll lower his pride, I’ll make him eat
umble pie. Comparing the person to a
goose, the threat is to pluck off his
feathers in which he prides himself.
Plucked Pigeon (A). One fleeced
out of his money; one plucked by a rook
or sharper.
“There were no Sinhart, fell OWS who])) fortune
had troubled, . . . no plucked pigeons or winged
rooks, no disappointed Speculators, no ruined
hiners.”—Sir W. Scott : Peveril of the Peak, c. xi.
Plugson of Undershot. Carlyle's
typical commercial Radical in the middle
of the 19th century, who found that no
decent Tory would shake hands with
him; but at the close of the century
found free-competition company with
latter-day Tories.
“There are two motive forces which may impel
the Plugsons of Toryism . . . the pressure is not
great enough to . . . overcome the vis inertia. Of
Plugson and Co.”—Nimeteenth Century, Dec., 1892,
]), 878.
Plum. A plum bed (Devonshire). A
soft bed, in which the down lies light.
The dough plums well (Devonshire).
Rises well, and will not be heavy.
The cake is ſºice and plaſm (Devonshire).
Light. (Plump, swelled out.)
IHe is worth a plum. The Spanish
pluma means both plumage and wealth.
Hence tieme pluma (he has feathered his
nest). We arbitrarily place this deside-
ratum at £100,000, and the man who has
realised only £50,000 has got only half
a plum. “Either a plum or a plum-
stone’’—i.e. “Aºſt Caesar attt wºullus.”
Plume Oneself (To). To be con-
ceited of . . . ; to boast of . . . A
plume is a feather, and to plume oneself
is to feather one’s own conceit.
“Mrs. Bute Crawley . . . plumed herself upon
her resolute manner of performing [what she
thought right].”—Thackeray : Vanity Fair.
Plumes. In borrowed plumes. As-
sumed merit; airs and graces not merited.
The allusion is to the fable of the jack-
daw who dressed up in peacock's
feathers.
Plumper (A). Every elector repre-
sented in Parliament by two members
has the power of voting for both can-
didates at an election. To give a
plumper is to vote for only one of the
candidates, and not to use the second
vote. If he votes for two candidates of
opposite politics, his vote is termed a
split vote. .
Plunger. One who plunges, or
spends money recklessly in bets, etc. The
Marquis of Hastings was the first person
989
Plymouth Brethrén
so called by the turf. One night he
played three games of draughts for
#1,000 a game, and lost all three. He
then cut a pack of cards for £500 a cut ;
and lost £5,000 in an hour and a half.
He paid both debts at once before he left
the room.
Plus Ultra. The motto in the royal
arms of Spain. It was once Ne plus ultra,
in allusion to the pillars of Hercules, the
me plus ultra of the world; but after the
discovery of America, and when Charles
V. inherited the crown of Aragon and
Castile, with all the vast American pos-
sessions, he struck out ºne, and assumed
the words plus ultra for the national
motto, as much as to say Spain and the
plus ultra country.
Plush (John). A gorgeous footman,
conspicuous for his plush breeches.
To take plush. To take a subordinate
place in the ministry, where one can only
act as a government flunkey.
“Lord Rosebery perhaps remembers that, years
ago, a young politician who had just finished his
education, Was Warned loy an old and affectionate
teacher ‘not to take plush . . .” . The reply was,
* I have been offered plush tied with red tape, and
have refused it.’”—Nimetéenth Century, Jan., 1892,
l). 137.
Plu'to. The grave, or the god of
that region where the dead go to before
they are admitted into Elysium or sent
to Tartaros.
“Brothers, be of good cheer, this night we shall
sup with Pluto.”—Deomidas to the three hundred
Spatºtatºš beſore the batttle of The "mopylae.
“Give the untasted portion you have Won . . .
TO those who mock you, gone to Pluto's reign.”
Thomson : Castle of Indolence, Canto 1.
Pluto. Many artists of great repute
have painted this god, the three most
famous being that by Jule-Romain
(1492–1546), a pupil of Raphael, in
Malntua, ; one by Augustin Carrache
(1558-1601), in Modèna, generally called
J/ Famoso; and the third by Luc Gior-
dano (1632-1701), in the gallery of the
Palace Riccardi. Raphael has intro-
duced Pluto in his Assembly of the Gods.
*: In the Villa, Albani of Rome is the
famous antique statue of Pluto and
Cerberus.
Pluton'ic Rocks. Granites, and
certain porphyries, supposed to be of
igneous, but not of volcanic, origin. So
called by Lyell from Pluto, the principle
of elemental fire.
Plutus. Rich as Plutus. In Greek
mythology Plutos is the god of riches.
Plutus and Pluto are widely different.
Plymouth Brethren. A sect that
protests against all Sectarianism, and
Plymouth Cloak
990
Toets
advocates the unity of the church ; some
even go so far as to advocate a com-
munity of goods. So called from Ply-
mouth, where they sprang into existence
in 1830.
Plymouth Cloak(A). A good stout
cudgel. In the time of the Crusades
many men of good family used to land at
Plymouth utterly destitute. They went
to a neighbouring wood, cut themselves
a good stout club, and, stopping the first
passenger that passed by, provided them-
selves with money and clothing. (Fuller:
IForthies.)
Pocahontas. Daughter of Pow-
hatan, an Indian chief of Virginia, who
rescued Captain John Smith when her
father's hand was on the point of killing
him. She subsequently married John
Rolfe, and was baptised under the name
of Rebecca. (1595-1617.) (See Old and
Mew London, ii. 481.)
Pocket (diminutive of poche, a pouch).
To put one’s hand in one's pocket. To
give money (generally to Some charity).
Put your pride in your pocket. Lay
your pride aside for the nonce.
To be in pocket. To be a gainer by
some transaction.
To be out of pocket.
Some transaction.
Pocket an Insult (To). To submit
to an insult without apparent displea-
SUITé.
Pocket Borough (A). A borough
where the influence of the magnate is so
powerful as to be able to control the
election of any candidate he may choose
to support. Well nigh a thing of the
# since the introduction of voting by
ballot. -
Pocket Judgment (A). A bond
under the hand of a debtor, counter-
signed by the sovereign. This bond can
be enforced without legal process, but
has quite fallen into disuse.
Pocket Pistol (A). A dram-flask
for the pocket, in “self-defence,” be-
cause we may be unable to get a dram
on the road.
Pocket Pistol (Queen Bess's). A
formidable piece of ordnance given to
Queen Elizabeth by the Low Countries
in recognition of her efforts to protect
them in their reformed religion. It
used to overlook the Channel from
Dover Cliffs, but in 1894 was removed
to make room for a battery of modern
guns. It is Said that it contains in
To be a loser by
as Elizabethan furniture.
Flemish the equivalent of the following
words:—
“Load me well and keep me clean
And I'll carry a ball to Calais Grèen."
But this translation is only fanciful.
Poco, rather, as a poco forte, poco
animato. -
Pococurante (5 syl.). Insouciant,
devil-may-care, easy-go-lucky. As the
“Pococurante Guardsman '' (the imper-
turbable and impassive . . . ). Also
used for one who in argument leaves the
main gist and rides off on some minor
and indifferent point.
Pococurantism. Insouciance, im-
perturbability. Also indifference to im-
portant matters, but concern about trifles,
Podgers. Toadies, venerators (real
or pretended) of everything and every-
one with a name. (John Hollingshead:
The Birthplace of Podgers, a farce.)
Podsmap. A type of the heavy
gentry, lumbering and straight-backed
(Dickens :
Our Mutual Friend.) -
Podsnap'pery. The etiquette of
the fossil gentry, stiff-starched and ex-
tremely proper.
“It may not be so in the Gospel according to
Podsnappery . . . but it has been the truth since
the foundations of the universe were laid.”—Our
Mutual Friend.
Poo (Edgar Allan).
Arthur Gordon Pym,
poet. (1811-1849.)
Poet Squab. So Rochester calls
Dryden, who was very corpulent. (1631-
Poets (Greek, poieo, to make): . . . . . .
Skalds of Scandinavia (etym., scalla,
to sing, Swedish, etc.)
Minnesingers of the Holy Empire
(Germany), love-singers. -
Troubadours of Provence in Franco
(troubar, to invent, in the Provençal
dialect).
Trouvères of Normandy (trouver, to
invent, in the Walloon dialect). -
Bards of Wales (bardgam, a song,
Celtic). -
Poet of Haslemere(The). Alfred Tenny-
son (Lord Tennyson), poet laureate (1809–
1893). (See BARD.)
Poet of the poor. Rev. George Crabbo
(1754-1832). -
Prince of poets. Edmund Spenser is
so called on his monument in Westmin-
ster Abbey, (1553–1598.) -
Prince of Spanish poets. Garcila'so
de la Vega, frequently so called by Cers
wantes, (1503-1536.) -
The alias of
the American
Poets' Corner 991
*º-
Quaker poet (The).
(1784-1849).
Poets' Corner (The). In Westmin-
ster Abbey. The popular name given to
the south corner, because some sort of
recognition is made of several British
poets of very varied merits. As a national
Valhalla, it is a national disgrace. It is
but scant honour to be ranked with
Davenant, Mason, and Shadwell. Some
recognition is taken of five of our first-
class poets — viz. Chaucer, Dryden,
Milton, Shakespeare, and Spenser.
Wordsworth and Tennyson are recog-
nised, but not Byron, Pope, Scott, and
Southey. Gray is very properly acknow-
ledged, but not Cowper. Room is found
for Longfellow, an American, but none
for Burns and Hogg, both Scotchmen.
Bernard Barton
Poets Laureate, appointed by letters
patent.
Appointed. wº t
* (* (* * * * est, Illill Stel'
BEN JONSON . . . . . . 1515-54 Abbey.
SIR. W.M. DAVENANT (!) . . 1538 (wººter
* rT) Tº Nº. tºp Westminster
JOHN DRY DEN * & . . 1670 { A})})ey.
THOMAS SHADWELL (!) . . 1688
NA.ii U M TATE (!) ... 1602
NIC IIOI, AS ROWE’ . . . . 1715
L.A.W. RENCE EUSDEN (!) . . 1718
(O L I, EY CIB B EIR” . . • * 1 {
W 11, LIAM WHITE HEAD (!) 1757
Westlym; nSter
A}) bey.
THOMAS WAR.TO N* .. . . 1785
HENRY JAMES PYE (!) .. 17.)0
ROBERT SOUTIII.Y. . . • - 1813
WM. W.O.R.DSWORTH • , 1843 *
AL FRED TENNYSON (Lord) 1850 { Wººster
The following are sometimes included, though
not appointed by letters patent :-Chaucer, Gower,
John Key, Bernard, Skelton, Rol). Whittington,
Richard Edwards, Spenser, and Sam. Daniel. &
(!) Five of the fourteen known only by their
names. *Three others quite third-rate poets.
The remaining five-Were distinguished men.
* A poet laureate is one who has re-
ceived a laurel crown. There were at
one time “doctors laureate,” “bachelors
laureate,” etc. -
Poetaster. A very inferior poet.
The suffix -aster is depreciative (compare
“disaster’”). At one time we had also
“grammatic - aster,” “politic - aster,”
‘‘critic-aster,” and some others. (Ital-
ian, poetastro, a paltry poet.)
Poetical. (See AONIAN.)
Poetical Justice. That ideal justice
which poets exercise in making the good
happy, and the bad unsuccessful in their
evil schemes.
Poetry on the Greek Model. (See
CHIABRERESCO.)
Father of English poetry. Geoffrey
Chaucer (1328 - 1400); so called by
Boint,
Dryden. Spenser calls him “the pure
well of English undefiled.” He was not
the first English poet, but was so superior
to his predecessors that he laid the
foundation of a new era. He is some-
times termed “the day-starre,” and
Spenser the “sun-rise’’ of English
poetry.
Po'gram. A “creak-shoes,” a Puri-
tanical starch mawworm.
Po ille. An Apu'lian horse. The
horses of Apulia were very greatly
valued at one time. Richard, Arch-
bishop of Armagh in the fourteenth
century, says of St. Thomas, “Neither
the mule of Spain, the courser of Apulia,
the repe'do of Ethiopia, the elephant of
Asia, the camel of Syria, nor the English
i. , is bolder or more combative than
€.
“Therto so horsly, and so quyk of ye,
As if a gentil Poille hy's courser were ;
For certès, fro his tay! unto his cere
Nature he art me cout he him nought amend.”
Chaucer : Camterbury Tales, line 10,536.
Poins. One of the companions of
Sir John Falstaff. (Shakespeare : 1 and
2 Henry IV.)
Point. Defined by Euclid as “that
which hath no parts.” Playfair defines
it as “that which has position but not
magnitude,” and Legendre says it “is a
limit terminating a line ; ” but none of
these definitions can be called either
philosophical or exact. A point is not.
necessarily a “limit terminating a line,”
for if so a point could not exist, even in
imagination, without a line. Besides,
Legendre's definition presupposes that
we know what a line is ; but assuredly a
“point ’’ precedes a “line,” as a line
precedes a “superficies.” To arrive at
Legendre's idea, we must begin with a
solid, and say a superficies is the “limit
terminating each face of a solid,” lines
are the “limits terminating a superfi-
cies,” and points are the “limits ter-
minating a line.” In regard to Euclid's
definition, we say: Ea: nihilo nihil fit.
In good point (French, embonpoint,
plump.) (See Stretch a point.)
To carry one’s point. To gain the
object sought for. The allusion is to
archery.
To dine on potatoes and point. To have
potatoes without salt, a very meagre
dinner indeed. When salt was very
dear, and the cellar was empty, parents
used to tell their children to point their
potato to the Salt cellar, and eat it.
This was potato and point. In the tale
of Ralph Richards the Miser, we are told
that he gave his boy dry bread, and
Toint-blank -
-sº
whipped him for pointing it towards the
cupboard where a bit of cheese was kept
in a bottle.
To make a point of [doing something].
To consider the matter as a point of
duty. The reference is to the old Roman
way of voting by ballot. The ballot
tablets were thrown by the voters into
a chest, and were afterwards counted
by points marked on a tablet, and to
obtain every vote was to “carry every
point” (“Omne talit punctum” [Horace]).
Hence a point of duty or point of con-
science is a plank on the platform of
duty or conscience.
To stretch a point. To exceed what is
strictly right. Points were the tagged
laces used in ancient dress: hence, to
“truss a point,” to truss or tie the laces
which held the breeches; to “stretch a
point ’’ is to stretch these laces, so as to
adjust the dress to extra growth, or the
temporary fulness of good feeding. At
Whitsuntide these points or tags were
given away by the churchwardens.
“Their points being broken, down fell their
hose.”--Shakespeare : 1 Ilenry IV., ii. 4.
Point-blank. Direct. A term in
gunnery ; when a cannon is so placed
that the line of sight is parallel to the
axis and horizontal, the discharge is
point-blank, and is supposed to go
direct to the object without a curve. In
French point blanc is the white mark or
bull’s eye of a target, to hit which the
ball or arrow must not deviate in the
least from the exact path.
“Now art thou within point-blank of our juris-
diction regal.”—Shakespeare : 2 Henry VI., iv. 7.
Point d'Appui (French). A stand-
point ; a fulcrum ; a position from which
you can operate; a pretext to conceal
the real intention. Literally the point
of support. .
“The material which gives name to the dish is
but the point d'appui for the literary Cayenne and
Cºlll'ry-powder, by which it is recommended to the
palate of the reader.”—The Athenaeum.
Point de Judas (French). The
number 13. The twelve apostles and our
Lord made thirteen at the Last Supper.
Point-devise. Punctilious: minutely
exact. Holofernes says, “I abhor such
insociable and point de vise companions,
such rackers of Orthography.” (French,
point de vise.) -
“You are rather point de wise in your accoutre-
ments.”—Shakespeare: As You Like It, iii. 2.
Points. Armed at all points. “Aymé
de totates pièces,” or “Armé jusqu' anta,
dents.” . “Armed at all points exactly
cap-à-pie.”
992
Poisoners
To stand on points. On punctilios; de-
licacy of behaviour.
“This fellow doth not stand upon Doints.”—
Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dreamv, V.1.
Points of the Escutcheon. There
are nine points distinguished in heraldry
by the first nine letters of the alphabet
—three at top, A, B, C ; three down the
middle, D, E, F ; and three at the bot-
tom, G, H, I. The first three are chiefs ;
the middle three are the collar point, fess
point, and 700mbril or navel point ; the
bottom three are the base points.
Poison. It is said that poisons had
no effect on Mithrida'tes, King of Pontus.
This was Mithridates VI., called the
Great, who succeeded his father at the
age of eleven, and fortified his consti-
tution by drinking antidotes, to poisons
which might at any moment be adminis-
tered to him by persons about the court.
(See AQUA TOFANA.) -
Poison Detectors.
Aladdin’s ring was a preservative
against every evil.
Gundoforts. No one could pass with
poison the gate of Gundofürus.
Nourgehan’s bracelet. When poison
was present the stones of this bracelet
seemed agitated.
Opals turn pale at the approach of
poison.
JPeacocks ruffle their feathers at the
sight of poison.
Jęhinoceros. If poison is put into a
cup made of rhinoceros’ horn, the liquid
will effervesce. -
Sign of the Cross was supposed in th
Middle Ages to be a poison detector.
Penetian glass will shiver at the ap-
proach of poison. (See also PHILo-
SOPHER’s EGG.)
Poison of Khaibar refers to the
poisoned leg of mutton of which Maho-
met partook while in the citadel of
I(haibar. It was poisoned by Zainab,
a Jewess, and Mahomet felt the effects
of the poison to the end of his life.
Poisoners (Secret).
(1) Locusta, a woman of ancient Rome,
who was employed by the Empress
Agrippi'na, to poison her husband Clau-
dius. Nero employed the same woman
to poison Britannicus and others.
(2) The Borgias (Fope Alexander VI.
and his children, Caesar and Lucrezia)
were noted poisoners. -
(3) Hieronyma. Spara and Toffania, of
Italy. (See AQUA TOFANA.)
(4) Marquise de Brinvilliers, a young
profligate Frenchwoman, taught the art
Poisson - 993
Polixenes
by an officer named Sainte Croix, who
learnt it in Italy. (See World of Won-
ders, part vii. p. 203.)
(5) Lavoisin and Lavigoreux, French
midwives and fortune-tellers.
(6) Anna Maria Zweinziger, sentenced
to death in 1811. -
In English history we have a few in-
stances: e.g. Sir Thomas Overbury was
so murdered by the Countess of Somer-
set. King James, it has been said, was a
victim to similar poisoning, by Williers,
Duke of Buckingham.
Pois’son d'Avril. An April fool.
The poisson d'Avril is the mackerel, and
we have the expression “You silly
mackerel,” and silly indeed are those
who allow themselves to be caught by
the palpable jokes engendered on the
1st of April. The Scotch say “hunting
the gowk” (cuckoo). It is said that the
best explanation is a reference to Matt.
XXix. 2.
‘. The mackcreſ, says Oudin, is called the poićS07?
d'Avril, “parce qite les matcquereaua, Se prementt
ci se mangent environ ce mois-lat.”
A correspondent of Notes and Qugries (June 20,
1891, p. 494) says that the April fish is the attirata,
83 cred to Venus.
Poke. A bag, pouch, or Sack.
Poke.
dawdler.
Poke. To thrust or push against; to
thrust or butt with the horns. Also to
busy oneself without any definite object.
“Poking about where we had no business.”—
JKingsley': Two Years Ago.
To poke fº at 0776 is to make one a
laughing-stock.
“At table he was hospitable and j
poking good-natured fun at . Luke.
Lynton : Lizzie Lorton of Grey'rigg, chip. xii.
Poke Bonnet. Along, straight, pro-
jecting bonnet, formerly commonly worn
by women.
A lazy person, a loafer, a
COSC, always
e.”—B. Lynum,
Poker. A poker set leaning against
the upper bars of a fire to draw it up.
This is to make a cross to keep off Lob,
the house spirit, who loves to lie before
the fire, and, like Puck and Robin Good-
fellow, dearly loves mischief and practi.
cal jokes.
Poker Pictures. Drawings executed
by the point of a hot poker or “heater ’’
of an Italian iron. By charring different
parts more or less, various tints are
obtained.
Poker Taik.
chat.
“Gaston rattled forth this specimen of poker
º lightly.”—Mrs. Edwardes : A Girton Girl,
• 11,
GOSSip, fireside chit-
Pokers. The 'squire Bedels who
Carry a silver mace or poker before the
Vice-Chancellor are so called at Cam-
bridge.
Poky. Cramped, narrow, confined;
as, a poky corner. Also poor and shabby.
“The ladies were in their pokiest old head-
gear.”—Thackeray : The Newcomes, chal), lvii,
Po'lack. An inhabitant of Poland.
(French, Polaque.)
“So frowned he once, when, in angry parle,
He Smote the sledded Polacks on the ice.”
ShalceSpeare: Hatſmlet, i. 1,
Polarisation of Light is the ab-
Sorption of those rays which are at right
angles to the rays preserved : Thus A B
A. G is one ray in which A is re-
(D cep E6BF flected to B and B to A ;
E H C D is a ray, in which C is
reflected to D and D to C. In E G F H,
if the light is polarised, either E F or
G H is absorbed. A B and C D are the
poles of light, or the directions in which
the rays are reflected.
Po'leas (2 syl.). The labouring class
of India.
“Poleas the labouring lower clans arc named,
|By the proud Nayres the noble rank is claimed.”
Poles. Under bare poles. Said of a
ship when all her sails are furled.
Polichinelle. Le Secret de . . . (See
SECRET.) -
Polinesso (in Orlando Furioso). Duke
of Albany, who falsely accused Geneu'ra
of incontinency, and was slain in single
combat by Ariodantès.
Polish off. To finish out of hand.
In allusion to articles polished.
I’ll polish him off iſ no time means
I’ll set him down, I’ll give him a drubr
bing.
To polish off a meal is to eat it quickly,
and not keep anyone waiting.
Political Economy. This term was
invented by François Quesnay, the French
physician. (1694-1774.)
Polixene (3 Syl.). The name as-
sumed by Madelon in Molière's Précieuses
Jºidicules.
Polix'enes (4 syl.), King of Bohemia,
being invited to Sicily by King Leontes,
excites unwittingly the jealousy of his
friend, because he prolongs his stay at
the entreaty of Queen Hermi'oné. Leontes
orders Camillo to poison the royal guest,
but, instead of doing so, Camillo flees
with him to Bohemia. In time Florizel,
the son and heir of Polixenes, falls in
love with Perdita, the lost daughter of
63
L’Oll
994
Bolydamas
Leontes. Polixenes forbids the match,
and the young lovers, under the charge
of Camillo, flee to Sicily. Polixenes
follows the fugitives, the mystery of
Perdita is cleared up, the lovers are
married, and the two kings resume
their friendship. (Shakespeare : Winter’s
Tale.)
Poll. To go out in the poll. To take
an ordinary degree—a degree without
university “ honours.”
polloi, the many.)
Poll Degree. (See above.)
Poll Men. Those of the “hoi pol-
loi,” the many, not the honour-men.
Pollente. The puissant Saracen,
father of Mu'nera. He took his station
on “Bridge Perilous,” and attacked
everyone who crossed it, bestowing the
spoil upon his daughter. Sir Artegal
slew the monster. Pollente is meant for
Charles IX. of France, sadly notorious
for the slaughter of Protestants on St.
Bartholomew’s Eve. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, book v. 2.)
Pollio, to whom Virgil addresses his
Fourth Eclogue, and to whom he ascribes
the remarkable advent of the “golden
age,” was the founder of the first public
library of Rome. (B.C. 76-A.D. 4.)
Pollux. The horses of Castor and
Pollua'. Cyllaros and Har'pagos. Seneca
and Claudian give Cyllaros to Castor,
But Virgil (Georgic iii.) to Pollux. The
two brothers mount it alternately on
their return from the infernal regions.
Pſar'pagos, the horse from Harpa'gium in
Phrygia, was common to both brothers.
Polly. Mary. The change of M for
P in pet pames is by no means rare ;
e.g.— -
Margaret. Maggie or Meggy, becomes
IPeggie, and Pegg or Peg.
Martha. Matty becomes Patty.
Mary. Molly becomes Polly or Poll.
Here we see another change by no
means unusual—that of r into Z or ll.
Similarly, Sarah becomes Sally; Dorothea,
I)ora, becomes Dolly ; Harry, Hal.
Polo'nius. An old courtier, garru-
lous, conceited, and politic. He was
father of Ophe'lia, and lord chamberlain
to the king of Denmark. (Shakespeare :
Hamlet.)
(Greek, hoi
Polo'ny. A vulgar corruption of
I}olo'gºla Sal/Sage.
Polt-foot. A club-foot. Ben Jon-
son calls Vulcan, who was lame, the
“ polt-footed philosopher.” (Swedish,
bult, a club; bulta, to beat; our bolt.)
Poltron. A bird of prey, with the
talons of the hind toes cut off to prevent
its flying at game. (Latin, pollicetrun-
cato, deprived of its toe or thumb.)
Poltroon'. A coward. Menage de-
rives it from the Italian poltro, a bed,
because cowards feign themselves sick
a-bed in times of war. Saumaise says it
means “maimed of the thumb,” because
in times of conscription those who had
no stomach for the field disqualified
themselves by cutting off their right
thumb. More probably a poltroon is a
hawk that will not or cannot fly at game.
(See above.)
Polybo'tes (4 syl.). One of the
giants who fought against the gods.
The sea-god pursued him to the island of
Cos, and, tearing away part of the island,
threw it on him and buried him beneath
the mass. (Greek fable.) (See GIANTS.)
Polycle’tus. A statuary of Sic'yon,
who deduced a canon of the proportions
of the several parts of the human body,
and made a statue of a Persian body-
guard, which was admitted by all to be
a model of the human form, and was
called “The Rule '' (the standard).
Polycrates (4 syl.),Tyrant of Samos,
was so fortunate in all things that
Amasis, King of Egypt, advised him to
chequer his pleasures by relinquishing
something he greatly prized. Where-
upon Polycrátēs threw into the sea, a
beautiful seal, the most valuable of his
jewels. A few days afterwards a fine
fish was sent him as a present, and in
its belly was found the jewel. Amasis,
alarmed at this good fortune, broke off
his alliance, declaring that sooner or later
this good fortune would fail; and not
long afterwards Polycrates was shame-
fully put to death by Oroetés, who had
invited him to his court.
“Richard [Mutimer], in surveying his guests,
. . . had feelings not unlike those which llllled
King Polycratēs of old.”—G. Gissing : Demos,
Chap. Xii.
Polycrates' Ring. (See above.)
Polycrat'icon, in eight books, by
John of Salisbury. This is his Chief
work, and is an exposé of the frivolities
of courtiers and philosophers. It is
learned, judicious, and very satirical.
(He died 1182.)
Polyd'amas. A Grecian athlete of
immense size and strength. He killed a
fierce lion without any weapon, stopped
a chariot in full career, lifted a mad bull,
Polydore 995
T2Ontiff
and died at last in attempting to stop a
falling rock. (See MILO.) *
Polydore (3 syl.). The name as-
sumed by Guiderius, in Shakespeare's
Cymbeline. -
Polypheme (3, Syl.). One of the
Cyclops, who lived in Sicily. He was an
enormous giant, with only one eye, and
that in the middle of his forehead. When
Ulysses landed on the island, this mon-
ster made him and twelve of his crew
captives; six of them he ate, and then
Uſysses contrived to blind him, and
make good his escape with the rest of
the crew. Polypheme was most passion-
ately in love with Galatea, a sea-nymph,
but Galate'a, had set her heart on the
shepherd Acis, whom Polypheme, in a fit
of jealousy, crushed beneath a rock.
In the gallery of the Farnése palace is a Superb
painting of Polyphémus, in three parts: (1) play-
ing a flute to Galātea : (2) hurling a rock at Acis :
and (3) pursuing the ships of Ulysses. Poussin
has also introduced, in one of his landscapes,
Polyphemus sitting on a rock and playing a flute.
Po’ma Alcinoo Dare (2 Syl.). (See
ALCINOO.)
Poma'tum. So called because it was
originally made by macerating over-ripe
apples in grease. (Dr. Joſº Quincy :
Jewicon Physico-Medicum, 1723.)
Pommard (French). Beer. This is
a pun on the word pomme. The Nor-
mans called cider pommé; whence pomat,
a sort of beer.
“IIs tiennent leure clualoupes... bien pourvues
ou garmies de pain, de yin, de pomat, ciſłre, outre
d'autre boisson. . . .”—Cleirºtc.: Les Us et Couttºnes
de la Mer, p. 127.
Pommel. The pommel of a saddle
is the apple of it, called by the French
pommeau. The Spaniards use the ex-
pression pomo de espada (the pommel of a
sword). To “pommel a person’’ is to
|beat him with the pommel of your
sword. The ball used as an Ornament
on pointed roofs is termed a pomel.
(Latin, pomum, an apple.)
Pomo'na. Fruit; goddess of fruits
and fruit-trees—one of the Roman
divinities. (Latin, pomum.)
“Bade the wide fabric unimpaired sustain -
Pomo'na's store, and cheese, and golden grain.”
Bloomfield : Farmer's Boy.
Pom'padour, as a colour, is claret
purple. The 56th Foot is called the
Pompadours, from the claret facings of
their regimental uniforms. There is an
old song supposed to be an elegy on John
Broadwood, a Quaker, which introduces
the word:—
“Sometimes he wore an old brown coat,
Sometimes a polmpadore , *
Sometimes 'twas buttoned up behind,
And sometimes down before.”
Pompey. A generic name for a black
footman, as Abigail used to be of a lady’s
maid. Moll or Molly is a cook; Betty, a
housemaid; Sambo, a black “buttons; ”
etc. One of Hood's jokes for a list of
library books was, Pompeii ; or, Memoirs
of a Black Footman, by Sir W. Gill.
(Sir W. Gell wrote a book on Pompeii.)
Pompey is also a common name for a
dog.
Pompey's Pillar, in Alexandria. A
pillar erected by Publius, Prefect of
Egypt, in honour of the Emperor Dio-
cletian, to record the conquest of Alex-
andria in 296. It has about as much
right to be called Pompey's pillar as the
obelisk of Heliopolis, re-erected by
Ram'eses II. at Alexandria, has to be
called Cleopatra's Needle, or Gibraltar
Rock to be called a Pillar of Her'culēs.
Pompey's pillar is a Corinthian column nearly
100 feet high, the Shaft being of red granite.
Pompilia. The bride of Count
Guido Franceschini, who is brutally
treated by him, but makes her escape
under the protection of a young priest,
named Caponsacchi. She subsequently
gives birth to a son, but is stabbed to
death by her husband. (Robert Brown-
ing : The Ring and the Book.) (See
RING...)
Pongo. The terrible monster of Sicily.
A cross between a “land-tiger and
sea-shark.” He devoured five hundred
Sicilians, and left the island for twenty
miles round without inhabitant. This
amphibious monster was slain by the
three sons of St. George. (The Seven
Champions of Christendom, iii. 2.) A
loose name for African anthropoid apes.
Ponoc'ratēs (4 syl.). Gargantua's
tutor, in the romance of Pantag’ruel"
and Gargantua, by Rabelais.
Pons Asino'rum. The fifth pro-
position, book i., of Euclid—the first
difficult theorem, which dunces rarely
get over for the first time without
stumbling. It is anything but a
“bridge; ” it is really pedica asinorum,
the “dolt's stumbling-block.”
Pontefract Cakes. Liquorice lo-
zenges impressed with a castle ; so called
from being made at Pontefract.
“Pont/efract” pronounce “Pomfret.”
Pontiff means one who has charge of
the bridges. According to Varro, the
highest class of the Roman priesthood
had to superintend the construction of
Pontius Pilate
996
Pope
the bridges (pontes). (See Ramsay :
Boman Antiquities, p. 51.)
“Well has the name of Pontifex been given
Unto the church's head, as the chief builder
And architect of the invisible bridge
That leads from earth to heaven.”
Longfellow : Golden Legend, V.
* Here Longfellow follows the general
notion that “pontiff’’ is from pons-facio,
and refers to the tradition that a Roman
priest threw over the Tiber, in the time
of Numa, a sublician, or wooden bridge.
Sublicius means made of timber or piles. There
were ... subsequently eight Stone bridges, and
AEmilius converted the sublician bridge into a
Stone one. There were fifteen pontiffs in the time
Of Sylla.
Pontius Pilate's Body-Guard.
The 1st Foot Regiment, now called the
Royal Scots, the oldest regiment in the
service. When called Le Regiment de
JDouglas, and in the French service, they
had a dispute with the Picardy regiment
about the antiquity of their respective
corps. The Picardy officers declared
they were on duty on the night of the
Crucifixion, when the colonel of the 1st
Foot replied, “If we had been on guard,
we should not have slept at our posts.”
Pony (A). Twenty-five pounds. A
sporting term ; a translation Crib = to
carry one over a difficulty.
Pony in wingt-et-tºn. The person on
the right-hand of the dealer, whose duty
it is to collect the cards for the dealer ;
so called from the patin pome, “behind,”
being behind the dealer.
Poona. A sovereign. Lingua Franca
for pound.
Poor. Poor as Job. The allusion is
to Job, who was by Satan deprived of
everything he possessed.
Poor as Lazarus. This is the beggar
Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at
the rich man’s gate, and desired to be
fed from the crumbs that fell from Divés'
table (Luke xvi. 13–31). -
Poor as a church montse. In a church
there is no cupboard or pantry, where
mice most do congregate. - .
There are mone poor but those whom
God hates. This does not mean that
poverty is a punishment, but that the
only poverty worthy of the name is
poverty of God’s grace. In this sense
Divés may be the poor man, and Lazarus
the beggar abounding in that “blessing
of the Lord which maketh rich.” -
Poor Jack or John (A). Tried
hake. We have “john-dory,” a “jack”
(pike), a “jack shark,” and a “jack
of Dover.” Probably the word Jack is
a mere play on the word “Hake,” and
John a substitute for Jack.
“'Tis well thou art not fish ; if thou hadst, thou
hadst been poor-john.”—Shakespeare : Roméo and
Juliet, i. 1.
‘.' We have a similar perversion in the School-
boy proof that a pigeon-pie is a fish-pie. A pigeon-
pie is a pie-john, and a pie-john is a jack-pie, and
a jack-pie is a fish-pie.
Poor Man. The blade-bone of a
shoulder of mutton, so called in Scot-
land. In some parts of England it is
termed a “poor knight of Windsor,” be-
cause it holds the same relation to Sir Loin
as a Windsor knight does to a baronet.
Sir Walter Scott tells of a Scotch laird
who, being asked by an English land-
lord what he would have for dinner,
produced the utmost consternation by
saying, “I think I could relish a morsel
of a poor man.” (See Bride of Lammer-
Anoor, chap. xix.)
Poor Richard. The assumed name
of Benjamin Franklin in a series of
almanacks from 1732 to 1757. These
almanacks contain maxims and precepts
on temperance, economy, cleanliness,
chastity, and other homely virtues; and
to several of the maxims are added the
words, “as poor Richard says.” Nearly
a century before Robert Herrick had
brought out a series of almanacks under
the name of Poor Robin?’s Almanack.
Poor Tassel (A). A poor hand, a
bad workman, no great shakes. The
tassel or tiercel was a male goshawk,
restricted to princes, and called a “tassel
gentle.” • .
“Venturing this opinion to the brick-maker, he
laughingly replied, ‘Come, then, and try your
hand at a brick.’ The trial, however, proved me
a ‘poor tassel, amidst the jeers and laughter of
the men.”—C. Thomson: Autobiography, p. 52. '
Poorer than Irus (“Iro pauperior ’’).
Irus was the beggar employed by the
suitors of Penelopé to carry to her their
tokens of love. When Ulysses returned
home, Irus attempted to prevent his en-
tering the gates, but Ulysses felled him
to the ground, and threw the dead body
into the road.
Pop the Question (3%). To propose
or make an offer of marriage. As this
important demand is supposed to be
unexpected, the question is said to be
popped. - -
Pope lived at Twickenham. (1688-
1744.) - - -
“For though not sweeter his own Homer sings,
Yet, is his life the more endearing Song.”
Thomson: Summer.
Pope (1 Syl.), in Latin popa (plur.
popæ). A priest who knocked on the
head the ox offered in Sacrifice, and cut
IPope
997
Bopinjay
it up, a very small part being burnt, and
all the rest distributed to those concerned
in the sacrifice. Wine was poured
petween the horns, but the priest first
sipped it, and all those who assisted
him. After the beast had been stunned
it was stabbed, and the blood was caught
in a vessel used for the purpose, for the
shedding of blood was indispensable in
every sacrifice. It was the duty of the
popé to see that the victim to be sacri.
ficed was without spot or blemish, and
to ascertain that it had never been
yoked to the plough. The head was
crowned with a fillet, and the horns gilt.
Apparently the Roman soldiers of Pon-
tius Pilate made a mockery imitation of
these Roman and Greek sacrifices.
Pope. The Pope changing his name.
According to Plati'na, Sergius II. was
the first pope who changed his name on
ascending the papal chair. His proper
name was Hogsmouth. Chambers says
his name was “Peter di Porca,” and it
was the name Peter he changed, out of
deference to St. Peter, thinking it arro-
gant to style himself Peter II. (844-847).
I know no more about it than the Pope
of Rome—than a man living as far
off as the Cham of Tartary or Pope of
Rome. -
Drunk like a pope. Benedict XII.
was an enormous eater and such a
wine-drinker that he gave rise to the
|bacchanalian expression, bibámits papa-
liter. (See DRUNK.)
Pope. Titles assumed by the popes.
Universal Bishop. Prior to Gregory
the Great.
Servus Servijrum. Assumed by Gregory
the Great in 591.
The Lamb of God whach taketh away
the Sins of the JP'orld. Martin IV. in
1281.
Divine Majesty; Husband of the
Church ; Prince of the Apostles; Jºey of
the whole Universe ; the Pastor and
Physician possessed of all Power both in
IIeaven and Earth. Leo X. in 1513.
Monarch of Christendom ; Vice-God;
Lord God the Pope. Paul W. in 1635.
Master of the World; the Universal
Father; Viceregent of the Most High.
Subsequent to Paul V.
(See Brady: Clavis Calendaria, 247.)
Pope Joan. Said to have succeeded
Leo IV. Gibbon says, “Two Protestants,
Blondel and Bayle, annihilated her ; ”
but Mosheim seems half-inclined to be-
lieve there was such a person. The Vul-
gar tale is that Joan conceived a violent
passion for the monk Folda, and in order
to get admission to him assumed the
monastic habit. Being clever and popu-
lar, she got to be elected pope.
Pope's Sermon (A). Only once has
a pope been known to preach a sermon
in three hundred years. In 1847 a great
crowd had assembled to hear the famous
Padre Ventura preach in Santa Andrea
della Valle, of Rome, but the preacher
failed to appear; whereupon Pius IX.
ascended the pulpit, and gave a sermon.
(De Liancourt : History of Pius IX.)
The Pope’s slave. So Cardinal Cajetan
calls the Church. (Sixteenth century.)
Pope's Tiara (The). He calls him- .
self (1) Head of the Catholic or Universal
Church ; (2) Sole Arbiter of its Rights;
and (3) Sovereign Father of all the kings
of the earth. From these assumptions
he wears a triple crown—one as High
Priest, one as Emperor, and one as
Ring. (See Brady, 250, 251.)
* For the first five centuries the
Bishops of Rome wore a bonnet, like
other ecclesiastics.
Pope Hormasdas (514-523) placed on
his bonnet the crown sent him by
Clovis.
Boniface VIII. (1224-1303) added a
second crown during his struggles with
Philip the Fair.
John XXII. (1410–1415) assumed the
third crown.
Popefigland. An island inhabited
by the Gaillardets (French, gaillard, gay
people), rich and free, till, being shown
one day the pope's image, they ex-
claimed, “A fig for the pope l’’ where-
upon the whole island was put to the
sword. Its name was then changed to
Popefigland, and the people were called
Popefigs.
Pop'injay. A butterfly man, a fop ;
so called from the popinjay or figure of
a bird shot at for practice. The jay was
decked with parti-coloured feathers so
as to resemble a parrot, and, being sus-
pended on a pole, served as a target.
He whose ball or arrow brought down
the bird by cutting the string by which
it was hung, received the proud title of
“Captain Popinjay,” or “Captain of the
Popinjay,” for the rest of the day, and
was escorted home in triumph. (See
Old Mortality, ch. ii.)
“I them, all smarting with my wounds being cold,
To be so pestered with a polyinjay,
Answered neglectingly I know not What,
He should or he should not.”
- Shakespeare: I Hemry IV., i. 3.
The Festival of the Popinjay. The
first Sunday in May. (See above.)
Popish Plot 998
Port;
Popish Plot. A plot in the reign of
Charles II. to massacre the Protestants,
burn London, and assassinate the king.
Titus Oates invented this “wise” scheme,
and obtained great wealth by revealing
it ; but ultimately he was pilloried,
whipped, and imprisoned. (See GUN-
PowDER PLOT.)
Poplar (The). (Latin, popilus, from
populus, the people.) Being symbolical of
the people, both because its leaves are
dark on One side and white on the other,
and also because they are never still, but
blown about by the least gust of wind.
In France, to the present day, the pop-
lar is an emblem of democracy. There
are black and white poplars, and the
aspen-tree is one of the species.
The white poplar was consecrated to
Her'culés, because he destroyed Kaſkos
in a cavern of Mount Aventine, which
was covered with poplars. In the mo-
ment of triumph the hero plucked a
branch from one of the trees and bound
it round his head. When he descended
to the infernal regions, the heat caused
a profuse perspiration which blanched
the under surface of the leaves, while the
smoke of the eternal flames blackened
the upper surface. Hence the Hercu'-
lean poplar has its leaves black on one
side and white on the other.
Porcelain (3 syl.), from porcelana,
“a little pig.” So called by the Portu-
guese traders, from its resemblance to
cowrie-shells, the shape of which is not
unlike a pig’s back. The Chinese earthen-
ware being white and glossy, like the
inside of the shells, suggested the appli-
cation of the name. (See Marryatt's
IHistory of Pottery and Porcelain.)
Porch (The). A philosophic sect,
generally called Stoics (Greek, stoa, a
porch), because Zeno, the founder, gave
his lectures in the Athenian picture gal-
lery, called the porch Poe'cilé.
“The successors of Socratés formed societies
which lasted several centuries ; the Academy,
the Porch, the Garden.”—Professor Seeley: Ecce
IIommo.
Porcupine. (See PETER.)
Porcus. The Latins call me “porcus.”
A sly reproof to anyone boasting, show-
ing off, or trying to make himself appear
greater than he is. The fable says that
a wolf was going to devour a pig, when
the pig observed that it was Friday,
and no good Catholic would eat meat on
a Friday. Going on together, the wolf
said to the pig, “They seem to call you
by many names,” “Yes,” said the pig,
“I am called swine, grunter, hog, and I
know not what besides. The Latins call
me poreus.” “Porpus, do they?” said
the wolf, making an intentional blunder.
“Well, porpoise is a fish, and we may eat
fish on a Friday.” So saying, he devoured
him without another word.
Porcus Litera'rum. A literary
glutton, one who devours books without
regard to quality.
Pork! Pork: Sylvester, in his trans-
lation of Du Bartas, gives this instead of
caw, caw, as the cry of the raven.
Pork. Sir Thomas Browne says that
the Jews abstain from pork not from
fear of leprosy, as Tacitus alleges, but
because the swine is an emblem of im-
purity. (Vulgar Errors.)
Pork, Pig. The former is Norman-
French, the latter Saxon.
“Pork, I think, is good Norman-French ; and
so, when the brute lives, and is in charge of a
Saxon slave, she goes by her Saxon name ; but
becomes a Norman, and is called pork, when she
is carried to the castle-hall.”—Sir Walter Scott :
Ivanhoe.
Porphyr'ion. One of the giants who
made war with the gods. He hurled the
island of Delos against Zeus (Jupiter);
but Zeus, with the aid of Hercules,
overcame him. (Greek fable.) (See
GIANTS.) - -
Porridge. Everything tastes of por-
ridge. However we may deceive our-
selves, whatever castles in the air we
may construct, the fact of home life will
always intrude. Sir Walter Scott tells
us of an insane man who thought the
asylum his castle, the servants his own
menials, the inmates his guests. “Al-
though,” said he, “I am provided with
a first-rate cook and proper assistants,
and although my table is regularly fur-
nished with every delicacy of the Season,
yet so depraved is my palate that every-
thing I eat tastes of porridge.” . His
palate was less vitiated than his ima-
gination.
Pert, meaning larboard or left side, is
an abbreviation of porta il timone (carry
the helm). Porting arms is carrying
them on the left hand.
“To heel to port” is to lean on the
left side (Saxon, hyldan, to incline). “To
lurch to port’” is to leap or roll over on
the left side (Welsh, llercian).
“She gave a heel, and then a lurch to port, $1.
And, going down head-foremost, sunk in Short.
Byrom : Don Juan.
Port. An air of music; martial music.
Hence Tytler says, “I have never been
able to meet with any of the ports here
Dort Royal Society
999
JPOSSe
referred to ” (Dissertation on Scotch
Music). The word is Gaelic.
Port Royal Society. In 1637, Le
Maitre, a celebrated advocate, resigned
the honour of being Counseiller d’Etat,
and with his brother De Sericourt conse-
crated himself to the service of religion.
The two brothers retired to a Small house
near the Port Royal of Paris, where in
time they were joined by their three
other brothers—De Sacy, De St. Elme,
and De Valmont. Afterwards, being
obliged to remove, they fixed their resi-
dence a short distance from the city, and
called it Port Royal des Champs. These
illustrious recluses were subsequently
joined by other distinguished persons,
and the community was called the Society
of Port Royal.
Port Wine. Lord Pembroke's port
wine. This renowned wine is thus
made—
27 gallons of rough cidor, }* make a hogs
(. S-> -
*R (rs `... • • {
13 gallons of Bone ('arlo wine, head of port.
3 gallons of brandy.
Porte (The) or The Sublime Porte.
The Ottoman Empire. In the Byzantine
Empire, the gates of the palace were the
place of assembly for judicial and legal
administration. The word sublime is
French for “lofty,” and the term was
adopted naturally, as French has long
been the language of diplomacy. The
whole building contains four Turkish
departments of state—viz. (1) the Grand
Vizierat; (2) the Foreign Office; (3) the
Interior; and (4) the State Council.
“The government is to blame for not having
done all in its power, like the Porte.” — The
Times.
Porteous Riot. This motorious tu-
mult took place at Edinburgh in Sep-
tember, 1736. Porteous was captain of
the city guard. At the examination of a
criminal named Wilson, Captain Porteous,
fearing a rescue, ordered the guards to
fire on the mob, which had become tu-
multuous; in this discharge six persons
were killed, and eleven wounded. Por-
teous was tried for this attack and con-
demned to death, but reprieved. The
mob, at his reprieve, burst into the jail
where he was confined, and, dragging
him to the Grassmarket (the usual place
of execution), hanged him by torchlight
on a dyer's pole.
Por’tia. A rich heiress in The Men'-
chant of Penice, in love with Bassa'nio.
Her father had ordained that three
caskets should be offered to all who
sought her hand—one of gold, one of
silver, and one of lead—with this
proviso: he only who selected the casket
which contained the portrait of the lady
should possess her hand and fortune.
(Shakespeare.) -
Portland Stone. So called from
the island of Portland, where it is quar-
ried. It hardens by exposure to the
atmosphere. St. Paul's Cathedral and
Somerset House (London) are built of
this stone.
Portland Vase. A cinerary urn of
transparent dark-blue glass, long in pos-
session of the Barberi'ni family. In 1770
it was purchased by Sir William Hamil-
ton, for 1,000 guineas, and came after-
wards into the possession of the Duchess
of Portland. In 1810, the Duke of Port-
land, one of the trustees of the British
Museum, allowed it to be placed in that
institution for exhibition. William Lloyd,
in 1845, dashed it to pieces; it has since
been carefully repaired, but is not now
shown to the public. It is ten inches
high, and six in diameter at the broadest
part.
Portmanteau Word (A). A word,
like post, which contains several mean-
ings packed together; as, post (a stake),
post for letters, post paper, slow as a
post, fast as a post, post-horses, and so
OIl.
Portobello Arms. A public-house
sign. The Mirror says: “In 1739, after
the capture of Portobello, Admiral
Vernon's portrait dangled from every
sign-post, and he may figuratively be
said to have sold the ale, beer, porter,
and purl of England for six years.” The
Portobello Arms is a mere substitution
for the admiral.
Portso'Iren Ward (London). The
Soken or franchise at the port orgate. It
was formerly a guild called the “English
Enighten Guild,” because it was given
by King Edgar to thirteen knights for
services done by them. (See KNIGHTEN-
GUILD.)
Portugue'se (3 syl.). A native of
Portugal, the language of Portugal, per-
taining to Portugal, etc.; as Camoëns
was a Portuguese, and wrote in Portu-
guese.
Po’s er. The bishop's examining
chaplain; the examiner at Eton for the
Ring's College fellowship. (Welsh,
posiaw, to examine ; French, poser ;
Latin, poſto.) Hence, a puzzling ques-
tion.
Posse. A whole posse of men. A large
number ; a crowd. (See next article.)
JPOSse Comitatus 1000 T2Ot;
Posse Comita/tus (Latin). Power Poste Restante (French). To re-
of the county. The whole force of the main at the post till called for. In the
county—that is, all the male members of
a county over fifteen, who may be sum-
moned by a sheriff to assist in preventing
a riot, the rescue of prisoners, or other
unlawful disorders. Clergymen, peers,
and the infirm are exempt.
Posset properly means a drink taken
'before going to bed; it was milk curdled
with wine.
“In his morning's draught . . ; his conceryes
or cates . . . and When he goeth to ledde his
posset Smoaking hot.”—Man in the Moome (1609).
Post means placed. (Latin, positeſs.)
IPost. A piece of timber placed in the
ground.
A military post. A station where a
man is placed, with instructions not to
quit it without orders.
An official post is where a man is placed
in office.
To post accounts is to place them under
certain heads in methodical order.
(Trench.)
JPost haste. Travelling by relays of
horses, or where horses are placed on the
road to expedite the journey.
Post office. An office where letters are
placed.
Post paper. So called from its water-
mark, a post-horn, or a post-boy blow-
ing his horn.
... “The old original post ſpaper] with the stamp
in the corner representing a post-boy riding for
life, and twanging his horn.”—Mrs. Gaskell: Cram-
jord, chap. W.
Stiff as a post. That is, stiff [in the
ground] like a gate-post.
To run your head against a post. To
go to work heedlessly and stupidly, or
as if you had no eyes.
Post Factum (Latin).
has been committed.
Post Meridian (Latin). After noon.
“”Twas post meridian half-past four,
IBy signal I from Nancy parted.”
Dibdim : Sea. Somgs.
Post-mortem (Latin). After death ;
as a post-mortem examination for the
purpose of ascertaining the cause of
death.
Post-mortem Degree (A). A degree
after having failed at the poll.
“He had not even the merit of being a plodding
man, and he finally took what used to be called a
post-mortem degree.”—My Rectors, p. 63.
Post Obit. An agreement to pay for
a loan a larger sum of money, together
with interest at death. (Latin post
ob'itum, after the death of the person
named in the bond.)
After the act
British post-office letters so addressed
are kept one month, and then returned
to the writer.
Posted. Well posted up in the subject.
Thoroughly informed. The metaphor
is from posting up accounts, where One
can see everything at a glance.
Posterio'ri. An argument a posterio'ri
is one from effects to cause. Thus, to
prove the existence of God a posterio'ri,
we take the works of creation and show
how they manifest power, wisdom, good-
mess, and so on ; and then we claim the
inference that the maker of these things
is powerful, wise, and good. , Robinson
Crusoe found the footprints of a man on
the sand, and inferred that there must
be a man on the island besides himself.
(See PRIORI.)
Posthumus (Leona’tus). Husband
of Imogen. Under the erroneous per-
suasion of his wife's infidelity, he plots
her death, but his plot miscarries.
(Shakespeare : Cymbeline.)
Posting-Bills. Before the Great
Fire the space for foot-passengers in
Dondon was defended by rails and posts;
the latter served for theatrical placards
and general announcements, which were
therefore called posters or posting-bills.
Posy properly means a copy of verses
presented with a bouquet. It now means
the verses without the flowers, as the
“posy of a ring,” or the flowers without
the verses, as a “pretty posy.”
“He could make anything in poetry, from the
posy of a ring to the clironicle of its most heroic
wearer.”—Stedman : Victorian Poets (Landor), p. 47.
Pot. This word, like “father,”
“mother,” “daughter,” etc., is common
to the whole A'ryan family. Greek,
potē), a drinking-vessel; Latin, poo-tſººn
– i.e. potaculum ; Irish and Swedish,
pota; Spanish, pote ; German, poſt,
T)anish, potte ; French, Welsh, Anglo-
Saxon, pott, etc.
Gone to pot. Ruined, gone to the bad.
The allusion is to the pot into which
refuse metal is cast to be remelted, or
to be discarded as waste.
“Now and then a farm went to pot.”—Dr.
Arbuthnot.
The pot calls the kettle black. This is
said of a person who accuses another of
faults committed by himself. The French
say, “The shovel mocks the poker” (La
pelle se moque du fourgon).
To betray the pot to the roses. To
betray the rose pot—that is, the pot
Tºot-boilers
1001
Pound
which contains the rose-nobles. To
“let the cat out of the bag.” (French,
Lecouvºir le pot atta Yoses.)
Brazen and earthen pots. Gentlemen
and artisans, rich and poor, men of mark
and those unstamped. From the fable-
of the Brazen and Earther? Pots.
“Drazen and earthen pots float together in jux-
taposition down the stream of life.”—Pall Mall
Gatzette. -
Pot-boilers. Articles written for
periodicals or publishers, and pictures of
small merit drawn or painted for the
sake of earning daily bread, or making
the pot supply needful food.
Pot-luck. Come and take pot-luck
with me. Come and take a family dinner
at my house. The French pot and felt is
the ordinary dinner of those who dine at
home.
Pot Paper. A Dutch paper ; so called
from its bearing a pot as its water-
mark.
Pot-Pourri (French). A mixture of
dried sweet-smelling flower-petals and
herbs preserved in a vase. Also a hotch-
potch or olla podri'da. In music, a
medley of favourite tunes strung to-
gether. (See PASTICCIO.)
Town” i means dead [ſlowers], and pot-pourri,
strictly speaking, is the vase containing the Sweet
Inlixture.
Pot Valiant.
liquor.
Pot-de-Biêre.
JEnglishman.
Pot of Hospitality (The). The pot
and felt which in Ireland used to be shared
with anyone who dropped in at meal-
times, or required refreshment.
“And the ‘pot of hospitality’ was set to boil
upon the fire, and there was much mirth and
heartiness and entertainment.”—Nimeteenth Cem-
tury, Oct., 1891, p. 643.
Made courageous by
Erench slang for an
Potage (Jean). The Jack Pudding
of the French stage; very like the Ger-
man “Hanswurst,” the Dutch “Pickel
herringe,” and the Italian “Macaro'ni.”
Potato-bogle. So the Scotch call a
scarecrow. The head of these bird-
bogies being a big potato or a turnip.
Potato-bury (A). A pit or trench
for preserving potatoes for winter use.
A turnip-bury is a similar pit for
turnips.
Potato-talk. (German, Kartoffel
geSpyach.) That chit-chat common in .
Germany at the five o'clock tea-drinkings,
when neighbours of the “gentler sex’”
take their work to the house of muster
and talk chiefly of the dainties of the
table, their ingredients, admixture, and
the methods of cooking them.
Poteen (pron. p1t-teen). Whisky that
has not paid duty. , (Irish poitiºn, diminu-
tive of poite, a pot.) -
* Come and taste SOme good poteen
That has not paid a rap to the Queen.”
Pother or Bother. Mr. Garnett states
this to be a Celtic word, and Says it often
occurs in the Irish translations of the
Bible, in the sense of to be grieved or
troubled in mind. (Greek, pötheo, to
regret.)
“Friends, cried the umpire, cease your pºther,
The creature's neither one nor t'other.
The Chameleon.
Pothooks. The 77th Foot ; so called
because the two sevens resemble two
pothooks. Now called the Second Batta-
lion of the Middlesex Regiment. The
first battalion is the old 57th.
Pot'iphar's Wife. According to the
IXoran her name was Zuleika, but some
Arabian writers call her Rail.
Pots. A Stock Exchange term, signi-
fying the “North Staffordshire Railway
stock.” Of course, the word means
“the potteries.” (See STOCK EXCHANGE
SLANG.)
Potter. To go poking about, med-
dling and making, in a listless, purpose-
less manner. Pudder, podder, pother,
bother, and puddle are varieties of the
same word. To pudder is to stir with a
puddering pole; hence, to confuse. Lear
says of the tempest—“ May the great
gods that keep this dreadful pudder o’er
our head,” meaning confusion. To
puddle iron is to stir it about with a
puddering-pole.
Potwallopers, before the passing of
the Reform Bill (1832), were those who
claimed a vote because they had boiled
their own pot in the parish for six
months. (Saxon, weallan to boil; Dutch,
opwalley? our wallop.)
Strictly speaking, a pot-walloper is one who
Wallops or boils his OWn pot-au-feu.
Poult, a young turkey. Pullet, a
young chicken. (Latin, pullus, the young
of any animal ; whence poultry, young
domestic fowls; filly, a young horse;
foal ; French, pottle ; Italian, pollo, etc.)
Pound. The unit of weight (Latin,
pondits, weight); also cash to the value
of twenty shillings sterling, because in
the Carlovingian period the Roman
pound (twelve ounces) of pure silver was
coined into 240 silver pennies. The
Pound of Flesh
1002
Pragraatic Sanction
symbols £ and lb. are for libra, the Latin
for a pound. (See PENNY for Pound.)
Pound of Flesh. The whole bar-
gain, the exact terms of the agreement,
the bond literatiºn et verbatim. The
allusion is to Shylock, in The Merchant
of Penice, who bargained with Antonio
for a “pound of flesh,” but was foiled in
his suit by Portia, who said the bond was
expressly a pound of flesh, and therefore
(1) the Jew must cut the exact quantity,
neither more nor less than a just pound ;
and (2) in so doing he must not shed a
drop of blood. -
Pound text (Peter). An “indulged
astor” with the Covenanters' army.
(Sir JValter Scott : Old Mortality.)
Pourceaugnac (Monsieur de) (prón.
Poor-sone-yak). pompous country
entleman who comes to Paris to marry
; but the lady has a lover of her
own choice, and Monsieur is so mystified
and played upon by Julie and her ami
du caert) that he relinquishes his suit in
despair. (Molière: Pourceaugnac.)
Po us sin. The British Pottssin.
Tichard Cooper, painter and engraver,
well known for his Views of Windsor.
(*-1806.)
Gaspar Poussin. So Gaspar Dughet,
the French painter, is called. (1613–
1675.
Pouting Place of Princes (The).
Leicester Square is so called by Pennant,
because George II., when Prince of
Wales, having quarrelled with his father,
retired to Leicester House ; and his son
Frederick, Prince of Wales, did the same,
for the very same reason.
Poverty ... Love. “When poverty
comes in at the door, love flies out at
the window.” “ Sine Cerere et Baccho
friget Venus.”
Powder. I’ll powder your jacket for
*/ou. A corruption of poudrer (to dust).
(See DUST.)
“Do in powdur [dust] ye schall slepe,
IFor Out of powdur fyrst ye came.”
Quoted by Halliwell wºnder “Poudre.”
Not worth powder and shot. “Le jew
me vaut pas la chandelle.” The thing
shot won’t pay the cost of powder and
shot.
Poyning's Law or Statute of Drog-
heda (pron. Dro'he-dah). An Act of
IParliament made in Ireland in 1495 (10
Iſenry VII., chap. 22), declaring all
general statutes hitherto made in Eng-
land to be in force in Ireland also. It
received its name from Sir Edward
—w
Poyning, Lieutenant of Ireland at the
time.
P.P., Clerk of this Parish. The
name given to a volume of memoirs,
written by Dr. Arbuthnot, as a satire on
Bishop Burnet’s Own Times.
Praemonstraten'sian Monks.
PREMONSTRATENSIAN.)
Praemuni’re. A barbarous word
from the Latin praemoneri (to be fore-
warned). The words of the writ begin
“Praemitmire facias A.B.”—i.e. “Cause
A. B. to beforewarned,” to appear before
us to answer the contempt wherewith he
stands charged. If A. B. refuses to do
so, he loses all civil rights, and before the
reign of Elizabeth might have been slain
by anyone with impunity.
Pragmat'ic Sanction. Sanctio in
Latin means a “decree or ordinance
with a penalty attached,” or, in other
words, a “penal statute.” Pragmat'ients
means “relating to state affairs,” so that
Pragmatic Sanction is a penal statute
bearing on some important question of
state. The term was first applied by the
Fomans to those statutes which related
to their provinces. The French ap-
plied the phrase to certain statutes
which limited the jurisdiction of the
Pope; but generally it is applied to' an
ordinance fixing the succession in a
certain line.
Pragmatic Sanction of Charles PII.
(of France), 1438, defining and limiting
the power of the Pope in France. By
this ordinance the authority of a general
council was declared superior to the
dictum of the Pope; the clergy were
forbidden to appeal to Rome on any
point affecting the secular condition of
the nation ; and the Roman pontiff was
forbidden to appropriate a vacant bene-
fice, or to appoint either bishop or parish
priest.
Pragmatic Sanction of St. Louis, 1268,
forbade the court of Rome to levy taxes
or collect subscriptions in France with-
out the express sanction of the king. It
also gave plaintiffs in the ecclesiastical
courts the right to appeal to the civil
courts. The “Constitutions of Claren-
don’’ were to England what the “Prag-
matic Sanction ” was to France.
Pragmatic Sanction of Germany, 1713.
Whereby the succession of the empire
was made hereditary in the female line,
in order to transmit the crown to Maria.
Theresa, the daughter of Charles VI.
This is emphatically the Pragmatig Sanction,
unless some qualifying word or date is added, to
restrict it to Some other instrument.
(See
Frairie Fever
1003
T'recious Stones
Pragmatic Sanction of Naples, 1759,
whereby Carlos II. of Spain ceded
the succession to his third son in per-
petuity.
Prairie Fever (The). An enthusiastic
love of prairie life, which seems to be
part of Tour being, to strengthen our
strength, invigorate our spirit, and en-
dow us with new life.
“What with gallops by day and the wild tales
by the night watch-fires, I became intoxicated
with the romance of my new life; I had caught
the prairie fever.”—Mayne Reid: The Scalp Hunt-
ers, ch. iii.
Prating Sophists. The doctors of
the Sorbonne were so called by Budaeus
of Paris. (1467–1540.)
Prayer-book Parade. The prom-
enade in fashionable watering-places
and other places of resort, after morning
service on Sundays till luncheon or early
dinner-time.
Praying-wheels. It is said that the
Buddhists pray by machinery; that they
put prayers into a wheel, and unroll
them by the length. This notion arises
from a misconception. Saky'a-muni, the
Buddha, is said to have “turned the
wheel of the law '’—i.e. to have preached
Buddhism incessantly—we should say as
a horse in a mill.
Pre-Ad'amites. Before Adam was
created. Isaac de la Peyreri maintained
that only the Jews are descended from
Adam, and that the Gentiles are de-
scended from a race of men existing
before Adam ; as the book of Genesis is
the history of the Jews only, it does not
concern itself with other races. (1655.)
Pre-Raphaelites. A term intro-
duced by Hunt and his friends, who
wished to intimate that they preferred
the simplicity and truthfulness of the
painters who preceded Raphael. . The
term now signifies a very minute imita-
tion of mature, brilliant colouring, and
not much shadow.
Preacher (The). Solomon, the author
of Ecclesiastes (the Preacher).
The glorious preacher. Saint John
Chrysostom. (347-407.)
The king of preachers.
daloue. (1632–1704.)
The little preacher. Samuel de Marets,
Protestant controversialist. (1599-1663.)
Prebend, meaning a “clergyman
attached to a prebendal stall,” is a
vulgarism. . The prebend is the stipend
given out of the revenues of the college
or cathedral; he who enjoys the prebend
Louis Bour-
is the prebendary. (Latin, præðeo, to
give.)
Preca'rious is what depends on Our
prayers or requests. A precarious tenure
is one that depends solely on the will
of the owner to concede to our prayer;
hence uncertain, not to be depended on.
(Latin, precor.)
Preceptor. The superior of a pre-
cep'tory was called by the Templars a
Jºnight Preceptor; a “Grand Preceptor”
was the head of all the preceptories,
or houses of the Knights Templars, in
all entire province, the three of highest
rank being the Grand Preceptors of Je-
rusalem, Tripolis, and Antioch. Houses
of these knights which were not pre-
ceptories were called commanderies.
Précieuses Ridicules (in Molière's
comedy so called). Aminte and Pol-
ixène, who assume the airs of the Hôtel
de Rambouillet, a coterie of savants of
both sexes in the seventeenth century.
The members of this society were termed
précieuses—i.e. “persons of distinguished
merit ’’—and the précieuses ridicules
means a ridiculous apeing of their ways
and manners.
Precio'sa. . The heroine of Long-
fellow’s Spanish Student, threatened with
the vengeance of the Inquisition.
Precious Stones. (1) Each month,
according to the Poles, is under the in-
fluence of a precious stone:—
January ... Garnet Comstamcy.
February . . A methyst Sincerity.
IMarch Bloodstone.. Courage.
April. . Diamond Im?locence.
May . . JEmerald Success im, love.
June . . Agate. • Health and long life.
July . . Cornelian . . Content.
August Sardonyx, ... Conjugal felicity.
September. . Chrysolite . . Antidote to madness.
ctober . . Opal . . . . Hope.
November ... Topaz . . Fidelity.
December ... Turquoise . . Prosperity.
(2) In relation to the signs of the
20diac –
Aries . . Ruby.
Taurus ... Topaz.
Gemini ... Carhuncle.
Cancer . . Emerald.
Ilibra. . . ... Jacinth.
Scorpio . . . Agate.
Sagittarius ... A methyst.
Capricornus Beryl. -
Leo ... Sapphire. A quarius .. Qnyx.
Virgo ... Diamond. Pisces. . . . Jasper.
(3) In relation to the planets —
Saturn Turquoise Jeºrd.
Jupiter Cornelian 'I'in.
all'S • , Iºmerald Iron.
Sun . . . . Diamond Gold.
Venus AnnethySt. . ('Oppen".
Mercury LOadstone . . §ºuter.
Moon Crystal 'ilver.
* The ancients divided precious stones
into male and female. The darker stones
were called the male, and the light ones
were called the females. Male Sapphires
t
Precocious
1004
Prester John
approach indigo in colour, but the
female ones are sky-blue. Theophartos
mentions the distinction.
Preco'cious means ripened by the sun
before it has attained its full growth ;
premature; a development of mind or
body beyond one's age. (Latin, præ
coquo.)
“Many precocious trees, and such as have their
!??.
Spring in Winter, may be found.”—Brow
Prelate means simply a man pre-
ferred, a man promoted to an ecclesi-
astical office which gives him jurisdic-
tion over other clergymen. Cardinals,
bishops, abbots, and archdeacons were
at one time so called, but the term is re-
stricted in the Protestant Church to
bishops. (Latin, prafero, praelatus.)
Preliminary Canter (A). Meta-
phorically, means something which pre-
cedes the real business in hand. The
reference is to the preliminary canter of
horses before the race itself begins.
“The real business of the sessions commenced
last night. . . . . Lyerything that has preceded
the introduction Of this measure has been a pre-
liminary canter.”—Newspaper paragraph, April
14th, 1894.
Premier Pas. Ce n'est que le premier
pas qui cotte, Pythagoras used to say,
“The beginning is half the whole.”
“Incºpe Dimidium facti est coepisse.”—Ausonius.
“Dinidium facti, qui coepit, habet.”—Horace.
“Well begun is half done.”
* The reverse of these proverbs is:
“C'est le plus difficile que d’écorcher la
queue.”
Premonstraten'sian or Norbertime
Order. Founded in the twelfth century
by St. Norbert, who obtained permission,
in 1120, to found a cloister in the diocese
of Laon, in France. A spot was pointed
out to him in a vision, and he termed the
spot Pré Montré or Pratum Monstra'tum
(the meadow pointed out). The order
might be called the reformed Augustine,
or the White canons of the rule of St.
Augustine.
Prendre un Rat par la Queue. To
pick a pocket. This proverb is very old
—it was popular in the reign of Louis
XIII - -
Prepense (2 syl.). Malice prépense
is malice designed or before deliberated.
(Latin, prae pensus.) .
Preposterous means “the cart be-
fore the horse.” (Latin, prae posterets,
the first last and the last first.)
Presbyterian. (See BLUE.)
Prescott. A waistcoat.
Rhyming
slang. (See CHIVY.)
Pres'ents. Know all men by these
presents—i.e. by the writings or docu-
ments now present. (Latin, per presentes,
by the [writings] present.)
Preserver [Sotárj. Ptolemy I. of
Egypt was called Soter by the Rhodians,
because he compelled Demetrios to raise
the siege of Rhodes. (B.C. 367, 323-285.)
Press-money and Press-men do not
mean Imoney given to impress men into
the Service and men so impressed; but
ready money, and men ready for service.
When a recruit has received the money,
he binds himself to be ready for service
whenever his attendance is required.
Similarly, a press-gang is a gang to get
ready men. (Old French prest, now
prêt, Italian presto.)
Prester John, according to Mande-
ville, a lineal descendant of Ogier the
Dane. This Ogier penetrated into the
north of India, with fifteen barons of
his own country, among whom he divided
the land. John was made sovereign of
Teneduc, and was called Prester because
he converted the natives. Another tra-
dition says he had seventy kings for his
vassals, and was seen by his subjects
only three times in a year. In Much
Ado about Nothing, Benedick says:—
“I will fetch you a tooth-picker from the
farthest inch of Asia ; bring you the length of
Prester John's foot : fetch you a hair off the great
Chalm’s beard . . rather than hold three words’
conference with this llarpy.”—Act ii. 1.
Prester John (in Orlando Furioso, bk.
xvii.), called by his subjects Sena'pus,
Ring of Ethiopia. He was blind. Though
the richest monarch of the world, he
pined “in plenty’s lap with endless
famine,” for whenever his table was
spread hell-born harpies flew away with
the food. This was in punishment of
his great pride and impiety in wishing
to add Paradise to his dominion. The
plague was to cease “when a stranger
came to his kingdom on a winged horse.”
Astolpho came on his flying griffin, and
with his magic horn chased the harpies
into Cocy'tus. The king sent 100,000
Nubians to the aid of Charlemagne ; they
were provided with horses by Astolpho,
who threw stones into the air, which
became steeds fully equipped (bk. xviii.)
and were transported to France by AS-
tolpho, who filled his hands with leaves,
which he cast into the sea, and they in-
stantly became ships (bk. xix.). When
Agramant was dead, the Nubians were
sent back to their country, and the ships
turned to leaves and the horses to stones
again. -- - - .#
Prestige
I005
Pride
Prestige. This word has a strangely
metamorphosed meaning. The Latin
praestig'ite means juggling tricks, hence
prestidig'itateur' (French), one who jug-
gles with his fingers. We use the word
for that favourable impression which
results from good antecedents. ... The his-
tory of the change is this: Juggling tricks
were once considered a sort of enchant-
ment; to enchant is to charm, and to
charm is to win the heart.
Presto. Quick. A name given to
Swift by the Duchess of Shrewsbury, a
foreigner. Of course, the pun is obvious:
presto means Swift (or quick).
Preston and his Mastiffs. To
oppose Preston and his mastiffs is to be
foolhardy, to resist what is irresistible.
Christopher Preston established the Bear
Garden at Hockley-in-the-Hole in the
time of Charles II. The Bible says he
that employs the sword “shall perish
by the sword,” and Preston was killed
in 1709 by one of his own bears.
“. . . I’d as good oppose -
My Sclf to Preston and his mastiſſ's loose.”
* -- - - - . Oldha,777 ; III. Satty?" of Juvenal.
Pretender. The Old Pretender.
James F. E. Stuart, son of James II.
(1688-1766.)
The Young Pretender. Charles Edward
Stuart, son of the “Old Pretender.”
(1720-1788.)
“God bless the king, I mean the faith's defender:
God bless—no harm in blessing—the Pretender.
Who that Pretender is, and who is king—
God bless us all !—that's quite another thing.”
• * Joh?? 133/rom.
Pretenders. Tanyoxarkës, in the time
of Camby'ses, King of Persia, pretended
to be Smerdis ; but one of his wives felt
his head while he was asleep, and dis-
covered that he had no ears.
Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck,
in the reign of Henry VIII.
Otrefief, a monk, pretended to be
Demetrius, younger Son of Czar Ivan
Basilowitz II., murdered by Boris in
1598. In 1605 Demetrius “the False ’’
became Czar, but was killed at Moscow
the year following, in an insurrection.
Pre'text. A pretence. From the
Latin praeteata, a dress embroidered in
the frontworn by the Roman magistrates,
priests, and children of the aristocracy
between the age of thirteen and seven-
teen. The praterta'tae were dramas in
which actors personated those who wore
the praetexta ; hence persons who pre-
tend to be what they are not.
Prettyman (Prince), who figures
Sometimes as a fisherman’s son, and
Sometimes as a prince, to gain the heart
of Cloris. (Buckingham : The Rehearsal.)
Prevarica/tion. The Tatin word
varico is to straddle, and praevaricor, to
go zigzag or crooked. The verb, says
Pliny, was first applied to men who
ploughed Crooked ridges, and afterwards
to men who gave crooked answers in the
law courts, or deviated from the straight
line of truth. (See DELIRIUM.)
Prevent. Precede, anticipate. (Latin
prae-vonio, to go before.) And as what
goes before us may hinder us, so prevent
means to hinder or keep back.
“My cyes prevent the night watches.”—Psalm
CX1X. 148.
“Prevent us, O Lord, in all our doings.”—Com-
777 on Prayer Book.
Previous Question.
TION.)
Pri'am. King of Troy when that
city was sacked by the allied Greeks.
His wife’s name was Hecuba, ; she was
the mother of nineteen children, the
eldest of whom was Hector. When the
gates of Troy were thrown open by the
Greeks concealed in the Wooden Horse,
Pyrrhos, the son of Achilles, slew the
aged Priam. (See Homer’s Iliad and
Virgil's Aºne'id.)
Pri'amond. Son of Ag'apé, a fairy.
He was very daring, and fought on foot
with battle-axe and spear. He was slain
by Cam'balo. (Spenser ; Faërie Queene,
bk. iv.) (See DIAMOND.)
Pria/pus, in classical mythology, is
a hideous, sensual, disgusting deity, the
impersonation of the principle offertility.
(See BAAL PEOR, etc.)
Prick-eared. So the Roundheads
were called, because they covered their
heads with a black skull-cap drawn down
tight, leaving the ears exposed.
Prick the Garter. (See FAST AND
LOOSE.)
Pride, meaning ostentation, finery,
or that which persons are proud of.
Spenser talks of “lofty trees yelad in
summer's pride'' (verdure). Pope, of a
“sword whose ivory sheath [was] in-
wrought with envious pride'' (orna-
mentation); and in this sense the word
is used by Jacques in that celebrated
passage—
“Why, who cries out on pride [dress]
That can therein tax any private party 2
What woman in the city do I name
When that I say ‘the city woman bears
The cost of princes on unworthy shoulders' 2
... . What is he of baser function,
That says his bravery [finery] is not, of my
cost 7" Shakespeare: As You Like It, ii. 7, ..
(See QUES-
-
Pride of the Morning
1006
Primrose
Fly pride, says the peacock, proverbial
for pride. (Shakespeare : Comedy of
Errors, iv. 3.) The pot calling the kettle
“black face.” - *
Sir Pride. First a drayman, then a
colonel in the Parliamentary army.
(Butler: Hudibras.)
Pride of the Morning. That early
mist or shower which promises a fine
day. The Morning is too proud to come
out in her glory all at once—or the proud
beauty being thwarted weeps and pouts
awhile. Keble uses the phrase in a
different sense when he says:—
“Pride of the dewy Morning,
The Swain's experienced eye
From thee takes timely warning,
Nor trusts the gorgeous sky.”
Reble: 25th Sunday after Trinity.
Pride's Purge. The Long Parlia-
ment, not proving itself willing to con-
demn Charles I., was purged of its unruly
members by Colonel Pride, who entered
the House with two regiments of soldiers,
imprisoned sixty members, drovednehun-
dred and sixty out into the streets, and
left only sixty of the most complaisant.
Pridwen. The name of Prince
Arthur’s shield.
“He henge an his sweqre [neck] acne sceld deore,
His nome on Brutisc [in British] Pridwen iliaten
[called].”
Layamon : Brut (twelfth century).
Prid'win. Same as pridwen. This
shield had represented on it a picture
of the Virgin.
“The temper of his sword, the tried “Excaliber,
The bigness and the length of " Rone,' his noble
spear,
With ‘Pridwin,’ his great shield, and what the
proof could bear.” Drayton.
Priest . . . Knight. I would rather
walk with Sir Priest than Sir Knight. I
prefer peace to strife.
Priest of the Blue-bag. A bar-
rister. A blue-bag is a cant name for a
barrister. (See BARRISTER’s BAG.)
“He [O'Flynn] had twice pleaded his own cause,
without help of attorney, and showed himself as
practised in every law quibble . . . as if he had
been a regularly ordained priest of the blue bag.”
—C. Kingsley : Altom. Locke, chap. xx.
Prig. A knavish beggar in the Beggar’s
Bush, by Beaumont and Fletcher.
Prig. A coxcomb, a conceited person.
Probably the Anglo-Saxon pryt or pryd.
Prig. To filch or steal. Also a pick-
pocket or thief. The clown calls Autol'-
ycus a “prig that haunts wakes, fairs,
and bear = baitings.” (Shakespeare:
Winter’s Tale, iv. 3.)
In Scotch, to priq means to cheapen, or haggle
over the price asked ; priggin means cheapening.
Prima Donna (Italian). A first-class
lady; applied to public singers. f
Prima Facie (Latin). At first sight.
A prima facie case is a case or statement
which, without minute examination into
its merits, seems plausible and correct.
It would be easy to make out a strong prima
facie case, but I should advise the more cautious
policy of audi alteram partemu.
Primary Colours. (See CoIOURs.)
Prime (1syl.). In the Catholic Church
the first canonical hour after lauds.
Milton terms sunrise ‘‘ that sweet hour
of prime.” (Paradise Lost, bk. v. 170.)
“All night long . . . came the sound of chant-
ing . . . as the monks Sang the Sery ice of matins,
lauds, and prime.”—Shorthouse: John Inglesaut,
Chap. i. p. 10.
Primed. Full and ready to deliver
a speech. We say of a man whose head
is full of his subject, “He is primed to
the muzzle.” Of course, the allusion
is to firearms.
Primero. A game at cards.
“I left him at primero with the Duke of
Suffolk.”—Shakespeare: Henry VIII., i. 2.
‘.” “Four cards were dealt to each player, the
principal groups being flush, prime, and point.
Flush was the same as in poker, prime was one
card of each suit, and point was reckoned as in
‘piquet.'"—Cyclopædia of Gaînes, p. 270.
Primitive Fathers (The). The five
Christian fathers supposed to be con-
temporary with the Apostles: viz.
Clement of Rome (30-102); Barnabas,
cousin of Mark the Evangelist, and
schoolfellow of Paul the Apostle;
Hermas, author of The Shepherd ;
Ignatius, martyred A.D. 115; and Poly-
carp (85-169). -
The first two Epistles to the Corinthiams are
probably, by Clement Românus, but everything
else ascribed to him is undoubtedly spurious.
The epistle ascribed to Barnabas is of very
doubtful authenticity. - -
Hermas.-It is very doubtful whether this is a
proper, name at all; and, if a proper name, many
think it is a Hermas in the Second century,
brother of Pills I. -
Polycarp, some say, was a pupil of John the
Evangelist, by whom he was made Bishop of
Smyrna, addressed in the Revelation ; but if the
Revelation was written in 96, Polycarp was not
eleven years old at the time, and could not pos-
sibly have been a bishop. It is extremely doubt-
ful whether he knew the Evangelist at all, and
certainly he did not know either the Fourth
Gospel or the Book of the Revelation.
Primrose (George). Son of the
worthy Vicar of Wakefield. He went to
Amsterdam to teach the people English,
but forgot that he could not do so till
he knew something of Dutch himself.
(Goldsmith : Vicar of Wakefield.)
Moses Primrose. Brother of the above,
noted for giving in barter a good horse
for a gross of worthless green spectacles
with copper rims and shagreen cases.
(Goldsmith : Vicar of Wakefield.)
Mrs. Deborah Primrose. Mother of the
|Primrose
1007
Printer's Devil
above ; noted for her motherly vanity,
her skill in housewifery, and her desire
to be genteel. Her wedding gown is a
standing simile for things that “ wear
well.” Her daughters' names are Olivia
% Sophia. (Goldsmith: Picar of Wake-
ld
€/ú.
The Rev. Dr. Primrose. Husband of
Mrs. Deborah, and Vicar of Wakefield.
As simple-minded and unskilled in the
world as Goldsmith himself, unaffectedly
pious, and beloved by all who knew him.
(Goldsmith : Vicar of Wakefield.)
Primrose. A curious corruption of
the French primeverole, Italian prim-
everola, compounds of the Latin prima
wera (first spring flower). Chaucer calls
the word primirole, which is a contrac-
tion of the Italian prime’rola. The
flower is no rose at all.
Pri'mum Mobile, in the Ptolema'ic
system of astronomy, was the tenth (not
ninth) sphere, supposed to revolve from
east to west in twenty-four hours, carry-
ing with it all the other spheres. The
eleven spheres are : (1) Diana, or the
Moon, (2) Mercury, (3) Venus, (4) Apollo
or the Sun, (5) Mars, (6) Jupiter, (7)
Saturn, (8) the starry sphere or that of
the fixed stars, (9) the crystalline, (10)
the primum mobile, and (11) the em-
pyre'an. Ptolemy himself acknowledged
only the first nine; the two latter were
devised by his disciples. The motion of
the crystalline, according to this system,
causes the precession of the equinoxes,
its axis being that of the ecliptic. The
motion of the primum mobile produces
the alternation of day and night; its
axis is that of the equator, and its ex-
tremities the poles of the heavens.
“They pass the planets seven, and pass the
fixed' [starry sphere],
And that crystal/lin sphere . . . and that ‘First-
Moved.’” Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 482.
Primum Mobile is figuratively applied
to that machine which communicates
motion to several others ; and also to
persons and ideas suggestive of com-
plicated systems. Socratēs was the
primum mobile of the Dialectic, Megaric,
Cyrena'ic, and Cynic systems of philo-
Sophy.
Primus. The archbishop, or rather
“presiding bishop,” of the Episcopal
Church of Scotland. He is elected by
the other six bishops, and presides in
Convocation, or meetings relative to
church matters.
Prince. The Latin prin'cipës formed
one of the great divisions of the Roman
infantry; so called because they were
Originally the first to begin the fight.
After the Hastaſti were instituted, this
privilege was transferred to the new
division.
JPrince. (See BLACK.)
-Prince of , alchemy. - Rudolph II.,
Emperor of Germany, also called The
German Hermes Trismegistus.
Prince of gossips. Samuel Pepys,
noted for his gossiping Diary, commenc-
ing January 1st, 1659, and continued for
nine years. (1632-1703.)
Prince of grammarians.
MARIANS.)
The Messiah (Isaiah
Prince of Peace.
ix. 6).
Prince of the Power of the Air. Satan
(Eph. ii. 2).
Prince of the vegetable kingdom. So
Linnaeus calls the palm-tree.
Prince of Wales (The). This title
arose thus: When Edward I. Subdued
'Wales, he promised the Welsh, if they
would lay down their arms, that he
would give them a native prince. His
queen having given birth to a son in
Wales, the new-born child was entitled
Pdward, Prince of Wales ; and ever
since then the eldest son of the British
sovereign has retained the title.
Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards. The
3rd Dragoon Guards.
Prince Rupert's Drops. Drops of
molten glass, consolidated by falling
into water. Their form is that of a tad-
pole. The thick end may be hammered
pretty Smartly without its breaking, but
if the smallest portion of the thin end
is nipped off, the whole flies into fine
dust with explosive violence. These
toys, if not invented by Prince Rupert,
were introduced by him into England.
Prince's Peers. . A term of contempt
applied to peers of low birth. The son
of Charles VII. of France (afterwards
Louis XI.), in order to weaken the in-
fluence of the aristocracy, created a host
of riff-raff peers, such as tradesmen,
farmers, and mechanics, who were tools
in his hands.
Princox or Princocks. (Probably
from prime and cock.) Capulet calls
Tybalt a princoa, or wilful spoilt boy.
(Shakespeare : Romeo and Juliet.)
Prink. She was prinked in all her
finery. Adorned. Prink and prank.
Dutch promken, to make a show; Ger-
man prangen, Danish prange, Swedish
forumka.
Printer's Devil. The newest ap-
prentice lad in the press-room, whose
(See GRAM-
IPrinters' Marks
1008
|Privy Seal
duty it is to run errands, and to help the
pressmen.
Printing used to be called the Black
Art, and the boys who assisted the press-
men were called imps. (See under DEVIL.)
Printers’ Marks.
? is 3–that is, the first and last letters
of qatastio (question).
! is . Io in Latin is the interjection
of joy.
§ is a Greek p (tr), the initial letter of
paragraph.
* is used by the Greek grammarians
to arrest attention to something striking
(asterisk or star).
* is used by the Greek grammarians to
indicate something objectionable (obelisk
or dagger).
(See MARKS IN GRAMMAR.)
Printing. (See EMI.)
Pather of English printing. William
Caxton (1412-1491).
* It is a mistake to suppose that
Caxton (1471) was the first printer in
England. A book has been accidentally
discovered with the date 1468 (Oxford).
The Rev. T. Wilson says, “The press at
Oxford existed ten years before there
was any press in Europe, except those at
IHaarlem and Mentz. The person who
set up the Oxford press was Corsellis.”
Prio'ri. An argument a priori is one
from cause to effect. To prove the ex-
istence of God a priori, you must show
that every other hypoth'esis is more un-
likely, and therefore this hypothesis is
the most likely. All mathematical proofs
are of this kind. (See POSTERIORI.)
Priscian's Head. To break Priscian’s
head (in Latin, “Diminutre Priscia'ni
cap'ut. ”). To violate the rules of gram-
mar. Priscian was a great grammarian
of the fifth century, whose name is
almost synonymous with grammar.
“Priscian's head is often bruised Without re-
morse.”— P. Thompson.
“And held no sin, so deeply red
As that of breaking Priscian's head.”
IRutler : Hudibras, pt. ii. 2.
Priscill’ianists. Followers of Pris-
cillian, a Spaniard ; an heretical Sect
which sprang up in Spain in the fourth
century. They were a branch of the
Manichaeans.
Prisoner at the Bar. The prisoner
in the dock, who is on his trial; so called
because anciently he stood at the bar
which separated the barristers from the
common pleaders.
Prisoner of Chillon'. François de
Bonnivard, a Frenchman confined for
six years in the dungeon of the Chateau
de Chillon, by Charles III. of Savoy.
Lord Byron, in his poem, so called, has
welded together this incident with
Dante's Count Ugoli'no. (See CHILLON.)
Pri'thu. The favourite hero of the
Indian Purānas. Wena having been
slain for his wickedness, and leaving no
offspring, the saints rubbed his right arm,
and the friction brought forth Prithu.
Being told that the earth had suspended
for a time its fertility, Prithu went forth
to punish it, and the Earth, under the
form of a cow, fled at his approach ; but
being unable to escape, promised that in
future “seed-time and harvest should
never fail.”
Priuſli. Senator of Venice, noted for
his unbending pride, and his unnatural
harshness to his daughter Belvideºra.
(Otway: Venice Preserved.)
Privolvans'. The antagonists of the
Subvolvans, in S. Butler’s satirical poem
called The Elephant in the Moor?. .
“These, silly ranting Privolvans
Have every summer their campaigns,
And muster like the warlike Sons
Of Raw head and of Bloody bones.”
V. 85. €tC.
Privy Council. The council chosen
by the sovereign to administer public
affairs. It consists of the Royal Family,
the two Primates, the Bishop of London,
the great officers of State, the Lord
Chancellor and Judges of the Courts of
Equity, the Chief Justices of the Courts
of Common Law, the Judge Advocate,
some of the Puisne Judges, the Speaker
of the House of Commons, the Ambassa-
dors, Governors of Colonies, Commander-
in-Chief, Master-General of the Ord-
nance, First Lord of the Admiralty,
Vice-President of the Board of Trade,
Paymaster of the Forces, President of
the Poor-law Board, etc. etc.; a com-
mittee of which forms the Cabinet or
Ministry. The number of neither the
Privy Council nor Cabinet is fixed, but
the latter generally includes about fifteen
or sixteen gentlemen specially qualified
to advise on different departments of
state business. Much of the business of
the Privy Council is performed by Boards
or subdivisions, as the Board of Trade,
the Board of Quarantine, the Committee
of Council on Education, etc.
Privy Seal. The seal which the
sovereign uses in proof of assent to a
document. In matters of minor import-
ance it is sufficient to pass the privy Seal,
but instruments of greater moment must
have the great Seal also. -
Pro and Con
1009
12rofound
Pro and Con. (Latin). For and
against. “Con.” is a contraction of
CO)bt)'à.
Pro Tanto. As an instalment, good
enough as far as it goes, but not final;
for what it is worth.
“I heard Mr. Parnell accept the Bill of 1886 as a
measure that would close the differences between
the two countries ; but since then he stated that
he had accepted it as a pro tutºto measure. . . . It
was a parliamentary bet, and he hoped to make
future amendments on it.”—Mr. Chamberlain's
speech, April 10th, 1893.
Pro Tempore (3 syl:), Temporarily;
for the time being, till something is
permanently settled. Contracted into
pro tem.
Probate of a Will. A certified copy
of a will by an officer whose duty it is to
attest it. The original is retained in the
court registry, and executors act on the
proved copy. Anyone may see an official
copy of any will at the registry office on
payment of a shilling.
Probe. I must probe that matter to
the bottom—must narrowly examine into
it. The allusion is to a surgeon probing
a wound, or searching for some extrane-
ous substance in the body.
Prob'ole (3 Syl.), as applied to Jesus
Christ, is this ; that. He was divine only
because He was divinely begotten ; in
fact, He was a shoot of the divine stem.
This heterodox notion was combated by
Irenaeus, but was subsequently revived
by Monta'nus and Tertullian. The word
is properly applied to the process of a
'bone—that is, a bone growing out of a
normal bone. (Greek, pro-ballo.)
Procès-Verbal. A minute and
official statement of some fact.
“We (Says the procès-verbal) asked him what
use he had made of the pistol [i.e. We, says the
official report, etc.].”—The Times (Law Report).
Procession of the Black Breeches.
This is the heading of a chapter in vol.
ii. of Carlyle's French Revolution. The
chapter contains a description of the
mob procession, headed by Santerre
carrying a pair of black Satin breeches
on a pole. . The mob forced its way into
the Tuileries on June 20th, 1792, and
presented the king (Louis XVI.) with the
bonnet rouge and a tricolour cockade.
Proclaim on the Housetop. To
proclaim or make known to everyone; to
blab in public. Dr. Jahn says that the
ancient Jews “ascended their roofs to
announce anything to the multitude, to
pray to God, and to perform sacrifices”
(Matt. x. 27).
“NO Secret can escape being proclaimed from
the housetop,”—London Review,
Proclivity. His proclivities are all
evil. His tendencies or propensities have
a wrong bias. The word means down-
hill tendency. (Latin, proclivis.)
Procris. Umerring as the dart of
Procris. When Procris fled from Ceph'-
alus out of shame, Diana gave her a dog
that never failed to secure its prey, and
a dart which not only never missed aim,
but which always returned of its own
accord to the shooter. (See CEPHALUS.)
Procrustes' Bed. Procrustes was
a robber of Attica, who placed all who
fell into his hands upon an iron bed. If
they were longer than the bed, he cut
off the redundant part ; if shorter, he
stretched them till they fitted it. Any
attempt to reduce men to one standard,
one way of thinking, or one way of
acting, is called placing them on Pro-
crustes’ bed, and the person who makes
the attempt is called Procrustes. (See
GIRDLE.)
“Tyrant more cruel than Procrustes old,
Who to his iron-led by torture fits
Their holyler parts, the Souls of suffering wits.”
Mallet: Verbal Criticism.
Procrus' team. Pertaining to Pro-
crustes, and his mode of procedure. (See
above.)
Prodigal. Festus says the Romans
called victims wholly consumed by fire
prod'igae hostidº (victims prodigalised),
and adds that those who waste their
substance are therefore called prodigals.
This derivation can hardly be considered
correct. Prodigal is pro-ago or prod-igo
(to drive forth), and persons who had
spent all their patrimony were “driven
forth '' to be sold as slaves to their
creditors.
Prodigal (The). Albert VI., Duke of
Austria. (1418-1463.)
Prodigy. The prodigy of France.
Guillaume Budé ; so called by Erasmus.
(1467–1540.)
The prodigy of learning. Samuel
Hahnemann, the German, was so called
by J. Paul Richter. (1755-1843.)
Profane means literally before the
temple (Latin, pro fanum). Those per-
sons who came to the temple and were
not initiated were called profane by the
Romans.
Pro'file (2, Syl.) means shown by a
thread. (Italian, profilo y Latin, filiſm,
a thread.) A profile is an outline. In
sculpture or painting it means to give
the contour or side-face.
Profound (The). Richard Middle-
ton, theologian. (* -1304.)
64
Prog
1010
Proof Prints
The Profound Doctor. Thomas Brad-
warden, a schoolman. (Fourteenth
century.)
Most Profound Doctor. AEgidius de
Columna, a Sicilian Schoolman. (Died
1316.)
Prog. Food (connected with prod,
and perhaps prov[ender]). Burke says,
“You are the lion, and I have been en-
deavouring to prog [procure food] for
you.”
“So saying, with a smile she left the rogue
. To Weave more lines ()f death, and plan for
prog.” Dr. Wolcot : Spider and I'ly.
Progn'e or Prolºne. The swallow.
(See NIGHTINGALE.)
“As Progué or as Philome’la mourns : .
That finds the nest by cruel hands dispoiled ; . .
So Bradalmant lanıçnts her absent knight.”
Orlando Furioso, book xxiii.
Progress. To report progress, in par-
liamentary language, is to conclude for
the night the business of a bill, and defer
the consideration of all subsequent items
thereof till the day nominated by the
chief Minister of the Crown.
Projection. Powder of projection,
or the “Philosopher's Stone.” A powder
supposed to have the virtue of changing
baser metals into gold or silver. A little
of this powder, being cast into molten
metal of the baser sort, was to project
from it pure gold or silver. Education
may be called the true “powder of pro-
jection.”
Proletaire (3 syl.). One of the
rabble. Prolétaires in French means the
lowest and poorest class in the commu-
nity. Proleta'rian, mean or vulgar. The
sixth class of Servius Tullius consisted
of proletarii and the capite censi–i.e.
breeders and human heads. The prole-
taries could not enter the army, but
were useful as breeders of the race
(proles). The capite censi were not en-
rolled in the census by the value of their
estates, but simply by their polls.
Proleta'riat. Commonalty. (See
PROLETAIRE.) -
“Italy has a clerical aristocracy, ricli, idle, and
corrupt ; and a clerical proletariat, needy and
grossly ignorant.”—The Times.
Prome'theus (3 syl.) made men of
clay, and stole fire from heaven to ani-
mate them. For this he was chained
by Zeus to Mount Cau'casus, where an
eagle preyed on his liver daily. The
word means Forethought, and one of
his brothers was Epimetheus or After-
thought.
“Faster bound to Aaron's charming eyes
Than is Prometheus tied to Caucasus.” ..
Shakespeare : Titus 47-dronicus, ii. 1.
Prome'thean. Capable of produc-
ing fire ; pertaining to Prome'theus
(q.v.).
Prome thean Fire. The vital prin-
ciple; the fire with which Prometheus
quickened into life his clay images. (See
PROMETHEUS.)
“I know not where is that Promethean heat
That can thy life relume.”
Shakespeare: Othello, v. 2.
Promethean Unguent (The). Made
from a herb on which some of the blood
of Promētheus (3 Syl.) had fallen. Medea
gave Jason some of this unguent, which
rendered his body proof against fire and
warlike instruments.
Prome'theans. The first invention
which developed into Bryant and May's
“Safety matches.” They were origin-
ally made in 1805 by Chancel, a French
chemist, who tipped cedar splints with
paste of chlorate of potash and sugar.
On dipping one of these matches into a
little bottle containing asbestos wetted
with Sulphuric acid, it burst into flame
on drawing it out. It was notintroduced
into England till after the battle of
Waterloo. (See HUGH PERRY.)
Promise of Odin (The). The most
binding of all promises to a Scandinavian.
In making this promise the person passed
his hand through a massive silver ring
kept for the purpose ; or through a sacri-
ficial stone, like that called the “Circle
of Stennis.”
“I will bind myself to you . . . by the promise
of Odin, the lhost Sacred of our northern rites.”—
Sir W. Scºtt: The Pirate, chap. xxii.
Promised Land or Land of Promise.
Canaan; so called because God promised
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that their
offspring should possess it.
Prone'sia (in Orlando Furioso). One
of Logistilla's handmaids, famous for
her wisdom. p
Proof. A printed sheet to be ex-
amined and approved before it is finally
printed. The first proof is that which
contains all the workman’s errors; when
these are corrected the impression next
taken is called a clean proof and is sub-
mitted to the author; the final impres-
sion, which is corrected by the reader ad
wnguem, is termed the press proof.
The first impressions
of an engraving. India-proofs are those
taken off on India-paper. Proofs before
lettering are those taken off before the
plate is sent to the writing engraver.
After the proofs the orders of merit are
Proof Prints.
Proof Spirit
1011
Tºro.'s
—(1) the prints which have the letters
only in outline; (2) those in which the
letters are shaded with a black line ; (3)
those in which some slight ornament is
introduced into the letters; (4) those
in which the letters are filled up quite
black.
Proof Spirit. A mixture of equal
parts (by weight) of alcohol and water.
The proof of spirit consists in little bub-
bles or beads which appear on the top of
the liquor after agitation. When any
mixture has more alcohol than water it
is called over proof, and when less it is
termed under proof.
Prooshan Blue (My). A term of
great endearment. After the battle of
Waterloo the Prussians were immensely
popular in England, and in connection
with the Loyal True Blue Club gave rise
to the toasts, “The True Blue '’ and the
“Prussian Blue.” Sam Weller addresses
his father as “Well, my Prooshan Blue.”.
Propagan'da. The name given to
the “congregation’’ de propaganda ſide,
established at Rome by Gregory XV., in
1622, for propagating throughout the
world the Roman Catholic religion. Any
institution for making religious or politi-
cal proselytes. -
Proper Names used as Common
Nouns.
Crebillon = terrible.
J) unmats = imaginative
Fénelon = fabulous.
Le Sage = humorous.
Molière = COnliC.
Montaigme = thoughtful.
Jºatbeltis = unclean.
Roussed it = amorous, ..
Yictor Hugo = incendiary. -
Zola = ligentious ; Zolatesque, in the manner or
Style of Zola, the lºrench novelist. -
Property Plot (The), in theatrical
language, means a list of all the “pro-
perties” or articles which will be re-
quired in the play produced. Such as
the bell, when Macbeth says, “The bell
invites me; ” the knock, when it is said,
“Heard you that knocking P” tables,
chairs, banquets, tankards, etc., etc.
Prophesy upon Velvet (To). To
rophesy what is already a known fact.
#. the issue of a battle flashed to an
individual may, by Some chance, get to
the knowledge of a “Sibyl,” who may
securely prophesy, the issue to others;
but such a prediction would be a “pro-
phecy on velvet; ” it goes on velvet
slippers without fear of stumbling.
“If one of those three had Spoken the news Over
again ... . . the Qll lady ſºr Sibyl] prophesies upon
Velyet.”—Sir W. Scott : The I’irate, ch. xxi.
Prophet (The). Mahomet is so called.
(570-632.)
The Koran
says there have been
200,000 prophets, only six of whom have
brought new laws or dispensations;
Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus,
The Prophet. Jo'achim, Abbot of
Fiore. (1130-1202.)
Prophet of the Syrians.
Syrus (4th century).
The Great Prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah,
Ezekiel, and Daniel ; so called because
their writings are more extensive than
the prophecies of the other twelve.
The Minor or Lesser Prophets. Hose'a,
Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Jonah,
Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephani'ah, Haggai,
Zechari'ah, and Mal'achi; so called be-
cause their writings are less extensive
than those of the four Great Prophets.
Prophetess (The). Ay-e'shah, the
second wife of Mahomet; so called, not
because she had any gift of prophecy,
but simply because she was the favourite
wife of the “prophet; ” she was, there-
fore, emphatically “Mrs. Prophet.”
Propositions, in logic, are of four
kinds, called A, E, I, O. “A” is a
universal affirmative, and “E” a uni-
versal negative ; “I” a particular affirm-
ative, and “O'” a particular negative.
“Asserit A, negat E, Verum generaliter ambo
Asserit I, negat O, Sed particulariter ambo.”
A asserts and E denies some universal propo-
Sition ; -
I asserts and O denies, but with particular pre-
CISIOll.
and Mahomet.
Ephraem
Props, in theatrical slang, means pro-
perties, of which it is a contraction.
Everything stored in a theatre for
general use on the stage is a “prop,”
but these stores are the manager’s props.
An actor’s “props '' are the clothing
and other articles which he provides for
his own use on the stage. In many
good theatres the manager provides
everything but tights and a few minor
articles; but in minor theatres each actor
must provide a wardrobe and properties.
Prorogue (2 syl.). The Parliament
was prorogated. Dismissed for the holi-
days, or suspended for a time. (Latin,
pro-rogo, to prolong.) If dismissed en-
tirely it is said to be “dissolved.”
Pro.'s. Professionals—that is, actors
by profession. --
* A big crowd slowly gathers,
And stretches across the street ;
The pit door OpenS Sharply,
And I hear the trampling feet ;
A nd the quiet pl’O.'s paSS onward
To the stage-door up the court.”
Sims: Ballads of Babylon; Forgottem, etc.
Proscenium
1012
JProtector
Prosce'nium. The front part of the
stage, between the drop-curtain and
Orchestra. (Greek, proské)tion ; Latin,
proscénium.)
Proscrip'tion. A sort of hue and
cry; so called because among the Romans
the names of the persons proscribed were
written out, and the tablets bearing their
names were fixed up in the public forum,
sometimes with the offer of a reward for
those who should aid in bringing them
before the court. If the proscribed did
not answer the summons, their goods
were confiscated and their persons out-
lawed. In this case the name was en-
graved on brass or marble, the offence
stated, and the tablet placed conspicu-
ously in the market-place.
Prose means straightforward speak-
ing or writing (Latin, Ora'tio pro'sa–i.e.
proversa), in opposition to foot-bound
speaking or writing, oratio vincta (fet-
tered speech—i.e. poetry).
Prose. Il y a plus de vingt ans que je
dis de la prose, Sams que j’an Susse wien.
I have known this these twenty years
without being conscious of it. (Molière :
J.é Bourgeois Gentilhomme.)
“‘Really,” exclaimed Lady Ambrose, brighten-
ing, “Il y a plus devingt &ms que je dis de la prose,
sails que j'em sºusse yiem.’ And So it. Seems that I
have known history without suspecting it, just as
Mons. Jourdain talked prose.”—Mallock: The New
lèepublic, bk. iii. chap. 2.
Father of Greek prose. Herod'otos
(B.C. 484-405).
Pather of English prose. Wycliffe
(1324–1384); and Roger Ascham (1515-
1568).
JFather of French prose. Villehardouin
(pron. Weal-hard-whah'?.) (1167-1213.)
Proselytes (3 Syl.) among Jewish
writers were of two kinds—viz. “The
proselyte of righteousness '' and the
“stranger of the gate.” The former
submitted to circumcision and conformed
to the laws of Moses. The latter ab-
stained from offering sacrifice to heathen
gods, and from working on the Sabbath.
“The stranger that is within thy gate ’’
= the stranger of the gate.
“I must confess that his Society was at first irk-
Some ; but . . . I now have hope that he may be-
come a stranger of the gate.”—Eldad the Pilgrim,
ch, iii.
IProser'pina or Pros'erpine (3 syl.).
One day, as she was amusing herself in
the meadows of Sicily, Pluto seized her
and carried her off in his chariot to the
infernal regions for his bride. In her
terror she dropped some of the lilies she
had been gathering, and they turned to
daffodils.
“O Proserpina,
For the flowers now, that frighted thou let'st
3, -
From Dis's waggon daffodils,
That come before the Swallow dares, and take
The Winds of March with beauty.”
Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, iv. 4.
Proserpine's Divine Calidore.
Sleep. In the beautiful legend of Cupid
and Psyche, by Apuleius, after Psyche
had long wandered about searching for
her lost Cupid, she is sent to Prosperine
for “the casket of divine beauty,” which
she was not to open till she came into
the light of day. Psyche received the
casket, but just as she was about to step
on earth, she thought how much more
Cupid would love her if she was di-
vinely beautiful; so she opened the
casket and found the calidore it con-
tained was sleep, which instantly filled
all her limbs with drowsiness, and she
slept as it were the sleep of death.
This is the very perfection of allegory. Of
course, Sleep is the only beautifier of the weary
and heart-sick ; and this calidore Psyche found
ljefore Cupid again came to her.
Prosper'ity Rob'inson. Wiscount
Goderich, Earl of Ripon, Chancellor of
the Exchequer in 1823. In 1825 he
boasted in the House of the prosperity of
the nation, and his boast was not yet
cold when the great financial crisis oc-
curred. It was Cobbett who gave him
the name of “Prosperity Robinson.”
Pros' pero. Rightful Duke of Milan,
deposed by his brother. Drifted on a
desert island, he practised magic, and
raised a tempestin which his brother was
shipwrecked. Ultimately Prospero broke
his wand, and his daughter married the
son of the King of Naples. (Shake-
speare : Tempest.)
Protag’oras of Abdera was the first
who took the name of “Sophist.” (B.C.
480-411.)
Prote'an. Having the aptitude to
change its form : ready to assume differ-
ent shapes. (See PROTEUs.)
Protectionist. One who advocates
the imposition of import duties, to
“protect ’’ home produce or manufac-
tures.
( Protector. The Earl of Pembroke
1216). -
Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester (1422-
1447).
Richard, Duke of Gloucester (1483).
The Duke of Somerset (1548).
The Lord Protector of the Common-
wealth. Oliver Cromwell (1653-1658).
Protesila,OS
1013
JPrussian Blue
Protesilaſos,in Fénelon’s Télémaque,
is meant to represent Louvois, the French
Minister of State.
Prot'estant. One of the party who
adhered to Luther at the Reformation.
These Lutherans, in 1529, “protested ”
against the decree of Charles V. of
Germany, and appealed from the Diet of
Spires to a general council. A Protest-
ant now means one of the Reformed
Church. •
JProtestant Pope. Clement XIV.
Proteus (pron. Pro'-tuce). As many
shapes as Protents—i.e. full of shifts,
aliases, disguises, etc. Proteus was Nep-
tune's herdsman, an old man and a
prophet. He lived in a vast cave, and
his custom was to tell over his herds of
Sea-Calves at noon, and then to sleep.
There was no way of catching him but
by stealing upon him during sleep and
binding him; if not so captured, he would
elude anyone who came to consult him
by changing his shape, for he had the
power of changing it in an instant into
any form he chose.
“The changeful Proteus, whose prophetic mind,
The Secret cause of Bacchus' rage divined,
Attending, left the flocks, his scaly chargé,
To graze the bitter weedy foam at large.” .
Camoëms: Lusiad, Wi.
Pro'teus. One of the two gentlemen
of Verona; his serving-man is Taunce.
Valentine is the other gentleman, whose
serving-man is Speed. (Shakespeare :
Two Gentlemen of Perona. -
Prothala'mion. Marriage song by
Edmund Spenser, peculiarly exquisite—
probably the noblest ever sung.
Proto-martyr. The first martyr.
Stephen the deacon is so called (Acts
v. vii.).
Protocol. The first rough draft or
Original copy of a despatch, which is to
form the basis of a treaty. (Greek,
proto-köleon, a sheet glued to the front
of a manuscript, and bearing an abstract
of the contents and purport. (Har-
anolaus Barbarus.)
Protoplasm, Sarcode. The material
or cells of which all living things are
|built up. Each is a jelly-like substance,
the former being the nucleus of plants
and the latter of animals. Max Schultz
proved the identity of these substances.
‘.' Protoplasm is not a simple but a complicated
structure, sometimes called a “colony of plasts,”
or nuclear granules. (Greek, proto-plasma, the
º ydel; proto-Sarkodes, the first flesh-like
entity.
Protozo'a. The lowest class of
animal life (Greek, protos zoön). In a
t
figurative Sense, a young aspirant for
literary honours: “They were young
intellectual protozoa.”
Proud (The). Otho IV., Emperor of
Germany. (1175, 1209-1218.)
Tarquin II. Of Rome. Superbus.
(Reigned B.C. 535-510, died 496.)
The proud Duke. Charles Seymour,
Duke of Somerset. He would never
suffer his children to sit in his presence,
and would never speak to his servants
except by signs. (Died 1748.)
JProud as Lucifer, proud as a peacock.
Proud'fute (Oliver). A boasting
bonnet-maker of Perth. His widow is
Magdalen or Maudie. (Sir Walter Scott :
Fair Maid of Perth.)
Prout, (See under FATHER.)
Prov'ince means a country previously
conquered. (Latin, pro winco.)
Provincial. Like or in the manner
of those who live in the provinces.
Provincial of an Order. The superior
of all the monastic houses of a province.
Prudent Tree (The). Pliny calls the
mulberry the most prudent of all trees,
because it waits till winter is well over
before it puts forth its leaves. Ludovico
Sforza, who prided himself on his pru-
dence, chose a mulberry-tree for his
device, and was called “Il Moyo.”
Prud'homme. A Moms. Prud’homme.
A man of experience and great prudence,
of estimable character and practical
good sense. Your Mons. Prud’homme is
never a man of genius and originality,
but what we in England should term a
“Quaker of the old school.”
The council of prud’hommes. A council
of arbiters to settle disputes between
masters and workmen.
Prunello. Stuff. Prunello really
means that woollen stuff of which com-
mon ecclesiastical gowns used to be
made; it was also employed for the
uppers of women’s boots and shoes;
everlasting. A corruption of Brignoles.
“Worth makes the man, and want of it the fellow ;
The rest is all but leather or prunelio,”
Pope: Essay on Man, iv.
Prussia, means near Russia, the
country bordering on Russia. In Neo-
Latin, Borussia ; in Slavonic, Porussia ;
po in Slavonic signifying “near.”
... Prussian Blue. So called because
it was discovered by a Prussian, viz.
Prussic Acid
1014
Public-house Signs
Diesbach, a colourman of Berlin, in 1710.
It is sometimes called Berlin blue.
Prus'sic Acid means the acid of
Prussian blue. It is now termed in
science hydrocyan'ic acid, because it is
made from a cyanide of iron.
Psalm cv. 28. The Prayer Book
version is: “They were not obedient
unto his word.”
The Bible version and the new version
is : “They rebelled not against his
Word.”
Psalms. Seventy-three psalms are
inscribed with David’s name, twelve
with that of Asaph the singer ; eleven go
under the name of the Sons of Korah, a
family of singers; one (i.e. Ps. Xc.) is
attributed to Moses. The whole com-
pilation is divided into five books: bk. 1,
from i. to xli. ; bk. 2, from xlii. to lxxii. ;
bk. 3, from lxxiii. to lz.xxix. ; bk. 4, from
Xc. to cvi. ; blº. 5, from cvii. to cl.
Psalmist. The sweet psalmist of
Israel. King David, who composed
many of the Bible Psalms. (See Psalm
lxxii. 20.)
Psalter of Tara (The). It contains
a narrative of the early kings of Ireland
from Ollam Fodlah to B.C. 900.
“Their tribe, they said, their high degree,
Was sung in Tara's Psaltery.”
Campbell ; O'Commor's Child,
Psaphon's Birds (Psaph'onis aves).
Puffers, flatterers. Psaphon, in order
to attract the attention of the world,
reared a multitude of birds, and having
taught them to pronounce his name, let
them fly.
“To what far region have his songs not flown,
Like T’Saphon's birds, speaking their master's
lmanne.” Moore : Rhymes on the Itoad, iii.
Psycar'pax [granary thief]. Son of
Troxartas, King of the Mice. The Frog-
king offered to carry the young prince
over a lake, but scarcely had he got mid-
way when a water-hydra appeared, and
JKing Frog, to save himself, dived under
water. The mouse, being thus left on
the surface, was drowned, and this catas-
trophe brought about the battle of the
Frogs and Mice.
“The soul of great Psycarpax lives in me,
Of great Troxartas' line.”
Parmell ; Battle of the Progs and Mice, i.
Psyche [Sy’ke]. A beautiful maiden
beloved by Cupid, who visited her every
night, but left her at sunrise. Cupid
bade her never seek to know who he was,
but one night curiosity overcame her
prudence, and she went to look at him.
A drop of hot oil fell on his shoulder,
awoke him, and he fled. Psyche next
became the slave of Venus, who treated
her most cruelly; but ultimately she was
married to Cupid, and became immortal,
Mrs. Henry Tighe has embodied in six
cantos this exquisite allegory from
Apuléios.
This subject was represented by Raphael in a
Suite of thirty-two pictures, and numerous artists
have taken the loves of Cupid and Psyche for
their subject; as, for example, Canova, Gerard,
Chaudet, etc. . The cameo of the Duke of Marl-
borough is Said to have been the work of Tryphon
Of Athens.
‘. Raphael's illustrations of the adventures of
Psyche were engraved for a superb edition in 4to
(De la Fable de Psyche), published by Henri Didot.
“Fair Psyche, kneeling at the ethereal throne,
Warned the fond bosom of unconquered love.”
Larwin : Economy of Vegetation, iv.
Psychography. Spirit-writing;
writing said by spiritualists to be done
by spirits.
Ptolema'ic System. The system
of Claudius Ptolemaeus, a celebrated as-
tronomer of Palu'sium, in Egypt, of the
eleventh century. He taught that the
earth is fixed in the centre of the uni-
verse, and the heavens revolve round it
from east to west, carrying with them
the Sun, planets, and fixed stars, in their
respective spheres. He said that the
Moon was next above the earth, then
Mercury, then Venus ; the Sun he
placed between Venus and Mars, and
after Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, beyond
which came the two crystalline spheres.
‘.” This system was accepted, till it was replaced
in the sixteenth century by the Colbernican
Sy Stelm.
Public. The people generally and
collectively; the members generally of
a state, Tiation, or community.
Public-house Signs. Much of a
nation’s history, and more of its manners
and feelings, may be gleaned from its
public-house signs. A very large number
of them are selected out of compliment
to the lord of the manor, either because
he is the “great man’’ of the neighbour-
hood, or because the proprietor is some
servant whom “it delighted the lord to
honour; ” thus we have the Earl of
March, in compliment to the Duke of
Richmond: the Green Man or game-
keeper, married and promoted “to a
public.” When the name and titles of
the lord have been exhausted, we get
his cognisance or his favourite pursuit,
as the Bear and Ragged Staff, the Fox
and Hounds. As the object of the sign
is to speak to the feelings and attract,
another fruitful source is either some
Public-house Signs
1015
Public-house Signs
national hero or great battle ; thus we
get the Marquis of Granby and the
J)ºke of Wellington, the Waterloo and
the Alma. The proverbial loyalty of
our nation has naturally shown itself in
our tavern signs, giving us the Pietoria,
Prince of Wales, the Albert, the Crown,
and so on. Some signs indicate a spe-
ciality of the house, as the Bowling
Green, the Skittles ; some a political
bias, as the Royal Oak Some are an
attempt at wit, as the Five Alls, and
some are purely fanciful. The follow-
ing list will serve to exemplify the
subject :—
The Angel. In allusion to the angel
that saluted the Virgin Mary.
The Baff o' Wails. A corruption of the
** Bacchanals.”
The Bear. Trom the popular sport of
bear-baiting.
The Bear and Bacchus, in High Street,
Warwick. A corruption of Bea) and
Baculus—i.e. Bear and Ragged Staff,
the badge of the Earl of Warwick.
The Bear and Ragged Staff. The cog-
misance of the Earl of Warwick, the
JEarl of Leicester, etc.
The Bell. In allusion to races, a silver
bell having been the winner's prize up to
the reign of Charles II.
La Belle Sauvage. (See BELL SAVAG.E.)
The Blue Boar. The cognisance of
Richard III.
The Blue Pig (Bevis Marks). A cor-
ruption of the Blue Boar. (See above.)
The Boar’s Head. The cognisance of
the Gordons, etc.
The Bolt-in-T07. The punning he-
raldic badge of Prior Bolton, last of
the clerical rulers of Bartholomew’s,
previous to the Reformation.
JBosom’s Inn. A public-house sign in
St. Lawrence Lane, London; a corrup-
tion of Blossom's Inn, as it is now called,
in allusion to the hawthorn blossóms
surrounding the effigy of St. Lawrence
on the sign. -
The Bowling Green. Signifying that
there are arrangements on the premises
for playing bowls.
The Bull. The cognisance of Richard,
JDuke of York. The Black Bet/! is the
cognisance of the house of Clare.
The Bull's Head. The cognisance of
Henry VIII.
The Bully Ruffian. A corruption of
the Bellerophon (a ship).
The Castle. This, being the arms of
Spain, symbolises that Spanish wines
are to be obtained within. In some
cases, without doubt, it is a compli-
mentary sign of the manor castle,
The Cat and Fiddle. A corruption of
Caton Fidèle—i.e. Caton, the faithful .
governor of Calais. In Farringdon
(Devon) is the sign of La Chatte Fidèle,
in commemoration of a faithful cat.
Without-scanning—the phrase—so nicely,
it may simply indicate that the game of
cat (trap-ball) and a fiddle for dancing
are provided for customers.
The Cat and Mutton, Hackney, which
gives name to the Cat and Mutton
Fields.
The Cat and Wheel. A corruption of
“St. Catherine's Wheel; ” or an an-
nouncement that cat and balance-wheels
are provided for the amusement of cus-
tomers. -
The Chequers. (1) In honour of the
Stuarts, whose shield was “checky,” like
a Scotch plaid. (2) In commemoration
of the licence granted by the Earls of
Arundel or Lords Warrenne. (3) An in-
timation that a room is set apart for
merchants and accountants, where they
can be private and make up their ac-
counts, or use their “chequers” undis-
turbed. . (See LATTICE.)
The Coach and Horses. This sign
signifies that it is a posting-house, a
stage-coach house, or both. -
The Cock and Bottle. A corruption of
the “Cork and Bottle,” meaning that
wine is sold there in bottles. Probably
in some cases it may indicate that the
house provides poultry, eggs, and wine.
The Cow and Skittles. The cow is the
real sign, and alludes to the dairy of the
hostess, or some noted dairy in the
neighbourhood. Skittles is added to in-
dicate that there is a skittle ground on
the premises.
The Cross Keys. Common in the me-
diaeval ages, and in allusion to St. Peter,
or one of the bishops whose cognisance
it is—probably the lord of the manor or
the patron Saint of the parish church.
The cross keys are emblems of the
papacy, St. Peter, the Bishop of Glou-
cester, St. Servatus, St. Hippolytus, St.
Geneviève, St. Petronilla, St. Osyth, St.
Martha, and St. Germa'nus.
The Devil. A public-house sign two
doors from Temple Bar, Fleet Street.
The sign represents St. Dunstan seizing
the devil by the nose. (See under DEVIL,
Proverbial Phrases.)
The Dog and Duck. Tea gardens at
Lambeth (suppressed); to signify that
the sport so called could be seen there.
A duck was put into water, and a dog
set to hunt it ; the fun was to see the
duck diving and the dog following it
under water.

Bublic-house Signs
1016
Bublic-house Signs
The Red Dragon. The cognisance of
Henry VII. or the principality of Wales.
The Spread Eagle. The arms of Ger-
many; to indicate that German wines
may be obtained within.
The Foa and Goose. To signify that
there are arrangements within for play-
ing the royal game of Fox and Goose.
St. George and the Dragon. In com-
pliment to the patron saint of England,
and his combat with the dragon. The
legend is still stamped upon our gold
CO111.
The George and Cannon.
of “George Canning.”
The Globe. The cognisance of Al-
fonso, King of Portugal; and intimating
that Portuguese wines may be obtained
within.
The Goat in Golden Doots. A corrup-
tion of the Dutch Goed in der Gouden
JBoots (the god Mercury in his golden
Sandals). -
The Goat and Compasses. A Puritan
sign, a corrupt hieroglyphic reading of
“God encompasses us.”
The Black Goats. A public-house sign,
High Bridge, Lincoln, formerly The
Three Goats—i.e. three gowts (gutters
or drains), by which the water from the
Swan Pool (a large lake that formerly
existed to the west of the city) was con-
ducted into the bed of the Witham.
The Goldeſ, Cross. This refers to the
ensigns carried by the Crusaders.
The Grecian Stairs. A corruption of
“The Greesen or Stairs” (Greesen is
gree, a step, our de-gree). The allusion
is to a flight of steps from the New
Boad to the Minster Yard. In Wickliffe’s
Bible, Acts xxi. 40 is rendered—“Poul
stood on the greezen.”
“I.et me speak like yourself, and lay a sentence
Which, like a grize or Step, may help these
A corruption
OW GTS
Into your favour.” -
- - Shakespeare: Othello, i. 3.
The Green Man. The late game-
keeper of the lord of the manor turned
publican. At one time these servants
were dressed in green.
The Green, May, and Still—i.e. the
herbalist bringing his herbs to be dis-
tilled. - -
The Hare and Hounds. In compli-
ment to the sporting squire or lord of
the manor.
The Hole-in-the-Wall (London). So
called because it was approached by a
passage or “hole '' in the wall of the
house standing in front of the tavern.
The Iron Devil. A corruption of
“Hirondelle’’ (the swallow). There are
numerous public-house signs referring
to birds; as, the Blackbird, the Thrush,
the Peacock, the Martin, the Bird-in-the-
JHand, etc. etc.
The Three Kings. A public-house sign
of the mediaeval ages, in allusion to the
three kings of Cologne, the Magi who
presented offerings to the infant Jesus.
Very many public-house signs of the
mediaeval period had a reference to ec-
clesiastical matters, either because their
landlords were ecclesiastics, or else from
a superstitious reverence for “Saints ''
and “holy things.”
The Man Laden with Mischief. A
public-house sign, Oxford Street, nearly
opposite to Hanway Yard. The sign is
said to have been painted by Hogarth,
and represents a man carrying a woman
and a good many other creatures on his
back.
The Marquis of Granby (London, etc.).
In compliment to John Manners, eldest
son of John, third Duke of Rutland
—a bluff, brave soldier, generous, and
greatly beloved by his men.
“What conquest, now will Britain boast,
Or where display her bannel's 2 -
Alas ! in Granby She baş lost
True courage and good Manners.”
The Packhorse. To signify that pack-
horses could be hired there.
The Palgrave's Head. A public-house
sign near Temple Bar, in honour of
IFrederick, Palgrave of the Rhine.
The Pig dnd Tinder Boa. A corrupt
rendering of The Elephant and Castle;
the “pig’’ is really an elephant, and the
“ tinder–box” the castle on its back.
The Pig and Whistle. Wassail is made
of apples, sugar, and ale. -
The Plum and Feathers. A public-
house sign near Stoken Church Hill,
Oxford. A corruption of the “Plume
of Feathers,” meaning that of the Prince
of Wales.
The Queen of Bohemia. In honour of
Lady Elizabeth Stuart. (See BOHEMIA.)
The Queer Door. A corruption of Coetſ?'
Doré (Golden Heart).
The Rose. A symbol of England, as
the Thistle is of Scotland, and the Sham-
7'ock of Ireland.
The Red Rose. The badge of the
Iancastrians in the Civil War of the
Roses. - - -
The JWhite Rose. The badge of the
Yorkists in the Civil War of the Roses.
The Rose of the Quarter Sessions. A
corruption of La Rose des Quatre
Saisons.
The Salutation and Cat. The “Salu-
tation” (which refers , to the angel
saluting the Virgin Mary) is the sign of
the house, and the “Cat” is added to
Publicans
1017
Buff-ball
signify that arrangements are made for
playing eat Or tipCat.
The Saracen's Head. In allusion to
what are preposterously termed “The
Holy Wars; ” adopted probably by some
Crusader after his return home, or at
any rate to flatter the natural sympathy
for these Quixotic expeditions.
The Ship, near Temple Bar, and op-
posite The Palgrave's Head; in honour
of Sir Francis Drake, the circumnavi-
ator.
The Ship and Shovel. Referring to Sir
Cloudesley Shovel, a favourite admiral
in Queen Anne's reign.
The Sever, Stars. An astrological sign
of the mediaeval ages.
The Three Suns. The cognisance of
Edward IV.
The Sun and the Rose. The cognisance
of the House of York.
The Swan with Three Necks. A public-
house sign in Lad Tane, etc.; a corrup-
tion of “three nicks” (on the bill).
The Swan and Antelope. The cog-
misance of Henry V.
The Talbot [a hound].
the Talbot family.
The Titº’s Head. Alluding to the
Holy Wars, when the Crusaders fought
against the Turks.
The Unicorn. The Scottish supporter
in the royal arms of Great Britain.
The White Hart. The cognisance of
Richard II. ; the White Lion, of Edward
IV., as Earl of March ; the JWhite Swan,
of Henry IV. and Edward III.
Publicans of the New Testament
were the provincial underlings of the
Magister or master collector who resided
at Rome. The taxes were farmed by a
contractor called the Manceps ; this
Manceps divided his contract into dif-
ferent societies ; each society had a
Magister, under whom were a number of
underlings called Publica'ni or servants
of the state.
Pucelle (La). The Maid of Orleans,
Jeanne d’Arc (1410–1431). (See Shake-
speare's 1 Henry VI., v. 4.)
Puck or Robin Goodfellow. A fairy
and merry wanderer of the night,
“rough, knurly-limbed, faun-faced,
and shock-pated, a very Shetlander
afmong the gossamer-winged ” fairies
around him. (See Shakespeare’s Mid-
summer Night’s Dream, ii. 1; iii. 1.)
The arms of
Pucka, an Indian word in very com-
mon use, means real, bona ſide ; as, “He
is a commander, but not a pucka one’”
(i.e. not officially appointed, but only
acting as such, pro tempore). “The
queen reigns, but her ministers are the
pucka rulers.” A Suffragan bishop, an
honorary canon, a Lynch-judge, a
lieutenant-colonel, the temporary editor
of a journal, are not “pucka,” or bona
Jide so.
Pudding. (See JACK.)
Pudding-time properly means just
as dinner is about to begin, for our fore-
fathers took their pudding before their
meat. It also means in the nick of time.
** But, Mal's . . .
In Dudding-time came to his aid.”
J3 wiler: Hudibras, i. 2.
Pudens. A soldier in the Roman
army, mentioned in 2 Tim. iv. 21, in
Connection with Linus and Claudia. Ac-
cording to tradition, Claudia, the wife
of Pudens, was a British lady; Linus,
otherwise called Cyllen, was her brother;
and Lucius, “the British king,” the
grandson of Linus. Tradition further
adds that flucius wrote to Eleutherus,
Bishop of Rome, to send missionaries to
Britain to convert the people.
Puff. Exaggerated praise. The most
popular etymology of this word is
pottſ, a coiffure employed by the ladies
of France in the reign of the Grand
Monarque to announce events of in-
terest, or render persons patronised by
them popular. Thus, Madame d’Eg-
mont, Duke of Richelieu’s daughter,
wore on her head a little diamond
fortress, with moving sentinels, after
her father had taken Port Mahon; and
the Duchess of Orleans wore a little
nursery, with cradle, baby, and toys
complete, after the birth of her son and
heir. These, no doubt, were pouffs and
puffs, but Lord Bacon uses the word
puff a century before the head-gear
was brought into fashion. Two other
etymons present themselves : the old
pictures of Fame puffing forth the
praises of some hero with her trumpet :
and the puffing out of slain beasts and
birds in order to make them look
plumper and better for food—a plan
universally adopted in the abattoirs of
Paris. (German, puffen, to brag or
make a noise; and French, pouf, our
puff.)
Puff, in The Critic, by Sheridan. An
impudent literary quack.
Puff-ball. A sort of fungus. The
word is a corruption of Puck or Poukball,
anciently called Puck-fist. The Irish
name is Pooka-foot. (Saxon, Pulker-
Jöst, a toadstool.) Shakespeare alludes
Puffed Up
1018
IPunch
--
to this superstition when Pros' pero sum-
mons amongst his elves—
“You whose pastime
Is to make midnight mushrooms.”
Shakespeare : Tempest, v. 1.
Puffed Up. Conceited ; elated with
conceit or praise; filled with wind. A
puff is a tartlet with a very light or
puffy crust.
“That no one of you be puffed up one against
another.”—1 Cor. iv. 6.
Pug, a variant of puck, is used to a
child, monkey, dog, etc., as a pet term.
Yout mischievous little pug. A playful
reproof to a favourite.
Pug. A mischievous little goblin in
IBen Jonson’s drama of The Devil is an
Ass.
Pugna Porco'rum (Battle of the
Pigs). The most celebrated poem of
alliterative verse, extending to 253 Latin
hexameters, in which every word begins
with p.
Puisne Judges means the younger-
born judges, at One time called pºtny
judges. They are the four inferior
judges of the Court of Queen’s Bench,
and the four inferior judges of the
Court of Common Pleas. (French,
puisné, subsequently born ; Latin, post
natus.)
Pukwana (North American Indian).
The curling Smoke of the Peace-pipe; a
signal or beacon.
Pull. A long pull, a strong pull, and a
pull all together—i.e. a steady, emergetic,
and systematic co-operation. The re-
ference may be either to a boat, where
all the oarsmen pull together with a
long and strong pull at the oars; or it
may be to the act of hauling with a rope,
when a simultaneous strong pull is in-
dispensable.
Pull Bacon (To). To spread the
fingers out after having placed one’s
thumb on the nose.
“The officers spoke to him, when the man put
his fingers to his nose and pulled bacon.”—Leeds
1°olice Report, Oct. 6, 1887.
Pull Devil, Pull Baker. Let each
one do the best for himself in his own
line of business, but let not one man in-
terfere in that of another.
“It's all fair pulling, “pull devil, pull baker;”
someone has to get the worst of it. Now it’s lis
[bushrangers], now it’s them [the police] that gets
. . rubbed out.”—Bold rewood : " Iºobbery wilder
Arms, chap. xxxvii.
Pulling. A jockey trick, which used
to be called “playing booty’’—i.e. ap-
pearing to use every effort to come in
first, but really determined to lose the
TàCé.
“Mr. Kemble, [in the Iron Chest] gave a slight
touch of the jockey, and played booty.' . He
seemed to do justice to the play, but really ruined
its success,”—George Colmant the Yottºnger.
Pumbleehook (Uncle). He bullied
Pip when only a poor boy, but when the
boy became wealthy was his lick-Spittle,
fawning on him most servilely with his
“May I, Mr. Pip ’’ [have the honour of
shaking hands with you] ; “Might I, Mr.
Pip” [take the liberty of saluting you].
(Dickens : Great Eaſpectations.)
Pummel or Pommel. To beat
black and blue. (French, pommeler, to
dapple.)
Pump. To sift, to extract informa-
tion by indirect questions. In allusion
to pumping up Water.
“But pump not me for politics.”
Otway.
Pumpernickel. Brown George or
rye-bread used by Westphalian peasants.
IIis Thransparency of Pumpernickel.
So the Times satirised the minor German
princes, “whose ninety men and ten
rummers constituted their whole em-
battled host on the parade-ground before
their palace; and whose revenue was
supplied by a percentage on the tax levied
on strangers at the Pumpernickel Kur-
saal.” (July 18, 1866.)
Thackeray was author of the phrase.
Pun is the Welsh pun, equivalent ; it
means a word equally applicable to two
things. The application should be re-
mote and odd in Order to give piquancy
to the play. (See CALEMBOURG.)
Pun and Pickpocket. He who
would make a pun would pick a pocket.
Dr. Johnson is generally credited with
this silly dictum (1709-1784), but Dennis
had said before to Purcell, “Any man
who would make such an execrable pun
would not scruple to pick my pocket ’’
(1657-1734). (Sir IV. H. Pyne : Pine
and Walnuts, vol. ii. p. 277.)
The “execrable pun" was this: Purcell rang the
he]] for the drawe) or waiter, but no one answered
it. Purcell, tapping the table, asked Dennis “why
the talle was like the tavern ?” AmS. “Because
there is no drawer in it.”
Punch, from the Indian word punj
(five); so called from its five ingredients
—viz. spirit, water, lemon, Sugar, and
spice. It was introduced into England
from Spain, where it is called ponche.
It is called “Contradiction,” because it
is composed of spirits to make it strong,
and water to make it weak; of lemon-
juice to make it sour, and sugar to make
it sweet.
Punch
1019
Purgatory
Mr. Punch. A Roman mime called
Maccus was the original of Punch. A
statuette of this buffoon was discovered
in 1727, containing all the well-known
features of our friend—the long nose
and goggle eyes, the hunch back and
protruding breast.
The most popular derivation of Punch
and Judy is Pontius cum Judaeis (Matt.
xxvii. 19), an old mystery play of Pontius
JPilate and the Jews ; but the Italian
policinello seems to be from pollicé, a
thumb (Tom-thumb figures), and our
Punch is from paunch.
The drama or story of our Punch and
Judy is attributed to Silvio Fiorillo, an
Italian comedian of the seventeenth cen-
tury. The tale is this: Punch, in a fit
of jealousy, strangles his infant child,
when Judy flies to her revenge. She
fetches a bludgeon, with which she be-
labours her husband, till Punch, exaspe-
rated, seizes another bludgeon and beats
her to death, then flings into the street
the two dead bodies. The bodies attract
the notice of a police officer, who enters
the house. Punch flees for his life;
being arrested by an officer of the In-
Quisition, he is shut up in prison, from
which he escapes by means of a golden
key. The rest is an allegory, showing
how Punch triumphs over all the ills that
flesh is heir to. (1) En'nui, in the shape
of a dog, is overcome ; (2) Disease, in
the disguise of a doctor, is kicked out ;
(3) Death is beaten to death; and (4) the
Devil himself is outwitted.
JPleased as Punch. (See PLEASED.)
Punch. A Suffolk punch.
thick-set cart-horse.
“I did hear them call their child Punch, which
pleased me mightily, that word having become a
Word Of common use for everytling that is thick
and Short.”—Pepys's Diſtry.
Punctual. No bigger than a point,
exact to a point or moment. (Latin, ad
punctum.) Hence the angel, describing
this earth, to Adam, calls it “This spa-
cious earth, this punctual spot”—i.e. a
spot no bigger than a point. (Milton :
Paradise Lost, viii. 23.)
Punctuality. Punctuality is the
politeness of kings. Attributed to Louis
XVIII.
Punctuation. The following advice
of Bishop Orleton to Gourney and Mal-
travers in 1327 is an excellent example
of the importance of punctuation :-
Jºdwardiſm occidere nolite timere bomºſºm
est—“ Refrain not to kill King Edward
is right.” If the point is placed after
the first word, the sentence reads, “Not
A short,
to kill the king is right; ” but if after
the second word, the direction becomes,
“ Refrain not ; to kill the king is right.”
(See ORACLE.)
Pundit. An East Indian scholar,
skilled in Sanskrit, and learned in law,
divinity, and science. We use the word
for a porcus litera','ttºn, one more stocked
with book lore than deep erudition.
Pu'nic Apple. A pomegranate; so
called because it is the pomum or “apple”
belonging to the genus Pu'nica.
Pu'nic Faith. Treachery, violation
of faith. “Punic faith ” is about equal
to “Spanish honesty.” The Puni (a.
corruption of Poeni) were accused by the
Bomans of breaking faith with them, a
most extraordinary instance of the ‘‘pot
calling the kettle black; ” for whatever
infidelity the Carthaginians were guilty
of, it could scarcely equal that of their
a,CCULSél’S. i
The Roman Poemi is the word Phoen?
(Phoenicians), the Carthaginians being
of Phoenician descent.
. “Our Punic faith -
Is infamous, and branded to a proverb.”
Addison : Cato, ii.
Punish a Bottle (To). To drink a
bottle of wine or spirits. When the
contents have been punished, the empty
bottles are “dead men.”
“After We'd Punº, a couple of bottles of old
Crow whisky ... , he cayed in all of a sudden ſhe
got completely powerless].”—The Barton Earpèri-
ment, chap. Xi V.
Punjab [..five rivers]. They are the
Jelum, Chenab, Ravee, Be'as, and Sutlej;
called by the Greeks pente-potamia.
Pup properly means a little boy or
girl. A little dog is so called because it
is a pet. An insect in the third stage of
existence. (Latin, pupts, fem. prºpa,
French, poupée, a doll; German, puppe.)
Purbeck (Dorsetshire). Noted for a
marble used in ecclesiastical ornaments.
Chichester cathedral has a row of columns
of this limestone. The columns of the
Temple church, London ; the tomb of
Queen Eleanor, in Westminster Abbey;
and the throne of the archbishop in
Canterbury cathedral, are other speci-
IſleIlS.
Purgatory. The Jewish Rabbi be-
lieved that the soul of the deceased was
consigned to a sort of purgatory for
twelve months after death, during which
time it was allowed to visit its dead
body and the places or persons it es-
pecially loved. This intermediate state
they called by various names, as “the
12Uritani
1020
IPuSS in Boots
bosom of Abraham,” “the garden of
Eden,” “upper Gehenna.” The Sab-
bath was always a free day, and prayer
was supposed to benefit those in this
intermediate state.
Purita'ni (I). The Puritans. Elvira,
daughter of Lord Walton, a Puritan,
is affianced to Lord Arthur Talbot, a
Cavalier. On the day of espousals, Lord
Arthur aids Henrietta, the widow of
Charles I., to escape; and Elvira, think-
ing him faithless, loses her reason. On
his return to England, Lord Arthur ex-
plains the circumstances, and the two
lovers vow that nothing on earth shall
part them more. The vow is scarcely
uttered, when Cromwell’s soldiers enter
and arrest Lord Talbot for treason ; but
as they lead him forth to execution a
herald announces the defeat of the
Stuarts, and free pardon to all political
prisoners, whereupon Lord Arthur is
liberated, and marries Elvira. (Bellini :
I Puritani ; libretto by C. Pepoli.)
Pu'ritans. Seceders from the Re-
formed Church ; so called because they
rejected all human traditions and inter-
ference in religion, acknowledging the
sole authority of the “pure Word of
God,” without “note or comment.”
Their motto was: “The Bible, the whole
Bible, and nothing but the Bible.” The
English Puritans were sometimes by the
Reformers called Precisionists, from
their preciseness in matters called “in-
different.” Andrew Fuller named them
Non-conformists, because they refused to
subscribe to the Act of Uniformity.
Purkinge's Figures. In optics,
figures produced on a wall of uniform
colour when a person entering a dark
room with a candle moves it up and
down approximately on a level with the
eyes. From the eye near the candle an
image of the retinal vessels will appear
projected on the wall.
Purler (A). A cropper, or heavy
fall from one’s horse in a steeplechase or
in the hunting-field (probably allied to
hurl and whirl).
“Seraph’s white horse . . . cleared it, but fall-
ing with a mighty crash, gave him a purler. On
the opposite side.”—Owida : Under Two Flags,
chap. Vi.
Pur’lieu (2 syl.). French pourallé
lieu (a place free from the forest laws).
Henry II., Richard I., and John made
certain lands forest lands; Henry III.
allowed certain portions all round to
'be severed. These “rues,” or forest
Thorders were freed from that servitude
which was laid on the royal forests. The
“perambulation” by which this was
effected was technically called pourallée.
“In the purlieus of this forest stands
A sheepcote fenced allout with olive-trees.”
Shakespeare: As You Like It, iv. 3.
Purple (blue and red) indicates the
love of truth even ºnto martyrdom. (See
wnder Colour, for its symbolisms, etc.)
Purple (Promotion to the). Promo-
tion to the rank of cardinal in the Roman
Catholic Church.
“Dr. Moran's promotion to the purple is cer-
tain.”—Newspaper paragraph.
Purpure ſpurple]. One of the colours
of an heraldic escutcheon. It is ex-
pressed by vertical lines running down
towards the left hand (as you look at
the shield lying before you); “Wert’”
IPURPLE.
Tºnglish heralds vary escutchegns by seven
colours ; foreign heralds by nine. (See HERALDS.)
Pursy, Pursiness. Broken-winded,
or in a bloated state in which the wind
is short and difficult. (French, poussi-f,
same meaning.)
A fat and pursy man. Shakespeare
has “pursy Insolence,” the insolence of
Jesurun, “who waxed fat and kicked.”
In Hamlet we have “the fatness of these
pursy times”—i.e. wanton or self-indul-
gent times.
Purura'vas and Urva'si. An Indian
myth similar to that of “Apollo and
Daphne.” Purúravas is a legendary
king who fell in love with Urvaſsi, a
heavenly nymph, who consented to be-
come his wife on certain conditions.
These conditions being violated, Urvasi
disappeared, and Pururavas, inconsol-
able, wandered everywhere to find her.
Ultimately he succeeded, and they were
indissolubly united. (See PSYCHE.)
Pu'seyite (3 Syl.). A High Church-
man; so called from Dr. Pusey, of Ox-
ford, a chief contributor to the Tracts
for the Times. (See TRACTARIANS.)
Puss. A cat, hare, or rabbit. (Irish,
pus, a cat.) It is said that the word,
applied to a hare or rabbit, is from the
Latin lepus, Frenchified into le pºts.
True or not, the pun may pass muster.
“Oh, puss, it bodes thee dire disgrace,
When I defy thee to the race,
Come, ’tis a bet; nay, no denial;
I’ll lay my shell upon the trial.” -
... The Haº'e and the Tortoise.
Puss in Boots [Le Chat Botté], from
the Eleventh Night of Straparola's
-- Put
Italian fairy tales, where Constantine's
cat procures his master a fine castle and
the king’s heiress. First translated into
French in 1585. Our version is taken
from that of Charles Perrault. There is
a similar one in the Scandinavian nursery
tales. This clever cat secures a fortune
and a royal partner for his master, who
passes off as the Marquis of Car'abas, but
is in reality a young miller without a
penny in the world.
Put. A clown, a silly shallow-pate, a
butt, one easily “put upon.”
“Queer country puts extol Queen Bess's reign.”
}*(, )??.SC) Ph.
Put the Cart before the Horse.
(See CART.)
Put up the Shutters (To). To an-
nounce OneSelf a bankrupt.
Do you think I am going to put up the shutters
if We call manage to keep going 2
Putney and Mortlake Race. The
annual eight-oared boat-race between
the two universities of Cambridge and
Oxford.
Putting on Frills (American). Giv-
ing oneself airs.
Putting on Side. Giving oneself
airs. Side is an archaic word for a train
or trailing gown ; also long, as “his
board was side.” A side-coat means a
long trailing coat. (Anglo-Saxon sid,
great, wide, long — as sidfear, long
hair.)
“. I do not like side frocks for little girls.”—
Slcinºme)".
Pygmalion. A statuary of Cyprus,
who hated women and resolved never to
marry, but fell in love with his own
statue of the goddess Venus. At his
earnest prayer the statue was vivified,
and he married it. (Ovid : Metamor-
phoses, X. ; Earthly Paradise, August.)
“Few, like Pygmalion, doat on lifeless charms,
Or care to clasp a statue in their arms.”
S. Jenyns : Art of Dancing, canto i.
* In Gilbert’s comedy of Pygmalion
and Galatéa, the sculptor is a married
man, whose wife (Cynisca) was jealous
of the animated statue (Galatéa), which,
after enduring great misery, voluntarily
returned to its original state. This, of
course, is mixing up two Pygmalions,
wide as the poles apart.
John Marston Wrote certain Satires called The
MetamorphOSes oſ Pygmalion's Image. These
Satires Were Suppressed, and are now very rare.
Pyg'mies (2 syl.). A nation of
dwarfs on the banks of the Upper Nile,
Every spring the cranes made war upon
them and devoured them. They cut
down every corn-ear with an axe.
1021
Tyrrhic Victory
When Hercules went to the country
they climbed up his goblet by ladders to
drink from it; and while he was asleep
two whole armies of them fell upon his
right hand, and two upon his left; but
IHercules rolled them all in his lion’s
skin. It is easy to see how Swift has
availed himself of this Grecian legend in
his Gulliver’s Travels. Stanley met with
a race of Pygmies in his search for Emin
Pasha.
Pyl'ades and Orestes. Two model
friends, whose names have become pro-
verbial for friendship, like those of Da-
mon and Pythias, David and Jonathan.
Pyramid. The largest is that of
Cholula, in Mexico, which covers fifty
acres of ground. The largest in Egypt
is that of Cheops, near Cairo, which
covers thirteen acres. Sir William Tite
tells us it contains ninety million cubic
feet of stone, and could not be now built
for less than thirty millions of money
(Sterling).
Pyr'amus. The lover of Thisbé.
Supposing Thisbe to be torn to pieces by
a lion, he stabbed himself, and Thisbe,
finding the dead body, stabbed herself
also. Both fell dead under a mulberry-
tree, which has ever since borne blood-
red fruit. Shakespeare has a travesty
of this tale in his Midsummer Night’s
Dream. (Ovid : Metamorphoses, bk, iv.)
Pyroc'les and Musido'rus. Heroes
whose exploits, previous to their arrival
in Arcadia, are detailed in the Arca'dia
of Sir Philip Sidney.
Pyrodes (3 syl.), son of Clias was so
called, according to Pliny (vii. 56), be-
cause he was the first to strike fire from
flint. (Greek, pur, fire; = ignitus.)
Pyrrha. Saeculum Pyrrhae. The
Flood. Pyrrha was the wife of Deu-
calion (Horace : 1 Odes, ii. 6). So much
rain has fallen, it looks as if the days of
Pyrrha. were about to return.
Pyr'rhic Dance, the most famous
war-dance of antiquity, received its
name from Pyrrichos, a Dorian. It
was danced to the flute, and its time
was very quick. Julius Caesar intro-
duced it into Rome. The Romaika, still
danced in Greece, is a relic of the an-
cient Pyrrhic dance.
“Ye have the Pyrrhic dance as often,
Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone 2''
By?'07).
Pyrrhic Victory (A). A ruinous
victory. Pyrrhus, after his victory over
the Romans, near the river Siris, said
Pyrrho
1022
to those sent to congratulate him, “One
more such victory and Pyrrhus is un-
done.”
“The railway companies see that in fighting
their customers, they gain but a very Pyrrhic
Sort of Victory.”—Newspaper article, Feb. 13tll,
1893.
Pyrrho. A sceptic. Pyrrho was
the founder of the sceptical school of
philosophy. He was a native of Elis,
in Peloponne'sos.
“Blessed he the day I'scaped the wrangling crew
From Pyrrho's lilaze and Epicurus' sty.”
Beattie : Minstrel.
Tyrrho'nian School (The). The
sceptical platform founded by Pyrrho.
(See above.)
Pyrrhonism. Infidelity. (See above.)
Pythag'oras, son of Mnesarchos, was
called son of Apollo or Pythios, from
the first two syllables of his name ; but
he was called Pytha-goras because the
Pythian oracle predicted his birth.
Pythagoras, generally called The Long-
Jaired Sa'mia). A native of Sa'mos,
noted for his manly beauty and long
hair. The Greeks applied the phrase to
any venerable man or philosopher.
Pythagoras maintained that he dis-
tinctly recollected having occupied other
human forms before his birth at Samos:
(1) He was Æthalides, son of Mercury;
(2) Euphorbos the Phrygian, Son of Pan'-
thoos, in which form he ran Patroclos
through with a lance, leaving Hector to
dispatch the hateful friend of Achilles;
(3) Hermoti'mos, the prophet of Clazo-
me'nae; and (4) a fisherman. To prove his
Phrygian existence he was taken to the
temple of Hera, in Argos, and asked to
point out the shield of the son of Pan-
thoos, which he did without hesitation.
(See RAT.)
The golden thigh of Pythagoras. This
thigh he showed to Ab'aris, the Hyper-
borean priest, and exhibited it in the
Olympic games.
Abaris, priest of the Hyperbo'reans,
gave him a dart, by which he was carried
through the air, over inaccessible rivers,
lakes and mountains ; expelled pesti-
lence ; lulled storms ; and performed
other wonderful exploits.
Pythagoras maintained that the soul
has three vehicles: (1) the ethereal, which
is luminous and celestial, in which the
soul resides in a state of bliss in the
stars; (2) the luminous, which suffers the
punishment of sin after death ; and (3)
the terrestrial, which is the vehicle it
occupies on this earth.
Pythagoras asserted he could write on
the moon. His plan of operation was to
*º-
write on a looking-glass in blood, and
place it opposite the moon, when the
inscription would appear photographed
or reflected on the moon’s disc.
Pythagoras. Mesmerism was prac-
tised by Pythagoras, if we may credit
Iamblichus, who tells us that he tamed
a Savage Daunian bear by “stroking it
gently with his hand; ” subdued an eagle
by the same means ; and held absolute .
dominion over beasts and birds by “the
power of his voice,” or “influence of his
touch.”
Pythagore'am System. Pythagoras
taught that the Sun is a movable sphere
in the centre of the universe, and that
all the planets revolve round it. This
is substantially the same as the Coperni-
can and Newtonian systems.
Pyth'ian Games. The games held
by the Greeks at Pytho, in Phocis, sub-
sequently called Delphi. They took
place every fourth year, the second of
each Olympiad.
Pythias. (See DAMON.)
Py'thon. The monster serpent hatched
from the mud of Deucalion's deluge, and
slain near Delphi by Apollo.
Q
Q. Q in a corner. Something not seen at
first, but subsequently brought to notice.
The thong to which seals are attached in
legal documents is in French called the
queue ; thus we have lettres scellées sity
simple queue or sur double quette, accord-
ing to whether they bear one or two
seals. In documents where the seal is
attached to the deed itself, the corner
where the seal is placed is called the
quette, and when the document is sworn-
to the finger is laid on the queue.
In a merry Q (cue). Humour, temper;
thus Shakespeare says, “My cue is vil-
lamous melancholy” (Iſing Lean', i. 2).
Old Q. The fifth Earl of March,
afterwards Duke of Queensberry. -
Q.E.D. Quod crat demonstrandºm.
Three letters appended to the theorems
of Euclid, meaning : Thus have we
proved the proposition stated above, as
we were required to do.
Q.E.F. Quod erat faciem'dum. Three
letters appended to the problems of
Euclid, meaning : Thus have we done
or drawn the figure required by the
proposition. -
Q.P.
Q.F. Quantum placet. Two letters
used in prescriptions, meaning the quan-
tity may be as little or much as you
like. Thus, in a cup of tea, we might Say
“Milk and sugar q.p.”
Q.S. Quantum sufficit. Two letters
appended to prescriptions, and meaning
as much as is required to make the pills
up. Thus, after giving the drugs in
minute proportions, the apothecary is
told to “mix these articles in liquorice
q.s.”
Q.V. (Latin, quantum vis). As much
as you like, or quantum valeat, as much
as is proper.
q.v. (Latin, quod vide). Which see.
Quack Doctor ; Once
called quack-salver. A puffer of salves.
(Swedish, qvak-sa/fraré, Norwegian,
qvak-salver; German, quacksalber.)
“Sal timban coes, quacksal vers, and charlºutans
deceive the Vulgar.”—Sir Thomas 13 row?ue.
Quacks. Queen Anne's quack oculists
were William Read (tailor), who was
knighted, and Dr. Grant (tinker).
Quad. To be in quad. To be con-
fined to your college-grounds or quad-
rangle; to be in prison.
Quadra. The border round a bas-
relief.
In the Santa Croce of Florence is a quadra
round a lyas relief representing the Madonna, in
white terra-cotta. Several other figures are
introduced.
Quadrages'ima Sunday. The Sun-
dav immediately preceding Lent ; so
called because it is, in round numbers,
the fortieth day before Easter.
Quadrages'imals. The farthings
or payments made in commutation of a
personal visit to the mother-church on
Mid-Lent Sunday ; also called Whitsun
farthings.
Quadrilat'eral. The four fortresses
of Peschie'ra and Mantua on the Mincio,
with Vero'na, and Legna'go on the
Ad’igé. Now demolished.
The Pºtssian Quadrilateral. The for-
tresses of Tuxemburg, Coblentz, Sarre-
louis, and Mayence.
Quadril'le (2 syl., French) means
a small square ; a dance in which the
persons place themselves in a square.
Introduced into England in 1813 by the
Duke of Devonshire. (Latin, quadrum,
a square.)
Le Pantalom. So called from the tune
to which it used to be danced.
L’Ete. From a country-dance called
Quack OT
1023
Quadruple Alliance
pas d’été, very fashionable in 1800;
which it resembles.
La pottle. Derived from a country-
dance produced by Julien in 1802, the
second part of which began with the
imitation of a cock-crow.
Themise.--The name of a dancing-
master who, in 1800, invented the figure.
La pastourelle. So named from its
melody and accompaniment, which are
similar to the vilanelles or peasants’
dances.
Quad'riloge (3 syl.). Anything
written in four parts or books, as Childe
IIarold. Anything compiled from four
authors, as the JLife of Thomas à Becket.
Any history resting on the testimony of
four independent authorities, as The
Gospel History.
“The very authors of the Quadriloge itselfe or
SOhg of foure parts . . . doe fill with one pen and
mouth acknowledge the Same.”— Lambarde : 1 er-
(t1ubtllation, p. 55.
Quadrivium. The four higher sub-
jects of scholastic philosophy up to the
twelfth century. It embraced music,
arithmetic, geometry, and astronomy.
The quadrivium was the “fourfold way ”
to knowledge; the tri'vium (q.v.) the
“threefold way ” to eloquence; both
together comprehended the seven arts
or sciences. The seven arts are emu-
merated in the following hexameter:—
“Lingua, Tropus, Ratio, Numerus, Tonus, An-
gulus, A Stra.”
And in the two following:—
“Gram. loguitur, Dia. Vera docet, Iºhet. verba
colorat. -
Mus. cadit, Ar. numerat, Geo. ponderat, Ast.
colit astra.”
Quadroon'. A person with one-
fourth of black blood; the offspring of
a mulatto woman by a white man. The
mulattois half-blooded, one parent being
white and the other black. (Latin, qua-
tutor, four.) (See LAMB.)
Quadruple Alliance of 1674.
Germany, Spain, Denmark, and Holland
formed an alliance against France to
resist the encroachments of Louis XIV.,
who had declared war against Holland.
It terminated with the treaty of Nime-
guen in 1678.
Quadruple Alliance of 1718–1719. An
alliance between England, France, Ger-
many, and Holland, to guarantee the
succession in England to the House of
Hanover ; to secure the succession in
France to the House of Bourbon ; and
to prohibit Spain and France from
uniting under one crown. Signed at
Paris.
Quadruple Alliance of 1834. The
Quaestio Vexata,
1024
Quarter
alliance of England, France, Spain, and
Portugal for the purpose of restoring
peace to the Peninsula, by putting down
the Carlists or partisans of Don Carlos.
Quaestio Wexaſta. An open question.
Quail. A bird, said to be very sala-
cious, hence a prostitute or courtesan.
“ Here's Agamemnon, an honest fellow enough,
and one that loves quails.”—Shakespeare: Troilus
and Cressida, V. 1. -
The Iliad of Homer is based on the story that
Agamemnon, being obliged to give up his mis-
tress, took the mistress of Achilles to supply her
place. This brought about a quarrel between
Agamemnon and Achilles, and Achilles refused
#. have anything more to do with the siege of
l'Oy.
Quaint means odd, peculiar. A
quaint phrase means a fanciful phrase,
one not expressed in the ordinary way.
“His garment was very quaint and, odd : . . . a
long, long way behind the time.” — Dickens :
Christmas Stories ; Cricket on the Hearth, chap. i.
Quaker. Tt appears from the Journal
of George Fox, who was imprisoned for
nearly twelve months in Derby, that the
Quakers first obtained the appellation
(1650) by which they are now known
from the following circumstance : —
“Justice Bennet, of Derby,” says Fox,
“was the first to call us Quakers, be-
cause I bade him quake and tremble at
the word of the Lord.” The system of
the Quakers is laid down by Robert
Darclay in fifteen theses, called Barclay's
Apology, addressed to Charles II.
“Quakers (that, like lanterns, bear
Their light within theim) will not swear.”
- IRutler: Hudibras, ii. 2.
Qualm. A sudden fit of illness, or
sickly languor. Hence, a qualm of
conscience = a twinge or uneasiness of
conscience.
Quanda'ry. A perplexity; a state
of hesitation.
Quanquam or Canean. A slang
manner of dancing quadrilles permitted
in the public gardens of Paris, etc. The
word cancan is a corruption of the Latin
quamgitam, a term applied to the exer-
cises delivered by young theological
students before the divinity professors.
Hence it came to signify “babble,”
“jargon,” anything crude, jejune, etc.
Quaranti'ne (3 syl.). The forty
days that a ship suspected of being in-
fected with some contagious disorder is
obliged to lie off port. (Italian, quaran-
tima, forty ; French, quarantaine.)
To perform quarantine is to ride off
port during the time of quarantine. (See
FORTY.) .
Quarll (Philip). A sort of Robinson
Crusoe, who had a chimpanzee for his
“man Friday.” The story relates the
adventures and sufferings of an English
hermit named Philip Quarll.
Quarrel. A short, stout arrow used
in the crossbow. (A corruption of car-
rial; Welsh, chware!; French, carreau.
So called because the head was originally
carré or four-sided. Hence also a quarrel
or quarry of glass, meaning a square or
diamond-shaped pane; quarier, a square
wax-candle, etc.)
“Quarelles qwayntly swappez, thorowe knyghtez
With iryne so welcyrly, that wynché they
Inever.” Monte d'Arthwre.
Quarrel. To quarrel over the bishop's
cope—over something which cannot pos-
sibly do you any good; over goat's wool.
This is a French expression. The newly-
appointed Bishop of Bruges entered the
town in his cope, which he gave to the
people; and the people, to part it
among themselves, tore it to shreds,
each taking a piece.
Quarrel with your Bread and
Butter (To). To act contrary to your
best interest ; to snarl at that which
procures your living, like a spoilt child,
who shows its ill-temper by throwing its
bread and butter to the ground. To cut
off your nose to be avenged on your-face.
Quarry (A). The place where stone,
marble, etc., are dug out and Squared.
(French, quarré, formed into Square
blocks.) (Tomlinson.)
Quarry. Prey. This is a term in
falconry. When a hawk struck the
object of pursuit and clung to it, she
was said to “bind ; ” but when she flew
off with it, she was said to “carry.”
The “carry” or “quarry,” therefore,
means the prey carried off by the hawk.
It is an error to derive this word from
the Latin quadro (to seek).
“To tell the manner of it,
Were on the quarry of these murdered deer
To add the death of you.” - g
Shakespeare: Macbeth, iv. 3.
Quart d'Heure (Mauvais). A time
of annoyance. The time between the
arrival of the guests and the announce-
ment of dinner is emphatically called
the mauvais quart d'heure ; but the
phrase has a much larger application:
thus we say the Cabinet Ministers must
have had a mauvais quart d'heure when
opening a number of telegrams of a
troublesome character.
Quarter. To grant quarter. To spare
the life of an enemy in your power. Dr.
Tusler says:—“It originated from an
Quarter-days
1025
Queen Anne's Bounty
agreement anciently made between the
Dutch and the Spaniards, that the ran-
som of a soldier should be the quarter of
his pay.” (French, donner and de-
Amander quartier.)
Quarter-days in England and
Ireland:
(1) New Style : Lady Day (March
25th), Midsummer Day (June 24th),
Michaelmas Day (September 29th), and
Christmas Day (December 25th).
(2) Old Style : Old Lady Day (April
6th), Old Midsummer Day (July 6th),
Old Michaelmas Day (October 11th),
and Old Christmas Day (January 6th).
Quarter-days in Scotland:—
Candlemas Day (February 2nd), Whit-
Sunday (May 15th), Lammas Day (Au-
gust 1st), and Martinmas Day (Nov. 11).
Quarter Waggoner. A book of Sea-
charts. Waggoner, or rather Baron won
JP aggonaer, is a folio volume of Sea-
charts, pointing out the coasts, rocks,
routes, Tetc. Dalrymple's Charts are
called The English Waggoner. “Quar-
ter” is a corruption of quarto
Quarters. Residence or place of
abode ; as, winter quarters, the place
where an army lodges during the winter
months. We say “this quarter of the
town,” meaning this district or part ;
the French speak of the Latin Quartier
—i.e. the district or part of Paris where
the medical schools, etc., are located ;
the Belgians speak of quartiers & loºter,
lodgings to let; and bachelors in England
often say, “Come to my quarters”—i.e.
apartments. . All these are from the
French verb écarter (to set apart).
“There shall no leavened bread be Seen with
tlee, neither shall there he leaven Seen . . . in
all thy quarters [any of thy houses].”—Exodus
Xiii. 7.
Quarterdeck. The upper deck of a
ship from the main-mast to the poop ; if
no poop, then from the main-mast to
the stern. In men-of-war it is used as
a promenade by Officers Only.
Quartermaster. The officer whose
duty it is to attend to the quarters of
the soldiers. He superintends the issue
of stores, food, and clothing. (See
QUARTERS.)
As a nautical term, a quartermaster is
a petty officer who, besides other duties,
attends to the steering of the ship.
Quartered. (See DRAWN.)
Quarto. A book half the size of folio
—i.e. where each sheet is folded into
quarters or four leaves. 4to is the con-
traction. (The Italian, libro in quarto ;
French, in quarto ; from Latin quartets.)
#ººmsºmº
Quarto-De'oinans, who, after the
decision of the Nicene Council, main-
tained that Easter ought to be held on
the fourteenth day of the first lunar
month near the vernal equinox, whether
that day fell on a Sunday or not.
Quashee. A cant generic name of a
negro ; so called from a negro named
Quassi. (See QUASSIA.)
Quasi (Latin). Something which is .
not the real thing, but may be accepted
in its place; thus a
Quasi contract is not a real contract,
but something which may be accepted
as a contract, and has the force of one.
Quasi tenant. The tenant of a house
sub-let.
Quasimo'do. A foundling, hideously
deformed, but of amazing strength, in
Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris.
Quasimodo Sunday. The first
Sunday after Easter; so called because
the “Introit’’ of the day begins with
these words:–“ Qatasi modo gen’ it iſ?-
fantes” (1 Pet. ii. 2). Also called “Low
Sunday,” being the first Sunday after
the grand ceremonies of Easter.
Quas'sia. An American plant, or
rather genus of plants, named after
Quassi, a negro.
“Linnaeus, applied this name to a tree of
Surinam in honour of a negro, Quassi, . . . who
employed its bark as a remedy for fever ; and
enjoyed such a reputation among the natives as
to be almost worshipped by some,”—Lindley and
Moore: Treatise of Botany, part ii. 1). 947.)
Quatorziennes (fourteeners). Per-
sons of recognised position in society
who hold themselves in readiness to
accept an invitation to dinner when
otherwise the number of guests would
be thirteen. (See THIRTEEN.)
Queen. Greek, gyne (a woman);
Sanskrit, ſon; ; Swedish, qvenna; Gothic,
qºteins ; Anglo-Saxon, cºven. (See SIR.)
Queen, “woman,” is equivalent to
“mother.” In the translation of the
Bible by Ulfilas (fourth century), we
meet with gens and gino (“wife’’ and
“woman”) ; , and in the Scandinavian
languages kar! and kone still mean
“man” and “wife.” (See KING...)
“He [Jesus] saith unto His mother, Woman,
behold thy Son.”—St. John Xix. 26.
Queen (The White). Mary Queen of
Scots; so called because she dressed in
white mourning for her French husband.
Queen Anne is Dead. The reply
made to the teller of stale news.
Queen Anne's Bounty. A fund
created out of the firstfruits and tenths,
65
Queen Anne's Style
1026
Queen's Ware
which were part of the papal exactions
before the Reformation. The first fruits
are the whole first year's profits of a
clerical living, and the tenths are the
tenth part annually of the profits of a
living. Henry VIII. annexed both these
to the Crown, but Queen Anne formed
them into a perpetual fund for the aug-
mentation of poor livings and the build-
ing of parsonages. The sum equals
about £14,000 a year.
Queen Anne's Style (of architecture).
Noted for many angles, gables, quaint
features, and irregularity of windows.
Queen Consort. Wife of a reigning
king.
Queen Dick.
sometimes so called.
CALENDS.)
Queen Dowager. The widow of a
deceased king.
Queen Passion (The Great). Love.
“The gallant Jew
Of mortal hearts the great queen passion knew.”
Peter Pindar: Portfolio ; Dinah.
Queen Quintessence. Sovereign of
JEtéléchie (q.v.), in the romance of Gay-
gantata and Pantag','ºtel, by Rabelais.
Queen Regnant. A queen who
holds the crown in her own right, in
contradistinction to a Queen Consort,
who is queen only because her husband
is king.
Queen-Square Hermit. Jeremy
Bentham, who lived at No. 1, Queen
Square, London. He was the father of
the political economists called Utilitar-
ians, whose maxim is, “The greatest
happiness of the greatest number.”
(1748-1832.)
Queen of Hearts. Elizabeth, daugh-
ter of James I. This unfortunate Queen
of Bohemia, was so called in the Low
Countries, from her amiable character
and engaging manners, even in her
lowest estate. (1596–1662.)
Queen of Heaven, with the ancient
Phoenicians, was Astarte ; Greeks, Hera ;
Romans, Juno ; Trivia, Hecate, Diana,
the Egyptian Isis, etc., were all so
called ; but with the Roman Catholics
it is the Virgin Mary.
In Jeremiah vii. 18: “The children
gather wood, . . . and the women
knead dough to make cakes to the queen
of heaven,” i.e. probably to the Moon,
to which the Jews, at the time, made
drink-offerings and presented cakes.
(Compare chapter xliv, I6-18.)
Tichard Cromwell is
(See DICK, GREEK
**
Queen of the Pripping-paxi. A
cook.
Queen of the Eastern Archip ci'-
ago. The island of Java.
Queen of the May. A village lass
chosen to preside over the parish sports
On May Day. Tennyson has a poem on
the subject.
Queen of the North. Edinburgh.
(See the proper name for other queens.)
Queen of the Northern Seas.
Elizabeth, who greatly increased the
English navy, and was successful against
the Spanish Armada, etc.
Queen's Bench or King’s Bench.
One of the courts of law, in which the
monarch used to preside in person.
Queen's College (Oxford), founded
in 1340 by Robert de Eglesfield, and so
called in compliment to Queen Philippa,
whose confessor he was.
Queen's College (Cambridge), founded
in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou, consort of
Henry VI. Refounded by Elizabeth
Woodville.
Queen's Day. November 17th, the
day of the accession of Queen Elizabeth.
first publicly celebrated in 1570, and still
kept as a holiday at the Exchequer, as
it was at Westminster school.
Nov. 17 at Merchant Taylors’ school
is a holiday also, now called Sir Thomas
White's Founder's Day.
“A rumour is spread in the court, and hath
conne to the eares Of Some of the most honourable
counsell, how that I on the Queen's day last past
did forbidd in our college an oration to bee made
in praise of Her Majesty's government, etc.”—Dr.
Whittaken to Lord Bun'ghley (May 14th, 1590).
Queen's English (The). Tean Alford
wrote a small book on this subject,
whence has arisen three or four phrases,
such as “clipping the Queen's Eng-
lish,” “murdering the Queen’s English,”
etc. Queen’s English means grammatical
English.
Queen's Heads. Postage-stamps
which bear a likeness of the Queen's
[Victoria’s] head. (1895.)
Queen's Pipe (The). An oven at the
Victoria Docks for destroying (by the
Inland Revenue authorities) refuse and
worthless tobacco. In 1892 the oven
was replaced by a furnace.
*: In the Queen's Warehouse, near
the Monument, is a smaller pipe for the
destruction of contraband articles.
Queen's Ware. Glazed earthen-
ware of a creamy colour.
Queen's Weather
1027
Questionists
Queen's Weather. A fine day for a
fête ; so called because Queen Victoria
is, for the most part, fortunate in hay-
ing fine weather when she appears in
public.
Queenhithe (London). The hithe
or strand for lading and unlading barges
and lighters in the city. Called “queen’’
from being part of the dowry of Eleanor,
Queen of Henry II.
Queenstown (Ireland),
called the Cove of Cork. The name was
changed in 1850, out of compliment to
Queen Victoria, when she visited Ireland
with her husband, and created her eldest
son Earl of Dublin.
Queer. Counterfeit money.
To shove the queer. To pass counterfeit
money.
Queer Card (A). A strange or
eccentric person. In whist, etc., when
a wrong card is played, the partner says
to himself, “That is a queer card,” which,
being transferred to the player, means he
is a queer card to play in such a manner.
Hence any eccentric person, who does
not act in accordance with social rules,
is a “queer card.”
Queer Chap is the German querkopf,
a cross-grained fellow.
Queer Street. To live in Queen'
Street. To be of doubtful solvency. To
be one marked in a tradesman's ledger
with a quære (inquire), meaning, make
inquiries about this customer.
That has put me in Queer Street. That
has posed or puzzled me queerly. In
this phrase queer means to puzzle; and
Queer Street = puzzledom.
Quency. A corruption of quintefeuil
(five-leaved), the armorial device of the
family.
Querelle d'Allemand. A contention
about trifles, soon provoked and soon
appeased. (See QUEUE.)
Quern-Biter. The sword of Haco I.
of Norway. (See Sword.)
“Quern-biter of Hacon the Good,
Where with at a stroke he hewed
The millstone through and through "
Longfelloux.
Quer'no. Camillo Querno, of Apulia,
hearing that Leo X. was a great patron
of poets, went to Rome with a harp in
his hand, and sang his Aleaxias, a poem
containing 20,000 verses. He was intro-
duced to the Pope as a buffoon, but was
promoted to the laurel.
“Rome in her Capitol saw Querno sit,
Throned on seven hills, the Antichrist of wit.”
Dunciad, ii.
formerly,
Querpo (2 syl.). Shrill Qterpo in
Garth's Dispensary, was Dr. Howe,
In querpo. In one's shirt-sleeves ; in
undress. (Spanish, en cueſ p0, without a
cloak.)
“Boy, my cloak and rapier ; it fits not a gentle-
lman of my rank to walk the streets in queri o.”—
Let umontt and Fletch. 7": Love's Cure, ii. 1.
Questa Cortesissima (Italian).
Most courteous one ; a love term used
by Dante to Beatrice.
“I Sct nryself to think of that most courteous
one (questa, cortesissim (t", and thinking of her
there fell upon me a sweet sleep.”—Mrs. Oliphanut :
Mulcers of Florence (Dante's description).
Questa, Gentilissima (Italian). Most
gentle one ; a love term used by Dante
to Beatrice.
“Common mortals stand and gaze with bated
breath While that most gentle one (questat ſtemutil-
issima) goes on her way.”—Mrs. Oliphant : Makers
of Florence, p. 25.
Question. To move the previous
question. No one seems able to give any
clear and satisfactory explanation of
this phrase. Erskine May, in his Par-
liamentary Practice, p. 303 (9th edition),
says: “It is an ingenious method of
avoiding a vote upon any question that
has been proposed, but the technical
phrase does little to elucidate its opera-
tion. When there is no debate, or after
a debate is closed, the Speaker ordinarily
puts the question as a matter of course,
but by a motion for the previous
question, this act may be intercepted
and forbidden. The custom [used to
be] ‘ that the question be now put,”
but Arthur Wellesley Peel, while
Speaker, changed the words ‘be now
put into ‘be not pºſt.’” The former
process was obviously absurd. To con-
tinue the quotation from Erskine May:
“Those who wish to avoid the putting
of the main question, vote against the
previous (or latter question); and if it
be resolved in the negative, the Speaker
is prevented from putting the main
question, as the House has refused to
allow it to be put. It may, however,
be brought forward again another day.”
Of course this is correct, but what it means is
quite another matter ; and why “the main ques-
tion ” is called the “previous question ” is past,
understanding.
Question. When members of the House
of Commons or other debaters call out
Question, they mean that the person
Speaking is wandering away from the
subject under consideration.
Questionists. In the examinations
for degrees in the University of Cam-
bridge it was customary, at the begin-
ning of the January term, to hold
“Acts,” and the candidates for the
Questions
1028
Quicksilver
Bachelor's degree were called “Ques-
tionists.” They were examined by a
moderator, and afterwards the fathers
of other colleges “questioned” them for
three hours—i.e. one whole hour and
parts of two others. . (I began my Act
about a quarter to eleven and finished
about half-past one.) It was held alto-
gether in Latin, and the words of dis-
missal uttered by the Regius Professor
indicated what class you would be placed
in, or whether the respondent was
plucked, in which, case the words were
simply “Descendaš domine.”
Questions and Commands. A
Christmas game, in which the commander
bids his subjects to answer a question
which is asked. If the subject refuses,
or fails to satisfy the commander, he
must pay a forfeit or have his face
Smutted. -
“While other young ladies in the house are
dancing, or lolaying at 11testions and commands,
she [the devotee] re:uds a loud in her closet.”—The
Spectator, No. 354 (Hotspur's Letter), April 16, 1712.
Queu'bus. The e776??0cčial of Quezº-
bus. This line has Utopia. On one side
and Medam'othi on the other. It was
discovered on the Greek Kalends by
Outis after his escape from the giant's
cave, and is ninety-one degrees from the
poles.
“Thou wast in very gracious fooling last night,
when thon spokest of Pigrogrom’itus, the Valpians
passing the equinoctial of Queu'bus. 'Twas very
good, i' faith.”—Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, ii. 3.
Queue. Gare la queue des Allemands.
Before you quarrel, count the conse-
quences. (See QUERELLE.)
Queux. The seneschal of King
Arthur.
Quey Calves are dear Veal. Quey
calves are female calves, which should
be kept and reared for cows. Calves
for the butcher are generally bull calves.
The proverb is somewhat analogous to
killing the goose which lays the golden
egg. (Danish quie, a heifer.)
Qui. To give a man the qui. When
a man in the printing business has had
notice to quit, his fellow-workmen say
they “ have given him the qui.” Here
qui is the contraction of quie’tus (dis-
charge). (See QUIETUS.)
Qui s'Excuse, s'Accuse.
apologises condemns himself.
Qui-Tam. A lawyer; so called from
the first two words in an action on a
penal statute. Qui , tam pro dom'iná
Ičegi'nā, quam pro Se-ipso, Sequitur (Who
sues on the Queen’s account as much as
on his own). -
|He who
Qui Vive 2 (French). Who goes
there P The challenge of a sentinel.
To be on the qui vive. On the alert;
to be quick and sharp ; to be on the
tip-toe of expectation, like a sentinel.
(See above.) -
Quia Emptores. A statute passed
in the reign of Edward I., and directed
against the formation of new manors,
whereby feudal lords were deprived of
their dues. It is so called from its first
two words.
Quibble. An evasion ; a juggling with
words, is the Welsh chºcibiol (a trill),
and not the Latin quid libet (what you
please), as is generally given.
Quick. Living ; hence animated,
lively; hence fast, active, brisk (Anglo-
Saxon, evic, living, alive). Our expres-
sion, “Look alive,” means Be brisk.
Quick at meat, quick at work. In
French, “Donne bête s'echauffe en man-
geant,” or “ Hardi gagneur, hardi Anan-
geur.” The opposite would certainly
be true : A dawdle in one thing is a
dancăle in all. -
The quick and dead. The living and
the dead.
Quick Sticles (In). Without more
ado; quickly. To cut one's stick (q.v.)
is to start off, and to cut one's stick
quickly is to start off immediately.
Quickly (Dame). Hostess of a tavern
in Eastcheap. (Shakespeare : Henry IJ'.,
parts 1 and 2.)
Mistress Quickly. Servant of all-work
to Dr. Caius. She says: “I wash, wring,
brew, bake, scour, dress meat and drink,
make the beds, and do all myself.” She
is the go-between of three suitors to
Anne Page, and to prove her disin-
terestedness she says: “I would my
master had Mistress Anne, or I would
Master Slender had her, or in sooth
I would Master Fenton had her. I will
do what I can for them all three, for so
I have promised; and I’ll be as good as
my word ; but speciously for Master
Fenton.” (Shakespeare : Merry Wives of
JWindsor.) -
Quicksand is sand which shifts its
place as if it were alive. (See QUICK.)
Quickset is living hawthorn set in
a hedge, instead of dead wood, hurdles,
and palings. (See QUICK.)
Quicksilver is argen'tum vivum
(living silver), silver that moves about
Quid
1029
Quilp,
like a living thing. (Anglo-Saxon,
cwicSeolfor.)
“Swift as quicksilver -
It courses through the natural gates
And alleys of the body.” * -
Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 5.
Quid, a sovereign ; Half a Quid,
half a sovereign; Quids, cash or money
generally. A suggested derivation may
be mentioned. Quo = anything, and
Quid pro quo means an equivalent
generally. If now a person is offered
anything on sale he might say, I have
not a quid for your quo, an equivalent
in cash.
“Then, looking at the gold piece, she added, ‘I
guess you don't often get one of these quids.'”—
Liberty I?eview, June 9, 1894, p. 437.
Quid Libet. Quid-libets and quod-
libets. Nice and knotty points, very
subtile, but of no value. Quips and
quirks. (Latin.)
Quid of Tobacco. A corruption of
cud (a morsel). We still say “chew the
Cud.”
Quid pro Quo. Tit fortat; a return
given as good as that received; a Ro-
land for an Oliver; an equivalent.
Quid Rides. It is said that Lundy
Foot, a Dublin tobacconist, set up his
carriage, and asked Emmett to furnish
him with a motto. The words of the
motto chosen were Quid rides. The
witticism is, however, attributed to H.
Callender also, who, we are assured,
supplied it to one Brandon, a London
tobacconist.
“Rides,” in English, one syllable. In Tatin
(why do you laugli ?) it is a word of two syllables.
Quiddity. The essence of a thing,
or that which differentiates it from other
things. Schoolmen say Quid est (what
is it?) and the reply is, the Quid is
so and so, the What or the nature of
the thing is as follows. The latter quid
being formed into a barbarous Latin
noun becomes Quidditas. Hence Quid
est (what is it); Answer: Talis est
quidditas (its essence is as follows).
gº knew . . . . . .
Where entity and quiddity.
(The ghosts of defunct bodies) fly.”
Butler: II uttlibras, i. 1.
Quiddity. A crotchet ; a trifling dis-
tinction. (See above.)
Quidnunc. A political Paul Pry; a
pragmatical village politician ; a political
botcher or jobber. Quidnunc is the chief
character in Murphy’s farce of The
Upholsterer, or What News & The words
are Latin, and mean “What now P”
“What has turned up?” The original
of this political busybody was the father
of Dr. Arne and his sister, Mrs. Cibber,
who lived in King Street, Covent
Garden. (See The Tatler, 155, etc.)
“Familiar to a few quidnuncs.”—The Times.
“The Florentine quidnuncs seem to lose sight
of the fact that none of these gentlemen now
hold Office.”—The TimeS.
Quidnunkis. Monkey politicians.
Gay has a fable called The Quidnunkis,
to show that the death not even of the
duke regent will cause any real gap in
nature. A monkey who had ventured
higher than his neighbours fell from his
estate into the river below. For a few
seconds the whole tribe stood panic-
struck, but as soon as the stream
carried off Master Pug, the monkeys
went on with their gambols as if nothing
had occurred.
“Ah, sir! you never saw the Ganges;.
There dwell the nation of Quidnunkis
(So Mononlotal)a calls monkeys).”
Gay: Tales.
Qui'etist (A). One who believes
that the most perfect state of man is
when the spirit ceases to exercise any of
its functions, and is wholly passive.
This sect has cropped up at Sundry
times; but the last who revived it was
Michael Moli'nos, a Spanish priest, in
the seventeenth century.
Quie’tus. The writ of discharge
formerly granted to those barons and
knights who personally attended the
king on a foreign expedition. At their
discharge they were exempt from the
claim of scutage or knight's fee. Sub-
sequently the term was applied to the
acquittance which a sheriff receives on
settling his account at the Exchequer;
and, later still, to any discharge of an
account: thus Webster says—
“You had the trick in audit-time to be sick till
I had signed your quietus.”—Duchess of Mulfy
(1623). -
Quietus. A severe blow ; a settler;
death, or discharge from life.
“Who Would fardels heal' . . .
When he himself might his quietus make
With a balſe bodkin P” * * *
Shakespeare: Hamlet, iii. 1.
Quill-drivers. Writing clerks.
Quillet. An evasion. In French
“pleadings” each separate allegation in
the plaintiff's charge, and every distinct
plea in the defendant's answer used to
begin with qu'il est; whence our quillet,
to signify a false charge, or an evasive
allSWel',
“Oh, some authority how to proceed ;
Sønne tººks, some quillets, iſow to cheat the
Shakespeare: Love's Labour's Lost, iv. 3.
Quilp. A hideous dwarf, both fierce
Quinapalus
1030
Quixada.
and cunning, in The Old Curiosity Shop,
by Dickens.
Quinap'alus. The Mrs. Harris of
“authorities in citations.” If anyone
wishes to clench an argument by some
Quotation, let him cite this ponderous
collection.
“What says Quinapalus: ‘Better a witty fool,
than a foolish wit.”—Shukespeare: Twelfth Night,
i. 5.
Quinbus Flestrin. The man-moun-
tain. So the Lilliputians called Gulliver
(chap. ii.). Gay has an Ode to this giant.
“Bards of old of him told,
When they said Atlas' head
Propped the skies.”
Gay : Lilliputiam Ode.
Quince (Peter). A carpenter, and
manager of the play in Midsummer
Night’s Dream. He is noted for some
strange compounds, such as laughable
tragedy, lamentable comedy, tragical
mirth, etc.
Quino'nes (Stero de), in the reign of
Juan II., with nine other cavaliers, held
the bridge of Orbigo against all comers
for thirty-six days, overthrowing in that
time seventy-eight knights of Spain and
France. Quinones had challenged the
world, and such was the result.
Quinquages'ima Sunday (Latin,
fiftieth). Shrove Sunday, or the first
day of the week which contains Ash-
Wednesday. It is so called because in
round numbers it is the fiftieth day be-
fore Easter.
Quins.y. This is a curious abbrevia-
tion. The Latin word is cymanchia, and
the Greek word kidnanché, from kiton
anche, dog strangulation, because persons
suffering from quinsy throw open the
mouth like dogs, especially mad dogs.
From kitnanche comes ku’anchy, kuansy,
quins.y.
Quintessence. The fifth essence.
The ancient Greeks said there are four
elements or forms in which matter can
exist—fire, or the imponderable form ;
air, or the gaseous form ; water, or the
liquid form; and earth, or the solid form.
The Pythagore'ans added a fifth, which
they called ether, more subtile and pure
than fire, and possessed of an orbicular
motion. This element, which flew up-
wards at creation, and out of which the
stars were made, was called the fifth
essence ; quintessence therefore means
the most subtile extract of a body that
can be procured. It is quite an error to
suppose that the word means an essence
five times distilled, and that the term
came from the alchemists. Horace
speaks of “kisses which Venus has
imbued with the quintessence of her
own nectar.”
* Swift to their several quarters hasted then
The cumbrous elements—earth, flood, air, fire ;
But this ethereal quint’essence of heaveli
Flew upward . . . and turned to stars
Numberless as thou seest.” .
Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 716.
Quintil'ians. Disciples of Quintil'ia,
held to be a prophetess. These heretical
Christians made the Eucharist of bread
and cheese, and allowed women to be-
come priests and bishops.
Quip Modest (The). Sir, it was done
to please myself. Touchstone says: “If
I sent a person word that his beard was
not well cut, and he replied he cut
it to please himself,” he would answer
with the quip modest, which is six re-
moves from the lie direct ; or, rather, the
lie direct in the sixth degree.
Quis custodiet Custo'des? [The
shepherds keep watch over the sheep),
but who is there to keep watch over the
shepherds P
Quisquiliae. Tight, dry fragments
of things; the Small twigs and leaves
which fall from trees; hence rubbish,
refuse.
Quit. Discharged from an obligation,
“acquitted.”
“To John I owed great obligation ;
But John unhappily thought fit
To publish it to all the nation—
Now I and John are fairly quit.”
Prio”.
Cry quits. When two boys quarrel,
and one has had enough, he says, “Cry
quits,” meaning, ‘‘Let us leave off, and
call it a drawn game.” So in an unequal
distribution, he who has the largest share
restores a portion and “cries quits,”
meaning that he has made the distribu-
tion equal. Here quit means “acquittal”
or discharge. !
J)ouble or quits. In gambling, especi-
ally in a small way, one of the players
says to the other, “Double or quits?”
—-that is, the next stake shall be double
the present one, or the winnings shall
be returned to the loser, in which case
both players would leave off as they
began. -
Quit Rent. A rent formerly paid
by a tenant whereby he was released
from feudal service.
Quixada (Gºttierre). Lord of Villa-
garcia. He discharged a javelin at Sire
de Haburdin with such force as to pierce
the left shoulder, overthrow the knight,
and pin him to the ground. Don Quixote
calls himself a descendant of this brave
knight.
Quixote
1031 R
Quixote (Don) is intended for the
Duke of Lerma. (Rawdon Brow??.)
JDon Quiacote. The romance so called
is a merciless satire by Cervantes on the
chivalric romances of the Middle Ages,
and had the excellent effect of putting
an end to knight-errantry. -
Don Quiacote's horse. Ros'inante (Span-
ish, rocin-ante, a jade previously). (See
HoRSE.)
The wooden-pin wing-horse on which
he and Sancho Panza mounted to achieve
the liberation of Dolori'da and her com-
panions was called Algiero Clavile'no
(wooden-pin wing-bearer).
Quixote of the North. Charles
XII. of Sweden, sometimes called the
Madman. (1682, 1697-1718.)
Quixot'ic. Having foolish and un-
practical ideas of honour, or schemes for
the general good, like Don Quixote, a
half-crazy reformer or knight of the
Supposed distressed.
Quiz. One who banters or chaffs
another. Daly, manager of the Dublin
theatre, laid a wager that he would in-
troduce into the language within twenty-
four hours a new word of no meaning.
Accordingly, on every wall, or all places
accessible, were chalked up the four
mystic letters, and all Dublin was in-
quiring what they meant. The wager
was won, and the word remains current
in our language.
Quo Warranto. A writ against a
defendant (whether an individual or a
corporation) who lays claim to something
he has no right to ; so named because
the offender is called upon to show quo
at arranto [rem] usurpa'vit (by what right
or authority he lays claim to the matter
of dispute).
Quod. To be in 7ttod—in prison. A
corruption of quad, which is a contrac-
tion of quadrangle. The quadrangle is
the prison enclosure in which the prison-
ers are allowed to walk, and where
whippings used to be inflicted.
“Flogged and whipped in quod.”
Hughes : Tom Brown's Schooldays.
Quodling (The Rev. Mr.). Chaplain
to the Duke of Buckingham. (Sir
Walter Scott: Peveril of the Peak.)
“Why," said the duke, ‘I had caused my little
Quodling to go through his oration thus : That,
whatever evil reports had passed current during
the lifetime of the worthy matron whom they had
restored to dust that day, Malice herself could not
deny that she was born well, married well, lived
well, and died well ; since, she was born in Shad-
well, married to Cresswell, lived in Camperwell
* died in Bridewell.”—Peveril of the Peak, chap.
JKll \ , -
Quondam (Latin). Former. We
Say, He is a quondain Schoolfellow—my
former Schoolfellow; my quondam friend,
the quondam candidate, etc.; also the
quondam chancellor, etc.
“My quondam barber, but ‘ his lordship now.”
Lºyd.672.
Quo'rum. Such a number of persons
as are necessary to make up a committee
or board ; or certain justices without
the presence of whom the rest cannot
act. Thus, suppose the commission to
be named A, B, C, D, E, etc., it would
run—“Of these I wish [A, B, C, D,
Or E] to be one '' (quorum untin esse
^olumets). These honoured names are
called “Justices of the Quorum.”
Slender calls Justice Shallow justice of
the peace and quorum. (Shakespeare:
Merry JPives of JP'indsor, i. 1.)
Quos Ego. A threat of punishment
for disobedience. The words are from
Virgil’s AEmeid (i. 135), and were
uttered by Neptune to the disobedient
and rebellious winds.
“Neptune had but to appear and utter a quos ego
for these wind-bags to collapse, and become the
most subservient of Salaried public servants.”—
Truth, January, 1886.
Quot. Quot linguas calles, tot homines
tales. As many languages as you know,
so many separate individuals you are
worth. Attributed to Charles W.
Quota (Latin). The allotted portion
or share; the rate assigned to each. Thus
we say, “Fvery man is to pay his quota
towards the feast.”
Quotem (Caleb). A parish clerk and
Jack-of-all-trades, in The Wags of
Windsor, by Colman.
R.
in prescriptions. The ornamental
part of this letter is the symbol of Jupiter
(l), under whose special protection all
medicines were placed. The letter itself
(Recipe, take) and its flourish may be
thus paraphrased : “Under the good
auspices of Jove, the patron of medi-
cines, take the following drugs in the
proportions set down.” It has been
suggested that the symbol is for Respon-
sºm Raphaë'lis, from the assertion of
Dr. Napier and other physicians of the
Seventeenth century, that the angel
Raphael imparted them.
R is called the dog-letter, because a
dog in Snarling utters the letter r-r-r-r,
R. A. P.
I032
Races
r-r, r-r-r-r-r, etc.—sometimes preceded
by a g.
“Irritata, Canis quod RR qualm plurima dicat.”
- Lucillus.
“[R] that's the dog's name. It is for the dog.”
-Shatkespectºre : T807meo and Juliet, ii. 4.
The three R's. Sir William Curtis
being asked to give a toast, said, “I will
give you the three R’s—writing, read-
ing, and arithmetic.”
“The House is aware that no payment is made
except on the “three R’s.’”—Mr. Cory, M.P. :
Address to the House of Commons, Fe})]'uary 28th,
IS67.
R. A. P. Rupees, annas, and pies,
in India; corresponding to our £ S. d.
R. I. P. Requiescat in pace.
R. M.T. In the reign of William III.
all child-stealers (comprachios) appre-
hended were branded with red-hot iron :
B (rogue) on the shoulders; M (man-
slayer) on the right-hand; and T (thief)
on the left.
Rab'agas. A demagogue in the
kingdom of the king of Monaco. He
was won over to the court party by
being invited to dine at the palace. (M.
Sardou. Rabagas, 1872.)
Rabbi Abron of Trent. A ficti-
tious sage and wonderful linguist, “who
knew the nature of all manner of herbs,
beasts, and minerals.” (Reynard the
Joaº, Xii.)
Rabbi Bar-Coch'ba, in the reign of
the Emperor Hadrian, made the Jews
believe that he was the Messiah, because
he had the art of breathing fire. (Beck-
Anann. History of Inventions.)
Rabbit. A Welsh rabbit. Toasted
or rather bread and cheese
toasted together. (Qy. “rare-bit.”)
Rab'elais. The English Rabelais.
Swift, Sterne, and Thomas Amory have
'been so called. Voltaire so calls Swift.
The modern Rabelais. William Maginn
(1794-1842).
Rabelais' Dodge. Rabelais one day
was at a country inn, and finding he had
no money to pay his score, got himself
arrested as a traitor who was forming a
project to poison the princes. He was
immediately sent to Paris and brought
before the magistrates, but, as no tittle
of evidence was found against him, was
liberated forthwith. By this artifice he
not only got out of his difficulty at the
inn, but he also got back to Paris free
of expense. Fathered on Tarleton also.
Rabelais'ian Licence. The wild
grotesque of Rabelais, whether in words
or artistic illustrations.
cheese,
Rabica'no or Rabican. The name
of Astolpho's horse. Its sire was Wind,
and its dam Fire. It fed on unearthly
food. (Orlando Furioso.)
Argalia's steed in Orlando Innamorato
is called by the same name. (See HoRSE.)
Raboin or Rabuino (French). The
devil; so called from the Spanish rubo
(a tail). In the mediaeval ages it was
vulgarly asserted that the Jews were
born with tails; this arose from a con-
fusion of the word rabbi or rabbins with
raboin or rabuino.
Rab'sheka, in the satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is
meant for Sir Thomas Player. Rab-
shakeh was the officer sent by Senna-
cherib to summon the Jews to surrender,
and he told them insolently that resist-
ance was in vain, (2 Rings xviii.)
“Next him, let railing Rabsheka have place—
So full of zeal, he has no need of grace.” ..
- (Pt. ii.)
Raby (Aurora). The model of this
exquisite sketch was Miss Millbank, as
she appeared to Lord Byron when he
first knew her. Miss Millpond (a little
farther on in the same canto) is the
same lady after marriage. In canto i.,
Donna. Inez is an enlarged portrait of
the same person. Lord Byron describes
himself in the first instance under the
character of TJon Juan, and in the last
as Don José.
Races. Goodwood lºaces. So called
from Goodwood Park, in which they are
held. They begin the last Tuesday of
July, and continue four days, of which
Thursday (the “cup-day ”) is the princi-
pal. These races are very select, and
admirably conducted. Goodwood Park
was purchased by Charles, first Duke of
Richmond, of the Compton family, then
resident in East Lav'ant, a village two
miles north of Chichester.
The Newmarket Races. There are
seven annual race meetings at New-
market: (1) The Craven; (2) first spring;
(3) second spring ; (4) July; (5) first
October ; (6) Second October; (7) the
IIoughton.
The Epsom.
Downs, where they are held. They last
four days.
The Derby. The second day (Wed-
nesday) of the great May meeting at
Epsom, in Surrey; so called from the
Earl of Derby, who instituted the stakes
in 1780. This is the great “Classic
Race ’’ for colts and fillies three years
old.
The Oaks. The fourth day (Friday)
So called from Epsom
Faces
1033
Radegaste
of the great Epsom races; so called from
“Lambert’s Oaks,” erected on lease by
the “Hunter’s Club.” The Oaks estate
passed to the Derby family, and the
twelfth earl established the stakes so
called. This is the great “classic race”
for fillies three years old.
The St. Leger. The great Doncaster
race; so called from Colonel St. Leger,
who founded the stakes in 1776. This
is the great “classic race’’ for both
colts and fillies of three years old.
Horses that have competed in the Derby
and Oaks may take part in the St. Leger.
Ascot Races, held on Ascot Heath, in
Berks. -
Races (Lengths run).
(i) Under & mile and a half:-
The Newmarket Stakes, 1 mile 2 fur-
longs.
The Prince of Wales's Stakes (at
Leicester), rather less.
The Eclipse Stakes, 14 mile.
The Kempton Park Stakes, 14 mile.
The Lancashire Plate (at the Sep-
tember Manchester meeting) is only 7
furlongs.
In 1890 the Duke of Portland won all these five
races: Ayrshire Won tWO Of them, and Donovan,
the other three.
(ii) Long distances (between 13 and 3
miles):—
The Great Northampton Stakes, 1}
mile. -
Ascot (Gold Wase), 2 miles.
Ascot (Gold Cup), 24 miles.
Ascot (Alexander Plate), 3 miles.
The Chester Cup, 24 miles.
The Great Metropolitan Stakes (in the
Epsom Spring Meeting), 2+ miles.
The Hardwicke Stakes, the Goodwood
Cup, 2% miles (in July), and the Don-
caster Cup, 2-634 miles (in September),
are long races. -
Rach'aders. The second tribe of
giants or evil genii, who had frequently
made the earth subject to their kings,
but were ultimately punished by Shiva.
and Vishnoo. (Indian mythology.)
Rache. A “Setter,” or rather a dog
said to hunt wild beasts, birds, and even
fishes by scent. The female was called a
brache—i.e. bitch-rache. (Saxon, raece ;
Erench, braque.)
“A leyslle of ratches to renne an hare.”—
Skelton : Magnificemce.
Rack. A flying Scud, drifting clouds.
(Icelandic, rek, drift ; verb, recka, to
drive.)
“The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And . . . leave not a rack behind.” 3-
Shakespeare : Tempest, iv. 1,
Itack. The instrument of torture so
called was a frame in which a man was
fastened, and his arms and legs were
stretched till the body was lifted by the
tension several inches from the floor.
Not unfrequently the limbs were forced
thereby out of their sockets. Coke says–
that the rack was first introduced into
the Tower by the Duke of Exeter, con-
stable of the Tower, in 1447, whence it
was called the “IDuke of Exeter's
daughter.” (Dutch, rak ; verb, rakken,
to stretch ; Danish, rag , Anglo-Saxon,
Yeae.)
Rack-rent. The actual value or
rent of a tenement, and not that modi-
fied form on which the rates and taxes
are usually levied. (Saxon, 7'decay?, to
stretch ; Dutch, racken.)
“A rent which is equivalent, or nearly equiva-
lent in amount, to the full annual, yalue of the
land, is a rack-rent.”—Encyclopaedia Britannica,
Yol. XX. p. 403.
Rack and Manger. Housekeeping.
To lie at rack and manger. To live
at reckless expense. -
“When Virtue was a country maide,
And had no skill to set up trade,
She came up with a carrier's jade,
And lay at rack and manger.”
Life of Iłobim Goodfellow. (1628.)
Rack and Ruin. Utter destitution.
Here “rack” is a variety of wrack and
wreck.
“The worst of all University snobs are those
unfortunates who go to rack and ruin from their
desire to ape their betters.”—Thackeray : Boole of
Smobs, chal). XV. p. 87.
Racket. Noise or confusion, like that
of persons playing racket or tennis.
Racy. Having distinctive piquancy,
as racy wine. It was first applied to
wine, and, according to Cowley, comes
to us from the Spanish and Portuguese
7'aiz (root), meaning having a radical or
distinct flavour ; , but probably it is a
corruption of “relishy’’ (French, reláché,
flavorous).
“Rich, racy yerse, in which we see
The soil from Which they come, taste, Smell, and
See,” " - Cowley.
Racy Style. Piquant composition,
the very opposite of mawkish.
Radcliffe Library (Oxford).
Eounded by Dr. John Radcliffe, of
Wakefield, Yorkshire. (1650-1714.)
“When King William [III.] consulted [Rad-
cliffe] on his swollen ankles and thin body, Rad-
cliffe said, ‘I would not have your Majesty's two
legs for your three kingdoms.’”—Leigh Hunt:
The Town, chap. vi.
Radegaste. A tutelary god of the
Slavi. The head was that of a cow,
the breast was covered with an aegis,
the left hand held a spear, and a
Radegund
1034
Ragnarok
cock surmounted its helmet.
Amythology.)
Radegund. Queen of the Am'azons,
“half like a man.” Getting the better
of Sir Art'egal in a single combat, she
compelled him to dress in “woman’s
weeds,” with a white apron before him,
and to spin flax. Brit'omart, being in-
formed by Talus of his captivity, went to
the rescue, cut off the Amazon’s head,
and liberated her knight. (Spense,
Jºaërie Queene, book v. 4-7.) -
St. Radegonde or Jºadegund, wife of
Clothaire, King of France.
St. Radegonde's lifted stone. A stone
sixty feet in circumference, placed on
five supporting Stones, said by the his-
torians of Poitou to have been so ar-
ranged in 1478, to commemorate a great
fair held on the spot in the October of
that year. The country people insist
that Queen Radegonde brought the
impost stone on her head, and the five
uprights in her apron, and arranged
them all as they appear to this day.
Radevore (3 Syl.). Tapestry.
“This woful lady ylern'd had in youthe
So that she worken and enlbrowden kouthe,
And weven in stole [the loom] the radeyore,
. As hyt of womnien had be Woyed yore.”
Chaucer.
(Slavonic
Radical. An ultra-Liberal, verging .
on republican opinions. The term was
first applied as a party name in 1818 to
Henry Hunt, Major Cartwright, and
others of the same clique, who wished to
introduce radical reform in the repre-
sentative system, and not merely to
disfranchise and enfranchise a borough
or two. Lord Bolingbroke, in his Dis-
courses on Parties, says, “Such a remedy
might have wrought a radical cure of
the evil that threatens our constitution.”
Radiometer. The name of an instru-
ment invented by Crookes for measuring
the mechanical effect of radiant energy.
It is like a miniature anemometer, and
is made to revolve by the action of
light, the cups of the anemometer being
replaced by discs coloured white on one
side and black on the other, and the in-
strument is enclosed in a glass globe from
which the air has been exhausted, so that
no heat is transmitted.
Radit Usque ad Cutem. He fleeced
him to the skin; he sucked him dry.
He shaved off all his hair (instead of
Only trimming it). -
Rag. A tatter, hence a remnant,
hence a vagabond or ragamuffin.
“Lash hence these oyerweening rags of France.”
Shakespeare: Itichard III., v. 3,
JRag. A cant term for a farthing.
Paper money Inot easily convertible is
called “rag-money.”
“Money by me? Heart and good-will you might,
But surely, master, not a rag of money.”
Shakespeare: Comedy of Errors, iv. 4.
Rag (The). The Army and Navy
Club. “The rag,” of course, is the
flag.
“‘By the way, come and dine to-night at the
#. Said the major.”—Truth, Queer Story, April 1,
S86.
, Rag-water. Whisky. (Thieres'
jarſ/071.)
Rags of Antisthenes. Rank pride
Amay be seen peering through the rags of
Antis'thenès' doublet. (See ANTISTHENEs.)
Rags and Jags. Rags and tatters.
A jagged edge is one that is toothed.
“Hark, hark the dogs do bark,
The peggars are coming to town ;
Some in rags and some in jags,
And some in silken gown.”
Nursery Rhyme.
Ragamuffin (French, maroºſte). A
Antºff or muffin is a poor thing of a
creature, a “regular muff; ” so that a
ragamuffin is a sorry creature in rags.
“I have led my ragamuffins where they are
peppered.”—Shakespeare : 1 IIenry IV., V. 3.
Ragged Robin. A wild-flower. The
word is used by Tennyson to mean a
pretty damsel in ragged clothes.
“The prince
Hath picked a ragged robin from the hedge.”
'I'cºlºnyson. : Idylls of the Iº img : Enid.
Raghu. A legendary king of Oude,
belonging to the dynasty of the Sun.
The poem called the ſtaght-ransa, in
nineteen cantos, gives the history of these
mythic kings.
Ragman Roll originally meant the
“Statute of Rageman” (De Ragemannis),
a legate of Scotland, who compelled all
the clergy to give a true account of their
benefices, that they might be taxed at
Rome accordingly. Subsequently it was
applied to the four great rolls of parch-
ment recording the acts of fealty and
homage done by the Scotch nobility to
Edward I. in 1296; these four rolls con-
sisted of thirty-five pieces sewn together.
The originals perished, but a record of
them is preserved in the Rolls House,
Chancery Lane.
Ragnarok [twilight of the gods]. The
day of doom, when the present world
and all its inhabitants will be annihilated.
Vidar of Vali will survive the conflagra-
tion, and reconstruct the universe on
Fagout 103.5 Railways
an imperishable basis. (Scandinavian B. & L. J. R. Bourn and Lynn Joint
Anythology.) Railway.
“And. Frithiof, mayst thou sleep away B. & M. R. Brecon and Merthyr
Till Ragnarok, if such thy will.” Railway.
Prithiºsaſa; Prithiof's Joy.
Ragout is something “more-ish,”
something you will be served twice to.
(Latin, re-gustus, tasted again ; French,
3'e-gotte.)
Raſhii. The demon that causes eclipses.
One day Rahu stole into Walhalla to
quaff some of the nectar of immortality.
He was discovered by the Sun and Moon,
who informed against him, and Vishnu
cut off his head. As he had already
taken some of the nectar into his mouth,
the head was immortal, and he ever after-
wards hunted the Sun and Moon, which
he caught occasionally, causing eclipses.
(Hindu mythology.)
Rail. To sit on the rail. To shuffle
off a direct answer ; to hedge or to fence ;
to reserve the decision of one’s vote.
JHere rail means the fence, and “to sit
on the rail” to sit on one side. A com-
mon American phrase.
“If he said ‘Yes,’ there was an end to any church
support at once ; if ‘No, he might as well go home
at once. So, he tried to sit on the rail again.”—T.
Terrell ; Laudy Delillar, chap. i.
Railway Abbreviations.
C. & D. Collected and delivered—i.e.
the rate quoted includes the entire charge
from sender to consignee. Such goods
are collected by the railway company and
delivered according to the address at the
price stated.
S. to S. From station to station.
This does not include collecting and de-
livering.
O. R. Owner's risk.
C. R. Company’s risk.
O. C. S. On company’s service; such
parcels go free.
C. by B. Collection from the sender
to the barge, both included.
O/C. Overcharged.
O/S. Outstanding.
Railway King. George Hudson,
of Yorkshire, chairman of the North
Midland Company, and for a time the
Dictator of the railway speculations.
In one day he cleared the large sum of
£100,000. It was the Rev. Sydney
Smith who gave him this designation.
(1800-1871.)
Railway Signals.
NALS.)
failways.
A. & B. R. Aylesbury and Bucking-
ham Itailway. -
(See FLAG SIG-
y
D. & N. C. R. Belfast and Northern
Counties Railway. .
Cal. R. Caledonian Railway.
Cam. R. Cambrian Railway.
C. K. & P. R. Cockermouth, Keswick,
and Penrith Railway.
C. L. C. Cheshire Lines Committee,
embracing the G. N., M. S. & L., and
Mid. Coys.
C. W. R.
Railway.
C. W. & C. R. Central Wales and
Carmarthen Railway.
C. & C. R. Carmarthen and Cardigan
Railway.
D. R. & C. R. Denbigh, Ruthin, and
Corwen Railway.
I. L. R. East London Railway.
E. & W. J. R. East and West Junc-
tion Railway.
Eur, R. Furness Railway.
G. & K. R. Garstang and Knotend
Tailway.
G. & S. W. R. Glasgow and South-
Western Railway.
G. E. Great Eastern Railway.
G. N. S. R. Great Northern of Scot-
land Railway.
G. N. R. Great Northern Railway.
G. N. I. R. Great Northern of Ire-
land Railway.
G. S. & W. R. Great Southern and
Western Railway.
G. W. R. Great Western Railway.
H. R. Highland Railway.
I. of M. R. Isle of Man Railway.
I. of W. R. Isle of Wight Railway.
L. & Y. R. Lancashire and Yorkshire
Railway.
L. B. & S. C. R. ... London, Brighton,
and South Coast Railway.
L. C. & D. R. London, Chatham,
and Dover Railway.
L. D. & E. C. R. Lancashire, Derby,
and East Coast Railway.
L. & N. W. R. London and North-
Western Railway.
L. & S. W. R. London and South-
Western Railway.
L. T. & S. R. London, Tilbury, and
Southend Railway.
M. & M. R. Manchester and Milford
Railway.
M. S. & L.R. Manchester, Sheffield,
and Lincolnshire Railway.
M. S. J. & A. R. Manchester, South
Junction, and Altrincham Railway.
M. & C. R. Maryport and Carlisle
Railway.
Colne Valley and Halstead
Rain
1086
Raleigh
Met. R. Metropolitan Railway.
Met. D. R. Metropolitan District
Railway. - -
M. R. Midland Railway.
M. W. R. Mid-Wales Railway.
M. G. W. I. R. Midland Great-Wes-
tern of Ireland Railway.
N. & B. R. Neath and Brecon Rail-
way.
& B. J. R. Northampton and
Banbury Junction Railway.
. B. North British Railway.
. L.
. S.
N.
R.
R. North-Eastern Railway.
R. North London Railway.
R.
r
W
:
&
& T. R. Pembroke and Tenby
Way. .
. R. Rhymney Railway.
. & W. & S. B. R. Severn and Wye
Severn Bridge Railway.
. & D. J. R. Somerset and Dorset
nt Railway.
. R. South-Eastern Railway.
& A. Swindon, Marl-
and Andover Railway.
Taff Vale Railway.
. R. Waterford and Limerick
Y.
& P. R. R. Watlington and
Princes Risboro’ Railway.
W. R. Wigtownshire Railway.
W. M. & C. Q. R. Wrexham, Mold,
and Connah’s Quay Railway.
Rain. To rain cats and dogs. In
northern mythology the cat is supposed
to have great influence on the weather,
and English sailors still say, “The cat
has a gale of wind in her tail,” when she
is unusually frisky. Witches that rode
upon the storms were said to assume the
form of cats; and the stormy north-west
wind is called the cat’s-770S6 in the Harz
even at the present day.
The dog is a signal of wind, like the
wolf, both which animals were attendants
of Odin, the storm-god. In old German
pictures the wind is figured as the “head
of a dog or wolf,” from which blasts
issue.
The cat therefore symbolises the down-
pouring rain, and the dog the strong
gusts of wind which accompany a rain-
storm ; and a “rain of cats and dogs” is
a heavy rain with wind. (See CAT AND
T}og.) .
* The French catadoupe or catadupe
means a waterfall.
Rain Gauge. An instrument or con-
trivance for measuring the amount of
rain which falls on a given surface.
Rainbow. (See CIRCLE of ULL0A)
Ra.
º
8,
Il
d
S
J
O
l
E
bo
:
UI
;
#.
Ba.
º
8,
I
Il
North Staffordshire Rail-
Rainbow Chasers. Problematical
politicians and reformers, who chase
rainbows, which cannot possibly be
caught, to “find the pot of gold at the
foot thereof.” This alludes to an old
joke, that a pot of gold can be dug up
where the rainbow touches the earth.
Raining Tree (The). The Til, a
lindem-tree of the Canaries, mentioned
by a host of persons. Mandelolo de-
scribes it minutely, and tells us that the
water which falls from this tree suffices
for a plentiful supply for men and
beasts of the whole island of Fierro,
which contains no river. Glas assures
us that “the existence of such a tree is
firmly believed in the Canaries” (His-
tory of the Canary Islands). Cordeyro
(Historia Insulana, bookii. chap. v.) says
it is an emblem of the Trinity, and that
the rain is called Agua Santa. Without
doubt a rain falls from some trees (as
the lime) in hot weather.
Rainy Day (A). Evil times.
Jay by something for a rainy day.
Save something against evil times.
Raise the Wind. To obtain ready
money by hook or crook. A sea phrase.
What wind is to a ship, money is to
COIn IllerCé. . . -
“I’ve tried queer ways
The Wind to raise,
But ne'er had Such a blow.”
Judy (My Lost Dog), Mar. 27, 1889.
Rajah. (Sanskrit for king, cognate
with the Latin reg' or rev.) Maha-rajah
means the “great rajah.”
Rake. A libertine. A contraction
of rakehell, used by Milton and others.
“And far away amid their rakehell bands
They speed a lady left all succourless.”
Francis Quarles.
Rak'shas. Evil spirits who guard
the treasures of Kuvera, the god of
riches. They haunt cemeteries and de-
vour human beings ; assume any shape
at will, and their strength increases as
the day declines. Some are hideously
ugly, but others, especially the female
spirits, allure by their beauty. (Hindu
Amythology.) +
Rakush. Rustem’s horse in the Shah
Nameh of Firdusi, the Homer of Koras-
san. (See HORSE.)
Ra'ieigh. Sir Walter Scott introduces
in Kenilworth the tradition of his laying
down his cloak on a miry spot for the
queen to step on.
“Hark ye, Master Raleigh, see thou fail not to
wear thy intiddy cloak, in token of penitenge, till
our pleasure be further known.”—Sir Walter
Scott; Renilworth, chal). XV, -
Rally
1037
Faminagobris
Rally is re-alligo, to bind, together
again. (French rallier.) In Spenser it
is spelt re-allie—
“ Before they could new consels re-allie.”
Faërie Queene.
“Yes, we'll rally round the flag, boys,
We'll rally once again.” - º
G. F. Root : Battle-cry of Freedom, Stanza, i.
Ralph or Ralpho. The squire of
IHudibras. The model was Isaac Robin-
son, a zealous butcher in Moorfields,
always contriving some queer art of
church government. He represents the
Independent party, and Hudibras the
Presbyterian. Ralph rhymes with half
and safe.
“He was himself under the tyranny of scruples
as unreasonable as those of . . . ſtal pho.”—
MacCºulay.
Ralph Hºoister Doister. The title
of the earliest English comedy ; so called
from the chief character. Written by
Nicholas Udall. (16th century.)
Ram. The usual prize at wrestling
matches. Thus Chaucer says of his
Mellere, “At wrastlynge he wolde bere
away the ram.” (Canterbury Tales :
Jºrologue 550.)
£am Feast (The). May morning is
so called at Holme, near Dartmoor, be-
cause on that day a ram is run down in
the “Ploy Field.” It is roasted whole,
with its skin and fur, close by a granite
pillar. At mid-day a scramble takes
place for a slice, which is supposed to
bring luck to those who get it. Said to
be a relic of Baal worship in England.
Ram and Teazle (The). A public-
house sign, is in compliment to the
Clothiers’ Company. The ram with the
golden fleece is emblematical of wool,
and the teazle is used for raising the map
of wool spun and woven into cloth.
Ram of the Zodiac (The).
the famous Chrysomallon, whose golden
fleece was stolen by Jason in his Ar-
gonautic expedition. It was transposed
to the stars, and made the first sign of
the Zodiac.
The Vernal signs the Ram begins ;
Then comes the Bull ; in May the Twins:
The Crab in June ; next Leo shines;
And Virgo ends the northern signs. E. C. B.
Ram's Horn (A). A loud, vulgar,
unpolished Speaker. A smooth-tongued
orator is called a “silver trumpet.”
Rama. The seventh incarnation of
Vishnu.
The first was the fish ; the second, the
tortoise; the third, the boar; the fourth,
the man-lion ; the fifth, the dwarf; the
sixth, Paraſs'ºſ-Rama, Son of Jamadagni;
This is
the seventh, RAMA, son of Das'aratha,
Ring of Ayodhyā; the eighth, Krishna
or Crishna ; the ninth, J37tddha ; and the
last (tenth) will be Kalki, and the con-
summation of all things—a kind of
millennium. -
Rama performed many wonderful ex-
ploits, such as killing giants, demons,
and monsters. He won Sita to wife be-
cause he was able to bend the bow of
Siva.
Rama-Yana. The history of Rama,
the best great epic poem of ancient India,
and worthy to be ranked with the Iliad
of Homer. -
Ram'adan. The ninth month of the
Mahometan year, and the Mussulman’s
Lent or Holy Month.
“November is the financial Ramadan of the
Sublime Polite.”—The Times.
That is, when the Turkish Government
promises all kinds of financial reforms
and curtailments of national expenses.
Rambouillet. Hôtel de Rambouillet.
The réunion of rank and literary genius
on terms of equality; a coterie where
sparkling wit with polished manners pre-
vails. The Marquise de Rambouillet, in
the seventeenth century, reformed the
French soirées, and purged them of the
gross morals and licentious conversation
which at that time prevailed. The pre-
sent good taste, freedom without licen-
tiousness, wit without double entendre,
equality without familiarity, was due to
this illustrious Italian. The Précieuses
Jęidicules of Molière was a satire on those
her imitators who had not her talent and
good taste. Catherine, Marquise de
Rambouillet (1588-1665).
Ramee Samee. The conjurer who
swallowed swords, and could twist him-
self into a knot as if he had neither bones
nor joints.
Ram'eses (3 Syl.). The title of an
ancient Egyptian dynasty; it means
Offspring of the Sun. This title was first
assumed towards the close of the Eigh-
teenth Dynasty, and ran through the
Nineteenth. Rameses III. is called
Rhampsini'tos by Herod'otos. Sesostris
is supposed to be identical with Rameses
the Great. (Eses, i.e. Isis.)
Ram'iel (2 syl.). One of the fallen
angels cast out of heaven. The word
* one that eaſalts himself against
od.
Raminago/bris. A cat; a vile poet.
La Fontaine in several of his fables gives
this name to the cat. Rabelais under
Rampallian
1038
Rape of the Lock
this name satirises Guillaume Crétin, an
old French poet in the reigns of Charles
VIII., Louis XII., , and François I.
(Rabelais : Pantagruel, iii. 21.)
Rampal'lian. A term of contempt ;
probably it means a rampant or wanton
woman ; hence in A New Trick to Cheat
the Devil (1639) we have this line:
“And bold rampallian-like, Swear and
drink drunk.”
“Away, you scullion you rampallian | you fus-
tilarian : I’ll tickle...your catastrophe.”—Shake-
speare : 2 Henry IV., ii. 1.
Ramsay the Rich. Ramsay used
to be called the Croesus of our English
abbeys. It had only sixty monks of the
Benedictine order to maintain, and its
revenues allowed £1,000 a year to the
abbot, and £100 a year for each of its
monks.
JDavid Ramsay. The old watchmaker
near Temple Bar.
Margaret Ramsay. His daughter, who
became the bride of Lord Nigel. (Sir
Walter Scott : Fortunes of Nigel.)
Ramsbottom (Mrs.). A vile speller
of the Queen’s English. It was the
signature of Theodore Hook in his letters
published in the John Bull newspaper,
1829. -
Ra'na. Goddess of the sea, and wife
of the sea-god Aeger. (Scandinavia),
anythology.) -
“‘May Rana keep them in the deep,
- AS is hel' wont,
And no one save them from the grave,’
Cried Helgehont.” &
Prithiof-Sºga, ; The Bamishment,
Randem-Tandem. A tandem of
three horses. (University term.)
Random (Roderick). A young Scotch
scapegrace in quest of fortune; at One
time basking in prosperity, at anotherin
utter destitution. He is led into dif-
ferent countries, whose peculiarities are
described ; and into all sorts of Society,
as that of wits, sharpers, courtiers,
courtesans, and so on. Though Occa-
sionally lavish, he is inherently mean:
and though possessing a dash of humour,
is contemptibly revengeful. His treat-
ment of Strap is revolting to a generous
mind. Strap lends him money in his
necessity, but the heartless Roderick
wastes the loan, treats Strap as a mere
servant, fleeces him at dice, and cuffs
him when the game is adverse. (Smollett:
Boderick Randon.)
Rank and File. Soldiers of any
grade below that of lance-sergeant are
so called, collectively, in military phrase-
ology, and any two soldiers of such
****
grade are spoken of as “a file ; ” thus,
100 rank and file would equal 50 file,
that is, 50 men standing behind each
other in a row. No soldier ever talks of
files in the plural, or about “a file of
fours.” As there are two in a “rank,”
there is a left file and a right file; and
men may move in “single file ” or in
“double file.” A line of soldiers drawn
up side by side or abreast is a rank.
Ičank distinguished by Colour.
In China, the emperor, empress, and
prince imperial wear yellow ; the other
wives of the emperor wear violet; high
state officers wear blue ; officials of
lower rank wear red; and the general
public wear black or some dark shade.
Ranks. Risen from the ranks. From
mean Origin ; a self-made man. A mili-
tary term applied to an officer who once
served as a private soldier. Such an
officer is now often called a “ranker.”
Rantipole (3 Syl.). A harum-scarum
fellow, a madcap (Dutch, randten, to
be in a state of idiotcy or insanity,
and pole, a head or person). The late
Emperor Napoleon III. was called
Rantipole, for his escapades at Stras-
bourg and Boulogne. In 1852 I myself
saw a man commanded by the police to
leave Paris within twenty-four hours for
calling his dog Rantipole.
“Dick, be a little rantil)olish.”—Colman : IIeir-
at-Law. .
Kºanz dies Vaches. Simple melo-
dies played by the Swiss mountaineers
on their Alp-horn when they drive their
herds to pasture, or call them home (pour
ranger des vaches, to bring the cows to
their place).
Rap. Not worth a rap. The rap was
a base halfpenny, intrinsically worth
about half a farthing, issued for the
nonce in Ireland in 1721, because Small
coin was so very scarce. There was
also a coin in Switzerland called a rappé,
worth the seventh of a penny.
“Many counterfeits passed about under the
name of raps.”—Swift : Drapier's Letters.
Rape (1 syl.). The division of a
county. Sussex is divided into six
rapes, each of which has its river, forest,
and castle. Herepp is Norwegian for
a parish district, and rape in Doomsday
Book is used for a district under military
jurisdiction. (Icelandic hréppr, a dis-
trict.) - -
Rape of the Lock. Lord Petre, in
a thoughtless moment of frolic gallantry,
cut off a lock of Arabella Fermor’s hair;
and this liberty gave rise to a bitter feud
Raphael
1039
Tashleigh,
between the two families, which Alex-
ander Pope has worked up into the best
heroj-comic poem of the language. The
first sketch was published in 1712 in two
cantos. The machinery of Sylphs and
gnomes is most happily conceived.
Pope, under the name of Esdras Barne-
velt, apothecary, says the poem is a
covert satire on Queen Anne and the
Barrier Treaty. In the poem the lady
is called Belinda, and the poet Says she
wore on her neck two curls, one of which
the baron cut off with a pair of Scis-
sors borrowed of Clarissa. Belinda, in
anger, demanded back the ringlet, but
it had flown to the skies and become a
meteor there. (See COMA BERENICES.)
“Say, what strange motive, goddess, could compel
A well-hred lord to assault a gentle belle ;
O say, what stranger cause, yet unexplored,
Could nake a gentle belle reject a lord.”
Introduction to the Poem.
Raph’ael. The sociable archangel
who travelled with Tobi'as into Me'dia.
and back again, instructing him on the
way how to marry Sara and to drive
away the wicked spirit. Milton intro-
duces him as sent by God to advertise
Adam of his danger. (See SEVEN SPIRITS.)
“Itaphael, the sociable spirit, hath deigned
To travel With Tolbias, and SC Cure (l
His marriage with the seven-times-wedded
mai(l.” I’d radisc Lost, W. 2:1-3.
JRaphael, according to Longfellow, is
the angel of the Sun, who brings to man
the “gift of faith.”
“I am the angel of the Sun,
Whose ſlaming wheels began to run
... When God Almighty's breath
Said to the darkness and the night...
‘Let there be light,’ and there was light,
I bring the gift of faith... -
Golden Legend : The Miracle Play, iii.
St. Raphael, the archangel, is usually
distinguished in Christian art by a
pilgrim’s staff, or carrying a fish, in
allusion to his aiding Tobias to capture
the fish which performed the miraculous
cure of his father's eyesight.
The French Raphael. Eustace Lesueur
(1617-1655).
Raphael of Cats (The). Godefroi
Mind, a Swiss painter, noted for his cats.
(1768-1814.)
Fapparee'. A wild Irish plunderer;
So called from his being armed with a
rapary or half-pike. (Irish rappire, a
robber.)
Rappee. A coarse species of snuff,
manufactured from dried tobacco by an
instrument called in French a Yápe,
“instrument en metal percé de plusieurs
trous, dont on Se Sert pour réduire les
Corps en pulpe ou en fragments. On ge
sert surtout de la râpe dans les ménages,
pour le Sucre, le chocolat, le poivre ; et
dans les usines, pour le tabac, les bette-
raves, les pommes de terre qu'on réduit
en fécule, etc.” (Bowtillet : Dictionnaire
des Sciences.)
Ra'ra Avis (Latin, a rare bird). A
phenomenon ; a prodigy; a Something
quite out of the common course. Black
swams are now familiar to us; they are
natives of Australia, and have given its
name to the “Swan river.” At one
time a black swan was emphatically a
Tara avis.
“Rara avis in terris nigroque simillima. cygne.”
Jºlventil.
Rare Ben. So Shakespeare called
Ben Jonson, the dramatist. (1574–1637.)
Aubrey says that this inscription on his
tablet in the “Poets’ Corner,” West-
minster Abbey, “was done at the charge
of Jack Young (afterwards knighted),
who, walking there when the grave was
covering, gave the fellow eighteenpence
to cut it.” At the late relaying of the
pavement, this stone was unhappily re-
moved. When Sir William Davenant
was interred in Westminster Abbey,
the inscription on his covering-stone
was, “O rate Sir William Davenant”
—showing how nearly the Sublime and
the ridiculous often meet.
Raree Show. A peep-show; a show
carried about in a box.
Rascal. , Originally applied in the
chase to a lean, worthless deer, then a
collective term for the commonalty, the
mob ; and popularly to a base fellow.
Shakespeare says, “Horns ! the noblest
deer hath them as huge as the rascal’’
[deer]. Palsgrave calls a starveling
animal, like the lean kine of Pharaoh,
“a rascall refus beest” (1530). The
French have racaille (riff-raff).
“Come, you thin thing ; come, you rascal.”—
Shakespeare : 2 Henry IV., v. 4.
Rascal Counters. Pitiful or paltry
# s. d. Brutus calls money paltry com-
pared with friendship, etc. .
“When Marcus Brutus grows so covetous,
To lock such rascal counters from his friends,
Be ready, gods, with all your thunderlyolts,
Dash him to pieces.” -
Shakespeare : Julius Caesar, iv. 5.
Rasher. A slice, as a rasher of bacon,
Rash'ieigh Osbaldistone. An ac-
complished but deceitful villain, called
“the scholar.” He is the youngest of
the six hopeful sons of Sir Hildebrand
Osbaldistone. The six brothers were
nicknamed “the sot,” “the bully,”
“the gamekeeper,” “the horse-jockey,”
Rasiel
1040 °
Raul
“the fool,” and the crafty “scholar.”
(Sir Walter Scott : Rob Roy.)
Ra'siel. The angel who was the
tutor of Adam. (Talmud.)
Raspberry. Rhyming slang for
“heart,” as “it made my raspberry
beat.” (See CHIvy.)
Ras'selas. Prince of Abyssinia, in
Dr. Johnson’s romance so called.
“‘Rasselas' is a mass of sense, and its moral
precepts are certainly conveyed in striking and
happy language. The mad, astronomer who im-
agined that he possessed the regulation of the
weather and the distribution of the seasons, is an
original character in rolmance ; , and the happy
Valley in Which Rasselas resides is Sketched with
poetical feeling.”—Young. -
Rat. The Egyptians and Phrygians
deified rats. The people of Basso'ra and
Cambay to the present time forbid their
destruction. In Egypt the rat symbol-
ised “utter destruction; ” it also sym-
bolised “judgment,” because rats always
choose the best bread for their repast.
Jºat. Pliny tells us (bk. viii. ch. lvii.)
that the Romans drew presages from
these animals, and to see a white rat
foreboded good fortune. The bucklers
at Lanu'vium being gnawed by rats pre-
saged ill-fortune, and the battle of the
Marses, fought soon after, confirmed this
superstition. Prosperine's veil was em-
broidered with rats.
Irish rats rhymed to death. It was
once a prevalent opinion that rats in pas-
turages could be extirpated by anathema-
tising them in rhyming verse or by me-
trical charms. This notion is frequently
alluded to by ancient authors. Thus,
Ben Jonson says: “Rhyme them to
death, as they do Irish rats” (Poetaster);
Sir Philip Sidney says: “Though I will
not wish unto you. . . . to be rimed to
death, as is said to be done in Ireland ”
(Defence of Poesie); and Shakespeare
makes Rosalind say: “I was never so
berhymed since . . . I was an Irish rat,”
alluding to the Pythagore'an doctrine of
the transmigration of souls (As You Like
It, iii. 2). (See CHARM.)
I smell a rat. I perceive there is some-
thing concealed which is mischievous.
The allusion is to a cat Smelling a rat.
Rat (To). Toforsake a losing side for
the stronger party. It is said that rats
forsake ships not weatherproof. A rat
is one who rats or deserts his party.
Hence workmen who work during a
strike are called “rats.”
“Averting . . . -
The cup of sorrow from their lips,
. And fly like rats from sinking ships.”
- Swift: Epistle to Mr. Nugent,
Rat (Un). A purse. Hence, a young
boy thief is called a Raton. - A sort of.
pun on the word rapt from the Latin
rapto, to carry off forcibly. Courir le
rat, to rob or break into a house at
night-time. -
To take a rat by the tail, or Prendre un
7'at par la quette, is to cut a purse.
phrase dating back to the age of Louis
XIII., and inserted in Cotgrave's Dic-
tionary. Of course, a cutpurse would
cut the purse at the string or else he
would spill the contents. -
Rat, 'Cat, and Dog.
“The Rat, the Cat, and Lovell the Dog,
Rule all England under the hog.”
* The Rat, i.e. Rat-cliff; the Cat, i.e.
Cat-esby; and Lovel the dog, is Francis,
Viscount Lovel, the king’s “spaniel.”
The hog or boar was the crest of Richard
III. William Collingham, the author of
this rhyme (1413), was put to death for
his pregnant wit. -
Rat-iriller. Apollo received this
aristocratic soubriquet from the follow-
ing incident :—Crinis, one of his priests,
having neglected his official duties,
Apollo sent against him a swarm of
rats: but the priest, seeing the invaders
coming, repented and obtained forgive-
ness of the god, who annihilated the
swarms which he had sent with his far-
darting arrows. For this redoubtable
exploit the sun-god received the appella-
tion of Apollo the Rat-killer. (Classic
Anythology.) -
Rat'atoslk. The squirrel that runs
up and down the mythological tree
Yggdrasil'. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Ratten ( To). To annoy for refusing
to join a trade union, or for not submit-
ting to its demands. This is done by
destroying or taking away a Workman’s
tools, or otherwise incapacitating him
from doing work. “To rat’’ is to desert
one's party; to work for less than the
price fixed by a trade union; and ‘‘ rat-
ten” is to act the part of a rat. (See RAT.)
Rattlin (Jack). A famous naval
character in Smollett's Roderick Random.
Tom Bowling is another naval character
in the same novel.
Raul. Sir Raul di Nangis, the Hu-
guenot, in love with Valentina, daughter
of the Comte de St. Bris, governor of the
Louvre. Being sent for by Marguerite,
he is offered the hand of Valentina in
marriage, but rejects it, because he
fancies she is betrothed to the Comte
de Nevers, Nevers is slain in the
Ravana,
1041
Ravenglass
Bartholomew massacre, and Valentina.
confesses her love for Raul. They are
united by Marcello, an old Puritan ser-
vant, but scarcely is the ceremony ended
when both are shot by the musketeers
under the command of St. Bris. (Meyer-
beer: Gli Ugonotti, an opera.)
Rava'na, according to Indian myth-
ology, was fastened down between
heaven and earth for 10,000 years by
Siva's leg, for attempting to move the
hill of heaven to Ceylon. He is described
as a demon giant with ten faces. (Hindu
ſmythology.)
Ravelin (The) or demi-lune, in fortifi-
cation. A work with two faces, form-
ing a Salient angle, placed beyond the
main ditch, opposite the curtain (q.v.), and
separated from the covered way (ſ.v.) by
a ditch which runs into the main ditch.
Raven. A bird of ill omen. They
are said to forebode death and bring in-
fection. The former notion arises from
their following an army under the expec-
tation of finding dead bodies to raven
on ; the latter notion is a mere offshoot
of the former, seeing pestilence kills as
fast as the sword.
“The boding raven on her cottage sat,
And with hoarse croakings warned us of our
fate.” Gay: Pastorals; The Dirge.
* Like the Sad-presaging raven that tolls
The sick man's passport in her hollow beak,
And, in the Shadow of the silent night,
Does Shake contagion from her Sable wing.”
Marlowe : Jew of Malta (1633).
Raven. Jovianus Ponta'nus relates
two skirmishes between ravens and kites
near Beneventum, which prognosticated
a great battle. Nice/tas speaks of a
skirmish between crows and ravens as
presaging the irruption of the Scythians
into Thrace. He also tells us that his
friend Mr. Draper, in the flower of his
age and robust health, knew he was at
the point of death because two ravens
flew into his chamber. Cicero was fore-
warned of his death by the fluttering of
ravens, and Macaulay relates the legend
that a raven entered the chamber of the
great orator the very day of his murder,
and pulled the clothes off his bed. Like
many other birds, ravens indicate by
their cries the approach of foul weather,
but “it is ful unleful to beleve that God
sheweth His prevy counsayle to crowes,
as Isidore Sayth.”
JHe has the foresight of a raven. A
raven was accounted at one time a pro-
phetic bird. (See above.)
“Of inspired lyirds ravens are accounted the
most prophetical. Accordingly, in the language
of that district, ‘to have the foresight of a raven'
is to this day a proverbial expression.”—Maſca?t-
lay : History of St. Kilda, p, 174. -
p 66 w
Ičavens bode famine. When a flock of
ravens forsake the woods we may look
for famine and mortality, because
“ravens bear the characters of Saturn,
the author of these calamities, and have
a very early perception of the bad dis-
position of that planet.” (See Athenian
Oracle, Supplement, p. 476.)
“As if the great god Jupiter had nothing else
to doe but to dryve about jacke-dawes and
rayens.”—Carmed des.
JRavens were once as white as Swans,
and not inferior in size ; but one day a
raven told Apollo that Coro'nis, a
Thessalian nymph whom he passionately
loved, was faithless. The god shot the
nymph with his dart ; but, hating the
tell-tale bird—
“He blacked the raven o'er,
And bid him prate in his white plumes no more.”
ddison : Translation of Ovid, 1jk. ii.
Ravens iſ? Christia?? art. Emblems of
God’s Providence, in allusion to the
ravens which fed Elijah. St. Oswald
holds in his hand a raven with a ring in
its mouth ; St. Benedict has a raven at
his feet; St. Paul the Hermit is drawn
with a raven bringing him a loaf of
bread, etc.
The fatal raven, consecrated to Odin, .
the Danish war-god, was the emblem on
the Danish standard. This raven was
Said to be possessed of necromantic.
power. The standard was termed Lan-
deyda (the desolation of the country),
and miraculous powers were attributed
to it. The fatal raven was the device of
Odin, god of war, and was said to have
been woven and embroidered in one
noontide by the daughters of Regner
TIOdbrok, son of Sigurd, that dauntless
warrior who chanted his death-song
(the Krakamal) while being stung to
death in a horrible pit filled with deadly
serpents. If the Danish arms were
destined to defeat, the raven hung his
wings; if victory was to attend them, he
stood erect and soaring, as if inviting the
warriors to follow. - -
“The Danish raven, lured by annual prey,
Hung o'er the land incessant.”
Thomson : Liberty, pt. iv.
The two ravens that sit ow? the shoulders
of Odin are called Hugin and Munnin
(Mind and Memory).
One raven will not pluck another’s eyes
out (German, “ Keine krähe hackt der
anderen die augen aus ”). Friends will
not “peach '' friends; you are not to
take for granted all that a friend says of
a friend. -
Ravenglass (Cumberland). A cor-
ruption of Afon-glass (Blue river).
Ravenstone
1042
Teader
Ra'venstone. The stone gibbet of
Germany ; SO called from the ravens
which are wont to perch on it. (German
Tabenstein.)
“DO you think
I'll honour you so much as Save your throat
From the Ravenstone, by cluoking you myself 2 "
Byrom : Werner, ii. 2.
Ra'venswood (Allan, Lord of). A
decayed Scotch nobleman of the Royalist
party.
Master Edgar Ravenswood. His son,
who falls in love with Lucy Ashton,
daughter of Sir William Ashton, Lord-
Eeeper of Scotland. The lovers plight
their troth at the Mermaid’s Fountain,
but Lucy is compelled to marry Frank
Hayston, laird of Bucklaw. The bride,
in a fit of insanity, attempts to murder
the bridegroom and dies in convulsions.
Bucklaw recovers, and goes abroad.
Colonel Ashton, seeing Edgar at the
funeral of Lucy, appoints a hostile meet-
ing ; and Edgar, on his way to the place
appointed, is lost in the quicksands of
Kelpies-flow. (Sir Walter Scott : Bride
of Lammermoor.) -
In Donizetti's opera of Lucia di Lam-
Amermoor, Bucklaw dies of the wound
inflicted by the bride, and Edgar, heart-
broken, comes on the stage and kills
himself, that “his marriage with Lucy,
forbidden on earth, may be consummated
in heaven.”
Raw. To touch one on the raw. To
mention something that makes a person
wince, like touching a horse on a raw
place in cleaning him.
Raw Lobster (A). A policeman.
Lobsters before they are boiled are a
dark blue. A soldier dressed in Scarlet
is a lobster; a policeman, or sort of
soldier, dressed in dark blue is a raw
lobster. The name was given to the
new force by the Weekly Dispatch news-
paper, which tried to write it down.
Rawhead and Bloody-Bones. A
bogie at one time the terror of children.
. “Servants awe children and keep them in sub-
jection by telling them of Rawhead and Bloody-
bones.”—Locke.
Ray'mond (in Jerusalem Delivered).
Master of 4,000 infantry, Count of Tou-
louse, equal to Godfrey in the “wisdom
of cool debate ’’ (bk. iii.). This Nestor
of the Crusaders slew Aladine, the king
of Jerusalem, and planted the Christian
standard upon the tower of David (bk.
XX.).
Rayne or Raine (Essex). Go and say
$your prayers at Raine. The old church
of Raine, built in the time of Henry II.,
famous for its altar to the Virgin, and
much frequented at one time by preg-
nant women, who went to implore the
Virgin to give them safe deliverance.
Razed Shoes, referred to in Hamlet,
are slashed shoes.
“Would not this, sir . . . with two Provencal
roses on my razed shoes, get me a fellowship in a
cry of players, sir?”—Act, iii. 2.
Razee (raz-za). A ship of war cut
down to a smaller size, as a seventy-four
reduced to a frigate. (French, raser.)
Razor. Hewing blocks with a razor.
Livy relates how Tarquinius Priscus,
defying the power of Attus Navius, the
augur, said to him, “Tell me, if you are
so wise, whether I can do what I am now
thinking about.” “Yes,” said Navius.
“Ha ! haſ '' cried the king; “I was
thinking whether I could cut in twain
that whetstone with a razor.” “Cut
boldly ” answered the augur, and the
king cleft it in twain at one blow.
Raz'zia. An incursion made by the
military into an enemy’s country, for the
purpose of carrying off cattle or slaves,
or for enforcing tribute. It is an Arabic
word much employed in connection with
Algerine affairs.
“War is a razzia, l’atlher than an art to the . . .
lmerciless Pelissier.”—'I'lue Statlıdard.
Re (Latin). Respecting ; in refer-
ence to ; as, “re Brown,” in reference
to the case of Brown.
Reach of a river. The part which
lies between two points or bends; so
called because it reaches from point to
point.
“When he drew near them he would turn from
Ča,CD,
And loudly whistle till be passed the Reach.”
C7'able : Borough.
Read between the Lines. (See
267eder LINES.)
Reade or Read (Simon), alluded to
by Ben Jonson in the Alchemist, i. 2,
was Simon Read, of St. George's,
Southwark, professor of physic. Rymer,
in his Foedèra, vol. xvi., says, “he was
indicted for invoking evil spiritsin order
to find out the name of a person Who,
in 1608, stole £37 10s. from Tobias
Mathews, of St.Mary Steynings, London.
Reader. In the University of Oxford,
one who reads lectures on scientific
subjects. In the Inns of Court, one who
reads lectures in law. In printing, one
who reads and corrects the proof-sheets
of any work before publication; a cor-
rector of the press.
Ready
1043
|Rebus
Ready (The). An elliptical expres-
sion for ready-money. Goldsmith says,
“L’Es in presenti perfectum format ''
“Ready-money makes a man perfect ’’).
ğ. Lužin Grammar.)
“Lord Strut was not very flush in the ‘ready.’”
—Dr. Arbuthnu.0t.
Ready - to - Halt. ... A pilgrim that
journeyed to the Celestial city on
crutches. He joined the party under
the charge of Mr. Greatheart, but
“when he was sent for ” he threw away
his crutches, and, lo l a chariot bore
him into Paradise. (Bunyan : Pilgrim’s
I’rogress, part ii.)
Real Jam. Prime stuff, a real treat,
something delightful. Of course, the
allusion is to jam given to children for a
treat.
“There must have been a charming climate in
I’arailise, and [the] connubial bliss [there] . . .
was real jalm.”—Sam Slick: : Hitman Nature.
Real Presence. The doctrine that
Christ Himself is really and substantially
present in the bread and wine of the
Eucharist after consecration.
Rear-mouse or Rere-mouse. The
bat. (Anglo-Saxon hºere-mus, the flut-
tering-mouse; verb, hºere-an, to flutter.)
Of course, the “bat” is not a winged
Iſl(OUIS62.
Reason. The Goddess of Reason,
November 10th, 1793. Mlle. Candeille,
of the Opéra, was one of the earliest of
these goddesses, but Mme. Momoro, wife
of the printer, the Goddess of Liberty,
was the most celebrated. On November
10th a festival was held in Notre Darºe
de Paris in honour of Reason and
Liberty, when women represented these
“goddesses.” Mlle. Candeille wore a
red Phrygian cap, a white frock, a blue
mantle, and tricolour ribbons. Her
head was filleted with oak-leaves, and
in her hand she carried the pike of
Jupiter-Peuple. In the cathedral a sort
of temple was erected on a mound, and
in this “Temple of Philosophy ’’ Mlle.
Candeille was installed. Young girls
crowned with oak-leaves were her at-
tendants, and Sang hymns in her honour.
Similar installations were repeated at
Lyons and other places. (See LIBERTY,
Goddess of.)
MIle. Maillard, the actress, is mentioned by
Ilamartine as Olle of these goddesses, but played
the part much against her will.
Mile. Aubray Was another Goddess of Reason.
Rebec'ca. Daughter of Isaac the
Jew, in love with Ivanhoe. Itebecca,
with her father and Ivanhoe, being taken
prisoners, are confined in Front de Boeuf's
Castle. Rebecca is taken to the turret;
chamber and left with the old sibyl there;
but when Brian de Bois Guilbert comes
and offers her insult she spurns him with
heroic disdain, and, rushing to the verge
of the battlements, threatens to throw
herself over if he touches her. Ivanhoe,
who was suffering from wounds received
in a tournament, is nursed by Rebecca.
Being again taken prisoner, the Grand
Master commands the Jewish maiden to
be tried for sorcery, and she demands a
trial by combat. The demand is granted,
when Brian de Bois Guilbert is appointed
as the champion against her; and Ivan-
hoe undertakes her defence, slays Brian,
and Rebecca is set free. To the general
disappointment of novel-readers, after all
this excitement Ivanhoe tamely marries
the lady Rowen'a, a “vapid piece of still
life.” Rebecca pays the newly-married
pair a wedding visit, and then goes abroad
with her father to get out of the way.
(Sir Walter Scott : Ivanhoe.)
Rebec'caites (4 syl.). Certain Welsh
rioters in 1843, whose object was to de-
molish turnpike gates. The name was
taken from Rebekah, the bride of Isaac.
When she left her father’s house, Laban
and his family “blessed her,” and said,
“Let thy seed possess the gate of those
that hate them ’’ (Gen. xxiv. 60).
Rebellion (The). The revolts in
behalf of the House of Stuart in 1715
and 1745; the former in behalf of the
Chevalier de St. George, son of James
II., called the Old Pretender, and the
latter in favour of Charles Edward,
usually termed the Young Pretender.
The Great Rebellion. The revolt of
the Long Parliament against Charles I.
(1642-1646.)
The Great Irish Rebellion, 1789. It
was caused by the creation of numerous
Irish societies hostile to England, es-
pecially that called “The United Irish-
men.” There have been eight or nine
other rebellions. In 1365 the Irish
applied to France for soldiers; in 1597
they offered the crown of Ireland to
Spain; in 1796 they concluded a treaty
with the French Directory.
Rebus (Latin, with things). A hiero-
glyphic riddle, “non verbis sed rebus.”
The origin of the word and custom is
this: The basochiens of Paris, during the
carnival, used to satirise the current
follies of the day in squibs called De
rebus qua ſerumtur (on the current
events). That these squibs might not
be accounted libellous, they employed
hieroglyphics either wholly or in part.
Reception
1044
Bed Boots
Reception (To get a), in theatrical
language means to be welcomed with
applause from the front, when you make
your first appearance for the night.
This signifies that the audience recog-
nises your established reputation.
Re'chabites (3 Syl.). A religious
sect founded by Jonadab, son of Rechab,
who enjoined his family to abstain
from wine and to dwell in tents. (Jer.
xxxv. 6, 7.)
Receipt is a direction for compound-
ing or mixing together certain ingre-
dients to make something required. It
also means a written discharge to a
debtor for the payment of a debt.
Recipe (3 Syl.), Receipt. Recipe is
Latin for take, and contracted into B is
used in doctor’s prescriptions. The dash
through the R is an abbreviated form
of ll, the symbol of Jupiter, and B. means
JRecipe, deo volente.
Reck his own Rede (Tö). Give
heed to his own counsel. (Old English,
Jęecſan], to heed; Raed, counsel, advice.)
Reckon (I). A peculiar phraseology
common in the Southern States of
America. Those in New England say,
“I guess.” (See CALCULATE.)
Reckoning without your Host.
To guess what your expenses at an hotel
will be before the bill has been delivered;
to enter upon an enterprise without
knowing the cost.
“We thought that now our troubles were over ;
. . . but we reckoned Without our host.”—Mac-
onvillam's Magazine, 1887.
Recla'im (2 syl.). To turn from evil
ways. This is a term in falconry, and
means to call back the hawk to the wrist.
This was done when it was unruly, that
it might be Smoothed and tamed. (Latin,
Ye-clamo.)
Recorded. Death recorded means
that the sentence of death is recorded
or written by the recorder against the
criminal, but not verbally pronounced
by the judge. This is done when capital
punishment is likely to be remitted. It
is the verbal sentence of the judge that
is the only sufficient warrant of an exe-
cution. The sovereign is now not con-
Sulted about any capital punishment.
Recºreant is one who cries out
(French, récréer); alluding to the judicial
combats, when the person who wished to
give in cried for mercy, and was held a
ceward and infamous. (See CRAVEN.)
Rector. (See CLERICAL TITLES.)
==-3s
Reculer pour Mieux Sauter. To
run back in order to give a better jump
forwards; to give way a little in order
to take up a stronger position.
“Where the empire sets its foot, it cannot
withdraw without much loss of credit, whereas
reguler powr mienta, Sawter must often be the most
effective action in that tide of European civilisa-
tion, which is slowly, but Surely, advancing into
the heart. Of the Dark Continent.”—Nimete077th,
Century, December, 1892, p. 990.
Reculver. The antiquities of this
place are fully described in Antiquitates
futupinae, by Dr. Battley (1711). It
was a Roman fort in the time of
Claudius.
Red. The colour of magic.
“Red is the colour of magic in every country,
and has been so from the yory earliest times.
The caps of fairies and musicians are well-nigh
always red.”—Yeates: Fairy cºmd Folk Tales of the
I?’ish, PećtSaºtº'y, l). 61.
Red applied to gold. Hence a gold
Watch is a “red kettle.”
‘Thou shew'st an honest nature ; weep'st for tly
master; -
There's a red rogue to buy the handkerchief.”
Beaumont and Fletcher: Mad Lover, v. 4.
Red Basque Cap. The cognisance
of Don Carlos, pretender to the Spanish
throne.
Red Book. The book which gave
account of the court expenditure in
France before the Revolution was so
called because its covers were red. We
have also a “Red Book” in manuscript,
containing the names of all those who
held lands per baroºnian in the reign of
Henry II., with other matters pertain-
ing to the nation before the Conquest.
(Ryley, 667.)
Red Book of the Exchequer (The).
Liber Rubens Scaccarii in the Record
Office. It was compiled in the reign of
Henry III. (1246), and contains the
returns of the tenants in capite in 1166,
who certify how many knights’ fees
they hold, and the names of those who
hold or held them, also much other
matter from the Pipe Rolls and other
Sources. It has not, yet (1895) been
printed, but is described in Sims' Manual
(p. 41), Thomas’s Handbook (p. 255),
and in the Record Report of 1837 (pp.
166-177). A separate account of it was
printed by Hunter in 1837. It contains
the only known fragment of the Pipe
Roll of Henry II., and copies of the
important Inquisition returned into the
exchequer in 13 John. It is not written
in red ink. (Communicated by A.
Oldham.)
Red Boots. A pair of red boots.
A Tartar phrase, referring to a custom
Fed-breasts
1045
Red Herring
of cutting the skin of a victim round the
upper part of the ankles, and then
stripping it off at the feet. A Tartar
will say, “When you come my way
again, I will give you a pair of red boots
to go home in.”
Red-breasts. Dow Street runners,
who wore a scarlet waistcoat.
“The Bow Street runners ceased out of the
land soon after the introduction of the new police.
1 remember them very well as Standing about the
door of the Office in Bow Street. They had no
other uniform than a blue dress-coat, brass
buttons . . . and a bright red cloth Waistcoat. . .
The slang name for them was “Red-breasts.’”—
Dickens: Letters, vol. ii. p. 178,
Red Button (A). A mandarin of
the first class, whose badge of honour is
a red button in his cap.
“An interview was . granted to the admiral
[E]liot] by Kishen, the imperial commissioner, the
third man in the empire, a mandarin of first class
and red lutton.”—Howitt: History of England,
1841, p. 471.
Red Cap (Mother). An old nurse “at
the Hungerford Stairs.” Dame Ursley
or Ursula, another nurse, says of her
rival—
“She may do very well for skipper's wives,
chandlers' daughters, and Such like, but nobody
shall wait on pretty Mistress Margaret . . . ex-
cepting and Saving myself.”—Sir Walter Scott :
Fortunes of Nigel.
Red Coats in fox-hunting (or Scarlet)
is a badge of royal livery, fox-hunting
being ordained by Henry II. a royal
Sport.
Red Cock. The red cock will crow £7,
his house. His house will be set on fire.
“‘We’ll see if the red cock craw not in his
bonnie barn-yard ae morning.” “What does she
mean 2' said Mannering. . . . ‘Fire-raising,' an-
swered the . . . dominie.”—Sir Walter Scott : Guy
Matºmering, chap. iii.
Red Com'yn. Sir John Comyn of
Badenoch, son of Marjory, sister of King
John Balliol ; so called from his ruddy
complexion and red hair, to distinguish
him from his kinsman “Black Comyn,”
whose complexion was swarthy and hair
black. He was stabbed by Sir Robert
Bruce in the church of the Minorites at
Dumfries, and afterwards dispatched by
Lindesay and Kirkpatrick.
Red Cross (The). The badge of the
royal banner of England till those of
St. Patrick and St. Andrew were added.
“The fall of Rouen (1419) was the fall of the
Whole province . . . and the red cross of England
waved on all the towers of Normandy.”—Howitt:
IIistory of England, Vol. i. p. 545.
Red Cross Knight, in Spenser's
JFaërie Queene, is the impersonation of
holiness, or rather the spirit of Chris-
tianity. Politically he typifies the
Church of England. The knight is sent
forth by the queen to slay a dragon
which ravaged the kingdom of Una’s
father. Having achieved this feat, he
marries Una (q.v.). (Book i.)
Red Feathers (The). The Duke of
Cornwall’s Light Infantry. They cut to
pieces General Wayne's brigade-in-the
American War, and the Americans
vowed to give them no quarter. So
they mounted red feathers that no others
might be subjected to this threat. They
still wear red puggarees on Indian Ser-
vice. (See LACEDAEMONIANS.)
Red Flag (A). (i) In the Roman em-
pire it signified war and a call to arms.
(ii) Hoisted by British seamen, it indi-
cates that no concession will be made.
As a railway signal, it intimates danger, and
Warns the engine-driver to stol).
*{iii) In France, since 1791, it has been
the symbol of insurrection and terrorism.
(iv) It is a synonym of Radicalism
and Anarchy.
“Mr. Chamberlain sticks to the red flag, and ap-
parently believes in its ultimate Success.”—News-
paper p(t)'agraph, January, 1886.
Red Hand of Ulster. In an ancient
expedition to Ireland, it was given out
that whoever first touched the shore
should possess the territory which he
touched; O’Neill, seeing another boat
likely to outstrip his own, cut off his left
hand and threw it on the coast. From
this O'Neill the princes of Ulster were
descended, and the motto of the O’Neills
is to this day “Lamh dearg Eirin.” (red
hand of Erin). (See HAND.)
Red-handed. In the very act; with
red blood still on his hand.
“I had some trouble to save him from the fury
of those who had caught him red-handed,”—The
Times (a com"'espondent).
Red Hat (The). The cardinalate.
“ David Beatoun was born of good family . . . .
and was raised to a red hat by Pope Paul III.”—
Prince : Parallel History, Vol. ii. p. 81. • *
Red Heads. (See SCHIITES.)
Red Herring (The) of a novel is a
hint or statement in the early part of
the story to put the reader on the wrong
scent. In all detective stories a red
herring is trailed across the scent. The
allusion is to trailing a red herring on
the ground to destroy the scent and set
the dogs at fault, . A “red herring” is
a herring dried and smoked.
Red Herring. Drawing a red herring
across the path. Trying to divert atten-
tion from the main question by some
side-issue. A red herring drawn across
a fox's path destroys the scent and sets
the dogs at fault,
Red Indians
Neither fish, flesh, nor good red herring.
Something insipid and not good eating.
Neither one thing nor another.
Red Indians (of Newfoundland).
So called because they daub their skin,
garments, canoes, weapons, and almost
everything with red ochre.
“Whether it is merely a custom, or whether
they daub their skin with red ochre to protect it
from the attacks of , mosquitos and black-flies,
which Swarm by myriads in the woods and wilds
during the Summer, it is not possible to say.”—
Lady Blake: Nineteenth Century, Dec. 1888, p. 905.
Red Kettle (A). Properly a gold
watch, but applied, in thieves’ slang, to
any watch.
Gold is often called red, hence “red
ruddocks '' (gold coin).
Red-laced Jacket. Giving a man a
Ted-laced jacket. Military slang for giv-
ing a soldier a flogging.
Red Land (The). The jurisdiction
over which the Wehmgericht of West-
phalia extended.
Red-lattice Phrases. Pot-house
talk. Red-lattice at the doors and win-
dows was formerly the sign that an ale-
house was duly licensed ; hence our
chequers. In some cases “lattice ’’ has
been converted into lettuce, and the
colour of the alternate checks changed to
greeſ, such a sign used to be in Brown-
low Street, Holborn. Sometimes, with-
out doubt, the sign had another meaning,
and announced that “tables '' were
played within ; hence Gayton, in his
Notes, on JJon Quiacote (p. 340), in
speaking of our public-house signs, re-
fers to our notices of “billiards, kettle-
noddy-boards, tables, truncks, shovel-
boards, fox-and-geese, and the like.”
It is quite certain that shops with the
sign of the chequers were not uncommon
among the Romans. (See a view of the
left-hand street of Pompeii, presented by
Sir William Hamilton to the Society of
Antiquaries.) (See LATTICE.)
“I, I, I myself sometimes, leaving the fear of
heaven on the left hand, . . . alm fain to shuffle, to
hedge and to lurch ; and yet you, rogue, will en-
SCOnce y Our rags . . . your red-lattice phrases . . .
under the Shelter of your honour.”—Shakespeare:
Merry Wives of Wimdson', ii. 2.
Red Laws (The). The civil code of
ancient Rome. Juvenal says, “ Per lege
ºubras majoram leges” (Satires, xiv. 193).
The civil laws, being written in vermil-
lion, were called rubrica, and rubrica
*ētāvīt means, It is forbidden by the .
civil laws.
The praetor's laws were inscribed in white letters
as Quintilian informs us (xii. 3 “prºtores edicta
8tta in albo propomebqºnt”), and imperial rescripts
Were Written in purple, -
1046
Red Snow
Red-letter Day. A lucky day ; a
day to be recalled with delight. In
almanacks, saints' days and holidays are
printed in red ink, other days in black.
“That day, ... writes the doctor, was truly a red-
letter day to me.”— Waitters: Stanley's Emin lºw-
pedition, chap. vi. p. 111.
Red Man. The French say that a .
red man commands the elements, and
wrecks off the coast of Brittany those
whom he dooms to death. The legend
affirms that he appeared to Napoleon
and foretold his downfall. -
Red Men. W. Hepworth Dixon tells
us that the Mormons regard the Red
Indians as a branch of the Hebrew race,
who lost their priesthood, and with it
their colour, intelligence, and physiog-
nomy, through disobedience. In time the
wild-olive branch will be restored, be-
come white in colour, and will act as a
nation of priests. (New America, i. 15.)
Red Rag (The). The tongue. In
French, Le chiffon rouge, and balancer
le chiffon rouge means to prate.
“Discovering in his mouth a tongue,
He must not his palaver balk ;
SO kee]}S it running all day long,
And fancies his red rag can talk.”
I’eter Pinda!' ... Lon'd B. and his Motioms.
Red Republicans. Those extreme
republicans of France who scruple not
to dye their hands in blood in order to
accomplish their political object. They
used to wear a red cap. (See CARMAG-
NOLE.)
Red Rose Knight (The). Tom
Thumb or Tom-a-lin. Richard John-
son, in 1597, published a “history of
this ever-renowned soldier, the Red Rose
Knight, surnamed the Boast of Eng-
land. . . .”
Red Rot (The). The Sun-dew (q.v.);
so called because it occasions the rot in
sheep.
Red Sea. The sea of the Red Man—
i.e. Edom. Also called the “sedgy sea,”
because of the sea-weed which collects
there.
Red-shanks. A Highlander ; so
called from a buskin formerly worn by
them ; it was made of undressed deer’s
hide, with the red hair outside.
Red Snow and Gory Dew. The
latter is a slimy damp-like blood which
appears on walls. Both are due to the
presence of the algae called by botanists
JPalmella crueſºta and Haematococcºts san-
guineus, which are of the lowest forms
of vegetable life.
Ted Tape
104.7
IRedgauntlet
Red Tape. Official formality; so
called because lawyers and government
officials tie their papers together with
red tape. Charles Dickens introduced
the phrase.
“There is a good deal of red tape at Scotland
Yard, as anyone may find to his cost who has any
business to transact there.”—W. Torrell: Lady
Delmar, bk. iii. 2.
Red Tape. Tressing Edward VI.
“First a shirt was taken up by the Chief Equerry-
in-Waiting, º
wh; passed it to the First LOrd Of the Buck-
l() llll (18,
who passed it to the Second Gentleman of
the Bedchamber,
who passed it to the Head Ranger of
Windsor Forest, -
whºlºed it to the Third Groom of the
St.()le
Wh() inissed it to the Chancellor Royal of
the Duchy of Lancashire,
who passed it to the Master of the Wardrobe,
who passed it to Norroy King-of-Armus,
who passed it to the Constable of the Tower,
Will () passed it to the Chlef Steward Of the
Household, * -
who passed it to the Hereditary Grand
Diaperer, - -
whº,passed it to the Lord High Atllmiral Of
§ngland,
whº pºssed it to the Archbishop of Canter-
July
who jºissed it to the First Lord of the
Bedchamber,
who put it on the young king.
Mark Twain : The 1'1'ince and the Pauper, p. 143.
Red Tapism. The following is from
Truth, Feb. 10th, 1887, p. 207:-There
was an escape of gas at Cambridge
Barracks, and this is the way of pro-
ceeding: The escape was discovered by a
private, who reported it to his corporal;
the corporal reported it to the colour-
Sergeant, and the colour-sergeant to the
quartermaster-Sergeant. The quarter-
master-sergeant had to report it to the
quartermaster, and the quartermaster to
the colonel commanding the regiment.
The colonel had to report it to the com-
missariat officer in charge of the bar-
racks, and the commissariat officer to the
barrack-sergeant, who had to report it
to the divisional officer of engineers.
This officer had to report it to the
district officer of engineers, and he to
the clerk of works, Royal Engineers,
who sends for a gasman to see if there is
an escape, and report back again. While
the reporting is going on the barracks
are burnt down.
Red Tincture. That preparation
which the alchemists thought would
convert any baser metal into gold. It
is sometimes called the Philosopher's
Stone, the Great Elixir, and the Great
Magisterium. (See WHITE TINCTURE.)
Redan. The simplest of fieldworks,
and very quickly constructed. It con-
sists simply of two faces and an angle
formed thus A, the angle being towards
the object of attack. A corruption of
redems. (Latin.)
Redder (The). The adviser, the
person who redes or interferes. Thus
the proverb, “The redder gets—aye the
warst lick of the fray.” -
“Those that in quarrels interpose
Must Wipe themselves a bloody nose.”
Redding-straik (A). A blow re-
ceived by a peacemaker, who interferes
between two combatants to "ed or
separate them ; proverbially, the severest
blow a man can receive.
“Said I not to ye, ‘Make not, meddle not ; 'be-
ware of the redding-straik 2 °–Sir W. Scott : Guy
Manuering, chap. XXV ii.
Redgaunt'let. The sobriquet of
Fitz-Aldin, given him from the great
slaughter which he made of the South-
ron, and his reluctance to admit them to
quarter. The sobriquet was adopted by
him as a surname, and transmitted to
his posterity. A novel by Sir W. Scott.
(See chap. viii.)
Redgaunt'let. A novel told in a
series of letters by Sir Walter Scott. Sir
Edward Hugh Redgauntlet, a Jacobite
conspirator in favour of the Young Pre-
tender, Charles Edward, is the hero.
When George III. was crowned he per-
suaded his niece, Lilias Redgauntlet, to
pick up the glove thrown down by the
king's champion. The plot ripened, but
when the prince positively refused to
dismiss his mistress, Miss Walkinshaw—
a sine qué non with the conspirators—
the whole enterprise was given up.
General Campbell arrived with the mili-
tary, the prince left Scotland, Red-
gauntlet, who embarked with him,
became a prior abroad, and Lilias, his
Iniece, married her brother’s friend,
Allan Fairford, a young advocate.
Itedgaunt'let (Sir Aberick). An an-
cestor of the family so called.
Sir Edward. Son of Sir Aberick,
killed by his father’s horse.
Sir Robert. An old Tory in Wandering
Willie’s Tale. He has a favourite
monkey called “Major Weir.” Sir John,
son and successor of Sir Robert. Sir
Jęedwald, son of Sir John.
Sir Henry Darsie. Son of Sir Red-
wald. Lady Henry Darsie, wife of Sir
Henry Darsie. Sir Arthur Darsie alias
JDarsie Latimer, son of Sir Henry and
the above lady. Miss Lilias alias Green-
Anantle, sister of Sir Arthur ; she marries
Allan Fairford.
Sir Edward Hugh. A political enthu-
siast and Jacobite conspirator, uncle of
Redlaw
1048
Teekie
Sir Arthur Darsie. He appears as
“Laird of the Lochs,” “Mr. Herries, of
Birrenswork,” and “Mr. Ingoldsby.”
“When he frowned, the puckers of his
brow formed a horseshoe, the special
mark of his race.” (Sir Walter Scott :
Redgauntlet.)
Redlaw (Mr.). The haunted man,
professor of chemistry in an ancient
college. Being haunted, he bargained
with his spectre to leave him, and the
condition imposed was that Redlaw (go
where he would) should give again “the
gift of forgetfulness” bestowed by the
spectre. From this moment the chemist
carried in his touch the infection of
sullenness, selfishness, discontent, and
ingratitude. On Christmas Day the
infection ceased, and all those who had
suffered by it were restored to love and
gratitude. (Dickens : The Haunted Man.)
Redmain. Magnus, Earl of North-
umberland, was so called not from his
red or bloody hand, but on account of
his long red beard or mane. He was
slain in the battle of Sark (1449).
“He was remarkable for his long red beard, and
was therefore called by the English Magnus Red-
heard ; but the Scotch in derision called him
ºgnus with the Red Mane.’ ”—Godscroft, fol.
78.
Redmond O'Neale. Rokeby’s page,
who is beloved by Rokeby’s daughter
1Matilda. Redmond turns out to be
Mortham’s son and heir, and marries
Matilda. (Sir Walter Scott : Rokeby.)
Reductio ad Absurdum. A proof
of inference arising from the demonstra-
tion that every other hypothesis involves
an absurdity. Thus, suppose I want to
prove that the direct road from two given
places is the shortest, I should say, “It
must either be the shortest or not the
shortest. If mot the shortest, then some
other road is the direct road ; but there
cannot be two shortest roads, therefore
the direct road must be the shortest.”
Reduplicated or Ricochet Words,
of intensifying force. Chit-chat, click-
clack, clitter-clatter, dilly-dally, ding-
dong, drip-drop, fal-lal, flim-flam, fiddle-
faddle, flip-flop, flifty-fluffy, flippity-
floppity, handy-pandy, harum-Scarum,
helter-skelter, heyve-keyve (Halliwell),
hibbledy-hobbledy, higgledy-piggledy,
hob - nob, hodge - podge, hoity-toity,
hurly-burly, mish-mash, mixy-maxy
(Brockett), namby-pamby, middy-noddy,
niminy-piminy, nosy-posy, pell-mell,
pit-pat, pitter-patter, randem-tandem,
randy-dandy, ribble-rabble, riff-raft,
roly-poly, rusty-fusty-crusty, See-Saw,
shilly-shally, slip-slop, slish-Slosh, snick-
Smack, Spitter-Spatter, splitter-splutter,
Squish-Squash, teeny-tiny, tick-tack,
tilly-valley, tiny-totty, tip-top, tittle-
tattle, toe-toes, wee-wee, wiggle-waggle,
widdy - waddy (Halliwell), widdle-
waddle, wibble-wobble, wish-wash,
wishy-washy; besides a host of rhyming
synonyms, as bawling-squawling, mew-
ling-pewling, whisky-frisky, musty-
fusty, gawky-pawky.,..., slippy-sloppy,
rosy-posy, right and tight, wear and
tear, high and mighty, etc.; and many
more with the Anglo-Saxon letter-
rhyme, as safe and sound, jog-trot, etc.
Ree. Right. Thus teamers say to a
leading horse, “Reel ” when they want
it to turn to the right, and “Hey!” for
the contrary direction. (Saxon, reht :
German, recht : Latin, Yectus ; various
English dialects, Teet, whence reetle, “to
put to rights.”)
“Who With a hey and ree the beasts command.”
Micro-Cynicon (1599).
I?iddle me, riddle me ree. Expound
my riddle rightly.
Reed. . A broken reed. . Something
not to be trusted for support. Egypt is
called a broken reed, to which Hezekiah
could not trust if the Assyrians made
war on Jerusalem, ‘‘ which broken reed
if a man leans on, it will go into his
hand and pierce it.” Reed walking
sticks are referred to.
A bruised reed, in Bible language,
means a believer weak in grace.
bruised reed [God] will not break.
Reed Shaken by the Wind (A),
in Bible language, means a person blown
about by every wind of doctrine. John
the Baptist (said Christ) was not a “reed
shaken by the wind,” but from the very
first had a firm belief in the Messiahship
of the Son of Mary, and this conviction
was not shaken by fear or favour,
Reef. He must take in a reef or so.
He must reduce his expenses; he must
retrench. A reef is that part of a sail
which is between two rows of eyelet-
holes. The object of these eyelet-holes
is to reduce the sail reef by reef as it is
required.
Reekie (Auld). Chambers says:
“An old patriarchal laird (Durham of
Largo) was in the habit of regulating
the time of evening worship by the ap-
pearance of the smoke of Edinburgh.
. . . When it increased in density, in
consequence of the good folk preparing
supper, he would . . . say, “It is time
noo, bairns, to tak the buiks and gang
Reel
1049
Begius Professor
to our beds, for yonder's auld Reekie, I
see, putting on her night-cap.’”
“Yonder is auld Reekie. You may see the
smoko hover over her at twenty miles' distance.”
—Sir W. Scott : The Abbot, X Wii.
Reel. Right off the reel. Without
intermission. A reel is a device for
winding rope. A reel of cotton is a
certain quantity wound on a bobbin.
(Anglo-Saxon reól.)
Reel. A Scotch dance.
righil.)
“We’ve been travelling best part of twenty-four
houl's right off the reel.”—Bold rewood: Robbery
under Arms, chap. XXXi.
Reeves Tale. Thomas Wright says
that this tale occurs frequently in the
jest- and story-books of the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries. Boccaccio has
given it in the Decameron, evidently
from a fabliau, which has been printed
in Barbazan under the title of De Gom-
bert et des Delta: Cleº's. Chaucer took
the story from another fabliau, which
Wright has given in his Anecdota Liter-
aria, p. 15.
Refresh'er. A fee paid to a barrister
daily in addition to his retaining fee, to
remind him of the case intrusted to his
charge.
Refreshments of public men, etc.
BRAHAM’s favourite refreshment was
bottled porter.
BYRON almost lived on uncanny foods,
such as garlic pottage, raw artichokes
and vinegar, broths of bitter herbs,
Saffron biscuits, eggs and lemons.
CATALANI's favourite refreshment was
sweetbreads.
CONTRAITO SINGERS can indulge even
in pork and pease-pudding.
OOK (G. F.) indulged in everything
drinkable.
DISRAELI (Lord Beaconsfield), cham-
pagne.
IEMERY, cold brandy and water.
GLADSTONE, an egg beaten up in
sherry.
HENDERSON, gum arabic and sherry.
INCLEDON (Mrs.), Madeira.
JORDAN (Aſrs.), Calves’-foot jelly dis-
solved in warm sherry.
REAN (Edmund), beef-tea for break-
fast ; brandy meat.
REMBLE (both John and Charles),
rump-steaks and kidneys. John indulged
in Opium.
LEWIS, oysters and mulled wine.
MALIBRAN, a dozen native oysters and
a pint of half-and-half.
SIDDONS (Mrs.), mutton- chops, either
neck or chump, and porter.
(Gaelic,
SMITH (William), coffee.
SOPRANOS eschew much butcher’s
meat, which baritones may indulge in.
TENORS rarely indulge in beef-steaks
and sirloins.
WooD (Mrs.), draught porter.
Rega'le (2 syl.). To entertain like a
king. (Latin, rega'lis, like a king,
kingly.)
Regan and Gon'eril. Two of the
daughters of King Lear, and types of
unfilial daughters. (Shakespeare : ſing
Lear.)
Regatta (Italian). Originally ap-
plied to the contests of the gondoliers
at Venice.
Regent (The). (See SHIPS.)
Regent's Park (London). This park
was originally attached to a palace of
Queen Elizabeth, but at the beginning
of the seventeenth century much of the
land was let on long leases, which fell in
early in the nineteenth century. The
present park was formed under the
direction of Mr. Nash, and received
its name in compliment to George IV.,
then Prince Regent.
Regime de la Calotte. Adminis-
tration of government by ecclesiastics.
The calotte is the Small skull-cap worn
over the tonsure.
Regiment de la Calotte. A society
of witty and satirical men in the reign of
Louis XIV. When any public character
made himself ridiculous, a calotte was
sent to him to “cover the bald or brain-
less part of his noddle.” (See above.)
Regiºna (St.), the virgin martyr, is
depicted with lighted torches held to her
sides, as she stands fast bound to the
cross on which she suffered martyrdom.
Regiomonta'nus. The Latin equiva-
lent of Iſènigsberger. The name adopted
by Johann Müller, the mathematician.
(1436-1476.)
Regium Do'num (Latin). An an-
nual grant of public money to the Pres-
byterian, Independent, and Baptist
ministers of Ireland, It began in 1672,
and was commuted in 1869.
Regius Professor. One who holds
in an English university a professorship
founded by Henry VIII. Each of the
five Regius Professors of Cambridge re-
ceives a royally-endowed stipend of
about £40. In the universities of Scot-
land they are appointed by the Crown.
* present stipend is about £400 or
500,
Regulars
10
º
O
O Fermennber
Regulars (The). All the British
troops except the militia, the yeomanry,
and the volunteers. There are no ir-
regulars in the British army, but such a
force exists among the black troops.
Rehobo'am (A). A clerical hat.
“He [Mr. Helstone] was short of stature [and
wore] a rehoboam, Qi shovel hat, which he did
not ... remove.”—“Currey Bell' : Shirley, chap. i.
Rehoboam. A rehoboam of claret or
Tum is a double jeroboam. (2 Chr. xiii. 3.)
I rehoboam = 2 jeroboams or 32 pints.
I jeroboam == 2 tappet-hens or 16 pints.
l tappet-hen = 2 magnums or 8 pints.
1 magnum = 2 qual US Ol' 4 pints.
Reign of Terror. The period in the
French Revolution between the fall of
the Girondists and overthrow of Robes-
pierre. It lasted 420 days, from May
31st, 1793, to July 27th, 1794.
Reimkennar (A). A Sorceress, a
pythoness; one skilled in numbers.
Sorcery and Chaldean numbers are sy-
nonymous terms. The Anglo-Saxon rim-
stafas means charms or conjuration, and
the Norse reim-kemnar means one skilled
in numbers or charms. Norma of the
Fitful Head was a Reimkennar, “a con-
troller of the elements.” -
Reins. To give the reins. To let go
unrestrained ; to give licence.
To take the reins. To assume the
guidance or direction.
Reins (The). The kidneys, supposed
by the Hebrews and others to be the seat
of knowledge, pleasure, and pain. The
Psalmist says (xvi. 7), “My reins instruct
me in the night season,” i.e. my kidneys,
the seat of knowledge, instruct me how
to trust in God. Solomon says (Prov.
xxiii. 16), “My reins shall rejoice when
[men] speak right things,” i.e. truth ex-
cites joy from my kidneys; and Jeremiah
says (Lam. iii. 13), God “caused His
arrows to enter into my reins,” i.e. sent
pain into my kidneys. (Latin, Ten, a
kidney.)
Rel'dresal. Principal secretary for
private affairs in the court of Lilliput,
and great friend of Gulliver. When it
was proposed to put the Man-Mountain
to death for high treason, Reldresal
moved as an amendment, that the
“traitor should have both his eyes put
out, and be suffered to live that he might
serve the nation.” (Swift : Gulliver's
Travels; Poyage to Lilliput.)
Relics. A writer in the Twentieth
Žentury (1892, article ROME) says:
“Some of the most astounding relics are
officially shown in Rome, and publicly
adored by the highest dignitaries of the
Christian Church, with all the magnifi-
cence of ecclesiastical pomp and ritual.”
The following are mentioned:—-
A BOTTLE OF THE VIRG IN'S MII, K.
. THE GRADLE AND SWADI) LING CLOTHEs of the
infant Jesus.
THE CROSS OF THE I’ENITENT TIII.E.F.
THE CROWN OF THoRNs. ... -
THE FINGER OF THOMAS, with which he touched
the Wound in the side of Jesus.
HAIR OF THE VIRGIN MAlty.
THE HANDRERCHIEF OR ST. VERON’ICA, on
which the face of Jesus was miraculously
pictured. - -
HAY QF THE MANGER in which the infant Jesus
WaS laid.
HEADS OF PETER, PAUL, AND MATTHEW.
THE INSCRIPTION Set over the cross by the
Order Of Pilate. - - -
NAILS used at the crucifixion.
PIECE OF THE CHEMISE of the Virgin Mary.
THE SILVER MONEY given to Judas by the
Jewish priests, which he flung into the Temple.
and WaS expended in buying the potters' field as a
cemetery for Strangers. •
TIIE TABLE On Which the Soldiers cast lots for
the coat of Jesus.
* Brady mentions many others, some
of which are actually impossibilities, as,
for example, a rib of the Perbum caro
factum, a vial of the sweat of St. Michael
when he contended with Satan, some of
the rays of the star which guided the
wise men. (See Clavis Calendaria,
p. 240.)
Relief (The). In fortification, the
general height to which the defensive
masses of earth are raised. The direc-
tions in which the masses are laid out
are called the tracings.
Rem Acu. You have hit the mark;
you have hit the nail on the head. Rem
adu tetigisłł (Plautus). A phrase in
archery, meaning, You have hit the
white, or the bull’s-eye.
“‘Rem acu once again,' said Sir Piercie.”—The
Monastery, chap. XVi.
Remember. The last injunction of
Charles I., on the scaffold, to Bishop
Juxon. A probable solution of this
mysterious word is given in Notes and
(Queries (February 24th, 1894, p. 144).
The substance is this: Charles, who was
really at heart a Catholic, felt persuaded
that his misfortunes were a divine visita-
tion on him for retaining the church
property confiscated by Henry VIII.,
and made a vow that if God would re-
store him to the throne, he would restore
this property to the Church. This vow
may be seen in the British Museum.
His injunction to the bishop was to re-
member this vow, and enjoin his son
Charles to carry it out. Charles II.,
however, wanted all the money he could
get, and therefore the church lands were
never restored.
Benigius
1051
Feply Churlish
Remig'ius (St.). Rémy, bishop and
confessor, is represented as carrying a
vessel of holy oil, or in the act of anoint-
ing therewith Clovis, who kneels before
him. When Clovis presented himself for
baptism, Rémy said to him, “Sigam-
brian, henceforward burn what thou
hast worshipped, and worship what thou
hast burned.” (438-533.)
Remis atque Velis (Latin). With
oars and sails. Tooth and nail, with all
despatch.
“We were going remis atque velis into the in-
terests of the Pretender, since a Scot had pre-
sented a Jacobite at court.”—Sir W. Scott : Red-
gat wntlet (conclusion).
Renaissance (French). A term ap-
plied in the arts to that peculiar style of
decoration revived by Raphael, and
which resulted from ancient paintings
exhumed in the pontificate of Leo X.
(16th century). The French Renaissance
is a Gothic skeleton with classic details.
Renaissance Period (The). That
period in French history which began
with the Italian wars in the reign of
Charles VIII. and closed with the reign
of Henri II. It was the intercourse with
Italy, brought about by the Italian war
(1494-1557), which “regenerated ” the
arts and sciences in France; but as every-
thing was Italianised—the language,
dress, architecture, poetry, prose, food,
manners, etc.—it was a period of great
false taste and national deformity.
Renard. Une quente de remard. A
mockery. At one time a common prac-
tical joke was to fasten a fox’s tail be-
hind a person against whom a laugh was
designed. “Panurge never refrained
from attaching a fox’s tail or the ears
of a leveret, behind a Master of Arts or
Doctor of Divinity, whenever he encoun-
tered them.”—Rabelais : Gargantua, ii.
16. (See REYNARD.)
“C'est une petite yipère
Qui m'epargneroit pas son père,
Et qui par nature ou par art
Scait, couper la queué au renard.”
Beſtucai?'6 : L'Embarras de la Foire.
Renarder (French). To vomit, es-
pecially after too freely indulging in
intoxicating drinks. Our word foa,
means also to be tipsy.
“Illuy visite la machoire,
Quand l'autre luy renarde aux yeux.
Lebaume qu'ils venoient de boire
Pour se le rendre a qui mieux mieux.”
Sie?!?' de St. Amant : Chambre de Desbauché.
Rena'ta. Renée, daughter of Louis
XII. and Anne of Bretagne, married
Hercules, second son of Lucretia Borgia
and Alphonso.
Renaud. French form of Rinaldo
(7.p.).
Renault of Montauban. In the
last chapter of the romance of Aymon’s
I'our Sons, Renault, as an act of penance,
carries the hods of mortar for the build-
ing of St. Peter’s, at Cologne.
“Since I cannot improve our architecture, . . .
I am resolved to do like Renault of Montauban,
and I will wait on the masons. . . . As it was not
in my good luck to be cut out for one of them, I
will, live, and die the admirer of their divine
Writings.” — Rabelais : Prologue to Book: W. of
I’atºntagruel.
Rendezvous. . The place to which
you are to repair, a meeting, a place of
muster or call. Also used as a verb.
(French, rendez, betake ; volts, yourself.)
p; house is a grand rendezvous of the élite of
:bl’l S.
. The Imperial Guard was ordered to rendezvous
in the Chanups de Mars.
René (2 syl.). Le boy, Roi Rená. Son
of Louis II., Duc d’Anjou, Comte de
Provence, father of Margaret of Anjou.
The last minstrel monarch, just, joyous,
and debonair; a friend to chase and tilt,
but still more so to poetry and music.
Pſe gave in largesses to knights-errant
and minstrels (so says Thiebault) more
than he received in revenue. (1408-1480.)
. “Studying to promote, as far as possible, the
immediate mirth and good luumour of his subjects
. . . he was never, mentioned by them, excepting
as Le bom Roi Remé, a distinction . . . due to him
certainly by the qualities of his heart, if not by
those of his head.”—Sir Walter Scott: Anne of
Geierstein, chap. XXix.
René Leblanc. Notary-public of
Grand Pré (Nova Scotia), the father of
twenty children and 159 grandchildren.
(Longfellow : Evangeline.)
Rep'artee' properly means a smart
return blow in fencing. (French, re-
partir, to return a blow.)
Repenter Curls. The long ringlets
of a lady’s hair. Repentir is the French
for a penitentiary, and les repentirs are
the girls sent there for reformation.
Jeepentir, therefore, is a Lock Hospital
or Magdalen. Now, Mary Magdalen is
represented to have had such long hair
that she wiped off her tears therewith
from the feet of Jesus. Hence, Mag-
dalen curls would mean the long hair of
a Mary Magdalen made into ringlets.
Reply Churlish (The). Sir, you are
no judge ; your opinion has no weight
with me. Or, to use Touchstone’s illus-
tration: “If a courtier tell memy beard is
not well cut, and I disable his judgment,
I give him the reply churlish, which is
the fifth remove from the lie direct, or,
rather, the lie direct in the fifth degree.”
Beproof Valiant 10
2 Fevulsion
Reproof Valiant (The). Sir, allow
me to tell you that is not the truth. To
use Touchstone’s illustration: “If a
courtier tells me my beard is not well
cut, and I answer, “That is not true,” I
give him the reply valiant, which is the
fourth remove from the lie direct, or
rather, the lie direct in the fourth
degree.”
The reproof valiant, the countercheck quarrel-
some, the lie, circumstantial, and the lie direct,
are not clearly defined by Touchstone. The fol-
lowing, perhaps, will give the distinction re-
quired : That is not true : How dare you utter
such a falsehood ; If you Said So, you are a liar ;
You are a liar, or you lie.
Republican Queen. Sophie Char-
lotte, wife of Frederick I. of Prussia.
Republicans. (See BLACK.)
Resolute (The). John Florio, the
philologist, tutor to Prince Henry; the
Holofernes of Shakespeare. (1545–1625.)
The resolute doctor. John Bacon-
thorp (*-1346).
The most resolute doctor. Guillaume
Durandus de St. Pourgain (*-1332).
Rest (The). A contraction of residue
—thus, resid’, resit, res’t.
Rest on One's Oars. (See OARS.)
Res’tive (2 syl.) means inclined to
resist, resist-ive, obstinate or self-willed.
It has nothing to do with rest (quiet).
Restorationists. The followers of
Origen’s opinion that all persons, after a
purgation proportioned to the ºr demerits,
will be restored to Divine favour and
taken to Paradise. Mr. Ballow, of
America, has introduced an extension of
the term, and maintains that all retribu-
tion is limited to this life, and at the
resurrection all will be restored to life,
joy, and immortality.
Resurrection Men. Grave robbers.
First applied to Burke and Hare, in 1829,
who rifled graves to sell the bodies for
dissection, and sometimes even murdered
people for the same purpose.
Resurrection Pie is made of broken
cooked meat. Meat réchałęſfé is some-
times called “resurrection meat.”
Retia'rius. A gladiator who made
use of a net, which he threw Over his
adversary.
“As in thronged amphitheatre of old,
The wary Rétiarius trapped his foe.” . .
Thomson: Castle of Indolence, Canto ii.
Retort Courteous (The). Sir, I am.
not of your opinion ; I beg to differ
from you ; or, to use Touchstone's illus-
tration, “If I said his beard was not cut
well, he was in the mind it was.” The
lie Seven times removed; or rather, the
lie direct in the seventh degree.
Reuben Dixon. A village school-
master “ of ragged lads.”
“Mid noise, and dirt, and stench, and play, and
191'ate,
He calmly cuts the pen or views the slate.”.
Crabbe : Borough, letter xxiv.
Reveillé [re-way'-ya]. The beat of
drum at daybreak to warn the sentries
that they may forbear from challenging,
as the troops are awake. (French, ré-
ceiller, to awake.)
Revenons à nos Moutons.
MoUTONs.)
Reverend. An archbishop is the
Most Reverend [Father in God] ; a
bishop, the Right Reverend ; a dean,
the Very Reverend ; an archdeacon, the
Tenerable ; all the rest of the clergy,
the Reverend.
Revetments, in fortifications. In
‘‘permanent fortification ” the sides of
ditches º by walls of masonry
are so called. (See CountERFORTS.)
Review. The British Review was
nicknamed “My Grandmother.” In
JDon Juan, Lord Byron says, he bribed
“My Grandmother’s Review, the British.”
The editor took this in dudgeon and
gave Byron the lie, but the poet turned
the laugh against the reviewer.
“Am I flat, I tip “My Grandmother' a bit of
prose.”—Noctes Ambrosiºn (e.
Revi'se (2 syl.). The second proof-
sheet submitted to an author or
“reader.” -
“I at length reached a vaulted room, . . . and
beheld, seated by a lamp and employed in reading
a blotted revise . . . the author Of Waverley.”—
Sin Walter Scott : Fortumes of Nigel (ſntroduction).
Revival of Letters in England
dates from the commencement of the
eleventh century.
Revival of Painting and Sculp-
ture began with Niccola Pisano, Giunta,
Cimabue, and Giotto (2 Syl.).
Revo'ke (2 syl.). When a player at
cards can follow suit, but plays some
other card, he makes a revoke, and by
the laws of whist the adversaries are en-
titled to score three points.
“Good heaven Revoke 2 Remember, if the Set
Be lost, in honour you should pay the debt.”
Crabbe: Borough.
Revulsion (in philosophy). Part of a
substance set off and formed into a dis-
tinct existence; as when a slip is gut
from a tree and planted to form a dis-
tinct plant of itself. ... Tertullian the
Montanist taught that the second person
(See
Rewe
1053
Bhone
of the Trinity was a revulsion of the
Father. (Latin, revulsio, re-vello, to pull
back.)
Rewe. A roll or slip ; as Ragman’s
Rewe. (See RAGMAN.)
“There is a whole world of gurious history con-
tained in the phrase ‘ragman's rewe,” meaning a
list, roll, catalogue, . . . charter, Scroll of any
kind. In Piers Plowman's Vision it is used for the
pope's bull.”—Edinburgh Review, July, 1870. .
“In Fescenium was first invented the joy litee
of mynstrelsie and Syngyng merrie songs for
makyng laughter, hence called “Fescennia, Car-
mina,'... which, I translate a ‘Ragman's Rowe' or
Bible.”—Udall.
Reyn'ard the Fox. The hero in
the beast-epic of the fourteenth century.
This prose poem is a satire on the state
of Germany in the Middle Ages. Rey-
nard typifies the church ; his uncle,
Isengrin the wolf, typifies the baronial
element; and Nodel the lion, the regal.
The word means deep counsel or wit.
(Gothic, raginohart, cunning in counsel;
Old Norse, Jºreiºn and ard, German,
Weineke.) Reynard is commonly used as
a synonym of fox. (Heinrich von Alk-
Amaar.)
“Where prowling Reynard trod his nightly
round.” Bloomfield : Fatºriner's Boy.
Reynard the Fow. Professedly by
IHinreck van Alckmer, tutor of the Duke
of Lorraine. This name is generally
supposed to be a pseudonym of Hermann
Barkhusen, town clerk and book printer
in Rostock. (1498.)
JFalse Reynard. So Dryden describes
the Unitarians in his Hind and Panther.
(See RENARD.)
“With greater guile
False Reynard fed on consecrated spoil;
The graceless beast by Athana'sius first
Was chased from Nice, then by Socinus nursed.”
Part i. 51-54.
Reynar' dine (3 syl.). The eldest son
of Reynard the Fox, who assumed the
names of Dr. Pedanto and Crabron.
(Reynard the Fow.)
Reynold of Montalbon. One of
Charlemagne's knights and paladins.
Rezio. (See DoCTOR REZIO.)
Rhadaman'thos. One of the three
judges of hell; Minos and AEacos being
the other two. (Greek mythology.)
Rhampsini’tos. The Greek form
of Ram'eses III., the richest of the
Egyptian kings, who amassed seventy-
seven millions sterling, which he secured
in a treasury of stone, but by an artifice
of the builder he was robbed every
night.
Herodotos (bk. ii. chap. 121) tells us that two
brothers were the architects of the treasury, and
that they placed in the wall a removable Stone,
through which they crept every night to purloin
the store. The king, after a time, noticed the
diminution, and set a trap to catch the thieves.
Onc of the brothers was caught in the trap, but
the other brother, to prevent detection, cut off
his head and made good his escape.
'." This tale is almost identical with that of
Trºphonios, told by Pausanias. Hyrieus (3 sy].)
a B(eotian king employed Trophonios and his
brother to build him a treasury. In so doing they
also contrived to place in the wall a removal)le
Stone, through which they grept nightly to pur-
loin the king's stores. Hyrieus also set a trap to
catch the thief, and one of the brothers was
Caught ; but Trophonios cut off his head to prevent
detection, and made good his escape. There can-
not be a doubt that the two tales are in reality One
and the same.
Rhapsody means songs strung to-
gether. The term was originally applied
to the books of the Iliad and Odyssey,
which at one time were in fragments.
Certain bards collected together a num-
ber of the fragments, enough to make a
connected “ballad,” and sang them as
our minstrels sang the deeds of famous
heroes. Those bards who sang the Iliad
wore a red robe, and those who sang the
Odyssey a blue one. Pisistratos of
Athens had all these fragments care-
fully compiled into their present form,
(Greek rapto, to sew or string together ;
odé, a Song.)
Rhene (1 Syl.).
Jęhents.)
“To pass
Rhene or the Danaw [Danube].” .
Milton : Paradise Lost, blº. i. 353.
Rhine or Rhineland. The country
of Gunther, King of Burgundy, is so
called in the Nibelungen-Lied.
“Not a lord of Rhineland could follow where he
flew.” Lettsom's Nibelungen-Lied, st. 210.
Rhi'no. Ready money. (See NoSE.)
May not this explain the phrase “pay-
ing through the nose’’ (par le mez), that
is, paying ready rhino. Rhino = money
is very old.
The Rhine. (Latin,
“Some, as I know,
Have parted with their ready rhino.”
The Seaman’s Adieu (1670).
Rhod'alind. A princess famous for
her “knightly ” deeds; she would have
been the wife of Gon'dibert, but he
wisely preferred Birtha, a country girl,
the daughter of the Sage Astragon.
Rhodian Bully (The).
of Rhodes.
“Yet, º wouldst thou the crouching world bo-
St.]"]
The colossus
(162. -
Just like the Rhodian bully o'er the tido.”
Peter Piºnda”. The L2(Sittal, Canto 2.
Rho'dian Law. The earliest system
of marine law known to history ; com-
piled by the Rhodians about 900 B.C.
Rhone. The Rhone of Christian elo-
quence. St. Hilary; so called from the
vehemence of his style. (300-368.)
Fhopalic Verse
1054
Richard
Rhopal'ie Verse (wedge-verse). A
line in which each successive word has
more syllables than the one preceding it
(Greek, rhopalom, a club, which from the
handle to the top grows bigger.)
Rem tibi confeci, doctissime, dulcisonorum.
Spes deus asterna?-est Station is gonciliator.
Hope ever Si)}:\CeS naiserable individuals.
I 2 3 4 5
Rhyme. Neither rhyme 770, reason.
Tit neither for amusement nor instruc-
tion. An author took his book to Sir
Thomas More, chancellor in the reign of
Henry VIII., and asked his opinion.
Sir Thomas told the author to turn it
into rhyme. He did so, and submitted
it again to the lord chancellor. “Ay!
ay !” said the witty satirist, “that will
do, that will do. 'Tis rhyme now, but
before it was neither rhyme nor reason.”
R. hymer. Thomas the Rhymer.
Thomas Learmount, of Ercildoune, who
lived in the thirteenth century. This
was quite a different person to Thomas
Rymer, the historiographer royal to
William III. (who flourished 1283). (See
TRUE THOMAS.)
Rhyming to Death. The Irish at
one time believed that their children and
cattle could be “eybitten,” that is, be-
witched by an evil eye, and that the
“ey bitter,” or witch could “rime” them
to death. (R. Scott : Discovery of JWitch-
craft.) (See RATS.)
Rib'aldry is the language of a ribald.
(French, ribaud; Old French, ribaudie ;
Italian, ribalderia, the language of a
vagabond or rogue.)
Ribbon Dodge (The). Plying a
person secretly with threatening letters
in order to drive him out of the neigh-
bourhood, or to compel him to do some-
thing he objects to. The Irish Ribbon
men sent threatening letters or letters
containing coffins, Cross-bones, or dag-
gers, to obnoxious neighbours.
Ribbonism. A Catholic association
organised in Ireland about 1808. Its two
main objects were (1) to secure “fixity of
tenure,” called the tenant-right ; and (2)
to deter anyone from taking land from
which a tenant has been ejected. The
name arises from a ribbon worn as a
badge in the button-hole.
Ribston Pippin. So called from
Ribston, in Yorkshire, where Sir Henry
Goodricke planted three pips, sent to
him from Rouen, in Normandy. Two
pips died, but from the third came all
the Ribston apple-trees in England.
Ricardo, in the opera of I Purita'ni,
is Sir Richard Forth, a Puritan, com-
mander of Plymouth fortress. Lord
Walton promised to give him his daugh-
ter Elvi'ra in marriage, but Elvira had
engaged her affections to Lord Arthur
Talbot, a Cavalier, to whom ultimately
she was married.
Ricciardetto. Son of Agmon and
brother of Bradamante. (Ariosto : Or-
lando Furioso.)
Rica Christians. Converts to Chris-
tianity for worldly benefits, such as a
supply of rice to Indians. Profession of
Christianity born of lucre, not faith.
Rice thrown after a Bride. It
was an Indian custom, rice being,
with the Hindús, an emblem of fecun-
dity. The bridegroom throws three
handfuls over the bride, and the bride
does the same over the bridegroom.
With us the rice is thrown by neighbours
and friends. (See MARRIAGE KNOT.)
Rich as Croesus. (See CROESUS.)
Rich as a Jew. This expression
arose in the Middle Ages, when Jews
were almost the only merchants, and
were certainly the most wealthy of the
people. There are still the Rothschilds
among them, and others of great wealth.
Richard Coeur de Lion. (Sºe
BoGIE.)
“His tremendous name was employed by the
Syrian unothers to silence their infants : and if a.
horse suddenly started from the way, his rider was
wont to exclaim," Dost thou think King Richard
is in the bush 2 '''--Gibbom, : Decline and Full, etc.,
Xi. 146
Richard II.'s Horse. Roan Barbary,
(See HoRSE.) -
“Oh, how it yearned my heart when I beheld
In London Streets, that coronation day,
When Bolingbroke rode on roan Barbary,
That horse that thou so often hast best rid,
That horse that I so carefully have dressed.”
Shakespeare: Richard II., V. 5.
Richard III.'s Horse. White Surrey.
(See HORSE.)
“Saddle White Surrey for the field to-morrow.”
Shakespeare: IRichard III., v. 8.
Richard Roe. (See DOE.)
Richard is Himself again. These
words are not in Shakespeare’s Richard
III., but were interpolated from Colley
Cibber by John Kemble.
Richard of Cirencester. Some-
times called “The Monk of West-
minster,” an early English chronicler.
His chronicle On the Ancient State of
Britain was first brought to light by
Dr. Charles Julius Bertram, professor
of English at Copenhagen in 1747; but
Bicharda,
1055
TRidlotto
the original (like the original of Mac-
pherson's Ossiºn, and of Joe Smith’s
JBook of Mormon) does not exist, and
grave suspicion prevails that all three
are alike forgeries. (See SANCHONIATH.O.)
Richar'da, wife of Nicholas d’Este.
A widow who, with her son Hercules,
was dispossessed of her inheritance by
Lionello and Borso. Both were obliged
to go into exile, but finally Hercules
recovered his lordship.
Rich borough, Riche boro’, or
Ratesburgh (a Roman fort in the time
of Claudius), called by Alfred of Bever-
ley, Richberge; by the Saxons (accord-
ing to Bede) Reptacester, and by others
Ruptimuth ; by Orosius, the port and
city of Rhutubus ; by Ammianus,
Rhutupiae Statio ; by Antoninus, Rhit-
upis Portus; by Tacitus, Portus Trutu-
lensis for Rhutupensis; by Ptolemy,
Rhutupiae. (Camden.)
Rick Mould. This is an April fool
joke transferred to hay-harvest. The
joke is this : some greenhorn is sent a
good long distance to borrow a rick-
mould, with strict injunction not to
drop it. The lender places something
very heavy in a sack or bag, which he
hoists on the greenhorn's back. He
carries it carefully in the hot sun to the
hayfield, and gets well laughed at for
his pains.
Rickety Stock. Stock bought or
sold for a man of straw. If the client
cannot pay, the broker must.
Ricochet [rikko-Shay]. Anything
repeated over and over again. The
fabulous bird that had only one note
was called the ricochet ; and the re-
bound on water termed ducks and
drakes has the same name. Marshal
Vauban (1633–1707) invented a battery
of rebound called the ricochet battery,
the application of which was ricochet
firing.
Riddle. Josephus relates how Hiram,
Iſing of Tyre, and Solomon had once a
contest in riddles, when Solomon won a
large sum of money; but he subsequently
lost it to Abde'mon, one of Hiram’s
subjects.
Jºiddle. Plutarch states that Homer
died of chagrin because he could not
solve a certain riddle. (See SPHINX.)
JFather of riddles. So the Abbé Cotin
dubbed himself, but posterify has not
confirmed his right to the title. (1604–
1682.) (See REE.)
Riddle of Claret (A). Thirteen
bottles, a magnum and twelve quarts,
So called because in golf matches the
magistrates invited to the celebration
dinner presented to the club a “riddle of
claret,” sonding it in a riddle or sieve.
Ride. To ride abroad with St. George,
but at home with St. Æſichael, said of a
hen-pecked braggart. St. George is
represented as riding on a war charger
whither he listed; St. Michael, on a
dragon. Abroad a man rides, like
St. George, on a horse which he can
control and govern; but at home he has
“a dragon” to manage, like St. Michael.
(French.)
Ride for a Fall (Tb).
race and lose it intentionally.
“There were not wanting people who said that
government, had “ridden for a fall, in their
deslyair of carrying out their policy.”—Newspaper
patr(tgraph, November, 1885.
Ride up Holborn Hill (To).
to the gallows.
. “I shall live to see you ride up Holl)orn Hill.”—
Comſ reve : L01:6 for Love.
Rider. An addition to a manuscript,
like a codicil to a will; an additional
clause tacked to a bill in parliament ; so
called because it over-rides the preceding
matter when the two come into collision.
“Perhaps Mr. Kenneth will allow me to add the
following as a rider to his suggestion.”—Notes
and Queries, “ M.N.”
Riderhood (Rogue). The villain in
Dickens's Our Mutual Friend.
Ridicule (Father of).
Rabelais (1495-1553).
Riding [of Yorkshire]. Same as trith-
àng in Lincolnshire; the jurisdiction of
a third part of a county, under the
government of a reeve (sheriff). The
word ding or thing is Scandinavian, and
means a legislative assembly; hence the
great national diet of Norway is still
called a stor-thing (great legislative
assembly), and its two chambers are the
laff-thing (law assembly) and the odels-
thing (freeholders' assembly). Kent was
divided into laths, Sussex into rapes,
Lincoln into parts. The person who
presided over a trithing was called the
trithing-man ; he who presided in the
lath was called a lath-grieve.
Ridolphus (in Jerusalem Delivered).
One of the band of adventurers that
joined the Crusaders. He was slain by
Argantes (bk. vii.).
Ridot/to (Italian). An assembly
where the company is first entertained
to music, and then joins in dancing. The
word originally meant music reduced to
a full score. (Latin, reductus.)
To ride a
To go
François
6 Bight as a Trivet
-** Bienzi IO
Rien'zi (Nicolò Gabri'mi). The Re-
former at IRome (1313–1354). Bulwer
Lytton (Lord Lytton) has a novel called
Ičićnzi, and Wagner an opera.
Rif or Rifle (French). Avoir rifle et
ºrg/le. To have everything. Also, the
negative, N'avoir mi 'if mi raf (to have
nothing).
“Hélas ! j'ai goute miseraigne,
J'ai rifle et rafie, et roigné et taigne.”
Les Miracles de Ste. Geneviève.
Riff-raff. The offscouring of society,
or rather, “refuse and sweepings.” Rief
is Anglo-Saxon, and means a rag ; Raff
is also Anglo-Saxon, and means sweep-
ings. (Danish, rips-raps.) The French
have the expression “Avoir rifle et rºſe,”
Imeaning to have everything; whence
radotta (one who has everything), and
the phrase “Il m'a luissé ni rif nº raf’”
(he has left nothing behind him).
“I have neither ryff nor ruff [rag to cover me
hºof Over my head].”—Sharp : Coventry Myst.,
p. 2: IIka man agayne his gud he gaffe
That he haltane with ryfe and raffe.”
Quoted by IIwlliwell in his Archaic Dictionary.
Rifle is from the German reifeln (to
hollow into tubes). In 1851 the French
minié rifle was partially supplied to the
British army. In 1853 it was superseded
by the Enfield rifle, which has three
grooves. Sir William Armstrong’s gun,
which has numerous Small sharp grooves,
was adopted by the government in 1859.
The Whitworth gun has a polygonal
bore, with a twist towards the muzzle.
(“Rifle” is Norwegian for a groove or
flute.)
...' Rifles are either “breech-loaders” or “maga-
zine rifles.” Breech-loading rifles load at the
breech instead of at the muzzle ; magazine rifles
are those which contain a chamber with extra
cartridges.
The chief breech-loading rifles are the Ballard,
the Berdam, the Chaffee, the Chassepot (a Frencli
needle-gun, 1870-1871), the Flobert-Gras (an im-
proved Chassepot, 1874-1880), the Greene, the Hall,
the Minie-Henry (Great Britain, 1890), the Maxim,
the Magnard, the Minie, the Morgensten, the
Peabody, the Peabody-Martini (Turkey), the
Scott, the Sharp, the Springfield (United States.
1893), the Werder (Bavaria), the Werndi, the
Whittemore, the Westley-Richards, and the Win-
chester.
‘." The magazine or repeating-rifles are also very
numerous. The best known to the general pull-
lic are Colt's revolver and the Winchester repeat-
ing-rifle of 1892. They are of three classes: (1)
those in which the magazine is im, the stock (2)
those in which the niagazine is a tube parallel
with the barrel (as in Colt's revolver); and (3)
those in which the magazine is either a fixed or
(letachable box near the lock. The once famous
Enfield rifle was loaded at the muzzle. In Spen-
cCr's rifle the magazine was in the Stock.
Rift in the Lute (A). A small de-
fect which mars the general result.
“ Unfaith in alight is want of faith in all.
It is the little rift within the lute .
That by-and-by will make the music mute,
And, ever widening, slowly silence all.”
Tennyson : Merlin, and Vivien, Vivien's Song,
verses 1, 2,
his publisher.
Rig. A piece of fun, a practical joke.
The Scotch say of a man who indulges in
intoxication, “He goes the rig.” The
same word is applied in Scotland to a
certain portion or division of a field.
A wanton used to be called a rig.
(French, se rigoler, to make merry.)
“He little thought when he set out
Of running such a rig."
Cowper: John Gilpin.
Rig. To dress; whence rigged out, to
ºig oneself, to rig a ship, well-rigged, etc.
Anglo-Saxon, wrigan, to dress; hiag/,
a garment.) .
“Jack was rigged out in his gold and silver
lace, With a feather in his cap.”—L'Estrange.
Rig-Marie. Base coin. The word
Originated from One of the billon coins
struck in the reign of Queen Mary, which
bore the words Reg. Maria as part of
the legend.
...' Billon is mixed metal for coinage, especially
silver largely alloyed with copper.
Rigadoon. A French figure-dance
invented by Isaac Rig'adon.
“And Isaac's Rigadoon shall live as long
As Raphael’s painting, or as Virgil's song.”
Jenryns 44t of Damcing, canto ii.
Rig'dum Fun’nidos, in Carey's bur-
lesque of Chrononhotonthologos.
JRigdum Funnidos. A sobriquet given
by Sir Walter Scott to John Ballantyne,
So called because he was
full of fun. (1776-1821.)
“A quick, actiye, intrepid little fellow, . . . full
of fun and merriment, ... all over quaintness and
Inulmorous milmicry, . . . a keen and skilfull (lev ()-
tee of all manner of ſigld-Sports, from fox-hunting
to badger-baiting inclusive.”—Lockhart.
Right Foot. Put the shoe on the right
foot first. The twelfth symbol of the
Protreptics of Iamblichus. This audi-
tion is preserved in our word “awk-
ward,” which means “left-handed ”
(awke, the left hand), seen also in the
French gauche. Pythagoras meant to
teach that his disciples should walk dis-
creetly and wisely, not basely and feebly
or gauchely.
Right Foot Foremost. In Rome
a boy was stationed at the door of
a mansion to caution visitors not to cross
the threshold with their left foot, which
would have been an ill omen.
Right Hand. The right-hand side
of the Speaker, meaning the Ministerial
benches. In the French Legislative
Assembly the right meant the Monarchy
men. In the National Convention the
Girondists were called the right hand,
because they occupied the Ministerial
benches.
Right as a Trivet. The trivet is a
Tight of Way
1057
Ring
metallic plate-stand with three legs. | quite Norfolk. The American roil has
Some fasten to the fender and are de-
signed to hold the plate of hot toast,
etc. (Anglo-Saxon, thr/fot, three-foot,
tripod.)
Right of Way (The).-The-legal-
right to make use of a certain passage
whether high-road, by-road, or private
road. Watercourses, ferries, rivers,
etc., are included in the word “ways.”
Private right of way may be claimed
by immemorial usage, special permission,
or necessity; but a funeral cortège or
bridal party having passed over a certain
field does not give to the public the right
of way, as many suppose.
Rights. Declaration of Rights. An
instrument submitted to William and
Mary, on their being called to the throne,
setting forth the fundamental principles
of the constitution. The chief items are
these : The Crown cannot levy taxes, nor
keep a standing army in times of peace;
the Members of Parliament are free to
utter their thoughts, and a Parliament
is to be convened every year; elections
are to be free, trial by jury is to be in-
violate, and the right of petition is not
to be interfered with.
Riglet. A thin piece of wood used
for stretching the canvas of pictures;
and in printing to regulate the margin,
etc. (French, reglet, a rule or regulator;
Latin, reg'ada, a rule.)
Rig'ol. A circle or diadem. (Italian,
rigolo, a little wheel.)
“[Sleep) That from this golden rigol hath divorced
So many English kings.”
Shakespeare: 2 Hemry IV., iv. 4.
Rigolette (3 Syl.). A grisette, a
courtesan ; so called from Rigolette, in
Eugène Sue's Mysteries of Paris.
Rigoletto. An opera, describing the
agony of a father obliged to witness the
prostitution of his own child. The li-
bretto is borrowed from the drama called
Je Itoi s'Amtse, by Victor Hugo; the
music is by Guiseppe Verdi.
Rigwoodie. Unyielding ; stubborn.
A rigwiddie is the chain which crosses
the back of a horse to hold up the shafts
of a cart (rig = back, withy = twig.)
“Withered beldams, auld and droll,
Rigwoodic hags.
Burms: Tam O'Shanter.'.
Rile. Don't rile the water. Do not
stir up the water and make it muddy.
The water is riled—muddy and unfit to
drink. Common Norfolk expressions;
also, a boy is riled (out of temper). I’sy,
together, Joe Smith was regularly riſed, is
– Rimer.
the same meaning. A corruption of
ſº (French, brouiller ; our
roil.) The adjective rily, turbid, angry,
is more common.

Chief god of Damascus; so
called from the word rimé, a “pome-
granate,” because he held a pomegranate
in his right hand. The people bore a
pomegranate in their coat armour. The
Romans called this god Jupiter Cassius,
from Mount Cassius, near Damascus.
Rimfaxi [Frost-mane]. The horse
of Night, the foam of whose bit causes
dew. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Rimmon. A Syrian god, whose seat
was Damascus.
“Him followed Rimmon, whose delightful seat
Was fair Damascus, on the fertile bank
Of Ab/bana and Pharphar, lucid streams.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, blº. i. 467.
Rimthur'sar. Brother of Y'mer.
They were called the “Evil Ones.”
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Rinaldo (in Jerusalem Delivered). The
Achilles of the Christian army. “He
despises gold and power, but craves re-
nown '' (bk. i.). He was the son of
Bertoldo and Sophia, and nephew of
Guelpho, but was brought up by Matilda.
At the age of fifteen he ran away and
joined the Crusaders, where he was en-
rolled in the adventurers’ squadron.
Having slain Germando, he was sum-
moned by Godfrey to public trial,
but went into voluntary exile. The
pedigree of Rinaldo, of the noble house
of Este, is traced from Actius on the
male side and Augustus on the female to
Actius VI. (bk. xvii.).
Ičinaldo (in Orlando Furioso). Son of
the fourth Marquis d’Este, cousin of Or-
lando, Lord of Mount Auban or Albano,
eldest son of Amon or Aymon, nephew
of Charlemagne, and Bradamant's
brother. (See ALBA'No.) He was the rival
of his cousin Orlando, but Angelica de-
tested him. He was called “Clarmont's
leader,” and brought an auxiliary force
of English and Scotch to Charlemagne,
which “Silence ’’ conducted into Paris.
Ičinaldo or Renaud, one of the paladins
of Charlemagne, is always painted with
the characteristics of a borderer—valiant,
ingenious, rapacious, and unscrupulous.
Ring. If a lady or gentleman is wil-
ling to marry, but not .*. a ring
should be worn on the index finger of
the left hand; if engaged, on the second
finger; if married, on the third finger;
but if either has no desire to marry, on
the little finger. (Mne. C. de la Tour.)
67
Ring
1058
Ting Posies
A ring worn on the forefinger indicates
a haughty, bold, and overbearing spirit;
On the long finger, prudence, dignity,
and discretion ; on the marriage finger,
love and affection; on the little finger, a
masterful spirit.
JRing given in marriage, because it was
anciently used as a seal, by which orders
were signed (Gen. xxxviii. 18; Estheriii.
10-12); and the delivery of a ring was a
sign that the giver endowed the person
who received it with all the power he
himself possessed (Gen. xli. 42). The
woman who had the ring could issue
commands as her husband, and was in
every respect his representative.
“In the Roman espousals, the man, gave the
Woman a ring by way of pledge, and the woºl: an
put it on the third ſinger of her left hand, because
it was believed that a nerve l'an from that finger
to the heart.”—Macrobius : Sat. Wii. 15.
Ring. The Ring and the Book. An
idyllic epic by Robert Browning, founded
on a cause célèbre of Italian history
(1698). Guido Franceschi'ni, a Floren-
time nobleman of shattered fortune, by
the advice of his brother, Cardinal
Paulo, marries Pompilia, an heiress, to
repair his state. Now Pompilia was
only a supposititious child of Pietro,
supplied by Violante for the sake of
preventing certain property from going
to an heir not his own. When the bride
discovered the motive of the bridegroom,
she revealed to him this fact, and the
first trial occurs to settle the said pro-
perty. The count treats his bride so
brutally that she quits his roof under
the protection of Caponsacchi, a young
priest, and takes refuge in Rome. Guido
follows the fugitives and arrests them
at an inn; a trial ensues, and a separa-
tion is permitted. Pompilia pleads for
a divorce, but, pending the suit, gives
birth to a son at the house of her puta-
tive parents. The count, hearing thereof,
murders Pietro, Violante, and Pompilia;
but, being taken red-handed, is executed.
Ring (The). The space set apart for
prize-fighters, horse-racing, etc. So called
because the spectators stand round in a
ring.
Ring. To make a ring. To combine
in order to control the price of a given
article. Thus, if the chief merchants of
any article (Say Salt, flour, or sugar)
combine, they can fix the selling price,
and thus secure enormous profits.
Ring. It has the true ring—has in-
trinsic merit; bears the mark of real
talent. A metaphor taken from the
custom of judging genuine money by
its “ring ” or sound. Ring, a circlet, is
the Anglo-Saxon hring ; ring, to sound
a bell, etc., is the verb hring-an.
Ring Down. Conclude, end at once.
A theatrical phrase, alluding to the cus-
tom of ringing a bell to give notice for
the fall of the curtain. Charles Dickens
says, “It is time to ring down on these
remarks.” (Speech at the JDramatic
Péte.)
Ring Finger. Priests used to wear
their ring on the fore-finger (which re-
presents the Holy Ghost) in token of
their spiritual office. (See WEDDING
FINGER.)
The ring finger represents the hºman-
ity of Christ, and is used in matrimony,
which has only to do with humanity.
(See FINGER BENEDICTION.) -
JRing finger. Aulus Gellius tells us
that Appia'nus asserts in his Egyptian
books that a very delicate nerve runs
from the fourth finger of the left hand
to the heart, on which account this
finger is used for the marriage ring.
(Noctes, x. 10.)
The fact has nothing to do with the
question; that the ancients believed it
is all we require to know. In the
Roman Catholic Church, the thumb and
first two fingers represent the Trinity:
thus the bridegroom says, “In the name
of the Father,” and touches the thumb ;
“in the name of the Son,” and touches
the first finger; and “in the name of
the Holy Ghost” he touches the long or
second finger. The next finger is the
husband’s, to whom the woman owes
allegiance next to God. The left hand
is chosen to show that the woman is to
be subject to the man. In the Hereford,
York, and Salisbury missals, the ring is
directed to be put first on the thumb,
then on the first finger, then on the long
finger, and lastly on the ring-finger,
quia in illo dig'āto est quaedam vena pro-
ce'dens usque ad cor.
The ring finger. Mr. Henry Swin-
burne, in his Treatise of Spousals, printed
1680 (p. 208), says: “The finger on
which this ring [the wedding-ring] is to
be worn is the fourth finger of the left
hand, next unto the little finger; be-
cause by the received opinion of the
learned . . . in ripping up and anat-
omising men's bodies, there is a vein of
blood, called vena, amoris, which passeth
from that finger to the heart.”
Ring Posies or mottoes.
(1) A E I (Greek for “Always '').
(2) For ever and for aye, * *
(3) In thee, my choice, I do rejoice,
(4) Let love increase,
Ring a Ding-ding
1059.
Ringing Changes
(5) May God above Increase our love.
(6) Not two but one, Till life is gone,
(7) My heart and I, Until I die.
(8) When this you see, Then think of me.
(9) Love is heayen, and heaven is love,
(10) Wedlock, 'tis said, In heaven is made.
Eight to wear a gold ring. . Amongst
the Romans, only Senators, chief magis--
trates, and in later times knights, en-
joyed the jus annuli attrei. The em-
perors conferred the right upon whom
they pleased, and Justinian extended
the privilege to all Roman citizens.
Ring a Ding-ding.
“Iting a ding-ding, ring a ding-ding ! º
The Parliament soldiers are gone to the king ;
Some they did laugh, and some they did cry,
To see the Parliament Soldiers go by.”
The reference is to the several re-
movals of Charles I. from one place of
captivity to another, till finally he was
brought to the block. The Parliament
party laughed at their success, the
Royalists wept to see the king thus
treated.
Ring in the Ear.
or life-long servitude.
“Then Eldad took an awl, and, piercing his
[Jetur's] ears against the door post, made him his
servant for ever. The elders pronounced a bless-
ing, and Eldad put a ring through the ears of
Jetur, as a sign that he was become his property.”
—Eldad the Pilgrim, chap. i.
Ring of Invisibility (The), which
belonged to Otnit, King of Lombardy,
given to him by the queen-mother when
he went to gain in marriage the Soldan’s
daughter. The stone of the ring had
the virtue of directing the wearer the
A sign of slavery
right road to take in travelling. (The
Heldenbuch.) (See GYGES' RING.)
Ring One's Own Bell (To). To be
one's own trumpeter. Bells are rung
to announce any joyous event, or the
advent of some celebrity.
Rings Noted in Fable.
Agramant’s ring. This enchanted
ring was given by Agramant to the
dwarf Brunello, from whom it was
stolen by Brad'amant and given to
Melissa. It passed successively into the
hands of Roge'ro and Angelica (who
carried it in her mouth). (Orlando
JFurioso, bk. v.)
The ring of Amasis. The same as the
ring of Polycratēs (q.v.).
The Doge's ring. The doge of Venice,
on Ascension Day, used to throw a ring
into the sea from the ship Bucentaur, to
denote that the Adriatic was subject to
the republic of Venice as a wife is sub-
ject to her husband.
The ring of Edward the Confessor.
It is said that Edward the Confessor
was once asked for alms by an old man,
and gave him his ring. In time some
English pilgrims went to the Holy Land,
and happened to meet the same old
man, who told them he was John the
IEvangelist, and gave them the identical
ring to take to “Saint” Edward. It
was preserved in Westminster Abbey.
The ring of Gyges (2 syl.) rendered
the wearer invisible when its stone was
turned inwards.
The ring of Ogier, given him by the
Morgue de Fay. It removed all in-
firmities, and restored the aged to youth
again. (See OGIER.)
Polyc'yatés' ring was flung into the sea
to propitiate Nem'esis, and was found
again by the owner inside a fish. (See
GLASGow ARMS.)
The ring of Pope Innocent. On May
29th, 1205, Pope Innocent III. sent
John, King of England, four gold rings
set with precious stones, and in his letter
says the gift is emblematical. He thus
explains the matter: The rotundity sig-
nifies etermity—remember we are passing
through time into eternity. The number
signifies the four virtues which make up
constancy of mind—viz. “justice, forti-
tude, prudence, and temperance.” The
material signifies “wisdom from on
high,” which is as gold purified in the
fire. The green emerald is emblem of
“faith,” the blue sapphire of “hope,”
the red garnet of “charity,” and the
bright topaz of “good works.” (Rymer:
Podera, vol. i. 139.)
Jºeynard’s wonderful ring. This ring,
which existed only in the brain of Rey-
nard, had a stone of three colours—red,
white, and green. The red made the
night as clear as the day; the white
cured all manner of diseases; and the
green rendered the wearer of the ring
invincible. (Reynard the Foſc, chap. xii.)
IIe must have got possession of Rey-
mard’s ring. He bore a charmed life;
he was one of Nature’s favourites ; all
he did prospered. Reynard affirmed
that he had sent JKing Lion a ring with
three gems—one red, which gave light in
darkness; one white, which cured all
pains and wounds, even those arising
from indigestion and fever; and one
green, which guarded the wearer from
every ill both in peace and war. (Alk-
marº Reynard the Fow, 1498.)
Solomon's ring, among other wonderful
things, sealed up the refractory Jins in
jars, and cast them into the Red Sea.
Ringing Changes. Bantering each
other; turning the tables on a jester.
The allusion is to bells. (See PEAL.)
Ringing the Changes 1060 Rising in the Air
Ringing the Changes. A method Rip Van Winkle slept twenty years
of swindling by changing gold and silver in the Kaatskill mountains. (See
in payment of goods. For example : A' | WINKLE.)
man goes to a tavern and asks for two- Ripaille. I am living at Ripaille—in
pennyworth of whisky. He lays on the
counter half a sovereign, and receives
nine shillings and tenpence in change.
“Oh ” (says the man) “give me the
half-sovereign back, I have such a lot of
change.” He then takes up ten shillings
in silver and receives back the half-
sovereign. The barmaid is about to
take up the silver when the man says,
“Give me a sovereign in lieu of this
half-sovereign and ten shillingsworth of
silver.” This is done, and, of course, the
barmaid loses ten shillings by the trans-
action.
Ringing Island. The Church of
Rome. It is an island because it is
isolated or cut off from the world. It is
a ringing island because bells are inces-
Santly ringing : at matin and vespers, at
mass and at Sermon-time, at noon, vigils,
eves, and so on. It is entered only after
four days’ fasting, without which none
in the Romish Church enter holy orders.
Ringleader. The person who opens
a ball or leads off a dance (see Holly-
band’s Dictionary, 1593). The dance
referred to was commenced by the party
taking hands round in a ring, instead of
in two lines as in the country dance.
The leader in both cases has to set the
figures. One who organises and leads a
party.
Riot. To run riot. To act in a very
disorderly way. Riot means debauchery
or wild merriment.
“See, Riot her luxurious bowl prepares.”
Tableau of Cebes.
Rip (A). He's a regular rip. A rip
of a fellow. A precious rip. Applied
to children, means one who rips or tears
his clothes by boisterous play, careless-
ness, or indifference. glo-Saxon
Typ[an], to spoil, to tear, to break in
pieces.
JHe is a sad rip. A sad rake or de-
bauchee; seems to be a perversion of
rep, as in demirep, meaning rep, i.e.
rep-robate.
“Some forlorn, worn-out old rips, broken-kneed
and broken-winded.”— Du Maurier: Peter Ibbet-
Som, part, Vi. p. 376.
Rip. To rip up old grievances or Sores.
To bring them again to recollection, to
recall them. The allusion is to breaking
up a place in search of Something hidden
and out of sight. (Anglo-Saxon.)
“They ripped up all that had bgen done from
the beginning of the Rebellion.”—Clarendon.
idleness and pleasure. (French, faire
Jęipaille.) Amadeus VIII., e of
Savoy, retired to Ripaille, near Geneva,
where he threw off all the cares of state,
| and lived among boon companions in the
indulgence of unrestrained pleasure.
(See SYBARITE.)
Riph'ean or Rhiphae'an Rocks.
Any cold mountains in a north country.
The fabled Rhiphaean mountains were in
Scythia.
“Cold Ripbean rocks, which the wild Russ
Believes the Stony girdle of the world.”
Thom S077 : Autum77.
The poet here speaks of the Weliki
Camenypoys (great Stone girdle) supposed
by the early Russians to have girded the
whole earth.
Rip'on. True as Ripon steel. Ripon
used to be famous for its steel spurs,
which were the best in the world. The
spikes of a Ripon, spur would strike
through a shilling-piece without turning
the point.
Riquet with a Tuft, from the French
Riquet d la Houppe, by Charles Per-
rault, borrowed, from The Nights of
Straparola, and imitated by Madame
Villeneuve in her Beauty and the Beast.
Riquet is the beau-ideal of ugliness, but
had the power of endowing the person
he loved best with wit and intelligence.
IHe falls in love with a beautiful woman
as stupid as Riquet is ugly, but possess-
ing the power of endowing the person
she loves best with beauty. The two
marry and exchange gifts.
Rise. To take a rise out of one. Hot-
ten says this is a metaphor from fly-fish-
ing; the fish rise to the fly, and are
caught.
Rising in the Air. In the Middle
Ages, persons believed that Saints were
sometimes elevated from the ground by
religious ecstasy. , St. Philip of Neri
was sometimes raised to the height of
several yards, occasionally to the ceiling
of the room. Ignatius Loyola was some-
times raised up two or three feet, and
his body became luminous. , St. Robert
de Palentin was elevated in his ecstasies
eighteen or twenty inches. St. Dunstan,
a little before his death, was observed to
rise from the ground. And Girolamo
Savonarola, just prior to execution, knelt
in prayer, and was lifted from the floor
of hiscellinto mid-air, where heremained
Rivals
1061
Rob Roy
suspended for a considerable time. (Acta
Sanctorum.)
Rivals. “Persons dwelling on oppo-
site sides of a river.”
these words from the Latin riva'lis, a
riverman. Caelius says there was no
more fruitful source of contention than
river-right, both with beasts and men,
not only for the benefit of its waters, but
also because rivers are natural boun-
daries. Hence Ariosto compares Orlando
and Ag'rican to “two hinds quarrelling
for the river-right º’ (xxiii. 83).
River Demon or River Horse was
the Kelpie of the Lowlands of Scotland.
River of Paradise. St. Bernard,
Abbot of Clairvaux, “the Last of the
Fathers,” was so called. (1091-1153.)
River Flowing from the Ocean
Inland. The stream from the Bay of
Tadjoura, on the north-east coast of
Africa. It empties itself into Lake
Assal.
Rivers. Miles in length.
2,578, the Nile, the longest river in
Africa.
2,762,
Europe.
3,314, the Yang-tze-Kiang, the longest
river in Asia.
3,716, the Mississippi, the longest river
in America.
Roach. Sound as a roach (French,
Sain comme time roche). Sound as a rock.
Road. Gentlemen of the road or
J(nights of the road. Highwaymen.
In the latter a double pun is implied.
A first-class highwayman, like Robin
Hood, is a “Colossus of Roads.”
I(ing of Roads [Rhodes]. John Loudon
Macadam (1756-1836).
The law of the road—
“The law of the road is a paradox quite,
In riding or driving along ;
If you go to the left you are sure to go right,
f you go to the right you go wrong.”
Road or Roadstead, as “Yarmouth
Roads,” a place where ships can ride at
anchor. (French, ºader, to anchor in a
Tade; Anglo-Saxon, rad, a road or place
for riding.)
Road-agent. A highwayman in the
mountain districts of North America.
“Road-agent is the name applied in the moun-
tains to a ruſſian who has given up honest work
in the store, in the mine, in the ranch, for the
perils and profits of the highway.”—W. Hepworth
Diacom : New America, i. 14.
All
Roads. All roads lead to Rome.
efforts of thought converge in a common
centre.
the Volga, the longest river in
Eorsyth derives.
l
Roan. A reddish-brown. This is
the Greek erºtthron or erºthraeon, whence
the Latin rigfum. (The Welsh have
"hudd, German, roth, Anglo-Saxon,
Tud; our ruddy.)
Roan Barbary. The famous charger
of Richard II., which ate from his royal
hand. (See RICHARD II.)
Roarer. A broken-winded horse is
so called from the noise it makes in
breathing.
Roaring Boys or Roarers. The
riotous blades of Ben Jonson’s time,
whose delight it was to annoy quiet folk.
At one time their pranks in London were
carried to an alarming extent.
“And bid them think on Jones amidst this glee,
In hope to get such roaring boys as he.”
Legend of Captain. Jones (1659).
Roaring Forties (The). What sea-
men understand by this term is a zone
of strong winds about lat. 40° S., where a
strong wind prevails throughout the
year, from W.N.W. to E.S.E. There is
a similar zone in the northern hemi-
sphere, but the current of the wind is
interrupted by the prevalence of land.
The tendency, however, is from W.S.W.
to E.N.E.
Roaring Game (The).
call the game of curling.
Roaring Trade. He drives a roaring
trade. He does a great business; his
employees are driven till all their wind
is gone. Hence fast, quick. (See above.)
Roast. To rule the roast. To have
the chief direction; to be paramount.
* It is usually thought that “roast”
in this phrase means 7:008t, and that the
reference is to a cock, who decides which
hen is to roost nearest to him ; but the
subjoined quotation favours the idea of
‘‘ Council.”
“John, Duke of Burgoyne, ruled the rost, and
governed both King Charles . . . and his Whole
realme.”—Hall : Union (1548).
Roasting One. To give one a roast-
ing. To banter him, to expose him to
sharp words. Shakespeare, in Hamlet,
speaks of roasting “in wrath and fire.”
So the Scotch
Rob. A sort of jam. It is a Spanish
word, taken from the Arabic roob (the
juice of fruit).
Faire un rob (in whist). To win the
rubber; that is, either two successive
games, or two out of three. Borrowed
from the game of bowls.
Rob Roy [Robert the Red]. A nick-
name given to Robert M*Gregor, who
Robber
1062
Bobin Goodfellow
assumed the name of Campbell when
the clan M*Gregor was outlawed by the
Scotch Parliament in 1662. He may be
termed the Robin Hood of Scotland.
“Rather beneath the middle size than above it,
his limbs were formed upon the yery strongest
model that is consistent with agility. . . . . Two
points in his person interfered with the rules of
symmetry; his shoulders were so broad . . . as to
give him the air of being too square in respect to
his stature ; and his arms, though round, Sinewy,
and strong, were $0 Yery, long as to be rather a
deformity.”—Sir Walter Scott; Rob Roy McGregor,
XX111.
Robber. The highwayman who told
Alexander that he was the greater robber
of the two was named Dion'idés. The
tale is given in Evenings at Home under
the title of Alexander and the Robber.
Robber. Edward IV. of England
was called by the Scotch Edward the
Robber.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul. On
I)ecember 17th, 1550, the abbey church
of St. Peter, Westminster, was advanced
to the dignity of a cathedral by letters
patent; but ten years later it was joined
to the diocese of London again, and
many of its estates appropriated to the
repairs of St. Paul’s Cathedral. (Winkle:
Cathedrals.)
“Tanquam siquis crucifigeret Paulum ut re-
dimeret Petrum.” (Twelfth century.)
“It was not desirable to rob St. Peter's altar in
order to build one to St. Paul.”—Viglius: Com.
l)ec. Demºrii, i. 9 (1569).
Robert. King Robert of Sicily. A
metrical romance of the Trouveur, taken
from the Story of the Emperor Jovinian
in the Gesta Romano'rum, and borrowed
from the Talmud. It finds a place
in the Arabian Nights, the Turkish
Tutinameh, the Sanskrit Pantschatantra,
and has been réchauffé by Longfellow
under the same name.
Bobert, Robin. A highwayman.
Robert François Damiens, who
attempted to assassinate Louis XV., is
called “Robert the Devil.” (1714-1757.)
Robert Macaire. He’s a Robert
Macaire. A bluff, free-living, unblush-
ing libertine, who commits the most
horrible crimes without stint or com-
punction. It is a character in M. Dau-
mier’s drama of L’Auberge des Adrets.
His accomplice is Bertrand, a simpleton
and villain. (See MACAIRE.)
Robert Street (Adelphi, London).
So called from Robert Adams, the
builder.
Robert le Diable. The son of
Bertha and Bertramo. The former was
daughter of Robert, Duke of Normandy,
and the latter was a fiend in the guise of
a knight. The opera shows the struggle
in Robert between the virtue inherited
from his mother, and the vice imparted
by his father. He is introduced as a
libertine ; but Alice, his foster-sister,
places in his hand the will of his mother,
“which he is not to read till he is
Worthy.” Bertramo induces him to
gamble till he loses everything, and
finally claims his soul; but Alice counter-
plots the fiend, and finally triumphs by
reading to Robert the will of his mother.
(Meyerbeer: Roberto il Diavolo, an opera.)
Robert the Devil. Robert, first
Duke of Normandy; so called for his
daring and cruelty. The Norman tradi-
tion is that his wandering ghost will not
be allowed to rest till the Day of Judg-
ment. . He is also called Robert the Maj-
nifteent. (1028-1035.)
Robert of Brunne, that is, of
Bourne, in Lincolnshire. His name
was Robert Manning, author of an
old English Chronicle, written in the
reign of Edward III. It consists of two
parts, the first of which is in octo-
Syllabic rhymes, and is a translation of
Wace's Brut; the second part is in
Alexandrine verse, and is a translation
of the French chronicle of Piers de
Langtoft, of Yorkshire.
“Qf Brunne I am, if any me blame, .
Robert Mannying is my name . . .
In the thrid Edwardes tyme was I
When I wrote alle this story.”
- Preface to Chronicle.
, Robert's Men. Bandits, marauders,
etc. So called from Robin Hood, the
outlaw.
Robespierre's Weavers. The fish-
women and other female rowdies who
joined the Parisian Guard, and helped
to line the avenues to the National As-
sembly in 1793, and clamour “Down
with the Girondists ’’
Robin Goodfellow. ... A “drudging
fiend,” and merry domestic fairy, famous
for mischievous pranks and practical
jokes. At night-time he will sometimes
do little services for the family over
which he presides. The Scotch call this
domestic spirit a brownie ; the Germans,
Kobold or Knecht Ruprecht. The Scandi-
navians called it Nissé God-dreng.
Puck, the jester of Fairy-court, is the
Sal ſle,
“Either I mistake your shape and making quite,
Qr else you are that shrewd and knavish sprite
Called Robin Goodfellow. . .
Those that Hob-goblin callyou, and sweet Puck,
You do £heir Work, and they shall have good
ll CPC.
Shalcespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, ii, 1.
(See FAIRY.)
Tobin Gray
1063
Tobin Hood
Robin Gray (Auld). Words by Lady
Anne Lindsay, daughter of the Earl of
Balcarres, and afterwards Lady Barnard,
in 1772, written to an old Scotch tune
called “The bridegroom grat when the
sun gaed down.” Auld Robin Gray was
the herdsman of her father. When Lady
Anne had written a part, she called her
younger sister for advice. She said, “I
am writing a ballad of virtuous distress
in humble life. I have oppressed my
heroine with sundry troubles: for ex-
ample, I have sent her Jamie to sea,
broken her father’s arm, made her
mother sick, given her Auld Robin Gray
for a lover, and want a fifth sorrow ; can
you help me to one P” “Steal the cow,
sister Anne,” said the little Elizabeth;
so the cow was stolen awa’, and the song
completed.
Robin Hood is first mentioned by
the Scottish historian Fordun, who died
in 1386. According to Stow, he was an
outlaw in the reign of Richard I.
(twelfth century). He entertained one
hundred tall men, all good archers, with
the spoil he took, but ‘‘he suffered no
woman to be oppressed, violated, or
otherwise molested; poore men's goods
he spared, abundantlie relieving them
with that which by theft he got from
abbeys and houses of rich carles.” He
was an immense favourite with the com-
mon people, who have dubbed him an earl.
Stukeley says he was Robert Fitzooth,
Earl of Huntingdon. (See ROBERT.)
According to one tradition, Robin
Hood and Little John were two heroes
defeated with Simon de Montfort at the
battle of Evesham, in 1265. Fuller, in
his Worthies, considers him an historical
character, but Thierry says he simply
represents a class—viz. the remnant of
the old Saxon race, which lived in per-
petual defiance of the Norman oppres-
sors from the time of Hereward.
Other examples of similar combina-
tions are the Cumberland bandits, headed
by Adam Bell, Clym of the Clough, and
William of Cloudesley.
An old Sporting magazine of De-
cember, 1808, says the true name of
Tobin Hood was Fitzooth, and Fitz
being omitted leaves Ooth, and con-
verting th into d it became “Ood.”
Pſe was grandson of Ralph Fitzooth,
Earl of Kyme, a Norman, who came to
England in the reign of William Rufus.
His maternal grandfather was Gilbert
de Gaunt, Earl of Lincoln, and his
grandmother was Lady Roisia de Bere,
sister to the Earl of Oxford. His father
was under the guardianship of Robert,
Earl of Oxford, who, by the king's
Order, gave him in marriage the third
daughter of Lady Roisia. (Notes and
Queries, May 21st, 1887.)
* The traditions about Fulk Fitz-
Warine, great-grandson of Warine of
Metz, so greatly resemble those con-
nected with “Robin Hood,” that some
Suppose them to be both one. Fitz-
Warine quarrelled with John, and when
John was king he banished Fulk, who
became a bold forester. (See Notes and
gº November 27th, 1886, pp. 421-
24.
Bow and arrow of Robin Hood. The
traditional bow and arrow of Robin'
Hood are religiously preserved at Kirk-
lees Hall, Yorkshire, the seat of Sir
George Armytage; and the site of his
grave is pointed out in the park.
JDeath of Robin Hood. He was bled
to death treacherously by a nun, insti-
gated to the foul deed by his kinsman,
the prior of Kirklees, Yorkshire, near
Halifax. Introduced by Sir Walter
Scott in Zvazz/boe.
Epitaph of Robin Hood.
“Hear, underneath this latil stean,
Laiz fºert earl of Huntington ;
Nea arcir ver, az hie sale geud,
An pipl kauld him Robin Heud.
Sich utlazaz he an hiz men
Wll England nivr si agen.”
|Obit. 24, Kalemd Dikembris, 1247.
* Notwithstanding this epitaph, it is
generally thought that Robin Hood died
in 1325, which would bring him into the
reign of Edward II., not Richard I., ac-
cording to Sir Walter Scott.
In the accounts of King Edward II.'s
household is an item which states that
“Robin Hood received his wages as
king’s valet, and a gratuity on leaving
the service.” One of the ballads relates
how Robin Hood took service under this
king.
#my talk of Robin Hood who never
shot with his bow. Many brag of deeds in
which they took no part. Many talk of
Robin Hood, and wish their hearers to
suppose they took part in his adventures,
but they never put a shaft to one of his
bows; nor could they have bent it even
if they had tried.
To sell Robin Hood's pennyworth is to
sell things at half their value. As Robin
Hood stole his wares, he sold them, under
their intrinsic value, for just what he
could get on the nonce.
Jæobin Hood and Guy of Gisborne.
Robin Hood and Little John, having
had a tiff, part company ; when Little
John falls into the hands of the sheriff of
Nottingham, who binds him to a tree.
£obin Hood Wind
Meanwhile, Robin Hood meets with Guy
of Gisborne, sworn to slay the “bold
forrester.” The two bowmen struggle
together, but Guy is slain, and Robin
IHood rides till he comes to the tree
where Little John is bound. The sheriff
mistakes him for Guy of Gisborne, and
gives him charge of the prisoner. Robin
cuts the cord, hands Guy's bow to Little
John, and the two soon put to flight the
sheriff and his men. (Percy: Reliques,
etc., series i.)
Robin Hood Wind (A). A cold
thaw-wind. Tradition runs that Robin
Hood used to say he could bear any cold
. that which a thaw-wind brought
with it.
Robin Mutton (A). A simpleton.
“Do you see this ram 2 His name is Robin.
Here, Robin, Robin, Robin. . . . We will get a
pair of scales, and then you, Robin Mutton [Pan-
urge], shall be Weighed against Tup Robin, . . .
etc.”—Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 7.
Robin Redbreast. The tradition is
that when our Lord was on His way to
Calvary, a robin picked a thorn out of
His crown, and the blood which issued
from the wound falling on the bird dyed
its breast with red. (See CHRISTIAN
TRADITIONS.)
JRobin Redbreasts. Bow Street runners
were so called from their red waistcoats.
Robin and Ma'kyne (2 syl.). An
ancient Scottish pastoral. Robin is a
shepherd for whom Makyne sighs. She
goes to him and tells her love, but Robin
turns a deaf ear, and the damsel goes
home to weep. After a time the tables
are turned, and Robin goes to Makyne
to plead for her heart and hand; but the
damsel replies—
“The main that will not when he may
Sall have nocht When he wald.”
Percy: Reliques, etc., Scries ii.
Robin of Bagshot. Noted for the
number of his aliases (see ALIAS); but
Deeming had nine: viz. Williams, Ward,
Swanston, Levey, Lord Dunn, Lawson,
Mollatt, Drewe, and Baron Swanston.
“You have as many aliases as Robin of Bag-
Shot."
Robinson Crusoe. Alexander Sel-
$irk was found in the desert island of
Juan Fernandez, where he had been left
by Captain Stradling. He remained on
the island four years and four months,
when he was rescued by Captain Rogers,
and brought to England. The embryo
of De Foe’s novel may be seen in Captain
Burney’s interesting narrative.
Robinsonians. They were followers
of John Robinson, of Leyden. The
1064
Rochester
Brownists were followers of Robert
Brown. The Brownists were most rigid
separatists; the Robinsonians were only
Semi-separatists.
Roc. A fabulous white bird of enor-
mous size, and such strength that it can
“truss elephants in its talons,” and
carry them to its mountain nest, where
it devours them. (Arabian Wights ; The
Third Calender, and Sinbad the Sailor.)
Roch (St.). Patron of those afflicted
with the plague, because he devoted his
life to their service, and is said to inter-
cede for them in his exaltation. He is
depicted in a pilgrim's habit, lifting his
dress to display a plague-spot on his
thigh, which an angel is touching that
he may cure it. Sometimes he is accom-
panied by a dog bringing bread in his
mouth, in allusion to the legend that a
hound brought him bread daily while he
was perishing in a forest of pestilence.
St. Roch’s Day (August 16th), for-
merly celebrated in England as a general
harvest-home, and styled “the great
August festival.” The Anglo-Saxon
name of it was harfest (herb-feast), the
word herb meaning autumn (German
herbst), and having no relation to what
we call herbs.
St. Roch et son chien.
Tarby and Joan.
Roche. Men of la vieille roche. Old-
fashioned men ; men of fossilised ideas;
non-progressive men. A geological ex-
preSSIon.
“Perhaps it may be justly attributed to a class
of producers, men of la vieille roche, that they
have been so, Slow to apprehend the changes
which are daily presenting themselves in the re-
quirements of trade.”—The Times.
Sir Boyle Roche's bird. Sir Boyle
Roche, quoting from Jevon’s play (The
Devil of a Wife), said on one occasion
in the House, “Mr. Speaker, it is im-
possible I could have been in two places
at once, unless I were a bird.”
“Presuming that the duplicate card is the
knave of hearts, you may make a remark on the
ubiquitous nature of certain cards, which, like
Sir Boyle Roche's hird, are in two places at once.”
—Drawing-room Magic.
Rochelle Salt. So called because it
was discovered by an apothecary of
Rochelle, named Seignette, in 1672.
Roches (Catharine des) had a collec-
tion of poems written on her, termed La
Puce de Grands-jours de Poitiers.
Inseparables;
Rochester, according to Bede, de-
rives its name from “Hrof,” a Saxon
chieftain. (Hrofs-ceaster, Hrof’s castle.)
Tock
Rock. A quack; so called from One
Rock, who was the “Holloway ” of
Queen Anne's reign.
“Oh, when his nerves had once received a shºck,
Sir Isaac Newton might have gone to Rock."
Crabbe : Borough.
The Ladies’ Rock. . A crag in Scotland
under the castle rock of Stirling, where
ladies used to witness tournaments.
“In the castle hill is a hollow called The Valley
about a square acre in extent, used fºr justings
and tournaments. On the South side of the Yalley
is a small rocky pyramidical mount, called The
Ladies' Hill or Rock, where the ladies Sat to Wit-
ness the spectacle.”—Nimmo : History of Stirlinſ-
shire, p. 282.
People of the Rock. The inhabitants
of Hejaz or Arabia Petraea.
Captain Rock. A fictitious name as-
sumed by the leader of the Irish insur-
gents in 1822.
Rock ahead (A). A sea-phrase,
meaning that a rock is in the path of the
ship, which the helmsman must steer
clear of ; a danger threatens; an oppo-
ment ; an obstruction.
“That yonker . . . has been a rock ahead to me
all my life.”—Sir W. Scott : Guy Mammering,
chap. liv.
Rock Cork. A variety of asbestos,
resembling cork. It is soft, easily cut,
and very light.
Rock Crystal. The specimens which
enclose hair-like substances are called
Thetis’s hair-stone, Venus’s hair-stone,
Penus's pencils, Cupid’s met, Cupid's
arrows, etc.
Rock Day. The day after Twelfth-
day, when, the Christmas holidays being
over, women returned to their rock or
distaff.
Rococo. C'est du rococo. It is mere
twaddle; Brummagem finery; make-
believe. (Italian roco, uncouth.)
Roco'co Architecture. A debased
style, which succeeded the revival of
Italian architecture, and very prevalent
in Germany. The ornamentation is with-
out principle or taste, and may be desig-
nated ornamental design run mad. The
Rock-temple of Ellora, in India, is most
lavishly decorated.
“The sacristy of St. Lorenzo. . . was the begin-
ning of that wonderful mixture of antique regu-
larity with the capricious bizarrerie of modern
times, the last barren fruit of which was the
rococo.” — H. Grimm : Michel Angelo, vol. ii.
chap. xi. p. 173.
Roco'co Jewellery, strictly speak-
ing, means showy jewellery made up of
several different stones. Moorish decora-
tion and Watteau’s paintings are rococo.
The term is now generally used depre-
ciatingly for flashy, gaudy, Louis XIV.
1065
Rodolpho
furniture, with gilding and Ormolu, is
sometimes termed rococo.
Rod. To kiss the rod. (See KISS THE
ROD.)
Rod-men. Anglers, who use line
and fishing-rod.
“You will be nearly sure to meet one or two old
rod-men sipping their toddy there.”—J. K. Jerome:
Three Men im a Boat, chal). X Wii.
Rod in Pickle (4). A scolding in
store. The rod is laid in pickle to keep
it ready for use.
Rod'erick, the thirty-fourth and last
of the Visigothic kings, was the son of
Theod'ofred, and grandson of King
Chimdasuin'tho. Witi'za, the usurper,
put out the eyes of Theod'ofred, and
murdered Favil'a, a younger brother of
Toderick; but Roderick, having re-
covered his father's throne, put out the
eyes of the usurper. The sons of
Witi'za, joining with Count Julian, in-
vited the aid of Muza ibn Nozeir, the
Arab chief, who sent Tarik into Spain
with a large army. Roderick was
routed at the battle of Guadale'te, near
Xeres de la Fronte/ra (July 17th, 711).
Southey has taken this story for an epic
poem in twenty-five books—blank verse.
(See ROIRIGO.)
Rod’erick Random. (See RANDOM.)
Roderigo. A Venetian gentleman in
Shakespeare's Othello. He was in love
with Desdemona, and when the lady
eloped with Othello, hated the “noble
Moor.” Iago took advantage of this
temper for his own ends, told his dupe
the Moor will change, therefore “put
money in thy purse.” The burden of
his advice was always the same—“Put
money in thy purse.”
This word is sometimes pronounced
Rod’r-igo: e.g. “It is as sure as you are
Roderigo; ” and sometimes Rode-ri'go:
e.g. “On, good Roderigo ; I’ll deserve
your pains.” (Act i. Scene 1.)
Rodhaver. The lady-love of Zal, a
Persian hero. Zal wanted to scale her
bower, and Rodhaver let down her long
tresses to assist him ; but the lover
managed to climb to his mistress by
fixing his crook into a projecting beam.
(Champion : Ferdosi.)
Rodilar'dus. A huge cat which
scared Panurge, and which he declared
to be a puny devil. The word means
“ gnaw-bacon’’ (Latin, rodo-lardum).
(Rabelais : Gargantua and Pantagruel
iv. 67.)
Rodol’pho (Count). The count, re-
turning from his travels, puts up for the
2
Rodomont
1066
Rogero
night at an inn near his castle. While
in bed, a lady enters his chamber, and
speaks to him of her devoted love. It is
Ami'na, the Somnambulist, who has wan-
dered thither in her sleep. Rodolpho
perceives the state of the case, and quits
the apartment. The villagers, next
morning, come to congratulate their lord
on his return, and find his bed occupied
by a lady. The tongue of scandal is loud
against her, but the count explains to
them the mystery, and his tale is con-
firmed by their own eyes, which see
Ami'na at the moment getting out of
the window of a mill, and walking in
her sleep along the edge of a roof under
which the wheel of the mill is rolling
with velocity. She crosses the crazy
bridge securely, and everyone is con-
vinced of her innocence. (Bellini : La
Somnambula.) (See AMINA, ELVINo.)
Rod'omont (in Orlando Inamorato
and Orlando Furioso). King of Sarza
or Algiers, Ulien's son, and called the
“Mars of Africa..” He was commander
both of horse and foot in the Saracen
army sent against Charlemagne, and may
|be termed the Achilles of the host. His
lady-love was Dorſalis, Princess of
Grana'da, who ran off with Mandri-
cardo, Ring of Tartary. At Toge'ro's
wedding-feast Rodomont rode up to the
king of France in full armour, and
accused Roge'ro, who had turned Chris-
tian, of being a traitor to King Agra-
mant, his master and , a renegade;
whereupon Roge'ro met him in single
combat, and slew him. (See ROGERO.)
“Who more brave than Rodomont ?”— Cer-
Ayamtes : 100m Quiacote.
Rod'omonta'de (4 syl.). From Ro-
domont, a brave but braggart knight
in Bojardo's Orlando Inamorato. He is
introduced into the continuation of the
story by Ariosto (Orlando Furioso), but
the braggart part of his character is
greatly toned down. Neither Rodo-
mont nor Hector deserves the oppro-
bium which has been attached to their
names. (See RODOMONT.)
Rodrigo [Rod-ree'-go] or Roderick,
King of Spain, conquered by the Arabs.
He saved his life by flight, and wandered
to Guadalet’e, where he saw a shepherd,
and asked food. In return he gave the
shepherd his royal chain and ring. He
passed the night in the cell of a hermit,
who told him that by way of penance he
must pass certain days in a tomb full of
Snakes, toads, and lizards. After three
days the hermit went to see him, and he
was unhurt, “because the Lord kept His
anger against him.” The hermit went
home, passed the night in prayer, and
went again to the tomb, when Rodrigo
Said, “They eat me now, they eat me
now, I feel the adder’s bite.” So his sin
was atoned for, and he died. -
Rogation Days. The Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascen.
Sion Day. Rogation is the Latin equiva-
lent of the Greek word “Litany,” and on
the three Rogation days “the Litany of
the Saints” is appointed to be sung by
the clergy and people in public proces,
sion. ... (“Litany,” Greek litaneia, sup-
plication. “Rogation,” Latin rogatio,
Same meaning.)
Rogation Week used to be called
Gang Week, from the custom of ganging
round the country parishes to mark
their bounds. Similarly, the weed Milk-
wort is still called Rogation or Gang-
flower, from the custom of decorating
the pole (carried on such occasions by
the charity children) with these flowers.
Rogel of Greece. A knight, whose
exploits and adventures form a supple-
mental part of the Spanish romance
entitled Am'adis of Gaul. This part
was added by Feliciano de Silva.
Roger. The cook in Chaucer’s Can-
terbury Tales. “He cowde roste, sethe,
broille, and frie. Make mortreux, and
wel bake a pye; ” but Herry Bailif, the
host, said to him—
“Now telle on, IRoger, and loke it he good ;
For many a Jakk of Dover hastow sold.
That hath be twyūs hoot and twyes cold.”
Verse 4343.
Boger Bontemps. (See BonTEMPs.)
The Jolly Roger. The black flag, the
favourite ensign of pirates.
“Set all Sail, clear the deck, stand to quarters,
up with the Jolly. Roger ”—Sir Walter Scott: The
Pirate, chap. XXXi.
Ičoger of Bruges. Roger van der
Weyde, painter. (1455–1529.)
Jēoger de Coverley. A dance invented
by the great-grandfather of Roger de
Coverley, or Roger of Cowley, near
Oxford. Named after the squire de-
scribed in Addison’s Spectator.
I?oger of Hoveden or Howden, in York-
shire, continued Bede's History from
732 to 1202. The reigns of Henry II.
and Richard I. are very fully given.
The most matter-of-fact of all our old
chroniclers; he indulges in no epithets
or reflections.
Roge'ro, Ruggiero, or Rizieri of
Risa (in Orlando Furioso), was brother
of Marphi'sa, and son of Rogero and
Galacella. He married Brad'amant,
Rogue Trigrain
1067
Roland
Charlemagne's niece, but had no issue:
Galacella being slain by Ag'olant and
his sons, Rogero was nursed by a lioness.
Rogero deserted from the Moorish army
to the Christian Charles, and was bap-
tised. His marriage with Bradamant.
and election to the crown of Bulgaria
conclude the poem.
Rogero was brought up by Atlantes, a
magician, who gave him a shield of such
dazzling splendour that everyone quailed
who set eyes on it. Rogero, thinking it
unknightly to carry a charmed shield,
threw it into a well.
“Who more courteous, than Rogero?”—Cer-
vamtes: Dom Quia:0te.
Rogero (in Jerusalem Delirered),
lorother of Boemond, and son of Roberto
Guiscardo, of the Norman race, was one
of the band of adventurers in the cru-
sading army. Slain by Tisaphernes.
(Bk. xx.)
Rogue Ingrain (A). Ingrain colours
are what we call “fast colours,” colours
which will not fly or wash out. A rogue
ingrain means one rotten to the core, one
whose villainy is deep-seated.
“'Tis ingrain, sir; 'twill endure wind and
weather.”—Shakespeare: Twelfth Night, i. 5.
Roi Panade [King of Slops]. Louis
XVIII. was so nicknamed. (1755, 1814-
1824.)
Roland, Count of Mans and Knight
of Blaives, was son of Duke Milo of Aig-
lant, his mother being Bertha, the sister
of Charlemagne. His sword was called
Durandal, and his horse Weillantiff. He
was eight feet high, and had an open
countenance, which invited confidence,
but inspired respect. In Italian romance
he is called Orlando, his sword Durazz-
da'na, and his horse Peglianti'no. (See
Song of Roland.)
“I knew of no one to compare him. to but the
Archangel Michael.”—Croquemitaine, iii.
Poland. Called the Christian Theseus
(2 syl.), or the Achilles of the West.
Tºoland or Rolando (Orlando in Italian).
One of Charlemagne's paladins and
nephews. He is represented as brave,
loyal, and simple-minded. On the return
of Charlemagne from Spain, Roland,
who commanded the rear-guard, fell
into an ambuscade at Roncesvalles, in
the Pyrenees, and perished with all the
flower of French chivalry (778). He
is the hero of Theroulde’s Chanson de
JRoland; the romance called Chroniq de
Turpin ; Boiardo’s epic Orlando in Love
(Italian); and Ariosto's epic of Orlando
Mad (Italian).
Roland, after slaying Angoulaffre, the
Saracen giant, in single combat at Fron-
sac, asked as his reward the hand of
Aude, daughter of Sir Gerard and Lady
Guibourg; but they never married, as Ro-
land fell at Roncesvalles, and Aude died
of a broken heart. (Croquemitaine, xi.)
A Roland for an Oliver. A blow for
a blow, tit for tat. Roland and Oliver
were two of the paladins of Charlemagne,
whose exploits are so similar that it is
very difficult to keep them distinct.
What IRoland did Oliver did, and what
Oliver did Roland did. At length the
two met in single combat, and fought
for five consecutive days on an island in
the Rhine, but neither gained the least
advantage. (See in La Légende des.
Siècles, by Victor Hugo, the poem en-
titled Le Mariage de Roland.)
The etymologies connecting the pro-
verb with Charles II., General Monk,
and Oliver Cromwell, are wholly un-
worthy of credit, for even Shakespeare
alludes to it: “England all Olivers and
Rolands bred ” (1 Henry VI., i. 2);
and Edward Hall, the historian, almost
a century before Shakespeare, writes—
“But to have a Roland to res'st an Oliver, he
sent solempne ambassadors to the Kyng of Eng-
lande, offeryng hymn by S doughter in lllariage.”–
Henry VI.
(See OLIVER, BRECHE.)
'." In French, d. bom chat bom rat.
To die like Roland. To die of starva-
tion or thirst. It is said that Roland, the
great paladin, set upon in the defile of
ROncesvalles, escaped the general slaugh-
ter, and died of hunger and thirst in
seeking to cross the Pyrenees.
“Post ingentem Hispano'rum . caedem prope
Pyrenasi Saltus juga. . . . Siti miserrime extinctum.
Inde nostri intolera/bili Siti et immi’ti Volentes
significa’re se torqué, face're aiunt, Rolandi morte
Se perire.”—John de la Britiere Champie : Re Ci-
ba) 'iſt, X Wi. 5.
faire le Roland. To swagger.
Like the blast of Roland's horn. When
Roland was set upon by the Gascons at
Roncesvalles, he sounded his horn to
give Charlemagne notice of his danger.
At the third blast it cracked in two, but
so loud was the blast that birds fell dead
and the whole Saracen army was panic-
struck. Charlemagne heard the sound
at St. Jean Pied de Port, and rushed to
the rescue, but arrived too late.
“Oh, for one blast of that dread horn
On Fontarabian echoes borne,
That to King Charles did come.”
Sir Walter Scott: Marmion, vi. 33.
Song of Roland. Part of the Chansons
de Geste, which treat of the achievements
of Charlemagne and his paladins. Wil-
liam of Normandy had it sung at the
head of his troops when he came to in-
vade England.
Foland
1068
JROnnan
Song of Roland. When Charlemagne
had been six years in Spain, by the
advice of Roland, his nephew, he sent
Ganelon on an embassy to Marsillus, the
pagan king of Saragossa. Ganelon, out
of jealousy, betrayed to Marsillus the
route which the Christian army designed
to take on its way home, and the pagan
king arrived at Roncesvalles just as
Roland was conducting through the pass
a rearguard of 20,000 men. Roland
fought till 100,000 Saracens lay slain, and
only 50 of his own men survived. At
this juncture another army, consisting of
50,000 men, poured from the mountains.
IRoland now blew his enchanted horn,
and blew so loudly that the veins of his
neck started. Charlemagne heard the
blast, but Ganelon persuaded him that
it was only his nephew hunting the deer.
Roland died of his wounds, but in dying
threw his trusty sword Durandal into a
poisoned stream, where it remained.
Roland de Vaux (Sir). Baron of
Triermain, who woke Gyneth from her
long sleep of five hundred years and
married her. (Sir Walter Scott : Bridal
of Triermain.)
Rolandseck Tower, opposite the
Trachenfels. The legend is that when
Roland went to the wars, a false report
of his death was brought to his betrothed,
who retired to a convent in the isle of
Nonnewerth. When Roland returned
home flushed with glory, and found that
his lady-love had taken the veil, he built
the castle which bears his name, and
overlooks the nunnery, that he might at
least see his heart-treasure, lost to him
for ever.
Roll. The flying roll of Zechariah
(v. 1-5). “Predictions of evils to come
on a nation are like the Flying Roll of
Zechariah.” This roll (twenty cubits long
and ten wide) was full of maledictions,
threats, and calamities about to befall
the Jews. The parchment being un-
rolled fluttered in the air.
Rolls [Chancery Lane, London]. So
called from the records kept there in
rolls of parchment. The house was ori-
ginally built by Henry III. for converted
Jews, and was called “Domus Conver-
so'rum.” It was Edward III. who ap-
propriated the place to the conservation
of records. “Conversi" means lay-
monks. (Ducange, vol. ii. p. 703.)
Glover’s Roll. A copy of the lost
Roll of . Arms, made by Glover,
Somerset herald. It is a roll of the arms
borne by Henry III., his princes of the
* , -
blood, barons, and knights, between 1216
and 1272.
The Roll of Caerlaverock. An heraldic
poem in Norman-French, reciting the
names and arms of the knights present
at the siege of Caerlaverock, in 1300.
Rolling Stone. A rolling stone gathers
720 1920SS.
Greek : Atºos kvXtvöouevos to bukos ov trouet.
(Erasmus : Proverbs ; Assi-
duitas.)
Saxum volutum non obducitur
musco (or Saxum volubile,
etc.)
Planta qua sapius transfertur
non coalescit. (Fabius.)
Saepius plantata arbor fructum
profert exiguum.
Latin,
JFrench : Pierre qui roule n'amasse
jamais mousse.
La pierre souvent remuée
n’amasse pas volontiers
IQ OllSS62.
Pierre souvent remuée n’attire
pas mousse.
Italian : Pietra mossa non fa. Inuschio.
“Three removes are as bad as a fire.”
“I never saw an oft-removed tree,
Nor yet an oft-removed family.
That throve So well as those that Settled be.”
Rollrich or Rowldrich Stones,
near Chipping Norton (Oxfordshire). A
number of large stones in a circle, which
tradition says are memº turned to stone.
The highest of them is called the King,
who “would have been king of England
if he could have caught sight of Long
Compton,” which maybe seen a few steps
farther on ; five other large stones are
called the knights, and the rest common
soldiers. i
Roly-poly (pron. rowl-y powl-ſ/). A
crust with jam rolled up into a pudding ;
a little fat child. Roly is a thing rolled
with the diminutive added. In some
parts of Scotland the game of nine-pins
is called roºtly-powly.
Roma'ic. Modern or Romanised
Greek.
Roman (The).
Jean Dumont, the French painter, le
Romain (1700-1781).
Stephen Picart, the French engraver,
le Romain (1631-1721).
Giulio Pippi, Giulio Romano (1492–
1546).
Adrian van Roomen, the mathemati-
cian, Adria'mus Roma'mus (1561–1615).
Most learned of the Romans. Marcus
Terentius Varro (B.C. 116-28). .
Last of the Romans. Rienzi (1310-
1354).
IROnan Birds
1069
Forme
Last of the Romans. Charles James
Fox (1749-1806.) (See SIDNEY.)
Ultimus Romanorum. Horace Wal-
pole (1717-1797). (See LAST.)
Roman Birds. Eagles; SO called
because the ensign of the Roman legion
was an eagle.
“Roma/nas aves propria legio’num nu’mina.”—
Talcitus.
Roman Remains in England. The
most remarkable are the following:—
The pharos, church, and trenches in
Dover.
Chilham Castle, Richborough, and
Peculver forts.
Silchester (Berkshire), Dorchester,
Nisconium (Salop), and Caerleon, am-
phitheatres.
Hadrian’s wall, from Tyne to Boul-
IleSS.
The wall, baths, and Newport Gate of
Lincoln.
Verulam, near St. Albans.
York (Eboracum), where Sevérus and
Constantius Chlorus died, and Constan-
time the Great was born.
Bath, etc.
Roman de Chevalier de Lyon,
by Maitre Wace, Canon of Caen in Nor-
mandy, and author of Le Brut. The
romance referred to is the same as that
entitled Ywain and Gawain.
Roman de la Rose. (See ILIAD, The
Jºench.)
Roman des Romans. A French
version of Amſadis of Gaul, greatly ex-
tended, by Gilbert Saunier and Sieur de
Duverdier.
Romance. A tale in prose or verse
the incidents of which are hung upon
what is marvellous and fictitious.
These tales were originally written in
the Romance language (q.v.), and the
expression, “In Romance we read,” came
in time to refer to the tale, and not to the
language in which it was told.
Romance of chivalry may be divided
into three groups:—(1) that relating to
Arthur and his Round Table; (2) that
relating to Charlemagne and his pala-
dins; (3) that relating to Am'adis and
Pal’merin. In the first are but few
fairies; in the second they are shown in
all their glory; in the third (which be-
longs to Spanish literature) we have no
fairies, but the enchantress Urganda la
Desconeci'da.
* It is misleading to call such poetical
tales as the Bride of Abydos, Lalla Rookh,
and the Chansoms of the Moweres, etc.,
Ičomážces.
Romanes'que (3 Syl.).
In painting. Fanciful and romantic
rather than true to nature.
In architecture. Byzantine, Lombard,
Saxon, and, indeed, all the debased
Roman styles, between the time of Con-
stantine (350) and Charlemagne (800).
In literature. The dialect of Langue-
doc, which Smacks of the Romance.
Roman'ic or Romance Languages.
Those modern languages which are the
immediate offspring of Latin, as the
Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, and French.
Early French is emphatically so called;
hence Bouillett says, “le roman était
wniversellement parlé en Gaule au diacième
siècle.”
“Frankis speechis called Romance,
SO Say clerks and men of France.”
Itobert Le Brumm.
Ro'manism. Popery, or what re-
Sembles Popery, the religion of modern
Rome. (A word of implied reproach.)
Roman'tic School. The name as-
sumed, at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, by a number of young poets
and critics in Germany, who wished to
limit poetry and art to romance. Some
twenty-five years later Victor Hugo,
Lamartine, and Dumas introduced it
into France.
Roma'nus (St.), a Norman bishop of
the seventh century, is depicted fighting
with a dragon, in allusion to the tale
that he miraculously conquered a dragon
which infested Normandy.
Roma'ny. Gipsy language, the
speech of the Roma or Zincali. This
has nothing to do with Rome.
“A learned Sclavonian . . . Said of Rommany,
that he found it interesting to be able to study a
Hindu dialect in the heart of Europe.”—Leland :
Buglish Gipsies, chap. Wiii. p. 109.
Rome. Virgil says of Romulus,
“Mavortia condet mania, Romanosque
suo de nomine dicet’’ (AEmeid, i. 276).
The words of the Sibyl, quoted by Ser-
vius, are “Popwatov Popov travöes.” Romu-
Ius is a diminutive or word of endear-
ment for Romus.
The etymology of Rome from Roma
(mother of Romulus and Remus), or
from Romulus, the legendary founder of
the city, or from runa (a dug), in allu-
sion to the fable of a wolf suckling the
outcast children, is not tenable. Nie-
buhr derives it from the Greek word
rhoma (strength), a suggestion confirmed
by its other name Walentia, from valens
(strong). Michelet prefers Rumo, the
ancient name of the river Tiber. -
Rome
1070
ROncesvalles
Rome. Founders of Rome. (1) Romu-
lus, the legendary founder, B.C. 752; (2)
Camillus was termed the Second Romulus,
for Saving Rome from the Gauls, B.C.
365; (3) Caius Ma'rius was called the
Third Romulus, for saving Rome from
the Teuto'nes and Cimbri, B.C. 101.
From? Rome to May. A bantering ex-
pression, equivalent to the following:—
“From April to the foot of Westminster
Bridge;” “Inter pascha Rennesque fero,”
(Reinardus, ii. 690); “Inter Cluniacum
et Sancti festa Johannis obit” (Reinardus,
iv. 972); “Celas’est passé entre Maubeuge
et la Pentecôte.”
'Tis ill sitting at Rome and striving
with the Pope. Never tread on a man’s
corns. “Never wear a brown hat in
Friesland” (q.v.).
“Mr. Harrison the steward, and Gudyell the
butler, are no very fond o' us, and it's ill sitting at
Rome and striving with the pope, Sae. I thought it
best to flit, before ill came.”—Sir W. Scott Old
Mortality, chap. Viii.
Oh, that all Rome had but one head,
that J might strike it off at a blow 1
Caligula, the Roman emperor, is said to
have uttered this amiable sentiment.
When you go to Rome, do as Rome does—
à.e. conform to the manners and customs
of those amongst whom you live, and
don’t wear a brown hat in Friesland. St.
Monica and her son St. Augustine,
said to St. Ambrose : At Rome they fast
on Saturday, but not so at Milan ; which
practice ought to be observed? To which
St. Ambrose replied, “When I am at
Milan, I do as they do at Milan ; but
when I go to Rome, I do as Rome does.”
(Epistle xxxvi.) Compare 2 Kings v.
5
Rome of the West. Aachen, or Aix
la Chapelle, the favourite city of Charle-
magne, where, when he died, he was
seated, embalmed, on a throne, with the
Bible on his lap, his sword (La Joyeuse)
by his side, the imperial crown on his
head, and his sceptre and shield at his
feet. So well had the Egyptians em-
balmed him, that he seemed only to be
asleep.
Rome was not Built in a Day.
Achievements of great pith and moment
are not accomplished without patient
perseverance and a considerable interval
of time. The French say, “Grand bien me
vient pas en peu d'heures,” but the Eng-
lish proverb is to be found in the French
also: “Bome n'a pas àté faite en tº
jour.” (1615.)
Rome was not built in a day, like Anchiale, 9f
Cilicia, where Sardanapalus was buried. It is said
that Anchiale was actiiallv built in a day
Rome's best Wealth is Patriotism.
So said Mettius Curtius, when he jumped
into the chasm which the soothsayers
gave out would never close till Rome
threw therein “its best wealth.”
Romeo (A). A devoted lover ; a
lady’s man ; from Romeo in Shake-
speare's tragedy. (See Romeo and Juliet.)
“James in an evil hour went forth to woo
Young Juliet Hart, and was her Romeo.”
Crabbe : Borough.
Romeo and Juliet (Shakespeare).
The story is taken from a poetical version
by Arthur Brooke of Boisteau’s novel,
called Rhomeo and Julietta. Boisteau
borrowed the main incidents from a story
by Luigi da Porto, of Vicenza (1535),
entitled La Giulietta. In many respects
it resembles the Ephesi'act (in ten books)
of Ephe'sius Xenophon, whose novel
recounts the loves of Habroc'omas and
Anthia.
Rom'ulus. We need $70 Romulus to
account for lêome. We require no hypo-
thetical person to account for a plain
fact.
: Romulus and Remus were suckled
by a wolf; Atalanta by a she-bear.
Ron or Rone. The name of Prince
Arthur's spear, made of ebony.
“His spore lie nom [took] an honde, tha. Iton was
tlaton [called].”
Layamom : Drut (twelfth century).
Ronald. Tord Tonald gave Lady
Clare a lily-white doe as a love-token,
and the cousins were to be married on
the following day. Lady Clare opened
her heart to Alice the nurse, and was
then informed that she was not Lady
Clare at all, but the nurse's child, and
that Lord Ronald was rightful heir to
the estate. “Lady’’ Clare dressed her-
self as a peasant, and went to reveal the
mystery to her lord. Ronald replied,
“If you are not the heiress born, we
will be married to-morrow, and you
shall still be Lady Clare.” (Tennyson.)
Roncesvalles (4 syl.). A defile in
the Pyrenees, famous for the disaster
which here befell the rear of Charle-
magne's army, on the return march from
Saragossa. Ganelon betrayed Roland,
out of jealousy, to Marsillus, King of the
Saracens, and an ambuscade attacking
the Franks, killed every man of them.
Amongst the slain were Roland, Oliver,
Turpin, and Mitaine, the emperor's god-
child. An account of this attack is given
in the epilogue of Croquemitaine, but
the historical narrative is derived from
Eginhard,
Rondo
1071
Eope-dancers
Rondo. Father of the rondo. Jean
Baptiste Davaux ; but Gluck was the
first to introduce the musical rondo into
France, in the opera of Orpheus.
Rome (1 syl.). (See RON.)
Ron'yon or Ronion. A term of
contempt to a woman. It is the French
Tognetta (scabby, mangy).
“You Lag, you, baggage, you polecat, you
rony on 1 out, out !”—Shakespeare : Merry Wives of
Windsor, iv. 2.
* “Aroint thee, witch.' ' , the rump-fed ronyon
cries.” Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 3.
Rood Lane (London). So called
from a rood or “Jesus on the Cross ''
placed there, and in Roman Catholic
times held in great veneration.
Rood-loft (The). The screen between
the nave and chancel, where the rood
or crucifix was elevated. In some cases,
on each side of the crucifix were either
some of the evangelists or apostles,
and especially the saint to whom the
church was dedicated.
“And then to Zee the rood-loft,
ZO bravely Zet witli Zaints.”
Percy : Ballad of Plaim Truth, ii. 292.
Roodselken. Vervain, or “the herb
of the cross.”
“Hallowed be thou, Yervain, as thou growest in
the ground,
For in the Mount of Calvary thou wast found.
Thou healed St. Christ our Sayiolar, and staunch-
edSt. His loleccling wound.
In the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, I
take thce from the ground.”
Polkard : Plant Lore, p. 47.
Rook (A). A cheat. “To rook,”
to cheat; “to rook a pigeon,” to fleece
a greenhorn. . Sometimes it simply
means, to win from another at a game
of chance or skill. (See RookERY.)
“‘My Lord Marquis,' said the king, ‘you rooked
me at piquet last night, for which disloyal dead
thou Shalt now atone, by giving a couple of pieces
tº this honest youth, and flye to the girl.’” Sº
Walter Scott: Peveril of the Peak, chap. xxx.
Rook's Hill, (Lavant, Chichester),
celebrated for the local tradition that
the golden calf of Aaron is buried there.
Rookery (3 Syl.). Any low neigh-
bourhood frequented by thieves and
Vagabonds. A person fleeced or liable
to be fleeced is a pigeon, but those who
prey upon these “gulls” are called
rooks. . . . . . .
... The demolition of rookeries has not proved an
effigient, renedy for Qvercrowding.”—A. Egmonii
Hake : Free Trade in Capital, chap. xv.
Rooky Wood (The). Not the wood
where rooks do congregate, but the
misty or dark wood. The verb reeſ; º
emit vapour) had the preterite roke,
Yook, or roak ; hence Hamilton, in his
Wallace, speaks of the “rooky mist.”
“Light thickens, and the crow
Makes wing to the roaky wood.” ... ...
Shakespeare: Macbeth, iii, 2.
Room. Your room is better than your
company, occurs in Green’s-Quip for an
Upstart Courtier.
Roost. A strong current or furious
tide betwixt island groups.
“This lofty promontory is constantly exposed
to the current of a strong and furious tide, which,
Setting in betwixt the Orkney and Zetland is-
lands, and running with force only inferior to
that of the Pentland Frith, , ; , is, called the
Roost of Šumburgh [from tlie headland].”—Sir
Walter Scott: The Pirate, chap. i.
Roost. Gone to roost. Gone to bed.
(Anglo-Saxon, hyost.)
“The chough and crow to roost are gone.”
Glee (words by Joanna Betillie, music by Bishop).
Rope. The Brahmin teaches that
“whoever hangs himself will wander
eternally with a rope round his neck.”
(Asiatic Researches.)
Rope. To fight with a rope round
one’s ºcck. To fight with a certainty of
being hanged unless you conquer.
“You must schd in a large force : . . . for, as he
fights with a rope round his neck, he will struggie
to the last.”—Kingston : The Three Admirals, viii.
To give one rope enough. To permit a
person to continue in wrong-doing, till
he reaps the conscquences.
Rope. Yoº carry a rope in your
pocket (French). Said of a person very
lucky at cards, from the superstition
that a bit of rope with which a man has
been hanged, carried in the pocket, se-
cures luck at cards.
. “‘You have no occupation ?” said the Bench,
inquiringly, to a vagabond at the bar. Beg your
Worship's pardon, was the rejoinder: “I deal in
bits of halter for the use of gentlemen as plays.'”
—The Times (French correspondent).
Rope-dancer (The). Yvo de Grent-
mesnil, the crusader, one of the leaders
of Robert, Duke of Normandy’s party
against Henry I. of England.
“Ivo, was one of those who escaped from
Antioch. When it was besieged. He was let down
by a rope Over the Wall, and hence called ‘The
Rope-dancer.’”—Gentleman's Magazine.
Rope-dancers. Jacob Hall, in the
reign of Charles II., greatly admired by
the Duchess of Cleveland.
Richer, the celebrated rope-dancer at
Sadler's Wells (1658).
Signora Violante, in the reign of
Queen Anne.
The Turk who astonished everyone
who saw him, in the reign of George II.
Froissart (vol. iv. chap. xxxviii. fol. 47)
tells us of “a mayster from Geane,”
& Rope-walk
1072
IRosalia.
*…*
who either slid or walked down a rope
suspended to the highest house on St.
. Michael’s bridge and the tower of Our
Lady’s church, when Isabel of Bavaria.
made her public entry into Paris. Some
say he descended dancing, placed a
crown on Isabel’s head, and then re-
ascended.
A similar performance was exhibited
in London, February 19th, 1546, before
Edward VI. The rope was slung from
the battlements of St. Paul’s steeple.
The performer of this feat was a man
from Aragon.
The same trick was repeated when
IFelipe of Spain came to marry Queen
Mary. (See Holinshed : Chronicle, iii.
p. 1121.)
Rope-walk [barristers' slang]. Old
Bailey practice. Thus, “Gone into the
rope-walk’ means, he has taken up
practice in the Old Bailey. (See ROPES.)
The ways of London low life are called “ropes,”
and to know the ropes means to be au fait with the
minutiae of all Sorts of dodgeS. (See ROPES.)
Ropes. Fought back to the ropes.
Fought to the bitter end. A pugilistic
phrase.
." It is a battle that must be fought game, and
right back to the ropes.”—Bold rewood : Robbery
Under Arms, chap. XXxiii.
Ropes. Tricks, artifices. A term in
horse-racing. To rope a horse is to pull
it in or restrain its speed, to prevent its
winning a race. hen a boxer or any
other athlete loses for the purpose, he is
accused of roping. “To know the
ropes '' is to be up to all the dodges of
the sporting world. Of course, the ropes
mean the reins.
“I am no longer the yerdant country squire,
the natural prey of swindlers, blacklegs, and
sharks. No, sir, I know the ropes,' and these
gentry would find me but sorry sport.”—Truth :
Queer Story, September 3rd, 1885.
Ropes. She is on her high ropes. In
a distant and haughty temper. The
allusion is to a rope-dancer, who looks
down on the spectators. The French
say, Etre monté sur Ses grands chevaux,
(to be on your high horse).
Roper. Margaret Roper was buried
with the head of her father, Sir Thomas
More, in her arms.
“Her, who clasped in her last trance
Her murdered father's head.” Tennyson.
Mistress Roper. A cant name given
to the marines by British sailors. The
wit, of course, lies in the awkward way
that marines handle the ship's ropes.
To marry Mistress Roper is to enlist in
the marines. *
Jº-
Roque (1 Syl.). A blunt, feeling old
man in the service of TJonna, Floranthe.
(George Colman : The Mountaineers.)
Saint Roque. Patron Saint of those
who suffer from plague or pestilence :
this is because “he worked miracles on
the plague-stricken, while he was himself
Smitten with the same judgment.”
Roque Guinart. A famous robber,
whose true name was Pédro Rocha
Guinarda, leader of los Nicerºos, which,
with the los Cadelles, levied heavy con-
tributions on all the mountain districts
of Catalo'nia in the seventeenth century.
IIe was a Spanish Rob Roy, and was
executed in 1616. (Pellicer.)
Roquelaure. A cloak; so called from
the Duke de Roquelaure. (George II.)
“‘Your honour's roquelaure,' replied the cor-
poral, ‘has not once been had on since the night
before your honour received your wound.’”—
Sterme: Tristram Shandy; Story of Le Fevre,
Rory O'More. Slang for a door.
(Explained under the word CHIVY.)
Ros-crana. Daughter of Cormac,
Ring of Moi-lena, wife of Fingal.
(Ossian : Tamora, iv.)
Ro'sa (Salva'tor). An Italian painter,
noted for his scenes of Savage nature,
gloomy grandeur, and awe-creating
magnificence. (1615-1673.)
“Whate'er Lorrain light touched with softened
le
ue,
o, sayºge Rosa dashed, Or learnéd Poussin
rew
Thomson: Castlé of Indolemce, canto i.
Rosabelle. The favourite palfrey of
Mary Queen of Scots. (See HoRSE.)
“I could almost swear I am at this moment
mounted on my own favourite Rosabelle, who was
never matched in Scotland for swiftness, for ease
of motion, and for Sureness of foot.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Abbot, chap. xxxvi.
Rosa'lia or St. Rosalie. A native of
Palermo, who was carried by angels to
an inaccessible mountain, where she lived
for many years in the cleft of a rock,
a part of which she wore away with her
knees in her devotions. If anyone
doubts it, let him know that a rock with
a hole in it may still be seen, and folks
less sceptical have built a chapel there,
with a marble statue, to commemorate
the event.
* That grot where olives nod,
Where, darling of each heart and eye,
From all the youths of Sicily,
St. ROSalie retired to God.” * *
Sir Walter Scott: Maº'ymion, i. 23.
St. Rosalia, in Christian art, is depicted
in a cave with a cross and skull, or else
in the act of receiving a rosary or chap-
let of roses from the Virgin. ań
Tosalind
=º
Ros'alind. Daughter of the banished
duke, but brought up with Celia in the
court of Frederick, the duke's brother,
and usurper of his dominions. When
Rosalind fell in love with Orlando, Duke
Frederick said she must leave his house
and join her father in the forest of Arden.
Celia resolved to go with her, and the
two ladies started on their journey. For
better security, they changed their names
and assumed disguises; Celia dressed
herself as a peasant-girl, and took for
the nonce the name of Aliena : Rosalind
dressed as her brother, and called herself
Gan'ymede. They took up their quarters
in a peasant’s cottage, where they soon
encountered Orlando, and (to make a
long tale short) Celia fell in love with
Oliver, the brother of Orlando, and
Rosalind obtained her father’s consent
to marry Orlando. (Shakespeare : As
You Like It.)
Jºos'alind, in the Shepherds' Calendar,
is the maiden vainly beloved by Colin
Clout, as her choice was fixed on a shep-
herd named Menalcas. (See below.)
Rosalinde (3 syl.). The anagram
of “Rose Danil” or “Rose Daniel,” with
whom Spenser was in love, but the young
lady married John Florio, lexicographer.
In the Shepherds' Calendar Rose is called
“Rosalinde,” and Spenser calls himself
“Colin Clout.” Shakespeare introduces
John Florio in Love's Laborty's Lost,
under the imperfect anagram Holofernes
(’ Hnes Floreo). -
Rosaline (3 syl.). A negress of
Sparkling wit and great beauty, attend-
ing on the Princess of France, and loved
by Lord Biron', a nobleman in the suite
of Ferdinand, King of Navarre. (Shake-
speare : Love's Labour’s Lost.)
Ros'amond (Fair). Higden, monk
of Chester, says: “She was the fayre
daughter of Walter, Lord Clifford, con-
cubine of Henry II., and poisoned by
Queen Elianor, A.D. 1177. Henry made
for her a house of wonderfull working,
so that no man or woman might come to
her. This house was named Labyrinthus,
and was wrought like unto a knot in a
garden called a maze. But the queen
came to her by a clue of thredde, and so
dealt with her that she lived not long
after. She was buried at Godstow, in
an house of nunnes, with these verses
upon her tombe:—
"Hic jacet in tumba Rosa mundi, non Rosa
• H nunda ;
Non redolet, sed olet, quas redole’ré solet.”
Here Rose the graced, not Rose the chaste, re-
l)0SeS ;
The Smell that rises is no smell of roses, E. C. B.
1073
Boscius
* Rosamond Clifford is introduced by
Sir Walter Scott in two of his novels—
The Talismay, and Woodstock.
“Jane Clifford was her name, as books aver ;
I'air IROSalmond was but her mom de guerre.”
Dryden: Epilogue to IIemºry II,
Rosa'na. Daughter of the Queen of
Armenia. She aided the three sons of
St. George to quench the seven lamps of
the Knight of the Black Castle. (The
Seven Champions of Christendom, ii. 8-9.)
(See LAMPS.)
Ro'sary [the rose article]. A name
given to the bead-roll employed by
Roman Catholics for keeping count of
their repetitions of certain prayers. It
consists of three parts, each of which
contains five mysteries connected with
Christ or His virgin mother. The entire
roll consists of 150 Ave Marias, 15 JPater
Mosters, and 15 doxologies. The word
is said by some to be derived from the
chaplet of beads, perfumed with roses,
given by the Virgin to St. Dominic.
(This cannot be correct, as it was in use
A.D. 1100.) Others say the first chaplet
of the kind was made of rosewood ;
others, again, maintain that it takes its
name from the “Mystical Rose,” one of
the titles of the Virgin. The set is some-
times called “fifteens,” from its con-
taining 15 “doxologies,” 15 “Our
Fathers,” and 10 times 15 or 150 “IHail
Marys.” (Latin, rosárium.)
‘." The “Devotion of the Rosary" takes d’fferent
forms:—(1) the Greater Rosary, or recitation of the
whole fifteen mysteries ; (2) the Lesser Rosary, or
recitation of one of the mysteries; and (3) the
Living Rosary, or the recitation of the fifteen
ºteries by fifteen different 1)el SOns in combina-
in regard to the “rosewood,” this etymology is
extremely doubtful. The beads are now made of
berries, wood, Stone, ivory, metal, etc., sometimes
Of considerable value.
Ros'ciad. A satire published by
Charles Churchill in 1761; it canvasses
the faults and merits of the metropolitan
actors.
Ros'cius. A first-rate actor ; so
called from the Roman Roscius, un-
rivalled for his grace of action, melody
of voice, conception of character, and
delivery. He was paid thirty pounds a
day for acting; Pliny says four thousand
a year, and Cicero says five thousand.
“What Scene of death hath Roscius now to act. 2”
Shakespectre: 3 Henry VI., v. 6.
Another Roscius. So Camden terms
Richard Burbage (1566-1619).
The British Jeoscius. Thomas Better-
ton, of whom Cibber says, “He alone
was born to speak what only Shakespeare
knew to write.” (1635–1710.)
David Garrick (1716-1779).
£8
Tose
1074
Tose
The Roscius of France. Michelboyron,
generally called Baron. (1653-1729.)
The Young Roscius. William Henry
West Betty, who in fifty-six nights real-
ised £34,000. (Died 1874, aged 84.)
Rose. Sir John Mandeville says—
A Jewish maid of Bethlehem (whom
Southey names Zillah) was beloved by
one Ham’uel, a brutish Sot. Zillah re-
jected his suit, and Hamuel vowed ven-
geance. He gave out that Zillah was a
demoniac, and she was condemned to be
burnt; but God averted the flames, the
stake budded, and the maid stood un-
harmed under a rose-tree full of white
and red roses, then “first seen on earth
since Paradise was lost.”
Bose. An emblem of England. It is
also the cognisance of the Richmonds,
hence the rose in the mouth of one of
the foxes which support the shield in the
public-house called the Holland Arms,
Kensington. The daughter of the Duke
of Richmond (Lady Caroline Lennox) ran
away with Mr. Henry Fox, afterwards
Baron Holland of Foxley. So the Fox
stole the Rose and ran off with it.
Rose. In the language of flowers,
different roses have a different significa-
tion. For example:—
The Burgundy Rose signifies simplicity
and beauty.
The China Rose, grace or beauty ever
fresh.
The Daily Rose, a smile.
The Dog Rose, pleasure mixed with
a,IIl.
A Faded Rose, beauty is fleeting.
The Japan Rose, beauty your sole
attraction. -
The Moss Rose, voluptuous love.
The Musk Rose, capricious beauty.
The Provence Rose, my heart is in
3.TheS.
1 The White Rose Bud, too young to
OVé.
The White Rose full of buds, secrecy.
A wreath of Roses, beauty and virtue
rewarded. -
The Yellow Rose, infidelity.
Rose. The red rose, says Sir John
Mandeville, sprang from the extinguished
brands heaped around a virgin martyr at
Bethlehem, named Zillah. (See ROSE.)
The Red Rose [of Lancaster]. (See
BOSEs, The Wars of the Roses.)
The Red Rose (as a public-house sign).
Camden says the red rose was the ac-
cepted badge of Edmund Plantagenet,
who was the second son of Henry III.,
and of the first Duke of Lancaster, sur-
named Crouchbacke. It was also the
fl
cognisance of John of Gaunt, second
Duke of Lancaster, in virtue of his wife,
who was godchild of Edmund Crouch-
backe, and his sole heir. (See above.)
The white rose, says Sir John Mande-
ville, sprang from the unkindled brands
heaped around the virgin martyr at
Bethlehem. (See RoSE.)
The White Rose (as a public-house
sign) was not first adopted by the York-
ists during the contest for the crown, as
Shakespeare says. It was an hereditary
cognisance of the House of York, and
had been borne by them ever since the
title was first created. It was adopted
by the Jacobins as an emblem of the
Pretender, because his adherents were
obliged to abet him sub rosa (in secret).
JYo Yose without a tho)”. “There is a
crook in every lot ” (Bostom); “No joy
without alloy; ” “There is a poison-
drop in man’s purest cup; ” “Every
path hath its puddle '' (Scotch).
JFrench : “Il n'y a point de roses sans
épines,” or “Point de rose sans épine;”
“Il n'est si gentil mois d'Avril qui m'ait
son chapeau de grèsil.”
Italian : “Non v’ê rosa senza spina; ”
“Ogni medaglia hail suo reverso.”
Latin : “Nihil est ab omni parte
beatum ” (Horace : 2 Odes, x. 27);
“Curtae nescio quid semper abest rei.”
Under the rose (sub rosa). In strict
confidence. Cupid gave Harpocrates (the
god of silence) a rose, to bribe him not
to betray the amours of Venus. Hence
the flower became the emblem of silence.
It was for this reason sculptured on the
ceilings of banquet-rooms, to remind the
guests that what was, spoken sub vino
was not to be uttered stub divo. In 1526
it was placed over confessionals. The
banquet-room ceiling at Haddon Hall is
decorated with roses. (French, parleſ'
Sous la rose.)
Rose (in Christian art). The attribute
of St. Dorothe'a, who carries roses in a
basket; of St. Casilda, St. Elizabeth of
Portugal, and St. Rose of Viterbo, who
carry roses either in their hands or caps,
St. Rosa'lia, St. An'gelus, St. Rose of
Lima, St. Ascylus, St. Victoria, etc.,
wear crowns of roses.
“Rose, elle a vecu ce que wivent les roses
I'espace d'un matin.”
Malherbe: A Mºme. du Perrier, Sºtº' la Morte
de 8a Fille,
Ilike other roses, thy sweet rose survived
While shone the 11101'ning Sun, then, gººd
* |
and died. §
Rose for Rose-noble. A gold coin
worth 6s. 8d. struck in 1344, under
Edward III. ; so called because it had
Bose Sunday
1075
Bosetta, Stone

a rose, the badge of the Lancastrians
and Yorkists.
“De la pistole,
De la guinée, et de l'obole,
Du louis d'or, du ducation;
De la rose, et du patagon.”
Jacques Moreau, in Virgils Travesti.
Rose Sunday. The fourth Sunday in
Lent, when the Pope blesses the “Golden
Rose.” He dips it in balsam, sprinkles
it with holy water, and incenses it.
Strange as it may seem, Pope Julius II.,
in 1510, and Leo X. both sent the sacred
rose to Henry VIII. In 1856 Isabella II.
of Spain received the “Rose; ” and
both Charlotte, Empress of Mexico, and
Eugénie, Empress of France, were
honoured by it likewise.
The Rose Alley ambuscade. The attack
On Dryden by hired ruffians in the
employ of Rochester and the Duchess
of Portsmouth, December 18th, 1679.
This Scandalous outrage was in revenge
of a satire by Mulgrave, erroneously
attributed to Dryden.
Attacks of this kind were not uncom-
mon in “the age of chivalry;” witness
the case of Sir John Coventry, who was
waylaid and had his nose slit by some
young men of rank for a reflection on the
king’s theatrical amours. This attack
gave rise to the “Coventry Act” against
maiming and wounding. Of a similar
nature was the cowardly assassination
of Mr. Mountford, in Norfolk Street,
Strand, by Lord Mohun and Captain
Hill, for the hypothetical offence of his
admiration for Mrs. Bracegirdle.
The Rose coffee-house, formerly called
“The Red Cow,” and subsequently
“Will's,” at the western corner of Bow
Street, where John Dryden presided over
the literature of the town. “Here,”
says Malcolm, “appeal was made to him
upon every literary dispute.” (Spence :
Anecdotes, p. 263.)
This coffee-house is referred to as
“Russell Street Coffee House,” and
“The Wits' Coffee-house.”
“Will's continued to be the resort of the wits at
least till 1710. Probably Addison established his
Servant [Button] in a new house about 1712.”—
Spence: Amecdotes, p. 363.
This Button had been a servant of
the Countess of Warwick, whom Addison
married; and Button’s became the head-
quarters of the Whig literati, as Will's
had been of the Tory.
Rose of Jericho. Also called Rosa
Marice or Rose of the Pirgin.
Rose of Raby (The). . . Cicely, the
twelfth and youngest daughter of Ralph
i.º Earl of Westmoreland. (1415-
495.
slain.
Roses. The Wars of the Roses. A
civil contest that lasted thirty years, in
which eighty princes of the blood, a
larger portion of the English nobility,
and some 100,000 common soldiers were
It was a contest between the
Lancastrians and Yorkists, whose Sup-
porters wore in their caps as badges a
red or white rose, the Red rose (gatles)
being the cognisance of the House of
Lancaster, and the White rose (argent)
being the badge of the House of York.
(1455-1485.) -
Ro'semary is Ros-mari'nus (sea-
dew), and is said to be “useful in
love-making.” The reason is this :
Both Venus, the love-goddess, and
Rosemary or sea-dew, were offspring
of the sea ; and as Love is Beauty’s
son, Rosemary is his nearest relative.
“The sea, his mother Venus came on ;
And hence Some reverend men approve
Of rosemary in making love.” - -
Butler: Hudibras, pt. ii. c. 1.
Rosemary, an emblem of remembrance.
Thus Ophelia says, “There’s rosemary,
that’s for remembrance.” According to
ancient tradition, this herb strengthens
the memory. As Hungary water, it was
once very extensively taken to quiet the
nerves. It was much used in weddings,
and to wear rosemary in ancient times
was as significant of a wedding as to
wear a white favour. When the Nurse
in Romeo and Juliet asks, “Doth not
rosemary and Romeo begin both with
a [i.e. one] letter?” she refers to these
emblematical characteristics of the herb.
In the language of flowers it means
“Fidelity in love.”
Rosemary Lane (London), now-
called Royal Mint Street.
Rosewood. So called because when
cut it yields a perfume like that of roses.
Ro's encran'tz and Guild'enstern.
Time-serving courtiers, willing to betray
anyone, and do any “genteel ” dirty
work to please a king. (Shakespeare :
Bamlet.)
Rosetta (Africa). The orchards of
Rosetta are filled with turtle-doves.
“Now hangs listening to the doves
In Wal’lm ROSetta.”
T. Moore : Patradise and the Peº’i.
Rosetta Stone (The). A stone found
in 1799 by M. Boussard, a French officer
of engineers, in an excavation made at
Fort St. Julien, near Rosetta. It has an
inscription in three different languages
—the hieroglyphic, the demotic, and the
Greek. It was erected B.C. 195, in
honour of Ptolemy Epiph'anés, because
Rosicrucians
he remitted the dues of the sacerdotal
body. The great value of this stone is
that it furnished the key whereby the
Egyptian hieroglyphics have been de-
ciphered.
Rosicru'cians. Not rosa cruz, rose
cross, but ros crata, dew cross. Dew was
considered by the ancient chemists as
the most powerful solvent of gold :
and cross in alchemy is the synonym of
light, because any figure of a cross
contains the three letters L V X (light).
“Lux” is the menstruum of the red
dragon (i.e. corporeal light), and this
gross light properly digested produces
gold, and dew is the digester. Hence
the Rosicrucians are those who used dew
for digesting lux or light, with the object
of finding the philosopher's stone.
“As for the Rosy cross philosophers,
Whom you will haye to be but sorcerers,
What they pretend to is no more
Than Trºismegistus did before,
Pythagoras, Old Zoroaster,
And Apollonius their master.”
Butler : Hudibras, pt. ii. 3,
Ross (Celtic). A headland; as Ros-
lin, Culross, Rossberg, Montrose, Rox-
burg, Ardrossan, etc.
Boss, from the Welsh rhos (“a moor”);
found in Welsh and Cornish names, as
Rossal, Rusholme, etc.
The Man of Ross. A name given to
John Kyrle, a native of Whitehouse, in
Gloucestershire. He resided the greater
#. of his life in the village of Ross,
erefordshire, and died 1724.
“Who taught that heaven-directed spire to rise 2
. “The Man of Ross, each lºg babe replies.”
ope : Moral Essays.
Rosse (2 syl.). A famous sword
which the dwarf Elberich gave to Otwit,
I(ing of Lombardy. It struck so fine a
cut that it left no “gap.” It shone like
§. and was adorned with gold.
WoRD and BALMUNG.)
“This sword to thee I give : it is all bright of .
whatever it may cleave, no gap will there
ensue, e • * * *
From Al'mari I brought it, and ROSSé is its
name ; -
Wherever swords are drawn, 'twill put them all
to Shame.’’ The Heldenbuch.
Ross'el. One of Reynard’s sons.
The word means “reddish.” (Reynard
the Fox.)
Ross ignol (French). Rossignol
d'Arcadie. A donkey; so called because
its bray is quite as remarkable as the
nightingale's song, and Arcadia is called
the land of asses and fools. (See FEN
NIGHTINGALE.)
Ros' trum. A pulpit: properly the
'beak of a ship. In Rome, the pulpit
1076
(See
Bothschild
from which orators addressed the public
was ornamented with the rostra or ship-
prows taken from the Carthaginians.
Ro'ta or Rota Men. A political club
formed in 1651 by Harrington, author of
Océana. Its objects were to introduce
rotation in office, and voting by ballot.
It met at the Turk’s Head, in New
Palace Yard, Westminster, where the
members drew up a popular form of
commonwealth, which will be found in
Harrington’s Oce'ama. . . It was called
Rota because a third part of the mem-
bers were roted out by ballot every year,
and were not eligible for re-election for
three years.
Rota Aristote'lica (Aristotle's
wheel). A problem in mechanics
founded on the motion of a wheel about
its axis. First noticed by Aristotle.
Rota Romana. An ecclesiastical
court composed
prelates, to adjudicate when a conflict
of rights occurs. -
Rote. To learn by rote is to learn
|by turning words round and round in
the memory as a wheel. To “learn by
heart” is to learn thoroughly (French,
apprendre par cotty). Shakespeare speaks
of the “heart of loss,” meaning entire
loss, and to love with “all our heart ’’ is
to love thoroughly. (Latin, rota, a
wheel.) -
“Take hackney'd jokes from Miller got by rote.”
Byrom : English Bards, etc.
Rothschild [Red Shield]. Mayer
Amschel, in 1763, made his appearance
in Hanover barefoot, with a sack on his
shoulders and a bundle of rags on his
|back. Successful in trade, he returned
to Frankfort and set up a small shop,
over which hung the signboard of a red
shield. As a dealer in old coins he be-
came known to William I., Elector of
Hesse-Cassel, who appointed him confi-
dential agent. The serene elector being
compelled to fly his country, Mayer
Amschel took charge of his cash, amount-
ing to £250,000. When Napoleon was
banished to Elba, and the elector re-
turned, Amschel was dead, but his son
Anselm restored the money, an act of
noble honesty which the elector men-
tioned at the Congress of Vienna. Hence
arose the greatness of the house, which
assumed the name of the Red Shield.
In 1863 Charles received six millions
sterling as his personal share and re-
tiring pension from the firm of the five
brothers
of twelve Catholic
IROttern ROW
1077
Rough-shod
Rotten Row. Muster row. Camden
derives the word from rotteran (to mus-
ter); hence rot, a file of six soldiers.
Another derivation is the Norman Ratter?
lºow (roundabout way), being the way
corpses were carried to avoid the public
thoroughfares. Others suggest Route did
yoi ; and others the Anglo-Saxon rot,
pleasant, cheerful; or rotten, referrin
to the soft material with which the roa
is covered.
Rotundity of the Belt (Washington
Irving). Obesity ; a large projecting
paunch; what Shakespeare calls a “fair
round belly with good capon lined.” (As
You Like It, ii. 7.)
Roué. The profligate Duke of Or-
leans, Regent of France, first used this
word in its modern sense. It was his
ambition to collect round him companions
as worthless as himself, and he used
facetiously to boast that there was not
one of them who did not deserve to be
|broken on the wheel—that being the most
ordinary punishment for malefactors at
the time; hence these profligates went
by the name of Orleans’ roués or wheels.
The most notorious roués were the Dukes
of Richelieu, Broglie, Biron, and Brancas,
together with Canillac and Nocé ; in
England, the Dukes of Rochester and
Buckingham.
A motorious roué. A libertine.
Rouen. Aller & Rouen. To go to
ruin. The French are full of these puns,
and our merry forefathers indulged in
them also.
(1) Iſ a fait son cours & Asnières. He
knows nothing ; he graduated at Dunse
[Dunce] College.
(2) Aller & Cachan. To give leg-bail,
or “se cacher” [de ses créanciers]; to go
to Hyde [Hidej Park.
(3) Aller d Dourdan. To go to be
whipped (douder, étre battu); to be on
the road to Flogny. -
(4) Wous étes de Lagny, vous m'avez pas
Aáte. I see you are a man of Laggon.
Don’t hurry yourself, Mr. Slowcoach.
(5) Il est de Lºnel, Il a une chambre &
Junel, Il est des Lumiers d’Orléans, or Il
est Logé d la Lune. He is a lunatic.
(6) Envoyer & Mortaigne. To be slain,
or sent to Deadham.
(7) Aller & Patras. To die; to be
gathered to one's fathers (ad patres).
(8) Aller & Persailles. To be going to
the bad. Here the pun is between Vey-
sa-illes and "enverser. This wretched
pun is about equal to such a phrase as
“Going to Downham.”
The Bloody Feast of Rouen (1356).
Charles the Dauphin gave a banquet to
his private friends at Rouen, to which
his brother-in-law Charles thé Bad was
invited. While the guests were at table
-Ring Jean entered the room with a
numerous escort, exclaiming, “Traitor,
thou art not worthy to sit at table with
my son | * Then, turning to his guards,
he added, “Take him hence | By holy
Paul, I will neither eat nor drink till his
head be brought me !” Then, seizing an
iron mace from one of the men-at-arms,
he struck another of the guests between
the shoulders, exclaiming, “Out, proud
traitor by the soul of my father, thou
shalt not live l’” . Four of the guests
were beheaded on the spot.
Rouge (A), i.e. a red cap, a red re-
publican, a democrat.
“She had all the furious prejudices and all the
instinctive truths in her of an uncompromising
Rouge.”—Ouida : Under Two Flags, chap. xxxiv.
Rouge Croix. One of the pursui-
wants of the heraldic establishment. So
called from the red cross of St. George,
the patron Saint of England.
Rouge Dragon. The pursuivant
founded by Henry VII. ; it was the
ensign of Cadwaladyr, the last king of
the Britons, an ancestor of Henry
Tudor.
Rouge et Noir (French, red and
black). A game of chance; so called.
because of the red and black diamonds
marked on the board. The dealer deals
out to noir first till the sum of the pips
exceeds thirty, then to rouge in the same
manner. That packet which comes
* to thirty-one is the winner of the
stakes.
Rough-hewn. Shaped in the rough,
not finished, unpolished, ill-mannered,
raw ; as a “rough-hewn seaman ''
(Bacon); a “rough-hewn discourse ’’
(Howel).
Rough Music, called in Somersetshire
skimmity-riding, and by the Basques
toberac. A ceremony which takes place
after sunset, when the performers, to
show their indignation against some man
or woman who has outraged propriety,
assemble before the house, and make an
appalling din with bells, horns, tin pans,
and other noisy instruments.
Rough-shod. Riding rough-shod over
one. Treating one without the least
consideration. The allusion is to riding
a horse rough-shod,
Rough and IReady
1078
Round Table
Rough and Ready. Said to be de-
rived from Colonel Rough, who was in
the battle of Waterloo. The story says
that the Duke of Wellington used to
say “Rough and ready, colonel,” and
the family adopted the words as their
motto.
Rough and Ready. So General
Zachary Taylor, twelfth president of the
United States, was called. (1786-1853.)
Roughs (The). The coarse, ill-be-
haved rabble, without any of the polish
of good breeding.
Roun'cival. Large; of gigantic size.
Certain large bones of antediluvian ani-
mals were at one time said to be the
|bones of the heroes who fell with Roland
in Roncesvalles. “Rounceval peas” are
those large peas called “marrowfats,”
and a very large woman is called a
rouncival.
“Hereof, I take it, it comes that Seeing a great
woman, we say she is a rowmcival.”—Mandeville.
Round. A watchman’s beat. He
starts from one point, and comes round
again to the same place.
To walk the Round. The lawyers used
frequently to give interviews to their
clients in the Round church ; and “walk-
ing the Round” meant loitering about
the Round church, under the hope of
being hired for a witness.
Round (T6). To whisper. (Anglo-
Saxon, runian ; German, rattººey!, to
whisper.) (See ROUNDED.)
That lesson which I will round you in
the ear—which I will whisper in your
ear. (Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress.)
“France . . . rounded in the car with [by] . . .
commodity [self-interest] hath resolved to [on] a
most base . . . peace.”—Shakespeare: King John,
“And ner the feend he drough as nought ne Were,
Ful privély, and rouned in his ſeere, .
* Herkë, my brother, herkè, by thi faith. . . .”
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 7132.
Round Dealing. Honest, straight-
forward dealing, without branching off
into underhand tricks, or deviating from
the straight path into the by-ways of
finesse.
“Round dealing is the honour of man's nature.”
—Bacon.
Round Numbers (In). In whole
numbers, without regarding the frac-
tions. Thus we say the population of
the British Isles is forty millions in
round numbers, and that of London four
millions (1895). The idea is that what
is round is whole or perfect, and, of
course, fractions, being broken numbers,
cannot belong thereto. .
Round Peg. Round peg in the
square hole, and Square peg in the round
hole. The wrong man in the wrong
place; especially applied to government
officials. The expression was used in
1855, by Mr. Layard, speaking of the
“Administration Reform Association.”
The allusion is to such games as crib-
bage, German tactics, etc.
In 1804, Sydney Smith, in his Moral Philosophy,
Said: “You choose to represent the various parts
in life by holes upon a table. . . . We shall gener-
ally find that the triangular person, has got into
the Square hole, the oblong into the triangular
hole, and the round person has squeezed himself
into the Square luole.” -
Round Robin. A petition or protest
signed in such a way that no name
heads the list. Of course, the signatures
are placed in a circular form. The
device is French, and—the-term -is—a cor-
ruption of rond (round) ruban (a ribbon).
It was first adopted by the officers of
government as a means of making known
their grievances.
Round Sum. A gº round sum.
A large sum of money. Shakespeare
says the Justice has a “big round belly,
with good capon lined; ” and the notion
of puffed out or bloated is evidently the
idea of Shylock when he says to Bas-
sa'nio, “’Tis a good round sum.”
Round Table. Made by Merlin at
Carduel for Uter Pendragon. Uter gave
it to King Leodegraunce, of Camelyard,
and King Leodegraunce gave it to
Arthur when the latter married Guin-
ever, his daughter. It seated 150
knights, and a place was left in it for
the San Graal.
What is usually meant by Arthur's
Round Table is a smaller one for the
accommodation of twelve favourite
knights. Henry VIII. showed Fran-
çois I, the table at Winchester, which
he said was the one used by the British
king.
The Round Table, says Dr. Percy, was
not peculiar to the reign of King
Arthur, but was common in all the ages
of chivalry. Thus the King of Ireland,
father of the fair Christabelle, says in
y the ballad— -
“Is there never a knighte of my round tablé
This matter will undergo 2 " Sir Catulime.
Bound Table. In the eighth year of
Edward I., Roger de Mortimer estab-
lished a Round Table at Kenilworth
for “the encouragement of military
astimes.” At this foundation 100
ights and as many ladies were enter-
tained at the founder’s expense. About
Eound Table
1079
Bouf,
seventy years later, Edward III. erected
a splendid table at Windsor. It was
200 feet in diameter, and the expense
of entertaining the knights thereof
amounted to £100 a week.
A round table.
called by reason that the place wherein
they practised those feats was environed
with a strong wall made in a round
form '' (Dugdale). We still talk of table-
land.
Holding a round table. Proclaiming or
holding a grand tournament. Matthew
of Paris frequently calls justs and tour-
naments Hastilu'dia Mensae Rotunda,
(lance games of the Round Table).
J(nights of the Round Table. There
were 150 knights who had “sieges” at
the table. King Leodegraunce brought
over 100 when, at the wedding of his
daughter Guinever, he gave the table to
Ring Arthur; Merlin filled up twenty-
eight of the vacant seats, and the king
elected Gawaine and Tor; the remaining
twenty were left for those who might
prove worthy. (History of Prince
Arthur, 45, 46.)
I(nights of the Round Table. The
most celebrated are Sirs Acolon,” Ag'-
ravain, Am'oral of Wales, Ball'amore,”
Banier, Beaumans,” Beleo'bus,” Bevi-
dere, Belvour,” Bersunt,” Bliom'beris,
Borro or Borsº (Arthur's natural son),
Brandiles, Brunor, Caradoc the Chaste
(the only knight who could quaff the
golden cup), Col'grevance, Din'adam,
Driam, Dodynas the Savage, Eric,
Floll, * Galahad or Galaad the Modest,”
Gareth,” Gaheris,* Galohalt, * Gawain
or Gauwin the Gentle * (Arthur’s
nephew), Grislet,” Hector of Mares (1
syl.) or Ector of Marys, * Iwein or
Ewaine * (also written Yvain), Kay,”
Ladynas, Lamereck or Lamerock,”
Lancelot or Launcelot du Lac * (the
seducer of Arthur's wife), Lanval of the
Fairy Lance, Lavain, Lionell,” Tucan,
Marhaus,” Melia'dus, Mordred the
Traitor (Arthur's nephew), Morolt or
Morhault of the Iron Mace, Pag'inet, *
Palamede or Palame'dès,” Phar’amond,
Pell'eas, * Pell'inore, Persuant of Inde
(meaning of the indigo or blue armour),
Per'civall,” Peredur, Ryence, Sag'ra-
mour le Desirus, Sa'gris,* Super'bilis,*
Tor or Torres * (reputed son of Ariès
the cowherd), Tristram or Tristran
the Love-lorn,” Tur'quine,” Wig'alois,
Wig'amor, Ywain (see Iwein).
* The thirty marked with a star (*)
are seated with Prince Arthur at the
Round Table, in the frontispiece of the
A tournament. “So
Famous History of the Renowned Prince
Arthºd”.
“There Galaad sat with manly grace,
Yet maiden meekness in his face ;
There Morolt of the iron mace,
And love-lorn Tristrem there;
And Dinadam with lively glance,
And Lanxalwith the fairy lance,
And Mordred with his looks askance,
Brunor and Bevidere,
Why should I tell of numbers more ?
Sir Cay, Sir Banier, and Sir Bore,
Sir Caradoc the keen,
The gentle Gawain's courteous lore,
Hector de Mares, and Pellinore,
And Lancelot, that evermore
Looked stół'n-wise on the queen.”.
Sir Walter Scott: Bridal of 'l Tiermain, ii. 13.
Inights of the Round Table. Their
chief exploits occurred in quest of the
San Graal or Holy Cup, brought to
Britain by Joseph of Arimathe'a.
Harcourt’s Round Table. (See HAR-
COURT's . . .)
Round as a Ball; .
as an Orange, etc.
Roundabout (A). A Pict's camp.
“His desire of his companion a Pict's camp, or
Roundabout.”— Sir W. Scott : The Antiquary,
chap. i.
Roundheads. Puritans; so called
because they wore their hair short, while
the Royalists wore long hair covering
their shoulders.
“And ere their butter 'gan to coddle.
A bullet churnd i' th' Ltoundhead's noddle.”
Aſem Miracles, p. 43 (1656).
Roundle, in heraldry, is a charge of
a round or circular form. They are of
eight sorts, distinguished by their tinc-
tures: (1) a Bezant, tincture “ or ; ” (2)
a Plate, tincture “argent; ” (3) a Tor-
teau, tincture “gules; ” (4) a Hurt,
tincture “azure;” (5) an Ogress or Pellet,
tincture “sable ; ” (6) a Golpe, tincture
“purpure; ” (7) a Guze, tincture “san-
guine ; ” (8) an Orange, tincture
“tenney.” -
Rounfi. So the Britons called ogres,
and the servants or attendants of the
ogres they called Grew.nds.
Rouse (A). A contraction of ca-
rousal, a drinking bout. Swedish,
rus ; Norwegian, ruits, drunkenness ;
Dutch, roes, a bumper.) Rouse (1 Syl.).
“The king doth wake to-night, and takes his
rouse.” Shakespeare: II&mlet, i. 4.
. . as an apple,
Rou’s in g. A rousing good fire.
Rousing means large, great ; hence a
rousing falsehood (mendacium magnif"i-
citm).
Rout (A). A large evening party.
(Welsh, rhawter, a crowd.) (See DRUM,
HURRICANE, etc.)
Routiers
I080
Royal Titles
Routiers. Adventurers who made
war a trade and let themselves out to
anyone who would pay them. So called
because they were always on the route
or moving from place to place. (Twelfth
century.)
Rove (1 syl.). To shoot with roving
arrows—i.e. arrows shot at a roving
mark, either in height or distance.
To shoot at 7'overs. To shoot at certain
marks of the target so called ; to shoot
at random without any distinct aim.
“ Unbelievers are said by Clobery to ‘shoot at
TOYers.’ ”—Divine Glimpses, p. 4 (1659).
JRunning at rowers. Running wild;
being without restraint.
Row (rhyme with now). A tumult.
It used to be written rotte, and referred
to the night encounters of the roués or
profligate bon-vivants whose glory it
was to attack the “Charleys” and dis-
turb the peace. (See Rou E.)
Bow (rhyme with low). . The Row
means “Paternoster Row,” famous for
publishing firms and wholesale book-
sellers, or Rotten Tow (q.v.). (Anglo-
Saxon, råw, a line.)
Row'dy (rhyme with cloudy). A
ruffian brawler, a “rough,” a riotous or
turbulent fellow, whose delight is to
make a row or disturbance.
Rowe'na. A Saxon princess, and
bride of Ivanhoe. (Sir Walter Scott :
Ivanhoe.)
Rowland. (See Rol.AND.)
Childe Rowland. Youngest brother
of the “fair burd Helen.” Guided by
Merlin, he undertook to bring back his
sister from Elf-land, whither the fairies
had carried her, and succeeded in his
perilous exploit. (Ancient Scotch ballad.)
“Childe Rowland to the dark tower came ;
His word was still Fie, foll, and fum,
I smell the blood of a Britishman.’”
Shakespeare: King Lear, iii. 4.
Rowley (Thomas). The fictitious
priest of Bristol, said by Chatterton to
have been the author of certain poems
which he (Chatterton) published.
Rowned in the Ear. Whispered
in the ear. The old word 'own, rowned
(to whisper, to talk in private). Polonius
says to the king in Hamlet—“Let his
queen-mother all alone entreat him to
show his grief—let her be rowned with
him ; ” not blunt and loud, but in
Aprivate converse. (See ROUND, To.)
Roxburghe Club for printing rare
works or MSS., the copies being rigidly
confined to members of the club. It
--
was called after John, Duke of Rox-
burghe, a celebrated collector of ancient
literature, who died 1812. Since- the
establishment of this club, others of a
similar character have sprung up, as
(1) the Camden, Cheetham, Percy,
Shakespeare, Surtees, and Wharton, in
England; (2) the Abbotsford, Bannatyne,
Maitland, and Spalding, in Scotland:
and (3) the Celtic Society of Ireland.
Roy (Le) [or la Reine] slavisera.
This is the royal veto, last put in force
March 11, 1707, when Queen Anne refused
her assent to a Scotch Militia, Bill.
T)uring the agitation for Catholic
emancipation, George III. threatened a
veto, but the matter was not brought to
the test,
Royal Arms worn by a subject. (See
LANE.)
Royal Goats (The). The Royal
Welsh Fusiliers, noted for their nanny-
goat. This gallant regiment was at
Blenheim, Oudenarde, Malplaquet, Det-
tingen, Vittoria, Alma, Inkermann, and
many another field.
Royal Merchant. In the thirteenth
century the Venetians were masters of
the sea, and some of their wealthy mer-
chants—as the Sanu'dos, the Justinia'ni,
the Grimal'di, and others—erected prin-
cipalities in divers places of the Archi-
pelago, which their descendants enjoyed
for many centuries. These self-created
princes were called “royal merchants.”
(IP'arburton.)
“Glancing an eye of pity on his losses,
That have of late so huddled on his back,
Enough to press a royal merchant down.”
Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, iv. I.
* Sir Thomas Gresham was called a
“royal merchant.”
Royal Road to Learning. Euclid,
having opened a school of mathematics
at Alexandria, was asked by King
Ptolemy whether he could not explain
his art to him in a more compendious
manner. “Sire,” said the geometrician,
“there is no royal road to learning.”
Royal Titles. (1) Of England—
Henry IV. was styled His Grace; Henry
VI., His Excellent Grace; Edward IV.,
IIigh and Mighty Prince ; Henry VII.,
Iſis Grace and His Majesty; Henry VIII.,
IIis Highness, then His Majesty. Sub-
sequently kings were styled His Sacred
Majesty. Our present style is Her Most
Gracious Majesty.
(2) Royal titles, their meaning : Abime-
lech (Father King). Autocrat (self-poten-
tate, i.e. absolute). Caesar (in compliment
IRoyston
1081
TU bric
to Julius Caesar). Calif (successor). Cham
(chieftain). Czar (autocrat, a contraction
of Samodersheta).
the empire). Duke (leader). Emperor
(commander). Hospodar (Slavonic, master
of the house). Kaiser (Caesar). Khan
(provincial chief). Khedive (suzerain).
IGing (father). Landgrave (land reeve).
Maharajah (great sovereign). Margrave
(border reeve). Nejus (lord *}
Nizam (ruler). Pharaoh (light of the
world). Queen (mother). Rajah (prince
or sovereign). Shah or Padishah (pro-
teetor, sceptred protector). Sheik (elder).
Sultan (ruler).
Royston (Herts) means king’s town ;
so called in honour of King Stephen, who
erected a cross there. (French, roy.)
A Royston horse and Cambridge Master
of Arts will give way to no one. A Cam-
bridgeshire proverb. Royston, was a
village famous for malt, which was sent
to London on horseback. These heavy-
laden beasts never moved out of the
way. The Masters of Arts, being the
great dons of Cambridge, had the wall
conceded to them by the inhabitants out
of courtesy.
Rozinante (4 syl.). A wretched jade
of a riding-horse. Don Quixote's horse
was so called. (Spanish, rocin-ante, a
hack before.)
“It is the only time he will sit behind the
wretched Rosinante, and it would be Quixotic of
him to cxpect Speed.”—L0mdon Review.
(See HORSE.)
Ruach. The Isle of Winds, visited
by Pantagruel and his fleet on their
way to the Oracle of the Holy Bottle, is
the isle of windy hopes and unmeaning
flattery. The people of this island live
on nothing but wind, eat nothing but
wind, and drink nothing but wind. They
have no other houses but weathercocks,
seeing everyone is obliged to shift his
way of life to the ever-changing caprice
of court fashion ; and they sow no other
seeds but the wind-flowers of promise
and flattery. ... The common people get
only a fan-puff of food very occasionally,
but the richer sort banquet daily on huge
mill-draughts of the same unsubstantial
stuff. (Rabelais : Pantag'ruel, iv. 43.)
Rub. An impediment. The expres-
sion is taken from bowls, where “rub '' .
means that something hinders the free
movement of your bowl.
“Without rub or interruption.”—Swift.
“Like a bowle that, runneth in a smooth allic,
Without anie rub.”—Stanihurst, p. 10.
Rubber of Whist (A). A game of
cards called “whist,” “Rubber’’ is
Darius (holder of
transferred from bowls, in which the
collision of two balls is a rubber, be-
cause they rub against each other.
Rubens' Women. The portrait of
Helena Forman or Fourment, his second
wife, married at the age of 16, introduced
in several of his historical paintings; but
the woman in Rubens and JHis Wife,
in the Munich gallery, is meant for
Isabella Brandt, of Antwerp, his first
wife.
Rubi. One of the Cherubim or
“Spirits of Knowledge,” who was pre-
sent when Eve walked in Paradise. He
felt the most intense interest in her,
and longed, as the race increased, to find
one of her daughters whom he could
love. He fixed upon Liris, young and
proud, who thirsted for knowledge, and
cared not what price she paid to obtain
it. After some months had elapsed,
Liris asked her angel lover to let her see
him in his full glory; so Rubi showed
himself to her in all his splendour, and
she embraced him. Instantly Liris was
burnt to ashes by the radiant light, and
the kiss she gave on the angel’s forehead
became a brand, which shot agony into
his brain. That brand was “left for ever
on his brow,” and that agony knew no
abatement. (Thomas Moore : Loves of
the Angels, story ii.)
Ru"bicon. To pass the Rubicon. To
adopt some measure from which it is
not possible to recede. Thus, when the
Austrians, in 1859, passed the Ticino,
the act was a declaration of war against
Sardinia ; and in 1866, when the Italians
passed the Adige, it was a declaration of
war against Austria. The Rubicon was
a small river separating ancient Italy
from Cisalpine Gaul (the province al-
lotted to Julius Caesar). When Caesar
crossed this stream he passed beyond the
limits of his own province and became
an invader of Italy.

Rubo'nax. Sir Philip Sidney says,
Rubonax “was driven by a poet's verses
to hang himself.” (Defence of Poesie.)
Rubric (from the Latin rubrica, “red
ochre,” or “vermilion ”). An ordin-
ance or law was by the Romans called
a rubric, because it was written with ver-
milion, in contradistinction to praetorian
edicts or rules of the court, which were
posted on a white ground. (Juvenal,
xiv. 192.)
“, Rubrica vetăvit” = the law has forbidden it.
(Persius, v. 99.)
“Praetóres edicta sua in albo proponebant, ac
rubricas [i.e. jus civile] translalórunt.”—Quinti-
liam, Xii. 3, 11.
Ruby
1082
Fue
“Rules and orders, directing, how, when, and
where all things in divine service are to be per-
formed were formerly printed in red characters
(now generally in italics), and called rubrics.”—
Hook: Church. Dictionary.
Ru"by. The King of Ceylon has the
finest ruby ever seen. “It is a span
long, as thick as a man’s arm, and with-
out a flaw.” Kublai-Khan offered the
value of a city for it, but the king
answered that he would not part with it
if all the treasures of the world were laid
at his feet. (Marco Polo.)
Ruby (The). The ancients considered
the ruby to be an antidote of poison,
to preserve persons from plague, to
banish grief, to repress the ill effects of
luxuries, and to divert the mind from
evil thoughts.
Ruby (The Perfect).
pher’s stone.
SUN.)
Ruch'iel. God of the air.
ritch, air; el, god.) (Jewish mythology.)
Rudder. Who won't be ruled by the
Yudder must be ruled by the rock. Who
won’t listen to reason must bear the
consequences, like a ship that runs upon
a rock if it will not answer the helm.
Ruddock. The redbreast, “ sacred
to the household gods.” The legend
says if a redbreast finds a dead body in
the woods it will “cover it with moss.”
Drayton alludes to this tradition—
£: Covering with moss the dead's unclosed eye,
The little redbreast teacheth charitie.”
The Owl.
Shakespeare makes Arvir’agus say over
Imogen—
The philoso-
(See FLOWER or THE
(Hebrew,
.* Thou shalt not lack
The flower that's like thy face, pale primrose; nor
The azured harebell . . . the ruddock would
With charitable bill . . . bring thee all these.”
Cymbeline, iv. 2.
So also in the folk tale of The Babes in
the JVood—
... “The Robins so red
Fresh strawberry-leaves did over them spread.”
Ruddy-mane [Bloody-hand]. The
infant son of Sir Mordant; so called be-
cause his hand was red with his mother’s
blood. She had stabbed herself because
her husband had been paralysed by a
draught from an enchanted stream.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, bk. ii. 1, 3.)
Rudge (Barnaby). A half-witted
lad, who had for his companion a raven.
(Dickens : Barnaby Rudge.)
Ru'diger (3 syl.). Margrave of
Bechelar'en, a wealthy Hun, liegeman of
Ring Etzel. In the Nibelungen-Lied he
is represented as a most noble character.
He was sent to Burgundy by King Etzel,
to conduct Kriemhild to Hungary if she
would consent to marry the Hunnish
king. When Gunther and his suite went
to pay a visit to Kriemhild, he enter-
tained them all most hospitably, and
gave his daughter in marriage to Kriem-
hild’s youngest brother, Giselher ; and
when the broil broke out in the dining-
hall of King Etzel, and Rudiger was
compelled to take part against the Bur-
gundians, he fought with Kriemhild’s
second brother, Gernot. Rudiger struck
Gernot “through his helmet,” and the
prince struck the margrave “through
shield and morion,” and “down dead
dropped both together, each by the other
slain.” —Nibelungen-Lied.
Rudolphine Tables (The). Tabulae
JRudolphina, 1627. Astronomical calcu-
lations begun by Tycho Brahé, and con-
tinued by Kepler, under the immediate
patronage of Kaiser Rudolph II., after
whom Kepler named the work.
Rudolph gave Tycho Brahé an annuity of £1,500
Sterling. George III. gave Herschel an annuity
Of £200.
Rudolstadt (La Comtesse de), or
“Consuelo,” who marries the Count of
Rudolstadt. (Romance by George Sand:
Madame Dudevant.) (See CoNSUELO.)
Rudra. Father of the tempest-gods.
The word means “run about crying,”
and the legend says that the boy ran
about weeping because he had no name,
whereupon Brahma said, “Let thy name
be Rud-dra.” (Sanskrit, rud, weep ;
dra, run.) (Vedic mythology.)
Rue, to grieve for something done,
to repent, is the Anglo-Saxon reow, con-
trition; German, reue. Rue (1 syl.).
Rue, called “herb of grace,” because
it was employed for sprinkling holy
water. Without doubt it was so used
symbolically, because to rite means to
be sorry, and penitence brings the water
of grace with it. (Latin, ruta, , from
the Greek rheto, so called because it sets
persons free from disease and death.)
(See DIFFERENCE.) Ophelia says—
“There's rue for you, and here's some for me !
we may call it her]) of grace' o' Sundays.”—
Shakespeare: Hamlet, iv. 5. -
Rue. A slip of land (free of all mano-
rial charges and claims) encompassing or
bounding manorial land. It certainly is
not derived from the French rue, a street,
nor is it a corruption of row. (See
REWE.)
Buffe
1083
Fump-fed
Jºewe is a roll or slip, hence Ragman's
rewe or roll (q.v.).
“There is a whole world of curious history con-
tained in the phrase Ragman's rewe, meaning &
roll. In Piers Plowman's Vision, the pope's bull
is called a rewe.”—Edinburgh IReview, July, 1870.
Ruffe (1 syl.). A game at cards, now
called slamm ; also playing a trump,
when one cannot follow suit.
“A swaggerer is one that plays at ruffre, from
whence he took the denomination of ruffyii.”—J.
II. (Gent.) Satirical Epigrams, 1619.
Ruffian Hall. That part of West
Smithfield which is now the horse-
market, where “tryals of skill were plaid
by ordinary ruffianly people with sword
and buckler.” (Blount, p. 562.)
Rufus (The Red). William II. of
England. (1056, 1087-1100.)
Otho II. of Germany; also called The
Ploody. (955,973-983.)
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester,
son-in-law of Edward I. (Slain 1313.)
Ruggie'ro. (See ROGERO.)
Rukenaw (Dame).
in the tale of Reynard the Foa.
word means noisy insolence.
The ape's wife
The
Rule (St.) or St. Reg’ulus, a monk
of Patrae in Achaia, is the real Saint of
Scotland. He was the first to colonise
its metropolitan see, and to convert the
inhabitants (370). The name Killrule
(Cella Reg'uli) perpetuates this fact. St.
Andrew superseded the Achaean.
* But I have solemn VOWS to pay . . .
To far St. Andrew's bound,
Within the ocean-cave to pray,
Where good St. Rule his holy lay
Sung to the billow's Sound.” . -
Sir Walter Scott : Marmioni, i. 20.
Rule, Britannia. Words by Thom-
son, author of The Seasons ; music by
Dr. Arne. It first appeared in a masque
entitled Alfred, in which the name of
David Mallett is associated with that of
James Thomson, and some think he was
the real author of this “political hymn.”
(August 1, 1740.)
Rule Nisi. A “rule '' is an order
from one of the Superior courts, and a
“rule nisi” is such an order “to show
cause.” That is, the rule is to be held
absolute unless the party to whom it
applies can “show cause” why it should
not be so.
Rule of Thumb (The). A rough
guess-work measure. Measuring lengths
by the thumb. In some places the heat
required in brewing is determined by
dipping the thumb into the wat.
Rule of thumb. In the legend of
Knockmany Fin, Mr. Coul says:–
“‘That baste Cucullin [is coming], . . . for my
thumb tells me SO.' To which his wife replies:
* Well, my Cully, don't be cast down. . . . Maybe
I'll bring you better out of this scrape than ever
you could hring youršºlf by your rule of thumb
referring to the pricking of the thumb].”—W. B.
eats: Fairy Tales of the Irish Peasantry, p. 270.
Again, p. 274, Fin knew by the “pricking of his
thumb '' that the giant Cucullin would arrive at
two o'clock. In these cases the “rule of thunb."
refers to the prognostics of the thumb, referred
to by the witches of Macbeth. "By the pricking
of my thumbs, something evil this way comes.”
Rule of the Road (The).
“The rule of the road's an anomaly quite,
In riding or driving along :
If you go to the left you are sure to go right,
If you go to the right you go wrong.”
It is not so in France.
Rule the Roost (To). The cock
rules which of the hens is to have the
honour of roosting nearest him. (See
under ROAST.)
“Geate you nowe up into your pulpittes like
bragginge cocks On the row St, flappe your winges
and crowe out aloude,”—Jewell.
Rum. Queer, quaint, old-fashioned.
This word was first applied to Roman
Catholic priests, and subsequently to
other clergymen. Thus Swift speaks of
“a rabble of tenants and rusty dull
rums” (country parsons). As these
“rusty dull rums” were old-fashioned
and quaint, a “rum fellow ’’ came to
signify one as odd as a “rusty dull
rum.”
* Professor De Morgan thought that
the most probable derivation was from
booksellers trading with the West Indies.
It is said that in the eighteenth century
they bartered books for rum, but set
aside chiefly such books as would not sell
in England.
Ru’minate (3 syl.). To think, to
meditate upon some subject; properly,
“to chew the cud” (Latin, ru'mino).
“To chew the cud of sweet and bitter fancy.”—
Milton.
“On a flowery bank he chows the cud.”—Dryden.
Rumolt. Gunther’s chief cook.
“Sore toiled the chief cook, Rumolt; ah how his
OrderS ran
Among his understrappers how many a pot
and pan, -
How many a mighty cauldron rattled and rang
again
They dressed a world of dishes for the expected
º n.”
Lettsom's Nibelungen-Lied, Stanza, 800.
Rump-fed, that is, fed on scraps,
Such as liver, kidneys, chitlings, and
other kitchen perquisites.
“Aroint thee, witch . , the rump-fed ronyon
cries.” Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 3.
* A ronyon or ronian is a kitchen
Rump Parliament
1084
Running Footnan
wench fed on scraps (French, rognon,
a kidney).
Rump Parliament. Oliver Crom-
well (1648) sent two regiments to the
House of Commons to coerce the mem-
bers to condemn Charles I. Forty-one
were seized and imprisoned in a lower
room of the House, 160 were ordered to
go home, and the sixty favourable to
Cromwell were allowed to remain. These
sixty were merely the fag-end or rump
of the whole House. (See PRIDE's
PURGE.)
The name was revived again in the
protectorate of Richard Cromwell. Sub-
sequently the former was called The
Bloody Rump, and the latter The Rump
of a Rump.
“The few,
Because they're wasted to the stumps,
Are represented lyest by rulmps.”
Butler: IIudibras, pt. iii. 2.
Rumpelstilzchenſ Rumple-stilts-
skin]. A passionate little deformed
dwarf. A miller's daughter was en-
joined by a king to spin straw into gold,
and the dwarf did it for her, on con-
dition that she would give him her first
child. The maiden married the king,
and grieved so bitterly when her first
child was born that the dwarf promised
to relent if within three days she could
find out his name. Two days were spent
in vain guesses, but the third day one
of the queen’s servants heard a strange
voice singing—
“ Little dreams my dainty dame
Rulmpelstilzchen is my name.”
The queen, being told thereof, saved her
child, and the dwarf killed himself with
rage. (German Popular Stories.)
Rumping Dozen. A corruption of
Jerºmp and Dozen, meaning a rump of
beef and a dozen of claret; or a rump
steak and dozen oysters.
Run. A long run, a short run. We
say of a drama, “It had a long run,”
meaning it attracted the people to the
house, and was represented over and
over again for many nights. The allu-
sion is to a runner who continues his
race for a long way. The drama ran
on night after night without change.
In the long run. In the final result.
This allusion is to race-running: one
may get the start for a time, but in the
long run, or entire race, the result may
be different. The hare got the start,
but in the long run the patient per-
severance of the tortoise won the race.
To go with a run. A Seaman’s phrase.
A rope goes with a run when it is let
go entirely, instead of being slackened
gradually.
Run Amuck. (See AMUCK.)
“It was like a Malay running amuck, only with
a more deadly weapon.”—The Times.
“Frontless and satire-proof he scours the streets,
y
And runs an Indian-muck at all he meets.
Dryden : The Hind and the Panther.
Run a Rig (To). To play a trick,
to suffer a sportive trick. Thus, John
Gilpin, when he set out, “little thought
of running such a rig ’’ as he suffered.
Florio gives as a meaning of rig, “the
tricks of a wanton; ” hence frolicsome
and deceptive tricks. The rig of a ship
means the way it is rigged, hence its
appearance ; and, as pirates deceive by
changing the rig of their vessel, so rig
came to mean a trick to deceive, a trick,
a frolicsome deception.
Run Riot (To). To run wild. A
hunting term, meaning to run at a
whole herd.
Run Thin (To). To start from a
bargain. When liquor runs thin it
indicates that the cask is nearly empty.
Run a Man Down (To). To abuse,
depreciate. A hunting term.
Run of the House (The). He has
the run of the house. Free access to it,
and free liberty to partake of whatever
comes to table. A “run of events ''
means a series of good, bad, and in-
different, as they may chance to succeed
each other. And the “run of the
house ’’ means the food and domestic
arrangements as they ordinarily occur.
Runs. The tub runs—leaks, or lets
out water. In this and all similar
phrases the verb run means to “be in a
running state.” Thus we have “the
ulcer runs,” “the cup runs over,” “the
rivers run blood,” “the field runs with
blood.”
Runs may Read (He that). The
Bible quotation, in Habakkuk ii. 2 is,
“Write the vision, and make it plain,
that he may run that readeth it.”
Cowper says-—
“But truths, on which depends our main con-
shiºy'the side of every path we tread
With such a lustre, he that runs may read.”
Tºocą?zizzºz.
Running. Quite out of the running.
Quite out of court, not worthy of con-
sideration. A horse which has been
“scratched ” is quite out of the run-
ning. (See SCRATCHED.)
Running Footman. The last of
these menials died out with the infamous
Duke of Queensberry. In the early part
funning Tueather
of the eighteenth century no great house
was complete without some half-dozen
of them. Their duty was to run before
and alongside the fat Flemish mares of
the period, and advise the innkeeper of
the "coming guests. The pole which
they carried was to help the Cumbrous
coach of their master out of the nu-
merous sloughs on the northern and
western high-roads. (See BOW STREET
RUNNERs, ESTAFETTE.)
Running Leather. His shoes are
made of running leather. He is given to
roving. Probably the pun is between
Yoan and run.
Running Thursday. In the be-
ginning of the reign of William III. a
rumour ran that the French and Irish
Papists had landed ; a terrible panic
ensued, and the people betook them-
selves to the country, running for their
lives. Joseph Perry says: “I was dis-
mally affrighted the day called Running
Thursday. It was that day the report
reached our town, and I expected to be
killed” (his Life). The day in ques-
tion was Thursday, Dec. 13, 1688.
Running Water. No enchantment
can subsist in a living stream ; if, there-
fore, a person can interpose a brook
betwixt himself and the witches, sprites,
or goblins chasing him, he is in perfect
safety. Burns' tale of Tam o'Shanter
turns upon this superstition.
Running the Hood. It is said that
an old lady was passing over Haxey Hill,
when the wind blew away her hood.
Some boys began tossing it from one to
the other, and the old lady so enjoyed
the fun that she bequeathed thirteen
acres of land, that thirteen candidates
might be induced to renew the sport on
the 6th of every January.
Runcible Spoon (A). A horn spoon
with a bowl at each end, one the size of
a table-spoon and the other the size of a
tea-spoon. There is a joint midway
between the two bowls by which the
bowls can be folded over.
Runes. The earliest alphabet in use
among the Gothic tribes of Northern
Europe. The characters were employed
either for purposes of secrecy or for
divination. Rön is Gaelic for “secret,”
and helrún means “divination.”
There were several sorts of runes in Celtic my-
thology : as (1) the Evil Rune. employed when evil
was invoked ; (2) the Securable Iºwme, to secure
from misadventure: (3) the Victorious Rume, to
procure victory over enemies; (4) Medicinal Iºwne,
for restoring to health the indisposed, or for
averting danger ; and (5) the Maledictory Rume,
to bring down Curses On enemies. (Compare
Balaam and Balak.)
1085
fush
.*.
Runic Rhymes. Rhymes in imita-
tion of the Edda or Book of Runic My-
thology; rude, old-fashioned poetry of
a Runic stamp.
Runic Wands. Willow wands with
mystic characters inscribed on them,
used by the Scandinavians for magic
ceremonies.
Runnymede. The mom de guerré of
Disraeli in the Times. (1805-1881.)
Rupee. A silver coin = 2s. English
(a florin). ...A lac of rupees = £10,000
sterling. Since the depreciation of silver
the value of a rupee is considerably less.
... In 1870 an ounce of silver was worth 60}d. ; in
1876 it fell to 49(l. ; to-day (May, 1895) it is quoted
between 58d. and 590. ; and at New York at 673.i.
per Ollnce.
Rupert of Debate. Edward Geof-
frey, fourteenth Earl of Derby. It was
when he was Mr. Stanley, and the Oppo-
nent of the great O (i.e. O’Connell), that
Lord Lytton so describes him. (1799–
1869.)
“The brilliant chief, irregularly great,
Frank, haughty, bold—the Rupert of Debate.”
Mew Timom.
Rupert's Balls, or Prince Rupert’s
Drops. Glass bubbles first brought to
England by Prince Rupert. Each bubble
has a tail, and if the smallest part of the
tail is broken off the bubble explodes.
The French term is larmé Batavique,
because these toys were invented in
IHolland.
“The first Troduction of an author... . . . is
usually esteemed as a sort of Prince Rupert's
drop, which is destroyed entirely if a person make
on it, but a single scratclu.”—Household Words.
Rupert's Head (Sir), Devonshire.
The legend is that the young wife of Sir
Rupert Leigh eloped with a paramour,
and the guilty pair, being pursued, were
Overtaken on the Red Cliff. The woman
fell over the cliff, and the paramour
sneaked off ; but Sir Rupert let himself
down some thirty feet, took up the fallen
woman, and contrived to save her. She
was terribly mutilated, and remained a
sad disfigured cripple till death, but Sir
Rupert nursed her with unwearied zeal.
From this story the cliff receivedits name.
Rush. Not worth a rush. Worthless.
The allusion is to the practice of strewing
floors with rushes before carpets were
invented. Distinguished guests had
clean fresh rushes, but those of inferior
grade had either the rushes which had
been already used by their superiors, or
none at all. The more modern expres-
Sion is “ Not worth a straw.”
“Strangers have green rushes, when daily
guests are not Worth a rush.”—Lilly : Sappho and
Phaon, 2- *
Bush-bearing Sunday
1086
Tºyot
Friar Rush. Will-o'-the-Wisp; a
strolling demon, who once on a time got
admittance into a monastery as a scullion,
and played the monks divers pranks.
(See FRIAR’s LANTHORN.)
Rush-bearing Sunday.
generally near the time of the festival of
the saint to whom the church is dedi-
cated, when anciently it was customary
to renew the rushes with which the
church floor was strewed. The festival
is still observed at Ambleside, Westmore-
land, on the last Sunday in July, the
church being dedicated to St. Anne,
whose day is July 26. The present
custom is to make the festival a flower
Sunday, with rushes and flowers formed
into fanciful devices. The preceding
Saturday is a holiday, being the day
when the old rushes were removed.
Rush'van. The angel who opens and
shuts the gates of Paradise or Al Janat.
(The Koran.)
Ruskine'se (3 syl.). Words and
phrases introduced by Ruskin, or coined
a la Ruskin. The word is used in The
Times : — -
“Such writers as Ruskin and Carlyle have made
for then.selves technical, terms, words, and
phrases; Solºne of which will be incorporated into
the language : , . While others may remain em-
blems of IRuskinese and Carly lism.”— June 11,
1869.
RIISS.
Russian.
Russel. A common name given to
a fox, from its russet colour.
“Dann Russel, the fox, stert up at oones,
And by the garget hente Chaunteclere
And on his bak toward the wood him bere.”
Chaucer: The Nomme Prestes Tale,
Russia. “Great Russia” is Muscovy.
“White or Little Russia” is that part
acquired in 1654 by Alexei Mikalowitch,
including Smolensk. The emperor is
called the “Czar of All the Russias.”
(See BLACK RUSSIA.)
Rus'sian. The nickname of a Rus-
sian is “a Bear,” or the “Northern
Bear.”
Rustam. The Deev-bend and Persian
Hercules, famous for his victory over
the white dragon named Asdeev'. He
was the son of Zāl, prince of Sedjistan.
The exploits attributed to him must have
been the aggregate of exploits performed
by numerous persons of the same name.
His combat for two days with Prince
Isfendiar is a favourite subject with the
Persian poets. The name of his horse
was Reksh. Matthew Arnold's poem,
Sohrab and Rºstam, gives an account of
The Russian language; a
A Sunday,.
Rustam fighting with and killing his son
Sohrab.
Rusty. He turns rusty. Like a rusty
bolt, he sticks and will not move.
Rusty-Fusty. That odour and filth
which accumulates on things and in
places not used.
“Then from the butchers We bought lamb and
sheepe, -
Beer from the alellouse, and a broome to Sweepe
Our cottage, that for want of use was musty,
And most extremely rusty-fusty dusty.”
Taylor: Workes, ii. 24.
Ruyde'ra. The duenna of Belerma.
She had seven daughters, who wept so
bitterly at the death of Durandarte, that
Merlin, out of pity, turned them into
lakes or estuaries. (Don Quiacote, pt. ii.
bk. ii. ch. 6.)
Ry. A Stock Exchange expression
for any sharp or dishonest practice. It
originated in an old stock-jobber, who
had practised upon a young man, and,
being compelled to refund, wrote on the
cheque, “Please to pay to R. Y.” etc.,
in order to avoid direct evidence of the
transaction. -
Rye-house Plot. A conspiracy to
assassinate Charles II. and his brother
James on their way from Newrzarket.
As the house in which the king was
lodging accidentally caught fire, the
royal party left eight days sooner than
they had intended, and the plot mis-
carried. It was called the Rye House
Plot because the conspirators met at the
Rye House Farm, in Hertfordshire.
(1683.)
Rykell (John). -
tour in the reign of Henry W.
TREGETOUR.)
“Maister John Rykell sometime tregitour
Of neble Henry, kinge of Englande
And of France the mighty conquerour.”
John Lidgate : Dance of Macabre.
Rykelot. A magpie (?); a little rook.
The German roche, Anglo-Saxon hroe,
seem to be cognate words. The last
syllable is a diminutive.
Rymar (Mr. Robert). Poet at the Spa.
(Sir Walter Scott: St. Ronan's Well.)
Ryme. The Frost giant, the enemy
of the elves and fairies. At the end of
the world this giant is to be the pilot of
the ship Naglefarë. (Scandinavian
wnythology.) - * ,
Ryot. A tenant in India who pays a
usufruct for his occupation. ... The Scrip-
ture parable of the husbandmen refers
to such a tenure; the lord sent for his
rent, which was not money but fruits,
A celebrated trege-
(See
Ryparographer
1087
Sable
and the husbandmen stoned those who
were sent, refusing to pay their “lord.”
Ryots have an hereditary and perpetual
right of occupancy so long as they pay
the usufruct, but if they refuse or neglect
payment may be turned away.
Ryparographer (Greek). So Pliny
calls Pyricus the painter, because, he
confined himself to the drawing of ridi-
culous and gross pictures, in which he
greatly excelled. Rabelais was the ry-
parographer of wits. (Greek, rºſparos,
foul, nasty.)
Rython. A giant of Bretagne, slain
by King Arthur.
“Rython, the mighty giant Slain
By his good brand, relieved Bretagne.”..
Sir Walter Scott : Bridal of Triermaim, ii. 11.
S.
ºfe
S. You have crossed your S (French).
You have cheated me in your account;
you have charged me pounds where you
ought to have charged shillings, or shil-
lings where you ought to have charged
pence. In the old French accounts, f
(= s) stood for sous or pence, and f for
francs. To cross your f meant therefore
to turn it fraudulently into f.
S.P.Q.R. Senátus Populus Que Ro-
mānus (the Roman Senate and People).
Letters inscribed on the standards of
ancient Rome.
S.S. Collar. The collar consists of a
series of the letter S in gold, either linked
together or set in close order, on a blue
and white ribbon. (See CoELAR OF S.S.)
“On the Wednesday preceding Easter, 1465, as
Sir Anthony was speaking to his royal Sister, on
his knees, all, the ladies of the court gathered
round him, and bound to his left knee a band of
gold, adorned with stones fashioned into the
letters S.S. (sowvenance, or remembrance) and to
this band was suspended an enamelled Forget-
Ile-not.”— 807'd Lyttom, : Last of the Bétroms, bk. iv, 5.
S.S.S. (Latin stra’tum super stra' tum).
Layer over layer.
S.T.P. stands for Sanctæ Theologiae
Professor. Professor is the Latin for
Doctor. D.D.—i.e. Divinity. Doctor or
Doctor of Divinity—is the English
equivalent of the Latin S.T.P.
Saadia (Al). A cuirass of silver
which belonged to King Saul, and was
lent to David when he was armed for the
encounter with Goliath. This cuirass fell
into the hands of Mahomet, being part
of the property confiscated from the Jews
on their expulsion from Medi'na.
Sabbath Day's Journey (Exodus
xvi. 29; Acts i. 12), with the Jews was
not to exceed the distance between the
ark and the extreme end of the camp.
This was 2,000 cubits, somewhat short
of an English mile. (Exodus xvi. 29;
Acts i. 12.)
“Up to the hill by Hebron, seat of giants old,
No journey of a Sabbath Day, and loaded so.”
Milton : Samson Agonistes.
Sabbath of Sound (The).
Sabbath'ians. The disciples of Sab-
bathais Zwi, the most remarkable
“Messiah. ” of modern times. At the
age of fifteen he had mastered the
Talmud, and at eighteen the Cabbala.
(1641-1677.) z'
Sabbat'ical Year. One year in
seven, when all land with the ancient
Jews was to lie fallow for twelve months.
This law was founded on Exodus xxiii.
10, etc.; Leviticus xxv. 2-7 ; Deutero-
nomy xv. 1-11.
Sabe'ans. An ancient religious sect;
so called from Sabi, son of Seth, who,
with his father and brother Enoch, lies
buried in the Pyramids. The Sabeans
worshipped one God, but approached
Him indirectly through some created
representative, such as the Sun, moon,
stars, etc. Their system is called Sa-
beanism or the Sabean faith. The Arabs
were chiefly Sabeans before their con-
version.
Sabe'anism. The worship of the sun,
moon, and host of heaven. (Chaldee,
tzaba, a host.)
Sa’beism means baptism—that is, the
“religion of many baptisms; ” founded
by Boudasp or Bodhisattva, a wise Chal-
dean. This sect was the root of the
party called “Christians of St. John,”
and by the Arabs El Mogtasila.
Šabel'lians. ...A religious sect; so
called from Sabellius, a Libyan priest of
the third century. They believed in the
unity of God, and said that the Trinity
merely expressed three relations or states
of one and the same God.
Sa’biens is the Aramean equivalent
of the word “Baptists.” (See below.)
“The sects of Hemerobaptists, Baptists, and
Sabiens (the Mogtasila of the Arabian writers)
in the second century filled Syria, Palestine, and
Babylonia.”—Reman: Life of Jesus, chap. xii.
Silence.
Sable denotes—of the ages of man,
the last ; of attributes, wisdom, prudence,
integrity, singleness of mind; of birds,
the raven or crow ; of elements, the
earth ; of metals, iron or lead ; of
Sablé
:*:º-
planets, Saturn ; of precious stones, the
diamond ; of trees, the olive; of animals,
a sort of weasel.
Sable black. Expressed in heraldry
by horizontal lines crossing perpendicular
OłłęS.
In English heraldry escutcheons are varied by
seven colours; foreign heralds add two more.
A suit of sables. A rich courtly dress.
By the statute of apparel (24 Henry
VIII. c. 13) it is ordained that none
under the degree of an earl shall use
sables. Bishop tells us that a thousand
ducats were sometimes given for a “face
of sables” (Blossoms, 1577). Ben Jonson
says, “Would you not laugh to meet a
great councillor of state in a flat cap,
with trunk-hose . . . and yond haber-
dasher in a velvet gown trimmed with
sables?” (Discoveries.)
“So long 2 Nay, then, let the devil wear black,
for I'll have a suit of Sables.” — Shakespeare :
IIamlet, iii. 2.
Sablonnière (La). The Sand-pits.
So the Tuileries were called to the four-
teenth century. Towards the end of
that century tiles were made there, but
the sand-pits were first called the Tile-
works or Tuileries in 1416. At the
beginning of the sixteenth century,
Nicolas de Neuville built a house in the
vicinity, which he called the “Hôtel des
Tuileries.” This property was purchased
in 1518 by François I. for his mother.
Sabra. Daughter of Ptolemy, King
of Egypt, rescued by St. George from
the fangs of the giant, and ultimately
married to her deliverer. She is repre-
sented as pure in mind, Saintly in char-
acter, a perfect citizen, daughter, and
wife. Her three sons, born at a birth,
were named Guy, Alexander, and David.
Sabra died from the “pricks of a thorny
brake.”
Sabreur. Le beau Sabreur [the hand-
some or famous swordsman]. Joachim
Murat (1767-1815).
Sabri'na. (Latin). The Severn. In
Milton’s Comus we are told she is the
daughter of Locrine “that had the
sceptre from his father, Brute,” and
was living in concubinage with Estrildis.
His queen, Guendolen, vowed vengeance
against Estrildis and her daughter,
gathered an army together, and over-
threw Locrine by the river Sture.
Sabrina fled and jumped into the river.
Nereus took pity on her, and made her
“goddess of the Severn.” which is
poetically called Sabri'na. -
i088
Platonic Spell).
Sack
------ - --&
Saccharine Principle in Things
(The). Mr. Emerson means by this
phrase, the adaptation of living beings
to their conditions—the becoming callous
to pains that have to be borne, and the
acquirement of liking for labours that
are necessary.
Sa2charis'sa. A name bestowed
by Waller on Lady Dorothea Sidney,
eldest daughter of the Earl of Leicester,
for whose hand he was an unsuccessful
suitor, for she married the Earl of Sun-
derland. -
“The Earl of Leicester, father of Algernon
Sidney, the patriot, and of Waller's Saccharissa,
built for himself a stately house at the nortli
corner of a Square plot of Lammas land' be-
longing to the parish of St. Martin's, which plot
henceforth became known to Londoners as
* Leicester Fields.’”—Cassell's Magazine: London,
Legends, ii.
Saccharissa turns to Joan (Fenton : The
The gloss of novelty
being gone, that which was once thought
unparalleled proves only ordinary. Fen-
ton says before marriage many a woman
seems a Saccharissa, faultless in make and
wit, but scarcely is “half Hymen’s taper
wasted ” when the “spell is dissolved,”
and “Saccharissa turns to Joan.”
Sacco Benedetto or Saco Bendi"to
[the blessed sack or cloak]. A yellow
garment with two crosses on it, and
painted over with flames and devils. In
this linen robe persons condemned by
the Spanish Inquisition were arrayed
when they went to the stake. The
word sack was used for any loose upper
garment hanging down the back from
the shoulders ; hence “sac-friars ” or
fratrès saccati.
Sachem. A chief among some of the
North American Indian tribes.
Sachentege (3 syl.). An instrument
of torture used in Stephen’s reign,
and thus described in the Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle: “It was fastened to a beam,
having a sharp iron to go round the
throat and negk, so that the person
tortured could in no wise sit, lie, nor
sleep, but that he must at all times bear
all the iron.” -
Sack. Any dry wine, as sherry sack,
Madeira sack, Canary sack, and Palm
sack. (A corruption of the French see,
dry.)
Sack. A bag. According to tradition,
it was the last word uttered before the
tongues were confounded at . Babel.
(Saxon, sae; German, sack; Welsh, Sach;
jrish, sae, French, sac Latin, saceus;
Italian, sacco, Spanish, stico; Greek,
Sack Race
1089
Sacrifice
sakkos ; Hebrew, sak ; Swedish, Sáck ;
etc., etc.)
To get the sack or To give one the sack.
To get discharged by one's employer.
Mechanics travelling in quest of work
carried—their implements in a bag or
sack ; when discharged, they received
back the bag that they might replace in
it their tools, and seek a job elsewhere.
Workmen still often carry a bag of
tools, but so much is done by machines
that bags of tools are decreasing.
The Sultan puts into a sack, and
throws into the Bosphorus, any one of
his harem he wishes out of the way.
There are many cognate phrases, as
To give one the bag, and Get the bag, which
is merely substitutional. To receive the
canvas is a very old expression, referring
to the substance of which the sack or
bag was made. The French Trousser vos
quilles (pack up your ninepins or toys)
is another idea, similar to “Pack up
your tatters and follow the drum.” (See
CASHIER.)
Sack Race (A). A village sport in
which each runner is tied up to the neck
in a sack. In some cases the candidates
have to make short leaps, in other cases
they are at liberty to run as well as the
limits of the sack will allow them.
Sackbut. A corruption of Sambuca.
(Spanish, sacabuche : Portuguese, saque-
betwo; French, saquebute ; Latin, sacra
buccina, sacred trumpet.)
Sack'erson. The famous bear kept
at “Paris Garden” in Shakespeare's
time. (See PARIS GARDEN.)
Sacrament. Literally, “a military
oath '’ taken by the Roman soldiers not
to desert their standard, turn their
back on the enemy, or abandon their
general. We also, in the sacrament
of baptism, take a military oath “to
fight manfully under the banner of
Christ.” . The early Christians used the
word to signify “a sacred mystery,” and
hence its application to the Baptism and
Eucharist, and in the Roman Catholic
Church to marriage, confirmation, etc.
The five sacraments are Confirmation,
Penance, Orders, Matrimony, and Ex-
treme Unction. (See Thirty-nine Articles,
Article xxxv.).
The seven sacraments are Baptism,
Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance,
Orders, Matrimony, and Extreme Unc-
tion.
The two sacraments of the Protestant
Church are Baptism and the Lord’s
Supper. -
"---~.
Sacramenta'rians. Those who be-
lieve that no change takes place in the
eucharistic elements after consecration,
but that the bread and wine are simply
emblems of the body and blood of Christ.
They were a party among the Reformers
who separated from Luther.
Sacred Anchors, in Greek vessels,
were never let go till the ship was in the
extremity of danger. -
Sacred City. (See HOLY CITY.) -
Sacred Heart. The “Feast of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus ” owes its origin
to a French nun, named Mary Margaret
Alacoque, of Burgundy, who practised
devotion to the Saviour’s heart in conse-
quence of a vision. The devotion was
sanctioned by Pope Clement XII. in
1732.
Sacred Isle, or Holy Island. Ireland
was so called because of its many saints,
and Guernsey for its many monks. The
island referred to by Thomas Moore in
his Irish Melodies (No. II.) is Scattery,
to which St. Sena'nus retired, and vowed
that no woman should set foot thereon.
“Oh, haste and leave this sacred isle,
|Unholy bark, ere morning Smile.”
St. Semamus and the Lady.
Enhallow (from the Norse Eyinhalga,
Holy Isle) is the name of a small island
in the Orkney group, where cells of the
Irish anchorite fathers are said still to
exist.
Sacred War.
(1) A war undertaken by the Am-
phictyonicleague against the Cirrhaeans,
in defence of Delphi. (B.C. 594-587.)
(2) A war waged by the Athenians for
the restoration of Delphito the Pho'cians,
from whom it had been taken. (B.C.
448-447.)
(3) A war in which the Phocians, who
had seized Delphi, were conquered by
Philip of Macedon. (B.C. 346.)
Sacred Way (The) in ancient Rome,
was the street where Romulus and
Tatius (the Sabine) swore mutual alli-
ance. . It does not mean the “holy
street,” but the “street of the oath.”
Sacred Weed (The). Vervain. (See
HERBA SACRA.)
Sacrifice. Never sacrifice a white cock,
was one of the doctrines of Pythagoras,
because it was sacred to the moon. The
Greeks went further, and said, “Nourish
a cock, but sacrifice it not,” for all
cockerels were sacred either to the sun or
moon, as they announced the hours. The
69
Sacrifice
1690.
Saga
cock was sacred also to the goddess of
wisdom, and to Escula'pios, the god of
health ; it therefore represented time,
wisdom, and health, none of which are
ever to be sacrificed. (See Iamblichus :
JProtreptics, symbol xviii.)
Sacrifice to the Graces is to render
oneself agreeable by courteous conduct,
suavity of manners, and fastidiousness of
dress. The allusion is to the three
Graces of classic mythology.
'Sa'cring Bell. The little bell rung
to give notice that the “Host' is ap-
proaching. Now called sanctus bell, from
the words “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
dominus, Deus Sabaoth, pronounced by
the priest. (French, sacrer, Latin,
Sacer.) -
“He heard a little Sacring bell ring to the eleva-
tion of a to-morrow maSS.”—Regimald Scott : Dis-
covery of Witchcraft (1584).
“The sacring of the kings of France.”—Temple.
Sa'cripant. A braggart, a noisy
hectorer. He is introduced by Alexander
Passoni, in a mock-heroic poem called
The Rape of the Bucket.
Sa'eripant (in Orlando Furioso). King
of Circassia, and a Saracen. g
Sad Bread (Latin, panis gravis).
IIeavy bread, ill-made bread. Shake-
speare calls it “distressful bread "-not
the bread of distress, but the panis gravis
or ill-made bread eaten by the poor.
Sad Dog (He's a). Un triste sujet. A
º: way of saying a man is a
ebauchee. -
Sadah. The sixteenth night of the
month Bayaman. (Persian mythology.)
Sadda. One of the sacred books of
the Guebres or Parsis containing a sum-
mary of the Zend-Avesta. . .
Sadder and a Wiser Man (A).
** A Sadder and a wisel' man
He rose the morrow morn.” &
Coleridge : The Ancient Marine)”.
Saddle. Set the saddle on the right
horse. Lay the blame on those who de-
serve it.
Lose the horse and win the saddle. (See
LOSE.)
Saddletree (Mr. Bartoline). The
learned saddler. (Sir Walter Scott: The
Beart of Midlothian.)
Sad'ducees. A Jewish party which
denied the existence of spirits and angels,
and, of course, disbelieved in the resur-
rection of the dead; so called from Sadoc
(righteotts man), thought to be the name
of a priest or rabbi some three centuries
before the birth of Christ. As they did
not believe in future punishments, they
punished offences with the utmost
severity. -
Sadi or Saadi. AIPersian poet styled
the “nightingale of thousand songs,”
and “One of the four monarchs of elo-
quence.” His poems are the Gulistan
or Garden of Roses, the Bostan or Garden
of Fruits, and the Pend-Nameh, a moral
poem. He is admired for his sententious
march. (1184-1263.)
Sadler's Wells (London). There was
a well at this place called Holy Well, .
once noted for “its extraordinary cures.”.
The priests of Clerkenwell Priory used to
boast of its virtues. At the Reformation
it was stopped up, and was wholly for-
gotten till 1683, when a Mr. Sadler, in
digging gravel for his garden, accident-
ally discovered it again. Hence the
name. In 1765 Mr. Rosoman converted
Sadler’s garden into a theatre.
Sadle'rian Lectures. Lectures on
Algebra delivered in the University of
Cambridge, and founded in 1710 by Lady
Sadler.
Saehrimnir [Sza-rim-mer]. The boar
served to the gods in Walhalla every even-
ing ; by next morning the part eaten
was miraculously restored. (Scandina-
wian mythology.) 4.
Safa, in Arabia, according to Arabian
legend, is the hill on which Adam and
Eve came together, after having been
parted for two hundred years, during
which time they wandered homeless over
the face of the earth. -
Safety Matches. In 1847 Schrötter,
an Austrian chemist, discovered that red
phosphorus gives off no fumes, and is:
virtually inert ; but being mixed with
chlorate of potash under slight pressure
it explodes with violence. In 1855 Herr
Böttger, of Sweden, put the red phos-
phorus on the boa, and the phosphorus on
the match, so that the match must be
rubbed on the box to bring the two to-
gether. (See PROMETHEANS, LUCIFERS.)
Saffron. He hath slept in a bed of
saffron. In Latin dormivit in Sacco eroci,
meaning he has a very light heart, in
reference to the exhilarating effects of
saffron,
“With genial joy to warm his SQūll
Helen mixed Saffron in the bowl.'
Saffron Veil. The Greek and Latin
brides wore a flammeum or yellow veil,
which wholly enveloped them. (See
SAOPHRON.) w
Saga (plural-Sagas). The northern
, mythological and historical traditions,
Sagan
chiefly compiled in the twelfth and three
following centuries. The most remark-
able are those of Lodbrok, Hervara, Vil.
hina, Polsunga, Blomstúrvalla, Ynglinga,
Olaf Tryggva-Sonar, with those of Joms-
tikingia and of Knytlinga (which contain
the legendary history of Norway and
Denmark), those of Stºrlinga and Eryn'-
biggia (which contain the legendary
history of Iceland), the Heims-Kringla
and New Edda, due to Snorro-Sturleson.
All these legends are short, abrupt,
concise, full of bold metaphor and graphic
descriptions.
Sa'gan of Jerusalem, in Dryden's
Absalom and Achitophel, is designed for
I)r. Compton, Bishop of London ; he
was son of the Earl of Northampton,
who fell in the royal cause at the battle
of Hopton Heath. The Jewish sagan
was the vicar of the sovereign pontiff.
According to tradition, Moses was
Aaron’s Sagan.
... The Sagan was the vical of the Jewish pon-
tiff, Thus they called Moses “Aaron's Sagan.”
Sages (The Seven). (See WISE MEN.)
Sagitta'rius, the archer, represents
the Centaur Chiron, who at death was
converted into the constellation so called.
(See next article.)
Sagittary. A terrible archer, half
beast and half man, whose eyes sparkled
like fire, and struck dead like lightning.
He is introduced into the Trojan armies
by Guido da Colonna.
“The dreadful Sagittary
Appals our numbers.”
Shakespeare : Troilus and Cressida, V. 5.
Sagramour le De'sirus. A knight
of the Round Table, introduced in the
Morte d’Arthur, Lancelot du Lac, etc.
Sahib (in Bengalee, Saheb). Equal to
Our Mr., or rather to such gentlemen as
we term “Esquires.” Sahiba is the
lady. (Arabic for lord, master.)
Sail. You may hoist sail. Cut your
Stick, be off. , Maria saucily says to
Viola, dressed in man’s apparel— -
‘....Will you hoist sail, sir? Here lies your way.”
–8hakespeare : Twelfth Aight, i. 5. .
To set sail. To start on a voyage.
ryy e e e
To strike sail. (See STRIKE.)
Sail before the Wind (To). To
prosper, to go on swimmingly, to meet
with great success, to go as smoothly and
rapidly as a ship before the wind.
Sailing under False Colours. Pre-
tending to be what you are not. The
allusion is to pirate vessels, which hoist
any colours to elude detection. .
1091
St. Bees' College
Sailing within the Wind or Sailing
close to the Wind. Going to the very
verge of propriety, or acting so as just
to escape the letter of the law. The
phrase, of course, is nautical.
“The jokes [of our predecessors] miglit have
been broader than modern manners allow, . . .
but . . . the masher Sails nearer the wind than
did his rudºr forefathers.”—Nineteenth Century,
November, 1892, p. 795.
“Ea defended himself by declaring that he did .
not tell Hasisadra anything ; he only sent her a
dream. This was undoubtedly sailing very near
the wind.”—Nimeteenth Century, June, 1891, p. 911.
Sailor King. William IV. of Eng-
land, who entered the navy as midship-
man in 1779, and was made Lord High
Admiral in 1827. (1765, 1830-1837.)
Saint. Kings and princes so called:—
Edward the Martyr (961, 975-978).
Edward the Confessor (1004, 1042-
1066). -
Eric IX. of Sweden (*, 1155-1161).
Ethelred I., King of Wessex (*, 866- .
871). g
Eugenius I., pope (*, 654-657).
Felix I., pope (*, 269-274).
Ferdinand III. of Castile and Leon
(1200, 1217-1252). - -
Julius I., pope (*, 337-352).
Rāng-he, second of the Manchoo
dynasty of China, who assumed the
name of Chin-tsou-jin (1661–1722).
Tawrence Justinia'ni, Patriarch of
Venice (1380, 1451-1465).
Leo IX, pope (1002, 1049-1054).
Louis IX. of France (1215, 1226-
1270).
Olaus II. of Norway, brother of
Harald III., called “St. Olaf the Double
Beard” (984, 1026-1030). . . *
Stephen I. of Hungary (979, 997-
1038). -
Dom Fernando, son of King John of .
Portugal, was, with his brother Henry,
taken prisoner by the Moors at the siege
of Tangier. The Portuguese general
promised to give Ceuta for their ransom,
and left Fernando in prison as their
Surety. The Portuguese government
refused to ratify the condition, and .
IFernando was left in the hands of the
Moors till he died. For this patriotic
act he is regarded as a saint, and his
day is June 5th. His brother Edward
was king at the time. (1402-1443.)
St. Bees' College (Cumberland),
situated on the bay formed by St. Bees’
IIead, founded by TJr. Law, Bishop of
Chester, in 1816. St. Bees’ was so
called from a nunnery founded here in
650, and dedicated to the Irish saint
named Bega. A “man of wax' is a
“Bees’ man,” . *
St. Cecilia,
St. Cecil’ia, born of noble Roman
parents, and fostered from her cradle
in the Christian faith, married Valirian.
One day she told him that an angel,
“whether she was awake or asleep, was
ever beside her.” Valirian requested to
See this angel, and she said he must be
baptised first. Valirian was baptised and
suffered martyrdom. When Cecilia was
brought before the Prefect Alma'chius,
and refused to worship the Roman
deities, she was “shut fast in a bath
kept hot both night and day with great
fires,” but “felt of it no woe.” Alma-
chius then sent an executioner to cut off
her head, “but for no manner of chance
could he smite her fair neck in two.”
Three days she lingered with her neck
bleeding, preaching Christ and Him
crucified all the while ; then she died,
and Pope Urban buried the body.
“Her house the church of St. Cecily
is hight' unto this day. . . (Chaucer.
Secounde Nonnes Tale.) (See CECILIA.)
* Towards the close of the seven-
teenth century an annual musical festival
was held in Stationers' Hall in honour of
St. Cecilia.
St. Cuthbert's Duck.
duck.
St. Distaff. (See DISTAFF.)
St. Elmo, called by the French St.
Elme. The electric light seen playing
about the masts of ships in stormy
Weather. (See CASTOR AND POLLUx.)
“And sudden breaking on their raptured sight,
Appeared the splendour of St. Elmo's light.”
IIoole's Furioso, book is.
The eider
St. Francis. (See FRANCIS.)
St. George's Cross, in heraldry, is a
Greek cross gules upon a field argent.
The field is represented in the Union
Jack by a narrow fimbriation. It is the
distinguishing badge of the British navy.
St. George's flag is a smaller flag,
without the Union Jack.
St. John Long. An illiterate quack,
who professed to have discovered a
liniment which had the power of dis-
tinguishing between disease and health.
The body was rubbed with it, and if
irritation appeared it announced secret
disease, which the quack undertook to
cure. He was twice tried for man-
slaughter: once in 1830, when he was
fined for his treatment of Miss Cashan,
who died ; and next in 1831, for the
death of Mrs. Lloyd. Being acquitted,
he was driven in triumph from the Old
Bailey in a nobleman’s carriage, amid
the congratulations of the aristocracy.
1092.
St. Moriday
* St. John is pronounced Sinjin, as
in that verse of Pope's—
“Awake, my St. John leave all meaner things
To low antbition and the pride of kings.”
lºssay on Aſam.
St. John's Eve, St. Mark's Eve, and
Allhallow Even, are times when poets
Say the forms of all such persons as
are about to die in the ensuing twelve
months make their solemn entry into
the churches of their respective parishes.
On these eves all sorts of goblins are
about. Brand says, “On the Eve of
John the Baptist's nativity bonfires are
made to purify the air (vol. i. p. 305).
St. Johnstone's Tippet. A halter;
so called from Johnstone the hangman.
“Sent to heaven wi.a.St.Johnstone's tippit
about my hause.”—Sir Walter Scott: Old Mortality,
chap. viii.
St. Leger Sweepstalces. The St.
Leger race was instituted in 1776, by
Colonel St. Leger, of Park Hill, near
Doncaster, but was not called the “ St.
Leger’ till two years afterwards, when
the Marquis of Rockingham's horse
Allabaculia won the race. (See DERBY,
LEGER.) -
St. Leon became possessed of the
elixir of life, and the power of trans-
muting the baser metals into gold, but
these acquisitions only brought him in-
creased misery. (William Goodwin : St.
Leon.)
St. Lundi (Laj. St. Monday. Mon-
day spent by workmen in idleness. One
of the rules enjoined by the Sheffield
unionists was that no work should be
permitted to be done on a Monday by
any of their members.
St. Michael's Chair. The projecting
stone lantern of a tower erected on St.
Michael's Mount, Cornwall.- . It is said
that the rock received its name from a
religious house built to commemorate
the apparition of St. Michael on one of
its craggy heights. (See MICHAEL.)
St. Monday. A holiday observed by
journeyman shoemakers and other in-
ferior mechanics, and well-to-do mer-
chants.
In the Journal of the Folk-lore Society,
vol. i. p. 245, we read that, “While
Cromwell’s army lay encamped at Perth,
one of his zealous partisans, named
Monday, died, and Cromwell offered a
reward for the best lines on his death.
A shoemaker of Perth brought the
following, which so pleased Cromwell
that he not only gave the promised
reward, but made also a decree that
St. Simonism
1093
Salacacabia
shoemakers should be allowed to make
Monday a standing holiday.
“Blessed be the Sabbath Day,
And cursed be worldly pelf;
Tuesday will begin the week,
Since Monday's hanged himself.”
St. Si’m on is m. The Social and
political system of St. Simon. He pro-
posed the institution of a European
parliament, to arbitrate in all matters
affecting Europe, and the establishment
of a social hierarchy based on capacity
and labour. He was led to his “social
system ’’ by the apparition of Charle-
magne, which appeared to him one
night in the Luxembourg, where he was
suffering a temporary imprisonment.
(1760-1825.)
* For other saints, see the names.
St. Stephen's. The Houses of Par-
liament are so called, because, at one
time, the Commons used to sit in St.
Stephen's Chapel. -
St. Stephen's Loaves. Stones.
“Having said this, he took up one of St.
Stephen's loaves, and was going to hit him with
it.”—Rabelais : I’d ratagruel, W. 8.
St. Thomas's Castle. The peniten-
tiary in St. Thomas’s parish, Oxford,
where women of frail morals are kept
under surveillance. -
St. Wilfrid's Needle, often called
“St. Winifred's Needle.” In the crypt
of Ripon Minster is a passage regarded
as a test of chastity.
Saints. City of Saints.
CITY and Holy CITY.)
Saivas (2 syl.). Worshippers of Siva,
one of the three great Indian sects; they
are at present divided into —
(1) Damdins or staff-bearers, the Hindu
mendicants; so called because they carry
a danda or small staff, with a piece of
red cloth fixed on it. In this piece of
cloth the Brahmanical cord is enshrined.
(2), Yogins. Followers of Yoga, who
practise the most difficult austerities.
(3) Lingavats, who wear the Linga
emblem on Some part of their dress.
(4) Paramahansas, ascetics who go
naked, and never express any want or
wish.
(5) Aghorins, who eat and drink what-
ever is given them, even ordure and
carrion. - -
(6) Urdhaba'ſus, who extend one or
both arms over their head till they be-
come rigidly fixed in this position.
(7) Akas'mukhins, who hold up their
faces to the sky till the muscles of the
neck become contracted. - - -
(See under
Saker. . A piece of light artillery.
The word is borrowed from the saker
hawk. (See FALCON.)
“The cannon, blunderlyuss, and saker,
He Was the in Ventor ()f and maker.” -
Butler: Hudibras, i. 2.
Sakhrat [Sak-rah']. A sacred stone,
one grain of which endows the possessor
with miraculous powers. It is of an
emerald colour; its reflection makes the
sky blue. (Mahometan mythology.)
Sak'ta. A worshipper of a Sakti, or
female deity, in Hindu mythology. The
Saktas are divided into two branches,
the Dakshin'acha'rins and the Wam'acha'-
rins (the followers of the right-hand and
left-hand ritual). The latter practise the
grossest impurities. (Sanskrit, Sakti,
power, energy.)
Sa-lkun'tala. Daughter of St. Vis'-
wa'mita, and Menakā a water-nymph.
Abandoned by her parents, she was
brought up by a hermit. One day
Ring Dushyanta came to the hermitage
during a hunt, and persuaded Sakuntala
to marry him, and in due time a son
was born. When the boy was six years
old, she took it to its father, and the
king recognised his wife by a ring
which he had given her. She was
now publicly proclaimed his queen,
and Bhārata, his son and heir, became
the founder of the glorious race of the
Bhāratas. This story forms the plot
of the celebrated drama of Kãlida'sa,
called Sakuntala, made known to us by
Sir W. Jones.
Sak'ya-Mu'ni. Sakya, the hermit,
founder of Buddhism.
Sal Prunella. A mixture of refined
nitre and soda for sore throats. Prunella
is a corruption of Brunelle, in French
sel de brunelle, from the German brewme
(a sore throat), braune (the quinsy).
Salacaca"bia, or Salacac'aby of
Apicius. An uneatable soup of great .
pretensions. King, in his Art of Cookery,
gives the recipe of this soup : “ Bruise
in a mortar parsley-seed, dried peneryal,
dried mint, ginger, green coriander,
stoned raisins, honey, vinegar, oil, and
wine. Put them into a cacab'ulum, with
three crusts of Pycentine bread, the flesh
of a pullet, vestine cheese, pine-kernels,
cucumbers, and dried onions, minced
Small; pour soup over all, garnish with
Snow, and serve up in the cacab'ulum.”
“At each end there are dishes of the Salacacabia.
of the Romans: one is made of parsley, penny-
royal, cheese, pinetops, honey, vinegar, brine,
eggs, cucumbers, Onions, and hen-livers ; the
Qther is much the Salme as Soup maigre.”—Smöllett:
Peregrine Pickle, - -- * -- -
Salace
1094
Saliens
... Sal'ace (3 Syl.). The sea, or rather
the salt or briny deep ; the wife of
Neptune. -
“Triton, who boasts his high Neptunian race,
Sprung from the god by Salace's embrace.”
- Camoems : Lusiad, book vi.
Salad Days. Days of inexperience,
when persons are very green.
“My Salad days,
When I was green in judgment.”
Shetkespeare: Antomy and Cleopatra, i. 5.
A pen'orth of salad oil. A strapping;
a castigation. It is a joke on All Fools’
Day to send one to the saddler's for a
“pen'orth of salad oil.”
between “salad oil,” as above, and the
French avoir de la salade, “to be
flogged.” The French salader and salade
The pun is
are derived from the Salle or saddle on
which schoolboys were at one time
birched. A block for the purpose used to
be kept in some of our public schools.
Oudin translates the phrase “ Donner la
Salle à un escolier’” by “Scopar un seolari
innanzi d tutti gli altri.”
Italiennes et Françoises, partii. 508.)
Salamander, in Egyptian hierogly-
phics, is a human form pinched to death
with the cold. (See UNDINEs.)
Salamander. A sort of lizard, fabled
to live in fire, which, however, it
quenched by the chill of its body. Pliny
tells us he tried the experiment once,
but the creature was soon burnt to a
powder. (Natural History, x. 67; xxix.
4.) Salamanders are not uncommon,
especially the spotted European kind
(Greek, salamandria).
... Salamander.
adopted as his badge “a lizard in the
midst of flames,” with the legend “ Nºt-
trisco et eactinguo'” (“I nourish and
extinguish ’’). The Italian motto from
which this legend was borrowed was,
“Nudrisco il buono e spengo il reo” (“I
(Recherches
François I. of France
nourish the good and extinguish the
bad’”). Fire purifies good metal, but
consumes rubbish. (See ante.)
Salamander. Anything of a fiery-red
colour. Falstaff calls Bardolph’s nose
“a burning lamp,” “a salamander,”
and the drink that made such “a fiery
meteor ’’ he calls “fire.”
“I have maintained that Salamander of yours
with fire any time this two-and-thirty years.”
—Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., iv. 3.
Salamander's Wool. Asbestos, a
fibrous mineral, affirmed by the Tartars
to be made ‘‘ of the root of a tree.” It
is sometimes called “mountain flax,”
and is not combustible.
Sa I’ary. The salt rations. The
Romans served out rations of salt and
Salt.)
of those lands.
other necessaries to their soldiers and
civil servants. The rations altogether
were called by the general name of salt,
and when money was substituted for the
rations the stipend went by the same
name. (Latin, sala'rium, from Sal,
Salchichon. A huge Italian sausage.
Thomas, Duke of Genoa, a boy of
Harrow school, was so called, when he
was thrust forward by General Prim as
an “inflated candidate’’ for the Spanish
throne.
Sale by the Candle. A species of
auction. An inch of candle being lighted,
he who made the bid as the candle gave
its expiring wink was declared the buyer;
sometimes a pin is stuck in a candle, and
the last bidder before the pin falls out is
the buyer.
Sa'lem is Jireh-Salem, or Jerusalem.
“Melchisedec, King of Salem . . . being by in-
repretation . . . King Of peace.”—Hebrews Wii.
3 * *
Salic Law. The law so called is
one chapter of the Salian code regarding
succession to Salic lands, which was
limited to heirs male to the exclusion of
females, chiefly because certain military
duties were connected with the holding
In the fourteenth cen-
tury females were excluded from the
throne of France by the application of
the Salic law to the succession of th
CI’OWI). -
“Which Salique, as I said, 'twixt Tºlbo and Sala,
Is at this day in Germany called Meisen,
Shakespeare : Henry V., i. 2.
* Philippe VI. of France, in order to
raise money, exacted a tax on salt,
called Gabelle, which was most un-
popular and most unjustly levied.
Edward III. called this iniquitous tax
“Philippe's Salic law.” (Latin, sal,
salt.) -
Saliens (The). A college of twelve
priests of Mars instituted by Numa.
The tale is that a shield fell from
heaven, and the nymph Egéria, pre-
dicted that wherever that shield was
preserved the people would be the domi-
nant people of the earth. To prevent
the shield from being surreptitiously
taken away, Numa had eleven others
made exactly like it, and appointed
twelve priests for guardians. Every
year these young patricians promenaded
the city, singing and dancing, and they
finished the day with a most Sump-
tuous banquef, insomuch that Saltares
coena became proverbial for a most
Salient Angles
1095
sumptuous feast. The word “saliens”
means dancing.
“Nunc est bibendum . . .
. . . nunc SaliaribuS
Ornare pulvinar Deorum
Tempus erat dapil)us.” * *
Horace : 1 Odés, XXXVii. 2-4.
Salient Angles, in fortification, are
, those angles in a rampart which point
outwards towards the country; those
which point inwards towards the place
fortified are called “re-entering angles.”
Salisbury Cathedral. Begun in
1220, and finished in 1258; noted for
having the loftiest spire in the United .
Kingdom. It is 400 feet high, or thirty
feet higher than the dome of St. Paul's.
Salisbury Craigs.. Rocks near
Edinburgh; so called from the Earl of
Salisbury, who accompanied Edward III.
On an expedition against the Scots.
Sallee. A seaport on the west coast
of Morocco. The inhabitants were
formerly notorious for their piracy.
Sallust of France. César Vichard,
Abbé de St. Réal; so called by Voltaire.
(1639-1692.) . • *,
Sally. Saddle. (Latin, sella; French,
selle.)
“Thé horse . . . stopped his course by degrees,
and went with his rider... . . into a pond to drink;
and there sat his lordship upon the Sally.”—Lives
of the Norths. . : - -
:: ****Vaulting ambition . . . o'erleaps its sell,
And falls o' the other . . .” -
Shakespeare: Macbeth, i. 7.
... -Sally Lunn. A tea-cake; so called
from Sally Lunn, the pastrycook of Bath,
who used to cry them about in a basket
at the close of the eighteenth century.
Dalmer, the baker, bought her recipe,
and made a song about the buns. .
... ." Sallyport. • The postern in fortifi-
gations. It is a small door or port whence
troops may issue unseen to make Sallies,
etc. - (Latin, Salio, to leap.)
, Sal'macis.
which rendered effeminate all those who
bathed therein. . It was in this fountain
that Hermaphroditus changed his sex.
- § : Metamorphoses, iv. 285, and xvi.
º, moist limbs melted into Salmacis.”
. . . . - Swimbwrme: Hermaphroditus.
Sal'magun'di. A mixture of minced
ºveal, chicken, or turkey, anchovies or
pickled herrings, and Onions, all chopped
together, and served with lemon-juice
and oil; said to be so called from
Salmagondi, one of the ladies attached
to the suite of Mary de Medicis, wife
of Henri IV. of France. She either
invented the dish or was so fond of it
that it went by her name. -
A fountain of Caria,
Salt
Salmon (Latin, Salmo, to leap). The
leaping fish. -
Salmon, as food for servants. At one
time apprentices and servants stipulated
that they should not be obliged to feed
On Salmon more than five days in a
week. Salmon was one penny a pound.
. . “A large boiled Salmon would now-a-days have
indicated most liberal housekeeping ; but at that
period Salmon was caught in such plenty (1679)
... . that, instead of being accounted a delicacy,
it was generally applied to feed the servants, who
... are said Sometimes to have stipulated that they
should not be required to eat food so luscious and
Surfeiting . . . above five times a week.”—Sir W.
Scott : Old Mortality, chap. vii. .
Salmo'neus (3 syl.). A king of Elis,
noted for his arrogance and impiety. He
wished to be called a god, and to receive
divine honour from his subjects. To
imitate Jove's thunder he used to drive
his chariot over a brazen bridge, and
darted burning torches on every side to
imitate, lightning, for which impiety the
king of gods and men hurled a thunder-
bolt at him, and sent him to the infernal
regions. -
Sal'sabil. A fountain in Paradise.
(Al Koran, xxvi.)
“Mahomet was taking his afternoon map in his
Paradise. A houri had rolled a cloud under his
head, and he was Snoring Seremely near the foun-
tain of Salsabil.”— Croquemitaine, ii. 8.
Salt. Flavour, Smack. The salt of
youth is that vigour and strong passion
which then predominates. Shakespeare
uses the term on several occasions for
strong amorous passion. Thus Iago re-
fers to it as “hot as monkeys, salt as
wolves in pride” (Othello, iii. 3). The
Duke calls Angelo's base passion his
“salt imagination,” because he supposed
his victim to be Isabella, and not his be-
trothed wife whom the Duke forced him
to marry. (Measure for Measure, v. 1.)
“Though we are justices, and doctors, and
churchmen, Master Page, we have some salt of our
youth in us.”—Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 3.
Spilling salt was held to be an unlucky
omen by the Romans, and the Superstition
has descended to ourselves. In Leonardo
da Vinci's famous picture of the Lord’s
Supper, Judas Iscariot is known by the
salt-céllar knocked over accidentally by
his arm. Salt was used in sacrifice by
the Jews, as well as by the Greeks and
Romans; and it is still used in baptism
by the Roman Catholic clergy. It was
an emblem of purity and the sanctifying
influence of a holy life on others. Hence
our Lord tells His disciples they are “the
salt of the earth.” Spilling the salt after
it was placed on the head of the victim
was a bad omen, hence the superstition.
Salt
1096
Salt,
A covenant of salt (Numbers xviii. 19).
A covenant which could not be broken.
As Salt was a symbol of incorruption, it,
of course, symbolised perpetuity.
“The Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom . . .
to David . . . by a covenant of salt.”—2 Chronicles
Xiii. 5.
Cum grano Sa'lis. With great limita-
tion; with its grain of salt, or truth.
As Salt is sparingly used in condiments,
So is truth in the remark just made.
He won't earn salt for his porridge. He
will never earn a penny.
JVot worth one’s salt. Not Worth the
expense of the food he eats.
To eat a man’s salt. To partake of his
hospitality. Among the Arabs to eat a
man’s salt was a sacred bond between
the host and guest. No one who has
eaten of another’s salt should speak ill
of him or do him an ill turn.
“One does not eat a man's Salt . . . at these
dinners. There is nothing sacred in . . . London
hospitality.”—Thackeray.
To sit above the salt—in a place of dis-
tinction. Formerly the family saler (salt
cellar) was of massive silver, and placed
in the middle of the table. Persons of
distinction sat above the “saler”—i.e.
between it and the head of the table ;
dependents and inferior guests sat below.
“We took him up above the salt and made much
of him.”—Kingsley : Westward Ho / chap. xv.
True to his salt. Faithful to his em-
ployers. Here salt means salary or in-
terests. (See above, To eat a man’s salt.)
“M. Waddington owes his fortune and his con-
sideration to his father's adopted countryſFrance],
and he is true to his Salt.”—Newspaper paragraph,
March 6, 1893.
Salt. A Sailor, especially an old
Sailor; e.g. an old salt.
Salt Bread or Bitter. Bread. The
Thread of affliction or humiliation. Bread
too salt is both disagreeable to the taste
and indigestible.
“Learning how hard it is to get back when once
exiled, and how Salt is the bread of others.”—Mrs.
Oliphant : Malcers of Florence, p. 85. -
Salt-cellar (A). A table salt-stand.
(French, Salière ; Latin, salarium.)
Salt Hill (Eton). The mound at Eton
where the Eton scholars used to collect
money.from the visitors on Montem day.
The mound is still called Salt Hill, and
the money given was called salt. The
word salt is similar to the Latin sala'rium
(salary), the pay given to Roman soldiers
and civil officers. (See MONTEM, SALARY.)
: Cakes of salt are still used for money in
Abyssinia, and Thibet.
Salt Junk. (See JUNK.)
Salted P”
Salt Lake. It has been stated that
three buckets of this water will yield one
of solid salt. This cannot be true, as
water will not hold in solution more than
twenty-five per cent. of saline matter.
The Mormons engaged in procuring it
state that they obtain one bucket of salt
for every five buckets of water. (Quebec
Morning Chronicle.)
Salt Ring. An attempt to monopo-
lise the sale of salt by a ring or company
which bought up some of the largest of
our salt-mines.
Salt River. To row up Salt River.
A defeated political party is said to be
rowed up Salt River, and those who
attempt to uphold the party have the
task of rowing up this ungracious stream.
J. Inman says the allusion is to a small
stream in Kentucky, the passage of which
is rendered both difficult and dangerous
by shallows, bars, and an extremely tor-
tuous channel. -
Salt an Invoice (To) is to put the
extreme value upon each article, and
even something more, to give it piquancy
and raise its market value, according to
the maxim, Sal Sapit omnia. The French
have the same expression: as “.. Wendre
bien salé” (to sell very dear); “Il me l'a
bien salé” (He charged me an exorbitant
price); and generally Saler is to pigeon
OIl62.
Salt in Beer. In Scotland it was
customary to throw a handful of salt on
the top of the mash to keep the witches
from it. Salt really has the effect of
moderating the fermentation and fining
the liquor. - -
Salt in a Coffin. It is still not un-
common to put salt into a coffin, and
Moresin tells us the reason; Satan hates
salt, because it is the symbol of incor-
ruption and immortality. (Papatus,
p. 154.) -
Salt Losing its Savour. “If salt
has lost its savour, wherewith shall it be
If men fall from grace, how
shall they be restored P. The reference
is to rock-salt, which loses its saltness if
exposed to the hot sun.
“Along one side of the Valley of Salt (that to-
ºwards Gibul) there is a small precipice about two
men's lengths, occasioned by taking away of the
salt. I broke a piece off that was exposed to the
sun, rain, and air; though it had the sparks and
particles of salt, yet it had perfectly lost its
savour. The inner part, however, retained its
Saltness.”—Mawmdrel, quoted by Dr. Adam Clarke,
Salt on His Tail (Lay). Catch or
apprehend him. The phrase is based on
the direction given to Small children to
Saltarello
1097
Samanides
lay salt on a bird’s tail if they want to
catch it. -
“His intelligence is so good, that were you to
come near him with Soldiers or constables, . .
shall answer for if you will never, lay Salt on his
tail.”—Sir W. Scott : Redgattºutlet, chal). Xi.
Saltarello, “le fils de la Folie et de
JPulcinello.” A supposititious Italian
dancer, sent to amuse Bettina in the
court of the Grand Duke Laurent.
Bettina was a servant on a farm, in love
with the shepherd Pippo. But when
she was taken to court and made a
countess, Pippo was forbidden to ap-
proach her. Bettina languished, and to
amuse her a troop of Italian dancers
was sent for, of which Saltarello was the
eader. He soon made himself known
to Bettina, and married her. Bettina
was a “mascotte’” (q.v.), but, as the
children of mascottes are mascottes also,
the prince became reconciled with the
promise that he should be allowed to
adopt her first child. (La Mascotte.)
* Hence a Saltarello is an assumed
covert to bring about a forbidden mar-
riage and hoodwink those who forbade
it. -
Saltpetre (French, saltpetre), Sel de
pierre, parcegºt'il forme des efflorescences
salines sur les murs. (Bouillet : Dict, des
Sciences.)
Salute (2 syl.). According to tradi-
tion, on the triumphant return of Maxi-
milian to Germany, after his second
campaign, the town of Augsburg ordered
100 rounds of cannon to be discharged.
The officer on service, fearing to have
fallen short of the number, caused an
extra round to be added. ' The town of
Nuremberg ordered a like salute, and
the custom became established.
Salute, in the British navy, between
two ships of equal rank, is made by firing
an equal number of guns. If the vessels
are of unequal rank, the Superior fires
the fewer rounds.
Jēoyal salute, in the British navy, con-
sists (1) in firing twenty-one great guns,
(2) in the officers lowering their sword-
points, and (3) in dipping the colours.
Salutations.
Shaking hands. A relic of the ancient
custom of adversaries, in treating of a
truce, taking hold of the weapon-hand
to ensure against treachery.
Lady’s curtsey. A relic of the ancient
custom of women going on the knee to
men of rank and power, originally to
beg mercy, afterwards to acknowledge
Superiority.
Taking off the hat. A relic of the
ancient custom of taking off the helmet
when no danger is nigh. A man takes
off his hat to show that he dares stand
unarmed in your presence.
Discharging guns as a salute. To show
that no fear exists, and therefore no
guns will be required. This is like
“burying the hatchet’’ (q.v.).
JPresenting arms—i.e. offering to give
them up, from the full persuasion of the
peaceful and friendly disposition of the
person so honoured.
Lowering swords. To express a willing-
ness to put yourself unarmed in the
power of the person saluted, from a full
persuasion of his friendly feeling.
Salve (1 syl.) is the Latin sal'via
(sage), one of the most efficient of me-
diaeval remedies. - - -
“To other woundes, and to broken armes
*
Some had de Salve, and some hadde charmes.”
Chaucer : Canterbury Tales, line 2,715.
Salve. To flatter, to wheedle. The
allusion is to Salving a wound. -
Salve (2 syl.). Latin “hail,” “wel-
come.” The word is often woven o
door-mats. -
Sam. Uncle Sam. The United States
Government. Mr. Frost tells us that the
inspectors of Elbert Anderson’s store on
the Hudson were Ebenezer Wilson and
his uncle Samuel Wilson, the latter of
whom superintended in person the work-
men, and went by the name of “Uncle
Sam.” The stores were marked E.A.—
U.S. (Elbert Anderson, United States).
and one of the employers, being asked
the meaning, said U.S. stood for “Uncle
Sam.” The joke took, and in the War
of Independence the men carried it with
them, and it became stereotyped.
To stand Sam. To be made to pay the
reckoning. This is an Americanism, and
arose from the letters U.S. on the knap-
sacks of the soldiers. The government
of Uncle Sam has to pay, or “stand
Sam ” for all. (See above.)
Sam Weller. Servant of Mr. Pick-
wick, famous for his metaphors. He is
meant to impersonate the wit, shrewd-
ness, quaint humour, and best qualities
of London low life. (Charles Dickens :
Pickwick Papers.)
Sa'mael. The prince of demons,
who, in the guise of a serpent, tempted
I've ; also called the angel of death.
(Jewish demonology.)
Sam'anides (3 Syl.). A dynasty of
ten kings in Western Persia (902-1004),
founded by Ismail al Sam'ani. . .
- Samaria,
Samaria, according to 1 Kings xvi.
24, means the hill of Shemer. Omri
“bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for
two talents of silver, and built on the
hill, and called the name of [his] city
. . after the name of Shemer . . .
Samaria.” (B.C. 925.)
Samaritan. A good Samaritan. A
philanthropist, one who attends upon
the poor to aid them and give them
tracted into Sa'me.
French etymologies, says it is Sabbati
-
relief. (Luke x. 30-37.)
Sambo. A pet name given to anyone
of the negro race. The term is properly
applied to the male offspring of a negro
and mulatto, the female offspring being
called Zamba. (Spanish, zambo, bow-
legged; Latin, scambus.) . .
Samedi (French). Saturday. A
contraction of Satatyni-dies. In French,
wn and 7% are interchangeable, whence
Saturne is changed to Saturne, and con-
M. Masson, in his
dies, but this cannot be correct. MARDI
is Martis-dies, WENDREDI is Veneris dies,
. JEUDI is Jovis-dies, etc.
Saturn, Mars, Venus, Jove, etc.)
(The day of
* Saſmian. The Samian poet. Simon'-
idés the satirist, born at Samos.
Samian Letter (The). The letter Y,
used by Pythag'oras as an emblem of the
straight narrow path of virtue, which is
one, but, if once deviated from, the far-
ther the lines are extended the wider
becomes the breach.
“When reason dollbtful, like the Samian letter,
Points him two ways, the narrower the better.”
I)wmciad, iv.
Samian Sage (The). Pythag'oras
born at Samos; sometimes called “the
(Sixth century B.C.)
* “'Tis enough,
In this late age, adventurous to have touched
Light on the numbers Of the Salmian Sage.”
Thomsom.
Samia'sa. A Seraph, who fell in love
with Aholiba'mah, a granddaughter of
Cain, and when the flood came, carried
her under his wing to some other planet.
"at, but the seventh was to deceive.
person who made this compact was
(Byron : Heaven and Earth.)
• Samiel, the Black Huntsman of the
Wolf's Glen. A satanic spirit, who gave
to a marksman who entered into com-
pact with him seven balls, six of which
were to hit infallibly whatever was aimed
The
termed Der Frei'schutz. (Weber: Der
JFreischutz, libretto by Kind.)
Sa'miel Wind, or Simoom'. A hot
suffocating wind that blows occasionally
1098
in Africa and Arabia.
Samson
(Arabic, Samma,
suffocatingly hot.)
“Burning and headlong as the Samiel wind.”
Thomas Moore: Lalla Rookh, pt. i.
Sammael. The chief of evil spirits,
who is for ever gnashing his teeth Over
the damned. Next to him is Ashmedai
(Asmodeus). (Cabalists.)
Samoor. The south wind of Persia,
which so softens the strings of lutes,
that they can never be tuned while it
lasts. (Stephen Persia.)
“Like the wind of the South O'er a Sulmlyner lute
blowing,
Hushed all its music, and withered its frame.”
- Thomas Moore: The Fire Worshippers.
Samosa'tian Philosopher. Lucian
of Samosata. (Properly Samos'a-tan.)
Sampford Ghost (The). A kind of
exaggerated “Cock Lane ghost” (q.v.),
which “haunted” Sampford Peverell
for about three years in the first decade
of the 19th century. The house selected
was occupied by a man named Chave,
and besides the usual knockings, the in-
mates were beaten ; in one instance a
powerful “unattached arm '' flung a
folio Greek Testament from a bed into
the middle of a room. The Rev. Charles
Caled Colton (credited as the author of
these freaks) offered £100 to anyone who
could explain the matter except on
supernatural grounds. No One, how-
ever, claimed the reward. Colton died
1832.
Sampi. A Greek numeral. (See
EPISEMON.)
Sampler. A pattern, A piece of
fancy-sewed or embroidered work done
by girls for practice. -
Samp'son. A dominie Sampson. A
humble pedantic scholar, awkward,
irascible, and very old-fashioned. The
character occurs in Sir Walter Scott's
Guy Mannering.
Samson. Any man of unusual
strength; so called from the Judge of
Israel.
The British Samson. Thomas Topham,
son of a London carpenter. He lifted
three hogsheads of water, weighing 1,836
pounds, in the presence of thousands of
spectators assembled in Bath Street,
Coldbath Fields, May 28th, 1741. Being
plagued by a faithless woman, he put an
end to his life in the flower of his age.
(1710-1753.)
The Kentish Samson. Richard Joy,
who died 1742, at the age of 67. His
tombstone is in St. Peter's churchyard,
Isle of Thanet.
Samson Carrasco
1099
Sancy Diamond
. . . Samson Carrasco. (See Dom Quixote,
pt. ii. bk. i. chap. iv.)
San Benito (The). The vest of peni-
tence. It was a coarse yellow tunic worn
by persons condemned to death by the
Inquisition on their way to the auto da fé;
it was painted over with flames, demons,
etc. In the case of those who expressed
repentance for their errors, the flames
were directed downwards. Penitents
who had been taken before the Inqui-
sition had to wear this badge for a stated
period. Those worn by Jews, sorcerers,
and renegades bore a St. Andrew's
“cross in red on back and front.
. San Christobal.
* Grana'da, seen by ships arriving from the
African coast ; so called because colossal
images of St. Christopher were erected in
places of danger, from the Superstitious
notion that whoever cast his eye on the
gigantic saint would be free from peril
for the whole day.
San Suen'a. Zaragoza.
Sanee-bell. Same as “Sanctus-bell.”
(See SACRING-BELL.)
San'cha. Daughter of Garcias, King
of Navarre, and wife of Fernan Gonsalez
of Castile. She twice saved the life of
the count her husband ; once on his
road to Navarre, being waylaid by per-
sónal enemies and cast into a dungeon,
she liberated him by bribing the gaoler.
The next time was when Fernan was
waylaid and held prisoner at Leon. On
this occasion she effected his escape
by changing clothes with him.
... º. The tale resembles that of the Count-
ess of Nithsdale, who effected the escape
of her husband from the Tower on Feb-
ruary 23rd, 1715; and that of the
Countess de Lavalette, who, in 1815,
liberated the count her husband from
prison by changing clothes with him.
Sancho Panza, the squire of Don
: Quixote, was governor of Barataria, ac-
cording to Cervantes. He is described
2 as a short, pot-bellied rustic, full of
common sense, but without a grain of
“spirituality.” He rode upon an ass,
Dapple, and was famous for his pro-
ºverbs. Panza, in Spanish, means paunch.
A Sancho Panza. A justice of the
peace. In allusion to Sancho, as judge
in the isle of Barata'ria. :
Sancho Panza’s wife, called Terèsa, pt.
ii. i. 5; Maria, pt. ii. iv. 7 ; Juāna, pt. i.
7; and Joan, pt. i. 21.
Sancho. The model painting of this
squire is Leslie's Sancho and the Duchess. |
A mountain in
Sanchoni'atho. A forgery of the
nine books of this “author” was printed
at Bremen in 1837. The “ original”
was said to have been discovered in the
convent of St. Maria de Merinhão by
Colonel Pereira, a Portuguese; but it
was soon discovered (1) that no such
convent existed, (2) that there was no
colonel in the Portuguese service of the
name, and (3) that the paper of the MS.
displayed the water-mark of an Osna-
brück paper-mill.
CIRENCESTER.)
(See RICHARD OF
Sanctum Sanctorum. A private
room into which no one uninvited enters.
The reference is to the Holy of Holies
in the Jewish Temple, a small chamber
into, which none but the high priest
might enter, and that only on the Great
Day of Atonement. A man’s private
house is his sanctuary ; his own special
private room in that house is the Sanctu-
ary of the Sanctuary, or the Sanctum
Sancto'rtſm.
Sancy' Diamond. So called from
Nicholas de Harlay, Sieur de Sancy, who
bought it for 70,000 francs (£2,800), of
Don Antonio, Prince of Crato and King
of Portugal in partibus. It belonged
at one time to Charles the Bold of Bur-
gundy, who wore it with other diamonds
at the battle of Granson, in 1476 ; and
after his defeat it was picked up by a
Swiss soldier, who sold it for a gulden
to a clergyman. The clergyman sold it
sixteen years afterwards (1492) to a
merchant of Lucerne for 5,000 ducats
(£1,125). It was next purchased (1495)
by Emanuel the Fortunate of Portugal,
and remained in the house of Aviz till
the kingdom was annexed to Spain
(1580), when Don Antonio sold it to
Sieur de Sancy, in whose family it re-
mained more than a century. On one
occasion the sieur, being desirous of
aiding Henri I. in his struggle for the
crown, pledged the diamond to the Jews
at Metz. The servant entrusted with it,
being attacked by robbers, swallowed
the diamond, and was murdered, but
Nicholas de Harlay subsequently re-
covered the diamond out of the dead
body of his unfortunate messenger. We
next find it in the possession of James
II., who purchased it for the crown of
England. James carried it with him
in his flight to France in 1688, when it
was sold to Louis XIV. for £25,000.
Louis XV. wore it at his coronation, but
during the Revolution it was again sold.
Napoleon in his high and palmy days
bought it, but it was sold in 1835 to
Sand
II.00
-*
Sandwich
Prince Paul Demidoff for £80,000. The
prince sold it in 1830 to . M. Levrat,
administrator of the Mining Society,
who was to pay for it in four instal-
ments; but his failing to fulfil his en-
gagement became, in 1832, the subject
of a lawsuit, which was given in favour
of the prince. We next hear of it in
Bombay ; and in 1867 it was transmitted
to England by the firm of Forbes & Co.
It now belongs to the Czar.
Sand (George). The nom de plume of
Madame Dudevant, a French authoress,
assumed out of attachment to Jules
Sand or Sandeau, a young student, in
conjunction with whom she published
her first novel, Rose et Blanche, under
the name of “Jules Sand.” (1804-
1876.)
Sand. A rope of sand. Something
nominally effective and strong, but in
reality worthless and untrustworthy.
My sand of life is almost run. The
allusion is to the hour-glass.
“Alas ! dread lord, you see the case wherein I
stand, and how little sand, is left to run in my
poor glass.”—Reymard the Foac, iv.
Sand-blind. Virtually blind, but
not wholly so; what the French call
ber-lue ; our par-blind. (Old English
suffix sam, half ; or Old High German
sand, virtually.) It is only fit for a
Launcelot Gobbo to derive it from sand,
a sort of earth.
“This is my true-begotten father, who, being
more than sand-blind, high-gravel blind, knows
me not.”—Shakespeare: Merchant of Venice, ii. 2.
Sand-man is about (The). (See
DUSTMAN.)
Sands. Footprints on the sands of
Time (Longfellow : Psalm of Life). This
beautiful expression was probably Sug-
gested by a letter of the First Napoleon
to his Minister of the Interior respecting
the poor-laws :-‘‘It is melancholy [he
says] to see time passing away without
being put to its full value. Surely in a
matter of this kind we should endeavour
to do something, that we may say that
we have not lived in vain, that we may
leave some impress of our lives on the
sands of Time.”
To number sands. To undertake an
endless or impossible task.
“Alas! poor duke, the task he undertakes
IS numbering Sands and drinking oceans dry.”
Shakespeare: Richard II., ii. 2.
San'dabar. An Arabian writer, cele-
Torated for his Parables. He lived about
a century before the Christian era.
Sandal. A man without Sandals. A
prodigal; so called by the ancient Jews,
because the Seller gave his sandals to the
buyer as a ratification of his bargain.
(Ruth iv. 7.)
Sandals of Theram'enes (4 syl.),
which would fit any foot. Theramenes,
one of the Athenian oligarchy, was
nicknamed “the trimmer” (cothurnus,
a sandal or boot which might be worn
on either foot), because no dependence
could be placed on him. He blew hot
and cold with the same breath. The
proverb is applied to a trimmer. -
Sandal'phon. One of the three
angels who receive the prayers of the
Israelites, and weave crowns for them.
(Longfellow.)
Sandalwood. A corruption of
Santalwood, a plant of the genus San'-
talum and natural order Santala'ceae.
Sandbanks. Wynants, a Dutch artist,
is famous for his homely pictures, where
Sandbanks form a most striking feature.
Sandema'nians or Glassites. A re-
ligious party expelled from the Church
of Scotland for maintaining that na-
tional churches, being “ jo. Of this
world,” are unlawful. Called Glassites
from John Glass, the founder (1728),
and called Sandemanians from Robert
Sandéman, who published a series of
letters on the subject in 1755.
San d’en [Sandy-dem]. The great
palace of King Lion, in the tale of
Jºeynard the Foa.
Sandford and Merton.
Day's tale so called.
Sandjar. One of the Seljuke Sultans
of Persia; so called from the place of
his birth. Generally considered the
Persian Alexander. (1117-1158.) .
Sandschaki or Sandschaki-sherif
[the standard of green silk]. The sacred
banner of the Mussulmans. It is now
enveloped in four coverings of green
taffeta, enclosed in a case of green cloth.
The standard is twelve feet high, and the
golden ornament (a closed hand) which
surmounts it holds a copy of the Koran
written by the Calif Osman III. In
times of peace this banner is guarded
in the hall of the “noble vestment,”
as the dress worn by “the prophet”
is styled. In the same hall are pre-
served the sacred teeth, the holy beard,
the sacred stirrup, the Sabre, and the
bow of Mahomet. - -
Sandwich. A piece of meat between
two slices of bread ; so called from the
Earl of Sandwich (the noted, “Jemmy
Twitcher”), who passed whole days in
Thomas
Sandwichman
110i
Sanhedrim -
gambling, bidding the waiter bring him
for refreshment a piece of meat between
two pieces of bread, which he ate
without stopping from play. This con-
trivance was not first hit upon by the
earl in the reign of George III., as the
Romans were very fond of “sand-
wiches,” called by them offula.
Sandwichman (A). A perambu-
lating advertisement displayer, with an
advertisement board before and behind.
“The Earl of Shaftesbury desired to say a word
on behalf of a yery respectable body of men,
ordinarily called “Sandwiches.’” — The Times,
March 16th, 1867. -
Sang Bleu. Of high aristocratic
descent. The words are French, and
mean blue blood, but the notion is
Spanish. The old families of Spain who
trace their pedigree beyond the time of
the Moorish conquest say that their
venous blood is blue, but that of com-
Inon people is black.
Sang Froid (French, “cool blood”),
meaning indifference ; without temper
or irritation. -
Sangaree'. A West Indian drink,
consisting of Madeira wine, syrup,
water, and nutmeg.
San'glamore (3 Syl.). ... Braggado-
chio's sword. (Spenser. Faërie Queene.)
San'glier (Sir). Meant for Shan
O'Neil, leader of the Irish insurgents
in 1567. (Spenser : Faërie Queene, v.)
Sanglier des Ardennes. Guillaume
de la Marck, driven from Liège, for the
murder of the Bishop of Liège, and be-
headed by the Archduke Maximilian.
(1446-1485.)
Sangra'do (Dr.), in the romance of
Gil Blas, prescribes warm water and
bleeding for every ailment. The charac-
ter is a satire on Helvetius. (Book ii. 2.)
“If the Sangra'dos were ignorant, there was at
any rate more to spare in the veins then than
there is now.”—Daily Telegraph. -
Sangreal. The vessel from which
our Saviour drank at the Last Supper,
and which (as it is said) was afterwards
filled by Joseph of Arimathe'a with the
blood that flowed from His wounds. This
blood was reported to have the power of
prolonging life and preserving chastity.
The quest of this cup forms the most
fertile source of adventures to the
knights of the Round Table. The story
of the Sangreal or Sangraal was first
written in verse by Chrestien de Troyes
(end of the tenth century), thence
Latinised (thirteenth century), and
finally turned into French prose by
trotters.”
Gautier Map, by “order of Lord
Henry’’ (Henry III.). It commences
with the genealogy of our Saviour, and
details the whole Gospel history; but
the prose romance begins with Joseph
of Arimathe'a. Its quest is continued
in Percival, a romance of the fifteenth
century, which gives the adventures of
a young Welshman, raw and inex-
perienced, but admitted to knighthood.
At his death the Sangreal, the sacred
lance, and the silver trencher were
carried up to heaven in the presence of
attendants, and have never since been
seen on earth.
Tennyson has a poem entitled . The
IIoly Grail.
Sanguine [murrey]. One of the nine
colours used by foreign heralds in
escutcheons. It is expressed by lines of
vert and purpure crossed, that is,
diagonals from right to left crossing
diagonals from left to right. (See
TENNE.)
Tenné and Sanguine are not used by English
heralds. (See HEl:ALI)S.)
Sanguinary James (A). A sheep's
head not singed. A jemmy is a sheep's
head ; so called from James I., who
introduced into England the national
Scotch dish of “singed sheep's head and
No real Scotch dinner is
complete without a haggis, a sheep's
head and trotters, and a hotch-potch (in
summer), or cocky leekie (in winter).
A cocky leekie is a fowl boiled or
stewed with leeks or kale—i.e. salt beef
and curly greens.
Gimmer (a 'sheep) cannot be the origin of
Jemmy, as the G is always Soft.
San'hedrim. The Jewish Sanhedrim
probably took its form from the seventy
elders appointed to assist Moses in the
government. After the captivity it seems
to have been a permanent consistory
court. The president was...called “Ha-
Nasi’’ (the prince), and the vice-pre-
sident “Abba' (father). The seventy
sat in a semicircle, thirty-five on each
side of the president ; the “father ”
being on ... his right hand, and the
“hacan,” or sub-deputy, on his left.
All questions of the “Law'' were dog-
matically settled by the Sanhedrim, and
those who refused obedience were ex-
communicated. . (Greek, Suhedrion, a
sitting together.)
Sanhedrim, in Dryden’s satire of Ab-
salom and Achitophel, stands for the
Eritish Parliament. .
“The Sanhedrim long time as chief he ruled,
Their reason guided, and their passion cooled.”
Sanjaksherif
Sanjaksherif. The flag of the pro-
phet. (Turkish, Sanjak, a standard.)
Sans Culottes (French, without
trousers). A name given by the aristo-
cratic section during the French Revolu-
tion to the popular party, the favourite
leader of which was Henriot. (1793.)
Sains Culottides. The five com-
plementary days added to the twelve
months of the Revolutionary Calendar.
Each month being made to consist of
thirty days, the riff-raff days which
would not conform to the law were
named in honour of the sans culottes,
and made idle days or holidays.
Sans-culottism. Red republicanism.
Sans Peur et Sans Reproche.
Pierre du Terrail, Chevalier de Bayard,
was called Le chevalier Sans petty et Sans
A'eproche. (1476-1524.) -
Sans Souci (French). Free and easy,
void of Čare. There is a place so called
near Potsdam, where Frederick II. (the
Great) built a royal palace.
Enfans Sans Souci. The Tradesmen’s
company of actors, as opposed to the .
Lawyers’, called “Basochians” (q.v.).
This company was organised in France
in the reign of Charles VIII., for the
performance of short comedies, in which
public characters and the manners of
the day were turned into ridicule. The
manager of the “Care-for-Nothings”
(sans souei) was called “The Prince of
Fools.” One of their dramatic pieces,
entitled Master Pierre Pathelin, was an
immense favourite with the Parisians.
Sansea'ra. The ten essential rites
of Hindus of the first three castes: (1)
at the conception of a child ; (2) at the
quickening; (3) at birth ; (4) at naming;
(5) carrying the child out to see the
moon; (6) giving him food to eat; (7)
the ceremony of tonsure; (8) investiture
with the string ; (9) the close of his
studies; (10) the ceremony of “mar-
riage,” when he is qualified to perform
the sacrifices ordained.
sansfoy [Inſidelity]. A Saracen
“who cared for neither God nor man,”
encountered by St. George and slain.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, book i. 2.)
Sansjoy [Without the peace of God].
Brother of Sansfoy . (Infidelity) and
Sansloy (Without the law of God). He
is a paynim knight, who fights with St.
George in the palace grounds of Pride,
and would have been slain if Duessa had
not rescued him. He is carried in the
car of Night to the infernal regions,
1102
flees.
titute was called
Sapphics
where he is healed of his wounds by
Escula'pius. (Spenser: Faërie Queené,
book i. 4, 5.)
Sansloy [Irreligion], brother of Sans-
foy (q.v.). Having torn off the disguise
of Archima'go and wounded the lion, he
carries off Una into the wilderness. Her
shrieks arouse the fauns and satyrs,
who come to her rescue, and Sansloy .
Una is Truth, and, being without
Holiness (the Red-Cross Knight), is de-
ceived by Hypocrisy. As soon as Truth .
joins Hypocrisy, instead of Holiness,
Irreligion breaks in and carries her “
away. The reference is to the reign
of Queen Mary, when the Reformatſon
was carried captive, and the lion was .
wounded by the “False-law of God.” "
(Spenser ; Faërie Queene, book i. 2.) ;
In book ii. Sansloy appears again as
the cavalier of Perissa or Prodigality.
Sansonetto (in Orlando Furioso). A
Christian regent of Mecca, vicegerent of
Charlemagne.
Santa Casa (Italian, the holy house).
The reputed house in which the Virgin
Mary lived at Nazareth, miraculously
translated to Fiume, in Dalmatia, in .
1291, thence to Recana’ti in 1294, and
finally to Maceraſta, in Italy, to a piece
of land belonging to the Lady Loretto.
Santa Claus or Santa, Klaus. A
corrupt contraction of Sankt Nikolaus
(Sank’ni kolaus—i.e., St. Nicolas), the
patron saint of children. The vigil of
his feast is still held in some places, but
for the most part his name is now asso-
ciated with Christmas-tide. . The old
custom used to be for . Someone, on
December 5th, to assume the costume
of a bishop and distribute small gifts to
“good children.” The present custom
is to put toys and other little presents
into a stocking or pillow-case late on
Christmas Eve, when the children are .
asleep, and when they wake on Christ-
mas morn each child finds in the stocking
or bag hung at the bedside the gift sent
by Santa Claus. St. Nicholas’ day is
December 6. The Dutch Kriss Kringle.
Saophron. The girdle worn by :
Grecian women, whether married or not. .
The bridegroom loosed the bride's girdle; ".
whence “to loose the girdle' came to :
mean to deflower a woman, and a pros-
“a woman whose
girdle is unloosed” (Tvvi, Avorišovos). ''': A
Sapphics. A Greek and Latin ,
metre, so named from Sappho, the in-.
ventor, Hörace always writes this"
Sappho
1103
Sardonyx
metre in four-line stanzas, the last
being an Adon'ic. There must be a
casura at the fifth foot of each of the
first three lines, which runs thus:–
— sº | –— | – || > < | – º – “…
The Adonic is— | -
— J. S. — \-> 07" - -
The first and third stanzas of the
famous Ode of Horace (i. 22) may be
translated thus, preserving the metre:—
He of sound life, who ne'er with sinner's
wendeth, -
Needs no Maurish bow, such as malice bendeth,
Nor with poisoned darts life from harm de-
fendeth, -
Fuscus believe me. -
Once I, unarmed, was in a forest roaming, .
Singing love lays, when i the secret gloaming
Rushed a huge wolf, which, though in fury
foaming, - -
Did not aggrieve me. E. C. B.
Sappho of Toulouse. Clémence
Isaure (2 syl.), a wealthy lady of Tou-
louse, who instituted in 1490 the “Jeux
Floraux,” and left funds to defray their
annual expenses. She composed a beau-
tiful Ode to Spring. (1463-1513.)
Šar'acen Wheat (French, Blé-Sar-
Yasin). Buck-wheat; so called because it
was brought into Spain by the Moors or
Saracens. (See BUCKWHEAT.)
Sar'a cens. Tucange derives this
word from Sarah (Abraham’s wife);
IHottinger from the Arabic Saraca (to
steal); Forster from Sahra (a desert);
but probably it is the Arabic sharakyoun
Or sharkey), (the eastern people), as op-
posed to Mag'haribé (the western people
—i.e. of Morocco). Any unbaptised
person was called a Saracen in mediaeval
romance. (Greek, Surakānos.)
“So the Arabs, or Saracens, as they are called
. . . gave men the choice Of three things.”—E. A.
Freeman : General Sketch, chap. Wi. p. 117.
Saragoz'a. The Maid of Saragoza.
Augustina, who, was only twenty-two
when, her lover being shot, she mounted
the battery in his place. The French,
after besieging the town for two months,
had to retreat, August 15th, 1808.
Sar'aswaſti. Wife of Brahma, and
goddess of fine arts. (Hindu mythology).
Sar'casm. A flaying or plucking off
of the skin ; a cutting taunt. (Greek,
Sarkazo, to flay, etc.) -
Sarce'net (2 syl.). A corruption of
Saracerºnet, from its Saracenic or Oriental
Origin.
Sarcenet Chidings. Loving rebukes,
as those of a mother to a young child—
“You little rogue,” etc.
“The child reddened . . . and hesitated, while
the mother, with many a fye . . . and such sar-
cºnet chidings as tender mothers give to spoiled
children . . .”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, ii.
Sarcoph'agus. A stone, according
to Pliny, which consumed the flesh, and
was therefore chosen by the ancients for
coffins. It is called sometimes lapis
Assius, because it was found at Assos of
Lycia. (Greek, Sara, flesh ; phagein, to .
eat or consume.)
Sardanapa'lus. King of Nineveh
and Assyria, noted for his luxury and
voluptuousness. His effeminacy induced,
Arba'ces, the Mede, to conspire against
him. Myrra, an Ionian slave, and his,
favourite concubine, roused him from his
lethargy, and induced him to appear at
the head of his armies. He won three .
successive battles, but being then de-
feated, was induced by Myrra to place
himself on a funeral pile, which she
herself set fire to, and then jumping
into the flames, perished with her be-
loved master. (Died B.C. 817.) (Byron :
Sardanapalus.)
A Sardanapalus. Any luxurious, ex-
travagant, self-willed tyrant. (See above.)
Sardanapalus of China. Cheo-tsin,
who shut himself and his queen in his .
palace, and set fire to the building, that
he might not fall into the hands of Woo-
wong, who founded the dynasty of
Tchow (B.C. 1154-1122). It was Cheo-
tsin who invented the chopsticks.
Sardin'ian Laugh. , Laughing on
the wrong side of one’s mouth. The ’
Edinburgh Review says: “The ancient.
Sardinians used to get rid of their old
relations by throwing them into deep.
pits, and the sufferers were expected to
feel delighted at this attention to their
well-being.” (July, 1849.) . .
Sardon'ic Smile, Grin, or Laugh-
ter. A Smile of contempt: so used by:
Homer.
“The Sardonic or Sardinian laugh. A laugh
caused, it was supposed, by a plant, growing in
Sardinia, of which they who ate died laughing.” .
—Trench : Words, lecture iv. p. 176.
The Herba Sardon'ia (so called from
Sardis, in Asia Minor) is so acrid that it
produces a convulsive movement of the
nerves of the face, resembling a painful
grin. Byron says of the Corsair, There
was a laughing devil in his sneer. ->
“'Tis envy's safest, surest rule
To hide her rage in ridicule ;
The Vulgar eye the best beguiles
When all her Snakes are decked with Smiles,
Sardonic Smiles by rancour raised.” * :
Swift : Pheasant and Lark.
Sar'donyx. An Orange-brown cor-
nelian. Pliny says it is called sard from
Sardis, in Asia Minor, where it is found,
and 07tya, the nail, because its colour re-
Sembles that of the skin under the nail
(xxxvii. 6). - - ... 3
Sarriia,
1104
Saturn's Tree
Sarnia. Guernsey. Adjective, Sar-
%2? (?)?.
“Sometimes . . ; mistakes occur in our little bits
of Sarnian intelligence.” — Mrs. Edwardes : A
Girton Girl, chap. iii. -
Sarpe'don. A favourite of the gods,
who assisted Priam when Troy was
besieged by the allied Greeks. When
Achilles refused to fight, Sarpe'don made
great havoc in battle, but was slain by
Patroc'los. (Homer: Iliad.)
Sars'en Stones. The “Druidical ?”
sandstones of Wiltshire and Berkshire
are so called. The early Christian
Saxons used the word Saresyn as a syno-
nym of pagan or heathen, and as these
stones were popularly associated with
Druid worship, they were called Saresyn.
or heathen stones. Robert Ricart says
of Duke Rollo, “He was a Saresyn come
out of Denmark into France.” Another
derivation is the Phoenician sarsen (a
rock), applied to any huge mass of stone
that has been drawn from the quarry in
its rude state.
* These boulders are no more con-
nected with the Druids than Stonehenge
is (q.v.).
Sart or R e s art us. (The Tailor
Patched.) By Thomas Carlyle.
I)iogenes Teufelsdröckh is Carlyle him-
self, and Entepfuhl is his native village
of Ecclefechan.
The Rose Goddess, according to Froude,
is Margaret Gordon, but Strachey
is Blumine, i.e. Kitty Kirkpatrick,
daughter of Colonel Achilles Kirk-
patrick, and Rose Garden is Strachey's
garden at Shooter's Hill. The duenna is
Mrs. Strachey.
The Zahdarms are Mr. and Mrs. Buller,
and Toughgut is Charles Buller.
Philistine is the Bev. Edward Irving.
Sash Window is a window that
moves up and down in a groove.
(French, chassis, a sash or groove.)
Sassan'ides (4 syl.). The first Per-
sian dynasty of the historic period ; so
named because Ard'eshir, the founder,
was son of Sassan, a lineal descendant of
Xerxes. .
Sassenach (ch = k). A Keltic word
for a Saxon, or for the English language.
Satan, in Hebrew, means enemy.
“To whom the Arch-enemy
. (And hence in heaven called Satan).”. -
: Miltom: Paradise Lost, bk. i. 81, 82.
Satan's Journey to Earth (Milton :
Paradise Lost, iii. 418 to the end). He
starts from Hell, and wanders a long
time about the confines of the Universe,
where he sees Chaos and Limbo. The
Universe is a vast extended plain, forti-
fied by part of the ethereal quintessence
out of which the stars were created.
There is a gap in the fortification,
through which angels pass when they
visit our earth. Being weary, Satan
rests awhile at this gap, and contem-
plates the vast Universe. He then
transforms himself into an angel of light
and, visits Uriel, whom he finds in the
Sun. He asks Uriel the way to Paradise,
and Uriel points out to him our earth.
Then plunging through the starry vault,
the waters above the firmament, and the
firmament itself, he alights safely on
Mount Niphates, in Armenia.
Satan'ic. The Satanic School. So
Southey called Lord Byron and his
imitators, who set at defiance the gener-
ally received notions of religion. Of
English writers, Byron, Shelley, Moore,
and Bulwer are the most prominent; of
Trench writers Rousseau, Victor Hugo,
Paul de Kock, and George Sand.
Sat'ire (2 syl.). Scaliger's derivation
of this word from satyr is untenable. It
is from satura (full of variety), Sat'atra
lana, a hotchpotch or olla podrida. As
maa'umus, optºſ'mus, etc., became maxi-
mus, optimus, so “satura”.became Sat'??'a.
(See Dryden’s Dedication prefixed to his
Satires.
Father of satire. Archil'ochos of
Paros (B.C. seventh century).
Father of French satire. Mathurin
Regnier (1573–1613). -
JFather of Roman satire. Tucilius
(B.C. 148-103).
“Lucilius was the man who, bravely bold,
To Roman vices did the mirror hold ;
Protected humble goodness from reproaclı,
Showed worth on foot, and rascals in a coach.
Dryden : Art of Poetry, C. ii.
(See BLACK SATURDAY.)
??
Saturday.
Saturn or Kromos [Time] devoured
all his children except Jupiter, Neptune,
and Pluto. Jupiter means air, Neptune
water, and Pluto the grave. These Time
cannot consume. -
Saturn is a very evil planet to be born
wºnder, “The children of the Sayd
Saturne shall be great jangeleres and
chyders . . . and they will never forgy ve
tyil they be revenged of theyr quarell.”
(Compost of Ptholomeus.) -
Saturn, with the ancient alchemists,
designated lead.
Saturn's Tree, in alchemy, is a de-
posit of crystallised lead, massed to-
gether in the form of a “tree.” It is
*
Saturn alia
1105
Saul
produced by a shaving of zinc in a solu-
tion of the acetate of lead. In alchemy
Saturn = lead. (See DIANA's TREE.)
Saturnalia. A time of licensed
disorder and misrule. With the Romans
it was the festival of Saturn, and was
celebrated the 17th, 18th, and 19th of
December. During its continuance no
public business could be transacted, the
law courts were closed, the Schools kept
holiday, no war could be commenced,
and no malefactor punished. Under the
empire the festival was extended to
seven days.
Saturnian Days. Days of dulness,
when everything is venal.
“Then rose the seed of Chaos and of Night
To blot out order and extinguish light,
Of dull and vena] a new world to mould, ,
And bring Saturnian days of lead and gold.”
L umciad, iv.
* They are lead to indicate dulness,
and gold to indicate venality.
Satur'nian Verses. Old-fashioned.
A rude composition employed in Satire
among the ancient Romans. Also a
peculiar metre, consisting of three iam-
bics and a syllable over, joined to three
trochees, according to the following
nursery metre :-
“The queen was in the par-lour . . .
The maids were in the garden . . .”
“The Fescennine and Saturnian were the same,
for as they were called Saturnian from their
ancientness, when Saturn reigned in Italy, they
were called Fescennine from Fescennina [sic],
where they were first practised.”—Dryden: Dedw-
Cation of Juvenal.
Šaturnine (3 Syl.). A grave, phleg-
matic disposition, dull and heavy. As-
trologers affirm that such is the disposi-
tion of those who are born under the
influence of the leaden planet Saturn.
Satyr. The most famous representa-
tion of these goat-men is that of Prax-
it'eles, a sculptor of Athens in the fourth
century B.C.
Sat'yrane (3 syl.). A blunt but
noble knight who delivered Una from the
fauns and Satyrs. The meaning is this:
Truth, being driven from the towns and
cities, took refuge in caves and dens,
where for a time it lay concealed. At
length Sir Satyrane (Luther) rescues
Una from bondage ; but no sooner is this
the case than she falls in with Archima'go,
to show how very difficult it was at the
Reformation to separate Truth from
Brror. (Spenser: Faërie Queene, bk. i.)
Sauce means “Salted food,” for giv-
ing a relish to meat, as pickled roots,
herbs, and so on. (Latin, Salst/s.)
The sauce was better than the fish. The
accessories were better than the main
part. This may be said of a book in
which the plates and getting up are
better than the matter it contains.
To serve the same sat/ce. To retaliate ;
to give as good as you take ; to serve in
the same manner.
“After him another came unto her, and served
her with the same Sauce ; then a third . . .”—The
Man, in the M00m, etc. (1609).
Sauce (To). To intermix.
“Then, she, fell, to sauce her desires with
threatenings.”—Sidney.
“Folly Sauced with discretion.”—-Shakespeare :
Troilus and Cressida, i. 2,
Sauce to the Goose is Sauce to
the Gander. (See GANDER.)
Saucer Eyes. Big, round, glaring
eyes.
“Yet, when a child (bless me !) I thought
That thou a pair of horns had 'St got,
With eyes like Saucers Staring.”
Peter Pindar: Ode to the Devil.
Saucer Oath. When a Chinese is
put in the witness-box, he says: “If I
do not speak the truth may my soul be
cracked and broken like this saucer.” So
saying, he dashes the saucer on the
ground. The Roman Catholic impreca-
tion, known as “Bell, Book, and Candle '’
(q.v.), and the Jewish marriage custom
of breaking a wine-glass, are of a similar
character.
Saucy. Rakish, irresistible ; or rather
that care-for-nobody, jaunty, daring
behaviour which has won for many of
our regiments the term as a compliment.
It is also applied metaphorically to some
inanimate things, as “Saucy waves,”
which dare attack the very moon ; the
“saucy world,” which dares defy the
very gods; the “saucy mountains,”
“winds,” “wit,” and so on. -
“But still, the little petrel was saucy as the
W "#, Cool: ; The Young Mariners, Stanza 7.
Saul, in Dryden's satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is meant for Oliver
Cromwell. As Saul persecuted David
and drove him from Jerusalem, so
Cromwell persecuted Charles II. and
drove him from England. -
“They who, when Saul was dead, without a blow
Made foolish Ishbosheth [Richard Cromwell]
the crown forego.” Part i, lines 57, 58.
Saul among the prophets 3 The Jews
said of our Lord, “How knoweth this
man letters, having never learned P”
(John vii. 15.) Similarly at the conver-
sion of Saul, afterwards called Paul, the
Jews said in substance, “Is it possible
that Saul can be a convert P.” (Acts ix.
21.) The proverb applies to a person
70
Saut Lairds
1106
Sawdust Parlance
who unexpectedly bears tribute to a
party or doctrine that he has hitherto
vigorously assailed. (1 Sam. x. 12.)
Saut Lairds o' Dunscore (The).
Lords or gentlefolk who have only a
name but no money. The tale is that
the “puir wee lairds of Dunscore ”
clubbed together to buy a stone of salt,
which was doled out to the subscribers
in Small spoonfuls, that no one should
get more than his due quota.
Sav'age (2 syl.). One who lives in
a wood (Greek, hulé, a forest; Latin,
Silva, Spanish, salvage ; Italian, Sel-
vaggio; French, sauvage).
Save. To save appearances. To do
Something to obviate or prevent exposure
or embarrassment.
Save the Mark. In archery when
an archer shot well it was customary to
cry out “God save the mark | *—i.e.
prevent anyone coming after to hit the
same mark and displace my arrow.
Ironically it is said to a novice whose
arrow is nowhere.
God save the ſnºrk: ' (1 Henry IV., i.
3). Hotspur, apologising to the king
for not sending the prisoners according
to command, says the messenger was
a “popinjay,” who made him mad
with his unmanly ways, and who talked
“like a waiting gentlewoman of guns,
drums, and wounds (God save the
mark') ''-meaning that he himself had
been in the brunt of battle, and it would
be sad indeed if “his mark” was dis-
placed by this court butterfly. It was
an ejaculation of derision and contempt.
* So (in Othello, i. 1), Iago says he
was “his Moorship’s ancient ; bless the
mark l’’ expressive of derision and con-
tempt. -
In like manner (in The Merchant of
Venice, ii. 2), Launcelot Gobbo says his
master [Shylock] is a kind of devil,
“God bless the mark | ?” -
So (in The Ring and the Book) Brown-
ing says: - - - .
“Deny myself [to] pleasure you,
The Sacred and superior. Save the plark l’’
The Observer (Oct. 26, 1894) speaks of
“the comic operas (save the mark') that
have lately been before us.” An ejacu-
lation of derision and contempt.
And Mr. Chamberlain (in his speech,
September 5th, 1894) says:
“The policy of this government, which calls it-
Self (God save the mark 1) an English govern-
ment . . .”
* Sometimes it refers simply to the
perverted natural order of things, as
“travelling by night and resting (save
the mark () by day.” (U. S. Magazine,
October, 1894.) -
* And sometimes it is an ejaculated
prayer to avert the ill omen of an ob-
servation, as (in Romeo and Juliet) where
the nurse says:
“I saw the wonnd, I saw it with mine eyes (God
Save the mark () upon his mainly breast.”
Savoir Faire (French). Ready wit;
skill in getting out of a scrape; hence
“Vivre de son savoir-faire,” to live by
one's wits; “Avoir du savoir-faire,”
to be up to Snuff, to know a thing or
two. -
“He had great confidence in his savoir-faire.”—
Sir W. Scott: Gwy Mammering, chap. xxxiv. -
Savoy (The). A precinct of the
Strand, London, noted for the palace
of Savoy, originally the seat of Peter,
Earl of Savoy, who came to England to
visit his niece Eleanor, wife of Henry
III. At the death of the earl the house
became the property of the queen, who
gave it to her second son, Edmund
(Earl of Lancaster), and from this
period it was attached to the Duchy
of Lancaster. When the Black Prince
brought Jean le Bom, King of France,
captive to London (1356), he lodged him
in the Savoy Palace, where he remained
till 1359, when he was removed to
Somerton Castle, in Lincolnshire. In
1360 he was lodged in the Tower; but,
two months afterwards, was allowed to
return to France on certain conditions.
These conditions being violated by the
royal hostages, Jean voluntarily re-
turned to London, and had his old
quarters again assigned to him, and
died in 1364. The rebels under Wat
Tyler burnt down the old palace in
1381 ; but it was rebuilt in 1505 by
Henry VII., and converted into a hos-
pital for the poor, under the name of
St. John’s Hospital. Charles II. used
it for wounded soldiers and sailors. St.
Mary-le-Savoy or the Chapel of St.
John still stands in the precinct, and
has recently been restored.
N.B. Here, in 1552, was established
the first flint-glass manufactory.
Saw. In Christian art an attribute
of St. Simon and St. James the Less, in
allusion to the tradition of their being
sawn to death in martyrdom.
Sawdust Pariance (172). Circus
parlance. Of course, the allusion is to
the custom of sifting sawdust over the
arena to prevent the horses from slip-
ping.
Sawny
1107
Scaevola
Sawny or Sandy. A Scotchman ; a
contraction of “Alexander.”
Saxifrage. So called because its
tender rootlets will penetrate the hardest
rock, and break it up.
Saxon Castles.
Alnwick Castle, given to Ivo de Vesey
by the Conqueror. .
Bamborough Castle (Northumber-
land), the palace of the kings of North-
umberland, and built by King Ida, who
began to reign 559; now converted into
charity Schools and signal-stations.
Carisbrook Castle, enlarged by Fitz-
Osborne, five centuries later.
Conisborough Castle (York).
Goodrich Castle (Herefordshire).
Kenilworth Castle, built by Kenelm,
King of Mercia. Kenil-worth means
ICenhelm’s dwelling.
Richmond Castle (York), belonging to
the Saxon earl Edwin, given by the
Conqueror to his nephew Alan, Earl of
Bretagne; a ruin for three centuries.
The keep remains.
Rochester Castle, given to Odo, natural
'brother of the Conqueror.
Saxon Characteristics (architec-
tural). -
(1) The quoining consists of a long
stone set at the corner, and a short
one lying on it and bonding into the
wall.
(2) The use of large heavy blocks of
stone in some parts, while the rest is
|built of Roman bricks.
(3) An arch with straight sides to the
upper part instead of curves.
(4) The absence of buttresses.
(5) The use in windows of rude
|balusters. g.
(6) A rude round staircase west of the
tower, for the purpose of access to the
upper floors.
(7) Rude carvings in imitation of
Roman work. (Rickman.)
Saxon Duke (in Hudibras). John
Frederick, Duke of Saxony, a very cor-
pulent man. When taken prisoner,
Charles W. Said, “I have gone hunting
many a time, but never saw I such a
swine before.”
Saxon English. The “Lord’s
Prayer” is almost all of it Anglo-Saxon.
The words trespasses, trespass, and
temptation are of Latin origin. The
substitution of “debts '' and ‘‘debtors’’
(as “forgive us our debts as we forgive
our debtors”) is objectionable. Perhaps
“Forgive us our wrongdoings, as we
forgive them who do wrong to us ”
would be less objectionable. The latter
clause, “lead us not into temptation,”
is far more difficult to convert into
Anglo-Saxon. The best suggestion I
can think of is “lead us not in the ways
of sinners,” but the real meaning is
“put us not to the test.” We have the
word assay (Assay us not), which would
be an excellent translation, but the word
is not a familiar one. -
Saxon Relics.
The church of Earl’s Barton (North-
amptonshire). The tower and west
doorway.
The church of St. Michael's (St.
Albans), erected by the Abbot of St.
Albans in 948.
The tower of Bosham church (Sussex).
The east side of the dark and principal
cloisters of Westminster Abbey, from
the college dormitory on the south to
the chapter-house on the north. Edward
the Confessor’s chapel in Westminster
Abbey, now used as the Pix office.
The church of Darenth (Kent) con-
tains some windows of manifest Saxon
architecture.
With many others, some of which are
rather doubtful. -
Saxon Shore. The coast of Nor-
folk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Sussex, and
Hampshire, where were castles and
garrisons, under the charge of a count
or military officer, called Comès Littoris
Savonic; per Britanniam.
Fort Branodunum (Brancaster) was on the
Norfolk coast.
Gariannonum (Burgh) was on the Suffolk
CO2,Sl;
Othona, Číthanchester) Wà.S. On the Essex
CQa.St.
Itégulbium (Reculver), Rutupiae (Rich-
borough), Dubris (Doyer), P. Lemanis
Lyme), were on the Kentish coast.
Andérida (Hastings or Pevensey), Portus
Adurni (WOrthing), Were on the Sussex
COäS5. -
Say. To take the Say. To taste meat
or wine before it is presented, in order
to prove that it is not poisoned. The
phrase was common in the reign of
Queen Elizabeth. .
“Nor deem it meet that you to him convey
The proffered bowl, unless you taste the say.”
Bose: Orlando Furioso, xxi. 61.
Sbirri (Italian). A police-force which
existed in the pope's dominions. They
were domiciled in private houses. -
“He points them out to his shirri and armed
ruffians.”—The Daily Telegraph.
Scaevola [left-handed].” So Caius
Mucius was called, because, when he
entered the camp of Porsenna as a spy,
and was taken before the king, The
deliberately held his hand over a lamp
Scaffold.
1108
Scapegoat
till it was burnt off, to show the Etrus-
can that he would not shrink from
torture.
Scaffold, Scaffolding. A temporary
gallery for workmen. In its secondary
sense it means the postulates and rough
scheme of a system or sustained story.
(French, ēchafaud, échafattdage.) (See
CINTER.) .
Scaglio'la. Imitation marble, like
the pillars of the Pantheon, London.
The word is from the Italian Sedglia
(the dust and chips of marble); it is so
called because the substance (which is
gypsum and Flanders glue) is studded
with chips and dust of marble.
Scales. The Koran says, at the judg-
ment day everyone will be weighed in
the scales of the archangel Gabriel.
His good deeds will be put in the scale
called “Light,” and his evil ones in the
seale called “Darkness; ” after which
they will have to cross the bridge Al
Serát, not wider than the edge of a
scimitar. The faithful will pass over in
safety, but the rest will fall into the
dreary realms of Jehenna.m.
Scallop Shell. Emblem of St. James
of Compostella, adopted, says Erasmus,
because the shore of the adjacent sea
abounds in them. Pilgrims used them
for cup, spoon, and dish ; hence the
punning crest of the Disington family
is a scallop shell. On returning home,
the pilgrim placed his scallop shell in
his hat to command admiration, and
adopted it in his coat-armour. (Danish,
Schelp, a shell; French, escalope.)
“I will give thee a palmer's staff of ivory and a
scallop-shell of beaten gold.”—The Old Wives'
Title. (1595.)
Scalloped [scollopt]. Having an edge
like that of a scallop shell.
Scammoz'zi's Rule. The jointed
two-foot rule used by builders, and
invented by Vincent Scammozzi, the
famous Italian architect. (1540-1609.)
Scamp ſqui exit ea campo). A de-
serter from the field; one who decamps
without paying his debts. S privative
and camp. (See SNOB.)
Scandal means properly a pitfall or
Snare laid for an enemy; hence a stum-
bling-block, and morally an aspersion.
(Greek, Skan'dalon.)
“We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a
[scandal].”—1 Cor. i. 23.
The Hill of Scandal. So Milton calls
the Mount of Olives, because King Solo-
mon built thereon “an high place for
Chemosh, the abomination of Moab; and
for Moloch, the abomination of the
children of Ammon '' (1 Kings xi. 7).
Scandal-broth. Tea. The refer-
ence is to the gossip held by some of the
womenkind over their “cups which
cheer but not inebriate.” Also called
“Chatter-broth.”
“‘I proposed to my venerated visitor . . . to
Summon my . . . housekeeper . . . with the tea-
equipage; but he rejected my , proposal with
disdain. . . .” “No Scandal-broth,” he exclaimed,
* No unidea'd woman's chatter for me.’”—Sir Hy.
Scott: Peveril of the Peak (Prefatory letter).
Scan'dalum Magna'tum [Scandal of
the magnates]. Words in derogation
of peers, judges, and other great officers
of the realm. at St. Paul calls
“speaking evil of dignities.”
Scanderbeg. A name given by the
Turks to George Castriota, the patriot
chief of Epi'rus. The word is a corrup-
tion of Iskander-bey, Prince Alexander
(1414-1467).
Scanderbeg's Sword must have
Scanderbeg's Arm — i.e. None but
TJlysses can draw. Ulysses’ bow. Scan-
derbeg is a corruption of Iskander-beg
(Alexander the Great), not the Mace-
donian, but George Castriota, Prince
of Albania, so called by the Turks.
Mahomet wanted to see his scimitar, but
when presented no one could draw it ;
whereupon the Turkish emperor sent
it back as an imposition ; but Iskander-
beg replied, he had only sent his ma-
jesty the sword without sending the
arm that drew it. (See ROBIN HOOD.)
Scandinavia. Norway, Sweden, Den-
mark, and Iceland. Pliny speaks of
Scandia as an island.
Scant-of-grace (A). A madcap ; a
wild, disorderly, graceless fellow.
“You, a gentleman of birth and breeding, . . .
associate yourself with a sort of scant-of-grace,
as men call me.”—Sir W. Scott : Kenilworth, iii.
Scant'ling, a Small quantity, is the
French échantillon, a specimen or pat-
term. |
“A scantling of wit.”—Dºyden.
Scapegoat. The Biajús Or abori-
genes of Borneo observe a custom bear-
ing a considerable resemblance to that
of the scapegoat. They annually launch
a small bark laden with all the sins
and misfortunes of the nation, which,
says Dr. Leyden, “they imagine will
fall on the unhappy crew that first
meets with it.”
The scapegoat of the family. One
made to bear the blame of the rest of
the family ; one always chidden and
Scaphism
1109
Scene Painters
found fault with, let who may be in
the wrong. The allusion is to a Jewish
custom: Two goats being brought to
the altar of the tabernacle on the Day
of Atonement, the high priest cast lots;
one was for the Lord, and the other for
Azaz'el. The goat on which the first
lot fell was sacrificed, the other was the
scapegoat; and the high priest having,
by confession, transferred his own sins
and the sins of the people to it, the goat
was taken to the wilderness and suffered
to escape.
Scaph'ism. Locking up a criminal
in the trunk of a tree, bored through so
as just to admit the body. Five holes
were made—one for the head, and the
others for the hands and legs. These
parts were anointed with honey to
invite the wasps. In this situation the
criminal would linger in the burning
sun for several days.
anything scooped out.)
Scapin. A “barber of . Seville; ”
a knavish valet who makes his master
(Greek, Skaphé,
his tool. (Molière: Les Fourberies de
Scapin.)
Scar'amouch. A braggart and fool,
very valiant in words, but a poltroon.
According to Dyche, the Italian posture-
master, Tiberio Fiurelli, was surnamed
Scaramouch Fiurelli. He came to Eng-
land in 1673, and astonished John Bull
with feats of agility.
“Stout Scaramoucha with rush-lance rode in,
And ran a tilt with centaure Arlequin.”
Dryden : The Silent Womam (Epilogue).
Scaramouch Dress (A), in Molière's
time, was black from top to toe ; hence
he says, “Night has put on her “Scara-
mouch dress.’”
Scarborough Warning. No warm-
ing at all ; blow first, then warning.
In Scarborough robbers used to be dealt
with in a very summary manner by a
sort of Halifax gibbet-law, lynch-law,
or an d la lanterne. Another origin is
given of this phrase: It is said that
Thomas Stafford, in the reign of Queen
Mary, seized the castle of Scarborough,
not only without warning, but even
before the townsfolk knew he was afoot
(1557). (See GONE UP.)
“This term Scarborrow warning grew, some say,
By hasty hanging for rank robbery there.
Who that was met, but sus/pect in that way,
Straight he was trust up, Whatever he were.”
J. Heywood.
Scarlet. Though your séns be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as Snow (Isa. i.
18). The allusion is to the scarlet fillet
tied round the head of the scapegoat,
Though your sins be as Scarlet as the
fillet on the head of the goat to which
the high priest has transferred the sins
of the whole nation, yet shall they be
forgiven and wiped out.
Scarlet (Will). One of the com-
panions of Robin Hood.
Scarlet Coat. Worn by fox-hunters.
(See RED COAT.)
Scarlet Woman. Some controversial
Protestants apply the words to the
Church of Rome, and some Romanists,
with equal “good taste,” apply them
to London. The Book of Revelation
says, “It is that great city which
reigneth over the kings of the earth,”
and terms the city “Babylon’’ (chap.
xvii.).
Scavenger's Daughter. An in-
strument of torture invented by Sir
William Skevington, lieutenant of the
Tower in the reign of Henry VIII. As
Skevington was the father of the instru-
ment, the instrument was his daughter.
Sceatta. Anglo-Saxon for “money,”
or a little silver coin. A sceat was an
Anglo-Saxon coin.
Scene Painters. The most cele-
brated are—
Inigo Jones, who introduced the first
appropriate decorations for masques.
f)'Avenant, who produced perspective
scenes in 1656, for The Siege of Rhodes.
Betterton was the first to improve the
scenic effects in “Dorset Gardens; ” his
artist was Streater.
John Rich may be called the great
reformer of stage scenery in “Covent
Garden.”
Richards, secretary of the Royal Aca-
demy ; especially successful in The
Maid of the Mill. His son was one
of the most celebrated of our scene-
painters.
Philip James de Loutherbourg was
the greatest scene-artist up to Garrick's
time. He produced the scenes for The
Winter’s Tale, at the request of that
great actor.
John Kemble engaged William Capon,
a pupil of Novosielski, to furnish him
with scenery for Shakespeare's historic
plays.
Patrick Nasmyth, in the North, pro-
duced several unrivalled scenes.
Stanfield is well known for his scene
of Acis and Galate'a.
William Beverley is the greatest
scene-painter of modern times.
Frank Hayman, Thomas Dall, John
Scene Plot
1110
Schoolmen
*-º-º-
Laguerre, William Hogarth, Robert
Dighton, Charles Dibdin, David Roberts,
Grieve, and Phillips have all aided in
improving Scene-painting. -
Scene Plot. (See PLOT.)
Scent. We are not yet on the right
seent. We have not yet got the right
clue. The allusion is to dogs following
game by their scent.
Sceptic (Greek) means one who
thinks for himself, and does not receive
on another’s testimony. Pyrrho founded
the philosophic sect called “Sceptics,”
and Epictetus combated their dogmas.
In theology we apply the word to those
who will not accept E. sºrelation.
Sceptre. That of Agamemnon is the
most noted. Homer says it was made
by Vulcan, who gave it to the son of
Saturn. It then passed successively to
Jupiter, to Mercury, to Pelops, to
Atreus (2 syl.), to Thyestes (3 syl.), and
then to Agamemnon. It was found at
Phocis, whither it had been taken by
IElectra. It was looked on with great
reverence, and several miracles are at-
tributed to it. It was preserved for
any years after the time of Homer,
ut ultimately disappeared.
Scheherazade [She-he'-ra-zay'-de].
Daughter of the Grand Vizier of the
Indies. The Sultan Schahriah, having
discovered the infidelity of his sultana,
resolved to marry a fresh wife every
night and have her strangled at day-
break. Scheherazade entreated to become
his wife, and so amused him with
tales for a thousand and one nights
that he revoked his cruel decree, be-
stowed his affection on his amiable and
talented wife, and called her “ the
liberator of the sex.” (Arabian Nights.)
Schel'trum. An army drawn up in
a circle instead of in a square.
Scheme is something entertained.
Scheme is a Greek word meaning what
is had or held (sche'o); and entertain is
the Tatin tené0, to have or hold, also.
Schiedam. Hollands gin, so called
from Schiedam, a town where it is prin-
cipally manufactured.
Schiites. (See SHIITES.)
Schlem'ihl (Peter). The name of a
man who sold his shadow to the devil,
in Chamisso’s tale so called. It is a
synonym for any person who makes a
desperate and silly bargain. -
Scholas'tic. Anselm of Laon, Doc-
tor Scholasticus, (1050-1117.)
Epipha'nius the Scholastic. An Italian .
scholar. (Sixth century.)
Scholastic Divinity. Divinity sub-
jected to the test of reason and ar-
gument, or at least “darkened by the
counsel of words.” The Athanasian
creed is a favourable specimen of this
attempt to reduce the mysteries of
religion to “right reason; ” and the
attempts to reconcile the Mosaic cos-
mogony with modern geology Smack of
the same school.
Schools. “. .
The sia, old schools: Eton, Harrow,
Winchester, Charterhouse, Westminster,
and Rugby. - -
* Some add St. Paul’s, Merchant
Taylors', and Shrewsbury.
The sia, modern schools : Marlborough,
Wellington, Clifton, Cheltenham, Rep-
ton, and Haileybury.
* Charterhouse has been removed to
the hills of Surrey. -
St. Paul's has migrated to the West
End.
Schoolmaster Abroad (The). Lord
Brougham said, in a speech (Jan. 29,
1828) on the general diffusion of edu-
cation, and of intelligence arising there-
from, “Let the soldier be abroad, if
he will ; he can do nothing in this age.
There is another personage abroad . . .
the schoolmaster is abroad ; and I
trust to him, armed with his primer,
against the soldier in full military
array.”
Schoolmen. Certain theologians of
the Middle Ages; so called because they
lectured in the cloisters or cathedral
schools founded by Charlemagne and his
immediate successors. They followed
the fathers, from whom they differed in
reducing every subject to a system, and
may be grouped under three periods—
First Period. PLATONISTS (from ninth
to twelfth century).
(1) Pierre Abélard (1079-1142).
(2) Flacius Albinus Alcuin (735-804).
(3) John Scotus Erigéna.
(4) Anselm. Doctor Scholasticus. (1050-
1117.
(5) Berenga'rius of Tours (1000-1088).
(6) Gerbert of Aurillac, afterwards -
Pope Sylvester II. (930-1003). -
(7) John of Salisbury (1110-1180).
(8) Lanfranc, Archbishop of Canter-
bury. (1005-1089.)
(9) Pierre Lombard. ... Master of the
Sentences, sometimes called the founder
of school divinity. (1100-1164.)
(10) John Roscelinus (eleventh cen-
tury). - *
Schoolmistress
1111
Scipio
Second Period, or Golden Age of Scho-
lasticism. ARISTOTELIANS (thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries).
(1) Alain de Lille. Universal Doctor.
(1114-1203.)
(2), Albertus Magnus, of Padua. (1193–
The Angelic
Doctor. (1224-1274.)
(4) Augustine Triumphans, Arch-
bishop of Aix. The Eloquent Doctor.
(5) John Fidanza, Bonaventure. The
Seraphie Doctor. (1221-1274.)
(6) Alexander of Hales. Irrefrangible
Joctor. (Died 1245.)
(7) John Duns Scotus. The Subtle
Doctor. (1265–1308.)
Third Period. NoMINALISM REVIVED.
(To the seventeenth century.)
(1) Thomas de Bradwardine. The
Profound Doctor. (1290–1348.)
John Buridan (1295–1360).
(3) William Durandus de Pourqain.
The Most Resolving or Resolute Doctor.
(Died 1332.)
(4) Giles, Archbishop of Bourges. The
IDoctor with Good Foundation.
(5) Gregory of Rimſini. The Authentic
JDoctor. (Died 1357.)
. (6) Robert Holkot. An English di-
WIIle.
(7) Raymond Lully. The Illuminated
Doctor. (1234-1315.)
(8) Francis Mairon, of Digne, in Pro-
"VēIn Ce,
(9) William Occam. The Singular or
Invincible Doctor. (Died 1347.) :
(10) François Suárez, the last of th
Schoolmen. (1548–1617.)
Schoolmistress (The), by Shenstone,
is designed for a “portrait of Sarah
Lloyd,” the dame who first taught the
poet himself. She lived in a thatched
house before which grew a birch tree.
Scian. (See CEAN.)
Science. The Gay Science or “Gay
Saber.” The poetry of the Troubadours,
and in its extended meaning poetry
generally.
Science Persecuted.
(1) Anaxagoras of Clazomenae held
Opinions in natural science so far in
advance of his age that he was accused
of impiety, thrown into prison, and con-
demned to death. Pericles, with great
difficulty, got his sentence commuted to
fine and banishment. -
(2) Virgilius, Bishop of Salzburg, de-
nounced as a heretic by St. Boniface
for asserting the existence of antipodes.
(Died 784.)
4-4
3) Thomas Aquinas.
(3), Galileo was imprisoned by the
Inquisition for maintaining that the
earth moved. . . In order to get his
liberty he “abjured the heresy,” but
as he went his way whispered half-
audibly, “JE pur si nuove" (“but .
nevertheless it does move ’’). (1564-
1642.) -
(4) Gebert, who introduced algebra
into Christendom, was accused of dealing
in the black arts, and shunned as a
magician.
(5) Friar Bacon was excommunicated
and imprisoned for diabolical know-
ledge, chiefly on account of his chemical
researches. (1214-1294.)
(6) Dr. Faust, the German philo-
sopher, suffered in a similar way in the
sixteenth century.
(7) John Tee. (See DEE.)
(8) Robert Grosseteste.
TE
(See GROS-
D.
(9) Averroes, the Arabian philosopher,
who flourished in the twelfth century,
was denounced as a heretic and degraded
solely on account of his great eminence
in natural philosophy and medicine.
(He died 1226.)
(10) Andrew Crosse, electrician, who
asserted that he had seen certain ani-
mals of the genus Acarºts, which had
been developed by him out of inorganic
elements. Crosse was accused of im-
piety, and was shunned as a “profane
man,” who wanted to arrogate to him-
self the creative power of God. (1784–
1855.)
Scienſter Nes/ciens et Sapien'te
Indoctus was how Gregory the Great
described St. Benedict.
Scio's Blind Old Bard. Homer.
Scio is the modern name of Chios, in the
AEge'an Sea.
“Smyrna, Chios, Colophon', Salamis', Rhodos,
Argos, Athenae,
Your just right to call Homer your son you
Imust Settle between ye.”
Scipio dismissed the Iberian
Maid (Paradise Regained, ii.). Referring.
to the tale that the conqueror of Spain
not only refused to see a beautiful prin-
cess who had fallen into his power after
the capture of New Carthage, but that
he restored her to her parents, and ac-.
tually gave her great presents that she
might marry the man to whom she had
been betrothed. (See CoNTINENCE.)
The Lusian Scipio. Nunio.
“The Lusian Scipio well may speak his fame,
But nobler Nunio shines a greater name ;
Qn earth's green bosom, or on ocean grey,
A greater never Shºll the sun survey. ' '...
(ºmoems : Lºw Siad, bk. viii.
Scissors to Grind
1112
Scotch Breakfast
Scissors to Grind. Work to do ;
purpose to serve.
“That the Emperor of Austria [in the Servian
and Bulgarian war, 1885] has his own scissors to
grind goes without Saying ; but for the present it
is Russia who keeps the ballrolling.”—Newspaper
paritgraph, November, 1885.
Sclavon'ic. The language spoken
by the Russians, Servians, Poles, Bohe-
mians, etc.; anything belonging to the
Sclavi.
Scobellum. A very fruitful land, but
the inhabitants “exceeded the cannibals
for cruelty, the Persians for pride, the
Egyptians for luxury, the Cretans for
lying, the Germans for drunkenness, and
all nations together for a generality of
vices.” In vengeance the gods changed
all the people into beasts: drunkards
into swine, the lecherous into goats, the
proud into peacocks, scolds into mag-
pies, gamblers into asses, musicians into
song-birds, the envious into dogs, ille
women into milch-cows, -jesters into
monkeys, dancers into Squirrels, and
misers into moles. Four of the Cham-
pions of Christendom restored them to
their normal forms by quenching the fire
of the Golden Cave.” (The Seven Cham-
pions of Christendom, iii. 10.)
Scone (pron. Skoon). Edward I. re-
moved to London, and placed in West-
minster Abbey, the great stone upon
which the kings of Scotland were wont
to be crowned. This stone is still pre-
served, and forms the support of Edward
the Confessor's chair, which the British
monarchs occupy at their coronation.
It is said to have been brought from
Ireland by Fergus, son of Eric, who led
the Dalriads to the shores of Argyll-
shire. (See TANIST-STONE.)
“Ni fallat fatum, Scoti, quocumque locatum
Invenient lapidem, reguare tenentur ibidem.”
Lardner, i. p. 67.
TJnless the fates are faithless found
And prophets' Yoice be Vain,
Where'er is placed this stone, e'en there
The Scottish race Shall reign.
Score. A reckoning ; to make a
reckoning ; so called from the custom
of marking off “runs’’ or “lengths,” in
ames by the score feet. (See NURR,
PELL, TALLY.)
Scornful Dogs will eat dirty
Puddings. In emergency men will do
many things they would scorn to do in
easy circumstances. Darius and Alex-
ander will drink dirty water and think
it nectar when distressed with thirst.
Rings and queens, to make good their
escape in times of danger, will put on
the most menial disguise. And hungry
men will not be over particular as to
the food they eat.
“‘All nonsense and pride,' said the laird. . . .
‘Scornful dogs will eat dirty puddings.”—Sir W.
Scott: Redgawmtlet, chap. Xi. -
Scor’pion. It is said that scorpions
have an oil which is a remedy against
their stings. The toad also is said to
have an antidote to its “venom.”
“'Tis true, a scorpion's oil is said
To cure the wounds the venom made,
And weapons dressed with Salves restore
And heal the hurts they gave hefore.”
Butler: Hudibras, iii. 2.
Scor'pions. Whips armed with metal
or knotted cords.
“My father chastised you with whips, but I will
chastise you with Scorpions.”—l Kings xii. 11.
Scot. The same as Scythian in efy-
mology; the root of both is Sct. The
Greeks had no c, and would change t
into th; making the root skth, and by
adding a phonetic vowel we get Skuth-ſti
(Scythians), and Skoth-aī (Scoths). The
Welsh disliked s at the beginning of a
word, and would change it to ys ; they
would also changed c or k to g, and th to
d; whence the Welsh root would be
Ysgd, and Skuth or Skoth would become
ysgod. Once more, the Saxons would
cut off the Welsh y, and change the
g back again to c, and the d to t, con-
verting the Ysgod to Scot.
N.B. Before the third century Scot-
land was called Caledonia or Alban.
Scot-free. Tax-free, without pay-
ment. (See below.)
Scot and Lot. A levy on all sub-
jects according to their ability to pay.
Scot means tribute or tax, and lot means
allotment or portion allotted. To pay
scot and lot, therefore, is to pay the
ordinary tributes and also the personal
tax allotted to you.
Scots Greys. The 2nd Dragoons,
the colour of , whose horses is grey.
(Heavy-armed.)
Scots wha hae. Words by Robert
Burns, to the music of an old Scotch
tune called Hey Tuttie Taittie. The
J.and o’ the Leal is to the Same tune.
Scotch. The people or language of
Scotland.
IHighland Scotch. Scottish Gaelic.
Lowland Scotch. The English dialect
spoken in the lowlands of Scotland.
* Broad Scotch. The official lan-
guage of Scotland in the fifteenth and
sixteenth centuries. Sometimes used in
novels and in verse.
Scotch Breakfast (A). A substan-
tial breakfast of sundry sorts of good
Scotch Mist
1113
Scourge of God
things to eat and drink. The Scotch are
famous for their breakfast-tables and
tea-fights. No people in the world are
more hospitable,
Scotch Mist. A thick fog with
drizzling rain, common in Scotland.
“A Scotch fog will wet an Englishman through.”
A Scotch pint =
—Common Saying.
Scotch Pint (A).
2 English quarts.
Scotch Pound (A) was originally of
the same value as an English pound, but
after 1355 it gradually depreciated, until
in 1600 it was but one-twelfth of the
value of an English pound, that is
about 1s. 8d.
Scotch Shilling = a penny sterling.
The Scotch pound in 1600 was worth
200., and as it was divided into twenty
shillings, it follows that a Scotch shilling
was worth one penny English.
Sco'tia. Now applied poetically to
Scotland, but at one time Ireland was so
called. Hence Claudius Says—
{ { when Scots came thundering from the Irish
And § trembled, struck with hostile oars.”
Scotists. Followers of Duns Scotus,
who maintained the doctrine of the Im-
Inaculate Conception in opposition to
Thomas Aqui'nas.
“Scotists and Thomists now in peace remain.”
Ope: lºssay on Criticism.
Scotland. St. Andrew is the patron
Saint of this country, and tradition says
that the remains of the apostle were
brought by Reg’ulus, a Greek monk, to
the eastern coast of Fife in 368. (See
BULE, St.)
Scotland a fief of England. Edward
I. founded his claim to the lordship of
Scotland on these four grounds :—(1
the ancient chroniclers, who state that
Scotch kings had occasionally paid
homage to the English sovereigns from
time immemorial. Extracts are given
from St. Alban, Marianus Scotus, Ralph
of Diceto, Roger of Hoveden, and Wil-
liam of Malmesbury. (2) From charters
of Scotch kings: as those of Edgar, son
of Malcolm, William, and his son Alex-
ander II. (3) From papal rescripts: as
those of Honorius III., Gregory IX., and
Clement IV. (4) By an extract from
The Life and Miracles of St. John of
Beverley. The tenor of this extract is
quite suited to this Dictionary of Fable:
In the reign of Adelstan the Scots in-
vaded England and committed great
devastation. Adelstan went to drive
them back, and, on reaching the Tyne,
found that the Scotch had retreated.
At midnight St. John of Beverley ap-
peared to him, and bade him cross the
river at daybreak, for he “should dis-
comfit the foe.” Adelstan obeyed the
vision, and reduced the whole kingdom
to subjection. On reaching Dunbar on
his return march, he prayed that some
sign might bevouchsafed to him to satisfy
all ages that “God, by the intercession
of St. John, had given him the kingdom
of Scotland.” Then struck he with his
sword the basaltic rocks near the coast,
and the blade sank into the solid flint
“as if it had been butter,” cleaving it
asunder for “an ell or more,” and the
cleft remains even to the present hour.
Without doubt there is a fissure in the
basalt, and how could it have come there
except in the way recorded above P And
how could a sword cut three feet deep
into a hard rock without miraculous aid P
And what could such a miracle have
been vouchsafed for, except to show that
Adelstan was rightful lord of Scotland?
And if Adelstan was lord, of course Ed-
ward should be so likewise. Q. E. D.
(Rymer: Foºdera, vol. i. pt. ii. p. 771.)
Scotland Yard (London). So called
from a palace built there for the recep-
tion of the kings of Scotland when they
visited England. Pennant tells us it was
originally given by King Edgar to Ken-
neth of Scotland when he came to Lon-
don to pay homage. . . -
Scotland Yard. The headquarte's of
the Metropolitan Police, whence all
public orders to the force proceed.
“Mr. Walpole has only to Speak the word in
Scotland Yard, and the parks will be cleared.”—
Pall Matll Gazette.
Scott. The Walter Scott of Belgium.
Hendrick Conscience. (Born 1812.) -
The Southern Scott. Lord Byron calls
Ariosto the Sir Walter Scott of Italy.
(Childe Harold, iv. 40.)
Scotus (Duns). Died 1309. His
epitaph at Cologne is—
“Scotia me genuit, Anglia me suscepit,
Gallia me docuit, Colonia, me tenet.”
Scourge of Christians. Noured-
din-Mahmūd of Damascus. (1116-1174.)
Scourge of God. (1) Attila, king of
the Huns. A. P. Stanley says the term
was first applied to Attila in the Hungar-
ian Chronicles. In Isidore's Chronicle
the Huns are called Pirga Dei. (*,
434–453.)
(2) Gen'seric, king of the Vandals,
who went about like a destroying angel
“against all those who had, in his
opinion, incurred the wrath of God.”
Scourge of Princés
1114
Screw Plot;
(Probably the word Godegesal (Goth-
gesal, God-given) was purposely twisted
into God-gesil (God’s Scourge) by those
who hated him, because he was an Arian.
God-gesal (or Deoda’tus) was the common
title of the contemporary kings, like our
Dei Gratić. (*, 429–477.)
Scourge of Princes. Pietro Are-
ti'no was so called for his satires. (1492–
1556.)
Scouring. I 'scaped a scouring—a.
disease. Scouring is a sort of flux in
horses and cattle. (Latin, Malum prae-
tervehi ; French, L'échapper belle.)
Scowerers. A set of rakes in the
eightéenth century, who, with the Nic'-
kers and Mohocks, committed great an-
noyances in London and other large
towns.
“whº lº, not heard the Scowerers' midnight
wiłºśnot trembled at the Mohocks' name 2
Was there a Watchman took his hourly rounds,
Safe from their blows and new-invented
Wounds 2 ° Gay: Trivia, iii.
Scrape. I’ve got into a sad Scrape
—a great difficulty. We use rub, Squeeze,
pinch, and scrape to express the same
idea. Thus Shakespeare says, “Ay,
there's the rub” (difficulty); “I have
got into tribulation ” (a Squeeze, from
the Latin trib'ulo, to squeeze); ‘‘ I am
come to a pinch '' (a difficulty). Some
think the word a corrupt contraction of
oscapade, but Robert Chambers thinks it
is borrowed from a term in golf. A rab-
bit's burrow in Scotland, he says, is called
a “scrape,” and if the ball gets into
such a hole it can hardly be played. The
rules of the game allow something to the
player who “gets into a scrape.” (Book
of Days.)
Scrape an Acquaintance (To). The
Gentleman’s Magazine says that Hadrian
went one day to the public baths, and
saw an old soldier, well known to him,
scraping himself with a potsherd for
want of a flesh-brush. The emperor
sent him a sum of money. Next day
FIadrian found the bath crowded with
soldiers scraping themselves with pot-
sherds, and said, “Scrape on, gentlemen,
but you’ll not scrape acquaintance with
me.” (N. S., xxxix. 230.)
Scratch. Old Scratch. Scrat, the
house-demon of the North. (Icelandic,
seratti, an imp.) (See DEUCE, NICK, etc.)
Scratch (A). One who in a race
starts from the scratch, other runners in
the same race being a yard or so in ad-
vance. The scratch runner generally is
one who has already won a similar race.
Coming up to the scratch—up to the
mark; about to do what we want him
to do. In prize-fighting a line is scratched
on the ground, and the toe of the fighter
must come up to the Scratch.
Scratch Cradle. A game played
with a piece of string stretched across the
two hands. The art is so to cross the
thread as to produce a resemblance to
something, and for another so to transfer
it to his own hands as to change the
former figure into some other resem-
blance. A corruption of “cratch cradle”
(the manger cradle), because the first
figure represents a cradle, supposed to
be the cradle of the infant Jesus.
Scratch Crew (A), in a boat-race,
means a random crew ; Inot a regular
crew.
Scratch Eleven (A), or “scratch
team,” in cricket, means eleven men
picked up anyhow ; not a regular team.
Scratch Race (A). A race of horses, .
men, boys, etc., without restrictions as
to age, weight, previous winnings, etc.
Scratched. A horse is said to be
scratched when its name is scratched
out of the list of runners. “Tomboy
was scratched for the Derby at ten a.m.
on Wednesday,” and no bet on that horse
made subsequently would be valid.
Screw (A), meaning a small quantity,
is in allusion to the habit of putting a
small quantity of Small articles into a
“screw of paper.” -
An old screw. One who keeps his
money tight, and doles it out in screws
or small quantities.
To put on the screw. To press for pay-
ment, as a screw presses by gradually-
increasing pressure.
Raised your screw. Raised your.
wages.
“‘Has Tom got his screw raised ?’ said Milton.”
—Truth : Queer Story, 18th February, 1886. -
Screw Loose (A). Something amiss.
The allusion is to joinery kept together,
by screws.
Screw Plot (The). 1708, when Queen
Anne went to St. Paul’s to offer thanks-
givings for the victory of Oudenarde.
The tale is that the plotters took out
certain screw-bolts from the beams of
the cathedral, that the roof mightfall on
the queen and her suite and kill them. . . .
“Some of your Machiavelian crew s
From heavy roof of Paul - 2. '
Most traitorously stole every Screw,
To make that fabric fall ;
And so to catch Her Majesty, * ,
Anāalińºriends begie." . . . . .
plot upon Plot (about 1713),
Screwed
1115
Scutch.'
Screwed. Intoxicated. A playful
synonym of tight, which again is a play-
ful synonym of blown out.
Screwed on Right. His head was
screwed on right. He was clear-headed
and right-thinking.
“His heart was in the right place . . . and his
head was screwed on right, too.”—Bold rewood:
Ičobbery under A7'ms, XV.
Screwed on the wrong way. Crotchety,
ungainly, not right.
Scribe (1 syl.), in the New Testa-
ment, means a doctor of the law. Thus,
in Matthew xxii. 35, we read, “Then one
of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him,
Which is the great commandment of the
law P” Mark (xii. 28) says, “One of
the scribes came and asked Him, Which
is the first commandment of all P”
In the Old Testament the word is used
more widely. Thus Seraiah is called the
scribe (secretary) of David (2 Sam. viii.
17); in the Book of Chronicles “Jael
the scribe’’ was an officer in the king’s
army, who reviewed the troops and
called over the muster-roll. Jonathan,
Baruch, Gemariah, etc., who were
princes, were called scribes. Ezra, how-
ever, called “a ready scribe in the law
of Moses,” accords with the New Testa-
ment usage of the word.
Scrible'rus (Marti'nus). A merciless
satire on the false taste in literature cur-
rent in the time of Pope. Cornelius
Scrible'rus, the father of Martin, was a
pedant, who entertained all sorts of ab-
surdities about the education of his son.
Martin grew up a man of capacity; but
though he had read everything, his judg-
ment was vile and taste atrocious.
Scrim'mage. A tussle ; a slight
battle. From the obsolete scrimer, a
fencer; French, escrimeur, Same root as
escarmouch, our skirmish.
“Prince Ouffur at this skrymage, for all his
Fiel'ſſifrast and Sought no guide.”
MS. Lansdowme, 200, f. 10.
Scripto'res Decem. A collection of
ten ancient chronicles on English his-
tory, edited by Roger Twysden and John
Selden. The ten chroniclers are Simeon
of Durham, John of Hexham, Richard
of Hexham, Ailred of Rieval, Ralph de
Ticeto (Archdeacon of London), John
Brompton of Jorval, Gervase of Canter-
bury, Thomas Stubbs, William Thorn of
Canterbury, and Henry Knighton of
Leicester.
Scripto'res Quinque. A collection
of five chronicles on the early history of
England, edited by Thomas Gale.
Scripto'rés Tres [the three writers].
Meaning Richard of Cirencester, Gildas
Badon'icus, and Nennius of Bangor.
Julius Bertram, professor of English at
Copenhagen, professed to have discovered
the first of these treatises in 1747, in the
royal library of that city. . Its subject is
Le Situ Britannia, and in 1757 he
published it along with the two other
treatises, calling the whole The Three
Writers on the Ancient History of the
J3ritish Nations. Bertram’s forgery was
completely exposed by J. E. Mayor,
in his preface to Ricardi de Cºrencestria
Speculum. Historiale. (See SANCHONI-
ATHO.) -
Scripto'rium. An apartment. in
every abbey where writers transcribed
service-books for the choir and books for
the library. (Warton.)
Scriptures. (See SEVEN BIBLES.)
Scu'damore (Sir). The lover , of .
Am'oret, whom he finally marries.
(Spenser: Faërie Queene, book iii. iv.)
Scudding under Bare Poles. In
seaman’s language to Scud means to
drive before a gale with no sails, or only
just enough to keep the vessel ahead of
the sea; “scudding under bare poles”
is being driven by the wind so violently
that no sail at all is set. Figuratively it
means to cut and run so precipitately as
to leave no trace behind.
Scullabogue Massacre. In the
Irish rebellion of 1798 Scullabogue
House, Wexford, was seized by therebels
and used for a prison. Some thirty or
forty prisoners confined in it were
brought out and shot in cold blood,
when the news of a repulse of the rebels
at New Ross arrived (5th June, ’98).
The barn at the back of the house was
filled with prisoners and set on fire, and
Taylor, in his history, written at the
time and almost on the spot, puts the
number of victims at 184, and he gives
the names of several of them.
Sculls. (See DIAMOND . . .)
Sculpture. Fathers of French Sculp-
łuż'é.
Jean Goujon (1510-1572).
Germain Pilon (1515-1590).
Scutch. The scrapings of hides;
also refuse of flax. (English, Scotch, to
cut; Saxon, sceadan.) We have the
word in the expression, “You have
scotched the snake, not killed it.”
“About half a mile from the southern outfalli
are two manufactories, where the refuse from the
London tanneries, known as Scutch, is operated
upon.”—The Times. - - - -
Scuttle
1116
Sea, Deities
Scuttle. To scuttle a ship is to bore
a hole in it in order to make it sink.
Rather strangely, this word is from the
same root as our word shut or bolt (Saxon
scyttel, a lock, bolt, or bar). It was first
applied to a hole in a roof with a door or
lid, then to a hatchway in the deck of a
ship with a lid, then to a hole in the
bottom of a ship plugged up ; then comes
the verb to pull out the plug, and leave
the hole for the admission of water.
Scuttle (of coals, etc.) is the Anglo-
Saxon, scutel, a basket.
“The Bergen [Norway] fishwomen . . . in every
direction are coming . . . with their scuttles
swinging on their arms. In Bergen fish is never
carried in any other way.” — H. H. Jackson :
Glimpses of Three Coasts, pt. iii. p. 235.
Scuttle Out (To). To sneak off
Quickly, to skedaddle, to cut and run.
Anglo-Saxon sceotan, to flee precipi-
tately ; Scitel, an arrow ; sceota, a dart-
ing fish, like the trout ; Scot, an arrow,
etc. -
Scylla, daughter of Nisus, promised
to deliver Meg'ara into the hands of
Minos. To redeem this promise she had
to cut off a golden hair on her father's
head, which she effected while he was
asleep. , Minos, her lover, despised her
for this treachery, and Scylla threw her-
self from a rock into the sea. At death
she was changed into a lark, and Nisus
into a hawk. Scylla turned into a rock
by Circe “has no connection” with
the daughter of Nisus.
“Think of Scylla's fate.
Changed to a bird, and Sent to fly in air,
She dearly pays for Nisus’ injured hair.” ...
Pope : IRape of the Lock, iii.
Scylla. Glaucus, a fisherman, was in
love with Scylla ; , but Circé, out of
jealousy, changed her into a hideous
monster, and set dogs and wolves to bark
round her incessantly. On this Scylla.
threw herself into the sea and became a
rock. It is said that the rock Scylla.
somewhat resembles a woman at a dis-
tance, and the noise of the waves dashing
against it is not unlike the barking of
dogs and wolves.
“Glaucus, 1ost to joy,
Curst in his love by vengeful Circé's hate,
Attending wept his Scylla's hapless fate.” .
Camoems: Lu Siad, bk. Vi.
Avoiding Scylla, he fell into Charybdis.
Trying to avoid one error, he fell into
another; or, trying to avoid one danger,
he fell into another equally fatal. Scylla
and Charybdis are two rocks between
Italy and Sicily. In one was a cave
where “Scylla dwelt,” and on the other
Charybdis dwelt under a fig-tree. Ships
which tried to avoid one were often
wrecked on the other rock. It was Circe
who changed Scylla into a frightful sea-
monster, and Jupiter who changed Cha-
rybdis into a whirlpool.
“When I shun Scylla, your father, I fall into
Charybdis your mother.”—Shakespectre: Merchſtºut
of Venice, iii. 5. -
JBetween Seylla and Charybdis. Be-
tween two difficulties or fatal works.
To fall from Scylla into Charybdis—out
of the frying-pan into the fire.
Scythian or Tartarian Lamb (The).
Agnus Scythicus, a kind of fern, called
the borametz, or polypodium of Cayenne.
It is said to resemble a lamb, and even
in some cases to be mistaken for One.
Scythian Defiance. When Darius
approached Scythia, an ambassador was
sent to his tent with a bird, a frog, a
mouse, and five arrows, then left without
uttering a word. Darius, wondering
what was meant, was told by Gobrias it
meant this: Either fly away like a bird,
and hide your head in a hole like a
mouse, or swim across the river, or in
five days.you will be laid prostrate by
the Scythian arrows.
Sea. Any large collection of water,
more or less enclosed; hence the expres-
sion “molten sea,” meaning the great
Drazen vessel which stood in Solomon’s
temple (2 Chronicles iv. 5, and 1 Kings
vii. 26). We have also the Mediter-
ranean Sea, the Black Sea, the White
Sea, the Red Sea, the Sea of Galilee, the
Dead Sea, etc.; and even the Nile, the
Euphrates, and the Tigris are some-
times called seas by the prophets. The
world of water is the ocean. (Anglo-
Saxon, Sae.)
The Old Man of the sea (Arabian
Nights). A creature encountered by
Sinbad the Sailor in his fifth voyage.
This terrible Old Man contrived to get
on the back of Sinbad, and would
neither dismount again nor could he
be shaken off. At last Sinbad gave
him some wine to drink, which so in-
toxicated him that he relaxed his grip,
and Sinbad made his escape.
At Sea. Quite at Sea. Wide of the
mark; quite wrong ; like a person in
the open ocean without compass or chart.
Sea-blue Bird of March (The).
The wheatear, not the kingfisher.
Sea Deities.
Amphitrite (4 syl.). Wife of Posei-
don (3 syl.), queen goddess of the Sea.
N.B. Neptune had no wife.
Doto, a sea-nymph, mentioned by
Virgil.
Galatéa, a daughter of Nereus.
Sea-girt Isle
1117
Sebastian
Glaucus, a fisherman of Boeotia, after-
wards a marine deity.
Ino, who threw herself from a rock
into the sea, and was made a sea-
goddess. -
Neptune (2 syl.), king of the ocean.
The Neréids (3 syl.) or Neréides (4
syl.), fifty in number. e &
Néreus (2 syl.) and his wife Doris.
Their palace was at the bottom of the
Mediterranean Sea. His hair was sea-
weeds. -
Oceanos and his wife Tethys. Oceanos
was not god of the Sea, but of the
ocean, supposed to form a boundary
round the world. -
Oceanides (5 Syl.).
Oceanos.
Palémon, the Greek Portumnus.
Portumnus, the protector of harbours.
Poseidon (3 syl.), the Greek Neptune.
Proteus (2 syl.), who assumed every
variety of shape. -
Sirens (The).
charmed by Song. -
Tethys, wife of Oceanos, and daughter
of Uranus and Terra.
Thetis, a daughter of Nereus and
mother of Achillès.
Triton, son of Poseidon (3 syl.).
* The Naiads or Naiãdes (3 syl.) were
*iver nymphs.
Sea-girt Isle. England. So called be-
cause, as Shakespeare has it, it is ‘‘hedged
in with the main, that water-wallêd bul-
wark’’ (Iſing John, ii. 1).
“This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the Office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands.”
Shakespeare: King Richard II., ii. 1.
Sea-green Incorruptible (The). So
Carlyle called Robespierre in his French
JRevolution?.
“The song is a short one, and may perhaps
serve to qualify our judgment of the sea-green
Daughters of
Sea nymphs who
incorruptible.’” — Notes and Queries, September
19th, 1891, p. 226.
Sea Legs. He has got his sea legs.
Is able to walk on deck when the ship
is rolling; able to bear the motion of the
ship without sea-sickness. -
Sea Serpent. Pontoppidan, in his
Matural History of Norway, speaks of
sea serpents 600 feet long. The great
sea serpent was said to have been seen
off the coast of Norway in 1819, 1822,
1837. Hans Egede affirms that it was
seen on the coast of Greenland in 1734.
In 1815, 1817, 1819, 1833, and in 1869, it
made its appearance near Boston. In
1841 it was “seen º’ by the crew of Her
Majesty's frigate Daedalus, in the South
Atlantic Ocean. In 1875 it was seen
by the crew of the barque Pauline.
Girth, nine feet. .
Seaboard. That part of a country
which borders on the sea ; the coast-line.
It should be seabord. (French, bord,
the edge.) -
Seal. The sire is called a bul, its
females are cows, the offspring are
called pups; the breeding-place is called
a rookery, a group of young Seals is
called a pod. The male seal till it is,
full grown is called a bachelor. A
colony of seals is called a herd. A
sealer is a seal-hunter, seal-hunting is
called sealing, and the seal trade sealery.
Seamy Side (The). The “wrong’”
or worst side ; as, the “seamy side of
Australia,” “the seamy side of life.”
Thus, in velvet, in Brussels carpets, in
tapestry, etc., the “wrong” side shows
the seams or threads of the pattern ex-
hibited on the right side.
“You see the seamy side of human nature in its
most seamy attire.”—Review of R. Buchahan's platy
Alome in London, November, 1885. e
“My present purpose is to call attention, to the
seamy side of the Australian colonies. . There is,
as we know, such a thing as cotton-backed Satin ;
but the colonists take care, to show us only the
face of the goods.”—Nineteenth C677twry, April,
I891, p. 524.
Seasons (The). In art. The four
seasons have often been Sculptured or
painted by artists: -
Poussin drew his symbolic characters
from the Old Testament. Thus, Adam
and Eve in Paradise represent Spring ;
Ruth in the cornfields represents Sum-
mer; Joshua and Caleb bringing grapes
from the Land of Promise represent
Autumn ; and the IXeluge represents
Winter.
The Ancient Greeks characterised
Spring by Mercury, Summer by Apollo,
Autumn by Bacchus, and Winter by
|Hercules. -
M. Girondet painted for the King of
Spain four pictures, with allegoric cha-
racter, from the Herculaneum.
Seba'ra'im (4 syl.). Rabbis who
lived after the Talmud was finished, and
gave their judgment on traditionary
difficulties (Al derek Sebaroth, “by way
of opinion ”). (Buactorf.)
Sebastian (St.). Patron Saint of
archers, because he was bound to a tree
and shot at with arrows. As the arrows
stuck in his body, thick as pins in a
pin-cushion, he was also made patron
saint of pin-makers. And as he was a
centurion, he is patron Saint of Soldiers.
The English St. Sebastian. St. Ed-
mund, the martyr-king of East Anglia.
Sebastianistes
1118
Seian Horse
He gave himself up to his enemies under
the hope of Saving his people by this
sacrifice. The Danes first scourged him
with rods, and then, binding him to a
tree, shot arrows at him, and finally cut
off his head. A legend tells how a wolf
guarded the head till it was duly in-
terred. The monastery and cathedral
of St. Edmundsbury were erected on the
place of his martyrdom.
Sebas' tianistes. Persons who be-
lieve that Dom Sebastian, who fell in
the battle of Alcazarquebir in 1578, will
return to earth, when Brazil will be-,
come the chief kingdom of the earth.
* A similar tradition is attached to
several other names.
Second. (See Two.)
Second-hand. Not new or original;
what has already been the property of
another; as, “second-hand books,”
“second-hand clothes,” etc.
Seeond Sight. The power of seeing
things invisible to others; the power of
foreseeing future events by means of
shadows thrown before them. Many
Highlanders claim this power, which
the ancient Gaels called shadow-sight
(£aischițăraugh).
“Nor less availed his optic sleight,
And Scottish gift of second sight.”
- T'n'ttºmbull.
Second Wind (The), in running. All
animals soon after the start get out of
breath, but as the body becomes heated,
breathing becomes more easy, and en-
dures till fatigue produces exhaustion ;
this is called the second wind.
'. “That mysterious physical readjustment, known
in animals as ‘second breath,’ came to the rescue
Of his fainting frame.”—The Barton. Eacperiment,
chap. X.
Second of Time (A). The sixtieth
part of an hour was called by the Romans
Scrºpäliſm, and the sixtieth part of a
minute was scrupižlum Secundum.
Sec'ondary Colours. (See Mºnder
CoLOURS.)
Secret de Polichinelle (Le). No
secret at all. A secret known to all
the world ; old news. We have also
“Hawker’s News,” “Piper’s News.”
The secrets of Polichinelle are “stage
whispers” told to all the audience.
“Entre nous, c'est qu'on appelle
* Le Secret de polichinelle.” * *
Ja, Mascotte, ii. 12.
Šecular Clergy (The). The parish
clergy who live in the world, in contra-
distinction to monks, who live in monas-
teries, etc., out of the world. (Latin,
seculéris.)
Sec'ular Games. Those held by the
Romans only once in a century. While
the kings reigned they were held in the
Campus Martius, in honour of Pluto
and Proserpine, and were instituted in
obedience to the Sibylline verses, with
the promise that “the empire should
remain in Safety so long as this ad-
monition was observed.”
“Daté, quae procânnur
Temp’ore Sacro
Quo Sibyllini monuère wersus.”
Horace: Carmen Seculare, A.U.C.,737. I
Sedan Chairs. So called from sedes
(Latin, “a seat”). Their introduction
into England is by Hume (vol. iv. 505)
erroneously attributed to the Duke of
Buckingham, who, it is said, gave great
offence by employing men as beasts of
burden. Sir S. Duncombe used one in
1634, when Buckingham was a boy, and
we find it spoken of as far back as 1581.
It was introduced into France (in 1617)
by the Marquis de Montbrun, and called
chaise & porteurs.
* It is generally said that these chairs
were first made at Sedan, on the Meuse ;
but this is not at all probable, as, without
doubt, the invention was introduced into
France from England.
Sedrat. The lotus-tree which stands
on the right-hand side of the invisible
throne of Allah. Its branches extend
wider than the distance between heaven
and earth. Its leaves resemble the ears
of an elephant. Each seed of its fruit
encloses a houri; and two rivers issue
from its roots. Numberless birds sing
among its branches, and numberless
angels rest beneath its shade.
See'dy. Weary, worn out, out of
sorts; run to seed. A hat or coat is
termed seedy when it has become shabby.
A man is seedy after a debauch, when
he looks and feels out of sorts.
Seel. To close the eyelids of a hawk
by running a thread through them; to
hoodwink. (French, ciller, cil, the eye-
lash.)
“She that so young could give out such a seem-
TO ºff her father's eyes up, close as Oak.”.
Shalcespeare : Othello, iii. 3.
See’murgh. The wonderful bird that
could speak all the languages of the
world, and whose knowledge embraced
past, present, and future events. (Per-
sian mythology.)
Seian Horse (The). A possession
which invariably brought ill luck with
it. Hence the Latin proverb “Ille homo
habet equwin Seianum.” Cneius Seius
had an Argive horse, of the breed of
Seidlitz Water
1119
Selling the Pass
Diomed, of a bay colour and surpassing
beauty, but it was fatal to its possessor.
Seius was put to death by Mark Antony.
Its next owner, Cornelius Dolabella,
who bought it for 100,000 sesterces, was
killed in Syria during the civil wars.
Caius Cassius, who next took possession
of it, perished after the battle of Philippi
by the very sword which stabbed Caesar.
Antony had the horse next, and after
the battle of Actium slew himself.
Like the gold of Tolosa and Her-
mione's necklace, the Seian or Sejan
horse was a fatal possession.
Seidlitz water. Natural mineral
water from a spring in the village of
Seidlitz, in Bohemia. (See SEITZER.)
Seiks (pron. Seeks). A religious sect
in Hindustan, founded in 1500. They
rofess the purest Deism, and are dis-
tinguished from the Hindus by worship-
ping one invisible god. The word means
lion, and was applied to them on ac-
count of their heroic resistance to the
Moslem. Ultimately they subdued La-
hore, and established a military common-
wealth in the Punjab, etc. -
* In 1849 the Punjab was annexed
to the British empire. -
Selah, in the Psalms. Mattheson,
the musical critic, says the word is
equivalent to da capo, and is a direction
to the choir to repeat the psalm down to
the part thus indicated.
Sela'ma or Sele'meh. The headland
of the Persian Gulf, commonly called
Cape Musseldom. The Indians throw
cocoanuts, fruits, and flowers into the
sea when they pass this cape, to secure
a propitious voyage. (Morier.)
“ Breezes from the Indian Sea,
Blow round Selama's Sainted’ cape.”
Moore : Fire iWorshippers.
Seie'né. The moon-goddess; some-
times, but improperly, called Diana, as
Diana is always called the chaste hunt-
ress; but Selene had fifty daughters by
Endymion, and several by Zeus, one of
whom was called “The Dew'' (Erse).
Diana is represented with bow and
arrow running after the stag ; but
Selene is represented in a chariot drawn
by two white horses; she has wings
on her shoulders and a sceptre in her
hand.
eleu'cidae. The dynasty of Seleu-
cus. Seleucus succeeded to a part of
Alexander's vast empire. The mon-
archy consisted of Syria, a part of Asia.
Minor, and all the eastern provinces.
Se'lim. Son of Abdallah and cousin
of Zuleika (3 syl.). When Giaffir (2 syl.)
murdered Abdallah, he took Selim and
brought him up, as his own son. The
young man fell in love with Zuleika,
who thought he was her brother ; but
when she discovered he was Abdallah’s
son, she promised to be his bride, and
eloped with him. As soon as Giaffir
discovered this he went after the fugi-
tives, and shot Selim. Zuleika, killed
herself, and the old pacha was left child-
less. The character of Selim is bold,
enterprising, and truthful. (Byron
Bride of Abydos.)
Se'lim (son of Akbar). The name of
Jehanguire, before his accession to the
throne. He married Nourmahal' (the
Light of the Harem). (See Nou RMAHAL).
Sel'juks. A Perso-Turkish dynasty
which gave eleven kings and lasted 138
years (1056–1194). It was founded by
Togrul Beg, a descendant of Seljuk,
chief of a small tribe which gained
possession of Boka'ra.
Sell. A saddle. “Vaulting ambition
. . . o'erleaps its sell’’ (Macbeth, i. 7).
(Latin, sella ; French, selle.) Window
sill is the Anglo-Saxon Syl (a basement).
“He left his loftie stced with golden sell.”
Spemsch'. Faërie Queene, ii. 2.
Sell, sold. Made a captive, as a pur-
chased slave. St. Paul says he was
“sold under sin” (Rom. vii. 14). (Anglo-
Saxon, Sell-am, to give.)
A sell. A “do,” a deception, a “take-
in.” Street vendors who take in the
unwary with catchpennies, chuckle like
hens when they have laid an egg, “Sold
again, and got the money !”
Selling Race (A), in which horses to
be sold are run. These horses must have
the sale price ticketed. The winner is
generally sold by auction, and the owner
gets both the selling price and the
stakes. If at the auction a price is ob-
tained above the ticketed price it is
divided between the second-best horse
and the race-fund. (See HANDICAP,
SweFPSTAKES, PLATE, WEIGHT-FOR-AGE
EACE.)
The owner of any of the Dorses may claim any
luorse in a selling race at the price ticketed.
Selling the Pass. This is a phrase,
very general in all Ireland, applied to
those who turn queen’s or king’s evi-
dence, or who impeach their comrades
for money. The tradition is that a regi-
ment of soldiers was sent by Crotha,
“lord of Atha,” to hold a pass against
the invading army of Trathal, “Ring of
Cael.” The pass was betrayed for
Seltzer Water
1120
Seraphim
money. The Fir-bolgs being subdued,
Trathal assumed the title of “ King of
Ireland.” -
Selt'zer Water. A corruption of
Selters Water ; so called from the Lower
Selters, near Limburg (Nassau).
Semir'amis of the North. Mar-
aret of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
(1353-1412.)
Catherine II. of Russia (1729-1796).
Sena'nus (St.) fled to the island of
Scattery, and resolved that no female
form should ever step upon it. An angel
led St. Can'ara to the island, but the
recluse refused to admit her. Tom
Moore has a poem on this legend, St.
Senanus and the Lady. (Irish Melodies,
No. 1. (See KEVIN.)
Sen'eca. The Christian? Sen'eca.
Bishop Hall of Norwich. (1574-1656.)
Senior Op'time (3 syl.) A Cam-
bridge University expression meaning
one of the second-class in the mathe-
matical tripos. The first class consists
of Wranglers.
. ... In the University of Cambridge every branch
is divided into three classes, and the three classes
are called a tripos. In the mathematical tripos,
those of the first class are called wranglers, those
of the second class are senior optimes (3 Syl.), and
those of the third class junior optimes. Law,
classical, and other triposes have no distinctiyé
names, but are called Class I., II., or III. of the
l'éSpective tril)0S.
Sennac herib, whose army was de-
stroyed by the Angel of Death, is by
the Orientals called King Moussal,
(D’IIerbelot, notes to the Koran.)
Se’nnight. A week; seven nights.
Port’night, fourteen nights. These words
are relics of the ancient Celtic custom of
beginning the day at Sunset, a custom
observed by the ancient Greeks, Baby-
lonians, Persians, Syrians, and Jews,
and by the modern representatives of
these people. In Gen. i. we always find
the evening precedes the morning ; as,
“The evening and the morning were the
first day,” etc.
Sen'tences (3 Syl.). The four books
of Sentences, by Pierre Lombard, the
foundation of scholastic theology of the
middle period. (See SCHOOLMEN.)
Master of the Sentences. Pierre Lom-
bard, schoolman. (Died 1164.)
Sen'tinel. Archd. Smith says, “It is
one set to watch the sentina (Lat.) or
hold of a ship,” but the Fr. Sentier, a
path or “beat,” is far more probable.
(French, sentinelle ; Italian, sentinella: ;
the French sentier is from the Latin
Semita.)
Sepoy. The Indian soldier is so
called, says Bishop Heber, from sip, a
bow, their principal weapon in olden
times. (Sipahi, a soldier.) .
Sept. A clan (Latin, septum, a fold),
all the cattle, or all the voters, in a given
enclosure.
September Massacres. An indis-
criminate slaughter of Loyalists confined
at the time in the Abbaye and other
French prisons. Danton gave order for
this onslaught after the capture of
Verdun by the allied Prussian army. It
lasted the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of Septem-
ber, , 1792. As many as 8,000 persons
fell in this massacre, among whom was
the Princess de Lamballe.
Septuages'ima Sunday. In round
numbers, seventy days before Easter.
The third Sunday before Lent. Really
only sixty-eight days before Easter.
Sep'tuagint. A Greek version of the
Old Testament, so called because it was
made, in round numbers, by seventy
Jews; more correctly speaking, by
seventy-two. Dr. Campbell disapproves
of this derivation, and says it was so
called because it was sanctioned and
authorised by the Jewish San'hedrim or
great council, which consisted of seventy
members besides the high priest. This
derivation falls in better with the modern
notion that the version was made at
different times by different translators
between B.C. 270 and 130. (Latin, sep-
tºtaginta, seventy.)
‘." The Septuagint contains the Apocrypha.
According to legend, the Septuagint was made
at Alexandria by Seventy-two Jews in seventy-
two dayS.
Seraglio. The palace of the Turkish
Sultan, situated in the Golden Horn, and
enclosed by walls seven miles and a half
in circuit. The chief entrance is the
Sublime Gate; and the chief of the large
edifices is the Harem, or “sacred spot,”
which contains numerous houses, one for
each of the Sultan’s wives, and others
for his concubines. The black eunuchs
form the inner guard, and the white
eunuchs the second guard. The Seraglio
may be visited by Strangers; not so the
Pſarem.
Ser'aphim. An order of angels dis-
tinguished for fervent zeal and religious
ardour. The word means “to burn.”
(See Isaiah vi. 2.)
$$. Thº celestial ardours [seraphs] where he
veiß “With his gorgeous wings, up springing
1ght,
Flew through the midst of heaven... . . -
Milton 1'47-4disé L08t, W. 249,
Serapis
II.2.1
Serpent
Sera'pis. The Ptolemaic form of the
Egyptian Osi'ris. The word is a cor-
ruption of oso)"apis (dead apis, or rather
“osirified apis'’), a deity which had so
many things in common with , Osiris
that it is not at all easy to distinguish
them.
Serapis. Symbol of the Nile and of
fertility.
Serat (Al). The ordeal bridge over
which everyone will have to pass at the
resurrection. It is not wider than the
edge of a scimitar, and is thrown across
the gulf of hell. The faithful, says the
Roran, will pass over in safety, but
sinners will fall headlong into the dreary
realm beneath.
Serbo'nian Bog or Serbo'nis. A
mess from which there is no way of ex-
tricating oneself. The Serbonian bog
was between Egypt and Palestine.
Strabo calls it a lake, and says it was
200 stadia long, and 50 broad; Pliny
makes it 150 miles in length. Hume
says that whole armies have been lost
therein. Typhon lay at the bottom of
this bog, which was therefore called
Typhon’s Breathing Hole. It received
its name from Sebaket-Bardoil, a king
of Jerusalem, who died there on his
return from an expedition into Egypt.
“Now, sir, I must say I know of no Serbonian
bog deeper than a £5 rating would prove to be.”—
ſº Disraeli (Chanc. of the Ea:ch.), Times, March 19,
6
“A gulf profound as that Serbonian bog,
Betwixt Damiata and Mount Cassius old,
Where armies whole have sunk.” • *
Milton : Paradise Lost, ii. 592.
Sereme'nes (4 syl.). Brother-in-law
of King Sardanapalus, to whom he en-
trusts his signet-ring to put down a
rebellion headed by Arba'ces the Mede
and Bel'esis, the Chaldean soothsayer.
IHe is slain in a battle with the insur-
gents. (Byron : Sardanapalus.)
Serena'de (3 Syl.). Music performed
in the Serene—i.e. in the open air at
eventide (Latin, sere'num, whence the
French Sérénade and Italian serenata).
“Or Serenate Whiºthe Starved lover sings
To his proud fai
Milton : Paradise Lost, iii. 769.
Sere'ne (2 Syl.). A title given to
certain German princes. Those princes
who used to hold under the empire were
entitled Serene or Most Serene High-
726SS6S.
It’s all Sereme. ... All right (Spanish,
Sere'??0, “all right '’—the sentinel’s coun-
tersign). Seremo, the night-watch.
“‘Let us clearly understand each other.” “All
serene, responded. Foster.”—Watson: The Web of
the Spider, chal), Wiii. -
Serif and Sanserif. The former is
a letter in typography with the “wings”
or finishing-strokes (as T); the latter is
without the finishing-strokes (as T).
Serjeants-at-Law. French, frères-
sejens, a corruption of fratres-servientes
of the Templars. -
Sermon Lane (Doctors Commons,
London). A corruption of Shere-moniers
Lane (the lane of the money-shearers or
clippers, whose office it was to cut and
round the metal to be stamped into
money). The Mint was in the streeſ
now called Old Change. (Maitland:
London, ii. 880.)
Serpent. An attribute of St. Cecilia,
St. Euphemia, and many other saints,
either because they trampled on Satan,
or because they miraculously cleared
some country of such reptiles. (See
DAGON.)
Serpent, in Christian art, figures in
Paradise as the tempter. -
The brazen Serpent gave newness of
life to those who were bitten by the fiery
dragons and raised their eyes to this
symbol. (Numb. xxi. 8.)
It is generally placed under the feet
of the Virgin, in allusion to the promise
made to Eve after the fall. (Gen. iii. 15.)
Satan is called the great serpent
because under the form of a serpent
he tempted Eve. (Rev. xii. 9.)
* It is rather strange that, in Hindu
mythology, hell is called Narac (the
region of serpents). (Sir W. Jones.)
Serpent metamorphoses. Cadmos and
his wife Harmonia were by Zeus con-
verted into serpents and removed to
Elysium. Escula'pius, god of Epidau’-
ros, assumed the form of a serpent when
he appeared at Rome during a pesti-
lence. Therefore is it that the goddess
of Health bears in her hand a serpent.
“O wave, Hygeia, o'er Britannia's throne
Thy Serpent-wand, and mark it for thine own.”
Darwin : Economy of Vegetation, iv.
Jupiter Ammon appeared to Olym'-
pia in the form of a serpent, and became
the father of Alexander the Great.
“When glides a silver serpent, treacherous guest
And fair Olympia folds him to her breast.”
Darwin. : Economy of Vegetation, i. 2.
Jupiter Capitoli'nus, in a similar form,
became the father of Scipio Africanus.
The serpent is emblematical—
(1) Of wisdom. “Be ye therefore
wise as serpents, and harmless as doves”
(Matt. x. 16).
(2) Of Subtilty. “Now the serpent
was more subtil than any beast of the
field” (Gen. iii. 1).
71.
Serpent
II22
Set Off
It is said that the ceras/tes hides in
sand that it may bite the horse's foot
and get the rider thrown. In allusion
to this belief, Jacob says, “Dan shall be
. . . an adder in the path, that biteth
the horse’s heels, so that his rider shall
fall backward” (Gen. xlix. 17).
It is said that serpents, when attacked,
swallow their young, and eject them
again on reaching a place of Safety.
Thomas Lodge says that people called
Sauveurs have St. Catherine’s wheel in
the palate of their mouths, and therefore
can heal the sting of serpents.
The Bible also tells us that it stops
up its ears that it may not be charmed
by the charmer. (Ps. lviii. 4.)
The serpent is symbolical—
(I) Of deity, because, says Plutarch,
“it feeds upon its own body; even so
all things spring from God, and will be
resolved into deity again.” (De Iside et
Osiride, i. 2, p. 5; and Philo Byblius.)
(2) Of eternity, as a corollary of the
former. It is represented as forming a
circle and holding its tail in its mouth.
(3) Of renovation. It is said that the
serpent, when it is old, has the power of
growing young again “like the eagle,”
by casting its slough, which is done by
squeezing itself between two rocks.
(4) Of guardian spirits. It was thus
employed by the ancient Greeks and
Bomans, and not unfrequently the figure
of a serpent was depicted on their altars.
In the temple of Athen'a at Athens, a
serpent was kept in a cage, and called
“the Guardian Spirit of the Temple.”
This serpent was supposed to be ani-
mated by the soul of Erictho'nius.
To cherish a serpent in your bosom. To
show kindness to one who proves un-
grateful. The Greeks say that a hus-
bandman found a Serpent’s egg, which
he put into his bosom. The egg was
hatched by the warmth, and the young
serpent stung its benefactor.
“Therefore think him as a serpent’s egg
Which, hatched, would (as his kind) grow dan-
gerous.” Shakespewre: Julius Caesar, ii. 1.
Their ears have been serpent-licked.
They have the gift of foreseeing events,
the power of seeing into futurity. This
is a Greek superstition. It is said that
Cassandra and Hel’enus were gifted
with the power of prophecy, because
serpents licked their ears while sleeping
in the temple of Apollo.
The seed of the woman shall bruise the
serpent’s head (Gen. iii. 15). The ser-
pent bruised the heel of man; but
Christ, the “seed of the woman,”
bruised the serpent’s head.
Serpent’s food. Fennel is said to be
the favourite food of serpents, with the
juice of which it restores its sight when
dim.
Serpents. Brazilian wood is a panacea
against the bite of serpents. . The
Countess of Salisbury, in the reign of
James I., had a bedstead made of this
wood, and on it is the legend of “Homi
Soit qui mal y pense.”
Serpentine Verses. Such as end
with the same word as they begin with.
The following are examples:—
“Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia
Crescit.”
(Greater grows the love of belf, as polf itself
grOWS greater.) *
“Ambo fiorentes astatibus, Arcades ambo.”
(Both in the spring of life, Arcadians both.)
Serrapur'da. High screens of rep
cloth, stiffened with cane, used to en-
close a considerable space round the
royal tent of the Persian army.
Servant (Faithful). (See ADAM.)
Serve. I’ll serve him out—give him
a quid pro quo. This is the French des-
server, to do an ill turn to one.
To serve a rope. To roll something
upon it to prevent it from being fretted.
The “service’’ or material employed is
spun yarn, Small lines, Sennit, ropes, old
leather, or canvas.
Servus Servo'rum (Latin). The
slave of slaves, the drudge of a servant.
The style adopted by the Roman pon-
tiffs ever since the time of Gregory the
Great is Servus Servorum Dei.
“Alexander episcopus, Servus Sorvorum Dei,
Karissimo filio Willielmo Salutem.”— Rymer:
Foedera, i. p. 1.
Ses'ame (3 syl.). Oily grain of the
natural order Pedalia'ceae, originally
from India. In Egypt they eat sesame
cakes, and the Jews frequently add the
seed to their bread. The cakes made of
sesame oil, mixed with honey and pre-
served citron, are considered an Oriental
luxury; sesame is excellent also for
puddings. (See OPEN SESAME.)
“Among the numerous objects . . . was a black
horse. . . . On one side Of its manger there Was
clean barley and sesame, and the other. Was filled
yº rose-water.”—Arabian Nights (Third Cutlem-
Se'sha. King of the Serpent race, on
which Wishnu reclines on the primeval
waters. It has a thousand heads, on One
of which the world rests. The coiled-up
sesha is the emblem of eternity. (Hºdº
mythology.)
Set Off (A). A commercial expres-
sion. The credits are set off against the
debits, and the balance struck,
Set-to
1123
Seven Champions
Set off to advantage. A term used by
jewellers, who set off precious stones by
appropriate “settings.”
Set Scene. In theatrical parlance,
a scene built up by the stage carpenters,
or a furnished interior, as a drawing-
room, as distinguished from an ordinary
or shifting scene.
Set-to (A). A boxing match, a
pugilistic fight, a scolding. In pugilism
the combatants are by their seconds
“set to the scratch '' or line marked on
the ground.
Set'ebcs. A deity of the Patago-
nians, introduced by Shakespeare into
his Tempest.
“His art is of such power,
It would control my dam's god, Seteiros,
And make a vassal of lituſ.” Tempest, i. 3.
Seth'ites (2 syl.). A sect of the
second century, who maintained that
the Messiah was Seth, son of Adam.
Setting a Hen. Giving her a certain
number of eggs to hatch. The whole
number for incubation is called a setting.
Setting a Saw. Bending the teeth
alternately to the right or left in Order
to make it work more easily.
Setting of a Jewel. The frame of
gold or silver surrounding a jewel in a
ring, brooch, etc.
“This precious stone set in the silver sea.”
Shakespeare : Iti chard II., ii. 1.
Setting of Plaster or Paint. Its
hardening.
Setting of Sun, Moon, and Stars.
Their sinking below the horizon,
Setting the Thames on Fire. (See
THAMES.)
Settle your Hash (To). “To cook
his goose; ” or “make mince-meat of
him.” Our slang is full of similar
phrases.
“About earls as goes n'ad in ther castles,
And fellmales what Settles their hash.”
Sims: Dagonet Ballads (Polly).
Seven (Greek, hepta ; Latin, Septem ;
German, sieben, Anglo-Saxon, Seofan ;
etc.). A holy number. There are seven
days in creation, seven spirits before the
throne of God, seven days in the week,
seven graces, seven divisions in the
Lord's Prayer, seven ages in the life of
man, and the just fall “seven times a
day.” There are seven phases of the
moon, every seventh year was sabbat-
ical, and seven times seven years was the
jubilee. The three great Jewish feasts
lasted seven days, and between the first
and second of these feasts were seven
weeks. Levitical purifications lasted
seven days. We have seven churches
of Asia, seven candlestiçks, seven stars,
seven trumpets, seven spirits before the
throne of God, seven horns, the Lamb
has seven eyes, ten times seven Israelites
go to Egypt, the exile lasts the same
number of years, and there were ten
times seven elders. Pharaoh in his
dream saw seven kine and seven ears of
corn, etc.
It is frequently used indefinitely to
signify a long time, or a great many :
thus in the Interlude of the Four Ele-
ments, the dance of Apetyte is called
the best “that I have seen this seven
yere.” Shakespeare talks of a man
being “a vile thief this seven year.”
Seven Bibles (The) or Sacred Books.
(1) The Bible of Christians. (Canon
completed A.D. 494; Old Testament as
we have it, B.C. 130.)
(2) The Eddas of the Scandinavians.
(3) The Five Kings of the Chinese.
“Ring ” here means web-of-cloth on
which they were originally written.
(4) The Koran of the Mohammedans.
(Seventh century, A.D.)
(5) The Tri Pitikes of the Buddhists.
(Sixth century B.C.)
(6) The Three Vedas of the Hindús.
(Twelfth century B.C.)
(7) Zendavestà of the Persians. (Twelfth
century B.C.) -
Seven Bodies in Alchemy. Sun is
gold, moon silver, Mars iron, Mercury
quicksilver, Saturn lead, Jupiter tin,
and Venus copper.
“The bodies seven, eek, lo hem heer anoon ;
Sol gold is, and Luna silver, we threlle,
Mars yren, Mercurie quyksilver we clepe;
Saturnus leed, and Jubitur is tyn ;
And Venus coper, by my fader kyn.”
Chaucer: I’rol. of the Chantoumes Yeºmanes Tale.
Seven Champions of Christendorm
is by Richard Johnson, who lived in the
reigns of Elizabeth and James I.
(1) St. George of England was seven
years imprisoned by the Almi'dor, the
black King of Morocco.
(2) St. Denys of France lived seven
years in the form of a hart. -
(3) St. James of Spain was seven years
dumb out of love to a fair Jewess. -
. (4) St. Anthony of Italy, with the
other champions, was enchanted into a
deep sleep in the Black Castle, and was
released by St. George's three sons, who
quenched the seven lamps by water from
the enchanted fountain.
(5) St. Andrew of Scotland, who de-
livered six ladies who had lived seven
years under the form of white swans.
Seven Churches
1124
Seven Weeks' War
(6) St. Patrick of Ireland was immured
in a cell where he scratched his grave
with his own nails.
(7) St. David of Wales slept seven
years in the enchanted garden of Orman-
dine, but was redeemed by St. George.
Seven Churches of Asia.
(1) Ephesos, founded by St. Paul, 57,
in a ruinous state in the time of Justinian.
(2) Smyrna, still an inſportant Seaport.
Polycarp was its first bishop.
3) Per'gamos, renowned for its library.
(4) Thyati'ra, now called Ak-hissar
(the White Castle).
(5) Sardis, now a small village called
Sart.
(6) Philadelph'ia, now called Allah
Shehr {...} of God), a miserable town.
(7) Laodice'a, now a deserted place
called Eski-hissar (the Old Castle).
* It is strange that all these churches,
planted by the apostles themselves, are
11ow Mahometan. Read what Gamaliel
said, Acts V. 38, 39.
Seven Deadly Sins (The). Pride,
Wrath, Envy, Lust, Gluttony, Avarice,
and Sloth.
Seven Dials (London). A column
with seven dials formerly stood in St.
Giles, facing the seven streets which
radiated therefrom.
“Where famed St. Giles's ancient limits spread
An in-ra, led column rears its lofty head
iſere to seven streets seven dials count the day,
And from each other catch the circling ray.”
f
Gay : Trivia, ii.
Seven Joys of the Virgin. (See
MARY.)
Ševcn Sages of Greece.
(1) Solon of Athens, whose motto was,
“R now thyself.”
(2) Chilo of Sparta—“Consider the
end.”
(3) Thales of Miletos—“Who hateth
suretyship is sure.”
(4) Bias of Prie'né—“Most men are
'bad.”
(5) Cleobu'los of Lindos—“The golden
mean,” or “Avoid extremes.”
(6) Pittacos of Mityle'né—“Seize Time
by the forelock.”
(7) Periander of Corinth—“Nothing
is impossible to industry.”
First, Solom, who made the Athenian laws:
While Chilo, in Sparta, was famed for his saws;
In Mile’tos did Thales astronomy teach ;
Bias used in Prieſne his morals to preach ;
Cleobulos, of Lindos, was handsome and wise ;
Mityle/ne gainst thraldom saw Pittacos rise ;.
Periander is Said tº ba. We gained through his
COlll't,
The title that Mysom, the Chenian, ouggº B
Seven Senses. Scared out of my
Seven senses. According to very ancient
teaching, the soul of man, or his
“inward holy body,” is compounded
of the seven properties which are under
the influence of the seven planets. Fire
animates, earth gives the sense of feel-
ing, water gives speech, air gives taste,
mist gives sight, flowers give hearing,
the south wind gives smelling. Hence
the seven senses are animation, feeling,
Speech, taste, sight, hearing, and smell-
ing. (See COMMON SENSE.) (See Ec-
clesiastes xvii. 5.)
Seven Sisters. Sºven culverins so
called, cast by one Borthwick.
“And these were Borthwick’s “Sisters Seven,'
And culverins which France had given ;
Jll-omened gift . The guns remain
Tluc conqueror's Spoil on Flodden plain.”
Sir Walter Scott : Marmion, iv.
Seven Sleepers. Seven noble youths
of Ephesos, who fled in the Decian
persecution to a cave in Mount Celion.
After 230 years they awoke, but soon
died, and their bodies were taken to
Marseilles in a large stone coffin, still
shown in Victor’s church. Their names
are Constantine, Dionysius, John, Max-
im'ian, Malchus, Martin'ian, and Serap'-
ion. This fable took its rise from a
misapprehension of the words, “They
fell asleep in the Lord ”—i.e. died.
(Gregory of Tours: De Gloria Martyrum,
i. 9.) (See Koran, xviii.; Golden Legend,
etc.)
Seven Sorrows of the Virgin. (See
MARY.)
Seven Spirits stand before the
Throne of God: Michael, Gabriel, La-
mael, Raphael, Zachariel, Anael, and
Oriphel. (Gustavini.)
Seven Spirits of God (The). (1)
the Spirit of Wisdom, (2) the Spirit of
Understanding, (3) the Spirit of Counsel,
(4) the Spirit of Power, (5) the Spirit of
Enowledge, (6) the Spirit of Righteous-
ness, and (7) the Spirit of Divine Aw-
fulness. *
Seven Virtues (The). Faith, Hope,
Charity, Prudence, Justice, Fortitude,
and Temperance. The first three are
called “the holy virtues.” (See SEVEN
DEADLY SINs.)
Seven Weeks’ War (The). From
June 8th to July 26th, 1866, between
Prussia, and Austria, for German: Su-
premacy. Italy was allied to Prussia.
Hostilities broke out between Austria and
Italy July 25th, but the Bavarians were
defeated the following day (July 26th).
Seven Wise Masters
The Treaty of Prague was signed
August 23rd, 1866, and that of Vienna
October 3rd. By these treaties, Austria
was wholly excluded from Germany,
and Prussia was placed at the head of
the German States.
Seven Wise Masters. Lucien, Son
of Dolopäthus, received improper ad-
vances from his stepmother, and, being
repelled, she accused him to the king of
offering her violence. By consulting the
stars the prince found out that his life
was in danger, but that the crisis would
be passed without injury if he remained
silent for seven days. The wise masters
now take up the matter; each one in
turn tells the king a tale to illustrate
the evils of inconsiderate punishments,
and as the tale ends the king resolves to
relent ; but the queen at night per-
suades him to carry out his sentence. The
seven days being passed, the prince also
tells a tale which embodies the whole
truth, whereupon the king sentences the
queen to lose her life. This collection
of tales, called Sandabar’s Parables, is
very ancient, and has been translated
from the Arabic into almost all the
languages of the civilised world. John
Rolland, of Dalkeith, turned it into
Scotch metre.
Seven Woznders of the World.
(i) Of Antiquity.
The Pyramids first, which in Egypt were laid;
Then Babylon's Gardens for Ani’ytis made :
Third, Mauso'lus's Tomb of affection and guilt ;
Fourth, the Temple of Diam, in Ephesus built ;
Fifth, Čolossos of Rhodes, cast in brass, to the Sun ;
Sixth, Jupiter's Statue, by Phidias done ;
The Pharos of Egypt, last wonder of old,
Or the Palace of Cyrus, cemented with g; % 13
(ii) Of the Middle Ages.
(1) The Coliseum of Rome.
(2) The Catacombs of Alexandria.
(3) The Great Wall of China.
(4) Stonehenge.
(5) The Leaning Tower of Pisa.
(6) The Porcelain Tower of Nankin.
(7) The Mosque of St. Sophia at Con-
stantinople.
Seven Years' Lease. Teases run
by seven years and its multiples, from
the ancient notion of what was termed
“climacteric years,” in which life was
supposed to be in special peril. (Levinus
Jemmius.) (See CLIMACTERIC YEARS.)
Seven Years' War (The). The third
period of the War of the “Austrian
Succession,” between Maria. Theresa of
Austria, and Friedrich II. of Prussia. It
began 1756, and terminated in 1763. At
the close, Silesia was handed over to
Prussia.
1125
Sforza,
Seven Years' War between Sweden
and Denmark (1563-1570). Erik XIV.
of Sweden was poisoned, and his suc-
cessor put an end to the war.
Several = separate; that which is
severed or separate ; each, as “all and
several.”
Azariah was a leper, and “dwelt in a several
house" (2 Kings xy. 5).
Severn. (See SABRINA.)
Seve'rus (St.). Patron Saint of ful-
lers, being himself of the same craft.
The Wall of Severus. A stone ram-
part, built in 208 by the Emperor
Severus, between the Tyne and the
Solway. It is to the north of Hadrian's
wall, which was constructed in 120.
Sèvres Ware. Porcelain of fine
quality, made at the French government
works at Sèvres. Chiefly of a delicate
kind, for ornament rather than use.
Šew the Button on. Jot down at
once what you wish to remember, other-
wise it may be lost or forgotten.
Sex. (See GENDER WORDS.)
Sexages'ima Sunday. The second
Sunday before Lent; so called because
in round numbers it is sixty days before
Easter.
Sextile (2 syl.). The aspect of two
planets when distant from each other
sixty degrees or two signs. This position
is marked thus >k. As there are twelve
signs, two signs are a sixth.
“In Sextile, Square, and trine, and Opposite
Of noxious efficacy. -
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 659.
Sex'ton. A corruption of sa/cristan,
an official who has charge of the sacra,
or things attached to a specific church,
such as vestments, cushions, books, boxes,
tools, vessels, and so on.
Seyd [Seed]. Pacha of the More'a,
assassinated by Gulnare, his favourite
concubine. (Byron : The Corsair.)
Sforza. The founder of the illus-
trious house which was so conspicuous
in the fifteenth and sixteenth cen-
turies, was the son of a day-labourer.
His name was Giacomuzzo Attendolo,
changed to Sforza from the follow-
ing incident:—Being desirous of going
to the wars, he consulted his hatchet
thus: he flung it against a tree, saying,
“If it sticks fast, I will go.” It did
stick fast, and he enlisted. It was
because he threw it with such amazing
force that he was called Sforza, the
Italian for force. -
Shack
1126
Shafton
Sforza (in Jerusalem Delivered) of
Tombardy. He, with his two brothers,
Achilies and Palame'des, were in the
squadron of adventurers in the allied
Christian army.
Shack. A Scamp. To shack or shackle
is to tie a log to a horse, and send it out
to feed on the stubble after harvest. A
shack is either a beast so shackled, the
right of sending a beast to the stubble,
or the stubble itself. Applied to men,
a shack is a jade, a stubble-feeder, one
bearing the same ratio to a well-to-do
man as a jade sent to graze on a common
bears to a well-stalled horse. (Anglo-
Saxon, sceacul; Arabic, shakal, to tie the
feet of a beast.)
Shaddock. A large kind of orange,
so called from Captain Shaddock, who
first transplanted one in the West Indies.
It is a native of China and Japan.
Shades. Wine vaults. The Brighton
Old Bank, in 1819, was turned by Mr.
Savage into a Smoking-room and gin-
shop. There was an entrance to it by
the Pavilion Shades, and Savage took
down the word bank, and inserted in-
stead the word Shades. This term was
not inappropriate, as the room was in
reality shaded by the opposite house,
occupied by Mrs. Fitzherbert.
Shadoff or Shadoof. A contrivance
in Egypt for watering lands for the
summer crops. It consists of a long rod
weighted at One end, so as to raise the
bucket attached by a rope to the other
end. -
Shadow. A ghost.
the ghost of Banquo—
* Hence, horrible shadow ! unreal mockery,
ence 1 '' Shakespeare : Macbeth, iii. 4.
IHe would quarrel with his own shadow.
Pſe is so irritable that he would lose his
temper on the merest trifle. (See SCHLE-
MIHL.)
Gone to the bad for the shadow of an ass.
Demosthenes says a young Athenian
once hired an ass to Meg'ara. The heat
was so great and the road so exposed,
that he alighted at midday to take shel-
ter from the sun under the shadow of
the poor beast. Scarcely was he seated
when the owner passed by, and laid
claim to the shadow, saying he let the
ass to the traveller, but not the ass’s
shadow. After fighting for a time, they
agreed to settle the matter in the law
courts, and the suit lasted so long that
'both were ruined. “If you must quar-
rel, let it be for something better than
the shadow of an ass.” -
Macbeth says to -
May you?' Shadow ºnever be less. When
students have made certain progress in
the black arts, they are compelled to
run through a subterranean hall with
the devil after them. If they run so
fast that the devil can only catch their
shadow, or part of it, they become first-
rate magicians, but lose either all or
part of their shadow. Therefore, the
expression referred to above means, May
you escape wholly and entirely from the
clutches of the foul fiend.
A Servant earnestly desireth the shadow
(Job vii. 2)—the time of leaving off work.
The people of the East measure time by
the length of their shadow, and if you
ask a man what o'clock it is, he will go
into the Sun, stand erect, and fixing his
eye where his shadow terminates, will
measure its length with his feet; having
done so, he will tell you the hour cor-
rectly. A workman earnestly desires his
shadow, which indicates the time of
leaving off work.
Shadow (To). To follow about like
a shadow. This is done by some person
or persons appointed to watch the move-
ments and keep all fait with the doings
of suspicious characters.
“He [Jesus] was slladowed by spies, who were
Stirring up the crowd against Him.”—Dongman's
Magazine, 1891, p. 238,
Shady. . On the shady side of forty–
the wrong side, meaning more than forty.
As evening approaches the shadows
lengthen, and as man advances towards
the evening of life he approaches the
shady side thereof. As the beauty of
the day is gone when the sun declines,
the word shady means inferior, bad, etc.;
as, a shady character, one that will not
bear the light ; a shady transaction, etc.
Shaf'alus. So Bottom the weaver
and Francis Flute the bellows-mender,
call Ceph'alus, the husband of Procris.
“Pyramus : Not Shafalus to Procrus was so true.
Thisbe: As Sliafalus to Procrus, I to you.”
Shakespeare: Midsummer Night's Dream, v. 1.
Sha'fites (2 syl.). One of the four
sects of the Sunnites or Orthodox Mos-
lems; so called from Al-Shafei, a descen-
dant of Mahomet. (See SHIITES.)
Shaft. I will make either a shaft or
bolt of it. I will apply it to One use or
another. The bolt was the crossbow
arrow, the shaft was the arrow of the
long-bow.
Shatton (Sir Piercie). In this char-
acter Sir Walter Scott has made familiar
to us the euphuisms of Queen Elizabeth's
age. The fashionable cavalier or pedan-
tic fop, who assumes the high-flown style
Shah
11:37
- Shakespeare
rendered fashionable by Lyly, was grand-
son of old Overstitch the tailor. (Siº'
Walter Scott : Monastery.)
Shah. . Have you seen the Shah 3 . A
query implying a hoax, popular with
street arabs when the Shah of Persia
visited England. (1873.)
Shah-pour, the Great (Sapor' II.).
Surnamed Zu-lectaf (shoulder-breaker),
because he dislocated the shoulders of all
the Arabs taken in war. The Romans
called him Post' httmus, because he was
born after the death of his father Hor-
muz II. He was crowned in the womb
by the Magi placing the royal insignia
on the body of his mother.
Shahzada. A prince, the son of a
king. (Anglo-Indian.)
Shakedown. Come and take a shake-
down at Any house—a bed. The allusion
is to the time when men slept upon litter
or clean straw. (See below, SHAKES.)
Shakers. Certain agamists founded
in North America by Ann Lee, called
“Mother Ann,” daughter of a poor
blacksmith born in Toad Lane (Todd
Street), Manchester. She married a
Smith named Stanley, and had four
children, who died in infancy, after
which she joined the sect of Jane Ward-
law, a tailoress, but was thrown into
prison as a brawler. While there she
said that Jesus Christ stood before her,
and became one with her in form and
spirit. When she came out and told
her story six or seven persons joined
her, and called her “the Lamb's bride.”
Soon after this she went to America and
settled at Water Vliet, in New York.
Other settlements were established in
Hancock and Mount Taebanon.
“The Shakers never marry, form no earthly ties,
believe in no future resurrection.”—W. Hepworth,
Diſcom : New America, vii. 12.
Shakes. No great Shakes. Nothing
extraordinary; no such mighty bargain.
The reference is to shingle for the roof
of shanties, or to stubble left after har-
vest for the poor.
“The cabin itself is quite like that of the
modern Settlers, but the shingles, called shakes,
... . make the Wood roof unique.” — Harper's
| cekly, July 18th, 1891, p. 534.
I’ll do it in a brace of shakes—instantly,
as soon as you can shake twice the
dice-box.
W shakespeare, usually called “Gentle
Will.”
His wife was Anne Hathaway, of
Shottery, about eight years older than
himself, - - -
He had one son, named Hamnet, who
died in his twelfth year, and two daugh-
ters.
Ben Jonson said of him—“And
though thou hadst Small Latin and less
Greek . . . .”
Milton calls him “Sweetest Shake-
speare, fancy’s child,” and says he will
go to the well-trod stage to hear him
“warble his native wood-notes wild.”
(L’Allegro, 133.)
Akenside says he is “Alike the master
of our smiles and tears.” (Ode i.)
Dryden says of him—“He was a man
who of all modern and perhaps ancient
poets, had the largest and most compre-
hensive soul.”
Young says—“He wrote the play the
Almighty made.” (Epistle to Lord
Lansdowme.)
Mallett says—“Great above rule. . . .
Nature was his own.” (Perbal Criti-
cism.)
Collins says he “joined Tuscan fancy
to Athenian force.” (Epistle to Sir
Thomas Hammer.)
Bope says—
“Shakespeare (whom you and every play-Ilouse
sº “the divine,” “the matchless,” what you
rºlin, not glory, winged his roving flight,
And grew immortal in his own despite.” es
Imitations of Horatce, Ep. i.
The dedication of Shakespeare’s Sonnets
has provoked much controversy. It is
as follows:–
TO THE ONLIE BEGETTER OF
THESE INSUING SONNETS
MIR. W. H. ALI, HAPPINESSE
AND THAT ETERNITIE
PROMISED
BY
OUR EVER-LIVING POET
WISHETH
—that is, Mr. William Herbert [after-
wards Lord Pembroke] wisheth to [the
Earl of Southampton] the only begetter
or instigator of these sonnets, that happi-
ness and eternal life which [Shakespeare]
the ever-living poet a speaks of. The
rider is— - *
THE WELL-WISHING:
ADVENTURER, IN
SETTING: .
FORTH. T. T.
That is, Thomas Thorpe is the adven-
turer who speculates in their publication.
(See Athenaeum, Jan. 25, 1862.)
Shakespeare. There are six accredited
signatures of this poet, five of which are
attached to business documents, and One
is entered in a book called Florio, a
translation of Montaigne, published in.
Shaking Hands
1128
Shandy
1603. A passage in act ii. s. 2 of The
Tempest is traced directly to this trans-
lation, proving that the Florio was
possessed by Shakespeare before he wrote
that play.
The Shakespeare of divines.
Taylor (1613-1667).
The Shakespeare of eloquence. So
- Barnave happily characterised the Comte
de Mirabeau (1749-1791).
The Spanish Shakespeare.
(1601-1687).
Shaking Hands. Horace, strolling
along the Via Sacra, shook hands with
an acquaintance. Arreptáque manu,
“Quid agis dulcissimä rerum ?”
AEneas, in the temple of Dido, sees his
lost companions enter, and “avidi con-
jungere dextras ardebant ’’ (AEm., i. 514.)
, Nestor shook hands with Ulysses on
his return to the Grecian camp with the
stolen horses of Rhesus.
And in the Old Testament, when Jehu
asked Jehomadab if his “heart was
right” with him, he said, “If it be, give
me thine hand,” and Jehonadab gave
him his hand.
Shaky. Not steady ; not in good
health ; not strictly upright; not well
prepared for examination ; doubtfully
Solvent. The allusion is to a table or
chair out of order and shaky.
Shallow. A weak-minded country
justice, intended as a caricature of Sir
Thomas Lucy, of Charlecote. He is
described as one who had been a madcap
in his youth, and still dotes on his wild
tricks; he is withal a liar, a blockhead,
and a rogue. (Shakespeare : Merry
Wives of Windsor, and 2 Henry IV.)
S h a lot t (Lady of). A poem by
Tennyson, the tale of which is similar
to that of Elaine the “fair maid of
Astolat” (q.v.). Part I. describes the
island of Shalott, and tells us that the
lady passed her life so secluded there
that only the farm-labourers knew her.
Part II. tells us that the lady passed her
time in weaving a magic web, and that
a curse would light on her if she looked
down the river towards Camelot. Part
III. describes how Sir Lancelot, in all
his bravery, rode to Camelot, and the
lady looked at him as he rode along.
Part IV. says that the lady entered a
boat, having first written her name on
the prow, and floated down the river to
Camelot, but died on the way. When
the boat reached Camelot, Sir Lancelot,
with all the inmates of the palace, came
to look at it. They read the name on
Jeremy
Calderon
the prow, and Sir Lancelot exclaimed,
“She has a lovely face, and may God
have mercy on the lady of Shalott I’’
Shambles means benches (Anglo-
Saxon, Scamel ; Latin, Scammum, and the
diminutive Scamellum, a little bench).
The benches or banks on which meat is
exposed for sale. (See BANK.)
“Whatsoever is sold in the shambles, that eat,
asking no question.”—1 Cor. x. 25.
Sham'rock, the symbol of Ireland,
because it was selected by St. Patrick
to prove to the Irish the doctrine of the
Trinity. (Irish and Gaelic, Seam-rog.)
Shamrock. According to the elder
Pliny, no serpent will touch this plant.
Shan Van Voght. This excellent
song (composed 1798) may be called the
Irish Marseillaise. The title of it is
a corruption of An t-Sean bean bochd
(the poor old woman—i.e. Ireland).
(Halliday-Spurling : Irish Minstrelsy,
p. 1 The last verse is—
* Will Ireland then he froe 2
Said the Shan Van Voght 2 (repeat)
Yes, Ireland shall be free
From the centre to the Sea,
Hurrah for liberty
Said the Shan Van Vogh".”
Shande'an Exactness. Sir Walter
Scott says, “The author proceeds with
the most unfeeling prolixity to give a
minute detail of civil and common law,
of the feudal institutions, of the archi-
tecture of churches and castles, of
sculpture and painting, of minstrels,
players, and parish clerks. . . . . Tristram
can hardly be said to be fairly born,
though his life has already attained the
size of half a volume.” (See below.)
“With a Shandean exactness . . . Lady Anne
begins her memoirs of herself nine months before
her nativity, for the sake of introducing a beauti-
ful quotation from the PSalms.”—Biog. Borealis,
I), 269.
Shandy. Captain Shandy is called
Uncle Toby. He was wounded at the
siege of Namur, and had retired from
the service. He is benevolent and
generous, simple as a child, brave as a
lion, and gallant as a courtier. His
modesty with Widow Wadman and his
military tastes are admirable. He is
said to be drawn for Sterne's father.
(Tristram Shandy.) , .
Mrs. Elizabeth Shandy, mother of
Tristram. The beau-ideal of nonentity.
Sir Walter Scott describes her as a
“good lady of the poco-curante school.”
(Sterne : Tristram Shandy.)
Tristram Shandy. The hero of Sterne's
novel so called.
Walter Shandy, Tristram’s father. He
is a metaphysical Don Quixote in his
Shandygaff
11
&
A-l
9
Shear Steel
way, full of superstitious and idle
conceits. He believes in long noses
and propitious names, but his son's
nose is crushed, and his name is Tris-
tram instead of Trismegistus. (Sterne :
Th’istram Shandy.) -
Shandygaff is a mixture of beer and
ginger-beer. (See SMILER.)
Shanks' Nag. To ride Shanks’ mag
is to go on foot, the shanks being the
legs. A similar phrase is “Going by
the marrow-bone stage” or by Walker’s
'bus. (Anglo-Saxon, Scanca, Shanks.) '
Shannon. Dipped in the Shannon.
One who has been dipped in the Shannon
loses all bashfulness. At least, sic aiunt.
Shanty. A log-hut. (Irish, Sean, old;
tig, house.)
Shanty Songs. Songs sung by sailors
at work, to ensure united action. They
are in sets, each of which has a different
cadence adapted to the work in hand.
Thus, in sheeting topsails, weighing
anchor, etc., one of the most popular of
the shanty songs runs thus:–
“I’m bound away, this yery day,
I’m bound for the Rio Grandé.
Ho, you, Rio !
Then fare you well, my bonny blue bell,
& *
I’m bound for the Rio Grandé.
(French, chanter, to sing ; a sing-song.)
Shark. A swindler, a pilferer; one
who snaps up things like a shark, which
eats almost anything, and seems to care
little whether its food is alive or dead,
fish, flesh, or human bodies.
“These thieves doe rob us with our owne good
Andº, We Dame Nature's warrant for it still ;
Sonºs these Sharks doe Worke each other's
The ºing belly Often robs the backe.”
aylor's Workes, ii. 117.
The shark flies the feather. This is a
Sailor's proverb founded on observation.
Though a shark is so voracious that it
will swallow without distinction every-
thing that drops from a ship into the
Sea, such as cordage, cloth, pitch, wood,
and even knives, yet it will never touch
a pilot-fish (q.v.) or a fowl, either alive
or dead. It avoids sea-gulls, sea-mews,
petrels, and every feathered thing. (St.
Pierre : Studies, i.)
Sharp (Becky). The impersonation
of intellect without virtue in Thackeray's
Panity Fair. (See SEDLEY.)
“Becky Sharp, with a baronet for a brother-in-
law and an earl's daughter for a friend, felt the
hollowness of human grandeur, and thought she
Was happier with the Bohemian artists in Soho.”
—The Ecpress,
Sharp. Sharp's the word. Ilook
out, keep your eyes open and your wits
about you. When a shopman suspects a
customer, he will ask aloud of a brother-
shopman if “Mr. Sharp is come in ; ”
and if his suspicion is confirmed, will
receive for answer, “No, but he is ex-
pected back immediately.” (Hotten.)
Sharp-beak. The Crow’s wife in
the tale of Reynard the Fox. -
Sharp-set. Hungry. A term in fal-
conry. (See HAWK.)
“If anie were so sharpe-set as to eat fried flies,
buttered bees, stued snails, either on, Fridaie or
Sundaie, he could not be therefore indicted of
haulte treason.”—Stanihurst : Ireland, p. 19 (1580).
Shave. To shave a customer. Hotten
says, when a master-draper sees anyone
capable of being imposed upon enter his
shop, he strokes his chin, to signify to
his assistant that the customer may be
shaved.
I shaved through : he was within a
Shave of a pluck. I just got through [my
examination]; he was nearly rejected as
not up to the mark. The allusion is to
carpentry.
Shaveling. A lad ; a young man.
In the year 1348 the clergy died so fast
of the Black Death that youths were ad-
mitted to holy orders by being shaven.
“William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich,
dispensed with sixty shavelings to hold
rectories and other livings, that divine
service might not cease in the parishes
over which they were appointed. (Blom-
Jield : History of Norfolk, vol. iii.)
S h a v in g. Bondmen were com-
manded by the ancient Gauls to shave,
in token of servitude.
In the Turkish seraglio the slaves are
obliged to shave their chins, in token of
their servitude. -
She Stoops to Conquer. This
comedy owes its existence to an incident
which actually occurred to its author.
When Goldsmith was sixteen years of
age, a wag residing at Ardagh directed
him, when passing through that village,
to Squire Fetherstone's house as the
village inn. The mistake was not dis-
covered for some time, and then no one
enjoyed it more heartily than Oliver
himself.
Shear Steel. Steel which has been
sheared. When the bars have been
converted into steel, they are sheared
???to short pieces, and forged again from
a pile built up with layers crossed, so as
to produce a web-like texture in the
metal by the crossing of the fibres.
Great toughness results from this mode
of manipulation, and the steel thus
produced is used for shears and other
Sheb-Seze
1130
Shells
instruments where a hard sharp edge is
required.
Sheb-seze. The great fire festival of
the Persians, when they used to set fire
to large bunches of dry combustibles,
fastened round wild beasts and birds,
which, being then let loose, the air and
earth appeared one great illumination.
The terrified creatures naturally fled to
the woods for shelter, and it is easy to
conceive the conflagration they produced.
(Richardson : Dissertation.)
She'ba (Queen of). The Assyrians
say her name was Macqueda, but Arabs
call her Belkis.
She been. A small Irish store for the
sale of whisky and something else, as
bacon, eggs, general provisions, and
groceries.
“ Drinking your health wid Shamus
O'Shea, at Katty's she heen.”
Tennyson : To-morrow, Stanza 2.
Sheep. Ram or tup, the sire ; ewe,
the dam ; lamb, the new-born sheep till
it is weaned, when it is called a hogget ;
the tup-lamb being a “tup-hogget,”
and the ewe-lamb a “ ewe-hogget ; ” if
the tup is castrated it is called a wether-
hogget.
After the removal of the first fleece,
the tup-hogget becomes a shearling, the
ewe-hogget a grimmer, and the wether-
hogget a dinnont (hence the name
“Dandy Dinmont’’).
After the removal of the second fleece,
the shearling becomes a two-shear tup,
the grimmer a ewe, and the dinnont a
otether.
After the removal of the third fleece,
the ewe is called a twinter-ewe ; and
when it ceases to breed, a draft-eve.
The Black Sheep (Kārā-koin-loo). A
tribe which established a principality in
Armenia, that lasted 108 years (1360-
1468); so called from the device of their
standard.
The White Sheep (Ak-koin-loo). A
tribe which established a principality in
Armenia, etc., on the ruin of the Black
Sheep (1468-1508); so called from the
device of their standard.
To cast a sheep’s eye at one is to look
askance, like a sheep, at a person to
whom you feel lovingly inclined.
“But he, the lyeast, was casting Sheep's eyes at
her.”—Colman : Broad Grims.
Sheet Anchor. That is my sheet anchor
—my chief stay, my chief dependence.
The sheet anchor is the largest and
heaviest of all. The word is a corrup-
tion of Shote-anchor, the ānchor shot or
thrown out in stress of weather. Many
ships carry more than one sheet-anchor
outside the ship's waist.
“The surgeon no longer bleeds. If you ask him
‘why this neglect of what was once considered
the sheet anchor of practice in certain diseases 2'
he Will . . .”—The Times. .
Sheilº (Arabic, elder). A title of
respect equal to the Italian signo're,
the French sieur, Spanish Senor, etc.
There are seven sheiks in the East, all
said to be direct descendants of Ma-
homet, and they all reside at Mecca.
Sheki'nah (shachan, to reside). The
glory of the Divine Presence in the shape
of a cloud of fire, which rested on the
mercy-seat between the Cherubim.
Shekinah or Shechinah is not a biblical word.
It was first mentioned in the Jerusalem Targum.
The Sheckinah was not supposed to dwell in the
Second Temple. Its responses were given either
by the Urim and Thummim of the high priest, by
yº. or orally. (See Deut. iii. 24; and Luke
XVI. 2.
Sheldo'nian Theatre. The “Senate
EIouse ’’ of Oxford ; so called from
Gilbert Sheldon, Archbishop of Canter-
bury, who built it. (1598-1669.) -
Shelf. Laid on the shelf, or shelved.
A government officer no longer actively
employed; an actor no longer assigned
a part ; a young lady past the Ordinary
age of marriage; a pawn at the broker's;
a question started and set aside. All
mean laid up and put away.
Shell (A) is a hollow iron ball, with
a fuze-hole in it to receive a fuze, which
is a plug of wood containing gunpowder.
It is constructed to burn slowly, and, on
firing, the piece ignites, and continues to
burn during its flight till it falls on the
object at which it is directed, when it
bursts, scattering its fragments in all
directions.
Shell Jacket (A). An undress mili-
tary jacket.
Shell of an Egg. After an egg in
the shell has been eaten, many persons
break or crush the empty shell. Sir
Thomas Brown says this was done ori-
ginally “to prevent house-spirits from
using the shell for their mischievous
pranks.” (Book v., chap. xxiii.)
Shells on churches, tombstones, and
used by pilgrims:
(1) If dedicated to James the Greater,
the scallop-shell is his recognised em-
blem. (See JAMES.) If not, the allusion
is to the vocation of the apostles gene-
rally, who were fishermen, and Christ
said. He would make them “fishers of
men.” • * 1.
(2) On tombstones, the allusion is to
Shermitic 11
1. Shibboleth
the earthly body left behind, which is
the mere shell of the immortal soul. .
(3) Carried by pilgrims, the allusion
may possibly be to James the Greater,
the patron saint of pilgrims, but more
likely it originally arose as a convenient
drinking-cup, and hence the pilgrims of
Japan carry Scallop shells.
Shexmit'ie. Pertaining to Shem, de-
Scendant of Shem, derived from Shem.
The Shemitic languages are Chaldee,
Syriac, Arabic, Hebrew, Samaritan,
Ethiopic, and old Phoenician. The great
characteristic of this family of languages
is that the roots of words consist of three
consonants.
Shemitic nations or Shemites (2 syl.).
(See above.)
Shepherd. The shepherd. Moses who
fed the flocks of Jethro, his father-in-
law.
“Sing, heavenly muse, that on the Secret top
Of Oreb or of Sinai didst inspire
That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed
In the beginning how the heavens and earth
Rose out of chaos.” -
Milton : Paradise Lost, blº. i. 8.
N.B. Oreb, or Horeb and Sinai, are
two heights of one mountain.
Shepherd Kings or Hyksos. Some
2,000 years B.C. a tribe of Arabian shep-
herds established themselves in Lower
Egypt, and were governed by their own
chiefs. Man'etho says “they reigned
511 years;” Eratos’thenês says 470 years;
Africa'nus, 284 years; Eusebius, 103
years. Some say they extended over
five dynasties, some over three, some
limit their sway to one ; some give the
name of only one monarch, some of
four, and others of six. Bunsen places
them B.C. 1639 ; Lepsius, B.C. 1842;
others, 1900 or 2000. If there ever were
such kings, they were driven into Syria
by the rulers of Upper Egypt. (Hyk,
ruler; Shos, shepherd.)
Shepherd Lord (The). Henry, the
tenth Lord Clifford, sent by his mother
to be brought up by a shepherd, in order
to save him from the fury of the
Yorkists. At the accession of Henry
VII. he was restored to all his rights
and seigniories. (Died 1523.)
tº The story is told by Wordsworth
} % Song for the Feast of Brougham
astle. -
Shepherd of Banbury (The). The
Ostensible author of a Weather Guide.
He styles himself John Claridge, Shep-
herd ; but the real author is said to have
been Dr. John Campbell. (First pub-
lished in 1744.) J. : . - .
. (The).
| noted for his homely wisdom and prac-
week on the sanctuary table.
Shepherd of Salisbury Plain
Said to be David Saunders,
tical piety. Mrs. Hannah More wrote
the religious tract so entitled, and makes
the hero a Christian Arcadian.
Shepherd of the Ocean (The). So
Sir Walter Raleigh is called by Spenser,
in his poem entitled Colin Clout’s Come
Home Again. (1552-1618,)
Shepherd's Sundial (The). The
scarlet pimpernel, which opens at a little
past seven in the morning, and closes at
a little past two. When rain is at hand,
or the weather is unfavourable, it does
not open at all.
Shepherded. Watched and followed
as suspicious of mischief, as a shepherd
watches a wolf.
“Russian vessels of war are everywhere being
carefully “shepherded" by British ships, and it is
easy to see that such a state of extreme tension
cannot be continued much longer without an
actual outbreak.”—Newspaper leader, April 27th,
$85.
Sheppard (Jack). Son of a carpenter
in Smithfield, noted for his two escapes
from Newgate in 1724. He was hanged
at Tyburn the same year. (1701-1724.)
Shepster Time. The time of sheep-
shearing.
Sheriffmuir. There was main lost at
the Shiºramuir. Don’t grieve for your
losses, for worse have befallen others
before now. The battle of Sheriffmuir,
in 1715, between the Jacobites and
Hanoverians was very bloody ; both
sides sustained heavy losses, and both
sides claimed the victory. -
She'va, in the satire of Absalom and
Achitophel, by Dryden and Tate, is de-
signed for Sir Roger Lestrange. (Partii.)
Shewbread. Food for show only,
and not intended to be eaten except by
certain privileged persons. The term is
Jewish, and refers to the twelve loaves
which the priest “showed” or exhibited
to Jehovah, by placing them week by
At the
end of the week, the priest who had been
in office was allowed to take them home
for his own eating ; but no one else was
allowed to partake of them.
Shewri-whiie. A spirit-woman that
haunts Mynydd Llanhilleth mountain,
in Monmouthshire, to mislead those who
attempt to cross it.
Shiahs. (See SHIITEs.)
Shib"boleth. The password of a
secret society; the secret by which those
of a party know each other. The
Shield
1132
Shingebis
Ephraimites quarrelled with Jephthah,
and Jephthah gathered together the men
of Gilead and fought with Ephraim.
There were many fugitives, and when
they tried to pass the Jordan the guard
told them to say Shibboleth, which the
Ephraimites pronounced Sibboleth, and
by this test it was ascertained whether
the person wishing to cross the river was
a friend or foe. (Judges xii. 1-16.)
“Their foes a deadly Shibboleth devise.”
4 Dryden : Hind and Panther, pt. iii.
Shield.
The Gold and Silvey Shield. Two
knights coming from different directions
stopped in sight of a trophy shield, one
side of which was gold and the other
silver. Like the disputants about the
colour of the chameleon, the knights
disputed about the metal of the shield,
and from words they proceeded to
blows. Luckily a third knight came
up at this juncture, to whom the point
of dispute was referred, and the dis-
putants were informed that the shield
was silver on one side and gold on the
other. This story is from Beaumont's
Moralities. It was reprinted in a col-
lection of Useful and Entertaining Pas-
sages in Prose, 1826.
The other side of the shield. The other
side of the question. The reference is
to the “Gold and Silver Shield.” (See
above.)
That depends on which side of the shield
Ayou look at. That depends on the stand-
point of the speaker. (See above.)
Shield-of-Arms. Same as Coat of
Arms ; so called because persons in the
Middle Ages bore their heraldic devices
on their shields.
Shield of Expectation (The). The
naked shield given to a young warrior
in his virgin campaign. As he achieved
glory, his deeds were recorded or sym-
bolised on his shield.
Shields. The most famous in story
are the Shield of Achilles described by
Homer, of Hercules, described by Hesiod,
and of AEměas described by Virgil.
Other famous bucklers described in
classic story are the following:—That of
Agamemnon, a gorgon.
Amiſcos (son of Poseidon or Neptune), a crayfish,
symbol of prudence. -
Cudmos and his descendants, a dragon, to indi-
cate their descent from the dragon's teeth. .
Eteocles (4 Syl.), one of the seven heroes against
Thelyes, a man Scaling a Wall.
Hector, a lion.
Idoméniews (4 Syl.), a cock.
Memelä0s, a serpent at his heart ; alluding to
the elopement of his Wife With Paris,
Paythemopaeos, one of the seven heroes, a sphinx
holding a man in its claws.
Ulysses, a dolphin. Whence he is sometimes
called Delphinosemos.
* Servius says that the Greeks in the
siege of Troy had, as a rule, Neptune on
their bucklers, and the Trojans Minerva.
It was a common custom, after a great
victory, for the victorious general to
hang his buckler on the walls of some
temple.
The clang of shields. When a chief
doomed a man to death, he struck his
shield with the blunt end of his spear,
by way of notice to the royal bard to
begin the death-song. (See AEGIs.)
“Cairbar rises in his arms,
The clang of shields is heard.”
Ossian: Temora, i.
Shi-ites (2 syl.). Those Mahometans
who do not consider the Sunna, or oral
law, of any authority, but look upon it
as apocryphal. They wear red turbans,
and are sometimes called “Red Heads.”
The Persians are Shiites. (Arabic, Shiah,
a sect.) (See SUNNITEs.)
Shillelagh (pronounce she-lay-lah).
An Oaken Sapling or cudgel (Irish).
Shilling. Said to be derived from
St. Kilian, whose image was stamped on
the “shillings” of Würzburg. Of course
this etymology is of no value. ... (Anglo-
Saxon, Scylling or Scilling, a shilling.)
* According to Skeat, from the verb
seylan (to divide). The coin was origin-
ally made with a deeply-indented cross,
and could easily be divided into halves
or quarters.
Shilly Shally. A corruption of
“Will I, shall I,” or “Shall I, shall I.”
{{ Theº no delay, they ne'er stand shall I,
Sila,
Hermog'éñes with Dal/lila doth dally.”
Taylor's Workes, iii. 3 (1630).
Shim'ei (2 syl.), in Dryden’s satire of
Absalom and Achitophel, is designed for
Slingsby Bethel, the lord mayor.
* Shimei, whose youth did early promise bring,
Of zeal to God and hatred to his king ; -
Did Wisely from expensive sins refrain,
And never broke the Sabbath but for gain.”
Part 1, lines 548—551.
Shi'nar. The land of the Chaldees.
Shindy. A row, a disturbance. To
kick up a shindy, to make a row.
(Gipsy, chinda, a quarrel.)
Shin'gebis, in North American In-
dian mythology, is a diver who dared
the North Wind to single combat. The
Indian Boreas rated him for staying in
his dominions after he had routed away
the flowers, and driven off the sea-gulls
and herons. Shin'gebis laughed at him,
Ship
1133
Shirt;
and the North Wind went at night and
tried to blow down his hut and put out
his fire. As he could not do this, he
defied the diver to come forth and
wrestle with him. Shin'gebis obeyed
the summons, and sent the blusterer
howling to his home. (Longfellow :
IIiawatha.) (See KABIBONOKKA.)
Ship (the device of Paris). Sauval
says, “L’ôle de la cité est faite comme un
grand navire enfoncé dans la vase, et
%choué au fil de l’eau wers le milient de la
Seine.” This form of a ship struck the
heraldic scribes, who, in the latter half
of the Middle Ages, emblazoned it in the
shield of the city. (See WENGEUR.)
IWhen my ship comes home. When my
fortune is made. The allusion is to the
argosies returning from foreign parts
laden with rich freights.
Ship Letters. These are to indicate
when a ship is fully laden, and this
depends on its destination.
F.W. (Fresh Water line), i.e. it may
|be laden till this mark touches the water
when loading in a fresh-water dock or
TLWer.
I.S. (Indian Summer line). It was to
The loaded to this point in the Indian
seas in summer time.
S. The summer draught in the Medi-
terranean. .
W. The winter draught in the Medi-
terranean.
W.N.A. (Winter North Atlantic line).
Ship-shape. As methodically ar-
ranged as things in a ship ; in good
order. When a vessel is sent out tem-
porarily rigged, it is termed “jury-
rigged” (i.e. jour-y, meaning pro tem.,
for the day or time being). Her rigging
is completed while at sea, and when the
jury-rigging has been duly changed for
ship-rigging, the vessel is in “ship-
shape,” i.e. due or regular order.
Ship of the Desert. The camel.
“Three thousand game's his rank pastures fed,
d 3.
Arabia's wandering ships, for traffic bred.
* - G. Sam dys: Pārājīrase from Job (1610).
Ships. There are three ships often
confounded, viz. the Great Harry, the
Beſſent, and the Henry Gráce de Dieu.
The GREAT HARRY was built in the
third year of Henry VII. (1488). It was
a two-decker with three masts, and was
accidentally burnt at Woolwich in 1553.
The REGENT was burnt in 1512 in an
engagement with the French. -
The HENRY GRACE DE DIEU was
built at Erith in 1515. It had three
decks and four masts. It was named
Edward, after the death of Henry VIII.
in 1547. There is no record of its de-
struction. -
“Though we are not acquainted with all the
particular ships that formed the navy of Henry
VIII., we know that among them were two yery
large ones, viz. the Regent, and the Henry Grace
de Diet. The former being burnt in 1512, in an
engagement with the French, occasioned Henry
to build the latter.”—Willet : Naval Architecture,
Xi. 158. -
Ships of the Line. Men-of-war
large enough to have a place in a line
of battle. They must not have less than
two decks or two complete tiers of guns.
Shipton. (See MoTHER.)
Shire and County. When the Saxon
kings created an earl, they gave him a
shire or division of land to govern. At
the Norman conquest the word count
superseded the title of earl, and the
earldom was called a county. Even to
the present hour we call the wife of an
earl a countess. (Anglo-Saxon, Scire,
from sciran, to divide.)
He comes from the shires; has a seat in
the shires, etc.—in those English coun-
ties which terminate in “shire : ’’ a belt
running from Devonshire and Hamp-
shire in a north-east direction. In a
general way it means the midland
counties.
* Anglesey in Wales, and twelve
counties of England, do not terminate
in “shire.”
Shire Horses originally meant horses
bred in the midland and eastern shires
of England, but now mean any draught-
horses of a certain character which can
show a registered pedigree. The sire
and dam, with a minute description of
the horse itself, its age, marks, and so
on, must be shown in order to prove
the claim of a “shire horse.” Shire
horses are noted for their great size,
muscular power, and beauty of form ;
stallions to serve cart mares.
Clydesdale horses are Scotch draught-
horses, not equal to shire horses in size,
but of great endurance. -
A hackney is not a thoroughbred, but
nearly so, and makes the best roadster,
hunter, and carriage-horse. . Its action
is showy, and its pace good. A first-
class roadster will trot a mile in two and
a half minutes. American trotters some-
times exceed this record. The best
hackneys are produced from thorough
sires mated with half-bred mares.
Shirt. (See NESSUs.)
Shirt for ensign. When Sultan Saladin
died, he commanded that no ceremony
should be used but this: A priest was
Shittinn Wood
1134
Shoe
to carry his shirt on a lance, and say:
“Saladin, the conqueror of the East,
carries nothing with him of all his
wealth and greatness, save a shirt for
his shroud and ensign.” (Knolles :
Turkish History.)
Close sits my shirt, but closer my skin—
i.e. My property is dear to me, but
dearer my life ; my belongings sit close
to my heart, but “Ego proacimus mihi.”
Shittim Wood. The acacia.
. “The scented acacia. Of Palestine furnished the
shittim wood so much esteemed by the ancient
Jews.”—Bible I'lowers, p. 142.
Shivering Mountain. Mam Tor,
a hill on the Peak of Derbyshire; so
called from the waste of its mass by
“shivering ”—that is, breaking away in
“shivers” or small pieces. This shiver-
ing has been going on for ages, as the
hill consists of alternate layers of shale
and gritstone. The former, being soft,
is easily reduced to powder, and, as it
crumbles away, small “shivers’’ of the
gritstone break away from want of
Support.
Shoddy properly means the flue and
fluff thrown off from cloth in the process
of weaving. This flue, being mixed with
new wool, is woven into a cloth called
shoddy – i.e. cloth made of the flue
“shod” or thrown off. Shoddy is also
made of old garments torn up and
re-spun. The term is used for any
loose, sleazy cloth, and metaphorically
for literature of an inferior character
compiled from other works. (Shed, pro-
vincial pret. “shod ; ” shoot, obsolete
pret. Shotten.)
. Shoddy characters. Persons of tar-
nished reputation, like cloth made of
shoddy or refuse wool.
Shoe. (See CHOPINE.)
Shoe. It was at one time thought
unlucky to put on the left shoe before
the right, or to put either shoe on the
wrong foot. It is said that Augustus
Caesar was nearly assassinated by a
mutiny one day when he put on his
left shoe first.
“Auguste, cet empereur qui gouverna avec tant
d6 Sagesse, et don't le régne fut si florissant,
restoit immobile et consterné lorsqu’il lui ar-
rivoit par mégarde de mettre le soulier droit au
pied gauche, et le Soulier gauche all pied droit.”—
St. Foia. .
A shoe too large trips one up. A Latin
proverb, “Calceus major subvertit.” An
empire too large falls to pieces; a busi-
ness too large comes to grief; an am-
bition too large fails altogether.
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the
place whereon thou standest is holy (Josh.
v. 15). Loosing the shoe is a mark of
respect in the East, among Moslems and
Hindus, to the present hour. The Mus-
sulman leaves his slippers at the door of
the mosque. The Mahometan moonshee
comes barefooted into the presence of .
his superiors. The governor of a town,
in making a visit of ceremony to a
European visitor, leaves his slippers at
the tent entrance, as a mark of respect.
There are two reasons for this custom :
(1) It is a mark of humility, the shoe
being a sign of dignity, and the shoeless
foot a mark of servitude. (2) Leather,
being held to be an unclean thing, would
contaminate the sacred floor and offend
the insulted idol. (See SANDAL.)
Plucking off the shoe among the Jews,
Smoking a pipe together among the In-
dians, breaking a straw together among
the Teutons, and shaking hands among
the English, are all ceremonies to con-
firm a bargain, now done by “earnest
money.”
Put on the right shoe first. One of
the auditions of Pythagoras was this:
“When stretching forth your feet to
have your sandals put on, first extend
your right foot, but when about to step
into a bath, let your left foot enter
first.” Iamblichus says the hidden
meaning is that worthy actions should
be done heartily, but base ones should
be avoided. (Protreptics, symbol xii.).
Throwing the wedding-shoe. It has
long been a custom in England, Scot-
land, and elsewhere, to throw an old
shoe, or several shoes, at the bride and
bridegroom when they quit the bride's
home, after the wedding breakfast, or
when they go to church to get married.
Some think this represents an assault
and refers to the ancient notion that the
bridegroom carried off the bride with
force and violence. Others look upon it
as a relic of the ancient law of exchange,
implying that the parents of the bride
give up henceforth all right of dominion
to their daughter. This was a Jewish
custom. Thus, in Deut. xxv, 5-10 we
read that the widow refused by the
surviving brother, asserted her indepen-
dence by “loosing his shoe; ” and in
the story of Ruth we are told “ that it
was the custom’’ in exchange to deliver
a shoe in token of renunciation. When
Boaz, therefore, became possessed of his
lot, the kinsman’s kinsman indicated his
assent by giving Bôaz his shoe. When
the Emperor Wladimir proposed mar-
riage to the daughter of Reginald, she
rejected him, saying, “I will not take
off my shoe to the son of a slave.”
Shoe
II 35
Shoemakers
Tuther being at a wedding, told the
bridegroom that he had placed the hus-
band’s shoe on the head of the bed,
“aftn qu’il prić aimsi la domination et le
goivermement.” (Michel : Life of Luther.)
In Anglo-Saxon rºarriages the father
delivered the bride's shoe to the bride-
groom, who touched her with it on the
head to show his authority.
In Turkey the bridegroom, after mar-
riage, is chased by the guests, who either
administer blows by way of adieux, or
pelt him with slippers. (Thirty Years
in the Harem, p. 330.) -
Another mam's Shoes. “To stand in
another man's shoes.” To occupy the
place or lay claim to the honours of
another. Among the ancient Northmen,
when a man adopted a son, the person
adopted put on the shoes of the adopter.
(Brayley : Graphic Illustrator ; 1834.)
In the tale of Reynard the Fox (four-
teenth eentury), Master Reynard, having
turned the tables on Sir Bruin the Bear,
asked the queen to let him have the
shoes of the disgraced minister ; so
Bruin’s shoes were torn off and put upon
Reynard, the new favourite.
Another pair of shoes. Another
matter.
“But how a world that notes his [the Prince of
Wales's] daily doings—the everlasting round of
weary fashion, the health-returnings, speeches,
interviewings- can grudge him some relief, with:
out compunction, them's quite another pair of
Shoes.”—1°umch, 17th June, 1891.
Dead men’s shoes. Waiting or looking
for dead men's shoes. Counting on some
advantage to which you will succeed
when the present possessor is dead.
: “A man without sandals” was a
proverbial expression among the Jews
for a prodigal, from the custom of giving
one’s sandals in confirmation of a bar-
gain. (See Deut. xxv. 9, Ruth iv. 7.)
Over shoes, over boots. In for a penny,
in for a pound.
“Where true courage roots, -
The proverb says, once over shoes, o'er boots.'”
Taylor's Workes, ii. 145 (1690).
To die in one's shoes. To die on the
scaffold.
“And there's Mr. Fuse, and Lieutenant Tregooze,
And there is Sir Carnaby Jenks, of the Blues,
AII Conne to See a, Inlan die in his ShoeS.”
- Barham.
To shake in one’s shoes. To be in a
state of nervous terror. -
To step into another man’s shoes. To
take the office or position previously held
by another. -
“That will do, sir, he thundered," that will do.
It is very evident now What WOuld happen if you
stepped into my shoes,”—Good Words, 1887.
Waiting for my shoes. Hoping for my
(Hebrew).
death. Amongst the ancient Jews the
transfer of an inheritance was made by
the new party pulling off the shoe of the
possessor. (See Ruth iv. 7.)
Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear
(Matt. iii. 11). This means, “I am not
worthy to be his humblest slave.” It
was the business of a slave recently pur-
chased to loose and carry his master’s
sandals. (Jahn : Archæologica, Biblica.).
Šhoe-loosed. A man without shoes;
an unnatural kinsman, a selfish prodigal
). If a man refused to marry
his brother's widow, the woman pulled
off his shoe in the presence of the elders,
spat in his face, and called him “shoe-
loosed.” (Deut. xxv. 9.)
Shoe Pinches. No one knows ºthere
the Shoe pinches like the wearer. This
was said by a Roman sage who was
blamed for divorcing his wife, with
whom he seemed to live happily.
“For, God it wot, he sat ful still and song,
When that his scho ful bitterly him wrong.”
Cha:ucer: Canterbury Tatles, 6,074.
Shoe a Goose (To). To engage in a
silly and fruitless task.
Shoe the Anchor (To). To cover the
flukes of an anchor with a broad triangu-
lar piece of plank, in order that the
anchor may have a stronger hold in soft
ground. The French have the same
phrase: ensoler l'amere.
Shoe the Cobbler (To). To give a
quick peculiar movement with the front
foot in sliding. -
Shoe the Horse (To). (French,
Ferrer la mule.) Means to cheat one’s
employer out of a small sum of money.
The expression is derived from the
ancient practice of grooms, who charged
their masters for “shoeing,” but
pocketed the money themselves.
Shoe the Wild Colt (7%). To exact
a fine called “footing ” from a new-
comer, who is called the “colt.” Colt
is a common synonym for a greenhorn,
or a youth not broken in. Thus Shake-
peare says—-‘‘Ay, that’s a colt indeed,
for he doth nothing but talk of his
horse.” (Merchant of Venice, i. 2.)
Shoes. Scarpa's shoes for curing
club feet, etc. Levised by Antonio
Scarpa, an Italian anatomist.
Shoemakers. The patron saints of
shoemakers are St. Crispin and his bro-
ther Crispian, who supported themselves
by making shoes while they preached
to the people of Gaul and Britain. In
compliment to these saints the trade
Shoot the Moon
1136
Shot in the ‘Ilocker
of shoemaking is called “the gentle
Craft.”
Shoot the Moon (To). To remove
house furniture by night to avoid dis-
traint. -
Shoot the Sun (To).
nautical observation.
“ Unless a man understood how to handle his
vessel, it would be very little use his being able
to ‘shoot the Sun, as Sailors call it.”—Notes and
Queries, November 19th, 1892, p. 403.
Shooting-iron (A). A gun.
“Catch Qld. Stripes [a tiger] coming near my
bullock, if he thought a ‘shooting-iron anywhere
about.”—Cornhill, July, 1883 (My Tiger Watch).
Shooting Stars, called in ancient
To take a
legends the “fiery tears of St. Law-
rence,” because one of the periodic
swarms of these meteors is between the
9th and 14th of August, about the time
of St. Lawrence's festival, which is on
the 10th.
Shooting Stars are said by the Arabs
to be firebrands hurled by the angels
against the inquisitive Jinns or Genii,
who are for ever clambering up on the
constellations to peep into heaven.
Shop. To talk shop. To talk about
one’s affairs or business, to illustrate
by one's business, as when Ollipod the
apothecary talks of a uniform with
rhubarb-coloured facings.
Shop-lifting is secretly purloining
goods from a shop. Dekker speaks of
the lifting-law—i.e. the law against
theft. (Gothic, hlifan, to steal; hliftus,
a thief ; Latin, levo, to disburden.)
Shore (Jane). Sir Thomas More says,
“She was well-born, honestly brought
up, and married somewhat too soon to
a wealthy yeoman.” . The tragedy of
Jane Shore is by Nicholas Rowe. -
Shoreditch, according to tradition,
is so called from Jane Shore, who, it is
said, died there in a ditch. This tale
comes from a ballad , in Pepys' col-
lection : but the truth is, it receives its
name from Sir John de Soerdich, lord of
the manor in the reign of Edward III.
“I could not gét one bit of bread.
Whereby my hunger might be féd. . . .
So, weary of my life, at length
I yielded up my vital strength
Within a ditch . . . which since that day
Is Shoreditch called, as Writers Say.”
I)uke of Shoreditch. The most suc-
cessful of the London archers received
this playful title.
“Good king, make not good Lord of Lincoln
Duke of Shoreditch "--The Poore Man's Peliciom.
£0 the ICinge. (1603.)
Shorne (Sir John) or Master John
Shorne, well known for his feat of con-
juring the devil into a boot. He was
one of the uncanonised Saints, and was
prayed to in cases of ague. It seems
that he was a devout man, and rector of
North Marston, in Buckinghamshire, at
the close of the thirteenth century. He
blessed a well, which became the resort
of multitudes and brought in a yearly
revenue of some £500.
“To Nº. John Shorne, ... that blessed man -
DOI’ll
For the ague to him we apply.
Which juggleth With a bote; I beschrewe his
herte rote
That will trust him, and it be I.”
Fantassie of Idolatrie,
Short. My name is Short. I’m in a
hurry and cannot wait.
“Well, but let us hear the wishes (said the old
Imall); lyny name is Short, and I cannot stay much
longer.”—W. ) eats: Fairy Tales of the Irish, Peſt-
S(t)\tºry, p. 240.
Short Stature (Noted Men of).
Aetius, commander of the Roman army
in the days of Valentinian; Agesiläus
(5 syl.) “Statura fuit humili, et corpore
eaciguo, et claudius altero pede” (Nepos);
Alexander the Great, scarcely middle
height; Attila, “the scourge of God,”
broad-shouldered, thick-set, sinewy, and
short ; Byron, Cervantes, Claverhouse,
Condé the Great, Cowper, Cromwell,
Sir Francis Drake, Admiral Kepple
(called “Little Kepple''), Louis XIV.,
barely 5 feet 5 inches; Marshal Lux-
embourg, nicknamed “ the Little' ;
Mehemet Ali, Angelo; Napoleon I., le
petit caporal, was, according to his
school certificate, 5% feet: Lord Nelson,
St. Paul, Pepin le Bref, Philip of Mace-
don (scarcely middle height), Richard
Savage, Shakespeare; Socratēs was
stumpy; Theodore II., King of the
Goths, stout, short of stature, very
strong (so says Cassiodorus); Timon the
Tartar, self-described as lame, decrepit,
and of little weight; Dr. Isaac Watts,
etc. -

Shot. Hand out your shot or Down
with your shot—your reckoning or quota,
your money. (Saxon, Sceaf; Dutch,
schot.) (See SCOT AND LOT.)
“As the fund of our pleasure, let us each pay his
Shot.” - en Jomson.
IHe shot wide of the mark. He was
altogether in error. The allusion is to
shooting at the mark or bull’s-eye in
archery, but will now apply to our
modern rifle practice. -
Shot in the Locker... I haven’t a shot
$n the locker—a penny in my pocket or
in my purse. If a sailor says there is not
sº
Shot. Windowſ
g---
a shot in the locker, he means the ship
is wholly without ammunition, powder
and shot have all been expended.
Shot Window (A)—i.e. shot-out or
projecting window, and not, as Ritson
explains the word, a “window which
opens and shuts.” Similarly, a pro-
jecting part of a building is called an
out-shot. The aperture to give light to
a dark staircase is called a “shot win-
dow.”
“Mysie flew to the shot window. . . . ‘St. Mary
Sweet, lady, here come, two well-mounted gal-
lants.’”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chaps. xiv.
and XXYiii.
Shotten Herring. A lean spiritless
creature, a Jack-o'-Lent, like a herring
that has shot or ejected its spawn.
Herrings gutted and dried are so called
also. -
“Though they like shotten-herrings are to see,
Yet Such tall souldiers of their teeth they be,
That two of them, like greedy cormorants,
DeYour more then Sixe honest Protestants.”
Taylor's Worlºes, iii. 5.
Shoulder. Showing the cold shoulder.
Receiving without cordiality some one
who was once on better terms with you.
(See CoID.)
The government shall be upon his
shoulders (Isaiah ix. 6). The allusion
is to the key slung on the shoulder
of Jewish stewards on public occasions,
and as a key is emblematic of govern-
ment and power, the metaphor is very
striking.
Straight from the shoulder. With full
force. A boxing term.
“He was letting them have it straight from the
shoulder.”—T'. Tyrell: Lady Delmar, chap. v.
Shovel-bcard. A game in which
three counters were shoved or slid over
a Smooth board ; a game very popular
in the sixteenth and seventeenth cen-
turies; the table itself, and sometimes
even the counters were so called. Slen-
der speaks of “two Edward shovel-
boards.” (Shakespeare : Merry Wives
of Windsor, i. 1.)
Show. Show him an egg, and instantly
the whole air is full of feathers. Said of
a very Sanguine man.
Shrew-mouse. A small insectivor-
ous mammal, resembling a mouse in
form. It was supposed to have the
power of injuring cattle by running
over them; and to provide a remedy our
forefathers used to plug the creature
into a hole made in an ash-tree, any
branch of which would cure the mischief
done by the mouse. (Anglo-Saxon,
screawa, a shrew-mouse; mouse is ex-
pletive.)
1137
Si Quis
Shrieking Sisterhood (The). Wo-
men who clamour about “women’s
rights.”
“By Jove, l suppose my life wouldn't be worth
a moment's purchase if I made public these senti-
ments of mine at a meeting of the Shrieking
isºrhood."—The World, 24th February, 1892,
]]. 25.
Shrimp. A child, a puny little fellow,
in the same ratio to a man as a shrimp
to a lobster. Fry is also used for chil-
dren. (Anglo-Saxon, scrime-an, to shrink;
Danish, skrumpe ; Dutch, krimpen.)
“It cannot he this weak and writilled shrimp
Would strike such terror to his enemies.”
+ Shakespectre : 1 Henry VI., ii. 3. .
Shropshire. A contraction of
Shrewsbury-shire, the Saxon Serobbes-
burh (shrub-borough), corrupted by the
Normans into Sloppes-burie, whence our
Salop.
Shrovetide Cocks. Shrove Tuesday
used to be the great “Derby Day” of
cock-fighting in England. -
“Or martyr beat, like Shrovetide cocks, with bat:.”
Peter Pindar : Subjects for 1’awinters.
Shunamite's House (The). An
inn kept for the entertainment of the
preachers at Paul's Cross. These preach-
ers were invited by the bishop, and were
entertained by the Corporation of Lon-
don from Thursday before the day of
preaching, to the following Thursday
morning. (Maitland. London, ii. 949.)
Shunt. A railway term. (Anglo-
Saxon, Scum-ran, to shun.)
Shut up. Hold your tongue.
up your mouth.
Shy. To have a shy at anything. To
fling at it, to try and shoot it.
Shylock. The grasping Jew, who
“would kill the thing he hates.”
(Shakespeare : Merchant of Penice.)
Shylock (A). A grasping money-
lender. (See above.)
“Respectable people withdrew from the trade,
and the money-lending business was entirely in
the bands of the Shylocks. . . . Those who had to
horrow coin were obliged to submit to the expen-
sive subterfuges of the Shylocks, from whose net
once caught, there was little chance of escape.”—
A. Eſmonut-Hatlºe. Free Trade in Capital, chap. Wii.
Si, the seventh note in music, was nou
introduced till the seventeenth century.
The original scale introduced by Guido
d'Arezzo consisted of only six notes.
(See ARETINIAN SYLLABLES.)
Si Quis. A notice to all whom it
may concern, given in the parish church
before ordination, that a resident means
to offer himself as a candidate for holy
orders; and SI QUIS — i.e. if anyone
knows any just cause or impediment
Shut
72
Siamese Twins
1138
Sibylline Tleaves
thereto, he is to declare the same to the
bishop.
Si’amese Twins; Yoke-fellows, in-
separables; so called from two youths
(Eng and Chang), born of Chinese
parents at Bang Mecklong. Their bodies
were united by a band of flesh, stretching
from breast-bone to breast-bone. They
married two sisters, and had offspring.
(1825-1872.)
Siamese Twins. The Biddenden Maids,
born 1100, had distinct bodies, but were
joined by the hips and shoulders. They
lived to be thirty-four years of age.
Sib'beridge (3 syl.). Banns of mar-
riage. (Anglo-Saxon Sibbe, alliance;
whence the old English word sibrede,
relationship, kindred.) (See GOSSIP.)
“For every man it schuldé drede
And Nameliche in his sibrede.” e
Gower : Confessio Amantiš.
Sibyl. (See AMALTHAEA.)
Sibyls. Plato speaks of only one (the
Iºrythraean); Martian Capella says there
were two, the Erythraean and the Phry-
gian ; the former being the famous
“Cumaean Sibyl; ” Solinus and Jackson,
in his Chronologic Azºtiquities, maintains,
on the authority of Ælian, that there
were four—the Erythracán, the Samian,
the Egyptian, and the Sardian ; Varro
tells us there were ten, viz. the Cumaean
(who sold the books to Tarquin), the
I)elphic, Egyptian, Erythraean, Helles-
pontine, Libyan, Persian, Phrygian,
Samian, and Tiburtine.
* The name of the Cumaean sibyl was
Amalthaea.
“How know we but that, she may be an eleventh
Sibyl or a second Cassandra P’’—Rabelais : Gargan-
tita (tºld Patºntag?'ttel, iii. 16. .
Sibyls. The mediaeval monks reckoned
twelve Sibyls, and gave to each a sepa-
rate prophecy and distinct emblem:—
(1) The Lib'yan Sibyl : “The day shall
come when men shall see the King of
all living things.” Emblem, a lighted
taper. . . -
(2) The Sa'inian Sibyl: “The Rich
One shall be born of a pure virgin.”
Jºmblem, a rose.
(3) The Cuman Sibyl : “Jesus Christ
shall come from heaven, and live and
reign in poverty on earth.” Emblem, a
CTOWIOl. . .
(4) The Cumaean Sibyl: “God shall
be born of a pure virgin, and hold con-
verse with sinners.” Emblem, a cradle.
(5) The Erythraean Sibyl : “Jesus
Christ, Son of God, the Saviour.” Em-
blem, a horn. -
(6) The Persian Sibyl: “Satan shall
be overcome by a true prophet.” Ein-
blem, a dragon under the Sibyl's feet,
and a lantern. -
(7) The Tiburtine Sibyl : “The High-
est shall descend from heaven, and a
virgin be shown in the valleys of the
deserts.” Emblem, a dove. -
(8) The Delphic Sibyl: “The Prophet
|born of the virgin shall be crowned with
thorns.” Emblem, a crown of thorns.
(9) The Phrygian Sibyl: “Our Lord
shall rise again.” Emblem, a banner and
8, CTOSS.
(10) The European Sibyl : “A virgin
and her Son shall flee into Egypt.”
JEmblem, a sword.
(11) The Agrippi'ne Sibyl : “Jesus
Christ shall be outraged and scourged.”
Emblem, a whip. 3.
(12) The Hellespontie Sibyl : “Jesus
Christ shall suffer shame upon the cross.”
JEmblem, a T cross. - t
This list of prophecies is of the six-
teenth century, and is manifestly a
clumsy forgery or mere monkish legend.
(See below, SIBYLLINE VERSES.)
The most famous of the ten sibyls was
Amalthaea, of Cumae in AEo'lia, who
offered her nine books to Tarquin the
Proud. The offer being rejected, she
lournt three of them ; and after the
lapse of twelve months, offered the re-
maining six at the same price. Again
being refused, she burnt three more, and
after a similar interval asked the same
price for the remaining three. The sum
demanded was now given, and Amalthaea
never appeared again. (Livy.)
Sibyl. The Cumaean sibyl was the
conductor of Virgil to the infernal
regions. (AEmeid, vi.)
Sibyl. A fortune-teller.
“How they will fare it needs a sibyl to say.”
—The Times.
Sibylline Books. The three sur-
viving books of the Sibyl Amalthaea.
were preserved in a stone chest under-
ground in the temple of Jupiter Capi-
toli'nus, and committed to the charge of
custodians chosen in the same manner
as the high priests. The number of
custodians was at first two, then ten,
and ultimately fifteen. The books were
destroyed by fire when the Capitol was
burnt (A.D. 670). .
Sibylline Books. A collection of poetical
utterances in Greek, compiled in the
second century (138-167). The collec-
tion is in eight books, relates to Jesus
Christ, and is entitled Ora'cula Sibyli'na.
Sibylline Leaves. The Sibylline
prophecies were written in Greek, upon
palm-leaves. (Parro.) " -
*...* *
- rº
Sibylline Verses
1139
Sidney-Sussex College
Sibylline Verses. When the Sibyl-
line books were destroyed (see above), all
the floating verses of the several Sibyls
were carefully collected and deposited in
the new temple of Jupiter. Augustus
had some 2,000 of these verses destroyed
as spurious, and placed the rest in two
gilt cases, under the base of the statue
of Apollo, in the temple on the Palatine
Hill; but the whole perished when the
city was burnt in the reign of Nero.
(See Sibyls [of the mediaeval monks].)
Siccis pedibus [with dry feet]. Meta-
phorically, without notice.
“It may be worth noticing that both Mrs.
Shelley and Mr. Rossetti pass over the line siccis
pedibus.”—Notés &nd Queries (26th May, 1893, p. 417),
Sice (1 Syl.). A sizing, an allowance
of bread and butter. “He’ll print for
a sice.” In the University of Cambridge
the men call the pound loaf, two inches
of butter, and pot of milk allowed for
breakfast, their “sizings; ” and when
One student breakfasts with another in
the same college, the bed-maker carries
his sizings to the rooms of the enter-
tainer. (See SIZINGS.) . . .
Sicil'ian Dishes (Sicilae dapés) were
choice foods. The best Roman cooks
were Sicilians. Horace (3 Odes, i. 18)
tells us that when a sword hangs over
Our head, as in the case of Damoclés,
not even “Sicula dapés dulcem elabora-
Öunt saporem.” . - .
Sicil’ian Vespers. The massacre
of the French in Sicily, which began at
the hour of vespers on Easter Monday
in 1282.
Sick Man (The). So Nicholas of
Russia (in 1844) called the Ottoman
Empire, which had been declining ever
since 1586. -
“I repeat to you that the sick man is dying ;
and We must never allow such an event to take
uS by Surprise.”—Amrital Register, 1853.
N.B. Don John, Governor-General
of the Netherlands, writing in 1579 to
Philip II. Of Spain, calls the Prince of
Orange ‘‘the sick man,” because he
was in the way, and he wantéd him
** finished.”
“‘Money’ (he says in his letter) “Is the gruel
with which we must cure this sick man [for spies
and assassins are expensive" drugs]".”—Motley :
Dutch Republic, bk. v. 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Sick as a Cat. (See SIMILES.)
Sick as a Dog. (See SIMILES.)
Sick as a Horse, Nausea unrelieved
by vomiting. A horse is unable to
vomit, because its diaphragm is not
a complete partition in the abdomen,
Countess of Sussex, in 1598.
perforated only by the gullet, and against
Which the stomach can be compressed
by the abdominal muscles, as is the case
in man. Hence the nausea of a horse is
more lasting and more violent. (See
Notes and Queries, C. S. xii., August 15th,
1885, p. 134.)
Siddons (Mrs). Sidney Smith says
it was never without awe that he saw
this tragedy queen stab the potatoes;
and Sir Walter Scott tells us, while she
Was dining at Ashestiel, he heard her
declaim to the footman, “You’ve
brought me water, boy I asked for
beer.” - . ."
Side of the Angels. Punch, Dec.
10, 1864, contains a cartoon of Disraeli,
dressing for an Oxford bal masqué, as
an angel, and underneath the cartoon
are these words— :-
“The question is, is man an ape or an angel? I
am on the side of the angels.”—Disraeli's Oatford
Speech, Friday, Nov. 25 (1864). .
Sidney (Algernon), called by Thom-
son, in his Summer, “The British
Cassius,” because of his republican
principles. Both disliked kings, not
from their misrule, but from a dislike
to monarchy. Cassius was one of the
conspirators against the life of Caesar,
and Sidney was one of the judges that
condemned Charles I. to the block
(1617–1683). - -
Sidney (Sir Philip). The academy
figure of Prince Arthur, in Spenser's
Paërie Queene, and the poet's type of
magnanimity. . . . . . .
Sir Philip Sidney, called by Sir Walter
Raleigh “the English Petrarch,” was
the author of Arcadia. Queen Eliza-
beth called him “the jewel of her
dominions ; ’’ and Thomson, in his
Summer, “the plume of war.” The
poet refers to the battle of Zutphen,
where Sir Philip received his death-
wound. Being thirsty, a soldier brought
him some water; but as he was about to
drink he observed a wounded man eye
the bottle with longing looks, Sir Philip
gave the water to the wounded man,
saying, “Poor fellow, thy necessity is
greater than mine.” Spenser laments
him in the poem called Astrophel (q.v.).
Sidney’s sister, Pembroke's mother.
Mary Herbert (née Sidney), Countess of
Pembroke, poetess, etc. (Died 1621.)
The line is by William Browne (1645).
Sidney-Sussex College, Cam-
- bridge, founded by Lady Frances Sidney,
Siegfried
Sieg'fried (2 syl.). Hero of the first
part of the Nibelungen-Lied. He was
the youngest son of Siegmund and Sieg-
lind, king and queen of the Nether-
lands, and was born in Rhinecastle
called Xanton. He married Kriemhild,
Princess of Burgundy, and sister of
Günther. Günther craved his assist-
ance in carrying off Brunhild from Iss-
land, and Siegfried succeeded by taking
away her talisman by main force. This
excited the jealousy of Günther, who
induced Hagan, the Dane, to murder
Sieg'fried. . Hagan struck him with a
sword in the only vulnerable part (be-
tween the shoulder-blades), while he
stooped to quench his thirst at a foun-
tain. (Nibelungen-Lied.)
Horny Siegfried. So called because
when he slew the dragon he bathed in
its blood, and became covered all over
with a horny hide which was invulner-
able, except in one spot between the
shoulders, where a linden-leaf stuck.
(Nibelungen-Lied, st. 100.) - -
Siegfried's cloak of invisibility, called
“ tarnkappe” (tarmen, to conceal; kappe,
a cloak). It not only made the wearer
invisible, but also gave him the strength
of twelve men. (Tarnkappe, 2 syl.)
“The mighty dwarf successless strove with the
mightier man ; -
Like to Wild mountain lions to the hollow hill
they ran ;
. He ravished there the tarnkappe from strug-
gling Albric's hold,
And then, became the master of the hoarded
gems and gold.
Lettson : Fall of the Nibelungers, Lied iii.
, Sieg'lind (2 syl.). Mother of Sieg-
fried, and Queen of the Netherlanders.
(The Nibelungen-Lied.)
Sien'na (3 Syl.). The paint so called
is made of terra di Siena, in Italy.
Sierra (3 Syl., Spanish, a saw). A
mountain whose top is indented like a
saw ; a range of mountains whose tops
form a saw-like appearance ; a line of
craggy rocks; as Sierra More'na (where
many of the incidents in Don Quiacote
are laid), Sierra Nevada (the snowy
range), Sierra Leo'ne (in West Africa,
where lions abound), etc.
Siesta (3 syl.) means “the sixth
hour”—i.e. noon. (Latin, sevta hora).
It is applied to the short sleep taken in
Spain during the mid-day heat. (Span-
ish, Sesta, sixth hour; Sestéar, to take a
mid-day nap.)
‘Sieve and Shears. The device of
discovering a guilty person by sieve and
shears is to stick a pair of shears in a
sieve, and give the sieve into the hands
1140
Significavit
of two virgins, then say : “By St.
Peter and St. Paul, if you [or you]
have stolen the article, turn shears to
the thief.” Sometimes a Bible and key
are employed instead, in which case the
key is placed in a Bible.
Sif. Wife of Thor, famous for the
beauty of her hair. Loki having cut it
off while she was asleep, she obtained
from the dwarfs a new fell of golden
hair equal to that which he had taken.
Sight for “multitude '' is not an
Americanism, but good Old English.
Thus, in Morte d'Arthur, the word is
not unfrequently so employed ; and the
high-born dame, Juliana Berners, lady
prioress in the fifteenth century of Sop-
well nunnery, speaks of a bomynable
Syght of momkes (a large number of
friars).
“Where is so huge a Syght of mony.”—Pals-
g?'(tºe : Acola Stats (1540).
Sight (Far). Zarga, the Arabian
heroine of the tribe Jadis, could see at
the distance of three days’ journey.
Being asked by Hassān the secret of her
long sight, she said it was due to the
ore of antimony, which she reduced to
powder, and applied to her eyes as a

collyrium every night. -
Sign your Name. It is not correct
to say that the expression “signing
one’s name '’ points to the time when
persons could not write. No doubt
persons who could not write made their
mark in olden times as they do now, but
we find over and over again in ancient
documents these words: “This [grant]
is signed with the sign of the cross for
its greater assurance (or) greater invio-
lability,” and after the sign follows
the name of the donor. (See Jºyme?’s
Foedera, vol. i. pt. i.) -
Signs instead of words. A symbolic
language made by gestures. Members of
religious orders bound to silence, com-
municate with each other in this way.
John, a monk, gives, in his Life of St.
Odo, a number of signs for bread, tart,
beans, eggs, fish, cheese, honey, milk,
cherries, onions, etc. (See Sussea, Arch-
acological Collection, vol. iii. p. 190.)
Significa'vit. A writ of Chancery
given by the ordinary to keep an ex-
communicate in prison till he submitted
to the authority of the Church. The
writ, which is now obsolete, used to
begin with “Significavit nobis venerabilis
pater,” etc. Chaucer says of his Somp-
Il OUII’— - - * . .
“And also ware him of a ‘significavit.’” ...
- Canterbury Tales (Prologue), 664.
Siguna
1141
--- Silly .
Sigun'a. Wife of Loki. She nurses
him in his cavern, but sometimes, as she
carries off the poison which the serpents
gorge, a portion drops on the god, and
his writhings cause earthquakes. (Sean-
dinavian mythology.) -
Sigurd. The Norse Siegfried (q.v.).
He falls in love with Brynhild, but,
under the influence of a love-potion,
marries Gudrun, a union which brings
about a volume of mischief.
Sigurd the Horny. A German romance
based on a legend in the Sagas. An
analysis of this legend is published by
Weber in his Illustrations of Northern
Antiquities. (See SIEGFRIED, Horny.)
Silkes (Bill). A ruffian housebreaker
of the lowest grade in Oliver Twist, by
Charles Dickens.
Sikh. (Hindu sikh, disciple.) The
Sikhs were originally a religious body
like the Mahometans, but in 1764 they
formally assumed national independence.
Since 1849 the Sikhs have been ruled by
the English.
Silbury, near Marlborough. An arti-
ficial mound, 130 feet high, and covering
seven acres of ground. Some say it is
where “King Sel” was buried; others;
that it is a corruption of Solis-bury
(mound of the sun); others, that it is
Sel-barrow (great tumulus), in honour
of some ancient prince of Britain. The
Tev. A. C. Smith is of opinion that it
was erected by the Celts about B.C. 1600.
There is a natural hill in the same
vicinity, called St. Martin's Sell or Sill,
in which case sill or sell means seat or ,
throne. These etymologies of Silbury
must rest on the authority of those who
have suggested them.
Sil'chester (Berks) is Silicis castrum
(flint camp), a Saxon-Latin form of the
Roman Calleva or Galleva. Galleva is
the Roman form of the British Gwal
|Pawſ" (great wall), so called from its
wall, the ruins of which are still striking.
Leland says, “On that wall grow some
oaks of ten cart-load the piece.” Ac-
cording to tradition King Arthur was
crowned here ; and Ninnius asserts that
the city was built by Constantius, father
of Constantine the Great. -
Silence gives Consent, Latin, “Qui
tacet consentire wide’tur; ” ( reek, “Auto
de to sigan homologountos e i sou” (Eu-
ripidès); French, “Assez consent qui me
dit mot; ” Italian, “ Chi tace confessa.”
“But that you shall not say I yield, being silent,
I Would not Speak.” - * & .
: “ . . Shakespeare: Cymbeline, ii. 3,
Silent (The). William I., Prince of
Orange (1533-1584). -
Sile/nus. The foster-father of Bac-
chus, fond of music, and a prophet, but
indomitably lazy, wanton, and given to
debauch. He is described as a jovial
old man, with bald head, pug nose, and
face like Bardolph’s.
Silhouette (3 syl.). A black pro-
file, so called from Etienne de Silhouette,
Contrôleur des Finances, 1757, who made
great Savings in the public expenditure
of France. Some say the black portraits
were called Silhouettes in ridicule; others
assert that Silhouette devised this way of
taking likenesses to save expense.
Silk. Received silk, applied to a bar-
rister, means that he has obtained licence
to wear a silk gown in the law courts,
having obtained the degree or title of
Sergeant.
Silk Gown. A queen’s counsel. So
called because his canonical robe is a
black silk gown. That of an ordinary
barrister is made of stuff or prunello.
Silk Purse. You cannot make a siſ/:
purse of a sow’s ear. “You cannot make
a horn of a pig's tail.” A sow’s ear may
somewhat resemble a purse, and a curled
pig’s tail may somewhat resemble a
twisted horn, but a sow’s ear cannot be
made into a silk purse, nor a pig's tail
into a cow’s horn. -
“You cannot make, my lord, I fear,
A Velvet purse of a sow's ear.” •
Peter Pindal?' - Lord B. and His Motions.
Silken Thread. In the kingdom of
Lilliput, the three great prizes of honour
are “fine silk threads six inches long;
ºne blue, another red, and a third green.”
The emperor holds a stick in his hands,
and the candidates “jump over it or
creep under it, backwards or forwards,
as the stick indicates,” and he who does
So with the greatest agility is rewarded
with the blue ribbon, the second best
with the red cordon, and the third with
the green. The thread is girt about
their loins, and no ribbon of the Legion
of Honour, or Knight of the Garter, is
won more worthily or worn more
proudly. (Gulliver’s Travels.)
Silly is the German Selig (blessed),
whence the infant Jesus is termed “the
harmless silly babe,” and sheep are
called “silly,” meaning harmless or in-
nocent. As the “holy” are easily taken
in by worldly cunning, the word came
to signify “gullible,” “foolish.” (See
SIMPLICITY.) . . . . . . .
Silly Season
1142
*
Silver wedding
Silly Season (The), for daily news-
papers, is when Parliament is not in
session, and all sorts of “silly” stuff are
vamped-up for padding. Also called the
“Big Gooseberry Season,” because para-
graphs are often inserted on this subject.
Siluria—that is, Hereford, Mon-
mouth, Radnor, Brecon, and Glamorgan.
The “sparkling wines of the Silurian
wats * are cider and perry.
“From Silurian vats, high-sparkling wines
Foam in transparent floods.”
- Thomsoll, f Aut?!?????.
Silu'rian Rocks. A name given by
Sir R. Murchison to what miners call
gray-wacke, and Werner termed transi-
tion rocks. Sir Roderick called them
Silurian because it was in the region of
the ancient Silures that he investigated
them. . .
Silva'na. A maga or fata in Tasso's
Amadi'gi, where she is made the guar-
dian spirit of Alido'ro.
Silvanella. A beautiful maga, or
fata, in Bojardo, who raised a tomb over
Narcissus, and then dissolved into a
fountain. (Lib. ii. xvii. 56, etc.)
Silver was, by the ancient alchemists,
called Diana, or the Moon.
Silver. The Frenchman employs the
word silver to designate money, the
wealthy Englishman uses the word gold,
and the poorer old Roman brass (aes).
Silver and gold articles are marked
with five marks: the maker's private
mark, the standard or assay mark, the
hall mark, the duty mark, and the date
mark. The standard mark states the
proportion of silver, to which figure is
added a lion passant for England, a harp
crowned for Ireland, a thistle for Edin-
burgh, and a lion rampant for Glasgow.
(For the other marks, see MARK.)
Silver Cooper (The). A kidnapper.
“To play the silver cooper,” to kidnap.
A cooper is one who coops up another.
... “You rob and you murder, and you want me to
... play the silver cooper.”—Sir W. Scotl: Guy
Mamºmen'ing, chap. XXXiV. . .
Silver Fork School. Those novelists
who are sticklers for etiquette and the
graces of society, such as Theodore Hook,
Lady Blessington, Mrs. Trollope, and
Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton (Lord
Lytton). w
Silver-hand. Nuad, the chieftain
who led back the tribe of the Danaans
from Scotland to Ireland, whence they
had migrated. Nuad of the Silver-hand
had an artificial hand of silver made by
Cred, the goldsmith, to supply the loss
sustained from a wound in the battle of
Moytura. Miach, son of Dian Kect, set
it on the wrist. (O'Flaherty: Ogygia,
part iii. chap. x.) (See IRON HAND.)
Silver Lining. The prospect of
better days, the promise of happier
times. The allusion is to Milton’s Comus,
where the lady lost in the wood resolves
to hope on, and sees a “sable cloud turn
forth its silver lining to the night.”
Silver Pheasant (A). A beautiful
young lady of the high aristocracy.
“One would think you were a silver pheasant,
you give yourself such airs.”—Ouida : Under Two
Flags. - - -
Silver Spoon. Born with a silver
spoon in one’s mouth. Born to luck and
wealth. The allusion is to silver spoons
given as prizes and at christenings. The
lucky man is born with it in his mouth,
and needs not stop to earn it. .
“One can see, young fellow, that you were born
with a silver $poon in your mouth.”—Longmam's
Magazine, 1886.
Silver Star of Love (The). When
Gama was tempest-tossed through the
machinations of Bacchus, the “Silver
Star of Love” appeared to him, calmed
the sea, and restored the elements to
harmony again.
“The sky and ocean blending, each on fire,
Seemed as all Nature struggled to expire ;
When now the Silver Star of Love appeared,
Bright in the East her radiant front she reared.”
Camoëns : Lusiad, bk. Vi.
Silver Streak (The). The British
Channel.
“Steam power has much lessened the value of
the silver streak as a defensive agent.”—News-
paper paragraph, November, 1885. .
Silver-Tongued. William Bates,
the Puritan divine. (1625–1699.)
Anthony Hammond, the poet, called
Silver-tongue. (1668-1738.) - -
Henry Smith, preacher. (1550-1600.)
Joshua Sylvester, translator of Du
Bartas. (1563-1618.) . . -
Silver Trumpet (A). A smooth-
tongued orator. A rough, unpolished
speaker is called a ram’s horn. -
Silver Weapon. With silver wea-
pons you may conquer the world, is what
the Delphic oracle said to Philip of
Macedon, when he went to consult it.
Philip, acting on this advice, sat down
before a fortress which his staff pro-
nounced to be impregnable. “You
shall see,” said the king, “how an ass
laden with gold will find an entrance.”
Silver Wedding. The twenty-fifth
anniversary, when, in Germany, the
woman has a silver wreath presented her.
Silver of Guthrunn
1143
Simon Pure
On the fiftieth anniversary, or GOLDEN
WEDDING, the wreath is of gold.
Silver of Guthrum, or Guthram's
Lane. Fine silver; so called because in
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries
the principal gold- and silver-Smiths
resided there. -
Silverside of Beef (The). The
upper side of a round, which not only
shows the shining tissue uppermost, but,
when carved cold has a silvery appear-
ance. Generally boiled. -
Simeon (St.) is usually depicted as
bearing in his arms the infant Jesus, or
receiving Him in the Temple.
. Similies in COrnmon use :-
BALD as a coot.
BITTER, as gall, as soot.
PLACK as ink, as a coal, as a crow,
BLIND as a bat, a beetle, a linole,
BLUNT as a hedge-hook.
BRAVE as Alexander.
BRIGHT as Silver. .
BRITTLE as glass.
BROWN as a berry,
BUSY as a bee. .
CHATTER, like a jay.
CLEAR as crystal. -
COLD as ice, as a frog, as charity.
COOL as a CuCul]] }}er.
CROSS as the tongs, as two Sticks,
DARK as pitch [pitch-dark].
DEAD as a door-mail.
DEAF aS a post.
DRY as a bone.
FAIR as a lily.
FALSE as lyell. * -
FAT as a pig, aS 3, 1)0rpoise.
FLAT as a founder, as a pancake.
FLEET as the wind, as a racehorse.
FREE aS air.
GAY as a lark.
. GOOD as gold.
GREEN as grass. g
HARD as iron, as a flint.
HARMLESS as a do Vé.
HEAVY a.8 lead.
HOARSE as a hog, as a raVen.
HELPLESS as a ba,he.
HOLLOW as a drum.
HOT as fire, as all oven, as a COal.
... HUNGRY as a llunter.
LIGHT as a feather, as day.
LIMP as a glove.
LOUD as thunder. º
MERRY as a grig, as a cricket.
MILD as Moses, as milk. .
NEAT as wax, as a new pin.
OBSTINATE as a pig (pig-headed.)
OLD as the hills, as Methuselah.
PAT,E as a ghost.
PATIENT as Job.
PLAIN as a pikestaff.
| PLAYFUL as a kitten.
PLUMP as a pal"tridge.
Poor as a rat, as a church mouse, as Jch.
PRO UD aS Lucifer. -
, RED as blood, as a fox, a rose, a brick.
ROUGH aS a nutlhég-grater.
ROUND as an Orange, a ball.
RUDE as a heal'.
SAFE as the bank [of England], or the stocks.
SAVAGE as a bear, as a tiger, as a boar with a
SOré head. -
SICK as a cat, a dog, a horse, a toad.
SHARP as a needle.
SLEEP like a top. -
SLow as a snail, as a tortoise.
SLY as a fox, as Old bootS.
SOFT as silk, as Velvet, aß SOap.
Soux D as a roach, as a bell.
SOUR as Vinegar, as Verjuice,
$TARE like a stuck pig.
$TEADY as Old Time.
}TIFF as a poker.
TRAIGHT a.S all all’OW.
}TRONG as iron, as a horse, as brandy.
URE as a gun, as fate, as death and taxes.
SURLY aS a, bear'.
SWEET as sugar. - -
Swift as lightning, as the wind, as an arrow.
THICK as lºops. . . . .
THIN as a lath, as a Whipping-post.
TIGHT as a drum.
TOUGH as leather.
TRUE as the Gospel.
VAIN as a peacock.
WARM aS a toa,St.
WEAK as Water.
WET a S a fish. o
WHITE as driven Snow, as milk, as a Swan, as a
Sheet, as chalk.
WISE as a Serpent, as Solomon.
YELLOW as a guinca, as gold, as Saffron.
Similia. Similibus Curantur. Like
cures like. (See under HAIR : Take a
hair of the dog that bit you.)
Simmes' Hole. The cavity which
Captain John C. Simmes maintained
existed at the North and South Poles.
Simnel Cakes. Rich cakes eaten in
Lancashire in Mid-Lent. Simnel is the
German Semmel, a manchet or roll ;
Danish and Norwegian simle ; Swedish,
simla. In Somersetshire a teacake is
called a simlin. A simnel cake is a cake
manchet, or rich Semmel. The eating
of these cakes in Mid-Lent is in com-
memoration of the banquet given by
Joseph to his brethren, which forms the
first lesson of Mid-Lent Sunday, and the
feeding of five thousand, which forms
the gospel of the day. (See MID-LENT.)
Simon (St.) is represented with a saw
in his hand, in allusion to the instrument
of his martyrdom. He sometimes bears
fish in the other hand, in allusion to his
occupation as a fishmonger.
Simon Magus. Isidore tells us that
Simon Magus died in the reign of Nero,
and adds that he (Simon) had proposed
a dispute with Peter and Paul, and had
promised to fly up to heaven. He suc-
ceeded in rising high into the air, but at
the prayers of the two apostles he was
cast down to earth by the evil spirits who
had enabled him to rise into the air.
Milman, in his History of Christianity,
vol. ii. p. 51, tells another story. He
says that Simon offered to be buried
alive, and declared that he would re-
appear on the third day. He was actu-
ally buried in a deep trench, “but to this
day,” says Hippolytus, “his disciples
have failed to witness his resurrection.”
Simon Pure. The real man. In
Mrs. Centlivre's Bold Stroke for a Wife,
a Colonel Feignwell passes himself off for
Simon Pure, and wins the heart of Miss
Simony
1144
aw-
Sing Old Rose
Lovely. No sooner does he get the
assent of her guardian, than the veritable
Quaker shows himself, and proves, be-
yond a doubt, he is the real Simon Pure.
Simony. Buying and selling church
livings; any unlawful traffic in holy
things. So called from Simon Magus,
who wanted to purchase the “gift of
the Holy Ghost,” that he might have
the power of working miracles. (Acts
viii. 9-23.)
Simony. The friar in the tale of
Jēeynard the Foa: ; so called from Simon
Magus.
Simple (The). Charles III. of France.
(879, 893.929.)
Simples cut. (See BATTERSEA.)
Simple Simon. A simpleton. The
character is introduced in the well-
known nursery tale, the author of which
is unknown.
Simplicity is sine plica, without a
ifold; as duplicity is diſplea plica, a
double fold. Conduct “without a fold.”
is straightforward, but thought without
a fold is mere childishness. It is “tor-
tuity of thought º’ that constitutes philo-
sophic wisdom, and “simplicity of
thought º’ that prepares the mind for
faith.
“The flat simplicity of that reply was admir-
able.”—) antbrugh, and Cibber : The Provoked blus-
band, i.
Simplon Road. Commenced in
1800 by Napoleon, and finished in 1806.
It leads over a shoulder of what is called
the Pass of the Simplon (Switzerland).
Sin, according to Milton, is twin-
keeper with Death of the gates of Hell,
She sprang full-grown from the head of
Satan.
- “. . . Woman to the waist, and fair,
But ending foul in many a scaly fold . .
Voluminous and vast, a serient armed
With mortal sting.” I’aradise Lost, ii. 650–653.
Original sin. (See ADAM.)
Sin-eaters.
rals in ancient times, to take upon them-
selves the sins of the deceased, that the
soul might be delivered from purgatory.
“Notice was given to an old sire before the door
of the house, when some of the family came out
and furnished him with a cricket [low stool], on
which he sat down facing the door ; then, they
gave him a groat which he put in his pocket, a
crust of bread which he ate, and a bowl Of ale
which he drank off at a draught. After this he
got up from the cricket and pronounced the ease
and rest of the soul departed, for which he would
pawn his own soul.”—Bagford's letter on Leland's
Collectanea, i. 76.
Since're (2 syl.), properly, means
without wax (sine cera). The allusion is
to the Roman practice of concealing
Persons hired at fune-
|
flaws in pottery with wax, or to honey
from which all the wax has been ex-
tracted. (See Trench: On the Study of
Words, lect. vii. p. 322.)
Šin'dhu'. The ancient name of the
river Indus. (Sanskrit, Syand, to flow.)
Sin'don. A thin manufacture of the
Middle Ages used for dresses and hang-
ings; also a little round piece of linen
or lint for dressing the wound left by
trepanning. (Du Cange gives its etymo-
logy Cyssets tenºſis, but the Greek sindon,
means “fine Indian cloth.” India is
Sind, and China. Sina.)
Sine Die (Latin). No time being
fixed ; indefinitely in regard to time.
When a proposal is deferred sine die,
it is deferred without fixing a day for its
reconsideration, which is virtually “for
ever.’ -
Sine quâ, Non. An indispensable
condition. Latin, Sime qua non potest
es'se or fieri (that without which [the
thing] cannot be, or be done).
Sinecure [si'-me-kure]. - An enjoy-
ment of the money attached to a bene-
fice without having the trouble of the
“cure '’; also applied to any office to
which a salary is attached without any
duties to perform. (Latin, sine curd,
without cure, or care.) -
Sinews of War. Money, which
buys the sinews, and makes them act
vigorously. , Men will not fight without
wages, and the materials of war must be
paid for. -
Sing a Song o' Sixpence.
MACARONIC VERSE.)
Sing my Music, and not Yours,
said Guglielmi to those who introduced
their own ornaments into his operas, so
eminently distinguished for their sim-
plicity and purity. (1727–1804.)
Sing Old Rose. Sing Old Rose and
bºt,” the bellows. “Old-Rose ’’ was the
title of a song now unknown; thus,
Izaak Walton (1590-1683) says, “Let’s
sing Old Rose.” Burn the bellows is
said to be a schoolboy’s perversion
of burn libellos. At breaking-up time
the boys might say, “Let’s sing Old
Rose [a popular song], and burn our
schoolbooks” (libellos). This does not
accord with the words of the well-
known catch, which evidently means
“throw aside all implements of work.”
“Now were met like jovial fellows,
I let us do as wise men tell us, ... .
Sing Old Iºosg and burn the bellows,”
(See
Sing Out
Sing Out.
chastisement.
To sing small. To cease boasting and
assume a lower tone.
Sing-su-hay. A lake of Thibet,
famous for its gold sands. -
“Bright are the waters of Sing-su-hay
To cry or squall from
And the golden floods that thitherward stray.”
- Thomas Moore: Paradise and the Peri.
Singapores (3 syl.), in Stock-Ex-
change phraseology, means, “ British
Indian Extension Telegraph Stock.” (See
STOCK-ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Singing Apple was a ruby apple on
a stem of amber. It had the power of
persuading anyone to anything merely
by its odour, and enabled the possessor
to write verses, make people laugh or
cry, and itself sang so as to ravish the
ear. The apple was in the desert of
Libya, and was guarded by a dragon
with three heads and twelve feet. Prince
Chery put on an armour of glass, and
the dragon, when it saw its thousand
reflections in the armour and thought a
thousand dragons were about to attack
it, became so alarmed that it ran into its
cave, and the prince closed up the mouth
of the cave. (Countess d’Aunoy : Cherry
and Fairstar.) (See SINGING-TREE.)
Singing-Bread, consecrated by the
priest singing. (French, pain & chanter.)
The reformers directed that the sacra-
mental bread should be similar in fine-
ness and fashion to the round bread-
and-water singing-cakes used in private
Masses.
Singing Chambermaids, in theatri-
cal parlance, mean those Smart young
light comedy actresses who perform
chambermaids and are good singers.
Singing Tree. A tree whose leaves
were so musical that every leaf sang in
concert. (Arabian Nights : Story of the
Sisters who Envied their Younger Sister.)
(See SINGING APPLE.)
Singing in Tribulation. Confess-
ing when put to the torture. Such a
person is termed in gaol slang a “can-
ary bird.”
“‘This man, sir, is condemned to the galleys for
being a Canary-bird.’. ‘A canary-bird exclaimed
the knight. ‘Yes, sir, added the arch-thief; ‘I
mean that he is very famous for his singing.’
“What l’ said Don Quixote : * are people to be
sent to the galleys for singing 2 " .." Marry, that
they are,” answered the slave : ‘for there i8
nothing, more dangerous than singing in tribu-
lation.’ ”—Cervantes : Don Quiacote, iii. 8.
Single - Speech Hamilton.
Right Hon. W. G. Hamilton, Chancellor
of the Exchequer in Ireland, spoke one
1145
The
º blandishments,
Siren
speech, but that was a masterly torrent
of eloquence which astounded everyone.
(November 13th, 1755.)
“No one likes a reputation analogous to that of
“single-speech Hamilton.’”—The Times.
“Or is it he, the wordy youth,
So early trained for statesman's part,
Who talks of honour, faith, and truth,
As themes that he has got by heart,
Whose ethics Chesterfield can teach,
Whose logic is from Single-speech 2''.
Sir Walter Scott : Bridal of Triermaim, ii. 4.
Sin'ister (Latin, on the left hand).
According to augury, birds, etc., appear-
ing on the left-hand side forbode ill-
luck; but, on the right-hand side, good
luck. Thus, corva sinistra (a crow on
the left-hand) is a sign of ill-luck which
belongs to English superstitions as much
as to the ancient Roman or Etruscan.
(Virgil: Eclogues, i. 18.)
“That raven on yon left-hand oak
(Curse on his ill-hetiding croak) is *
Bodes me no good.” Gay : Fable XXXYii.
Sinister. (See BAR SINISTER.)
Sinning One's Mercies. Being un-
grateful for the gifts of Providence.
“I know your goºd father would term this
‘Sinning nº y mercies.’ ”—Sir W. Scott : IRedgauntlet, -
Si'non. A Greek who induced the
Trojans to receive the wooden horse.
(Virgil : L'Éneid, ii. 102, etc.) Anyone
deceiving to betray is called “a Sinon.”
“And now securely trusting to destroy, -
As erst false Sinon snared the sons of Troy,”
Catºnoëns : Lºtsiad, blº. i.
Sintram. The Greek hero of the
German romance, Simtram and his Com-
panions, by Baron Lamotte Fouqué. -
Sintrain's famous sword was called
“Welsung.” The same name was given
to Dietlieb's sword. (See SworD.)
Sir. Latin, semea: ; Spanish, señor;
Italian, signor; French, Sieur; Norman,
sire ; English, sir. According to some,
Greek &vaš is connected with Sir ; on
the analogy of ép-uv (eiut) = Latin sum ;
&gtepes = Latin Semper, btros = Latin
Sapa. -
Sir (a clerical address). Clergymen
had at one time Sir prefixed to their
name. This is not the Sir of knight-
hood, but merely a translation of the
university word dominus given to gradu-
ates, as “Dominus Hugh Evans,” etc.
Sir Oracle. (See ORACLE.)
Sir Roger de Coverley. An ima-
ginary character by Addison; type of a
benevolent country gentleman of the
eighteenth century. Probably the model
was William Boevey, lord of the manor
of Flaxley. -
Si’ren. A woman of dangerous
The allusion is to the
Sirius
3.146 Six
fabulous sirens said by Greek and Latin
poets to entice seamen by the sweetness
of their song to such a degree that the
listeners forgot everything and died of
hunger (Greek, sirenes, entanglers). In
Homeric mythology there were but two
sirens; later writers name three, viz.
Parthen'ope, Lig'ea, and Leucos'ia ; but
the number was still further augmented
by those who loved “lords many and
gods many.”
“There were several sirens up and down the
Coast ; one at Panormus, another at Naples,
others at Surrentum, but the greatest number
lived in the delightful Capreše, whence they
passed over to the rocks [Sirenu/saºl which bear
their name.”—Inquiry into the Life of Homer.
Sirens. Plato says there are three
kinds of sirens—the celestial, the genera-
tive, and the cathartic. The first are
under the government of Jupiter, the
second under the government of Nep-
tune, and the third under the govern-
ment of Pluto. When the soul is in
heaven, the sirens seek, by harmonic
motion, to unite it to the divine life of
the celestial host; and when in Hadès,
to conform them to the infernal regimen;
but on earth they produce generation, of
which the sea is emblematic. (Proclus :
On the Theology of Plato, bk. vi.)
Sirius. The Dog-star; so called by
the Greeks from the adjective Seirios,
hot and scorching. The Romans called
it canic/atla and the Egyptians, Sothis.
Sirloin of Beef. A corruption of
Surloin. (French, Surlonge.) La partie du
baºuf gui resteaprèsqu'om en a coupé l’épaule
et la cuisse. In Queen Elizabeth’s “Pro-
gresses,” one of the items mentioned
under March 31st, 1573, is a “sorloyne
of byf.” Fuller tells us that Henry VIII.
jocularly knighted the surloin. If so,
James I. could claim neither wit nor
originality when, at a banquet given him
at HogTON Tower, near Blackburn, he
said, “Bring hither that surloin, sirrah,
for ’tis worthy of a more honourable
post, being, as I may say, not sºloin,
but sirloin.”
“Dining with the Abbot of Reading, he [Henry
VIII.] ate so heartily of a loin of beef that the
abbot, said lie wºuld give 1,000 marks for Such a
Stomach. “Done !' Said the k1 ng, and kept the
abbot a prisoner in the Tower, won his 1,000
marks, and knighted the beef.”—See Futtler:
Church. History, vi. 2, p. 299 (I655).
Sisyphus (Latin ; Sisuphos, Greek).
A fraudulent avaricious king of Corinth,
whose task in the world of shades is to
roll a huge stone to the top of a hill, and
fix it there. It so falls out that the stone
no sooner reaches the hill-top than it
bounds down again,
Sit Bodirin (To). (See Books.)
Sit Out (To). To remain to the end.
Not to join, as “to sit out a dance.”
Sit Under . . . (To). To attend the
ministry of . . . . - -
“On a Sunday the household marched away in
separate groups to half-a-dozen edifices, each to
sit under his Ol' her favourite minister.”—a W. M.
Thackeray,
Sit Up (for anyone) (To). To await
the return of a person after the usual
hour of bed-time. -
“His own maid would sit up for him.”—George
Eliot. -
Sit Upon (To). To snub, squash,
smother, set down ; the Latin insideo.
Charlotte Brontë, in Shirley (xxviii.),
uses a phrase which seems analagous:
Miss Keeldar says she mentioned the
mischance to no one—“I preferred to
cushion the matter.”
“Mr. Schwann and his congeners should be
most energetically sat upon by colleagues and
opponents alike, by everyone, in fact, who has
the welfare of the empire at heart.”—The World,
April 6th, 1892, p. 19.
Sit on the Rail or Fence (To). To
refuse to promise your support to a
party; to reserve your vote.
“In American slang, he was always sitting on
the rail between Catholics and Huguenots.”—The
Times. - -
Sit on Thorns (To) or on Tenter-
hooks. To be in a state of anxiety,
fearful that something will go wrong.
Sità. Wife of Rāma, or Vishnu in-
carnate, carried off by the giant Ravana.
She was not born, but arose from a
furrow when her father Jan'aka, King
of Mith'ila, was ploughing. The word
means “furrow.” -
Sitting in Banco. The judges of
the courts of law at Westminster are
said to be “sitting in banco’” So long as
they sit together on the benches of their
respective courts—that is, all term time.
IBanco is the Italian for “bench.”
Sieve and Shears. (See atnder
ORACLE.) - . . . . *-
Si’va (Indian). The destroyer who,
with Brahma and Vishnu, forms the
divine trinity of the Brahmins. He has
five heads, and is the emblem of fire.
His wife is Parvati or Parbutta (Sanscrit,
attspiciotºs).
Six. Siac thrice or three dice. Every-
thing or nothing. “Caesar and nullus.”
The Greeks and Romans used to play
with three dice. The highest throw was
three sixes, and the lowest three aces.
The aces were left blank, and three aces
were called “three dice.” (See CAESAR.)
Six-and-Eightpence
I 147.
Skeggs
Six-and-Eightpence used to be
called a “noble” (q.v.), the third of a
pound. The half-noble was often called
* ten groats,” and was in Shakespeare's
time the usual lawyer's fee.
“. As fit as ten groats is for the hand of an
attorney.”—Shakespeare: All's Well that Ends Well,
ii. 2. . -
Six Articles (33 Henry VIII.) en-
joins the belief in (1) the real presence
of Christ in the Eucharist; (2) the suf-
ficiency of communion in one kind; (3)
the celibacy of the priests; (4) the obli-
gation of vows of chastity; (5) the ex-
pediency of private masses; and (6) the
necessity of auricular confession.
Six-hooped Pot. A two-quart pot.
Quart pots were bound with three hoops,
and when three men joined in drink-
ing each man drank his hoop. Mine
host of the Black Bear calls Tressalian
“A six-hooped pot of a traveller,”
meaning a first-class guest, because he
paid freely, and made no complaints.
(Iſenilworth, chap. iii.)
... Six Members. The six members
that Charles I. went into the House of
Commons to arrest were Lord Kimbol-
ton, Pym, Hollis, Hampden, Sir Arthur
Haselrig, and Stroud. Being warned in
time, they made good their escape.
Six Months' War. The Franco-
Prussian (July 28th, 1870, to January
28th, 1871). -
Six Nations (The). The Iroquois
confederacy since the Tuscaroras was
added.
Six Points. (See PEOPLE'S CHARTER.)
Six-Principle Baptists (The). Those
whose creed is Hebrews iv. 1, 2.
Sixes and Sevens (All). Ill-
assorted; not matched; higgledy-pig-
gledy. . . -
To be at sizes and sevens. Spoken of
things, it means in confusion ; spoken of
persons, it means in disagreement or
hostility. “Six, yea seven,” was a
Hebrew phrase meaning an indefinite
number; hence we read in Job (v. 19),
“He [God] shall deliver thee in six
troubles, yea in seven,” etc. What is
indefinite is confused. Our modern
phrase would be five or six things here,
and five or six things there, but nothing
in proper order. -
“Old Odcombs odness makes not thee uneven,
Nor carelessly Set all at six and seven.”
• - Taylor : Workes, ii. 71 (1620).
Long and short sizes. Certain dip
: candles, common in the first half of the
nineteenth century, Long sixes were
- those eight inches long, short sixes were
thicker
and about five inches long.
Called sixes because six went to a pound.
Sixteen-string Jack. John Rann,
a highwayman, noted for his foppery.
IHe wore sixteen tags, eight at each knee.
(Hanged in 1774.)
“Dr. Johnson said that Gray’s poetry towered
above the ordinary run of verse as Sixteen-string
Jack above the Ordinary foot-pad.”—Boswell ;
JLife of Johnsom. .
Si’zar. A poor scholar whose assize
of food is given him. Sizars used to
have what was left at the fellows’ table,
because it was their duty at one time to
wait on the fellows at dinner. Each
fellow had his sizar. (Cambridge Uni-
£ersity.) -
Sizings. The quota of food allowed
at breakfast, and also food “sized for ’’
at dinner. At Cambridge, the students
are allowed meat for dinner, but tart,
jelly, ale, etc., are obtained only by pay-
ing extra. These articles are called
sizings, and those who demand them size
for them. The word is a contraction of
assize, a statute to regulate the size or
weight of articles sold. (See SICE.)
“A size is a portion of bread or drinke : it is a
farthing which schollers in Cambridge have at
the buttery. It is noted with the Jetter S.”—
Minshen. (See also Ellis: Literary Letters, p. 178.)
Skains-mate or Skeins-mate. A
dagger-comrade; a fencing-School com-
panion; a fellow cut-throat. Skain is
an Irish knife, similar to the American
'bowie-knife. Swift, describing an Irish
feast, says, “A cubit at least the length
of their skains.” Green, in his Quip
for an Upstart Courtier, speaks of “an
ill-favoured knave, who wore by his side
a skane, like a brewer’s bung-knife.”
“scurvy knave . . . I am none of his skains-
mates.”—Shakespeare : Jeomeo and Juliet, ii. 4.
Skald. An old Norse poet, whose
aim was to celebrate living warriors or
their ancestors; hence they were attached
to courts. Tew complete Skaldic poems
have survived, but a multitude of frag-
ments exist. -
Skedad'dle. To run away, to be
scattered in rout. The Scotch apply the
word to the milk spilt over the pail in
carrying it. During the late American
war, the New York papers said the
Southern forces were “skedaddled” by
the Federals. (Saxon, scedan, to pour
out; Chaldee, scheda ; Greek, skeda’o,
to scatter.)
Skeggs. Miss Carolina Wilhelmi'na
Amelia Skeggs. A pretender to gen-
tility who boasts of her aristocratic
Skeleton
1148
Skimmington
connections, but is atrociously vulgar,
and complains of being “all of a muck
of sweat.” (Goldsmith : Vicar of Wake-
field.)
Slzel’eton. There is a skeleton? in
every house. Something to annoy and to
be kept out of sight. -
That is my skeleton—my trouble, the
“crook in my lot.”
A woman had an only son who obtained
an appointment in India, but his health
failed, and his mother longed for his
return. One day he wrote a letter to
his mother, with this strange request:
“Pray, mother, get someone who has
no cares and troubles to make me six
shirts.” The widow hunted in vain for
such a person, and at length called upon
a lady who told her to go with her to
her. bedroom. Being there she opened
a closet which contained a human skele-
ton. “Madam,” said the lady, “I try
to keep my trouble to myself, but
every night my husband compels me to
kiss that skeleton.” She then explained
that the skeleton was once her husband’s
rival, killed in a duel. “Think you I
am happy?” The mother wrote to her
son, and the son wrote home : “I knew
when I gave the commission that every-
one had his cares, and you, mother,
must have yours. Know then that I am
condemned to death, and can never
return to England. Mother, mother
there is a skeleton in every house.”
Slzeleton Jackets. Jackets on which
the trousers buttoned, very commonly
worn by boys in the first quarter of the
nineteenth century. In the illustrations
of Kate Greenaway, The Pickwick Papers,
AWicholas Nickleby, etc., are plenty of
such skeleton suits. Shell-jackets are
short fatigue jackets worn especially by
military officers.
Sl:evington's Daughter, corrupted
into Scavenger’s Daughter, was an in-
strument of torture invented by Ske-
vington, lieutenant of the Tower under
Henry VIII. It consisted of a broad
hoop of iron in two parts, fastened to-
gether by a hinge. The victim was made
to kneel while the hoop was passed
under his legs; he was then Squeezed
gradually till the hoop could be got over
his back, where it was fastened.
Skibbereen and Connemara (in
Ireland). Types of poverty and distress.
“You would then see the United Kingdom one
vast Skibbereen or Connemara ; you might con-
yert its factories into poor-houses, and its parks
into potters' fields to bury strangers in,”—C.
Thomson : Autobiography, p. 307,
Skibbereen Eagle (The). The chiel
amang ye takin' notes. It was the Skib-
bereen, or West Cork Eagle newspaper,
that solemnly told Lord Palmerston that
it had “got its eye both upon him and on
the Emperor of Russia.” This terrible
warning has elevated the little insignifi-
cant town of Skibbereen, in the south-
west coast of Ireland, quite into a Lilli-
putian pre-eminence. Beware, beware,
ye statesmen, emperors, and thrones, for
the Skilleron Bagle has its eye upon
you !
‘Skid. A drag to check the wheels of
a carriage, cart, etc., when going down
hill. (Anglo-Saxon, scid, a splinter.)
Skiddaw. JWhenever Skiddaw hath
a cap, Scruffell wots full well of that.
When my neighbour's house is on fire
mine is threatened ; When you are in
misfortune I also am a sufferer ; When
you mourn I have cause also to lament.
Skiddaw and Scruffell are two neigh-
bouring hills—one in Cumberland and
the other in Annandale in Scotland.
When Skiddaw is capped with clouds,
it will be sure to rain ere long at Scruf-
fell. (Fuller: Worthies.)
Skied. Pictures are said to be skied
when they are hung so high as not to be
easily seen. -
"Bad pictures are hung on the line by dºzens,
and many excellent Ones are rejected Or Skied.'
—Truth, p. 431 (September 17, 1885). --
Slkiilygolee. Slip-slop, wish-wash,
twaddle, talk about gruel. “Skilly’’ is
prison-gruel or, more strictly Speaking,
the water in which meat has been boiled
thickened with oatmeal. Broth served
on board the hulks to convicts is called
skilly. . * -
“It is the policy of Cursitor Street and skilly-
golee.”—The Daily Telegraph.
SIKimble - Skamble. Rambling,
worthless. “Skamble '' is , merely a
variety of scramble, hence “scambling
days,” those days in Lent when no regu-
lar meals are provided, but each person
“scrambles?” or shifts for himself.
“Skimble '' is added to give force.
(See REDUPLICATED WORDS.) - -
“And such a deal of skimble-skamble stuff
As put me from my faith.” * ~ *
Shakespeare: I Henry IV., iii. 1.
“With such scamble-scemble, spitter-Spatter,
As puts me cleane beside thé money-matter.”
- Taylor's Workes, ii. 39 (1630).
Skim'mington. To ride the skim-
mington, or Riding the stang. To be
hen-pecked. Grose tells us that the
man rode behind the woman, with his
face to the horse's tail. The man held
a distaff, and the woman beat him about
Skin
the jowls with a ladle. . As the proces-
sion passed a house where the woman
was paramount, each gave the threshold
a sweep. The “stang’’ was a pole
supported by two stout lads, across
which the rider was made to stride.
Mr. Douce derives “skimmington’’ from
the skimming-ladle with which the
rider was buffeted.
The custom was not peculiar to Scot-
land and England; it prevailed in Scan-
dinavia; and Hoefnagel, in his Views in
Seville (1591), shows that it existed in
Spain also. The procession is described
at length in Hudibras, pt. ii. ch. ii.
“‘Hark ye, Dalme Ursley Suddle chop,” said Jen-
kin, starting up, his eyes flashing. With anger .
“remember, I am none of your husband, and if I
were you would do well not to forget whose
threshold was swept when they last rode the
skimmington upon such another scolding jade
as yourself.’”—Scott : Fortunes of Nigel.
Skin. To sell the skin before you have
caught the bear. To count of your
chickens before they are hatched. In
the South Sea mania (1720), dealing in
bear-skins was a great stock-jobbing
item, and thousands of skins were sold
as mere time bargains.
alludes to a similar practice :—
“The man that once did sell the lion's skin
While the beast lived, was killed with hunting
ninn.” Henry V., iv. 3.
Skin a Flint. To be very exacting
in making a bargain. The French say,
“Tondre sur un onlf.” The Latin, lama
capri'na (goat’s wool), means something
as worthless as the skin of a flint or
fleece of an eggshell. (See SKINFLINT.)
Skin of his Teeth. I am escaped
with the skin of my teeth (Job xix. 20).
Just escaped, and that is all—having
lost everything.
Skinfaxi, in Scandinavian mythology,
is the “shining horse which draws Day-
light over the earth.” (See HoRSE.)
Skinflint. A pinch-farthing; a nig-
gard. In the French, “pince-maille.”
Maille is an old copper coin.
Skinners. A predatory band in the
American Revolutionary War which
roamed over the neutral ground rob-
bing and fleecing those who refused to
take the oath of fidelity. (See EcoR-
CHEURS.)
Skirt. To sit upon one’s skirt. To
insult, or seek occasion of quarrel. Tarl-
ton, the clown, told his audience the
reason why he wore a jacket was that
“no one might sit upon his skirt.”
Sitting on one's skirt is, like stamping
Shakespeare
1149
Sky
- -º- - - -- • - - -- - - - —*
on one's coat in Ireland, a fruitful
Source of quarrels, often provoked.
“Crosse me not, Liza, mether be so perte,
For if thou dost, I'll sit upon thy skirte.”
The Abortive of an Idle Howre (1620).
(Quoted by Halliwell: Archaic Words.)
Skogan (Henry). A poet in the reign
of Henry IV. Justice Shallow says he
saw Sir John Falstaff, when he was a
boy, “break Skogan's head at the court
gate, when he [Sir John] was a crack
[child] not thus high.” (2 Henry IP.,
Ill. Z.
“Scogan 2 What was he 2
Qh, a fine gentleman, and a master of arts -
Of Henry the Fourth’s times, that made disguises
For the king's sons, and writ in ballad royal
Daintily well.”
Bem, Jomson : The Fortunate Isles (1626).
John Skogan. The favourite buffoon
of the court of King Edward IV.
Scogin's Jests were published by Andrew
Borde, a physician, in the reign of
Henry VIII. *
Skopts, Skopti, or White Doves,
A Russian religious sect who, taking
Matt. xix. 12 and Luke xxiii. 29 as the
bases of their creed, are all eunuchs, and
the women are mutilated in a most
barbarous manner, as they deem it a
Christian grace not to be able to bear
children. They are vegetarians and
total abstainers. Origen was a Skopt in
everything but name.
“I look at the Mormons, the Skopts, the Shakers,
the Howling Derwisles, the Theosophists, and
the Fakirs.”—With the Immortals, Vol. ii. p. 50.
Skull. You shall quaff beer out of the
skulls of your enemies. (Scandinavian.)
Skull means a cup or dish ; hence a per-
son who washes up cups and dishes is
called a scullery-maid. (Scotch, Skoll,
a bowl; French, ēcuelle ; Danish, Skaal,
a drinking-vessel ; German, Schale ; our
shell.)
Skurry (A). A scratch race, or race
without restrictions. -
Hurry-skurry. A confused bustle
through lack of time; in a confused
bustle. A reduplicated or ricochet
word.
Sky, slang for pocket.
under the word CHIVY (q.v.).
Sky. To elevate, ennoble, raise. It
is a term in ballooning; when the ropes
are cut, the balloon mounts upwards to
the skies. (See SKIED.)
“We found the same distinguished personage
doing his best to sky some dozen or so of his best
friends. [referring to the peers made by Glad-
stone].”—The Times, November 16, 1869.
If the sky falls we shall catch larks. A
bantering reply to those who suggest
some very improbable or wild scheme.
Explained
Sky-blue
11
fe
{}
0 Slave
Sky-blue. Milk and
colour of the skies. -
* Its name derision and reproach pursue,
And Strangel'S tell of three times skimmed sky-
blue.” Bloomfield: Farmer's Boy.
water, the
Sky-rakers, strictly speaking, is a
sail above the fore-royal, the main-royal,
or the mizzen-royal, more frequently
called “sky-scrapers.” In general par-
lance any top-Sail is so called. .
“Dashed by the strange wind's sport, we were
sunk deep in the green Sea’s trough ; and before
we could utter an ejaculatory prayer, were up-
heaved upon the crown of some fantastic surge,
peering our sky-rakers into the azure vault of
heaven.”—0. Thomson: Autobiography, p. 120.
Skye (Isle of) means the isle of gaps
or indentations (Celtic, Skyb, a gap).
IHence also the Skibbereen of Cork,
which is Skyb-bohreen, the byway gap,
a pass in a mountain to the Sea. . .
Skylark. A spree. -
Skylark, among sailors, is to mount
the highest yards (called sky-scrapers),
and then slide down the ropes for
amusement. (See LARK.)
Slander, Offence. Slander is a
stumbling-block or something which
trips a person up (Greek, ska??'dalon,
through the French esclandre). Offence
is the striking of our foot against a stone
(Latin, ob fendo, as Scopulum offendit
Tavis, the ship struck against a rock).
Siang. Slangs are the greaves with
which the legs of convicts are fettered;
hence convicts themselves; and slang is
the language of convicts. - .
Siang. The difficulty of tracing the
fons et origo of slang words is extremely
great, as there is no law to guide one.
Generally, a perversion and a pun may
be looked for, as Monseigneur toe
(q.v.), Monpensier = ventre (i.e. non-
panse, my paunch or belly), etc. (See
SANDIs, SQUASH, and numerous other
examples in this dictionary. For rhym-
ing slang See CHIVY.) -
Slap-bang, in sport, means that the
gun was discharged incessantly ; it went
slap here and bang there. As a term of
laudation it means “very dashing,” both
words being playful synonyms of “dash-
ing,” the repetition being employed to
give intensity. Slap-bang, here we are
again, means, we have “popped’” in
again without ceremony. Pop, slap,
bang, and dash are interchangeable.
*: Dickens uses the word to signify a
low eating-house. . . . . .
“They lived in the same street, walked to town
every morning at the same hour, dimed at the
same slap-bang every day.” - - •
Slap-dash. In an off-hand manner.
The allusion is to the method of colouring
rooms by slapping and dashing the walls,
So as to imitate paper. At one time
slap-dash walls were very common.
Slap-up. Prime slap-up or slap-bang-
tºp. Very exquisite or dashing. Here
slap is a playful synonym of dashing, and
‘‘ up.” is the Latin super, as in “super-
fine.” The dress of a dandy or the
equipage of an exquisite is “slap-up,”
“prime slap-up,” or “slap-bang-up.”
“[The] more slap-up still have the shields
pºinted on the panels With the coronet over.”—
Thackeray. - • . . . . .
Slate. He has a slate or tile loose.
He is a little cracked; his head or roof
is not quite sound. . . .
Slate Club (A). A sick benefit club
for working-men. Originally the names
of the members were entered on a folding
slate; in the universities the names of
members are marked on a board, or on
boards; hence such expressions as “his
name is on the boards,” “I have taken
my name off the boards.” . . . . . . .
Slate One (To). To criticise, expose
in print, show up, reprove. A scholastic
term. Rebellious, and idle boys are
slated, that is, their names are set down
on a slate to expose their offence, and
some punishment is generally awarded.
“The journalists there lead each other a dance.
Iºnian * Slates’ another for What he has
It is pistols for two, and then coffin for one.”
Punch (The Pugnacious Penmen), 1885,
Slating (A). A slashing review. . .
“He cut it up root and branch..... He gave it
what he technically styled ‘a slating "; and as lie
threw down his pen . . . he muttered, ‘I thirik
I’ve pretty Well Settled that dunce's business.”—
The World, February 24th, 1892, p. 24. - -
Slave (1 Syl.). This is an example
of the strange changes which come over
some words. The Slavi were a tribe
which once dwelt on the banks of the
Dnieper, and were so called from slav
(noble, illustrious); but as, in the lower
ages of the Roman empire, vast multi-
tudes of them were spread over Europe
in the condition of captive servants, the
word came to signify a slave.
Similarly, Goths means the good or
godlike men; but since the invasion of
the Goths the word has become synony-
mous with barbarous, bad, ungodlike.
I)istraction is simply “dis-trahö,” as
diversion is “di-verto.” The French
still employ the word for recreation or
amusement, but when we talk of being
distracted we mean anything
amused or entertained,
but being
Sleave
1151
Sleeveless Errand
Sleave. The ravelled sleave of care
(Shakespeare : Macbeth). The sleave is
the knotted or entangled part of thread
or silk, the raw edge of woven articles.
Chaucer has “sleeveless words” (words
like ravellings, not knit together to
any wise purpose); Bishop Hall has
“sleaveless rhymes’’ (random rhymes);
Milton speaks of “sleeveless reason’’
(reasoning which proves nothing); Tay-
lor the water-poet has “sleeveless mes-
sage ’’ (a simple message; it now means
a profitless one). The weaver's slaie is
still used. (Saxon, slaº, a weaver's reed;
Danish, Slöjfe, a knot.)
“If all these faile, a beggar-Woman may
A Sweet love-letter to her hands con way,
Or a heat laundresse Or a hearb-wife can
Carry a SleeWelesse message now anti than.”
Taylor's Workes, ii. 111 (1630).
Sleck-stone. The ebon stone used
by goldsmiths to slecken (polish) their
gold with. Curriers use a similar stone
for smoothing out creases of leather; the
sleeker is also made of glass, steel, etc.
(Icelandic, slikr, our word sleek.)
Sledge-hammer. . A sledge-hammer
argument. A clincher; an argument
which annihilates opposition at a blow.
The sledge-hammer is the largest sort of
hammer used by Smiths, and is wielded
by both hands. The word sledge is the
Saxon sleeffe (a sledge). -
Sleep (Anglo-Saxon slapen). Crabbe's
etymology of doze under this word is
exquisite :- - - -
“Doze, a variation from the French dors and
the Latin dormio (to Sleep), which was anciently
dermio, and comes from the Greek derma (a skin),
because people lay on skins When they slept " '—
Symonymis.
To sleep away. To pass away in sleep,
to consume in sleeping; as, to sleep
one’s life away. -
To sleep off. To get rid of by sleep.
Sleep like a Top. When peg-tops
and humming-tops are at the acme of
their gyration they become so steady
and quiet that they do not seem to move,
In this state, they are said to sleep.
Soon they begin to totter, and the tipsy
movement increases till they fall. The
French say, Dormir comme in sabot, and
Mon sabot dort. (See SIMILES.)
... Sleeper. (The). Epimen'idés, the
Greek poet, is said to have fallen asleep
in a cave when a boy, and not to have
waked for fifty-seven years, when he
found himself possessed of all wisdom.
Rip Van Winkle, in Washington Irving's
tale, is supposed to sleep for twenty
ears, and wake up an old man, un-
nowing and unknown. (See KLAUS.)
Sleepers. Timbers laid asleep or rest-
ing on something, as the sleepers of a
railway. (Anglo-Saxon, slaºpere.)
The Seven Sleepers. (See SEVEN.)
Sleeping Beauty. From the French
La Belle au Bois Dormante, by Charles
Perrault (Coyºtes du Temps). She is shut
up by enchantment in a castle, where
she sleeps a hundred years, during which
time an impenetrable wood springs up
around. Ultimately she is disenchanted
by a young prince, who marries her.
Epimen'idés, the Cretan poet, went to
fetch a sheep, and after sleeping fifty-
Seven years continued his search, and
was surprised to find when he got home
that his younger brother was grown
grey. (See RIP WAN WINKLE.)
Sleepless Hat (A). A worthless,
worn-out hat, which has no map.
Sleepy Hollow. The name given,
in Washington Irving's Sketch Book, to
a quiet old-world village on the Hudson.
Sleeve. To hang on one’s sleeve. To
listen devoutly to what one says; to
surrender your freedom of thought and
action to the judgment of another. The
allusion is to children hanging on their
mother’s sleeve. - - -
To have in one’s sleeve is to offer a
person’s name for a vacant situation.
Dean Swift, when he waited on Harley,
had always some name in his sleeve.
The phrase arose from the custom of
placing pockets in sleeves. These sleeve-
pockets were chiefly used for memo-
randa, and other Small articles.
To laugh iſ? one's sleeve. To ridicule
a person not openly but in secret ; to
conceal a laugh by hiding your face in
the large sleeves at one time worn by
men. Rire sous cape. -
To piſ, to one’s sleeve, as, “I shan’t
pin my faith to your sleeve,” meaning,
“I shall not slavishly believe or follow
you.” The allusion is to the practice of
knights, in days of chivalry, pinning
to their sleeve some token given them
by their ladylove. This token was a
pledge that he would do or die.
Sleeve of Care. (See SLEAVE.)
Sleeve of Hildebrand (The), from
which he shook thunder and lightning.
Sleeveless Errand. A fruitless
errand. It should be written sleaveless,
as it comes from sleave, ravelled thread,
or the raw-edge of silk. In Throilus
and Cressida, Thersi’tés the railer calls
Patroclus an “idle immaterial skein of
sleive silk” (v. 1). - - - -
Sleight of Hand
Sleight of Hand is artifice by the
hand. (Icelandic, Sladgh German,
Schlich, cunning or trick.)
“And Still the less they understand,
The more they admire his sleight of land.”
- Butler: Hudibras, pt. ii. c. 3.
Sleip'nir (2 syl.). Odin’s grey horse,
which had eight legs, and could carry
his master over sea as well as land.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Slender. A country lout, a booby
in love with Anne Page, but of too faint
a heart to win so fair a lady. (Shake-
speare : Merry JPives of Windsor.)
Sleuth-Hound. A blood-hound
which follows the sleuth or track of an
animal. (Slot, the track of a deer, is
the Anglo-Saxon sloeting ; Icelandic,
sloth, trail; Dutch, sloot.)
“There is a law also among the Borderers in
time of peace, that whoso denieth entrance or
sute of a sleuth-hound in pursuit made after
fellons and stolen goods, shall he holden as
accessarie unto the theft.”—Holimshed : Descrip.
tion of Scotland, p. 14.
Slew ed. Intoxicated. When a
vessel changes her tack, she staggers
and gradually heels over. A drunken
man moves like a ship changing her
angle of sailing. (Probably from the
Icelandic, Smºta, turn.)
“Mr. Hornby was just a bit slewsd by the liquor
he'd taken.”—W. C. Russell: A Strange Voyage,
Chap. Xii. p. 25.
Slick (Sam). A Yankee clock-maker
and pedlar, wonderfully 'cute, a keen
observer, and with plenty of “soft
sawder.” Judge Haliburton wrote the
two series called Sam Slick, or the Clock-
Amaker.
Slick Off. To finish a thing there
and then without stopping ; to make a
clean sweep of a job in hand. Judge
Haliburton’s Sam Slick popularised the
word. (German, schlicht, sleek, polished,
hence clean; Icelandic, slike, sleek.) We
say, “To do a thing clean off?” as well
as “Slick off.” -
Słiding Scale. A schedule of pay-
ment which slides up and down as the
article to which it refers becomes dearer
or cheaper. In government duty it
varies as the amount taxed varies.
Slip. Many a slip ’twiact the cup and
the lip. Everything is uncertain till you
possess it. (See ANCAEOs.)
“Multa cadunt inter calicem supremaque labra.”
* 110 ! (lce.
To give one the slip. To steal off
unperceived ; to elude pursuit. A sea-
phrase. In fastening a cable to a buoy,
the home end is slipped through the
hawse-pipe. To give the slip is to cut
1152
Slubber-Degullion
---,
away the cable, so as to avoid the noise
of weighing anchor.
Slippers. The Turks wear yellow
slippers; the Armenians, red; and the
Jews, blue.
Slipshod, applied to literature, means
a loose, careless style of composition ; no
more fit for the public eye than a man
with his shoes down at heels. :
Slipslop. A ricochet word meaning
wishy-washy. (Anglo-Saxon, slip-an,
to melt, which makes slopen in the past
participle.)
Sloane MSS. 3,560 MSS. collected
by Sir Hans Sloane, now in the British
Museum. The museum of Sir Hans
formed the basis of the British Museum.
(1660-1753.)
Slogan. A war-cry, a Scotch gather-
ing-cry. (Anglo-Saxon, sledn, to fight,
pret. slog , Gaelic, sluagh-gaiºn, an
army-yell.)
Slop (Dr.). A choleric physician in
Sterne's Th’istrain Shandy.
Dr. Slop. Sir John Stoddart, M.D.,
a choleric physician who assailed Napo-
leon most virulently in The Times, of
which he was editor. (1773-1856.)
Slops. (The). The police; originally
“ecilop.”
“I dragged you in here and saved you,
And sent out a gal for the slops ;
Ha they're a comin', sir! I,isten
The noise and the Shoutin' stops.”
Sims: Batllads of Babylon (The Matron's Story).
Slo'pard (Dame). The wife of Grim-
bard, the brock (or badger), in the tale
of Reynard the Fox.
... Slope (1 Syl.).
away.
Slough of Despond. ' A deep bog
which Christian has to cross in order to
get to the Wicket Gate. Help comes to
his aid. Neighbour Pliable went with
Christian as far as the Slough, and then
turned back again. (Bºſnyan : Pilgrim’s
Progress, part i.).
Slow. Stupid, dull. A “quick boy”
is one who is sharp and active. Attfully
slow, slang for very stupid and dull.
Slow Coach. A dawdle. As a slow
coach in the old coaching-days “got
on ” slowly, so one that “gets on ”
slowly is a slow coach. -
Slubber-Degullion. A nasty, paltry
fellow. A slub is a roll of wool drawn
out and only slightly twisted ; hence to
To decamp; to run
slubber, to twist loosely, to do things by
Slug-abéd
-ºir.
halves, to perform a work carelessly.
JDegullion is compounded of the word
“gull,” or the "Cornish “gullan,” a
simpleton.
($ º she, ‘Although thou hast deserved,
Base slubber-degullion, to be served
As thou didst vow to deal with me.”
, Butler: Hudibras, i. 3.
Slug-abed (A). A late riser.
“The but fercup is no slug-abed.”—Notes and
Queries (Aug. 11, 1894, p. 1118, Col. 2).
Slumland. The localities of the des-
titute poor who dwell in the slums.
“Not only have we the inhabitants of Slum-
land, to deal with, but a steadily growing number
of Skilled and fairly educated artisans.”—Nine-
teenth Century, December, 1892, p. 888.
Slums. “The back slums ”—i.e. the
purlieus of Westminster Abbey, etc.,
where vagrants get a night's lodging.
Sly (Christopher). A keeper of bears
and a tinker, Son of a pedlar, and a
sad, drunken sot. In the Induction of
Shakespeare's comedy called Taming of
the Shrew, he is found dead drunk by a
lord, who commands his servants to put
him to bed, and on his waking to attend
upon him like a lord, to see if they
can bamboozle him into the belief that
he is a great man, and not Christopher
Sly at all. The “commonty’’ of Taming
of the Shrew is performed for his delec-
tation. The trick was played by the
Caliph Haroun Alraschid on Abou Has-
Sam, the rich merchant, in the tale called
The Sleeper Awakened (Arabian Nights),
and by Philippe the Good, Duke of Bur-
gundy, on his marriage with Eleanor,
as given in Burton’s Anatomy of Melan-
choly (pt. ii. Sec. 2, num. 4).
Sly-Boots. One who appears to be a
dolt, but who is really wide awake; a
cunning dolt.
, “The frog called the lazy one several times, but
in Vain ; there Was no such thing as stirring him,
though the Sly-boots heard well enough all the
While.”—Adventures of Abdalla, p. 32 (1729).
Sly Dog. You're a sly dog. “Un fin
Amatois.” . A playful way of saying, You
pretend to be disinterested, but I can
read between the lines.
Sly as a Fox. (See SIMILEs.)
Slyme (Chevy). In Martin Chuzzlewit,
by Charles Dickens.
Small. Small by degrees and beauti-
jºlly less. Prior, in his Henry and Emma,
wrote “Fine by degrees,” etc.
Small-back. TXeath. So called be-
cause he is usually drawn as a skeleton.
“Small-back must lead down the dance with us
all in Our time,”—Sir Walter Scott, :
1153
Smell
Small Beer. “To suckle fools and
chronicle small beer.” (Iago in the
play of Othello, ii. 1.)
He does not think small beer of himself.
He has a very good opinion of number
OLle.
“To express her self-3 steem [it might be said]
that she did not think small beer of herself.”—Dé
Quincey: Historical Essays.
Small-endians. The Big-endians of
Lilliput made it a point of orthodoxy to
crack their eggs at the big end; but
were considered heretics for so doing
by the Small-endians, who insisted that
eggs Ought to be broken at the small
end. (Swift : Gulliver’s Travels.)
Small Hours of the Morning (The).
One, two, three, four, etc., before day-
break. A student who sits up all night,
and goes to bed at one, two, three, etc.,
is said to work till the small hours of
the morning, or to go to bed in the
Small hours of the morning.
Smalls. In for his smalls; Passed his
Smalls—his “Little-go,” or previous ex-
amination ; the examination for degree
being the “Great-go,” or “Greats.”
Smart Money. Money paid by a
person to obtain exemption from some
disagreeable office or duty; in law it
means a heavy fine ; and in recompense
it means money given to soldiers or
sailors for injuries received in the service.
It either makes the person “smart,” i.e.
suffer, or else the person who receives it
is paid for Smarting. -
Smash. Come to Smash—to ruin.
Smashed to pieces, broken to atoms.
Smash is a corruption of mash; Latin,
mastico, to bite to pieces. (See SLOPE.)
“I have a great mind to . . . let social position
g() to Smash.”—Eggleston : Faith Doctor, p. 63.
Smec (in Hudibras). A contraction
of Smectymnuus, a word made from the
initial letters of five rebels—
Stephen Marshal.
Edward Calamy.
Thomas Young.
Matthew Newcomen.
William Spurstow, who wrote a book
against Episcopacy and the Common
Prayer. (See NoTARICA.)
“The handkerchief about the neck,
Canonical Cravat, of Snaec. -
Butler: Hudibras, pt. i. 5,
Smectym'nuans. Anti-Episcopa-
ians. -
Smectymnus. (See NoTARICA.)
Smell (an acute sense). James Mit-
chell was deaf, dumb, and blind from
birth, “but he distinguished persons by
73
Smell a, Rat
il 54
Snakes
their smell, and by means of the same
sense formed correct judgments as to
character.” (Nineteenth Century, April,
1894, p. 579.) -
Smell a Rat (To).
thing about to happen.
to a cat or dog Smelling out vermin.
I smell treason. I discern treason in-
volved; I have some aim that would lead
to treason.
Smelling Sin. Shakespeare says,
“Do you smell a fault P” (King Lear, i.
1); and Iago says to Othello, “One may
smell in this a will most rank.” Pro-
bably the smell of dogs may have some-
thing to do with such phrases, but St.
Jerome furnishes even a better source.
IIe says that St. Hilarion had the gift of
knowing what sins or vices anyone was
inclined to by simply smelling either the
person or his garments; and by the
same faculty he could discern good feel-
To suspect some-
ings and virtuous propensities. (Life of
Iłilarion, A.D. 390.) -
Smells of the Lamp. Said of a
literary production manifestly laboured.
Plutarch attributes the phrase to Pytheas
the orator, who said, “The orations of
Demos' thenès Smell of the lamp,” allud-
ing to the current tale that the great
orator lived in an underground cave
lighted by a lamp, that he might have
no distraction to his severe study.
Smelts (Stock-Exchange term), mean-
ing “English and Australian copper
shares.” (See STOCK-ExCHANGE SLANG.)
Smiler, the name of a drink, is a
mixture of bitter beer and lemonade.
In the United States, a drink of liquor
is called a “smile,” and the act of
treating one at the bar is giving one a
“smile.” Of course this is metaphor-
ical. (See SHANDY-GAFF.)
Smith. A proper name. (See
BREWER.) -
Smith of Nottingham. Ray, in his
Collection of Proverbs, has the following
couplet:— -
“The little Smith of Nottingham, • *
W]10 doth the Work that no man can."
Applied to conceited persons who ima-
gine that no one is able to compete with
themselves. - -
Smith's Prize-man. One who has
obtained the prize (£25), founded in the
TJniversity of Cambridge by Robert
Smith, D.D. (once master of Trinity), for
proficiency in mathematics and natural
philosophy. There are annually two
The allusion is .
E. awarded to two commencing
achelors of Arts. -
Smithfield. The smooth field (Anglo-
Saxon, Smethe, smooth), called in Latin:
Campus Planus, and described by Fitz-
Stephen in the twelfth century as a
‘‘plain field where every Friday there
is a celebrated-rendezvous of fine horses
brought thither to be sold.” -
Smoke. To detect, or rather to get
a scent, of Some plot or scheme. The
allusion is to the detection of robbers by
the Smoke seen to issue from their place
of concealment. -
No Smoke without fire. Every slander
has some foundation. The reverse pro-
verb, “No fire without smoke,” means '
no good without some drawback.
To end in Smoke. To come to no prac-
tical result. The allusion is to kindling,
which Smokes, but will not light a fire.
To smoke the calumet (or pipe) of peace.
(See CALUMET.) -
Smoke Farthings. An offering
given to the priest at Whitsuntide, ac-
cording to the number of chimneys in
his parish.
“The Bishop of Elie hath out of everie parish in
Cambridgeshire a certain tribute called . . . smoke-
farthings, which the churchwardens do levie ac-
çording to the number of . . . chimneys that be
in a parish.”—MSS. Baker, xxxix. 826. - -
Smoke Silver. A modus of 6d. in
lieu of tithe firewood. ... ;
Smack, The Smack of a door (Norfolk).
The latch. Generally called the “Sneck”
.v.). -
To take a Smack. To take a morsel.
To go Smacks. To share and share alike.
Snails have no sex, “chacunº remis-
Sant les detta, seves.” (Anglo-Saxon,
Snæff!.) x
Snake-Stones. Small rounded stones
or matters compounded by art, and sup-
posed to cure Snake-bites. Mr. Quekett
discovered that two given to him for
analysis were composed of vegetable
matters. Little perforated stones are
sometimes hung on cattle to charm away
adders.
Snake in the Grass. A secret
enemy ; an enemy concealed from sight.
Rhyming slang, “a looking-glass.”
“Latet anguis in herba.”. … --
Virgil, Eclogue iii. 93.
Snakes in his Boots (To have). To .
suffer from D.T. (delirium tremens).
This is one of the delusions common to
those so afflicted.
“He’s been pretty high on whisky for two or
three days, . . . and they, Say, he's got snakes in
his boots now.”—The Bantom Eacperiment, chap. ix. .
Srap-Dragons 11.
Snap-Dragons. (See FLAP-DRAGON.)
Snap of the Fingers. Not worth a
snap of the fingers. A fico. (See FIG.)
Snap One's Nose Off. (See under
NoSE.)
Snarling Letter (Latin, lit'era ca-
ni'na). The letter r. (See R.)
Sneck Posset. To give one a sneck
posset is to slam the door in his face
(Cumberland and Westmoreland). The
“Sneck ’’ or Snick is the latch of a door,
and to ‘‘sneck the door in one's face” is
to shut a person out. Mrs. Browning
speaks of “nicking” the door.
“The lady closed
That door, and nicked the lock.”
- Antº'ora Leigh, book Yi, line 1,067.
Probably allied to niche, to put the latch
into its niche.
Sneezed.
not to be despised.
It is ſtot to be sneezed at-
(See SNUFF.)
Sreezing. Some Catholics attribute
to St. Gregory the use of the benediction
“God bless you,” after Sneezing, and
say that he enjoined its use during a
pestilence in which Sneezing was a mortal
symptom, and was therefore called the
death-sneeze. Aristotle mentions a
similar custom among the Greeks; and
Thucyd'idés tells us that sneezing was a
crisis symptom of the great Athenian
plague. The Romans followed the same
custom, and their usual exclamation was
“Absit omen " '' We also find it pre-
valent in the New World among the
native Indian tribes, in Sennaar, Mono-
matapa, etc. etc.
... It is almost ingredible how ancient and how
widely diffused is the notion that sneezing is an
omen which requires to be averted. The notion
prevailed, not only in ancient Greece and Rome,
but is existent in Persia, India, and even Africa.
The rabbins tell us that Jacob in his fight gave
a sneeze, the evil effects of Which were averted
!)y prayer.
In the conquest of Florida, when the Spaniards
arrived, the Cazique, we are told, sneezed, and all
the court lifted up their hands and implored the
Sull to avert, the evil onlen. -
In the rebellion of Monomatapa, in Africa, the
king Sneezed, and a signal of the fact being given,
all the faithful Subjects instantly made vows and
offerings for his Safety. The same is said respect-
ing Sennaar, in Nubia, in Sweden, etc.
The Sadder (one of the sacred books of the
Parsees) enjoins that all people should lave
recourse to prayer, if a person sneezes, because
sneezing is a lyroof that the “Eyil Spirit is abroad.”
Foote, in his farce of Dr. Last in His Chariot,
makes one of the consulting doctors ask why.
when a person sneezes, all the company hows? and
the answer given Was that “Sneezing is a mortal.
* >
symptom which Once depopulated Athens
“In Sweden. . .
ljless you.”—Longfallow.
Snickersnee. A large clasp-knife,
or combat with clasp-knives. (“Snick,”
Icelandic snikka, to clip; verb, snitte,
. . . . . You Sneeze, and they cry God
5 Snowdrop
** If...A.
*
to cut. “Snee” is the Dutch Smee, an
edge; Snijden, to cut.). Thackeray, in
his Little Billee, uses the term “Snick-
erSnee.”
“One man being busy in lighting his pipe, and
another in sharpening his Snickel'Shee,”—Irving :
Bracebridge Hall, p. 462.
(See GUN.) - .
Snider Rifle.
Snob. Not a gentleman; one who
arrogates to himself merits which he does
not deserve. Thackeray calls George IV.
a snob, because he assumed to be “the
greatest gentleman in Europe,” but had
not the genuine stamp of a gentleman's
mind. (S privative and nob.)
Snood. The lassie lost her silkeſt
smood. The smood was a riband with
which a Scotch lass braided her hair,
and was the emblem of her maiden cha-
racter. When she married she changed
the snood for the curch or coif; but if
she lost the name of virgin before she
obtained that of wife, she “lost her silken
smood,” and was not privileged to assume
the curch. (Anglo-Saxon, Smöd.)
Snooks. An exclamation of incredu-
lity; a Mrs. Harris. A person tells an
incredible story, and the listener cries
Snooks—gammon; or he replies, It was
Snooks—the host of the Château d’Es-
pagne. This word “snook” may be a cor-
ruption of Noakes or Nokes, the mythical
party at one time employed by lawyers
to help them in actions of ejectment."
(See STYLES.)
Snore. You Smore like an owl. It is
very generally believed that owls Snore,
and it is quite certain that a noise like
snoring proceeds from their nests; but
this is most likely the “purring” of the
young birds, nestling in comfort and
warmth under the parent wing.
Snow King. Gustavus Adolphus, of
Sweden. (1594, 1611-1632.)
“At Vienna, he was called in derision the Snow
Ring, who was kept together, by the cold, but
would melt and disappear as he approached a .
warmer Soil.”—D7'. Crichton : Scandinavia, vol. ii.
1), 61. -
Snowdo'nia. The district which
contains the mountain range of Snow-.
don.
The King of Snowdonia. Moel-y-.
Wyddfa (the conspicuous peak), the
highest, in South Britain. (3,571 feet
above the sea-level.)
Snowdrop (The). Tickell's fable is
that IGing Albion's son fell in love with
FCenna, daughter of Oberon, but Oberon.
in anger drove the lover out of fairyland.
Albion's son brought an army to avenge
the indignity, and was slain. Kenna;
Sriuſf
applied the herb moly to the wounds,
hoping to restore life; but the moment
the juice of the herb touched the dead
body it was converted into a snowdrop.
Called the Fair Maid of February.
Snuff. Up to snuff. Wide awake,
knowing, sharp ; not easily taken in or
imposed upon; alive to scent (Dutch,
Snuffem, to scent, snuf; Danish, Smöfte).
Took it in Snuff—in anger, in huff.
“You'll mar the light by taking it in snuff.”
Shakespeare : Love's Labour's Lost, v. 2.
“Who, . . . When it next came there, totyk it
in snuff.”—Shakespeare : 1 Henry IV., i. 3.
Snuff Out. He was snuffed out—put
down, eclipsed. The allusion is to a
candle snuffed with snuffers.
Soane Museum, formed by Sir John
Soane, and preserved in its original
locality, No. 13, Lincoln's Inn Fields,
the private residence of the founder. Sir
John Soane died in 1837.
Soap. An English form of savon, the
French for soap.
How are you off for soap 2 (for money
or any other necessity). The insurgent
women of Paris, in February, 1793, went
about crying, “I)u pain? et du Savon 1 ''
(bread and soap).
“A deputation of washwomen petitioned the
Convention for soap, and their plaintive cry was
heard round the Salle de Manège, ‘Dw pain, et dw
#| | '''-Carlyle: French Revolution, pt. iii. bk.
Soap (Castile). A hard white soap
made of Olive oil, sometimes mottled
with ferruginous matter.
There are also Marseilles soap, Spanish soap,
Venetian soap, and marine Soap (usually made of
cocoanut oil; and used With Sea-Water).
Soaped-pig Fashion (I/2). Vague;
a method of speaking or writing which
always leaves a way of escape. The
allusion is to the custom at fairs, etc., of
soaping the tail of a pig before turning
it out to be caught by the tail.
“He is vague as may be writing in what is
called the “soaped-pig' fashion.”—Carlyle : The
IDiamond Necklace, chap. iv.
w
Soapy Sam. Samuel Wilberforce,
Bishop of Oxford, and afterwards of
Winchester. (1805-1873.) It is some-
what remarkable that the floral decora-
tions above the stall of the bishop and
of the principal of Cuddesdon, were
S. O. A. P. (the initials of Sam Oxon
and Alfred Pott. When Samuel Wilber-
force went to inspect the building he
was dismayed at seeing his sobriquet
thus perpetuated. -
Someone asking the bishop why he was so
called, the bishop replied, “Because I am often in
Hººter, and always come Out With clean
• IlāndS,” . * *
1156
Société de Momus
Sober or Sobrius is the Latin s pri-
vative, and ebrius, drunk. (S priva-
tive is for Seorsum.).
Sober as a Judge—i.e. grave and
sedate. (See SIMILEs.) -
Sobri'no (in Orlando Furioso). One
of the most valiant of the Saracen army.
He is called the Sage. He was aged,
and counselled Ag'ramant to give up the
war and return home, or, if he rejected
that advice, to entrust the fight to single
Combat, on condition that the nation of
the champion overthrown should pay
tribute to the other. Roge'ro was chosen
for the pagan champion, and Rinaldo for
the Christian, but Agramant broke the
league. Sobri'no soon after this received
the rite of baptism.
Don Quixote asks—
“Who more prudent than Sobrino 2 °
So"briquet (French). A nickname.
Ménage thinks the etymology is the
Latin Satbridic'ulum (somewhat ridicu-
lous); Count de Gebelin suggests the
Romance words Sopra-quest (a name ac-
quired over and above your proper
names); while Leglay is in favour of
soubriquet, a word common in the four-
teenth century to express a sound of
contempt, half whistle and half jeer,
made by raising quickly the chin. Pro-
bably sous-brechet, where brechet means
the breast, seen in our word “brisket.”
So'cialism (3 syl.). The political
and social scheme of Robert Owen, of
Montgomeryshire, who in 1816 published
a work to show that society was in a
wretched condition, and all its institu-
tions and religious systems were based
On wrong principles. The prevailing
system is competition, but Owen main-
tained that the proper principle is co-
operation ; he therefore advocated a
community of property and the aboli-
tion of degrees of rank. (1771-1858.)
The Socialists are called also Owenites
(3 syl.). In France the Fourierists and
St. Simonians are similar sorts of com-
munists, who receive their designations
from Fourier and St. Simon (q.v.).
Société de Momus. One of the
minor clubs of Paris for the reunion of
song-writers and singers. The most
noted of these clubs was the Caveau, or
in full Les Diners du Caveau, founded in
1733 by Piron, Crébillon, jun., and Col-
let. This club lasted till the Revolution.
In the Consulate was formed Les Džmers
du Vaudeville, for the habitués of the
drama; these diners were held in the
house of Julliet, an actor. In 1806 the
society
1157
Softly
old Caveau was revived under the name
of the Caveau Modernie, and the muster
was once a month at a restaurant en-
titled La Rocher de Cancale, famous
for fish dinners, and Laujon (the French
Anacreon) was president. Béranger be-
longed to this club, which lasted ten
years. In 1824 was founded the Gymnase
Jºyrique, which, like the Caveau, pub-
lished an annual volume of songs; this
society was dissolved in 1841. In 1834
was founded La Lice Chansomnière, for
those who could not afford to join the
Caveau or the Gymnase, to which we owe
Some of the best French songs.
Society. The upper ten thousand, or
“the upper ten.” When persons are in
“society,” they are on the visiting lists
of the fashionable social leaders. The
“society” of a district are the great
panjandrums thereof.
“All the society of the district were present at
the prince's ball.”—Newspaper paragraph, Decem-
ber, 1885,
Sociº [comedy]. The Greek comic
actors used to wear a sandal and sock.
The difference between the sock and the
tragic buskin was this—the sock went
only to the ankle, but the buskin ex-
tended to the knee. (See BUSKIN.)
“Then to the well-trod stage amon,
If Jonson's learned sock he on.”
Milton : L'Allegro.
Soclz a Corpse (To). To shroud it.
(French, sac, a cerement or shroud.)
“I591. Item paid for a sleet to sock a poor man
that died at Byneons, 1s. 6d.”—Parish Register.
Soc'rates. The greatest of the an-
cient philosophers, whose chief aim was
to amend the morals of his countrymen,
the Athenians. Cicero said of him that
“he brought down philosophy from the
heavens to earth; ” and he was certainly
the first to teach that “the proper study
of mankind is man.” Socrates resisted
the unjust sentence of the senate, which
condemned to death the Athenian gene-
rals for not burying the dead at the
battle of Arginu'sae.
“Socrates —
Who, firmly good in a corrupted state,
Against the rage of tyrants single stood
Invincible.” Thomsom, : Wimte)'.
Socrates used to call himself “the
midwife of men's thoughts.” Out of
his intellectual school sprang those of
Plato and the Dialectic system; Euclid
and the Megaric ; Aristippos and the
Cyrena'ic ; Antis'themes and the Cynic.
Sodom. Apples of Sodom or mad
apples. Strabo, Tacitus, and Josephus
describe them as beautiful externally
and filled with ashes, These “apples”
are in reality gall-nuts produced by the
insect called Cynips insa'na.
Sof"farides (3 syl.). A dynasty of
four kings, which lasted thirty-four
years and had dominion over Khorassan,
Seistan, Fars, etc. (873-907); founded
by Yacoub ebn Laith, surnamed al
Soffar (the brazier), because his father
followed that trade in Seistan.
Soft. He’s a soft—half a fool. The
word originally meant effeminate, un-
manly; hence soft in brains, silly, etc.,
“soft in courage.” (3 Henry VI., ii. 2.)
Soft Sawder. Flattery, adulation.
A play is intended between solder (pro-
nounced sawder) and sawder, a com-
pound of saw (a saying). Soft solder, a
composition of tin and lead, is used for
soldering zinc, lead, and tin; hard solder
for brass, etc. (French, Soudure, Latin,
solidus.)
Soft Soap. Flattery, complimentary
words. (See SOAPY SAM.)
Soft as Soap—as “silk,” as “velvet.”
(See SIMILES.) .
Soft Fire makes Sweet Malt (A).
Too fierce a fire would burn malt and
destroy its sweetness, and too much
hurry or precipitation spoils work.
“Soft and fair goes far ; ” “Ilove me
little, love me long : " “Slow and steady
wins the race ; ” “He who is in haste
fishes in an empty pond ; ” “The more
haste the worse speed; ” “He who
walks too hastily will stumble in a plain
way; ” “Hastily and well never met ; ”
“It is good to have a hatch before the
door ; ” “Hasty climbers have sudden
falls,”
Soft Words Butter no Parsnips,
or “Fair words,” etc. Saying “Be
thou fed ” will not feed a hungry man.
“Good words will not fill a sack.” To
“butter parsnips” means also “doyer la
piſºde ’’ (“soft words will not gild the
pill of distress”).
Softly. To walk softly. To be out of
spirits. In Greece, mourners for the
dead used to cut off their hair, go about
muffled, and walk softly to express want
of spirit and strength. When Elijah
denounced the judgments of heaven
against Ahab, that wicked king “fasted,.
and lay in sackcloth, and went softly ”
to show that his strength was exhausted
with sorrow (1 Kings xxi. 27). Isaiah
says, “I shall go softly all my years in
the bitterness of my soul” (xxxviii. 15).
The Psalmist says, “My clothing was
sackcloth . . . I walked as [for] a friend
Softy
11
*
{)
8. Soldats
or brother.” The French Je vais do?(ce-
ment means precisely the same thing:
“I go softly,” because I am indisposed,
out of sorts, or in low spirits.
Softy. A soft, simple person.
“She were but a softy after all.”—Mrs. Gaskell ;
Sylvia's Lovers, chap. xv.
Soho The cry made by huntsmen
when they uncouple the dogs in hunting
the hare. Also to pointers and setters
when they make a point. Tally-ho
(q.v.) is the cry when a fox breaks
cover. So I or see 1 is to call attention,
and ho 1 is virtually “hie after him.”
“Now is the fox drevin to hole. Hoo to hym
HO() HO() {
FOI and he acpe out he will you alle undo.”
Eccerpta Historica, p. 279.
“If ye hounte at the hare, ye shall Say, atte un-
coupling, hors de couple, , q.vgºintſ. And after,
three times, Sollow 1 Sollow 1 Sohow.”—A fifteenth-
century translation of Reliquae Antiquae.
“When a stag breaks covert the cry is “tayho l'
. . . when a liture . . . " Soho ’’’-Herbert : Field
“Sports, vol. iii. appendix B, p. 313. … - .
* Of course ‘‘Ho! ” is often used
‘merely to call attention. Thus we say
to one in advance, “Ho ! stop !” and
“Ho! every one that thirsteth, come ye
to the waters ” (Isaiah lv. 1). This use
of the word is a contracted form of haloo !
In the hunting-field “So-hoº” is doubt-
less a cry to encourage the dogs to follow
up the quarry.
Soi-disant (French). Self-styled,
would-be. -
Soil. To take soil. A hunting term,
signifying that the deer has taken to the
water. Soil, in French, is the mire in
which a wild boar wallows. (Danish,
sól, mire; Swedish, Söla, to wallow.)
“Fida, went downe the dale to Soeke the hinde,
... And founde her taking SOyle within a flood.”
- Browne: Britannia's Pastorals, i. 84.
Soil the Milk before Using It.
Yorkshire for “Sile the milk, etc.”—i.e.
strain it, or skim it. A sile is a sieve or
strainer.
“Take a handeful of Sauge, and stampe it, and
temper it with hate ale, and, sythene syle it
thorowc a hate clothe.”—MS. Limcolm, A i. 17 f 281.
. “Drink the licoure Siled thorgh a clothe.”—MS,
im Mr. Pettigrew's possession (fifteenth century).
. Sojourn (2 syl.) is the Italian sog-
giorno--i.e. sub-giorno; Latin, sub-diur-
77tts (for a day, temporally).
Sol (Latin). The sun.
“And when Dan Sol to slope his wheels began.”
. . Thomsom, : Castle of Indolence, canto i.
Sol. The term given by the ancient
alchemists to gold. Silver was latna.
Sol in the Edda was the daughter of
Mundilfori, and sister of Ma'ni.
was so beautiful that at death she was
She
*g
placed in heaven to drive the sun-
chariot. Two horses were yoked to it,
named Arvakur and Alsvith (watchful
and rapid). (Scandinavian mythology.)
(See MANI.)
Sol-fa. (See Do, RE, etc.)
Solan Goose. The gannet. (French,
Oie de Soland (ou) d’Ecosse; Icelandic,
sula.)
Solano. Ask no favour during the
Solano (Spanish). Ask no favour during
a time of trouble, panic, or adversity.
The Solano of Spain is a south-east
wind, extremely hot, and loaded with
fine dust. It produces giddiness and
irritation. Called the Sirocco in Italy.
Soiatium (A). ... A recompense; a
Sop ; a solace. (Latin, Solāţium.)
“It may be that Mr. Elden will be persuaded to
. take one, by way of Solatium for his defeat in
Somºrsetshire.”—Newspaper paragraph, Decem-
ber, 1885.
Soldan or Sowdan. A corruption
of sultan, meaning in mediaeval romance
the Saracen king ; but, with the usual
inaccuracy of these writers, we have the
Soldan of Egypt, the Soudan of Persia,
the Sowdan of Babylon, etc., all repre-
sented as accompanied by grim Saracens
to torment Christians.
The Soldan, meant for Felipe of Spain,
who used all his power to bribe and
seduce the subjects of Elizabeth. Queen
Mercilla sent to negotiate a peace, but
the ambassador sent was treated like a
dog, referring to Felipe’s detention of
the deputies sent by the States of Hol-
land. Sir Artegal demands of the sol-
dan the release of the damsel “held as
wrongful prisoner,” and the soldan
“swearing and banning most blasphe-
mously,” mounts his “high chariot,” and
prepares to maintain his cause. Prince
Arthur encounters him “on the green,”
and after a severe combat uncovers his
shield, at sight of which the soldan and
all his followers take to flight. The
“swearing and banning” refer to the
excommunications thundered out against
Elizabeth ; the “high chariot” is the
Spanish Arma'da ; the “green” is the
sea ; the “uncovering of the shield” in-
dicates that the Arma'da was put to
flight, not by man’s might, but by the
power of God. Flavit Jehovah et dis-
sipati sunt (God blew, and they were
scattered). (Spenser: Faërie Queene, V.
8
Soldats (Des). Money. Shakespeare,
in The Merry Wives of Windsor, ii. 2,
has “Money is a good soldier, sir, and
will on.” Doubtless the French use of
Soldier
I 1.59
Solyman
-
the word is derived from the proverbial
truth that “Money is the sinews of
war,” combined with a pun on the word
solidus (the pay of a soldier). The Nor-
man soud (i.e. sould) means “wages; ”
Swedish, besolda, to pay; Danish, besolde,
to pay wages; the French Soldat, our
soldier, a hireling or mercenary, and the
French so! or song.
Soldier originally meant a hireling
or mercenary; one paid a solidus for
military service; but hireling and soldier
convey now very different ideas. (See
above.)
To come the old soldier over one. To
dictate peremptorily and profess superi-
ority of knowledge and experience.
Soldier's Heart. A complaint com-
mon in the English army, indicated by a
, weak voice and great feebleness of the
chest, for which soldiers are discharged.
It is said to be the result of the present
system of drill, which enforces expan-
sion of the chest by restraining free
breathing.
... Soldiers' Battles (The). Malpla-
quet, 1709, and Inkermann, 1854, were
both “soldiers’ battles.”
Soldiers of Fortune.
de l’industrie; men who live by their
wits. Referring to those men in medi-
aeval times who let themselves for hire
into any army.
“His father was a soldier of fortune, as I am a
sailor.”—Sin' W. Scott : The Antiquary, chap. xx.
Soldiering. A barrack term for fur-
bishing up of accoutrements.
“I got the screws last night, but I was lousy
soldiering till too late.”—J. H. Ewing : Story of a
..Short Life, p. 35. -
Solecism (3 syl.). Misapplication of
words; an expression opposed to the
laws of syntax; so called from the city
of Soli, in Cilicia, where an Athenian
colony settled, and forgot the purity of
their native language. (Suidas.)
Solemn. Habitual, customary. (Latin,
Sollennis, strictly speaking means “once
a year,” “annual,” solus-annus.)
“Silent might with this her solemn bird” [i.e.
‘the nightingale, the bird familiar to night].-
Milton : Paradise Lost, V. -
tº . Of course the usual meaning of
“solemn '' is devout ; but an annual
festival, like Good Friday, etc., may be
'both devout and serious. The Latin
for “it is usual,” is solemne est, and to
“solemnise ’’ is to celebrate an annual
custom.
The Solemn Doctor. Henry Goethals
garret.
Chevaliers
was so called by the Sorbonne.
1293.) -
Solemn League and Covenant, for the
suppression of Popery and Prelacy,
adopted by the Scotch Parliament in
1638, and accepted by the English in
1643. Charles II, swore to the Scotch
that he would abide by it and therefore
they crowned him in 1651 at Dunbar ;
but at the Restoration he not only re-
jected the covenant, but had it burnt
by the common hangman.
(1227-
An upper room, a loft, a
(Latin, Solarium.)
“Hastily than went thai all,
And soglut him in the maydens hall,
In glambers high,es noght at hide,
And in solers on ilka side.” -
- Ywaime amd Gawin, 807.
solid Doctor. Richard Middleton,
a cordelier; also called the Profound
JDoctor. (*-1304.)
Solingen. The Sheffield of Germany,
famous for swords and fencing-foils.
Solomon. The Jºnglish Solomon.
James I., called by Sully “the wisest
fool in Christendom.” (1566, 1603-1625.)
Henry VII. was so called for his wise
policy in uniting the York and Lancaster
factions. (1457, 1485-1509.)
Solomon of France. Charles V., le
Sage. (1337, 1364-1380.)
St. Louis or Louis IX. (1215, 1226-
270.)
Soler.
Solomon's Carpet.
PET, PAVILION.)
Solomon's Ring. The rabbins say
that Solomon wore a ring in which was
set a chased stone that told the king
everything he desired to know.
Solon of Parnassus. So Voltaire
called Boileau, in allusion to his Art
of Poetry. (1636-1711.)
Sol'stice (2 syl.). The summer sol-
stice is June 21st; the winter solstice
is December 22nd; so called because,
(See aſſader CAR-
on arriving at the corresponding points
of the ecliptic, the sun is stopped and
made to approach the equator again.
(Latin, so! sistić or stat, the sun stops.)
Sol’yman, king of the Turks (in
Jerusalem Delivered), whose capital was
Nice. Being driven from his kingdom,
he fled to Egypt, and was there ap-
pointed leader of the Arabs (bk. ix.).
He and Argantes were by far the most
doughty of the pagan knights. Solyman
was slain by Rinaldo (bk. xx.), and
Argantes by Tancred.
Soma,
1160
Song
Soma. The moon, born from the eyes
of Atri, son of Brahma, ; made the
sovereign of plants and planets. Soma
ran away with Tara (Star), wife of Wri-
haspata, preceptor of the gºds, and
Buddha was their offspring. (Hindu
Anythology.)
To drink the Soma. To become im-
mortal. In the Vedic hymns the Soma
is the moon-plant, the juice of which
confers immortality, and exhilarates
even the gods. It is said to be brought
down from heaven by a falcon. (Scan-
dinavian mythology.)
Som a gia,
Iſorse-loads.
Soma'ro, a beast of burden, an ass.
SUMPTER.)
Sombre'ro. A Spanish hat with a
very wide brim.
(singular Somagium).
Italian, Soma, a burden;
(See
Somerset.
Sumorsoºt—i.e.
moor camp).
Somerset or Somersault. A leap
in which a person turns head over heels
in the air and lights on his feet. (Latin,
super saltus ; French, soubresaitt.) Some-
times a person will turn twice or thrice
in the air before he touches the ground.
“First that could make love faces, or could do
The Walter's SohlberSalts.”
Domme: Poems, p. 300.
Somerset House occupies the site
of a princely mansion built by Somerset
the Protector, brother of Lady Jane
Seymour, and uncle of Edward VI. . At
the death of Somerset on the scaffold
it became the property of the Crown,
and in the reign of James I. was called
IDenmark House in honour of Anne of
I)enmark, his queen. Old Somerset
House was pulled down in the eighteenth
century, and the present structure was
erected by Sir William Chambers in 1776.
Somoreen. (See ZAMORIN.)
Son (or descendant of). Norman,
Fitz- ; Gaelic, Mac; Welsh, Ap- (some-
times contracted into P, as P-richard);
Irish, O'; Hebrew and Arabic, Ben-,
all prefixes: English, -son, Russian,
-vitch or -witch, postfixes.
Son of Be'lial. One of a wicked
disposition; a companion of the wicked.
(See Judges xix. 22.)
“Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial, they
knew not the Lord.”—1 Samuel ii. 12.
Son of Dripping (A). A man cook,
a turnspit.
“Yef, son of dripping . . . let us halt ;
Soft fires, the proverb tells us, make sweet malt.”
Peter Pindan'. The Lowsiad, canto ii,
Anciently Sumorsoºte or
Suth-mor-sabt (south
Son of One Year. A child one year
old; similarly a “son of sixty years,”
etc. (Exodus xii. 5.)
Son of Perdition. Judas Iscariot.
(John xvii. 12.)
Son of perdition. Antichrist, who not
only draws others to perdition, but is
himself devoted to destruction. (2 Thes-
salonians ii. 3.)
Son of the Morning. A traveller.
An Oriental phrase, alluding to the
custom of rising early in the morning to
avoid the mid-day heat, when on one's
travels. .
Son of the Star [Bar Cochab]. A
name assumed by Simon the Jew, in the
reign of Hadrian, who gave himself out
to be the “Star out of Jacob '' men-
tioned in Numbers xxiv. 17.
Sons of God. Angels, genuine
Christians, or believers who are the sons
of God by adoption.
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the Sons Of God.”—ROlman S viii. 14.
Sons of God. When Judaea was a
theocracy the representative of God on
earth was by the Jews called god; hence
angels, rulers, prophets, and priests were
called gods. Moses as the messenger
of Jehovah was “a god to Pharaoh’’
(Exodus vii. 1); magistrates generally
were called gods ; thus it is said, “Thou
shalt not revile the gods, nor curse the
ruler of thy people’’ (Exodus xxii. 28).
By a still further extension, anyone
who gave a message to another was
his god, because he “inspired him,” as
Moses was a god to Aaron his spokes-
man (Exodus iv. 16). Our Lord refers
to this use of the word in John x. 34.
(See also. Genesis vi. 2, 4 ; Job i. 6; ii.
I ; Psalm lxxxii. 6; Exodus iv. 22, 23;
Hosea Xi. 1.)
Sons of the Band. Soldiers rank
and file. (2 Chronicles xxv. 13.)
Sons of the Mighty. JHeroes.
(Psalm xxix. 1.)
Sons of the Prophets. Tisciples or
scholars belonging to the “college of
the prophets,” or under instruction for
the ministry. In this sense we call the
University where we were educated our
“Alma maſter.” (See 1 Kings xx. 35.)
sons of the Sorceress. Those who
study and practise magic. (Isaiah Ivii.
3 .
& Song. Father of modern French 800g.
Panarā; also called the “La Fontaine
of the Vaudeville,” (1691-1765)
Song of Degrees
116.1
Sorites
Song of Degrees. The fifteen
Psalms, czz. to cxxxiv. ; so called be-
cause they are prophetic of the return
or “going up '' from captivity. Some
think there is a connection between
these Psalms and the fifteen steps of
the Temple porch. (Ezekiel xl. 22-26.)
In the Revised Version called “Song of
Ascents.”
Song of Roland, the renowned
nephew of Charlemagne, slain in the
pass of Roncesvalles. At the battle of
Hastings, Taillefer advanced on horse-
back before the invading army, and
gave the signal for Onset by singing this
famous Song. -
“Taillefer, who sung well and loud,
Came mounted on a charger proud :
JBefore the duke the minstrel sprang,
And the Song of Roland sang.”
JBrut of Wace (translated).
Song of Songs. The Canticles, or
“Solomon's Song.”
Sonna, or Sunna. The Mishna or
oral law of the Mahometans. Reland
(De Relig. Mahom., p. 54) says these
traditions were orally delivered by Ma-
homet, and subsequently committed to
writing. Albulphara'gius asserts that
Ali, the son-in-law and cousin of Ma-
homet, was set aside because he refused
to regard the oral traditions of the
prophet of the same authority as the
Koran. (Hist. Dynast., 182.) (Arabic,
sunna, tradition.) (See SUNNITEs.)
Sonnam"bula (La). (See AMINA,
ELVINo.) -
So n n e t . . Prince of the sonnet.
Joachim du Bellay, a French sonneteer
(1524-1560); but Petrarch better de-
serves the title. (1334-1374.)
Sop. A sop in the pan. A bonne-
bouche, tit-bit, dainty morsel; a piece
of bread soaked in the dripping of meat
caught in a dripping-pan; also a bribe.
(See below.)
To give a sop to Cer'berus. To give a
bribe, to quiet a troublesome customer.
Cerberus is Pluto's three-headed dog,
stationed at the gates of the infernal
regions. When persons died the Greeks
and Romans used to put a cake in
their hands as a sop to Cerberus, to allow
them to pass without molestation.
Soph. A student at Cambridge is
a Freshman for the first term, a Junior
Soph for the Second year, and a Senior
Soph for the third year. The word
Soph is a contraction of “sophister,”
which is the Greek and Latin sophistās
(a sophist), At one time these students
had to maintain a given question in the
schools by opposing the orthodox view
of it. These opponencies are now limited
to Law and Divinity degrees.
Sophi or Safi [mystic], applied in
Persia to ascetics generally, was given
to Sheik Juneyd u Dien, grandfather of
Shah Ismail, a Mahometan sectary or
Shiite, who claimed descent, through
Ali, from the twelve saints.
So'phis. The twelfth dynasty of
Persia, founded by Shah Ismail I.,
grandson of Sheik Juneyd (1509). (See
above.)
Sophia (St.), at Constantinople, is
not dedicated to a Saint named Sophia,
but to the “Logos,” or Second Person
of the Trinity, called Hagia Sophia
(Sacred Wisdom).
Sophist, Sophistry, Sophism, So-
phisticator, etc. These words have
quite run from their legitimate meaning.
Before the time of Pythagoras (B.C. 586–
506) the sages of Greece were called
sophists (wise men). Pythagoras out of
mºdesty called himself "a philosophºr (a
wisdom-lover). A century later Protag'-
oras of Abdera resumed the title, and
a set of quibblers appeared in Athens
who professed to answer any question
on any subject, and took up the title
discarded by the Wise Samian. From
this moment sophos and all its family of
words were applied to “wisdom falsely
so called,” and philo-sophos to the
‘‘modest search after truth.”
Sorbon'ica. The public disputations
sustained by candidates for membership
of the Sorbonne. They began at 5 a.m.
and lasted till 7 p.m.
Sorbonne. - The institution of theo-
logy, science, and literature in Paris
founded by Robert de Sorbon, Canon of
Cambrai, in 1252. In 1808 the buildings
were given to the University, and since
1821 have been the Académie universi-
ta, re de Paris.
Sorceress.
etc. etc.)
S or de 11 o'. A poem by Robert
IBrowning, showing the conflict of a
minstrel about the best way of making
his influence felt, whether personally or
by the power of song.
(See CANIDIA, CIRCE,
Sorites (Greek). A heaped-up or
cumulative syllogism. The following
will serve as an example:–
All men who believe shall be saved,
Sorrows of Werther
I 162
Soul Cakes
. All who are saved must be free from
SIII. . -
All who are free from sin are innocent
in the sight of God.
All who are innocent in the sight of
God are meet for heaven.
All who are meet for heaven will be
admitted into heaven. -
Therefore all who believe will be ad-
mitted into heaven.
The famous Sorites of Themistocles was:
That his infant son commanded the
whole world, proved thus:— -
My infant son rules his mother.
His mother rules me.
, I rule the Athenians.
The Athenians rule the Greeks.
The Greeks rule Europe.
And Europe rules the world.
Sorrows of Werther. A novel by
Goethe. The heroine is Charlotte.
sortés Biblicae. Same as the Sortés
Virgilia'nae (q.v.), only the Bible was
substituted for the works of the poet.
Sortes Virgilia'nae. Telling one's
fortune by consulting the AEne'id of
Virgil.
at random, and the passage you touch at
random with your finger is the Oracular
'response. Severus consulted the book,
and read these words: “Forget not thou,
O Roman, to rule the people with royal
sway.” Gordia'nus, who reigned only a
few days, hit upon this verse: “Fate
only showed him on the earth, but
suffered him not to tarry.” But, cer-
tainly, the most curious instance is that
given by Dr. Wellwood respecting King
Charles I. and Lord Falkland while they
were both at Oxford. Falkland, to
amuse the king, proposed to try this
kind of augury, and the king hit upon
bk. iv. ver. 881-893, the gist of which
passage is that “evil wars would break
out, and the king lose his life.” Falk-
land, to laugh the matter off, said he
would show his Majesty how ridiculously
the “lot ” would foretell the next fate,
and he lighted on book xi. ver. 230-237,
the lament of Evander for the untimely
death of his son Pallas. King Charles,
in 1643, mourned over his noble friend,
who was shot through the body in the
battle of Newbury.
Sorts. Out of sorts. Not in good
health , and spirits. The French étre
dérangé explains the metaphor. If cards
are out of sorts they are deranged, and
if a person is out of sorts the health or
spirits are out of order.
In printers’ language it means out of
You take up the book, open it
Some particular letter, in which case they
substitute for a time another letter.
To run ºupon sorts. In printing, said of
work which requires an unusual number
of certain letters, etc.; as an index, which
requires a disproportionate number of
capitals. .
Sos'ia. The living double of another,
as the brothers Antiph'olus and brothers
Dromio in the Comedy of Errors, and
the Corsican brothers in the drama, so
called. Sosia is a servant of Amphit' -
ryon, in Plautus's comedy so called. It
is Mercury who assumes the double of
Sosia, till Sosia doubts his own identity.
Both Dryden and Molière have adapted
this play to the modern stage, but the
Comedy of Errors is based on another
drama of the same author, called the
Mendºchmi. (See AMPHITRYON.)
Sotadies or Sota d'ic Verse. One
that reads backwards and forwards the
same, as “Ilewd did I live, and evil I did
dwell.” So called from Sot'ades, the
inventor. These verses are also called
palindromic. (See PALINDROME.)
N.B. Il is the old way of writing a
capital L. . .
Sothic Year. The Persian year
consists of 365 days, so that a day is
lost in four years, and the lost bits in
the course of 1,460 years amount to a
year. This period of 1,460 years is
called a sothic period, and the reclaimed
year made up of the bits is called a 80thic
Ayear. (Greek, sothis, the dog-star, at
whose rising it commences.)
Soul. The Moslems fancy that it is
necessary, when a man is bow-strung, to
relax the rope a little before death oc-
curs to let the soul escape. . The Greeks
and Romans seemed to think that the
soul made its escape with life out of the
death-wound. -
Soul. The Moslems say that the Souls
of the faithful assume the forms of snow-
white birds, and nestle under the throne
of Allah until the resurrection. -
Soul. Heracli’tus held the Soul to be
a spark of the stellar essence : , “Scinţilla
stellaris essentiac.” (Macrobius : Som-
nium Scipioris, lib. i. cap. 14.)
“Vital spark of heavenly flame,
Quit, oh 4 quit this mortal frame.”
Pope : The Dying. Christian to his Soul.
Soul, in Egyptian hieroglyphics, is re-
presented by several emblems, as a basket
of fire, a heron, a hawk with a human
face, and a ram.
Soul Cakes. Cakes given in Stafford-
shire and Cheshire on All Souls’ Day,
Soul and Spirit
1163
Spade
to the poor who go a-souling, i.e. begging
for soul-cakes. The words used are—
“Soul, Soul, for soul-cake -
Pray you, good mistress, a soul cake.”
Soul and Spirit. # livXà (the soul)
contains the passions and desires, which
animals have in common with man.
Tô rveijua (the spirit) is the highest and
-distinctive part of man. . . In 1 Thess.
IPaul says, “I pray God your whole
spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.”, (See also Heb, iv. 12;
I Cor. ii. 14 and 15; xv. 45, 46.)
Soul of a Goose or Capon. The
liver, called by the French ame. The
renowned Strasbourg “patés de foie
gras” are made of these souls.
“Draw out all the entrails . . . but leave the
, Soul.”—Brigg : English Dictionary of Cookery.
Sound, a narrow sea, is the Anglo-
Saxon stººd; hence such words as Bo-
marsund, etc.
$ound Dues. A toll or tribute
which was levied by the king of Denmark
on all merchant vessels passing through
the Sound. (Abolished 1857.)
Sound as a Bell. Quite sound. A
cracked bell is useless as a bell.
“Blinde Fortune did so happily contrive,
That we, as Sound as hells, did Safe ariyc
At DOWel'.” Taylor's Workes, ii. 22 (1630).
Sound as a Roach. Quite sound. A
pun upon roach or roche the fish, and
the French roche, a rock.
Soundings. In Lautical language,
the depths of water in rivers, harbours,
along shores, etc. -
Sour Grapes. Things despised be-
cause they are beyond our reach. Many
men of low degree call titles and digni-
ties “sour grapes; ” and men of no
H. turn up their noses at literary
phrase is from AEsop's
onours. The
fable called The Fox and the Grapes.
Sour Grapeism. An assumed con-
tempt or indifference to the unattainable.
(See above.) ... “ -
, “There, economy was always 'elegant, and
money-Speriding always." Vulgar’ and ostentatious
. . . ~a Sört of , Soul', grapeish), which made us very
ºl and satisfied.”—Mrs. Gaskell: Cramford,
CElä P. l. -
. South-Sea Scheme or Bubble. A
“stock-jobbing scheme devised by Sir
John Blunt, a lawyer. The object of
the company was to buy up the National
Debt, and to be allowed the sole privi-
lege of trading in the South Seas. The
£100 shares soon realised ten times that
sum, but the whole bubble burst in 1720
and ruined thousands. (1710-1720.) The
term is applied to any hollow scheme
which has a splendid promise, but whose
collapse will be sudden and ruinous. (See
MISSISSIPPI BUBBLE.)
Southampton Street (London). So
called in compliment to the noble family
of that title, allied to the Bedford
family, the proprietors.
Southampton's Wise Sons. In the
early part of the present century, the
people of Southampton cut a ditch for
barges between Southampton and Red-
bridge ; but as barges could go without
paying dues through the “Southampton
Water,” the ditch or canal was never
used. This wise scheme was compared
to that of the man who cut two holes
through the wall—one for the great cat
and the other for its kitten. -
Southern Gate of the Sun. The
sign Capricornus or winter Solstice. So
called because it is the most southern
limit of the sum’s course in the ecliptic.
Soutras. The discourses of Buddha.
(See TRIPITAKA.)
Sovereign: A strangely misspelled
word, the last syllable being mistaken
for the word reign. It is the Latin
supern (supreme over all), with the p
changed to v. The French souverain
is nearer the Latin word; Italian, Sov-
ºrano ; Spanish, soberano.
Sovereign, a gold coin of the value of
twenty shillings, was first issued by
Benry VIII., and so called because he
was represented on it in royal robes.
Sow (to rhyme with “now ’’). You
ſhave got the wrong Sow by the ear. Sow
is a large tub with two ears or handles;
it is used for pickling or sowsing. The
expression means, therefore, You have
got hold of the wrong vessel, or, as the
Latin phrase has it, ‘‘ Pro ann’phorá
atº'ceus” (You have brought me the
Jittle jug instead of the great gotch).
French, seat (a bucket).
You have got the right sow by the ear.
You have hit upon the very thing. -
Sow. -(See PIG. IRON.)
Spa or Spa Water. A general name
for medical springs. So called from Spa,
in Belgium, in the seventeenth century
the most fashionable watering-place in
Europe. -
Spade. IWhy not call a spade a spade 2
Do not palliate sins by euphemisms.
“We call a nettle but a nettle, and the faults of
fools but folly.”—Shakespeare: Coriolamus, ii. 1.
“I have learned to call Wickedness by its own
terms: a fig a fig, and a Spade a Spade.”—John
R702,
Spaldish Tianguage
1164
Speaking
Spades in cards. A corruption of the
Spanish Spados, pikes or swords, called
by the French piques (pikes).
Spadish Language (In). In plain
English without euphuism; calling a
spade a “spade.”
“Had I attempted to express my opinions in
full ‘Spadish ' language, 1 should have had to say
Inlany harder things.”—Fra Olla.
Spa'fiel'ds (London). So called from
“the London Spa,” the name of certain
tea-gardens once celebrated for their
“spa-water.”
Spag'iric Art. Alchemy.
Spag'iric Food. Cagliostro’s “elixir
of immortal youth '' was so called from
the Latin word spagir’icus (chemical).
Hence, chemistry is termed the “spag'-
iric art,” and a chemist is a spagirist.
Spagnaletto [the little Spaniard].
José Ribera, the painter. Salva’tor Rosa.
and Guercino were two of his pupils.
(1588–1656.)
Spaie. A red deer of the third year.
“The young male is called in the first yeere
a cafe, in the Second a broket, the third a Spaie,
the fourth a stagom or stag, the fifth a great stag,
tlle Sixth an halt, and 80 foorth unto his death.”
—II(L)". Som.
Château d’Espagne. (See
Spain.
CASTLE.)
Patron Saint of Spain. St. James the
Greater, who is said to have preached
the Gospel in Spain, where what are
called his “relics’” are preserved.
Špan New. (See SPICK.)
Spaniel. The Spanish dog, from es-
pañol, through the French.
Spanish Blades. A sword is called
a tole'do, from the great excellence of
the Toletan steel.
Spanish Brutus (The). Alfonzo
Terez de Guzman (1258-1309). Lope de
Vega has celebrated this hero. When
besieged, he was threatened with the
death of his son, who had been taken
prisoner, unless he surrendered. Perez
replied by throwing a dagger over the
walls, and his son was put to death in
his sight. -
Spanish Main. The circular bank
of islands forming the northern and
eastern boundaries of the Caribbean
Sea, beginning from Mosquito, near the
isthmus, and including Jamaica, St.
Domingo, the Leeward Islands, and the
Windward Islands, to the coast of Vene-
zuela in South America.
“We turned conquerors, and invaded the main
, of Spain.”—Bacom,
Spanish Money. Fair words and
Compliments. The Spanish government
is a model of dishonest dealings, the
byword of the commercial world, yet
no man is more irate than a Spaniard if
any imputation is laid to his charge as
inconsistent with the character of a man
of honour.
Spanish Worm. A nail concealed
in a piece of wood, against which a
Carpenter jars his saw or chisel. So
called from Spanish woods used in cabi-
net-work.
Spank (A). A slap to urge one to
greater energy. (See below.)
Spanker (A). A fore-and-aft sail set
upon the mizen-mast of a three-masted
vessel, and the jigger-mast of a four-
masted vessel. There is no spanker in a
one- or two-masted vessel of any rig.
A “spanker '’ used to be called a
“driver.” (Supplied by an old sailor.
of long Service.)
Spanking. Large, rapid, strong; as
a “spanking big fellow,” a “spanking
speed,” a “spanking breeze.” A nauti-
cal term. (See above.)
Špare the Rod and Spoil the
Child. Solomon (Prov. xiii. 24) says:
“He that spareth the rod hateth his
son ; ” but Samuel Butler, in his Hudi-
bras (pt. ii. Canto 1, line 843), says:
“Love is a boy, by poets styled,
Then Slparis the rod, and Spoil the child.”
Sparkling Heat. Heat greater than
white heat.
“There be several degrees of heat in a smith's
forge, according to the purpose of their work : (1)
a bloud-red heat; (2) a white flame heat ; (3) a
sparkling, or welding heat, used to weld barr's or
pieces of iron.”—Keit?uett : MIS. Lansd., 1033, f. 388.
Spartan Dog. A blood-hound ; a
blood-thirsty man.
“ () Spartan dog,
More fell than anguish, hunger, or the Sea.”
Shakespeare: Othello, V. ii.
Spasmodic School. A name ap-
plied by Professor Aytoun to certain
authors of the nineteenth century, whose
writings are distinguished by spasmodic
or forced conceits. Of this school the
most noted are Carlyle, Bailey (author
of Festus), Alexander Smith, Sydney
Dobell, etc.
Speaker's Eye. To catch the Speaker's
eye. The rule in the House of Commons
is that the member whose .# to
address the House is first observed by
the Speaker is allowed precedence.
Spealsing. They are on speaking
terms, They just know each other,
Speaking Heads
1165
Spectacles
•º
They are not on speaking terms. Though
they know each other, they do not even
salute each other in the street, or Say
“How d'ye do?”
Speaking Heads and Sounding
Stones. -
(1) Jabel Nagus [mountain of the bell],
in Arabia Petraea, gives out sounds of
varying strength whenever the sand
slides down its sloping flanks.
(2) The white dry sand of the beach
in the isle of Eigg, of the Hebrides,
produces, according to Hugh Miller, a
musical sound when walked upon.
(3) The statue of Memnon, in Egypt,
utters musical sounds when the morning
sun darts on it.
(4) The speaking head of Orpheus, at
Lesbos, is said to have predicted the
bloody death which terminated the ex-
pedition of Cyrus the Great into Scythia.
(5) The head of Minos, brought by
Odin to Scandinavia, is said to have ut-
tered responses.
(6) Gerbert, afterwards Pope Sylves-
ter II., constructed a speaking head of
brass (tenth century).
(7) Albertus Magnus constructed an
earthen head in the thirteenth century,
which both spoke and moved. Thomas
Aquinas broke it, whereupon the me-
chanist exclaimed, “There goes the
labour of thirty years l’”
(8) Alexander made a statue of Escu-
la'pios which spoke, but Lucian says the
sounds were uttered by a man concealed,
and conveyed by tubes to the statue.
(9). The “ear of Dionysius” communi-
cated to Dionysius, Tyrant of Syracuse,
whatever was uttered by suspected sub-
jects shut up in a state prison. This
“ear” was a large black opening in a
rock, about fifty feet high, and the
sound was communicated by a series of
channels not unlike those of the human
€8.I’.
Spear. Cairbar asks if Fingal comes
in peace, to which Mor-annal replies:
“In peace he comes not, king of Erin, I
have seen his forward spear.” If a
stranger kept the point of his spear
forward when he entered a strange land,
it was a declaration of war; if he carried
the spear on his shoulder with the point
behind him, it was a token of friendship.
(Ossian : Temora, i.)
Achilles’ spear. Telephus, King of
Mys'ia, in attempting to hinder the
Greeks from marching through his coun-
try against Troy, , was wounded by
Achilles' spear, and was told by an
oracle that the Wound could be cured
only by the weapon that gave it; at
the same time the Greeks were told that
they would never reach Troy except by
the aid of Te'lephus. So, when the
Mysian king repaired to Achilles' tent,
some of the rust of the spear was applied
to the wound, and, in return for the
cure which followed, Telephus directed
the Greeks on their way to Troy.
“Telephus aeterna consumptus tabě perisset . .
Si non quae noctuit dextra tulisset openn.” Ovid.
The spear of Tºlephus could both kill
and cure. (Plutarch.) (See Achilles’ spear.)
The heavy spear of Valence was of
great repute in the days of chivalry.
Arthur’s spear. Rone or Ron.
To break a spear. To fight in a tour-
nament. -
Spear-half. The male line. The
female line was called by the Anglo-
Saxons the Spindle-half (q.v.).
Spear of Ithuriel (The), the slightest
touch of which exposed deceit. Thus
when Ithuriel touched with his spear
Satan squatting like a toad close to the
ear of Eve, the “toad'' instantly re-
sumed the form of Satan. (Milton :
JParadise Lost, bk. iv. 810-814.)
“The acute pen of Lord Halles, which, like
Ithuriel's spear, conjured so many shadows from
Scottişlı history, dismissed among the rest those
t
f
of Banquo and Fleance.”—Sir W. Scott.
Special Pleading. Quibbling ;
making your own argument good by
forcing certain words or phrases from
their obvious and ordinary meaning. A
pleading in law means a written state-
ment of a cause pro and coſt., and
“special pleaders ” are persons who have
been called to the bar, but do not speak
as advocates. They advise on evidence,
draw up affidavits, state the merits and
demerits of a cause, and so on. After a
time most special pleaders go to the bar,
and many get advanced to the bench.
Specie, Species, means simply what
is visible. As things are distinguished
by their visible forms, it has come to
mean kind or class. As drugs and con-
diments at one time formed the most
important articles of merchandise, they
were called species—still retained in the
French épices, and English spices. Again,
as bank-notes represent money, money
itself is called specie, the thing repre-
sented.
Spectacles, the device of Thackeray
in drawings made by him. In Punch,
vol. xx. No. 495, p. 8, is a butcher's
boy chalking up “No Popery,” and
the tray, forms a pair of spectacles,
showing it was designed by Thackeray.
*
Spectre of the Brockerm
1166
Spheres
Spectre of the Brocken. The
Brocken is the highest summit of the
FIartz mountains in Hanover. This
summit is at times enveloped in a thick
mist, which reflects in a greatly magnified
degree any form opposite at Sunset. In
one of De Quincey’s opium-dreams
there is a powerful description of the
Brocken spectre.
Spectrum, Spectra, Spectre (Latin,
specto, to behold). In optics a spectrum
is the image of a sunbeam beheld on a
screen, after refraction by one or more
prisms. Spectra are the images of
objects left on the eye after the objects
themselves are removed from sight.
spectre is the apparition of a person no
longer living or not bodily present.
Specu'late means to look out of a
watch-tower, to spy about (Latin). Meta-
phorically, to look at a subject with the
mind’s eye, to spy into it; in commerce,
to purchase articles which your mind has
speculated on, and has led you to expect
will prove profitable. (Specula') is lapis
is what we should now call window-
glass.) .
Speech. Speech was given to conceal
or disguise men’s thoughts. Voltaire.
But erroneously fathered on Talleyrand.
Speed. A great punster, the serving-
man of Valentine, one of the Two Gen-
tlemen of Vero'na. Launce is the
serving-man of Proteus, the other
gentleman. (Shakespeare : Two Gentle-
anem of Perona.)
Spell (A), in workman's language,
means a portion of time allotted to some
particular work, and from which the
men are relieved when the limited time
expires.
To spell is to relieve another at his
work.
Spell ho " An exclamation to signify
that the allotted time has expired, and
men are to be relieved by another set.
A pretty good spell. A long bout or
pull, as a “spell at the capstan,” etc.
(The German spiel means a performance
as well as a play, game, or sport.)
Spellbinders. Orators who hold their
audience spellbound. The word came
into use in America in the presidential
election of 1888.
“The Hon. Daniel Dougherty says: ‘The proud-
est day of his life was when he beheld his name
among the “spell-binders ” who held the audi-
ence in rapture with their eloquence.'”—Liberty
I?eview, July 7th, 1894, p. 13.
Spelter. A commercial name for zinc.
Also an abbreviation of spelter-solder.
-*.
Spence. A salle & manger, the room
in which meals are taken, a dining-
room; also a store-room or pantry.
(Dispensorium, Old French dispense, a.
buttery.)
“The rest of the family held counsel in the
spence.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery, chap. xxx.
Spencer. An outer coat without
skirts; so named from the Earl Spencer,
who wore this dress. (George III.)
Spendthrift. The Danish thrift is
the noun of the word thrive (to increase
or prosper). Shakespeare says, “I have
a mind presages me such thrift” (in-
crease, profit). As Our frugal ancestors
found sawing the best way to grow rich,
they applied the word to frugality and
careful management. A spendthrift is
one who spends the thrift or saving of
his father, or, as Old Adam says, the
“thrifty hire Isaved.” (As You Like It.).
Spenser (Edmund), called by Milton
“the sage and serious Spenser.” Ben
Jonson, in a letter to Drummond, states
that the poet ‘‘died for lake of bread.”
(1553-1599.)
Spenserian Metre (The). The metre
in which Spenser's Faërie Queene is
written. It is a stanza of nine iambic
lines, all of ten syllables except the last,
which is an Alexandrine. Only three
different rhymes are admitted into a
stanza, and these rhymes are thus dis-
posed: Lines 1 and 3 rhyme; lines 2, 4,
5, 7 rhyme; lines 6, 8, 9 rhyme; thus:--
1 - - - - - - - - - l'ide
2 - - - - - - - - - ..low
3 - - - - - - - - - Side
4 : - - - - - - - - - throw
5 - - - - - - - - - SI) () VV
6 - - - - - - - - - ha
7 - - - - - - - - - I)] () W
\ 8 * * * * * - - - - }
ad -
Sad (ſtºm (tle:-
(171&lrique). -
Spent. Weary. A hunting term. A
deer is said to be spent when it stretches.
out its neck, and is at the point of death.
In sea language, a broken mast is said to.
be “spent.” - - -
Spheres. The music or harmony of
the spheres. Pythag'oras, having ascer-
tained that the pitch of notes depends
on the rapidity of vibrations, and also
that the planets move at different rates
of motion, concluded that the Sounds
made by their motion must vary accord-
ing to their different rates of motion.
As all things in nature are harmoniously
made, the different sounds must har-
monise, and the combination he called
the “harmony of the spheres.” Kepler
has a treatise on the subject.
Sphinx
1167
Spider
Sphinx (The Egyptian). Half a
woman and half a lion, said to sym-
bolise the “rising of the Nile while the
sun is in Leo and Virgo.”. This “saying ” |
must be taken for what it is worth.
Sphinac, Lord Bacon’s ingenious reso-
lution of this fable is a fair specimen
of what some persons call “spiritualis-
ing” incidents and parables. He says
that the whole represents “science,”
which is regarded by the ignorant
as “a monster.” As the figure of the
sphinx is heterogeneous, so the sub-
jects of science “are very various.”
The female face “denotes volubility of
speech ; ” her wings show that “know-
ledge like light is rapidly diffused; ” her
hooked talons remind us of “the ar-
guments of science which enter the mind
and lay hold of it.” She is placed on
a crag overlooking the city, for “all
science is placed on an eminence which
is hard to climb.” If the riddles of the
sphinx brought disaster, so the riddles
of science “perplex and harass the
mind.”
You are a perfect sphinx-You speak
in riddles. You are nothing better than
a sphina-You speak so obscurely that I
cannot understand you. The sphinx was
a sea-monster that proposed a riddle to
the Thebans, and murdered all who
could not guess it. CEdipus solved it,
and the sphinx put herself to death.
The riddle was this—
“What goes on four feet, on two feet, and three,
But the more feet it goes on the Weaker it be P’”
Spice. A small admixture, a flavour-
ing ; as, “He is all very well, but there's
a spice of conceit about him.” Probably
the French espèce.
“God’s bountë is all pure, without ony espece
of evy Il.”—Catºcton : Mirrow)” of the World, i.
Spick and Span New. Quite and
entirely new. A spie is a spike or nail,
and a span is a chip. So that a spick
and span new ship is one in which every
nail and chip is new. Halliwell men-
tions “span new.” According to Dr.
Johnson, the phrase was first applied to
cloth just taken off the spannans or
stretchers. (Dutch, Spikspelderniew.)
Spider. -
JBruce and the spider. In the spring
of 1305, Robert Bruce was crowned at
Scone king of Scotland, but, being at-
tacked by the English, retreated first to
the wilds of Athole, and then to the
little island of Rathlin, off the north
coast of Ireland, and all supposed him
to be dead. While lying perdu in this
island, he one day noticed a spider near
his bed try six times to fix its web on a
beam in the ceiling. “Now shall this
Spider (said Bruce) teach me what I am
to do, for I also have failed six times.”
The spider made a seventh effort and
succeeded; whereupon Bruce left the
island (in the spring of 1307), collect-
ing together 300 followers, landed at
Carrick, and at midnight surprised the
English garrison in Turnberry Castle;
he next overthrew the Earl of Glouces-
ter, and in two years made himself
master of well nigh all Scotland, which
Edward III. declared in 1328 to be an
independent kingdom. Sir Walter Scott
tells us, in his Tales of a Grandfather
(p. 26, Col. 2), that in remembrance of this:
incident, it has always been deemed a
foul crime in Scotland for any of the:
name of Bruce to injure a spider.
“I will grant you, my father, that this valiant.
burgess of Perth is one of the best-hearted men
that draw8 breath . . . He would be as loth, in
Wantonness, to kill a spider, as if he were a kins-
man to King Itohert of happy memory.”—Sin'
Walter Scott: Fair Maid of Perth, ch, ii.
Frederick the Great and the spider.
While Frederick II. was at Sans Souci,
he One day went into his ante-room, as
usual, to drink a cup of chocolate, but
set his cup down to fetch his hand-
Kerchief from his bedroom. On his
return he found a great spider had fallen
from the ceiling into his cup. He called,
for fresh chocolate, and next moment
heard the report of a pistol. The cook
had been suborned to poison the choco-
late, and, Supposing his treachery had
'been found out, shot himself. On the
ceiling of the room in Sans Souci a spider
has been painted (according to tradition
in remembrance of this story. -
Spider. When Mahomet fled from
Mecca, he hid in a certain cave, and the
ICOreishites were close upon him. Sud-
denly an acacia in full leaf sprang up at
the mouth of the cave, a wood-pigeon
had its nest in the branches, and a spider
had woven its net between the tree and
the cave. When the Koreishites saw
this, they felt persuaded that no one
could have recently passed that way, and
Went on,
Spider anciently supposed to envenom
everything it touched. In the examina-
tion into the murder of Sir Thomas
Overbury, one of the witnesses deposed
“ that the countess wished him to get
the strongest poison that he could . . .” -
Accordingly he brought seven great
spiders. -
“There may be in the cup _ •
A spider steeped, and one may drink, depart,
And yet partake no venom.”...
Shakespeare: Winter's Tale, ii. 1,
Spidireen
116S
Spirited Away
Spider. According to old wives' fable,
fever may be cured by wearing a spider
in a nutshell round the neck.
“Cured by wearing a spider hung round one's neck
in a nutshell.” Longfellow : Evangelime.
Spiders will never set their webs on a
cedar roof. (Caughey : Letters, 1845.)
Spiders spin only on dark days.
“The subtle spider never spins,
* But on dark days, his slimy gins.”
S. Butler : On a Nonconformist, iv.
Spider. The shoal called the Sham-
'bles at the entrance of Portland Roads
was very dangerous before the break-
water was constructed. According to
legend, at the bottom of the gigantic
shaft are the wrecks of ships seized and
sunk by the huge spider Kraken, called
also the fish-mountain.
Spid'ireen or Spidereen. The ano-
nyma of ships. If a sailor is asked what
ship he belongs to, and does not choose
to tell, he will say, “The spidireen frigate
with nine decks.” Officers who will not
tell their quarters, give B.K.S. as their
address. (See B.K.S.) -
Spigot. Spare at the spigot and spill
at the bung. To be parsimonious in
trifles and wasteful in great matters, like
a man who stops his beer-tub at the
went-hole and leaves it running at the
bung-hole.
Spilt Milk. (See CRY.)
Spindle-half. The female line. A
Saxon term. The spindle was the pin
on which the thread was wound from
the Spinning-wheel. (See SPEAR-HALF.)
Spinning Jenny. Jennie is a di-
minutive and corruption of engine
('ginie). A little engine invented by
James Hargreaves, a Lancashire weaver,
in 1767. It is usually said that he so
called it after his wife and daughter;
but the name of his wife was Elizabeth,
and he never had a daughter.
Spino'za's System. The “system
of Spinoza,” is that matter is eternal,
and that the universe is God.
Spinster. An unmarried woman.
The fleece which was brought home
by the Anglo-Saxons in summer, was
spun into clothing by the female part of
each family during the winter. King
Edward the Elder commanded his
daughters to be instructed in the use of
the distaff. Alfred the Great, in his
will, calls the female part of his family
the spindle side; and it was a regularly
received axiom with our frugal fore-
fathers, that no young woman was fit to
*s.
be a wife till she had spun for herself a
Set of body, table, and bed linen. Hence
the maiden was termed a spinner or
Spinster, and the married woman a wife
or ‘‘ one who has been a spinner.”
(Anglo-Saxon, wif, from the verb wyfan
or wefan, to weave.)
* The armorial bearings of women
are not painted on a shield, like those
of men, but on a spindle (called a
“lozenge”). Among the Romans the
bride carried a distaff, and Homer tells
us that Kryseis was to spin and share
the king's bed.
Spirit. To give up the spirit. TO
die. At death the “spirit is given back
to Him who gave it.”
Spirit-writing. Pneumatology. Al-
leged visible writing by spirits.
Spirits. Inflammable liquors ob-
tained by distillation. This is connected
with the ancient notion of bottle-imps
(q.v.), whence these liquors were largely
used in the black arts. •
Spirits. There are four spirits and
Seven bodies in alchemy. The spirits
are quicksilver, Orpiment, Sal-ammoniac,
and brimstone. (See SEVEN BODIES.)
“The first spirit quyksilver called is :
The secound Orpinnent : the thrid I wis
Sal armoni’ac ; and the ferth bremstoon.”
Chaucer : Prol. of the Chamowings Yemames Tale,
Spirits. There were formerly said to
be three in animal bodies:—
(1) The animal spirits, seated in the
brain ; they perform through the nerves
all the actions of sense and motion.
(2) The vital spirits, seated in the
heart, on which depend the motion of
the blood and animal heat.
(3) The natural spirits, seated in the
liver, on which depend the temper and
“spirit of mind.”
Spirits (Elemental). There are four
sorts of elemental spirits, which rule re-
spectively over the four elements. The
fire spirits are SALAMANDERS ; the water
spirits UNDINES (2 syl.); the air spirits
SYLPHS ; and the earth spirits GNOMEs
(1 Syl.).
Spirited Away. Kidnapped ; al-
lured. Kidnappers who beguiled or-
phans, apprentices, and others on board
ship in order to sell them to planters in
Barbadoes and Virginia, were called
“spirits.” Mr. Doyle (English in
America, p. 512) finds the word used in
this sense in official papers as early as
1657. (Notes and Queries, 17th Decem-
ber, 1892.)
Spiritual Mother
1169
Spoon
Spiritual Mother. So Joanna
Southcott is addressed by her disciples.
(1750-1814.)
Spiritualism or Spiritism. A sys-
tem which started up in America in
1848. It professes that certain living
persons have the power of holding com-
munion with the “spirits of the dead.”
Nineteenth century spiritualism pro-
bably owes its origin to Andrew Jack-
son Davis, “the seer of Poughkeepsie.”
Špirt or Spurt. A sudden convulsive
effort (Swedish, Spruta , Danish, Sprude ;
Icelandic, spretta, to start ; our spout,
to throw up water in a jet).
Spitalfields (London). A spital is a
charitable foundation for the care of
the poor, and these were the fields of
the almshouse founded in 1197 by Walter
Brune and his wife Rosia.
Špite of His Teeth (In). In spite
of opposition ; though you Snarl and
show your teeth like an angry dog.
Spitfire. An irascible person, whose
angry words are like fire spit from the
mouth of a fire-eater.
Spitting for Luck. Boys often spit
on a piece of money given to them for
luck. Boxers spit upon their hands for
luck. Fishwomen not unfrequently spit
upon their hansel (i.e. the first money
they take) for luck. Spitting was a
charm against fascination among the
ancient Greeks and Romans. Pliny says
it averted witchcraft, and availed in giv-
ing to an enemy a shrewder blow.
“Thrice on my breast I Spit to guard me Safe
From fascinating charms.” TheOCritos.
Spittle or Spital. An hospital.
“A spittle or hospitall for poore folks diseased ;
a Spittle, hospitall, or lazarlıouse for lepers.”—
Baret : Alvealin'6 (1580).
Spittle Sermons. Sermons preached
formerly at the Spittle in a pulpit erected
expressly for the purpose. Subsequently
they were preached at Christchurch,
City, on Easter Monday and Tuesday.
Ben Jonson alludes to them in his
Underwoods, ap. Gifford, viii. 414.
Splay is a contraction of display (to
unfold ; Latin, dis-plico). A splay win-
dow is one in a V-shape, the external
Opening being very wide, to admit as
much light as possible, but the inner
opening being very small. A splay-foot
is a foot displayed or turned outward.
A splay-month is a wide mouth, like
that of a clown. -
Spleen was once believed to be the
seat of ill-humour and melancholy. The
herb spleenwort was supposed to remove
these splenic disorders. -
Splendid Shilling. A mock-heroic
poem by John Philips. (1676-1708.)
Splice. To marry. Very strangely,
“splice ’’ means to split or divide. The
way it came to signify unite is this:
Ropes’ ends are first untwisted before
the strands are interwoven. Joining two
ropes together by interweaving their
strands is “splicing” them. Splicing
wood is joining two boards together,
the term being borrowed from the
Sailor. (German, spleissem, to split.)
Splice the Main Brace. (See MAIN
BRACE.)
To get spliced is to get married or tied
together as one.
Spoke (verb). When members of the
Bouse of Commons and other debaters
call out Spoke, they mean that the
person who gets up to address the as-
sembly has spoken already, and cannot
speak again except in explanation of
something imperfectly understood.
Spoke (noun). I have put ºny spoke
into his wheel. I have shut him up. The
allusion is to the pin or spoke used to
lock wheels in machinery. -
Don’t put your spoke into my wheel.
Don't interfere with my business; Let
my wheel turn, and don’t you put a
pin in to stop it or interrupt its move-
ment. The Dutch have “Jºe” Spaak in
tº wiel steeken,” to thwart a purpose.
When solid wheels were used, the
driver was provided with a pin or spoke,
which he thrust into one of the three
holes made to receive it, to skid the cart
when it went down-hill. The carts used
by railway navvies, and tram-waggons
used in collieries, still have a wheel
“spoked ” in order to skid it.
Sponge. Throw up the sponge. Give
up ; confess oneself beaten. The meta-
phor is from boxing matches.
“We must stand up to our fight now, or throw
up the sponge. There's no two ways about the
matter.”—Boldrewood: Robbery under Arms, chap.
“We hear that the followers of the Arab chief
have thrown up the sponge.”—Newspatper para-
graph, April 2nd, 1888.
Spontaneous Combustion. Takin
fire without the intervention of j
heat. Greasy rags heaped together, hay
stacked in a damp state, coal-dust in
coal mines, cinders and ashes in dust
bins, are said to be liable to spontaneous
combustion.
Spoon. (See APOSTLE-SPOONs.)
IIe hath need of a long spoon that
74
S poon
1170
Spread-eagle
eateth with the devil. Shakespeare al-
ludes to this proverb in the Comedy of
Errors, iv. 3; and again in the Tempest,
ii. 2, where Stephano says: “Mercy
mercy this is a devil . . . I will leave
him, I have no long spoon.”
“Therefor behoveth him a ful long spoon
That Schal ete with a feend.”
Chaucer: The Squicres Tale, 10,916.
Spoon (A). One who is spoony, or
sillily love-sick on a girl.
‘. . “He Was awful Spoons at tho time."—Thºlth.
(Queer Story), March 25th, 1886. - -
Spooning, in rowing, is dipping the
oars so little into the water as merely to
skim the surface. The resistance being
very small, much water is thrown up
and more disturbed.
Spoony. Lovingly soft. A sea-
phrase. When a ship under sail in a
sea-storm cannot bear it, but is obliged
to put right before the wind, she is said
to “spoon; ” so a young man under sail
in the Sea of courtship “spoons” when
he cannot bear it, but is obliged to put
right before the gale of his lady’s “eye-
'brow.” . *
Sporran (Gaelic). The heavy pouch
worn in front of the philibeg of a High-
lander’s kilt. - -
Sport a Door or Oak. To keep an
outer door shut. In the Universities the
College rooms have two doors, an outer
and an inner one. The outer door is
called the sporting door, and is opened
with a key. When shut it is to give
notice to visitors that the person who
occupies the rooms is not at home,
or is not to be disturbed. The word
sport means to exhibit to the public,
as, “to sport a new equipage,” “to
sport a new tile [hat],” etc.; whence to
have a new thing, as “to sport an aegro'-
tat [sick-leave]; ” or merely to show to
the public, as “sport a door or oak.”
The word is a contraction of support.
(French, supporter, to sustain, carry ;
Latin, supporto.)
Sporting Seasons in England. ...
. Those marked thus (*) are fixed by Act of Par-
liament. -
Black Game,” from August 20th to December
10th ; but in Somerset, Devon, and New Forest,
from September 1st to December 10th.
... Blackcock, August 20th to December 10th. .
Buck hunting, August 20th to September 17th.
I
Bustard," September 1st to March 1st. -
Red Deer hunted, August 20th to September 30th.
Male Deer (Ireland).” October 20th to June 10th,
Fallow Deer (Ireland), June 20th to Michaelmas.
Eels, (about) April 20th to October 28th. . -
Fox hunting, (about) October to Lady Day.
Day -
Foſc Cubs, Aligust 1st to the first Monday in
November. ... -
Groºtse shooting,” August 12th to December 10th.
, Hares, March 12th to August 12th. . -
; , Hind, hunted in October and again between
April 10th and May 20th.
—e
Moor. Game (Ireland).” August 20th to Decehn-
ber 10th.
Oyster season, August 5th to May.
Partridge shooting,” September 1st to February
ISt. - - -
Pheasant shooting,” October 1st to February Ist,
Ptarmigam, August 12th to December 10th.
Quail, August 12th to January 10tlı. - -
Rabbits, between October and March. Rabbits,
aS verinin, are shot at any tillne.
Salmon,” February 1st to September 1st.
Salmon, rod fishing,” November 18t to Septem-
}éI' 1St. .
Trout fishing, May 1st to September 10th.
Trout, in the Thames, April 1st to September
j
10th.
Woodcocks, (about) November to January.
For Ireland and Scotland there are spe-
cial game-laws. (See TIME OF GRACE.)
N.B. Game in Iºngland: hare, pheasant, rar-
tridge, grouse, and moor-fowl ; in Scotlant d, same
as England, with the addition of ptarmigan ; in
Irelau, , s:unic as England, with the addition of
deer, black-game, landrail, quail, and bustard.
Spouse (Spouze, 1 sy].) means one
whom sponsors have answered for. In
Rome, before marriage, the friends of
the parties about to be married met at
the house of the woman’s father to
settle the marriage contract. This con-
tract was called sponsa'lia (espousals);
the man and woman were sporºses. The
contracting parties were each asked, “An
spondes’ (Do you agree?), and replied
“Spondeo ’’ (I agree).
Spouse of Jesus. “Our Seraphic mo-
ther, the holy Tere'sa,” born at Avila in
1515, is so called in the Roman Catholic
Church.
Spout. Up the spout. At the pawn-
broker's. In allusion to the “spout ’’ up
which brokers send the articles ticketed.
When redeemed they return down the
spout—i.e. from the store-room to the
shop.
“As for spoons,forks, and jewellery, they are nºt
taken so readily to the smelting-pot, but to well-
known places where there is a pipe [spout] which
your lordships may have seen in a payvnbroker's
shop. The thief taps, the pipe is lifted up, and in
the course of a minute a hand comes out, covered
with a glove, takes up the article, and gives out
the money for it.”—Lord Shaftesbury: The Times,
March 1st, 1869. -
Sprat. To bait with a Sprat to catch a
mackerel. To give a small thing under
the hope of getting something much
more valuable. The French say, “A pea,
for a bean.” (See GARVIES.)
Spread-eagle (To). To fly away
like a spread-eagle; to beat. (Sporting
term.)
“You’ll spread-eagle all the [other] cattle in a
ºce of shakes.”—Ouida. Under Two Flags, chap.
Spread-eagle Oratory. “A com-
pound of exaggeration, effrontery, born-
bast, and extravagance, mixed with
metaphors, platitudes, threats, and ir-
reverent appeals flung at the Almighty.”
Spring Gardens
1171
Squalls
(North American Review, November,
1858.) . -
Spring Gardens (London). So called
from a playfully contrived waterwºrk,
which, on being unguardedly pressed by
the foot, sprinkled the bystanders with
water. (James I., etc.) -
Spring Tide. The tide that springs
or leaps or swells up. These full tides
occur at the new and full moon, when
the attraction of both sum and moon act
in a direct line, as thus—
e o k or k B e
sprout-kele. The Saxon name for
February. Kele is colewort, the great
pot-wort of the ancient Saxons; the
broth made thereof was also called kele.
This important pottage herb begins to
sprout in February. (Verstegan.)
Spruce. Smart, dandified. Hall
tells us it is a contraction of Prussian-
like, d la Prusse, and gives the subjoined
quotation :- .
“Aftor them came Sir Edward Hayward, and
with him Sir Thomas Parre, in doublets of crim-
son velvet, faced on the breast with chains of
silver, and over that short cloaks of Caimson
satin, and on their heads hats after dancers'
fashion, with feathers in them. They were ap-
parelled after the fashion of Prussia or Spruce.”
...'. In confirmation of this it may be mentioned
that “Spruce leather' is certainly a corruption
of Prussian leather ; Spruce-beer is beer made
from the Spruce or Prussian fir, and Danzig, in
Prussia, is famous for the beverage. .
Spun (To be). Exhausted, undone,
ruined. . . .
“I shall be spun. There is a voice within
Which tells me plainly I am all undone ;
For though I toil not, neither do I Spin,
I shall be Spum.” IRobert Murray (1863).
spun out. As “the tale was spun -
out ’’—that is, prolonged to a dispro-
portionate length. It is a Latin phrase,
and the allusion is to the operation of
spinning and weaving.
“Tent'o deducta poemata filo’’—that is,
poems spun out to a fine thread. . .
Spunging House. A victualling
house where persons arrested for debt
are kept for twenty-four-hours, before
lodging them in prison. The houses so
used are generally kept by a bailiff, and
the person lodged is spunged of all his
money before he leaves. . . . . . .
Spur "Money. Money given to re-
deem a pair of spurs. Gifford says, in
the time of Ben Jonson, in consequence
of the interruptions to divine service
occasioned by the ringing of the spurs
worn, a small fine was imposed on those
who entered church in spurs. The
Cicero says,
enforcement of this fine was committed
to the beadles and chorister-boys. -
Spurs. Ripon spurs. The best spurs
were made at Ripon, in Yorkshire.
“If my Spurs be not right Rippon.” "
- , , , '-', . Ben Jomson : Staple of News.
The Battle of Spurs. The battle of
Guinnegate, fought in 1513, between
Henry VIII, and the Duc de Longue-
ville. So called because the French used
their spurs in flight more than their
swords in fight. . . . . . . .
The Battle of the Spurs. The battle of
Courtrai, in 1302. So called because the
victorious Flemings gathered from the
field more than 700 gilt spurs, worn by
French nobles slain ini the fight. . . . .
To dish up the spurs. In Scotland,
during the times of the Border feuds,
when any of the great families had come
to the end of their provisions the lady
of the house sent up a pair of spurs for
the last course, to intimate that it was
time to put spurs to the horses and
make a raid upon England for more
cattle. *... * * * . »
“He dishes up the spurs in his helpless address,
like one of the old Border chiefs with an empty
larder.”—The Daily Telegraph. -
To win his spurs. To gain the rank of
knighthood. When a man was knighted,
the person who dubbed him presented
him with a pair of gilt spurs.
Spy. Widocq, the spy in the French
Revolution, was a short man, vivacious,
vain, and talkative. He spoke of his
feats with real enthusiasm and gusto.
Špy (of Vanity Fair) • L eslie Ward,
successor of “Ape ’’ (Pellegrini, the
caricaturist). . . . . .
Spy Wednesday. The Wednesday
before Good Friday, when Judas bar-
gained to become the spy of the Jewish
Sanhedrim. (Matt. xxvi. 3-5, 14-16.)
Squab Pie. Pie made of squabs—
i.e. young pigeons; also a pie made of
mutton, apples, and Onions. . . . . . . .
“Cornwall, squab-pie, and Devon white-pot
brings, ` • * * * * * *
...Andieicester beans anº; for kings.”
ing : Art of Cookery. .
Squad. The awkward Squad consists
of recruits not yet fitted to take their
places in the regimental line. Squad is
a mere contraction of Squadron.
Squaſis. Look out for squalls. Expect
to meet with difficulties. A nautical
term.
“If this is the case, let the ministry look out
for squalls,”—Newspaper paragraph, July 6th, 1894.
Square
1172
Stagirite
Square. To put oneself in the atti-
tude of boxing, to quarrel. (Welsh,
cwer’—i.e. cweryl, cwerylu, to quarrel.)
“Are you such fools
To square for this 2 ”
Shakespeare: Titus Andronicus, ii. 1.
Square the Circle. To attempt an
impossibility. The allusion is to the
mathematical question whether a circle
can be made which contains precisely
the same area as a square. The diffi-
culty is to find the precise ratio between
the diameter and the circumference.
Popularly it is 3.14159 . . . . the next
decimals would be 26537, but the num-
bers would go on ad infinitum.
Squash. A sort of pumpkin, called
3y the American Indians ascettaquash.
Squib (A). A political joke, printed
and circulated at election times against
a candidate, with intent of bringing him
into ridicule, and influencing votes.
“ Parodies, lampoons, rightly named Squibs, fire
and brimstone, ending in Smoke, with a villainous
Singll of Saltijetire.”—Dé&lt IIole: Rose-gaº'dent and
Pulpit. -- -
Squint-eyed . [Guerci'no]. Gian
Francesco Barbie'ri, the great painter.
(1590-1666.)
Squintife'go. Squinting.
* “The squintifego maid
Qf Isis awe thee, lesſ the gods for sin s
Should with a swelling dropsy stuff thy skin.”
Dryden : Fifth Satire of Juvenal.
Squire of Dames. Any cavalier
who is devoted to ladies. Spenser, in
his Faërie Queene (bk. iii. chap. vii.) in-
troduces the “squire,” and records his
adventure.
Sta/bat Maſter. Thé celebrated
Latin hymn on the Crucifixion, which
forms a part of the service during
Passion week, in the Roman Catholic
Church. It was composed by Jacopone,
a. Franciscan of the thirteenth century,
and has been set to music by Pergole'se,
also by Rossi'ni.
In the catalogue of the Library of
|Burgundy, No.13,993, is the following:—
“I tem. fol. 77. Benedictus Papa, XII. composuit
hanc orationem : ‘Stabat Mater dolorosa, iuxta
crucem, etc., concessitdue cuilibet confesso boºni-
tenti dicenti eam pro qualihet wice 30 dies indul-
gentium.” (Sixteenth century.)
Stable-door. Locking the stable-door
after the horse [or Steed] is stolen.
Taking precautions after the mischief is
done. . . . . . . - .
Štable Keys, as those of cow-houses,
have frequently a perforated flint, or
horn appended to them. This is a
charm to guard the creatures from night-
iñare. The flint is to propitiate the
gnomes, and the horn to obtain the
good graces of Pan, the protector of
cattle.
Staff. I keep the staff in my own hand.
I keep possession ; I retain the right.
The staff was the ancient sceptre, and
therefore, figuratively, it means, power,
authority, dignity, etc.
To part with the staff. To lose or give
up office or possession. (See above.)
“Give up your staff, sir, and the king his realm.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., ii. 3.
To put down one's staff in a place. To
take up one’s residence. The allusion
is to the tent-staff: where the staff is
placed, there the tent is stretched, and
the nomad resides. .
To strike my staff. To lodge for the
time being.
... “Thou maySt see me at thy pleasure, for I
intend to strike my staff at yonder hostelry.”—
Caesar Borgia, xv.
Staff of Life (The). Bread, which is
the support of life. Shakespeare says,
“The boy was the very staff of my age.”
The allusion is to a staff which supports
the feeble in walking.
Stafford. He has had a treat iſ,
Stafford Court. He has been thoroughly
cudgelled. Of course the pun is on the
word staff, a stick. The French have a
similar phrase—“Il a esté au festin de
Martin? Baston” (He has been to Jack
Drum’s entertainment).
Stafford Law. Club law. A beating.
The pun is on the word staff, a stick.
(Italian, Braccésea licenza.) (Florio, p.
66.) (See above.)
Stag. The reason why a stag sym-
bolises Christ is from the superstition
that it draws serpents by its breath from
their holes, and then tramples them to
death. (See Pliny: Wat. Hist., viii. 50.)
Stag in Christian art. The attribute
of St. Julian Hospitaller, St. Felix of
Valois, and St. Aidan. When it has a
crucifix between its horns it alludes to
the legendary tale of St. Hubert. When
luminous it belongs to St. Eustachius.

Stags, in Stock Exchange phrase-
ology, are persons who apply for the
allotment of shares in a joint-stock com-
pany, not because they wish to hold
the shares, but because they hope to sell
the allotment at a premium.
If they
fail in this they forbear to pay the de-
posit and the allotment is forfeited. (See
BEAR, BULL.)
Stagi'rite or stagyrite (3 Syl.)s.
(Greek, atáyetpos.). Aristotle, who was
Stain
born at Stagi'ra, in Macedon. Gener-
ally called Stag'irite in English verse.
“In one rich soul .
Plato the Stagyrite, and Tully joined.”
Thomson : Stºne?’.
“And rules as strict his laboured work confine
As if the Stagirite o'erlooked each line. .
Pope: Essay 07, Criticism.
“Andall the wisdom of the Stagirite.
Enriched and beautified his Studious mind.”
- Wordsworth.
Stain. A contraction of distai??.
(Latin, dis-tingere, to discolour.)
Stalking-horse. A mask to conceal
Some design ; a person put forward to
mislead ; a sham. Fowlers used to con-
ceal themselves behind horses, and went
on stalking step by step till they got
within shot of the game.
N.B. To stalk is to walk with strides,
from the Anglo-Saxon stalcan.
“He uses his folly like a stalking-horse, and
under the presentation of that he shoots his wit,”
—Shakespeatre : As You Like It, W. 4.
Stammerer (The).
Louis II. of France, le Bégue. (846,
877-879.) -
Michael II., Emperor of the East, le
Dégue. (*, 820, 829.) . ſº
Notker or Notger of St. Gall. (830-
912.)
Stamp. 'Tis of the right stamp—has
the stamp of genuine merit. meta-
phor taken from current coin, which is
stamped with a recognised stamp and
SuperScription.
Stampede. A sudden panic in a
herd of buffaloes, causing them to rush
away pell-mell. The panic-flight of the
Federals at Bull Run, near the Potomac,
TJ.S., in 1861, was a stampede,
Stand. To stand for a child. To be
sponsor for it; to stand in its place and
answer for it.
Stand Nunky (To). (See NUNKy.)
Stand Off (To). To keep at a distance.
Stand Out (To). I’ll stand it out—
persist in what I say. A mere transla-
tion of “persist” (Latin, per-sisto or
per-sto).
Stand Sam (To). (See SAM.)
Stand Treat (To). To pay the ex-
penses of a treat. -
Stand. Upon (To). As To stand upon
one’s privilege or 0% punctilios ; this is
the Latin insisto. In French, “Insister
sur son privilege or sur des vétilles.”
Stand to a Bargain (To), to abide
by it, is simply the Latin stare conventis,
conditionibus stare, pactis Stare, etc.
i 173
Standafds
Stand to his Guns (To). To per-
sist in a statement; not to give way. A
military phrase. -
“The Speaker said he hoped the gallant gentle-
man would try to modify his phrase ; but Colonel
Saunderson still stood to his guns.” — Daily
Graphic, 3rd February, 1893.
Stand to Reason (To), or It stands
to reason, is the Latin constäre, constat.
Standing Dish (A). An article of
food which usually appears at table.
Cibats quotidiánus.
Standing Orders. Rules or instruc-
tions constantly in force. -
Standing orders. Those bye-laws of
the Houses of Parliament for the con-
duct of their proceedings which stand in
force till they are either rescinded or
suspended. Their suspension is gener-
ally caused by a desire to hurry through
a Bill with unusual expedition.
Standing Stones. (See STONES.)
Standard. American standard of 1776.
A snake with thirteen rattles, about to
strike, with the motto “DON'T TREAD ON
M.E.”
Standards.
Standard of Augustus. A globe, to
indicate his conquest of the whole
world.
Standard of Edward I. The arms of
England, St. George, St. Edmond, and
St. Edward.
Standard of Mahomet.
CHAKI.)
Standard of the Anglo-Saarons. A
white horse.
Royal Standard of Great Britain. A
banner with the national arms covering
the entire field. :
The Celestial Sta/adard. So the Turks
call their great green banner, which they
say was given to Mahomet by the angel
Gabriel. (See SANDSCHAKI.)
Constantinople (Standard of), called
Tab'arum. It consisted of a silver-
plated spear with a cross-beam, from
which hung a small silk banner, bearing
the portrait of the reigning family and
the famous monogram.
Danish Standard. A raven.
Egypt (ancient). An eagle stripped of
its feathers, an emblem of the Nile; the
head of an ox. * .
Franks (ancient). A tiger or wolf;
but subsequently the Roman eagle.
Gauls (ancient). A lion, bull, or bear.
Greco-Egyptian Standard. A round-
headed table-knife or a semicircular fan.
Greece (ancient). A purple coat on the
top of a spear. -
(See SANDS-
Standards
1174.
Stank Hen
(1) Athens, Minerva, an olive, an owl.
(2) Corinth, a pegasus or flying horse.
(3) Lacedæmon, the initial letter L, in
Greek (A). - -
. (4) Messi'na, the initial letter M.
(5) Thebes, a sphinx. . . . . .
Heliop'olis. On the top of a staff, the
head of a white eagle, with the breast
stripped of feathers and without wings.
This was the symbol of Jupiter and of
the Lagides. --
Jews (ancient), (“degel”) belonged to
the four tribes of Judah, Reuben,
Ephraim, and Dan. The Rabbins say
the standard of Judah bore a lion, that
of Reuben a man, that of Ephraim a
bull, and that of Dan the cherubim (Gen.
xlix. 3-22). They were ornamented with
white, purple, crimson, and blue, and
were embroidered. -
Persia (ancient). The one adopted by
Cyrus, and perpetuated, was a golden
eagle with outstretched wings; the
colour white. -
JPersian Standard. A blacksmith's
apron. Kaivah, sometimes called Gao,
a blacksmith, headed a rebellion against
Biver, surnamed Deh-ak (ten vices), a
merciless tyrant, and displayed his apron
as a banner. The apron was adopted by
the next king, and continued for cen-
º to be the national standard. (B.C.
800. -
Itoman Standards. In the rude ages a
wisp of straw. This was succeeded by
bronze or silver devices attached to a
staff. Pliny enumerates five—viz, the
eagle, wolf, minotaur, horse, and boar.
In later ages the image of the emperor,
a hand outstretched, a dragon with a
silver head and body of taffety. Ma'rius
confined all promiscuous devices to the
cohorts, and reserved the eagle for the
exclusive use of the legion. This eagle,
made of gold and silver, was borne on
the top of a spear, and was represented
with its wings displayed, and bearing in
one of its talons a thunderbolt.
Turkish Standards. ... " -
(1) Sanjak Cherif (Standard of the
Prophet), green silk. This is preserved
with great care in the Seraglio, and is
never brought forth except in time of
War. - - -
(2) The Sanjak, red.
. (3) The Tug, consisting of one, two,
or three horse-tails, according to the
rank of the person who bears it. Pachas
with three tails are of the highest dig-
inity, and are entitled beglerbeg (prince of
princes). Beys have only one horse-tail.
The tails are fastened to the end of a
Robert de Moubray.
gilt lance, and carried before the pacha
or bey. - - - -
(4) The Alem, a broad standard which,
instead of a spear-head, has in the mid-
dle a silver plate of a crescent shape. .
Standards of Individuals.
AUGUSTUS (Of). A globe, to indicate
his “empire of the world.”
EDWARD I. (Of). The arms of England,
St. George, St. Edmund, and St. Ed.
ward, - -
MAHOMET (Of).
Standards. .
Standards (Size of) varied according
to the rank of the person who bore them.
The standard of an emperor was eleven
yards in length; of a king, nine yards;
of a prince, Seven yards; of a marquis,
six and a half yards ; of an earl, six
yards; of a viscount or baron, five yards;
of a knight-banneret, four and a half
yards; of a baronet, four yards. They
generally contained the arms of the
bearer, his cognisance and crest, his
motto or war-cry, and were fringed with
his livery. -
The Battle of the Standard, between
the English and the Scotch, at Cuton
Moor, near Northallerton, in 1138. Here
David I., fighting on behalf of Matilda,
was defeated by King Stephen's general
It received its
name from a ship's mast erected on a
waggon, and placed in the centre of the
English army ; the mast displayed the
standards of St. Peter of York, St. John
of Beverley, and St. Wilfred of Ripon.
On the top of the mast was a little
casket containing a consecrated host.
(Hailes : Annals of Scotland, i. p. 85.)
Stang. To ride the stang. To be
under petticoat government. At one
time a man who ill-treated his wife was
made to sit on a “stang’’ or pole hoisted
on men’s shoulders. On this uneasy
conveyance the “stanger” was carried
See under Titº’ſ...ish
in procession amidst the hootings and
jeerings of his neighbours. (Saxon,
stang, a pole.) (See SKIMMINGTON.)
Stanhope (A). A light open one-
seated carriage, with two or four wheels.
Invented by a Mr. Stanhope.
Stanhope Lens. A cylindrical lens
with spherical ends of different radii.
The covering of the tube into which the
lens is fitted is called the “cap.”
Stank Hen (A). A moor-hen. (Stag-
num [Latin], a pool, pond, or stank
[tank still common]; sto, to stand.).
Stannary Courts
11"
{ O
Starvation Dundas
Stannary Courts. Courts of record
in Cornwall and Devon for the adminis-
tration of justice among the tinners.
(Latin, stay????ſm, tin.) -
Star (A), in theatrical language,
means a popular actor.
Star (in Christian art). St. Bruno
bears one on his breast ; St. Dominic,
St. Humbert, St. Peter of Alcan'tare,
one over their head, or on their fore-
head, etc.
Star. The ensign of knightly rank.
A star of some form constitutes part of
the insignia of every order of knight-
hood.
II is star is in the ascendant.
luck's way; said of a
He is in
person to whom
some good fortune has fallen and who
is very prosperous. According to astro-
logy, those leading stars which are above
the horizon at a person’s birth influence
his life and fortune; when those stars
are in the ascendant, he is strong,
healthy, and lucky; but when they are
depressed below the horizon, his stars
do not shine on him, he is in the shade
and subject to ill-fortune.
“The Star of Richelieu was still in the ascend-
ant.”—St. Simon. - -
Star Chamber. A court of civil and
criminal jurisdiction at Westminster,
abolished in the reign of Charles I.
So called because the ceiling or roof was
decorated with gilt stars. Its jurisdic-
tion was to punish such offences as the
law had made no provision for.
* The chamber where the “starrs ”
or Jewish documents were kept was a
separate room. The Star Chamber was
the Caméra Stellāta, not Caméra Starráta.
“It is well known that, before the banishment
of the Jews by Edward I., their contracts and ob-
ligations were denominated . . . starra, or stars.
. . . . The room in the exchequer where the chests
...; . . were kept was . . . . the starr-chamber.”—
I}lackstome: Commentaries, vol. ii. book iv. p. 266,
& 710te. -
Star-crossed. Not favoured by the
stars; unfortunate.
Star of Bethlehem (The), botanic-
ally called ornithogalum. The French
peasants call it “La dame d’onze heures,”
because it opens at eleven o’clock.
Called “star ’’ because the flower is
star-shaped ; and “Bethlehem ’’ because
it is one of the most common wild
flowers of Bethlehem and the Holy
Tand generally. -
Star of the South. A splendid
diamond found in Brazil in 1853. -
Stars and Garters! (My). An ex-
pletive, or mild kind of oath. The stars
and garters of knighthood. Shakespeare
makes Richard III. swear “By my
George, my garter, and my crown l’”
(Richard III., iv. 4.) -
Stars and Stripes (The) or the star-
spangled Banner, the flag of the United
States of North America.
The first flag of the United States, raised by
Washington June 2, 1776, consisted of thirteen
stripes, alternately red and white, with a blue
canton emblazoned with the crosses of St. George
and St. Andrew. - -
In 1777 Congress ordered that the canton should
have thirteen white stripes in a blue field. -
In 1794 (after the admission of Vermont and
Kentucky) the Stripes and Stars Were each in-
creased to fifteen. - -
In 1818 S. R. Reid suggested that the original
thirteen strilles should be restored, and a star be
added to signify the States in the union. e
‘. The flag preceding 1776 represented a coiled
rattlesnake with thirteen rattles, and the motto
Don't tread om me. This was an imitation of the
Scotch thistle and the motto Nemo me impulse
lacessit.
“Oh say, docs that star-Spangled banner yet
Wa, Yê
O'er the land Of the free and the holme Of the
brave 2
Starboard and Larboard, Star-
is the Anglo-Saxon Steor, rudder, bord,
side ; meaning the right side of a ship
(looking forwards). Larboard is now
obsolete, and “port ’’ is used instead.
To port the helm is to put the helm to
the larboard. Byron, in his shipwreck
(Don Juan), says of the ship—
“She gave a heel [i.e. turned on one side], and
then a lurch to port, -
And going down head foremost, Sunk, in Short.”
Starch. Mrs. Anne Turner, half-
milliner, half-procuress, introduced into
England the French custom of using
yellow starch in getting up bands and
cuffs. She trafficked in poison, and
being concerned in the murder of Sir
Thomas Overbury, appeared on the
scaffold with a huge ruff. his was
done by Lord Coke's order, and was the
means of putting an end to this absurd
fashion. -
“I shall never forget poor Mistress Turner, my
honoured patroness, peace be With her . She had
the ill-luck to meddle in the matter of Somerset
and Overbury, and so the great earl and his lady
słipt their necks out of the collar, and left her
and some half-dozen others to suffer in their
stead.”—Sir Walter Scott: Forturies of Nigel, Yiii.
Starry Sphere. The eighth heaven
of the Peripatetic system; also called
the “Firmament.” -
“The Crystal Heaven is this, whose rigour guides
And binds the starry sphere.”
Canoems: Lusiad, bk. x.
Starvation Dundas. Henry Dundas,
first Lord Melville, who was the first to
introduce the word starvation into the
language, on an American debate in
1775. (Anglo-Saxon, steorfan, to perish
of hunger; German, sterben, Dutch,
sterwen.) - - . . .
Starved with Cold 1176 Steeplechase
Starved with Cold. Half-dead with Steals. Beef-steak is a slice of beef
cold. (Anglo-Saxon, Steorfan, to die.) fried or broiled. In the north of Scot-
Stations. The fourteen stations of the
Catholic Church. These are generally
called “Stations of the Cross,” and the
whole series is known as the via Calvaria
or via Crucis. Each station represents
Some item in the passage of Jesus from
the Judgment Hall to Calvary, and at
each station the faithful are expected to
kneel and offer up a prayer in memory
of the event represented by the fresco,
Fº or otherwise. They are as fol-
OWS : —
(1) Jesus is condemned to death.
(2) Jesus is made to bear His cross.
(3) Je us falls the first time under His cross.
(4) Jesus meets His afflicted mother.
. (5) Simºn the Cyrenean helps Jesus to carry
is cross. . •
(6 Veronica wil)es the face of Jesus.
(7) Jesus falls the second time.
(8) Jesus speaks to the daughters of Jerusalem.
(9) Jesus falls the third time.
(10) Jesus is stripped of His garn.ents.
(l) Jesus is nailed to the cross.
(12 Jesus dies on the cross.
(13) Jesus is taken down from the cross.
(14) Jesus is placed in the Sepulchre.
Stati'ra. A stock name of those his-
torical romances which represented the
fate of empires as turning on the effects
produced on a crack-brained lover by
some charming Manda'na or Statira. In
La Calprenède’s Cassandra, Statira is
represented as the perfection of female
beauty, and is ultimately married to
Oroonda'tes.
Stator [the stopper or arreston].
When the Romans fled from the Sabines,
they stopped at a certain place and
made terms with the victors. On this
spot they afterwards built a temple to
Jupiter, and called it the temple of
Jupiter Stator or Jupiter who caused
them to stop in their flight.
“Here, Stator Jove and Phoebus, god of yerse
The votive tablet, I suspend.” I??'iO7".
H
Statue. The largest ever made was
the Colossos of Rhodes; the next largest
is the statue of Bavaria, erected by
Louis I., King of Bavaria. The Bartholdi
statue of Liberty is also worthy of men-
tion. (See LIGHTHOUSES.)
Statue. It was Pygmalion who fell in
love with a statue he had himself made.
Statue. Of all the projects of Alex-
ander, none was more hare-brained than
his proposal to have Mount Athos hewed
into a statue of himself. It is said he
even arranged with a sculptor to under-
take the job.
Status of Great Men.
MEN.)
Statute Fairs.
(See GREAT
(See MOP.)
land a slice of salmon fried is called a
“salmon-steak.” Also cod and hake
split and fried. (Icelandic, Steik, Stei/ja,
roast.)
Steal. A handle. Stealing –-putting
handles on (Yorkshire). This is the
Anglo-Saxon stela (a stalk or handle).
“Steale or landell of a staffe, manche, hantel.”
Palsgrave.
Steal a Horse. One man may steal
a horse, but another must not look ove)'
the hedge. Some men are chartered
libertines, while others are always eyed
with suspicion. (Latin: “I)at veniam
corvis, vea’at censura columbas.”)
Steal a March on One (To). To
come on one unexpectedly, as when an
army steals a march or appears unex-
pectedly before an enemy.
Steam-lzettles. Contemptuous name
applied to vessels propelled by steam-
power, whether steamers, men-of-war,
or any other craft.
“These steam-kettles of ours can never be de-
pended upon. I wish we could go back, to the
good old sailing shii S. When we had them We
knew what we were alyout. . . . Now we trust, to
machinery, and it fails us in time of need.”—
Ringstom : The Three Admirals, chal), X Wi.
Steelyard (London, adjoining Dow-
gate); so called from being the place
where the king’s steelyard or beam was
set up, for weighing goods imported
into London.
Steenie (2 syl.). A nickname given
by James I. to George Williers, Duke of
Buckingham. The half-profane allusion
is to Acts vi. 15, where those who looked
on Stephen the martyr “saw his face
as it had been the face of an angel.”
Šteeple-engine. A form of marine
engine common on American river-boats.
Steeple-Jack (A). A man who
ascends a church spire to repair it. This
is done by a series of short ladders, tied
one to another as the man ascends, the
topmost one being securely tied to the
point of the spire. Not many men have
nerve enough for the dangerous work of
a steeple-Jack.
Steeplechase. A horse-race across
fields, hedges, ditches, and obstacles of
every sort that happen to lie in the way.
The term arose from a party of fox-
hunters on their return from an un-
successful chase, who agreed to race to
the village church, the steeple of which
was in sight; he who first touched the
church with his whip was to be the
Stelvio
winner. The entire distance was two
miles. -
* The Grand National Steeplechase
is run on the Aintree course, Liverpool.
Stel'vio. The pass of the Stelvio. The
highest carriage-road in Europe (9,176
feet above the sea-level). It leads from
Bor'mio to Glurns. -
Sten'tor. The voice of a Stentor. A
very loud voice. Stentor was a Greek
herald in the Trojan war. According to
Homer, his voice was as loud as that of
fifty men combined.
Stento'rian Lungs. Lungs like those
of Stentor.
Stan't orophonie Voice. A voice
proceeding from a speaking-trumpet or
stentorophonic tube, such as Sir Samuel
Moreland invented to be used at sea.
“I heard a formidable noise
Iloud as the Steintrophonic voice,
That roared far off, ‘Dispatch and strip !’”
Butler: Hudibras, iii. 1.
Stepfather and Father-in-law.
The stepfather is the father of one
bereaved of his natural father by death.
A stepmother is the mother of one
bereaved of his mother by death. A
stepfather must be married to a widow,
and thus become the stepfather of
her children by a previous husband;
and a stepmother must be married to
a widower, and thus become the step-
mother of his children by a former wife.
Similarly, stepson and stepdaughter
must be the son and daughter by the
father or mother deceased, the relict
marrying again. FATHER-IN-LAW and
MOTHER-IN-LAW are the father and
mother of the wife to her husband, and
of the husband to the wife. Similarly,
sons-in-law and daughters-in-law are
the sons and daughters of the parents
of the wife to the husband and of the
husband to the wife. (Anglo-Saxon,
steop, bereaved.)
Stephen. Crown of St. Stephen. The
crown of Hungary.
“If Hungarian independence should be secured
through the help of Prince Napoleon, the Prince
him: Self should receive the crown of St. Stephen.”
—Kossuth : Memoirs of my Eacile , 1880".
Stephen's Bread (St.). Stones. Fed
with St. Stephen’s bread. Stoned. In
French, “ Miches de St. Etienne.” In
Italian, “I’an di St. Stefano.” Of
course the allusion is to the stoning of
Stephen.
Stephens (Joanna) professed to have
made a very wonderful discovery, and
Drummond, the banker, set on foot a
1177
Stewing
Subscription to purchase her secret. The
sum she asked was £5,000. When
£1,500 had been raised by private sub-
scription, government voted £3,500. The
secret was a decoction of soap, swine's
Cresses, honey, egg-shells, and snails,
made into pills, and a powder to match.
Joanna Stephens got the money and
forthwith disappeared.
Stepney Papers. A voluminous
collection of political letters between
Mr. Stepney, the British minister, and
our ambassadors at various European
courts, the Duke of Marlborough, and
other public characters of the time. Part
of the correspondence is in the British
Museum, and part in the Public Record
Office. It is very valuable, as this was
the period called the Seven Years' War.
The original letters are preserved in
bound volumes, but the whole corre-
spondence is in print also. (Between
1692 and 1706.)
Sterling Money. Spelman derives
the word from esterlings, merchants of
the Hanse Towns, who came over and
reformed our coin in the reign of John.
Others say it is starling (little star), in
allusion to a star impressed on the coin.
Others refer it to Stirling Castle in Scot-
land, where money was coined in the
reign of Edward I. (Sir Matthew Hale.)
“In the time of King Richard I., monie coine l
in the east parts of Germany began to be of
especiall request in England for the puritie
thereof, and was called Easterling monie, as all
the inhabitants of those parts were called Iðaster-
lings ; and shortly after some of that countrie,
skillfull in mint, matters and allaies, were sent
for into this realm to bring the coine to perfec-
tion, which since that time was called of them
Sterling for Easterling.”—Camden.
Stern. To sit at the stern At the
stern of public affairs. Having the man-
agement of public affairs. The stern is
the steer-ern—i.e. steer-place ; and to sit
at the stern is “to sit at the helm.”
“Sit at chiefest stern of public wen].”
Shakespectre : 1 Henry VI., i. I.
Sternhold (Thomas) versified fifty-
One of the Psalms. The remainder were
the productions of Hopkins and some
others. Sternhold and Hopkins' Psalms
used to be attached to the Common
Prayer Book.
“Mista's en choºl's refuse the Solenn Strain
Of ancient S. el’ll hold.” Crabbe: Borough.
Sterry (in Hudibras). A fanatical
preacher, admired by Hugh Peters.
Stewing in their own Gravy.
Especially applied to a besieged city.
The besiegers may leave the hostile city
to suffer from want of food, loss of com-
merce, confinement, and so on. The
Stick
1178 Still Waters Run Deep
phrase is very old, borrowed perhaps
from the Bible, “Thou shalt not seethe
a kid in its mother's milk.” Chaucer
Says—
“In his own gress I made him frie,
For anger and for verry jalousie.”
Prologue to the Wife of Bathes Tale.
... We are told that the Russian ambassador
when Louis Philippe fortified Paris, remarked, if
ever again Paris is in insurrection, it “can be
made to stew in its own gravy (jus) , ; and Bis-
marck, at the siege of Paris, in 1871, said, the Ger-
mans intend to leaye the city “to seethe in its
own milk.”—See Smell ; Chronicles of Twyford,
p. 295.
“He relieved us out of our purgatory . . . after
we had been Stewing in our own gravy.”—The
London Spy, 1716.
Stick. A composing stick is a hand
instrument into which a compositor
places the letters to be set up. Each
row or line of letters is pushed home
and held in place by a movable “setting
rule,” against which the thumb presses.
When a stick is full, the matter set up
is transferred to a “galley’’ (q.v.), and
from the galley it is transferred to the
‘‘chase ’’ (q.v.). Called a stick because
the compositor Sticks the letters into it.
Stickler. One who obstinately main-
tains some custom or opinion; as a
stickler for Church government. (See
below.) -
A stickler about triſles. One particu-
lar about things of no moment. Stick-
lers were the Seconds in ancient single
combats, very punctilious about the
minutest points of etiquette. They
were so called from the white stick
which they carried in emblem of their
office. -
“I am willing . . . to give thee precedence, and
content, myself with the humbler office of stick-
ler.”—Sir Walter Scott: Fair Maid of Perth, chal).
XVI. -
Stiff. An I.O.U. ; a bill of accept-
ance. “Iſard,” means hard cash. “Did
you get it stiff or hard?” means by an
I.O.U. Or in cash. Of course “stiff’’
refers to the stiff interest exacted by
money lenders.
“His ‘Stiff’ was ſloating about in too many
directions, at too many, high figures.”--Ouida :
Under Two Flags, chap. vii.
Stig'mata. Impressions on certain
persons of marks corresponding to some
or all of the wounds received by Our
Saviour in His trial and crucifixion. The
following claim to have been so stigma-
tised :
(1) MEN. Angelo del Paz (all the
marks); Benedict of Reggio (the crown
of thorns), 1602; Carlo di Saeta (the
lance-wound); Dodo, a Premonstraten-
sian monk (all the marks); Francis of
Assisi (all the marks, which were im-
pressed on him by a Seraph with six
wings), September 15th, 1224; Nicholas
of Ravenna, etc. - - -
(2) Womſ EN. Bianca de Gazeran; St.
Catharine of Sienna ; Catharine di Ra-
conisco (the crown of thorns), 1583;
Cecilia di Nobili of Nocera, 1655; Clara
di Pugny (mark of the spear), 1514;
“Estatica” of Caldaro (all the marks),
1842; Gabriella da Piezolo of Aquila
(the spear-mark), 1472; Hieronyma Car-
Vaglio (the spear-mark, which bled every
Friday); Joanna Maria of the Cross;
Maria Razzi of Chio (marks of the thorny
crown); Maria Villani (ditto); Mary
Magdalen di Pazzi; Mechtildis von
Stanz; Ursula of Valencia; Veronica,
Guliani (all the marks), 1694; Vincenza.
Ferreri of Valencia, etc. ‘. .
Stigmatise. To puncture, to brand
(Greek, Stigma, a puncture). Slaves
used to be branded, sometimes for the
sake of recognising them, and some-
times by way of punishment. The
branding was effected by applying a
red-hot iron marked with certain letters
to their forehead, and then rubbing
some colouring matter into the wound.
A slave that had been branded was by
the Romans called a stigmat'ic, and the
brand was called the stigma.
Stigmites, or St. Stephen's Stones,
are chalced'onies with brown and red
Spots. - -
Stiletto of the Storm (The). Light-
Illing. -
Still. Cornelius Tacitus is called
Cornelius the Still in the Fardle of
Facions, “still ” being a translation of
the Latin word tacitus.
“Cornelius the Stylle in his firste book of his
yerely exploietes called in Latine Ansales . . .
Ch. iii. S. 3 (1555).
Still Sow. A man cunning and sel-
fish ; one wise in his own interest ; one
who avoids talking at meals that he may
enjoy his food the better....So called
from the old proverb, “The still sow eats
the wash ’’ or ‘‘draff.” - -
“We do not act that often jest and langh ; -
'Tis old but true, ‘Still swine eat all the
draugh.'” • -
Shakespeare: Merry Wives of Windsor, iv. 2.
Still Waters Run Deep. Silent and
quiet conspirators or traitors are most
dangerous; barking dogs never bite ;
the fox barks not when he would steal
the lamb. -
“Smooth runs the water where the brook is deep ;
And in his sinnple Show he harbolt!'s treason. .
The fox barks not When he would steal the
lamb ; -
No, no, my sovereign, Gloucester is a man -
Unsoundéd yet, and full of deep deceit.” . . .
`... Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., iii. 1, ,
Stilling
Stilling (John Henry), surnamed
Jung, the mystic or pietist; called by
Carlyle the German Dominie Sampson ;
“awkward, honest, irascible, in old-
fashioned clothes and bag-wig.” A real
character. (1740-1817.) . . . .
Sti'io Novo. New-fangled notions.
When the calendar was reformed by
Pope Gregory XIII. (1582), letters used
to be dated stilo novo, which grew in
time to be a cant phrase for any innova-
“And so I leave you to your stilo-movo.”
... . Beaumont and Fletcher.
Stimulants of Great Men.
Box APARTE took snuff when , he wished to
Stimulate his intellect, or When he was greatly
annoyed. -
BRAHAM (the singer) drank bottled porter.
The REv. WILLIAM BULL, the Nonconformist,
was an inveterate smoker. -- -
LORD BY RON took gin and Water.
(#. F. COOKF took all sorts of stimulants. -
Lord ERSKINF took large doses of opium.
GLADSTONE's restorative is an egg beaten up
in Sherry. - ... --
Hois BEs drank cold water.
ED, KEAN drank raw brandy.
J. KEMBLE Was an Opilllll eatel'.
NEWTON S1m0lzed. - -
POPE drank Strong COffee. .'
WEppERBURNE (the first Lord Ashburton)
placed a blister on his chest when he was about
to make a great speach. (Dr. Paris : Pharmaco-
logia.)
called University College, London. The
fun of the sobriquet is this: the buildings
stand on the site of a large rubbish
store or sort of refuse field, into which
were cast potsherds and all sorts of
sweepings. About the same time the
question respecting Trincomalee in Cey-
lon was in agitation, so the wit spun the
two ideas together, and produced the
word in question, which was the more
readily accepted as the non-religious
education of the new college, and its
rivalry with Oxford and Cambridge,
gave for a time very great offence to the
High Church and State party.
Stip'ulate (3 syl.). The word is
generally given from the Latin stipula (a
straw), and it is said that a straw was
given to the purchaser in sign of a real
delivery. Isidore (v. 24) asserts that the
two contracting parties broke a straw
'between them, each taking a moiety,
that, by rejoining the parts, they might
prove their right to the bargain. With
all deference to the Bishop of Seville, his
“fact ’’ seems to belong to limbo-lore.
All bargains among the Romans were
made by asking a question and replying
to it. One said, A7, stipem vis 2 the
other replied, Stipen volo (“Do you re-
quire money?” “I do”); the next ques-
tion and answer were, An dabis 3. Dabo
Stink'omalee'. So Theodore Hook
1179 Stock, Tuock, and Barrel
(“Will you give it?” “I will”); the
third question was to the surety, An
spondes * to which he replied, Spondeo
(“Will you be security?” “I will”),
and the bargain was made. So that
stipulaté is compounded of stips-volo
(stip'ulo), and the tale about breaking
the straws seems to be concocted to
bolster up a wrong etymology. ... '
“Stir Up” Sunday. The last Sunday
in Trinity. So called from the first two
words of the collect. It announces to
Schoolboys the near approach of the
Christmas holidays.
Stirrup (A). A rope to climb by.
(Anglo-Saxon, Sti'g-rap, a climbing
rope. The verb Stă'ſſ-an is to climb, to
mount.)
Stirrup Cup. A “parting cup,”
given in the Highlands to guests on
leaving when their feet are in the
stirrups. In the north of the Highlands
called “cup at the door.” (See CoFFEE.)
“Lord Marmion’s bugles blew to horse ; -
Then came the Stirrup-cup in course ;
Petween the bal'on and his host .
No point of courtesy was lost.” -
Sir Walter Scott : Matºnio”, i. 21.
Stirrup Oil. A beating; a variety
of “strap oil '' (q.v.). The French De
!'huile de cotret (faggot or stick oil).
stiver. Not a stirer. Not a penny.
The stiver was a Dutch coin, equal to
about a penny. (Dutch, stuiver.)
Stock. From the verb to stick (to
fasten, make firm, fix).
Live stock. The fixed capital of a farm..
Stock in trade. The fixed capital.
The village stocks, in which the feet
are stuck or fastened.
A gun stock, in which the gun is stuck
or made fast. - -
It is on the stocks. It is in hand, but
not yet finished. The stocks is the frame
in which a ship is placed while building,
and so long as it is in hand it is said to
be or to lie on the stocks. - . . . .
article : -
Stock Exchange Siang. See each
Backwardation, Floaters, -
Bèal‘S. Fourteen Hundred. . .
Bertha.S. Kite.
..BerwickS. Iame Duck.
BrullmS. ſeedS. - -
Eulls. MOrgan S.
Caleys. . . . . - Mutt011S.
Clara S. . . - - PotS.
Cohens. | | Singapore.S.
ContangO, - \melts.
Dogs. ta.g.
Doyers. - Yorks.
Stock, Lock, and Barrel. Every
part, everything. Gun-maker's phrase.
Stockdove
1180
Stone Jug
“Everything is to be sold off–stock,
lock, and barrel.”
Stockdove. The wild pigeon ; so
called because it breeds in the stocks of
hollow trees, or rabbit burrows.
Stockfish. I will beat thee like a
stockfish. Moffet and Bennet, in their
Jſealth’s Improvement (p. 262), inform us
that dried cod, till it is beaten, is called
buckhorn, because it is so tough ; but
after it has been beaten on the stock,
it is termed stockfish. (In French,
etriller quelqu'un, a double carillon,
“to a pretty tune.”)
“Peace : thou wilt he beaten like a stock fish
else.”—Jonson : Every Mam in his II wanour, iii. 2.
Stocking. (See BLUE STOCKING...)
Stockwell Ghost. A supposed ghost
that haunted the village of Stockwell,
near London, in 1772. The real author
of the strange noises was Anne Robin-
son, a servant. (See COCK LANE GHOST.)
Sto'ics. Founder of the Stoic school.
Zeno of Athens. These philosophers
were so called because Zeno used to give
his lectures in the Stoa Paecilé of Athens.
(Greek, stoa, a porch.)
Epictetus was the founder of the New
Stoic school.
“The ancient Stoics in their porch
With fierce dispute maintained their church,
Beat out their brains in fight and study
To prove that virtue is a body,
That bonum is an animal -
Made good with Stout polemic j)a, WI.”
Butler : IIudibrats, ii. 2.
Stole (Latin, stola). An ecclesiastical
vestment, also called the Orarium.
“JDeinde circumdat collum st/?tin stola,
quae et Orarium dicitur.” It indicates
“Obedientian fillii Dei et jugum servi-
tutis, quod pro salute homimum portávit.
Deacons wear the stole over the left
shoulder, and loop the two parts to-
gether, that they may both hang on
the right side. Priests wear it over both
shoulders. (See Ducange : Stola.)
Stolen Things are Sweet. A Sop
filched from the dripping-pan, fruit
procured by stealth, and game illicitly
taken, have the charm of dexterity to
make them the more palatable. Solo-
mon says, “Stolen waters are sweet, and
bread eaten in secret [i.e. by stealth] is
pleasant.”
“From busie cooks we love to steal a bit
Behind their backs, and that in corners eat ;
Nor need we here the reason why entreat ;
All know the proverly, ‘Stolen lyread is Sweet.’”
History of Joseph, n.d.
Stomach. Appetite: “He who hath
no stomach for this fight.” (Shake-
speare : Henry V., iv. 3.)
Appetite for honours, etc., or ambition:
“Wolsey was a man of an unbounded
stomach.” (Henry VIII., iv. 2.)
Appetite or inclination : “Let me
praise you while I have the stomach.”
(Merchant of Penice, iii. 5.)
Stomach. To swallow, to accept with
appetite, to digest.
To stomach an insult.
and not resent it.
“If you must believe, stomach not all.”—Shake-
Speatre : A mtomy and Cleopatra, iii. 4.
Stomſ, ch, meaning “wrath,” and the
verb “to be angry,” is the Latin stom'-
achtſs, stomacha'ri. -
To swallow it
* Peli'dae Stonnachulm Cedere nescii.” Hoºd ce.
(“The stomach [wrath] of relentless A chilles.”)
“Stomachabatur si quid asperius dixerim.”—
Cicero. (“His stomach rose if I spoke sharper
than usual.”)
The fourth stomach of ruminating
animals is called the aboma'sus or abo-
Ana'sum (from ab-oma'sum).
Stone (1 syl.). The sacred stone of
the Caa'ba (q.v.) is, according to Arab
tradition, the guardian angel of Paradise
turned into stone. When first built by
Abraham into the wall of the shrine it
was clear as crystal, but it has become
black from being kissed by sinful man.
A hag-stone. A flint with a natural
perforation through it. Sometimes hung
on the key of an outside door to ward off
the hags. Sometimes such a stone used
to be hung round the neck “ for luck” ;
sometimes on the bedstead to prevent
nightmare ; and sometimes on a horse-
collar to ward off disease.
Leave no stone unturned. Omit no
minutiae if you would succeed. After the
defeat of Mardonius at Plataea (B.C. 477),
a report was current that the Persian
General had left great treasures in his
tent. Polycrátes (4 Syl.) the Theban
sought long but found them not. The
Oracle of Delphi, being consulted, told
him “to leave no stone unturned,” and
the treasures were discovered.
Stone Age (The). The period when
stone implements were used. It pre-
ceded the bronze age.
stone Blind. Wholly blind.
Stone Cold. Cold as a stone.
Stone Dead. Dead as a stone.
Stone Jug. Either a stone jar or a
prison. The Greek word képagos (kerä-
mos) means either an earthen jar or a
prison, as in XaAké9 ev kepāuº (chalké0 cm
keramó), in a brazen prison. When
Venus complained to the immortals that
Diomed had wounded her, Dióné bade
Stone Soup
1181
Stories
her cheer up, for other immortals had
suffered also, but had borne up under
their affliction : as Mars, for example,
when Otos and Ephialtés bound him
... and kept him for thirteen months
x0xké9 ev kepāuſe (in a brazen prison, or
brazen jug). (Homer: Iliad, v. 381, etc.;
See also ix. 469.) Ewing says keram0s,
potter's earth or pottery, was also a
prison, because prisoners were made to
work up potters' earth into jugs and other
vessels. Thus we say, “He was sent to
the treadmill, meaning, to prison to
work in the treadmill.
Stone Soup or St. Bernard's Soup.
A beggar asked alms at a lordly mansion,
but was told by the servants they had
nothing to give him. “Sorry for it,”
said the man, “but will you let me boil
a little water to make some soup of this
stone?” This was so novel a proceed-
ing, that the curiosity of the servants
was aroused, and the man was readily
furnished with saucepan, water, and a
spoon. In he popped the stone, and
begged for a little salt and pepper for
flavouring. Stirring the water and
tasting it, he said it would be the better
for any fragments of meat and veget-
ables they might happen to have. These
were supplied, and ultimately he asked
for a little catsup or other sauce. When
fully boiled and fit, each of the servants
tasted it, and declared that stone soup
was excellent. (La Soupé au caillotſ.)
Stone Still. Perfectly still ; with no
more motion than a stone.
“I W. 11 not struggle ; I will Stand stone still.”
Shºkespeatre: King John, iv. 1.
Stone of the Brolzen Treaty.
Limerick. About a century and a half
ago England made a solemn compact
with Ireland. Ireland promised fealty,
and England promised to guarantee to
the Irish people civil and religious
equality. When the crisis was over
England handed Ireland over to a
faction that has ever since bred strife
and disunion. (Address of the Corpora-
tion of Limerick to Mr. Bright, 1868.)
“The ‘stone of the hroken treaty' is there, and
from early in the morning till late at night
groups gather round it, and foster the tradition
of their national wrongs.”—The Times.
. §§one of Sturmbiing. This was
much more significant among the Jews
than it is with ourselves. One of the
Pharisaic sects, called Nikſi or “Dash-
ers,” used to walk abroad without lifting
their feet from the ground. They were
for ever “dashing their feet against the
stones,” and “stumbling ” on their
way.
Stone of Tongues. This was a stone
given to Otnit, King of Lombardy, by
his father dwarf Elberich, and had the
virtue, when put into a person’s mouth,
of enabling him to speak perfectly any
foreign language. (The Heldenbuch.)
Stones.
Aerolites, or stones which have fallen
~from heaven. J. Norman Lockyer says
the number of meteors which fall daily
to the earth “exceeds 21 millions.” (Nine-
teenth Century, Nov., 1880, p. 787.) The
largest aerolith on record is one that fell
in Brazil. It is estimated to weigh
14,000 lbs. In 1806 a shower of stones
fell near L’Aigle, and M. Biot was de-
puted by the French Government to re-
port on the phenomenon. He found
between two and three thousand stones,
the largest being about 17 lbs, in weight.
Eagle stones. (See EAGLE-STONES.)
IIealth stones. Purites (2 syl.) found
in Geneva and Savoy. So called from
the notion that it loses its steel-blue
colour if the person in possession of one
is in ill health.
Square stones. The most ancient idols
were square stones. The head and limbs
were subsequent additions.
Touchstones. (q.v.)
Stones. After the Moslem pilgrim has
made his seven processions round the
Caaba, he repairs to Mount Arafat, and
before sunrise enters the valley of Mena,
where he throws seven stones at each of
three pillars, in imitation of Abraham
and Adam, who thus drove away the
devil when he disturbed their devotions.
Standing stones. The most celebrated
groups are those of Stonehenge, Avebury,
in Wiltshire, Stennis in the Orkneys, and
Carnac in Brittany.
The Standing Stones of Stennis, in the
Orkneys, resemble Stonehenge, and, says
Sir W. Scott, furnish an irresistible re-
futation of the opinion that these circles
are Druidical. There is every reason to
believe that the custom was prevalent in
Scandinavia as well as in Gaul and
Britain, and as common to the myth-
ology of Odin as to Druidism. They
were places of public assembly, and in
the Eyrbiggia, Saga is described the
manner of setting apart the Helga Feli
(Holy Rocks) by the pontiff Thorolf for
solemn meetings.
| Stones fallen down from Jupiter.
Anaxag'oras mentions a stone that fell
from Jupiter in Thrace, a description of
which is given by Pliny. The Ephesians
Stonebrash
1182
Stops
asserted that their image of Diana came
from Jupiter. The stone at Emessa, in
Syria, worshipped as a symbol of the
sun, was a similar meteorite. At Aby'-
dos and Potidae'a similar stones were
preserved. At Corinth was one venerated
as Zeus. At Cyprus was one dedicated
to Venus, a description of which is given
by Tacitus and Maximus Tyr'ius. Hero'-
dian describes a similar stone in Syria.
The famous Caa'ba stone at Mecca is a
similar meteor. Divy recounts three falls.
of stones. On November 27th, 1492, just
as Maximilian was on the point of en-
gaging the French army near Ensisheim,
a mass weighing 270 lbs. fell between
the combatants; part of this mass is now.
in the British Museum. In June, 1866,
at Knyahinya, a village of Hungary, a
shower of stones fell, the largest of which
weighs above 5 cwt. ; it was broken in
the fall into two pieces, both of which
are now in the Imperial Collection at
Vienna. On December 13th, 1795, in
the village of Thwing, Yorkshire, an
aérolite fell weighing 56 lbs., now in the
British Museum. On September 10th,
1813, at Adare, , in Limerick, fell a
similar stone, weighing 17 lbs., now in
the Oxford Museum. On May 1st, 1860,
in Guernsey County, Ohio, more than
thirty stones were picked up within a
space of ten miles by three; the largest
weighed 103 lbs. (ſesselmeyer and Dr.
Otto Buehner: The Times, November 14th,
1866.) .
*| You have stones in your mouth. Said
to a person who stutters or speaks very
indistinctly The allusion is to Demos'-
thenès, who cured himself of stuttering
|by putting pebbles in his mouth and
declaiming on the sea-shore. -
- “The orator who once
Did fill his mouth with pebble stones
When he harangued,” .
- Butler: Iłudibras, i. 1.
Precious stones. Said to be dew-drops
condensed and hardened by the sun.
Stonebrash. A name given in Wilt-
shire to the subsoil of the north-western
border, consisting of a reddish calcareous
loam, mingled with flat stones; a soil
made of small stones or broken rock.
º Stonehenge, says Geoffrey of Mon-
mouth, was erected by Merlin (thé magi-
cian) to perpetuate the treachery of
Hengist, who desired a friendly meeting
with Vortigern, but fell upon him and
his 400 attendants, putting them all to
the sword. Aurelius Ambrosius asked
Merlin to recommend a sensible memento
of this event, and Merlin told the king .
to transplant the “Giants' Dance ’’ from
the mountain of Killaraus, in Ireland.
These stones had been brought by the
giants from Africa as baths, and all pos-
sessed medicinal qualities. Merlin trans-
planted them by magic. This tale owes
its birth to the word “stan-hengist,”
which means uplifted stones, but “hen-
gist'' suggested the name of the tradi-
tional hero. . . . . . . .
£ & sºngs, once thought a temple, you have
Aºne where kings, our earthly gods, were
crowned, . . . . . - * - i
When by their wondering subjects they were
Søen.” D7'ydé?? - Epistles, ii.
Stonewali. Jackson. Thomas J.
Jackson, One-Of the Confederate generals
in the American war. The name arose
thus: General Bee, of South Carolina,
observing his men waver, exclaimed,
“Took at Jackson's men ; they stand.
like a stone wall !” (1826-1863.)
Stony Arabia. A mistranslation of
Arabia Petraºa, where Petraea is sup-
posed to be an adjective formed from
the Greek petros (a stone), and not, as
it really is, from the city of Petra, the
capital of the Nabathacans. This city
was called Thamud (rock-built). (See
YEMEN.) .
Stool of Repentance. A low stool
placed in front of the pulpit in Scotland,
on which persons who had incurred an
ecclesiastical censure were placed during
divine service. When the service was
over the “penitent” had to stand on the
stool and receive the minister’s rebuke.
Even in the present century this method
of rebuke has been repeated.
“Colonel Knox . . . tried to take advantage of
a merely formal proceeding to set Mr. Gladstone
on the stool of repentance.”—The Times. .
Stops. Organs have no fixed number
of stops; some have sixty or more, and
others much fewer. A stop is a collec-
tion of pipes similar in tone and quality,
running through the whole or part of an
organ. They may be divided into
mouth-pipes and reed-pipes, according
tô structure, or into (1) metallic, (2)
reed, (3) wood, (4) mixture or compound
stops, according to material. The fol-
lowing are the chief:— . . . . . . . .
(1) Metallie. Principal (so called be-
cause it is the first stop tuned, and is
the standard by which the whole organ
is regulated), the open diapason; dulci-
ana, the 12th, 15th, tierce or 17th, lari-
got or 19th, 22nd, 26th, 29th, 33rd, etc.
(being respectively 12, 15, 17, etc., noteå
above the opén diapason).
(2) Reed (metairéed pipes). Bassoon,
Store
1183
Strain.
*
cremona, hautboy or oboe, trumpet, Vox-
humana (all in unison with the open
diapason), clarion (an octave above the
diapason and in unison with principal).
(3) Wood. Stopt diapason, double
diapason, and most of the flutes.
(4) Compound or mixture. Flute (in
unison with the principal), cornet, mix-
ture or furniture, sesquialtera, Cymbel,
and cornet. -
tº Grand organs have, in addition to
the above, from two to two and a half
octaves of pedals.
Stops, strictly speaking, are three-fold, called
the foundation stop, the mutation stop. and the
qmiºtitº’6 St.0}}. -
The foundation. Stop is one whose tone agrees
with the normal pitch of the digital struck, or
solute octave of it. ‘e
The mutation stops produce a tone that is neither
the ºnal pitch nor yet an octave of the digital
SUI'll CK. *.
The micture stop needs no explanation.
Among varieties of organ-Stops lnay be, men-
tioned the complete stop, which has one pipe or
reed to a note. The corn pound Stop, which has
more than one pipe or reed to a note. The flite St.0]),
composed of fiue-lipes. The incomplete (Or in-
perfect) stop, which has less than the full number
of pipes. The manual Stop, corresponding to the
manual keyboard. The open Stop, Which has the
pipes open at the upper end. The pedal Stop, as
distingüished from the “manual” stop. The solo
stop, the 8th'ing Stop, etc.
Store (1 syl.). Store is ſlo Sore.
Things stored up for future use are no
evil. Sore means grief as well as wound,
OUIT SO???”0%).
Stork, a sacred bird, according to
the Swedish legend received its name
from flying round the cross of the cruci-
fied Redeemer, crying Styrka / Styrka ſ
(Strengthen strengthen (). (See Christ,
in CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Storks are the sworn foes of snakes.
Hence the veneration in which they are
held. They are also excellent scaven-
gers. (Stork, Anglo-Saxon, store.)
“‘Twill profit when the stork, sworn foe of snakes,
Returns, to show compassion to thy plants.”
- Philips : Cyder, Đk, i.
Storks' Law or Leº Ciconaria. A
Roman law which obliged children to
maintain their necessitous parents in old
age, “in imitation of the stork.” Also
called “Antipelargia.”
Storm in a Teapot. . A mighty to-do
about a trifle. “A storm in a puddle.”
Storms. The inhabitants of Com-
acchio, a town in Central Italy, between
the two branches of the Po, rejoice in
storms because then the fish are driven
into their marshes. .
“Whose townsmen loathe the lazy calm's ropose,
...And pray that stormy waves may lash the
beach.” Rose's Orlando Furioso, ii. 41.
Cape of Storms. So Bartholomew Diaz
named the south cape of Africa in 1486,
but King John II. changed it into the
Cape of Good Hope. -
Stormy Petrel (A).
bad augury.
“Dr. von Esmarch is regarded at court as a
stormy petrel, and every effort was made to con-
geal his yisit to the German emperor."—The World,
6th April, 1892, p. 15.
Stornello Verses are those in which
certain words are harped on and turned
about and about. They are common
among the Tuscan peasants. The word
is from torna're (to return).
“I’ll tell him the white, and the greem, and the 7'66,
Mean our country has flung the Vile yoke from
her head : - . * * *
I'll tell him the green, and the red, and the white
Would look well by his side as a sword-knot so
An ill omen; a
bright :
I'í táli him the red, and the white, and the green.
Is the prize that we play for, a prize we will
win.” Motes and Queries.
Stor'thing (pron. Stor-ting). The
Norwegian Parliament, elected every
three years (Norse, Stor, great ; thing,
court.)
Stovepipe Hat (A).
hat (q.v.).
“High collars, tight coats, and tight sleeves
were worn at home and ahroad, and, as tºll Ough
that were not enough, a stovepipé hat was worn.” "
—Illustrated Sporting and Drahmatic News, Sep-
tember, 1891.
Stowe (1 syl.). The fair majestic
paradise of Stowe (Thomson : Autumn).
The principal seat of the Duke of Buck-
ingham.
Stowe Nine Churches. A hamlet of
Stowe, Northamptonshire. The tradi-
tion is that the people of this hamlet
wished to build a church, and made nine
ineffectual efforts to do so, for every time
the church was finished the devil came
by night and knocked it down again.
Straſbo (Walafridus).
monk. (807–849.)
Stradiva'rius (Antonio). A famous
violin-maker, born at Cremo'na. Some
of his instruments have fetched £400.
(1670-1728.) (See CREMONAS.) .
Straight as an Arrow. (See
SIMILES.) -
Strain (1 syl.). To strain courtesy.
To stand upon ceremony. Here, strain
is to stretch, as parchment is strained on
a drum-head. When strain means to
filter, the idea is pressing or squeezing
through a canvas or woollen bag. . .
Strain at a great and swallow a camel.
To make much fuss about little pec-
cadillos, but commit offences of real
magnitude. “Strain at ” is strain out
or off (Greek, di-ulizo). The allusion is
to the practice of filtering wine for fear
A chimney-pot
A German
Stralenheim.
1184
Straw
of swallowing an insect, which was “un-
clean.” Tyndale has “strain out” in his
version. Our expression “strain at ” is
a corruption of strain-ut, “ut ’’ being
the Saxon form of out, retained in the
words tºt-most, utter, uttermost, etc.
The quality of mercy is not strained
(JIerchant of Venice, iv. 1)—constrained
or forced, but cometh down freely as
the rain, which is God's gift.
Stra.Iſenheim (Count of). A feudal
baron who hunted Werner like a par-
tridge in order to obtain his inheritance.
Ulric, Werner's son, saved him from
the Oder, but subsequently murdered
him. (Byron : Werner.)
Strand (London). The bank of the
Thames (Saxon for a beach or shore);
whence stranded, run ashore or grounded.
Strange (1 syl.). Latin, extra (with-
out); whence extra'ments (one without);
old French, estrange ; Italian, Strano,
etc. Stranger, therefore, is eatra'melts,
one without.
Štranger of the Gate (The). (See
wnder PROSELYTE.)
Strangers Sacrificed. It is said
that Busi'ris, King of Egypt, sacrificed
to his gods all strangers that set foot on
his territories. Diomed, King of Thrace,
gave strangers to his horses for food.
(See DIOMEDES.)
“Oh fly, or here with strangers' blood imbrued
Busiris' altars thou shalt find renewed:
Amidst his slaughtered guests his altars stood
O.jscene with gore, and baked with human
blood.” Camoens: Lusiad, book ii.
Strap Oil. A beating. A corrup-
tion of strap 'eil, i.e. German theil (a
dole). The play is palpable. The
“April fool” asks for a pennyworth of
strap 'eil, that is dole of the strap, in
French l’huile decotret. (Latin, Stroppus.)
Strappa'do. A military punishment
formerly practised; it consisted of pull-
ing an offender to a beam and then let-
ting him down suddenly; by this means
a limb was not unfrequently dislocated.
(Italian, Strappa're, to pull.)
“Were I at the strappado or the rack, I'd give
no main a reason on compulsion.”—Shakespectre :
I Henry IV., ii. 4.
Strasburg Goose (A). A goose
fattened, crammed, and confined in
order to enlarge its liver. Metaphoric-
ally, one crammed with instruction and
kept from healthy exercise in order to
pass examinations. •
“The anaemic, myopic, worn-out creature who
comes, to [the army]—a new kind of Strasburg
goose.”—NimeteClyth Century, January, 1893, p. 26.
Stra, t'age m means generalship.
(Greek, strategos, a general ; stratos-ago,
to lead an army.)
Straw. Servants wishing to be hired
used to go into the market-place of
Carlisle (Carel) with a straw in their
mouth. (See Mop.)
“At Carel I stuid wi'a strae i' my mouth,
The weyves com roun' me in custers ;
. “What Weage dus te ax, canny lad 2 " says yen.”
Aliderson. : Cwmberlatild Ballads.
Straw, chopped or otherwise, at a
wedding, signifies that the bride is no
virgin. Flowers indicate purity or vir-
ginity, but straw is only the refuse from
which corn has been already taken. -
A little straw shows which way the
wind blows. Mere trifles often indicate
the coming on of momentous events.
They are shadows cast before coming
events. -
A man of straw. A man without
means ; a Mrs. Harris; a sham. In
French, “ Un homine de paille,” like a
malkin. (See MAN OF STRAw.)
I have a straw to break with yout. I
am displeased with you; I have a re-
proof to give you. In feudal times
possession of a fief was conveyed by
giving a straw to the new tenant. If
the tenant misconducted himself, the
lord dispossessed him by going to the
threshold of his door and breaking a
straw, saying as he did so, “As I break
this straw, so break I the contract made
between us.” In allusion to this custom,
it is said in Reynard the Fox—“The
kingé toke up a straw fro’ the ground,
and pardoned and forguf the Foxe,”
on condition that the Fox showed IKing
Lion where the treasures were hid (ch. v.).
In the straw, “Fire en couche” (in
bed). The phrase is applied to women
in childbirth. . The allusion is to the
Štraw with which beds were at one time
usually stuffed, and not to the litter laid
before a house to break the noise of
wheels passing by. The Dutch of Haar-
lem and Enckhuysen, when a woman is
confined, expose a pin-cushion at the
street-door. If the babe is a boy, the
pin-cushion has a red fringe, if a girl a
white one. -
Mot to care a straw for one. In Latin,
“[Aliquem] nihili, flocci, nauci, pili,
teruncii facére.” To hold one in no
esteem; to defy one as not worth your
steel. - *
Moț worth a straw. Worthless. In
French, “Je m'en domnerais pas 707 fetal
(or ºn zeste).” Not worth a rap ; not
worth a pin's point; not worth a fig
(q.v.); not worth a twopenny dam, etc.
Strawberry -
She wears a straw in her ear. She is
looking out for another husband. This
is a French expression, and refers to
the ancient custom of placing a straw
between the ears of horses for sale.
The last straw. The only hope left;
the last penny.
'Tis the last straw that breaks the
horse’s (or camel's) back. In weighing
articles, as salt, tea, sugar, etc., it is the
last pinch which turns the scale ; and
there is an ultimate point of endurance
beyond which calamity breaks a man
down.
To carry off the straw (“JEnlever la
paille”). To bear off the belle. The
pum is between “pal,” a slang word for
a favourite, and “paille,” straw. The
French palot means a “pal.” Thus
Gervais says— -
“Mais, oncore un coup, man palot.”
Le Coup d'OEil 1'un'in, p. 64. gº
To catch at a straw. To hope a forlorn
hope. A drowning man will catch at a
straw.
To make bricks without straw. To
attempt to do something without the
proper and necessary materials. The
allusion is to the exaction of the Egyp-
tian taskmasters mentioned in Exodus
v. 6-14. Even to the present, “bricks”
in India, etc., are made of mud and
straw dried in the sum. To make plum-
puddings without plums. -
To stumble at a straw. “ Nodos ???
scirpo quaerºre.” To look for knots in a
bulrush (which has none). To stumble
in a plain way.
To throw straws against the wind. To
contend uselessly and feebly against
what is irresistible; to sweep back the
Atlantic with a besom.
Strawberry means the straying
plant that bears berries (Anglo-Saxon,
streow berie). So called from its runners,
which stray from the parent plant in all
directions.
Strawberry Preachers. So Lati-
mer called the non-resident country
clergy, because they strayed from their
parishes, to which they returned only
Once a year. (Anglo-Saxon, streowan,
to stray.)
Streak of Silver (The).
Channel. So called in the Edinburgh
Review, October, 1870.
Street and Walker (Messrs.). “In
the employ of Messrs. Street and
Walker.” Said of a person out of em-
ployment. A gentleman without means,
1185
The British
Strike Sail
whose employment is walking about the
streets,
Stretch'er. An exaggeration ; a
statement stretched out beyond the
strict truth. Also a frame on which the
sick or wounded are carried; a frame on
which painters' canvas is stretched; etc.
Strike (A). A federation of workmen
to quit work unless the masters will sub-
mit to certain stated conditions. To
strike is to leave off work, as stated
above. (Anglo-Saxon, stric-an, to go.)
“Co-operation . . . . prevents strikes by . . . . .
identifying the interests of labour and capital.”—
R. T. Ely: Political Economy, part iv. chap, iv. 238,
Strike (1 Syl.). Strike, but hear me !
So said Themis'tocles with wonderful
self-possession to Eurybi'ades, the Spar-
tan general. The tale told by Plutarch
is this: Themistocles strongly opposed
the proposal of Eury biades to quit the
bay of Salamis. The hot-headed Spar-
tan insultingly remarked that “those
who in the public games rise up before
the proper signal are scourged.”
“True,” said Themistocles, “but those
who lag behind win no laurels.” On
this, Eurybiades lifted up his staff to
strike him, when Themistocles earnestly
but proudly exclaimed, “Strike, but
hear me!” -
To strike hands upon a bargain or strike
a bargain. To confirm it by shaking
or striking hands. -
Strike Amain. Yield or suffer the
consequences. The defiance of a man-
of-war to a hostile ship. To strike
a main is to lower the topsail in token of
submission. To wave a naked sword
a main is a symbolical command to a
hostile ship to lower her topsail.
Strike a Bargain (To). In Tatin,
foºdus ferðre ; in Greek, horkia temein.
The allusion is to the Greek and Roman
custom of making sacrifice in concluding
an agreement or bargain. After calling
the gods to witness, they struck—i.e.
slew—the victim which was offered in
sacrifice. The modern English custom
is simply to strike or shake hands.
Strike Sail. To acknowledge one-
self beaten ; to eat umble pie. A mari-
time expression. When a ship in fight
or on meeting another ship, lets down
her topsails at least half-mast high, she
is said to strike, meaning that she sub-
mits or pays respect to the other.
t - “Now Margaret . . .
Must strike her sail, and learn awhile to serve
When kings command.” * c &
: Shakespeſtre : 3 IIenry VI., iii, 3,
75
Strike
1186
Stump Orator
Strike while the Iron is Hot. In
French, “Il faut battre le fºr pendant
qu'il est chaud.” Either act while the im-
pulse is still fervent, or do what you do
at the right time. The metaphor is
taken from a blacksmith working a piece
of iron, say a horse-shoe, into shape.
It must be struck while the iron is red-
hot or it cannot be moulded into shape.
Similar proverbs are: “Make hay while
the sun shines,” “Take time by the
forelock.” • *
String. Always harping on one string.
Always talking on One subject ; always
repeating the same thing. The allusion
is to the ancient harpers; some, like
Paganini, played on one string to show
their skill, but more would have endorsed
the Apothecary’s apology—“My poverty,
and not my will, consents.” :
Stripes. A tiger. In India a tiger
is called Master Stripes. -
“Catch old Stripes come near my hullock, if he
thought a ‘Shooting-iron was anywhere about.
Even if there were another Stripes, he would not
show himself that night.” – Cormhill Magazine
(My Tiger Watch), July, 1883. • .
Strode. The babes of Strode are born
with tails.
“As Becket, that good saint, ſublimely rode,
Thoughtless of insult, through the town of
Strode, * -
What did the mob º Attacked li's horse's rulmp
And cut the tail, so flowing, to the Stump, .
What does the saint 2 Quoth lie, ‘For this vile
trick
The town of Strode shall heartily he sick.’
And lo! by power divine, a curse prevails—.
The babes of Štrode are born with horse's tails.”
Peter Pindar: I'pistle to the Pope.
Stroke. The oarsman who sits on
the bench next the coxswain, and sets
the stroke of the oars.
Stromkarl. A Norwegian musical
spirit. Arndt informs us that the
Strömkarl has eleven different musical
measures, to ten of which people may
dance, but the eleventh belongs to the
night-spirit, his host. If anyone plays
it, tables and benches, cups and cans, Old
men and women, blind and lame, babies
in their cradles, and the sick in their
beds, begin to dance. (See TAIRY.)
Strong—as iron, as a horse, as brandy.
(See SIMILES.) -
Strong-back. One of Tortunio’s
servants. He was so strong he could
carry any weight upon his back without
difficulty. (Grimm's Goblins ; For-
tunio.)
Strong-bow. Richard de Clare,
Earl of Strigul. Justice of Ireland.
(*-1176)
Stron'tian. This mineral receives
its name from Strontian, in Argyleshire,
where it was discovered by Dr. Hope, in
1792.
Struidbrugs. Wretched inhabitants
of Luggnagg, an imaginary island a
hundred leagues south-east of Japan.
These human beings have the privilege
of eternal life without those of immortal
vigour, strength, and intellect. (Swift :
Gulliver’s Travels.)
“Many persons think that the lyicture of the
Stull rugs (Sic) was intended to Wean us fron) a.
love of life . . . but I am certain that the deatl
never had any such thing in view.”—Patley's
ñº Theology (Lord Brougham's note, 1,k. i.
Stub"ble Geese, called in Devonshire
Arish Geese. The geese turned into the
stubble-fields or arrishers, to pick up the
corn left after harvest. (See EARING...)
Stuck Pig. To staré like a stuck piff.
A simile founded on actual observation.
Of course, the stuck pig is the pig in the
act of being killed. (See SIMILES.)
Stucle Up. An Australian phrase for
robbed on the highway. (See GONE UP.)
Stuck-up People. Pretentious peo-
ple ; parvenus; nobodies who assume to
be somebodies. The allusion is to birds,
as the peacock, which sticks up its train
to add to its “importance ’’ and “awe
down '' antagonists.
Stuck his Spoon in the Wall.
Took up his residence. Sometimes it
means took up his long home, or died.
In primitive times a leather strap was
very often nailed to the wall, somewhere
near the fireplace, and in this strap were
stuck such things as Scissors, spoons for
daily use, pen-case, and so on. In
Barclay's Ship of Fools is a picture of a
man stirring a pot on the fire, and on
the wall is a strap with two spoons stuck
into it.
Stuff Gown. An outer barrister, or
one without the bar. (See BARRISTER.)
Stumers, in the language of the turf,
are fictitious bets recorded in the books
of bookmakers, and published in the
papers, to deceive the public by running
up the odds on a horse which is not
meant to win.
Stump. . To take to the stump. To
roam about the country speechifying.
To stump the country. To go from
town to town making [political] speeches.
“The Irish momhers have already taken to the
Stump.”—A Daily Journal.
Stump Crator (in America). A
person who haranguês the people from
. . .
* Rºy
Stump Up
1187
Sub-Lapsarian
the stump of a tree or other chance ele-
vation ; a mob orator. $
Stump Up. Pay your reckoning ; pay
what is due. Ready money is called
stumpy or stumps. An Americanism,
meaning money paid down on the spot—
i.e. on the stump of a tree. (See NAIL.)
bumps. To stir one's stumps. To
get on faster; to set upon something
expeditiously. The stumps properly are
wooden legs fastened to stumps or muti-
lated limbs. (Icelandic, stump?".)
“This makes him Stirre his stumps.”
The Two Lancashire Lorers (1640).
Stumped Out. Outwitted ; ... put
down. A term borrowed from the game
of cricket. . . «
Stupid Boy. St. Thomas Aqui'nas,
nicknamed the Dumb Ox by his school-
fellows. (1224-1274.)
Sty or Stye. Christ styed up to
heaven. Halliwell gives sty = a ladder,
and the verb would be to go to heaven,
as it were, by Jacob’s ladder. The
Anglo-Saxon verb stigaº means to
ascend. -
“The beast . . . . . . -
Thi)ught with his Wing CS to stye above the
ground.” • * &
Spenser: Fatérie Qutcene, bk. i. canto xi. 25.
Styg'ian (3 syl.). Infernal; pertain-
ing to Styx, the fabled river of hell.
“At that so sudden blaze the Stygian throng
t."
- 7
Bent their aspec r
Milton : Taradise Lost, x. 453.
, Style (1 syl.) is from the Latin stylus
(an iron pencil for writing on waxen
tablets, etc.). The characteristic of a
person’s writing is called his stylé.
Metaphorically it is applied to comi-
position and speech. Good writing is
stylish, and, metaphorically, Smartness
of dress and deportment is so called.
“Style 1s the dress of thought, and a well-dressed
thought, like a well-dressed man, appears to great
advantage.”—Ghesterfield: Letter ccxl. p. 361.
Styles. Tom Styles or John a Styles,
connected with John o' Yoakes in actions
of ejectment. These mythical gentle-
men, like John Doe and Richard Roe,
are no longer employed.
“And, like blind Fortune, with a sleight
Convey men's interest and right
From Stiles's pocket into Nokes’s.”
Butler : Hudibras, iii. 3.
Styliſtes or Pillar Saints. By far the
most celebrated are Simeon the Stylite
of Syria, and Daniel the Stylite of Čon-
stantinople. Simeon spent thirty-seven
years on different pillars, each loftier
and narrower than the preceding. The
last was sixty-six feet high. He died in
460, aged seventy-two. Daniel lived
—s.
thirty-three years on a pillar, and was
not unfrequently nearly blown from it
by the storms from Thrace. He died in
494. Tennyson has a poem on Simeon
Stylites. * * *
“I, Simeon of the Pillar by surname,
Stylites annong men—I, Simeon,
The Watcher on the Colulun till the ond.”
T'enºſsom.
Styx. The river of Hate, called by
Milton “abhorröd Styx, the flood of
burning hate ’’ (Paradise Lost, ii. 577).
It was said to flow nine times round the
infernal regions.
hate.)
.* The Styx is a river of Egypt, and
the tale is that Isis collected the various
parts of Osiris (murdered by Typhon)
and buried them in secrecy on the banks
of the Styx. The classic fables about
the Styx are obviously of Egyptian
Origin. Charon, as Diodórüs informs us,
is an Egyptian word for a “ferryman,”
and styx means “hate.”
“The Thames reminded him of Styx.”—M.
Tatine, • *
Stya, the dread oath of gods.
“For hy the black infernal Styx I swear
(That dreadful Oatl) which binds the Thunderer)
* 1 is fixed ” Pope : Thebais of Statius, i.
Suav'iter in Modo (Latin). An
inoffensive manner of doing what is to
be done. Suqviter in modo, fortiter in
pe, doing what is to be done with un-
flinching firmness, but in the most in-
offensive manner possible.
Sub Cultro Liquit. He left me in
the lurch, like a toad under the harrow,
or an ox under the knife.
Sub Hasta. By auction. When an
auction took place among the Romans, it
was customary to stick a spear in the
ground to give notice of it to the public.
In London we hang from the first-floor
window a strip of bed-room carpet.
Sub Jo've (Latin). Under Jove ; in
the open air. Jupiter is the deified per-
sonification of the upper regions of the
air, Juno of the lower regions, Neptune
of the waters of the sea, Vesta, of the
earth, Ceres of the surface soil, Hades of
the invisible or under-world.
Sub-Lapsa'rian, Supra-Lapsarian.
The sub-lapsarian maintains that 'God
devised His scheme of redemption after
the “lapse ’’ or fall of Adam, when He
elected some to salvation and left others
to run their course. The Supra-lapsarian
maintains that all this was ordained by
God from the foundation of the world,
and therefore before the “lapse" or fall
of Adam.
(Greek, stuff'eo, to
*
Sub Rosa.
*—
1188
Sucre
Sub Rosa. (See ROSE.)
Sublime Port. Wine merchants say.
the port of 1820 is the true “Sublime
Port.” Of course, the play is on the
Porta Sublima or Ottoman empire.
Sublime Porte (The). The Ottoman
empire. It is the French for Porta
Sublima, the “lofty gate.” Constan-
tinople has twelve gates, and near one
of these gates is a building with a lofty
gateway called “Bab-i-humajun.” In
this building resides the vizier, in the
same are the offices of ail the chief
ministers of state, and thence all the
imperial edicts are issued. The French
phrase has been adopted, because at one
time French was the language of Euro-
pean diplomacy.
Submerged (The) or The Sub-
merged Tenth. The proletariat, sunk
or submerged in poverty ; the gutter-
class; the waifs and strays of society.
“All but the ‘sublimerged ' Wore loent upon
merrymaking.”—Society, November 12th, 1892, p.
273.
“If Mr. Booth has not inaugurated remedial
Work almong the submerged tenth, he has cer-
tainly set the fashion of writing and talking
about them.” — Newspat per paragraph, October
13th, 1891. *
Submit means simply “to lower,”
and the idea usually associated with the
word is derived from a custom in gladia-
torial sports: When a gladiator acknow-
ledged himself vanquished he lowered
(submitted) his arms as a sign that he gave
in ; it then rested with the spectators to
let him go or put him to death. If they
wished him to live they held their thumbs
down, if to be put to death they held their
thumbs upwards.
Subpoe'na is a writ given to a man
commanding him to appear in court, to
bear witness or give evidence on a certain
trial named in the writ. It is so called
because the party summoned is bound to
appear sub poema centum libro'Tum (under
a penalty of £100). We have the verb
to subpoena.
Sub'sidy means literally a sediment ;
that which is on the ground. It is a
military term. In battle the Romans
drew up their army in three divisions:
first, the light-armed troops made the
attack, and, if repulsed, the pike-men
came up to their aid ; if these two were
beaten back, the swordsmen (prin'cipes)
advanced; and if they too were defeated,
the reserve went forward. These last
were called subsidies because they re-
mained resting on their left knee till their
time of action. Metaphorically, money
aid is called a subsidy. (Latin, subsido,
to subside.)
Substitution of Service (The), in
Ireland. Instead of serving a process
personally, the name of the defaulter
was posted on the walls of a Catholic .
chapel in the parish or barony, or in some
other public place.
Subtle Doctor. John Duns Scotus,
one of the Schoolmen. (1265–1308.)
Subvol’vans or Subvolva'ni. The
antagonists of the Privolvans in Samuel
Butler's satirical poem called The Ele-
phant in the Moon.
“The gallant. Subvolvani rally,
And from their trenches make a Sally.”
Verse 83, etc.
Succession Powder. The poison
used by the Marquise de Brinvilliers in
her poisonings, for the benefit of succes-
sors. (See POISONERS.)
Succinct means undergirded ; hence
concise, terse. (Latin, sub-cinctus.)
. Succoth. The Jewish feast of taber-
nacles or tents, which began on the 15th
Tisri (September), and lasted eight days.
It was kept in remembrance of the
sojourn in the wilderness, and was a
time of grand rejoicing. Those who
kept it held in their hands sprigs of
myrtle, palm-branches, and willow-
twigs. The Pentateuch was read on the
last eight days.
Suck the Monkey. (See MONKEY.)
Sucking Young Patricians. The
younger sons of the aristocracy, who
sponge on those in power to get places
of profit and employment.
Suckle. To suckle fools and chronicle
small beer. Iago says women are of no
use but to nurse children and keep the
accounts of the household. (Shake-
speare : Othello, ii. 1.) -
Sucre. Manger du Sucre. Applause
given by claqueurs to actors is called
sucre (sugar). French actors and ac-
tresses make a regular agreement with
the manager for these hired applauders.
While inferior artists are obliged to ac-
cept a mere murmur of approval, others
receive a “ salvo of bravos,” while those
of the highest rôle demand a “furore ”
or Čelat de wire, according to their line
of acting, whether tragedy or comedy.
Sometimes the manager is bound to give
actors “sugar to eat?” in the public
journals, and the agreement is that, the
announcement of their name shall be
preceded with the words “celebrated,”
Suds
1189
Summer
“admirable,” and so on. The following
is part of the agreement of a French
actor on renewing his engagement
(1869):-“Que cinquante claqueurs au
moins feraient manger du Sucre dés
l'entrée en scène, et que l'actrice rivale
serait privée de cet agrément.” (See
CLAQUE.)
Suds (Mrs.). A facetious name for
a washwoman or laundress. Of course,
the allusion is to soap-Suds.
To be in the Suds—in ill-temper. Ac-
cording to the song, “Ne'er a bit of
comfort is upon a washing day,” all
are put out of gear, and therefore out of
temper. -
Suffolk. The folk South of Norfolk.
Suffrage means primarily the hough
or pastern of a horse ; so called because
it bends under, and not over, like the
knee-joint. When a horse is lying
down and wants to rise on his legs, it is
this joint which is brought into action ;
and when the horse stands on his legs
it is these “ankle - joints '' which
support him. Metaphorically, voters are
the pastern joints of a candidate, where-
by he is supported.
A suffragan is a titular bishop who
is appointed to assist a prelate ; and in
relation to an archbishop all bishops are
suffragans. The archbishop is the horse,
and the bishops are his pasterns.
Sugar-candy. Rhyming slang for
“brandy.” -
Sugar-lip. Hāfiz, the great Persian
lyrist. (*-1389.)
Sugar and Honey. Rhyming slang
for “money.” (See CIIIvy.)
Sugared Words. Sweet, flattering
words. When sugar was first imported
into Europe it was a very great dainty.
The coarse, vulgar idea, now associated
with it is from its being cheap and com-
II]. O]l.
Sui Gen'eris (Latin). Having a
distinct character of its own ; unlike
anything else.
Sui Juris. Of one's own right; the
state of being able to exercise one’s legal
rights—i.e.
ability.
Suicides were formerly buried igno-
miniously on the high-road, with a stake
thrust through their body, and without
Christian rites. (Chambers : Encyclo-
Apačdia, lx. p. 184, col. 1.) -
“They buried Ben at four crºss roads,
With a stake in his inside.
Hood: Faithless Nelly Gray.
alone; you are a misanthrope.
freedom from legal dis-,
You live
Suisse
means porter or door-keeper, hence
“Parler au Suisse” (“Ask the porter,” or
“Enquire at the porter's lodge’”). The
door-keeper lives in a lodge near the
main entrance, and the solitariness of
his position, cut off from the house and
servants, gave rise to the phrase. At
one time these porters were for the most
part Swiss.
Suit (1 syl.). To follow suit. To
follow the leader; to do as those do who
are taken as your exemplars. The term
is from games of cards.
Suit of Dittos (A). A suit of clothes
in which coat, waistcoat, and trousers
are all of one cloth.
Sullt [starration]. The knife which
the goddess Hel (q.v.) is accustomed to
use when she sits down to eat from her
dish Hunger.
Sultan of Persia. Mahmoud Gazni,
founder of the Gaznivide dynasty, was
the first to assume in Persia, the title of
Sultan (A.D. 999).
Sultan's Horse, Deadly (The).
‘‘ Byzantians boast, that on the clod
Wllel'e once the Sultan's horse hath trod
Grows me.ther grass, nor shrub, nor tree.”
Swift : I’elhov the Great.
Sulta'na. A beautiful bird, allied to
the moorhen, with blue feathers, show-
ing beautiful metallic gloss, generally
with red beak and legs. -
“Some purple-winged sultana.” -
Moore : I’d radise and the Peri.
Suisse. The fais, suisse.
Summa Diligentia. On the top of a
diligence. “Caesar crossed the Alps
‘summa diligentia.’” This is a famous
schoolboy joke, and one of the best of
the kind. -
Summer. The second or autumnal
summer, said to last thirty days, begins
about the time that the sun enters
Scorpio (October 23rd). It is variously
called— ... • - -
(1) St. Martin's summer (L'été de St.
Martin). St. Martin’s Day is the 11th
November. - -
“JExpect St. Martin's summer, halcyon days.”
- - Shakespectre : 1 IIemºry VI., i. 2.
(2) All Saints' summer (All Saints' is
the 1st November), or All Hallowen
Sll]]] In 161”.
- “Then followed that beautiful season,
Called by the pious Arcadian leasants the sum-
Iller of All Saints.”
Longfellow : Evangeline.
“Farewell, All Hallowen summer.” — Shalºg-
spcare : 1 Henry IV., i. 2,
Summer King
1190 Sun and Moon E'alling
.(3) St. Luke's little summer (St. Luke's
day is 18th October).
Summer King (The).
Spain. .
Summons. Peter and John de Car-
vajal, being condemned to death on cir-
cumstantial evidence, appealed without
success to Ferdinand IV. of Spain. On
their way to execution they declared
their innocence, and summoned the king
to appear before God within thirty days.
Terdinand was quite well on the thirtieth
day, but was found dead in his bed next
morning. (See WISHART.) -
Summum; Bonum.
lence ; the highest attainable good.
SOCIRATES said knowledge is virtue,
and ignorance is vice.
ARISTOTLE said that happiness is the
greatest good. -
BERNARD DE MANDEVILLE and HEL-
VETIUS contended that self-interest is the
perfection of the ethical end. .
BENTHAM and MILL were for the
greatest happiness of the greatest num-
|ber. -
HERBERT SPINCER places it in those
actions which best tend to the survival
of the individual and the race.
Ll:TOURNEAU places it in utilitarian-
ism. . . .
Sumpter Horse or Miule. One that
carries baggage. (Italian, Soma, a burden.)
(See SOMAGIA.) . . . . . .
Sumptuary Laws.
the expenses of food and dress, or any
luxury. The Romans had their sumptu-
ary laws (leges sumptuárië). Such laws
have been enacted in many states at
various times. Those of England were
all repealed by 1 James I., c. 25.
Sun. Hebrew, Elohim (God); Greek,
helios (the sun); Breton, heal; Latin,
sol ; German, Son??é, Anglo-Saxon,
sumne. As a deity, called Ado'nis by the
Thoenicians, and Apollo by the Greeks
and Romans. - -
Sun. Harris, in his Hermés, asserts
that all nations ascribe to the sun a mas-
culine and the moon a feminine gender.
For confutation see Moon.
City of the Sun. Rhodes was so called
because the sun was its tutelar deity.
The Colossos of Rhodes was consecrated
to the sun. On or Heliopolis, Egypt. .
Sun (The), called in Celtic mythology
Sunna (fem.), lives in constant dread of
Amadeus of
being devoured by the wolf Fenris. It
is this contest with the wolf to which
eclipses are due. According to this
The chief excel-
Laws to limit
mythology, the Sun has a beautiful
daughter who will one day reign in place
of her mother, and the world will be
wholly renovated.
JHorses of the Sun.
Arva'kur, Aslo, and Alsvidur.
dinavian mythology.)
Bronté (thunder), Eo'os (day-break),
Ethiops (flashing), Ethon (fiery), Eryth-
re'OS (red-producers), Philoge’a (earth-
lowing), Pyr'ois (fiery). All of them
‘‘ breathe fire from their nostrils.”
(Scan-
(Greek and Latin mythology.)
The horses of Aurora are Abrax and
Phaeton. (See HoRSE.) t
* More worship the rising than the set-
ting sum, said Pompey; meaning that
more persons pay honour to ascendant
than to fallen greatness. The allusion is,
of course, to the Persian fire-worshippers.
JHeaven cannot support two suns, now-
earth two masters. So said Alexander
the Great when Darius (before the battle
of Arbela) sent to offer terms of peace.
Beautifully imitated by Shakespeare:—
“Two stars keep not their motion in one sphere ;
Nor can one lºngland brook a dotable reign,
Of Harry Percy and the Prince of Wales.”
4. - - I Henry IV., v. 4.
IIere lies a she-sun, and a he-moon there
(Donne). Epithalamium on the marriage
of Lady Elizabeth, daughter of James I.,
with Frederick, elector palatine. It was
through this unfortunate princess, called
“Queen of Bohemia, ’’ and “Queen of
Hearts,” that the family of Brunswick
succeeded to the British throne. Some
say that Lord Craven married (secretly)
the “fair widow.” - - - -
Sun-burst. The fanciful name given
- by the ancient Irish to their national
banner.
“At once, like a sun-burst, her banner unfurled.”
Thomas Moore : Irish Melodies, No. 6.
Sun Inn. In compliment to the ill-
omened House of York. The Sun Inn,
Westminster, is the badge of Richard II.
Sun and Moon Failing. By the old
heralds the arms of royal houses were
not emblazoned by colours, but by Sun,
moon, and stars. Thus, instead of or
(gold), a royal coat has the sum ; instead
of argent (silver), the moon ; instead of
the other five heraldic colours, one of the
other five ancient planets. In connec-
tion with this idea, read Matt. xxiv. 29:
“Immediately after the tribulation of
those days shall the sun be darkened,
and the moon shall not give her light,
and the stars shall fall from heaven, and
the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken.” (See PLANETS.)
Sun in one's Eyes
1.191
Superstition - - - - - - -
Sun in one's Eyes (To have the). To
be tipsy. -
Sun of Righteousness. Jesus Christ.
(Mal. iv. 3.)
Sunday. Inportant battles foºtſ/ht on
Sunday. Barnet, Bull Run, Carberry
Hill, Friedland, Fuentes d’Onoro, Jar-
nac, THE GLORIOUS FIRST OF JUNE (Lord
Howe's great victory), Killiecrankie,
ICumersdorf, Leipsig, Lepanto, Lincoln,
Newbury, RAMILLIES, Ravenna, Saar-
bruck (the “baptism of fire '’), SEDAN,
Seringapatam, Stony Creek, of the
Thirty, Toulouse, Towton, Vienna,
Vimiera, WATERLoo, WoRCESTER.
unday Saint. One who observes
the ordinances of religion, and goes to
church on a Sunday, but is worldly,
grasping, indifferently honest, and not
“too moral” the following six days.
Sundays. Iſhen three Sundays come
together. (See NEVER.)
Sundew, the JDroséra, which is from
the Greek drosos, dew. So called from
the dew-like drops which rest on the
hairy fringes of the leaves.
** By the lone fountain's Secret bed,
Where human footsteps rarely tread ;
Mid the wild 3moor or silent glen,
The sundew blooms unseen by men,
And, cre the Summer's Sun can rise,
I) rinks the inure Water of the skies.”
The Wild (#(t)'land.
Sunflower (The). Clytie, a water-
nymph, was ill love with Apollo, but
meeting no return, she died and was
changed into a Sunflower, which still
turns to the Sun through its daily course.
“The Sunflower turnā on the god, when he sets,
The Sºul), C 100k which she turned When he rose.”
T. Moore : (Believe me if all those endearing
Joltºvſſ Charlils). -
“I will not haye the mad Cly tie,
| Whose head is turned by the Sun.”
IIood.
º: What we call a sunflower is the
IIelianthus, so called, not because it fol-
lows the Sun, but because it resembles a
picture Sun. A bed of these flowers will
turn in every direction, regardless of the
sun. The Turnsole is the Heliotröpium,
quite another order of plants.
Sunna or Sonna. The Oral Law, or
the precepts of Mahomet not contained
in the Koran, collected into a volume.
Similar to the Jewish Mishna, which
is the Supplement of the Pentateuch.
(Arabic, sunſea, custom, rule of conduct.)
Sunnites (2 syl.). Orthodox Ma-
hometans, who consider the Sunna or
Oral Law as binding as the Koran. They
wear white turbans, The heterodox
Moslems are called Shiites or Shiahs
(7.9.).
Suo Jüre
right.
(Latin). In one's own
Suo Tſiarte (Latin). By one’s own
Strength or personal exertions.
Super, Supers. In theatrical par-
lance, “Supers” means supernumeraries,
or persons employed to make up crowds,
processions, dancing or singing choirs,
messengers, etc., where little or no
Speaking is needed.
Supercil'ious (5 syl.). Having an
elevated eyebrow; hence contemptuous,
haughty. (Latin, Super-cilium.)
Supernac'ulum. The very best wine.
The word is Low Latin for “upon the
Inail,” meaning that the wine is so good
the drinker leaves only enoughin his glass
to make a bead on his nail. The French
say of first-class wine, “It is fit to
Imake a ruby on the nail” (faire rubis
sur l’ongle), referring to the residue left
which is only sufficient to make a single
drop on the nail. Tom Nash says,
“After a man has drunk his glass, it is
usual, in the North, to turn the bottom
of the cup upside down, and let a drop
fall upon the thumb-mail. If the drop
rolls off, the drinker is obliged to fill and
drink again.” Bishop Hall alludes to
the same custom : “The Duke Tenter-
belly . . . exclaims . . . ‘Let never
this goodly-formed goblet of wine go
jovially through me ; and then he set
it to his mouth, stole it off every drop,
save a little remainder, which he was by
custom to set upon his thumb-mail and
lick Off.”
“'Tis here ! the supernaculum) : twenty years
* Of age, if 'tis a day.” 1jyron : H ermer, i. 1.
Supernaculum. Entirely. To drink
supernaculum is to leave no heel-taps ;
to drink so as to leave just enough not
to roll off one’s thumb-nail if poured
upon it, but only to remain there as a
wine-bead.
... This is after the fashion of Switzerland. Clear
off meat, supernaculum.”—Rabelais : . Gargamtuſ,
(t)\tl I’ttmutagruel, blº. i. 5.
“Their jests were supernaculum,
I snatched the rubies from each thumb,
And in th’s crystal have them here.
Perhaps you'll like it more than beer.”
A img : Orpheus (thud Eurydice.
Šuperstition. That which survives
when its companions are dead. , (Latin,
Supersto.) Those who escaped in battle
were called superstités. Superstition is
religious credulity, or that religion which
remains when real religion is dead.
Paul Said to the Athenians that he perceived
22
tlley WCre “too Superstitious.”—Acts xv.
Supped all his Porridge
1.192
SWaddler
Supped all his Porridge (He has).
Eaten his last meal; he is dead.
Supper of Trimalchio (A). A
Supper , for gourmands of the upper
classes in the reign of Nero. It forms a
section of Petronii Arbitri Satyricon.
Supplica 'tion. This word has
greatly changed its original meaning.
The Romans used it for a thanksgiving
after a signal victory (Livy, iii. 63).
(“Iſis rebus gestis, supplicatio a senateſ
decreta est” [Caesar : Bell. Gall., ii.].)
The word means the act of folding the
knees (sub-plico). We now use the word
for begging or entreating something.
* Sure as Demoivre. Abraham De-
moivre, author of The Doctrine of
Chances, or Method of Calculating the
I’robabilities of Events at Play, was
proverbially accurate in his calculations.
Tt was Pope who said, “Sure as De-
moivre, without rule or line.”
Sitre as a gº!?!, as fate, as death and
ta.ces, etc. (See SIMILES.)
“Surest Way to Peace is a con-
stant Preparation for War.” Fox,
afterwards Bishop of Hereford, to
Henry VIII. (In Latin, “Si vis pacem,
para bellum.”)
Surety. One who takes the place of
another, a substitute, a hostage.
Surfeit Water.
cure surfeits.
“Wator that, cures Surfeits. A little cold dis-
tilled loppy Water is the true surfeit water.”—
L9eke.
Surgeon is the Greek form of the
Latin word manufacturer. The former
is cheir-ergein (to work with the hand),
and the latter mantº-facere (to do or
make with the hand).
Surloin of Beef. (See SIRLOIN.)
Suriy boy. Yellow hair. (Irish,
surley belie.)
Sur'name (2 syl.). The over-name;
either the name written over the Chris-
tian name, or given over and above it;
an additional name. For a long time
persons had no family name, but only
one, and that a personal name. Sur-
names are not traced farther back than
the latter part of the tenth century.
Surnames of places. -
In ford, in ham, and ley, and ton,
The most of English surnames run.
Sur'plice (2 syl.). Over the fur robe.
(Latin, super-pellicium.) The clerical
robe worn over the bachelor’s ordinary
Cordial water to
dress, which was anciently made of
sheepskin. The ancient Celts and
Germans also wore a garment occasion-
ally over their fur skins. -
Durandus says: “The garments of the Jewish
priesthood were girt tight about them, to signify
the bondage of the law; but, the surplice of the
Christian priest is loose, to signify the freedom of
the gospel.”
Surrey. Anglo-Saxon, Suth-rea (south
of the river—i.e. the Thames), or Suth-ric
(south kingdom).
Saddle White Surrey for the field to-
morrow (Shakespeare : Richard III.).
Surrey is the Syrian horse, as Roan Bar-
bary in Richard II. is the Barbary horse
or barb. (See HoRSE.)
Surt or Surtur. The guardian of
Muspelheim, who keeps watch day and
night with a flaming sword. At the end
of the world he will hurl fire from his
hand and burn up both heaven and earth.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Susan (St.). The patron saint who
saves from infamy and reproach. This
is from her fiery trial recorded in the
tale of Susannah and the Elders.
* This wife of Joia.chim, being ac-
cused of adultery, was condemned to
death by the Jewish elders ; but Daniel
proved her innocence, and turned the
tables on her accusers, who were put to
death instead. (The Apocrypha.)
Sussex. The territory of the South
Saxons (Suth-Seawe).
Sutor. Ne Sutor, etc. (See CoBBLER.)
Stick to the cow. Boswell, one night
sitting in the pit of Covent Garden
theatre with his friend Dr. Blair, gave
an extempore imitation of a cow, which
the house applauded. He then ventured
another imitation, but failed, whereupon
the doctor advised him in future to
“stick to the cow.”
Suttee (Indian). A pure and model
wife (Sanskrit, sati, chaste, pure); a
widow who immolates herself on the
funeral pile of her deceased husband.
Abolished by law in British India.
Sval'in. The dashboard placed by
the gods before the Sun-car to prevent
the earth from being burnt up. The
word means “cooling.” (Scandinavian
mythology.) -
Swaddler. A contemptuous syno-
nym for Protestant used by the Roman
Catholics. Cardinal Cullen, in 1869,
gave notice that he would deprive of
the sacrament all parents who sent their
children to be taught in mixed Model
Swag
1193
Swan of Avon
schools, where they were associated
with “Presbyterians, Socinians, Arians,
and Swaddlers.” (See Times, Septem-
ber 4, 1869.)
The origin of the term is as follows:–
“It happened that Cennick, preach-
ing on Christmas Day, took for his text
these words from St. Luke's Gospel:
‘And this shall be a sign unto you; ye
shall find the babe wrapped in Swad-
dling clothes lying in a manger.’ A
Catholic who was present, and to whom
the language of Scripture was a novelty,
thought this so ridiculous that he called
the preacher a swaddler in derision, and
this unmeaning word became a nick-
name for ‘ Protestant,’ and had all the
effect of the most opprobrious appella-
tion.” (Southey : Life of Wesley, ii. 153.)
Swag. Luggage, knapsack, a bundle;
also food carried about one. Swaff-shop,
a store of minor, or cheap-priced goods.
(Scotch, sweg.)
“[Palliser] began to retrace the way by which
he had fled, and, descending carefully to the spot
where he had thrown off his swag, found it as
he had left it.”— Watson : The Web of the Spider,
chal). W. -
Swag. Plenty. Rhyming slang: A
bag-full means plenty, and by omitting
full, “bag” remains to rhyme with
swag. (See CHIVY.)
Śwagger. Bluster; noisy boasting.
Swainmote. (See SWANIMOTE.)
Swal'low. According to Scandina-
vian tradition, this bird hovered over
the cross of our Lord, crying “Svala 1
swala 1 '' (Console ! console !) whence it
was called swalow (the bird of consola-
tion). (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
The swallow is said to bring home
from the sea-shore a stone which gives
sight to her fledglings.
“Seeking with eager eyes that wondrous stone
Which the SWall OW
Brings from the shore of the sea to restore the
sight of its fledglings.”
Longfellow : Evangeline, part, i.
It is ſucky for a swallow to build about
one’s housé. This is a Roman supersti-
tion. AElian says that the swallow was
sacred to the Pena'tés or household gods,
and therefore to injure one would be to
bring wrath upon your own house.
- It is unlucky to kill a swallow.
“Perlaps you failed in your foreseeing skill,
For SWallows are unlucky lyirds to kill.”
Dryden : Hind and Panther, part iii.
One swallow does not make spring. You
are not to suppose winter is past because
you have seen a swallow ; nor that the
troubles of life are over because you
have surmounted one difficulty,
Swan. Fionnua'la, daughter of Lir,
was transformed into a swan, and con-
demned to wander for many hundred
years over the lakes and rivers of Ire-
land till the introduction of Christianity
into that island. T. Moore has a poem
entitled The Song of Fionnuala. (Irish
Melodies, No. 11.)
The male Swan is called a cob, the
female a pejº , a young Swan is called a
cyſ/??6t.
Swan. Erman says of the Cygnus olor,
“This bird, when wounded, pours forth
its last breath in notes most beautifully
clear and loud.” (Travels in Siberia,
translated by Cooley, vol. ii.)
Emilia says, “I will play the Swan,
and die in music.” (Othello, v. 2.)
“‘What is that, mother ?’ ‘The Swan, my love.
He is floating down to his native grove . . .
Death darkens his eyes and unplumes his wings,
Yet the Sweetest song is the last he sings.
I,ive so, my son, that when death shall conne,
Swan-like and sweet, it may Waft thee home.’”
Dr. G. Doctave.
Swan. Mr. Nicol says of the Cygnus
Annº'sicus that its note resembles the tones
of a violin, though somewhat higher.
Each note occurs after a long interval.
The music presages a thaw in Iceland,
and hence one of its great charms.
Swan. A nickname for a blackamoor.
(See LUCUs A NON IUCENDO.)
“IEthiopom voca/mus cygnum.”
- Juvenal, viii. 32.
A black Swan. A curiosity, a rara
avis. The expression is borrowed from
the well known verse—“Jęara avis in
terris, migroque simillima cycno.”
“‘What is it my rara, avis, my black Swan 2''' –
Sir Walter Scott : The Antiquary.
Swan. Swarº, a public-house sign, like
the peacock and pheasant, was an emblem
of the parade of chivalry. Every knight
chose one of these birds, which was
associated in his oath with God, the
Virgin, or his lady-love. Hence their
use as public-house signs.
The White Swan, a public-house sign,
is in compliment to Anne of Cleves,
descended from the Knight of the Swan.
Swan with Two Necks. A corrup-
tion of “Swan with Two Nicks.” The
Vintners’ Company mark their swans
with two nicks in the beak.
..B. Royal Swans are marked with
five nicks—two lengthwise, and three
across the bill. -
Swan - hopping. A corruption of
Swan Upping—that is, taking the swans
up the River Thames for the purpose of
marking them. (See above.)
Swan of Avon (The), or Sweet
Swan of Avon, Shakespeare is so
Swan Of Cambray -
1194
Sweepstakes
called by Ben J onson because his home
was on the Avon. (1564-1616.)
Swan of Cambray (The). Fénelon,
Archbishop of Cambray, and author of
Telemachus. (1651-1715.) -
Swan of Mantua (The), or The
Mantuan Swan. Virgil, who was born
at Mantua. (B.C. 70-29.)
Swan of Meander (The). Homer,
who lived on the banks of the Meander,
in Asia Minor. (FI. D.C. 950.)
Swan of Padua (The). Count Fran-
cesco Algarotti. (1712–1764.)
Swans . . . Geese. All your swans
are geese. All your fine promises or expec-
tations have proved fallacious. “Hope
told a flattering tale.” The converse,
All your geese are Swans, means all your
children are paragons, and whatever
you do is in your own eyes superlative
work.
Swan'imote. A court held thrice a
year before forest verderers by the stew-
ard of the court. So called because the
swans or swains were the jurymen.
(Swans, swains, or sweins, freeholders;
Anglo-Saxon, swan or Swein, a herds-
man, shepherd, youth ; our Strain.)
* This court was incident to a forest,
as the court of pie-powder or piepoudre
to a fair. - -
Swarga. The paradise of Indra, and
also of certain deified mortals, who rest
there under the shade of the five won-
derful frees, drink the nectar of immor-
tality called Am'rita, and dance with the
heavenly nymphs.
Swashbuckler. A ruffian; a swag-
gerer. “From swashing,” says Fuller,
“and making a noise on the buckler.”
The sword-players used to “swash ’’ or
tap their shield, as fencers tap their foot
upon the ground when they attack.
(JForthies of England.) (A.D. 1662.)
(See Sw1NGE-BUCKLER.)
“A lyra vo, a swashbuckler, one that for money
and good cheere will follow any luan to defend
him ; but if any danger come, he runs away the
first, and leaves him in the Jurch.”—Florio.
Śwear now means to take an oath,
but the primitive sense is merely to arer
or affirm ; when to affirm on oath was
meant, the word oafh was appended, as
“I swear by oath.” Shakespeare uses
the word frequently in its primitive
sense; thus Othello says of Desdemona—
“She swore, in faith, 'twas strange, ’twas passing
Stl’all ge.” - Othello, i. 3.
Swear Black is White (To). To
swear to any falsehood. -
~- -->
Swear by my Sword (Hamlet, i. 5)
—that is, “by the cross on the hilt of
my sword.” . Again in Winter’s Tale,
“Swear by this sword thou wilt perform
my bidding ” (ii. 3). Holinshed says,
“Warwick kisses the cross of King Ed.
ward's sword, as it were a vow to his
promise; ” and Decker says, “He has
sworn to me on the cross of his pure
Tole'do' (Old Fortunatus).
Sweat. To sweat a client.
him bleed; to fleece him.
To sweat coin. To subtract part of
the silver or gold by friction, but not to
such an amount as to render the coin
useless as a legal tender. The French
To make
use Sºter in the same sense, as “Siter son
argent,” to sweat his money by usury.
“Pous faites suer le bonhomme–tel est
votre dire quand vous le pillez.” (Ha-
Tangue du Capitaine la Carbonnade.)
(1615.) - - -
Sweating Sickness appeared in
England about a century and a half
after the Black Death. (1485.) It broke
out amongst the soldiers of Richmond's
army, after the battle of Bosworth Field,
and lasted five weeks. It was a vio-
lent inflammatory fever, without boils
or ulcers. Detween 1485 and 1529 there
were five outbreaks of this pest in Eng-
land, the first four being confined to
England and France; but the fifth spread
over Germany, Turkey, and Austria.
Swedenbor'gians, called by them-
selves “the New Jerusalem Church ''
(Rev. xxi. 2). Believers in the doctrines
taught by Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-
1772). Their views of Salvation, inspi-
ration of Scripture, and a future state,
differ widely from those of other Chris-
tians; and as to the Trinity, they
believe it to be centred in the person
of Jesus Christ (Col. ii. 9). (Supplied by
the Auviliary New Church Missivnary
Society.) - -
Swedish Nighting a le. Jenny
Ilind (Madame Goldschmidt), a native
of Stockholm, and previous to her mar-
1 inge a public singer. (1821-1886.)
Śweep. To sweep the threshold. To
announce to all the world that the
woman of the house is paramount.
When the procession called “Skim-
mington’’ passed any house where the
woman was dominant, each one gave
the threshold a sweep with a broom or
bunch of twigs. (See SKIMMINGTON.)
Sweepstakes (A). A race in which
stakes are made by the owners of horses
Sweet
11.95
Swithin
engaged, to be awarded to the winner
or other horse in the race. In all sweep-
stakes entrance money has to be paid to
therace fund. (See PLATE, SELLING-RACE,
HANDICAP, WEIGHT-FOR-AGE RACE.)
If the horse runs, the full stake must be paid :
but if it is withdrawn, a forfeit only is imposed.
ºf Also a gambling arrangement by
which the successful bettor sweeps up or
carries off all the other stakes. It is
Sometimes applied to a game of cards in
which one of the players may win all the
-tricks or all the stakes.
Sweet as sugar. (See SIMILES.)
Sweet Singer of Israel.
David (B.C. 1074-1001).
Sweet Singers. A puritanical sect
in the reign of Charles II., etc., common
in Edinburgh. They burnt all story-
books, ballads, romances, etc., denounced
all unchaste words and actions, and even
the printed Bible. . . . . . . . .
Sweet Voices. Backers, votes. Corio-
lanus speaks with contempt of the sweet
voices of the Roman mob voters. -
Sweetheart. A lover, male or female.
Swell Mob. The better-dressed
thieves and pickpockets. A “swell” is
a person showily dressed; one who puffs
himself out beyond his proper dimen-
sions, like the frog in the fable. . . . . .
Sºvi Dynasty. .
perial dynasty of China, founded by
Yang-kien, Prince of Swi, A.D. 587. He
assumed the name of Wen-tee (King
Wen). . . . . . . . . .
Swift as lightning, as the wind, as an
arrow, etc. (See SIMILES.)
Swim (In the). In society. The
upper crust of Society. An angler's
phrase. A lot of fish gathered together
is called a swim, and when an angler can
pitch his hook in such a place he is said
to be “in a good swim.” To know per-
sons in the swim is to know society folk,
who always congregate together.
“Cottontree, who knows nearly eyerybody in |
the swim of European society. . . . införms him.
that Lucy Annerley is the daughter of Sir Jonas
Stevens.”—A. C. Gunter: Mr. Potter of Tecas, book
iii. chap. xiv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Swindle. To cheat ; from the Ger-
man scheindeln, to totter. It origin-
ally meant those artifices employed by a
tradesman to prop up his credit when
it began to totter, in order to prevent or
defer bankruptcy. . . . .
Świne. Boar or braven, the sire;
sow, the dam ; sucklings, the new-born
Ring
The twelfth Im-
pigs. A castrated boar-pig is called a
hog or shot. Young pigs for the butcher
are called porkers. -
A sow-pig after her first litter be-
comes a brood-sow, and her whole stock
of pigs cast at a birth is called a litter or
Jarrow of pigs. -
Świng (Captain). The name assumed
|by certain persons who sent threatening
letters to those who used threshing
machines: (1830-1833.) The tenor of
these letters was as follows: —“Sir, if
you do not lay by your threshing
machine, you will hear from Swing.”
“Excesses of the Luddites and Swing."—The
Times. -- .
Swinge-buckler. A roisterer, a
rake. The continuation of Stow's Ajº.
mals tells us that the “blades '' of
I.ondon used to assemble in West Smith-
field with sword and buckler, in the
reign of Queen Elizabeth, on high days
and holidays, for mock fights called
“bragging” fights. They swashed and
swinged their bucklers with much show
of fury, “but seldome was any man
hurt.” (See SWASHBUCKLER.)
“There was I, and little John Doit of Stafford-
Shire, and black George Barnes, and Francis Pick-
bone, and Will Squele, a Cotswold man ; you had
not four such swinge-bucklers in all the Inns-of-
court ; and, I may Say...to you, we knew where the
bona-robas were.”—Shakespeare: 2 Henry IV.,
111. 2.
Swiss. The nickname of a Swiss is
“Colin Tampon” (q.v.). -
No money, no Swiss—i.e. no servant.
The Swiss have ever been the mercen-
aries of Europe—willing to serve anyone
for pay. The same was said of the
ancient Ca'rians." In the hotels of Paris
this notice is common: “Demandez [or
Parlezjau Suisse” (Speak to the porter).
Swiss Boy (The). Music by Mos-
cheles. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Swiss Family Robinson. An
abridged translation of a German tale by
Humboldt. . .* .
Swithin (St.). If it rains, on St.
Swithin's day (15th July), there will be
rain for forty days. (See, GERVAIS.)
“St. Šwithin's day; gif ye do rain, for forty days
it will remain ;... - •. T - -
St. Swithin's day, ſºn, yº be fair, for forty days
'twill rain, nae mair.” . . . . . . .
Joachim Heinrich Kampe, tutor to Baron

The French have two similar pro-
verbs—“S'il pleut le jour de St. Médan ''
(8th June), “il pleut quarante four's plus
tard; ” and “S'il pleut le jour de St.
joº's après.” º . . 4 + · -
The legend is that St. Swithin, Bishop
of Winchester, who died 862, desired to
Gervais” (19th June), “il pleut quarante
Switzers
1196
Sword-makers
be buried in the church-yard of the
minster, that the “sweet rain of heaven
might fall upon his grave.” At canoni-
sation the monks thought to honour
the saint by removing his body into
the choir, and fixed July 15th for the
ceremony; but it rained day after day
for forty days, so that the monks saw
the saints were averse to their project,
and wisely abandoned it.
The St. Swithin of Scotland is St.
Martin of Bouillons. The rainy saint in
Flanders is St. Godeliève ; in Germany,
the Seven Sleepers.
Switzers. Swiss mercenaries. The
king in Hamlet says, “Where are my
Switzers ? Let them guard the door ’’
(iv. 5).
Sword.
swords.
(1) AGRICANE's was called Tranch'era.
Afterwards BRANDEMART's.
(2) ALI's sword was Zulfitgar.
(3) ANTONY's was Philippan, so named
from the battle of Philippi. (Shakespeare:
Antony and Cleopatra, ii. 4.)
(4) ARTEGAL’s was called
(Spense, Faërie Queene.)
(5) ARTHUR'S was called Escalibar,
Evealibar, or Caliburn given to him by
the Lady of the Lake.
(6) SIR BEVIS’s OF HAMPTOUN was
called Morglay.
(7) BITEROLF's was called Schrit.
(8) BRAGGADOCHIO's was called Sang-
lamore. (Faërie Queene.)
(9) CAESAR’s was called Croced. Mors
(yellow death). (See Commentaries,
bk. iv. 4.)
“Erat nomen gladio Crocéa, Mor; qila lullus
evadebat viyus qui eo vulnerabâtur."—Geoffrey of
Monmouth, iv. 4.
(10) CHARLEMAGNE’s were Joyeuse or
Frisberta Joyo'sa, and Flamberge; both
made by Galas.
(11) THE CID's was called Cola'da ; the
sword Tizo'na was taken by him from
Ring Bucar.
(12) CLosAMONT's was called Haute-
claire, made by Galas.
(13) DIETRICH's was Nagelring.
(14) DooDIN's of MAYENCE was called
Merveilleuse (wonderful).
(15) ECR's was called Sacho.
(16) EDWARD THE CONFESSOR's was
called Cºrta’ne (the cutter), a blunt
sword of state carried before the sove-
reigns of England at their coronation,
emblematical of mercy.
(17) ENGLISH ISINGS’ (the ancient) was
called Cºrta'7%a,
Owners’ names for their
Chrysa'or.
(18) FRITHIOF's was called Angurra'-
del (stream of anguish).
(19) HAco I.'s of Norway was called
Quern-biter (foot-breadth). -
(20) HIEME's was called Blutgang.
(21) HILDEBRAND’s was Brimmig.
(22) IRING's was called Waské.
(23) ICoEL, THE THRALLs, Greysteel.
(24) LAUNCELOT OF THE LAKE's,
Aroundight.
(25) MAHOMET's were called Dhai' 7
JFakar (the trenchant), a scimitar; Al
Battar (the beater); Medham (the keen);
Halef (the deadly). -
(26) MAUGIS's or MALAGIGI's was
called Flamberge or Fleberge. He gave
it to his cousin Rinaldo. It was made
by Wieland.
(27) OGIER THE DANE's, Courtain and
Sattvagine, both made by Munifican.
“He [Ogier] drew Courtain, his sword, out of its
Sheath.”—Morris : Earthly Paradise, 634.
(28) OLIVER's was Haute-Claire.
(29) ORLANDo’s was called Durinda'na.
or Durindan, which once belonged to
Hector, and is said to be still preserved
at Rocamadour, in France.
(30) OTUEL's was Corrougue (2 syl.).
(31) RINALDo's was called Fusberta or
JFlamberge (2 syl.). (See above, MAUGIS.)
(32) RogFRO's was called Balisarda.
It was made by a sorceress. -
(33) ROLAND’s was called Durandal,
made by Munifican. This is the French
version of Orlando and Diſrandana.
(34) SIEGFRIED’s was called Balming,
in the Nibelungen-Lied. It was made
by Wieland. Also Gram. Miming was
lent to him by Wittich. -
(35) SINTRAM's was called JWelsung.
(36) STRONG-I’-THE-ARM’s, Baptism,
Florence, and Graban, by Ansias.
(37) THORALF SKOLINSON’s—i.e. Tho-
ralf the Strong, of Norway—was called
Quern-biter (foot-breadth). -
(38), WIELAND. The swords made by
the divine blacksmith were Flamberge
and Balmung, -
Sword-makers.
ANSIAs, GALAS, and MUNIFICAN made
three swords each, and each Sword took
three years a-making. - -
ANSIAs. The three swords made by
this cutler were Baptism, Florence, and
Graban, all made for Strong-i’-the-
Arm. -
GALAs. The three swords made by
this cutler were Flamberge (2 syl.) and
Joyeuse for Charlemagne ; and Hatte-
claire for Closamont. -
MUNIFICAN. The three swords made
- by this cutler were Durandal, for Roland;
Sword-makers
1197
Sword (phrases)
Sauvagine and Courtain for Ogier the
Dane.
WIELAND (“the divine blacksmith ”)
also made two famous swords—viz.
Flamberge, for Maugis ; and Balmung,
for Siegfried.
N.B. Oliver's sword, called Glorious,
hacked all the nine swords of Ansias,
Galas, and Munifican “a foot from the
pommel.” (Croquemitaine.)
An alphabetical list of the famous
swords : —
All Batta?" (the beater), one of Mahomet's
SW () l’(IS. -
Angwrva (stream of anguish), Frithiof's sword.
Ar’oundight(? AEron-diht), the sword of Launct:-
lot of the Lake.
Iłalisarda, Rogero's sword, made by a sorceress.
J3almºlºg, One of the Swords of Siegfried, made
by Wieland, “the divine blacksmith.”
Baptism, one of the swords of Strong-i'-the-Arm,
which took Ansia's three years to make.
Plutgang (blood-fetcher), Hieme's sword.
Brimmig (flaming), Hildebrand's Sword.
Caliburn, Arthur's Sword.
Chryś(t07" (SWOrd of gold, i.e. as good as gold).
Artegal's Sword. . -
Colāda, the Cid's Sword.
Corrowgue, Otuel's Sword.
Countain (the short sword), one of the swords of
Ogier the Dane, which took Munifican three years
to make. -
Croced. Mors (yellow death), Caesar's sword.
Curtáma (? the short sword). (See Edward the
Confessor and English kings.)
Dhw' l Falcór (the trenchant), Mahomet's scimi-
t{ll'.
Durandal, Šame as Duramdam. Roland's sword,
Which took Munifican three years to make.
Duramdan, or Durandana (the inflexible), Or-
lando's Sword.
Escalibar, or Ea:calibar, the sword of King
Arthur. (Ea: callſce]liber[are], to liberate from the
Stone.) (See below, SWORD EXCALIB Alt.)
F'lambérge or Floberge (2 syl., the flame-cutter),
One of Charlemagne's swords, and also the sword
of lºnaldo, Whicla took Gallas three years to
1ll:LRG
I'lamboºſte, the Sword of Maugis or Malagigi,
lmade by Wieland, “the divine blacksmith.”
R'lorence, one of the swords of Strong-i'-the-Arm,
which took Ansias three years to make.
Fatsberta Joyösa, another name for Joyeuse
(q.v.). - *
Glorious, Oliver's sword, which lacked to pieces
#. nine SWOrdS made by Ansias, Galas, and Mun-
I Il Cºl. 1).
Grabſtºn (the grave-digger), one of the swords of
Strong-i'-the-Arm, which took Ansias three years -
to make, .
Gram (grief), one of the swords of Siegfried.
Grey steel, the Sword of Koll the Thrall.
Haute-clºting (2 Syl., very bright), both Closa-
mont's and Oliver's swords were so called. Closa-
lmont's SWOrd took Gallas three years to make.
Iſalef (the deadly), one of Mahomet's swords.
Joyeltse (2 Syl., joyous), one of Charlemagne's
ŠWords, Which took Gallas three years to make.
Mandousian Swords (q.v.).
Medham (the keen), one of Mahomet's swords.
Merveillettsé (the marvellous), Doolin's sword.
Mimumg, the Sword that Wittich lent Siegfried.
iſºlau, i.e. mor-glaif (big glaive), Sir jševis’s
SWOl"Cl.
Nagelring (nail-ring), Dietrich's sword.
Philippan. The Sword of Antony, one of the
tl’illinnvil’S.
Querºl-bite. (a foot-breadth), both Haco I. and
Thoralf Skolinson had a sword so called. .
Nacho, Eck's Sword.
Sams(tmhtt Haroun-al-Raschid's sword.
Sanglamoré (the big bloody glaive), Braggado-
chio's Sword.
Satwagºné (3 Syl., the relentless), one of the **
swords of Ogier the Dane, which took Munifican
three years to make.
Schrit or Schritt (? the lopper), Biterolf's Sword.
C Tizóna (the poker), King Bucar's sword. (See
II).)
Tramchāra (the trenchant), Agricane's sword.
Watske (2 Syl.), Iring's sword.
Welsung, both Dictlieb and Sintralia luad a sword
SO called.
Zuylagar, Ali's sword.
Sword Excalibar (The). At the
death of Uter Pendragon there were
many claimants to the crown ; the
were all ordered to assemble in ‘‘the
great church of London,” on Christmas
Eve, and found a sword stuck in a stone
and anvil with this inscription: “He
who can draw forth this sword, the same
is to be king.” The knights tried to pull
it out, but were unable. One day, when
a tournament was held, young Arthur
wanted a sword and took this one, not
knowing it was a charmed instrument,
whereupon he was universally acknow-
ledged to be the God-elected king. This
was the sword of Excalibar. (History
of Prince Arthur, i. 3.) -
The enchánted sword (in Amadis of
Gaul). Whoever drew this sword from
a rock was to gain access to a subter-
ranean treasure. (Cap. cxxx. See also
caps. lxxii. and Xcix.)
Sword of God (The). Rhaled Ibn al
Waled was so called for his prowess at
the battle of Muta.
Sword of Rome (The). Marcellus,
who opposed Hannibal. (B.C. 216-214.)
Sword of the Spirit (The). The
Word of God (Eph. vi. 17).
"I Sword (phrases and proverbs).
At swords' point. In deadly hostility,
ready to fight each other with swords.
I’oke not fire with a sword. This was
a precept of Pythagoras, meaning add
not fuel to fire, or do not irritate an
angry man by sharp words which will
only increase his rage. (See Iamblichus : .
Potreptics, symbol ix.)
To put to the sword. To slay.
Your tongue is a double-edged sword.
You first say one thing and then the
contrary; your argument cuts both ways.
The allusion is to the double-edged sword
out of the mouth of the Son of Man—one
edge to condemn, and the other to save. .
(Rev. i. 16.) -
Yours is a Delphic sword—it cuts both
ways. Erasmus says a Delphic sword is
that which accommodates itself to the
pro or coſt. of a subject. The reference
is to the double meanings of the Delphic
oracles, called in Greek Delphiké mach-
(!??'(!, - . . . . . *
Sword - and Cloak
Sword and Cloak Plays. So Cal-
derón called topical or modern comedies,
because the actors wore cloaks and
swords "(worn by gentlemen of the
period) instead of heraldic, antique, or
dramatico-historic dresses, worn in
tragedy. - . . * * : * '
Swords. Prohibited. Gaming ran
high at Bath, and frequently led to dis-
putes and resort to the sword, then
generally carried by well-dressed men.
Swords were therefore prohibited by
Nash in the public rooms; still they
were worn in the streets, whén Nash, in
consequence of a duel fought by torch-
light by two notorious gamesters, made
the rule absolute—“That no swords
should on any account be worn in Bath.”
Sworn Brothers, “in the Old
English law, were persons who by
mutual oath covenanted to share each
other's fortune.” (Burrill.) *
Sworn at Highgate. (See IIIGH-
GATE.) . . . . .
Sybarite (3 syl.). A self-indulgent
person ; a wanton. The inhabitants of
Syb'aris, in South Italy, were proverbial
for their luxurious living and self-
indulgence. A tale is told by Seneca.
of a Sybarite who complaimed that he
could not rest comfortably at night, and
being asked why, replied, “He found a
rose-leaf doubled under him, and it hurt
him.” (See RIPAILLE.) .
“All is calm as would delight the heart
Of Sybarite of old.” . - . .
. Thomson: Castle of Indolence, canto i.
Sybarite.
horses to dance to the sound of a pipe.
When the Crotonians marched against
Sybaris they began to play on their
pipes, whereupon all the Sybarite horses
drawn out in array before the town
began to dance; disorder soon prevailed
in the ranks, and the victory was quick
and easy. - - . .
Sycamore and Sycomore. Syca-
more is the plane-tree of the maple
family (Acer pseudo-platánts, or greater .
maple). The sycomore is the Egyptian
fig-tree (Greek, sitkomoros, Sukos, a fig).
The tree into which Zacchaeus climbed
(Luke xix. 4) to see Christ pass is
wrongly called a sycamore or maple, as
it was the sycomore or wild fig.
French have translated the word cor-
rectly——“[It] montait sur un sycomore
pour le voir.”
Sycophant, from the Greek suko-
phantés, “fig-blabbers.” The men of
Athens passed a law forbidding the
1198
The Sybarites taught their
carry coals to Newcastle,
The .
Sylvester.
exportation of figs ; the law was little
more than a dead letter, but there were
always found mean fellows who, for
their own private ends, impeached those
who violated it ; hence sycophant came
to signify first a government toady, and
then a toady generally. - .
“I here use * sycophant,” in ifs original sense, aş
a wretch who flatters the prevailing, party by in-
fºrming against his neighbours, under pretence
tlyt they are exporters ºf prohibited ſigs.”—Cole-
rid.ſe : Biography, vol. iii. chap. x. p. 286.
Syc'orax... A witch, whose son was
Caliban. (Shakespeare : The Tempest.)
Syenite. A granite so called from
- Syene, in Egypt, its great quarry.
Syl'Iogism. The five hexameter
verses which contain the symbolic names
of all the different syllogistic figures are
as follow:— * . . . . . . . . .
“Barbara, Celärent, parii, Ferº ſue, prioris.
Cesáre, Camestres, Festinč, Baröſöö, secunda?,
Tertia, Darapti, Disãmis, Daltiji, Felapton,
Bokardó, Ferisón, habet. Quarta insuper addit
Bramantip,Camé.ies, Dīmāris, Fesāpo, Fresison."
N.B. The vowel . . . . ..
...A. universal affirmative.
F universal negative.
I particular affirmative.
() particular negative.
Taking the first line as the standard,
the initial letters of all the words below
it show to which standard the syllogism
is to be reduced ; thus, Baröko is to be
reduced to “Barbara,” Cesáre to “Celä-
rent,” and so on.
Sylphs, according to Middle Age
belief, are the elemental spirits of air ;
so named by the Rosicrucians and Cabal-
ists, from the Greek silphé (a butterfly
or moth). (See GNOMES.)
Sylphs. . Any mortal who has pre-
served inviolate chastity may enjoy in-
timate familiarity with these gentle
spirits. All coquettes at death become
sylphs, “and sport and flutter in the
fields of air.”
“Whoever, fair and chaste, -
Rejects mankind, is by Some Sylph embraced.”
. Pope: Ittupe of the Lock, i.
Sylvam Lignum Ferre (In). To
The French
say, “Porter de l'eau & la rivière.” To do
a work of supererogation ; to paint the
lily, or add another perfume to the
violet, or perform any other Superfluous
or ridiculous excess.
Sylvester (St.). The pope who con-
verted Constantine the Great and his
mother by “the miracle of restoring to
life a dead ox.”
magician for a trial of skill, and he who
The ox was killed by a
restored it to life was to be accounted
the servant of the true God. This tale
Sylvius Bonus
11.99
Symbols of Saints
is manifestly an imitation of the Bible
story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.
(1 Kings xviii.). ... -
Sylvius Bo'nus. Supposed to be
Coif the Good, a contemporary of Auso'-
nius, who often mentions him ; but not
even the titles of his works are known.
He was a British writer.
Symbol originally meant the corre-
ponding part of a tally, ticket, or coin
out in twain. The person who presented
the piece which fitted showed a
“symbol’’ of his right to what he
claimed. (Greek, Sun ballo, to put or
cast together.) - -
Symbols of Saints. .
SAINTS. - SYMBOLs. . . .
Carrying her breasts in a dish.
A gath (t
Agathhom A book and crozier. . .
A gºveš . A lami) at her Side.
Anttsta'sitt . A palm branch.
Andrew . . . A saltire cross. . . . . .
A 71, it (3 * . A book in her hand.
A nth;0773) A tau cross, with a bell at the
-- end, and a pig by his side.
Apol{v'Ivić . . ... A tooth and palm branch. She
: is applied to by those Who
- suffer from toothache. -
Asaph and Aydan. A Crozier. . . .
3atrba tºtl, .. ... A book and Palm branch.
Buruabats . . ... A staff in one hand and an
open book in the other ; or
a rake. .
A knife; ora, processional cross.
Iron combs, with which his
: body was torn to pieces.
I}ridget . . . . A crozier and book. -
Outtliering . . ... An in verted Sword, Or large
I3/17%h olopme?U
13 lutise * * s &
- wheel. -
Cecil iſt, tº tº ... Tºlaying on a harp Or Organ.
Christopher . . . A gigantic figure. Carrying
Chlºist OVer a river. ',
A palth branch. . . . . * : * >
A papal crown, or an anchor.
He was drowned with an
anchor, tied round his neck;
also a pot. -
Cl(tºre . . & &
Clement . . . . . .
cº, a..."). Two shoemakers at work.
Cuthbert .. . St. Osbald's head in his hand. ,
I) a vid tº º . . A leek, in commemoration of
his victory over the Saxons.
Holding his mitred head in
his band. - - . . . . "
Carrying a basket of fruit. .
Crowned with a nimbus, and
§ holding a Sceptre. . . . .
St. John and the lamb at her
.
Denys • * tº a
Dorothy . . a º
JEducat)'d the }
Confessor w
Blizabeth. . .
feet.
Fºlith, * * ... A gridiron,
Feliac. . . . ... An anchor.
F'tower . . ... Her head in her hand, and a
flower sprouting out of her
Theck. . - . . . . . . . . ." ... . "
A Seraph inflicting the five
Wounds of Christ ; or a lily
on a trampled globe.
Francis . .
I'yacre . Arrayed in a long robe, pray-
' . . . . . . 'ing and holding his beads:
- in One hand. . . . . .
Gabriel & . A flower-pot full of lilies he-
tween him and the Virgin.
George Mounted on horseback, and
. . - * transfixing a dragon. .
Giles . . . . . . . A hind, with its head in the
Saint's lap. -
Ijivatitts . . . - - - - - - , º ,
- - - - - breast or in the sky, circled
º * . » with a glory. Fairhold says
the mystery of the Trinity,
was thus revealed to him.
A pilgrim's staff; or a seallop
James the tº
}.. ºn
Greater.
Margaret ". .
Itoche. . . . . .
Sł477.0% gº º
The monogram T.H.S. on the
*-*-***
SAINTS. SYMBOLS. - -
James the Less ... A fuller's pole. He was killed
- by Simon the fuller.
John Baptist ... A camel-hair garment, Small
rude cross, and a lamb at
, his feet. -
John Evangelist.. A chalice, out of which a
dragon or serpent is issuing,
- and an open book ; , or a
young man with an eagle
in the background. (Ezekiel
vii. I-10.)
A blue hat, and studying a
large folio volume,
With a club or lance.
Ferrying travellers across a
Stl’ea,h]. -
A book and gridiron. ...
A king kneeling, with , the
arms of France at his feet ;
a bishop blessing him, and
a dove, descending On his
head. gº
A crozier and hammer. He is
the patron Saint of SmithS.
Jerome . . tº e
Jude. . . *
Julian ... • *
:
Littºrence . . .
Lottis • * : * * ,
*
L0y . . . . . .
Lºtcy . . . . . With a short staff in her hand,
and the devil behind her ;
- or with eyes in a dish. (See
. . . . . . . . ... LUgy.) -
Luke. * * ... Sitting at a reading-desk, be-
neath which appears an ox's
... head; or pictorially engaged
upon a Bambino. (Ezekiel
vii. 1-10.)
Treading on a dragon, or
- ... piercing it with the cross.
Mark; .. . A trian seated writing, With a
: lion couchant at his feet. .
Martin, . . ... On , horseback, dividing his
. . . . cloak with a beggar behind
him. On foot.
Carrying the child Jesus, and a
- lily is somewhere displayed,
Mary Magdalem. A box of ointment.
Matthew . . . . . With a halberd, with which
. . Nădăbarkiiied him. As an
- evangelist, he holds a pen,
with which he is writing on
a scroll. The most ancient
symbol is a man's face.
(Ezekiel Vii. 1-10.) .
Mary the Virgºm..
Michael . . . . In armour, with , a cross, or
. . .” - else holding scales, in which
- - - he is Weighing SoulS. ,
Nicholas
A tub with naked infants in
it. ... He is patron Saint of
children. . . . . .
Paul. . tº gº A Sword and a book. Dressed
as a ROman. . . . . . .
I’ete?’ gº tº Keys and a triple cross ; or a
fish ; or a cock.
Philip . . . . . A jºstoral staff, surmounted
with a croSS. He Was hung
on a tall pillar. . . §
A wallet, and a dog with a loaf
in its mouth sitting by. He
shows a boilin his thigh.
Bound to a tree, his arms tied
behind him, and his body
transfixed with arrows. Two
archers stand by his side;
sometimes presenting a
sheaf of arrows to the Lord.
A Saw, because he was Sawn
as under. . . - . . . . .
A book and a stone in his hand.
The devil holding her hand,
and tempting her. * * *
Armed with a hallerd in his
hand, and with a Sabre by
his Side. - - . . .
With a builder's rule, or a
stone in his hand, or holding
- the lance with which he
was slain at Meliapour. .
Thomas of Can- } Iºneeling, and a man behind
terbºtºy him striking at him. With a
- SWOrd." . . . -
Urszula . . ... A book and arrows, She was
shot through with arrows
by the Prince of the Huns
(See AposTLEs, EvangBLISTs, etc.)
Sebastian . . . .
Stephem. . .
Theodora. . .
Theodore ...
Thomas . . tº a
Symbolism of Colours
1200
Tabard
Symbols of other sacred characters.
Abraham . . An old man grasping a knife,
ready to Strike his Son ISaac,
who is bound on an altar.
A n angel arrests his hand,
and a ram is caught in the
thicket.
Kneeling, above is an angel
with a sword. Sometimes
he is represented playing a
hal'I).
With bow and arrows, going
to Innect Jacol).
Job . . tº sº ... Sitting naked on the ground,
with three friends talking
to him.
Conversing with his brothers.
J3enjamin is represented as
a linere boy.
With a money bag. In the
last Supper he has knocked
over the Salt With his right
r
J) avid
Jºsant
Joseph
Judas Iscatriot . .
6 ||YOW.
With Holofernes' head in One
hand, and a Sabre in the
other'.
IS represented as looking out
of the ark window at a dove,
which is flying to the ark,
Olive branch in its hea.k.
Is represented as arrayed in a
rich tunic and crowned. A
harp is placed behind him.
Is represented in royal robes,
standing under an arch.
Symbolism of Colours, whether
displayed in dresses, the background
of }. or otherwise :
lack typifies grief, death.
Blue, hope, love of divine works; (in
dresses) divine contemplation, piety, sin-
cerity.
Pale blue, peace, Christian prudence,
love of good works, a serene conscience.
Gold, glory and power.
Green, faith, gladness, immortality,
the resurrection of the just ; (in dresses)
the gladness of the faithful.
Pale green, baptism.
Grey, tribulation.
Purple, justice, royalty.
Red, martyrdom for faith, charity; (in
dresses) divine love.
Rose-colour, martyrdom. Innocent III.
says of martyrs and apostles, “JHà et ill;
sunt flores rosarum et lilia convallium.”
(De Sacr. alto Myst., i. 64.)
Saffron, confessors.
Scarlet, the fervour and glory of wit-
messes to the Church.
Silver, chastity and purity.
Violet, penitence. -
White, purity, temperance, innocence,
chastity, faith; (in dresses) innocence
and purity.
Judith
Noath,
Rimg Saul . .
Solomon,
Symbolism of Metals and Gems.
Amethyst typifies humility.
I)iamond, invulnerable faith.
Gold, glory, power.
Sardonya, sincerity.
Sapphire, hope.
Silver, chastity, purity.
Syrens of the Ditch. Frogs. So
called by Tasso.
Syr'ia, says Richardson, derives its
name from Suri (a delicate rose); hence
Suristan (the land of roses). The Jews
called Syria, Aram.
Syrtis. A quicksand. Applied es-
pecially to a part of the African coast.
(Greek syrtis.)
T
T, in music, stands for Tutti (all),
meaning all the instruments or voices
are to join. It is the opposite of S for
Solo. -
-t- inserted with a double hyphen
between a verb ending with a vowel and
the pronouns elle, il, or on, is called “t
ephelcystic,” as, aime-t-il, dire-t-on.
(See N, MARKS IN GRAMMAR.)
Marked with a T. Criminals con-
victed of felony, and admitted to the
benefit of clergy, were branded on the
brawn of the thumb with the letter T
(thief). The law was abolished by 7
and 8 George IV., c. 27.
It fits to a 7. Exactly. The allusion
is to work that mechanics square with
a T-rule, especially useful in making
right angles, and in obtaining perpen-
diculars on paper or wood.
The saintly T’s. Sin Tander, Sin
Tantony, Sin Tawdry, Sin Tausin, Sin
Tedmund, and Sin Telders; otherwise
St. Andrew, St. Anthony, St. Audry, St.
Austin [Augustine], St. Edmund, and
St. Ethelred. Tooley is St. Olaf.
T.Y.C., in the language of horse-
racing, means the Two-Year-Old Course
scurries. Under six furlongs.
T-Rule (A). A ruler shaped like a
Greek T. (See above.)
Tab. An old Tab. An old maid ;
an old tabby or cat. So called because
old maids usually make a cat their com-
panion.
Tab'ard. The Tabard, in Southwark,
is where Chaucer supposes his pilgrims
to have assembled. The tabard was a
jacket without sleeves, whole before,
open on both sides, with a square collar,
winged at the shoulder like a cape, and
worn by military nobles over their
armour. It was generally emblazoned
with heraldic devices. Heralds still wear
a tabard.
“Item . . . a chascun ung grand tâbart
Decordelier, jusques aux pieds.” ...
Le Petit Testament de Maistre François Willom,
Tabardar
1201
Tabouret,
Tab'ardar. A sizar of Queen’s Col-
lege, Oxford. So called because his
gown has tabard sleeves—that is, loose
sleeves, terminating a little below the
elbow in a point.
Tab'arin. He’s a Tabarim—a merry
Andrew. Tabarin was the fellow of
Mondor, a famous vendor of quack
medicines in the reign of Charles IX.
By his antics and coarse wit he collected
great crowds, and both he and his
master grew rich. Tabarin bought a
handsome château in Dauphiné, but the
aristocracy out of jealousy murdered
him.
Tabby, a cat, so called because the
brindlings of the tabby were thought to
resemble the waterings of the silk of the
name. (French, tabis ; Italian, etc.,
tabi; Persian, retabi, a rich figured silk.)
“Demurest of the tabby kind,
The pensive Selima reclined.” Gay.
Tabla Rasa (Latin). A clean slate
on which anything can be written.
“When a girl has been taught to keep her mind
a tablet rasa, till she colues to years of discretion,
She will be more free to act on hel' () W Il natural
illn pulses.”—W. S. If. -
Table. Apellés' table. A pictured
table, representing the excellency of
sobriety on one side, and the deformity
of intemperance on the other.
Tables of Celés. Cebes was a Theban
philosopher, a disciple of Socrates, and
one of the interlocutors of Plato's
Phado. His Tables or Tableau supposes
him to be placed before a tableau or
panorama representing the life of man,
which the philosopher describes with
great accuracy of judgment and splend-
our of sentiment. This tableau is some-
times appended to Epictáčus.
Table of Pythag'oras. The common
multiplication table, carried up to ten.
The table is parcelled off into a hundred
little squares or cells. (See TABULAE.)
Jönights of the Round Table. A mili-
tary order instituted by Arthur, the
“first king of the Britons,” A.D. 516.
Some say they were twenty-four in
number, some make the number as high
as 150, and others reduce the number to
twelve. They were all seated at a
round table, that no one might claim a
post of honour.
The Twelve Tables. The tables of the
Roman laws engraved on brass, brought
from Athens to Rome by the decemvirs.
Turning the tables. Rebutting a
charge by bringing forth a counter-
charge. Thus, if a husband accuses
his wife of extravagance in dress, she
“turns the tables upon him '' by accus-
ing him of extravagance in his club.
The Romans prided themselves on their
tables made of citron wood from Mau-
rita'nia, inlaid with ivory, and sold at a
most extravagant price—some equal to
a senator’s income. When the gentle-
men accused the ladies of extravagance,
the ladies retorted by reminding the
gentlemen of what they spent in tables.
Pliny calls this taste of the Romans
mensa'rum insania.
It is also used for “audi alteram
partem,” and the allusion is then slightly
modified—“We have considered the
wife’s extravagance; let us now look to
the husband’s.”
“We will now turn the tables, and show the
hexameters in all their vigour.”—The Times.
Table d’Hôte [the host's table]. An
ordinary. In the Middle Ages, and even
down to the reign of Louis XIV., the
landlord’s table was the only public
dining-place known in Germany and
France. The first restaurant was opened
in Paris during the reign of the Grand
Momarque, and was a great success.
Table Money. Money appropriated
to the purposes of hospitality.
Table-Turning. The presumed art
of turning tables without the applica-
tion of mechanical force. Said by some
to be the work of departed Spirits, and
by others to be due to a force akin to
mesmerism. Jackson Davis (the Seer of
Poughkeepsie), a cobbler, professed, in
1848, to hear “spirit voices in the air.”
(See SPIRITUALISM.) -
Tableaux Vivants (French, living
pictures). Representations of statuary
groups by living persons, invented by
Madame Genlis while she had charge of
the children of the Duc d’Orléans.
Tabooed. Devoted. Forbidden. This
is a Polynesian term, and means conse-
crated or set apart. Tike the Greek
anathema, the Latin Sacer, the French
sacre, etc., the word has a double mean-
ing—One to consecrate, and one to incur
the penalty of violating the consecra-
tion. (See TAPU.)
Tab'orites (3 syl.). A sect of TIus-
sites in Bohemia. So called from the
fortress Tabor, about fifty miles from
Prague, from which Nicholas von Hussi-
neez, one of the founders, expelled the
Imperial army. They are now incor-
porated with the Bohemian Brethren.
Tabouret. The right of sitting in
the presence of the queen. In the
76
Tabulae Toletanae 1.
2 Taghairm.
ancient French court certain ladies had
the droit de tabouret (right of sitting on a
tabouret in the presence of the queen).
At first it was limited to princesses;
but subsequently it was extended to all
the chief ladies of the queen's house-
hold ; and later still the wives of am-
bassadors, dukes, lord chancellor, and
keeper of the seals, enjoyed the privi-
lege. Gentlemen similarly privileged
had the droit de fauteuil.
* Qui me résister:lit
La marquise a le tabouret.”
Bertinger: Le Marquis de Caritbats.
Tab'ulae Toleta'nae. The astro-
nomical tables composed by order of
Alphonso X. of Castile, in the middle of
the thirteenth century, were so called
because they were adapted to the city of
Tole'do.
“His Talyles Tolletanes forth he brought,
b'ul wel corrected, he ther lakked nöught.”
Chaucer : Canterbury Tales, J 1,585.
Ta'oe (2 syl.). Latin for candle. Si-
lence is most discreet. Tace is Latin for
‘‘ be silent,” and candle is symbolical of
light. The phrase means “keep it
dark,” do not throw light upon it.
Fielding, in his Amelia (chap. x.), says,
‘‘ Tace, madam, is Latin for candle.”
There is an historical allusion worth re-
membering. It was customary at one
time to express disapprobation of a play
or actor by throwing a candle on the
stage, and when this was done the cur-
tain was immediately drawn down.
Oultor (vol. i. p. 6), in his History ºf
the Theatres of London, gives us an in-
stance of this which occurred January
25th, 1772, at Covent Garden theatre,
when the piece before the public was An
IIow). Before Marriage. Someone threw
a candle on the stage, and the curtain
was dropped at once.
“There are some auld stories that cannot be
ripped up again with entire Safety to all concerned.
Tace is Latin for candle.”—Sir W. Scott : Redgſºunt-
left, chap. xi. (Sir Walter is rather fond of the
phrase.)
“Muyn, William. mum. Tatce is Latin for
candle.”— W. B. Yeats : Fairy Tales of the Irish,
Peatsaºtry, p. 250.
N.B. We have several of these old
phrases; one of the best is, “Brandy is
Latin for goose ’’ (q.v.).
Tache"brune (2 syl.). The horse
of Ogier le Dane. The word means
“brown-spot.” (See HoRSE.)
Taenia Rationis. Show of argument.
Argument which seems prima facie
plausible and specious, but has no real
depth or value.
“Mr. Spencer is again afflicted with his old
complaint taenia, rationis, and takes big words for
real things.” – Fra Olla : Mr. Spencer's First
Principles. -
Taë'-pings. Chinese rebels. The
word means Universal Peace, and arose
thus: Hung-sew-tSeuen, a man of hum-
ble birth, and an unsuccessful candidate
for a government office, was induced by
some missionary tracts to renounce idol-
atry, and found the society of Taë-ping,
which came into collision with the im-
perial authorities in 1850. Hung now
gave out that he was the chosen instru-
ment in God’s hands to uproot idolatry
and establish the dynasty of Universal
Peace ; he assumed the title of Taş-
ping-wang (Prince of Universal Peace),
and called his five chief officers princes.
Nankin was made their capital in 1860,
but Colonel Gordon (called Chinese Gor-
don) in 1864 quelled the insurrection,
and overthrew the armies of Hung.
Taffata, or Taffety. A fabric made
of silk : at one time it was watered ;
hence Taylor says, “No taffaty more
changeable than they.” “ Notre not
taffeta est formé, par onomatopée, dºt braſit
que fait cette étaffe.” (Francisque-
Michel.)
‘. The falºric has often changed its character.
At one time it was sºlk and linen, at an other silk
and wool. In the eighteenth century it was luš-
trous silk, sometimes Striped with gold.
Taffada phrases. Smooth sleek phrases,
euphemisms. We also use the words
fustian, stuff, silken, shoddy, buckram,
velvet, satin, lutestring, etc., etc., to
qualify phrases and literary compositions
spoken or written.
“Taſſata phrases, silken terms 1 recise,
Three-piled hyperboles.”
Shakespeare : Love's Labour's Lost, V. 2.
Taffy. A Welshman. So called from
David, a very common Welsh name.
David, familiarly Davy, becomes in
Welsh Taffid, Taffy.
Tag Rag, and Bobtail. The ret'gº's
ignobile. A “tag” is a doe in the second
year of her age; a “rag,” a herd of
deer at rutting time; “bobtail,” a fawn
just weaned.
* According to Halliwell, a sheep of
the first year is called a taff. Tag is
sometimes written Shaff. -
“It will swallow us all up, ships and men, shag,
rag, and bobtail.”—IRabelſtis: Pºttagruel, iv. 33.
Tag'hairm (2 syl.). A means em-
ployed by the Scotch in inquiring into
futurity. A person wrapped up in the
hide of a fresh-slain bullock was placed
beside a waterfall, or at the foot of a
precipice, and there left to meditate on
the question propounded. Whatever his
fancy suggested to him in this wild
•
Taherites I
..)
4-l
03
Talze in Towy
situation passed for the inspiration of
his disembodied Spirit.
- “Last evening-tide
|Brian an augury hatlı tried,
Of that kind which must not be
Unless in dread ex Ll'elmity, ,
The Taghairm called.” *
Sir Wallier Scott: Lady of the Lake, iv. 4.
Taherites (3, Syl.). A dynasty of
five kings who reigned in Khorassan for
H F Exr. Bars (820-872 So called
fifty-two years (82 * , e. o, cauſe
from the founder, Taher, general of the
Calif's army.
Tail. Lion’s tail. Lions, according
to legend, wipe out their footsteps with
their tail, that they may not be tracked.
Twisting the lion's tail. (See TwisT-
ING...)
JHe has no more tail than a Many eſtſ.
'There is a breed of cats in the Isle of Man
without tails.
Tails. Tho men of TCent are born
with tails, as a punishment for the
murder of Thomas à Becket. (Lambert.
Peramb.) (See the Spectator, 173.)
* For Becket's Sake, Kent always shall haye tº lils.”
- ..! Ital retly A1ctrºcł.
ſºils. It is said that the Ghilane
race, which number between 30,000 and
40,000, and dwell “far beyond the Sen-
naar,” have tails three or four inches
long. Colonel du Corret tells us he care-
fully examined one of this race named
Bellal, the slave of an emir in Mecca,
whose house he frequented. (JWorld ºf
JP'onders, p. 206.)
The Niam-niams of Africa, are tailed,
so we are told.
Tails. The Chinese men were made
to shave their heads and wear a queue or
tail by the Manchu Tartars, who, in the
seventeenth century, subdued the coun-
try, and compelled the men to adopt the
Manchu dress. The women were allowed
to compress their feet as before, although
the custom is not adopted by the
Tartars.
*: “Anglicits a tergo caudam gerit ‘’
probably refers to the pigtails once
WOTIl.
Tailors. The three tailors of Tooley
Streeſ. Canning says that three tailors
of Tooley Street, Southwark, addressed
a petition of grievances to the House of
Commons, beginning—“We, the people
of England.” (See WAUGEIAN.) -
Nine tailors make a man. The present
scope of this expression is that a tailor
is so much more feeble than another
man that it would take nine of them
to make a man of average stature and
strength. There is a tradition that all
Orphan lad, in 1742, applied to a fashion-
able London tailor for alms. There
were nine journeymen in the establish-
ment, each of whom contributed some-
thing to set the little Orphan up with a
fruit barrow. The little merchant in
time became rich, and adopted for his
motto, ‘‘Nine tailors made me a man,”
or “Nine tailors make a man.” This
certainly is not the Origin of the ex-
pression, inasmuch as we find a similar
one used by Taylor a century before that
date, and referred to as of old standing,
even then.
“Some foolish knave, I thinke, at first, began
The slander that three taylºrs are one unan.”
Taylor : Workes, iii. 73'(1930).
* Another suggestion is this: At the
death of a man the tolling bell is rung
ll’i C62 UIll'630 UO) IS ... :), U 51.3 ath of a
thrice three tolls ; at the death of a
woman it is rung only three-two tolls.
Hence nine tolls indicate the death of a
man. Halliwell gives telled = told, and
a tolling-bell is a teller. In regard to
“make,” it is the French faire, as On le
faisait ſhort, i.e. Some one gave out or
made it known that he was dead.
“The fourlymo of the Trinitie was foundled in
Jºhanne. . . . A daill Our forefat,ller, . . . and R. ve
of Adam the secunde personne, and of thein both
was the third persone. At the death of a manne
three bells Schulle lie ronge as his kny]], in wor-
sºlieppe of the Trinite-for a womaniae, who is
the Secunde personne of the Trinitie, two l;elies
schulde he rungen.”—An old English IIomity for
Trimity Stºclay. (See Strutt : Man wers and Cas-
twins, V Öl. iii. p. 176.)
Tailor's Sword (A), or A Tailor's
Bagger. A needle.
“The tailors cross-legged on their boards,
Needle-arm:ed, hand-extended, lºrepared
To stab the black cloth with tileir swords [to
make up mourning], .
The instant that death is declare].” - - -
Peter Pindar: Great Cry axd Little Wool, Epist. i.
Take a Back Seat (To). To be
set aside ; to be deferred for the present.
A parliamentary phrase. -
“When there seemed to be a tendency. . . . to
make the Irish questiºn, in the cant of the day,
* take a lack, seat,' Unjouist in (lignatiºn knew no
bounds.”—The Daily Grit plaic, Fe:yruary 9th, 1893.
‘ī’ake a Hair of the Dog that Băț,
You. After, a debauch, take a little
wine the next day. Take a cool draught
of ale in the morning, after a night's
excess. The advice was given literally
in ancient times, “If a dog bites you,
put a hair of the dog into the wound,” .
on the homoeopathic principle of “Siami-
liſt similibus citritnău,' '' (like cures like).
Talke in Tow (To). Take under
guidance. A man who takes a lad in tow
acts as his guide and director. To tow a
ship or barge is to guide and draw it
along by tow-lines.
“Too lºroud for bards to take in tow my name.”
--- Peter Pindar: P'utuj e Laureate, Part ii.
Take Mourning
1204
Talking Bird
Take Mourning (To). Attending
church the Sunday after a funeral. It
is the custom, especially in the northern
counties, for all the mourners, and some-
times the bearers also, to sit in a specific
pew all together the Sunday after a
funeral. It matters not what place of
worship they usually attend-–all unite
in the “taking mourning.”
Take Tea, with Him (I), i.e. I
floor my adversary by winning every
rubber. If he beats me in billiards, he
“has me on toast.” (India), Slang.)
Talkin' the Beuk. A Scotch phrase
for family worship.
Taking On. Said of a woman in
hysterics; to fret ; to grieve passionately,
as, “Come, don’t take on so I ?”
“Ilamce, who . . . took upon himself, the whole
burden of Dame Debbitch's . . . * taking on, as
Such fits of passio hysterica are usually termed.”
—Sir W. Scott : Peveril of the Peale, chap. xxvi.
Taking a Sight. Putting the right
thumb to the nose and spreading the
fingers out. This is done as much as to
say, “Do you see any green in my eye?”
“Tell that to the marines; ” “Credat
Judaits, moſt ego.” Captain Marryat tells
us that some “ of the old coins of Den-
mark represent Thor with his thumb to
his nose, and his four fingers extended
in the air ; ” and Panurge (says Rabe-
lais, Pantagruel, book ii. 19), “suddenly
lifted his right hand, put his thumb to
his nose, and spread his fingers straight
out ’’ to express incredulity.
“The jºistan he says no word that indicates a
But §§ 'his thumb unto his nose, and Spreads
his fingers out.” Imgoldsby : Nell Coolc.
Taking Time by the Forelock.
Seize the present moment ; “Carpe
diem.” Time personified is represented
with a lock of hair on his forehead but
mone on the rest of his head, to signify
that time past cannot be used, but time
present may be seized by the forelock.
Tal’botype (3 Syl.). A photographic
process invented in 1839 by Fox Talbot,
who called it “the Calotype Process.”
(S. e DAGUERREOTYPE.)
Tale (1 syl.). A tally; a reckoning.
In Exod. v. we have tale of bricks. A
measure by number, not by weight.
An old wife's tale. Any marvellous
legendary story.
To tell tales out of school. To utter
abroad affairs not meant for the public
€8).
Tale of a Tub (The). A ridiculous
narrative or tale of fiction. The refer-
ence is to Dean Swift's tale so called,
Talent, meaning cleverness or “gift”
of intelligence, is a word borrowed from
Matt. xxv. 14-30.
Ta'les (2 syl.). Persons in the court
from whom the sheriff or his clerk makes
selections to supply the place of jurors
who have been empanelled, but are not
in attendance. It is the first word of
the Latin sentence which provides for
this contingency. (Tales de circum-
stanţ'ibus.) .
“To serve for jurymen or ſales.” . ...
Isutler : Hudibrets, part, iii. 8.
To pray a tales. To pray that the
number of jurymen may be completed.
It sometimes happens that jurymen are
challenged, or that less than twelve are
in the court. When this is the case the
jury can request that their complement
be made up from persons in the court.
Those who supplement the jury are
called talesmen, and their names are set
down in a book called a talesbook.
Talgol (in Hudibras), famous for
killing flies, was Jackson, butcher of
Newgate Street, who got his captain’s
commission at Naseby. -
Tal'isman. A figure cut or engraved
on metal or stone, under the influence of
certain planets. In order to free any
place of vermin, the figure of the ob-
noxious animal is made in wax or con-
secrated metal, in a planetary hour, and
this is called the talisman. (Warburton.)
“He swore that you had robbed his house,
And stole his talismanie louse.
S. Butler: Hudibras, part iii. 1.
Talisman. The Abraxas Stone is a
most noted talisman. (See ABRAXAS.) In
Arabia a talisman is still used, consisting
of a piece of paper, on which are written
the names of the Seven Sleepers and
their dog, to protect a house from ghosts
and demons. The talisman is supposed
to be sympathetic, and to receive an in-
fluence from the planets, which it com-
municates to the wearer.
Tallr. To talk over. To discuss, to
debate; also to gain over by argument.
Talk Shop. (See SHOP.)
Talkee Tallcee. (A reduplication of
talk with termination ee, borrowed in ri-
dicule from some attempt of dark races
to speak English.) A copius effusion of
talk with no valuable result.
Talking Bird. A bird that spoke
with a human voice, and could call all
other birds to sing in concert. (The
Sisters who Envied their Younger Sister;
Arabian Nights.) (See GREEN BIRD)
Tall Men
1205
Tam-o'-Shanter's Mare
Tall Men. Champions (a Welsh
phrase); brave men.
“You were good soldiers, and tall fellows.”—
Shakespeare: Merry 1, ives of Windsor, ii. 2.
.*The undaunted resolution and stubborn fero-
City of GWen Wyn . . . had long made him beloved
among the Tall Men, or champions of Wales.”—
Sir W. Scott : The Beta'othed, chap. i.
Talleyrand, anciently written Tail-
le)'an, is the sobriquet derived from the
words “tailler les Tangs,” “cut through
the ranks.”
Tally (A). The price paid for picking
a bushel of hops. It varies (1891) from
1%d. to 2%d.
Tally. ... To correspond. The tally
used in the Exchequer was a rod of
wood, marked on one face with notches
corresponding to the sum for which it
was an acknowledgment. Two other
sides contained the date, the name of
the payer, and so on. The rod was then
cleft in such a manner that each half
contained one written side and half of
every notch. One part was kept in the
Exchequer, and the other was circulated.
When payment was required the two
parts were compared, and if they
“ tallied,” or made a tally, all was right;
if not, there was some fraud, and pay-
ment was refused. Tallies were not
finally abandoned in the Exchequer till
1834. (French, tailler, to cut.)
* In 1834 orders were issued to
destroy the tallies. There were two
Cartloads of them, which were set fire
to at six o'clock in the morning, and the
conflagration set on fire the FIouses of
Parliament, with their offices, and part
of the Palace of Westminster.
To break one's tally (in Latin, “ Con-
fringere tesseram”). When public houses
were unknown, a guest entertained for
a night at a private house had a tally
given him, the corresponding part being
kept by the host. It was expected that
the guest would return the favour if
required to do so, and if he refused he
“violated the rites of hospitality,” or
confrégisse tesseram. The “white stone’’
spoken of in the Book of the Revelation
is a tessera which Christ gives to His
disciples.
To live tally is to live unwed as man
and wife. A tally-woman is a con-
cubine, and a tally-man is the man who
keeps a mistress. These expressions are
quite common in Cheshire, Yorkshire,
and Lancashire. In mines a tin label is
attached to each tub of coals, bearing
the name of the man who sent it to the
bank, that the weighman may credit it
to the right person. As the tallies of
the miner and weighman agree, so the
persons who agree to live together tally
with each other's taste. -
Tally-ho! is the Norman hunting cry
Taillis all I (To the coppice). The tally-
ho was used when the stag was viewed
in full career making for the coppice.
We now cry “Tally-hol” when the
fox, breaks, cover. The French cry is
‘‘ Taº ºf 17°
Tallyman (A). A travelling draper
who calls at private houses to sell wares
on the tally System—that is, part pay-
ment on account, and other parts when
the man calls again.
Talmud (The). About 120 years after
the destruction of the Temple, the rabbi
Judah began to take downin writing the
Jewish traditions; his book, called the
Mishna, contains six parts: (1) Agri-
culture and seed-sowing ; (2) Festivals;
(3) Marriage; (4) Civil affairs; (5) Sac-
rifices; and (6) what is clean and what
unclean. The book caused immense dis-
putation, and two Babylonish rabbis
replied to it, and wrote a commentary in
sixty parts, called the Babylonian Talmud.
Gemära (imperfect). This compilation
has been greatly abridged by the omis-
sion of Nos. 5 and 6.
Talpot or Talipot Tree. A gigantic
palm. When the sheath of the flower
bursts it makes a report like that of a
Cöll lllOIl.
“They burst, like Zeilam's giant palm,
Whose buds fly open with a Sound
That Shakes the pigmy forest round.”
Moore: Fire Worshippers.
Zeilan is Portuguese for Ceylon.
Talus. Sir Artegal's iron man.
Spenser, in his Faërie Queene, makes
Talus run continually round the island
of Crete to chastise offenders with an
iron flail. He represents executive
power—“swift as a swallow, and as lion
p 3.
strong.” In Greek mythology, Talos
was a man of brass, the work of He-
phaestos (Vulcan), who went round the
island of Crete thrice a day. Whenever
he saw a stranger draw near the island
he made himself red-hot, and embraced
the stranger to death.
Tam-o'-Shanter's Mare. Remember
Tam-o’-Shanter’s mare. ... You may pay
too dear for your whistle, as Meg lost
her tail, pulled off by Nannie of the
“Cutty-Sark.”
“Think, ye may buy the joys owre dear-
Remembel' Tam-o'-Shanter's mare,”
- JBurm$.
Tamarisk
Tagmarisk, from a Hebrew word
meaning to cleanse, so called from its
abstersive qualities. The Romans
wreathed the brows of criminals with
tamarisk. The Arabs make cakes called
nanna of the hardened juice extracted
from this tree.
Tazzie Cat (A). A harmless dangler
after a married woman ; a cavalier
Servant ; a cicisbeo.
“He soon installed himself as a tarre cat in the
MacMungo mansion.”—Truth (Queer Story), tº clo-
l, ('1', 1885,
Tarn'eriane (3 syl.). A corruption of
Timour Lenſ/h (Timour the Lame), one
of the greatest warrior-kings that ever
lived. Under him Persia became a pro-
vince of Tartary. He modestly called
himself Ameer (chief), instead of sultan
or shah. (1380–1405.) -
Tanning of the Shrew. The plot
was borrowed from a drama of the same
title, published by S. Leacroft, of Char-
ing Cross, under the title of Sia: O/d
Plays on ºthich Shakespeare Founded his
Comédies. The induction was borrowed
from Heuterus' Jºerum, Burgundaritan
(lib. iv.), a translation of which was pub-
lished in 1607 by E. Grimstone, and cal-
led Admirable and Ilſemovable Iſistories.
Dr. Percy thinks that the ballad of 7%.e
Jºrolicksome Duke, or the Tinker’s Good
Portune, published in the Pepys Collec-
tion, may have suggested the induction.
(See SLY.)
Tammany (St.). Tammany was of
the Delaware nation in the seventeenth
century, and became a chief, whose rule
was wise and pacific. He was chosen
by the American democrats as their tute-
lary Saint. His day is May 1st. Cooper
calls him Tammenund, but the correct
word is Tama/mand.
Tarmmany Ring. A cabal or power-
ful organisation of unprincipled officials,
who enriched themselves by plundering
the people. So called from Tammany
Hall, the head-quarters of the high
officials of the U.S., whose nefarious
practices were exposed in 1871.
Tammuz. (See THAMMUZ.)
Tan'cred (in Jerusalem Delivered)
shows a generous contempt of danger.
Son of Eudes and Emma (sister of
Robert Guiscard), Boemond or Bohe-
mond was his cousin. Tancred was the
greatest of all the Christian warriors
except Rinaldo. His one fault was
“woman’s love,” and that woman
Clorinda, a Pagan (bk. i.). He brought
1206
Tanner of Tamworth
800 horse from Tuscany and Campania
to the allied Christian army. He slew
Clorinda (not knowing her) in a might
combat, and lamented her death with
great lamentation (bk. xii.). Being
wounded, he was nursed by Ermin'ia,
who was in love with him (bk. xix.).
Tan'dem. At length. A pun applied
to two horses driven one before the other.
This Latin is of a similar character to
plenum sed (full butt).
Taxidem D.O.M. Tandom Deo optimo
Anaasimo (Now at the end ascribe we
praise to God, the best and greatest).
Tangie. The water sprite of the
Orkneys; from Danish tang (sea-weed),
with which it is covered. The tangie
Sometimes appears in a human form,
and sometimes as a little apple-green
horse.
Tanist (A). One who held lands in
Ireland under the Celtic law of tanistry.
The chief of a sept. (Irish, tanaisie, heir
apparent to a chief.)
“Whoever stood lighest in the estimation ºf
the class was nominated ‘Tanist,' or successor.”—
E. Lantess : Story of Ireland, chap. iii. p. 27.
Tanist Stone. A monolith erected
by the Celts at a coronation. e read
in the Book of Judges (ix. 6) of Abime-
lech, that a “pillar was erected in
Shechem” when he was made king ; and
(2 Kings xi. 14) it is said that a pillar
was raised when Joash was made king,
“as the manner was.” The Liaº Farid of
Ireland was erected in Icolmkil for the
coronation of Fergus Eric. This stone
was removed to Scone, and became the
coronation chair of Scotland. It was
taken to Westminster by Edward I., and
is the coronation chair of our sovereigns.
(Celtic, Zºtnist, the heir-apparent.)
Tankard of October (A). A tan-
kard of the best and strongest ade,
brewed in October.
“He was in high favour with Sir Geoffrey, not
mercly on, account of his Sound Orthodoxy, and
deel, learning, but [also for] his excellent skill in
playing at howls, and his facetious conversation
over a lyipe and tankard of Octobel'.”—Sin' W.
Scott: Peventil of the 1 eulº, cluap, iv.
Tanner. Sixpence. (The Italian
damaro, small change ; Gipsy, tattºo,
little one. Similarly a thaler is called a
dollar.)
T'aºûter. A proper name. (See
BREWER.)
Tanner of Tamworth. Edward
IV. was hunting in Drayton Basset when
a tanner met him. The king asked him
several questions, and the tanner, taking
him for a highway robber, was verv
Tannhauser , ſ
207 Tappit-hen
chary. At last they swopped horses ;
the tanner gave the king his gentle mare
Brocke, which cost 4s., and the king
gave the tanner his hunter, which soon
threw him. Upon this the tanner paid
dearly for changing back again. Ed-
ward now blew his horn, and when his
courtiers came up in obedience to the
summons, the tanner, in great alarm,
cried out, “I hope I shall be hanged to-
morrow ’’ (i.e. I expect); but the king
gave him the manor of Plumpton Park,
with 300 marks a year. (1’ercy Re-
liques, etc.)
Tann'häu'ser (3 syl.). A legendary
hero of Germany, who wins the affections
of Lisaura ; but Lisaura, hearing that Sir
Tannhäuser has set out for Venusberg to
kiss the queen of love and beauty, de-
stroys herself. After living some time
in the cave-palace, Sir Tannhäuser ob-
tains leave to visit the upper world, and
goes to Pope Urban for absolution.
‘‘No,” said his holiness, “you can no
more hope for mercy than this dry staff
can be expected to bud again.” On this
the knight returned to Venusberg. In a
few days the papal staff actually did bud,
and Urban sent for Sir Tannhäuser, but
the knight was nowhere to be found.
Tansy. A corruption of the Greek
word athanasia, immortality, as thansa,
tansy. So called because it is “a sort of
everlasting flower.” (Hortus Anglicus,
vol. ii. p. 366.)
Tan'talise. To excite a hope and
disappoint it. (See meat article.)
Tan’talos (Latin, Tantalus), accord-
ing to fable, is punished in the infernal
regions by intolerable thirst. To make
his punishment the more severe, he is
plunged up to his chin in a river, but
whenever he bends forward to slake his
thirst the water flows from him.
“So bends tormented Tantalus to drink,
While from his lips the refluent waters shrink;
Again the rising stream his bosom laves,
And thirst consulmes him 'mid circulm, ſluent
Wayes.” - s
Darwin : Loves of the Plants, ii. 410,
Tantalus. Emblematical of a covetous
man, who the more he has the more he
craves. (See CoVETOUS.)
Tantalets.
among the Chipouyans, who inhabit the
deserts which divide Canada from the
|United States. . At death, they say, the
soul is placed in a stone ferry-boaf, till
judgment has been passed on it. If the
judgment is averse, the boat sinks in the
stream, leaving the victim chin-deep in
water, where he suffers endless thirst,
A parallel story cyists
and makes fruitless attempts to escape
to the Islands of the Blessed. (Alearander
Mackenzie : Poyages in the 17tterior of
America.) (1789, 1792, 1793.) • .
Tanthony (St. Anthony). In Nor-
wich are the churches called Sin Tel-
der's (St. Ethelred's), Sin Tedmund's (St.
Edmund's), Sin Tander's (St. Andrew's),
and Sin Tausin's (St. Austin’s). (See
TAWDRY.) -
Tantum Ergo. The most popular
of the Eucharistic hymns sung in the
Roman Catholic churches at Benediction
with the Holy Sacrament. So called from
the first two words of the last stanza
but One of the hymn Pange Lingata.
Tagu. The sect of Reason, founded
in China by Laou-Tsze, a contemporary
Of Confu'cius. He was taken to heaven
on a black buffalo. (B.C. 523.)
Tap the Admiral. To suck liquor
from a cask by a straw. Hotten says it
was first done with the rum-cask in
which the body of Admiral Lord Nelson
was brought to England, and when the
cask arrived the admiral was found
“high and dry.”
'ap the Till (To). To pilfer from a
till.
Tap-up Sunday. The Sunday pre-
ceding the fair held on the 2nd October,
on St. Catherine's Hill, near Guildford,
and so called because any person, with
or without a licence, may open a “tap,”
or sell beer on the hill for that one day.
Tapis. On the tapis. On the carpet;
under consideration ; now being venti-
lated. An English-French phrase, re-
ferring to the tapis or cloth with which
the table of the council-chamber is
covered, and on which are laid the
motions before the House.
“My business comes now upon the tapis."—
Farquhar : The Beaua, Sirattagem, iii. 3.
Tapisserie. Faire tapisserie. To
play gooseberry-picker ; , to be , mere
chaperon for the sake of “propriety.”
“Se dit des personnes qui assertent & tº
bal out à quelque autre grande réunion sans
Aſ premdre part.”
“You accepted out of pure kindness faire fariº-
serie ; Mrs. Arbuthnot, you are too amiable.”—
Mrs. Edwardes: A Girtom Girl, chap. XX Wi.
Tappit-hen (A). A huge pewter
measuring-pot, containing at least three
English quarts. Readers of Waverley
will remember (in chap. xi.) the Baron
Bradwardine's tappit-hen of claret from
Bordeaux. To have a tappit-hen under
the belt is to have Swallowed three quarts
Tapster
1208 Tarring and Feathering
of claret. A hem and chickens means
large and Small drinking mugs or pewter
pots. A tappit was served from the
tap. (See JEROBOAM.)
“ Weel she lo'ed a Hawick gi;],
And leugh to SCC a tal)pit-hem.”
Tapster, says E. Adams (English
language), properly means a bar-maid;
“-ster” is the Anglo-Saxon feminine
suffix -estre, which remains in spin-ster
(a female spinner).
‘." This is only a half-truth. After the thirteenth
Century, the Suth X –Støy was used for an agent of
either Sex. , We have barrister, garnester, pumster,
etc., and Wickliffe uses songster for a male singer.
(See Dr. Morris : IIistoric Outlines, p. 89.)
Tapu, among the South Sea Islanders,
means “devoted ” in a religious sense.
Thus, a temple is tapu, and he who vio-
lates a temple is tapu. Not only so, but
everyone and everything connected with
what is tapu becomes tapu also. Thus,
Captain Cook was tapu because some of
his sailors took rails from a “temple’” of
the Hawaiians to supply themselves with
fuel, and, being devoted, he was slain.
Our taboo is the same word.
Tarabolus or Tantrabolus. JP'e
shall live till ace die, like Tarabolus [or
Tantrabolus]. Tarabolus, Ali Pacha, was
grand vizier in 1693, and was strangled
in 1695 by order of Mustapha II.
JP'e shall live till we die, like Tantra-
loſus, is said to be a Cornish proverb.
There is a cognate saying, “Like Tan-
trabolus, who lived till he died.”
* Tantarabobs means the
Noisily playful children are
Tantrabols.
Tarakee, the Brahmin, was the
model of austere devotion. He lived
1,100 years, and spent each century in
some astounding mortification.
1st century. He held up his arms and
one foot towards heaven, fixing his eyes
on the sun the whole time.
2nd century. He stood on tiptoe the
whole time.
8th century. He stood on his head,
with his feet towards the sky.
9th century. He rested wholly on the
palm of one hand.
11th century. He hung from a tree
with his head downwards.
“One century he lived wholly on water, another
wholly on air, another steeped to the neck in
earth, and for another century he was always
enveloped in fire. I don't know that the World
has been henefited by Such devotion.”—Maurice:
History of Hindostam.
Tarant'ism. The dancing mania, ex-
tremely contagious. It broke out in
Germany in 1374, and in France in the
Great Revolution, when it was called
devil.
called
the Carmagnole. Clergymen, judges,
men and women, even the aged, joined
the mad dance in the open streets till
they fell from exhaustion.
Taran'tula. This word is derived
from Taranto the city, or from Thara
the river in Apulia, in the vicinity of
which the venomous hairy spiders
abound. (Kircher. De Arte Mag.)
Tarentella, or Tarantella. Tunes
and dances in triplets, supposed to cure
the dancing mania.
Tariff. A list in alphabetical order
of the duties, drawbacks, bounties, etc.,
charged or allowed on exports and im-
ports. The word is derived from Tarifa,
a seaport of Spain about twenty miles
from Gibraltar, where the Moors, during
the Supremacy in Spain, levied contri-
butions according to a certain scale on
vessels entering the Mediterranean Sea.
(French, tarif.; Spanish, tarifa.)
Tarpaulins or Tars. Sailors; more
frequently called Jack Tars. Tarpau-
lins are tarred cloths used commonly
on board ship to keep articles from the
Sea-spray, etc.
The more correct Spelling is tar-l)alling, from
pall, Latin pallium, a cloak or cloth.
Tarpe'ian Rock. So called from
Tarpeia, a vestal virgin, the daughter of
Spurius Tarpeius, governor of the citadel
on the Capitoline Hill. Tarpeia agreed
to open the gates to the Sabines if they
would give her “what they wore on
their arms” (meaning their bracelets).
The Sabines, “keeping their promise to
the ear,” crushed her to death with their
shields, and she was buried in that part
of the hill called the Tarpeian Rock.
Subsequently, traitors were cast down
this rock and so killed.
“Pear lim to the rock Tarpeian, and from thence
Into destruction cast him.”
Shakespeare: Coriolamats, iii. 1.
Tarred. All tarred with the same
brush. All alike to blame; all sheep of
the same flock. The allusion is to the
custom of distinguishing the sheep of
any given flock by a common mark with
a brush dipped in tar.
Tarring and Feathering. The
first record of this punishment is in
1189 (1 Rich. I.). A statute was made
that any robber voyaging with the cru-
saders “shall be first shaved, then boil-
ing pitch shall be poured upon his head,
and a cushion of feathers shook over
it.” The wretch was then to be put on
shore at the very first place the ship
came to. (Rymer: Foederſ, i. 65.)
Tarrinzeau Field
1209
Tarrinzeau Field. The bowling-
green of Southwark. So called because
it belonged to the Barons Hastings, who
were Barons Tarrinzeau and Mauchline.
Tartan Plaid. A plaid is a long
shawl or scarf–some twelve yards of
narrow cloth wrapped round the waist,
or over the chest and one shoulder,
and reaching to the knees. It may be
chequered or not; but the English use
of the word in such a compound as
Scotch-plaids, meaning chequered cloth,
is a blunder for Scotch tartans. The
tartan is the chequered pattern, every
clan having its own tartan. A tartan-
plaid is a Scotch scarf of a tartan or
checked pattern.
Tartar, the deposit of wine, means
“infernal stuff,” being derived from
the word Tartaros (q.v.). Paracelsus
says, “It is so called because it pro-
duces oil, water, tincture, and salt, which
burn the patient as the fires of Tartarus
burn.”
Tar'tarcs (Greek), Tartarus (Latin).
That part of the infernal regions where
the wicked are punished. (Classic myth-
olcſ/y.) -
* The word “Hell” occurs seventeen
times in the English version of the New
Testament. In seven of these the ori-
ginal Greek is “Gehenna,” in nine
“Hadès,” and in one instance it is
“Tartaros’’ (2 Peter ii. 4) getpaſs 66bov
taptop6.aras, trapéðwkev. It is a very great
pity that the three words are translated
alike, especially as Gehenna and Hadès
are not synonymous, nor should either
be confounded with Tartarus. The
Anglo-Saxon verb hêl-an means to cover,
hence hell = the grave or Hadès. -
Tartuffe (2 syl.). The principal
character of Molière's comedy so called.
The original was the Abbé de Roquette,
a parasite of the Prince de Condé. It is
said that the name is from the Italian
tartuffoli (truffles), and was suggested to
Molière on seeing the sudden animation
which lighted up the faces of certain
monks when they heard that a seller
of truffles awaited their orders. Bicker-
staff's play, The Hypocrite, is an English
version of Tarty'ſfe.
Tassel-Gentle. The tiercel is the
male of the goshawk. So called because
it is a tierce or third less than the female.
This is true of all birds of prey. The
tiercel-gentle was the class of hawk ap-
propriate to princes. (See HAWK.)
“O for a falcomer's voice
To lure this tassel-gentle back again : ".
Shakespeare : Re?meo and Juliet, ii. 2,
Taurus
Tasselled Gentleman. A fop ; a
man dressed in fine clothes. A corrup-
tion of Tercel-gentle by a double blunder:
(1) Tercel, erroneously supposed to be
tassel, and to refer to the tags and tassels
worn by men on their dress; and (2)
gentle corrupted into gentlemen, accord-
ing to the Irish exposition of the verse,
“The gentle shall inherit the earth.”
Taſtianists. The disciples of Tatian,
who, after the death of Justin Martyr,
“formed a new scheme of religion; for he
advanced the notion of certain invisible
aeons, branded marriage with the name
of fornication, and denied the salvation
of Adam.” (Trendus : Adv. Hereses (ed.
Grabe), pp. 105, 106, 262.)
* Two Tatians are almost always
confounded as one person in Church
history, although there was at least a
century between them. The older Ta-
tian was a Platonic philosopher, born in
Syria, and converted to Christianity by
Justin the Martyr. He was the author
of a Discourse to the Greeks, became a
Gnostic, and founded the sect of the
Tatianists. The other Tatian was a
native of Mesopotamia, lived in the
fourth century, and wrote in very bad
Greek a book called JDiatessaron, sup-
posed to be based on four Gospels, but
what four is quite conjectural.
Tatterdemal’ion. A ragamuffin.
Tattoo. A beat on the drum at night
to recall the soldiers to their barracks.
It sounded at nine in summer and eight
in winter. (French, tapoter or tapotez
toºls.)
The devil's tattoo. Drumming with
one's finger on the furniture, or with
one's toe on the ground—a monotonous
sound, which gives the listener the “blue
devils.”
Tattoo (To). To mark the skin, es-
pecially the face, with indelible pigments
rubbed into Small punctures. (Tahitan,
tatu from ta, mark.)
Tau. Marked with a tatt, i.e. with a
cross. Tertullian says, “ Haec est litera
Graecorum T, 720stra autem. T, species
crucis.” And Cyprian tells us that the
sign of the cross on the forehead is the
mark of salvation.
“This reward (Ezek. ix. 4) is for those whose
foreheads are marked with Tau.”—BP. Andrews :
Sermoms (Luke X Wii. 32). -
Taurus [the Bull] indicates to the
Egyptians the time for ploughing the
earth, which is done with oxen.
Mount Taurus, in Asia. In Judges
xv. 3-19 we have an account of Samson
Tawdry
1210
Teaf
and the jawbone, but probably Chamor
(translated an ass) was the name of a
hill or series of hills like Taurus, and
should not have been translated. Simi-
larly, Lehi (translated a jawbone) is prob-
ably a proper name also, and refers to a
art of Chamor. If so, the meaning is,
When he (Samson) came to Lehi, the
summit of Mount Chamor, seeing a
moist boulder, he broke it off and rolled
it on his foes. Down it bounded, crush-
ing “heaps upon heaps” of the Philis-
times. Where the boulder was broken
off a spring of water jetted out, and
with this water Samson quenched his
thirst. • -
* What is now called the Mountain
of St. Patrick was previously called
“Mount Eagle "—in Irish, Cruachan
Aichle. -
Tavăry. Showy, worthless finery;
a corruption of St. Audrey. At the
annual fair of St. Audrey, in the isle of
Ely, showy lace called St. Audrey’s lace
was sold, and gave foundation to our
word tawdry, which means anything
gaudy, in bad taste, and of little value.
(See TANTHON.Y.) -
“Tanedry. Astrigmenta, timbriae, seu fasciolae,
empta nundinis S. Ethelredae.’”—Henshtture.
“Conne, you promised me a tawdry Jace and a
pair of sweet gloves.”— Ji'inter's Tale, iv. 4.
Tawny (The). Alexandre Bonvici'no
the historian, called Il Moretto. (1514-
1564.) -
Taylor, called The JPater-Poet, who
confesses he never learnt so much as
the accidence. He wrote fourscore
books, and afterwards opened an ale-
house in Long Acre. (1580-1654.) ---
“Taylor, their better Charon, lends an oar,
Once Swan of Thallies, though now ble Sings no
more.” 1) unciad, iii.
Taylor's Institute. The Fitzwilliam
Museum of Oxford. So called from Sir
Robert Taylor, who made large bequests
towards its erection. (1714-1788.)
Tchin. The military system adopted
in the municipal and momestic regimen
of Russia. .
“ Peter the Great established what is here [in
Tºussia] the ‘tchin,” that is to say, he alpplied the
military system to the general administration of
the empire.”-- De Custime : Russia, chap. Wii.
Tchow Dynasty. The third im-
perial dynasty of China, which gave
thirty-four kings, and lasted 866 years
(B.C. 1122-256). It was so called from
the seat of government.
Te Deum, etc., is usually ascribed to
St. Ambrose, but is probably of a much
later date. It is said that St. Ambrose
improvised this hymn while baptising
St. Augustine. In allusion to this tradi-
tion, it is sometimes called “the Am-
brosian Hymn.”
Te Deum (of ecclesiastical architecture)
is a “theological series” of carved figures
in niches: (1) of angels, (2) of patri-
archs and prophets, (3) of apostles and
evangelists, (4) of Saints and martyrs,
(5) of founders. In the restored west
front of Salisbury cathedral there is a
“Te Deum,” but the whole 123 original
figures have been reduced in number.
Te Ig'itur. One of the service-
books of the Roman Catholic Church,
used by bishops and other dignitaries.
So called from the first words of the
canon, “Te igitat)", clementissime Pate)'.”
Oaths upon the Te Igitur. Oaths
sworn on the Te Igitat, service-book,
regarded as especially solemn.
Teague (A). An Irishman, about
equal to Pat or Paddy. Sometimes we
find the word Teague-lander. Teague
is an Irish servant in Farquhar's Twin
Rivals ; in act iii. 2 we find the phrase
“a downright Teague,” meaning a
regular Irish character — blundering,
witty, fond of whisky, and lazy. The
name is also introduced in Shadwell’s
play, The Lancashire JWitches, and
Teague O’Divelly, the Irish Priest (1688).
“Was't Carwell, brother James, or Teague,
That made thee break the Triple League 2 ”
Ičochester : History of Insipids.
Teakettle Broth consists of hot
water, bread, and a small lump of butter,
with pepper and salt. The French soup
Anaigre.
Tean or Teian Poet.
who was born at Teos, in Io'nia.
563-478.)
Teanlay Night. The vigil of All
Souls, or last evening of October, when
bonfires were lighted and revels held for
succouring Souls in purgatory.
Tear (to rhyme with “snare”). To
fear Christ’s body. To use imprecations.
The common oaths of mediaeval times
were by different parts of the Lord's
body; hence the preachers used to
talk of “tearing God’s body by impre-
cations.”
“Her othes been so greet and so dampnable.
That it is grisly for to hiere häm swere.
Otir blisful Lordés body thay to-tere.” .
Chaucer: Canterbury Tºº!es, 13,880.
Tear (to rhyme with “fear”). Tear
and larine. (Anglo-Saxon, taher
Gothic, tagr; Greek, dakru ; Latin,
lacrim-a ; French, lar’m.)
Anacreon,
(B.C.
Tear Handkerchief I
o
<
I1
Teian Muse
Tears of Eos. The dew-drops of the
morning were so called by the Greeks.
Eos was the mother of Memnon (q.v.),
and wept for him every morning.
St. Lawrence’s tears. Falling stars.
St. Lawrence was roasted to death on a
gridiron, and wept that others had not
the same spirit to suffer for truth's sake
as he had. (See LAWRENCE.)
Tear Handkerchief (The). A hand-
kerchief blessed by the priest and given,
in the Tyrol, to a bride, to dry her tears.
At death, this handkerchief is laid in her
coffin over the face of the deceased.
Teaspoon (A). £5,000. (See SPOON.)
Teaſzle (Lady). A lively, innocent
country maiden, married to Sir Peter,
who is old enough to be her father.
Planted in the hotbed of London gaiety,
she formed a liaison with Joseph Surface,
but, being saved from disgrace, repented
and reformed. (Sheridan : School for
Scandal.) (See TownLY.) -
Teazle (Sir Peter). A man who had
remained a bachelor till he had become
old, whom he married a girl from the
country, who proved extravagant, fond
of pleasure, selfish, and vain. Sir Peter
was always gibing his wife for her
inferior rank, teasing her about her
manner of life, and yet secretly liking
what she did, and feeling proud of her.
(Sheridan : School for Scandal.)
Teck (A). A detective. Fvery sus-
picious man is a “teck” in the eyes of
a thief. Of course, the word is a con-
traction of [de]tec{tive].
'#'eeth.
Jºrom the teeth outwards. Merely talk;
without real significance.
“Much of the . . . talk albºut General Gordon
lately was only from the teeth Outwards.”—'I'he .
I)aily News, 1886.
To set one’s teeth on edge. (See EDGE.)
He has cut his eye-teeth. He is “up to
snuff; ” he has “his weather-eye open.”
The eye-teeth are cut late —
Jºſonths.
First set–5 to 8, the four central incisors,
7 , 10 , lateral incisors. --->
, l ; , , anterior molars.
, 20 the eye-teeth.
cºtt's.
Second set—5 to 6, the anterior molars.
7 : 8 , , incisors.
9 ,, 10 ,, bicuspidS.
11 , , 12 ,, eye-teeth.
In spite of his teeth. In opposition to
his settled purpose or resolution. Hol-
inshed tells us of a Bristol Jew, who
suffered a tooth to be drawn daily for
the extortion of King John.
seven days before he would submit to
(See JEW’s
EYE.)
“In despite of the teeth of all the rhyme and
reason.”—Shakespeare : Merry Wives of Windsor,
W. 4
To cast into one’s teeth. To utter
reproaches.
“All his faults observed,
Set in a note-book, learned, and conned by Totº,
To cast into my teeth.” -
Shakespeare: Julius Caesar, iv. 3.
The skin of his teeth. (See SKIN.)
Teeth. The people of Ceylon and
Malabar used to worship the teeth of
elephants and monkeys. The Siamese
once offered to a Portuguese 700,000
ducats to redeem a monkey’s tooth.
Wolf’s tooth. An amulet worn by
children to charm away fear.
Teeth are Drawn (His). His power
of doing mischief is taken from him.
The phrase comes from the fable of The
J.ion in Love, who consented to have his
teeth drawn and claws cut, in order that
a fair damsel might marry him. When
the teeth were drawn and claws cut off,
the father of the maid fell on the lion
and slew him.
Teeth of the Wind (In the). With
the wind dead against us, with the wind
blowing in or against our teeth.
“To strive with all the tempest in my tºº.
Ope.
Teetotal. Those who sign the ab-
stinence pledge are entered with Q. P.
(old pledge) after their name. Those
who pledge themselves to abstain wholly
from alcoholic drinks have a T (total)
after their name. Hence, T = total
abstainer.
* The tale about Dick Turner, a
plasterer or fish-hawker at Preston, in
Tancashire, who stammered forth, “I’ll
have now t to do with the moderation
botheration pledge; I’ll be reet down
t—total, that or nowt,” is not to be re-
lied on.
It is said that Turner's tombstone contains this
inscription: “Peneath this stone are deposited
the remains of Richard Turner, author of the
word Teetotal as applied to abstinence... from all
intoxicating liquors, who departed this life on the
27th day of October, 1846, aged 56 years.”
Teetotum (A). . A working-man’s
club in which all intoxicants are pro-
hibited.
“You can generally depend upon getting your
money's worth if you go to a teetotum.”—Stephen
Remar.c, chap. W.
Teian Muse (The).
native of Teion, in Paphlagonia.
563-478.)
Anacreon, a
(B.C.
Teinds
1212
Temper'
Teinds. Tithes.
“Taking down from the window-seat that
amusing...folio (The Scottish Coke upon Littleton),
he ºpened it, as if instinctively, at the tenth title
of Book Second, of Teinds or Tythes.'”—Sir W.
Scott : The Antiquary, chap. xxxv.
N.B. Those entitled to tithes were
called in Scotland “teind-masters.”
Telamo'nes. Supporters.
telanón.) Generally applied to figures
of men used for supporters in archi-
ture. (See ATLANTES.)
Telegram. Milking a telegram. A
telegram is said to be “milked” when
the message sent to a specific party is
surreptitiously made use of by others.
“They receive their telegrams in cipher to
avoid the risk of their being milked' by rival
journals.”—The Times, August 14th, 1859.
Telem'achos. The only son of
Ulysses and Penel'ope. After the fall of
Troy he went, under the guidance of
Mentor, in quest of his father. He is
the hero of Fénelon’s prose epic called
Tºlémaque.
Tell (JPilliam). The boldest of the
Swiss mountaineers. The daughter of
Leu'thold having been insulted by an
emissary of Albrecht Gessler, the enraged
father killed the ruffian and fled. William
Tell carried the assassin across the lake,
and greatly incensed the tyrannical
governor. The people rising in rebel-
lion, Gessler put to death Melch'tal, the
patriarch of the district, and, placing the
ducal cap of Austria on a pole, com-
manded the people to bow down before
it in reverence. Tell refused to do so,
whereupon Gessler imposed on him the
task of shooting an apple from his little
boy's head. Tell succeeded in this peril-
ous trial of skill, but, letting fall a con-
cealed arrow, was asked with what object
he had secreted it. “To kill thee, O
tyrant,” he replied, “if I had failed in
the task imposed on me.” Gessler now
ordered the bold mountaineer to be put
in chains and carried across the lake to
Rüssnacht Castle “to be devoured alive
by reptiles,” but, being rescued by the
peasantry, he shot Gessler and liberated
his country. (Rossini : Guglielmo Tell,
an opera.)
* Kissling’s monument at Altorf
(1892) has four reliefs on the pedestal :
(1) Tell shooting the apple ; (2) Tell's
leap from the boat ; (3) Gessler's death;
and (4) Tell's death at Schachenbach.
William Tell. The story of William
Tell is told of several other persons:
(1) Egil, the brother of Wayland
Smith. One day King Nidung com-
manded him to shoot an apple off the
(Greek,
head of his son. Egil took two arrows
from his quiver, the straightest and
sharpest he could find. When asked by
the king why he took two arrows, the
god-archer replied, as the Swiss peasant
to Gessler, “To shoot thee, tyrant, with
the second if the first one fails.”
(2) Saxo Grammaticus tells nearly the
same story respecting Toki, who killed
Harald.
(3) Reginald Scot says, “Puncher
shot a pennie on his son’s head, and
made ready another arrow to have slain
the Duke Remgrave, who commanded
it.” (1584.)
(4) Similar tales are told of Adam
Bell, Clym of the Clough, William of
Cloudeslie and Henry IV., Olaf and
Eindridi, etc.
Tellers of the Exchequer. A cor-
ruption of talliers—i.e. tally-men, whose
duty it was to compare the tallies, re-
ceive money payable into the Exchequer,
give receipts, and pay what was due ac-
cording to the tallies. Abolished in the
reign of William IV. The functionary
of a bank who receives and pays bills,
Orders, and so on, is still called a
“teller.”
Tem'ora. One of the principal poems
of Ossian, in eight books, so called from
the royal residence of the kings of Con-
naught. Cairbar had usurped the throne,
having killed Cormac, a distant relativo
of Fingal ; and Fingal raised an army
to dethrone the usurper. The poem
begins from this point with an invitation
from Cairbar to Oscar, son of Ossian, to
a banquet. Oscar accepted the invita-
tion, but during the feast a quarrel was
vamped up, in which Cairbar and Oscar
fell by each other's spears. When Fingal
arrived a battle ensued, in which Fillan,
son of Fingal, the Achilles of the Cale-
donian army, and Cathmor, brother of
Cairbar, the bravest of the Irish army,
were both slain. Victory crowned the
army of Fingal, and Ferad-Artho, the
rightful heir, was restored to the throne
of Connaught. -
Temper. To make trim. The
Italians say, tempera're la lira, to tune
the lyre; temperare atna penna, to mend
a pen ; temperdre l’oriatólo, to wind up
the clock. In Latin, temperare calamtºn
is “to mend a pen.” Metal well tem-
pered is metal made trim or meet for its
use, and if not so it is called ill-tempered.
When Otway says, “Woman, nature
made thee to temper man,” he means to
make him trim, to soften his nature, to
mend him. -
Templars
I213
Terniers
Templars or Knights Templars.
Nine French knights bound themselves,
at the beginning of the twelfth century,
to protect pilgrims on their way to the
Holy Land, and received the name of
Templars, because their arms were kept
in a building given to them for the pur-
pose by the abbot of the convent called
the Temple of Jerusalem. They used to
call themselves the “Poor Soldiers of
the Holy City.” Their habit was a long
white mantlé, to which subsequently was
added a red cross on the left shoulder.
Their famous war-cry was “Bauseant,”
from their banner, which was striped
black and white, and charged with a
red cross; , the word Bauseant is old
French for a black and white horse.
Seal of the Knights Templars (two
knights riding on one horse). The first
Master of the Order and his friend were
so poor that they had but one horse
between them, a circumstance comme-
morated by the seal of the order. The
order afterwards became wealthy and
powerful. i -
Temple (London) was once the seat
of the Knights Templars. (See above.)
Temple. The place under inspection,
from the Latin verb tºteor, to behold, to
look at. It was the space marked out
by the Roman augurs as the field of ob-
servation. When augurs made their ob-
servations they marked out a space
within which the sign was to occur.
Rather remarkable is it that the Greek
theos and Latin dents are nouns from the
verbs theadmai and titeor, meaning the
“ presence” in this space marked out by
the augurs. -
Temple (A). . A kind of stretcher,
used by weavers for keeping Scotch car-
peting at its proper, breadth during
weaving. The weaver’s temple is a sort
; wooden rule with teeth of a pothook
Ol’Îl.
Temple Bar, called “the City Gol-
gotha,” because the heads of traitors, etc.,
were exposed there. (Removed 1878.)
Temple of Solomon. Timbs, in his
Notabilia, p. 192, tells us that the trea-
sure provided by David for this building
exceeded 900 millions sterling (). The
building was only about 150 feet long
and 105 wide. Taking the whole re-
venue of the British empire at 100 mil-
lions Sterling annually, the sum stated
by Timbs would exhaust nine years of
the whole British revenue. The kingdom
of David was not larger than Wales, and
by no means populous.
Temples (Pagan) in many respects
resembled Roman Catholic churches.
There was first the vestibule, in which
were the piscina, with lustral water to
sprinkle those who entered the edifice ;
then the nave (or 1700s), common to all
comers; then the chancel (or adjtum)
from which the general public was ex-
cluded. In some of the temples there
was also an apsis, like our apse ; and in
some others there was a portico, which
not unfrequently was entered by steps
or “degrees”; and, like churches, the
Greek and Roman temples were conse-
crated by the pontiff. -
‘. The most noted temples were that of Vulcan,
in Egypt ; of Jupiter Olympus, and of Apollo. in
Delphos; of Diana, in Ephesus; the Capitol and
the Pantheon of Rome ; the Jewish temple, built
by Solomon, and that of Herod the Great.
Tempora Mutantur. (See MUTAN-
TUR.)
Ten. Gothic, tai-hun (two hands);
Old German, ze-hen, whence zehn, zén.
Ten Commandments (The). The
following rhyme was written under the
two tables of the commandments:—
“ PRSVR Y PRFCT MN
WR. KP THS PRCPTS TN,
The VOWei E.
Supplies the key.”
Ten Commandments (The). Scratch-
ing the face with the ten fingers of an
angry woman; or a blow with the two
fists of an angry man, in which the “ten
commandments are summarised into
tWO.”
“Could I come near your beauty with my nails,
I’d set my ten commandments in your face.”
Shakespeare: 2 Henry VI., i. 3.
“‘I daur you to touch him, spreading abroad her
long and muscular fingers, garnished with claws,
which a vulture might have envied. “I’ll set my
ten commandments on the face of the first loon
that Jays a finger on him.”—Sir W. Scott : Wav, r-
ley, Chap. XXX.
Tench is from the Latin time-a, so
called, says Aulus Gellius, because it is .
tincta (tinted).
Tend in the Eyes. Dutch, “Iemand
maar de Ooffen te žien.” The English
equivalent is, “to wait on his nod” or
beck.
“Her gentlewomen, like the Nereides,
So many mermaids, tended her i' the eyes.”
ShalceSpeare : Aſhtony (tnd Cleopatra, ii. 2.
Tendon. (See ACHILLES.)
Ten'glio. A river in Lapland on
whose banks roses grow.
." I was surprised to see upon the banks of this
river roses of as lovely a red as any that’are in
our own gardens.”—M. de Maupertuis.
Teniers. Malplaquet, in France,
| famous for the victory of the Duke
Tenner
1214
Term Time
of Marlborough and Prince Eugene over
the French under Marshal Villars on
September 11, 1709.
* “Her courage tried
On Teniers' dreadful field.”
Thomson: Autumn.
The Scottish Temic)'s. Sir David Wilkie
(1785-1841).
Tenner (A). A ten-pound note. A
“fiver ‘’is a five-pound note.
Tennis Ball cf. Fortune. Pertinax,
the Homan emperor, was so called.
|He was first a seller of charcoal, then a
schoolmaster, then a soldier, and lastly
an emperor, but in three months he was
\lethroned and murdered.
Tennyson (Alfred). Bard of Ar-
thurian Romance. His poems on the
legends of King Arthur are—(1) The
Coming of Arthur ; (2) Geraint and
Jºnid; (3) Merlin and Pºvien (4) Lan-
celot and Elaine ; (5) The Holy Grail :
(6) Pelleas and Ettare; (7) Gitinevere ;
(8) The Passing of Arthur. Also The
Aſorte d’Arthur, Sir Galahad, The Lady
of Shallott. (1810-1892.)
Tenpenny Nails. Very large nails,
1,000 of which would weigh 10 lbs.
Four-penny nails are those which are
much smaller, as 1,000 of them would
weigh only 4 lbs. ; two-penny nails;
being half the size, 1,000 of them would
weigh only 2 lbs. Then we come to the
ounce nails, 1,000 weighing only 8, 12,
or 16 ounces, the standard unit being
always 1,000 nails. Penny is a corrup-
tion of pounder, poun'er, piſſº'er, peº/,
as two-penny nails, four-penny nails,
ten-penny nails, etc., according to the
weight of 1,000 of them.
Tenson. A subdivision of the chan-
20s or poems of love and gallantry by the
Troubadours. When the public jousts
were over, the lady of the castle opened
her “court of love,” in which the Com-
batants contended with harp and song.
Tent. Father of such as dice!! in Čeſkás.
Jabal. (Genesis iv. 20.)
Tent (Skidbladniº's) would cover a
whole army, and yet fold up into a parcel
not too big for the pocket. (41.4biaº
Nights.) - -
Ten'terden. Tenterden steeple tas
the cause of Goodwin Sands. The reason
alleged is not obvious ; an apparent/10/2-
sequitur. Mr. More, being sent with a
commission into Kent to ascertain the
cause of the Goodwin Sands, called to-
gether the oldest inhabitants to ask their
opinion. A very old man said, “I
tenth wave is the biggest,
believe Tenterden steeple is the cause.”
This reason seemed ridiculous enough,
but the fact is, the Bishop of Rochester
applied the revenues for keeping clear
the Sandwich haven to the building of
Tenterden steeple. (See GOODWIN
SANDS.)
. . Sonie say the stone collected for strengthen-
ing the wall was used for building the church
t;() Wel'.
Tenterhooks. I am C), tenterhook ,
or on tenterhooks of great expectation.
My curiosity is on the full stretch, I am
most curious or anxious to hear the
issue. Cloth, after being woven, is
stretched or “tentered '' on hooks
passed through the Selvages. ... (Latin,
tentus, stretched, hence “tent,” canvas
stretched.)
“He was not kept an instant on the tentGI'-
hooks of inpatience longer than the appointed
moment.”—Sir W. Scott : Redgauntlet, chap. xvi.
Tenth Legion (The), or the Sub-
merged Tenth. The lowest of the prole-
tariat class. A phrase much popularised
in the last quarter of the nineteenth
century by “General.” Booth's book,
In Darkest England. (See SUBMERGED.)
Tenth Wave. It is said that every
(See WAVE.)
“At length, tºmbling from the Gallic coast, the
victorious tenth wave shall ride, like tie boat',
over all the rest.”— Burke. -
Tercel. The male hawk. So called
because it is one-third Smaller than the
female. (French, tiers.)
Terence. The Terence of England,
the Amender of hearts, is the exquisite
compliment which Goldsmith, in his
Retaliation, pays to Richard Cumber-
land, author of The Jew, The West
Indian, The IF'ſteel of Fortune, etc.
(1732-1811.)
Tere'sa (St.). The reformer of the
Carmelites, canonised by Gregory XV.
in 1621. (1515-1582. (See SANCHO
|PANZA.)
Term Time, called, since 1873, LAW
SESSIONS.
Michaeºmas Sessions begin November 2nd, and
end December 2'St. . .
Hilary Sessions begin January 11th, and Cild
the Wednesday before Easter.
Easter Sessions begin the Tuesday, after Easter-
week, and end the Friday befºre Whit. §untlay.
Triºrity Sessionis begin the Tuesday after Whit-
sun-week, and end August 8th.
Term Time of our Universities.
There are three terms at Cambridge in a
year, and four at Oxford, but the two
middle Oxford terms are two only in
name, as they run on without a break.
The three Cambridge terms are Lent,
Easter, and Michaelmas. The four
Ternagant
1215
Terza, Rima,
Oxford terms are Lent, Easter + Trinity,
and Michaelmas.
L ENT— $ ºt
Cambridge, begins January 13th, and ends on
the Friday before Pallil Sunday.
Orford, begins January 14th, and ends On the
Saturday before Palm Sunday.
T.A.S.T.E.R.—
Cambridge, begins on the Friday of Easter-
week, and ends Friday nearest, June 20th.
Oaford, begins on the Wednesday, of Easter-
week, and ends Friday before Whit-Sunday,
The continuation, called “Trinity term,”
runs on till the Second Saturday of July.
M. L. HIAE LMA8–
Cunnbridge, begins October 1st, and ends DC-
Celyn her 16th.
Orford, begins October 10th, and ends Decem-
ber 17th.
Ter'magant. The author of Junius
says this was a Saxon idol, and derives
the word from tyr magan (very mighty);
but perhaps it is the Persian tir-maſſian
(Magian lord or deity). The early
Crusaders, not very nice in their dis-
tinctions, called all Pagans Stracens,
and muddled together Magianism and
Mahometanism in wonderful confusion,
so that Termagant was called the god of
the Saracens, or the co-partner of Ma-
hound. Hence Ariosto makes Ferrau
“blaspheme his Mahound and Terma-
gant’’ (Orlando Furioso, xii. 59); and
in the legend of Syr Guy the Soudan or
Sultan is made to say—
“S.) hell:e me, Malhoune, of might,
And Terma gaunt, my God So bright.”
Terinagant was at one time applied to
men. Thus Massinger, in The Picture,
says, “A hundred thousand Turks as-
sailed him, every one a Termagant
[Pagan].” . At present the word is
applied to a boisterous, brawling woman.
Thus Arbuthnot says, “The eldest
daughter was a termagant, an imperious
profligate wretch.” The change of sex
arose from the custom of representing
Termagant on the stage in Eastern
robes, like those worn in Europe by
females.
“'Twas time to counterfeit, or that hot ter-
magant Scot [Douglas] had paid me Scot, and lot
too.”—Shakespect)'6: I He???'y IV., V. 4.
Outdoing Termºgant (Hamlet, iii. 2).
In the old play the degree of rant was
the measure of villainy. Termagant and
Herod, being considered the beau-ideal
of all that is bad, were represented as
settling everything with club law, and
bawling so as to split the ears of the
groundlings. , Bully. Bottom, having
ranted to his heart's content, says,
“That is Ercles' vein, a tyrant’s vein.”
(See HEROD.)
Terpsichore (properly Terp-sik'-O-re,
but often pronounced Terp'-si-core).
The goddess of dancing. Terpsichore'an,
relating to dancing. Dancers are called
“the votaries of Terpsichore.”
Terra Firma. T)ry land, in oppo-
sition to water ; the continents as dis-
tinguished from islands. The Venetians
so called the mainland of Italy under
their sway ; as, the Duchy of Venice,
Venetian Lombardy, the March of Tre-
viso, the Duchy of Friu'li, and Istria.
The continental parts of America be-
longing to Spain were also called by the
same term.
Terrestrial Sun (Thai). Gold,
which in alchemy was the metal cor-
responding to the sun, as silver did to
the moon. (Sir Thomas Browne : Ife-
ligio Medici, p. 149, 3.)
Terrible (The). Ivan IV. [or II.]
of Russia. (1529, 1533-1584.)
Terrier is a dog that “takes the
earth,” or unearths his prey. Dog Tray
is merely an abbreviation of the same
word. Terrier is also applied to the
hole which foxes, badgers, rabbits, and .
So on, dig under ground to save them-
selves from the hunters. The dog called
a terrier Creeps into these holes like a
ferret to rout out the victim. (Latin,
terra, the earth.) Also a land-roll or
description of estates.
‘.' There are short- and long-halred terriers.
(1) Short-httired : the black-alid-tan, the Schip-
perke, the bull-terrier, and the fox-terrier. -
(2) Long-haired : the Bedlington, the Dantly
Dinmont, and the Irish, Scotch, and Yorkshire
terrie]".
Terry Alts. Insurgents of Clare,
who appeared after the Union, and com-
mitted numerous outrages. These rebels
were similar to “the Thrashers” of Coll-
naught, “the Carders,” the followers of
“Captain Rock” in 1822, and the
Fenians (1869).
Ter'tium Quid. A third party which
shall be nameless. The expression ori-
ginated with Pythago'ras, who, defining
bipeds, said–
“Sunt bipes homo, et avis, et tertium quid.”
“. A man is a biped, so is a bird, and a third thing
(which Šllall be nunreless).”
Iamblichus says this third thing was
Pythagoras himself. (Pita Pyth.,
cxxvii.)
In chemistry, when two substances
chemically unite, the new substance is
called a tertium quid, as a neutral salt
produced by the mixture of an acid and
alkali. .
Terza Rima. A poem in triplets, in
which the second or middle line rhymes
with the first and third lines of the suc-
ceeding triplets. In the beginning of
Tesserarian Art
1216
Teutonic Knights
the poem lines 1 and 3 rhyme indepen-
dently, and the poem must end with the
first line of a new triplet. Dante's
I)ivine Comedy is in this metre, and
Byron has adopted it in The Prophecy of
Dante. The scheme is as follows:—
—13, -
X2a – feel - - - - - - - (a mew rhyme for lb and 3b).
—33, -
1}) - hea
2b - - - - cries - - - - (a new rhyme for lc and 4c).
3}) - Steal
1C - - - - Skie
X 2C - - - - - -, - place- (a new rhyme for Id and 3d).
3C - - - - all"iSé
ld - - - - - - - l
X20 - - - - - - - - - - - (a mew 'hyme for le and 3e).
3d - - - - - - S]):l Ce
etC G to
Tessera’rian Art. The art of gamb-
ling. (Latin, tessera, a die.)
Tester. A sixpence. C
(teste, a head) betause it was stamped on
one side with the head of the reigning
sovereign. Similarly, the head canopy
of a bed is called its tester (Italian, testa ;
French, teste, téte). Copstick in Dutch
means the same thing. Worth 12d. in
the reign of Henry VIII., but 6d. in the
reign of Elizabeth.
* Hold, there's a tester for thee.”—Shakespeare:
2 IIenury IV., iii. 2.
Testers are gone to Oaford, to study at
Brazenose. When Henry VIII. debased
the silver testers, the alloy broke out in
red pimples through the silver, giving
the royal likeness in the coin a blotchy
appearance; hence the punning proverb.
Tête-à-tête.
Sation.
Tête Bottée [Booted Head]. The
nickname of Philippe des Comines.
“You, Sir Pllilip des, Comines, were at a hunt-
ing-match with the duke your master ; and when
he alighted after the chase, he required your ser-
vices in drawing off his boots. . Reading in your
looks some natural resentment, he ordered you to
sit down in turn, and rendered you the same
office. . . . but . . . no sooner had he plucked one
of your boots off than he brutally beat it about
your head. . . . and his privileged fool, Le Glorieux
gave you the name of Tée Bottee.”—Sir IV. Scott :
Quentim. Durward, chap. XXX.
Tete du Pont. The barbican or
watch-tower placed on the head of a
drawbridge.
Tether. He has come to the end of his
teſher. He has outrun his fortune ; he
has exhausted all his resources. The
reference is to a cable run out to the
bit er end (see BITTER, END), or to the
lines upon limes in whale fishing. If the
whale runs out all the lines it gets away
and is lost.
|Horace calls the end of life “wltima
linea rerum,” the end of the goal, refer-
ring to the white chalk mark at the end
of a racecourse,
A confidential conver-
Called testonze
Teth'ys.
of Oce'anos.
“The golden sun albove the watery bed
Of hoary Tethys raised his healmy Bead.'".
Hoole's A Tiosto, blº. Wiii.
Tetragram’maton. The four let-
ters, meaning the four which compose
the name of Deity. The ancient Jews
never pronounced the word Jehovah
composed of the four sacred letters
JHWH. The word means “I am,” or
“I exist '' (Exod. iii. 14); but Rabbi
Bechai says the letters include the three
times—past, present, and future. Pytha-
goras called Deity a Tetrad or Tetractys,
meaning the “four sacred letters.”
The words in different languages —
A?'(tbic, ALLA.
Assyrian, ADAD.
Brahmins, JOSS.
JD(tºnish, GODH.
Dutch, GODT.
Iºast Indian, ZEU L and ISAI.
Iºgyptian, ZEUT, AUMN, AMON.
I’rench, DIEU.
Gel’man, GOTT.
Greele, ZEUS.
Hebreu), JHWH, ADO.N.
rish, DIClſ.
Italian, II) IO.
Japanese, ZAIN.
J.atiºn, DEU.S.
Malayam, EESF.
Persian, SORU, SYRA.
Peruvial?", LLAN.
Scandinavian, ODIN.
Spanish, DIOS,
Swedish, OODD, GOTH.
Syriac, AIDAD.
Tahitam, ATUA..
Tartarium, TYAN.
Turkish, ADDI.
Wu'udois, DLOU.
Wallachiam, SEUE.
Such was the sacred Tetragrammaton.
Things worthy silence must not be revealed.”
- D7'yde1, ... Britatºlivia, Irediviva.
[We have the Egyptian eov6, like the
Greek Geos.]
Tetrap'la. The Bible, disposed by
Origen under four columns, each of
which contained a different Greek ver-
sion. The versions were those of Aquila,
Symmachus, Theodosian, and the Sep-
tuagint.
Teucer. Brother of Ajax the Greater,
who went with the allied Greeks to the
siege of Troy. On his return home, his
father banished him the kingdom for not
avenging on Ulysses the death of his
brother. (IIomer : Iliad.)
Teutons. Thuath-duiné (north men).
Our word Dutch and the German Deutsch
are variations of the same word, origin-
ally written Theodisk. -
Teuton'ic Knights. An order which
the Crusades gave birth to. Originally
only Germans of noble birth were ad-
missible to the order. (Abolished by
Napoleon in 1800.)
The sea, properly the wife
t
t
Th
1217
That
Th (O, theta). The sign given in the
verdict of the Areopägus of condemna-
tion to death (0&uatos).
“Et potis es Vítio nigrum præflgore theta.”—
Pe1'Sivts.
* T (TeAéoats) meant absolution, and
A = non liquet. In the Roman courts C
meant condemnation, A absolution, and
N L (non liquet) remanded.
Thaſis (2 syl.). An Athenian courte-
san who induced Alexander, when ex-
cited with wine, to set fire to the palace
of the Persian kings at Persep'olis.
“The king seized a flambeau with zeal to destroy ;
Thais led the way to light him to his prey,
And, like another Helen, fired another Troy.”
I)ryden. : Alea’am der's Feast.
Thal'aba.
The Destroyer, son of
|Hodeirah and Zei'nab (Zemo'bia); hero
of a poem by Southey, in twelve books.
Thales. (See SEVEN SAGES.)
Thales/tris. Queen of the Am'azons,
who went with 300 women to meet Alex-
ander the Great, under the hope of rais-
ing a race of Alexanders.
“This was no Thalestris from the fields, but a
quiet, domestic character from the fireside.”—C.
Bromté's Shirley, chap. xxviii.
Thali'a. One of the muses, generally
regarded as the patroness of comedy.
She was supposed by some, also, to pre-
side over husbandry and planting, and is
represented leaning on a column holding
a mask in her right hand, etc.
Thames (1 syl.). The Latin Tham-
esis (the broad Isis, where isis is a mere
variation of esk, Ouse, Misſy, etc., meaning
water). The river Churn unites with the
Thames at Cricklade, in Wiltshire, where
it was at one time indifferently called the
Thames, Isis, or Thamesis. Thus, in the
Saxon Chronicle we are told the East
Anglians “overran all the land of Mercia.
till they came to Cricklade, where they
forded the Thames.” In Camden’s
J3ritannia mention is made of Summer-
ford, in Wiltshire, on the east bank of
the “Isis’’ (cºus vocabulum Temisjøta.
wadum, qui appellūţur Summerford).
Canute also forded the Thames in 1016
in Wiltshire. Hence Thames is not a
compound of the two rivers Thame and
Isis at their junction, but of Thamesis.
Tham is a variety of the Latin amnis,
seen, in such words as North-ampton,
South-ampton, Tam-worth, etc. Pope
perpetuates the notion that Thames =
Thame and Isis in the lines—
“Around his throne the sea-born brothers stood;
Who Swell with tributary urns his flood:—
First the famed authors of his ancient name,
The winding Isis and the fruitful Thame !
The Kennet Sywift, for silver eels renowned ;
The Loddon slow, with verdant alders crowned ;
T
Cole, whose dark streams his flowery islands
ave ;
And chalky Wey that rolls a milky wave ;
The blue transparent Vandalis appears ;
The gulphy Lee his Sedgy tresses rears;
And sullen Mole that hides his diving flood ;
And silent Darent stained with Danish blood.”
IPOpe: Windson Forest.
JHe'll never set the Thames on fire. He'll
never make any figure in the world;
never plant his footsteps on the sands of
time. The popular explanation is that
the word Thames is a pun on the word
temse, a corn-sieve ; and that the parallel
French locution. He will Alever set the
Seine on fire is a pun on Seine, a drag-net ;
but these solutions are not tenable.
There is a Latin saw, “Tiberim accendère
nequaquam potest,” which is probably
the fons et Origo of other parallel sayings.
Then, long before our proverb, we had
“To set the Rhine on fire * (Den Rhein
anzinden), 1630, and Er hat den Rheinz
wnd das Meer angeziindet, 1580.
... There are numerous similar phrases; as “He
will never set the Liffey on fire ; ” to “Set the
Trent on fire ;" to “set the Humber on fire ;” etc.
Of course it is possible to set water on fire. but
the scope of the proverb lies the other way, and it
may take its place beside such sayings as “If the .
sky falls we may catch larks.”
Tham'muz. The Syrian and Phoeni-
cian name of Ado'nis. His death hap-
pened on the banks of the river Adonis,
and in summer-time the waters always
become reddened with the hunter’s
blood. (See Ezekiel viii. 14.)
“Thammuz came next bellind,
Whose annual wound on Lebanon allured
The Syrian damsels to Jament his fate
In amorous ditties all a Summer's day,
While smooth Adonis from his native rock
Ran purple to the sea, supposed with blood
Of Thammuz yearly wounded.
Milton : Paradise Lost, bk. iii. 446-452.
Tham'yris. A Thracian bard men-
tioned by Homer (Iliad, ii. 595). He
challenged the Muses to a trial of skill,
and, being overcome in the contest, was
deprived by them of his sight and power
of song. He is represented with a broken
lyre in his hand.
“Blind Thamyris and blind Maeon'idés [Homer],
And Tiresias and Phineus, prophets old.”
Milton : I’d radise Lost, iii. 35–36.
º “Tiresias” pronounce Tº'-ye-sas;
“Phineus ” pronounce Finuce.
That. Seven “thats” may follow
each other, and make sense.
“For be it known that we may safely write
Or say lºt ‘ that that ‘ that that Ilian Wrote was
!"1ſº il t .
Nay e'om' that that that, that ‘ that TIIAT' has
followed,
Thrºff, six repeats, the grammar's rule has
hallowed ;
And that that that that that ‘ that THAT *
began
Repeated seven times is right, deny't who can.”
“My lords, with humble suitmission that that I
Say is this: That that that ‘ that that '.. that that
gentleman has adyanced is not that that he
§§ have proved to your lordships.”—Spectator,
O, 86,
That's the Ticket, I
18 Theist,
That's the Ticket. That's the right
thing to do ; generally supposed to be a
corruption of “That's the etiquette,” or
proper mode of procedure, according to
the programme ; but the expanded
phrase “That's the ticket for soup '’
seems to allude to the custom of showing
a ticket in order to obtain a basin of
Soup given in charity.
Thatch. A straw hat. A hat being
called a tile, and the word being mis-
taken for a roof-tile, gave rise to several
synonyms, such as roof, roofing, thatch,
Gtc. -
Thau'matur'gus. A miracle-worker;
applied to Saints and others who are
reputed to have performed miracles.
(Greek, thatma ergon.) -
Prince Alexander of IIohenlohe, whose
power was looked upon as miraculous,
Apollo'nius of Tyſºna, Cappadocia (A.D.
3-98). (See his Life, by Philostratus.)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, called “the
Thaumaturgus of the West.” (1091–
1153.)
St. Francis d’Assisi, founder of the
Franciscan order. (1182-1226.)
J. Joseph Gassner, of Bratz, in the
Tyrol, who, looking on disease as a pos-
session, exorcised the sick, and his cures
were considered miraculous. (1727–
1779.)
Gregory, Bishop of Neo-Casare'a, in
Cappado'cia, called emphatically “the
Thaumaturgus,” from the numerous
miracles he is reported to have per-
formed. (212-270.)
St. Isidorus. (See his Life, by Damas-
ClüS.
* and Jambres, the magicians of
Pharaoh who withstood Moses.
JBlaise Pascal. (1623–1662.) -
Ploti'nus, and several other Alexan-
drine philosophers. (205-270.) (See the
Life of Plotimus, by Porphyry.)
Proclus. (412–415.) (See his Life, by
Marinus.)
Simon Magus, of Samaria, called
“the Great Power of God.” (Acts viii.
0.)
Several of the Sophists. (See Lives of
the Philosophers, by Eunapius.)
Sospitra possessed the omniscient
power of seeing all that was done in
every part of the globe. (Eunapius :
(Edeseus.)
Vincent de Paul, founder of the
“Sisters of Charity.” (1576-1660.)
*: Peter Schott has published a treatise
on natural magic called Thaumatitºgºs
Physicus. (See below.) -
Thatſmaturgits. Filumčna is called
Thaumaturga, a saint unknown till 1802,
when a grave was discovered with this
inscription on tiles : “LUMENA PAXTE
CYMFI, which, being rearranged, makes
Paz tectſm Pilºtmena. Filumena was at
once accepted as a saillt, and so many
wonders were worked by “ her ” that
she has been called La Thaumaturge du
JDianeuvième Siècle.
Theag'enes and Charicle'a. The
hero and heroine of an erotic romance in
Greek by Heliodorus, Bishop of Trikka.
(fourth century).
Theban Bard or Eagle.
born at Thebes. (B.C. 518-439.)
Theban Legion. The legion raised
in the Thebais of Tºgypt, and composed
of Christian soldiers, led by St. Maurice.
This legion is sometimes called “the
Thundering Legion ” (q.v.).
Thebes (1 syl.), called The Hundred-
Gated, was not Thebes of Boeotia, but of
Thebais of Egypt, which extended over
twenty-three miles of land. Homer says
out of each gate the Thebans could send
forth 200 war - chariots. (Egyptian,
Taape or Taottab, city of the sun.)
“The world's great empress on the Egyptian
Pindar,
Andº her heroes through a laundred gates,
Two hundred horsenen and two hundred cal's
From each wide 1)ortiul issuing to the wars.”
P. Jºe: Iliad, i.
Thec'la (St.), styled in Greek mar-
tyrologies the pro-o-martyress, as St.
Stephen is the proto marty,’. . All that is
known of her is from a book called the
Periods, or Acts of l'aul and Thecla, pro-
nounced apocryphal by Pope Gela'sius,
and unhappily lost. According to the
legend, Thecla was born of a noble
family in Iconium, and was converted
by the preaching of St. Paul.
Theist, Deist, Atheist, Agnostic.
A theist believes there is a God who
made and governs all creation; but does
not believe in the doctrine of the Trinity,
nor in a divine revelation.
A deist believes there is a God who
created all things, but does not believe
in His superintendence and government.
He thinks the Creator implanted in all
things certain immutable laws, called the
Laws of Nature, which act per se, as a
watch acts without the supervision of its
maker. Like the theist, he does not
believe in the doctrine of the Trinity,
nor in a divine revelation.
The atheist disbelieves even the ex-
istence of a God. He thinks matter is
| labill, * -
That spreads her conq".C.St.S () or a thousand
teS,
Thelusson Act
1219
Theseus
eternal, and what we call “creation ” is
the result of natural laws.
The agnostic believes only what is
knowable. He rejects revelation and
the doctrine of the Trinity as “past
human understanding.” He is neither
heist, deist, nor atheist, as all these
are past understanding.
Thełusson Act. The 39th and 4°th
George lII., cap. 98. An Act to
prevent testators from leaving their
property to accumulate for more than
twenty-one years. So called because if
was passed in reference to the Jast will
and testament of the late Mr. Thelusson,
in which he desired his property to be
invested till it had accumulated to some
nineteen millions sterling.
The'nct. An old shepherd who re-
lates to Cuddy the fable of The Oak and
the Briar, with the view of curing him
of his vanity. (Spense' : Shepherd's
Calendar.)
The oc'ritus. The Scottish Theocritus.
Allan Ramsay, author of The Gentle
Shepherd. (1685-1758.)
Theod'ormas. A famous trumpeter
at the siege of Thebes.
“At every court ther cam loud menstral cye
That nºyer trompéd Joab for to heere,
Ne he Theodomas yit half so cleere
At The jös, when the cité was in doute.”
Cluttucer: Canterbury Tatles, 9,502.
The odo'ra (in Orlando Furioso),
sister of Constantine, the Greek Em-
peror. Greatly enraged against Roge'ro,
who slew her son, she vowed vengeance.
Rogero, captured during sleep, being
committed to her hands, she cast him
into a foul dungeon, and fed him on the
bread of affliction till Prince Leon re-
leased him. -
Theod'orick. One of the heroes of
the Nºbeling, a legend of the Sagas.
This king of the Goths was also selected
as the centre of a set of champions by
the German minnesängers (mins/rels),
but he is called by these romancers
Diderick of Bern (Vero'na).
Theon's Tooth. The bite of an ill-
natured or carping critic. “Demete The-
on 720 circumrodi,” to be nastily aspersed.
(Horace : Epistles, i. 18, 82.) Theon
was a carping grammarian of Rome.
Theosophy (the Society was founded
in November, 1875). It means divine
wisdom, the “wisdom religion,” the
‘‘hidden wisdom.” It is borrowed from
Ammonius Saccas of the third century
A.D. . Theosophists tell us there has ever
been a body of knowledge, touching the
universe, known to certain sages, and
communicated by them in doles, as the
world was able to bear the Secrets. Cer-
tail:ly Esdras supports this hypothesis.
Of the two hundred books Jehovah
said:— - -
“The first that thou hast written publish openlv,
that the worthy ſesoterics] and the unworthy ſex-
oterics] may read it : but keep the seventy last
that thou may st deliver them only to such as he
w sº among the people, for in them is wisdom
and the stream of knowledge.”–2 E3dras, xiv.
45-47.
“At my first approach, to the ‘Wisdom Reli-
gion.' I rather resented the necessity of haying
tº master the Irofusion of technical terms which
Madallie Blavatsky very freely s rinkles altout,
her Kelſ to ſheosophy, such as DAYACHIAN BUD LI,
ATMA, MANAS, SAMAD HI, etc.”—P. J. Gww.ld.
Therapeu'tae. The Therapeutae of
Philo were a branch of the Essenes.
The word Essenes is Greek, and means
“ doctors’’ (essaioi), and Therapeutae is
merely a synonym of the same word.
There'sa. Daughter of the Count
Palatine of Pado'lia, beloved by Ma-
zeppa. The count, her father, was very
indignant that a mere page should pre-
sume to fall in love with his daughter,
and had Mazeppa, bound to a wild horse
and set adrift. As for Theresa, Mazeppa.
never knew her future history. Theresa
was historically not the daughter, but
the young wife, of the fiery count.
(Byron : Mazeppa.)
Thermido'riaing. Those who took
part in the coup d'état which effected
the fall of Robespierre, with the desire
of restoring the legitimate monarchy.
So called because the IReign of Terror
was brought to an end on the ninth
Thermidor of the second Republican
year (July 27th, 1794). Ther'midor or
“Hot Month '' was from July 19th to
August 18th. (Duval : Souvenirs Ther-
midoriens.) -
Thersites: A deformed, scurrilous
officer in the Greek army which went
to the siege of Troy. He was always
railing at the chiefs, and one day
Achilles felled him to the earth with
his fist and killed him. (Homer : Iliad.)
“He squinted, halted, gibbous was bohind,
And pinchel before, and on his tapering head
Grew Patches only of the flimsiest down.
... . . Him Greece had sent to Troy,
The miscreant, who shamed his country most.”
Cowper's Thr(tºnslation, book ii.
A Thersités. A dastardly, malevolent,
impudent railer against the powers that
be. (See above.)
Theseus (2 syl.). Lord and governor
of Athens, called by Chaucer Duke The-
Seus. He married Hippol'ita, and as he
returned home with his bride, and Emily
her sister, was accosted by a crowd of
Thespians
1220
Thirteen. Unlucky
female suppliants, who complained of
Creon, King of Thebes. The Duke forth-
with set out for Thebes, slew Creon,
and took the city by assault. Many
captives fell into his hands, amongst
whom were the two knights named Pal'-
amon and Arcite (7.w.). (Chaucer : The
J(night’s Tale.)
The Christian? Thesetts. Roland the
IPaladin.
Thes' pians. Actors. (See below.)
Thes' pis, Thes' pian. Dramatic. Thes-
pis was the father of Greek tragedy.
“The race of learned men,
, , oft they snatch the pen,
As if inspired, and in a Thespian rage ;
Then Write.”
Thomson : Castle of Indolence, c. i. 52.
“Thespis, the first professor of our art,
At country Wakes Sang ballads from a cart.”
Dºyden : Prologue to Sophomisba.
Thessalian. Deceitful, fraudulent;
hence @eorga}\@v vápºtorua = fraud or deceit.
©eororóAöv oróðvapua = double dealing, re-
ferring to the double-dealing of the
Thessalians with their confederates, a
notable instance of which occurred in
the Peloponnesian War where, in the
very midst of the battle, they turned
sides, deserting the Athenians and going
over to the Lacedæmonians. The To-
crians had a similar bad repute, whence
Aokpºv gºv6mua; but of all people, the
Spartans were most noted for treachery.
Thes’tylis. Any rustic maiden. In
the Idylls of Theoc'ritos, Thestylis is a
young female slave.
“And then in haste her bower she Jeayes,
With Thestylis to bind the sheaves.”
Milton. : L'Allegro.
Thick. Through thick and thin (Dry-
den). Through evil and through good
report; through stoggy mud and stones
only thinly covered with dust.
“Througll perils both of wind and limb
She followed lin) through thick and thin.”
JBul'er: HI/t/libras.
** ** Thick and thin blocks '' are
pulley blocks with two sheaves of differ-
ent thickness, to accommodate different
sizes of ropes.
Thick-skinned. Not sensitive : not
irritated by rebukes and slanders. Thin-
skinned, on the contrary, means im-
patient of reproof or censure ; their skin
is so thin it annoys them to be touched.
Thief. (See AUTOLYCUS, CACUS, etc.)
Thieves' Latin. Slang; dog, or dog's
Latin , gibberish.
“What (litl actually reach his ear:3 was dis-
guised so completely by the use of Çant words
and the thieves' Latin, called Slang, that he . . .
could make no sense of the conversation.”—Sir
W. Scott: Redgawmtlet, chap. xiii.
“He can vent Greek and Hebrew as fast as I
can thieyes' Latin.”—Sir W. Scott: Kenilworth,
chap. XXiX.
Thieves on the Cross, called Ges-
mas (the impenitent) and DeSmas (after-
wards “St. Desmas,” the penitent thief)
in the ancient mysteries. Hence the
following charm to scare away thieves:
“Impartibus meritis pendent tria corpora ramis
Desmas et Gesmas, media est divina potestas ;
Alta petit Desnias, infelix, in finia, GeSim as :
Nos et res nostras conservet Sumima potestas,
HOS Yersus dicas, he tu furt.0 tua perdas.” .
Thimble. Scotch, Thummle, origin-
ally “Thumb-bell,” because it was worn
on the thumb, as sailors still wear their
thimbles. It is a Dutch invention, in-
troduced into England in 1695 by John
Lofting, who opened a thimble manu-
factory at Islington.
Thimble-rig. A cheat. The cheat-
ing game so called is played thus: A
pea is put on a table, and the conjurer
places three or four thimbles over it in
succession, and then sets the thimbles on
the table. You are asked to say under
which thimble the pea is, but are sure to
guess wrong, as the pea has been Con-
cealed under the man’s mail. r
Thin-skinned. (See above, TIIICK-
SKINNED.)
Thin Red Line (The). The old
93rd Highlanders were so described at
the battle of Balaclava by Dr. W. H.
Bussell, because they did not take the
trouble to form into square. “Bala-
clava, ’’ is one of the honour-names on
their colours, and their regimental
magazine is named The Thin Red Line.
Thin as a Whipping-post. As a
lath ; as a wafer. (See SIMILES.)
“I assure you that, for many weeks afterwards,
I was as thin as a whilpping-post.”—Kingston :
The Three Admirals, chap. vi. -
“‘I wish we had something to eat," said Tom. “I
shall grow as thin as a Whilpping-post . . . I sus-
pect.’ “–J, imgston : The Three Adınirals, chap. xi.
Think about It (I'll). A courteous
refusal. When the sovereign declines
to accept a bill, the words employed are
Le roi (or la reine) s'avisera. -
Thirteen. Unlucky. The Turks so
dislike the number that the word is al-
most expunged from their vocabulary.
The Italians never use it in making up
the Inumbers of their lotteries. In Paris
no house bears the number, and persons,
called Quartorziennes (q.v.), are reserved .
to make a fourteenth at dinner parties.
“Jamais on me devrait.
Še mettre a table treize,
Mais douze c'est parfait.” -
JLa Mascotte (ſtºl Opera), i. 5.
Sitting down thirteen at dinner, in old
Norse mythology, was deemed unlucky,
because at a banquet in the Valhalla,
Thirteens
Loki once intruded, making thirteen
guests, and Baldur was slain. º
In Christian countries the superstition
was confirmed by the Last Supper of
Christ and His twelve apostles, but the
superstition itself is much anterior to
Christianity.
Twelve at a dinner table, supposing one sits at
the head of the table and one at the bottom, gives
a party to these two, provided a couple is divided ;
but thirteen, like any other-odd number, is a uni-
C()1'il.
Thirteens. Throwing the thirteens
about. A thirteen is an Irish shilling,
which, prior to 1825, was worth 13
pence, and many years after that date,
although reduced to the English stan-
dard, went by the name of “thirteens.”
When Members of Parliament were
chaired after their election, it was by no
means unusual to carry a bag or two of
“thirteens,” and scatter the money
amongst the crowd.
Thirteen pence-halfpenny. A
hangman. So called because thirteen-
pence-halfpenny was at one time his
wages for hanging a man. (See HANG-
MAN.)
Thirty. A man at thirty must be
either a fool or a physician. (Tiberials.)
Thirty Tyrants. The thirty magis-
trates appointed by Sparta over Athens,
at the termination of the Peloponnesian
war. This “reign of terror,” after one
year's continuance, was overthrown by
Thrasybu'los (B.C. 403).
The Thirty Tyrants of the Roman
empire. So those military usurpers are
called who endeavoured, in the reigns
of Vale'rian and Gallie'nus (253–268), to
make themselves independent princes.
The number thirty must be taken with
great latitude, as only nineteen are
given, and their resemblance to the
thirty tyrants of Athens is extremely
fanciful. They were—
. In the East. Illyrictim.
(11) Ingen’uus.
(12) Regillianus.
(13) Aure/olus.
Promiscuous.
(14) Saturni/nus in Pon.
)
3) Balista.
4) Qdena/ihus.
5) Zemo'bia.
Tº the West.
(6) Post/humus.
(7) IQllia/nus. -
(8) Victori'nus and his
mother Victoria.
ll.S.
(15) Trebellia/nus in Is-
auria.
(16) Piso in TheSSaly.
(17) Vaſlen3 in A chaia.
(18) A3 m i lia’ n us in
(9) Ma'rius. Egypt. '
(10) Tet/ricus. (19) Celsus in Africa.
Thirty Years' War. A series of
wars between the Catholics and Protes-
tants of Germany in the seventeenth
century. It began in Bohemia in 1618,
and ended in 1648 with the “peace of
Westphalia.”
1221
Thistle of Scotland
Thisbe. A Babylonish maiden be-
loved by Pirámus. They lived in con-
tiguous houses, and as their parents
would not let them marry, they con-
trived to converse together through a
hole in the garden wall. On one occa-
sion they agreed to meet at Ninus’ tomb,
and Thisbe, who was first at the spot,
hearing a lion roar, ran away in a fright,
dropping her garment on the way. The
lion seized the garment and tore it.
When Piramus arrived and saw the gar-
ment, he concluded that a lion had eaten
Thisbe, and he stabbed himself. Thisbe
returning to the tomb, saw Piramus
dead, and killed herself also. This story
is travestied in the Midsummer Night’s
IJream, by Shakespeare.
Thistle (The). The species called
Silybum Mariánum, we are told, owes
the white markings on its leaves to the
milk of the Virgin Mary, some of which
fell thereon and left a white mark be-
hind. (See CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
Thistles are said to be a cure for
stitch in the side, especially the species
called “Our Lady's Thistle.” Accord-
ing to the Doctrine of Signatures, Nature
has labelled every plant, and the prickles
of the thistle tell us the plant is effica-
cious for prickles or stitches in the side.
(See TURMERIC.)
Thistle Beds. Withoos, a Dutch
artist, is famous for his homely pictures
where thistle-beds abound.
Thistle of Scotland. The Danes
thought it cowardly to attack an enemy
by night, but on one occasion deviated
from their rule. On they crept, bare-
footed, noiselessly, and unobserved, when
one of the men set his foot on a thistle,
which made him cry out. The alarm
was given, the Scotch fell upon the
night-party, and defeated them with
terrible slaughter. Ever since the thistle
has been adopted as the insignia of Scot-
land, with the motto “Nemo me impune
lacessit.” This tradition reminds us of
Brennus and the geese. (See also STARS
AND STRIPES.)
Thistle. The device of the Scotch
monarchs was adopted by Queen Anne;
hence the riddle in Pope’s pastoral pro-
posed by Daphnis to Strephon : -
“Tell me . . . in what more happy fields
The thistle springs, to which the lily yields 2"
Pope : Spring.
In the reign of Anne the Duke of
Marlborough made the “lily’’ of France
yield to the thistle of Queen Anne. The
lines are a parody of Virgil's Eclogue,
iii. 104-108. +
Thornas 1
2
2
2
Thorn in the T1esh
Thomas (St.). Patron saint of archi-
tects. The tradition is that Gondof'orus,
king of the Indies, gave him a large sum
of money to build a palace. St. Thomas
spent it on the poor, “thus erecting a
superb palace in heaven.”
The symbol of St. Thomas is a builder's
square, because he was the patron of
masons and architects.
Christians of St. Thomas. In the
southern parts of Mal'abar there were
some 200,000 persons who called them-
selves “Christians of St. Thomas '' when
Gama discovered India. They had been
1,300 years under the jurisdiction of the
patriarch of Babylon, who appointed
their materene (archbishop). When
Gama arrived the head of the Malabar
Christians was Jacob, who styled himself
“Metropolitan of India and China.” In
1625 a stone was found near Siganfu
with a cross on it, and containing a list
of the materenes of India and China.
Sir Thomas. The dogmatical prating
squire in Crabbe's Borough (letter x.).
Thomas-a-Éempis. Thomas Ham-
merlein of Kempen, an Augustinian, in
the diocese of Cologne. (1380–1471.)
Thomas the Rhymer. Thomas
Learmont, of Ercildoune, a Scotchman, .
in the reign of Alexander III., and con-
temporary with Wallace. He is also
called Thomas of Ercildoune. Sir Walter
Scott calls him the “Merlin of Scot-
land.” He was magician, prophet, and
poet, and is to return again to earth at
some future time when Shrove Tuesday
and Good Friday change places.
* Care must be taken not to confound
“Thomas the IRhymer’” with Thomas
Rymer, the historiographer and compiler
of the Foedera.
homasing. In some rural districts
the custom still prevails of “Thomas-
ing ”—that is, of collecting small sums
of money or obtaining drink from
the employers of labour on the 21st
of December—“ St. Thomas's T)ay.”
T)ecember 21st is still noted in London as
that day when every one of the Common
Council has to be either elected or re-
elected, and the electors are wholly
withouf restriction except as to age and
sex. The aldermen and their officers are
not elected on St. Thomas's Day.
Thom’ists. Followers of Thomas
Aquinas, who denied the doctrine of
the immaculate conception maintained
by Duns Scotus. -
“Ścotists and Thomists now in peace remain.”
Pope : Essay on Criticism, 444.
Thomson (James), author of The
Seasons and Castle of Indolence, in 1729
brought out the tragedy of Sophonisba,
in which occurs the silly line: “O So-
phonisba, Sophonisba, O !” which a wag
in the pit parodied into “O Jemmy
Thomson, Jemmy Thomson, O !” (1700-
1748.)
Thone (1 syl.) or Thonis. Governor
of a province of Egypt. His wife was
Polydamnia. It is said by post-Homeric
poets that Paris took Helen to this pro-
vince, and that Polydamnia gave her a
drug named nepenthes to make her forget
her sorrows, and fill her with joy.
“Not that nepenthes which the wife of Thone
In Egypt gave to love-lorn Helena,
Is of such power to stir up joy as this.”
- Milton : Comus, 695-607.
Tho'pas (Sir). Native of Poperyng
in Flanders; a capital Sportsman, archer,
wrestler, and runner. He resolved to
marry no one but an “elf queen,” and
set out for fairy-land. On his way he
met the three-headed giant Olifaunt,
who challenged him to single combat.
Sir Thopas got permission to go back for
his armour, and promised to meet him
next day. Here mine host interrupts
the narrative as “intolerable nonsense,”
and the “rime ’’ is left unfinished.
“An elf queen wol I have, I wis,
For in this world no Woman is
Worthy to be inly mate.”
Chaucer : Itinue of Sir Thopas.
Thor. Son of Odin, and god of war.
His attlendit ºnt was THIAI, FI, the swift runner.
His belt was MEG ING.I.A.'s DLR or MEGIS, AR D,
which doubled his strength. Whenever he lyut it
() il.
II is goats were CRACK, G RINI), CRASH, and
CIIASF. -
His hamme) or mace was M.I.O.I.N.T.R.
His ſ: was BILs KIRNIn Bright, Space),
where he received the warriors who had fallen in
},httle.
H ; 8 º’ertlym Was THRU DVANG.
His wife was SIF (Love). -
* He is addressed as Asa Thor or
Ring Thor (Winged Thor, i.e. Lightning).
(Señndinarian mythology.)
The word enters into many names of
places, etc., as Thorsby in Cumberland,
Thunderhill in Surrey, Thurso in Caith-
ness, Torthorwald (i.e. “Hill of Thor-
in-the-wood”) in Dumfriesshire, Thurs-
day, etc. .
Thorn. The Conference of Thorn met
October, 1645, at Thorn, in Prussia, to
remove the difficulties which separate
Christians into sects. It was convoked
by Ladislas IV. of Poland, but no gocd
result followed the conference.
Thorn in the Flesh (A). Something
to mortify ; a skeleton in the cupboard.
The allusion is to a custom common
Thorns
Kºº.
amongst the ancient Pharisees, one class
of which used to insert thorns in the
borders of their gaberdines to prick their
legs in walking and make them bleed.
(See PHARISEES.)
Thorns. Calvin (Admonitio de Reli-
quits) gives a long list of places claiming
to possess one or more of the thorns
which composed the Saviour's crown.
To his list may be added Glastonbury
Abbey, where was also the spear of
Tongius or Longinus, and Some of the
Virgin’s milk. -
The thorns of Dauphiné will merer
prick unless they prieſ: the first day.
This proverb is applied to natural talent.
If talent does not show itself early, it
will never do sc-—the truth of which
application is very doubtful indeed.
“Sil’espine non licque quand nai,
A pene que licque jannai.”
rove, b in Dauphine.
Thorps-men. Villagers. This very
pretty Anglo-Saxon word is worth re-
storing. (Thorpe, Anglo-Saxon, a vil-
lage.)
Thoth. The Hermes of Egyptian
mythology. He is represented with the
head of an ibis on a human body. He
is the inventor of the arts and sciences,
music and astronomy, speech and let-
ters. The name means “Logos” or “the
Word.”
Though Lost to Sight, to Memory
Dear. A writer in Harper’s Magazine
tells us that the author of this line was
Ruthven Jenkyns, and that the poem,
which consists of two stanzas each of
eight lines, begins each stanza with
“Sweetheart, good-bye,” and ends with
the line, “Though lost to sight, to
memory dear.” The poem was pub-
lished in the Greenwich Magazine for
JIarines in 1701 or 1702.
Thousand. Everyone knows that a
dozen may be either twelve or thirteen,
a score either twenty or twenty-one, a
hundred either one hundred or one hun-
dred and twenty, and a thousand either
one thousand or one thousand two hun-
dred. The higher numbers are the old
Teutonic computations. Hickes tells us
that the Norwegians and Icelandic people
have two sorts of decad, the lesser and
the greater called “Tolfraed.” The
lesser thousand– 10 × 100, but the greater
thousand = 12 × 100. . The word tolf,
equal to tolv, is our ticelve. (Institutionies
Grammatica, p. 43.)
* Five score of men, money, or pins,
Six score of all other things,” Old Saw,
1223
Threadneedle Street
Thousand Years as One Day (A).
(1 Peter iii. 8.) Precisely the same is said
of Brahma. “A day of Brahma is as a
thousand revolutions of the Yoogs, and
his might extendeth also to a thousand
more.” (Kreeshna . Bhagavat Geeta.)
Thrall. A slave ; bondage; wittily
derived from drill, in allusion to the
custom of drilling the ear of a slave in
token of servitude, a custom common to
the Jews. (Deut. xv. 17.) Our Saxon
forefathers used to pierce at the church-
door the ears of their bond-slaves.
(Anglo-Saxon, thrael, slave or bondman.)
Thread. The thread of destiny—i.e.
that on which destiny depends. The
Greeks and Romans imagined that a
grave maiden called Clotho spun from
her distaff the destiny of man, and as
she spun one of her sisters worked out
the events which were in store, and
At'ropos cut the thread at the point
when death was to occur.
A St. Thomas’s thread. The tale is
that St. Thomas planted Christianity in
China, and then returned to Mal'abar.
Here he saw a huge beam of timber
floating on the sea near the coast, and
the king endeavouring, by the force of
men and elephants, to haul it ashore,
but it would not stir. St. Thomas de-
sired leave to build a church with it,
and, his request being granted, he drag-
ged it easily ashore with a piece of
packthread. (Faria y Sousa.)
Chief of the Triple Thread. Chief
Brahmin. Oso'rius tells us that the
Brahmins wore a symbolical Tessera of
three threads, reaching from the right
shoulder to the left. Faria says that the
religion of the Brahmins proceeded from
fishermen, who left the charge of the
temples to their successors on the con-
dition of their wearing some threads of
their nets in remembrance of their voca-
tion ; but Oso'rius maintains that the
triple thread symbolises the Trinity.
“Tel'na ſila, ah lull’mero dex’tero in latus sinis/-
trum gerunt, ut desigment trinam in natu'ra
divi’na ratio,’ nem.” -
Threadneedle Street. A corrup-
tion of Thryddamen or Thryddenal Street,
meaning third street from “ Chepesyde.”
to the great thoroughfare from London
Bridge to “Bushop Gate ’’ (consisting of
New Fyshe Streate, Gracious Streate,
and Bushop Gate Streate). (Anglo-Saxon,
thrydda or thrydde, third.)
Another ... etymology is Thrig-need/e
(three-needle street), from the three
needles which the Needlemaker’s Com-
pany bore in their arms. It begins from
Three
the Mansion House, and therefore the
Bank stands in it.
The Old Lady in Threadneedle Street.
The directors of the Bank of England
were so called by William Cobbett, be-
cause, like Mrs. Partington, they tried
with their broom to sweep back the At-
lantic waves of national progress.
“A silver curl-paper that I myself took off the
Shining locks of the ever-beautiful old lady of
Threadneedle Street [a bank-note].”—Dickens:
Dr. Marigold.
Three. Pythagoras calls three the
perfect number, expressive of “begin-
ning, middle, and end,” wherefore he
makes it a symbol of Deity. The world
was supposed to be under the rule of
three gods, viz. Jupiter (heaven), Nep-
tune (sea), and Pluto (Hades). Jove is
represented with three-forked lightning,
Neptune with a trident, and Pluto with
a three-headed dog. The Fates are three,
the Furies three, the Graces three, the
IHarpies three, the Sibylline books three ;
the fountain from which Hylas drew
water was presided over by three
nymphs, and the Muses were three times
three ; the pythoness sat on a tripod.
Man is three-fold (body, soul, and
spirit); the world is three-fold (earth,
sea, and air); the enemies of man are
three-fold (the world, the flesh, and the
devil); the Christian graces are three-
fold (Faith, Hope, and Charity); the
kingdoms of Nature are threefold
(mineral, vegetable, and animal); the
cardinal colours are three in number
(red, yellow, and blue), etc. (See NINE,
which is three times three.)
"." Even the Bible consistS Of the Old Testa-
ment, the New Testament, and the Apocrypha.
Our laws have to 1)aSS the Commons, Lords, and
CrOWn. -
Three Bishoprics (The). So the
French call the three cities of Lorraine,
Metz, and Verdun, each of which was at
one time under the lordship of a bishop.
They were united to the kingdom of
France by Henri II. in 1552. Since the
Franco-German war they have been at-
tached to Germany.
Three-Decker (A). The pulpit,
reading-desk, and clerk’s desk arranged
in a church, towering one above the
other. Now an obsolete arrangement.
“In the midst of the church stands . . . the
Offensive structure of pulpit, reading-desk, and
clerk's desk: in fact, a regular old three-decker
in full Sail Westward.”—The Christian Remem-
bramcer, July, 1852, p. 92.
Three Chapters (The). Three books,
or parts of three books—one by Theo-
dore of Mopsuestia, one by Theodoret
of Cyprus, and the third by Ibas, Bishop
sº
i224
Three Sheets
of Edessa. These books were of a Nes-
torian bias on the subject of the incar-
nation and two natures of Christ. The
Church took up the controversy warmly,
and the dispute continued during the
reign of Justinian and the popedom of
Vigilius. In 553 the Three Chapters were
condemned at the general council of
Constantinople.
Three Estates of the Realm are
the nobility, the clergy, and the com-
monalty. In the collect for Gunpowder
Treason we thank God for “preserving
(1st) the king, and (2nd) the three estates
of the realm ; ” from which it is quite
evident that the sovereign is not one of
the three estates, as nine persons out of
ten suppose. These three estates are
represented in the two Houses of Par-
liament. (See FouTTH ESTATE.)
Three Holes in the Wall (The), to
which Macaulay alluded in his speech,
September 20th, 1831, are three holes or
niches in a ruined mound in the borough
of Old Sarum, which before the Reform
sent two members to Parliament. Lord
John Russell (March, 1831) referred to
the same anomaly. (See Notes and
Queries, March 14th, 1885, p. 213.)
Three Kings' Day. Epiphany or
Twelfth Day, designed to commemorate
the visit of the “three kings” or Wise
Men of the East to the infant Jesus. (See
wnder KINGS.)
Three-pair Baclº (Living up a).
Tiving in a garret, which is got at by
mounting to the third storey by a back
staircase.
Three-quarters or , ś. Thyming
slang for the neck. This certainly is a
most ingenious perversion. “Three-
quarters of a peck ’’ rhymes with neck,
so, in writing, an expert simply sets down
#. (See CHIVY.)
Three R's (The). (See under R.)
Three Sheets in the Wind. Un-
steady from Over-drinking, as a ship
when its sheets are in the wind. The
sail of a ship is fastened at One of the
'bottom corners by a rope called a
“tack; ” the other corner is left more
or less free as the rope called a “sheet”
is disposed; if quite free, the sheet is
said to be “in the wind,” and the sail
flaps and flutters without restraint. If
all the three sails were so loosened, the
ship would “reel and stagger like a
drunken man.”
“Captain Cuttle looking, candle, in hand, at
Bunsby more, attentively, perceived that he was
three sheets in the wind, or, in plain Words,
drunk,”—Dickens: Dombey (tºd. Som.
Three-tailed Bashaw 1225 Thule
Three-tailed Bashaw. (See BA- | Dutch, drom; Greek, thrumma; all
SHAW.) meaning “fag-ends'' or “fragments.”)
Three Tuns. A fish ordinary in “Come, sisters, come, cut º thrum ;
Billingsgate, famous as far back as the
reign of Queen Anne.
Threshers. Members of the Catholic
organisation instituted in 1806. One ob-
ject was to resist the payment of tithes.
Their threats and warnings were signed
“Captain Thresher.”
Threshold. Properly the door-sill,
but figuratively applied to the beginning
of anything; as, the threshold of life
(infancy), the threshold of an argument
(the commencement), the threshold of the
inquiry (the first part of the investiga-
tion). (Saxon, thorsewald, door-wood;
German, thirschwelle ; Icelandic, thros-
tilldur. From thūr comes our door.)
Thrift-box. A money-box, in which
thrifts or savings are put. (See SPEND-
THRIFT.)
Throgmorton Street (London). So
named from Sir Nicholas Throckmorton,
head of the ancient Warwickshire family,
and chief banker of England in the reign
of Queen Elizabeth.
Through-stone (A). A flat grave-
stone, a stone coffin or Sarcophagus, also
a bond stone which extends over the
entire thickness of a wall. In archi-
tecture, called “Perpent’’ or “Perpend
Stones” or “Throughs.” (French,
Pierre parpainge.)
“Od he is not stirring yet, mair than he were
a through-stane.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monastery
(Introduction).
Throw. To throw the helve after the
hatchet. (See HELVE.)
Throw. Throw lots of dirt, and some
will stick. Find plenty of fault, and
some of it will be believed. In Latin,
JFortiter calumniãri, aliquid adhaerébit.
Throw Up the Sponge (To). (See
SPONG.E.)
Throw your Eye on. Give a glance
at. In Latin, oculos [in aliquem] conjicºre.
“Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
On y On y Ollng bow.”
Shakespeare : King John, iii. 3.
Throwing an Old Shoe for Luck.
(See under SHOE.)
“NOW, for goode luck Caste an Old Shoe after
me.”—Haywood (1693–1756).
“Ay, with all my heart, there's an old shoe after
sº-The Parson's Wedding (Dodsley, Vol. ix. p.
4.99
Thrums. Weaver’s ends and fag-
ends of carpet, used for common rugs.
(The word is common to many languages,
as Icelandic, thraum ; German, trumm ;
Quail, crush, conclude, and quell ”
Shakespeare : Midsummer Night's Dream, V. 1.
Thread and thrum. Everything, good
and bad together.
Thrummy Cap. A sprite described
in Northumberland fairy tales as a
“queer-looking little auld man,” whose
exploits are generally laid in the cellars
of old castles.
Thug [a cheat]. So a religious fra-
termity in India was called. Their patron
goddess was Devi or Kāli, wife of Silva.
The Thugs lived by plunder, to obtain
which they never halted at violence or
even murder. In some provinces they
were called “stranglers” (phansigars),
in the Tamil tongue “noosers” (ari
tulukar), in the Canarese “catgut
thieves” (tanti kalleru). They banded
together in gangs mounted on horse-
back, assuming the appearance of mer-
chants; some two or more of these gangs
concerted to meet as if by accident at a
given town. They then ascertained what
rich merchants were about to journey,
and either joined the party or lay in wait
for it. This being arranged, the victim
was duly caught with a lasso, plundered,
and strangled. (Hindu, thaga, deceive.)
Thuggee (2 syl.). The system of
secret assassination preached by Thugs;
the practice of Thugs.
Thuig or Tuig (Norse). The mounds
raised by the old Scandinavians where
their courts were held. The word is met
with in Iceland, in the Shetlands, and
elsewhere in Scotland.
Thule (2 syl.). Called by Drayton
Thuly. Pliny, Solinus, and Mela, take
it for Iceland. Pliny says, “It is an
island in the Northern Ocean discovered
by Pyth'eas, after sailing six days from
the Orcadés.” Others, like Camden,
consider it to be Shetland, still called
Thylens-el (isle of Thylè) by seamen, in
which opinion they agree with Mari'nus,
and the descriptions of Ptolemy and
Tacitus. Bochart says it is a Syrian
word, and that the Phoenician merchants
who traded to the group called it Gezirat
Thulā (isles of darkness). Its certain
etymology is unknown; it may possibly
be the Gothic Thule, meaning the “most
remote land,” and connected with the
Greek telos (the end).
“Where the Northern Ocean, in vast whirls,
Boils round the naked melancholy isles
Of farthest Thulé.” . Thomson Awtumn.
Thurmb
Ultima Thulé. The end of the world ;
the last extremity. Thule was the most
northern point known to the ancient
Romans. ..
‘‘Tiji Ser Yiat Ultima Thule.”
- Virgil : Georgics, i. 30.
“Peshawal' cantonment is the Ultima. Thule of
Bºlsh India.”—Vineteenth Century, Oct., 1893, p.
Thumb. When a gladiator was van-
quished it rested with the spectators to
decide whether he should be slain or
not. If they wished him to live, they
shut up their thumbs in their fists (police
compresso favor judicabašur) : if to be
slain, they turned out their thumbs.
Adam, in his lºoman A/fiqatities (p. 287),
says, “If they wished him to be saved,
they pressed down their thumbs; if to be
slain, they turned up [held out] their
thumbs.” (Pliny, xxviii. 2; Juvenal,
iii. 36; Horace : 1 Epist., xviii. 66.)
* It is not correct to say, if they
wished the man to live they held their
thumbs downwards ; if to be slain, they
held their thumbs upwards. “Police
compressio” means to hold their thumbs
close.
“Where, influenced by the rabble's bloody will,
With thumbs bent back, they popularly kill.”
'ryden : Third Swtire.
By the pricking of my thatmbs, some-
thing wicked this way comes. Another
proverb says, “My little ſinger told ºne
that.” When your eam's turn hot and
red, it is to indicate that someone is
speaking about you. When a sudden fit
of “Shivering ” occurs, it is because
someone is treading on the place which
is to form your grave. When the eye
itches, it indicates the visit of a friend.
When the palm itches, it shows that a
present will shortly be received. When
the bones ache, it prognosticates a
coming storm. Plautus says, “ Timeo
quod rerum gesserim hic ita dorsets totats
prurit.” (Miles Gloriosus.) All these
and many similar Superstitions rest on
the notion that “coming events cast
their shadows before,” because our
“angel,” ever watchful, forewarns us
that we may be prepared. Sudden pains
and prickings are the warnings of evil
on the road; sudden glows and pleasur-
able sensations are the couriers to tell us
of joy close at hand. These superstitions
are relics of demonology and witchcraft.
'. In ancient Rome the augurs took special
notice of the palpitation of the heart, the flicker-
ing of the eye, and the pricking of the thumb. In
regard to the last, if the pricking was on the left
hand it was considered a very bad sign, indicating
his chief at hand.
Do you bite your thumb at me 2 Do
you mean to insult me? The way of
1226
Thunder
2: £-
expressing defiance and contempt was
by snapping the finger or putting the
thumb in the mouth. Both these acts
are termed a fico, whence our expressions
“Not worth a fig,” “I don’t care a fig
for you.” Decker, describing St. Paul's
Walk, speaks of the biting of thumbs to
beget quarrels. (See GLovE.)
“I see Contempt marching forth, giving nee
the fico With his thom he in his mouth.”—JV, ts
Miserie (1596).
“I will bite my, thumb at them ; which is a
disgrace to them, if they bear it.”—Shakespeare :
Romeo (tnd Juliet, i. 1.
Every honest miller has a thumb of golf.
Even an honest miller grows lich with,
what he prigs. Thus Chaucer says of
his miller—
“Welcowde he stelé and tollen thries,
Alld yet he had a thollll) of gold pårde [was
what is called an ‘honest miller’ſ
Canterbºtry Tºtles (Prologue, 565).
Rule of thumb. Rough measure.
Ladies often measure yard lengths by
their thumb. Ind, ed the expression
“sixteen nails make a yard ” seems to
point to the thumb-nail as a standard.
Countrymen always measure by their
thumb. .
Tom Thumb. (See TOM'.)
Under one’s thatmb. Under the in-
fluence or power of the person named.
Thumb-nail Legacies. Ilegacies so
small that they could be written on one’s
thumb-mail. -
“'Tis said, some mon may make their wills
On their thumb-nails, for aught they can
})estow.”
Peter Pimdal' : Lord B. (tnd his Motions.
Thum'bikins or Thumbscrew. An
instrument of torture largely used by
the Inquisition. The torture was com-
pressing the thumb between two bars of
iron, made to approach each other by
means of a scre v. Principal Carstairs
was the last person put to this torture
in Britain ; he suffered for half an hour
at Holyrood, by order of the Scotch
Privy Council, to wring from him a con-
fession of the secrets of the Argyll and
Monmouth parties.
Thunder. The giant who fell into
the river and was killed, because Jack
cut the ropes that suspended the draw-
bridge, and when the giant ventured to
cross it the bridge fell in. (Jack the
Giant Iſiller.)
Thunder (Sons of) [Boamer'gés].
James and John, the sons of Zebedee
(Mark iii. 17). So called because they
asked to be allowed to consume with
lightning those who rejected the mission
of Christ. (Luke ix. 54; Mark iii. 17.)
Thunder and Tightning 1
2
2
Tiburtius's Day
7
Thunder and Lightning or 'I'on-
nant. Stephen II. Of Hungary (1100,
11 14-1131).
Thunders of the Vatican. The
anathemas and denuncia ions of the
Pope, whose palace is the Vatican of
IRome.
Properly speaking, the Vatican con-
sists of the Papal palacº, the court and
garden of Belvedere, the library, and
the museum, all on the right bank of
the Tiber.
Thunderboit of Italy. Gaston de
Foix, nephew of Louis XII. (1489-1512.)
Thunderbolts. Jupiter was depicted
by the ancients as a man Seated on a
throne, holding a sceptre in his left hand
and thunderbolts in his right. Modern
science has proved there are no such
things as thunderstones, though many
tons of bolidas (2 syl.), ačrolites (3 syl.),
meteors, or shooting stars (of stony or
metallic substance) fall annually to our
earth. These ‘‘ air-stones,” however,
have no connection with thunder and
lightning. -
“Be ready, gods, with
D.lsh him to pieces !
Stakespeare: Julius Caesar, iv. 3.
Thunderer (The). A name applied
to The Times newspaper, in allusion to
an article by Captain Ed. Sterling, be-
ginning thus:–
“We thºuldere, l forth the other day an al"ticle
on the Sułoject of Social and political reform.”—
'I', ie T'intes.
Thundering Legion. Under cover
of a thunderstorm which broke over
them they successfully attacked the
Marcomanni. (See LEGION, THEBAN
LEGION.)
‘." This is a mere legend of no historic value.
The legion was so called at least a century lefore
the reign of Aure/lius ; probably because it bore
on its shields or ensigns a representation of
Jul)iter Tonan S.
Thun'stone. The successor of King
Arthur. (Nursery Tale : Tom Thumb.)
all your thunderbolts ;
Thursday. That is, Thor's day. In
French, Jeudi—i.e. Jove's day.
Thursday. (See BLACK.)
When three Thursdays meet. Never
(q.v.). In French, “Cela arrivera la
semaine des trois jeudis.”
Jſaundy Thursday. (See MAUNDY
THURSDAY.)
Tiara. A composite emblem. Its
primary meaning is purity and chastity
—the foundation being of fine linen.
The gold band denotes supremacy. The
first cap of dignity was adopted by Pope
Damasus II. in 1048. The cap was
surmounted with a high coronet in 1295
by Boniface VIII. The second coronet
was added in 1335 by Benedict XII., to
indicate the prerogatives of spiritual and
temporal power combined in the Papacy.
The third coronet is indicative of the
Trinity, but it is not known who first
adopted it : Some Say Urban V., others
John XXII., John XXIII., or Bene-
dict XII.
“The symbol of my threefold dignity. in heaven,
unon eartlı, and it lºuvg.utory.”—1°ope Paw's 1A.
(1871).
* The triple crown most likely was in
imitation of that of the Jewish high
priest.
“On his head was a white turban, and oyer this
a second striped with dark blue. On his fore-
head he wore a plate of gold, on which the name
of Jehovah was inscribed, And, being at once
high priest and p ince, this was connected with
a triple crown on the temples and back of the
lead.”—Eldad the Pilg, im, chal). X. -
Tib. St. Tib’s Eve. Never. A cor-
ruption of St. Ubes. There is no such
saint in the calendar as St. Ubes, and
therefore her eve falls on the “Greek
Iſalends” (q.v.), neither before Christ-
mas Day nor after it.
Tib and Tom. Tib is the are of
trumps, and Tom is the knave of trumps
in the game of Gleek.
“That gamester needs must overcome,
That can play looth ‘l’il) and Tolna.”
Jºaqudolph : Iſermaphrodite, p. 610,
Tiber, called The Yellow T. ber, be-
cause it is discoloured with yellow mud.
“Vertici'jus rap’id’s, et multà flavus are’ ha.”
jºirgil: Almeid, vii. 31.
Tibul’111s. The French Tibullets.
Evariste Désiré Desforges, Chevalier de
Parmy (1753-1814). -
Tibur'ee (3 syl.) or Tiburce (2 syl).
Brother of Valirian, converted by the
teaching of St. Cecilia, his sister-in-law,
and baptised by Pope Urban. Being
brought before Almachius the prefect,
and commanded to worship the image of
Jupiter, both the brothers refused, and
were decapitated. (Chaucer. Secounde
Nonnes Tale.)
“Al this thing sche unto Tiburce told (3 syI.),
And after this Tiburce, in good entente (2 syl.),
With Valiri'an to Pope Urlyan wente"
Chaucer: Canterbury Tales, 12,276.
Tiburtius's Day (St.). April 14th.
The cuckoo sings from St. Tiburtius's
Day (April 14th) to St. John's Day (June
24th).
This most certainly is nºt correct, as I have
heard the cuckoo even in August ; but without
doubt, July is the month Of... its migration gener-
ally.
The proverb says:
“ July, Drepares to fly ; August, go he must.”
*: It is said that he migrates to Egypt.
Tick 1
*—.
28 Tigris
Tick. To go on tick—on ticket. In
the Seventeenth century, ticket was the
Ordinary term for the written acknow-
ledgment of a debt, and one living on
credit was said to be living on tick. Bet-
ting was then, and still is to a great ex-
tent, a matter of tick—i.e. entry of par-
ticulars in a betting-book. We have an
Act of Parliament prohibiting the use of
betting tickets: “Be it enacted, that if
any person shall play at any of the said
games . . . (otherwise than with and for
ready money), or shall bet on the sides
of such as shall play . . . a sum of money
exceeding £100 at any one time . . .
upon ticket or credit . . . he shall,” etc.
(16 Car. II. Cap. 16.)
“If a Servant usually buy for the master upon
tick, and the Servant lyuy some things without Llle
master's order . . . the master is liable.”—Chief
Justice Holt (Blackstone, chap. xv. p. 468).
Ticket. That’s the ticket or That’s
the ticket for soup. That’s the right
thing. The ticket to be shown in order
to obtain something. Some think that
the word “ticket ’’ in this phrase is a
corruption of etiquette.
JWhat’s the ticket 2
rangement P
“‘Well,” said Bob Cross, ‘what's the ticket,
youngster ? Are you to go aboard With us?”—
Captain Man'ryat.
Ticket of Leave (A). A warrant
given to convicts to have their liberty on
condition of good behaviour.
Tickle the Public (To). When an
actor introduces some gag to make the
audience laugh, “il chatouille le public.”
One of the most noted chatouilleurs was
Odry, a French actor.
Tide-rode, in seaman phrase, means
that the vessel at anchor is swung about
by the force of the tide. Metaphorically,
a person is tide-rode when circumstances
over which he has no control are against
him, especially a sudden glut in the
market. Tide-rode, ridden at anchor
with the head to the tide; wind-rode,
with the head to the wind.
Tide-waiters. Those who vote
against their opinions. S. G., O. (the
Rev. Lord Osborne), of the Times, calls
the clergy in Convocation whose votes do
not agree with their convictions “eccle-
siastical tide-waiters.”
What is the ar-
Tidy means in tide, in season, in
time. We retain the word in even-tide,
Spring-tide, and so on. Tusser has the
phrase, “If the weather be fair and
tidy,” meaning seasonable. Things done
punctually and in their proper season are
sure to be done orderly, and what is
orderly done is meat and well arranged.
Hence we get the notion of methodical,
meat, well-arranged, associated with tidy.
(Danish, tidig, seasonable, favourable.)
How are you getting on 2 Oh / pretty
tidily—favourably. (See above.)
A tidy fortune. A nice little bit of
money. Tidy means neat, and neat
means comfortable.
Tied. Tied to your mother's apron-
Strings. Not yet out of nursery govern-
ment ; not free to act on your own
responsibility. The allusion is to tying
naughty young children to the mother's
or nurse's apron.
Tied House (A). A retail shop,
stocked by a wholesale dealer, and
managed by some other person not the
owner of the stock. The wholesale
dealer appoints the manager.
“There are tied houses in the drapery, grocery,
dairy, boot and shoe, hardware, liquor, and book
trades. Whiteley's, if runour is to be trusted, is
a tied house ; and the majority of Italian restaur-
ants in London begin by being tied to the Gattis.”
—Liberty IReview, 14th April, 1894, p. 310, Col. 1.
Tied-up. Married ; tied up in the
marriage-knot.
“When first the marriage-knot was tied
Between my Wife and me.’’ - -
Walking (ºne's Arithmetic.
Tiffin (Indian). Luncheon ; refresh-
ment. (Tiff, a draught of liquor.)
Tiger (A) properly means “a gentle-
man’s attendant, and page a lady's
attendant; but the distinction is quite
obsolete, and any servant in livery who
rides out with his master or mistress is
so called ; also a boy in buttons attend-
ant on a lady, like a page ; a parasite.
“‘Yes,' she cried gaily over the banisters, “my
fiacre and my tiger are waiting.”—A Fellow of
Trinvity, chal). XV.
Tiger-kill (A). An animal tied up
by hunters in a jungle to be killed by a
tiger. This is a lure to attract the tiger
preparatory to a tiger-hunt.
Tigers. The car of Bacchus was
drawn by tigers, and tigers are generally
drawn by artists crouching at the feet of
Bacchus. Solomon (Prov. xx. 1) says
“Strong drink is raging ” (like a tiger).
In British India a tiger is called “Brother
Stripes.”
Tigernach. Oldest of the Irish an-
malists. His annals were published in
Dr. O’Connor's Rerum Hibernicariſm
Scriptores Peteres, at the expense of the
Duke of Buckingham (1814-1826).
Tight. Intoxicated.
Tigris [the Arrow]. So called from
the rapidity of its current. Hiddekel is
Tike
1229
Tintagel
“The Dekel,” or Diglath, a Semitic cor-
ruption of Tigra, Medo-Persic for arrow.
(Gen. ii. 14.)
“Flu'mini, a celerita/te qua defluit Tigri nomen
est ; quia Persica lingua, tigrim Sagittaºm, appel-
lant.”—Quintus Curtius.
Tilre. A Yorkshire tike. A clownish
rustic. In Scotland a dog is called a
tyke (Icelandic, tik); hence, a snarling,
obstinate fellow.
Tilbert (Sir).
I?eynard the Fow. (See TYBALT.)
Tile. A hat. (Anglo-Saxon, tiſſel ;
Latin, tego, to cover.)
Tile Loose. He has a tile loose. He
is not quite compos mentis ; he is not all
there.
Tile a Lodge, in Freemasonry,
means to close the door, to prevent any-
one uninitiated from entering. Of
course, to tile a house means to finish
building it, and to tile a lodge is to
complete it.
Timber-toe (A).
one with a wooden leg.
Time. Time and tide wait for no
7% (772. \
“For the next inn he spurs antain,
In haste alights, and scuds away—
but time and tide for no man stay.”
Some17"ille : The Sweet-scented Mise)".
Take [or Seize] Time by the foreloc/
(Tha'les of Mile’tus.). Time is represented
as an old man, quite bald, with the ex-
ception of a single lock of hair on the
forehead. Shakespeare calls him “that
bald sexton, Time.” (King John, iii. 1.)
Time is, Time was, Time’s past. Friar
Bacon made a brazen head, and it was
said if he heard his head speak he would
succeed in his work in hand, if not he
would fail. A man named Miles was set
to watch the head, and while Bacon was
sleeping the head uttered these words:
“TIME IS ; ” and half an hour afterwards
it said “ TIME WAS ;” after the expiration
of another half-hour it said “TIME's
PAST,” fell down, and was broken to
pieces.
“I.ike Friar Bacon's brazen head, I've spoken ;
Tillie is, time Was, time's past.”
Byron : Dom Juam, i. 217-8.
Time-bargain (A), in Stock, is a
speculation, not an investment. A time-
bargain is made to buy or sell again as
Soon as possible and receive the differ-
ence realised. An investment is made
for the sake of the interest given.
Time of Grace. The lawful season
for venery, which began at Midsummer
and lasted to Holyrood Day. The fox
The cat in the tale of
A wooden leg ;
and wolf might be hunted from the Na-
tivity to the Annunciation; the roebuck
from Easter to Michaelmas; the roe from
Michaelmas to Candlemas; the hare from
Michaelmas to Midsummer; and the boar
from the Nativity to the Purification.
(See SPORTING SEASON.S.)
Time-honoured Lancaster. Old
John of Gaunt. His father was Edward
III., his son, Henry IV., his nephew
Richard II. of England; his second wife
was Constance, daughter of Peter the
Cruel of Castile and Leon; his only
daughter married John of Castile and
Leon ; his sister Johanna married Al-
phonso, King of Castile. Shakespeare
calls him “time-honoured " and “old ;”
honoured he certainly was, but was only
fifty-nine at his death. Hesiod is called
Old, meaning “long ago.”
Times (The). A newspaper, founded
by John Walter. In 1785 he established
The Daily Universal Register, but in 1788
changed the name into The Times, or
Daily Universal Register. (See THUN-
DERER.)
Timo'leon. The Corinthian who so
hated tyranny that he murdered his own
brother Timoph'anés when he attempted
to make himself absolute in Corinth.
“The fair Corinthian boast
Timoleon, lappy temper, mild and firm,
Who wept the brother while the tyrant bled.”
Thorn S07) : Winter.
Timon of Athens. The misanthrope.
Shakespeare's play so called. Lord Ma-
caulay uses the expression to “out-Timon
Timon ’’—i.e. to be more misanthropical
than even Timon.
Tin. Money. A depreciating syno-
nym for silver, called by alchemists
“Jupiter.”
Tine-man (The). The Earl of Doug-
las, who died 1424. (See Sir W. Scott &
Tales of a Grandfather, chap. xviii.)
Ting. The general assembly of the
Northmen, which all capable of bearing
arms were bound to attend on occasions
requiring deliberation and action. The
words Volksthing and Storthing are still
in use.
“A shout filled all the Ting, a thousand Swords
Clashed loud approval.”
Prithiof-Saga (The I’arting).
Tinker. The man who tinks, or beats
C n a kettle to announce his trade. John
Bunyan (1628–1688) was called The in-
spired Tinker.)
Tintag'el or Tintag'il. A strong
castle on the coast of Cornwall, the
reputed birth-place of King Arthur.
“When Uthur in Tintagil passed away.”
Tennyson : The Coming of Arthur.
Tintern Abbey
1280
Tirled
Tin'tern Abbey. Wordsworth has
a poem called Lines Composed a few Miles
above Tintern Abbey, but these lines have
nothing whatever to do with the fa-
mous ruin, not even once alluding to it.
Tintoretto, the historical painter.
So called because his father was a dyer
(tintore). His real, name was Jacopo
Tobusti. He was nicknamed Il Furioso,
from the rapidity of his productions.
(1512–1594.)
Tip. Private information, secret warm-
ing. In horse-racing, it means such
secret information as may guide the
person tipped to make bets advantage-
ously. A “Straight tip ’’ comes straight
or direct from the owner or trainer of
the horse in question. A man will
sometimes give the police the “tip,” or
hint where a gang of confederates lie
concealed, or where law-breakers may be
found. Thus, houses of ill-fame and
keepers of clandestine gaming houscs in
league with the police, receive the “tip”
when spies are oll them or legal danger
is abroad.
“If he told the police, he felt assured that the
“tip” would be given to the parties concerned,
and lais efforts Would he frustrated.”—Mr. Stead's
defence, November 2nd, 1885.
Iſe gave me t tip—a present of money,
a bribe. (See DIBS.)
Tip of my Tongue. To have a thing
on the tip of my tºnſ/ite means to have it
so pat that it comes without thought :
also, to have a thing on the verge of
one’s memory, but not quite perfectly
remembered. (In Latin, in labris matat.)
Tip One the Wink (To). To make
a signal to another by a wink. Here tip
means “to give,” as tip in the previous
example means “a gift.”
Tiph'any, according to the calendar
of Saints, was the mother of the Three
|Kings of Cologne. (See CoIOGNE.)
Ti’phys. A pilot. He was the pilot
of the Argonauts.
“ Many a Tilºhy's ocean's deptl’s oxplore,
To open Wondrous ways untried before.
Hoole's Ariosto, bk. viii.
Tipperary Rifle (A). A shillelagh
Cr stick made of blackthorn. At Bally-
brophy station an itinerant vendor of
walking-sticks pushed up close to their
Royal Highnesses [the Prince and Prin-
cess of Wales] . . . The Prince asked
him what he wanted, and the man re-
plied, “Nothing, your honour, but to
ask your honour to accept a present
of a Tipperary rifle,” and so saying he
handed his Royal Highness a stout
* *
hawthorn. The Prince sent the man a
sovereign, for which a gentleman offered
him 25s. “No,” said the man, “I
would not part with it for twenty-five
gold guineas.” In a few minutes the
man had sold all his sticks for princely
prices. (April 25th, 1885.)
Tippling Act (The), 24 Geo. II., chap.
40, which restricted the sale of spirituous
liquors retailed on credit for less than
20s. at one time. In part repealed. A
“ tippler '' originally meant a tavern-
keeper or, tapster, and the tavern was
called a “tippling-house.” At Boston,
Lincolnshire, in 1577, five persons were
appointed “tipplers of Lincoln beer,”
and no “other tippler [might] draw Gr
sell beer'' . . . under penalties.
Tippling House. A contemptuous
liame for a tavern or public-house.
Tipstaff. A constable so called be-
cause he carried a staff tipped with a
lull’s horn. In the documents of Ed-
ward III. allusion is often made to his
staff. (See Rymer’s Facdera.)
Tiptoe of Expectation (On the).
All agog with curiosity. I am like one
standing on tiptoe to see over the shoul-
ders of a crowd.
Tircr urie Pent. To draw a man’s
tooth, or extort money from him. The
allusion is to the tale told by Holin-
shcd of King John, who extorted 10,0t:0
marks from a Jew living at Bristol ly
extracting a tooth daily till he consented
to provide the money. For seven suc-
cessive days a tooth was taken, and then
the Jew gave in.
Tire'sias. Blind as T', 'é'sias. Tire-
sias the Theban by accident saw Athenia.
bathing, and the goddess struck him
with blindness by splashing water in his
face. She afterwards repented doing so,
and, as she could not restore his sight,
conferred on him the power of soothsay-
ing, and gave him a staff with which he
could walk as safely as if he had his
sight. He found death at last by drink-
ing from the well of Tilpho'sa.
“ Juno the truth of what was said denieti,
Tiresias, therefore, must the cause decide.”
Addison : Tr(tmºsfom multion of Tiresidts.
Tiring Irons. Iron rings lo be put
on or taken off a ring as a puzzle Light-
foot calls them “tiring irons never to be
untied.”
Tirled. He ti) led at the pin. He
twiddled or rattled with the latch before
opening the door. Guillaume di Loiris,
Tironian Sign
1231
Tittle Tattle
in his Romance of the Rose (thirteenth
century), says, “When persons visit a
friend they ought not to bounce all at
once into the room, but should announce
their approach by a slight cough, or few
words spoken in the hall, or a slight
shuffling of their feet, so as not to take
their friends unawares.” The pin is the
door-latch, and before a visitor entered
a room it was, in Scotland, thought good
manners to fumble at the latch to give
notice of your intention to enter. (Tirl
is the Anglo-Saxon thwer-art, to turn ;
T}utch dwarlen, our twirl, etc.; or Danish
trille, German triller, Welsh treillio; our
trill, to rattle or roll.)
“IRight q:ick lie mounted up the stair,
And tirTéd at the pin.”
Charlie is my Darlinſ.
Tiro'nian Sign (The). The symbol
(&) for “and” or the Latin et., Said to
have been invented by Tullius Tiro,
Cicero's freed-man. (See MARKS IN
GRAMMAR.)
Tiryns. An ancient city of Ar'golis
in Greece, famous for its Cyclopean
architecture. The “Gallery of Tiryns”
is the oldest and noblest structure of the
heroic ages. It is mentioned by Homer,
and still exists.
Tiryn'thian Swain. Hercules is so
called by Spenser, but he is more fre-
quently styled the Tºrynthian Hero, be-
cause he generally resided at Tiryns, a
town of Ar'golis.
Tit. A horse. -
“They scorned the coach, they scorned the rails,
Two spanking t.ts with strealuing tails.”
The End of All Things,
“What spurres need now for an unfamed fit f.”
- Barnefield : A ſectionaté Shepherd (1594).
Tit for Tat. J. Bellenden Ker says
this is the Dutch “J)it vor dat” (this
for that); “Quid pro quo.” Heywood
uses the phrase “tat for tat,” perhaps
the French phrase, ‘‘, an: pour tant.”
Titan. The Sun, so called by Ovid
and Virgil.
“And fleckéd Darkneſs like a drunkard reels
Frohl forth Day's path and Tifan's fiery wheels.”
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, ii. 3.
The Titans. The children of Heaven
and, Earth, who, instigated by their
mother, deposed their father, and liber-
ated from Tar'taros their brothers the
Hundred-handed giants, and the Cy-
clopes. (Classic mythology.)
Titan's War with Jove (The). The
Tifans set their brother Cronos on the
throne of heaven ; and Zeus [Zuce] tried
to dethrone him. The contest lasted ten
the aid of Herculês.
hopper.
years, when Zeus became the conqueror
and hurled the Titans into hell.
* This must Inot be confounded with
the war of the giants, which was a
revolt against Zeus, and was soon put
down by the help of the other gods and
(Sºe GIANTs.)
Titan'ia. Wife of O’beron, king of
the fairies. According to the belief in
Shakespeare's age, fairies were the same
as the classic nymphs, the attendants of
Diana. The queen of the fairies was
therefore Diana herself, called Tifania
by Ovid (Metamorphoses, iii. 173). (Keight-
ley: Fairy Mythology.)
Titho'nus. A beautiful Trojan be-
loved by Auro'ra. He begged the god-
dess to grant him immortality, which
request the goddess granted ; but as
he had forgotten to ask for youth and
vigour he soon grew old, infirm, aud
ugly. When life became insupportable
he prayed Aurora to remove him from
the world ; this, however, she could not
do, but she changed him into a grass-
Synonym for “an old man.”
“All idle Scene Tithonus acted 2
llen to a grasshop er gontracted."
Prior : The Turtle and Sparrows.
“Thinner than Tithonus was
Before he faded into air.”
Tales of Miletus, ii.
Titi (Prince). Frederick, Prince of
Wales, eldest son of George II. Seward,
a contemporary, tells us that Prince
Frederick was a great reader of French
memoirs, and that he himself wrote
memoirs of his contemporaries under
the pseudonym of “Prince Titi.”
There was a political fairy tale by St. Hyacintive
(1684–1740) called the History of Prince T ifi. Ralph
also wrote a Histo, y of Primce Titi. These his-
tories are manifestly covert reflections on George
II. and his belongings.
Titian [Tiziano Weeellio]. An Italian
landscape painter, celebrated for the fine
effects of his clouds. (1477-1576.)
“Not Titian's pencil e'er could so array, ,
SO fleece with clouds the laure ethereal Slºace.”
Thomson : Castle of Indolcmce, can to i.
The French Titian. Jacques Blanch-
ard, the painter (1600-1638). -
The Titian of Portugal.
chez Coello (1515-1590).
Tit'ivate (3 syl.). To tidy up ; to
dress up ; to set in order. “Titi” is
a variant of tidy; and “vate ’’ is an
affix, from the Latin vado (to go), mean-
ing “to go and do something.”
Tittle Tattle. Tattle is prate. (Dutch
£aterén, Italian, tatta-mélla.) Tittle is
lonzo San-
Titus
1232
Toads
little, same as tit in titmouse, little tit,
tit-bit.
“Pish : Why do I spend my time in tittle-tattle?”
Otway : Cheats of Scapin, i. 1.
The penitent thief, called
(See
Titus.
Desmas in the ancient mysteries.
IDUMACHUS.)
Titus the Roman Emperor was
called “the delight of men.” (40, 79-
81.)
“Titus indeed gave one short evening gleam,
More cordial felt, as in the midst it spread
Of storm and horror ; the delight of men...
Thomsom, : Liberty, iii.
The Arch of Titus commemorates the
capture of Jerusalem, A.D. 70.
Tityos. A giant whose body covered
nine acres of land. He tried to defile
Latóna, but Apollo cast him into Tar-
tarus, where a vulture fed on his liver,
which grew again as fast as it was de-
voured. (Greek fable.) (See GIANTS.)
* Promētheus (3 syl.) was chained to
Mount Caucasus, and had his liver
gnawed by a vulture or eagle. (See also
ST. GEORGE, who delivered Sabra,
chained to a rock.)
Tit'yre Tus. Dissolute young scape. -
graces, whose delight was to worry
the watchmen, upset sedans, wrench
knockers off doors, and be rude to pretty
women, at the close of the seventeenth
century. The name comes from the first
line of Virgil’s first Eclogue, “Tityre tº
patulae recubans sub tegmine fagi” (Tityre
Tus loved to lurk in the dark night look-
ing for mischief). “Tus”= tuze.
Tit'yrus. Any shepherd. So called
in allusion to the name familiar from its
use in Greek idyls and Virgil's first
Eclogue. In the Shepherd's Calendar
Spenser calls Chaucer by this name:
‘‘ Hol'Oes and their feats
Fatigue me, never weary of the pipe
Of Tityrus, assembling as lie Sang
The rustic throng beneath his favourite beech.”
Cowper.
Tizo'na. One of the favourite swords
of the Cid, taken by him from King
Bucar. His other favourite sword was
Cola/da. Tizona was buried with him.
(See SworD.)
Tizzy (A). A sixpence. A variant
of tester. In the reign of Henry VIII.
a “testone” was a shilling, but only
sixpence in the reign of Elizabeth.
(French, teste, téte, the [monarch's]
head.)
To (1) (to rhyme with do). To be
compared to ; comparable to. Thus, Sir
Thomas Browne (Religio Medici) says:
“There is no torture to the rack of a
disease?’ (p. 69, 20); and again, “No
reproach to the scandal of a story.” And
Shakespeare says: —
“There is no woe to his correction,
Nor to his service no such joy on eartb.' ..
Two Gentlemen of Veroma, ii. 4.
To. Altogether; wholly.
“If the podech be burned to . . . we saye the
by Shope hath put his fote in the potte.”—Tyn-
dale.
To-do. Here’s a pretty to-do. Tis-
turbance. The French affaire—-i.e. &
faire (to do).
To Rights. In apple-pie order. To
put things to rights. To put every
article in its proper place. In the
United States of America the phrase is
used to signify directly. (Latin, 'rectus,
right.)
“I said I had never heard it, so she began to
rights and told me the whole thing.”—Story of the
Sleigh-ride. -
To Wit. For example. (Anglo-
Saxon, wit-an, to know.)
To (2) (to rhyme with so, foe, etc.).
To En (The). The One—that is, the
Unity. This should be To hen properly.
To On (The). The reality.
To Pan (The). The totality.
“So then he falls back upon force as the “ulti-
mate of ultimates,” as the TO EN, the To ON, and
the TO PAN of creation.”— Fra. Ollae,
Toads. The device of Clovis was
three toads (or botes, as they were called
in Old French), but after his baptism the
Arians greatly hated him, and assembled
a large army under King Candat to put
down the Christian king. While on his
way to meet the heretics, he saw in the
heavens his device miraculously changed
into three lilies or on a banner azure.
He had such a banner instantly made,
and called it his liflambe. Even before
his army came in sight of King Candat,
the host of the heretic lay dead, slain,
like the army of Sennacherib, by a blast
from the god of battles. (Raoul de
Prèsles: Grams Croniques de France.)
“It is wytnessyd of Maister Rollert Gagwyne
that, before thyse dayes all French kynges used to
hero in their armes iii TodyS, but after this Clodo-
veus had recognised Cristes relygyon jii Floure de
lys were sent to hym loy diuyne power, Sette in a
shylde of azure, the whiche syns that been borne
of all French kynges.”—Fabian's Chronicle.
The foad, affly and venomous, tears yet
a precious jewel in its head. Fenton says:
“There is to be found in the heads of
old and great toads, a stone they call
|borax or stelon, which, being used as
rings, give forewarning against venom ''
(1569). These stones always bear a
figuré resembling a toad on their surface.
Toad-eater
Lupton says: “A toad-stone, called
crepaudia, touching any part envenomed
by the bite of a rat, wasp, spider, or
other venomous beast, ceases the pain
and swelling thereof.” In the Londes-
borough Collection is a silver ring of the
fifteenth century, in which one of these
toad-stones is set. The stone was Sup-
posed to sweat and change colour when
poison was in its proximity. Technically
called the Batrachyte or Batrachos, an
antidote of all sorts of poison.
Toads unknown in Ireland. It is said
that St. Patrick cleared the island of all
“varmint” by his malediction.
Toad-eater. At the final overthrow
of the Moors, the Castilians made them
their servants, and their active habits
and officious manners greatly pleased the
proud and lazy Spaniards, who called
them mi todita (my factotum). Hence a
cringing officious dependent, who will do
all sorts of dirty work for you, is called
a todita or toad-eater.
Pulteney's toad-eater. Henry Vane.
So called by Walpole (1742).
Toady. (See TOAD-EATER.)
Toast. A name given, to which
guests are invited to drink in compli-
ment. The name at one time was that
of a lady. The word is taken from the
toast which used at one time to be put
into the tankard, and which still floats in
the loving-cup, and also the cups called
copus, bishop, and cardinal, at the Uni-
versities. Hence the lady named was the
toast or savour of the wine—that which
gave the draught piquancy and merit.
The story goes that a certain beau, in
the reign of Charles II., being at Bath,
pledged a noted beauty in a glass of
water taken from her bath; whereupon
another roysterer cried out he would have
nothing to do with the liquor, but would
have the toast—i.e. the lady herself.
(Rambler, No. 24.)
“I let the toast pass, drink to the la SS."—Sheri-
dam : School for Scandal.
“Say, Why are beauties praised and honoured
Tºise man's passion and the vain man's
toast.” Pope : fápé of the Lock, canto i.
Tobit, sleeping One night outside the
wall of his courtyard, was blinded by
sparrows “muting warm dung into his
eyes.” His son Tobias was attacked on
the Tigris by a fish, which leapt out of
the water to assail him. Tobias married
Sara, seven of whose betrothed lovers
had been successively carried off by the
evil spirit Asmode'us.
driven off by the angel Azari'as, and,
1233
Asmodeus was
Toddy
fleeing to the extremity of Egypt, was
bound. Old Tobit was cured of his
blindness by applying to his eyes the
gall of the fish which had tried to devour
his son. (Apocrypha : Book of Tobit.)
Tobo'so. Dulciº'ea del Toboso. Don
Quixote’s lady. Sancho Panza says she
was “a stout-built sturdy wench, who
could pitch the bar as well as any young
fellow in the parish.” The knight had
been in love with her when he was
simply a gentleman of the name of
Quix'ada. She was then called Aldonza.
Lorenzo (daughter of Lorenzo Corchuelo
and Aldonza, Nogales); but when the
gentleman became a don, he changed
the style of address of the village damsel
into one more befitting his new rank.
(Cervantes : Don Quiacote, bk. i. chap. i.)
“‘Sir, said Don Quixote, “she is not a descend-
ant of the ancient Caii, Curtii, and Scipios of
Rome ; nor of the modern Colonas and Orsini;
nor of the Rebillas and Villanoyas of Valencia ;
neither is she a descendant of the Palafoxes,
Newcas, Roca bertis, Corellas, Lunas, Alagonès,
TJ reas, Fozes, and Gurreas of Aragon : neither
does the Lady Dulcinea descend from the Cerdas,
Manriquez, Mendozas, and Guzmans of Castile :
nor from the Alencastros, Pallas, and Menezès of
Portugal ; but she derives her origin from a
family of Toboso, near Mancha” (bk. ii. Chap. V.).
*: In English the accent of Dulcinea.
is often on the second syllable, but in
Spanish it is on the third.
“Ask you for whom my tears do flow so?
Why, for Dulcimea del Toboso.”
DOn Quizote’s Love-song.
Tobo'sian. The rampant Man'che-
gan lion shall be united to the white
Tobosian dove. Literally, Don Quixote
de la Mancha shall marry Dulcin'ea del
Toboso. Metaphorically, “None but
the brave deserve the fair.”
Toby (the dog), in Punchinello, wears
a frill garnished with bells, to frighten
away the devil from his master. This is
a very old superstition. (See PASSING
BELL.)
The Chinese and other nations make a great
noise at death to Scare away evil spirits. “Keen-
ing ” is probably based on the Same SuperStition.
Toby. The high toby, the high-road;
the low toby, the by-road. A highway-
man is a “high tobyman ; ” a mere
footpad is a “low tobyman.”
“So we can do a touch now. . . . as well as you
grand gentlemen on the high toby.”—Buldº'e-
wood : Robbery wºnder Arms, chap. XX Vi.
Toddy. A favourite Scotch beverage
compounded of Spirits, hot water, and
sugar. The word is a corruption of taudi,
the Indian name for the Saccharine juice
of palm spathes. The Sanskrit is told;
or taldi, from tal (palm-juice). (Rhind :
Vegetable Iſingdom.)
78
or arms.
Toes
Toes. The most dexterous man in
the use of his toes in lieu of fingers was
William Kingston, born without hands
(See World of JWonders, pt.
X. ; Correspondence, p. 65.)
Tofana. An old woman of Naples
immortalised by her invention of a taste-
less and colourless poison, called by her
the Manna of St. Nicola of Bayi, but
better known as Aqua Tofa'na. Above
600 persons fell victims to this insidious
drug. Tofana died 1730.
Hieronyma. Spara, generally called La
Spara, a reputed witch, about a century
previously, sold a similar elixir. The
secret was revealed by the father confes-
sors, after many years of concealment
and a frightful number of deaths.
To g. Togs, dress. (Latin, toga.)
“Togged out in his best” is dressed in
his best clothes. Toggery is finery.
Toga. The Romans were called čo-
ga'ti or gens toga'ta, because their chief
outer dress was a toga.
Toga'd or Togated Nation (The).
Gems togăţa, the Romans, who wore
togas. The Greeks wore “palls,” and
were called the gens pallia'ta ; the Gauls
wore breeches, and were called gens
Öraccata. (Toga, pallium, and bracca.)
Tole'do. Famous for its swords.
“The temper of Tole'dan blades is such
that they are sometimes packed in
boxes, curled up like the mainsprings of
watches'’. I Both Livy and Polybius
refer to them.
Tolmen (in French, Dolmen). An
immense mass of stone placed on two or .
more vertical ones, so as to admit a
passage between them. (Celtic, tol or
dol, table; me?”, stone.)
The Constantine Tolmen, Cornwall,
consists of a vast stone 33 feet long, 14%
deep, and 18% across. This stone is cal-
culated to weigh 750 tons, and is poised
on the points of two natural rocks.
Tolo'sa. He has got the gold of Tolosa.
(Latin proverb meaning “His ill-gotten
wealth will do him no good.”) Caepio,
in his march to Gallia, Narbonensis, stole
from Toulouse (Tolosa) the gold and
silver consecrated by the Cimbrian
Druids to their gods. In the battle
which ensued both Caepio and his brother
consul were defeated by the Cimbrians
and Teutons, and 112,000 Romans were
left dead on the field. (B.C. 106.)
Between “Tom’’ and “Jack”
“Jack” is the
Tom. *
there is a vast difference.
1234
TOrn.
sharp, shrewd, active fellow, but Tom
the honest dullard. Counterfeits are
“Jack,” but Toms are simply bulky
examples of the ordinary sort, as Tom-
toes. No one would think of calling
the thick-headed, ponderous male cat a
Jack, nor the pert, dexterous, thieving
daw a “Tom.” The former is in-
stinctively called a Tom-cat, and the
latter a Jack-daw. The subject of
“Jack ’’ has been already set forth.
(See JACK.) Let us now see how Tom is
used :- -
Tom o' Bedlam (7,7;.). A mendicant
who levies charity on the plea of insanity.
Tom-cat. The male cat.
Tom Drum’s entertainment.
clumsy sort of horse-play.
Tom Farthing. A born fool.
Tom Fool. A clumsy, witless fool,
fond of stupid practical jokes, but very
different from a “Jack Pudding,” who
is a wit and bit of a conjurer.
Tom Long. A lazy, dilatory sluggard.
Tom Lomy. A simpleton.
Tom Noddy. A puffing, fuming, stupid
A very
creature, no more like a “Jack-a-dandy”
than Bill Sikes to Sam Weller.
Tom Noodle. A mere nincompoop.
Tom the Piper’s son. A poor stupid
thief who got well basted, and blubbered
like a booby.
Tom Thumb. A man cut short or
stinted of his fair proportions. (For the
Tom Thumb of nursery delight, see neart
age.)
Tom Tidler. An occupant who finds it
no easy matter to keep his own against
sharper rivals. (See TOM TIDLER's
GROUND.) --
Tom Tiller. A hen-pecked husband.
Tom Tinker. The brawny, heavy
blacksmith, with none of the wit and
fun of a “Jack Tar,” who can tell a
yarn to astonish all his native village.
Tom Tit. The “Tom Thumb '' of
|birds. -
Tom-Toe. The clumsy, bulky toe,
“bulk without spirit vast.” Why the
great toe P “For that being one o’ the
lowest, basest, poorest of this most wise
rebellion, thou goest foremost.” (Shake-
speare : Coriolanus, i. 1.)
Tom Tuff. A waterman, who bears the
same relation to a Jack Tar as a cart-
horse to an Arab. (See TOM TUG.)
Great Tom of Lincoln. A bell weigh-
ing 5 tons 8 cwt.
Mighty Tom of Oxford. A bell weigh-
ing 7 tons 12 cwt.
Old Tom. A heavy, strong, intoxicat-
ing sort of gin.
Long Tom, A huge water-jug,
Tom Folio
A–
Tom Folio. Thomas Rawlinson,
the bibliomaniac. (1681-1725.)
Tom Fool's Colours. Red and yel-
low, or scarlet and yellow, the colours
of the ancient motley.
Tom Foolery. The coarse, witless
jokes of a Tom Fool. (See above.)
Tom Long. JP'aiting for Tom Long—
i.e. a wearisome long time. The pun,
of course, is on the word long.
Tom Raw. The griffin ; applied at
one time to a subaltern in India for a
year and a day after his joining the
army. -
Tom Tailor. A tailor.
“‘We rend our hearts, and not Our garments."—
“The better for yourselves, and the worse for Ton)
Taylor,’ said the baron.”—Sir W. Scott: The Monas-
tery, chap. XXV.
Toºn Thumb, the nursery tale, is
from the French Le Petit Poucet, by
Charles Perrault (1630), but it is pro-
bably of Anglo-Saxon origin. ... There is
in the Bodleian Library a ballad about
Tom Thumb, “printed for John Wright
in 1630.” -
Tom Thumb. The son of a common
ploughman and his wife, who was
knighted by King Arthur, and was killed
by the poisonous breath of a spider, in
the reign of King Thunstone, the suc-
cessor of Arthur. (Nursery tale.)
Tom Tidler's Ground. The ground
or tenement of a sluggard. The expres-
# occurs in Dickens’s Christmas story,
1861.
idler’” or tº idler. The game so called
consists in this: Tom Tidler stands on a
heap of stones, gravel, etc.; other boys
rush on the heap crying, “Here I am
on Tom Tidler’s ground,” and Tom
bestirs himself to keep the invaders off.
Tom Tug. A waterman. In allusion
to the tug or boat so called, or to tug-
ging at the oars.
Tom and Jerry — i.e. Corinthian
Tom and Jerry Hawthorn, the two chief
characters in Pierce Egan's Life in
London, illustrated by Cruikshank.
Tom, Dick, and Harry. A set of
nobodies; persons of no note ; persons
unworthy notice. Jones, Brown, and
Robinson are far other men: they are
the vulgar rich, especially abroad, who
give themselves airs, and look with scorn
on all foreign ways which differ from
their own.
Tom o' Bedlams. A race of mendi-
cants. The Bethlem Hospital was
1235
Tidler is a contraction of “the
Tommy Atkins
made to accommodate six lunatics, but
in 1644 the number admitted was forty-
four, and applications were so numerous
that many inmates were dismissed half-
cured. These “ticket-of-leave men. ”
used to wander about as vagrants,
chanting mad songs, and , dressed in
fantastic dresses, to excite pity. Under
cover of these harmless “innocents,” a
set of sturdy rogues appeared, called
Abram men, who shammed lunacy, and
committed great depredations.
“With a sigh like Tom O'Bedlam.”
Shakespeare: King Lear, i. 2.
Tomboy. A romping girl, formerly
used for a harlot. (Saxon, tºmbere, a
dancer or romper ; Danish, tumle, “to
tumble about ; ” French, tomber ; Span-
ish, tumbar ; our tumble.) The word
may either be tumbe-boy (one who
romps like a boy), or a tumber (one who
romps), the word boy being a corruption.
“A lady
So fair . . . to he lyartner'd
With tomboys.”
Shakespeare: Cymbeline, i. 6.
Halliwell gives the following quota-
tion :-
“Herodia's dougter that was a tumb-estre, and
tumblede before [the king] and other grete lordeg
of the contré, he granted to geve hure Whatevere
She would bydde.”
Tomahawk. A war-hatchet. The
word has slight variations in different
Indian tribes, as tonehagen, tum??ahageº,
tamoi/hecan, etc. When peace was made
between tribes in hostility, the toma-
hawks were buried with certain cere-
monies; hence, to “bury the hatchet’”
means to make peace.
Tomb of Our Lord. This spot is
now covered by “The Church of the
Holy Sepulchre.” A long marble slab
is shown on the pavement as the tomb-
stone. Where the Lord was anointed
for His burial three large candlesticks
stand covered with red velvet. The
identity of the spot is doubtful.
Tommy Atkins (A). A British sol-
dier, as a Jack Tar is a British sailor.
The term arose from the little pocket
ledgers served out, at one time, to all
British soldiers. In these manuals were
to be entered the name, the age, the
date of enlistment, the length of service,
the wounds, the medals, and so on of
each individual. The War Office sent
with each little book a form for filling it
in, and the hypothetical name selected,
instead of John Doe and Richard Roe
(selected by lawyers), or M. N. (selected
by the Church), was “Tommy Atkins.”
Tommy Dodd
1236
Tooth
The books were instantly so called, and
it did not require many days to transfer
the name from the book to the soldier.
Tommy Dodd. The “odd” man who,
in tossing up, either wins or loses accord-
ing to agreement with his confederate.
There is a music-hall song so called, in
which Tommy Dodd is the “knowing
one.”
Tommy Shop.
paid to workmen who are expected to
lay out a part of the money for the good
of the shop. Tommy means bread or a
penny roll, or the food taken by a work-
man in his handkerchief ; it also means
goods in lieu of money. A Tom and
Jerry shop is a low drinking-room.
To morrow never Comes. A re-
proof to those who defer till to-morrow
what should be done to-day.
“‘I shall acquaint your mother, Miss May, with
your pretty behaviour to-morrow.”—'I Sul)pose
you mean to-morrow come never,' answered Mag-
inolia.”—Le Fanu : The House in the Churchyard,
p. 118.
Tonans. Delirium toſans. Toud talk,
exaggeration, gasconade. Blackwood’s
Magazine (1869) introduced the expres-
sion in the following clause:—
“Irishmen are the victims Of that terrible
malady that is characterised by a sort of sub-
acute raving, and may, for Want Of a better name,
be called ‘delirium tomans.’”
Tongue of the Trump (The). The
spokesman or leader of a party. The
trump means a Jew’s harp, which is
vocalised by the tongue.
“The tongue Of the trulmp to them a'.”
Bu?'70s.
Tongues.
The Italian is pleasant, but without
sinews, as still fleeting water.
The French—delicate, but like an over-
nice woman, scarce daring to open her
lips for fear of marring her counten-
alſº Cé. .
Spanish—majestical, but fulsome, run-
ning too much on the letter 0 , and ter-
rible, like the devil in a play.
Dutch—manlike, but withalvery harsh,
as one ready at every word to pick a
quarrel. -
We (the English), in borrowing from
them, give the strength of consonants
to the Italian ; the full sound of words
to the French ; the variety of termina-
tions to the Spanish; and the mollifying
of more vowels to the Dutch. Thus,
like bees, we gather the honey of their
good properties and leave the dregs to
themselves. (Camden.)
Tomna (Mrs.), Charlotte Elizabeth,
Where wages are.
the author
(1792-1846.)
Ton'sure (2 syl.). The tonsure of St.
Peter consists in shaving the crown and
back of the head, so as to leave a ring or
“Crown '? Of hair. .
The tonsure of James consists in Shaw-
ing the entire front of the head. This is
sometimes called “the tonsure of Simon
of Personal Recollections.
the Magician,” and sometimes “the
y
Scottish tonsure,” from its use in North
Britain.
Tonsures vary in size according to
rank.
For clerics the tonsure should be 1 inch in di-
ameter. (Gastaldus, ii. Sect. i. chap. viii.)
For those in minor orders it should be 1% inch.
(Council of Palencia under Urban VI.)
For a sub-deacon 1% inch. (Gastaldus, xi. Sect. i.
chap. Yiii.)
º
For a deacon 2 inches.
chap. ix.)
I'or a priest 2% inches. (Council of Palencia.)
Tontine (2 syl.). A legacy left among
several persons in such a way that as
anyone dies his share goes to the Sur-
vivors, till the last survivor inherits
all. So named from Lorenzo Tonti, a
Neapolitan, who introduced the system
into France in 1653. -
Tony Lumplkin.
(Gastaldus, xi. Sect. i.
A young clownish
. bumpkin in She Stoops to Conquer, by
Oliver Goldsmith.
Too Many for [Mel or One too many
for [me]. More than a match. “IZ est
trop fort pour moi.”
“The Irishman is cunning enough ; but We shall
be too many for him.”—Mrs. Edgeworth.
Tooba or Touba [eternal happiness].
The tree Touba, in Paradise, stands in
the palace of Mahomet. (Sale: Prelimi-
mary Discourse to the Koran.)
Tool. To tool a coach. To drive one;
generally applied to a gentleman Jehu,
who undertakes for his own amusement
to drive a stage-coach. To tool is to use
the tool as a workman ; a coachman’s
tools are the reins and whip with which
he tools his coach or makes his coach go.
Tooley Street. A corruption of St.
Olaf-i.e. 'T-olaf, Tolay, Tooly. Simil-
arly, Sise Lane is St. Osyth's Lane.
Toom Tabard [empty jacket]. A
nickname given to John Baliol, because
of his poor spirit, and sleeveless appoint-
ment to the throne of Scotland. The
honour was an “empty jacket,” which
he enjoyed a short time and then lost.
He died discrowned in Normandy.
Tooth. Greek, odont’; Latin, depºt";
Sanskrit, dant’; Gothic, turth’; Anglo-
Saxon, idth, plural, ééh.
Tooth and Egg
1237
Torr's MSS.
Golden tooth. (See GoLDEN.)
Wolf's tooth. (See TEETH.)
In spite of his teeth. (See TEETH.)
Tooth and Egg. A corruption of
Thºanag, a Chinese word for spelter, the
metal of which canisters are made, and
tea-chests lined. It is a mixture of
English lead and tin from Quintang.
Tooth and Nail. In right good
earnest, like a rat or mouse biting and
Scratching to get at something.
Top. (See SLEEP.)
Top-heavy. Liable to tip over be-
cause the centre of gravity is too high.
Intoxicated.
Top Ropes. A display of the top-
*"opes. A show of gushing friendliness;
great promise of help. The top-rope is
the rope used in hauling the top-mast up
or down.
“This display of the top-ropes was rather new
to me, for time had blurred from my memory the
‘General's ' rhapsodies.”—C. Thomsom, : Autobio-
g?'aphy, p. 189.
Top-sawyer. A first-rate fellow.
The Sawyer that takes the upper stand
is always the Superior man, and gets
higher wages. -
Topham. Take him, Topham. Catch
him if you can ; lay hold of him, tip-
staff. Topham was the Black Rod of
the House of Commons in the reign of
Charles II., very active in apprehending
“suspects” during the supposed con-
spiracy revealed by Titus Oates. “Take
him, Topham,” became a proverbial
saying of the time, much the same as
“Who stole the donkey P” “How are
your poor feet?” and so on.
“Till ‘Take him, Topham’ became a proverb,
and a formidable one, in the mouth of the people.”
—Sir Walter Scott : Peveril of the Peak, chap. xx.
To'phet. A valley near Jerusalem,
where children were made to “pass
through the fire to Moloch.” Josi'ah
threw dead bodies, ordure, and other
unclean things there, to prevent all
further application of the place to re-
ligious use. (2 Kings xxiii. 10, 11.)
Here Sennacherib's army was destroyed.
(Isaiah xxx. 31-33.) The valley was
also called “Gehinnom '' (valley of Hin-
nom), corrupted into Gehenna ; and
Babbi Kimchi tells us that a perpetual
fire was kept burning in it to consume
the dead bodies, bones, filth, and ordure
deposited there. . . (Hebrew, toph, a
drum. When children were offered to
Moloch, their shrieks were drowned by
beat of drum.) - .
Top'ic. This word has wholly changed
its original meaning. It now signifies a
subject for talk, a theme for discussion
or to be written about ; but originally
“topics’’ were what we call common-
place books ; the “sentences” of Peter
Lombard were theological topics. (Greek,
topikos, from topos, a place.)
Topsy. A slave-girl, who imper-
Sonates the low moral development but
real capacity for education of the negro
race. Her reply to Aunt Ophelia, who
questioned her as to her father and
mother, is worthy Dickens. After main-
taining that she had neither father nor
mother, her solution of her existence was
“I 'spects I growed.” (Mrs. Beecher
Stowe: Uncle Tom's Cabin.) -
Topsy-turvy. Upside down. (Anglo-
Saxon, top side turn-aweg.) As Shake-
Speare, says, “Turn it topsy-turvy
down.” (1 Henry IV., iv. 1.) (See
HALF-SEAS OVER.)
Toralva. The licentiate who was
conveyed on a cane through the air, with
his eyes shut. In the space of twelve
hours he arrived at Rome, and lighted
on the tower of Nona, whence, looking
down, he witnessed the death of the
constable de Bourbon. The next morn-
ing he arrived at Madrid, and related
the whole affair. During his flightthrough ,
the air the devil bade him open his eyes,
and he found himself so near the moon
that he could have touched it with his
finger. ... (Cervantes : Don Quixote, pt.
ii. bk. iii. chap. v.)
Torne'a. A lake, or rather a river
of Sweden, which rises from a lake in
Lapland, and runs into the Gulf of
Bothnia, at the town called Torne'a, or
Torné.
“Still pressing on beyond Tornea's lake.”
Tho???.S07, Wººter.
Torqua"to—i.e. Torquato Tasso, the
poet. (1544-1595.) (See ALFONSO.)
“And see how dearly earned Torquato's fame.”
J.07'd Byron : Childe Harold, iv. 36.
- Torquema'da (Inquisitor-general of
Spain, 1420-1498), A Dominican of
excessive zeal, who multiplied confisca-
tions, condemnations, and punishments
to a frightful extent; and his hatred of
the Jews and Moors was diabolical.
“General Strelnikoff was the greatest scoundrel
who defiled the earth since Torquemada.”—Step-
miak : The Ea:plosion of the Winter Palace, Febru-
ally, 1880.
Torr's MSS., in the library of the
dean and chapter of York Minster.
These voluminous records contain the
clergy list of every parish in the diocese
Torralba,
1238
Touch
of York, and state not only the date of
each vacancy, but the cause of each
removal, whether by death, promotion,
or otherwise.
Torralba (Doctor), who resided some
time in the court of Charles V. of Spain.
He was tried by the Inquisition for
sorcery, and confessed that the spirit
Cequiel took him from Wall'adolid' to
Rome and back again in an hour and a
half. (Pelicer.)
Torre (Sir) (1 syl.). Brother of
Elaine, and son of the lord of Astolat.
A kind blunt heart, brusque in manners,
and but little of a knight. (Tennyson :
Idyls of the King ; Elaine.)
Torricelli, an Italian mathematician
(1608–47), noted for his explanation of
the rise of water in a common barometer.
Galileo explained the phenomenon by the
ipse divit of “Nature abnors a vacuum.”
Torso. A statue which has lost its
head and members, as the famous “torso
of Hercules.” (Italian, torso.)
... The Torso Belvedere, the famous torso of Her-
cules, in the Vatican, was discovered in the fif-
teenth century. It is said that Michael Angelo
greatly admired it.
Tortoise which Supports the
Earth (The) is Chukwa ; the elephant
(between the tortoise and the world) is
Maha-pudma.
Torture (2 syl.). The most cele-
brated instruments of torture were the
pack, called by the English “the Duke
of Exeter's daughter; ” the thumbikins,
or thumbscrews, the boots, the pincers,
the manacles, and the scavenger’s daughter
(q.v.).
To'ry. This word, says Defoe, is the
Irish tortigh, used in the reign of Queen
Elizabeth to signify a band of Catholic
outlaws who haunted the bogs of Ire-
land. It is formed from the verb toruig-
him (to make sudden raids). Golius
says—“TORY, silvestris, montana, avis,
homo, et aſtrumque ullus haud ibi est”
(Whatever inhabits mountains and for-
ests is a Tory).
refused to concur in excluding James
from the throne.” He further says—
“The bogs of Ireland afforded a refuge
to Popish outlaws, called tories.” Tory-
hunting was a pastime which has even
found place in our nursery rhymes—“I
went to the wood and I killed a tory.”
F. Crossley gives as the derivation,
Taobh-righ (Celtic), “king’s party.”
. T. Hore, in Notes and Queries, gives
4%ath-righ, “partisans of the king.”
Iord Macaulay says—
“The name was first given to those who
G. Borrow gives Tar-a-ri, “Come, O
king.”
‘. In 1832, after the Reform Act, the Tory party.
legan to call themselves “Conservatives,” and
after Gladstone's Bill of Home Itule for Ireland,
in 1886, the Whigs and Radicals who objected to
the bill joined the Conservatives, and the two
combined called themselves “Unionists.” In 1895
the Queen sent for Lord Salisbury, who formed a
Unionist government.
Totem Pole (A). A pole, elabo-
rately carved, erected before the dwelling
of certain American Indians. It is a sort
of symbol, like a public-house sign or
flagstaff.
“Imagine a huge log, forty or ſifty feet high, set,
up flagstaff fashion in front or at the side ºf a
low one-storied wooden liouse, and carved in its
whole lieight into intmense but grotesque repre-
sentations of man, beast, and bird. . . . [It is em-
blematic of] family pride, veneration of ancestors
. . . and legendary religion. . Sometimes [the
totem] is only a massive pole, with a bird or some
weird animal at the top, . . . the Crest of the chief
by whose house it stands. . . . Sometimes it was
30 l) road at the base as to allow a doorway to lie
cut through it. Usually the whole pole was carved
into grotesque figure8 One above the other, and
the effect heightened . . . by dabs of paint-blue,
red, and green.”—Nineteenth Century, December,
1892, p. 993.
Totemism. Totem is the representa-
tion of a symbol by an animal, and
totemism is the system or science of such
symbolism. Thus, in Egyptian myth-
ology, what is represented as a pig or
hippopotamus by one tribe, is (for some
totemic reason) represented as a croco-
dile by another.
“The apparent wealth of [Egyptian] mythology
depends on the totemism of the inhabitants of the
Nile Valley. . . . Each district had its own special
aninial as the emblem of the tribe dwelling in
that locality.”—Lockyer : Nineteenth Century, July
1893, 1). 51.
Toto Coelo. Entirely. The allusion
is to augurs who divided the heavens
into four parts. Among the Greeks the
left hand was unlucky, and the right
lucky. When all four parts concurred
a prediction was certified toto colo. The
Romans called the east Attica, the west
Postica, the south Dewtra, and the north
Sinistra. . -
“Even when they are relaxing those general
requirements . . . the education differs toto colo
from instruction induced by the tests of an ex-
annining body.” — Nineteenth Century, January,
löjä, ). 23.
Totus Teres atque Rotundus.
Finished and completely rounded off.
Touch. In touch with him. En rap-
port ; in sympathy. The allusion is to
the touchstone, which shows by its
colour what metal has touched it.
Touch. To keep touch—faith, fidelity.
The allusion is to “touching ” gold and
other metals on a touchstone to prove
Touch. At
1239
TOut,
them. Shakespeare speaks of “friends
of noble touch '' (proof).
“And trust me on my trutli,
If thou keep touch with me,
My dearest friend, as my own heart,
Thou slalt right welcome be.”
George Barnwell (1730).
Touch. At (To). To go to a place
without stopping at it.
“The next day we touched at Sidon.” – Acts
XX Vil. 3.
Touch. Bottom (To). To know the
worst. A sea-phrase.
“It is much better for the ministry to tºuch
bottom at once and know the whole truth, than
to remain any longer in Suspense.”—Newspaper
paragraph, January, 1886.
Touch. Up (To). To touch a horse
with a whip for greater speed. To touch
up a picture, etc., is to give it a few
touches to improve it.
Touch and Go (A). A very narrow
escape ; a very brief encounter. A
metaphor derived from driving when the
wheel of one vehicle touches that of
another passing vehicle without doing
mischief. It was a touch, but neither
vehicle was stopped, each went on its
way.
Tou'chet. When Charles IX. intro-
duced Henri of Navarre to Marie
Touchet, he requested him to make an
anagram on her name, and Henri there-
upon wrote the following:—Je charine
tolt!.
Touchstone. A dark, flinty schist,
called by the ancients Lapis Lydius ;
called touchstone because gold is tried
by it, thus: A series of needles are
formed (1) of pure gold; (2) of 23 gold
and 1 copper; (3) of 22 gold and 2 cop-
per, and so on. The assayer selects one
of these and rubs it on the touchstone,
when it leaves a reddish mark in pro-
portion to the quantity of copper alloy.
Dr. Ure says: “In such small work
as cannot be assayed . . . the as-
sayers . . . ascertain its quality by
‘ touch.” They then compare the colour
left behind, and form their judgment
accordingly.”
* The fable is, that Battus saw Mer-
cury steal Apollo’s oxen, and Mercury
2 y
gave him a cow to secure his silence on
the theft. Mercury, distrustful of the
man, changed himself into a peasant,
and offered Battus a cow and an ox if he
would tell him the secret. Battus,
caught in the trap, told the secret, and
Mercury changed him into a touchstone.
(Ovid. Metamorphoses, ii.)
“Gold is tried by the touchstone, and men by
gold.”—Bacom,
Touchstone. A clown whose mouth is
filled with quips and cranks and witty
repartees. (Shakespeare : As You Like
It.) The original one was Tarlton.
Touchy. Apt to take offence on
slight provocation. No touchez pas,
“Noli me tangere,” one not to be touched.
Tour. The Grand Tour. Through
France, Switzerland, Italy, and home by
Germany. Before railways were laid
down, this tour was made by most of the
young aristocratic families as the finish
of their education. Those who merely
went to France or Germany were simply
tourists.
Tour de Force. A feat of strength.
Tourlourou. Young unfledged sol-
diers of the line, who used to be called
“Jean-Jean.”
“Les Tourlourous sont les nouveaux enrolés,
ceux qui m'ont pas encore de vieilles moustaches,
et qui flament sur les boulevards en regardant leš
images, les paillagses, et en cherchant des payses.”
—Piul de Kock : Un Tourlourow, clap. xiii.
Tournament or Tournay. A tilt
of knights; the chief art of the game
being so to manoeuvre or turn your horse
as to avoid the adversary’s blow. (French,
tournoiement, verb, tournoyer.)
Tournament of the Drum. A comic
romance in verse by Sir David Lindsay;
a ludicrous mock tournament.
Tournament of Tottenham. A comic
romance, printed in Percy’s Reliques.
A number of clowns are introduced,
practising warlike games, and making
vows like knights of high degree. They
ride tilt on cart-horses, fight with
plough-shares and flails, and wear for
armour wooden bowls and saucepan-lids.
It may be termed the “high life below
stairs” of chivalry.
Tour'nemine (3 syl.). That’s Tour-
Azemine. Your wish was father to the
thought. Tournemine was a Jesuit of
the eighteenth century, of a very san-
guine and dreamy temperament.
Tours. Geoffrey of Monmouth says:
“In the party of Brutus was one Turo'-
nes, his nephew, inferior to none in
courage and strength, from whom Tours
derived its name, being the place of his
sepulture. Of course, this fable is
wholly worthless historically. Tours is
the city of the Tu'ronès, a people of
Gallia Lugdunensis.
Tout (pronounce towt).
seek for customers. “A
who touts.
To ply or
touter ’’ is one
(From Tooting, where
Tout Ensemble
1240.
Tracy
}. on their way to the court held at
Epsom were pestered by “touts.”
... “A century or two ago, when the court took up
its quartel's at Epsom . . . [many of the inhabit-
ants used to Station themselves at the point where
the roads fork off to Epsom by Tooting and Mer-
ton, and ‘tout' the travellers to pass through
Tooting. . It become a common expression for
carriage-folk, to , say, ‘The Toots are on us
again.’”—Walford: Greater Londom, vol. ii. p. 530.
Tout Ensemble (French). The whole
massed together ; the general effect.
Tout est Perdu Hormis L'Hon-
neur, is what François I. wrote to his
mother after the battle of Paſvia.
Tout le Monde. Everyone who is
anyone.
Tower of Hunger.
UGOLI'No.)
Tower of London. The architect
of this remarkable building was Gundul-
phus, Bishop of Rochester, who also
built or restored Rochester keep, in the
time of William I. In the Tower lie
buried Anne Boleyn and her brother;
the guilty Catherine Howard, and Lady
Rochford her associate ; the venerable
Gualandi. (See
Lady Salisbury, and Cromwell the min-
ister of Henry VIII.; the two Seymours,
the admiral and protector of Edward VI. ;
the Duke of Norfolk and Earl of Sussex
(Queen Elizabeth’s reign); the Duke of
Monmouth, son of Charles II. ; the Earls
of Balmerino and Kilmarnock, and Lord
Lovat; Bishop Fisher and his illustrious
friend More.
Towers of Silence. Towers in
Persia and India, some sixty feet in
height, on the top of which Parsees place
the dead to be eaten by vultures. The
bones are picked clean in the course of
a day, and are then thrown into a re-
ceptacle and covered with charcoal.
“A procession is then formed, the friends of
the dead following the priests to the Towers of
Silence on Malabar Hill.”—Col. Floyd-Jones.
‘.' The Parsees will not burn or bury their dead,
because they consider a dead body impure, and
they will not suffer themselves to defile any of the
elements...They carry their dead on a bier to the
Tower of Silence. At the entrance they look their
last on the dead, and the corpse-bearers carry the
dead body within the precincts and lay it down to
be dey oured by vultures which crowd the tower.
(Nineteenth Century, Oct., 1893, p. 611.)
Town (A) is the Anglo-Saxon tiſm, a
plot of ground fenced round or enclosed
by a hedge ; a single dwelling ; a num-
ber of dwelling-houses enclosed together
forming a village or burgh.
“Qurancestors in time of war . . . would cast a
ditch, or make a strong hedge about their luouses,
and houses so environed . . . got the name tºes
annexed unto them (as Cote-tun, now Cotton, the
cote or louse fenced in or tuned about ; North-
tun, now Norton . . . South-tun, now Sutton). In
troublous times whole ‘ thorpes' were fenced in,
and took the name of tumes (towns), and then
‘stedes' (now cities), and ‘thorpes' (villages), and
burghs (burrows) . . . got the name of townes.”—
Eestitution, p. 232. -
Town and Gown Row (A). A col-
lision, often leading to a fight, in the
Bnglish universities between the students
or gownsmen, and non-gownsmen—
principally bargees and roughs. (See
PHILISTINES.)
Toyshop of Europe (The). So
Burke called Birmingham. Here “toy”
does not refer to playthings for children,
but small articles made of steel. “Light
toys’’ in Birmingham mean mounts,
Small steel rings, sword hilts, and so
on ; while “heavy steel toys’ mean
champagne-nippers, sugar-cutters, nut-
crackers, and all similar articles.
* A whim or fancy is a toy. Halli-
well quotes (MS. Harl. 4888), “For
these causes . . . she ran at random . . .
as the toy took her.”
It also means an anecdote or trifling
story. Hence Latimer (1550) says, “And
here I will tell you a merry toy.”
Tracing of a Fortress (The). The
outline of the fortification, that is, the
directions in which the masses are laid
out.
Tracts for the Times. Published
at Oxford during the years 1833-1841,
and hence called the Oxford Tracts.
A. i.e. Rev. John Keble, M.A., author
of the Christian Year, fellow of Oriel,
and formerly Professor of Poetry at
Oxford.
B. Rev. Isaac Williams, Fellow of
Trinity; author of The Cathedral, and
other Poems.
C. Rev. E. B. Pusey, D.D., Regius
Professor of Hebrew, and Canon of
Christ Church.
D. Rev. John Henry Newman, D.D.,
Fellow of Oriel, writer of the celebrated
Tract No. 90, which was the last.
E. Rev. Thomas Keble.
F. Sir John Provost, Bart.
G. Rev. R. F. Wilson, of Oriel,
Tractarians. Those who concur in
the religious views advocated by the
Oaford Tracts.
Tracy. All the Tracys have the wind
in their faces. Those who do wrong
will always meet with punishment. Wil-
liam de Traci was the most active of the
four knights who slew Thomas à Becket,
and for this misdeed all who bore the
name were saddled by the Church with
this ban: “Wherever by sea or land
they go, the wind in their face shall
Trade
1241
Trammel
ever blow.” Fuller, with his usual
naïveté, says, “So much the better in
hot weather, as it will save the need of
a fan.” *
Trade.
Trade Mark.
a manufacturer to distinguish his pro-
ductions from those made by other
persons.
Trade Winds. Winds that trade
or tread in one uniform track. In the
(See BALANCE.)
northern hemisphere they blow from the
%20rth-east, and in the southern hemi-
sphere from the south-east, about thirty
degrees each side of the equator. In
some places they blow six months in one
direction, and six in the opposite. It is
a mistake to derive the word from trade
(commerce), under the notion that they
are “good for trade.” (Anglo-Saxon,
tredde-wind, a treading wind—i.e. wind
of a specific “beat” or tread; tredan,
to tread.)
Trade follows the Flag. Colonies
promote the trade of the mother coun-
try. The reference is to the custom of
planting the flag of the mother country
in every colony.
Tradesmen's Signs, removed by Act
of Parliament, 1764. The London Pav-
ing Act, 6 Geo. III. 26, 17.
Traditions. (See CHRISTIAN TRADI-
TIONS.)
Trafa. Meat. Meat prohibited as food
by Jews from some ritual defect. It was
sold cheap to general butchers, but at one
time the law forbade the sale. In 1285
Roger de Lakenham, of Norwich, was
fined for selling “Trafa meat.”
The goat-song (Greek,
tragos-odë). The song that wins the
goat as a prize. This is the explanation
given by Horace (De Arte Poetica, 220).
(Sºe CoMEDY.) -
Tragedy. The first English tragedy
of any merit was Gorbodue, written by
Thomas Norton and Thomas Sackville.
(See Ralph Roister Doister.)
The Father of Tragedy. AEschylos the
Athenian. (B.C. 525-426.) Thespis, the
Richardson of Athens, who went about
in a waggon with his strolling players,
was the first to introduce dialogue in the
choral odes, and is therefore not unfre-
quently called the “Father of Tragedy
or the Drama.”
“Thespis was first who, all lºšneared with lee,
Began this pleasure for posterity.” • 3 &
Dryden : Art of Poetry (Tragedy), c. iii.
Tragedy.
A mark adopted by
Father of French Tragedy. Garnier
(1534-1590). -
Trail. The trail of the serpent is over
them all. Sin has set his mark on all.
(Thomas Moore : Paradise and the Peri.)
Traitors' Bridge. A loyal heart
Anay be landed under Traitors’ Bridge.
Traitor’s Bridge, in the Tower, was the
way by which persons charged with high
treason entered that State prison.
Traitors' Gate opens from the Tower
of London to the Thames, and was the
gate by which persons accused of treason
entered their prison.
Trajan’s Column commemorates his
victories over the Dacians. It was the
work of Apollodorus. The column of
the Place P'endôme, Paris, is a model
of it.
Trajan's Wall. A line of fortifica-
tions stretching across the Dobrudscha
from Czernavoda to the Black Sea.
Tram (A). A car which runs on a
tramway (q.v.). Trams in collieries
were in use in the seventeenth century,
but were not introduced into our streets
till 1868.
Traxmway or Tram Rails. A rail-
way for tram-carts or waggons, origin-
ally made of wooden rails. Iron
rails were first laid down in 1738, but
apparently were called “dram-roads '’
(Greek, dram-ein, to run). We are told
there were waggons called drams (or
trams). Benjamin Outram, in 1800,
used stone rails at Little Eaton, Derby-
shire; but the similarity between tram
and Outram is a mere coincidence.
Perhaps he was the cause of the word
dram being changed to tram, but even
this is doubtful. (See Rees' Cyclopædia.)
“Trams are a kind of sledge on which coals are
brought from the place where they are hewn to
the shaft. A tram has four wheels, but a sledge
is without wheels.” – Brand : Histon'y of New-
castle-upon-Tyne, vol. ii. p. 681, T. (1789),
Tramecksan and Siamecksan.
The high heels and low heels, the two
great political factions of Lilliput. The
high heels are the Tories, and the low
heels the Radicals of the kingdom. “The
animosity of these two factions runs so
high that they will neither eat, nor drink,
nor speak to each other.” The king was
a low heel in politics, but the heir-ap-
parent a high heel. (Swift : Gulliver’s
Travels, Voyage to Lilliput, chap. iv.)
Trammel means to catch in a net.
(French, tramail, trame, a woof; verb,
tramer, to weave.) -
Tramontane
| 242.
Treasures
Tra/montane (3 syl.). The north
wind; so called by the Italians because
to them it comes over the mountains.
The Italians also apply the term to Ger-
man, French, and other artists born
north of the Alps. French lawyers, on
the other hand, apply the word to Italian
canonists, whom they consider too Ro-
manistic. We in England generally call
overstrained Roman Catholic motions
“ Ultramontane.”
Translator (A). A cobbler, who
translates or transmogrifies two pairs of
worn-out shoes into one pair capable of
being worn ; a reformer, who tries to
cobble the laws.
“The dull & la mode reformers or translators
lave pulled the church all to p eces and know
not how to patch it up again.”—Mercuritts Prag-
qrtaticus (March, 1647, No. 27).
Translator-General. So Fuller, in
his H^orthies, calls Philemon Holland,
who translated a large number of the
Greek and Latin classics. (1551-1636.)-
Trap. A carriage, especially such as
a phāeton, dog-cart, commercial sulky,
and such like. It is not applied to a
gentleman’s close carriage. Contraction
of trappings (whatever is “put on,”
furniture for horses, decorations, etc.).
“The trap in question was a carriage which the
Major had bought for six pounds Sterling.” –
Thackeray : Vanity Fair, chap. lxvii.
Traps. Duggage, as “Leave your traps
at the station,” “I must look after my
traps,” etc. (See above.)
“The traps were packed up as quickly as pos-
sible, and the 1981'ty drove away.”—Daily Telegraph.
Trapa'ni. The Count de Trapani
was the ninth child of Mary Isabel and
Ferdinand II. of the two Sicilies. He
married the Archduchess Mary, daughter
of Leopold II., Grand Duke of Tuscany.
N.B. Francis de Paul, usually called
Touis-Emmanuel, Count of Trapani, was
born in 1827.
Trapa'ni. The Spaniards, in pitiless
raillery of the Spanish marriages, called
the trapos or dishclouts used by waiters
in the cafés to wipe down the dirty tables
trapami.
Trapper, in America, is one whose
vocation is to set traps for wild animals
for the sake of their furs.
The Trapper. (See NATTY BUMPPO.)
Trappists. A religious Order, so
called from La Trappe, an abbey of the
Cistercian order, founded in the middle
of the twelfth century.
Tras'go. Same as Duende (q.v.).
famous
Travels in the Blue. A brown
study ; in cloudland.
“Finding him gone for travels in the loſue,' I
respected his mood, and did not resent his long
Inutisill.”—Remnington Annvital, lºS9, p. 61.
Traveller's Licence. The long bow ;
exaggeration.
“If the captain has not taken “traveller's Ji-
cence, we have in Norway a most successful de-
velopment of peasant proprietorslip.” — W.
JBolt'67"Inſt??.
Travia'ta. An opera representing
the progress of a courtesan. The li-
bretto is borrowed from a French novel,
called La Dame atta, Camélias, by Alex-
andre Dumas, jun. It was dramatised
for the French stage. The music of the
opera is by Giuseppe Verdi.
Tre, Pol, Pen.
“By their Tre, their Pol, and Pen,
Ye Shall know the Cornish men.”
The extreme east of Cornwall is noted
for Thre, the extreme west for Pol, the
centre for Pen.
On December 19th, 1891, the follow-
ing residents are mentioned by the Lawtºn-
ceston Peekly News as attending the
funeral of a gentleman who lived at
Tre-hummer House, Tresmere : —Resi-
dents from Trevell, Tresmarrow, Treglith,
Trebarrow, Treludick, etc., with Tre-
leaven the Mayor of Launceston.
Treacle [tree-k’ll] properly means an
antidote against the bite of wild beasts
(Greek, the'riaka [pharmäka], from ther
a wild beast). The ancients gave the
name to sevéral sorts of antidotes, but
ultimately it was applied chiefly to
Venice treacle (theºriaca androchi), a
compound of Some sixty-four drugs in
honey.
tº Sir Thomas More speaks of “a
most strong treacle (i.e. antidote) against
these venomous heresies.” And in an
old version of Jeremiah viii. 22, “balm.”
is translated treacle —“Is there no treacle
at Gilead P Is there no phisitian
there P’’ *
Treading on Orie's Corris.
CoRNs.)
Treasures. These are my treasures ;
meaning the sick and poor. So said St.
Lawrence when the Roman praetor com-
manded him to deliver up his treasures.
He was then condemned to be roasted
alive on a gridiron (258). -
One day a lady from Campa'nia called
upon Corne'lia, the mother of the Gracchi,
and after showing her jewels, requested
in return to see those belonging to the
mother-in-law of Africanus,
(See
Treasury of Sciences
1243
Tree
Cornelia sent for her two sons, and said
to the lady, “These are my jewels, in
which alone I delight.”
Treasury of Sciences. Bokhara
(Asia), the centre of learning. It has
103 colleges, with 10,000 students, be-
sides a host of Schools and 360 mosques.
Tree. The oldest in the world—
(1) De Candolle considers the decidu-
ous cypress of Chapultepec, in Mexico, One
of the oldest trees in the world.
(2) The chestnut-trees on Motſnt Jººna,
and the Oriental plane-tree in the valley
of Bujukdere, near Constantinople, are
supposed to be of about the same age.
(3) The Rev. W. Tuckwell says the
“...oldest tree in the world is the Soma,
cypress of Lombardy. It was forty years
old when Christ was born.” -
Trees of a patriarchal affe.
I. OAKS.
(1) Damorey's Oak, Dorsctshire, 2,000
years old. Blown down in 1703.
(2) The great Oak of Saintes, in the
department of Charente Inférieure, is
from 1,800 to 2,000 years old.
(3) The JWinfarthing Oak, Norfolk,
and the Bentley Oak were 700 years old
at the time of the Conquest.
(4) Cowthorpe Oak, near Wetherby,
Yorkshire, according to Professor Burnet,
is 1,600 years old.
(5) William the Conqueror's Oak,
Windsor Great Park, is at least 1,200
years old.
(6) The Bull Oak, Wedgenock Park,
and the Plestor Oak, Colborne, were in
existence at the time of the Conquest.
(7) The Oak of the Partisans, in the
forest of Parey,
years old. JPallace’s Oak, at Ellersley,
near Paisley, was probably fifty years
older. Blown down in 1859.
(8) Owen Glendower’s Oak, Shelton,
Inear Shrewsbury, is so called because
that chieftain witnessed from its branches
the battle between Henry IV. and Harry
Percy, in 1403. Other famous oaks are
those called The Twelve Apostles and
The Fortr Evangelists.
(9) In the Dukeries, Nottinghamshire,
are some oaks of memorable age and
renown : (a) In the Duke of Portland's
Park is an oak called lèobin Hood’s Lan'-
der. It is only a shell, held together
with strong iron braces.
The Parliament Oak, Clipston, Notts, is
said to be above 1,000 years old. We are
told that Edward I., hunting in Sherwood
Forest, was informed of the Welsh revolt,
and summoned a “parliament " of his
barons under this oak, and it was agreed
St. Ouen, is above 650
to make war of extermination on Wales.
Others say it was under this tree that
Ring John assembled his barons and
decreed the execution of Prince Arthur.
The Parliament Oak is split into two
distinct trees, and though both the
trunks are hollow, they are both covered
with foliage and acorns atop during the
S63,SO11.
The Major Oak, in the park of Lord
Manvers, is a veritable giant. In the
hollow trunk fifteen persons of ordinary
size may find standing room. At its
base it measures 90 feet, and at 5 feet
from the ground about 35 feet. Its head
covers a circumference of 270 yards.
Another venerable oak (some say 1,500
years old) is Greendale Oak, about half a
mile from Welbeck Abbey. It is a mere
ruin supported by props and chains. It
has a passage through the bole large
enough to admit three horsemen abreast,
and a coach-and-four has been driven
through it.
The Seven Sisters Oak, in the same
vicinity, is so called because the trunk
was composed of seven stems. It still
stands, but in a very dilapidated State.
II. YEWS.
(1) Of Braburn, in Kent, according to
De Candolle, is 3,000 years old. -
(2) The Scotch yew at Fortingal, in
Perthshire, is between 2,500 and 3,000
YéâTS.
(3) Of Darley churchyard, Derbyshire,
about 2,050 years.
(4) Of Crowhurst, Surrey, about 1,400.
(5) The three at Fountains Abbey, in
Yorkshire, at least 1,200 years. Beneath
these trees the founders of the abbey
held their council in 1132.
(6) The yew grove of Norbury Park,
Surrey, was standing in the time of the
Druids.
(7) The yew-trees at Iſingsley Bottom,
near Chichester, were standing when the
sea-kings landed on the Sussex coast.
(8) The yew-tree of Harlington church-
$/ard, Middlesex, is above 850 years old.
(9) That at Ankerwyke House, near
Staines, was noted when Magna Charta
was signed in 1215, and it was the
trysting tree for Henry VIII. and Anne
Boleyn.
III. MISCELLANEOUS.
(1) The eight olive-trees on the l’orºnt
of Olives were flourishing 800 years ago,
when the Turks took Jerusalem.
(2) The lime-tree in the Grisons is up-
wards of 590 years old.
* The spruce will reach to the age of
1,200 years.
Tree of Buddha
1244
Tressure
*|| The poet’s tree. A tree grows over
the tomb of Tan-Sein, a musician of in-
comparable skill at the court of Akbar,
and it is said that whoever chews a
leaf of this tree will have extraordinary
melody of voice. (W. Hunter.)
“IHis voice was as Sweet as if he had chewed the
lenves Of that enclaanted tree which grow S Over
the tomb of the musician Tan-Sein.” — Moore :
Lalla, Rook:h. -
* The singing tree. Each leaf was a
mouth, and every leaf joined in concert.
(Arabian Nights.)
He is altogether up the tree. Quite
out of the swim, nowhere in the com-
petition list.
Up a tree. In a difficulty, in a mess.
It is said that Spurgeon used to practise
his students in extempore preaching, and
that one of his young men, on reaching
the desk and opening the note containing
his text, read the single word “Zacchaeus”
as his text. He thought a minute or
two, and then delivered himself thus:–
“Zacchaeus was a little man, so am I;
Zacchaeus was up a tree, so am I; Zac-
chaeus made haste and came down, and
So do I.’”
Tree of Buddha (The).
tree.
... Tree of Knowledge (The). Genesis
ll.
Tree of Liberty. A tree set up by
the people, hung with flags and devices.
and crowned with a cap of liberty.
The Americans of the United States
planted poplars and other trees during
the war of independence, “as symbols
of growing freedom.” The Jacobins in
Paris planted their first tree of liberty
in 1790. The symbols used in France
to decorate their trees of liberty were
tricoloured ribbons, circles to indicate
unity, triangles to signify equality, and
a cap of liberty. Trees of liberty were
º by the Italians in the revolution
of 1848.
Tree of Life.
The bo-
Genesis ii. 9.
Trees. Trees burst into leaf-
Ash, earliest May 13th, latest June 14th.
Iłętch, 2 3 A pril 19th, ,, May 7th.
J) (thnson, 2 3 March 28th, , May 13th.
Horse-chestnut , March 17th, , April 19th.
I,(troh, * } March 21st, , Abril 14th.
J/inne ,, Alpril 6th, ,, May 2nd.
Mulberry. } } May 12th, ,, June 23rd.
()(th; ,, Al)1'il 10th, , May 26th.
Popla March 6tli, ,, April 19th.
§ºn chestnut, April 20th, 3 *
Sycat?more ,, March 28th, , ,
"I Trees of the Sun and Moon. Oracular
trees growing “at the extremity of
India,” mentioned in the Italian ro-
mance of Guerino Meschino,
May 20th.
April 23rd.
Tregea'gle. To roar like Tregeagle —
very loudly. Tregeagle is the giant of
DoSmary Pool, on Bodmin Downs (Corn-
wall), whose allotted task is to bale out
the water with a limpet-shell. When
the wintry blast howls over the downs,
the people say it is the giant roaring.
(See GIANTS.)
Tregetour. A conjurer or juggler.
(From Old French, tresgiat = a juggling
trick.) The performance of a conjurer was
anciently termed his “minstrelsy ; ” thus
we read of Janio the juggler—“Janio
ie tregettor, facienti ministralsiam suam.
coram rege . . . 20s.” (Lib. Comput.
Garderoba, an. (4 Edw. II. fol. 86), MS.
Cott. Nero, chap. viii.)
Tremont'. Boston in Massachusetts
was once so called, from the three hills
on which the city stands.
Trench-the-Mer. The galley of
IRichard Coeur de Lion so called from
its “fleetness.” Those who sailed in it
were called by the same name.
Trencher. A good trencher-man. A
good eater. The trencher is the platter
on which food is cut (French, trancher,
to cut), by a figure of Speech applied to
food itself.
JHe that waits for another’s trencher,
eats many a late dinner. He who is
dependent on others must wait, and
wait, and wait, happy if after waiting
he gets anything at all.
“Oh, how wretched
Is that poor man that hangs on princes' favours :
There is, betwixt that smile he would aspire to,
That sweet aspect of princes, and their ruin, ,
More pangs and fears than wars or women have.”
Shakespeare : Henry VIII., iii. 2.
Trencher Cap. The mortar-board
cap worn at college; SO called from the
trenchered or split boards which form
the top. Mortar-board is a perversion
Of the French 7,700°tier.
Trencher Friends. Persons who
cultivate the friendship of others for the
sake of sitting at their board, and the
good things they can get. -
Trencher Knight. A table knight,
a suitor from cupboard love.
Trenchmore. A popular dance in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
“Nimble-heeled mariners . . . Capering . .
sometimes a Morisco, or Trench more of forty
miles long.”—Taylor the Water-P06t.
Tres'sure (2 syl.). A border round
a shield in heraldry. The origin of the
tressure in the royal arms of Scotland is
traced by heralds to the ninth century.
They assert that Charlemagne granted it
Trêves
1245.
Trieste
to King Achaius of Scotland in token of
alliance, and as an assurance that “the
lilies of France should be a defence to
the lion of Scotland.” Chalmers insinu-
ates that these two monarchs did not
even know of each other’s existence.
Trèves (1 syl.). The Holy Coat of
Trêves. A relic preserved in the cathedral
of Trêves. It is said to be the seamless
coat of our Saviour, which the soldiers
would not rend, and therefore cast lots
for. (John xix. 23, 25.) The Empress
Helena, it is said, discovered this coat
in the fourth century.
Trevéthy Stone. St. Clear, Corn-
wall. A cromlech. Trevédi, in British,
means a place of graves. .
Tria Juncta in Uno.
the Order of the Bath.
Triads. Three subjects more or less
connected formed into one continuous
poem or subject: thus the Creation, Re-
demption, and Resurrection would form a
triad. The conquest of England by the
Itomans, Saavojºs, and Normans would
form a triad. Alexander the Great, Juliets
Caesar, and Napoleon Bonaparte would
form a triad. So would Law, Physie,
and Divinity. The Welsh triads are col-
lections of historic facts, mythological
traditions, moral maxims, or rules of
poetry disposed in groups of three.
Trials at Bar. Trials which occupy
the attention of the four judges in the
superior court, instead of at Wis; Prints.
These trials are for very difficult causes,
and before special juries. (See Wharton :
Law Lexicon, article “Bar.”) -
Triamond. Son of Ag'apé, a fairy;
very daring and very strong. He fought
on horseback, and employed both sword
and shield. He married Can'acé. (Spen-
ser : Faërie Queene, bk, iv.) (See PRLA-
MOND.) -
Triangles. Tied up at the triangles.
A machine to which a soldier was at one
time fastened when flogged.
“IHe Waś tied up at the triangles, and branded
“D.’”—Ouida. Under Two Flags, chap. vii.
Triangular Part of Man (The).
The body. Spenser says, “The divine
part of man is circular, but the mortal
part is triangular.” (Faërie Queene,
book ii. 9.)
Tribune. Last of the Tribunes. Cola
di Rienzi, who assumed the title of
“Tribune of liberty, peace, and justice.”
Bienzi is the hero of one of Lord Lyt-
ton's most vigorous works of fiction.
(1313-1354.)
The motto of
Tribune of the People (A). A
democratic leader. -
“Delmar had often spoken of Alman, and of his
power in the East End, and she had come to the
conclusion that he Was no Ordinary man, this
tribune of the people.”—T. Terrell: Lady Delmar,
bk. ii. chap. Wiii.
Trice. I’ll do it in a trice. The hour
is divided into minutes, seconds, and
trices or thirds. I’ll do it in a minute,
I’ll do it in a second, I’ll do it in a trice.
Tricle. An old dog learns no tricks.
When persons are old they do not readily
conform to new ways. The Latin pro-
verb is “Senea, psittaeus negligit ferº-
lam : ” the Greeks said, “Nekron at'-
Tettein kai geronta motſ'/hetein tauton
esti, '’ the Germans say, “Fir, alter
hund ist nicht geſt kundigen.”
Tricolour. Flags or ribbons with
three colours, assumed by nations or in-
surgents as symbols of political liberty.
The present European tricolour ensigns
are, for— -
J3elgium, black, yellow, red, divided
vertically.
France, blue, white, red, divided verti-
cally. (See below.)
IIolland, red, white, blue, divided
horizontally.
#taly, green, white, red, divided verti-
cally.
Th’icolour of France. The insurgents
in the French Revolution chose the three
colours of the city of Paris for their
Symbol. The three colours were first
devised by Mary Stuart, wife of François
II. The white represented the royal house
of France; the blue, Scotland; and the
Yed, Switzerland, in compliment to the
Swiss guards, whose livery it was. The
heralds afterwards tinctured the shield
of Paris with the three colours, thus ex-
pressed in heraldic language: “Paris
portaït de guettles, sur vaisseau d'argent,
ſlottant sur des ondes de méme, le chef
cottsu de France ’’ (a ship with white
Sails, on a red ground, with a blue chef).
The usual tale is that the insurgents in
1789 had adopted for their flag the two
colours, red and blue, but that Lafayette
persuaded them to add the Bourbon
white, to show that they bore no hos-
tility to the king. The first flag of the
Republicans was green. The tricolour
was adopted July 11th, when the people
were disgusted with the king for dis-
missing Necker.
“If you will Wear a livery, let it at least be that
Qf the city of Paris—blue arid red.”—Dumas : Siac
Years Afterwards, chap. xv.
Triest'e (2 syl.). Since 1816 it has
Trigon
1246
Tripos
borne the title of “the most loyal of
towns.”
Tri'gon. The junction of three signs.
The zodiac is partitioned into four tri-
gons, named respectively after the four
elements ; the watery trigon includes
Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces; the fiery,
Aries, Teo, and Sagittarius; the earthy,
Taurus, Virgo, and Capricornus; and
the airy, Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.
Trilogy. A group of three tragedies.
Everyone in Greece who took part in the
poetic contest had to produce a trilogy
and a satyric drama. We have only one
specimen, and that is by AEschylos, em-
bracing the Agamemnon, the Choēphorae,
and the Eumen'idés.
Trimiliki. The Anglo-Saxon name
for the month of May, because in that
month they began to milk their kine
three times a day.
Trimmer. One who runs with the
hare and holds with the hounds. Charles
Montagu, Earl of Halifax, adopted the
term in the reign of Charles II. to signify
that he was neither an extreme Whig
nor an extreme Tory. Dryden was called
a trimmer, because he professed attach-
ment to the king, but was the avowed
enemy of the Duke of York.
Trin'culo. A jester in Shakespeare's
Tempest.
Trine. In astrology, a planet distant
from another one-third of the circle is
said to be in trine; one-fourth, it is in
Square ; one-sixth or two signs, it is in
sextile ; but when one-half distant, it is
said to be “opposite.”
“In sextile, Square, and trine, and opposite
Of noxious eſficacy.”
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 659.
N.B. Planets distant from each other
six signs or half a circle have opposite
influences, and are therefore opposed to
each other.
Trin'ity. Tertullian (160-240) intro-
duced this word into Christian theology.
The word triad is much older. Almost
every mythology has a threefold deity.
(See THREE.)
A merican Indiam8. Otlºon, McSSou, and Atahu-
2. Liu.
Iłrahmins. Their “tri-murti " is a three-headed
deity, representing Brahmā (as creator), Vishnu
(as preserver), and Siva (as destroyer). •
Cells. Hu, Ceridwen, and Craiwy. - -
('hermisci. A three-headed god called Triglat.
Chinese have the triple goddess Pussa.
IDruids. Taulac, Fàn, and Mollac.
Jºgyptians. Osiris, Isis, and Horus.
JEleusini’iam, Mysteries, Bacchus, Persel) hone
(4 Syl.), and Demeter.
Goths. Woden, Frigga, and Thor.
Greece (ancient). Zeus (1 syl.), Aphrodite, and
Apollo. -
Jesini of Britain. Got, Ertha, and ISSus.
Mea:icans. Witzputzli, Tlaloc, and Tezcatlipoca.
Peruvians. A pomti, Chureonti, and Inte-
Qullequi.
Persians (ancient). Their “Triplasian deity"
Was Oronia Sdes, Mithras, and Arim’anes.
J’hoºmicians. A staroth, Mileom, and Chemoth.
Romans (ancient). Jupiter. (divine power),
Minerya (divine Logos or wisdom), and Jung
(called “amor et delicium Jovis”).--Vossius : 1)e
Theologia Gentil, viii. 12. Their three chief deities
were Jupiter, Neptune, and Pluto.
. Scandinavians. Odin (who gave the breath of
life), Haºmir (who gave sense and motion), and
ſº guo gave blood, Colour, Speech, sight, and
learling).
Tyrians. Belus, Venus, and Tamuz, etc.
‘.' Orpheus (2 Syl.). His triad was Phanës,
Uranos, and Kronos.
lato. His triad was To Ag'athon (Goodness),
Nous or Eternal Wisdom (architect of the World)
gºroverns iii. 19), and Psyché (the mundane
S{}ll | }.
Pythagoras. His triad was the Monad or Unity,
Nous or Wisdom, and Psyché.
Trinoban'tés (4 syl.). Inhabitants
of Middlesex and Essex, referred to in
Caesar's Gallie JP'ars. This word, con-
verted into Trinovantes, gave rise to the
myth that the people referred to came
from Troy.
Trino'da, Necessitas. The three
contributions to which all lands were
subject in Anglo-Saxon times, viz.—
(1) Bryge-bot, for keeping bridges and
high roads in repair; (2) Burg-bot, for
JFyrd, for maintaining the military and
keeping fortresses in repair; and (3)
naval force of the kingdom.
Tripit'alta, means the “triple basket,”
a term applied to the three classes into
which the canonical writings of the
Buddha are divided—viz. the Soutras,
the Wina'ya, and the Abidharma. (See
these words.)
Triple Alliance.
A treaty entered into by England,
Sweden, and Holland against Louis XIV.
in 1668. It ended in the treaty of Aix-
la-Chapelle. (See newt page.)
A treaty between England, France, and
Holland against Charles XII. This
league was called the Quadruple after
Germany joined it. (1717.)
A third (1789) between Great Britain,
Holland, and Russia, against Catherine
of Russia in defence of Turkey.
A fourth in 1883, between Germany,
Italy, and Austria, against France and
Russia. -
Tripos. A Cambridge term, meaning
the three honou?' classes into which the
best men are disposed at the final exami-
nation, whether of Mathematics, Taw,
Theology, or Natural Science, etc. The
word is often emphatically applied to
the voluntary classical examination.
Trismegistus
1247
Troilus
Trismegistus [thrice greatest]. Her-
mès, the Egyptian philosopher, or Thoth,
councillor of Osiris, King of Egypt, to
whom is attributed a host of inventions
—amongst others the art of writing in
hieroglyphics, the first code of Egyptian
laws, harmony, astrology, the lute and
lyre, magic, and all mysterious sciences.
Tristram (Sir), Trist rem, Tristan,
or Tristan. Son of Rouland Rise, Lord
of Ermonie, and Blanche Fleur, sister of
Marke, King of Cornwall. Having lost
both his parents, he was brought up by
his uncle. Tristram, being wounded in a
duel, was cured by Ysolde, daughter of
the Queen of Ireland, and on his return
to Cornwall told his uncle of the beauti-
ful princess. Marke sent to Solicit her
hand in marriage, and was accepted.
Ysolde married the king, but was in
love with the nephew, with whom she
had guilty connection. Tristram being
banished from Cornwall, went to Brit-
tany, and married Ysolt of the White
IIand, daughter of the Duke of Brittany.
Tristram then went on his adventures,
and, being wounded, was informed that
he could be cured only by Ysolde. A
messenger is dispatched to Cornwall,
and is ordered to hoist a white sail
if Ysolde accompanies him back. The
vessel came in sight with a white sail
displayed; but Ysolt of the White Hand,
out of jealousy, told her husband that
the vessel had a black sail flying, and
Tristram instantly expired. Sir Tristram
was one of the knights of the Round
Table. Gotfrit of Strasbourg, a German
aninnesānger (minstrel) at the close of the
twelfth century, composed a romance in
verse, entitled Tristan et Isolde. It was
continued by Ulrich of Turheim, by
Henry of Freyberg, and others, to the
extent of many thousand verses. The
best edition is that of Breslau, two vols.
8vo, 1823. (See YSOLT, HERMITE.)
Sir Tristyam's horse. Passet’reul.
Triton, Son of Neptune, represented
as a fish with a human head. It is this
sea-god that makes the roaring of the
ocean by blowing through his shell.
“Hear old Triton blow his wreathéd horn [hear
the Sea, roar].” |}}'ordsworth.
A Tritom among the minnows. The
sun among inferior lights. Lºtna inter
Anºores ºffnes. • -
Triumph. A word formed from
thriambos, the Dionysiac hymn.
“Some . . . have assigned the origin of . . .
triumphal processions to the mythic loom!:s of
Dionysus, after his conquests in the East, the
Very word tº: being . . . the Dionysiac
hymn.”—Pater : Marius the Epicurean, chal). xii,
Trivet. Right as a trivet. (See RIGHT.)
Trivia. Goddess of streets and ways.
Gay has a poem in three books so en-
titled.
“Thou, Trivia, aid my song.
Through spacious StreetS conduct thy bard
T() ſºily realm, and smooth the broken ways,
l'arth from her Womb a flinty tribute pay $.”
Gay : Thrivict, blº. i.
Trivial, strictly speaking, means
“belonging to the beaten road.” (Latin,
trivium, which is not tres wide [three
roads], but from the Greek tribo [to
rub], meaning the worn or beaten path.)
As what comes out of the road is com-
mon, so trivial means of little value.
Trench connects this word with triviuſ),
(tres wide or cross ways), and says the
gossip carried on at these places gave
rise to the present meaning of the word.
Trivium. The three elementary
Subjects of literary education up to the
twelfth century—Grammar, Rhetoric,
and Logic. (See QUADRIVIUM.)
N.B. Theology was introduced in
the twelfth century.
Troc'hilus (The), says Barrow,
“enters with impunity into the mouth
of the crocodile. This is to pick from
the teeth a leech which greatly torments
the creature.
“Not half so bold
The puny bird that dares, with teasing hum,
Within the crocodile's stretched jaws to come.”
Thomas J100 ré, Lalla Rookh, pt. i.
Trog'lodytes (3 sy].). A people of
Ethiopia, South-east of Egypt. Remains
of their cave dwellings are still to be
seen along the banks of the Nile. There
were Troglodytes of Syria and Arabia.
also, according to Strabo. Pliny (v. 8)
asserts that they fed on serpents. (Greek,
trog'lé, a cave; duo, to get into.)
“King François, of eternal memory . . . ab-
horred these hypocritical snake-eaters.” – R.t-
belatis: Gargamtata (tmél Pantagruel (Ep. Ded. iv.).
Trog’lodyte. A person who lives so
Secluded as not to know the current
events of the day, is so self-opinion-
ated as to condemn everyone who sees
inot eye to eye with himself, and scorns
everything that comes not within the
Scope of his own approval ; a detractor;
a critic. The Saturday Review intro-
duced this use of the word. (See above.)
* Miners are sometimes facetiously
called Troglodytes.
Troilus (3 syl.). The prince of
chivalry, one of the sons of Priam,
killed by Achilles in the siege of Troy
(Homer’s Iliad). The loves of Troilus
and Cressida, celebrated by Shakespeare
Troilus and Cressida, 1.
48 Troubadours
and Chaucer, form no part of the old
classic tale.
As true as Troilus. Troilus is meant
by Shakespeare to be the type of con-
stancy, and Cressid the type of female
inconstancy. (See CRESSIDA.)
“After all comparisons of truth . . .
* As true as Troilus' shall crown up the Yerse,
And Sanctify the numbers.”
Troilus and Cressida, iii. 2.
Tro'ilus and Cres'sida (Shake-
speare). The story was originally writ-
ten by Lollius, an old Lombard author,
and since by Chaucer (Popé). Chaucer’s
poem is from Boccaccio's Filostrato.
Trois pour Cent. A cheap hat.
“Running with bare head allout,
hile the town is tempest-tost,
'Prentice lads unheeded shout
That their three-per-cents, are lost.”
JDésaugiers : Le Pilier du Café.
Trojan. He is a regular Trojan. A
fine fellow, with good courage and plenty
of spirit; what the French call a brave
homme. The Trojans in Homer’s Iliad
and Virgil’s L’Eneid are described as
truthful, brave, patriotic, and confiding.
“There they say right, and like true Trojans.”
Butler: Hudibras, i. 1.
Trojan War (The). The siege of
Troy by the Greeks. After a siege of
ten years the city was taken and burnt
to the ground. The last year of the
siege is the subject of Homer’s Iliad;
the burning of Troy and the flight of
AEměas is a continuation by Virgil in his
AEmāid.
The Trojan War, by Henry of Weldig,
(Waldeck), a minnesinger (twelfth cen-
tury) is no translation of either Homer
or Virgil, but a German adaptation of
the old tale. By far the best part of this
poetical romance is where Lavinia tells
her tale of love to her mother.
Trolls. Dwarfs of Northern mytho-
logy, living in hills or mounds; they are
represented as stumpy, misshapen, and
humpbacked, inclined to thieving, and
fond of carrying off children or substi-
tuting one of their own offspring for that
of a human mother. They are called
hill-people, and are especially averse to
noise, from a recollection of the time
when Thor used to be for ever flinging
his hammer after them. (Icelandic,
troll.) (See FAIRY.)
“Out then spake the tiny Troll,'
No bigger than an ethylmet lie.”
Danish ballad, Elime of Willemskov.
Trolly. A cart used in mines and on
railways. A railway trolly is worked
by the hand, which moves a treadle ; a
coal-mine trolly used to be pushed by
trolly-boys; ponies are now generally
employed instead of boys. (Welsh, trol,
a cart; trolio, to roll or trundle, whence
“to troll a catch '’—i.e. to sing a catch
or round.)
Trompée. Votre religion a été trompée.
You have been greatly imposed upon.
Similarly, “Suprendre la religion de
quelqu'un ?? is to deceive or impose
upon one. Cardinal de Bonnechose
used the former phrase in his letter to
The Times respecting the Report of the
CEcumenical Council, and it puzzled the
English journals, but was explained by
M. Notterelle. (See The Times, January
1st, 1870.)
* We use the word faith both for
“credulity '' and “religion " — e.g.
“Your faith (credulity) has been im-
posed upon.” The “Catholic faith,”
“Mahometan faith,” “Brahminical
faith,” etc., virtually mean “religion.”
Troness, Tronis, or Trophy Money,
or Trophy Tax. “A duty of fourpence
[in the pound] paid annually by house-
keepers or their landlords, for the drums,
colours [trophies], etc., of the companies
or regiments of militia.” (Dr. Scott’s
Bailey’s Dictionary.)
Troopers mean troopships, as “In-
dian troopers,” ships for the convey-
ance of troops to India, especially be-
tween February and October, when the
annual reliefs of British forces in India.
are made. Similarly, whaler is a ship
for whaling.
Troops of the Line. All numbered
infantry or marching regiments, except
the foot-guards.
Tropho'nios (Greek), Latin, Tro-
pho'nius. He has visited the cave of
Trophonius (Greek). Said of a melan-
choly man. The cave of Trophonius
was one of the most celebrated Oracles
of Greece. The entrance was so narrow
that he who went to consult the oracle
had to lie on his back with his feet
towards the cave, whereupon he was
caught by some unseen force and vio-
lently pulled inside the cave. After
remaining there a time, he was driven
out in similar fashion, and looked most
ghastly pale and terrified; hence the
proverb.
Troubadours (3 syl.). Minstrels of
the south of France in the eleventh,
twelfth, and thirteenth centuries; so
called from the Provençal verb troubar
(to invent). Our woºd poet signifies ex-
actly the same thing, being the Greek
for “create.” (See TROUVERES.)
Trouble
1249
Truces
Trouble means a moral whirlwind.
(Latin, turbo, a whirlwind; Italian, tºr-
bare ; French, troubler.) Disturb is
from the same root. The idea pervades
all such words as agitation, commotion,
weacation, a tossing up and down, etc.
Trouil"logan's Advice. Do and
do not; yes and no. When Pantag'-
ruel asked the philosopher Trouillogan
whether Panurge should marry or not,
the philosopher replied “Yes.” “What
say you?” asked the prince. “What
you have heard,” answered Trouillogan.
“What have I heard,” said Pantagruel.
“What I have spoken,” rejoined the
sage. “Good,” said the prince ; “but
tell me plainly, shall Panurge marry or
let it alone P” “Neither,” answered
the oracle. “How P” said the prince;
“that cannot be.” “Then both,” said
Trouillogan. (Rabelais : Gargantua and
Pantagruel, iii. 35.)
Trout is the Latin trocł-a, from the
Greek tro/stás, the greedy fish (trogo, to
eat). The trout is very voracious, and
will devour any kind of animal food.
“[Roland] was . . . engaged in a keen and ani-
mated discussion about Lochleven trout and Sea,
trout, and river trout, and bull trout, and char
which never rise to the fly, and par which some
suppose [to be] infant Salmon, and herlings which
frequent the Nith, and Vendisses which are only
found in the castle loch of Lochmaben.”—Sir W.
Scott: The Abbot, chal). XXii.
Trouveres (2 Syl.) were the trouba-
dours of the north of France, in the
twelfth, thirteenth, and fourteenth cen-
turies. So called from trouver, the Wal-
loon verb meaning “to invent.” (See
TROUBADours.)
Trovato're (IA) (4 syl.). Manri'co,
the son of Garzia, brother of the Comte
di Luna. Verdi’s opera, so called is
taken from the drama of Gargia Gut-
tierez, which is laid in the fifteenth cen-
tury. Trovatore means a troubadour.
Trows. Dwarfs of Orkney and
Shetland mythology, similar to the Scan-
dinavian Trolls. There are land-trows
and sea-trows. “Trow tak’ thee '' is a
phrase still used by the island women
when angry with their children.
Troxar'tas [bread-eater]. Ring of
the mice and father of Psycarpax, who
was drowned.
“Fix their council . . .
Where great Troxartas crowned in glory
Tě19, 11S . . .
Psycarpax father, father now no more " g
Parnell: Battle of the Frogs and Mice, bk, i.
Troy-Novant (London). This name
gave rise to the tradition that Brute, a
Trojan refugee, founded London and
called it New Troy; but the word is
British, and compounded of Tri-now-
hant (inhabitants of the new town).
Civitas Trinobantum, the city of the Tri-
nobantes, which we might render “New-
townsmen.”
“For noble Britons sprong from Trojans bold,
And, Troy-novant was built of old Troyes ashés
cold.” SpenSer: Faërie Queene, iii. 9.
Troy-town has no connection with
the Homeric “Troy,” but means a maze,
labyrinth, or bower. (Welsh troi, to
turn ; troedle, a trodden place [? street],
whence the archaic trode, a path or
track; Anglo-Saxon thraw-an, to twist
or turn.) . There are numerous Troys
and Troy-towns in Great Britain and
North America. The upper garden of
Kensington Palace was called ‘‘the siege
of Troy.”
*: A Troy-town is about equivalent
to “Julian’s Bower,” mentioned in
Halliwell’s Archaic Dictionary.
Troy Weight means “London
weight.” London used to be called
Troy-novant. (See above.) The general
notion that the word is from Troyes, a
town of France, and that the weight was
brought to Europe from Grand Cairo by
crusaders, is wholly untenable, as the
term Troy Weight was used in England
in the reign of Edward the Confessor.
Troy weight is old London weight, and
Avoirdupois the weight brought over by
the Normans. (See Avoir DUPOIs.)
Truce of God. In 1040 the Church
forbade the barons to make any attack
on each other between sunset on Wed-
nesday and sunrise on the following
Monday, or upon any ecclesiastical fast
or feast day. It also provided that no
man was to molest a labourer working in
the fields, or to lay hands on any imple-
ment of husbandry, on pain of excom-
munication. (See PEACE OF GOD.)
Truces. Faithless and fatal truees.
The Emperor Antonius Caracalla de-
stroyed the citizens of Alexandria, at one
time, and at another cut off the atten-
dants of Artabanus, King of Persia,
under colour of marrying his daughter.
Jacob's children destroyed the She-
chemites to avenge the rape of Dinah.
Gallienus, the Roman Emperor, put
to death the military men in Constanti-
nople.
Antonius, under colour of friendship,
enticed Artavasdes of Armenia ; then,
lºg him in heavy chains, put him to
eath. -
79
Truchuela, 12
O Truth.
Truchue'la. A very small trout
with which Don Quixote was regaled at
the road-side inn where he was dubbed
knight. (Cervantes : Don Quiacote, bk. i.
chap. ii.)
True Blue—that is, “Coventry blue,”
noted for its fast dye. An epithet ap-
plied to a person of inflexible honesty
and fidelity.
True-lovers’ Knot is the Danish
frožovelses kºort, “a betrothment bond,”
not a compound of true and lover. Thus
in the Icelandic Gospel the phrase, “a
virgin espoused to a man,” is, er trulofad
war einztm mann8.
“Three times a true-love's knot I tie secure ;
Firm be the knot, firm may his love eldure.”
Gay's Pastorals: The Spell.
True as Touch. The reference is to
gold tested by the touchstone (q.v.).
** If thou lo Yest, Im G too Imuch
It Will not lyrove as true as touch.”
Love me Little, Love m6 Long (1570).
True Thomas and the Queen of
Elfland. An old romance in verse by
Thomas the Rhymer.
True Thomas. Thomas the Rhymer
was so called from his prophecies, the
most noted of which was the prediction
of the death of Alexander III. of Scot-
land, made to the Earl of March in the
Castle of Dunbar the day before it oc-
curred. It is recorded in the Scoti-
chron'icon of Fordun. (1430.) (See
RHYMER.)
Truepenny. Hamlet says to the
Ghost, “Art thou there, Truepenny ?”
Then to his comrades, “You hear this
fellow in the cellarage P” (i. 5). And
again, “Well said, old mole; canst
work?” . Truepenny means earth-borer
or mole (Greek, trºpano77, trapao, to bore
or perforate), an excellent word to apply
to a ghost “boring through the cellar-
age ’’ to get to the place of purgatory
before cock-crow. Miners use the word
for a run of metal or metallic earth,
which indicates the presence and direc-
tion of a lode.
Trulli. Female spirits noted for their
kindness to men. (IRandle Holms : Aca-
demy of Armory.) .
Trump. To trump up. To devise or
make up falsely; to concoct.
Trump Card. The French carte de
triomphe (card of triumph).
Trumpet. To trumpet one’s good
deeds. The allusion is to the Pharisaic
sect called the Almsgivers, who had a
trumpet sounded before them, ostensibly
to summon the poor together, but in re-
ality to publish abroad their abnegation
and benevolence. -
. You sound your ow?? trºmpet. The
allusion is to heralds, who used to an-
nounce with a flourish of trumpets the
knights who entered a list.
Trumpeter. Your trumpeter is dead
—i.e. you are obliged to sound your own
praises because no one will do it for you.
Trumpets (Feast of). A Jewish fes-
tival, held on the first two days of Tisri,
the beginning of the ecclesiastical year.
Trundle. A military earthwork
above Goodwood. The area is about
two furlongs. It has a double vallum.
The situations of the porta are still to be
traced in the east, west, and north. The
fortifications of the ancient Britons being
circular, it is probable that the Trundle
is British. The fortified encampments
of the Romans were Square ; examples
may be seen at the Broyle, near Chiches-
ter, and on Ditching Hill.
Truss his Points (To). To tie the
points of hose, . The points were the
cords pointed with metal, like shoe-laces,
attached to doublets and hose ; being
very numerous, some second person was
required to “truss’’ them or fasten them
properly. -
“I hear the gull [Sir Piercie] clamorous for
SOIneone to trus; his point.S. He Will find hill] Self
fortunate if he lights on anyone here who can do
laim the office of groom of the chalmber.”—Sir W.
Scott : The Monastery, chap. XVi.
Trusts. The combinations called
rings or corners in the commercial world.
The chief merchants of an article (say
sugar, salt, or flour) combine to fix the
selling price of a given article and thus
secure enormous profits. These enter-
prises are technically called “trusts,”
because each of the merchantsis on trust
not to undersell the others, but to remain
faithful to the terms agreed on.
Truth. Pilate said, “What is truth 2 ''
This was the great question of the
I’latonists. Plato said we could know
truth if we could sublimate our minds
to their original purity. Arcesila'os
said that man's understanding is not
capable of knowing what truth is. Car'-
neadès maintained that not only our un-
derstanding could not comprehend it,
but even our senses are wholly inade-
quate to help us in the investigation.
Gorgias the Sophist said, “What is
right but what we prove to be right?
and what is truth but what we believe
to be truth P”
Truth in a well
1251
Tuck
gr
Truth in a well. This expression
is attributed both to Clean'thès and t
Democ'ritos the derider. -
“Naturam accusa, qua in profundo yeritatem
(ut ait Democritus) penitus abstruserit.”—Cicero:
Academics, i. 10.
Try'anon. Daughter of the fairy
king who lived on the island of Oléron.
“She was as white as lily in May,” and
married Sir Launfal, King Arthur's
steward, whom she carried off to “Oli-
roun her jolif isle,” and, as the romance
Says—
“Since saw him in this land no man,
Ne no more of him tell I n can
For Soothé with Out, lie.”
Thomas Clºcstre: Sir Laumfall (15th century).
Try'gon. A poisonous fish. It is
said that Tele'gonos, son of Ulysses by
Circé, coming to Ith'aca, to see his father
was denied admission by the servants;
whereupon a quarrel ensued, and his
father, coming out to see what was the
matter, was accidentally struck with his
Son’s arrow, pointed with the bone of a
trygon, and died.
º: “The lord of Ithaca,
Struck by the poisonous trygon's bone, expired.”
West: Triumphs of the Gotti (Luciam).
Tsin Dynasty. The fourth Imperial
Dynasty of China, founded by Tchao-
Siang-Wàng, prince of Tsin, who con-
quered the “fighting kings” (q.v.). He
built the Wall of China (B.C. 211).
Tsong Dynasty. The nineteenth
Imperial Dynasty of China, founded by
Tchao-quang-yn, the guardian and chief
minister of Yông-tee. He was a de-
scendant of Tchuang-tsong, the Tartar
general, and on taking the yellow robe
assumed the name of Tač-tsou (great
ancestor). This dynasty, which lasted
300 years, was one of the most famous
in Chinese annals. (960-1276.)
Tu Autem. Come to the last clause.
In the long Latin grace at St. John’s
College, Cambridge, the last clause used
to be “The autem misere're mei, Domine.
Amen.” It was not unusual, when a
scholar read slowly, for the senior Fellow
to whisper “The autem ’’—i.e. Skip all
the rest and give us Only the last sen-
tence.
Tu l'as Voulu, George Dandin
('Tis your own fault, George Dandin).
You brought this upon yourself; as you
have made your bed so you must lie on
it. (See DANDIN.)
Tu Quoque. The tu quoque style of
argument. Personal invectives; argui-
ment of personal application; argumen-
tum ad hominem.
“We miss, in this work his usual twº quoque
style.”—Public Opinion, -
Tu-ral-lu, the refrain of comic songs,
is a corruption of the Italian turluru,
and the French twº-litreau or ú/relure.
“Loure” is an old French word for a,
bagpipe, and “toure loure’’ means a
refrain on the bagpipe. The refrain of
a French song published in 1697 is—
“Toure loure, lourirette,
Lironfa, toure lourira.”
Suite du Théâtre Italien, iii. D. 453.
Tub. A tale of a tub. A cock-and-
bull story ; a rigmarole, nonsensical ro-
mance. The Tale of a Tub is a religious
satire by Dean Swift.
Throw a tub to the whale. To create a
diversion in order to avoid a real danger;
to bamboozle or mislead an enemy. In
whaling, when a ship is threatened by a
whole school of whales, it is usual to
throw a tub into the sea, to divert their
attention, and to make off as fast as
possible. -
A tub of naked children. Emblematical
of St. Nicholas, in allusion to two boys
murdered and placed in a pickling tub
by a landlord, but raised to life again by
this Saint. (See NICIIOLAS.) .
Tub, Tubbing. Tubs, in rowing
slang, are gig pairs of college boat clubs,
who practice for the term's races. They
are pulled on One side when a pair-oar
boat in uniform makes its appearance.
Tubbing is taking out pairs under the
supervision of a coach to train men for
taking part in the races.
Tub-woman (A). A drawer of beer
at a country public-house.
“The common people had always a tradition
that the queen's [Anne] grandmother . . . had been
a Washer Woman, or, as Cardinal York asserted, a
tub-woman—that is, a drawer of beer at a country
ºliguouse"-ſtowell: History of England; Amne,
1). li. I.
Tuba [happiness]. A tree of Para-
dise, of gigantic proportions, whose
branches stretch out to those who wish
to gather their produce ; not only all
luscious fruits, but even the flesh of
birds already cooked, green garments, and
even horses ready saddled and bridled.
From the root of this tree spring the
rivers of Paradise, flowing with milk
and honey, wine and water, and from
the banks of which may be picked up
inestimable gems.
Tuck. Along narrow Sword. (Gaelic,
tuca, Welsh twea, Italian Stocco, German
stock, French estoc.) In Hamlet the
word is erroneously printed “stuck,” in
Malone’s edition.
“If he by chance escape your yenomous tuck,
Our purpose may hold there,” ct; iv. 7.
Tucker
1252
Turnkers
feed. To tuck is to full, a tucker is a
fuller. Hence, to cram. The fold of a
dress to allow for growth is called a
tuck, and a little frillon the top thereof is
called a tucker. (Anglo-Saxon, tuc-ian.)
I’ll tuck him up. Stab him, do for
him. Tuck is a small dirk used by
artillerymen. (See above.)
Tucker. Food. “A. tuck in,” a
cram of food. (See above.)
“‘No,' said, Palliser, "we've no food. ‘By
Jove ' said the other, “I’ll search greation for
tucker to-night. . Give me your gun.'”—Watson:
The Web of the Spide?', chap. xii.
Tuffet (A). A small tuft or clump.
Strange that this word, so universally
known, has never been introduced into
º dictionaries, to the best of my know-
lar
!Cdge. “I,ittle Miss Muffet
Sat. On a tuffet
Bating her curds and whey . . .”
Nursery Rhymes.
Tuft. A nobleman or fellow com-
moner. So called at Oxford because he
wears a gold tuft or tassel on his college
Cap.
Tuft-hunter. A nobleman's toady ;
one who tries to curry favour with the
wealthy and great for the sake of feeding
on the crumbs which fall from the rich
man’s table. A University term. (See
above.)
Tug. A name by which collegers are
known at Eton. Either from tog (the
gown worn in distinction to Oppidans),
or from “tough mutton.”
“A name in college handed down
From nutton tough or ancient gown.”
The World, February 17, 1893 (1). 31).
Tug of War (The), a rural sport, in
which a number of men or boys, divided
into two bands, lay hold of a strong
rope and pull against each other till one
side has tugged the other over the divid-
ing line.
Tuileries (Paris) [tile-kilns]. The
balace was on the site of some old tile-
ilns. (See SABLONNIERE.)
Tulcan Bishops, Certain Scotch
bishops appointed by James I., with the
distinct understanding that they were to
hand over a fixed portion of the revenue
to the patron. A tulcan is a stuffed calf-
skin, placed under a cow that withholds
her milk. The cow, thinking the “tul-
can’” to be her calf, readily yields her
milk to the milk-pail.
Tulip.
thoulyb’ (thoulyban, a turban), by which
name the flower is called in Persia.
A good tuck in or tuck out. A good
The turban plant, Persian,
A term of endearment to
Gee up, my tulip !” or
Perhaps a pun
A donkey
My tulip.
animals, as “
“Rim up, my tulip !”
suggested by the word tool.
is a costermonger’s tool.
Tulip Mania. A reckless mania
for the purchase of tulip-bulbs in the
Seventeenth century. Beckmann says it
rose to its greatest height in the years
1634–1637. A root of the species called
Viceroy sold for £250; Semper Augus-
tus, more than double that sum. The
tulips were grown in Holland, but the
mania, which spread over Europe was a
mere stock-jobbing speculation.
Tumbledown Dick. Anything that
will not stand firmly. Dick is Richard,
the Protector's son, who was but a
tottering wall at best.
Tun. Any vessel, even a goblet or
cup. (Anglo-Saxon tunne.)
“Tun, such a cup as jugglers use to show divers
tricks by.”—Mimshew : Spanish Dictionary.
Tunding. A thrashing with ashen
sticks given to a school-fellow by one of
the monitors or “praefects” of Win-
chester school, for breach of discipline.
(Latin tundo, to beat or bruise.)
Tune the Old Cow Died of (The).
Advice instead of relief ; remonstrance
instead of help. As St. James says
(ii. 15, 16), “If a brother or sister be
naked, and destitute of daily food, and
one of you say to them, Depart in
peace, be ye warmed and filled; not-
withstanding ye give them not those
things which are needful to the body;
what doth it profit?” Your words are
the tune the old cow died of. The
reference is to the well-known song—
“There was an old man, and he had an Old COW,
But he had no fodder to give ber,
So lie took up lais fiddle and lylayed lier the
till
* Consider, good cow, consider,
This isn’t the time for the grass to grOW.
Consider, good cow, consider.’”
Tuneful Nine. The nine Muses:
Calli'opé (epic poetry), Clio (history).
Eraſto (elegy and lyric poetry), Euterpé
(music), Melpom'ené (tragedy), Poly-
hym'nia (sacred, song), Terpsic'hore
(dancing), Thali'a (comedy), Ura'nia
(astronomy).
Tuning Goose. The entertainment
given in Yorkshire when the corn at
harvest was all safely stacked.
Tunisian. The adjective form of
Tunis.
Tunſkers. A politico-religious sect
of Ohio. They came from a small
Turcaret
1253
Turpin
German village on the Eder. They be-
lieve all will be saved; are Quakers in
plainness of dress and speech ; and will
neither fight, nor go to law. Both sexes
are equally eligible for any office. Celi-
bacy is the highest honour, but not
imperative. They are also called Tum-
blers, and incorrectly Dunkers. Tunker
means “to dip a morsel into gravy,” “a
sop into wine,” and as they are Baptists
this term has been given them ; but they
call themselves “the harmless people.”
(JV. Hepworth Diaon : New America,
ii. 18.
Tur'caret. One who has become
rich by hook or by crook, and, having
nothing else to display, makes a great
display of his wealth. A chevalier in
Le Sage's comedy of the same name.
Tureen'. A deep pan for holding
soup. (French, terrine, a pan made of
terre, earth.)
Turf (The). The racecourse; the
profession of horse-racing, which is done
on turf or grass. One who lives by the
turf, or whose means of living is derived
from running horses or betting on races.
“All men are equal on the turf and under it.”—
L07'd George Bentinuck.
Turk. Slave, villain. A term of re-
proach used by the Greeks of Constanti-
nople.
You young Turk, a playful reprimand
to a young mischievous child.
Turk Gregory. Gregory VII., called
Hildebrand, a furious Churchman, who
surmounted every obstacle to deprive
the emperor of his right of investi-
ture of bishops. He was exceedingly
disliked by the early reformers.
“Turk Gregory never, did such deeds in arms
as I have done this day.”—l Henry IV., v. 3,
Turkey. The bird with a red wattle.
A native of America, at one time sup-
posed to have come from Turkey.
Turkish Spy was written by John
Paul Maraſna, an Italian, who had been
imprisoned for conspiracy. After his
release he retired to Monaco, where he
wrote the History of the Plot. Subse-
º he removed to Paris, and pro-
uced his . Thirkish Spy, in which he
gives the history of the last age.
Turlupin, a punster or farceur, with
turlupinade, and the verb turlupiner.
It was usual in the 17th century for
play-writers in Italy and France to
change their names. Thus Le Grand
called himself Belleville in tragedy, and
Turlupin in farce; Hugues Guéret took
and white the other.
the name of Fléchelles; and Jean Bap-
tiste Poquelin called himself Molière,
but there was a Molière before him who
wrote plays.
Turmeric, likeberberry, being yellow,
was supposed to cure the yellow jaun-
dice. According to the doctrine of
signatures, Nature labels every plant
with a mark to show what it is good for.
Red plants are good for fever, white
ones for rigor. Hence the red rose
is supposed to cure haemorrhage. (See
THISTLES.) -
Turncoat. As the dominions of the
duke of Saxony were bounded in part
by France, one of the early dukes hit
upon the device of a coat blue one side,
When he wished
to be thought in the French interest he
wore the white outside; otherwise the
outside colour was blue. Whence a
Saxon was nicknamed Emmanuel Turn-
coat. (Scots’ Magazine, October, 1747.)
Without going to history, we have a
very palpable etymon in the French
tourne-Côte (turn-side). (See COAT.)
Turning the Tables.
TABLES.)
Turnip-Garden (The). So called by
the Jacobites. George II. was called
the “Turnip-hougher ” [hoer], and his
hiring of troops was spoken of as “sell-
ing the turnips,” or “trying to sell his
roots.” Hanover at the time was emi-
nently a pastoral country.
(See, under
Turnip Townsend. The brother-
in-law of Sir Robert Walpole, who,
after his retirement from office in 1731,
devoted himself to the improvement of
agriculture. -
Turnspit Dog. One who has all
the work but none of the profit; he
turns the spit but eats not of the roast.
The allusion is to the dog used formerly
to turn the spit in roasting. Topsel says,
“They go into a wheel, which they turn
round about with the weight of their
bodies, so dilligently . . . . that
no drudge . . . . . . can do the feate
more cunningly.” (1697.)
Turpin, Archbishop of Rheims. A
mythological contemporary of Charle-
magne. His chronicle is supposed to
be written at Vienne, in Dauphiny,
whence it is addressed to Leoprandus,
Tean of Aquisgranensis(Aix-la-Chapelle).
It was not really written till the end of
the eleventh century, and the probable
author was a canon of Barcelona.
Turtle Doves
4 Twickenham.
The romance turns on the expedition
of Charlemagne to Spain in 777, to
defend one of his allies from the ag-
gressions of some neighbouring prince.
Having conquered Navarre and Aragon,
he returned to IFrance. The chronicle
says he invested Pampeluna for three
months without being able to take it;
he then tried what prayer could do, and
the walls fell down of their own accord,
like those of Jericho. Those Saracens
who consented to become Christians
were spared; the rest were put to the
sword. Charlemagne then visited the
Sarcophagus of James, and Turpin bap-
tised most of the neighbourhood. The
king crossed the Pyrenees, but the rear
commanded by Roland was attacked by
50,000 Saracens, and mone escaped.
Turtle Doves. Rhyming slang for
a pair of gloves. (See CHIVY.)
Tussle. A struggle, a skirmish. A
corruption of tousle (German, zausen, to
pull); hence a dog is named Towser
(pull 'em down). In the Winter’s
}. (iv. 4.), Autol’ycus says to the
Shepherd, “I toze from thee thy busi-
ness '' (pump or draw out of thee). In
Measure for Measure, Escalus says to
the Duke, “We’ll touze thee joint by
joint ’’ (v. 1.).
Tut. A word used in Lincolnshire
for a phantom, as the Spittal Hili Tutt.
Tom Titt will get you is a threat to
frighten children. Tut-gotten is panic-
struck. Our tush is derived from the
word tatt.
Tutivil'Ius. The demon who collects
all the words skipped over or mutilated
by priests in the performance of the
services. These literary scraps or shreds
he deposits in that pit which is said to
be paved with “good intentions” never
brought to effect. (Piers Plowman,
p. 547; Townley Mysteries, pp. 310,
319; etc.).
Twa Dogs of Robert Burns, perhaps
suggested by the Spanish Colloquio de
Dos Perros, by Cervantes.
Twangdillo, the fiddler, lost one leg
and one eye by a stroke of lightning on
the banks of the Ister. -
“Yet still the merry bard without regret
Bears his own ills, and with his sounding shell
And comic phiz relieves his drooping friends.
He tickles, every string, to every note
He bends his pliant neck, his single eye
Twinkles with joy, his active stump beats time.”
- Some?'ville: IIolyl)imol.
Tweeds. Checked cloths for trousers,
etc. The origin of this name is Sup-
posed to have been a blunder for
“tweels,” somewhat blotted and badly
Written in 1829. The Scotch manu-
facturer sent a consignment of these
goods to James Locke, of London, who
misread the word, and as they were
made on the banks of the Tweed, the
name was appropriated and accordingly
adopted.
... However, the Anglo-Saxon titaed (duplex),
which gave rise to tweddlin (cloth that is tweeled),
and twedden sheets, is more likely to have given
rise to the word. In fact, tweels and tweddies.
both mean cloth in Which the Woof crosses the
Warp Vertically.
Tweedledunn and Tweedledee.
“Some say compared to Bononcini
That mynheer Handel's but a ninny ;
Others aver that he to Handel
Is Scarcely fit to hold a candle. -
Strange all this difference should be
'Twixt Tweedledum and Tweed: edee.”
- J. By1'0771.
This refers to the feud between the Bon-
oncinists and Handelists. The Duke of
Marlborough and most of the nobility
took Bononcini by the hand; but the
Prince of Wales, with Pope and Ar-
buthnot, was for Handel. (See GLUCK-
ISTS.)
Twelfth (The), the 12th of August.
The first day of grouse-shooting.
Twelfth Cake. The drawing for
king and queen is a relic of the Roman
Saturna/lia. At the close of this festival
the Roman children drew lots with beans
to see who would be king. Twelfth Day
is twelve days after Christmas, or the
Epiphany.
Twelfth Night (Shakespeare). The
serious plot is taken from Belleforest's
Histoires. Tragiques. The comic parts
are of Shakespeare's own invention. .
(See BEFANA.)
Twelve. Each English archer carries
twelve Scotchmen under his girdle. This
was a common saying at One time, be-
cause the English were unerring archers,
and each archer carried in his belt twelve
arrows (Sir Walter Scott : Tales of a
Grandfather, vii.).
The Twelve. All the prelates of the
Roman Catholic Church. Of course the
Twelve Apostles.
“The Pope identifies himself with the ‘Master.
and addresses those 700 pre’ates as the “Twelve.’”
—The Timés, December 11, 1869. -
Twelve Tables. The earliest code
of Roman law, compiled by the Decem-
viri, and cut on twelve bronze tables or
tablets (Livy, iii. 57; Diodorus, xii. 56.)
Twickenham. The Bard of Twick.
enham. Alexander Pope, who lived
there for thirty years. (1688-1744.)
Twig -
1255 Two Strings to his Bow
Twig. I twig you ; do you twig my
ºneaning 3 I catch your meaning; I un-
derstand. (Irish, twig im, I notice.)
Twinkling. (See BED-POST.)
Twins. One of the signs of the con-
stellation (May 21st to June 21st).
“When now no more the alternate twins are fired,
Sllort is the doubtful empire of the night.”
Thom S07, Summer.
Twist (Oliver). A boy born in a
workhouse, starved and ill-treated ; but
always gentle, amiable, and pure-
minded. Dickens's novel So called.
Twisting the Lion's Tail. Seeing
how far the “Britishers” will bear pro-
vocation. “To give the lion’s tail
another twist'? is to tax the British for-
bearance a little further. No doubt the
kingdom is averse to war with civilised
nations, and will put up with a deal
rather than apply to the arbitration of
arms. Even victory may be bought too
dearly. Such provocation may provoke
a growl, but there will the matter end.
Twitcher. Jemmy Twitcher. A
name given to John, Lord Sandwich
(1718–1792), noted for his liaison with
Miss Ray, who was shot by the Rev.
“Captain' Hackman out of jealousy.
His lordship’s shambling gait is memo-
rialised in the Heroic Epistle.
{{ sº ºny Twitcher Shambles—stop, stop
1162 -
Twitten. A narrow alley.
Two. The evil principle of Pytha-
goras. Accordingly the second day of
the second month of the year was sacred
to Pluto, and was esteemed unlucky.
Zhoo an ºnlucky ºatmber in our dynas-
ties. Witness Ethelred II, the Unready,
forced to abdicate ; Harold II., slain at
Hastings; William II., shot in New
Forest; Henry II., who had to fight for
his crown, etc.; Edward II., murdered
at Berkeley Castle; Richard II., de-
posed; Charles II., driven into exile;
James II., forced to abdicate; George
II. was worsted at Fontenoy and Law-
feld, his reign was troubled by civil war,
and disgraced by General Braddock and
Admiral Byng.
It does not seem much more lucky
abroad: Charles II. of France, after a
most unhappy reign, died of poison;
Charles II. of Navarre was called The
Lºad ; Charles II. of Spain ended his
dynasty, and left his kingdom a wreck;
Charles II. Of Anjou (le Boiteua) passed
almost the whole of his life in captivity;
Charles II. of Savoy reigned only nine
months, and died at the age of eight,
François II. of France was peculiarly
unhappy, and after reigning less than
two years, sickened and died; Napoleon
II. never reigned at all, and Napoleon
III., really the second emperor, was a
most disastrous prince; Franz II. of
Germany lost all his Rhine possessions,
and in 1806 had to renounce his title of
emperor.
Friedrich II., Emperor of Germany,
was first anathematised, then excom-
municated, then dethroned, and lastly
poisoned.
Jean II. of France, being conquered
at Poitiers, was brought captive to Eng-
land by the Black Prince ; Juan II. of
Aragon had to contend for his crown
with his own son Carlos.
It was Felipe II. of Spain who sent
against England the “Invincible Ar-
mada,”; it was Francesco II. of the
Two Sicilies who was driven from his
throne by Garibaldi; it was Romulus II.
in whom terminated the empire of the
West; Peter II. of Russia, died at the
age of fifteen, and he was a disgrace to
the name of Menschikoff ; Pietro II. de
Medicis was forced to abdicate, and died
of shipwreck; James II. Of Scotland was
shot by a cannon at the siege of Tox-
burgh ; , James II. of Majorca, after
losing his dominions, was murdered.
Alexander II. of Scotland had his king-
dom, laid under an interdict ; Alexander
II., the Pope, had to contend against
Honorius II., the anti-pope ; Alexis II.,
Emperor of the East, was placed under
the ward of his father and mother, who
so disgusted the nation by their cruelty
that the boy was first dethroned and
then Strangled ; Andronicus II., Em-
peror of Greece, was dethroned; Henri
II. Of France made the disastrous peace
called La Paia Malheureuse, and was
killed by Montgomery in a tournament;
etc. etc. (See JANE and JOHN.)
Two Eyes of Greece. Athens and
Sparta.
Two Fridays. When two Fridays
come together. Never (q.v.).
Two Gentlemen of Vero'na. The
story of Proteus and Julia was bor-
rowed from the pastoral romance of
IDiana, by George of Montemayor, a
Spaniard, translated into English by
Bartholomew Younge in 1598. The love
adventure of Julia resembles that of
Viola, in Twelfth Night.
Two Strings to his Bow (He has).
He is provided against contingencies;
if one business or adventure should fail,
Two of a Trade
1256
Typhon
he has another in reserve ; two sweet-
hearts; two devices, etc.
Latin “Duabus anchoris mititur *
(i.e. “IHe is doubly moored ”), or
“Duabus anchoris sis fultus.”
Greek : “Erv Švow oap.stv.”
Jºh'ench : “Il a deux cordes à son arc.”
Italian : “Navigar per piu venti.”
Two of a Trade never agree. The
French say, Fin contre fin n'est bon dº
faire doublure—i.e. Two materials of the
same nature never unite well together.
“E'en a beggar sees with woe
A beggar to the house-door go.”
Greek : “Rai ptóchos ptácho phth-
onei.” (Hesiod.)
Latin : “Etiam mendicus mendico
invidit.” “Figúlus figulo invidet, faber
fabro '’ (“Potter envies potter, and
Smith Smith ”).
Twopenny Dam (A). A dām was
an Indian coin and weight. Originally
a gold mohur contained sixteen dáms;
a punchee was = the quarter of a dam,
and a barahgāni = half a punchee.
Putting this in a tabular form, it would
be thus:–
2 barahgānis
1 punchee.
4 punchees.
1 dam (worth in its
diminished value
about 2 pence).
16 dams = 1 gold mohur.
Tyb'alt. A. Capulet; a “fiery’”
young noble. (Shakespeare : Romeo and
Juliet.)
It is the name given to the cat in the
story of Reynard the Foa. Hence Mer-
cutio says, “Tybalt, you rat-catcher,
will you walk?” (iii. 1); and again,
when Tybalt asks, “What wouldst thou
have with me P” Mercutio answers,
“Good king of cats! nothing but one
of your nine lives” (iii. 1).
Tyburn is Twa-burne, the “two
rivulets; ” so called because two small
rivers met in this locality.
Tyburn’s triple tree. A gallows, which
consists of two uprights and a beam
resting on them. Previous to 1783
Tyburn was the chief place of execu-
tion in London, and a gallows was
permanently erected there. In the reign
of Henry VIII. the average number of
persons executed annually in England
was 2,000. The present number is under
twelve.
ſings of Tyburn. Public executioners.
(See HANGMEN.) -
Tyburn Ticket. Under a statute
of William III, prosecutors who had
secured a capital conviction against a
criminal were exempted from all parish
and ward offices within the parish in
which the felony had been committed.
Such persons obtained a Tyburn Ticket,
which was duly enrolled and might be
sold. The Stamford Mercury (March
27th, 1818) announces the sale of one of
these tickets for £280. The Act was
repealed by 58 Geo. III., c. 70.
Tyburnia (London). Portman and
Grosvenor Squares district, described by
Thackeray as “the elegant, the pros-
perous, the polite Tyburnia, the most
respectable district of the habitable
globe.”
TYear—i.e. to-year; as, to-day, to-
night, to-morrow. (Anglo-Saxon, to-daege,
to-geare.)
Tyke. (See TIKE.)
Tyler Insurrection. Wat Tyler's
insurrection. An insurrection headed
by Wat Tyler and Jack Straw, in con-
sequence of a poll-tax of three groats
to defray the expenses of a war with
France. (1381.)
Ty1'wyth Teg [the Fair Family],
A sort of Kobold family, but not of
diminutive size. They lived in the lake
near Brecknock. (Davies : Mythology,
etc., of the British Druids.) -
Type. Pica (large type), litera pica'ta,
the great black letter at the beginning
of some new order in the liturgy.
Brevier' (small type), used in printing
the breviary.
IPrimer, now called “long primer,”
(small type), used in printing Small
prayer-books called primers.
A fount of types. A complete assort-
ment contains 1,117,000 pieces of type.
a . . . . 8,500 h . . . . 6,400 O . . . . 8,000 | V . . . . R,200
b .... 1,600 i .... 8,000 | p . . . . 1,700 | W. . . . 2,000
C - - - § . . . . . 400 i (! . . . - 5 X . . . . 4 0
d .... 4,400 k . . . . . 800 | r . . . . 6,200 y . . . . 2,000
e . . . . 12,000 1 . . . . 4,000 || S . . . . 8,000 Z . . . . 2
f . . . . 2,500 m.... 3,000 || 5 . . . . 9,000 | 4,500 ; 800
g . . . . 1,700 n . . . . 8,000 || u . . . . 3,400 | . 2,000 : 600
Typhoe'us. A giant with a hundred
heads, fearful eyes, and a most terrible
voice. He was the father of the Harpies.
Zeus [Zuce] killed him with a thunder-
bolt, and he lies buried under Mount
Etna. (Hesiod: Theogony.) (See GIANTS.)
Ty'phon. Son of Typhoe'us, the giant
with a hundred heads. He was so tall
that he touched the skies with his head.
His offspring were Gorgon, Geryon,
Cerbèrus, and the hydra of Lerné. Like
his father, he lies buried under Etna.
(Homer: Hymns.) (See GIANTS.)
..s".
Typhoon
12
0.
7 - TJ1ania.
Typhoon'. The evil genius of Egyp-
tian mythology; also a furious whirling
wind in the Chinese seas. (Typhoon or
typhon, the whirling wind, is really the
Chinese t'ai-fun [the great wind.].)
“Beneath the radiant line that girts the globe,
The circling Ty'phon, whirled from point to
point,
I}xhausting all the rage of all the sky,
And dire Ecneph’ia, reign.”
Thomsom, : Salmºne?’.
Tyr. Son of Qdin, and younger
lorother Of Thor. The Wolf Fenrir bit
off his hand. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Tyrant did not originally mean a
despot, but an absolute prince, and es-
pecially one who made himself absolute
in a free state. Napoleon III. would
have been so called by the ancient
Greeks. Many of the Greek tyrants
were pattern rulers, as Pisis'tratos and
Pericles, of Athens ; Per'iander, of
Corinth ; Dionysios the Younger, Gelon,
and his brother Hiero, of Syracuse ;
Polycratés, of Samos; Phi'dion, of
Argos, etc. etc. (Greek, túrannos, an
absolute king, like the Czar of Russia.)
Tyrant of the Chersonese. Miltiadès
was so called, and yet was he, as Byron
Says, “Freedom’s best and bravest
friend.” (See THIRTY TYRANTs.)
A tyrant's vein. A ranting, bullying
manner. In the old moralities the
tyrants were made to rant, and the
loudness of their rant was proportionate
to the villainy of their dispositions.
Hence to out-Herod Herod is to rant
more loudly than Herod ; to o’erdo
Termagant is to rant more loudly than
Termagant. (See PILATE, VoICE.)
Tyre, in Dryden's satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, means Holland; Egypt
means France.
“I moulºn, my countrymen, your lost estate . . .
NOW all your liberties a spoil are made,
Egypt and Tyrus intercept your trade.”
Part; i. 700-707.
Tyrtaeus.
Manuel José Quintana, whose odes
stimulated the Spaniards to vindicate
their liberty at the outbreak of the War
of Independence. (1772-1857.)
TJ
U.S. The United States of North
America.
Ubeda. Orbaneia, painter of Ubeda,
sometimes painted a cock so prepos-
terously designed that he was obliged to
write under it, “This is a cock.” (Cer.
wantes : Don Quizote, pt. ii. bk. i. 3.)
The Spanish Tyrtaeus.
Udal Tenure. The same as “allo-
dial tenure,” the opposite of “feudal
tenure.” Feudal tenure is the holding
of a tenement of land under a feudal
lord. Udal tenure is a sort of freehold,
held by the right of long possession.
(Icelandic, othal, allodial.)
Ugly means hag-like. Mr. Dyer de-
rives it from outph-lic, like an ough or
goblin. The Welsh hagy, ugly, would
rather point to hag-lic, like a hag ; but
we need only go to the Old English verb
Atgge, to feel an abhorrence of, to stand
in fear of. (Icelandic, uggligr, ugg?",
horror.)
“For tha paymes are so felle and harde . . . .
That § ºn may ugge bothé y howng and
3.W1Ciê. Hampole, MS. Bowes, p. 189.
Ugly. (See PIERRE du Coignet.)
Ugly as Sin.
“Sim is a creature of such hideous mien,
That to be hated needs ºut to lye Seen.”
Pope.
Ugoli'no, Count of Pisa, deserted his
party the Ghibellines, and with the hope
of usurping Supreme power in Pisa.
formed an alliance with Giovanni Vis-
conti, the head of the Guelphic party,
who promised to supply him secretly
with soldiers from Sardinia. The plot
was found out, and both were banished.
Giovanni died, but the latter joined the
Florentines, and forced the Pisans to
restore his territories. In 1284 Genoa.
made war against Pisa, and Count
Ugoli'no treacherously deserted the Pi-
sans, causing their total overthrow.
At length a conspiracy was formed
against him, and in 1288 he was cast
with his two Sons and two grandsons
into the tower of Gualandi, where they
were all starved to death. Dante, in
his Inferno, has given the Sad tale an
undying interest.
N.B. Count Ugolino was one of the
noble family of Gheradesca, and should
be styled Ugolino Count of Gheradesca.
Uhlan (German). A horse-soldier
chiefly employed in reconnoitering, skir-
mishing, and outpost duty.
Uka'se (2 syl.). A Russian term for
an edict either proceeding from the
senate or direct from the emperor.
(Russian, ukaza, an edict.)
U1-Erin. “ The Guide of Ireland.”
A star supposed to be the guardian of
that island. (Ossian : Temora, iv.)
Ula'nia, Queen of Perduta or Islanda,
sent a golden shield to Charlemagne,
which he was to give to his bravest
Ulema
12
º
o
8 TJ lysses
paladin. Whoever could win the shield
from this paladin was to claim the hand
of Ulania in marriage. (Orlando Fitri-
080, bk. xv.) -
Ule'ma. In Turkey, either a member
of the college or the college itself. The
Ulema consists of the imaums, muftis,
and cadis (ministers of religion, doctors
of law, and administrators of justice).
“Ulema,” is the plural of ulim, a wise
Iſlá,11.
“The Ulema is not an ecclesiastical body, except
So far as law in Maholmetan countries is based on
the IXoran.”—Creasy: Ottoman Turks, vi. 105.
UI'ler. The god of archery and the
chase. No one could outstrip him in his
snow-shoes. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Uilin.
Lord Ullin’s Daughter. A ballad by
Campbell. She eloped with the chief of
Ulva’s Isle, and, being pursued, induced
a boatman to row them over Lochgyle
during a storm. The boat was over-
whelmed just as Lord Ullin and his
retinue reached the lake. In an agony
of distress, he now promised to forgive
the fugitives, but it was too late: “the
waters wild rolled o'er his child, and he
was left lamenting.”
UI'ric. Son of Count Siegendorf. He
rescues Stral'enheim from the Oder, but,
being informed by his father that the
man he had saved is the enemy of their
house, he murders him. (Byron: JWerney.)
St. Uſ,'ic. Much honoured by fisher-
men. He died 973 on ashes strewed in
the form of a cross upon the floor.
Ulster. A long loose overcoat, worn
by males and females, and Originally
made of frieze cloth in Ulster.
Ulster. The Red Hand of Ulster.
(See under HAND, The open red hand.)
Ulster Badge. A sinister hand,
erect, open, and couped at the wrist
(gules), sometimes borne in a canton,
and sometimes on the escutcheon. (See
wnder HAND as above.)
Ulster King of Arms. Chief
heraldic officer of Ireland. Created by
Edward VI. in 1552.
Ultima Thule. (See THULE.)
Ultima/tum (Latin). A final pro-
posal, which, if not accepted, will be
followed by hostile proceedings.
UI'timum Vale (Latin). A finish-
ing stroke, a final coup.
“A tropos, cutting off the thread of his life, gave
an ultimum vſtlé to my good fortune.”—The Seven
Champions of Christendom, iii. 4,
Fingal’s aged bard. (Ossian.) .
UI'timus Romano'rum. So Horace
Walpole was preposterously called.
(1717-1797.) (See LAST OF THE ROMANs.)
* Carlyle so called Dr. Johnson, but
he might, with greater propriety, be
tº “the last of the Catos.” (1709.
1784.
Rope called Congreve “Ultimus
Romanórum.” (1670–1729.) (See LAST
OF THE ROMANS.)
Ultra Vires. , Beyond their legiti-
mate powers. Said of a company when
exceeding the licence given to it by Act
of Parliament. . Thus if a company,
which had obtained an Act of Parlia-
ment to construct a railway from
London to Nottingham were to carry its
rails to York, it would be acting ultra
wires. If the Bank of England were to
set up a mint on their premises, it would
be acting ultra vires.
Ultramontane Party. The ultra-
Popish party in the Church of Rome.
|Ultramontane opinions or tendencies are
those which favour the high “Catholic”
party. Ultramontane , (“beyond the
Alps”) means Italy or the Papal States.
The term was first used by the French,
to distinguish those who look upon the
Pope as the fountain of all power in
the Church, in contradistinction to the
Gallican school, which maintains the
right of self-government by national
churches. (See TRAMONTANE.)
Ulys'ses (3 Syl.), King of Ith'aca, a
small rocky island of Greece. He is
represented in Homer's Iliad as full
of artifices, and, according to Virgil, hit
upon the device of the wooden horse, by
which Troy was ultimately taken. (The
word means The Angry or IWA'athful.)
After the fall of Troy, Ulysses was
driven about by tempests for ten years
before he reached home, and his adven-
tures form the subject of Homer’s other
epic, called the Odyssey.
Ulysses. When Palame'des summoned
Tlysses to the Trojan war, he found him
in a field ploughing with a team of
strange animals, and Sowing Salt instead
of barley. This he did to feign in-
sanity, that he might be excused from
the expedition. The incident is em-
ployed to show what meagre shifts are
sometimes resorted to to shuffle out of
plain duties.
Ulysses (The). Albert III., Mar-
grave of Brandenburg. He was also
called “ The Achilles” (q.v.). (1414-
1486.)
The Ulysses of the Highlands, Sir
Ulysses' Bow
1259
TJrma,
Evan Cameron, lord of Lochiel, Sur-
named “The Black.” (Died 1719.)
FIis son Donald was called “The Gentle
Lochiel.” wº-wwº
Ulysses' Bow. Only Ulysses could
draw his own bow, and he could shoot
an arrow through twelve rings. . By
this sign Penel'opé recognised her hus-
band after an absence of twenty years.
Ulysses’ bow was prophetic. It be-
longed at one time to Eu'rytus of
OEchal’ia.
“This bow of mine Sang to me of l resent war
. . . " I have heard but once of Such a Weapon . . .
the bow of Odysseus,' said the queen.”—II. It ider
IIaggard: The ſorld's Desire, bk. ii. chap. i.
Uma, consort of Siva, famous for her
defeat of the army of Chanda, and
Munda, two demons. She is represented
as holding the head of Chanda in one of
her four hands, and trampling on Munda.
The heads of the army, strung into a
necklace, adorn her body, and a girdle
of the same surrounds her waist.
Umber. The paint so called was first
made in Umbria, Italy. -
Umbie-pie. A pie made of umbles—
i.e. the liver, kidneys, etc., of a deer.
These “refuse ’’ were the perquisites of
the keeper, and umble-pie was a dish for
servants and inferiors.
“The keeper hath the skin, head, umbles, cline,
and shoulders.”—Holimshed : Chronicle, i. 304.
Umbra. Obsequious Umbra, in Garth's
JDispensary, is Dr. Gould.
Umbrage. To take umbrage. To
take offence. Umbrage means shade
(Latin, umbra), a gloomy view.
Umbrella. Common in London in
1710. First used in Edinburgh by Dr.
Spens. First used in Glasgow in 1780.
Mentioned, by Drayton in his Muses
Blizium (1630); but Drayton evidently
refers to a sort of fan. Quarles’s Jºn-
blems (1635) also uses the word to signify
the Deity hidden in the manhood of
Christ. “Nature is made th’ umbrella,
of the Deity” (bk. iv. emblem 14).
Drayton’s lines are:
“And like umbrellas, with their feathers,
Shield you in all Sorts of Weathers.”
The Graphic tells us, “An umbrella is now
being made in London for an African potentate
Which, When unfurled, Will cover a space suffi-
cient for twelve perSons. The Stick is . . . fifteen
'feet long.”—March 18th, 1894; p. 270.
The Tatler, in No. 238 (October 17th,
1710), says:
“The young gentlemen belonging to the Custom
House . . . borrowed the umbrella from Wilk's
coffee-house,”
|.
So that umbrellas were kept on hire at
that date.
* Jonas Hanway (born 1712) used an
umbrella in London to keep off the rain,
and created a disturbance among the
sedan porters and public coachmen. So
that probably umbrellas were not com-
monly used in the streets at the time.
“The tucked-up semstress walks with hasty
Strides, -
While streams ran, down her, oiled umbrella's
SideS.” Swift : A City Shower (1710).
“Or underneath th' umbrella's oily shed
Safe thro' the Wet. On clinking pattens tread.”
Gay : Trivia, bk. i. (1711),
Umbrella, as, under Gladstone’s un-
brella, means dominion, regimen, influ-
ence. The allusion is to the umbrella,
which, as an emblem of sovereignty, is
carried over the Sultan of Morocco. In
Travels of Ali Bey (Penny Magazine,
December, 1835, vol. iv. 480), we are
told, “The retinue of the sultan was
composed of a troop of from fifteen to
twenty men on horseback. About 100
steps behind them came the Sultan,
mounted on a mule, with an officer
bearing his umbrella, who rode beside
him on a mule. . . . Nobody but the
sultan himself [not even] his sons and
brothers, dares to make use of it.”
“As a direct competitor for the throne—or,
strictly speaking, for the shereeſiall umbrella—he
[Muley Abbas] could Scarcely lı ()]]e tº) CSCal)e."—
Nineteenth Century, August, 1892, p. 314.
*: In 1874 the sacred umbrella of King
Roffee Kalcalli, of the Ashantees, was
captured. It was placed in the South
Rensington Museum.
U’na (Truth, so called because truth
is one). She starts with St. George on
his adventure, and being driven by a
storm into “Wandering Wood,” retires
for the night to Hypocrisy’s cell. St.
George quits the cell, leaving Una be-
hind. In her search for him she is
caressed by a lion, who afterwards
attends her. She next sleeps in the hut
of Superstition, and next morning meets
Hypocrisy dressed as St. George. As
they journey together Sansloy meets
them, exposes Hypocrisy, kills the lion,
and carries off Una on his steed to a
wild forest. Una, fills the air with her
shrieks, and is rescued by the fauns and
satyrs, who attempt to worship her, but,
being restrained, pay adoration to her
ass. She is delivered from the satyrs
and fauns by Sir Satyrane, and is told
by Archi'mago that St. George is dead,
but subsequently hears that he is the
captive of Orgoglio. She goes to King
Arthur for aid, and the king both slays
Orgoglio and rescues the knight. Una
TJria, Serranilla.
now takes St. George to the house of
Holiness, where he is carefully nursed,
and then leads him to Eden, where their
union is consummated. (Spenser: Faërie
Queene, bk. i.) (See LION.)
Una Serranilla [a little mountain
song], by Mendo'za, Marquis of Santil-
lana, godfather of Diego Hurtado de
Mendoza. This song, of European cele-
brity, was composed on a little girl
found by the marquis tending her
father’s flocks on the hills, and is called
The Charming Milk-maiden of Sweet
Jºhn'ojo'sa.
Un'anel'ed (3 syl.). Unanointed ;
without extreme unction. (Saxon all
means “oil,” and an-oll to “anoint
with oil.”)
“ Unhouseled [without the last Sacrament], dis-
appointed, unaneled.” *
Shakespeare : Hamlet, i. 5.
Uncas, the son of Chingachcook;
called in French Le Cerf Agile (Deer-
foot); introduced into three of Fenimore
Cooper’s novels—viz. The Last of the
Mohicans, The Pathfinder, and The
JPłoſzeer.
TJn'cial Letters. Letters an inch in
size. From the fifth to the ninth cen-
tury. (Latin ºthcia, an inch.)
TJncircumcised in Heart and
Ears (Acts vii. 51). Obstinately deaf
and wilfully obdurate to the preaching
of the apostle. Heathenish, and per-
versely so.
Uncle. Don’t come the ºcle over me.
In Latim, “Ne sis patrunts mihi ''
(Horace: 2 Sat., iii. 88)—i.e. do not overdo
your privilege of reproving or castigating
me. The Latin notion of a patriºts or
uncle left guardian was that of a severe
castigator and reprover. Similarly, their
idea of a step-mother was a woman of
stern, unsympathetic nature, who was
unjust to her step-children, and was
generally disliked.
“Metuentes patrua verbera linguæ.”—Horace :
3 Odes, xii. 3,
Uncle. Gone to my uncle’s. Uncle's
is a pun on the Latin word alºcets, a hook.
Pawnbrokers employed a hook to lift
articles pawned before spouts , were
adopted. “Gone to the uncus ” is ex-
actly tantamount to the more modern
phrase “Up the spout.” The pronoun
was inserted to carry out the pun. In
IFrench, “C”est chez and tante.” At the
pawnbroker’s.
Uncle Sam. (See SAM.)
TJncle Tom. A negro slave, noted
for his fidelity, piety, and the faithful
1260
TJrder which King
discharge of all his duties. Being sold,
he has to submit to the most revolting
cruelties. . (Mrs. Beecher Stowe : Uncle
Tom’s Cabin.)
* This tale was founded on the story
of Josiah Henson (1787), told to Mrs.
Stowe by Henson himself.
Unco has two meanings: As an ad-
jective it means unknown, strange, un-
usual ; but as an adverb it means very—
as unco good, unco glad, etc. The
“unco guid” are the pinchbeck saints,
too good by half.
“The race of the unco guid” is not yet quite
extinct in Scotland.”—A 1/6tily Jottºm (ºl.
Uncumber (St.), formerly called St.
Wylgeforte. “Women changed her
name '' (says Sir Thomas More) “be-
cause they reken that for a pecke of
otys she will not faile to uncumber them
of their husbondys.” The tradition
says that the saint was very beautiful,
but, wishing to lead a single life, prayed
that she might have a beard, after
which she was no more cumbered with
lovers. “For a peck of oats,” says Sir
Thomas More, “she would provide a
horse for an evil housebonde to ride to
the Devill upon.”
“If a wife were weary of a husband, she offered
oats at Poules . . . to St. Uncumber.”—Michael
Woode (1554). . - &
Un’ der-cur’rent metaphorically
means something at work which has an
opposite tendency to what is visible or
apparent. Thus in the Puritan Supre-
macy there was a strong under-current
of loyalty to the banished prince. Both
in air and water there are frequently
two currents, the upper One running in
one direction, and the under one in
another.
Under-spur-leather. An under-
strapper; a subordinate; the leather
strap which goes under the heel of the
boot to assist in keeping the Spur in the
right place.
“Everett and Dangerfield , ... were Sul))01'-
dinate informers—a sort of under-Spur-leathers,
as the cant term went.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of
the Peak, chap. xli.
(See
Under the Rose [sub 7'0'sa].
article RoSE.)
Under Weigh. The undertaking is
already begun. A ship is said to be
under weigh when it has drawn its an:
chors from their moorings, and started
On its voyage.
Under which King, Bezonian 7
Which horn of the dilemma is to be
taken P (See BEZONIAN.)
- Underwriter
1261
Union Jack
2–
- • 3.
Underwriter. An underwriter at
Lloyds. One who insures a ship or its
merchandise to a stated amount. So
called because he writes his name under
the policy.
Undine' (2 syl.). The water-nymph,
who was created without a soul, like all
others of her species. By marrying a
mortal she obtained a soul, and with it
all the pains and penalties of the human
race. (La Motte Pouqué. Undine.)
* Founded on a tale told by Para-
celsus in his Theatise 07, Elemental Sprites.
(See FAIRY, SYLPHS.) -
Ungrateful Guest (The). (See
GUEST.)
TJnguem. Ad ungºtem. To the mi-
nutest point. To finish a statue ad un-
guem is to finish it so smoothly and
perfectly that when the nail is run over
the surface it can detect no imperfection.
Unhinged. I am quite unhinged.
My nerves are shaken, my equilibrium
of mind is disturbed : I am like a door
which has lost one of its hinges.
Unhou'selled (3 syl.). Without hav-
ing had the Eucharist in the hour of
death. To housel is to administer the
“sacrament” to the sick in danger of
death. Housel is the Saxon hiſsel (the
Eucharist). Lye derives it from the
Gothic hunsa (a victim).
U'nicorn. According to the legends
of the Middle Ages, the unicorn could be
caught only by placing a virgin in his
haunts; upon seeing the virgin, the
creature would lose its fierceness and lie
quiet at her feet. This is said to be an
allegory of Jesus Christ, who willingly
became man and entered the Virgin’s
womb, when He was taken by the hunters
of blood. The one horn symbolises the
great Gospel doctrine that Christ is one
with God. (Guillaume, Clerc de Norman-
die Trouvère.)
* The unicorn has the legs of a buck,
the tail of a lion, the head and body of a
horse, and a single horn in the middle of
its forehead. The horn is white at the
base, black in the middle, and red at the
tip. The body of the unicorn is white,
the head red, and eyes blue. The oldest
author that describes it is Cte'sias
(B.C. 400); Aristotle calls it the Wild
Ass; Pliny, the Indian ASS ; Lobo also
describes it in his History of Abyssinia.
Unicorn. James I. Substituted a uni-
corn, one of the supporters of the royal
arms of Scotland, for the red dragon of
Wales, introduced by Henry VII. Ari-
Osto refers to the arms of Scotland thus:
“Yon lion placed two unicorns between
That rampant with a Silver Sword is seen.
Is for the king of Scotland's banner known.”
IIoole, iii.
Unicorn. According to a belief once
popular, the unicorn by dipping its horn
into a liquid could detect whether or
not it contained poison. In the designs
for gold and silver plate made for the
Emperor Rudolph II. by Ottavio Strada
is a cup on which a unicorn stands as if
to essay the liquid.
JDriving unicorn. Two wheelers and
one leader. The leader is the one horn.
(Latin, ºſmum cornu, one horn.)
Unicorns. So whale-fishers callmar-
whals, from the long twisted tusks, often
eight feet long.
Unigen'itus (Latin, The Only-Be-
gotten). A Papal bull, so called from
its opening sentence, “ Umgen'itus Dei
Filiats.” It was issued in condemnation
of Quesnel’s Réflexions Morales, which
favoured Jansenism; the bull was issued
in 1713 by Clement XI., and was a
damnatio in globo —i.e. a condemnation
of the whole book without exception.
Cardinal de Noailles, Archbishop of Paris,
took the side of Quesnel, and those who
supported the archbishop against the
pope were termed “Appelants.” In
1730 the bull was condemned by the civil
authorities of Paris, and the controversy
died out.
Union Jack. The national banner
of Great Britain and Ireland. It consists
of three united crosses—that of St. George
for England, the saltire of St. Andrew for
Scotland, and the cross of St. Patrick for
Ireland.
In the Union Jack the white edging of
St. George's cross shows the white field.
In the saltire the cross is reversed on
each side, showing that the other half of
the cross is covered over. The broad
white band is the St. Andrew’s cross ;
the narrow white edge is the white field
of St. Patrick’s Cross.
In regard to the word “Jack,” some
say it is Jacque (James), the name of the
king who united the flags, but this is not
correct. Jacque is a Surcoat emblazoned
with St. George's cross. James I. added
St. Andrew’s cross, and St. Patrick’s
cross was added in 1801. (Jaque, our
“jacket.”)
Technically described thus:
“The Union Flag shall be azure, the Crosses
Saltire 9f St. Andrew and St. Patrick quarterly
per Saltire, Counterchanged, argent and gules, the
TJrion Rose
latter ſimbriated of the second, surmounted by
the Cross of St. George of the third, finbriated
as the Saltire.”—By Order of the Council.
“Jaque, de l'allemand jacke, espèce de petite
casaque militaire qu' on portait au moyen äge sur
les armes, et Sur la cuirasse.”—Bouillet : Dic-
tionmaire Ulviversel. -
Union Rose (The). The York and
Lancaster, the petals of which are white
and red ; the white representing the
white rose of the House of York, and
the red representing the red rose of the
Płouse of Lancaster.
Unionists. A Whig and Radical
party opposed to Home Rule in Ireland.
It began in 1886, and in 1895 joined the
Conservative government.
Unita'rians, in England, ascribe
their foundation to John Biddle (1615–
1662). Milton (?), Locke, Newton, Lard-
ner, and many other men of historic note
were Unitarians.
United Kingdom. The name adopted
on January 1st, 1801, when Great Bri-
tain and Ireland were united.
United States. The thirty-six
states of North America composing the
Federal Republic. Each state is repre-
sented in the Federal Congress by two
senators, and a number of representa-
tives proportionate to the number of
inhabitants. The nickname of a United
States man is “a Brother Jonathan,”
and of the people in the aggregate
“Brother Jonathan '' (q.v.). Declared
their independence July 4th, 1776.
U’nities. (See ARISTOTELIAN.)
Universal Doctor. Alain de Lille
(1114-1203).
Universe (3 Syl.). According to the
Peripatetics, the universe consists of
eleven spheres enclosed within each other
like Chinese balls. The eleventh sphere
is called the empyre'an or heaven of the
blessed. (See HEAVEN.)
U'niver'sity. First applied to col-
legiate Societies of learning in the
twelfth century, because the universitas
litera'rum (entire range of literature)
was taught in them — i.e. arts, the-
ology, law, and physic, still called the
“learned ”A sciences. Greek, Latin,
grammar, rhetoric, and poetry are called
humanity studies, or humaniorès literae,
meaning “lay ” studies in contradis-
tinction to divinity, which is the study
of divine things. (See CAD.)
The Great U72/7000077.
So called because the
Unknown.
Sir Walter Scott.
Waverley Novels were at first published
1262
TJp.
anonymously. It was James Ballan-
tyne who first applied the term to the
unknown novelist.
Unlicked Or Unicked Cub. A
loutish, unmannerly youth. According
to tradition, the bear cub is misshapen
and imperfect till its dam has licked it
into form. - -
Unlucky Gifts. (See FATAL GIFTS.)
Unmanned (2 Syl.). A man reduced
to tears. It is a term in falconry applied
to a hawk not yet subservient to man;
metaphorically, having lost the spirit,
etc., of a man. .
TJnrnarried Men of Note. (See
WIVES.)
Unmentionables. Breeches.
“Corinthians and exquisites from Bond Street,
Sporting an eye-glass, ... . waiting-men in laced
Cºatã and plush unmentionables of yellow, green,
W. S.
lilate, red, and all the primary colours.”—Réº. N.
l/hcatom Journal (1830).
Unready (The). , Ethelred II.-i.e.
lacking rede (counsel). (*, 978-1016.)
Unrighteous [Adok'imos]. St.
Christopher’s name before baptism. It
was changed to Christ-bearer because he
carried over a stream a little child, who
(according to tradition) proved to be
Jesus Christ.
Unwashed (2 syl.). It was Burke
who first called the mob “the great un-
washed,” but the term “unwashed ”
had been applied to them before, for
Gay uses it. -
“The king of late drew forth his sword
(Thank God, 'twas not in wrath),
And made, of many a Squire and lord,
An unwashed knight of Bath.”
A Ballad on Quadrille.
Up. The House is up. The business
of the day is ended, and the members
may rise up from their seats and go
home. *
A.B. is up. A.B. is on his legs, in for
a speech. -
* Up, Guards, and at them l’’. Creasy,
in his Fifteen Decisive Battles, states that
the Duke of Wellington gave this order
in the final charge at the battle of Water-
loo. It has been utterly denied by re-
cent writers, but it is the fashion to deny
or discredit all cherished traditions. I,
for one, wish the tradition were true,
because, like Nelson’s mot at Trafalgar,
it gives a memorable interest to the
charge; but alas ! we are informed that
it was not the Guards, but the 52nd
light infantry which broke the column
of the French Imperial Guard in the
final charge, and “honour to whom
honour is due.” -
Up a Tree
1263
TJrda,
Up a Tree. Shelved; nowhere ; done
for. A 'possum up a gum-tree. (See
zºnder TREE.)
Up the Spout. In pawn. (See SPOUT.)
Up to Snuff. (See SNUFF.)
Up to the Hub. Hub is an archaic
word for the nave of a wheel, the hilt of
a weapon, or the mark aimed at in
quoits. If a cart sinks in the mud up
to the hub, it can sink no lower ; if a.
man is thrust through with a sword up
to the hub, the entire Sword has passed
through him ; and if a quoit strikes the
hub, it is not possible to do better.
Hence the phrase means fully, entirely,
as far as possible. It is not American,
but archaic English. (See HUB.)
“I shouldn't commune with nobody that didn’t
believe in election up to the hub.”—Mrs. Stowe:
Dred, Vol. i. 1). §ll.
Up to the Mark. In good condition
of health; well skilled in proposed work.
“Not up to the mark” means a cup too
low, or not sufficiently skilled.
Up-turning of his Glass. He felt
that f/he hour for the up-turning of his
glass was at hand. He knew that the
sand of life was nearly run out, and that
death was about to turn his hour-glass
upside down.
Upas-tree or Poison-tree of Ilſacassar.
Applied to anything baneful or of evil
influence. The tradition is that a putrid
stream rises from the tree which grows
in the island of Java, and that whatever
the vapour touches dies. This fable is
chiefly due to Foersch, a Dutch phy-
sician, who published his narrative in
1783. “Not a tree,” he says, “nor
blade of grass is to be found in the
valley or surrounding mountains. Not
a beast or bird, reptile or living thing,
lives in the vicinity.” He adds that on
‘‘ one occasion 1,600 refugees encamped
within fourteen miles of it, and all but
300 died within two months.” This
fable Darwin has perpetuated in his
Joves of the Plants. Bennett has shown
that the Dutchman's account is a mere
traveller's tale, for the tree while grow-
ing is quite innocuous, though the juice
may be used for poison ; the whole
neighbourhood is most richly covered
with vegetation ; men can fearlessly
walk under the tree, and birds roost on
its branches. A upas tree grows in
IXew Gardens, and flourishes amidst
other hot-house plants.
“On the blasted heath
Fell Upas sits, the hydra-tree of death.”
Darwin L0v63 of the Plants, iii. 233,
Upper Crust. The lions or crack
men of the day. The phrase was first
used in Sam Slick. The upper crust
was at one time the part of the loaf
placed before the most honoured guests.
Thus, in Wynkyn de Worde’s Boke of
Iſeratinge (carving) we have these di-
rections: “Then take a lofe in your
lyfte hande, and pare ye lofe rounde
about ; then cut the ouer-cruste to your
souerayne . . .” Furnwall, in Manners
and Meales, etc., says the same thing—
“Rutt the vpper cruste for your souer-
ayne.”
“I want you to see Peel, Stanley, Graham, Shiel,
Russell, Macaulay, old Joe, and So on. They are
all upper Crust here.”
Upper Storey. The head. “Ill-
furnished in the upper storey; ” a head
without brains.
Upper Ten Thousand or The
Upper Ten. The aristocracy. The
term was first used by N. P. Willis, in
speaking of the fashionables of New
York, who at that time were not more
than ten thousand in number.
TJproar is not compounded of up and
roar, but is the German alºf-ruh?'en (to
stir up).
Upsee-Dutch. A heavy Dutch beer ;
Upsee Freese a Friesland strong ale;
Upsee English, a strong English ale.
Upsee Dutch also means tipsy, stupid
with drink. -
“I do not like the dullness of your eye,
It hath a heavy cast : 'tis upsee-Dutch,
And Says you are a lumpish whoremaster.”
Dem. Jomson : The Alchemist, iv. 4.
“Yeſ, whoop, Barnaby | off with thy liquor,
Drink upsees out, and a fig for the vicar.”
Sir Walter Scott: Lady of the JLake, vi. 5.
“Teach me how to take the German upsy freeze,
the Danish rouser,the Switzer's stoop of Rhenish.”
—Dekker : Gull's Hornbook (1609).
Up'set Price. The price at which
goods sold by auction are first offered
for competition. If no advance is made
they fall to the person who made the
upset price. Our “reserved bid” is
virtually the same thing.
Urbi et Orbi [To Rome and the rest
of the world]. A form used in the pub-
lication of Papal bulls. -
Urd [The Past]. Guardian of the
sacred fount called Urda, where the
gods sit in judgment. (Scandinavian
mythology.)
Urda or Urdan Fount (The). The
sacred fount of light and heat, situated
over the Rainbow Bridge, Bifrost. (Sean-
dinavia?? mythology.)
Urda, Verdandi, and Skulda. The
three Normir (Past, Present, and Future)
TJrgan
1264
TJsher
who dwell in a beautiful hall below the
ash-tree Yggdrasil'. Their employment
is to engrave on a shield the destiny of
man. (Scandinavian mythology.)
*: Urd (Past) takes the threads from
Verdandi (Present), and Verdandi takes
them from Skuld (Future).
"I “What is that which was to-mo','ow
and will be yesterday 3 '' Verdandi
stands between Skuld (to-morrow) and
TJrd (yesterday).
Urgan. A mortal born and chris-
tened, but stolen by the king of the
fairies and brought up in elf-land. He
was sent to Lord Richard, the husband
of Alice Brand, to lay on him the ‘‘curse
of the sleepless eye” for killing his wife's
brother Ethert. When Lord Richard
saw the hideous dwarf he crossed him-
self, but the elf said, “I fear not sign
made with a bloody hand.” Then for-
ward stepped Alice and made the sign,
and the dwarf said if any woman would
sign his brow thrice with a cross he
should recover his mortal form. Alice
signed him thrice, and the elf became
“the fairest knight in all Scotland, in
whom she recognised her brother
Ethert.” (Sir Walter Scott: Alice Brand;
Lady of the Lake, iv. 12.)
Urganda la Desconeci'da. An
enchantress or sort of Mede'a, in the
romances belonging to the Am'adis and
Pal'merin series, in the Spanish school of
TOIYlällC6.
Ur'gel. One of Charlemagne’s pala-
dins, famous for his “giant strength.”
Uriah. Letter of Uriah.
15.) (See LETTER . . .)
Uriel. “Regent of the Sun,” and
“sharpest-sighted spirit of all in
heaven.” (Milton: Paradise Lost, iii.690.)
Longfellow, in the Golden Legend,
makes Raphael the angel of the Sun,
and Uriel the minister of Mars. (See
RAPIIAEL.)
“I am the minister of Mars,
The strongest star among the Stars.
My songs of power lorelude
The march and battle of Inlan's life,
And for the suffering and the strife
I give him fortitude.”
The Miracle Play, iii.
U'rim, in Garth's Dispensary, is Dr.
Atterbury.
“Urim was civil, and not void of Sense,
Had humour and COurteous confidence. . . .
Constant at feasts, and each decorum knew,
And soon as the dessert appeared, withdrew.”
Canto i.
Urim and Thummim consisted of
three stones, which were deposited in
the double lining of the high priest’s
(2 Sam. xi.
|breastplate. One stone represented Yes,
one No, and one No answer is to be given.
When any question was brought to the
high priest to be decided by “Urim,”
the priest put his hand into the “pouch”
and drew out one of the stones, and ac-
cording to the stone drawn out the
question was decided. (Lev. viii. 8;
1 Sam. xxviii. 6.)
Ursa Major. Calisto, daughter of
Lyca'on, was violated by Jupiter, and
Juno changed her into a bear. Jupiter
placed her among the stars that she
might be more under his protection.
IIomer calls it Arktos the bear, and
JHamaa’a, the waggon. The Romans
calledit U7'sa the bear, and Septemtrio'nés
the seven ploughing oxen; whence “Sep-
tentrionalis” came to signify the north.
The common names in Europe for the
seven bright stars are “the plough,”
“the waggon,” “Charles's wain,” “the
Great Bear,” etc.
IBoswell’s father used to call Dr. John-
son Ursa Major. (See BEAR.)
Ursa Minor. Also called Cynosu'ra,
or “I)og's tail,” from its circular sweep.
The pole star is a in the tail. (See
CYNOSURE.)
St. Urszula and the elever, thousand
wirgin martyrs. Ursula was a British
princess, and, as the legend says, was
going to France with her virgin train,
but was driven by adverse winds to
Cologne, where she and her 11,000 com-
panions were martyred by the Huns.
This extravagant legend is said to have
originated in the discovery of an inscrip-
tion to Ursula et Undecimilla Pingines,
“the virgins Ursula and Undecimilla;”
but by translating the latter name, the
inscription reads “Ursula and her 11,000
virgins.” Visitors to Cologne are shown
piles of skulls and human bones heaped
in the wall, faced with glass, which the
verger asserts are the relics of the 11,000
martyred virgins. (See VIRGINS.)
Used Up. Worn out, tired out, utterly
fatigued, or eachausted. Used up alludes
to articles used up. Worn out alludes
to dresses and articles worn out by use.
Exhausted alludes to wells, water, etc.,
dried up. Tired out means tired utterly.
“Being out night after night, She got kinder
used up,”—Sam Slick, Human Nature, p. 192.
Ush'er means a porter. (Old French,
huisher, a door; whence hºſissier, an
usher ; Latin, ostiarius.) One who
stands at the door to usher visitors into
the presence. (Scotch, Wishart.)
TJsquebaugh
--_-
Us’quebau'gh (3 syl.). Whisky
(Irish, wisge-beatha, water of life). Simi-
lar to the Latin aqua vita, and the
Erench eatſ de vie.
Ut. Saxon out, as Utoxeter, in Staf-
fordshire; Utrecht, in Holland; “outer
camp town ''; the “out passage,” So
called by Clotaire because it was the
grand passage over or out of the Rhine
before that river changed its bed. Ut-
most is out or outer-most. (See UTGARD.)
“Strain at [wt, "out"] a gnat, and Swallow a
cannel.”—Matt. XXiii. 24.
Ut Queat Laxis, etc. This hymn
was composed in 770. Dr. Busby, in
his Musical Dictionary, says it is
ascribed to John the Baptist, but has
omitted to inform us by whom. (See Do.)
U’ta. Queen of Burgundy, mother of
Eriemhild and Gunther. (The Nibe-
Zungen-Lied.)
U’ter. Pendragon (chief) of the
Britons; by an adulterous amour with
Igerna (wife of Gorlois, Duke of Corn-
wall) he became the father of Arthur,
who succeeded him as king of the Silures.
Uterine (3 syl.). A uterine brother
or sister. One born of the same mother
but not of the same father. (Latin,
atterus, the womb.)
Ut'gard (Old Norse, outer ward). The
circle of rocks that hemmed in the ocean
which was supposed to encompass the
world. The giants dwelt among the
rocks. (Scandinavian mythology.)
Utgard-Lok. The demon of the
infernal regions. (Scandinavian myth-
ology.)
Uti Posside'tis (Latin, as you at
present possess them). The belligerents
are to retain possession of all the places
taken by them before the treaty com-
menced. -
Uticen'sis. Cato the Younger was
so called from U/tica, the place of his
death.
Utilita'rians. A word first used by
John Stuart Mill; but Jeremy Bentham
employed the word “Utility” to signify
the doctrine which makes “the happi-
ness of man" the one and only measure
of right and wrong.
“Oh, happiness, our being's end and aim. . .
For Which We bear to live, or dare to die.”
P0p6: Essay on Man, Epistle iv.
Uto'pia properly means nowhere
(Greek, out topos). It is the imaginary
island of Sir Thomas More; where every-
thing is perfect—the laws, the morals,
1265
V. V. V.
the politics, etc. In this romance the
evils of existing laws, etc., are shown by
contrast. (1516.) (See WEISSNICHTwo.)
Utopia, the kingdom of Grangousier.
When Pantagruel’ sailed thither from
France and had got into the main ocean,
he doubled the Cape of Good Hope and
made for the shores of Melinda. “Part-
ing from Medamoth, he sailed with a
northerly wind, passed Me'dam, Ge-
lasem, and the Fairy Isles; and keeping
Uti to the left and Uden to the right,
ran into the port of Utopia, distant
about three and a half leagues from the
city of the Amaurots.” (Medamoth,
from no place; Me'dam, nowhere; Gela-
Sem, hidden land : Uti, nothing at all;
Uden, nothing ; Utopia, no place, dis-
tant three and a half leagues from
Amauros, the vanishing point — all
Greek.) (See QUEUBUS.)
Utopian. An impracticable scheme
for the improvement of society. Any
scheme of profit or pleasure which is not
practicable. (See UTOPIA.)
U'traquists [Both - kinders]. The
followers of Huss were so called, because
they insisted that both the elements
should be administered to all communi-
cants in the Eucharist. (Latin, attraque
specie, in both kinds.)
Utter and Inner Barristers. An
utter or Outer barrister means (in some
cases at least) a full-fledged barrister,
One licensed to practise. An inner
barrister means a student. (See Nine-
teenth Century, No. 1892, p. 775, note.)
Uz'ziel. The angel next in command
to Gabriel. The word means “Strength
of God.” Uzziel is commanded by Ga-
briel to “coast the south with strictest
watch.” (Milton : Paradise Lost, iv. 782.)
V.
V represents a hook, and is called in
Hebrew wav (a hook).
V. D. M. on monuments is Vir Dei
Minis' ter', or Werbi Dei Minister.
V. D. M. I. AE. (Perbum Dei manet in
atternum). The word of God endureth for
ever. The inscription on the livery of
the servants of the Duke of Saxony.
and Landgrave of Hesse, the Lutheran
princes, at the Diet of Spires in 1526.
V. V. V., the letters found on the
coin of the 20th Roman legion, stand
for “Valeria, Vicesima, Victrix,” .
80
Vacuum
Vacuum now means a space from
which air has been expelled. "I)escartes
says, “If a vacuum could be effected in
a vessel, the sides would be pressed into
contact.” Galileo said, “Nature abhors
a vacuum,” to account for the rise of
water in pumps. (See PoinT.) -
Vac'uum Boylea'num. Such a
vacuum as can be produced by Boyle's
improved air-pump, the nearest approach
to a vacuum practicable with human
instruments.
The Guerickian vacuum is that produced by
ordinary air-pumps, so called from Otto von
Guericke, who devised the air-pump.
The Torricelliam Vacuum is the vacuum pro-
duced by a mercury-pump.
Va'de Mecum [a go-with-me]. A
pocket-book, memorandum-book, pocket
cyclopædia, lady's pocket companion, or
anything else which contains many
things of daily use in a small compass.
Vae Victis : Woe to the vanquished.
Vail (To).
Brutus complained that he had not
lately seen in Cassius that courtesy and
show of love which he used to notice; to
which Cassius replies, “If I have vailed
[lowered] my looks, I turn the trouble
of my countenance merely on myself.
Vexed I am of late . . . [and this may]
give some Soil to my behaviour.”
“His hat, which never vailed to human pride,
Walker with reverence took and laid aside.”
I) atºlciad, iv.
Vails. Blackmail in the shape of
fees to servants. (From the Latin verb
valeo, to be worth, to be of value;
French, valoir.) The older form was
avails. -
“Wails to servants being much in fashion.”
Russell: Representative Actors.
Vain as a Peacock. (See SIMILES.)
Valdar'no. The valley of the Arno,
in Tuscany. * -
“ — the Tuscan artist [Galileo] views
At evening from the top of FeSolé,
Or in Valdarno P '’ - * * -
- Milton : Paradise Lost, bk, i. 207-209.
Vale of Avo'ca in Wicklow, Ireland.
“Sweet Vale of Avoca, how calm could I rest
In thy bºom of Shade, with the friends I love
jest.” -
T. Moore: Irish Melodies, No. 1 (The Meeting o
- - the Waters.)
Vale of Tears. This world. (See
BACA.)
Vale the Bonnet (To).
To cap to a
superior; hence to strike sail, to lower
1266.
To lower; to cast down.
Orson.)
Valerian -
Valens or Vala'nus. Mercury was
the son of Valens and Phoro'nis. This
Mercury is called Trophonius in the
regions under the earth. (Cicero ; De
Nat. Deorum, iii. 22.) - .
“Ciclin’ius [Mercury] riding in his hirachee
Fro Venus V’lanus might this palais see.”
Chauce!". Compl. of Mars and Wenw8,
Valentia. The southern part of
Scotland was so called from the Emperor
Valens. -- - .
Valentine. A corruption of galan-
tiº (a lover, a dangler), a gallant. St.
Valentine was selected for the sweet-
hearts' saint because of his name. Simi-
lar changes are seen in gallant and
Valiant. -
Valentime. One of the Two Gentle-
men of Vero'na; his serving-man is
Speed. The other gentleman is Pro-
teus, whose serving-man is Launce.
(Shakespeare: Two Gentlemen of Perona.)
Valentine, in Congreve's Love for
Love. Betterton’s great character. -
Palentine (The Brave). Brother of
Orson and the son of Bellisant, sister of
Ring Pepin and wife of Alexander, Em-
peror of Constantinople. The twin
brothers were born in a wood, near
Orleans, and while their mother went in
search of Orson, who had been carried
off by a bear, Pepin’ happened to see
Valentine and took him under his
charge. He married Clerimond, niece
of the Green Knight. (Palentine and
Valentin'ians. An ancient sect of
Gnostics. So called from Valentinus,
their leader. .
Vale'rian or Valirian. Husband of
St. Cecilia. Cecilia told him she was
beloved by an angel, who frequently
visited her, and Valerian requested he
might be allowed to see this constant
visitant.
so provided he went to Pope Urban and
got baptised. On returning home, he
saw the angel in his wife's chamber, who
Cecilia told him he should do:
gave to Cecilia, a crown of roses, and to
himself a crown of lilies, both of which
he brought from Paradise. The angel
then asked Valerian what would please.
him best, and he answered that his
brother might be brought “to saving
faith” by God’s grace. The angel ap-
proved of the petition, and said both
should be holy martyrs. Valerian being
brought before Alma'chius, the prefect,
was commanded to worship the image of
- * *
(French, avaler, to take off.)
... My wealthy Andrew docked in sand,
Wailing her high-top lower than her ribs.” . . .
; Shakespeare : Merchant of Veniče, i, 1, ’
Jupiter, and, refusing to do so, was led
; forth to execution. (Chaucer : Secounde
| Nonnes Tale.) (See CECILIA.): ſ
Valerian
Vale'rian (the herb). An irresistible
attraction to cats. (The word is from
the Latin valāre, to be well, and hence
to make well and keep well.) It is an
excitant, antispasmodic, tonic, and em-
menagogue. The “Father of Botany ”
says: -
“Walerian hath been had in such Yeneration,
that no brothes, pottage, or physical meates are
Worth anything, if this be not at one ond.”
Valhalla, in Scandinavian myth-
ology, is the great hall or refectory of
Gladsheim, the palace of the AEsir or
Asgard. The Times, speaking of West-
minster Abbey, says “The Abbey is our
Walhalla.” -
“We both must pass from earth away,
Valhalla's joys to see :
And if I Wander there tºday,
To-morrow may fetch thee.” &
Frithiof-Saga, lay Xi.
Valiant (The). Jean IV. of Brittany.
(1389–1442.)
Valis'e (2 syl.). A small leather
portmanteau. (French, valise.)
Valkyriur or Valleyries. The twelve
nymphs of Valhalla. They were mounted
on swift horses, and held drawn swords
in their hands. In the mêlée of battle
they selected those destined to death,
and conducted them to Walhalla, where
they waited upon them, and served them
with mead and ale in cups of horn called
skulls. The chief were Mista, Sangrida,
and Hilda.
of the slain.”
“Mista black, terrific maid,
Sangrida and Hilda see.”
Gray : Fatal Sisters.
Valla (Laurentius). One of the first
scholars of the Renaissance, noted for
his Latin sermons, and his admirable
Latin translations of Herodotus and
Thucydides.
Val/lary Crown. A crown bestowed
by the ancient Romans on the soldier
who first surmounted the vallum of an
enemy’s camp.
Valley of Humiliation. The place
where Christian encountered Apollyon,
just before he came to the “Valley of
the Shadow of Death.” (Bunyan : Pil-
grim’s Progress, pt. i.)
Valley of the Shadow of Death,
through which Christian had to pass in
order to get to the Celestial City. The
prophet Jeremiah describes it as a “wil-
derness, a land of deserts and of pits, a
land of drought and of the shadow of
death” (ii. 6); and the Psalmist says,
“Though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,
1267
Walkyriur means “chooser
Van
for Thou art with me; Thyrod and Thy
staff they comfort me.” (xxiii. 4).
“The light there is darkness, and the way full
of traps and gins to catch the unwary.”—Bunyan :
Pilgrim's Progress, pt. i.
Vallombro'sa. Milton says, “Thick
as autumnal leaves that strew the
brooks in Wallombrosa” (Paradise Lost,
i. 302); but as the trees of Wallombrosa,
are chiefly pines, they do not strew the
brooks with autumnal leaves. The beech
and chestnut trees are by no means
Illil]].61'OllS.
Valorem. Ad valorem. A sliding
Scale of duty on excisable articles, regu-
lated according to their market value.
Thus, tea at 4S. per pound would pay more duty
than tea at 2s. per pound. -
Vamp. To vamp up an old story. To
vamp is to put new uppers to old boots.
Wampes were short hose covering the
feet and ankles, (Perhaps the French
avant-pied, the fore-part of the foot.)
Vampire. An extortioner. Accord-
ing to Dom Calmet, the vampire is a
dead man who returns in body and
soul from the other world, and wanders
about the earth doing mischief to the
living. He sucks the blood of persons
asleep, and these persons become vam-
pires in turn.
The vampire lies as a corpse during
the day, but by night, especially at full
moon, wanders about. Sir W. Scott, in
his Rokeby (part iii. chap. ii. s. 3) alludes
to the Superstition, and Lord Byron in
his Gidow," says, -
“But first on earth, as vampire sent,
Thy corse shall from the tomb be rent,
Then ghastly haunt thy native place
And Suck the blood of all thy race.” -
Van of an army is the French avant :
but van, a winnowing machine, is the
Latin vanmats, our fan. -
The Spirit of the Van. A sort of fairy
which haunts the Wan Pools in the
mountains of Carmarthen on New
Year's Eve. She is dressed in white,
girded with a golden girdle; her golden
hair is very long, and she sits in a golden
boat, which she urges along with a
golden oar. A young, farmer fell in,
love with her and married her, but she . .
told him if he struck her thrice she.
would quit him for ever. After a time
they were invited to a christening, and
in the midst of the ceremony she burst
into tears. Her husband struck her, and
asked why she made such a fool of her-
self. “I weep,” she said, “to see the
poor babe brought into a vale of misery
and tears.” They were next invited to
, the funeral of the same child, and she
Van
1268
Vatican
could not resist laughing. Her husband
struck her again, and asked the same
question. “I laugh,” she said, “to think
how joyous a thing it is that the child
has left a world of sin for a world of joy
and innocence.” They were next in-
vited to a wedding, where the bride was
young and the man advanced in years.
Again she wept, and said aloud, “It is
the devil’s compact. The bride has sold
herself for gold.” Her husband bade
her hold her peace, struck her, and she
vanished for ever from his sight. (Welsh
7mythology.)
Van (pl. Vanir), in Scandinavian
mythology. Gods of the Ocean, air,
fountains, and streams.
Vandal. One who destroys beautiful
objects to make way for what he terms
“improvements,” or to indulge his
own caprice. When Gen'seric with his
Vandals captured Rome in A.D. 455, he
mutilated the public monuments regard-
less of their worth or beauty.
“The word “Vandalism' was invented by the
Abbé Grégoire, d propos of the destruction of
works of art by revolutionary fanatics.”—Nime-
teenth Century (Aug., 1893, p. 272).
Vandy'ck. The Vandyck of sculpture.
Antoine Coysevox (1640-1720).
The English Vandyck.
son, painter (1610-1647).
Vandy'lze (2 syl.). To scollop an
edge after the fashion of the collars
painted by Wandyck in the reign of
Charles I. The scolloped edges are said
to be vandyked.
Vanessa is Miss Esther Vanhom-
righ, and Cade'nus is Dean Swift. While
he was still married to Stella [Miss
Hester Johnson, whose tutor he had
been] Miss Vanhomrigh fell in love with
him, and requested him to marry her,
but the dean refused. The proposal
became known to his wife (?), and both
the ladies died soon afterwards. Hester
Johnson was called Stella by a pun
upon the Greek aster, which resembles
Hester in sound, and means a “star.”
Miss Vanhomrigh was called Van-essa
by compounding Van, the first syllable
of her name, with Essa, the pet form of
Esther. Cade'nus is simply deca'nus
(dean) slightly transposed.
Vanity Fair. A fair established by
Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, for
the sale of all sorts of vanities. It was
held in the town of Vanity, and lasted
all the year round. Here were sold
houses, lands, trades, places, honours,
preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms,
William Dob-
lusts, pleasures, and delights of all sorts.
(Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress, pt. i.)
Va'n o c. Son of Merlin, one of
Arthur's Round-Table Knights.
“Young Vanoc of the beardless face
(Fame spoke the youth of Merlin's race),
O'erpowered at Gyneth's footstool, bled,
His heart's blood dyed her sandals red.”
Sir Walter Scott : Bridal of Thiermaim, ii. 25.
Vantage Loaf. The thirteenth loaf
of a baker’s dozen.
Vari'na. Swift, in his early life,
professed to have an attachment to
Miss Jane Waryng, and Latinised her
name into Warina. (See WANESSA.)
Varnish, from the French vernis ;
Italian, ver'wice. Sir G. C. Lewis says
the word is a corruption of Bereni'ce,
famous for her amber hair, which was
dedicated in the temple of Arsin'oë, and
became a constellation. (See BERENICE.)
varro, called “the most learned of
the Romans.” (B.C. 116-28.)
Varun'a. The Hindu Neptune. He
is represented as an old man riding on a
sea-monster, with a club in one hand and
a rope in the other. In the Vedic hymns
he is the night-sky, and Mitra the day-
sky. Varuna is said to set free the
“waters of the clouds.”
Vassal. A youth. In feudal times
it meant a feudatory, or one who held
lands under a “lord.” In law it means
a bondservant or political slave, as
“England shall never be the vassal of a
foreign prince.” Christian says, in his
Notes on Blackstone, that the corruption
of the meaning of vassal into slave “is
an incontrovertible proof of the horror
of feudalism in England.” (Welsh,
gwas, a boy or servant; ſwasa??, a page ;
like the French garçon, and Latin pºte',
Italian, vassallo, a servant.)
Vath'ek. The hero of Beckford's
fairy romance. He is a haughty, effemi-
nate monarch, induced by a malignant
genius to commit all sorts of crimes. He
abjures his faith, and offers allegiance to
Bblis, under the hope of obtaining the
throne of the pre-Adamite Sultans.
Vatican. The palace of the Pope;
so called because it stands on the
Vati'can Hill. Strictly speaking, the
Vatican consists of the Papal palace,
the court and garden of Belvidere, the
library, and the museum.
“The sun of the Vatican sheds glory over the
Catholic World.”—The Times.
The thunders of the Vatican. . The
anathemas of the Pope, which are issued
from the Vatican,
"Vaſudeville
The Council of the Vatican. The
twenty-first General or OEcumenical
Council. It commenced in 1869, Pius
IX. being Pope. (See CouncILS.)
Vaude'ville (2 syl.). A corruption
of Pal de Pire, or in Old French, Pau
de Wire, the native valley of Oliver
Basselin, a Norman poet, the founder of
a certain class of convivial songs, which
be called after the name of his own
valley. These songs are the basis of
modern vaudeville.
Father of the Vaudeville. Oliver Bas-
selin, a Norman poet. (Fifteenth cen-
tury.)
Vau'girard. The deputies of Waugi-
rard. Only one individual. This applies
to all the false companies in which the
promoter represents the directors, chair-
man, committee, and entire staff. The
expression is founded on an incident in
the reign of Charles VIII. of France:
The usher announced to the king “The
deputies of Vaugirard.” “How many
are there?” asked the king. “Only
one, and please your majesty,” was the
answer. (See TAILORS.)
Vaux'hall or Fantahall (2 syl.).
Called after Jane Vaux, who held the
copyhold tenement in 1615, and was the
widow of John Vaux, the vintner.
Chambers says it was the manor of
Fulke de Breauté, the mercenary fol-
lower of King John, and that the word
should be Fulke's Hall. Pepys calls it
Fox Hall, and says the entertainments
there are “mighty divertising.” (Book
of Days.)
Thackeray, in Vanity Fair (chap. vi.),
sketches the loose character of these “di-
vertising” amusements.
We, Brother of Odin and Wili. He
was one of the three deities who took
part in the greation of the world.
(Scandinavian mythology.)
Veal, Calf. The former is Norman,
and the latter Saxon. (See BEEF, PoEK.)
“Mynbeer Calf becomes Monsieur de Veau in
the like manner. He is Saxon when he requires
tendance, but takes a Norman name when he
becomes matter of enjoyment.”—Sir Walter Scott :
Ivanhoe.
We'das or Ve'dams. The generic
name of the four sacred books of the
IHindus. It comprises () the Rig or
Ičish Veda ; (2) Yajar or Yajush Peda ;
(3) the Sama or Saman Veda ; and (4)
the Atharva'ma or Ezour Veda. (San-
skrit, vid, know ; Chaldee, yed-a,
IHebrew, id-0 ; Greek, eid-0 ; Latin,
video, etc.)
1269.
Verigeur
.*
Vehm'gerichte or Holy Vehme Tri-
bunal. A secret tribunal of Westphalia,
said to have been founded by Charle-
magne. (See FEHM-GERICHT.)
Veil. At one time men wore veils,
as St. Ambrose testifies. He speaks of
the “silken garments and the veils inter-
woven with gold, with which the bodies
of rich men are encompassed.” (St. Am-
brose lived 340-397.)
Veiled Prophet of Khorassan.
The first poetical tale in Thomas Moore's
Lalla Rookh.
The Peiled Prophet of Khorassan was
Hakim ben Allah, surnamed the Weiled
(Mokay???a), founder of an Arabic sect in
the eighth century. Having lost an eye,
and being otherwise disfigured in battle,
he wore a veil to conceal his face, but his
followers said it was done to screen his
dazzling brightness. He assumed to be
a god, and maintained that he had been
Adam, Noah, and other representative
men. When encompassed by Sultan
Mahadi, he first poisoned all his fol-
lowers at a banquet, and then threw
himself into a burning acid, which wholly
destroyed his body.
Vendémiaire (4 syl.), in the French
Republican calendar, was from Septem-
ber 22 to October 21. The word means
“Vintage.”
Vendetta. The blood-feud, or duty
of the nearest kin of a murdered man to
kill the murderer. It prevails in Corsica,
and exists in Sicily, Sardinia, and Cala-
bria. It is preserved among the Druses,
Circassians, Arabs, etc. (Latin, vindicta.)
Vendredi (French), Friday. (Latin,
Penéris dies. Here f^emer is metamor-
hosed into Pendre. The Italian is
Venerdi.)
Venerable. The Venerable. Bede,
the ecclesiastical historian. (672–735.)
The P'enerable Doctor. William de
Champeaux, founderofrealism. (Twelfth
century.)
Peter, Abbot of Clugny. (1093-1156.)
Vengeur (Le). A man-of-war com-
manded by Cambrone. The tale is this:
June 1, 1794, Lord Howe encountered the
French fleet off Ushant. Six ships were
taken by the English admiral, and the
victory was decisive : but Le Vengeur,
although reduced to a mere hulk, refused
to surrender, and, discharging a last
broadside, sank in the waves, while the
crew shouted “Vive la République !”
The Convention ordered a medal to be
struck with this legend—Le Triomphe
Veni, Creator Spiritus
1270,
"Venus
du Vengeur. It is almost a pity that
this thoroughly French romance should
lack one important item — a grain of
truth. The day of this victory is often
called “The Glorious First of June.”
The historic fact is, the ship sank, with
the crew crying for help, which was
readily given by the British foe.
“We'll show the haughty British race
The French njan Can Such honolir boast—
That when one Vengeur we have lost,
Another hastes to take her place.
Tram Slated by J. Oacemford.
Veni, Crea'tor Spiritus. A hymn
of the Roman Breviary used on the Feast
of Pentecost. It has been ascribed to
Charlemagne, but Monethinks that Pope
Gregory I. was the author.
Veni, Sancte Spiritus. A. Latin
hymn in rhyme, ascribed to Robert, King
of France; also to Archbishop Langton.
Veni, Vidi, Vici. It was thus that
Julius Caesar announced to his friend
Amintius his victory at Zela, in Asia
Minor, over Pharna'cès, son of Mithri-
da’tés, who had rendered aid to Pompey.
(Plutarch.)
Ve'hial Sin. One that may be par-
doned; one that does not forfeit grace.
In the Catholic Church sins are of two
sorts, mortal and venial ; in the Pro-
testant Church there is no such distinc-
tion; but see Matt. xii. 31.
Venice Glass. The drinking glasses
of the Middle Ages, made at Venice,
were said to break into shivers if poison
were put into them.
Doge. “'Tis said that our Venetian crystal has
Such pure antipathy to poison, as .
To burst, if aught of venom touches it.”
13/rom : The Two Foscari, V. I.
Venice glass, from its excellency,
hecame a synonym for perfection.
Venice of the West. Glasgow.
“Another element in the blazon of the “Venice
of the West is a fish laid acroSS the Stem of the
tree, ‘in base, as the heralds Say.”—J. H. Burton.
Ven'ison. Anything taken in hunt-
ing or by the chase. Hence Jacob bids
Esau to go and get venison such as he
loved (Gen. xxvii. 3), meaning the wild
kid. The word is simply the Latin
vena/tio (hunting), but is now restricted
to the flesh of deer.
Ven’om. The venom is in the tail.
The real difficulty is the conclusion.
The allusion is to the scorpion, which
has a sting in its tail.
The French say, “It is always most
difficult to flay the tail” (C'est le plus
difficile gue d’écorcher la queue). -
*
g
ſ:
venomous Preacher (The).
IRobert Traill (1642-1716). -
Ventilate a Subject (70). To moot
it, to throw it out for discussion that it
may be winnowed or sifted. To ven-
tilate a room is to let air and light into
it, to drive away bad gases, etc. So in
ventilating a subject, light is thrown on
it, and all that is false, extraneous, or
doubtful is blown away. -
Ventre-saint-Gris! The usual oath
of Henri IV. About equal to “Corpus
Christi.” A similar juron is “Par le
wentre de JDieu" (Ventre-dieu ( or Ven-
trebletſ '). Cris for Christ is familiarised
by our common phrase “the criss-cross
or cris-cross row ’’; and if Saint refers
to Christ we have a similar phrase in
St. Saviour’s. Rabelais has “J’am’ sainct
Gris’’; and William Price, “the Arch-
Druid,” who died in 1893, describes
himself in the Medical Directory as “De-
cipherer of the Pedigree of Jessu Grist.”
Chaucer Writes the word “Crist.”
* Mr. F. Adams has sent me two
quotations from the Romance of Huon de
IBordeau, from a MS. dated 1250–
“Abes, dist Karles, tort avés, par saint Crist.”
- - Line 1,473.)
“Sire, dist Hues, tort aves, par Saint Crist.”
(Line 2,218.)
But a correspondent of Notes and Queries-
sends this quotation—
“Ce prince [Henri IV.] avoit pris I'habitude
d'employer cette expression, ‘Ventre-saint-Gris,
comme une espèce de jurement, lorsqu'il étoit
encore infant, Ses gouverneurs craignant qu'il ne
s' habituál a jurer . . . ]uj avoient permis de dire
‘Ventre-Saint-Gris, qui étoit un terme derision
qu'ils appliquoent aux Françiscans . . . de la
Couleur de leur habillennents.”—Feb. 10th, 1894,
l). 113.
Ventril'oquism, “speaking from the
belly.” From the erroneous notion that
the voice of the ventriloquist proceeded
from his stomach. The best that ever
lived was Brabant, the “engastrimist”
of François I. (Latin, venter-loquor.)
Venus. Love; the goddess of love;
courtship. Copper was called Venus by
the alchemists. (See APHRODIT.E.)
“Venus smiles not in a house of tears.”
Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet, iv. 1.
Venus is the name of the second planet
from the sun, and the nearest heavenly
body to the earth except the moon.
Statues of Venus. The most celebrated
statues of this goddess are the Venus de
Medici, the Aphrodite of Praxit'elés, the
Venus of Milo, the Venus Victorious of
Cano/va, and the Venus of Gibson.
Capitoline Venus (The). In the Capi-
toline Museum of Rome, -
"Venus
1271
Vera Causa,
Canova’s Venus is the most noted of
modern sculpture. (1757-1822.)
Ura'ºzian, Penus of the Lusiad is the
impersonation of heavenly love. She
pleads to Destiny for the Lusians, and
appears to them in the form of “the
silver star of love.” Plato says she was
the daughter of Heaven (U'ranos), and
Xenophon adds that “she presided over
the love of wisdom and virtue, the
pleasures of the soul.” Nigidius says
that this “heavenly Venus” was not born
from the sea-foam, but from an egg
which two fishes conveyed to the sea-
shore. This egg was hatched by two
pigeons whiter than snow, and gave
birth to the Assyrian Venus, who in-
structed mankind in religion, virtue,
and equity. (See APHRODITE.)
Venus in astrology “signifiethe white
men or browne . . . . joyfull, laughter,
liberall, pleasers, dauncers, entertayners
of women, players, perfumers, musitions,
messengers of love.”
“Venus lovetla ryot and dispense.”
Chaucer: Canterbury Tatles, 6,282.
My Venus turns out a whelp (Latin).
All my swans are changed to geese ; my
cake is dough. In dice the best cast
(three sixes) was called “Venus,” and
the worst (three aces) was called “Canis.”
My win-all turns out to be a lose-all.
The Island of Venus in the Lusiad
is a paradisa'ical island raised by “Di-
vine Love,” as a reward for the heroes of
the poem. Here Venus, the ocean-god-
dess, gave her hand to Gama, and com-
mitted to him the empire of the sea. It
was situate “near where the bowers of
Paradise are placed,” not far from the
mountains of Ima'us, whence the Ganges
- This
and Indus derive their source.
paradise of Love is described in the
ninth book.
. We have several parallel Edens, as
the “gardens of Alcin'ous,” in the
Odyssey, bk. vii.; the “island of Circă,”
Odyssey, x. ; the “Elysium ” of Virgil,
...ABneid, vi. ; the “island and palace of
Alci'na’’ or Vice, in Orlando Furioso,
vi. vii.; the “country of Logistilla " or
Virtue, in the same epic, bk. x. ; the
description of “Paradise,” visited by
Astolpho, the English duke,
xxxiv.; the “island of Armida,” in
Tasso's Jerusalem Delivered; the “bower
of Acras'ia,” in Spenser's Faërie Queene,
the “palace with its forty doors,” the
keys of which were entrusted to prince
Agib, whose adventures form the tale of
the “Third Calendar,” in The Arabian
Wights’. Entertainments, etc. E. A. Poe
in bk.
calls Eden “Aiden,” which he rhymes
with “laden.” (The Raven, 16.) (See
VENUSBERG.)
Venus Anadyom'ene (6 syl.). Venus
rising from the Sea, accompanied by
dolphins.
Venus Genetrix. Worshipped at
IRome, especially on April day, as the
mother of AEnéas, and patroness of the
Julian race.
Venus Victrix. Venus, as goddess
of victory, represented on numerous
Roman coins.
Venus de Medicis, supposed to be ~~
the production of Cleom'enès of Athèns,
who lived in the second century before
the Christian era. In the seventeenth
century it was dug up in the villa of
Hadrian, near Tivoli, in eleven pieces;
but it is all ancient except the right arm.
It was removed in 1680, by Cosmo III.,
to the Imperial Gallery at Florence,
from the Medici Palace at Rome. -
“So stands the statue that enchants the world,
So bending tries to veil the matchless boast,
The mingled beauties of exulting Greece.” "
Thomsom, : Summer. .
Venus of Cnidus. The undraped
statue of Praxit/eles (4 syl.) purchased
by the ancient Cnidians, who refused to
part with it, although Nicome'dés, King
of Bithyn'ia, offered to pay off their
national debt as a price for it. The
statue was subsequently removed to
Constantinople, and perished in the
great fire during the reign of Justinian
(A.D. 80.) -
Praxiteles made also a draped Statue of the
Same goddess, called the “Venus of Cos.”
Venus of Milo or Melos. The
statue, with three of Hermès, was dis-
covered in 1820 by Admiral Dumont in
Milo or Melos, one of the Greek islands,
whence its name. It now stands in the
Louvre. -
Ve’musberg'. The mountain of de-
light and love, where Lady Venus holds
her court. Human beings occasionally
are permitted to visit her, as Heinrich
von Limburg did, and the noble Tann-
häuser (q.v.) ; but as such persons run
the risk of eternal perdition, Eckhardt
the Faithful, who sat before the gate,
failed not to warn them against entering.
(German Legend : Children of Limburg,
a poem.
Penus.)
Vera Causa. A cause in harmony
with other causes already known. A
fairy godmother may be assigned in story
as the cause of certain marvellous effects,
(1337.) (See The Island of
Verbatim et Literatin
1272
Vesper Hour
but is not a vera causa. The revolution
of the earth round the sun may be as-
signed as the cause of the four seasons,
and is a vera causa.
Verbatim et Literatin. Accur-
ately rendered, word for word and letter
for letter. -
Verbum Sap. [A word to the wise.] A.
hint is sufficient to any wise man ; a
threat implying if the hint is not taken
I will expose you. (Latin, Verbum
Sapienti.)
Verbum Sat.
Similar to the above.
sat [satienti).
enough.)
We're Adep’tus. One admitted to
the fraternity of the Rosicrucians.
**In Rosy crucian lore as learned
As he the Were-adeptus earnell.” ..
IRutler: Hudibras.
[A word is enough.]
(Latin, Verbum
A word to the wise is
Verger. The officer in a church who
carries the rod or mace. (Latin, verga,
a wand.)
Vernon, mentioned by Thomson in
his Summer, was Admiral Edward Ver-
non, who attacked Carthage'na in 1741 ;
but the malaria reached the crew, and,
as the poet says—
“To infant Weakness Sunk the Warrior's arms.”
JDiana Vernon. An enthusiastic Roy-
alist of great beauty and talent. (Sir
JValter Scott : Rob Roy.)
Verone'se (3 syl.). A native of
Vero'na, pertaining to Verona, etc.; a
Paul Veronese, Paul a native of Verona ;
a Veronese fashion, and so on.
Veron'ica. It is said that a maiden
handed her handkerchief to our Lord on
His way to Calvary. He wiped the Sweat
from His brow, returned the handkerchief
to the owner, and went on. The hand-
kerchief, was found to bear a perfect
likeness of the Saviour, and was called
Pera-Icon'ica (true likeness), and the
maiden was ever after called St. Veron-
ica. One of these handkerchiefs is pre-
served at St. Peter's church in Rome,
and another in Milan cathedral.
Versailles of Poland. The palace
of the Counts of Braniski, which now
belongs to the municipality of Bialystok.
Versaillese (The). The government
troops, in the presidency of M. Thiers.
The Communist troops were called the
Federals, short for the “Federated Na-
tional Guards.”
Versi Bernes'chi. Jocose poetry.
So called from Francesco Berni, the
Italian poet. (1490-1536.)
Vert [greem], in heraldry, signifies
love, joy, and abundance. It is repre-
sented on the shields of noblemen by the
emerald, and on those of kings by the
planet Venus.
* In heraldry vert is symbolically ex-
pressed by diagonal lines running from
right to left of the shield. Lines run-
ning the reverse way—i.e. from left to
right—mean purpure.
N.B. English heralds vary escut-
cheons by only seven colours, but foreign
heralds employ nine colours. (See
HERALDS.)
Vertum'nus. The god of the seasons,
who married Pomo'na. August 12th
was his festival. (Roman mythology.)
Ver'ulam Buildings (London). So
named in compliment to Lord Bacon,
who was Baron Verulam and Wiscount
St. Albans.
Vervain. Called “holy herb,” from
its use in ancient sacred rites. Also
called “pigeons' grass,” “Juno's tears,”
and “simpler's joy.” Supposed to cure
scrofula, the bite of rabid animals, to
arrest the diffusion of poison, to avert
antipathies, to conciliate friendships, and
to be a pledge of mutual good faith ;
hence it was anciently worn by heralds
and ambassadors. ğ. IRooDSELKEN.)
Verbena is the botanical name. -
“The term Vorbena (duasi herbena) originally
denoted all those herbs that were held Sacred on
account of their being employed in the rites of
Sacrifice.”—Mill: Logic, book iv. chap. V. p. 485.
Vesi'ca Piscis (Latin, fish-bladder).
The ovoidal frame or glory which, in the
twelfth century, was much used, espe-
cially in painted windows, to surround
pictures of the Virgin Mary and of our
Lord. It is meant to represent a fish,
from the anagram ICHTHUS. (See NOTA-
RICA.)
Vesper Hour is said to be between the
dog and the wolf; “betwixt and be-
tween,” neither day nor night; a breed
between the dog and wolf; too much
day to be night, and too much night
to be day. Probably the phrase was
suggested by the terms “dog watch”
(which begins at four), and “dark as a
wolf's mouth.”
Sicilian Vespers. Easter Monday,
March 30, 1282. So called because John
of Pro'cida on that day led a band of
conspirators against Charles d’Anjou and
his French countrymen in Sicily. These
"Vesta,
1273
"Vice
Frenchmen greatly oppressed the Sici-
lians, and the conspirators, at the sound
of the vesper bell, put them all to the
sword without regard to age or sex.
The Fatal Vespers. §. 26th,
1623. A congregation of some 300 per-
sons had assembled in a small gallery
over the gateway of the French am-
bassador, in Blackfriars, to hear Father
Drury, a Jesuit, preach. The gallery
gave way, and about 100 of the congre-
gation were precipitated into the street
and killed. Drury and a priest named
Redman were also killed. This accident
was, according to the bigotry of the
times, attributed to God’s judgment
against the Jesuits. (Stow : Chronicles.)
(See St. Luke xiii. 4.)
Vesta, in Roman mythology, was the
Home-goddess, called by the Greeks
‘‘PIestia.” She was custodian of the
sacred fire brought by AEmèas from Troy.
This fire was lighted afresh annually on
March day, and to let it go out would
have been regarded as a national
calamity.
Vestal Virgin. A num, a religieuse ;
properly a maiden dedicated to the ser-
vice of the goddess Vesta. The duty of
these virgins was to keep the fire of the
temple always burning, both day and
night. They were required to be of
spotless chastity. (See IMMURING...)
Veto (Monsieur and Madame). Louis
XVI. and Marie Antoinette. So called
by the Republicans, because the Consti-
tuent Assembly allowed the king to have
the power of putting his veto upon any
decree submitted to him. (1791.)
Monsieur Veto swore he'd bide
To the constitution true ;
But he cast his oath aside,
Teaching us the like to do.
Madame Veto swore one day
All the Paris rout to slay ;
IBut we snapped the tyrant's yoke,
Turning all her threats to smog. C
Vetturino [Vettu-ree'no), in Italy, is
one who for hire conveys persons about
in a vet’tura or four-wheeled carriage;
the owner of a livery stable; a guide for
travellers. The two latter are, of course,
subsidiary meanings.
“We were accosted in the steamer by a well-
dressed man, who represented himself to he n,
vetturino.”—The Times (One of the Alpine Club).
Vi'a Doloro'sa. The way our Lord
went to the Hall of Judgment, from the
Mount of Olives to Golgotha, about a
mile in length. .
Vial. Vials of wrath. Vengeance,
the execution of wrath on the wicked.
The allusion is to the seven angels who
pour out upon the earth their vials full
of wrath. (Rev. xvi.)
Viat'icum (Latin). The Eucharist
administered to the dying. The word
means “money allowed for a journey,”
and the motion is that this sacrament
will be the spirit's passport to Paradise.
Vic'ar. Rector, one who receives
both great and small tithes. Vicar
receives only the small tithes. At the
Reformation many livings which be-
longed to monasteries passed into the
hands of noblemen, who, not being in
holy orders, had to perform the sacred
offices vica-riously. The clergyman who
officiated for them was called their vica.”
or representative, and the law enjoined
that the lord should allow him to receive
the use of the glebe and all tithes except
those accruing from grain (such as corn,
barley, oats, rye, etc.), hay, and wood.
The term Vicar is now applied to the
minister of a district church, though he
receives neither great nor small tithes;
his stipend arising partly from endow-
ment, partly from pew-rents, and in
part from fees, voluntary contributions,
offerings, and so on. The vicar of a
pope is a Vicar-apostolic, and the vicar
of a bishop is a curate or vicar in charge.
A lay vicar is a cathedral officer, who sings
certain, portions of the service. The Pope is
Called the “Vicar of Christ.”
Vicar of Bray (The). Let who will
be king, I will be vicar of Bray still.
Brome says of Simon Alleyn that he
“lived in the reigns of Henry VIII.,
Edward VI., Mary, and Elizabeth. In
the first two reigns he was Protestant,
in Mary’s reign he turned Papist, and
in the next reign recanted—being re-
solved, whoever was king, to die Vicar
of Bray.” (1540-1588.) . Others say it
is Pendleton. .
Ray refers to Simon Symonds, a
vicar who was Independent in the
Protectorate, Churchman in the reign
of Charles II., Papist under James II.,
and Moderate Protestant under William
and Mary. .
The well-known song, “I will be Vicar
of Bray,” was written by an officer in
Colonel Fuller’s regiment. This vicar
lived in the reigns of Charles II., James
II., William III., Anne, and George I.
Vicar of Wakefield (The). Dr.
Primrose.
Vice (1 Syl.), in Old English morali-
ties, was a buffoon who wore a cap with
ass's ears. -
"Vice Versa,
1274
"Vincent de la Rosa,
Viſce Versa (Latin). The reverse;
the terms of the case being reversed.
Victor Emmanuel of Italy, called
Júng Homest-Man, for his honest con-
cessions to the people of constitutional
freedom promised by his father and by
himself in less prosperous circumstances.
Vierge (2 syl.). A curious conversion
in playing-cards occurs in reference to
this word. The invention is Indian, and
the game is called “The Four Rajahs.”
The pieces are the king, his general or
fierche, the elephant or phil, the horse-
men, the camel or ruch, and the infantry.
The French corrupted fierche (general)
into “vierge,” and then converted “vir-
gin.” into dame. Similarly they corrupted
phil into “fol” or “fou” (knave); ruch
is our “rook.” At one time playing-
cards were called ‘‘the Books of the
Four Kings,” and chess “the Game of
the Four Kings.” It was for chess, and
not cards, that Walter Sturton, in 1278,
was paid 8s. 5d., according to the ward-
robe rolls of Edward I., “ad opus regis
ad ludendum adgetatator reges.” Malkin
said it was no great proof of our wisdom
‘that we delighted in cards, seeing they
were “invented for a fool.” Malkin
referred to the vulgar tradition that
cards were invented for the amusement
of Charles VI., the idiot king of France ;
but it was no proof that Jacquemin
Gringonneur invented cards because “he
painted and gilded three packs for the
king in 1392.”
View-holloa. The shout of hunts-
men when a fox breaks cover = “Gone
away !” (See SoHo, TALLY-Ho.)
Vignette (2 syl.) means properly a
likeness having a border of vine-leaves
round it. (French, “little vine, tendril.”)
Vi’king. A pirate. So called from the
vik or creek in which he lurked. The
word is wholly unconnected with the
word “king.” There were sea-kings,
sometimes, but erroneously, called “vi-
kings,” connected with royal blood, and
having small dominions on the coast.
These sea-kings. were often vikingr or
vikings, but the reverse is not true that
every viking or pirate was a Sea-king.
(Icelandic vikingr, a pirate.)
Village Blacksmith (The), in Long-
fellow’s poem, we are told in an
American newspaper, was Henry Francis
Moore, of Medford, Massachusetts, born
1830. But as the Village Blacksmith
was published in 1842, this is impossible,
as Moore was not then twelve years of
age, and could not have had a grown-up
daughter who sang in the village choir.
Vil’lain means simply one attached
to a villa or farm. In feudal times the
lord was the great landowner, and under
him were a host of tenants called villains.
The highest class of villains were called
Tegardant, and were annexed to the
manor; then came the Coliberti or Buràs,
who were privileged vassals; then the
I}ord'arii or cottagers (Saxon, bord, a
cottage), who rendered certain menial
offices to their lord for rent ; then the
Coscets, Cottarii, and Cotmanni, who paid
partly in produce and partly in menial
service ; and, lastly, the villains in gross,
who were annexed to the person of the
lord, and might be sold or transferred as
chattels. The notion of wickedness and
worthlessness associated with the word is
simply the effect of aristocratic pride and
exclusiveness—not, as Christian says in
his Notes on Blackstone, “a proof of the
horror in which our forefathers held all
service to feudal lords.” The French
wilain, seems to connect the word with
vile, but it is probable that vile is the
Latin vilis vile (of no value), and that the
noun vilain is independent of villein,
except by way of pun. (See CHEATER.)
“I am no villain [base-born]; I am the youngest
son of Sir Rowland de Boys ; he was my father,
and he is thrice a villain [rascal] that says such a
father hegot villains [bastards].”—Shakespeare:
As You Like It, i. 1.
Villiers. Second Duke of Bucking-
ham. (1627-1688.)
Villoner. (French.) To cheat. Willon
was a poet in the reign of Louis XI., but
more famous for his cheats and villainies
than for his verses. Hence the word
villomer, “to cheat, to play a rogue's
trick.” (Rabelais : Pantagruel, iv. 17;
note by Molletta.)
V in cent (St.). Patron saint of
drunkards. This is from the proverb–
“If on St. Vincent's Day [Jan. 22] the sky is clear,
More wine than water will crown the year.”
Vincent de la Rosa. The Son of a
poor labourer who had served as a
soldier. According to his own account,
“he had slain more Moors than ever
Tunis or Morocco produced; and as for
duels, he had fought a greater number
than ever Ganté had, or Luna either,
or Diego Garcia de Paredez, always.com-
ing off victorious, and without losing a
drop of blood.” He dressed “superbly,”
and though he had but three suits, the
villagers thought he had ten or a dozen,
and more than twenty plumes of feathers.
This gay young spark soon caught the
"Vindicate
1275
‘Violet,
affections of Leandra, only child of an
opulent farmer. The giddy girl eloped
with him ; but he robbed her of all her
money and jewels, and left her in a cave
to make the best of her way home again.
(Cervantes : Don Quiacote, pt. i. iv. 20.)
Vin'dicate (3 Syl.), to justify, to
avenge, has a remarkable etymon. Vin-
dicius was a slave of the Vitelli, who
informed the Senate of the conspiracy of
the sons of Junius Brutus to restore
Tarquin, for which service he was re-
warded with liberty (Livy, ii. 5); hence
the rod with which a slave was struck in
manumission was called vindicta, a Vin-
dicius rod (see MANUMIT); and to set free
was in Latin vindica're in libertatem.
One way of settling disputes was to give
the litigants two rods, which they crossed
as if in fight, and the person whom the
praetor vindicated broke the rod of his
opponent. These rods were called win-
diciae, and hence vindicate, meaning to
“justify.” To avenge is simply to
#ustify oneself by punishing the wrong-
Oel’.
Vi'ne (1 syl.). The Rabbins say that
the fiend buried a lion, a lamb, and a
hog at the foot of the first vine planted
by Noah ; and that hence men receive
from wine ferocity, mildness, or wallow-
ing in the mire. (See MIDRASH.)
Vinegar (Hannibal’s). Livy tells us
that when Hannibal led his army over
the Alps to enter Rome he used vinegar
to dissolve the Snow, and make the
march less slippery. Of course this
tradition is fabulous. Where did the
vinegar come from ? Nepos has left a
short memoir of Hannibal, but says
Inothing about the vinegar. (Livy, B.C.
59 to A.D. 17; Nepos about the same
time; Hannibal, B.C. 247-183.)
Vin'egar Bible. Printed at the
Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1717. So called
because it has the word vinegar instead
of vineyard in the running head-line of
Luke xxii.
Vineyard Controversy. A paper
war provoked by the Hon. Daines Bar-
rington, who entered the lists to over-
throw all chroniclers and antiquaries
from William of Malmesbury to Samuel
Pegge, respecting the vineyards of
Domesday Book. He maintained that
the vines were currants, and the vine-
yards currant-gardens.
Vi'no. In vino veritas. In wine is
truth, meaning when persons are more
or less intoxicated they utter many
things they would at other times conceal
or disguise. (Latin.)
Vin'try Ward (London). So called
from the Wintry, or part occupied by the
Vintners or wine-merchants from Bor-
deaux, who anciently settled on this
part of the Thames' bank. They landed
their wines here, and, till the 28th Edw.
I., were obliged to sell what they landed
within forty days. .
Viſnum. Theolog'icum, The best
wine in the nation. Holinshed says it
was so called because religious men
would be sure “neither to drinke nor be
served of the worst, or such as was anie
waies vined by the vintner; naie, the
merchant would have thought that his
soule would have gone streightwaie to
the devil if he would have served them
with other than the best.” (i. 282.)
Violet, said to have sprung from the
blood of Ajax ; but how the blood of
the mad boaster could produce this
modest flower is past understanding.
(Latin, viola ; Greek, lov.)
“As when stern Ajax poured a purple flood,
The violet rose, fair daughter of his blood.”
Dr. Young: The Installment.
Chemical test paper is steeped in syrup of
violets; used to detect acids and alkalis. If an
acid is present, it will change the Violet paper
into red, an alkali will turn the paper green.
Slips of white paper stained with the juice of
violets (kept from the air) will serve the same
purpose. Litmus and turmeric are also used for
similar purposes. The paper should be unsized.
Vi'olet. The colour indicates the
love of truth and the truth of love. Pugin
says it is used for black in mourning and
fasting.
The violet on the tyrant’s grave.
(Tennyson : Aylmer's Field.) The re-
ference is to Nero's grave. It is said
that some unknown hand went by night
and strewed violets over his grave.
Even Nero had one who loved him.
Lemprière states that the statues of
Nero, at death, “were crowned with
garlands of flowers.”
“I would give you some violets, but
they withered all when my father died.”
So says Ophelia to the Queen. The
violet in flower-language is emblem-
atical of innocence, and Ophelia, says the
Ring, the Queen, and even Hamlet him-
self now he has killed Polonius, are
unworthy of this symbol. Now m
father is dead all the violets are withered,
all the court family are stained with
blood-guiltiness.
This entire posy may be thus para-
phrased : Both you and I are under a
spell, and there is “herb of grace” to
disenchant us; there's a “daisy” to
Violet;
*
1276
Virgil
caution you against expecting that such
wanton love as yours will endure long ;
I would have given you a “violet” if I
could, but now that my father is killed
all of you are blood-guilty. (Shake-
speare. Hamlet, iv. 5.)
Violet (Corporal). Napoleon Bona-
parte. When Bonaparte was banished
to Elba, he told his friends he would
return with the violets, and “Corporal
Violet ’’ was the favourite toast of his
partisans. When he broke his parole
and reached Frejus, a gang of women
assembled with violets, which were
freely sold. The shibboleth was, “Do
you like violets?” If the answer given
was “Oui,” the person was known not
to be a confederate ; but if the answer
was “JEJ; bien,” the respondent was
recognised as an adherent.
Violet-crowned City. Aristophánés
calls Athens tootépavos (Equités, 1323 and
1329), and again in the Acharmians,
637. Macaulay uses the phrase, “city
of the violet crown.” Ion (a violet) was
a representative king of Athens, whose
four sons gave names to the four Athe-
nian classes; and Greece in Asia Minor
was called “Ion-ia.” Athens was the
city of Ion, crowned king, and hence
the “Ion Crowned ’’ or violet-crowned.
Similarly Paris is called the “City of
Lilies,” by a pun on the word Louis
(lys, a lily).
Violin. The following musicians are
very celebrated: Arcangelo Corelli,
noted for the melodious tones he pro-
duced (1653 - 1713); Pierre Gaviniés,
native of Bordeaux, founder of the
French school of violinists, noted for
the sweetness of his tones (1722-1800);
Nicolo Pagani’ni, whose mastery over
the instrument has never been equalled,
especially known for his musical feats
on one string (1784 - 1840); Gaetan
Pugmani, of Turin, founder of the
Italian school of violinists; his playing
was “wild, noble, and sublime’’ (1727-
1803); Giuseppe Tartini, of Padua,
whose performance was plaintive, but
full of grace (1698–1770); G. B. Viotti
of Piedmont, whose playing was note
for grandeur and audacity, fire and ex-
citement (1753-1824). (See CREMONAS.)
The best makers of violins. Gaspar di
Salo (1560–1610); Nicholas Amati, of
Cremona (1596-1684); Antonio Stradi-
vari, his pupil (1670–1728); Joseph A.
Guarneri (1683 - 1745). Almost equal.
Joseph Steiner (1620 - 1667); Matthias
Rlotz (1650-1696). (See FIDDLE.)
Vi'olon'. A temporary prison. Galig-
nani says: “In the time of Louis XI.
the Salle-de-Perdus was so full of tur-
bulent clerks and students that the
bailiff of the palace shut many up in the
lower room of the conciergerie (prison)
while the courts were sitting; but as
they were guilty of no punishable offence,
he allowed them a violin to wile away
the tedium of their temporary cap-
tivity.”
M. Génin Says the seven penitential
psalms were called in the Middle Ages
the psalterion, and to put one to pen-
ance was in French expressed by mettre
att psalterion. As the psaltery was an
instrument of music, some witty French-
man changed psalterion to violon, and .
in lieu of mettre au psalte'rion wrote
Amettre and violo??. -
“A prisonnier et lui furent misau salterion.”
Antiquites Nationales de Millim, iv. p. 6.
Vi'per and File. The biter bit.
AEsop says a viper found a file, and tried
to bite it, under the supposition that it
was good food ; but the file said that
its province was to bite others, and not
to be bitten. (See SERPENT.) The viper
of real life does not bite or masticate
its food, but swallows it whole.
“I fawned and Smiled to plunder and betray,
Myself betrayed and plundered all the while ;
So gnawed the Viper the corroding file.”
I3eattie : Ministrel.
“Thus he realised the moral of the fable : the
Viper Sought to bite the file, but broke his own
teeth.”—The Times.
Vir'gil. In the Gesta Romanored)?
Virgil is represented as a mighty but
benevolent enchanter. This is the char-
acter that Italian tradition always gives
him, and it is this traditional character
that furnishes Dante with his conception
of making Virgil his guide through the
infernal regions. From the AEme'id
grammarians , illustrated their rules,
rhetoricians selected the subjects of their
declamations, and Christians looked on
the poet as half-inspired ; hence the use
of his poems in divination. (See SoFTES
VIRGILIANZE.)
*: Dante makes Virgil the personi-
fication of human wisdom, Beatrice of
that wisdom which comes of faith, and
St. Bernard of spiritual wisdom. Virgil
conducts Dante through the Inferno,
Beatrice through Purgatory, and St.
Bernard through Paradise.
*I Virgil was wise, and as craft was
considered a part of wisdom, especially
over-reaching the spirits of evil, so he is
represented by mediaeval writers as out-
witting the demon. On one occasion, it
is said, he saw an imp in a hole of a
Virgilius
mountain, and the imp promised to teach
the poet the black art if he released him.
Virgil did so, and after learning all the
imp could teach him, expressed amaze-
ment that one of such imposing stature
could be squeezed into so small a rift.
The imp said, “Oh, that is not wonder-
ful,” and crept into the hole to show
Virgil how it was done, whereupon
Virgil closed up the hole and kept the
imp there. (Een Schome Historie Van
Virgilius, 1552.)
This tale is almost identical with that
of the Fisherman and the Genius in the
Arabian Nights. The fisherman trapped
in his net a small copper vessel, from
which, when opened, an evil genius
came out, who told the fisherman he
had vowed to kill the person who re-
leased him. The fisherman began to
mock the genius, and declared it was
quite impossible for such a monster to
squeeze himself into so small a vessel.
The genius, to convince the fisherman,
metamorphosed himself into Smoke and
got into the vessel, whereupon the
fisherman clapped down the lid and
flung the vessel back into the sea.
The Swiss tale of Theophrastus and the
Devil is another analogous story. Theo-
phrastus liberates the devil from a
hollow tree, and the sequel is like those
given above. (Gorres : Folksbücher, p.
226.)
* There are numerous tales of the
devil outwitted.
The Christian Virgil. Marco Giro-
lamo Vida, author of Christias in six
books, an imitation of the AEme'id.
(1490-1566.)
The Virgil and Horace of the Chris-
tians. So Bentley calls Aurelius Clemens
Prudentius, a native of Spain, who wrote
Latin hymns and religious poems. (348-4.)
Le Virgile au Rabot. (And rabot is diffi-
cult to render into English. “Wirgil
with a Plane'' is far from conveying the
idea. “The Virgil of Planers,” or “The
Virgil of the Plane,” is somewhat nearer
the meaning.) Adam Billaut, the poet-
ical carpenter and joiner, was so called
by M. Tissot, both because he used the
plane and because one of his chief
recueils is entitled Le Rabot. He is
generally called Maître Adam. His
roaring Bacchanalian songs seem very
unlike the Eclogues of Virgil, and the
only reason for the title seems to be
that Virgil was a husbandman and wrote
on husbandry, while Billaut was a car-
penter and wrote on carpentry. (*-1662.)
Virgilius, Bishop of Salzburg, an
1277
Vitellius
Irishman, whose native name was Fear-
gil or Feargal. . He was denounced as a
heretic for asserting the existence of
antipodes. (Died 784.) (See SCIENCE.)
Virgin. One of the constellations.
(August 23rd to September 23rd.)
Astraea, goddess of justice, was the
last of the deities to quit our earth, and
when she returned to heaven became
the constellation Virgo. -
“When the bright Virgin gives the beauteous
days.” Thomson : Autumn.
Virgin Mary's Guard (The). The
Scotch guard of France, organised in
1448 by Charles VII. Louis XI. made
the Virgin Mary their colonel. Dis-
banded in 1830.
Virgin Mary's Peas (The). Near
Bethlehem are certain crystallisations in
limestone so called.
Virgin Queen (The). Queen Eliza-
beth (1533, 1558–1603).
Virgins. The eleven thousand virgins
of Cologne, according to the legend, were
born at Bao'za in Spain, which contained
only 12,000 families. The bones ex-
hibited were taken from an old Roman
cemetery, across which the wall of
Cologne ran, and which were exposed
to view after the siege in 1106. (See
URSULA.)
Virginal. An instrument used in
convents to lead the virginals or hymns
to the Virgin. It was a quilled key-
board instrument of two or three octaves,
common in the reign of Elizabeth. -
Virtuo'so. A man fond of virtu or
skilled therein; a dilettantã.
Vis Inertiae. That property of mat-
ter which makes it resist any change.
Thus it is hard to set in motion what is
still, or to stop what is in motion. Figu-
ratively, it applies to that unwillingness
of change which makes men “rather
bear the ills they have than fly to others
they know not of.”
Vish'nu [Indian]. The Preserver,
who forms with Brahma and Siva, the
divine triad of the system of Hinduism.
* Vishnu rides on an eagle ; Brahma,
On a goose. - -
Vi'tal Spark of Heavenly Flame.
(Pope.) Heraclitus held the soul to be
a spark of the stellar essence. (Macro-
bius : In Somnium Scipionis, i. 14.)
Vitellius. A glutton. So named
from Vitellius the Roman emperor, who
*
Vitex
took emetics after a meal that he might
have power to swallow another.
Vitex. Called Abraham's balm, Agnus
Castus, and the chaste-tree. In the lan-
guage of flowers it means “insensibility
to love.” Dioscoridés, Pliny, and Galen
mention the plant, and say that the
Athenian ladies, at the feast of Ceres,
used, to strew their couches with vitex
leaves as a palladium of chastity. In
France a beverage is made of the leaves
by distillation, and is (or was at one
time) given to novitiates to wean their
hearts from earthly affections. Vitea,
from vieo, to bind with twigs; so called
from the flexible nature of the twigs.
Vitru’vius. There were two Roman
architects of this name. The one best
known was Marcus Vitruvius Pollio,
who wrote a book on architecture.
The English Pitruvius. Inigo Jones
(1572-1652).
Vit'ulos. The scourgings which the
monks inflicted on themselves during
the chanting of the psalms. -
Vitus (St.). St. Vitus’s dance, once
widely prevalent in Germany and the
Low Countries, was a “dancing mania.”
So ealled from the supposed power of
St. Vitus over nervous and hysterical
affections.
“At Strasbourg hundreds of folk began
To dance and leap, both maid and nian ;
In Open market, lane, or Street,
They skipped along, nor cared to eat,
Until their plague had ceased to fright us.
'Twas called the dance of holy Vitus.”
Jam of Konigshaven (an old German chronicler).
St. Vitus’s Dance. A description of the
jumping procession on Whit-Tuesday to
a chapel in Ulm dedicated to St. Vitus,
is given in Notes and Queries, September,
1856. (See TARANTISM.)
Vi’va Vo'ce. Orally; by word of
mouth. A viva voce examination is one
in which the respondent answers by
word of mouth.
ing voice.”)
Viv'ien. A wily wanton in Arthur's
court “who hated all the knights.” She
tried to seduce “the blameless king,”
and succeeded in seducing Merlin, who,
“overtalked and overworn, told her his
secret charm’’—
“The which if any wrought on anyone
With woven paces and with waving arms,
The man so wrought on ever seemed to lie
Closed in the four walls of a hollow tower,
From which was no escape for evermore.”
Having obtained this secret, the wan-
ton “put forth the charm,” and in the
hollow oak lay Merlin as one dead,
}
1278
(Latin, “with the liv-
Voltaire
w_ems-sº
“lost to life, and use, and name, and
fame.” (Tennyson : Idyls of the King ;
Vivien.)
Vixen. A female fox. Metaphorically,
a woman of villainous and ungovernable
temper. (Anglo-Saxon, fiver.)
Vixe’re. “Viacere fortes ante Agamem-
mona ’’ (Horace). You are not the first
great man that ever lived, though you
boast so mightily. Our own age does
not monopolise the right of merit.
Viz. A contraction of videliceč. The
z is a corruption of 3, a common mark
of contraction in the Middle Ages; as
hab3—i.e. habet ; omnib3–—i.e. 07mni-
bus ; vić–i.e. videlicºt. ---
Vogue (1 syl.). A French word. “In
vogue” means in repute, in the fashion.
The verb vogue, means to sail or move
forwards. Hence the idea of sailing
with the tide.
Vogue la Galère. Let the world go
how it will ; “arrive qui pourra.”
Vole. He has gone the vole—i.e. been
everything by turns. Wole is a deal at
cards that draws the whole tricks. The
verb vole means to win all the tricks.
Wole is a French word Faire la vole—i.e.
“Faire seul toutes les levées,” de voler—
à.e. enlever. -
“Who is he [Edie Ochiltree]? Why, he has gone
the vole—has been Soldier, ballad-singer, travel-
ling tinker, and now a beggar.”—Sir W. Scott: The
Antiquatry, chap. iV.
Volta'ic Battery. An apparatus
for accumulating electricity. So called
from Volta, the Italian, who first con-
trived it. -
Voltaire. His proper name was
François Marie Arouet. The word Vol-
taire is simply an anagram of Arouet
L. I. (le jeune). Thus have we Stella,
Astrophel (q.v.), Vanessa, and Cadenus
(q.v.), and a host of other names in
anagrams. -
Voltaire, the infidel, built the church
at Ferney, which has this inscription:
“Deo erecit Voltaire.” Cowper alludes
to this anomaly in the following lines:
“Nor he who, for the bane of thousands born,
Built God a church, and laughed His Word to .
SCOrn.”
Voltaire. Tr. Young said of him—
“Thou art Bo witty, profligate and thin, -
Thou seem'st a Milton, with his Death and Sin.”
An excellent comparison between Wol-
taire and Gibbon is given by Byron in
Childe Harold, canto iii. 106, 107.
The German Voltaire. Johann Wolf
gang von Goethe (1749-1838). . -
Volume
Christoph Martin Wieland (1733-
8 - -
13).
The Polish Voltaïre.
(1774-1801). -
Volume (2 syl.). A roll. Anciently
books were written on sheets fastened
together lengthwise and rolled; some
were rolled on a pin or roller. The rolls
were placed erect on shelves. Each one
was labelled in red letters or ºtbrics.
Rolls of great value were packed in
cases or boxes. (Latin, wolvo, to roll up.)
Vox et Praeterea, Nihil. Echo ; a
threat not followed out. When the
Lacedemonian plucked the nightingale,
On , seeing so little substance he ex-
claimed, “Woa, tº es, et nihil praeterea.”
(hová rv Tus égori, kai oióev &AAo. Plaſt.
Opp. Mor. Apophthegmata Laconica.)
Vox Populi Vox Dei. This does
not mean that the voice of the many is
wise and good, but only that it is ir-
resistible... You might as well try to
stop the tide of the Atlantic as to resist
the v0a, populi. As God’s laws cannot
be withstood, neither can the popular
will. After Edward II. had been de-
throned by the people in favour of his
son (Edward III.), Simon Mepham,
Archbishop of Canterbury, preached
from these words as his text. -
Vulcan. The divine blacksmith,
whose workshop was on Mount Etna,
where the Cyclops assisted him in forg-
ing thunderbolts for Jove.
called Mulciber.
Vulcan's Badge. That of cuck-
oldom. Venus was Vulcan’s wife, but
her amour with Mars gave Vulcan the
badge referred to.
Vul'canised Indiarubber. India-
rubber combined with sulphur by vul-
canic agency or heat, by which means
the Caoutchouc absorbs the sulphur and
becomes carbonised.
Vul'ganist. One who supports the
Vulcanian or Plutonian theory, which
ascribes the changes on the earth’s
surface to the agency of fire. These
theorists say the earth was once in a
state of igneous fusion, and that the
crust has gradually cooled down to its
present temperature.
Ignatius Krasicki
Vulgar Errors.
Aristotle taught that women have
more teeth than men.
From an account given in Genesis ii.
21 it was once generally believed that a
Woman has one rib more than a man.
1279
IHe was also
Wadman
It is a vulgar error to suppose that
beetles and moles are blind.
It is a vulgar error to suppose that
lowly-organised animals are as sensible
of pain as the highly-organised are.
To exhaust the subject of vulgar errors
would require many pages of this Dic-
tionary. Every reader will be able to
add to the few examples given above.
(See UPAS TREE.)
VXL, a monogram. On lockets, etc.,
stands for U XL (you earcel).
W
Wa"bun. Son of Mudjekee'wis (North-
American Indian), East-Wind, the Indian
Apollo. Young and beautiful, he chases
Darkness with his arrows over hill and
valley, wakes the villager, calls the
Thunder, and brings the Morning. He
married Wabun-Annung (q.v.), and
transplanted her to heaven, where she
became the Morning Star. (Longfellow :
IHiawatha.) -
Wa'bung An'nung, in North Ameri-
can Indian mythology, is the Morning
Star. She was a country maiden wooed
and won by Wabun, the Indian Apollo,
who transplanted her to the skies. (Long-
fellow : Hiawatha.)
Wade (1 Syl.), to go through watery
places, is the Anglo-Saxon wad (a
ford), wada” (to ford or go [through a
meadow]). (See WEYD-MONAT.)
General Wade, famous for his mili-
tary highways in the Highlands, which
proceed in a straight line up and down
hill like a Roman road, and were made
with a crown, instead of being lowest
in the middle.
** Had §. Seen but these roads before they were
|G
1113,01C,
You Would hold up your hands and bless General
Wade.” .
Wade's Boat, named Guin'gelot.
Wade was a hero of mediaeval romance,
whose adventures were a favourite theme
in the sixteenth century. Mons. F.
Michel has brought together all he could
find about this story, but nevertheless,
the tale is very imperfectly known.
“They can SQ moché craft of Wadès boot
SQ moché broken harm whan that hem list,
That with hem schuld I never lyv in rest.”
- Chaucer : Canterbury Tales, 9,298.
Wadham College (Oxford) was
founded by Nicholas Wadham in 1613.
Wa d'm an (Widow). A comely
widow who tries to secure Uncle Toby
for her second husband. Amongst other
-
Wag Beards
wiles she pretends that she has some-
thing in her eye, and gets Uncle Toby to
look for it ; as the kind-hearted hero of
Namur does so, the widow gradually
places her face nearer and nearer the
captain’s mouth, under the hope that
he will kiss her and propose. (Sterne :
Th’istram Shandy.)
Wag Beards (To). “”Tis merry in
hall when beards wag all ”—i.e. when
feasting goes On.
{{ The was the minstrel's harp with rapture
leå,1” (1 :
The song of ancient days gave huge delight :
With pleasure too did wag the minstrel's beard,
For Plenty courted him to drink and bite.”
Peter Pimday : Elegy to Scotland.
Wages. Giles Moore, in 1659, paid
his mowers sixteenpence an acre. In
1711 Timothy Burrell, Esq., paid twenty-
pence an acre; in 1686 he paid Mary his
cook fifty shillings a year; in 1715 he
had raised the sum to fifty-five shillings.
(Sussea; Archaeological Collections, iii. pp.
163, 170.)
* For wages in the reign of Henry
VIII., see preface of vol. i. Letters and
Papers of the Reign of Henry VIII.,
edited by J. S. Brewer, pp. 108-119.
Wages of Sim (The). To earn the
acages of sin. To be hanged, or con-
demned to death. -
“I believe Some of you will be hanged unless
you change a good deal. It's Cold blood and bad
blood that runs in your veins, and you'll come to
earn the wages of sin.”—Bold rewood: Robbery
Qumder Arms, ii.
“The wages of sin is death.”—Rom.Vi. 23.
Wagoner. (See BOOTES.)
Waha'bites (3 syl.). A Mahometan
sect, whose object is to bring back the
doctrines and observances of Islam to the
literal precepts of the Horan, so called
from the founder, Ibn-abd-ul-Wahab.
Waifs and Strays. “Waifs '' are
stolen goods, which have been waived or
abandoned by the thief. “Strays '' are
domestic animals which have wandered
from their owners and are lost tempora-
rily or permanently.
Waifs and strays of London Streets.
The homeless poor. -
Waistcoat. The M. B. waistcoat.
The clerical waistcoat. (See M.B.)
Waiters upon Providence. Those
who cling to the prosperous, but fall
away from decaying fortunes.
“The side of the Puritans was deserted at this
period by a numerous class of ..., , , prudential
persons, who never forsook them till they became
unfortunate. These Sagacious, personages were
called . . . waiters upon Providence, and deemed
it a high delinquency towards heaven to afford
gountenance to any cause longer than if Was
favoured by fortune.”—Sir W. Scott: Peveril of the
Peak, chap, iv. -
1280
|
Waldemar's Way
Waits. Street musicians, who sere-
made the principal inhabitants at Christ-
mas-time, especially on Christmas Eve.
From Rymer’s Foedera we learn it was
the duty of musical watchmen “to pipe
the watch '' nightly in the king’s court
four times from Michaelmas to Shrove-
Thursday, and three times in the sum-
mer; and they had also to make “the
bon gate” at every door, to secure them
against “pyckeres and pillers.” The
form a distinct class from both the watch
and the minstrels. Oboes were at one
time called “waits.”
“Dr. Busby says the word is a “corruption of
wayghtes, hautboys, transferred from the instru-
ments to the performers.”—Dictionary of Music. ,
Wake (1 syl.). To keep vigils.
(Anglo-Saxon, waccan.) . A vigil cele-
brated with junketing and dancing.
“It may, therefore, be permitted them [the
Irish] on the dedication day, or other Solemn days
of martyrs, to make them bowers about the
churches, and refresh themselves, feasting toge-
ther after a good religious Sort, ; killing their
oxen now to the praise of GOd and increase of
charity, which they were wont before to Sagrifice
to the devil.”—Gregory the Great to Melitus [Meli-
tus was an abbot Who Calme OVer With St. Augus-
-
tine". -
“Waking a Witch.” If a “witch’”
was obdurate, the most effectual way of
obtaining a confession was by what was
termed “waking her.” For this pur-
pose an iron bridle or hoop was bound
across her face with four prongs thrust
into her mouth. The “bridle '’ was
fastened behind to the wall by a chain
in such a manner that the victim was
unable to lie down; and in this position
she was kept sometimes for several days,
while men were constantly by to keep
her awake. In Scotland some of these
bridles are still preserved.
Walbrook Ward (London) is so
called from a brook which once ran along
the west wall of Walbrook Street.
Walcheren Expedition. A well-
devised scheme, ruined by the stupidity
of the agent chosen to carry it out.
Lord Castlereagh’s instructions were “to
advance instantly in full force against
Antwerp,” but Lord Chatham wasted
his time and strength in reducing Flush-
ing. Ultimately, the red-tape, “In-
capable” got possession of the island of
Walcheren, but 7,000 men died of ma-
laria, and as many more were perma-
nently disabled. - -
Wal'demar's Way. So the Milky
Way is called in Denmark. This was
Waldemar or Valdemar the Victorious,
who substituted the Danebrog for the
national banner of Denmark. J
"Waldenses
1281 -
Walking Sword
Walden'ses. So called from Peter
Waldo, a citizen of Lyons, who founded
a preaching Society in 1176.
Waldo, a copse between Law'ant and
Goodwood (Sussex). Same as weald.
wold, wald, walt, “a wood.” (Anglo-
Saxon.) The final o is about equivalent
to “the,” as halo, the whole, i.e. health :
Anaeneſſeo, the many—i.e. multitude, etc.
Wales. The older form is Wealhas
(plural of Wealh), an Anglo-Saxon word
denoting foreigners, and applied by them
to the ancient Britons; hence, also,
Corm-wall, the horn occupied by the
same “refugees.” Wälschland is a Ger-
man name for Italy; Valais are the non-
German districts of Switzerland ; the
parts about Liège constitute the Walloon
country. The Welsh proper are Cimbri,
and those driven thither by the Teutonic
invaders were refugees or strangers.
(See WALNUT.) -
Walk (in Hudibras) is Colonel Hew-
son, so called from Gayton's tract.
To walk. This is a remarkable word.
It comes from the Anglo-Saxon wealcan
(to roll); whence wealcere, a fuller of
cloth. In Percy's Reliques we read—
“She cursed the weaver and the walker,
The cloth that they had wrought.”
To walk, therefore, is to roll along, as
tºuchine in felting hats or fulling
ClOLIl.
Wall; Challºs. An ordeal used on
board ship as a test of drunkenness.
Two parallel lines being chalked on the
deck, the supposed delinquent must walk
ºn them without stepping on
€11.Iler.
Walk Spanish. To make a ma/2
walk Spanish is to give him the sack; to
give him his discharge. In 1885 one of
the retired captains in the Trinity House
Establishment said, “If I had to deal
with the fellow, I would soon make him
walk Spanish, I warrant you.”
Walk not in the Public Ways.
The fifth symbol of the Protreptics of
Iamblichus, meaning follow not the
multitude in their evil ways; or, wide is
the path of sin and narrow the path of
virtue, few being those who find it. The
“public way ” is the way of the public
or multitude, but the way of virtue is
personal and separate. The arcana of
Pythagoras were not for the common
people, but only for his chosen or elect
disciples. -- - -
, “Broad is the way that leadeth to destruction,
but narrow is the path of truth and holiness,”
Walk the Plank (7). (See PLANK.)
Walk through One's Part (To). A
theatrical phrase, meaning to repeat
one’s part at rehearsal verbally, but
without dressing for it or acting it. To
do anything appointed you in a listless
indifferent manner.
“A fit of dulness, such as will at times credp
oyer all the professors of the fine arts, arising
either from fatigue or contempt of the present
audience, or that caprice which tempts painters,
musicians, and great actors . . . to walk through
their parts, instead of exerting themselves with
the energy which acquired their fame.”—Sir W.
Scott : Redgaºtºutlet, Chap. Xix.
Walker, a proper name, is gene-
rally supposed to be wealcere, a fuller,
but the derivation of ancient names
from trades is to be received with great.
caution. It is far more probable that
Walker is derived from the old High
German walah, Anglo-Saxon wealh, a
foreigner or borderer; whence Wallack,
Walk, Walkey, Walliker, and many
others. (See BREWER.)
Belen Walker. The prototype of
Jeanie Deans. Sir Walter Scott caused.
a tombstone to be erected over her grave
in the churchyard of Irongray, stewartry
of Kirkcudbright. In 1869 Messrs. A.
and C. Black caused a headstone of red
freestone to be erected in Carlaverock
churchyard to the memory of Robert
Paterson, the Old Mortality of the
same novelist, buried there in 1801.
JHookey Walker. John Walker was an
outdoor clerk at Longman, Clementi,
and Co.'s, Cheapside, and was noted for
his eagle nose, which gained him the
nickname of Old Hookey. Walker’s
office was to keep the workmen to their
work, or report them to the principals.
Of course it was the interest of the em-
ployées to throw discredit on Walker's
reports, and the poor old man was so
badgered and ridiculed that the firm
found it politic to abolish the office ; but
IIookey Walker still means a tale not to
be trusted. (John Bee.)
Walker's 'Bus. To go by Walker’s
'bus, to walk. Similarly, “To go by the
Marrowbone stage,” “To ride Shank's
pony.”
Walking Gentleman (A), in theatri-
cal parlance, means one who has little or
nothing to say, but is expected to deport
himself as a gentleman when before the
lights.
Walking Sword (A). A short, light
sword, when long Swords wielded by two
hands were in use. (See Sir W. Scott's
Abbot, chap. XX.)
81
Walkyries
1282
Walnut . . .
Walkyries. (The). (See VALKYRIES.)
Wall (The), from the Tyne to Boul-
ness, on the Solway Firth, a distance of
eighty miles. Called—
The Roman Wall, because it was the
work of the Romans.
Agricola’s Wall, because Agricola
made the south bank and ditch.
JHadrian’s Wall, because Hadrian
added another vallum and mound paral-
lel to Agricola’s.
The Wall of Sevărus, because Severus
followed in the same line with a stone
wall, having castles and turrets.
The Picts’ Wall, because its object
was to prevent the incursions of the
IPicts. -
The wall of Antoni'mus, now called.
Graeme's Dyke, from Dunglass Castle on
the Clyde to Blackness Castle on the
Forth, was made by Lollius Urbicus,
legate of Antoninus Pius, A.D. 140. It
was a turf wall. -
wall. To give the wall. Nathaniel
Bailey’s explanation of this phrase is
worth perpetuating. He says it is “a
compliment paid to the female sex, or
those to whom one would show respect,
by letting them go nearest the wall or
houses, upon a supposition of its being
the cleanest. This custom,” he adds, “is
chiefly peculiar to England, for in most
parts abroad they will give them the
right hand, though at the same time
they thrust them into the kennel.”
To take the wall. To take the place of
honour, the same as to choose “the
uppermost rooms at feasts.” (Matt. xxiii.
6.) At one time pedestrians gave the
wall to persons of a higher grade in
Society than themselves.
“I will take the wall of any man or maid of
Montague’s.”—Shakespeare: Tºomeo and Juliet, i. 1.
To go to the wall. To be put on one
side; to be shelved. This is in allusion
to another phrase, “Laid by the wall”
—i.e. dead but not buried; put out of
the way.
To hang by the wall. To hang up
neglected ; hence, not to be made use of.
(Shakespeare : Cymbeline, iii. 4.)
Wall-eyed properly means “with-
ered-eyed.” Persons are wall-eyed when
the white is unusually large, and the
sight defective ; hence Shakespeare has
Quall-eyed wrath, wall-eyed slave, etc.
When King John says, “My rage was
blind,” he virtually says his “wrath was
wall-eyed.” (Saxon, hwelan, to wither.
The word is often written whall-eyed, or
whallied, from the verb whally.)
Walls have Ears. The Louvre was
so constructed in the time of Catherine
de Medicis, that what was said in one
room could be distinctly heard in an-
other. It was by this contrivance that
the suspicious queen became acquainted
with state secrets and plots. The tubes
of communication were called the auri-
culaires, and were constructed on the
same principle as those of the con-
fessionals. The “Ear of Dionysius ”
communicated to him every word
uttered in the state prison. (See
SPEAKING HEADS, 9.)
Wallace's Larder.
Wallflower. So called because it
grows on old walls and ruined buildings.
lt is a native plant. Similarly, Atall-
cress, wall-creeper, etc., are plants which
grow on dry, Stony places, or on walls.
H'all-fruit is fruit trained against a
wall. (See WALNUT.)
Herrick has a pretty fancy on the
origin of this flower. A fair damsel was
long kept in durance vile from her lover;
(See LARDER.)
but at last
“Ip she got upon a wall, .
*Tempting down to slide withal ;
Put the silken twist untied, -
SO she fell, and, bruised, she died,
“I love, in pity of the deed,
And her loving luckless speed,
Turned her to this plant we call
NOW the “Flower of the Wall.’” -
Young ladies who sit out against the
wall, not having partners during a dance,
are called “wallflowers.”
Walloons. Part of the great Romaic
stock. They occupied the low track
along the frontiers of the German-
Speaking territory, as Artois, Hainault,
Namur, Liège, Luxemburg, with parts
of Flanders and Brabant. (See WALEs.)
“The Wallons . . . are the Romanised Gauls,
lineal representatives of the ancient Belgæ.”—.
I'mcyclopædia Britamnica, Vol. xxi. p. 332.
Walſlop. To thrash. Sir John
Wallop, in the reign of Henry VIII.,
was sent to Normandy to make repri-
sals, because the French fleet had burnt
Brighton. Sir John burnt twenty-one
towns and villages, demolished several
harbours, and “walloped” the foe to his
heart’s content.
Wallsend Coals. Originally from
Wallsend, on the Tyne, but now from
any part of a large district about New-
castle.
Wal'nut, ſforeign mut]. . It comes
from Persia, and is so called to distin-
guish it from those native to Europe, as
Walnut Tree
hazel, filbert, chestnut. (Anglo-Saxon,
walh, foreign ; hºmºttºſ, nut.)
“Some difficulty there is in cracking the name
thereof. Why wallnuts, having no affinity to a
wall, should be so called. . The truth is, gwal or
wall in, the old Dutch signifieth ‘strange’ or
‘ exotic' (whence Welsh, foreigners) ; these nuts
being, no natives of England or Europe, but
probably first fetched from Persia, and called by
the French mua; persique.”—Puller: Worthies of
I'm gland. -
Walnut Tree. It is said that the
walnut tree thrives best if the nuts are
beaten off with sticks, and not gathered.
Hence Fuller says, “Who, like a nut
tree, must be manured by beating, or
else would not bear fruit ’’ (bk. ii.
ch. 11). The saying is well known
that— .
“A Woman, a Spaniel, and a walnut tree,
The more you beat them the better they be.”
Taylor, the Water-Poet.
Walpurgis Night. The eve of
May Day, when the old pagan witch-
world was supposed to hold high revelry
under its chief on certain high places.
The Brocken of Germany was a favourite
spot for these revelries.
Walpurgis was a female saint con-
cerned in the introduction of Christianity
into Germany. She died February 25th,
779. -
“He changed hands, and whisked and rioted
like a dance of Walpurgis in his lonely brain.”—
J. S. Le Fumu : The House in the Churchyard,
}). 109. .
Walston (St.). A Briton who gave
up all his wealth, and supported himself
By manual husbandry. Patron saint of
husbandmen ; usually depicted with a
scythe in his hand, and cattle in the
background. Died mowing, 1016.
Walter Mu'iton, Abbot of Thornton-
upon-Humber, in Lincolnshire, was
immured in 1443. In 1722, an old wall
being taken down, his remains were
found with a candlestick, table, and
book. Stukeley mentions the fact. In
1845 another instance of the same kind
was discovered at Temple Bruer, in
Tincolnshire.
Waltham Blacks. (See BLACK ACT.)
Walton. An Izaak Walton?. One
devoted to “the gentle craft” of angling.
Izaak Walton wrote a book called The
Complete Angler, or Contemplative Man’s
Ičeereation. (1655.)
* “Gentle '' is a pun. Gentles are
the larvae of flesh-flies used as bait in
angling. -
Walton Bridle (The). The “gos-
‘sip’s or scold’s bridle.” One of these
Bridles is preserved in the vestry of the
church of Walton-on-Thames, Iron
1283.
"Wanderirig Jew
'bars pass round the head, and are fas-
tened by a padlock. In front, a flat
piece of iron projects, and, this piece of
iron being thrust into the mouth, effectu-
ally prevents the utterance of words.
The relic at Walton is dated 1633, and
the donor was a person named Chester,
as appears from the inscription:
“Chester presents Walton with a bridle -
To curb women's tongues that talk too idle.”
* It is also called a “brank.” (Teu-
tonic, pranque, “a bridle.”)
Wam'ba. Son of Witless, and jester
of Cedric “the Saxon,” of Rotherwood.
(Sir Walter Scott : Ivanhoe.)
Wan means thin. (Anglo-Saxon,
wan, “deficient”; our wane, as the
“waning moon.”) As wasting of the
flesh is generally accompanied with a
grey pallor, the idea of leanness has
yielded to that of the sickly hue which
attends it. (Verb wan-ian, to wane.)
Wand. The footman's wand. (See
quide, RUNNING FOOTMEN.)
Wandering Jew. -
(1) Of Greek tradition. Aris'teas, a
poet who continued to appear and dis-
appear alternately for above 400 years,
and who visited all the mythical nations
of the earth. º
(2) Of Jewish story. Tradition says
that Kartaph'ilos, the door-keeper of the
Judgment Hall, in the service of Pontius
Pilate, struck our Lord as he led Him
forth, saying, “Go on faster, Jesus”;
whereupon the Man of Sorrows replied,
“I am going, but thou shalt tarry till
I come again.” (Chronicle of St. Alban’s
Abbey; 1228.) -
... The same Chronicle, continued by Matthew
Pâris, tells us that Kartaphilos was baptized by
Ananias, and received the name Of Joseph. At
the end of every hundred years he falls into a
trance, and wakes up a young man about thirty.
Another legend is that Jesus, pressed
down with the weight of His cross,
stopped to rest at the door of one
Ahasue'rus, a cobbler. The Craftsman
pushed him away, saying, “Get Off!
Away with you, away !” Our Lord re-
plied, “Truly I go away, and that
quickly, but tarry thou till I come.”
Schubert has a poem entitled Ahasuer
(the Wandering Jew). (Paul v07, Eitzen;
1547. *
A. hid legend says that it was Ana-
nias, the cobbler, who haled Jesus before
the judgment seat of Pilate, saying to
IHim, “Faster, Jesus, faster | * -
(3) In Germany the Wandering Jew is
associated with John Buttadaeus, seen
at Antwerp in the thirteenth century,
Wandering Willie
again in the fifteenth, and a third time
in the sixteenth. His last appearance
was in 1774 at Brussels. Signor Gualdi
about the same time made his appear-
ance at Venice, and had a portrait of
himself by Titian, who had been dead at
the time 130 years. One day he dis-
appeared as mysteriously as he had
come. (Turkish Spy, vol. ii.)
(4) The French call the Wandering Jew
Isaac Laquedem, a corruption of Lake'-
dion. (Mitternacht Diss. in Jno. xxi. 19;
1640.)
Wandering Jew. Salathiel ben Sadi,
who appeared and disappeared towards
the close of the sixteenth century, at
Venice, in so sudden a manner as to
attract the notice of all Europe. Croly
in his novel called Salathiel, and Southey
in his Curse of Kehama, trace the course
of the Wandering Jew, but in utter
violation of the general legends. In
Eugène Sue's Le Juif Errant, the Jew
makes no figure of the slightest import-
ance to the tale.
The Wandering Jew. Alexandre Du-
mas wrote a novel called Isaac Laquedem.
Sieur Emmerch relates the legend.
Ed. Grenier has a poem on the sub-
ject, La Mort du Juif Errant, in five
cantos. -
Halévy has an opera on the same
subject, words by Scribe.
Doré has illustrated the legend.
Wandering Willie or Willie Steen-
son. The blind fiddler who tells the tale
of Redgauntlet. (Sir Walter Scott :
Jęedgauntlet.
Wandering Wood, in book i. of
Spenser's Faërie Queene, is where St.
George and Una encounter Error, who
is slain by the knight. Una tries to
persuade the Red Cross knight to leave
the wood, but he is self-willed. Error,
in the form of a serpent, attacks him,
but the knight severs her head from her
body. The idea is that when Piety will
not listen to Una or Truth, it is sure to
get into “Wandering Wood,” where
Error will attack it; but if it listens
then to Truth it will slay Error.
Wans Dyke, Sir Richard Colt Hoare
tells us, was a barrier erected by the
Belgae against the Celts, and served as a
boundary between these tribes, Dr.
Stukeley says the original mound was
added to by the Anglo-Saxons when they
made it the boundary-line of the two
kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex. It was
also used by the Britons as a defence
against the
1284
omans, who attacked them
Ward
from the side of Gloucestershire and
Oxfordshire. .
In its most perfect state it began a
Andover, in Hampshire, ran through the
counties of Berkshire, Wiltshire, and
Somersetshire, and terminated in the
“Severn Sea, ’’ or Bristol Channel. It
was called Wodenes Dyke by the Saxons,
contracted into Wondes-dyke, and cor-
rupted to Wans-dyke, as Wodenes-daeg
is into Wednes-day. (See WAT's DYK.E.)
want or went. A road. Thus “the
four-want way,” the spot where four
roads meet. . Chaucer uses the expression
“a privie went” (private road), etc.
Wants, meaning “gloves.” Accord-
ing to the best Dutch authorities, the
word is a corruption of the French gant,
Italian quanto, our “gauntlets.”
“Wanten are worn by peasants and working
people when the weather is cold. They are in shape
Somewhat like boxing-gloves, having only a
thumb and nº fingers. They are made of a coarse
Yººn stuff.”—Tedimg von Berkhout : Letter from
Teda.
Wantley. (See DRAGON.)
Wa'pentake. A division of York-
shire, similar to that better known as a
h202dred. The word means “touch-
arms,” it being the custom of each vassal,
when he attended the assemblies of the
district, “to touch the spear of his over-
lord in token of homage.” Victor Hugo,
in his novel of L’Homme qui Rit, calls a
tipstaff a “wapentake.” (Anglo-Saxon,
wapen, arms; tacaº, to touch.)
Wapping Great means astonish-
ingly great. (Anglo-Saxon, waſian, to
be astonished ; waftſmºg, amazement.) A
“wapper ‘’is a great falsehood.
War of the Meal-sacks. After the
battle of Beder, Abu Sofian summoned
two hundred fleet horsemen, each with
a sack of meal at his saddle-bow (the
scanty provision of an Arab for a foray),
and sallied forth to Medi'na. Mahomet
went forth at the head of a superior
force to meet him, and Abu Sofian with
his horsemen, throwing off their meal-
sacks, fled with precipitation. -
War of the Roses. (See ROSES.)
Ward. A district under the charge
of a warden. The word is applied to the
subdivisions of Cumberland, Westmore-
land, and Durham, which, being con-
tiguous to 'Scotland, were placed under
the charge of lord wardens of the
marches, whose duty it was to protect
these counties from inroads. (See HUN-
DRED.) -
Ward
1285
"Wassailers
Ward (Artemus).
WARD.)
Ward Money, Ward - penny, Or
Wardage. Money paid for watch and
ward. (Domesday.)
Warden - pie. Pie made of the
Warden pear. Warden pears are so
called from Warden Abbey, Berks, where
they are grown in great profusion.
“Myself with denial I mortify s
With a dainty bit of a Warden-pie."
The Friar of Orders Grey.
Ware. (See BED.)
War'Iock. A wandering evil spirit;
a wizard. (Anglo-Saxon, war-loga, a
deceiver, one who breaks his word.
Satan is called in Scripture “the father
of lies,” the arch-warlock.)
Warm Reception (A). A hot oppo-
sition. Also, a hearty Welcome.
“The Home Rule members are prepared to give
the Coercion Bill a warm reception ; Mr. Parnell's
followers will oppose it tooth and nail.”—News-
puper paragraph, May 19th, 1885. -
Warm as a Bat. Hot as burning
coal. In South Staffordshire that slaty
coal which will not burn, but which lies
in the fire till it becomes red-hot, is
called “bat.”
Warming-pan (A). . One who keeps
a place warm for another, i.e. holds it
temporarily for another. The allusion
is to the custom in public schools of
making a fag warm his “superior’s” bed
by lying in it till the proper occupant
was ready to turn him out.
* If Mr. Mellor took a judgeship, Grantham
might object to become a warming-pan for ann-
bitious lawyers.”— Newspaper paragraph, March
5th, 1886.
Warming-pan.
Warning Stone. Anything that
gives notice of danger. Bakers in Wilt-
shire and some other counties used to
put a “certain pebble’’ in their ovens,
and when the stone turned white it gave
the baker warning that the Oven was hot
enough for his bakings.
Warp (To). A sea term, meaning to
shift the position of a vessel. This is
done by means of a rope called a warp.
Redging is when the warp is bent to a
kedge, which is let go, and the vessel is
hove ahead by the capstan.
r “The potent rod
Qf Amram's son [Moses], in Egypt's eyil day,
Waved round the coast, ull-called a pitchy cloud
Of locusts, warping [shifting about] in the eastern
ind.” Milton : Paradise Lost, i. 338.
*: In Lancashire, warping means lay-
ing eggs; and boys, on finding a bird’s
nest, will ask—“And how many eggs
has she warped P”
(See ARTEMUs
(See JACOBITES.)
Warp and Weft, or Woof. The
“warp ’’ of a fabric are the longitudinal
threads; the “weft” or “woof” are
threads which run from Selvage to sel-
vage. -
“Weave the warp and weave the woof,
The winding-sheet of Edward's race ;
Give annple room and Verge enough
The characters of hell to trace.”
- Gray : The Bard.
Warrior Queen (The).
Queen of the Iceni.
“When the British warrior queen,
Bleeding from the Roman rods,
Sought, With an indignant mien,
Counsel of her Country's gods. . . .”
Cowper: Boadiced.
The Iceni were the faithful allies of
Rome; but, on the death of Prasutagus,
king of that tribe, the Roman procurator
took possession of the kingdom of Prasu-
tagus; and when the widow Boadicea.
complained thereof, the procurator had
her beaten with rods like a slave.
Warwick. (Anglo-Saxon, war-wie,
contracted from wa)'ing-wic (the forti-
fied or garrisoned town). A translation
of the ancient British name Caer Leon.
Warwick Lane (City). The site of
a magnificent house belonging to the
famed Beauchamps, Earls of Warwick.
Warwolf. (See WERwoDF.)
Washed Out (I am thoroughly). I
am thoroughly exhausted or done up ; I
have no strength or spirit left in me.
Washing. Wash your dirty linen at
home (French). The French say the
English do not follow the advice of
washing their dirty linen en famille—
meaning that they talk openly and
freely of the faults committed by min-
isters, corporations, and individuals. All
may see their dirty linen; and as for its
washing, let it be but washed, and the
English care not who has the doing of
it. Horace (2 Ep., i. 220) says, “Wine'ta.
egomet cædam mea’’ (I do my own wash-
ing at home). Though the French assert
that we disregard this advice, we have
the familiar proverb, “It is an ill bird
that fouls its own nest.”
Washington of Columbia.
Bolivar (1785-1831).
Was'sail (2 syl.). A salutation used
on New Year's Eve and New Year's
Day over the spiced-ale cup, hence
called the “wassail bowl.” (Anglo-
Saxon, Waes hal, be whole, be well.)
Wassailers. Those who join a was-
sail; revellers, drunkards.
“I should be loath .
To meet the rudeness and Swilled insolence
Of such late wassailers.”
Milton : Comus (The Lady).
Boadicea,
Simon
Wastlers.
1286
TWater
Wastlers. Wandering musicians ;
from wastle, to wander. The carol-
singers in Sussex are called wastlers.
Wat. A familiar name for a hare.
“By this, poor Wat, far off upon a hill, .
Stands on his hinder legs, With listening eal'.”
Shakespeare : Ventus and Ad mis.
Wat's Dyke (Flintshire). A corrup-
tion of Wato's Dyke. Wato was the
father of Weland, the Vulcan of North-
ern mythology, and the son of King
Wilkinr by a mermaid. This dyke ex-
tends from the vicinity of Basingwerk
Abbey, in a south - easterly direction,
into Denbighshire. The space between
it and Offa's Dyke, which in some parts
is three miles, and in others not above
500 yards, is neutral ground, “where
Britons, Danes, and Saxons met for com-
mercial purposes.” (See WAN's DYK.E.)
“There is a famous thing -
Called Offa's Dyke, that reacheth far in length.
All kinds of ware the Danes might thither bring :
It was free ground, and called the Briton’s
strength... -
Wat's Dyke, Jikewise, about the same was set,
Between which two both Danes and Britons met,
And traffic Still. -
Churchyard : Worthimess of Wales (1587).
Wateh Night. December 31st, to see
the Old Year out and the New Year in
by a religious service. John Wesley
grafted it on the religious system, but
it has been followed by most Christian
communities.
“Southey in his biography of the evangelist
(Wesley) denounces watch-night, as another of
Wesley's objectional,le institutions.”—Notting-
ham Guardiam, January 1, 1895, p. 5.
Watch on Board Ship.
two sorts of watch—the long watch of
four hours, and the dog watch of two,
from 4 to 6; but strictly speaking a watch
means four hours. The dog watches are
introduced to prevent one party always
keeping watch at the same time. (See
Wolf, Between dog and wolf, Dog-
WATCH.)
2 to t p.m. Aftern OOn Watch.
}
4 tº O , First dog-watch.
6 to 8 , Second dog-Watch.
8 to 12 , First night watch.
I2 to 4 a.m. Middle watch.
4 t O S Morning watch.
8 to 12 . Forenoon watch.
There are two divisions which perform duty
alternately— the starboard watch and the port
watch. The former is called the captain's watch
in the merchant service, often under the com-
mand of the second mate ; the port watch is
under the colnılıhand of the fil'St hate.
The Black Watch. The gallant 42nd,
linked with the 73rd, now called the
Royal Highlanders. The 42nd was the
first corps raised for the royal Service in
the Highlands. Their tart'an (1729)
consisted of dark blue and dark green,
and was called black, from the contrast,
There are
which their dark tartans furnished to the
Scarlet and white of the other regiments.
Watch'et. Sky-blue. (Anglo-Saxon,
waadchet, probably dye of the woad
plant.) - -
Water. (See DANCING WATER.)
The Father of Waters. The Missis-
sippi (Indian, Miche Sepe), the chief
river of North America. The Missouri
is its child. The Irrawaddy is so called
also.
Water. Blood thicker than, water.
(See under BLOOD.)
Court holy water. Fair but empty
words. In French, “Eaſt bänite de colºr.”
In deep water. In difficulties; in great
perplexity. .
It makes my mouth water. It is very
alluring ; it makes me long for it.
Saliva is excited in the mouth by strong
desire. The French have the same
phrase: “Cela fait venir l'eau d la
bouche.”
More water glideth by the mill than
acots the miller of (Titus Andronicus, ii.
1). The Scotch say, “Mickle, water
goes by the miller when he sleeps.”
(See atnder MILLER.)
O'er muckle water drowned the miller.
(See DROWN THE MILLER.) The weaver,
in fact, is hanged in his own yarn. The
French say, “Un embarras de richesse.”
Of the first water. Of the highest
type ; very excellent. (See atnder DIA-
MOND.) .
Smooth water runs deep. Deep thinkers
are persons of few words; barking dogs
do not bite. There are two or three
French proverbs of somewhat similar
meaning. For example : “Jºn eau en-
dormie point me so fe; ” again, “L’eart
qui dort est pira qate celle gºti court.”
A calm exterior is far more to be feared
than a tongue-doughty Bobadil.
The modest wate) saw its God and
Ö/us/ed. The allusion is to Christ’s
turning water into wine at the marriage
feast. Richard Crashaw (1670) wrote
the Latin epigram in pentameter verse.
“Nympha pudica Deum widit et eru buit.”
To back water. To row backwards in
order to reverse the forward motion of a
boat in rowing.
To carry water to the river. . To carry
coals to Newcastle. In French, “Porter
de l’eau & la rivière.”
To fish in troubled water. The French
saying is, “ Pécher en eau troublé,”, i.e.
“ profiter des époques de trouble et de
révolution pour faire ses affaires et 84
fortune. (Hilaire Le Gai.)
"Water
1287
Watling Street
To hold water. That won’t hold water.
That is not correct ; it is not tenable.
It is a vessel which leaks.
To keep one's head above water. To
remain out of debt. When immersed in
water, while the head is out of water,
one is not drowned. -
To throw cold water on a scheme. To
discourage the proposal; to speak of it.
slightingly.
Water. The coldest water Jenown.
Çolder than the water of Nonacris
(Pliny, xiii. 2).
Colder than the water of Dircé. “Dirce
et Neme fontes sunt frigidissimi astate,
inter Bilbilim et Segobregam, in ripa fero
Salonis amnis.” (Martial.)
Colder than the water of Dircenna.
(Martial, i. 51.)
Colder than the Conthoporian Spring
of Corinth, that froze up the gastric
juices of those that sipped it.
Water-gali. The dark rim round
the eyes after much weeping. . A pecu-
liar appearance in a rainbow which indi-
cates more rain at hand. “Gall” is the
Anglo-Saxon gealew (yellow).
“And round about her tear-distainëd eye
Blue circles streamed, like rainbows in the sky ;
These Watergalls. . . foretell new storms.”
Shakespeare : Rape of Litch'63e.
Water-hole. The big water-hole.
The bed of the sea ; the ocean.
“We’ve got to the big, water-hole at last . . .
'Tis a long way across.”—Bold rewood: Robbery
7tmºder Arms, clap. xii.
Water-logged. Rendered immov-
able by too much water in the hold.
When a ship leaks and is water-logged,
it will not make any progress, but is
like a log on the Sea, tossed and sta-
tionary.
Water-Poet. John Taylor, the
Thames waterman. (1580–1654.)
“I must confess I do want eloquence,
And never Scarce did learn my accidence,
For having got from “possum to “posset,'
I there was gravelled, nor could farther get.”
Taylor the Water-Poct.
Water-sky (A), in Arctic naviga-
tion, is a dark or brown sky, indicating
an open Sea. An ice-sky is a white one,
or a sky tinted with orange or rose-
colour, indicative of a frozen sea. (See
ICE-BLINK.)
Water Stock (To). To add extra
shares. Suppose a “trust” (q.v.) consists
of 1,000 shares of £50 each, and the profit
available for dividend is 40 per cent.,
the managers “water the stock,” that
is, add another 1,000 fully paid-up shares
to the original 1,000. There are now
2,000 shares, and the dividend, instead
of £40 per cent., is reduced to £20; but
the shares are more easily sold, and the
shareholders are increased in number.
Water of Jealousy (The). If a
woman was known to commit adultery
she was to be stoned to death, according
to the Mosaic law. (Deut. xxii. 22.) If,
however, the husband had no proof, but
only suspected his wife of infidelity, he
might take her before the Sanhedrim to
be examined, and if she denied it, she
was given the “water of jealousy ''
to drink (Numb. v. 11–29). In this
water some of the dust of the sanctuary
was mixed, and the priest said to the
woman, “If thou hast gone aside may
Jehovah make this water bitter to thee,
and bring on thee all the curses written
in this law.” The priest then wrote on
a roll the curses, blotted the writing
with the water, gave it to the woman,
and then handed to her the “water
of jealousy.'” to drink.
Water Tasting like Wine. Pliny
(ii. 103) tells us of a fountain in the Isle
of Andros, in the temple of Bacchus,
which every year, on January 5th, tasted
like wine.
Baccius de Thermis (vi. 22) gives
numerous examples of similar vinous
Springs.
In Lanternland there was a fountain
in the middle of the temple, the water of
which had the flavour of the wine which
the drinker most liked. (Rabelais : Pan-
tagruel, v. 42.) -
Waters (Sanitary).
For anaemia, Schwalbach, St. Moritz. .
articular rheumatisni, Aix IeS Bains.
, asthma, Mont Dore.
atonic gout, Royat.
biliary O))structions, Carlsbad. º
calculous disorders, Vichy and Contrexéville.
diabetes, Neuenahr and Carlsbad,
, gout, Aix leS Bains, -
gouty and catarrhal dyspepsia, Homburg and
gell.
obesity, Marienbad.
plethoric gout, Carlsbad. . .
scrofulous glandular affections, Kreuznacº.
skin diseases, Aix la Chapelle and Constadt.
... throat affections, La Bourbonne, Aix-les-
Bains, Uriage, Auterets, Eaux Bonnes.
Waterloo Cup (The). A dog prize.
Waterloo is on the banks of the Mersey,
about three miles north of Liverpool.
Waterworks (The). The shedding
of tears. Many other meanings also.
“‘Oh, miss, I never thought to have seen this
day,” and the WaterWorks began to play.” —
Thatcleeray.
Watling Street. A road extending
east and west across South Britain. Be-
ginning at Dover, it ran through Can-
terbury to London, and thence to Cardi-
gan. The word is a corruption of
:w
3.
:
:
Watteau
Vitellina strata, the paved road of Vitel-
lius, called by the Britons Guet'alin.
Poetically the “Milky Way” has been
called the Watling Street of the sky.
“Secunda, via principalis dicitur Wateling-
streate, tendens ab euro-austro in Zephyrum sep-
tentrionalem, Incipit. . . . a Dovaria. . . . usque
Cardigan.”—Leland.
Watteau. “Peintre de fêtes galantes
(1684-1721.)
Wave. The ninth wave. A notion
prevails that the waves keep increasing
in regular series till themaximum arrives,
and then the Series begins again. No
doubt when two waves coalesce they
form a large One, but this does not occur
at fixed intervals. The most common
theory is that the tenth wave is the
largest, but Tennyson says the ninth.
- - “And then the two
Dropt to the cove, and Watch'd the great sea fall,
Wave after waye, each mightier than the last,
Till last, a ninth one, gathering half the deep
And full of Voices, Slowly rose and plunged
IRoaring, and all the Wave Was in a flame.”
Tennyson : The IIoly Grail.
Wax-bond End (A). A thread
waxed with cobbler’s wax and used for
binding whips, fishing-rods, ropes, etc.,
for sewing boots and shoes, etc. It is
waaced and used for a bond.
Way-bit. A Yorkshire way-bit. A
large overplus. Aska Yorkshireman the
distance of any place, and he will reply
so many miles and a way-bit (wee-bit);
put the way-bit will prove a frightful
length to the traveller who imagines it
means only a little bit over. The High-
landers say, “A mile and a bittock,”
which means about two miles.
du roi.”
Ways and Means. A parliamentary
term, meaning the method of raising the
supply of money for the current require-
ments of the state.
Wayfaring Tree (The). The Guel-
der rose (q.v.).
“Wayfaring Tree What ancient claim
Hast thou to that right pleasant name 2
Was it that Solne faint pilgrim Callne
Tjnhopedly to thee,
In the brown desert's weary way,
"Midst thirst and toil's consuming Sway,
And there, as 'neath thy shade he lay,
Blessed the Wayfaring Tree ? “ W. H.
Wayland, the Scandinavian Vulcan,
was son of the sea-giant Wate, and the
sea-nymph Wac-hilt. He was bound
apprentice to Mimi the Smith. King
. Nidung cut the sinews of his feet, and
cast him into prison, but he escaped in a
feather-boat. (Anglo-Saxon weallan, to
fabricate.) • - - - -
1288
"Weak as Water
Wayland Smith's Cave. A crom-
lech near Lambourn, Berkshire. Scott,
in his Kenilworth (chap. xiii.), says,
“Here lived a supernatural smith, who
would shoe a traveller's horse for a ‘con-
sideration.’. His fee was sixpence, and if
more was offered him he was offended.”
Wayland Wood (near Watton, Nor-
folk), said to be the scene of the Babes
in the Wood, and a corruption of “Wail-
ing Wood.” - -
Wayleaves. Right of way through
private property for the laying of water-
pipes and making of Sewers, etc., pro-
vided that only the surface-soil is util-
ised by the proprietor.
“Mr. Woods made an attempt to get the House
of Commons to commit itself to the proposition :
That the present system of royalty rents and
Wayleaves is injurious to the great industries.”—
Liberty I'eview, Alpril 14th, 1894, p. 307. -
W a y z g o ose. An entertainment
given to journeymen, or provided by the
journeymen themselves. It is mainly a
printers’ affair, which literary men and
commercial staffs may attend by invi-
tation or sufferance. The word wayz
means a “bundle of straw,” and wayz-
goose a “'stubble goose,” properly the
crowning dish of the entertainment. The
Dutch wasseſ, means “to wax fat.” The
Latin amser sigatum. (See BEANFEAST,
HARVEST GoosB.)
“In the midlands and north of Dngland, every
newspaper has its WayZgoOSe.”—The Pall Mall
Gazette, June 26th, 1894.
We. Coke, in the Institutes, says the
first king that wrote we in his grants was
King John. All the kings before him
wrote ego (I). This is not correct, as
Richard Lion-heart adopted the royal
we. (See Rymer’s Foedera.)
We Three. Did you never see the
picture of “We Three " ? asks Sir Andrew
Aguedheek—not meaning himself, Sir
Toby Belch, and the clown, but referring
to a public-house sign of Two Logger-
heads, with the inscription, “We three
loggerheads be,” the third being the
spectator.
We Left Our Country for Our
Country's Good. We are transported
convicts. The line occurs in a prologue
written by George Barrington (a notori-
ous pickpocket) for the opening of the
first playhouse at Sydney, in Australia,
16th January, 1796.
“True patriots we, for be it understood,
We left our country for Our country's good.”
weak as Water. (See SIMILES.)
Weak-kneed
Weak-lºneed Christian Or Poli-
tician (A). Irresolute; not thorough ;
a Laodicean, neither hot nor cold.
“If any weak-kneed Churchman, now hesitating
between his [political] party and his Church, is
trying to persuade himself that no mischief is in
the air, let him take warning.”—Newspaper para-
graph, October 16th, 1885.
Weap'on Salve. A salve said to
cure wounds by sympathy. The salve is
not applied to the wound, but to the
instrument which gave the wound. The
direction “Bind the wound and grease
the nail’’ is still common when a wound
has been given by a rusty nail. Sir
ICenelm Digby says the salve is sympa-
thetic, and quotes several instances to
prove that “as the sword is treated the
wound inflicted by it feels. Thus, if the
instrument is kept wet, the wound will
feel cool; if held to the fire, it will feel
hot; ” etc.
“But she has ta'en the broken lance,
And washed it from the clotted gore,
-- And Salved the Splinter o'er and o'er.”.
Sir Walter Scott: Lay of the Last Minstrel, iii. 23.
‘... If grease must be used to satisfy the ignor-
ant, , it can do no harm on the rusty nail, but
Would certainly be hal'nïful. On the WOund itself.
Wear. Never wear the image of Deity
in a ring. So Pythagoras taught his
disciples, and Moses directed that the
Jews should make no image of God.
Both meant to teach their disciples that
God is incorporeal, and not to be likened
to any created form. (See Iamblichus :
Protreptics, symbol xxiv.)
Never wear a brown hat inz Friesland.
(See HAT.)
To wear the wooden sword. (See
WooDEN.)
To wear the willow. (See WILLow.)
To wear one’s heart ſport one’s sleeve.
(See under HEART.)
Wease1. Weasels suck eggs.
Shakespeare—
“The weazel Scot e
Comes sneaking, and so sucks the princely egg.”
Henry V., i. 2.
“I can suck melancholy out of a song, as a
Weazel sucks eggs.”—As You Like It, ii. 5.
To catch a weasel asleep. To expect to
find a very vigilant person nodding, off
his guard; to suppose that one who has
his weather-eye open cannot see what is
passing before him. The French say,
Croir avoir trouvé la pie au mid (To ex-
pect to find the pie on its nest). The
vigilant habits of these animals explain
the allusions.
Weather Breeder (A). A day of
unusual fineness coming suddenly after
a series of damp dull ones, especially at
the time of the year when such a genial
Hence
1289 Wedding Anniversaries
day is not looked for. Such a day is
generally followed by foul weather.
Weather-cock. By a Papal enact-
ment made in the middle of the ninth
century, the figure of a cock was set up
on every church-steeple as the emblem
of St. Peter. The emblem is in allusion
to his denial of our Lord thrice before
the cock crew twice. On the second
crowing of the cock the warning of his
Master flashed across his memory, and
the repentant apostle “went out and
wept bitterly.”
Weather-eye. I have my weather-
eye open. I have my wits about me; I
know what I am after. The weather-
eye is towards the wind to forecast the
weather.
Weather-gage. To get the weather-
gage of a person. To get the advantage
over him. A ship is said to have the
weather-gage of another when it has got
to the windward thereof.
* Were the line
Of Rokeby once combined with mine,
I gain the Weather-gage of fate.”
Sir Walter Scott: Rokeby.
Weather-glass (The Peasant’s) or
“Poor man’s warning.” The scarlet
pimpernel, which closes its petals at the
approach of rain.
“Closed is the pink-eyed pimpermel :
'Twill surely rain ; I see with sorrow,
Our jaunt must be put off to-morrow.”
I)?". Jem?le)".
Web of Life. The destiny of an
individual from the cradle to the grave.
The allusion is to the three Fates who,
according to Roman mythology, spin
the thread of life, the pattern being the
events which are to occur.
Wed is Anglo-Saxon, and means a
pledge. The ring is the pledge given by
the man to avouch that he will perform
his part of the contract.
Wedding Anniversaries.
The 5th anniversary is called the
Wooden wedding,
The 10th anniversary is called the
Tin wedding,
The 15th anniversary is called the
Crystal wedding,
The 20th anniversary is
China wedding,
The 25th anniversary is
Silver wedding,
The 50th anniversary is called the
Golden wedding,
The 60th anniversary is called the
Diamond wedding. From the nature of
the gifts suitable for each respective
anniversary.
called the
called the
Wedding Finger I
O
Aſ
90
Well of St. Keyne
Wedding Finger. Macrobius says
the thumb is too busy to be set apart,
the forefinger and little finger are only
half protected, the middle finger is called
oned'icits, and is too opprobrious for the
purpose of honour, so the only finger left
is the promiibus or wedding finger. (See
RING, FINGERS.)
Wedding Knives. Undoubtedly,
one knife or more than one was in
Chaucer’s time part of a bride's para-
phernalia. Allusions to this custom are
very numerous.
“See, at Iny girdle hang my wedding knives.”
Delcker : Match Me in London (1631).
Wednesday. Woden-es or Odin-es
Day, called by the French “Mercredi”
(Mercury’s Day). The Persians regard
it as a “red-letter day,” because the
moon was created on the fourth day.
(Genesis iv. 14-19.)
'." But the last Wednesday of November is
called “ Black Wednesday.”
Weed of Worcester (The)... The
elm, which is very common indeed in the
county. -
Weeds. . Widow’s weeds. (Anglo-
Saxon, wad, a garment.) There are the
compounds wad-brée (breeches or gar-
ment for the breech), wadless (naked or
without clothing), and so on. Spenser
speaks of -
“A goodly lady clad in hunter's weed."
Weeping Brides. A notion long
prevailed in this country that it augured
ill for a matrimonial alliance if the bride
did not weep profusely at the wedding.
As no witch could shed more than
three tears, and those from her left eye
only, a copious flow of tears gave assur-
ance to the husband that the lady had
not “plighted her troth’’ to Satan, and
was no witch.
Weeping Cross. To go by Weeping
Cross. To repent, to grieve. In ancient
times weeping crosses were crosses where
penitents offered their devotions. In
Stafford there is a weeping cross.
“Few men have wedded . . . their paramours
. . . but have come home by Weeping Cross.”—
I'lorio : Montaigme.
Weeping Philosopher. Heracli'tos.
So called because he grieved at the folly
of man. (Flourished B.C. 500.)
Weeping Saint (The). St. Swithin.
So called from the tradition of forty
days’ rain, if it rains on July 15th.
Weigh Anchor. Be off, get you
gone. To weigh anchor is to lift it from
its moorings, so that the ship may start
on her voyage. As soon as this is done
the ship is tender-weigh—i.e. in move-
ment. (Saxon, wagam, to lift up, carry.)
“Get off with you ; come, come weigh anchor.”
—Sir W. Scott : The Antiquary.
Weighed in the Balance, and
found Wanting. The custom of weigh-
ing the Maharajah of Travancore in a
Scale against gold coin is still in use, and
is called Talabbaram. The gold is heaped
up till the Maharajah rises well in the
air. The priests chant their Vedic
hymns, the Maharajah is adored, and
the gold is distributed among some 15,000
Brahmins, more or less. .*
Weight. A dead weight. (See DEAD.)
Weight-for-age Race (A). A sort
of handicap (q.v.), but the weights are
apportioned according to certain con-
ditions, and not according to the dictum
of a “capper.” Horses of the same age
carry similar weights cateris paribus.
(See SELLING - RACE, PLATE, SWEEP-
STAKES.)
Weissnichtwo (vice-meecht-vo). I
know not where; Utopia; Kennaquhair;
an imaginary place in Carlyle’s Sartor
Jęesartus. (See UTOPIA.)
Welcher. (See WELSHER.)
Weld or Wold. The dyer's-weed
(resåda luteåla), which yields a beautiful
yellow dye. (Anglo-Saxon, geld or gold,
our yellow, etc.)
Well Begun is Half Done.
beginning is half the whole.”
“The
(Pytha-
goras.)
JFrench : “Pſeureux commencement
est la moitié de l'oeuvre.” “Ce n'est
que le premier pas quicoſite.”
Latin : “Incipe dimidium
coepisse.” (Attsonius.)
“Dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet.”
O?’ſ!Cé.
“Facilius estincitare currentem, quam
commovere languentem.” (Cicero.)
Well-beloved. Charles VI. Of
France, le Bien-aimé. (1368, 1380–1422.)
Well-founded Doctor. Ægid’ius
de Columna. (*-1316.)
Well of English Undefiled. So
Geoffrey Chaucer is spoken of by
Spenser in the Faërie Queene, iv. 2.
(1328-1400.)
Well of St. Keyne [Cornwall]. The
reputed virtue of this well is that which-
ever of a married pair first drinks its
waters will be the paramount power of
the house. Southey has a ballad on the
subject. The gentleman left the bride
facti est
Well of Sannaria,
1291
Werwolf
at the church door, but the lady took a -
bottle of the water to church.
Well of Samaria, now
Mablºs, is seventy-five feet deep.
Weil of Wisdom. This was the
well under the protection of the god Mi-
mir (q.v.). Odin, by drinking thereof,
became the wisest of all beings. (Scan-
dinavian mythology.) -
Wells (Somersetshire).
from St. Andrew’s Well.
Weiler (Sam). Pickwick’s factotum.
Iſis wit, fidelity, archness, and wide-
awakedness are inimitable. (Dickens :
l'ick, pick Papers.)
Tony IP'eller. Father of Sam. Type
of the old stage-coachman; portly in
size, and dressed in a broad-brimmed
hat, great-coat of many capes, and top-
boots. His stage-coach was his castle,
and elsewhere he was as green as a
Sailor on terra firma. (Dickens : Pick-
wick Papers.)
Wellington. Arthur JPellesley, Duke
of Wellington, called “The Iron Duke,”
from his iron constitution and iron will.
(1769-1852.)
JWellington’s horse, Copenhagen. (Died
called
So call; d.
at the age of twenty-seven.) (See
HoRSE.)
Le Wellington des Jonteurs. Lord
Rivers was so called in Paris.
..“ Le Wellington des Joueurs lost £23,000 at a
Sitting, beginning at twelve at night, and ending
ilt, Şeven the following morning.” — I'd imburgh,
Review, July, 1844.
Welsh Ambassador (The). The
cuckoo. Togan, in his poem To the
Cuckoo ... calls it the “messenger of
Spring ”; but the Welsh ambassador
means, that the bird announces the
migration of Welsh labourers into
England for summer employment.
“Why, thoſi rogue of uniyersality, do I not
know, thee? This sound is like the cuckoo, the
Welsh all hasgador.”—Dam pet: A Trick; to Catch the
O'd One, iv. 5.
Welsh Main. Same as a ‘‘ battle
royal.” (See BATTLE.)
Welsh Mortgage (A). A pledge of
land in which no day is fixed for re-
demption. -
Welsh Rabbit. Cheese melted and
spread over buttered toast. The word
rabbit is a corruption of rare-bit.
“The Welshman he loved toasted cheese,
Which made his mouth like a mouse-trap."
!!’hen Good King Anth ur Ruled the Land.
Welsh 'er. One who lays a bet, but
absconds if he loses. It means a Welsh-
man, and is based upon the nursery
rhyme, “Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy
was a thief.” -
Wench (A) is the Anglo-Saxon word
wenele, a child. It is now chiefly
used derogatorily, and the word ºpench-
ăng is quite offensive. In the Midland
counties, when a peasant addresses his
wife as “my wench,” he expresses
endearment.
Wench, like girl, was at one time applied
to either sex. Chaucer has “yonge-girls” for
youngsters, of both sexes. We find the phrase
knave-girl” used for boys; and Isaac, in the
Ormultim, is called a wench or wenchel. Simi-
larly, “maid” is applied to both sexes, hence
the compound ºnceden-foºmme, a female child or
lmaiden. -
Wer'ner, alias Iſruitzner, alias Count
Siegendorf. Being driven from the do-
minion of his father, he wandered about
as a beggar for twelve years. Count
Stral'enheim, being the next heir, hunted
him from place to place. At length
Stral'enheim, travelling through Silesia,
was rescued from the Oder by Ulric, and
lodged in an old palace where Werner
had been lodging for some few days.
Werner robbed Stral'enheim of a rouleau
of gold, but Scarcely had he done so when
he recognised in Ulric his lost son, and
chid him for saving the count. Ulric
murdered Stral'enheim, and provided for
his father's escape to Siegendorf castle,
near Prague. Werner recovered his do-
minion, but found that his son was a
murderer, and imagination is left to fill
up the future fate of both father and
son. (Byron : Werner.)
Wer'ther. The sentimental hero of
Goethe's romance called The Sorrows of
JVe)"the".
Werwolf (French, loup-garoº). A
bogie who roams about devouring in-
fants, sometimes under the form of a
man, sometimes as a wolf followed by
dogs, Sometimes as a white dog, some-
times, as a black goat, and occasionally
invisible. Its skin is bullet-proof, unless
the bullet has been blessed in a chapel
dedicated to St. Hubert. This super-
Stition was once common to almost all
Europe, and still lingers in Brittany,
Limousin, Auvergne, Servia, Wallachia,
and White I&ussia. In the fifteenth cen-
tury a council of theologians, convoked
by , the Emperor Sigismund, gravely
decided that the loup-garow was a
reality. It is somewhat curious that we
Say a “bug-bear,” and the French a
“bug-wolf.” (“Wer-wolf” is Anglo-
Saxon wer, a man, and wolf—a man in the
Semblance of a wolf. “Gar” of gay-out
Wesleyan
1292
wharton
is wer or war, a man ; and “ou,” a
corruption of ore, an ogre.)
† Ovid tells the story of Lycaon,
Ring of Arcadia, turned into a wolf
because he tested the divinity of Jupiter
by serving up to him a “hash of human
flesh.”
Herodotus describes the Neuri as sor-
cerers, who had the power of assuming
once a year the shape of wolves.
Pliny relates that one of the family of
Antaeus was chosen annually, by lot, to
be transformed into a wolf, in which
shape he continued for nine years.
St. Patrick, we are told, converted
Wereticus, Ring of Wales, into a wolf.
Wesleyan. A follower of John
Wesley (1703–1791), founder of the Wes-
leyan Methodists.
Wessex, or West Saxon Kingdom,
included Hants, Dorset, Wilts, Somerset,
Surrey, Gloucestershire, and Bucks.
Westmoreland [Land of the West
Moors]. Geoffrey of Monmouth says (iv.
17) that Mar or Ma'rius, son of Arvir'-
agus, one of the descendants of Brutus
the Trojan wanderer, killed Rodric, a
Pict, and set up a monument of his vic-
tory in a place which he called “West-
mar-land,” and the chronicler adds that
the “inscription of this stone remains to
this day.” (Saxon, West-moring-land.)
Wet. To have a wet. To have a drink.
Wet-bob and Dry-bob. At Eton
a wet-bob is a boy who goes in for
boating, but a dry-bob is one who goes
in for cricket.
Wet Finger (With a), easily, directly.
“D’ºrº tour de main.” The allusion is
to the old custom of spinning, in which
the spinner constantly wetted the fore-
finger with the mouth.
“I can bring myself round with a wet finger.”—
Sir W. Scott: Iłedgaumtlet, chap. XXiii. (and in
many other places).
“The spirit being grieved and provoked. . . . . .
will not return again with a wet finger.”—Gowge:
Whole Armour of God, p. 458 (1616).
- “I can find º
One with a wet ſinger that is stark blind.”
Trial of Love and Fortume (1598).
Flores. “Canst thou bring me thither ?
I’easant. With a wet ſinger.”
Wisdo?7). of Đì. Dodypoll (1600).
Wetherell (Elizabeth). A pseudo-
nym adopted by Miss Susan Warner, an
American writer, author of The JWide
JWide World, and other works,
Wexford Bridge Massacre. In
the great Irish Rebellion of 1798, May
25th, some 14,000 Irish insurgents at-
tacked Wexford, defeated the garrison,
put to death all those taken prisoners,
and on the 30th frightened the town
into a surrender. They treated the Pro-
testants with the utmost barbarity, and,
after taking Enniscorthy, encamped on
Vinegar Hill (q.v.). en informed
that Wexford was retaken by the Eng-
lish, the insurgents massacred about a
tººd Protestant prisoners in cold
OOCl.
weyd-monat. The Anglo-Saxon
name for June, “because the beasts did
then weyd in the meadow, that is to say,
go and feed there.” (Perstegan.)
Whale.
mammal.
A group of whales is called a Scluool.
The fat is called blubber.
The female is called a cow.
Not a fish, but a cetaceous
The fore-limbs are called paddles.
The male is called a bull-whale. .
The spear used in whale-fishing is called a
hal'p ()()n.
The young of whales is a cub or calf.
TOOTHED-WIIALES include
whales and dolphins.
WHALE-BONE WHALES include ror-
quals and humpbacks.
Whale. Very like a whale. Very
much like a cock-and-bull story; a
fudge. Hamlet chaffs Polo'nius by com-
paring a cloud to a camel, and then to a
weasel, and when the courtier assents
Hamlet adds, “Or like a whale”; to
which Polonius answers, “Very like a
whale.” (Act iii. 2.)
Whalebone (2 syl.). White as
Qwhaleb07te. Our forefathers seemed to
confuse the walrus with the whale ;
ivory was made from the teeth of the
walrus, and “white as whalebone” is
really a blunder for “white as walrus-
ivory.”
Wharncliffe (2 syl.). A Wharncliffe
meeting is a meeting of the shareholders
of a railway company, called for the
purpose of obtaining their assent to a
bill in Parliament bearing on the com-
pany’s railway. So called from Lord
Wharncliffe, its originator. -
Wharton. Philip Wharton, Duke of
Northumberland, described by Pope in
the Moral Essays in the lines begin-
ning— -
“Wharton, the scorn and wonder of our days.”
sperm-
A most brilliant orator, but so licentious
that he wasted his patrimony in drunk-
enness and self-indulgence. ... He was
outlawed for treason, and died in a
wretched condition at a Bernardine con-
vent in Catalonia, (1698-1731.) -
"What we Gave
What we Gave we Have, What
we Spent we Had, What we Had
We Lost. Fº of the Good Earl of
Courtenay. (Gibbon : History of the
Courtenay Family.)
The epitaph in St. George's church,
Doncaster, runs thus:
“How now, who is here?
I, Robin of Doncastere
And Margaret, my feere.
That I spent, that I had ;
That I gave, that I have ;
That I left, that I lost.”
This is a free translation of Martial’s
distich—
“Extra fortunam est quidquid donatur amicis
Quas dederis, Solas Seiuper habelxis opes.”
What's What. He knows what’s
what. He is a shrewd fellow not to be
imposed on. One of the senseless ques-
tions of logic was “Quid est quid 2 ”
“He knew what's what, and that's as high
As metaphysic wit can fly.” -
Butler : IIudibrats, part i. Canto 1.
Whately, Archbishop of Dublin,
nicknamed at Oxford “the White
Bear” (White from his white overcoat,
and Bear from the rude, unceremonious
way in which he would trample upon
an adversary in argument). (1787-1863.)
Wheal or Hºtel means a tin-mine.
(Cornwall.) -
Wheatear (the bird) has no connec-
tion with either wheat or ear, but it is the
Anglo-Saxon hwit (white), ears (rump).
Sometimes called the White-rump, and
in French blanculet (the little blanc-
cul). So called from its white rump.
Wheel. Emblematical of St. Catha-
rine, who was put to death on a wheel
somewhat resembling a chaff-cutter.
St. Dona’tus bears a wheel set round
with lights.
St. Euphemia and St. Willigis both
carry wheels.
St. Quintin is sometimes represented
with a broken wheel at his feet.
To put one’s spoke into another man’s
wheel. (See under SPOKE.)
Wheel of Fortune (The). Fortuna,
the goddess, is represented on ancient
monuments with a wheel in her hand,
emblematical of her inconstancy.
“Though Fortune's malice overthrow my state,
My mind exceeds the compass of her wheel.”
Shakespectre : 3 Henry VI., iv. 3.
Whelps. Fifth-rate men of war.
Thus, in Howell’s letters we read, “At
the return of this fleet two of the whelps
were cast away ”; and in the Travels
of Sir W. Brereton we read, “I went
aboard one of the king’s ships, called the
ninth whelp, which is . . . . . 215 ton and
1293
Whip
tonnage in king's books.” In Queen
Jºlizabeth's navy was a ship called Lion's
JWhelp, and her navy was distinguished
as first, second . . . tenth whelp.
Whetstone. (See ACCIUS NAVIUS.)
Whetstone of Witte (The) (1556),
by Robert Recorde, a treatise on algebra.
The old name for algebra was the
“Cossic Art,” and Cos lºgenii rendered
into English is “the Whetstone of
Wit.” It will be remembered that the
maid told the belated traveller in the
Fortunes of Nigel that her master had
“no other books but her young mis-
tress's Bible . . . . and her master’s
JP/etstone of Witte, by Robert Recorde.”
Whig is from Whiggam-more, a cor-
ruption of Ugham-more (pack-Saddle
thieves), from the Celtic (gham (a pack-
saddle). The Scotch insurgent Coven-
anters were called pack-Saddle thieves,
from the pack-saddles which they used
to employ for the stowage of plunder.
The Marquis of Argyle collected a band
of these vagabonds, and instigated them
to aid him in opposing certain govern-
ment measures in the reign of James
I., and in the reign of Charles II. all
who opposed government were called
the Argyle whiggamoys, contracted into
whigs. (See TORY.)
“The South-west counties of Scotland have
Seldom corn enough to serve them all the year
round, and, the northern parts producing more
than they used, those in the West went in Summer
to buy at I, eith the Stores that came from the
north. From the word whiſ/gam, used in driving
their horses, all that drove were called the whiff-
gaºmors, Contracted into whiffs. Now, in the year
before the news came down of Duke Hamil-
ton's defeat, the ministers animated their people
to rise and march to Edinburgh , and they came
up, marching on the head of their parishes, with
an unheard-of fury, praying and preaching all
the Way as they caime. The Marquis of Argyle
and his party came and headed them, they being
about 6,000. This was called the “Whiggamors'
Inroad"; and ever after that, all who opposed
the court came in contempt to lie called whigs.
From Scotland the word was brought into Eng-
land, where it is now one of our unhappy terms
of disunion.”—Bishop Burmet : Own. Times.
Whiggism. The political tenets of
the Whigs, which may be broadly stated
to be political and religious liberty.
Certainly Bishop Burnet's assertion that
they are “opposed to the court” may or
may not be true. In the reigns of
Charles II. and his brother James, no
doubt they were opposed to the court,
but it was far otherwise in the reign of
William III., George I., etc., when the
Tories were the anti-court party. -
Whip (A), in the Legislative Assem-
blies, is a person employed to whip up.
members on either side. The Whips
give notice to members that a motion is
Whip
1294.
Whistle
expected when their individual vote may
be desirable. The circular runs: “A
motion is expected when your vote is
“earnestly ’ required.” If the word
“earnestly’’ has only one red-ink dash
under it the receiver is expected to come,
if it has two dashes it means that he
ought to come, if it has three dashes it
means that he must come, if four dashes
it means “stay away at your peril.”
These notices are technically called
º WHIPs.” (Annual Register, 1877,
p. 80.
A whip. A notice sent to a member
of Parliament by a “whip ’’ (see above)
to be in his place at the time stated
when a “division ” is expected.
Whip. He whipped round the corney
—ran round it quickly. (Dutch, wippen ,
Welsh, ch wipwid, to whip ; chºwip, a
flick or flirt.)
He whipped it up in a minute. The
allusion is to the hoisting machine called
a whip. A single whip is a rope passing
over one pulley; a double whip is a rope
passed over two single pulleys attached
to a yard-arm.
Whip-dog Day. October 18 (St.
Luke’s Day). Brand tells us that a
priest about to celebrate mass on St.
Luke's Day, happened to drop the pyx,
which was Snatched up by a dog, and
this was the origin of Whip-dog Day.
(Popular Antiquities, ii. 273.)
Whip with Six Strings (The). Called
“the Bloody Statute.” The religious
code of six articles enacted by Convo-
cation and Parliament in the reign of
Henry VIII. (1539).
Whipping Boy. A boy kept to be
whipped when a prince deserved chas-
tisement. Mungo Murray stood for
Charles I., Barnaby Fitzpatrick for
Edward VI. (Fuller: Church History,
ii. 342.) D’Ossat and Du Perron,
afterwards cardinals, were whipped by
Clement VIII. for Henri IV. of France.
Also called a whip-boy.
Whis/Irers. A security for money.
John de Castro of Portugal, having cap-
tured the castle of Diu, in India, bor-
rowed of the inhabitants of Goa. 1,000
pistoles for the maintenance of his fleet,
and gave one of his whiskers as security
of payment, saying, “All the gold in
the world cannot equal the value of this
natural ornament, which I deposit in
your hands.” -
Whis'Ixy. Contracted from the
Gaelic ooshk-'a-pai (water of health).
Usquebaugh, Irish Misge-’a-bagh (water
of life); east de vie, French (water of
lity.
. L. whisky. (See L.L. WHISKY.)
Whisky, drink divine (the song) was
by O'Leary, not by John Sheehan,
* As a pretty general rule the Scotch
word is whiskey, and the Irish word
whisky, without the e.
Whisky-drinker. The Irish whisky-
drinker. John [jack] Sheehan, author
of The Irish Whisky-drinkey’s Papers
in Bentley’s Miscellany. -
Whist. Cotton says that “the game
is so called from the silence that is to be
observed in the play.” Dr. Johnson has
adopted this derivation; but Taylor the
Water-poet (1650), Swift (1728), and
Barrington (1787) called the game Whisk,
to the great discomfiture of this ety-
mology. Pope (1715) called it whist.
* The first known mention of whist
in print was in a book called . The
Motto, published in 1621, where it is
called whisk. The earliest known use
of the present spelling is in Butler’s
IIudibras (1663). -
“I,et nice Piquette the boast of France remain,”
And studious Ombre be the pride of Spain ;
In yention’s praise shall England yield to none,
While she can call delightful Whist her own.”
Aleacander Thomson. A poem in eight cantos on
- Whist. (Second edition, 1792.)
# Whistle (noun). Champion of the
whistle. The person who can hold out
longest in a drinking bout. A Dane, in
the train of Anne of Denmark, had an
ebony whistle placed on the table, and
whoever of his guests was able to blow
it when the rest of the company were too
far gone for the purpose was called the
champion. Sir Robert Laurie of Max-
welton, after a rouse lasting three nights
and three days, left the Dane under
the table and blew his requiem on the
whistle.
To acet one’s whistle. To take a drink.
Whistle means a pipe (Latin, ſistºtla
Saxon, hwistle), hence the wind-pipe.
"So was hir joly whistal well y-wet.” .
- Chaucer: Canterbury Tales.
Yout paid too dearly for you?'', whistle.
You paid dearly for something you
fancied, but found that it did not
answer your expectation. The allusion
is to a story told by Dr. Franklin of his
nephew, who set his mind on a common
whistle, which he bought of a boy for
four times its value. Franklin says the
ambitious who dance attendance on
court, the miser who gives this world
and the next for gold, the libertine Who
ruins his health for pleasure, the girl
*Whistle
1295
White Czar
ºr-
who marries a brute for money, all pay
“too much for their whistle.”
Worth the whistle. Worth calling;
worth inviting; worth notice. The dog
is worth the pains of whistling for. Thus
Heywood, in one of his dialogues con-
sisting entirely of proverbs, says, “It
is a poor dog that is not worth the
whistling.” Goneril says to Albany—
“I have been worth the whistle.” .
Shakespeare : King Lear, iv. 2.
Whistle (verb). You may whistle for
that. You must not expect it. The re-
ference is to sailors whistling for the
wind. “They call the winds, but will
they come when they do call them P”
“Only a little hour ago -
I was whistling to St. Antonio .
Tor a capful of Wind to fill our Sail,
And instead of a breeze he has sent a gale.”
LOTigfellow : Golden Legend, V.
You must achistle for more. In the old
whistle-tankards, the whistle comes into
play when the tankard is empty, to an-
nounce to the drawer that more liquor
is wanted. Hence the expression, If a
man wants liquor, he must whistle for it.
Whistie Down the Wind (To). To
defame a person. The cognate phrase
“blown upon '' is more familiar. The
idea is to whistle down the wind that
the reputation of the person may be
blown upon.
Whistle for the Wind.
FULT.)
“What gales are sold on Lapland's shore
HOW Whistle rash bids tem) bests roar ! ”
- Sir Walter Scott : Iºolceby, ii. 11.
White denotes purity, simplicity, and
candour; innocence, truth, and hope.
The ancient Druids, and indeed the
priests generally of antiquity, used to
wear white vestments, as do the clergy
of the Established Church of England
when they officiate in any sacred service.
The magi also wore white robes.
The head of Osiris, in Egypt, was
adorned with a white tiara ; all her
ornaments were white ; and her priests
were clad in white.
The priests of Jupiter, and the Fla-
men Diälis of Rome, were clothed in
white, and wore white hats. The victims
offered to Jupiter were white. The
Roman festivals were marked with white
chalk, and at the death of a Caesar the
national mourning was white ; white
horses were sacrificed to the sun, white
oxen were selected for sacrifice by the
Druids, and white elephants are held
sacred in Siam.
The Persians affirm that the divinities
are habited in white.
(See CAP-
White Bird (The). Conscience, or
the Soul of man. The Mahometans have
preserved the old Roman idea in the
doctrine that the souls of the just lie
under the throne of God, like white
birds, till the resurrection morn. -
“A white bird, she told him once . . . he must
carry on his bosom across a growded public place
—his own Soul was like that.”—Patter: Marius the
Epicuream, chap. ii. -
White Brethren or White - clad
Brethren. A sect in the beginning of
the fifteenth century. Mosheim says
(bk. ii. p. 2, chap. v.) a certain priest
came from the Alps, clad in white, with
an immense concourse of followers all
dressed in white linen also. They
marched through several provinces, fol-
lowing a cross borne by their leader.
Boniface X. ordered their leader to be
burnt, and the multitude dispersed.
White Caps. A rebellious party of
zealous Mahometans, put down by Kien-
lóng the Chinese emperor, in 1758. So
called from their head-dress. -
White Caps. . An influential family
in Kerry (Ireland), who acted a similar
part as Judge Lynch in America. When
neighbours became unruly, the white
caps visited them during the night and
beat them soundly. Their example was
followed about a hundred years ago in
other parts of Ireland.
White Caps (1891). A party in North.
America opposed to the strict Sabba-
tarian observance. So called because
they wear high white caps. First heard
of at Okawa ville, Illinois. -
White-coat (A). An Austrian sol-
dier. So called because he wears a white
coat. Similarly, an English soldier is
called a red-coat. In old Rome, ad
saga ire meant to “become a soldier,”
and twmere Sagum to enlist, from the
sagum or military cloak worn by the
soldier, in contradistinction to the toga
worn by the citizen in times of peace.
White Cockade. The badge worn
by the followers of Charles Edward, the
JPretender.
White Company (The). “Le Blanche
Compagnie.” A band of French cut-
throats organised by Bertrand du Gues-
clin and led against Pedro the Cruel.
“Se faiso.ient appeller “La Blanche Compagnie,’
parce, qu'ils portoient tous une croix blanche
sur l’épaulé, connme you lant témoigner qu'ils
m’a, Voient pris IeS al’Ineš que DOur abolir le Ju-
daïsme en Espagne, et combattre le Prince qui
le protégesit.”—Mémoirés Historiques.
White Czar (The). Strictly speak-
ing means the Czar of Muscovy; the
White Elephant
1296
TVWhite Tiadies
King of Muscovy was called the White
King from the white robes which he
wore. The King of Poland was called
the Black King.”
“Sunt qui principem. Moscovia, Album. Itegem
nilplcupant. Ego quidem causam diligenter
quierépalm, cur regis albi nomine appellarétur,
Cum ne]no principum Moscoyia, eo titulo antea,
[Ivan III.] esset usus . . . Credo autem ut Persam
nunc propter rubea tegumenta capitis...' Kissil-
YaSSa ' (i.e. rubeum caput) vocant ; ita reges
OSCOvige propter alba tegumenta. “Albos Reges'
appellari.”—Sigismund.
“The marriage of the Czarevitch with the
Princess Alex of Hesse (2 syl.) will impress the
Qriental mind with the expectation that the
Empress of India and the White Czar will hence-
forth . . . labour...to avoid the . . . ; mischief of
disagreement.”—The Standard, April 21st, 1894.
White Elephant. King of the
White Elephant. The proudest title
borne by the kings of Ava and Siam.
In Ava, the white elephant bears the
title of “lord,” and has a minister of
high rank to superintend his household.
The land of the White Elephant. Siam.
To have a white elephant to keep. To
have an expensive and unprofitable dig-
nity to support, or a pet article to take
care of. For example, a person moving
is determined to keep a pet carpet, and
therefore hires his house to fit his carpet.
The King of Siam makes a present of a
white elephant to such of his courtiers as
he wishes to ruin.
White Feather. To show the white
feather. To show cowardice. No game-
cock has a white feather. A white
feather indicates a cross-breed in birds.
Showing the white feather. Some years
ago a bloody war was raging between
the Indians and settlers of the back-
woods of North America. A Quaker,
who refused to fly, saw one day a horde
of Savages rushing down towards his
house. He set food before them, and
when they had eaten the chief fastened
a white feather over the door as a badge
of friendship and peace. Though many
bands passed that house, none ever
violated the covenant by injuring its
inmates or property.
White Friars. The Carmelites.
called because they dressed in white.
Whitefriars, London. So called from
a monastery of White Friars which for-
merly stood in Water Lane.
Whitefriars. A novel, by Emma
Robinson. ,
White Harvest (A). A late harvest,
when the ground is white of a morning
with hoarfrost. The harvest of 1891
Was a white harvest,
White Hat. (See under HAT.)
SO
|
White Horse of Wantage (Berk-
shire), cut in the chalk hills. This horse
commemorates a great victory gained by
Alfred over the Danes, in the reign of
his brother Ethelred I. The battle is
called the battle of Æscesdun (Ashtree-
hill). The horse is 374 feet long, and
may be seen at the distance of fifteen
miles. (Dr. Wise.)
An annual ceremony was once held,
called “Scouring the White Horse.”
White Horses. Foam-crested waves.
“The resemblance . . . has commonly been
drawn between the horse [and the Waves], in
regard to lais mane, and the foam-tipped wayes,
which are still called White horses.”—W. E. Glad-
stome: Nineteenth Century, November, 1885.
White House. The presidential
mansion in the United States. It is a
building of freestone, painted white, at
Washington. Figuratively, it means
the Presidency; as, “He has his eye on
the White House.” (See WHITEHALL.)
White Ladies [Les Dames Blanches].
A species of fée in Normandy. They
lurk in ravines, fords, bridges, and other
narrow passes, and ask the passenger to
dance. If they receive a courteous an-
swer, well; but if a refusal, they seize
the churl and fling him into a ditch,
where thorns and briars may serve to
teach him gentleness of manners.
* The most famous of these ladies is
La Dame d’Aprigny, who used to occupy
the site of the present Rue St. Quentin,
at Bayeux, and La Dame Abonde.
“Vocant dom'imam Abú'diam pro eo
quod dom’ibus, quas frequentant, abun-
dan’tiam bono'rum temporalium praes-
ta're putantur non al/iter tibi sentiendum
est neque al’iter quam quemad'modum
de illis audivisti.” (William of Auvergne,
1248.) (See BERCHTA.)
“One kind of these the Italians Fata name ;
The French call Fee : We Sybils, and the same
Others White Dames, and those that them have
Nidiºdies Some, of which Habundia's queen.”
Hierarchie, Viii. p. 507.
The White Lady. The legend says
that Bertha promised the workmen of
Neuhaus a sweet Soup and carp on the
completion of the castle. In remem-
brance thereof, these dainties were given
to the poor of Bohemia on Maundy
Thursday, but have been discontinued.
The most celebrated in Britain is the
White Lady of Avenel, the creation of
Sir Walter Scott.
White Lady of German legend. A
'being dressed in white, who appears at
the castle of German princes to forebode
a death. She last appeared, it is said, in
White Lies
1297
White Water-lotus
1879, just prior to the death of Prince
Waldemar. She carries a bunch of keys
at her side, and is always dressed in
white. The first instance of this appari-
tion occurred in the sixteenth century,
and the name given to the lady is Bertha
von Rosenberg (in Bohemia).
'.' Twice, we are told, she has been heard to
speak, oncé in December, 1628, when she said, “I
wait for judgment " and once at the Castle of
Neuhaus. in Bollemia, When She said to the
princes, “'Tis ten o’clock.”
The IWhite Lady of Ireland.
Banshee.
White Lieg. A conventional lie, such
as telling a caller that Mrs. A. or Mrs.
B. is not at home, meaning not “at
home '’ to that particular caller.
The
It is said that Dean Swift called on a “friend,”
and was told lºy Jeannes that “naster is not at
home.” After a time this very “friend " called
on the dean, and Swift, opening the window,
shouted, “Not at home.” When the friend ex-
postulated, Swift said, “I believed your footman
when he said his master Was not at home ; Surely
you can believe the master himself when he tells
you he is not at home.”
White Moments of Life (The). The
red-letter days or happy moments of
life. The Romans used to mark un-
lucky days, in their calendars, with
black chalk, and lucky ones with white
chalk ; hence Notare diem lactea gemma
or alba means to mark a day as a lucky
O]].62.
“These, my young friend, these are the white
molments of one’s life.”—Sir W. Scott : The 40ti-
quary, chap. iii.
White Moon (Knight of the). Samp-
son Carrasco assumed this character and
device, in order to induce Don Quixote
to abandon knight errantry, and return
home. The Don, being worsted, returned
home, lingered a little while, and died.
(Cervantes : Don Quixote, pt. ii. bk. iv.
chap. 12, etc.)
white Night (A). A sleepless night;
hence the French phrase “Passer atme
72ndit blanche.”
White Poplar. This tree was
originally the nymph Leuce, beloved by
Pluto, and at death the infernal Zeus
metamorphosed her into a white poplar,
which was ultimately removed into
Elysium.
White Rose. The House of York,
whose emblem it was.
The White Rose. Cardinal de la Pole.
(1500-1558.)
White Rose of England. So Perkin
Warbeck or Osbeck was always ad-
dressed by Margaret of Burgundy, the
sister of Edward IV. (*-1449.) Lady
Catherine Gordon, given by James IV.
as wife to Perkin Warbeck, was called
“The White Rose.” She married three
times more after the death of Warbeck.
The White Rose of Raby. Cecily, wife
of Richard, Duke of York, andmother of
Edward IV. and Richard III. She was
the youngest of twenty-One children.
White Sheep [Ak-koin-loo). A tribe
of Turkomans, so called from their
standards. The Sophive'an dynasty of
Persia was founded by one of this tribe.
White Squall. One which produces
no diminution of light, in contradistinc-
tion to a black squall, in which the clouds
are black and heavy.
White Stone. Days marked with a
white stone. Days of pleasure; days to
be remembered with gratification. The
Romans used a white stone or piece of
chalk to mark their lucky days with on
the calendar. Those that were unlucky
they marked with black charcoal. (See
RED-LETTER DAY.) .
White Stone (Rev. ii. 17). To him
that overcometh will I give . . . a white
stone ; and in the stone a new name [is]
written which no man knoweth saving he
that receiveth it [i.e. the stone]. In
primitive times, when travelling was
difficult for want of places of public ac-
commodation, hospitality was exercised
by private individuals to a great extent.
When the guest left, the host gave him
a small white stone cut in two ; on one
half the host wrote his name, and on
the other the guest ; the host gave the
guest the half containing his [host's]
name, and vice versdº. This was done that
the guest at Some future time might re-
turn the favour, if needed. Our text says,
“I will give him to eat of the hidden
manna ’’—i.e. I will feed or entertain
him well, and I will keep my friendship,
sacred, inviolable, and known only to
himself.
White Surrey. The horse of Rich-
ard III. (See HoRSE.)
“Saddle White Surrey for the ſold.”
Shakespeare: IRichttra III., v. 3.
White Tincture. That prepara-
tion which the alchemists believed would
convert any baser metal into silver. It
is also called the Stone of the Second
Order, the Little Elixir, and the Little
Magisterium. (See RED TINCTURE.)
White Water-lotus [Pe-lien-kaouj.
A secret society which greatly disturbed
the empire of China in the reign of Kea-
Ring. (1796-1820.)
82
White Widow
1298
Whittington
White Widow. The Duchess of
Tyrconnel, wife of Richard Talbot, Lord-
deputy of Ireland under James II.,
created Duke of Tyrconnel a little before
the king’s abdication. After the death
of Talbot, a female, supposed to be his
duchess, supported herself for a few
days by her needle. She wore a white
mask, and dressed in white. (Pennant :
London, p. 147.)
White Witch (A). A cunning fellow ;
one knowing in white art in contradis-
tinction to black art.
“Two or three years past there came to these
parts one . . . what the vulgar call a white witch,
a cunning man, and such like."—Sir W. Scott:
Jeuilworth, chap. ix.
White as Driven Snow.
SIMILES.)
White in the Eye. It is said that
the devil has no white in his eyes, and
hence the French locution, “Celui qui
m’a point de blanc en l’oeil.” “I)o you see
any white in my eye P” is asked by one
who means to insinuate he is no fool or
no knave—that is, he is not like the
devil with no white in the eye.
Whitebait Dinner. The ministerial
dinner that announces the near close
of the parliamentary session. Sir Robert
Preston, M.P. for Dover, first invited
his friend George Rose (Secretary of
the Treasury) and an elder brother of
the Trinity House to dine with him at
his fishing cottage on the banks of
Dagenham Lake. This was at the close
of the session.
proposed that Mr. Pitt, their mutual
friend, should be asked to join them ;
this was done, and Pitt promised to re-
peat his visit the year following, when
other members swelled the party. This
went on for several years, when Pitt
suggested that the muster should be in
future nearer town, and Greenwich was
selected. Lord Camden next advised
that each man should pay his quota.
The dinner became an annual feast, and
was until lately (1892) a matter of
course. The time of meeting was
Trinity Monday, or as near Trinity
Monday as circumstances would allow,
and therefore was near the close of the
Session.
Whiteboys. A secret agrarian asso-
ciation organised in Ireland about the
year 1759. So called because they wore
white shirts in their nightly expeditions.
In 1787 a new association appeared, the
members of which called themselves
“Right-boys.” The Whiteboys were
originally called “Levellers,” from their
(See
Rose on one occasion
throwing down fences and levelling en-
closures. (See LEVELLERS.)
Whitehall (London) obtained its
name from the white and fresh appear-
ance of the front, compared with the
ancient buildings in York Place. (Bray-
ley : Londoniana.) (See WHITE HOUSE.)
Whitewashed. Said of a person
who has taken the benefit of the Insol-
vent Act. He went to prison covered
with debts and soiled with “dirty
ways: ” he comes out with a clean bill
to begin the contest of life afresh.
Whit-Heather. The skin of a horse
cured and whitened for whip-thongs,
hedging-gloves, and so on.
“Thy gerdill made of whitle thor whange . . .
Is turned now to Velvet.”
MS. Lansd., 241.
Whitsunday. White Sunday. The
seventh Sunday after Easter, to com-
memorate the “Descent of the Holy
Ghost” on the day of Pentecost. . In
the Primitive Church the newly-baptised
wore white from Easter to Pentecost,
and were called alba’t (white-robed).
The last of the Sundays, which was also
the chief festival, was called emphati-
cally Domin'ica in Albis (Sunday in
White). -
Another etymology is Wit or JWisdom
Sunday, the day when the Apostles
were filled with wisdom by the Holy
Ghost. -
“This day. Wit-sonday is cald. -
For wisdom and wit serene fald.
Was Zonen to the Apostles as this day.”
Camby. Univer. MSS., Dól. i. 1, p. 234.
(Compare TPitten-agemote.)
“We ought to kepe this our Wii Sonday bicause
the law of God was then of the Holy Wyglut or
Glmost deliured gostly vnto vs.”—Tavermer (1540).
“This day is called Wytsonday because the
Holy Ghost, brought Wytte and Wysdon, , into
Christis disciples . . . and filled, them full of
ghostly wytte.”—I’m die Pentecostis (printed by
Wynken de Worde).
Whittington.
WITTINGTON.) & &
Riley in his Munimenta Gildhallae
Londemensis (p. xviii.) says achat was
used at the time for “trading’ (i.e.
buying and selling), and that Whitting:
ton made his money by achat, called
acaº, We have the word in cater, cate?'e?'.
... As much error exists respecting Dick Whit-
tington, the following account will be useful. He
was born in Gloucestershire, in the middle of the
fourteenth century, and was the son of a knight
of good property. He went to London to learn
how to j)ecome a merchant. His master Włºś
a relative, and took a great interest in the bºy,
who subsequently married Alice, his master's
daughter. He became very rich, and Wils four
times Mayor of London, but the first time Wºś
jefore the office was created Lord, Mayºr, by
Richard II. He died in 1423, during his year Or
office, about sixty-three years of age.
(See aunder CAT ; also
Whittle
1299
TWidow’s Piano
Whittle (A). A knife. (Anglo-Saxon
hwytel, a knife; hºwdºt, sharp or keen.)
. “Walter de Aldeham bolds land of the king
in the More, in the county of Salop, by the service
of paying to the king yearly at his exchequer
two knives [whittles], whereof one ought to be
of that value or goodness that at the first stroke
it would cut asunder in the middle a hasle rod
of a year's growth, and of the length of a cubit,
which service ought to he . . . on the mºrrow
of St. Michael. . . The said knives [whittles] to
be delivered to the chamberlain to keep for the
king’s use.”—Blount : Ancient Tentures.
Whittle Down. To cut away with
a knife or whittle ; to reduce ; to en-
croach. In Cumberland, underpaid
schoolmasters used to be allowed JWhittle-
gait—i.e. the privilege of knife and fork
at the table of those who employ them.
The Americans “whittled dowIn the
royal throne;” “whittled out a com-
monwealth ; ” “whittle down the forest
trees ; ” “whittle out a railroad ; ”
“whittle down to the thin end of no-
thing.” (Saxon, hwytel, a large knife.)
“We have whittled down our loss extremely,
and Will not allow a man, more than 350 Englishi
slain ºut of 4,000.”—Walpole.
Whitworth Gun. (See GUN.)
Whole Duty of Man. Tenison,
Bishop of Lincoln, says the author was
Dr. Chaplin, of University College, Ox-
ford. (Evelyn : Diary.) -
Thomas Hearne ascribes the author-
ship to Archbishop Sancroft.
Some think Dr. Hawkins, who wrote
the introduction, was the author.
The following names have also been
suggested:—Lady Packington (assisted
by Dr. Fell), Archbishop Sterne, Arch-
bishop Woodhead, William Fulham,
Archbishop Frewen (President of Mag-
dalen College, Oxford), and others.
Whole Gale (A). A very heavy
wind. The three degrees are a fresh
gale, a strong gale, and a heavy or whole
gale.
Whom the Gods Love Die Young
[Herodotosj. Cited in Don Juan, canto
iv. 12 (death of Haidee).
Wick, Wicked, and in French Mäche,
Méchant. That the two English words
and the two French words should have
similar resemblances and similar mean-
ings is a remarkable coincidence, es-
pecially as the two adjectives are quite
independent of the nouns in their ety-
mology. “Wick” is the Anglo-Saxon
weoce, a rush or reed, but “wicked ”
is the Anglo-Saxon atac or wac, vile.
So “méche” is the Latin my ca, a wick,
but ‘‘ méchant ’’ is the old French ºnes-
chéant, unlucky.
Wicked Bible. (S. e BIBLE.)
Wicked Prayer Book (The). Printed
1686, octavo. The Fourteenth Sunday
after Trinity reads:—
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest,
which are these : adultery, fºrmication, unclean:
ness, idolatry . . . they Who do these things shall
inherit the kingdom of God.”
(Of course, “shall inherit ’’ should be shall not
inherit.)
Wicked Weed (The). Hops.
“After the introduction into England of the
wicked weed called hops.”—Return to Edward
Y’I.'s Parliament, 1524,
Wicket-gate. The entrance to the
road that leadeth to the Celestial City.
Over the portal is the inscription—
“IGNOCK, AND IT SHALL BE OPENED UNTO
YOU..” (Bunyan : Pilgrim’s Progress.)
Wicliffe (John), called “The Morn-
ing Star of the Reformation.” (1324-
1384.) -
Wide-awake. Felt hats are so called
by a pun, because they never have a map
at any time ; they are always wide
awake.
Wide'nostrils (3 syl.). (French,
J3ringitenarilles.) A huge giant, who
subsisted on windmills, and lived in the
island of Tohu. When Pantagruel and
his fleet reached this island no food could
be cooked because Widenostrils had
swallowed “every individual pan, skil-
let, kettle, frying-pan, dripping-pan,
boiler, and saucepan in the land,” and
died from eating a lump of butter. Tohu
and Bohu, two contiguous islands (in
Hebrew, toil and confusion), mean lands
laid waste by war. The giant had eaten
everything, so that there was “nothing
to fry with,” as the French say—i.e.
nothing left to live upon.
Widow. (See GRASS WIDow.)
Widow (in Hudibras). The relict of
Aminadab Wilmer or Willmot, an Inde-
pendent, slain at Edgehill. . She had
£200 left her. Sir Hudibras fell in love
with her.
Widow Bird. A corruption of Why-
daw bird. So called from the country
of Whydaw, in Western Africa. The
blunder is perpetuated in the scientific
name given to the genus, which is the
Latin Vid'ata, a widow.
Widow’s Cap. This was a Roman
custom. Widows were obliged to wear
“weeds” for ten months. (Seneca :
Fpistles, lxv.)
Widow's Piano. Inferior instru-
ments sold as bargains; so called from
the ordinary advertisement announcing
that a widow lady is compelled to sell
widow's IPOrt;
1300
wild
her piano, for which she will take half-
price.
Widow's Port. A wine sold for
port, but of quite a different family.
As a widow retains her husband’s name
after her husband is taken away, so this
mixture of potato spirit and some in-
ferior wine retains the name of port,
though every drop of port is taken
from it.
“We llave all heard of widow's port, and of the
instinctive dread all persons who have any respect
for their health have for it.”—The Times.
Wie'land (2 syl.). The famous smith
of Scandinavian fable. He and Amilias
had a contest of skill in their handicraft.
Wieland’s sword cleft his rival down to
the thighs ; but so sharp was the sword,
that Amilias was not aware of the cut
till he attempted to stir, when he divided
into two pieces. This sword was named
Balmung.
Wife is from the verb to weave.
(Saxon wefan, Danish voºve, German
webenz, whence weib, a woman, One who
works at the distaff.) Woman is called
the distaff. Hence Dryden calls Anne
“a distaff on the throne.” While a girl
was spinning her wedding clothes she
was simply a spinster; but when this
task was dome, and she was married, she
became a wife, or one who had already
woven her allotted tasks
Alfred, in his will, speaks of his male
and female descendants as those of the
spear-side and those of the spindle-side,
a distinction still observed by the Ger-
mans; and hence the effigies on graves
of spears and spindles.
Wig. A variation of the French per-
rºtºſe, Latin pilucca, our periwig cut
short. In the middle of the eighteenth
century we meet with thirty or forty
different names for wigs: as the arti-
choke, bag, barrister’s, bishop’s, brush,
bush [buzz], buckle, busby, chain, chan-
cellor’s, corded wolf's paw, Count Saxe's
mode, the crutch, the cut bob, the de-
tached buckle, the Dalmahoy (a bob-
wig worn by tradesmen), the drop, the
I)utch, the full, the half-natural, the
Jansenist bob, the judge’s, the ladder,
the long bob, the Louis, the periwig, the
pigeon’s wing, the rhinoceros, the rose,
the scratch, the she-dragon, the Small
back, the spinach seed, the staircase, the
Welsh, and the wild boar’s back.
A bigwig. A magnate. Louis XIV.
had long flowing hair, and the courtiers,
out of compliment to the young king,
wore perukes. When Louis grew older
he adopted the wig, which very soon
encumbered the head and shoulders of
the aristocracy of England and France.
Lord Chancellors, judges, and barristers
still wear big wigs. Bishops used to
wear them in the House of Lords till 1880.
“An ye fa’ over the cleugh, there will be but ae
wig left in the parish, and that's the minister's.”
—Sir Walter Scott : The Antiguary.
Make wigs. A perruquier, who fancied
himself “married to immortal verse,”
sent his epic to Voltaire, asking him to
examine it and give his “candidopinion”
of its merits. The witty patriarch of
Ferney simply wrote on the MS. “Make
wigs, make wigs, make wigs,” and re-
turned it to the barber-poet. (See SUTOR,
Stick to the cow.) -
Wig (A). A head. Similarly, the
French call a head a bimette. As “Quelle
binette " '' or “IZ & ºthe dróle de bimette /’’
M. Binet was the court wig-maker in the
reign of Louis XIV. “M. J3inet, qui
joit les perruqués du roy, demetre Rue des
Jetits-Champs.” (Almanack des ad-
dresses Sous Louis XIV.)
“Flcas are not lobsters, dash my wig.”
S. Bºttler: Hudibras.
Wig. War (Anglo-Saxon). The word
enters into many names of places, as
Wigan in Lancashire, where Arthur is
said to have routed the Saxons.
Wight (Isle of) means probably chan-
nel island. (Celtic gºwy, water; gwyth,
the channel.) The inhabitants used to
be called Uuhtii or Gwythii, the inhabi-
tants of the channel isle. ->
* According to the famous Anglo-
Saacon Chronicle, the island is so called
from Wihtgar, great grandson of King
Cerdic, who conquered it. All eponymic
names—that is, names of persons, like
the names of places, are more fit for
fable than history: as Cissa, to account
for Cissanceaster (Chichester); Horsa to
account for Horsted; Hengist to account
for Hengistbury; Brutus to account for
Britain ; and so on.
Wig'wam'. An Indian hut (America).
The Knisteneaux word is wigwaum, and
the Algonquin wékou-om-ºſt, contracted
into wekouom (ou = w, as in French),
whence wò/cwom.
Wild (Jonathan), the detective, born
at Wolverhampton, in Staffordshire.
He brought to the gallows thirty-five
highwaymen, twenty-two housebreakers,
and ten returned convicts. He was him-
self hanged at Tyburn for housebreak-
ing “amidst the execrations of an en-
raged populace, who pelted him with
stones to the last moment of his
Wild Boar
1301
"Wilfrid
existence.” (1682-1725.) Fielding has a
novel entitled Jonathan Wild.
Wild Boar. An emblem of warlike
fury and merciless brutality.
Wild Boy of Hamelin or Man of
Nature, found in the forest of Hertswold,
Hanover. He walked on all fours,
climbed trees like a monkey, fed on grass
and leaves, and could never be taught
to articulate a single word. Dr. Ar-
|buthnot and Lord Monboddo sanctioned
the notion that this poor boy was really
an unsophisticated specimen of the genus
homo, but Blumenbach showed most
conclusively that he was born dumb, of
weak intellect, and was driven from his
home by a stepmother. He was dis-
covered in 1725, was called Peter the
Wild Boy, and died at Broadway Farm,
near Berkhampstead, in 1785, at the
supposed age of seventy-three.
Wild Children. -
(1) Peter the Wild Boy. (See above.)
(2) Mlle. Lablanc, found by the vil-
lagers of Soigny, near Châlons, in 1731 ;
she died at Paris in 1785, at the supposed
age of sixty-two.
(3) A child captured by three sports-
men in the woods of Cannes (France) in
1798. (See World of Wonders, p. 61,
Correspondence.)
Wiid-goose Chase.
mare's nest. This chase has two de-
fects: First, it is very hard to catch the
goose; and, secondly, it is of very little
worth when it is caught.
To lead one a wild-goose chase. To be-
guile one with false hopes, or put one on
the pursuit of something not practicable,
or at any rate not worth the chase.
Wild Huntsman.
The German tradition is that a spec-
tral hunter with dogs frequents the Black
Forest to chase the wild animals. (Sir
Walter Scott : Wild Huntsman.)
The French story of Le Grand Peneur
is laid in Fontainebleau Forest, and is
considered to be “ St. Hubert.” (Father
Matthieu.)
The English name is “Herne the
Hunter,” who was once a keeper in
Windsor Forest. In winter time, at
midnight, he walks about Herne's Oak,
and blasts trees and cattle. He wears
horns, and rattles a chain in a “most
hideous manner.” (Merry Wives of
Windsor, iv. 4.)
Another legend is that a certain Jew
would not suffer Jesus to drink out of a
horse-trough, but pointed to some water
in a hoof-print as good enough for “such
A hunt after a |
an enemy of Moses,” and that this man .
is the “Wild Huntsman.” (Kuhn von
Schwarz : Nordd. Sagen, p. 499.)
Wild Oats. He is sowing his wild
oats—indulging the buoyant folly of
youth ; living in youthful dissipation.
The idea is that the mind is a field of
good oats, but these pranks are wild oats
or weeds Sown amongst the good seed,
choking it for a time, and about to die
out and give place to genuine corn. The
corresponding French phrase is “Jeter
ses premiers faux,” which reminds us of
Cicero's expression, “ Nondum illi defer-
buit adolescentia.” (See OATs.)
Wild Women [Wilde Frauðn] of
Germany resemble the Ellé-maids of
Scandinavia. Like them, they are very
beautiful, have long flowing hair, and
live in hills. (See WUNDERBURG.)
Wild Women. Those who go in for
“women's rights '' and general topsy-
turvyism. Some smoke cigars in the
streets, some wear knickerbockers, some
stump the country as “Screaming ora-
tors,” all try to be as much like men as
possible.
“Let anyone commend to these female runag- .
ates quietness, duty, home-Staying, and the whoſe .
cohort of wild women is like an angry beehive,
which a rough hand has disturbed.”—Nineteenth
Century, March, 1892, p. 463.
Wild as a March Hare. The hare
in spring, after One or two rings, will
often run straight on end for several
miles. This is especially the case with
the buck, which therefore affords the
best sport.
Wilde. A John or Johnny Wilde is
one who wears himself to skin and bone
to add house to house and barn to barn.
The tale is that John Wilde, of Roden-
kerchen, in the isle of Rügen, found one
day a glass slipper belonging to one of
the hill-folks. Next day the little
brownie, in the character of a merchant,
came to redeem it, and John asked as
the price “that he should find a gold
ducat in every furrow he ploughed.”
The bargain was concluded, and the
avaricious hunks never ceased ploughing
morning, noon, nor night, but died
within twelve months from over-work.
(Rügen tradition.)
Wile away Time (not While). It is
the same word as “guile,” to “beguile
the time ’’ (fall'ere tempus).
“To wile each moment with a fresh delight.”
Lowell: Legend of Brittany, part i. stanza 6.
Wilfrid (St.). Patron saint of bakers,
being himself of the craft. (634-709.)
St. Wilfrid's Needle is a narrow
"Wilhelm Meister
1302
William
passage in the crypt of Ripon cathedral,
built by Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury,
and used to try whether virgins deserve
the name or not. It is said that none
but virgins can pass this ordeal.
Wilſheim Mei'ster (2 syl.).
first true German novel.
Goethe, who died 1832, aged eighty-
three.
The
Will not when They may.
who will not when they ſnay, when they
will they shall have may. -
“Quine prend le bien quand il peut,
il ne l’a pas quand il veut.” .
“Quand le bien vient, on le doit
prendre.”
“Saisir en tout l'occasion et l’ā-propos
est un grand élément de bonheur et de
succès.”
Wil'liam (2 syl. ; in Jerusalem De-
livered), Archbishop of Orange. An
ecclesiastical warrior, who besought
Pope Urban on his knees that he might
be sent in the crusade. He took 400
armed men in his train from his own
diocese.
William, youngest son of William
Rufus. He wore a casque of gold, and
was the leader of a large army of British
bow-men and Irish volunteers in the
Crusading army. (Tasso : Jerusalem
Delivered, blº. iii.)
ºf English history teaches that Wil-
liam Rufus was never married. (See
ORLANDO FURIOSO.)
Belted Will. William, Lord Howard,
warden of the Western Marches. (1563.
1640.)
“His Billboa blade, by Marchmen felt,
Hung in a broad and studded belt :
Hence, in rude plurase, the borderer's Still
Called noble Howard ‘Belted Will.’ ”
Sir Walter Scott: Lay of the Last Minstrel, v. 16.
St. William of Aquitaine was one of
the soldiers of Charlemagne, and helped
to chase the Saracens from Languedoc.
In 808 he renounced the world, and died
812. He is usually represented as a
mailed soldier. -
St. William of Mallavalle or Maleval.
A French nobleman of very abandoned
life ; but, being converted, he went as
pilgrim to Jerusalem, and on his return
retired to the desert of Malavalle. He is
depicted in a Benedictine’s habit, with
armour lying beside him. (Died 1157.)
St. William of Montpelier is repre-
Sented with a lily growing from his
mouth, with the words Ave Maria in
gold letters on it.
St. William of Monte Virgine is drawn
with a wolf by his side. (Died 1142.)
It was by .
Those
St. JWilliam of Norwich was the cele-
brated child said to have been crucified
by the Jews in 1137. He is represented
as a child crowned with thorns, or cruci-
fied, or holding a hammer and nails in
his hands, or wounded in his side with a
knife. (See Polyolbion, song xxiv.)
*: In Percy's Reliques (bk. i. 3) there
is a tale of a lad named Hew, son of
Lady Helen, of Merryland town (Milan),
who was allured by a Jew’s daughter
with an apple. She stuck him with a
penknife, rolled him in lead, and cast
him into a well. Lady Helen went in
search of her boy, and the child’s ghost
cried out from the bottom of the well–
“The lead is wondrous heavy, mither,
- The well is wondrous dcip;
A keen lenknife sticks in my heirt, mitlier ;
A Word I dollhae Speik.” (See HUGH).
St. JWilliam of Roeschild is represented
with a torch flaming on his grave. (Died
1203.
º William of York is depicted in
pontificals, and bearing his archiepis-
copal cross. (Died 1154.)
JWilliam II. The body of this king
was picked up by Purkess, a charcoal-
burner of Minestead, and conveyed in a
cart to Winchester. The name of Purkess
is still to be seen in the same village.
“A Minestead churl, whose wonted trade
Was burning charcoal in the glade,
Outstretched amid the gorse
The monarch found ; and in his wain
He raised, and to St. Swithin's fame
Conveyed the bleeding corse.” W. S. Rose.
TWilliam III. It was not known till
the discovery of the correspondence of
Cardonnel, secretary of Marlborough, by
the Historical MS. Commission in 1869,
that our Dutch king was a great eater.
Cardonnel, writing from The Hague,
October, 1701, to Under-Secretary Ellis,
says—“It is a pity his majesty will not
|be more temperate in his diet. Should
I eat so much, and of the same kinds,
I dare say I should scarce have survived
it so long, and yet I reckon myself none
of the weakest constitutions.”
William of Cloudes lie (2 syl.). A
noted outlaw and famous archer of the
“north countrie.” (See CLYM OF THE
CLOUGH.
William of Newburgh (Gulielmus Neu-
brigensis), monk of Newburgh in York-
shire, surnamed Little, and sometimes
called Gulielmus Parvus, wrote a history
in five books, from the Conquest to 1197,
edited by Thomas Hearne, in three
volumes, octavo, Oxford, 1719. The
Latin is good, and the work ranks with
that of Malmesbury. William of New-
burgh is the first writer who rejects
Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Trojan descent
william T.
1303
winchester
of the old Britons, which he calls a “fig-
ment made more absurd by Geoffrey’s.
impudent and impertinent lies.” . He is,
however, quite as fabulous an historian
as the “impudent.” Geoffrey. (1136-
1208.) -
william I., King of Prussia and
Emperor of Germany, was called by his
detractors Kaiser Tartuffe. *
Willie-Wastle (the child's game).
Willie Wastle was governor of Hume
Castle, Haddington. When Cromwell
sent a summons to him to surrender, he
replied—
“Here I, Willie Wastle,
Stand firm in my castle,
And all the dogs in the town
Shan't pull Willie Wastle down.”
Willovºy.
the cricket bat.
To wear the willow. To go into
mourning, especially for a sweetheart or
bride. Fuller says, “The willow is a
sad tree, whereof such as have lost their
love make their moturning garlands.”
The psalmist tells us that the Jews in
captivity “ hanged their harps upon the
willows” in sign of mourning. (cxxxvii.)
Willow Garland. An emblem of
being forsaken. “All round my hat I
wear a green willow.” So Shakespeare:
“I offered him my company to a willow-
tree . . . to make him a garland,
as being forsaken.” (Much Ado About
Mothing, ii. 1.) The very term weeping
willow will suffice to account for its
emblematical character.
Willovy Pattern.
a lordly mandarin's country seat. It is
two storeys high to show the rank and
wealth of the possessor ; in the fore-
ground is a pavilion, in the background
an orange-tree, and to the right of the
pavilion a peach-tree in full bearing.
The estate is enclosed by an elegant
wooden fence. At one end of the bridge
is the famous willow-tree, and at the
other the gardener's cottage, one storey
high, and so humble that the grounds
are wholly uncultivated, the only green
thing being a small fir-tree at the back.
At the top of the pattern (left-hand side)
is an island, with a cottage; the grounds
are highly cultivated, and much has been
reclaimed from the water. The two birds
are turtle-doves. The three figures on
the bridge are the mandarin's daughter
with a distaff nearest the cottage, the
lovers with a boat in the middle, and
nearest the willow-tree the mandarin
with a whip.
T) handle the willow—i.e.
To the right is
The tradition. The mandarin had an
only daughter named Li-chi, who fell in
love with Chang, a young man who lived
in the island home represented at the
top of the pattern, and who had been
her father’s secretary. The father over-
heard them one day making vows of love
under the Orange-tree, and sternly for-
bade the unequal match ; but the lovers
contrived to elope, lay concealed for a
while in the gardener's cottage, and
thence made their escape in a boat to
the island home of the young lover. The
enraged mandarin pursued them with a
whip, and would have beaten them to
death had not the gods rewarded their
fidelity by changing them both into
turtle-doves. The picture is called the
willow pattern not only because it is a
tale of disastrous love, but because the
elopement occurred “when the willow
begins to shed its leaves.”
Willy-nilly. Nolens volens; willing
or not. Will-he, mill-he, where nill is
70’ negative, and will, just as molens is
w’-volens. .
Wil'mington, invoked by Thomson
in his Winter, is Sir Spencer Compton,
Earl of Wilmington, the first patron of
our poet, and Speaker of the House of
Commons.
Wii't or Welk, to wither. This
is the Dutch and German well:en (to
fade). Spenser says, “When ruddy
Bhoebus 'gins to well: in west’”—i.e.
fade in the west.
“A wilted debauchee is not a fruit of the tree
of life.”—J. Cook: The Orient, p. 149.
Wilt'shire (2 syl.) is Wilton-shire,
Wilton being a contraction of Wily-town
(the town on the river Wily).
Win'chester. According to the
authority given below, Winchester was
the Camelot of Arthurian romance.
Hanmer, referring to King Lear, ii. 2,
says Camelot is Queen Camel, Somerset-
shire, in the vicinity of which “are many
large moors where are bred great quan-
tities of geese, so that many other places
are from hence supplied with quills and
feathers.” Kent says to the Duke of
Cornwall—
“Goose, if I had you upon Sarum Plain,
I'd drive ye cackling home to Camelot.”
With all due respect to Hanmer, it seems
far more probable that Kent refers to
Camelford, in Cornwall, where the Duke
of Cornwall resided, in his castle of Tin-
tag'el. He says, “If I had you on
Salisbury Plain [where geese abound], I
would drive you home to Tintagel, on
Wind Egg.
1304
Windmills.
the river Camel.” Though the Camelot
of Shakespeare is Tintagel or Camelford,
yet the Camelot of King Arthur may be
Queen Camel; and indeed visitors are
still pointed to certain large entrench-
ments at South Cadbury (Cadbury
Castle) called by the inhabitants “Ring
Arthur’s Palace.”
“Sir Balin's sword was put into marille stone,
standing as upright as a great millstone, and it
Swann down the stream to the city of Camelot.—
that is, in English, Winchester.”—Iſistory of Prince
A?'that?', 44.
Wind Egg. An egg without a shell.
Dr. Johnson’s notion that the wind egg
does not contain the principle of life is
no more correct than the Superstition
that the hen that lays it was impreg-
nated, like the “Thracian mares,” by
the wind. The usual cause of such eggs
is that the hen is too fat.
Winds. Poetical mames of the winds.
The North wind, Aquilo or Bo'reas;
South, Notus or Auster; East, Eu'rus;
West, Zephyr or Favonius; North-east,
Arges’tés; North-west, Corus; South-
east, Volturnus; South-west, Afer ventus,
Africus, Africa'nus, or Libs.
Thra'scias is a north wind, but not due
north. *
“Boreas and Caecias, and Argestes loud,
And ThrasciaS rend the woods, and seas upturn ;
Notus and Afer, black with thunderous clouds,
From Serralio'na. Thwart of these, as fierce,
Forth rush . . . . Ellrus and Zephyr . . . .
Sirocco and Libecchio [Libycus].”
Milton : Paradise Lost, x. 699-706,
Special winds. -
(1) The ETESIAN WINDS are refresh-
ing breezes, which blow annually for
forty days in the Mediterranean Sea.
(Greek, et'08, a year.)
(2) The HARMATTAN. A wind which
blows periodically from the interior parts
of Africa towards the Atlantic. It pre-
vails in December, January, and Feb-
ruary, and is generally accompanied
with fog, but is so dry as to wither vege-
tation and cause human skin to peel off.
(3) The KHAMSIN. A fifty days’ wind
in Egypt, from the end of April to the
inundation of the Nile. (Arabic for
fifty.)
(4) The MISTRAL. A violent north-
west wind blowing down the Gulf of
Lyons; felt particularly at Marseilles
and the south-east of France.
(5) The PAMPERo blows in the sum-
mer season, from the Andes across the
pampas to the sea-coast. It is a dry,
north-west wind.
(6) The PUNA WINDs prevail for four
months in the Puna (table-lands of Peru).
The most dry and parching winds of any.
with fine dust.
The
When they prevail it is necessary to
protect the face with a mask, from the
heat by day and the intense cold of the
night.
(7) SAM'IEL or SIMOOM'. A hot, suffo-
cating wind that blows occasionally in
Africa and Arabia. Its approach is in-
dicated by a redness in the air. (Arabic,
Samoon, from Samma, destructive.)
(8) The SIRCcco. A wind from North-
ern Africa that blows over Italy, Sicily,
etc., producing extreme languor and
mental debility. .
(9) The SoLA'No of Spain, a south-
east wind, extremely hot, and loaded
It produces great un-
easiness; hence the proverb, “Ask no
favour during the Solano.” (See TRADE
WINDs.) -
To take or have the wind. To get or
keep the upper hand. Lord Bacon uses
the phrase. “To have the wind of a .
ship ’’ is to be to the windward of it.
Wind fa. 11. Unexpected legacy:
money which has come de coelo. Some
of the English nobility were forbidden
by the tenure of their estates to fell
timber, all the trees being reserved for
the use of the Royal Navy. Those trees,
however, which were blown down were
excepted, and hence a good wind was
often a great godsend.
Windmills. T)on Quixote de la
Mancha, riding through the plains of
Montiel, approached thirty or forty wind-
mills, which he declared to Sancho Panza.
“were giants, two leagues in length or
more.” Striking his spurs into Rosi-
mante, with his lance in rest, he drove
at one of the “Inonsters dreadful as
Typhoeus.” The lance lodged in the
sail, and the latter, striking both man.
and beast, lifted them into the air,
shivering the lance to pieces. . When
the valiant knight and his steed fell to
the ground they were both much injured,
and Don Quixote declared that the en-
chanter Freston, “who carried off his
library with all the books therein,” had
changed the giants into windmills “out
of malice.” (Cervantes : Don Quiacote,
bk. i. ch. viii.)
To fight with windmills. To combat
chimeras. The French have the same
proverb, “Se battre contre des moulins
& q'ent.” The allusion is, of course, to
the adventure of Don Quixote referred
to above. -
To have windmills in your head. Fan-
cies, chimeras. Similar to “bees in
Windnill Street
your bonnet ’’ (q.v.). Sancho Panza
Says—
“Did I not tell your worship they were wind-
Imills? and who cºuld have thought. Otherwise,
except such as had windmills in their head : "-
Cervantes: Dom Quiacote, bk. i. Ch. Wiii.
Windmill Street. When Charnel
chapel, St. Paul’s, was taken down by
the Protector Somerset, in 1549, more
than 1,000 cart-loads of bones were re-
moved to Finsbury Fields, where they
formed a large mound, on which three
windmills were erected. It was from
these mills that the street obtained its
name. (Leigh Hunt.)
Window. (Norwegian, vindue.) A
JFrench window opens like folding doors;
a sash window is in two parts, called
sashes, one or both of which are made to
slide up and down about half way.
Wine. A magnum of wine is two
quarts; a tappit-hen of wine or rum is
a double magnum ; a jeroboam of wine
or rum is a double “tappit-hem ’’; and
a rehoboam (q.v.) is a double jeroboam.
Wine. The French say of wine that
makes you stupid, it is win d'áne ; if it
makes you maudlin, it is vin de Geºf (from
the motion that deer weep); if quarrel-
some, it is win de lion ; if talkative, it is
win de pie ; if sick, it is win de porc; if
crafty, it is win de remard; if rude, it is
win de singe. (See below.)
Win of ape (Chaucer). “I trow that
ye have drunken win of ape ’’—i.e. wine
to make you drunk; in French, win de
singe. There is a Talmud parable which
Says that Satan came one day to drink
with Noah, and slew a lamb, a lion, a
pig, and an ape, to teach Noah that man
before wine is in him is a lamb, when he
drinks moderately he is a lion, when like
a sot he is a Swine, but after that any
further excess makes him an ape that
senselessly chatters and jabbers.
Wine-month. (Anglo-Saxon, Win-
7monaſh.). The month of October, the
time of vintage.
Wine Mingled with Myrrh (Mark
xv. 23). , Called by the Romans Mur-
7'hina (Vinum myrrha conditum), given
to malefactors to intoxicate them, that
their sufferings from crucifixion might
be somewhat deadened.
‘’’. Falernum (that divina potio) was flavoured
With lily ri'l).”
Win'írith. The same as St. Boniface,
the apostle of Germany, an Anglo-Saxon,
killed by a band of heathens in 755.
Wing, Wings. . Wing of a house,
wing of an army, wing of a battalion or
1305 .
Winter -*
squadron, etc., are the side-pieces which
start from the main body, as the wings
of birds. -
Don’t try to fly without wings. Attempt
nothing you are not fit for. A French
proverb.
On the wing. Au vol, about to leave.
To clip one's wings. To take down
one’s conceit ; to hamper one's action.
In French, J’ogner les ailes [d Quelqu'unj.
To lend wings. To spur one's speed.
“This sound of danger lent me wings.”
. L. Steven so??.
To take one under your wing. To
patronise and protect. The allusion is
to a hen gathering her chicks under her
Wing. - -
To take wing. To fly away; to depart
without warning. (French, s'en voley.)
Wings of Azrael (The). (See AZ-
RAEL.)
Winged Rooks. Outwitted sharpers.
A rook is a sharper, and a rookery the
place of resort for sharpers. A rook is
the opposite of a pigeon; a rook cheats,
a pigeon is the one cheated.
“This light, young, gay in appearance, the
thoughtless youth of wit and lyleasure — the
bigeon rather than the rook—l)ut the heart the
Same sly, Shrewd, cold-blooded calculatºr.”—Sir
W. Scott : Peveril of the Pecule, chal). xxviii.
Win'ifred (St.). Patron saint of
virgins, because she was beheaded by
Prince Caradoc for refusing to marry
him. She was Welsh by birth, and the
legend says that her head falling on the
ground originated the famous healing .
well of St. Winifred in Flintshire. She
is usually drawn like St. Denis, carrying
her head in her hand, Holywell, in
Wales, is St. Winifred's Well, celebrated
for its “miraculous” virtues.
Winkle (Rip van). A Dutch colonist of
New York. He met with a strange man
in a ravine of the Kaatskill Mountains.
Rip helps him to carry a keg, and when
they reach the destination Rip sees a
number of odd creatures playing nine-
pins, but no one utters a word. Master
Winkle seizes the first opportunity to
take a sip at the keg, falls into a stupor,
and sleeps for twenty years. On wak-
ing, his wife is dead and buried, his
daughter is married, his native village
has been remodelled, and America
has become independent. (Washington
Irving.)
Wint-monath [JWind-month].
Anglo-Saxon name for November.
The
Winter, Summer. We say of an
old man, “His life has extended to a
winter's Tale
1806
"Wishart;
hundred winters ; ” but of a blooming
girl, “She has seen sixteen summers.”
Winter's Tale (Shakespeare). Taken
from the Pleasant History of Dorastus
and Fawnia by Robert Green. Dorastus
is called by Shakespeare Florizel and
Doricles, and Fawnia is Perdita. Leontes
of the Winter’s Tale is Egistus in the
novel, Polixenes is Pandosto, and Her-
Imi'one is Bellaria.
Wipple-tree or Whipultre. Men-
tioned in Chaucer's Knight’s Tale, is
the cornel-tree or dogwood (Cornus
sanguinea) (= whiffle-tree, from whiffle
= to turn).
Wisdom-tooth. The popular name
for the third molar in each jaw. Wisdom-
teeth appear between 17 and 25.
Wisdom of Many and the Wit of
One (The). This is Lord John Russell's
definition of a proverb.
Wise (The).
ALBERT II., Duke of Austria, called
The Lame and Wise. (1289, 1330–1358.)
ALFONso X. (or IX.) of Leon, and IV.
of Castile, called The Wise and The
Astronomer. (1203, 1252–1285.)
ABEN-ESRA, a Spanish rabbi, born at
Toledo. (1119-1174.)
CHARLEs V. of France, called Le Sage.
(1337, regent 1358-1360, king 1364-1380.)
CHE-Tsou, founder of the fourteenth
dynasty of China, called Hoºt-pe-lae (the
model ruler), and his sovereignty The
Wise Government. (1278-1295.)
CoMTE DE LAS CASES, called Le Sage.
(1766-1842.)
FREDERICK, Elector of Saxony. (1463,
1544-1554.)
John W. of Brittany, called The Good
and Wise. (1389, 1399-1442.)
* Nathan the Wise. A drama by
Lessing, based on a story in the De-
cameron. (Day X., Novel 3.) -
Wise as a Serpent. This refers to
the serpent which tempted Eve, or more
probably to the old notion that serpents
were extremely wise.
Wise as Solomon. (See SIMILES.)
Wise as the Mayor of Banbury.
A blundering Sir William Curtis. The
mayor referred to insisted that Henry
III. reigned in England before Henry II.
The following is a fact which happened to my-
Self in 1880. I was on a visit to a country mayor
of great wealth, whose house was full of most
exquisite works of art, I was particularly Struck
with a choice china figure, when the mayor told
Ime how many guineas he had given for it, and
added, “Of course you know ‘who’ it is meant
for it is John Knöx signing Magna Charta.”
Wise as the Women of Mungret.
At Mungret, near Limerick, was a
famous monastery, and one day a depu-
tation was sent to it from Cashel to try
the skill of the Mungret scholars. The
head of the monastery had no desire to
be put to this proof, so they habited
several of their scholars as women, and
sent them forth to waylay the deputa-
tion. The Cashel professors met one
and another of these “women,” and
asked the way, or distance, or hour of
the day, to all which questions they
received replies in Greek. Thunder-
struck with this strange occurrence,
they resolved to return, saying, “What
must the scholars be if even the towns-
Women talk in Greek P”
Wise Men Or Wise Women.
tune-tellers.
Wise Men of Greece.
SAGES.)
Wise Men of the East.
For-
(See SEVEN
The three
Magi who followed the guiding star to
Bethlehem. They are the patron saints
of travellers. (See MAGI, SEVEN SAGES.)
Wise Men of Gotham (The). (See
GoTIIAM.)
Wiseacre. A corruption of the Ger-
man weissager (a soothsayer or prophet).
This, like the Greek sophism, has quite
lost its original meaning, and is applied
to dunces, wise only “in their own
conceit.”
There is a story told that Ben Jonson,
at the Devil's Tave; m, in Fleet Street,
said to a country gentleman who boasted
of his landed estates, “What care we
for your dirt and clods? Where you
have an acre of land, I have ten acres of
wit.” The landed gentleman retorted
by calling Ben “Good Mr. Wiseacre.”
The story may pass for what it is worth.
Wisest Man of Greece. So the
Delphic oracle pronounced Soc'ratēs to
be, and Socrates modestly made answer,
‘‘’Tis because I alone of all the Greeks
know that I know nothing.”
Wish-wash. A reduplication of wash.
Any thin liquor for drinking. -
Wishy-washy. A reduplication of
washy. Very thin, weak, and poor ;
wanting in substance or body.
Wishart (George). One of the early
reformers of Scotland, condemned to the
stake by Cardinal Beaton. While the
fire was blazing about him he said: “He
who from yon high place beholdeth me
with such pride shall be brought low,
Wishing-bone
1807
Witenagemot
even to the ground, before the trees
which supplied these faggots have shed
their leaves.” It was March when
Wishart uttered these words, and the
cardinal died in June. (See SUMMONs.)
W is hing - b on e. (See MERRY-
THOUGHT.)
Wishing-cap. Fortunatus had an
inexhaustible purse and a wishing-cap,
but these gifts proved the ruin of himself
and his sons. The object of the tale is
to show the vanity of human prosperity.
Wishing - coat. , Willie Wynkin's
*tishing-coat. An Irish locution.
“I wish I had here Willie Wynkin's wishing-
coat.”—Howard Pyle: Tºobim Iſood, p. 200.
Wishing-rod (The) of the Nibelungs
was of pure gold. Whoever had it
could keep the whole world in subjec-
tion. It belonged to Siegfried, but
when the “Nibelung hoard ” was re-
moved to Worms this rod went also.
“And there-among was lying the wishing-rod of
Which whoso could discover might in subjec-
tion hold
All this wide world as master, with all that
dwell therein.”
Lettsom's Nibelungen-Lied, st. 1160.
Wisp. TVºll o' the Wisp.
TATUUs.)
Wisp of Straw (A). Sign of danger.
Often hung under the arch of a bridge
undergoing repairs, to warn watermen;
sometimes in streets to warn passengers
that the roof of a house is under repair.
The Romans used to twist straw round
the horns of a tossing ox or bull, to warn
passers-by to beware, hence the phrase
foemiſm habet in cornu, the man is crochety
or dangerous. The reason why straw
(or hay) is used is because it is readily
come-at-able, cheap, and easily wisped
into a bundle visible some long way off.
Wit. To wit, viz. that is to say. A
translation of the French Savoir. Wit
is the Anglo-Saxon witan (to know). I
divide my property into four parts, to
wit, or Savoir, or namely, or that is to
848/ . . . .
Wits. (See atnder FIVE.)
Witch. By drawing the blood of a
witch you deprive her of her power of
Sorcery. Glanvil says that when Jane
Brooks, the demon of Tedworth, be-
witched a boy, his father scratched her
face and drew blood, whereupon the boy
instantly exclaimed that he was well.
“Blood Will I draw on thee ; thou art a witch.”
Shakespeare : 1 Henry VI., i. 5.
(See IGNIS
Five wits.
IIammer for Witches (Malleus Male-
ficarum). A treatise drawn up by
Heinrich Institor and Jacob Sprenger,
systematising the whole doctrine of
witchcraft, laying down a regular form
of trial, and a course of examination.
Innocent VIII. issued the celebrated bull
Summis Desiderantes in 1484, directing
inquisitors and others to put to death
all practisers of witchcraft and other
diabolical arts.
* Dr. Sprenger computes that as
many as nine millions of persons have
suffered death for witchcraft since the
bull of Innocent. (Life of Mohammed.)
As late as 1705 two women were exe-
cuted at Northampton for witchcraft.
Witch-finder. Matthew Hopkins,
who, in the middle of the seventeenth
century, travelled through the eastern
counties to find out witches. At 1ast
Hopkins himself was tested by his own
rule. Being cast into a river, he floated,
was declared to be a wizard, and was
put to death. (See above, Hammer for
Witches.) t
Witch Hazel. A shrub supposed to
be efficacious in discovering witches. A
forked twig of the hazel was made into
a divining-rod for the purpose.
Witch of Endor. A divining woman
consulted by Saul when Samuel was
dead. She called up the ghost of the
prophet, and Saul was told that his
death was at hand. (1 Sam. xxviii.)
Witch's Bridle. An instrument of
torture to make obstinate witches con-
fess. (Pitcairn, vol. i. part ii. p. 50.)
(See WAKING A WITCH.)
Witches' Sabbath. The muster at
night-time of witches and demons to con-
coct mischief. The witch first anointed
her feet and shoulders with the fat of a
murdered babe, then mounting a broom-
stick, distaff, or rake, made her exit by
the chimney, and rode through the air
to the place of rendezvous. The as-
sembled witches feasted together, and
concluded with a dance, in which they
all turned their backs to each other.
Witchcraft. The epidemic demon-
pathy which raged in the fifteenth,
sixteenth, aud seventeenth centuries.
Witenagemot. The Anglo-Saxon
parliament.
“The famous assembly of our forefathers was
called by various names [as] Mycel Gemot (or great
meeting); the Witenagemot (or meeting of the
Wise); , and SQmetimes the Mycel Gethéaht (or
gºal thought).-Freeman: The Norman Conquest,
1. º
Witham
Wit'ham. You were born, I suppose,
at Little Witham. A reproof to a noodle.
The pun, of course, is on little wit.
Witham is in Lincolnshire.
“I will be sworn she was not born at Wittham,
for Gaffer Gibbs ... Says she could not turn up
a single lesson like a Christian.”—Sir Walter
Scott : Heart of Mid-Lothiam, chap. xxxii.
Puns of this sort are very common.
(See BEDFORDSHIRE, NoD, DUNCE,
CRIPPLEGATE, SHANKS' NAG, etc.)
Withe (1 syl.). When Delilah asked
Samson what would effectually bind
him he told her “green withes,” but
when she called in the Philistines he
snapped his bonds like tow. Also spelt
with. A boy, being asked what part of
speech is with, replied a noun, and being
reproved for ignorance made answer:
“Please, sir, Samson was bound with
seven withs.” - -
“It seems impossible that Samson can be held
by such green withes [i.e. that a great measure
can be carried by such petty shifts].”—The Times.
Withers of a Horse (The) are the
muscles which unite the neck and shoul-
ders. The skin of this part of a horse is
often galled by the pommel of an ill-
fitting saddle, and then the irritation of
the saddle makes the horse wince. In
1 Henry IV., ii. 1, one of the carriers
gives direction to the Ostler to ease the
saddle of his horse, Cºtt. “I prythee,
Tom, beat Cut's Saddle . . . the poor
jade is wrung on the withers,” that is,
the muscles are wrung, and the skin
hº by the saddle. And Hamlet says
(iii. 2):
“I,et, the galled jade wince, our withers are un-
Wrung.”
That is, let those wince who are galled;
as for myself, my withers are not wrung,
and I am not affected by the “bob.”
Within the Pale. (See under PAL.E.)
Witney (Oxfordshire) is the Anglo-
Saxon JP iten-ey, the island of Wise-
men—i.e. of the Witenagemot or national
parliament.
Wit’tington. (See WHITTINGTON.)
“Beneath this stone lies Wittington,
Sir Richard rightly named, e
Who three times, Lord Mayor served in London,
In which he ne'er was blamed.
IHe rose from indigence to wealth
By industry and that, . -
For lo he scorned to gain by stealth
What he got by a cat.”
Fpitaph (destroyed by the fire of London).
Witwold. A Sir Jerry Witwold. A
pert, talkative coxcomb, vain of a little
learning ; one who swims with the stream
of popular opinion, and gives his judg-
ment on men and books as if he were Sir
Oracle. A great pretender to virtue and
1308
Wokey .
modesty, like Mr. Pecksniff, but always
nosing out Smut and obscenity, which he
retails with virtuous indignation.
Wives of Literary Men. The fol-
lowing literary men, among many others,
made unhappy marriages:
ADDISON. I, YTTON.
ARTSTOTI.E. MIT.TON (first wife).
BACON (LORD). MOLT R R.E.
BOCCACCIO. MORE.
EYIRON. Tº [TTACU. S.
DANT E. RACINF.
DICKRNS. ROUSSEAU (J. J.).
I) UREIR (ALBERT). SCALIGFR (both
EURIPIDES. Wives)
GARRICK. SHAKESPEARF.
HAYI) N. SHELLEY (first wife).
HOOKER. SOCRATES.
JOHNSON (D.R.Y. STER LE.
JONSON (BEN). STERNE.
KNOX. - WYGHER LEY (first
LILLY (second wife). Wife).
Wo Stop ! (addressed to horses).
“Ho !” or “Hoa ” was formerly an
exclamation commanding the knights at
tournaments to cease from all further
action. (See Woo'sH.) -
“Scollers, as they read much of love, so when
they once fall in love, there is no ho with them
till they have their love.”—Cobler of Canterburie
(1608).
Woo' or Woo'e. Stop, addressed to a
horse. The Latin word ohè has the same
meaning. Thus Horace (1 Sat. v. 12);
“Ohe, jam satis est.”
Woo'sh, when addressed to horses,
means “Bear to the left.” In the West
of England they say Woag—i.e. wag off
(Anglo-Saxon, woh, a bend or turn).
Woo'sh is “Move Off a little.”
Woo-tee Dynasty. The eighth
Imperial dynasty of China, established
in the south Liou-yu. A cobbler, having
assassinated the two preceding monarchs,
usurped the crown, and took the name
of Woo-tee (King Woo), a name assumed
by many of his followers.
Woden. Another form of Odin (q.v.).
The word is incorporated in Wodens-
bury (Kent), ... Wednesbury (Suffolk),
Wansdyke (Wiltshire), Wednesday, etc.
Woe to Thee, O Land, when thy king
fis a child. This famous sentence is from
Ecclesiastes x. 6. Often quoted in Latin,
Pac terris ubi rea; est puer.
Woful. Knight of the Woful Coun-
tenance. The title given by Sancho Panza
to Don Quixote. (Bk. iii. chap. v.) After
his challenge of the two royal lions (pt.
ii. bk. i. chap. xvii.), the adventurer
called himself Júnight of the Lions.
Wolsey. Wicked as the Witch of
TVoſkey. Wookey-hole is a noted cavern
in Somersetshire, which has given birth
to as many weird stories as the Sibyls'
Wolf
1309
Wolfº
Cave in Italy. The Witch of Wokey
was metamorphosed into stone by a
“lerned wight º' from Gaston, but left
her curse behind, so that the fair damsels
of Wokey rarely find “a gallant.”
(Percy: Reliques, iii. 14.)
Wolf (in music). In almost all
stringed instruments (as the violin, Organ,
piano, harp, etc.) there is one note that
is not true, generally in the bass string.
This false note is by musicians called a
“Wolf.” -
* The squeak made in reed instru-
ments by unskilful players is termed a
“goose.”
“Nature hath inn planted SO in Veterate a hatred
atweene the Wolfe and the Sheepe, that, being
dead, yet in the operation of Nature appeareth
there a sufficient trial of their discording nature ;
so that the enmity betweene them seemeth not
to dye with their bodies; for if there be put upon
a harpe . . . Strings made Of the intralles of a
sheepe, and amongst them . . . one made of the
intrallés of a wolfe . . . the musician . . . cannot
reconcile them to a unity and concord of sounds,
s') discording is that String of the Wolfe.”—Ferme:
Blazon of Gentrie (1586).
* Here Mr. Ferne attributes the
musical “wolf” to a wolf-gut string ;
but the real cause is a faulty interval.
Thus, the interval between the fourth
and fifth of the major scale contains nine
commas, but that between the fifth and
the sixth only eight. Tuners generally
distribute the defects, but some musicians
prefer to throw the whole onus on the
“wolf” keys.
Wolf. (Anglo-Saxon, wulf.)
I'enris. The wolf that scatters venom
through air and water, and will swallow
Odin when time shall be no more.
Sköll. The wolf, that follows the sun
and moon, and will swallow them ulti-
mately. (Scandinavian mythology.)
The IWolf. So Dryden calls the Pres-
bytery in his Hind and Panther.
“Unkennelled range in thy Polonian plains,
A fiercer foe the in Satiate Wolf remains.”
'he-wolf of France. Isabella le Bel,
wife of Edward II. According to a tra-
dition, she murdered the king by burning
his bowels with a hot iron, or by tearing
them from his body with her own hands.
“She-wolf of France, with unrelenting fangs,
That tear'st the bowels of thy mangled nate.”
Gray : The Bard.
Between dog and wolf. In Latin, “I”.
ter, canem et lºſpºn”; in French, “Entre
chien et loup.” That is, neither daylight
nor dark, the blind man’s holiday.
Generally applied to the evening dusk.
JDark as a wolf’s mouth. Pitch dark.
He has seen a wolf. Said of a person
order to extract a bone.
who has lost his voice. Our forefathers
used to say that if a man saw a wolf
before the wolf saw him he became dumb,
at least for a time. -
... “Vox quoque Moorin
Jam fugitipsa ; lupi Moerin vide’re prio/res.”
Wirgil: Bucolica, eclogue ix.
“‘Our young companion has seen a wolf,' said
Lady Hameline, and has lost his tongue in con-
Sequence.'”—Scott : Quentin Durward, ch. xviii.
To See a wolf is also a good sign, inas-
much as the wolf was dedicated to Odin,
the giver of victory.
JHe put his head into the wolf’s mouth.
He exposed himself to needless danger.
The allusion is to the fable of the crane
that put its head into a wolf's mouth in
The fable is
usually related of a fox instead of a
wolf. (French.)
Iſolding a wolf by the ears. So Augus-
tus said of his situation in Rome, mean-
ing it was equally dangerous to keep
hold or to let go. Similarly, the British
hold of Ireland is like that of Augustus.
The French use the same locution: Tejºir
le loup par les Oreilles.
To cry “Wolf!” To give a false
alarm. The allusion is to the well-
known fable of the shepherd lad who
used to cry “Wolf ’’ merely to make fun
of the neighbours, but when at last the
wolf came no one would believe him.
In Chinese history it is said that Yêu-
wäng, of the third Imperial dynasty, was
attached to a courtesan named Pao-tse,
whom he tried by various expedients to
make laugh. At length he hit upon the
following: He caused the tocsins to be
rung as if an enemy were at the gates, and
Paô-tse laughed immoderately to see the
people pouring into the city in alarm.
The emperor, seeing the success of his
trick, repeated it over and over again;
but at last an enemy really did come,
and when the alarm was given no one
paid attention to it, and the emperor
was slain. (B.C. 770.) (See AMYCLEAN
SILENCE.)
To keep the wolf from the door. To
keep out hunger. We say of a ravenous
person “He has a wolf in his stomach,”
an expression common to the French
and Germans. Thus manger com/ne 202
loup is to eat voraciously, and wolfs-
1magen is the German for a keen appetite.
Wolf, Z)-(ke of Gascomy. One of
Charlemagne's knights, and the most
treacherous of all, except Ganelon. He
sold his guest and his family. He wore
browned steel armour, damasked with
silver; but his favourite weapon was
WOlf IMerl
1310
Wood .
the gallows. He was never in a rage,
but cruel in cold blood. .
“It was Wolf, Duke of Gascony, who was the
originator of the plan of tying wetted ropes round
the temples of his prisoners, to make their eye-
balls start from their sockets. It was he who
had them sewed up in freshly-stripped bulls'
hides, and exposed to the sun till the hides in
shrinking broke their bones.”—Croquemitaine, iii.
Wolf Men. Giraldus Cambrensis
tells us (Opera, vol. v. p. 119) that
Irishmen can be “changed into wolves.”
Nennius asserts that the ‘‘ descendants of
wolves are still in Ossory,” and “they
retransform themselves into wolves when
they bite.” (Wonders of Eri, xiv.)
. These Ossory men-wolves are of
the race of Laighne FXlaidh.
Wolf month or Wolf-monath. The
Saxon name for January, because “people
are wont always in that month to be
in more danger of being devoured by
wolves than in any other.” (Werstegan.)
Wolf's-bane. The Germans call all
poisonous herbs “banes,” and the
Greeks, mistaking the word for “beans,”
translated it by kit'amoč, as they did
“hen-bane” (huos ku'amos). Wolf's-
bane is an aconite with a pale yellow
flower, called therefore the white-bane
to distinguish it from the blue aconite.
White-bean would be in Greek leukos
kuamos, which was corrupted into lukos
kuamos (wolf-bean); but botanists, see-
ing the absurdity of calling aconite a
“bean,” restored the original German
word “bane,” but retained the corrupt
word lukos (wolf), and hence the ridicu-
lous term “wolf’s-bane.” (H. Foa:
Talbot.)
* This cannot be correct: (1) bane is
not German ; (2) hºtos kuamos would
be hog-bean, not hen-bane ; (3) How
could Greeks mistranslate German P. The
truth is, wolf-bane is so called because
meat saturated with its juice was sup-
posed to be a wolf-poison.
Wolves. It is not true that wolves
were extirpated from the island in the
reign of Edgar. The tradition is based
upon the words of William of Malmes-
bury (bk. ii. ch. viii.), who says that the
tribute paid by the King of Wales, con-
sisting of 300 wolves, ceased after the
third year, because “nullum se ulterius
posse inveni're professus ” (because he
could find no more—i.e. in Wales); but
in the tenth year of William I. we find
that Robert de Umfraville, knight, held
his lordship of Riddlesdale in Northum-
berland by service of defending that
part of the kingdom from “wolves.”
In the forty-third year of Edward III.
... fºe
Thomas Engarne held lands in Pitchley,
Northamptonshire, by service of finding
dogs at his own cost for the destruction
of “wolves” and foxes. Even in the
eleventh year of Henry VI. Sir Robert
Plumpton held one bovate of land in the
county of Notts by service of “frighting
the wolves '' in Shirewood Forest.
W on der. A nine days’ wonder.
Something that causes a sensational
astonishment for a few days, and is then
placed in the limbo. of “things forgot.”
Three days’ amazement, three days' dis-
cussion of details, and three days of sub-
sidence. (See NINE, and SEVEN.)
‘ſ The eighth wonder. The palace of
the Escurial in Toledo, built by Felipe II.
to commemorate his victory over the
French at St. Quentin. It was dedicated
to San Lorenzo, and Juan Baptista de
Toledo, the architect, took a gridiron
for his model—the bars being repre-
sented by rows or files of buildings,
and the handle by a church. It has
1,860 rooms, 6,200 windows and doors,
80 staircases, 73 fountains, 48 wine cel-
lars, 51 bells, and 8 organs. Its cir-
cumference is 4,800 feet (nearly a mile).
Escurial is scoria, ferri, iron dross, be-
cause its site is that of old iron works.
(See TUILERIES.) -
An eighth wonder. A work of extra-
crdinary mechanical ingenuity, such as
the Great Wall of China, the dome of
Chosroes in Madain, St. Peter’s of
Rome, the Menai Suspension bridge,
the Thames tunnel, the bridge over the
Niagara, Eddystone lighthouse, the
Suez Canal, the railroad over Mont
Cenis, the Atlantic cable, etc.
* The Three Wonders of Babylon.
The Palace, eight miles in circum-
ference. - -
The Hanging Gardens.
The Tower of Babel, said by some
Jewish writers to be twelve miles in
height ! Jerome quotes contemporary
authority for its being four miles high.
Strabo says its height was 660 feet.
Wonder-worker. St. Gregory, of
Neo-Caesare'a, in Pontus. So called be-
cause he “recalled devils at his will,
stayed a river, killed a Jew by the mere
effort of his will, changed a lake into
solid earth, and did many other wonder-
ful things.” (See THAUMATURGUS.)
Wood. Knight of the Wood or Júnight
of the Mirrors. So called because his
coat was overspread with numerous
small mirrors. It was Sampson Car-
rasco, a bachelor of letters, who adopted
"WOOd
1811
Wooden Sword
the disguise of a knight under the hope
of overthrowing Don Quixote, when he
would have imposed upon him the
penalty of returning to his home for
two years; but it so happened that Don
Quixote was the victor, and Carrasco’s
scheme was abortive. As Knight of the
JWhite Moon Carrasco again challenged
the Man'chegan lunatic, and overthrew
him; whereupon the vanquished knight
was obliged to return home, and quit
the profession of knight-errantry for
twelve months. Before the term ex-
pired he died. (Cervantes : Don Quiacote,
pt. ii. bk. i. 11, etc.; bk. iv. 12.)
Wood. Don’t ery [or halloo) till you
are out of the wood. Do not rejoice for
having escaped danger till the danger
has passed away.
Wood's Halfpence. A penny coined
by William Wood, to whom George I.
granted letters patent for the purpose.
(See DRAPIER's LETTERS.)
“Sir Walter's [Scott] real belief in Scotch one-
pound notes may be advantageously contrasted
with Swift's forced, frenzy about Wood's half-
pence, more especially as Swift really did under-
stand the defects of Wood's scheme, and Sir
Walter was absolutely ignorant of the currency
Controversy in which lie engaged.”—The ‘l’imes.
Woodbind. The bindweed or wild
convolvulus. This is quite a different
plant to the woodbine. It is a most
troublesome weed in orchards, as its
roots run to a great depth, and its long,
climbing stalks bind round anything
near it with persistent tenacity. It is
one of the most difficult weeds to ex-
tirpate, as every broken fragment is apt
to take root.
Woodbine. The honeysuckle or bee-
wort; or perhaps the convolvulus.
- - - “Where the bee
Strays diligent, and with extracted balm
Offragrant Woodbine loads his little thigh.”
Phillips,
Shakespeare says— -
* So doth the woodbine the Sweet honeysuckle
Gently entwist.
- Midsummer Night's Dream, iv. 1.
Gone where the woodbine twineth. To
the pawnbroker's, up the spout, where,
in Quebec, “On cottage walls the wood-
bine may be seen twining.” (A corre-
spondent of Quebec supplied this.)
Woodcock (A). A fool is so called
from the supposition that woodcocks
are without brains. Polonius tells his
daughter that protestations of love are
“springes to catch woodcocks.” (Shake-
speare : Hamlet, i. 3.)
wooden Horse (The). Babieca,
s: , ,
* = .
Peter of Provence had a wooden horse
named Babičca. (See CLAVILEN'o.)
“This very day may be seen in the king's ar-
moury the identical peg with which Peter of
Provence turned in is Wooden Horse, which
carried him through the air. It is rather bigger
than the pole of a coach, and stands near Ba-
bicca's Saddle.”—Dom Quiacote, pt. i. bk. iv. 19.
Wooden Horse (To ride the). To
sail aboard a ship, brig, or boat, etc.
“He felt a little out of the way for riding the
wooden horse.”—Sir Walter Scott : Itedgawmtlet,
Chap. XV.
Wooden Horse of Troy. Virgil
tells us that Ulysses had a monster
wooden horse made after the death of
Hector, and gave out that it was an
offering to the gods to secure a pros-
perous voyage back to Greece. The
Trojans dragged the horse within their
city, but it was full of Grecian soldiers,
who at night stole out of their place of
concealment, slew the Trojan guards,
opened the city gates, and set fire to
Troy. Meneläos was one of the Greeks
shut up in it. It was made by Epeios
(Latin, Epélºs).
Cambuscan’s wooden horse. The Arab-
ian Nights tells us of Cambuscan’s horse
of brass, which had a pin in the neck,
and on turning this pin the horse rose
into the air, and transported the rider to
the place he wanted to go to. (See
CLAVILENO.)
Wooden Mare (The). “The mare
foaled of an acorn.” An instrument of
torture to enforce military discipline,
used in the reign of Charles II. and long
after. The horse was made of oak, the
back was a sharp ridge, and the four
legs were like a high stool. The victim
was seated on the ridge, with a firelock
fastened to each foot.
“Here, Andrews, wrap a cloak round the
prisoner, and do not mention his name . . . unless
you would have a trot. On the wooden horse.”—
Sir Walter Scott: Old Mortality, chap. ix.
Wooden Spoon. The last of the
honour men—i.e. of the Junior Optimes,
in the Cambridge University. Some-
times two or more “last ’’ men are
bracketed together, in which case the
group is termed the spoon bracket. It
is said that these men are so called
because in days of yore they were pre-
sented with a wooden spoon, while the
other honour men had a silver or golden
one, a spoon being the usual pria; de
mérite instead of a medal. (See WooDEN
WEDGE.) -
Wooden Sword. To wear the wooden
sword. To keep back sales by asking
too high a price. Fools used to wear
wooden Swords or “daggers of lath.”
"Wooden. wall
1312
Word
Wooden Wall. When the Greeks
sent to Delphi to ask how they were to
defend themselves against Xerxes, who
had invaded their country, the evasive
answer given was to this effect—
Pallas hath urged, and Zeus, the sire of all,
Hath safety proll,ised in a wooden wall :
Seed-time and harvest, weeping sires shall tell
How thousands fougllt at Salamis and fell.
Wooden walls of Old England. The
ships of war. We must now say, “The
iron walls of Old England.”
Wooden Wedge. Last in the clas-
sical tripos. When, in 1824, the classical
tripos was instituted at Cambridge, it
was debated by what name to call the
last on the list. It so happened that
the last on the list was Wedgewood,
and the name was accepted and moulded
into Wooden-wedge. (See WooDEN
SPoox.)
Woodfall, brother of the Woodfall
of Junius, and editor of the Morning
Chronicle. Woodfall would attend a de-
bate, and, without notes, report it accu-
rately next morning. He was called
Memory Woodfall. (1745-1803.) W.
Radcliffe could do the same.
Woodwar'dian Professor. The
professor of geology in the University
of Cambridge. This professorship was
founded in 1727 by Dr. Woodward.
Wool. Dyed in the wool. A hearty
good fellow. Cloth which is wool-dyed
(not piece-dyed), is true throughout
‘‘ and will wash.”
No wool is so white that a dyer cannot
blacken it. No one is so free from faults
that slander can find nothing to say
against him ; no book is so perfect as to
be free from adverse criticism.
“Maister Mainwaring's much abuzed,
Most grievously for things accused,
And all the dowlish [devilish] pack ;
Een let mun all their poison spit,
My lord, there is no wooll zo whit
That dyers can't make black.” e is e
I’eter Pindar: Middlesex, Election, letter iii.
Wool-gathering. Your wits are gone
arool-gathering. As children sent to
gāther wool from hedges are absent
for a trivial purpose, So persons in
a “brown study * are absent-minded
to no good purpose.
“But, my dear, if my wits are somewhat wool-
gathering and unsettled, Imy heart is as true as a
star.”—Harriet B. Stowe.
Woollen. In 1666 an Act of Parlia-
ment was passed for “burying in woollen
only,” which was intended for “the en-
couragement of the woollen manufac-
tures of the kingdom, and prevention of
the exportation of money for the buying .
and importing of linen.” Repealed in
1814
“‘Odious ! in woollen 'twould a saint provoke I’
(Were the last words that poor Narcissa spoke).
‘No let a charming chintz and Brussels lace
Wrap my cold limbs, and shade my lifeless face.
One would not, sure, be frightful when one's
And:#its—give the cheeks a little red.’”
Pope : Moral Essays, Ep. i.
This was the ruling passion strong in
death. At the time this was written it
was compulsory to bury in woollen.
Narcissa, did not dread death half so
much as being obliged to wear flannel
instead of her fine mantles. Narcissa,
was Mrs. Oldfield, the actress, who died
foollen goods. (See LINEN GooDs.)
Woolsack. To sit on the woolsack.
To be Lord Chancellor of England, whose
seat in the House of Lords is called the
woolsack. It is a large square bag of
wool, without back or arms, and covered
with red cloth. In the reign of Queen
Elizabeth an Act of Parliament was
passed to prevent the exportation of
wool ; and that this source of our
national wealth might be kept con-
stantly in mind woolsacks were placed
in the House of Peers, whereon the
judges sat. Hence the Lord Chancellor,
who presides in the House of Lords, is
said to “sit on the woolsack,” or to be
“appointed to the woolsack.”
Woolwich Infant (The). (See GUN.)
Worcester (Woost’-er). A con-
traction of Wicii-ware-ceaster (the camp-
town of the Wicii people). Ware means
people, and Wicii was a tribe name.
W or c e s ter College (Oxford),
founded by Sir Thomas Cookes, of
Bentley, Worcestershire. Created a ba-
ronet by Charles II.
Word. A man of his word. One
whose word may be depended on ;
trustworthy.
As good as his word. In French, “ Un
homme de parole.” One who keeps his
word. .
J3 y word of mouth. Orally. As “he
took it down by word of mouth '' (as it
was spoken by the Speaker).
I take you at your word. In French,
“Je vous prend au mot.” I will act in
reliance of what you tell me.
Pray, make no words about it. In
Erench, “N'en dites mot.” Don’t mention
it ; make no fuss about it.
Speak a good word for me. In French,
“Dites un not en ma favettr.”
To pass one’s word. In French,
Word
1313
worship
“ Dommer sa parole.” To promise to do
something required.
Upon any word.
troth. -
“ Upon my word, you answer . . . discreetly.”
—Jame Austèm.
Upon any word and honour ! A strong
affirmation of the speaker as to the truth
of what he has asserted.
Word (The). The second person of
the Christian Trinity. (John i. 1.)
Word to the Wise (A). ‘‘Verbum
Assuredly ; by my
sap.”
Words. Soft words butter no pars-
mips. In Scotland an excellent dish is
made of parsnips and potatoes beaten
up with butter. (See BUTTER.)
Many words will not fill a bushel.
Mere promises will not help the needy.
If we say to a beggar, “Be thou filled,”
is he filled P
The object of words is to conceal
thoughts. (See TANGUAGE.)
To have words with one. To quarrel;
to have an angry discussion. Other
phrases to the same effect are — They
exchanged words together; There passed
some words between them (in French,
“Ils ont en quelques paroles'’).
Worlºing on the Dead Horse, doing
work which has been already paid for.
Such work is a dead horse, because you
can get no more out of it.
World. A man of the world. One
acquainted with the ways of public and
social life.
A woman of the world.
woman. (See above.)
“Touchstone. To-morrow will we he married.
Auſtrey. I do desire it With all my heart ; and I
hope it is no dishonest desire to be a woman of
the World.”—Shakespectre : As You Like It, v. 3.
All the world and his wife. Everyone
without exception.
To go to the world. To get married.
The Catholics at one time exalted
celibacy into “a crown of glory,” and
divided mankind into celibates and
worldlings (or laity). The former were
monks and nuns, and the latter were the
amonde (or people of the world). Simi-
larly they divided literature into sacred
and profane.
“Everyone goes to the world but I, and I may
sit in a corner and cry, heigho for a husband.”—
Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing, ii. 1.
- “If I may have your ladyship's good will to go
to the world, Isabel and I will do as we may.”—
All's Well that Ends Well, i. 3. -
World (The). The world, the flesh,
and the devil. “The world,” i.e. the
things of this world, in contradistinction
A married
to religious matters; “the flesh,” i.e.
love of pleasure and sensual enjoyments;
“the devil,” i.e. all temptations to evil
of every kind, as theft, murder, lying,
blasphemy, and so on.
Worm. To have a worm in one’s
tongue. To be cantankerous; to Snarl
and bite like a mad dog.
“There is one easy artifice -
That seldom has been known to miss–
To Snarl at all things right Ol' WTOng
Ilike a mad dog that has a WOl’im in 3’tongue.”
Samuel Butler: Upon Modern Critics.
To worm out information. To elicit
information indirectly and piecemeal.
To worm oneself into another’s favour.
To insinuate oneself in an underhand
manner into the good graces of another
person.
* A worm is a spiral instrument re-
sembling a double corkscrew, used for
drawing wads and cartridges from
cannon, etc. -
Worms, in Germany, according to
tradition, is so called from the Lind-
wurm or dragón slain by Siegfried under
the linden tree.
“Yet more I know of Siegfried that Well your
your ear may hold.
Beneath the linden tree he slew the dragon
O
Them in its blood he bathed him, which turned
to horn his Skin, -
So now no weapon harms him, as Oft hath
proven been.” Nibelungen, st. 104.
Wormwood. The tradition is that
this plant sprang up in the track of the
serpent as it writhed along the ground
when driven out of Paradise.
Worse than a Crime. It was worse
than a crime, it was a blunder. Said by
Talleyrand of the murder of the Duc
d'Enghien by Napoleon F.
Wor'ship means state or condition
of worth, hence the term “his worship,”
meaning his worthyship. “Thou shalt
have worship in the presence of them that
sit at meat with thee '' (Luke xiv. 10)
means “Thou shalt have worth-ship
[value or appreciation].” In the mar-
riage service the man says to the woman,
“With my body I thee worship, and
with all my worldly goods I thee endow’’
—that is, I confer on you my rank
and dignities, and endow you with my
wealth ; the worthship attached to my
person I share with you, and the wealth
which is mine is thine also.
Never worship the gods unshod. So
taught Pythagoras, and he meant in a
careless and slovenly manner. (See
Iamblichºts : Protreptics, symbol 3.) The
Jews took off their shoes when they
entered holy ground (Exodus iii. 5).
83
"Worsted
1314
"Wraxen
This custom was observed by the ancient
Egyptians. Mahometans and Brahmins
enter holy places bare-footed; indeed,
in British India, inferiors take off their
shoes when they enter the room of a
British officer, or the wife of an officer.
The idea is that shoes get covered with
dust, and holy ground must not be defiled
by dirt. (Justin Martyr: Apology, i. 62.)
The command given to the disciples
py Christ was to shake off the dust of
their feet when they left a city which
would not receive them.
Worsted. Yarn or thread made of
wool; so called from Worsted in Nor-
folk, now a village, but once a large
market-town with at least as many
thousand inhabitants as it now contains
hundreds. (Camden.)
Worth = betide.
“Thus saith the Lord God: Howl ye, wo worth
the day !”—Ezekiel xxx. 2.
“Wo worth the chase 1 wo worth the day
That costs thy life, my gallant grey.”
• Sir Walter Scott.
Worthies (The Wine). (See NINE.)
* The Nine Worthies of London.
(1) Sir William Walworth, fishmonger,
who stabbed Wat Tyler, the rebel. Sir
Wºm was twice Lord Mayor. (1374,
380.
(2) Sir Henry Pritchard, who (in 1356)
feasted Edward III., with 5,000 followers;
Edward the Black Prince; John, King
of Austria; the King of Cyprus; and
David, King of Scotland.
(3) Sir William Sevenoke, who fought
with the Dauphin of France, built twenty
almshouses and a free school. (1418.)
(4) Sir Thomas White, merchant tailor,
son of a poor clothier. In 1553 he kept
the citizens loyal to Queen Mary dur-
ing Wyatt's rebellion. Sir John White
founded St. John’s College, Oxford, on
the spot where “two elms grew from
one root.”
(5) Sir John Bonham, entrusted with a
valuable cargo for the Danish market,
and made commander of the army raised
to stop the progress of the great Soly-
Iſlall. -
(6) Christopher Croker. Famous at
the siege of Bordeaux, and companion
of the Black Prince when he helped Don
Pedro to the throne of Castile. -
(7) Sir John Hawkwood. One of the
Black Prince's knights, and immortal-
ised in Italian history as Giovanni
Acuti Cavaliero.
(8) Sir Hugh Caverley. Famous for
ridding Poland of a monstrous bear.
(9) Sir Henry Maleverer, generally
called Henry of Cornhill, who lived
in the reign of Henry IV. He was a
crusader, and became the guardian of
“Jacob's well.”
The chronicle of these worthies is
told in a mixture of prose and verse
by Richard Johnson, author of The Seven
Champions of Christendom. (1592.)
* Among these nine worthies we
miss the names of Whittington, Gres-
ham, and Sir John Lawrence (Lord
Mayor in 1664), second to none.
Wound. Bind the wound, and grease
the weapon. This is a Rosicrucian
maxim. These early physicians applied
salve to the weapon instead of to the
wound, under the notion of a magical
reflex action. Sir Kenelm Digby quotes
several anecdotes to prove this sympa-
thetic action.
Wra'ith. The spectral appearance
of a person shortly about to die. It
appears to persons at a distance, and
forewarns them of the event.” (High-
land superstition.) (See FAIRY.)
Wrang'ler, in Cambridge phrase, is
one who has obtained a place in the
highest mathematical tripos. The first
man of this class is termed the Senio):
wrangler, the rest are arranged accord-
ing to respective merit, and are called
second, third, fourth, etc., wrangler, as
it may be. In the Middle Ages, when
letters were first elevated to respecta-
bility in modern Europe, college exer-
cises were called disputations, and those
who performed them disputants, because
the main part consisted in pitting two
men together, one to argue pro and the
other con. In the law and theological
“schools” this is still done for the
bachelor's and doctor’s degrees. The
exercise of an opponent is called an
opponeney. Wrangling is a word-battle
carried on by twisting words and trying
to obfuscate an opponent—a most excel-
lent term for the disputations of School-
men. The opponency begins with an
essay on the subject of dispute.
Wrath's Hole (Cornwall). The legend
is that Bolster, a gigantic wrath or evil
spirit, paid embarrassing attention to St.
Agnes, who told him she would listen to
his suit when he filled with his blood a
small hole which she pointed out to him.
The wrath joyfully accepted the terms,
but the hole opened into the Sea, and
the wrath, being utterly exhausted, St.
Agnes pushed him over the cliff.
Wrax'en. Overstretched, strained,
rank. They go to school all the week,
and get wraven. The ºceeds Gre quite
wright of Norwich
Wynd
wracen. The child fell and wraaced his
ankle. (Anglo-Saxon, wrote, miserable,
wretched.) -
Wright of Norwich. Do you know
Dr. Wright of Norwich 2 A reproof
given to a person who stops the decanter
at dinner. Dr. Wright, of Norwich, was
a great diner-out and excellent talker.
When a person stops the bottle and is
asked this question, it is as much as to
say, Dr. Wright had the privilege of
doing so because he entertained the
table with his conversation, but you
are no Dr. Wright, except in stopping
the circulation of the wine.
A similar reproof is given in the
combination room of our Universities
in this way : The bottle-stopper is
asked if he knows A or B (any name),
and after several queries as to who A
or B is, the questioner says, “He was
hanged,” and being asked what for, re-
plies, “For stopping the bottle.”
Write. To write up. To bring into
public notice or estimation by favour-
able criticisms or accounts of, as to write
up a play or an author.
Write Like an Angel (To). (See
tunder ANGEL.) ;
Wrong. The king (or queen) can do no
wrong. +
“It seers incredible that we should have to
remind Lord, Itedesdale that the sovereign ‘ can
do no Wrong,' simply inecause, the sovereign can
do nothing except by and with the advice and
ConSent Of the ministel's Of the Crown."—The
Tim (s.
Wrong End of the Stick (You have
got hold of the). You have quite misap-
prehended the matter; you have got the
wrong sow by the ear. There is another
form of this phrase which determines the
allusion. The toe of the stick is apt to
be fouled with dirt, and when laid hold
of defiles the hand instead of supporting
the feet.
Wrong Side of the Blanket (The).
(See BLANKET.)
Wrong Side of the Cloth (That is
the). The inferior aspect. In French,
l'envers du drap.
Wrong Sow by the Ear (You have
the). You have made a mistake in
choice; come to the wrong shop or box;
or misapprehended the subject. Pigs are
caught by the ear. (See Sow.)
Wrong 'un (A).
run at any flat-race meeting not recog-
mised by the Jockey Club is technically
so called, and is boycotted by the club.
1315
A horse which has
Wroth Money or Wroth Silver.
Money paid to the lord in lieu of castle
guard for military service; a tribute
paid for killing accidentally some person
of note ; a tribute paid in acknowledg-
ment of the tenancy of unenclosed land.
Dugdale, in his History of JWarwick-
shire, says:– .
“There is a certain rent, due unto the lord of
this Hundred (i.e. of Knightlow, the property of
the Duke of Buccleuch), called Wroth-money, or
warth-money, or swarff-penny. . . . Denarii vice-
comiti, rel aliis castellamis persoluti ob castrorum,
praesidiºtm vel excubias agendas (Sir Henry Spel-
imam : Glossary). The rent must be paid on Mar-
timmas Day, in the morning at Knightlow Cross,
before Sun-rise. The party paying it must go
thrice about the cross, and say, ‘The wrath-
money,'... and, then lay it [varying from 1d. to
2s, 3d.] in a hole in the said cross before good
witnesses, ºr forfeit a white bull with red nose
and eal's. The almount, thus collected reached in
1892 to about 9s., and all who complied, with the
custom were entertained at a substantial break-
fast at the Duke's expense, and were toasted in
a glašš Of runn and milk.”
Wulstan (St.). A Saxon Bishop of
Worcester, who received his see from
Bdward the Confessor. Being accused
of certain offences, and ordered to resign
his see, he planted his crozier in the
shrine of the Confessor, declaring if any
of his accusers could draw it out he
would submit to resign ; as no one
could do so but St. Wulstan himself, his
innocence was admitted. This sort of
“miracle '' is the commonest of legend-
ary wonders. Arthur proved himself
king by a similar “miracle.”
Wunderberg or Underbeg, on the
great moor near Salzberg, the chief
haunt of the Wild-women. It is said to
be quite hollow, and contains churches,
gardens, and cities. Here is Charles V.
with crown and sceptre, lords and
knights. His grey beard has twice en-
compassed the table at which he sits,
and when it has grown long enough to
go a third time round it Antichrist will
appear. (German superstition.) (See
BARBAROSSA.)
Wyn-monath [JPine - month]. The
Anglo-Saxon name for October, the
month for treading the wine-Vats. In
Domesday Book the vineyards are per-
petually mentioned.
Wynd. Every man for his own hand,
as Henry IP'ynd fought. Every man for
himself; every man seeks his own advan-
tage. When the feud between Clan
Chattan and Clan Kay was decided by
deadly combat on the North Inch of
Perth, one of the men of Clan Chattan
deserted, and Henry Wynd, a bandy-
legged Smith, volunteered for half-a-
crown to supply his place. After killing
Wyoming
1316
Xury
one man he relaxed in his efforts, and
on being asked why, replied, “I have
done enough for half-a-crown.” He
was promised wages according to his
deserts, and fought bravely. After the
battle he was asked what he fought for,
and gave for answer that he fought “for
his own hand ; ” whence the proverb.
(Sir Walter Scott : Tales of a Grand-
jather, xvii.) -
Wyo'ming (3 syl.). In 1778 a force
of British provincials and Indians, led by
Colonel Butler, drove the settlers out of
the valley, and Queen Esther toma-
hawked fourteen of the fugitives with
her own hand, in revenge for her son’s
death. Campbell has founded his Gey-
trude of JP'yoming on this disaster, but
erroneously makes Brandt leader of the
expedition, and calls the place Wy'-
Omlng.
“Susquehanna's side, fair Wyoming.”
X.
X on beer-casks indicates beer which
paid ten shillings duty, and hence it
came to mean beer of a given quality.
Two or three crosses are mere trade-
marks, intended to convey the notion of
twice or thrice as strong as that which
pays ten shillings duty.
Xan'thos [reddish yellow]. Achilles’
wonderful , horse. Being chid by his
master for leaving Patroclos on the field
of battle, the horse turned his head re-
proachfully, and told Achilles that he
also would soon be numbered with the
dead, not from any fault of his horse,
but by the decree of inexorable destiny.
(Iliad, xix.) (Compare Numbers xxii.
28-30.)
* Xanthos and Balios (swift as the
wind) were the offspring of Podargé the
harpy and Zephyros. (See HoRSE.)
Yanthos, the river of Troas. Elian
and Pliny say that Homer called the
Scamander “Xanthos” or the “Gold-
red river,” because it coloured with
such a tinge the fleeces of sheep washed
in its waters. Others maintain that it
was so called because a hero named
Xanthos defeated a body of Trojans on
its banks, and pushed half of them into
the stream, as in the battle of Blenheim
the Duke of Marlborough drove the
French into the Danube.
Xanthus. A large shell like those as-
cribed to the Tritons. The volutes
generally run from right to left; and if
the Indians find a shell with the volutes
running in the contrary direction, they
persist that one of their gods has got
into the shell for concealment.
Xantip'pe or Xanthip'pe (3 syl.).
Wife of the philosopher Socrates. Her
bad temper has rendered her name
proverbial for a conjugal scold.
“Be she as foul, as was Florentius' love,
As old as Sibyl, and as curst, and shrewd
As Socrates’ Xanthippe, or a worse,
She limoves me not.”
Shakespeare : Tamimg of the Shrew, i. 2.
Xenoc'rates. A disciple of Plato,
noted for his continence and contempt
of wealth. (B.C. 396-314.)
“Warned by such youthful beauty, the severe
Yemocrates Would not have limore heen chaste.”
Orlando Furioso, xi. 8.
Xerx'es (2 syl.). A Greek way of
writing the Persian Ksathra or Kshatra,
a royal title assumed by Isfundear, son
of Gushtasp, darawesh. (See DARIUS.)
When Xerxes invaded Greece he con-
structed a pontoon bridge across the
Dardanelles, which, being swept away
by the force of the waves, so enraged
the Persian despot that he “inflicted
three hundred lashes on the rebellious
sea, and cast chains of iron across it.”
This story is probably a Greek myth,
founded on the peculiar construction of
|Xerxes' second bridge, which consisted
of three hundred boats, lashed by iron
chains to two ships serving as supporters.
As for the scourging, without doubt it
was given to the engineers and not to
the waves.
Xerxes' Tears. It is said that when
Xerxes, King of Persia, reviewed his
magnificent and enormous army before
starting for Greece, he wept at the
thought of slaughter about to take
place. “Of all this multitude, who
shall say how many will return ?” Em-
erson, in his English Traits, chap. iv.,
speaks of the Emperor Charlemagne
viewing the fleet of the Norsemen in the
Mediterranean Sea, with tears in his
eyes, and adds, “There was reason for
these Xerxes' tears.” -
Xerxes wept at the prospective loss
he expected to suffer in the invasion
prepared, but Charlemagne wept at the
prospective disruption of his kingdom
by the hardy Norsemen. -
Ximena. The Cid's bride.
Xit. Royal dwarf to Edward VI.
Xu'ry. A Moresco boy, servant to
Robinson Crusoe. (De Foe: Robinson
Crusoe.) *
Y 1317
Yellow
Y
Y. A letter resembling “y” was the
Anglo-Saxon character for th (hard);
hence yº, y', y”, etc., , are sometimes
made to stand for the, that, this.
Y. See SAMIAN LETTER.
Ya'coub ebn La'ith, surnamed al
Soffar (the brazier), because his father
followed that trade in Seistan, was cap-
tain of a bandit troop, raised himself
to the sovereignty of Persia, and was
the first independent monarch of that
country of the Mahometan faith. (873-
875.)
Yacil-marma [mother of waters]. A
fabulous sea-snake, fifty paces long and
twelve yards in girth, said to lurk in
the lagunes of South America, and in
the river Amazon. This monster draws
into its mouth whatever passes within
a hundred yards of it, and for this
reason an Indian will never venture to
enter an unknown lagune till he has
blown his horn, which the yacu-mama.
never fails to answer if it is within
hearing. By this means the danger ap-
prehended is avoided. (Waterton.)
Ya'hoo. A Savage ; a very ill-man-
nered person. In Gulliver’s Travels
the Yahoos are described as brutes with
human forms and vicious propensities.
They are subject to the Houyhnhnms,
or horses with human reason.
Yaſma. Judge of departed souls, the
Minos of the Hindus. He is repre-
sented as of a green colour, and sits on
a buffalo.
Yamuna. A sacred river of the
Hindus, supposed by them to have the
efficacy of removing sin.
Yankee. A corruption of “English.”
The word got into general use thus :
In 1713 one Jonathan Hastings, a
farmer at Cambridge, in New York,
used the word as a puffing epithet,
meaning genuine, American-made, what
cannot be surpassed, etc.; as, a “Yankee
horse,” “Yankee cider,” and so on.
The students of the college, catching up
the term, called Hastings “ Yankee
Jonathan.” It soon spread, and became
the jocose pet name of the New Eng-
lander. Since then the term has been
extended to any American of the
Northern States. (Indian corruption of
Anglais or English, thus: Yengees, Yen-
ghis, Yanghis, Yankees.)
Yankee Doodle is Nankee Doodle
(Oliver Cromwell), who went to Oxford
“with a single feather fastened in a
macaroni knot,” whence the rhyme—
“Nankee Doodle came to town upon his little
stułº". feather in his hat, and called it
Illa Cal'Olli.”
The brigade under Lord Percy marched
out of Boston playing this air “by way
of contempt,” but were told they should
dance to it soon in another spirit.
Yarmouth Bloater. A red herring,
for which Yarmouth is very famous.
(Lew Balatroniciſm.)
Yarmouth Capons.
Yawn. Greek, chaino ; German,
gahnen Anglo-Saxon, gān-ian.
Yea, Yes. Yea and may are in
answer to questions framed in the affirm-
ative ; as, “Art thou a prophet ''” Yea.
or may. Yes and 700 to questions framed
in the negative ; as, “Art thou not a
prophet?” Yes or no. (George P.
Marsh : Lectures on the English Lan-
guage.) (See his note on the celebrated
passage of Sir Thomas More, who re-
bukes Tyndale for using 770 instead of
7tay, p. 422.)
Year. Annus magnus. The Chal-
daic astronomers observed that the fixed
stars shift their places at about the rate
of a degree in seventy-two years, ac-
cording to which calculation they will
perform one revolution in 25,920 years,
at the end of which time they will return
to their “as you were.” This revolu-
tion of the fixed stars is the amºnts
magnus. The Egyptians made it 30,000
years, and the Arabians 49,000. (See
Abulhasan’s Meadows of Gold.)
* For a year and a day. In law many
acts are determined by this period of
time—e.g. if a person wounded does not
die within a year and a day, the offender
is not guilty of murder ; if an owner
does not claim an estray within the same
length of time, it belongs to the lord of
the manor; a year and a day is given
to prosecute appeals, etc.
Yellow. Anglo-Saxon, geolºt, yellow ;
Italian, giallo, . Tanish, gºt?d, Icelandic,
gull, our gold, yellow metal.
Yellow indicates jealousy, inconstancy,
and adultery. In France the doors of
traitors used to be daubed with yellow.
In some countries the law ordains that
Jews be clothed in yellow, because they
betrayed our Lord. Judas in mediaeval
pictures is arrayed in yellow. In Spain
the vestments of , the executioner are
either red or yellow—the former to
Red herrings.
Yellow-bellies
1318
Yellowhammer
indicate blood-shedding, and the latter
treason. -
Yellow, in blazonry, is gold, the
symbol of love, constancy, and wisdom.
Yellow, in Christian symbolism, also
gold, is emblematical of faith. St. Peter
is represented in a robe of a golden
yellow colour. In China yellow is the
imperial colour.
Yellow-bellies. Frogs, fenmen. The
Mexicans are so called.
“When the Queen's Prize was won at Wimble-
don, July 21st, 1885, by Sergeant Bulmer, 2nd
Lincoln, his victory, was hailed with ‘Well done,
yellow-belly in allusion to his being a Lincoln-
shire man.” – Notes and Queries, August 22nd,
1885, p. 146.
“Ah, then, agin; it kin scarce be Mexikins
Iney ther. It up too fur Ilo th for any o' them
yellow-bellies.”—Captain Mayne Reid'. The War
Trail, chap. lxxi.
Yellow Book of France. A report
drawn up by government every year
since 1861, designed to furnish historians
with reliable information of the state,
external and internal, of the French
nation. It is called Yellow from the
colour of its cover. It corresponds to
our “Blue Book” and the “ White
Books” of Germany and Portugal.
Yellow-boy (A). A gold sovereign.
“John did not starve the cause: there wanted
not yellow-boys to fee counsel.”—Arbuthnot: John,
13ttll.
Yellow-boy (A). A bankrupt. The
French call a bankrupt Safranier, and
Aller and safra'ſ means to be made a
bankrupt. The allusion is to the ancient
custom of painting the house of a traitor
yellow. It will be remembered that the
house of the Petit Bourbon was long so
stigmatised on account of the treason of
the Constable Bourbon.
Yellow Caps. A notable insurrec-
tion in China, in the reign of Hān-ling-
tee (168-189), headed by Tchang-keo,
and so called from the caps worn by the
rebels, which were all of the imperial
colour.
Yellow Dwarf. A certain queen
had a daughter named ALL-FAIR, of in-
comparable beauty. One day the queen
went to consult the Desert-Fairy, but,
being weary, lay down to rest, and fell
asleep. On waking she saw two lions
approaching, and was greatly terrified.
At this juncture the Yellow Dwarf
arrested her attention, and promised to
Save her from the lions if she would
consent to give him ALL-FAIR for his
bride. The queen made the promise,
and an Orange-tree opened, into which
the queen entered, and escaped the lions.
The queen now sickened, and ALL-FAIR
went to consult the Desert-Fairy, but,
like her mother, was threatened by the
lions, and promised to be the dwarf's
bride if he would contrive her escape.
Next morning she awoke in her own
room, and found on her finger a ring
made of a single red hair, which could
not be got off. The princess now
sickened, and the States resolved to
give her in marriage to the powerful
king of the Gold Mines. On the day of
espousals the Yellow Dwarf came to
claim his bride, carried her off on
his Spanish cat, and confined her in
Steel Castle. In the meantime the
Desert-Fairy made the king of the Gold
Mines her captive. One day a mermaid
appeared to the captive king, carried
him to Steel Castle, and gave him a
Sword made of one entire diamond.
Thus armed, the king went in, and was
first encountered by four sphinxes, then
by six dragons, then by twenty-four
nymphs. All these he slew with the syren
Sword, and then came to the princess.
Here he dropped his sword, which the
Yellow Dwarf took possession of. The
Yellow Dwarf, now made the king his
captive, and asked if he would give up
the princess. “No,” said the king;
whereupon the dwarf stabbed him to
the heart ; and the princess, seeing him
fall, threw herself upon the dead body
and died also. (Countess D'Aulnoy: Fairy
Tales.)
Yellow Jack. The flag displayed
from lazarettos, naval hospitals, and
vessels in quarantine. (See UNION JACK.)
Yellow Jack (The). The yellow
fever.
“Raymond and all luis family died of yellow
fever, and Fernando . . . had passed a few weeks
recovering from a touch of yellow Jack.”—A. C.
Gumter : Batrom Montez, book iv. Chap. x.
Yellowhammer (The). The eggs
of this bird are spotted with red. The
tradition is that the bird fluttered about
the Cross, and got stained with the blood
in its plumage, and by way of punish-
ment its eggs were doomed ever after to
bear marks of blood. 'Tis a very lame
story, but helps to show how in former
times every possible thing was made to
bear some allusion to the Redeemer.
IBecause the bird was “cursed,” boys
who abstain from plundering the eggs of
small birds, were taught that it is as
right and proper to destroy the eggs of
the bunting as to persecute a Jew. (See
CHRISTIAN TRADITIONS.)
* Hammer is a corruption of the
German ammer, a bunting.
TYermen
“,
Ye'rmen. Arabia Felix. Felix is a
mistranslation by Ptolemy of Yemen,
which means to the “right '’—i.e. of
Mecca. (See STONY ARABIA.)
“I3eautiful are the maids that glide
On Sunlmer-eves through Yemen's dales.”
Thomas M007'e: Fire-Worshippers,
Yeoman (A) was anciently a
forty-shilling freeholder, and as such
qualified to vote, and serve on juries.
In more modern times it meant a farmer
who cultivated his own freehold. Later
still, an upper farmer, tenant or other-
wise, is often called a yeoman.
“His family were yeomen of the riclier class,
Who for some generations had held lºroperty.”—
IR. C. Jebb : leichard Lentley, cha}). i. p. 2.
Yeoman's Service. Regular hard
work; effectual service ; excellent ser-
vice whether in a good or bad cause.
The reference is to the yeomen of the
Tree Companies.
“The whole training of Port Royal did him yeo-
r
man's service.”—Shorthouse : Sir Percival, p. 55.
“We found a long knife, and a knotted hand-
kel'Chief Stain Cd With blood, With which Claude
liad, no doubt recently done yeoman's service.”
—Miss IRobinson : Whitefriars, chap. Yiii.
Yeomen of the Guard. The beef-
eaters (q.v.).
Yeth-Hounds. Dogs without heads,
said to be the spirits of unbaptised
children, which ramble among the
woods at night, making wailing noises.
(Devonshire.)
Yezd (1 syl.). Chief residence of
the Fire-worshippers. Stephen says
they have kept the sacred fire alight
above 3,000 years, without suffering it
to go out for a second. The sacred fire
is on the mountain Ater Quedah (Man-
sion of the Fire), and he is deemed un-
fortunate who dies away from the moun-
tain. (Persia.)
“From Yezd's eternal ‘Mansion of the Fire,’
Where aged Saints in dreams of heaven expire.”
Thomas Moore: Laila Roolch, pt. i.
Ygg'drasil'. The ash-tree, whose
roots run in three directions: one to the
Asa-gods in heaven, one to the Frost-
giants, and the third to the under-world.
Under each root is a fountain of won-
derful virtues. In the tree, which drops
honey, sit an eagle, a squirrel, and four
Stags. At the root lies the serpent
Nithhöggr gnawing it, while the squirrel
Ratatüskr runs up and down to sow strife
between the eagle at the top and the
Serpent. (Scandinavian mythology.)
“'The Nornas besprinkle
The ash Yggdrassil.”
Lord Lyttom: Harold, blº. viii.
Ymir. The personification of Chaos,
or the first created being, produced by
1319
York Stairs
the antagonism of heat and cold. He
is called a giant, and was nourished by
the four milky streams which flowed
from the cow Audhum’la. While he
slept, a man and woman grew out of his
left arm, and sons from his feet. Thus
was generated the race of the frost-giants.
(Hrimthursar.)
Odin and his two brothers slew Ymir,
and threw his carcase into the Ginnun'-
gagap (abyss of abysses), when his blood
formed the water of the earth, his gore
the ocean, his bones the mountains, his
teeth the rocks, his skull the heavens,
his brains the clouds, his hair plants of
every kind, and his eyebrows the wall
of defence against the giants. (Sean-
dinavian mythology.)
Yn'iol. An earl of decayed fortune,
father of Enid, ousted from his earldom
by his nephew Ed'yrn, son of Nudd,
called the “Sparrow-hawk.” When
Edyrn was overthrown in single combat
by Prince Geraint', he was compelled to
restore the earldom to Yn'iol. (Tenny-
son : Idyls of the King ; Enid.)
Yo'Ice (1 syl.). Greek zuffon, Latin
jugatin, French jouff, Dutch juk, German
joch, Anglo-Saxon geoc (pron. Qy0c).
To pass under the yoke. To suffer the
disgrace of a vanquished army. The
Romans made a yoke of three spears—
two upright and one resting on them.
When an army was vanquished, the
soldiers had to lay down their arms and
pass under this archway of spears.
Yor'ick. . The King of Denmark's
jester, “a fellow of infinite jest and
most excellent fancy.” (Hamlet, v. 1.)
In Tristram Shandy Sterne introduces
a clergyman of that name, meant for
himself.
York, when it was Saxon, was called
Eorwic, and the legend is that a Duke
of Effroc being drowned at the foot of
the wall caused this name to be given
to the city. Southwark Wall was also
called the Effroc Wall or Stone. (Victor
JHugo : L’Homme qui Rit, pt. ii. bk.
iii. 1.)
York is Eure-wic (pron. Yorrio), and
means the town on the Eure, now called
the Ouse. The Romans Latinised the
word Entre or Ev're into “Evora, ’’ or
“Ebora,” and wie into “vicum ; ”
whence Ebora-vicum, contracted into
Jºbor'acºm.
York Stairs (London), by Inigo
Jones. The only remains left of the
splendid mansion of the Buckinghams.
The site is part of the precincts of a
TYorks
1320
Yue-Tuaou,
palace belonging to the bishops of Nor-
wich. It then passed to Charles Brandon,
Duke of Suffolk, then to the archbishops
of York, then to the Crown, then to the
T]uke of Buckingham, who rebuilt it.
The second Duke of Buckingham pulled
it down, and converted it into the
five streets, etc., called respectively,
“George,” “Williers,” “Duke,” “Of,”
“Buckingham.” The gate leading to
the Thames is the only part of this
mansion which remains.
Yorks (a Stock-Exchange term), the
Great Northern Railway Ordinary Stock,
the York line. Similarly, there are the
Berwicks, the Brums, the Dovers, the
Leeds, the Pots or Potteries, the Singa-
pores, and so on. (See STOCK-ExCHANGE
SLANG.)
Yorkshire. I’se Yorkshire, too. I
am as deep as you are, and am not to
be bamboozled. The North-countrymen
are proverbially “long-headed and can-
Inie.” A tale is told of a Yorkshire rustic
under cross-examination. The counsel
tried to make fun of him, and said to
him, “Well, farmer, how go calves at
York?” “Well, sir,” said the farmer,
‘‘ on four legs, and not on two.” “Si-
lence in the court | ?’ cried the baffled
|bigwig, and tried again. “Now, farmer
—remember you are on your oath—are
there as many fools as ever in the West
Riding P” “Well, no, sir, no; we’ve
got our share, no doubt; but there are
not so many as when you were there.”
Young Chevalier. Charles Edward
iº the second Pretender. (1720-
l'788.
Young England. A set of young
noblemen and aristocratic gentlemen
who tried to revive the formality and
court manners of the Chesterfield school.
They wore white waistcoats, patronised
the pet poor, looked down upon shop-
keepers, and were altogether Red-Tape
Rnights. Disraeli has immortalised their
ways and manners, but scarcely a caput
Anortºtºn of their folly now remains.
Young Germany. A literary school
headed by Heinrich Heine, whose aim
was to liberate politics, religion, and
manners from the old conventional
trammels.
Young Italy. A league of Italian
refugees, who associated themselves with
the French republican party, called the
Charbonnerie Démocratique (q.v.). It was
organised at Marseilles by Mazzini, and
its chief object was to diffuse republican
principles,
uncle invited him back again.
Your Petitioners shall ever Pray,
etc. The part omitted is, if a petition
to the Crown, “for your Majesty's most
prosperous reign ''; but if to Parlia-
ment, the suppressed words are, “for
the prosperous success of this high and
honourable court of Parliament.”
Youth Restored. Iola’us was re-
stored to youth, as Euripidés says.
Phaon, the beloved of Sappho, was
restored to youth on the behalf of
Venus. .
AEson was restored to youth by Medaea,
and so was Jason.
The muses of Bacchus and their hus-
bands were restored to youth, according
to AEschylos.
Ysolde, Ysonde, or Iseult. Daughter
of the Queen of Ireland. Sir Tristram,
being wounded, was cured by YSolde,
and on his return to Cornwall gave his
uncle such a glowing description of the
young princess that he sent to ask her
hand in marriage. Ysolde married King
Mark of Cornwall, but entertained a
criminal passion for the nephew. This
attachment being discovered by the king,
he banished Tristram from Cornwall.
Sir Tristram went to Wales, where he
performed prodigies of valour, andº
he
guilty intercourse being repeated, Sir
Tristram was banished a second time,
and went to Spain, Ermonie, and Brit-
tany. In this last place he met with
Ysolt of the JWhite Hand, daughter of
the Duke of Brittany, whom he married.
After many marvellous exploits he was
severely wounded, and, being told that
no one could cure him but Ysolde, he
sent a messenger to Cornwall, and told
him if the queen consented to accompany
him he was to hoist a white flag. The
queen hastened to succour her lover, but
Ysolt told her husband that the vessel
was coming with a black sail displayed.
Sir Tristram, in an agony of despair,
fell on his bed and instantly expired.
Soon as Ysolde heard thereof, she flung
herself on the corpse and died also.
Ring Mark buried the two in one grave,
and planted over it a rose-bush and vine,
which so intermingled their branches
as they grew up that no man could
separate them. -
Ysolt of the white Hand. Daugh-
ter of the Duke of Brittany and wife of
Sir Tristram. (See above.)
Yue-Laou, in Chinese mythology,
is the old man of the moon, who unites
with a silken cord all predestined
Yuga,
1321
Zacocia,
couples, after which nothing can prevent
their union.
Yuga. A mundane period of years,
four of which have already passed,
making up an aggregate of four million
solar years. In the first period men
were innocent and free from disease, in
the second their life was shortened by
one quarter. In the first period devotion
was man’s object, in the Second spiritual
knowledge, in the third sacrifice. Com-
pare the Hindu legend with the account
given in Genesis.
Yule (1 syl.).
Yule Log. A great log of wood laid
in ancient times across the hearth-fire
on Christmas Eve. This was done with
certain ceremonies and much merry-
making. (Norwegian, juitl, Christmas.)
“JEver at Yuletide, when the great log flamed
In chimney corner, laugh and jest went round.”
Aldrich. : Wyndham Towers, Stanza 5.
Yule Swain (The). A kind of Santa
IClaus among the Lapps. He is eleven
feet high, and rides on a goat. He
appears on St. Thomas's Day, and con-
tinues his visits till Christmas Eve ; but
where he comes from and whither he
goes nobody has the least idea.
Christmas time.
Yuletide has been held as a sacred
festival by numberless nations.
Christictºns lold December 25th as the anniver-
sary of the birth of Jesus.
China. On the Salme day celebrates the birth Of
Buddha, son of Māya. (Bumsen.)
Druids held during the winter Solstice the fes-
tival of Nolagh. (Higgins.)
Egypt held that Horus, son of Isis, was born
towards the close Of December. (Le Clerk, do
Septehemes.) - -
Greece celebrated in the winter solstice the birth
of Deuneter (Ceres), Dionysos (Bacchus), and Hera-
kićS (Hercules). - -
Imdia. Numerous Indian tribes keep Yuletide
as a religious festival. (Monier Williams.)
Mexico holds in the winter solstice the festival
Of ºperame. (History of the Indies, vol. ii.
1). 354. •
Persia, at the Salme period honours the lyirth of
Mithras. (Gross.)
JRome celel) rated (in December 25th the festival
“Natii is Solis Invicta.”
Scºudinavia, held at Yuletide the festival called
Jul, in honour of Freya, Son of Odin.
Yum"boes (2 syl.). Fairies of African
mythology, about two feet high, of a
white colour, and dressed like the people
of Jaloff. Their favourite haunt is the
range of hills called The Paps.
“When evening's shades o'er Goree's isle extend,
The nimble Yumboes from The Paps descend,
Slily approach the natives' huts, and steal
With Secret hand the pounded coos coos meal.”
Keightley : Fairy Mythology.
Y’ves (St.) (1 syl.). Patron saint of
lawyers, being himself a lawyer. As
he used his knowledge of the law in
defending the oppressed, he is called in
Brittany “the poor man’s advocate.”
“Advocatus, sed non latro,
ReS 1miranda populo.”
Hymn to St. Yves.
Yvetot (pron. Eve-tá). The King of
Yvetot. Yvetot is a town in Normandy,
and the king referred to is the lord of
the town, called roi d'Yvetot in old
chronicles. The tradition is that Clotaire,
Son of Clovis, having slain Gaulthier,
lord of Yvetot, before the high altar of
Soissons, made atonement by conferring
the title of king on the heirs of the
murdered man.
“Il Était un roi d'Yvetot
Peu connu dans l'histoire :
Selevant tard, se couchant tºt,
Dormant fort bien sans gloire,
lºt couronné par Jeanneton
D'un simple bonnet de coton,
T)it-Ol).
Oh! Oh! oh! ol. I ab ah! all ! ah!
Quel bon petit roi c'était, lä là là!”
Bera ºffer: Tºoi d'Yvetot (1813).
A king there was, “roi d'Yvetot” clept,
But little known in story.;
Went soon to bed, till daylight slept,
And soundly without glory.
His royal brow in cotton cap . .
Would Janet, when he took his nap,
Enwrap.
Ah! all ! ah, ah I ho! ho! ho!, bo!
A fallmous king this “roi d'Yvetº",
f
Z.
Za'bian. The Zabian world of fashion.
The world of fashion that worships the
stars, or men and women of notoriety.
A Zabian is a worshipper of the sun,
moon, and stars. The Chaldees and
ancient Persians were Zabians.
“This is the new meteor, admired with so much
devotion by the Zabian world of fashion.”—Bel-
gravia, No. 1.
Z a co cºia. King of Mozam'bec.
Camoens, in his Latsiad, says that he
received Vasco da Gama and his men
with great hospitality, believing them to
be Mahometans, but the moment he
discovered that they were Christians all
his kindness turned to the most ran-
corous hate. He tried to allure them
into ambush, but, failing in this, sent to
Gama, a pilot to conduct the fleet to
Momba'ze (2 syl.), where the whole
party would have been killed or reduced
to slavery. This treachery failed also,
because Venus drove the fleet in a con-
trary direction by a storm. The faith-
less pilot lastly attempted to run the
ships upon hidden rocks, but the Nereids
came to the rescue, and the pilot threw
himself into the sea to escape the anger
of the Portuguese adventurer, (Camoens:
Letsiad, blºs. i. ii.)
Zadkiel 1322 Zephon
Zad'kiel (3 Syl.). Angel of the planet elect of Paradise,” and became “priestess
Jupiter. (Jewish mythology.) of the faith.” When Azim joined the
Zadkiel. The pen-name of Lieu-
tenant Morrison, author of the Prophetic
Almanac.
Za'doc, in Dryden’s satire of Absalom
and Achitophel, is designed for Sancroft,
Archbishop of Canterbury.
“Zadoc the priest, whom (shunning power and
place),
His lowly mind advanced to David’s [Charles II.]
grace.” l”: "t i. lines 801-2.
Zakari'ja ibn Muhammed, sur-
named JCazºtēni, from Kaswin, the place
of his birth. De Sacy calls him “the
Pliny of the East.” (1200-1283.)
Zakkum. A tree growing in the
Muhammadan hell, from which a food is
prepared for the damned of inexpressible
bitterness. -
“ Hov will it, ho for him whose food is Zak-
k;,]]l 2 º’—The JKoran.
Zal. Son of Sãm Nerimân, exposed
on Mount Elburz, because he was born
with white hair, and therefore supposed
to be the offspring of a deer. He was
brought up by the wonderful bird See-
murgh (ſ.v.), and when claimed by his
father, received from the foster-bird a
feather to give him insight into futurity.
(Persian mythology.)
Za'nes. The statues dispersed about
the grounds on which the public games
of Greece were celebrated. They were
the produce of fines imposed on those
who infringed the regulations.
Zano'ni. Hero of a novel so called
by Lord Lytton. Zanoni is supposed to
possess the power of communicating with
spirits, prolonging life, and producing
gold, silver, and precious stones.
Za n'y. More correctly, Zanny
(Italian zanni, a buffoon; Latin Sannio,
“sanna, ’’ means a grimace, and “san-
neo’’ one who makes grimaces).
“For indeed,
He's like the ‘Zalli' to a tumbler
That tries tricks after him to make men laugh.”
J3. Jomson : Every Many out of his Humour, iv. 2.
f “ He belonged to one of those dramatic com-
panies called zanni, who went about the country
recting and acting.” – John Inglesamt, chap.
X xvii. *
Zel. A Moorish cymbal.
“Where, some hours since, was heard the swell
Of trumpet, and the clash of Zel.”
Thomas Moore : Fire-Worshippen's.
Zelica was in love with Azim. Azim
left his native Bokhara to join the Per-
sian army, and was taken captive by the
Greeks. Report said “he was dead; ”
Zel'ica, lost her reason, joined the harem
of the Weiled Prophet as “one of the
prophet's band, Zelica, was appointed to
lure him to his destruction, both of body
and soul. They meet—Azim tells her
to fly with him, but she tells him she is
the prophet's bride, and flees from his
embrace. After the death of the prophet
Zelica puts on his veil, and Azim, think-
ing he sees the prophet, rushes on her
and kills her. (Thomas Moore : Veiled
Prophet of Khorassam ; Lalla Rookh.)
Zelo'tes (3 syl.) or Sicarii were pious
assassins among the Jews, who imposed
on themselves the task of killing all who
broke the Mosaic law. (Mishnah : San-
hedrim, ix. 6.)
“Simon Zelotes was probably a disciple of Judas
the Gau}onite, leader of a party of the Kemain
(Sicari).”—Remain : Jife of Jesus, ix.
Zem. The sacred well of Mecca. Ac-
cording to Arab tradition, this is the
very well that was shown to Hagar when
Ishmael was perishing of thirst. Mecca
is built round it.
Zen'chis Khan [great chief]. A title
assumed in 1206 by Temoudin, a Persian
rebel, in the presence of 100 tribes. His
progress was like that of a destroying
angel, and by his sword Persia became
part of the vast Mogul empire.
Zend-Aves' ta. The great work of
Zoroaster, or rather Zarathustra, the
Mede, who reformed the Magian religion.
It is the Avesta or “Living Word,”
written in the Zend language (B.C. 490).
It now contains the Yacna, the Vis-
pered, the Wendidad, and the Khordah-
Avesta. *
“The Sacred writings of the Parsees have
usually been called Zend-Avesta by Europeans :
but this is, without doubt, an inversion of the
proper order of the words, as the Pahlavi books
always style them ‘Avisták-va-Zand' (text and
commentary).” – Iſang : Essays on the Parsis,
IESSay iii. p. 19
Zenel'ophon. A corruption of Penel-
ophon. The beggar-maid loved by King
Cophe’tua.
“The magnanimous and most illustrate king
Cophetua set eye upon the pernicious and indubi-
tate beggar Zenelophon.”—Shakespeare: Love's
Latbottº's Lost, iv. l.
Ze'nith, Na'dir. Zenith is the point
of the heavens immediately over the
head of the spectator. Nadir is the
opposite point, immediately beneath the
f g &
spectator’s feet. (French, zénith, 7tadir.)
Zephon [searcher of secrets]. The
cherub despatched by Gabriel to find
Satan, after his flight from hell. Ithu'-
riel goes with him. (Milton : Paradise
Lost, iv. 788-796.)
Zephyr
1323
Zodiac
Zeph'yr. The west wind, the son
of Æ'olus and Auro'ra, and the lover of
Flora, (Roman mythology.)
Pas de zephyr. Standing on one foot
and balancing the other backwards and
forwards.
Zeus (1 syl.). The Grecian Jupiter.
The word means the “living one.”
(Sanskrit, Iljaus, heaven.) (See JU-
PITER.)
Zeux'is (2 syl.), a Grecian painter,
is said to have painted some grapes so
well that the birds came and pecked at
them.
“E'en as poor birds, deceived with painted grºupes,
Do Surfeit by the eye, and pine the maw.”
Shakespeare : l'ent's ſtºld Aidonvis.
Zif. Hypothetical stock, entered in
“salted accounts,” to give a colourable
balance “to the good.” (Hebrew ziphºr,
a book.) (Pidocq : Les Poleurs, vol. ii.
pp. 81, 87.)
Zig. A prodigious cock, which stands
with its feet on the earth arid touches
heaven with its head. When its wings
are spread it darkens the sun, and causes
a total eclipse. This cock crows before
the Lord, and delighteth Him. (Baby-
lonish Talmud.)
Zig. A chum, a comrade. (Italian
zigno, a newt or little lizard.) It gener-
ally means tº mauvais camarade, unless
otherwise qualified. (French argot.)
r
“Only the bon zig Rac,”—Ouida. Under Two
Flags, chal) XXV.
Zim and Jim. “Iſis house was
made a habitation for Zim and Jim, and
every unclean thing” (Godly Man's Por-
tion, 1663). The marginal reading of
Isa. xii. 21, 22, explains Zim to be wild
beasts, and Jim jackals.
Zimri, in Dryden’s Absalom and Achi-
tophel, is the second Duke of Bucking-
ham. Like the captain who conspired
against Asa, King of Judah, he “formed
parties and joined factions,” but pending
the issue “he was drinking himself drunk
in the house of Arza, steward of his
house.” (1 Kings xvi. 9.)
“Some of the chiefs were princes in the land;
In the first rank of these did Zimri stand ;
A mall S() Various that he seemed to be
Not one, but all mankind's epitome.
Stiff in opinions, always in the wrong,
Was everything by starts, and nothing long.”
Part i. 543–548.
Zin'cali. Gipsies; so called in Spain
from Sinte or Sind (India) and "calo
(black), the supposition being that they
came from Hindustan, which no doubt
is true. The Persian Zangi means an
Ethiopian or Egyptian.
Zin'dikites (3 syl.). An heretical
Mahometan sect, who disbelieve in God,
the resurrection, and a future life. They
think that the world is the production of
four eternal elements, and that man is a
microcosm of the world.
Zineu'ra, in the Decameron of Boc-
caccio (day ii. novel 9), is the Imogen of
Shakespeare's Cymbeline. In male attire
Zineura assumed the name of Sicura'no
da Finale, and Imogen of Fidele. Zin-
eura's husband was Bernard Lomellin,
and the villain was Ambrose. Imogen's
husband was Posthumus Leonatus, and
the villain Tachimo. In Shakespeare,
the British king Cymbeline takes the
place assigned by Boccaccio to the
Sultan.
Zion. Daughter of Zion. Jerusalem
or its inhabitants. The city of David
stood on Mount Zion. Zion and Jeru-
salem were pretty much in the same
relation to each other as Old and New
Edinburgh. (Hebrew, Tsiyon, a hill.)
Zist. “Se trouver entre le gist et le
gest.” To be in a quandary; in a state
of perfect bewilderment. Also, to shilly
shally. “Zest” is anything of no value,
as “Cela, ne vaut pas un zest'' (It is not
worth a fig). “Zist’ is the same word
slightly varied.
Zobeide (2 syl.). A lady of Bagdad,
whose history is related in the Three
Calenders. The Kalif Haroun-al-Ras-
chid married her. (Arabian Nights.)
Zo'diac. An imaginary belt or zone
in the heavens, extending about eight
degrees each side of the ecliptic.
Signs of the Zodiac. The zodiac is
divided into twelve equal parts, pro-
ceeding from west to east; each part is
thirty degrees, and is distinguished by a
sign. Beginning with “Ariès,” we have
first six northern and then six southern
signs—i.e. six on the north side and six
on the south side of the equator ; be-
ginning with “Capricornus,” we have
six ascending and then six descending
signs—i.e. six which ascend higher and
higher towards the north, and six which
descend lower and lower towards the
south. The six northern signs are :
Aries (the ram), Taurus (the bull),
Gemini (the twins), spring signs; Cancer
(the crab); Leo (the lion), Virgo (the
virgin), summer signs. The six Southern
are: Libra (the balance), Scorpio (the
scorpion), Sagitta'rius (the archer),
autumn signs; Capricornus (the goat),
Aqua'rius (the water-bearer), and Pisces
Zohar
1324
Zulfagar
(the fishes), winter signs. (Greek, zo-on,
living creatures.)
Our Vernal signs the RAM begins,
Then comes the BULL, in May the Twixs; –
The CRAB in June, next LEO shines,
And VIRGO ends the northern signs.
The BALANCE brings autumnal fruits,
The SCORPION stings, the ARCHER shoots ;-
IDecember's GOAT lyriñgs win try blast,
AQUARIUS rain, the FISH conne last. E. C. B.
Zohar. The name of a Jewish book
containing cabalistic expositions of the
“books of Moses.” Traditionally as-
cribed to Rabbi Simon ben Yochi, first
century; but probably belonging to the
thirteenth century.
“The renowned Zohar is written in Aramaic,
and is a commentary on the Pentateuch, accord-
ing to its divisions ill to fifty-two hebdolmadal
jessons.”—Encyclopædia, Britannica, vol. xii.
p. 813. -
Zoilism. Harsh, ill-tempered criti-
cism ; so called from Zoilos (q.v.).
Zoilos (Latin, Zoilus). The sword of
Zoë'os. The pen of a critic. Zoilos was
a literary Thersi'tés, shrewd, witty, and
spiteful. He was nicknamed Home'ro-
mastia. (Homer's scourge), because he
mercilessly assailed the epics of Homer,
and called the companions of Ulysses in
the island of Circé “weeping porkers”
(“choirid'ia Ålaionta ?”). He also flew
at Plato, Isocrates, and other high
game. -
“Pendentenn Volo Zoilulm videre.” Mantial.
Zola-ise. To write like Zola, the
French novelist, the last quarter of the
nineteenth century. Zola is noted for
his realistic novels, many of which are
unfit for circulating libraries. His speci-
ality is a reckless exposition of the licen-
tious habits of the French. His historic
novel, called the Débâcle, exposed the
breakdown of Napoleon III. and his
army in the Franco-German war (1870–
1871).
Other parts of speech from Zola are
Zolaesque, Zolaisation, Zolaiser, etc.
* The most complimentary meaning
tariff of duties.
of Zolaesque is the terrible descriptive
style of writing. The more general
meaning is licentious and coarsely erotic.
Zollverein, meaning customs union,
a commercial union of German states
for the purpose of establishing a uniform
(Begun 1819.)
Zo'phiel. An angelic Scout of “swift-
est wing.” The word means “God’s
spy.” (Milton : Paradise Lost, vi. 355.)
Zoraida (3 Syl.). Daughter of Agi-
mora'to of Algiers, who becomes a
Christian and elopes with Ruy Perez de
Viedma, an officer of Leon. The story
is told in an episode of Don Quiacote,
called The Captive’s Life and Adreſ,-
tures. (Bk. iv. chap. ix.-xi.) -
Zoraide (3 Syl.) or Zoraida. The
name of a yacht belonging to the squad-
rom at Cowes. This name is taken from
l{ossini's Zoraidi et Coradin.
Zoundis . An oath, meaning God’s
wounds.
Zulal. That stream of Paradise, clear
as crystal and delicious as nectar, which
“the spirits of the just made perfect”
drink of.
Zulei’ka. Daughter of Giaffir, Pacha
of Aby'dos. She is all purity and love-
liness. Her intelligence, joyousness,
undeviating love, and strict regard to
duty are beautifully portrayed. She
promises to flee with Selim and become
his bride; but her father, Giaffir, shoots
her lover, and Zuleika dies of a broken
heart. (Byron : Bride of Abydos.)
Zuleika. The wife of Joseph.
“It is less costly than the others, and it is re-
markable that, although his wife's name, Zuleika
(according to tradition), is inserted, in the cer-
tificates given to lyilgrims, no grave having that
manne is shown.”—The Times (Report of the visit of
the Primce of Wales to the mosqué of Hebron).
Zulfa'gar. Ali's sword. (See SWORD.)
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.
—e-º-o-
A'Beckett, Arthur W. (b. Ham-
mersmith, October 25th, 1844). “Fallen
among Thieves '' (1870); “Our Holiday
in the Highlands” (1876); “The Ghost
of Greystone Grange ’’ (1877); with Bur-
nand, “The Doom of St. Querce” (1875);
“The Shadow Witness” (1876); “Hard
Luck” (1884); “Tracked Out” (1888);
“Papers from Pump-Handle Court’”
(from Punch), (1889); “The Member
for Wrottenborough '' (1892). Plays:
“L. S. D.” (1872); “About Town ''
(1873); “On Strike ’’ (1873). Edited
Glowworm and Tomahawk, and has pub-
lished an edition of Gilbert A'Beckett's
“ Comic Blackstone '' (1887).
A'Beckett, Gilbert Abbot (b. 1811;
d. Boulogne, August 30th, 1856). More
than thirty plays. The “Quizziology
of the British Drama '' (1846); “Comic
Blackstone * (1846); “Comic History of
England” (1847–48), “The Comic His-
tory of Rome'' (1852). He edited
Jºiffaro in London and The Squib, and
contributed much to various journals.
Abbott, Rev. Edwin, D.D. (b.
London, 1838). “Shakespearian Gram-
mar ” (1869); “Bible Lessons” (1872);
“Cambridge Sermons’’ (1875); “Con-
cordance to Pope’’ (1875); “Through
Nature to Christ'' (1877); “Bacon and
Essex” (1877); “Philochristus” (1878);
“Onesimus ” (1882); “Flatland” (1884):
“Francis Bacon” (1885); “The Kernel
and the Husk” (1887); “Philomythus ”
(1891); “The Anglican Career of
Cardinal Newman’” (1892).
“Bacon’s Essays” (1876).
Addison, Joseph (b. Milston, Wilt-
shire, May 1st, 1672; d. Holland House,
June 17th, 1719). “The Campaign ''
(1704); “Remarks on Several Parts of
Italy’’ (1705); “Present State of the
War ’’ (1707); “Poems” (1712); five
of the Whig Examiner (1712); “Cato "
(1713); “Essay Concerning the Error in
Distributing Modern Medals” (1715);
“Poems to the Princess of Wales and
Sir Godfrey Kneller” (1716); “Disser-
tations on the most celebrated Roman
Edited
Poets” (1718); “Notes upon the Twelve
Books of ‘Paradise Lost,’”(1719); “Free-
holder” (1722); “Dialogues upon the
Usefulness of Ancient Medals” (1726);
“Ode to Dr. Thomas Burnet” (1727);
“Divine Poems ” (1728); “On the Evi-
dence of the Christian Religion ” (1730);
and “Discourses on Ancient and Mod-
ern Learning ” (1739). Wrote for
Steele's Tatler (1709), and 274 out of 635
numbers of Spectator (1711-12). His
“Works” were published in 1765 with
a “Life” by Tickell. The best edition,
Greene's (New York and London, 1854).
For Biography, see Johnson’s “Lives
of the Poets; ” the “Lives” by Steele
(1724), Sprengel (1810), Lucy Aikin
(1843), Elwin (1857), and the “Addi-
soniana ’’ of Sir Richard Phillips. For
Criticism, see Macaulay’s “Essays,”
Jeffrey’s “Essays,” Hazlitt’s “Comic
Writers,” Thackeray's “Humorists
of the Eighteenth Century,” Leslie
Stephen’s “Hours in a Library,” etc.
Aidé, Hamilton (b. Paris, 1830).
“Carr of Carlyon'' (1862); “Mr. and
Mrs. Faulconbridge'' (1864); “The
Fomance of the Scarlet Leaf and Other
Poems ” (1865); “The Marstons''
(1868); “In that State of Life” (1871);
“Morals and Mysteries’’ (1872): “Pen-
ruddocke’’ (1873); “Poet and Peer”
(1880); “Introduced to Society”
(1884); “The Cliff Mystery’’ (1884);
“Songs Without Music ’’ (1889); “A
Voyage of Discovery '' (1892); “Eliza-
beth’s Pretenders” (1895). He has also
written the words to many songs.
Ainger, Canon Alfred (b. London,
1837). “Sermons Preached in the
Temple Church’” (1870); “Charles
Iamb '' (1882). Has edited Lamb's
Works.
Ainsworth, William Francis, M.D.
(b. Exeter, November 9th, 1807). “Re-
Searches in Assyria, Babylonia, etc.”
(1838); “Travels and Researches in
Asia Minor, Mesopotamia, etc.” (1842);
“Travels in the Track of the Ten
Thousand Greeks” (1844), etc.
Airlsworth
1326
Alcuin
Ainsworth, William Harrison (b.
February 4th, 1805; d. January 3rd,
1882). “Sir John Chiverton” (1826);
“Rookwood” (1834); “Crichton” (1837);
“Jack Sheppard ” (1839); “The Tower
of London’’ (1840); “Guy Fawkes,”
“Old St. Paul’s ” (1841); “The Miser’s
Daughter,” “Windsor Castle,” “St.
James's,” “Lancashire Witches” (1848);
“The Star Chamber” (1854); “The
Flitch of Bacon,” “Ballads, Roman-
tic, Fantastical, and Humorous” (1855);
the “Spendthrift” (1856); “Mervyn
Clitheroe” (1857); the “Combat of the
Thirty” (a poem), “Ovingdean Grange ’’
(1860); “The Constable of the Tower”
(1861); the “Lord Mayor of London’’
(1862); “Cardinal Pole" (1863); “John
Law, the Projector” (1864); the “Con-
stable de Bourbon '' (1866); “Old
Court,” “The Spanish Match” (1867);
“Myddleton Pomfret” (1868); “Hil-
ary St. Ives” (1870); “The Good Old
Times '' (1873); “Merry England ”
(1874); “Preston Fight” (1875); “The
Goldsmith's Wife'' (1875); “Chet-
wynd Calverley” (1876); and “Beatrice
Tyldesley '' (1878). Edited Bentley’s
and New Monthly.
Aird, Thomas (b. Bowden, Tox-
burghshire, August 28th, 1802; d. Dum-
fries, 1876). “Religious Character-
istics” (1827); the “Old Bachelor in
the Old Scottish Village’’ (1848); the
“Devil's Dream,” the “Captive of
Fez,” and other poems (1856 and 1878,
with “Life”). Edited Dumfries Herald.
See Gilfillan’s “Literary Portraits.”
Airy, Sir George B., K.C.B. (b.
Alnwick, November 27th, 1801; d.
January 1st, 1892). “Astronomical Ob-
servations” (Cambridge, 9 vols., 1829-
38); “Gravitation” (1834); “Ipswich
Ylectures on Astronomy” (1849); “Trig-
onometry '' (1855); “Errors of Obser-
vation ” (1861); “The Invasion of
Britain by Julius Caesar’” (1865);
“Sound '' (1869); “Magnetism” (1870),
etc. Also contributed important papers
to the Transactions of several scientific
Societies.
Akenside, Mark, M.D. (b. New-
castle, November 9th, 1721; d. London,
June 23rd, 1770). “An Epistle to
Curio” (1744); “Pleasures of the
Imagination ” (1744); 2nd edition with
the Poems (1772); “Ode to Lord Hunt-
ingdon ’’ (1748); “Ode to Country
Gentlemen of England” (1757); “Ode
to the Late Thomas Edwards” (1763);
“De Ortu et Incremento Foetus Hu-
mani” (1744); “Notes on the Postscript
of a Pamphlet entitled ‘Observations,
Anatomical, etc.’” (1758); “Oratio
Harveiana ’’ (1760); “De Dysentaria
Commentarius” (1764). Poetical Works,
including unpublished fragment (1804).
Lives by Johnson, Bucke, Dyce.
Alcock, Sir Rutherford, K.C.B.,
D.C.L. (b. London, 1809). “ Notes on
the Medical History of the British
Legion of Spain’’ (1838); “Elements
of Japanese Grammar ” (1861); “The
Capital of the Tycoon ’’ (1863); “Fam-
iliar Dialogues in Japanese ’’ (1863);
“Art in Japan” (1878). -
Alcuin (b. York, 735; d. Tours, May
19th, 804). Works:—(1) The “Com-
mentaries on the Scriptures,” consisting
of “Questions and Answers on the Book
of Genesis; ” “Comments on the Peni-
tential Psalms,” on the “Song of Solo-
mon,” and on the “Book of Ecclesi-
astes; ” the “Interpretationes Nominum
Hebraicum ; ” and the “Commentaries
on the Gospel of St. John,” and on the
“Three Epistles of St. Paul.” (2) The
“Dogmatic Writings,” including the
treatises “De Fide Trinitatis et De
Processione Spiritus Sancti,” and the
books “Against Felix’’ and “Elipan-
dus.” (3) The Liturgic Works: the
“Liber Sacramentorum,” the treatise
“De Psalmorum. Usu,” the “Officia
per Ferias,” and the tracts “De Wir-
tutibus et Vitiis '' and “De Animax
Ratione.” To these are added “Lives
of St. Martin of Tours,” of “St. Rich-
arius,” of “Wilbrord,” and of “ St.
Vedastus,” the last of which was
merely corrected and edited by Alcuin
from an older writer ; and four treatises,
“De Grammatica,” “De Orthographia,”
“De Rhetorica et Virtutibus,” and “De
Dialectica.” The complete “Works”
were published by André Duchesne
under the Latinised name of “Andreas
Quercetanus'' in 1617, and again, in
1777, by Frobenius, Prince-Abbot of St.
Emmeram, at Ratisbon. A list of the
editions of the separate works will be
found in Wright’s “Biographia Britan-
nica, Literaria.” For Biography, see
the “Life,” written in 829 and printed
in the editions of the “Works '' in the
“Acta SS. Ord. S. Bened.” of Mabillon,
in the collection of Surius, and in the
“Acta Sanctorum ” of the Bollandists;
also the sketch by Mabillon; the “Life ‘’
by Frobenius, prefixed to his edition;
the “Life” by Professor Lorenz, of
IHalle (1829), translated into English by
Jane Mary Slee (1837); the “Dictionary
Aldrich
1327
Andrewes
of National Biography,” and Morley's
“English Writers,” vol. ii.
Aldrich, Henry, D.D. (b. Westmin-
ster, 1647; d. Oxford, Dec. 14th, 1710).
“Artis Logica Compendium ” (1692),
and “IElementa, Architecturae Civilis ad
Vitruvii Veterumque Disciplinum et
Recentiorum praesertim ad Paladii Ex-
empta Probationi Concinnata ?? (trans-
lated 1789).
Alexander, Mrs., were Mrs. Annie
Hector, née French (b. Dublin, about 1825).
“Which Shall It Be?” (1866); “The
Wooing o't’” (1873); “Maid, Wife, or
Widow P” (1879); “Mammon '' (1892);
“The Snare of the Fowler” (1892); “For
His Sake” (1892); “The Heritage of
Langdale’” (1894); “A Choice of Evils”
(1894); “What Gold Cannot Buy”
(1895), etc. etc.
Alexander of Hales [Halensis]
(d. 1245). “Summa Theologiae Quadri-
partitae '' (1481-82); “Super Tertium
Sententiarum” (1475); “Commentaries”
(1496). See Kerchinger’s “Clavis Theo-
logiae seu Repertorium in Summam
Alexandride Hales” (1502). Best edition
of “Summa,” Cologne, 1622.
Alford, Henry, D.D. (b. London,
1810; d. Jan. 12th, 1871). “Poems and
Poetical Fragments” (1831); “The School
of the Heart and Other Poems” (1835);
“The Abbot of Muchelnaye and Other
Poems” (1841); “Chapters on Poetry
and Poets” (1841); “The Doctrines of
Redemption ” (1842-43); Edition of the
Greek Testament (1844-52); “Sermons”
(1854–57); “Village Sermons” (1846);
“Plea for Queen's English '' (1864).
“Life” (1873).
Alfred, King of England (b. Wan-
tage, Berkshire, 848; d. Oct. 27th, 901).
Translated into English Bede’s “Eccle-
siastical History,” Orosius’s “Universal
History,” Boethius’s “De Consolatione
Philosophiae,” and Gregory.I.'s “Pastoral
on the Care of the Soul.” “Biographies”
by Powell (1634), Spelman (1678), Bick-
nell (1777), and by Thomas Hughes,
M.P., in the Sunday Library. See also
Wright’s “Biographia Britannica,” the
, “Dictionary of National Biography,”
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. ii.
Alison, Rev. Archibald (b. Edin-
burgh, 1757; d. Edinburgh, 1839). “Es-
say on the Nature and Principles of
Taste” (1790); “Sermons” (1814-15);
and a “Memoir of the Life and Writings
of Lord Woodhouselee '' (1818). See
Lord Jeffrey’s “Essays,” and Sinclair's
“Old Times and Distant Places.”
Alison, Sir Archibald, Bart. (b.
Renley, Shropshire, 1792; d. May, 1867).
“History of Europe, from the French
Revolution of 1789 to the Accession of
Napoleon III.” (1839–42); “Principles
of Population ” (1840); “FreeTrade and
Fettered Currency” (1847); a “Life of
the Duke of Marlborough '' (1848);
“Essays: Historical, Political, and Mis-
cellaneous.” (1850); and other Works.
See the Quarterly Review, vols. lxx.,
lxxii., lxxiii., lxxvi. ; the Edinburgh
Review, vol. lxxvi. ; the Westminster
Jeeview, vol. xli. ; and the North Ameri-
can Review, vols. viii., x., xi., xx.
Allen, Charles Grant (b. Kingston,
Canada, Feb. 24th, 1848). “Physiologi-
cal AFsthetics” (1877); “The Colour
Sense ’’ (1879); “The Evolutionist at
Large '' (1881); “Colin Clout’s Calen-
dar” (1883); “Philistia” (1884);
“Flowers and their Pedigrees” (1885);
“Charles Darwin’” (1885); “Babylon ''
(1885); “For Maimie's Sake” (1886);
“In all Shades” (1886); “The Beckon-
ing Hand” (1887); “Force and Energy’
(1888); “The Devil's Die ’’ (1888);
“This Mortal Coil” (1888); “The Tents
of Shem ’’ (1889); “The Woman Who
Did '' (1895); “Under Sealed Orders”
(1895), etc.
Allingham, William (b. Ballyshan-
non, March 19th, 1828; d. Nov. 18th,
1889). “Poems ” (1850); “Day and
Night Songs” (1850); *†he Musić Maº
ter and Other Poems” (1857); “Choicest
British Ballads” (1864); “Fifty Modern
Poems” (1865); “Laurence Bloomfield
in Ireland’’ (1869); “In Fairy Land”
(1870); “Songs, Ballads, and Stories”
(1877); “The Fairies” (1883); “Evil
May-Day” (1883); “Ashby Manor’’
(1883); “Rhymes for the Young” (1887);
“Irish Songs and Poems” (1887);
“Flower Pieces and Other Poems ”
(1888); “Life and Phantasy” (1889).
Edited Fraser's Magazine.
Allon, Henry, D.D. (b. Yorkshire,
Oct. 13th, 1838; d. April 16th, 1892).
“Memoir of Rev. J. Sherman” (1863);
“The Vision of . God,” etc. (1876).
Edited the British Quarterly Review.
Memoir by Rev. J. Hardy Harwood,
with selections (1894).
Andrewes, Lancelot (b. Tondon,
1555; d. Winchester, March 27th, 1625).
Reply to Bellarmine's treatise against
Ring, James I.'s “Defence of the Right
of Kings” (1609); “Manual of Devo-
tion,” in Greek and Latin, translated b
Dean Stanhope; “Works” (1589-1610).
Angus
1328
Arnold
Selected “Sermons” (1868); “Manual
for the Sick,” edited by Canon Liddon
(1869).
Angus, Rev. Joseph, D.D. (b.
Bolam, Northumberland, Jan. 16th,
1816). “Handbook of the Bible,”
“Handbook of the English Tongue,”
“English Literature,” etc. Has edited
works of Bishop Butler, etc.
Anstey, F., were Thomas Anstey
Guthrie (b. Kensington, 1856). “Vice
Versä” (1882); “The Giant's Robe”
(1884): “The Black Poodle,” etc. (1884);
“The Tinted Venus’’ (1885); “A Fallen
Idol” (1886); “Burglar Bill,” etc.
(1888); “The Pariah” (1889); “Tour-
malin's Time Cheques” (1891); “The
Talking Horse,” etc. (1892); “Mr.
Punch’s Model Music Hall Songs and
Dramas” (1892); “The Travelling
Companions” (1892); “The Man from
Blankley's,” etc. (1893); “Mr. Punch's
Pocket Ibsen’’ (1893); “Under the
Rose” (1894); “Lyre and Lancet”
(1895); “Voces Populi,” etc.
Arbuthnot, John, M.D. (b. Arbuth-
not, near Montrose, 1675; d. Hampstead,
Feb. 27th, 1735). “An Examination of
Dr.Woodward’s Account of the Deluge’’’
(1697); “An Essay on the Usefulness of
Mathematical Learning; ” “A Treatise
Concerning the Altercation or Scolding
of the Ancients; ” “The Art of Political
Lying; ” “Law is a Bottomless Pit, or
the History of John Bull '' (1713);
“Tables of Ancient Coins '' (1727).
“Works” (1650–51).
Archer, William (b. Perth, 1856).
“English Dramatists of To-day” (1882);
“Henry Irving: A Critical. Study”
(1883); “About the Theatre” (1886);
“Masks or Faces?” (1888); “Wil-
liam Charles Macready '' (1890); “The
Theatrical World” (annual); transla-
tions from Ibsen, etc.
Argyll, Duke of, George Douglas
Campbell (b. 1823). “Letter to the
Peers from a Peer’s Son” (1842); “Duty
of Immediate Legislative Interposition in
Behalf of the Church of Scotland ”
(1842); ‘‘Letter to Dr. Chalmers ”
(1842); “Presbytery Examined” (1848);
“Administration of Lord Dalhousie ’’
(1865); “The Reign of Law” (1866);
“Primeval Man” (1869); “The History
and Antiquities of Iona” (1870); “The Pa-
tronage Act” (1874); “On the Relations
of Landlord and Tenant” (1877); “The
Eastern Question, from the Treaty of
Paris to the Treaty of Berlin, and to the
Second Afghan War”. (1879); “The
, Paul
Prophet of San Francisco,” in the Wine-
teenth Century (1884); “The Unity of
Nature ?” (1884); “Scotland as it Was
and as it Is” (1887); “The New British
Constitution and its Master-Builders”
(1888); “What, is Truth?” (1889);
“Irish Nationalism'' (1893); “The
Unseen Foundations of Society” (1893);
“The Burdens of Belief and Other
Poems” (1894).
Arnold, Sir Arthur (b. May 28th,
1833). “Ralph '' (1863): “The His-
tory of the Cotton Famine'' (1864);
“Hever Court” (1867); “Letters from
the Levant” (1868); “Through Persia
by Caravan” (1877); “Social Politics”
(1878); “Free Land” (1880). First
editor of the Echo.
Arnold, Sir Edwin, K.C.I.E., C.S.I.
(b. June 10th, 1832). “The Feast of
Belshazzar” (Newdigate Prize, 1852);
“Poems, Narrative and Lyrical ?”
(1853); “Griselda, a Drama, '' (1856);
“Education in India.” (1860); “The
Hitapodesa,” a translation (1861); “A
History of the Administration of India
under the late Marquis of Dalhousie ’’
(1864); “The Poets of Greece’’ (1869);
translation of “ Hero and Leander ’’
(1873); “The Indian Song of Songs”
(1875); “The Light of Asia” (1879);
“Pearls of Faith ” (1883); “Indian
Idylls” (1883); “The Secret of Death?’
(1885); “The Song Celestial” (1885);
“India Revisited’’ (1886); “Lotus and
Jewel” (1887); “With Sadi in a Gar-
den” (1888); “Poems, National and
Non-Oriental” (1888); “In My Lady’s
Praise” (1889); “The Light of the
World” (1891); “Seas and Lands”
(1891); “Japonica,” (1891); “Poti-
phar’s Wife and Other Poems” (1892); ,
“The Book of Good Counsels” (1893);
“Adzuma '' (1893) ; “Wandering
words” (1894); ºf he Tenth Museº
etc. (1895). Editor of the Daily Tele-
graph.
Arnold, Matthew, D.C.L. (b. Lale-
ham, 1822; d. 1888). “Cromwell”
(Newdigate Prize, 1843); “The Strayed
Reveller” (1848); “Empedocles on Etna
and Other Poems ” (1852); “Poems ”
(1854); “Merope” (1858); “Lectures on
Translating Homer’” (1861-62); “A
Erench Eton, or Education and the State”
1864); “Essays on Criticism'' (1865);
“The Study of Celtic Literature” (1867);
“Schools and Universities on the Con-
tinent” (1868); “New Poems.” (1868);
“Culture and Anarchy ’’ (1869); “ St.
and Protestantism '' (1870);
Arnold
1329
Austin
“Friendship's Garland ” (1871); “A
Bible Reading for Schools'' (1872);
“Literature and Dogma” (1873);
“Higher Schools of Germany ” (1874);
“God and the Bible '' (1875); “Last
Essays on Church and State’’ (1877);
“Mixed Essays” (1879); “Irish Es-
says '' (1882); and “Discourses in
America” (1886). An edition of his
“Poems” was published in 1877. For
Criticism, see “Essays,” by W. C.
Roscoe; “My Study Windows,” by J.
R. Lowell; A. C. Swinburne’s “Essays
and Studies; ” Hutton’s “Essays; ” the
Bishop of Derry in “Dublin Dectures
on Literature, Science, and Art; ” “The
Life and Letters of A. H. Clough,” vol.
i.; the Westminster Review, July, 1863;
the Quarterly Jeeview, October, 1868, and
April, 1869; the Edinburgh Jeeview,
April, 1869; the Contemporary ſteview,
vol. xxiv., etc.
Arnold, Thomas, D.D.
July 12th, 1842). “History of Rome,”
“The Later Roman Commonwealth ''
(1845); “Sermons’’ (1845). Edited
“Thucydides.” Biographies: Stanley's
(1844), Warboise's (1859). See Nean-
der’s “Arnold's Theology.”
Ascham, Roger (b. Kirkby Wiske,
1515; d. December, 1568). “Toxophilus,
the Schole of Shootinge'' (1544); “A
Report and Discourse on the Affaires and
State of Germany, and the Emperor
Charles his Court during Certaine Yeares
1550–52)” (1552); “The Scholemaster’’
§ ; “Apologia pro Coena Dominica,
contra Missam et eius Prestigias” (1577):
“Epistolarum Libri Tres” (1578). Eng-
lish “Works” were collected 1761, with
“Life” by Dr. Johnson; again edited
by Dr. Giles in 1865. See also Grant’s
“De Vita et Ob. Rogeri Aschami,”
Bartley Coleridge’s “Northern Wor-
thies,” and Morley’s “English Writers,”
Wols. viii. and ix.
Ashmole, Elias (b. Lichfield, May
23rd, 1617; d. May 18th, 1692). “ Thea-
trum Chemicum Britannicum” (1652);
“Fasciculus Chemicus” (1654); “The
Way to Bliss” (1658); “The Institu-
tion, Laws, and Ceremonies of the Most
Noble Order of the Garter’” (1672); and
“Antiquities of Berkshire’’ (1712).
“Memoirs” (1717).
Atherstone, Edwin (b. 1788, d.
1872). “Last Days of Herculaneum ”
(1821); “Midsummer Day's Dream ”
(1822); “The Fall of Nineveh.” (1828,
1830, 1847); “Sea-Kings of England ”
(b. West
Cowes, 1795; d. Fox How, Ambleside,
(1830); “The Handwriting on the Wall”
(1858); “Israel in Egypt” (1861).
Atterbury, Francis, D.D., Bishop
of Rochester (b. Milton Keynes, Bucks,
March 6th, 1662; d. Paris, February 15th,
1732). “‘Absalom and Achitophel’ Lat-
inised ” (1682); “Considerations on the
Spirit of Martin Luther ” (1687); “Atter-
buryana” (1727); “Sermons” (1740);
“Works” (1789–98); “Private Corre-
spondence” (1768); “Epistolary Corre-
spondence ’’ (1783); Biographies: Stack-
house's (1727). “Memoirs” (1723) and
“Memoirs and Correspondence ’’ (1869).
Austen, Jane (b. Steventon, Hamp-
shire, December 16th, 1775; d. Winches-
ter, July 24th, 1817). “Sense and Sen-
sibility’’ (1811); “Pride and Prejudice”
(1812); “Mansfield Park” (1814);
“Emma” (1816); “Northanger Abbey”
(1818); “Persuasion'' (1818); “Lady
Susan’” (1872). Life prefixed to “North-
anger Abbey’’ and Memoir by Austen-
Leigh (1870). See also “Jane Austen’s
Letters,” edited by Lord Brabourne,
and “Life” by Goldwin Smith (1890).
Austin, Alfred (b. Devonshire,
1835). “Randolph’’ (1854); “The Sea-
son '' (1861); “The Human Tragedy ?”
(1862 and 1876); “An Artist’s Proof”
(1864); “Won by a Head” (1865); “A
Vindication of Lord Byron'' (1869);
“The Poetry of the Period” (1870);
“The Golden Age” (1871); “Inter-
ludes” (1872); “Rome or Death''
(1873); “Madonna's Child” (1873); “The
Tower of Babel ” (1874); “Lezko the
Bastard” (1877); “Savonarola’’ (1881);
“Soliloquies in Song” (1882); “At the
Gate of the Convent ’’ (1885); “Prince
Lucifer” (1887); “Love's Widowhood.”
(1889); “Lyrical Poems ” (1891);
“Narrative Poems ” (1891); “Fortuna-
tus the Pessimist” (1892); “The Gar-
den that I Love” (1894). Collected
Edition of the Poems, 1892. Edited the
National Review.
Austin, Sarah (b. Norwich, 1793;
d. Weybridge, August 8th, 1867).
“Characteristics of Goethe ” (1833);
“Selections from the Old Testament ’’
(1833); “National Education ” (1839);
“Fragments from the German Prose
Writers” (1841); “Sketches of Ger-
many ” (1854); “Letters on Girls’
Schools '' (1857); and translations of
“The Story without an End” (1856);
“Ranke's History of the Popes,” and
his “History of the Reformation in
Germany.” See Macaulay’s Essay in
the Edinburgh Review for 1840. -
84
Aytoun
1330
|Bain.
Aytoun, William Edmonstoune
(b. Edinburgh, 1813; d. Edinburgh,
1865). “The Life and Times of Richard
I., King of England ” (1840); “Lays of
the Scottish Cavaliers” (1849); “Fir-
milian ’’ (1854); “Bothwell” (1856);
“Norman Sinclair’” (1861); “A Nup-
tial Ode on the Marriage of the Prince
of Wales’’ (1863); “The Glenmutchkin
Railway ” and “How I Became a Yeo-
man,” tales from Blackwood (1858).
Collaborated with Sir T. Martin in “Bon
Gaultier Ballads” (1854), and edited
“Pallads of Scotland’ *(iššš). Biography
by Martin (1867).
B
IBabbago, Charles (b. Teignmouth,
T)ecember 26th, 1792; d. October 18th,
1871). “Differential Calculus’’ (1816);
“Letter to Sir H. Davy’’ (1822); “As-
surance of Life” (1826); “Table
of Logarithms” (1826); “Decline of
Science ’’ (1830); “Economy of Manu-
factures '' (1832); “Ninth Bridgewater
Treatise” (1837); “Turning and Plan-
ing Tools” (1846); “The Great Exhi-
bition ” (1851); “Passages from the
Life of a Philosopher ” (1864).
Babington, Professor Charles
Cardale (b. Ludlow, 1808; d. June 22nd,
1895). “Flora of Channel Islands” (1839);
“Manual of British Botany ” (1843);
“Ancient Cambridgeshire '' (1851);
“Flora in Cambridgeshire '' (1860);
“The British Rubi” (1869); “History
of St. John’s College Chapel, Cam-
bridge'' (1874).
Bacon, Francis, Lord Verulam
(b. London, January 22nd, 1561; d. High-
gate, 1626). “Essays” (1597, 1612, 1624);
“Advancement of Learning ” (1605);
“De Sapientia Veterum ” (1609); “No-
vum Organum ” (1620); “History of
the Reign of Henry VIP.” (1623); “De
Augmentis Scientiarum ” (1623); “Ap-
ophthegms” (1625); “Sylva Sylvarum,”
“New Atlantis,” “Historia Ventorum.”
Posthumously published: “Elements of
the Law of England’” (1636); “History
of the Alienation Office.” Biographies:
Mallet’s (1740); Birch's (1763); Raw-
ley’s (1825); Basil Montagu's (1825);
Macaulay’s “Essays '' ; Kuno Fischer's
(translated 1857); Remusat’s “Vie”
(1857); Hepworth Dixon's (1862); Dean
Church’s (1879); and Th. Fowler's.
IBest edition, with Letters and Life,
Spedding's (1870). “Novum Organum,”
with notes, edited by Fowler (1878).
See Abbott’s “Bacon and Essex,” 1877,
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. xi.
Bacon, Roger (b. Ilchester, 1214;
d. Oxford, June 11th, 1292). “Specu-
lum Alchemiae'' (1541); “De Potestate
Artis et Naturae” (1542); “Opus Majus.”
(1733); “Opus Minus,” “Opus Ter-
tium,” etc., in “Works” (Brewer, 1859).
Biographies: Siebert’s “Leben’’ (1861);
Charles’s “Vie” (1861). -
Bage, Robert (b. T)arley, near
Derby, February 29th, 1728; d. Septem-
ber 1st, 1801). “Mount Heneth ''
(1781); “Barham Downs” (1784);
“The Fair Syrian’” (1787); “James
Wallace” (1788); “Man as He Is”
(1792); “Hermstrong: or, Man as He
is Not’” (1796). Biography in Sir W.
Scott’s “ Novelist's Library.”
Bagehot, Walter (b. 1826, d. 1877).
“The English Constitution * (1867) :
“Physics and Politics; ” “Lombard
Street” (1873); and “Essays on Silver.”
(1877). “Literary Studies,” edited by
Hutton, with “Memoir” (1878); “ Eco-
nomic Studies” (1880). Edited the
Jºconomist.
Bailey, Philip James (b. Notting-
ham, April 22nd, 1816). “Festus ”
(1839); “The Angel World” (1850);
“Thé Mystic” (1855); “The Age”
(1858); “The International Policy of the
Great Powers” (1862); “The Universal
Hymn" (1867).
Bailey, Samuel (b. Sheffield, 1791;
d. there, January 18th, 1870). “Value”
(1825); “Essays on the Philosophy of the
Human Mind” (1855, 1858, and 1863);
etc.
Baillie, Joanna (b. Bothwell, 1762;
d. Hampstead, February 23rd, 1851).
“Plays on the Passions” (1798, 1802,
1812, and 1836); “Miscellaneous Plays”
(1804); “The Family Legend” (1810);
“Metrical Legends” (1821); “Fugitive
Verses” (1823); “Metrical Legends of
Exalted Characters,” and “A View of
the General Tenor of the New Testa-
ment regarding the Nature and Dignity
of Jesus Christ.” “Works,” with a
“Life” (1853).
Bain, Professor Alexander, LL.D.
(b. Aberdeen, 1818). “The Senses and the
Intellect ’’ (1855); “The Emotions and
the Will” (1859); “The Study of Char-
acter ’’ (1861); “A Manual of English
Composition and Rhetoric ’’., (1866);
“Mental and Moral Science ’’ (1868);
“Logic” (1870); “A Higher English
Grammar” (1872); “Mind and Body’’
Baker
1831
Baring-Gould
(1873); “Companion to the Higher
English Grammar ”... (1874); ... “The
Science of Education ” (1879); “James
Mill: A Biography” (1882); “John
Stuart Mill : A Criticism '' (1882);
“Practical Essays” (1884); “On Teach-
ing English?” (1887); etc. Edited James
Mill’s “Analysis of the Human Mind.”
(1869), Grote’s “Minor Works” (1873),
and Grote’s “Plato’’ (1885).
. Baker, Sir Richard (b. Sitting-
hurst, Kent, about 1568; d. London,
February 18th, 1644). “Chronicles of
the Kings of England” (164!); trans-
lated “Malvezzi's Discourses on Tacitus”
(1642); “Theatrum Redivivum ” (1661).
Baker, Sir Samuel White (b. 1821,
d. 1893). “The Rifle and Hound in
Ceylon '' (1853); “Eight Years' Wan-
derings in Ceylon’’ (1855); “The Albert
N'Yanza.” (1866); “The Nile Tribu-
taries of Abyssinia.” (1871); “Ismaïlia.”
); “True Tales formy Grandsons”
; “The Egyptian Question ”
(1884); “Wild Beasts and Their Ways.”
(1890). Memoir by T. Douglas Murray
and A. Silva. White (1895).
Balfour, Right Hon. Arthur
James, LL.D., F.R.S. (b. July 25th,
1848). “A Defence of Philosophic
Doubt '' (1879); “The Religion of
Humanity” (1888); “Essays and Ad-
dresses” (1893); “The Foundations of
Belief’’ (1895).
Ballantine, James (b. 1808, d. 1877).
“The Gaberlunzie's Wallet” ( tº
“The Miller of Deanhaugh’’ (1844);
“Stained Glass” (1845); “Ornamental
Art” (1847); “Poems” (1856); “Songs”
(1865); “Whistle Binkie” (new edition,
1878); “Life of David Roberts” (1866);
“Lilias Lee’” (1872). - -
Bancroft, Thomas (b. circa 1600).
“The Glutton’s Fever" (1633); “Epi-
grams and Epitaphs” (1639); part of
“Lachrymae Musarum” (1650); “The
Heroical Lover ?” (1658). -
Banks, Mrs. George Linnaeus (b.
1821). “Ivy Leaves” (1844); “God’s
Providence House” (1865); “Daisies in
the Grass” (1865); “Stung to the
Quick” (1867); “The Manchester Man”
(1876); “Glory '' (1877); “ Caleb
Booth’s Clerk’” (1878); “Ripples and
Breakers” (1878): “Wooers and Win-
ners” (1880); “Forbidden to Marry”
(1883); “In His Own Hand” (1885);
“Glory” (1892): ..." A Rough Road'?
(1892); “Bond Slaves” (1893); “The
Slowly Grinding Mills” (1893); “Bridge
of Beauty'' (1894).
Barbauld, Anna Letitia (b. Rib-
worth Harcourt, Leicestershire, June
20th, 1743; d. March 9th, 1825). “Mis-
cellaneous Poems” (1773); ‘‘Miscel-
laneous Pieces in Prose ’’ (with her
brother, Dr. Aikin) (1773); “Early Les-
sons for Children’’ (1774); “Hymns in
Prose’’ (1774); “Devotional Pieces, Com-
posed from the Psalms and the Book of
Job’’ (1775); “A Poeticallºpistle to Mr.
Wilberforce on the Rejection of the Bill
for the Abolition of the Slave Trade ’’
(1790); “Remarks on Gilbert Wake-
field’s Inquiry into the Expediency and
Propriety of Public and Social Worship”
(1792); “Evenings at Home” (with Dr.
Aikin) (1792–95); “Selections from
the Spectator, Tatler, Guardian, and
Freeholder” (1804); “A Life of Samuel
Richardson’’ (1805); an edition of “The
British Novelists” (1810); “The Female
Spectator” (1811); and “Eighteen Hun-
dred and Eleven” (1812). Works, with
“Memoir” by Lucy Aikin in 1827.
“Letters and Notices” by Breton ap-
peared in 1874. -
Barham, Richard Harris (b. Can-
terbury, 1788; d. London, June 17th,
1845). “My Cousin Nicholas; ” “In-
goldsby Legends” (1840), part of
“Gorton’s Biographical Dictionary.”
Biography by his son (1870). -
Baring-Gould, Rev. Sabine (b.
Exeter, 1834). “The Path of the Just''
(1854); “Ireland: Its Scenes and Sagas”
(1861); “Post - Mediaeval Preachers”
(1865); “Curious Myths of the Middle
Ages” (1866-67); “The Silver Store ”
(1868); “The Book of Were-Wolves”
(1869); “Curiosities of the Olden Time”
(1869); “The Origin and Development of
Religious Belief '' (1870); “The Golden
Gate” (1870); “The Lives of the Saints.”
(1872); “Difficulties of the Faith ”
(1874); “The Lost and Hostile Gospels”
(1874); “Yorkshire Oddities” (1874)”
“Some Modern Difficulties” (1875)
“Life of the Rev. R. S. Hawker” (1876),
“The Mystery of Suffering ” (1877);
“Germany, Past and Present '' (1879);
“The Passion of Christ” (1885); “Our
Parish Church” (1885); “The Birth of
Jesus” (1885); “Nazareth and Caper-
naum ” (1886); “Germany ” (1886);
“The Way of Sorrows'' (1887); “The
Death and Resurrection of Jesus” (1888);
“Our Inheritance” (1888); “Historic
Oddities” (1889); “Old Country Life”
(1890); “In Troubadour Land” (1890);
“Conscience and Sin” (1890); “The
Church in Germany ” (1891); “The
Tragedy of the Caesars” (1892); “Strange
Barker
1332
Barton.
Survivals” (1892); “The Icelander's
Sword ” (1893). In addition to the
above works he has written the follow-
ing novels: “Mehalah. ” (1880); “John
Herring” (1883); “Court Royal"
(1886); “Red Spider” (1887); “The
Gaverocks” (1887); “Eve” (1888);
“Grettir the Outlaw'” (1889); “The
Pennycomequicks” (1889); “My Prague
Pig’” (1890); “Arminell” (1890);
“Urith ” (1891); “Margery of Quether”
(1891); “Through all the Changing
Scenes of Life '' (1892); “In the Roar
of the Sea.” (1892); “Cheap Jack Zita.”
(1893); “The Queen of Love” (1894);
“Kitty Alone '' (1894).
Barizer, Edmund H. (b. Hollym,
Yorkshire, December 22nd, 1788; d.
London, March 21st, 1839). “Classical
Becreations” (1812); “Aristarchus Anti-
Blomfieldianus'' (1820); “Parriana, ’’
(1828-29). Edited Stephen’s “Thesau-
rus” (1816-28).
Barlow, Miss Jane (b. Clontarf,
County Dublin). “Irish Idylls” (1892);
“The Mockers of the Shallow Waters”
(1893); “ Kerrigan's Quality” (1894);
“Maureen’s Fairing, etc.” (1895).
Barnes, Rev. William (b. Bagber,
Dorsetshire, 1810; d. 1886). “Poems
of Rural Life in Dorset Dialect” (1844);
“An Anglo-Saxon Delectus” (1849);
“Philological Grammar” (1854); ‘‘Notes
on Ancient Britain” (1858); “Early
England ” (1859); “Views of Labour
and Gold” (1859); “Rural Poems in
Common English ’’ (1862); “Tiw, or
a View of the Roots and Stems of
English ’’ (1862); “Grammar and Glos-
sary of the Dorset Dialect” (1864).
Barnfield, Richard (b. 1574). “The
Affectionate Shepherd, containing the
Complaint of Daphnis for the Love
of Ganymede.” (1524); “Cynthia, with
Certaine Sonnets,” and the “Legend of
Cassandra, ’’ (1595); “The Encomion of
Lady Pecunia; or, the Praise of Money”
(1598); and “Poems,” reprinted by
James Boswell, and including “Bemarks
by the late Edmund Malone’’ (1816).
See Warton’s “English Poetry,” and
Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. x.
Barr, Mrs. Amelia Edith, née
Huddleston (b. Ulverston, March 29th,
1831). “Cluny Macpherson’’ (1884);
“The Hallam Succession” (1885); “Jan
Vedder's Wife” (1885); “The Lost
Silver of Briffault” (1886); “The Bow
of Orange Ribbon’’ (1886); “Between
Two Loves” (1886); “A Daughter of
Fife’” (1886); “A Border Shepherdess”
(1887); “Paul and Christina’’ (1887);
“The Squire of Sandal-side'' (1887);
“The Household of McNeil” (1888);
“Remember the Alamo'' (1888); “In
Spite of Himself” (1888); “Feet of
Clay ” (1889); “Woven of Love and
Glory” (1890); “Friend Olivia” (1890);
“Last of the Macallisters” (1890);
“Scottish Sketches” (1890); “She
Loved a Sailor” (1892); “A Sister to
Esau’’ (1892); “Love for an Hour is
Love for Ever” (1892); “The Preacher's
Daughter’” (1892); “A Singer from the
Sea.” (1893); “Beads of Tasmer’’
(1893); “A Rose of a Hundred Leaves”
(1893); “The Lone House” (1894); etc.
Barr, Robert, “Luke Sharp.”
“In a Steamer Chair, etc.” (1892);
“From Whose Bourne, etc.” (1893);
“The Face and the Mask.” (1894);
“In the Midst of Alarms” (1894).
FIas edited the Idle,'.
Barrie, James Matthew (b. Kirrie-
muir, May 9th, 1860). “Better Dead”
(1887); “Auld Licht Idylls” (1888);
“When a Man's Single” (1888); “A
Window in Thrums” -
Edinburgh Eleven” (1889); “
Nicotine” (1890); “The Little Minis-
ter” (1891).
Barrow, Isaac, D.D. (b. London, Oc-
tober, 1630; d. London, May 4th, 1677).
“Euclidis Elementa” (1655); “Lectiones
Opticae'' (1669); “Lectiones Geome-
trica’’ (1670); “Euclidis Data” (1675);
“Archimedis Opera, ’’ (1675); “Theo-
dosii Opera” (1675); “Lectio de Sphaera
et Cylindro '' (1678); “Opuscula La-
tina” (1687); “Lectiones Mathematicae”
(1783). Theological works first published
by Tillotson (1683); best edition, 1818.
JBest edition of mathematical works,
1861. “Selected Writings” (1866).
See Hill’s “Life.”
Barry, Right Rev. Alfred, D.D.,
D.C.L. (b. 1826). “Introduction to
Old Testament” (1856); “Life of Sir
C. Barry, R.A.” (1867); “Sermons for
Boys” (1868); The Boyle Lectures for
1876, “What is Natural Theology P”
(1877); “Sermons Preached at West-
minster Abbey” (1884); “First Words
in Australia.” (1884); “Parables of the
Old Testament” (1889); “Lectures on
Christianity and Socialism” (1890);
“Some Lights of Science on the Faith ”
(1892).
Barton, Bernard (b. London, Jan-
uary 31st, 1784; d. February 19th, 1849).
“Metrical Effusions” (1812); “Poems
by an Amateur” (1818); “Poems.”
Bastian
(1820); “Napoleon and Other Poems.”
(1822); “The Reliquary” (1836); “House-
hold Verses” (1845); “Selected Poems”
1849). Gurney’s “Memoir '' (1847).
“Poems and Letters,” with his daugh-
ter's Memoir (1853).
Bastian, Henry Charlton, M.D.
(b. Truro, April 26th, 1837).
of Origin of Lowest Organisms” (1871);
“The Beginnings of Life " .. (1872);
“Evolution and the Origin of Life '’
(1874); “Clinical Lectures on Paralysis
from Brain Disease ’’ (1875); “The
Brain as an Organ of Mind” (1880);
“Paralyses Cerebral, , Bulbar,
Spinal” (1886); “Various Forms of
Hysterical or Functional Paralysis”
(1893), etc.
Baxter, Ric hard (b. Rowton,
Shropshire, November 12th, 1615; d.
London, December 8th, 1691). “Aphor-
isms of Justification”. (1649); “The
Saint's Everlasting Rest” (1649); “Con-
fessions of Faith ” (1655); “Gildas Silvi-
anus; or, the Reformed Pastor” (1656);
“Call to the Unconverted” (1657); “Uni-
versal Concord” (1658); “The Reformed
Liturgy’” (1661); “Now or Never”
(1663); “Reasons for the Christian Re-
ligion” (1667); “A Life of Faith ”
(1670); “A Christian Directory” (1673);
“The Poor Man's Family Book”
(1674); “Catholic Theology” (1675);
“Church. History of Government of
Bishops” (1680); “Poetical Fragments”
(1681); “Episcopacy” (1681); “Life of
Mrs. Baxter’” (1681); “Methodus Theo-
logiae Christianae '' (1681); “Paraphrase
of the New Testament” (1685); “Cer-
tainty of the World of Spirits” (1691).
“ Universal Redemption ” (1694). Bio-
graphies : “Sylvester’s “Reliquiae Bax-
terianae'' (1696); “Abridgment of Bax-
ter’s History of his Life and Times”
(1713); Life prefixed to Orme's edition
of Baxter’s works (1830), and Life
(1865).
Bayly, Thomas Haynes (b. 1797;
d. 1836). Thirty-six dramatic pieces,
and “Kindness in Women’’ (1837);
“Parliamentary Letters,” “Weeds of
Kitchery '' (1837), etc. “Poetical
Works” with Memoir (1844).
Bayne, Peter, LL.D. (b. Fodderty,
1830). “The Christian Life” (1855);
“Essays in Biographical Criticism”
1857-58); “Testimony of Christ to
hristianity” (1862) ; “The Church's
Curse and Nation’s Claim” (1868); “Life
of Hugh Miller '' (1870); “Days
of Jezebel ” (1872); “The Chief
1333
“Modes
and
Beaumont
Actors in the Puritan Revolution ”
(1878); “Lessons from my Master ’’
(1879); “Two Great Englishwomen’’
(1880); “Martin Luther ” (1887);
“Six Christian Biographies” (1887);
“The Free Church of Scotland” (1894).
Edited Glasgow Commonwealth, Edini-
burg/. Witness, the Dial, the Weekly
Jºeview.
Baynes, Thomas Spencer, LL.D.
(b. Wellington, Somersetshire, March
24th, 1823; d. May 29th, 1887). “New
Analytic of Logicall'orms” (1850); “Port
Royal Logic” (1851). One of the editors
of the “Encyclopædia Britannica.”
Beale, Professor Lionel Smith,
M.D. (b. London, 1828). “Life
Theories” (1871); “The Mystery of
Life” (1871); “Our Morality and the
Moral Question ” (1887); “Lectures
on the Principles and Practice of Medi-
cine” (1889), etc. Edited Archives of
Medicine.
Beattie, James (b. Laurencekirk,
Rincardineshire, October 25th, 1735; d.
August 18th, 1803). “Poems and Trans-
lations” (1760); “Judgment of Paris”
(1765); “Essay on Truth” (1770); “The
Minstrel” (1771 and 1774); “Essays.”
(1776); “Dissertations” (1783); “Evi-
dences of Christianity” (1786); “Ele-
ments of Moral Science” (1790-93).
Works, with Forbes's Life (1806).
Beaumont and Fletcher (Francis
Beaumont, b. Grace Dieu, 1586, d.
1616; John Fletcher, b. 1576, d. 1625)
together wrote “The Woman Hater’’
(1607); “Cupid’s Revenge ’” (1615);
“The Scornful Lady’” (1616); “A
Ring and No King’” (1619); “The
Maid's Tragedy’” (1619); “Philaster ’’
(1620); “Monsieur Thomas” (1639);
“Wit Without Money” (1639); “The
Coronation” (1640). Works (1660); best
edition, 1843. Beaumont himself wrote
“Paraphrase of Ovid’s ‘Salmacis and
Hermaphroditus’” (1602); “A Masque”
(1613); “Poems” (1640); and another
set of Poems (1653). See Campbell’s
“Specimens; ” Hallam’s “Literature;”
Collier’s “Dramatic Poetry;” Lamb's
“Specimens; ” Hazlitt’s “Age of Eliza-
beth ; ” Teigh Hunt’s “Imagination
and Fancy,” and “Selections; ” Macau-
lay’s “Essays; ” Ward’s “Dramatic
Literature : ” and Minto’s “Character-
istics of English Poets.” For recent
critical opinion as to the authorship of
the various works, see Professor Hall
Griffin's Bibliography in Morley’s “Eng-
lish Writers,” vol. xi.
TBeche
1884
Bennett
Beche, Sir Henry T. de la (b.
London, February 10th, 1796; d. April
13th, 1855). “Discovery of a New Fossil
Animal” (1823); “Geology of Jamaica.”
(1826); “Classification of European
Rocks” (1828); “Geological Manual”
(1831); “Theoretical Geology” (1834);
“Geology of Cornwall, Devon, and
West Somerset ’’ (1839); “Geological
Observer” (1851).
Beckford, William (b. 1760 ; d.
Bath, May 2nd, 1844). “Memoirs of Ex-
traordinary Painters” (1780); “Dreams,
Incidents, etc.” (1783); “Vathek’’
(English 1784, French 1787); “Italy ”
(1834); “Recollections of an Excursion
to the Monasteries of Alcobaca and
Batalha,” (1835). See Redding’s “Fifty
Years’ Recollections.”
Beddoes, Thomas, M.D. (b. Shif-
mall, Shropshire, 1760; d. 1808). “Trans-
lation of Spallanzani’s ‘Dissertation on
Natural History’” (1784); “Translation
of Bergman’s ‘Elective Attractions’’’
(1785); “ Chemical Experiments *
(1790); “Alexander’s . Expedition to
the Indian Ocean” (1792); “Observa-
tions on Demonstrative Evidence ’’
(1792); “Cure of Calculus, etc.” (1792);
“History of Isaac Jenkins” (1793);
“A Word in Defence of Bill of Rights
against Gagging Bills” (1795); “Public
Merits of Mr. Pitt’” (1796); “Con-
tributions to Medical knowledge from
the West of England’’ (1799); “On
Consumption” (1799); “Hygeia” (1801-
2); “On Fever '' (1807); “Advice
to Husbandmen in Harvest” (1808).
Edited Cullen’s “Translation of Berg-
man’s Physical Essays.”
Beddoes, Thomas Lovell (b. Clif-
ton, July 20th, 1803; d. Basle, January
26th, 1849). “The Improvisatore”
(1821); “The Bride's Tragedy” (1822);
“Death’s Jest Book ; or, the Fool’s
Tragedy’’ (1850); “Poems” (1851),
With ** Memoir.”
Bede (b. 672; d. 735), “The Vener-
able.” List of works in Wright’s “Bio-
graphia Literaria Britannica,” and in
Allibone’s “Dictionary of English and
American Authors.” Complete edition
in 1610. Dr. Giles, in 1843, published
original Latin, with a new English
translation of the Historical Works and
a Life of the author. For Biography,
See also his own “Ecclesiastical History”
and the accounts by Simon of Turham,
William of Malmesbury, Baronius, Ma-
billon, Stevenson, and Gehle (1838), the
“Dictionary of National Biography,”
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. ii.
Bede, Cuthbert. (See BRADLEY,
BEv. EDWARD.)
Beesly, Professor Edward
Spencer (b. Feckenham, Worcester-
shire, 1831). “Catiline, Clodius, and
Tiberius” (1878); “Queen Elizabeth''
(1888). Translated Comte, etc.
Behn, Aphra (b. Canterbury, 1642;
d. London, April 16th, 1689). “The
Forced Marriage’” (1671); “The Amor-
ous Prince ’’ (1671); “The Dutch
Lover '' (1673); “Adelazar” (1677);
“The Town Fop '' (1677); “The
Rover" (1677); “The Debauchee”
(1677); “Sir Patient Fancy” (1678);
“The Feigned Courtesans '' (1679);
“The Rover ?” (part ii. 1681); “The
City Heiress” (1682); “The False
Count” (1682); “The Roundheads”
(1682); “The Young King” (1683);
“Poems” (1684); “Miscellany” (1685);
“The Lover's Watch?” (1686); “The
Lucky Chance” (1687); “The Emperor
of the Moon” (1687); “Lycidus” (1688);
“The Widow Ranter’” (1690); “The
Younger Brother ” (1696); Histories
and Novels (1698, eighth edition with
Life, 1735). Works (1871). See Ward's
“Dramatic Literature; ” Kavanagh's
“Women of Letters; ” Jeaffreson's
“Novelists; ” Forsyth's “Novelists,”
etc. *
Belze, Charles Tilstone (b. Tondon,
October 10th, 1800; d. July 31st, 1874).
“Origines Biblicae'' (1834); “Nile and
its Tributaries” (1847); “Sources of the
Nile ” (1848); “Mémoire Justificatif
des Pères Paez et Lobo’’ (Paris, 1848);
“The British Captives in Abyssinia’’
(1867).
Bell, Henry Thomas Mackenzie
(b. Liverpool, March 2nd, 1856). “The
Keeping of the Wow and Other Verses”
(1879); “Verses of Varied Life” (1882);
“Old Year Leaves” (1883); “A For-
gotten Genius : Charles Whitehead'?
(1884); “Spring’s Immortality and
Other Poems” (1893).
Bell, Mrs. Hugh (Florence) (b.
Paris). “Will o' the Wisp'' (1890);
“Chamber Comedies” (1890); “Nursery
Comedies” (1892); “The Story of
Ursula, '' (1895); French Plays for
Children, etc.
Bennett, William Cox, LL.D. (b.
Greenwich, October 14th, 1820; d.
March 4th, 1895). “Poems” (1850);
“Verdicts '' (1852); “War Songs ’’
(1855); “Collected Poems” (1862);
“Songs for Sailors” (1873), etc.
Bentham
1335
Bickerstaff
Benūlain, Jeremy (b. London, Feb-
ruary 15th, 1748; d. 1832). “Fragment
on Government” (1776); “The Hard
Labour Bill” (1778); “Principles of
Morals and Legislation ” (1780); “Use-
fulness of Chemistry” (1783); “Defence
of Usury” (1787); “Panopticon.” (1791);
“Draft of a Code for Judicial Establish-
ment in France’’ (1791); “Political
Tactics” (1791); “Emancipate your
Colonies” (1793); “Supply without Bur-
den º’ (1796); “Pauper Management''
(1797); “Traités de Législation Civile et
Penale” (1802); “Two Letters to Lord
Pelham ” (1802); “Plea for the Con-
stitution” (1803); “Scotch Reforms”
(1808); “Chrestomathia” (1816-17);
“Parliamentary Reform Catechism.”
(1817); “Codification and Public In-
struction” (1817); “Swear Not at All”
(1817); “Springs of Action’’ (1817);
“Church of Englandism '' (1818);
“Radical Reform Bill” (1819); “The
Ring against Sir C. Wolseley’’ (1820);
“The King against Edmonds” (1820);
“Restrictive and Prohibitory Commer-
cial System.” (1821); “Art of Packing
Special Juries” (1821); “Tracts Rela-
tive to Spanish and Portuguese Affairs”
(1821); “Liberty of the Press” (1821);
“Letter to Count Toreno” (1822); “Not
Paul, but Jesus” (1823); “Truth versus
Ashurst.” (1823); “Book of Fallacies”
(1824); “ Peel's Magistrates' Salary
Bill” (1824); “Mother Church Re-
lieved by Bleeding” (1825); “Rationale
of Reward” (1825); “Indications Re-
specting Lord Elgin '' (1825, Postscript
1826); “Bationale of Judicial Evidence”
(1827); “Codification Proposal” (1871).
Biography in Bowring and Burton's
edition of Works (1843). See Burton’s
“Benthamiana’’ (1838).
Bentley, Richard, D.D. (b. Oulton,
Wakefield, January 27th, 1662; d. July
14th, 1742). “Dissertation on the
Epistles of Phalaris” (1699); “Dis-
cursus on Latin Metres” (1726); “Re-
marks on a Late Discourse on Freethink-
ing’” (1743); “Sermons” (1809). Edited
numerous classics. Biography by Monk
(1830) and by Jebb (1844). “Corre-
spondence” (1842). Works (1856). See
De Quincey’s Essay.
Berkeley, George, Bishop of Cloyne
(b. Kilcrin, Kilkenny, March 12th, 1684;
d. Oxford, January 14th, 1754). “An
Attempt to Demonstrate Arithmetic
without Algebra and Geometry” (1707);
“New Theory of Vision” (1709); “Prin-
ciples of Human Knowledge” (1710);
“Three Dialogues’’ (1713); “Principle
of Motion” (1721); “Alciphron” (1732);
“Siris.” (1747). Biographies by Prior
(1784); Wright (1843), and Fraser, with
“Commonplace Book,” in complete
Works (1871).
Besant, Mrs. Annie (b. London,
October 1st, 1847). “Through Storm to
Peace,” Autobiography (1893), etc.
Besant, Sir Walter (b. Portsmouth,
1838). “Studies in Early French
Poetry '' (1868); with Professor Pal-
mer, “Jerusalem” (1871). “The Golden
Butterfly” (1871); “Ready - Money
Mortiboy” (1872); “The French Humor-
ists” (1873); “The Monks of The-
lema' ( ; “By Celia's Arbour’”
(1878); “’Twas in Trafalgar's Bay ”
(1879); “The SeamySide” (1880); “The
Ten Years' Tenant” (1881); “The
Chaplaim of the Fleet” (1881). The
above novels were written in conjunc-
tion with James Rice. Sir Walter has
written alone, “The Revolt of Man ''
(1882); “All Sorts and Conditions of
Men’’ (1882); “The Captain's Room”
(1883); “Life of E. H. Palmer’” (1883);
“All in a Garden Fair” (1883); “Read-
ings in Rabelais” (1883); “Dorothy
Forster’” (1884); “The Art of Fiction.”
(1884); “Uncle Jack” (1885); “Chil-
dren of Gibeon” (1886); “The World
Went Very Well Then’’ (1887); “Herr
Paulus” (1888); “Fifty Years Ago"
(1888); “The Eulogy of Richard Jef-
feries” (1888); “For Faith and Free-
dom” (1889); “The Bell of St. Paul’s ”
): “Captain Cook’” (a biography)
); “To Call Her Mine” (1889);
“Armorel of Lyonesse’’ (1890); “The
Holy Rose’’ (1890); “St. Katherine's by
the Tower '' (1891); “The Ivory Gate”
(1892); “London” (1892); “The His-
tory of London’” (1893); “The Rebel
Queen’’ (1893); “Beyond the Dreams
of Avarice ’’ (1895).
Betham-Edwards, Miss Matilda,
Barbara (b. Westerfield, Suffolk, 1836).
“John and I.” (1862); “Dr. Jacob’’
(1864); “Kitty’” (1869); “The Sylves-
tres” (1871); “A Year in Western
France” (1876); “Bridget.” (1877);
“Disarmed '' (1883); “Pearla'' (1883);
“Love and Mirage” (1884); “The Part-
ing of the Ways” (1888); “The Roof
of France” (1889); “France of To-day”
(1892); “A Romance of Dijon'' (1894);
“Brother Gabriel” (1895); etc.
Bickerstaff, Isaac (b. Ireland, 1735;
d. circa 1800). “Love in a Village''
(1762); “Maid of the Mill” (1765).
Birrell
1336
TSiirid
“Lionel and Clarissa, ’’ and
many other plays.
Birrell, Augustine (b. Wavertree,
January 19th, 1850). “Obiter Dicta’’
(1884 and 1887); “Life of Charlotte
Brontë '' (1887).
Black, William (b. Glasgow, 1841).
“Love or Marriage '' (1867); “In Silk
Attire’” (1869); “Kilmeny’ (1870);
“The Monarch of Mincing Lane '’
(1871); “A Daughter of Heth'' (1871);
“The Strange Adventures of a Phaeton”
(1872); “A Princess of Thule” (1873);
“The Maid of Killeena” (1874); “Three
Feathers ” (1875); “Madcap Violet”
(1876); “Lady Silverdale's Sweetheart”
); “Green Pastures and Picca-
(1877); “Macleod of Dare '’
; “White Wings” and “Sun-
rise’’ (1880); “That Beautiful Wretch”
(1881); “Shandon Bells” (1883); “Yo-
lande ’’ (1883); “Judith Shakespeare’’
(1884); “White Heather ” (1885); “The
Wise Woman of Inverness, etc.” (1885);
“Sabina Zembra’’ (1887); “The Strange
Adventures of a House Boat” (1888);
“The Penance of John Logan,” etc.
(1889); “Nanciebel” (1889); “The New
Prince Fortunatus” (1890); “Donald
Ross of Heimra, ’’ (1891); “Stand Fast,
Craig-Royston’’ (1891); “The Magic
Ink and Other Tales” (1892); “Wolfen-
berg” (1892); “The Handsome Humes”
(1893); “Highland Cousins” (1894).
B1ac Irburn, Henry (b. 1830).
“Travelling in Spain’” (1866); “The
Pyrenees” (1867); “Artists and Arabs”
(1868); “Breton Folk” (1880); “Ran-
dolph Caldecott: A Personal Memoir of
his Early Art Career'' (1886); “Artistic
Travels in Normandy, Brittany, the
Pyrenees, Spain, and Algeria '' (1892);
“The Art of Illustration ” (1894);
“Academy Notes” every year.
Blackie, John Stuart (b. Glasgow,
1809; d. March 2nd, 1895). “Pronun-
ciation of Greek” (1852); “Lays and
Legends of Ancient Greece’’ (1857);
“Three Discourses on Beauty’’ (1858);
“Lyrical Poems ” (1860); “Homer and
the Iliad” (1866); “Democracy” (1867);
“Musa Burschicosa '' (1869); “War
Songs of the Germans” (1870); “Four
Phases of Morals” (1871); “Lays of
the Highlands and Islands” (1872);
“Self-Culture '' (1873); “Horae Hel-
lenicæ '' (1874); “Songs” (1876); “The
Wise Men of Greece.” (1877); “The
Natural History of Atheism” (1877);
“Self-Culture '' (1877); “Lay Ser-
mons” (1881); “Altavona ’’ (1882);
(1768);
“The Wisdom of Goethe ” (1883);
“Life of Robert Burns” (1887); “Scot-
tish Song” (1889); “A Song of Heroes”
(1890); “Essays on Subjects of Moral
and Social Interest '' (1890); “Christ-
ianity and the Ideal of Humanity in Old
Times and New '' (1893). Translated
“Faust’” (1834); “AEschylus” (1850).
Blackmore, Richard Doddridge
(b. Longworth, Berkshire, 1825). “The
Fate of Franklin’” (1860); “The Farm
and Fruit of Old '' (part of the Georgics,
1862) ; “Clara Vaughan '' (1864) ;
“Cradock Nowell” (1866); “Lorna
Doone” (1869); “The Maid of Sker”
(1872); “Alice . Lorraine "... (1875);
“Cripps the Carrier” (1876); “Erema”
(1877); “Mary Anerly ’’ (1880); “Chris:
towel ” (1881); “Tommy Upmore ”
(1882); “Springhaven’’ (1887); “Rit
and Kitty” (1889); “Perlycross”
(1894); “Fringilla” (1895), etc. Trans-
lation of the Georgics (1871).
IBIackstone, Sir William, LL.D. (b.
London, July 10th, 1723; d. February
14th, 1780). “Great Charter” (1759);
“Commentaries on the Laws of Eng-
land” (1765); “Tracts” (1771); ‘‘ Re-
ports of Cases” (1781). “Life” (1782).
Blake, William (b. London, 1757 ;
d. August 12th, 1828). ** Poetical
Sketches” (1783); “Songs of Inno-
cence” (1789); “Book of Thiel” (1789);
“America” (1793); “Songs of . Ex-
perience” (1793); “Gates of Paradise”
(1793); “Vision of the Daughters of
Albion ” (1793); “Europe” (1794);
“Book of Ahania” (1795); “Urizen’’
(1800); “Jerusalem'' (1804); “Milton’’
(1804). Biographies: Gilchrist's (1863,
enlarged 1881); Rossetti's in “B.'s
Poems ” (1866); Swinburne’s “Essay ”
(1868).
Blakey, Robert (b. 1795, d. 1878).
“History of Moral Science ’’ (1833);
“The History of the Philosophy of
Mind” (1848); “History of Political
Literature '' (1855). Also wrote several
works on Angling, among them “The
Rivers of England and Wales.”
Blessington, Countess of (b. near
Clonmel, September 1st, 1789; d. Paris,
June 4th, 1849). “The Idler in Italy,”
“Country Quarters,” “Conversations
with Byron,” etc. “Life,” by Mad-
den (1855).
Blind, Miss Mathilde (b. March
21st, 1847). “Tarantella '' (1884);
“The Heather on Fire" (1886); “Mad-
ame Roland ” (1886); “George Eliot”
Blomfield
, 1337
Bradley
(1888); “The Ascent of Man” (1888);
“Dramas in Miniature” (1891); “Songs
and Sonnets” (1893); “Birds of Pas-
sage.” (1895). Has edited the works of
Shelley and Byron, and translated the
“Journal” of Marie Bashkirtseff, etc.
Blomfield, C. J., Bishop of London.
(b. 1786; d. 1857). “Posthumous
Tracts of Porson; ” “Adversaria, Por-
soni; ” “A Dissertation upon the Tra-
ditional Knowledge of a Promised Re-
deemer” (1819); “Five Lectures on
the Gospel of St. John ” (1823); “A
Letter on the Present Neglect of the
Lord’s Day” (1830). Edited Callimachus
and AEschylus. -
Bloomfield, Robert (b. Honington,
Suffolk, 1766; d. Shefford, Bedfordshire,
August 19th, 1823). “The Farmer's
Boy” (1800); “Rural Tales and Ballads”
(1802); “Good Tidings” (1804); “Wild
Flowers ” (1806) : “Miscellaneous
Poems ” (1806); “The Banks of the
Wye'' (1811); “Works” (1814); “May
T)ay with the Muses '' (1822); “Re-
mains '' (1824). Selected Correspond-
ence (1870).
Bolingbroke, Henry St. John,
Viscour* (b. Battersea, October 1st,
1678; d. December 12th, 1751). “Dis-
sertation on Parties” (1735); “Letters
on Patriotism'' (1749); “On the Study
of History” (1752). Selected Corre-
spondence (1788). Biography : Mac-
knight's (1865). See also J. Churton
Collins’s “Bolingbroke,” etc. (1886).
Borrow, George (b. Norfolk, 1803;
d, 1881). “The Zincali; or, An Account
of the Gipsies of Spain” (1841); “The
Bible in Spain'' (1843); “Lavengro :
The Scholar, the Gipsy, and the Priest’”
(1851); “The Romany Rye’’ (1857);
“Wild Waves” (1862); “Romano Lavo
Lil” (1874).
Boswell, James (b. Edinburgh, Oc-
tober 29th, 1740; d. London, June 19th,
1795). “Account of Corsica ’’ (1768);
“Essays in Favour of the Corsicans’’
(1769) : “Journal of a Tour to the
Hebrides with Dr. Johnson’’ (1785);
“Ilife of Johnson’’ (1791); “Letters
to Rev. W. J. Temple '' (1856). “Bos-
welliana” (1874). See the Essays by
Macaulay and Carlyle, etc.
Bowles, Rev. William Lisle (b.
King's Sutton, Northamptonshire, Sep-
tember 24th, 1762; died Salisbury, April
7th, 1850). “Fourteen Sonnets” (1789);
“Poems” (1798-1809); “The Spirit of
Discovery” (1805); “The Missionary
of the Andes” (1815). “Collected
Poems” (1855).
Boyd, Rev. Andrew Kennedy
Hutchison, D.D., LL.D. (b. Auchin-
leck, November, 1825). “Recreations
of a Country Parson’’ (1859); “Leisure
Hours in Town ; ” “East Coast Days
and Memories '' (1887); “The Best
Last ’’ (1888): “Twenty-five Years of
St. Andrews” (1892); “St. Andrew;
and Elsewhere '' (1895), etc.
Boyle, Charles, Earl of Orrery (b. ,
Chelsea, 1676; d. August 28th, 1731).
Edited “Epistles of Phalaris” (1695).
Boyle, Hon. Robert (b. Lismore,
January 25th, 1626; d. London, De-
cember 30th, 1692). “Physiological
Essays” (1661); “The Usefulness of
Experimental Natural Philosophy ’’
(1663), etc. “Works,” with Life and
Correspondence (1744).
Brabourne, Lord, Edward Hugessen
Rnatchbull - Hugessen . Mersham
IHatch, April 29th, 1829 ; d. 1893).
“Stories for My Children” (1869);
“Crackers for Christmas” (1870);
“Moonshine” (1871); “Tales at Tea-
time” (1872); “Queer Folk” (1873);
“Whispers from Fairyland” (1874);
“River Legends” (1874); “Higgledy-
Piggledy” (1875); “Uncle Joe's Stories”
(1878); “Friends and Foes from Fairy-
land’’ (1885), etc. Edited “Letters of
Jane Austen ?’ (his maternal great-aunt)
(1885). -
Braddon, Mary Elizabeth, were
Mrs. . Maxwell (b. London, 1837).
“Lady Audley’s Secret” (1862); “Au-
rora Floyd’’ (1863); “To the Bitter
End” (1872); “IDead Men's Shoes”
(1876); “Joshua Haggard’s Daughter’’
(1876); “Weavers and Weft” (1877);
“An Open Verdict” (1878); “Thé
Cloven Foot” (1878); “Vixen” (1879);
“The Story of Barbara, ’’ (1880); “Just
as I Am '' (1880); “Asphodel” (1881);
“Mount Royal '' (1882); “Phantom
Fortune” (1883): “The Golden Calf”
(1883); “Ishmael” (1884); “Wyllard's
Weird ” (1885); “One Thing Needful”
(1886); “Mohawks '' (1886); “Like
and Unlike ’’ (1887); “Cut by the
County’’ (1887); “The Fatal Three *
(1888); “The Day will Come?” (1889);
“One Life, One Love '' (1890) ;
“Gerard” (1891); “The Venetians”
(1891); “All Along the River’’ (1893);
“Thou Art the Man” (1894); “The
Christmas Hirelings” (1894), etc. Edited
Delgravia.
Bradley, Rev. Edward, “Cuthbert
13rewer
1338
BrOWrm
Bede’’ (b. Kidderminster, 1827; d. De-
cember 12th, 1889). “Adventures of
Verdant Green '' (1853); “Glencreg-
gan ” (1861); “The Curate of Cranston”
(1862) ; “A Tour in Tartan Land”
(1863); “The White Wife?” (1864);
“The Rook’s Garden '' (1865); “Mattins
and Muttons’’ (1866); “Fotheringay
and Mary Queen of Scots” (1886), etc.
Brewer, The Rev. John Sherren
(b. 1810; d. 1879). “Monumenta
Franciscana’’ (1858); “Calendar of
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Do-
mestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII.”
(1862, etc.); “The Reign of Henry
VIII.” Also edited Fuller’s “Church
IHistory of Britain'' (1845), Roger
Bacon’s “Opus Testirum ” and “Opus
Minus” (1859), and the Carte and
Carew Papers relating to Ireland (1867).
Brewster, Sir David, LL.D. (b.
Jedburgh, December 11th, 1781; d.
February 10th, 1868). “Depolarisation
of Light'' (1813); “Polarisation of
Light by Reflection” (1815); “On the
Production of Polarising Structure by
Pressure ?” (1816); “The Laws of
Polarisation ” ( ); “The Kaleido-
scope ’’ (1819); “Elliptical Polarisa-
tion'' (1830); “Optics” (1831), etc.
“Life" (1869).
Bridges, Robert Seymour, M.B.,
M.R.C.P. (b. 1844). “Growth of Love”
(1876), another edition, 1890; “Prome-
theus the Fire-giver” (1884); “Plays”
(1885); “Feast of Bacchus’’ (1889);
“Shorter Poems ” (1890, 1893-1894);
“Eden '' (1891); “Achilles in Scyros”
(1892); “ Humours of the Court” (1893);
“ Milton’s Prosody” (1893); “Over-
heard in Arcady ?” (1894); “John Keats,
a Critical Essay ” (1895).
Britton, John (b. Kingston-St.-
Michael, Wiltshire, July 7th, 1771; d.
January 1st, 1857). “The Beauties of
Wiltshire '' (1801); “The Cathedral
Antiquities of England” (1814-1835),
etc.
Brontës, The, “Poems by Currer,
Fllis, and Acton Bell’’ (1846). —Char-
lotte (b. Thornton, Yorkshire, April 21st,
1816; d. Haworth, March 31st, 1855);
“Jane Eyre'' (1847); “Shirley” (1849);
“Villette” (1852); “The Professor?’
(1856). Life by Mrs. Gaskell (1857). See
“Charlotte Brontë,” by Wemyss Reid
(1877); Swinburne’s “Notes on Char-
lotte Brontë'' (1877); “Charlotte
Brontë,” by Birrell (1887); and “The
Brontës in Ireland,” by Dr. William
Wright (1894).-Emily (b. ibid., 1818;
ECnot ”
d. , Haworth, 1848) : “Wuthering
Heights” (1847).-Anne (b. ibid., 1820;
d. Scarborough, 1849) : “The Tenant of
Wildfell Hall; ” “Agnes Grey” (1847).
Brooke, Rev. Augustus Stopford
(b. Dublin, 1832). “Life of Fredk. Wm.
Robertson” (1865); several vols, of “Ser-
mons” (1868-94); “Theology in the
English Poets” (1874); “Primer of
English Literature '' (1878); “Milton ’’
(1879); “Poems” (1888); “Dove Cot-
tage” (1890); “History of Early Eng-
lish Literature ?” (1892); “Develop-
ment of Theology” (1893); “Irish
Literature” (1893); “Tennyson: His
Art and Relation to Modern Life” (1894).
Has also published an edition of Turner's
“Liber Studiorum ” (1882); Meryon's
“Etchings” (1887), and “The Golden
Book of Coleridge” (1895).
Brooks, Charles Shirley (b. Brill,
Oxfordshire, 1816; d. February 23rd,
1874). “The Silver Cord” (1841); “As-
pen Court '' (1855); “The Gordian
(1858); “Sooner or Later ’’
(1868); “Poems of Wit and Humour’’
(1875), etc. Was editor of Punch.
IB rough a m, Henry, Baron
Brougham and Vaux (b. Edinburgh,
September 19th, 1778; d. Cannes, May
7th, 1868). “Colonial Policy of the
European Powers; ”, “Discourses of
Natural Theology” (1835); “Speeches”
(1838); “Dissertations on Subjects of
Science” (1839); “Statesmen of the
Time of George III.” (1839-43);
“Political Philosophy’’ (1840); “Albert
Lunel” (1844); “Men of Letters and
Science” (1845); “The Revolution in
France” (1849); “Dialogue on Instinct”
(1849); “Analytical View of Newton’s
‘Principia” (with Routh) (1855); “Con-
tributions to the Edinbºtryh Review
(1857). See Works (1868); Autobio-
graphy (1871); Bibliography of his
writings (1873). -
Broughton, Miss Rhoda (b. North
Wales, November 29th, 1840). “Cometh
up as a Flower” (1867); “Not Wisely,
but Too Well” (1867); “Red as a Rose
is She’’ (1870); “Good-bye, Sweet-
heart, Good-bye’’ (1872); “Nancy”
(1873); “Joan’” (1876); “Second
Thoughts” (1880); “Belinda’’ (1883);
“Doctor Cupid’’ (1886); “Alas!”
(1890); “A Widower Indeed,” in col-
laboration (1891); “Mrs. Bligh” (1892);
“A Beginner '' (1894), etc. • *
Brown, John, M.D. (b. September,
1810; d. May 11th, 1882). “Rab and
Brown
1889
Buchanan,
IIis Friends '' (in Horae Subseciva,
1858-60).
Brown, Rev. John, D.D. (b. Bolton-
le-Moors, Lancs., June 19th, 1830).
“God’s Book for Man's Life '' (1881);
“John Bunyan : His Life, Times, and
Work” (1885); “Bunyan’s Home”
(1890); “The Historic Episcopate ’’
(1891). Editor of John Bunyan’s Works.
Browne, Sir Thomas (b. Tondon,
October 19th, 1605; d. October 19th,
1682). “Religio Medici.” (1642); “Pseu-
dodoxia. Epidemica : or, Inquiry into
Vulgar Errors” (1646); “Hydriotaphia.”
(1658); “The Garden of Cyrus” (1658);
“Treatise on Christian Morals'' (1756,
with Life by Johnson). Works (1686,
new edition 1836).
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett (b.
London, 1809; d. Florence, June 29th,
1861). “The Battle of Marathon,”
“Essay on Mind and other Poems ”
(1826); “Prometheus Bound, translated,
with Poems” (1833); “The Seraphim”
(1838); “The Romaunt of the Page”
(1839); “Poems” (1844); “Sonnets
from the Portuguese,” printed in the
2nd edition of her “Poems ” (1850);
“Casa Guidi Windows” (1851); “Au-
rora Leigh’’ (1856); “Poems before
Congress” (1860); “A. Curse for a
Nation ” (1861); “Last Poems” (1862);
“The Greek Christian Poets” (1863).
Works (1864-66). See her “Letters”
(1877); Memoir by Stedman; Selden’s
“Portraits de Femmes '' (1877); and
Mrs. Ritchie’s “Records of Tennyson,
Ruskin, and the Brownings” (1892).
Browning, Robert (b. Camberwell,
May 7th, 1812; d. Florence, December
12th, 1889). “Paracelsus ” (1835);
“Strafford” (1837); “Sordello” (1839);
“Pippa Passes” (1842); “The Blot in
the 'Scutcheon” (1843); “Romances and
Lyrics '' (1845); “A Soul’s Tragedy’”
(1846); “IGing Victor and King Charles,”
“Dramatic Lyrics,” “Return of the
Druses,” “Colombe's Birthday,” “Dra-
matic Romances,” “The Soul’s Errand,”
“Christmas Eve” (1850); “Men and
Women’’ (1855); “Dramatis Per-
sonae'' (1864); “The Ring and the
Book” (1868); “Balaustion’s Adven-
ture” (1871); “Prince Hohenstiel-
Schwangau” (1871) : “Fifine at the
Fair” (1872); “Red Cotton Nightcap
Country” (1873); “Aristophanes' Apo-
logy” (1875); “The Inn Album” (1875);
“Pacchiarotto '' (1876); “Agamemnon
of AEschylus” (1877); “La Saisiaz,”
“The Two Poets of Croisie” (1878);
“Dramatic Idyls” (1879-80); “Joco-
seria’’ (1883); “Ferishtah's Fancies”
(1884); “Parleyings with Certain Peo-
ple '' (1887); “Asolando ’’ (1889);
“Prose Life of Strafford” (1892). Col-
lected edition, 1888-89. See “Essays
on Browning” by Nettleship (1868), and
McCrie's “Religion of our Literature; ”
F. J. Furnivall’s “A Browning Biblio-
graphy,” “The Browning Society
Papers; ” Mrs. Orr's “Handbook to
Browning,” and her “Life and Letters”
(1891): Mr. Symons’s “Introduction to
the Study of Browning” (1886); W.
Sharpe’s “Life '' (1890); Professor
Henry Jones’s “Browning as a Philoso-
phical and Religious Teacher” (1891);
F. Mary Wilson’s “Browning Primer.”
(1891); Mrs. Ritchie’s “Records of
Tennyson, Ruskin, and the Brownings”
(1892).
Bryce, The Right Hon. James
(b. Belfast, May 10th, 1838). “The
Holy Roman Empire’” (1864); “Trans-
caucasia and Ararat” (1877); “The
American Commonwealth '' (1888).
Buchanan, George (b. Killearn,
Stirlingshire, February, 1506; d. Sep-
tember 28th, 1582). “Rudimenta, Gram-
matica” (1550); “Jepthes '' (1554);
“Franciscanus” (1564); “Admonition to
the Lordis Maintenaris of the King’s
Authoritie” (1571); “De Maria Scotorum
Regina’’ (1572); “Baptistes '' (1578);
“Dialogus de Jure Regni ’’ (1579);
“Rerum Scoticorum Historia '' (1582);
“Paraphrasis Psalmorum Poetica ’’
(1569); “T)e Prosodia.” (1600). Life
by Irving (1807). Works (1725).
Buchanan, Robert Williams (b.
August 18th, 1841). “Undertones'’
(1860); “Idyls of Inverburn '' (1865);
“London Poems” (1866); “Napoleon
Fallen’’ (1871); “The Land of Lorne '’
(1871); “The Drama of Kings” (1871);
“The Fleshly School of Poetry” (1872);
“Master Spirits” (1873); “Balder the
Beautiful” (1877); “God and the Man”
(1881); “A Child of Nature” (1881);
“The Martyrdom of Madeleine” (1882);
“Ballads of Life, Love, and Humour'’
(1882); “Love Me for Ever” (1883);
“Annan Water ’’ (1883); “The New
Abelard ” (1884); “Foxglove Manor”
(1884); “Matt " (1885); “Stormy
Waters” (1885); “The Master of the
Mine '' (1885); “A Look Round Litera-
ture” (1887); “The Heir of Linn’’
(1888); “The City of Dream ” (1888);
“The Moment After ’’ (1890); “The
Outcast ’’ (1891); “Come, Live with Me
and be My Love” (1891); “The Coming
Buckingham
1840
Burns
Terror, etc.” (1891); “Poems for the
People” (1892); “The Wandering Jew.”
(1893); “Woman and the Man” (1893);
“Rachel Dene'' (1894); “Red and
White Heather ” (1894). With C.
Gibbon, “ Storm - Beaten.” Plays:
“The Witchfinder,” “A Madcap
Prince,” “Sophia,” “The Piper of
IIamelin,” etc. Works (1874).
Buckingham, George Villiers,
Duke of (b. Wallingford, January 30th,
1627; d. Kirkby Moorside, April 16th,
1688). “The Rehearsal’’ (1671), etc.
Buckle, Henry Thomas (b. 1821;
d. 1862). “History of Civilisation in
Europe,” vol. i. (1857), vol. ii. (1861);
“Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works”
(1872). See J. H. Stirling’s “Buckle,
his Problem and his Metaphysics,” in
North American Review (1872). -
Bunyan, John (b. Elstow, Bedford,
1628; d. London, August 31st, 1688).
“Sighs from Hell” (1650); “Gospel
Truths Opened” (1656); “The Holy
City '' (1665); “Grace Abounding ”
(1666); “Justification by Christ” (1671)
“Defence of Justification ”
“Water Baptism '' (1673); “The Pil-
grim’s Progress” (1678, 1684);
and Death of Mr. Badman” (1680);
“The Barren Fig-Tree” (1683); “The
Holy War ’’ §§ ; “The Pharisee and
Publican '' (1685); “The Jerusalem
Sinner Saved” (1688). Works (1853).
Biographies by Southey, Macaulay,
Ivimey (1809); Philip (1839); Froude
(1880); Dr. John Brown (1885); and
Canon Venables.
Burgon, John William, Dean of
Chichester (b. 1819; d. 1888). “Life
and Times of Sir Thomas Gresham ”
(1839); “Petra, ’’ (1846); “Oxford Re-
formers” (1854); “Historical Notice
of the Colleges of Oxford’’ (1857);
3
“Inspiration and Interpretation ”
(1861) : “Treatises on the Pastoral
Office ’’ (1864); “Ninety-one Short
Sermons’’ (1867); “Disestablishment
the Nation's Formal Rejection of God
and Denial of the Faith ” (1868);
“The Protests of the Bishops against
Dr. Temple's Consecration ” (1870);
“The Athanasian Creed to be Retained
in its Entirety, and Why?” (1872);
“A Plea for the Study of Divinity at
Oxford” (1875); “The Prayer Book, a
Devotional Guide and Manual” (1876);
“Divergent Ritual’’ (1881); “The
Revision Revised ” (1883).
Burke, Edmund (b. Dublin, January
12th, 1728 or 1729; d. Beaconsfield, July
9th, 1797). “Vindication of Natural
Society” (1756); “The Sublime and
Beautiful” (1757); “Present State of
the Nation ” (1769); “Thoughts on the
Present Discontents” (1770); “Reflec-
tions on the French Revolution ” (1790):
“Appeal from the New to the Old
Whigs” (1791); “Letter to a Noble
Ilord’’ (1795); “Letters on a Regicide
IPeace” (1796); “Observations on the
Conduct of the Minority” (1797); etc.
Works (1801); Select Works (1874).
Correspondence (1817). Best Biogra-
phies: Macknight's (1858-60), John
Morley's (1867; Sketch, 1879).
Burnaby, Colonel F. G. (b. 1842;
d. 1885). “A Ride to Khiva '' (1876);
“On Horseback Through Asia Minor ’’
(1877); “A Ride Across the Channel”
(1882); “Our Radicals” (1886). Life
by R. K. Mann. .
Burnand, Francis Cowley (b.
1837). “My Time and What I’ve Done
with It?” (1874); “The Incompleat
Angler” (1887); “Very Much Abroad'? .
(1890); “Rather at Sea.” (1890); “Quite
at Home” (1890); “The Real Adventures
of Robinson Crusoe’’ (1893); “Happy
Thoughts” Series; etc. Has been editor
of Punch since 1880, and has written
many burlesque and other dramatic
pieces.
Burnet, Gilbert, Bishop of Salis-
bury (b. Edinburgh, September 18th,
1643; d. March 17th, 1715). “History
of the Reformation '' (1679, 1681, 1715);
“History of My Own Time” (1724);
etc. Life by Le Clerc (1715) and
Flaxman.
Burnett, Mrs. Frances, née Hodg-
son (b. Manchester, November 20th,
1849). “That Lass o' Lowrie's '' (1877);
“ Kathleen '' (1878); “Surly Tim *
(1878); “Haworth’s” (1879); “Louis-
iana” (1880); ‘A Fair Barbarian' (1881);
“Through One Administration '' (1883);
“Vagabondia’’ (1884); “Little Lord
Fauntleroy’’ (1886); “Sara Crewe,
etc.” (1888); “The Fortunes of Philippa.
Fairfax'' (1888); “The Pretty Sister of
José" (1889); “Little Saint Elizabeth "
(1890); “Children I Have Known, etc.”
(1891); “Dolly ” (1893); “The One I
I(now the Best of All'' (1893), etc.
Burns, Robert (b. Ayr, January
25th, 1759; d. Dumfries, July 21st,
1796). “Poems ” (1786). Complete
Works, Currie (1800). Bibliography by
McKie (1875). Best edition of Poems,
Douglas (1877-79). See Nichol’s mono-
graph (1879), etc.
Burton,
1341
Byron
Burton, John Hill, LL.D. (b. Aber-
deen, August 22nd, 1809; d. 1882).
“Benthamiana ’’ (1838); “Life and
Correspondence of Hume’” (1846);
“Lives of Lovat and Forbes” (1847);
“Political and Social Economy” (1849);
“History of Scotland from the Revolu-
tion ” (1853); “The Book-Hunter”
(1862); “The Scot Abroad” (1864);
“The Cairngorm Mountain'' (1864);
“History of Scotland from the Earliest
Period” (1867); “Reign of Queen Anne”
(1880), etc. -
Burton, Sir Richard Francis (b.
1821; d. October 19th, 1890). “Sindh "
(1851); “A Pilgrimage to El Medinah
and Meccah '' (1856); “First Footsteps
in E. Africa,” (1856); “The Lake Re-
gions of Central Africa,” (1860); “The
City of the Saints '' (1861); “The Nile
Basin” (1864); “Wit and Wisdom from
West Africa.” (1865); “Explorations of
the Highlands of Brazil” (1869); “Zan-
zibar ” (1872); “Etruscan Bologna ’’
(1876); “Sindh Revisited” (1877);
“Camoens, his Life and his Lusiads”
(1881); “The Book of the Sword ”
(1884). Has translated and published
privately, “The Thousand Nights and a
Night” (1885). Life by Lady Burton.
Burton, Robert (b. Lindley, Lei-
costershire, February 8th, 1576; d. Jan-
uary 25th, 1639). “Anatomy of Melan-
choly’’ (1621) : “Philosophaster’’ (with
Poemata) (1662).
Butler, Arthur John (b. Putney,
June 21st, 1844). “Divina Commedia.”
with notes and translation—“Purgatory”
(1830), “Paradise” (1885), “Hell”
(1891); “A Companion to Dante ”(1893);
“Letters of Count Cavour” (1894);
“Dante; hisTime and his Work” (1895);
“Select Essays of Sainte-Beuve” (1895).
Butler, Joseph, Bishop of Durham
(b. Wantage, Berkshire, May 18th, 1692;
d. Bath, June 16th, 1752). “Sermons”
(1726); “Analogy of Religion’’ (1736).
Butler, Samuel (b. Strensham, Wor-
cester, 1612 ; d. 1680). “Hudibras”
(1663, 1664, 1678). “Posthumous Works”
(many spurious), 1715 ; “Remains''
(1759); “Works” (1861). Life (1849).
Butler, Major-General Sir Wil-
liam Francis, K.C.B. (b. Tipperary,
1838). “A Narrative of the Historical
Events Connected with the Sixty-ninth
Regiment” (1870); “The Great Lone
Land” (1872); “The Wild North Land”
(1873); “In Akinfoo” (1874); “Far
Out” (1881); “Red Cloud, the Solitary
Sioux '' (1882); “Campaign of the
Cataracts'' (1887); “Charles G. Gor-
don” (1889); “Sir Charles Napier”
(1890). -
Byron, Lord, George Gordon Noel
(b. London, January 22nd, 1788; d.
Missolonghi, April 19th, 1824). “Hours
of Idleness '' (1807); “Poems” (1808);
“English Bards and Scotch Reviewers”
(1809); “The Curse of Minerva’’ (1812);
“Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage '' (cantos
i. and ii. in 1812, canto iii. in 1816,
and canto iv. in 1818); “The Waltz”
(1813); “The Giaour'' (1813); “The
Bride of Abydos” (1813); “Ode to
Napoleon Buonaparte” (1814); “The
Corsair” (1814); “Lara’’ (1814); “He-
brew Melodies” (1815); “The Siege of
Corinth" and “Parisina’’ (1816); “The
Prisoner of Chillon” (1816); “Manfred”
(1817); “The Lament of Tasso” (1817);
“Monody on the Death of the Right
Hon. R. B. Sheridan'' (1817); “Beppo ’’
(1818); “Mazeppa'' (1819); “Don
Juan '' (cantos i. and ii. in 1819, iii., iv.,
and v. in 1821, vi., vii., and viii. in
1823, ix., x., xi., xii., xiii., and xiv. in
1823, xv. and xvi. in 1824); “A Letter
to John Murray on the Rev. W. L.
Bowles's Strictures on the Life and
Writings of Pope’” (1821); “Mar-
ino Faliero,” and “The Prophecy of
Dante ”(1821); “Sardanapalus,” “The
Two Foscari,” and “Cain'' (1821);
“Werner’” (1822); “The Vision of
Judgment” (1822); “Heaven and
Earth’” (1822); “The Island” (1823);
“The Age of Bronze '' (1823); canto i. of
the “Morgante Maggiore di MesserIuigi
Pulci,” translated ; “The Deformed
Transformed ” (1824); “Parliamentary
Speeches in 1812 and 1813” (1824). The
following are the chief publications on
the poet:—“Memoirs, Historical and
Critical, of the Life and Writings of Lord
Byron, with Anecdotes of Some of his
Contemporaries” (1822); “Lord By-
ron’s Private Correspondence, Including
his Letters to his Mother, Written from
Portugal, Spain, Greece, and Other Farts
of the Mediterranean ; Published from.
the Originals, with Notes and Observa-
tions,” by A. R. C. Dallas (1824): “Re-
collections,” by A. R. C. Dallas (1824);
“Conversations with Lord Byron, Noted
during a Residence with his Lordship at
Pisa in the Years 1821 and 1822,” by
Thomas Medwin (1824); “Letters on the
Character and Poetical Genius of Lord
Byron,” by Sir Egerton Brydges (1824);
“Lord Byron,” by Madame Louise
Belloc (1824); “Anecdotes of Lord
IByron, from Authentic Sources, with
Caedmon
1342
Campbell
Remarks Illustrative of his Connection
with the Principal Literary Characters
of the Present Day” (1825); “The Last
Days of Lord Byron, with his Lordship's
Opinions on Various Subjects, particu-
larly on the State and Prospect of
Greece,” by William Parry (1825);
“Lord Byron en Italie et en Grèce; ou,
Aperçu de Sa Vie et de Ses Ouvrages,
d'après des Sources authentiques,” by
the Marquis de Salvo (1825); “Narra-
tive of Lord Byron's Voyage to Corsica
and Sardinia, 1821 '' (1825); “A Short
Narrative of Lord Byron's Last Journey
to Greece, extracted from the Journal
of Count Peter Gamba’’ (1825); “Cor-
respondence of Lord Byron with his
Eriends, Including his Letters to his
Mother, Written in 1809, 1810, and 1811,”
edited by A. R. C. Dallas (1825); “Life,”
by J. Galt (1825); “An Inquiry into
the Moral Character of Lord Byron,”
by J. W. Simmonds (1826); “Memoir,”
by Sir H. Bulwer (1826); “Life,” by
W. Lake (1826); “Lord Byron and
Some of his Contemporaries” (1828);
“Life,” by Sir Egerton Brydges (1828);
“Memoirs of Lord Byron,” by G. Clin-
ton (1828); “Life, Letters, and Jour-
mals,” edited by Moore (1830); “Con-
versations with Lord Byron,” by Lady
Blessington (1831); “Life,” by Arm-
strong (1846); “The True Story of Lady
Byron's Life,” by Mrs. Beecher-Stowe
(1867); “Medora Leigh,” by Dr. Mac-
kay (1869); “Recollections of Lord
Byron,” by the Countess Guiccioli
(1870); “Life,” by Karl Elze (1871);
“Trelawney's Recollections” (new ed.
1879); “Life,” by Nicholl (1881); “The
Real Lord Byron,” by J. Cordy Jeaffre-
son (1882). See Jeffrey’s “Essays; ”
PHäzlitt’s
says; ”Swinburne's preface fo a “Selec-
tion from the Poems; ” Sir Henry.
Taylor’s preface to his own “Poems; ”.
Brimley’s “Essays; ” W. M. Rossetti's
preface to an edition of the “Poems; ”
Ringsley’s “Miscellanies; ” Quarterly
Jeeview for July, 1868; the “Dictionary
of National Biography,” etc.
C
Caedmon (d. circa 680). “Para-
phrase ’” (1655); best editions—Thorpe's
(1832); Bouterwek’s (1849-54); Grein’s
(1857–63). See Watson’s “Caedmon,
the First English Poet’’ (1875), and
Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. ii.
“Spirit of the Age” and
“English : Poets; ” Macaulay’s “Es-
--sºme
Caine, Thomas Henry Hall (b.
Buncorn, 1853). “Recollections of D. G.
Rossetti” (1882): “Cobwebs of Criti-
cism” (1883); “The Shadow of a Crime ’’
(1885); “A Son of Hagar” (1887); “Life
of S.T. Coleridge” (1887); “The Deem-
ster’” (1887); “The Bondman” (1890);
“The Scapegoat’” (1891); “The Little
Manx Nation ” (1891); “Captain Davy's
Honeymoon, etc.” (1892); “The Manx-
man ’’ (1894). -
Caird, Edward, Master of Balliol
(b. Greenock, March 22nd, 1835). “The
Social Philosophy and Religion of
Comte ” (1885); “The Critical Philoso-
phy of Immanuel lºant” (1889); “Es-
says on Literature and Philosophy’”
(1892); “The Evolution of Religion ”
(1893), etc.
Caird, Principal John, D.D., LL.D.
(b. Greenock, December, 1820). “An
Introduction to the Philosophy of Reli-
gion” (1880); “Spinoza’’ (1888), etc.
Cairns, Principal John, D.D., LL.D.
(b. Ayton, Berwickshire, August 23rd,
1818; d. March 12th, 1892). “Life of
John Brown, D.D.” (1860); “Unbelief
in the Eighteenth Century” (1881);
“Christ, the Morning Star,” etc. (1892).
“Life,” by Dr. Alexander McEwen
(1895.) :
Calverley, Charles Stuart (b. 1833;
d. 1884). “Verses and Translations”
(1862); “A Verse Translation of Theo-
critus” (1869); “Fly Leaves '' (1872).
See W. J. Sendall’s “The Literary
Remains of C. S. C.”
Camden, William (b. London, May
2nd, 1551 ; d. Chislehurst, November
9th, 1623). “Britannia” (1586–1607);
“Institutio Graeca Grammatices Comi-
pendiaria” (1597); ‘: Anglica, Hiber-
nica, Normanica, Cambrica, a Veteris
Scripta, ’’ (1604); “Pemains Concerning
Britain '' (1605); '. “Reges, Reginae,
Nobiles, et alii in Ecclesia Collegiata B.
Petri Westmonasterii Sepulti, usque ad
annum 1606'' (1606); “Annales Rerum
Anglicarum et Hibernicarum regnante
Elizabetha" (1615); “A Description of
Scotland ” (1695); and some minor
works.
Campbell, John, Baron (b. 1781,
d. 1861). “Reports of Cases Determined
at Nisi Prius” (1807-16); “Letter to
Lord Stanley’’ (1837); “Speeches at the
Bar and House of Commons” (1842);
“Lives of the Chancellors and Keepers
of the Great Seal of England ” (1845–
48); “Lives of the Chief Justices of
Campbell
1343
Carpenter
England” (1849–57); “Shakespeare's
Legal Acquirements.” See “Life of John
Campbell,” by Hon. Mrs. Hardcastle.
Campbell, Thomas (b. Glasgow,
July 27th, 1777; d. Boulogne, June 15th,
1844). “Pleasures of Hope ’’ (1799);
“Poems ” (1803); “Annals of Great
Britain” (1806); “Gertrude of Wyo-
ming ” (1809); “Specimens of the
British Poets” (1819-48) : “Theodoric"
(1824); “Life of Mrs. Siddons” (1834);
“Letters from the South '' (1837);
“Life of Petrarch '' (1841); “The Pil-
grim of Glencoe’’ (1842); “Frederick
the Great '' (1843); “History of Our
Own Times '' (1843); “A Poet's Resi-
dence in Algiers” (1845). “Life and
Letters,” by Beattie (1849). “Literary
Reminiscences of Thomas Campbell,”
by Cyrus Redding (1859).
Candlish, Robert Smith, D.D.
(b. March 23rd, 1807; d. October 19th,
1873). “Scripture Characters and Mis-
cellanies” (1850); “Examination of
Mr. Maurice's Theological Essays '’
(1854); “Life in a Risen Saviour” (1858);
“Reason and Revelation” (1859);
“The Atonement'' (1861); “The
Fatherhood of God” (1865); “Sermons,
with Biographical Preface ’’ (1874);
“Gospel of Forgiveness” (1878).
“Life,” by J. L. Watson.
Carleton, William (b. Prillisk, Co.
Tyrone, 1794; d. January 30th, 1869).
“Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasan-
try’” (1830, 1833); “Tales of Ireland ”
(1834); “Fardorougha, the Miser’’
(1839); “Valentine McClutchy, the
Irish Agent” (1845); “Parry Sastha ‘’
(1845); “The Black Prophet '' (1847);
“The Tithe Proctor” (1849); “The
Red Hall” (1852); “The Squanders of
Castle Squander’” (1852); “Willy
Reilly ” (1855); “The Emigrants”
(1857); “The Evil Eye'' (1860); “The
Double Prophecy” (1862); “Redmond
Count O’Hanlon '' (1862); “The Silver
Acre” etc. (1862) ; “The Fair of Emy-
vale '' (1870), etc.
Carlyle, Thomas (b. Ecclefechan,
Dumfriesshire, December 4th, 1795; d.
London, February 5th, 1881). Brew-
ster’s “Edinburgh Encyclopædia ''
(1820 - 23), articles on Lady Mary
Wortley Montague, Montaigne, Mon-
tesquieu, Montfaucon, Dr. Moore, Sir
John Moore, Necker, Nelson, Nether-
lands, Newfoundland, Norfolk, North-
amptonshire, Northumberland, Mungo
Park, Lord Chatham, William Pitt ;
in The New Edinburgh Review (1821-22)
|
papers on Joanna Baillie’s “Metrical
Legends” and Goethe’s “Faust ; ”
“Schiller's Life and Writings” (1823-
25); translation of “Legendre's Geo-
metry,” with essay on “Proportion ”
(1824); a translation of Goethe’s “Wil-
helm Meister’’ (1824); “German Rom-
ances: Specimens of the Chief Authors,
with Biographical and Critical Notices'’
(1827); Essays in various Reviews and
Magazines, republished in the Mis-
cellanies (1827-1837); “Sartor Resar-
tus” (1833–34); “The French Revo-
lution ” (1837); “Chartism '' (1839);
“Heroes and Hero-Worship ’’ (1840);
“Past and Present’’ (1843); “Oliver
Cromwell’s Letters and Speeches, with
Elucidations and a Connecting Narra-
tive ’’ (1845); “Latter-Day Pamphlets"
(1850); articles in The Examiner (1848)
on Louis Philippe (March 4th), Repeal of
the Union (April 29th), Legislation for
Ireland (May 13th); articles in The
Spectator (1848) on Ireland and the
British Chief Governor, and Irish Regi-
ments (of the New Era) (May 13th);
The Death of Charles Buller, in The
JEvaminer (December 2nd, 1848); “Life
of John Sterling ” (1851); “Life of
Friedrich II.” (1865); “On the Choice
of Books” (1866); and “Shooting Nia-
gara and After P’’ in Macmillamy’s
Magazine for 1867. In 1875 Carlyle
published a small volume on the “Early
JKings of Norway, and the Portraits of
John Knox.” For Biography, see Horne's
“Spirit of the Age ; ” the preface to
“The Choice of Books; ” “Remini-
scences” (1881); Wylie’s “Life,” (1881);
Froude's “Life of Carlyle” (1882–
84), “Reminiscences '' (1883), and
“Letters and Memorials of Jane Welsh
Carlyle” (1883); ... “The Correspon-
dence of Thomas Carlyle and R. W.
Emerson,” edited by C. E. Norton
(1883); Norton’s “Letters of Carlyle”
(1887). See also British and Foreign Re-
view for October, 1840, by Giuseppe Maz-
zini : “Essays,” by George Brimley;
Greg's “Literary and Social Judgments;”
Morley’s “Critical Miscellanies; ” Quay-
terly Review for July, 1865; West-
minster Review for January, 1865;
J. Russell Lowell’s “My Study Win-
dows; ” Mozley’s “Essays '' (1878);
“Lives,” by Moncure D. Conway, H. J.
Nicholl, and Richard Garnett, and D.
Masson’s “Carlyle, Personally and in
his Writings” (1885), etc.
}
Carpenter, William Benjamin,
M.D., LL.D. (b. Bristol, 1813; d. 1885).
“Principles of Human Physiology”
Carperiter I
sº
o
44
Chapman
(1846); “Animal Physiology” (1847);
“Mechanical Physiology” (1847); “The
Physiology of Temperance”(1853); “The
Principles of Comparative Physiology”
(1854); “The Microscope and its Revela-
tions” (1856); “Principles of Mental
Physiology” (1874), etc.
Carpenter, Right Rev. William
Boyd, D.D., D.C.L. (b. circa 1841).
“Witness of the Heart for Christ, ''
(1879); “The Permanent Elements of
Religion” (1889); “Lectures on Preach-
ing ” (1895).
Carroll, Lewis, pseudonym of Rev.
T. L. Dodgson (b. 1833). “Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland” (1868);
“Phantasmagoria '' (1869) : “Alice
Through the Looking-Glass” (1872);
“The Hunting of the Snark” (1876);
“Doublets” (1879); “Euclid and his
Modern Rivals” (1879); “Rhyme 2 and
Reason P” (1883); “A Tangled Tale ''
(1886); “The Game of Logic '' (1887),
etc. .*
Cary, Henry Francis (b. 1772; d.
1844). “Inferno of Dante, with an
Bnglish Translation in Blank Verse ’’
(1806); “Translation of the Inferno,
Purgatorio, and Paradiso '' (1813);
“Lives of the English Poets, from John-
son to Kirke White ” (1846); “The
Early French Poets” (1847). Mr. Cary
also translated the “Birds '' of Aristo-
phanes and the “Odes” of Pindar. See
“Memoirs of the Rev. H. F. Cary,” by
his son.
Chalmers, George (b. Fochabers,
Morayshire, 1742; d. May 31st, 1825).
“Caledonia.” (1807-24); “Lives '' of
Defoe (1786), Ruddiman (1794), Allan
Ramsay (1800), etc.
Chalmers, Thomas, D.D. (b. Ans-
truther, March 17th, 1780; d. Edin-
burgh, May 30th, 1847). “Extent and
Stability of the National Resources”
(1808); “Astronomical Discourses”
(1816); “Political Economy” (1832);
“Adaptation of Nature to the Constitu-
tion of Man’” (1833), etc. “Life” by
Hanma prefixed to Works (1849). See
also Memoir by Mrs. Oliphant (1893).
Chambers, Robert (b. Peebles, 1802:
d. March 17th, 1871). “Illustrations of
the Author of “Waverley’” (1822); “Tra-
ditions of Edinburgh '' (1824): “Walks
in Edinburgh '' (1825); “History of
the English Language and Literature '’
(1837); “Vestiges of the Natural His-
tory of Creation” (1844); “Explora-
tion,” a sequel to the “Vestiges”
(1845); “Essays” (1847); “Ancient Sea
Margins” (1848); “History of Scotland”
(new edition, 1849); “Scottish Jests and
Anecdotes” (1856); “Edinburgh Mer-
chants and Merchandise in Old Times ''
(1859); “Edinburgh, Papers” (1861);
“Domestic Annals of Scotland.” Me-
moir by William Chambers (1871). (See
also CHAMBERS, WILLIAM, LL.D.)
Chambers, William, LL.D. (b.
Peebles, 1800; d. May 20th, 1883). “A
History of the Gipsies” (1822); “The
Book of Scotland’’ (1830); “Glenormis-
ton’’ (1849); “Fiddy” (1851); “Some-
thing of Italy” (1862); “A History of
Peebles-shire” (1864); “Sketches” (1866);
“France ’’ (1866); “About Railways.”
(1866); “Memoir of Robert Chambers”
(1871); “Ailie Gilroy’’ (1872); “Stories
of Old Families” (1878); “Story of
St. Giles's Church, Edinburgh’’ (1879);
“The Story of a Long and Busy Life '’
(1882), etc. Editor, with his brother
Robert, of many educational and other
works.
Chapman, George (b. Inear Hitchin,
Hertfordshire, 1557 or 1559; d. 1634).
“Skianuktos, the Shadow of Night ''
(1595); “Ovid’s Banquet of Sense”
(1595); “The Shield of Achilles ''
(1506); “The Blind Beggar of Alexan-
dria, ’’ (1598); “An Humerous Dayes
Myrth” (1599); “All Fooles” (1605);
“Eastward Hoe" (1605); “Monsieur
d’Olive ’’ (1606); “The Gentleman
Usher ” (1606); “Bussy d'Ambois”
(1607); “The Conspiracie and Tragedie
of Charles, Duke of Byron'' (1608);
“Euthymiae Raptus; or, the Teares of
Peace” (1609); “May Day” (1611);
“An Epicede, or Funerall Song, on the
Most Disastrous Death of Henry, Prince
of Wales” (1612); “The Widowes
Teares” (1612); “The Memorable Maske
of the Two Honourable Houses of
Inns of Court’” (1614); “Andromeda.
Liberator; or, the Nuptials of Perseus
and Andromeda,” (1614); “Eugenia; or,
True Nobilities Trance ’” (1614): “Two
Wise Merl and all the Rest Fooles'’
(1619); “Pro Were Autumni Lachrymae,
to the Memory of Sir Horatio Vere''
(1622); “A Justification of the Strange
Action of Nero, being the Fifth Satire
of Juvenal, Translated ” (1629); “Caesar
and Pompey’’ (1631); “The Ball,”
“The Tragedie of Chabot, Admirall of
France” (1639); “Revenge for Honour "
(1654); “The Tragedie of Alphonsus,
Emperor of Germany ” (1654); and
“The Second Maiden’s Tragedy.” He
also published translations of Homer
Charles 1345 Chaucer
(1596), Hesiod (1612), , and Musæus of Foules; ” “The Boke of Cupid, God
(1616). Chapman's Works were edited, of Love; or, the Cuckow and the Night-
in 1874, by R. H. Shepherd. For
Biography and Criticism, see Wood's
“Athenae Oxonienses ; ” Longbaine's
“Dramatick Poets; ” Warton’s “Eng-
lish Poetry;” Campbell’s “English
Poets; ” Hazlitt, s “Age of Elizabeth; ”
Hallam’s “Literal ure of Europe;” Swin-
burne's introduction to the Works (1875);
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vols.
x. and xi. He has been panegyrised by
Waller, Pope, Dr. Johnson, Godwin,
Lamb, Coleridge, Keats, etc.
Charles, Mrs. Elizabeth (b. 1826).
“The Draytons and Davenants” (1841);
“The Chronicles of the Schönberg-Cotta
Family” (1863); “Lapsed but not Lost”
(1881); “The Diary of Mrs. Kitty
Trevylyan” (1884), etc.
Chatterton, Thomas (b. Bristol,
November 20th, 1752 ; d. Holborn,
August 25th, 1770). Wrote various
pieges—ascribed by him to one Thomas
Rowley—which were first published in
a collective form by Thomas Tyrwhitt,
in 1777, under the title of “The Poems
supposed to have been written at Bristol
by Thomas Rowley and Others in the
Fifteenth Century, with an Introduc-
tory Account of the Several Pieces, and
a Glossary.” This was followed, in
1778, by “Chatterton’s Miscellanies in
Prose and Verse,” and in 1784 by a
“Supplement to the Miscellanies of
Thomas Chatterton.” Of the bitter and
protracted controversy that arose upon
the question of the authenticity of the
Poems, an account is given in Kippis's
“Biographia Britannica ; ” a list of
the principal pamphlets published in the
course of the dispute being contained
in Lowndes’s “Bibliographer's Manual”
under the heading of “Rowley.” Edi-
tions of the Poems were issued in 1803,
1842, 1865, and 1871; but see “Poetical
Works by Thomas Chatterton, with
Essay on the Rowley Poems,” by
Prof. W. Skeat, and “Memoir '' by Ed-
ward Bell (1875). For Biography, see
the “Lives” by Gregory (1789), Da-
vis (1809), Dix (1837), Martin (1865),
Wilson (1869), and Masson (1875). For
Criticism, see the Essays by Tyrwhitt,
Southey, Warton, Campbell, Scott,
Masson, Wilson, etc.
Chaucer, Geoffrey (b. about 1340 ;
d. Westminster, 1400), was author of
the following works:—“The Canterbury
Tales; ” “The Court of Love; ” “The
Parlement of Birddes; Or, the Assembly
ingale; ” “The Flower and the Leaf; ”
“Troylus and Cresseyde; ” “Chaucer's
A, B, C ; ” “Chaucer's Dream ; ” “The
Boke of the Duchesse ; ” “Of Quene
Anelyda and the False Arcite; ” “The
House of Fame; ” “The Legende of
Goode Women; ” “The Romaunt of the
Rose ; ” “The Complaynt of a Loveres
Lyfe ; ” “The Complaynt of Mars and
Venus; ” “A Goodly Ballade of Chau-
cer; ” and “A Praise of Women.” His
minor poems are:—“The Compleynte of
the Dethe of Pite; ” “Ballade de Vilage
Sauns Peynture ; ” “Ballade Sent to
Ring Richard ; ” “The Compleynte of
Chaucer to his Purse; ” “Good Counseil
of Chaucer; ” “Prosperity;” “A Bal-
lade; ” “L’Envoy de Chaucer a Sco-
gan; ” “L’Envoy de Chaucer a Bulc-
ton ; ” “AEtas Prima,” “Leaulté Vault
Richesse ; ” “Proverbes de Chaucer; ”
“Roundel; ” “Wirelai; ” “ Chaucer's
Prophecy; ” “Chaucer’s Wordes unto
his own Scrivener ; ” and “Oratio Gal-
fridi Chaucer.” These two lists, at any
rate, represent the poems attributed to
Chaucer by the earlier editors. Later
critics deny his claim to such poems as
“The Court of Love,” “The Flower
and the Leaf,” and “Chaucer’s Dream.”
Works of Chaucer were first printed in
1532; followed by editions in 1542, 1561
(Stowe), 1598 (Speght), 1721 (Urry),
1775 (Tyrwhitt), 1822 (Singer), 1845
(Sir H. Nicolas), and 1855 (Bell). Edi-
tions have been published by Professor
Childs in America, by D. Morris in the
“Aldine Poets,” and by Professor W.
W. Skeat, etc., A Biography of the poet
is given by his editors, and a “Life”
has been written by Godwin. See
also “Illustrations” by Todd (1810);
“The Riches of Chaucer,” with a Me-
moir by Charles Cowden Clarke (1835);
“Poems of Chaucer Modernised,” by
Wordsworth, Leigh Hunt, Horne, Bell,
and others, with “Life’” by Schmitz
(1841); “Tales from Chaucer in Prose; ”
“Chaucer's England,” by Matthew
Prowne; the Memoir by Skeat; the publi-
cations of the Chaucer Society, passim ;
Warton’s “English Poetry; ” Hazlitt's
“Fnglish Poets;” Campbell’s “IEnglish
Poets; ” Coleridge’s “Table Talk; ”
J. R. Lowell’s “My Study Windows; ”
Minto’s “English Poets; ” Kissner's
“Essays on Chaucer ; ” Tindner’s
“Essay on Chaucer’s Alliterations;” the
“Dictionary of National Biography,”
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vols.
v. and vi.
85
| Chesterfield
1346
Clarendon
Chesterfield, Earl of, Philip Dor-
mer Stanhope (b. London, September
22nd, 1694; d. March 24th, 1773). “Let-
ters to his Son, Philip Stanhope,” which,
together with several other “Pieces on
Various Subjects,” were first published
in 1774. In addition to his “Miscellane-
ous Works,” published with “Memoirs
of his Tife” by Dr. Maty in 1777, are
included “Miscellaneous Pieces and
Characters; ” “Letters to his Friends;”
“The Art of Pleasing; ” “Free Thoughts
and Bold Truths; ” “The Case of the
Iſanover Forces, with Vindication and
Further Vindication ; ” “The Lords’
Trotest ; ” “Tetter to the Abbé de
Wille ; ’’ and “Poems.” Selections from
the Works were published in 1874. His
Letters were edited by Earl Stanhope in
1846. See Mrs. Oliphant’s “Historical
Sketches of the Reign of George II.,”
Hayward’s “Biographical Essays,”
Quarterly Review for 1845, and M.
Sainte-Beuve's “Causeries de Lundi.”
Cheyne, Rev. Professor Kelly,
D.D. (b. London, September 18th, 1841).
“The Hallowing of Criticism '' (1888);
“The Origin and Religious Contents
of the Psalter’’ (1891); “Aids to the
I)evout Study of Criticism'' (1892);
“Founders of the Old Testament Criti-
cism 7” (1893); “Introduction to the
Book of Isaiah. ” (1895), etc.
Chillingworth, William (b. Oxford,
October, 1602; d. January 30th, 1644).
“Religion of Protestants a Way to
Salvation” (1638); Works, with “Life”.
by Birch (1742); best edition, 1838. See
Brincipal Tulloch’s “Rational Theology
in England,” Hunt’s “History of Re-
ligious Thought,” Wood’s “Athenae
Oxonienses,” Fuller’s “Worthies,”
Mazeaux’ ‘‘Historical and Critical
Account of the Life and Writings of
William Chillingworth,” and Cheynell’s
“Chillingworthii Novissima.”
Church, Rev. Alfred John (b. Lon-
don, January 29th, 1829). “Roman Life
in the Days of Cicero” (1883); “The
Chantry Priest of Barnet ’’ (1884);
“Carthage” (1886); “Early Britain’’
(1889); “Stories from the Early Come-
dians” (1892); “The Fall of Athens.”
(1894), etc. etc.
Church, Richard William, Dean of
St. Paul’s (b. Tisbon, 1815; d. December
9th, 1890). “Life of St. Anselm'' (1871);
“The Beginning of the Middle Ages”
(1877); “Spenser’” (1878); “Bacon”
(1878); “Dante and Other Essays.”
(1888); “Miscellaneous Essays” (1888);
“The Oxford Movement” (1891);
“Cathedral and University Sermons”
(1892); “Village Sermons” (1892–94).
“Life and Letters,” by his daughter,
M. C. Church.
Churchill, Charles (b. Westminster,
February, 1731; d. Boulogne, November
4th, 1764). “The Rosciad” (1761); “An
Apology to the Critical Reviewers”
(1761); “Night, an Epistle '' (1761);
“The Ghost” (1762); “The Prophecy
of Famine” (1763); “An Epistle to
William Hogarth” (1763); “The Con-
ference” (1763); “The Duellist” (1763);
“The Author” (1764); “Gotham”
(1764); “The Candidate’’ (1764); “The
Farewell” (1764); “The Times” (1764);
“Independence ’’ (1764); “The Jour-
ney;” and the “Dedication to Churchill's
Sermons.” Works in 1770. See the
edition of 1804, with “An Authentic
Account of his Life,” by W. Tooke. See
also Campbell’s “English Poets,” Cow-
per’s “Letters,” Forster’s “Essays,”
and the introductory essay, by Hannay,
prefixed to the “Aldine Edition ” of
the poems (1867).
Cibber, Colley (b. London, 1671 ;
d. December 12th, 1757). “Love’s Last
Shift ; or, the Fool in Fashion” (1695);
“Woman's Wit” (1697); “Xerxes”
(1699); “The Careless Husband” (1704);
“The Nonjuror” (1717). “Works”
1721). See his “Apology for His Own
Life” (1740).
Clarendon, Earl of, Edward Hyde
(b. Dinton,Wilts, February 18th, 1608; d.
Rouen, December 9th, 1674). “Brief
View and Survey of the Dangerous and
Pernicious Errors to Church and State in
Hobbes' ‘Leviathan’” (1676); “The
History of the Rebellion and Civil
Wars in England, to which is added
an. Historical View of the Affairs
in Ireland” (1702); “The History
of the Rebellion and Civil War in
Ireland” (1720); “The Life of Ed-
ward, Earl of Clarendon, Lord High
Chancellor of England, and Chancellor
of the University of Oxford, being a
Continuation of the History of the Grand
JRebellion, from the Restoration to his
Banishment in 1667, written by Himself”
(1759); “Essay on an Active and
Contemplative Life, and Dialogue on
Education and the Respect Due to Age”
(1764–95); “Religion and Policy, and the
Countenance and Assistance Each should
Give to the Other” (1811); “Essays,
Moral and Entertaining, on the Various
Faculties and Passions of the Human
Mind” (1815); “The Natural History
Clarke
1347
Cobbe
of the Passions.” For Biography, see
Wood’s “Athenæ Oxonienses ; ” “An
Historical Inquiry respecting the Cha-
racter of Edward Hyde, Earl of Claren-
don,” by the Hon. Agar Ellis (1827); and
the “Life of Clarendon,” by T. H.
Lister; Hallam’s “Literary History; ”
Macaulay’s “History;” Campbell's
“Lord Chancellors,” and the “Dic-
tionary of National Biography.” The
Clarendon Press edition of “The Re-
bellion in England,” with Warburton’s
Notes (1849); “State Papers” (1767,
1773, 1786).
Clarke, Charles Cowden (b. En-
field, December 15th, 1787; d. March 13th,
1877). “Tales from Chaucer” (1833);
“Shakespeare Characters, chiefly Subor-
dinate” (1863); “Molière Characters”
(1865), etc. See “Recollections of Charles
and Mary Cowden Clarke” (1878).
Clarke, Mrs. Mary Cowden, née
Novello (b. June, 1809). “A Complete
Concordance to the Works of Shake-
speare” (1845); “The Adventures of
Rit Bam, Mariner’” (1848); “The
Girlhood of Shakespeare's Heroines”
(1850); “The Iron Cousin '' (1854);
“World-Noted Women” (1857); “Many
Happy Returns of the Day: A Birthday
Book” (1860); “Trust and Remittance”
(1873); “A Rambling Story” (1874).
Edited (with her husband) “Cassell's
Illustrated Shakespeare” (1865-69; new
form, 1874). (See CLARKE, CIIARLES
Cow DEN.)
Clarke, Sarmuel, D.D. (b. Norwich,
October 11th, 1675; d. May 17th, 1729).
“Sermons” (including those on “The
Being and Attributes of God” and “The
Evidences of Natural and Revealed Re-
ligion”); “A Paraphrase of the Four
Evangelists,” “Three Practical Essays
on Baptism, Confirmation, and Repent-
ance,” “An Exposition on the Church
Catechism,” “A Letter on the Immor-
tality of the Soul,” “Reflections on
Toland’s “Amyntor,’” “The Scripture
Doctrine of the Trinity,” “Several
Tracts Relating to the Subject of the
Trinity,” “Papers on the Principles of
Natural Philosophy and Religion,” “A
Letter on Velocity and Force in Bodies
in Motion ; ” all included in the collected
edition of Clarke’s “Works,” published
in 1738 under the editorship of Benjamin
Hoadley, Bishop of Winchester. See
the “Lives” by Hoadley and by Whiston
(1748).
Clayden, Peter William (b. Wal-
lingford, October 20th, 1827). “Samuel
Sharpe” (1884); “The Early Life of
Samuel Rogers” (1887); “Rogers and
his Contemporaries” (1889), etc.
Clifford, Rev. John, LL.B., D.D.
(b. Sawley, near Derby, October 16th,
1836). “Is Life Worth Living?” (1880);
“The Dawn of Manhood’” (1886);
“The Inspiration and Authority of the
Bible” (1892); “The Christian Cer-
tainties” (1893), etc.
Clifford, William Kingdon (b. 1845;
d. 1879). “Elements of Dynamics”
(1878); “Seeing and Thinking” (1879);
“Lectures and Essays,” edited by Leslie
Stephen and W. H. Pollock, with a
Memoir (1879); “The Common Sense of
the Exact Sciences” (1885); “The
Elements of Dynamics” (1887).
Clifford (Lucy), Mrs. William
Kingdon, née Lane. “Anyhow
Stories” (1882); “Mrs. Keith's Crime ’’
(1885); “Very Short Stories and Verses
for Children” (1886); “Love-Letters of
a Worldly Woman’” (1891); “Aunt
Anne’’ (1892); “The Last Touches,”
etc. (1892); “A Wild Proxy” (1893).
Clough, Arthur Hugh (b. Liver-
pool, January 1st, 1819; d. Florence, No-
vember 13th, 1861). “The Bothie of
Tober-na-Wuolich, a Long Vacation Pas-
toral; ” “Dipsychus; ” “Amours de
Voyage ; ” “Mari Magno; ” “Ambar-
valia, ’’; a translation of the “Lives ''
of Plutarch. “Poems and Prose
Remains,” edited by Mrs. Clough
(1869); “Poems and Essays,” with
“Life” by J. A. Symonds (1871);
S. Waddington’s “Arthur Clough : A
Monograph’’ (1883). See “Memoir,” by
F.T. Palgrave, prefixed to the “Poems.”
(1863); “Essays,” by R. H. Hutton;
Cornhill for 1866; Quarterly Review for
1869; Contemporary Review for 1869, and
Macmillan’s Magazine, vols. vi. and xv.

Cobbe, Miss Frances Power (b.
December 4th, 1822). “Essays on the
Pursuits of Women” (1863); “Broken
Lights: Prospects of Religious Faith”
(1864); “Cities of the Past?” (1864);
“Religious Duty” (1864); “Studies of
Ethical and Social Subjects '' (1865);
“Dawning Lights” (1868); “Alone to the
Alone” (1871); “Darwinism in Morals”
(1872); “Hopes of the Human Race”
(1874); “Moral Aspects of Vivisection”
(1877); “Duties of Women” (1881);
“The Peak in Darien’’ (1882); “Scien-
tific Spirit of the Age” (1888); “The
Friend of Man, and his Friends—the
Poets” (1889); “The Modern Rack”
(1889). “Life of F, P. Cobbe” (1894).
Cobbett
I348
Collier
* --
Cobbett, William (b. Farnham,
Surrey, March 9th, 1762; d. Ash, near
Farnham, June 18th, 1835). “The
Works of Peter Porcupine '' (1801);
“The Political Register” (1802–35);
“A History of the Reformation’’ (1810);
“A Year’s Residence in the United
States” (1818-19); “An English Gram-
mar, in a Series of Letters to his Son’’
(1819); “Cottage Economy,” “Itural
Rides in England,” “Curse of Paper
Money,” “Advice to Young Men,”
“A Legacy to Parsons,” and other
works. A selection from his political
writings was published, with a “Life,”
by his son, in 1837. See the “Life” by
Huish (1835), by Smith (1878).
Cockburn, Henry Thomas, Lord
(b. Edinburgh, October 26th, 1779; d.
Bonaly, near Edinburgh, April 26th,
1854). “The Life and Correspondence
of Lord Jeffrey’’ (1852); “Memorials
of his Times” (1856), of which addi-
tional volumes appeared in 1874;
“Correspondence” (1874). -
Coke, Sir Edward (b. Mileham,
Norfolk, 1551 ; d. September 3rd, 1633)
“The Institutes,” the first part of
which, originally published in 1628, was
reprinted in 1823 and 1832 as “The
Institutes of the Laws of England; or,
a Commentary upon Littleton by Lord
Coke, Revised and Corrected, with Addi-
tions of Notes, References, and Proper
Tables, by Francis Hargrave and Charles
Butler, including also the Notes of Lord
Hale and Lord Chancellor Nottingham,
with additional Notes by Charles Butler,
of Lincoln's Inn.” The second part
of “The Institutes,” containing a com-
mentary on Magna Charta and an
exposition of many ancient and other
statutes, appeared in 1642; the third
part, concerning high treason and other
pleas of the crown and criminal causes,
in 1644; and the fourth part, concerning
the jurisdiction of courts, in the same
year. “The Book of Entries” (1614);
“Reports from 14 Elizabeth to 13
James I.” (1600-16); “The Compleat
Copyholder,” “Reading on 27 Edward
the First,” called the “Statute de Fini-
bus Levatis,” and “A Treatise on Bail
and Mainprize,” the last three being
published in 1764.
Colenso, John William, D.D., Bishop
of Natal (b. January 24th, 1814; d. June
20th, 1883). Several works on arith-
metic and algebra ; “Village Sermons”
(1853); “Ten Weeks in Natal ''
(1855); a translation of “The Epistle
to the Romans” (1861); “The Penta-
Pentateuch'' (1873).
teuch and Book of Joshua, Critically
Examined” (1862-72); “Natal Sermons”
(1866); a criticism on “The Speaker’s
Commentary '' (1871); “Lectures on the
He also wrote a
Zulu Grammar and Dictionary. “Life '’
by Rev. Sir G. W. Cox (1888).
Coleridge, Hartley (b. Clevedon,
1796; d. Ambleside, 1849). “Worthies
of Yorkshire and Lancashire.” His
“Poetical Remains” and “Essays and
Marginalia.” appeared in 1851, with a
“Memoir” by his brother, the Rev.
Derwent Coleridge. See Macmillan's
Magazine, vol. v.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor (b.
Ottery St. Mary, Devonshire, October
21st, 1772; d. Highgate, July 25th, 1834).
“The Fall of Robespierre '' (1794);
“Poems” (1794); “Conciones ad Popu-
lum ” (1795); “The Ancient Mariner”
(1798): “The Friend” (1812); “Re-
morse ’’ (1813); “Christabel” (1816);
“Biographia Literaria '' (1817); “Iay
Sermons” (1816-17); “Zapolya” (1818);
“Aids to Reflection ” (1825); “Table
Talk” (1835); and “Remains” (1836).
See the “Life” by Gilman (1838);
the “Reminiscences” by Cottle (1847);
and edition of “Poems and Dramas”
(1878); H. D. Traill's Biography in the
English Men of Letters series; Hall
Caine's Biography (1887); “Samuel
Taylor Coleridge and the Romantic
School,” by Alois Brandl, translated by
Lady Eastlake (1887). For Criticism, see
Shairp’s “Studies in Poetry,” Swin-
burne’s “Essays and Studies,” Hazlitt's
“English Poets,” Hunt’s “Imagination
and Fancy,” Quarterly Review for 1868,
Westminster Review for 1868, etc. See
also Carlyle’s “Life of Sterling,”
Coleridge's own “Biographia Literaria,”
“Specimens of Coleridge's Table Talk,”
Lamb’s “Letters,” Chorley’s “Authors
of England,” and Stopford Brooke's
“Golden Book of Coleridge '' (1895).
“Letters,” edited by E. Hartley Cole-
ridge (1895).
Collier, Jeremy (b. September 23rd,
1650; d. April 26th, 1726). “Essays
upon Several Moral Subjects” (1697–
1705); “A Short View of the Immorality
and Profaneness of the English Stage''
(1698); “The Great Historical, Geo-
graphical, Genealogical Dictionary *
(1701); “An Ecclesiastical History of
Great Britain, Chiefly of England, from
the First Planting of Christianity to the
End of the Reign of King Charles the
Second, with a Brief Account of the .
Affairs of Religion in Ireland, Collected
Collier
1349
Congreve
*
from the Best Ancient Historians '’
(1708), and “Discourses on Practical
Subjects.” .
Collier, John Payne (b. January
11th, 1789; d. September 17th, 1883).
“The Poetical Decameron’” (1820);
“The Poet's Pilgrimage'' (1822); an
edition of Dodsley’s “Old Plays” (1825);
“History of Dramatic Poetry” (1831);
“New Facts regarding the Life of Shake-
speare’’ (1835); editions of Shake-
speare's Works (1842 and 1853); “Me-
moirs of Actors in the Plays of Shake-
speare” (1846); an edition of the “Works
of Spenser” (1862); and a “Biblio-
graphical Account of Rare Books’’
(1865). Reproductions of some of our
curious old classic works, begun in 1866.
Collins, John Churton (b. Bourton-
on-the-Water, Gloucestershire, March
26th, 1849). “Bolingbroke and Voltaire
in England” (1886); “Illustrations of
Tennyson” (1891); “The Study of Eng-
lish Literature” (1891); “Jonathan
Swift '' (1893); “Essays and Studies”
(1895). Has edited works of Cyril
Tourneur, Milton, Lord Herbert of
Cherbury, Dryden, etc.
Collins, Mortimer (b. Plymouth,
1827; d. 1876). “Summer Songs ’’
(1860); “The Vivian Romance;” “Who
is the Heir?” (1865); “Mr. Carrington; ”
“Marquis and Merchant; ” “The Ivory
Gate ’’ (1869); “The Inn of Strange
Meetings, and Other Poems ” (1871);
“The Secret of Long Life '' (1871);
“Miranda. ?” (1873); “Sweet Anne
Page; ” “Two Plunges for a Pearl”
(1872); “Squire Silchester; ” “Trans-
migration;” “Frances;” “Princess Clar-
ice; ” “Sweet and Twenty’’ (1874);
“From Midnight to Midnight; ” “A
Fight with Fortune; ” and “Blacksmith
and Scholar.” See his “Life” (1877).
Collins, William (b. Chichester, De-
cember 25th, 1721; d. June 12th, 1756).
“Persian Eclogues and Odes” (1742);
‘‘Verses to Sir Thomas Hanmer On his
Edition of Shakespeare's Works” (1743);
“Odes on Several Descriptive and Allé-
goric Subjects” (1747); and “An Ode
Occasioned by the Death of Mr. Thom-
son ’’ (1749). Poetical works, with
Memoir by Langhorne, in 1765; with a
prefatory essay by Mrs. Barbauld, in
1797; with “Life” by Dr. Johnson, in
1798 ; with biographical and critical
notes by Dyce, in 1827; with a Memoir
by Sir Harris Nicolas, in 1830; with a
Memoir by Moy Thomas, in 1858.
Collins, William Wilkie (b. Lon-
don, January, 1824; d. 1889). “Anto-
nina; or, the Fall of Rome’” (1850);
“Rambles Beyond Railways; or, Notes
on Cornwall” (1851); “Basil” (1852);
“Mr. Wray's Cash-box” (1852); “Hide
and Seek” (1854); “After Dark, and
Other Stories” (1856); “The Dead
Secret '' (1857): “The Queen of Hearts”
(1859); “The Woman in White” (1859);
“No Name” (1862); “My Miscellanies”
(1863); “Armadale” (1866); “The
Moonstone '' (1868); “Man and Wife?”
(1870); “Poor Miss Finch'' (1872);
“Miss or Mrs. P and Other Stories”
(1873); “The New Magdalen '' (1873);
“The Law and the Lady” (1875); “Two
Destinies’’ (1876); “Haunted Hotels’’
(1879); “Little Novels'' (1887); “The
Legacy of Cain’” (1888); “Blind Love”
(1890); two plays, “The Lighthouse,”
and “The Frozen Deep,” with dramatic
versions of “Armadale,” “No Name,”
and “The Moonstone.”
Colman, George, the Elder (b. Flor-
ence, 1733; d. 1794). “Polly Honey-
comb” (1760); “The Jealous Wife?”
(1761); “The Clandestine Marriage '’
(in conjunction with Garrick) (1766); a
translation of Horace’s “De Arte
Poetica.” (1783), etc. See “Random
Records” (1839), by his son George (b.
October 21st, 1762; d. October 26th,
1836). -
Colquhoun, Archibald Ross (b. off
the Cape, March, 1848). “Across
Chryse'' (1883); “The Truth about
Tonquin’” (1884); “Amongst the Sháns”
(1885); “Burmah and the Burmese ’’
(1885); “Report on the Railway Con-
nection of Burmah and China, ’’ (in col-
laboration) (1888); “Matabeleland”
(1894).
Colvin, Sidney (b. Norwood, June
18th, 1845). “Children in Italian and
English Design '' (1872); “Landor’
(1882); “Keats” (1886), etc. Editor of
“Selections from the Writings of Walter
Savage Landor,” in 1884; the Works of
R. L. Stevenson (in progress), etc.
Combe, George (b. Edinburgh, Octo-
ber 21st, 1788; d. August 14th, 1858).
“Essays on Phrenology'' (1819); “The
Constitution of Man” (1828); “A Sys-
tem of Phrenology” (1835); “Notes on
the United States’’ (1841); “Phreno-
logy Applied to Painting and Sculpture,”
“The Relation of Science to Religion,”
“Capital Punishment,” “National Edu-
cation,” “The Currency Question,”
etc. See “Life,” by C. Gibbon (1878).
Congreve, William (b. Stafford,
Conway
1350
Cowper
February, 1670; d. January 19th, 1729).
“The Old Bachelor’” (1693); “The
Double Dealer” (1694); “Love for
Love?” (1695); “The Mourning Bride”
(1697); “The Way of the World”
(1700); and “Poems” (1710). Editions
of his Works appeared in 1710 and 1840,
an introduction being written to the
latter by Leigh Hunt. “Memoirs of
the Life, Writings, and Amours of
William Congreve” was published by
Charles Wilson in 1730. See Thack-
eray’s “English Humorists,” Johnson’s
“Lives of the Poets,” Macaulay's
“Essays,” and E. Gosse’s “Congreve.”
Conway, Hugh, pseudonym of F.
Eargus (b. 1840; d. 1885). “Called
Back” (1883); “Dark Days” (1884);
“A Family Affair '' (1885), and several
posthumous novels.
Conway, Sir William Martin, Knt.,
(b. Rochester, 1856). “Zermatt Pocket-
Book” (1881); “Woodcutters of the
Netherlands in the Fifteenth Century”
(1884); “Gallery of Art of the Royal
Institution, Liverpool” (1884); “Artis-
tic Development of Reynolds and Gains-
borough '' (1885); “Early Flemish Ar-
tists, etc.” (1887); “Literary Remains
of Albrecht Dürer’” (1889); “Climber's
Guide to the Central Pennine Alps'
(1890); “Climber's Guide to the Eastern
Pennine Alps” (1891); “Dawn of Art
in the Ancient World” (1891); “Climb-
ing and Exploration in the Karakoram-
Himalayas.” (1894); “The Alps from
End to End” (1895), etc.
Cook, Dutton (b. 1832; d. , 1883).
“Paul Foster's Daughter’’ (1861);
“Hobson’s Choice ’’ (1866); “Over Head
and Ears” (1868); “Doubleday's Chil-
dren” (1875). He was for many years
a dramatic critic, and published some
volumes of collected essays on theatrical
subjects.
Cooper, Thomas (b. Leicester, March
28th, 1805; d. July 15th, 1892). “The
Purgatory of Suicides” (1845); “Wise
Saws and Modern Instances” (1845);
“The Baron's Yule Feast” (1846);
“The Condition of the People” (1846);
“The Triumphs of Perseverance” (1847);
“The Triumphs of Enterprise” (1847);
“Alderman Ralph?” (1853); “The
Family Feud’’ (1854); “The Bridge of
History over the Gulf of Time” (1871);
“The Verity of Christ's Resurrection ”
(1875), etc. Edited in 1849 The Plain
Speaker, and in 1850 Cooper's Journal.
See his Autobiography (1872). Poetical
Works (1878). -
, 1800).
Corelli, Marie (b. 1864). “A Ro-
mance of Two Worlds” (1886); “Wen-
detta.” (1886); “Thelma.” (1887);
“Ardath '' (1889); “My Wonderful
Wife" (1889); “Wormwood” (1890);
“The Soul of Lilith.” (1892); “Barab-
bas” (1893).
Cornwall, Barry. (See PROCTER,
BRYAN WALLER.)
Couch, Arthur Thomas Quiller,
“Q ’’ (b. Bodmin, November 21st, 1863).
“Dead Man's Rock” (1887); “The
Astonishing History of Troy Town ''
(1888); “The Splendid Spur '' (1889);
“Noughts and Crosses” (1891); “The
Blue Pavilions” (1891); “The War-
wickshire Avon'' (1892); “I Saw Three
Ships,” etc. (1892); “The Delectable
Duchy’’ (1893); “Green Bays” (1893).
Edited “The Golden Pomp’’ (1895).
Courthope, William John, C.B.
(b. Malling, near Lewes, 1842). “The
Tercentenary of Corydon ’’ (1864);
“Genius of Spenser’” (1868); “Ludibra
Lunae'' (1869); “Paradise of Birds”
(1870); “Addison’’ (1884);, “Liberal
Movement in English Literature''
(1885); “A History of English Poetry,”
vol. i. (1895).
Cowley, Abraham (b. Tondon,
1618; d. July 28th, 1667). “Poetical
Blossoms” (1633); “Naufragium Jocu-
lare, Comoedia '' (1638); “Love's Riddle,
a Pastoral Comedy” (1638); “A Satyr
against Separativity” (1642); “A Satyr :
the Puritan and the Papist” (1643);
“The Mistresse; or, Severall Copies of
Love Verses” (1647); “Four Ages of
England” (1648); “The Guardian, a
Comedie” (1650); “Ode upon the
Blessed Restoration and Returne of
Charles the Second '' (1660); “A Pro-
position for the Advancement of Experi-
mental Philosophy’” (1661); “A Vision
concerning his late Pretended Highness,
Cromwell the Wicked ” (1661); “Plan.
tarum Libri duo’’ (1662); ‘‘Verses upon
Several Occasions” (1663); “Cutter of
Coleman Street, a Comedy ?” (1663);
“Poemata. Latina’’ (1668);
Poem on the late Civil War” (1679).
His complete Works, with “Life,” by
Bishop Sprat, appeared in 1688. His
select Works were edited by Bishop Hurd
in 1772-77; his “Prose Works, includ-
ing his Essays in Prose and Verse,” 1826.
See Johnson’s “Lives of the Poets.”
Cowper, William (b. Great Berk-
hampstead, Hertford, November 26th,
1731; d. Dereham, Norfolk, April 25th,
“Anti - Thelypthora.” (1781);
&
Cox
1351
Crawford
“Table Talk,” “Truth,” “Expostula-
tion,” and “The Progress of Error ’’
(1782); “John Gilpin,” a ballad (1782);
“The Task” (1784); “Tirocinium ”
1784); a translation of Homer (1791);
ay’s “Fables” in Latin and “The
Castaway ” (1799). An edition of his
Works was edited by Southey, and in-
cludes his “Life,” Poems, Correspond-
ence, and Translations complete. See
also Poems, edited by Dr. John Johnson
(1808); “The Works and Correspond-
ence, with Life,” by Grimshaw (1836);
“Poems and Translations,” with “Life,”
by the Rev. H. F. Cary (1839);
“Poems,” with “Life,” by Sir Harris
Nicholas ; and the editions of the Poems
by Bell, Willmott, Benham (the “Globe”
edition), and C. C. Clarke (1872). For
additional Biography, see “Life and
Posthumous Writings,” by William
Hayley (1803); “Memoirs of the Early
Life of William Cowper, written by
Himself” (1816); the “Life,” by
Thomas Taylor (1835), and that by
Wright (1892); also Cheever’s “Lec-
tures on Cowper ?” (1856).
Cox, Rev. Sir George William (b.
1827). “Poems, Legendary and His-
torical '' (1850); “Tales of Ancient
Greece.” (1868); “The Mythology of the
Aryan Nations” (1870); “A History of
Greece” (1874); “British Rule in India.”
(1881); “A Concise History of England”
(1887); “Life of J. W. Colenso’’ (1888);
etc. He also edited, with W. T. Brande,
a Dictionary of Science, Literature, and
Art.
Cox, Samuel, D.D. (b. London,
1826; d. March 29th, 1893). “The
Secret of Life '' (1866); “Quest of the
Chief Good” (1868); “The Resurrec-
tion” (1869); “An Expositor's Note-
book” (1872); “The Pilgrim Psalms ”
(1874); “Biblical Expositions” (1874);
“Inductive Theology” (1874); “The
Book of Ruth '' (1876); “Salvator
Mundi” (1877); “Expository Essays
and Discourses” (1877); “Commentary
on the Book of Job '' (1880); “The
Genesis of Evil,” etc. (1880); “The
Larger Hope” (1883); “Balaam” (1884);
“Miracles '' (1884); “Expositions''
(1885 and 1888); “The House and its
Builder,” etc. (1888). First editor of
the Ea:positor.
Crabbe, George (b. Aldborough,
Suffolk, December 24th, 1754; d. Trow-
bridge, Wiltshire, February 8th, 1832).
“Inebriety” (1775); “The Candidate”
(1779); “The Library” (1781); “The
Village” (1783); “The Newspaper ?”
(1785); “The Parish Register’ (1807);
“The Borough '' (1810); “Tales in
Verse” (1812); “Tales of the Hall”
(1819); “Variation of Publick Opinion as
it Respects Religion ” (1817); “Outlines
of Natural Theology'' (1840); and
“Posthumous Sermons” (1850). “Life,”
by his son, in 1838. See also T. E.
Rebbel’s “Life.” For Criticism, see
Jeffrey’s and Roscoe's Essays.
Craik, Mrs. (See MULOCH, DINAH
MARIA.) *
Craik, George Lillie (b. Fifeshire,
1798; d. June, 1866). “The Pursuit of
Knowledge under Difficulties” (1831);
“A History of English Literature ?”
(1844); “A Manual of English Litera-
ture; ” “A History of the Origin of the
English Language; ” “Spenser and his
Poetry; ” “Bacon: his Writings and
Philosophy’’ (1846); “The English of
Shakespeare; ” “A History of British
Commerce from the Earliest Time ; ”
“The Romance of the Peerage '' (1850);
etc.
Cranmer, Thomas (b. Aslacton,
Notts., July 2nd, 1489; d. at stake,
Oxford, July 21st, 1556). “Catechismus,
that is to say, a Shorte Instruction into
Christian Religion for the singular Com-
moditie and Profyte of Children and
Yong People’” (1548); “A Defence of
the True and Catholike Doctrine of the
Sacrament, with a Confutation of Sundry
Errors concernyng the Same'' (1550);
“An Answer unto a Crafty and Sophis-
tical Cavillation devised by Stephen
Gardner, Byshop of Winchester, agaynst
the Trewe and Godly Doctrine of the
moste Holy Sacrament’’ (1551); “A Con-
futation of Unwritten Verities, both bi
the Holye Scriptures and most Auncient
Autors” (1558); etc. “Works” edited
by the Rev. H. Jenkyns (1834), and by
the Rev. J. C. Cox, for the Parker Society.
See Hook’s “Lives of the Archbishops of
Canterbury,” the “Lives” by Strype
(1694), Gilpin (1784), Todd (1831), Cox
(1844), and J. M. Norton (1863); and
“Vindication of Cranmer's Character,”
by D'Aubigné (1849). -
Crashaw, Richard (b. London, circa
1616; d. circa 1650). “Epigrammata,
Sacra, ’’ (1634); “Steps to the Temple’’’
(1646); etc. Works (1858). .

Crawford and Balcarres, Earl of,
Alexander William, Lord Lindsay (b.
October 16th, 1812; d. 1880). “Letters
on Egypt” (1838); “The Evidence and
Theory of Christianity” (1841); “Pro-
gression by Antagonism ''' (1846);
Creasy
13
ſº
O
2 1)ale
“Sketches of the History of Christian
Art” (1847); “The Lives of the Lind-
says '' (1849); “The Case of Gorham
v. the Bishop of Exeter” (1850); “Scep-
ticism and the Church of England”
(1861); “QEcumenicity” (1870); “Argo”
(1876); etc.
Creasy, Sir Edward (b. 1812; d.
1878). “The Fifteen Decisive Battles of
the World” (1851); “The Rise and
Progress of the British Constitution ”
(1853); “The History of the Ottoman
Turks” (1854-56); “The History of
England from the Earliest to the Present
Time” (1869–70); “The Imperial and
Colonial Institutions of the Britannic
Empire'' (1872).
Creighton, Right Rev. Mandell,
D.D. (b. Carlisle, 1843). “Age of Eliza-
beth’’ (1876); “Life of Simon de Mont-
fort’” (1876); “The Tudors and the
Reformation'' (1876); ‘‘History of the
Papacy during the Period of the Refor-
mation ” (1882-6); “A Life of Thomas
Wolsey’’ (1888); “ Carlisle” (1889);
“Persecution and Tolerance ’’ (1895).
Editor of English Historical Review.
Crockett, S. R. (b. Duchrae, New
Galloway, 1859). “Dulce Cor” (1886);
“The Stickit Minister,” etc. (1893);
“The Raiders” (1894); “Mad Sir
Uchtred” (1894); “The Lilac Sun-
bonnet ’’ (1894); “The Play Actress”
(1894); “Bog-Myrtle and Peat” (1895);
etc. -
Croker, John Wilson (b. Galway,
December 20th, 1780; d. Moulsey, Hamp-
ton Court, August 10th, 1857). “Fami-
liar Epistles on the Irish Stage'' (1803);
“An Intercepted Letter from Canton’’
(1805); “Songs of Trafalgar’’ (1806);
“A Sketch of Ireland, Past and Present ''
(1807); “The Battle of Talavera ''
(1809); “The Battle of Albuera.” (1811);
voluminous contributions to the Quar-
terly Review, and annotated edition of
Boswell’s “Life of Johnson.”
Croker, Thomas Crofton (b. 1798;
d. 1854). “Researches in the South of
Ireland ” (1824); “The Fairy Legends
and Traditions of Ireland ” (1825);
“Legends of the Lakes” (1828); “Daniel
O'Rourke” (1828); “Barney Mahoney”
(1832); “My Village versus Our Village”
(1832); “The Popular Songs of Ireland ”
(1839); “The Tour of M. Boullaye le
Gour in Ireland” (1844).
Crowe, Mrs. Catherine (b. 1800; d.
1876). “Susan Hopley’’ (1841); “Men
and Women” (1843); “Lily Dawson''
(1847); “Pippie's Warning” (1848);
“The Night Side of Nature '' (1848);
“Light and Darkness” (1850); “Adven-
tures of a Beauty” (1852); “The Last
Portrait” (1871).
Cruden, Alexander (b. Aberdeen,
May 31st, 1700; d. Islington, November
1st, 1770). “A Complete Concordance
to the Holy Scriptures” (1737); “A
Scripture Dictionary ; or, Guide to the
IHoly Scriptures” (1770); etc.
Cumberland, Richard (b. Cam-
bridge, February 19th, 1732; d. London,
May 7th, 1811). “The West Indian *
(1771); “The Wheel of Fortune ; ”
“The Jew ; ” and “The Fashionable
Lover ; ” three Novels, entitled “Arun-
del” (1789), “Henry’’ (1795), and
“John de Lancaster; ” and some poems:
“Calvary; or, the Death of Christ”
(1792); “The Exodiad” (1807-8); and
“Retrospection ” (1811); “Anecdotes
of Eminent Spanish Painters” (1782);
“The Observer” (1785). Posthumous
Dramatic Works, edited by Jansen, in
1813. The “Memoirs of Richard Cum-
berland, written by Himself,” appeared
in 1806.
Cunningham, Allan (b. Blackwood,
near Dumfries, 1784; d. October 29th,
1842). “Memoirs of Mark Macrabin,
the Cameronian ; ” “Sir Marmaduke
Maxwell; ” “Traditional Tales of the
English and Scottish Peasantry;” “Paul
Jones; ” “Sir Michael Scott; ” “Lord
Roldan; ” “The Maid of Elvar; ”
“Lives of Eminent British Painters,
Sculptors, and Architects; ” “A Life of
David Wilkie ; ” and an edition of
Burns, with memoir. “Poems and
Songs ’’ edited by Peter Cunningham in
1847. See his “Life” by David Hogg
(1875).
Cunningham, Peter (b. Pimlico,
April 7th, 1816; d. May, 1869). “A
Handbook to London; ”a “Life of Drum-
mond of Hawthornden ; ” a “BIandbook
to Westminster Abbey;” a “Life of
Inigo Jones; ” “Modern London; ” a
“Memoir of J. M. W. Turner; ” and
“The Story of Nell Gwynne ; ” besides
editions of “The Songs of England and
Scotland; ” Campbell’s “Specimens of
the English Poets; ” the Works of Oliver
Goldsmith; Johnson’s “Lives of the
Poets; ” Massinger's Works; and the
“Letters ” of Horace Walpole.
Iſ)
Dale, Robert Wm., D.D., LL.D.
(b. London, December 1st, 1829;
Dalling 43
3 Davenant
d. Birmingham, March 13th, 1895).
“Life of John Angell James’’ (1861);
“Protestantism” (1874); “The Atone-
ment; ” “The Epistle to the Ephe-
sians” (1882); “A Manual of Congre-
gational Principles” (1884); “Laws
of Christ for Common Life” (1884);
“Impressions of Australia '' (1889);
“The Living Christ and the Four Gos-
pels” (1890); “The Fellowship of
Christ” (1891); “Christian Doctrine’’
(1894); etc. Eğited the Congregationalist.
Dalling and Bulwer, Lord (b.
1804; d. 1872). “Ode on the Death of
Napoleon” (1822); “The Autumn in
Greece.” (1826); “The Monarchy of the
Middle Classes” (1834); “A Life of Lord
Byron’’ (1835); “Historical Characters”
(1867); “Life of Lord Palmerston”
(1871-74); “Sir Robert Peel” (1874).
Daniel, Samuel (b. Taunton, 1562;
d. Beckington, near Frome, Somerset-
shire, October 14th, 1619). “I)elia and
Rosamond’’ (1592); “The Civil Wars
between the Two Houses of Lancaster
and York’” (1595–1609); “Philotas; ”
“Cleopatra,” (1599); “Hymen’s Tri-
umph” (1615); etc. Works in 1623.
D'Arblay, Madame (b. King’s Tynn,
1752; d. Bath, 1840). “Evelina ’’
(1778); “Cecilia” (1782); “Edwin and
Elgitha" (1795); “Camilla” (1796);
“The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties”
(1814); and “Memoirs of Dr. Charles
Burney’’ (1832). Her “Diary,” edited
by her niece, was published in 1846.
For Biography and Criticism, see Jeaffre-
son’s “Novels and Novelists; ” Miss
Ravanagh’s “English Women of Let-
ters; ” and Macaulay’s “Essays.”
Darwin, Charles Robert (b. Feb-
ruary 12th, 1809; d. April 19th, 1882).
“Journal of Researches in Various Coun-
tries visited by H.M.S. Beagle in 1831-
36; ” “The Structure and Distribution
of Coral Reefs” (1842); “Geological
Observations on Volcanic Islands '’
(1844); “Geological Observations on
South America,” (1846); “Monograph
of the Family Cirrhipedia.” (1851);
“The Fossil Lepodidae of Great Britain’’
(1855); “The Origin of Species by
means of Natural Selection ” (1859);
“Fertilisation of Orchids '' (1862);
“Domesticated Animals and Cultivated
Plants; or, the Principles of Variation,
Inheritance, Reversion, Crossing, Inter-
breeding, and Selection under Domesti-
cation'' (1867); “The Descent of Man,
and Selection in Relation to Sex?” (1871);
“The Expression of Emotion in Man
of Society” (1803);
*
and Animals” (1872); “Movements and
Habits of Climbing Plants” (1875);
“Insectivorous Plants” (1875); “Effects
of Cross-Fertilisation in Plants '' (1876);
“Formation of Vegetable Mould” (1881).
See Krause’s “Charles Darwin, und
sein Verhältniss zu Deutschland” (1885);
and “Lives” by J. G. Romanes (1882),
Grant Allen (1885), Francis Darwin
(1887), and T. G. Bettany (1887).
Darwin, Erasmus (b. Elton, Not-
tinghamshire, December 12th, 1731 ; d.
Derby, August 18th, 1802). “The
Botanic Garden’’ (1791); “Zoonomia :
or, the Laws of Organic Life '' (1794-
96); “A Plan for the Conduct of Female
Education in Boarding Schools” (1797)
“Phytologia ; or, the Philosophy of
Agriculture and Gardening” (1799);
“The Temple of Nature; or, the Origin
and “The Shrine of
Nature.” “Works” in 1809. “Memoirs,
with Anecdotes and Criticisms,” by Miss
Seward in 1804; Krause’s “Erasmus
Darwin'' (translated, 1829).
Dasent, Sir George Webbe (b.
St. Vincent, 1820). “The Prose or
Younger Edda. ?” (1842); “Theophilus
Eutychianus, from the original Greek,
in Icelandic, Low German, and other
Languages” (1845); “The Norseman in
Iceland” (1855); “Popular Tales from
the Norse, with an Introductory Essay ”
(1859); “The Story of Gisli, from the
Icelandic” (1866); “Annals of an
Eventful Life” (1870); “Three to
One '' (1872); “Jest and Earnest ''
(1873); “Tales from the Fjeld” (1873);
“Half a Life” (1874); and “The
Vikings of the Baltic' (1875). -
Davenant, Sir William (b. Ox-
ford, 1605; d. London, April 7th, 1668).
“The Tragedy of Albovine, King of
the Lombards” (1629); “The Cruel
Brother” (1630); “The Just Italian *
(1630); “The Temple of Love ''
(1634); “The Triumphs of the Prince
d'Amour'' (1635); “The Platonick
Lovers” (1636); “The Witts” (1636);
“Britannia Triumphans” (1637); “Ma-
dagascar, and other Poems ” (1638);
“Salmacida Spolia’’ (1639); “The Un-
fortunate Lovers” (1643); “London,
Ring Charles, his Augusta, or City
Royal” (1648); “Love and Honour *
(1649); “Gondibert, an Heroic Poem’’
(1651); “The Cruelty of the Spaniards
in Peru” (1658); “A Panegyric to his
Excellency the Lord General Monck’’
(1659); “The History of Sir Francis
Drake’” (1659); “A Poem on his Sacred
Majesties Most Happy Return to His
o
5
T)avids
13
*
{)
4 Tenham
‘Dominions” (1660); “The Siege of
Rhodes” (1663); “The Rivals” (I668);
and “The Man’s a Master’” (1668).
His Works were printed collectively in
1672–73. See Wood’s “Athenae Oxoni-
enses.”
Davids, Thomas William Rhys,
Ph.D., LL.D. (b. Colchester, May 12th,
1843). “Buddhism.” (1877); “Budd-
hist Birth Stories” (1880); “Origin and
Growth of Religion as illustrated by
Buddhism '' (1881), etc.
Davidson, John (b. Banhead, Ren-
frewshire, April 11th, 1857). “Bruce’’
(1886); “Plays” (1889); “In a Music-
hall,” etc. (1891); “Perfervid.” (1891):
“The Great Men and a Practical
Novelist” (1891); “Fleet Street Ec-
logues” (1893); “A Random Itiner-
ary’’ (1893); “Sentences and Para-
graphs” (1893); “Baptist Lake” (1894);
* Ballads and Songs.” (1894); “The
Wonderful Mission of Earl Lavender ’’
(1894); “Collected Edition of Plays.”
(1894).
Davidson, Samuel, D.D., LL.D.
(b. Ballymena, Ireland, 1807). “Sacred
Hermeneutics” (1843); “The Eccle-
siastical Polity of the New Testa-
ment” (1848 and 1858); “An Intro-
duction to the New Testament” (1848);
“The Interpretation of the Bible”
(1856); “The English Old Testament
Version Revised ” (1873); an English
version of Tischendorf’s “New Testa-
ment” (1875); “The Canon of the
Bible” (1877); “The Doctrine of Last
Things” (1882).
Davies, Rev. John Llewelyn (b.
Chichester, February 26th, 1826), has
translated, conjointly with Dr. Vaughan,
“The Republic” of Plato; edited the
Epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians,
and Philemon ; and written “The Mani-
festation of the Son of God” (1864);
“Morality according to the Sacrament of
the Lord’s Supper” (1865); “The Gospel
and Modern Life” (1869); “Theology
and Morality” (1873); “Warnings
against Superstition ” (1874); “Order
and Growth '' (1891), etc.
De Tabley, John Byrne Leicester,
Lord (b. 1835). “Philoctetes’’ (1866);
“Rehearsals '' (1870); “Searching
the Net’’ (1873); “The Soldier of For-
tune’” (1876); “Guide to the Study of
Book-Plates’’ (1880); “Poems, Dra-
matic and Lyrical” (1893 and 1895).
De Vere, Aubrey Thomas (b. 1814).
“The Waldenses” (1842); “Searches
after Proserpine '' (1843); “English
Misrule and Irish Misdeeds” (1848);
“Poems, Miscellaneous and Sacred ”
(1853); “The Church Establishment of
Ireland” (1867); “The Church Settle-
ment of Ireland” (1868); “The Legends
of St. Patrick” (1872); “Legends of
the Saxon Saints” (1879); “Constitu-
tional and Unconstitutional Political
Action ” (1881); “Foray of Queen
Meade, and other Legends of Ireland’s
Heroic Age” (1882); “ St. Peter's
Chains” (1888); “Mediaeval Records
and Sonnets” (1893); “Religious Prob-
lems of the Nineteenth Century” (1893).
Defoe, Daniel (b. London, 1661; d.
London, 1731). “Presbytery Rough-
drawn '' (1683); “A Tract against the
Proclamation of the Repeal of the Penal
Laws” (1687); “A Tract upon the Dis-
pensing Power” (1689); “Essay on
Projects '' (1697); “The True-Born
Englishman’” (1701); “The Shortest
Way with Dissenters ” (1702); “A
Hymn to the Pillory” (1703); “Jure
Divino” (1706); “A History of the
TJnion” (1709); “Iteasons against the
Succession of the House of Hanovor ''
(1713); “Appeal to Honour and Jus-
tice ’’ (1715); “ Robinson Crusoe '’
(1719); “Captain Singleton” (1720);
“Duncan Campbell” (1720); “Moll
Flanders” (1721); “Colonel Jack ’’
(1722); “Journal of the Plague” (1722);
“Memoirs of a Cavalier” (1723); “Rox-
ana” (1724); “New Voyage Round the
World” (1725); “The Life of Captain
Carleton ’’ (1728), etc. Works in 1841.
“Life, and Recently-discovered Writ-
ings,” by Lee, in 1869. See also the
Biographies by Chalmers (1790), Wilson
(1830), Forster (1855), Chadwick (1859),
and Wright (1894). For Criticism, see
Foster’s “Essays,” Masson’s “British
Novelists,” Kingsley’s introduction to
his edition of “Robinson Crusoe,”
Roscoe’s “Essays,” Lamb’s “Works,”
Scott’s “Biographies,” Stephen’s “Hours
in a Library,” and Minto's monograph
(1879), etc.
Deltker, Thomas (b. circa 1570; d.
1637). “Phaeton’’ (1597); “Old For-
tunatus ” (1600); “Shoemaker’s Holi-
day” (1600); “Satiro-mastix'' (1692),
etc. Works (1873).
Denham, Sir John (b. TXublin, 1615;
d. March, 1668). “Cooper's Hill,” a
poem (1642); and “The Sophy,” a
tragedy (1642). Poems and Transla-
tions collected in 1709 and 1719. See
Wood’s “Athenae Oxonienses '' and
Johnson’s “Tives of the Poets.”
Tibdin
A355
T)israeli
Dibdin, Thomas Frognall, D.D.
(b. Calcutta, 1776; d. November 18th,
1847). “Poems” (1797); “An Intro-
duction to the Knowledge of Rare and
Valuable Editions of the Greek and
Latin Classics” (1803); “Bibliomania,
or Book Madness” (1811); “Biblio-
theca Spenseriana ’’ (1814); “The Bib-
liographical Decameron ; or, Ten Days'
Pleasant Discourse upon Illuminated
Manuscripts, etc.” (1817); “Sermons”
(1820-25); “The Bibliographical, Anti-
quarian, and Picturesque Tour in France
and Germany” (1821); “AEdes Althorpi-
anae” (1822); “The Library Companion”
(1824); “La Belle Marianne: a Tale of
Truth and Woe '' (1824); “Sunday
Library” (1831); “Bibliophobia” (1832);
“A Bibliographical, Antiquarian, and
Picturesque Tour in the Northern Coun-
ties of England and of Scotland” (1838);
and editions of the works of Ames, Sir
Thomas More, Thomas à Kempis, Féne-
lon, and others. See his “Reminiscences
of a Literary Life'' (1836).
Dickens, Charles (b.
Hampshire, February 7th,
Gadshill, June 9th, 1870). “Sketches
by Boz'' (1836); “The Pickwick
Papers” (1836); “Sunday under Three
Heads” (1836); “The Strange Gentle-
man” (1836); “The Village Coquettes”
(1836); “Oliver Twist” (1838); “Nich-
olas Nickleby’’ (1838); “The Old Curi-
osity Shop” (1840); “Barnaby Rudge’’
(1840); “American Notes” (1842);
“Martin Chuzzlewit” (1843); “A Christ-
mas Carol’’ (1843); “The Chimes”
(1844); “Dombey and Son’’ (1846);
“The Haunted Man” (1847); “David
Copperfield’’ (1849); “The Child’s His-
tory of England ” (1851); “Bleak
House” (1852); “Hard Times” (1854);
“Little Dorrit'' (1855); “A Tale of
Two Cities” (1859); “Hunted Down"
1860); “The Uncommercial Traveller”
(1860); “Great Expectations” (1861);
“Our Mutual Friend” (1864); “The
Holiday Romance ’’ (1868); “The
Mystery of Edwin Drood,” unfinished
(1870); “Speeches” (1871); and vari-
ous Christmas numbers, or portions of
Christmas numbers, in ! the Year
Round. “Letters” (1879). For Bio-
graphy, see “A Story of his Life,” by
Theodore Taylor (1870); the “Life” by
R. S. Mackenzie (1870); and the “Life”
by John Forster, completed in 1873;
“Charles Dickens,” by Mary Dickens
(1885); and T. Marzial’s Biography
(1887). See also “Sketch” and “Things
and People’” by G. A. Sala; “Yester-
1812; d.
J.iv. ºlport, *
days with Authors,” by J. T. Fields.
For Criticism, see “Essays '' by George
Brimley; George Stott in The Contem-
porary Review for February, 1869 ;
Jeaffreson’s “ Novels and Novelists; ”
Masson’s “Novelists and their Styles; ”
Buchanan’s “Master Spirits; ” Horne's
“New Spirit of the Age; ” The West-
aminster Review for July, 1864, and April,
1865; Canning’s “Philosophy of Charles
Dickens’’ (1880), etc.
Dilke, Sir Charles Wentworth
(b. 1843). “Greater Britain'' (1868);
“The Fall of Prince Florestan of Mo-
naco'' (1874); “The Eastern Question ”
(1878); “European Politics” (1887);
“The British Army” (1888); “Problems
of Greater Britain'' (1890); “Imperial
Defence ’’ (part author) (1892). Has
edited “The Papers of a Critic ’’ by his
grandfather.
Dilke, Lady Emilia. Frances (for-
merly Mrs. Mark Pattison, née Strong).
“The Renaissance of Art in France ’’
(1879); “Claude Lorraine,” in French
(1884); “The Shrine of Death, etc.”
(1886); “Art in the Modern State ’’
(1888); “The Shrine of Love,” etc.
(1891). Edited Memoirs of Mark Patti-
son (1885).
Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beacons-
field (b. London, December 21st, 1804;
d. London, April 19th, 1881). “Vivian
Grey” (1826 and 1827); “The Voyage
of Captain Popanilla'' (1828); “The
Young Duke’’ (1831); “Contarini Flem-
ing ” (1832); “The Wondrous Tale of
Alroy’’ (1833); “The Rise of Iskan-
der” (1833); “Ixion in Heaven” (1833);
“The Revolutionary Epic ’’, (1834);
“Vindication of the English Constitu-
tion ” (1835); “Letters of Runnymede ’’
(1835); “Henrietta Temple’” (1837);
“Venetia'' (1837); “Alarcos,” a tra-
gedy (1839); “Coningsby; or, the New
Generation ” (1844); “Sybil ; or, the
Two Nations” (1845); “Tancred ; or,
the New Crusade '' (1847); “Lord
George Bentinck, a Political Bio-
raphy ’’ (1851); “Church and Queen :
śsº (1865); “Constitutional Re-
form: Speeches” (1866); “Parliamentary
Reform: Speeches” (1867); “Speeches
on Conservative Policy” (1870); “Lo-
thair '' (1871); “Address at Glasgow
University” (1873); and “Endymion”
(1881). See “Life” by O’Connor (1879),
Brandes (1880), Clarigny (1880), Foggo
(1881), and Froude (1890); McCarthy’s
“History of Our Own Time” (1878-
80); Clayden’s “England under Lord
Beaconsfield” (1879); “The Selected
D'Israeli
1356
T)Oran
Speeches of Lord Beaconsfield,” edited
by T. E. Kebbel.
D'Israeli, Isaac (b. Enfield, 1766;
d. Bradenham House, Bucks, 1848).
“A Poetical Epistle on the Abuse of
Satire '' (1789); “A Defence of Poetry”
(1790); “Vaurien’’ (1797); “Romances”
; “Narrative Poems ” (1803);
“Flim-Flams ” (1805); “Despotism; or,
the Fall of the Jesuits’’ (1811); “The
History of Cupid and Psyche ’’ (1813);
“The Genius of Judaism'' (1833);
“The Crisis Examined ” (1834); and a
few others, besides his better-known
works, “The Curiosities of Literature”
(1791, 1793, 1823); “The Calamities of
Authors” (1812); “The Quarrels of
Authors” (1814); “The Literary Cha-
racter” (1816); and “The Literary and
Political Character of James I.” (1816).
“Life,” by his son, in library edition of
the “Curiosities.”
Dixon, William Hepworth (b.
Newton Heath, Yorkshire, June 30th,
1821 ; d. December, 1879). “John
Howard, a Memoir” (1849) : “A Life of
William Penn” (1851); “Robert Blake,
Admiral and General, at Sea. '' (1852);
“The Personal History of Lord Bacon”
(1860); “The Holy Land” (1865); “New
America,” (1867); “Spiritual Wives”
(1868); “Free Russia” (1870); “Her
Majesty's, Tower " .. (1871); “The
Switzers ” (1872); “Two Queens'
(1873); “White Conquest '' (1875);
“Diana, Lady Lyle '' (1877); “Ruby
Grey” (1878); “Royal Windsor” (1878);
“British Cyprus” (1879). Edited the
Athenæum.
Dobell, Sydney (b. near London,
1824; d. November 14th, 1874). “The
Roman'' (1850); “Sonnets on the War ’’
(with Alex. Smith, 1853); “Balder ’’
(1854); “England in Time of War”
(1856); “Parliamentary Reform” (1865);
“England's Day” (1871); “Poetical
Works '' (1875); “Thoughts on Art,
Philosophy, and Religion ” (1876).
“Life” (1878). See also John Nichol’s
“Introductory Notice and Memoirs to
the Poetical Works of Sydney Dobell.”
Dobson, Henry Austin (b. Ply-
mouth, January 18th, 1840). “Wig-
nettes in Rhyme'' (1873); “Wers de
Société?” (1873); “Proverbs in Porce-
lain'' (1877); “The Life of Fielding ”
in the English Men of Letters series;
“The Life of Hogarth” (1879); “Old-
World Idyls'' (1883); “At the Sign of
the Lyre’’ (1885); “The Life of Steele'?
(1886); “Life of Oliver Goldsmith ”
(1888); “Poems on Several Occasions”
(1889); “Four Frenchwomen’’ (1890);
“Horace Walpole” (1890); “Eighteenth
Century Vignettes” (1892 and 1895).
Doddridge, Philip, D.D. (b. Dondon,
June 26th, 1702; d. Lisbon, October 26th,
1751). “Some Remarkable Passages in the
Life of Colonel James Gardiner” (1747);
“The Rise and Progress of Religion in
the Soul” (1750); “The Family Ex-
positor'' (1760); “A Course of Lectures
on the Principal Subjects in Pneu-
matology, Ethics, and Divinity” (1794);
and “Sermons on Various Subjects”
(1826). “Memoirs,” by Job Orton
(1766); “Life” (1831).
Dods, Professor Marcus, D.D. (b.
Belford, Northumberland, 1834). “The
Prayer that Teaches to Pray” (1863);
“The Epistles to the Seven Churches'’
(1867); “Israel’s Iron Age” (1874);
“Mohammed, Buddha, and Christ”
(1877); “The Parables of Our Lord”
(1886); “An Introduction to the New
Testament '' (1888); “Erasmus and
other Essays '' (1891).
Donaldson, Principal James,
LL.D. (b. Aberdeen, April 26th, 1831).
“Critical History of Christian Literature
and Doctrine from the Death of the
Apostles to the Nicene Council '' (1864-
66), etc. Co-editor of “The Ante-
Nicene Christian Library.”
Donne, John, D.D. (b. London, 1573;
d. March 31st, 1631). “The Pseudo-
Martyr’” (1610); “Conclave Ignatii;
or, Ignatius, his Conclave'' (1611); “An
Elegy on the Untimely Death of the
Incomparable Prince Henry’” (1613);
“Devotions upon Emergent Occasions,
and SeverallSteps in my Sickness” (1624);
“An Anatomy of the World” (1625);
“Polydoron; or, a Miscellania of Morall,
Philosophical, and Theological Sen-
tences '' (1631); “Death's Duell ?”
(1632): “A Sheaf of Miscellany Epi-
grams” (1632); “Juvenilia; or, Cer-
taine Paradoxes and Problems” (1633);
“Bia. Thanatos” (1644); “IEssays in
Divinity” (1651); “Tetters to Severall
Persons of Honour” (1651); and other
“Works,” collected in 1635, and repub-
lished with a “Memoir '' by Dean Al-
ford in 1839. “Sermons,” with a
“Life" by Izaak Walton, in 1640–49.
Doran, John, LL.D. (b. 1807; d.
January 25th, 1878). “History and
Antiquities of the Town and Borough
of Reading” (1835); “Filia Dolorosa,
Memoirs of the Duchess of Angoulême''
(1852); Anthon’s “Anabasis of Xeno-
TXOW'den
1357
Tryden
phon” (1853); “A Life of Dr. Young ”
(1854); “Table Traits, and Something
on Them ’’ (1854); “Habits and Men”
(1855); “Lives of the Queens of the
House of Hanover” (1855); “Knights
and their Days” (1856); “Monarchs
Retired from Business” (1857); “The
History of Court Fools” (1858); “New
Pictures and Old Panels” (1859); “The
Last Journals of Horace Walpole”
(1859); “Lives of the Princes of Wales”
(1860): “A Memoir of Queen Adelaide''
(1861); “The Bentley Ballads” (1861);
“Their Majesties’ Servants’’ (1863);
“Saints and Sinners; or, In Church and
About It” (1868); “A Lady of the
Last Century—Mrs. Elizabeth Mon-
tague” (1873); “‘Mann’ and Manners
at the Court of Florence, 1740-1786?”
(1875); “London in Jacobite Times”
(1878); “Memories of our Great Towns”
(1878), etc. Edited Notes and Queries.
Dowden, Professor Edward, L.L.D.
(b. Cork, May 3rd, 1843). “Shake-
speare: A Critical Study of his Mind
and Art” (1875); “Poems; ” “Studies
in Literature '' (1878); “Southey’”
(1878) : “Shakespeare's Sonnets with
Notes” (1881); “Life of Percy Bysshe
Shelley” (1886); “Transcripts and
Studies '' (1888) ; “Introduction to
Shakespeare’” (1893); “New Studies
in Literature ?” (1895). Editions of
Shakespeare, Spenser, Wordsworth,
Shelley, etc.
I}oyle, Arthur Conan (b. Edin-
|burgh, 1859). “A Study in Scarlet’’
(1888); “The Mystery of Cloomber ''
(1889); “Micah Clarke” (1889); “The
Firm of Girdlestone” (1890); “The
Sign of Four’” (1890); “The Captain of
the Polestar,” etc. (1890); “The White
Company ” (1891); “The Doings of
Raffles Haw” (1892); “Adventures of
Sherlock Holmes’’ (1892); “Memoirs
of Sherlock Holmes” (1893); “The
Great Shadow,” etc. (1893); “Jane
Annie ’’ (with J. M. Barrie) (1893);
“The Refugees” (1893); “Round the
Ted Lamp” (1894); “The Parasite ”
(1894). -
Drayton, Michael (b. Hartshill, near
Atherston, Warwickshire, 1563; d. 1631).
“Polyolbion” (1612-22); “The Barons’
Wars;” “England’s Heroical Epistles;”
“The Man in the Moone ; ” “Endimion
and Phoebe; ” “Idea ; ” “The Shep-
herl’s Garland: ” “Matilda ; ” “Mor-
timeriados; ” “The Owle: ” “The
Battle of Agincourt” (1627); “The
Muses Elizium ; ” “Piers Gaveston ; ”
“Nymphidia, the Court of Fairy; ”
and other works, collected in 1752, with
“An Historical Essay on his Life and
Writings.” See Hooper's edition of
“Works” (1876).
Driver, Professor Samuel Rolles,
D.D. (b. Southampton, 1846). “Isaiah:
his Life and Time, and the Writings
which bear his Name '' (1888); “An
Introduction to the Literature of the
Old Testament'' (1891); “Sermonsºon
Subjects connected with the Old Testa-
ment” (1892); a “Critical and Exe-
getical Commentary on Deuteronomy”
(1895); Works on Hebrew, etc.
Drummond, Professor Henry (b.
Stirling, 1851). “Natural Law in the
Spiritual World” (1883); “Tropical
Africa” (1888); “The Ascent of Man”
(1894), etc.
Drummond, Principal James,
LL.D. (b. Dublin, May 14th, 1835).
“Spiritual Religion ” (1870); “The
Jewish Messiah. ” (1877); “Introduction
to the Study of Theology'' (1884);
“Philo-Judaeus” (1888); “Via, Veritas,
Vita.” (1894).
Drummond, William (b. Hawthorn-
den, near Edinburgh, December 13th,
1585; d. December 4th, 1649). “The
Cypress Grove; ” “Tears on the Death
of Meliades” (1613); “Poems: Amorous,
Funerall, Divine, Pastorall, in Sonnets,
Songs, Sextains, Madrigals” (1616); “For
the Feasting, a Panegyric on the King's
Most Excellent Majestie ’’ (1617);
“Floures of Sion ” (1623); “Polemo-
Middinia, carmen Macaronicum” (?1684);
and “The History of Scotland from the
Year 1423 untill the Year 1542 ” (1655).
His “Conversations with Ben Jonson ''
(1619), edited in 1842 by David Laing,
who also wrote a “Memoir” of the poet
in the fourth volume of “Archaeologia,
Scotica.” Poems edited by W. C. Ward,
with “Memoir '' (1895). See the
“Memoirs” by Cunningham (1823) and
Masson (1873).
Dryden, John (b. Aldwinkle, North-
amptonshire, August 9th, 1631 ; d.
London, May 1st, 1701). “Heroic Stanzas
on the Death of Oliver Cromwell ?”
(1658); “Astraea Redux’” (1660); “To
His Sacred Majesty” (1661); “To my
Lord Chancellor’’ (1662); “The Wild
Gallant” (1663); “The Rival Ladies”
(1663); “The Indian Queen’’ (with Sir
Robert Howard) (1664); “The Indian
Emperor’’ (1665); “Annus Mirabilis”
(1667); “Essay of Dramatic Poesie”
(1667); “Secret Love” (1667); “Sir.
Martin Marr-all” (1667); “All for Love”
t
(1727).
T)u Maurier
1358
IXyce
(1668); “An Evening's Love” (1668);
- “Tyrannic Love” (1669); “Of Heroick
Plays” and “The Conquest of Granada.”
(1672); “Marriage à la Mode” (1672);
“The Assignation” (1672): “Amboyna”
(1673); “The State of Innocence and
the Fall of Man” (1674); “Aurenge
Zebe; or, the Great Mogul’” (1675);
“OEdipus” (1679); “Limherham” (1679);
“Epistles of . Ovid’’ (1679); “The
Spanish Friar” (1681); “Absalom and
Achitophel ” (1681); “The Medal: a
Satire against Sedition” (1681); “Mac-
Elecknoe’’ (1682); “Religio Laici ’’
(1682); “The Duke of Guise?” (1682);
“Albion and Albanus” (1685); “Thre-
nodia Augustalis” (1685); “The Hind
and the Panther’” (1687); “Britannia
IRediviva, ’’ (1689); “Don Sebastian ''
(1690); “Amphitryon’” (1690); “King
Arthur '' (1691); “Cleomenes” (with
Thomas Southern) (1692); “Love Tri-
umphant’’ (1694); a “Translation of
Virgil’’ (1697); “Alexander's Feast”
(1697); “Fables?’ (1700); and other
works, including translations and edi-
tions. The dramatic works have been
frequently reprinted, and editions of the
poems published by Bell and Christie.
For Biography, see the “Lives” by Scott,
Hooper, and Malone; for Criticism, Bell,
Christie, Scott, Johnson’s “Tives,”
Hazlitt’s “English Poets,” Campbell’s
“Specimens,” Clough’s “Life and
Letters,” Lowell’s “Among my Books,”
Masson’s “Essays,” and Ward’s “Dra-
matic Literature.”
Du Maurier, George Louis Pal-
mella Busson (b. March 6th, 1834).
“Peter Ibbetson’’ (1891); “Trilby’’
(1894). .
D'Urfey, Thomas (b. Exeter, 1630;
d. 1723). Wrote twenty-six plays (a
list of which is given in Lowndes’s
“Bibliographer's Manual”); “Archerie
Revived; or, the Bowman’s Excellence :
an Heroic Poem’’ (1676); “The Progress
of Honesty: a Pindarique Poem ’’
(1681); “Butler’s Ghost; or, Hudibras,
the Fourth Part, with Reflections upon
these Times” (1682) : “Songs ’’ (1687);
“Collins’ Walk through London and
Westminster, a Poem in Burlesque '’
(1690) ; “Satires, Elegies, and Odes”
(1690); “Stories, Moral and Comical ?”
(1691); “Tales, Tragical and Comical ‘’
(1704); “A Collection of New Ballads”
(1715); “The Merry Musician” (1716);
“New Operas” (1721); and “The Eng-
lish Stage Italianized, in a new Dramatic
Entertainment called Dido and AEmeas.”
His Dramatic Works appeared
in a collected form in 1676-1709. His
poetical pieces were published in six
volumes, in 1719–20, under the title of
“Wit and Mirth ; or, Pills to Purge
Melancholy,” and have since been re-
printed. -
Duff, The Right Hon. Sir Mount-
stuart Elphinstone Grant, G.C.S.I.
(b. 1829). “Studies on European
Politics” (1866); “A Glance over
Europe” (1867); “A Political Survey’”
(1868); “East India Financial State-
ment '' (1869); “Elgin Speeches'’
(1871); “Expedit Laboremus’’ (1872);
“Notes of an Indian Journey’’ (1876);
“Miscellanies, Literary and Political”
(1879); “Ernest Renan” (1893).
Dufferin and Ava, Marquis of,
Frederick Temple Hamilton Blackwood
(b. 1826). “Narrative of a Journey
from Oxford to Skibbereen '' (1848);
“Letters from High Latitudes '' (1860);
“The Honourable Impulsia, Gushing-
ton; ” “Irish Emigration and the
Tenure of Land in Ireland; ” “Con-
tribution to an Inquiry into the State of
Ireland,” etc.; “Speeches Delivered in
India’’ (1890); “Address Delivered at
St. Andrews” (1891). Has edited
“Songs, Poems, and Verses of Baroness
I)ufferin, afterwards Countess of Gif-
ford” (1894).
Dufferin and Ava, Marchioness
of, Harriot Georgina Blackwood, née
FIamilton. “Our Vice-Regal Life in
India, ’’ (1889); “My Canadian Jour-
mal” (1891), etc.
Duffy, The Hon. Sir Charles
Gavan, K.C.M.G. (b. Monaghan, 1816).
“Young Ireland: a Fragment of Irish
History, 1840-50” (1880); “Four Years
of Irish History, 1845-49” (1883), etc.
Dugdale, Sir William (b. at Shus-
toke, Warwickshire, September 12th,
1605; d. February 10th, 1686). “Mon-
asticón Anglicanum ” (1655-73, new
edition 1846); “Antiquities of War-
wickshire'' (1656); “Memoirs of Eng-
lish Laws” (1666); “The Ancient Use
of Bearing Arms” (1682). Autobio-
graphy in second edition of his “His-
tory of St. Paul’s ” (1658), and with
Journal and Correspondence (1827).
Dyce, the Rev. Alexander (b.
1798; d. 1869). “Select Translations of
Quintus Smyrnaeus ” (1821); “Speci-
mens of the English Poetesses” (1823);
‘‘ Recollections of the Table Talk of
Samuel Rogers ” (1858). Is chiefly
known for his excellent editions of
Dykes
Marlowe, Peele, Greene, Webster, Mid-
dleton, Beaumont and Fletcher, etc.
Dykes, Principal James Oswald,
D.D. (b. Port Glasgow, 1835). “The
Written Word,” etc. (1868); “Problems
of Faith ” (1875); “Sermons '' (1881);
“The Law of the Ten Words” (1884);
“The Gospel According to St. Paul.”
(1888); “PlainWords on Great Themes”
(1892), etc.
IE
Eadie, John, LL.D. (b. Alloa, 1813;
d. Glasgow, 1876). Edited “The Bible
Cyclopædia,” and published Commen-
taries on several of St. Paul’s Epistles;
“ Divine Tove : Doctrinal, Practi-
cal, and Experimental; ” “Paul the
Preacher; ” “The Classified Bible; ”
“Dictionary of the Bible for Young
Persons; ” and a “History of the Eng-
lish Bible” (1877). See his “Life”
(1878). -
Eastlake, Sir Charles Lock (b.
Plymouth, 1793; d. Florence, December
23rd, 1865). “Materials for a History
of Oil Painting” (1847); “Contribu-
tions to the Literature of the Fine
Arts” (1848). He also edited Kugler's
“Handbook of Painting ” (1843), and
translated Goethe’s “Theory of Colours”
(1840).
Edgeworth, Maria (b. Hare Hatch,
Derkshire, January 1st, 1767; d. Edge-
worthstown, Longford, Ireland, May
21st, 1849). “Collected Works” in
1825. The edition of 1856 includes
“Moral Tales,” “Popular Tales,” “Be-
linda,” “Castle Rackrent,” “Essay on
Irish Bulls,” “The Noble Science of
Self - Justification,” “Eunice,” “The
Dun,” “Tales of Fashionable Life,”
“Patronage,” “Comic Dramas,” “Leo-
nora,” “Letters for Literary Ladies,”
“Harrington,” “Thoughts on Bores,”
“‘Ormond,” and “Ellen.” Besides
these Miss Edgeworth published “Early
Lessons for Children'; '” “The Parent’s
Assistant; or, Stories for Children; ”
“Harry and Lucy; ” “Little Plays for
Young People ; ” and “Orlandino ; ”
and concluded the Memoirs of her
father, Richard Lovell Edgeworth. Se
her Memoir by Mrs. Edgeworth (1867);
also “Life and Letters” by A. J. C.
Hare (1894).
Edwards, Amelia Blandford (b.
1831 ; d. April 15th, 1892). “My
Brother's Wife '' (1855); “Hand and
1359
Etherege
------
Glove” (1859); “Barbara's History "
(1864); “Half a Million of Money"
(1865); “Miss Carew'' (1865); “Deb-
enham's Wow'' (1870); “In the Day:
of my Youth'' (1873); “M. Maurice”
(1873); “Untrodden Peaks” (1873),
“A Thousand Miles up the Nile ”
(1877); “Lord Brackenbury’’ (1880);
“Pharaohs, Fellahs, and Explorers ”
(1891). Also wrote many articles on
Rgyptology, and translated M. Mas-
péro’s “L’Archéologie Egyptienne.”
Egerton, George, were Mary Chara-
lita Egerton Clairmonte, née Dunne (b.
Melbourne, Australia). “Reynotes”
(1893); “Discords” (1894); transla-
tions from the Swedish.
Eliot, George, Mrs. J. W. Cross, né,
Marian Evans (b. November 22nd, 1819;
d. December 22nd, 1880). Besides trans-
lations of Strauss’s “Life of Jesus”
(1846), and Feuerbach’s “Essence of
Christianity’’ (1853), she published :-
“Scenes of Clericallife” (1858); “Adam
Bede’’ (1859); “The Mill on the Floss ''
(1860); “Silas Marner '' (1861); “Ro-
mola" (1863): “Felix Holt'' (1866);
“Middlemarch '' (1871–72); “Daniel
Deronda '' (1876); “Impressions of
Theophrastus Such '' (1879); “The
Spanish Gipsy'' (1868); “The Legend
of Jubal” (1874). See R. H. Hutton's
“Essays * and “The Beauties of George
Eliot.” For Biography, see the “Life”
by J. W. Cross and Mathilde Blind’s
“George Eliot” in the Eminent IP'omen
SéI’leS.
Ellicott, The Right Rev. Charles
John, D.D. (b. Whitwell, near Stam-
ford, April 25th, 1819). “The Life of Our
Lord Jesus Christ” (1860); “Consider-
ations on the Revision of the English
Version of the New Testament” (1870);
“Present Dangers of the Church''
(1877); “Modern Unbelief '' (1877);
“The Being of God” (1879); “Funda-
mental Doctrine’’ (1885), etc. Editor
of Commentaries on the Old and the
New Testament, etc.
Elliott, Ebenezer (b. near Rother-
ham, March 17th, 1781; d. Inear Barnsley,
December 1st, 1849). “Corm - Law
Rhymes’’ (1831–46), etc. Works (1876).
“Life" by Searle. See Carlyle’s
“Essay on the Corn-Law Rhymes’’ and
Autobiographical Sketch in Athendºum of
January 12th, 1850.
Etherege, Sir George (b. Oxford-
shire, 1636; d. Ratisbon, 1694). “The
Comical Revenge ; or, Love in a Tub ''
Evelyn
1360
Fawcett
(1664); “She Would if She Could ''
(1668); “The Man of Mode; or, Sir
Eopling Flutter” (1676); “The Trial of
the Poets for the Bays.” “Works”
in 1704. For Biography, see the “Bio-
graphia Britannica,” the “Dictionary of
National Biography,” and The Fort-
mightly Review, first series.
Evelyn, John (b. Wotton, Surrey,
October 31st, 1620; d. February 20th,
1706). “Sylva” (1664); “Terra” (1675);
“Mundus Muliebris '' (1690); “Diary’”
(1818 and 1857; new edition, 1859).
Ewing, Juliana Horatia Orr (b.
1842; d. 1885). “The Brownies, and
Other Tales” (1870); “A Flat Iron for a
Farthing” (1873); “A Great Emergency,
and Other Tales” (1877); “We and the
World” (1881); “Old-fashioned Fairy
Tales” (1882); “Jackanapes” (1884);
“The Story of a Short Life” (1885).
F
Fairbairn, Principal Andrew
Martin, D.D. (b. Inear Edinburgh,
November 4th, 1838). “Studies in the
Philosophy of Religion and History ''
(1876); “Studies in the Life of Christ”
(1880); “The City of God” (1883);
“Religion in History and in the Life of
To-day ” (1884); “The Place of Christ
in Modern Theology” (1893).
Falconer, William (b. Edinburgh,
February 11th, 1732; d. at sea, 1769).
“The Shipwreck” (1762); “The Dema-
gogue” (1765); “The Marine Diction-
ary’’ (1769). See the Rev. J. Mitford’s
preface to the Aldine edition of his
Boems, “The Lives of the Scottish
Poets,” Laing’s “Lives of Scottish
Authors,” and the “Dictionary of
National Biography.”
Falkland, Viscount.
LUCIUS.)
Faraday, Michael, D.C.L. (b. Stoke
Newington, September 22nd, 1791; d.
Hampton Court, August 25th, 1867).
“Chemical Manipulation’’ (1827); “Ex-
perimental Researches on Electricity,”
etc. See Tyndall’s “Faraday as a Dis-
coverer” (1869), and the “Life and
Letters” (1870).
Farjeon, Benjamin Leopold (b.
(See CARY,
London, May 12th, 1833). “Grif”
(1870); “Joshua Marvel” (1871);
“London’s Heart” (1873); “Jessie
Trim.” (1874); “Christmas Stories”
(1874); “Love's Victory” (1875);
“Duchess of Rosemary Lane” (1876);
“House of White Shadows” (1884);
“Great Porter Square '' (1884); “The
Sacred Nugget” (1885); “In a Silver
Sea” (1886); “The Nine of Hearts”
(1886); “A Secret Inheritance” (1887);
“The Tragedy of Featherstone” (1887);
“Miser Farebrother ” (1888); “Toilers
of Babylon’’ (1888); “A Young Girl's
Life” (1889); “A Strange Enchant-
ment” (1889); “The Blood-White
Rose’’ (1889); “Dr. Glennie's Daugh-
ter” (1889); “Basil and Annette ’’
(1890); “The Peril of Richard Pardon ''
(1890); “Mystery of M. Felix” (1890);
“For the Defence ’’ (1891); “March of
Fate?” (1892); “Something Occurred ”
(1893); “The Last Tenant” (1893);
“Aaron the Jew’’ (1894).
Farquhar, George (b. Londonderry,
1678; d. 1707). “Love and a Bottle '’
(1698); “The Constant Couple’’ (1700);
“Sir Harry Wildair’’ (1701); “The
Inconstant” (1703); “The Stage Coach”
(1704); “The Twin Rivals” (1705);
“The Recruiting Officer” (1706); and
“The Beaux’ Stratagem’’ (1707).
“Works '' in 1714. The comedies were
edited, with a critical introduction, by
Leigh Hunt. See also Hazlitt’s “Comic
Writers ” and Ward’s “Dramatic Litera-
ture.
Farrar, Very Rev. Frederick
William, D.D. (b. Bombay, 1831).
“Origin of Language ; ” “ Chapters on
Language” (1865); “The Fall of Man,
and Other Sermons” (1865); “A Lec-
ture on Public School Education ”
(1867); “Seekers after God” (1869);
“Families of Speech '' (1870); “The
Witness of History to Christ’” (1871);
“The Silence and Voices of God’’
(1873); “The Life of Christ” (1874);
“Marlborough Sermons” (1876); “Eter-
nal Hope” (1878); “Saintly Workers”
(1878); “The Life and Work of St.
Paul” (1879); “Mercy and Judgment.”
(1881); “Early Days of Christianity ‘’
(1882); “Solomon’’ (1887); “Lives of
the Fathers” (1889); “The Minor
Prophets” (1890); “The Wider Hope”
(1890); “The Passion Play at Ober-
Ammergau” (1890); “Truths to Live
By '' (1890); “Darkness and Dawn”
(1891); “Social and Present - Day
Questions” (1891); “The Voice from
Sinai’” (1892); also some stories of
school life.
Fawcett, Henry (b. 1833; d. 1884).
“A Manualof Political Economy,” “The
Tenn
1361
Flecknoe
Economic Position of the British La-
bourer,” “Pauperism, its Causes and
Remedies,” “Speeches,” and “Free
Trade and Protection,” etc. See “Life
of Henry Fawcett,” by Leslie Stephen
(1885).
Fenn, George Manville (b. Pimlico,
1831). “Bent, not Broken?” (1866);
“Double Cunning” (1886); “The
Story of Antony Grace” (1887); “Com-
modore Junk” (1888); “The Lass that
Loved a Soldier” (1889); “Lady
Maude's Mania’’ (1890); “The Black
Bar ’’ (1893); “Fire Island ” (1894);
“The Tiger Lily” (1894); “The Queen's
Scarlet” (1895), etc. etc.
Ferguson, Sir Samuel (b. 1810 ;
d. 1886). “The Cromlech on Howth ''
(1864); “The Lays of the Western
Gael” (1865); “Congal, a Poem in Five
Books” (1872); “Leabhar Breac’’ (1876);
“Poems ” (1880); “Shakespearian Bre-
viates” (1882); “The Forging of the
Anchor’’ (1883).
Ferrier, James Frederick (b.
Edinburgh, November, 1808; d. June
11th, 1864). “Institutes of Metaphysics:
The Theory of Knowing and Being ”
(1854); “Lectures on Greek Philosophy.”
(1864). Edited Works of Professor
Wilson.
Ferrier, Susan Edmonston (b.
Edinburgh, 1782; d. November 7th,
1854). “Marriage '' (1818); “The
Inheritance ’’ (1824); and “Destiny;
or, The Chief's Daughter’’ (1831).
‘‘ Works '' in 1841.
Field, Michael
Miss Bradley and Miss Cooper). “Cal-
lirrhoë, etc.” (1884); “The Father’s
Tragedy, etc.” (1885); “Brutus Ultor "
(1886); “Canute the Great, etc.” (1887);
“Long Ago’’ (1889); “The Tragic
Mary’’ (1890); “Sight and Song”
(1892); “Stephania” (1892); “A Ques-
tion of Memory” (1893); “Underneath
the Bough '' (1893).
Fielding, Henry (b. near Glaston-
bury, April 22nd, 1707; d. Lisbon,
October 8th, 1754). “The Adventures
of Joseph Andrews” (1742); “A Jour-
ney from this World to the Next?” (1743);
“The History of Jonathan Wild” (1743);
“The History of Tom Jones” (1749);
“Amelia’’ (1751); the following drama-
tic pieces: “Love in Several Masques,”
“The Temple Beau,” “The Author’s
Farce,” “The Coffee-house Politician,”
“Tom Thumb,” “The Modern Hus-
band,” “The Mock Doctor,” “The
Miser,” “The Intriguing Chamber-
(pseudonym of
maid,” “Don Quixote in England,”
“Pasquin,” “The Historical Register,”
“The Wedding Day,” and various mis-
cellaneous works, including “Essays on
the Characters of Man,” and “A Jour-
mal of a Voyage to Lisbon.” Collected
editions of his writings appeared in 1743,
1762, and (edited by Roscoe) 1848. His
novels were published, with an introduc-
tion by Sir Walter Scott, in 1821, in
I3allantyne’s “Novelist's Library.” For
Biography and Criticism, see the “Lives”
by Murphy and Lawrence, Lady M.
Wortley Montagu's “Letters,” Jesse’s
“Celebrated Etonians,” Thackeray's
“Ilectures on the Humorists,” Masson’s
“Novelists and their Styles,” and Dob-
son’s “Fielding” in the English J/en ºf
Letters series.
Finlay, George, LL.D. (b. Scotland,
1799; d. January 26th, 1875). “Greece
under the Romans” (1843); “History
of Greece, from its Conquest by the
Crusaders to its Conquest by the Turks”
(1851); “History of the Byzantine Em-
pire’” (1852); “History of the Byzantine
and Greek Empires” (1854); “History
of Greece under Othoman and Venetian
Dominion ” (1854); “History of the
Greek Revolutioni” (1861). -
Fitzgerald, Edward (b. 1809; d.
1883). Published translations of “Six
Dramas of Calderon ’’ (1853); the
“Agamemnon ; ” “Omar Khayyām
and Salaman and Absal; ” and wrote
“Euphranor, a Dialogue on Youth,”
and “Polonius, a Collection of Wise Saws
and Modern Instances.” “Letters and
Literary Remains,” edited by W. Aldis
Wright (1889). -
Flecknoe, Richard (d. 1678). “Hie-
rothalamium ; or, the Heavenly Nup-
tials of our Blessed Saviour with a Pious
Soule” (1626); “The Affections of a
Pious Soule unto Our Saviour Christ ''
1640); “Miscellania ; or, Poems of all
Sorts” (1653); “A Relation of Ten
Years’ Travells in Europe, Asia, Afrique,
and America,” (1654); “Iowe’s Do-
minion ” (1654); “The Diarium or
Journal, divided into twelve jornadas
in burlesque Rhime or Drolling Verse ’’
(1656); “IEnigmaticall Characters, all
taken from the Life” (1658); “The
Marriage of Oceanus and Britannia’’
(1659); “Heroic Portraits” (1660);
“Love's Kingdom, a Pastoral Trage-
Comedy, with a Short Treatise on the
English Stage ’’ (1664); “Erminia: a
Trage-Comedy '' (1665); “The Damoi-
selles à la Mode, a Comedy” (1667);
86
Fletcher 1
“Sir William Davenant's Voyage to the
other World” (1668), etc.
Fletcher, John (b. Rye, Sussex,
December, 1579; d. 1625). “The Elder
Brother; ” “The Spanish Curate ; ”
“The Humorous Lieutenant; ” “The
Faithful Shepherdess; ” “Boadicea ;”
“The Loyal Subject ; ” “Rule a Wife
and Have a Wife; ” “The Chances; ”
“The Wild-goose Chase; ” “A Wife
for a Month ; ” “The Captain ; ” “The
Prophetess; ” “Love's Cure;” “Women
Pleased; ” “The Sea Voyage; ” “The
Fair Maid of the Inn ; ” “The Two
Noble Kinsmen '' (supposed to have
been revised by William Shakespeare);
“The False One ; ” “The Lover’s Pro-
gress” and “The Noble Gentleman’”
(which are supposed to have been
written with Shirley); “Love's Pilgrim-
age; ” “The Night Walker; ” “The
Queen of Corinth ; ” “The Maid in the
Mill ; ” “The Nice Valour; ” a number
of plays written in conjunction with
Beaumont, for which see BEAUMONT
AND FLETCHER.
Foote, Samuel (b. Truro, 1719 ; d.
Dover, October 21st, 1777). “The
Diversions of the Morning” (1747);
“The Auction of Pictures” (1748);
“Taste ’’ (1752); “The Englishman in
Paris’’ (1753); “The Knights” (1754);
“The Englishman Returned from Paris.”
(1756); “The Author’’ (1757); “The
Minor’’ (1760); “The Orators” (1762);
“The Lyar ” (1762); “The Tryal of
Samuel Foote” (1763); “The Mayor
of Garrat” (1764); “The Patron ''
(1764); “The Commissary” (1765);
“Prelude on Opening the Theatre”
(1767); “The Devil upon Two Sticks”
(1768); “The Lame Lover” (1770);
“The Maid of Bath” (1771); “The
Nabob” (1772); “Piety in Pattens”
(1773); “The Cozeners” (1774); “The
Bankrupt” (1776); “The Capuchin?’
(1776); “A Trip to Calais’’ (1778);
“Lindamira” (1805); “The Slanderer;”
and “The Young Hypocrite.” “I)ra-
matic Works” in 1778. For Biography,
see the “Life” by Cooke (1805),
Davies’s “Life of Garrick,” Boswell’s
“Life of Johnson,” the “Biographia
Dramatica,” the “Dictionary of Na-
tional Biography,” and Forster’s “Es-
says.”
Forbes, James David, D.C.L. (b.
Edinburgh, April 20th, 1809; d. 1868).
“Travels through the Alps of Savoy’”
(1843); “Norway and its Glaciers”
(1853); “Tour of Mont Blang '' (1855);
3
62
finished),
Tſ'ox
“The Theory of Glaciers” (1859). Life
by Principal Shairp and others (1873).
Ford, John (b. Ilsington, N. Devon,
1586; d. Ilsington, 1640). “The Lover’s
Melancholy” (1629); “'Tis Pity She's
a Whore” (1633); “The Broken Heart”
(1633); “Love's Sacrifice” (1633);
“Perkin Warbeck” (1634); “The
Eancies, Chaste and Noble” (1638);
“The Lady’s Trial” (1639); “Beauty in
a Trance ’’ (1653); “The Sun's Darling”
(1657); “Witch of Edmonton’’ (with
Dekker and Rowley); “The Royal Com-
bat; ” “An Ill Beginning has a Good
End ; ” “The Fairy Knight” (with
Dekker); “A Late Murther of the Sonne
upon the Mother ” (with Webster); and
“The Bristowe Merchant” (with Dek-
ker). “Works,” 1869. See Swin-
burne’s “Essays and Studies,” Minto's
“English Poets,” Ward’s “Dramatic
Literature.” Works edited by Gifford
and Dyce (1895).
Forman, Harry Buxton (b.London,
July 11th, 1842). “Our Living Poets”
(1861), etc. Has edited the works of
Shelley, Keats, etc.
Forster, John (b. Newcastle, 1812;
d. February 1st, 1876). “Statesman of
the Commonwealth of England ” (1831-
34); “A Life of Oliver . Goldsmith ”
(1848); “Biographical and Historical
Essays” (1859); “The Arrest of the
Five Members by Charles the First '’
and “Debates on the Grand Remon-
strance ’’ (1860); “Sir John Eliot,” a
biography (1864); “Walter Savage
Landor,” a biography (1868); “The
Life of Charles Dickens” (1872–74); and
“A Life of Jonathan Swift” (un-
(1876). Edited the Daily
News (1846) and the Ea'aminer (1847-58).
Foster, John (b. Halifax, September
17th, 1770; d. Stapleton, near Bristol,
October 15th, 1843). “Essays, in a
Series of Letters to a Friend’” (1805);
“On the Evils of Popular Ignorance ’’
(1819); followed by other works, the
chief one, “Contributions, Biographi-
cal, Literary, and Philosophical, to the
Eclectic Review '' (1840). Selected Works
in Bohn's Standard Library. See “The
Life and Correspondence of John Fos-
ter,” by Dr. Ryland; also the “Life '’
by Shepherd.
Fox or Foxe, John (b. Boston,
1517; d. 1587). Wrote “De Non Plec-
tendis Morte Adulteris Consultatio”
(1548); “De Censură seu Excommuni-
catione Ecclesiastica (1551); “De Christo
Triumphante” (1551); “Tables of
JFrancillon
1363
Tuller
Grammar” (1552); “Acts and Monu-
ments of the Church’” (1562); and
many other works, for a list of which
see Wood’s “Athenae Oxonienses.” See
also Churton’s “Life of Nowell,” Ful-
ler’s “Church History,” and Morley's
“IEnglish Writers,” vols. viii. and xi.
Francillon, Robert Edward (b.
Gloucester, 1841). “Earl's Dene''
(1870); “Pearl and Emerald” (1872);
“Zelda's Fortune” (1873); “Olympia’’
(1874); “A Dog and his Shadow ’’
(1876); “Strange Waters” (1878);
“Queen Cophetua, '' (1880); “A Real
Queen’’ (1884); “Romances of the
Law '' (1889); “Ropes of Sand”
(1893); “Jack Doyle's Daughter”
(1894), etc.
Freeman, Professor Edward
Augustus, D.C.L., LL.D. (b. Har-
borne, Staffordshire, 1823; d. 1892).
“Church Restoration” (1846); “A His-
tory of Architecture '' (1849); “An
Essay on Window Tracery” (1850);
“The Architecture of Llandaff Cathe-
dral” (1851); “The History and Con-
quests of the Saracens” (1856); “An-
cient Greece and Mediaeval Italy” in
“Oxford Essays” (1858); “The His-
tory and Antiquities of St. David’s,”
with Rev. W. Basil Jones (1860); “The
History of Federal Government” (1863);
“The History of the Norman Conquest.”
(1867–76); “Old English History for
Children’’ (1869); T‘‘The Cathedral
Church of Wells” (1870); “Historical
Essays” (1871-2-3); “Growth of the
English Constitution '' (1872); “The
Unity of History” (1872); “Compara-
tive Politics” (1873); “Disestablish-
ment and Disendowment'' (1874);
“Historical and Architectural Studies”
(1876); ... “The Ottoman Power in
Europe’” (1877); “The Reign of Wil-
liam . Rufus ” (1881); “Some Im-
pressions of the United States?” (1883);
“The English People in their Home”
(1884); “The Practical Eearing of Gen-
eral European History” (1884); “The
Methods of Historical Study” (1886);
“Chief Periods of European History”
(1886); “Exeter” (1887); “Four Ox-
ford Lectures” (1887); “William the
Conqueror” (1888); “THistory of Sicily
from the Earliest Times” (1891);
“Sicily, Phoenician, Greek, and Ro-
man,” (1892); “ History of Federal
Government in Greece and Italy ”
(1893); “Studies of Travel” (1893).
The fourth volume of the “History of
Sicily ’’ *Pg. in 1895. “Life” by
W. R. W. Stephens (1895).
Fremantle, The Hon. and Very'
Rev. Wm. Henry (b. Swanbourne,
Bucks., 1831). “The Gospel of the
Secular Life” (1882); “The World as
the Subject of Redemption ” (1885), etc.
Frere, John Hookham (b. 1769;
d. 1841). Contributed to the famous
A77ti-Jacobin, in which he wrote, among
other jetta: d'esprit, “The Loves of the
Triangles,” and, with George Canning,
“The Needy Knife-Grinder.” He also
published a translation of Aristophanes
(1840), and a work called “Theocritus
Restitutus.” See “The Works of the
Right Hon. J. H. Frere,” with a Memoir
by Sir Bartle Frere (1871).
Friswell, James Hain (b. New-
port, 1827; d. 1878). “Life Portraits
of Shakespeare”; “The Gentle Life '’
(1864); “The Better Self”; “Other
People's Windows”; “One of Two’’;
“Out and About ’”; “About in the
World”; “A Man's Thoughts”; “Va-
ria " : “Francis Spira, and other
Poems,” besides editions of Sidney,
Montaigne, A’Kempis, and others.
Froude, Professor James An=
thony, LL.D. (b. Dartington, Devon-
shire, April 23rd, 1818; d. October
20th, 1894). “The Shadows of the
Clouds” (1847); “The Nemesis of
Faith” (1849); “The History of Eng-
land from the Fall of Wolsey to the
Death of Elizabeth’’ (1856–70); three
series of “Short Studies on Great Sub-
jects” (1869, 1872, and 1877); “The
English in Ireland in the Eighteenth
Century” (1871–74); “Julius Caesar’’
(1879); “Bunyan” (1880); “Thomas
Carlyle; a History of the First Forty
Years of his Life” (1882); “Carlyle’s
Reminiscences” (1883); “Letters and
Memorials of Jane Welsh Carlyle”
(1884); “Oceana” (1886); “The Eng-
lish in the West Indies” (1888); “The
Two Chiefs of Dunboy” (1889); “Lord
Beaconsfield” (1890); “T)ivorce of
Catherine of Aragon” (1891); “The
Spanish Story of the Almada,” etc.
(1892); “Life and Letters of Erasmus.”
(1894); “English Seamen in the Six-
teenth Century” (1895).
Fuller, Thomas (b. 1608; d. August
16th, 1661). “David's Hainous Sinne,
Beartie Repentance, Heavie Punish-
ment,” a poem (1631); “The Historie
of the Holy Warre?” (1639-40-42-47
-51); “The Holy and Profane States”
(1642-48-52-58); “Good Thoughts in
Bad Times” (1643); “Good Thoughts
in Worse Times” (1646); “Mixt Con-
Fullerton
J364
Gaske11
templations in Better Times” (1660);
“Andronicus; or, the Unfortunate Poli.
tician’’ (1649); “A Pisgah-sight of
Palestine” (1650); “Abel Redivivus:
or, the Dead yet Speaking” (1651);
“The Church History of Britain from
the Birth of Christ to 1648" (1656);
‘‘The Appeal of Injured Innocence”
(1639); “The History of the Worthies
of England’’ (1662), etc., etc. “A Se-
lection from the Writings of Fuller’”
was made by Arthur Broome (1815);
See also Charles Lamb’s “Works '' and
Basil Montagu's “Selections.” There
are “Lives” of Fuller by A. T. Russell
(1844) and J. E. Bailey (1874).
Fullerton, Lady Georgina (b. Tix-
all Hall, Staffs., September 23rd, 1812;
d. January 19th, 1885). “Ellen Middle-
ton” (1844); “Grantley Manor” (1847);
“Lady-bird” (1852); “Laurentia”
(1861); “Too Strange not to be True”
(1864); “Constance Sherwood” (1865);
“A Stormylife '' (1867); “Mrs. Gerald's
Niece ’’ (1869); “Dramas from the Tives
of the Saints’’ (1872); “The Gold-
Digger, and other Verses” (1872); “A
Will and a Way” (1881). Several bio-
graphical works, etc. “Life,” by A.
Craven.
G
Gairdner, James (b. 1828). “His-
toria Regis Henrici Septimi” (1858);
“Letters and Papers illustrative of the
Reigns of Richard III. and Henry VII.”
(1861-63); “The Houses of York and
Lancaster ’’ (1874); “Historical Collec-
tions of a London Citizen” (1876);
“Life and Reign of Richard III.'
(1878); “Three Fifteenth - Century
Chronicles” (1880); “Studies in Eng-
lish History,” with James Spedding
(1881); “Henry the Seventh '' (1889).
Has also edited the “Paston Letters”
(1872-75), and several volumes of the
ºtes and Papers of Henry VIII.,”
€50.
Gaie, Norman Rowland (b. Kew,
1862). “A Country Muse” (1892 and
1895); “A June Romance ’’ (1892);
“Orchard Songs” (1893); “Cricket
Songs” (1894).
Galt, John (b. Irvine, Ayrshire,
May 2nd, 1779; d. Greenock, April 11th,
1839). “Annals of the Parish '' (1821);
“Sir Andrew Wylie'' (1822); “The
Entail”. (1823), etc. See “Autobio-
graphy ’’ (1833); “Literary Life and
Miscellanies ” (1834), and Delta’s “Me-
II].Oll’.
Galton, Francis, F.R.S. (b. 1822).
“The Telotype” (1850); “The Art of
Travel” (1855); “Vacation Tourists”.
(1861); “Meteorographica,” (1863);
“Hereditary Genius” (1869); “English
Men of Science, their Nature and Nur-
ture’’ (1874); “Inquiries into Human
Faculties” (1883); “Record of Family
Faculties” (1884); “Experiences an
Prehension” (1887); “Natural In-
heritance” (1889); “Finger Prints’’
(1892).
Gardiner, Professor Samuel Raw-
son, LL.D. (b. 1829). “The History of
Bngland from the Accession of James I.
to the Disgrace of Chief Justice Coke ’’
(1863); “Prince Charles and the Spanish
Marriage'' (1869); “The Personal
Government of Charles I.” (1877);
“England under the Duke of Bucking-
ham and Charles I.” (1878); “The
Fall of the Monarchy of Charles I.”
(1879); “The History of the Great
Civil War ’’ (1886-91); “History of
the Commonwealth and Protectorate,”
vol. i. (1894). Has edited “The Con-
stitutional Documents of the Puritan
Revolution” (1889), and for the Camden
Society “The Fortescue Papers” (1871);
“The Hamilton Papers” (1880); “Docu-
ments Illustrating the Impeachment of
the Duke of Buckingham ” (1889), etc.
Garnett, Richard, LL.D., C.B. (b.
Lichfield, February 27th, 1835). “To in
Egypt, and other Poems’” (1859);
“Iphigenia in Delphi” (1890); “Poems”
(1893); Biographies of Carlyle, Emerson,
Milton, etc.
Gascoigne, George (b. 1530; d.
1577). Works first published in 1589,
as “The Pleasauntest Works of George
Gascoigne, Esquire ; newlye compyled
into One Volume; that is to say, his
‘Flowers, Herbes, Weedes”; “The
Fruites of Warre' ; ‘The Comedy called
Supposes’; ‘The Tragedy of Iocasta; ”
‘The Steele Glasse’; ‘The Complaynt
of Philomene’; ‘The Story of Ferdinando
Jeronimi; " and “The Pleasures at Kenil-
worth Castle.’” See Warton’s “History
of English Poetry,” Morley’s “English
Writers,” vols. viii. and xi., and the
“Dictionary of National Biography.”
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cieghorn (b.
1810; d. 1865). “Mary Barton’’ (1848);
“Moorland Cottage '' (1850); “Cran-
ford ” (1853); “Ruth’’ (1853); “North
and South '' (1855); “Memoir of Char-
lotte Brontë'' (1857); “Cousin Phyllis”
(1857); “Right at Last ’’ (1860); “Sil-
via's Lovers” (1863); “Wives and
Daughters” (unfinished) (1865).
Gay
1865
Godwin
Gay, John (b. near Barnstaple, 1688;
d. London, December 4th, 1732). “Rural
Sports '' (1711); “The Shepherd's
Week” (1714); “Trivia” (1715);
“What d'ye Call It?” (1715); “Three
Weeks after Marriage” (1715); “Fables”
(1726); “Beggar’s Opera” (1727), etc.
Dives by Coxe (1796) and Owen (1804).
Geikie, Rev. John Cunningham,
D.D. (b. Edinburgh, 1824). “The Life
and Words of Christ’” (1877); “The
English Reformation ” (1879); “Hours
with the Bible” (1880); “Old Testament
Characters” (1884); “The Holy Land
and the Bible '' (1887); “The Bible by
Modern Light'' (1894); “Landmarks of
Old Testament History” (1894), etc.
Gibbon, Edward (b. Putney, April
27th, 1737; d. January 16th, 1794).
“The History of the Decline and Fall
of the Roman Empire’’ (1776–88);
“JEssais Sur l’Etude de la Littérature ?”
(1761); “Antiquities of the House of
Brunswick,” and other miscellaneous
works, published, with Memoir, in 1799,
under the editorship of John, Lord
Sheffield. The Autobiography was after-
wards edited by Dean Milman (1839).
See Memoir by J. C. Morison (1879),
and “Proceedings of the Gibbon Com-
memoration ” (1895).
Gifford, William (b. Ashburton,
Devonshire, April, 1756; d. London,
December 31st, 1826). “Baviad” (1794);
“Maeviad” (1795), etc. Autobiography
prefixed to his translation of “Juvenal.”
Giffilian, Rev. George (b. Comrie,
Perthshire, 1813; d. August 13th, 1878).
“Gallery of Literary Portraits,” three
series (1845, 1849, 1855); “Bards of the
Bible '' (1850); “Book of British
Poesy” (1851); ‘‘ Martyrs, Heroes,
and Bards of the Scottish Covenant ’’
(1852); “The Grand Discovery '' (1854);
“History of a Man '' (1856); “Christ-
ianity and Our Era” (1857); “Night”
(1867); “Remoter Stars in the Church
Sky '' (1867); “Modern Christian
Heroes” (1869); “Life of Sir W. Scott”
(1870); “Comrie and its Neighbour-
hood '' (1872); “Life of Rev. W.
Anderson '' (1873); “Sketches, Literary
and Theological” (1881), etc. Editor
of “Library Edition of the Popular
Poets and Poetry of Britain,” etc.
Ginsburg, Christian, LL.D. (b.
Warsaw, 1830). “ The Karaites, their
History and Literature '' (1862); “The
Essenes '' (1864); “The IXabbalah. ”
(1865); Commentaries, an edition of the
Massorah, etc.
* *
Gissing, Algernon (b. Wakefield,
November 25th, 1860). “Joy Cometh
in the Morning ” (1888); “Both of this
Parish ’’ (1889); “A Village Hampden.”
(1890); “A Moorland Idyll” (1891);
“AMasquerader” (1892); “At Society’s
Expense ’’ (1893); “Between Two
Opinions '' (1893); “A Vagabond in
Arts” (1894).
Gissing, George Robert (b. Wake-
field, 1857). “A Life's Morning ”
(1888); “The Nether World’’ (1889);
“The Emancipated ” (1890); “New
Grub Street” (1891); “Born in Exile”
(1892); “Denzil Quarrier '' (1892);
“The Odd Women’’ (1893); “In the
Year of Jubilee '' (1894); “Eve’s
Ransom'' (1895).
Gladstone, Right Hon. W. E. (b.
Liverpool, December 29th, 1809). “The
State considered in its Relations with
the Church” (1838); “Church Principles
considered in their Results” (1841);
“Remarks on recent Commercial Legis-
lation ” (1845); “Letters to the Earl of
Aberdeen on the State Prosecutions of
the Neapolitan Government” (1850-51);
“Studies on Homer and the Homeric
Age” (1858); “Wedgwood: an Ad-
dress” (1863); “Ancient Greece : an
Address” (1865); “A Chapter of Auto-
biography” (1868); “On ‘Ecce Homo’”
(1868); “Juventus Mundi: Gods and
Men of the Heroic Age in Greece ’’
(1869); “The Vatican Decrees” (1874);
“Vaticanism” (1875); “Rome and the
Latest Fashions in Religion ” (1875);
“Homeric Synchronism '' (1876); “The
Turk in Europe” (1876); “Lessons in
Massacre” (1877); “Gleanings of Past
Years” (1879); “The Irish Question ”
(1886); “The Impregnable Rock of
Holy Scripture” (1890); “Landmarks
of Homeric Study’’ (1890); “An Acad-
emic Sketch '' (1892); “Horace's Odes
and the Carmen Sæculare,” translation
(1895); “The Psalter’’ (1895); and
various pamphlets and magazine articles.
Collected edition of his Speeches, edited
by A. W. Hutton and H. J. Cohen, in
progress. See “Political Portraits,” re-
printed from the Daily News; R. H.
Hutton’s “Sketches of Contemporary
Statesmen ; ” “Life '' by Barnett
Smith (1879); by G. W. E. Russell;
and H. W. Lucy’s “Diary of Two
Parliaments” (1885), and the same
author's biography (1895). See also
“Macaulay’s Essays.”

Godwin, Mary.
(See Wol.ISTONE-
CRAFT.)
Godwin
I 366
Grower
Godwin, William (b. Wisbech,
Cambridgeshire, March 3rd, 1756; d.
London, April 7th, 1836). “Sketches
of History” (1784); “Political Justice”
(1793); “Caleb Williams ” (1794);
“Life of Lord Chatham;”“Cloudesley;”
“Damon and Delia; ” “Deloraine; ”
“The Enquirer ; ” “The Genius of
Christianity Unveiled; ” “On Popula-
tion ” (1820); “The Herald of Litera-
ture; ” “The History of the Common-
wealth of England ; ” “Imogen ; ”
“Lives of the Necromancers ” (1834);
“Mandeville ; ” “Life of Geoffrey
Chaucer’” (1803); “St. Leon,” and
“Thoughts on Man.” He also pub-
lished a Memoir of his wife in 1798. See
the “Life” by Kegan Paul (1876), and
Leslie Stephen’s “Hours in a Library.”
Goldsmith, Oliver (b. Pallas, Long-
ford, Ireland, November 10th, 1728; d.
London, April 4th, 1774). º
(1758-65); “The Bee '' (1759); “An
Enquiry into the Present State of Polite
Learning ” (1759); “Biographies ''
(Voltaire, 1759; Thomas Parnell, 1768;
Bolingbroke, 1770; Richard Nash);
“The Citizen of the World” (1760-62);
“The Traveller ; or, a Prospect of
Society” (1764); “The Vicar of Wake-
field ''(1766); “The Hermit: a Ballad”
(1766); “The Good- Natured Man ’’
(1768); “The Deserted Village” (1770);
“She Stoops to Conquer” (1773); “Be-
taliation: a Poem’’ (1774); “The Cap-
tivity: an Oratorio; ” some miscella-
neous poems and various compilations,
including “Memoirs of a Protestant
condemned to the Galleys of France for
his Religion; ” “History of England in
a Series of Letters from a Nobleman to
his Son ; ” “A Survey of Experimental
Philosophy; ” “A Short English Gram-
mar; ” a translation of a French “His-
tory of Philosophy; ” a collection of
“Poems for Young Ladies; ” another
collection called “Beauties of English
Poetry ; ” a “Roman History; ” a
“History of the Earth and of Animated
Nature ; ” a “History of England; ” a
“History of Greece; ” a translation of
Scarron’s “Comic Romance ; ” and con-
tributions to The Gentleman’s Journal,
The Lady’s Magazine, The Westminster
Magazine, The Public Ledger, The Busy
Body, The Critical Review, The Monthly
Review, and The British Magazine. His
Life has been written by Sir James Prior
(1837), John Forster (1848), W. Irving
(1849), W. Black (1879), and Henry
Austin Dobson (1888).
Goodwin, Harvey, D.D., Bishop of
Carlisle (b. King's Lynn, 1818; d. Novem-
per 25th, 1891). “Memoir of Bishop
Mackenzie” (1864); “Essays on the
Pentateuch” (1867); “Walks in the
Regions of Science and Faith?’ (1883);
“The Foundations of the Creed ”(1889),
etc.
Gordon-Cumming, Miss Constance
Frederica (b. Altyre, May 26th, 1837).
“From the Hebrides to the Himalayas.”
(1876); “At Home in Fiji” (1881);
“A Lady's Cruise in a French Man-of-
War?” (1882); “Fire Fountains” (1883);
“Granite Crags” (1884); “Pi4 Corn-
wall to Egypt” (1885); “Wanderings
in China’’ (1886); “Two Happy Years
in Ceylon’” (1891), etc.
Gore, the Rev. Canon Charles,
(b. 1853). “Roman Catholic Claims”
(1886); “The Ministry of the Christian
Church’” (1888); “The Incarnation of
the Son of God” (1891). Editor of and
contributor to “Lux Mundi ; ” also
edited G. J. Romanes’ “Thoughts on
Religion ” (1895), etc.
Gosse, Edmund William (b. London,
September 21st, 1849). “On Viol and
Flute” (1873); “King Erik” (1876);
“The Unknown Lover '' (1878);
“Studies in the Literature of Northern
Europe” (1879); “New Poems.” (1879);
“A Selection of English Odes” (1881);
“Gray,” in the English Men of Letters
series (1882); “A Memoir of Cecil
Lawson’’ (1883); “A Critical Essay on
George Tinworth '' (1883); “Seven-
teenth-Century Studies” (1883); “The
Works of . Thomas Gray” (1884);
“Firdausi in Exile” (1885); “From
Shakespeare to Pope’’ (1885); “Sir W.
Raleigh’’ (1886); “Northern Studies”
(1886); “Life of William Congreve”
(1887); “History of Eighteenth-Century
Literature” (1889); “Life of P. H.
Gosse” (his father) (1890); “On Violand
Elute” Poems(collected) (1890); “Robert
Browning: Personalia '' (1890); “Gossip
in a Library’’ (1891); “The Jacobean
Poets” (1891); “The Secret of Nar-
cisse” (1892); “Questions at Issue '’
(1893); “In Russet and Silver,” poems
(1894); “The Works of L. T. Beddoes”
(1894). Editor of Heinemann’s Inter-
7tational Library, etc.

Gower, John (b. 1325?; d. 1402).
“Speculum Meditantis,” in French;
‘‘Vox Clamantis,” in Latin: “Confessio
Amantis,” in English. See Warton’s
“History of English Poetry,” and
Morley’s “English Writers,” vols. iv.--
WI, -
Grand
1367
Greene
Grand, Madame Sarah, were Mrs.
Frances E. MacFall. “Ideala” (1888);
“A Domestic Experiment '' (1891);
“Singularly Deluded ” (1893); “The
Heavenly Twins’’ (1893); “Our Mani-
fold Nature” (1894).
Grant, James (b. Edinburgh, August
1st, 1822; d. 1886). “The Romance of
War; or, Highlanders in Spain” (1846);
“Highlanders of Belgium” (1847); “The
Adventures of an Aide-de-Camp’’ (1848);
“Memoirs of Kirkcaldy of Grange ’’
(1849); “Walter Fenton ’’ (1850);
“Edinburgh Castle” (1850); “Bothwell;
or, the Days of Mary, Queen of Scots”
(1851); “Memoirs of Sir John Hep-
burn, Marshal of France, and Colonel
of the Scots Brigade ’’ (1851); “Jane
Seton; or, the King's Advocate ”(1853);
“Philip Rollo; or, the Scottish Mus-
keteers” (1854); “Frank Hilton; or,
the Queen's Own '' (1855);
Yellow Frigate’” (1855); “The Phan-
tom Regiment’’ (1856); “Harry Ogil-
vie ; or, the Black Dragoon ’’’ (1856);
“Laura. Everingham ” (1857); “Mem-
oirs of the Marquis of Montrose ’’ (1858);
“Arthur Blane ; or, the Hundred
Cuirassiers” (1858); “The Cavaliers of
Fortune” (1858); “Lucy Arden: a
Tale of 1715?” (1859); “Legends of the
Black Watch '' (1859); “Mary of
Loraine '' (1860); “Oliver Ellis; or,
the Fusiliers” (1861); “Dick Rodney;
or, the Adventures of an Eton Boy”
(1861); “The Captain of the Guard”
(1862); “The Adventures of Rob Roy”
(1863); “Letty Hyde's Lovers” (1863);
“Second to None” (1864); “The King’s
Own Borderers” (1865); “The Con-
stable of France” (1866); “The White
Cockade ; or, Faith and Fortitude ’’
(1867); “First Love and Last Love”
(1868); “The Secret Dispatch” (1868);
“The Girl He Married” (1869); “Jack
Manly, his Adventures” (1870); “Lady
Wedderburn's Wish '' (1870); “Only
an Ensign '' (1871); “Under the Red
Dragon” (1871); “British Battles on
Land and Sea.” (1873); “Shall I Win
Her P” (1874); “Fairer than a Fairy”
(1874); “One of the Six Hundred”
(1876); “Morley Ashton’’ (1876); “Six
Years Ago '' (1877); “Old and New
Edinburgh ; ” and other works.
Gray, Thomas (b. London, Decem-
ber 26th, 1716; d. Cambridge, July 30th,
1771). “Ode on a Distant Prospect of
Eton College” (1742); “Ode on Spring,”
“Hymn to Adversity,” “Elegy written
in a Country Churchyard” (1751); “The
Alliance of Education and Government,”
“The
“Ode to Vicissitude,” “The Progress of
Poesy,” and “The Bard” (1757); “Ode
on the Installation of the Duke of Graf-
ton to the Chancellorship of the Univer-
sity of Cambridge” (1769); and some
minor pieces. His poems have been
edited by Gilbert Wakefield (1786), Mit-
ford (1835–43), Moultrie (1845), E. W.
Gosse (1884), and several others. The
standard Biography is that by Mason,
published in 1778. There is another by
Gosse, in the English Men of Letters
series. For Criticism, see Johnson's
“Lives of the Poets,” Hazlitt’s “Lec-
tures on the English Poets,” Roscoe's
“Essays,” Drake’s “Literary Hours,”
IBrydges’ “Censura Literaria,” and
other works.
Green, John Richard (b. 1837;
d. 1883). “A Short History of the
English People’” (1874); “A History of
the English People” (1877–80);
Making of England’’ (1882);
Conquest of England ” (1884).
Green, Mrs. John Richard, née
Stopford (b. Kells, co. Meath). “Henry
the Second'' (1888); “Town Life in the
Fifteenth Century '' (1894).
Green, Professor Thomas Hill
(b. 1836; d. 1882). “Prolegomena to
Ethics,” edited by A. C. Bradley (1883).
“Works,” edited by R. L. Nettleship
(1885-88). “Lectures on the Principles
of Political Obligations” (1895). Edited
the Philosophical Works of David Hume.
Greene, Robert (b. Norwich, 1560;
d. September 3rd, 1592). A full cata-
logue of this writer’s works may be
found in Lowndes’s “Bibliographer's
Manual.” Romances — “Menaphon ’’
(1587); “Pandosto, the Triumph of Time;
or, the History of Doraustus and Fau-
nia'' (1588); “A Pair of Turtle Doves;
or, the Tragicall History of Bellora,
and Fidelio” (1606); “The History of
Arbasto, King of Denmark” (1617).
Autobiography—“Greene's Never Too
Late ’’ (1590); “Farewell to Folly.”
(1591); “Greene's Groat's-worth of Wit,
bought with a Million of Repentance”
(1592); “Greene's Vision” (1592); “The
Repentance of Robert Greene’’ (1592).
Plays – “Mammilia” (1593); “The
Honourable Historie of Frier Bacon and
Frier Bongay” (1594); “The Historie of
Orlando Furioso '' (1594); “Comical
Historie of Alphonsus, King of Arra-
gon ; ” “A Looking-Glasse for Lon-
don, and England’’ (with Lodge,
1594); “The Scottish Historie of
James IV.” (1598). Miscellaneous—
Greg
136S
Hakluyt
“The Myrrour of Modestie” (1584);
“Morando'' (1584); “Euphues, his
Censure to Philautus” (1587); “Peri-
medes, the Blacksmith ” (1588); “Alci-
da,” (1588); “The Spanish Masquerado”
(1589). For Biography and Criticism,
See Collier’s “Poetical Decameron '' and
“Dramatic Poetry,” Campbell’s “Speci-
mens of the English Poets,” Hazlitt's
“Age of Elizabeth,” Dyce's edition of
Greene's Works, Brydges’ “Censura
Literaria,” Beloe's “Aliecdotes,” Rit-
son’s “Bibliographia Poetica,” Wood's
“Fasti Oxonielises,” The Jºe/rospective
Review, the “Shakespeare Library,”
Jusse rand’s “IEnglish Novel in the Time
of Elizabeth,” the “Dictionary of
National Biography,” and Morley’s
“JEnglish Writers,” vols. x. and xi.
Greg, William Rathbone (b. 1809,
d. 1881). “Why are Women Redund-
ant?” (1869); “Essays on Political and
Social Science; ” “Enigmas of Life”
(1872); “Literary and Social Judg-
ments; ” “Political Problems; ” “The
Creed of Christendom '' (3rd edition,
1873); “The Great Duel, its Meaning
and Results; ” “Truth versus Edifica-
tion ; ” “Rocks, Ahead; or, Warnings
of Cassandra” (1874); “Mistaken Aims
and Attainable Ideals of the Artisan
Class” (1876); “Literary and Social
Judgments’’ (1877); “Miscellaneous
Essays” (1881-82).
Greville, Fulke (b. 1556; d. 1628).
“The Life of the Renowned Sir Philip
Sidney’’ (published 1652); “A Letter to
an Honourable Lady ; ” “A Letter of
Travell; ” “Caelica, a Collection of 109
Songs; ” “A Treatise on Human Learn-
ing, in 15 Stanzas , ” “An Inquisition
upon Fame and Honour, in 68 Stanzas: ''
“A Treatise on Wars, in 68 Stanzas ; ”
“Alaham,” a tragedy ; “Mustapha,” a
tragedy. Some of his poems appeared
in “England’s Helicon.” His “Re-
mains '' were published in 1670.
Grote, George (b. Clay Hill, Beck-
enham, November 17th, 1794; d. London,
June 18th, 1871). “The Essentials of
IParliamentary Reform '' (1831); “The
History of Greece’’ (1846-56); “Plato
and other Companions of Sokrates'’
(1865); “A Review of Mill’s Examin-
ation of Sir W. Hamilton’’ (1868);
“Aristotle’’ (1872). See the “Life '’
by his wife (1873), and “Minor Works”
(1873).
Grove, Sir George, D.C.L. (b.
Clapham, 1820). Has edited Mac-
Anillan’s Magazine, and the “Dictionary
of Music and Musicians” (1879–89),
to which he was one of the chief con-
tributors, as also to Smith’s “Dictionary
Of the Bible.”
Grundy, Sydney (b. Manchester,
1848). “The Days of his Vanity”
(1876). Has also written many plays.
Guthrie, Thomas, D.D. (b. Brechin,
Forfarshire, 1803; d. February 24th,
1873). “The Gospel in Ezekiel’’ (1855);
“The City: its Sins and Sorrows” (1857);
“Christ and the Inheritance of the
Saints” (1858); “Seed-time and Har-
vest of Ragged Schools '' (1860) ;
“Speaking to the Heart” (1862); “The
Angels' Song” (1865); “The Parables?”
(1866); “Out of Harness” (1867);
“Studies of Character from the Old
Testament'' (1868 and 1870); “Sundays
Abroad'' (1871); etc. Autobiography,
with Memoir, by his sons (1874-75).
IH
Haggard, H. Rider (b. June 22nd,
1856). “Cetewayo and his White
Neighbours” (1882); “Dawn” (1884);
“The Witch’s Head” (1885); “ICing
Solomon’s Mines” (1885); “She’’ (1886);
“Jess” (1887); “Allan Quatermain''
(1887); “Mr. Meeson's Will” (1888);
“Maiwa's Revenge” (1888); “Colonel
Quaritch, W. C.” (1888); “Allan's Wife,
and other Tales” (1889); “Cleopatra,”
(1889); “Beatrice ’’ (1890); “The
World's Desire,” with Mr. Andrew Lang
(1890); “Eric Brighteyes” (1891);
“Nada, the Lily’’ (1892); “Montezuma's
Daughter” (1893); “Dawn” (1894);
“The People of the Mist” (1895).
Halve, Thomas Gordon, M.D.,
M.R.C.P. (b. 1809; d. 1895). “Poetic
Lucubrations” (1828); “The Piromides”
(1839); “Vates” (1840); “The World’s
Epitaph '' (1866); “Madeline, etc.”
(1871); “Parables and Tales” (1872);
“New Symbols?” (1875); “Legends of
the Morrow ’’ (1878); “Maiden Ec-
stasy” (1880); “The Serpent Play”
(1883); “The New Day” (1890);
“Memoirs of Eighty Years” (1892);
“Selected Poems ” (1894). -
Haliluyt, Richard (b. 1553; d.1616).
Voyages published in the following
order —(1) “I)ivers Voyages touching
the Discoverie of America, and the
Lands adjacent unto the Same '' (1582);
2). “Foure Voyages unto Florida. "
(1587); and (3) “The Principal Naviga-
tions, Voyages, Traffiques, and Dis:
IHall
1869
Hardy
eoveries of the English Nation, made by
‘Sea, or over Land, to the Most Remote
and Farthest Distant Quarters of the
Earth” (1589). Of these, a new edition
was published in 1809-12, followed by
a supplementary volume in 1812, con-
taining several Voyages which Hakluyt
had recommended for publication. For
biographical and bibliographical par-
ticulars, see the “Biographia Britan-
nica,” Oldys's “Librarian,” Wood's
“Athenæ Oxonienses,” Lowndes's
“Bibliographer's Manual,” and the
“Dictionary of National Biography.”
Hall, Samuel Carter (b. 1801; d.
March 16th, 1889). “Ireland ” (1841-
43); “Poems ” (1850?); “Book of the
Thames'' (1859); “Book of South
Wales,” etc. (with Mrs. Hall) (1861);
“Memories of Great Men and Women of
the Age'' (1870); “A Memory of T.
Moore” (1879); “Retrospect of a Long
Life” (1883), etc.
Hallam, Henry (b. Windsor, 1777 ;
d. Penshurst, January 21st, 1859). “View
of Europe during the Middle Ages”
(1818); “Constitutional History of Eng-
land ” (1827); “An Introduction to the
Literature of Europe” (1837-39), and
various essays in The Edinburgh Review.
See sketch of his “Life” by Dean Mil-
man in “Transactions of the Royal
Society,” vol. x.
Hamerton, Philip Gilbert (b. Lane- .
side, Shaw, Lancashire, September 10th,
1834; d. November, 1894). “A Painter's
Camp in the Highlands” (1862); “Con-
temporary French Painters” (1867);
“Etching and Etchers” (1868); “Wen-
derholme'' (1869); “The Intellectual
Life” (1873); “Life of Turner’” (1878);
“Modern Frenchmen’’ (1878); “The
Graphic Arts” (1882); “Human Inter-
course ’’ (1884); “Landscape ’’ (1885);
“Imagination in Landscape Painting ”
(1887); “The Saone: a Summer Voyage”
(1887); “French and English ’’ (1889);
“Portfolio Papers” (1889); “Drawing
and Engraving ” (1892); “Man in Art”
(1892); “Present State of the Fine Arts
in France ’’ (1892).
Hamilton, Sir William (b. Glas-
gow, March 3rd, 1791; d. 1856). Author
of “Discussions on Philosophy ’’ (1852);
and of lectures on metaphysics and logic,
published by Professors Mansel and
Veitch in 1859-60. Edited the works
of Reid, with Notes and Dissertations
(1846). See Veitch’s “Memoirs” and
Ueberweg's “History of Philosophy.”
Hamley, Lieut.-Gen. Sir Edward
Bruce (b. Bodmin, April 27th, 1824; d.
August 14th, 1893). “The Story of the
Campaign of Sebastopol” (1855); “Wel-
lington’s Career'' (1860); “The Opera-
tions of War ” (1866); “Voltaire”
(1877); “National Defence ’’ (1889);
“Shakespeare's Funeral, and . Other
Papers” (1889); “The War in the
Crimea.” (1890), etc. “Life,” by Alexan-
der Innes Shand (1895).
Hanna, Rev. Professor William,
LL.D. (b. 1808; d. May 24th, 1882).
“Notes on a Visit to Hayti’’ (1836);
“On Religion ” (1857); “Wycliffe and
the Huguenots” (1860); “Last Days
of Our Lord's Passion” (1862); “The
Porty Days After Our Lord’s Resurrec-
tion ” (1863); “Earlier Years of Our
Lord’s Life on Earth’’ (1864): “The
Passion Week” (1866); “The Ministry
in Galilee '' (1868); “Our Lord’s Life
on Earth” (1869); “The Close of the
Ministry”, (of Jesus Christ) (1869);
“Wars of the Huguenots” (1871).
Edited the North British Jºeview.
Hannay, James (b. 1827; d. 1873).
“Biscuits and Grog” (1848); “A Claret
Cup' (1848); “Ring Dobbs’’ (1848);
“Hearts are Trumps” (1849); “Single-
ton Fontenoy’’ (1850); “Sketches in
Ultramarine '' (1853); “Satire and
Satirists” (1854); “Eustace Conyers”
(1855); “Essays from the Quarterly”
(1861); “A Course of English Litera-
ture” (1866); and “Studies on Thack-
eray” (1869). Edited The Edinburgh
Contrant.
Hardy, Miss Iza Duffus (b. Enfield).
“Between Two Fires” (1873); “Glen-
cairn'' (1876); “Only a Love Story "
(1877); “A Broken Faith ” (1878);
“Friend and Lover” (1880); “Love,
Honour, and Obey” (1881); “The
Love That He Passed By '' (1884):
“Between Two Oceans” (1884): “Hearts
or Diamonds” (1885) : “Oranges and
Alligators” (1886); “The Girl He Did
Not Marry’’ (1887); “Love in Idle-
mess” (1887); “A New Othello” (1890);
“A Woman's Loyalty” (1893); “A
Buried Sin” (1893), etc.
Hardy; Thomas (b. Dorsetshire,
June 2nd, 1840). “Under the Green-
wood Tree '' (1872); “A Pair of Blue
Eyes” (1873); “Far from the Madding
Crowd’’ (1874); “The Hand of Ethel-
berta ?? (1876); “The Return of the
Native” (1878); “The Trumpet Major”
(1880): “A Laodicean” (1881); “Two
on a Tower” (1882); “The Mayor of
Casterbridge” (1886); “The Wood-
IHare
13
70
{
IHayward
landers” (1887); “Wessex Tales” (1888);
“A Group of Noble Dames’’ (1891);
‘‘Tess Of - the D'Urbervilles "’ §:
“The Pursuit of the Well Beloved ”
(1892); “The Dorsetshire Labourer '’
(article in Longman’s Magazine) (1893);
“Life's Little Ironies” (1894).
IHare, Augustus John Cuthbert
(b. 1834). “Epitaphs from Country
Churchyards '' (1856); “Walks in
Rome’” (1871); “Memorials of a Quiet
Life” (1872); “Wanderings in Spain.”
(1873); “Days Near Rome” (1875);
“Cities of Northern and Central Italy”
(1876); “Walks in London” (1878);
“Cities of Southern Italy and Sicily ”
(1883); “Cities of Central and North-
ern Italy” (1884); “Venice” (1884);
“Studies in Russia '' (1885); “Sketches
in Holland and Scandinavia,” (1885);
“Paris '' (1887); “ North - Eastern
France ’’ (1890); “South - Eastern
France ’’ (1890); “South-Western
France” (1890); “Memorials of Char-
lotte, Countess Canning, and Touisa,
Marchioness of Waterford” (1893);
“Sussex.” (1894); “Life and Letters
of Maria Edgeworth '' (1894).
Hare, Ven. Julius Charles (b.
1795; d. 1855). “The Victory of Faith,”
etc. (1840); “Mission of the Comforter,”
etc. (1846); “Guesses at Truth,” with
A. W. Hare (1847); “Vindication of
Luther ” (1855); “Charges to the Clergy
of the Archdeaconry of Lewes” (1856);
translated (with Connop Thirlwall) Nie-
buhr's “History of Rome,” etc.
Harrington, Sir John (b. 1561 ;
d. 1612). “Orlando Furioso, translated
into Heroical English Verse ’’, (1591);
“The Metamorphosis of Ajax '' (1596);
“The Englishman’s Doctor; or, the
School of Salerne” (1609); “The Most
Elegant and Witty Epigrams of Sir
J. H.” (1615). -
Harrison, Frederic (b. London,
October 18th, 1831). “The Meaning
of History” (1862); “England and
France” (1866); “Questions for a Re-
formed Parliament” (1867); “Order
and Progress” (1875); a translation of
Comte's “Social Statics” (1875); “The
Present and the Future '' (1880);
“Martial Law in Cabul” (1880);
“Lectures on Education ” (1883); “On
the Choice of Books” (1886); “Oliver
Cromwell” (1888); “Annals of an Old
Manor House?” (1893), etc. Editor of
the Positivist Calendar.
Hatch, Edwin, D.D. (b. Derby, 1835;
d. November 11th, 1889). “Student's
Handbook to the University and Col-
leges of Oxford’’ (1873); ‘‘ Organisa-
tion of Early Christian Churches”
(1881); “Progress in Theology” (1885);
“Study of Ecclesiastical History”
(1885); “Growth of Church Institu-
tions” (1887); “Studies in Biblical
Greek” (1889).
Hatton, Joseph (b. Andover, Feb-
ruary 3rd, 1839). “Christopher Henrick”
(1869); “Clytie” (1874); “The Queen
of Bohemia,” (1877); “Cruel London’’
(1878); “Three Recruits” (1880); “To-
day in America’’ (1881); “The New
Ceylon” (1881); “Journalistic London’’
(1882); “Henry Irving’s Impressions of
America” (1884); “John Needham’s
Double” (1885); “The Old House at
Sandwich '' (1887); “Captured by Can-
nibals” (1888); “Reminiscences of J.
L. Toole '' (1889); “By Order of the
Czar” (1890); “The Princess Mazaroff.”
(1891); “Cigarette Papers” (1892);
“Under the Great Seal” (1893); “In
Jest and Earnest’” (1893); “The Ban-
ishment of Jessop Blythe ” (1895), etc.
Havergal, Frances Ridley (b. Ast-
ley, Worcestershire, 1836; d. 1879).
Author of many devotional poems, etc.,
of which a collected edition appeared in
three volumes in 1881, supplemented by
further volumes of verse and story.
“Memorials,” by M. W. G. Havergal,
her sister (1880).
Haweis, Rev. Hugh Reginald (b.
Egham, April 3, 1838). “Music and
Morals” (1871); “Thoughts for the
Times” (1872); “Speech in Season’’
(1874); “Current Coin’? º “Ar-
rows in the Air '' (1878); “American
Humorists” (1882); “My Musical Life”
(1884); “Christ ... and Christianity''
(1887); “Sir Morell Mackenzie” (1893),
etc.
Hawker, Robert Stephen (b. 1805;
d. 1875). “Ecclesia”, (1841); “Echoes
from Old Cornwall ” (1845);
Quest of the Sangrail” (1864); “Corn-
ish Ballads” (1869); “Footprints of
Former Men in Cornwall” (1870). See
Baring-Gould’s “Vicar of Morwenstow”
and F. G. Lee’s “Life of R. S. Hawker.”
Hayward, Abraham (b. 1803; d.
1884). “The Art of Dining” (1852);
“Biographical and Critical Essays.”
(1858); “The Letters and Remains of
Mrs. Piozzi” (1861); “Selections from
the Diary of a Lady of Quality’’ (1864);
“Goethe, a Biographical Sketch” (1877);
“Short Rules of Modern Whist” (1878);
“Sketches of Eminent Statesmen and
Hazlitt
1371
Henry
Writers” (1880). He also translated
Goethe’s “Faust” (1883), edited the
Law Magazine, and contributed con-
stantly to the Edinburgh and Quarterly
Jēeviews, See his “Correspondence”
(1886). -
Hazlitt, William (b. Maidstone,
April 10th, 1778; d. September 18th,
1830). “An Essay on the Principles
of Human Action ” (1805); “Free
Thoughts on Public Affairs” (1806);
“A Reply to Malthus ”... (1807); “The
Eloquence of the British Senate” (1807);
“A New Grammar of the English
Tongue” (1810); “Memoirs of Thomas
Holcroft” (1816); “Characters of Shake-
speare's Plays” (1817); “The Round
Table" (1817); “A View of the English
Stage'' (1818); “Lectures on the Eng-
lish Poets” (1818); “Lectures on the
English Comic Writers” (1819); “Poli-
tical Essays” (1819); “Table Talk”
(1821); “Ilectures on the Dramatic
Titerature of the Age of Elizabeth '’
(1821); “Characteristics in the Manner
of Rochefoucauld's Maxims ” (1823);
“Iiber Amoris; or, the New Pygma-
lion ” (1823); “Notes of a Journey
through France and Italy’’ (1825);
“The Spirit of the Age; or, Contem-
porary Portraits” (1825); “Select Poets
of Great Britain’” (1825); “The Plain
Speaker; or, Opinions on Books, Men,
and Things” (1826); “The Life of
Napoleon Bonaparte” (1828); “Con-
versations with James Northcote ’’
(1830); and “A Life of Titian'' (1830).
See the “Life” by his grandson (1867),
and the “Literary Remains,” with the
first Lord Lytton's Introduction, and
Stephen’s “Hours in a Library.
Head, Sir Francis Bond (b. near
Rochester, 1793; d. July 23rd, 1875).
“Rough Notes on the Pampas” (1826);
“A Life of Bruce the Traveller” (1830);
“Bubbles from the Brunnen of Nassau.”
(1833); “The Emigrant” (1846); “The
Defenceless State of Britain'' (1850);
“A Faggot of French Sticks” (1851);
“A Fortnight in Ireland” (1852); “De-
scriptive Essays” (1857); “The Horse
and his Rider” (1860); “The Royal
Engineer’” (1860), etc.
Heber, Reginald, Bishop of Cal-
cutta (b. Malpas, Cheshire, April 21st,
1783; d. 1826). “Poems” (1812); “The
Personality and Office of the Christian
Comforter” (1815); an edition of the
works of Jeremy Taylor, and numerous
essays in The Quarterly Review, besides
his Newdigate prize poem, called “Pales-
time.”
1794; d. 1835).
wich, June 22nd, 1714).
See his “Journal,” the “Life”
by his widow (1830), “The Last Days of
Heber,” by Thomas Robinson, and the
Memoirs by Potter and Taylor. -
Helps, Sir Arthur (b. 1817; d. Lon-
don, March 7th, 1875). “Thoughts
in the Cloister and the Crowd '' (1835);
“Essays written in the Intervals of
Business” (1841); “Friends in Coun-
cil” (1841, 1859); “Ring Henry II.,”
an historical drama (1843); “Cathe-
rine Douglas,” a tragedy (1843); “The
Claims of Labour” (1845); “Companions
of my Solitude” (1851); “A History of
the Spanish Conquest of America ’’
(1855-61); “Oulita, the Serf” (1858);
“Realmah” (1869); “Life of Pizarro"
(1869); “Casimir Maremma'' (1870);
“Brevia: Short Essays and Aphorisms”
(1870); “Conversations on War and
General Culture '' (1871); “Thoughts
upon Government'' (1871); “Life of
Cortez’” (1871); “Ivan de Biron"
(1874); and “Social Pressure” (1874).
Hemans, Felicia Dorothea (b.
“Early Blossoms of
Spring” (1808); “England and Spain;
or, Valour and Patriotism” (1808); “The
Domestic Affections” (1812); “Restora-
tion of the Works of Artin Italy” (1817);
“Modern Greece’” (1817); “Meeting of
Wallace and Bruce ’’ (1819); “The
Sceptic” (1820); “Dartmoor’’ (1821);
“Welsh Melodies” (1822); “Siege of
Valencia,” (1823); “The Forest Sanc-
tuary'' (1826); “Records of Woman º'
(1828); “Songs of the Affections”
(1830); “National Lyrics” (1834);
“Hymns of Childhood” (1834); “Scenes
and Hymns of Life” (1834); “Poetical
Remains” (1836).
Henley, W. E., LL.D. (b. Glouces-
ter, 1849). “A Book of Verses” (1888);
“Views and Reviews” (1890); “Three
Plays,” with R. L. Stevenson (1892);
“The Song of the Sword, etc.” (1892);
“London Voluntaries, etc.” (1893).
Editor of “English Classics,” the
“Tudor Translations,” etc.; also Editor
of the New Review, and formerly of the
Mational Observer.
Henry, Matthew (b. Broadoak,
Whitchurch, Shropshire, 1662; d. Nant-
“An Exposi-
tion of the Old and New Testaments,”
“Life of the Rev. Philip Henry’’ (1696);
“Discourse concerning Meekness '’
(1698); “The Communicant's Com-
panion” (1704); “Direction for Daily
Communion ” (1712), and “The Plea-
santness of a Religious Life” (1714).
See the “Lives” by Tong and Williams,
Henty
Henty, George Alfred (b. Trump-
ington, December 8th, 1832). “The
March to Magdala” (1868); “All But
Lost.” (1869); “Out on the Pampas”
(1870); “The Young Franc-Tireurs.”
(1871); “The March to Coomassie”
(1874); “The Young Colonist” (1884);
“Condemned as a Nihilist'' (1892);
“Wulf the Saxon’’ (1894); “In the
Heart of the Rockies” (1894), etc.
Herbert, George (b. Montgomery
Castle, April 3rd, 1593; d. Bemerton,
1632). “The Temple '' (1631); “The
Country Parson’” (1652), etc. See the
“Lives” by Izaak Walton (1670) and
Duyckinck (1858); also the edition of
his Works, with a Memoir, by A. B.
Grosart (1875).
Herrick, Robert (b. London, 1591;
d. October 15th, 1674). “Noble Num-
bers, or Pious Pieces '' (1647). The
remainder of his writings appeared in
1648 under the title of “ Hesperides.”
See the “Complete Poems,” edited by
A. B. Grosart (1877), and the “Selec-
tion,” by F. T. Palgrave (1877).
Herschel, Sir John Frederick
William (b. 1792; d. 1871). “A Pre-
liminary Discourse on the Study of
Natural Philosophy” (1830); “A Trea-
tise on Astronomy” (1833); “Results
of Astronomical Observations made
during the Years 1834-38 at the Cape
of Good Hope” (1847); “Outlines of
Astronomy” (1849); “A Manual of
Scientific Enquiry” (1849); “Essays
from
JReviews” (1857).
Heywood, John (b. North Mimms,
Hertfordshire, 1506; d. Mechlin, 1565).
Works:—“The Play of Love” (1533);
“A Mery Play betweene Johan the Hus-
band, Tyb the Wife, and St. Johan the
Prestyr’’ (1533); “A Mery Play be-
tweene the Pardoner and the Frere, the
Curate and Neybour Prattle” (1533);
“Of Gentylnes and Nobylyte, a Dya-
logue '' (1535); “A Dialogue, etc.”
(1546); “The Spider and the Flie ’’
(1556); “A Breefe Balet” (1557); “The
Play called the Foure P’s” (1569); “A
Balade,” etc., in MS. Harl. ; “Dialogue
of Wit and Folly,” in Fairholt's edition ;
“Poetical Dialogue,” etc., in MS. Harl.,
Brit. Mus. ; “A Description of a Most
Noble Ladye,” in MS. Harl. An edition
of the Works was printed in 1562.
Hinkson, Mrs. Katharine, née
Tynan (b. Dublin, 1861). “Louise de
la Vallière’” etc. (1885); “Shamrocks”
(1887); “A Nun, her Friends, and her
1872
the Edinburgh and Quarterly
Boey
Order” (1891); “Ballads and Lyrics”
(1891); “A Cluster of Nuts” (1894);
“Cuckoo Songs” (1894), etc.
Hinton, James, M.R.C.S. (b. Read-
ing, 1822; d. 1875). “Man and his
Dwelling-place” (1859); “Life in
Nature” (1862); “Mystery of Pain’’
(1866); “Selections from MSS.” (1870-
74); “Chapters on the Art of Thinking”
(1879); and various medical works.
“Life,” by Miss Jane Ellice Hopkins
(1878).
Hinton, Rev. J. Howard (b. March
24th, 1791; d. December 17th, 1873).
“History and Topography of the United
States” (1832); “Man’s Responsibility”
(1842); “Voluntary Principle in the
United States.” (1851); “Acquaintance
with God” (1856); “God’s Government
of Man” (1856); “Redemption” (1859);
“Tourin Holland and North Germany”
(1860); “Moderate Calvinism Re-
examined” (1861); “Theological Works”
(1864), etc.
Hobbes, John Oliver, were Mrs.
JPearl Craigie (b. Boston, Mass., Novem-
ber 3rd, 1867). “Some Emotions and a
Moral” (1891); “The Sinner's Comedy”
(1892); “A Bundle of Life” (1893);
“A Study in Temptations” (1893);
“The Gods, Some Mortals, and Lord
Wickenham ” (1895).
Hobbes, Thomas (b. Malmesbury,
April 5th, 1588; d. December 4th, 1679).
“The Wonders of the Peak,” a poem
(1636); “De Cive ’” (1646); “Human
Nature’” (1650); “De Corpore Politico”
(1650); “Leviathan '' (1651); “Liberty
and Necessity’” (1654); “Decameron
Physiologicum ” (1678); “The Behe-
moth '' ; a free translation of Aristotle’s
“Bhetoric ’’; a translation of Homer
into English verse; and his own “Life.”
in Latin verse (1672). See also the “Life”
by Blackburne (1681). A complete col-
lection of his Works was published by
Sir W. Molesworth (1842–45).
Hodder, Edwin (b. Staines, 1837).
“Heroes of Britain’” (1878-80); “Cities
of the World’’ (1881–84); “Life and
Work of the Seventh Earl of Shaftes-
bury’’ (1886); “Life of Samuel Mor-
ley'' (1887); “Sir George Burns '' .
(1890); “George Fife Angas” (1891);
“History of South Australia’’ (1893);
“John MacGregor: ‘Rob Roy’” (1894).
Hoey, Mrs. Frances Sarah (b.
Rathfarnham, County Dublin, February
15th, 1830). “A House of Cards”
(1868); “Falsely True” (1870); “A
Golden Sorrow ’’ (1872); “Out of
Hogg 1
Court” (1874); “The Blossoming of an
Aloe'' (1875); “No Sign, etc.” (1876);
“Griffith's Double '' (1876); “All or
Nothing” (1879); “The Question of
Cain” (1882); “The Lover's Creed”
(1884); “A Stern Chase ’’ (1886);
“Translations from the French,” etc.
Hogg, James (b. Forest of Ettrick,
Selkirkshire, January 25th, 1772; d.
Altrive, November 21st, 1835). “The
Mistakes of a Night” (1794); “Verses”
(1801); “The Mountain Bard” (1807);
“The Queen's Wake ’’ (1813); “Madoc
of the Moor,” “The Pilgrims of the
Sun,” “The Poetic Mirror,” “Queen
de,” and other poems; together
with the following prose works:—“The
Brownie of Bodsbeck,” “Winter Even-
ing Tales,” “The Three Perils of Man,”
“The Three Perils of Women,” “The
Altrive Tales,” “The Confessions of a
Justified Sinner,” “Lay Sermons,” and
“A Trife of Sir Walter Scott.”
Hole, The Very Rev. Samuel
Reynoids, D.T. (b. December 5th,
1819). “A Little Tour in Ireland”
(1839); “A Book about Roses” (1869);
“Six of Spades” (1872); “Hints to
Preachers” (1880); “Nice and her
Neighbours” (1881); “A Book about
the Garden and the Gardener” (1892);
“The Memories of Dean Hole” (1892);
“More Memories” (1894), etc.
Hood, Thomas (b. London, May
23rd, 1799; d. London, 1845). “Odes and
Addresses to Great People,” with J. H.
Reynolds (1825); “The Plea of the Mid-
summer Fairies, and Other Poems ”
(1827); “National Tales’’ (1827); “The
Epping Hunt” (1829); “Comic Annual”
(1830 to 1839); “Tylney Hall” (1834);
“Hood's Own" (1838-39); “Up the
Rhine” (1840); and “Whimsicalities”
(1843-44). The “Poems,” and “Poems
of Wit and Humour,” are published in
a collected form. For Biography, see
his Literary Reminiscences in “Hood's
Own,” and the “Life " by Hood's son
and daughter.
Hook, Theodore Edward (b. Don-
don, September 22nd, 1788; d. London,
August 24th, 1841). “Sayings and
Doings” (1824, 1825, 1828); “Max-
well” (1830); “Gilbert Gurney” (1835);
“Gurney Married” (1837); “Jack Brag”
(1837); “Births, Deaths, and Marriages”
(1839); “Precepts and Practice ’’ (1840);
“Fathers and Sons” (1840); and “Pere-
grine Bunce ; ’’ also several plays, includ-
ing “Peter and Paul” and “Rilling No
Murder.” His “Life of Sir David
73 EIornung
Baird” in 1832. Edited John Bull and
New Monthly. “Life” by Barham (1848).
Hook, Walter Farquhar, D.D.,
Dean of Chichester (b. London, 1798;
d. October 20th, 1875). “The Last
Days of Our Lord's Ministry” (1832);
“Sermons Preached before the Univer-
sity of Oxford ” (1837); “Hear the
Church '' (1838); “A Church Diction-
ary '' (1842); “An Ecclesiastical Bi-
ography” (1845-52); “The Three Re-
formations: Lutheran, IRoman, Angli-
can '' (1847); “Lives of the Archbishops
of Canterbury '' [to Archbishop Juxon]
(1860–76); “The Church and its Ordin-
ances” (1876). “Life” by W. R. W.
Stephens (1878).
Hooker, Richard (b. 1553; d. 1600).
“On the Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity,”
books i.—iv. (1593); book v. (1597);
book vii. (1617); books vi. and viii.
(1648). Rev. John Keble published an
excellent edition of Hooker in 1836, re-
vised by Dean Church and Canon Paget
(1888).
Hope, Anthony, were Anthony Hope
Hawkins (b. London, February 9th,
1863). “A Man of Mark ’’ (1890);
“Father Stafford” (1891); “Mr. Witt's
Widow” (1892); “A Change of Air ''
(1893); “Sport Royal'' (1893); “Half
a Hero '' (1893); “The Prisoner of
Zenda” (1894); “The God in the Car”
(1894); “The Dolly Dialogues” (1894).
Horne, George, Bishop of Norwich
(b. Otham, Kent, November 1st, 1730;
d. Bath, January 17th, 1792). “Com-
mentary of the Psalms” (1776), etc.
“Life” (1795). -
Horne, Richard Hengist (b. Tion-
don, 1803; d. 1884). “Cosmo de
Medici.” (1837) : “The Death of Mar-
lowe” (1838); “Exposition of the False
Medium and Barriers excluding Men
of Genius from the Public ’’ (1838);
“Gregory the Seventh,” a tragedy
(1840); “A Life of Napoleon’’ (1841);
“Orion, an Epic Poem’’ (1843); “A
New Spirit of the Age” (1844); “Bal-
lads and Romances '' (1846); “Judas
Iscariot” (1848); “The Dreamer and
the Worker’” (1851); “Undeveloped
Characters of Shakespeare ; ’’ ‘‘Austra-
liam Facts and Prospects; ” and “Laura
Dibalzo’’ (1880). See “Letters of E. B.
Browning to R. H. Horne '' (1877).
Hornung, Ernest William (b. Mid-
dlesbrough, June 7th, 1866). “A Bride
from the Bush’’ (1890); “Under Two
Skies” (1892); “Tiny Luttrell” (1893);
IHorton
1374
FIurnt
“The Boss of Taroomba” (1894); “The
Unbidden Guest’” (1894).
Horton, Rev. Robert Forman,
D.D. (b. London, September 18th, 1855).
“History of the Romans” (1884);
“Inspiration and the Bible '' (1888);
“The Book of Proverbs” (1888);
“Revelation and the Bible” (1892);
“Verbum Dei” (1893); “The Cartoons
of St. Mark” (1894); “The Apostles'
Creed,” etc. (1895).
Houghton, Richard Monckton
Milnes, Baron (b. 1809; d. 1885).
“Memorials of a Tour in Greece ’’
(1833) ; “Memorials of a Residence on
the Continent'' (1838); “Poems of
Many Years” (1838); “Poetry for the
People '' (1840); “Poems, Legendary
and Historical ?” (1844); “Keats's Life,
Letters, and Literary Remains” (1848);
“Boswelliana” (1855); “Essays on
Reform '' (1867); “Monographs, Per-
sonal and Social” (1873). “Life” by
Wemyss Reid (1890).
Howe, John (b. , Loughborough,
Leicestershire, May 17th, 1630; d. Lon-
don, April 2nd, 1706). “The Living
Temple'' (1676–1702); “The Redeemer’s
Tears” (1685); “The Calm and Sober
Inquiry Concerning the Possibility of a
Trinity in the Godhead '' (1695); “The
Blessedness of the Righteous; ” “The
Redeemer’s Dominion over the Invisible
World; ” “Delighting in God’’ (1700).
See the “Lives” by Calamy, Hunt
(1823), and Rogers (1836).
Howell, James (b. 1594; d. 1666).
“Dendrologia; or, the Vocall Forest.”
(1640); “Instructions for Forraine Tra-
well” (1642); “Epistolae Ho-eliana, ’’
(1645-55); “A Perfect Description of
the People and Country of Scotland”
(1649); “Londimopolis, an Historicall
Discourse or Perlustration of the City of
London and of Westminster’” (1657);
“Poems upon Divers Emergent Occa-
sions” (1664). See “Athenae Oxo-
nienses,” “Biographia Britannica,” the
“Dictionary of National Biography,”
and Hallam’s “Literature of Europe.”
Howitt, Mary (b. Uttoxeter, 1800;
d. January 30th, 1888). “The Seven
Temptations; ” “Wood Leighton; ”
“The Heir of West Wayland; ” “The
I)ial of Love; ” “Lilieslea ; ” “Stories
of Stapleford; ” “The Cost of Caerg-
wyn,” etc. She also translated into
Bnglish Andersen’s “Improvisatore,”
and all the works of Frederika Bremer.
Howitt, William (b. Heanon, Derby-
shire, 1795; d. March 3rd, 1879). “The
Book of the Season’’ (1831); “The
IHistory of Priestcraft” (1833); “The
Rural Life of England” (1837); “Stu-
dent Life in Germany ” (1841); “The
Rural and Domestic Life of Germany ”
(1842); “The Aristocracy of England”
(1846); “The Haunts and Homes of
British Poets” (1847); “The Man of
the People” (1860); “The Ruined
Castles and Abbeys of England” (1861);
“The History of the Supernatural”
(1863); “The Mad War Planet, and
other Poems” (1871), etc.
Howson, John Saul, Dean of
Chester (b. 1816; d. December 15th,
1885). “The Life and Epistles of St.
Paul,” with W. J. Conybeare (1852);
“The Miracles of Christ’” (1871-77);
“Chester as It Was’’ (1872); “The
Biver Dee, its Aspect and History ‘’
(1875); “Horae Petrinae'' (1883).
Hughes, Thomas (b. October 20th,
1823). “Tom Brown's School Days”
(1856); “Tom Brown at Oxford” (1861);
“The Scouring of the White Horse”
(1858); “Alfred the Great” (1869);
“The Memoirs of a Brother ” (1873);
“Our Old Church” (1879); “The Man-
liness of Christ’” (1879); “Memoir of
Daniel Macmillan’” (1882); “A Manual
for Co-operators” (1881); “Gone to
Texas” (1884); “Memoir of Bishop
Fraser’” (1887); “David Livingstone”
(1889); and sundry miscellanies.
Hume, David (b. Edinburgh, April
26th, 1711; d. Edinburgh, August 26th,
1776). “Treatise of Human Nature ?'
(1738); “Essays, Moral, Political, and
Literary '' (1741-42); an “Inquiry Con-
cerning Human Understanding’” (1748);
an “Inquiry Concerning the Principles
of Morals” (1751); “Political Dis-
course ’’ (1751); “The History of Eng-
land’’ (1754, 1756, 1759, and 1761); and
the “Natural History of Religion ”
(1755). See the “Autobiography,”
edited by Adam Smith (1789); and the
“Lives '' by Pratt (1777), Dalrymple
(1787), Ritchie (1807), and Hill Burton
(1846). “Philosophical Works” (1875).
See Huxley's monograph (1879). -
Hunt, James Henry Leigh (b.
Southgate, Middlesex, October 19th,
1784; d. August 28th, 1859). “The
Feast of the Poets” (1814); “The De-
scent of Liberty” (1815); “Bacchus in
Tuscany” (1816); “Hero and Leander”
(1816); “Francesca da Rimini” (1816);
“Ultra-Crepidarius” (1819); “Amyn-
tas” (1820); “Recollections of Lord
Byron’’ (1828); “Sir Ralph Esher”.
1Huxley 1375 Jeaffreson
(1832); “Captain Sword and Captain J
Pen” (1839); “A Legend of Florence”
(1840); “The Palfrey’’ (1842); “Chris:
tianism” (1846); “Men, Women, and
Books” (1847); “The Town” (1848);
“Autobiography ’’ (1850); “The Re-
ligion of the Heart” (1853); “Stories
in Verse” (1855); “The Old Court
Suburb '' (1855); “Table Talk; ” “A
Jar of Honey from Mount Hybla; ”
“A Tale for the Chimney Corner; ”
“Wishing Cap Papers; ” and “A Day
by the Fire.” He was also the com-
piler, with notes, of “Wit and Hu-
mour” and “Imagination and Fancy.”
Edited The Earaminer (1808-21); The
Literary Evaminer (1817); The Indicator
(1819-21); The Companion (1828); The
Tatler (1830-32); The London Journal
(1834-35); and The Reflector. For
Biography, see the “Life and Letters” by
his son; Cosmo Monkhouse’s “Life;”
Hawthorne’s “Our Old Home;”
Grundy’s “Pictures of the Past,”
etc. See also Alexander Smith's
“Dreamthorpe.”
Huxley, Thomas Henry, LL.D.
(b. Ealing, May 4th, 1825; d. June 29th,
1895). “Man’s Place in Nature ?”
(1863); “Lectures on Comparative
Anatomy'' (1864); “Lessons on Ele-
mentary Physiology” (1866); “The
Classification of Animals” (1869); “Lay
Sermons, Addresses, and Reviews ''
(1870); “Critiques and Addresses ''
(1873); “Elementary Biology” (1875);
“American Lectures and Addresses”
877); “ Hume.” (1879); “The Cray-
fish ’’ (1881); “Science, Culture, etc.”
(1881); “Social Diseases and Worse
Remedies” (1891); “Essays upon some
Controverted Questions” (1892); “IEvo-
lution and Ethics” (1893). Collected
Essays, in nine volumes, completed
1895.
I
Ingelow, Jean (b. Boston, about
1830). “Tales of Orris’’ (1860); “The
Round of Days” (1861); “Poems.”
(1862); “A Story of Doom, and other
Poems” (1867); “Mopsa the Fairy”
(1869); “Little Wonderhorn” (1872);
“Off the Skelligs” (1873); “Fated to
be Free” (1876); “Don John ” (1876);
“Sarah de Berenger’’ (1880); “The
High Tide on the Coast of Lincolnshire”
(1883); “Very Young, etc.” (1890);
“Stories Told to a Child” (1892).
Ingoldsby, Thomas. (See BARHAM,
RICHARD HENRY.)
*
* *
James I. of England (b. Edin-
burgh, June 19th, 1566; d. March 27th,
1625). “Essays of a Prentice in the
Divine Art of Poesie” (1584); “Majesty's
Poetical Exercises” (1591); “Demono-
logie” (1597); “Basilikon Doron”
(1599); “Triplicinodo Triplex Cuneus ”
(1605); “Remonstrance for the Right
of Kings” (1615); “A Counterblaste to
Tobacco” (1616). Prose Works (1616).
See Arber’s reprints; also “Lives” by
Wilson (1653), Sanderson (1656),
Harris (1753), Laing (1804), Thompson
(1825); Nichol’s “Progresses, etc., of
James I.” (1829); D'Israeli’s “Inquiry
into the Literary and Political Character
of James I.” (1816); and S. R. Gar-
dimer’s “History of England from the
Accession of James I.”
James I. of Scotland (b. Dunferm-
line, 1391; d. Perth, February 20th,
1437). “The King's Quhair '' (1783);
“Christis Kirk on the Green,” and
“Peblis to the Play.” See “Lives” by
Wilson and Chalmers (1830).
James, George Payne Rainsford
(b. London, 1801; d. Venice, June 9th,
1860). About 180 novels—“ Riche-
lieu’” (1825); “Darnley’’ (1830), etc.;
and a few historical works.
Jameson, Mrs. (b. Dublin, May
19th, 1797; d. March 17th, 1860).
Loves of the Poets” (1829);
brated Female Sovereigns” (1831);
“Characteristics of Shakespeare's Wo-
men’’ (1832); “Beauties of the Court
of Charles II.” (1833); “Winter Stu-
dies and Summer Rambles in Canada. ”
(1838); “Lives of the Early Italian
Painters ” (1845); “Memoirs and
Essays” (1846); “Sacred and Legen-
dary Art” (1848); “Legends of the
Madonna ’’ (1852); “A Commonplace
Book of Thoughts, Memories, and
Fancies '' (1854); “The Diary of an
Ennuyée’” (1856); etc. “Life” (1878).
Jeafireson, John Cordy (b. Fram-
lingham, January 14th, 1831). “Novels
and Novelists from Elizabeth to Victoria.”
(1858); “A Book about Doctors ’’
(1860); “Life of Robert Stephenson’’
(1864); “A Book about Lawyers ”
(1866); “A Book about the Clergy”
(1870); “Brides and Bridals” (1872);
“A Book about the Table '' (1874);
“A Young Squire of the Seventeenth
Century” (1877); “The Real Lord
Byron’’ (1883); “The Real Shelley”
(1885); “Lady Hamilton and Lord
Nelson’’ (1887); “The Queen of Naples
Jefferies
1376
‘Jonsori
and Lord Nelson’’ (1889); “Victoria,
Queen and Empress” (1893); “A Book
of Recollections” (1893); etc.
Jefferies, Richard (b. Wiltshire,
1848; d. 1887). “The Scarlet Shawl?”
(1874); “Restless Human Hearts ''
(1875); “World's End” (1877); “The
Gamekeeper at Home'' (1878); “Wild
Life in a Southern County’’ (1879);
“The Amateur Poacher ” (1879);
“Hodge and his Masters ” (1880);
“Greene Ferne Farm '' (1880); “Round
About a Great Estate’” (1880); “Wood
Magic” (1881); “Bevis” (1882); “The
Story of My Heart” (1883); “Nature
Near London’” (1883); “Red Deer'''
(1884); “The Dewy Morn” (1884);
“Life of the Fields” (1884); “The
Open Air '' (1885); “After London’’
(1885); “Amaryllis at the Fair '' (1887);
“Field and Hedgerow,” essays collected
by Mrs. Jefferies (1889); “The Toilers
of the Field” (1892). “Eulogy” by
Walter Besant (1888) and “Life” by
H. S. Salt (1894).
Jeffrey, Francis, Lord (b. Edin-
burgh, October 23rd, 1773; d. Edin-
burgh, January 26th, 1850). Edited
Iºdinburgh Review from 1803 to 1829.
“Essays '' (1843). See his “Life ''
(with “Letters”) by Lord Cockburn
(1852).
Jerome, Jerome Klapka (b. Wal-
sall, May 2nd, 1861). “On the Stage—
and Off” (1885); “Barbara '' (1886);
“Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow ’’
(1886); “Sunset” (1888); “Stageland”
(1889); “Three Men in a Boat” (1889);
“Diary of a Pilgrimage, etc.” (1891);
“Told. After Supper” (1891); “Novel
Notes” (1893); “John Ingerfield, etc.”
(1894). Editor of The Idler.
Jerrold, Douglas William (b.
London, January 3rd, 1803; d. June 8th,
1857). “Black-eyed Susan ’’ (1829);
“The Rent Day” (1832); “Men of
Character ’’ (1838); “Calves and Ale '’
(1841); “The Story of a Feather ”
(1843); “Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lec-
tures” (1845); “Punch's Complete
Letter Writer’” (1846); “The Chro-
nicles of Clovernook '' (1846); “A Man
made of Money ’’ (1849); “The Cats-
paw'' (1850); “Retired from Business”
(1851); and “A Heart of Gold '' (1854).
His “Works” have been published in a
collected form. “Life” (1858).
Jessopp, Rev. Augustus, D.D. (b.
Cheshunt, 1824). “Norwich School
Sermons’’ (1864); “One Generation of
a Norfolk House” (1878); “History of
the Diocese of Norwich '' (1884); “Ar-
cady for Better for Worse’’ (1887);
“The Coming of the Friars, and other
Historical Essays” (1888); “Trials of a
Country Parson’’ (1890); “Studies by
a Recluse ’’ (1892); “Random Roam-
ing, etc.” (1894). Editor of “Visitations
of the Diocese of Norwich '' (1888).
Johnson, Samuel, LL.D. (b. Tich-
field, September 18th, 1709 ; d. London,
December 13th, 1784). “London ''
(1738); “The Life of Richard Savage''
(1744); “Miscellaneous Observations on
the Tragedy of Hamlet, with Remarks
on Hanmer's Edition of Shakespeare ‘’
(1745); “The Vanity of Human Wishes”
(1749); “Irene’’ (1749); “Rasselas”
(1759) ; “A Visit to the Hebrides ''
(1773); “Dictionary of the English-Lan-
guage '' (1775); and “The Lives of the
Poets” (1779-81); besides writing The
Idſey, a weekly essay in The Universal
Chronicle (1758–60), and nearly the
whole of The Rambler. His edition of
Shakespeare appeared in 1765. See the
“Lives” by Towers (1786), Hawkins
(1787), Boswell (1791), Anderson (1795),
and Russell (1847); also Carlyle’s “Es-
says ; ” Teslie Stephen's monograph
(1878); Matthew Arnold’s introduction
to “The Lives of the Poets” (1879);
Birkbeck Hill’s “Dr. Johnson, his
Friends and his Critics” (1879); the
same author’s edition of “Boswell’s Life
of Johnson,” etc. .
Jones, Henry Arthur (b. Grand-
borough, Bucks., September 20th, 1851).
“Saints and Sinners” (1891); “The
Crusaders” (1893); “Judah” (1894);
and many other plays. “Renascence
of the English Drama,’’ (1895). -
Jonson, Ben (b. Westminster, 1574;
d. August 6th, 1637). “Every Man in
his Humour'' (1596); “Every Man, out
of his Humour” (1599); ‘‘Cynthia’s
Revels” (1600); “The Poetaster’’
(1601); “Sejanus” (1603); “Eastward-
Hoe" (with Chapman, and Marston)
(1605); “Volpone” (1605); “Epicene;
or, the Silent Woman” (1609); “The
Alchemist” (1610); “Catiline” (1611);
“Bartholomew Fair '' (1614); “The
Devil's an Ass” (1616); “The Forest”
(1616); “The Staple of News” (1625);
“The New Inn” (1630); “The Magnetic
Lady” (1632); and “The Tale of a Tub”
(1633); besides his unfinished pastoral,
“Thé Sad Shepherd” (1637); various
Masques; “Underwoods ; ” “Tim
ber;” a “Grammar ; ” and many mis-
cellaneous poems and translations. See
Lowndes's ‘Manual.” His Works were
Jowett
1377.
Ičingsley
published in 1616-31, 1640, 1641, 1692,
1716, 1756, 1816 (Gifford), 1838 (Proctor),
1875 (Cunningham). See the “Bio-
graphies” by Chetwood (1756), Gifford
(1816), Proctor (1838), Cunningham and
Bell (1870), and J. A. Symonds (1887);
and Criticism by the two latter, Hazlitt
(“Comic Writers”), Leigh Hunt (“Wit
and Humour,” “Imagination and
Fancy,” and “Men, Women, and
Books”), Swinburne’s “Study” (1889),
the “Dictionary of English Biography,”
and Morley’s “English Writers,” vols.
X. and xi.
Jowett, Rev. Benjamin, LL.D.
(b. Camberwell, 1817; d. October 1st,
1893). “Epistles of St. Paul to the
Thessalonians, Galatians, and Romans’’
(1855); Translations of Thucydides
(1881), Aristotle (1885), Plato (1892),
etc.
IK
Kaye, Sir John William (b.London,
1814; d. July 24th, 1876). “History of
the War in Afghanistan” (1851); “The
Administration of the East India Com-
pany’’ (1853); Biographies of “Lord
Metcalfe’’ (1854), “Sir George Tucker”
(1854), and “Sir John Malcolm ’’ (1856);
“Christianity in India” (1859); “A
History of the Sepoy War, 1857-58?”
(1864-76); “Lives of Indian Officers ”
(1867); and “Essays of an Optimist”
(1870).
Keats, John (b. London, October
29th, 1795; d. Rome, February 27th,
1820). Published “Poems” (1817);
“Endymion ” (1818); and “Hyperion''
(1820). See the “Life” by Lord
Houghton (1848), Colvin’s “Reats” in
the English Men of Letters series (1887),
and W. M. Rossetti’s “Keats” (1887).
For Criticism, see Jeffrey’s and Matthew
Arnold’s “Essays,” Rossetti’s edition
of the “Poems,” Buxton Forman’s
“Poetical Works and other Writings
of John Keats” (1883), and Dr. R.
Bridges’ “John Keats” (1895), etc.
See also his “Letters to Fanny Brawne”
(1879), and Owen’s “Keats, a Study *
(1879).
Keble, John (b. Fairford, Glouces-
tershire, April 25th, 1792; d. Bourne-
mouth, March 29th, 1865). “The
Christian Year” (1827); “De Poeticae
WiNTedica” (1844); “Lyra Innocentium”
(1846); “Sermons” (1848); “Life of
Bishop Wilson’’ (1863); “Letters of
Spiritual Guidance” (1870); “Occasional
Papers” (1877), etc. See “Life” by
Sir J. T. Coleridge, and by Walter
Lock, Shairp’s “Studies,” Miss Yonge's
“Musings on the Christian Year,” etc.
Kelvin, Lord. (See THOMSON, SIR
WILLIAM.)
Kernahan, Coulson (b. Ilfracombe,
August 1st, 1858). “A Dead Man’s
Diary” (1890); “A Book of Strange
Sins '' (1893); “Sorrow and Song”
(1894).
Ridd, Benjamin.
tion” (1894).
King lake, Alexander William (b.
1811; d. January 2nd, 1891). “Eothen”
(1844), and “A History of the War in
the Crimea.” (1863-77).
Ringsley, Charles (b. Holne, Devon-
shire, June 12th, 1819; d. Eversley,
January 23rd, 1875). “The Saint’s
Tragedy” (1846); “Yeast ’’ (1848);
“Willage Sermons’’ (1849); “Alton
Locke” (1850); “Cheap Clothes and
Nasty” (1850); “Phaeton ’’ (1852);
“Hypatia” (1853); “Westward Ho!”
(1855); “Glaucus” (1855); “The Heroes;
or, Greek Fairy Tales” (1856); “Alex-
andria and Her Schools” (1857); “Two
Years Ago '' (1857); “Andromeda; ”
“Miscellanies” (1859); “The Water
Babies” (1863); “The Roman and the
Teuton : Lectures” (1864); “What,
then, does Dr. Newman Mean?” (1864);
“Hereward, the Last of the English ’’
(1866); “The Ancien Régime’” (1867);
“The Hermits '' (1868); “Madam
How, and Lady Why?’ (1870); “At
Last’” (1871); “Prose Idylls” (1873);
“Plays and Puritans” (1873); “Health
and Education ” (1874); “The Limits
of Exact Science as applied to History;”
and several volumes of “Sermons.” . A
collected edition of his Essays, etc., has
appeared since his death. See the
“Life” by Mrs. Kingsley (1876).
Kingsley, Henry (b. Holne, Devon-
shire, 1830; d. May 24th, 1876). “Austin
Elliot; ” “The Boy in Grey;” “Geoffrey
Hamlyn” (1859); “The Harveys; ”
“Hetty, and Other Stories; ” “The
“Social Evolu-
Hillyars and the Burtons;” “Hornby
Mills, and other Stories; ” “Leighton
Court; ” “The Lost Child; ” “Made-
moiselle Mathilde; ” “Number Seven-
teen ; ” “Oakshott Castle; ” “Old Mar-
garet;” “Ravenshoe” (1861); “Reginald
Hetheredge; ”, “Silcote of Silcotes ; ”
“Stretton ; ” “Valentin; ” “Tales of
Old Travel; ” “Fireside Studies;” and
other works, - -
87
Kipling 13
8 Tuane-Poole
Kipling, Rudyard (b. Bombay,
1864). “Soldiers Three" (1888); “The
Phantom Rickshaw,” etc. (1888);
“Plain Tales from the Hills” (1890);
“Under the Deodars” (1890); “Wee
Willie Winkie,” etc. (1890); “Depart-
mental Ditties” (1890); “The Light
that Failed ” (1890); “In Black and
White” (1891); “Life's Handicap *
(1891); “Letters of Marque'' (1891);
“The Story of the Gadsbys” (1891);
“Barrack-room Ballads and other
Verses” (1892); “The Naulahka” (with
C. Wolcott Balestier, 1892); “Many
Inventions '' (1893); “The Jungle
Book” (1894). -
Knowles, James Sheridan (b. Cork,
May 12th, 1784; d. Torquay, Decem-
ber, 1862). “Leo ; or, the Gipsy; ”
“Brian Boroihme” (1814); “Caius Grac-
chus” (1815); “William Tell” (1825);
“The Beggar's Daughter of Bethnal
Green '' (1828); “Virginius” (1828);
“Alfred the Great ' ' (1831); “The
Hunchback” (1832); “The wife” (1833).
“The Love Chase” (1837); “Woman’s
Wit” (1838); “Maid of Mariandorpt”
(1838); “I ove,” “John of Procida '' .
(1840); “Old Maids” (1841); “The Rose
of Aragon '' (1842); and “The Secre-
tary'' (1843). All but the first two of
these were published in three volumes
* ºil. The Works were reprinted in
1863.
Knox, John (b. Gifford, East Lothian,
1505; d. November 24th, 1572). “The
First Blast of the Trumpet against the
Monstrous Regiment of Women” and a
“History of the Reformation of Religion
within the Realm of Scotland.” “Life '’
by Smeaton (1579), McCrie (1812), Nie-
meyer (1824), Laing (1847), and Brandes
(1863). See also Lorimer’s “John Knox
and the Church of England” and
Tullºgh's “Leaders of the Reforma-
tion.
1.
Laing, Samuel (b. Edinburgh, 1810).
“Modern Science and Modern Thought”
(1885); “Problems of the Future,” etc.
(1889); “Human Origins” (1892).
Hºmb, Charles (b. London, Febru-
ary 18th, 1775; d. Edmonton, December
27th, 1834). “Poems” (with Coleridge)
(1797); “Rosamond Gray.” (1798);
“John Woodvil” (1801); “Specimens
from Dramatic Poets : * “Adventures
of Ulysses” (1807); “Essays of Elia’’
(1823); “Last Essays” and “Popular
s
Fallacies” (1833). With his sister Mary,
“Mrs. Leicester’s School; ” “Tales
from Shakespeare’’ (1806); “Poetry
for Children’’ (1809). Works (1876).
A new edition of Lamb’s Works was
published by A. Ainger in 1883-4. See
Talfourd’s “Letters” (1837); “Final
Memorials of Charles Lamb” (1848);
Procter’s “Memoir” (1866); A. Ain-
ger’s “Lamb” in the English Men of
Letters series; and Percy Fitzgerald's
“Life, Letters, and Writings of Lamb”
(1895). -
Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (b.
Chelsea, 1802; d. October 15th, 1839).
“The Fate of Adelaide’” (1820); “The
Improvisatrice, and other Poems.”
(1824); “The Troubadour '' (1825);
“The Venetian Bracelet” (1829); “The
Lost Pleiad” (1829); “Francisca Car-
rara, ’’ (1834); “The Vow of the Pea-
cock” (1835); “Ethel Churchill''
(1837); and “Duty and Inclination”
(1838). “Life” with literary remains
by Laman Blanchard in 1841. Poems
edited by W. B. Scott in 1873.
Landor, Walter Savage (b. Ipsley
Court, Warwick, January 30th, 1775;
d. Florence, September 17th, 1864).
“Poems ” (1795); “Gebir.” (1798);
“Count, Julian '' (1812); “Idyllia
Heroica, ’’ (1820); “Imaginary Con-
versations” (1824-29); “Latin Poems”
(1824); “The Examination of William
Shakespeare '' (1834); “Pericles and
Aspasia” (1836); “Letters of a Con-
servative ’’ (1836); “Satire on Satirists”
(1836); “Pentameron ; or, Interviews
of Messer Giovanni Boccaccio and
Messer Francese Petrarcha” (1837);
“Giovanna of Naples,” “Andrea of
Hungary,”, “Fra Ruperto’’ (1840-41);
“Hellenics” (1847); “Last Fruit off an
Old Tree” (1853); “Dry Sticks Fag-
goted ” (1858); and other works edited
by Forster, with “Life” (1876). See
also Sidney Colvin’s “Landor” (1881).
Lane, Edward William (b. 1801;
d. 1876). “The Manners and Customs
of the Modern Egyptians” (1836); “A
Translation of the Arabian Nights”
(1838–40); “Selections from the Koran”
(1843); “Arabic Lexicon '' (1863–74);
“Arabian Society in the Middle Ages”
(1883).
Lane-Poole, Stanley (b. London,
December 18th, 1854). “Essays in
Oriental Numismatics” (1872-77);
“Coins of the Urtuki Turkomans’’
(1874); “Egypt”.. (1881); “Studies in
a Mosque” (1883); “Social Life in
Tiāng 13
*—
Egypt” (1884); “Coins and Medals”
(1885); “The Art of the Saracens in
Egypt” (1886); “The Moors in Spain,”
with A. Gilman (1886); “Turkey’”
(1888); “Life of Stratford Camming,
Viscount de Redcliffe’” (1888); “The
Barbary Corsairs” (1890); “Cairo '’
(1892); “Life of Sir Henry Parkes,”
with F. W. Dickins (1894), etc.
Lang, Andrew (b. Selkirk, March
31st, 1844). “Ballads and Lyrics of
Old France ’’ (1872); “XXII. Ballades
in Blue China’’ (1880); “XXXII.
Ballades in Blue China’’ (1881); “The
Library” (1881); “Helen of Troy’”
(1882); “Custom and Myth '' (1884);
“Rhymes à la Mode” (1885); “In the
Wrong Paradise” (1886); “Letters to
Dead Authors” (1886); “Books and
Bookmen’’ (1887); “Myth, Ritual, and
Ireligion ” (1887); “Grass of Parnas-
sus” (1888); “Letters on Literature”
(1889); “Lost Leaders” (1889); “Prince
Prigio” (1889); “Life, Letters, and
T)iaries of Sir Stafford Northcote, First
Earl of Iddesleigh” (1890); “Old
Friends” (1890); “The World’s Desire,”
in collaboration with H. Rider Hag-
gard (1890); “Essays in Little” (1891);
“Angling Sketches” (1891); “Prince
IRicardo of Pantouflia’’ (1893); “ St.
Andrews” (1893): “Homer and the
Epic’’ (1893); “Cock Lane and Com-
mon Sense” (1894); “Ban and Arrière
Ban '' (1894). Has translated Theo-
critus and Bion, collaborated in trans-
lating both the “Iliad” and “Odyssey”
of Homer, and edited the
Edition of Scott, “English Worthies,”
a Series of Fairy Books, etc.
Langland, Willian (temp. Edward
III.). “The Vision of Piers Plow-
man’’ (Skeat's edition, 1869). -
Lardner, Dionysius, LL.D. (b.
Dublin, April 3rd, 1793; d. Naples,
April 29th, 1859). “ Handbook of
Natural Philosophy and Astronomy.”
(1851–53); “The Museum of Science
and Art” (1854–56), etc. Edited the
“Cabinet Cyclopædia '' (1829-46).
Latimer, Hugh (b. Thurcaston,
Teicestershire, about 1491; d. Oxford,
September, 1555). Was the author of a
“Sermon on the Ploughers” (1549);
“Seven Sermons before Edward VI.,”
“Seven Sermons on the Lord’s Prayer,”
and “Sermons Preached in Lincoln-
shire,” etc. Editions of these appeared in
1562 and 1571; later, in 1825 and 1845.
See the Biographies by Gilpin (1780),
Watkins (1824), and Demaus (1869);
“Hurrish” (1886);
Border
*s
9 Lemon
Tulloch’s “Leadersof the Reformation,”
and Froude's “History of England,”
chap. iv. A. “Iife’’ and selections in
vol. ii. of “The Fathers of the Church.”
Lawless, The Hon. Emily, daughter
of the third Lord Cloncurry (b. 1845).
“With Essex in
Ireland” (1890); “Grania” (1892);
“Maelcho” (1894). + a
Le Gallienne, Richard (b. Liver.
pool, January 20th, 1866). “My Ladies'
Sonnets, etc.” (1887); “Volumes in
Folio” (1889); “The Student and the
Body-Snatcher,” with R. K. Leathes
(1890); “George Meredith : Some
Characteristics” (1890); “Book-Bills
of Narcissus” (1891); “English Poems.”
(1892); “Religion of a Literary Man”
(1893); “Prose Fancies, etc.” (1894);
“Robert Louis Stevenson : An Elegy,
etc.” (1895). Has edited the Poems of
| Arthur Henry Hallam, etc.
Theathes, Rev. Stanley, D.D. (b.
Ellesborough, Bucks, March 21st, 1830).
“Witness of the Old Testament to
Christ'' (1868); “Witness of St. Paul
to Christ” (1869); “Witness of St. John
to Christ” (1870); “Structure of the
Old Testament” (1873) : “The Gospel
its Own Witness” (1874); “Religion of
the Christ” (1874); “The Christian
Creed” (1877); “Old Testament Pro-
phecy” (1880); “The Foundations of
Morality’’ (1882); “Characteristics of
Christianity” (1884); “Christ and the
Bible” (1885); “The Law in the Pro-
phets” (1891), etc. *
Lecky, William Edward Hartpole
(b. Dublin, March 26th, 1838). “Lea-
ders of Public Opinion in Ireland ”
(1861); “History of Rationalism” (1865);
“History of European Morals” (1869);
“History of England in the Eighteenth
Century” (1878-87); “Poems” (1891);
“The Political Value of History''
(1892); “The Empire : Its Value and
Its Growth” (1893). -
Lee, Nathaniel (b. 1655; d. 1692).
“Nero” (1675); “The Rival Queens”
(1677); “Theodosius ” (1680); “The
Princess of Cleves” (1689); “The Mas-
sacre of Paris” (1690); “Brutus,”
“Mithridates,” and other plays pub-
lished in 1834. Helped Dryden in “The
IDuke of Guise.”
Lemon, Mark (b. November 30th,
1809; d. May 23rd, 1870). Edited
Punch, and wrote “The Enchanted
Doll?” (1849); “A Christmas Ham-
per’” (1859); “Wait for the End”
(1863); “Loved at Last” (1864); “Falk-
Tuever
1380
Lindsay
ner Lyle” (1866); besides several other
novels, Over sixty dramatic pieces, and
“The Jest Book.” See Joseph Hatton’s
“With a Show in the North.”
, Lever, Charles James (b. Dublin,
August 31st, 1809; d. Trieste, June 1st,
1872). “The Adventures of Harry
Lorrequer” (1839); “Charles O’Malley”
º “Jack Hinton” (1842); “Tom
urke of Ours” (1844); “The O'Dono-
(1845); “The Knight of
ghue?”
1847); “Roland . Cashel.”
Gwynne?’ (
(1849); “The Daltons” (1852); “The
Dodd Family Abroad” (1854); “The
Martins of Cro' Martin’” (1856); “The
Fortunes of Glencore” (1857); “Daven-
port Dunn’’ (1859); “Barrington’’
(1863); “A Day's Ride” (1863); “Lut-
trell of Arran’” (1865); “Tony Butler”
(1865); “Sir Brooke Fosbrooke” (1866);
“The Bramleighs of Bishop’s Folly”
(1868); “That Boy of Norcott’s ” (1869);
“Paul Gosslett's Confessions” (1871);
“Lord Kilgobbin’” (1872), etc. See the
“Life” (1879). Edited The Dublin
University Magazine.
Lewes, George Henry (b. London,
April 18th, 1817; d. November 30th,
1878). “Biographical History of Philo-
sophy” (1847; remodelled and enlarged
edition, 1867); “Ranthorpe: A Tale '’
(1847); “The Spanish Drama—Lope de
Vega and Calderon '' (1848); “Rose,
Blanche, and Violet” (1848); “A Life
of Robespierre” (1850); “The Noble
Heart,” a tragedy (1850); “Comte's
Philosophy of the Sciences” (1859);
“Life of Goethe’’ (1859); “Seaside
Studies” (1859); “Physiology of Com-
mon Life” (1860); “Studies in Animal
Life” (1861); “Aristotle” (1861);
“Problems of Life and Mind’’ (1873-
76); and “Physicallbasis of Mind” (1877).
Edited The Leader and The Fortnightly
JReview.
Lewis, Sir George Cornewall (b.
London, April 21st, 1806; d. April 13th,
1863). “Remarks on the Use and
Abuse of Political Terms” (1832); “Lo-
cal Disturbances in Ireland and the
Irish Church Question ” (1836); “Glos-
sary of Herefordshire Provincial Words”
(1839); “Essay on the Origin and For-
mation of the Romance Languages”
(1839) : “Essay on the Government of
Dependencies” (1841); “Essay on the
Influence of Authority in Matters of
Opinion ” (1849); “A Treatise on the
Methods of Observation and Reasoning
in Politics '' (1850); “An Inquiry into
the Credibility of Early Roman His-
tory;” “Our Foreign Jurisdiction and
the Extradition of Criminals ; ” “Let-
ters ” in 1870. He translated Böckh’s
“Public Economy of Athens,” Müller's
“ History of Greek Literature,” and
Müller’s “Dorians.” See Bagehot's
“Biographical Studies.”
Lewis, Matthew Gregory, called
“Monk” Lewis (b. 1775; d. 1818). “The
Monk,” a romance (1795); “The Castle
Spectre,” a drama (1797); “ Tales of
Wonder’” (1801); “The Bravo of
Venice ’’ (1804); “Romantic Tales”
(1808); besides many plays, and trans-
lations from the German. See ‘‘Lewis’s
Life and Correspondence ’’(1839).
Liddon, Henry Parry, D.D., Canon
of St. Paul’s (b. Stoneham, Hants.,
1829; d. September 9th, 1890). “Di-
vinity of Our Lord” (1867); “Wal-
ter Kerr Hamilton ’’ (1869); “Ser-
mons on Old Testament Subjects”
(1891); “Passiontide Sermons” (1891);
“Some Words of Christ” (1892); “Es-
says and Addresses '' (1892); “Life of
E. B. Pusey,” vols. i. and ii., edited by
J. O. Johnston and R. J. Wilson (1893);
“Clerical Life and Work” (1894);
several series of sermons preached
before the University of Oxford, in St.
Paul’s, etc. -
Lightfoot, Joseph Barber, D.D.,
Bishop of Durham (b. Liverpool, 1828; d.
December 21st, 1889). “Essays on
Supernatural Religion” (1889); “Leaders
in the Northern Church'' (1890);
“Ordination Addresses,” etc. (1890);
Edition of “The Apostolic Fathers”
completed by J. R. Harmer (1891);
“Notes on the Epistles of St. Paul”
(1895), etc. -
Lilly, William Samuel (b. Fife-
head, Dorset, 1840). “Ancient Re-
ligion and Modern Thought” (1884);
“Chapters in European History”
(1886); “A Century of Revolution.”
(1889); “On Right and Wrong” (1890);
“On Shibboleths’’ (1892); “The Great
Enigma" (1892); “The Claims of
Christianity” (1894).
Lindsay, Sir David (b. probably at
Garmylton, East Lothian, 1490; d.
1555). “The Dreme” (1528); “The
Complaynt of the King's Papingo”
(1530); “The Testament of the Papin-
go’’ (1530); “Ane Pleasant Satyre of
the Three Estatis” (1540); “The Re-
gisterof Arms” (1542), with plates (1822);
* The Historie of Squyer William Mel-
drum”(1550); “The Monarchie” º
and some minor works, first collected
in 1568. Poetical Works, with Life,
Tuinton
1381
Tuodge
by George Chalmers in 1806; but the
completest edition is Laing's (1879).
Linton, Mrs. Eliza Lynn (b. Kes-
wick, 1822). “Witch Stories” (1861);
“The Lake Country” (1864); “Our-
selves” (1870); “Joshua Davidson ’’
(1874); “Patricia Kemball” (1875);
“The Atonement of Leam Dundas’’
(1876); “The World Well Lost” (1877);
“ Under which Lord?” (1879); “The
Girl of the Period’ (1883); “The
Autobiography of Christopher . Kirk-
land '' (1885); “Paston Carew’’ (1886);
“Through the Long Night” §:
“About Ireland ” (1890); “An Octave
of Friends” (1891); “About Ulster”
(1892); “The One Too Many ” (1894);
“In Haste and at Leisure” (1895).
Linton, William James (b. Lon-
don, 1812). “A History of Wood En-
graving” (1846-47). “Claribel, and
other Poems ” (1865); “The Flower
and the Star ” (1868); “Practical Hints
on Wood Engraving ” (1879); “Voices
of the IJead '' (1879 °); “Wood Fu-
graving ” (1884); “Love Lore” (1887);
“Poems and Translations” (1889);
“The Masters of Wood Engraving ”
(1889). “Life of J. G. Whittier”
(1893); “European Republicans” (1893);
“Memories” (1895).
Livingstone, David (b. 1813; d.
May 4th, 1873). “Missionary Travels
and Researches in South Africa” (1857);
“Narrative of an Expedition to the
Zambesi and its Tributaries” (1865).
“Last Journals,” edited by Rev. H.
Waller (1874).
found Livingstone.”
Locke, John (b. Wrington, Somer-
setshire, August 29th, 1632; d. Oates,
Essex, October 28th, 1704). “A Letter
on Toleration ” (1689); “A Second
Letter on Toleration” (1690); “Two
Treatises on Government” (1690); “An
Essay Concerning Human Understand-
ing” (1690); “The Inspiration of the
Holy Scriptures” (1690); “A. Third
Letter on Toleration” (1692); “Thoughts
Concerning Education ” (1693); “The
Ičeasonableness of Christianity” (1695);
‘‘ On the Conduct of the Understand-
ing; ” “Examination of Malebranche; ”
“Elements of Natural Philosophy;”
“Thoughts on Reading and Study; ”
“Essay for the Understanding of St.
Paul’s Epistles by Consulting St. Paul
IHimself; ” and some minor works in-
cluded in the edition of the “Works ''
published in 1777. His Life has been
written by Le Clerc (1713), Lord King
See Stanley’s “How I
(1829), and Fox-Bourne (1876). See
also the essay by J. A. St. John, pre-
fixed to the “Philosophical Works,”
published in 1843.
Locker, Fredericlº (b. 1821). “LOn-
don Lyrics” (1857). Edited “Lyra.
Elegantiarum.” “Selections” from
his works appeared in 1865; a volume
of “Patchwork” in 1879, etc.
Locker-Lampson, Frederick (b.
1821; d. May 28th, 1895). “London
Lyrics” (1857); edited “Lyra Elegan-
tiarum ” (1867; enlarged edition 1891).
Lockhart, John Gibson (b. Cam-
busnethan, Lanarkshire, 1794; d. Ab-
botsford, November 25th, 1854). “Peter's
Letters to his Kinsfolk” (along with
Wilson, 1819); “Ancient Spanish Bal-
lads” (1821); “Valerius” (1821);
“Essays on Cervantes” (1822); “Adam
Blair’ (1822); “Reginald Dalton”
(1823); “Matthew Wald’’ (1824);
“Life of Burns” (1828); and “Life of
Scott '' (1837-39). Edited The Quar-
terly Review. See Dr. R. Shelton Mac-
kenzie’s “Memoir of John Gibson
Lockhart,” prefixed to an edition of
“The Noctes Ambrosianae'' (New
York, 1855).
Lockyer, Professor Joseph Ncr-
man, C.B. (b. Rugby, May 17th, 1836).
“Elementary Astronomy,” “Solar
Physics” (1873); “The Spectroscope
and its Applications '' (1873); “Primer
of Astronomy” (1874); “Star Gazing ”
1878); “Researches in Spectrum Ana-
lysis” (1882); “ Chemistry of the Sun ?
(1887); “Movements of the Earth ''
(1887); “The Dawn of Astronomy”
(1894). Edits Nature.
Lodge, Thomas (b. 1555; d. 1625).
“Reply to the Schoole of Abuse” (1579–
80); “An Alarm against Usurers ”
(1584); “Scillae's etamorphosis ''
(1589); “Rosalynde'' (1590); “Cath-
aros” (1591); “Euphues' Shadow ’’
(1592); “Phillis’’ (1593); “William
Longbeard ” (1593); “The Wounds of
Civil War ’’ (1594); “A Looking-
Glasse for London and England’’ (with
Bobert Greene, 1594); “A Fig for
Momus ” (1595); “The DivelConjured.”
(1596); “Wit's Miserie and the World’s
Madnesse’’ (1596); and others. See
Hazlitt’s “Handbook to Early Eng-
lish Literature,” Collier’s “Dramatic
Poetry” and “Poetical Decameron,”
Wood’s “Athenae Oxonienses,” Beloe's
“Anecdotes of Literature,” Ritson's
“Bibliographia Poetica,” Brydges’ “Cen-
sura Literaria,’’ Retrospective Review,
Tovelace
13S2
Tytton
and the Shakespeare Society's publi-
cations for 1853, and the “Dictionary of
National Biography.” -
Lovelace, Richard (b. Kent, 1618;
d. London, 1658). “Lucasta: Odes,
Sonnets, Songs, etc.” (1649); and some
posthumous pieces (1659). Also, “The
Scholar,” a comedy; and “The Soldier,”
a tragedy (1649), neither of which is
extant. “Poems’” were edited in
1864 by Carew Hazlitt. See Wood's
“Athenae Oxonienses” and Morley's
“The Ring and the Commons.”
Lover, Samuel (b. 1797; d. July
6th, 1868). “Legends and Stories of
Ireland ” (1832); “Songs and Bal-
lads” (1839); “Rory O'More” (1837);
“Handy Andy, an Irish Tale’” (1842);
“Metrical Tales '' (1860). See B. Ber-
nard’s “Samuel Lover.”
Lubbock, Right Hon. Sir John,
Bart., M.P., D.C.L., LL.D. (b. London,
April 30th, 1834). “Prehistoric Times
as Illustrated by Ancient Remains and
the Manners and Customs of Modern
Savages” (1865); “The Origin of
Civilisation and the Primitive Condition
of Man” (1870); “On the Origin and
Metamorphosis of Insects” (1873);
“Monograph on the Thysanura and
Collembola, ’’ (1873); “Our British
Wild Flowers Considered in their Re-
lation to Insects” (1873); “A Volume
of Scientific Lectures” (1879); “Fifty
Years of Science ’’ (1882); “Ants, Bees,
and Wasps” (1882); “The Pleasures of
Life” (1887); “The Beauties of Na-
ture” (1892); “A Contribution to our
Rnowledge of Seedlings” (1892); “The
Use of Life” (1894). -
Lucy, Henry W. (b. Crosby, near
Liverpool, December 5th, 1845). “A
Popular Handbook of Parliamentary
Procedure” (1880); “Men and Man-
ners in Parliament; ” “Gideon Fleyce”
(1882); “East by West” (1885); “A
Diary of Two Parliaments” (1885-86);
“A Diary of the Salisbury Parliament”
(1892); “Faces and Places” (1892);
“The Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone” (1895).
Lyall, Edna, were Ada Ellen Bayly
(b. Brighton). “Won by Waiting” (1879);
“Donovan” (1882); “We Two’’ (1884);
“In the Golden Days” (1885); “Knight
Errant” (1887); “Autobiography of a
Slander” (1887); “Derrick Vaughan,
Novelist” (1889); “Their Happiest
Christmas” (1889); “A Hardy Norse-
man” (1889); “The Autobiography of
a Slander” (1892); “To Right the
Wrong’” (1893); “Doreen” (1894).
“The Chorle and the Byrde; ”
Lydgate, John (b. Suffolk, not later
than 1370; d. 1460). “The Hystory,
Sege, and Destruccyon of Troye” (1513);
“The Story of Thebes” (1561); “The
Falls of Princes” (1494); and several
minor works, including “The Werke of
Sapience; ” “The Lyf of Our Ladye; ”
& 4 A.
Lytell Treatise of the Horse, the Shepe,
and the Goos; ” “Proverbes; ” “Thé
Temple of Glass; ” and “The Cronycle
of all the Kynges Names.”
Lyell, Sir Charles (b. November 14th,
1797; d. Feb. 22nd, 1875). “Principles
of Geology” (1830-33); “Elements of
Geology” (1838); “Travels in North
America” (1845); “A Second Visit to
the United States” (1849) : “The An-
tiquity of Man” (1863). He also con-
tributed many papers to the Transac-
tions of scientific societies. Sºe Kath-
leen Lyell’s “Life and Letters of Sir
Charles Lyell” (1881).
Lyly, or Lilly, John (b. Rent, 1553;
d. November, 1606). “Euphues: The
Anatomy of Wit’ (1579); “Euphues
and his England’’ (1580); “Alexanders
and Campaspe” (1584); “Pap with a
Hatchet’” (1589); “Sapho and Phao "
(1591); “Endymion, the Man in the
Moon” (1592); “Euphues' Shadow ’’
(1592); “Galathea'' (1592); “Midas?”
(1592); “Mother Bombie ’’ (1594);
“The Woman in the Moon” (1597);
“The Maydes Metamorphoses” (1600);
“Love's Metamorphosis” (1601); “Six
Court Comedies” (1632); and “Euphues
and Lucilla'' (1716). For Biography,
see Collier’s “History of Dramatic
Poetry” and W. C. Hazlitt’s “Hand-
book to Early English Poetry.” For
Criticism, Hazlitt’s “Age of Elizabeth;”
Hallam’s “Literature of Europe; ”
Lamb’s “Specimens of English Dramatic
Poets; ” Coleridge’s “Remains; ” H.
Coleridge’s “Notes and Marginalia; ”
and Jusserand’s “History of the Eng-
lish Novel in the Time of Elizabeth.”
An edition of Lyly's dramatic works was
edited by F. W. Fairholt in 1858. Exact
reprint of “Euphues'' by Arber. See
also Morley’s “English Writers,” vols.
viii.-xi.
Lytton, Lord (Edward George Earle
Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, b. May, 1805;
d. January 18th, 1873). “Ismael, with
other Poems” (1820); prize poem on
“Sculpture” (1825); “Weeds and Wild
Flowers,” poem (1826); “O’Neill; or,
the Rebel” (1827); “Falkland” (1827);
“Pelham ; or, the Adventures of a
Gentleman” (1827); “The Disowned”
Tytton
1383
TMcCarthy
§: “Devereux’” (1829); “Paul
lifford” (1830); “The Siamese Twins,
and other Poems ” (1831); “Eugene
Aram ” (1831); “Godolphin '' (1833);
“England and the English ’’ (1833);
“The Pilgrims of the Rhine’’ (1834);
“The Last Days of Pompeii” (1834);
“The Crisis,” a pamphlet (1834); “The
Student,” essays (1835); “Rienzi, the
Last of the Tribunes” (1835); “The
I)uchess de la Vallière,” a play (1836);
“Athens, its Rise and Fall” (1836);
“Ernest Maltravers” (1837); “Alice;
or, the Mysteries” (1838); “Teila ; or,
the Siege of Granada,” and “Calderon,
the Courtier’” (1838); “The Lady of
Lyons,” a play (1838); “Richelieu,” a
play (1839); “The Sea Captain,” a play
(1839); “Money,” a play (1840); “Night
and Morning” (1841); “Zanoni” (1842);
“Eva” and “The Ill-omened Marriage”
(1842); “Poems and Ballads of Schiller,”
translated (1844); “The Last of the
Barons” (1843); “Confessions of a
Water Patient” (1845); “The New
Timon’” (1845); “Lucretia; or, the
Children of the Night” (1847); “ King
Arthur’’ (1848); “The Caxtons: a
Family Picture” (1849); “Harold, the
Last of the Saxons” (1850); “Not so
Bad as We Seem,” a play (1851); “My
Novel; or, Varieties of English Life"
(1853); “What will He do with It?”
(1858); “A Strange Story” (1862);
“Caxtoniana ; or, Essays on Life, Liter-
ature, and Manners” (1863); “The
Lost Tales of Miletus” (1866); “The
IRightful Heir,” a play (1868); “Wal-
pole'' (1869); “The Coming Race”
(1871); “The Parisians” (1873); “Ken-
elm Chillingley’’ (1873); and “Pausa-
nias the Spartan’’ (1876). An edition
of his “Dramatic Works” appeared in
1863, of his “Poems” in 1865, and of
his “Miscellaneous Prose Works '' in
1868. His “ Novels” are published in
numerous editions. For Biography, see
the “Memoir” prefixed by Robert, Lord
Lytton, to his father’s “Speeches”
(1874), and “The Life, Letters, and
Literary Remains of Edward Bulwer,
Lord Lytton,” by his son (1883). For
Criticism, see “Essays '' by George
Brimley; “Essays on Fiction ” by
Nassau W. Senior; “Essays” by W.
C. Roscoe ; Quarterly Review for }.8,Illl-
ary, 1865; Blackwood’s Magazine for
March, 1873, etc.
Lytton, Lord, “Owen Meredith ”
(Edward Robert Bulwer-Lytton, b. No-
vember 8th, 1831; d. November 24th,
iši). “Clytemnestra,” etc. (išjāj: Thé
“Dear
Wanderer” (1859); “Lucile’” (1860);
“Julian Fame: a Memoir” (1861); “The
Ring of Åmasis” (1863); “Poetical
Works of Owen Meredith ” (1867);
“Chronicles and Characters” (1868);
“Orval; or, the Fool of Time ’’ (1869);
“Fables in Song” (1874); “Glenaveril;
or, the Metamorphoses” (1885); “After
Paradise” (1887); “The Ring of Ama-
sis” (1890); “King Poppy” (1892);
also, in conjunction with Julian Fane,
“Tannhäuser ; or, the Battle of the
Bards” (1861). In 1883 he published
a Life of his father.
Mºſ
Maartens, Maarten (b. Holland).
“The Sin of Joost Avelingh.” (1889);
“An Old Maid's Love” (1891); “A
Question of Taste” (1892); “God’s
Fool” (1892); “The Greater Glory”
(1894); “My Lady Nobody” (1895).
Macaulay, Thomas Babington,
Lord (b. Rothley Temple, Leicester-
shire; October 25th, 1800; d. Kensing-
ton, December 28th, 1859). Wrote
several papers in Knight’s Quarterly
Magazine (1823-24); “Essays” in The
Edinburgh Review (1825–44); “Lays of
Ancient Rome '' (1842); “History of
Lngland” (unfinished, 1849-55-61);
biographies in “The Encyclopædia Brit-
annica ’’ (1857-58); “Speeches,” and
various miscellanies. His Life has been
written by Dean Milman (1862), the
Rev. Frederick Arnold (1862), Sir G. O.
Trevelyan (1876), and J. C. Morison in
the English Men of Letters series. Sir
G. O. Trevelyan has also published “Se-
lections” from his writings (1876). See
also the “Correspondence of Macvey
Napier” (1879).
McCarthy, Justin, M.P. (b. Cork,
November 22nd, 1830). “Paul Massie”
(1866); “The Waterdale Neighbours.”
(1867); “My Enemy's Daughter” (1869);
“Lady Judith.” (1871); “A Fair Saxon.”
(1873); “Linley Rochford” (1874);
Lady Disdain” (1875); “Miss
Misanthrope” (1877); “Donna Quixote’’
(1879); “A History of Our Own Times”
(1878-80); “Con Amore” (1880); “The
Comet of a Season” (1881); “Maid of
Athens” (1883); “The History of the
Four Georges” (1884); “Ireland’s
Cause in England's Parliament” (1888);
“A Short History of Our Own Times”
(1888); “The Grey River,” in collabora-
tion (1889); “Roland Oliver’’ (1889);
“Sir Robert Peel” (1890); “Charing
- - McCarthy
1884
1Mackintosh
Cross to St. Paul’s” (1890); “The Dic-
tator” (1893); also “The Right Honour-
able” (1886), and “The Rebel Rose”
1888), written in conjunction with Mrs.
ampbell Praed. Has been connected
with several journals, especially the
Daily News. -
McCarthy, Justin Huntly (b.
1860). “Outline of Irish History ''
(1883); “Serapion and other Poems.”
(1883); “England under Gladstone’”
(1884); “Camiola’’ (1885); “Doom l’”
(1886); “Our Sensation Novel ” (1886);
“Hafiz in London” (1886); “Ireland
since the Union” (1887); “The Case for
Home Rule '' (1887); “Harlequinade”
(1889); “Lily Lass” (1889); “Dolly”
(1889); “French Revolution” (1890);
“Red Diamonds” (1893); “A London
Legend” (1895); “Translation of the
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam ” (1889),
and “Persian Tales” (1893); etc.
MacDonald, George, LL.D. (b.
Huntly, Aberdeenshire, 1825). “Within
and Without ’’ (1855); “Poems ”
(1857); “Phantastes” (1858); “David
Elginbrod” (1862); “The Hidden Life,
and other Poems” (1864); “Adela Cath-
cart” (1864); “The Portent” (1864);
“Alec Forbes, of Howglen?” (1865);
“Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood.”
(1866); “Unspoken Sermons'' (1866);
“Guild Court’” (1867); “Dealings
with the Fairies” (1867); “The Sea-
board Parish’” (1867); “The Disciple,
and other Poems” (1868); “Bhgland’s
Antiphon '' (1868); ‘‘ Robert Fal-
coner’” (1868); “Banald Bannerman’s
Boyhood '' (1869); “The Miracles of
our Lord” (1870); “At the Back of
the North Wind” (1870); “The Prin-
cess and the Goblin’” (1871); “The
Vicar's Daughter” (1872); “Wilfrid
Cumbermede '' (1872); “Gutta Percha
Willie’’ (1873); “Malcolm ’’ (1874);
“St. George and St. Michael” (1875);
“The Wise Woman’’ (1875); “Thomas
Wingfold, Curate ’’ (1876); “The Mar-
quis of Lossie ’’ (1877); “Paul Faber’”
(1878); “Sir Gibbie” (1879); “Mary
Marston’’ (1881); “Weighed and Want-
ing” (1882); “The Gifts of the Child
Christ,” etc. (1882); “Castle Warlock”
(1882); “Donal Grant’’ (1883); “The
Princess and Curdie ’’ (1883); “The
Imagination and other Essays '' (1883);
“What's Mine's Mine” (1886); “Home
Again '' (1887); “The Elect Lady’”
(1888); “A Rough Shaking” (1890);
“The Light Princess,” etc. (1890);
“Cross Purposes and the Shadows”
(1890); “The Flight of the Shadow ’’
(1891);
“There and Back” (1891);
“The Hope of the Gospel” (1892);
“Poetical Works” (1893); “Heather
and Snow’” (1893), etc.
Mackay, Charles, LL.D. (b. Perth,
1812; d. December, 1889). “Poems ”
(1834); “Memoirs of Extraordinary
Popular . Delusions” (1841); “The
Salamandrine” (1842); “Legends of
the Isles” (1845); “Voices from the
Mountains” (1846); “Town Lyrics ''
(1847); “Egeria '' (1850); “The
Lump of Gold '' (1856); “Under
Green Leaves '' (1857); “A Man’s
Heart” (1860); “Studies from the An-
tique and Sketches from Nature” (1864);
“Under the Blue Sky” (1871); “Lost
Beauties of the English Language ’’
(1874); and other works. A collected
edition of his Poems appeared in 1876.
He was editor of the Glasgow Argus
from 1844 to 1847. See his “Forty
Years' Recollections '' (1876), and
“Through the Long Day” (1887).
Mackay, George Eric. “Songs of
Love and Death '' (1865); “Love
Letters. By a Violinist '' (1884);
“Gladys, the Singer '' (1887); “A
Lover's Litanies” (1888); “Nero and
Actea, '' (1891); “A Song of the Sea '.'
(1895), etc. - -
Mackenzie, Henry (b. Edinburgh,
1745; d. January 14th, 1831). “The
Man of Feeling” (1771); “The Man of
the World’’ (1773); “Julia de Rou-
bigné '' (1777); besides contributing to
The Mirror (1778), The Lounger (1785),
and the “Transactions of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh.” He also pub-
lished a volume of translations and
dramatic pieces in 1791, a “Life of
Blacklock ’’ in 1793, and a “Life of
John Home '’ in 1812. “Works '' in
1808.
Mackintosh, Sir James (b. Al-
dourie, Inverness-shire, October 24th,
1765; d. London, May 30th, 1832).
“The Regency Question ” (1788);
“Vindicia Gallicae '' (1791); contribu-
tions to The Monthly Review (1796);
“On the Study of the Law of Nature
and Nations” (1799); “The Trial of
John Peltier, Esq.” (1803); a “ Disser-
tation on Ethical Philosophy” (1830);
a “History of England” (1830-32);
“History of the Reformation in Eng-
land in 1688” (1834); a “Life of Sir
Thomas More ” (1844); and other pub-
lications. His miscellaneous Works
were published in three volumes (1846).
His “Memoirs” were edited by his son
Robert in 1835.
McLaren 1885 Mandeville
McLaren, Alexander, D.D. (b. and Studies in Greece”. (1876). “Greek
Glasgow, February 11th, 1826). “The Education. (1879); “A History of
Secret of Power,” etc. (1882); “ Christ
in the Heart” (1886); “The Holy, of
Holies” (1890); “The Unchanging
Christ,” etc. (1890); “The Conquering
Christ,” etc. (1891); “The God of the
Amen,” etc. (1891); “The Wearied
Christ,” etc. (1893); “Paul’s Prayers,”
etc. (1893).
Macleod, Norman, D.D. (b. Camp-
belltown, June 3rd, 1812; d. Glasgow,
June 16th, 1872). “The Old Lieutenant
and his Són; ” “The Starling; ” “Wee
Davie; ” “The Gold Thread and Other
Stories; ” “Eastward; ” “Peeps at the
Far East ; ” “Reminiscences of a High-
land Parish ; ” “Simple Truths Spoken
to Working People ; ” and some fugitive
sermons. See the “Life '’ written by his
brother (1876); also W. E. Gladstone's
“Gleanings of Fast Years ” (1878-79).
Macmillan, The Rev. Hugh (b.
1833). “First Forms of Vegetation ”
(1861); “Bible Teachings in Nature”
(1866); “Holidays on High Lands”
(1869); “The True Vine” (1871); “The
Ministry of Nature” (1871); “The Gar-
den and the City’’ (1872); “Sun Glints
in the Wilderness” (1872); “The Sab-
bath of the Fields” (1876); “Our Lord's
Three Risings from the Dead” (1876);
“Two Worlds are Ours” (1880); “The
Marriage in Cana of Galilee '' (1882);
“The Riviera, ’’ (1885); “The Olive
Leaf '' (1886); “Roman Mosaics”
(1888); “The Gate Beautiful” (1891);
“My Comfort in Sorrow ’’ (1891); “The
Mystery of Grace’’ (1893); “The Daisies
of Nazareth’’ (1894).
Macpherson, James (b. 1738; d.
1796). “The Highlander ’’ (1758);
“Fragments of Ancient Poetry” (1760);
“Fingal, an Ancient Poem, in Six
Books, composed by Ossian '' (1762);
“Temora, an Ancient Epic Poem, in
Eight Books, composed by Ossian"
(1763); “Introduction to the History
of Great Britain and Ireland’’ (1771);
“The Iliad of Homer, translated into
English Prose’’ (1773).
Mahafty, Professor John Pent-
land, D.D., Mus.D., D.C.L. (b. Chap-
ponnaire, near Vevey, Switzerland,
February 26th, 1839). “Twelve Lec-
tures on Primitive Civilisation ” (1868);
“Prolegomena to Ancient History ''
(1871); “Rant's Critical Philosophy for
English Readers” (1871); “Greek Social
Life from Homer to Menander’” (1874);
“Greek Antiquities '' (1876); “Rambles
Classical Greek Literature '' (1880);
“The Decay of Modern Preaching ‘’
(1882); “The Story of Alexander's
Empire” (1886); “Art of Conversation .
(1887); “Greek Life and Thought ''
(1888); “The Greek World under Roman
Sway” (1890); “Problems of Greek
History” (1892), etc.
Mahony, F., “Father Prout ’’ (b.
1805; d. May 18th, 1866). “The Re-
liques of Father Prout’ (1836); “Facts
and Figures from Italy” (1847). Ddited
the Globe. J .
Maine, Sir Henry J. Sumner (b.
1822; d. February 3rd, 1888). “Roman
Law and Legal Education ” (1856).
“Ancient Law’’ (1861); “Village Com:
munities in the East aud in the West ''
(1871); “The Early History of Institu-
tions” (1875); “Dissertations on Early
Law Customs ” (1883). -
Malet, Lucas, were Mrs. Mary St.
Leger Harrison, née Kingsley (b. 1852).
“Mrs. Lorimer’” (1882); “Colonel
Enderby's Wife” (1885); “Little Peter”
(1887); “A Counsel of Perfection’’
(1888); “The Wages of Sin” (1891).
Mallock, William Hurrell (b.
1849). “The New Republic '' (1876);
“The New Paul and Virginia'' (1877);
“Is Life Worth Living 2" (1879);
“Poems” (1880); “A Romance of the
Nineteenth Century” (1881); “Social
Equality” (1882); “Property and Pro-
gress” (1884); “Atheism and the Value
of Life" (1884); “The Old Order
Changes '' (1886); “In an Enchanted
Island” (1889); “A Human Document”
(1892); “Labour and the Popular Wel-
fare” (1893); “Verses” (1893); “Stu-
dies of Contemporary Superstition ”
(1895); “The Art of Life” (1895).
Malory, Sir Thomas. “The Byrth,
Lif, and Actes of Kyng Arthur’” (1485,
printed by Caxton). This popular ro-
mance has been several times reprinted,
Sir Edward Strachey's edition in the
Globe Library being the most convenient.
Malthus, Thomas Robert (b. Inear
Dorking, 1766; d. December 29th, 1834):
An unpublished pamphlet, “The Crisis”
(1792); “Essay on the Principle of
Population” (1798, 1803); “An Inquiry
into the Nature and Progress of Rent '’
(1815); “Principles of Political Eco-
nomy” (1820); etc. “Life” by Dr.
Otter in 1836.
Mandeville, Sir John (b. St. Albans,
TManning
Hertfordshire, 1300; d. Liége, November
17th, 1372). “The Voyaige and Tra-
vaile, which treateth of the Way to the
Hierusalem, and of the Marvayles of
Inde, with other Islands and Countries,”
written in 1356, in French, in Latin, and
in vulgar English, and printed in Italian
at Milan in 1480. Best edition, 1839.
Mafining, Henry Edward, Car-
dinal (b. Totteridge, Hertfordshire,
July 15th, 1808; d. January 14th, 1892).
“The Rule of Faith ” (1838); “Holy
Baptism '' (1843); “The Unity of the
Church'' (1845); “Oxford University
Sermons” (1845); “Thoughts for those
that Mourn ?” (1850); “The Grounds of
Faith ” (1853); “The Temporal So-
vereignty of the Popes” (1860); “The
Blessed Sacrament, the Centre of In-
scrutable Truth’” (1864); “The Work-
ings of the Holy Spirit” (1864); “The
Temporal Mission of the Holy Ghost''
(1865); “The Reunion of Christendom ''
(1866); “The Temporal Power of the
Pope’’ (1866); “England and Christen-
dom” (1867); “The CEcumenical Coun-
cil” (1869); “The Vatican Council”
(1870); “The Daemon of Socrates ?”
(1872); “The Vatican Decrees” (1875);
“The Eternal Priesthood * (1883);
“National Education ” (1889) ; etc.
“Life” by A. W. Hutton (1892).
Mansel, §enry Longueville, D.D.
(b. Cosgrove, Northamptonshire, Octo-
ber 6th, 1820; d, Cosgrove, July 31st,
1871). “Demons of the Winds, and
Other Poems” (1838); Aldrich’s “Logic,
with Notes” (1849) : “Prolegomena
Logica” (1851); “The Philosophy of
I(ant ’’ (1856); an article on “Meta-
physics” in the eighth edition of “En-
cyclopædia Britannica ’’ (1857); “The
Limits of Teligious Thought,” being the
“Bampton Lectures” for 1858; “Meta-
physics; or, the Philosophy of Con-
sciousness” (1860); “Lectures on His-
tory” (1861-62); “The Witness of the
Church to the Promise of Christ’s
Coming ” (1864): “The Philosophy of
the Conditioned ” (1866); and other
Works. .
Marlowe, Christopher (b. Canter-
bury, February, 1564; d. Deptford,
June 16th, 1593). “Tamburlaine the
Great, Part the First'' (1590); “Tam-
burlaine the Great, Part the Second ’’
(1590); “Edward the Second'' (1594);
“Dido” (with T. Nash, 1594); “Ovid's
Elegies” (translated about 1596); “Hero
and Leander ’’ (completed by Chapman,
1598); “First Book of Lucan’’ (trans-
lated 1600); “The Tragicall History of
1386
1Marshall
>.
Dr. Faustus” (1604); “The Jew of
Malta ?? (1633) ; and “The Massacre
at Paris.” For Biographical Notices of
Marlowe, see “Athenae Cantabrigi-
enses; ” Beard’s “Theatre of God’s
Judgments” (1597); Meres’ “Palladis
Tamia,” (1598); Vaughan’s “Golden
Grove, Moralised in Three Books ''
(1600); Dyce’s “Edition of the Works;”
and Robert Bell’s “Introduction to the
Poems.”
Marryat, Florence (now Mrs. Lean)
(b. Brighton, 1837). “For Ever and
Ever” (1866); “Véronique '' (1869);
“Life and Letters of Captain Marryat’”
(1872); “Her Father's Name” (1876);
“A Harvest of Wild Oats” (1877);
“With Cupid’s Eyes” (1881); “How
She Loved Him” (1882); “Facing the
Footlights '' (1883); “The . Master
Passion ” (1886); “On Circumstantial
Evidence ’’ (1889); “Mount Eden. ”
(1889); “Blindfold’’ (1890); “There is
no Death '' (1891); “Miss Harrington’s
Husband’’ (1891); “How Like a
Woman’” (1892); “The Nobler Sex?”
(1892); “The Hampstead Mystery”
(1893); “Parson Jones” (1893); “The
Beautiful Soul” (1894); “A Bankrupt
Heart” (1894); “The Spirit World.”
(1894), etc.
Marryat, Captain Fredericlº (b.
London, July 10th, 1792; d. Langham,
Norfolk, August 2nd, 1848). “Frank
Mildmay; or, the Naval Officer’” (1829);
“The King's Own’’ (1830); “Newton
Forster ’’ (1832); “Peter Simple.”
(1834); “Jacob Faithful” (1834); “The
Pacha of Many Tales” (1835); “Japhet
in Search of a Father ” (1836); “Mr.
TMidshipman Easy” (1836); “The Pirate
and the Three Cutters” (1836); “Smar-
ley-yow'' (1837); “The Phantom Ship”
(1839); “A Diary in America” (1839);
“Olla Podrida '' (1840); “Poor Jack”
(1840); “Masterman Ready '' (1841);
“Joseph Rushbrook” (1841); “Percival
Reene '' (1842); “Monsieur Violet ‘’
(1842); “The Settlers in Canada.”
(1843); “The Privateer's Man” (1844);
“Thé Mission ; or, Scenes in Africa.”
(1845); “The Children of the New
Forest” (1847); “The Little Savage”
(1847); and “Valerie ’’ (1849). His
“Iife 7” has been written by his daughter
Florence (1872).
Marshall, Professor Alfred (b.
1842). “Economics of Industry,’’ part
author (1879); “Principles of Econ-
omics?’ (1890); “Elements of Econ-
omics of Industry” (1892).
1Marston
mºm-
Marston, John (b. 1575;
1633).
d. after
malion's Image '' (1598); “Antonio and
Mellida’’ (1602); “Antonio's Revenge ’’
(1602); “The Malcontent” (1604);
.* Eastward-Hoe!” (in conjunction with
Chapman and Johnson, 1605); “The
Dutch Courtezan” (1605); “Parasitaster; .
or, the Fawn" (1606); “The Wonder of
Women’’ (1606); “What You Will”
(1607); “The Insatiate Countess” (1613);
and several minor publications. His
“Works '' were edited by Bowles in
1764, by Halliwell (with “Life '') in
1856, by Gifford and by A. H. Bullen
in 1887. See also Wood’s “Athenae
Oxonienses,” Warton’s
ica,” The Retrosp"etire Review, Lamb's
“Works,” Hazlitt’s “Age of Eliza-
beh,” Leigh IIunt’s “Imagination
and Fancy,” the “Dictionary of National
Biography,” and Morley’s “English
Writers,” vol. x. . .
Marston, Jožaza Vºegtländ (b. Boston,
January 30th, 1820; d. January 5th,
1890). “The Patrician's Daughter ’’
(1841); “The Heart and the World”
(1847); etc. Dramatic and . Poetic
Works (1876); “Our Recent Actors”
(1888).
Marston, Philip Bourke (b. 1850;
d. 1887). “Song Tide ’’ (1871); “All
in All” (1875); “Wind-voices '' (1884);
“For a Song’s Sake and other Stories”
(1887). .
Martin, Sir Theodore, H.L.D. (b.
Edinburgh, 1816). With Professor
Aytoun, the “Bon Gaultier Ballads”
(1854); “Poems, Original and Selected”
(1863); “Life of Aytoun '' (1867);
“The Life of the Prince Consort’”
(1874-80); “Life of Lord Lyndhurst.”
(1883); “Sketch of the Life of Prin-
cess Alice” (1885); “Shakespeare or
Bacon?” (1888), and the translator (with
Aytoun) of “Poems and Ballads of
Goethe’’ (1858); of CEh!enschlager's
“Correggio’’ and “Aladdin’” (1854 and
1857); of Horace’s “Odes” (1860); the
“Poems ” of Catullus (1861); Dante's
“Vita Nuova '' (1862) ; Goethe's
“Faust” (the first part in 1865, the
second in 1886); Hartz’s “Ring Réné's
Daughter ’’ and Heine's “Poems.”
(1878). -
Martineau, Harriet (b. Norwich,
June 12th, 1802; d. Ambleside, June
27th, 1876). “Devotional Exercises for
the Use of Young Persons'' (1823);
“Christmas Day” (1824); “The Friend.”
1387
“The Scourge of Villanie ’’
(1598); “The Metamorphosis of Pig-
“English
Poetry,” Ritson’s “Bibliographia Poet-
| Norwich, April 21st, ič05).
Marvell
—-w
(1825); “Principle and Practice” (1826);
“The Rioters” (1826); “The Turn-Out”
(1827); “Traditions of Palestine’’
1830); “Illustrations of Taxation ”
(1834); “Poor Laws and Paupers.”
(1834); “Society in America” (1837);
“Retrospect of Western Travel” (1838);
“Deerbrook” (1839); “The Hour and
the Man” (1840); “Life in the Sick
Room : Essays by an Invalid” (1843);
“Letters on Mesmerism '' (1845);
“Forest and Game Law Tales” (1845);
“The Billow and the Rock ’’ (1846);
“Eastern Life, Past and Present”
(1847); “History of England during
the Thirty Years' Peace, 1816-46”.
(1849-50); “Introduction to the History
of the Peace from 1800 to 1815'' (1851);
“The Laws of Man's Nature and De-
velopment” (with Atkinson, 1851);
a condensation of the “Philosophie
Positive” of Comte (1853); “Household
Education ” (1854); “Complete Guide
to the Lakes” (1854); “The Factory
Controversy” (1855); “A History of
the American Compromise ’’ (1856);
“British Rule in India.” (1857); “Cor-
porate Tradition and National Rights”
(1857); “Local Dues on Shipping ”
(1857); “England and her Soldiers”
(1859); “Endowed Schools in Ireland ”
(1859); “Health, Husbandry, and
Handicraft'' (1861); “Biographical
Sketches '' (1872), etc. See her “Auto-
biography” (1877); and “Life '' by
Mrs. Fenwick Miller.
Martineau, James, D.D., LL.D. (b.
‘‘The Ra-
tionale of Religious Inquiry” (1837);
“Hymns of the Christian Čiurº, and
Home” (1840); “Endeavours after the
Christian Life'' (1843, 1847); “Miscel-
lanies” (1852); “Studies of Christianity”
(1858); “Essays” (1869); “Hymns of
Praise and Prayer” (1874); “Religion
and Modern Materialism '' (1874);
“Hours of Thought” (1876); “Ideal
Substitutes for God” (1878); “Essays,
Philosophical and Theological '' (1879);
“A Study of Spinoza’’ (1882); “Types
of Ethical Theory” (1885); “A Study
of Religion” (1888); “The Seat of
Authority in Religion” (1890); “Essays,
Reviews, and Addresses” (1890–91);
“Home Prayers” (1891); “The Three
Stages of Unitarian Theology'' (1894).
Marvell, Andrew (b. Winestead,
Holderness, November 15th, 1620; d.
August 12th, 1678). “The Rehearsal
Transposed '' (1672); “Mr. Smirke ’’
(1674); “An Account of the Growth
of Popery and Arbitrary Government
Massey
1888
TMay
in England ” (1678); “Miscellaneous
Poems ” (1681); and “A Seasonable
Argument.” “Works,” with “Life”
by gooke, in 1772, and by Thompson in
1776. - -
Massey, Gerald (b. Tring, Hert-
fordshire, May 29th, 1828).
and Chansons” (1846); “Voices of Free-
dom and Lyrics of Love” (1849); “The
Ballad of Babe Christabel, and Other
Poems” (1855); “Craigcrook Castle, and
Other Poems” (1866); “Havelock's
March, and Other Poems” (1861);
“Shakespeare's Sonnets and his Private
Friends’” (1866); “A Tale of Eternity,
and Other Poems” (1869); “Carmen
Nuptiale” (? 1880); “My Lyrical Life:
Poems Old and New '' (1889), etc.
Massinger, Philip (b. Salisbury,
1584; d. London, March, 1638). “The
Virgin Martyr’” (1622); “The Duke of
Milan’” (1623); “The Bondman” (1624);
“The Roman Actor” (1629); “The
Renegado” (1630); “The Picture” (1630);
“The Emperor of the East” (1632);
“The Fatal Dowry” (1632); “The Maid
of Honour” (1632); “A New Way to Pay
Old Debts?’ (1633); “The Great Duke
of Florence ’’ (1636); “The Unnatural
Combat '' (1639); “Alexius; or, the
Chaste Lover '' (1639); “The Fair An-
choress of Pausilippo’’ (1640); “The
Noble Choice” (1653); “The Wandering
Lovers” (1653); “Philenzo and Hippo-
lyta'' (1653); “The Spanish Viceroy”
(1653); “Minerva’s Sacrifice.” Gº:
“Believe as You List” (1653); “The
Guardian '' (1655); “A Very Woman”
(1655); “The Bashful Lover” (1655);
“The City Madam” (1659); “Antonio
and Vallia” (1660); “The Tyrant”
(1660); “Fast and Welcome” (1660);
“The Old Law,” “The Judge,” “The
Honour of Women,” “The Forced1,ady,”
“The Woman’s Plot,” “The Parliament
of Love,” “The Unfortunate Piety,”
“The Tragedy of Cleander,” “The
Orator,” “The King and the Subject,”
and other pieces. The “Works” of
Massinger were edited by Gifford and
Lieut.-Colonel Cunningham (cheap edi-
tion, with the addition of the recovered
“Believe as You List” 1874). “Some
Account of his Life and Writings ’’
was published by Thomas Davies in
1858.
Masson, David (b. Aberdeen, De-
cember 2nd, 1822). “Essays, Bio-
graphical and Critical, chiefly on English
Poets” (1856); “The Life of John
Milton ’’ (six vols., 1858-79); “British
Novelists and their Styles” (1859);
“Poems .
Songs ’’ (
“Recent British Philosophy’’ (1865);
“Drummond of Hawthornden’’ ( #};
“The Three Devils—Milton's, Luther's,
and Goethe’s ” (1874); “Wordsworth,
Shelley, Keats, etc.” (1874); “Dé
Quincey” in the English Mem of
Letters series (1878); “A Memoir of
Goldsmith’’ (1879); “Carlyle” (1885).
“Edinburgh Sketches and Memories”
(1892). Has edited Cambridge “Milton”
(1874); the Collected Writings of Thomas
de Quincey, etc.
Matheson, Rev. George, D.D. (b.
Glasgow, March 27th, 1842). “Aids to
the Study of German Theology” (1874);
“Growth of the Spirit of Christianity”
(1877); “Natural Elements of Revealed
Theology* (1881); “Religion of China”
(1881); “Confucianism” (1882); “Can
the Old Faith Live with the New : ''
(1885); “The Psalmist and the Scien-
tist” (1887); “Landmarks of New
Testament Morality '' (1888); “Voices
of the Spirit” (1888); “Spiritual De-
velopment of St. Paul” (1890); “Sacred
1890); “Distinctive Messages
of the Old Religions” (1892); “Search-
ings in the Silence” (1894), etc.
Maurice, Frederick Denison (b.
August 29th, 1806; d. April 1st, 1872).
“Eustace Conyers; ” “Subscription no
Bondage; ” “The Kingdom of Christ”
(1842); “History of Moral and Physical
Philosophy’’ (1853-62); “Theological
IEssays” (1854); “Patriarchs and Law-
givers of the Old Testament” (1855);
“The Bible and Science” (1863); “The
ingdom of Heaven” (1864); “Conflict
of Good and Evil” (1865); “The Com-
mandments” (1866); “Christian Ethics”
(1867); “The Conscience” (1868); “Social
Morality” (1869); “The Friendship of
Books” (1873), etc. See “The Life of
F. Maurice, edited by his son, F.
Maurice” (1884).
Maxwell, James Clerk (b. June
13th, 1831; d. November 5th, 1879).
“The Stability of the Motion of Saturn’s
Rings” (1859); “The Kinetic Theory of
Gases; ” “Faraday's Lines of Force; ”
“Theory of Heat” (1871); “A Treatise
on Electricity and Magnetism '' (1873);
“The Electrical Researches of the Hon.
Henry Cavendish; ” “Matter and
Motion.” See his “Life” by Prof.
Campbell and W. Garnett (1882).

May, Thomas (b. Mayfield, Sussex,
1594; d. November 30th, 1650). “The
Heir.” (1622); “Antigone.” (1631);
“The Reignedf|Ring Henry the Second”
(1633); “The Victorious Reigne of King
May
1889
Mill
*—
IEdward the Third” (1635); “Cleopatra.”
(1639) : “Julia Agrippina, Empresse of
Romé” (1639); “Supplementum Lucani”
(1640); “The History of the Parliament
of England which began November 3rd,
1640” (1647); “A Breviary of the His-
tory of the Parliament of England ”
(1650);
translations of Virgil’s “Georgics,”
Incan’s “Pharsalia,” some of Martial’s
“Epigrams,” Barclay’s “Argenis,” and
some other works. See The New Monthly
Magazine, vol. ii.
May, Sir Thomas Erskine, D.C.L.
(b. 1815; d. 1886). “A Treatise on the
Law, Privileges, Proceedings, and Usage
of Parliament'' (1844); “Constitu-
tional History of England since the
Accession of George III.” (1861-63, 1871);
“Democracy in Europe: a History”
(1877), etc.
Meredith, George (b. Hampshire,
1828). “Poems” (1851); “The Shav-
ing of Shagpat '' (1855); “Farina:
a Legend of Cologne” (1857); “The
Ordeal of Richard Feverel” (1859);
“Mary Bertrand ” (1860); “Evan Har-
rington” (1861); “Modern Love: Poems
and Ballads” (1862), republished 1892
with “The Sage Enamoured ” and
“The Honest Lady ; ” “Emilia in Eng-
land ” (1864); “Rhoda Fleming”
(1865); “Vittoria’’ (1866); “Adven-
tures of Harry Richmond” (1871);
“Beauchamp's Career'' (1875); “The
Egoist '' (1879); “Tragic Comedians”
(1881); “Poems and Lyrics of the Joy
of Earth’” (1883); “Diana of the Cross-
ways” (1885); “Poems and Ballads”
(1887); “A Reading of Earth” (1888);
“Tale of Chloe'' (1890); “One of Our
Conquerors” (1891); “Jump-to-Glory
Jane” (1892); “The Empty Purse’’
(1892); “Lord Ormont and his Aminta.”
(1894); “Ballads and Poems of Tragic
Life” (1894). See Le Gallienne’s
“George Meredith ” (1890).
Merivale, Charles, D.D., Dean of
Ely (b. 1808; d. December 26th, 1893).
“History of the Romans under the
Empire’’ (1850-64): “Conversion of
the Roman Empire” (1864); “Con-
version of the Northern Nations '’
; “General History of Rome’”
; “Lectures on Early Church
IIistory” (1879); translation of the
Iliad, etc.
. Meynell, Mrs. Alice, née Thompson
(b. º “Preludes '' (1875);
“The Poor Sisters of Nazareth’’ (1889);
“The Rhythm of Life” etc. (1893);
“The Old Couple’” (1658);
“Poems” (1893); “Lourdes: Yester-
day, To-Day, and To-Morrow,” trans-
lation (1894). -
Middleton, Conyers, D.D. (b. Rich-
mond, Yorkshire, December 27th, 1683;
d. July 28th, 1750). “A Method for the
Management of a Library” (1723); “A
Letter from Rome’” (1729); “A Disser-
tation on the Origin of Printing in Eng-
land” (1735); “The History of the Life
of Marcus Tullius Cicero’’ (17.il); “The
Letters of Cicero to Brutus, and of
Brutus to Cicero’’ (1743); “A Free
Inquiry into Miracles” (1749). His
“Works '' were collected in 1752.
Middleton, Thomas (b. 1570; d.
July, 1627). “The Wisdom of Solomon
Paraphrased ” (1597); “Blurt, Master
Constable; or, the Spaniard’s Night
Walke” (1602); “Michaelmas Terme ''
(1607); “Patient Grissel” (1607); “The
Phoenix” (1607); “Four Fine Gallants”
(1607); “The Familie of Love” (1608);
“A Mad World, My Masters” (1608);
“A Tricke to Catch the Old One'?
(1608); “Account of Sir Robert Sherley”
(1609); “The Triumphs of Truth"
(1613); “Civitatis Amor" (1616); “The
Triumphs of Honour and Industry’”
(1617); “A Fair Quarrel” (1617); “The
Triumphs of Love and Antiquity” (1619);
“The Masque of Heroes” (1619); “A
Courtly Masque'' (1620); “The Sun in
Aries” (1621) : “The Triumphs of
Honour and Virtue’” (1622); “The
Triumphs of Integrity” (1623); “The
Game at Chesse” (1624); “The Triumphs
of Health and Prosperity” (1626); “The
Chast Mayd in Cheape-side,” “The
Widow,” “The Changeling” (1653);
“The Spanish Gipsie” (1653); “The
Old Law,” “More Dissemblers Besides
Women’’ (1657); “Women Beware
Women” (1657); “No Wit, no Help
like a Woman’s ” (1657); “The Mayor
of Quinborough '' (1661); “Anything
for a Quiet Life” (1662); “The Witch?’
(1778); and other works. The “Works”
of Middleton were edited in 1840, with
“Some Account of the Author, and
Notes,” by the Rev. Alexander Dyce.
For Criticism, see Hazlitt’s “Elizabethan
Literature ?' and Lamb’s “Specimens of
Dramatic Poets.” See also the ‘‘Dic-
tionary of National Biography.”
Mill, James (b. Northwater Bridge,
Montrose, April 6th, 1773; d. Kensing-
ton, June 23rd, 1836). “Essay on the
Impolicy of a Country in the Exporta-
tion of Grain’’. (1804); a translation,
with notes, of Williers’ “Essay on Luther
Mill
1390
Miſt On.
and the Reformation ” (1805);” a “His-
tory of British India’’ (1817-18); “Ele-
ments of Political Economy '' (1821-22);
“Analysis of the Phenomena of the
Buman Mind” (1829);
ciples of Toleration ” (1837), etc. See
Bain’s “James Mill, albiography” (1882).
Mill, John Stuart (b. London,
May 20th, 1806; d. Avignon, May 8th,
1873). “System of Logic”
“Essays on Some Unsettled Questions
in Political Economy” (1844); “Prin-
ciples of Political Economy” (1848); :
“An Essay on Liberty” (1858); “Disser-
tations and Discussions'', (1859-67);
“Thoughts on Parliamentary Reform ''
(1859); “Considerations on Representa-
tive Government,” “ Utilitarianism''
(1862); “Auguste Comteand]?ositivism”
(1865); “An Examination of Sir William
Hamilton's Philosophy’’ (1865); “The
Subjection of Women” (1867); “Ad-
dress to the Students of St. Andrews”
(1867); “England and Ireland” (1868);
“The Irish Land Question ” (1870);
and “Nature, and other Essays” (1874).
See his “Autobiography” (1873)
For Criticism, see Taine’s “IEnglish Lit-
erature,” vol. iv.; Ribot’s “Contem-
porary English Psychology”; and Court-
ney’s “Metaphysics of John Stuart
Mill” (1879), etc. -
Miller, Hugh (b. Cromarty, October
10th, 1802; d. Tortobello, December
23rd, 1856). “Poems Written in the
Leisure Hours of a Journeyman Mason ''
(1829); “Scenes and Legends in the
North of Scotland” (1834); “The Old
Red Sandstone” (1841); “First Impres-
sions of England and Its People” (1847);
“Footprints of the Creator” (1850);
“My Schools and Schoolmasters” (1854);
“The Testimony of the Rocks” (1857);
“The Cruise of the Betsy” (1858); “The
Headship of Christ; ” “Edinburgh and
its Neighbourhood; ” “Tales and
Sketches; ” a “Sketch-book of Popular
Geology; ” and “Miscellaneouslèssays.”
Edited The Witness. His complete
“Works '' have been published in a
uniform shape. “Life” by Peter Bayne
(1870). -
Milman, Henry Hart, D.D., Dean of
St. Paul's (b. London, February 10th,
1791; d. September 24th, 1868). “The
Apollo Belvedere’’ (1812); “Alexander
Tumulum Achillis invisens” (1813);
“Fazio'' (1815); “Samor” (1818); “The
Fall of Jerusalem” (1820); “The Martyr
** Belshazzar’?
of Antioch” (1822);
(1822); “Poems” (1826); “Annel30leyn”
“The Prin-
(1843);
and
IBain’s “Personal Recollections” (1882).
(1826); “The Office of the Christian
Teacher Considered” (1826); “The
Character and Conduct of the Apostles
Considered as an Evidence of Christi-
anity” (1828); a “History of the Jews”
(1829-30); “Nala and Damayanti,”
and other translations from the Sanscrit
(1834); a “Life of Edward Gibbon ''
(1839); a “History of Christianity”
(1840); a “Life of Horace,” prefixed
to an edition of his “Works '' (1849);
a “History of Latin Christianity” (1854-
55); and various contributions to The
Quarterly Review, which have been re-
published in 1870."
Milton, John (b. London, December
9th, 1608; d. London, November 8th,
1674). Written before 1632: –First four
“Familiar Epistles ; ” “Prolusiones
quaedam Oratoriae; ” first seven pieces
in “Elegiarum Liber; ” first six of
“Sylvarum Liber; ” “On the Death
of a Fair Infant’” (1626); “Vacation
Exercise ’” (1628); “Hymn on the
Nativity” (1629); “On the Passion; ”
“On Time ; ” “On the Circumcision; ”
“At a Solemn Musick?” (1630); “Song
on May Morning” (1630); “On Shake-
speare’” (1630); “On the University
Carrier; ” “Another on the same ; ”
“Epitaph on the Marchioness of Win-
chester ; ” “Sonnet on Twenty-third
Birthday” (1631). Between 1632 and
1637:—Three of “Familiar Epistles;”
“Sonnet to the Nightingale; ” “L’Al-
legro; ” “Il Penseroso; ” “Arcades”
(1633); “Comus ” (1634); “Lycidas”
(1637). After travels abroad (1637):—
“Of Reformation; ” “Of Prelatical
Episcopacy; ” “The Reason of Church
Government urged against Prelacy;”
“Animadversions against the Remon-
strant's Defence ; ” “Apology against
a Pamphlet called ‘A Modest Confuta-
tion,’” etc. After marriage with Mary
Powell (1643):-º: Doctrine and Disci-
pline of Divorce” (1644); “Judgment
of Martin Bucer touching Divorce ’’
(translated extracts); “On Education; ”
“Areopagitica ’” (1644); “Tetrachord-
on ” (1645); “Colasterion ” (1645);
“Tenure of Kings and Magistrates; ”
“Observations on Articles of Peace ’’
(1649); “Ikonoclastes” (1649); “Pro
Populo Anglicano Defensio’’ (1651);
“Defensio Secunda” (1654); “Authoris
pro se Defensio contra Alexandruna
Morum; ” “Ecclesiasten; ” “Authoris
ad Alexandri Mori Supplementum Re-
sponsio” (1655). His twenty years of
polemical writing close with “A Treatise
of Civil Power in Ecclesiastical Causes;”
Minto
“Considerations touching the Means to
Remove Hirelings out of the Church ; ”
“Letter to a Friend concerning Rup-
tures of the Commonwealth ;.” “Ready
Way to Establish a True Common-
wealth ; ” “Brief Notes upon a Late
Sermon entitled, “The Fear of God and
the King.’” After his pardon by the
Oblivion Act, and his third marriage
(1664):—“Accidence Commenc’t Gram-
mar; ” “History of Britain; ” “Artis
Logica? Plenior Institutis; ” “Of True
Religion; ” “IEpist. Fam. Liber Unus;”
“Brief History of Moscovia ; ” “Literae
Senatus Anglicani; ” “De Doctrina
Christiana; ” “Paradise Lost’’ (1667);
“Paradise Regained ” (1671); “Samson
Agonistes” (1671); translation of “De-
claration of the Poles on the Election of
Sobieski,” with “Epist. Fam.” and
“Acad, Exercises” (1674). He edited
two MSS. of Raleigh’s —“The Cabinet
Council’’ (1658) and “Aphorisms of
State’’ (1661). A Commonplace Book
and a Latin Essay and Latin Verses,
presumed (on almost conclusive proofs)
to be by Milton, edited for Camden
Society (1876).
More than 150 editions of Milton pub-
lished. Concordances by Prendergast
(Madras, 1857-59), Cleveland (London,
1867), and Dr. John Bradshaw (1895).
See Masson’s “Life of Milton’’ (5 vols.,
1858-59), his accurate edition of Milton’s
Poetical Works (1874); “Milton und
Seine Zeit,” by Stern (Leip.); Stop-
ford Brooke's “Milton” (“Classical
Writers”) (1879); the monograph in
Men of Letters, by Pattison (1879);
Dr. R. Bridges’ “Milton’s Prosody.”
(1893), etc. Facsimile of “Paradise
Lost,” by Elliot Stock (1877). See also
the “Dictionary of National Biography.”
Minto, Professor William (b.
Auchintoul, Aberdeenshire, October
10th, 1845; d. March 1st, 1893). “Eng-
lish Prose Literature '' (1872): “ Cha-
racteristics of English Poets” (1874);
“Defoe'' (1879); “The Crack of Doom”
(1886); “The Mediation of Ralph Harde-
lot” (1888); “Was She Good or Bad #2"
(1889); “Logic, Inductive and Deduc-
tive ’’, (1893); “The Literature of the
Georgian Era” (1894), etc. Was editor
of the Easaminer.
Mitford, Mary Russell (b. Alres-
ford, Hampshire, December 16th, 1787;
d. near Reading, January 10th, 1855).
“Christine’’ (1811) : “Poems on the
Female Character” (1812); “Watlington
Hill ” (1812); “Julian '' (1823); “Our
Willage’’ (1824); “Foscari” (1826);
1891
Molesworth
“Rienzi” (1828); “Charles the First,”
“American Stories for Young People”
(1832); “Lights and Shadows of Ameri-
can Life'' (1832); “Belford Regis”
(1835); “Country Stories” (1837):
“Recollections of a Literary Life”
(1851); “Atherton and Other Tales”
(1854); and other works. For Bio-
graphy, see Miss Mitford’s “Life and
Letters,” edited by Harness and
L'Estrange ; “Letters,” edited by
Henry F. Chorley; and the “Life and
Letters of Charles Boner.” :
Mitford, William (b. London, Feb-
ruary 10th, 1744; d. February 8th,
1827). “Treatise on the Military Force,
and particularly on the Militia of this
Ringdom” (1774); “Inquiry into the
Principles of Harmony in Language
and of the Mechanism of Verse, Modern
and Ancient'' (1774); “History of
Greece” (1784, 1790, 1797, 1808, 1818);
and “Observations on the History and
Doctrine of Christianity” (1823). See
the Life prefixed by Lord Redesdale to
“History” (1829). .
Mivart, Professor St. George,
F.R.S. (b. London, November 30th,
1827). “The Genesis of . Species’’
(1871); “Lessons in Elementary Anat-
Ömy” (1872); “Man and Apes” (1873);
“Contemporary Evolution'' (1876);
“Lessons in Nature as Manifested in
Mind and Matter’” (1876); “The Cat”
(1881); “Nature and Thought” (1883);
“Philosophical Catechism” (1884); “The
Origin of Human Reason '' (1889); “On
Truth: A Systematic Inquiry” (1889);
“Dogs, Jackals, and Wolves” (1890);
“Birds: the Elements of Ornithology”
(1892); “Essays and Criticisms” (1892);
“An Introduction to the Elements of
Science ’’ (1893); “Types of Animal
Life” (1893).
IVícir, David Macbeth, “Delta ?”
(b. Musselburgh, January 5th, 1798;
d. Dumfries, July 6th, 1851). “The
Bombardment of Algiers, and Other
IPoems” (1818); “The Legend of Gene-
viève, and Other Tales '' (1824); “The
Autobiography of Mansie Waugh’’
(1828): “Outlines of the Ancient His-
tory of Medicine '' (1831); “Domestic
Verses” (1843); and “Sketches of the
Poetical Literature of the Past Half-
Century” (1851). “Works '' edited,
with a Memoir, by Thomas Aird (1852).
Molesworth, Mrs. Mary Louisa, née
Stewart (b. 1842). “Carrots: ” “Hather-
court Rectory” (1878); “Marrying and
Giving in Marriage '' (1887); “That Girl
IMIonier-Williams
1392
IMoore
in Black” (1889); “Neighbours” (1889);
“Leona ’’ (1892); “The Next-Door
House ’’ (1893); “Studies and Stories”
(1893); “My New Home” (1894), etc.
Monier-Williams, Professor Sir
D.C.L., . LL.D., Ph.D. (b.
Bombay, 1819). “Indian Epic Poetry”
(1863); “IndianWisdom; ” “Hinduism.”
} ; “Modern India and the Indians”
1878); “Religious Thought and Life in
India” (1883); “Brahmanism and Hin-
duism'' (1887); “Sakuntala,” transla-
tion (1887); “Buddhism'' (1889), etc.
Montagu, Lady Mary Wortley
(b. London, 1689; d. London, August
21st, 1762). “Town Eclogues” (1716),
etc. Letters first printed by Captain
Cleland in 1763, with additional volume
(forged 8) in 1767. “Poetical Works”
(1768); “Works, including her Corre-
spondence, Poems, and Essays, with
Memoirs of her Life,” were edited by
Dallaway in 1803, and reached a sixth
edition in 1817. In 1836 her Letters
and Works, with introduction by Lady
Louisa, Stewart; the third edition, in
1861, including additions, notes, and
a new memoir by W. Moy Thomas.
Montgomery, Alexander (b. Hazel-
head Castle, Ayrshire, 1540; d. 1607).
“The Cherrie and the Slae’” (1597);
“The Mindes Melody’” (1605); and
“The Flyting Betwixt Montgomerie and
Polwart’” (1629). His Poems were
published with biographical notices by
David Irving, LL.D., in 1821.
Montgomery, Florence (b. 1847).
“A Very Simple Story” (1867); “Mis-
understood '' (1869); “Thrown To-
gether ” (1872); “Thwarted '' (1874);
“Wild Mike and his Victim’” (1875);
“Seaforth '' (1878); “Peggy, and Other
Tales” (1880); “The Blue Veil” (1883);
“Transformed ” (1886); “The Fisher-
man’s Daughter’’ (1889).
Montgomery, James (b. Irvine,
Ayrshire, November 4th, 1771; d. Shef-
field, April 30th, 1854). “The Wan-
derer of Switzerland, and Other Poems”
(1806); “The West Indies, and Other
Poems” (1810); “Prison Amusements;”
“The World before the Flood” (1813);
“Thoughts on Wheels” (1817); “The
Climbing Boy’s Soliloquy ; ” “Green-
land’” (1819); “Songs of Zion” (1822);
“The Christian Poet” (1825); “The
Pelican Island’’ (1827); “Lectures on
Poetry and General Literature '' (1833);
“A Poet's Portfolio '' (1835); “The
Christian Psalmist” (1852); and “Ori-
ginal Hymns for Public, Private, and
Social Devotion ” (1853). His Life
has been written by J. W. King (1858),
and his “Memoirs, including Selections
from his Correspondence, Remains in
Prose and Verse, and Conversations on
Various Subjects,” were published by
John Holland and James Everett in
1854-56. See also his “Life and Times”
by Ellis (1864). For Criticism, see
Gilfillan’s “Literary Portraits,” Jeffrey's
“Essays,” and “Critical Essays” by
A. K. H. B. - -
Moore, Frank Frankfort (b. Lim-
erick, 1855). “Told by the Sea” (1877);
“Daireen '' (1879); “I Forbid the
Banns'' (1893); “A Gray Eye or So’”
(1893); “One Fair Daughter” (1894);
“A Journalist's Notebook” (1895), etc.;
“The Secret of the Court” (1895);
“The Sale of a Soul” (1895); “They
call it Love'' (1895), etc.
Moore, George. “Flowers of Pas-
sion '' (1878); “Pagan Poems ” (1881);
“A Modern Lover '' (1883); “A Mum-
mer’s Wife; ” “A Drama in Muslin’”
(1886); “Parnell and His Island ”
(1887); “A Mere Accident’’ (1887);
“Spring Days” (1888); “Confessions
of a Young Man” (1888); “Mike
Fletcher” “Impressions and
Opinions '' (1891); “Vain Fortune"
(1892); “The Strike at Arlingford ”
(1893); “Modern Painting ” (1893);
“Esther Waters” (1894); “Celibates”
(1895). -
Moore, Thomas (b. Dublin, May
28th, 1779; d. Sloperton Cottage, near
Devizes, February 26th, 1852). “Ode to
Nothing; ” “Odes of Anacreon” (1800);
“Poetical Works of the late Thomas
Little” (1801); “Odes and Epistles'’
(1806); “Intolerance and Corruption ”
(1808); “The Sceptic” (1809); “M.P.;
or, the Blue Stocking ” (1811); “Inter-
cepted Letters; or, the Twopenny Post-
bag” (1811); “National Airs” § ;
“The World at Westminster” (1816);
“Sacred Songs” (1816); “Lalla Rookh”
(1817); “The Fudge Family in Paris;”
“Tom Crib: His Memorial to Congress”
(1819); “Rhymes for the Road” (1820);
* Fables for the Holy Alliance” (1820);
“Loves of the Angels” (1823); “Memoirs
of Captain Rock” (1824); “Life of R.
B. Sheridan” (1825); “History of
Ireland ” (1827); “Travels of an Irish
Gentleman in Search of a Religion ”
(1827); “The Epicurean '' (1827);
“Odés upon Cash, Corn, and Catholics”
(1828); “Life of Byron’ (1830); “Life of
Lord Edward Fitzgerald” (1831); “Alci-
phron’” (1839); and some miscellaneous


More
1393
More".
“Prose and Verse ’’ (1878). See “Moore's
hitherto Uncollected Writings” (1877).
For Biography, see Earl Russell’s edition
of the “Diary” (1852-56), and the
“Life” by R. H. Montgomery (1850). For
Criticism, see Hazlitt’s “English Poets”
and “Spirit of the Age,” Jeffrey’s
“Essays,” W. C. Roscoe’s “Essays,”
and W. M. Rossetti's introduction to
the Poems.
More, Hannah (b. Stapleton, Feb-
ruary 2nd, 1745; d. Clifton, September
7th, 1833). “The Search after Hap-
piness” (1773); “The Inflexible Captive”
(1774); “Percy” (1777); “The Fatal
Falsehood” (1779); “Sacred Dramas”
(1782); “Florio : a Tale for Fine
Gentlemen and Fine Ladies” (1786);
“The Bas Bleu ; or, Conversation ”
(1786); “Thoughts on the Importance
of the Manners of the Great to General
Society” (1788); “An Estimate of the
Religion of the Fashionable World”
(1790); “Village Politics '' (1793);
“The Modern System of Female Educa-
tion ” (1799); “Coelebs in Search of a
Wife?” (1809); “Practical Piety’”
(1811); “Christian Morals” (1813);
“Stories for the Middle Ranks of
Society” (1818); “Tales for the Common
People” (1818); “Moral Sketches of
Prevailing Opinions and Manners ”
(1819); “Bible Rhymes’’ (1821); and
many other works. Her “Poetical
Works” appeared in 1829. Her complete
works were published in eleven volumes
in 1830, and again, with Memoir and
Notes, in 1853. Her Life has been
written by Shaw (1802), Roberts (1834),
Thompson (1838), and Smith (1844).
See “Letters to Zachary Macaulay”
(1860). -
More, Henry (b. Grantham, October
12th, 1614; d. September 1st, 1687).
“Psychodia.” (1642) ; “Philosophical
Poems ” (1647); “Philosophical Writ-
ings,” containing “An Antidote against
Atheism,” “Enthusiasmus Triumph-
atus,” “Letters to Des Cartes,” “Im-
mortality of the Soul,” “Conjectura
Cabalistica ’’ (1662); “Theological
Works,” containing “An Explanation
of the Grand Mystery of Godliness,”
“An Inquiry into , the Mystery of
Iniquity,” “A Prophetical Exposition
of the Seven Churches in Asia,” “A
T)iscourse of the Grounds of Faith in
Points of Religion,” “An Antidote
against Idolatry,” and “Some Divine
Hymns” (1708); “Divine Dialogues,”
containing “Disquisitions concernin
the Attributes and Providence of God”
“Tomaso Moro
(1743), “Discourses on Several Texts of
Scripture '' (1692), “Enchiridion Ethi-
cum ” (1668), and “Enchiridion Meta-
physicum” (1671). The Life of More
was published by R. Ward in 1710.
See Tulloch’s “Rational Theology and
Christian Philosophy in the XVIIth
Century,” and Vaughan’s “Half-hours
with the Mystics.”
More, Sir Thomas (b. London, 1478;
d. London, July 6th, 1535). “The
Sergeant and the Frere;” “Utopia” (in
Latin, first ed. 1516); “The Supplycacyon
of Soulys against the Supplycacyon of
Beggars; ” “A Dyalogue of Syr Thomas
More, Knyghte, wherein he treatyd
divers matters, as of the Veneration and
Worshyp of Ymages and Relyques,
praying to Sayntys, and goyng on Pyl-
grymage, wyth many othere thyngs
touchying the pestylent Sect of Luther
and Tyndale, by the tone bygone in
Saxony, and by the tother labour'd to
be brought into England ” (1529); “The
Confutacyon of Tyndale's Answere '’
1532); “The Second Parte ” of ditto
§ ; “The Debellacyon of Salem and
Bizance ’” (1533); “The Apologye of
Syr Thomas More, Knyghte” (1533);
“A Letter Impugnynge the erronyouse
wrytyng of John Fryth against the
Blessed Sacrament of the Aultare '’
(1533); “The Answer to the First Part
of the Poysoned Booke whyche a name-
less Heretike (John Frith) hath named
the Supper of the Lord” (1534);
“Utopia : written in Latine, by Syr
Thomas More, Knyghte, and translated
into Englishe by Raphe Robynson’’
(1551); “A Dialogue of Comfort against
Tribulation’’ (1553); “A Treatise to
receave the Blessed Body of our Lord
Sacramentally and Virtually both ''
(1572); “The Historie of the pittiful
Life and unfortunate Death of King
Edward W. and the Duke of York, his
brother, with the Troublesome and
Tyrannical Government of the Usurp-
ation of Richard III. and his Miserable
End; ” and “The Book of the Fayre
Gentlewoman, Lady Fortune.” The
English works of Sir Thomas More were
published in 1557, the Latin works in
1565 and 1566. The following are the
Biographical Authorities:–“The Life
and Death of Sir Thomas More,” by his
grandson, Cresacre More (1626); “Life,”
by his son-in-law, W. Roper (third
edition, 1626); “Tho. Mori Vita et
Bxitus,” by J. Hoddesdon (1652);
, Grand Cancellario
d'Inghilterra, ’’ (1675); “Vita. Thomae

88
Morgan
1394
Morris
IMori,” by Stapleton (1689); “Life of
Sir Thomas More,” by Ferdinando War-
ner (1758); “Memoirs of Sir Thomas
More,” by Cayley (1808); “Thomas
Morus, Lord Chancelier du Royaume
d’Angleterre '' (1833); “Life of Sir
Thomas More,” by Emily Taylor (1834);
“Life of Sir Thomas More,” by Sir
James Mackintosh (1844); “The House-
hold of Sir Thomas More” (1851); “Life,”
# T. E. Bridgett (1891); “Life of Sir
homas More,” in Wordsworth’s “Ec-
clesiastical Biography;.” Lord Camp-
bell’s “Lives of the Lord Chancellors.”
Facsimile of first edition of “Utopia,”
by Arber. -
Morgan, Lady (b. Dublin, 1783; d. .
Tondon, April 13th, 1859). “Poems.”
(1797); “The Wild Irish Girl” (1801);
“The Novice of St. Dominick” (1806);
“The Lay of an Irish Harp’’ (1807);
“Patriotic Sketches of Ireland” (1807);
“Woman ; or, Ida of Athens” (1809);
“St. Clair’ (1810); “The Missionary”
(1811); “O’Donnell” (1814); “France
in 1816'' (1817); “Florence MacCarthy”
(1818); “Life and Times of Salvator
Rosa’’ (1824); “Absenteeism” (1825);
“The O’Brians and the O'Flahertys”
(1827); “The Book of the Boudoir ''
(1829); “France in 1829-30’’ (1830);
“Dramatic Scenes from Real Life”
(1833); “The Princess '' (1835);
“Woman and Her Master” (1840);
“The Book without a Name” (in con-
junction with her husband, Sir T. C.
Morgan, M.D., 1841); “Luxima, the
Prophetess” (1859); and “Passages
from my Autobiography” (1859). See
W. J. Fitzpatrick’s “Lady Morgan ”
(1860). -
Morison, J. Cotter (b. 1831 ; d.
1888). “Life and Times of St. Ber-
nard” (1868); “Irish Grievances Shortly
Stated '' (1868); “Gibbon '' (1878);
“Macaulay ” (1882); “The Service of
Man” (1887).
Morley, Henry (b. London, 1822;
d. May 14th, 1894). “Sunrise in Italy,
and Other Poems” (1848); “How to
make Home Unhealthy” (1850); “A
Defence of Ignorance ’’ (1851); the
Lives of Palissy the Potter (1852), Je-
rome Cardan (1854), Cornelius Agrippa
(1856), and Clement Marot (1870);
“Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair” (1857);
“Fairy Tales” (1859, 1860, 1881);
“English Writers” (1864-67); begun
again in 1887, and continued to the
eleventh volume (1895); “Journal of
a London Playgoer” (1866); “Tables
of English Literature '' (1870); “A
First ‘Sketch of English Literature”
(1873); “English Literature in the
Reign of Victoria '' (1881); ... “Early
Papers and Some Memories” (1891).
Edited “King and Commons” (1868),
“The Spectator” (1868), “Cassell's
Library of English Literature,” “Cas-
sell’s National Library,” “The Caris-
brooke Library,” “Morley's Universal
Library,” “Lubbock's Hundred Books,”
etc.
Morley, Right Hon. John, LL.D.
(b. Blackburn, 1838). “Edmundburke”
(1867, Sketch 1879); “Critical Miscel-
lanies” (1871-77); “Voltaire” (1871);
“Rousseau” (1873); “The Struggle for
National Education ”. (1873); “On
Compromise ’’ (1874); “Diderot and
the Encyclopædists '' (1878); “Cobden.”
(1881); “On the Study of Literature.”
• ; “Aphorisms” (1887); “Wal-
pole '' (1888); “Studies in Literature”
(1891). Has edited The Morning Star,
The Fortnightly Review, Pall Mall
Gazette, and Macmillan's Magazine, as
well as the English Men of Letters series,
etc.
Morris, Sir Lewis (b. Carmarthen,
1833). “Songs of Two Worlds” (1872,
1874, and 1875); “The Epic of Hades”
(1876-77); “Gwen’’ (1879); “The Ode
of Life"? 80); “Songs Unsung’’
(1883); “Gycia,” (1886); “A Vision of
Saints’’ (1890); “Odatis '' (1892);
“Love and Sleep,” etc. (1893); “Songs
Without Notes” (1894). Works, in one
volume (1890).
Morris, Richard (b. Southwark,
September 8th, 1833; d. May 12th, 1894),
“The Etymology of Local Names’’
(1857); “Historical Outlines of English
Accidence” (1872); “Elementary Les-
sons in Historical English Grammar ’’
(1874); and “A Primer of English
Grammar ” (1875); besides editions of
old English works, such as “The Pricke
of Conscience,” “The Ayembite of In-
wit,” “Sir Gawayne and the Green
Knight,” and the like. He also edited,
the poems of Chaucer and Spenser, etc.
Morris, William (b. Walthamstow,
1834). “The Defence of Guenevere '’
(1858); “The Life and Death of Jason’’
(1867); “The Earthly Paradise” (1868-
70); “Translations from the Icelandic’’
(1869); “The Story of Grettir the
Strong” (1869); “Love is Enough ''
(1872); “Three Northern Love Stories”
(1875); “The Story of Sigurd the Wol-
sung and the Fall of the Niblungs”
(1876); a translation of the “AEneid”
(1876); a translation of the “Odyssey”
Mozley,
1395
Napier
(1887); “A Dream of John Ball,”
etc. (1888); “signs of Čhange” (1888);
“The Roots of the Mountains”
(1889); “A Tale of the House of the
Wolfings. (1889); “News from No-
where” (1890); “Poems by the Way”
§: “The Story of the Glittering
lain'' (1891); “Gothic Architecture '’
(1893); “Socialism, its Growth and
Outcome,” with E. Belfort Bax (1893);
“The Wood Beyond the World” (1894),
Co-editor of the Saga Library, and
translator of some of the Sagas. For
Criticisms, see Stedman’s “Victorian
Poets,” Swinburne’s “Essays and Stu-
dies,” Forman’s “Living Poets,” Edin-
burgh Review (1871), Quarterly Review
1872), Westminster Review (1868),
lackwood’s Magazine (1869), etc.
Mozley, James Bowling, D.D. (b.
Lincolnshire, 1813; d. January 4th,
1878). “The Doctrine of Predestina-
tion” (1855); “The Doctrine of Bap-
tismal Regeneration ”. (1856); “The
Baptismal Čontroversy” (1862) ; “Sub-
scription to the Articles” (1863); “On
Miracles” (1865); “Sermons” (1876);
“Essays '' (1878), etc. Letters edited
by his sister, A. Mozley.
Moziey, Rev. Thomas (b. Gains-
borough, 1806; d. June 17th, 1893).
“Reminiscences, chiefly of Oriel College
and the Oxford Movement” (1882);
“Reminiscences, chiefly of Towns, Wil-
lages, and Schools” (1885); “The Word”
(1889); “The Son” (1891); “Letters
from Rome'' (1891); “The Creed, or a
Philosophy” (1893).
Müller, Friedrich Max (b. Dessau,
December 6th, 1823). “The Rig-Veda,
with Sayana’s Commentary’’ (1849–74);
“A Survey of Languages” (1855);
“Essay on Comparative Mythology”
§ 858); “History of Sanskrit Literature”
1859); “Lectures on the Science of
Language’’ (1861-64); “Chips from a
German Workshop’’ (1868–70); “On
Missions” (1873); “The Origin and
Growth of Religions, as illustrated by
the Religions of India’’ (1878); “Bio-
graphical Essays” (1883); “The Science
of Thought” (1887); “Biographies of
Words” (1888); “Natural Religion.”
(1889); “Physical Religion '' (1891);
“The Science of Language and its Place
in General Education ” (1891); “An-
thropological Religion” (1892); “Theo-
sophy ’’ (1893); “The Vedānta Philo-
sophy’’ (1894). Has also edited “The
iºd Books of the East” (1875-85),
€tC,
Muloch, Dinah Maria (Mrs. Craik)
(b. Stoke-upon-Trent, 1826; d. 1888).
“The Ogilvies” (1849); “Olive” (1850);
“The Head of the Family” (1851);
“Agatha’s Husband ” (1852); “John
Halifax, Gentleman” (1857); “A Life
for a Life” (1859); “Mistress and Maid”
(1863); “Christian's Mistake ’’ (1865);
“A Noble Life” (1866); “Studies from
Life '' (1869); “The Woman’s King-
dom” (1870); “Hannah’’ (1871); Poems
in 1872; “Sermons out of Church’’
(1875); “The Laurel Bush” (1877);
“A Legacy” (1878); “An Unsenti-
mental Journey in Cornwall” (1886),
etc. See North British Review (1858).
Murray, David Christie (b. West
Bromwich, April 13th, 1847). “A Life's
Atonement” (1880); “Joseph’s Coat ''
(1881); “Coals of Fire,” etc. (1882);
“Hearts” (1883); “By the Gate of the
Sea” (1883); “Val Strange ’’ (1883);
“The Way of the World” (1884);
“Rainbow Gold” (1885); “Aunt
Rachel” (1886); “A Novelist's Note-
book” (1887); “The Traveller Returns”
(1887); “Old Blazer's Hero” (1887);
“The Weaker Wessel” (1888); “Wild
Dorrie” (1889); “John Wale’s Guard-
ian’” (1890); “He Fell Among Thieves”
(1891); “Only a Shadow” (1891);
“Bob Martin's Little Girl” (1892);
“A Wasted Crime ’’ (1893); “Time's
Revenges” (1893); “The Making of a
Novelist” (1893); “A Rising Star ”
(1894); “In Direst Peril” (1894);
“The Investigations of John Pym'’
(1895); “Mount Despair,” etc. (1895);
“The Martyred Fool” (1895).

Myers, Ernest James (b. Res-
wick, 1844). “The Puritans” (1869);
“Poems” (1877); “Defence of Rome,
and Other Poems” (1880); “Judgment
of Prometheus” (1886); “Lord Althorp’”
(1890). Also translated Pindar, and
collaborated in the translation of the
“Iliad.”
Myers, Frederic W. H. (b. Kes-
wick, February 6th, 1843). “Saint
Paul” (1867); “Poems.” º:
“Wordsworth’’ in the English Men
of Letters series (1881); “Renewal of
Youth '' (1882); “Essays”. (1883);
“Phantoms of the Living ” (1886);
“Science and a Future Life” (1893).
N
Napier, Lieut.-General Sir Wil-
liam Francis Patrick (b. Castle-
town, 1785; d. 1860). “History of the
“Nash
1396
TNichol
Peninsular War” (1828-40); “The
Conquest of Scinde” (1845); “History
of Sir Charles James Napier’s Adminis-
tration of Scinde” (1851); “Life and
Opinions of General Sir Charles James
Napier” (1857). See Lord Aberdare's
“Life and Letters of Sir W. Napier”
(1862). - - -
Nash, Thomas (b. Lowestoft, Suf-
folk, 1567; d. circa 1600). “Plaine
Percevall, the Peace-Maker of England;”
“Martin's Months Minde ’’, (1589);
“Pappe with a Hatchet” (1589?); “The
Beturne of the Renowned Cavaliero
Pasquill of England” (1589); “The Ana-
tomie of Absurditie” (1589); “Pasquil's
Apologie” (1590); “Pierce Pennilesse,
his Suplication to the Divel” (1592);
“Strange Newes of the Intercepting
certaine Letters” (1592); “Apologie of
Pierce Pennilesse” (1592); “Christ's
Teares over Jerusalem” (1593); “Dido.”
(with Christopher Marlowe) (1594); “The
Unfortunate Traveller” (1594); “The
Terrors of the Night” (1594); “Have
with you to Saffron Walden '' (1596);
“Nashe’s Lenten Stuffe '' (1599);
“Summer's Last Will and Testament’’
(1600); “The Returne of the Knight of
the Post from Hell” (1606); and other
works.
Nesbit, Miss Edith, now Mrs. Hubert
Bland (b. Kensington, August 15th,
1858). “Lays and Legends'' (1886 and
1892); “Leaves of Life” (1888); “Songs
of Two Seasons” (1890); “Something
Wrong” (1893); “Grim Tales” (1893),
etc.
Nettleship, Professor Henry (b.
Rettering, May 5th, 1839; d. July 10th,
1893). “Lectures and -Essays on Latin
Literature and Scholarship ’’ (1885).
Nettleship, John T. (b. Kettering,
February 11th, 1841). “Essays on
Robert Browning's Poetry” (1868);
enlarged edition, 1890. . -
Newman, Francis William (b.
London, June 27th, 1805). “The Human
Soul: its Sorrows and Aspirations”
(1849); “Phases of Faith: Passages
from My Own Creed” (1850); “A
Church of the Future” (1854); “Theism:
Doctrinal and Practical” (1858); “Mis-
cellanies: Academical and Historical ?”
(1869); “A Libyan Vocabulary” (1882);
“A Christian Commonwealth’’ (1883);
*— . . " - Robinson Crusoe in
Latin” (1884); “Life after Death''
“Rebilius; or,
(1886); “Reminiscences of Two Exiles
and Two Wars” (1888); and many
Montrose,
other works, including “The Early
History of the late Cardinal Newman?”
(1891).
Newman, John Henry, D.D. (b.
London, February 21st, 1801; d. August
11th, 1890). “Parochial Sermons''
(1838–44); “Sermons on Subjects of
the Day” (1844); “The Theory of
Religious Belief’’ (1844); “The Deve-
lopment of Christian Doctrine’’ (1846);
“Loss and Gain : the Story of a Con-
vert” (1848); “The Office and Work of
Universities” (1854-56); “Sermons
Preached on Various Occasions” (1857);
“Apologia pro Vitā Suá’” (1864); “The
Dream of Gerontius” (1865); “Poems.”
(1868); “The Grammar of Assent ''
(1870); and “Mr. Gladstone's ‘Expos-
tulation '.” (1875). See Fortnightly
Review for 1877, F. . Newman’s
“Early History of the late Cardinal
Newman’” (1891), Dr. Edwin Abbott's
“The Anglican Career of Cardinal
Newman,” R. H. Hutton’s “Cardinal
Newman’” (1891), etc.
Newton, Sir Isaac (b. Woolsthorpe,
Lincolnshire, December 25th, 1642; d.
Rensington, March 20th, 1727). “Prin-
cipia Philosophiae Naturalis Mathe-
matica ’’ (1687); ‘Quadrature of
Curves” (1700); “Opticks” (1704);
“Arithmetica Universalis '' (1707);
“Analysis per Quantitatum Series ''
(1711); “De Mundi Systemate” (1728);
“Chronology of Ancient Kingdoms”
(1728); ‘Observations on the Prophecies
of Daniel” (1733); “The Method of
Fluxions and Analysis by InfiniteSeries”
(1736); and other works, published by
Bishop Horsley in 1779-85, under the
title of “Opera quae extant Omnia.”
The Life of Newton has been written by
Fontenelle (1728), Frisi (1778), Biot
(1822), De Morgan (1833), Whewell
(1836), and Sir David Brewster (1853
and 1855). His “Correspondence with
Professor Cotes” appeared in 1850.
Best edition of “Principia,” 1871.
Newton, John (b. London, July 24th,
1725; d. December 31st, 1807). “Car-
diphonia; or, Utterance of the Heart”
(1781); “Messiah : Fifty Expository
Discourses” (1786); and, with Cowper
the poet, the “Olney Hymns.” -
Nichol, Professor John, LL.D. (b.
September 8th, 1833; d.
October 11th, 1894). “Fragments of
Criticism” (1860); “Hannibal’’ (1873);
“Byron’’ (1880); “Death of Themistó-
cles, and Other Poems” (1881); “Robert
Burns” (1882); “American Literature”
Nichols
1397
O’Connor
(1882); “Francis Bacon, his Life and
Philosophy” (1888-9); “Thomas Car-
lyle” (1892), etc.
Nichols, John (b. Islington, Feb-
ruary 2nd, 1745; d. November 26th,
1826). “Brief Memoirs of Mr. Bowyer”
(1778); “Biographical Anecdotes of
William Hogarth’’ (1781); “Anecdotes
of Bowyer and many of his Literary
Friends’” (1782); “The Progresses and
Public Processions of Queen Elizabeth '’
(1788-1807); “The History and Anti-
quities of the Town and County of
Leicester ’’ (1795-1815); “Literary
Anecdotes of the Eighteenth Century”
(1812-15); “Illustrations of the Literary
History of the Eighteenth Century ''
(1817-58); “Progresses, Processions, and
Magnificent Festivities of King James
the First, etc.” (1828); editions of the
Letters of Sir Richard Steele and Bishop
Atterbury ; “The Bibliotheca Topo-
graphica Britannica” (1780-1800); and
other works.
Nicolas, Sir Nicholas Harris (b.
Cornwall, March 10th, 1799; d. mear
Boulogne, August 3rd, 1848). “Life of
William Davison” (1823); “Notitia
Historica,” (1824); “A Synopsis of the
Peerage of England” (1825); “Testa-
menta Vetusta,” (1826); “History of
the Town and School of Rugby '' (1827);
“Lives of Izaak Walton and Charles
Cotton” (1837); “History of the Orders
of IGnighthood of the British Empire”
(1842); and “Life and Times of Sir
Christopher Hatton” (1847). Edited
The Retrospective Jeevicut', and certain of
the Aldine Poets.
Nicoll, W. Robertson, LL.D. (b.
Auchindoir, Aberdeenshire, October 10th,
1851). “Life of James Macdonald’”
(1889); “Memoirs of Professor Elmslie,”
etc. Editor of The Expositor, The
British JWeekly, The Bookman, and of
Several theological series.
Norman, Henry (b. Leicester, 1858).
“The Real Japan’’ (1891); “The
People and Politics of the Far East”
(1894). -
Norris, W. E. “Heaps of Money”
(1877); “Mlle. de Mersac’” (1880);
“Matrimony” (1881); “Thirlby Hall”
(1883); “No New Thing ” (1885); “A
Man of His Word” (1885); “Adrian
Vidal” (1885); “My Friend Jim"
(1886); “A Bachelor's Blunder” (1886);
“Major and Minor’’ (1887); “The
Rogue’’ (1888); “Mrs. Fenton” (1889);
“Miss Shafto'' (1889); “The Baffled
Conspirators” (1890); ‘Marcia” (1890);
“Misadventure” (1890); “Mr. Chaine's
Sons” (1891); “Miss Wentworth’s
Idea” (1891); “Jack's Father, etc.”
(1891); “His Grace” (1892); “A
Deplorable Affair” (1893); “Matthew
Austin’” (1894); “Saint Ann’s” (1894);
“Style in Fiction” (1894); “A Victim
of Good Luck” (1894); “Billy Bellew'”
(1895), etc.
North, Roger (b. 1650; d. 1733).
“Lives of the Right Hon. Francis
North, Baron of Guildford, Sir Dudley
North, and the Hon. and Rev. Dr. John
North '' (1742-44); “Bxamen; or, an
Enquiry into the Credit and Veracity of
a Pretended Compleat History of Eng-
land” (1740); “A Discourse on the
Study of the Laws” (1824); and “Me-
moirs of Musick,” edited by Dr. Rim-
bault in 1846.
Norton, The Hon. Mrs. Caroline
Elizabeth S., Lady Maxwell (b. 1808;
d. June 15th, 1877). “The Dandie's
Rout” (1825); “The Sorrows of
Rosalie ’’ (1829); “The Undying One'?
“The Coquette and Other
(1834); “The Wife and
Woman’s Reward” (1835);
Dream, and Other Poems ”
“The Child of the Islands” (1845);
“Aunt Carry’s Ballads” (1847); “The
Martyr’” (1849); “A Residence in
Sierra Leone’’ (1849); “Tales and
Sketches in Prose and Verse ’’ (1850—
identical with “The Coquette”);
“Stuart of Dunleath’’ (1851); “English
Laws of Custom and Marriage for
Women of the 19th Century '' (1854);
“Letter to the Queen on the Marriage
and Divorce Bill” (1855); “The Lady
of La Garaye” (1862); “Lost and
Saved ” (1863); “Old Sir Douglas”
(1867); “The Rose of Jericho’’ (1870).
Norton, Thomas (b. Sharpenhoe,
Bedfordshire, 1532; d. 1584). Trans-
lation of Calvin’s “Institutes '' (1562);
Three Acts of “Ferrex and Porrex.” -
O
O'Brien, William (b. 1852). “When
We Were Boys” (1890); “Irish Ideas”.
(1893).
O'Connor, Thomas Power, M.P.
(b. Athlone, 1848). “Benjamin Dis-
raeli” (1878); “Lord Beaconsfield : a
Biography” (1879); “Gladstone's House
of Commons” (1885); “The Parnell
Movement” (1886); “Charles Stewart
Parnell” (1891); “The Book of Pity
Occam
1398
Oliphant
and of Death,” translation (1892);
“Sketches in the House” (1893).
Occam, William of (b. Ockham,
Surrey, 1270; d. Munich, April 7th,
1347). “I)isputatio inter Clericum et
Militem ’’ (1475); “Dialogorum libri
septem adversus hareticos; et Tractatus
de dogmatibus Johannis XXII.” (1476);
“Opus nonaginta, dierum et dialogi,
compendium errorum contra. Johannem
XXII.” (1481); “Scriptum in primum
librum sentenciarum, in quo theologica
simul et arcium atque philosophiae dog-
mata usque ad principia resolvuntur stilo
clarissimo facili et apto” (1483); “Quod-
libeta septem” (1487); “Tractatus
Logicae divisus in tres partes” (1488);
“Centiloquium Theologicum ” (1494);
“Quaestiones et Decisiones in quatuor
libros Sententiarum ” (1495); “Ex-
positio aurea super totamartem Veterem,
continens hosce tractatus” (1496); and
“Summa totius logicae '' (1498). For a
list of Occam's other works, see Jöcher's
“Gelehrten Lexicon.”
Occleve, Thomas (b. about 1370).
English translation of “De Regimine
Brincipum,” and minor pieces, printed
|by George Mason in 1796. See Warton’s
“History”; Ritson’s “Bibliographia,
Poetica,” and Ellis’s “Specimens of the
English Poets;” also Morley’s “English
Writers,” vol. vi.
Ogilby, John (b. Edinburgh, 1600;
d. 1676). Translations of “The AEneid”
(1649); “AEsop's Fables” (1651); “The
Iliad” (1660); and “The Odyssey”
(1661).
Oliphant, Laurence (b. 1829; d. -
1888). “A Journey to Katmandhu,”
“The Russian Shores of the Black Sea.”
(1853); “Minnesota and the Far West”
(1855); “The Transcaucasian Campaign
under Omar Pasha’’ (1856); “Earl of
Blgin's Mission to China and Japan in
1857-59 '' (1860); “Patriots and Fili-
'busters” (1861); “Incidents of Travel; ”
“Piccadilly” (1870); “Land of Gilead”
(1881); “Tracts and Travesties” (1882);
“Altiora, Peto '' (1883); “Sympneu-
mata” (1885); “Episodes in a Life of
Adventure” (1887). Memoir by Mrs.
Margaret Oliphant (1891).
Oliphant, Mrs. Margaret (b. Liver-
pool, about 1828). “Mrs. Margaret
Maitland” (1849); “Merkland” (1851);
“Adam Graeme of Mossgray” (1852);
“Harry Muir'' (1853); “Magdalen
Hepburn” (1854); “Lilliesleaf'' (1855);
“Zaidee’” (1856); “Katie. Stewart.”
dren. ”
(1856); “The Quiet Heart” (1856);
“Chronicles of Carlingford” (including
“Salem Chapel,” “The Perpetual
Curate,” “The Rector,” “Miss Mar-
joribanks,” and “Phoebe Junior ’’);
“Memoirs of Edward Irving ” (1862);
“Agnes” (1866); “The Brownlows”
(1868); “The Minister's Wife?” (1869);
“Historical Sketches of the Reign of
George II.”, (1869); “John ” (1870);
“Three Brothers” (1870); “A Son of
the Soil” (1870); “Memoir of Francis
d’Assissi” (1870); “Squire . Arden"
(1871); “Memoir of Montalembert’”
1872); “Ombra, ’’ (1872); “At his
}ates” “Innocent” (1873);
“May ’’ ( ; “A Rose in June '’
(1874); “For Love and Life" (1874);
“Valentine and his Brothers” (1875);
“The Curate in Charge” (1876); “The
Makers of Florence ’’ (1876); “Dante”
(1877); “Carità" (1877); “Mrs.
Arthur’” (1877); “Young Musgrave”
(1877); “Dress” (1878); “The Prim-
rose Path” (1878); “Within the Pre-
cincts” (1879); “He that Will Not
when he May” (1880); “A Literary
IIistory of England, 1710-1825” (1882);
“In Trust” (1882); “The Ladies
Lindores” (1883); “It was a Lover and
his Lass” (1883); “Hester” (1884);
“The Wizard's Son” (1884); “Sir
Tom” (1884); “Madam” (1885); “Two
Stories of the Seen and the Unseen 7°
(1885); “A Country Gentleman and his
Farm' (1886); “The Son of his
Father” (1887); “The Makers of
Venice” (1887); “The Second Son.”
1888); “Memoir of John Tulloch’”
1888); “Cousin Mary” (1888); “Joyce”
(1888); “Lady Car” (1889); “A Poor
Gentleman.” (1889); “Neighbours on
the Green” (1889); “The Duke's
Daughter’” (1890); “The Mystery of
Mrs. Blencarrow’” (1890); “Royal
Ldinburgh” (1890); “Sons and Daugh-
ters” (1890); “Kirsteen” (1890);
“Jerusalem'' (1891); “Janet” (1891);
“The Railway Mān and his Chil-
(1891); “Memoir of Laurence
Oliphant and of Alice Oliphant’’ (1891);
“The Marriage of Elinor’’ (1892);
“Diana Trelawny ” (1892); “The
Cuckoo in the Nest'' (1892); “The Heir
Presumptive and the Heir Apparent”
(1892); “Lady William ” (1893);
“Memoir of Thomas Chalmers” (1893);
“The Sorceress” (1893); “The Pro-
digals and their Inheritance.” (1894);
“A House in Bloomsbury” (1894);
“Historical Characters of the Reign of
Queen Anne’’ (1894). Editor of

“Foreign Classics for English Readers,”
Opie '
1399
Paley
Opie, Amelia (b. 1769; d. 1853).
“The Dangers of Coquetry,” “The
Father and the Daughter” (1801); “An
Illegy to the Memory of the Duke of
Bedford” (1802); “Adeline Mowbray”
(1804); “Simple Tales” (1806), etc.
Otway, Thomas (b. Trotton, Sussex,
March 3rd, 1651 ; d. London, April 14th,
1685). “Alcibiades” (1675); “Don
Carlos” (1675); “Caius Marius” (1680);
“The Orphan’” (1680); “Venice Pre-
served” (1682); “Titus and Berenice,”
“Friendship in Fashion,” and “The
Soldier's Fortune.” His Works in 1813,
with Life. -
O u i da (Louisa de la Ramée).
“Ariadne;” “Cecil Castlemaine's Gage;”
“Chandos; ” “A Dog of Flanders; ”
“Under Two Flags” (1868); “Puck”
(1869); “Folle-Farine;” “Friendship; ”
“Held in Bondage; ” “Idalia” (1867);
“In a Winter City;” “Pascarel” (1873);
“Sigma;” “Strathmore;” “Tricotrin;”
“Two Little Wooden Shoes” (1874);
“Moths” (1880); “Pipistrello and Other
Stories” (1880); “A Village Commune’’
(1881); “In Maremma' and “Bimbi”
(1882); “Wanda,” and “Frescoes”
(1883); “Princess Napraxine" (1884);
“A House Party” (1886); “Othamar”
(1887); “Guilderoy’’ (1889); “Ruffino,
etc.” (1890); “Syrlin” (1890); “Tower
of Taddeo ’’ (1890); “Santa Barbara,
etc.” (1891); “The New Priesthood'
[the Medical Profession] (1893); “The
Silver Christ,” and “A Lemon Tree”
(1894); “Two . Offenders” (1894);
“Views and Opinions” (1895), etc.
Overbury, Sir Thomas (b. 1581;
d. 1613). “A Wife” (1614); “Charac-
ters ” (1614); “Observations on his
Travels upon the State of the Seventeen
Provinces as they stood Anno Dom.
1609 '' (1626); “Crumms fallen from
Ring James’s Table ; or, his Table-
Talk” (1715).
Owen, John, D.D. (b. 1616; d. Ealing,
August 24th, 1683). “The Display
of Arminianism'' (1642); “Communion
with God” (1657); “On the Nature,
Rise and Progress, and Study of Trué
Theology” (1661); “Exposition of the
Epistle to the Hebrews” (1668); “On
Justification” (1677); “Salus Electorum,
Sanguis Jesu; or, the Death of Death in
the Death of Christ,” “Diatriba de
Divina. Justitia,” “Doctrine of the
Saints, Perseverance Explained and Con-
firmed,” “Vindicia Evangelicæ,”
“Mortification of Sin by Believers,”
“On the Divine Original, Authority,
Self-evidencing Light and Power of the
Scriptures,” “Animadversions on “Fiat
Lux,’” “Indwelling Sin,” “A Dis-
course of the Holy Spirit,” “Christo-
logia.” “Works, with Life,” in 1826.
Owen, Sir Richard, K.C.B. (b.
Lancaster, July 20th, 1804; d. December
18th, 1892). “Odontography” (1840-
45); “Ilectures on the Invertebråte
Animals” (1846); “History of British
Fossil Mammals and Birds” (1846);
“Parthenogenesis” (1849); “History
of British Fossil Reptiles” (1849-51);
“Palaeontology” (1860); “Lectures on
Comparative Anatomy; ” “The Arche-
type . Skeleton ; ” “Fossil Reptiles”
(1884), etc. “Life” by R. S. Owen (1894).
Owen, Robert (b. Newton, Mont-
gomeryshire, May 14th, 1771; d. 1858).
“New Views of Society” (1812), etc.
Owen, Robert Dale (b. New
Lanark, 1804; d. 1877). “System of
Education at New Lanark” (1824);
“Moral Physiology” (1831); “Per-
sonality of God’’ and “Authenticity of
the Bible” (1832); “Footfalls on the
Boundary of Another World” (1860);
“The Debatable Land” (1872);
“Threading My Way: an Autobio-
graphy” (1874), etc.
P
Pain, Barry Eric Odell. “In a
Canadian Canoe, etc.” (1891); “Stories
and Interludes”. (1892); “Playthings
and Parodies” (1892); “Graeme and
Cyril’’ (1893); “Rindness of the
Celestial, etc.” (1894). -
Paine, Thomas (b. Thetford, Nor-
folk, January 29th, 1737; d. New York,
June 8th, ‘1809). “Common Sense”
(1776); “The American Crisis” (1776–
83); “The Rights of Man” (1791-92);
and “The Age of Reason” (1792 aftā
1796). His Life was written by “Francis
Rydys”. (George Chalmers) (1791),
Oldys (1791), Cheetham (1809), Rick-
man (1814), Sherwin (1819), Richard
Carlile (1819); Harford (1820), and
Vale (1853). See The North Americani
Jºeview, vol. lvii., and the new Life by
Moncure D. Conway. Works, Boston,
1856; Political Works, London, 1875.
The third volume of an edition by Mr.
Conway appeared in 1895.
Paley, William (b. Peterborough,
July, 1743; d. May 25th, 1805). “Prin-
ciples of Morāland Political Philosophy.”
ºx
Palgrave
1400
Pater
(1785); “Horae Paulinae.” (1790); “A
View of the Evidences of Christianity”
(1794); “Natural Theology'' (1831);
“Sermons’’ (1808); “Reasons for Con-
tentment,” and “The Clergyman’s
Companion in Visiting the Sick.” Works
(1815), with Life; Memoirs by G. W.
Meadley in 1809.
Palgrave, Sir Francis (b. London,
July, 1788; d. Hampstead, July 6th,
1861). “History of the Anglo-Saxons”
(1831); “The Rise and Progress of the
English Commonwealth '' (1832); “Ro-
tuli Curiae Regis” (1835); “The Ancient
Kalendars and Inventories of His
Majesty’s Exchequer” (1836); “Truths
and Fictions of the Middle Ages: the
Merchant and the Friar” (1837); “The
History of Normandy and of England”
(1851–57); and other works.
Palgrave, Professor Francis
Turner (b. London, September 28th,
1824). “Idylls and Songs” (1854);
“The Golden Treasury of English Songs
and Lyrics,” selections (1861); “Essays
on Art” (1866); “Hymns” (1867);
“Five Days' Entertainments at Went-
worth Grange” (1868); “Lyrical Poems”
(1871); “A Lyric Garland” (1874);
“The Treasury of Lyrical Poems ”
(1875); “Chrysomela, a Selection from
the Poems of Robert Herrick” (1877);
“The Vision of England” (1881) : “The
Golden Treasury of Sacred Song,”
selections (1889); “Amenophis and
Other Poems” (1892). He has also
edited the poems of Clough (1862),
Reats (1884), Wordsworth (1885), and
Scott, etc.
Palgrave, Sir Reginald Francis
Douce, K.C.B. (b. London, June 28th,
1829). “The House of Commons”
; “The Chairman’s Handbook”
( ; “Oliver Cromwell, the Pro-
tector’’ (1890). -
Palgrave, William Gifford (b.
1826; d. 1888). “Personal Narrative of
a Year's Journey through Central and
|Eastern Arabia’’ (1862-63); “Hermann
Agha '' (1872); “Essays on Eastern
Questions” (1872); “Dutch Guiana ’’
(1876). Contributed much to periodical
literature. -
Palmer, Edward Henry (b. 1840;
d. 1882). “The Desert of the Exodus.”
(1871); “History of Jerusalem'' (1871);
“Arabic Grammar” (1874); “History
of the Jewish Nation” (1874); “Persian-
English Dictionary” (1876); “Poems of
Deha-ed-din Zoheir '' (1876-77); “Ha-
roun Alraschid '' (1880); “ Koran ’’
Questions”
...rº-º-º-º:
(1880). Was also for some time a
journalist. ... --
Parker, Gilbert (b. Canada, 1862).
“Pierre and his People” (1892); “Mrs.
Falchion ” (1893); “The Translation of
a Savage” (1894); “The Trail of the
Sword” (1895); “When Walmond came
to Pontiac’” (1895).
Parker, Rev. Joseph, D.D. (b.
Hexham, April 9th, 1830). “Church
(1862); “Ecce Deus; ”
“Ad Cleram” (1870); “The Paraclete’”
(1874); “The Priesthood of Christ”
(1876); “Tyne Childe,” autobiography
(1886); “Weaver Stephen '' (1886);
“The People's Family Prayer-book”
(1889); “Some One” (1893); “None
Like It” (1893); “Well Begun’” (1893);
“The People's Bible,” etc.
Parnell, Thomas (b. Dublin, 1679;
d. Chester, July, 1717). “The Life of
Zoilus,” etc. Poems, with miscellaneous
Prose Works, and Life by Goldsmith
(1773).
Parr, Samuel, LL.D. (b. Harrow,
January 15th, 1747; d. March 6th, 1825).
“Prefatio ad Bellendenum de Statu
Prisci Orbis” (1788); “Letter from
Irenopolis to the Inhabitants of Eleu-
theropolis” (1792); “Characters of the
Late Right Honourable Charles James
Fox, selected and in part written by
Philopatris Varvicencis '' (1809), etc.
“Aphorisms, Opinions, and Reflections
of the late Dr. S. Parr’’ were published
in 1826; “Bibliotheca Parriana: a Cata-
logue of the Library of the Rev. Samuel
Parr, LL.D.,” in 1827; “Parriana; or,
Notices of the Rev. Samuel Parr, LL.D.,
collected and in part written by E. H.
Barker, Esq.,” in 1828-29; and “Me-
moirs of the Rev. Samuel Parr, LL.D.,”
by the Rev. William Field, in 1828. In
the same year appeared an edition of his
Works, “with Memoirs of his Life and
Writings, and a selection from his Cor-
respondence, by John Johnstone, M.D.”
Parry, Charles Hubert Hastings,
Mus.D. (b. Bournemouth, February
27th, 1848). ... “History and Develop-
ment of Médiaeval and Modern Euro-
pean Music '' (1877); “Studies of Great
Composers” (1886); “The Art of
Music '' (1893).
Pater, Walter H. (b. August 4th,
1839; d. July 30th, 1894). “Studies
in the History of the Renaissance ’’
(1873); “The Renaissance ’’ (1875);
“Marius the Epicurean'' (1885); “Im-
aginary Portraits” (1887); “Appre-
ciations” (1889); “Plato and Platon.
IPatnore
1401
Pepys
ism 7” (1893) ; “An Imaginary Portrait”
(1894); “Greek Studies” (1895).
Patmore, Coventry Kearsay
Dighton (b. Woodford, Essex, July
2nd, 1823). “Poems” (1844), with ad-
'ditions in 1853, under the title of “Tam-
erton Church Tower, and Other Poems;”
“The Angel in the House,” in four
parts—“The Betrothal’’ (1854), “The
Espousal” (1856), “Faithful for Ever”
(1860), and “The Victories of Love”
(1862); besides “The Unknown Eros”
(1877); “Principle in Art” (1889);
“Religio Poetae.” (1893); “The Rod,
the Root, and the Flower” (1895). A
selection from his poems has been pub-
lished by Richard, Garnett, entitled
“Florilegium Amantis” (1879).
Pattison, Rev. Mark (b. Hornby,
Yorks., 1813; d. July 30th, 1884). “Isaac
Casaubon'' (1875); “Milton ’’ (1879);
“Sermons” (1885); “Essays,” collected
by H. Nettleship (1889). Edited Works
of Milton and Pope. “Memoirs,” edited
by Mrs. Pattison, now Lady, Dilke
(1885). Recollections by T. F. Althaus
and by Hon. L. A. Tollemache.
Payn, James (b. 1830). “Lost
Sir Massingberd” (1864); “A County
Family’’ (1869); “A Perfect Treasure”
ſ1869); “Like Father, Like Son” (1870);
* At Her Mercy” (1874); “Less Black
than we’re Painted” (1878); “By
Proxy” (1878); “What He Cost Her "
(1878); “High Spirits” (1879); “Under
One Roof” (1879); “Two Hundred
Pounds Reward” (1880); “A Confi-
dential Agent” (1880); “A Grape from
a Thorn” (1881); “For Cash. Only”
(1882); “Some Private Views” (1882);
“Literary Recollections” (1884); “The
Luck of the Darrells” (1885); “Glow-
Worm Tales” (1887); “Holiday Tasks”
(1887);
(1888); “The Eavesdropper’” (1888);
“The Mystery of Mirbridge” (1888);
“The Burnt Million” (1890); “Notes
from the News”. (1890); “The Word
and the Will '' (1890); “Sunny Stories,
and Some Shady Ones” (1891); “A
Modern Dick Whittington’’ (1892); “A
Stumble on the Threshold '' (1892); “A
Trying Patient” (1893); “Gleams of
Memory '' (1894); “In Market Overt”
(1895).
Payne-Smith, Robert, D.D., Dean
of Canterbury (b. Gloucestershire, 1818;
d. March 31st, 1895). “Prophecy as
a Preparation for Christ’” (1869);
“Daniel” (1886), etc.
Peacock, Thomas Love (b. Wey-
“A Prince of the Blood ''
mouth, 1785; d. 1866). “Headlong
Hall (1815); “Melin Court” (1817);
“Rhododaphne '' (1818); “Nightmare
Abbey’ (1818); “Maid Marian’’ (1822);
“The Misfortunes of Elphin’” (1829);
“Crotchet Castle” (1831); “Gryll
Grange'' (1860).
Pearse, Rev. Mark Guy (b. Cran-
borne, 1842). “Mister Horn and His
Friends” (1872); “John Tregenoweth''
(1873); “Daniel Quorm and His Re-
ligious Notions '' (1875); “Homely
Talks” (1880); “Simon Jasper” (1883);
“Thoughts on Holiness” (1884); “Corn-
ish Stories” (1884); “Some Aspects of
the Blessed Life'' (1886): “The Chris-
tianity of Jesus Christ” (1888); “Short
Talks for the Times” (1889); “Jesus
Christ and the People” (1891); “Elijah
the Man of God” (1891); “Naaman
the Syrian ’’ (1893); “The Gospel for
the Day” (1893); “Moses” (1894), etc.
Pearson, Charles Henry (b. Isling-
ton, 1830; d. 1894). “The Early and
Middle Ages of England’’ (1861);
“History of England During the Early
and Middle Ages” (1867); “National
Life and Character” (1893).
Peele, George (b. 1552; d. 1598?).
“The Arraignment of Paris” (1584);
“The Device of the Pageant ’’ (1585);
“An Eclogue Gratulatorie ’’ (1589);
“A Farewell” (1589); “Polyhymnia’’
(1590); “Descensus Astraeae '' (1591);
“The Hunting of Cupid.” (1591);
“King Edward the First" (1593); “The
Honour of the Garter” (1593); “The
Battle of Alcazar” (1594): “The Old
Wives' Tale” (1595); “The Love of
Ring David and Fair Bethsabe” (1599):
“Historie of Two Valiant Knights”
(1599); “Merrie Conceited Jests’’
(1627); “The Turkish Mahomet and
Hyren the Faire Greek.” “Life” by
Dyce, prefixed to Works, in 1828.
Pemberton, Max (b. Birmingham,
1863). “The Diary of a Scoundrel”
(1891): “The Iron Pirate” (1893);
“Jewel Mysteries I have Known” (1894);
“The Sea Wolves” (1894); “The Im-
pregnable City’’ (1895); “The Little
Huguenot ” (1895).
Pepys, Samuel (b. Brampton, Hunt-
ingdonshire, February 23rd, 1633; d.
May 26th, 1703). “Memoirs relating to
the State of the Royal Navy of Eng-
land” (1690). “Diary” edited by Lord
Braybrooke in 1825; another edition,
1879. The “Life, Journals, and Corre-
spondence” of Pepys published in 1841;
new and enlarged edition, with notes by
Henry B. Wheatley, in progress (1895).
Percy
1402
Pope’
Percy, Thomas, Bishop of Dromore
(b. Bridgnorth, Shropshire, April 13th,
1728; d. Dromore, Ireland, September
30th, 1811). “Reliques of Ancient Eng-
lish Poetry '' (1765); “Five Pieces of
Runic Poetry, translated ” (1763); “The
Songs of Solomon, translated, with a
Commentary” (1764); translation of
Mallet’s “Northern Antiquities” (1770);
“The Hermit of Warkworth '' (1771);
“A Key to the New Testament” (1779);
and “An Essay on the Origin of the
English Stage” (1793). The “Reliques”
j edited by Hales and Furnivall in
1868.
Philips, Ambrose (b. Leicestershire,
1671 ; d. London, June 8th, 1749). “Pas-
torals” (1708); “A Poetical Letter from
Copenhagen’’ (1709); ‘‘Persian Tales”
(1709); “The Distrest Mother ” (1712);
“The Briton” (1722); “ Humphrey,
IJuke of Gloucester ’’ (1722), and
“Poems ” (1748).
thinker. “Life" by Dr. Johnson.
Philips, Francis Charles (b. 1849).
. “As in a Looking-Glass” (1885); “Jack
and Three Jills” (1886); “A Lucky
Young Woman” (1886); “Social Vicis-
situdes 7 (1886); “The Dean and his
Daughter ’’ (1887); “Strange Adven-
tures of Lucy Smith ” (1887); “Little
Mrs. Murray ” (1888); “Young Mr.
Ainslie's Courtship’’ (1889); “A French
Marriage” (1890); “Extenuating Cir-
cumstances” (1891); “Madame Valérie”
(1892); “Constance” (1893); “One
Never Knows” (1893); “Mrs. Bou-
verie” (1894); “A Doctor in Difficulties”
(1894); “The Worst Woman in London”
(1895); “A Question of Taste” (1895);
also works in collaboration. * . :
Pinero, Arthur Wing (b. London,
1855). “The Plays of A. W. Pinero,”
begun 1891.
Pinkerton, John (b. Edinburgh,
February 17th, 1758; d. Paris, March
10th, 1826). “Scottish Tragic Ballads”
(1781); “Essay on Medals” (1782);
“Rimes?” (1782): “Select Scottish Bal-
lads” (1783); “Letters on Literature ?'
(1785); “Ancient Scottish Poems” º 86);
“A Dissertation on the Origin and Pro-
gress of the Scythians or Goths” (1787);
“Vitae Antiquae Sanctorum,” etc. (1789);
“An Inquiry into the History of Scot-
land” (1789); “The Medallic History of
England to the Revolution ” (1790);
“Scottish Poems”. (1792); “Observa-
tions on the Antiquities, etc., of Western
Scotland ” (1793);
Scotica” (1797); “The
Faited The Free-
of the Law Reports.
iſnfortunate Lady’” . . . ... -
from Eloisa to Abélard” (1717); “Three
Hours . After
“Ichonographia, -
of the “Iliad” (1715-20); edition of
History of
Scotland from . the Accession £, of . the .
House of Stuart to that of Mary’”
(1797); “The Scottish Gallery” (1799);
“Walpoliana;” “Modern Geography;”
“Recollections of Paris;” “Petralogy;”
an edition of Barbour’s “Bruce; ” and
other works. “Literary Correspond-
ence” (1830).
Planché, James Robinson (b. 1796;
d. 1880). “Lays and Legends of the
Rhine” (1826-27); “Descent of the
Danube from Ratisbon to Vienna,”
§: “History of British Costume '’
(1834); “Regal Records: Coronation of
Queens” (1838); “Souvenir of the Bal
Costumé '' (1842); “Pursuivant at
Arms; or, Heraldry Founded upon
Facts” (1851); “Corner of Kent; Tor,
Some Account of the Parish of Ash-next-
Sandwich’” (1864).
Plumptre, Edward Hayes, D.D.,
Dean of Wells (b. August 6th, 1821; d.
February 1st, 1891). “Things Old and
New '' (1844); “Sermons at King's
College’” (1859); “Iazarus and Other
Poems” (1864); “Master and Scholar ’’
(1866); “Christ and Christendom ''
(1867); “The Spirits in Prison’’ (1884);
“The Commedia and Canzonniere of
Dante” (1886); “Life of Thomas Ken?”
(1888). Translated Sophocles (1866)
and AEschylus (1870); a leading contri.
butor to Bishop Ellicott's “Old and New
Testament Commentaries for English
Readers.” . . . . .
Pollock, Professor Sir Frederick,
Bart. (b. December 10th, 1845). “Spin-
oza, his Life and Philosophy.” (1880);
“Essays in Jurisprudence and Ethics”
(1882); “The Land Laws” (1883);
“An Introduction to the History of the
Science of Politics” (1890); ‘‘ Oxford
Lectures and Other Discourses” (1890);
“History of English Law before the
Time of Edward I.” (1895), etc. Editor
Pope, Alexander (b. London, May
21st, 1688; d. Twickenham, May 30th,
1744): “Pastorals” (1709); “An Essay
on Criticism.” (1711); “The Rape of the
Lock” (1711 and 1714); “The Messiah.”
(1712); “The Temple of Fame” (H712);
“Prologue to Cato” (1713); “Windsor
Forest” (1713); “Ode for St. Cecilia’s
Day” (1713); “Narrative of Dr. Robert
Norris, concerning the Strange and De-
plorable Frenzy of J *%. Dennis)"
(1713); “Elegy to the Memory of an
(1717); “Epistle
Marriage ; ” translation.
Shakespeare (1725); translation of the
Porson
1403
Briestley
“Odyssey” (1725-26); “Letters to
Cromwell’’ (1726); “Treatise on the
Bathos” (1727); “The Dunciad” (1728);
contributions to The Grub Street Journal
(1730–37); “Epistle on Taste” (1731);
“Essay on Man” (1732-34); “Moral
Essays” (1732-35); “Epistle to Ar-
buthnot ”’ (1735); “Correspondence ’’
(1735 and 1736); “Imitations of Horace.”
1733-4-7); “Epilogue to the Satires”
1738); “The New Dunciad” (1742-
43). Best edition of Works, Elwin's.
See also the editions by A. W. Ward
1869), Mark Pattison (1869), Cowden
larke (1873), and Rossetti (1873), with
'biographies; “Concordance to Pope's
Works,” by Abbot (1875); and “Pope ’’
(1880). For Criticism, see Johnson's
“Lives of the Poets,” Hazlitt’s “Eng-
lish Poets,” De Quincey’s “Leaders of
Literature,” Sainte Beuve's “Caus-
eries,” Taine’s “English Literature,”
Stephen’s “Hours in a Library’’ and
his “Pope’’ (Men of Jetters), a Ger-
man “Life” by Deetz (Leipzic, 1876),
Lowell’s “Study Windows,” etc.
Porson, Richard (b. East Ruston,
Norfolk, December 25th, 1759; d. Lon-
don, September 28th, 1808). “Letters
to Mr. Archdeacon Travis” (1790);
editions of the “Hecuba " (1797),
“Orestes” (1798), “Phoenissae” (1799),
“Medea '.' (1801); and other publica-
tions collected by Monk and Bloom-
field in the “Adversaria '' (1812); by
Dobree in the “Notæ in Aristophanem”
(1820); by Kidd in the “Tracts and
Miscellaneous Criticisms” (1815); the
whole forming, with his “Photii
Graecum Lexicon '' and “An Imperfect
Outline of his Life" by Kidd, the six
volumes of “Opera Philologica, et
Critica.” See also “Porsoniana.” (1814);
“A Short Account of the Late Mr.
Richard Porson,” by the Rev. Stephen
Weston (1808); “A Narrative of the
Last Illness and Death of Richard Por-
son,” by Dr. Adam Clarke (1808); “A
Windication of the Literary Character of
the late Professor Porson,” by Crito
Cantabrigiensis (Dr. Turton, Bishop of
Ely) (1827); “The Life of Richard
Porson,” by the Rev. J. Selby Watson
(1861); and Aiken’s “Athenaeum.”
Porter, Anna Maria (b. 1780; d.
Bristol, June 21st, 1832). “Artless
Tales” (1793); “Octavia” (1798); “The
Lakes of Killarney. (1804); “A Sailor's
Friendship and a Soldier's Love” (1805);
“The Hungarian, Brothers” (1807);
“Don Sebastian '' (1809); “Ballads,
Romances, and Other Poems” (1811);
“The Recluse of Norway ” (1814);
“Walsh Colville” (1819); “The Feast
of St. Magdalen’’ (1818); “The Village
of Mariendorpt” (1821); “The Knight
of St. John ” (1821); “Roche Blanche’”
(1822); “Tales Round a Winter Hearth”
(in conjunction with her sister Jane);
“Honor O'Hara” (1826); “Barony”
(1830); and other works.
Porter, Jane (b. Durham, 1776;
d. Bristol, May 24th, 1850). “Thaddeus
of Warsaw'' (1803); “The Scottish
Chiefs” (1810); “The Pastor's Fire-
side '' (1815); “Duke Christian of Lune-
berg” (1824); “Coming Out,” and
“The Field of Forty Footsteps” (1828);
“Tales Round a Winter Hearth’’ (in
conjunction with her sister Anna
Maria) (1826); “Sir Edward Seaward's
Narrative; ” and other works.
Praed, Mrs. Rachel Mackworth
(b. Queensland, March 27th, 1852).
“An Australian Heroine” (1880);
“Policy and Passion ” (1881); “Na-
dine” (1882); “Moloch'' (1883); “Ze-
ro” (1884); “Affinities” (1885); “Aus-
tralian Life '' (1885); “The Head Sta-
tion ” (1885); “The Brother of the
Shadow'' (1886); “Miss Jacobsen's
Chance'' (1886); “The Bond of Wed-
lock” (1887); “Longleat of Kooralbyn”
(1887); “Ariane’’ (1888); “The Ro-
mance of a Station ” (1891); “The Soul
of Countess Adrian '' (1891); “The Ro-
mance of a Chalet” (1892); “Outlaw
and Law-maker” (1893); “Christina.
Chard” (1894). Has also written novels
in collaboration with Mr. Justin Mc-
Carthy.
Praed, Winthrop Mackworth (b.
London, July 26th, 1802; d. July 15th,
1839). “Poems” (1864), with Memoir
by Derwent Coleridge.
Price, Richard, D.D. (b. Llangeinor,
Glamorganshire, February 23rd, 1723;
d. March 19th, 1791). “Iteview of the
Principal Questions and Difficulties in
Morals” (1758); three dissertations on
“Prayer,” “Miraculous Evidences of
Christianity,” and “On the Reasons for
Expecting that Virtuous Men shall meet
after Death in a State of Happiness”
(1767); and “A Free Discussion of the
Doctrines of Materialism '' (1778). See
the “Life" by Morgan (1815).
Priestley, Joseph, LL.D. (b. Field-
head, near Leeds, March 13th, 1733;
d. February 6th, 1804). “The Scrip-
ture Doctrine of Remission;” “Lectures
on the Theory of Language and Uni-
versal Grammar” (1762), “Chart of
IPrior
1404.
Busey.
Biography” (1765); “The History and
Present State of Electric Science, with
Original Observations” (1767); “Rudi-
ments of English Grammar” (1769);
“Theological Repository” (1769–88);
“The History and Present State of Dis-
coveries relating to Vision, Light, and
Colours” (1772); “Institutes of Natural
and Revealed Religion ” (1772); “Ex-
amination of Reid, Beattie, etc.” (1774);
“Experiments and Observations on
Different Kinds of Air” (1774); “The
Doctrine of Philosophical Necessity’”
(1777); “Lectures on Oratory and
Criticism'' (1777); “Disquisitions Re-
lating to Matter and Spirit” (1777);
“A Harmony of the Evangelists, in
Greek” (1777); “Observations on Edu-
cation ” (1778); “Letters to a Philo-
sophical Unbeliever ?” §§ ; “A
History of Corruptions of Christianity’”
(1782); “A History of Early Opinions
Concerning Jesus Christ” (1786); “Lec-
tures on History and General Policy"
(1788); “A General History of the
Christian Church to the Fall of the
Western Empire '' (1790); “Discourses
on the Evidences of Revealed Religion ”
(1794); “An Answer to Mr. Paine's
“Age of Reason ’’’ (1795); “A Com-
parison of the Institutes of Moses with
those of the Hindoos and other Ancient
Nations” (1799); “A General History
of the Christian Church from the Fall of
the Western Empire to the Present
Time” (1802); “Notes on all the Books
of Scripture” (1803); “The Doctrines
of Heathen Philosophy Compared with
those of Revelation ” (1804); and other
“Works '' included in the 26-volume
edition published with a “Life" by
J. Towill Rutt, in 1823.
Prior, Matthew (b. July 21st, 1664;
d. Wimpole, September 18th, 1721).
“The City and Country Mouse” (1687)
(with Halifax); “Carmen Seculare”
(1700); and other works, a collected
edition of which appeared in 1718.
“Poems” edited, with biographical and
critical introductions, by Dr. Johnson
1822), John Mitford (1835), and George
ilfillan (1857). “Memoirs” and “Sup-
plement” to Poems in 1722.
Procter, Adelaide Anne (b. Lon-
don, October 30th, 1825; d. London,
February 2nd, 1864). “Legends and
Lyrics” (1858). See the “Memoir”
prefixed to her Poems by Charles
Dickens (1866). .
Procter, Bryan Waller, “Barry
Cornwall” (b. Wiltshire or London, No-
vember 21st, 1787; d. London, October
March 23rd, 1837; d. 1888).
4th, 1874). “I)ramatic Scenes” (1819);
“A Sicilian Story” (1820); “Marcian
Colonna ’’ (1820); “Mirandola,” a play
(1821); “The Flood of Thessaly’”
(1822); “Effigies Poeticae; ” “English
Songs” (1832); “Essays and Tales in
Prose ’’ (1851); besides “Biographies”
of Kean and Lamb. Edited Shake-
speare and Ben Jonson. See Miss Mar-
tineau’s “Biographical Sketches” and
his “Autobiography” (1877).

Proctor, Richard Anthony (b.
“Saturn
and its System ’’ (1865); “Handbook of
the Stars, and Gnomonic Star Atlas”
(1866); “Constellation Seasons” (1867);
“Half-Hours with the Stars” (1869);
“Other Worlds than Ours ” (1870);
“The Borderland of Science” (1870);
“Transits of Venus” (1874); “The
Universe and Coming Transits '' (1874);
“Wages and Wants of Science Workers”
(1876); “Myths and Marvels of Astro-
nomy” (1877); “Pleasant Ways in
Science ’’ (1878); “Rough Ways Made
Smooth” (1879); “Easy Star Lessons”
(1881); “Familiar Science Studies”
(1882); “Chance and Luck” (1887).
Was the editor of Knowledge.
Prynne, William (b. Swainswick,
Somersetshire, 1600; d. London, October
24th, 1669). “Histrio - Mastix: the
Player’s Scourge, or Actor's Tragedie’’
(1633); “Newes from Ipswich’” (1637);
“The Antipathie of the English Lordly
Legacie both to Regall Monarchy and
Civill Unity” (1641); “A Pleasant
Purge for a Roman Catholic to Evacuate
his Evill Humours” (1642); “Pride's
Purge” (1648); “Records of the Tower;”
“Parliamentary Writs,” etc. See vol.
iii. of Howell’s “State Trials and Docu-
ments Relating to William Prynne,”
etc. (Camden Society, 1877).
Purchas, Samuel (b. Thaxted, Es-
sex, 1577; d. London, September 30th,
1626). “Purchas, his Pilgrimage; or,
Relations of the World, and the Re-
ligions Observed in all Ages and Places
discovered from the Creation to this
Present’’ (1613); “Microcosmus; or,
the Historie of Man” (1619); “The
Ring's Tower and Triumphant Arch of
London’” (1623); “Haklytus Posthu-
mus; or, Purchas his Pilgrimes, con-
tayning a History of the World, in Sea
Voyages and Lande Travels, by English-
men and Others” (1625-26). -

Pusey, Edward Bouverie,
(b. 1800; d. September 16th,
ID.D.
1882).
“The Doctrine of the Real Presence
Puttenham
1405
Baleigh
Vindicated ” (1855); “A History of
the Councils of the Church’” (1857);
“Sermons Preached before the Uni-
versity of Oxford ” (1859 and 1872);
“The Minor Prophets, with Commen-
tary’’ (1862-67); “Daniel the Prophet”
(1864); “The Church of England a Por-
tion of Christ's One Holy Catholic
Church.” (1865); “Un - Science, not
Science, Adverse to Faith ” ... (1878);
“Advice on Hearing Confession” (1878);
“Parochial Sermons; ” “What is of
Faith as to Everlasting Punishment’’
(1880); “Sermons for the Church’s
Seasons” (1883); “Private Prayers”
(1883). Edited “Tracts for the Times.”
Vols. i. and ii. of “Life" by Liddon
and others (1893).
Puttenham, George (b. circa 1530).
“Partheniades” (1579) ; “Arte of
English Poesie’” (1589); both reprinted,
with Memoir of the Author by Hazle-
wood in 1811. Facsimile of the “Arte”
by Arber (1869).
Pye, Henry James (b. London,
1745; d. 1813). “The Progress of Re-
finement'' (1783); “Shooting ” (1784);
“A Commentary Illustrating the Poetics
of Aristotle, by Examples taken chiefly
from the Modern Poets” (1792); “Al-
fred” (1801); and “Comments on the
Commentators of Shakespeare’” (1807);
“Poems” (1810).
Q
“Q.” º Couch, ARTHUR THOMAS
QUILLER
Quarles, Francis (b. Romford, Essex,
1592; d. September 8th, 1644). “A
Feast for Wormes” (1620); “Pentalogia;
or, the Quintessence of Meditation ”
(1620); “Hadassa ; or, the History of
Queen Esther ” (1621); “Argalus and
Parthenia'' (1621); “Job Militant, with
Meditations Divine and Moral” (1624);
“Sion's Elegies Wept by Jeremie the
Prophet” (1624); “Sion's Sonnets Sung
by Solomon the King, and periphras'd ''
(1625); “Divine Poems” (1630); “Di-
vine Fancies” (1632); “Emblems, Di-
vine and Moral” (1635); “Hieroglyphics
of the Life of Man” (1638); “The
Shepherd's Oracles” (1644); “The
Virgin Widow’” (1649); “Enchiridion,
Containing Institutions Divine, Contem-
plative, Practicall, Moral, Ethical, Eco-
nomical, Political” (1652), etc.
Quincey, Thomas de (b. Manches-
ter, August 15th, 1785; d. Edinburgh,
December 8th, 1859). “Works” (1853):
—i. “Autobiographic Sketches”; ii.
“Autobiographic Sketches, with Recol-
lections of the Lakes'’; iii. ‘‘Miscel-
lanies, chiefly Narrative”; iv. “Miscel-
lanies”: v. “Confessions of an English
Opium Eater ’’ (1822); vi. “Sketches,
Critical and Biographic ’’; vii. “Studies
of Secret Records, Personal and His-
toric’’; viii. “Essays, Sceptical and
Anti-Sceptical; or, Problems Neglected
or Misconceived ’’; ix. “Leaders in
Literature, with a Notice of Traditional
Errors affecting Them”; x. “Classic
Records, Reviewed and Deciphered”;
xi. “Critical Suggestions on Style and
Rhetoric, with German Tales”; xii.
“Speculations, Literary and Philosophic,
with German Tales”; xiii. “Specula-
tions, Literary and Philosophic”; and
xiv. “Letters to a Young Man whose
Education has been Neglected.” Much
more complete edition by Tickmor and
Field, of Boston, U.S., in twenty
volumes. For biography, see his
“Autobiography,” Miss Martineau’s
“Biographical Sketches,” his “Life”
by Page (1877), and Prof. Masson in the
Jºnglish Men of Letters series. For
Criticism, see Stirling’s “Essays '' and
Stephen’s “Hours in a Library,” etc.
IR.
Radcliffe, Anne (b. London, July
9th, 1764; d. London, February 7th,
1823). “The Castles of Athlin and
Dunbayne’’ (1789); “The Silician
Romance” (1790); “The Romance of
the Forest” (1791); “The Mysteries of
Udolpho’’ (1794); “A Journey Through
Holland” (1795); “The Italian” (1797);
“Gaston de Blondeville’” (1826); and
“Poems” (1834). For Biography and
Criticism, see Scott’s “Biographies,”
Dunlop’s “History of Fiction,” Ka-
vanagh’s “Women of Letters,” and
Jeaffreson’s “ Novels and Novelists.”
Raleigh, Sir Walter (b. Hayes,
T)evonshire, 1552; d. London, October
29th, 1618). “The Discovery of the
Large, Beautiful, and Rich Empire of
Guiana” (1596); “A History of the
World” (1614); “Advice to his Son,”
etc. “Works” in 1751 and 1829. For
Biography, see the “Lives” by White-
head, Oldys, Birch, Cayley (1805),
Thomson (1830), Tytler (1833), Napier
(1857), St. John (1868), and Edwards
(1870); also, D'Israeli’s “Curiosities of
Literature,” and Kingsley’s “Miscel-
Bannsay
lanies.” For Criticism, see The Edin-
burgh Review, vol. lxxi., and Hannah’s
edition of the “Poems” (1875). See
also the “Bibliography” by T. N.
Brushfield (1886).
Ramsay, Allan (b. Leadhills, Lan-
arkshire, October 15th, 1686; d. Edin-
Burgh, January 7th, 1758). “Poems”
(1721); “Fables and Tales” (1722);
“The Monk and the Miller’s Wife?”
(1723); “Health,” “Tea-Table Mis-
cellany,” and “Evergreen” (1724);
“The Gentle ... Shepherd” (1725);
“Thirty Fables” (1730); “Scots Pro-
verbs” (1736). “Works,” with “Life”
(1877).
Ramsay, Edward Bannerman,
LL.D., Dean of Edinburgh (b. Aberdeen,
January 31st, 1793; d. Edinburgh, De-
cember 27th, 1872). “Reminiscences of
Scottish Life and Character” (1857). See
“Memoir” by Professor Cosmo Innes,
prefixed to twenty-third edition of
“Reminiscences,” and “Memorials and
Recollections” by C. Rogers (1873).
Randolph, Thomas (b. Newnham,
Northamptonshire, 1605; d. March 17th,
1635). “Aristippus; or, The Jovial
Philosopher ” (1630); “The Jealous
Lovers” (1632); “Cornelianum Dolium”
1638); “Amyntas; or, The Impossible
owry’” (1638); “Hey for Honesty”
(1651); and “Poems,”
Wood’s “Athenae Oxonienses” and The
Retrospective Review, vi. 61-87.
Rawlinson, The Rev. Professor
George (b. 1815). “New Version of
Herodotus” (1858-62); “The Five Great
Monarchies of the Ancient Eastern
World” (1862); “Manual of Ancient
History” (1869); “The Sixth Great
Oriental Monarchy.” (1873); “The
Seventh Great Oriental Monarchy ’’
1876); “The History of Ancient Egypt.”
(1881); “The Religions of the Ancient
World” (1882); “Egypt and Babylon’’
(1885); “Parthia” (1886); “Moses:
his Life and Times” (1887); “Biblical
Topography” (1887); “The Kings of
Israel and Judah” (1889); “Isaac and
Jacob’’ (1890); “History of Phoenicia”
(1893), etc. Has also written expositions
of several books of the Old Testament.
Rawlinson, Major-Gen. Sir Henry
Creswicke, F.R.S., D.C.L., LL.D. (b.
Chadlington, Oxon., 1810; d. March
5th, 1895). “The Persian Cuneiform
Inscription at Behistun'' (1846); “The
1406
ublished with :
“The Muses' Looking-Glass,” and his
other works (1668). “Dramatic Works,”
edited by W. Carew Hazlitt (1875). See
Reeves
Cuneiform Inscription of Babylon and
Assyria” (1850); “Outline of the
History of Assyria’’ (1852); “Notes on
the Early History of Babylonia” (1854);
translation of “The Inscription of
Tiglath Pileser” (1857); “England and
Russia in the East ’’ (1874). Joint
editor of “The Cuneiform Inscriptions
of Western Asia” (1861-70), etc.
Rayleigh, John William Strutt,
Lord, D.C.L., LL.D. (b. November 12th,
1842). “The Theory of Sound?” (1877–
78), etc. Edited Clerk Maxwell's
“Heat’” (1891-94).
Reade, Charles, D.C.L. (b. 1814;
d. April 11th, 1884). “Peg Woffington’’
(1851); “Christie Johnstone” (1853);
“It is Never Too Late to Mend” (1857);
“The Course of True Love Never Does
Run Smooth '' (1857); “Jack of All
Trades” (1858); “Love Me Little, Love
Me Long’” (1859); “White Lies”
(1860); “The Cloister and the Hearth. "
1861); “Hard Cash ’’ (1863); “Griffith
3aunt” (1866); Foul Play,” with
Dion Boucicault (1869); “Put Yourself
in his Place” (1870); “A Terrible
Temptation ” (1871); “A Simpleton”
(1873); “The Wandering Heir" (1875);
“A Hero and Martyr’” (1876); “A
Woman-Hater’’ (1877); and “A Peril-
ous Secret” (1883); besides the follow-
ing dramas: “Gold” (1850); “Two
Loves and a Life” (1854); “The King's
Rivals” (1854); “Masks and Faces”
with Tom Taylor, 1854); “Foul Play”
§ Boucicault) (1868); “The Wander-
ing Heir" (1875); “The Scuttled Ship”
(1877); “Drink” (1879); and “Love
and Money” (1883). “Life” by C. L.
Reade and Compton Reade (1887).
Reeve, Clara (b. Ipswich, 1738; d.
Ipswich, December 3rd, 1803). “Poems”
Í769); “The Phoenix” (1772); “The
hampion of Virtue; or, the Old Eng-
lish Baron” (1777); “The Progress of
Romance” (1785); “The Two Monitors,”
“The Exile,” “The School for Widows,”
“Plans of Education,” and “The Me-
moirs of Sir Roger de Clarendon.” See
Sir Walter Scott’s “Biographies” and
Jeaffreson’s “Novels and Novelists.”
Reeves, Mrs. Henry, née Helen
Buckingham Mathers (b. Crewkerne,
1852). “Comin' Through the Rye’
(1875); “The Token of the Silver Lily.”
(1877); “ Cherry Ripe” (1878); “My
lady Green Sleeves” (1879); “The
Story of a Sin” (1882); “Sam's Sweet-
heart” (1883); “Eyre's Acquittal”
(1884); “Jock o' Hazelgreen” (1884);
Reid
at-la--—
“Found out” (1885); “Murder or
Manslaughter” (1885); “The Fashion
of This World” (1886); “Blind
Justice” (1889); “The Mystery of
No. 13” (1891); “My Jo, John” (1891);
“T'other Dear Charmer '' (1892); “A
Study of a Woman” (1893); “What
the Glass Told” (1893); “A Man of
To-day” (1894).
Reid, Mayne (b. Ulster, 1818; d.
London, October 22nd, 1883). “The
Rifle Rangers” (1849); “The Scalp
Hunters” (1850); “The Boy Hunters”
(1852); “The Young Voyagers” (1853);
“The White Chief'' (1855); “The
Quadroon” (1856); “The War Trail”
(1858); “The Wild Huntress” (1861);
“The Cliff Climbers” (1864); “The
Headless Horseman” (1865); “Afloat in
the Forest” (1866); “The Guerilla
Chief’” (1867); “The Child Wife"
(1868); “The Castaways” (1870); “The
Finger of Fate” (1872); “The Death
Shot” (1873); and “The Flag of
Distress” (1876), etc.
__Reid, Sir T. Wemyss, LL.D. (b.
Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1842). “Cabinet
Portraits” (1872); “Charlotte Brontë ''
(1877); “Politicians of To-day” (1879);
“The Land of the Bey” (1882);
“Gladys Fane” (1883); “Mauleverer's
Millions” (1886); “Life of the Right
Fion.
Letters, etc., of Richard Monckton
Milnes, First Lord Houghton’’ (1890).
Editor of The Speaker, and formerly of
the Leeds Mercury. -
... Reid, Thomas (b. Strachan, Kin-
cardineshire, April 26th, 1710; d. Glas-
gow, October 7th, 1796). “Essay on
§§ ’’ (1745); “An Inquiry into the
Human Mind on the Principles of Com-
mon Sense ’’
Aristotle’’ appended to Lord Kames's
“Sketches of the History of Man”
§: “ESSays on the Intellectual .
owers of Man” (1785); and “Essays on
the Active Powers of the Human Mind.”
(1788). “Works,” with Dissertation
and Notes, by Sir William Hamilton,
and with a “Life” by Dugald Stewart,
in 1846. For Criticism, see Priestley,
Dugald Stewart, Brown, Royer Collard,
Cousin, Professor Fraser, and McCosh.
Reynolds, Sir Joshua (b. Plymp-
ton, fevonshire, July 16th, 1723; d.
February 23rd, 1792).
1407
W. E. Forster” (1888); “Life,
(1764); “The Logics of
well Drewett, ”
*r-e e º e ‘‘Discourses on .
Painting '', (1771); three contributions .
to. The Idler, some notes to Mason's
translation of Du Fresnoy’s “Art of
Painting,” and “Notes” on a tour
Riddell
through Flanders and Holland. “I.it-
erary Works” in 1797, with “Life” by
Malone. “Life” by Northcote, in
1813; by Farrington, in 1819; by Cot-
ton, in 1856; and by Leslie and Taylor,
in 1865. See also Stephen’s “English
Children, as painted by Reynolds’”
(1866); and Dr. Hamilton’s “Catalogue
Raisonné’’ (1875). -
Ricardo, David (b. London, April
19th, 1772; d. Gatcomb Park, Gloucester-
shire, September 11th, 1823). “The High
Price of Bullion a Proof of the Deprecia-
tion of Bank Notes” (1809); “On the
Influence of a Low Price of Corn on the
Profits of Stock” (1815); “Proposals
for an Economical and Secure Currency”
(1816); “Principles of Political Economy
and Taxation” (1817); “On Protection to
Agriculture '' (1822); and a “Plan for
the Establishment of a National Bank’”
(1824). “Works,” with “Life” by
J. R. McCulloch (1846).
Richard of Cirencester (d. 1402).
“Historia ab Hengista ad annum 1348,”
“De Situ Britanniae,” with Life, in 1809,
now one of the “Six Old English Chroni-
cles” in Bohn's Antiquarian Library
(1848). See Mayor’s “Ricardi de Ciren-
castria, Speculum. Historiale de Gestis
Regum Angliae'' (Public Record Series,
1863, 1869). -
Richardson, Sir Benjamin Ward,
M.D., LL.D. (b. Somerby, October 31st,
1828). “Hygeia” (1876); “A Ministry
of Health, etc.” (1879); “The Son of a
Star” (1888); “Thomas Sopwith ”
(1891); also many medical works. -
Richardson, Samuel (b. Derby-
shire, 1689; d. July 4th, 1761). “Nego- .
ciations of Sir Thomas Roe in his Em-
bassy to the Ottoman Porte” (1740);
“Pamela '' (1741); “Clarissa Harlowe”
(1748); “Sir Charles Grandison” (1754);.
and No. 97 of Dr. Johnson’s Rambler.
Complete Works, with Life (1811); Cor-
respondence (1804). For Criticism, see
Masson’s “ Novelists and Their Styles,”
Scott’s “ Novelists and Dramatists,”
Taine's
Stephen’s
Hazlitt's “Comic Writers,”
“English Literature,”
“Hours in a Library,” etc.
Riddell, Mrs. Charlotte E. L. (b:
1837). “The Moor and the Fens’’
(1858); “George Geith ” (1864); “Max-
(1865); “The Race for
Wealth’’ (1866); “Far Above Rubies”
(1867); “Austin Friars” (1870); “Home,
weet Home” (1873); “The Ruling
Passion” (1876); “The Mystery in Palace
Gardens” (1880); “A Struggle for
Rigg
Fame” (1883); “Mitre Court” (1885);
“Miss Gascoigne” (1887); “Idle Tales”
(1888); “The Nun’s Curse ’’ º ;
“Princess Sunshine’’ (1889); “A Mad
Tour” (1891); “My First Love”
(1891); “The Head of the Firm” (1892);
“A Silent Tragedy’’ (1893); “The
Rusty Sword” (1893), etc.
Rigg, Rev. James Harrison, D.D.
(b. Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1821). “Prin-
ciples of Wesleyan Methodism '' (1850);
“Modern Anglican Theology” (1857);
“Relations of J.Wesley... to the Church
of England” (1868); “National Educa-
tion ” (1873); “The Living Wesley”
(1875); “Discourses and Addresses on
Leading Truths of Religion and Philo-
sophy’’ (1880); “Character and Life
Work of Dr. Pusey’’ (1883); “Com-
parative View of the Church Organisa-
tions” (1887), etc. Editor of the London
Quarterly Review.
“IRita,” were Mrs. Eliza M. J. von
IBooth (b. in Scotland). “Vivienne '’
(1877); “Like Dian’s Kiss’’ (1878);
“Countess Daphne'' (1880); “A Sin-
less Secret” (1881); “MyLady Coquette” .
(1881); “Faustine’’, (1882); “After
Long Grief and Pain’” (1883); “Dame
Durden” (1883); “My Lord Conceit.”
(1884): “Two Bad Blue Eyes” (1884);
“Corinna” (1885); “Gretchen” (1887);
“Darby and Joan’” (1888); “Miss
Rate ’’ (1889); “Sheba' (1889); “The
Laird o’ Cockpen '' (1891); “Asenath
of the Ford” (1892); “Brought Toge-
ther ” (1892); “The Man in Possession”
(1893); “Countess Pharamond” (1893);
“The Ending of My Day” (1894);
“Peg the Rake'' (1894); “A Husband
of No Importance” (1894); “A Gender
in Satin’” (1895), etc.
Ritson, Joseph (b. Stockton, Octo-
ber 2nd, 1752; d. September 3rd, 1803).
“English Songs” (1783); “Ancient
Songs” (1790); “Ancient Popular
Poetry” (1791); “An English Antho-
logy” (1793-94); “Scottish
(1794); “Robin Hood Poems” (1795);
“Minot's Poems” (1795); “Biblio-
graphia Poetica” (1802); “Northern
Garlands” (1810); “Gammer Gurton’s
Garland ” (1810); “The Caledonian
Muse” (1821); “A Life of King
Arthur” (1825); “Memoirs of the
Celts or Gauls”
the Caledonians” (1828); “Fairy Tales”
(1831). “Life and Letters,” by Sir
Harris Nicolas (1833).
Robertson, Frederick william (b.
London, February 3rd, 1816; d. Brigh-
1408
Songs” .
(1827); “Annals of
Robinson
ton, August 14th, 1853). “Sermons”
(1855-73); “Lectures and Addresses on
Literary and Social Subjects” (1858);
“Expository Lectures on St. Paul's
Epistles to the Corinthians” (1859);
“An Analysis of Mr. Tennyson’s “In
Memoriam'” (1862); and “Notes on
Genesis” (1877). “Life,” by Rev.
Stopford A. Brooke (1865). -
Robertson, William, D.D. (b.
Borthwick, Midlothian, September 19th,
1721; d. June 11th, 1793). “The His-
tory of Scotland during the Reigns of
Queen Mary and of King James VI., till
his Accession to the Crown of England ”
(1759, and, with additions and correc-
tions, 1787); “The History of the Reign
of the Emperor Charles V., with a View
of the Progress of Society in Europe,
from the Subversion of the Roman Em-
pire to the beginning of the Sixteenth
Century” (1769); “The History of
America” (1777, and, with additions
and corrections, 1788); and “An His-
torical Disquisition concerning the
Rnowledge which the Ancients had of
India, and the Progress of Trade with
that Country prior to the Discovery of
the Passage to it by the Cape of Good
Hope” (1791). Works, with Life, by
Bishop Gleig, in 1828. “Account of the
Life and Writings of William Robertson,
D.D.,” by Dugald Stewart (1801). See
also Brougham’s “Men of Letters of the
Time of George III.” . -
Robinson, A. Mary F., Madame
Darmesteter (b. Leamington, February
27th, 1857). “A Handful of Honey-
suckle” (1878); “The Crowned Hippo-
lytus’’ (1880); “Emily Brontë'' (1883);
“Arden” (1883); “New Arcadia, and
Other Poems” (1884); “An Italian
Garden” (1886); “The End of the
Middle Ages” (1888); “Songs, Ballads,
and a Garden Play” (1888); “Retro-
spect and Other Poems” (1893). - -
Robinson, F. W. (b. Spitalfields, De-
cember 23rd, 1830). “A Woman's
Ransom'' §: “Mrs. Stewart's In-
tentions” (1864); “No Man's Friend”
(1867); “Anne Judge, Spinster” (1867);
“For Her Sake” (1869); “True to
Herself” (1870); “A Bridge of Glass”
(1872); “Her Face was Her Fortune”
(1873); “Little Kate Kirby.” (1873);
“As Long as She Lives” (1876); “Poor
Zeph,” etc. (1880); “Women are
Strange,” etc. (1883); “The Hands of
Justice” (1883); “The Man She Cared
For ’’ (1884); “Poor Humanity” (1884);
“Lazarus in London’” (1885); “A Fair
Fobinson
1409
Rossetti
Maid” (1886); “The Youngest Miss
Green” (1888); “The Courting of Mary
Smith.” (1888); “The Keeper of the
Reys” (1890); “A Very Strange
Family” (1890); “Her Love and His
Life” (1891); “The Wrong that was
Done” (1892); “The Fate of Sister
Jessica,” etc. (1893).
Robinson, Henry Crabb (b. Bury
St. Edmunds, May 13th, 1775; d. Lon-
don, February 5th, 1867).
Reminiscences, and Correspondence ’’
(1869). - -
Rochester, Earl of, John Wilmot
(b. Ditchley, Oxfordshire, April 10th,
1647; d. July 26th, 1680). “Poems ”
1680); “Valentinian” (1685); “Letters”
- §: “Works” (1709). See Burnet's
“Passages of the Life and Death of
John, Earl of Rochester.” -
Rogers, Henry (b. about 1814; d.
August 20th, 1877). “Essays from The
Edinburgh Review” (1850, with additions
in 1874): “The Eclipse of Faith ”
(1852); “Life of Thomas Fuller” (1856);
“Reason and Faith.” (1866); “Essays
from Good Words” (1868); “Theological
Controversies of the Time” (1874); “The
Superhuman Origin of the Bible '' (1874);
and “Selections from the Correspondence
of R. E. H. Greyson.” Edited Burke's
“Works,” etc.
Rogers, Samuel
Green, near London, July 30th, 1763;
d. London, December 18th, 1855). “The
Scribbler,” in The Gentleman’s Maga-
zine ; “Ode to Superstition, and Other
Poems” (1786); “The Pleasures of
Memory” (1792); “An Epistle to a
Friend” (1798); “Columbus” (1812);
“Jacqueline” (1814); “IIuman Life”
(1819); and “Italy” (1822). “Recol-
lections of the Table Talk of Samuel
Rogers, Esq., with a Memoir of His
Life,” in 1856, and further “Recollec-
tions,” edited by William Sharpe, in
1859. See Hayward’s “Biographical
and Critical Essays,” first series; Ros-
coe’s “Essays; ” Jeffrey’s “Essays; ”
Hazlitt’s “English Poets; ” Lockhart's
‘Life of Scott,” chaps. lxii., lxxvi. ;
Martineau’s “Biographical Sketches; ”
and P. W. Clayden’s “Early Life of
Samuel Rogers ” (1887), and “Rogers
and His Contemporaries” (1889).
Romanes, George John, LL.D. (b.
May 20th, 1848; d. May 23rd, 1894).
“Mental Evolution” (1878); “Animal
Intelligence ’’ (1882); “Charles Darwin,
His Character and Life” (1882); “The
Scientific Evidences of Organic Evolu-
“Diary, ,
(b. Newington
tion” (1883); “Mental Evolution in
Animals” (1883); “The Starfish, Jelly-
fish, and Sea Urchins” (1885); “Mental
Evolution in Man” (1888); “Darwin,
and After Darwin’” (1892); “An Ex-
amination of Weismannism'' (1893);
“Thoughts on Religion,” edited by
Canon Gore (1895); “Mind, Motion,
and Monism” (1895). - -
Roscoe, William (b. Tiverpool,
March 8th, 1753; d. Liverpool, June
30th, 1831). “The Life of Lorenzo di
Medici, the Magnificent'' (1795); “The
Life and Pontificate of Leo the Tenth '’
(1805); “On the Origin and Vicissitudes
of Literature” (1817), etc. “Life” by
his son (1833). •
Roscommon, The Earl of (b. 1663;
d. 1684). “Translation of Horace's
Art of Poetry” (1683); “Essay on
Translated Verse” (1684). His verses
were published in Johnson’s “Collection
of the Poets,” and a collection of his
“Works” was published in 1700.
Rosebery, The Right Hon. Archi-
'bald Philip Primrose, Earl of,
LL.D. (b. London, 1847). “Pitt” (1891).
Rossetti, Christina, Georgina (b.
London, December 5th, 1830; d. De-
cember 29th, 1894). “Goblin Market
and Other Poems” (1862); “The
Prince's Progress, and Other Poems ”
1866); “Commonplace and other Short
tories” (1870); “Sing-Song: a Nursery
Rhyme-book” (1872); “Speaking Like-
nesses” (1874); “Annus Domini: A
Prayer for Every Day in the Year”
1874); “Seek and Find '' (1879); “Short
tudies of the , Benedicite” (1879);
“Called to be Saints” (1881); “Letter
and Spirit” (1883); “Time Flies”
(1885); “The Face of the Deep” (1892).
Poems collected in 1875; enlarged edi-
tion, 1891.
Rossetti, Dante Gabriel (b. 1828;
d. April 9th, 1882). “The Early Italian
Poets” (1861) (reproduced in 1873 as
“Dante and His Circle”); “Poems.”
(1870); “Ballads and Sonnets” (1881).
Edited The Germ. For Biography, see
William Sharp’s “D. G. Rossetti”
1882) and Joseph Knight’s “Life”
1887). See also Stedman’s “Victorian
Poets,” Swinburne’s “Essays and
Studies,” and Forman’s “Living
Poets,” and W. M. Rossetti's “D. G.
Rosetti as Tesigner and Writer’’ (1889).

Rossetti, Maria. Francesca (b.
London, February 17th, 1827; d. No-
vember 24th, 1876). “The Shadow of
Dante” (1871), etc.
89
Rossetti
1410
Russell
º, Rossetti, William Michael (b.
London, about 1832). “Dante's Hell,
Translated ” (1865); “Criticisms on
Swinburne's Poems and Ballads” (1866);
“Fine Art: chiefly Contemporary No-
tices '' (1867); “Memoir of Percy
Bysshe Shelley” (1886); “Life of John
Keats” (1887); “Dante Gabriel Rossetti
as Designer” and Writer” (1889). Has
edited Blake’s “Poems,” with “Me-
moir” (1866); Walt Whitman’s “Poems”
(1868); Dante Gabriel Rossetti’s “Po-
etical Works '' (1886); and Moxon's
“Poets, with Short Biographies,” etc.
Rowbotham, John Frederick (b.
1854). “A History of Music” (1885-87);
“The Death of Roland’’ (1887); “The
Human Epic’” (1890); “Private Life of
the Great Composers” (1892); “History
of Rossal School” (1894); “The Trou-
badours and the Courts of Love” (1895).
Rowe, Nicholas (b. Little Barford,
Bedfordshire, 1673; d. December 6th,
1718). “The Ambitious Stepmother ”
(1700); “Tamerlane’’ (1702); “The Fair
Penitent” (1703); “The Biter’ (1705);
“Ulysses” (1707); “The Royal Convert”
(1708); “Jane Shore” (1713); “Lady
Jane Grey” (1715), and other works
printed with the Plays. His edition
of Shakespeare appeared in 1709, his
translation of Lucan’s ‘‘Pharsalia, ’’ in
1718.
“The Travailes of the English Brothers”
(1607); with John Day, “A Fair Quar-
rel” (1617); with J. Middleton, “A
New Wonder, a Woman Never Vext ''
(1632); “All’s Lost by Lust” (1633);
“A Match at Midnight” (1633); “A
Shoemaker a Gentleman’” (1638); “The
Birth of Merlin’” (1662); “The Fool
without Book; ” “A Knave in Print;
or, One for Another ; ” “The None-
Such ; ” “The Booke of the Four
Honoured Loves; ” “The Parliament of
Love.” Rowley also wrote a pamphlet,
“A Search for Money ’’ (1609), and
collaborated with Massinger, Middleton,
etc., in several other plays.
Ruskin, John, LL.D. (b. Tondon,
“Salsette and Ele-
hanta, a Poem’’ (1839); “Modern
ainters” (1843-1860); “The Seven
Lamps of Architecture” (1849); “Prae-
Raphaelism '' (1850); “The Stones of
Venice” (1851–53); “Notes on the
Construction of Sheepfolds” (1851);
“The King of Golden River” (1851);
“Notes on the Academy” (1853–60);
“The Two Paths” (1854); “Lectures on
Eebruary, 1819).
Rowley, William (of uncertain date).
| England”
Architecture and Painting ” (1854);
“The Opening of the Crystal Palace”
(1854); “On the Nature of Gothic
Architecture” (1854); “Giotto and His
Works” (1855); “The Harbours of
England” (1856); “Notes on the Turner
Collection’’ (1857); “The Political
Economy of Art” (1858); “The Cam-
bridge School of Art” (1858); “Ele-
ments of Perspective ’’ (1859); “Decora-
tion and Manufacture ?” (1859); “Unto
this Last’” (1862); “Ethics of the Dust.”
(1865); “Sesame and Lilies” (1865);
“The Study of Architecture in Our
Schools” (1865); “The Crown of Wild
Olive” (1866); “Time and Tide by Wear
and Tyne’’ (1868); “The Queen of the
Air : the Greek Myths of Cloud and
Storm '' (1869); “Lectures on Art ’’
(1870); “Aratra Pentelici; ” “The Ele-
ments of Sculpture '' (1872); “The
Eagle's Nest” (1872); “Michael Angelo
and Tintoret” (1872); “Ariadne Floren-
tina’’ (1872); “Love's Meinie” (1873);
“Val d’Arno’’ (1874); “Proserpina”
(1875-76); “Frondes Agrestes: Read-
ings in Modern Painters ” (1875);
“ Deucalion” (1876); “Mornings in
Florence” (1877); “The Laws of Fesole”
(1877); edition of Xenophon’s “Econo-
mics,” and “Notes on the Turner Collec-
tion ” (1878); “Annotated Catalogue of
the Works of Hunt and Prout” (1879);
“The Lord’s Prayer and the Church''
(1880); “Fors Clavigera;” “Elements of
English Prosody’’ (1880); “Arrows of
the Chace” (1880); “Fiction Fair and
Foul” (1880); “Lectures on the Art of
(1883); “The Pleasures of
England” (1884); “Sir Herbert Ed-
wards” (1885); “Praeterita " (1885–87);
“Hortus Inclusus ” (1887); “Poems.”
(1891); “The Poetry of Architecture ?”
(1892); “Verona, and Other Lectures”
(1894). The following volumes of his
letters have appeared :-‘‘Stray Letters
from Professor Ruskin to a Bibliophile ”
(1892); “Letters . . . to Various Corre-
spondents '' (1892); “Letters . . . to
William Ward” (1893); “Three Letters
and an Essay on Literature'' (1893);
“Letters Addressed to a College Friend”
(1894); “Letters to Ernest Chesneau ’’
1894). “Bibliography of Ruskin,” by
Shepherd (1878); “Selections from the
Writings of Ruskin.” (1871). See W. G.
Collingwood’s “Art Teaching of John
Ruskin.” (1891); and “Life” (1893), etc.
Russell, William Clark (b. New
York, February 24th, 1844). “John
Holdsworth’’ (1874); “The Wreck of
the Grosventor;” “A Sailor's Sweet-
|
Russell
—3-ai-
heart” (1880); “An Ocean Free Lance”
1881); “The Lady Maud’’ (1882); “A
ea Queen’’ (1883); “Sailors' Lan-
guage” (1883); “On the Fo’k'sle Head”
1884); “Jack's Courtship ’’ (1884); “A
Strange Voyage” (1885); “A Voyage to
the Cape” (1886); “The Golden Hope”
(1887); “The Frozen Pirate ’’ (1887);
“The Death Ship” (1888); “William
Dampier: a Biography” (1889); “Be-
twixt the Forelands: Essays '' (1889);
“Marooned ” (1889); “An Ocean
Tragedy” (1890); “My Shipmate
Louise” (1890); “Horatio Nelson,” in
collaboration (1890); “Collingwood,” a
biography (1891); “My Danish Sweet-
heart” (1891); “Master Rockafellar's
Voyage '' (1891); “A Marriage at Sea.”
(1891); “Mrs. Dines’ Jewels” (1892);
“Alone on a Wide, Wide Sea '.' (1892);
“A Strange Elopement” (1892); “List,
ye Landsmen” (1893); “The Emigrant
Ship ’’ (1893); “The Convict Ship ’’
(1893); “The Tragedy of Ida Noble'?
(1893); “The Phantom Death,” etc.
(1895), etc.
Russell, Sir Wiiliara Howard,
IKnt., LL.D. (b. Tilyvale, co. Dublin,
March 28th, 1821). “Rifle Clubs and
Volunteer Corps” (1859); “My Diary
in India” (1860); “My Diary North
and South'' (1863); “Canada: Its De-
fences '' º “The Adventures of
Dr. Brady’’ (1868); “Diary in the
East,” etc. (1869); “My Diary During
the last Great War” (1870); “The
Prince of Wales's Tour” [in India]
(1877); “The Crimea, 1854-55" (1881);
“Hesperothen '' (1882): “A Visit to
Chile,” etc. (1890); “The Great War
with Russia.” (1895), etc.
S
Sackville, Thomas, Earl of Dorset,
and Lord Buckhurst (b. Buckhurst,
Sussex, 1536; d. London, April 19th,
1608). “The Induction” to “The
Mirror for Magistrates” and (with
Thomas Norton) “The Tragedy of Gor-
boduc.” See Wood’s “Athenae Oxonien-
ses,” also Cooper’s “Athenae Cantabrigi-
enses,” and Lloyd’s “Worthies.” Works
in 1859. -
Saintshury, George Edward
Bateman (b. Southampton, October
23rd, 1845). “Primer of French Litera-
ture” (1880); “Dryden’’ (1881); “A
Short History of French Literature”
(1882); “Marlborough’’ (1885); “Man-
1411
Sons of Mammon ; ”
Sayce
chester’” (1887); “A History of Eliza-
bethan Literature” (1887); “Essays on
French Novelists” (1891); “Miscellane-
ous Essays” (1892); “The Earl of
Derby.” (1892); “Corrected Impres-
sions '' (1895). Has edited Herrick’s
and Fielding's Works, etc.
Sala, George Augustus (b. London,
November 24th, 1828). “The Seven
“Captain Dan-
gerous; ” “Quite Alone; ” “The Two
Prima Donnas, and other Stories; ”
“Twice Round the Clock” (1859);
“Breakfast in Bed,” “Gaslight and
Daylight,” “Under the Sun,” and other
essays ; besides “America in the Midst
of the War,” “Two Kings and a
Raiser,” “A Journey due North,”
“Dutch Pictures,” “From Waterloo to
the Peninsula,” “Rome and Venice,”
“William Hogarth,” “Paris Herself
Again '' (1879); “America Revisited ”
(1882); “A Journey due South'' (1885);
“Right Round the World” (1887);
“Things I have Seen and People I have
ICnown '' (1894); “London Up to Date”
(1894); “The Life and Adventures of
G. A. Sala” (1895). First editor of
Temple Bar, founder of Sala’s Journal,
and for many years a contributor to the
JDaily Telegraph and Illustrated London
News, to which latter he contributed the
well-known “Echoes of the Week.”
Sanday, Professor William, D.D.,
LL.D. (b. Holme Pierrepoint, August 1st,
1843). “Authorship and Historical Cha-
racter of the Fourth Gospel” (1872);
“The Gospels in the Second Century”
(1876); “The Oracles of God” (1891);
“Inspiration ” (1893), etc. . Joint editor
of “Old Latin Biblical Texts.”
Savage, Richard (b. London, Jan-
uary 10th, 1698; d. Bristol, July 31st,
1743). “Love in a Veil” (1718); “The
Bastard ” (1728); “The Wanderer "
(1729), etc. See Johnson’s “Lives of
the Poets.” Works collected in 1775.
Sayce, Professor Archibaid Henry,
D.D., LL.D. (b. Shirehampton, near
Bristol, September 25th, 1846). “Baby-
lonian Literature” (1877); “Fresh Light
from the Monuments” (1883); “The
Ancient Empires of the East ’’ (1884);
“Assyria, its Princes, Priests, and
People” (1885); “Religion of the An-
cient Babylonians” (1887); “The Hit-
tites” (1888); “The “Higher Criticism.”
and the Verdict of the Monuments”
(1893); “Social Life Among the As-
syrians and Babylonians ?? (1893);
Works on Philology, etc. *
Schreiner
1412
Seeley
Schreiner, Olive, now Mrs. Cron-
wright (b. Cape Town). “The Story of
an African Farm'' (1891); “Dreams”
(1893). -
Scott, Thomas (b. Braytoft, Spilsby,
Lincolnshire, February 16th, 1747; d.
Aston Sandford, Buckinghamshire, April
16th, 1821). “Essays on the Most Im-
portant Subjects of Religion” (1793);
“Sermons on Select Subjects” §:
a “Commentary’’ on the Bible (1796);
“Vindication of the Inspiration of Scrip-
ture” (1796); “The Force of Truth”
(1799); “Remarks on the Refutation of
Calvinism by G. Tomline, Bishop of
Carlisle '' (1812); and “A Collection of
the Quotations from the Old Testament
in the New,” in The Christian Observer
for 1810 and 1811. Works, edited by his
son, in 1823-5; Life and his “Letters
and Papers, with Observations,” in 1824.
Scott, Sir Walter (b. Edinburgh,
August 15th, 1771; d. Abbotsford, Sep-
tember 21st, 1832). Translation of
Bürger’s “Ballads” (1796); a version of
Goethe’s “Goetz von Berlichingen”
(1799); “The Eve of St. John,” “Glen-
finlas,” and “The Grey Brothers”
(1800); “The Minstrelsy of the Scottish
Border” (1802-3); “The Lay of the
Last Minstrel” (1805); “Ballads and
Lyrical Pieces” (1806); “Marmion”
(1808); “The Lady of the Lake ’’ (1810);
“The Vision of Don Roderick” (1811);
“Rokeby” (1812); “The Bridal of
Triermain” (1813); “Waverley” (1814);
“The Lord of the Isles” (1815); “The
Field of Waterloo’’ (1815); “Guy Man-
nering ” (1815); “Paul’s Letters to his
Einsfolk ’’ (1815); “The Antiquary ''
(1816); “Old Mortality’’ (1816); “The
Black Dwarf" (1816); “Harold the
Dauntless” (1817); “Rob Roy’’ (1817);
“The Heart of Midlothian'' (1818);
“The Bride of Lammermoor” (1819);
“The Legend of Montrose ’’ (1819);
“Ivanhoe” (1819); “The Monastery’”.
(1820); “The Abbot ” (1820); “Kenil-
worth '' (1821); “The Pirate” (1821);
“The Fortunes of Nigel” (1822);
“Halidon Hill” (1822); “Peveril of
the Peak” (1822); “Quentin Durward”
(1823); “St. Ronan's Well” (1823);
“Redgauntlet ’’ (1824); “The Be-
trothed ” (1825); “The Talisman ’’
(1825); “Lives of the Novelists” (1825);
“Woodstock ’’ º “The Life of
Napoleon” (1827); “The Two Drovers.”
(1827); “The Highland Widow’’ (1827);
“The Surgeon's Daughter” (1827);
“Tales of a Grandfather” (1827-30);
“The Fair Maid of Perth” (1828);
“Anne of Geierstein’” (1829); “Letters
on Demonology and Witchcraft” (1830);
a “History of Scotland” (1829-30);
“The Doom of Devorgoil” (1830); “Au-
chindrane" (1830); “Count Robert of
Paris” (1831); and “Castle Dangerous”
(1831); besides editions of Dryden
(1808), Swift (1814), Strutt's “Queenhoo
Hall” (1808), Carleton’s “Memoirs of
the War of the Spanish Succession”
(1808); “Memoirs of the Earl of Mon-
mouth'' (1808); “Original Memoirs
written during the Great Civil Wars,”
“The State Papers and Letters of Sir
Ralph Sadler’” (1809); “The Somers
Tracts” (1809-15), and “Paul’s Letters
to his Kinsfolk” (1815); “Border Anti-
quities of Scotland” (1818); “Letters of
Malachi Malagrowther ”(1826); and “Sir
Tristram,” a romance (1804). For Bio-
graphy, see Life by Lockhart (1837-39),
Gilfillan (1870), Rossetti (1870), Chambers
(1871), Hutton (1878), and Yonge, etc. See
Hazlitt’s “Spirit of the Age,” Jeffrey’s
“Essays,” Keble’s “Occasional Papers,”
Carlyle’s “Essays,” Senior’s “Essays
on Fiction,” Masson’s “Novelists and
their Styles,” Jeaffreson's “Novels and
Novelists,” Taine’s “English Litera-
ture,” Stephen’s “Hours in a Library,”
Mortimer Collins’s Introduction to the
Miniature Edition of the Poems, and F.
T. Palgrave's preface to the Globe Edi-
tion. See also “Scott Dictionary,” by
Mary, Rogers, New York (1879), and
Canning’s “Philosophy of the Waverley
Novels.”
Scrivener, Rev. Frederick Henry
Ambrose, LL.D., D.C.L. (b. Bermond-
sey, September 29th, 1813; d. November
2nd, 1891). “Supplement to the Au-
thorised English Version of the New
Testament” (1845), only one volume pub-
lished ; “Plain Introduction to the Cri-
ticism of the New Testament” (1861);
“Six Lectures on the Text of the New
Testament” (1874).
Sedley, Sir Charles (b. 1639; d.
1701). “The Mulberry Garden” (1668);
“Antony and Cleopatra,” (1677); “Bel-
lamira” (1687); “Beauty the Con-
queror ; or, the Death of Mark Antony ”
1702); “The Grumbler’” (1702); “The
yrant King of Crete ’’ (1702). All the
above are dramatic. His complete
works, including his plays, poems, songs,
etc., were published in 1702.
Seeley, Sir John Robert, K.C.M.G.
(b. 1834; d. January 13th, 1895). “Ecce
Homo" (1866); “Livy,” bk. 1 (1866);
“Lectures and Essays” (1870); “Life
and Times of Stein’” (1879); “Natural
Seldern
1413
Shakespeare
Religion” (1882); “The Expansion of
England” (1883); “A Short History of
Napoleon’’ (1886); “Our Colonial Ex-
pansion ” (1887).
fielden, John (b. Salvington, Sussex,
September 16th, 1584; d. London, Nov-
ember 30th, 1654). “England’s Epino-
mis” (1610); “Jami Anglorum facies
altera” (1610); “The Duello; or, Single
Combat.” (1610); Notes to Drayton's
“Polyolbion" (1613); “Titles of Hon-
our'' (1614); “Analecton Anglo-Britan-
micon’” (1615); “De Diis Syris’’ (1617);
“The History of Tithes '' (1618);
“Marmora Arundelliana, ’’ (1628); “De
Successionibus ” (1631); “Mare Clau-
sum ” (1635); “De Jure Naturali et
Gentium juxta Disciplinam Hebræorum.”
(1640); “Table Talk” (1689). See the
Lives by Wilkins (1726), Aikin (1811),
and Johnson (1835); also Hannay’s
“Essays from The Quarterly.”
Senior, Nassau William (b. 1790;
d. 1864). “An Outline of the Science of
Political Economy” (1836); “A Journal
kept in Turkey and Greece’’ (1859);
“Suggestions on Popular Education ”
(1861); “Biographical Sketches” (1863);
“Essays on Fiction ” (1864); “Histori-
cal and Philosophical Essays” (1865);
“Conversations with Thiers, Guizot,
and other Distinguished Persons during
the Second Empire '' (1878).
Shaftesbury, Earl of, Anthony
Ashley Cooper (b. London, February
26th, 1671 ; d. Naples, February 15th,
1713). “Inquiry Concerning Virtue '’
(1691); “An Inquiry concerning Virtue
or Merit” (1699); “A Letter concerning
Enthusiasm ‘’, (1708); “Sensus Com-
munis” (1709); “Moralists: a Philo-
sophical Rhapsody” (1709); “Soliloquy;
or, Advice to an Author’’ (1710);
“Miscellaneous Reflections '' (1714);
forming the seven treatises of his “Char-
acteristics of Men, Manners, Opinions,
and Times” (1711); “The Judgment
of Hercules '' (1713). He also wrote
“Several Letters by a Noble Lord
to a Young Man at the University”
(1716); and “Letters to Robert Moles-
worth, Esq., with Two Letters to Sir
John Cropley’’ (1721). See Gizycki’s
“Philosophie Shaftesburys” (Leip., 1876).
. Shakespeare, William (b. Strat-
ford-upon-Avon, 1564; d. Stratford,
April 26th, 1616). Furnivall's order :—
IFIRST PERIOD : (? 1588-94): “Love's
Labour's Lost” (? 1588-9); “The Comedy
of Errors” (? 1589); “A Midsummer
Night's Dream” (? 1590-1); “Two Gen-
tlemen of Verona” (? 1590–1); “Romeo
and Juliet ’’ (1591-3); “Venus and
Adonis” (1593); “The Rape of Lucrece”
(1593-4); “The Passionate Pilgrim ''
(? 1589–99); “Richard II.” (? 1593);
1, 2, 3 “ Henry VI.” (? 1592-4);
“Richard III.” (?, 1594). SECOND
PERIOD (? 1595-1601): “Ring John ”
(? 1595); “The Merchant of Venice”
(? 1596); “The Taming of the Shrew”
(? 1596-7); 1 “Henry IV.” (1596-7);
2 “Henry IV.” (1597-8); “The Merry
Wives of Windsor’’ (1598-9); “Henry
V.” (1599); “Much Ado about Nothing”
(1599-1600); “As You Like It” (1600);
“Twelfth Night” (1601); “All's Well
that Ends Well” (1601-2); “Sonnets”
(? 1592-1608). THIRD PERIOD (1601-
1608): “Julius Caesar ” (1601); “Ham-
let” (1602-3); “Measure for Measure ?”
(? 1603); “Othello” (? 1604); “Macbeth.”
(1605-6); “King Lear” (1605-6);
“Troilus and Cressida. ?? (? 1606-7);
“Antony and Cleopatra,” (? 1606-7);
“Coriolanus’’ (? 1607-8); “Timon of
Athens” (? 1607-8). FouTTH PERIOD
(1609–1613): “Pericles” (1608–9); “The
Tempest '' (1609-10); “Cymbeline."
(? 1610); “The Winter's Tale’” (1611),
“Henry VIII.” (1612-13). Shake-
speare's name has also been more or less
connected with “Arden of Feversham. ”
(1592); “The Two Noble Kinsmen ‘’
(before 1616); “A Lover’s Complaint’’
(1609); “Sir Thomas More ” (written
about 1590); “Sir John Oldcastle '’
(1600); “The Passionate Pilgrim ''
(1599); “Titus Andronicus '' (1594);
“Edward III.” (1596); and “A York-
shire Tragedy '' (1608). First folio,
1623; third, 1664. The leading editions
by Rowe (1709), Pope (1725), Theobald
(1733), Hanmer (1744-6), Warbunton
§ Blair (1753), Johnson (1765),
apell (1767-8), Johnson and Steevens
(1773), Bell (the Stage Edition, 1774),
Ayscough (1784), Nichols (1786–90),
Malone (1790), Boydell (1802), Johnson,
Steevens, and Reed (1803), Chalmers,
the Cambridge Edition (1805), Bowd-
ler (the “Family” Edition, 1818), Har-
ness (1825), Singer (1826), Campbell
(1838), Knight (1838–43), Proctor (1839–
43), Collier (1841), Hazlitt (1851), Halli-
well-Phillipps (1851–53), Hudson (1852-
57), Collier (1853), Halliwell - Phillipps
(1853-61), Lloyd (1856), Dyce (1857),
Grant-White (1857-60), Staunton (1858–
60), Mary Cowden Clarke (1860), Car-
ruthers and Chambers (1861), Clark
and Wright (“Globe” Edition, 1863-66,
and Clarendon Press Select Plays), Dyce
(1866-68), Keightley (1867), Hunter (sep-
Shakespeare
arate plays, 1869-73), Moberly (separate
plays, 1872-73), Bell (1875), and Delius
and Furnivall(“Leopold” Edition, 1877).
The Biographies of Shakespeare, besides
those contained in the above-mentioned .
editions, are by :-Gentleman (1774),
Wheler (1806), Britton (1814) Drake
(1817 and 1828), Skottowe (1824), Wheeler
(1824), Moncreiff (1824), Harvey (1825),
Symmonds (1826), Neill (1861), Fullom
(1861), and Kenney (1864). For foreign
Biography, see Guizot, “Shakespeare’’
(1841), Delius, “Der Mythus von
William Shakespeare’’ (Bonn, 1851)
and Grant-White (Boston, U.S., 1865).
For Criticism, see, in addition to the
above editions and biographies, Abbot's
“Shakespearian Grammar,” Bathurst's
“, Shakespeare's Versification,” T. S.
Baynes’ “Shakespearestudies,” Brown's
“Sonnets of Shakespeare,” Buckmill's
“Mad Folk of Shakespeare,” S. T. Cole-
ridge’s “Literary Remains” and “Bio-
graphia Literaria,” Hartley Coleridge's
“Notes and Marginalia,” Cohn’s “Shake-
speare in Germany,” Courtenay’s “Com-
mentaries on Shakespeare,” Craik's
“English of Shakespeare,”I)e Quincey’s
“Essays,” Douce’s “Illustrations of
Shakespeare,” Dowden’s “Mind and Art
of Shakspere,” and “Introduction to
Shakespeare,” Farmer’s “Learning of
Shakespeare,” Fletcher’s “Studies of
Shakespeare,” Hallam’s “Literary His-
tory,” Hazlitt's “Characters of Shake-
spear's Plays,” “English Poets,” and
“Comic Writers,” Heraud’s “Inner Life
of Shakspere,” Leigh Hunt’s “Imagina-
tion and Fancy,” Hudson’s “Art and
Characters of Shakespeare,” Ingleby's
“Complete View of the Shakespearian
Controversy” (1861), Ingram (in “Dublin
Afternoon Lectures,” 1863), Jameson's
“Characteristics of Shakespeare's Wo-
men,” Lamb’s “Works,” Langbaine's
“DramatickIPoets,”Lowell’s “Amongmy
Books,” Maginn’s “ShakespearePapers,”
Massey’s “Shakspeare's Sonnets and
his Private Friends,” Mrs. Montagu's
“Genius of Shakespeare,” Richardson's
“Essays on Shakespeare's Characters,”
Reed’s “Lectures,” Rushton’s “Shak-
speare's Euphuism'' and “Shakspeare
a Lawyer,” Ruskin (in “Dublin. After-
noon Lectures,” 1869), Simpson’s
“Philosophy of Shakespeare's Sonnets,”
Walker’s “Versification of Shake-
speare,” Wordsworth’s “Shakespeare's
IGnowledge and Use of the Bible,”
etc. See also French’s “Shakespeareana,
Genealogica” (1869), Friswell’s “Life
Portraits of Shakespeare,” Green’s
“Shakespere and the Emblem Writers,”
1414
... Shelley
Ingleby’s “Shakspere Allusion Books,”
and his “Shakspere, the Man and the
Book” (1877), W. C. Hazlitt's “Shake-
speare Jest Books?’ and “Shakespeare's
Library,” Mrs. Cowden Clarke’s “Con-
cordance to Shakespeare,” Schmidt’s
“Shakespeare Lexicon,” John Bart-
lett’s “Concordance,” and the various
R.';. of the Shakespeare and
ew Shakespeare Societies, etc. Among
foreign authorities, on Shakespeare may
be mentioned the biographies by Moratin
(Spanish, 1795), and Buchon (Dutch,
1824). France has yielded, besides the
Lives by Hugo, Guizot (1821), Villemain
(1840), Pichot (1841), and Chasles (1851),
Taine’s “History of English Literature,”
Mezière’s “Shakespeare, ses CEuvres et
ses Critiques,” Lacroix’s “Influence de
Shakspeare sur le Théâtre Français,”
and Reymond’s “Corneille, Shakespeare,
et Goethe.” From Germany we have
Goethe’s “Shakespeare undl{ein Ende,”
the “Shakespeare Jahrbuch,” Gervinus's
“Commentaries,” Schlegel’s “Dramatic
Art and Literature,” Ulrici's “Dramatic
Art of Shakespeare,” Friesen’s “Alt-
england und William Shakespeare,”
Hebler’s “Aufsätze iber Shakespeare,”
Tschischwitz’ “Shakespeare - Forsch-
ungen,” Benedix’s “Die Shakespearo-
manie,” Ludwig’s “Shakespeare-Stu-
dien,” Rötscher's “Shakespeare in
seinen höchsten Charaktergebilden,”
Rümelin’s “Shakespeare - Studien,”
Rreyssig’s “Shakspeare - Fragen,”
Hertzberg’s “Shakespeare's Drama-
tische Werke,” Vehse's “Shakespeare
als Protestant, Politiker, Psycholog, und
Dichter,” Flathe's “Shakspeare in seiner
Wirklichkeit,” Delius’s “Der Mythus
von W. Shakespeare,” Simrock’s “Die
Quellen des Shakespeare,” Ten Brink's
Lectures, and the “Jahrbuch der Deut-
schen Shakespeare Gesellschaft.” For
further particulars as to the various
editions, and as to the dates of the plays,
etc., see Professor Hall Griffin's Bibli-
ography at the end of vol. xi. of Morley's
“English Writers.”

Shaw, George Bernard (b. Dublin,
1856). “An Unsocial Socialist” (1887);
“Cashel Byron's Profession ; ” “Quint-
essence of Ibsenism” (1891); “Widower's
Houses” (1893). Editor of and con-
tributor to “Fabian Essays in Social-
ism” (1889). -
Sheiley, Mrs. Mary (b. 1797; d.
1851). “Frankenstein’” (1818); “Val-
perga.” (1823); “The Last Man” (1824);
“Perkin Warbeck’’ (1830); “Lodore ”
(1835); “Falkner” (1837); and “Ram-
Shelley,
bles in Germany and Italy’’ (1844).
Edited her husband’s “Poems,” with
biographical notes, in 1839.
Shelley, Percy Bysshe (b. Field
Place, Sussex, August 4th, 1792; d. Gulf
of Spezzia, July 8th, 1822). “Zas-
trozzi” (1809); the greater part of “Ori-
ginal Poetry by Victor and Cazire *
(1810); part of “Posthumous Frag-
ments of Margaret Nicholson ; ” “The
Necessity of Atheism; ” “Queen Mab ''
(1813); “Alastor; or, the Spirit of Soli-
tude” (1816); “St. Irvyne” (1818): “The
Revolt of Islam” (1818); “Rosalind and
Helen?” (1818); “Julian and Maddalo"
(1818); “The Cenci” (1819); “Peter
Bell the Third ” (1819); “GEdipus
Tyrannus: or, Swell foot the Tyrant’”
(1820); “The Witch of Atlas” (1820);
“Epipsychidion * (1821); “Adonaïs"
(1821); “Prometheus Unbound” (1821);
“Hellas” (1821). See also “The Shelley
Papers ” (about 1815); “Remarks on
Mandeville and Mr. Godwin '' (1816);
“The Coliseum ” (about 1819); and a
translation of Spinoza’s “Tractatus
Theologico-Politicus” (1820); “Essays,
Letters from Abroad, Translations, and
Fragments,” edited by Mrs. Shelley ;
“The Shelley Memorials,” edited by
Lady Shelley; and R. Garnett’s “Relics
of Shelley.” For Biography, see Hogg's
“Life of Shelley;” Trelawney’s “Recol-
lections of the Last Days of Shelley and
Byron ; ” Medwin’s “Life of Shelley; ”
articles by T. L. Peacock in Fraser’s
J1agazine for 1858 and 1860; Leigh
Hunt’s “Autobiography,” “Correspond-
ence,” and “Lord Byron and some of
his Contemporaries; ” “Shelley, by One
who knew him” (Thornton Hunt), in The
Atlantic Monthly for February, 1863;
R. Garnett in Macmillan’s Magazine for
June, 1860; “Shelley and his Writings,”
by C. S. Middleton ; Moore’s “Life
of Lord Byron ; ” and the Memoirs by
W. M. Rossetti, J. Addington Symonds
(1878), and Barnett Smith (1877), “The
Beal Shelley,” e Jeaffreson
(1880), Rossetti's “Memoir of Shelley”
(1886); Dowden’s “Life of P. B. Shel-
ley’’ (1886). , See the Criticism by A. C.
Swinburne, in “Essays and Studies; ”
by De Quincey, in his “Essays,” vol. v.;
by Professor Masson, in “Wordsworth,
Shelley, ICeats, and Other Essays; ”
by R. H. Hutton, in his “Essays; ”
and Leigh Hunt’s “Imagination and
Fancy.” Best editions of “Poems,”
Buxton Forman’s (1876-77), and Ros-
setti's (1878). Prose Works, edited by
Forman (1880). See also the publications
of the “Shelley Society.”
1415
Shirley
—º
Shenstone, William (b. Hales Owen,
Shropshire, November 18th, 1714; d.
February 11th, 1763). “Poems upon
Several Occasions” (1737); “The School-
mistress” (1737 and 1742); “Essays on
Men and Manners.” “Works” in
1764-69. “Recollections of some Par-
ticulars in his Life,” by William Seward,
in 1788. See Gilfillan’s edition of
“Poems,” with “Memoir” (1854).
Sheridan, Richard Brinsley (b.
Dublin, December 30th, 1751; d. Lon-
don, July 7th, 1816). “The Rivals”
1778); “St. Patrick's Day; or, the
cheming Lieutenant ’’ (1775); “The
Duenna’’ (1775); “The School for
Scandal” (1777); “A Trip to Scar-
borough" (1777); “The Critic ; or,
a Tragedy Rehearsed” (1779); “The
Stranger ?” (1798); and “ Pizarro ''
(1799). His Dramatic “Works,” with
a critical essay by Leigh Hunt, in 1846,
in Bohn's Library in 1848, and by
IBrowne (1873). “Life,” by Watkins
(1817), Thomas Moore (1825), and
Browne (1873). See 8th of Hazlitt's
“Lectures on the Comic Writers,” and
“Sheridan and his Times” (1859).
Sherlock, Thomas, Bishop of London
(b. London, 1678; d. Fulham, July 18th,
1761). “The Use and Intent of Pro-
phecy in the Several Ages of the World” -
(1725) : “The Trial of the Witnesses
of the Resurrection of Jesus” (1729);
“Discourses at the Temple Church''
(1754). “Works,” in 1830.
Shirley, James (b. London, Septem-
ber 13th, 1596; d. London, October 29th,
1666). “The Wedding” (1629); “The
Grateful Servant ’’ (1630); “The Schoole
of Complement” (1631); “The Changes”
(1632); “A Contention for Honour
and Riches” (1633); “The Wittie Faire
One '' (1633); “The Triumph of Peace ’’
(1633); “The Bird in a Cage'' (1633);
“The Night Walkers” (corrected from
Fletcher, 1633): “The Traytor’’ (1635);
“The Lady of Pleasure" (1637); “The
Young Admirall ” (1637); “The Ex-
ample '' (1637); “Hide Parke’” (1637);
“The Gamester’” (1637); “The Royal
Master” (1638); “The Duke's Mistris.”
(1638); “The Maide's Revenge” (1639);
“The Tragedie of Chabot, Admiral of
France'' (1639); “The Ball” (1639);
“The Arcadia '' (1640); “The Hu-
morous Courtier” (1640); “The Op-
portunitie” (1640); “St. Patrick for
Ireland ” (1640); “Loves Crueltie”
(1640); “The Constant Maid” (1640);
“The Coronation (?),” (1640); “The
Triumph of Beautie” (1646); “The
Shorthouse .
1416
Srmiles
Brothers” (1652); “The Sisters” (1652);
“The Doubtful Heir" (1652); “The
Imposture’” (1652); “The Cardinal”
(1652); “The Court Secret” (1653);
“Cupid and Death '' (1653); “The
General” (1653); “Love's Victory”
(1653); “The Politician '' (1655);
“The Gentlemen of Venice ’” (1655);
“The Contention of Ajax and Achil-
les” (1659); “Honoria and Mammon ’’
(1659); and “Andromana, ’’ É.
buted to Shirley, 1660). Also, “Eccho;
or the Infortunate Lovers” (1618);
“Narcissus; or, the Self Lover ?” §§ ;
“Via ad Latinam Linguam Complanata.”
(1649); ” “Grammatica Anglo-Latina’’
(1651); “The Rudiments of Grammar”
1656); and “An Essay towards an
niversal and Rational Grammar ”
(1726). “Dramatic Works and Poems,”
with Notes by Gifford, and “Life”
by Dyce, in 1833. See also Morley's
“English Writers,” vol. xi.
Shorthouse, Joseph Henry $.
1834). “John Inglesant” (1880); “The
Platonism of . Wordsworth '' (1881);
“Golden Thoughts of Molinos” (1883);
“The Little Schoolmaster Mark” (1883);
“Sir Percival” (1886); “A Teacher of
the Violin,” etc. (1888); “The Countess
Eve’” (1888); “Blanche, Lady Falaise ’’
(1891).
Sidgwick, Professor Henry, LL.D.,
D.C.L. (b. Skipton, May 31st, 1838).
“Ethics of Conformity and Subscrip-
tion” (1870); “The Methods of Ethics”
(1874); “Principles of Political Econ-
omy” (1883); “Outlines of the History
of Ethics” (1886); “Elements of Poli-
tics” (1891).
Sidney, Sir Philip (b. Penshurst,
Rent, November 29th, 1554; d. Zutphen,
October 7th, 1586). “The Countess of
Pembroke's Arcadia '' (1590); “Astro-
hel and Stella’’ (1591); “An Apologie
or Poetrie” (1595); “Works,” edited
by Gray (1829), and Grosart (1877). His
“Correspondence with Hubert Languet”
was translated from the Latin by Pears
in 1845. See the Biographies by Fulke
Greville (1652), Zouch (1808), Lloyd
1862), H. R. Fox-Bourne (1862), and
. A. Symonds. See also Collins's
“Sidney Papers,” Walpole’s “Royal
and Noble Authors,” Lamb's prose
“Works,” Hallam’s “Literary History,”
Hazlitt’s “Age of Elizabeth,” Masson’s
“English Novelists,” “Cambridge
Essays '' (1858), and Morley’s “English
Writers,” vols. ix., x., and xi.
Skeat, Rev. Professor Walter
Wm., Litt.D. (b. London, November
21st, 1835). “Etymological Dictionary '' .
(1882); “Principles of English Ety-
mology '' (1887 and 1891); “Dictionary
of Middle English,” with A. L. Mayhew
(1888), etc.; Completelºdition of Chaucer
(1894); also editions of many other
early writers, and of Chatterton, etc.
Skelton, John (b. Norfolk, about
1460; d. Westminster, June 21st, 1529).
“On the Death of King Edward IV.”
(1484); “An Elegy on the Death of
the Earl of Northumberland ” (1489);
“The Niguamansir” (1504); “A Goodly
Garland or Chapelet of Laurell” (1523);
“Merie Tales” (1675); “Magnifycence;”
“The Bouge of Courte; ” “Collyn
Clout; ” “Phyllyp Sparrowe; ” “Why
come ye not to Courte?” “Speake
Parot; ” “Ware the Hawke ; ” “The
Tunning of Elynour Rummying; ” “The
Maner of the World Nowadays;” “Man-
merly Mistress Margery;” “Speculum
Principis; ” “Agaynste a comely Coy-
strowne.” “Works,” edited by Dyce
(1843).
Skelton, John, LL.D., C.B. (b.
Edinburgh, 1831). “The Impeachment
of Mary Stuart” (1875); “The Crookit
Meg ’’ (1880); “Essays in History and
Biography” (1883); “Maitland of Leth-
ington and the Scotland of Mary
Stuart '' (1887); “Mary Stuart” (1893).
Smart, Christopher (b. 1722; d.
1770). “Poems on Several Occasions”
(1752); “The Hilliad '' (1753); “The
Works of Horace, in English ’’ (1756);
“A Song to David '' (1763); “Poetical
Translation of the Poems of Phaedrus ”
(1765), etc., besides many contributions
to periodical literature, and a mass of
religious poetry. -
Smiles, Samuel (b. , Haddington,
1816). “Physical Education ” (1837);
“Railway Property” (1849); “Life
of George Stephenson’’ (1859); “Self-
IIelp ?” (1860); “Lives of the Engi-
neers” (1862); “Industrial Biography.”
(1863); “Lives of Boulton and Watt.”
(1865); “The Huguenots in England
and Ireland” (1867); “Character’’
(1871); “The Huguenots in France”
(1874); “Thrift” (1875); “Scotch
Naturalist’” (1876); “The Baker of
(1878); “George Moore ”
“Duty” (1880); “Life and
Labour'' (1887); “Jasmin '' (1891);
“A Publisher (John Murray) and his
Friends'' (1891); “Josiah Wedgwood,
F.R.S.” (1894). Edited the “Auto-
biography of James Nasmyth" (1883).

Smith.
1417
Smith.
Smith, Adam, LL.D. (b. Kirkcaldy,
June 5th, 1723; d. Edinburgh, July
17th, 1790). “The Theory of Moral
Sentiments” (1759); “An Inquiry into
the Nature and Causes of the Wealth
of Nations” (1776); “The Rights of
Great Britain asserted against the
Claims of America” (1776); “Letter to
Mr. Strahan on the Last Illness of David
Hume’” (1777); and “Essays on Philo-
sophical Subjects” (1795). See the
“Life” by Brougham in “Men of Letters
and Science,” by Playfair (1805), by
Smellie (1800), that prefixed by Dugald
Stewart to Smith's Works (1812), Far-
rer’s (1881), R. B. Haldane's (1887) and
John Rae's (1895). Best editions of
the “Wealth of Nations,” McCulloch's
(1839), and Rogers's (1870).
Smith, Alexander (b. Kilmarnock,
December 31st, 1830; d. Wardie, near
Iºdinburgh, January 8th, 1867). “A
Life-Drama, and other Poems” (1853);
“Sonnets on the Crimean War ” (with
Sydney Dobell, 1855); “City Poems.”
(1857); “Edwin of Deira, ’’ (1861);
“Dreamthorpe ’’ (1863); “A Summer
in Skye.” (1865); “Alfred Hagart's
Household,” a novel (1866); “Last
Leaves” (1868). “Life” by P. P.
Alexander (1869), prefixed to “Last
Leaves.”
Years of Alexander Smith '' (1869).
Smith, Goldwin, LL.D. (b. Reading,
August 13th, 1823). ... “Irish History
and Irish Character ’’ (1861); “The
Foundation of the American Colonies”
(1861); “Irish History and Irish Charac-
teristics” (1861); “The Empire” (1863);
“Three English Statesmen: Pym, Crom-
well, and Pitt’” (1867); “Lectures on
Modern History”; “Short History of
England down to the Reformation ”
(1869); “Cowper,” in the English Men
of Letters series; “The Conduct of
England to Ireland” (1882); “Life of
Jane Austen’’ (1890); “Canada and
the Canadian Question” (1891); “Loy-
alty, Aristocracy, and Jingoism '' (1891);
“A Trip to England” (1891); “The
Moral Crusader, Wm. Lloyd Garrison”
(1892); “Bay Leaves” (1893); “Essay
on Questions of the Day” (1893);
“Specimens of Greek Tragedy” (1893);
“The United States” (1893); “Oxford
and her Colleges’’ (1894).
Smith, Horace (b. London, December
31st, 1779; d. Tunbridge Wells, July
12th, 1849). “Horatio: or, Memoirs of
the Davenport Family’’ (1807); “Re-
jected Addresses” (with his brother
James, 1812); “Horace in London "
'ee also Brisbane’s “Early
(1813); “First Impressions '' (1831);
“Trevanion : or, Matrimonial Errors”
(1813); “The Runaway” (1813); “Gaie-
ties and Gravities” (1825); “Brambletye
House ’’ (1826); “Reuben Apsley”
(1827); “The Tor Hill '' (1827);
“Zillah : a Tale of the Holy City.”
(1828); “The New Forest'' (1829);
“Walter Colyton: a Tale of 1688.”
(1830); “Midsummer Medley’’ (1830);
“IFestivals, Games, and Amusements of
all Nations” (1831); “Tales of the Early
Ages” (1832); “Gale Middleton” (1833);
“The Involuntary Prophet” (1835);
“The Tin Trumpet” (1836); “Jane
Lomax : or, a Mother's Crime ’’ (1837);
“Oliver Cromwell” (1840); “The
Moneyed Man, and the Lesson of a
Life” (1841); “Adam Brown, the Mer-
chant” (1843); “Arthur Arundel.”
(1844); “Love's Mesmerism” (1845);
and “Poetical Works” (collected, 1840).
Smith, Reginald Bosworth (b.
T}orchester, 1839). “Mohammed and
Mohammedanism '' (1874); “Carthage
and the Carthaginians” (1878); “Rome
and Carthage” (1881); “Life of Lord
Lawrence” (1883), etc.
Smith, Sydney, Canon of St. Paul’s
(b. Woodford, June 3rd, 1768; d.
February 22nd, 1845). “Six Sermons
preached at Charlotte Chapel, Edin-
burgh '' (1800); “Letters on the Cath-
olics from Peter Plymley to his Brother
Abraham ” (1808); “Sermons” (1809);
“The Judge that smites contrary to the
Law'' (1824); “A Letter to the Electors
on the Catholic Question” (1826); “Three
Letters to Archdeacon Singleton on the
Ecclesiastical Commission ” (1837–9);
“The Ballot” (1837); “Letter to Lord
John Russell on the Church Bills '’
(1838); “Letters on American Debts?”
(1844); “Fragment on the Irish Roman
Catholic Church’” (1845); “Sermons”
(1846); and “Elementary Sketches of
Moral Philosophy ’’ (1849). A “Selec-
tion from his Writings” appeared in
1855; his “Wit and Wisdom * in 1861.
His “Works, including his contributions
to the Edinburgh Review,” were published
in 1839-40. See the “Life” by Lady
Holland, with the “Letters,” edited by
Mrs. Austen (1858), Hayward’s “Bio-
graphical and Critical Essays '' (1858,
vol. i.); the Edinburgh Review, No. cii.,
and Fraser's Magazine, No. xvii.
Smith, Professor William Robert-
son, LL.D. (b. Keig, Aberdeenshire,
November 8th, 1846; d. March 31st,
1894). “The Old Testament in the
Jewish-Church’” (1881); “The Prophets
Smollett
1418
Southey
of Israel” (1882); “Einship and Mar-
riage in Early Arabia.” (1885); “Lec-
tures on the Religion of the Semites”
(1889). Joint editor of the ninth edition
of the “Encyclopædia Britannica.”
Smollett, Tobias George, M.D.
(b. Dalquhurn House, Dumbartonshire,
March, 1721; d. Leghorn, October 16th,
1771). “The Tears of Caledonia.”
(1746); “The Advice: a Satire '' (1746);
“The Reproof: a Satire” (1747); “The
Adventures of Roderick Random” (1748);
“The Regicide: a Tragedy’’ (1749);
“The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle”
(1751); “An Essay on the External Use
of Water, with particular Remarks on
the Mineral Waters of Bath '' (1752);
“The Adventures of Ferdinand, Count
Fathom '' (1753); a translation of “Don
Quixote’’ (1755); “The Reprisals; or,
Tars of Old England” (1757); “A Com-
pleat History of England” (1757); “A
Compendium of Voyages and Travels'’
(1757); “The Adventures of Sir Launce-
lot Greaves” (1762); “The Present
State of all Nations” (1764); “Travels
through France and Italy ” (1766);
“The History and Adventures of an
Atom’’ (1769); “The Expedition of
Humphrey Clinker” (1771); “Ode to
Independence” (1773); and miscellaneous
poems and essays contributed to The
Critical Review. “Plays and Poems,
with Memoirs of the Life and Writings
of the Author,” in 1777; his “Miscel-
laneous Works” in 1790, 1796, 1797, and
1845; the second and last of these
editions including notices of his “Life '’
by Dr. Anderson and W. Roscoe re-
spectively. “Works” in 1872, with
“Memoir” by J. Moore. See also the
“Biographies” by Sir Walter Scott and
Robert Chambers. For Criticism, see
Hazlitt's “Comic Writers,” Thackeray's
“English Humourists,” Forsyth's “No-
velists of the Eighteenth Century,”
Masson’s “Novelists and their Styles,”
etc.
Somerville, Mrs. Mary (b. Rox-
burghshire, December 26th, 1780; d.
Naples, November 29th, 1872). “The
Mechanism of the Heavens’’ (1831);
“The Connection of the Physical
Sciences” (1834); “Physical Geo-
graphy” (1848); “Molecular and Mi-
croscopic Science,” etc. : “Personal
Recollections and Correspondence” in
1873. -
South, Robert, D.D. (b. Hackney,
1633; d. July 8th, 1716). “Musica
Incantans” (1655); “The Laitie In-
structed” (1660); “Animadversions on
Dr. Sherlock’s Vindication of the Doc-
trine of the Trinity” (1693), etc. “Opera
Posthuma” (1717); “Sermons” (1823);
new edition (1842).
Southern, Thomas (b. Dublin, 1660;
d. Westminster, May 26th, 1746). “The
Persian Prince: or, The Loyal Brother ”
(1682); “The Disappointment: or, The
Mother in Fashion ” (1684); “The
Wife's Excuse ’’ (1692); “The Spartan
Dame'' (1721); “Isabella : or, The
Tatal Marriage; ” “Oronooko; ” “The
Rambling Lady ; ” ‘‘ Cleomenes.”
“Works” with Life (1774).
Southesiz, The Earl of (b. 1827).
“Jonas Fisher ” (1875); “Saskatchewan
and the Rocky Mountains '' (1875);
“Greenwood’s Farewell and Other
Poems” (1876); “The Meda Maiden
and Other Poems” (1877); “Origin of
Pictish Symbolism '' (1893), etc.
Southey, Mrs. Caroline Anne
Bowles (b. 1786; d. 1854). “Ellen
Fitzarthur” (1820); “The Widow's
Tale; ” “Solitary Hours,” etc.
Southey, Robert, LL.D. (b. Bristol,
August 12th, 1774 ; d. Keswick, March
21st, 1843). “Wat Tyler” (1794);
“Poems ” (1795, 1797, 1801); “Joan of
Arc’’ (1796); “Thalaba the Destroyer’”
(1801); “Madoc'' (1805); “Metrical
Tales and Other Poems ” (1805); “The
Curse of Kehama” (1810); “Roderick”
(1814); “Odes” (1814); “Minor
Poems” (1815); “Carmen Triumphale.”
(1815); “The Poet's Pilgrimage to
Waterloo'' (1816); “The Lay of the
Laureate ’’ (1816); “A Vision of Judg-
ment ’’ (1821); “The Expedition of
Orsua and the Crimes of Aguirre” (1821);
“A Tale of Paraguay.” (1825); “All for
Love” and “ThePilgrim to Compostella”
(1829); “Oliver Newman, and Other
Poetical Remains” (1845); and “Robin
Hood: a Fragment” (1847). His prose
works are as follow:—“Letters Written
during a Short Residence in Spain and
Portugal, with some Account of Spanish
and Portuguesel’oetry '' (1797); “Letters
from England, by Don Manuel Alvarez
Espriella '' (1807); “Chronicle of the
Cid Rodrigo Diaz de Bivar, from the
Spanish ’’ (1808); a “History of Brazil’’
(1810); “Omniana; or, the Horae Otio-
siores” (1812); a “Life of Nelson’’
(1813); a “Life of Wesley’’ (1820); a
“History of the Peninsular War”
(1823); “The Book of the Church”
(1824); “Sir Thomas More ; or, Collo-
quies on the Progress and Prospects of
Society” (1824); “Vindicia Ecclesiæ
Southwell
1419
Spenser
Anglicanæ.” (1826); “Essays, Moral and
Political” (1832); “Lives of English
Admirals” (1833–40); “The Doctor”
(1834-38); “Lives of Cromwell and
Bunyan” (1844); and a “Life of Doctor
Andrew Bell” (1844). , Southey also
edited the “English Anthology” for
1799-1800; “Specimens of the Late
English Poets, with Preliminary Notices”
(1807); “Attempts at Verse, by J. Jones,”
with an “Essay on Uneducated Poets”
(1831); and “Select Works of the Early
British Poets, with Biographicallyotices”
(1831). His “Commonplace Book,”
edited by J. W. Warter, appeared in
1849-51 ; selections from his poetical
works in 1831, from his prose works in
1832, and “Life” and Correspond-
ence published by his son in 1849-50;
and a Selection from his Letters by his
son-in-law, Warter, in 1856. See the
“Life" by Browne (1854), and the
Monograph by Dowden (1880).
Southwell, Robert (b. St. Faith's,
Norfolk, 1560; d. London, February
20th, 1595). “A Supplication to Queen
Elizabeth '' (1593); “Marie Magdalen's
Funerall Teares” (1594); “ St. Peter's
Complaynt, with other Poems ” (1595);
“Maeoniae’” (1595); “The Triumphs
over Death '' (1595); “Epistle of Com-
fort to the Reverend Priests and Others
of the Lay Sort Restrained in T)urance
for the Catholike Fayth '' (1605); and
“A Short Rule of Good Life.” Prose
“Works” edited by Walter in 1828;
poetical works by Turnbull in 1856.
For “Biography,” see the Gentleman’s
Magazine for 1798, Brydges’ “Censura
Literaria,” Ellis's “Specimens,” Camp-
bell’s “English Poets,” Challoner's
“Martyrs to the Catholic Faith,” and
Morley’s “English Writers,” vol. xi. For
Criticism, see MacDonald’s “England's
Antiphon.” #
Spedding, James (b. 1810; d. 1881).
“Publishers and Authors ’’ (1867);
“Letters and Life of Francis Bacon’’
(1857-74); “Reviews and Discussions not
relating to Bacon’’ (1869); “Life and
Times of Bacon’” (1876); “Evenings
with a Reviewer; or Macaulay and
Bacon” (1882). His important edition of
Bacon's Works began to appear in 1857.
Spence, Joseph (b. 1698; d. 1768).
“An Essay on Pope’s Translation of
Homer's Odyssey”(1727); “Polymetis.”
(1747); “Moralities; or, Essays, Letters,
Fables, and Translations” (1753); an
“Account of the Life, Character, and
Poems of Mr. Blacklock” (1754); “A
Parallel, in the manner of Plutarch, .
between a most celebrated Man of
Florence [Signor Magliabecchi), and one
scarce ever heard of in England [Robert
Hill].” (1758); and “Observations, Anec:
dotes, and Characters of Books and
Men” (1820). See The Quarterly Review,
vol. xxiii.; also, the “Life” by Singer
(1820). - -
Spencer, Herbert (b. Derby, April
27th, 1820). “The Proper Sphere of
Government” (1842); “Social Statics”
(1851); “Principles of Psychology "
(1855); “Essays: Scientific, Political,
and Speculative ’’ (1858–63); “Educa-
tion” (1861); “First Principles” (1862);
“Classification of the Sciences” (1864);
“Principles of Biology” (1864); “Spon-
taneous Generation ” (1870); “ Recent
Discussions in Science, Philosophy, and
Morals” (1871); “The Study of Sociol-
ogy” (1872); “Descriptive Sociology”
(1873); “Sins of Trade and Commerce ’’
(1875); “Ceremonial ... Institutions”
(1879); “Data of Ethics” (1879); “The
Coming Slavery” (1884); “Man ver-
sus the State’” (1885); “The Factors
of Organic Evolution” (1887); “The
Principles of Ethics” (1892); “The In-
adequacy of Natural Selection” (1893);
“A Rejoinder to Professor Weismann’’
(1893); “Weismannism. Once More ”
(1894). See “Aphorisms . . . selected
by J. R. Gingell” (1894).
Spenser, Eämund (b. London, 1552;
d. Westminster, January 16th, 1599).
“The Shepherd's Calendar ” (1579);
“The Faerie Queene’’ (1590–96); “Com-
plaints’’ (1591); “Prosopopoia ; or,
Mother Hubbard’s Tale” (1591); “Tears
of the Muses” (1591); “Daphnaida '’
(1591); “Colin Clout's Come Home
Againe” (1595); “Amoretti’” (1595);
“Fowre Hymns” (1596); “Prothala-
mion” (1596); “Britain's Ida(?),” (1628);
also, with Gabriel Harvey (1545–1630),
“Three proper and wittie familiar
Letters, lately passed between two Uni-
versity Men, touching the Earthquake
in April last, and our English Refourmed
Versifying ” (1580); and “Two other
very Commendable Letters of the same
Men's Writing, both touching the fore-
said artificiall Versifying, and certain
other Particulars” (1580); both of which
are reprinted in vol. ii. of Haslewood’s
“Ancient Critical Essays upon English
Poets and Poesy; ” besides “A View of
the State of Ireland” (1633). Spenser's
Poetical “Works” have been edited,
with Notes and “Memoirs,” by Hughes
(1715 and 1750), Birch (1751), Church
(1758), Upton (1758), Todd (1805 and
t
Spurgeon
1420
Stephen
1840), Aikin (1806 and 1842), Robinson
(1825), Mitford (1829), Hillard (1839),
Masterton (1848), Child (1855), Gilfillan
(1859), Morris (1869), etc. Kitchen edits
the first two Books, with Notes. See
Warton’s “English Poetry;” Hazlitt's
“English Poets; ” “Spenser and his
Poetry,” by G. L. Craik (1845); Dean
Church’s “Spenser” (1878); Morley's
“English Writers,” vols. ix., x., xi.
Spurgeon, Charles Haddon (b.
JKelvedon, Essex, June 19th, 1834; d.
Mentone, January 31, 1892). “The
Saint and his Saviour.” (1857); “John
Ploughman’s Talk” (first series, 1868);
“Lectures to my Students” (first series,
1875); “Eccentric Preachers” (1879);
“Treasury of David” (1870–85); “Ser-
mons in Candles” (1890), etc.; founded
and edited The Sword and the Trowel.
Stalker, Rev. James, D.D. (b.
Crieff, Perthshire, February 21st, 1848).
“Life of Jesus Christ” (1879 and 1884);
“Richard Baxter” (1883); “Life of
St. Paul” (1884 and 1885); “Imago
Christi” (1889); “The Preacher and
His Models” (1891); “The Four Men,”
etc. (1892); “The Atonement” (1894).
Stanhope, Earl, Philip Henry (b.
Walmer, January 31st, 1805; d. Bourne-
mouth, December 22nd, 1875).
the War of the Succession in Spain’’
(1832); “A History of England from
the Peace of Utrecht to the Peace of
Aix-la-Chapelle '' (1836-52); “The
Court of Spain under Charles II. ”
(1844); “A Life of the Great Condé”
(1845); “JHistorical Essays” (1848); “A
History of the Rise of Our Indian Em-
pire” (1858); “A History of the Reign
of Queen Anne to the Peace of Utrecht.”
(1870); an edition of the “Letters” of
Lord Chesterfield (1845); “Memoirs of
Sir Robert Peel; ” a “Life of William
Pitt.”
Stanley, Arthur Penrhyn, D.D.,
Dean of Westminster (b. Alderley,
December 13th, 1815; d. July 18th,
1881). “Life of Dr. Arnold '' (1844);
“Sermons and Essays on the Apostolic
Age '' (1846); “A Memoir of Bishop
Stanley’’ (1850); “The Epistles to
the Corinthians” (1854); “Historical
Memorials of Canterbury’” gº
“Sinai and Palestine” (1855);
TJnity of Evangelical and Apostolical
Teaching” (1859); “Sermons preached
before the University of Oxford” (1860);
“The History of the Eastern Church’”
(1861); “Sermons preached in the East”
“A Life,
of Belisarius” (1829); “A History of
(1862); “The History of the Jewish
Church’” (1863-65); “Historical Me-
morials of Westminster Abbey” (1867);
“The Three Irish Churches” (1869);
“Essays on Church and State” (1870);
“The Athanasian Creed” (1871); “Lec-
tures on the Church of Scotland” (1872);
“Edward and Catherine Stanley”
(1879). “Life" by R. E. Prothero,
assisted by Dean Bradley (1893).
Stanley, Henry Morton, D.C.L.,
LL.D. (b. near Denbigh, January 28th,
1841). “How I Found Livingstone *
(1872); ... “Coomassie and Magdala. "
1874); “Through the Dark Continent’”
§: “The Congo and the Founding
of its Free State’” (1885); “In Darkest
Africa” (1890); “My Dark Companions
and their Strange Stories '' (1893);
“My Early Travels and Adventures”
(1895). - -
Stead, William Thomas (b. Emble-
ton, Northumberland, July 5th, 1849).
“The Truth About Russia” (1888);
“The Pope and the New Era” (1890);
“General Booth’’ (1891); “Character
Sketches”. % Formerly editor of
the Pall Mall Gazette, founder and editor
; the Review of Reviews, and of Border-
and.
Steele, Sir Richard (b. Dublin,
1671; d. Llangunnor, September 1st,
1729). “The Christian Hero” (1701);
“The Funeral ; or, Grief a la Mode”
(1702); “The Tender Husband’’ (1703);
“The Lying Lover ?? (1704); “The
Crisis” (1714); “The Conscious Lovers.”
(1722); edited the Tatley, and wrote for
the Guardian and the Spectator. “Life '’
of Steele in Forster’s “Biographical and
Critical Essays,” and “Memoir” by
Montgomery (1865). See also Thackeray's
“English Humourists” and Dennis’s
“Studies in English Literature.”
Stephen, Sir James (b. Lambeth,
January 3rd, 1789; d. Coblentz, Sep-
tember 15th, 1859). “Essays in Ecclesi-
astical Biography” (1849); and “Lec-
tures on the History of France” (1851).
‘‘Ilife’’ in 1860.
Stephen, Sir James Fitzjames (b.
London, March 3rd, 1829; d. March
11th, 1894). “Essays by a Barrister ’’
(1862); “General View of the Criminal
Law of England” (1863); “Liberty,
Equality, and Fraternity '' (1873);
“Digest of the Law of Evidence ’’
(1876); “The Story of Nunamar "
(1885); “Horae Sabbaticae'' (1892).
“Life” by his brother, Leslie Stephen
(1895).
Stephen
Stephen, James Kenneth (b. 1859;
d. 1892). “International Law and In-
ternational Relations” (1884); “Lapsus
Calami” (1891); “The Living Lan-
guages” (1891); “Quo Musa Tendis?”
(1891). - -
Stephen, Leslie (b. 1832). “The
Playground of Europe” (1871); “Essays
on Free Thinking and Plain Speaking”
(1873); “Hours in a Library” (1874-79);
“History of English Thought in the
IEighteenth Century '' (1876); “Samuel
Johnson’’ (1878); “The Science of
Ethics” (1882); “Life of Henry Faw-
cett” (1885); “An Agnostic's Apology,”
etc. (1893); “Life of Sir James Fitz-
james Stephen,” his brother (1896);
and “Pope ’’ and “Swift.” in the
JEnglish Men of Letters series. Edited
Cornhill, and was first editor of the
Dictionary of Naftonal Biography.
Sterling, John (b. 1806; d. 1844).
“Arthur Coningsby’’ (1830); “Poems”
(1839); “The Election'' (1841); and
“Strafford,” a tragedy (1843). “Works”
in 1848. Lives by Hare (1848) and Car-
lyle (1851).
Sterne, Laurence (b. Clonmel,
November 24th, 1713; d. London, March
18th, 1768). “The Life and Opinions
of Tristram Shandy, Gent.” (1759-67);
“Sermons” (1760); “A Sentimental
Journey through France and Italy”
(1768); and “The History of a Warm
Watchcoat” (1769). “Letters to his
most Intimate Friends” published by
his daughter in 1775; “Letters to
Eliza' [Mrs. Draper] same year; other
portions of his correspondence, in 1788
and 1844. For Biography, see the
..Quarterly Review, vol. xlix., Sir Walter
Scott’s “Lives of the Novelists,” and
Fitzgerald’s “Life of Laurence Sterne”
(1864), and Stapfer's “Wie” (Paris,
1878). For Criticism, see Thackeray's
“Lectures on the Humourists,” Taine’s
“English Literature,” Masson’s “English
Novelists,” Ferriar's “Illustrations of
Sterne,” Traill’s “Sterne,” etc.
Stevenson, Robert Louis Balfour
(b. Edinburgh, November 13th, 1850;
d. Samoa, December 8th, 1894). “An
Inland Voyage” (1878); “Edinburgh:
Picturesque Notes” (1879); “Travels
with a Donkey (1879); “Virginibus
Puerisque” (1881); “Familiar Studies
of Men and Books” (1882); “New
Arabian Nights '' (1882); “Trea-
sure Island ” (1883); “The Silverado
Squatters” (1883); “A Child’s Garden
of Verse ’’ (1885); “The Dynamiter’’
(1885); “Prince Otto” (1885); “Strange
1421
“Ticonderoga. "
* and 1821);
Active and Moral Powers” (1828); and
Stoughton
Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ’’
(1885); “Kidnapped” (1886); “The Merry
Men’’ (1887); “Underwoods” (1887);
87); “Memories
and Portraits” (1887); “The Black
Arrow” (1888); “The Wrong Box,”
with Lloyd Osbourne (1889); “Ballads”
(1890); “The Master of Ballantrae '’
(1891); “The Wrecker,” with Lloyd
Osbourne (1892); Three Plays, in col-
laboration with W. E. Henley (1892);
“Across the Plains,” etc. (1892);
“Catriona” (1893); “Island Nights'
Entertainments” (1893); “The Ebb
Tide,” with Lloyd Osbourne (1894).
Edinburgh edition of “Works” begun
1894.
Stewart, Dugald (b. Edinburgh,
November 22nd, 1753; d. near Bo'ness,
June 11th, 1828). “Elements of the
Philosophy of the Human Mind” (1792,
1814, and 1827); “Outlines of Moral
Philosophy’’ (1793); “Account of the
Life and Writings of William Robertson,
D.D.” (1801); “Account of the Life
and Writings of Thomas Reid, D.D.”
(1803); “Philosophical Essays” (1810);
“Account of the Life and Writings of
Adam Smith ” (1811); “Dissertation
exhibiting the Progress of Metaphysical,
Ethical, and Political Philosophy since
the Revival of Letters in Europe” (1815
“The Philosophy of the
“Lectures on Political Economy,” pub-
lished in 1855, with the remainder of
Stewart’s “Works,” and an account of
his “Life” and “Writings,” edited by
Sir William Hamilton. -
Stillingfleet, Edward (b. Cran-
borne, Dorsetshire, April 17th, 1635 ;
d. Westminster, March 27th, 1699).
“Irenicum ; ” “Origines Sacrae'' (1662);
‘‘ Rational Account of the Grounds of
the Protestant Religion ” (1665); “The
Reasons of Christ's Suffering for Us.”
(1678); “Origines Britannicæ '' (1685);
“Sermons Preached on several Occa-
sions” (1696–98); “A Vindication of
the Doctrine of the Trinity” (1697);
“Directions for the Conversations of the
Clergy” (1710); “Miscellaneous Dis-
courses on several Occasions” (1735);
“Discourses on the Church of Rome,”
etc. “The Life and Character of Bishop
Stillingfleet, together with some account
of his Works,” by Timothy Goodwin,
in 1710; same year, “Works” in ten
yolumes. See Tulloch’s “Rational Theo-
logy in England.”
Stoughton, Rev. John, D.D. (b.
Norwich, November 18th, 1807). “Ages
Strutt
of Christendom” (1856); “Church and
State Two Hundred Years ago.” (1862);
“Haunts and Homes of Martin Luther ”
(1875); “Lights of the World” (1876);
“Progress of Divine Revelation” (1878);
“Religion in England from the Opening
of the Long Parliament till the End
of the Eighteenth Century” (1881);
“William Penn” (1882); “The Spanish
Reformers” (1884); “Religion in Eng-
land from 1800 to 1850” (1884); “Lights
and Shadows of Church Life" (1895),
etc.
Strutt, Joseph (b. Springfield, Essex,
October 27th, 1742; d. October 16th,
1802). “The Regal and Ecclesiastical
Antiquities of England” (1773); “Horda
Angel-Cynman: or, A Complete View of
the Manners, Customs, Arms, Habits,
etc., of the Inhabitants of England, from
the Arrival of the Saxons till the Reign
of Henry VIII.” (1774-6); “The
Chronicle of England, from the Arrival
of Julius Caesar to the Norman Con-
quest'' (1777-8); “A Biographical His-
tory of Engravers” (1785-6); “A Com-
plete View of the Dress and Habits of
the People of England, from the IEstab-
lishment of the Saxons in Britain to the
Present Time ’’ § “The Sports
and Pastimes of the People of England”
(1801); “Queenhoo Hall,” and “Ancient
Times” (1808); “The Test of Guilt”
(1808); and “Bumpkin's Disaster’’
(1808). -
Stubbs, Very Rev. Charles Wii-
liam, D.D. (b. Liverpool, September
3rd, 1845). “International Morality ''
§: “Christ and Democracy'”
(1884); “The Conscience, and other
Poems” (1884); “The Land and the
Labourers” (1884); “For Christ and
City” (1890); “Christ and Economics”
(1893), etc. -
Stubbs, Right Rev. William, D.D.,
D.C.L. (b. Knaresborough, June 21st,
1825). “The Constitutional History of
England ” (1874-78); “Lectures on
Mediaeval and Modern History” (1886),
besides editing “Hymnale Secundum
usum Ecclesiae Sarisburiensis” (1850);
“Tractatus de Santa Cruce de Waltham”
(1860); Mosheim’s “Institutes of Church
History” (1863); “Chronicles and Memo-
rials of Richard I.” (1864-5); Benedict
of Peterborough’s “Chronicle’” (1867);
the “Chronicle?” of Roger de Hoveden
(1868-71); “Select Charters and other
Illustrations of English Constitutional
History” (1870); “Memorials of St.
Dunstan” (1874), etc. •
| Suckling, Sir John (b. Whitton,
1422
Swinburne
---
near Twickenham, 1609; d. Paris, May
7th, 1641). “Works” (1770). A selection,
with Life, by the Rev. Alfred Suckling,
in 1836. See Hazlitt's edition of Works,
(complete), 1875.
“Companion.”
Sully, Professor James, LL.D.
(b. Bridgwater, 1842). “Sensation and
Intuition ” (1874); “Pessimism” (1877);
“Illusions '' (1883); “The Outlines of
Psychology” (1884); “The Teachers'
Handbook of Psychology” (1886); “The
Human Mind” (1892), etc.
Swift, Jonathan, Dean of St.
Patrick's, Dublin (b. Dublin, Nov.
30th, 1667; d. there, Oct. 19th, 1745).
“The Battle of the Books’’ (1704);
‘‘Tale Of a Tub '' §§ “Sentiments
of a Church of England Man in Respect
to Religion and Government” (1708);
“An Argument against the Abolition of
Christianity” (1708); “The Conduct of
the Allies” (1712); “The Public Spirit
of the Whigs” (1714); “Letters by
M. B. Drapier” (1724); “Travels of
Lemuel Gulliver” (1726); a “History
of the Four Last Years of Queen
Anne,” “Polite Conversation,” “Dir-
ections to Servants,” “A Journal to
Stella,” etc. Works edited, with a
Memoir, by Sir Walter Scott, in 1814.
See also the Biographies by Hawkes-
See also Leigh Hunt's
worth, Sheridan, Johnson, Forster,
Leslie Stephen, and J. Churton
Collins. For criticism, see Hazlitt’s
“Comic Writers,” Thackeray’s “Eng-
lish Humourists,” Jeaffreson’s “ Novels
and Novelists,” Masson’s “ Novelists
and their Styles,” Taine’s “English
Literature,” and other writers.
Swinburne, Algernon Charles (b.
London, April 5th, 1837). “The Queen
Mother” and “Ikosamond” (1861);
“Atalanta in Calydon’” (1864); “Chaste-
lard” (1865); “Poems and Ballads”
1866); “Notes on Poems and Reviews”
1866); “A Song of Italy” (1867);
“William Blake,” a critical essay
(1867); “Notes on the Royal Academy
Exhibition ” (1868); “Ode on the Pro-
clamation of the French Republic ’’
(1870); “Songs before Sunrise” (1871);
“Under the Microscope’” (1872);
“Bothwell,” a tragedy (1874); “Essays
and Studies” (1875); “George Chap-
man,” an essay (1875): “Erectheus,” a
tragedy (1876); “A Note on Charlotte
Brontë'' (1877); “Poems and Ballads”
(second series, 1878); “A Study of
Shakespeare’’ (1880); “Songs of the
Springtides’’ (1880); “The Seven
Symonds
against Sense” (1880); “Mary Stuart,
a Tragedy” (1881); “Tristram of
Lyonesse” (1882); “A Century of
Roundels” (1883); “A Midsummer
Holiday ” (1884); “Marino Faliero”
(1885); “A Study, of Victor Hugo’”
(1886); “Miscellanies” (1886); “Lo-
ërine” (1887); “The Jubilee, 1887 °
(1887); “The Ballad of Dead Men's
Bay" (1889); “The Brothers” (1889);
“Poems and Ballads” (third series,
1889); “A Study of Ben Jonson’’
(1889); “The Sisters” (1890); “A Se-
quence of Sonnets on the Death of
Robert Browning ” (1890); “Sacred
and Shakespearian Affinities” (1890);
“Grace Darling” (1893); “Studies in
Prose and Poetry” (1894); “Astro-
phel,” etc. (1894). “Selections” from
his Works (1887). For Criticism, see
Forman’s “Living Poets,” Stedman’s
“Victorian Poets,” etc.
Symonds, John Addington (b. Oc-
tober 5th, 1840; d. April 19th, 1893).
“Introduction to the Study of Dante”
(1873); “Studies of the Greek Poets”
(1873-76); “Sketches in Italy and
Greece” (1874); “The Renaissance in
Italy” (1875-86); “The Sonnets of
Michelangelo Buonarotti and Cam-
panella'' (1878); “Animi Figurae''
(1882); “Italian Byways '' (1883);
“Vagabunduli.Iibellus” (1884); “Shake-
speare's Predecessors in the English
I}rama '' (1884); “Wine, Women, and
Song” (1884); “Ben Jonson’’ (1887);
“Essays Speculative and Suggestive ’’
(1890); “Our Life in the Swiss High-
lands'' (1892); “Life of Michel-
angelo Buonarotti” (1892); “In the
Rey of Blue,” etc. (1893); “Walt
Whitman '' (1893); “Blank Verse ’’
(1894); “Giovanni Boccaccio as Man
and Author” (1894). “Life” by Horatio
F. Brown (1895). -
Symons, Arthur (b. Milford Haven,
February 28th, 1865). “Introduction
to the Study of . Browning” (1886);
“Days and Nights?’ (1888); “Sil-
houettes” (1892); “London Nights”
(1885). Has edited the Essays of Leigh
Hunt, plays of Shakespeare, etc.
T
Talfourd, Sir Thomas Noon (b.
‘Doxey, near Stafford, January 26th,
1795; d. Stafford, March 13th, 1854). .
“Ion” (1835); “The Athenian Captive,”
a tragedy (1838); “A proposed New Law
1423
Taylor
of Copyright of the highest Importance
to Authors” (1838); “Glencoe, or the
State of the MacDonalds,” a tragedy
(1839); “Three Speeches delivered in
the House of Commons in favour of an
extension of Copyright” (1840); “Speech
for the Defendant in the Prosecution,
the Queen v. Moxon, for the publication
of Shelley's Poetical Works” (1841);
“Recollections, of a First Visit to the
Alps'' (1841); “Vacation Rambles and
Thoughts” %. “Final Memorials
of Charles Lamb” (1849-50); “The
Castilian'' (1853).
Taylor, Sir Henry, D.C.L. (b. 1800;
d. 1886). “Isaac Comnenus” (1827);
“Philip Van Artevelde’’ (1834); “The
Statesman” (1836); “Edwin the Fair"
(1842); “The Eve of the Conquest and
other Poems” (1847); “Notes from
Life '' (1847); “Notes from Books”
(1849); “A Sicilian Summer '' (1850);
“St. Clement's Eve’” (1862). Works
(1887). See his “Autobiography” (1885),
and the Criticism by Anthony Trollope,
in vol. i. of The Fortnightly Review.
Taylor, Isaac (b. Lavenham, August
17th, 1787; d. Stanford Rivers, Essex.
June 28th, 1865). “The Elements of
Thought” (1822); “Memoir of his Sister
Jane” (1825); “History of the Trans-
mission of Ancient Books to Modern
Times” (1827); “The Process of His-
toricall?roof fºxemplified andlexplained”
§: a “Translation of Herodotus ”
(1829); “The Natural History of En-
thusiasm '' (1829); “A New Model of
Christian Mission” (1829); “The Temple
of Melekartha’’ (1831); “Saturday
Evening ” (1832); “Fanaticism” (1833);
“Spiritual Despotism” (1835); “The
Physical Theory of Another Life” (1836);
“Home Education ” (1838); “Ancient
Christianity and the Doctrines of the
Tracts for the Times” (1839); “Man
Responsible for his Dispositions” (1840);
“Lectures on Spiritual Christianity”
(1841); “Loyola and Jesuitism in its
Rudiments” (1849); “Wesley and
Methodism” (1851); “The Restoration
of Belief.” (1855); “The World of
Mind” (1857); “Logic in Theology, and
other Essays” (1859); “Ultimate Civili-
sation, and other Essays” (1860); and
“The Spirit of Hebrew Poetry” (1860).
See his son’s “Memorials of the Taylor
Family” (1867).
Taylor, Canon Isaac, Litt.D.,
LL.D. (b. Stanford Rivers, May 2nd,
1829). “Words and Places” (1865);
“Memorials, Biographical and Literary,
of the Taylor Family of Ongar.” §:
Taylor
1424
Taylor
“Etruscan Researches” (1874); “The
Etruscan Language'' (1876); “Greeks
and Goths '' (1879); “The Alphabet,
an Account of the Origin and Develop-
ment of Letters” (1883); “Leaves from
an Egyptian Note-Book '' (1888); “The
Origin of the Aryans” (1889), etc.
Taylor, Jeremy, Bishop of Down
and Connor and of Dromore (b. Cam-
bridge, August 15th, 1613; d. Lisburn,
August 13th, 1667). “Sermon on the
Gunpowder Treason '' (1638); “Of the
Sacred Order and Offices of Episºpºy
by Divine Institution Asserted ” (1642);
“Psalter of David, with Titles and Col-
lects, According to the Matter of each
Psalm ’” (1644); “Discourse Concerning
Prayer Extempore” (1646); “A Dissua-
sive from Popery’” (1647); “New and
Easy Institution of Grammar ” (1647);
“A Discourse of the Liberty of Pro-
phesying ” (1647); “The Martyrdom of
Ring Charles” (1649); “The Great Ex-
emplar ” (1649); “Holy Living and
Dying ” (1650); “Prayers Before and
After Sermon” (1651); “Clerus Domini”
(1651); “A Course of Sermons for all
the Sundaies in the Year” (1651-3);
“A Short Catechism, with an Explication
of the Apostles' Creed” (1652); “Dis-
course of Baptism, its Institution and
Efficacy” (1652); “The Real Presence
and Spiritual of Christ in the Blessed
Sacrament proved against the Doctrine
of Transubstantiation ” (1654): “The
Golden Grove” (1655); “Unum Neces-
sarium ; or, the Doctrine and Practice of
Repentance” (1655); “Deus Justificatus,
Two Discourses on Original Sin?’ (1656);
“A Collection of Polemical and Moral
Discourses” (1657); “I)iscourse on the
Measures and Offices of Friendship ’’
(1657); “The Worthy Communicant ’’
(1660); “Ductor Dubitantium ” (1660);
“Rules and Advices given to the Clergy
of the Diocese of Down and Connor ’’
(1661), etc. “Works” in 1819, 1822
(with Life of the Author, and a Critical
Examination of his Works, by Bishop
Heber); 1825 (edited by Bradley); 1831
(edited, with a Life, by Hughes); 1834
edited, with a Life, by Croly and
tebbing); 1841 (with a Memoir); 1847
(Heber's edition, revised by Eden); and
1851 (with an Essay, biographical and
critical, by Henry Rogers).
Taylor, John, “The Water Poet’”
(b. Gloucester, about 1580; d. 1654).
“Travels in Germany ” (1617); “Pen-
niless Pilgrimage” (1618); “The Praise
of Hempseed, with the Voyage of Mr.
Roger Bird and the Writer in a Boat
of Brown Paper” (1623); etc. Publi-
cation of Complete Works begun by
Spenser Society in 1867.
Taylor, Thomas (b. Tondon, May
15th, 1758; d. Walworth, November 1st,
1835). “Elements of a New Method of
Reasoning on Geometry” (1780); “A
Dissertation on the Eleusinian and
Bacchic Mysteries” (1791); “I)isserta-
tion on Nullities and Diverging Series'’
(1801); “The Elements of the True
Arithmetic of Infinities” (1809); “The
Arguments of the Emperor Julian
against the Christians” (1809); “A
“Dissertation on the Philosophy of
Aristotle’’ (1812); “The Elements of a
New Arithmetical Notation ” (1823);
“History of the Restoration of Platonic
Theology,” “Theoretic Arithmetic,” and
various Translations of Apuleius, Aris-
totle, Hierocles, Iamblicus, Julian,
Maximus Tyrius, Pausanias, Plato,
Plotinus, Porphyry, Sallust, and other
ancient authors. For Biography, see the
Athendum (1835), Knight’s “Penny
Cyclopædia,” Barker’s “Literary Anec-
dotes,” and “Public Characters ”
(1788-9).
Taylor, Tom (b. 1817; d. July 12th,
1880). “I)iogenes and his Lantern ''
(1849); “The Vicar of Wakefield”
(1850); “The Philosopher’s Stone '’
(1850); “Prince Dorus” (1850); “Sir
Boger de Coverley’’ (1851); “Our
Clerks” (1852); “Plot and Passion”
(1852); “Wittikind and his Brothers”
(1852); “To Oblige Benson” (1854);
“A Blighted Being ” (1854); “Still
Waters Run Deep ’’ (1855); “Helping
Hands” (1855); “Retribution” (1856);
“Victims” (1856); “Going to the Bad”
(1858); “Our American Cousin” (1858);
“Nine Points of the Law'' (1859);
“The House and the Home'' (1859);
“The Contested Election ” (1859);
“The Fool’s Revenge” (1859); “A
Tale of Two Cities” (from Dickens)
(1860); “The Overland Route’” (1860);
“The Babes in the Wood” (1860);
“The Ticket-of-Leave Man” (1863);
“”Twixt Axe and Crown '' (1870);
“Joan of Arc’” (1870); “Clancarty’”
(1873); “Anne Boleyn’’ (1876); “An
Unequal Match;” besides being the part
author of “New Men and Old Acres,”
“Masks and Faces,” “Slave Life,” and
several other dramas. “Historical
Plays” in 1877. He also published
“The Life and Times of Sir Joshua,
Reynolds,” “Leicester Square,” and
“Songs and Ballads of Brittany;” and
edited the autobiographies of B. R. Hay-
Temple
1425
Tennyson
don and C. R. Leslie, and Mortimer
Collins's posthumous “Pen Sketches.”
Temple, The Right Rev.
Frederick, D.D. (b. November 30th,
1821). “Sermons Preached in the
Chapel of Rugby School” (1862): “The
Relations between Religion and Science”
(1885). .
Temple, Sir William (b. London,
1628; d. Moor Park, Surrey, January
27th, 1699). “Observations upon the
TJnited Provinces of the Netherlands'’
(1673); “Miscellanea on Various Sub-
jects” (1680-90); “Memoirs of what
assed in Christendom from 1672 to
1679” (1693); “Letters” (edited by
Dean Swift, 1700); “Letters to King
Charles II., etc.” (1703); and “Miscel-
lanea, containing ‘Four Essays upon
Ancient and Modern Learning,’ ‘The
Garden of Epicurus,’ ‘Heroick Vertue,’
and “Poetry’” (1705). -
Tennyson, Alfred, Baron (b. Somers-
by, Lincolnshire, August 6th, 1809; d.
October 6th, 1892). “Poems by Two
Brothers” (with his brother Charles
Tennyson, 1827); “Timbuctoo” (1829);
“Poems, chiefly Lyrical” (1830); “No
More,” “Anacreontics,” and “A Frag-
ment,” in The Gem (1831); a “Sonnet,”
in The Englishman’s Magazine (1831);
a “Sonnet,” in Yorkshire Literary Annual
(1832); a “Sonnet,” in Friendship's Offer-
ing (1832); “Poems” (1832); “ St.
Agnes,” in The Keepsake (1837);
“Stanzas,” in . The Tribute (1837);
“Poems” (1842); “The New Timon
and the Poets,” in Punch (1846); “The
Princess” (1847 and 1850); “Stanzas,”
in The Examiner (1849); “Lines,”
in The Manchester Athenaeum Album
(1850); “In Memoriam ” (1850);
“Stanzas,” in The Keepsake (1851);
“Sonnet to W. C. Macready,” in The
IIousehold Warrative (1851); “Ode on
the Death of the Duke of Wellington’’
º ; “The Third of February,” in
he Earaminer (1852); “The Charge of
the Light Brigade ’’ in The Examiner
(1854); “Maud, and other Poems ”
(1855); “Idylls of the King ” (Enid,
Vivien, Elaine, Guinevere) .(1859);
“The Grandmother's Apology,” in Once
a Week (1859); “Sea Dreams,” in Mac-
millan’s Magazine (1860); “Tithonus,”
in The Cornhill Magazine (1860); “The
Sailor Boy,” in The Victoria Regia (1861);
“Ode: May the First'' (1862); “A
Welcome" (1863); “Attempts at Classic
Metres in Quantity,” in The Cornhill
Duchess of Kent’’ (1864); “Enoch
Arden '' (1864); “The Holy Grail, and
other Poems” (1867); “The Victim,”
in Good Words (iš68): “ 1865-6,” in Gºod
Words (1868); “A Spiteful Letter,” in
Once a Week (1868); “Wages,” in Mac-
millan’s Magazine (1868); “Lucretius,”
in Macmillan's Magazine (1868); “The
Window ; or, Songs of the Wrens”
(1870); “The Last Tournament,” in The
Contemporary Review (1871); “Gareth
and Lynette, and other Poems” (1872);
“A Welcome to Marie Alexandrovna ’’
(1874); “Queen Mary” (1875); “Harold”
(1877); three sonnets, a translation, “Sir
Richard Grenville,” and “The Relief of
Lucknow,” in the Nineteenth Century
(1877-9); “The Lover's Tale” (1879);
a sonnet and “De Profundis,” in the
Nineteenth Century (1880); “The Fal-
con” (1879); “Poems and Ballads”
(1881); “The Cup” (1881); “The Promise
of May ’’ (1882 “Becket” (1884);
“Tiresias” (1886) '.. Locksley Hall, Sixty
Years After ’’ (1886); “Jubilee Poem ‘’
(1887); “Demeter,” etc. (1889); “Ayl-
mer's Field'' (1891); “The Death of
OEnone,” etc. (1892); “The Foresters”
(1892). Also the following: “Britons,
guard your own,” in The Eraminer
1852); “Hands all Round,” in The
'caminer (1852); and “Riflemen, form!”
in The Times (1859). “A Selection from
the Works” in 1865; “Songs” in 1871;
“Works '' in one volume in 1878.
“Concordance to the Works” in 1869.
See “Tennysoniana” (1879), and T. H.
Smith’s “Notes and Marginalia on
Alfred Tennyson’’ (1873). Analyses of
“In Memoriam ” by Tainsh and Fredk.
Wm. Robertson. For Criticism, see
Brimley’s “Essays,” Tuckerman’s
“Essays,” Elsdale’s “Studies in the
Idylls” (1878), A. H. Hallam’s “Re-
mains,” W. C. Roscoe’s “Essays,”
Kingsley’s “Miscellanies,”. Hutton's
“Essays,” Tainsh’s “Studies in Tenny-
son,” Bayne’s “Essays,” Austin’s “Poe-
try of the Period,” J. H. Stirling's
“Essays,” J. H. Ingram in “The Dublin
Afternoon Lectures,” A. H. Japp's
“Three Great Teachers” (1865), For-
man’s “Living Poets,” Buchanan’s
“Master Spirits,” Stedman’s “Victorian
Poets,” “Lord Tennyson, a Biographical
Sketch,” by H. J. Jennings (1884), John
Churton Collins’s “Illustrations of
Tennyson’’ (1891), A. J. Church’s “The
Laureate's Country’’ (1891); Joseph
Jacob’s “Tennyson and “In Memo-
riam’” (1892), A. Waugh’s “Alfred

Lord Tennyson ’’ (1892), G. G. Napier's
Magazine (1863); “Epitaph on the “Homes and Haunts of . . Tennyson”
90
Tennyson
T.426
Thomson
(1892); Mrs. Ritchie’s “Records of
Tennyson’’ (1892), and “Alfred Lord
Tennyson and his Friends” (1893), B.
Francis's “The Scenery of Tennyson’s
Poems” (1893), H. Littledale’s “Essays
on the Idylls of the King” (1893), H. S.
Salt's “Tennyson as a Thinker’” (1893),
Stopford Brooke's “Tennyson: his Art
and Relation to Modern Life” (1894).
Tennyson, Charles. (See TURNER,
CHARLEs TENNYSON )
Tennyson, Frederick. “I)ays and
Hours” (1854); “The Isles of Greece,”
etc. (1890); “Daphne,” etc. (1891).
Thackeray, Anne Isabella, Mrs.
Ritchie, (b. about 1839). “The Story
of Elizabeth '' (1863); “The Village on
the Cliff’’ (1866); “Five Old Friends,
and a Young Prince ’’ (1868); “To
#sther, and other sketches”’ (1869);
“Old Kensington ’’ (1872); “Toilers
and Spinsters, and other Essays '' (1873);
“Bluebeard's Keys, and other Stories '' .
(1874); “Miss Angel” (1875); “Madame
de Sévigné'' (1881); “A Book of
Sibyls’’ (1883); “Miss Dymond’’ (1885);
“Records of Tennyson, Ruskin, and
Browning ” (1892); “Alfred, Lord
Tennyson, and his Friends” (1893);
“Chapters from Some Memoirs” (1894).
Works in 1875-6. - -
Thackeray, William Makepeace
(b. Calcutta, Aug. 12th, 1811 ; d. Ken-
sington, Dec. 24th, 1863). “Flore et
Zephyr' (London and Paris, 1836);
“The Paris Sketch Book” (1840); “The
Second Funeral of Napoleon,” and “The
Chronicle of the Drum ” (1841); “The
Irish Sketch Book” (1843): “Notes of a
Journey from Cornhill to Grand Cairo’’
(1845); “Vanity Fair” (1847); “Mrs.
Perkins's Ball” (1847); “Our Street”
(1848); “Dr. Birch and his Young
Friends” (1849); “The History of Pen-
dennis’’ (1849–50); ' '. “Rebecca and
Rowena,” (1850); “The Kickleburyson
the Rhine” (1851); “Esmond” (1852);
“The Newcomes '' (1855); and “The
Virginians” (1857); besides the follow-
ing, contributed to The Cornhill Maga-
zine, Fraser’s Magazine, and Pººch —
“The Hoggarty Diamond,” “Catherine,”
“Barry Lyndon,” “Jeames's Diary,”
“The Book of Snobs,” “Roundabout
Papers,” “Lovel the Widower,” “The
Adventures of Philip,” “Denis Duval,”
and “Novels by Eminent Hands.” See
also his lectures on “The Four Georges,”
“The English Humorists of the
Eighteenth Century,” and “The Or-
phan of Pimlico,” For Biography, 863
“Thackerayana’’ (1875); “Thackeray,
the Humorist and Man of Letters”
(1864); Trollope’s “Thackeray ” (1879);
and a Selection from his Letters which
appeared in Scribney’s Magazine in 1887,
and was afterwards published in volume
form. For Criticism, see Roscoe’s “Es-
says,” Senior’s “Essays on Fiction,”
Hannay’s “Characters and Sketches,”
and “Studies on Thackeray,” etc.
Thirlwall, Connop, Bishop of St.
David’s (b. 1797; d. 1875). “Essay on St.
Luke,” translated from Schleiermacher
(1825); “History of Greece’” (1834-47);
“The Tractarian Controversy '' (1842);
“Dr. Newman on Development” (1848);
“The Gorham Case” (1851); “Essays and
Reviews” (1863); “The Vatican Council”
(1872). The last five treatises were re-
published in his “Remains, Literary
and Theological” (1877). See “Letters
of Bishop Thirlwall,” edited by Perowne
and Rev. L. Stokes (1881); and “Letters
of Bishop Thirlwall,” edited by Dean
Stanley (1881). -
Thomas, Annie, Mrs. Pender Cudlip,
(b. 1838). “The Cross of Honour”
(1863); “False Colours” (1869); “‘He
Cometh Not,” She Said” (1873); “No
Alternative” (1874); “Blotted Out”
(1876); “A London Season’’ (1879);
“Eyre of Blendon’” (1881); “Society's
Puppets” (1882); “Friends and Lovers.”
(1883); “Tenifer” (1883); “Kate Vali-
ant” (1884): “No Medium ” (1885);
“Love's a Tyrant” (1888); “That
Other Woman” (1889); “The Sloane
Square Scandal,” etc. (1890); “On the
Children’’ (1890); “The Love of a
Lady” (1890); “That Affair” (1891);
“Old Dacres' Darling” (1892); “The
Honourable Jane’’ (1892); “Utterly
Mistaken º’ (1893); “A Girl's. Folly.”
(1894); “No Hero, but a Man '' (1894);
“False Pretences” (1895). -
Thompson, Francis. “ Poems »
(1893); “Sister Songs” (1895). -
Thompson, Sir Henry, Bart. (b.
1820). “Practical Lithotomy and Litho-
trity’’ (1863); “A Catalogue of Blue
and White. Nankin Porcelain '' (1878);
“Charley Kingston's Aunt” (1885);
“All But '' (1886); “Modern Crema-
tion” (1889), etc.
Thomson, James (b. Ednam, Rox-
burghshire, Sept. 11th, 1700; d. Rich-
mond, Surrey, Aug. 22nd, 1748).
“Winter” (1726); “Summer”, (1727);
“Britannia” (1727); “Spring.” (1728);
“Sophonisba’ (1729); “Autumn ‘’
Thorn Son
1427
Tooke
(1730); “Liberty” (1734 and 1736);
“Agamemnon’’ (1738); “Edward and
Leonora, ’’ (1739): “Alfred ” (with
Mallet, “Tancred and Sigis-
munda. ?? (1745); “The Castle of
Indolence ’’ (1748); and “Coriola-
nus” (1749). Works and Life by Mur-
doch, in 1762; with Memoir and Notes
by Sir Harris Nicolas, in 1830; with a
Life, critical dissertation, and notes, by
Gilfillan, in 1853; and by Robert Bell,
in 1855. See also the Life by Buchan
(1792); the Miscellanies of the Philo-
biblion Society (1857-58) and an Essay
by Barante, in his “Etudes” (Paris,
1857). -
Thomson, James (“B. W.”) (b.
Port Glasgow, 1834; d. 1882). “The
City of Dreadful Night,” etc. (1880);
“Vane's Story, and Other Poems ”
(1880); “A Voice from the Nile, and
Other Poems ” (1883); “Shelley,”
poetry and prose (1884). “Life,” by
BI. "g Salt, with selections (1889).
“Poetical Works,” edited, with Memoir,
by B. Dobell (1895).
Thomson, Sir William, now Lord
ICelvin (b. 1824). “The Linear Motion
of Heat” (1842); “Secular Coating of
the Earth’’ (1852); “Electrodynamics
of Qualities of Metals” (1855); “Trea-
tise on Natural Philosophy ’’ (1867);
“Papers on Electrostatics and Magnet-
ism” (1872); “Tables for Facilitating
the Use of Sumner's Method at Sea, ’’
(1876); “Mathematical and Physical
Papers ” (1882); “Popular Lectures
and Addresses” (1891-4).
Thomson, William, Archbishop of
York (b. Whitehaven, February 11th,
1819; d. December 25th, 1890). “Out-
line of the Laws of Thought” (1842);
“The Atoning Work of Christ” (1853);
“Sermons Preached in Lincoln's Inn
Chapel” (1861); “Life in the Light of
God’s Word” (1868); “Word, Work,
and Will” (1879). Editor of “Aids to
Eaith” (1861). Biographical Sketch by
Bullock, entitled “The People's
Archbishop.”
Thornbury, George Walter (b.
London, 1828; d. June 11th, 1876).
“Lays and Legends of the New World”
(1851); “Monarchs of the Main’” (1855);
“Shakespeare's England” (1856); “Art
and Nature at Home and Abroad '’
(1856); “Songs of Cavaliers and Round-
heads” (1857); “Every Man his own
Trumpeter” (1858); a “Life of J. M. W.
Turner, R.A.” (1862); “True as Steel”
(1863); “Wildfire '' (1864); “Haunted
~~~
London” (1865); “Taies for the Mariner”
(1865); “Greatheart" (1866); “The
Vicar's Courtship ’’ (1869); “Old Stories
Retold’’ (1869); “A Tour Round Eng-
land” (1870); “Criss Cross Journeys”
(1873); “Old and New London” (vols.,
i. and ii.), and “Historical and Legend-'
ary Ballads and Songs” (1875).
Tickell, Thomas (b. Bridekirk,
Cumberland, 1686; d. 1740). “The
Prospect of Peace; ” “The Royal Pro-
gress; ” a translation of the first book of
“The Iliad; ” “A Letter to Avignon; ”
“Rensington Gardens; ” “Thoughts on
a Picture of Charles I. ; ” “To the Earl
of Warwick, on the Death of Mr. Addi-
son; ” and other pieces. See the “Life,”
by Dr. Johnson, and the “Spectator.”
Tillotson, John, Archbishop of
Canterbury (b. Sowerby, near Halifax,
1630; d. November 20th, 1694). “The
Rule of Faith ” (1666); “Sermons”
(1671), etc. Works (1752), with Birch's
“Life.”
Tindal, Matthew, LL.D. (b. Devon-
shire, 1657 ; d. August 16th, 1733).
“Concerning Obedience to the Supreme
Powers, and the Duty of Subjects
in all Revolutions” (1694); an “Es-
say concerning the Laws of Nations
and the Rights of Sovereigns '' (1695);
“The Rights of the Christian Church
asserted against the Romish, with a
Preface Concerning the Government of
the Church of England as by Law Es-
tablished ” (1706); a “Defence of the
JRights of the Church against W. Wotton
(1707); “A Second Defence ’’ (1708);
“The Jacobitism, Perjury, and Popery
of the High Church Priests” (1710);
“Christianity as Old as the Creation”
(1730). See Lechler’s “Geschichte des
Englischen Deismus ” (Stuttg., 1841);
Hunt’s “Religious Thought in England”
(vol. ii., 1871); and Leslie Stephen’s
“English Thought” (vol. i., 1876).
Toland, Janus Junius, afterwards
John (b. Redcastle, Ireland, November
30th, 1670 ; d. Putney, March 11th,
1722). “Christianity not Mysterious ”
(1696); “Socinianism Truly Stated ”
(1705); “Pantheisticon.” (1750), etc.
“Memoir” (1726). See references in
preceding article.
Tooke, John Horne (b. London,
June 25th, 1736; d. Wimbledon, March
19th, 1812). “The Petition of an
Englishman’’ (1765); “Letter to Mr.
Dunning ” (1778); “The Diversions of
Purley” (1786-1805); “Letter on the
Reported Marriage of the Prince of
Torrens
1428
Trollope
Wales” (1787). Memoir by Hamilton
in 1812, and by Stephens in 1813. See
the “Life” by Reid.
Torrens, William Torrens Mac-
Cullagh (b. October, 1813; d. April
26th, 1894). “On the Uses and Study
of History” (1842); ‘Industrial History
of Free Nations” (1846); “Memoirs of
. . . R. L. Shiel” (1855); “Life and
Times of Sir J. R. G. Graham ” (1863);
“Empire in Asia: How We Came by
It’” (1872); “Memoirs of William . . .
Second Wiscount Melbourne '' (1878);
“Pro-Consul and Tribune: Wellesley
and O’Connell” (1879); “Reform of
Procedure in Parliament” (1881);
“Twenty Years in Parliament” (1893);
“History of Cabinets” (1894).
Tour neur, Cyril (circa 1600).
“The Transformed Metamorphosis”
(1600); “The Revenger's Tragedie”
(1607); “A Funerall Poem upon the
Death of Sir Francis Were, knight''
(1609); “The Atheist's Tragedy; or, the
Honest Man's Revenge” (1611); and “A
Griefe on the Death of Prince Henrie,
expressed in a broken Elegie, according
to the Nature of such a Sorrow ’” (1613).
Works (1878). See The Retrospective
JReview, vol. vii. .
, Trail1, Henry Duff, D.C.L. (b.
Blackheath, August 14th, 1842).
& sº ” (1882); “Recaptured Rhymes”
1882);
“Coleridge”. (1884); “Shaftesbury’”
gº “William III.” (1888); “Straf-
ord” (1889); “Saturday Songs” (1890);
“The Marquis of Salisbury” (1890);
“Number Twenty: Fables and Fan-
tasies” (1892). Editor of “Social
England”; formerly editor of the
Observer.
Trench, Richard Chenevix, D.D.,
Archbishop of Dublin (b. Dublin, Sep-
tember 9th, 1807; d. 1886). “Sabba-
tion, Honor Neale, and Other Poems,”
“The Story of Justin Martyr,”
“Genoveva,” “Elegiac Poems,” and
“Poems from Eastern Sources.” Also
“Notes on the Parables'' (1841);
“Notes on the Miracles” (1846);
“The Lessons in Proverbs” (1853);
“The Sermon on the Mount, as Illus-
trated from St. Augustine,” “Sacred
Latin Poetry,” “St. Augustine as an
Interpreter of Scripture,” “Synonyms
of the New Testament’’ (1854); “The
Epistles to the Seven Churches of Asia.
Minor,” “An Essay on the Life and
Genius of Calderon,”, “Deficiencies
in Sixty English Dictionaries,” “A
“The New Lucian” (1884);.
Glossary of English Words used in
Different Senses,” “The Authorised
Version of the New Testament, with
Thoughts on its Revision,” “The
Study of Words,” “English Past and
IPresent ’’ (1855); “Gustavus Adolphus.”
“Social Aspects of the Thirty Years'
War,” “A Household Book of English
Poetry,” “Notes on the Greek of the
New Testament,” “The Salt of the
Earth,” “Shipwrecks of . Faith,”
“Studies in the Gospels,” “The Sub-
jection of the Creature to Vanity,”
“Synonyms of the New Testament,”
“Plutarch” (1874); “Mediaeval Church
History” (1878): “Westminster and
Other Sermons” (1888). Letters, etc.,
edited by Miss M. M. F. Trench (1888);
Collected Poems (1865). -
Trevelyan, Sir George Otto (b.
July 30th, 1838). “Horace at the
Jniversity of Athens” (1861); “Letters
of a Competition Wallah. ” (1864);
“Cawnpore” (1865); “Speeches on
Army Reform '' (1870); “The Life and
Letters of Lord Macaulay’’ (1876);
“The Early Times of Charles James
Fox” (1880).
Tristram, Canon . Henry Balker,
D.D., LL.D. (b. May 11th, 1822). “The
Great Sahara” (1860); “The Land of
Israel” (1865); “Natural History of
the Bible” (1867); “The Land of
Moab.” (1873); “Pathways of Pales-
tine’’ (1881-82); “Eastern Customs in
Bible Lands” (1894), etc.
Trollope, Anthony (b. April 24th,
1815; d. December 6th, 1882). “The
Macdermots of Ballycloran º’ (1847);
“The Kellys and the O'Kellys. (1848);
“La Vendée '' (1850); “The Warden”
(1855); “The Three Clerks” (1857);
“Barchester Towers” (1857); “Doctor
Thorne’” (1858); “The Bertrams”
(1859); “Castle Richmond”. (1860);
“Framley Parsonage” (1861); “Tales
of All Countries” (1861); “Orley
Farm” (1862); “Rachel Ray ” (1863);
“The Small House at Allington” (1864);
“Can You Forgive Her?” (1864); “The
Belton Estate” (1865); “Miss Macken-
zie’” (1865); “The Last Chronicles of
Barset” (1867); “The Claverings” (1867);
“Lotta Schmidt and Other Stories”
(1867); “He Knew . He was Right.”
(1869); “Phineas Phinn” (1869); “An
Editor's Tales” (1870); “Sir Harry Hot-
spur” (1870); “The Vicar of Bullhamp-
ton” (1870); “Ralph the Heir" (1871);
“The Eustace Diamonds” (1872); “The
Golden Lion of Grandpęre” (1872);
Trollope 14
“Phineas Redux’’ (1873); “Harry
Heathcote” (1874); “Lady Anna” (1874);
“The Prime Minister” (1875); “The
Way We Live Now” (1875); “The
American Senator” (1877); “Is he popen-
joy P’’ (1878); “Cousin, Henry” (1879);
and other novels; besides “The West
Indies and the Spanish Main” (1859);
“ North America” (1862); “Hunting
Sketches '' (1865); “Clergymen of the
Church of England” (1866); “Travelling
Sketches” (1866); “Australia and New
Zealand” (1873); “New South Wales
and Queensland” (1874); “South Aus-
tralia, and Western Australia” (1874);
“Victoria and Tasmania” (1874); “South
Africa” (1878); “Thackeray” (1879);
“Ayala's Angel” (1881); Autobiography
(1883).
Trollope, Mrs. Frances (b. Heck-
field, 1779; d. Florence, October 6th,
1863). Wrote “Domestic Manners of
the Americans” (1832); “The Refuge
in America” (1832); “The Abbess”
(1833); “The Adventures of Jonathan
Jefferson Whitlaw'” (1836); “The Vicar
of Wrexhill” (1837); “A Romance of
Vienna’’ (1838); “Tremordyn Cliff.”
(1838); “Widow Barnaby” (1838);
“Michael Armstrong; or, the Factory
Boy” (1839); “One Fault ’’, (1839);
“The Widow Married ” (1840); “The
Elue Belles of England” (1841);
“Charles Chesterfield” (1841); “The
Ward of Thorpe Combe” (1842); “Har-
grave” (1843); “Jessie Phillips” (1843);
* The Laurringtons” (1843); “Young
Love” (1844); “Petticoat Govern-
ment,” “Father Eustace,” and “Uncle
Walter’” (1852); and “The Life and
Adventures of a Clever Woman.”
Trollope, Thomas Adolphus (b.
April 29th, 1810; d. November 11th,
1892). “A Decade of Italian Women.”
1849); “Impressions of a Wanderer in
Italy” (1850); “Catherine de Medici.”
(1859); “Filippo Strozzi” (1860); “Paul
the Pope and Paul the Friar ’’ (1860);
“La Beata ?? (1861); “Marietta.”
(1862); “Giulio Malatesta” (1863);
“Beppo the Conscript '' (1864); “Lin-
disfarn Chase ’’ (1864); “History of
the Commonwealth of Florence” (1865);
“Gemma'' (1866); “The Dream Num-
bers” (1868); “Diamond Cut Diamond.”
(1875); “The Papal Conclaves” (1876);
“A Family Party at the Piazza of St.
Peter’s” (1877); a “Life of Pope Pius
IX.” (1877); “A Peep behind the Scenes
at Rome'' (1877), and other works,
including “What I Remember" (1887-
9 . Turner
89). Edited “Italy: from the Alps to
Mount AEtna ’’ (1876), etc. -
Tulloch, Principal John, D.D. (b.
Perthshire, 1810; d. February 13th,
1886). “Theism” (1855); “Leaders of
the Reformation ” (1859); “English
Puritanism and its Leaders” (1861);
“Beginning Life” (1862); “The Christ
of the Gospels and the Christ of Modern
Criticism” (1864); “Rational Theology
and Christian Philosophy in England
in the Seventeenth Century” (1874);
“Some Facts of Religion and of Life”
1877); “The Church of the Eighteenth
entury” (1881); “Modern Theories in
Philosophy and Religion” (1884);
“Unity and Variety of the Churches of
Christendom '' (1884); “National Reli-
gion in Theory and Fact” (1886);
“Religious Thought in Britain during
the Nineteenth Century” (1885). Me-
moir by Mrs. Oliphant (1888).
Tupper, Martin Farquhar, D.C.L.
(b. London, July 17th, 1810; d. Novem-
ber 29th, 1889). “Geraldine and other
Poems ” (1838); “Proverbial Philo-
sophy” (1838, 1842, 1867); “The Modern
Pyramid’’ (1839); “An Author's Mind.”
(1841); “The Twins.” (#): “The
Crock of Gold '' (1844); “Hactenus, a
Budget of Lyrics '' (1848); “Surrey : a
IRapid Review of its Principal Persons
and Places” (1849); “ King Alfred's
Poems in English Metre’” (1850);
“Hymns of all Nations, in Thirty
Languages” (1851); “Ballads for the
Times, and other Poems” (1852);
“Heart,” a tale (1853); “Probabili-
ties: an Aid to Faith” (1854); “Lyrics.”
º “Stephen Langton; or, the
ays of King John ” (1858); “Rides
and Reveries of Mr. AEsop Smith ”
(1858); “Three Hundred Sonnets”
(1860); “Cithara: Lyrics” (1863);
“Twenty - one Protestant Ballads”
(1868); “A Creed and Hymns” (1870);
“Fifty Protestant Ballads” (1874);
and “Washington’’ (1877); “My Life
as an Author” (1886).
Turner, Charles Tennyson (b.
Somersby, July 4th, 1808; d. April 25th,
1879). “Sonnets” (1864); “Small
Tableaux” (1868); and “Sonnets,Lyrics,
and Translations” (1873). See TENNY-
son, ALFRED, BARON, sºpra, and Nine-
teenth Century, September 1879.
Turner, Sharon (b. London, Sep-
tember 24th, 1768; d. London, February
13th, 1847). “History of the Anglo-
Saxons” (1799-1805); “A Vindication of
the Genuineness of the Antient British
Tylor
Poems of Aneurin, Taliesin, Llywarch
Hen, and Merdhin, with Specimens of
the Poems” (1803); “A History of
England from the Norman Conquest to
1509 ° (1814–23); “Prolusions on the
Bresent Greatness of Britain, on Modern
Poetry, and on the Present Aspect of
the World” (1819); a “History of the
Reign of Henry VIII.” (1826); a “His-
tory of the Reigns of Edward VI., Mary,
and Elizabeth '' (1829); “The Sacred
History of the World'' (1832); and
“Richard III.,” a poem (1845).
Tylor, Edward B., D.C.L., LL.D.
(b. Camberwell, October 2nd, 1832).
“Anahuac, or Mexico and the Mexi-
cans” (1861); “Researches into the
Early History of Mankind” (1865);
“Primitive Culture” (1871); “Anthro-
pology'' (1881); “Life of Dr. Rolles-
ton” (1884).
Tynan, Katharine. (See IIINKSON,
MRS. KATIIARINE.)
Tyndale, William (b. Gloucester-
shire, 1484 (?); d. Vilvorde, October
6th, 1536). “The Obedyence of a
Christen Man, and how Christen Rulers
Ought to , Governe” (1528); “The
Parable of the Wicked Mammon” (1528);
“Exposition on 1 Corinthians vii., with
a Prologue, wherein all Christians are
exhorted to read the Scriptures” (1529);
“The Practyse of Prelates: whether the
Kynges Grace may be separated from
hys Quene, because she was hys Brothers
Wyfe’” (1530); “A Compendious Intro-
duccion, Prologue, or Preface unto the
Pistle of St. Paul to the Romayns'
(1530); a translation of “The Fyrst Boke
of Moses called Genesis [with a preface
and prologue shewinge the use of the
Scripture]” (1530); “The Exposition of
the Fyrst Epistle of Seynt John, with a
Tºrologge before it by W. T.” (1531);
“The Supper of the Lorde after the
true Meanying of the Sixte of John and
the xi. of the fyrst Epistle to the Corin-
thias, whereunto is added an Epistle to
the Reader, and incidentally in the Ex-
position of the Supper is confuted the
Letter of Master More against John
Fyrth '' (1533); “A Briefe I)eclaration
of the Sacraments expressing the fyrst
Originall, how they come up and were
institute,” etc. (1538); “An Exposicion
upon the v., vi., vii. Chapters of Mathew,
whych three chapiters are the Keye and
the Dore of the Scripture, and the re-
storing again of Moses Lawe, corrupt by
the Scribes and Pharisees, etc.” (1548);
“An Answer unto Sir Thomas More's
1430
TJółal1
º-
Dialogue; ” “Pathway to Scripture; ”
and revision of the New Testament
(1534). A Life of Tyndale, and
Selections from his Writings, in vol.
i. of Richmond’s “Fathers of the
Church.” . See also the “Life” by Offor
(1836), and that by Demaus (1871). The
Works were published (with those of
Frith and Barnes) in 1573 (with those of
Frith 1831), and edited by Walter, in
1848–50. Consult Eadie’s “History of
the English Bible '' and Morley’s “Eng-
lish Writers,” vol. vii. .
Tyndall, John, LL.D. (b. Leighton
Bridge, near Carlow, Ireland, August
21, 1820; d. December 4th, 1893). “The
Glaciers of the Alps” (1860); “Moun-
taineering” (1861); “A Vacation Tour”
(1862); “Heat considered as a Mode
of Motion ” (1863); “On Tºadiation ”
(1865); “Sound” (1867); “Faraday as
a Discoverer’” (1868); “Lectures on
Light'' (1869); “The Imagination in
Science” (1870); “Fragments of Science
for Unscientific People’’ (1871); “Hours
of Exercise in the Alps'' (1871); “Con-
tributions to Molecular Physics” (1872);
“The Forms of Water in Clouds and
Rivers, Ice and Glaciers” (1872); “Lec-
tures on Light” (1873); “Address de-
livered before the British Association ”
(1874); “On the Transmission of Sound
by the Atmosphere '' (1874); “Lessons
in Electricity” (1876); “Fermentation”
(1877); “Essays on the Floating Matter
of the Air” (1881); “New Fragments”
(1891), etc. - .
Tytler, Patrick Fraser (b. Edin-
burgh, August 30th, 1791; d. Great
Malvern, Worcestershire, December
24th, 1849). “Life of the Admirable
Crichton’’ (1819); “Sir Thomas Craig
of Riccarton’’ (1823); “The Scottish
Worthies” (1832); “Sir Walter Ra-
leigh’’ (1833); and “ King Henry VIII.
and his Contemporaries” (1837); besides
his “History of Scotland ” (1828-1843);
“England under the Reigns of Edward
VI. and Mary” (1839); “Historical
View of the Progress of Discovery on
the Northern Coasts of America.” See
Burgon’s “Memoir of P. F.T.” (1859),
and the sketch prefixed by Small to the
last edition of the “History of Scotland.”
ty
Udall, Nicholas (b., Hampshire,
about 1506; d. 1556). “Ralph Roister
Vanbrugh
Doister” (about 1553). See Arber's Re-
print (1869), and Morley’s “English
Writers,” vols. viii. and xi.
Wy
Vanbrugh, Sir John (b. 1666; d.
March 26th, 1726). “The Relapse ''
(1697); “The Provoked Wife” (1698);
“AEsop '' (1698); “The Pilgrims ”
(1700); “The Confederacy” (1705).
See Leigh Hunt's Biographical and
Critical notice; The Athenaeum, January
19th, 1861; and Notes and Queries, 2nd
Series, iii., iv., Xi.
Vaugham, Very Rev. Charles John,
D.D. (b. 1816). “Memorials of Harrow
Sundays’’ (1859); “The Church of the
First Days” (1864-65); “Twelve Dis-
courses on Liturgy and Worship’’ (1867);
“Christ Satisfying the Instincts of
Humanity” (1870); “Sundays in the
Temple '' (1871); “Temple Sermons”
(1881); “University Sermons” (1888);
“Prayers of Jesus Christ” (1891);
“Restful Thoughts in Restless Times”
1893); “Last Words in the Temple
Church’’ (1894), etc.
Vaughan, Henry (b. Newton, near
Brecon, 1621; d. April 23rd, 1695).
“Poems, with , the Tenth Satyre of
Juvenal Englished ” (1646); “Silex
Scintillans” (1650-55); ‘‘ Olor Icanus’’
(1651); “The Mount of Olives” (1652);
“Flores Solitudinis” (1654); and
“Thalia Rediviva '' (1678). Poems
(1847). Complete Works, edited by
Grosart (1871). See the Biography by
Lyte.
Veitch, John, I.T.D. (b. Peebles,
October 24th, 1829; d. September 3rd,
1894). “The Tweed and other Poems”
(1875); “Lucretius and the Atomic
Theory” (1875); “The History and
Poetry of the Scottish Border” (1877);
“Institutes of Logic '' (1885); “The
Feeling for Nature in Scottish Poetry”
(1887); “Merlin and other Poems ”
(1889); “Essays in Philosophy” (1889);
“Dualism and Monism,” etc. (1895);
“Memoirs of Dugald Stewart and Sir
William Hamilton,” etc.
ºw
Wace, Rev. Principal Henry, D.D.
(b. London, December 10th, 1836).
“Christianity and Morality” (1876);
1431
tions of Faith ”
Wallace
“Ethics of Belief '' (1877); “Founda-
(1880); “The Gospel
and its Witnesses” (1883); “Some Cen-
tral Points of our Lord's Ministry’”
(1890). Joint editor of “A Dictionary
of Christian Biography” and of “A
Select Library of Nicene and Post-
Nicene Fathers.” Editor of “The
Speaker’s Commentary on the Apo-
crypha.”
Wace, Maistre (b. Jersey, about
11.12; d. about 1174). “Chroniques des
Ducs de Normandie ’’ (1825); “Le
Roman de Rou” (1827, new ed. 1876,
English translation 1837); “Le Romande
Brut” (1836-38); “Vie de Saint Nico-
las” (1850); “Wies de la Vierge Marie
et de S. George ’’ (1859). See The
J&trospective Review (November, 1853);
Wright’s “Biographia Literaria; ” Mor-
ley’s “English Writers,” vol. iii.; and
Pluquet’s “ Notice sur la Vie et les
ECrits de Robert Wace.”
Wakefield, Gilbert (b. Nottingham,
February 22nd, 1756; d. London, Sept-
ember 9th, 1801), ‘‘l’oemata. Latine
partim scripta, partim reddita, ’’ (1776);
“An Essay on Inspiration ” (1781); “A
Plain and Short Account of the Nature
of Baptism” (1781); “An Enquiry into
the Opinions of the Christian Writers of
the Three First Centuries concerning the
Person of Jesus Christ” (1784); “Re-
marks on the Internal Evidence of the
Christian Religion” (1789); “Silva Cri-
tica ’’ (1789–95); “An Enquiry into
the Expediency and Propriety of Public
or Social Worship ’’ (1792); “Evidences
of Christianity” (1793); “An Examina-
tion of the “Age of Reason,’ by Thomas
Paine” (1794); “A Reply to Thomas
Paine's Second Part of the “Age of
Reason’” (1795); “Observations on
Pope’’ (1796); and “A Reply to some
Parts of the Bishop of Llandaff's Address.
to the People of Great Britain ’’ (1798).
His Memoirs, written by himself, in
1792, new ed. 1804; his “Correspond-
ence with Charles James Fox,” in 1813.
Wallace, Alfred Russel, D.C.H.,
F.R.S. (b. Usk, Monmouthshire, Janu-
ary 8th, 1822). “Travels in the Amazon
and Rio Negro” (1853): “Contributions
to the Theory of Natural Selection ”
(1870); “The Geographical Distribution
of Animals” (1876); “Tropical Nature”
878); “Australasia” (1878); “The
Psycho-Physiological Sciences and their
Assailants” (1878); “Island Life”
(1880); “Land Nationalisation ” (1882);
“Forty-Five Years of Registration
"Waller
1432
"Ward
Statistics” (1884); “Darwinism” (1889),
etc.
Waller, Edmund (b. Coleshill,
Hertfordshire, March 2nd, 1605; d.
Beaconsfield, October 21st, 1687).
“Poems” (1645, new ed., with “Life,”
by Bell, 1871). Works in prose and
verse, 1729.
etc.
Walpole, Horace, fourth Earl of
Oxford (b. October 5th, 1717; d. March
2nd, 1797). “AEdes Walpolianae; or a
Description of the Pictures at Houghton
Hall, the Seat of Sir Robert Walpole,
Earl of Oxford” (1752); “Catalogue of
the Royal and Noble Authors of Eng-
land, with Lists of their Works” (1758);
“Fugitive Pieces in Prose and Verse”
(1758); “Catalogue of the Collections of
Pictures of the Duke of Devonshire '’
(1760); ‘‘Anecdotes of Painting in Eng-
land” (1762-71); “Catalogue of En-
gravers who have been born or resided
in England” (1763); “The Castle of
Otranto ” (1765); “Historic Doubts on
the Life and Reign of King Richard
III.” (1768); “The Mysterious Mother”
(1768); “Miscellaneous Antiquities ''
(1772); “Description of the Villa of
Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill”
(1772); “Letter to the Editor of the
Miscellanies of Thomas Chatterton ’’
(1779); “Hieroglyphick Tales '' (1785);
“Essay on Modern Gardening ” (1785);
“Hasty Productions” (1791); “Memoirs
of the Last Ten Years (1751-60) of the
Reign of George II.” (1812); “Reminis-
cences” (1818); “Memoirs of the Reign
of King George III., from his Accession
to 1771’’ (1845); “Journal of the Reign
of George III., from 1771 to 1783 ''
(1859); and several minor publications.
“Memoirs,” edited by Eliot Warburton,
in 1851 ; “The Letters of Horace
Walpole, Earl of Oxford ” edited by
Peter Cunningham, in 1857). See
Macaulay’s “Essays,” Scott’s “Bio-
graphies,” “Lettres de la Marquise du
Deffand ā Horace Walpole” (Paris,
1864); and Henry Austin Dobson’s
“Horace Walpole” (1890).
Walpole, Spencer, LL.D. (b. Feb-
ruary 6th, 1839). “Life of the Right
Hon. Spencer Perceval” (1874); “A
History of England from the Conclusion
of the Great War in 1815'' (1878–86);
“Life of Lord John Russell” (1889);
“The Land of Home Rule '' (1893), etc.
Walton, Izaak (b. Stafford, August
9th, 1593; d. Winchester, December 15th,
1683). Lives of Donne (1640); Wotton
See Johnson’s “Lives,”
(1651); Hooker (1665); Herbert (1670);
and Sanderson (1678), the first four pub-
lished together in 1671; “The Compleat
Angler: or, the Contemplative Man's
Recreation” (1653). Life by Dr. Zouch
in 1814. See also the Lives by Hawkins,
Nicholas, and Dowling, and Shepherd's
“Waltoniana” (1879).
Warburton, William, Bishop of
Gloucester (b. Newark, December 24th,
1698; d. Gloucester, June 7th, 1779).
“Miscellaneous Translations, in Prose
and Verse, from Roman Poets, Orators,
and Historians” (1714); “A Critical and
Philosophical Inquiry into the Causes of
Prodigies and Miracles, as related by
Historians, etc.” (1727); “The Alliance
between Church and State” (1736); “The
Divinelegation of Moses Demonstrated”
(1737-41); “A Windication of Pope’s
‘Essay on Man’” º 740); a Commentary
on the same work (1742); “Julian ’’
(1750); “The Principles of Natural and
Revealed Religion, occasionally opened
and explained ” (1753–54); “A View of
Lord Bolingbroke's Philosophy” (1756);
“The Doctrine of Grace ’’ (1762), and
some minor publications. Works edited
by Bishop Hurd in 1788. Literary Re-
mains in 1841. His “Letters to the
Hon. Charles Yorke from 1752 to 1770,”
privately printed in 1812. Dr. Parr
edited in 1789 “Tracts by Warburton
and a Warburtonian,” and in 1808,
“Letters from a late eminent Prelate to
one of his Friends?” Gºgº Works
(1811). Life by Rev. J. S. Watson in
1863. See also “Bibliotheca Parriana,”
The Quarterly Review for June, 1812,
Isaac d'Israeli’s “Quarrels of Authors,”
Hunt’s “Religious. Thought in Eng-
land,” and Leslie Stephen’s “English
Thought in the Eighteenth Century.”
Ward, Adolphus William, LL.D.,
Litt.D. (b. Hampstead, Dec. 2nd, 1837).
“History of English Dramatic Litera-
ture to the Death of Queen Anne'?
(1875); “Chaucer’” (1879); “Dickens’’
1882); “The Counter Reformation ”
(1889), etc. Translator of Curtius’ “His-
tory of Greece,” editor of The Old
English Drama series, and of Pope's
Poetical Works, etc.
Ward, Mrs. Humphry, née Mary
Augusta Arnold (b. Hobart, Tasmania,
1851). “Milly and Olly ” (1881); “Miss
Bretherton’’ (1884); “Robert Elsmere’’
(1888); “David Grieve” (1892); “Mar-
cella '' (1894); “Unitarians and the
Future '' (1894); “The Story of Bessie
Costrell” (1895). Has also translated
Amiel's “Journal Intime ’’ (1885).
"Ward
1433
Watson
Ward, Wilfrid. “The Wish to Be-
lieve '' (1884); “The Clothes of Re-
ligion” (1886); “W. G. Ward and the
Oxford Movement” (1889); “W. G.
Ward and the Catholic Revival '' (1893);
“Witnesses to the Unseen” (1893), etc.
Ward, William George, D.D. (b.
1812; d. 1882). “Ideal of a Christian
Church'' (1844); “Essays on the Philo-
sophy of Theism'' (1884), etc. Edited
the Dublin Review. See Wilfrid Ward's
‘‘W. G. Ward and the Oxford Move-
ment” (1889), and “W. G. Ward and
the Catholic Revival” (1893). -
Warner, William (b. 1558; d. 1608).
“Pan, his Syrinx or . Pipe’” (1584);
“Albion's England ” (1586); “Menae-
chmi,” from Plautus (1595).
Warren, Samuel, D.C.L. (b. Den-
bighshire, May 23rd, 1807; d. July 29th,
1877). “Passages from the Diary of a
Late Physician” (1832); “Ten Thousand
a Year” (1841); “Now and Then?”
(1847); “The Lily and the Bee’” (1851);
“Miscellanies, Critical and Imagina-
tive ’’ (1854); “The Moral and Intel-
lectual Development of the Age''
(1854); and several legal works.
“Works” (1853, 1854). -
Warton, Thomas (b. Basingstoke,
1728; d. Oxford, May 21st, 1790). “Five
Pastoral Eclogues’’ 1745); “The
Pleasures of Melancholy” (1745); “The
Triumph of Isis” (1749); “An Ode for
Music ’’ (1751); “The Union; or, Select
Scots and English Poems ” (1753); “Ob-
servations on the Taëry Queene of
Spenser” (1753): “The Observer Ob-
served” (1756); “The Life and Literary
Remains of Ralph Bathurst, M.D., Dean
of Wells” (1761); Contributions to the
Oxford Collection of Verses (1761);
“A Companion to the Guide and a Guide
to the Companion ” (1762); “The Oxford
Sausage'' (1764); an edition of Theo-
critus (1770); “The Life of Sir Thomas
Pope” (1772); “A History of Kiddington
Parish’’ (1781); “An Inquiry into the
Poems attributed to Thomas Rowley’”
(1782); an edition of Milton (1785);
“The Progress of Discontent,”
“Newmarket, a Satire,” “A Panegyric
on Ale,” “A Description of the City,
College, and Cathedral of Winchester,”
“History of English Poetry” (1774, 1781,
new edition 1870). “Poetical Works,”
with Memoirs and Notes, by Richard
Mant, in 1802. See Dennis’s “Studies
in English Literature,” and Cornhill
Magazine, 1865, vol. xi.
Waterland, Daniel (b. Lincolnshire,
Feb. 14th, 1683; d. Dec. 23rd, 1740).
“Queries in Vindication of Christ's
Divinity” (1719); “Sermons in Defence
of Christ's Divinity” (1720); “Case of
Arian Subscription Considered” (1721);
“A Second Windication’’ (1723); “A
Further Vindication ” (1724); “A Cri-
tical History of the Athanasian Creed”
(1724); “The Nature, Obligation, and
Efficacy of the Christian Sacraments
Considered ” (1730); “The Importance
of the Doctrine of the Trinity Asserted ”
1734); “Review of the Eucharist’”
§ “Scripture Windicated against
Tindal.” “Works” in 1823, with “A
Review of his Life and Writings.”
Watkins, Ven. Henry William,
D.D. (b. 1844). “Religion and Science”
(1879); “Modern Criticism Considered
in its Relation to the Fourth Gospel”
(1890); etc.
Watkinson, Rev. William L. (b.
Hull, Aug. 30th, 1838). “Mistaken
Signs,” etc. (1882); “John Wicklif”
(1884); “The Influence of Scepticism on
Character’” (1886); “Noonday Ad-
dresses . . . in . . . Manchester’” (1890);
“Lessons of Prosperity,” etc. (1890);
“The Transfigured Sackcloth,” etc.
(1891); etc.
Watson, H. B. Marriott. “Mara-
huma” (1888); “Lady Faintheart”
(1890); “The Web of the Spider” (1891);
“Diogenes of London,” etc. (1893).
Watson, Richard, Bishop of Llan-
daff (b. Heversham, Westmoreland, Aug.,
1737; d. Calgarth Park, Westmoreland,
July 4th, 1816). “Institutiones Metal-
lurgicae'' (1768); “An Apology for
Christianity’’ (1776); “Letter to Arch-
bishop Cornwallis on the Church Reve-
nues;” “Chemical Essays” (1781-87);
“Theological Tracts” (1785); “Sermons
on Public Occasions and Tracts on Re-
ligious Subjects '' (1788); “An Apology
for the Bible ’’ (1796); “Principles of the
Revolution "Windicated,” etc. “Anec-
dotes of the Life of Richard Watson,
Bishop of Llandaff, written by Himself,”
in 1817.
Watson, Thomas (b. 1560; d. 1592).
“The Hecatompathia ; or, Passionate
Centurie of Love, divided into two
parts '' (1582); “Amyntas” (1585);
“Meliboeus” (1590); “An Eclogue upon
the Death of the Right Hon. Sir Francis
Walsingham ” (1590); “The First Set of
Italian Madrigals, Englished ” (1590);
“Amintaº Gaudia” (1592); “The Tears
of Fancie; or, Love Disdained” (1593);
“Compendium Memoriae Localis; ” and
k y
Watson
1434
Westcott
C-
a translation of the “Antigone?’ of
Sophocles. See Arber’s “English Re-
prints" and Morley’s “English Writ-
ers,” vols. ix. and x.
Watson, William §: Wharfedale).
“Epigrams of Art, Life, and Nature ?”
(1884); “Wordsworth’s Grave,” etc.
(1889); “Poems’” (1892); “Lyric Love,”
an anthology (1892); “Lachrymae Mu-
sarum, and other Poems” (1892); “Ex-
cursions in Criticism” (1893); “The
Eloping Angels” (1893); “Odes, and
other Poems” (1894).
Watts, Isaac, D.D. (b. Southamp-
ton, July 17th, 1674; d. Nov. 25th,
1748). “Horae Lyrica ’’ (1706);
“Hymns” (1707); “Guide to Prayer”
(1715); “Psalms and Hymns” (1719);
“Divine and Moral Songs for Children”
(1720); “Sermons on Various Subjects”
1721–23); “Logic ’’ (1725); “The
hristian Doctrine of the Trinity”
(1726); “On the Love of God”; “On
the Use and Abuse of the Passions '’
(1729); “Catechisms for Children and
Youth '' (1730); “Short View of Scrip-
ture History '' (1730); “ Humble At-
tempt towards the Revival of Practical
Religion '' (1731); “Philosophical Es-
says '' (1734); “Reliquiae jºi. 2 3
(1734); “Essay on the Strength and
Weakness of Human Reason '' (1737);
“The World to Come” (1738); “The
Ruin and Recovery of Mankind” (1740);
“Improvement of the Mind’ (1741);
“Orthodoxy and Charity United”
(1745); “Glory of Christ as God-Man
Unveiled ” (1746); “Evangelical Dis-
courses” . (1747); , , “Nine Sermons
Preached in 1718-19 '' (1812); “Chris-
tian Theology and Ethics” with a “Life”
by Mills, in 1839. Works (1810-12).
“Life " by Milner, including the “Corre-
spondence, 1834; also by Southey,
Palmer, Gibbons, and Paxton Hood
(1875).
Watts, Walter Theodore (b. St.
Ives, 1836). A leading contributor to
the Encyclopædia Britannica, the Ath-
endºttin, etc.
Webster, Mrs. Augusta, née Daviss
(d. Sept. 5th, 1894). “A Woman Sold,
and other Poems ” (1866); “Dramatic
Studies” (1866); “The Auspicious
Day” (1872); “Disguises” (1880);
“The Sentence” (1887); “Mother and
Daughter’” (1895), etc.
Webster, John (b. late in the 16th
century; d. about 1654). (With Dekker),
“The Famous History of Sir Thomas
Wyat’” (1607); “The White Devil”
in 1857.
Hill, Clifton, July 9th, 1844).
(1829–31).
of Gospel Harmony” (1851);
(1612); “A Monumental Columne Erected
to the Loving Memory of Henry, late
Prince of Wales” (1613); “The Devil's
Law Case ’” (1623); “The Duchess of
Malfy'' (1623); “The Monument of
Honour” (1624); “Appius and Virginia ''
(1654); “The Thracian Wonder” (1661);
and (with Rowley) “A Cure for a
Cuckold '' (1661). “Works,” with Life,
by Dyce, in 1830; and by W. Hazlitt,
See Morley’s “English Writ-
ers,” vol. xi. -
Wedmore, Frederick (b. *
“The
Two Lives of Wilfrid Harris’ (1868);
“A Snapt Gold Ring’” (1871); “Two
Girls” (1873); “Studies in English
Art” (1876 and 1880); “Masters of
Genre Painting ” (1879); “Four Mas-
ters of Etching ” (1883); “Pastorals of
France ’’ (1877); Life of Balzac (1889);
“Renunciations” (1893), etc.
Welldon, Rev. James Edward
Cowell, D.D. (b. April 25th, 1854).
“Sermons Preached to Harrow Boys”
(1887 and 1891); “The Spiritual Life ''
(1888); “Gerald Eversley's Friendship”
(1895); translations of Aristotle's “Poli-
tics' and “Rhetoric,” etc.
Wesley, Charles W. (b. 1708; d.
1788). “Hymns and Sacred Poems ”
(1749); “Hymns for the Nativity”
(1750); “Gloria Patri’” (1753); and
many other volumes of Sacred poetry.
Sermons, with Memoir (1816). Works
See Lives by Southey (1820),
Wedgwood (1870), Tyerman (1870).
Westcott, Right Rev. Brooke
Foss, D.D., D.C.L. (b. near Birming-
ham, January, 1825). “The Elements
“The
History of the Canon of the New Testa-
ment” (1855); “Characteristics of the
Gospel Miracles” (1859); “Introduction
to the Study of the Gospels” (1860);
“The Bible and the Church” (1864);
“The Gospel of the Resurrection ”
(1866); “The History of the English
Bible '' (1869); “On the Religious Office
of the Universities” (1873); “The Re-
visers and the Greek Text of the New
Testament” (1882); “The Historic
Faith’’ (1883); “The Revelation of the
Father ” (1884); “The New Testament
in Greek” (1885); “Christus Consum-
mator” (1886); “Social Aspects of Chris-
tianity” (1887); “Religious Thought in
the West’” (1891); “The Epistle to the
Hebrews” (1892); “The Gospel of Life”
(1892); “The Incarnation and Common
Life” (1893); etc.
Weyman
r1435
Whyte
Weyman, Stanley John (b. Lud-
low, August 7th, 1855). “The House of
the Wolf” (1890); “The New Rector”
(1891); “The Story of Francis Cludde”
(1891); “A Gentleman of France.”
(1893); “The Man in Black” (1894);
“Under the Red Robe” (1894); “My
Lady Rotha, '' (1894); “Memoirs of a
Minister of France ’” (1895).
Whateley, Richard, Archbishop of
Dublin (b. London, February 1st, 1787;
d. Dublin, October 8th, 1863). “His-
toric Doubts relative to Napoleon ’’
(1819); “The Use and Abuse of Party-
feeling in Matters of Religion’’ (1822);
“On Some of the Peculiarities of the
Christian Religion’’ (1825); “The Ele-
ments of Logic” (1827); “On Some Diffi-
culties in the Writings of St. Paul and
on other parts of the New Testament”
(1828); “Elements of Rhetoric '' (1828);
“A View of the Scriptural Revelations
Concerning a Future State” (1829);
“Introductory Lectures on Political
Economy” (1831); “Thoughts on the
Sabbath” (1832); “Thoughts on Secon-
dary Punishment” (1832); “I’ssays on
Some of the Dangers to the Christian
Faith ” (1839); “The History of Re-
ligious Worship’’ (1847); and “A Col-
lection of English Synonyms ” (1852);
etc. Life and Correspondence by his
daughter (1866). See also Fitzpatrick’s
“Memoirs of Whateley’’ (1864).
Whetstone, George (temp. Eliza-
Beth). “The Rocke of Regard ” (1576);
“The right excellent and famous His-
torye of Promos and Cassandra '' (1578);
“An Heptameron of Civill Discourses”
(1582); “A Mirur for Magestrates of
Cyties” (1584); “An Addition; or,
Touchstone of the Time ’” (1584); “The
Honourable Reputation of a Souldier”
(1586); “The English Myrror.” §:
“The Enemie to Unthriftynesse” (1586);
“Amelia '' (1593); Remembrances of
Sir Philip Sidney, Sir Nicholas Bacon,
George Gascoigne, etc. For Biography
and Criticism, see Warton’s “English
Poetry,” Ritson’s “Bibliographia Poe-
tica,” Beloe's “Anecdotes of Literature,”
Brydges’ “Censura Literaria,” and
Collier’s “Poetical Decameron.”
Whewell, William, D.D. (b. Lan-
cashire, May 24th, 1794; d. March 6th,
1866). “Elementary Treatise on Me-
chanics’’ (1819); “Analytical Statics”
(1833); “Astronomy and General Physics
considered with reference to Natural
Theology” (1833); “A History of the
Inductive Sciences” (1837); “The Phi-
losophy of the Inductive Sciences”
(1840); “The Mechanics of Engineering”
(1841); “Elements of Morality” (1845);
“The History of Moral Philosophy in
England” (1852); etc. “An Account of
his Writings, with Selections from his
Correspondence,” by I. Todhunter, in
1876.
White, Rev. Edward (b. London,
May 11th, 1819). “Life in Christ” (1846);
“Mystery of Growth,” etc. (1867);
“Some of the Minor Moralities of Life '’
(1868); “Life and Death” (1877); “The
Higher Criticism'' (1892); “Modern
Spiritualism '' (1893), etc.
White, Henry Kirke (b. Notting-
ham, August 21st, 1785; d. Cambridge,
October 19th, 1806) was the author of
“Clifton Grove'' and other poems, pub-
lished in 1803. Remains were edited,
with a “Life,” by Southey. See also
the Biography by Sir Harris Nicolas.
White, Joseph Blanco (b. 1775;
d. 1841). “Letters from Spain by Don
Leucadio Dollado’’ (1821); “Practical
and Internal Evidence against Catholic-
ism'' (1826); “Second Travels of an Irish
Gentleman in Search of a Religion ”
1883). He was also the editor of the
ondon Review, as well as of two Spanish
journals. His sonnet “To Night 7” was
called by Coleridge the finest in the lan-
guage. See “Life of Rev. Joseph Blanco
White, written by Himself, with por-
tions of his Correspondence,” edited by
John Hamilton Thom (1848).
White, William Hale, “Reuben
Shapcott’’ (b. Bedford, December 22nd,
1831). “The Autobiography of Mark
Rutherford ” (1881); “Mark Ruther-
ford's Deliverance” (1885); “The
Revolution in Tanner's Lane” (1887);
“Miriam’s Schooling ” (1889); “Cathe-
rine Furze” (1893); translation of
Spinoza’s “Ethic '' (1883) and “De
Emendatione Intellectus” (1895).
Whitehead, Charles (b. 1804; d.
1862). “Autobiography of Jack Ketch''
(1834); “Richard Savage'' (1842);
“ Earl of Essex 7” (1843); “Smiles and
Tears” (1847); “Life of Sir Walter
Raleigh'' (1854). See “A Forgotten
Genius,” by H. T. Mackenzie Bell
(1884).
Whyte, Rev. Alexander, D.D.
b. Kirriemuir, 1837). “The Shorter
atechism '' (1883); “Characters and
Characteristics” of W. Law (1893);
“Bunyan’s Characters” (1893, etc.);
“Jacob Behmen '' (1894); “Samuel
Rutherford and Some of His Correspon-
dents” (1894), etc.
Whyte-Melville
1436
Winter
•."
Whyte-Melville, George John (b.
1821; d. December 5th, 1878). “I)igby
Grand’’ (1853); “General Bounce ’’
(1854); “Kate Coventry” (1856); “The
Interpreter” (1858); “Holmby House”
(1860); “Good for Nothing” (1861);
“Tilbury Nogo '' (1861); “Market
Harborough” (1861); “The Gladiators”
(1863); “Brookes of Bridlemere” (1864);
“The Queen's Maries” (1864); “Cerise”
(1865); “Bones and I.” (1868); “The
White Rose” (1868); “M. or N.”
(1869); “Contraband’’ (1870); “Sar-
chedon’’ (1871); “Satanella” (1872);
“The True Cross” (1873); “Uncle
John ” (1874); “Sister Louise ’’ (1875);
“Katerfelto” (1875); “Rosine” (1876);
“Roy's Wife?” (1878); and “Black but
Comely” (1879).
Wilberforce, Samuel, D.D., Bishop
of Oxford and Winchester (b. Clapham
Common, September 7th, 1805: d. July
19th, 1873). “Life of Mr. Wilberforce,”
his father (1838); “Agathos,” etc. (1840);
“Eucharistica ’’ (1840); “The Rocky
Island,” etc. (1840); “History of the
Episcopal Church in America” (1844);
“Heroes of Hebrew History '' (1870);
“Essays” (1874); “Charges and Ser-
mons,” etc. Life by Canon Ashwell and
R. G. Wilberforce; also by G. W.
Daniel.
Wilde, Jane Francesca, Speranza,
Lady, née Elgee. “Ugo Bassi” (1857);
“Poems ” (1864); “Driftwood from
Scandinavia '' (1884); “Ancient Legends
. . . of Ireland” (1887); “Ancient Cures,
Charms, and Usages of Ireland ” (1890);
“Notes on Men, Women, and Books’’
(1891); “Social Studies” (1893); trans-
lations from the French and German,
etc.
Wilde, Oscar Fingall O'Flahertie
Wills (b. Dublin, 1856). , “Poems.”
“The Happy Prince,” etc.
; “A House of Pomegranates’’
(1891); “Lord Arthur Savile's Crimes,”
etc. (1891); “The Picture of Dorian
Grey” (1891); “Intentions” (1891);
“Lady Windermere's Fan ’’ (1893);
“Salomé,” in French (1893); “A
Woman of No Importance ’’ (1894);
“The Sphinx” (1894).
Willkes, John (b. Clerkenwell, Octo-
ber 17th, 1727; d. London, December
27th, 1797). “An Essay on Woman’’
(1763); “Speeches” (1777-9 and 1786);
and “Letters” (1767, 1768, 1769, and
1804). “Life” by Baskerville in 1769,
by Watson 1870, by Craddock in 1772,
by Almon in 1805, and by W. F. Rae in
1873.
William of Malmesbury (b. 1095; .
d. about 1142). “Gesta Regum An-
glorum,” “Historia Novella,” “Gesta
Pontificum,” etc., in the “Scriptores
post Bedam,” edited by Sir Henry
Saville. Of the first two, there is an
edition by Sir Duffus Hardy, published
in 1840 for the Historical Society. An
English translation by the Rev. John
Sharpe, issued in 1815, formed the basis
of that made by Dr. Giles, which is in-
cluded in Bohn’s “Antiquarian Library”
(1847). See also Morley’s “English
Writers,” vol. iii.
Wilson, Sir Daniel (b. Edinburgh,
January 5th, 1816; d. August 6th, 1892).
“Memorials of Edinburgh in the Olden
Time” (1846-48); “Oliver Cromwell
and the Protectorate ’’ (1848); “The
Archæology and Prehistoric Annals of
Scotland” (1851); “Prehistoric, Man:
IResearches into the Origin of Civilisation
in the Old and New Worlds” (1863);
“Chatterton : a Biographical Study ?”
(1869); “Caliban ’’ (1873); “Spring
Wild Flowers; ” and “The Lost At-
lantis” (1892).
Wilson, George (b. Edinburgh, Feb-
ruary 21st, 1818; d. November 22nd,
1859). “Life of Cavendish '' (1851);
“Life of Reid” (1852); “The Five
Gate-Ways of Knowledge '' (1856);
“Paper, Pen, and Ink; ” various scien-
tific treatises; “Life of Professor Ed-
ward Forbes’’ (1861). Memoir by his
sister (1866).
Wilson, John (“Christopher North”)
(b. Paisley, May 18th, 1785 ; d. Edin-
burgh, April 3rd, 1854). “The Isle of
Palms” (1812); “The City of , the
Plague’’ (1816); “Lights and Shadows
of Scottish Life” (1822); “The Trials
of Margaret Lindsay ” (1823); “The
Foresters” (1824); “Essay on the Life
and Genius of Robert Burns” (1841);
and “Recreations of Christopher North”
(1842). Poems and, Dramatic Works
collectively in 1825. His complete Works,
edited by Professor Ferrier, in 1855-8.
“Life” by his daughter, Mrs. Gordon
(1863). "
Winter, John Strange, were Mrs.
Henrietta Eliza Vaughan Stannard (b.
York, January 13th, 1856). “Cavalr
Life” (1881); “Bootles' Baby” (1885);
“Houp-la” (1886); “Pluck” (1886);
“On 7 March” (1886); “ Mignon's
Secret” (1886); “Mignon's Husband ”
(1887); “That Imp” (1887); “Bootles'
Wither
1437
"WOOlner
Children” (1888); “Confessions of a
Publisher ” (1888); “Buttons’ (1889);
“Mrs. Bob '' (1889); “Dinna Forget”
(1890); “Ferrers Court” (1890); “He
Went for a Soldier” (1890); “Harvest”
(1891); “Lumley the Painter” (1891);
“The Other Man’s Wife” (1891); “Only
Human” (1892); “A Man's Man.”
(1893); “That Mrs. Smith.” (1893);
“Aunt Johnnie” (1893); “The Soul of
a Bishop’’ (1893); “A. Born Soldier”
(1894); “A Seventh Child.” (1894); “A
Magnificent Young Man” (1895), etc.
Wither, George (b. Brentworth,
near Alton, Hampshire, June 5
1588; d. May 2nd, 1667). “Prince
|Henry's Obsequies ; or, Mournefull
Elegies upon his Death '' (1612);
“Abuses Stript and Whipt; or, Satiri-
call Essayes” (1613); “Epithalamia,”
(1613); “A Satyre written to the King's
most excellent Majestye ’’ (1614); “The
Shepheard's Pipe ’’ (1614, written with
Browne); “The Shepheards Hunting”
(1615); “Fidelia" (1617); “Wither's
Motto” (1618); “A Preparation to the
Psalter’” (1619); “Exercises upon the
First Psalmes, both in Verse and Prose ’’
(1620); “The Songs of the Old Testa-
ment, translated into English Measures”
(1621); “Juvenilia '' (1622); “The
Mistress of Philarete ” (poems, 1622);
“The Hymnes and Songs of the Church’”
(1623); “The Scholler's Purgatory, dis-
covered in the Stationer’s Common-
wealth, and described in a Discourse
Apologeticall” (1625-26); “ Britain's
Remembrancer, containing a Narrative
of the Plague lately past ’” (1628); “The
Psalmes of David translated into Lyrick
Verse” (1632); “Collection of Em-
lolemes” (1635); “Nature of Man”
(1636); “Read and Wonder ’’ (1641);
“A Prophesie” (1641); “Hallelujah. ”
1641); “Campo Musæ" (1643); “Se
efendendo ’” (1643); “Mercurius Rus-
ticus” (1643); “The Speech without
Doore ” (1644); “Letters of Advice
touching the Choice of Knights and
Burgesses for the Parliament” (1644);
etc. See Wood’s “Athenae Oxonienses,”
Brydges’ “Censura Literaria,” “British
Bibliographer,” and “Restituta ;” an
essay on Wither's Works by Charles
Lamb, Willmott’s “Lives of the Sacred
Poets,” and Farr's Introduction to his
edition of the “Hallelujah.”
Wolcot, John, M.D.(“Peter Pindar”)
(b. Dodbrooke, Devonshire, May, 1738;
d. January 13th, 1819). “The Lousiad”
(1786). Works (1794-1801). A Life of
him is included in the “Annual Bio-
graphy and Obituary '' for 1820.
Wollstonecraft, Mary, Mrs. God-
win (b. 1759; d. 1797). “Thoughts on
the Education of Daughters” (1787);
“Female Reader ; or, Miscellaneous
Pieces” (1789); “Moral and Historical
Relation of the French Revolution ”
(1790); “Original Stories from Real
Life” (1791); “A Vindication of the
Rights of Women, with Strictures on
Political and Moral Subjects” (1792);
“Origin and Progress of the French
Revolution, and its Effects on Europe’”
(1795); and “Letters Written during a
Short Residence in Sweden, Norway,
and Denmark” (1796). Posthumous
Works, with a Memoir, by William
Godwin, in 1798. A “Defence of their
Character and Conduct ’’ in 1803. Her
Letters edited, with Memoir, by Kegan
Baul (1878). . .
Wolseley, Garnet Joseph, Field-
Marshal Viscount, K.P., D.C.L.,
LL.D. (b. near Dublin, Ju th, 1833).
“Narrative of the War with Chima, in
1860” (1861); “The Soldier's Pocket-
book for Field Service ’’ (1869); “Field
Pocket-book for the Auxiliary Forces”
(1873); “Life of John Churchill, Duke
of Marlborough, to the Accession of
Queen Anne'' (1894); “Decline and Fall
of Napoleon’’ (1895).
Wood, Anthony à (b. Oxford,
December 17th, 1632 ; d. November
29th, 1695). “Historia et Antiquitates
Universitatis Oxoniensis” (1674); “A-
thenae Oxonienses” (1691–92); “Fasti;
or, Annals of the said University; ”
and “A Vindication of the Historio-
grapher of the University of Oxford and
his Works from the reproaches of the
Hishop of Salisbury’” [Burnet] in 1693.
ALife of Wood in 1711, another in 1772.
See also that by Rawlinson (1811), and
Bliss (1848), and Macmillan’s Magazine
for July and August of 1875.
Wood, Mrs. Henry (b. 1820; d.
February 10th, 1887). “East Lynne *
(1861); “The Channings” (1882); “Mrs.
Halliburton's Troubles” (1862); “The
Shadow of Ashlydyat '' (1863); “The
Foggy Night at Qfford’’ (1863); “St.
Martin’s Eve” (1866); “A Life's Secret”
(1867); “Roland Yorke” (1869); “Dene
Hollow'' (1871); “Johnny Ludlow ’’
(1874-85); “Edina ’’ (1876); “Pomeroy
Abbey” (1878); “Court Netherleigh'
(1881); “About Ourselves” (1883);
and several posthumous works.
Woolner, Thomas, R.A. (b. Had-
leigh, Suffolk, December 17th, 1826;
"Wordsworth.
1438
Wright
d. October 7th, 1892). “Silenus''
(1884); “Tiresias” (1886); “Nelly
Dale’” (1887); “My Beautiful Lady º
(1887), etc.
Wordsworth, Charles, D.D.,
Bishop of St. Andrews (b. Bock-
ing, Essex, 1806; d. December 5th,
1892). “Shakespeare's Knowledge and
Use of the Bible” (1854); “The Out-
lines of the Christian Ministry Deline-
ated and Brought to the Test of Reason,
Holy Scripture, History, and Ex-
perience ’’ (1872); “Catechesis; or,
Christian Instruction ; ” “A Greek
Primer; ” “Annals of my Life” (1891);
“Primary Witness to the Truth of the
Gospel,” etc. (1892).
Wordsworth, Christopher, D.D.
(b. Cockermouth, June 4th, 1774; d.
Buxted, Sussex, 1846). “Ecclesiasti-
cal Biography; or, the Lives of Eminent
Men connected with the History of
JReligion in England from the Reforma-
tion to the Revolution ” (1809); “Ser-
mons on Various Occasions” (1815), etc.
Wordsworth, Christopher, D.D.,
Bishop of Lincoln (b. 1807; d. 1885).
“Memoirs of William Wordsworth; ?”
“Theophilus Anglicus; ” an edition of
the Greek Testament, with notes; an
edition of the Old Testament in the
Authorised Version, with Notes and
Introduction; “The Holy Year; ”
“Original Hymns; ” “Greece, Histori-
cal, Pictorial, and Descriptive; ” “Ser-
mons on the Church of Ireland ; ” and
the “Correspondence of Richard Bent-
ley.”
Wordsworth, Dorothy (d. 1855).
“Recollections of a Tour made in Scot-
land in 1803.” (1874).
Wordsworth, Right Rev. John,
D.D., LL.D. (b. Harrow, September
21st, 1843). “Lectures Introductory to
a History of Latin Literature” (1870);
“The One Religion’’ (1881); “On the
Roman Conquest of Southern Britain.”
(1889), etc.
Wordsworth, William (b. Cocker-
mouth, April 7th, 1770; d. Rydal Mount,
April 23rd, 1850). “An Evening Walk’”
(printed 1793); “Descriptive Sketches”
(1793); “Lyrical Ballads” [with Cole-
ridge] (1798); “The Excursion” (1814);
“The White Doe of Rylstone” 9
“The Waggoner” (1819); “Peter Bell”
(1819); “Yarrow Revisited, and other
Poems” (1835); “TheBorderers” (1842);
and other works, including “Ecclesiasti-
cal Sketches,” and “Sonnets on the
2-,
(1815);
River Duddon.” For Biography, see the
Lives by Dr. Wordsworth, G.S.Phillips,
Paxton Hood, and Myers (1881); articlé
by Lockhart in The Quarterly Review
(vol. xcii.), Crabb Robinson’s “Diary,”
Julian Young’s “Reminiscences,” and
Dorothy Wordsworth’s “Tour in Scot-
land.”. For Criticism, see Shairp's
* Studies in Poetry and Philosophy,”
Hutton's Essays, Brimley’s Essays, Jef-
frey’s Essays, Hazlitt’s “English Poets”
and “Spirit of the Age,” Masson's
Essays, F. W. Robertson’s “Lectures
and Addresses,” De Quincey’s Miscel-
laneous Works, Gilfillan’s “Gallery of
Portraits,” Brooke's “Theology in the
English Poets,” Sir Francis Doyle's
‘‘Lectures on Poetry,” and Knight's
“The English Lake District,” as in-
terpreted by Wordsworth (1878). A
complete edition of Wordsworth's Trose
Works, edited by the Rev. A. B. Gro-
Sart, appeared in 1875; and of his
Poetical Works, edited by Mr. John
Morley, in 1888. In this edition the first
book of “The Recluse ’’ was for the first
time published in its entirety. Selected
Poems, by Arnold (1879).

Wotton, Sir Henry (b. Boughton,
Malherbe, Kent, March 30th, 1568; d.
December, 1639). “The Elements of
Architecture” (1624); “Ad Regem e
Scotia reducem Henrici Wottonii Plausus
et Vota” (1633); “A Parallel between
Robert late Earl of Essex and George late
Duke of Buckingham ” (1641); “A Short
View of the Life and Death of George
Williers, Duke of Buckingham ” (1642);
“The State of Christendom'' (1657); and
Panegyrick of King Charles, being Ob-
servations upon the Inclination, Life and
Government of our Sovereign Lord the
Ring.”, “The Reliquiae Wottonianae,”
containing. Lives, Letters, Poems, with
Characters of Sundry Personages, and
other Incomparable Pieces of Language
and Art, by Sir Henry Wotton, Kt.,
appeared in 1651. The Poems were
edited by Dyce for the Percy Society,
and by Dr. Hannah in 1845. See the
Life by Izaak Walton, Wood’s “Athenae
Oxonienses,” and Brydges’ “British
Bibliographer.”
Wright, Thomas (b. Ludlow,
Shropshire, April 21st, 1810; d. Chelsea,
December 23rd, 1877). “Queen Eliza-
beth and her Times” (1838); “England
Under the House of Hanover '' (1848);
“The Celt, the Roman, and the Saxon”
(1852); “Domestic Manners in England
during the Middle Ages” (1861): “Es-
says on Archæological Subjects” (1861);
Wright
J439
Young
“A History of Caricature and the Gro-
tesque in Literature and Art” (1865);
“Womankind in Western Europe ’’
(1869), etc., besides editions of “The
Canterbury Tales,” “The Vision of Piers
IPlowman,” etc. .
Wright, Thomas (b. Cowper School,
Olney, May 16th, 1869)... “The Town
of Cowper” (1886); “Life of William
Cowper.” (1892); “Life of Daniel
Defoe'' (1894).
Wyatt, Sir Thomas (b. Allington,
Castle, Kent, 1503; d. Shelbourne,
October 11th, 1542). Poems, with
Memoir, in 1831. See Nott’s “Life of
Wyatt,” Minto’s “Characteristics of
English Poets,” and Morley’s “English
Writers,” vol. viii.
Wycherley, William (b. Clive, near
Shrewsbury, 1640; d. London, January
1st, 1715). “Love in a Wood” (1672);
“The Gentleman Dancing Master’’
(1673); “The Country Wife” (1675);
and “The Plain Dealer” (1677). “Works
in Prose and Verse ’’ in 1728, and his
Plays, with those of Congreve, Van-
brugh, and Farquhar, in 1842. “Mis-
cellany Poems,” in 1704.
Wycliffe, John (b. Spresswall, near
Old Richmond, Yorkshire, 1324; d.
Lutterworth, December 31st, 1384).
“Wyclyffe's Wycket” (1546); “The True
Copye of a Prolog written about two C
Years past by John Wycliffe, the origi-
nal whºreof is founde in an old English
Bible, betwixt the Olde Testament and
the Newe” (1550); “Two Short Trea-
tises against the Orders of the Begging
Friars,” edited, with a Glossary, by Dr.
James (1608); “The Last Age of the
Church, now first printed from a Manu-
scriptin the University Library, Dublin,”
edited, with notes, by Dr. Todd (1840);
“An Apology for Lollard Doctrines, at-
tributed to Wickliffe, now first printed
from a MS., with an Introduction and
Notes,” by Dr. Todd (1842); “Tracts
and Treatises of John de Wycliffe, D.D.,
with selections and translations from his
Manuscripts and Latin Works, with an
introductory Memoir by Robert Vaughan,
D.D.” (1845). See the publications of the
Wycliffe Society; “Fasciculi Zizanio-
rum Magistri Johannis Wycliff,” edited
by W. W. Shirley (1858); the Life by P.
F. Tytler (1826); the Life by Le Bas
(1823); the Life in Foxe's “Acts and
Monuments,” which is also given in vol.
i. Of Wordsworth’s “Ecclesiastical Bio-
graphy”; and Lechler's, translated with
notes by Lorimer (1876).
Wycliffe's
“Select English Works,” edited by T.
Arnold in 1871.
Wyntoun, AI drew (circa , 1395-
1420). “The Orygynale Cronykil of
Scotland,” best edition Laing's (1872-
1879). -
Y
Yeats, William Butler (b. Sandy-
mount, Dublin, June 13th, 1865). “The
Wanderings of Oisin,” etc. (1889); “The
Countess Kathleen’’ (1892); “The
Celtic Twilight” (1893); “The Land of
Heart's Desire” (1894). Has edited
Irish Fairy Tales, Blake's Poems, etc.
Yonge, Charlotte Mary (b. 1823).
“The Heir of Redcliffe " (1853);
“Heartsease ’’ (1854); “The Daisy
Chain '' (1856); “The Chaplet of
Pearls” (1868); “Lady Hester” (1873);
“My Young Alcides” (1875); “The
Three Brides '' (1876); “Magnum Bo-
num” (1879); “Stray Pearls” (1883);
“The Two Sides of a Shield” (1885);
“A Modern Telemachus ” (1886);
“Under the Storm’’ (1887); “A Re-
puted Changeling’” (1889); “Life of
H.R.H. the Prince Consort” (1889);
“The Cunning Woman's Grandson ''
(1890); “More By-Words '' (1890);
“The Slaves of Sabinus” (1890); “Two
Penniless Princesses '' (1891); “The
Constable's Tower” (1891); “The Cross
Roads” (1892); “An Old Woman's Out-
look in a Hampshire Village” (1892);
“That Stick” (1892); “The Treasures
in the Marshes '' (1893); “Grisly
Grisell ” (1893); “Beechcroft at Rock-
stone '' (1893), etc.
Young, Arthur (b. Bradfield, Suf-
folk, September 7th, 1741; d. Bradfield,
April 12th, 1820). “A Six Weeks' Tour
through the Southern Counties” (1768);
“A Six Months' Tour through the North
of England’’ (1771); “Travels during
1787-90” (1793); etc. Forty-five vol-
* of “Annals of Agriculture” (begun
1784).
Young, Edward (b. Upham,
Hampshire, June, 1681; d. Welwyn,
April 9th, 1765). “The Last Day”
(1713); “Epistle to the Right Honour-
able Lord Lansdowne” (1713); “The
Force of Religion; or, Vanquished Love”
(1713); “On the late Queen's Death, and
his Majesty's Accession to the Throne '’
1714); “Paraphrase on the Book of
ob '' (1719); “Busiris, King of Egypt.”
(1719); “The Revenge” (1721); “The
Tyoung ---
1440
Zangwill.
Universal Passion '' (1725–26); “Ocean,
an Ode” (1728); “The Brothers” (1728);
“An Estimate of Human Life” (1728);
“An Apology for Princes; or, the Reve-
rence due to Government” (1729); “Im-
perium Pelagi, a Naval Lyrick” (1730);
“Two Epistles to Mr. Pope concerning
the Authors of the Age” (1730); “The
Foreign Address” (1734); “The Com-
plaint; or, Night Thoughts on Life,
Death, and Immortality” (1742-43);
“The Consolation, to which are annexed
some Thoughts occasioned by the present
Juncture” (1745); “The Centaur not
Fabulous” (1755); “An Essay on the
Writings and Genius of Pope’’ (1756);
“Conjectures on Original Composition,
in a Letter to the Author of Sir Charles
Grandison ’’ (1759); and “Resignation,
in Two Parts” (1762). “Works” in
1757, and, with a “Life” of the author,
in 1802; “Poetical Works,” with a
“Memoir” by the Rev. J. Mitford, in
1834, and again in 1841; his “Works,
Poetical and Prose,” with a “Life" by
Doran, in 1851 ; and his “Poetical
Works,” edited, with a “Life,” by
Thomas, in 1852.
Z.
Zangwill, I. (b. London, 1864). “The
Bachelors’ Club '' (1891); “The Big
Bow Mystery” (1892); “Children of
the Ghetto” (1892); “The Old Maids’
Club” (1892); “Ghetto Tragedies”
(1893); “The King of Schnorrers”
(1894); “The Master” (1895).
THE END.
PRINTED BY CASSELL & CoMPANY, LIMITED, LA BELLE SAUVAGE, LONDON, B.C.

—sº-
A SELECTED LIST
o F
CASSELL & CoMPANY’s
PUBLICATIONS.

~/(*NS
7 G 8.95.
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
illustrated, jjime Art, and other 35ulumeg.
Abbeys and Churches of England and Wales, The . Descriptive, Historical,
Pictorial. Series II. 21s. -
Adventure, The World of. Fully Illustrated. Complete in Three Vols. 9s. each.
Adventures in Criticism. By A. T. QUILLER COUCH. 6s. -
Africa and its Explorers, The Story of. By Dr.-ROBERT BROwn, F.R.G.S., &c.
With about 8oo Original Illustrations. Complete in 4 Vols. 7s. 6d. each.
Agrarian Tenures. By the Rt. Hon. G. SHAw LEFEVRE, M.P. Ios. 6d.
Allon, Henry, D.D. : Pastor and Teacher. The Story of his Ministry, with
Selected Sermons and Addresses. By the Rev. W. HARDY HARwooD. 6s.
American Life. By PAUL DE ROUSIERs. 12s. 6d.
Animal Painting in Water Colours. With Coloured Plates. 5s. .
Animals, Popular History of. By HENRY SCHERREN, F, Z.S. With 12
Coloured Plates and other Illustrations....7s.6d.
Arabian Nights Entertainments (Cassell's). With about 4oo Illustrations. Ios. 6d.
Architectural Drawing. By R. PHENE SPIERS. Illustrated. Ios. 6d.
Art, The Magazine of Yearly Volume. With about 4oo Illustrations, I
Etchings or Photogravures, and a Series of Full-page Plates. 21s. -
Artistic Anatomy. By Prof. M. DUVAL. Cheap Edition, 3s. 6d.
Astronomy, The Dawn of. A Study of the Temple Worship and Mythology of
the Ancient Egyptians. By Professor J. NoRMAN LOCKYER, C.B., F.R.S., &c.
Illustrated. 21s.
Atlas, The Universal. A New and Complete General Atlas of the World, with
117 Pages of Maps, handsomely produced in Colours, and a Complete Index to about
125,000 Names. List of Maps, Prices and all particulars on application.
Bashkirtseff, Marie, The Journal of Translated by MATHILDE BLIND. 7s.6d.
Bashkirtseff, Marie, The Letters of. Translated by MARY J. SERRANo. 7s. 6d.
Battles of the Nineteenth Century. An Entirely New and Original Work.
Illustrated. Vol. I., 9s.
“Belle Sauvage” Library, The. Cloth, 2s. (A complete list of the volumes post
y?ee on a/#/ication.)
Beetles, Butterflies, Moths, and other Insects. By A. W. KAPPEL, F.L.S.,
F.E.S., and W. EG Mont KIRBY. With 12 Coloured Plates. 3s. 6d.
Biographical Dictionary, Cassell's New. Containing Memoirs of the Most
Eminent Men and Women of all Ages and Countries. Cheap Edition. 3s. 6d.
Birds' Nests, British : How, Where, and When to Find and Identify them.
By R. KEARTON. With Illustrations of Nests, Eggs, Young, etc., from Photographs
by C. KEARTON. 21s.
Birds' Nests, Eggs, and Egg-Collecting. By R. KEARTON. Illustrated with
16 Coloured Plates of Eggs. 5s. -
Britain’s Roll of Glory; or, the Victoria Cross, its Heroes, and their
Valour. By D. H. PARRY. Illustrated. 7s.6d.
British Ballads. 275 Original Illustrations. Two Vols. Cloth, 15s.
British Battles on 'Land and Sea. By JAMES GRANT. ... With about 600
Illustrations. Four Vols. 4to, Ár 16s. ; Library Edition, Four Vols., 42.
Browning, An Introduction to the Study of. By ARTHUR SYMONs. 2s. 6d.
Butterflies and Moths, European. By W. F. KIRBy. With 61 Coloured Plates. 35s.
Canaries and Cage-Birds, The Illustrated Book of. By W. A. BLAkston,
W. SWAYSLAND, and A. F. WIENER. With 56 Fac-simile Coloured Plates. , 35s.
Captain Horn, The Adventures of. By FRANK STOCKTON. 6s.
Capture of the “Estrella,” The. By CoMMANDER CLAUD HARDING, R.N. 5s.
Carnation Manual, The Edited and Issued by the National Carnation and
Picotee Society (Southern Section). 3s. 6d.
Cassell's Family Magazine. Yearly Volume. Illustrated. 7s. 6d.
Cathedrals, Abbeys, , and Churches of England and Wales. Descriptive,
Historical, Pictorial. Popular Ædition. Two Vols. 25s.
Cats and Kittens. By HENRIETTE RONNER. With Portrait and 13 magnificent
Full-page. Photogravure Plates and numerous Illustrations. 4to, £2 Ios.
Cavour, Count, and Madame de Circourt. Translated by A. J. BUTLER. ros. 6d.
China Painting. . By FLORENCE LEwis. With Sixteen Coloured Plates, &c. 5s.
Choice Dishes at Small Cost. By A. G. PAYNE. Cheap Addition, Is.
Chums. The Illustrated Paper for Boys. Yearly Volume, 8s.
Cities of the World. Four Vols. Illustrated. 7s. 6d. each.
Civil sº º to Employment in the. Entirely New Edition. Paper,
IS, ; cloth, IS. 6d.
&
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
Clinical Manuals for Practitioners and Students of Medicine. (A List of
Volumes forwarded Zost /ree on a2//ication to the Publishers.)
Cobden Club, Works published for the. (A Complete List on application.)
Colonist's Medical Handbook, The. By E. ALFRED BARTON, M.R.C.S. rs.
Colour. By Prof. A. H. CHURCH. Ayew and Enlarged Edition, 3s. 6d.
Columbus, The Career of. By CHARLEs ELTON, F.S.A. ros. 6d. -
Combe, George, The Select Works of. Issued by Authority of the Combe
Trustees. Pofazlar Edition, Is. each, net. . . .
The Constitution of Man. Moral Philosophy. Science and Religion.
Discussions on Education, American Notes.
Commons and Forests, English. By the Rt. Hon. G. SHAw-LEFEvre, M.P. *
Ios. 6d. " . . .
Conquests of the Cross. Edited by EDWIN HODDER. With numerous Original
Illustrations. Complete in Three Vols. 9s. each. . . . . .
Cookery, A Year’s. By PHYLLIS BROWNE. Mew and Enlarged Edition, 3s.6d.
Cookery Book, Cassell’s New Universal. By LIzzIE HERITAGE. With rz.
Coloured Plates and other Illustrations. 1,344 pages, strongly bound in leather gilt, 6s.
Cookery, Cassell’s Popular. With Four Coloured Plates. Cloth gilt, 2s. -
Cookery, Cassell's Shilling. IIoth Thousand. Is. l
Cookery, Vegetarian. By A. G. PAYNE. Is. 6d. -
Cooking by Gas, The Art of. By MARIE J. SUGG. Illustrated. Cloth, 2s.
Cottage Gardening, Edited by W. Robinson, F.L.S. Illustrated. Half-
yearly Vols., II., III., W., and VI., 2s. 6d. each. Vol. IV., 3s.
Countries of the World, The. By DR. RoberT BROWN, F.L.S. In Six Vols.,
with about 750 Illustrations. 7s. 6d. each. Cheap Edition. Vol. I., 6s.
Cyclopædia, Cassell’s Concise. Brought down to the latest date. With about
6oo Illustrations. Vezv and Cheap Edition, 7s.6d. - º - -
Cyclopædia, Cassell's Miniature. Containing 30, ooo Subjects. Cloth, 2s. 6d. ;
half-roxburgh, 4s. i ,
David Balfour, The Adventures of. By R. L. STEvenson. Illustrated.
Two Vols. 6s. each. . -
Part 1.-Kidnapped. Part 2.-Catrioma.
Defoe, Daniel, The Life of. By THOMAS WRIGHT. Illustrated. 2rs.
Dictionaries. (For description see º letter.) Religion, Biographical,
Encyclopaedic, Mechanical, English, English Literature, Domestic. (French, German,
and Latin, see with Educational Works.)
Diet and Cookery for Common Ailments. By a Fellow of the Royal College
of Physicians, and PHYLLIS BROwn E. 5s.
Dog, Illustrated Book of the. By VERO SHAw, B.A. With 28 Coloured
Plates. Cloth bevelled, 35s. ; half-morocco, 45s.
Domestic Dictionary, The. An Encyclopaedia for the Household. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
Doré Don Quixote, The. With about 4oo Illustrations by GUSTAVE DORÉ.
Cheap Edition, bevelled boards, gilt edges, Ios. 6d.
Doré Gallery, The. With 250 Illustrations by GUSTAVE DORÉ. 4to, 42s. .
Doré's Dante's Inferno. Illustrated by GUSTAVE DORÉ. Aopular Edition.
With Preface by A. J. BUTLER. Cloth gilt or buckram, 7s. 6d. . . . .
Doré's Dante's Purgatory and Paradise. Illustrated by GUSTAve. DORÉ.
Chea/ Faſition. 7s. 6d.
Dore's Milton's Paradise Lost. Illustrated by GUSTAVE DORE. 4to, 21s,
Aopular Edition. Cloth gilt, or buckram gilt. 7s. 6d.
Dressmaking, Modern. The Elements of. By J. E. DAVIS. Illustrated. 2s.
Earth, Our, and its Story. Edited by Dr. Robert BRow N, F.L.S. With
36 Coloured Plates and 740 Wood Engravings. Complete in Three Vols. 9s. each.
Edinburgh, Old and New, Cassell’s. With 6oo Illustrations. Three Vols.
9s. each ; library binding, Ár Ios. the set. -
Egypt: Descriptive, Historical, and Picturesque. By Prof. G. EBERs.
Translated by CLARA BELL, with Notes by SAMUEL BIRCH, LL.D., &c. Two Wols. 42s.
Electric Current, The. How Produced and How Used. By R. MULLUNEUx
WALMSLEY, D.Sc., &c. Illustrated. Ios. 6d. -
Electricity, Practical. By Prof. W. E. AYRTON. Illustrated. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
Electricity in the Service of Man. A Popular and Practical Treatise. With
upwards of 950 Illustrations. New and Rezyżsed Edition, Ios. 6d. -
Employment for Boys on Leaving School, Guide to. By W. S. BEARD,
F.R.G.S. Is. 6d. • , -
Encyclopaedic Dictionary, The. Complete in Fourteen Divisional Vols., ros. 6d.
each; ar Savea Vols., half-morocco, 21s, each ; half-russia, 25s. each.
Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
&ngland, Cassell's Illustrated History of With upwards of 2,000 Illustra-
tions. AWew and Rezvised Edition. Complete in Eight Vols., 9s. each ; cloth gilt,
and embossed gilt top and headbanded, 264 net the set.
English Dictionary, Cassell's. Containing Definitions of upwards of Ioo, ooo
Words and Phrases. Cheap Edition, 3s.6d. ; Superior Edition, 5s.
English Literature, Library of. By Prof. H. MoRLEy. In 5 Vols. 7s.6d. each,
English Literature, Morley's First Sketch of Revised Edition, 7s. 6d.
English Literature, The Story of. By ANNA BUCKLAND. 3s. 6d.
English Writers from the Earliest Period to Shakespeare. By HENRY
Morley, Eleven Vols. 5s. each. -
AEsop's Fables. Illustrated by ERNEST GRISET. Cheap Edition. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ;
- bevelled boards, gilt-edges, 5s.
Etiquette of Good Society. , New Edition. Edited and Revised by LADY
CoLIN CAMPBELL. Is. ; cloth, Is. 6d.
Europe, Cassell’s Pocket Guide to. Leather, 6s.
Fairy Tales Far and Near. Retold by Q. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Fairway Island. By HORACE HUTCHINSON. 3s. 6d.
Faith Doctor, The. A Novel. By Dr. EDWARD EGGLESTON. 6s.
Family Physician. By Eminent PHYSICIANs and SURGEONs. Cloth, 21s, ;
roxburgh, 25s. -
Fiction, Cassell’s Popular Library of. 3s. 6d. each.
The Snare of the Fowler. By Mrs. ALEX- “La Bella,” and others. By EGERTON
ANL) ER. CASTLE.
Out of the Jaws of Death. By FRANK A Blot of Ink. Translated by Q. and PAUL
BAR R HTT. M. FRANCKE. 5s.
Four e a 'n to One, &c. By ELIZABETH The Avenger of Blood. By J. MACLAREN
STUART PHELPS. COBBAN.
The Medicine Lady. By L. T. MEADE. A Modern Dick Whittington. By JAMES
Leona. By Mrs. MOLESWORTH. PAYN.
Father Stafford. A Novel. By ANTHONY The Man in Black. By STANLEY WEYMAN.
HOPE. Thºse of Raffles Haw. By A. CONAN
OYLE, -
Dr. Durmány's Wife By MAURUs JóKAI.
Field Naturalist's Handbook, The. By Revs. J. G. WOOD and THEODoRE
Wood. Cheaf Edition, 2s. 6d.
Figuier's Popular Scientific Works. With Several Hundred Illustrations in
each. 3s. 6d. each. - -
The Insect World. | Reptiles and Birds. The Vegetable World.
The Human Race. ammalia. Ocean World.
The World before the Deluge.
Figure Painting in Water Colours. With 16 Coloured Plates. 7s.6d.
Flora's Feast. A Masque of Flowers. Penned and Pictured by WALTER
CRANE. With 40 pages in Colours. 5s. -
Flower Painting, Elementary. With Eight Coloured Plates. 3s.
Flowers, and How to Paint Them. By MAUD NAFTEL. With Coloured Plates. 5s.
Football: the Rugby Union Game. Edited by Rev. F. MARSHALL. Illustrated.
Mezy and Enlarged Edition. 7s. 6d.
For Glory and Renown. By D. H. PARRY. Illustrated. 5s.
Fossil Reptiles, A History of British. By Sir RICHARD Owen, F.R.S., &c.
With 268 Plates. In Four Vols. 412 12s.
France, From the Memoirs of a Minister of. By STANLEY WEYMAN. 6s,
Franco-German War, Cassell's History of the. Complete in Two Vols.,
containing about 500 Illustrations. 9s. each.
Fraser, John Drummond. By PHILALETHES. A Story of Jesuit Intrigue in
the Church of England. Cheap Edition. Is. 6d.
Free Lange in a Far Land, A. By HERBERT COMPTON. 6s.
Garden Flowers, Familiar. By SHIRLEY HIBBERD. With Coloured Plates by
F. E. Hulme, F.L.S. Complete in Five Series. Cloth gilt, 12s. 6d. each.
Gardening, Cassell's Popular. Illustrated. Complete in Four Vols, 5s. each.
Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland, Cassell's. With numerous Illustrations
and Maps in Colours. Vols. I. and II. 7s. 6d. each.
George Saxon, The Reputation of. By MORLEY ROBERTS. 5s.
Setections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
Gladstone, The Right Hon, W. E., M.P., Life of. Profusely Illustrated. Is.
Gleanings from Popular Authors. Two Vols. With Original Illustrations.
9s. each. Two Vols. in One, 15s. -
Gulliver's Travels. With 88 Engravings. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; cloth gilt, 5s.
Gun and its Development, The. By W. W. GREENER. Illustrated. Ios. 6d.
Guns, Modern Shot. By W. W. GREENER. Illustrated. 5s.
Health, The Book of. By Eminent. Physicians and Surgeons. Cloth, 21s.
Heavens, The Story of the. By Sir ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL. . . . F.R.S.
With Coloured Plates and Wood Engravings. Popular Edition, 12s. 6d.
Heroes of Britain in Peace and War. With 3oo Original Illustrations. C/aea,
Falition. Two Vols. 3s. 6d. each ; or Two Vols. in One, cloth gilt, 7s. 6d.
Hiram Golf’s Religion; or, the Shoemaker by the Grace of God. 2s.
Hispaniola Plate (1683–1893). By JOHN BLOUNDELLE-BURTON. 6s.
Historic Houses of the United Kingdom. With Contributions by the Rev. Pro-
fessor Bon NEY, F.R.S., and others. Profusely Illustrated. Ios. 6d.
History, A Footnote to. Eight Years of Trouble in Samoa. By R. L. STEvenson. 6s.
Home Life of the Ancient Greeks, The. Translated by ALICE ZIMMERN.
Illustrated. Cheap Edition. 5s.
Horse, The Book of the. By SAMUEL SIDNEY. With 17 Full-page Collotype
Plates of Celebrated Horses of the Day, and numerous other Illustrations. Cloth, 15s.
Horses and Dogs. By O. EERELMAN. With Descriptive Text. Translated
from the Dutch by CLARA BELL. With Author's portrait and Fifteen Full-page and
other Illustrations. 25s. net.
Houghton, Lord : The Life, Letters, and Friendships of Richard Monckton
Milnes, First Lord Houghton. By Sir WEMYss REID. Two Vols. 32s.
Household, Cassell's Book of the. Illustrated. Complete in Four Vols. 5s. each;
or Four Vols. in Two, half-morocco, 25s.
Hygiene and Public Health. By B. ARTHUR WHITELEGGE, M.D. Illustrated.
Mezy azad Rezyżsed Edition. 7s.6d. -
Impregnable City, The. By MAX PEMBERTON. 6s. -
India, Cassell’s History of. By JAMES GRANT. With 4oo Illustrations. Two
Vols., 9s. each, or One Vol., 15s.
In-door Amusements, Card Games, and Fireside Fun, Cassell's Book of.
With numerous Illustrations. Cheap Edition. Cloth, 2s.
Iron Pirate, The. By MAX PEMBERTON. Illustrated. 5s.
Island Nights' Entertainments. By R. L. STEVENSON. Illustrated, 6s.
Italy from the Fall of Napoleon I. in 1815 to 1890. By J. W. PROBYN. 3s. 6d.
Kennel Guide, Practical. By Dr. GORDON STABLES. Illustrated. Cheap Adition, Is.
Khiva, A Ride to. Travels and Adventures in Central Asia. By Col. FRED
BURNABY. New Edition. With Portrait and Seven Illustrations. 3s. 6d. -
King George, In the Days of. By COL. PERCY GROVES. Illustrated. Is. 6d.
King's Hussar, A. Memoirs of a Troop Sergeant-Major of the 14th (King's)
Hussars. Edited by HERBERT CoMPTON. 6s.
Ladies' Physician, The. By a London Physician. Cheap Edition, Revised and
Enlarged. 3s. 6d.
Lady's Dressing Room, The. Translated from the French by LADY Colin
CAMPBELL. 3s. 6d. -
Lady Biddy Fane, The Admirable. By FRANK BARRETT. New Edition.
With 12 Full-page Illustrations. 6s. -
Lake Dwellings of Europe. By ROBERT MUNRO, M.D., M.A. Cloth, 3rs. 6d.
Letters, The Highway of; and its Echoes of Famous Footsteps. By THOM \s
ARCHER. Illustrated, Ios. 6d. -
Letts's Diaries and other Time-saving Publications are now published exclu-
sively by CASSELL & CoMPANY. (A List sevet / ostyrce on aft/dication.)
'Lisbeth. A Novel. By LESLIE KEITH. Cheap Addition. One Vol. 6s.
List, ye Landsmen | A Romance of Incident. By W. CLARK RUSSELL. 6s.
Little Minister, The. By J. M. BARRIE. /l/us/ra/ed Ædźſion, 6s.
Little Squire, The. A Story of Three. By Mrs. HENRY DE LA PASTURE. 3s.6d.
Lobengula, Three Years with, and Experiences in South Africa. By J.
Cooper-CHADwick. Cheap Edition. 2s. 6d.
Locomotive Engine, The Biography of a. By HENRY FRITH. 3s. 6d.
Loftus, Lord Augustus, P.C., G.C.B., The Diplomatic Reminiscences of First
Series. With Portrait. Two Vols. 32s. Second Series. Two Vols. 32s.
London, Greater. By EDWARD WALFORD. Two Vols. With about 4oo
Illustrations. 9s. each. Library Edition. Two Vols. Ár the set.
London, Old and New. By WALTER THORNBURY and EDwARD WALFORD.
Six Wols., with about 1,200 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. each. Zibrary Edition, £3.
Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
Medical Handbook of Life Assurance. By JAMEs EDwARD Pollock, M.D.,
- and JAMES CHISHOLM. New and Rezised Edition. 7s. 6d.
Medicine, Manuals for Students of. (A List forwarded post free on application.)
Modern Europe, A History of. By C. A. FYFFE, M.A. Cheap Edition in One
Volºzzee, Ios. 6d. : Labrary Edition, Illustrated, 3 vols., 7s. 6d. each.
Music, Illustrated History of. By EMIL NAUMANN. Edited by the Rev.
Sir F. A. GORE OUSELEY, Bart. Illustrated. Two Vols. 31.s. 6d.
National Library, Cassell's. Consisting of 214 Volumes. Paper covers, 3d. ;
- cloth, 6d. (A Complete List of the Volumes Zost free one application.)
Natural History, Cassell's Concise. By E. PERCEvaL WRIGHT, M.A., M.D.,
F.L.S. With several Hundred 1:lustrations. 7s.6d. ; also kept half-bound.
Natural History, Cassell's New. Edited by P. MARTIN DUNCAN, M.B., F.R.S.,
F.G.S. Complete in Six Vols. With about 2,000 Illustrations. Cloth, 9s. each.
Nature's Wonder Workers. By KATE R. LovELL. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Nelson, The Life of. By ROBERT SouTHEY. Illustrated with Eight Plates. 3s. 6d.
New * Picturesque. With Preface by Sir W. B. PERCEVAL. K.C.M.G.
- - ustrated. 6s.
Nursing for the Home and for the Hospital, A Handbook of. By CATHERINE
J. WooD. . Cheap Edition, 1s. 6d. ; cloth, 2s. .
Nursing of Sick Children, A Handbook for the. By CATHERINE J. WooD. 2s. 6d.
Old Dorset. Chapters in the History of the County. By H. J. MoULE, M.A. Ios. 6d.
Old Maids and Young. By E. D’ESTERRE KEELING, 6s.
Old Boy's Yarns, An. By HAROLD Avery. With 8 Plates. 3s. 6d.
Our Own Country. Six Vols. With 1,200 Illustrations. Cloth, 7s. 6d. each.
Painting, The English School of. By ERNEST CHESNEAU. Cheap Edition, 3s.6d.
Paris, Old and New. Profusely Illustrated. Complete in Two Volumes.
9s. each, or gilt edges, Ios. 6d. each.
Peoples of the World, The. By Dr. Robert BROWN, F.L.S. Complete in Six
Vols. With Illustrations. 7s. 6d. each.
Photography for Amateurs. By T. C. HEPworth, Illustrated, Is. ; cloth, Is. 6d.
Phrase and Fable, Dr. Brewer's Dictionary of. Giving the Derivation, Source,
or Origin of Common Phrases, Allusions, and Words that have a Tale to Tell.
A’zztárezy New azed Reznised Edition. Ios. 6d.
Physiology for Students, Elementary. By ALFRED T. SCHOFIELD, M.D.,
M.R.C.S. With Two Coloured Plates and numerous Illustrations. AWew Edition. 5s.
Picturesque America. Complete in Four Vols., with 48 Exquisite Steel Plates,
and about 8oo Original Wood Engravings. 42 2s. each. Popular Edition, Vols.
I. and II., price 18s. each.
Picturesque Canada. With about 6oo Original Illustrations. Two Vols. A 6 6s. theset.
Picturesque Europe. Complete in Five Vols. Each containing 13 Exquisite Steel
Plates, from Original Drawings, and nearly 200 Original Illustrations. £21 ; half-
morocco, Á31 Ios.; morocco gilt, 3652 ros. Požze/ar Edition. In Five Vols. 18s. each.
Picturesque Mediterranean, The. W’th a Series of Magnificent Illustrations
from Original Designs by leading Artists of the day. Two Vols. Cloth, 62 2s. each.
Pigeon Keeper, The Practical. By LEwis WRIGHT. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Pigeons, Fulton's Book of Edited by LEwis WRIGHT. Revised, Enlarged
and Supplemented by the Rev. W. F. LUMLEY. With 50 Full-page Illustrations.
Požze/ar Eaſition. In One Vol., ros. 6d. -
Planet, The Story of Our. By the Rev. Prof. BONNEY, F.R.S., &c. With
Coloured Plates and Maps and about 1oo Illustrations. 31.s. 6d.
Pocket Library, Cassell's. Cloth, Is. .4d. each.
A King’s Diary. By PERCY WHITE. The Little Huguenot. By MAXPEMBERTON.
§ RUD HER-.
A White Baby. By JAMES WELSH. A Whirl Asunder. By GERT RUDE AT
Polytechnic Series, The. Practical Illustrated Manuals. (A List will be
sent on application.)
Pomona's Travels. By FRANK R. STOCKTON. Illustrated. 5s.
Portrait Gallery, Cassell's Universal. Containing 240 Portraits of Celebrated
ãº, and Women of the Day. With brief Memoirs and facsimiſe Autographs.
Cloth, 6s
Portrait Gallery, The Cabinet. Complete in Five Series, each containing 36
Cabinet Photographs of Eminent Men and Women of the day. 15s, each.
Poultry Keeper, The Practical. By LEwis WRIGHT. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Poultry, The Book of. By Lewis WRIGHT. Popular Edition. Illustrated. Ios. 6d.
Poultry, The Illustrated Book of. By LEwis WRIGHT. With Fifty Exquisite
Coloured Plates, and numerous Wood Engravings. Revised Edition. Cloth, gilt
edges, £rice on aftlication ; half-morocco, A. 2 2s. -
Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
“Punch,” The History of. By M. H. SPIELMANN. With about 120 Illustra-
tions, Portraits, and Facsimiles. Cloth, 16s. ; Large Paper Edition, Á2 2s. net."
Prison Princess, A. By MAJOR ARTHUR GRIFFITHS. 6s.
Q's Works, Uniform Edition of 5s. each.
Dead Man’s Rock. - | The Astonishing History of Troy Town.
The Splendid Spur. * I Saw Three Ships,” and other Winter’s Tales.
The Blue Pavilions. Noughts and Crosses.
- The Delectable Duchy. Stories, Studies, and Sketches. -
Queen Summer; or, The Tourney of the Lily and the Rose. Penned and
Portrayed by WALTER CRANE. With 49 pages in Colours. 6s. -
Queen, The People's Life of their. By Rev. E. J. HARDY, M.A. Is.
Queen Victoria, The Life and Times of. By ROBERT WILSON. Complete in
2 Vols. With numerous Illustrations. 9s. each. -
Queen's Scarlet, The. By G. MANVILLE FENN. Illustrated. 5s.
Rabbit-Keeper, The Practical. By CUNICULUs. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Railway Guides, Official Illustrated. With Illustrations on nearly every page.
Maps, &c. Paper covers, Is...; cloth, 2s.
London and North Western Railway. || Great Eastern Railway. -
Great Western Railway. London and Sout. Western Pailway. -
Midland Railway. London, Brighton and South Coast Railway.
Great Northern Railway. South Eastern Bailway.
Railway Guides, Official Illustrated. Abridged and Popular Editions. Paper
covers, 3d. each.
Great Eastern Railway. London and South Western Railway.
Loridon and North Western Railway. London, Brighton and South CJast Railway.
Railway Library, Cassell’s, Crown 8vo, boards, 2S. each.
IMIetzerott, Shoemaker. By Katharine P. Jack Gordon, Knight Errant. By W. C.
Woods. Hudson (Barclay North).
I)avid Todd. By David Maclure. The Diamond Button. : Whose Was It?
Commodore Junk. By G. Manville Fenn. By W. C. Hudson (Barclay North).
St. Cuthbert’s Tower. By Florence War- Who is John Noman? By C. Henry Beckett.
€II. - The Tragedy of Brinkwater. By A1artha
The * Nº.Nº. Tºmb. By W. C. Hud- L. § y l
Son (Barclay North). * -
By Right Not Law. By R. Sherard. An,ºrican Pennan. By Julian I ſaw-
Within Sound of the Weir. By Thomas Section 558; or, The Fatal Lettee. By
St. E. Hake. Julian Hawthorne.
Under a Strange Mask. By Frank Barrett. A Tragic Mystery. By Julian Hawthorne.
The Coombsberrowlyſystery. By J.Colwall. The Great Bank Robbery. By Julian
A Queer Race. By W. Westall. Hawthorne.
Railways, Our. Their Origin, Development, Incident, and Romance. By
John PENDLETON. Illustrated. 2 Vols., demy 8vo, 24s.
Red Terror, The. A Story of the Paris Commune. By EDw ARD KING. Illus-
trated. 3s. 6d. -
Rivers of Great Britain : Descriptive, Historical, Pictorial.
The Royal River: The Thames from Source to Sea. Popular Editzozz, 16s.
Rivers of, the East Coast. With highly-finished Engravings. Popular Edition, 16s.
Robinson Crusoe. Cassell's AWew Fine-Art Adition. With upwards of roo
Original Illustrations. 7s. 6d.
Romance, The World of Illustrated. One Vol., cloth, 9s.
Romner, Henriette, The Painter of Cat-Life and Cat-Character. By M. H.
SPIELMANN. Containing a Series of beautiful Phototype Illustrations. 12s.
Royal Academy Pictures, 1895. With upwards of 200 magnificent reproductions
of Pictures in the Royal Academy of 1895. 7s.6d.
Russo-Turkish War, Cassell's History of. With about 500 Illustrations. Two
Vols., 9s. each ; library binding, One Vol., 15s.
salº George Augustus, The Life and Adventures of. By Himself. In Two
Ols. 32s.
Saturday Journal, Cassell's. Illustrated throughout. Yearly Vol., 7s.6d.
Scarabaeus. The Story of an African Beetle. By THE MARQUISE CLARA
LANZA and JAMES CLARENCE HARVEY. Cheap Edition, 3s.6d.
Science for All. Edited by Dr. ROBERT BRÖwN, M.A., F.L.S., &c. AEevised
Adžtion. With 1,500 Illustrations. Five Vols. 9s. each.
Science Series, The Century. Consisting of Biographies of Eminent Scientific
Men of the present Century. Edited by Sir HENRY Roscoe, D.C.L., F.R.S., M.P.
Crown 8vo, 3s. 6d. each.
John Dalton and the Rise of Modern Chemistry. By Sir HENRY E. ROSCOE, F.R.S.
Major Rennell, F.R.S., and the Rise of English Geography. By CLEMENTS R. MARx-
HAM, C.B., F.R.S., President of the Royal Geographical Society.
Justus Von Liebig : His Life and Work. By W. A. SHENSTONE.
The Herschels and Modern Astronomy. By Miss AGNES M. CLERKB,
Charles Lyell: His Life and Work. By Professor T. G. Bonn RY, F.R.S.
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
Scotland, Picturesque and Traditional. A Pilgrimage with Staff and
Knapsack. By G. E. EYRE-TopD. 6s. -
Sea, The Story of the. An Entirely New and Original Work. Edited by Q.
Illustrated. Vol. I. 9s.
Sea-Wolves, The. By MAx PEMBERTON. Illustrated. 6s.
Shadow of a Song, The. A Novel. By CECIL HARLEY. 5s.
Shaftesbury, The Seventh Earl of, K.G., The Life and Work of. By EDw1N
HopDER. Illustrated. Cheap Edition, 3s.6d. -
Shakespeare, Cassell's Quarto Edition. Edited by CHARLEs and MARY Cowpen
CLARKE, and containing about 600 Illustrations by H. C. SELOUS. Complete in
Three Vols., cloth gilt, 4.3 3s.—Also published in Three separate Vols., in cloth,
viz.:-The COMED, Es, 21s. ; The HISTORICAL PLAys, 18s. 6d. ; The TRAGED1Bs, 25s.
Shakespeare, The England of. Mew Edition. By E. GOADBY. With Full-
page Illustrations. Crown 8vo, 224 pages, 2s. 6d.
Shakespeare, The Plays of Edited by Prof. HENRY MORLEY. Complete in
Thirteen Vols. Cloth, in box, 21s. ; half-morocco, cloth sides, 42s. -
Shakspere, The International. Edition de luxe. -
King Henry VIII. By Sir JAMES LINTON, P.R.I. (Price on application.)
Othello. Illustrated by FRANK DICKSEE, R.A. 263 Ios.
King Henry IV. Illustrated by Herr EDUARD GRÜTzNER. 263 Ios.
As You Like It. Illustrated by the late Mons. EMILE BAYARD. Á3 ros.
Shakspere, The Leopold. With 4oo Illustrations, and an Introduction by F. J.
FURNIVALL. Cheaf Edition, 3s. 6d. Cloth gilt, gilt edges, 5s. ; roxburgh, 7s. 6d.
Shakspere, The Royal. With Exquisite Steel Plates and Wood Engravings.
Three Vols. 15s. each.
Sketches, The Art of Making and Using. From the French of G. FRAIPONT.
By CLARA BELL. With Fifty Illustrations. 2s. 6d.
Smuggling Days and Smuggling Ways ; or, The Story of a Lost Art, By
Commander the Hon. HENRY N. SHORE, R.N. Illustrated. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
Social England. A Record of the Progress of the People. By various writers.
Edited by H. D. TRAILL, D.C.L. Vols. I., II., and III., 15s. each. Vol. IV., 17s.
Social Welfare, Subjects of. By LORD PLAYFAIR, K.C.B., &c. 7s. 6d.
Sorrow, The Highway of. By HESBA STRETTON and a well-known Russian
exile. 6s.
Sports and Pastimes, Cassell’s Complete Book of. Cheap Fa'izzon, 3s. 6d.
Squire, The. By MRs. PARR. Cheap Edition in one Vol., 6s.
Standishs of High Acre, The. A Novel. By GILBERT SHELDON. Two Vols. 21s.
Star-Land. By Sir ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL.D., &c. Illustrated. 6s.
Statesmen, Past and Future. 6s.
Story of Francis Cludde, The. A Novel. By STANLEY J. WEYMAN. 6s.
Sun, The Story of the. By Sir ROBERT STAWELL BALL, LL.D., F.R.S., F.R.A.S.
With Eight Coloured Plates and other Illustrations. 21s.
Sunshine Series, Cassell's. In Vols. Is. each. A List post free on application.
Sybil Knox; or, Home Again. A Story of To-day. By E. E. HALE. 6s.
Taxation, Municipal, at Home and Abroad. By J. J. O’MEARA. 7s. 6d.
Thackeray in America, With. By EYRE CROWE, A.R.A. Illustrated. Ios. 6d.
Thames, The Tidal. By GRANT ALLEN. With India Proof Impressions of 20
Magnificent Full-page Photogravure Plates, and many other Illustrations, after
original drawings by W. L. WYLLIE, A.R.A. Half-moi occo, gilt, gilt edges, 4, 5 15s. 6d.
The “Belle Sauvage” Library. Cloth, 2s. each. A Complete List of the
Volumes post free on application.
The Short Story Library. 5s. each. List of Vols, on application.
Things I have Seen and People I have Known. By G. A. SALA. With Portrait
and Autograph. 2 Vols. 21s. --
Thorough Good Cook, The. By GEORGE AUGUSTUS SALA. 21s.
Tiny Luttrell. By E. W. HoRNUNG. Cloth. Popular Edition, 6s.
To Punish the Czar : A Story of the Crimea. By HoRACE HUTCHINSoN.
Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
“Treasure Island.” Series, The. Cheap Illustrated Edition. Cloth, 3s.6d. each.
Treasure Island. By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
The Master of Ballantrae. By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
The Black Arrow : A Tale of the Two Roses. By ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON.
Ring Solomon’s Mines. By H. RIDER HAGGARD.
Treatment, The Year-Book of, for 1896. A Critical Review for Practitioners of
Medicine and Surgery. Twelfth Year of Issue. 7s. 6d.
Trees, Familiar. By Prof. G. S. BOULGER, F.L.S., F.G.S. Two Series. With
Forty Full-page Coloured Plates by W. H. J. Boot. 12s. 6d. each. *
Tuxter's Little Maid. By G. B. BURGIN. 6s.
Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
“Unicode”: The Universal Telegraphic Phrase Book. Pocket or Desk
- Edition. 2s. 6d. each. - -
United States, Cassell’s History of the. By EDMUND OLLIER. With 6oo Illus-
trations. Three Vols. 9s. each.
Universal History, Cassell's Illustrated. With nearly ONE THOUSAND
- ILLUSTRATIONS. Vol. I. Early and Greek History.—Vol. II. The Roman Period.—
Vol. III. The Middle Ages.—Vol. IV. Modern History. 9s. each.
Vicar of Wakefield and other Works, by OLIVER GOLDSMITH, Illustrated.
3s.6d. ; cloth, gilt edges, 5s.
Wandering Heath. Short Stories. By Q. 6s.
War and Peace, Memories and Studies of. By ARCHIBALD FORBEs. 16s.
Water-Colour Painting, A Course of . With Twenty-four Coloured Plates by
B. P. LEITCH, and full Instructions to the Pupil. 5s.
Westminster Abbey, Annals of. By E. T. BRADLEY (Mrs. A. MURRAY SMITH).
Illustrated. With a Preface by Dean BRADLEY. 63s.
White Shield, The. By BERTRAM MITFORD. 6s.
Wild Birds, Familiar. By W. SwaySLAND. Four Series. With 4o Coloured
Plates in each. (In sets only, price on application.)
Wiśd Flowers, Familiar. By F. E. HULME, F.L.S., F.S.A. Five Series. With
4o Coloured Plates in each. (In sets only, price on application.)
Wild Flowers Collecting Book. In Six Parts, 4d. each. -
Wild Flowers Drawing and Painting Book. In Six Parts. 4d. each.
Windsor Castle, The Governor's Guide to. By the Most Noble the MARQUIs
of LoRNE, K.T. Profusely Illustrated. Limp cloth, 1s. Cloth boards, gilt edges. 2s.
Wit and Humour, Cassell's New World of. With New Pictures and New
Text. 6s. -
With Claymore and Bayonet. By Col. PERCY GROVES. With 8 Plates. 5s.
Wood, The Life of the Rev. J. G. By his Son, the Rev. THEODORE WooD.
With Portrait. Extra crown 8vo, cloth. Cheap Edition. 3s. 6d.
Work. The Illustrated Journal for Mechanics. Mew and Enlarged. Series.
Wols. VIII. and IX. 4s. each. -
“Work” Handbooks. A Series of Practical Manuals prepared under the Direc-
tion of PAUL N. HASLUCK, Editor of Work. Illustrated. Cloth, 1s. each.
World Beneath the Waters, A. By Rev. GERARD BANCKs. 3s. 6d.
World of Wit and Humour, The. With 400 Illustrations. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
World of Wonders, The. With 4oo Illustrations. Two Vols. 7s.6d. each.
Wrecker, The. By R. L. STEVENSON and LLOYD OSBourne. Illustrated. 6s.
Yule Tide. CASSELL'S CHRISTMAS ANNUAL. Is.
AZZO/S 7TRA ZZZZO MAGAZZZVA.S.
The Quiver, for Swn day and General Reading. Monthly, 6d.
Cassell’s Family Magazine. Monthly, 6d.
“Little Fol/cs’’ Magazine. Monthly, 6d.
The Magazine of Art. With Three Plates. Monthly, 1s. 4d.
Cassell’s Satwrday Joat?”val. Weekly, Id. ; Monthly, 6d.
Chunºs. The Illustrated Paper for Boys. Weekly, rd.; Monthly, 6d.
Work. Illustrated Journal for Mechanics. Weekly, Id.; Monthly, 6d.
Cottage Gardening. Illustrated. Weekly, #d. ; Monthly, 3d.
*...* Full particulars of CASSELL & COMPANY'S Monthly Serial Publications
will be ſound in CASSELL & CoMPANY's COMPLETE CATALOGUE.
Catalogues of CASSELL & COMPANY’s PUBLICATIONS, which may be had at all
Booksellers', or will be sent post free on application to the Publishers:—
Cassell's ComPLETE CATALOGUE, containing particulars of upwards of One
Thousand Volumes. - -
CASSELL’s CLAssified CATALOGUE, in which their Works are arranged according
to price, from Three?ence to Fifty Guineas. - -
Cassell's EDUCATIONAL CATALOGUE, containing particulars of CASSELL &
CoMPANY's Educational Works and Students’ Manuals.
CASSELL & COMPANY, LIMITED, Ludgate Hill, London.
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
3Biblež and it eligious (ſigrkg.
Bible Biographies. Illustrated. 2s. 6d. each.
The Story of Joseph. Its Lessons for To-Day. By the Rev. GEORGE BAINTON,
The Story of Moses and Joshua. By the Rev. J. TELFORD.
The Story of Judges. By the Rev. J. WYCLIFFE GEDGE.
The Story of Samuel and Saul. By the Rev. D. C. Tov By.
The Story of David. By the Rev. J. WILD.
The Story of Jesus. In Verse. By J. R. MACDUFF, D.D.
Bible, Cassell's Illustrated Family. With 90o Illustrations. Leather, gilt
edges, £2 Ios. ; full morocco, Á3 Ios. -
Bible, The, and the Holy Land, New Light on. By B. T. A. EveTTs, M.A.
[]lustrated. Cloth, 21s. -
Bible Educator, The. Edited by E. H. PLUMPTRE, D.D. With Illustrations,
Maps, &c. Four Vols., cloth, 6s. each.
Bible Manual, Cassell’s Illustrated. By the Rev. ROBERT HUNTER, LL.D.
Illustrated. 7s. 6d. g
Bible Student in the British Museum, The. By the Rev. J. G. KITCHIN,
M.A. Entirely New and Reznised Edition, 1s. 4d.
Biblewomen and Nurses. Yearly Vol., 3s.
Bunyan, Cassell’s Illustrated. With 200 Original Illustrations. Cheap Edition.
7s. 6d. g -
Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress (Cassell's Illustrated). 4to. Cheap Fääziozº, 3s. 6d.
Child’s Bible, The. With 200 Illustrations. Demy 4to, 830 pp. 150th Thousand.
Cheap Edition, 7s. 6d. Szefterior AEdition, with 6 Coloured Plates, gilt edges, Ios. 6d.
Child’s Life of Christ, The. Complete in One Handsome Volume, with about
200 Original Illustrations. Cheap, Edition, cloth, 7s. 6d. ; or with 6 Coloured Plates,
cloth, gilt edges, Ios. 6d. Demy 4to, gilt edges, 21s.
“Come, ye Children.” By the Rev. BENJAMIN WAUGH. Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
Commentary, The New Testament, for English Readers. Edited by the
Rt. Rev. C. J. ELLIcoTT, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. In Three
Vols, 21s. each. -
Vol. I.-The Four Gospels.
Vol. II.-The Acts, IRomans, Corinthians, Galatians.
Vol. III.—The remaining Books of the New Testament.
Commentary, The Old Testament, for English Readers. Edited by the Rt.
Rev. C. J. Ellicott, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. Complete in
5 Vols. 21s, each.
Vol. I.-Genesis to TNumbers. | Vol. III.-Kings I. to Esther.
Vol. II.-JDeuteronomy to Samuel II. Vol. IV.-Job to Isaiah.
Vol. V.-Jeremiah to Malachi.
Commentary, The New Testament. Edited by Bishop ELLICOTT. Handy
Volume Edition. Suitable for School and General Use.
St. Matthew. 3s. 6d. Romans. 2s. 6d. Titus, Philemon, Hebrews,
St. Mark. 3S, Corinthians I. and II. 3s. and James. 3s.
St. Luke. 3s. 6d. Galatians, Ephesians, and Peter, Jude, and John.
St. John - The Revelation. 3s
. 3s. 6d. JPhilippians. 3s. -
The Acts of the Apostles. | Colossians, Thessalonians, An Introduction to the New
3s. 6d. and Timothy. 3s. Testament. 2s. 6d.
Commentary, The Old Testament. Edited by Bishop ELLICOTT. Handy Volume
Edition. Suitable for School and General Use.
Genesis. 3s. 6d. | Leviticus. 3s. Leuteronomy. 2s. 6d.
Bxodus. 3S. Numbers. 2s. 6d.
Diotionary of Religion, The. An Encyclopaedia of Christian and other
Religious Doctrines, Denominations, Sects, Heresies, Ecclesiastical Terms, History,
Biography, &c. &c. By the Rev. WILLIAM BENHAM, B.D. Cheap Aalton, ros. 6d.
Dore Bible. With 230 Illustrations by GUSTAVE DORÉ. Original Edition.
- Two Vols., best morocco, gilt edges, 415. Popzzazz Edition. With Full-page Illus-
trations. In One Vol. 15s. Also in leather binding. (Price oft º;
Early Days of Christianity, The. By the Very Rev. Dean FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S.
LIBRARY EDITION. Two Vols., 24s. ; morocco, Á2 2s.
PoPULAR FDITION. Complete in One Vol., cloth, 6s. ; cloth, gilt edges,
. 7s. 6d. ; Persian morocco, Ios. 6d. ; tree-calf, 15s.
Family Prayer-Book, The Edited by the Rev. Canon GARBETT, M.A., and
the Rev. S. MARTIN. With Full-page Illustrations. AWew Edition. Cloth, 7s.6d.
Gleanings after Harvest. Stºdies and Sketches. By the Rev. JoHN R. VERNON,
M.A. Illustrated. 6s.
Selections from Cassell & Company's Publications.
“Graven in the Rock; ” or, the Historical Accuracy of the Bible confirmed by
reference to the Assyrian and Egyptian Sculptures in the British Museum and else-
where. By the Rev. Dr. SAMUEL KINNs, F.R.A.S., &c. &c. e
A Series of Works by Eminent Divines. Bound in cloth, red
** Heart; Chords.”
edges, Is. each. -
My Father. By the Right Rev. Ashton Oxenden,
late Bishop of Montréal.
My Bible. By the Rt. Rev. W. Boyd Carpenter,
Bishop of Ripon.
My Work for God. By the Right Rev. Bishop
Cotterill. -
My Object in Life. By the Very Rev. Dean
Farrar, D.D.
My Aspirations. By the Rev. G. Matheson, D.D.
My Emotional Lif. By Preb. Chadwick, D.D.
My Body. By theº. v. Prof. W. G. Blaikie, D.D.
Illustrated. 12s. 6d.
IMy Soul. By the Rev. P. B. Power, M.A.
My Growth in Divine Life. By the Rev.
Prebendary Reynolds, M.A.
My Hereafter. By the Very Rev. Dean Bicker-
steth.
My Walk with God. By the Very Rev. Dean
Montgomery.
IMy Aids to the Divine Life.
Rev. Dean Boyle.
TMy Sources of Strength. By the Rev. E. E.
Jenkins, M.A. - º
By the Very
Helps to Belief. A Series of Helpful Manuals on the Religious Difficulties of the
Day. , Edited by the Rev. TEIGNMoUTH SHORE, M.A., Canon of Worcester, and
Chaplain-in-Ordinary to the Queen. Cloth; IS. Bº OUR L. B Lord
CREATION. By Harvey Goodwin, D.D.. late HE DIVINITY OF OUR LORD. By the Lor
#3 º' , “- Bishop of Derry.
MIRACLES. By the Rev. Brownlow Mait-
land, MI.A.
PRAYER. By the Rev. Canon Shore, M.A.
Holy Land and the Bible, The. A Book of Scripture Illustrations gathered
in Palestine. By the Rev. CUNNINGHAM GEIKIE, D.D., LL.D. (Edin.). With Map.
... Two Vols, 24s. Illustrated Edition. One Vol. 21s.
Life of Christ, The. By the Very Rev. Dean FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S., Chaplain-
in-Ordinary to the Queen.
POPULAR EDITION, Revised and Enlarged, extra crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 7s. 6d.
CHEAP ILLUSTRATED EDITION. Large 4to, cloth, 7s. 6d. Cloth, full gilt, gilt
edges, Ios. 6d.
LIBRARY EDITION. Two Vols. Cloth, 24s. ; morocco, 42s.
By WILLIAM LANDELS, D.D.
THE ATONEMENT. By William Connor
Magee, D.D., Late Archbishop of York.
Marriage Ring, The.
leatherette. Mew and Cheaper Edition, 3s. 6d.
Moses and Geology; or, the Harmony of the Bible with Science. By
the Rev. SAMUEL KINNs, Ph.D., F.R.A.S. Illustrated. Demy 8vo. AVezy Adition,
Ios. 6d.
My Comfort in Sorrow. By HUGH MACMILLAN, D.D., LL.D., &c. Is.
My Last Will and Testament. By HYACINTHE LOYSON (PERE HyACINTHE).
Translated by FABIAN WARE. Is. ; cloth, Is. 6d.
New Light on the Bible and the Holy Land.
Illustrated. Cloth, 21s.
Old and New Testaments, Plain Introductions to the Books of the.
taining Contributions by many Eminent Divines. In Two Vols., 3s. 6d. each.
Plain Introductions to the Books of the Old Testament. 336 pages. Edited by
the Right Rev. C. J. ELLICOTT, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. 3s. 6d.
Plain Introductions to the Books of the New Testament. 304 pages. Edited by
the Right Rev. C. J. ELLICOTT, D.D., Lord Bishop of Gloucester and Bristol. 3s.6d.
Protestantism, The History of . By the Rev. J. A. WYLIE, LL.D. Containing
upwards of 6oo Original Illustrations. Three Vols., 27s. -
“Quiver” Yearly Volume, The. With about 600 Original Illustrations and
Coloured Frontispiece. 7s. 6d. Also Monthly, 6d.
St. George for England; and other Sermons preached to Children. Aºifth
Edition. By the Rev. T. TEIGNMoUTH SHORE, M.A., Canon of Worcester, 5s.
St. Paul, The Life and Work of. By the Very Rev. Dean FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S.
LIBRARY EDITION. Two Vols., cloth, 24s. ; calf, 42s.
ILLUSTRATED EDITION, One Vol., 41 Is. ; morocco, Á2 2s.
PopULAR EDITION. One Vol., 8vo, cloth, 6s. ; cloth, gilt edges, 7s. 6d.;
- Persian morocco, Ios. 6d. ; tree-calf 15s.
Searchings in the Silence. By Rev. GEORGE MATHESON, D.D. 3s. 6d.
Shall We Know One Another in Heaven 2 By the Rt. Rev. J. C. RYLE, D.D.,
Bishop of Liverpool. New and Enlarged Edition. Paper covers, 6d.
Shortened Church Services and Hymns, suitable for use at Children's Services.
Compiled by the Rev. T. Teign MoUTH SHORE, M.A., Canon of Worcester.
- Ezzlarged Edition. Is.
Signa Christi : Evidences of Christianity set forth in the Person and Work of
Christ. By the Rev. JAMES AITCH ISON. 2s. 6d.
“Sunday:” Its Origin, History, and Present Obligation. By the Ven. Arch-
deacon HEssey, D.C.L. Fifth Edition, 7s. 6d. - .
Twilight of Life, The: Words of Counsel and Comfort for the Aged. By
John ELLERTON, M.A. 1s. 6d. -
Bound in white
By BASIL T. A. Evetts, M.A.
Con-
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
(ºurational Wūlgrkg and Študents' filamualz.
Agricultural Text-Books, Cassell's. (The “Downton" Series.) Fully Illustrated.
Edited by JoHN WRIGHTson, Professor of Agriculture. Soils and Manures. By
J. M. H. Munro, D.Sc. (London), F.I.C., F.C.S. 2s. 6d. Farm Crops. By Pro-
fessor Wrightson. 2s. 6d. Live Stock. By Professor Wrightson. 2s. 6d.
Alphabet, Cassell's Pictorial. Mounted on Linen, with rollers. 3s. 6d.
Arithmetic :—Howard's Art of Reckoning. By C. F. HowARD. Paper, Is...;
cloth, 2s. Enlarged Editione, 5s. -
Arithmetics, The “Belle Sauvage.” By GEORGE Ricks, B.Sc. Lond. With
Test Cards. (Zºst on application.) * . . -
Atlas, Cassell’s Popular. Containing 24 Coloured Maps. 2s. 6d.
Book-Keeping. By THEODORE JONES. FOR SCHOOLS, 2s. ; or cloth, 3s. For
THE MILLION, 2s. ; or cloth, 3s. Books for Jones's System, Ruled Sets of 2s.
British Empire Map of the World. New Map for Schools and Institutes. By
G. R. PARKIN and J. G. BARTHOLOMEw, F.R.G.S. Mounted on cloth, varnished,
and with Rollers or Folded. 25s. .
Chemistry, The Public School. By J. H. ANDERSON, M.A. 2s. 6d.
Cookery for Schools. By LizzIE HERITAGE. 6d. . -
Dulce Domum. Rhymes and Songs for Children. Edited by JoHN FARMER,
Editor of “Gaudeamus,” &c. Old Notation and Words, 5s. N.B.—The Words of
the Songs in “Dulce Domum” (with the Airs both in Tonic Sol-Fa and Old Notation)
can be had in Two Parts, 6d, each.
English Literature, A First Sketch of, from the Earliest Period to the Present
Time. By Prof. HENRY MORLEy. 7s.6d.
Euclid, Cassell's. Edited by Prof. WALLACE, M.A. Is.
Euclid, The First Four Books of New Edition. In paper, 6d. ; cloth, 9d.
French, Cassell’s Lessons in. AWezv azd Rezyżsed Edźzoz. Parts I. and II., each,
2s. 6d. ; complete, 4s. 6d. Key, Is. 6d.
French-English and English-French Dictionary. Entirely Mew and Ezlarged
Edition. 1,150 pages, 8vo, cloth, 3s.6d. ; superior binding, 5s.
French Reader, Cassell’s Public School. By GUILLAUME S. Conrad. 2s. 6d.
Galbraith and Haughton’s Scientific Manuals.
Plane Trigonometry. 2s. 6d. Euclid. , Books I., II., III. 2s. 6d. ... Books IV., V., VI. 2s. 6d.
IMathematical Tables. 3s. 6d. Mechanics. 3s. 6d. Natural Philosophy. , 3s. 6d. Optics.
2s. 6d. Hydrostatics. 3s. 6d. Steam Engine. 3s. 6d. Algebra. Part I., cloth, 2s. 6d. Com-
plete, 7s.6d. Tides and Tidal Currents, with Tidal Cards, 3s.
Gaudeamus. Songs for Colleges and Schools. Edited by JOHN FARMER. 5s.
Words only, paper, 6d. ; cloth, 9d.
Geometrical Drawing for Army Candidates. By H. T. LILLEY, M.A. 2s. 6d.
Geometry, First Elements of Experimental. By PAUL BERT. Illustrated. Is. 6d.
Geometry, Practical Solid. By Major ROSS, R.E. 2s. -
German Dictionary, Cassell's New. ... German-English, English-German. Cheap
Edition, cloth, 3s. 6d. : Superior binding, 5s. -
German Reading, First Lessons in. By A. JAGST. Illustrated. Is.
Hand and Eye Training. By GEORGE RICKS, B.Sc., and JOSEPH VAUGHAN.
Illustrated. Vol. I. Designing with Coloured Papers. Vol. II. Cardboard Work.
2s. each. Vol. III. Colour Work and Design, 3s. . -
Hand and Eye Training. By G. RICKS, B.Sc. Two Vols., with 16 Coloured
~ Plates in each Vol. Crown 4to, 6s. each.
“Hand and Eye Training”. Cards for Class Work. Five sets in case. Is. each.
Historical Cartoons, Cassell's Coloured. Size 45 in. × 35 in. 2s. each. Mounted
on canvas and varnished, with rollers, 5s. each. (Descriptive pamphlet, 16 pp., Id.)
Italian Lessons, with Exercises, Cassell's. In One Vol. 3s. 6d.
Latin Dictionary, Cassell's New. (Latin-English and English-Latin.) Revised
by J. R. V. MARCHANT, M.A., and J. F. CHARLES, B.A. 3s. 6d. ; superior
binding, 5s. -
Latin Primer, The New. By Prof. J. P. POSTGATE. 2s. 6d.
Latin Primer, The First. By Prof. POSTGATE. Is. -
Latin Prose for Lower Forms. By M. A. BAYFIELD, M.A. 2s. 6d.
Laws of Every-Day Life. For the Use of Schools. By H. O. ARNOLD-FORSTER,
M.P. Is. 6d. Søecial Edition on green paper for those with weak eyesight, Is. 6d.
Selections from Cassed dº Company’s Publications.
Lessons in Our Laws; or, Talks at Broadacre Farm. By H. F. LESTER, B.A.
Part I. : THE MAKERS AND CARRIERS-OUT OF THE LAw. Part II. : LAw Courts
AND Local RULE, &c. 1s. 6d. each. - -
Little Folks' History of England. By ISA CRAIG-KNOX. Illustrated. Is. 6d.
Making of the Home, The. By Mrs. SAMUEL A. BARNET.T. Is. 6d.
Marlborough Books;–Arithmetic Examples. 3s. French Exercises. 3s.6d. French
Grammar. 2s. 6d. German Grammar. 3s. 6d.
Mechanics for Young Beginners, A First Book of. By the Rev. J. G. EASTON,
M.A. 4s. 6d.
Mechanics and Machine Design, Numerical Examples in Practical. By
R. G. BLAINE, M.E. AWew Edition, Rezised and Enlarged. With 79 Illustrations.
Cloth, 2s. 6d. . - -
Natural History Coloured Wall Sheets, Cassell's New. Consisting of 17
subjects. Size, 39 by 31 in. Mounted on rollers and varnished. 3s. each.
object Lessons from Nature. By Prof. L. C. MIALL, F.L.S., F.G.S. Fully
Illustrated. AVew and Enlarged Edition. Two Vols. Is. 6d. each.
Physiology for Schools. By ALFRED T. SCHOFIELD, M.D., M.R.C.S., &c.
Illustrated. Is. 9d. Three Parts, paper covers, 5d. each; or cloth limp, 6d. each.
Poetry Readers, Cassell's New. Illustrated. 12 Books. Id. each. Cloth, 1s. 6d.
Popular Educator, Cassell's New. With Revised Text, New Maps, New Coloured
Plates, New Type, &c. Complete in Eight Vols., 5s. each ; or Eight Vols. in
Four, half-morocco, 50s.
Readers, Cassell’s “Belle Sauvage.” An Entirely New Series. Fully Illus-
trated. Strongly bound in cioth. (Z2st ozz ap/, //cation.)
Reader, The Citizen. By H. O. ARNOLD-FORSTER, M.P. Cloth, Is. 6d. ; also a
- Scottish Edition, cloth, 1s. 6d. *
Reader, The Temperance. By Rev. J. DENNIS HIRD. Is. 6d.
Readers, Cassell’s “Higher Class." (List on application.)
Readers, Cassell's Readable. Illustrated. (List on application.)
Readers for Infant Schools, Coloured. Three Books. 4d. each.
Readers, Geographical, Cassell’s New. With Numerous Illustrations in each
Book. (A, ist on application.)
Readers, The Modern Geographical. Illustrated throughout. (List on application.)
Readers, The Modern School. Illustrated. (List on application.)
Reading and Spelling Book, Cassell’s Illustrated. Is.
Round the Empire. By G. R. PARKIN. With a Preface by the Rt. Hon. the
- Earl of Rosebery, K.G. Fully Illustrated. Is. 6d.
Science Applied to Work. By J. A. Bow ER. Illustrated. Is.
Science of Every-Day Life. By J. A. Bower. Illustrated. Is.
Sculpture, A Primer of. By E. Roscoe MULLINs. Illustrated. 2s. 6d.
Shade from Models, Common Objects, and Casts of Ornament, How to. By
W. E. SPARKEs. With 25 Plates by the Author. 3s.
Shakspere's Plays for School Use. Illustrated. 9 Books. 6d. each.
Spelling, A Complete Manual of. By J. D. MORELL, LL.D. 1s.
Technical Educator, Cassell's New. An entirely New Cyclopaedia of Technical
Education, with Coloured Plates and Engravings. Complete in Six Vols., 5s. each.
Technical Manuals, Cassell's. Illustrated throughout. I6 Vols., from 2s. to 4s. 6d.
(Zzst free on aft/#/icatione.) 4.
Technology, Manuals of Edited by Prof. AYRTON, F.R.S., and RICHARD
WoRMELL, D.Sc., M.A. fllustrated throughout. (List on aftlication.)
Things New and Old ; or, Stories from English History. By H. O. ARNOLD-
ForstER, M.P. Fully lllustrated. Strongly bound in Cloth. Standards I and II.,
9d. º standard III., Is. ; Standard IV., Is. 3d. ; Standards V., VI., and VII.,
IS, OCl. Ca Cºl.
world of ours, This. By H. O. ARNOLD-Forster, M.P. Fully Illustrated. 3s.6d.
Selections from Cassell dº Company's Publications.
monks for joung neople. -
“Little Folks" Half-Yearly volume. Containing 432 pages of Letterpress, with
. Pictures on nearly every page, together with Six Full-page Plates printed in Colours.
Coloured boards, 3s.6d. ; or cloth-gilt, gilt edges, 5s.
Bo-Peep. A Book for the Little Ones. With Original Stories and Verses.
Illustrated with beautiful Pictures on nearly every page, and Coloured Frontispiece.
Yearly Vol. Elegant picture boards, 2s. 6d. ; cloth, 3s. 6d. s
Beneath the Banner. Being Narratives of Noble Lives and Brave Deeds. By
- F. J. Cross. Illustrated. Limp cloth, 1s. ; cloth boards, gilt edges, 2s.
Good Morning ! Good Night ! Morning and Evening Readings for Children, by
- the Author of “Beneath the Banner.” Fully Illustrated. Limp cloth, 1s., or cloth
- - - boards, gilt edges, 2s. . . - - -
Five Stars in a Little Pool. By EDITH CARRINGTON, Illustrated. 6s.
Beyond the Blue Mountains. By L. T. MEADE. Illustrated. 5s. . . .
The Cost of a Mistake. By SARAH PITT. Illustrated. Mew Edition. 2s. 6d.
The Peep of Day. Cassell's Illustrated Edition. 2s. 6d. • ?:
Maggie Steele's Diary. By E. A. DILLwyN. 2s. 6d.
. A Book of Merry Tales. By MAGGIE BROWNE, SHEILA, ISABEL WILSON, and
C. L. MATÉAUx. Illustrated. 3s.6d. • -
A Sunday Story-Book. By MAGGIE BROWNE, SAM BROWNE, and AUNT
ETHEL. Illustrated. 3s. 6d. • ,
A Bundle of Tales. By MAGGIE BROwn E, SAM BROwn E, & AUNT ETHEL. 3s. 6d.
Story Poems for Young and Old. By E. DAVENPORT. 8s. 6d. -
Pleasant Work for Busy Fingers. By MAGGIE BRowNE. Illustrated. 5s.
Magic at Home. By Prof. HoFFMAN. Fully Illustrated. A Series of easy
and startling Conjuring Tricks for Beginners. Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. -
Schoolroom and Home Theatricals. By ARTHUR WAUGH. With Illustra-
tions by H. A. J. MILES. Mezv Edition. Paper, 1s. ; cloth, 1s. 6d.
Little Mother Bunch. By Mrs. MOLEsworth. Illustrated. New Edition. 2s. 6d.
Heroes of Every-Day Life. By LAURA LANE. With about 20 Full-page
Illustrations. 256 pages, crown 8vo, cloth, 2s. 6d. • -
Ships, Sailors, and the Sea. By R. J. CORNEwALL-JONES. Illustrated
throughout, and containing a Coloured Plate of Naval Flags. Cheap Edition, 2s. 6d.
Gift Books for Young People. By Popular Authors. With Four Original
Illustrations in each. Cloth gilt, 1s. 6d. each. *
The Boy Hunters of Kentucky. By Jack Marston’s Anchor.
Edward S. Ellis. - Erank’s Life-Battle. -
Red Feather: a Tale of the American Major Monk; Motto; or, “I look Before
Frontier. By Edward S. Ellis. ... you Leap. e
Fritters; or, “It’s a Long Lane that has Tim Thomson’s Trial; or, “All is not Gold
no Turning.” - - that Glitters.” .
Trixy; or, “Those who Live in Glass Ursula’s Stumbling-Block. . - -
#ºuš shouldn’t throw Stones.” Ruth's Life-Work; or, “No Pains, no Gains.”
The Two Hardcastles. Raº's and Rainbows.
Seeking a City. - Uncle William’s Charge.
Bhoda’s Reward. JPretty Pink’s Purpose.
“Golden Mottoes” Series, The. Each Book containing 208 pages, with Four
full-page Original Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cioth gilt, 2s. each.
“INil Desperandum.” By the Rev. F. Lang- “Honour is my Guide.” By Jeanie Hering
bridge, M.A - (Mrs. Adams-Acton)... .
$$ • *W* * * * * 33 * - ~ * * Aim at a Sure End.” By Emily Searchfield.
Bear and Forbear.” By Sarah Pitt. “Pie Conquers who Endures.” By the Author
“IForemost if I Can.” By Helen Atteridge. of “May Cunningham's Trial,” &c.
“Cross and Crown.” Series, The. With Four Illustrations in each Book. Crown
8vo, 256 pages, 2s. 6d. each. - -
Heroes of the Indian Empire; or, Stories of By Fire and Sword: A Story of the Hugue-
Valour and Victory. By Ernest Foster. nots. By Thomas Archer. -
Through Trial to Triumph ; or, “The *::::::::::::::A; X. §§ º of Kirk and
53 - - e * e W *
ln. flºw.e nº." º: Noº; or, The Story of the Lost Vest al.
Waldenses. By C. L. Matéaux. ñº" Early Christian Days. By Emma
sº Suffer: A Story of the Jews. By Freedom's Sword: A Story of the Days of
E. Wynne, Swan.
Wallace and Bruce. By Annie S.
Selections from Cassé4 & Company's Auðacations.
Albums for Children. Price 3s. 6d. each, a -
The Chit-Chat Album. Illustrated. My Own Album of Animals. Illustrated.
Tue Album for Home, School, and Play. - -
Set in bold type, and illustrated throughout. Picture Album of All Sorts. Illustrated.
Illustrated. 2s. 6d. each.
“Wanted—a King ” Series. Cheap Edition.
Wanted—a King; or, How Merle set the
Robin’s Ride. By Ellinor Davenport Adams.
Great-Grandmamma. By Georgina M. Synge. Nursery Ethymes to Rights. By Maggie
Fairy Tales in Other Lands. By Julia God- Browne. -
dard. -
"Peeps Abroad” Library. Cheap Editions. Cloth gilt, as 6d. each.
Rambles Round , London. By C. L. Wild Adventures in Wild Places. By Dr.
A. *::ia ºia England. By C. Gordon Stables, R.N. Illustrated.
TOTULY1C, all Cl’.A.f) Oll Ilgºla, Il Ci. - *
L. Matéaux. Illustrated. g * “ . . Modern, Explorers. By Thomas Frost. Illus-
trated. Nezv and Cheaper Editions.
By one of the Authors of - -
Early Explorers. By Thomas Frost.
Paws and Claws.
- Illustrated.
“Poems Written for a Child.”
Decisive. Events in History. . By Thomas Home Chat with our Young Folks. Illus-
Archer. With Original Illustrations. trated throughout.
The True Robinson Crusoes. - - º -
Peeps Abroad for Folks at Home. Illus- Jungle, Peak, and Plain. Illustrated
trated throughout. throughout
Three-and-Sixpenny Books for Young People. With Original Illustrations.
Cloth gilt, 3s. 6d. each.
Told Out of School. By A. J. Daniels.
+ The White House at Inch Gow.
Bed Bose and Tiger Lily. By L. T.
Meade.
Pitt,
+ £olly. By L. T. Meade.
+ The Palace Beautiful.
“Follow my Leader.”
For Fortune and Glory.
I lost among White Africans.
+ A World of Girls. By L. T. Meade.
By Sarah
The Romance of Invention. By JAMES By L. T. Meade
Burnley. .
# Bashful Fifteen. By L. T. MEADE.
The King’s Command. A Story for Girls.
By Maggie Symington.
* A Sweet Girl Graduate. By L. T. Meade.
Books marked thus + can also be had in extra cloth gilt, gilt edges, 5s. each.
Books by Edward S. Ellis. Ilustrated. Cloth, as. 6d. each.
The Great Cattle Trail. #. the Hºp" The Lost Trail.
- e JLaSS War Trall. - Rºi yº -
The Palh in the Ravine. Ned on the River. A Tale Camp Filee and Wigwam.
The Young Ranchers. of Indian River Warfare. Lost in the Wilds.
The Hunters of the Ozark. Footprints in the Forest. Tuost in Samoa. A Tale of
The Camp ill the lylouri- Up the Tapajos. s Adventure in the Navigator
tains. Ned in the Block House. Islands.
Ned in the Woods...A., Tale Tad; or, “Getting Even”
- A Story of Pioneer Life in | -
of Early Days in the West. Kentucky. with Himml.
Cassell’s Picture Story Books. pages. 6d. each.
Ilittle TalkS. Auntie’s Stories.
Bright StarS. Birdie's Story Book.
Nursery Joys. Ilittle Chimes. -
Pet’s Posy. A. Sheaf of Tales.
Tiny Tales. Dewdrop Stories.
Each containing 60
Daisy’s Story Book.
I}ot’s Story Book.
A Nest of Stories.
Good Night Stories.
Chats for Small Chatterers.
Illustrated Books for the Little Ones. Containing interesting Stories. All
Illustrated. Is. each; or cloth gilt, Is. 6d.
Bright Tales and Funny Bible Pictures for Boys Those Golden Sands.
Pictures. and Girls. . Little Mothers and their
Melry Little Tales. . . Firelight Stories. Children.
little ‘Tales for Little Sunlight and Shade. Our Pretty Pets.
Rub-a-dub Tales
& Qur Schoolday Hours.
Fº Feathers and Fluffy 1116.
People. *
Little People and Their Creatures Ta,
- Creatures Wild. -
* ets. . . Uli”.
Tales Told for Sunday. Scrambles and Scrapes.
SG º and Down the Garden.
Sunday Stories for Small Tittle Tattle Tales. All Souts of Adventures.
Peo; le. | Dumb Friends. Our Sunday Stories. .
Stories and Pictures for Indoors and Out. Our Holiday Hours.
Ull] Clay. | Some Farm Friends. Wandering Ways.
Shilling Story Books. All Illustrated, and containing Interesting Stories.
Seventeen Cats.
Bunty and the Boys.
The Heir of Elmdale.
'L'he Mystery at Shortcliff
School.
Claimed at Last, and Roy’s
Eteward. .
Thorns and Tangles.
The Cuckoo in the Robin’s
John’s Mistake. [Nest.
Diamonds in the Sand.
Surly Bob. -
The History of Five Little
Pitchers.
The Giant’s Cradle.
Shag and Doll.
Aunt Iucia’s Locket.
The Magic Mirror.
The Cost of Revenge.
Clever Frank.
Among the Redskins.
The Ferryman of Brill
Harry Maxwell.
A Banished Monarch
Selections from Cassell & Company’s Publications.
Eighteenpenny Story Books.
All Mstrated throughout.
Wee Willie Winkie. Raggles, Baggles, and the Tom Morris’s Error.
mperor. W
Ups and Downs of a DOn- E
ey’s Life.
Three Wee Ulster Lassies.
Up the Ladder
The Chip B
Roses from Thorns.
* Faith’s Father.
* By Land and Sea.
Dick’s Hero; & other Stories. | The Young Berringtons.
Oy. Jeff and Ineff.
O
orth more than Gold.
sº £ºsh I'lood–Through
II’e,
The Girl with the Golden
OCRS,
Stories of the Olden Time.
“Little Folks”. Painting Books.
Water-Colour Painting. .
The New “Little Folks” Painting Book.
Containing nearly 35o Outline Illustrations
suitable for Colouring. Is.
With Text, and Outline Illustrations for
The * Little Folks”
Book. Cloth only, 2S.
Proverb Painting
Library of Wonders. Illustrated Gift-books for Boys. Cloth, 1s. 6d.
Woll derful Advertures.
Wonderful Fiscapes.
Wonders of Animal Instinct.
Wonderful Balloon Ascents.
Wonders of Bodily Strength and Skill.
The “World in Pictures” Series. Illustrated throughout. Cheap Edition. Is. 6d. each.
A Ramble Round France.
All the Russias.
Chats about Germany.
Peeps into China. .
The Land of Pyramids (Egypt):
The Eastern Wonderland (Japan).
Glimpses of South America.
Round Africa. -
The Land of Temples (India).
The Isles of the Pacific.
cheap Editions of Popular volumes for Young People. Illustrated. 2s. 6d.
each.
In º: of Gold; or, Under Esther West.
t; Three Homes.
i For Queen and King.
All Illustrated.
IMadge and her Friends.
The Children of the Court.
Maid Marjory.
The Four Cats of the Tip-
e Whanga Falls.
On Board the Esmeralda: ; or,
Martin Leigh’s Log.
Two-Shilling Story Books.
Margaret's Enemy.
Stories of the Tower.
Mr. Burke’s Nieces. . .
rº.: Cummingham’s Trial.
Thé Top of the Ladder:
BIow to Reach it.
Little Flotsam.
Half-Crown Story Books.
Penn’s Perplexities.
At the South Pole.
pertons.
IMIarion’s Tº
- WO IIleS,
Little Folks' Sunday Book.
Working to Win. -
Perils Afloat and Brigands
Ashore.
Two Fourpenny Bits.
Poor Nelly.
Tom Heriot.
Aunt Tabitha’s Waifs.
In Mischief Again.
Through Peril to Fort, 11 me.
Peggy, and other Tales.
IHO
Pictures of School Life and
Boyhood.
Cassell's Pictorial Scrap Book.
cloth back, 3s. 6d. per Vol.
Our Scrap Book.
The Seaside Scrap Book.
The Little Folks' Scrap Book.
In Six Sectional Volumes. Paper boards,
The Magpie Scrap Book.
The Lion §ºg Book.
The lºlephallt Scrap Book.
Books for the Little Ones.
Rhymes, for the Young Folk. By William
Allingham. Beautifully Illustrated. 3s. 6d.
The Sunday, Scrap Book. . With Several
Hundred Illustrations. Boards, 3s.6d. ; cloth,
gilt edges, 5S.
The History Scrap Book. With nearly
1,000 Engravings. Cloth, 7s. 6d.
The world's Workers. A Series of
John Cassell. By G. Holden Pike.
Chºº IHaddon Spurgeo.1. By G. Holden
| Ke.
Dr. Arnold of Bugby. By Rose E. Selfe.
The Earl of Shaftesbury.
Sarah Robinson, Agnes Weston, and IMIrs.
IMIeredith.
Thomas A. Edison and Samuel F. B. Morse.
Mrs. Somerville and IMary Carpenter.
General Gordom.
Charles Dickens.
Florence Nightingale, Catherine Marsh,
Frances Bidley Havergal, Mrs. Ran.
yard (“L. N. R.”).
Fully Illustrated.
Cassell’s Robinson Crusoe. With roo
Illustrations. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; gilt edges, 5s.
The Old Fairy Tales.
With Original Illus-
trationS. 6d.
Boards, Is. ; cloth, Is.
Cassell’s Swiss Family Robinson.
* g Illus-
trated. Cloth, 3s. 6d. ; gilt edges, 5s. •
New and Original Volumes by Popular
Authors. With Portraits printed on a tint as Frontispiece.
IS. each.
Dr. Guthrie, Father Mathew, Elihu Bur-
ritt, Joseph Livesey.
Sir Henry Havelock and Colin Campbell
Lord Clyde.
Abraham Lincoln.
I)avid Livingstone.
George Muller and Andrew Reed.
JRichard Cobden.
Benjamin Franklin.
andel. -
Turner the Artist.
George and Robert Stephenson.
Sir Titus Salt and George Moore.
*.* The above Works came also be had 7hree in One Vol., cloth, gue edges, 3s.
CASSEZZ & COAZAAA/Y, Zamzaea, Luugate Hill, London :
Aares dº 4/e/bozzzºne.
.." -
3. * * *
*...*.*&#
**:::::::
DATE DUE
;